TinaFields/iStock(NEW YORK) -- Multiple bomb threats have been reported across the country, according to authorities.



The New York Police Department said it was monitoring multiple bomb threats sent electronically to various locations throughout the city. The threats are not credible at this time, the department said.



The FBI said in a statement that it was aware of "recent bomb threats made in cities around the country." The agency is in touch with local law enforcement to provide assistance, it said, asking the public to remain vigilant and to promptly report any suspicious activity.



Also in New York City, a call came into The Bronx High School of Science saying a pipe bomb would explode in 20 minutes, a police spokesperson told ABC News. The school was cleared, and it was determined that there was no threat, police said.



The threat seemed to fit the pattern of others deemed not credible, saying that a detonation would occur in the absence of a $20,000 bitcoin payment.



Massachusetts State Police are also tracking multiple bomb threats emailed to several businesses throughout the state, it said.



Bomb threats were made to several locations in the Chicago area, including Aurora City Hall, the Aurora Library and Rush Copley Medical Center in Aurora, ABC Chicago station WLS-TV reported.



Threats have also been made in Canadian cities Winnipeg, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Penticton, CTV reported.



It is unclear how many bomb threats were made. Additional details were not immediately available.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
International Appeal Launched for Christians in the Middle East

Chaldean Mass at Saint Eddie Church in Mosul, Iraq on Dec. 7, 2018. ( Ammar Salih/EPA/MaxPPP) Religious leaders took over from politicians in the meeting chamber of the Ile de France Regional Council in Paris early on the morning of Dec. 11.

Maronites, Syrian Orthodox, Chaldeans, Druze, Armenians, Shiites, Sunni and Evangelicals filled the seats of the Simone Veil council chamber in Paris' 7th District.

A total of 20 Christian and Muslim religious dignitaries  along with several political representatives, magistrates and NGO leaders  had arrived to take part in a Paris International Conference organized by the Coordination of Christians of the Orient in Danger (CHREDO).

(This day) is a significant moment, a turning point in the solidarity between religions and our determination to combat extremists, emphasized CHREDO president, Patrick Karam, in his opening address, highlighting the unprecedented nature of such an interreligious meeting in Europe.

This is the first time that Christian and Muslim religious have come together to unambiguously condemn the terrorist actions of organizations such as ISIS as contrary to Islam and as crimes against humanity, he explained, pointing to the haemorrhage phenomenon affecting the Christian populations of the Near and Middle East.

Political ambitions

Backed by Valerie Pecresse, president of the Ile de France Regional Council and a former co-president of the Study Group on Oriental Christians in the French National Assembly, the conference focused on linkages between the religious and political fields.

It had three objectives. The first was to demonstrate interreligious unity via a common declaration calling for an end to violence perpetrated against Christians and other minorities, including Yezidis.

The second was to have the offenses perpetrated against them recognized by national and international legal authorities as crimes against humanity.

The third objective was to reflect on the conditions necessary for refugees to return to their countries of origin.

Eastern religious leaders took turns to address the meeting throughout the morning.

Religion never desires the death of human beings, said Doctor Abdel Meneem Fouad, Dean of the Faculty of Islamic Sciences at the University of Al Azhar. We reject everything that ISIS has tried to build. True religion calls for peace and living together.

Representing Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II, Bishop Angelos called for a renewal of religious thought to develop values of tolerance and peace.

We need help in action not in words! said Archbishop Nicodemus Daoud Sharaf of the Syrian Orthodox Church in Mosul.

We Christians of the East are suffering from marginalization, he added. This conference is important because it allows us to communicate our suffering to the world.

Paris International Proclamation

In a highlight of the event, Karam read out the Paris International Proclamation condemning discrimination and violence against Christians and other minorities of the East, including Yezidis.

Dozens of religious leaders present helped rework and signed the final document.

The signatories unambiguously affirm the inalienable right of Christians of the Orient as well as Yezidis and persecuted minorities, who represent the most ancient peoples of the region, to remain and live on their land in dignity and security without experiencing discrimination and to practice their faith in complete freedom. The future of the region depends on it, the document stated.

Condemning all past and future terrorist acts which constitute crimes against humanity against minorities, the proclamation called on the international community to avoid contributing to confusion between these terrorist groups and Islam.
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The state of Georgia experiences a humid subtropical climate with long, hot summers, and short but mild winters. The climate is influenced by the Atlantic in the east and the mountainous region in the north. The Chattahoochee River divides the state into various climatic zones. The mountainous region in the north-west experiences cooler climatic conditions than the rest of the state. December and January are the coldest months while July and August are the warmest.

Does it Snow in Georgia?

Georgia experiences a mild winter between mid-December and mid-January. The southern and southeastern regions of the state receive snow less frequently compared to other parts. Georgia Piedmont experiences cooler temperatures during winter compared to the coastal parts. The southern regions of Piedmont receive minimal snow at least once a year, but the region next the foothills receive snow several times. Northern Piedmont is characterized by freezing rain during the winter. The mountainous region of the state experience cool climate and therefore frequent snowfalls of between 4 and 18 inches annually although this is lower than other parts of the Appalachians. Some counties in the mountainous regions including Union, Pickens, Gilmer, and Fannin receive less snow of 3 and 8 inches annually. Areas above 4,000 feet experience ferocious inters with snowstorms covering the mountain tips. The counties in the far north can experience 5 inches of snow in 12 hours and up to 7 inches in 24 hours. Authorities in the state issue snow warnings whenever there is more than 50% chance of receiving more than two inches of snow in 12 hours or four inches in 24 hours. An ice storm warning is issued when icy conditions are imminent. Although it snows occasionally, blizzards in the states are rare, and the last was in 1993. During the winter, daytime temperature in northern Georgia averages 10 C (50 F) and 21 C (70 F) in the south and along the coast.

Tropical Cyclones and Tornadoes

Georgia experiences several tropical cyclones, but it is rarely hit by direct hurricanes because of its short coastline. The relatively weak Hurricane David of 1979 was the last to directly land on Georgia while the last time a category 3 or higher hurricane directly affected the state was in 1879. The Florida Panhandle weakens the hurricanes that would otherwise cause significant damage in Georgia. Other tropical storms bruise the Georgia coast before unleashing fury to the Carolinas. The state also experience frequent tornadoes, but most are the F1 category. The northern and southwestern part of the state reports the largest number of tornadoes. Every year about three F3 category or higher tornadoes are reported.
Dual citizenship refers to a situation where an individual is a national of more than one country according to the legal requirements of each of the countries. These legal requirements are different for every country and citizenship can only be attained by meeting these requirements. The United States is one of the countries around the world that allows citizens to have duel-citizenship.

Attaining Dual Citizenship

The most common way of attaining citizenship is by process of naturalization; a person who has been living in a country since birth is a citizen of that country. You can also become a citizen of a country if your parents are citizens of that country. Dual citizenship occurs due to the migration of people from their homeland to new countries. People migrate to other countries for a host of reasons including employment and opportunities to further education; this is where dual citizenship comes into play. In practice, an individual who has met the requirements to attain citizenship in more than one country is said to possess dual citizenship. However, each of the countries, in this case, claims the individual as its national.

History of Dual Citizenship Laws in the US

Before 1967, dual citizenship was banned in the United States until the Supreme Court ruled to do away with most of the laws that banned dual citizenship. The views of the United States on dual citizenship have been a subject of debate in the past years. However, like any other major changes, it took quite a while for the US government to acknowledge dual citizenship as a practice that has since been allowed by law.

Naturalization

Citizens of other countries who have attained US citizenship are required or at least slightly forced to denounce their former nationality during the naturalization ceremony. Denouncing your former nationality to become a US citizen has become part of the oath ceremony and those who refuse to do so risk being denied US citizenship. Although the US imposes strict conditions in the process of becoming a citizen, this has not led to any apparent changes in citizenship regulations in other nations. However, children of individuals who take the oath are not necessarily required to participate in the oath which means they are still technically citizens of their parents former country. In the past, the US government through the State Department actively pursued cases of individuals who had been found to have maintained residency in their countries of origin but has since stopped doing this.

Documents for Application of Citizenship

The process of applying for citizenship in the US requires copies of particular documents. These documents include a birth certificate, marriage certificate if applicable, passports, and verified immigration papers. In some cases, an immigrant may be from a non-English speaking nation and his or he documents may, therefore, be in a different language. In such a case these documents require translation in order to be accepted for consideration. This process demands the services of a professional translation firm to ensure the most accurate and truthful interpretation of these documents in English.
Belgium is an independent nation situated in West Europe. The country occupies an area of approximately 11,787 square miles and borders five European countries. The country is one of the most peaceful, and it is listed among other high-income nations in Europe. Belgium is partitioned into three major regions. The northwestern region consists of coastal plains, the central region has the plateaus, and the Southeast region mainly consists of hills and uplands. The country has plenty of natural resources such as fertile land, coal, carbonates, limestone, black marble, fir trees, diamonds, zinc, lead, iron, and silica.

Fertile Land

Belgium has abundant fertile land, particularly in the Central region. Approximately 26% of land in Belgium is used for farming activities. The country also has a favorable temperate climate which is good for farming, and the majority of farmers in Belgium are large-scale farmers. The European country is a major producer of agricultural items such as dairy products, poultry, fruits, vegetables, barley, potatoes, tobacco, and grains. To produce large quantities of farm produce, Belgium applies highly advanced farming techniques. Some of the new methods applied are scientific research and modern farm equipment. In the past three decades, Belgiums agricultural output has immensely increased with the adoption of modern farming methods. The agricultural sector in Belgium is important to the economy as products grown in Belgium are locally consumed and also exported to neighboring European nations. Additionally, the industry employs approximately 2% of the nations population.

Coal

Belgium has rich coal deposits. In the 19th and 20th centuries, Belgium had a thriving coal mining industry. The main mining sites in Belgium are situated in the South Eastern part of the country. Coal mining began in the early 19th century and was carried for many decades. In the 19th century, coal was an important commodity that powered major industries in the country. However, due to the bad weather effects associated with coal production, Belgium abandoned coal mining in 2016. Belgium joined six other European nations that stopped coal production in an attempt to reduce global warming.

Carbonates

Belgium has a wealth of carbonate deposits. The deposits are found on the northern part of the country. Carbonates exist in many varying forms such as dolomite, limestone, and siderite. The Carbonates extracted from the mining sites in Belgium have many uses. Some of the industries that rely on carbonates include the fizzy drinks industry, construction sector, iron extraction, cement production, and in making glass. Most of the carbonates are used locally. Belgium exports some of the carbonates to foreign countries such as Tanzania.

Silica

Silica is a form of sand that is found in plenty in Belgium. Extraction of Silica in Belgium began from as early as the 19th century. In 2000, Belgium produced approximately four metric tons of Silica. The worlds leading manufacturer of silica products  Evonik  has its main operations in Belgium. The company plans to build a major production facility in 2019 in the Belgian city of Antwerp. Silica is used in diverse sectors such as in adhesives, in the construction industry, dental products, and insulation material. The Silica produced in Belgium is exported throughout the world.

Forests

Belgium is home to large fir tree forests. The trees mainly grow on the hilly region of Ardennes. One of Belgiums famous forests is the Blue Forest situated near the nations capital city of Brussels. Most forests in Belgium are in protected areas. The beautiful forests are a tourist attraction hence they contribute to the countrys tourism sector. The forests also provide a safe habitat for animals and plant to thrive. The forests are a source of food and medicine for Belgians. Lastly, the trees provide timber for the major wood industry in the country. Some of the timber from Belgian forests is exported to other European nations.

Zinc And Lead

Belgium has Zinc and Lead as some of its natural resources. Extraction of zinc began from as early as the 14th century. The country is home to the worlds biggest producer of ZincNyrstar. In the third quarter of 2018, the company produced 270,000 metric tons of Zinc and 55,000 metric tons of Lead. In 1946, the lead and Zinc mines were temporarily closed in due to several challenges in the mining process such as dewatering, and refractory ores.

Iron And Steel

Belgium has several iron ores within its borders. In the pre-war period, Belgium was one of the big exporters of iron in Europe. The production of Iron and steel in the country has experienced a steady increase in the past decade. This increase is attributed to the rise in demand for steel and the growing automobile sector in Belgium and other countries. As of 2017, Belgium was ranked eighth of the worlds largest steel exporters. In that year, the country exported 5 million metric tons of steel. Most of the iron and steel produced in Belgium is exported to more than 160 nations worldwide. Some of the top markets for Belgian iron and steel products include France, Turkey, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. Some of the major uses of steel include the construction sector, motor vehicle industry, and manufacture of machinery. The steel industry employs a large number of people in the country.

The Significance Of Belgiums Economy

The central geographical location of the country in the continent together with well-developed transport network has assisted the country to develop a highly diversified economy having a broad mixture of manufacturing, transport, high tech, and services. Industries in the country are concentrated in the highly populous parts of the country such as the Flanders in the northern part of the country.The country relies entirely on fossil fuel from other countries, and it has planned to shut down all the seven nuclear power plants by 2025. Belgium is a regional logistics hub, and its economy is vulnerable to changes in foreign demand, especially with fellow European Union trading partners. Approximately  of the countrys trade is with fellow EU members.
The official highest air temperature ever recorded was 134F (56.7C) in Death Valley, California. However, it takes more than a single isolated reading to declare a region the hottest place on the planet. The average daily highest temperature of Furnace Creek in the Death Valley is 115 degrees Fahrenheit, making it the hottest place on the planet. The ground temperature is even higher, with readings of up to 201 degrees Fahrenheit. The reasons for the extreme temperature is because the Death Valley is 150 feet below the sea level and air gets warmer with increasing depth. In addition, the valley receives less than 3 inches of rainfall annually.

The El Azizia region of Libya previously held the record for the highest air temperature recorded on the planet until September 13, 2012, when the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) disqualified the records. The 136F (58C) set on September 13, 1922, was annulled after an investigation revealed that the temperature was influenced by several factors including the asphalt-like surface where it was recorded.

The Hottest Inhabited Place

The Dallol Region of northern Ethiopia is the hottest inhabited place on the planet with an average annual temperature of 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35C). May, June, July, and August are the hottest months with temperatures averaging 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The extreme heat is attributed to the hot desert climate, lack of vegetation, and the fact that the region lies 430 feet below the sea level.

Controversies

A research team from the University of Montana studied data from the United States geological survey satellites and discovered that some of places considered the hottest in the planet should not even be contenders. Seven years of data surveyed revealed that the Lut Desert in Iran experienced the highest temperature on the planet, but the finding has not been practically confirmed at the ground level. At one point in 2005, the daily average temperature rose to a staggering 159.3 F (70.7 C). A majority of the hottest spots on the planet cannot be physically measured because they are geographically remote and climatically harsh to access and to maintain a weather station; therefore, ground-based equipment cannot be deployed. The Sahara, the Sonoran, the Lut, and Gobi Deserts are thought to be the hottest surfaces of the planet.

Trends In Global Temperature

Global warming is pushing the extreme temperatures beyond human tolerance. The sea level is rising, summers are getting extremely hot, and winters are freezing. Extreme temperatures are encroaching into human environments, and the once hot but tolerable areas are turning into uninhabitable environments. Inhabited areas such as Bandar-e Mahshahr, Iran; Ghadames, Libya; Kebili, Tunisia; Timbuktu, Mali; and Wadi Halfa, Sudan will be uninhabitable by 2050 should the current trend continue.
The U.S. Justice Department sued Washington state Monday alleging that a law approved by the Legislature to make it easier for ill Hanford workers to get compensation discriminates against the federal government and its Energy Department contractors.The lawsuit filed against the state in U.S. District Court in Eastern Washington asks a federal judge to declare the law invalid and prevent enforcement.The U.S. Department of Energy is a self-insured employer and pays out claims, and the law seeks to help workers receive compensation for illnesses resulting from their time at Hanford. The state Department of Labor & Industries makes the final determination on cases appealed by Hanford workers.Under the law, some cancers and other illnesses are assumed to be due to chemical or radiological exposures at Hanford unless that presumption can be rebutted by clear and convincing evidence.The Hanford site near Richland was used to make plutonium for atomic weapons. It is now the focal point of a decades long cleanup of what is considered the most polluted site in North America. The effort involves some 10,000 workers employed by contractors.The filing follows through on threats made this fall in a Justice Department letter to Gov. Jay Inslee. The letter alleged the state law violates the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution because "it purports to directly regulate" the federal government.On Tuesday, meeting with reporters, Inslee attacked the lawsuit as another "depraved action" by the Trump administration, which he accused of a broader effort to strip away health-care benefits."This is just one piece of a very disturbing puzzle," Inslee said.State Attorney General Bob Ferguson said the federal lawsuit was based on an incorrect interpretation of state and federal law."We are confident in our ability to defend this legislation," Ferguson said.The legislation signed into law in March by Inslee was propelled through the Legislature by sick Hanford workers frustrated by denials of their compensation claims."We have had the biggest battle of our life," said Melinda Rouse on March 22, 2017, in state Senate testimony on behalf of her husband, Lawrence Rouse, who worked for more than 20 years at Hanford and was diagnosed with toxic encephalopathy.The legislation drew opposition from the Washington Self-Insurers Association and the Association of Washington Business, with critics arguing that it was "breathtaking in its scope and inclusivity" and would set a bad precedent, according to a summary of testimony included in a state House of Representatives report.In the lawsuit, Justice Department attorneys said the law subjected Hanford contractors to significantly heightened workers'compensation liability not imposed on any other employers in the state. "DOE will bear the majority of the costs from this heightened liability, including for ailments not demonstrated to have resulted from employment at Hanford," the lawsuit alleges.Tom Carpenter, executive director of Hanford Challenge, a watchdog group, said Tuesday that the law is a justified response to years of efforts by the Energy Department to fight claims filed by workers.He said the Washington law could set a precedent, encouraging other states with federal nuclear sites to pass similar legislation.As of late November, 83 claims have been reviewed under the law. Of those, 28 have been allowed, six have been denied and 49 are pending, according to Tim Church, a spokesman for state Labor & Industries.
Tallahassee City Commissioner Scott Maddox was indicted Wednesday on 44 charges in an FBI corruption investigation that became a key issue in Democrat Andrew Gillum's campaign for Florida governor.During a hearing, federal prosecutors told U.S. District Judge Charles Stampelos that the probe was ongoing.Maddox confidant, Paige Carter-Smith, who allegedly helped him in an ongoing scheme to solicit bribes from companies seeking to do business with the city of Tallahassee, also was indicted. The charges included racketeering, bribery, extortion and bank and wire fraud. Gillum isn't mentioned in the indictment.The 66-page indictment accuses Maddox and Carter-Smith of using two companies, Governance Incorporated and Gov. Services, to defraud banks in two short sale transactions and to solicit bribes from Uber and an unnamed construction company in exchange for his support on the City Commission.Maddox, a former Tallahassee mayor and former head of the state Democratic Party, was arrested Wednesday morning.Maddox and Carter-Smith pleaded not guilty to all charges. Both were released pending their trial, slated to begin Jan. 14, but were ordered to give up their passports and seek permission if they want to leave North Florida. Gov. Rick Scott issued an executive order suspending Maddox from the commission.Gillum was dogged throughout the campaign by his opponent Ron DeSantis about his ties to the investigation, which included trips with a lobbyist and meetings with undercover FBI agents.The mysterious, three-year sting ensnared Gillum, mayor of Tallahassee from 2014 until last month, who narrowly lost the race for governor to DeSantis on Nov. 6.Gillum said the FBI told him he was not a subject of the probe, but DeSantis and President Donald Trump repeatedly attacked him over it.DeSantis declared him "Crooked Mayor Gillum" at one point, and in a tweet, the president declared that Gillum was a "thief."The investigation unearthed details of Gillum's friendship with a lobbyist who set up meetings between him and the undercover agents, including on trips to New York City, Las Vegas and Costa Rica. Questions about who bought tickets for Gillum to the hit Broadway musical "Hamilton" also emerged.Those revelations might have raised doubts about Gillum in the razor-thin election that was decided after a recount with DeSantis winning by 32,463 votes out of more than 8.1 million cast.Just weeks before the election, documents from an ethics complaint related to the trips were released by a lawyer for Corey Stewart, a lobbyist who was Gillum's campaign treasurer during his mayoral run. The lawyer, Chris Kise, was recently named as a transition team adviser to DeSantis. The documents showed the "Hamilton" tickets were paid for by an undercover FBI agent.According to the indictment, Maddox falsely told the city attorney and ethics commissioners under oath that he had cut all ties to Governance, his consulting company, when he ran for City Commission in 2012. In fact, he used money from the company for personal expenses, the indictment states.When a construction company, referred to in the indictment as "Company A" fell behind on its monthly payments to Gov. Services, Maddox would tell their representatives to "show me some love" and catch up on the payments.Gov. Services was an early donor to Gillum's political committee, giving $10,000 to Forward Florida in March 2017, shortly after Gillum announced his candidacy. The money was later refunded by the committee.
The Australian Labor Party is holding its national conference starting this weekend, at which it will be touting itself as the alternative to the current Liberal-National Party Coalition government headed by Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Under a section headlined Assisting Australians abroad, Labors draft program asserts: Australia should protect the safety of Australians overseas. Labor will deliver a high standard of travel advice and consular assistance to all Australians overseas.

It continues: To the extent receiving governments permit, Labor will ensure consular representatives promptly visit Australians who have been arrested and maintain effective communication between legal representatives and the families of those who have been detained.

These words are exposed as shameless hypocrisy by Labors refusal, for over eight years, to do anything to defend Australian citizen and WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange.

Labor held government when, in 2010, Assange made available a vast amount of information that exposed the scale of US war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well the sordid diplomatic intrigues and conspiracies conducted by American embassies and consulates around the globe.

In response, the Obama administration and US intelligence agencies launched a vicious vendetta to destroy WikiLeaks and condemn Assange to a prison cell, or worse.

Far from protecting the safety of an Australian overseas, the Labor government lined up completely with Washington and placed itself at the forefront of the attack on Assange, WikiLeaks and freedom of speech.

On November 29, 2010, Labors Attorney-General Robert McClelland stated: We think there are potentially a number of criminal laws that could have been breached by the release of this information.

On December 2, 2010, Labor Prime Minister Julia Gillard stated: I absolutely condemn the placement of this information on the WikiLeaks website. Its a grossly irresponsible thing to do, and an illegal thing to do.

On December 4, 2010, McClelland declared that Labor was investigating whether it could strip Assange of his Australian passport.

The Labor government maintained its total hostility toward Assange even after the Australian Federal Police stated categorically that the journalist and editor had not breached any Australian law and WikiLeaks actions were those of a bona fide media organisation.

Labor refused to condemn, as a frame-up, the outrageous and false allegations that Assange may have committed sexual assault and to denounce the arrest warrant issued by a Swedish prosecutor.

The abandonment of an Australian citizen by Labor aided and abetted the British courts, which ignored the evidence that the sole motive behind the allegations was to engineer Assanges imprisonment in Sweden while American authorities organised his extradition to the US to face a show trial on espionage-related charges.

At no point did the Labor government demand that Britain and Sweden stop the persecution of Assange and allow him to immediately leave the United Kingdom and return to Australia if he chose to do so.

Ultimately, Labors refusal to uphold the obligation of the Australian government to protect its citizen, and the gross miscarriage of justice committed in the British courts, forced Assange to seek political asylum in Ecuadors small embassy in London on June 19, 2012.

Labors position flows inexorably from its total support for the US-Australia military alliance and its backing for every crime and intrigue committed by US imperialism. The government fully aligned Australia in November 2011 with the US pivot to Asia and its plans for a strategic and ultimately military confrontation with China. It sanctioned the expansion of the major US weapons-targeting base at Pine Gap, the basing of US Marines in Darwin and the US militarys increased use of Australian ports and airbases.

Labor stepped up Australias role in the US-led Five Eyes global spying network which, as Edward Snowden exposed in 2015, systematically violates the democratic rights of hundreds of millions of people, monitoring their communications and online activities.

Since it was thrown out of office in 2013, Labor has loyally served US and Australian imperialist interests from the opposition benches. It has insisted that the Coalition government maintain and extend Australias alignment with the US preparations for war with China. In June, it partnered with the Coalition to ram through sweeping foreign interference laws that seek to criminalise opposition to the militarist agenda of both major parties.

In regard to WikiLeaks, Labor ensured no support has been offered to Assange as he has endured years of effective imprisonment in the Ecuadorian embassy, denied sunlight and medical care and threatened with US charges. It has blocked his defence, including by having the trade unions repudiate their token expressions of concern, in 2010 and 2011, over his persecution.

When the new Ecuadorian government turned against Assange and vindictively cut off all his communications in March this year, Labor predictably did and said nothing about the treatment of an Australian journalist.

Every Labor member of parliament, both federal and state, has ignored the demand made by the Socialist Equality Party (SEP), journalist John Pilger, Assanges family and numerous leading lawyers and journalists that the Australian government immediately intervene to secure Assanges freedom.

Ahead of the next Australian election, due by next May, Labor has attempted to present itself as more progressive than the Coalition parties. Its leader Bill Shorten even makes occasional populist noises over social inequality and the financial stress facing millions of people.

The truth, however, is that the Labor Party is a right-wing, imperialist organisation. Its hostility to Assange and WikiLeaks is the logical corollary of its conscious policy of defending the capitalist profit system by shattering the social and democratic rights of the working class.

On Sunday, December 16, the SEP will hold a public meeting in Sydney, livestreamed around the world via Facebook, to outline and discuss the next stage in the campaign to secure the unconditional freedom of Assange, including his right to return to Australia if he so chooses, with a guarantee of protection from any extradition to the US. We urge all workers, youth and professionals who genuinely defend democratic rights to participate.

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SEP meeting and livestream on December 16: What next in the fight to free Julian Assange?
Prime Minister Theresa May survived a vote of no confidence by her own Conservative Party Wednesday evening. In a vote of the 317 MPs, May won with the support of 200, with 117 voting against.

The large vote against her by her hard-Brexit wing, combined with the loss of support from the 10 Democratic Unionist Party MPs, confirms that May is numbered among the walking dead. Arch critic of her proposed Brexit deal with the European Union, Jacob Rees-Mogg, told the press, 163 Conservative MPs are on the payrollministers, PPSs, vice chairmen of the party, trade envoys, and therefore of the non-payroll of the back benchers, the prime minister lost really very heavily.

May was told that 48 MPs had written letters demanding a no confidence vote after returning from a lightening round of diplomacy Tuesday night, desperately trying to obtain further concessions from European leaders following her decision not to hold a vote in parliamentthat she would have loston her proposed deal over the terms for exiting the EU.

Winning the no confidence vote means she cannot face another for a year, but does not resolve the crisis of rule in Britain. Seeking to exert maximum pressure, May said Wednesday morning outside 10 Downing Street that if she were to be defeated any new Tory leader would not realistically be in place until late January at the earliest, and that they would be forced to extend Article 50the legislation authorising withdrawaland delay Brexit until after the scheduled exit date of March 29, 2019. Even so, she was forced to promise a meeting of the 1922 Committee of backbench MPs, just before they cast their votes, that she would stand down as Tory leader before the next general election, set for 2022.

One Tory MP, George Freeman, tweeted that May has listened, heard & respects the will of the Party that once she has delivered an orderly Brexit, she will step aside for the election of a new Leader...

EU leaders meeting May on Tuesday offered her very little, but made clear that they saw no advantage in her downfall. They calculate that without May, any chance of the UK exiting in a soft-Brexit and maintaining some access to Europes markets would be threatened. If a Brexiteer took over Tory party leadership, there would be a high likelihood of the UK crashing out with no deal, and a heightened threat of economic turmoil and social unrest.

May will hold further talks with EU leaders at todays EU summit in Brussels, aimed at obtaining, as she said after the vote, legal and political assurances that will assuage the concerns that members of Parliament have on the Northern Ireland backstop that will keep the province in the EU Customs Union if there is no long-term trade deal agreed between Britain and Brussels. Securing some legal codicil making clear that the arrangement is temporary is her only chance of winning the backing of the DUP and maintaining a government majority.

Fear of a hard-Brexit in the dominant sections of the British and European ruling elite is one of the few weapons May can still deploythough this is becoming increasingly ineffective given that few believe her deal will not fall in parliament. Her other weapon wielded incessantly is that The only people whose interests would be served by turmoil in the Tory party would be Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell.

Such fears notwithstanding, the Labour leader and his shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, continued to reject calls to put a no confidence vote before parliamentleaving it to the Brexiteers to take the political high-ground.

Corbyns many apologists claim that he is biding his time so that such a move will be successful and open up at least the possibility of a general election. But the Tories own no confidence motion shows the damage that even an unsuccessful motion would have done to the government. And it is this that Corbyn wants to avoid, seeking to convince the ruling class that Labour can govern without arousing a militant movement in the working class demanding the end to austerity he has promised. Last week, McDonnell wrote to a leading civil service official declaring, In view of the current instability in government as a result of which an election could come at any time, I believe it behoves us to make suitable preparations now to ensure that there is a smooth transfer of power, obviously depending on the outcome of that election.

This has left Corbyns Blairite opponents as the other political force able to set the agenda. They have gone on the offensive once again, despite lacking any popular support within the partydemanding above all that Corbyn openly embrace the demand for a second referendum to overturn Brexit and abandon the pipe dream of a general election. Writing in the pro-Remain Guardian last Friday, Blairite columnist Jonathan Freedland wrote of Corbyns Brexit policy, that the era of constructive ambiguity [on Brexit] has to end next week ... that fudge is past its sell-by date. We are at the moment of decision now.

At Prime Ministers Questions Tuesday afternoon, one would barely have known that May even faced a vote of confidence threatening her premiership in a matter of hours, so timid was Corbyn. Following the vote, Corbyn was equally careful to say and do nothing to alert workers of the gravity of the situation. Stating that she pulled the vote on her botched Brexit deal this week and is trying to avoid bringing it back to parliament, he demanded nothing except that May must now bring her dismal deal back to the House of Commons next week so parliament can [vote on it and ] take back control.

What was required was a Brexit deal that works for the country and puts jobs and the economy first.

While Corbyn is seeking to keep everything within the confines of the institutions of the capitalist state, the hard-Brexit wing of the Tories are reportedly preparing their next moves against May to push through their pro-austerity agenda for Brexit. Telegraph senior political correspondent Steven Swinford tweeted after the vote that Eurosceptics [are] already thinking about the nuclear optiona non-binding motion of no confidence against their own PM, removing her with backing of Labour, SNP [Scottish National Party] & Lib Dems. Theyre not giving up.

The political crisis in Britain deepens amid an upsurge of anger in the working class, with strikes and anti-austerity protests across Europe and internationally.

For the last five weeks, hundreds of thousands of Yellow Vest protesters have mounted demonstrations against the hated government of French President Emmanuel Macron. Corbyns greatest fear is the spread of this movement to the UK. Throughout this entire processresulting in Macron being forced to make a national televised address promising concessions amid brutal repression on the streets of ParisCorbyn has not uttered a word regarding the world historic events unfolding across the Channel.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai denied allegations that the company was engaged in political censorship Monday at a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee.

Throughout the hearing, Republicans repeatedly claimed that the company was censoring search results to the detriment of right-wing viewpoints, while Democrats either denied the companys censorship or justified it.

The fundamental realitycompletely ignored at the hearingis that the real targets of censorship by Silicon Valley, working with the US intelligence agencies and with the consent of both political parties, are left-wing, anti-war and socialist political organizations.

In April 2017, Google announced that it would implement changes to its search algorithm to promote authoritative news sources to the detriment of what it called alternative viewpoints. This action led to a massive decline in search rankings and traffic to left-wing, anti-war and progressive websites.

The campaign to implement this censorship regime was spearheaded by the Democratic Party, which, based on claims of Russian meddling in the 2016 election, sought to pressure the technology giants to block and suppress left-wing opposition, which it branded as extremist viewpoints.

The narrative of both parties is strikingly at odds with reality. Compared to April 2017, the far-right Breitbart.com had its search traffic increase by 25 percent. By contrast, search results for the World Socialist Web Site are down by 76 percent over the same period, and other left-wing sites remain down by 50 percent or more.

At the hearing, Pichai made one of Googles most explicit denials to date that it was carrying out political censorship.

I lead this company without political bias and work to ensure that our products continue to operate that way, Pichai declared. To do otherwise would go against our core principles and our business interests. We are a company that provides platforms for diverse perspectives and opinions, he said.

He added, Its not possible for any employee or groups of employees to manipulate our search results.

In fact, the changes implemented in 2017 by the company were intended to empower search evaluators to impact Google search results. These individuals, whose input was added to Googles more impartial PageRank algorithm, were told to respond negatively to pages displaying alternative viewpoints unless users explicitly specified they were looking for such views.

While some political organizations aligned with the Democratic Party were affected by Googles actions, they either ignored or supported the censorship regime. The far right, meanwhile, made opposition to censorship a rallying cry.

US President Donald Trump, setting the tone for substantial sections of the Republican Party, has prominently accused Google of censoring search results. Republican members of Congress repeatedly held hearings accusing the company of suppressing right-wing and conservative political views.

Google has long faced criticism for manipulating search results to censor conservatives, Representative Lamar Smith declared at Mondays hearing.

The Democrats, for their part, used Pichais testimony to alternately deny and justify the companys censorship. In his remarks, ranking Democrat Jerrold Nadler, who will become chairman in January, declared that no credible evidence supports this right-wing conspiracy theory. In effect, Nadler and the other Democrats used the Republicans accusations about Googles liberal bias as a straw man, arguing, by extension, that all claims that Google is manipulating search results are a conspiracy theory.

Nadler then proceeded to justify Googles censorship, which he had just denied. Even if Google were deliberately discriminating against conservative viewpoints, just as Fox News and Sinclair broadcasting and conservative talk radio hosts like Rush Limbaugh discriminate against liberal points of view, that would be its right as a private company to do so, and not to be questioned by government.

This, too, is a straw man. In carrying out their censorship of left-wing views, Google and the other technology giants are acting at the instigation of the US intelligence agencies and leading political figures, serving as the states accomplice in violating the Constitution.

Responding to the Republicans claims, the Washington Post wrote in an editorial, Members of the conservative majority on the House Judiciary Committee spent much of their time hammering Mr. Pichai with baseless accusations that Google rigs its search results to censor conservative content. Black-box algorithms will inevitably prioritize some content over other content, and to the extent companies can be transparent about how their systems work, they should be. But a single-minded and mindless focus on a nonexistent left-wing conspiracy within Google has had the paradoxical effect of discouraging companies from properly policing their platforms, as they hesitate to remove content that should be removed for fear of unfounded criticism.

In other words, the Post is concerned that the Republicans grandstanding about what they allege to be a bias against right-wing viewpoints might undermine the plans by the US intelligence agencies to intensify their censorship of left-wing opposition.

As working class-opposition throughout Europe and around the world continues to mount, the American political establishment is ramping up demands for censorship. Responding to the Yellow Vest demonstrations against social inequality in France, the New York Times wrote an editorial warning that the power of social media to quickly mobilize mass anger, without any mechanism for dialogue or restraint, is a danger to which a liberal democracy cannot succumb.

The clear implication is that a growing international upsurge of the working class will be met with even further repression and censorship.
Canadas arrest of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of the Chinese tech giant Huawei, has provoked outrage in China. Meng was released on bail on harsh and humiliating conditions on Tuesday after 10 days in detention. She faces extradition to the United States on two fraud charges, each carrying jail terms of up to 30 years. She is due back in court on February 6 for extradition proceedings that could last for months.

Meng is accused of misleading American financial institutions into allowing transactions involving the sale of goods to Iran banned under US sanctions. Mengs detention is part of a far broader US campaign, under both the Obama and Trump administrations, aimed at undermining Huawei and other Chinese tech companies.

The political character of Mengs arrest was underscored by US President Donald Trumps comments to Reuters, which made clear her fate was a bargaining chip in US-China trade relations. Trump declared he would certainly intervene in the case if he thought it was good for what will be certainly the largest trade deal ever made or good for national security.

Trumps remarks undermine claims by the Canadian government that Mengs detention was purely a legal-administrative matter and was not political or the result of pressure from Washington. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was at pains to maintain the deceit, declaring: Regardless of what goes on in other countries, Canada isand will always remaina country of the rule of law.

Mengs treatment, however, has led to a wave of anger in China against both Canada and the US. On Chinese social media, the US and Canadian embassies accounts on the Weibo platform have been flooded with comments denouncing the arrest and calling for Mengs release, Bloomberg reported.

Calls have also gone out for a boycott of Canadian brands, including high-profile Canada Goose Holdings, a maker of prestige parkas, whose shares have plummeted by more than 18 percent since Mengs arrest.

The Washington Post cited the comments of several people on the streets of Beijing. This is definitely not just about the law. This is something very vile in nature, office worker Lang Bin said. The United States is deliberately doing this to Huawei because Huawei is an industry leader in China, Chen Lili, a young doctor, told the newspaper.

A number of Chinese companies have taken measures of their own against Apple, which Huawei surpassed this year as the worlds second largest supplier of smart phones, behind Samsung. Mengpai Technology has offered to subsidise staff who buy Huawei phones while fining those who bought Apple phones. Shenzhen Huiyisheng called for employees to hand in their Apple phones and threatened dismissal if they refused to do so.

The Chinese government has condemned the actions of Canada and the US, hauling in their ambassadors to Beijing for a dressing down and warning of grave consequences if Meng were not released.

In what appears to be retaliation, Chinese authorities earlier this week detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig, who works for the Brussels-based think tank, the International Crisis Group (ICG). Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang provided no details of Kovrigs arrest, but suggested that his activities in China were illegal because the ICG was not a registered non-government organisation.

Canadian Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale expressed concern at an arrest, where theres no apparent or obvious cause but added that we want to make sure we get all the facts. The US State Department, however, dispensed with the niceties. Utterly hypocritically, it called on China to end all forms of arbitrary detention and respect the protections and freedoms of all individuals.

Mengs arrest, undoubtedly engineered by Washington with Canadas collusion, was a thinly-veiled act of gangsterism. The allegations against the Huawei executive are based on US sanctions unilaterally imposed against Iran, and backed, not by the UN or any international body, but by threats of US economic and legal penalties.

China, however, has responded cautiously so as not to jeopardise the possibility of an agreement with the Trump administration to end the escalating economic war between the two countries. According to Bloomberg, Chinese authorities are attempting to rein in the outpouring of angry protests on social media.

The ramifications of Mengs arbitrary detention already are being felt in the US and China. Business Insider reported that Chinese researchers in hi-tech sectors have been warned not to travel to the US unless absolutely necessary. An internal research centre memo urged anyone who had to go to the United States to delete sensitive information from their computers and phones.

The Wall Street Journal reported the concerns of the 1,500 Huawei employees in the United States about their jobs, amid the ongoing US campaign to block its activities. The Chinese company operates on 18 sites in the US, including its North American headquarters in Texas and a substantial research and development facility in California. It spends about $8 million annually in partnerships with more than 50 US universities, which is increasingly coming under fire in Congress from anti-China hawks.

Huawei has been something of a flagship for Beijings ambitious Made in China 2025 program aimed at making China a leading contender in hi-tech industries such as robotics, artificial intelligence and electric cars. As well as being a leading producer of smart phones, Huawei is already the worlds largest supplier of cellular tower equipment and related telecom infrastructure.

At the same time, Huawei is heavily dependent on advanced chips bought from American companies to build its products. It imports around $10 billion a year of components from the United States and is acutely sensitive to any threat to those supplies. Earlier this year, Huaweis smaller rival ZTE was threatened with collapse when the US government maintained a ban for months on the sale of high-end chips to the company, which similarly had been accused of breaching American sanctions on Iran.

In turn, the US could be vulnerable to loss of access to Chinese technological advances as it seeks to roll out the emerging fifth generation of cellular technology, known as 5G. Washington has sought to block the use of Huawei equipment in its new networks, on the grounds of national security, and has pressured allies such as Australia and New Zealand to follow suit. Huawei, however, is a leading 5G developer. China holds about 10 percent of patents related to 5G standards, mostly belonging to Huawei.

Mengs arrest underscores the determination of the US ruling class to use every means available to prevent China from challenging its dominant position in advanced technology, which is critical to ensuring its global economic and strategic hegemony.
Tens of thousands of UK residents are still living in high rise buildings covered with flammable cladding, 18 months after the horrific inferno that consumed Grenfell Tower, killing 72.

The deadly consequences of wrapping buildings in thermo-plastic materials was confirmed by experts recently at the government inquiry into the Grenfell fire. The cladding and its inept installation were identified as the main contributory factors in the fire spreading from a small fire in one flat to the whole building in half an hour.

It took almost a year after the Grenfell fire for Prime Minister Theresa May to announce that the government would provide a paltry 400 million to remove cladding composed of aluminium composite material (ACM) from publicly owned buildings, to be replaced with a safe alternative. ACM is in fact only one kind of cladding with incendiary properties.

Councils and housing associations must remove dangerous cladding quickly, May said in parliament as a means to diffuse public anger over the issue.

That no action has been taken by the government to enforce this is proved by the latest monthly Building Safety Programme report. The Building Safety Programme was set up following the fire with the aim of ensuring that residents of high-rise residential buildings are safe, and feel safe from the risk of fire, now and in the future.

But its October 25 report, published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, shows hardly any progress in removing the cladding. It identified that there are still 457 high-rise (over 18 metres) residential buildings and publicly-owned buildings in England [which have] Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding systems unlikely to meet current Building Regulations guidance.

Of these, 157 are social sector residential buildings, managed by local authorities or housing associations; 291 are private sector buildings, of which 201 are private residential, 28 are hotels, and 62 are student accommodation. 9 are publicly-owned buildings, comprising hospitals and schools.

Not all buildings with cladding have even been tested yet: There are approximately 30 private sector residential buildings where the cladding status is still to be confirmedthis has fallen from approximately 170 buildings in June.

The report lists the work to date: 22 of the 157 social sector buildings (14%) have finished remediation and a further 98 buildings (62%) have started the process of remediation Of the 291 private sector buildings 17 have finished remediation; 21 have started remediation; remediation plans are in place for 92 buildings but remediation works havent started on these buildings yet; there are 40 buildings where building owners intend to remediate and plans are being developed; and remediation plans remain unclear for 121 buildings.

Therefore, out of a total 457 buildings identified, work has been completed on just 43 (less than a tenth).

On October 17, six months after the cladding fund was announced, the government finally began to release the first tranches to Local Authorities to begin the remedial work on public buildings.

Work began on some high-rise blocks in the city of Salford, which has 29 flats encased with dangerous claddingthe highest concentration in the UKdaily threatening the safety and lives of residents.

Cladding has been removed from some of the nine local authority owned blocksup to the fourth floor, and completely from Plane Court. Even before winter sets in, residents at Plane are complaining of freezing conditions in the flats, because the cladding has not been replaced and the outer walls provide no insulation.

One resident told the Salford Star, a local campaigning and investigative journal, Its really cold, absolutely freezing; its like being in the North Pole. Were sat with heaters on, blankets and onesies and its still cold... Theyve [the local council] not done anything, apart from ask us to be patient.

Another said, Weve got the heating on but it doesnt make a difference. Weve got the hot water on but its warm water; and when you run a bath youve got to boil the kettle and pour it into the bath.

A couple said they have resorted to sleeping under silver thermal blankets from one of the homeless organisations. That is how me and my partner sleep... in tin foil, adding, Pendleton Together are a joke.

Pendleton Together Operating Limited (PTOL) is the private company that manages the flats on behalf of the Labour Party-run Salford City Council.

Funding the remedial work has proved a Kafkaesque nightmare. Labour Party-run Salford City Council originally borrowed 25 million to finance the work, which the government blocked. Pendleton Together does not qualify for the government cladding fund because it is a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contractor, which pays dividends to shareholders.

The Deputy City Mayor, Labour councillor John Merry, announced the contractor, PTOL, have the means to pay for a detailed fire safety programme to keep homes safe and warm.

What he failed to explain is that SCC is tied into a PFI agreement with PTOL until 2042 and each month must make a payment Sufficient to pay bond debt, to include interest and amortisation, operational costs and to provide for shareholder return...

Residents of Spruce Court spoke to WSWS reporters expressing their worry, and anger at being kept in the dark.

Bob, 62, who lives on the sixth floor, said, All those people [in Grenfell Tower] died for nothing. They were doing cheap renovations. The council are supposed to be sorting it [remedial work] out, but it could take two years.

My 85-year-old relative lives on the tenth floor, said Janice, And Im worried about him.

Dany, 26, said, The Council are doing nothing. People are in danger. Were not animals. Capitalism needs to go otherwise there will be more dangers.

Salim, 32, explained he got a flat in Plane Court because I was homeless, I had no choice. Its scary, Im worried. I call it modern slavery. Its about the rich people not the poor people.

Residents in the Pendleton Together blocks were recently informed by letter that the company had secured funding for the removal and replacement of cladding over nine blocks at Pendleton, along with other fire related works. Further details on the work will be available shortly...

There was no information on the amount of funding, or whether work would proceed on other defects in the blocks, such as faulty wiring, windows and entrance gates.

Salford City Council are equally unforthcoming, refusing to reveal the contents of a safety report into their flats commissioned by PTOL, saying it was up to the company to do so.

As there was initially no commitment by the government to fund work to remove ACM cladding on privately owned blocks, a government spokeswoman indicated that the cost for remediation should be met by landlords: This is money for social housing. We expect private building owners to take responsibility for removing and replacing and to not pass the cost on to leaseholders.

A recent legal judgement, however, ruled in favour of freeholders, who own the land on which flats stand. It ruled that leaseholders (flat owners) can be charged for removing dangerous cladding from buildings.

The quagmire has not been resolved by the governments recent about-face on the issuemore apparent than realauthorising Councils to do the necessary remedial work, for which they will be reimbursed from central government funds.

Given the dire state of Local Authority financesdepleted of funds by massive austerity cuts to their budgets by Labour and Conservative governments since 2008and the stipulation by both parties for councils to balance the books, it can be expected that councils will continue to prevaricate.

At the end of November, James Brokenshire MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, banned all combustible cladding, including ACM, from new buildings taller than 18 metres. The ban will be effective from December 21.

Combustible doors, windows, seals and thermal break materials will be exempt, howevereven though these were proved to have contributed to the rapacious fire spread at Grenfell tower. The government said only that this exemption will be reviewed.

Moreover, tower blocks built before 2013, wrapped in combustible cladding other than ACM, will not be covered by the ban. This means that approximately 160 high-rise flats, hotels and student blocks will remain wrapped in rainscreen cladding made from combustible materialsbecause the government in its indifference and criminality has only committed to fund the removal of buildings wrapped in ACM.
Talks between US and Chinese officials have brought a very short-term easing of trade tensions. China has agreed to lift the 40 percent tariff on US cars it imposed as a retaliatory measure and given an unspecified commitment to increase purchases of US soybeans and other agricultural products.

US markets responded accordingly with Wall Street up yesterday on the news as the Dow rose by 157 points or 0.64 percent.

The talks between the two sides took place on Monday night in a teleconference involving US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnunchin, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, whom Trump has put in charge of the negotiations, and Chinese vice premier and chief trade negotiator, Liu He.

Liu said the tariff on US autos would be reduced to 15 percentthe general Chinese tariff on cars. The main beneficiary, however, will not be US-owned firms but German car makers BMW and Daimler that manufacture vehicles, particular SUVs, in the US and then export them to China.

The talks were the first to be held following the meeting between US President Trump and Chinas President Xi Jinping on December 1 and came in the wake of the arrest and detention in Canada, at the request of the US, of Meng Wanzhou, a top executive of the Chinese telecom giant Huawei.

Meng has been released on onerous bail conditions and now awaits what could be lengthy legal proceedings if the US decides to go ahead and seek her extradition to the US to face charges, carrying a possible prison term of 30 years, that she committed fraud to evade US bans on Iran.

Trumps first major public comment on the Meng arrest has blown apart the pretence that this had nothing to do with US the trade and economic warfare measures but was purely a judicial matter. In an interview with Reuters, he said he was prepared to do what was necessary in the Meng case if it assisted in securing a trade deal.

The Justice Department has insisted that it will go ahead. What we do at the Justice Department is law enforcement. We dont do trade, John Demers, the head of its national security division, said.

Trumps intervention throws some light on why he appears to have been kept out of the loop on the move against Meng, which was made at the same time as he was meeting with Xi on December 1. The White House has insisted that Trump did not know of the events in Vancouver beforehand. However, his National Security Adviser, John Bolton, told NPR last Thursday that he knew in advance of the request to Canada.

It is extraordinary, to the say least, that Bolton, who was in charge of the discussions with Xi, did not inform Trump of this development. It points to the fact that the push against the Chinese telecom firm is being led by the intelligence and military establishment, which is determined to move against Huawei, having organised an international campaign to have it excluded from the telecommunications systems of US allies.

Earlier this year, Trump intervened against action by the US Commerce Department to ban the sale of components to the Chinese telecommunications firm ZTE on the grounds that it had not taken sufficiently severe measures against executives involved in breaching US bans on Iranthe same issue at the centre of the allegations against Meng. His involvement came after representations from Xi and secured the lifting of the restrictions which, had they continued, would have effectively put ZTE out of business.

Now the same measures initially proposed against ZTE could be invoked against Huawei on national security grounds.

Huawei, which is considered a leader in the development of a 5G phone network, is at the centre of Chinese efforts to develop its technological and industrial base which key sections of the US state regard as a threat to American economic and military dominance.

Huawei is leading in 5G technology so the US panicked and wanted to suppress Huawei. If you want to condemn someone, you can always trump up a charge, Ding Yifan, a senior researcher at the National Strategic Institute at Tsinghua University told the Financial Times.

He said that while Huawei was better placed than ZTE, if the US issued a ZTE-style denial order, where networks cannot order components to upgrade existing software or work with Huawei staff, it would be crippled. That would be a small nuclear weapon, he said.

Reports in the Wall Street Journal suggest that China is preparing to make some concessions to the US on its demands that alleged theft of intellectual property and forced technology transfers must ceaseassertions that China denies.

Wu Handong, an adviser to Chinas Supreme Peoples Court, told the newspaper that China was speeding up plans to introduce a revised patent law to address US demands. It also reported that Beijing was considering changes to its Made in China 2025 plan which the US claims is based on state-subsidies to key national industries, giving them an unfair advantage in global markets.

However, any moves on Beijings part are unlikely to halt the drive from within the American state apparatus against Chinese economic development.

Further evidence of the strength of that drive came at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing yesterday when a leading FBI official said Beijing was using American technology to develop its own economy, threatening the position of the US.

Our prosperity and place in the world are at risk, Bill Triestap, the FBIs senior counter-intelligence official told the committee.

I believe this is the most severe counter-intelligence threat facing our country today, he said. Every rock we turn over, every time we looked for it, its not only there, its worse than we anticipated.
On Sunday, more than 80 autoworkers and other workers and youth from throughout the US Midwest resolved at a meeting in Detroit to form rank-and-file factory committees, independent of the unions, to fight against plant closures, layoffs and other attacks on the working class.

Following the meeting, a steering committee was established to carry forward the struggle against plant closures.

The action taken at the meeting, organized by the World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter and the Socialist Equality Party, is a major step forward. With mounting signs of a renewed economic downturn, the capitalist ruling elites are going on the offensive. The announcement by General Motors that it will close five plants in the US and Canada and eliminate at least 15,000 jobs is part of a global restructuring aimed at making the working class pay for the funneling of ever larger sums into the financial markets.

There are growing expressions of working class opposition to this social counterrevolution. In every country, however, the working class confronts trade unions that are actively collaborating in plant closures, layoffs and other attacks by the ruling class. The past year has seen a significant increase in working class struggles in the United States, including strikes by teachers and the rejection of a national contract by UPS workers, with the unions functioning as strikebreakers.

Now, in the center of world capitalism, the working class is beginning to establish the necessary organizational and political framework for a counter-offensive.

The attendees at the meeting included delegations of autoworkers and other workers from Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Ohio, as well as an Amazon worker from Texas. Among the participants were several autoworkers from the GM Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant, one of those set to be closed, as well as many Ford, GM and Fiat Chrysler workers from throughout the region.

The delegates to the meeting represented much broader layers of workers in the United States and Canada. They included black workers and white workers, men and women, young workers and older workers. The issues that dominated the meeting were class issues, not the issues of race and gender promoted by the media and the Democratic Party and its appendages.

It was, moreover, an international meeting. It included a report from Alex Lantier, the leader of the Parti de legalite socialiste (PES) in France, who spoke on the significance of the yellow vest protests against the banker-president Emmanuel Macron. It was readily recognized by all those participating that the issues facing workers in France, the United States and all over the world are essentially the same.

The meeting was the only gathering of workers to organize serious opposition to plant closures and do so independently of the United Auto Workers. For this reason, it could give genuine expression to the growing anger of workers and their determination to fight. Following an opening political report by World Socialist Web Site Labor Editor Jerry White, workers engaged in a full and open democratic discussion. They spoke of the real conditions in the plants, including extreme exploitation, sexual harassment and victimization.

The delegates to the meeting unanimously adopted a resolution calling for the formation of rank-and-file committees, independent of the UAW, Unifor [in Canada] and other unions, in all the affected workplaces and neighborhoods, to organize opposition to the plant closures. The committees, the resolution stated, will advance the interests of workers in opposition to the dictates of corporate management, mobilize workers on the basis of their own demands, demand that workers have unrestricted access to all corporate and union financial records and oversight over all negotiations and contract votes, and fight for the unity of American workers with our class brothers and sisters in Canada, Mexico and the rest of the world.

Hostility to the UAW was universal. The anti-working class character of the unionits theft of workers wages, its corruption and its role in imposing attacks on the working class through threats and fraudwas not questioned by any of the participants.

One Chrysler worker called the UAW the controlled opposition against workers, where every concession is nothing more than an aspect of attrition in their war.

Another worker explained that at her plant, workers have already begun to meet outside of union meetings, outside of work, in order to come together and get resolutions and solutions.

Another declared, Were going against management and the people that are supposed to be protecting us [the unions], but they really arent. Theyre working with management.

Delegates also heard a powerful contribution from Shannon Allen, the Texas Amazon worker who has emerged as a leader of opposition to conditions at Amazon facilities after her experience with being injured and forced into homelessness. Were the ones who make the world go round, Shannon declared to applause. Its not the Jeff Bezoses of the world. Its us! She made a powerful appeal for the unity of all workers. Without you, there is no us, she said, without us, there is no you.

The meeting marked a significant development not only of class, but also of political consciousness. It marked a turn by workers to a political struggle against capitalism and for socialism.

The central role of the World Socialist Web Site in organizing and providing political leadership to the developing movement of the working class was recognized by those attending, many of whom spoke about the influence of the WSWS in the plants. One worker asked whether the rank-and-file committees would be permitted to use the WSWS as a communicating tool, as a voice and unique educator? And will the Socialist Equality Party provide the leadership so that we can go on and function on a strategic level?

The answer is Yes. The role of the SEP and the WSWS in giving political direction to the developing movement of the working class is critical. The growth of the class struggle is an objective process. However, the task of imparting to this movement independent organization and socialist consciousness requires the construction of a socialist political leadership in the working class.

As WSWS International Editorial Board Chairman David North, speaking to the meeting from New Zealand, emphasized, It isnt enough to point to the betrayal of other organizations. What we have to come to grips with is what it means to build another leadership. That is our responsibility.

The meeting in Detroit marked a major step forward. It was infused by a determination to fight, a confidence in the immense power of the working class, and an understanding of what is necessary to unify and mobilize this powerthe greatest revolutionary force on the planet. The initiative taken at this meeting must be expanded. It must serve as a rallying point for the formation of independent workers organizations and the conscious development of the class struggle in the United States and throughout the world.
SPEED READ:

Panic button apps send out 911-style alerts to emergency personnel as well as school staff and/or students.

The technology has become popular in hotels and schools, especially since the Parkland shooting.

They are designed to improve the police response time in the event of an emergency.

There have been 82 school shootings so far in 2018 -- by far the highest annual tally on record, according to the Naval Postgraduate School's Center for Homeland Defense and Security, which maintains a database of them.As that number has increased dramatically in recent years, public safety officials have grappled with how to respond to the incidents quickly and safely. One innovation that many cities have implemented is "panic buttons" -- phone appsthat can instantly send out 911-style alerts during a shooting and hopefully reduce the number of injuries and fatalities.Last week, Washington, D.C., became the latest local jurisdiction to announce it would adopt the technology. The mobile application, which every school employee will be able to access, sends alerts to emergency personnel in much the way 911 systems work, but it includes several added features.For one, the app distributes information about a fire, medical, police or active shooter emergency to other cell phones connected to the same school safety network. So if an active shooter incident is reported by a teacher or staff member, their fellow employees will receive the same information being given to the police.Secondly, the app gives automatic access to additional information even if the person triggering the call cant -- the address of the school, a floorplan of the building, the best points of access, the number of students and teachers in the building; and the layout of the entire school campus. It also will provide contact information for key school personnel.The top priority for the mayor and our office is the safety of our residents, says Karima Holmes, director of the Office of Unified Communications, which consolidates all the city's emergency and nonemergency services. Making improvements to how information is shared with first responders and improving emergency response times is paramount to our mission.According to the Department of Homeland Security, the average response time to an active shooter incident is 18 minutes, while the average active shooter event lasts less than 13 minutes. Panic button providers claim the apps cut response times in half, but there haven't been any independent studies of the technology's use in a school setting.Panic buttons have become increasingly popular in both the public and private sector.Hotel workers have long asked for them to protect staffers from physical attacks by guests. City ordinances requiring hotel workers to be equipped with panic buttons have spread in recent years -- to places including Chicago and Miami Beach, Fla. In Seattle, though, the hotels are still fighting a2016 ballot measure that required their employees to have panic buttons.Since the Parkland shooting, which left 17 people dead at a Florida high school in February, the technology has begun a slow but steady adoption by school districts across the country -- from Connecticut, Iowa and South Carolina to Arkansas, Texas and Utah.By implementing these offerings, Washington D.C., joins thousands of municipalities, schools, universities, hospitals, and corporations across the country that are improving their emergency communications, says Todd Piett, CEO of Rave Mobile Safety, the company providing the panic buttons.In 2016, a panic button helped law enforcement disarm a studentin Marion, Ark. A teacher clicked the active shooter function on the app after hearing reports from students that one of the children was bragging about having a gun at school. A lockdown was immediately initiated, and law enforcement apprehended the armed student and recovered the weapon without any injuries.The cost of panic button systems range between $15 and $30 per employee, per year. Other companies providing panic buttons to schools include Enseo and Alertus.
In a national referendum held last Sunday, Peruvians overwhelmingly approved three out of four proposals that have been touted as the answer to the systematic corruption prevailing in every area of the ruling establishment from politicians, including former presidents and leaders of Congress, to leading business figures.

President Martin Vizcarra had promoted the referendum. He assumed the presidency on March 23, after his predecessor Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (PPK) was forced to resign over evidence linking him to the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, which has been at the center of a continent-wide corruption scandal. A video emerged allegedly showing the presidents supporters attempting to buy political support to block his impeachment.

Over one year ago, it was revealed that Odebrecht had been winning state contracts to build roads and bridges by bribing officials. The total amount spent in kickbacks and other illegal payments in Peru was over US$40 million.

The referendum was first called by Vizcarra, a right-wing defender of Peruvian big business and foreign capital, in his speech to the nation on July 28. Peruvians were asked to answer yes or no to four constitutional reforms:

1) Replacing the corrupt and discredited National Council of the Judiciary with a new institution, the National Committee of Justice; 2) Regulating political campaign financing; 3) Prohibiting consecutive reelection to Congress; and 4) Establishing a bicameral congress.

The first three proposals were approved by roughly 85 percent of the voters, while the fourth was rejected by over 90 percent.

Peru has been rocked in recent years by a series of corruption scandals involving influence peddling, using bourgeois political parties for money laundering and government officials, heads of major political parties and businessmen receiving bribes and kickbacks.

The judiciary was controlled by an inner circle led by former Supreme Judge Walter Rios, known as the Band of White Collars of the Port. The police obtained audio recordings of judges trading lighter sentences for professional advancement.

Congress, controlled by the right-wing fujimorista Fuerza Popular (FP) party, was rife with similar scandals. As an example of the many cases of congressional corruption, in December 2017 Kenji Fujimori, together with a group of FP dissidents, voted against impeaching the then-president and former Wall Street investment banker Kuczynski in exchange for a presidential pardon for his father, former president Alberto Fujimori.

The elder Fujimori was serving a 25-year sentence for having ordered the paramilitary Grupo Colina to conduct massacres of students and professors at La Cantuta University, and an attack perpetrated in a working-class neighborhood, Barrios Altos, where 15 people, mistakenly linked to the Maoist Shining Path group, were murdered, including an eight-year-old boy.

Though not a member of Congress, the leader of FP, Keiko Fujimori, controlled it. She has not only lost political influence with the referendum results, but is currently being held in preventive detention for 40 days in connection with alleged illegal campaign contributions. The party itself is threatened with a major split .

In the executive branch, corruption reached the top, implicating five former presidents who have ruled Peru from 1985 to the present:

* Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000), sentenced to 25 years for crimes against humanity.

* Alejandro Toledo (2001-2006), who received a US$25 million kickback from Odebrecht in exchange for multibillion-dollar deals, is currently living in California under the protection of the US government.

* Alan Garcia (1985-1990 and 2006-2011), who, claiming political persecution, sought asylum in the Uruguayan Embassy, until he had to leave when that country denied his request, is accused of illicit enrichment and obstruction of justice related to the Odebrecht scandal.

* Ollanta Humala and his wife Nadine (2011-2016), accused of receiving money for their presidential campaign from Odebrecht and Venezuela, were subject to preventive incarceration until the Constitutional Tribunal declared this measure was illegal.

* Completing the list is the former Wall Street banker PPK (2016-2017) who was forced to resign last March to avoid charges that would have sent him to jail.

As expected, the media is portraying the referendum results as blow against corruption, a personal triumph of Vizcarra and a defeat for the fujimorista FP in Congress.

The real motives underlying the referendum, however, are quite different than those promoted by the media and the government.

One week ago, Perus annual Conference of Executives (CADE-Executives 2018) saw the government and top business figures agree to put up a common fight aimed at the destruction of living standards of the working class. The government claims that Perus labor costs are too high compared to its global competitors and need to be reduced significantly.

Vizcarras proposal is to cut or eliminate all benefits except salaries. This will not happen without fierce opposition by the millions that constitute the Peruvian working class.

The referendum and the supposed crusade against corruption are aimed at providing a cover for the coming offensive against the working class.

Even as the government tries to use the referendum results to line up the political parties behind this coming confrontation with the working class, new charges have been leveled by former president Garcia that Kuczynskis second vice president, Mercedes Araoz, and his campaign manager, todays President Vizcarra, received 6 million soles that no one can account for. He is calling for an investigation into PPK and the current president himself.

Vizcarra is counting on crucial support from two bourgeois left parties in his governments campaign against the Peruvian workers. Their ecstatic reaction to the referendum results has aligned them closely with the government. Indira Huilca from Frente Amplio declared that the people had sanctioned fujimorismo, while Veronika Mendoza from Nuevo Peru backed Vizcarra, calling for a new Constitution for a new Peru. She added that the referendum demonstrated that in democracy it is the sovereign people who command.

As Vizcarra seeks to refurbish the image of a bourgeois state that had lost all credibility in the eyes of the working class and the poor, Mendoza has taken upon herself the job of providing him with a left cover, concealing from the working class the sharp threats posed by the current governments policies.
The past few months have seen a number of walkouts and hunger strikes by various sections of the Russian working class to protest their growing social misery and exploitation. The vast majority of these strikes are organized independently of the trade unions, which are closely integrated with the Russian state apparatus and oligarchy.

Among the most significant were strikes in late October by 99 gold miners in Kamchatka, a region in Russias Far East. Kamchatka is home to some of Russias largest gold mines.

Miners reported that the required minimum they had to produce had risen significantly, which resulted in a significant decline in their premiums. In a video showing a meeting between the striking workers and management, one of the workers said: I get the same salary as back in 2005. I now dont even get $1,000. And in 2009, I would get $2,000 or even $5,000. But the gold hasnt devalued, has it?

The strike occurred in the Ametistovoe field, which is the largest in the region, with reserves of 52.6 tons of gold and 175 tons of silver. It belongs to the conglomerate Zoloto Kamchatki (Gold of Kamchatka), which employs a total of some 2,000 people and is owned by Viktor Vekselberg, one of Russias biggest oligarchs, with an estimated fortune of over $12 billion. The mine is considered of strategic significance for the economic development of the region and the company enjoys significant tax benefits.

Almost as soon as news of the strike broke, workers at a nearby field declared their readiness to strike as well. An amateur 10-minute youtube video that cheered the strike as a rebellion and called on its viewers to spread the word about it amid a general media shut-down has received over 900,000 views. Over 8,000 people commented on the video, expressing their disgust with the oligarchs and the government.

In an indication of the enormous nervousness and fear within the oligarchy of a spread of strike activity, the government immediately intervened to put an end to the miners strike. The regional governor, Vladimir Ilyukhin, who officially ranks as the fourth richest governor of the country, promptly ended his vacation and flew back. He reportedly met with miners and told them to not speak to the media.

The internet was shut off at the plant and workers reported being threatened by police. Just a few days after the strike began, by November 3, 54 of the 99 strikers had been fired and Vekselbergs company announced it would initiate a lawsuit with the aim of declaring the strike illegal, which would make all workers involved liable for criminal prosecution.

The official trade union apparatus of the FNPR solidarized itself with the crackdown on the strike, cynically declaring that it was unable to do anything because the miners were not unionized.

A few weeks after the suppression of the strike in Kamchatka, some 200 workers launched a strike at SK Sever, the biggest supplier of the Russian gas monopoly Gazprom. The walkout took place on the Yamal peninsula in Russias Arctic region. Like the oligarch Vekselberg, the leadership of Gazprom belongs to the inner-circle of oligarchs around President Vladimir Putin.

The workers, many of whom had come to the region to work in the mine, were striking because their wages had not been paid for four months. The company was in arrears to the tune of some 15 million rubles ($225 690). The workers reported slave-like conditions: they had not been fed for months at their workplace, they had no means of getting home, and their work contracts had been taken away by management.

Almost as soon as the strike was launched, the regions governor, Leonid Dyachenko, called an emergency meeting of his anti-crisis staff, which included the regions police, the siloviki (state security forces such as the FSB, the Russian equivalent of the FBI), and the head of SK Sever, Alexei Pestriakov. The authorities quickly put an end to the strike, arguing that the demands of the workers had been met.

Around the same time, in the neighboring region of Vorkuta, between 16 and 17 SK Sever workers declared a hunger strike over unpaid wages and abuse by management. One of the strike activists was beaten up the same night by what is generally believed to be a thug sent by the company.

Following the walkout in Vorkuta, a cab driver in Moscow declared a hunger strike over intolerable working conditions and low pay. He told the press that the strike was the result of his despair over the long hours he and other drivers had to work and the ever decreasing pay.

We drive 500 kilometers every day, he said. We work for 12, sometimes 14 hours. Some work 24 hours straight.

He was soon joined in his protest action by dozens of other drivers. On social media, Moscow cab drivers are trying to organize another strike during the Christmas holidays.

Similar hunger strikes were held in different cities earlier this year by firefighters and paramedics. (Both are legally banned from engaging in strike action).

Strike law in Russia is extremely restrictive. It is very difficult to declare a strike and very easy for management and the authorities to declare a strike illegal and victimize workers both with layoffs and criminal charges.

Large sections of the working class in critical sectors of the economy, including doctors and paramedics, teachers, rail workers, electrical workers and telecommunication workers, are entirely banned from striking. It is also virtually impossible to go on a legal strike for the estimated 40 percent of Russias workforce who are employed without labor contracts (about 34 million people).

While the number of protests in 2018 has so far been slightly lower than in 2017, a growing percentage of them are work stoppages, and most of them are taking place outside the control of the trade unions. In the first half of this year, there were 122 labor protests (as opposed to 170 in the first half of 2017), while the percentage of work stoppages grew from 36.5 percent to 47.5 percent.

Only 17 percent of all labor protests were organized by the unions. A recent poll by VTsIOM found that among all institutions and organizations in Russia, only the judicial system, which is seen as utterly corrupt, and the widely hated liberal opposition, which is most directly associated with the shock therapy of the 1990s, enjoy less confidence than the unions.

There are three main union structures in Russia. There are the official trade unions of the FNPR (Federation of Independent Unions of Russia), which directly emerged out of the Soviet trade unions controlled by the Stalinist bureaucracy. The FNPR officials enriched themselves massively during capitalist restoration by selling off a good portion of the assets of the Soviet-era union structures, and have since become firmly entrenched in the management of companies and the decisions of the Kremlin on a national level. The FNPR president, Mikhail Shmakov, is considered one of the richest people in the country, and works closely with Putin.

The second structure is Sotsprof, which was also heavily involved in capitalist restoration.

The other union structure, the so-called Federation of Russian Labor (KTR), purports to be independent. It emerged after restoration but is equally pro-capitalist.

While large sections of the Russian pseudo-left glorify the KTR unions as an alternative to the FNPR, like the FNPR the unions that entered the KTR had participated in and benefitted from capitalist restoration. The union maintains ties to the pro-US liberal opposition.

The aggressive crackdown by the authorities, especially on the strike in Kamchatka, reflects the fear within the Russian oligarchy that the rapid development of the class struggle internationally will sooner rather than later drive Russian workers into an open struggle. This would inevitably develop in a rebellion against the unions and all established political parties.

Extreme poverty in Russia has grown rapidly in recent years under conditions of far-reaching Western sanctions and the attempts by the Russian oligarchy to make the working class pay for the years-long economic crisis. Those officially ranked as extremely poorpeople who have to live on 9,828 rubles (less than $174) a monthtotaled 19.6 million (13.4 percent of the population) in 2016.

Since the beginning of 2018, regional governments have carried out a new round of social cuts in response to a presidential decree raising the minimum for many state employees. These governments have massively reduced work hours and laid off staff. Numerous kindergartens, institutions of higher education, hospitals and medical practices were shut down virtually overnight. In some places students have been unable to go to school at all. In many rural areas people have to drive eight or more hours to get to the nearest hospital.

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[1 May 2018]

Russian teacher fired after criticizing low salaries

[10 February 2018]
The Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) attempted on Tuesday to call off an indefinite strike involving tens of thousands of Sri Lankan plantation workers demanding a 100 percent pay increase. Thousands of workers have continued the stoppage, which began on December 4, in direct defiance of the union.

CWC leader Arumugam Thondaman announced the end of the industrial action after a closed-room discussion with President Maithripala Sirisena. Thondaman made clear the union was seeking to suppress the struggle at the behest of the president. He touted vague pledges from Sirisena to resolve the dispute at a meeting with the Employers Federation of Ceylon on December 19.

Thondaman told the media the president had said a wage increment should be given to estate workers, meanwhile the estates also should be saved. He said he will meet the Employers Federation of Ceylon and get a good solution for our demands. He requested that we stop the strike today taking consideration of the situation in the country. According to his request we agreed and stopped the strike.

Thousands of workers have expressed their hostility to this craven capitulation. They continued the strike on Wednesday and rallied throughout the plantation district.

The Abbotsleigh Estate workers action committee, formed after an intervention by the Socialist Equality Party (SEP), held a protest that was joined by workers from the Panmoor Estate.

The protesters picketed the Fruit Hill junction of Hatton, a major town in the Central Hills District. They chanted slogans including: All the trade unions betrayed our struggle, No to a collective agreement, Quit the trade unions, Build workers action committees independent of the unions, Pay plantation workers a 40,000-rupee monthly wage, For a workers and peasants government and Workers of the world unite.

Addressing the workers, SEP Political Committee member M. Thevarajah called for the establishment of action committees throughout the estates in opposition to the unions. All the trade unions are betraying this struggle, he stated. This makes clear that workers cannot win their rights through the unions.

Thevarajah continued: Workers need new organisations and a new perspective. Workers actions committees should be built in every estate. The estates must be placed under the democratic control of the workers. Workers struggles are emerging internationally, especially in France and the United States. We must unite our fight with these workers, and with workers all over the world.

Workers from the upper and lower divisions of Sanjimalai in Dickoya, a town in the Central Province, also held a protest against the CWC. They chanted Thondaman betrayed estate workers as a whole.

Workers from the Madakumbura Estate in the town of Talawakele burned Thondamans effigy in a demonstration in front of the estate factory. They condemned Thondaman as a giant leech that sucks the blood of workers.

Protests were also held at estates in Dayagama, a town near Talawakele. Workers from the Upcot area held a demonstration blocking the Maskeliya road. Delhousie workers nearby also rallied.

Plantation workers, one of the most oppressed sections of the Sri Lankan working class, currently receive a basic daily wage of just 500 rupees ($US2.8). They are demanding that it be doubled.

The plantation employers have repeatedly rejected the call. A Planters Association of Ceylon (PA) issued a statement last Friday said that workers demands cannot be met under any circumstance.

The Planters Association, with the assistance of the unions, is also attempting to impose a revenue-sharing system. Under the scheme, 1,000 or more tea bushes are allocated to a workers family to maintain and harvest. They receive a portion of the income after the companys costs and profits have been deducted. The proposal is aimed at reducing workers to sharecroppers and scrapping meager benefits such as the Employees Provident Fund.

All of the unions, including the CWC, have repeatedly opposed any campaign to increase plantation workers wages. The movement for a 100 percent increase emerged in opposition to the unions.

The CWC called the strike to control the mounting opposition among workers. At the same time, it has done everything possible to prevent the stoppage from spreading to other sections of workers.

The CWC is determined to prevent the plantation workers struggle from becoming a focal point for a confrontation of the entire working class with the government, and the capitalist system that it defends.

The entire political establishment is terrified of an independent intervention of the working class into the ongoing crisis triggered by the October 26 sacking of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, and installation of Mahinda Rajapakse in an unconstitutional political coup.

The plantation unions function as political parties and have been partners of successive governments led by the United National Party (UNP) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP).

After the ouster of Wickremesinghe, Thondaman was given a cabinet post in the new government. He claimed that Rajapakse had promised to offer plantation workers a wage increase.

Other plantation unions, including the National Union of Workers, the Democratic Workers Congress and the Upcountry Peoples Front, are partners with Wickremesinghes UNP. All of them have enforced the attacks on workers dictated to Colombo by the International Monetary Fund.

The record demonstrates that the statements of Thondaman, and all of the union leaders, are lies.

On Tuesday, the plantation employers refused direct talks with the unions for a new Collective Agreement. The business group claimed that it had received death threats from workers. This unsubstantiated allegation is a clear call for state repression to crush the striking plantation workers.

The plantation workers struggle is part of an international upsurge of the working class, stemming from the breakdown of world capitalism. To go forward, plantation workers need to break with the unions and establish new forms of organisation, including action committees.

Above all, what is required is a unified struggle by the entire working class for the establishment of a workers and peasants government, as part of the fight for international socialism.
A horrific, bloody mass shooting in Strasbourg Tuesday night killed two people, left a third brain-dead and wounded 12, including six in critical condition. The reaction to this event underscores yet again the utterly reactionary character of the attacks, often related to Islamist terrorism, that have hit France and countries across Europe since 2015.

The French ruling elite is already seizing upon the attack to trample democratic rights with demands that yellow vest protesters abandon their protests against Macron.

It is too soon to establish clearly what took place in Strasbourg Tuesday night. A suspect, identified by police as Cherif Chekatt, a 29-year-old from Strasbourg with multiple convictions for violent crime, is still on the run. Nevertheless, the political establishment and the media are launching an aggressive campaign to demand that the yellow vests end their protests, and to denounce those who are asking about possible state involvement in the attacks as conspiracy theorists.

This attempt to exploit a bloody massacre and the resulting grief of the victims to end protests against the widely unpopular policy of Macron is antidemocratic and illegitimate. If it turns out that Chekatt indeed carried out the attack as a sympathizer of a terrorist network like the Islamic State (IS), this would also implicate the links established between the French state and IS in the context of the war on terror.

On Tuesday night, shortly before 8 p.m., an apparently lone individual opened fire on passersby near a Christmas market in downtown Strasbourg. He overcame attempted citizens arrests, took a taxi driver hostage and forced him to drive to the Neudorf neighborhood. Trapped in a building on Tuesday night by a heavy police deployment, remarkably, he was nevertheless able to escape.

On Wednesday morning, the press confirmed the identity of a suspect identified Tuesday night: Chekatt, aged 29 and convicted 27 times in France, Germany and Switzerland for common crimes according to the Paris prosecutors office. He did time in prison from 2013 to 2015, when French intelligence identified him as a suspect due to violence and religious radicalization and opened an S file on him, and in Germany from 2015 to 2017. He was followed pretty seriously since then, said Laurent Nunez, an assistant of French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner.

Nevertheless, Nunez, on Wednesday morning, told France Inter that we must be very prudent, it has not been established that he acted on terror calculations.

Police searched Chekatts apartment on Tuesday morning, hours before the shooting, in relation to an August armed robbery and attempted homicide. They reportedly found a stun grenade, a 22 long rifle, and knives. It was because of the discovery of the grenade at Chekatts apartment, and the fact that the shooter told the taxi driver that he had a grenade at home, that police accused Chekatt of responsibility for the attack.

On Europe1, former anti-terrorist judge Marc Trevidic said that Cherif had launched his shooting spree out of desperation at the police controls on his activity. It was not an organized attack, with men who wanted something at a Christmas market, otherwise they would have done it when the market was open, he said. This was someone who was trapped and desperate, given what had happened that morning, who knew he was hunted. He did not stay on the square to die, either, so were not dealing with the usual terror suspects.

For now, no terrorist organization has taken responsibility for the attack.

The initial account given of this attack raises the most serious questions as to the involvement of the French state. Like all the attacks carried out in Europe since those of the Kouachi brothers against Charlie Hebdo in January 2015, the shooter was allegedly closely watched by the state. It is inexplicable then that such a person accumulated a vast arsenal of firearms and combat knives to organize such a massacre, execute it and escape from the security forces.

If Chekatt in fact organized this attack due to his sympathies for the IS or other Islamist forces or networks, this would implicate top officials of the French state. In the run-up to the Charlie Hebdo attacks, as the investigations of the Lafarge construction company have revealed, France funneled tens of millions of euros to the IS network though Lafarge plants in Syria, as part of French operations for regime change in Syria.

For now, however, what is clear is that the French political establishment is seizing on the attack to demand that the yellow vests end their protests. Damien Abad of the right wing The Republicans (LR) party told Sud radio, we need a call for calm, a truce must be imposed because we need also to protect our police forces, to ensure security  The French people would not understand if our police forces were not fully mobilized in the struggle against terrorism.

Neo-fascist spokesman Sebastien Chenu warned that it would be difficult if there were French people in the streets and squares. He added, If we enter into a emergency situation, that is very tense, with a terrorist manhunt, I think it would not be good to mix things up  now that the terrorist menace is becoming extremely open and menacing.

There have been calls for a return to the state of emergency since the beginning of the yellow vest protests against Macron, and Castaner has indicated that the government is prepared to return to the state of emergency imposed by the government between 2015 and 2017, if necessary. This would allow the government to again indefinitely suspend basic democratic rights and grant it wide powers to ban and crack down on social protest.

At the same time, the French political establishment has unleashed a torrent of denunciations of yellow vest protesters for issuing conspiracy theories about the attack. The purpose of such attacks is not difficult to understand. It is an attempt to undermine the overwhelming popular support enjoyed by the protests, and pave the way for even more brutal repression of the demonstrations against Macron.

Online polls show that 55 percent of yellow vest protesters in some Facebook groups believe the Strasbourg attack was deliberately organized by the state against them. One wrote: Dont you think that yesterdays attack in Strasbourg was a provocation? At least Macron will have a good excuse to forbid us from protesting, I dont understand, the guy went to a Christmas market and killed lots of people but not a single policeman? Its a coup detat. Such remarks are being subjected to endless vilification in the media.

It remains unclear what took place in Strasbourg. However, political responsibility for the terror attacks and the political function of the state of emergency are clear. The imperialist war in Syria has bred terror networks that served as pretexts for wide-ranging attacks on democratic rights, whose principal target is domestic social and political opposition in the working class.
On December 6, the German defence minister, Ursula von der Leyen, announced the deployment of a new tank battalion. Today is a good day for the troops of the tank division, she declared at the Munster army training ground in Luneburg Heath. The backdrop was warlike. The official army (Bundeswehr) video shows von der Leyen addressing her troops in front of an armada of battle tanks and soldiers.

She announced, We will set up another new tank battalion in 2019. It is to be stationed in Hardheim in Baden-Wurttemberg and involve over 500 new personnel.

The expansion of tank divisions is part of Germanys comprehensive plans for the upgrading of its military forces. Since the reunification (of Germany) and for the past 25 years, the Bundeswehr has only shrunk in size and repeatedly dismantled tank battalions, the defence minister announced. Now, for the first time in many decades the Bundeswehr is growing and a new tank battalion is being established.

Germanys Panzer Force was the backbone of the army and bore the main responsibility for national and alliance defence, von der Leyen continued. Thats one reason why we are investing heavily. Over many, many years, if not decades, national and alliance defence has been neglected. There have been gaps and empty structures and we are filling them again.

Seventy-five years after the crimes it committed in World War II, the German ruling class is once again constructing a powerful force of tanks for the anticipated wars and great power conflicts of the 21st century.

In coming years, the army will receive over a hundred new tanks, another hundred will be brought up to the latest stand, von der Leyen said. We will get 140 Puma armoured infantry vehicles in 2018/19  as well as 70 Boxer infantry fighting vehicles and nearly 100 Fuchs tank transporters. Also to be delivered is the new Leguan bridge builder tank ... and finally, finally, more than 6,000 night vision goggles.

The rearmament of the German tank force is directed above all against Russia, which Hitlers Wehrmacht attacked in World War II in a veritable war of extermination.

We will set up the rapid spearhead force not only in 2019, but also in 2023, bragged von der Leyen in Munster. NATOs so called spearhead rapid reaction force or Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) is a rapid-deployment squad formed in 2015, which plays a central role in NATOs preparations for war with Russia.

In order to ensure the efficiency of our tank troops and the VJTF, the government will invest over four billion euros in coming years in the complete digitalisation of land-based operations, von der Leyen declared. The point is to bring together the many different digital sites to form a unified military overview and ensure a fast networking of all units involved. Our soldiers deserve the most modern equipment.

The Bundeswehr site in Munster is to be massively expanded in this context and established as the armys biggest sitethe heart of the armoured forces (von der Leyen). Overall, more than 300 million euros will flow into about 219 projects, the defence ministry official website states. Among the projects is the construction of 16 accommodation buildings at the site, an economics building with accommodation for team members, a dual-purpose building for home operations and a NCO community office. In addition, the main shooting range and various shooting lanes on the training grounds in Munster and Bergen are to be modernised.

Another 19 million have been allocated for the German tank museum in Munster, von der Leyen proclaimed. This heartfelt concern was not just about training our offspring, but also about preserving tradition.

The garrison town of Munster bears adequate testimony to the historic traditions of the Bundeswehr. The first occupant of the camp, which was established in 1892, was the Oldenburg Infantry Regiment No. 91 under its commander Paul von Hindenburg. The name Hindenburg Barracks has been retained up until today, although Hindenburg was a leading figure in Germanys first bid for world power. In World War I Hindenburg was head of the Supreme Army Command (OHL). After becoming president of Germany, it was the same Hindenburg who appointed Adolf Hitler as Reich Chancellor and laid the path for World War II.

The Nazi traditions of the German military are still being observed in Munster. In 2012 the German TV program Kontraste reported on a commemoration ceremony at the Bundeswehr training centre in Munster, during which the song of allegiance to the Nazi Waffen-SS was played.

In the past year, Munster again hit the headlines regarding the neo-Nazi terror network around Bundeswehr Lieutenant Franco A. According to media reports, Franco A. and his accomplice Maximilian T. were in contact with a student at the Bundeswehr University in Munich, who was in Munster in February 2017 when a P8 pistol, two G36 assault rifles, two radios and 60 rounds of ammunition were stolen from a tank.

It has since emerged that the terror cell consisted of around 200 former and active Bundeswehr soldiers, including troops of the special forces unit (KSK) and the Military Defence Service (MAD). In a detailed article titled The Conspiracy, Focus magazine reported in November on a dangerous shadow army, which was preparing to murder leading politicians and violently suppress revolutionary unrest just as the notorious Black Reichswehr did during the Weimar Republic (1919-1933).

Many people have asked themselves why official politics and the media have largely ignored these dangerous revelations. Von der Leyen has provided an answer. Ultimately, those responsible in the ministries, the political parties and editorial offices remain silent because they are shielding and support the right-wing cliques. They need such far-right structures in the Bundeswehr to facilitate massive rearmament and suppress growing domestic opposition.

Significantly, the German Tank Museum, which is being actively supported by the defence ministry, currently features an appeal by the Army High Command dated November 28, 1918 as its exhibit of the month. The document is a despicable tirade against the Russian October Revolution and its leading supporters in Germany, Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht. It warns against the terror regime of the Liebknecht people and expresses solidarity with the social-democratic Ebert government, which in close cooperation with right-wing Freikorps mercenaries, bloodily suppressed the November Revolution in Germany 100 years ago.
The German business press reacts indignantly to French President Emmanuel Macrons attempt to appease the Yellow Vest protest movement with social concessions. Although the measures announced by Macron in a television speech on Monday evening are negligible and do nothing to eliminate the social inequality against which the protests are directed, the media accuse him of surrendering to the mob and thus jeopardising the stability of the Euro and the European Union.

The reaction of the French president to the yellow mob must sound the alarm bells in Berlin: Emmanuel Macron is not a partner in rescuing the Euro and Europe, but a risk factor, comments Olaf Gersemann in the daily Die Welt.

The editor for Economy, Finance and Real Estate can hardly control his anger. Instead of ensuring that the minimum wage increases only moderately or preferably not at all, Emmanuel Macron lays down his arms, he fumes. For weeks the yellow jackets raged in France. But instead of opposing the excesses and going on the offensive, Macron has missed the opportunity and legitimized the riots ex post facto by crawling in front of the mob that is burning small cars.

The hope has always been, Gersemann continues, that Macron will become Frances Gerhard Schroder: a man who, if need be, would also put his office at risk in order to do the right thing in terms of economic policy. (German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder, a Social Democrat, lost his office prematurely in 2005 after pushing through his anti-social Agenda 2010 against bitter resistance.) But now France is threatening to stumble behind Italy on its way to third class.

For Germany this is bad news, both economically and politically, Die Welt complains. As long as Paris is on Berlins side, the transformation of the monetary union into a transfer union can be prevented. If, on the other hand, Paris takes the side of Italy and Spain, then the construct tips over. Thats why Berlin must now address the question of what to do if Germany does not have to deal with one Italy only in the monetary union and the EU, but with two.

The former editor of the Handelsblatt, Gabor Steingart, argues in a similar fashion. In his morning briefing, he charges that Macrons generosity is costing 10 billion euros a year, a bill that would sooner or later be sent to the ECB ... In Frankfurt, Mario Draghi should start up the money press: Vive le deficit!

Behind these comments lies the language of dictatorship.

The protest of the Yellow Vests, ignited by a fuel tax increase, has quickly developed into a broad mass movement against social inequality supported by the vast majority of the French population. After decades of social cuts and redistribution of income and wealth to the top, it has become the expression of anger within the working class and broad sections of the population who can no longer make ends meet at the end of the month, while a small minority lives in luxury.

The former investment banker Emmanuel Macron embodies this financial aristocracy. The ruthlessness with which he reduces social benefits is only surpassed by his personal arrogance. From the very beginning, his government cracked down brutally on the protests. Last weekend alone, almost 90,000 heavily armed police were deployed, attacking large crowds of demonstrators without warning with tear gas grenades and water cannon. 1,723 participants were arrested according to the official count.

Only when the movement could not be intimidated by brutal violence did Macron decide to tactically retreat. His promises are a transparent attempt to gain time to paralyze the movement, divide it, further arm the police and close ranks with the other parties and the trade unions, all shocked by the mass protests.

When the German business press nevertheless accuses Macron of capitulation, it does so not only out of concern for the stability of the euro, from which German capital benefits like no other and which it uses to dictate its austerity policy to the whole of Europe. It does so primarily out of fear that the protests in France will spread to Germany.

The social contradictions against which the Yellow Vests rebel exist in a similar form in every country of the worldincluding Germany. Stagnating wages, rising profits and the consequences of Agenda 2010 have made Germany the most unequal country in Europe. It is boiling under the surface. Low wages, growing stress and unacceptable conditions make working in many areashospitals, postal service, retail, etc.unbearable. Just this Monday, a massive strike largely shut down the German Railways for hours. At Bayer, Ford, Opel, VW and many other large companies, hundreds of thousands of jobs are at risk.

At the same time, the ruling class is reacting to the crisis of the European Union and to the trade conflicts with the US with great power politics and militarism. The political scientist Herfried Munkler had already called three years ago for Germany to become the sole European superpower. Paymaster can only be in the long run who is willing to play the difficult role of a taskmaster, he wrote in his book Power in the Center. This is now a consensus among the ruling elites.

Great power politics, militarism and redistribution in favour of the rich are not compatible with democracy. The commentary of Die Welt expresses this openly. It demands that a president or chancellor not bow to the democratic will of the majority, but that he oppose the majority and, if necessary, put his office at risk in order to do the right thing in terms of economic policy. What is the right thing in terms of economic policy is determined by the representatives of the banks; it is decided by the stock market and not by the needs of society.

How far preparations for a dictatorship have already progressed can be seen in the new totalitarian police laws, the expansion of a comprehensive surveillance apparatus, the close links between the secret service and far-right extremists, and the courtship of the AfD by the media and all the other parties in parliament. Although the far-right party received only 12.6 percent of the vote, it now sets the tone for the governments refugee policy and in many other areas.

The protests in France have confirmed that a struggle against the government of the rich can only be waged outside and independently of the trade unions and the nominally left parties, which work closely with the state and government and defend capitalism against any threat from below.

To lead this struggle to success requires a socialist program. The working class must not allow itself to be split and must unite internationally. It must build its own independent organs, action committees, to organize the struggle. It must fight for a workers governments and a United Socialist States of Europe to expropriate the assets of the financial aristocracy and place the economy under the democratic control of working people.

This is the program of the Socialist Equality Party and the other sections of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI). We encourage WSWS readers to contact us, discuss the program, and participate in building the SGP.
The following is the introductory report delivered by Jerry White, labor editor of the World Socialist Web Site, to the December 9 Emergency Meeting to Fight GM Plant Closings, sponsored by the Socialist Equality Party and WSWS Autoworker Newsletter.

Id like to welcome all the workers and young people who have come to this critical meeting. This is the first politically conscious answer by the working class to the plant closing announcement by General Motors. We have convened this meeting to discuss a strategy and organize a fight to oppose these shutdowns. The purpose of my report is to introduce the resolution No to GM plant closings! Mobilize the working class to stop layoffs and concessions!

On November 26, GM announced it was closing five plants in the United States and Canada by early 2019 and eliminating the jobs of nearly 15,000 hourly and salaried workers in North America. In the crosshairs of the corporation are three major assembly plantsDetroit-Hamtramck, Lordstown, Ohio and Oshawa, Ontarioand two transmission plants, one in the Detroit suburb of Warren and one in White Marsh, Maryland, just outside of Baltimore.

Job cuts will also reportedly hit GMs Brownstown, Michigan battery plant. GM, which already carried out the closure of its Gunsan, Korea plant, has said it will close two other plants outside of North America, which have not been named yet.

In the next weeks and months, politicians including Trump and Democrats from Ohio and Michigan, along with UAW officials and officials from Unifor in Canada, will try to pit workers at these plants against each in a fight over who will take the most concessions in order save their plant at the cost of other plants. GM and the UAW have made no secret that the fate of these plants will be part of the contract negotiations next year and that they are aimed at intimidating workers and forcing them to take a new round of deeper wage and benefit concessions.

We have not convened this meeting to work out some kind of miserable compromise, but to discuss a strategy to stop all closings and layoffs, and to oppose the plans, already in the making by the UAW and Unifor, to blackmail workers into sacrificing even more in exchange for worthless promises of job security.

We have proposed for adoption at this meeting a resolution that summarizes the situation facing autoworkers and all workers, and the tasks that we believe must flow from this situation.

I would like to elaborate on specific points in the resolution, so we can discuss it and come to an agreement on how to fight. First, the resolution states, the plant closings and layoffs will have devastating consequences for tens of thousands of autoworkers, their families, and all workers who depend on the auto industry.

The plant closings would be a death sentence for working-class communities in Detroit, Youngstown, Ohio, right next to the Lordstown plant, and Oshawa, Ontario. All these cities have been hit by decades of deindustrialization. Fifteen hundred workers will lose their jobs at the Detroit-Hamtramck plant, a few miles from here, which already eliminated a shift with 1,500 workers in March 2017. Nearly 500 at the Warren Transmission plant and thousands of engineers, designers and other white-collar workers will lose their jobs at the GM Tech Center and other locations.

The Lordstown plant, built in 1966, is the anchor of the Mahoning Valley region, halfway between Cleveland and Pittsburgh. It has already lost two shifts and will lose another 1,500 jobs. Nearby Youngstown, a former steel mill town, has a child poverty rate of 59 percent. In Oshawa, where there were once 24,000 GM workers in one of the largest auto complexes in the world, there are barely 2,000 workers now. In scenes reminiscent of the Great Depression, the homeless set up a tent city in the nearby woods outside of Oshawa.

The impact, however, will extend far beyond the workers most immediately affected. Experts estimate that the ripple effect of the closures will be seven to nine times the number of workers being laid off. This is due to job cuts at supplier plants, trucking companies, restaurants and other service industries tied to the factories. This means anywhere from 42,000 to 54,000 jobs will be wiped out.

And the effects are not just economic. Duke University public policy analyst Elizabeth Ananat, who studies the impact of plant closures on students and schools, compared them to hurricanes that cause community level trauma, leading to social and psychological distress, depression and increased anxiety and violence among children.

If these plants are allowed to close: How many more schools will close? How many more workers will have their homes foreclosed? How many more families will break up? How many more suicides and opioid deaths will occur?

To answer these questions, one only has to look at Flint, Dayton and other cities where GM left nothing behind but economic, social and ecological disaster. I am proud to say we have workers here from Flint who can shine some light on the devastating conditions in that city, including the lead poisoning.

The second point in the resolution notes that, The actions by GM are part of a global restructuring of the auto industry and an attack on the international working class, driven by the demands of Wall Street for ever greater profits that will worsen record levels of social inequality.

A week after GM announced its plans, an analyst from the Wall Street bank Morgan Stanley in a note to investors said that Ford would likely lay off even more workers, predicting the number would be 25,000. Not only would these cuts hit hourly workers in the US and Canada, but, he said, the bulk would be in Europe.

On November 8, Ford announced it was closing its British manufacturing headquarters in Brentwood, with close to 1,700 jobs, and plans were leaked that the plant in Blanquefort, France would be shut by the end of next year, cutting 900 jobs. Blanquefort Ford workers participated in the Yellow Vests protests across France to oppose the destruction of their jobs.

Throughout the world, global corporations are slashing hundreds of thousands of jobs. Earlier this week, German pharmaceutical company Bayer announced 12,000 job cuts, mostly in Germany; French steel pipe manufacturer Vallourec, which owns a steel mill in Youngstown, announced plans last week to cut 1,800 jobs in France and Germany. Last month, Montreal-based train and aircraft manufacturer Bombardier announced the layoff of 5,000 workers in Quebec, Ontario and Belfast, Ireland.

The attack on these jobs in a supposed economic boom with unemployment at the supposedly lowest levels in 50 years, we are continually told, is being entirely driven by the demands of rich investors and Wall Street for ever greater returns on investment. When GM announced its plans to shut these plants, its share values shot up over 6 percent. This is not a company going bankrupt. Based on takeaways GM and the UAW have imposed upon workers for years, the companys third-quarter profits in North America jumped 38 percent and GM is on the way to make $10 billion in profits this year.

The $6.5 billion a year the company is saving by throwing workers on the streets is not being reinvested in production. The bulk of this money is going for stock buybacks and dividend payments to GMs wealthy investors. Over the last five years alone, GM has handed $25 billion, robbed from the wages, benefits and conditions of workers, to its richest shareholders.

This is a slide on GMs profits since 2010. The restructuring of the industry by the Obama administration took place a year after the global financial crash of 2008. In 2009, the UAW agreed to massive concessions, including halving the wages of new workers and abolishing the eight-hour day, and in the nine years since GM has one profitable year after another.

What is happening to GM workers is part of a process that has been happening to workers throughout the US and, in fact, throughout the global economy. For decades, workers have faced a relentless attack on their wages and conditions.

This chart shows the steady increase in the share of the gross domestic product that goes to corporate profits and the decline in the share that goes to wages. By 2014, wages and salary income amounted to only 43 percent of GDP, the lowest since 1929. Corporate profits after taxes amounted to a record 11 percent of GDP, the highest since 1929. The purchasing power of an average workers wage today is no more than it was in 1978. We have not taken one step forward in living standards in 40 years.

The third point in the resolution states: The GM plant closings further expose the lies that concessions contracts would save jobs, peddled for decades by the UAW and Unifor, which have long functioned as tools of corporate management used to block every struggle by workers.

It has been 40 years since the UAW began its policy of massive concessions, starting with the 1979 Chrysler bailout. The result has been 40 years of unending disaster for workers.

During the first Chrysler bailout of 1979, UAW Vice President Marc Stepp infamously declared, I believe the company will have to trim operations down. We have free enterprise in this country. The corporations have a right to make a profit.

The UAW was put on the corporate board of directors. It proceeded to impose wage and benefit concessions that in todays dollars would equal $15,000 per worker, while collaborating in the elimination of 57,000 Chrysler jobs, including 30,000 in Detroit. Dozens of plants were shuttered, including Dodge Main in Hamtramck.

During the 1980s, the AFL-CIO unions worked to isolate and defeat every struggle by workers, beginning with the strike by 13,000 PATCO air traffic controllers and their firing by the Reagan administration.

The unions officially adopted the policy of corporatism, which claims that somehow the corporate ownersthe capitalist exploitersand the workers had identical interests. The days when workers battled to increase their share of the wealth they create in a struggle against the employers were over. Now, the UAW said, workers had to work with the bosses to cut wages and make the American corporations more competitive against their Japanese and German rivals.

What did this policy produce? A decline of 80 percent in the number of autoworker jobs at the Big Three. Since 1978, the number of GM, Ford and Chrysler workers in the US has fallen from 750,000 to barely 141,000, while the wages, benefits and working conditions of autoworkers have been decimated.

As this slide shows, the suppression of the resistance of the working class by the unions paved the way for an enormous transfer of wealth to the super-rich, who pulled investments from industry and engaged in more and more grotesque forms of financial speculation, where they could make far quicker and far larger profits.

As this chart shows, in the name of union-management partnership, the unions all but banned strikes. The last national auto strike was in 1976 against Ford. Right after World War II some three million workers went on strike, including autoworkers. Again, in the 1970s, there were hundreds of strikes, including wildcat strikes by autoworkers in Lordstown and Detroit. Last year, there were a total of seven major work stoppages involving 1,000 or more workers, the second lowest number on record, compared to over 400 in the mid-1970s.

The suppression of strikes by the unions gave a free hand to the corporate and financial oligarchy, the richest one percent, to realize a vast increase in its wealth.

Ten years ago there was a global financial crash, which was caused by the speculation and criminality of the same Wall Street bankers who are behind the shutting down of industry after industry. They crashed the economy and the working class paid for that crisis.

Almost exactly ten years ago, Obamas incoming chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, an investment banker himself, met with a group of corporate executives. This is what he had to say:

This crisis provides us with the opportunity to do things you could not do before, he said. In other words, yes, there had been wage-cutting and plant closings, but there was still some unfinished business to take care of. We had to go after education and health care, we had to further deregulate corporations, and, above all, we had to go after those remaining sections of workers who enjoyed certain social rights. That meant going after the autoworkers, who, after generations of struggle, had won some basic social rights.

During the 2009 bankruptcy restructuring of GM and Chrysler, Obama recruited former private equity investors like Steven Rattner and other corporate asset strippers for his auto task force. As a condition for a federal loan agreement for GM and Chrysler, he demanded sweeping concessions from autoworkers, which the UAW was happy to give.

UAW President Ron Gettelfinger agreed to reopen the contracts in 2009 and agreed to make all new-hires second-tier workers, earning half the pay and far inferior benefits than so-called legacy workers hired before 2007. Even though the Jobs Bank had been whittled down for years, the auto task force insisted on its complete elimination, denouncing as absurd the notion that workers should have some kind of income security after plant closings and layoffs.

These are the remarks of Obama in 2009.

In return for the imposition of painful concessions on workers, the UAW was handed control of a multi-billion-dollar retiree health care trust, or VEBA, along with millions of shares in General Motors and Chrysler stock. When GM announced the plant closings two weeks ago, the value of GM shares controlled by the UAW increased by $214 million.

The UAW agreed to more concessions in 2011 and 2015, including the elimination of the eight-hour day, the establishment of the Alternative Work Schedule, and a vast expansion of temporary part-time workers, who pay unions dues but have absolutely no rights. In 2015, workers erupted against a UAW-backed contract that maintained the hated two-tier system, AWS, and sought to extend the VEBA to a union-run health care system for current hourly and salaried employees.

The UAW was able to ram through contracts at Fiat Chrysler and the other automakers only through a campaign of lies, threats and intimidation, threatening workers with plant closures and jobs losses if they rejected the sellouts. At Ford, the UAW claimed the contract passed by a razor thin 51 percent amid charges by workers of outright vote-rigging.

All those who claim that the UAW and the other unions can any longer be described as workers organizations are lying. As every autoworker knows, the UAW is a business. It is a cheap-labor contractor and industrial police force for management.

If any more proof was needed of this fact, it is the corruption scandal engulfing the organization, which has exposed the fact that top UAW executives received millions of dollars in bribes from Fiat Chrysler in exchange for pushing through concessions contracts.

What is the UAW? One need only look at its financial filings.

According to its 2017 filing with the US Labor Department, the UAW has assets worth $1.06 billion, not including the multi-billion-dollar VEBA. It invests $684 million in private equity funds and other Wall Street ventures and pays out $75 million to its executives and hundreds of staff members, including relatives put in cushy stenographer jobs. It spends nearly $100 million on representational activities, $57 million on general overhead, union administration and undefined benefits. It functions as a corporation.

By contrast, the UAW spent only $2 millionor 1 percenton payments out of its strike fund, which is worth $760 million.

UAW executives are on the other side of the class divide. Their wealth increases as the wealth of the working class decreases. The luxurious lives the union leaders lead are made possible by the cuts and concessions they have imposed upon workers, who are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet.

The unions do not unite workers, they divide thembetween tiers, between plants, between countries. They do not address workers grievances, they throw them in the trash. They do not fight speedup or plant closings and layoffs, they facilitate them. They function as tools and partners of corporate management, sharing in the profits sweated out of the workers.

Every union is the same. Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, is paid $513,000. There is no doubt these people are millionaires and belong in the top one or two percent income bracket. It would be folly to believe that these organizations will defend workers.

It is entirely up to us workers to mobilize our strength to fight against the plant closings and the efforts to blackmail us into accepting more concessions. It is up to workers to defend the right of every worker to a job. We insist that a good-paying and secure job is not a luxury granted to workers, it is a social right that has to be fought for by all workers. In such a fight our allies are the workers throughout the US and the world.

The working class is beginning to fight back and this meeting itself is an indication of that. The fact that we have workers from throughout Michigan, from Indiana and other states, a coal miner from Pennsylvania and Shannon Allen, who has led the fight of Amazon workers, shows that the working class is beginning to assert its interests against the rapaciousness of the banks and corporations.

The resolution states: Opposition among autoworkers to plant closings, declining wages and working conditions is part of a resurgence of class struggle throughout the United States and internationally.

All around the world, workers are beginning to fight back. This year has seen mass protests against austerity in Iran, mass strikes in Germany, the mobilization of workers in France against right-wing labor reforms and strikes by teachers and lecturers throughout Latin America and the Middle East. In the United States, there was a series of strikes by teachers, which developed in opposition to the unions. The unions worked to isolate each separate struggle and impose defeats. A quarter-million UPS workers rejected a concessions contract supported by the Teamsters, only to have the contract rammed through by the union anyway.

The year is coming to an end with explosive struggles in France, where the yellow vest protests against regressive taxes are developing into a broader fight of workers and youth against social inequality and the right-wing policies of former investment banker Emmanuel Macon, the president of the rich. Tea plantation workers in Sri Lanka are mounting strike action despite union opposition. Strikes involving hundreds of thousands of workers are shaking South Korea, Chile and other countries.

In order to carry forward their struggle, workers must rely on their own strength and not fall for the snake oil salesmen and professional purveyors of lies in any faction of the political establishment.

The battle lines are being drawn. The entire political establishment is lining up against the autoworkers.

When you see Trump and the Democrats bemoan the plant closures, you should ask yourself: Who is lying more? Who is the greater hypocrite? Is it Trump, the billionaire who said neo-Nazis were good people and made his fortune raising the rents on New York City workers in his slumlord housing developments?

Or is it the Democrats, who, with the Republicans, have overseen 40 years of plant closures in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, Pennsylvania and across the country?

It is hard to tell who is worse, but we must not put our faith in either of these corporate-controlled parties. Both are sworn enemies of working people.

The international scope of the attack on the working class exposes the lies of the UAW, President Trump and the Democrats, who blame Chinese and Mexican workers for the destruction of jobs and living standards. These jobs are not being taken away by other workers, who are also facing ceaseless attacks, but by giant corporations and Wall Street banks. The cause of this is not unfair foreign trade, let alone immigration, but capitalism, a system that subordinates the most basic necessities of life to profit and the insatiable appetites of a corporate and financial aristocracy.

Based on these considerations, the conclusions follow. Therefore, this meeting resolves to establish rank-and-file committees, independent of the UAW, Unifor and other unions, in all the affected workplaces and neighborhoods, to organize opposition to the plant closures, including preparations for a demonstration in January.

These committees, the resolution further states, will advance the interests of workers in opposition to the dictates of corporate management. They will mobilize workers on the basis of their own demands, including abolishing the two-tier system, transforming temporary work into full time positions, and fighting for industrial democracy.

They will demand that workers have unrestricted access to all corporate and union financial records and oversight over all negotiations and contract votes. And finally, these committees will establish lines of communication and collaboration with all workers, including auto parts workers, teachers, Amazon workers, service workers and othersand fight for the unity of American workers with our class brothers and sisters in Canada, Mexico and the rest of the world.

The working class is only as strong as it is unified internationally. No section of the workers can take on the international corporations from one country alone. This is a class struggle. But it must be given an organizational and political direction and leadership. Rank-and-file committees will give workers a voice, give them a megaphone, give them a means to educate themselves politically, and give them a place to democratically discuss and strategize with their fellow workers without fear of retribution.

This meeting is itself a powerful expression of the growing opposition and consciousness of the working class. I want to open this meeting now to discuss the resolution as the basis for developing a powerful movement of the working class.
Alain Kaloyeros, the ex-SUNY official who engineered an economic rebirth in Albany, was sentenced to 42 months in prison Tuesday in Manhattan federal court for bid-rigging that awarded nearly $1 billion in economic development funds to two major donors to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni was unmoved by sniffles and choked-back tears from Kaloyeros, a physicist convicted of giving connected developers in Syracuse and Buffalo the inside track after he was assigned by Cuomo to lead the so-called Buffalo Billion upstate revitalization effort."He let his desire to earn Brownie points with the executive chamber overcome the normal, well thought-out processes that treated all developers fairly whether they were giving money to Cuomo campaign coffers or not," the judge said as she imposed sentence.Kaloyeros, 62, who created and headed the SUNY Polytechnic campus in Albany as a center of nanoscience research, was once the state's highest-paid employee, nicknamed "AK-47" for his high-profile, hard-charging style.He was convicted this year of conspiring with Buffalo builder Louis Ciminelli, Syracuse developers Joseph Gerardi and Steven Aiello, and lobbyist Todd Howe, a former aide to Cuomo who became a government witness, to steer contracts for a film hub and a solar-panel plant.Caproni previously sentenced Ciminelli to 28 months, Gerardi to 32 months and Aiello to 36 months. She has not yet sentenced Howe, but in a related Albany corruption case, she sentenced former Cuomo aide Joe Percoco to 6 years for bribery.The judge did grant Kaloyeros bail while he pursues his appeal, noting that the government's "right to control" legal theory in the case -- that even without proof of financial loss it is still fraud to deprive the state of information about special treatment in bidding -- might be overturned.But she told reporters to not portray that as leniency, and as she did in previous sentencings told Kaloyeros that she aimed to send a strong message to officials who take advantage of the public trust. "This court will show you no mercy," she said.After the sentencing, Kaloyeros lawyers Michael Miller and Reid Weingarten called their client an "innocent man" and pledged to appeal. "Alain committed no crimes," they said. "He attempted at every stage to make sure that the people of the state of New York got the right contractor for the right job at the right price."Kaloyeros, in his statement to the judge, said he was appealing, but apologized for the "hurt and loss" he caused his family, SUNY, his students and the state. "I have let down the people of the state of New York,' he said.One complicating factor in the case was that Kaloyeros got no personal benefit in the form of kickbacks. He largely went along with Howe, who got lucrative fees from SUNY and both developers, and the developers -- both six-figure Cuomo donors -- who stood to make profits.The government's theory at trial was that Kaloyeros hired ex-Cuomo aide Howe to secure his SUNY power base and stay in the governor's good graces, and that Howe kept everyone happy by steering contracts to Cuomo contributors who were also his clients.Weingarten said Kaloyeros was at worst a "passive participant" who just wanted competent builders, and allowed an organic form of "pay-to-play" to unfold that didn't include anything that cost the taxpayers more money. "This is how business is done in much of America," he said.But Caproni repeatedly cited emails with Howe that Kaloyeros tried to delete when the investigation surfaced, and said she thought his desire to curry favor with Cuomo combined with an arrogance stemming from his successes in both science and development."Rules apply to boring drones, not to 'Dr. Nano,' who wants to get things done," she said. "Dr. Kaloyeros considers himself to be above the rules."Kaloyeros, of Slingerlands, was fined $100,000 in addition to the prison term. Gerardi, 59, and Aiello, 60, both of Fayetteville, and Ciminelli, 63, of Buffalo, were each fined $500,000. Ciminelli, like Kaloyeros, was granted bail pending appeal. Howe's sentencing is scheduled for January.
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WTVA) - The Columbus Municipal School District administrators were invited by the Columbus Police Department to a community outreach program Wednesday.

This is an effort to help teachers and administrators identify signs of gang activity with students in the district.

Board of Trustees President Jason Spears says this program would be great for students who need guidance.

The mentoring aspect of it, giving the students whether they are in elementary, middle or high school kind of a point of contact or mentor who would help them talk through different life events, he said.

According to the school district's superintendent, Dr. Cherie Labat, her department is starting a program for males at risk of joining gang activity, in which they will be mentored by police officers, firemen and fraternity members.

Labat says she will take 25 students from the elementary, middle and high schools to be a part of the program.

Once this program is complete, the department will start another program for at-risk females.
OXFORD, Miss. (WTVA) - A historical figure among the faculty at the University of Mississippi is ready to retire.

A retirement reception was held Wednesday night at the Gertrude C. Ford ballroom for Donald Cole, who was a fixture in the mathematics department at Ole Miss.

Cole also chaired the standing committee on sensitivity and respect until last year and co-chaired the advisory committee on history and context at the university.

"I'm proud to have been a part of the journey to help direct this university," Cole said. "I feel really good about the way I'm leaving the university and the leadership I'm leaving it in and the direction it's going toward. Right now, all I can say is that it has been a fabulous ride."

Cole is an avid photographer and he hopes to spend his retirement taking pictures with his camera.
NEW ALBANY, Miss. (WTVA) - The New Albany School District has increased its school bus safety measures.

On Wednesday, the school district went to social media to share its excitement.

Strobe lights have been installed on at least two buses. The buses also feature front and rear strobing stop signs.

For those on the WTVA 9 News mobile app, click here to see them.
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A Florida state panel reviewing the Parkland shooting unveiled a draft report Wednesday chronicling lapses by Broward County agencies and calling for a statewide overhaul of school security measures.The report, which is not final, concluded red flags weren't communicated, deputies didn't rush to stop the gunman and school staff committed numerous security breaches, including leaving doors unlocked and not calling a "Code Red" alarm quickly enough.The commission's work will play a key role as lawmakers and government agencies seek to implement new safeguards and hold people accountable for lapses. Many of the initial recommendations focus on school security upgrades and standardizing procedures for identifying dangerous students. The report does not recommend new gun control policies.Ryan Petty, a commission member whose 14-year-old daughter Alaina was killed in the attack, said the initial focus should be on quick, low-cost improvements that could produce the biggest immediate gains, from increasing school security to making sure threats are taken seriously."This was the most preventable school shooting that I've ever seen data on," he said. "This kid was screaming for help by publishing his intentions."The panel _ called the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission _ is recommending that the Broward Sheriff's Office conduct an internal review of the performance of seven deputies who showed up, heard shots and failed to take steps to engage the shooter.Deputies spent time retrieving ballistic vests and other equipment instead of rushing to confront the shooter, the report states.That conduct was "unacceptable and contrary to accepted protocol under which the deputies should have immediately moved towards the gunshots to confront the shooter," the report concluded.The report also said that other deputies did respond properly.The panel wants every school district to craft detailed written policies for responding to a shooter on campus. The policies would make clear that any school personnel could call a Code Red alarm. Hard corners, places where students could hide from a gunman, need to be created in classrooms.Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, the chairman of the commission, said school districts need to face consequences if they don't act quickly."There is a culture problem in the Florida schools, and the culture problem is that they view security as a thorn in their side, as a pain in their neck," he saidThe report calls on law enforcement agencies to craft policies making clear that shooters should be confronted. Broward County's policy states that law enforcement "may" confront a threat, while other agencies have policies stating that they "will" confront a shooter. Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said he wanted his deputies to have discretion and did not want to encourage them to engage in "suicide missions," the report states.The report also found problems with command and control in the initial time of the crisis."There was abundant confusion over the location of the command post and the role of the staging area. This stemmed from an absence of command and control and an ineffective radio system," the report said.Then, referring to the sheriff's office and Coral Springs police and fire departments, it said, "A unified command consisting of command staff from BSO, CSPD, and CSFD took an excessive amount of time to establish."The Coral Springs Police Department's officers went more aggressively toward where they thought the shooter was. One reason, the report found, was that they had received more intensive training than Broward Sheriff's deputies in dealing with active shooters.Coral Springs Police officers consistently praised their training as preparing them for a proper response. Without hesitation, each officer knew the active shooter training they had received annually for the past several years, the report said. "They had no difficulty in identifying the proper response to an active shooter.""On the other hand, Broward Sheriff's Office deputies remembered that they attended training in the past few years, but some could not remember the last time they attended active shooter training. Some BSO deputies could not even recall the type of training they received."The report stressed the need for greater communication among agencies. Between the time shooter Nikolas Cruz was 3 years old in January 2002 and the time he was 19 years old in January, there were 69 documented incidents where Cruz threatened someone, engaged in violence, talked about guns or other weapons or engaged in other concerning behavior, according to the report.The final report will be presented to the governor and state Legislature by Jan. 1.Established after the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School took 17 lives, the commission consists of law enforcement officers, public officials and parents of the slain students.Democratic State Rep. Jared Moskowtiz, whose district includes the Parkland area, said he expects the report will play a key role in spurring change during the next legislative session."I think you'll see dramatic action from the Legislature and the governor-elect's office," he said. "The only one responsible for what happened is the Parkland shooter, but several significant government failures compounded significantly. The Legislature is going to look for accountability on that."
(TNS)  It has been four years since Baltimore Countys first elementary school children excitedly put their hands on their own laptops, beginning a $147 million rollout aimed at giving students from first to 12th grade access to technology and transforming the way lessons are taught.But the ambitious program has yet to show the results many had hoped for. Despite the saturation of technology, Baltimore County ranks near the bottom of the state in passing rates on standardized tests. The scores are generally flat for students in grades three through eight, many of whom have had the computers for at least three years.An evaluation of the program by Johns Hopkins researchers found that third-grade results at 10 schools that have had laptops longest have shown some increase over four years, but its too soon to say if that will continue.The impacts of the [laptop program] on student achievement remain encouraging, but still indeterminate given the still relatively short duration of the initiative, the report said.Absent across-the-board increases in student achievement, some parents and teachers are questioning whether the computers are worth the investment.These devices do not seem to be improving my kids school experience, said Suzanne Persaud, the parent of three middle and high school boys. The school system is giving them the hardware, she said, but not the courses to advance beyond the devices.With the majority of the school board turning over this month, the future of the initiative seems in doubt. While there havent been calls to end the laptop program, some have suggested scaling it back so that not every student has their own device.The new county executive, Johnny Olszewski Jr., doesnt yet have a position on the initiative, but said his administration would take a hard look.I want to be a data-driven, evidence-based leader here for Baltimore County, Olszewski said. Any program thats not having the intended gains that were spending money on we need to re-evaluate. Especially if its compromising our ability to meet other priorities.Overall, Baltimore County students in grades three through eight scored 18th in the state for math and 19th in English, according to a State Department of Education analysis of Marylands 24 school districts.In contrast, Baltimore City  where elementary and middle school students dont have the same access to technology  saw significant achievement gains last year across nearly all grades and subjects on the state tests, though the percentage of city school students who passed them is still lower than in the county.Baltimore County school officials counter that the laptop program wasnt begun solely to raise achievement, but rather to provide equity between students who have access to technology at home and those whose families cannot afford internet service or laptops.It has never been about laptops increasing achievement, said Interim School Superintendent Verletta White. You have to take a look at all of the impacts and the levers that impact instruction.In addition, school system officials say teachers might have had too little time to adjust their instruction and reshape lesson plans for achievement gains to be seen. All high school students had laptops only as of this school year.Most elementary students, however, have had them for three or four years. The Hopkins researchers had posited at the programs outset that any measurable gains might be seen by now.Across the nation, as more school systems have invested in computers for every child, researchers have begun focusing on the impact. An analysis in 2016 of 10 studies concluded that giving every student a laptop does boost achievement in math, English, science and writing. But the authors, from Michigan State and the University of California at Irvine, cautioned that computers alone dont increase academic performance and must be accompanied by other changes in teaching.Jennifer Morrison, one of the Hopkins researchers looking at Baltimore Countys program, suggests that the school system examine its curriculum if it wants to improve instruction.The devices are just the delivery mechanism, Morrison said. Whether the lessons are on a laptop or not, she said, the underlying instructional message should be the same.School officials have begun to question whether the math curriculum could be flawed and needs to be rewritten. White said she plans to ask the school board to approve a contract for an audit of the math curriculum.The Hopkins study does not suggest the county ditch laptops. The researchers found that the technology program generally is supported by county teachers and parents. The most striking finding, Morrison said, is that 85 percent of teachers surveyed reported their students appear to be more engaged in their lessons than before the initiative, a sign that achievement should rise.However, teachers also said the devices have sometimes made it more difficult to manage the behavior of students. More than half of middle school teachers who completed a survey said their students had frequent or extensive inappropriate use of the computers. They reported students were breaking through firewalls and using the computers to play games or find an academic shortcut, such as searching for an answer.Some teachers believe academic achievement might have stalled because the laptop program siphoned money away to pay for the new technology. The $147 million spent on the program for the first four years covered the laptops and the support system needed to keep them repaired and operating. Last spring, the school board approved a second four-year $140 million contract.Those price tags do not include other costs associated with the technology, such as online curriculum and math programs which have cost millions more.Dulaney High School science teacher Martin Stranathan said he likes the convenience laptops provide his students when they want to quickly research a question, but overall he doesnt believe the devices are making a significant difference. In fact, he believes paying for the computers has bled his school and many others of resources that could have improved achievement.Countywide, the student-teacher ratio has risen from 14.6 to 1 during the 2013-2014 school year to 15.2 to this year. Thats because as enrollment grew by 6,887 students, the county added only 164 teachers.Stranathan counts 20 to 25 fewer teachers in his school than there were eight years ago. His class sizes have risen so that none is under 30 students now, he said. Moreover, individual school budgets have been slashed, and Stranathan says he is less likely to get supplies from the principal. He is using six-year-old college-level biology textbooks for his Advanced Placement classes.Baltimore County never really justified why we needed the laptops, he said.Between the 2014 and 2018 budget years, the school system cut its spending for individual school budgets by 36.5 percent  from $17.6 million to $11.2 million. While the money is a small part of the systems overall $1.5 billion annual budget, it represents the discretionary funds principals receive to pay for school field trips and extra staff or instructional materials. The reductions occurred even as county enrollment grew.School district officials say schools werent disadvantaged because the central office picked up some technology costs that schools previously paid for, such as computers, copy machines and some textbooks.Persaud has similar concerns about the amount of money that has been spent on the laptops. She said she would rather have more teachers, particularly to teach coding and technology, for her high school children. For a family that already has computers at home, she said, her kids havent benefited much.I personally havent seen any advantages to them having a school device versus the technology we have at home, she said, though acknowledged that they might be valuable for some families.Having children carrying the laptops back and forth to middle school can be stressful, she said. They get lost and left at school.And Persaud isnt sure that they are helping her children learn. She believes they are playing math games on the computers, but isnt convinced they have a math curriculum that stresses the basics. I am concerned that in some classes and in some levels they are creating assignments to be able to use their devices rather than creating a curriculum that is integrated and well thought out, she said.The Hopkins evaluation recommended the school system consider having middle schoolers leave their devices at school.In the next year, the question of whether the laptop initiative continues is likely to be the subject of debate throughout the county. While Olszewski and the council dont have the authority to decide whether the initiative continues, they have influence because they approve the school systems budget.Several school board members have gone on record questioning the program, including Julie Henn, an appointed member of the former board who won election last month.Henn said she believes many factors are involved in raising achievement, and that she would support a balanced investment across programs toward that end.Baltimore Sun reporter Pamela Wood contributed to this article.
(TNS) - Officials are still assessing the damages left in the aftermath of a tornado that hit several properties near the Tenkiller Lake area on Nov. 30."The numbers from the preliminary assessments shown roughly 189 structures with major and destroyed damages," said Cherokee County Emergency Manager Mike Underwood. "Federal Emergency Management Agency and Small Business Administration are in the areas impacted and are assessing the numbers of damaged homes and businesses and this will take one to two days to finish."The storm produced an EF2 tornado, which passed through five different counties, extending nearly 60 miles.Cherokee County Undersheriff Jason Chennault said that when the storm hit, every available deputy responded for a search-and-rescue. Most of the authorities who were on the scene brought their own chainsaws, which many ended up using because of the amount of damage left behind.Now that the storm has passed, officials have gone from search-and-rescue to clean-up mode.Underwood said while a dollar amount has not been established for the estimated costs of damages, cleanup with take several months."The American Red Cross and area churches have been helping with people in need," he said.One group that has been assisting is the Southern Baptist Association Disaster Relief, which has been helping remove debris and placing tarps on remaining structures."It's our way of showing we love the Lord and helping people in need," said Lonnie Rowan, from the Muskogee SBDR branch. "A lot of people couldn't even get into their homes."Rowan added that pictures and words couldn't describe the amount of destruction."It's hard to believe how much destruction was done, and it's amazing that no one was hurt," he said.Other organizations such as the American Red Cross and EM, are still conducting surveys to analyze the number of displaced individuals and damages homes throughout Cherokee County.On Dec. 3, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker declared a state of emergency for the five counties in the tribe's jurisdiction that were impacted by the storm: Cherokee, Adair, Sequoyah, Delaware and Muskogee. Tribal officials estimate that at least 822 CN citizens live in the affected area.Officials are still asking that people who do not live in these areas avoid traveling there, as emergency personnel, power companies, and volunteer disaster organizations are trying to affect repairs.Cherokee Nation is asking its citizens to call 918-207-3870 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to report damage.Cherokee citizens should include names, addresses, contact information and a description of the damage.Those impacted by the storm may also call Cherokee County Emergency Management to report damage at 918-456-2894.2018 the Tahlequah Daily Press (Tahlequah, Okla.)Visit the Tahlequah Daily Press (Tahlequah, Okla.) at www.tahlequahdailypress.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
WORLAND  Thanksgiving week, 154 musicians and color guard members from the 2018 Wyoming All State Marching Band (WASMB) headed to Philadelphia and participated in the countrys oldest Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Out of the 154 participants, six of them were from Worland High Schools marching band, Black Thunder. These students were Kaci Bentley on clarinet, Cameron Cabarett on TC baritone...
(TNS)  The long-anticipated overhaul of San Franciscos Market Street has received a push forward in the form of a $15 million grant from the federal government.On Tuesday the Department of Transportation announced the city would be receiving $15 million for the first phase of Better Market Street, a $604 million project that will bring pedestrian, bicycle and public transportation improvements to 2.2 miles of Market Street between Octavia Boulevard and the Embarcadero.Phase one of the project will cost $71.5 million and will focus on the stretch of Market Street between Sixth and Eighth streets. Improvements in this phase will include roadway resurfacing, streetcar track replacement, new and upgraded traffic signals and a new F-line streetcar turnaround loop at McAllister and Seventh streets.It is a privilege to announce this new, transformative investment in San Franciscos infrastructure, which will help deliver a modern, efficient transit system worthy of Americas cradle of innovation, said House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. The Better Market Street initiative will cut through the congestion and improve speed and capacity for millions of workers, students and families, while better protecting pedestrians and bicycles.The grant comes from the fiscal year 2018 Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development program, known as BUILD.San Francisco Mayor London Breed credited Pelosi with securing the funding, noting her steadfast support for the Better Market Street project.The Better Market Street initiative is central to our efforts to increase public safety and make smart investments in our infrastructure to prepare for the future, said Breed.Better Market Street is currently is the environmental review and design phase. Construction is to start in 2020.
Parliament on Wednesday voted to extend the period employers may account overtime for the purpose of calculating wages and rest days from twelve months to three years, and to raise the upper threshold for annual overtime from 250 to 400 hours.

The legislation on the measures was passed with a vote of 130 for, 52 against and 1 abstention. Unions had protested the planned changes, but the government argued they would serve the interests of workers for whom choosing to work extra hours would be voluntary.

Opposition MPs started singing the Hungarian anthem during the vote, followed by booing while holding their MP cards in the air. They then left the chamber.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban hailed the amendments as an important and good legislation.

I pay attention to everyone, especially the trade unions, I observe their opinion, respect the freedom of opinion and take all the arguments raised into consideration. In this case, I believe the arguments raised weighed less than the bill. This is a good law that will work to the benefit of employees, Orban told the press.

He said earlier the legislation aims to support mainly employees of SMEs who wish to work more but cant, at present, because of silly bureaucratic hurdles.

Fidesz group leader Mate Kocsis slammed Jobbiks hooligans and Liberal anarchists for their aggressive attitude and insisted that the developments cannot be left without consequences.

The co-ruling Christian Democrats (KDNP) said that the session had been shameful and insisted that a politically weak opposition tried to prevent parliaments work through physical force. The opposition does not believe in political debate or culture but in aggressive behaviour and anarchy, they added.

Hungary is in the midst of a labour shortage which is severe in some sectors.



MTI Photo: Illyes Tibor
The Constitutional Court rejected complaints submitted by 55 opposition MPs against a law tightening regulations on political billboard advertising justified by the desire to protect cityscapes.

The opposition MPs filed a complaint to the top court after President Janos Ader returned the law to parliament in June 2017. It was passed after extensive amendments in the same month.

The amendments stipulated that organisations that receive direct or indirect budgetary support must pay the listed market price for political billboard adverts, contracts on placing such adverts must be submitted to the relevant authority to be published on its website and the authority is charged with removing any ads placed unlawfully within two days.

The opposition MPs complained to the top court that the amendments were passed in violation of house rules. After the law was returned by Ader, parliament actually approved a brand new text, they complained.

They also protested that many elements of the law affected the financial operations of political parties and such regulations required two-thirds majority approval. Additionally, they said the law curbed the freedom of speech.

The top court rejected the complaints, stating that the regulations served to make billboard campaigns transparent and reduce corruption risks linked to non-transparent pricing.



MTI Photo: Manek Attila
Some hours ago, at 11:30 p.m. Budapest time, the police used tear gas against the thousands of demonstrators on Kossuth Square. At the moment we have no idea what the consequences of Wednesday's events in parliament and on the streets will be.

The confidence exhibited by Fidesz members of parliament, including Viktor Orban, may evaporate after some reflection on the fallout over the scandalous way the government party pushed through a series of laws, including the most objectionable modifications of the labor law.

The first question we ought to ask is why the government brought this issue to the floor with such a sense of urgency. It was just a little over two and a half weeks ago that Lajos Kosa and Kristof Szatmary submitted their proposal to raise the number of hours an employee might be asked to work overtime from 250 to 400 a year. Now the bill, pending President Janos Aders approval, is the law of the land. Why the hurry?

Many have suspected all along that pressure from multinational companies with factories in Hungary prompted this legislative change. But, as we learned from Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, German manufacturers in particular had made many such requests earlier.

It seems, however, that Viktor Orban, sensing the extreme unpopularity of such a move, had consistently resisted this pressure. What happened in the last few months that brought this issue to the foreground?

Ferenc Gyurcsany, in an interview today, sketched out a scenario that sounds plausible. It was at the end of July that BMWs decision to establish a new plant in Debrecen instead of Kosice/Kassa, Slovakia became public. BMW will invest 1 billion in this new plant, which will employ over 1,000 people. BMW hopes to produce 150,000 vehiclesgasoline, hybrid, and electrica year at this new facility.

The official reason for choosing Debrecen over Kosice was its superior infrastructure, which is in fact the case, but Gyurcsany and others suspect that during the bidding war the Hungarian government promised, in addition to all sorts of other incentives, to raise the amount of overtime manufacturers could demand in order to ensure uninterrupted production.

During the parliamentary pandemonium Fidesz politicians didnt seem to be the least bit frightened. They probably didnt anticipate any public reaction. A few days ago there was a similar scene in parliament, but other than a joint statement by the opposition parties nothing happened. But then reality set in.

An originally small demonstration in front of the parliament building, which looked like so many others that had led nowhere, began to grow thanks to a clever tactic employed by the young Bence Tordai (Parbeszed), who somehow instinctively sensed that a little walk in the city would bring new demonstrators to the fold.

Over the course of the afternoon and early evening, the demonstrators went to the Fidesz headquarters at the corner of Lendvay and Dozsa Gyorgy Streets, to Oktogon, and then back to Kossuth Square. Armored personnel carriers of TEK (Terrorelharitasi Kozpont) were ordered downtown, allegedly because of the heightened terrorist threat at the Christmas fair.

The police defending the parliament building put helmets on as they were pushed against the wall behind them. It was reported that eventually police used pepper spray and tear gas to get rid of the fairly large crowd that was still there close to midnight.

Never in his worst nightmares did Viktor Orban expect anything like this demonstration, because otherwise he would have thought twice before agreeing to the German manufacturers demands.

The crowd didnt demonstrate only because of the overtime scandal but because of countless other grievances. What is especially bad news for the Orban government is that so many of the demonstrators were young people who demanded a free country and a free university and who called themselves hirelings of George Soros.

Shortly after the tumult in parliament, Laszlo Kover was still contending that the action he had taken was perfectly legal and that those who tried to stage a parliamentary coup would be severely punished.

We will see whether Thursday morning, after an assessment of the damage these few days have done to the government party, he will still be ready to send some of his fellow legislators to jail, as he threatened. We will also see whether demonstrators will appear on the streets againwhether this time is really different.

This opinion does not necessarily represent the views of XpatLoop.com or the publisher. Your opinions are welcome too - for editorial review before possible publication online.

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MTI Photo: Monus Marton
On Wednesday night, Hannity aired an interview with Melania Trump from the USS George H.W. Bush in which she spoke about everything from her childhood in Slovenia to being the first lady. She also revealed why, despite a tumultuous first couple of years, she hopes for a second term in the White House.

I think my husband, hes doing an incredible job, FLOTUS said. The country does best ever, so  I want the country [to] continue to do well.

She went on to call journalists, authors and comedians opportunists who arent telling the truth and who use her and her familys name to spread gossip and advance themselves.

Not surprisingly, reaction was split between those who support President Trump and those who dont.

#MelaniaTrump calling anyone an opportunist is the Pot calling the Kettle golddigger.  Mo Fei Chen (@DynaMoChen) December 14, 2018

Melania also talked about the advice she gives her husband. She said she keeps up on the news and gives him her honest opinion, adding,  sometimes he listens and sometimes he doesnt. The first lady has said in the past that shes asked the president to tone down the tweeting. Sean Hannity asked how that worked out, and Melania answered, Well, we could see it.

Hannity airs weeknights at 9 on Fox News.

Check out what Fox News accidentally called Donald Trump:

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:

Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Kylie Mar, on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
On Wednesday night, Hannity aired an interview with First Lady Melania Trump from the USS George H.W. Bush. In the wide-ranging interview, Melania spoke about everything from her childhood in Slovenia to being First Lady, and she revealed why, despite a tumultuous first couple of years, shes hoping for a second term in the White House.I think my husband, hes doing an incredible job, Melania said. The country does (sic)best ever. So, yes, I think I want the country (sic) continue to do well.

Melania went on to call journalists, authors, and comedians opportunists who she doesnt believe are telling the truth. She said they use hers and her familys names to spread gossip and advance themselves.As for reaction to the interview, it was split between those who support Donald Trump and those who dont.Melania also talked about the advice she gives to her husband. She said she keeps up on the news and gives him her honest opinion, adding, sometimes he listens and sometimes he doesnt. Shes said in the past that shes asked him to tone it down with the tweeting. Sean Hannity asked how that worked out, and Melania answered, Well, we could see it.
Washington (AFP) - A Russian national who built a powerful network of Republican contacts via the US gun rights lobby that reached into President Donald Trump's circle admitted Thursday acting as an illegal foreign agent.

Maria Butina -- the first Russian convicted in the sprawl of cases arising from Moscow's interference in the 2016 presidential election -- faces up to six months in prison, followed by likely deportation.

Prosecutors said she launched a plan in March 2015 to develop ties with the Republican Party with the aim of influencing US foreign policy.

She worked together with her American boyfriend, Republican operative and National Rifle Association insider Paul Erickson, to pursue the plan, they said.

The plot was guided and financed in part by Alexander Torshin, an ally of President Vladimir Putin who was deputy governor of the Russian central bank until his retirement on November 30.

At Torshin's direction and with Erickson's assistance, prosecutors said Butina "sought to establish unofficial lines of communications with Americans who having power and influence over US politics."

"Butina sought to use those unofficial lines of communication for the benefit of the Russian Federation," they said.

Butina's case was a spinoff from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Moscow's meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion by the Trump campaign with the Russians.

Her guilty plea came one day after the sentencing of Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen, who implicated the president in felony violations of campaign financing laws.

Cohen alleged Trump directed him to make payments during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence two women who claimed to have had past sexual encounters with Trump, the Republican candidate.

- High-level Republican contacts -

Butina's contacts took her into the high echelons of the Republican hierarchy.

She started by setting up her own Russian gun rights organization, supported by Torshin, and then making contact with the NRA.

Story continues

In April 2015 she joined the NRA national convention where she had her picture taken with prominent Republicans and was introduced to an unidentified Republican presidential candidate, according to prosecutors.

Eight months later she invited a number of current and former leaders of the NRA to Moscow where they were able to meet high-level Russian officials.

Her contacts took her into close proximity with Trump.

At a Trump rally in Las Vegas in July 2015 she was selected to ask him a question about his plans for ties with Russia.

"I believe I would get along very nicely with Putin... I don't think you'd need the sanctions," he said, in possibly his first campaign trail pronouncement on the issue.

In 2016 she entered graduate school at American University in Washington, and continued her networking as she lived with Erickson.

He helped her contact a senior official on the Trump campaign, Rick Dearborn, proposing a meeting between Trump and Putin before the election.

Following up that offer, in early May 2016, Torshin attended an official dinner during the NRA's annual convention in Louisville, Kentucky, where he reportedly spoke with Trump's son Don Jr.

- Cause celebre -

Butina was arrested on July 15, 2018 and became a minor cause celebre in Russia, with the foreign ministry putting her picture at the top of their Twitter account with the hashtag "#FreeMariaButina".

She pleaded guilty to conspiracy to not register as an agent of a foreign government, a charge often used against foreign spies. But there was no evidence presented that she worked for any of Moscow's espionage agencies.

The conspiracy charge, and prosecutors' vouching for her cooperation in a broader investigation, suggested others could be charged in relation to her case.

She was to remain in US custody until her sentencing, in February or later, and was expected to continue cooperating with investigations.
By Gina Cherelus

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A man was caught at New York's JFK airport last weekend trying to smuggle dozens of South American finches into the country, a bird that Guyanese immigrants covet for chirping but officials fear could spread disease, officials said on Thursday.

About 70 finches were found hidden inside a shipment of hair rollers at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Saturday when a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialist inspected the unidentified male passenger's luggage. Some of the birds had died enroute.

The birds may have been destined for sale to Guyanese immigrants for a game that involves betting on how often the finches chirp per minute, said Customs spokesman Anthony Bucci.

"They may ultimately wind up as a pet, but within the Guyanese community that is the primary purpose," Bucci said.

The passenger was not admitted into the United States and was sent back to Guyana, Bucci said.

The finches were quarantined and euthanized by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Veterinary Services, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Photos on the CBP's Twitter page showed the birds squeezed into individual hair rollers with small nets covering each end.

The birds can spread infections such as avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu. A 2015 bird flu epidemic resulted in the culling of 50 million commercial turkeys and chickens and $850 million in damage, according to CBP officials.

(Reporting by Gina Cherelus in New York; Editing by Frank McGurty and Leslie Adler)
(TNS)  City departments will now have to get approval from the city council before they can implement any new surveillance technology.The council adopted a proposed surveillance ordinance Monday night after two years of community meetings and collaboration with the police department and the ACLU.The ordinance also requires city officials to get approval to use technologies already in use in different ways, according to a statement from the ACLU. Technologies covered by the ordinance include automatic license plate readers, video surveillance, biometric surveillance technology including facial and voice recognition software and databases, social media monitoring software, police body-worn cameras and predictive policing software.The ordinance would also require city officials to get approval from the council in order to turn on eight cameras the Department of Homeland Security installed in the city in 2009, designed to help 911 dispatchers view evacuation routes during public emergencies, according to Jeremy Warnick, communications director for Cambridge Police."If they were activated, as far as I am aware, we would go through the same public deliberation," Warnick said.Councilor Craig Kelley said the goal of the ordinance is to make sure the city government doesn't engage in unwarranted surveillance in Cambridge, and provides elected officials oversight over the use of such technologies."That brings accountability into the system and transparency into the discussions," Kelley said. "And that's what this ordinance was all about."Kelley said he began working on a potential surveillance ordinance about six years ago."That was all about surveillance cameras," Kelley said. "It started with concerns that the Homeland Security cameras that we got might be turned on and the data be fed to the Boston Regional Intelligence Center."Despite the concerns, the surveillance issue got put on the back burner, Kelley said, until about two years ago the ACLU approached city officials with a model ordinance."It's taken two years to work through the challenges of that ordinance to make sure that everyone feels comfortable with it," Kelley said. "To have the ACLU, the police department, the city manager, the City Council, to have all these people thinking this ordinance is a good ordinance and worth passing is pretty impressive.""For me the ordinance doesn't go far enough, but government is all about compromise and so forth and I'm sure that everyone involved in this discussion would have changed something here, there, or someplace else, but we got to a good place," Kelley said. "And as technology and expectations and so forth change I'm sure we'll continue to rethink what the ordinance may or may not want to cover, and what types of policies the city or departments may or may not want to have [and] what type of education we may or may not want to do to help people in the city protect themselves against unwanted surveillance and to protect themselves online."Kade Crockford, director of the ACLU of Massachusetts' Technology for Library program, called the ordinance a "victory," in a statement released by the ACLU, and praised city officials for their "commitment to local democracy.""The city of Cambridge has demonstrated that it is a model for other local governments by embracing the call to ensure that new surveillance technologies are only adopted and used in accordance with the people's will," Crockford said. "The ACLU looks forward to continued collaboration with the city as it works to implement the ordinance over the coming year."
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - Brazil's president-elect Jair Bolsonaro and his family faced growing scrutiny Thursday as a government financial crimes unit questioned transactions to and from his son's former aide totaling $300,000.

Bolsonaro, who takes office January 1 after winning election as a right-wing anti-corruption crusader, acknowledged in a Facebook video posted late Wednesday that the payments by Fabricio Jose de Queiroz were being examined by the graft-busting COAF.

"If an error has been made, by me, by my son, or by Quieroz, we will pay the bill for this error, because we cannot be caught up in the error of anybody," he said.

"It hurts because what we hold to most firmly is fighting corruption and, whatever happens, when I am president we will fight corruption using all weapons available to the government, including COAF."

Bolsonaro's son Flavio Bolsonaro, a lawmaker for Rio de Janeiro state who will be a federal senator from next year, later issued a statement declaring "I did nothing wrong" and that he knew nothing of what Quieroz might have been involved in.

He blasted the media for "only attacking me" and not aides to other politicians, saying: "The media is applying unusual force to break down my reputation and try to hurt Jair Bolsonaro."

Jair Bolsonaro easily won Brazil's presidential elections in October amid widespread public disenchantment over a series of mega corruption scandals that tarnished his predecessors.

At issue are 1.2 million reais ($300,000) in transactions to and from Queiroz, a police officer who had served for years as Flavio Bolsonaro's chauffeur and bodyguard. They raised suspicions because they exceeded his income.

COAF is also looking into 24,000 reais ($6,200) Quieroz deposited via checks into the account of Bolsonaro's wife, Michelle Bolsonaro. The future president has said they were reimbursements for a loan he had made to his son's aide but not declared.

Bolsonaro, who had for days avoided journalists who wanted to question him about the matter, said in his Facebook video that Quieroz was to talk to authorities next week.
Paris (AFP) - A British man charged with trafficking 1.3 tons of cocaine into France was on Thursday described in court as a "big fish" in the international narco-trade.

Robert Dawes, 46, believed to have been one of Europe's biggest drug traffickers, is alleged to have flown the drugs into France from Caracas, Venezuela, in 2013 in 30 unregistered suitcases aboard an Air France plane.

British police officer Robert Hickinbottom, giving evidence by video link from to the special French court composed only of judges, said Dawes operated "at the top international level".

He said Dawes was suspected of involvement in the 2002 murder of a teacher in the Netherlands, money-laundering operations in the United Arab Emirates and Switzerland and dealings with Colombian drug cartels.

Hickinbottom who works for the National Crime Agency (NCA), Britain's organised crime unit, said he had been tracking Dawes' criminal path for years.

Dawes was arrested in November 2015 at his home in southern Spain and extradited to France.

He is on trial alongside two other Britons and three Italians, who risk up to 30 years in prison and fines of up to 7.5 million euros ($8.5 million) if convicted.

The Air France shipment caused outrage in Venezuela where the interior minister admitted the suitcases had gone through security scanners that had clearly showed the presence of drugs.

Venezuelan police arrested 25 people, including members of the military and an Air France manager.

Dawes is due to testify on Tuesday with a verdict expected on December 21.
By Prak Chan Thul PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodia's parliament on Thursday amended the law to let banned politicians petition the government for a return to politics, which could see restraints lifted for more than 100 members of the main opposition party, dissolved last year. The politicians were barred by the Supreme Court last year, after Prime Minister Hun Sen's government accused the Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) of plotting to take power with the help of the United States, allegations both have denied. The amendment to the Political Party Law followed steps by the European Union (EU) in November to end Cambodia's duty-free trading access, after a general election in July returned Hun Sen to power, with his party winning all seats in parliament. All 115 MPs of the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) voted to amend the law, which allows banned politicians to return after a request to the Prime Minister or the interior minister. "We would like to dismiss public opinion that says this amendment is done under international pressure," one lawmaker, Cheam Yeap, told parliament. "Actually, this amendment is done in a spirit of national reconciliation and tolerance from the CPP, which always respects a multi-party democracy." Former opposition members banned from politics could only resume their activities if each made a request to the prime minister or Interior Minister Sar Kheng, Hun Sen said in a speech on Wednesday. He did not elaborate. CNRP leader Kem Sokha was freed in September after spending more than a year in jail on treason charges, but remains under house arrest in the capital, Phnom Penh. The amendment was an attempt to divide the CNRP, its deputy president, Mu Sochua, said on Thursday. "The amended law gives the full power to Mr. Hun Sen to determine who can be rehabilitated," Mu Sochua told Reuters. "The international community must not accept piecemeal but comprehensive solutions acceptable to all parties concerned," Mu Sochua added, referring to the government's concessions. (Reporting by Prak Chan Thul; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Seoul (AFP) - Irrepressible, linguistically adept, and astonishingly well-connected: the second Canadian being investigated for allegedly harming Chinese state security is a businessman whose relationships in North Korea go right to the very top.

Michael Spavor is among only a handful of Westerners who met Kim Jong Un between his inheriting power in the North in 2011 and this year's Singapore summit with Donald Trump.

He was instrumental in arranging visits by former Chicago Bull Dennis Rodman to Pyongyang, where the player known as The Worm struck up an unlikely friendship with Kim, on one occasion singing him "Happy Birthday".

Spavor has been pictured sitting next to Kim, sharing cigarettes and cocktails on board the North Korean leader's private yacht, moored off the country's east coast.

Other images show the two grinning broadly, or shaking hands.

For years, Spavor has been based in the Chinese city of Dandong, on the border with the North.

His Paektu Cultural Exchange describes itself as a "non-profit social enterprise dedicated to facilitating sustainable cooperation, cross-cultural exchanges, tourism, trade, and economic exchanges" involving the North.

It runs a rural educational project in Samjiyon county, promotes sporting events in the North, occasionally sends tour groups to the isolated country, and has a consulting arm.

Spavor focuses on introducing foreign businesses to the North, which is subject to multiple sets of sanctions over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes.

But a rapid diplomatic rapprochement on the peninsula has raised the possibility that the measures could be relaxed -- a key demand of Pyongyang's.

For now new investments are largely barred, but Spavor told AFP earlier this year that he was getting inquiries from investors interested in market research and "face-to-face matchmaking with potential DPRK ministries and future partners" for when sanctions are lifted.

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North Korean economic officials were also contacting him "more regularly", he added.

Spavor, who is in his early forties and from Calgary in Alberta, first became intrigued by North Korea during a short stay in Seoul in the late 1990s, and lived in Pyongyang for a time in 2005 while working for a Canadian NGO.

He now speaks fluent Korean -- with a distinct northern accent.

Most successful projects with the North were "facilitated through trusted interlocutors or businesses that have strong and long-term 'relationships' with their DPRK partners, which take many years to develop", he told AFP.

"Negotiating a business deal with the DPRK is complicated and can be quite difficult for a number of reasons," he added. "You also need to know how to connect with the right people inside the country, which can also be challenging."
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Two Ukrainian navy captains being held in a Russian jail have refused to provide testimony because they consider themselves prisoners of war, their lawyers said on Wednesday. Russia seized three Ukrainian navy vessels and their combined crew of 24 last month off the coast of Russian-annexed Crimea and accused them of illegally entering Russian waters. Ukraine has said Russia captured the two small gunboats and one tugboat illegally and accused Moscow of military aggression. The United States and the European Union have called for the release of the sailors, who are in pretrial detention in Moscow. Roman Mokryak, the commander of one of the gunboats, told Russian investigators he would not provide any information until his crew was released, his lawyer, Ilya Novikov, said on Wednesday. "He believes he alone answers for what happens on board, that his crew carried out his orders and that they cannot be held to account," Novikov wrote on Facebook. Oleh Melnychuk, the captain of the tugboat, has also refused to testify, denying Moscow's accusations and calling himself a prisoner of war, his lawyer Edem Semedlyayev wrote in a separate Facebook post on Wednesday. No date has been set for the sailors' trial. Ukraine has said it fears Russia is preparing to attack it, citing an alleged military buildup along its border. Russia denies this and says Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is trying to whip up anti-Russian sentiment as part of an election campaign. Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula in 2014 and backs separatists fighting Kiev's forces in the east of the country. In Washington, the Pentagon said Ukraine Navy Commander Admiral Ihor Voronchenko would be meeting with officials, including Chief of U.S. Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson, on Thursday and Friday. "(Pentagon) leaders will reiterate the U.S. support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters, as well as the right of its vessels to traverse international waters," Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon told Reuters on Thursday. (Reporting by Tom Balmforth. additional reporting by Idrees Ali in Washington; editing by John Stonestreet and Phil Berlowitz)
Bogota (AFP) - A growing alliance of Mexican drug cartels and dissident FARC guerrillas is opening up a new front in Colombia's deadly war on drugs, Human Rights Watch warned Thursday.

"Powerful Mexican cartels" are playing an increasing role in the flashpoint Tumaco area on Colombia's Pacific coast, where the murder rate has soared, HRW's Americas director Jose Miguel Vivanco said.

Vivanco told reporters in Bogota the cartels had linked up with "irregular groups, fundamentally FARC dissidents" in Tumaco, near the border with Ecuador. The area is on a key drug trafficking route to the United States.

Vivanco was speaking at the launch of a 64-page HRW report that details continuing abuses by FARC dissident groups.

According to the report, while conflict-related abuses fell nationwide after a 2016 FARC peace deal with the government, they spiked in Tumaco.

"In 2017, the rate was four times the national average and data through September show killings are up nearly 50 percent in 2018," it said.

Prosecutors investigating the murders believe FARC dissidents have committed the majority of them.

According to the report, FARC dissident groups control and constrain the movements of the local majority Afro-Colombian population, setting curfews and carrying out widespread extortion of local businesses, even small stores.

Added to those crimes are regular kidnappings, torture and disappearances, a cocktail of violence that according to the government has forced more than 9,000 people to flee Tumaco since 2017.

The group says it conducted more than 70 interviews with victims and documented over 120 cases of abuse including rape, child recruitment, kidnapping and murder carried out since mid-2016.

"These cases represent only a fraction of the cases reported by government authorities," it said.

"Many abuses go unreported, due in part to the tight social control imposed by armed groups in vulnerable neighborhoods and rural communities in Tumaco," it said.

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"The Colombian government should make sure these crimes are investigated and that those responsible are brought to justice," HRW said.

After four decades of war against drug trafficking, Colombia remains the world's biggest producer of cocaine.

UN figures showed that in 2017, the country had more land devoted to the cultivation of coca leaves, the raw material for cocaine, than ever before -- 171,000 hectares.
TipRanks

Wall Street has known its share of legends, but few of them have made as big a splash as the Man Who Broke the Bank of England. That nickname belongs to George Soros who earned the tag after famously betting against the British Pound in 1992; following the Black Wednesday crash, the hedge fund manager pocketed a $1 billion in a single day. This is the stuff that Wall Street legends are made of. By then Soros was already incredibly successful and in the midst of steering his Quantum Fund to dec
Colombo (AFP) - Sri Lanka's Supreme Court opened the way for potential impeachment proceedings against the president on Thursday, ruling that he broke the law by dissolving parliament last month.

The verdict is a major blow to Maithripala Sirisena, seven weeks into a political crisis in the Indian Ocean island nation that has sparked alarm abroad and concern over its finances.

The seven-judge bench unanimously agreed that Sirisena violated the constitution when he dissolved parliament last month and called a snap election nearly two years ahead of schedule.

"I make order that the November 9 Gazette (decree) sacking parliament... has no force or effect in law and declare its operation illegal," Chief Justice Nalin Perera said as he delivered the landmark judgement to a packed courtroom.

Sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's party had said it would await the outcome of Thursday's decision before deciding whether to open impeachment proceedings.

Sirisena triggered the unprecedented political crisis on October 26 when he fired Wickremesinghe and appointed contentious former strongman Mahinda Rajapakse in his place.

There was no immediate comment from either Sirisena or Rajapakse. However, Rajapakse's legislator son, Namal, told reporters outside the court house that they did not agree with the verdict.

"We do not agree with the decision of the court, but we do not have a higher court to appeal to," he said.

- 'Coup' -

The leftist JVP, or the People's Liberation Front, said the sacking of the prime minister in October was a "coup orchestrated by Sirisena and Rajapakse" and called for a resolution in parliament to bring them to justice.

"This first thing this (restored) parliament should is to investigate the coup and bring both the president and his illegal prime minister to justice," JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said.

Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP) welcomed the verdict as a victory for democracy.

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"As a country we have to be joyful that we have an independent judiciary that acted as a check on an errant executive," UNP deputy leader Sajith Premadasa said.

Sirisena dissolved parliament on November 9 when Rajapakse, the man he appointed as prime minister, was unable to prove a majority in the 225-member assembly.

Constitutional provisions were clear that he could not dissolve the legislature until it completes four and a half years out of its five-year term, which ends in August 2020.

Four days later after parliament was sacked, the Supreme Court issued an interim ruling suspending Sirisena's decree and restoring parliament, which almost immediately passed a no-confidence motion against Rajapakse, the purported premier.

Wickremesinghe's party and their allies command a majority in parliament.

On Wednesday, the legislature voted overwhelmingly to demand the reinstatement of Wickremesinghe with the power struggle just weeks away from a government shutdown.

Members of Wickremesinghe's party and their allies voted 117-0 asking Sirisena to reverse his October 26 dismissal of his former ally.

However, Sirisena has vowed he will not reinstate Wickremesinghe.

Courts have also prevented Rajapakse and his disputed cabinet exercising power until they can prove their legitimacy. A hearing by the Court of Appeal on Wednesday was put off until January 16.

Former finance minister Ravi Karunanayake said the entire public sector will come to a complete standstill from January 1 in the absence of a budget for the New Year.

Officials have expressed similar fears and urged Sirisena to resolve the crisis urgently. Sri Lanka's credit ratings have already been cut.
Caracas (AFP) - The Miss Venezuela beauty pageant goes ahead Thursday seeking to brush off a tumultuous sex scandal and present a humbler tone attuned to a nation with a crippled economy.

With the organizers seeking to cut costs, the 65th edition of the pageant is being moved from its historic home at the Caracas Polyhedron Arena -- capable of holding an audience of 20,000 -- to a cosy 200-seat television studio.

"It's not a moment to have an opulent Miss Venezuela, because what the country is going through doesn't justify it. But we don't want to give up," event manager Nina Sicilia told AFP.

"We are adapting to the resources we have," said Sicilia.

The economic crisis means much of the glamor has had to go, and some of the Misses have been turning up to rehearsals by bus or metro, Sicilia says, reflecting this year's leaner feel.

"These 24 young people are suffering the same problems as the rest of society," said Sicilia, runner-up in the 1985 contest.

- Still popular -

The contest is still hugely popular with Venezuelans. They will watch the TV extravaganza in their millions, despite slogging through the fifth consecutive year of a severe economic crisis that has seen shortages of basic foods and medicines and forced 2.3 million to emigrate.

Make-up and hair-styling deals have been sealed with sponsors in return for TV advertising, and costume costs are being shared with designers.

Music and choreography are being performed by young Venezuelan talents, some of them appearing on television for the first time.

Gone are the days when Latin American or Spanish stars like Celia Cruz, Raphael, Camilo Sexto and Raul di Blasio were fixtures at gala performances.

As a metaphor for the pageant itself, contestant Juliette Lemoine -- representing the state of Vargas, near Caracas -- took a tumble during the dress rehearsal on Tuesday. Much like the show itself, a tearful Lemoine bravely got up and carried on with her routine.

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The trimmed down contest will aim to erase any trace of a sex scandal that dogged it just months ago.

- Sex scandal -

The organizers were forced to shut down temporarily amid accusations that officials had procured young women as sexual companions for wealthy sponsors, including businessmen and officials in the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

Osmel Sousa, director of the Miss Venezuela Organization for nearly 40 years and nicknamed the "beauty czar", stepped down. He has denied any wrongdoing.

A new code of ethics prohibits the women from receiving external funding or being nominated by third parties. They have to apply to represent their state in the contest by completing an online form.

The event has been "depersonalized," said Sicilia. "There cannot be anyone above the organization."

Sicilia defended beauty contests in the face of #MeToo era criticism that they violate the dignity of women.

"A woman has to understand that with her voice, only with her voice, she is capable of changing the world."

The winner of the contest will represent the Latin American country at the Miss World pageant, where Venezuelans have an envious record, sharing with India the record for the most victories, six.
Saudi Arabia has persuaded two dozen oil producers to cut output and will sharply throttle back its own production over the next two months.

President Donald Trump had urged the Saudis to keep pumping at high volumes in order to cut fuel prices.

Saudi Arabia took a "Saudi first" stance by taking action to end an oil price slump and protect its own interests.

President Donald Trump has told foreign leaders that "America First" means he will always put the needs of America ahead of the needs of other nations  and that they should do the same for their own country.

Saudi Arabia's leadership appears to be on board with that message.

Last week, Saudi Arabia disregarded Trump's public pressure campaign to keep pumping at full throttle and cut fuel costs. The kingdom instead persuaded two dozen oil producers to cut output and announced a steep drop in Saudi production over the next two months.

"Saudi Arabia today had a 'Saudi first' policy," Helima Croft, global head of commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets, said on Friday. Hours earlier, OPEC , Russia and several other producers agreed to take 1.2 million barrels per day off the market beginning in January.

The decision marks a reversal in Saudi energy policy. Over the last six months, the Saudis ramped up production by more than 1 million bpd  a move cheered by Trump. Now, the kingdom will endeavor to cut about 900,000 bpd in just two months.

On the surface, the decision looks like a stinging and risky insult to a critical ally. It comes as U.S. lawmakers are threatening to punish the kingdom after Saudi agents killed U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul in October.

But with oil prices mired in a bear market, few commodity analysts doubted Saudi Arabia would cut production. The kingdom needs Brent crude to rise about $25 a barrel just to balance its budget, according to the International Monetary Fund.

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It was also clear that Saudi Arabia, which produces twice as much oil as the next-biggest OPEC producer, would have to contribute the largest cuts. The Saudis produced below their quota when OPEC reached a deal with Russia and other producers to cut output beginning in 2017, and the kingdom's production hikes have dwarfed increases from other producers since the alliance agreed to raise output in June.

Meanwhile, many other OPEC members are producing at or below the levels they agreed to in 2016.

"The Saudis will always do the lion's share. But for them, it's important optically and to some degree in a real world sense that Russia and several other OPEC countries go along," said Bob McNally, founder and president of Rapidan Energy Group.

What remained uncertain heading into last week's meeting was how transparent the Saudis would be. OPEC had reportedly considered a convoluted plan that would have removed barrels from the market but masked the size of the cuts to avoid angering Trump.

But on Friday, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih sent a message that was clearer than some analysts expected .

In November, Saudi Arabia pumped a record 11.1 million bpd, Falih disclosed. This month, Falih anticipates output will fall to about 10.7 million bpd. In January, the Saudis plan to produce 10.2 million bpd.

"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."

Officially, OPEC members will cut production from October levels, when the Saudis pumped about 10.6 million barrels a day. But the surge in Saudi production in November will make the drop look more eye-popping.

On Friday, Falih implicitly faulted the Trump administration for contributing to the price slump over the last two months.

He said customers loaded up on crude oil in the fall anticipating that the Trump administration would apply strict sanctions against Iran. However, Trump allowed some of Iran's biggest customers to keep importing its oil, so supplies didn't tighten as much as feared. Now, customers will likely work through inventories before buying more oil, according to Falih.

"Let's be frank, I think some of last three months' demand has been on the back of expectations of strict applications of sanctions on Iran, which have been relaxed," Falih said.

It is widely known that the Trump administration lobbied Saudi Arabia to raise production earlier this year as the Treasury Department prepared to restore sanctions on Iran, a policy that has boosted prices. However, Trump still took a confrontational tone on Twitter throughout 2018, blaming OPEC for rising oil prices and ordering the group to cut production.

"In the past you had U.S. presidents quietly asking Saudi Arabia to keep the market balanced. Now you have the U.S. president publicly tweeting against OPEC," Croft told CNBC's "Closing Bell." "I think everybody in OPEC is waiting to see what President Trump does next. Is he going to be quiet after this agreement, or is he going to take to social media and criticize OPEC?"

So far, Trump has held his fire, and the administration has continued to hold talks with the Saudis.

Prior to the OPEC meeting, State Department special envoy for Iran Brian Hook met with Falih in Vienna. On Monday, Falih's official Twitter account posted photos of the minister smiling next to U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry in Saudi Arabia and said the two had discussed oil market conditions.

@Khalid_AlFalih: Today in Dhahran, I was delighted to meet with my colleague, Secretary of Energy Rick Perry @SecretaryPerry, and discussed the conditions of the oil market, and the kingdom's constant keenness on the stability of the markets, as we addressed the Kingdom's efforts to develop technologies to reduce carbon emissions and energy efficiency and opportunities for technical cooperation between Two.

It is possible Trump will remain silent until oil prices start to bubble higher.

Some analysts believe Trump's reason for lambasting OPEC on Twitter is not necessarily aimed at getting the group to change its policy. Instead, they say, it's part of a plan to deflect blame when oil prices rise and take credit when they fall.





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Cairo (AFP) - Egyptian authorities Thursday arrested a camel driver and a woman accused of having helped two Danes scale the Great Pyramid of Giza to take a video and naked photograph, sparking outrage in the country.

The interior ministry said the woman had put the pair into contact with the camel driver who took them to the site illegally at night on November 29 for 4,000 Egyptian pounds ($225, 200 euros).

The two had acknowledged their role in the incident and would be put on trial.

In a video called "Climbing the Great Pyramid of Giza", Danish photographer Andreas Hvid appears to scale the 4,500-year-old tomb on the outskirts of Cairo with a woman who is later seen removing her top.

Hvid says the video was shot in late November and posted on YouTube on December 8, setting in motion an investigation by Egypt's public prosecutor.

A photograph also released by Hvid appears to show the pair completely naked on top of each other while looking in the direction of a nearby pyramid.

The nearly three-minute video has so far notched up 4.5 million views on YouTube, while stirring a public outcry in Egypt.

"A 7,000-year-old civilisation has turned into a bed sheet," a Twitter user in Egypt lamented.

Hvid, 23, has explained back home to the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet that he had "dreamed for many years of climbing the Great Pyramid" as well as of taking a naked photograph.

The young Dane, who runs his own YouTube channel, said the woman in the video was not his girlfriend. "It was just a pose. We did not have sexual relations," he said.

The Great Pyramid is the largest in Giza, standing 146 metres (480 feet) tall, and the only surviving structure of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Climbing pyramids is forbidden in Egypt.

In 2016, a German tourist was barred from entering the country for life after he posted online footage of climbing one of the ancient structures.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders arrive in Brussels for two days of talks on Brexit, the euro zone, migration and Russia, among others. Below are some of their comments made on arrival. BREXIT FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON "We can have a political discussion tonight, but the legal framework and the agreement that were negotiated are not supposed to change." "It's important to avoid any ambiguity: we cannot reopen a legal agreement, we can't renegotiate what was negotiated for several months." "It's up to Theresa May to tell us what political solution she expects to pursue to find a majority for this deal." IRELAND PRIME MINISTER LEO VARADKAR "The kind of things that we talked about was how we might give the UK government a greater assurance that the future relationship treaty will actually be negotiated in an expeditious manner and will be negotiated and agreed long before we'd have to consider things such as the extension to the transition period or the implementation of the backstop." "In that space, we all accept that the backstop is the backstop, it's an insurance policy, nobody wants us to have to invoke it. And if it is invoked, we want to make sure that it's only for as short a period as possible." "If the backstop has an expiry date, if there is a unilateral exit clause, this is not a backstop. That would be to render it inoperable. That would mean reopening the substance of the withdrawal agreement and the European Union is unequivocal that this is not an option." "The objective here is to get this agreement ratified." "The United Kingdom is leaving the European Union. Any agreement that deals with the withdrawal has to be an agreement between the EU and the UK ... Ireland is Europe when it comes to these negotiations." "What we want is an enduring assurance that there will not be a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland no matter what the circumstances. That an assurance that the UK government gave us over a year ago ... The Withdrawal Agreement puts that into law and now we'd like to see that agreement ratified." "It's within the gift of the UK government and the UK parliament to take the threat of no-deal off the table. It's possible if the UK wishes to revoke the Article 50 ... or to seek an extension of the Article 50 so that the UK parliament has more time to come together and decide what they would like the outcome to be." "It seems to me there is majority in Westminster in favor of the proposition that there shouldn't be a no deal." LITHUANIAN PRESIDENT DALIA GRYBAUSKAITE "Brexit Christmas wish: finally decide what you really want and Santa will deliver," she said on Twitter in posting a picture of a chocolate Christmas tree. GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL "I think the withdrawal agreement has been negotiated very well." "We have our principles and I do not see how the withdrawal agreement can be changed. We can (see) if there are additional assurances but in this the 27 EU member states are together and make their interests clear." "We want very, very good relations with Great Britain after Great Britain has left the European Union." AUSTRIA CHANCELLOR SEBASTIAN KURZ "We are prepared to accommodate Theresa May." ROMANIAN PRESIDENT KLAUS IOHANNIS "I think we have a good deal. My impression is that on the British side, people have not yet understood that this is a good deal." DUTCH PRIME MINISTER MARK RUTTE "It is impossible to open the negotiated withdrawal agreement. That is now a given. "There is nobody in their right mind in Europe who wants to use the backstop." "The UK decided to leave the EU, to draw these red lines." "Given Brexit, given the red lines, this deal is now on the table." "We cannot break open or start to re-negotiate the withdrawal agreement. Then it is about clarification, the question is what language you put in this clarification. This is all up for debate." "Today is about demystifying this whole Northern Ireland backstop. Nobody in the EU wants to use it. But we need to have it." "How to make that clarification on paper - that's something we have to look at tonight." Q: Would EU extend Article 50? A: "If and when. It's up to the UK to ask for that. At the moment, no such thing is on the table." ESTONIA PRIME MINISTER JURI RATAS "I am sure that both sides, we need the agreement. The United Kingdom and also the European Union." FINLAND PRIME MINISTER JUHA SIPILA "We want to help, first of all. Our goal is that the new relationship is ready before the backstop (enters into force)." "Legally binding will be a bit difficult ... Let's see if we can find something from the legal side as well." BRITISH PRIME MINISTER THERESA MAY "I recognize the strength of concern in the House of Commons and that is what I will be putting to colleagues today." "I don't expect an immediate breakthrough but what I do hope is that we can start work as quickly as possible on the assurances that are necessary." "I said that in my heart I would love to able to lead the Conservative Party into the next general election but I think it is right that the party feels it would prefer to go into that election with a new leader." "I will be seeking the legal and political assurances I believe we need." LUXEMBOURG PRIME MINISTER XAVIER BETTEL "We will clarify certain points. We will not renegotiate the whole document. I am happy that Mrs May received support yesterday because otherwise we would have been heading towards a no deal." "You should not forget that the whole referendum was based on lies. There were so many people who said that billions of euros would come back from Brussels into the health service ... I would be not against it if Theresa May said rather a second referendum than a no deal ... This idea that you could just leave Europe in a mere click of the fingers and that you would only get benefits - a win for the UK and a loss for the rest of the world - we see that's not the case." "We are ready to help." UKRAINE TOP EU DIPLOMAT, FEDERICA MOGHERINI "The Council ... will confirm our strong position and our demand for Russia to release the vessels and the crews." "We'll reaffirm not only our strong support to territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine but also our strong policy of non-recognition of the annexation of the Crimean peninsula; and a very substantial package of support to Ukraine that the EU has put in place so far and is ready to strengthen." ESTONIA PM JURI RATAS "We must support Ukraine and the people of Ukraine. We must support Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty." MIGRATION CZECH PM ANDREJ BABIS "It is fully unacceptable that the flow of migrants to Europe is managed by smuggler mafias." "We have to help north African countries in a way like we did with Turkey. We have to help individual African countries. We want to help them improve their lives at home." FRANCE FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON "I will explain the choices I made to respond to anger I consider to be legitimate and fair." "I will also say how much I consider that this response was both legitimate and important for France, but that it doesn't hamper in any way our willingness to make real efforts on the budget plan, and in particular in terms of controlling public spending, since what we're doing is speeding up tax cuts." On Strasbourg attack - "It wasn't only a French city which was hit, our own people, but also a European city, which was wounded a few days ago. I want to express again the solidarity of the whole nation to the victims and their families." ANTONIO TAJANI, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT HEAD "This is not the time to enter a debate on France". "We are in the process of fighting terrorism." "This is not a good moment to discuss other issues." "It is not for us to say what should be done in internal French politics." (Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop, Alastair Macdonald, Jan Strupczewski, Elizabeth Piper, Francesco Guarascio, Gabriela Baczynska, Michel Rose)
By Gabriela Baczynska and Alissa de Carbonnel BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders offered Ukraine more aid at a summit on Thursday after Russia's seized its ships off Crimea but calls to punish Moscow with more sanctions went unheeded for now as Berlin and Paris try to secure the release of captured sailors. The bloc's 28 national leaders, however, decided to roll over the existing economic sanctions over Crimea's 2014 annexation by Moscow and Russia's subsequent backing for rebels in east Ukraine. There was no consensus to step up punitive measures as sought by more hawkish governments, though the bloc agreed it was "ready to adopt measures, including to strengthen further its support" to Ukraine's southern regions. In a sign of divisions on how to handle President Vladimir Putin's Russia, the text did not mention sanctions directly. But the EU offered Ukraine help for its regions suffering from curtailed trade because of Moscow's actions in the Azov Sea. "There is no justification for the use of military force by Russia," the bloc said. The EU demanded the release of the 24 Ukrainian sailors, the return of their three vessels and free passage to all ships passing through the Kerch Strait, which controls access to the Azov Sea near Crimea. Diplomats in Brussels said both Ukrainian and EU vessels were suffering extended waiting time to pass the narrow strait between the Russian mainland and the Moscow-annexed Crimea. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who met EU summit chairman Donald Tusk in Brussels on Wednesday, also received reassurances from NATO's head Jens Stoltenberg. Stoltenberg said earlier on Thursday that the Western military alliance would supply Ukraine with secure communication equipment this month - part of a 40-million-euros ($46 million) pledge to bolster Kiev's armed forces. "Ukraine invites allies to come up with comprehensive, tough measures to respond to Russia's actions," Poroshenko told reporters after meeting Stoltenberg. DIVISIONS European Parliament lawmakers overwhelmingly backed a non-binding report this week calling on EU governments to introduce targeted sanctions if Moscow fails to release the Ukrainian servicemen. Among the 28 EU states, the three former Soviet republics in the Baltics, backed by Poland, Sweden and Britain, wanted a much tougher threat of more sanctions following the new flare-up of tensions between Russia and Ukraine. But Germany and France, which put the accent on the need to ease tensions, said the time was not right as they were negotiating with Russia to release the Ukrainian sailors. "On possible sanctions because of the incident in the Azov Sea, there is no consensus," a German government source said. "Many question if that is reasonable." (Additional reporting by Andreas Rinke, Writing by Alissa de Carbonnel, Editing by Richard Balmforth)
Caracas (AFP) - Former Venezuelan oil minister Nelson Martinez, imprisoned over corruption allegations, died Wednesday of health complications, the prosecutor's office said.

Martinez, who also served as president of state oil firm PDVSA, was arrested on November 30 last year, four days after President Nicolas Maduro removed him from his position.

"Nelson Martinez was suffering from a serious chronic illness whose progression aggravated his condition and led to his death. Until the last moment ... he received the required treatment and medical attention in a health center," the prosecutor's office said, denying that Martinez died in prison.

Rafael Ramirez, a former state oil firm chief and opponent of the country's president, had earlier announced Martinez's death and blamed Maduro.

"Nelson Martinez just died... kidnapped and abused for a year under the orders of Maduro, who knew of his chronic illness. They humiliated him and denied him his right to defense and to life. Maduro, YOU are responsible," Ramirez wrote on Twitter.

Prosecutors accused both Martinez and another former oil minister and PDVSA chief of being part of a corruption network in the country's oil sector, with Ramirez at the helm.

Ramirez was PDVSA president for a decade from 2004, a member of Hugo Chavez's intimate inner circle. Until a falling out with Maduro last year, Ramirez had not been investigated and served as Venezuela's ambassador to the UN.

Martinez is the latest in a series of people to die in Venezuelan custody.

In August, opposition councilor Fernando Alban died after falling from the 10th floor of Venezuela's intelligence services headquarters in Caracas.

The government maintains it was a suicide, but Maduro's critics claim he was tortured during interrogation and thrown from a window.

Another opposition leader, Carlos Andres Garcia, also died last September while in the custody of intelligence services.

According to human rights organization Foro Penal, there are 288 "political prisoners" in Venezuela.
By Christian Hartmann, John Irish and Emmanuel Jarry STRASBOURG/PARIS (Reuters) - The suspected gunman who killed three people at a Christmas market in the French city of Strasbourg was shot dead on Thursday in a brief gun battle with police after being on the run for 48 hours, police sources said. Cherif Chekatt, 29, was killed in the Neudorf/Meinau area of the city shortly after a big police operation was launched around 2100 hrs (2000 GMT) on Thursday about 2 kilometers from where he launched his attack on Tuesday. Chekatt was killed after firing on police officers, who returned fire, one of the sources said. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner told reporters later three police officers came across a man they believed to be Chekatt and went to arrest him. He turned to fire on them and they shot and killed him, Castaner told reporters. "I think it will help to get back to a life that I would describe as normal," Strasbourg Mayor Roland Ries told reporters after news that Chekatt had been killed. "With the death of this terrorist ... citizens, like me, are relieved," he said Reuters reporters near the scene heard three to four gunshots after armed police officers and units launched their operation, backed up by a helicopter circling overhead. The death toll from Tuesday's attack rose to three while police on Thursday combed the city in the east of France for a second day and manned checkpoints on the German border in their search for Chekatt. Three others were fighting for their lives on Thursday, Castaner told a news conference before news broke that Chekatt had been shot dead. Police issued a wanted poster in multiple languages for Chekatt, who was the main suspect in the attack and who had been on a watchlist as a potential security threat. He had spent time in French, German and Swiss jails for a theft and violence and authorities say he was known to have developed radical religious views while behind bars. Islamic State claimed him as one of its soldiers on Thursday, who "carried out the operation in response to calls for targeting citizens of coalition countries" fighting the militant group, according to a statement on its Amaq news website. The group provided no evidence for the claim. Earlier in the day armed and masked police had swooped on the same Strasbourg neighborhoods fanning out across three locations in late afternoon, including the area where Chekatt was last seen. He was killed not far from there. Witnesses had told investigators that the attacker cried out "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greater) as he opened fire on Tuesday on the Christmas market in Strasbourg, a target Paris Prosecutor Remy Heitz suggested may have been chosen for its religious symbolism. French soldiers, who are part of anti-terrorism patrols across the country, had shot him in the arm but he managed to escape and elude capture for 48 hours. BFM TV citing investigators said a taxi driver, who had taken him away from the attack site, had told him he had carried out the attack to avenge his brothers in Syria. Graphic: https://tmsnrt.rs/2QQL0XG MILITANT ATTACKS Chekatt's police file photo shows a bearded man of North African descent, with a prayer bruise on the center of his forehead. Neighbors on the housing estate where Chekatt family's lived described the suspect as a typical young man who dressed in jogging pants and trainers rather than traditional Islamic robes. "He was a little gangster, but I didn't see any signs of him being radicalized," said a leader of a community group standing outside Chekkats apartment building, who asked not to be identified while discussing him. The Strasbourg attack was the latest in a succession of attacks linked to Islamist militancy in France going back to March 2012. Since January 2015 more than 240 people have been killed in various attacks, although the last one had been in May. With the gunman still on the run and officials dubbing the attack an act of terrorism, France raised its security threat to the highest level. More than 700 police took part in the manhunt. French and German police had manned controls on either side of the Europe Bridge, which spans the frontier running along the Rhine river, causing hours of logjams. The Christmas market, a hugely popular attraction in historic Strasbourg, will reopen on Friday, Castaner said. People began returning to the area on Thursday with many marking their respects for the victims by leaving candles in the main Kleber square. (Additional reporting by Gilbert Reilhac, Vincent Kessler and Antony Paone in Strasbourg, Elizabeth Pineau, Myriam Rivet, Richard Lough, Emmanuel Jarry in Paris, Michelle Martin, Paul Carrel in Berlin and Ali Abdelaty in Cairo; Writing by John Irish; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
DENPASAR, Indonesia (AP)  Indonesian police said some of the five foreigners who have been arrested for alleged drug smuggling on the tourist island of Bali since the end of November face the death penalty if convicted.

Police paraded the citizens of Peru, Britain, China, Malaysia and Germany at a news conference Thursday in Denpasar, the capital of Bali province.

The men were arrested in five separate operations by customs and police since Nov. 30 in which 4 kilograms (8.8 pounds) of cocaine as well as marijuana, ecstasy and ketamine were seized.

Indonesia has strict drug laws and dozens of convicted smugglers are on death row. Its last executions were in July 2016, when an Indonesian and three foreigners were shot by a firing squad.

A police statement said the 4 kilograms of cocaine was smuggled by a Peruvian citizen in the lining of his suitcase and had a value of about 10.2 billion rupiah ($700,000).

A British man was arrested for allegedly receiving nearly 31 kilograms (68 pounds) of cannabis oil in the mail and a German for allegedly trying to smuggle 2.6 kilograms (5.7 pounds) of hashish on a flight from Bangkok.

Police said the Chinese citizen was arrested with 200 ecstasy tablets and ketamine powder, and the Malaysian had small quantities of synthetic cannabis and ecstasy.
F1 teams admit they are worried about the Brexit crisis that is occurring in Britain.

After British people voted in 2016 to leave the European Union, the situation is now in crisis with prime minister Theresa May's exit deal and party leadership in tatters.

If there is no deal in place by March 29 next year, Britain will leave the EU amid unprecedented uncertainty about the future.

Most F1 teams are based in England, including top teams Mercedes and Red Bull.

When asked about the Brexit crisis, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said: "We are monitoring it very closely because we have a large operation in the UK.

"We have EU citizens working for us, we are importing lots of goods from the EU and we have taken steps to make sure they are not stuck on the border. Overall, not a very pleasant development," he added.

The French works team Renault is also based in England, leaving boss Cyril Abiteboul concerned "in particular about the movement of goods and people".

"We've developed very quickly in recent years and it's been done in particular thanks to the possibilities offered by the UK, bringing in youngsters, people coming out from school, and we don't want that to change," he said.

"That would be dramatic for formula one, but I have full trust in the authorities of Great Britain to understand this is not in their interest to lose what is one of the pillars of British industry."

Christian Horner, boss of the Milton Keynes based Red Bull team, said he is positive a good solution will be found in the end.

"I think the bottom line is that people will continue to do business with the UK if we're competitive and remain good at what we do," he said.

"There's obviously some turbulence around at the moment but hopefully, in the coming weeks and months, there will be a solution found."

However, Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene thinks Brexit could be a perfect opportunity for the Italian team to capture some British talent.

"If everything is going in the direction that is announced at the moment, I suspect that in the near future we will find a lot of people knocking on the door of Maranello," he said.

"But talking about formula one overall, it's not really the best scenario so I hope they find a solution."

(GMM)
Tehran (AFP) - Iran on Thursday urged the United States and its allies to stop their "absurd" accusations about Iranian missile tests, a day after Washington urged the UN to adopt punitive measures against Tehran.

"US & allies should cease their hypocritical absurdities abt Iran's missiles," Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif wrote on Twitter.

"Facts speak for themselves. It's they who sell $100s of billions in arms to butcher Yemenis," he added, referring to the devastating Saudi-led war backed by the West against Yemen rebels.

Beneath the text, Zarif published a graphic detailing arms exports to Saudi Arabia from 2013 to 2017 using figures from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

The US accounted for 61 percent of those arms sales to Riyadh, Britain made up 23 percent of sales, and deals from France accounted for four percent, according to the chart.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday urged the UN Security Council to take punitive action against Iran to limit its ballistic missile programme, which Washington says poses a threat to the region and beyond.

A day earlier, Iran confirmed it had carried out a missile test and reiterated its intention to keep up ballistic activities despite Western condemnation.

Paris and London said Tehran's test was "provocative" but called for dialogue with Iran rather than sanctions as demanded by the US.

Iran reined in most of its nuclear programme under a landmark 2015 deal with major powers, which the US walked away from in May, but has continued to develop its ballistic missile technology.

UN Security Council Resolution 2231 adopted after the agreement calls on Iran to refrain from testing missiles capable of carrying a nuclear weapon, but does not specifically bar Tehran from missile launches.

Tehran says it has no intention of acquiring atomic weapons and that its missile development programmes are purely defensive and comply with the resolution.
The volcanic area west of Naples, Italy, known as Phlegrean Fields, is stirring with early signs of a new caldera cycle for one of the world's most menacing supervolcanoes, according to new research.

Scientists are concerned a "potential reawakening" of the volcano is in store, according to a new study published in Science Advances.

The largest known eruption of Phelgrean Fields, also called Campi Flegrei, occurred 200,000 years ago, darkening skies across Europe with volcanic ash. The eruption of Campi Flegrei, which means "Burning Fields" in Italian, led to significant changes in the global climate.

According to a 2010 study published in Current Anthropology, it is likely the powerful eruption of Campi Flegrei played a role in the extinction of Neanderthals amid the ensuing volcanic winter.

In addition, the volcano has shown signs of unrest in recent history as early as the 1950s.

"Three major periods of unrest characterized by shallow seismicity and an increase in hydrothermal degassing have been recorded since the 1950s, thus increasing concern for a potential reawakening," the study stated.

"Located in one of the most populated regions on Earth, Campi Flegrei is an active and restless volcano that has produced two cataclysmic caldera-forming eruptions and numerous smaller eruptive events over the past 60,000 years," the study stated.



Hawaii Lava

Griggs J.D. USGS

Lava moves across the ground as a pahoehoe flow, Kilauea Volcano, Hawai'i

The research focused primarily on the long-term evolution of volcanic activity in the region, while past studies have focused more on specific periods of activity or single-eruption events.

The authors used "textural information" such as rock, mineral and glass samples from nearly two dozen eruptions at Camp Flegrei.

"Caldera-forming magmatic systems often follow recurrent evolutionary paths, [or caldera cycles] accompanied by notable changes in the composition and physical properties of erupted magmas, frequency, spatial distribution and size of volcanic eruptions," the authors reported.

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The team's research revealed potential of a new caldera cycle, which could mean a building period of magma, subsequent eruptions and eventually a collapse of the caldera, according to the report.

"After the Monte Nuovo eruption, the Campi Flegrei caldera has entered a new phase of [quietness] accompanied by several episodes of ground deformation," the authors said.

While it is unknown when another eruption will occur or how large it will be, another large-scale event could not only devastate the highly populated area near the caldera but also lead to a volcanic winter and changes to the global climate as large amounts of ash enter the atmosphere.

"Home to more than 1.5 million people, the Campi Flegrei caldera represents one of the most hazardous regions on Earth, and its magmatic history has been the focus of a number of studies," the study said.

AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Jim Andrews said a powerful volcanic eruption could have a detrimental effect on the global climate if conditions were severe enough.

"It's widely believed by researchers that when you have a tremendous volcanic blast that lofts ash and gas into the stratosphere, you get a reflection of sunlight before it gets deep enough into the atmosphere," Andrews said.

"Effectively, you're losing heat energy, and if it's powerful enough and spreads a cloud around the equator, you're losing a tremendous amount of solar energy."

The stronger the volcanic blast is, the more intense the result will be, Andrews said.

"The higher sulfur dioxide content, the better, and the nearer to the equator it is, the better," he said. "It's going to put that cloud right in the wheelhouse of the climate, where the rubber meets the road."

Tambora was the site of the largest volcanic eruption in the last 10,000 years and contributed to a cold year in 1816, which has been called the "Year Without a Summer."

Unseasonably cold weather killed trees, rice and water buffalo in China and Tibet while floods destroyed the remaining crops, leading to famine in the region. In addition, growing seasons were also afflicted in the Northern Hemisphere across Europe and North America.

In the northern United States, even Thomas Jefferson's crop was plagued by the harsh chill that continued well into the summer with a Virginia snowfall in June.

The Italian supervolcano is also similar to the one the lies dormant under Yellowstone National Park. It is comprised of a complex network of volcanic features including 24 craters, geysers and volcanic vents that spew hot gases.

The most recent notable eruption in the region occurred in 1538, but it was small in comparison to two other events that occurred 12,000 and 30,000 years ago.

If the Yellowstone volcano was to erupt today, the effects would also be similar.

"Such a giant eruption would have regional effects such as falling ash and short-term [years to decades] changes to global climate," the U.S. Geological Survey reports.
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP)  Israel's military launched a West Bank manhunt Thursday, setting up checkpoints and blocking roads, after a Palestinian gunman killed two Israeli soldiers at a bus stop outside a West Bank settlement and sped away.

The shooting added to a deadly week that claimed seven lives, including an Israeli newborn, a 60-year-old Palestinian businessman and three Palestinian assailants, two of them members of the Islamic militant Hamas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would "settle accounts" with Thursday's attackers, while Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held Israel responsible for what he said was a violent environment.

After consulting with top security officials for several hours, Netanyahu beefed up troop levels in the West Bank, ordered detentions of Hamas activists and called for demolishing the homes of assailants within 48 hours.

Netanyahu also said he would legalize thousands of existing West Bank settlement homes whose status was in question, and ordered his attorney general to make arrangements for construction of 82 news homes in Ofra, the scene of one of this week's attacks. Most of the international community considers all Israeli settlements on war-won lands illegal, whether they have been sanctioned by Israel's government or not.

"Our guiding principle is that whoever attacks us and whoever tries to attack us will pay with his life," Netanyahu said at a military ceremony.

Following Thursday's attack, Israel set up checkpoints on the outskirts of the West Bank city of Ramallah, searching cars and checking the IDs of drivers entering the Palestinians' typically quiet center of government and commerce. Some Israeli-controlled roads were completely blocked to Palestinian traffic.

Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli military spokesman, said the measures were aimed at preventing "copycat" attacks. "We know that when there is one attack there may be others," he said.

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Inside Ramallah, streets were empty and shops were shuttered as the Palestinians called a general strike to protest Israel's actions, including the killing of two wanted militants.

Abbas condemned the violence, criticizing both militant attacks and the tough Israeli response. He accused Israel of creating a climate conducive to violence and alleged it was inciting against him.

"This atmosphere created by the frequent Israeli raids of the cities, and the incitement against the president and the absence of the peace hopes, lead to this series of violence that both peoples are paying the price for," he said in a statement.

This week's violence began with a Palestinian drive-by shooting that wounded seven Israelis outside the settlement of Ofra on Sunday night and led to the death of a baby boy who was delivered prematurely after his mother was critically hurt in the attack.

Late Wednesday, Israel killed Salah Barghouti, one of the suspects in the shooting, and overnight its forces killed another Palestinian man, Ashraf Naalweh, wanted in an attack that killed two Israelis in October. Both men were said to have been armed.

On Thursday, a Palestinian man stepped out of a vehicle and opened fire at a bus stop outside Givat Assaf, an unauthorized settlement outpost near Ramallah, before speeding away, the military said. It said two soldiers, Sgt. Yovel Moryosef, 20, and Cpl. Yosef Cohen, 19, were killed, while another soldier was critically wounded.

In Jerusalem's Old City, meanwhile, Israeli police said they killed a Palestinian attacker who stabbed two officers.

Late Thursday, the army said it shot and killed a Palestinian motorist in what it called an attempted car ramming attack. Palestinians challenged the account, saying the motorist was a wealthy 60-year-old factory owner who had no incentive to carry out such an attack and had apparently panicked when he saw the soldiers.

Israeli officials accuse Hamas of being behind the recent shootings. Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, said that Barghouti and Naalweh both were members, but stopped short of claiming responsibility for their attacks.

Hamas has been leading border protests against a blockade of Gaza in which 175 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli army fire since March. Israel and Egypt have enforced the blockade since the Hamas takeover of Gaza in 2007.

The latest West Bank violence came amid years-long diplomatic paralysis.

Peace talks have been frozen throughout Netanyahu's decade-long tenure, while Israeli settlements in the West Bank continue to expand. The Palestinians seek all of the West Bank, east Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip for an independent state.

The policies of President Donald Trump, whom the Palestinians accuse of being unfairly biased toward Israel, have added to a sense of frustration and hopelessness in the West Bank.

In a separate development, Palestinian witnesses interviewed by The Associated Press in the West Bank city of Tulkarem contradicted the military's claim that soldiers shot a 22-year-old man there last week during a violent disturbance.

The witnesses said Mohammed Habali, whom they described as mentally handicapped, was fatally shot in the back after leaving work in a coffee shop late one night last week.

The Israeli military initially said it had responded to Palestinian stone throwers. But security camera footage and the witness accounts have cast doubt on the army's version of events.

Witnesses say there was no unrest. Footage from four different security cameras also showed no rock throwing at the scene where Mohammed Habali was shot. In the footage, he is seen walking in an alleyway holding a stick when he is shot from behind and falls down on his face.

His family said he spoke slowly and could not grasp much of what took place around him. He had used the stick to help him walk after being injured in a car crash.

"We are sad and angry. We never expected my brother to be killed. He was never ever involved in any confrontations with the Israeli soldiers," said Alaa, Habali's brother.

The army announced this week that it was opening a military police investigation into the shooting. But the Israeli human rights group B'tselem, which gathered the security footage, said such investigations almost never result in prosecution.

___

Federman reported from Jerusalem. Isabel DeBre in Jerusalem contributed reporting.
New Delhi (AFP) - A Buddhist monk has been killed by a leopard while meditating in a protected forest for the big cats, the fifth such attack in the area this month, Indian police said Thursday.

Rahul Walke Bodhi was seated beneath a tree in Ramdegi forest in western India for morning prayers on Tuesday when the leopard pounced.

The 35-year-old monk was fatally injured, police in Maharashtra state said.

Two other devotees meditating with him at the time escaped unscathed to alert police, who started a search for his body.

"His badly mauled body was found further into the forest, indicating the animal tried to drag it along," Krisna Tiwari, a senior police officer in the region, told AFP.

The forest, roughly 825 kilometres (510 miles) west from the state capital Mumbai, falls within a protected reserve for big cats where four other fatal attacks have occurred in recent weeks.

The monks, in the area for an annual prayer conference, had ignored warnings from local officials about venturing too far into the forest, police said.

The attack followed a separate fatal incident on Monday, when shopkeeper Sandeep Arjun was killed outside his stall on the outskirts of the forest.

It was unclear whether the same leopard was responsible for both attacks.

Three more deaths attributed to leopards and tigers have been reported around the reserve in the past month, officials say.

Official estimates suggest there are between 12,000 and 14,000 leopards in India.

Urban expansion has reduced their numbers as forest habitats shrink, bringing them into closer contact -- and conflict -- with humans.

An estimated 431 leopards were killed in 2017, according to government figures. Most were killed by poachers for their hides and body parts.

There are no figures on the number of humans killed by leopards, but experts say there are hundreds of deaths each year.
Mexico City (AFP) - From the Central American caravans trekking desperately northward to the mass exodus from Venezuela, 2018 was the year the migration crisis swept the Americas and reached the doorstep of the United States.

Scenes of Syrian and African refugees risking their lives to reach Europe's shores had their New World equivalent this year in the masses of Central Americans who traveled more than a month to the US-Mexican border, many carrying young children or pushing them in strollers.

Playing to the same anti-immigrant sentiment leveraged by Europe's far right, President Donald Trump called it an "invasion," sought to overhaul US asylum policy and deployed thousands of troops to the border.

Among the lasting images of 2018 are seas of dogged migrants walking in flip-flops or flimsy plastic shoes; crying children taken from their parents and held in cage-like enclosures under the Trump administration's since-abandoned practice of separating undocumented families; and hundreds of desperate migrants rushing the US-Mexican border, only to be battled back with tear gas.

Latin Americans have long migrated to the United States -- half a million Central Americans cross Mexico each year to chase their American dreams -- but they used to do it in secret.

This was the first time the US had confronted such a large, visible influx of Central Americans, as people fleeing poverty and violence used social media to organize themselves into caravans, seeking protection from kidnapping, extortion and murder by crime gangs that prey on migrants.

For Trump, it played into his political message at the height of an election season.

"If you want to protect criminal aliens -- VOTE DEMOCRAT. If you want to protect Law-Abiding Americans -- VOTE REPUBLICAN!" he tweeted on November 3, three days before the US midterm elections.

Trump's party lost control of the House of Representatives in the elections -- though it gained seats in the Senate, enabling him to claim his nationalism had resonated with voters.

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Facing a new political reality, Trump has threatened to partly shut down the federal government by refusing to sign a spending bill if Congress does not give him $5 billion to build his much-wanted border wall.

- American Christmas -

For the migrants now stuck on the border, the choices are bleak: join the huge lines to enter the United States legally and file long-shot asylum applications; sneak across and hope for the best; settle in Mexico; or go home.

In Tijuana, across the border from San Diego, California, Honduran migrant Elvin Perdomo -- one of the more than 7,000 people who joined the largest caravan at its height -- looks longingly at the other side.

"There's nothing in the world I want more than to spend Christmas over there, with my family and a roof over my head," he told AFP.

Perdomo, 32, traveled 4,300 kilometers (nearly 2,700 miles) to get here, but does not know what to do next.

Other groups of migrants also found few options at the border.

The first to face Trump's fury -- the "Migrant Way of the Cross" launched in March -- dissipated as participants realized they had little chance of gaining asylum in the United States.

Organized by activists every year around Easter to raise awareness about the plight of migrants, that caravan used to draw a few hundred people.

This year -- whether in spite of Trump or because of him -- it drew 1,500, and inspired the larger caravans that followed.

But despite their numbers, such caravans inevitably run into the reality of outmoded asylum policies adopted in the wake of World War II, said Dolores Paris Pombo, a migration expert at the College of the Northern Border, in Tijuana.

The 1951 Refugee Convention signed in Geneva mainly addresses political, ethnic and religious persecution.

But "there is a very large flux of people now migrating because of emergency situations caused by other inter-related factors, such as poverty, violence and climate change," she said.

- Venezuelan exodus -

In South America, the number of Venezuelans fleeing the country's economic and political implosion meanwhile swelled to 2.3 million since 2015.

The once-wealthy oil-producing country has veered toward the brink of collapse under leftist President Nicolas Maduro, who won a new six-year term in May in a widely condemned election marred by irregularities.

The exodus of Venezuelans has stoked tension across the region.

In Brazil, an angry mob in the border town of Pacaraima set fire to Venezuelan migrant camps in August, chasing out 1,200 people.

In Peru, where 600,000 Venezuelans have fled, the government last month began requiring passports for those who would follow them.

A court blocked a similar measure in Ecuador.

Carmen Fuenmayor, 57, a teacher, joined the exodus but returned to Venezuela after nine months struggling to find work.

She will spend Christmas alone this year. Her daughters are still in Ecuador.

"They have their lives. I decided mine was here in Venezuela," she said.
Lagos (AFP) - The main challenger to President Muhammadu Buhari in next year's presidential poll has signed a deal committing to peaceful elections a day after missing the initial ceremony in the capital.

"Earlier today, I appended my signature to the Peace Accord," Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) wrote on Twitter late Wednesday.

Abubakar, 72, was conspicuously absent from Tuesday's ceremony in Abuja at which Buhari and dozens of other presidential candidates signed a deal to ensure non-violence during February's crucial polls.

The PDP had put Abubakar's absence down to a "communication lapse between the National Peace Committee (NPC) and our party's national secretariat".

On Wednesday, Abubakar signed the pact with his running mate Peter Obi.

Local media said another presidential candidate, Oby Ezekwesili, a former education minister and ex-World Bank vice president who was also absent, had signed as well.

Voters in Africa's most populous nation will choose a new president and parliament on February 16 next year, with gubernatorial and state assembly elections following two weeks later.

Security around polling is a recurrent concern in Nigeria which has a history of violence sparked by identity politics, ethnicity and religion.

In 2011, about 1,000 people were killed during clashes after Buhari was defeated by Goodluck Jonathan.

The text of Tuesday's agreement is the same as one signed before the 2015 polls, which Buhari won in the first opposition victory in the nation's history.
By Rania El Gamal and Eric Knecht

DUBAI/DOHA (Reuters) - Even before taking over Qatar's energy policy in a government reshuffle last month, Qatar Petroleum (QP) CEO Saad al-Kaabi had long wanted the Gulf state to leave OPEC.

Kaabi was concerned OPEC membership could be a stumbling block for QP's ambitions in the United States, where it has one of the world's biggest LNG terminals, and a distraction as Doha doubles down on gas production, three industry sources said.

Proposed U.S. legislation known as NOPEC (No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act) could expose members of the oil exporters club to antitrust lawsuits, a risk for QP at a time it is planning to invest billions more in the United States.

The sources said Qatar's exit had been in the works for months, driven by Kaabi's desire to focus on Qatar's strength in liquefied national gas (LNG) rather than OPEC, where Doha has little say anyway because it doesn't produce much oil.

"It takes Qatar out of the whole debate within the U.S. Congress on whether or not OPEC is a cartel," said James Dorsey, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. "If anything it puts Qatar in America's good books."

The decision to leave after 57 years just two days ahead of a crucial OPEC output policy meeting in Vienna last week also struck many as a shot at Saudi Arabia, which along with the Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates has imposed a boycott on Qatar since June 2017.

The absence of Qatar's emir from an annual Gulf Arab summit in Saudi Arabia on Sunday was then seen as a sign there is no end in sight to the dispute and that Qatar is set to go it alone - outside a six-nation Gulf Arab bloc fractured by the rift.

Qatar would nevertheless still welcome the lifting of the trade and transport boycott which has hit national carrier Qatar Airways, companies with interests in boycotting states and demand from regional investors and banks.

Story continues

The countries boycotting Qatar accuse it of supporting terrorism. Doha denies the charge.

NOPEC RISK

U.S. President Donald Trump has been a vocal critic of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, blaming it for high oil prices. OPEC members have also been unnerved by the souring of U.S.-Saudi relations over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom's Istanbul consulate.

The U.S. Senate is considering this week a joint resolution condemning Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for Khashoggi's murder. Trump told Reuters he stands by the crown prince as de facto ruler of a strategic ally, saying he has repeatedly denied involvement in the killing.

But the risk of possible legal action under NOPEC has become a concern for Doha as it aims to cement its rank as the world's biggest LNG producer, the industry sources told Reuters.

State-owned QP is the majority owner of the huge Golden Pass LNG terminal in Texas, with U.S. oil companies Exxon Mobil Corp and ConocoPhillips holding smaller stakes.

QP is also considering buying U.S. gas assets and is due to decide soon on more investment in the Golden Pass LNG project.

While Qatar is one of smallest OPEC producers with output of some 600,000 barrels per day, or 0.6 percent of global demand, it is one of the most influential players in the global gas market thanks to annual production of 77 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas.

Qatar's gas production has been a crucial factor in helping it weather the Gulf Arab boycott and it plans to boost capacity 43 percent by 2023-2024.

Kaabi said in Vienna last week that being primarily a gas producer, Doha saw no added value in belonging to OPEC and that its departure was "100 percent not a political decision".

"We don't have enough weight in OPEC to have an effect," he told reporters on the eve of his first and last meeting as the head of Qatar's OPEC delegation.

Kaabi promised QP would make "a big splash" soon.

'MR GAS'

Industry sources said the OPEC exit bore the hallmarks of a CEO who has aggressively streamlined QP since taking the helm in 2014, merging subsidiaries and laying off thousands of employees to refocus on one thing: producing even more gas.

"It's consistent with his desire to simplify, to focus on oil and gas and try to avoid the peripheral stuff that QP used to do. It's very much in line with that drive to get out of activities which are not fundamental," said one source.

Kaabi, a U.S.-educated engineer, is one of Qatar's most powerful figures and after years of dealmaking for QP he is known as Mr Gas. Although not a member of the ruling family, he is in charge of the vital gas resources in a country of just 2.6 million people and is close to inner policy-making circles.

The plan to withdraw from OPEC likely started in June when Kaabi attended OPEC talks in Vienna with then energy minister, Mohammed al-Sada, according to the sources.

Due to the Gulf rift, Qatar could no longer attend a traditional closed-doors meeting of Gulf oil ministers to agree policy before twice-yearly talks with all OPEC members.

"The Qataris felt marginalized," said one OPEC source.

A Gulf official said despite the boycott, Sada still had some rapport with his Saudi and UAE counterparts. As OPEC president in 2016 Sada was instrumental in bringing together oil producers, including non-OPEC Russia, to agree a reduction in supply to support crude oil prices.

But last month, a government reshuffle removed Sada and elevated Kaabi to minister of state for energy affairs, making him de facto energy head.

"If Kaabi came it won't be the same. They don't have that same relationship. And the Qataris want to be part of the decision-making," the official said.

(Additional reporting by Ahmed Ghaddar in London and Stephen Kalin in Riyadh; editing by David Clarke)
By Alex Lawler LONDON (Reuters) - OPEC said on Wednesday it had offset a drop in sanctions-hit Iranian oil exports and lowered the 2019 forecast of demand for its crude, underlining the challenge the producer group faces to prevent a glut even after last week's decision to trim output. In a monthly report, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries said 2019 demand for its crude would fall to 31.44 million barrels per day, 100,000 bpd less than predicted last month and 1.53 million less than it currently produces. Worried by a drop in oil prices and rising supplies, OPEC and its allies including Russia last week agreed to return to supply cuts next year. They pledged to lower output by 1.2 million bpd, of which OPEC's share is 800,000 bpd. OPEC expects global oil demand to slow next year and sees little support from the economic backdrop. "Rising trade tensions, monetary tightening and geopolitical challenges are among the issues that skew economic risks even further to the downside in 2019," OPEC said in the report. "The upside appears limited." The supply cut was a policy U-turn after the producer alliance known as OPEC+ had agreed in June to boost supply amid pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to lower prices and cover an expected shortfall in Iranian exports. OPEC changed course after prices dropped steeply from a four-year high above $86 a barrel in October on concern that demand was weakening amid adequate supply. Crude rose on Wednesday to trade above $61 a barrel. In another sign of excess supply, OPEC's report on Wednesday said oil inventories in developed economies had risen back above the five-year average in October. Supply cuts that began in 2017 by OPEC and its allies had previously erased an inventory overhang that weighed on prices. FILLING IRAN GAP In the report, OPEC said its oil output fell by only 11,000 bpd month-on-month to 32.97 million bpd in November, despite the reimposition of sanctions on Iran. Iranian output posted the biggest decline, of 380,000 bpd. This was offset by increases of 377,000 bpd from top exporter Saudi Arabia and an extra 71,000 bpd from the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia told OPEC it pumped at a record rate of 11.093 million bpd. The figures suggest there will still be a surplus in the market next year should OPEC fully deliver the 800,000-bpd cut and other things remain equal, although this could be eroded by a further decline in Iran or unplanned outages in other nations. Qatar plans to leave OPEC in 2019 but, for now, remains in the OPEC group in the forecasts. (Reporting by Alex Lawler; Editing by Dale Hudson and Mark Potter)
By Aziz El Yaakoubi and Maha El Dahan RIMBO, Sweden/ADEN (Reuters) - Yemen's warring parties agreed on Wednesday to reopen Sanaa airport in the Houthi-held capital and resume oil and gas exports, sources said, as Western nations pressed them to accept confidence-building steps before the end of U.N.-led peace talks in Sweden. The Iranian-aligned Houthi movement and the Saudi-backed government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi were still discussing a United Nations proposal on the contested port city of Hodeidah, a lifeline for millions of Yemenis facing starvation. Hadi's premier, Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed, told reporters in the government's base in the southern port of Aden that there might not be enough time for full agreement on Hodeidah as the talks, the first in over two years, conclude on Thursday. "We talked about (it) a lot but with the limited time we have, we cant talk about all the points in this round. The important thing is to build confidence and then go into the details of the Hodeidah file," he said. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was due to attend the final day of talks to support efforts to launch a political process that would end the nearly four-year-old war. Gueterres called Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss Yemen, Saudi state news agency reported. Another round of talks could be held in early 2019. The Houthis hold most population centers, including Hodeidah and Sanaa from which it ousted Hadi's government in 2014. A U.N. spokeswoman said both parties had received a "final package" of agreements covering the status of Hodeidah, Sanaa airport. "We hope to receive positive responses," she said. The two parties agreed that international flights would stop at a government-held airport for safety s to be carried out before flying in or out of Sanaa, two sources familiar with the talks said. Houthi delegate Abdelmajid Hanash said international flights from and to Sanaa would stop in Aden and the airport in Sayun in the south, but the U.N. would oversee the safety procedures. The U.N. declined to comment. As part of confidence-building measures, both sides agreed to resume oil and gas exports to help shore up central bank coffers. Revenues would be used to pay salaries in both government and Houthi-held areas, delegates from both sides told Reuters. The Saudi-led military coalition that intervened in the war in 2015 to restore Hadi's government controls Yemen's air space. The coalition has faced increased scrutiny from Western allies, some of which supply it with arms and intelligence, over the war that has killed tens of thousands of people. TRUMP GESTURE U.S. President Donald Trump told Reuters on Tuesday he could abide by legislation to end U.S. support for coalition forces in the war following outrage over the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. "I hate to see what's going on in Yemen," Trump said. "But it takes two to tango. I'd want to see Iran pull out of Yemen too." The conflict is seen in the Middle East as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which welcomed peace efforts. Asked about the U.S. Senate deliberations, Saeed said Yemen's stability was important for regional security: "The U.S. cannot overlook what Iran is doing in Yemen." U.N. envoy Martin Griffiths, trying to avert a full-scale assault on Hodeidah, where coalition forces have massed on the outskirts, is asking both sides to withdraw from the city. His proposal envisions an interim entity being formed to run the city and port and international monitors being deployed. Both sides have agreed to a U.N. role in the port, the entry point for most of Yemen's commercial imports and vital aid, but differ on who should run the city. The Houthis want Hodeidah declared a neutral zone, while Hadi's government believes the city should fall under its control as a matter of sovereignty. "The devil is in the details - withdraw how far (from Hodeidah), the sequence, who governs and delivers services," said one diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity. The sides have also yet to agree on a transitional governing body, although a deal was struck on a prisoner swap that could see 15,000 prisoners freed. A small group of Yemenis demonstrated outside the talks venue in Rimbo, north of Stockholm, waving the flags of former South Yemen in support of a separatist movement that is fighting alongside the coalition while trying to undermine Hadi's government. (Additional reporting by Mohammed Ghobari in Aden and Steve Holland and Roberta Rampton in Washington; Writing by Ghaida Ghantous; Editing by Mark Heinrich, Richard Balmforth)
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP)  Dissidents from Colombia's once largest rebel movement who were unable take advantage of a peace accord or grew disenchanted with the state's weak implementation are fueling violence in parts of the South American nation still waiting to see the benefits of peace, a rights group warned Thursday.

An investigation by Human Rights Watch found that former guerrillas are waging a brutal campaign of violence in the port city of Tumaco, underpinned by booming coca production, a lack of basic infrastructure and disillusionment with peace.

The group documented more than 120 crimes, including homicide, disappearances and rape in Tumaco, most taking place after the 2016 signing of the accord to end Latin America's longest-running conflict.

The homicide rate in Tumaco was four times higher than Colombia's national average in 2017 and ex-combatants with the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia are believed responsible for much of the violence, the group said.

"This is brutal," said Jose Miguel Vivanco, Human Rights Watch's Americas director.

Kidnappings and homicides have dipped to record lows in many parts of Colombia but residents live in fear in more remote regions where even basic services like safe drinking water and medical care are scarce.

Vivanco noted that at least 300 members of a criminal gang known as "Los Rastrojos" had become employees of the FARC before the peace deal but were not counted as former rebels when it came time to implement the accord. Instead many ended up joining dissident factions of the guerrilla army and returning to combat.

Other former rebels went to transition zones set up by Colombia's government only to find the sites lacked essentials like running water and electricity and eventually became so disillusioned they decided to join their dissident comrades.

Violence is being used in Tumaco by the dissident guerrilla front and other armed criminal groups competing for territory in one of the nation's biggest coca growing regions, Vivanco said.

Human Rights Watch documented 21 killings there, including that of a fisherman who was found shot to death with a sign on his chest that read "for thieving and snitching."

Vivanco said a military response alone would not be sufficient to quell the violence and urged Colombia's government to pursue development strategies that would improve economic prospects for residents and curb the illegal drug trade.
Aleph Farms lab-grown minute steak. Photo: Aleph Farms

For the general public, the dream of lab-grown beef began back in August 2013, when scientist Mark Post held a showy press conference in London to introduce his lab-grown burger, which cost a whopping $300,000 of research to produce.

In doing so, Post officially launched the race to get the first lab-grown beef products to market. He started his own venture called Mosa Meat, which hopes to have its product in grocery stores within the next two to three years. But this week, execs at Israeli company Aleph Farms said theyve got a head start, and will go one step further by bringing a lab-grown minute steak to market within two years. Heres why their success could change food as we know it.

How is meat grown in a lab?

Scientists start by taking a tissue sample from a living animal and then isolating its stem cells, which are prized for their chameleon-like ability to transform into more specialized cells. The stem cells are fed a nutrient-dense serum that helps them to multiply before theyre treated with proteins that turns them into muscle cells and fat cells, creating a lab-grown patty.

Isnt growing meat the normal way (with live animals) way less expensive?

In the short term, sure. Its way cheaper to just raise a cow than to invest millions of dollars in hiring scientists to grow part of a cow in a lab. But in the long term, humanity needs to either find a more environmentally friendly way to grow beef or give it up altogether. Last month, an advisory council encouraged the British government to cut the number of cows and sheep in the UK by 20 to 50 percent to attenuate their negative impact on the environmen,t while a more all-encompassing 2018 study found that beef consumption must fall by 90 percent in wealthy Western countries to meet 2050 climate goals.

Why is the Aleph Farms news so big?

First, theyre growing their steaks using a number of different cell types, which means creating a texture and taste that is closer to the meat you find in a grocery store. A chief complaint about Mark Posts 2013 lab-grown burger was that it wasnt very juicy. Aleph has managed to bring blood vessels into the mix, which makes their product even closer to the real, bloody deal. More importantly, Alelph is growing its steaks without the highly unethical practice of using fetal bovine serum, which is drawn from calves while theyre in utero.

How much do these steaks currently cost?

$50 for a slice of meat thats approximately the size of a credit card.

Is there an overproduced video featuring a professional chef preparing and praising Alelphs minute steak?

Of course.
MILAN (AP)  Italy's top anti-terrorism prosecutor says recent terror arrests in Italy have been aimed at containing individuals who might be preparing to carry out an attack alone.

Federico Cafiero De Raho was quoted by the news agency ANSA on Thursday as saying that the new phase of terrorism deriving from Islamic State militants is worrying "because we no longer have a structure that is directly governed and directed by a center of international terrorism, but we have lone wolves."

Cafiero De Raho said the new threat are individuals who are often self-trained and become affiliated on the internet. He said only extensive monitoring can combat such individuals, adding that recent arrests in Italy aimed at preventing attacks like the one at the Strasbourg Christmas market this week that killed three people.

Earlier Thursday, anti-terrorism agents arrested a Somalian citizen on terrorism-related charges in the southern city of Bari, saying they believed the suspect was planning to leave Italy "imminently." He was held on suspicion of terrorism association and instigation to commit acts of terror, ANSA reported.

Authorities did not name the suspect publicly or reveal details about his alleged actions that led to the arrest.

Bari has been identified as a transit point for extremists. One of the men who opened fire at a Paris concert venue, killing 90 people, traveled between Bari and Greece on a ferry in the months before the Nov. 13, 2015 attack in Paris.
Washington (AFP) - Saudi Arabia and its Arab coalition partners "strongly support" an agreement reached on Yemen in UN-brokered peace talks Thursday, which includes a ceasefire in the vital port of Hodeida, Riyadh's US ambassador Khalid bin Salman said.

"The agreement announced today will help bring back security to the region including the security of the Red Sea, a vital water way for international trade," the envoy, who is the brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said on his Twitter account.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres announced the breakthrough in Sweden, where representatives of the Saudi-led coalition and Huthi rebels held talks on ending the conflict in Yemen, which has triggered the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Guterres said the warring sides agreed to a ceasefire in war-torn Hodeida, and that all forces would be withdrawn from the city and harbor.

The United Nations, he said, would play a "leading role" in monitoring the rebel-held port and facilitate aid access for the civilian population.

In a series of tweets, the influential Saudi ambassador to the United States expressed support for the agreement while defending the kingdom's role in the four-year-old war.

"#KSA and the Arab Coalition strongly support the agreement announced in Sweden today," he wrote, using the initials of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. "The agreement is a major step towards alleviating the humanitarian crisis and reaching a political solution."

He portrayed the Iranian-backed Huthis as the cause of the humanitarian crisis and maintained that "only consistent military pressure by the Yemeni armed forces and the Arab coalition forced them to agree" to UN supervision of Hodeida.

"We hope that the Houthis accept a comprehensive political solution, in accordance with relevant UN resolutions, that serves the interests of Yemen and its people rather than working on behalf of the Iranian regimes interests," the ambassador said.

"We remain committed to ending the humanitarian crisis to help Yemen rebuild," he said.

A new round of talks has been set for the end of January, with analysts predicting that Washington will continue to pressure Saudi Arabia to end the conflict.
Photo: Shutterstock.com



If investors weren't concerned enough about the fate of U.S.-China trade, the arrest of Meng Wanzhou on Dec. 8 and new reports that Chinese state-sanctioned hackers were behind a massive Marriott data breach have ramped up those worries.



As President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping hammered out a truce in the two countries' trade conflict at the G20 summit, Meng, the chief financial officer of Chinese technology giant Huawei, was arrested in Canada for allegedly violating U.S. trade sanctions against Iran.



Meng's arrest outraged Chinese officials, reigniting investors' concerns over heightened trade tensions. Meanwhile, U.S. investigators are reportedly zeroing in on China as the culprit in the theft millions of guests' personal data from Marriott's Starwood hotel chain.





Louis Lehot, DLA Piper. (Courtesy photo)



One person tracking these developments closely is Louis Lehot, DLA Pipers co-managing partner in Silicon Valley, who specializes his practice on cross-border transactions. Lehot has been spending much of his time facilitating U.S.-China deals, and he talked with The Recorder about his recent trip to China and what he has learned about Chinese investors.



U.S.-China foreign direct investment (FDI) flows appeared to hit a steep decline last year after peaking in 2016. What do you think is behind that drop?



While in China in September visiting clients near Shanghai and Hangzhou, the big topic of discussion was the brewing Sino-U.S. trade war. I think the reverberations of our presidents public statements and tweets were felt more strongly in China than realized. Numerous companies in China recounted their experiences attempting to purchase assets or businesses in the United States that were purportedly blocked by the U.S. government. Digging deeper, I heard stories of unpublished decisions of the CFIUS Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States where it was allegedly communicated to the Chinese buyers that, while not officially blocked, if the Chinese buyers were to insist on proceeding, CFIUS would refer the matter to the president.



How have Chinese investors been reacting?



There is great frustration in China about the state of Sino-U.S. relations. Reacting to the perception of U.S.-heavy-handedness has become a question of national pride in China. Five years ago if a Chinese entrepreneur bought a house in Silicon Valley, acquired a U.S. business or moved to the U.S. to create a business, this was viewed as innovative, courageous and in the national interest. I sense now there is fear that if you are a Chinese company or entrepreneur, and you try and expand by deploying a significant amount of capital in the U.S., the Chinese government might say, Why are you doing that, you know those people are hurting us, they are putting tariffs on our goods, why would you invest our money in their country. Why would you take 3 million and buy a house in the United States? Five years ago, I dont think that people would worry about that, but I think today there is fear. I think that really explains the drop-off in investment.



I also meet with a lot of U.S. CEOs of Chinese subsidiaries of U.S. businesses, or joint ventures in China of U.S. businesses. They were complaining that there was a huge drop-off in sales in the China market purportedly because Chinese companies are afraid or feel that it is unpatriotic to purchase goods or services from U.S. businesses.



If they aren't investing in the U.S., where have they been investing?



In the DLA Piper ecosystem, we have seen a huge uptick in acquisition and outbound investment from China into Europe, and a big drop in deals from China into the United States. That being said, there was already so much capital here  so many iconic name brands, Chinese companies and investment fundsthose funds are already here, and they are continuing to transact, albeit with a much smaller media profile.



What are you expecting to see next year?



U.S. businesses need Chinese capital and market access to Chinese consumers and businesses to grow. By the same token, Chinese companies need access to U.S. markets to grow and U.S. technologies to evolve. I believe we are likely to see at least one trade deal with China in the first quarter of 2019 to give confidence to both economies and to prevent recession. This will not likely be an all-encompassing deal, but something that allows both parties to get through 2019 and re-evaluate.



I think 2019 is going to be a really good year for trade and investment between China and the United States. Then I think, as we ramp up to the 2020 presidential election in the U.S., Sino-U.S. relations will again come into the spotlight, and there is a risk that it becomes politicized again.



As far as the regulatory landscape, the world is adjusting right now to the FIRRMA Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act, which was a law passed by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Trump on Aug. 8 that significantly revamps CFIUS. ... I think were going to see consensus come together in the next month or two on how to manage CFIUS risk. I think the startup market is going to suffer a small drop-off from the fact that all these investors are not able to invest with confidence right now. Starting in early 2019, as more rules and practices come out and develop, theyll get back to the business of investing in Silicon Valley startups.



In terms of acquisitions, if Silicon Valley doesnt have the capital from Asia and the rest of the world to finance and grow innovation, we are dead in the water. Nobody wants that to happen. By the same token, if we create massive disruptive technologies or medication or medical devices, if we cant access what is assumed to be the largest consumer market in the world, we are dead in the water. I am confident that these realities will prevail over whatever are the politics of the day. The election is behind us. The economy is strong and growing. I think this bodes well for activity in the Silicon Valley deal economy in 2019.



What are some of the industries/areas have been popular among Chinese Investors?



Artificial intelligence is the No. 1 area where everyone has been trying to figure out, how can I adjust my business model to take advantage of machine learning. I think artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the way we see the world. It is changing how we work, how we get transported, every aspect of our life is being changed by that. The second area where we are seeing a lot of investment is in financial technologies involving blockchain. The blockchain has become this decentralized way and secure way of tracking transactions in an open and secure format, and I think that the applications to supply chain, to currencies, to the financial markets, are only just being discovered. The third thing I would say is the industrialization of manufacturing and distribution.



So, you take artificial intelligence and you take blockchain, and other technologies and you say, how can we move products and ship them to customers more quickly, how can we create them more quickly. Finally, a big factor in technology, which has been the focus of investment, is absolutely automatic driving, which leverages all of those things I mentioned before to help transportation move in a way that is more secure, that involves fewer people and is superior.
Ouagadougou (AFP) - Thousands of people demonstrated in Ouagadougou Thursday on the 20th anniversary of the assassination of Burkinabe investigative journalist Norbert Zongo.

Participants marched down the city's main thoroughfares, occasionally stopping to shout slogans calling for justice for the journalist, who was killed while investigating another murder.

The gathering, concentrated around Place de la Nation at the heart of the Burkinabe capital, was organised by two rights groups.

Last week, a French court approved the extradition of the brother of Burkina Faso's ousted leader, Blaise Compaore, to face prosecution in connection with Zongo's death.

Francois Compaore is wanted on charges of "inciting the death" of Zongo and three companions, whose charred bodies were found in a burnt-out car in the south of the country in December 1998.

Zongo's family has long accused him of having had a hand in the killings, which triggered mass protests in Burkina Faso and drew international condemnation.

Zongo, 49, was investigating the death of the chauffeur of Francois Compaore at the time of his death.

Compaore was one of the most disliked figures in the regime of his brother. President Blaise Compaore was ousted in a popular revolt in October 2014 after trying to change the constitution to extend his 27-year grip on power.

A few hours before the rally, about a hundred people including members of his family gathered to leave flowers at grave of Tongo and the three people slain with him.

Addressing a rally after the march, Guy Zongo, one of the murdered journalist's sons, described his father's killing as one of those crimes that had shaken the country's collective consciousness.

Compaore, who was arrested in Paris in October last year, could still challenge the extradition ruling by the Court of Appeal in a higher court.
At least nine people have been killed and dozens more injured after a high-speed train crashed in Turkey's capital of Ankara on Thursday morning.

The train was traveling from Ankara to Konya when it hit a railway engine inspecting tracks at the Marsandiz railway station around 6:30 a.m. local time, according to the Associated Press (AP).

After hitting the railway engine, the train then crashed into a pedestrian overpass. Portions of the overpass reportedly fell onto the train.

Two train cars derailed during the crash, the AP reported, citing NTV television.'



Turkey train crash Reuters

Rescue workers search at the wreckage after a high speed train crash in Ankara, Turkey, Dec. 13, 2018. (REUTERS/Tumay Berkin)

At least 47 people have been injured in the crash, with three of them in serious condition, according to BBC News.

Six passengers and three engine drivers are reportedly among the deceased, the AP said.

"Our hope is that there are no other victims," Ankara Gov. Vasip Sahin said.

As of 12:30 p.m., local time, all passengers and drivers were removed from the wreckage, Transport Minister Mehmet Cahit Turhan said.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Snow fell in Ankara several hours prior to the crash.

The city's international airport observed snow from 8:31 p.m. Wednesday to 12:20 a.m. Thursday, local time. Visibility was reduced to below 1 mile (1.6 km) for a time.

While the rest of Thursday is expected to be dry for continued rescue and recovery efforts, a new system moving into the area Thursday night could bring another round of snowfall. Drier weather is forecast to return later Friday and continue into the weekend.
By Susan Heavey and Jan Wolfe WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump offered up a handful of legal arguments in a series of tweets on Thursday distancing himself from former personal attorney Michael Cohen, who was sentenced to prison on Wednesday for arranging 2016 hush-money payments to women who say they had affairs with the married president. Cohen admitted his actions were aimed at influencing the election in violation of campaign finance laws and said they were directed by Trump. But the president said in his tweets he never told Cohen to break the law and that the payments were unrelated to the campaign. The early-morning tweets came as the legal pressure on Trump intensified. Also on Wednesday, federal prosecutors in New York announced they had reached a cooperation deal with National Enquirer publisher American Media Inc, which admitted making a hush payment to a former Playboy model to prevent her from going public with Trump affair allegations before the 2016 election. Trump has offered a shifting defense on the payments, first saying in April he did not know about them. Later, he seemed to acknowledge the payments were made, but said they were unrelated to campaign finances, as he said again in the latest tweets. Cohen, who once said he would "take a bullet for Trump," was sentenced in New York to three years in prison for orchestrating the payments in violation of campaign finance laws before the 2016 U.S. presidential election. He called the payments part of the "dirty deeds" he did at Trump's behest. Federal prosecutors said Trump ordered the payouts to protect his campaign from the allegations of sexual affairs. Trump wrote on Twitter: "I never directed Michael Cohen to break the law. He was a lawyer and he is supposed to know the law. It is called 'advice of counsel.' ... This was not campaign finance." The president continued: "Cohen was guilty on many charges unrelated to me." The main defense Trump and his lawyers have put forth in recent weeks is that the payments were not subject to campaign finance laws because they were aimed at protecting his personal reputation and would have been made even if he had not been a candidate for president. His claim on Twitter to have relied on advice of counsel was new though, but legal experts expressed skepticism it would work. Jessica Levinson, a professor of election law at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, explained that the defense, often invoked by corporations in complex transactions, depends on a party relying on lawyers in good faith. But, if Trump had wanted legal advice on this issue, he would have sought out specialized campaign finance lawyers rather than Cohen, Levinson said. Trump's campaign did have such specialized counsel, a team of election lawyers from Jones Day led by Don McGahn, who would go on to serve as White House counsel. Justice Department policy is not to indict a sitting president, but some legal experts have said Trump could be charged after leaving office. Democrats and other critics also have raised the issue of impeachment by Congress. Trump has denied the affairs. He has also denied the main focus of the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller: whether his campaign colluded with Moscow in its meddling in the 2016 campaign. The Kremlin has denied that any meddling occurred. Trump has routinely blasted the Mueller investigation as a "witch hunt." Mueller referred the Cohen prosecution to federal prosecutors in New York earlier this year. Prosecutors on Wednesday also said the publisher of the National Enquirer tabloid had struck a deal to avoid charges over its role in one of the payments made "in concert" with Trump's presidential campaign. Cohen, who also pleaded to tax evasion and lying to Congress about a proposed Trump Organization building in Moscow, in court on Wednesday said his "blind loyalty" led him to cover up for Trump. Cohen is the latest Trump associate to be swept up in Mueller's investigation following Trump's campaign chairman Paul Manafort, former deputy campaign chairman Rick Gates and former national security adviser Michael Flynn, among others. In an interview with Reuters this week, Trump slammed Cohen for cooperating with prosecutors and said he was unconcerned about possible impeachment. He also called any of his potential business dealings with Russia "peanut stuff." [nL1N1YH067] (Reporting by Susan Heavey and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh, Bill Trott and Jonathan Oatis)
WASHINGTON, Dec 11 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump, without offering any names, said on Tuesday more than 10 people are vying to be his new White House chief of staff, a job his top choice declined over the weekend.

Trump and the outgoing chief of staff, John Kelly, reportedly had been at odds for months, but the president was left without a clear replacement after Nick Ayers declined the crucial position.

"Many, over ten, are vying for and wanting the White House Chief of Staff position," Trump wrote in a tweet.

The opening comes as the White House braces for an onslaught of political and legal challenges in the coming year.

On Saturday, Trump said Kelly would be leave at year's end, capping months of clashes between the president and the retired general who had been brought in after Reince Priebus left the post.

Ayers, currently chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, said on Sunday he was returning to Georgia with his family at the end of the year.

Sources familiar with the search for a replacement said Trump was considering a number of candidates, including Republican Representative Mark Meadows, former campaign adviser David Bossie, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.

Other possible contenders, including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House budget director Mick Mulvaney have said they are not interested, sources said. (Writing by Susan Heavey Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Bill Trott)
By Aziz El Yaakoubi and Johan Sennero RIMBO, Sweden (Reuters) - Yemen's warring parties agreed on Thursday to cease fighting for the Houthi-held port city of Hodeidah and withdraw their troops, the first significant breakthrough for U.N.-led peace efforts in five years of conflict. At the close of a week of talks in Sweden, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said a framework for political negotiations would be discussed at the next round of talks at the end of January between the Iranian-aligned Houthis and the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Western nations, some of which supply arms and intelligence to the Saudi-led coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015, had pressed the two sides to agree confidence-building steps to pave the way for a wider truce and a political process to end the war, which has killed tens of thousands of people. The conflict has pushed Yemen, the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula, to the verge of famine. The World Food Programme said the Hodeidah deal was a much-needed boost for its task of feeding 12 million severely hungry Yemenis. The Houthis control most towns and cities including the capital Sanaa, from where they ousted Hadi's government in 2014. It is now based in the southern port of Aden. "You have reached an agreement on Hodeidah port and city, which will see a mutual re-deployment of forces from the port and the city, and the establishment of a governorate-wide ceasefire," said Guterres. "The U.N. will play a leading role in the port," he told a news conference in Rimbo, outside Stockholm. The United States, which provides military support to the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen, welcomed the agreement. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that while many details still needed to be worked out, the talks marked a pivotal first step. "Moving forward, all must continue to engage, de-escalate tensions, and cease ongoing hostilities," he said in a statement. In a largely symbolic rebuke to President Donald Trump, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution on Thursday to end military backing for the war in Yemen. The measure is unlikely to become law. QUICK WITHDRAWAL U.N. envoy Martin Griffiths said both parties would withdraw "within days" from the port, a main entry point for most of Yemen's commercial imports and aid supplies, and later from the city of Hodeidah, where coalition troops have massed on the outskirts. Houthi forces would also pull back from the port of Salif, used for grains, and Ras Isa, used for oil. Revenues from the three ports would go the central bank branch in Hodeidah. A Redeployment Coordination Committee including both sides will oversee the ceasefire and withdrawal, according to the agreement. It will be chaired by the United Nations and report weekly to the U.N. Security Council. International monitors will be deployed in Hodeidah city and the three ports, and all armed forces are due to pull back completely within 21 days of the ceasefire coming into force. Saudi ambassador to Yemen Mohammed al-Jabir told Al Arabiya TV that enforcement procedures relating to Hodeidah would start on Friday. Another joint committee overseen by the United Nations will set up humanitarian corridors to Taiz, Yemen's third city. "This is a minor breakthrough. They have been able to achieve more than anyone expected," said Elizabeth Dickinson, Senior Analyst, Arabian Peninsula, at International Crisis Group. "Saudi Arabia has taken a firmer hand with the Hadi government, which has in turn been more cooperative." She added: "The big game is the political framework, which would pave the way for actual peace negotiations." Riyadh has come under increased scrutiny over the Yemen war and its activities in the region since the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The Sunni Muslim Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates intervened to restore Hadi's government, but is now bogged down in a military stalemate and wants to exit the costly war. The Saudi ambassador to Washington, Prince Khalid bin Salman, said the deal would help ensure the security of the Red Sea, one of the world's main routes for oil tankers. Guterres said the UN would push on with tackling issues hanging over from the talks, including reopening Sanaa airport and shoring up the central bank. (Additional reporting by Tuqa Khalid in Dubai, Tom Miles in Geneva, Michelle Nichols in New York, Mohamed El-Sherif in Cairo and Steve Holland and Patricia Zengerle in Washington; Writing by Ghaida Ghantous; Editing by Kevin Liffey, Toby Chopra and Rosalba O'Brien)
Kiev (AFP) - Ukrainian priests will meet on Saturday to work towards an independent church, following an Orthodox "schism", in what Kiev authorities hope will signal a further step out of Russia's orbit.

Ties between the ex-Soviet neighbours have broken down since Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014 following a pro-EU uprising in Kiev, and this year those tensions spilled into the religious arena.

The meeting will seek to realise a landmark decision by Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I to recognise Ukraine's independence from the Russian Orthodox Church.

The ruling in October sparked fury in Moscow, which has overseen the Ukrainian branch of Orthodoxy for the last 332 years, and saw the Russian Orthodox Church cut all ties with the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

The branch of the Ukrainian Church loyal to Moscow has said it will not send any representative to Saturday's synod.

That leaves the meeting between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, the country's largest branch by number of believers, and the smaller Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church.

"We are in the process of creating another pillar of Ukrainian independence," Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said in a statement a week before the meeting.

A unified Church would "distance us from our colonial past and strengthen our national identity," he said.

Poroshenko, who is expected to attend the Saturday council, has made an independent Church a campaign pledge as he looks ahead to an unpredictable presidential election next year.

Kiev officials have framed the Church issue as one of national security, with Poroshenko in the past referring to the branch loyal to the Moscow Patriarchate as a "threat".

The synod comes shortly after a maritime crisis that saw Russia seize three Ukrainian navy ships and arrest 24 sailors in the waters around Crimea.

It was the first direct military confrontation between the countries since Moscow annexed the peninsula.

Story continues

An armed conflict in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russian-backed separatists that broke out following that annexation has claimed more than 10,000 lives.

- Raids on churches -

If the synod ultimately succeeds in creating a unified Ukrainian Church, this would be among the largest in the Orthodox world in terms of number of believers.

But the branch loyal to the Russian Orthodox Church, which has more parishes than its Kiev-loyal counterpart, hangs in the balance.

The Russian Orthodox Church and the Kremlin have both said they fear force or legal means could be used to wrest Moscow-loyal churches and monasteries into Kiev's control.

Ukrainian police have recently raided a number of churches aligned to Russia and searched the homes of priests.

But Kiev has said each parish will be able to choose for itself whether to join the new unified Church, adding that it is doing everything possible to avoid religious conflict in the country.

Also on the agenda Saturday is the election of a leader for the new Church.

Patriarch Filaret, whose ex-communication from the Orthodox Church was lifted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate when it agreed to recognise a unified Ukrainian Church, has been considered the front runner.

But recent media reports suggest the 89-year-old may not put himself forward for the role and there are no other clear favourites.
Rimbo (Sweden) (AFP) - With just hours left before the close of negotiations, UN mediators rushed to broker a truce Wednesday between government representatives and rebels in Yemen, a country teetering on the brink of famine.

The UN talks opened last week in Sweden, the first meeting in two years between Yemen's Huthi rebels and the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, backed since 2015 by a behemoth military coalition led by Saudi Arabia.

Taiz, the southwestern city controlled by the government and surrounded by the rebels, is no longer under discussion at the talks, scheduled to close on Thursday.

The city has been the scene of some of the most intense fighting in a war that has pushed 14 million people to the edge of famine.

Intense talks, however, were continuing on Sanaa airport, shut down for years in the conflict between the Saudi-backed government and northern rebels linked to Iran.

Negotiators are also seeking a de-escalation of violence in rebel-held Hodeida, a port city vital to the supply of humanitarian aid, and a cooperation deal on the country's crumbling economy.

Hodeida, the lifeline to millions dependent on aid to survive, is home to major frontlines.

- 11th hour -

Another round of talks has been tentatively scheduled for January, according to UN and Yemeni officials.

The head of the Huthis' revolutionary council, Mohammed Ali Huthi, on Wednesday said the insurgents had proposed Yemen's rebel-held capital, Sanaa, to host the next round.

A UN official said the organization had received no such request.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was due at the talks in Rimbo, Sweden, for Thursday's closing round of consultations.

Ahead of the UN's chief's arrival, his office said it had evidence the rebel Huthis were using Iran-made missiles -- a charge the Saudi-led alliance levels against the rebels as grounds for restrictions on the Hodeida port and Sanaa airport.

Both government and rebel representatives have traded accusations of unwillingness to negotiate, particularly on rebel-held Hodeida, the main route for 90 percent of food imports and nearly 80 percent of aid deliveries.

Story continues

UN special envoy Martin Griffiths has submitted a proposal on a political framework for the future of Yemen, an agreement on the reopening of Sanaa airport, a paper on addressing the economic situation and a draft agreement on Hodeida, spokeswoman Hanan Badawi told reporters.

"The two parties have officially received the drafts and we are waiting on a response," Badawi said.

Members of both delegations contacted by AFP said agreements could be signed by morning.

Yemeni Prime Minister Moeen Abdulmalik Saeed told AFP a full agreement on Hodeida was unlikely "given the time constraints".

- Airport, port -

Abdelmagid al-Hanash, of the Huthi delegation, told AFP an agreement on Sanaa airport was close, with the rebels open to a government proposal for flight searches in Sayoun or Aden, two cities under the control of the state.

"For now, the search will be in Aden but will not cause harm or trouble. No one will be asked to disembark," Hanash said.

An advisor to the government team, speaking on condition of anonymity, said his delegation would not confirm any agreement until the documents had been signed.

Yemeni ministers Othman Mujalli and Marwan Dammaj told reporters Wednesday their camp would hold firm to UN Security Council Resolution 2216 -- which calls for the Huthis to withdraw from all areas seized in a 2014 takeover, including Hodeida.

Representatives of both the Huthis and government contacted by AFP late Wednesday blamed the other party for the lack of a truce on Hodeida.

The last official statement by a spokesman for the Saudi-led government coalition said military operations were ongoing in Hodeida on Monday night.

- Saudi soldiers on missing list -

The two camps signed a mass prisoner exchange deal at the Sweden talks, which two Yemeni government officials confirmed include Saudi soldiers fighting alongside state troops. The Huthis had said Tuesday that the list included Saudi soldiers.

A spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition and a UN official did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The prisoner swap includes the names of more than 15,000 detainees and disappeared persons taken on frontlines since 2015.

The deal will be overseen by the International Committee of the Red Cross, which warns the exchange could take weeks.

The Yemen conflict has killed nearly 10,000 people since the Saudi-led coalition joined the war in 2015, according to the World Health Organization, triggering what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Both parties stand accused of failing to protect civilians. The Saudi-led alliance has been blacklisted by the UN for the killing and maiming of children.
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Sensational Dubai Ice Show to enthrall fans with KHL game and Sleeping Beauty

Coca-Cola Arena, Dubais home of live entertainment, has announced that tickets are now on sale for the Dubai Ice Show, which will be held from December 3 5. This is the first time that the multipurpose arena will be transforming into an ice rink and welcoming such a unique event.
Washington (AFP) - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has pressed Cuba in an open letter to explain the detention of eight people who Washington says are political prisoners, saying that Havana has ignored diplomatic efforts to seek answers.

In a letter released Tuesday by the State Department, Pompeo asked Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez to provide a "substantive explanation" on the detention of eight listed prisoners.

Among them was Martha Sanchez of the Ladies in White, a dissident movement of relatives of political prisoners, who according to Pompeo is serving a five-year sentence.

Other prisoners on the list include Eduardo Cardet, leader of the Christian Liberation Movement, a party rooted in Catholicism that advocates democracy on the communist island.

In the letter, Pompeo voiced concern that Cuba was detaining people as "dangerous" potential criminals rather than for actual infractions, despite assurances that the charge was no longer used.

"The United States recognizes the sovereign right of every state to try and to convict individuals for violating criminal laws, provided they are afforded fair trial guarantees by an independent and impartial tribunal," Pompeo wrote.

"That principle, however, does not justify the imprisonment of Cuban individuals for simply exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of religion, expression, assembly or association," he said, adding that Cuba had more than 100 political prisoners.

President Donald Trump has reversed a reconciliation drive with Cuba launched by his predecessor Barack Obama, who declared that the decades-old US policy of seeking to isolate the island had failed.

On a historic 2016 visit to Cuba, Obama gave a list of prisoners to revolutionary leader Raul Castro, asking for their freedom.

According to Pompeo, Cuba has made clear in subsequent meetings that it will not respond on the prisoners, including on questions submitted by the US through a formal diplomatic note in June.

In October, Cuban diplomats disrupted a meeting at the United Nations called by the United States on the plight of prisoners.

Cuban diplomats drowned out the US representative through chanting, slamming a book and hammering down a mallet, leading security to ask the delegates to stop -- but to no avail.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Trump administration on Thursday announced a sharp refocus of its Africa strategy to counter what it called the "predatory" practices of China and Russia, which are "deliberately and aggressively targeting their investments in the region to gain a competitive advantage."

National security adviser John Bolton laid out the new strategy in remarks at the Heritage Foundation, saying the U.S. will now choose its African partners more carefully. He took special aim at China, accusing it of wielding "bribes, opaque agreements, and the strategic use of debt to hold states in Africa captive to Beijing's wishes and demands."

Russia, he alleged, is also "seeking to increase its influence in the region through corrupt economic dealings." Russia and China's efforts across the African continent, he said, "stunt" its economic growth.

Some critics have said this administration has let Africa policy drift for too long, while the president is well known for his disparaging remarks about the continent that is home to 1.2 billion people.

Addressing members of Congress on Wednesday, Assistant Secretary of State Tibor Nagy was the latest to warn of China's increasing economic, military and political influence in Africa, a continent with some of the world's fastest-growing economies and trillions of dollars' worth of natural resources. Africa's population is set to double by 2050, he said, a "demographic tsunami."

Any renewed U.S. effort to counter China in Africa, however, comes years late. China became the continent's top trading partner nearly a decade ago and has invested billions of dollars in high-profile infrastructure projects.

In response to warnings by the U.S. and others about indebtedness to China, some in Africa have noted sometimes uncomfortable financial terms set out by Western powers in the past. Others praise China's no-strings-attached terms with no insistence on human rights reforms.

Story continues

Congress passed legislation earlier this year creating a $60 billion international development agency, widely viewed as a response to Chinese overseas development programs.

Under the new "Prosper Africa" strategy, Bolton said, "we will encourage African leaders to choose high-quality, transparent, inclusive, and sustainable foreign investment projects, including those from the United States."

He warned that the U.S. will "reevaluate its support for U.N. peacekeeping missions" as well as aid to countries whose governance it finds troublesome, including South Sudan.

"The United States will no longer provide indiscriminate assistance across the entire continent," Bolton said. He added that "countries that repeatedly vote against the United States in international forums, or take action counter to U.S. interests, should not receive generous American foreign aid."

On the military front, China opened its first overseas military base last year in the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti, the site of the only permanent U.S. military base on the continent. Bolton warned of a possible shift of the strategic region, along the lucrative and busy Red Sea shipping lane, to China.

As Beijing and others seek to grow their military presence, the U.S. is pulling back. The Pentagon in November said it planned a 10 percent cut in the U.S. Africa Command's total force of 7,200 troops, to be carried out over several years, as its global focus shifts from counterterrorism to perceived threats from Russia and China.

Whatever steps the U.S. takes next, perceptions are an immediate hurdle. The president is known for his reported unflattering remarks: comparing some countries to a filthy toilet, referring to the nonexistent nation of "Nambia" and saying Nigerians  from Africa's biggest economy and a top oil producer  would never return to their "huts" once they saw the U.S.

While Congress has restrained some of his administration's proposed deep cuts in foreign aid, Trump has put forth no signature Africa project and there is no sign he intends to visit.

Jennifer Cooke, director of the Institute for African Studies at George Washington University, said the U.S. should avoid trying to be too transactional.

"We are not going to beat China at its own game, which is massive investments and in infrastructure and roads, ports, railroads and vanity projects," Cooke said. "What sets the U.S. apart has been a broader engagement, beyond government, looking at development, civil society and, frankly, serving as something of a moral authority on human rights, democracy and governance issues."

African nations will ultimately benefit from this competition, Judd Devermont, who was the U.S. national intelligence officer for Africa until earlier this year, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday.

"Some of the current uproar over Chinese investment in Africa is overblown and ill-informed," he warned, saying many of China's infrastructure projects address desperate needs.

While some of China's actions pose unmistakable threats to U.S. military operations and communications platforms, Devermont said, African leaders are not oblivious to risk. "The United States scores few points by talking down to African counterparts about the perils of Chinese engagement," he said.

___

Anna reported from Johannesburg.
Washington (AFP) - The US Senate sent a fresh warning to President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia Thursday by approving a resolution to end US military support for Riyadh's war in Yemen.

The largely symbolic resolution cannot be debated in the House of Representatives before January, and would likely be vetoed in any case by Trump, who has repeatedly signaled his backing for the Saudi regime.

But the bipartisan Senate 'yes' vote sends a strong message to the White House over anger on both sides of the aisle towards Riyadh, intensified by the mounting civilian death toll in Yemen and the killing of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

In a voice vote, with no opposition, the Senate also approved a resolution condemning Khashoggi's murder and saying Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was "responsible" for it.

Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who votes with the Democrats, described the vote as "a historic moment."

"Today we tell the despotic government of Saudi Arabia that we will not be part of their military adventures," he said.

"So let us go forward today... and tell the world that the United States of America will not continue to be part of the worst humanitarian disaster on the face of the earth."

Anger at the human cost of the war in Yemen, as well as outrage over the killing of the US-based Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, have prompted a harder line in Congress about the US military's role in backing Saudi-led coalition strikes against Huthi rebels.

The rebuke of the young heir apparent to the Saudi throne is a direct challenge to Trump, who has sought to cast doubt on the crown prince's involvement in the killing and has stressed instead the importance of US trade and military ties with Riyadh.

Republican Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell -- a Trump loyalist -- had called on his party to vote against the Yemen resolution although he did back the rebuke of Prince Mohammed, crafted by Bob Corker, a Republican who has been critical of the president.
Washington (AFP) - A woman whose child was stillborn has slammed the targeted advertising of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram after she returned home from the hospital and kept getting baby-related sales pitches.

Gillian Brockell, a journalist with The Washington Post, said that if those social media giants were clever enough to know she was pregnant they should also have figured out she'd lost the baby.

She shared the bad news last month in a tweet.

"I know you knew I was pregnant," Brockell wrote to the companies in a letter posted Wednesday on The Washington Post and Twitter.

"It's my fault, I just couldn't resist those Instagram hashtags  #30weekspregnant, #babybump. And, silly me! I even clicked once or twice on the maternity wear ads Facebook served up."

"But didn't you also see me googling 'braxton hicks vs. pre-term labor' and 'baby not moving'?", Brockell added.

"Did you not see my three days of social media silence, uncommon for a high-frequency user like me?

"And then the announcement post with keywords like 'heartbroken' and 'problem' and 'stillborn' and the 200 teardrop emoticons from my friends?

"Is that not something you could track?"

Facebook's vice-president of advertising Rob Goldman responded to Brockell apologetically, lamenting her "painful experience with our products."

"We have a setting available that can block ads about some topics people may find painful  including parenting.

"It still needs improvement, but please know that we're working on it & welcome your feedback," Goldman wrote.

Brockell said she knew there was such a setting but that it was not easy to find at first, especially amid all her grieving.

"We never asked for the pregnancy or parenting ads to be turned on; these tech companies triggered that on their own, based on information we shared," Brockell wrote.

"So what I'm asking is that there be similar triggers to turn this stuff off on its own, based on information we shared."

She said that after she blocked the baby ads, she got ads on how to adopt a child.
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If Israel only eliminated the blockade of the Gaza Strip, there will be neither rockets nor tunnels. The Strip will flourish. There will be no confrontations. This argument, which is prevalent in certain circles, in the world and in Israel, should be examined against the backdrop of Operation Northern Shield.

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Well, Israel is not imposing any blockade on Lebanon, which is controlled by Hezbollah. There is no historical conflict with the Lebanese people. Lebanon has even been the focal point of tourism in the Arab world for many years; great beaches, restaurants, and a dazzling nightlife  a paradise.

Nasrallah and Sinwar (Photos: AP)

Turning to Hamas for a moment, we must ask: Will the Gaza Strip begin to flourish once the blockade is lifted? Will Hamas change its skin?

Hezbollah provides us with the answer. It is not about the blockade or a particular conflict, nor is it a border dispute. It is the abhorrent hatred that permeates the Jihad organizations, Sunni and Shiite alike.

After all, this happens wherever Jihad advocates gain power or take over, even in countries, and in fact, especially in countries where there is no significant presence of Americans, Jews, or Europeans. After all, Hezbollah can allow Lebanon to thrive and prosper. But it prefers to invest all its resources in the death industry.

Nasrallah with number 2 man in Hamas

The confrontation will come. And even assuming that Israel will be hit and suffer, and it will be hit, Lebanon will return to the Middle Ages. And despite the obvious outcome, Hezbollah continues.

It is not clear why anyone thinks that Hamas is any different from Hezbollah. That does not mean that Hamas should not be offered a generous deal on the basis of "rehabilitation in return for demilitarization." But all we have to do is look at Hezbollah, in order to know that Hamas' response is obvious.

Narcosralla

Hezbollah is not only an international terrorist organization, it is also an international criminal organization. Much of the organization's income comes from cocaine trade. President Obama, upon his election, adopted a conciliatory policy and declared intention to engage in dialogue and integrate Hezbollah into Lebanese politics.

In 2008, five years before he was appointed head of the CIA, John Brennan wrote a position paper that outlines the new appeasement policy toward Iran and Hezbollah. "The president must implement a policy of integration that encourages the moderates," he wrote.

It is possible that appeasement can work. But as far as Iran and Hezbollah are concerned, their appetite is only growing. Instead of restraint, Iran stuck its long arms throughout the Middle East, to Yemen, Syria, and total control over Lebanon through Hezbollah.

And furthermore, the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) exposed the huge drug trafficking and money laundering network of Hezbollah as part of Operation Cassandra. Hezbollah, in conjunction with Latin American drug cartels, committed crimes on American soil. But the US administration decided that appeasement is more important than combating crime and terrorism, and instructed its agencies to turn a blind eye so as not to irritate the monster and not distract from signing the nuclear agreement with Iran.

John Kelly, the man who headed the Cassandra operation, claims that "Hezbollah is one of the largest transnational crime organizations in the world." But gradually it became clear to him and the FBI agents dealing with issues related to Iran that their work was for naught. The matter was revealed last year in a detailed, worldwide report by Politico magazine, which apparently gave immunity to the monster. The Obama doctrine apparently gave immunity to the monster.
Israeli security forces killed terrorist Ashraf Na'alwa in Nablus early Thursday, two months after he murdered two Israelis in a shooting attack at the Barkan industrial area in the West Bank.

The Shin Bet said Na'alwa was armed when the forces arrived at his hiding place, and was planning to carry out another attack.

Another Palestinian man who was on the scene was arrested on suspicion of aiding Na'alwa's escape.
Israeli security forces killed terrorist Ashraf Na'alwa at a house in the Askar refugee camp in Nablus early Thursday, two months after he murdered two IsraelisKim Levengrond Yehezkel, 28, and Ziv Hagbi, 35in a shooting attack at the Barkan industrial area in the West Bank.

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The Shin Bet said Na'alwa was armed when the forces arrived at his hiding place. He was killed by the Israel Police's YAMAM counterterrorism unit after a short exchange of fire. There were no injuries among the Israeli forces.

Terrorist Ashraf Na'alwa (Photo: Facebook)

Another Palestinian man who was on the scene was arrested on suspicion of aiding Na'alwa's escape.

Since the attack in October, Na'alwa has moved between hiding places and was able to elude Israeli forces for two months.

While the IDF and Shin Bet have yet to track his entire path of escape, an initial investigation found he first went north of the Barkan industrial area, which is west of Ariel, to the northern Samaria region, and later went south to Nablus. Then, on Wednesday night, security forces were able to track him to a small structure in the violent, crowded refugee camp.

The YAMAM force covertly raided the structure, where they found the terrorist, who opened fire at them with the Carlo rifle he used to carry out the attack. He was shot and killed on the spot.

Ashraf Na'alwa fleeing the scene of the attack at the Barkan industrial area

During the search, over 100 Palestinians were arrested and questioned by security forces on suspicion they aided the terrorist or were aware of his terror activity. Some of the suspects, including the terrorist's father, were charged.

The interrogation of these suspects found that Na'alwa was planning to carry out another attack.

The IDF said catching the terrorist proved to be a challenge. "We were very close to him a few times and we missed him by a bithe made almost no mistakes," an IDF source said.

However, the terrorist did not have a prepared escape plan. "He had a lot of luck, and we believe he acted as a lone wolf terrorist," the IDF source added.

The terrorist's hiding place in Nablus

After learning his daughter's murderer was found and killed, Kim Levengrond Yehezkel's father Rafi told Ynet that "This won't bring me back Kim. Of course he deserved to die, because this wasn't a regular terror attack; he executed her."

"I trust the army and its commanders 100 percent; the government I don't. I'm talking about the need to demolish his home immediately," he added. "I heard the terrorist's family has already dismantled part of the house, and they are not deterred."

His daughter Shahar, Kim's sister, echoed his sentiments. "It's only half comforting to know that finally, after two months, the IDF and the Shin Bet managed to kill the despicable terrorist who murdered my sister. It's a shame it took so long, and it's a shame deterrence actions have not yet been taken, such as demolishing his home and expelling his family," she said.

The two victims in the Barkan attack: Ziv Hagbi and Kim Levengrond Yehezkel

Yehezkel, Ziv Hagbi's father, told Ynet that while Na'alwa's death "doesn't comfort me, it's a relief to know my son's murderer is no longer alive."

"Our fear was that he would be caught alive, and then we would have to deal with him at court," Yehezkel explained.

Yehezkel bemoaned the fact there was no deterrence. "He became a hero on social media, and there was fear all kinds of other terrorists would pop up and try to imitate him, and unfortunately that is what happened over the past two months," he said.

"What bothers me is the lack of deterrence, because if there was any deterrence, we could've prevented the next murder. Maybe even my son's murder would've been prevented. It's a fact that when terrorists' homes were demolished in the past, parents who suspected their son was planning a terror attack would go to the police and report it," he explained.

A week ago, the High Court of Justice rejected a petition by the terrorist's family appealing the decision to demolish their home. IDF forces would be able to demolish the home in three days.
Senior Hamas official Husam Badran said Thursday that the terror group was taking care of the terrorists who carried out the attacks in Ofra and Barkan, and were killed on Wednesday night.

"On the anniversary of the establishment of the organization, Hamas sacrificed two of its best shaheeds (martyrs) in the West Bank  Dozens of the organization's senior members were arrested recently, all of which proves that the resistance in the West Bank will continues, until the occupation disappears from our land," he stressed.
The police arrested Thursday a 32-year-old journalist from the Triangle area on suspicion of incitement to violence.

He published images and social media posts in support of terror activity against the State of Israel.

"The Jews are monkeys and pigs, and I wish the countrys leadership would suffer the same fate as Ariel Sharon," he wrote in one of his posts.
A car exploded early Thursday morning on Nissim Gaon Street in Elad, near the home of the intelligence officer of Rimonim prison.

Damage was caused to the vehicle and to another car parked nearby. No casualities were reported.

The police opened an investigation.

Last month, another vehicle was torched near the officer's house.
The United Nations Security Council will hold a meeting next Wednesday to discuss the Hezbollah attack tunnels uncovered by the Israel Defense Forces. The tunnels, of which Israel has uncovered three, are believed to have been dug by Hezbollah fightersfrom Lebanon into Israeli territory in order to carry out attacks on civilians in the Galilee.

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The meeting, called by the US at Israel's request, will also deal with Hezbollahs alleged violations of UN Resolution 1701. The resolution, which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War, calls for the disarmament of the Iranian-backed Shiite organization and its activities in southern Lebanon.

IDF troops uncovering a Hezbollah tunnel on the Israel-Lebanon border (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's unit )

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke Wednesday with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about Operation Northern Shield, and urged him to condemn what he called Hezbollahs infringement of Israeli sovereignty.

The IDF destroys a Hezbollah tunnel (Courtesy of IDF) (:  ")

X

Israel and the United States are also promoting a UN draft resolution aimed at defining Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. If the proposal passes, the council would be able to impose individual sanctions on any person or body doing business with Hezbollah.

"Israel will expose Hezbollah's tactics and the indifference of the Lebanese government, which has turned a blind eye to the construction of an underground terrorist city in its territory. To fight the Shiite organization, we must use measures to silence Hezbollah and damage its terrorist operation," Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said Wednesday.














Israeli-American actress Natalie Portman again lashed at Israeli policies in an interview published in a Palestinian-owned newspaper Thursday, calling the controversial Nation-State Law "racist" and a "mistake."

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Portman, born Neta-Lee Hershlag in Jerusalem, also told the London-based Al- Quds Al-Arabi that law oppressed Palestinians. The interview itself, however, seems to omit any claims by Portman of such oppression.

The Nation-State Law, which was passed by the Knesset in Julydespite fierce criticism, defines Israel as the national home of the Jewish people. It also drops Arabic as an official language, giving it instead a "special status."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the law as the realization of the Zionist vision, but it has stoked anger among critics who, like Portman, argue that it is racist.





Hollywood actress Natalie Portman (Photo: Getty Images)

Portman said she doesnt agree with the principle of the contentious law.

"Its a mistake  I only hope that we will really love our neighbors and work together," she said.

The 37-year-old also expressed her dissatisfaction with the election of Donald Trump as United States president.

"It really angered me, but I'm working on channeling this energy to protest the injustices I see  in order to make our society a better place," she said.

Last April, the Oscar-winning actress refused to attend a ceremony in Israel to accept the Genesis Prize for her contribution to the Jewish community after several Palestinians were killed in violent clashes with the IDF on the Gaza border during ongoing protests.

According to the Genesis Prize Foundation, a representative of Portman said that "distressing" events in Israel caused the actress to back out, as she would "not feel comfortable participating in any public events in Israel."

Portman herself later said that her refusal to accept the $2 million prize stemmed from not wanting to be seen as supporting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was scheduled to speak at the event.

Portman in her new film Vox Lux

Some ministers in Netanyahu's right-wing government suggested Portman appeared to have been manipulated by the Palestinian-led international campaign to boycott Israel.

"Let me speak for myself," Portman wrote in a statement posted on her Instagram account. "I chose not to attend because I did not want to appear as endorsing Benjamin Netanyahu.

Portman added she did not support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which aims to isolate Israel over its treatment of Palestinians.

"Like many Israelis and Jews around the world, I can be critical of the leadership in Israel without wanting to boycott the entire nation," she stressed.

"Israel was created exactly 70 years ago as a haven for refugees from the Holocaust," she continued. "But the mistreatment of those suffering from today's atrocities is simply not in line with my Jewish values. Because I care about Israel, I must stand up against violence, corruption, inequality, and abuse of power."
Nine people were killed and nearly 50 injured in Turkey when a high speed train collided with a locomotive and crashed into a station platform and overpass in an Ankara suburb early on Thursday, officials said.

Rescuers worked to free people trapped under the mangled wreckage at Marsandiz train station, 8 km (5 miles) from central Ankara. It was not clear at which speed the train and locomotive were travelling when the collision occurred. There was light snow on the tracks.

The train had been heading from Ankara to the central Turkish province of Konya and was not due to stop at Marsandiz. Ankara Governor Vasip Sahin said the locomotive, which lay battered 20 metres (22 yards) further ahead, carried out track inspections.

Three train drivers were among the nine killed in the crash, Transport Minister Cahit Turhan told reporters on the scene.

There were 206 passengers on the high speed train, according to state-owned Anadolu news agency, which also reported that the Ankara state prosecutor's office had launched an investigation.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has condemned the latest round of violence in the West Bank, criticizing both militant attacks and the tough Israeli response.

Abbas' office issued a statement on Thursday, shortly after a Palestinian terrorist killed two Israelis north of Jerusalem, accusing Israel of creating a "climate" conducive to violence through its frequent military operations in Palestinian cities.

Abbas also accused Israel of incitement against him.

His statement says that "the absence of the horizon of peace is what led to this series of violence, which we condemn and reject, and for which both sides pay a price."

The statement also added: "Our permanent policy is to reject violence, incursions and terror of the settlers, and the need to stop incitement and not to create an atmosphere that contributes to the aggravation of the situation."

The Palestinian government headed by Abbas pays generous stipends to terrorists, and their families, who commit attacks against Israelis.
Israel has sealed off major roads leading to the West Bank city of Ramallah and set up checkpoints in search of a gunman who earlier in the day carried out a deadly shooting attack nearby.

The Israeli military declined to comment on the measures, saying only it had sent reinforcements to the area.
A kiosk owner and eyewitness to Thursday's shooting attack in the West Bank, which claimed the lives of two IDF soldiers, recalled giving food to the victims just moments before a Palestinian gunman opened fire at the adjacent bus station, leaving them bleeding on the ground.

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The attacka drive-by shooting on Route 60, a central artery that runs through the West Bankoccurred at around 11:15am, some 5km south of the West Bank settlement of Ofra, at a bus stop next to the Giv'at Asaf outpost. All four victims were in their 20s. One of the wounded was taken to Shaare Zedek Hospital and the other to Hadassah Hospital Ein Karem, both in Jerusalem.

Raz Chen, who owns the kiosk near the bus stop at the Asaf Junction, said the victims were smiling as they bought food and drinks from him.

Raz Chen, who owns a kiosk located near Giv'at Asaf

"They ordered coffee and bourekas  which I brought them to the bus stop  and then I heard gunshots and saw a girl running toward the intersection, he recalled."I approached the soldiers as they were lying on the ground, with the gunmans car speeding away.

Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, a member of the security cabinet, said the terror attack was a direct result of what he called Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbass incitement campaign against Israel.

Whoever pays the terrorists and gives out awards to them, whoever welcomes terror activity and teaches their children hatredis responsible for these attacks, Steinitz said.

Aside from the horrific incitement, there is still (Israeli-Palestinian) security coordinationwhich is also in the interests of the Palestiniansbut its unfortunate that they simultaneously continue to encourage terror, he said.

Security forces at the site of a shooting attack in the West Bank that left two IDF soldiers dead, December 13, 2018 (Photo: AFP)

The energy minister added that the main priority was not to arrest or eliminate the perpetrators after theyve committed an attack but rather to catch them before they carried out such atrocities.

Meanwhile, the head of the Beit El Regional Council in the West Bank, Shai Alon, blamed Israel's political echelon for the attack.

The government policy is not clear. We must stop these terrorists who emerge from Ramallah. The IDF knows how to do it, and they should be allowed do its missions as they see fit, Alon said, adding that the residents of the council intend to go on strike until they saw a change in the government policy for securing settlements.
The two victims of Thursday's terror attack at the Asaf Junction were IDF soldiers, the army said in a statement.

A terrorist in a moving vehicle opened fire at a group of soldiers and civilians at a bus station at the junction, killing two and wounding two others.

"The IDF extends its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, and will continue to support the families of the casualties," the army said.
Beloved by all and always willing to help those less fortunate, a comrade said of the two IDF soldiers killed in Thurday's shooting attack in the West Bank.

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Sergeant Yosef Cohen, aged 19 from Beit Shemesh, and 20-year-old Staff Sergeant Yovel Moryosef from Ashkelon were killed when a gunman leapt out of his car and opened fire as the two soldiers stood at a bus stop close to the West Bank outpost of Giv'at Asaf.

The attacker, who also seriously wounded two other people, fled the scene of devastation, sparking a massive manhunt.

Sgt. Yosef Cohen (left) and Staff Sgt. Yovel Moryosef were killed December 13, 2018 in a West Bank drive-by shooting

"Everyone loved them," said M. "They were people who were always willing to volunteer. They would lend a hand to anyone who needed help. Good people, salt of the earth. Whenever the company sergeant major asked for help, they were always the first to volunteer, and they were very motivated.

"I remember when we were on a break, and one soldier had no money for a drink, so Yossi (Cohen) took out his wallet and bought it for him. He did not want everyone to have except for one person."

Yoseph's father, the late Rabbi Eitan Cohen, was a well-known dentist in Bnei Brak who served as a lone soldier because his ultra-Orthodox family would not accept his decision to enlist in the IDF.

The site of a shooting attack in the West Bank, December 13, 2018 (: EPA)

Several hours before the shooting, Moryosef told his father on Whatsapp that he had volunteered to take over guard duty at the bus stop for some friends instead of going homeso that his friends could rest.

"His life's goal was to serve in a combat unit," said his uncle, Sammy Moryosef. "He insisted on doing combat service, despite the situation in Israel. He enjoyed his service, volunteered and gave it all."

"It's hard to grasp such horrible news, he was an amazing guy. It's difficult to speak about him in past tense," said his uncle. "We demand of the Israeli government that the terrorist is killed, even though his death will be of no comfort to Yovel's parents."

Yehudit Zada, a friend of the family, also remembered Moryosef as determined to serve in a combat unit.

Moryosef's former high school was opened Thursday evening for friends to pay their respects. Headteacher Alice Mor called said Moryosef "was a child of endless giving with an endless smile."

Sgt. Cohen will be laid to rest on Friday morning in Jerusalem and Staff Sgt. Moryosef will be buried on Friday morning in Ashkleon.
The killing of the terrorists who carried out the Barkan and Ofra shootings, and the capture of many of their accomplices within a relatively short time, would have, under normal circumstances, created deterrence in the territories. But the unrest in Judea and Samaria and Jerusalem, which has increasingly escalated over the past few months, has already picked up momentum of painful terror attacks.

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Israeli defense officials estimated that this violent wave of attacks will continue, and perhaps even worsen over the coming months. The events of the past two days confirm this assessment.

Soldiers at the Asaf Junction, where the shooting attack took place. (Photo: IDF spokesperson)

The IDF, the Shin Bet and the Israel Police will have to invest massive forces and a great intelligence effort in the West Bank to stop the situation from deteriorating further: from "lone wolf" terrorists who carry out stabbings or car-rammings inspired by successful shooting attacks, to "local terror cells" made up of young Palestinians, from the same family or village, who carry out shooting attacks on IDF soldiers patrolling roads, as well as organized terror attacks, directed by outside elements (mostly Hamas) using weapons and explosives and trying to abduct soldiers.

The Jewish settlers in the territories will have to take extra precautions in the foreseeable future. A wave of violence must be broken before it becomes a tsunami. The main threat right now is from "lone wolf" terrorists and drive-by shootings, likely perpetrated by "local cells."

To contain this escalation, security forces will have to immediately take the following steps:

 The IDF will have to deploy additional forces and increase its presence in the West Bank, especially in areas likely to be targeted, such as roads used by Jewish settlers that pass through Palestinian villages, bus stations and shopping centers.

IDF activity in the West Bank must be done in accordance with urban warfare rules: operate behind cover as much as possible and travel in armored vehicles. Unannounced checkpoints on roads have already proven themselves as an effective measure against drive-by shootings.

The shooting attack scene at Asaf Junction (: AFP)

At the same time, it's important that the IDF makes a significant effort not to disrupt the daily life or endanger the livelihood of Palestinians who are not involved in terrorism, so others won't be pushed to joining the circle of violence.

 The Shin Bet must quickly question all suspects and accomplices arrested in recent days to gain intelligence that could be used to thwart terror attacks. It was the hard work of dozens of Shin Bet personnel in a variety of intelligence activities, including the use of cyber measures and AI, which helped locate and capture the murderers who carried out the Barkan and Ofra attacks.

Now is the time to focus on local cells, likely inspired by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which send money and instructions to its agents in the West Bank from Gaza, Lebanon and Turkey. At the head of these operations is Hamass Saleh al-Arouri.

 The IDF and Shin Bet need to do everything possible to maintain the security coordination with the Palestinian security forces, so in the future the Palestinians might help or at the very least not get in the way of Israeli operations to foil attacks.

The real reason for the recent outbreak of violence in the West Bank is the younger generations frustration in light of what they see as a dead end, with no future or hope, in all areas of lifewhich Hamas takes advantage of.

Protests at the Gaza border (Photo: AFP)

Hamas has a clear motive: to create a wave of terrorism in the West Bank to remedy the damage to its image after it agreed to take Qatari money and in return end the war of attrition it has waged against Israel since March.

Its also time to admit that the months of rioting on the Gaza Border also eroded the IDF and the Shin Bet's deterrence in the West Bank. This deterrence was very effective in curbing violence.

In light of this, Israel's security goal should now be to weaken Hamas, while its political-financial goal should be arousing some kind of hope in the younger Palestinian generation. Israel needn't wait for the US and its peace initiative, but rather propose to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas projects that hold economic benefits he cannot refuse.

This course of action has already proved itself in the Gaza Strip. Egyptian mediators have made progress in negotiations with Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian factions in an effort to achieve calm and improve the humanitarian situation in the strip. There is likely already a clear outline for an agreement accepted on all sides, including Israel

This outline includes the reimplementation of the Protective Edge understandings12 hours of electricity per day, salaries for Hamas officials, and a 12 nautical miles fishing zone. The agreement does not, at present, include the Israel's MIAs and POWs in Gaza, but the Israeli government has made it clear that there will be no large-scale rehabilitation in Gaza (including a sea port, among other projects), before a solution for this matter is found. If this agreement goes into effect in the coming days, it could have a soothing effect over Gaza that will also be felt in the West Bank.
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Washington, DC - The Department is publicly designating former president of The Gambia, Yahya Jammeh, under the terms of Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act of 2018, due to his involvement in significant corruption.

Section 7031(c) provides that, in cases where the Secretary of State has credible information that foreign government officials have been involved in significant corruption or a gross violation of human rights, those individuals and their immediate family members are ineligible for entry into the United States.

The law requires the Secretary of State to publicly or privately designate such officials and their immediate family members. In addition to the designation of Yahya Jammeh, the Department is also publicly designating Jammehs spouse, Zineb Yahya Jammeh, his daughter, Mariam Jammeh, and his son, Muhammad Yahya Jammeh.

The United States is committed to combating corruption, increasing respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and promoting good governance globally. The United States stands with the government of The Gambia, its people, and civil society in support of The Gambias transition towards greater transparency, accountability, and democratic governance, for the benefit of all Gambians.
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Washington, DC - "Our tax bill also creates new opportunity zones rewarding those who invest in distressed communities and create more jobs for those who have, too often, simply been left behind." ~ President Donald J. Trump

CREATING OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL: President Donald J. Trump is encouraging investment to create opportunity in distressed communities.

President Trump is signing an Executive Order establishing the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council. The Council will be chaired by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson, and comprised of 13 Federal agencies.

The Council will engage with all levels of government on ways to better use taxpayer dollars to revitalize low-income communities.

The Council will improve revitalization efforts by streamlining, coordinating, and targeting existing Federal programs to economically distressed areas, including Opportunity Zones. Lack of coordination and targeting has led to cumbersome applications, program waste, and ineffective benefits.

The Council will consider legislative proposals and undertake regulatory reform to remove barriers to revitalization efforts.

The Council will present the President with a number of reports identifying and recommending ways to encourage investment in economically distressed communities.

ENCOURAGING INVESTMENT: Opportunity Zones will spur private investment to revitalize hurting communities and unleash their economic potential.

In 2017, President Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which established Opportunity Zones to incentivize long-term investments in low-income communities across the country.

These incentives offer capital gains tax relief to investors for new investment in designated Opportunity Zones.

Opportunity Zones are anticipated to spur $100 billion in private capital investment.

Incentivizing investment in low-income communities fosters economic revitalization and job creation, and promotes sustainable economic growth across the Nation.

LIFTING UP COMMUNITIES: Opportunity Zones help drive economic growth and lift up communities that have been left behind.
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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..
- A Ghanaian woman has been reportedly manhandled and deported from Germany

- Comfort Nnakenebe explained that it was after she had stepped out to look for a job in the country

- She added that efforts to seek justice in Ghana have also proven futile

A Ghanaian woman, Comfort Nnakenebe, has shed light on her traumatic experience with German security officials, even though she was pregnant.

According to her, she was forcefully handcuffed, dragged out of her house and deported from Germany.

This, she explained, was because she went out looking for work to do in the country.

Comfort Nnakenebe Source: adomonline.com

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Anas opens up about plans to investigate parliament and illegal mining

Speaking on Adom FMs Midday News, she revealed she was manhandled by the German police even in her pregnant state, which is very unfair, and hence wants justice to prevail.

I was beaten to the extent that I collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. For 3 weeks, I was given anti-psychotic and anti-depressant drugs because they claimed my pass out could make me mad, she revealed.

Nnakenebe further disclosed that little daughter was no exception from the maltreatment she suffered.

My little daughter was handcuffed because she was trying to defend her mother. She was harshly treated without mercy, she added.

She went ahead to say that all efforts to seek justice on her arrival in Ghana have also proved futile.

The police and the immigration office, she said, failed to listen to her, and have asked her to stop speaking, as they know what to do.

READ ALSO: Beautiful photos drops as Kwami Sefa Kayi bags an Executive Masters Degree (Photo)

Justice Story: The 'Untypical' Barber - Faces of Ghana| #Yencomgh

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Everyone eligible should be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of long-distance travel or employment.

Vaccination should be voluntary but those who don't get vaccinated should be frequently tested for COVID-19 as a condition of long-distance travel and employment.

Both vaccination and testing should be voluntary and not required as a condition of long-distance travel or employment.

I defer to the judgment of lawmakers as long as they base their decisions on a consensus of medical professionals.

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Learn about the ministers of the Health portfolio, including who they are, what they are responsible for and what they do.
(HedgeCo.Net) Two former executives behind an allegedly fraudulent initial coin offering (ICO) that was stopped by the Securities and Exchange Commission earlier this year have been ordered in federal court to pay nearly $2.7 million and prohibited from serving as officers or directors of public companies or participating in future offerings of digital securities.

AriseBanks then-CEO Jared Rice Sr. and then-COO Stanley Ford were accused of offering and selling unregistered investments in their purported AriseCoin cryptocurrency by depicting AriseBank as a first-of-its-kind decentralized bank offering a variety of services to retail investors.

Rice and Ford lied to AriseBanks investors by pitching the company as a first-of-its kind decentralized bank offering its own cryptocurrency for customer products and services, said Shamoil T. Shipchandler, Director of the SECs Fort Worth Regional Office. The officer-and-director bar and digital securities offering bar will prevent Rice and Ford from engaging in another cryptoasset-based fraud.

To settle the SECs charges, Rice and Ford agreed to be held jointly and severally liable for $2,259,543 in disgorgement plus $68,423 in prejudgment interest, and each must pay a $184,767 penalty. They also agreed to lifetime bars from serving as officers and directors of public companies and participating in digital securities offerings, and permanent prohibitions against violating the antifraud and registration provisions of the federal securities laws. Chief Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas ordered the sanctions on December 11. Rice and Ford agreed to the settlements without admitting or denying the allegations in the SECs complaint.

On Nov. 28, 2018, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Texas announced parallel criminal charges against Rice.
The task force presented its final report on measures to achieve the objective in Helsinki on Wednesday, 12 December.

Finland must raise the fuel tax and adopt road tolls in urban areas if it is to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from transport by 2045, concludes an expert task force appointed by the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

Adopting road tolls in urban areas, it gauged, would be one of the more effective short-term measures to promote the use of public transport, ride-sharing and other sustainable forms of transport.

The tax on fossil motor fuels, in turn, should be increased by annual increments between 2020 and 2044 while exploring the possibility of gradually phasing out the tax subsidies and driving power tax designed to offset the impact of the fuel tax. The driving power tax is levied on vehicles not powered by motor petrol.

Raising the fuel tax is a relatively efficient measure, although its impact is greater on the choice of vehicle than transport performance, it added.

The task force also acknowledged that economic steering measures such as road tolls and fuel tax increases can limit commuting possibilities and should consequently be counterbalanced by investing in creating the preconditions for sustainable mobility. The increases, for example, should be introduced in conjunction with measures to support the adoption of zero- and low-emission vehicles.

The need and possibilities to compensate low-income households for the effects of the tax increases through other taxes, for example, should also be explored, it viewed.

Two million electric cars by 2045

The action plan presented by the task force is founded on four key objectives: halting the increase in vehicle kilometres by 2025, boosting the efficiency of goods transport, accelerating the modernisation of the vehicle fleet, and raising the share of liquid biofuels of all transport fuels to 30 per cent by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2045 while ensuring the absolute volume of biofuels will not increase after 2030.

The share of zero- and low-emission vehicles of the vehicle fleet should similarly be raised dramatically from a couple of per cent to 100 per cent over the next few decades.

The task force envisions that the number of electric vehicles will increase to roughly 670,000 by 2030 and 2,000,000 by 2045 and that of gas-fuelled vehicles to 130,000 by 2030 and 250,000 by 2045.

The numbers are ambitious in light of the official objective of the government of Prime Minister Juha Sipila (Centre)  of bringing a total of 250,000 electric vehicles and 50,000 gas-fuelled vehicles to the countrys roads by 2030.

The transport sector also needs the courage to carry out ambitious emission reduction measures so that we can together contain climate change, reminded Juhapekka Ristola, the chairperson of the task force from the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Source: Uusi Suomi
Tavio stated during a parliamentary discussion on the future of the 28-country bloc that people who support Finnish independence and the nation state are occasionally made to feel like they are part of some kind of a minority in Finland.

Ville Tavio (PS), a first-term Member of the Finnish Parliament, on Wednesday provoked the disapproval of many of his fellow lawmakers by likening the European Union to Nazi Germany.

Federalists, Europe-idolising decision makers are a threat to European nations. Federalists are a threat to nation states. Federalists are just making a new kind of Soviet Union of the EU. Theyre creating a new kind of Nazi Germany. The EUs globalism is just a new form of fascism, he declared, inciting a flurry of objections.

Antti Lindtman, the chairperson of the Social Democratic Parliamentary Group, stated that the comparison is both blatantly inappropriate and untruthful.

Nazi Germany is related to the genocide of millions of people and World War II to the death of tens of millions of people. The EU was originally founded specifically as a peace project, he highlighted. Weve now crossed a line that has never been crossed before.

The Finns Party, he added, must respond to the remarks and declare whether or not it believes they are acceptable.

Sari Essayah, the chairperson of the Christian Democrats, and Pekka Haavisto, the chairperson of the Green League, similarly reminded that the EU was founded originally to prevent tragedies such as World War II.

You could say [it was founded] on the ashes of the holocaust, said Essayah. Europe at the time swore that nothing like that must be allowed to happen on its soil ever again. It feels like the lessons have been forgotten relatively quickly  in one lifetime, you could say  and the same kind of tendencies and winds are blowing today in Europe.

Prime Minister Juha Sipila (Centre) characterised Tavios remarks as derogatory and said he hopes they are rejected also by the Finns Party.

The Finns Party, however, refused to address the issue during the parliamentary session. Jussi Halla-aho, the chairperson of the opposition party, tweeted later that the comparison may have been an exaggeration.

But its at least as big an exaggeration as its to compare contemporary nationalism and immigration criticism to Nazism. That seems to be alright, though, he said.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Source: Uusi Suomi
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LONDONAnimal activists in China have saved hundreds of cats from certain death at an illegal cat meat slaughterhouse in Tianjin, following a tip-off from a young man heartbroken over the disappearance of his beloved cat.

On December 1st, China Animal Protection Power  a rescue group formed with the help of animal charity Humane Society International  together with animal lovers in Tianjin, discovered 375 cats crammed tightly together in 24 wire cages. CAPP activists had long suspected that an illegal slaughter operation existed somewhere in that part of Tianjins suburbs, but had been unable to prove it until a young man looking for his lost cat revealed the location of the slaughter operation. His cat had disappeared some 2 weeks earlier and he was convinced his pet had been stolen by dog and cat thieves who frequently snatch animals for the meat trade. His search for the cat led him to the slaughter operation.

CAPP reports that the cats at the slaughterhouse were in terrible condition, many emaciated and sick, crying out from being crushed together in the cages. There were piles of cat hair outside, the remains of countless thousands of cats slaughtered at the site in the past.

Help cats and other animals all over the world.

Mr Huang, a leading member of CAPP and one of the first to arrive at the illegal slaughterhouse, said: The first three cages of the cats we saw were heart breaking. They were cages of misery. The hungry and sick cats cried louder when we approached them as if asking us to help them.

Tianjin police revealed that they had received more than 1,200 phone calls from people across China urging them to crack down on this illegal slaughterhouse, an indication that news of the raid had spread on Chinese social media WeChat. Campaigners from Beijing also joined the rescue effort after being alerted.

Dr Peter Li, China policy specialist at Humane Society International, says: The way cats are killed for Chinas meat trade is notoriously brutal. They are grabbed around the throat with large iron tongs and then beaten over the head with a metal or wooden stick whilst their terrified cage mates look on. Some may still be conscious when they are thrown into a pot of boiling water to remove their hair. After that they are disembowelled, beheaded and de-footed to disguise the species, before being shipped to buyers. This is the fate of an estimated 4 million cats a year in China, a mixture of stolen pets and urban strays. I have rescued cats from these slaughterhouses myself, and they are utterly grotesque places, often with piles of fur and pet collars thrown in the corner.

North China, where the slaughterhouse is located, has no market itself for cat meat, although activists suspect that cat meat is sometimes sold as mutton or rabbit at roadside BBQ food stands. North, Central and Southeast China supply cat meat for sale in the two remote provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi in South China where cat eating occurs.

The dog and cat meat trade operates illegally due to the fact that a significant number of the animals are stolen pets, and because neither cats nor dogs are recognised under the law as livestock, so slaughterhouses have no legal defence in killing them for human consumption. Slaughterhouses also routinely breach environmental pollution and waste disposal regulations, and traders regularly flout Chinas food safety laws by transporting huge numbers of cats and dogs across provincial borders without the required health certificates because most of the animals have been illegally acquired. As there are no animal protection laws in China, it is these environmental and health regulations that animal activists like CAPP increasingly use to persuade the police to crack down on the dog and cat meat trade.

Mr. Huang said, CAPP activists negotiated with the local police department to confiscate all 375 cats who were signed over to Beijings Capital Animal Welfare Association. We wanted not simply to save these individual cats, but to see the slaughterhouse permanently shut down, and to encourage the authorities to intensify action to crack down on all such illegal slaughter operations across the country. If the authorities enforced existing food safety, animal disease control, and property protection laws, we would see a huge decline in Chinas brutal dog and cat meat trade. A legislative ban on the trade is our ultimate goal, but we dont need to wait for that to make a difference. We just need police forces willing to act like this one in Tianjin.

The illegal slaughter operation in Tianjin is now under police investigation, and the cats are in the care of activists who will accommodate them in shelters and homes in Tianjin and Beijing.

ENDS

Media contact: Wendy Higgins, Director of International Media, whiggins@hsi.org
Wayfair Bringing 300 Jobs to Pittsfield

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Home decor distributor Wayfair is planning to bring 300 jobs to the city.

The Massachusetts Economic Assistance Coordinating Council this morning approved $31.4 million in tax breaks to the Boston-based retailer. Wayfair Inc. will in return add up to 3,000 jobs in the Boston area and establish a call center in Pittsfield.

"This is absolutely outstanding news for the city of Pittsfield," Mayor Linda Tyer said. "It was the first official decision that will lead to 300 new jobs."

Wayfair CEO Niraj Shah is a Pittsfield native and said he was excited to bring the operations west.

"We are proud to continue to build our business in the commonwealth of Massachusetts," Shah said in a statement.

"Steve Conine and I founded the company here in 2002 and with the incredible talent located in Massachusetts built a team that has transformed our small start-up business into a $6 billion global e-commerce leader with tremendous growth opportunities ahead. We could not be more excited to expand our operations to the western part of the state with the opening of a sales and service center in Pittsfield - my hometown."

He continued, "we look forward to driving continued economic growth and job creation throughout the state as we continue to build a topnotch team focused on providing Wayfair customers with the ultimate experience in shopping for home."

The news was heralded by Gov. Charlie Baker.

"Massachusetts is home to a dynamic and entrepreneurial innovation economy, and we are pleased to welcome Wayfair's expansion in its home state, with new jobs in Pittsfield and Boston," Baker said in a statement.

"The commonwealth's highly educated and skilled workforce is an asset for communities and companies like Wayfair who share our interest in making Massachusetts an even greater place to live, work, run a business and raise a family."

Wayfair is an international e-commerce company. The Pittsfield call center will be its ninth and is expected to house 265 customer service representatives and 35 managers.

The city's Business Development Manager Michael Coakley said the average pay will be in the $40,000 range plus benefits. He said that will infuse some $16.5 million into the economy.

"They are good enough jobs that people will travel and move to Pittsfield," Coakley said.

1Berkshire President Jonathan Butler said a boost of 300 jobs will help "stabilize the workforce." He said the company provides opportunities for people at all levels. They are full-time and benefited jobs, something everyone in economic development seeks for their community, he said.

"You are always looking for quality employment for people," Butler said.

Exactly where in Pittsfield the center will be located is still unknown but there are several locations under consideration. Coakley said the company is still in negotiations regarding space but he expects the location to be revealed in the next few weeks.

The mayor said the expansion into the city began with Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Jay Ash, who introduced the company to city officials. From there, the mayor said there was a "collaborative" effort to help the company. That included 1Berkshire, the mayor's economic development council, the Massachusetts Office of Business Development, the Massachusetts Office of Housing and Economic Development, and Coakley.

Butler called the news a "big win" for the Berkshires.

"We are extremely thrilled with today's news," Butler said. "This is some of the best news we've had in a number of years.

The company has been in the city on multiple occasions since March. Coakley said in June seven members of the team visited the city, stayed overnight downtown, and wanted to get a feel for the area.

"They weren't really interested in the incentives the city has to offer. They were more interested in the quality of life in the Berkshires," Coakley said.

Coakley said Pittsfield wasn't the only location in western Massachusetts the company was considering, making it competitive. In November, company officials returned and finalized its decision.

State Sen. Adam Hinds praised the mayor, the Baker administration, and 1Berkshire for the efforts to bring the company's expansion to fruition.

"Overall this financial package is expected to add upwards of 3,300 new jobs in the commonwealth. Here at home, the city of Pittsfield will host the company's new call center, immediately creating hundreds of new jobs in western Mass," Hinds said in a statement.

"Securing Wayfair's presence in the Berkshires is a coup for Mayor Linda Tyer and is directly linked to our comprehensive strategic and coordinated effort to create an environment that attracts new businesses here. The collaborative efforts of this partnership, between her administration, the city's legislative delegation, 1Berkshire, and the Baker Administration, have been greatly rewarded today."

Tyer said the expansion also sends a signal that the city is a place where e-commerce can succeed and Butler said that attracting such a company "says a lot" about the progress the Berkshire's economic climate has made over the last decade.

"We're excited for the city of Pittsfield, we're excited for the region," Butler said.

The mayor said the city has discussed possible incentives to help the company expand in Pittsfield but nothing has been put on the table just yet.

Coakley said the company is expected to open its Pittsfield location in the third quarter of 2019. Wayfair's expansion into the city is the first "big win" for Coakley since he was brought on in January. He said this is a great way to end the year.

"I'm feeling great. It was a lot of work and it took a lot of time," Coakley said. "It is a big win for the city."
The Indianapolis Public Schools Board of School Commissioners will undergo dramatic transformations in the coming weeks. Three new board members will take their seats in January, and then the new board will have to find a replacement for departing Superintendent Lewis Ferebee, who is leaving the district to become chancellor of District of Columbia Public Schools.

During his five-year term with IPS, Ferebee led the way on an innovation model that simultaneously became his most lauded and criticized accomplishment. The current board provided little pushback to Ferebees ambitions, allowing the innovation model to charge ahead at a quick pace. In the three years since opening its first innovation school, IPS has added 19 more.

But voters ousted two supporters of the model in the 2018 general election. Mary Ann Sullivan lost her At-Large seat to Susan Collins, and Dorene Hoops lost her District 5 seat to Taria Slack. Collins and Slack were both critical of the districts innovation model during the campaign. Theyll join current board member Elizabeth Gore, who occupies the other At-Large seat, as a reliable source of what can at least be characterized as skepticism of innovation schools.

Honestly, I feel well be a little bit more scrutinizing, not so embracing of every opportunity there is for an innovation school, Gore said of the new board.

Gore said she is weary of the innovation model because there hasnt been enough time to evaluate its effectiveness in educating students. Gore said she values continuity over a major shakeup with the superintendent position, so she expects the next superintendent, who the new board will hire, to keep IPS on the innovation path. Gore added the pace of innovation growth in the district may slow down. Collins and Slack did not respond to a request for comment.

There are four categories of innovation schools: completely new schools, former traditional public schools that were struggling, previously independent charter schools and former traditional public schools whose principals wanted more autonomy. For the 2017-18 school year, nearly 20 percent of IPS students attended innovation schools, according to district data.

Asked how he views the future of innovation schools once hes gone, Ferebee credited the innovation model with bringing the school district away from the threat of state takeover, which was looming in 2013 when Ferebee took over.

I think thats a representation of how we have been proactive and strategic with our schools that have struggled with student achievement, Ferebee said at a Dec. 7 board meeting formalizing his resignation. The challenges ahead will be different. The strategies will be aligned to those needs accordingly.

The board also announced Ferebees last day with the district is Jan. 4, 2019. Aleesia Johnson, currently the deputy superintendent for academics, will serve as the interim superintendent until the board finds a permanent replacement. Johnson did not say if she is interested in becoming the permanent superintendent.

The third new board member, Evan Hawkins, was supportive of innovation schools during his campaign. Taking into account the stances of current and incoming members, Hawkins win for the District 3 seat secured a 4-3 majority for reformers on the seven-person board. Hawkins did not respond to a request for comment for this story, but he told the Recorder after the election he believes innovation schools are part of the offering that we should have for families.

For innovation leaders in Indianapolis, a change in leadership and new board members bring uncertainty.

His departure, for me, creates concern, Earl Phalen, founder of Phalen Leadership Academy, said of Ferebee leaving.

PLA is a charter operator that took over IPS School 103 in August 2015 to make it the districts first innovation school. Alluding to Collins and Slack, Phalen said incoming board members are focused on adults, implying theyre not looking for the best solutions for students.

I worry that the board has made a move from trying to do something for children, he said.

Justin Ohlemiller, executive director of Stand for Children, a nonprofit advocate of school choice, didnt directly answer how he thinks Ferebee leaving will affect the future of the innovation model, but he did imply Collins and Slack wont remain as critical once theyre on the board.

When youre a board member and you represent all of IPS, that perspective is different than when youre running a campaign, he said.  There are members on the board who are going to think about what they said during the campaign differently.

Michael OConnor, the current board president, knows there is more pushback coming when the new board comes into place Jan. 8, but he said that isnt necessarily a bad thing for IPS.

We dont want a board thats rubber stamping and acting in lockstep, OConnor said.

As for moving on from Ferebees leadership, OConnor said the current board chose Johnson as the interim superintendent with consultation from incoming members. The search for a permanent replacement wont begin until the new board is in place.

District parents have been critical of the board for what they say is a lack of transparency and communication, and OConnor acknowledged as much, saying community engagement should improve.

While the board is committed to the path of progress weve taken, he said, the board is also committed to hearing concerns and addressing concerns.

Contact staff writer Tyler Fenwick at 317-762-7853. Follow him on Twitter @Ty_Fenwick.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)  As did the Montgomery Bus Boycott meetings, recognition of the 63rd anniversary of the start of those meetings on Dec. 3 began with the reading of scripture, the singing of hymns and a prayer, blessed by the near-200 people in attendance at the First Baptist Church on Ripley Street.

It was the first Monday of December 63 years ago that 5,000 people gathered at the Holt Street Baptist Church, sparking one of the most revolutionary social movements of the United States, Dorothy Autrey told the crowd.

The program chair of the National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture at Alabama State University, Autrey listed the details of the boycott that eventually led to the desegregation of Montgomerys city buses and what many consider the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement.

For 382 days, participants of the boycott chose not to ride the buses, walking or carpooling, despite long hours, long commutes and consistent backlash from a community largely not supportive of the participants desire for equality.

Back then though, anniversary keynote speaker Fred Gray said, they did not call it a boycott, but rather a protest  already aware of the law officials would use against participants. Regardless, 89 were charged under a boycotting statue.

Gray, who has made a name for himself nationally as a civil rights attorney, taking on some of the most famous civil rights cases, recalled the fear he felt when he was indicted due to his participation in the boycott. A conviction would mean disbarment, and he had already secretly committed himself to fighting everything segregated he could find.

The success of the boycott, Gray said, was because the African-American community acknowledged the problem they were having with the segregated Jim Crow buses, they talked about it, they made plans and they acted.

We didnt know how things would go, but we started, Gray said.

The problems, he said, would not have gone away on their own and nor will todays.

I had hoped when we started in 1955 that the conditions would be improved greatly and they have improved greatly, Gray said before the event. But, I am disappointed that we have not made as much progress as we should.

Listing off facts from a National Urban League report, Gray said the struggle for equal justice continues.

African-Americans are twice as likely as whites to be unemployed, three times as likely to live in poverty and 16-times as likely to be incarcerated, the report states.

We still have some serious problems in this country. Theyre not all based in race, but all started from race, Gray said. We had to get out of slavery; had to go through reconstruction; go through Jim Crow; go through Civil Rights Movements; and still, were having to fight some of the same battles and if we are not careful we will lose some of the gains we have made.

To the crowd, after addressing the national crisis of inequality, Gray pointed to local problems in local communities that need to be solved as well.

Our children are killing our children, he said. What are we going to do to try and solve these problems?

Circling back to the success of the bus boycott and how Montgomerys African-American community came together in order to achieve the desegregation of buses, Gray urged the crowd to take a similar path on both the local and national fronts.

Address the problem, talk about the problem, make plans to solve the problem and implement those plans.
Television | TV Channels Uday Shankar's meteoric rise from Star India to Disney APAC The man running, arguably, India's largest media company has made it to the top job in the Asia Pacific region at probably the world's most admired entertainment company - Disney. Uday Shankar, who once was a reporter with The Times of India, and then went on to successfully lead news channels such as Aaj Tak and Star News, on Thursday added another glorious chapter to his awe-inspiring journey.

continue reading...

Television | TV Channels 4 Star and 3 Zeel channels most watched across genres Four channels from the Star India network, three channels from Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) and one channel each from Sony Pictures Network India (SPN), the Sun TV Network, and Viacom 18 comprised the list of the top 10 channels across genres for week 49 of 2018 (Saturday, 1 December to Friday, 7 December 2018, week under review).

continue reading... Television | TV Channels DreamWorks to launch Fight Sports and Kids+ channels DreamWorks Channel, a Southeast Asian pay television network that is owned and operated by DreamWorks Animation International TV, a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, which is a division of Comcast, has set the ball rolling to launch two new channels - Fight Sports and Kids+ Asia. It has started the global satellite test transmission service from Asiasat7 satellite on 105.5 degree east.

continue reading...
December 12, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - No, they didnt.



CFO Meng Wan Zhou was arrested supposedly for violating Iran sanction. This has to be the most grotesque distortion of justice. After all, the United States was the country which unilaterally pulled out in VIOLATION of an agreement they had solemnly signed with Iran alongside multiple nations under UN auspices earlier!



In other words, the guy who broke a solemn promise made, violated the agreement; then made sanction an American domestic law, and is now force-feeding this draconian law arbitrarily upon the rest of the world by arresting someone who refuses to violate a UN-endorsed agreement! Pray, is this making any sense to anybody?



Huawei created a subsidiary to do business with Iran, and the CFO is being charged with lying about the relationship between Huawei and the subsidiary. This seems utterly ludicrous and nonsensical. After all, when I worked at Halliburton Inc, that company did EXACTLY the same thing. Not only d-ck Cheney, our CEO was never arrested; he was invited to join the White House & became Vice President under George W. Bush!

Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter

The moral behind this story is for normal businesses to be extremely vigilant and to be aware of the true ugly face of America (and Saudi Arabia). One tosses you into jail for breaking their twisted laws they make up as they go along whilst the other goes after you with a bone saw. Both are really nothing more than thugs and hoodlums. They are far worse than the Italian Mafia because the Mafia have at least some grain of decency to commit their crimes in secret, while the Thugs in Tuxedos in Washington and the Saudi Govt officials commit their crimes blatantly and openly. Both show complete disregard for the sovereignty and laws of other countries. They snoop, spy, barge and bully their way through; shamelessly trying to justify their wicked actions by lying, conspiring and smearing their victims... then run publicity campaigns to sway public opinions while accusing others of violations against human rights..!!



Undoubtedly, there are good people in USA & in Saudi Arabia. I dont wish to generalise, but time and again in America, that if ever the inflated egos of overpaid govt officials and bureaucrats feel threatened, they can suddenly turn into utterly evil, nefarious subhumans capable of the most despicable, horrific and darkest deeds.



The arrest of Meng WanZhou is a case in point.



Some years ago, I went to America starry eyed with high hopes and huge expectations, eager to learn a democratic system supposedly far superior than my countrys. Well, after completing my Ph.D degree, then staying back to gather work experience for a few years, I now stand corrected.



Life in the States has taught me to be proud of my country and my own people. Grass is definitely NOT greener on the other side and the moon out in the West is certainly no rounder or brighter.



American culture is notable for its excessive arrogance and hubris. The country is very strong in hypes; yes they talk big but deliver little. China on the hand is just the opposite.



American governments spend vast sums on weapons and war making. They live in the now, cater specifically for the interest of the rich and the privileged, and works for their own self-interest, benefits and most of all, their re-election. In contrast, the Chinese government invests heavily on massive infrastructures and the environment, works tirelessly for the ordinary people and the poor, eradicates poverty with methodical and systematic 5 - 30 year plans. These are proven facts. They are neither empty propaganda nor hollow political campaign promises.



I cant tell you how glad I am to be home again. Not only is the food better, more importantly, I can finally stop worrying myself sick... about my elderly mother getting mucked, my wife getting raped...my children getting bullied, drugged or shot in schools... Having to live in constant fear everyday is the ultimate violation of my human right, its good to be back in civilisation.

Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here

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By Finian Cunningham December 12, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - The blatant arrest of a Chinese telecoms executive in Canada on behalf of the US is shrouded in obscure legalistic claims. But the bottom line is clear; the US is abusing the legal process to pursue lawless economic interests. Washington Using Legal Cover to Conceal Economic Banditry

This hegemonic conduct by the US is undermining international law and leading to chaos. The recklessness of American unilateral diktat is unsustainable and is risking inevitable war with someone, sometime, somewhere. Chinas anger over the latest legal spat resonates with similar grievances against the US felt by Russia, Iran, Venezuela, and even American allies in Europe, due to Washingtons high-handed arbitrariness. The US is behaving like a bandit state, imposing its demands as it alone sees fit for its presumed advantage  under the cover of legalistic probity. The detention of Meng Wanzhou on December 1 while boarding a commercial flight out of Vancouver was carried by Canadian federal police on behalf of US authorities. It was not even clear on what legal grounds Meng was hauled away in handcuffs for. A court hearing for bail this week in Vancouver confirmed that the charges relate to US accusations that the chief financial officer of Chinese telecom giant Huawei allegedly violated American sanctions on Iran. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter

However, as Canadian legal expert Christopher Black explains, the alleged offenses of sanctions-busting that the US claims are non-existent in international law. American sanctions against Iran  questionable as they are  are a matter solely for US courts. They have no application to foreign territories and between sovereign states such as China and Canada which have diplomatic relations. International sanctions can only be implemented and enforced by the UN Security Council.

Therefore, according to Black, what Canadian law enforcement is doing on behalf of the US in the arrest of the Huawei executive is illegal.

Besides, adds Black, the sanctions claim concerning Iran and Huawei is not the real motive, he believes. Huawei is a leading global competitor of US telecoms firms. What the US is doing is using legalistic mechanisms to outlaw Huawei and other Chinese competitors like ZTE, he said in an email interview.

Japan may be taking sides with US in trade war against China, halts purchases of #Huawei & ZTE techhttps://t.co/iwKQmsqDad pic.twitter.com/U6H4D1aJyJ  RT (@RT_com) December 10, 2018

This week President Donald Trump told Reuters that he was prepared to personally intervene in the Meng case if it helps US-China trade relations. That suggests the Chinese executive is being used as a pawn in the trade war between Washington and Beijing.

For months now, US government and media sources have been spreading scary claims that Chinese technology is posing a threat to national security by stealthily introducing spy software into homes and businesses. China has strenuously denied the claims as provocative nonsense. Significantly, too, US telecoms firms such as Apple which manufacture products in China have also come to flatly reject the claims emanating from Washington of Chinese government spy chips.

It seems obvious that this background of anti-China commercial propaganda is aimed at discrediting and disenfranchising Chinese telecoms firms from the US and other markets. Huawei phones, for example, are banned from sale on US military bases around the world.

Earlier this year, in testimony to become CIA chief Gina Haspel gave a snide comment in congressional hearings to the effect that she wouldnt touch Chinese tech products with a barge pole, implying security risk.

The detention of Meng Wanzhou, the Huawei executive, which Chinese media have denounced as barbaric, fits this context of commercial competition. The alleged Iranian sanctions issue is merely a cover for her arrest. Even on its face, the detention of Meng is arguably a violation of international rights. But the real, underlying issue is the US using legality to pursue economic interests  unlawfully  which then makes the US and Canadian conduct even more odious.

We are witnessing similar hegemonic conduct by the US over and over. A few weeks ago, the Trump administration slapped sanctions on Russian and Iranian businesses for allegedly shipping oil commercially to Syria. Again, this was another instance of American authorities invoking their laws to apply extra-territorially on other parties whom they deem to be in violation.

The US has increasingly been wielding its legal definitions and measures as if it is the worlds judge and jury.

In recent years, American lawmakers have created a slew of legal weapons, including the Magnitsky Act, the Global Magnitsky Act, the Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, which give Washington the supposed power to penalize any country it deems to be in breach of its national laws.

The arbitrariness of US justice has got to the febrile point where Washington is threatening all nations, including its supposed European allies, with legal punishment if they dont toe the line on its designated policy.

With regard to Iran, the Trump administration is the party that is arguably in dereliction of international law having unilaterally pulled out of the UN-ratified nuclear accord with Tehran  the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, signed in 2015 by the European Union, Russia and China. Yet Trump is threatening to impose sanctions on countries, including the Europeans, who continue doing business with Iran.

The same megalomaniac mentality is applied by the US towards Europe regarding its long-standing purchase of Russian natural gas. Washington is threatening European firms and governments with sanctions for allegedly trading with an adversary. But the brazen motive is to harass Russian gas out of its natural market, to give US Liquefied Natural Gas an abnormal competitive advantage  an advantage that defies normal laws of economics.

Evidently, this is what its all about. The US economy is no longer viable as a global competitor on its own merits. Decades of chronic underinvestment at home and setting up businesses abroad by US capital have completely undermined any concept of American national economy. Trump is trying to reverse that through his nationalistic and demagogic appeals for America First and Make America Great Again. But Trump is striving to achieve that epic reversal, not through genuine economic regeneration at home. Instead, Washington is using and abusing legalistic cover for lawless attacks on the legitimate commercial interests of foreign nations.

Nevertheless, this flagrant exercise in banditry by the US is a dangerous Pandoras Box. The arbitrary arrest of foreign business executives and bullying use of secondary sanctions will undermine the confidence of global business with Washington. Will European corporate leaders be next to be arrested for allegedly doing business with Russia or Iran?

More serious is the deterioration in international law and escalating tensions. China has warned that it will retaliate over the detention of the Huawei executive. Already there are reports of a former Canadian diplomat being detained in China this week. It is presumed the arrest is a tit-for-tat move.

Washingtons lawless pursuit of its nationalistic interests is turning the globe into a seething jungle of distrust and resentment. The political chaos in Washington  where even the president is accused by domestic opponents of abusing democratic norms  is fanning out to engulf the rest of the world.

Americas erstwhile claim of being the worlds sheriff has taken on a macabre twist. Increasingly in the eyes of the world, it is a renegade state which absurdly justifies its criminality with lofty claims of rule of law.

Finian Cunningham has written extensively on international affairs, with articles published in several languages. He is a Masters graduate in Agricultural Chemistry and worked as a scientific editor for the Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, England, before pursuing a career in newspaper journalism. He is also a musician and songwriter. For nearly 20 years, he worked as an editor and writer in major news media organisations, including The Mirror, Irish Times and Independent.
What the Marc Lamont Hill Affair Really Tells us About Zionist Goals





By Lawrence Davidson





December 12, 2018 "

Information Clearing House

"

-

The Attack on Marc Lamont Hill



There are many things wrong with ideologues. Here I mean those who see the world through a narrow dogma. It is as if they wear figurative blinders, like those real ones placed on draft horses, so as to prevent their gaze from wondering away from a designated path. As a consequence ideologues can sometimes be embarrassingmaking gross general pronouncements based on the narrowest sets of beliefs and expecting the world to go along. Often they are just boring. However, give them a modicum of power and they can become downright dangerous.

For instance, take the recent dustup at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It started when Marc Lamont Hill, a tenured professor holding an endowed chair in the School of Media and Communications, gave a speech at the United Nations. The occasion was the U.N.s International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Hill, who is a longstanding critic of Israels treatment of Palestinians, summarized the official discrimination practiced by Israel against the Palestiniansthat is he laid out examples of Zionist Israels racist nature and practiceand then endorsed a free Palestine from the river to the sea.

It was at this point that local supporters of Israel, specifically the ideologues who see things through the lens of the dogma of Zionism, went on the attack. Their claim was that Hill was calling for the end of Israel. Morton Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America, claimed Hills endorsement of a free Palestine amounted to the violent genocide of Jews in Israel. Leonard Barrack, a major donor to the university, accused Hill of calling for the destruction of the State of Israel and said I think it [Hills speech] was anti-Semitic. And then Patrick OConnor, the chairman of Temple Universitys board of trustees, called Hills remarks hate speech and disgusting. He went on to claim that no one at Temple is happy with his comments. By the way, Temple has a student enrollment of over 30,000, so how can the chairman be sure? OConnor has instructed the universitys lawyers to explore ways to punish Hill. In the meantime CNN, obviously responding to Zionist pressure, immediately fired Lamont Hill from his position as an on-air commentator.

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Part IIClarifying Points



Here are some clarifying, non-dogmatic points relevant to this situation:

The phrase a free Palestine from the river to the sea has long been understood by supporters of Palestinian rights to be a call for democracy. That is, a call for a state that represents and treats all its people as equals. It is not proposal to purge all the Israeli Jews. However, it is undeniably anti-Zionist. Why? Because Zionism ultimately insists on a state with full rights for only one people (Jews), and this essentially denies full rights to 20 percent of its population (Palestinians). Both in theory and practice, it is present-day Israel, and not a proposed free Palestine, that is demonstrably racist.

There is a clear difference between Israel and the Jewish people. Israel is a recently created (1948) political state that falsely claims to represent the entirethat is worldwideJewish people. By doing so, the Zionists set up the false relationship that allows them to equate anti-Zionism with

anti-Semitism. Yet the claim is not sustainable, for there have always been Jewish opponents of Zionism. Today this tradition of opposition continues, and a large segment of those, worldwide, opposing Israel and its racist practices, are Jewish. However, the Zionists, having been indoctrinated with the belief that Israel and the Jews are one, cannot face this truth. It may be the case that their fear and dislike for the numerous anti-Zionist Jews (the so-called self-hating Jews) is as great, or greater than, that for Palestinians.

Zionist consciousness requires a denial and distortion of history. The reality of the Zionist movements link to British imperialism; the subsequent fact that the Zionist intrusion into Palestine constitutes a history of a European settlement project in a non-European land; the Zionist complicity with at least some of the forced displacement of Jews from Arab lands; the reality of the Nakbaall have to be denied or reinterpreted. As is the case with most dubious moral behavior, rationalizations and denials become key to the perpetrators own self-image.

It is on the basis of this reinterpretation of history and their indoctrinated belief in it that Patrick OConnor, Morton Klein, and Leonard Barrack act out as they do. Essentially, they are projecting onto the Palestinians and their supporters, such as Marc Lamont Hill, Zionisms own racist motives. They are drawn to do so, perhaps subconsciously, because it is the Zionists, and not their opponents, who have a goal of ethnic cleansing. Thus, Zionism is a dogma that, all too obviously, calls for the removal of as many Palestinians as possible from the river to the sea.



Part IIIWhat Really Is At Stake?



The dustup over Marc Lamont Hills speech is not an isolated occurrence. Dozens of similar calculated over-reactions, episodes of intimidation, and attention-getting acts of slander, have occurred over the last few years. Most of these have been directed by Zionists at academics critical of Israel and its evolving apartheid practices. The reaction to these attacks usually focuses on the threat to academic freedom and free speech. This has been the case in the pushback against the Zionist assault on Lamont Hill.

However, these issues, while very important indeed, by no means cover the extent of the Zionist threat. What else is threatened? Well, lets think this through in logical steps:

 Lamont Hills speech at the U.N. addressed Israels racist nature and practice. His criticism was not arbitrary, but rather fact based.

The Zionist response was that Hills speech was anti-Semitic hate speech. That is, they assert that criticism of Israeli racism is itself racist.

Such an accusation makes no sense in a world that has standards of international law against which the alleged racist practice of a state, a government, or a powerful dogma can be tested. When such standards are applied to Israel, the states racist nature is revealed and becomes a basis for criticism.

Therefore, the Zionist campaign to identify anti-Semitism with criticism of Israels racist nature and practice is, ipso facto, an effort to overturn those standards. Put another way, we can say that Israel as it currently exists, and the evolutionary direction it has laid out for itself in terms of its apartheid local laws and practices, constitute an open challenge to international law and the present concepts of human rights enshrined in it.

The Zionists are driven to mount this challenge because Israels claim to be a legitimate nation-state, and particularly its claim to be a Western nation both in political and cultural form, is insupportable in a world where international law criminalizes the racist consequences of its guiding ideology.

For the Zionists, it is an us-versus-them, zero-sum game. Either they become an ever more isolated rogue state, or the international laws and values that challenge their practices must be destroyed.



Part IVConclusion



The Zionists are not trying to create something new here. They are, in effect, trying to go backward in timetrying to turn the clock back to a time when international law was only about trade relations and the wartime treatment of prisoners of war. It was not until after World War II that international law, in reaction to the racially motivated crimes of the Nazis (significantly impacting the Jewish people), started to set up legal standards supporting human rights (for instance, declaring apartheid as a crime against humanity). It is a supreme irony that it is just these aspects of international law that the Zionists seek to destroy.

So, destruction is the Zionists strategic goal and the attack on Marc Lamont Hill and others like him is dictated by the tactics they have chosen to use toward that end. That is really what is going on, and it is important that as many people as possible become aware of just what is at stake here. In terms of human rights we all should start thinking of ourselves as potential Palestinians.

Lawrence Davidson is a retired professor of history from West Chester University in West Chester PA. His academic research focused on the history of American foreign relations with the Middle East. He taught courses in Middle East history, the history of science and modern European intellectual history. http://www.tothepointanalyses.com/

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==See Also==

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Temple Univerisity will not punish Marc Lamont Hill, issues condemnation : Hill spoke as a private citizen and his right to do so is protected by the constitution.

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Ocasio-Cortez Wont Join AIPAC's Israel Trip

Child Sex Slavery Ring Run by Former Israeli Soldier Dismantled by Colombian Police: The girls were forced to be part of a WhatsApp group called Purim  an apparent reference to the Jewish holiday  where they were pressured and intimidated as well as summoned to areas frequented by Israeli tourists.

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December 12, 2018 "

Information Clearing House

"

-

Venezuelan President accused the United States of being behind the assassination attempt.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro gave a press conference to international media Wednesday where he hailed the success of the Venezuelan municipal elections while also accusing the United States of plotting to kill him and naming John Bolton, President Trump's national security advisor.

"It always seemed to me that it was appropriate for local leaders -in a true democracy- to be elected in elections for those powers," Maduro said as he kicked off his press conference. "The Bolivarian movement, founded by Commander Hugo Chavez, is strong, we leave the mobilization campaign in the local leaders, who are every day between streets working and living with the people"

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"We have obtained almost 90 percent of the positions, and the forces of the Great Patriotic Pole added, have obtained 75 percent of the votes. This can not be left aside."

He went on to accuse the United States of being behind the assassination attempt on his life back in August and that Washington continues to plot against him and against his government. He said there is a plan encouraged by John Bolton to train mercenary forces that will execute false positives to military forces at the border, to confuse public opinion and justify an attack on Venezuela.
December 12, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - We face a world of multiple wars some leading to direct global conflagrations and others that begin as regional conflicts but quickly spread to big power confrontations.

We will proceed to identify great power confrontations and then proceed to discuss the stages of proxy wars with world war consequences.

In our times the US is the principal power in search of world domination through force and violence. Washington has targeted :top level targets, namely China, Russia, Iran; secondary objectives Afghanistan, North and Central Africa, Caucuses and Latin America.

China is the prime enemy of the US for several economic, political and military reasons: China is the second largest economy in the world; its technology has challenged US supremacy it has built global economic networks reaching across three continents. China has replaced the US in overseas markets, investments and infrastructures. China has built an alternative socio-economic model which links state banks and planning to private sector priorities. On all these counts the US has fallen behind and its future prospects are declining.

In response the US has resorted to a closed protectionist economy at home and an aggressive military led imperial economy abroad. President Trump has declared

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The first line of attack are Chinese exports to the US and its vassals. Secondly, is the expansion of overseas bases in Asia. Thirdly, is the promotion of separatist clients in Hong Kong, Tibet and among the Uighurs. Fourthly, is the use of sanctions to bludgeon EU and Asian allies into joining the economic war against China. China has responded by expanding its military security, expanding its economic networks and increasing economic tariffs on US exports.

The US economic war has moved to a higher level by arresting and seizing a top executive of Chinas foremost technological company, Huawei.

The White House has moved up the ladder of aggression from sanctions to extortion to kidnapping. Provocation, is one step up from military intimidation. The nuclear fuse has been lit.

Russia faces similar threats to its domestic economy, its overseas allies, especially China and Iran as well as the US renunciation of intermediate nuclear missile agreement

Iran faces oil sanctions, military encirclement and attacks on proxy allies including in Yemen, Syria and the Gulf region Washington relies on Saudi Arabia, Israel and paramilitary terrorist groups to apply military and economic pressure to undermine Irans economy and to impose a regime change.

Each of the three strategic targets of the US are central to its drive for global dominance; dominating China leads to controlling Asia; regime change in Russia facilitates the total submission of Europe; and the demise of Iran facilitates the takeover of its oil market and US influence of Islamic world. As the US escalates its aggression and provocations we face the threat of a global nuclear war or at best a world economic breakdown.

Wars by Proxy

The US has targeted a second tier of enemies, in Latin America, Asia and Africa.

In Latin America the US has waged economic warfare against Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua. More recently it has applied political and economic pressure on Bolivia. To expand its dominance Washington has relied on its vassal allies, including Brazil, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Argentina and Paraguay as well as right-wing elites throughout the region

As in numerous other cases of regime change Washington relies on corrupt judges to rule against President Morales, as well as US foundation funded NGOs; dissident indigenous leaders and retired military officials. The US relies on local political proxies to further US imperial goals is to give the appearance of a civil war rather than gross US intervention.

In fact, once the so-called dissidents or rebels establish a foot hole, they invite US military advisers, secure military aid and serve as propaganda weapons against Russia, China or Iran  first tier adversaries.

In recent years US proxy conflicts have been a weapon of choice in the Kosovo separatist war against Serbia; the Ukraine coup of 2014 and war against Eastern Ukraine; the Kurd take over of Northern Iraq and Syria; the US backed separatist Uighurs attack in the Chinese province of Xinjiang.

The US has established 32 military bases in Africa, to coordinate activities with local warlords and plutocrats. Their proxy wars are discarded as local conflict between legitimate regimes and Islamic terrorists, tribality and tyrants.

The objective of proxy wars are threefold. They serve as feeders into larger territorial wars encircling China, Russia and Iran.

Secondly, proxy wars are testing grounds to measure the vulnerability and responsive capacity of the targeted strategic adversary, i.e. Russia, China and Iran.

Thirdly, the proxy wars are low cost and low risk attacks on strategic enemies. The lead up to a major confrontation by stealth.

Equally important proxy wars serve as propaganda tools, associating strategic adversaries as expansionist authoritarian enemies of western values.

Conclusion

US empire builders engage in multiple types of aggression directed at imposing a unipolar world. At the center are trade wars against China; regional military conflicts with Russia and economic sanctions against Iran.

These large scale, long-term strategic weapons are complemented by proxy wars, involving regional vassal states which are designed to erode the economic bases of counting allies of anti-imperialist powers.

Hence, the US attacks China directly via tariff wars and tries to sabotage its global Belt and Road infrastructure projects linking China with 82 counties.

Likewise, the US attacks Russian allies in Syria via proxy wars, as it did with Iraq, Libya and the Ukraine.

Isolating strategic anti-imperial power via regional wars, sets the stage for the final assault  regime change by cop or nuclear war.

However, the US quest for world domination has so far taken steps which have failed to isolate or weaken its strategic adversaries.

China moves forward with its global infrastructure programs: the trade war has had little impact in isolating it from its principal markets. Moreover, the US policy has increased Chinas role as a leading advocate of open trade against President Trumps protectionism.

Likewise, the tactics of encircling and sanctioning Russia has deepened ties between Moscow and Beijing. The US has increased its nominal proxies in Latin America and Africa but they all depend on trade and investments from China. This is especially true of agro-mineral exports to China.

Notwithstanding the limits of US power and its failure to topple regimes, Washington has taken moves to compensate for its failures by escalating the threats of a global war. It kidnaps Chinese economic leaders; it moves war ships off Chinas coast; it allies with neo-fascist elites in the Ukraine. It threatens to bomb Iran. In other words the US political leaders have embarked on adventurous policies always on the verge of igniting one, too, many nuclear fuses.

It is easy to imagine how a failed trade war can lead to a nuclear war; a regional conflict can entail a greater war.

Can we prevent World War 3? I believe it will happen. The US economy is built on fragile foundations; its elites are deeply divided. Its main allies in France and the UK are in deep crises. The war mongers and war makers lack popular support. There are reasons to hope!

James Petras is a Bartle Professor (Emeritus) of Sociology at Binghamton University, New York. https://petras.lahaine.org

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December 12, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - The tabloid publishing company that killed damaging stories about Donald Trump is telling U.S. prosecutors about the plans hatched with members of Trumps team in the earliest days of the campaign.

At least one unidentified campaign member joined Trump lawyer Michael Cohen in an August 2015 meeting with David Pecker, the publisher of the National Enquirer, to discuss suppressing negative news stories during the election, the U.S. said.

Prosecutors reference to unidentified campaign staff suggests that the number of Trump associates in legal trouble is still expanding.

The deeper involvement of Trumps campaign staff was revealed on Wednesday by federal prosecutors in New York, who disclosed they had reached a non-prosecution agreement with American Media Inc., the National Enquirers publisher.

Under the deal, AMI admitted it worked with the campaign to kill stories about the presidential candidates relationships with women and agreed to cooperate. As early as August 2015, Pecker agreed to identify any damaging information about Trump that came his way and suppress it by buying the stories and not publishing them -- a practice known as catch and kill.

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Read the non-prosecution agreement here

The deal with prosecutors was announced shortly after Cohen, Trumps longtime lawyer and fixer, was sentenced to three years in prison. That was in part for his role in a $150,000 payment by AMI to silence former Playboy model Karen McDougal about her alleged extramarital affair with Trump. According to documents filed in the AMI matter, Cohen promised that AMI would be reimbursed for buying her story.

While Trump has focused his wrath on Special Counsel Robert Muellers probe of Russian interference, the New York probe of campaign finance violations is a significant threat to the president since prosecutors have used court filings about Cohen to tie Trump to the scheme.

You now have AMI admitting that the payments were made for the purpose of influencing the election, said Robert Mintz, a former federal prosecutor who is now in private practice in New Jersey and isnt involved in the case. Its a critical admission because, if true, it transforms the payment into a criminal violation as opposed to simply a private transaction.

More: Cohen Gets Prison, Vows to Keep Helping Muellers Probe

Under the Sept. 20 agreement, AMI wont be prosecuted and must cooperate for three years. The deal marks a change of allegiances for one of Trumps biggest supporters, AMI Chairman and Chief Executive Officer David Pecker. Potentially a key witness for the government, Pecker has been a close friend of Trump and gave positive coverage to his campaign in the National Enquirer.

A spokesman for the company declined to comment.

The White House was also silent about the Cohen and AMI developments. On Twitter on Monday, Trump referred to a hush payment as a simple private transaction, wrongly called a campaign contribution and suggested that even if it was, it is only a CIVIL CASE.

The government said in its agreement that AMI had provided substantial and important assistance to the prosecutors in New York. AMI has made various personnel from AMI available for numerous interviews; engaged outside counsel to ensure the integrity of its compliance with and responses to subpoenas; and responded to numerous requests from prosecutors for various specific items of information.

In August 2015, Pecker met with Cohen and at least one other member of the Trump campaign, according to the agreement. Pecker offered to help deal with negative stories about that presidential candidates relationships with women by, among other things, assisting the campaign in identifying such stories so they could be purchased and their publication avoided.

One deal was struck on Aug. 5, 2016, when AMI agreed to acquire the limited life rights of McDougal -- identified in the agreement as a model and actress -- including her story of her relationships with any then-married man in exchange for $150,000. That amount was substantially more than the company would otherwise pay because of Cohens assurances to Pecker that AMI would be substantially reimbursed.

AMI admitted that its purpose was to suppress the models story so as to prevent it from influencing the election, according to the agreement. At no time did AMI intend to publish the story, and the company failed to report the $150,000 payment to McDougal to the Federal Election Commission, the company admitted.

In late August 2016 and into September, Cohen told Pecker he wanted to pay $125,000 for the rights to McDougals story about her relationship with Trump, the company said.

This article was originally published by " Bloomberg " -

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December 12, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - While a vote in the U.S. Senate to push forward a War Powers Resolution on Wednesday resulted in applause from peace advocates and critics of the U.S. involvement in the Saudi-led assault on Yemen, five Democrats in the U.S. House stirred outrage as they helped Republicans in the chamber pass a ruleattached to massive Farm Bill legislationthat effectively killed the hopes of voting on its version of the resolution for the remainder of the congressional session.

The procedural vote in the Senate, said resolution co-sponsor Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), will help send a message to the world that the chamber will soon end its support for "this brutal, horrific war in Yemen led by an undemocratic, despotic regime."

But in the House, say critics, the five DemocratsReps. Jim Costa (Calif.), Al Lawson (Fla.), Collin Peterson (Minn.), Dutch Rupperberger (Md.), and David Scott (Ga.)sent the exact opposite message by backing the GOP-led effort to kill the resolution.

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MSNBC's Chris Hayes was just one of the journalists and other experts following the story who expressed outrage about the House vote.

"There is literally no domestic constituency of actual voters who are agitating for the US to continue facilitating the bombardment and starvation of Yemen," Hayes tweeted. He added, "What a despicable sham."

What a despicable sham. What the hell is the point of Congress? Why are we starving children? Someone make some affirmative argument for the policy, if you think its so important to continue killing children. But to kill the possibility of a vote in the rules committee? Cowards.  Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) December 12, 2018

The Washington Post's Jeff Stein reported that after the vote it was the "angriest at leadership I've seen progressive House aides and members in a long time." And with the final vote 206-203a margin where the Democratic votes made the crucial differenceone of those aides told him that was "not a coincidence."

And Matt Fuller of the Huffington Post added:

Kind of amazing that Democrats bailed Republicans out on this one. This was a clear winning issue for Democrats. Does the voting public support Republicans sliding in language to a farm bill rule to subvert the War Powers Act and block any debate on Yemen? Way to go, Congress.  Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) December 12, 2018

Stein asked Rep. Peterson directly why he voted the way he did, to which the congressman responded, in part: "I don't know a damn thing about" the war in Yemen but dismissed the resolution to end U.S. complicity in the world's worst humanitarian disaster as an off-topic "tangent."

Full transcript below. Some estimates say more than 50,000 civilians have died in Yemen pic.twitter.com/rR2ezICtv2  Jeff Stein (@JStein_WaPo) December 12, 2018

"Just to be extremely clear about what happened here," explained Stein in a separate tweet: "The farm bill was going to pass regardless of the outcome of this vote. In other words, these 5 Democrats could have voted both for the farm bill and against blocking a vote on Yemen. It's not like they were incompatible."

Paul Kawika Martin, senior director for policy and political affairs for Peace Action, said Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, his fellow Republicans, and the five Democrats who voted with them "are condemning more Yemeni civilians to die horrible deaths, and condemning our nation as a democracy in name only. History will not look kindly on those who abdicated their constitutional duty to debate and vote our nation's wars in the name of petty politics and shoring up future campaign contributions from the arms industry and pro-Saudi lobbyists."

This article was originally published by " Common Dreams " -

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The Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) has condemned plans by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to create polling units in Chad and Niger, to enable Internally Displaced Persons from Nigeria, vote in the forthcoming general elections.

According to the former ruling party, it is a ploy by the Muhammadu Buhari led government in collaboration with INEC to rig the elections.

In a statement by the PDP on Thursday, it said our constitution, is very clear on diaspora voting and this Buhari and Nigerians know too well.

Full statement below

We condemn in unambiguous terms, the alleged plot by the INEC and the Buhari Presidency to rig the 2019 general elections by creating illegal polling centers in Chad and Niger Republic.

President Buhari, INEC and all Nigerians know that there are no provisions for Diaspora voting under our system. By the extant laws guiding elections in Nigeria, it is very clear who is eligible to vote, as well as the centers statutorily designated for elections.

It is therefore reprehensible that Buhari, in his desperation to rig the elections, is now trying to hide under the guise of making special provision for IDPs outside the country, to illegally create rigging centers and import contrived figures into the election results

Moreover, by seeking to open polling units outside the country, the Buhari administration has now agreed that it does not have full control of Nigerian territory and cannot provide security for Nigerians to freely participate in the elections.
At the reception (Photo: hcmcpv.org.vn)

He made the statement while receiving Ms Rosario Portell on December 12th.

Chairman Phong said that as the countrys leading economic hub, Ho Chi Minh city is the ideal destination for domestic and foreign investors. To build the city into a smart city and a financial and economic center of Southeast Asia, it is focusing on developing urban infrastructure, promoting goods trade, attracting foreign investors, and boosting the development of key industries such as electronics, information technology, food processing, and hi-tech industrial and agricultural production.

He expressed his hope that the Oriental Republic of Uruguay Ambassador will help promote cooperation between the two countries, including with the city, in trade, investment, agriculture, tourism, culture and education.

Ms Rosario Portell pledged to promote cooperative activities in diverse areas; introducing Uruguays image and products to the Vietnamese country and people to boost bilateral comprehensive cooperation.

For Ho Chi Minh city, an important economic center, she said that the city should increase cooperation in investment, trade, politics, culture and society with Uruguay to deepen the relationship between the two countries. Uruguay is willing to share experience with the city in hi-tech agriculture, finance and banking, she added./.
Senator Ben Murray Bruce has said that the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party(PDP), Donald Duke can never win next years presidential election, no matter how handsome and eloquent he is.

This was in reaction to a video shared by veteran musician, and Human Rights activist, Charles Oputa aka Charly Boy. In the video, the former Cross Rivers state governor, during a chat on Arise TV, was heard saying no one can do well under the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) because of the stakeholders there.

The former governor in the video said he knows the PDP very well, having been a member for many years  he noted that, even if he had emerged as the former ruling partys presidential candidate, he wouldnt do well, because the structure of the party, encourages corruption.

Ben Bruce in reaction to the video said that the Presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar remains the only option for 2019, if Nigerians want President Muhammadu Buhari out of office.

He wrote:

Charles,

You and I know that as handsome and eloquent as he is, Donald Duke has no chance in 2019. What youre doing is strategically unwise. I mean no disrespect to either you or Mr. Duke, but if you truly want Buhari gone, Atiku is the ONLY choice.
CSKA Moscow decimated Real Madrid by putting three unreplied goals past them during their Champions league clash at Santiago Bernebeau today. The Russia side defeated the reigning champions by a lone goals during the first leg of the encounter.

CSKA came into the match today with one eye on Viktoria Plzen vs Roma as they need the Italian outfit to beat Victoria so that they can progress to Europa league but they were shell shocked when Roma was defeated by two goals to one.

Despite beating the Los Blancos over the two legged contest, they finished in fourth position and as such wont even compete in the Europa league.
Vanguard



The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has concluded a stakeholders validation conference on the framework for Internally Displaced Persons IDPs with a resolution to make special provisions for IDPs outside Nigeria to vote in next February general elections.

The Nation



Borno and Lagos States Governors Kashim Shettima and Akinwunmi Ambode have urged aggrieved All Progressives Congress (APC) members in Lagos and Ogun states to abide by the partys decision on the last primaries.They stressed that the partys decision was superior to any other.Shettima is the Chairman of APC National Peace and Reconciliation Committee for the Southwest while Ambode is a member.They urged the aggrieved members to unite for the party to remain strong, united and formidable

This Day



The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus, Wednesday accused the leaderships of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigeria Police of plotting to cripple PDP-controlled states and ensure they lose focus on the 2019 elections. Secondus alleged that the federal governments agencies entered into a secret pact with

The Sun



President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday night, assured his supporters that come 2019, hard work and loyalty would be rewarded. Speaking during the launch of Together Nigeria put together by the Buhari Support Organisation (BSO) for his 2019 campaign at the State House Conference Center

Daily Times



The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on Monday night in Abuja commended former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar for being the first presidential candidate

Daily Trust



The APC has asked the Supreme Court to sack Governor Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State on the ground of alleged irregularities in the 2014 primary election that produced him as the partys candidate. The APC in a dramatic twist, now backed the appeal earlier filed by Senator Umar Dahiru and Aliyu Abubakar Sanyinna, who bot

Leadership



The Ogun governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming general elections, Prince Dapo Abiodun has expressed optimism that the internal crisis rocking the state chapter of the party will be resolved before the election. Abiodun also expressed the confidence that the incumbent state governor,

Tribune



The Court of Appeal, sitting in Port Harcourt Division on Wednesday dismissed the appeal filed Tonye Cole, governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress APC, thus confirming the fears at several quarters that All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State might not field any candidate during the 2019 General elections.


Minister of Power, Babatunde Fashola has come under severe criticisms over a statement attributed to him, in recent publication.

The minister, was quoted to have said that, the federal government shouldnt be blamed for the problems being experienced in the power sector.

There are problems without a doubt and we must deal with them. But let me remind you, all of the assets that the ministry of power used to control for power have been sold by the last administration before I came. And so if you dont have power, it is not the governments problem. Let us be honest.

The people who are operating the power sector, generation and distribution are now privately owned companies. I am here because I am concerned. If your telephone is not working, it is not the minister of communication that you go to. Let us be very clear.

So for those of you who want to weaponise electricity, face the businessmen who have taken it up. Let us be honest. If your bank over-charges you interest, is it the minister of finance you go to? So lets be clear. This is now a private business by Act of parliament 2005.

My role is regulatory, oversight and policy, but I have a problem which is the fact that I cant see a problem and turn my back, so Im getting involved. So the people you should be talking to about transformers is not me, the ministry doesnt supply transformers anymore.

However, some Nigerians arent hearing any of it, as they have taken to Twitter to fire several shots, at the former Lagos state governor over the statement.

Some reactions below

If I were ever to believe a cloning story (as stupid as is) Then it has to be with Fashola This is not the man I used to know So, will the real Fashola please stand up please stand up please stand up pic.twitter.com/wxIdpo64uP  Tunji Andrews (@TunjiAndrews) December 13, 2018

"If you dont have power it is not the Federal Goverments problem"  Tunde Fashola, Minister of Power, Works and Housing. The Prince of Darkness has spoken.  Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) December 13, 2018

https://twitter.com/bolanle_cole/status/1073189364543483904?s=19
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KPMG South Africa plans to restore its reputation with a new leader following the scandal over its role in auditing the Gupta-owned businesses, but rival firms are already poaching their clients who no longer trust the firm.
Apple today announced that it will be building a new campus in Austin where it is estimated to make an investment of $1 billion. It will also be establishing new sites in Seattle, San Diego, and Culver City while expanding its existing sites in Pittsburgh, New York and Boulder, and Colorado over the next three years.

The company also states that it is open for additional expansion in the US over time.

As for its new campus in North Austin, Apple says it will be located less than a mile away from its existing facility there. The campus will be spread over 133-acres and accommodate 5,000 more employees, with room for a total of 15,000. The jobs created by the new campus will include engineering, R&D, operations, finance, sales, and customer support.

The campus will be powered by 100 percent renewable energy and include 50 acres of preserved open space.

In its announcement, Apple highlights that it created 6,000 jobs in America this year and employes over 90,000 people across 50 states. It is also on track to create 20,000 additional jobs in the US by 2023.

Apple is proud to bring new investment, jobs and opportunity to cities across the United States and to significantly deepen our quarter-century partnership with the city and people of Austin, said Tim Cook, Apples CEO. Talent, creativity and tomorrows breakthrough ideas arent limited by region or zip code, and, with this new expansion, were redoubling our commitment to cultivating the high-tech sector and workforce nationwide.

The company is also looking to expand its employee base across the United States to 1,000+ over the next three years in states like Seattle, San Deigo, and Culver City.

Apple is also looking to invest $10 billion in its data centers located in the US over the next 5 years. Out of this $10 billion, it will invest $4.5 billion by 2019 itself. It is currently expanding its data centers in North Carolina, Arizona, and Nevada, whilst also building a new data center in Iowa.

It looks like these massive investment plans from Apple are aimed at pacifying the trade war between the US and China and perhaps pacify Donald Trump from hiking the import tariff on iPhones.

[Via Apple
The U.S International Trade Commission (ITC) will be reviewing a ruling in which Apple was allowed to continue selling iPhones in the United States despite infringing on a Qualcomm patent. When the original decision was announced, Apple was not handed an import ban on iPhones in the US since it was not in public interest.

In the original case, Qualcomm had claimed that the Intel modem used by Apple in its devices infringed on six of its patents. The Intel modem in question was not the culprit but the way Apple had implemented it in its iPhones was the reason behind the patent infringement.

Qualcomm ended up removing three of the six patents from the case down the line, though it was ultimately ruled that Apple infringed on only one of Qualcomms patents. Back then, Administrative law judge Thomas Pender, now a retired member of the ITC tribunal, said that while Apple did infringe on Qualcomms patents, it was in the U.S. public interest that iPhones were not banned in the country.

Now, the ITC will be once again hearing the case and decide if Apple infringes on Qualcomms patent and whether an iPhone import ban in the US should be granted or not.

We are pleased that the Commission is going to review the Administrative Law Judges recommendation that no ITC remedy should result from a finding of infringement, Don Rosenberg, Qualcomms executive vice president and general counsel, said in a statement after the announcement.

In its decision, the ITC will also take into account how much time it will take Apple to design a workaround for Qualcomms patented battery saving technology, national security concerns raised by the sales ban, and if a limited import ban could be placed. The final ruling of the case is due before February 19.

Our Take

If Qualcomm ends up managing to get even a limited import ban on iPhones in the US, it would be a major win for the San Diego chipmaker. While Apples lawyer has clarified that it is no mood to settle its matters with Qualcomm outside of court, the import ban might just force the company to reconsider its decision.

[Via Reuters
Not satisfied with its preliminary win and an import ban against iPhone 6s through iPhone 8, Qualcomm has now asked the Chinese patent court to ban sales of the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR in the region.

A Chinese patent court earlier this week ruled that Apple infringed on two of Qualcomms software patents and handed a sales and import ban on selected iPhone models. Apple was quick to clarify that the sales ban was only on devices running iOS 11, though Qualcomm said that the ban applies to iOS 12 devices as well. While Qualcomm was handed a win, it was not clear as to when the ban would go live. Apple for its part had already filed a reconsideration request and that all the devices in question remained on sale.

Nonetheless, Qualcomm wants to take advantage of the situation and is asking courts to ban sales of newer iPhones running iOS 12 as well.

We plan to use the same patents to file suit against the three new iPhone models, Jiang Hongyi, a lawyer at Lexfield Law Offices who is representing Qualcomm in its patent suits, told the FT.

Qualcomm was given a sales and import ban injunction against iPhones for patents which include the way applications are managed on a smartphone and how photos are resized. In the US as well, Qualcomm has managed to get the ITC to review a ruling for one of the cases which Apple had lost for patent infringement relating to how it uses Intel modem on iPhones. Despite the loss, an iPhone sales ban was not handed over to Apple since it would have gone against the interest of the U.S. consumers. Now though, the ITC might consider imposing a limited iPhone import ban after reviewing the case again.

Our Take

At this point, it is unclear that even if Qualcomm ends up getting an import ban on newer iPhones in China how fast the ruling will go into effect. Apple still continues to sell the iPhone 6s through iPhone 8 in China despite the Chinese patent court imposing a sales ban on them. And given how much time it takes for courts to come to a verdict, Apple might just come up with a workaround by then.

[Via Reuters
Chinese President Xi Jinping (C, front row) poses for a group photo with foreign delegates attending the just concluded 2018 Imperial Springs International Forum held in Guangzhou, ahead of a meeting with them at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 12, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping reiterated on Wednesday that China will adhere to the path of multilateralism and open its door wider to the world.

Xi made the remarks when meeting with foreign delegates attending the just concluded 2018 Imperial Springs International Forum held in Guangzhou.

[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]
Ministry of Maritime Affairs MOPS Jobs 2019 in Islamabad

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Note: Beware of Fraudulent Recruiting Activities. If an employer asks to pay money for any purpose, do not pay at all and report us at contact us form. Apply as per instuctions & dates mentioned in official job ad. Govt jobs may not be applied online here. Human typing error is possible. Error & omissions excepted.
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Actor Robert Markus is shown in this undated handout photo. Vancouver native Robert Markus will star in an upcoming Canadian production of the smash stage musical "Dear Evan Hansen." Producers say he'll play the title role in the show that's set to begin performances at Mirvish Productions' Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto on March 5. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - Mirvish Productions
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The Bronze Tiger Ying looted from Yuanmingyuan, or the Old Summer Palace, returns to China and is displayed at a ceremony to mark its entering the collections at the National Museum of China in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 11, 2018. The vessel was auctioned in April by Britain's Canterbury Auction Galleries. The buyer, through the auction house, contacted China's State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) in late April and expressed hope for an unconditional donation. Resources show the vessel, once belonging to the royal family of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), was taken away by British military officer Harry Evans from the Old Summer Palace, which was sacked and destroyed in 1860 during the invasion of Anglo-French allied forces. Representatives from SACH and experts with the National Museum of China visited Britain in September to authenticate the bronze vessel, which dates back to the Western Zhou period (1046 BC-771 BC). "Chinese cultural relics lost overseas are an important component of the cultural heritage of our country," said Liu Yuzhu, head of SACH, adding they bear the profound history and cultural emotions of the Chinese people. Liu said SACH has in recent years successfully facilitated the return of many lost cultural relics to China. (Xinhua/Li He)

BEIJING, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese bronze vessel looted from Yuanmingyuan, or the Old Summer Palace, has recently returned to China and entered the collections at the National Museum of China on Tuesday.

The vessel, known as the Bronze Tiger Ying, was auctioned in April by Britain's Canterbury Auction Galleries.

The buyer, through the auction house, contacted China's State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) in late April and expressed hope for an unconditional donation.

Resources show the vessel, once belonging to the royal family of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), was taken away by British military officer Harry Evans from the Old Summer Palace, which was sacked and destroyed in 1860 during the invasion of Anglo-French allied forces.

Representatives from SACH and experts with the National Museum of China visited Britain in September to authenticate the bronze vessel, which dates back to the Western Zhou period (1046 BC-771 BC).

"Chinese cultural relics lost overseas are an important component of the cultural heritage of our country," said Liu Yuzhu, head of SACH, adding they bear the profound history and cultural emotions of the Chinese people.

Liu said SACH has in recent years successfully facilitated the return of many lost cultural relics to China, and the return of the Bronze Tiger Ying is a representative model.

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[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]
Michael Kovrig is shown in this undated handout photo. A former Canadian diplomat has been arrested in China, according to media reports and the international think tank he works for. International Crisis Group says it's aware of reports that its North East Asia senior adviser Michael Kovrig has been detained. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - International Crisis Group
Leader of the Opposition Andrew Scheer holds an end of session news conference in the Foyer of the House of Commons in Ottawa, Thursday December 13, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
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British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves Downing Street for Prime Minister's Questions in London, Britain on Dec. 12, 2018. British Prime Minister Theresa May will face a vote of no confidence later Wednesday, said Graham Brady, head of the Conservative Party's 1922 Committee of backbenchers. (Xinhua/Isabel Infantes)

LONDON, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May will face a vote of no confidence later Wednesday, said Graham Brady, head of the Conservative Party's 1922 Committee of backbenchers.

The required threshold of 48 letters from members of parliament needed to trigger a vote of confidence in party leadership has been reached, Brady said.

The vote by Conservative Party members will be held between 18:00 GMT and 20:00 GMT, and the results will be "announced as soon as possible in the evening," he added.

In response, May addressed the media outside 10 Downing Street, saying she will contest the vote of no confidence.

A change of leadership now would create uncertainty "when we can least afford it," May said, adding that the first act of a successor if she loses would have to be extending or rescinding Article 50, the mechanism that started the two-year countdown to Britain leaving the European Union (EU) next March.

May said she has devoted herself unsparingly to delivering Brexit, concluding: "I stand ready to finish the job."

The British prime minister on Monday put the brakes on a vote on her Brexit deal in parliament in order to buy more time for further talks with EU leaders, who claimed that the deal, reached last month, will not be renegotiated.

The prime minister told a hostile House of Commons that she made the decision after acknowledging "the deal would be rejected by a signific ant margin."

In Brussels, European Council President Donald Tusk said Monday he had called a meeting of the council to discuss Brexit on Thursday and that the EU "will not renegotiate the deal including the backstop but is ready to discuss how to facilitate UK ratification."

The EU leaders are scheduled to meet as the final summit of the year is held Thursday and Friday.

May said that she is seeking the EU's assurance on the backstop arrangement in the Brexit deal to avoid a harder border between Britain's Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Three key cabinet members, namely, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Home Secretary Sajid Javid and Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary James Brokenshire, on Wednesday voiced their support for the prime minister, saying that "the last thing the country needs" is a Conservative Party election.

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[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]
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VIENNA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The output from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) decreased as Iran pumped less oil last month, a monthly report released by the cartel showed on Wednesday.

In November, OPEC's output decreased by around 11,000 barrels per day (bpd), said the report.

The decrease was mainly due to the 380,000 bpd decline in Iran's output, which dropped below 3 million bpd, for the first time lower since the beginning of 2016.

One of the largest oil producers in OPEC, Iran has been under U.S. sanctions for several months now.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia increased its crude production in November.

In its report, OPEC forecast 2019 demand for its oil could fall to 31.44 million bpd, around 100,000 bpd less than forecast last month.

[ Editor: WPY ]
In a photo taken on Dec. 1, children wave a North Korean flag as they perform at the Sinuiju City Kindergarten in North Korea's border city of Sinuiju. Lined up in vividly-coloured costumes, make-up and bright smiles, the children of the Sinuiju City Kindergarten belted out the finale of their hour-long show, 'We Cannot Live Without You, Father'  an ode to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. AFP



The United States has redesignated North Korea as a violator of religious freedom for the 18th consecutive year, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday.

North Korea is among 10 Countries of Particular Concern for engaging in or tolerating "systematic, ongoing, (and) egregious violations of religious freedom," Pompeo said in a statement.

The designations were made Nov. 28 in accordance with the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, and subject the nations to further action by the U.S., including economic sanctions.

"In far too many places across the globe, individuals continue to face harassment, arrests, or even death for simply living their lives in accordance with their beliefs. The United States will not stand by as spectators in the face of such oppression," Pompeo said.

He said the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump made religious freedom a top foreign policy priority and launched the first-ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom earlier this year.
















Music video director Lee Rae-kyung Courtesy of Lee Rae-kyung



By Kwak Yeon-soo



Inspired by the films that dominated her childhood, Lee Rae-kyung had the ambition to become a movie director. As things turned out, however, Lee ended up not close to cinema but with a prime position in making music videos for some of the most popular K-pop stars including IU, Girls' Generation's Yoona, Lee Moon-sae, Bolbbalgan4 and many others.



Following her path with determination has led her to dominant position behind the camera. But Lee recalls that breaking into the industry was tougher than she had imagined.



After graduating from high school, Lee attended three universities in eight years. One year into her first college, she struggled to see how she could turn media studies into a career. So instead of going to classes, Lee spent most of her time at the student-operated radio station. There she taught herself how to mash videos and images together and edit them.



Luckily, her perspective changed once she entered into Kaywon University of Arts & Design the following year, majoring in Moving Image Design. Lee developed a strong passion for cinema and media production and found more room to grow. All of the sources she uses in the process of making music videos are derived from the things she learned at Kaywon, according to Lee.



"There were times when I juggled four part-time jobs with my studies because I was short of money. It felt like I would need a real job. I thought: it's got to be close to cinema and so I chose to make commercials at first," Lee said in a recent interview with The Korea Times.









But in her first paying gigs as a production assistant her experience of the rampant sexism in the industry proved demotivating. As a result, she transferred to Hongik University as an escape from work. There she established long-lasting relationships with alumni in her career field.



With an aim to work as a director, Lee switched gears to work at a music video production company. But it turned out to be a fraudulent company. "I worked as hard as I could. But I didn't get paid and the executive director took all the money from winning bids for music video projects," Lee said.





A screen capture from Okdal's "Love Advice" music video Courtesy of Lee Rae-kyung

During these years, Lee also started directing videos for no-name artists for free. "I begged them to let me make their videos," she said. One of her videos was for the solo performer Zitten's song "Sunflower."

A paid music video request came a year later from Magic Strawberry Sound, a recording label. Lee got her first break making a video for Okdal, also known as Rooftop Moonlight, and since then she has directed videos for artists like 10cm and Sunwoo JungA.



And 2017 was the year Lee booked crucial videos, IU's videos for "Through the Night" and "Palette." It was the first time she had worked with an artist everyone had heard of.



"I once asked IU's label how they discovered me. They told me they liked my name. They then looked me up online, watched my previous videos and offered me the job," Lee said.





A screen capture from IU's "Palette" music video Courtesy of Lee Rae-kyung



Working with IU was an absolute dream, according to her. On set, there was a lot of interaction with the performer to define the concept and the story. "The first image that came to my mind after listening to the song Palette was IU wearing mannish attire while standing still on a runway, staring cynically at the camera. I also added images that match well the lyrics to every part of the music video," she said.



The female director also explained that a big part of her job is to put herself in the mindsets of both the artist and the fan. "I have to consider, where they are in their career and how I would like to see them in this video. But first and foremost, I have to be inspired by the song," she said.



To execute the work process, Lee considers three things as priorities: budget, schedule and the song. "After I listen to the song, I usually write a concept and pitch it to the label and the artist. Sometimes they will have an idea already. Some changes are made to scale down and fit the budget," Lee explained.



A screen capture from Lee Moon-sae's "Blur" music video inspired by Park Chan-wook's movie "Oldboy" Courtesy of Lee Rae-kyung




Korea Deposit Insurance Corp. (KDIC) CEO Wi Seong-bak speaks at a press meeting at the Korea Press Foundation in Seoul, Dec. 13. Courtesy of KDIC

By Lee Kyung-min
People on the streets in the city of Pyongyang in this photo from Sept. 11, 2018. Yonhap



North Korean propaganda outlets lashed out at the United States on Thursday for pressuring the communist nation over human rights issues, calling it an "intolerable insult" and "political provocation."



The U.S. has recently renewed its designation of the North as one of the worst human trafficking countries and a violator of religious freedom, and slapped sanctions on Choe Ryong-hae, a close aide to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, for human rights abuses.



"The U.S.'s intention lies in condemning our country as a human trafficking country, making a scratch on our republic's image and thereby creating a mood for sanctions pressure," Uriminzokkiri, one of the North's propaganda websites, said in an article.





Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, right, welcomes North Korea's special envoy Choe Ryong Hae during their meeting in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014. Yonhap
Dr. Stephen Linton, the founder and chief of the Eugene Bell Foundation, tells tuberculosis (TB) patients how to collect sputum samples, during the organization's three-week visit to North Korea from Oct. 16 to Nov. 6. Courtesy of the Eugene Bell Foundation



By Jung Da-min



It is time for the two Koreas to permit private sector exchanges so personal relationships can be developed, the leader of a major NGO says.



"When government officials monopolize and control private level exchanges, it is difficult for people from the South and North to effect real reconciliation," said Dr. Stephen Linton, who has long led humanitarian efforts focused on North Korea.





Dr. Stephen Linton. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-min

"If the government permits access, private citizens can develop relationships with North Korea. But if it then suddenly restricts them, real relationships cannot develop. This also happens when governments fund private exchanges and then, suddenly, when policy changes, withdraw support."



Linton is the founder and chairman of the Eugene Bell Foundation. He made the comments during an interview with The Korea Times on Nov. 30 at a Seoul cafe.



"I have seen the ROK government support and then restrict private sector contacts under the Kim Young-sam, Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations," he said. "Every time there is a change in administration, the policy on private sector relationships changes."



Linton said the Eugene Bell Foundation could continue its work in North Korea over the past 23 years thanks to donations from private citizens. Relatively little support has come from governments.



"Eugene Bell is nothing more than an organization that delivers assistance that is provided primarily by private Korean citizens and organizations," he said. "Our source of support is voluntary contributions, not taxes."





Eugene Bell Foundation delegation members and North Korean caregivers register potential TB patients. Courtesy of the Eugene Bell Foundation



Linton said although there are problems the government can solve better than civic groups, TB is not one of them, which is the foundation's target in North Korea.



Some organizations, particularly large NGOs, hire lobbyists in the hope of receiving funding for implementing government-sponsored programs.



Other NGOs depend on donated goods. Relying on donated goods is not an option for a medical program like TB treatment, Linton said. "It is impossible to organize a treatment program with donated goods because you have to order specialized medications directly from manufacturers, sometimes nine months in advance," he said. "Support for TB from governments usually goes to international organizations like the Global Fund and the World Health Organization."



To treat regular TB, four drugs must be used simultaneously to prevent the development of drug resistance, Linton said.





Sputum samples are prepared for transport. Eugene Bell Foundation

GeneXperts are used to diagnose MDR-TB. Courtesy of Eugene Bell Foundation



However, there is a smaller group of patients with TB who have multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), meaning the TB germs in their bodies are resistant to one or more of these drugs.



From 1997 to 2007, the foundation provided regular TB assistance. After the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM) began providing regular TB assistance in 2008, EugeneBell switched to multidrug-resistant TB. The Global Fund program, administered by UNICEF, treats fewer MDR-TB patients than the Eugene Bell Foundation.



MDR TB requires treatment with six different medications that are a hundred times more expensive than regular TB medicines.



Of about 8,000 new MDR TB patients in North Korea every year, 1,000 were treated by the Global Fund and 1,200 by the Eugene Bell Foundation this year. But the Global Fund that fights AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria pulled out of the North as of June 30, citing "a lack of assurance and risk management for the deployment of resources in the country." The supply of Global Fund TB medications will run out at the end of next year.



To seek support for TB treatment, North Korea recently established the Korean Fund against TB & Malaria (KFTM), an organization within the Ministry of Public Health that focuses on TB and malaria control plans. But so far no solution has been found to replace the Global Fund program.



Linton said it is also important to remember North Koreans are working hard to solve their TB problems.



"North Korean caregivers do all that they can and are very devoted to their TB patients ," he said. "Good TB treatment is a community effort. Instead of the Eugene Bell Foundation, donors who make voluntary contributions to make it possible for us to send medications should also get more recognition."





Patients celebrating completion of the 18-month treatment program for MDR-TB. Eugene Bell Foundation
U.S. President Donald Trump, right, gestures as he meets with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un before their historic North-U.S. summit, at the Capella Hotel on Sentos island in Singapore on June 12. / AFP-Yonhap



By Park Ji-won



North Korea continued to condemn new sanctions recently imposed by the U.S. against the country and it being designated as a violator of religious freedom, Thursday, signaling a bumpy road to denuclearization talks between the two.



North Korean propaganda outlets criticized the United States, calling it an "intolerable insult" and a "political provocation" against the regime.



"The U.S.'s intention lies in denouncing us as a human trafficking country, staining the image of our republic to create a mood for sanctions pressure," Uriminzokkiri, one of the North's state-run websites, said in an article Thursday.



Calling the U.S. a "wasteland of human rights" and a "living hell for human beings," the North's media said that "thousands of unemployed people are roaming on the streets as the right to work, which is a basic right related to survival, isn't guaranteed in the U.S."



The remarks came after the U.S. again designated the North as one of the worst human trafficking countries and a violator of religious freedom while imposing sanctions on three North Korean officials, including the North's de facto No. 2 figure, Choe Ryong-hae, for human rights abuses.



These measures are likely leverage to resolve a deadlock in nuclear negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington. North Korea has been calling for the lifting of sanctions for further denuclearization steps while the U.S. insists that sanctions relief is possible only after the North's complete denuclearization.



Other propaganda websites, including Meari, have been releasing similar articles since early this week.



"Hundreds of years ago, (the U.S.) became a rich country by hunting black people and slave trade and it's a country notorious for its social evils up to the present day. Is it possible for a criminal country against human rights to talk about 'human rights' in front of people?" Meari said in an article Thursday.



Meanwhile, the U.S. will likely continue to take strong measures against the North.



"The Presidential Determination on restrictions and waivers of restrictions for certain types of assistance to the governments of the 22 countries ranked Tier 3 in the 2018 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report reflects the United States' firm commitment to combating human trafficking," a senior officer of the U.S. Department of State told VOA.



Another U.S. official praised the U.S.'s move to have imposed sanctions against North Korea in a media outlet.



"To be able to pass the strongest sanctions in a generation that brought the world together and brought North Korea to the table was really important," Nikki Haley, outgoing U.S. ambassador to the U.N., told NBC's "Today Thursday."






By Kim Jae-kyoung







South Korea has stepped up its efforts to globalize its legal system by strengthening its cooperation with Indonesia.







From Nov. 27 to 30, Kim Oe-sook, minister of Government Legislation, visited the Cabinet Secretariat of Indonesia, an executive office of the President, to support the country in establishing a united legislative organization.







She also discussed strengthening legislative exchanges and cooperation with ranking Indonesian officials.







In a keynote speech at the seminar on the improvement of Indonesia's legislative process held by the Cabinet Secretariat at the Grand Hyatt Jakarta, Nov. 28, Kim said, "The Ministry of Government Legislation was established when Korea was founded. And our ministry has made efforts to meet government policy objectives through legislation."







"The law is a country's commitment. And a united legislative organization is needed to make these reliable laws and regulations. Therefore, our ministry would fully support Indonesia in establishing such an organization."







After the seminar, Minister Kim met with Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung and discussed specific measures for cooperation between the two organizations.







During the meeting, Kim proposed various cooperative measures such as developing an education program for Indonesian public officials in charge of legislation and sharing best practices.







Kim's visit to Indonesia came as the Cabinet Secretariat invited her to give a keynote speech at the seminar according to the memorandum of understanding (MOU) for cooperation signed by the two organizations during Indonesian President Joko Widodo's state visit to Korea in September.







Indonesia's Cabinet Secretariat has carried out research to establish a united legislative organization by modeling itself on the Korea's legislation ministry and other organizations.







The ministry is also seeking cooperation with other Korean state organizations, to provide support for the Southeast Asian country.







On Dec. 11, Kim met Lee Mi-kyung, the president of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and asked her to closely cooperate with the legislation ministry to help Indonesia promote its governance.







By signing 25 MOUs, the ministry has maintained cooperative relations with 15 countries  China, Thailand, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Malaysia, Singapore, Colombia and Indonesia.










The Korea Times hosted its Bloggers' Night at a downtown restaurant Wednesday to show appreciation for their effort to strengthen its weekend editions and sometimes weekdays. The four seated are, from left, Prof. Emanuel Pastreich; Casey Lartigue, leader of TNKR, an NGO for North Korean refugees; The Korea Times President Lee Byeong-eon and Pokemon expert Rachel Stine. In the first row standing, from left, are the Times' digital newsroom reporter Lee Min-young; former CNN Seoul Bureau chief Sohn Jie-ae; the Times' digital managing editor Oh Young-jin; Kang Jae-eun, model and collaborator of street fashion photographer Michael Hurt, fourth from right in the first standing row; chief editorial writer Park Yoon-bae; the Times' online data analyst Lee Soo-jin, reporter Dong Sun-hwa; copyeditor Emma Sparkes; and reporters Jung Da-min and Ko Dong-hwan. In the back row, from left, are web designer Lee Jong-eun; reporter Jung Min-ho; movie reviewer Jason Bechervaise; Alex Jensen of TBS's "This Morning;" Jacco Zwetsloot, HMP Law director of business innovation; Prof. Hannah Jun; Kwak Won-hee, leader of the digital team; Prof. David Tizzard and Kim Chan-baek, the Times' planning officer. New York Times correspondent Choe Sang-hoon, copyeditor Jon Dunbar and content team leader Park Si-soo attended the function but were not included in the photo. Robert Neff, historian and blogger, could not participate because of a cold. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
South Korean UDT/SEAL soldiers descend from a UH-60 helicopter on Dokdo Island, Oct. 25, 2013. Provided to Hankook Ilbo



South Korea's Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force and police were set to kick off a regular exercise Thursday to hone their combined capabilities to defend Dokdo, a pair of rocky islets in the East Sea.



In the two-day maritime drills, a 3,200-ton destroyer and seven other surface ships will be mobilized, along with several aircraft, including an F-15K fighter, a P-3C maritime surveillance plane and a UH-60 helicopter, defense officials said.



Seoul launched the Dokdo drills in 1986. Since 2003, it has typically conducted the training twice a year for its troops' combat readiness.





The South Korean Navy's first fleet carries out military training at Dokdo Island in 2008. Navy vessels, anti-submarine helicopter LYNX, Korean Coast Guard vessels and the South Korean Air Force's F-15K joined the drill. Provided to Hankook Ilbo




Arthur Patterson walks out of Incheon International Airport on Sept. 23, 2015, after being extradited to Korea on charges of killing a university student in Seoul back in 1997 in the infamous "Itaewon murder" case. / Yonhap



By Lee Suh-yoon



A Seoul court dismissed Thursday compensation claims filed against Arthur Patterson and Edward Lee for their involvement in the "Itaewon murder" case, by the victim's family.



The two U.S. citizens were charged separately with the murder of Korean university student Cho Joong-pil in a Burger King restroom in Itaewon, Seoul, in April 1997.



The victim's family demanded 600 million won ($534,000) in compensation for the murder.



"Another local court had already ordered Patterson to pay 300 million won to the family members in 2003, and that's why the court did not acknowledge the compensation claim this time," Ha Joo-hee, the lawyer representing the victim's family, said outside the courthouse. The family filed the new suit this time after Patterson was extradited to Korea following new evidence about the crime being found.





Arthur Patterson, then 17, reenacts the murder in the restroom of a Burger King store in Itaewon, Seoul, during the police's investigation into the case where a 22-year-old university student was murdered in April 1997. / Korea Times file
BUDAPEST, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Hungarian Parliament adopted a controversial law setting up a supreme court on administrative matters here on Wednesday.

The law was passed by 131 in favor, 2 against and zero abstentions. The court's new president may be elected by the end of March 2019.

According to Minister of Justice Laszlo Trocsanyi, "the current minister of justice will be accountable to parliament in order to have an independent, efficient and high-quality administrative court."

In absence of a two-thirds majority during the previous parliamentary term, the ruling Fidesz party had been unable to create the so-called administrative courts to oversee sensitive public administration cases. Eventually, Fidesz tried to pass the proposal by a simple majority, but this attempt was blocked by the Constitutional Court following the veto of the head of state, Janos Ader.

According to the original plans, the administrative courts would take over cases from the existing courts. They could decide on the legality of the actions of public bodies, such as the Hungarian National Bank, the Public Procurement Arbitration Board or the Media Council. It would also be responsible for issues involving confidentiality and would have a decisive say in electoral affairs.

Opposition parties and NGOs have severely criticized the law establishing the new courts, arguing that it would undermine judicial independence.

The Hungarian Helsinki Committee, a human rights group, said that the new text was yet another "serious threat to the rule of law in Hungary."

The Hungarian government is already facing Article 7 disciplinary proceedings for allegedly violating the European Union (EU) democratic norms.

The EU enumerates a number of concerns about the rule of law in Hungary; the changes to its electoral system implemented without the approval of the opposition parties; the independence of the judiciary, namely the decrease of the power of the Constitutional Court; and alleged corruption issues.

The adoption of the new law is expected to attract the attention of EU bodies, and not in a benevolent manner.

According to the Helsinki Committee, the text undermines the separation of powers, the boundaries between executive and judicial power will be blurred, and it could pave the way for political interference by the government.

The new administrative courts are planned to become operational on Jan. 1, 2020.

The Hungarian government has pledged that the new courts will be independent of political interference, but the minister of justice will have exceptionally strong powers, such as selecting and appointing new judges to the Administrative High Court and lower administrative courts; appointing court presidents and judges to senior positions, as well as promotions.

The minister will also have powers in determining the administrative courts' budgets; and shaping the new court system during the transitional period in 2019 when new judges, new court presidents and senior judges will be appointed.

[ Editor: WPY ]
Samsung Biologics headquarters in Yeonsu-gu District in Incheon was raided by prosecutors Thursday for a probe into alleged accounting fraud. Yonhap



Prosecutors raided the main offices of Samsung BioLogics Co. and its accounting firms on Thursday as part of a probe into alleged accounting fraud.



The raids come about a month after the financial watchdog ruled that Samsung BioLogics intentionally violated accounting rules ahead of its initial public offering in 2016. The case has been referred to the prosecution.



The regulatory review centers on questions about the loss-making Samsung BioLogics' reporting of sudden profits in 2015 after changing the method used to calculate the value of Samsung Bioepis, a joint venture with U.S.-based Biogen Inc.



Investigators from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office searched the accounting division of the bio company in Incheon, west of Seoul, to confiscate evidence related to the suspicion. Separate raids were carried out at KPMG Samjong Accounting Corp. and Deloitte Anjin LLC, the two auditors for Samsung BioLogics.





Samsung BioLogics CEO Kim Tae-han enters the Corporate Review Committee at the Korea Exchange in Yeouido, Seoul, Dec. 10. Yonhap




By Kim Bo-eun







South Korea is talking with Russia to arrange Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Seoul in the first half of next year, Ambassador to Russia Woo Yoon-keun said Thursday.







Russia earlier stated Putin's visit is slated for next year.







Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon delivered President Moon Jae-in's invitation to the Russian leader to visit Korea, when he attended the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok in September.







This came after Moon paid a visit to Moscow in June, the first of a South Korean leader to Russia in 19 years.







The ambassador's remarks were made during a press conference at the foreign ministry. Woo is among 181 ambassadors and consul generals visiting Seoul this week for an annual meeting.







Regarding the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's visit to Russia this year, Woo said this was unlikely.







Around September, it appeared as though Kim's visit to Russia was arranged, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Federation Council Chairman Valentino Matviyenko visiting Pyongyang. North Korea's Foreign Minister Choi Son-hui also visited Russia.







However, when asked about Choi's visit, the ambassador said none of the minister's meetings were disclosed.







"There had been expectations in Russia that Kim could visit in October and November," Woo said. "We hope for the visit to take place next year."







He cited the North Korean leader's many important events including his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump as well as Moon, as the reason Kim's visit will be later than expected.







The ambassador said Russia is cooperating well with China on relations with North Korea. "Moscow and Beijing are in step with sanctions relief for Pyongyang and they continue to refer to the principle that sanctions relief will take place in a step-by-step manner, according to the denuclearization steps North Korea takes," he said.


A group of South Korean politicians wave to people on a train at Dorasan Station in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, before it leaves for the North's northwestern city of Sinuiju for inter-Korean railway inspections Nov. 30. / Yonhap



Kim Jong-un may attend groundbreaking ceremony for inter-Korean railway



By Lee Min-hyung



The two Koreas held working-level talks Thursday for a joint event to celebrate the projected start of work to reconnect inter-Korean railways and roads.



They agreed to hold a ceremony Dec. 26 at Panmun Station near the North's border city of Gaeseong.



"Both sides reached a consensus to invite 100 people on each side for the event, and other details will be discussed with each other," the Ministry of Unification said in a statement.



Officials from the unification ministry said it was seeking the consent of Washington to hold the joint ceremony because the event could violate U.S. sanctions on North Korea. They added that the ceremony would be a symbolic message to the international community.



A four-member South Korean delegation led by Kim Chang-su, deputy head of the joint liaison office in Gaeseong, met with its North Korean counterpart headed by Hwang Chung-song, director for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, at the office in the North's border city of Gaeseong.



In particular, hopes are growing that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may attend the event to celebrate symbolic inter-Korean reconciliation. If Kim attends, President Moon Jae-in may also participate.



"The two Koreas have a bond of sympathy over holding the groundbreaking ceremony for reconnecting roads and railways this year as well as their modernization," ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun said. "We delivered our basic plans to the North, and both delegations will fine-tune their differences on the project during the meeting."



The South will finish inspecting 800 kilometers of the North's eastern rail network from Mount Geumgang to the Tumen River by Dec. 17.



President Moon and Kim reached an agreement on the inter-Korean rail project during their first summit, April 27. The agreement came against the backdrop of the ongoing inter-Korean reconciliation.



The two Koreas believe reconnecting the railway and roads will serve as a milestone in their ongoing peace momentum.



To speed up the joint project, Moon and Kim reached a consensus on holding a groundbreaking ceremony for the project no later than the end of the year during their latest summit in Pyongyang.



The groundbreaking ceremony will likely help the two Koreas accelerate their joint drive for unification at a time when Washington and Pyongyang have hit a deadlock in their denuclearization talks. If both sides continue failing to make progress in their dialogue, this will have a negative impact on inter-Korean relations.



Kim was supposed to visit Seoul this year, but the ongoing U.S.-North Korea impasse has put the brakes on that plan.



This is because he will have nothing to gain from a trip here right now, as he is likely to be under intense pressure to give more details regarding the North's denuclearization.



Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon said in a lecture Tuesday that the groundbreaking ceremony would be a symbolic move to show the North it will have a bright future ahead once it carries out denuclearization.



Hurdles remain over sanctions



Despite the joint pledge, the railway project has in recent months hit a snag after the United Nations Command refused to give permission to the South in August to send a train across the military demarcation line for an inspection of the North's train tracks amid concerns over a possible breach of sanctions.



But last month, the U.N. Security Council offered sanctions exemption for the project after continued requests from the government.



The two Koreas have since made rapid progress in the project by pushing ahead with the joint railway inspection, laying the groundwork for them to hold the groundbreaking ceremony this year.



Seoul hopes the joint railway project will help keep the regime at the dialogue table to boost its pledge for denuclearization.






By Kim Bo-eun



A state-run institute under the Ministry of Unification claimed Thursday that concerned nations can possibly discuss signing a peace treaty without declaring an end to the 1950-53 Korean War.



Although the declaration seems to be an ideal step toward a peace treaty, signing a peace treaty without the declaration is also possible, according to the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU).



"Pushing for a declaration ending the war first is not an essential process in establishing a peace regime," KINU researcher Kim Sang-ki told reporters.



When the focus is on an end of war declaration, negotiations for a peace treaty could be delayed, he said. The researcher added that South and North Korea already virtually declared an end to the war as a detente was created this year, with arms control taking place.



In addition, a consensus has been reached on the parties that would take part _ the Koreas, the U.S. and China _ and North Korea has taken a more flexible approach to U.S. troops stationed in the South so the likelihood of discussions for a peace treaty have become more likely, Kim said.



"As an end of war declaration is being delayed, it would be possible to review whether the declaration would be necessary, and parties could head straight to negotiations on a peace treaty early next year without the declaration," he said.



Meanwhile, a day earlier, KINU unveiled its own blueprint for a peace treaty. While the institute said this was not drawn up upon the request of the government, views are that this may have been an attempt by the government to gauge public opinions about peace treaty with North Korea.



President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed at their first summit on April 27 to switch the armistice to a peace treaty.



The treaty would be signed when North Korea achieves around 50 percent in denuclearization, KINU stated. It assumed this would be in early 2020.



The draft involved four parties of the Koreas, the U.S. and China signing the treaty. The first clause states "an official end to the Korean War which was suspended according to the armistice." It also contains clauses such as the disbanding of the United Nations Command and a ban on deploying and setting up nuclear arsenal of the U.S. and China on the Korean Peninsula.



From North Korea, the draft required that it discards all nuclear materials by 2020. A clause implying a reduction in U.S. forces in Korea when North Korea completes denuclearization was also included.



KINU said this is a draft for a project that will be completed this month, and stated it could be revised or complemented.




By Kang Seung-woo



Subcontractor-based operations are under fire after a 24-year-old mechanic was killed recently while checking a conveyor belt at a power plant in Taean, South Chungcheong Province.





Kim Yong-gyun
Disregard of safety regulations take lives



Another irregular worker has died from a lapse of safety rules. This time a young male contract employee was found dead Tuesday after getting stuck on a coal conveyor belt at the Taean Thermal Power Plant operated by Korea Western Power (KOWEPO) in South Chungcheong Province.



It is the second shocking death of a worker this week after a taxi driver set himself on fire in protest of the launch of a carpooling service by Kakao. The two deaths led many to ponder on the harsh working conditions of people who struggle daily with low-paying and physically demanding jobs.



The 24-year-old worker named Kim Yong-gyun had been at his job only three months after a long search for work. He was hired by Korea Engineering and Power Services, a subcontractor of the power plant that operates and maintains the facility. He was carrying out an onsiite inspection when the accident occurred.



The main problem is that as he was working alone during a night shift, there was no one to control the conveyor belt when he got caught. To prevent such accidents, onsite inspections are supposed to be carried out in pairs. The power plant's union claimed that to cut down on costs the plant did not follow the rules. The tragedy could have been prevented if the plant paid enough attention to worker safety.



There were more than 300 cases of accidents where workers were either injured or killed at power plants across the country between 2012 and 2016, and about 96 percent of the victims were outsourced workers. At the Taean plant alone, 12 workers have been killed since 2010.



The accident is yet another example of the extreme plight of temporary employees. Many of them are forced to work in life-threatening situations, particularly outsourced workers like Kim. It is reminiscent of another death of a temporary contractor who was struck by a train at Guui Station while repairing a platform door in May 2016.



Things have changed little under President Moon Jae-in, who has vowed an "era of zero irregular workers" since the very beginning of his administration. The first outing he made as President was to visit the Incheon International Airport, which has one of the highest proportions of irregular workers among public corporations. A recent Statistic Korea report showed irregular workers take up 33 percent of Korea's entire workforce as of August this year, slightly higher than the 32.9 percent of the same month last year.



The Ministry of Employment and Labor launched an inspection of five power plants and other facilities run by KOWEPO Tuesday. The government should conduct a thorough inspection of the Taean plant and punish those responsible for neglecting worker safety.



A rally was held Thursday to remember the young worker and spread the message about the difficulties faced by people in similar situations. The government should prepare measures to address the wide range of concerns of the irregular workforce.






By Donald Kirk





It's fine to talk to the North Koreans about their nukes and missiles. Go ahead and tell them they're a threat to the world, the human race, to civilization. No problem. The North's stock retort, as we all know, is they're needed for self-defense against the Americans, who bombed the hell out of us in the Korean War.



One topic, however, is strictly off the table, verboten, banned, forbidden, absolutely not mentioned if you want to keep talking to them: human rights.



That's why President Moon Jae-in, on the 70th anniversary this week of passage by the U.N. General Assembly of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, said not a word about North Korea as he gingerly remarked, "The way to improve the human rights of the entire Korean people" is "to eliminate the remains of the Cold War on the Korean peninsula and establish permanent peace."



Sure, but what's he going on about? Is he equating South with North Korea, suggesting the South's record on human rights is comparable with that of the North? Or is he just trying to avoid the topic, to bury it beneath fine words?



Kim Tae-min, head of the inter-Korean cooperation mission for "sustainable development goals," put the problem this way at a conference staged by the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights, which for years has been collecting facts and figures on what's happening up there. "When we talk about human rights in North Korea," he said, "that can halt any conversation with North Korea."



But the dreaded topic cannot be ignored so easily. "Human rights must be discussed at the same time," said Oh Joon, a professor of peace studies at Kyung Hee University, talking at the Database Center conference. "Humanitarian assistance can be used to improve human rights



Hanna Song, a Database Center researcher, observed, "Exemption of human rights issues from high-level talks does not mean North Korea is exempt from its obligations to protect the human rights of its citizens."



Maybe not, but over the years the North Koreans have thumbed their nose at offers by South Korean leaders of fast aid and multi-billion dollar payoffs for just about anything.



They are simply not going to consider any assistance, any offer, however massive, that's conditioned on freeing tens of thousands of prisoners held in the North's sprawling gulag system for political crimes. Nor are they interested in returning several hundred South Koreans, mainly fishermen whose boats were captured on or near North Korean waters.



One wonders, though, if dialogue between Moon and Kim Jong-un is worth anything if Kim refuses to do anything about human rights, just as he won't reveal where he's hiding his nukes and missiles, or the facilities for making them, much less getting rid of any of them?



Interestingly, the day after the anniversary of the universal declaration of human rights was the 49th anniversary of the hijacking by North Koreans of a domestic Korean Air flight with 50 people aboard. No, President Moon did not think to mention that anniversary when orating on his vision of human rights for the Korean Peninsula.



Hwang In-cheol, whose father was never returned after the hijacking, won't let the world forget even if his pleas fall on deaf ears. Nor does he think the matter should be limited to private off-the-record dialog between Moon and Kim or among working-level officials.



His advice: Get it out in the open. What is there to lose? Maybe Kim, eager for aid and assistance, would at last, at least, make token concessions, most especially as far as Hwang is concerned the release of the father whom he was too young to remember.



"These issues should be raised directly and publicly," he told me on the anniversary after carrying signs in English and Korean begging for someone, somehow, to bring his father home. "Kim Jong-un should be ready to address these issues," he passionately believes. "I do not agree that raising the issue will stop dialogue."



Hwang is all in favor of Kim Jong-un making a quick trip to Seoul to see Moon but sets one condition: "If he wants to come to South Korea, he should come with my father."



That's not going to happen, of course, but Hwang sees no prospect of real and lasting peace on Korea if the South fails to demand the return of citizens held captive in the North. "What is 'eliminating the remains of the Cold War,'" he asks, if that whole issue is ignored. Good question.





Donald Kirk (www.donaldkirk.com) has been covering the confrontation on the Korean Peninsula for decades.




Dsion, a blockchain platform dedicated to establishing a healthy start-up funding ecosystem, successfully hosted the Startup Challenge: Singapore finals at PSB Academy in Marina Square on the 9th. The contest was co-hosted by BlockOn Capital PTE. LTD., which operates the local corporate body of the Silicon Valley-based venture capital company Founders Space.

Startup Challenge gathered many promising Singaporean start-ups equipped with innovative ideas and new items to compete for investment and prize money. Over 80 companies signed up for the contest over the three weeks between the 1st and the 21st of last month. Ten companies were selected as finalists after four days of preliminaries starting on the 1st of this month.

Out of the ten finalists, five companies were awarded a grand total of 20,000 SGD (16.44 million KRW) through the finals of Startup Challenge: Singapore. First place went to Beam and Go, a platform for gift card remittance, while second place went to Lendor, a P2P rental platform. There was a tie for third place between Goalsmapper, a personal financial planning and asset management consulting services company, and Good for Food, a food waste management consulting services company. People's Choice was awarded to the company that received the most votes from the public, and this year's winner was Towber, a platform that connects drivers of broken-down vehicles to tow truck services. Good for Food was a two-time winner, also winning Investor's Choice for receiving the most votes from investors.

First place was awarded 15,000 SGD (approximately 12.34 million KRW); second place, 3,000 SGD (approximately 2.46 million KRW); and third place, 2,000 SGD (approximately 1.64 million KRW). Meanwhile, Towber and Good for Food, winners of People's Choice and Investor's Choice, respectively, were each awarded an investment of 100,000 SGD (approximately 82.26 million KRW) from the start-up accelerator Founders Space, which is operated by co-host BlockOn Capital.

Dsion, the host of Startup Challenge: Singapore, is currently undergoing an ICO and is combining crowdfunding and securities investment systems through blockchain, establishing a platform for a healthy investment ecosystem of the future. Dsion has plans to expand into the global blockchain market to further develop its platform. Startup Challenge is a part of these efforts, discovering and investing in potential unicorn companies, thereby allowing start-ups to participate in the Dsion platform.

Dsion CEO Seo Jong-pil highly praised the results of the contest in an interview with the local media in Singapore, revealing that he was "deeply inspired by the business ideas from Singaporean start-ups" and that "there were three or four items that could be implemented right away in Korea."

Chairman Jagdish Pandya of BlockOn Capital, the co-host of the contest with Dsion, said, "I am delighted to have met many talented entrepreneurs in Singapore." Moreover, Pandya encouraged the participants by saying, "Failure is an inevitable part of everyone's life, no matter how innovative one's ideas may be, but one must not be discouraged but rather use that failure as the driving force for innovation and take the next step toward success."

Dsion, which successfully hosted its contest in Singapore, completed a successful private sale in October and first pre-sale in November and is currently holding its second pre-sale.
Members of Korea Confederation of Trade Union POSCO Chapter poses with lawmakers during their launching ceremony at the National Assembly in Seoul, Sept. 17. / Yonhap



By Nam Hyun-woo



POSCO is facing growing risks associated with its labor unions as unionized workers vow to stage a full-scale protest against management, following the dismissal of several union leaders.



This came several days after the company fired three union members who allegedly used violence during the process of forging unions in the company, which had none until September.



Industry analysts said Thursday the company will likely see more conflicts between the management and its unions and that will be an unprecedented burden for its management.



According to POSCO and its unions, the company recently held a human resources committee on five leaders of the Korea Confederation of Trade Union (KCTU) POSCO Chapter and fired three of them, including chapter head Han Dae-jeong.



The decision came after they allegedly exercised violence while taking notebooks from a POSCO office in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, in September. At the time, the KCTU explained that they did so in order to acquire "evidence" of the management's alleged attempt to disrupt employees from forging unions.



Police started investigating them later in the month, and recently handed them over to the prosecution seeking an indictment.



POSCO said that it has no prejudice against a certain union and decided to sack them "in compliance with the law and principles," adding that it will not tolerate any violence, burglary or any kind of illegalities.



However, the chapter expressed their strong opposition to the decision, saying they did not use violence.



"The management attempted to prevent employees from forging the union, and the members tried to find evidence of it," the chapter said in a statement.



"It seems that the company punished them in order to deflate the influence of the union. We will continue to fight until the management withdraws the unfair punishment and will gather signatures to save our coworkers."



Citing the content of the notebook, the KCTU Chapter has filed a suit against POSCO Chairman Choi Jeong-woo and other senior executives of the company.



POSCO has been run virtually without a union for the past five decades. In 1988, 24,000 workers at POSCO tried to organize a union. However, they failed to do so because of alleged government surveillance and management interference.



In the wake of the labor-friendly Moon Jae-in administration, the KCTU POSCO Chapter was established in September, followed by the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) POSCO Chapter. The KCTU and the FKTU are the country's two main umbrella unions.



Upon their establishment, the two umbrella unions clashed over which will represent POSCO, stirring controversy over their cause. The FKTU Chapter won the representative status.


DAMASCUS, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Turkey-backed rebels in northern Syria on Wednesday expressed readiness to join Turkey's upcoming operation against Kurdish militia in eastern Syria, a war watchdog said.

Commanders of the Ankara-backed rebels said they are awaiting the orders from the "Turkish brothers" to launch an offensive which will cover areas between the eastern bank of the Euphrates River and the Iraqi border in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour Province, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), its allied groups such as the People's Protection Units (YPG), and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) are all based east of Euphrates, while the Turkey-backed rebels are located on the western bank of Euphrates.

The Turkish intention to target the Kurdish militants, which are deemed as terrorists by Ankara, has for long been known despite the fact that the United States supports the Kurdish groups and even has bases in the eastern Euphrates.

Notably, Washington recently started to patrol the areas between the frontlines of both sides, as tension was brewing when Turkey-backed forces shelled the positions of Kurdish militias.

Meanwhile, the SDF and allied Kurdish groups have been in intense conflict with the Islamic State (IS) militants in areas held by the extremist group in the eastern Euphrates and the Turkish shelling pushed the Kurdish fighters to accuse Ankara of hindering the battle against IS.

In his remarks on Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said "it is time to realize our decision to wipe out terror groups in the east of Euphrates."

"We will start the operation to clear the east of the Euphrates of separatist terrorists in a few days," Erdogan said, referring to territory held by the Kurdish militias.

The areas that will be targeted have yet to be specified.

There has been no immediate comment from Damascus, which deems Turkey a force of occupation along with the United States.

[ Editor: WPY ]
POSCO's resort complex for employees at Alpensia Resort in PyeongChang County, Gangwon Province / Courtesy of POSCO



By Nam Hyun-woo



Hyundai Motor Group and POSCO each announced programs to support their respective partner companies, in a bid to promote the value of mutual growth, the conglomerates said, Thursday.



According to Hyundai Motor Group, the carmaker will launch a support program worth 1.7 trillion won ($1.5 billion) for its partner companies.



The program is highlighted by an early payment scheme for R&D costs for suppliers. So far, the carmaker has been paying R&D costs for suppliers when an R&D project is finished, but the fresh program will pay half of the cost at the start of the project and the remainder after the project.



Also, Hyundai Motor Group will pay mass production costs in a lump sum after a part's mass production starts, in order to alleviate the early stage financial burden of suppliers.



The company expects that the benefit suppliers can enjoy in the next five years will be valued at 1.46 trillion won.



Also, the company will set up a future growth fund worth 140 billion won, which is aimed at stabilizing suppliers' management and supporting their R&D projects.



Along with the financial support, Hyundai Motor pledged a series of education programs for its partner companies so they can successfully adapt to the changes in the automobile industry.



"Hyundai Motor will continue making tangible support for suppliers so they can actually feel the advantage and successfully cope with the industry's paradigm shift," a Hyundai Motor official said.



On the same day, steel giant POSCO also said it will share its resorts and other vacation facilities for its employees with 33,000 employees at group affiliates and partner companies.



For this reason, the company purchased modular buildings in Alpensia Resort in PyeongChang County, Gangwon Province, which were used as the Media Village for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Games across the province.



"By securing more resorts, employees at not only POSCO but also its affiliates and partner companies can use them together," a POSCO official said. "This will improve employee welfare as well as promote the corporate value of mutual growth between conglomerates and small- and medium-sized enterprises."






By Park Jae-hyuk



Samsung C&T, Daelim Industrial, Daewoo E&C and GS E&C have begun workforce reductions amid growing uncertainties about the construction market in 2019, according to industry officials Thursday.



The four  out of the five largest construction firms here  expect the market will continue to be stagnant next year, due to decreasing investment in social overhead capital projects and government regulations on the housing market. This is in addition to plunging overseas construction orders caused by a drop in oil prices.



Samsung C&T recently accepted applications for voluntary retirement from employees who have worked for the company for more than four years.



The company said it will give each retiree up to 90 million won ($80,000) in addition to mandated retirement payments.



Over the past two years, Samsung C&T has been carrying out restructuring.



It reduced the number of employees to 5,596 in the first half of this year from 7,962 in 2015.



The reduction followed the falling number of orders for apartment complexes here, and industrial plants overseas.



Samsung C&T said it will continue the restructuring, although it may not accept applications for voluntary retirement in 2019.



Daelim Industrial also began accepting voluntary retirement applications this month.



Due to the sluggish overseas construction orders, it had already reduced the number of its employees to 7,255 in the third quarter of this year from 7,619 at the end of 2018.



The company is reportedly considering extending the unpaid leave of workers at its plant business division.



The workers have been on unpaid leave of absence since March.



Daewoo E&C, which failed to find a new owner after Hoban Construction dropped its bid to acquire the company, is also pushing to reduce its workforce, although it has already decreased the number of employees by 400 this year.



Since October, employees in the plant business division have been given a two month leave of absence.



More than 1,000 workers have had two-month breaks in rotation, without getting any additional bonuses except their basic wages.



GS E&C has transferred its idle manpower from its plant division to the housing division for efficient human resource management.



Hyundai E&C, which has been rumored to be sending its employees home, has denied this.



Industry officials said Korean builders will carry out large-scale restructuring again next year, unless their situation improves.



According to the International Contractors Association of Korea, the value of overseas construction orders is again unlikely to exceed $30 billion this year, considering that Korean firms collectively received $26.6 billion in orders as of Monday.



The amount of overseas construction orders has been below $30 billion since it dropped to $28.2 in 2016 from $46.1 billion in 2015.



"Korean builders are inferior to those in China and India in terms of cost effectiveness," a construction industry official said. "Moreover, they are now falling behind Chinese firms in terms of technical skills."


Lee Seo-hyun, chairwoman of the Samsung Welfare Foundation and former president of Samsung C&T's fashion division

By Park Jae-hyuk



Samsung Group appears to be in dilemma over its sagging fashion business since Chairman Lee Kun-hee's second-oldest daughter Lee Seo-hyun left Samsung C&T, Dec. 6, according to industry officials Thursday.



The former president of Samsung C&T's fashion division, who had worked for the company for 16 years, stepped down after she was appointed chairwoman of the Samsung Welfare Foundation.



The officials said the fashion unit's deteriorating performance in recent years was one of the main reasons for the heiress' abrupt departure.



Some even said Samsung C&T may sell its sluggish business, citing the group's previous disposal of chemical and defense units between 2014 and 2015.



In 2017, Samsung C&T's fashion division posted 1.57 trillion won ($1.39 billion) in sales with a mere 32.6 billion won operating profit.



Although it has maintained the top spot in the nation's apparel market, followed by LF, Handsome and Kolon FnC, its sales have been stagnant over the past four years.



What is worse, it suffered 8.9 billion won and 45.2 billion won in operating losses in 2015 and 2016, respectively. In addition, its operating losses from January to September this year have reached 12.5 billion won.



In 2017, the conglomerate temporarily posted a 32.6 billion won operating profit in its fashion business, due to its disposal of unpopular brands, such as MVIO and Beanpole Kids.



Against this backdrop, the fashion division's proportion of Samsung C&T's revenue dropped to 5.97 percent in 2017 from 13 percent in 2015. The trading and investment group accounts for 42.9 percent of the company's sales, while the construction group accounts for 40.9 percent.





An 8Seconds store at COEX in southeastern Seoul / Courtesy of Samsung C&T
In this June 25, 2018, photo, Jack Ma, chairman of Alibaba Group attends the ceremony to launch a blockchain-base remittance solution in Hong Kong. Yonhap



By Gary Cheung





The ongoing trade war between China and the United States is just the tip of the iceberg hiding deeper, underlying tensions between the world's two largest economies and the real problem lies in their fraught bilateral relations, the executive chairman of e-commerce giant Alibaba said on Wednesday.



"Even if the trade war is over, the complicated relationship between China and the US will not be changed in the next 20 years," Jack Ma said. "We need to bear in mind that China has emerged stronger after meeting every challenge."



Ma said he had sensed trade frictions between the two countries were looming during the US presidential election in 2016.





Jack Ma said he hoped the US and China would settle their differences through communication and dialogue. Photo from the South China Morning Post



"At that time I expected there would be trouble with trade relations between China and US," he said.



He made his remarks during a question-and-answer session at a forum in Hong Kong on China's "Belt and Road Initiative"  the central government's trade initiative to link economies into a China-centred trading network. The forum was organised by the Hong Kong government.



"It's impossible to change [US president] Donald Trump. It's also impossible to change the situation in trade between China and the US overnight," Ma said.



He said he hoped both sides would settle their differences through communication and dialogue.





U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, U.S. President Donald Trump's national security adviser John Bolton and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a working dinner after the G20 leaders summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina December 1, 2018. Yonhap
Chinese tourists take photographs outside the New York Stock Exchange. Researchers in hi-tech sectors are said to have been told to avoid all non-essential travel to the US. Photo from the South China Morning Post



By Wendy Wu





Chinese researchers working in sensitive hi-tech sectors have been warned not to take any unnecessary trips to the United States, a source says, as unease grows in the business community following the arrest of a tech executive in Canada.



Staff at a research agency were also told in an internal memo that if they did have to travel to the US, they should remove any sensitive information from their mobile phones and laptops, according to the source who was speaking on condition of anonymity.



Despite the world's two biggest economies agreeing to a 90-day truce in the trade war, tensions between Beijing and Washington have continued to escalate over technology and security. And the arrest of Huawei Technologies chief financial officer Sabrina Meng Wanzhou in Canada has further strained ties.



The South China Morning Post reported last month that the US embassy in Beijing had revoked 10-year multiple-entry visas issued to some researchers specialising in China-US relations at government-backed institutions without explanation amid tightened visa scrutiny.





Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou arrives at a parole office with a security guard in Vancouver, British Columbia, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018. AP-Yonhap



Some researchers have also had their computers and mobile phones subjected to checks by US customs officers, two other sources said.



Observers say they are concerned that it will be more difficult to de-escalate tensions between Beijing and Washington  and the distrust and "information deficit" could worsen  with fewer academic exchanges between the two sides.









An academic who frequently travels across the Pacific feared changing sentiment in the United States, from engagement to disengagement with Beijing, could lead to a US strategy of full-scale containment of China.



At the request of the US authorities, Huawei executive Meng was arrested on December 1 in Vancouver and was released on bail on Tuesday . She could be extradited to the US to face fraud charges relating to alleged violations of US and EU sanctions on Iran.





Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, right, waves goodbye to visitors at her home in Vancouver on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018. A Canadian court on Tuesday released Meng on bail, confining her to Vancouver and its suburbs while she awaits possible extradition to the United States. The U.S. has accused Huawei, the biggest global supplier of network gear for phone and internet companies, of using a shell company to do business with Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions. AP-Yonhap



Meng's arrest has added to wariness among businesspeople in both countries. A Chinese executive whose operation covers Southeast Asia and Africa said the case had made him, and others like him, nervous about travelling abroad.



"The long-arm jurisdiction in the US will force us to stay in China if Meng is extradited to the US," the businessman said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the issue is highly sensitive.



On Friday, US technology giant Cisco sent an email to staff in the United States asking them to cut non-essential travel to China, amid growing anxiety that American executives could be targeted by Beijing in retaliation for Meng's arrest. Some US-based Cisco employees said they had received the email, saying the restriction would take effect immediately. The company admitted the email existed but said it was "sent in error to some employees".



And on Monday, less than two weeks after Meng's arrest, a Canadian former diplomat was detained in China by state security. China has so far declined to reveal the whereabouts of Michael Kovrig, a senior adviser with the International Crisis Group who was a diplomat in Beijing before he joined the NGO.





A Chinese woman walks by a poster showing a Huawei logo in Beijing, China, 12 December 2018. EPA-Yonhap
Although the stanchions outlining a no-parking zone at the foot of Playa del Norte in Windansea Beach were reinstated in accordance with San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconers orders, members of the La Jolla Community Planning Association (LJCPA) are not giving up the fight to establish an alternative parking configuration in that area.

Discussed at the Dec. 6 LJCPA meeting at the Rec Center, the board voted to establish an independent committee to explore alternative parking options and bring a recommendation back for an endorsement. The committee includes LJCPA trustees Glen Rasmussen, Patrick Ahern and Phil Merten, who will provide updates in the months going forward.

The issue centers on a striped, no-parking area at the foot of Playa del Norte where it meets Neptune Place, where experimental parking configurations have been implemented.

First, the area was blocked with stanchions, drawing the ire of surfers who use the spot to view the waves.

Then, in April, City Council member Barbara Bry implemented a six-month pilot program to permit two 15-minute parking spaces to placate the surfers, but this drew the ire of nearby residents. She also compiled an ad-hoc committee with representatives from both sides of the issue to resolve the matter.

The residents contend they are troubled by noise and alleged drug use by those using the parking spots. Their other concern is the traffic safety issue associated with drivers proceeding the wrong way on a one-way street to make a U-turn to access the spaces.

A meeting was held the evening of Nov. 27 at the La Jolla Riford Library with ad-hoc committee members, moderated by National Conflict Resolution Center mediator and land-use lawyer Cary Lowe, who were tasked with developing a common understanding to determine the steps needed for a solution.

However, the next day, Mayor Faulconer announced the stanchions would be put back, and they were in place the week of Dec. 3.

The LJCPA sub-committee would like to explore options that allow for parking, but deter wrong-way driving. They would meet and cull design options from local architects, and should a favorite emerge, they would bring that recommendation to the LJCPA for support, and then to the larger ad-hoc committee with both sides for discussion. It is unknown when the ad-hoc committee would next meet.

The LJCPA sub-committees work would run parallel to the Citys next steps that emerged from the Nov. 27 meeting: Conduct a parking survey to provide a clear answer as to whether theres a parking shortage in the neighborhood, and therefore answer why every possible space should be preserved; arrange a meeting with City traffic engineers to discuss proposed alternative designs and get staff evaluations; request a City Attorney opinion on potential liability to the City for the various arrangements.

In other LJCPA news

Ryan project rejected: Following a negative vote from the LJCPA Development Permit Review sub-committee (DPR) in November, the Ryan project for the consolidation of two lots at 5673 Linda Rosa Ave. in Bird Rock was denied again. Associated with the lot consolidation is a remodel to add a second-story to the existing one-story house. DPR trustees opposed to the consolidation said the resulting house would put too much density on the front lot, impacting the streetscape and the neighborhood scale.

The two lots are currently divided by a paper alley (one that is on a map, but not necessarily a usable one on the street), and tying the two lots together for a combined lot size of 5,720 square feet, which would allow the applicants to increase the allowable square footage of the house. As part of the presentation seeking approval for the lot consolidation, the applicants representatives showed renderings of how the house would be remodeled.

Citing concerns with the designs, DPR and LJCPA trustee Mike Costello called it an in-your-face kind of a massive thing to look at and that the obvious motivation for tying these lots together is to get more lot are to get more floor area.

A motion to affirm DPRs findings passed 13-2-1.

Marine Room handrail approved: LJCPA voted to approve the installation of a handrail to be affixed to a wall adjacent the south side of the Marine Room restaurant to improve safety on the often slippery beach access, which slopes down from the street to the sea. After garnering approval from the La Jolla Shores Association in November, LJCPA trustee Patrick Ahern had equal success at LJCPA, when the board voted 14-0-1 to support the installation.

The handrail solution reportedly has the support of neighbors and lifeguards, and the intent is to have the project privately funded. The tentative pricetag is approximately $3,800.

Cave Street demolition: After clarifying a misunderstanding regarding the Babak project, LJCPA voted 12-2-1 to support the demolition of a one-story house at 1271 Cave St.

Applicants representative Bejan Arfaa said the property has been abandoned for almost a year and there are mold issues. It has become a nuisance and we would like to demolish it, he said.

After the demolition, the land itself would be sold, and there are no plans for what would go in its place. DPR voted 3-2-1 that findings could not be made for the project due to, among other reasons, proposed construction is a de-facto permanent fence until future development.

DPR chair and LJCPA trustee Brian Will said DPR favored landscaping over a fence. After some discussion about who requested the fence and why, Arfaa said there was a misunderstanding and that construction plans do not include a fence.

If you could remove the construction fence as part of your proposal, I could support this project to demolish, Will said.

A motion to approve the demolition with a note on the construction plans that reads no fence will remain once demolition is complete passed 12-2-1.

Charter revisions on hold: Approval of the La Jolla Shores Permit Review Committee (PRC) charter changes was postponed to a future meeting, as trustee LJCPA Helen Boyden expressed a number of concerns she would like to see addressed before the board votes. A motion to postpone the vote on the revisions passed 11-3-1.

 La Jolla Community Planning Association next meets 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 3 at the Rec Center, 615 Prospect St.lajollacpa.org
For all the love he had for California, John Muir held some of his highest arboreal praise for a tree in much farther north.

With its stately, dropping boughs, the yellow-cedar is a truly noble tree  undoubtedly the best the country affords, Muir wrote in 1882. But this beautiful species, sporadically distributed along the coast of the Pacific Northwest, British Columbia and Alaska, is not coping well with climate change. At the northern end of its range, an ever-earlier spring thaw is leaving the trees root systems without the insulation provided by a layer of snow. Then the cold snaps that often follow early bouts of warm weather can do fatal damage.

For her doctoral dissertation at Stanford University, scientist and author Lauren Oakes wanted to look at what happened next: what species will thrive in the ecological niche the cedars are leaving behind? And how will the people who depend on the trees adapt?

From the birds-eye view, the giant trunks looked like thousands of toothpicks stuck in the earth. If trees were people, anyone would have called it a tragedy Lauren Oakes

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To find out, Oakes spent five years studying the yellow-cedar trees in southwest Alaskas Alexander Archipelago, the smattering of jigsaw-like islands that lie just off of the narrow strip of the state that borders British Columbia.

She earned her doctorate and published academic papers based on her research. But as she recalls in the opening of her new book, In Search of the Canary Tree: The Story of a Scientist, a Cypress, and a Changing World, when she first flew over the islands and saw the steep hillsides covered in white skeletons of dead trees, she had to come to grips with what it felt like to come face-to-face with the effects of climate change. From the birds-eye view, the giant trunks looked like thousands of toothpicks stuck in the earth, she writes. If trees were people, anyone would have called it a tragedy.

Theres no room for such feelings and language in science, and so Oakes ultimately turned to narrative nonfiction to tell a story that went beyond the data. In her book, the cedar  and the attending question of adaptation  became Oakes looking glass into the rapidly changing world. While the cedars made Oakes fearful of the changes that are already happening around the world today, the trees helped her to believe the future isnt on fire everywhere.

This undated photo provided by the U.S. Forest Service shows a yellow-cedar tree growing east of the Cascade Crest in Washington state. A study documenting mortality of yellow-cedar trees in Alaska and British Columbia concludes that the future is gloomy for the species. (AP/REX/Shutterstock)

In Search of the Canary Tree is an effort to push past the vulnerability, fear and helplessness that many  scientists included  feel in the face of climate change. The book shows, through both the data and more philosophical arguments, that we too can both change and adapt, and perhaps ultimately survive a changing climate.

But just as Oakes felt that translating eloquent words into data points buried the essence of what people living alongside the trees had to say about them, her basis in scientific methodology doesnt always serve her well.

The book repurposes her scientific research as the raw reporting for a piece of narrative nonfiction. In the middle stretch of the books three section, Oakes turns to the second part of her research, in which she interviewed numerous Alaskans who were somehow tied to the yellow-cedar, and would be affected, financially or otherwise, by its decline. She follows a deliberate protocol that doesnt allow her to introduce the scientific understanding she has about why the trees are dying, and what it might mean. Its an approach geared at building a dataset and drawing conclusions through the patterns of experience that arise. The process is so repetitive that researchers like Oakes eventually hit whats called the saturation point. After which, she could continue to interview people about yellow-cedars, but the conversations were unlikely to reveal any new overarching themes. As a reader, I hit the saturation point before she mentions the term on page 156.

Work is needed less on the red-colored globe and more on the changes occurring in local environments. Whats happening in my home habitat? Lauren Oakes

There are fascinating moments in the interviews she spins out into scenes in the book, especially in the conversations she has with Tlingit weavers and carvers (the wood is used for totem poles), for whom the yellow-cedar is intimately tied up in myth, tradition and identity. But Oakes only went back to Alaska to re-interview one of her study subjects specifically for the book, a lumber mill owner named Wes Tyler. As such, a section built off of her scientific interviews doesnt have the same degree of vivid firsthand detail as earlier chapters detailing how Oakes and her team gathered data in the dense, damp forests of the archipelago.

We hear Ernestine, one of the Tlingit weavers Oakes interviewed, reveal that her people were the original tree huggers: wrapping their arms around the centuries-old trees, measuring to find those that are larger around than a humans embrace, and could thereby survive having strips of bark harvested from the trunk. We hear Wayne Howell, a National Parks Service archaeologist, describe a grove of ancient trees bearing scars from bark being stripped off by both metal tools and stone tools. But we dont see the women actively engaging in this ancient practice, which the current generation is being forced to adapt to as the climate changes. Groves that had once provided the Tlingit with clothing and shelter for centuries is now turning into graveyards.

The Tlingit have been here before, in a way: During the Little Ice Age, when glaciers extended as far south as they had since the Pleistocene, the tribe and other native people in the area were forced to pull up stakes and move, pushed from their ancestral homes by the advancing ice. Today, native weavers like Teri, who Oakes interviews, are shifting from cedar bark to roots from far more abundant spruce trees, while loggers like Tyler are working to utilize standing dead trees instead of felling live ones. Climate change is affecting their lives and their livelihoods, and they are figuring out how to cope.

If theres a prescription in Oakes writing, it is that both citizens and scientists should look at climate change in these more local, intimate terms.

Work is needed less on the red-colored globe and more on the changes occurring in local environments, she writes. Whats happening in my home habitat, whether its a city by the rising sea, a landlocked town in the sweltering heat, or a community bordering forests at risk of flames?

Instead of the existential angst of imagining the future on fire everywhere, we need to look at the environment around us, understand that were part of that ecology, and begin in earnest to figure out how to adapt.

Blackmore is a freelance journalist who covers food, culture and the environment. He lives in Maine.

A book jacket of Lauren E. Oakes In Search of The Canary Tree. Credit: Basic Books (Basic Books)

In Search of the Canary Tree: The Story of a Scientist, a Cypress, and a Changing World

Lauren Oakes

Basic Books, 288 p.p., $27
Ryan Kadro will leave his post as executive producer of CBS This Morning when his contract expires at the end of this year, according to two people familiar with the plan.

Kadro has led the program, co-anchored by Norah ODonnell, Gayle King, John Dickerson and Bianna Golodryga, since 2016 and has been involved on the production team since its launch in 2012.

The once-hot program  a major profit center for CBS News  fell into a ratings swoon after the network fired the shows founding co-anchor Charlie Rose last year over allegations of sexual harassment.

Word of Kadros impending departure comes after CBS News settled a lawsuit with three former employees who sued the division for failing to act on alleged inappropriate behavior by Rose. Kadro was named in the suit for allegedly ignoring warnings about Roses behavior.

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A CBS News representative declined to comment on the status of Kadros contract, but said conversations about his future are unrelated to the settlement of the lawsuit.

The legal action is ongoing against Rose, whose attorney has said the suit is without merit.

CBS This Morning had been a show on the rise with Rose, ODonnell and King providing a more serious alternative to NBCs Today and ABCs Good Morning America. In its first five years on the air, CBS was gaining ground after having been a perennial third-place finisher in the morning, which is the most profitable time period for network news programming.

But the audience level started to slide after Roses exit. In the November sweeps ratings period used by TV stations to set ad rates, CBS This Morning averaged 3.28 million viewers, down 18% compared with a year ago.

stephen.battaglio@latimes.com

Twitter: @SteveBattaglio
The Los Angeles Times former publisher and editor, Davan Maharaj, reportedly received a $2.5-million settlement following his exit from Tribune Publishing Co. after revealing to a mediator he had recorded anti-Semitic comments allegedly made by the companys largest shareholder, Michael Ferro.

The payout, which was unusually large for a newspaper executive, came at a time when the company was laying off employees amid a downturn in advertising.

In 2016, shortly after taking control of the newspaper company, Ferro allegedly complained that his business pursuits were being thwarted by a Jewish cabal in Los Angeles that included billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad, according to a report Wednesday by National Public Radio.

NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik reported the remarks were made during a gathering of newspaper executives at a dinner near the Chicago headquarters of the company, which also owns the Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun and Orlando Sentinel.

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At the time, Ferro was chairman of the company, which he renamed Tronc. Ferro received a controversial $15-million fee for consulting services to the company. He relinquished the chairmanship in March amid allegations of sexual misconduct, which he denied.

Maharaj, through a representative, said the settlement was not being properly portrayed.

We reject any assertion that Davan received any payments to keep information secret. Tronc and Maharaj agreed on a confidential settlement that reflected almost 30 years of exceptional service to the Los Angeles Times, his attorney Eric George said Wednesday night.

Ferros spokesman, Dennis Culloton, disputed that Ferro made anti-Semitic remarks. We 100% deny that those comments were ever said about Mr. Eli Broad, Culloton said.

In June, the company sold its two California properties  The Times and San Diego Union-Tribune  to Los Angeles biotech entrepreneur Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong for $500 million. Soon-Shiong remains the second-largest shareholder of Tribune Publishing.

The settlement came this year at a time of management upheaval at The Times and turmoil within the corporate suites, where executives have struggled to hold onto revenue amid a flight of advertisers to the internet.

Maharaj, who rose through the newsroom ranks during a 28-year career at The Times, was one of four high-profile editors who were ousted in August 2017 by Chief Executive Justin Dearborn, a longtime Ferro associate. Maharaj was replaced as publisher by former Fox executive Ross Levinsohn, who lasted in the job just five months. NPRs Folkenflik was instrumental in Levinsohns departure from The Times, after reporting that he had been accused of tolerating sexual harassment at former workplaces.

Maharaj hired an attorney to negotiate a settlement agreement. When the case went into mediation, according to NPR, Maharaj allegedly presented recordings that he had secretly made of Ferro, which would have been damaging to the reputation of Ferro and the company. Tribune Publishing then negotiated the settlement.

Maharaj did not respond to requests for comment. The Los Angeles Times was not able to independently confirm the allegations contained in the NPR report.

A Tribune Publishing spokeswoman, Marisa Kollias, declined to comment, saying: As a general practice, we dont comment on employee matters.

Culloton, the Ferro spokesman, noted that it would not be unusual for a longtime employee to go to mediation to hammer out a settlement.

A spokesperson for Broad did not immediately provide comment.

Soon-Shiong said: I was so very disappointed to read about the distasteful comments made about Eli Broad. He and Edythe are civic leaders in Los Angeles and they have contributed much in the sciences and the arts to the city and the nation.

I am so glad that we were able to take over The Times and the San Diego Union-Tribune, he said. This is behind us now, and we should move forward.

Soon-Shiong and Ferro had been involved in a high-profile feud over the publishing companys direction. One of the nations largest newspaper companies, Tribune Publishing is entertaining a sale of its remaining newspapers. Several companies, including newspaper publisher McClatchy Co., are said to have bid for the papers.

Tribune Publishing did not disclose the Maharaj settlement in any of its regulatory filings. Kollias, the spokesperson, said, We disclose material matters as required by the SEC rules and regulations.

A spokeswoman for the Securities and Exchange Commission declined to comment on the situation. Companies must disclose pending legal proceedings, but in this case, reportedly, a lawsuit was threatened but never filed.

Steven Bank, a business law professor at UCLA, said such a payout probably would not be large enough to be subject to requirements that companies report material information to investors, though he said its possible there are other reasons the company may have been obliged to disclose.

Times staff writer James Rufus Koren contributed to this report.

meg.james@latimes.com

Twitter: @MegJamesLAT
Once again, so-called peak TV has reached a new peak.

The entertainment industry this year produced a record 495 original scripted TV shows, fueled by a surge in programming from Netflix and other streaming services that for the first time made up the largest category of programming, according to an industry report.

There were 160 original scripted programs (not counting reality shows or kids programs) produced this year for digital services, including Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. That compared with 146 shows for the broadcast networks  ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and the CW  according to a survey released Thursday by FX Networks Research.

The number of shows produced for the streaming services increased 37% from 2017, up from 117 in 2017. The amount stands in sharp contrast to 2011, when streaming services offered just six original shows. The study did not break down totals for individual streaming services.

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People didnt realize that the growth would be so fast, said Deana Myers, a television analyst with research firm Kagan, a unit of S&P Global Market Intelligence.

But there was one notable drop. The number of shows created for ad-supported basic cable channels  such as AMC, USA, Bravo, TNT and FX  declined 18% to 144. Last year, basic cable channels ran 175 original scripted shows, according to the FX survey. That was down slightly from a high-water mark of 186 in 2015.

Meanwhile, premium pay channels such as HBO, Showtime and Starz slightly increased their appetite for original productions in 2018, creating 45 original shows, up from 42 last year.

Despite setting a record in 2018, the boom in TV production appears to be slowing down. The number of originals increased just 1.6% compared with 2017, when there were 487 original scripted shows. The study did not include reality shows or kids programs.

Before this year, the year-over-year increase in shows ranged from about 7% to 21% as new entrants experimented with original shows. However, a dramatic jump in the cost of producing television episodes and lower television ratings are coming into play.

We are entering a period of slower growth, said John Landgraf, chief executive of FX Networks. Its kind of a Darwinian market where only the strong will, and can, survive.

Landgraf said he expects there to be a shakeout in the next couple of years  and a redistribution of market share.

I dont think we have reached the peak in scripted programming made for the streaming services, he added.

He noted that Walt Disney Co. and AT&Ts WarnerMedia both plan to launch direct-to-consumer streaming services and will need more shows to feed them.

(Los Angeles Times)

Landgraf coined the term peak TV about three years ago, when the longtime television executive became convinced that the explosion in television production was growing at an unsustainable rate.

FXs report highlights how streaming services have dramatically altered the television industry while creating new opportunities for show producers and big-name stars. It also reflects the glut of programming, which contributes to consumers sense of feeling overwhelmed by so many choices.

For example, the 495 total scripted shows is more than double the number of shows created in 2002, before streaming services existed. That year, 182 shows were produced industrywide and three-quarters of those were for the broadcast networks.

We are reaching a point where theres too much programming, Myers said. And theres also a lot of mediocre programming  and niche programming that the streaming services can do. But you cant do that on a broadcast network, or even on a cable channel, because their shows have to reach a critical mass.

Already, some producers are leaving the space. Others, such as Facebook Watch, are retooling their strategy.

One problem for television producers is the rising competition for top-tier talent, including actors and writers. Streaming services also are spending lavishly to create motion-picture-quality productions.

The British monarchy drama The Crown, which is produced by Sony Pictures Television for Netflix, costs about $8 million to $10 million an episode to create, according to industry estimates. The second season of Netflixs Stranger Things cost about $7 million an episode, and HBOs Game of Thrones is one of the most expensive, at about $15 million an episode. Broadcast networks and cable channels also are shelling out more to keep up.

By contrast, dramas produced for broadcast and cable TV can cost $4 million to $10 million an episode.

The costs have just skyrocketed, Myers said. At these costs, I dont think the industry can sustain this level of production.

meg.james@latimes.com

Twitter: @MegJamesLAT
BMW and Porsche unveiled a charging station that can jolt electric vehicles with enough power to drive 100 kilometers (62 miles) in less than three minutes, pushing ahead of Tesla Inc. in the race to make battery-powered cars more convenient.

The ultra-fast prototype charger has capacity of 450 kilowatts, more than triple Teslas Superchargers. Test vehicles developed to take that much power were recharged to 80% capacity in 15 minutes. Teslas stations need about 30 minutes for a similar charge, according to its website.

Carmakers, developing a wave of electric models to keep up with tightening carbon emissions regulation, are under pressure to overcome consumer turnoffs like slow charging times and patchy infrastructure. With demand remaining tepid, BMW, Daimler and Porsche parent Volkswagen are also building a fast-charging network along major highways in Europe.

The super-powered charging point was developed by a consortium comprising the two German car brands, engineering giant Siemens AG and charging specialists Allego and Phoenix Contact E-Mobility, the station in Bavaria was opened to the public on Wednesday. Its free to use for existing models, BMW said Thursday in a statement.

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One drawback  the charger offers more power than current models can take on. The BMW i3 limits its power intake to 50 kilowatts, while the battery-powered iX3 will triple that to 150 kilowatts when it rolls out in 2020.

For the test vehicles to withstand the full electricity surge, Porsche used a cooling system that keeps battery cells at a steady temperature, while the charging cables were cooled too. Siemens provided a higher electric voltage energy supply to test the limits of the power jolt.
When San Diego residents Marty Smith and Tracy Park realized theyd soon be empty nesters, they began an international hunt for a beach house.

I had been traveling to the Caribbean for 20 years, but it wasnt until I saw a show on TV about Placencia that I even considered Belize, says Smith, 53, founder of RMS Capital Solutions, a direct lender to California real estate investors.

The couple did some Googling, found a development that looked promising, then made a call to one of the agents theyd seen on television. It turned out he offered a four-night discovery tour to a new place called Itzana, so we booked it, Smith recalls.

The couples April 2016 stay included a jungle tour to see jaguars, river tubing and a romantic dinner on the beach. They spent nights in a temporary waterfront bungalow, 75 feet from the Caribbean. After that first dinner, we made a deposit on a 3,375-square-foot two-bedroom with two pools, Smith says. The house will be built on precisely the same spot where they spent those first nights.

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Try before you buy was once a persuasion tactic employed almost universally by down-market timeshare agents. Now, in a second-home market awash in inventory, developers are using it to induce buyers.

Tina Necrason, vice president for residential at the hotel management company Montage International, has worked in time-shares, fractional ownership and every sort of second-home venture imaginable, she says.

Necrason says that before the housing bubble burst, affluent families would buy mountaintop homes sight unseen because there wasnt a lot out there. But now wealthy people are starting to think of these resort properties as long-term investments for their families. Even the kids have a say, she says. They have lots of choices available around the world, and they can take their time in making a final decision.

At the Montage Kapalua development in Maui, where homes go for $1 million to $20 million, Necrasons team will arrange four-night stays that range from $500 to $2,000 a night and might include cultural heritage tours, luaus, private dinners and spa treatments. She estimates that more than half of those who come for a trial stay become buyers.

For this crowd, time is precious, Necrason says. We feel that if they can make this commitment of time, they are serious about buying.

Because all these developments target high-net-worth individuals, sales teams often charge hefty fees to ensure prospects are legitimate. If you dont charge anything and you dont vet, you get what we call speeders  since they speed right past the sales gallery, says Greg Spencer, chief executive of Timbers Resorts, a developer and operator of residence clubs around the globe. His company launched a guest visit program in November at Timbers Kiawah, a development on the Atlantic Coasts Kiawah Island, where guests can stay for $1,200 a night.

Similarly, the Rosewood hotel Las Ventanas al Paraiso in Los Cabos, Mexico, implemented a try before you buy program for its beach villas a year ago. We always say that seeing is believing, says Frederic Vidal, the hotels managing director. And with so many other beautiful private residences available for purchase around the world, having buyers stay can show them how we are different.

Vidal doesnt extend a special rate; guests pay at least $6,900 per night (breakfast included), typically staying for three nights. The bill, which can include spa treatments and dog-walking services, is deducted from the sale price. (Engel & Volkers Snell Real Estate in Cabo handles the logistics.)

Seven homes, ranging in price from $2.7 million to more than $7 million, have sold through this test-drive program.

People who have stayed tell me that theyve never seen this type of service for that price. Its a good value and a good investment, Vidal says. The concept is basic, but it works.

Without a variation on such a program, developers say, it would be impossible to get buyers through the door.

We are completely surrounded by national forest, so its not an area you may have seen unless you went whitewater rafting, says Jeff Heilbrun, executive vice president and director of sales at the Snake River Sporting Club in Jackson, Wyo.

Heilbrun doesnt have exact numbers, but of the 45 or so transactions hes overseen in the last two years, about 20% of the buyers stayed before they bought  and since theres no hotel nearby, staying on site is really the only option. The club charges $400 to $1,600 a night, depending on the type of residence. Existing homes and home sites sell for $800,000 to $3.25 million.

Meanwhile, Smith and Parks house will be move-in ready in May. Until then, theyve been going down half a dozen times a year.

Its easy to get there, its easy to get home, real estate taxes are almost nonexistent, Smith says. All things we wouldnt have known had we not visited ourselves.
Southern California Edison is short nearly $1 billion in its power budget  and its hoping to charge a big chunk of that money to customers leaving for another energy provider.

Edison estimates it will spend $972 million more than expected on electricity this year, partly because it didnt have access to enough power during a summer heat wave and was forced to pay sky-high prices on the energy market. The investor-owned utility is now asking state officials for permission to raise next years electricity rates to recoup those costs, as allowed by law.

But theres an unusual twist in Edisons request. The utility wants to charge approximately $125 million of the shortfall to more than 1 million homes and businesses that will leave Edison over the next few months to join Clean Power Alliance, a government-run energy provider that intends to compete with the massive power company.

Clean Power Alliance plans to start providing electricity this February to about 930,000 residential customers of 29 cities, including Oxnard, Santa Monica, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and Ventura, as well as unincorporated parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Theyll be joined by 100,000 nonresidential customers in May.

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The government-run energy agency is one of 19 community choice aggregators, or CCAs, now operating in California.

Forming a CCA enables local officials to decide what kinds of energy to buy for their communities, how much to charge and what incentives to offer for rooftop solar and other clean energy technologies. Investor-owned utilities such as Edison are still responsible for building and operating the poles and wires that deliver electricity to CCA customers. They can make money for their shareholders by charging CCA customers for those costs.

Public energy programs save customers money  at least in the beginning 

Edison says the $972-million shortfall was caused by energy the utility purchased to serve all of its customers, including those who will soon leave for Clean Power Alliance. So from Edisons perspective, its only fair that those customers should pay back their share of the costs, which amount to nearly 13% of the total.

Basic fairness and the law dictate that all customers responsible for the undercollection should pay a fair share; anything else would raise costs for other remaining customers, Edison said in a statement responding to questions from The Times.

But community choice advocates have objected, asking the California Public Utilities Commission to deny Edisons request. They say charging $125 million to customers switching to Clean Power Alliance in 2019 would hurt the new energy agencys finances and could affect its ability to lure customers away from Edison.

West Hollywood City Councilwoman Lindsey Horvath serves as the citys representative on the Clean Power Alliance board. She said Edison had every opportunity to recover its $972 million by raising electricity rates during the final months of 2018, before many customers leave for Clean Power Alliance. But Edison chose to wait until next year, when the rate increase could harm the utilitys biggest competitor, she said.

Every step of the way theyve made decisions that will hurt Clean Power Alliance, and it certainly feels like thats intentional, Horvath said.

Mark Gold, associate vice chancellor for environment and sustainability at UCLA, speaks in favor of a new government-run utility. (Ivan Penn / Los Angeles Times)

How much would energy bills go up?

Customers joining Clean Power Alliance in February would see their electricity rates rise by an average of 1.4 cent per kilowatt-hour in 2019 to cover their share of the $972-million shortfall, as would customers remaining with Edison. That comes out to an additional $11.50 on the average Los Angeles-area residents monthly bill in the summer, and nearly $8 in the winter, based on the most recent electricity use data available.

Even if state officials approve Edisons request, Clean Power Alliance will still be able to offer the competitive electricity rates it has promised, said Ted Bardacke, the energy agencys executive director. Clean Power Alliance customers can choose from three energy plans: One with a 36% renewable energy mix thats slightly cheaper than Edisons base rate, one with 50% renewables thats on par with Edisons rate and one with 100% renewables thats more expensive than Edison.

But Clean Power Alliance would have to cut into its financial reserves to offer those rates while offsetting an additional $125 million in unexpected costs to customers, Bardacke said. Edisons request creates financial uncertainty for Clean Power Alliance right as its getting started, he said, and could cause cities still served by Edison to question the wisdom of leaving their longtime electric utility.

If our customers have to pay this extra fee, we will still be able to make it work financially, but its going to be very, very, very tight, Bardacke said.

Most Californians have long purchased electricity from three investor-owned power companies  Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric and San Diego Gas & Electric  or from municipal utilities such as the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

But about a decade ago, several San Francisco Bay Area communities began launching their own locally run energy agencies, a trend that has recently spread to Southern California. By some estimates, the big three investor-owned utilities could lose 80% of their energy sales over the next decade.

Some of Californias major utilities have tried to block the growth of government-owned electricity programs 

The growth of CCAs has been a source of tension for state regulators, who must ensure that Californians who remain with the big utilities dont face higher costs as their neighbors leave for new energy providers. Thats why Edison, PG&E and SDG&E are allowed to charge exit fees to their former customers, to help cover the costs of long-term energy contracts that were signed years ago to serve them.

After years of debate, theres still little agreement on the best way to calculate exit fees. The Public Utilities Commission approved a new methodology in October that largely gave the big utilities what they wanted, prompting critics to object that the higher fees would slow the growth of CCAs and make it harder for them to invest in clean energy.

Alejandro DeLeon carries a solar panel as a crew from Sunrun installs a solar system on a home in Van Nuys in 2016. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Community choice advocates have asked the utilities commission to reconsider its exit fees decision, and in some ways the debate over Edisons $972-million shortfall is an outgrowth of that conflict.

Edison wants to raise next years exit fees to include the $125 million in charges to customers departing for Clean Power Alliance. But the CCA says that would be an unprecedented use of the exit fee, which is designed to cover the costs of long-term power contracts, not short-term costs incurred when a utility finds itself short on electricity.

Bardacke said Clean Power Alliance wouldnt have objected if Edison had made up the $972-million shortfall by raising electricity rates for all of its customers in the final months of 2018, when doing so wouldnt have affected Clean Power Alliance. Edison, though, said it chose to wait because recovering its costs in the last months of 2018 would have required a more dramatic rate increase wouldthan if the costs are spread out over 2019.

Edison has also argued that increasing next years exit fees is necessary to protect its remaining customers from paying the entirety of the $972 million on their own. Avoiding this type of cost shift is exactly why exit fees exist, Edison has argued, even if the details of the current situation are unique.

Radu Ciupagea, an official at the Public Utilities Commissions Public Advocates Office, said he doesnt see anything improper about Edisons request to recoup its costs.

My take on the process so far is that its occurred as it was supposed to occur. We definitely would not want to see cost-shifting across customers, Ciupagea said.

Why did Edison come up $972 million short?

Clean Power Alliance and another CCA, the California Choice Energy Authority, have questioned whether Edison should have been able to avoid the $972-million shortfall. They suggested the utility may have been caught off guard by a record-breaking heat wave that caused electricity demand to soar in late July.

A well-hedged market participant who managed its portfolio appropriately should not find itself in SCEs position, the two CCAs wrote in a filing to the Public Utilities Commission last month.

Edison has said it followed the appropriate risk management strategy. In its written statement, the utility said it had to spend so much money because of constraints in the regions natural gas pipelines, which caused gas prices to surge and led to power prices that were more than 10 times higher than normal market operations.

Californias big utilities regularly come up short on their power budgets at the end of the year, although Ciupagea said Edisons $972-million shortfall was significantly higher than previous undercollections hes seen. He said his office at the Public Utilities Commission will scrutinize Edisons claims during a regulatory proceeding that begins in April.

Los Angeles residents served by the city-run Department of Water and Power arent affected by the growing number of cities ditching their investor-owned utilities. CCA customers can opt to return to Edison at any time.

sammy.roth@latimes.com

Twitter: @Sammy_Roth
Vietnam had a combined trade surplus of US$57.5 billion with the US and the EU, up 7.3% from the same period last year and six times higher than the countrys total figure of US$6.81 billion.

This figure substantially contributed to the national foreign exchange reserves, which have grown to a record high of more than US$60 billion so far this year.

Over the period, Vietnam had its largest trade surplus of US$31.9 billion with the US, up 8.1% year on year and 4.7 times higher than the total national trade surplus. The most growth was recorded in exports of mobile phones and accessories (49.8%), footwear (14.6%) and garment and textile (12.4%).

Vietnams trade surplus with the EU stood at US$25.6 billion, a year-on-year increase of 6.2%. Among EU countries, Vietnam posted the largest trade surplus with the United Kingdom, which imported more than US$4.73 billion worth of commodities from Vietnam in the first 10 months of the year while the UKs exports to the Asian nation hit US$694 million.

Meanwhile, Vietnam ran trade deficits with 27 foreign markets, of which nine recorded trade deficits of more than US$1 billion and five others exceeded US$2 billion.

As the Vietnam-Korea Free Trade Agreement entered into force, the Republic of Korea (RoK) surpassed China to become the foreign market Vietnam posted the largest trade deficit with. From January to November, Vietnams trade deficit with the RoK was worth US$26.6 billion, down from US$29.2 billion over the corresponding period of 2017, or 8.9%.
China resumed buying U.S. soybeans, bringing some relief to farmers in Americas heartland as Chinese President Xi Jinping works toward a trade deal with President Trump.

The worlds largest consumer of the crop bought 1.5 million to 2 million metric tons of American soybeans over 24 hours, with shipments expected to occur sometime during the first quarter, the U.S. Soybean Export Council said, citing unidentified industry sources.

Chinas state stockpiler Sinograin and its top food company Cofco are planning more purchases, according to people with knowledge of the plan. On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture disclosed sales of 1.13 million tons of soybeans to China.

The purchases represent a major gesture by China toward easing tensions between the worlds two largest economies. Soybeans have become the poster child of the trade dispute, with China shunning imports that affected farmers in rural communities who largely voted for Trump in 2016. Futures in Chicago tumbled as the 2018 harvest piled up, unsold, in silos, bins and bags across the Midwest.

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The shipments, mainly from the Pacific Northwest, will help reduce stockpile pressures for U.S. soybean farmers, said Li Qiang, chief analyst with Shanghai JC Intelligence Co. Also, these shipments can ease Chinas own shortage of supplies in the first quarter of the year.

This is the first significant purchase since the two countries began imposing tit-for-tat tariffs, with China slapping a 25% retaliatory levy on American soybeans after Trump imposed duties on billions of dollars worth of goods from China.

In soybean country, Trumps trade war with China tests patience and nerves 

Trump had hailed a breakthrough on agriculture as part of the trade truce agreed to in his meeting with Xi this month and tweeted, Farmers, I LOVE YOU!

But Thursdays news didnt impress the market. Soybean futures fell.

The soybean market is looking for much higher sales to China to put a dent in the mountain of beans stockpiled in the United States. Inventories are set to double to a record 25.99 million tons, according to the USDA.

We are disappointed with the sales to China, Ted Seifried, chief market strategist at Zaner in Chicago, said in an email. We needed at least 10 million metric tons, we got 1.1 million.

While Chinas return this week is a good start, it needs to buy more during a 90-day period that the countries have carved out to end the trade spat, USDA Deputy Secretary Steve Censky told farmers at an Iowa Soybean Assn. meeting Thursday.

Even before the trade war, farmers had it tough. Net farm income has fallen four out of the last five years and is projected to be $66.3 billion in 2018, or 46% of 2013 levels, according to the USDA.

Tim Bardole, a fifth-generation farmer who grows soybeans with his father and son on 2,300 acres in northwest Iowa, said the news of initial purchases from China definitely relieves some of the stress. But the trade is skeptical until they see the ships go.

He said the timing of Chinas initial purchases are made more difficult for Iowa farmers because of winter. They either send their crops by rail to the Pacific Northwest or down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. Winter weather affects the basis, because during those months shipping along the river can be constrained. And Cargill Inc. said this month that the United States has probably already missed the best chance to sell beans to China because of approaching South American harvests.

Jeff Ellis, a second-generation farmer from southeast Iowa, says the trade war couldnt have come at a worse time, just as the market was showing signs of recovery. Still, he said, Trump was right to stand up to China. Ellis said hes nervously optimistic that gains will be made during the detente.

Among traders, skepticism remains over the impact on the soybean market, as the imports are likely to be made by state-owned enterprises while Chinese commercial buyers that typically buy more are still hampered by tariffs

Thursdays move is much more significant for sentiment in broader financial markets. Asian equities to rubber futures advanced on hopes that Xi and Trump will be able to reach an agreement within the 90-day period. It also raises prospects for further buying from China, according to JCIs Li.

We expect China to resume purchases of other farm products from the United States, including corn, Li said.
Electric utilities are under increasing pressure to shut down power lines during dangerous weather conditions to stop fires from sparking. And state officials want to make sure those shutoffs dont do more harm than good.

The California Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously Thursday to begin crafting new rules for turning off electricity when fire risk is high. The agencys move follows a second straight year of devastating wildfires across California, some of which were started or may have been started by electric utility equipment.

The recent fires could result in billions of dollars in liability for the states two largest utilities, Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas & Electric, giving them a strong incentive to try to prevent future blazes by de-energizing power lines when the weather is dry and windy. In the last year, both companies have cut power to customers for fire-prevention reasons for the first time in recent memory.

Proponents of turning off the power when the landscape is primed for fire say its one of the cheapest, easiest steps utilities can take to avert widespread destruction.

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We need new tools, Michael Picker, president of the Public Utilities Commission, said before Thursdays vote. In this era, with the ferocity and unprecedented damages were seeing from wildfires, we cant keep doing the same thing.

But power shutoffs can also cause problems. Some people depend on electricity to power medical devices, including breathing machines and dialysis equipment. A lack of electricity can also create additional hazards when blazes do spark, making it harder for residents without landlines to find out about evacuation orders and potentially limiting the ability for firefighters to pump water.

If a shutoff is done, it should make people safer, not put them at more risk, said Mindy Spatt, a spokeswoman for the Utility Reform Network, a ratepayer advocacy group based in San Francisco.

Wildfire much worse because of climate change, new report finds 

Making shutoffs safer is the goal of the rule-making process opened by the commission Thursday. The regulatory agency plans to examine a long list of questions, including how utilities should notify the public of possible shutoffs, how to limit the effects on people with life-support devices and how utility officials should coordinate with first responders once the electricity is out.

The commission could ultimately create a new set of rules governing when and how utilities turn off the lights. Elizaveta Malashenko, who leads the commissions Safety and Enforcement Division, said the rules the agency develops will largely be determined by who takes part in the conversation, and what kinds of questions and concerns they raise.

Its important for anybody who really wants to make sure that their point is considered to engage  to find a way to engage in this process either directly or through some kind of organization, Malashenko told The Times before Thursdays vote.

One issue the commission will consider is what steps utilities should take to help people cope with shutoffs. Malashenko said the discussion might include shorter-term measures such as heating and cooling centers where people can charge their phones and stay safe, and longer-term measures such as reconfiguring utility infrastructure so that de-energizing power lines in high-risk areas causes fewer customers to lose electricity.

After the Woolsey fire in November, residents try to figure how to navigate around downed power lines on Mullholland Highway in Malibu Lake. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Some participants in the commissions rule-making may also suggest making shutoffs more palatable by building microgrids  small, local electric systems that can be disconnected from the larger power grid, often powered by a combination of solar panels and batteries. Microgrids arent a new idea, but solar companies are increasingly looking to incorporate the technology into state policy and utility planning.

Anne Hoskins, chief policy officer for the San Francisco-based rooftop solar installer Sunrun, noted that in the days leading up to the Camp fires ignition last month, PG&E warned 70,000 customers in Northern California that it might shut down power in communities including Paradise. But in the end, the utility kept the power on, and the Camp fire was ignited, destroying most of Paradise.

A cause for the fire has yet to be determined, but theres early evidence PG&Es power lines may be to blame.

We can build a system that can be more self-reliant and support that kind of situation, Sunruns Hoskins said. Were not saying we can be a replacement for the transmission system. But lets see if we can get some of those central services supported by local energy, so when those [fire] conditions appear that we know are going to keep happening, the utilities can have the confidence to turn off the system.

Microgrid sales rise alongside qualms about the power grid 

Power shutoffs are more controversial than traditional fire mitigation measures such as vegetation management, which goes a long way toward explaining why utilities have avoided them.

But shutoffs are a more surefire way to prevent fires, which is why state officials are preparing for utilities to use them more often. Edison shut off power lines for wildfire-prevention reasons last December, causing about 8,000 homes and businesses in the Idyllwild area to lose electricity for a day and a half. PG&E faced fierce criticism from customers after it preemptively turned off electricity for 60,000 customers in October of this year.

San Diego Gas & Electric, the states third-largest utility, has a longer history of power shutoffs. SDG&E worked with state regulators to develop rules governing shutoffs after a trifecta of deadly fires in San Diego County in 2007. The Public Utilities Commission expanded those rules to cover Edison and PG&E earlier this year, and both utilities created protocols for evaluating the weather conditions that might necessitate shutoffs.

Michael Wara, who leads the Climate and Energy Policy Program at Stanford Universitys Woods Institute for the Environment, said its been easier for SDG&E to shut off power than it will be for Edison and PG&E, because most of SDG&Es shutoffs affect eastern San Diego County, where relatively few people live. But he thinks the costs of shutting off power more frequently are worth it, especially when compared with more expensive steps that could also dramatically reduce the risk of utility-sparked fires, such as burying power lines underground.

Thats a super-expensive thing and it will take a long time, Wara said. We cant afford to have a single ignition on a red flag day in a lot of these communities.

Residents Ann and Roger Bloxberg watch the Woolsey fire at the mouth of Bell Canyon. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times)

Several members of the Public Utilities Commission said before Thursdays vote that they saw power shutoffs as increasingly needed to prevent wildfire ignition, alongside other actions utilities can take to reduce risks. Commissioner Carla Peterman described shutoffs as an option we dont want to have to exercise often, but will exercise as necessary.

As part of a separate process at the Public Utilities Commission, the states investor-owned utilities are starting work on wildfire mitigation plans outlining their overall strategies for preventing and fighting fires, as required by a bill approved by the Legislature last year, SB 901. Those mitigation plans could include steps such as insulating power lines, pruning trees near electrical infrastructure and building more advanced weather-tracking stations, as well as shutting down power lines more often.

As climate change worsens wildfires, California will spend $1 billion and give utilities new ways to shrink their fire expenses 

Even before that process got started, Edison unveiled a sweeping plan to reduce wildfire risks from its power lines, asking for permission from state officials to charge ratepayers $582 million for the work.

In a written statement, Edison said it considered power shutoffs an important way to mitigate the states wildfire risk, along with the steps outlined in its $582-million plan. The company said it looks forward to participating in the commissions new process to develop rules for power shutoffs.

PG&E supports the commissions continued efforts in looking into this critical issue and examining the rules for proactively de-energizing power lines, the company said in a written statement.

We know how much our customers rely on electric service and the impacts that a Public Safety Power Shutoff event can have on our customers, their families and communities  including groceries and medical equipment, PG&E said in its statement. We only consider temporarily turning off power in the interest of safety and as a last resort during extreme weather conditions to reduce the risk of wildfire.

sammy.roth@latimes.com

@Sammy_Roth
Feeling festive? You may after taking in some of these holiday offerings, including American Ballet Theatre dancing a seasonal favorite, Taylor Macs latest gender-bending music extravaganza, and not one but two performances of a beloved oratorio. Theres a solo take on a Victorian-era tale of redemption, and an all-female vocal group holds court in a downtown L.A. landmark.

Visions of sugar plum fairies

American Ballet Theatre returns to Orange County for the New York companys annual performances of The Nutcracker, with Pacific Symphony performing Tchaikovskys score. Segerstrom Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. 7 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, 12:30 and 5:30 p.m. Sunday; other dates through Dec. 23. $29 and up. scfta.org

Enjoy some Holiday Sauce

Gender non-conforming performance artist and musicologist Taylor Mac  last seen round these parts in his epic four-part A 24-Decade History of Popular Music  returns with live band and special guests in the sure-to-be-irreverent Taylor Macs Holiday Sauce. Presented by the Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA. Royce Hall, UCLA, 10745 Dickson Court, Westwood. 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday. $26$116. cap.ucla.edu

Taylor Mac, left, is back in the musical spectacular Taylor Macs Holiday Sauce at UCLAs Royce Hall. (Little Fang Photography)

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Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Los Angeles Master Chorale presents two distinct takes on Handels Messiah: a straight-ahead performance of the 18th-century oratorio on Sunday, followed the next night by the 38th edition of the groups sing-along version. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., L.A. 7 p.m. Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Monday. $29 and up; children under 6 not admitted. lamasterchorale.org

Audience members sing along with Los Angeles Master Chorale in a performance of Handels Messiah at Walt Disney Concert Hall. (Stuart Palley / For The Times)

A miserable miser gets ghosted

Its your last weekend to catch Jefferson Mays in Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol. The Tony winner (I Am My Own Wife) plays every role in this adaptation of the supernatural fable. An L.A. Times Critics Choice. Gil Cates Theater, Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood. 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday. $30-$120. geffenplayhouse.com

Jefferson Mays stars in a one-man version of Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol at the Geffen Playhouse. (Chris Whitaker)

Do you hear what I hear?

You are invited to spend Christmas at the Bradbury With Kitka. The Oakland-based all-female vocal ensemble sings seasonal favorites from Eastern European and Eurasian traditions in the acoustically pleasing confines of the venerable Bradbury Building. A Da Camera Society presentation. 304 S. Broadway, L.A. 3, 5 and 7 p.m. Sunday. $65. DaCamera.org

Vocal ensemble Kitka will perform three shows at the Bradbury Building in downtown L.A. on Sunday. (Tomas Pacha)

MORE ARTS:

Best theater 2018: Times critic Charles McNultys picks

Best art 2018: Times critic Christopher Knights picks

Best classical 2018: Times critic Mark Sweds picks
Hes wearing boots and black spectacles. Shes in Dior. Sitting together in a Beverly Hills hotel, writer-director Barry Jenkins and actress KiKi Layne swap stories about their bittersweet new movie, If Beale Street Could Talk. The follow-up to Jenkins Oscar-winning Moonlight, this adaptation of James Baldwins 1974 novel features Layne as 19-year-old Harlem native Tish Rivers, whose sculptor boyfriend goes to jail after being falsely accused of rape and car theft by a racist cop in Greenwich Village. Jenkins says, Im a very visual director, but when I write a script, I dont really have an idea in my head of what the character looks like. I just hope someone will walk through the door and reveal to me who the character is.

Thats exactly what Layne did.

The 26-year-old actress moved from Chicago to Los Angeles just three months before taping a video audition for Beale Street. At Jenkins behest, she flew to New York for a chemistry read with Stephan James, already cast as love interest Fonny. Jenkins says, KiKi is taller than I thought Tish would be, but when I saw her and Stefan together, it was clear that they were two beautiful black people who could project the feeling of being soul mates.

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Stephan and I were strangers, but we couldnt let that show, Layne says. We had to drop all insecurities, questions, fears and just dive in because we knew the whole film was going to build off of our relationship. Any walls that were up, they had to come down. Thankfully, Barry created this really safe environment.

KiKi, youve done a lot of theater but never made a movie before Beale Street. Were you nervous?

Layne: The first few days I actually didnt have any dialogue. Barry gave me time to get acclimated to being on a movie set before I really had to get into acting, so I was sort of watching everybody going: OK, this is what it looks like.

Actress Kiki Layne, from the film If Beale Street Could Talk, " photographed in the L.A. Times Photo and Video Studio at the Toronto International Film Festival, in Toronto, Ont., Canada on September 08, 2018 (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

And then you have this epic family sequence with Regina King and Colman Domingo as your parents.

Layne: Even if I started out a little bit like, Whoo, Im in a scene with Regina King! How am I going to remember my speech? the entire cast wouldnt let me stay there. They gave me so much support, and the day we shot the big family scene I definitely needed it because I was sick with some type of stomach virus and throwing up.

Jenkins: Cant tell.

Layne: So I needed even more support.

Jenkins: There is that one shot where you look a little sickly. Fonnys mother, [played by] Aunjanue [Ellis], gives her big speech about Sometimes I think maybe its just the Lords plan, to make my boy think on his sins.

Layne: I roll my eyes.

KiKi Layne, left, and Colman Domingo in a scene from If Beale Street Could Talk. (Tatum Mangus / AP)

Tish has a great early 70s period look. Did the clothes from costume designer Caroline Eselin-Schaefer help define the character?

Jenkins: If you pay attention, youll notice the costumes repeat quite a lot. Theres a good bit of mixing and matching where Tish is like, I got four things that I know look good, so Im just going to take care of them and wear the hell out of them.

Layne: The clothes, the hair and makeup, all of that really helped show me how Tish moved through space and how she dresses and carries herself, versus how KiKi carries herself and what KiKi does with her makeup.

Jenkins: Because KiKi and Tish are very different people. Sorry to talk about you while youre right here, but you look at Tish and think, Oh, heres this fragile creature that everyone needs to protect. Thats not KiKi. Not even remotely.

Layne: Theres this line in the book where Baldwin says something like Tish looks like she needs help. So I had to ask myself what does that look like and feel like and sound like, because I definitely come off as Yo, I got this. I had to not give off that type of energy as Tish. I remember when James Baldwins family came to the set, they said, I just want to give you a hug, man. I just want to wrap you up. Thats when I knew, I got it.

Teyonah Parris, from left, KiKi Layne and Regina King in a scene from If Beale Street Could Talk. (Tatum Mangus / AP)

Sadly, the racism James Baldwin wrote about 44 years ago continues to have a toxic impact on American life in 2018. How did that shape your telling of the story?

Layne: In terms of police brutality and learning about the issues of the justice system, I had to pull from the truth of how that makes me feel and then bring all of that into the role. At the same time, I recognized that Tishs fight might look a little different from my fight.

Jenkins: If theres a tragedy in the book and, I guess, in the film as well, its that if Fonny had just gone to vocational school and stayed with Tish in Harlem instead of going to the Village where all the artists live, then maybe he wouldnt have gotten into this situation. I dont think the book is fully cynical, but there is some cynicism. Its like, no matter which way you go, youre going to run into this [racism stuff], because its just so pervasive.

Director Barry Jenkins of the film, If Beale Street Could Talk, adapted from a James Baldwin novel. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

KiKi, what was it like seeing the final cut of the movie after Barry put all the elements together?

Layne: When I watched the movie with an audience in Harlem, I realized that wed created something that was needed. I could finally stop my actor brain from going, Whyd you make that face? or Thats the take he chose? We did a better one.

(Jenkins smiles and shrugs as if to say: Directors prerogative.)

Layne: Seeing If Beale Street Could Talk with that audience, I realized this movie is just how its supposed to be.
When Jordan Peele hired Spike Lee and me for this project, the only note he gave us was make it funny. We knew exactly what Jordan meant. He wasnt speaking about broad comedy or jokes; he was instructing us to reveal the irrationality of racism. The more you expose the normality of hate, how it works historically, the more you locate the tentacles that touch us today. That is how you make dangerous subjects humorous. You dont pull punches, you dont censor words, you dont make it acceptable; instead you get as close to the ugliness as you can and identify its absurdity. However, we did need one governing idea, a hook, to make the story cohesive.

We found that hook in a quote from W.E.B. Du Bois: One ever feels his twoness  an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength keeps it from being torn asunder. Ron Stallworths book, Black Klansman, takes us into the procedural world of his investigation of the Klan in the 1970s. The rookie mistake that Ron, played by John David Washington, made of using his actual name over the phone with the KKK and subsequently having to create a white Ron Stallworth is the perfect illustration and metaphor of twoness. This became the major theme in BlacKkKlansman.

Blackkklansman director Spike Lee, left, and co-writer Kevin Willmott were looking for a sense of urgency. (Michael Nagle / For The Times)

Spike wanted the film to resonate with the urgency of now. The past had to connect to today. We located in Rons book the current connection to our racial divide. Spike and I wanted our choices to not only speak to the political realities of the time but also the struggle of twoness in the characters. Rons relationship with Patrice, played by Laura Harrier, is complicated by her being a strong female activist patterned after human rights legends Angela Davis and Kathleen Cleaver.

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When Ron hears the speech of Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael), he finds himself connecting to his fiery rhetoric. Twoness is a condition that many black police officers voice today as a source of consternation. Rons issues with racism on the force was an opportunity to show how police need to police themselves. The ongoing deaths of unarmed young black men at the hands of police officers is a national tragedy. I have been in numerous screenings of the film where Landers, the racist cop, is arrested and the audience breaks out in applause because, unfortunately, this action remains a fantasy in American life.

We incorporated the issue of twoness into the narrative in numerous other ways: mistaken identity, the debate over imagery in blaxploitation films and the phone relationship Ron creates with David Duke. A surprising element of the film was discovering the twoness of being Jewish. Flip Zimmerman, a Jewish detective played by Adam Driver, is confronted by Ron and accused of passing. Flip has to go undercover as the white Ron Stallworth posing as a WASP. But in reality, Flip has been posing as a white Anglo-Saxon Protestant in real life.

Growing up in Kansas, I was often offered honorary whiteness by my white friends. A common occurrence when you are a person of color and liked is that you are offered assimilation into the majority group. Flips acceptance of honorary whiteness has disconnected him from his Jewish heritage. It is through going undercover as a Klan member and experiencing their barrage of anti-Semitic poison that he realizes he has lost an important part of himself.

Spike Lee, left, with actors Topher Grace, center, and Adam Driver on the set of Lees film BlacKkKlansman. (David Lee / AP)

Rons memoir gave us the launching pad to create a film about the past that exposes our present fight against the purveyors of hate. Jerome Turner, played by the legendary Harry Belafonte, tells the true story of Jesse Washington, who was tortured and lynched in 1915 in Waco, Texas. Washingtons lynching was fueled by the film The Birth of a Nation. Now, 102 years later, Spike uses the footage of Heather Heyers tragic murder in Charlottesville, Va., as a reminder of our present American nightmare. It is a call to end the hate that is currently being sold daily in the White House and from extremists throughout the country.

Our hope is that BlacKkKlansman is part of the prescription to heal the bitter divisions that continue to plague this nation.

Blackkklansman co-writer Kevin Willmott, left, and director Spike Lee. (Michael Nagle / For The Times)

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Jason Momoa likes to go big or go home.

The actor has shredded on a trident-turned air guitar for thousands of Comic-Con fans, competed with Jimmy Fallon in a late-night spear-throwing contest and released an Atlantean roar on the set of Saturday Night Live.

But at the Los Angeles movie premiere of Aquaman on Wednesday at the TCL Chinese Theatre, his passion for the King of the Seven Seas reached another level.

Just watch the haka he performed on the blue carpet below. With fierce synchronized movements, its a ceremonial group dance historically performed by New Zealands indigenous Maori community.

Jason Momoa proved "bringing culture to the carpet" matters at last night's @AquamanMovie premiere. He performed the #haka, a ceremonial group dance historically performed by New Zealands indigenous Maori community https://t.co/qIILCnU9iT @WarnerBrosEnt pic.twitter.com/bG1lc0RANd  LAT Entertainment (@latimesent) December 13, 2018

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Momoa was bringing culture to the carpet, as DCs Cyborg actor Ray Fisher put it at the premiere. Performed before hundreds of fans watching behind barricades across the street, this Polynesian tradition reflected the spirit of the latest DC Comics film, which opens nationwide on Dec. 21.

Read More: Jason Momoa performs a haka at the Aquaman premiere

Momoa portrays Arthur Curry, a half-human son of the sea queen Atlanna and a lighthouse keeper, who dares to save the underwater utopia of Atlantis. Nicole Kidman portrays his mom, Amber Heard his love interest, Willem Dafoe his uncle and Patrick Wilson his half-brother.

Nicole Kidman, Jason Momoa and Amber Heard at Wednesdays premiere. (Presley Ann / FilmMagic)

Aquaman was created in 1941 as a Caucasian and blond-haired hero, so casting Jason Momoa, who is of Native Hawaiian and Native American descent, has been celebrated as adding more multicultural heroes to comic-book movies.

Its important for people to see different culture represented on screen because itll give us a little more understanding of one another. So they can get an idea that, You know what? Were all the same, at the heart of it, said Fisher, whose DC character was originally written as a person of color in 1980.

Both he and Ryan Potter of the DC Comics series Titans attended Wednesdays event in support of the leading man.

Im a huge fan of his. For me as an Asian American actor, Jason Momoa is another rep for Pacific Islanders, Potter said. Momoa actually inspired him to audition for the DC character Beast Boy after a chance meeting at a Whole Foods in the Valley.

Read More: With Aquaman, Destroyer and Boy Erased, Nicole Kidman is everywhere

Potter added, I think after the success of a film like Crazy Rich Asians, Hollywood is now bringing eyes back to projects that maybe otherwise would have been overlooked, giving opportunities to directors like James Wan and actors like Jason Momoa.

The climate is changing in terms of what is blockbuster worthy, Potter said. There are faces of all different ethnicities, backgrounds, races, creeds, cultures that are now getting a little bit of limelight, and how Aquaman and DC are bringing some love to Jason and his people is brilliant.

Actor Patrick Wilson, left, and director James Wan. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

While director Zack Snyder originally recruited Momoa and costar Amber Heard to play Aquaman and Princess Mera in Justice League, James Wan stepped in to helm this standalone feature. Snyder serves as executive producer.

Momoa told The Times that it was effortless working with the franchises new filmmaker: Amazing. He totally respected where we started and changed it into a whole other world.

With Wan in the directors chair, the 2018 flick is much lighter in tone than Snyders DC Comics movies. Momoa seemed thankful for that, comparing it to Indiana Jones or Star Wars.

I just want [audiences] to have fun. Its got a hell of a lot of action, he said on the carpet while fans screamed.

Theres a lot of themes in this that are beautiful, and I feel like when you walk away from it, like any good movie, its gonna stick with you for a little bit, Momoa added. Theres a lot of cool things that kids will be pretty stoked and families get to go home and discuss.

 Jason Momoa with family at Aquaman L.A. premiere

In the movie, Momoas Aquaman is just as candid as the actor is in person. Just as the sea king on screen quips about Mera being a redhead and jabs frequently with PG-13-rated curse words, the actor did not filter much at the premiere.

Take this comment made on the carpet: Itd be pretty cool to be Aquaman so I could take all of the trash in the ocean, bind it all up and then call my friend Superman, have him melt it and suck all the toxins out. Swallow it and poop it out.

His childlike energy was contagious, especially with his personal superheroes present: his mom, Coni Momoa, and wife Lisa Bonet. Momoas son, who joined him in the haka, and daughter were also seeing it for the first time Wednesday.

For this former islander kid, who spent his childhood summers with his father in Hawaii, the journey to a superhero still feels surreal. Its the craziest thing in the world.

Jason Momoa and his wife Lisa Bonet (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

Review: Aquaman makes a splash with underwater spectacle galore and Jason Momoas superheroic star turn


This time last year, Nicole Kidman was working with Oscar-winning makeup artist Bill Corso, perfecting the sun-damaged, sleep-deprived complexion of the LAPD detective shed play in Destroyer, developing a leathery look far and away removed from the 51-year-old actress own fair skin.

Seeing their mom in full makeup for the first time, Kidmans daughters  Sunday, 10, and Fifi, 7  reacted in the blunt, truth-telling way that kids that age do.

They called me granny,  Kidman remembers, laughing. Theyre like, Youre our granny now. 

Which got Kidman thinking. The girls school in Nashville  where Kidman, musician husband Keith Urban and their daughters live  was putting on a grandparents chocolate day. Both Kidmans and Urbans mothers live in Australia. So Kidman told her girls thatd she gladly don a wig and dress up and play their grandmother for the day.

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Her idea was met with mortification.

I thought itd be kind of quirky and funny and make for a good story for when they were older, Kidman says, curled up cross-legged on a couch on a recent weekend in Los Angeles. And here she adopts a shaky, old persons voice.  Oh  hello Sunday! Im here! And shes just like, Whatever you do, never, ever do that. So I wont be dressing up as their granny  even though thats what they called me!

Nicole Kidman stars as Erin Bell in Karyn Kusamas Destroyer. (Annapurna Pictures)

RELATED: Karyn Kusamas restless noir Destroyer uncovers an L.A.  and a Nicole Kidman  you havent seen before 

Kidman doesnt exactly need to take on another part right now. She has two movies arriving in theaters over the next two weeks: Destroyer, for which she just earned her 13th Golden Globe nomination, opens in limited release on Christmas Day, and Aquaman, in which she plays the title heros mother, aka The Queen of Atlantis, opens nationwide Dec. 21. Kidman can also currently be seen in the drama Boy Erased, winning strong reviews for portraying the supportive mother of a young man struggling to reconcile his sexuality with his evangelical upbringing.

Its the extension of a remarkable run of roles that began with Kidmans Oscar-nominated performance in the 2016 film Lion and continued last year with starring turns in Sofia Coppolas remake of The Beguiled and Yorgos Lanthimos unsettling The Killing of the Sacred Deer and, of course, her work on the HBO series Big Little Lies, for which she won the Emmy, the SAG Award and the Golden Globe playing Celeste, a woman hiding the dark secret of domestic violence behind a flawless facade.

Kidman however isnt one to shape illusions about her life or her career. She says she almost gave up acting a few years ago, following a disappointing time of making films such as The Railway Man, Trespass and Before I Go to Sleep, movies that were barely seen and, aside from Kidmans acting, harshly reviewed. The low point came at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival when the audience greeted her Grace Kelly homage Grace of Monaco with boos and hisses. Kidman sobbed in her hotel room.

Nicole Kidman in Grace of Monaco. After the film earned poor reviews at Cannes, it premiered on Lifetime the following year. (DAVID KOSKAS / The Weinstein Company)

Its probably not great to talk about when youre old, but you start out as flavor of the month and then youre not; you have some things that work and some that dont, and suddenly no ones interested, Kidman says. Then its, Youve squandered or lost your talent. And thats not true. Its always there if youre nourishing it. And thats what I was doing. But that doesnt mean it wasnt frustrating.

Unlike Matthew McConaughey and his celebrated, self-labeled McConaissance of a few years ago, Kidman didnt have the luxury of choice. Women in Hollywood dont. She tried to find funding for projects she wanted to produce. She starred in a celebrated production of Photograph 51 on the London stage. (I was terrified no one was going to come, she says. The entire 11-week run sold out.) And she tried to jump-start her film career.

I wasnt the first, second or third choice for Lion,  Kidman says. [Director] Garth Davis was told not to cast me. That hurt. And Garth said, No. Thats what Im doing. I want to cast her. And he fought hard for me. So you know as an actor, theyre saying No. I dont want her. Shes not very good. And you just ... Kidman pauses, remembering the wound. Oooooh. OK. But thats where I was with things not working and people go, Eh. Not her. 

Destroyer director Kusama has had her own ups and downs and appreciates the candor with which Kidman discusses her career.

For her to be honest about feeling she was down in the dumps and not excited about her work is testament to her actual love for the art form, Kusama says. Because she just powered through those times. And Im sure she had some really dark nights staring up at the ceiling, but it seems like that ebb and flow and the understanding that theres good times and bad times really informs her work right now.

I wasnt the first, second or third choice for Lion. Garth Davis was told not to cast me. That hurt. Nicole Kidman

Kidman remembers thinking that maybe shed write or just focus completely on being a mom in Tennessee and finding a philanthropic path that would engage her creatively. Looking to vent, Kidman called her mother  a feminist who didnt have the career she probably wanted and challenged her two daughters to reject societal expectations  and her mom repeated what she has always told her. Do not give up your career.

And I remember saying, Im tired. I want to,  Kidman remembers. And she said, Keep your toe in the water. Youll want that. Im so glad she said it. Because Id probably be sad and I would grieve it if I had stopped.

Kidman, an introvert, speaks in a hushed tone that occasionally lowers to a whisper. She celebrated her 50th birthday last year in the way that suits her, going to her Bahamas beach house, unplugging every device and swimming in the ocean with her husband, her daughters, her sister and her nieces and nephews. Her favorite thing about acting isnt the glamour or the parties or the premieres, but the time she spends researching and working on characters, a process she finds soothing. (I find it like balm, she says. It completely allows me to feel close to humanity.)

With age, Kidman says shes more comfortable in her skin, allowing herself to be more outgoing. Take the time earlier this year, when she was heckling Urban from the side of the stage during a listening party for his new album, calling on him to play the song Parallel Line. Urbans reply: Only if you come up here and sing with me. With much trepidation, she did.

I would never have normally got up there on the stage, Kidman says. Never. Thats a step. When time is of the essence, you think, Well, why not try to push through things and have more experiences? And also, with children, not wanting to develop their personalities that way. Because they obviously mimic you and pick up on all that and absorb it. My little one, whos probably more introverted, I see her start to respond to that, so Im always trying not to lump them with my garbage. She laughs. Probably about 10 years ago, I could have gone two directions, which would have been into that very isolated, hermetic life, which would not have been a good place for me. Or I kind of went into, OK. I can move out.

And Im also very loved. The love helps. And it heals a lot. Its very nice to have it.

Though she prefers to put herself in a place of discomfort in her roles, Kidman loves to laugh and possesses a kooky sense of humor thats rarely seen in her work. She shouldered the drama in the first season of Big Little Lies, playing straight woman to costars Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern. That remains true for the second season, due next year, which adds Meryl Streep to the cast as Celestes mother-in-law.

You need a Meryl, someone to come in and shake us up, Kidman says. She helps us get into the ramifications of how the first season ended. The weight of that is heavy. It has to be. Theres no way around it.

Those hankering for a look at Kidmans lighter side would do well to see Aquaman, a movie she made partly because she and director James Wan, a fellow Australian, have long wanted to work together (a previous project never got off the ground) and mostly because her daughters can actually see a movie that their mom made.

(L-r) TEMUERA MORRISON as Tom Curry and NICOLE KIDMAN as Atlanna in Warner Bros. Pictures? action adventure ?AQUAMAN,? a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures (Warner Bros. Pictures)

RELATED: Nicole Kidmans directors on her standout 2018: Who else are you going to get to play the Queen of Atlantis? 

She actually said that her getting to play in this movie gave her kids a lot of street cred at their school, Wan says, laughing. I think thats really adorable given how beloved she is in the filmmaking community and the world. At the end of the day, she still wants her kids to look at her and go, My moms cool. 

Kidman loves Wans take on her motivations.

They do consider Aquaman a worthy project, she says, letting out a huge laugh. Its funny. I come to their classrooms and read stories, but Im not allowed to do too many voices because its embarrassing. I have to be kind of neutral. Theres a lot of stipulations, and Im very obedient. Now, I dont hang out of the window in the car in the lineup, going, Hiiiii! I was trying to do that because, again, Im more of a shy person and I thought itd be a great thing to have your parent show much they love you and are desperate to see you.

She smiles. But they know that Im crazy about them. They can feel it without me shouting it from the mountaintops.

glenn.whipp@latimes.com

Twitter: @glennwhipp
Every so often in If Beale Street Could Talk, Barry Jenkins sobering yet intoxicating adaptation of James Baldwins 1974 novel, two young lovers named Tish (KiKi Layne) and Fonny (Stephan James) lock gazes with one another and with the camera. The director frames each one of them head-on; they stare into each others eyes as we stare into theirs.

The stillness of the effect is a little unsettling at first; you have to slow your rhythms and adjust your way of seeing. But it is also quietly overpowering, a reminder that there are few landscapes more expressive or inexhaustible than the human face.

Few filmmakers implore you to scrutinize their characters as closely as does Jenkins, who, since making his 2008 feature debut with Medicine for Melancholy, has demonstrated an unusually sensitive eye for the overlooked. Two years ago he made the Oscar-winning Moonlight, his masterful portrait of a young black man from Miami wrestling with his sexuality as well as a childhood scarred by poverty and neglect. In Jenkins hands, Tarell Alvin McCraneys play became a soulful cinematic sonata, an exploration of identity in three chronologically ordered movements.

In the dreamy, sweepingly nonlinear If Beale Street Could Talk, Jenkins abandons progression for immersion. Although Tish and Fonny will soon find themselves trapped by nightmarish circumstances, they are effectively set loose to wander through time, in a story that blurs past and present as deftly as it interweaves the political and the personal. The ruminative, time-shuffling structure is inspired by Baldwins novel, which Jenkins quotes abundantly in dialogue, even as he once again coaxes a literary work into its own vibrant cinematic shape.

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Regina King in the movie If Beale Street Could Talk. (Annapurna Pictures)

The title of If Beale Street Could Talk, a reference to the 1916 W.C. Handy song Beale Street Blues, also alludes to a symbolic boulevard in every American city  a loud street, in Baldwins words  where black people can gather and speak freely, swapping stories, cracking jokes and giving voice to their dreams, joys and grievances. The movies version of Beale Street is a stretch of Harlem in the early 1970s, the same neighborhood where Tish and Fonny grew up, with occasional visits to the dilapidated West Village apartment that serves too briefly as their home.

The first time we meet Clementine Tish Rivers, 19, and Alonzo Fonny Hunt, 22, theyre walking through a park scattered with dry leaves  a scene captured in gorgeous washes of autumn color by the cinematographer James Laxton and soulfully caressed by Nicholas Britells achingly beautiful score. Its an idyllic moment, blissful in its sense of harmony and freedom, but we can already feel it slipping away. In the next scene, the lovers are separated by glass, Fonny having been thrown in jail after being falsely accused of sexual assault.

This shocking turn of events is quickly compounded by another, as Tish informs Fonny that hes going to be a father, news that he registers with an understandable mix of surprise, delight and heartache. Tishs family members, while similarly thrown by the news, prove unshakable in their support. Both her boisterous father, Joseph (Colman Domingo), and her shrewd older sister, Ernestine (Teyonah Parris), take their loving cues from the familys steadfast matriarch, Sharon (a wonderful Regina King), who in every scene exercises her gift for defusing potentially tense, awkward situations.

But Sharon is also no pushover, as we see when Fonnys bitter, fanatically religious mother (a startling Aunjanue Ellis) lashes out at Tish, in a group conversation notable for its simmering comic tension and some ingeniously deployed expletives. The power of Kings performance  which several critics groups have singled out for awards among the movies terrific ensemble cast  is in the way it treats kindness as both a strength and a discipline. We also see the degree to which both of Sharons daughters have absorbed her spirit of decency and perseverance, as all three women work tirelessly with Fonnys lawyer (Finn Wittrock) to secure his release.

But If Beale Street Could Talk is not a law-and-order procedural; nor is it the kind of movie in which a happy outcome can be achieved through some brilliant legal strategy. The story does take a few gripping turns: We learn that the accuser, a Puerto Rican-born immigrant named Victoria Rogers (Emily Rios), was pressured to name Fonny as her assailant by a police officer (Ed Skrein) harboring a racist grudge against him. Even before this infuriating if hardly surprising news come to light, Tish and her family never question Fonnys innocence. Neither do Baldwin and Jenkins, although they extend their sympathies with equal force to Victoria, played by Rios in a scene that nearly tears a hole in the movies exquisite fabric.

The crimes committed against Victoria and Fonny are not equivalent or even remotely similar offenses, but together they constitute a harsh indictment of an American legal system that has little interest in learning the truth or achieving the aims of justice. Fonnys incarceration exists on a vast continuum with the challenges facing, say, a black couple trying to rent an apartment in New York  a friendly Jewish landlord (Dave Franco) proves a rare exception to the rule  or a black woman, like Tish, who works behind the perfume counter at a mostly white-staffed department store.

Stephan James, KiKi Layne and Brian Tyree Henry in the movie If Beale Street Could Talk. (Tatum Mangus / Annapurna Pictures)

We hear the somber testimony of Fonnys old friend Daniel (a devastating Brian Tyree Henry), an ex-con who recalls the torments he suffered at the hands of cops who framed him for car theft. And Jenkins, leaning into the spirit of bold, confrontational truth telling that so galvanized Baldwins activism and literature, evokes an entire history of systemic, racialized oppression, as Tishs damningly composed voiceover plays over photographs of African American men being arrested and abused en masse.

These are ugly images, and they make Jenkins eye and ear for beauty all the more striking. Like Moonlight, but with even more forceful lyricism, If Beale Street Could Talk has a lush expressionist streak that recalls the Hollywood director Douglas Sirk, a master at using intense colors and striking compositions to express his characters interior states. It also evokes the styles of other world filmmakers whom Jenkins has acknowledged as his influences, including Claire Denis, Hou Hsiao-hsien and especially Wong Kar-wai, the Hong Kong auteur best known for his romantic melodrama In the Mood for Love.

You can see Wongs touch in the stunning photographic attention that Jenkins and Laxton lavish on their charismatic leads, and also in the whorls of cigarette smoke that envelop Fonny, a sculptor, as he considers his latest artwork. You see it perhaps most of all when he and Tish make love for the first time: As Tish observes in the novel, We held each other so close that we might indeed have been one body  and the movie realizes that sentiment with a swelteringly erotic sequence in which Britells shuddering strings reach a peak of emotional ecstasy.

But there is more to this movie than a patina of glamour. We are not often accustomed to seeing images of working-class life through anything besides a grotty kitchen-sink filter; we are not often reminded, frankly, that there is much here to look at. The formal ravishment of If Beale Street Could Talk thus takes on an implicitly political dimension; it may well be the movies stealthiest, most radical display of empathy.

In cutting against the aesthetic grain, Jenkins gently and wisely corrects our vision. The passionate glow of this filmmakers embrace belongs, quite rightly, to his characters. He is generous enough to also extend that embrace to us.

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If Beale Street Could Talk

Rating: R, for language and some sexual content

Running time: 1 hour, 59 minutes

Playing: ArcLight Cinemas, Hollywood, and the Landmark, West Los Angeles

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Justin Changs best movies of 2018: Burning and First Reformed lead a year of mystery

Mark Olsens best movies of 2018: If Beale Street Could Talk stands out in a year that tried to make sense of madness

Kenneth Turans best movies of 2018: Black Panther and Leave No Trace top a banner year

justin.chang@latimes.com | Twitter: @JustinCChang
Part true-life crime thriller, part supernatural teen romance, Sicilian Ghost Story is not a ghost story in the conventional sense but rather a unique, intriguing tale of being hunted, hidden and haunted told through an effectively dreamlike prism.

Luna (Julia Jedlikowska) and Giuseppe (Gaetano Fernandez) are 13-year-old classmates living in a Sicilian village. Its clear that their flirty friendship, with its quasi-Romeo and Juliet dynamic, is headed for deeper closeness despite the concern of the poorer Lunas eerily austere mother (Sabine Timoteo) and kindlier dad (Vincenzo Amato).

But when Giuseppe goes missing, the smitten Luna becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to him, slowly unraveling  with near-fatal consequences  over the course of what will turn into the boys long and mysterious absence.

Meanwhile, we also follow Giuseppe, who has been abducted by mobsters as a ploy to get his father, a Mafia hitman turned informant, to stop talking with local prosecutors. It doesnt work and, as a shackled, neglected Giuseppe is shuttled from one harsh hideaway to another, he and Luna stay in each others hearts and minds.

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Writer-directors Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza have infused their beautifully shot film, which was inspired by an actual 1990s kidnapping case, with a fairy tales sense of surrealism alongside its many grim elements. Although the story can feel chilly and oblique, it gets under your skin.

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Sicilian Ghost Story

In Italian with English subtitles

Not rated

Running time: 1 hour, 59 minutes

Playing: Starts Dec. 14, Landmark Nuart Theatre, West Los Angeles

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In a meeting with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Maxim Akimov in Moscow on December 11, Minister-Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung stressed that both nations have huge potential to bolster cooperation in the fields of transport infrastructure, as well as information and technology, following the official visit of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to Vietnam in November.

As Russia has considerable expertise in science and technology, and holds particular strength in cybersecurity, Vietnam hopes to learn from its experience in building e-Government, Dung said.

He added that the Vietnamese Government Office is planning to build a centre to supervise cybersecurity, expressing his hope that both sides will study cooperation opportunities and transfer security technologies.

Dung also told his host of the outcomes of his working session with Russian ministries, sectors, and leading IT corporations. He said that his office and the Russian Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media secured a memorandum of understanding on ensuring cybersecurity in e-government development.

Maxim Akimov, for his part, spoke highly of bilateral cooperation in the context of the Eurasia-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement having taken effect in October 2016.

Currently, more than 70 million people are using e-government services. Having a wealth of experience in the field, Russia stands ready to support Vietnam in specific programmes, he stressed, adding that the country will consider granting scholarships and organising training courses for Vietnam in IT, e-government, and information safety, among others.

Dung has been leading a delegation from the Government office to Russia from December 9 to 12. The delegation had working sessions with the Federal Tax Service, the Federal Registration Service, the Department of Information and Technologies of Moscow, Rostelecom - a leading digital service provider in Russia, Russian Railways, RusITexport, and Kaspersky Lab. They shared experience in database management, digitalisation, and services on portals of state-owned organisations.
The idea of Danish filmmaker Lars von Triers new The House That Jack Built is the most exciting thing about it. Can the notorious provocateur prince of international art cinema use the forensic procedural of a serial killer story to interrogate his own internalized misogyny and the complicated relationship to women within his own artistic practice?

Alas, it remains largely just that  a provocative idea executed with a halfhearted commitment.

Von Trier earned his reputation with such works of formal invention and transgressive thematic daring as Breaking the Waves and Dancer In the Dark that could shock and move audiences in equal measure. But as his compulsive need for public provocation began to overwhelm the merits of his artistic output, he has become more and more of a willful outsider. He managed to self-immolate one of his richest films, 2011s Melancholia, by making off-the-cuff Nazi jokes during a Cannes Film Festival news conference.

His latest movie move shows that his lesser tendencies still have him in their grip, as the film revels in grisly, in-your-face violence and wan philosophical digressions. Jack premiered at Cannes earlier this year and also screened in recent limited one-off engagements in its ultra-violent directors cut. The movie receives its official theatrical release in a R-rated version that is 5 minutes shorter.

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Von Trier has spoken about his struggles with depression and with alcohol, and it seems that every film he makes nearly breaks him, which may partly explain the sense of diminishing returns across his last few films. At one point in Jack, Von Trier includes images from some of his previous films, in case anyone was wondering who he considers to be the real star of the movie.

The story, as such, revolves around a character named Jack (Matt Dillon), an engineer who wants to be an artist in Washington state, over a 12-year period in the 1970s and 80s. Jacks real passion is murder, mostly of women.

The film is structured around Jack telling his tale to Virgil (Bruno Ganz) while being led on his way to hell, a nod to Dantes Divine Comedy. The movie continually cuts back to archival footage of the pianist Glenn Gould, pushing the notion that Jack is a frustrated artist attempting to bend the world to his will and express the vision he has inside him. (And Von Trier himself perhaps attempting to cryptically respond to/rationalize his reputation for being difficult to his performers.) Once the topic of conversation turns to Albert Speer, Nazi architecture and Holocaust atrocity footage, it feels as if the filmmaker is just looking to troll audiences like an argumentative online commenter.

Dillon feels a bit lost for much of the movie, seemingly asked to play Jack as something of a blank slate, devoid of empathy or understanding and prone to frustrated rage when things dont go as planned.

The way Dillon and Von Trier attempt to work in tandem brings to mind the recent collaboration between actor Ethan Hawke and filmmaker Paul Schrader on First Reformed, another instance of a onetime youthful heartthrob now in middle age and a writer-director who has at times seemed lost in the tides of his career. Yet Hawke and Schrader elevated and brought the best out of each other, while Dillon and Von Trier often seem confused and at odds, as if one was not understanding the intentions of the other.

As Jacks victims, Uma Thurman and Siobhan Fallon Hogan arent given much to do except serve as functionaries of the story, while Sofie Grabol makes a stronger emotional impression as a woman attempting to protect her two sons. It is Riley Keough who is allowed to seem like the fullest character in the entire movie as a woman coming to realize what her fate is about to be. If Keoughs character, or any of Jacks victims, had been given more consideration by Von Triers storytelling, it would provide a welcome counterbalance to Jacks egomaniacal musings and rantings, giving the movie a stronger core and its examination of Jacks true self a clearer focus. (Keough also gets the movies best line when she says simply, Youre weird.)

The House That Jack Built is a disappointment for many different reasons, not least of them being that it is not a total and utter failure. Then one could just dismiss it outright and be done with it. But Von Trier has managed to cobble together just enough of interest  odd moments, pieces of performance, stray ideas and the simple audacity of putting this mess out into the world, that it feels like there may be something there worth considering, a maddening possibility. And that may be his cruelest prank of all.

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The House That Jack Built

Rating: R, for strong disturbing violence/sadistic behavior, grisly images, language, and nudity

Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Playing: In limited release

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Miranda Kerr, a mother of two young sons, supermodel and entrepreneur, has long mastered the art of balancing parenthood and career. So tending to her teething baby, Hart (whom she welcomed earlier this year with her husband, Snapchat founder Evan Spiegel), and unveiling a pop-up shop for her skin-care brand, Kora Organics, during the same week comes as second nature to the Brentwood resident. Her certified organic line had its pop-up debut at the Grove shopping center in Los Angeles last month.

Kora Organics is my baby girl, said Kerr, who launched the line in 2009 in her native Australia. Her skin-care line, which landed at Sephora two years ago, has had sales growth of more than 800% in 2018, she said.

Kora Organics products at a pop-up at the Grove. (Bayley Baumgarten)

After numerous successful pop-ups Down Under, a Stateside debut was a natural step for the line, which features healing hero ingredient noni fruit extract. Kora Organics was invited to set up shop at the Grove as part of an experiential shopping concept, which is going through February and features kiosks dotted around the outdoor retail destination. Ten other brands are also participating, including e-commerce jewelry line BaubleBar, beauty line Charlotte Tilbury and subscription box service FabFitFun.

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The Kora Organics booth is hard to miss thanks in part to its baby blue umbrella, one of the many details Kerr weighed in on as the idea came to life. Then there are the rose-gold accents to reflect the lines distinct sleek packaging and cheery, colorful illustrations highlighting the ranges key ingredients.

Miranda Kerrs new pop-up shop at the Grove. (Bayley Baumgarten)

Kerr also had a hand in the product display, spotlighting bestsellers such as the Noni Glow Face Oil ($68), Noni Radiant Eye Oil ($38) and the newly introduced Turmeric 2-in-1 Brightening & Exfoliating Mask ($48), shown alongside rose quartz crystal, which is said to be the stone of self-love and acceptance. All Kora Organics products are filtered through rose quartz in the manufacturing process, said Kerr, who is also a proponent of new-age treatments such as reiki and crystal healing. The brand philosophy is all about a 360-degree approach to health and wellness to feed your mind, your body and your skin.

Kerrs journey toward the world of clean beauty was a natural one. Spending time on her grandparents farm in Gunnedah, New South Wales, she learned the benefits of organic farming and healthy living. My whole family believes health is wealth, said Kerr, whose eyes were also opened to the world of chemicals in food and skin care by the Bill Strathams book The Chemical Maze.

Through her exposure to numerous skin-care and beauty brands as a model, Kerr discovered what she felt was a hole in the market for an efficacious certified-organic beauty brand. If you know what youre putting on your skin and it gives you just as good results as other products, its a no-brainer, Kerr said.

Denise Vasi, left, and Miranda Kerr at the Grove. (Bayley Baumgarten)

On Nov. 29, Kerr joined celebrations for the Grove pop-up shops, where guests had a chance to meet her and test-drive the range under a specially erected tent at the shopping center that sheltered attendees on a rare L.A. rainy evening.

Its a great opportunity to have the brand out there and in the Grove because its such a fun little place, Kerr said. Especially at this time of year when people are looking for great gifts. She pointed to items such as the gua sha Rose Quartz Heart Facial Sculptor ($58), a beautifying stone designed to help improve circulation and lymphatic drainage.

Guests were also treated to their own special gift: a mini reiki healing treatment offered by practitioners on hand at the Kora Organics booth. Were all so busy, and there are certain tools I find to help re-energize [myself], said Kerr, a longtime devotee of the technique, which she not only receives but also practices. I wanted to share those with other people and see if they would help them as well.

A look at Kora Organics makeup. (Bayley Baumgarten)

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The bright yellow bee sculpture outside Maxfield in West Hollywood marks the entrance to a December pop-up for a new Dior menswear collection, created in collaboration with Brooklyn-based graffiti artist Kaws aka Brian Donnelly.

The summer 2019 offering from Dior Mens new artistic director, Kim Jones, includes about 21 pieces such as T-shirts, sweatshirts and backpacks  as well as some denim items enhanced by boro, a centuries-old Japanese embroidery technique. Jones has also debuted a mens version of the brands signature Saddle handbag and accessories from the brands Oblique line. The bee is a motif of the brands menswear collections and appears on a number of its products. Prices for the collection range from $450 to $2,100, and theres a display of goods inside Maxfields Prouve House.

Dior pop-up at Maxfield, through Dec. 26, 8825 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, dior.com, maxfieldla.com

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Badgley Mischka

Badgley Mischka, known primarily for formal wear, is emphasizing its daytime dress offerings at its newly-opened West Hollywood store. (Badgley Mischka)

Luxury brand Badgley Mischka, known primarily for its lavish $15,000 red-carpet gowns, is using the recent opening of its West Hollywood flagship to showcase everything from daywear to accessories. The brand, founded by principal designers Mark Badgley and James Mischka 30 years ago, moved into a 2,800-square-foot historic building on Sunset Boulevard on Thursday.

We want it to be seen as a lifestyle brand, said Jacqueline Sassoon, senior vice president of retail for the company. It used to be seen mostly as a couture label. But there are eyeglasses and mens shoes, bridal and fragrances.

The building housing the boutique dates to the early 1900s and has been the setting of productions such as Charlies Angels and Scarface. (It was formerly home to an Herve Leger store.)

Prices at the store start at $400. To celebrate the opening, Badgley Mischka is giving shoppers who spend $1,000 at the store a $100 certificate to Crustacean in Beverly Hills; the restaurant catered the boutiques opening-night soiree. The offer will be available until Jan. 5, and the certificate valid until the end of March.

Badgley Mischka, 8619 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, badgleymischka.com

Behno

New York-based luxury handbag line Behno has debuted at Bloomingdale's at Westfield Century City in Los Angeles. (Behno)

Socially conscious luxury handbag brand Behno, based in New York, recently made its Los Angeles debut, bowing at Bloomingdales at Westfield Century City. The India-made line (behno is Hindi for sisters) was established to support womens rights in India. The label offers its workers benefits, pay, healthcare and protections not often found in Indian factories, where Behno founder Shivam Punjya discovered female workers typically earn less than a dollar a day. Exclusive to Bloomingdales is the brands Ina Beaded Mini, a small bucket-style crossbody in blue and silver, priced at $585.

Behno, Bloomingdales Westfield Century City, 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, behno.com, bloomingdales.com

Frankies Bikinis

Los Angeles-based brand Frankies Bikinis has a swimwear pop-up in Beverly Hills running through the end of the year. Its a showcase of the labels signature swimwear as well as its new ready-to-wear collection. (Frankies)

Keeping in mind that its always summer somewhere, Los Angeles designer Francesca Aiello has a Beverly Hills pop-up running through the end of the year dedicated to all things swim.

People are always going on vacation at a time when none of the stores are carrying swimwear, Aiello said.

The 6-year-old brand is known for its easy-wear, influencer-friendly bikinis, especially top-sellers such as the Drew and the Greer  bikini tops that double as streetwear.

I wanted to offer an opportunity for customers to come in and try on the pieces theyve seen online, she said. The pop-up also marks the debut of Aiellos ready-to-wear line of hoodies, tees, cropped windbreakers and moto skirts. Prices at the pop-up start at $55.

Frankies Bikinis pop-up, through Dec. 31, 9528 Brighton Way, Beverly Hills, frankiesbikinis.com

For Days

Los Angeles subscription-based shirt brand For Days has launched its holiday offerings, which include long-sleeve, sustainably-sourced cotton shirts, designed to be worn out and returned later if the shirt is ripped or stained from everyday use. (For Days)

Shirt brand For Days, which takes your worn-out tees and upcycles them, is launching a couple of long-sleeved styles for holiday. The membership-based concept allows consumers to wear their 100% organic cotton Los Angeles-made T-shirts until they rip, stain or just need a refresh and return them for a replacement. The used shirts are turned back into fresh yarn for new products. Kristy Caylor, the brands chief executive, said the new offerings of long-sleeved and mock-turtle tees in colors such as cobalt and eggplant will usher in ongoing launches for spring and fall.

You can play with style and have a lot of these items in your wardrobe because there is no waste, she said. You can change your style, color or size anytime you want and know that your old tees arent headed to a landfill. Plans start at $38 a year.

For Days, fordays.com

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Anti-gay remarks that a San Diego State economist made 16 years ago have sparked a political flap that led to the postponement of a congressional hearing on the minimum wage.

Joseph Sabia had been scheduled to appear Wednesday before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce on the effects of raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. But the session was postponed after it was learned that he had made anti-gay and anti-feminist comments on a blog he wrote when he was a student at Cornell University.

The remarks had been taken down, but they remained in an internet archive and were shared with committee members, drawing their ire.

Sabia apologized for the comments Tuesday, and San Diego State issued a statement saying that the old posts do not represent the universitys values.

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This weeks controversy largely stems from remarks Sabia made online in 2002.

In a column that mocked liberals supposed love of taxation, Sabia said the right wing should respond by taxing and regulating homosexual acts.

But first we have to mount the assault on Big Gay (no, I am not talking about Rosie ODonnell), Sabia wrote.

We can tax gay nightclubs, websites, personal ads, sexual paraphernalia, and so forth. Talk about a sin tax!!! We can cripple gay-related industries and get them right where we want them. All gay clubs will have to feature huge, flashing warning signs like CAUTION: Entering this nightclub may increase your chance of contracting STDs and dying. 

In a subsequent column, he said the womens rights movement had effectively encouraged young women to behave like whores.

The chant of Gen. Y college babes might as well be Were here, were whores, get used to it!  Sabia wrote. No, most girls are not actually uttering those words, but the slutty sentiments are implicit in the standard female college behavior  wearing tight shirts and pants, getting publicly drunk, hanging on every guy around, and engaging in random sex.

Sabia said in a statement Tuesday: I regret the hurtful and disrespectful language I used as a satirical college opinion writer 20 years ago.

I am a gay man in a long-term, committed relationship and these charges of homophobia deeply hurt both me and my family.

My peer-reviewed professional work on veterans health, school shootings, discrimination against LGBTQ individuals, the opioid crisis, and the minimum wage are a more accurate representation of my more than 14-year career as an applied microeconomist.

San Diego State also issued a statement, saying: The language and sentiments expressed in these posts are counter to the values of any institution which supports the principles of diversity and inclusion.

SDSU unequivocally rejects any sentiment which seeks to undermine or devalue the dignity of any person based on their gender, orientation, ability, or any other difference among people which has been an excuse for misunderstanding, dissension or hatred.

Robbins writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

gary.robbins@sduniontribune.com
Authorities say bomb threats sent to dozens of schools, universities, consulates and other locations across the United States appear to be hoaxes.

At least 13 false threats were received across Los Angeles at major businesses and government entities, the Los Angeles Police Department said Thursday. The targets were told they would be bombed unless they immediately paid a ransom in bitcoin, police said.

The phony threats are part of a massive nationwide scheme by someone trying to force a company or entity to pay an untraceable sum, the LAPD said, with the message being received by dozens of supposed targets.

These are robo-messages with no means to deliver upon the threat, LAPD Deputy Chief Horace Frank said.

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Federal and local cybercrime experts are working to trace the source of the messages, he said.

In San Diego County, law enforcement agencies were busy checking out a flurry of bomb threats emailed to commercial buildings around the region.

Similar threats were reported in other states, including New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Iowa.

The New York City Police Department said the threats were meant to cause disruption and compel recipients into sending money, and are not considered credible.

In San Diego, the first calls came in around 10:40 a.m., said San Diego Police Officer Joshua Hodge.

Building managers told police they had received email threats that warned there were explosive devices planted in their buildings. The emails warned that if the people making the threats didnt receive money within a certain amount of time, they would detonate the devices.

By 11:30 a.m., the city had received more than a half a dozen reports of building managers receiving emailed threats, Hodge said.

San Diego County Sheriffs Department deputies responded to similar calls in their jurisdiction.

By 11:50 a.m., sheriffs officials said they had received reports of nine businesses receiving the threatening emails, including several auto body shops. In some cases, employees and customers evacuated the targeted buildings.

San Diego police officers were checking out the threats and had not found any explosive devices, Hodge said.

We are going out to evaluate it like it is the real deal, he said. They went into the buildings and they have not seen anything that would deem it to be a credible threat. However, they are still doing bomb-threat reports, because it is a crime.

Police in El Cajon and National City also received calls, said sheriffs Lt. Karla Menzies.

We are treating every call like a bomb threat, Menzies said. Once [businesses] are receiving the email, they are basically calling 911 to report it and we are responding as we can.

Menzies said the emails demand cash and say that if the money isnt paid, a bomb hidden in the building would be detonated. Some ask for $20,000 to be paid in bitcoin, Menzies said.

The Palm Beach County, Fla., Sheriffs Office and the Boise, Idaho, police said they had no reason to believe that threats made to locations in those areas were credible.

Across the country, some schools were closed early and others were evacuated because of the threats. Pennsylvania State University notified students via a campus alert. Near Atlanta, people were ushered out of a courthouse.

Los Angeles Times staff writer Winton contributed to this report from Los Angeles, and Kucher, who writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune, contributed from San Diego. The Associated Press also contributed to this report.

richard.winton@latimes.com

karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com
In an unprecedented step, state regulators Wednesday adopted standards that would force San Francisco and several big San Joaquin Valley irrigation districts to give some of their river supplies back to the environment.

But they also left the door open to agreements that would significantly undercut those flow requirements  underscoring the winding path that marks any significant change in California water policy.

The vote by the State Water Resources Control Board is by no means the final say on the matter. Settlement discussions will continue next year. And water users have vowed to challenge the flow mandates in court.

Under the new requirements, water districts would have to reduce their historic diversions from three salmon-bearing rivers, the Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Merced. Average flows on the three tributaries of the San Joaquin River now range from 21% to 40% of what they would be without dams and diversions. At times the river beds hold as little as 10% of the natural flow.

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Not only would greater river flows improve conditions for struggling salmon populations, they would ultimately boost needed inflow to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the ecologically ailing center of Californias water system.

Many of the water users have diversion rights that date back a century or more. They have fiercely criticized the board plan, which would collectively cost them 300,000 acre feet of supply  or roughly 15% of their total diversions on all three tributaries.

Irrigation districts argued Wednesday that if the board adopted the flow requirements, it would start a years-long legal war and hinder progress in improving environmental conditions in the delta watershed.

They urged the board instead to give them more time to forge settlements with state water and fish and wildlife agencies.

Officials with those departments have spent the last month in intense negotiations, trying to strike accords  which the state board has encouraged but cannot take part in.

California Fish and Wildlife Director Chuck Bonham told board members an agreement had been reached on the Tuolumne River, but not on the Stanislaus and Merced rivers.

Bonham and Department of Water Resources Director Karla Nemeth supported voluntary agreements as the best way to quickly achieve environmental improvements.

They presented the outlines of a settlement framework for the entire delta watershed, including the Sacramento River Basin, which is next in line for new flow standards.

Under their proposed agreements, water districts would make habitat improvements, such as expanding floodplains and building up spawning beds with gravel.

They would also boost fish flows  but to a lesser degree than mandated by the board. Farmers would fallow land to free up irrigation supplies.

Over a 15-year-period, the state would contribute $900 million and water users, $800 million, to a fund to pay for habitat improvements and water purchases for the environment.

The proposed framework would make things actually happen in a timely way, said Nemeth, who called it a historic collaboration.

But environmentalists  who have criticized the boards standards as too weak  condemned the proposed settlement terms as wholly inadequate.

The settlement is less than half of what the water board asked for, said Doug Obegi, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Without any protections for the delta itself and a proposal that the public would pay for a lot of the water, it looks like the states strategy has been to ask for less to get to yes, he added.

The board vote caps years of discussions and staff work on a long overdue update of water quality standards for the delta.

Regulators have until now principally focused on the harmful environmental effects of the deltas pumping operations that send water south and have helped push native delta smelt and salmon to the brink of extinction.

The tributary flow standards extend the onus of meeting delta protections to upstream diverters who have long escaped responsibility for the deltas ecological woes, despite their massive withdrawals from the river systems that feed the delta.

I think the time to act is now, board Chairwoman Felicia Marcus said when the five-member panel voted  with one nay from member Dorene DAdamo  to adopt the plan at the end of a 10-hour hearing.

At the same time, Marcus encouraged water users to continue settlement talks. And she noted that it would take more work to implement the standards in the form of regulations.

This is one step. I do think today is an important day in the spirit of moving forward. We have a lot more work to do.

Commercial salmon fishing groups, which have suffered closed seasons and declining catches, praised the board action.

Todays vote represents the setting of the bar, and water users will either rise to meet it or get beaten in court, Noah Oppenheim, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermens Associations, said in a statement.

bettina.boxall@latimes.com

Twitter: @boxall
Federal authorities are finalizing leases for two temporary sites in Butte County where hundreds of mobile and manufactured homes will be located to house families displaced by the devastating Camp fire.

A privately owned vacant lot in Chico will be the site of 250 homes, and officials in the nearby city of Gridley on Monday will consider a federal plan to locate 405 manufactured and mobile homes there, a federal official told the Butte County Board of Supervisors.

Kevin Hannes, a coordinating officer with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said about 705 families have qualified for direct housing assistance.

I think that number will go up, he told the board this week.

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The Camp fire was the worst in California history, destroying more than 15,000 structures and killing 86 people.

Much of the town of Paradise was leveled, and there has been much debate about how the city could be rebuilt. The fire displaced thousands of residents who are not sure where they are going to live and dont know whether they will be able to rebuild their homes.

Hannes said the agency already has secured leases for about 105 commercial pads where trailers can be placed and is working to get 250 more.

Group sites at two other locations will help provide space for most of the displaced families, though their construction is time-consuming and expensive, he said.

After a lease is signed it will take about 45 days to move the first families into those group sites. More people will move in waves until the sites are completely built out, about 120 days after a lease is signed.

Hannes said families are allowed to live at the sites for an 18-month period that started with the Nov. 11 disaster declaration, but he said that will probably be extended.

FEMA is finalizing a lease with the owner of the Chico site. The Gridley City Council is expected to sign off on that citys site Monday, Hannes said.

He said $38 million in housing grants has been awarded to about 5,800 families in Butte County, including 440 families who received the maximum $34,000 grant. He said the Small Business Administration has given out about $114 million in loans statewide, with 70% to 80% of that related to the Camp fire.

javier.panzar@latimes.com

@jpanzar
Los Angeles will pay $300,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by a former City Council aide after a Superior Court judge found he had been wrongfully arrested, an incident that drew media attention and led to him losing his job.

The City Council voted 13 to 0 without discussion Wednesday to approve the settlement payment.

In his lawsuit, Fredy Torres said he was arrested without probable cause two years ago in South Los Angeles.

Torres, who was working at the time as a field deputy for Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson, had just parked a city car when he was stopped and arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

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The 2016 arrest drew attention from the Times and other outlets in part because another City Hall aide was arrested on suspicion of DUI the same weekend. That aide, Fredy Ceja, still serves as the spokesman for Councilman Gil Cedillo.

Days after his arrest, Torres lost his job with the city.

Torres was not ultimately charged with a DUI. Police told him that his drug test came back negative, according to his lawsuit. Earlier this year, a Superior Court judge ruled that Torres had been unlawfully arrested and improperly held even after passing a Breathalyzer exam at a police station.

I honestly hope that this lawsuit sends a message to the Los Angeles Police Department leadership, Torres said Wednesday. We need to take a closer look at what our department is doing to improve hiring, training and holding officers accountable to protect low-income communities like South Los Angeles.

If this happened to me, a person who worked for the city, Torres said, I just think about who else this has happened to.

Footage from body cameras showed that Torres was clearly and coherently communicating with LAPD Officer Steven Ruiz and following his instructions, the court noted. Instead, it was Officer Ruiz who seemed somewhat excited and oddly aggressive on the night in question, drawing his weapon when he first approached Torres, Superior Court Judge William F. Fahey wrote.

There was nothing about Torres actions which warranted the display of Ruizs gun, the court stated. Nor was there any reason to handcuff Torres.

At one point before Torres was taken to the police station, Ruiz asked if the matter could be squashed  which Torres took to mean dropped  but walked off after Torres asked for his business card and badge number, the judge noted. Fahey concluded that Ruiz had realized he had overstepped and then become worried about the possible consequences.

Fahey was unconvinced when Ruiz asserted Torres had failed field sobriety tests, concluding that was not corroborated by the videos or by other officers. A urine analysis found no trace of any controlled substance.

In his lawsuit, Torres alleged that the wrongful arrest had cost him his job and set him up for public ridicule. It still comes up in job interviews, he said Wednesday.

It was a very dark time, he said. Because I felt like others around me didnt know the truth.  I had to find another career path.

The court concluded that Torres had not lost his job because of the arrest, but because of a breach of trust and poor judgment after he had not been forthright about empty beer cans and a whiskey bottle found later in the city car. However, Harris-Dawson said Wednesday that before the arrest his employment was not in question.

I regret the entire situation, Harris-Dawson said, calling it tragic.

The councilman praised Torres for pursuing the case. From the outset, he felt that something wrong had happened. And he saw it through rather than just walking away, he said. Every time someone does that, I feel like it makes the system a little bit better.

Torres and the city also agreed that the court judgment against Ruiz, the officer who handcuffed him, would be vacated, according to a copy of the settlement agreement included in a court filing. The city attorneys office was not able to clarify Wednesday whether that had happened.

LAPD spokesman Josh Rubenstein declined to address the matter this week, saying, We are not able to comment on pending litigation.

emily.alpert@latimes.com

Twitter: @AlpertReyes
Among the expected questions on a health science education final exam about bacterial and sexually transmitted diseases was one multiple-choice query that some Cal State Long Beach students say targets minorities.

Question 50 on the take-home exam read, Which of the following gangs generally do the least graffiti? Four possible answers were provided: A. Black, B. Asian, C. Hispanic, D. White.

Student Alex Rambo, 31, who tweeted a photo of the question Monday, said the topic was never discussed in his Health Science for Secondary Teachers course, a class designed for future middle and high school instructors.

When I tell you I HATE my Thursday night class, this is why, Rambo wrote on Twitter.

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Rambo was not available for further comment Thursday, but he told the Long Beach Press-Telegram that he found the question offensive.

Matt Fischer, who teaches the course, told the newspaper that the take-home final exam was designed to encourage his students to investigate the best possible answer to each question.

Fischer has worked as a part-time lecturer at Cal State Long Beach for 16 years and has taught health and science classes at Los Angeles Unified School District campuses for 28 years, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Wasnt meant to be racist in the least, Fischer said. Im sorry they were so offended by it.

Fischer did not respond to an email seeking further comment Thursday.

The university launched an investigation after the tweet was brought to the attention of campus officials, said Jeff Bliss, a university spokesman.

The campus takes these allegations seriously, Bliss said. We will provide additional information when we have reached a resolution.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @Hannahnfry
A sewage spill that federal officials said started Monday night south of the border continues to flood the Tijuana River with millions of gallons of raw effluent.

A ruptured collector pipe in southeast Tijuana is leaking roughly 7 million gallons a day of sewage into the river, according to the U.S. section of the International Boundary and Water Commission.

While beach closures for Coronado and the Silver Strand had been lifted as of Wednesday, the shoreline in Imperial Beach remains closed to swimmers because of sewage contamination, according to the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health.

The rupture of the Colector Poniente was discovered after soil collapsed above a pipe, causing several sinkholes at an auto junkyard, according to the boundary and water commission.

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The collector had undergone millions of dollars worth of upgrades during the last year, but the section of pipe that burst had yet to be addressed as it was deeply buried under at least one structure, according to federal officials.

Following the discovery, a government agency that operates Tijuanas sewer and water delivery systems diverted the flows to a storm-water collector that drains into the Tijuana River.

U.S. officials have estimated the ongoing spill at about 7 million gallons a day.

The boundary and water commission said utility officials in Baja California would attempt to divert the flows Wednesday from the Tijuana River back into the citys wastewater treatment system.

joshua.smith@sduniontribune.com

Smith writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The Vietnamese delegation had a working session with the RoKs Yonhap News Agency, during which they talked about the application of science and technology, especially artificial intelligence, in the field of communications, and how RoK media in general, and Yonhap in particular, respond to the intense competition from social networking sites in providing information.

President and CEO of Yonhap News Agency Cho Sung-boo highlighted the fine relations between Vietnam and the RoK in many fields, especially in journalism cooperation.

He emphasised the close ties between Yonhap and the Vietnam News Agency (VNA), while revealing that Yonhap will set up a Southeast Asian news office in Hanoi in the time to come.

Long spoke highly of cooperation and experience sharing between the two news agencies in recent times.

The Vietnamese delegation explored Yonhap's experience in verifying social networking information, collecting fees of online newspapers, and the development trends of the press in the RoK.

During the talks with RoK Deputy Minister of Education Park Beag-beom on December 12, Long conveyed his joy at the effective cooperation between the two countries education ministries, expressing his hope that the RoK Government and Ministry of Education will help Vietnam develop a comprehensive education system, including vocational training.

He asked the RoK Ministry to support Vietnam in scientific and technological research and in teaching the Vietnamese language to multicultural families in the country.

He also hoped that the RoK side will make it easy for more Vietnamese students to pursue their studies in the nation.

The two sides agreed to serve as bridges to promote connection among their universities.

The same day, the Vietnamese delegation visited the Seoul Technical High School to learn about vocational training at RoK high schools.
Four years ago, a judge dealt a huge blow to the owners of a 299-unit apartment tower on Sunset Boulevard, striking down the projects permits and, ultimately, forcing the buildings residents to move out.

Since then, the 22-story Sunset and Gordon tower has stood empty, a larger-than-life symbol of the dysfunction surrounding planning and zoning decisions in Hollywood.

The City Council voted Wednesday to approve the apartment building for a second time, saying its long past time for tenants to be living there. Foes contend the city is continuing to bungle the project  and say they may go to court again.

The Coalition to Preserve L.A., a group funded by the Hollywood-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation, criticized the citys environmental review of the tower, saying traffic counts on local streets are off by about two-thirds. The citys review overestimated the number of residents who will rely on public transportation, said Mitchell M. Tsai, the coalitions lawyer.

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When you bring higher-income residents into these areas, they tend to drive, he said.

Councilman Mitch OFarrell, who represents part of Hollywood, said he believes the city will prevail if there is another lawsuit. In addition, he said, city officials have ensured that 45 apartments in the tower will have below-market rents.

When the project was originally approved, all of the units were market-rate, OFarrell added.

Its a big empty building and its been empty for almost four years, he said. We have a housing crisis. We dont have enough housing, and so its time to move on.

Shaul Kuba, co-founder and principal at building owner CIM Group, said he looks forward to reopening the tower, along with a nearby public park that was built as part of the project. Nyla Arslanian, who owns and edits the magazine Discover Hollywood, said she too welcomed the councils decision.

This was a good project when it was approved the first time, she said. Now its a better project.

The council first approved Sunset and Gordon in 2012, when the neighborhood was represented by Eric Garcetti, now the citys mayor. As part of that decision, the developer was required to preserve the facade of a one-story building on Sunset Boulevard that had previously housed an Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant.

While preparing for construction, property owner CIM Group concluded that the 1924 structure was too damaged to save and secured permission from city building officials to tear it down and build a replica instead.

That move sparked a legal challenge from the La Mirada Avenue Neighborhood Assn., which argued that the developer had failed to comply with the original provisions of the councils decision. By agreeing to preserve the building, the developer received permission to build fewer parking spaces on the site  a valuable concession worth millions of dollars, according to opponents of the project.

Sunset and Gordon is one of several planning decisions in Hollywood that have run into legal trouble in recent years.

In 2014, a judge struck down the citys decision to permit a Target shopping center after it was partly built. That forced city officials to spend years securing a new zoning change for the project  and led to a second, unsuccessful legal challenge.

A year after that ruling, a different judge invalidated the councils approval of the Millennium project  two skyscrapers near the Capitol Records building.

That project was relaunched earlier this year, with developers announcing plans for several buildings, including skyscrapers reaching 46 and 35 stories.

david.zahniser@latimes.com

Twitter: @DavidZahniser
The drinks were flowing heavily in a Carlsbad bar on that Saturday night in early February, a Catholic seminary student said, so much so that he headed to the bathroom to throw up.

While he was standing in the stall and vomiting, the priest he had been drinking with reached around him and groped his genitals, the student, 34, testified in a Vista courtroom on Wednesday.

I couldnt leave because I was puking, the accuser said. I was panicked.

His testimony came on the first day of trial for the priest, the Rev. Juan Castillo, who has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of sexual battery.

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The 35-year-old priest, who had been with a Carlsbad parish at the time, has pleaded not guilty. He faces up to six months in jail if convicted.

Castillos attorney, Victor Pippins, has said his client absolutely denies the allegations.

The Rev. Juan Castillo (Photo courtesy Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego)

During his opening statement Wednesday, Pippins told the jury the case was one of he said, he said  and one of [them] was drunk, and there is no corroborating evidence.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Joshua Brisbane told the jury that the evidence will show that Castillo wanted an opportunity to make a sexual move on the seminary student.

A spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego said in September that the bishop removed Castillo from his assignment as an associate priest at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Carlsbad on Feb. 4, the same day church officials had learned of the allegation by the seminary student.

The Union-Tribune does not identify alleged victims of sex crimes.

The accuser  a former military prosecutor who had left the service to become a priest testified about meeting Castillo, then a stranger to him, at a church function on Feb. 3 and agreeing later to go out for a drink afterward. The student invited another seminarian, a fellow student who was also at St. Patrick church that day.

The three men met up at a Carlsbad brewery, and hung out there for nearly five hours, accuser testified. The conversation had turned bizarre after midnight, after the priest started talking about the finer points of celibacy and chastity, the witness said.

The accuser also said Castillo had been encouraging him to continue drinking that night, goading him and mocking him when he refused another drink.

Sometime before 1 a.m. on Feb. 4, the seminary student felt ill and headed to the bathroom, he testified, and once there, arms braced against the stall walls, he stood over the toilet and vomited.

He said thats when he realized Castillo was behind him. He said the priest asked him if he was OK  and as the student was throwing up, the priest reached around and began to massage his genitals.

He said he shrugged Castillo off, but said Castillo did it a second time.

He said he was soon able to tell Castillo to get away.

I walked out of the stall, and I look at myself in the mirror and I said, Oh my God, what has happened to me? the accuser said.

He paused at a few points in his testimony, saying it was hard to relive the incident.

This was no mistake, he said. He was trying to get me going.

The former attorney  he had been both a prosecutor and defense attorney in the military  said he had concerns about coming forward. He knew there were no witnesses, he thought people might not believe him and he feared there would be repercussions for having gotten so intoxicated as a seminary student.

The witness was still testifying when court ended for the day, and had not yet been cross-examined. His testimony will continue Thursday.

Figueroa writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com
White police officers in a Washington, D.C., suburb have used racist slurs, circulated text messages expressing a desire to reinstitute lynching and put a black face and Afro wig on a training dummy, according to a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday.

Civil rights groups sued Marylands Prince Georges County and its police chief on behalf of several current and former officers. The suit accuses police officials of condoning racist, abusive behavior by white officers and retaliating against black and Latino officers who complain about misconduct.

The suit alleges the countys police chief, Henry Stawinski, has allowed racism to thrive in his department since his appointment nearly two years ago. It seeks unspecified monetary damages, including punitive damages, as well as a court order requiring the county to abolish racial discrimination within the Police Department.

In October 2017, Stawinski said the Justice Department was investigating allegations that the departments employment practices discriminated against Latinos and blacks. At the time, Stawinski said he would cooperate with the federal investigation and end any structures or practices that negatively effect officers.

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Police Department spokeswoman Jennifer Donelan said Wednesday she couldnt comment on pending litigation. The department isnt named as a defendant, but Stawinski and three other police officials are. The suit alleges they have perpetuated a long-standing pattern and practice of discrimination.

Justice Department spokeswoman Kelly Laco said in an email that she couldnt confirm or deny the existence or nonexistence of investigations.

However, one of the attorneys who filed the lawsuit said the federal investigation remains open. Investigators are interviewing officers on a regular basis, added Deborah Jeon, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland.

Police Capt. Joseph Perez, a plaintiff and president of the regions Hispanic National Law Enforcement Assn., alleges he has been passed over for promotions because he has spoken out against discriminatory and retaliatory misconduct.

The minute that you open up your mouth and say, Hey, thats wrong, guess what? Youre not a team player anymore. Youre a snitch. You broke that blue wall of silence, Perez said.

Dana Vickers Shelley, executive director of the ACLU of Maryland, says officers deserve praise, not punishment, for blowing the whistle on racist policing practices.

Any police department that fosters a culture of racial harassment and retaliation against officers of color within its ranks cannot hope to gain the community trust and support that is so necessary for achieving better public safety for everyone, she said.

The suit alleges three white officers repeatedly circulated racist text messages such as we should bring back public hangings. A complaint about the texts apparently didnt lead to any investigation or discipline for the three officers, the suit adds.

In August, Stawinski apologized for a since-deleted Facebook Live video in which an officer speaking to children refers to a black bad guy. The officer, who was giving a K-9 demonstration, said police dogs could detect a persons odor if a black bad guy is running and drops an item.

Perez said the officers remark on the video isnt an aberration.

We see that on the street from other officers, he said.

In February 2017, Perez showed Stawinski copies of photographs of the black face and Afro wig that someone had placed on a training dummy, according to the lawsuit.

Chief Stawinski subsequently denied seeing the photos prior to a later press conference, the suit says.

The officers named as plaintiffs in the suit also are represented by the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs.

Prince Georges County abuts the nations capital to the east. About 64% of the countys more than 900,000 residents are black, and nearly 27% are white. Whites account for 47% of the departments officers, with blacks accounting for nearly 43%, the suit says.
The Republican-controlled Senate took the rare step on Thursday of defying President Trump, invoking its war powers authority for the first time to demand a halt to U.S. participation in the Saudi-led war in Yemen.

Seven Republicans joined all Senate Democrats to demand, by a vote of 56 to 41, ending U.S. support for Saudi Arabia in the conflict in Yemen. Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed in Saudi airstrikes, and the war has led to what is now widely considered the worst humanitarian crisis on the planet. U.S. support has included providing targeting intelligence and refueling Saudi aircraft.

In a separate step, the Senate unanimously blamed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the gruesome Oct. 2 slaying of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The measures underscored the anger lawmakers are feeling over Trumps handling of the killing and of the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia as the Yemen war descends into a catastrophically deadly stalemate.

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Trump has questioned U.S. intelligence that concluded Mohammed played a role in the Khashoggi killing. But in their bipartisan war powers resolution and condemnation of the prince, the Senate signaled to the U.S. ally that it is not as willing to forgive the murder of a U.S.-based journalist and outspoken critic of the Saudi regime. The Yemen war, where Saudi Arabia is fighting Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, is one of Mohammeds favored projects.

In the last three years, 85,000 children have died and millions are on the brink of starvation, said Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a sponsor of the resolution. We must tell Saudi Arabia that the United States will no longer support their despotic regimes role in the horrific war in Yemen.

Both measures, however, were largely symbolic because the House has no plans to take them up this year. And Trump has threatened to veto the Yemen measure, arguing it might hurt U.S.-Saudi relations.

In approving the resolution, the Senate was invoking its war powers authority for the first time since the War Powers Act was passed in 1973. The law is intended as a congressional check on a presidents ability to wage war, allowing lawmakers to order the executive branch to end military conflicts not approved by Congress.

Both progressives and conservatives have made a profound statement that 45 years after the passage of the War Powers Act  finally the United States Senate has come together to use that authority for the first time, Sanders said.

Republicans who voted to end support for the conflict were Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Steve Daines of Montana, Jeff Flake of Arizona, Mike Lee of Utah, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Todd Young of Indiana.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, who last week voted to advance the Yemen measure as way to express his anger with the administrations initial refusal to allow CIA Director Gina Haspel to brief lawmakers on Khashoggis killing, did not vote Thursday. He said he supported the goal to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for their abuses in Yemen and go beyond that, but questioned the resolutions use of Congress war powers authority.

There was broader support during a procedural vote on the Yemen resolution Wednesday, when 60 senators supported it. GOP Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Michael D. Crapo and Jim Risch of Idaho, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska supported the procedural measure but opposed the final resolution.

If it dies as expected at the end of the current session, the Yemen resolution could come back next year, when Democrats will control the House.

Moran, one of the Republicans who supported the measure, hinted at a revival.

I am certain this will be a matter of debate early in the next Congress, and I will continue to support promoting peace and security on the Arabian Peninsula, he said.

In the history of U.S. foreign policy, Saudi Arabia has frequently gotten a pass, with its huge oil supply and billions of dollars to spend outweighing human rights abuses and other concerns.

Few U.S. presidents, however, have been as solicitous as Trump. His son-in-law and advisor, Jared Kushner, was recruited by the Saudis to become a friend and ally to the similarly young and inexperienced crown prince, and the two are in frequent contact.

Trumps first trip overseas as president was to the Saudi capital of Riyadh. Trump often claims, incorrectly, that the Saudis are prepared to spend $150 billion on U.S. weapons. Most important, perhaps, is that Saudi Arabia is an enthusiastic partner in challenging Iran, also a major power in the region.

Today the Senate showed that we wont stand by silently as the United States supports a war thats killed thousands of people and forced millions more to the brink of famine, said Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, where Khashoggi lived. We wont enable a president who chooses to cover up for Saudi leadership instead of standing up for American values.

The other measure that passed Thursday, on a voice vote, explicitly condemned Mohammed for the killing of Khashoggi, who was strangled and dismembered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by a hit squad that reportedly included several members of the Saudi royal court.

Drafted by Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the condemnation measure states that the Senate believes Mohammed is responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and calls on the kingdom to ensure appropriate accountability for all those responsible for the death.

The crown prince has denied responsibility, while the Saudi government repeatedly changed its story on what happened to the journalist.

tracy.wilkinson@latimes.com

Twitter: @TracyKWilkinson

jennifer.haberkorn@latimes.com

Twitter: @jenhab
The White House on Thursday accused China and Russia of using predatory practices to exploit Africa, a part of the world that President Trump has largely ignored and frequently mocked.

John Bolton, Trumps national security advisor, said China lures African governments into expensive infrastructure projects that hide the true costs those countries are eventually saddled with. Russia, he said, expands its political and economic influence with little regard for rule of law or transparent governance.

The Trump administration has slashed foreign aid to Africa and other parts of the world, and is threatening to cut support for United Nations peacekeeping missions, many of which operate in Africa.

Still, Bolton insisted the prosperity and security of Africa is vital to U.S. interests, especially because poverty fuels terrorism. He complained that past administrations have spent billions in Africa with nothing to show for it.

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But even as he criticized China and Russia for exploiting the continent, he vowed that the U.S. would put its interests first in dealing with the region.

Under our new approach, every decision we make, every policy we pursue, and every dollar of aid we spend will further U.S. priorities in the region, Bolton said in a speech at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington that has advised the Trump team on foreign policy.

The United States will no longer provide indiscriminate assistance across the entire continent, without focus or prioritization, Bolton said. And we will no longer support unproductive, unsuccessful and unaccountable U.N. peacekeeping missions.

Speaking to reporters after the speech, Bolton declined to offer dollar figures for aid, trade or other economic plans. The State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development gave Africa approximately $8.7 billion last year.

He also emphasized the need for a comprehensive strategy to battle Islamic State, Al Qaeda and other militants who recruit and plot from the African continent.

The U.S. military has posted several thousand troops in a number of African nations, tasked primarily with pursuing Islamic militants and training local forces. Four American soldiers were killed in an ambush in Niger last year.

Bolton reserved particular scorn for China and Russia, countries he said are rapidly expanding their influence across the region.

They are deliberately and aggressively targeting their investments in the region to gain a competitive advantage over the United States, he said. He accused China of using bribes, corruption and lies to entrap nations with heavy debt, which it collects by seizing the countrys principal assets.

As an example, Bolton pointed to Zambia, which owes Beijing up to $10 billion and will be forced to forfeit its national power and utility company to pay the debt. And in Djibouti, he said, the Chinese have built a military base near the U.S.-controlled Camp Lemonnier. The U.S. military has accused China of using sophisticated lasers from its base to interfere with American pilots.

In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is locked in a trade war with Trump, embarked on a massive multibillion-dollar Belt and Road plan that aims to build a global infrastructure connecting China by land and sea to the rest of Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe.

Bolton said the initiative was part of Chinas plan to establish global dominance. It comes as the United States under Trump is often seen as retreating from the world.

Russia, he said, destroys African lands to take natural resources and trades arms and energy for African votes at the U.N. Russian exploitation, he said, keeps numerous so-called strongmen in power and stunts democratic development.

Bolton said the U.S. strategy now will promote self-reliance and reciprocal trade and will shift American money to bilateral deals instead of using multilateral entities.

Africa rarely receives much attention from the administration.

Melania Trump made her first solo trip to Africa, but neither the president nor Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo have traveled there. Pompeos predecessor, Rex Tillerson, was wrapping up his lone visit to Africa in March when Trump fired him.

Trump once referred in part to Africa when he reportedly decried the arrival of immigrants from shithole countries.

tracy.wilkinson@latimes.com

For more on international affairs, follow @TracyKWilkinson on Twitter
The looting of art by the Nazis during World War II was, arguably, the greatest cultural theft of all time. Seven decades later, Holocaust survivors and their descendants are still looking for paintings and other works that were taken as they fled Europe.

Some experts estimate that 600,000 pieces of art were stolen; others say its much higher. About 100,000 works remain missing. Most were stolen from Jewish owners  ripped off the walls of their homes and galleries, sold by their owners under duress for a fraction of their true value or bartered for safe passage out of the country.

Today, the search continues for the missing works. But even when a looted work of art is located all these years later, a new battle may begin over who deserves to own it.

What if a private owner does, for one reason or another, possess stolen art that he or she honestly didnt know was stolen?

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Last week, the two-decades-long quest by the descendants of Lilly Cassirer to reclaim the Camille Pissarro painting she was forced to surrender in return for an exit visa from Berlin in 1939 landed in a federal court here in Los Angeles.

No one disputes that the Pissarro masterpiece depicting a rainy Paris streetscape  Rue Saint-Honore, Apres Midi, Effet de Pluie  once hung in Cassirers parlor. But her relatives and their lawyer, David Boies, contend that the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid, where the Impressionist painting now hangs, knew that it was Nazi-looted art when it was bought from the museums namesake, Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza, who has since died. Boies, who represents Cassirers surviving great-grandson, David Cassirer, argues that the baron, a major collector, was shamelessly, willfully aware that the painting was Nazi-looted art.

The museum, for its part, disputes that, saying everyone acted in good faith. U.S. District Court Judge John F. Walter will rule, probably next spring, on who is the rightful owner of the painting, valued at $30 million or perhaps more.

In that particular case, the evidence is pretty persuasive that the purchasers of the painting did not do their due diligence. It seems likely (based on evidence, including markings on the back of the painting) that they knew it was looted  or suspected that it was and chose not to investigate. That should simplify matters for the judge.

But in some other cases, it is not clear at all whether the purchasers were aware of the dubious provenance of the art they bought.

Nevertheless, the moral bottom line should be obvious: People whose art was stolen from them by the Nazis in wartime Europe should get it back or be justly compensated for it. As Stuart Eizenstat, a State Department advisor on Holocaust-era issues, said at a conference last month: No museum, art gallery, collector, auction house or private owner should want to hold or deal in Nazi-looted artworks.

Museums, particularly here in the U.S., have made a good start of going through their collections to identify suspect work that circulated in the Nazi era, but experts say they should be doing more research on the provenance of their collections. There are more and more online databases of lost or suspect art available for search, but those databases need to be made easier to access.

There has been some backsliding. The Netherlands, which had a good track record of making restitution for stolen art in its museums, now uses a balancing test when a claim is made: Does the importance of the piece to the museum outweigh the emotional attachment of the person making a claim? Thats an absurd and unjust standard.

Its the responsibility of all museums, art galleries, auction houses and collectors to establish provenance before they purchase a work, and to take steps to determine whether the work they hold could have been stolen. Let the buyer beware.

Even museums that bought stolen art in good faith should return works to owners. That is no doubt a difficult decision for them to make  and possibly a costly one  but it is part of doing business today as a museum, as it should be.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion 

Leading auction houses, to their credit, have strict rules for investigating the provenance of works of art that could conceivably have been looted in the Nazi era and, of course, a total ban on selling any that were. According to the international director of restitution at Christies, which makes its guidelines public, the auction house has successfully resolved close to 200 claims involving disputed artworks over the last 20 years.

Nor will any reputable dealer sell looted art.

Private collectors, like museums, are responsible for researching and understanding the provenance of the art they buy. But what if a private owner does, for one reason or another, possess stolen art that he or she honestly didnt know was stolen? In some cases, they have voluntarily returned the art to the victim. In others, compromises have been reached; sometimes the current owner will sell the work and split the proceeds with the rightful owner  as has happened at Christies. That can be okay, if both sides agree; it can avoid a costly and time-consuming lawsuit. Every case is different. Some private collectors have the resources to withstand the financial loss of a valuable artwork; others dont.

Theres nothing simple about restitution for victims of the Holocaust. But not dealing with restitution by offering convenient excuses  its decades since it was acquired, the owners didnt think it was stolen, its too valuable to part with  only compounds the immorality of the original theft.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook
Congress can help atone for the nations horrific past by finally making lynching a federal crime

Since the Civil War, Americans have struggled to define what seems to be obvious: What is a lynching? It conjures visions of a mob pulling a man from a jail cell, hauling him to a tree and throwing a rope over a branch. But debates have centered on how how many people must take part in such an extrajudicial killing for it to qualify as a lynching (the NAACP suggested in 1921 at least five).

And must the motive be racial? Was the hanging of a suspected white horse thief in the Wild West by ranch hands the same as a white Southern mob, amid taunts, jeers and spit, turning a black man accused of insulting a white woman into strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees, as Billie Holliday once sang?

Do the nuances really matter? Its true that not all lynching victims were black, but blacks were overwhelmingly the targets (and many white victims of lynching had defended blacks or opposed lynching). We cannot sever that horrific practice from our disgraceful history of racism. Slavery was abominable, and to this day the nation is influenced by the riches  from New England shipowners to New York financiers to Southern farmers and brokers  and the evils of our original sin.

Lynching became slaverys evil spawn, acts of indefensible extrajudicial brutality meant to scare former slaves and their descendants to hew to their constricted place in a white society. After slavery, these acts of terrorism  more than 4,700 documented cases from 1882 to 1968  became the ultimate expression of racism and white supremacy.

Rather than being shamed, some whites celebrated racial lynching. Photographers sold pictures and postcards as souvenirs; to this day you can see white faces beam smiles into the camera as bloody bodies dangle gruesomely overhead. Some of the cards collected and posted on the Without Sanctuary site, part of a 1999 book and film project, are shocking in the banality of the notes to friends.

Well John, reads the back of one card sent to Dr. John W.F. Williams of Lafayette, Ky. This is a token of a great day we had in Dallas, March 3, a negro was hung for an assault on a three year old girl. I saw this on my noon hour. I was very much in the bunch. You can see the negro hanging on a telephone pole.

That photo was dated March 3, 1910  two years after the post office supposedly banned lynching cards from the mails.

It is to this nations continuing embarrassment that Congress has, for generations, failed to make lynching a federal crime (Philip Dray documented the history in his At the Hands of Persons Unknown: The Lynching of Black America). It wouldnt act more than a century ago when it might have made a difference, as local prosecutors looked the other way or local juries refused to indict or convict. And it wont act today, even after the laws necessity has faded and its value resides primarily in its symbolism.

The old argument against a federal anti-lynching law is that murder is a state crime and not the business of the federal government. States rights and all that. But that argument was fig leaf over the racism that propelled lynching, in which local and state prosecutions of the perpetrators were rare, convictions rarer still. The 14th Amendment guarantees equal protection of the laws, and when local communities in numbers small and large come together to use collective violence to repress African Americans, that is clearly a federal interest.

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) has co-sponsored a fresh piece of legislation to classify a lynching as a deprivation of civil rights  essentially a federal anti-lynching law that she says would give the Justice Department a few more teeth in prosecuting attempted lynching and conspiracy. Yet as Times reporter Jaweed Kaleem wrote this week, the prognosis for its passage isnt much better than the fate of its 200-plus predecessors.

Why is unclear. It could be that lynching has moved to an out of sight, out of mind status, even though three white supremacists lynched James Byrd Jr. only 20 years ago in East Texas by beating him then chaining him to a truck while he was still alive and dragging him three miles. All three perpetrators were convicted; one has been executed, a second is on death row and the third is serving a life sentence.

Those local authorities, unlike their predecessors elsewhere in the South, did their jobs. So, some question, why bother with a law now? Isnt this just a symbolic gesture?

Yes, it is a symbolic gesture. But a necessary one. Lynching served as a powerfully intimidating symbol  behave yourselves, lest you meet the same fate  that resonates today. Racism in the workplace often surfaces as a noose left in a locker or on a desk. Three years ago two members of the University of Oklahomas Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity were expelled (inappropriately given the right to even hateful speech) and the chapter shut down after a video surfaced of members singing a song including the N-word, You can hang em from a tree / But hell never sign with me / There will never be a ... SAE. Just last year, nooses were left at the African American Museum in Washington, D.C.

The symbolic weight of that despicable act is heavy. The U.S. Senate did approve a resolution in 2005 apologizing to lynching victims and their descendants for failing to act in the past. It passed in a late-night voice vote; 11 senators opted not to co-sponsor it.

We cannot, of course, turn back the calendar and undo the sins of our forebears. But we also cannot ignore them, or their legacy.

In an era in which African Americans take to the streets to protest the killings of unarmed black men by police, when reported hate crimes are on the upswing, when the president uses dog-whistle racism to mobilize his hard-right political base, when minority neighborhoods are over-policed and when African Americans disproportionately are subject to death sentences, Congress standing up now and correcting this historical wrong by making lynching a federal crime would send a powerful symbol to the entire nation.

And not passing this measure would also send a message, one that would reflect poorly on Congress, and on the nation.
Emboldened by their new majority in the House of Representatives, Democrats are understandably eager to exercise their power.

Some House members believe the way to do that is with an aggressive, sharply partisan agenda aimed at both calling out President Trump for his egregious behavior and demanding immediate action on longshot legislation such as single-payer healthcare.

A new survey commissioned by the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) and conducted by Expedition Strategies suggests thats a terrible idea. To win in 2020, Democrats should resist the urge to turn the House into the new headquarters of the anti-Trump resistance or to initiate battles over legislative priorities favored by party liberals that have no hope of passage.

Rather than focus on an anti-Trump resistance, Democrats need to show voters they can accomplish something.

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The good news for Democrats is that they enjoy a natural advantage heading into 2020. PPIs study found that 48% of voters identify as Democrats or as independents who lean Democratic, while 39% said they are Republicans or lean Republican. The remaining 13% are true independents with no allegiance to either party.

Moderates, however, are a large and crucial part of this new Democratic coalition. Our poll found that a plurality of voters  44%  describe themselves as moderate, compared with 24% who say they are liberal and 32% who identify as conservative. A whopping 62% of independents also see themselves as moderates.

These moderates, moreover, were the true kingmakers in the 2018 election. According to an exit poll analysis by Expedition Strategies, liberals made up 46% of the vote for House Democrats in 2018, while moderates made up 43%. The GOP, on the other hand, suffered a mass desertion of moderates. Whereas 34% of Trumps vote in 2016 came from moderate voters, just 29% of the vote for Republican House members came from moderates  a five-percentage point drop that was enough to shift many districts from red to blue.

Nowhere was this defection more evident than in the House seats picked up by Democrats in districts that had voted for Trump in 2016. There were more than a dozen of them, including Virginias 7th District, which had voted for Trump by a margin of 6.5 points, as well as Oklahomas 5th and South Carolinas 1st, both of which Trump took by a double-digit margin over Hillary Clinton.

To maintain their majority, Democrats must pursue the kind of agenda that will win the long-term loyalty of these moderates, independents and Trump-defectors. Centrist support could be jeopardized by a hyperpartisan legislative agenda in Congress or Benghazi-style investigations of Trump aimed at stirring up the partys liberal base.

Rather than focus on an anti-Trump resistance, Democrats need to show voters they can accomplish something. They should introduce bills on issues voters care about that stand a chance of winning bipartisan support, and demonstrate their commitment to getting the federal government working again. They should work around Trump to earn the long-term trust of voters and build a durable governing majority.

Despite sharp differences on issues such as immigration and healthcare, Republicans and Democrats agree more than disagree on criminal justice reform, infrastructure investment and more training to equip workers for a changing economy. And as the recently passed legislation to combat the opioid crisis has shown, both sides can claim credit for a genuine achievement that could ultimately save thousands of American lives.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion 

Some left-leaning Democrats will say this approach is too centrist to draw young voters and party progressives to the polls in 2020. But they mistakenly assume that a bold agenda must always run hard left, and that fire-breathing populism is the only way a candidate can excite voters, especially younger ones. The idea isnt to embrace a split-the-difference centrism that excites no one. That doesnt work, as Democrats learned to their chagrin in 2016. Rather, what we need is Democratic candidates and legislators who embrace radical pragmatism  big ideas that are practical and have the potential to become law. We need an approach to governance that is oriented toward results, not ideology.

Americans recognize that progress requires cooperation rather than large megaphones and angry voices. As research by the international group More in Common found, a majority of Americans understand that compromise is necessary in politics, as in other parts of life.

Trump feeds on hyperpartisanship, and he knows how to turn it to his benefit. A pragmatic approach to governance and bipartisan progress is the best way to confound him. It is also the best way for Democrats to make crucial headway on the issues that matter while solidifying the support of moderate voters they need to build a durable majority.

Will Marshall is president of the Progressive Policy Institute. Anne Kim is vice president of domestic policy at the Progressive Policy Institute.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook
The idea that were about to enter into 23 consecutive months of presidential campaigning is almost literally unbearable. And not just because it means endless dumb takes on Beto vs. Bernie vs. Biden. Its unbearable because we need the time for other things.

Consider climate change. Long before the next president is inaugurated, we will need to figure out the contours of a Green New Deal, organize to keep banks and insurance companies from financing new oil pipelines, and block new fracking wells.

We will need to be thinking about Exxon Mobils annual shareholder meeting as much as the Iowa State Fair, the next Keystone pipeline as much as the next New Hampshire endorsement.

Long before the next president is inaugurated, we will need to figure out the contours of a Green New Deal.

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Im under no illusion, though, that the infinite campaign can be headed off. Contenders have said that they will start making up their minds over the holidays. So we also need to start thinking differently about how to make sure our presidential sweepstakes makes clear where the candidates stand on the actual issues.

In most of the worlds electoral systems, this is not a big problem. Political parties take positions on issues and then offer those positions to voters. The personality of the politician at the head of the ticket is less important. This is one reason why a British election lasts six weeks. Its no guarantee of good outcomes (see: Brexit), but at least you more or less know what youre voting for.

Thats not what we do here. We have a quadrennial personality contest. Depending on whose turn it happens to be, who can drum up the most campaign cash, or who has the freshest new face, some front-runner emerges. We learn a little bit about them during debates, but its only after theyre elected that we find out where their priorities really lie.

Were not going to have a parliamentary system any time soon, but there are ways to cobble together some jury-rigged semblance of an issue-based system.

The candidates could figure out new ways to emphasize policy continuity. It wouldnt surprise me to see some in this years crop  the most senior candidates in the group  announce that they would serve for only one term. They could name a running mate right from the outset, making it clear that they would be grooming him or her as a successor to carry on the same basic suite of policies. Climate change and inequality arent disappearing in one presidential term, or six.

Politically engaged citizens can play a role too. If, as expected, 15 Democrats decide to run for president, its useless for anyone outside of Iowa and New Hampshire to be picking a candidate at this stage. If youre concerned with the climate crisis, its far more important to make sure that as many of those 15 as possible pass some kind of low-bar litmus test.

To be considered climate credible, candidates need to endorse the positions that a broad-based movement has spent years working out: a Green New Deal of the kind beginning to emerge in the House, for instance, and a promise to use your executive powers to block new fossil fuel infrastructure and keep oil, coal and gas in the ground.

Beyond that, let a thousand plans bloom. It will be interesting to hear Jay Inslee and Michael Bloomberg explain their varying approaches to climate progress, based on their experiences as Washington governor and New York mayor, respectively. But we need a way to build a shadow platform that lets us count on certain basics, a way to ensure that they know upon election what theyre supposed to do, and we know theyll do it.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion 

If we dont, then well be treated to endless discussions of, say, Sherrod Browns upbringing or Kamala Harris character. Some of that is fine. As president theyd face unforeseen emergencies, so we need to know who they are. But more than this, we need to know that they stand with the scientists and activists who actually understand issues like climate change and have spent years working out a clear path forward.

Weve already seen some of this beginning to happen. Thanks mostly to Bernie Sanders relentless focus on a few issues, Medicare for all and a $15-an-hour minimum wage are now more or less required stands for Democrats. That may, ironically, undercut his support this time around, but its a good trade: The most important fights in political life are for changes in the zeitgeist. In the long run, and even the short run, its more crucial to reach a consensus on these few truly crucial issues than it is to have your particular favorite in office.

So dont talk about who you want for a while. Talk about what you want. And let the office seekers show that they have heard.

Bill McKibben is co-founder of the climate campaign 350.org, a faculty member in environmental studies at Middlebury College and the author of the forthcoming Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?

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At the opening ceremony of the pre-deployment training course in Hanoi on December 13, Deputy Minister of Defence Sen. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh spoke highly of the efforts by the Defence Ministrys agencies, especially the Vietnam Military Medical University and the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations (VDPO), to prepare for hospital No. 2

He told the university and the VDPO to pay special attention to equipping the hospital staff with the skills to perform the tasks at a UN mission. He also asked for close coordination with the hospital No. 1 staff to exchange experience regarding preparations, deployment, and task implementation.

VDPO Director Col. Hoang Kim Phung said the members of hospital No. 2 are excellent servicemen and women chosen from the Military Medical University, the General Department of Logistics, the Military Region 2, the VDPO and the Department of Military Medicine.

He noted that the pre-deployment training course is part of the preparations for hospital No. 2 to replace the first one performing UN peacekeeping tasks in South Sudan. It is also meant to continue affirming Vietnams role, responsibility and efforts in joining UN peacekeeping operations for the sake of global peace and stability.

Vietnam dispatched the level-2 field hospital No. 1 to the UN mission in South Sudan in October 2018.
I spend time in schools every week and I talk to teachers facing very real challenges: large classes full of students mostly living in poverty, the ever-increasing cost of housing, less certainty in retirement because of underfunded pensions, and a contract that doesnt respect their talents. And while many of us are quick to say we stand with teachers, far fewer offer real solutions to their plight.

As a former LAUSD teacher, I know how difficult their working conditions are. I began my career teaching middle school English in Watts, where I had too many students in a class, not enough support and was laid off by last in, first out budget cuts. I have tremendous respect for my colleagues who kept going.

And now, as the vice president of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education, Im sorry that in our contract negotiations the district cannot offer teachers more.

As we fight among ourselves in Los Angeles, with a strike in the offing, the root causes of public educations problems go unaddressed.

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Years of over-promising and poor planning by the board  no fault of the teachers  have led the district to the edge of financial insolvency and with it, potential layoffs of teachers and many other district workers, and school closures. An unwillingness to make tough choices in the past has resulted in more than $15 billion in unfunded liability for employee and retiree healthcare, just as high numbers of baby boomers are retiring. That shortfall adds to an annual deficit of $500 million, which prompted a recent directive from the county requiring the district to find more cuts in next years budget by Monday, two days after a planned union march.

I understand that the 10% raise teachers received in 2015 came after years of sacrifice caused by the financial crisis, and now the 6% ongoing raise were offering (plus a 3% retroactive raise to last year) is far less than what teachers actually deserve. And although average compensation for a teacher in LAUSD is now over $110,000, almost a third of that is in healthcare costs and pensions.

Teachers and the district are saddled with a high tab for these essential, promised but underfunded benefits. If we dont address these costs now, in less than a decade, half of LAUSDs budget will go to cover them, crowding out billions that could pay for salary increases, class-size reductions and support services.

Union leadership isnt helping matters. Rather than work with the district to increase funding at the state level, where the majority of LAUSDs funding comes from, United Teachers of Los Angeles has pursued a purely us-versus-them policy. If we were to capitulate to the unions demands, the books show the district would be bankrupt in the next few months. Union leaders are also demanding to limit magnet schools and other innovative solutions to increase achievement, insisting on less flexibility for schools and teachers, and calling for a strike that will harm the districts children, 84% of whom live in poverty and rely on their schools for meals, support and childcare.

UTLAs demands will, according to financial experts the district has consulted, lead to 12,000 layoffs and austerity cuts, accomplishing the exact opposite of what teachers are asking for. Rather than wage a political war, our teachers union should insist that the state adequately fund our schools. And when the largest lobby in Sacramento for years has been teachers unions, its unconscionable this hasnt already happened.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion 

Despite being the fifth largest economy in the world, California ranks near the bottom in state per-pupil funding. And despite promising teachers a stable retirement in the form of a pension, the state racked up a $100-billion unfunded pension liability and insisted that school districts make up the difference. One-fifth of the 10% raise that LAUSD teachers received in 2015 were mandated by the state to be spent on pensions. Out of the largest 10 districts in California, LAUSD ranks second lowest in average class size. And yet I see every day that classes are too crowded; I can only imagine what they look like in those other districts. Sacramento needs to act.

As we fight among ourselves in Los Angeles, with a strike in the offing, the root causes of public educations problems  inadequate state funding and ballooning healthcare and pension costs  go unaddressed.

Not only will students be hurt if schools are closed due to a strike, but so too will our incredibly dedicated teachers whose interests get lost in this fight. We owe it to them to find a solution  and that solution is in Sacramento. I would be happy to sit down with union leaders and start that work today.

Nick Melvoin is a former L.A. Unified teacher who has served on the Board of Education since July 2017.

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To the editor: Columnist George Skelton expresses unusual optimism that the Democrats in Sacramento will not go overboard on new taxes. In the past, Skelton has suggested a willingness to modify Proposition 13 as a new revenue source. Not a good idea.

Property valuations and real estate sales are already being affected by last years federal tax reform law. We see more and more open house signs in our neighborhood every weekend. My sister-in-law just sold her home for 20% less than the listed price a year ago, when it first went on the market.

And, with the recent dramatic drops in the stock market, there will be fewer millionaires paying capital gains taxes in California than in the recent past. Democrats had better tighten their belts and learn to live with a new reality.

Thomas Oatway, Valencia

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To the editor: Skelton needs to get over the fact that the Democrats in California won.

He keeps writing we should all look out because Democrats spend money. Has he ever looked at Washington?

The Republicans who are in charge there spend money too, but they give it to corporations and the richest taxpayers. At least with Democrats, we have a fighting chance that the rest of us may get some of the pie through education, healthcare, infrastructure and housing for homeless people.

We in California knew what we were doing when we voted for Democrats. Its called sharing or paying it forward. We will all reap the benefits down the road.

Janet King, San Diego

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To the editor: Its great to see the president standing up with Russia and Saudi Arabia for American business interests. It takes real courage for the Trump administration to advocate for coal and ignore nearly 200 other nations and the majority of Americans who are concerned about climate change.

At the United Nations climate change conference in Poland, Trumps energy advisor promoted American ingenuity in fossil fuel, hoping to sell so-called clean coal to other countries. This is Trumps solution to almost everything  buy my stuff. The audience did not.

If economically possible, clean coal would already be in wide use. Surely not even Trump can sell this fake solution before others find a smarter, quicker way.

The new Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, introduced in the House on Nov. 27, offers a real start to addressing climate change before it is too late.

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Steve Foster, Coto de Caza, Calif.

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To the editor: Trumps energy advisor might have well said at the U.N. climate conference, Make America stupid again.

The audience, which included many scientists, laughed at the idea of someone pitching coal at their conference. But as with the Iraq War, when it was laughable that impoverished Iraq could be sold as a threat to the U.S., no one will be laughing about the consequences of this misadventure.

The time for believing or not believing is over; this is not a game. It is time for Americans to roll up our sleeves, put in the effort to understand the problem, purge the polluters from their positions of power and clean up our act.

Scott Peer, Glendale

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To the editor: Our governments decision to stand with Russia and Saudi Arabia on the issue of climate change should be a call to action to everyone who wants to provide a livable planet for future generations.

It is most galling that the valuable time spent in the meeting was wasted on the discussion of a single word (whether the nations should welcome or merely note a report on climate change).

We are in the midst of a global climate crisis. The development of oil, gas and coal energy must stop immediately or we will face the ravages of climate change. There are green energy solutions available, and now we must find the will to embrace them.

Green is good for the planet and the wallet.

Kay Foster, Santa Monica

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To the editor: At least reporter Joe Mozingo differentiates me a little from other Orange County rightist Republicans from the past. However, some of his claims about me are very misleading.

My comment on China and dogs was an attempt to undo an insult to Chinese culture when Congress that very day voted to condemn the Chinese for eating dog meat. I felt it important for Congress not to trivialize our condemnation of human rights abuses by equating them with the consumption of dog meat.

My comment on dinosaur flatulence and climate change (which was part of a question to a witness during a committee hearing) was a lighthearted poke at global warming activists who have gone so far as to blame cow farts. Reporting it as serious actually makes my point about the humorless fanaticism of these activists.

Finally, I am not pro-Russia. I am pro-America, period. Our country should cooperate with Russia when it is mutually beneficial to do so, especially in combating Islamic terrorism. As chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees Russia-related affairs, it is my responsibility to listen to as many divergent viewpoints about Russia as possible.

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Mozingos undiscerning report fails to contribute to an accurate historical record. The public understanding is not served by it.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa)

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To the editor: Watching President Trump, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) argue about a border wall and a potential government shutdown reminded me of a joke.

The late comedian George Carlin once said: In America anyone can become President. Thats the problem. Unfortunately the 2016 election proved that to be true.

During the 1980s, President Reagan and House Speaker Tip ONeill were often publicly at each others throats over policy issues. But at the end of the day, they were cordial to each other, often sharing drinks and telling each other Irish jokes.

During the 1990s, President Clinton and the Republican-held Congress compromised by enacting welfare reform and balancing the budget. Those days are over.

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Todays politicians seem only to want to harm each other. From make Obama a one-term president to impeach Trump, its obvious that the common good is not at the top of their agendas.

Peter R. Pancione, Thousand Oaks

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To the editor: In his meeting with Pelosi and Schumer in which he tried to justify a government shutdown if he doesnt get his wall funding, Trump reminded me of a petulant child arguing with his mother and father to try to get his way.

His battle plan is to just keep repeating himself at a louder volume, logic be damned. When Trump is without his usual audience of sycophants and toadies, he exposes his superficial intellect.

Larry Lasseter, Brea

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To the editor: The solution to Trumps demand for funding his border wall seems obvious.

Congress should pass a law requiring a mandatory no-interest, non-tax-deductible loan from Trump to pay for his wall. He, of course, would be reimbursed once Mexico makes its payment.

William Elmelund, Los Angeles

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Newsoms budget proposes $3 million for Alzheimers research, brain task force By Melody Gutierrez Amyloid plaques, shown here in human brains, are a hallmark of Alzheimers disease. (UCLA School of Medicine) Gov. Gavin Newsom will call for the creation of a brain health task force and dedicate $3 million annually from the states general fund to Alzheimers disease research in the budget proposal he will release Thursday, a source close to the administration said. The money for Alzheimers research would target the new grants at understanding why the disease is more prevalent in women and people of color. Former California first lady and Alzheimers activist Maria Shriver pushed for the funding to be included in the state budget. Shriver said in a statement Wednesday that the funding would make California the first state to make understanding our brains a priority. The states former first lady, whose late father Sargent Shriver was diagnosed with Alzheimers, founded the Womens Alzheimers Movement, an advocacy group raising awareness about womens increased risk for developing the disease. In 2011, she wrote a comprehensive assessment on the disease, to which Newsom  then mayor of San Francisco  contributed a portion called What one city is doing. This is personal to me, just like it is to millions of California families, Shriver said. Alzheimers is one of the largest medical, social and economic crises in our state, and of our time. I am so proud that, once again, California is leading the way. Wiping out Alzheimers is going to require bold thinking, and there is no doubt in my mind that California is home to bold thinkers who can make this happen. Facebook

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Gov. Gavin Newsom orders reinvention of troubled California DMV By Patrick McGreevy A line of people stretches around the South L.A. location of a California Department of Motor Vehicles Office on Aug. 7. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday ordered an overhaul of the California Department of Motor Vehicles, which has been plagued by hours-long wait times at field offices, computer crashes and voter registration errors involving tens of thousands of customers. Just a few days after taking office, Newsom appointed a top advisor to a new DMV Reinvention Strike Team to revamp the beleaguered agency over the next six months. By any metric, California DMV has been chronically mismanaged and failed in its fundamental mission to the state customers it serves and the state workers it employs, Newsom said in a statement, adding Its time for a reinvention. The governor appointed state Government Operations Agency Secretary Marybel Batjer to lead the strike team with a goal of modernizing the agency and enacting changes that improve customer satisfaction, employee performance and transparency. Newsom also ordered an accelerated review of initial findings of an ongoing audit ordered last year by Gov. Jerry Brown. The action was welcomed by lawmakers who have been critical of the DMV, including Assemblyman Vince Fong (R-Bakersfield). The egregious management failures of the DMV have been self-evident, which is why I have been calling for new leadership and a comprehensive independent audit of this troubled state agency over and over again as the problems grew significantly worse, Fong said. Last summer, Californians seeking new driver licenses complained of wait times of four to six hours at DMV offices, which the agency blamed partly on snafus caused by a rush of people trying to get Real IDs, a new identification card design required for airline passengers starting in late 2020. Delays were also blamed on computer crashes at DMV offices as the agency struggled to update its aging automation systems. The DMV also admitted that there were an estimated 23,000 errors as people either were unknowingly registered to vote or mistakes were made in their registration status as part of the states new motor voter program. The agency registered to vote as many as 1,500 people with legal U.S. residency but no citizenship. Last month, DMV Director Jean Shiomoto retired from the agency. Legislators were angered earlier this week when the DMV said it needed an additional $40 million to prevent the return of long lines at its field offices. In addition, the agency has been under fire for issuing driver licenses in the last year that do not comply with the federal Real ID standards requiring two forms of identification by applicants. Facebook

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California police unions are preparing to battle new transparency law in the courtroom By Maya Lau Just as a landmark police transparency law is going into effect, some California police agencies are shredding internal affairs documents and law enforcement unions are rushing to block the information from being released. The new law, which begins to unwind Californias strictest-in-the-nation protections over the secrecy of law enforcement records, opens to the public internal investigations of officer shootings and other major uses of force, along with confirmed cases of sexual assault and lying while on duty. But the lawsuits and records destruction, which began even before the law took effect Jan. 1, could tie up the release of information for months or years, and in some instances, prevent it from ever being disclosed. The fact that police unions are challenging this law is on some level not surprising, said Peter Bibring, director of police practices at the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, one of the principal supporters of the new law. They have a long history of fighting tooth and nail against transparency. Read More Facebook

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Secretary of State Alex Padilla begins second term with challenge to ensure every Californian is counted By Jazmine Ulloa Secretary of State Alex Padilla takes the oath of office as his family stands by his side on Monday in Sacramento. (Jazmine Ulloa / Los Angeles Times) Secretary of State Alex Padilla was sworn in for a second term on Monday, saying he would continue the battle to protect the right to vote at a time when voter suppression efforts, online disinformation campaigns and interference from foreign adversaries have polarized the public and threatened to undermine trust in U.S. elections. I am doubling down on our fight here in Sacramento and in Washington, D.C., to defend our democracy, he said. Working on the front lines with so many of you, I know that our collective resolve has never been stronger. But the loudest applause came when Padilla promised to fight back against the Trump administrations changes to the U.S. census, saying he will ensure every Californian gets counted. Padilla, a former state senator and Los Angeles City Council member from the San Fernando Valley, led the cause for a new motor voter registration law in 2015, and a new system for online business registrations. But the programs have had experienced problems: More than 23,000 Californians were registered to vote incorrectly by the state DMV, the agency reported last year. On Monday, Padilla said he would continue to push back against false claims of voter fraud in California and pointed to the states voter turnout as proof that his office was involving more people in the democratic process, a promise he made when he was first sworn in four years ago. More than 12.7 million voters cast ballots in the Nov. 6 midterm election, representing roughly 65% of the states registered voters, the highest number of any midterm election since 1982, according to state certified results. I made that promise based on a shared belief that we are a stronger democracy and a better California when we hear all voices from all corners of California, and when those voices are not just heard but counted, Padilla said. Facebook

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Ricardo Lara, Californias first statewide officeholder to come out as gay, sworn in as insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara on the floor of the state Senate in 2016. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) Ricardo Lara took the oath of office as California insurance commissioner on Monday, pledging action to boost healthcare coverage and combat climate change. Lara, a Democrat from Bell Gardens, is the first elected statewide officeholder in California who has come out as gay. He began his speech in downtown Sacramento by thanking LGBTQ leaders who came before him and celebrated the occasion. Today, because of you, weve shattered the pink ceiling, Lara said. In his inaugural speech, Lara announced the creation of an executive position in his office to address climate change. There is no other industry that has the necessary expertise to ensure that California is prepared to mitigate and reduce risk to our communities and our environment, Lara said. Our planet cant wait. Im ready, and I hope you are too. Lara served as a state legislator and in 2017 introduced a bill to create a single-payer healthcare system in the state. He promised to work with new Gov. Gavin Newsom to expand coverage across California. Lara was sworn in by retired U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, who declared unconstitutional Californias Proposition 8 gay marriage ban. State Sen. President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) was on hand for the ceremony along with multiple other state lawmakers. Facebook

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New California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis says she will help expand access to universities in the state New Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, center, is shown in June talking with attendees at the Power to the Polls rally in Sacramento. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) More Californians should be given access to public universities, Eleni Kounalakis said as she took the oath of office Monday to become the states first woman elected lieutenant governor. Kounalakis was given the oath of office by Gov. Gavin Newsom, her predecessor in the job, who pledged they would work together. As lieutenant governor, Kounalakis serves on the University of California Board of Regents and the California State University Board of Trustees, she noted in a speech at her swearing-in ceremony at the main Sacramento Library. In that role, she said, she will be committed to expanding access to affordable public higher education here in our state. Its wise, its smart and it is the best way to address our rapidly changing digital economy. Kounalakis is former president of a development company founded by her father, Angelo Tsakopoulos, and served during the Obama administration as the U.S. ambassador to Hungary. In November, she won her first run for statewide office. Also attending the ceremony were House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm. Facebook

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California meets Dutch Newsom, who steals the show at his fathers inauguration By Taryn Luna Gov. Gavin Newsom gives his inaugural address while holding his youngest son, Dutch. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) In the California political world, all eyes were on Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday until his 2-year-old son stole the show. Dutch, the youngest of four children in the Newsom brood, climbed onstage in the middle of his fathers inaugural address in a tent outside the Capitol on Monday. The unplanned moment saw the 51-year-old governors big day interrupted by the toddler, bringing levity to the ceremony. Newsom was recounting Gov. Jerry Browns last inaugural speech and reference to the Sermon on the Mount, a biblical story about two men who built separate homes on sand and rock, when Dutch approached his father, a pacifier in his mouth and blanket in hand. Now more than ever we Californians know how much a house matters and children matter, Newsom said, improvising as he scooped the boy into his arms. The governor kissed Dutch on the cheek and held him for several minutes as he continued with the speech. This is exactly how it was scripted, Newsom joked. Newsom eventually put his child down and Dutch walked to the edge of the stage before retreating behind the podium to hide from his mother, First Lady Jennifer Siebel Newsom. The crowd roared. Siebel Newsom was able to briefly divert her son only for him to return to the stage minutes later. She grabbed him again and this time, the crying toddler did not reemerge. When fires strikes, when kids cry and the earth shakes, well be there for each other, Newsom said. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who said the moment humanized Newsom, threw cold water on any theories that Dutchs cameo was planned. No, I know it was not, Garcetti said with a laugh after Newsoms speech concluded. I could see that look of absolute abject terror [on Newsoms face]. Weve all been there. Kids always think its about themselves and theyve proved it. California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) agreed. I worked in early childhood education for 20 years and theres no way you can ever get a child to do anything when you want them to do it, Rendon said. Facebook

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Fiona Ma takes oath as Californias new treasurer By Liam Dillon State Treasurer Fiona Ma. Fiona Ma took the oath of office in Sacramento on Monday as the states 34th treasurer, promising to boost Californias economy. Ma previously served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, in the state Assembly and on the California Board of Equalization. I want to thank everyone for entrusting me with this important job. I understand my role here as your state treasurer is to build that financial wall around California so that we will remain the fifth-largest economy, Ma said in brief remarks. That is my promise to you. California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye administered the oath to Ma. Following the ceremony, Ma held an ice cream social for guests. On Wednesday, she will host a public event in San Francisco to celebrate her swearing-in. State Treasurer Fiona Ma takes the oath of office. (Liam Dillon / Los Angeles Times) Facebook

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Expectations are high for newly sworn-in state schools chief Tony Thurmond Tony Thurmond shakes hands with retired Alameda County Superior Court Judge Gordon Baranco after taking the oath of office. (Melody Gutierrez / Los Angeles Times) Tony Thurmond took the oath of office as Californias state superintendent of public schools on Monday, promising a labor-friendly agenda before the teachers, students and Democratic officials who filled an auditorium at McClatchy High School in Sacramento to watch him being sworn in. We cant close the achievement gap without a great teacher at the head of every class, Thurmond said Monday to applause. We have to make sure we provide quality compensation and support to our teachers and our classified staff and all the educators who support our kids. Thurmond, a Bay Area Democrat who served in the state Assembly, won a hotly contested and expensive race with the help of labor leaders against charter school executive Marshall Tuck. The race took several days to sort out after Tuck held an initial lead in early returns on election night before falling behind thereafter. Thurmond was sworn in Monday by retired Alameda County Superior Court Judge Gordon Baranco. He was joined on stage by labor rights leader Dolores Huerta and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount). Thurmonds former colleagues in the state Assembly took turns praising him and promising to be an ally in improving schools. Many said they expected Thurmond would be a strong leader focused on improving student outcomes. We know we are going to work hard to give you the money you need and the budget you need to fully fund education and our schools so we can put our money where our mouth is and make sure our children have everything they need, Assemblywoman Connie Leyva (D-Chino Hills) said. As state superintendent, Thurmond will oversee the education of 6.2 million students at 10,000 schools. Thurmond was a member of the West Contra Costa County School Board and a Richmond city councilman before he was elected to the state Assembly. Tony is the right man at the right time to fight the federal, Donald Trump, Betsy DeVos anti-child, anti-education, anti-civil and -human rights agenda, U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said. Tony is going to do that for us. Facebook

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State Controller Betty Yee takes oath of office with call for more affordable housing and healthcare State Controller Betty Yee California Controller Betty Yee took the oath of office Monday for a second term, saying she still has work to do addressing problems that include a lack of affordability in housing, healthcare and higher education. A San Francisco native, Yee is the chief financial officer of California  the fifth-largest economy in the world  having first won election to the post in 2014 before winning reelection in November. No region is spared from the widening inequality and increased poverty that plague our state, fueled by the lack of affordable, stable housing, the cost of healthcare and transportation, limited educational opportunities, student loan debt, displacement caused by disasters and more, she said. Yee was administered the oath of office by California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento before an overflow crowd that included state Senate leader Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), state Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra and San Francisco Mayor London Breed. As a public official it is about governance that delivers results and stays accountable while upholding the underlying value of dignity for all, Yee said. Facebook

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California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra begins new term promising to fight Trump policies California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra ( (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)) California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra on Monday took the oath of office for a new term, saying he would continue his role as a leading challenger to Trump administration actions that he believes are counter to the states interests. Becerra, a former 12-term congressman, has become a national opposition figure to Trump, having sued the federal government 45 times since he was appointed as the states first Latino attorney general in 2017. Weve been a little busy stopping the dysfunction and insanity in Washington, D.C., from infecting California, Becerra told an audience during a swearing-in ceremony at the California Museum in Sacramento. Whether its the criminals on our streets or the conman in the boardrooms or highest office of the land, Becerra said, the California Department of Justice, well, weve got your back. Becerra won his first statewide election as the states top cop in November, two years after he filled the post vacated when predecessor Kamala Harris was elected to the U.S. Senate. He has peppered the Trump administration with lawsuits challenging federal policies on healthcare, the U.S. census, the environment and immigration. Our state builds dreams, not walls, he said in a direct criticism of Trumps proposal to build a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. Just last week, Becerra led a coalition of 17 Democratic attorneys general in announcing an appeal of a federal judge in Texas that ruled the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. The ACA has been the law for nearly a decade and is the backbone of our healthcare system, Becerra said last week. This case impacts nearly every American  workers covered by employers, families, women, children, young adults and seniors  so we will lead the ACAs defense as long and far as it takes. Facebook

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California Democratic Party Vice Chairman Daraka Larimore-Hall announces bid to lead group By Christine Mai-Duc Daraka Larimore-Hall. (Dominic Parisi / Courtesy of Daraka Larimore-Hall) Daraka Larimore-Hall, a top official at the California Democratic Party, said Monday hes running to replace former chairman Eric Bauman, who resigned abruptly in November after being confronted with allegations of sexual misconduct. Larimore-Hall, a longtime state party activist and former chairman of the Democratic Party of Santa Barbara County, was one of the party leaders who urged Bauman to resign following the allegations. In an email to supporters announcing his bid, he urged both structural and cultural change at every level of our Party. He also repeated his call for a top-to-bottom investigation of the allegations, the party and its culture. In a Times investigation, 10 party activists and staff members said Bauman made crude sexual comments and engaged in unwanted touching and physical intimidation in professional settings. In order to be where we need to be for 2020, we have to confront the culture of abuse and fear that allowed someone to behave in such a vile way for so long, Larimore-Hall said in an interview. We cant brush it aside or think that our activists or our candidates or our donors are going to forget about this overnight. Larimore-Hall said his first priority would be to fully investigate the allegations and restore rank-and-file confidence in the partys leadership. The second would be to refocus the party on political priorities as the 2020 presidential election nears. The Bauman episode, Larimore-Hall said, threatens to derail the Democrats plans to help defeat President Trump and keep the seven congressional seats gained in the midterm elections. Its definitely a crisis, Larimore-Hall said. But the component parts  the energy, the enthusiasm, the volunteers, the infrastructure  its still there. We just need to direct it toward something. Larimore-Hall was elected vice chairman of the state party in February following Baumans razor-thin victory over Bay Area activist Kimberly Ellis. Ellis has announced another bid for the chairmanship and former state Senate leader Kevin de Leon is also mulling a run. The vote will take place at the partys May convention in San Francisco. Facebook

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Newsom will vow to seize this moment, and swipe at Trump in Monday inaugural address By Melanie Mason Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom and his family attend an Inauguration Family Event at the California Railroad Museum in Sacramento on Jan. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) Building on the theme of California exceptionalism that defined his campaign, Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom will depict the state as a guardian of progressive values and a counterweight to President Trump in his inaugural address Monday, according to excerpts of his prepared remarks. What we do today is even more consequential, because of whats happening in our country, read the excerpts obtained by The Times. Peoples lives, freedom, security, the water we drink, the air we breathe  they all hang in the balance. The country is watching us. The world is waiting on us. The future depends on us. And we will seize this moment. The speech casts Californias political stakes in a decidedly national scope, promising an agenda that will unify and be an example to the rest of the country. It contrasts the governing goals of Newsom, a Democrat, with that of Trump, the incoming governors perennial foil. We will offer an alternative to the corruption and incompetence in the White House, the excerpts say. Our government will be progressive, principled, and always on the side of the people. Newsom campaigned on an ambitious and wide-ranging platform, promising sweeping solutions on housing, healthcare, education and other issues that rank among Californians top concerns. In the weeks after his election, he struck a more muted tone, taking pains to emphasize his fiscal caution and need for patience in achieving those goals. The inaugural excerpts indicate a return to lofty pledges. While Newsom will vow to prepare for uncertain times ahead by building budgetary reserves and paying down debt, the prepared remarks quickly turn to a vow to be bold. Newsom has already floated several proposals for his first budget that carry significant price tags, including a nearly $2-billion plan to boost early childhood development for low-income families and a dramatic expansion of paid family leave from six weeks to six months. When asked for a preview of his inauguration speech during a news conference Sunday evening, Newsom predicted pundits would criticize his address as short on specifics. Well, of course, Im at an inaugural, Newsom said. But Ill be very detailed in the budget, a few days later. And then we will architect, in much more nuance and detail, in state of the state. I really see this as three opportunities  to communicate over the next few weeks our agenda, our vision for the state. Times staff writer Taryn Luna contributed to this report. Read More Facebook

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Newsom-hosted benefit concert raises nearly $5 million for wildfire victims By Taryn Luna Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom speaks at a concert to benefit wildfire victims at the Golden 1 Arena in Sacramento on Jan. 6. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) On the eve of the gubernatorial inauguration, Californias political class rubbed elbows in Sacramento for a benefit concert hosted by Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom and headlined by the rapper Pitbull. Newsom told the crowd gathered at the Golden 1 Center on Sunday evening that the fundraiser brought in nearly $5 million for the California Wildfire Foundation, a 501(c)(3) that supports the families of fallen firefighters and communities affected by wildfires. You know, a lot of folks feel anxious about not just politics, but government, Newsom said on stage before introducing the rapper and activist Common. But those firefighters, they are the antidote to the fear and cynicism; they are the manifestation of why government matters and why you should care. Top sponsors, including Salesforce, Kaiser Permanente and other interest groups, paid up to $1 million each to support the cause and curry favor with the new administration. Nathan Click, a spokesman for Newsom, said organizers sold more than 7,000 tickets. Several state lawmakers attended the concert alongside Capitol staff, lobbyists and business types, who mingled on the floor of the arena and offstage in private VIP areas. The rock band X Ambassadors and a duo called the Cold Weather Sons from the town of Paradise, which was destroyed by fire in November, were among several performers who entertained the crowd during the four-hour event. The California Rises concert is the final in a series of festivities held Sunday to celebrate the inauguration of Californias 40th governor. Earlier in the day, Newsom attended a private brunch at Sacramentos Crocker Art Museum and his inaugural committee hosted a free party for families at the California State Railroad Museum at the Old Sacramento Waterfront. Newsoms inauguration is set to begin at 11 a.m. Monday on the steps of the Capitol. Facebook

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Inauguration fever hits Sacramento as Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom prepares to take office By Phil Willon Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom holds his son, Dutch, as he and his family attend an inaugural event at the at the state Railroad Museum Sunday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) Incoming Gov. Gavin Newsom doesnt officially take the oath of office until Monday, but the parties celebrating his inauguration were in full swing all day Sunday. Newsom and his family were mobbed by well-wishers at the California State Railroad Museum at the Old Sacramento Waterfront in the afternoon, where his inaugural committee hosted a free party for families. He just has charisma. Hes able to really connect with people, said Rosielyn Pulmano, an attorney from Elk Grove who came to see Newsom with her husband, two sons and her niece. I think he cares about working Californians and a lot of their issues. Newsom arrived with his wife, documentary filmmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and their four young children, and the governor-elect spent a good deal of his time wading through crowds, taking selfies with supporters and signing autographs as music boomed in the background. As the family toured the inside of the museums locomotives and the bevy of exhibits, Newsoms two-year-old son, Dutch, was wide-eyed, impressed by all the train cars and seemingly a little overwhelmed by the crowd. Newsom said that for his son, all that was missing from the museum was Thomas the Train, popular fictional locomotive in childrens books and cartoons . If theres one thing I can contribute to Sacramento maybe its getting a Thomas the Train exhibit for the two years olds, Newsom joked when talking with reporters afterward. Newsom said he wanted to include such an event in his inaugural festivities to highlight families and children, whose wellbeing will be among the top priorities of his administration. Youll see that not only as a preamble to the inaugural and the budget that well be submitting next week, but I think itll be a big part of the administration, Newsom said. The museum event followed a private, high-dollar brunch at Sacramentos Crocker Art Museum. A steady rain failed to dissuade as many as 200 guests who sipped wine and dined on chicken and salmon while waiting for a photo with Californias new first couple. Seen at the event were representatives of some of the states most powerful political interests, among them organized labor, healthcare companies and tribal gaming interests. A few other high-profile guests attended, too, including Larry Baer, CEO of the San Francisco Giants, and Erika Jayne, a singer and cast member of the reality TV show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Im excited to see someone like Gavin  young, vibrant  taking over the state and leading us into the future, Jayne said after attending the brunch with her husband, attorney Tom Girardi. Hes got a lot of great plans. Attendees said the event, which was closed to reporters and held under a tent in the museums outdoor atrium, did not include prepared remarks by Newsom. Among those seen leaving the event were representatives of AT&T, the California Medical Assn., Uber, Kaiser Permanente and the State Building and Construction Trades Council. A fundraising invitation obtained by The Times offered bundled tickets to all of the inauguration events, including those on Sunday and the Monday ceremony, ranging in price from $25,000 to $200,000. The money will be collected by a committee specifically organized to pay for Newsoms inaugural weekend. Sundays festivities are scheduled to end with a benefit concert headlined by Pitbull at the Golden 1 Center, home of the NBAs Sacramento Kings, to raise money for the victims of Californias recent deadly wildfires. Among the attendees at @GavinNewsoms pre-inaugural leadership brunch: Real Housewife of

Bev Hills @erikajayne. Im excited to see someone like Gavinyoung, vibranttaking over the state and leading us into the future. Hes got a lot of great plans. pic.twitter.com/561NHiy2XQ  Melanie Mason (@melmason) January 6, 2019 Facebook

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As Newsom inaugural events begin, he unveils more state budget promises on education and paid family leave Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, seen here last April, will propose new state budget efforts on paid family leave and education subsidies. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Californias incoming governor, who must send his first state budget plan to the Legislature this week, has already signaled a significant new focus on programs to help families and children from infancy to college. Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom campaigned on a platform that included a number of child-focused efforts specifically aimed at helping lower-income families. The price tag for the initial efforts is expected to approach $2 billion  a cost paid out of an unrestricted tax revenue windfall that could be one of the largest in state history. Newsom may also seek help for families through new subsidies paid by California employers. The governor-elect is expected to propose a dramatic expansion of paid parental leave  from six weeks to six months  according to an internal document provided by a source close to the Newsom transition team, first reported on Sunday by the New York Times. The document doesnt offer a full explanation for how the program will be funded, saying instead that the budget will set a goal of ensuring that all newborns and newly adopted babies can be cared for by a parent or a close family member for the first six months. Employers across the state are currently assessed a payroll tax that helps offer a subsidy to parents who temporarily leave their job to care for a newborn. Newsoms plan, according to the document, would pay for some of the new costs by shrinking the mandated cash reserve of the state fund that administers the program, allowing more of the money to be paid in benefits. The increase in paid leave would not all happen at once but instead be phased in over a multi-year period. A task force to help implement the expanded care plan is also envisioned, according to the document. It would determine whether two parents could split the six months of paid leave and whether an extended family member could be enlisted to help care for the child of a single parent over the six-month period. The incoming administrations focus on young children will also include $1.8 billion in new spending on early childhood education programs, with a particular focus on training childcare workers and pushing for more California schools to offer full-day kindergarten. Those costs, according to an overview memo obtained by the Los Angeles Times, are considered to be a one-time expense while leaving the long-term costs of the effort to be determined later. More community college students would get free tuition under a third initiative expected in the new governors budget plan. Newsom will propose spending $40 million to offer a second year of tuition-free college to California students, according to an outline provided by a transition official, first reported by Politico. Students are already eligible for a single year of paid tuition under a plan agreed to by Gov. Jerry Brown and lawmakers in 2017. The incoming governor embraced the idea of free community college during the 2018 campaign as part of a broader focus on additional investments in higher education. Education is an economic development strategy, Newsom said at a higher education forum last spring. We need to significantly increase the investment from the general fund of this state on higher education. Theres no greater higher return on investment. Whether the proposal would be targeted to students based on a familys financial need is unclear. Many low-income students are already eligible for fee waivers at community colleges. The new governor must submit his full state budget plan to lawmakers no later than Thursday. Facebook

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Gavin Newsom and his family decide Sacramento is the place to be The Old Governors Mansion State Historic Park in Sacramento. Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom will move his family into the mansion. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom and his family will give up the Marin County life and move to the Victorian-style governors mansion in Sacramento after he takes the oath of office Monday. Newsom and his wife, documentary filmmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom, had debated whether or when to relocate to the state capital since his election in November. The couple have four young children and expressed reservations about moving in the middle of a school year. To best serve the people of California while also maximizing family time together, the Newsoms have therefore decided to move to Sacramento, said Newsoms spokesman, Nathan Click. On Monday, they will move into the Governors Mansion  along with their four children, their two family dogs, and their family bunny rabbit  and reside there for the immediate future. The Newsoms currently live in Marin County. Gov. Jerry Brown and his wife, Ann Gust Brown, moved into the grand house in 2015 after it underwent $4.1 million in renovations to update electrical and plumbing systems, as well as to remove lead-based paint and install a fire sprinkler system and other security features. The mansion was built in 1877 and has been home to 14 governors, but before Brown it had not housed a California governor for nearly half a century. The state bought the mansion from a wealthy Sacramento hardware merchant, Albert Gallatin, in 1903 for $32,500. It was one of the few California homes at that time to have indoor plumbing. Facebook

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Newsom announces top labor, business liaisons as he prepares to take office Julie Su will be secretary of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency for Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times) Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom on Friday named two advisors on issues related to the California economy, each recognized for their expertise on business and labor. The incoming governor will appoint Julie Su as secretary of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency and Lenny Mendonca as chief economic and business advisor and director of the Governors Office of Business and Economic Development. Su, 49, has served as state labor commissioner under Gov. Jerry Brown since 2011 and has led an office tasked with the enforcement of Californias labor laws. She won a MacArthur Foundation genius grant in 2001 and previously worked as a civil rights attorney representing low-wage workers. In her new position, Su will be tasked with coordinating the work of several workforce departments in state government, including those that administer unemployment benefits and oversee the relationship between agriculture workers and employers. Mendonca, 57, has been a longtime advocate for rethinking government operations as co-chairman of the nonprofit organization California Forward. Previously, he was partner at McKinsey & Co., a global management consulting firm. While he will be a key advisor to Newsom on the states economy, Mendonca will also lead the office often referred to as Go-Biz, designated as a high-level way to encourage job growth and economic development. In his new role, Mendonca will help ensure that California is rolling out the welcome mat to current and future California businesses and growing a sustainable economy for every Californian, said a statement from the Newsom transition team. Newsom will take the oath of office as governor Monday. He has previously selected key advisors on the state budget, legislative affairs and the executive branchs wide array of agencies and departments. Facebook

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Joshua Groban, aide to Gov. Jerry Brown, sworn in to California Supreme Court By Taryn Luna California Supreme Court Justice Joshua Groban gives remarks after he is sworn into the court by Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday. (Taryn Luna) California Supreme Court Justice Joshua Groban, a lawyer and longtime aide to Gov. Jerry Brown, was sworn into the states highest court Thursday in Sacramento. The ceremony marked Browns fourth appointment to the state Supreme Court and gave the seven-member bench a Democratic majority. We live in a highly chaotic, ever-changing and ever-confusing world, Groban said in prepared remarks at the Stanley Mosk Library and Courts Building. But Im happy to report that Im joining an institution whose fundamental purpose, at core, is to provide stability and consistency amidst this chaotic place we live. I look forward to doing that with a sense of reflection, respect, fidelity to the law and compassion. None of Browns appointees, Groban included, have judicial experience. Groban served as legal counsel to Browns 2010 gubernatorial campaign and joined the administration as a senior advisor to the governor, overseeing the appointments of some 600 judges over the last eight years. Prior to working with Brown, Groban, 45, practiced law for more than a decade. In perhaps his final public appearance before his successor, Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, takes office next week, Brown pushed back on notions that he stacked the court. I dont want this to be known as a Brown court, the governor said before administering the judicial oath of office. First of all, the so-called Brown appointments do not agree with themselves and nor should they. They are individuals. They will differ. Its not anybodys court. The governor called the court a high calling and said Groban possesses the values for the job. Probably, next to my wife, Ive talked to no person as much as Ive talked to Josh Groban, Brown said. I think youve talked to him more, Californias First Lady Anne Gust Brown interjected. I cant tell you what the hell hes going to do, Brown later quipped. I warned him, dont screw up, at least not at first. Facebook

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California campaign watchdog agency seeks law barring use of campaign funds to fight harassment claims Former state Sen. Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia). ( (Steve Yeater / Associated Press)) Elected officials accused of harassment or discrimination would be barred from using political contributions to cover their legal defense costs under legislation proposed by Californias campaign watchdog agency. The state Fair Political Practices Commission has agreed to pursue a law change to clear up confusion after an attorney for one former state lawmaker argued political funds could be used in such legal defenses. Commission Chairwoman Alice Germond said putting a prohibition into the law would provide some much needed clarity. As chair, I would like to show the public their lawmakers are held to a standard that is above reproach, Germond said in a statement. People dont give money to campaigns for lawmakers to use it to defend their own bad behavior, so lawmakers shouldnt be able to use it in that manner. The issue came up a year ago when an attorney for former Sen. Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia) sought a formal opinion from the FPPC after the Senate launched an investigation that later concluded Mendoza likely engaged in a pattern of harassment against female aides. Mendoza resigned in February under threat of expulsion by the Senate. In a Jan. 10, 2018, letter, Cassandra Ferrannini, an attorney for Mendoza, wrote to the FPPC that she believed Mendoza should be allowed to establish a legal defense fund able to defray his legal expenses in defending himself against the allegations. The use of campaign funds for attorneys fees under these circumstances would fall squarely within the scope of legislative matters, since it involves the alleged conduct of a legislator with regard to legislative staff that he supervised, Ferrannini wrote. The commission staff originally issued an advice letter that said Mendoza may use campaign and legal defense funds to defend himself from claims of sexual harassment that arose directly out of his activities or status as a candidate or elected officer. But the panel later rescinded the letter after some members questioned using campaign funds to fight sexual harassment claims. That left uncertainty about what was allowed, which Germond said could be cleared up by a new law. The FPPC is still looking for a legislator to carry the bill, a spokesman said. Facebook

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Californias landmark police transparency law takes effect after court denies police union effort to block it California Supreme Court building (Eric Risberg / Associated Press) A new state law allowing the public disclosure of internal police shooting investigations has gone into effect after the California Supreme Court on Wednesday denied a bid by a police union to block it. The law opens to the public for the first time internal investigations of officer shootings and other major uses of force, along with confirmed cases of sexual assault and lying while on duty. The San Bernardino County Sheriffs Employees Benefit Assn. challenged the law last month, asking state Supreme Court justices to decide that the law only apply to incidents that occur in 2019 or later. The court rejected that request Wednesday, allowing members of the public to seek all applicable records held by police departments. Union president Grant Ward said in a statement that his organization was disappointed with the decision and is now seeking other legal options. We feel this is a statewide issue and should be considered accordingly, Ward said. Last month, the city of Inglewood authorized the destruction of more than 100 police shooting investigations and other records in advance of Jan. 1, when the disclosure law was scheduled to take effect. California law requires police departments to keep such records for five years, and Inglewood City Council voted to destroy records older than that. Mayor James T. Butts has said the decision had nothing to do with the new law. In Los Angeles, Police Chief Michel Moore has said that complying with the new disclosure rules could take hundreds of thousands of hours of work. State Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), the author of the transparency law, has said she has no immediate plans to propose changes to it. Facebook

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Few complaints of racial profiling are sustained by police agencies in California, state panel finds CHP Officer J. Nelson stands outside the office of Gov. Jerry Brown as activists in 2015 support requiring the tracking of police stops. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Law enforcement agencies in California sustain few citizen complaints of racial or identity profiling, according to a report Wednesday by a state panel set up to help reduce bias in policing. The states Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board recommended in its annual report that law enforcement agencies improve training and adopt clear guidelines for tracking and reporting data on who is stopped by officers. The panel said that 453 law enforcement agencies in the state received 9,459 civilian complaints in 2017, including 865 complaints alleging racial or identity profiling. Of the racial and identity complaints that reached a disposition that year, 1.5% were sustained, 14.6% resulted in officers being exonerated and 83.9% of complaints were not sustained or were determined to be unfounded, the report said. A clearer picture of the issue is expected from a 2015 law that requires police agencies to report demographic data on all detentions and searches. The first reports by the eight largest agencies, including the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, are due to be submitted in April. California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra, whose office oversees the board, said tracking of all detentions and searches will be helpful to understand the scope of the issue. The Boards recommendations will help make our law enforcement agencies more transparent and promote critical steps to enhance, and in some cases, repair the public trust, Becerra said in a statement Wednesday. Facebook

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California housing crisis podcast: What Minneapolis decision to end single-family zoning might mean for California A view of downtown Minneapolis in 2014 (Stephen Maturen / Getty Images) Theres a national movement brewing to roll back zoning rules in cities that only allow one house on a plot of land. The epicenter of that movement is Minneapolis, which passed a plan last month to eliminate single-family zoning citywide and let landowners build duplexes and triplexes on residential property. On this episode of Gimme Shelter: The California Housing Crisis Podcast, we talk about the reasons why Minneapolis leaders took this action, including their desire to combat a history of racial exclusion and spur more housing density to fight climate change. We also debate how Minneapolis decision might affect housing politics in California. Our guest is Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender, who helped shepherd the new zoning rules to passage and a former San Francisco city planner. The episode also crowns 2018s Avocado of the Year  the most ridiculous story exemplifying Californias housing woes  and includes our predictions for the most under-the-radar important themes in housing politics in 2019. Gimme Shelter, a biweekly podcast that looks at why its so expensive to live in California and what the state can do about it, features Liam Dillon, who covers housing affordability issues for the Los Angeles Times Sacramento bureau, and Matt Levin, data and housing reporter for CALmatters. You can subscribe to Gimme Shelter on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Google Play and Overcast. Facebook

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How young immigrant Dreamers made flipping control of the House a personal quest By Jazmine Ulloa Gabriela Cruz, who was brought to the U.S. illegally when she was 1, couldnt vote, but in the final hours before the Nov. 6 election, she was making one last run to get people to the polls. The sun was setting in Modesto when she found Ronald Silva, 41, smoking a cigarette on a tattered old couch behind a group home. He politely tried to wave her off until she reminded him he had a right that she as an immigrant without citizenship didnt have. It could really make a change for us, said Cruz, 29. Read More Facebook

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Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom will propose almost $2 billion for early childhood programs (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Seeking to frame his new administration as one with a firm focus on closing the gap between children from affluent and poor families, Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom will propose spending some $1.8 billion on an array of programs designed to boost Californias enrollment in early education and child-care programs. Newsoms plan, which he hinted at in a Fresno event last month, will be a key element in the state budget proposal he will submit to the Legislature shortly after taking office Monday, a source close to the governor-elects transition team said. The spending would boost programs designed to ensure children enter kindergarten prepared to learn, closing what some researchers have called the readiness gap that exists based on a familys income. It would also phase in an expansion of prekindergarten and offer money to help school districts that dont have facilities for full-day kindergarten. The fact that hes making significant investments with his opening budget is really exciting, Ted Lempert, president of the Bay Area-based nonprofit Children Now, said Tuesday. Whats exciting is the comprehensiveness of it, because its saying were going to focus on prenatal through age 5. A broad overview document reviewed by The Times on Tuesday shows that most of the outlay under the plan  $1.5 billion  would be a one-time expense in the budget year that begins July 1. Those dollars would be a single infusion of cash, an approach favored by Gov. Jerry Brown in recent years. Most of the money would be spent on efforts to expand child-care services and kindergarten classes. By law, a governor must submit a full budget to the Legislature no later than Jan. 10. Lawmakers will spend the winter and spring reviewing the proposal and must send a final budget plan to Newsom by June 15. Though legislative Democrats have pushed for additional early childhood funding in recent years  a key demand of the Legislative Womens Caucus  those actions have typically come late in the budget-writing season in Sacramento. Quite frankly, to start out with a January proposal that includes that investment in Californias children reflects a new day, state Sen. Holly J. Mitchell (D-Los Angeles) said. The governor-elect will propose a $750-million boost to kindergarten funding, aimed at expanding facilities to allow full-day programs. A number of school districts offer only partial-day programs, leaving many low-income families to skip enrolling their children because kindergarten classes end in the middle of the workday. Because the money would not count toward meeting Californias three-decades-old education spending guarantee under Proposition 98, which sets a minimum annual funding level for K-12 schools and community colleges, it will not reduce planned spending on other education services. Close behind in total cost is a budget proposal by Newsom to help train child-care workers and expand local facilities already subsidized by the state, as well as those serving parents who attend state colleges and universities. Together, those efforts could cost $747 million, according to the budget overview document. An expansion of prekindergarten programs would be phased in over three years at a cost of $125 million in the first year. The multiyear rollout would, according to the budget overview, ensure the system can plan for the increase in capacity. Lempert said the Newsom proposal is notable for trying to avoid the kinds of battles that in recent years pitted prekindergarten and expanded child care against each other for additional taxpayer dollars. The reality is we need to expand both simultaneously, he said. Another $200 million of the proposal would be earmarked for programs that provide home visits to expectant parents from limited-income families and programs that provide healthcare screenings for young children. Some of the money would come from the states Medi-Cal program, and other money from federal matching dollars. Funding for the home visits program was provided in the budget Brown signed last summer; the Newsom effort would build on that. Emphasizing a policy area with broad appeal in his first state budget could reflect Newsoms political sensibility about the challenges ahead. Democratic lawmakers and interest groups will be especially eager to see how Newsom addresses the demand for an overhaul of healthcare coverage in California  especially after a 2017 effort to create a single-payer, universal system fizzled. The path forward on healthcare is complex and costly, making early childhood education a more achievable goal in the governor-elects early tenure. Newsom is likely to face considerable demands for other additional spending. In November, the Legislatures independent analysts projected that continued strength in tax revenues could produce a cash reserve of some $29 billion over the next 18 months. Almost $15 billion of that could be in unrestricted reserves, the kind that can be spent on any number of government programs. Kim Belshe, executive director of the child advocacy organization First 5 LA and a former state health and human services secretary, said the initial Newsom budget proposal suggests the next governor will focus on a comprehensive approach to improving outcomes for children from low-income families. School-ready kids deserve quality early learning, strong and well-supported families, and access to early screening services, Belshe said. Newsom understands the whole child, multifaceted needs of our kids and is clearly ready to lead. Mitchell, the chair of the Senate budget committee, said shes eager to see the details of the governor-elects proposal to determine whether it might signal the beginning of an even broader expansion of early education efforts. Similar efforts have been hindered by a lack of money and ongoing debate over which services to help children 5 and younger need state funding the most. Universal preschool, in particular, has been debated for more than a decade. California voters rejected a ballot measure to fund a full prekindergarten system in 2006. Its clear theres a new movement afoot trying to engage on investment for universal preschool, Mitchell said. How we invest, and how we prioritize that investment, is going to be a great conversation for the coming months. Facebook

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California Politics Podcast: A final conversation with Gov. Jerry Brown No Californian has served longer as governor, signed more laws, granted clemency to more felons or waged more high-profile campaigns than Gov. Jerry Brown. Brown will leave behind a unique legacy when he packs his last belongings for the trip from the governors mansion in Sacramento to his Northern California ranch. His final two terms in office could be his most consequential. The governor reviewed some of the more notable moments from the past eight years in a far-reaching interview with The Times on Dec. 22. This weeks podcast episode includes extended portions of that conversation. Facebook

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A sagging economy could doom a 2020 ballot measure to raise commercial property taxes, Gov. Jerry Brown says Gov. Jerry Brown, at his Colusa County home on Saturday, said a ballot measure to raise commercial property taxes could struggle in 2020. (Randall Benton/For The Times) An effort to remove commercial property in California from the tax limits imposed by the landmark Proposition 13 could be felled by an economic slowdown, Gov. Jerry Brown said. In a Saturday interview with The Times at his Northern California ranch, Brown said liberal activist groups that have successfully placed the proposal on the November 2020 statewide ballot shouldnt read too much into early poll numbers showing support for the plan. That isnt as easy as you think, Brown said. Because youre going to be in a downturn of the business cycle. And youre talking many kinds of business. And the cost of doing business in California is already high. The ballot measure would allow counties to more frequently assess the market value of commercial property in California than allowed under Proposition 13, a 1978 ballot initiative that amended the state constitution to place strict limits on assessing property values and taxation for both homeowners and businesses. An analysis of the new measure, which qualified in October for the 2020 ballot, estimates it could bring in some $10.5 billion a year in new tax revenue. The business community will fight it, Brown said. And the minimum wage, the family leave, the environmental rules  business[es] have left California, thats going to be the big argument. And I think thats something you really have to think a lot about. The governor, who leaves office early next month due to term limits, declined to either endorse or oppose the ballot measure. He said Californias economic health in two years time could be a key factor in how voters weigh the proposal. Well be in a recession by then, Brown said. So its anybodys guess. Facebook

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Inglewood to destroy more than 100 police shooting records that could otherwise become public under new California law By Jack Dolan Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts (Maria Alejandra Cardona / Los Angeles Times) The city of Inglewood has authorized the shredding of more than 100 police shooting and other internal investigation records weeks before a new state law could allow the public to access them for the first time. The decision, made at a City Council meeting earlier this month, has troubled civil liberties advocates who were behind the state legislation, Senate Bill 1421, which takes effect Jan. 1. The law opens to the public internal investigations of officer shootings and other major uses of force, along with confirmed cases of sexual assault and lying while on duty. The legislature passed SB 1421 because communities demanded an end to the secrecy cloaking police misconduct and use of force, Marcus Benigno, a spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, said in a statement. Inglewood PDs decision to purge records undermines police accountability and transparency against the will of Californians. California law says police departments must retain records of officer shootings and internal misconduct investigations for five years. The city of Inglewood, however, had kept records longer than that, including case files of police shootings dating to 1991. State Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), the author of SB 1421, intended for her bill to allow public access to all qualifying records held by a department, no matter the date of the incident. Inglewood City Council approved the destruction of records that have been in the police departments possession  more than 100 cases  longer than required by law. The city staff report and council resolution describing the action makes no mention of the new police transparency law. Instead it says the affected records are obsolete, occupy valuable space, and are of no further use to the police department. It added the traditional method of destroying such records is to shred them. It is unclear whether the records have since been destroyed. A spokesman for the Inglewood Police Department along with Inglewoods city manager, attorney, clerk, four council members and Mayor James T. Butts, a former Santa Monica police chief, did not respond to requests for comment. Inglewoods City Hall is closed the last two weeks of December. The Inglewood Police Department has a reputation for secrecy and using excessive force. In 2008, the departments officers fatally shot four men in as many months, three of whom turned out to be unarmed. The U.S. Department of Justice launched a civil rights probe and found significant flaws in the way the department oversaw use-of-force cases and investigated complaints against officers. Civil rights advocates still question why Inglewood police opened fire on a couple found sleeping in a car in 2016, killing them both. California police have a long history of shredding records to avoid scrutiny of their actions. In the 1970s, the LAPD famously destroyed more than four tons of personnel records after defense attorneys began requesting them as part of criminal cases against their clients. The move resulted in the dismissal of more than a hundred criminal complaints. In response, the Legislature demanded that records be preserved but then took other measures, supported by police unions, to ensure the public had very little access to them, making California the most secretive state in the nation when it comes to police misconduct. Skinners legislation begins to unwind those laws, which have been on the books since 1978. No video or audio of the Dec. 11 council action is available on the citys website and neither are meeting minutes or any record of the decision. A city spokeswoman, Courtney Torres, confirmed that the council had voted in favor of the police records purge, and said all the relevant reasons for the decision were included in the city staff report. The Jan. 1 implementation for SB 1421 has prompted other police officials to act. A police union in San Bernardino is asking the state Supreme Court to determine that Skinners bill only applies to incidents that occur in 2019 or later. Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore sent a letter to Skinner earlier this month warning that complying with the law in regard to older records in the departments possession could take hundreds of thousands of work hours. Facebook

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Federal officials question California DMVs process for issuing Real IDs (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has notified the California Department of Motor Vehicles that its process for providing residents with federally recognized identification cards is not adequate. DMV spokesman Armando Botello said Friday that 2.3 million residents who received Real IDs under the current process will have to submit additional documentation when their cards are renewed in five years but will be able to use them in the meantime. The DMV is developing a way for residents to submit more documentation online or via email to comply with the stricter federal requirement, he said. But some state legislators are upset about delays in notifying them of the problem and say Homeland Security could eventually require additional documentation provided by current holders. The DMV has known for a month that millions of Real IDs theyve been dolling out are potentially invalid, Assemblyman Jim Patterson (R-Fresno) said. The DMVs only hope is that the Department of Homeland Security takes pity on California and gives the DMV more time to fix this mess. Real IDs are a new kind of driver license and identification card that federal law will require legal residents to present when boarding domestic flights or visiting military bases and other federal facilities starting Oct. 1, 2020. The DMV has only been requiring one form of documentation, including a current lease or utility bill, to verify the residence of a card applicant. But the federal government said in a Nov. 21 letter to the agency that two such documents are needed. On Friday, DMV Director Jean Shiomoto released a letter defending the current process but said her agency will start requiring a second document to prove residency in April. In order to minimize confusion among our customers, the CADMV will work to inform individuals who have been issued a Real ID under the current process that their card will be accepted for official federal purposes, even if their renewal occurs after the October 1, 2020, final enforcement date for Real ID, Shiomoto wrote to the federal agency. Legislative officials worry there is still a possibility that those issued Real IDs in the past might be required to present a second document to have their cards designated as compliant. The more complex process for obtaining Real IDs has led to hours-long waits for customers at DMV field offices this year, although wait times have been reduced recently by an increase in staffing. Shiomoto last month announced that she is retiring amid problems with the motor voter registration system and after the governor ordered an audit of her agency in response to the long wait times. On Friday, Assembly Republican Leader Marie Waldron of Escondido blasted the DMV for waiting a month to tell legislators of the problem. This is unacceptable and flies in the face of security for our citizens, which is what Real ID was created for in the first place, she said in a statement. Facebook

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Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom taps Keely Bosler to be his finance director Keely Bosler, the director of the California Department of Finance, will continue in that role under Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom. (California Department of Finance) Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom on Friday appointed Keely Martin Bosler as director of the California Department of Finance, continuing the role she has served under Gov. Jerry Brown since August. Bosler will become Newsoms chief fiscal advisor, and will play a pivotal role in shaping Newsoms spending plan for the state that will lay the foundation for his top policy priorities. Newsom must roll out his first budget plan within days of taking office on Jan. 7. Californias brighter future depends on a strong, stable fiscal foundation, Newsom said in a statement released Friday afternoon. Keely is an accomplished public servant of sound fiscal judgment. She understands that state budgets are more than numbers on a page  they are value statements affecting the fate and future of millions of families reaching for the California Dream. We are fortunate to have her on our team. Prior to being appointed finance director, Bosler served as Browns cabinet secretary for two years and, before that, as the chief deputy director for budget in the Finance Department for three years. Earlier this year, Brown picked Bosler to lead an audit of the Department of Motor Vehicles, which had come under fire for long wait times at DMV field offices and numerous computer problems, including errors in the new motor voter program that registered Californians to vote. As we have discussed, long wait times at the Department of Motor Vehicles do not reflect the high standards of service that Californians expect from their state government, Bosler wrote in a letter in September to DMV Director Jean Shiomoto. The audit is still ongoing, but Shiomoto has since announced she will retire at the end of the year. Facebook

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Californias legislative analyst, after decades of nonpartisan research for lawmakers, calls it a career Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor, who has led the state research unit since 2008, will retire on Dec. 31. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Only five people have led the independent research office of the California Legislature since its creation in 1941. And each of them has had a pretty simple mantra to live by in reviewing public policy proposals and government programs: Call it like you see it. The job of any analyst, to me, is you maintain that nonpartisanship, Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor said. Taylor, 65, will retire from the post at the end of December after a four-decade career with the research team that began, as he likes to tell it, just after the passage of the landmark property tax rollback, Proposition 13, in 1978. He became the leader of the office, with the title of legislative analyst, in October 2008. Two months later, state government found itself in arguably the worst fiscal crisis in its history  a projected shortfall that ultimately grew to $42 billion by the following winter. There were forces beyond our control, Taylor said of that time. But dont underestimate the policy changes that were made afterward. Those changes, most notably a boost in taxes paid by high-income earners and a robust state budget cash reserve fund, have helped lead to successive years of fully funded government services. The state is projected to have some $24 billion in reserves by the end of the current fiscal year. Taylor announced his intention earlier to step down this year. Leaders from both houses of the Legislature select the analyst, who leads a staff of almost five dozen researchers. The office provides in-depth reports on pending legislation, as well as on broader policy topics like education and healthcare, and produces an independent analysis for every proposed ballot measure. A succession of lawmakers and governors alike have praised or panned the work of the Legislative Analysts Office based on their own political worldview. Taylor said his staff is mindful that they work for legislators, but try to ignore the rhetoric that follows the release of a major report. People are going to do what theyre going to do with our information, he said. They dont always like it, but they appreciate that we give them our best advice. Taylor oversaw a transformation in the way the Legislative Analysts Office distributes its information, embracing the release of research reports through social media instead of relying on traditional printed copies and journalist roundtable events. But he said the work of the researchers has remained largely unchanged through the decades. Having an independent take on things, I think, is good for the Legislature, he said. No replacement for Taylor has been announced, which means a short transition for his eventual successor before Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom sends his first budget proposal to lawmakers in early January. Taylor, who lives in the Sacramento suburbs, said he will honor the tradition of his predecessors in stepping away from public policy debates in order to give the new analyst space to lead the team as he or she sees fit. He said he hopes to travel in the coming years and spend time with his children who have moved to the East Coast. Forty years in state government, Taylor said in why he was stepping aside now. Isnt that enough? Facebook

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Gov. Jerry Brown sues to save California sentencing laws By Don Thompson, Associated Press (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Outgoing Gov. Jerry Brown sued Thursday to protect one of his signature actions in office, a voter-approved measure that allows most prison inmates to seek earlier release and participate in rehabilitation programs. His administration filed a lawsuit challenging a pending 2020 initiative that seeks to toughen criminal penalties as part of an effort to roll back reforms adopted by voters within the last decade. Browns lawsuit in Sacramento County Superior Court contends the measure lacked enough valid signatures to overturn a previously approved constitutional amendment. County officials and California Secretary of State Alex Padilla certified the signatures in July but said they were submitted too late to qualify for last months election. The lawsuit names Padilla and the ballot measures official proponent, Nina Salarno Besselman, president of the advocacy group Crime Victims United. Padilla said the measure exceeded the required roughly 366,000 valid signatures, equal to 5% of votes cast for governor in 2014. Browns lawsuit says he used the wrong threshold. It says changing the state Constitution requires 8%, or more than 585,400 signatures. That makes the pending initiative more than 150,000 signatures short, the lawsuit says. Hes wrong, said Jeff Flint, a spokesman for the campaign backing the measure. He predicted a judge will be reluctant to reject a measure that already has qualified for the ballot. The secretary of state told us how many signatures are required, and thats how many we collected, Flint said. Padillas office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The measure would reverse reforms adopted by voters through Proposition 47 in 2014 and Proposition 57 in 2016. Proposition 57 allows most inmates to seek earlier paroles, and Proposition 47 reduced some drug and property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. The combination has helped keep Californias inmate population below a population cap set by federal judges. Corrections department spokeswoman Vicky Waters said the measure gives corrections and parole officials broad discretion to protect our communities and fashion a rational system of rehabilitation and punishment. This new initiative unlawfully seeks to supplant the departments constitutional authority to implement these critical reforms to our criminal justice system. The pending initiative would shorten the list of crimes that qualify for earlier parole and change some theft crimes from misdemeanors back to felonies. It would also increase the number of crimes for which DNA is collected, a list that was limited when some crimes went from felonies to misdemeanors. Those supporting the tougher penalties say easing criminal penalties has increased the number of dangerous criminals on the streets, but those backing the changes say they have helped reduce mass incarceration and rehabilitate convicted criminals. Facebook

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California Supreme Court orders records unsealed in pardon of ex-state Sen. Roderick Wright Former state Sen. Roderick Wright (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times) The California Supreme Court has granted a request to unseal court records involving Gov. Jerry Browns decision last month to pardon former state Sen. Roderick Wright for felony convictions involving lying about living in his legislative district, officials said Thursday. The court order was in response to a request by the nonpartisan First Amendment Coalition, which argued that the public has a right to know what information went into the governors decision to grant clemency to Wright. This is an important victory for public access to court files involving the exercise of executive clemency, said coalition spokesman Glen A. Smith. We are gratified the court has recognized that these decisions should be subject to the same public access rules that apply to other judicial records under California law. The court gave Browns office until Jan. 2 to redact confidential material before giving the court documents that can be released to the public. The court files submitted by the governors office include letters of support for a pardon and an internal review of Wrights case. The court denied a motion to unseal the records of all clemency cases but left open consideration of requests on other individual cases. Browns office is currently evaluating the courts decision, said spokesman Brian Ferguson. The governor argued against unsealing records in a recent court filing that said confidentiality is consistent with historical practice and is supported by state law. In pardoning Wright on Nov. 22, the governor wrote: He has shown that since his release from custody, he has lived an honest and upright life, exhibited good moral character, and conducted himself as a law abiding citizen. Facebook

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California political watchdog agency fines BART, urges prosecution over using public funds for campaign A Bay Area Rapid Transit train leaves the station in Oakland in this 2013 file photo. (Ben Margot / AP) Californias state political watchdog agency on Thursday imposed a $7,500 fine against the Bay Area Rapid Transit District and called for a possible criminal or civil prosecution over allegations the district used public resources to campaign for a 2016 bond measure. The state Fair Political Practices Commission levied an administrative fine against BART for its failure to disclose spending on YouTube videos, social media posts and text messages to promote Measure RR, which authorized $3.5 billion in general obligation bonds. Though the panel lacks authority to seek criminal charges over the misuse of public funds, it also urged county district attorneys in the BART service area and the state attorney general to pursue possible criminal or civil charges over the spending of taxpayer dollars for campaign purposes, Commission Chairwoman Alice Germond said. It is the concept of misusing public funds that I think we all here are very disturbed about, and we want to send a warning and not create a precedent that is a minor, little slap on the wrist, Germond said, adding that the referral to criminal prosecutors would further send a message that this is wrong. Commissioner Brian Hatch also called for the state Legislature to consider granting the FPPC power to go after public agencies that spend taxpayer money on campaigns. Sen. Steve Glazer (D-Orinda) called on the agency to increase the fine to the maximum level of $33,375. The proposed $7,500 fine represents a slap on the wrist for a very serious violation of the law and the publics trust, Glazer said in a letter to the panel. In supporting the fine recommended by the staff, Germond said BART has agreed to pay the penalty. Somebody did something wrong and they have admitted it, she said. A staff report said there were factors in favor of a fine below the maximum. Although the Commission considers BARTs violations to be serious, the absence of any evidence of an intention to conceal, deceive, or mislead; the voluntary filing of the delinquent campaign statement; and the absence of a prior record are mitigating, the report said. Facebook

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California police union seeks state Supreme Court review of new law disclosing internal investigation records Los Angeles Police Department officers. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) A police union is asking the California Supreme Court to block the release of internal officer investigations before a new state law takes effect next year. The San Bernardino County Sheriffs Employees Benefit Assn. filed a petition Tuesday asking justices to rule that only investigations of incidents that occur after Jan. 1 would be available under the law  and not those the department has on file from years prior. The litigation comes after this years passage of Senate Bill 1421, which opens to the public for the first time internal investigations of officer shootings and other major uses of force, along with confirmed cases of sexual assault and lying while on duty. The law goes into effect Jan. 1, and the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department has told the union it intends to make available in response to public records requests all the information it has. The union is very concerned about any plans to retroactively apply Senate Bill 1421, Grant Ward, the unions president, said in a statement. We believe retroactive application violates our members rights and we hope the California Supreme Court will consider the serious issues raised by our legal challenge. The bills author, Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), does not agree with the unions interpretation. She has said her legislation should apply to all the records in a police departments possession because the law simply declared that affected records were no longer confidential. If the record exists, its disclosable, Skinner said. A decision on what records will be available under the law is key to how far-reaching it will be. If the court restricts access to incidents that occurred prior to 2019, those cases will not be subject to public scrutiny. The police union in San Bernardino County is not the only one raising concerns about the law. Earlier this month, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore sent a letter to Skinner expressing concern that his agency would be overwhelmed if the law required the department to disclose older incidents. Even if the law only applied to the previous five years, Moore wrote, it could take nearly 300,000 hours of work to comply with its provisions. The LAPD operates with a guiding principle of Reverence for the Law; as such, we will diligently comply with SB 1421, Moore wrote. We maintain, however, that a retroactive implementation of SB 1421 will be exceptionally burdensome and would require significant reallocation of front-line investigative personnel. Skinner said if complying with the law becomes untenable for law enforcement agencies that maintain records for a long time, she would consider modifications. But she said agencies did not raise this concern during discussion over the bill. SB 1421 went through multiple committee hearings, multiple floor debates, extensive opportunity for all parties to weigh in on concerns with its structure, she said. That was not an issue that was raised by law enforcement at the time. Facebook

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Gov. Brown warns of backlash for Republicans in 2020 if Obamacare repeal is upheld Gov. Jerry Brown at the National Press Club in April. (Alex Wong / Getty Images) Gov. Jerry Brown warned Republicans on Tuesday that repeal of the Affordable Care Act would devastate the partys political chances in the 2020 election. Brown, speaking at a Sacramento Press Club event moderated by Los Angeles Times columnist George Skelton and Brown family historian Miriam Pawel, said a federal judges ruling last week to strike down the 2010 law  if upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court  will build such a backlash that the Democrats will not only take over the Senate, theyll win the presidency and will win with the kind of momentum, particularly on the issue of healthcare, that [the law] will be replaced probably with something even better. The governor, who leaves office in less than three weeks, said he did not believe the ruling by a Texas judge would ultimately prevail. I think the decision will probably be overturned, Brown said. Few states have embraced the law championed by former President Obama more than California, both through its healthcare exchange, Covered California, and by expanding access to government-funded services under Medi-Cal. Some 12 million Californians now receive healthcare through Medi-Cal, and Brown said a final ruling affecting the federal dollars that subsidize that care would be a serious blow. California would not be able to afford it without the subsidy, the governor said. Facebook

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Bars in Los Angeles, San Francisco could stay open until 4 a.m. under new bill A bar in Sherman Oaks (acuna-hansen) For the third year in a row, a California lawmaker is trying to keep bars open until 4 a.m. State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) is reintroducing legislation that would allow Los Angeles, San Francisco and seven other cities to extend the sales of alcohol in bars, clubs and restaurants by an additional two hours. Nightlife brings people together, fosters creativity and innovation, supports small businesses, and creates middle-class jobs, Wiener said in a statement. Its time to embrace our nighttime economy and give our cities the tools they need to foster the best nightlife possible. Last year, Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a similar bill by Wiener, writing: I believe we have enough mischief from midnight to 2 without adding two more hours of mayhem. Should this years measure, Senate Bill 58, advance through the Legislature, Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom would decide whether to sign it into law. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has endorsed SB 58, saying the city should have more flexibility than it does now. Every community has its own needs, and cities should be able to make informed decisions about what nightlife hours make sense for residents, visitors, and neighborhoods, Garcetti said in a statement. The bill would create a five-year pilot program where Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, West Hollywood, Long Beach, Coachella, Cathedral City and Palm Springs could decide to allow restaurants and bars within their cities to serve alcohol until 4 a.m. with the approval of the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Facebook

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Bars in Los Angeles and San Francisco could stay open until 4 a.m. under new bill A bar in Sherman Oaks. (Acuna-Hansen) For the third year in a row, a California lawmaker is trying to keep bars open until 4 a.m. State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) is reintroducing legislation that would allow Los Angeles, San Francisco and seven other cities to extend the sales of alcohol in bars, clubs and restaurants by an additional two hours. Nightlife brings people together, fosters creativity and innovation, supports small businesses and creates middle-class jobs, Wiener said in a statement. Its time to embrace our nighttime economy and give our cities the tools they need to foster the best nightlife possible. Last year, Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a similar bill by Wiener, writing: I believe we have enough mischief from midnight to 2 without adding two more hours of mayhem. Should this years measure, Senate Bill 58, advance through the Legislature, Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom would decide whether to sign it into law. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has endorsed SB 58, saying the city should have more flexibility than it does now. Every community has its own needs, and cities should be able to make informed decisions about what nightlife hours make sense for residents, visitors and neighborhoods, Garcetti said in a statement. The bill would create a five-year pilot program where Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, West Hollywood, Long Beach, Coachella, Cathedral City and Palm Springs could decide to allow restaurants and bars within their cities to serve alcohol until 4 a.m. with the approval of the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Facebook

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Californias DMV director announces retirement amid problems with motor voter program (Kent Nishamura/Los Angeles Times) The director of the California Department of Motor Vehicles will retire at years end with a number of questions unanswered about the implementation of a major voter registration system and long wait times experienced by customers for much of the past summer. Jean Shiomoto will not continue in her current role as Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom takes office, and announced to staff several weeks ago her intent to retire at the end of the year after 38 years in state service, spokesman Armando Botello said in an email to The Times on Friday. Newsoms transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment on who might lead the department in 2019. Shiomoto was appointed DMV director by Gov. Jerry Brown in the fall of 2013, having served in prior leadership roles with the department. DMV officials have been sharply criticized by lawmakers in recent months for delays in serving customers at its field offices across the state. Last week, DMV officials revealed errors in registering California voters for the November election  mistakes that followed a series of problems in the rollout of the states new motor voter registration system. Secretary of State Alex Padilla last week said he had lost confidence in Shiomotos leadership as a result of the voting registration problems. Facebook

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New law could break the stalemate over housing on the site of a near-vacant Cupertino mall By Liam Dillon For more than a decade, developers have tried to build new housing on the site of an all-but-empty mall in Cupertino, a city in the heart of Silicon Valley and home to Apple headquarters. A well-organized group of neighbors, upset about traffic, building heights and the potential loss of the communitys suburban lifestyle, turned away every plan. Now, for the first time, the stalemate might be broken  thanks to a decision made in the state Capitol. In an effort to address Californias housing affordability problem, legislators passed a law last year that requires cities and counties to approve housing projects if they comply with local zoning rules and other standards, forcing some resistant communities to agree to new homebuilding. In September, the city of Cupertino, citing the state law, approved developer Sand Hill Property Co.s proposal to build an office park and more than 2,400 homes where the Vallco Shopping Mall sits. Read More Facebook

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Local government was a last bastion for struggling California Republicans. Not anymore By Mark Z. Barabak Theres no shortage of watery metaphors to describe the disaster that befell California Republicans this midterm election. A blue wave. A Democratic tsunami. But the most apt may be a flood, with the casualties steadily rising as the vote count climbed in the days and weeks following Nov. 6. Eventually half the GOP congressional delegation was washed away, along with the entire slate of statewide Republican candidates. In Sacramento, Democrats claimed 29 of 40 state Senate seats and seized three-quarters of the 80-member Assembly  the largest number since 1883, when Chester A. Arthur was serving in the White House. Read More Facebook

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For the Republicans left in Californias Legislature, fewer lawmakers will have to do more work By John Myers From January to late summer every year, the California Legislature is a perpetual motion machine. And in the new year, the people most likely to struggle in keeping up will be Republicans, vastly outnumbered but still responsible for representing millions of the states residents. There are 22 standing committees in the state Senate, plus at least a dozen more subcommittees or special committees. And after Novembers election, only 11 Republican senators will be left to divvy up the work. To the victors go the spoils. To the vanquished go the extra assignments. Read More Facebook

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Californias DMV failed to finish registering 329 new voters before November election (Los Angeles Times) Officials at the California Department of Motor Vehicles said Friday that the agency failed to send information for 329 new voters to state elections officers in time for the November election, the latest revelation in a string of mishaps regarding voter registration. Secretary of State Alex Padilla responded with a blistering letter, calling on Gov. Jerry Brown or Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom to replace Jean Shiomoto, the DMV director. The Director of DMV has lost my confidence and trust, Padilla wrote. In all, the agency revealed that 589 mailed voter registration records that should have been processed under election deadlines werent sent to Californias secretary of state until late November, including forms from 260 drivers who had intended to update their address on existing voter registration records. The DMV had been instructed to not send registration forms that came in after Oct. 22, but the voters in question had forms that were postmarked before the deadline. In some cases, when the postmark wasnt legible, the agency said, documents inside indicated the voter had intended to finish their registration in time for the Nov. 6 election. The DMV recognizes the pause in transmittals was an error and affected the timing of the registration of the 589 individuals referenced above relative to the November election, Shiomoto wrote in a letter to Padilla on Friday. The pause was due to a misunderstanding on the part of the department, for which we take responsibility. Those who were trying to update their address for voter registration would not have been blocked from casting ballots. But officials said its unclear whether any of the 329 new voters were able to participate in the election. Shiomoto said in her letter that DMV will work with elections officials. The errors were not related to previous DMV mistakes about registering voters, problems associated with the rollout of the states new motor voter law. In those cases, multiple registration forms were sent to local elections offices for some voters, some people were assigned the wrong political party preference and others who are noncitizens were incorrectly placed on the list of registered voters. DMV officials have yet to respond to questions posed by The Times over the last several weeks about who knew of those mistakes and when. Facebook

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Newsom appoints a labor advocate and a former staffer as his chief deputy Cabinet secretaries By Taryn Luna A labor advocate and a San Francisco political operative have accepted positions in Gov.-elect Gavin Newsoms new administration. Angie Wei, a Capitol insider with deep ties to organized labor in California, will serve as a chief deputy Cabinet secretary with a focus on policy development. As a legislative director and chief of staff at the California Labor Federation, Wei has represented more than 1,200 unions and 2.1 million workers in Capitol fights over a host of policy issues, including drug-pricing transparency and paid family leave. The governor-elect also tapped Jason Elliott, a policy advisor to Newsom during his time as mayor of San Francisco and a chief of staff to San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, as another chief deputy Cabinet secretary overseeing executive branch operations. Elliott and Wei will serve under Ana Matosantos, Newsoms previously
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) struck a deal Wednesday with a group of Democratic dissidents to limit the term of her future House speakership to two or possibly four years in exchange for their support for her to return to the post in January.

The deal all but ensures the San Francisco Democrat will secure the votes she needs to regain the gavel.

Under the deal, term limits will be imposed for top House Democratic leaders, including Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland and Majority Whip James E. Clyburn of South Carolina.

Leaders would be allowed to serve up to three two-year terms and a fourth only if they received support from a supermajority of their caucus.

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The limit applies retroactively, meaning Pelosi would be able to serve as speaker until 2021 and possibly until 2023, if she received the overwhelming support of the caucus.

She previously served two terms as speaker from 2007 to 2011.

The term limits would have to be agreed to by a majority of House Democrats in a vote in February. Pelosi said she would abide by it whether it passes or not.

A source close to Pelosi said she didnt need the deal to obtain the speakership but wanted to secure the biggest vote and have as much unity as possible.

Seven rebel Democrats including Rep. Linda T. Sanchez of Whittier said they would support Pelosi because of the agreement.

The term limits would mark a dramatic change for House Democrats, who traditionally have allowed members to hold leadership slots as long as they can get reelected among their peers. That has generated frustration among younger members who feel they cant rise in the ranks.

House Republicans, by contrast, have term limits on their committee posts, but not on leaders.

Pelosi previously said she would not make herself into a lame duck by putting an expiration date on her speakership. She had already promised before the midterm election that she would view her speakership as a bridge to a new generation of House leaders, leading some to believe that she would serve as leader for only one term.

Pelosi faced opposition from a minority of her fellow Democrats who argued that the party needed a new leader in the House. She has led House Democrats since 2003.

The dissidents, led by Reps. Kathleen Rice of New York and Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, have said they want to ensure that new ideas and new leadership can percolate to the top of the House leadership ranks and have criticized Pelosi for staying in the post for too long.

Pelosi needs 218 votes next month on the House floor when her candidacy for speaker goes head to head with the top House Republican, Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield.

Pelosi secured support from 203 House Democrats in a closed-door internal party vote last month. Thirty-two members voted against her and three others turned in blank ballots in a sign of opposition.

The majority of Democrats stood by Pelosi, arguing that she was the partys best leader to stand up to President Trump and Senate Republicans. She is a fundraising powerhouse and has a record of never losing a vote on the House floor.

The opposition to Pelosis speakership  which has brewed for years  reached a peak once it became clear that Democrats would retake the House. Sixteen members signed a letter vowing they would not support Pelosi for speaker, though some later changed their minds.

The effort also fizzled because no candidate emerged to challenge Pelosi directly. Pelosi successfully picked off her critics, even promising to give some of them plum committee assignments or to make their issues a priority.

Critics say the opposition to Pelosi reeked of sexism and ageism, an allegation the opposition denied.

Republicans have long used Pelosi as a cudgel in House races around the country. That forced many House Democratic candidates to promise during the election that they would vote against her for speaker. More than two dozen of them won their races.

Some of them say they will stick by that pledge; others say they voted against her in caucus but will support her on the House floor.

The latest from Washington 

jennifer.haberkorn@latimes.com

@jenhab
Members of Congress will have to pay out of their own pockets to settle sexual and other harassment claims made against them under a compromise approved Thursday by the Senate and House.

Currently taxpayers cover the cost of settling harassment claims made against elected officials. The new policy is a bipartisan response in the #MeToo era after nearly seven months of negotiations between the House and Senate.

President Trump is expected to sign the measure, which takes effect in January.

The House had wanted lawmakers to also be liable for discrimination claims made against them. Some House members said Thursday that they hoped to address that issue next year along with others, including a proposal to provide legal assistance to accusers as well as the accused. That legislation will be written to apply only to House members and staff, and representatives said the Senate has agreed to pass it.

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We believe this is a strong step toward creating a new standard in Congress that will set a positive example in our nation, but there is still more work to be done, key House members said in a statement.

Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) said limiting members liability to cases of harassment, and excluding discrimination complaints, is more practical.

It really was always about harassment and individual activity, and discrimination is much broader and much harder. Certainly people are still protected if they are discriminated against. They are protected like they would be working for any other employer, Blunt said.

California Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough) said the proposed policy still would hold members accountable for their behavior. That was a major driver of the bill after nine lawmakers  eight House members and one senator  resigned since last fall when sexual harassment allegations against them became public.

Times up. Time is finally up, Speier said Wednesday. Speiers personal testimony about the harassment she suffered as a staff member on Capitol Hill was a captivating moment in spurring Congress to act. With this bill they will no longer be able to slink away with no one knowing that they have harassed. There will be transparency, and members will be held accountable.

The bill does not limit how much of a settlement members will be liable for, a provision the House wanted, but it caps at $300,000 how much they have to pay if a judge rules against them, which the Senate wanted.

Lawmakers will have to repay the U.S. Treasury, and those who do not can have their wages, savings and even Social Security benefits garnished.

Some outside advocacy groups had blamed a handful of Republican senators for the lengthy negotiations, saying they were holding up the bill because they opposed being liable for claims made against them.

Blunt said he didnt know of a single settlement involving a senator since the Congressional Accountability Act first set policies for how to address harassment on Capitol Hill in 1995. So, if senators will continue to conduct themselves like they appear to have been  they may never have a settlement, he said.

House members have a different record. Since 2003, taxpayers have shelled out nearly $300,000 to settle 13 sexual harassment or sex discrimination claims made against a representative, according to the House Administration Committee and House Office of Compliance.

From the members point of view, it just creates one more potential liability that you really have less control over how its dealt with, Blunt said. But you certainly have control over whether you create the situation that creates a need to deal with it or not.

The compromise bill puts the House and Senate ethics committees in charge of reviewing the settlements, he said. The House had wanted an independent agency, rather than fellow lawmakers on those committees, to review the settlements. The bill also requires an annual public reporting of any settlements or awards made against members of Congress, and for the first time allows interns and fellows working on Capitol Hill to file harassment complaints.

The latest from Washington 

More stories from Sarah D. Wire 

sarah.wire@latimes.com

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A Russian gun rights activist pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiring with a senior Russian official to infiltrate the conservative movement in the United States as an agent for the Kremlin from 2015 until her arrest in July 2017.

Maria Butina, 30, became the first Russian national convicted of seeking to influence U.S. policy in the run-up to and through the 2016 election. As part of her plea, she agreed to cooperate with U.S. investigators in exchange for less prison time.

Butina admitted to working with an American political operative, under the direction of a former Russian senator and deputy governor of Russias central bank, to forge relationships with officials at the National Rifle Assn., conservative leaders, and 2016 U.S. presidential candidates, including Donald Trump, whose rise to the Oval Office she presciently predicted to her Russian contact.

Guilty, Butina said with a light accent in entering her plea with U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan at a hearing Thursday morning in federal court in Washington.

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As part of her plea, Butina admitted seeking to establish and use unofficial lines of communication with Americans having influence over U.S. politics for the benefit of the Russian government, through a person fitting the description of sanctioned Russian central banker Alexander Torshin, prosecutor Erik Kenerson said.

The court did not set a sentencing date pending Butinas ongoing cooperation with prosecutors but set another hearing for Feb. 12 on the status of her case.

Butina is expected to provide evidence against a Republican Party consultant with whom she had a romantic relationship and worked closely with after they met while he visited Moscow in 2013. The operative, previously named as Paul Erickson, is a longtime GOP political advisor from South Dakota who managed the 1992 presidential campaign of Pat Buchanan.

In a statement Wednesday, Ericksons lawyer, William Hurd, said, Paul Erickson is a good American. He has never done anything to hurt our country and never would.

In plea documents read by prosecutors in court Thursday, Butina admitted to undertaking a multiyear influence campaign coordinated through Torshin, a top Russian official, that she proposed in March 2015 as a diplomacy project.

Requesting $125,000 from a Russian billionaire and citing the NRAs influence on the Republican Party, Butina traveled to conferences to socialize with GOP presidential candidates, host friendship dinners with wealthy Americans, bond with NRA leaders and organize a Russian delegation to the influential National Prayer Breakfast in Washington.

Butinas efforts, which continued after she moved to Washington as a graduate student at American University in 2016, included asking whether the Russian government was ready to meet her contacts.

Butinas initiative came during what the U.S. intelligence community has said was a concerted Russian government effort to help elect Trump, including by hacking and distributing emails stolen from Democrats. Although special counsel Robert S. Mueller III is investigating links between that effort and individuals in Trumps campaign, Butina was prosecuted by the U.S. attorneys office in Washington.

Butina crossed paths with Trump in July 2015, when she asked the newly declared Republican candidate about Russia and sanctions during a public event in Las Vegas. Trump replied, We get along with Vladimir Putin, Russias president, adding, I dont think youd need the sanctions.

Erickson also tried to get Trump to meet Torshin when both attended the NRAs convention in May 2016, referring to Torshin as Putins emissary in an email to a campaign official. The campaign declined a meeting, but documents provided to Congress show Butina and Torshin met briefly during the event with Donald Trump Jr., one of the presidents sons.

In plea papers, prosecutors agreed to drop a second count against Butina of violating a law that requires foreigners working for their government to register with the U.S. Justice Department. There is no suggestion in the documents that Butina was employed by the Russian intelligence services, but violations of that law are considered more serious than a separate law that requires registration by paid lobbyists for foreign entities.

Under her deal, Butina agreed to cooperate completely and forthrightly with American law enforcement about any and all matters deemed relevant by the U.S. government, including participating in interviews and debriefings outside the presence of her lawyers, testifying and providing sworn, written statements.

Butina faces a possible maximum prison sentence of five years followed by deportation. Under the deal, her defense agreed that she could face a recommended zero to six months in prison under federal guidelines, and could seek a lower sentence. Prosecutors agreed to request leniency if she provides substantial assistance.

Butina, who has been jailed since her arrest in July, agreed to remain behind bars pending sentencing.

Before the plea, the Russian foreign ministry continued to support Butina, planning to send embassy personnel to her hearing and posting a statement on Twitter by spokeswoman Maria Zakharov, saying, We demand that Washington observe legal rights of Maria Butina & release her as soon as possible.

On Tuesday. Vladimir Putin addressed Butinas case at a meeting of a Kremlin council on human rights in Moscow, saying: I asked all the heads of our intelligence services what is happening, Who is she? No one knows a thing about her.

In her diplomacy project, Butina suggested using unofficial channels to influence U.S. foreign policy.

Butina had served as an interpreter for Torshin, an NRA member, as he attended its annual conventions, and her profile as a self-made gun activist in Putins Russia  where gun ownership is severely restricted  charmed American associates.

Butina and Torshin invited NRA leaders to Moscow in December 2015, a delegation that included David Keene, a former NRA president and past head of the powerful American Conservative Union. Documents reviewed previously by the Washington Post show the group met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

After the meeting, Butina sent Torshin a message: We should let them express their gratitude now, we will put pressure on them quietly later.

Washington Post writers Rosalind S. Helderman and Tom Hamburger contributed to this report.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (C, front row) poses for a group photo with foreign delegates attending the just concluded 2018 Imperial Springs International Forum held in Guangzhou, ahead of a meeting with them at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 12, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping reiterated on Wednesday that China will adhere to the path of multilateralism and open its door wider to the world.

Xi made the remarks when meeting with foreign delegates attending the just concluded 2018 Imperial Springs International Forum held in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province.

He briefed the delegates on achievements of China's reform and opening-up during the past 40 years and important measures of a new round of opening-up at a higher level, expounded on China's relations with the world, and listened to the delegates' remarks.

Xi said this year's Imperial Springs International Forum coincides with the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up.

The forum, held on Dec. 10 in southern China's Guangzhou, gathered some 200 former world leaders, renowned scholars and business elites to discuss the theme of advancing reform and opening-up, promoting win-win cooperation.

"The past 40 years have witnessed tremendous achievements in China's development and remarkable improvement of people's livelihood, from shortage to abundance, from poverty to moderate prosperity," Xi said.

China's reform and opening-up drive is people-oriented, Xi stressed, adding that a distinctive feature of the country's economy in the new era is the shift from rapid growth to high-quality development, from quantitative expansion to qualitative growth.

"For more balanced and full development, we must further deepen reform and expand opening-up," said the Chinese president.

During the Boao Forum for Asia annual conference in April, Xi announced a series of measures to expand the country's opening-up, including substantially easing market access, creating a more attractive investment environment, strengthening intellectual property protection and actively expanding imports.

At the opening ceremony of the first China International Import Expo in Shanghai, Xi announced new measures to further expand opening-up.

"China will adhere to the path of multilateralism, and open the door wider to the world," Xi said.

Saying China's economy has maintained overall stability and steady progress, Xi noted that the goal of "making people well-off" pushes the important potential for the country to achieve further growth.

With the increasing income, Chinese people's pursuit of a high-quality life will bring about greater consumer demand, Xi said. "We are firmly confident in the long-term positive fundamentals of China's economic development, as well as in the mid- to high-speed economic growth bringing the economy to a medium-to-high level."

Noting that China's role as an active defender and contributor to international rules has been acknowledged by the international community, Xi said China's reform and opening-up is all-round, and the country's development is an opportunity for the whole world.

"The practice of China's reform and opening-up has fully proven that only by win-win cooperation can a country achieve long-term development," he said.

Xi stressed that the Belt and Road Initiative, which originates from China and belongs to the world, is aimed at building a new platform for win-win cooperation for the international community.

He reiterates the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits in promoting cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.

"China's overseas investment and cooperation in capacity building and infrastructure construction have driven industrialization of the countries concerned and promoted local people's livelihood and economic and social development," said Xi.

Xi said the Chinese side sincerely hopes that all countries will join the Belt and Road partnership and deliver more benefits for all people.

He said China's efforts to promote and build a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for humanity are also aimed at achieving win-win cooperation among all countries.

Noting that China's reform and opening-up has left a glorious chapter in history, Xi said the policy will also enable China to score new achievements in the next 40 years that will deeply impress the world.

The foreign delegates, including former Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga, said that China's reform and opening-up have brought about tremendous changes in China and had a major positive impact on the world.

They advocated developing inter-state ties on the basis of enhancing mutual trust and win-win cooperation, urging all sides to maintain world peace, promote common growth and oppose unilateralism, isolationism and protectionism.

The foreign delegates also praised the Belt and Road Initiative, saying it yielded tangible benefits for many countries.
If the sitting senators in Washington read the letter from 44 former colleagues this week urging them to put national interest above political ideology during this dangerous period, most are showing no indication.

I just saw there was a letter, I didnt read it, said Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas). A handful of other senators also said they hadnt seen it or were not aware of it.

The statement  which was signed by 32 Democrats, 10 Republicans and two independents  warned that the country is entering a dangerous period of challenges to the rule of law, the Constitution, our governing institutions and our national security.

We are at an inflection point in which the foundational principles of our democracy and our national security interests are at stake, and the rule of law and the ability of our institutions to function freely and independently must be upheld, they wrote in an opinion piece published Monday in the Washington Post.

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Its rare for so many recently departed senators to feel the need to publicly issue such a warning. They said it was necessary as House Democrats begin investigating President Trump and the administration, and the special counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election continues.

Senators who took the time to read the letter offered praise.

I agree with it. Who wouldnt be for putting your country first and being bipartisan? Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said.

Some Democrats viewed it as an attack on Trump, even though he is not mentioned.

I think it was amazing that Republican senators would sign a letter that is so critical of the president of the United States because they are worried to death about this country, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) said.

Others said the warning was aimed at Congress, not the White House.

It speaks volumes to the abrogation of senatorial responsibility that weve seen in the last three years, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), who recently lost her reelection bid, said.

The latest from Washington 

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President Trump is being urged to consider a young White House aide for his chief of staff, according to two people familiar with ongoing conversations, after his top choice and other men turned down the job in recent days.

Several people close to the president are promoting Johnny DeStefano, who was a political aide to former House Speaker John A. Boehner before joining the administration as Trumps director of personnel. He since has seen his portfolio expand and often travels with the president.

The president told reporters on Thursday afternoon that he is interviewing five terrific people. David Bossie, another potential candidate and a longtime Republican political warrior who was Trumps deputy campaign chairman in 2016, was seen entering the West Wing on Thursday afternoon.

Asked in a Fox News interview what hes looking for in his next chief of staff, Trump said, I want somebody thats strong but I want somebody that thinks like me.

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Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders did not rule out media reports that Jared Kushner, Trumps son-in-law and a senior advisor, was being considered. Im not aware that hes under consideration, she told White House reporters, but she added, He will be great in any role that the president chooses to put him in.

DeStefano, 39, played a key role in the White House political shop during the midterm elections campaign while also supervising the Office of Public Liaison. He is generally well-liked within an administration beset by warring factions and is trusted by Trump, who has clashed with older, more established figures like John F. Kelly, the retired Marine general who is leaving as chief of staff at the end of the year.

DeStefanos political experience, a trait shared by some others whove been on Trumps radar, suggests that the president wants to shift more fully onto a campaign footing as 2020 approaches and to rely on loyal aides for looming fights with Democrats and investigators.

With Democrats taking over the House in January and likely to launch a number of investigations, Trump will lean heavily on lawyers and top aides.

While DeStefano is less well-known than some Cabinet members and lawmakers whose names have been floated, the affable aide is known inside the White House as a diligent worker and someone whose appointment wouldnt be unsettling to any West Wing faction.

He is slightly older than Nick Ayers, the chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence who was Trumps first choice but who balked over the presidents request for a two-year commitment. Others subsequently declined as well, including Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), the head of the conservative House Freedom Caucus; Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin; and New York Yankees President Randy Levine.

Still believed to be under consideration are Trumps budget director, Mick Mulvaney, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who visited the White House on Wednesday, fanning speculation that he could be a dark horse candidate.

Hes being pretty methodical in trying to think through replacing Gen. Kelly, Gingrich said Thursday. When Ayers decided not to do it, he slowed down and decided he really had to rethink what hes looking for and how to do it.

That opened the door to friends and allies offering suggestions. Eric Bolling, a former Fox host, said in an interview that he spent a half hour in the Oval Office on Wednesday and made the case for Bill Shine, a former Fox executive who is now communications director. Bolling said that Trump nodded but did not respond.

The latest from Washington 

eli.stokols@latimes.com

Twitter: @EliStokols
Battered Republican politicos in California have been in stubborn denial since their election shellacking. Theyve been offering a creative list of alibis.

Democrats spent barrels more money, the GOP groans. They were better organized; they used a new law to harvest votes  collecting peoples signed and sealed mail ballots and delivering them. The national GOP ignored California.

OK, so what? The truth is, California Republicans tried to market products that not enough people wanted to buy. And political investors dont like to waste money on losing goods.

Genuflecting to President Trump also tainted some Republican candidates in a state where he is reviled by the vast majority of voters.

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Embracing Trump makes it worse because this is the worst anti-Trump major state in the country, says Mike Murphy, a veteran Republican strategist who is co-director of the USC Center for the Political Future.

Simply put, the GOPs declining share of the California electorate, 24%, has starkly different views than the vast majority of voters  Democrats, 43.5%, and no party preference, or so-called independents, 27.5%.

Its arithmetic, Murphy says. The best thing that can happen to you [in the GOP] is to become mayor of Fresno. California Republicans are learning what its like to be a Utah Democrat.

The contrast between the desires of minority Republican voters on one shrinking side and the views of the majority Democratic-independent combo on the other is shown vividly in a new poll by the Public Policy Institute of California.

More from George Skelton 

It comes down to Republican voters wanting and believing things that Democrats and independents dont. So the California GOP continues to become less and less relevant in government.

In the poll, voters were asked how they wanted Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom and the Legislature to spend the states projected $15-billion budget surplus. A large plurality of Republicans said it should be used to pay down debt and build up reserves. Democrats, overwhelmingly, and independents wanted to spend it on education, healthcare and services for the poor.

For most Democrats and independents, universal healthcare coverage  advocated by Newsom  was a high priority. Less than a quarter of Republicans felt that way.

Polarization really stood out when voters were asked about Trump. Only 36% of them approved of his job performance. Broken down, it was 12% among Democrats, 28% independents and 76% Republicans.

On the environment, Republicans overwhelmingly thought that stricter regulations cost too many jobs and hurt the economy. Democrats and independents believed lopsidedly that protecting the environment was worth the cost.

But the California Republicans Achilles heel and increasing cause for downfall is the persistent issue of illegal immigration  in a state where Latinos have become the largest population group and Asian Americans also are getting stronger politically. Many are deeply offended by the harsh, insensitive rhetoric of Trump and much of the GOP.

Coverage of California politics 

We have not yet been able to figure out how to effectively communicate and get significant numbers of votes from nonwhites, outgoing state Republican Chairman Jim Brulte, a former GOP legislative leader, told Politico. The entire country will be majority minority by 2044. ...

California is the canary in the coal mine  not an outlier.

The poll illustrated why GOP candidates  especially those running for statewide office  are befuddled by the issue. Its practically impossible to please their party base while appealing to nonwhites.

In the poll, voters were asked whether they considered immigrants a benefit to California because of their hard work and job skills or a burden  because they use public services. The question didnt specify legal immigrants or undocumented. Among Republicans, 55% considered immigrants a burden. But 83% of Democrats and 73% of independents called them a benefit.

But all voter groups favored finding a way for immigrants already living here without legal status to stay legally.

Asked to explain the incongruity of many Republicans thinking immigrants are a burden but wanting those here illegally to stay, PPIC President Mark Baldassare observed: Republicans are conflicted on the issue in a way Democrats and independents no longer are.

In October, Baldassare asked voters about the border wall Trump insists on building. Republicans overwhelmingly favored it. Democrats and independents were adamantly opposed.

Republicans views on immigration seem to be aligned with what the president has to say, Baldassare said. The question Republicans ask is, What does President Trump have to say about it?

RELATED: As Californias final votes are counted, heres how the midterms helped Democrats sweep Orange County 

But California Republicans were strongly opposed to illegal immigration long before Trump. So was the California electorate in 1994 when it overwhelmingly passed Proposition 187 to end most public services for immigrants here illegally. The measure was ruled unconstitutional. The GOP didnt cool it and began a downhill slide.

The fact we still have this lesson being taught 25 years later is pretty damning, says Republican consultant Mike Madrid, who long has been trying to change the GOP tone on immigration. This is clearly the party of white identity politics.

What should be done? There needs to be an explicit denunciation of Trump and nationalism, Madrid said.

Murphy: California Republicans should look to other blue states where Republican governors are doing great  Maryland and Massachusetts. Focus on governing from the center and you can win, even in California. But just running on the Washington food-fight issues is political death here.

Republicans can learn how to harvest votes. But first they need to relearn how to grow them.

george.skelton@latimes.com

Follow @LATimesSkelton on Twitter
A copy editor recently posed an interesting question to colleagues on social media: Should he continue trying to maintain a distinction between entitled and titled? Or should he start allowing entitled to refer to the name of a book, movie or other work?

Its an esoteric issue, to say the least  rooted in a disparity between editing styles.

The Associated Press Stylebook has, for decades, issued this simple and clear advice regarding the word entitled: Use it to mean a right to do or have something. Do not use it to mean titled. APs examples of correct usage: She was entitled to the promotion and The book was titled Gone With the Wind.

Pretty straightforward stuff, provided you dont follow the Chicago Manual of Style. This guide, which is used by most book publishers, doesnt register an opinion one way or the other.

So the user must turn to Merriam-Websters Collegiate, which is the dictionary the Chicago guide defers to for all matters not specifically discussed in its pages.

Can you guess whats coming?

Entitle: verb 1. to give a title to (something, such as a book), 2. to give a right to (someone).

In other words, unless youre editing in AP style, you can indeed write The book was entitled Gone With the Wind. But should you? I have some thoughts.

I get a lot of flak for my permissive views on usage. But I dont call it permissiveness. I call it journalism. If official sources  dictionaries  say irregardless is a word, which they do, I would be wrong to say otherwise.

If those official sources say literally can be used in a less-than-literal way, which they do, Im obligated to report the facts, unpleasant as they may be.

If dictionaries say entitled can mean titled, thats a fact I cant deny. You can do all these things.

But can you and should you are different questions. And they apply differently to different audiences. So when an editor asks if he should preserve a distinction between entitled and titled, my answer may surprise some: yes.

When I work in Associated Press style, which governs much of the editing work I do, I have little choice. Im already bound to AP rules, which forbid entitled for titled.

But even when Im editing in Chicago style or just writing for myself, I still eschew entitled to mean titled. My reason: a firm belief that precise, specific words are better than broader ones.

In popular usage entitled has two meanings. Titled has only one. (Obviously, were setting aside less common definitions like to title a deed of land to someone.)

A word with multiple meanings leaves itself open to multiple interpretations. That can lead to confusion, and even if that confusion is short-lived, why use ambiguous words that can point your readers in the wrong direction even for a moment?

In language, precision is a virtue. A more specific word is always preferable to a vague one, if for no reason other than it helps the reader visually.

Its almost always better to say Rolls-Royces and Bentleys filled the parking lot than Cars filled the parking lot. It gives the reader a lot of bonus information that brings the story to life. He reached for a weapon isnt as visual or visceral as He reached for a loaded .357 Magnum.

Choosing titled over entitled probably wont get you the same impact as that .357 Magnum. But it follows the same principle: Specific words with targeted, specific jobs are usually better than vague ones.

June Casagrande is the author of The Joy of Syntax: A Simple Guide to All the Grammar You Know You Should Know. She can be reached at JuneTCN@aol.com.
With a lengthy criminal background, Jesse Nielsens job search seemed hopeless.

Recently released on parole, and desperately trying to find a way to provide for his family, the 35-year-old sought help from Chrysalis, a nonprofit that helps poor and homeless individuals attain jobs.

Nielsen rode the bus nearly two hours every day to the organizations new Anaheim office, where he learned how to fill out his first resume. Nielsen was offered a job at the United Parcel Service a few weeks ago.

I figured I had no future, then I learned that I did, Nielsen said.

The office is the nonprofits first in Orange County. There are three others in Los Angeles County.

Mark Loranger, Chrysalis president and chief executive officer, said the organization chose Orange County for its newest location in 17 years because it has a deficit of service providers despite a spiraling homelessness crisis.

An office in downtown Anaheim next to City Hall seemed like an appropriate location.

With job preparation classes, counseling and other assistance, Chrysalis seeks to remove barriers preventing the poor and homeless from landing jobs.

During a recent class, a few clients were guided through a workbook that taught how to craft a cover letter, email dos and donts and how to respond to common interview questions.

For clients who lack access to the necessary technologies of the modern workforce, the organization has a dozen computers with internet access and provides access to phones. Theres also a room with work attire for clients who cant afford their own.

Chrysalis also has a transitional jobs program, where clients work until they find a permanent position. The nonprofit partners with the California Department of Transportation to provide transitional roles in litter abatement and landscaping.

A lot of our clients havent worked in forever, Loranger said. This teaches them the ins and outs, like waking up at 7 a.m. every day.

The average client, generally middle-aged, stays for four to six weeks, but there is no clock on anyone. Between 60 to 70% of clients find work. Most go into the construction, hospitality or logistics industries.

Its a tradition at Chrysalis for clients to ring a golden bell when they get hired. Nielsen rang his a few weeks ago, but Loranger said the bell is still too shiny and pristine.

We need some more scuffs on this one, he said.

Where other organizations may shy away from working with people with troubled backgrounds like Nielsen, Chrysalis seeks them out.

We want the people with the biggest challenges, Loranger said. We judge on what you can be, not what you have been.

Nielsen said he received nothing but support from the nonprofit.

Our job is also to change perceptions, Loranger said. Our clients can be some of the hardest-working employees in the community, yet so many write them off.

Chrysalis office hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 8 a.m. to noon Friday at 290 South Anaheim Blvd. For more information, visit changelives.org.

benjamin.brazil@latimes.com

Twitter:@benbrazilpilot
Costa Mesa officials are teaming up with biologists to dig into the activities of burrowing owls that periodically pop up in the citys Fairview Park.

The project involves outfitting Fairviews feathered denizens with silver metal bands that help experts track their travels, providing researchers with additional data about their behavior.

Barry Nerhus, the citys contract biologist, and Pete Bloom of Bloom Biological Inc. have banded and released two owls in the park in the past two weeks. Both birds appear to have been born last spring and may be sojourning locally as part of a wider migratory route, according to the city.

The bands used are registered with the U.S. Geological Survey and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology at Cornell University.

This is an exciting time to undertake this project, and its by no means complete, Fairview Park Administrator Cynthia DAgosta said in a statement. We are getting daily reports from park users of more owl sightings. The goal of this is to understand the population we have that use Fairview Park and whether they come back year after year.

Burrowing owls stand about 10 inches tall and weigh about 6 ounces. (Courtesy of city of Costa Mesa)

Burrowing owls are relatively small  about 10 inches tall and weighing about 6 ounces  and can be found throughout the Americas. As their name suggests, the birds hunker down in underground dens that they sometimes dig themselves.

Though they are not endangered, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife identifies burrowing owls as a species of special concern, affording protection for the birds and their nests.

Residents are urged not to approach or disturb any owls in Fairview Park.

For more information about the program or to report an owl sighting, contact DAgosta at (714) 754-5135 or cynthia.dagosta@costamesaca.gov.

luke.money@latimes.com

Twitter @LukeMMoney
Newly elected trustees Ashley Anderson and Michelle Barto took the oath of office for the Newport-Mesa Unified School District board Tuesday night along with reelected incumbents Karen Yelsey and Charlene Metoyer.

The board then voted for Metoyer to serve as its president for the next year.

Anderson and Barto, both local natives, are the youngest members of the board, which now is all female with the departure of former trustee Walt Davenport, who did not seek reelection in November.

Anderson, 38, replaces Davenport, 83, as the trustee for Area 7, which includes Pomona, Rea, Victoria, Whittier and Wilson elementary schools.

Barto, 37, represents Area 5, including Newport Harbor High, Ensign Intermediate and Newport Elementary schools. She fills the seat of Judy Franco, 81, who decided not to run for reelection after 38 years on the board.

Incumbents Karen Yelsey, left, and Charlene Metoyer, back right, take the oath of office for the Newport-Mesa Unified School District board with new trustees Ashley Anderson, center, and Michelle Barto on Tuesday night. (Courtesy of Michelle Barto)

Though the two newcomers have similar goals, they have fairly different educational and career backgrounds.

Barto, a computer science and business major from Franciscan University in Ohio, served as a business consultant for Fortune 500 companies before building her own web design business, Launch Creative, in 2008.

Having gone to private schools growing up, Bartos interest in public schools stemmed from her volunteer experience with childrens organizations and grew when she had her own children.

She and her husband, Brady, have four kids: Penelope, 11, Charlie, 9, Linus, 8, and Conrad, 6. All attend Newport Heights Elementary School.

I learned what a great socialization experience it can be and the way that public schools can meet the needs of kids, [including those] with special needs, Barto said in an interview.

As vice chairwoman of the Pretend City Childrens Museum in Irvine, Barto participated in the Early Childhood Policy Framework, a task force of Orange County early-childhood development professionals.

It was an eye-opening experience for me because I saw a lot of people with big hearts who said they want to help but didnt know how, Barto said. I saw an opportunity to improve that.

With expertise in marketing data, Barto felt she could help others become engaged with the community, and that became one of her three key focus areas in running for school board, along with academic improvement and safety.

I want to be better about communicating with the public, Barto said. I think the advantage of having someone that has kids in school currently is that, [as parents], were so close to the problem.

Though Anderson doesnt have children (yet, she said), she has spent her career working in education, formerly as a teacher and currently as education initiative director for Trellis, a Costa Mesa nonprofit that teams up area churches with businesses and city leaders.

I decided to run after attending school board meetings and not hearing practical solutions for making Westside [Costa Mesa] schools better, Anderson wrote in an email. There was a tone of apathy  that effort had been made in the past and things wouldnt change  yet that did not reflect what I was seeing from a new generation of involved parents and neighborhood leaders.

Anderson holds a masters degree in educational technology and has a multiple-subject teaching credential. Her goals for Newport-Mesa include closing the opportunity gap for students on the Westside  where she was born and raised  with a focus on literacy. She also wants to expand dual immersion language programs, improve parental involvement and expand early-childhood education.

In the short term, I would like to see student learning and achievement, as well as community engagement and advocacy, be the focus of board meetings rather than the current focus on finance and facilities, Anderson wrote.

In the long term, she hopes for a dramatic increase in literacy rates and resources set aside for schools she believes are underserved. She also wants more transparency in district decision-making.

charity.lindsey@latimes.com

Twitter @CharityNLindsey
Orange County elections workers started manually recounting ballots Wednesday in the nearly dead-even Newport Beach City Council race between incumbent Marshall Duffy Duffield and challenger Tim Stoaks.

Duffield  who won the initial count by 36 votes out of nearly 37,000 cast in the Nov. 6 election for his District 3 seat  was among about a dozen observers quietly watching the brisk yet meticulous work inside a conference room at the county registrar of voters headquarters in Santa Ana.

Workers seated in groups of five around six folding tables examined ballots and tallied the picks by hand. One worker flipped through ballots and called out which candidate got the vote on each one. Two purposely redundant workers drew hash marks in boxes on identical ledger-like paper sheets with rows for Duffield, Stoaks and undervotes, or ballots on which neither candidate received a vote.

The count-keepers regularly switched between red and green pencils to leave a visual trail of synchrony, and every five notches they called out check, with the idea that two voices would make the announcement every time.

A fourth worker watched the person calling out the names; a fifth watched the whole group. And supporters of Duffield and Stoaks filtered throughout the room, ready to make challenges as they watched ballots turn over. In those instances, another worker set aside the ballots for elections officials and lawyers for both candidates to scrutinize one by one.

The county posts frequent recount updates online. By 5 p.m. Wednesday, 1,388 ballots had been reviewed, with a 100% match between the machine and hand counts, the registrars office reported.

Duffield, who took the oath of office the night before for his second term, leaned against a table Wednesday piled with cardboard boxes containing ballots organized by precinct.

Lawyer Phil Greer, who represents Stoaks, sat in a chair a couple of feet away.

Both sides said watching the process instilled confidence in the county.

Were very impressed over how efficient this is, Duffield said.

Greer said it was too early to tell how the outcome might swing but added that he trusts the process.

Reviewing these shows what a good operation [Registrar] Neal Kelley runs, Greer said.

Recounting relies on human eyes and basic office supplies. After spending more than an hour dividing the ballots into bundles of 25, the workers started on their main objective  calling out names over a soft din of papers rubbing together, rubber bands snapping and a pencil sharpener growling.

The counting teams filled the room with voices that sounded like staccato singing: Duffield, undervote, Duffield, Duffield, Duffield, Stoaks, Stoaks, Stoaks, Duffield, Duffield, Stoaks, Stoaks, Duffield, Duffield. Another group used first names: Marshall, Tim, Marshall, Tim, Marshall, Tim, Tim, Marshall, Tim, Tim, Marshall, Marshall, Tim, undervote.

Stoaks did not call for the recount, but several of his supporters did.

California does not automatically do recounts in close races, but candidates or voters can request one if they bear the cost. After about three days of crowdfunding, the recount proponents had $10,000 in hand and about $15,000 in pledges, which they estimated would be enough to double-check all the ballots. If the recount changes the outcome, the county will refund the payments.

The county certified the initial results on Nov. 30 with 18,458 votes for Duffield and 18,422 for Stoaks.

Its unclear how long the recount will take. Its backers say they are willing to pull the plug if the scales dont start to tip much in Stoaks favor.

We all just need to trust the process and be patient with it, Stoaks said.

The recount resumes at 9 a.m. Thursday and is open to the public. The registrars office is at 1300 S. Grand Ave., Santa Ana.

hillary.davis@latimes.com

Twitter: @Daily_PilotHD
If Peter Blake hadnt been getting sworn in to the Laguna Beach City Council on Dec. 4, he would have been exhibiting art. His Peter Blake Gallery was opening an exhibit that night at Design Miami/, a high-end design fair in Florida that showcases artists from around the world.

Showing off his re-created design of Walt Disneys animation studio would have been more Blakes forte. But he appeared smiling before a packed audience in the council chamber, sporting a tie, a black suit and his signature thick-rimmed glasses.

Politics is a new art form for him.

The first vote I ever cast was for myself, he said.

Blake, 54, received 4,881 votes in the Nov. 6 council election, more than the two other winners  six-term incumbent Toni Iseman and former planning commissioner Sue Kempf  surprising even himself.

I didnt think I would win, he said. My personality isnt one that can be constricted or confined. A lot of people that knew me well and knew what the job entailed all said the same thing: Your temperament is all wrong.

After he announced his candidacy, Blake received a torrent of both support and animosity from around the city in what he called the ugliest campaign. Residents took to social media to rail against him and other candidates.

For nearly every negative comment directed at him, Blake fired back. He eventually was kicked off Nextdoor, a social networking service for neighborhoods.

When they go low, I go lower, he said.

Blake pitted himself against Village Laguna, a nonprofit organization devoted to preserving the citys historic buildings and downtown. The group endorsed Iseman and Ann Christoph for council.

I think the biggest mistake the council is making  is allowing the small group called Village Laguna to put a stranglehold on our village for the last two decades, Blake said at a Village Laguna-sponsored candidates forum in September.

Johanna Felder, president of Village Lagunas board of directors, said Thursday that the organization has never controlled the City Council or city employees. She noted that of the groups endorsed council candidates, only Iseman won.

Hes ignorant about Village Laguna, Felder said of Blake. What he says, its not true.

A new political action committee, Liberate Laguna, endorsed Blake and Kempf and poured more than $12,000 into each of their campaigns, according to disclosure statements.

In November, Village Laguna said that in supporting Blakes candidacy, [Liberate Laguna] has encouraged the incivility in politics that is now so common at the national level.

At the Dec. 4 council meeting, the first for the reconfigured panel , Iseman said its priority should be to heal this community.

Ive never seen it so fragmented and Ive never known so much anger, she said.

Laguna Beach Councilman Peter Blake is sworn in with fellow November election winners Toni Iseman, left, and Sue Kempf on Dec. 4. (Photo by Faith E. Pinho)

Issues

Blake made decreasing homelessness and reforming the city Design Review Board two of his major campaign issues.

He advocated repurposing the nearly $400,000 the city allocates annually to the Alternative Sleeping Location and Friendship Shelter to build housing for the homeless elsewhere.

Im a total NIMBY, unapologetically, Blake said. Were not helping any of these people. Were done facilitating their nightmare lives.  Dont come to Laguna Beach.

He called the Design Review Board insufferable and said he wanted to create new design standards for the board to follow so its members would have less discretionary power. He also said he wanted to implement term limits for board members.

To alleviate downtown Lagunas parking issues, Blake suggested adding more shuttles and signage.

History

Blake calls Laguna  his home the past 31 years  his beloved hometown. But he actually grew up dreaming of California from Long Island, N.Y.

In 1987, he visited the West Coast for a short trip.

But I got here and within a matter of hours knew that I would never leave again, he said. Laguna Beach could be the greatest place in the world.

He began waiting tables at the Italian restaurant Romeo Cucina. In 1993, he opened his art gallery on Ocean Avenue but continued to serve at Romeo Cucina for five years until the gallery could break even.

In 2001, he opened the clothing store Fetneh Blake on North Coast Highway with his then-wife.

Blake  who pays $1,850 a month to rent a one-bedroom apartment, and leases a Toyota Prius  has spent much of his time the past few years buying and selling minimalist art at auctions around the world.

The idea to run for City Council ignited in the spring, when he saw mainly local political veterans eyeing the election.

Nothing spoke more of the same old status quo than Toni Iseman and [then-Mayor Pro Tem] Rob Zur Schmiede, Blake said. Zur Schmiede began a bid for a second council term but dropped out in September to care for his brother, who was injured in a car accident in June.

It sounded to me like, oh wow, not only are we not going to have any changes, but were going to hunker down, Blake added. I just felt like we were moving into a direction that it just wasnt fresh. It wasnt fun anymore. We were losing the soul in Laguna.

faith.pinho@latimes.com

Twitter: @faithepinho
As elected officials, we know its our responsibility to fight for our residents and protect our neighborhoods and community.

So when we learned that, over the objections of Costa Mesa, the county and four other cities, the state had approved the application of a volunteer-staffed nonprofit to distribute needles near one of our schools and new library, we had to stand up.

We both appeared before the Board of Supervisors to advocate for an alliance with the county to sue the state and the OC Needle Exchange Program to stop the distribution of needles in our town. That same day, Mayor Katrina Foley proposed and the Costa Mesa City Council voted to initiate litigation along with the county and the other affected cities.

At the same time, Costa Mesa was embroiled in a high-stakes federal court case challenging our ordinance regulating sober living homes, which have become over-concentrated in Costa Mesa, resulting in threats to our neighborhoods and mistreatment of the residents seeking recovery.

Many didnt think we could win either legal battle.

But we are here to tell you otherwise.

The positive results in both cases justified the councils commitment to funding these causes.

On Nov. 27, a San Diego Superior Court judge agreed with our arguments that allowing the needle exchange in Costa Mesa would create a public health hazard because the operators are not capable of responsibly addressing or preventing needle litter. Important to our position was that the operator could not account for 250,000 needles littering the river trail and civic center in Santa Ana.

The court issued a preliminary injunction against the state and the OCNEP, a result that seemed unlikely even a month before.

While that result was worth celebrating, our biggest legal victory was yet to come.

On Dec. 7, a federal jury issued a unanimous verdict rejecting the sober living industry arguments that our sober living home ordinances unlawfully discriminated against the recovering addicts.

The verdict was a victory for Costa Mesa as well as other cities that face similar issues.

We would like to give those cities some advice: hire Jennifer Keller. Keller is a hall of fame trial lawyer, widely regarded as the best in the county. We convinced Keller to take our case and our council colleagues agreed to hire her and give her the latitude and resources to put on the best defense possible. That was a courageous and wise decision.

As Keller said after the victory: The Costa Mesa City Council stood tall and refused to be intimidated by the plaintiffs.

For those who witnessed the case firsthand, it was clear to see why it was so important to have Keller and her talented trial team on our side.

Keller masterfully told the story of how nuisance sober living home operators had disrupted neighborhoods with nightmare parking problems, clouds of cigarette smoke invading their homes, loud vulgar conversations taking place right outside their windows, catcalls to teenage girls, and neighbors moving away from previously tranquil family oriented neighborhoods. She also drove home that our ordinances actually protect recovering addicts from predatory practices rather than discriminating against them.

As many know, we are both attorneys. While litigation is not always the best course, sometimes you have to stand up in in court and protect the community. We are proud that the city council did so in both of these cases and we were able to apply our professional backgrounds to good use for our constituents.

Katrina Foley is the mayor of Costa Mesa and John Stephens is a mayor pro tem.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (L, front) holds a welcoming ceremony for Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno Garces ahead of their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 12, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Wednesday held talks with Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, calling for the healthy and steady development of the bilateral ties.

Recalling his state visit to the South American country in 2016, Xi said the healthy and steady development of China-Ecuador ties goes with not only the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples but also the trend of peace, development and win-win cooperation.

During the 2016 visit, the two countries established a comprehensive strategic partnership, ushering in a new chapter for the bilateral relationship, Xi said.

Xi said he appreciates President Moreno's commitment to deepening the friendly cooperation between the two countries since Moreno took office last year.

Xi stressed that the two sides should increase interactions to intensify their strategic communication and coordination and exchange experience on governance, so as to enhance mutual understanding and support for each other's path of development and continue backing each other firmly on issues involving their core interests and major concerns.

Noting that Ecuador's participation in the construction of the Belt and Road is welcomed by the Chinese side, Xi expects the two sides to jointly promote cooperation in areas such as infrastructure, production capacity, agriculture, information technology, new energy and environmental protection.

"China welcomes Ecuador to actively explore the Chinese market and share opportunities brought by China's development," Xi said.

China's financing cooperation with Ecuador is conducted on the basis of equality, mutual benefit and business principles, without attaching any political condition, said Xi.

Noting that the Chinese government requires Chinese enterprises in Ecuador to abide by local laws and regulations and run business fairly in the market, Xi expects the Ecuador side to create a good investment environment and protect their legitimate rights and interests.

He called for r people-to-people and technology exchanges, urging both sides to carry out law enforcement cooperation to guarantee normal exchanges of personnel, economy and trade.

Xi also said China will continue to support Ecuador's post-earthquake reconstruction and its disaster prevention work.

China and Ecuador have same or similar positions on major international and regional issues, said Xi, calling on the two sides to collaborate ly to safeguard multilateralism, promote reform of the global governance system and defend the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries.

Moreno expressed gratitude for China's assistance on Ecuador's economic and social development, especially for the help offered after Ecuador was hit by an earthquake in 2016.

Moreno said Ecuador is ready to actively take part in the Belt and Road Initiative and expand bilateral cooperation in various fields.

He welcomed and appreciated China's financing cooperation with Ecuador and expects to expand exports to China. Moreno also expressed the will to enhance coordination and collaboration with China in multilateral affairs such as UN Sustainable Development Goals.

After the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of several cooperation documents, including a memorandum of understanding on jointly promoting the construction of the Belt and Road.
Europes drought is still wreaking havoc on the river cruise industry, although recent rains have eased conditions and a week-long wet-weather forecast is on the horizon.

We are back on track with fast-rising water levels on the Rhine, said Rudi Schreiner, co-founder of AmaWaterways, adding that recent rains have allowed the river cruise line to get back onto regular cruise schedules. And it will continue to rain in Germany for another week.

Viking River Cruises told passengers online: Recent rain in Europe has improved the low water conditions on the Danube, Main and Rhine rivers, bringing most sections back to normal levels and allowing ships to sail through.

While water levels on all three rivers will continue to fluctuate as they recover and settle, we anticipate most itineraries will resume regular operations in the coming weeks.

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River cruising, once skyrocketing in popularity in Europe, ran into major problems in summer when heat and drought dried up rivers, particularly the Rhine and Danube in Central Europe.

Although cruise companies predicted water levels would bounce back in the fall when rains typically increase, that didnt happen.

On the Rhine, sandbanks and silt islands appeared for the first time and an unexploded 2,200-pound bomb was found on the exposed bottom of the river; it was thought to be left over from a World War II Allies raid on a railway bridge.

In Berlin, the Spree River began flowing backward, taking water in from the Havel River instead of flowing into it.

Double down on cruising luxury with Cunards free room upgrades 

Some cruises were shortened, spending only a couple of days on the water. Others began busing passengers to cities that were cut off. Several cruise companies set up ship swaps, with passengers bused from one ship to another to avoid the shallow spots.

With the popular Christmas Market season now underway in Germany, Austria and other countries, there are fears river cruise ships wont be able to make it to the most popular markets.

Christmas markets are a longtime tradition throughout Europe for residents and tourists, typically featuring stalls with local food, mulled wine, crafts and ornaments.

But a terrorist shooting Tuesday at the market in Strasbourg, France, added an alarming element to the holiday tradition. A lone gunman killed at least two people and wounded 13 others, news reports said.

Tourists visiting Christmas markets and other holiday gatherings were warned to remain vigilant.

Meanwhile, cruise companies were scrambling to complete their seasons.

Our cruise itineraries on the Danube have not been affected too much, said Schreiner, since there are numerous hydro-electric power plants on the Danube, and these dams can withhold water flows and thus maintain water levels high enough for uninterrupted river cruising. Budapest was the only area with occasional low-water problems because there are no more Danube dams below Slovakia.

Hopefully, we will have some good years ahead of us again, he said. The past several years went extremely well and 2017 was a very unusual perfect season with zero high- or low-water days. Normally, we see every year some critical cruising days, but 2017 was perfect. It is hard to tell what the future will bring.

travel@latimes.com

@latimestravel
During the 1990 holidays, Los Angeles Times reporter Bob Pool went undercover and reported on the activities of Santa Claus. His "Secret Santa" series included this Dec. 9, 1990, report on the Santa photographer at Rolling Hills Plaza in Torrance:

There's an art to being Santa Claus.

I discovered that in the blink of an eye Saturday afternoon at the Rolling Hills Plaza when Muriel Wuethrich snatched my gold-rimmed Santa spectacles off my nose.

Wuethrich is the Santa photographer for the Torrance shopping center. And she was determined to make me picture-perfect as 11-month-old Olivia Senecal of San Pedro perched on my red-flanneled knee.

Olivia was wearing a pair of Batman-type sunglasses and a miniature Batman cape around her tiny shoulders for her visit with St. Nick.

In a flash, Wuethrich sprang into action. She dashed into the line of families waiting to have their children's picture taken and ran up to a father standing near the end of the line. She commandeered an adult-sized pair of sunglasses from him for me to wear.

Wuethrich positioned the sunglasses over my eyes and whispered for me to give a jaunty thumb's up signal with my left hand. As the final touch, she gave my white glove a yank to tighten it around my thumb.

When everything was perfect, her camera whirred. Other parents watching in amazement from the line cheered. A delighted little Olivia squealed.

Dec. 8, 1990: Santa wears sunglasses to match Olivia Senecal, 11 months, at the Rolling Hills Plaza. Santa is Los Angeles Times reporter Bob Pool. Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times

Among the professional North Pole crowd, those working like me as department store and mall Santas and elves for Western Temporary Services, Wuethrich's artistic Santa pictures are legendary.

When a child is shown crying in one of her photographs, she depicts Santa Claus reacting with a look of surprise, not discomfort. When an infant is asleep, she poses Santa with his eyes closed, pretending to have fallen asleep with the child.

If a child is engrossed in a conversation with Santa, she snaps an unposed picture that captures the candid twinkle in the youngster's eye. If a child is too shy to look at St. Nick, she photographs Santa whispering a secret into the youngster's ear.

Wuethrich, 38, of Torrance, usually gives her instructions to Santa with hand signals. She tried to teach them to me Saturday morning while I adjusted my Santa padding and white wig and painted my eyebrows showy white in the mail office.

"You won't have time to learn them when you are out there. There will a line waiting for you. You'll see," she said.

She was right. Hundreds of children, adults and a cocker spaniel named Sasha passed across my knee during my four-hour shift. Whole families, like Mark and Tracy Buehler and their daughter Kaitlin, 8, of Wilmington, patiently waited to have $2 photographs taken for use as this year's family Christmas card.

Despite a grumble from one mother who complained that her young son had become grouchy after a 45-minute wait in line, Wuethrich insisted that each child have time to chat privately about Christmas gift requests with Santa. 

"You can feel the love and the spirit here," Wuethrich said."Taking these pictures each year is my Christmas gift to myself."

Dec. 8, 1990: Photographer Muriel Wuethrich positions 2-month-old Sergio Maya on Santa's lap before taking his picture at the Rolling Hills Plaza. Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times

After 31 years at the Los Angeles Times, Bob Pool retired in 2014.

This post was originally published on Dec. 4, 2014.

See more from the Los Angeles Times archives here
The arrest of a Chinese tech executive in Canada this month has quickly become a focal point in a wider battle between the U.S. and China over trade, national security and trust in the age of globalization.

Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei, was charged with helping the company dodge U.S. sanctions against Iran. On Tuesday, she was released on $7.5 million bail to live under tight security while she awaits extradition to the United States.

In the meantime, China appeared to strike back Tuesday with the detention of a former Canadian diplomat, as the dispute continued to escalate.

Here are some of the basics behind the conflict:

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What is Huawei?

Huawei may not be a household name in the U.S., but its the biggest telecom company in the world and the second-largest maker of smartphones behind Samsung.

Often called a national hero by Chinese state media, the company has helped China spread its influence abroad. It is highly visible across Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and much of Europe  wherever China is working on development and infrastructure projects.

About half its $92.5 billion in revenue last year came from outside China.

Huawei was founded in 1987 by Mengs father, Ren Zhengfei, who is widely lauded at home as the embodiment of the Chinese Dream, having grown up in the mountains of Guizhou, Chinas poorest province.

When Meng was arrested, many Chinese concluded that the U.S. and its allies were bullying Huawei because its so successful, in order to keep the U.S. tech industry ahead.

Why isnt Huawei more visible in the U.S.?

Because the U.S. intelligence community doesnt trust it. The FBI, CIA and National Security Agency all say that Huawei is a national security threat and potential collaborator in Chinese espionage.

In 2012, Congress reached a similar conclusion about Huawei and another Chinese telecom, ZTE, and this year banned U.S. government agencies from using their products. Private companies took the government actions as a warning to back away from the companies as well.

U.S. consumers can still buy some Huawei smartphones and laptops, and many small wireless providers in rural parts of the United States depend on Huawei because its networking equipment is much cheaper than its competitors.

But those providers may soon be forced to rip out billions of dollars worth of Huawei infrastructure, because the FCC is considering a proposal to withhold funding from businesses that use the companys products.

Why is the U.S. so worried about Huawei?

Huawei is a private company that belongs to its shareholders. But last year, China passed a new National Intelligence Law that requires all companies and individuals to support any intelligence work the Chinese state requires.

Another big security concern is Huaweis leading role in the development of the fifth-generation cellular wireless, or 5G, which is poised to become the new standard.

The technology offers the ability to move data so quickly that it will be possible to link your smartphone to your smart refrigerator, smart car, smart shoes and numerous other devices. But theres also a downside: Because 5G is so decentralized, it could be easier to hack.

U.S. intelligence agencies are especially worried because Huawei is developing its own semiconductors  the heart of those tiny chips that are powering all our smartphones  raising the possibility that it could help the Chinese government build a hidden back door that allows access to devices and networks.

The U.S. has its own experience with this method, as classified documents exposed by the former CIA analyst Edward Snowden have shown that the National Security Agency modified Cisco hardware before it was exported in order to spy on foreign targets.

Snowden also revealed that the NSA had hacked Huawei networks as early as 2007 to look for links between the company and the Chinese military, and to conduct surveillance and potential cyber offensives on China and Chinese customers including Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Cuba.

Is there hard evidence that Huawei is being used for espionage?

None that has ever been made public. But Michael Hayden, the former head of the CIA, has said that he has seen enough evidence to persuade him that Huawei is spying for China.

There have been hacking cases that put Huawei under suspicion. In January 2018, Frances Le Monde newspaper reported that China had been hacking the African Unions headquarters computer systems in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa for five years, downloading confidential data onto servers in Shanghai.

Those computer systems were installed by Huawei. While China has denied the hacking reports, the continental body got new servers and rejected Chinese offers to configure them.

Huawei has tried to mitigate security concerns by inviting British intelligence to dismantle Huawei products in an evaluation center, but that effort appears to have been ineffective.

British telecom company BT recently decided to remove Huawei from key parts of its wireless network. Japan, Australia and New Zealand have all barred Huawei from building 5G infrastructure, and Canada is now considering doing the same.

What does all this have to do with the U.S.-China trade war?

Decades ago, when China was a developing country just beginning to reform, foreign companies did everything they could for the chance to access Chinas 1.4 billion consumers.

But now, with China vying for the position of global superpower and tech at the forefront of competition, companies like Huawei are seen as a threat.

As technology advances and more devices around the world talk to one another, the U.S. and China are being forced to decide how much they trust each other.

The Eurasia group, a political risk consultancy, calls the face-off a U.S.-China tech cold war, with the two countries racing to dominate 5G, the U.S. pushing to shut China out, and China protesting that this isnt fair.

Its all part of the larger, ongoing trade war, which started this year when the Trump administration accused China of unfair practices and began slapping its exports with tariffs.

How will the dispute over Huawei play out?

The worst-case scenario for Huawei would be a total ban from the U.S. market, including being barred from buying semiconductors that are critical to Huawei products.

Last year, the U.S. government banned ZTE from buying American-made semiconductors because it violated Iran sanctions. That pushed the Chinese telecom to the brink of collapse, until President Trump intervened upon personal request from Chinese President Xi Jinping and lifted the ban.

Trump has suggested that he could intervene in Mengs case as part of ongoing U.S.-China trade talks. In any case, Huawei is likely to ramp up investment in making its own semiconductors to reduce its reliance on American ones.

Even if Huawei were shut out of the U.S., it could still thrive on Chinas customers in the rest of the world. Huawei is very popular because its cheap and its good, said Adam Segal, cybersecurity expert at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Last month, Papua New Guineas government rejected Australia, Japan and the United States pressure to pull out of a deal allowing Huawei to build its internet network.

Mike Freeman, a staff writer at the San Diego Union-Tribune, contributed to this report.

alice.su@latimes.com

@aliceysu
A second Canadian man has been detained by Chinese officials, raising the stakes in a growing international dispute over a Chinese high-tech executive who was arrested in Canada and held for extradition to the United States.

Michael Spavor was taken into custody Monday after being questioned in the countrys northeast, near the border with North Korea, foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang confirmed. Former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig was taken into custody in Beijing the same day.

The arrests have raised tensions amid a bruising trade war between the U.S. and China that has seen tit-for-tat tariffs slapped on billions of dollars in goods. The two sides have until a March 1 deadline to reach a deal to resolve the trade war, or steep new tariff hikes will take effect, harming both economies and putting a brake on global growth.

Canadas arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of one of Chinas most prominent tech billionaires, Ren Zhengfei, infuriated Chinese officials. But Beijings tone has been noticeably more confrontational with Canada than with the U.S., which requested her arrest so that she could be extradited to face fraud charges related to U.S. sanctions on Iran. She was freed on bail Tuesday but ordered to surrender her passport and remain in Vancouver, where she has two homes.

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Lu was vague when asked whether the apprehension of the men was retaliation for Mengs arrest.

As for Canadas wrongful detention of Ms. Meng Wanzhou, we have made clear our position. As for these two Canadian citizens who have been taken [under] compulsory measures by Chinas state security authorities, I can assure you that the Chinese side will act in accordance with laws and regulations, he said.

Michael Spavor, a Canadian who runs a China-based cultural exchange program with North Korea, arrives with former NBA star Dennis Rodman at Beijing International Airport after a trip to the communist country in 2014. Spavor was detained by Chinese authorities this week. (Wang Zhao / AFP/Getty Images)

Spavor was being investigated by the National Security Bureau of Dandong on suspicion he carried out activities endangering Chinas security, Lu said. He said Canada was informed but did not say whether the men have been charged or where they are being held.

Spavor, who runs a cultural exchange program with North Korea, has not been heard from since he contacted Canadian authorities to inform them he was being questioned.

We have been unable to make contact [with Spavor] since he let us know he was being questioned by Chinese authorities, said Canadian global affairs spokesman Guillaume Berube. We are working very hard to ascertain his whereabouts, and we continue to raise this with the Chinese government.

Confirmation that two Canadians are now in custody has added to suspicions that the men were targeted in retaliation for Ottawas role in Mengs arrest. Chinese officials see the arrest as a part of the Trump administrations efforts to block Huaweis advance and to contain Chinas rise as a major technological rival to the U.S.

Canadian officials maintain that Mengs detention was simply a matter of legal process under the nations extradition treaty obligations. But President Trump undercut Canadas position Tuesday when he suggested Mengs case could be used as a bargaining chip in the trade negotiations.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded sharply to Trumps statements, saying, Regardless of what goes on in other countries, Canada is, and will always remain, a country of the rule of law.

Canadas foreign minister, Chrystia Freeland, said Wednesday that any country seeking an extradition order should ensure the process is not politicized.

Our extradition partners should not seek to politicize the extradition process or use it for ends other than the pursuit of justice and following the rule of law, Freeland said. She added that Trumps comments could be taken into consideration by a Canadian judge in deciding whether to order Mengs extradition to New York.

Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou has been freed on bail after her arrest in Canada at the request of the U.S. (Mfc/Ropi / TNS)

Both Spavor and Kovrig, an analyst for the independent think tank International Crisis Group, are accused of endangering Chinese state security, a serious charge in China.

Spavor runs a cultural exchange program based in northeast China called Paektu Cultural Exchange that arranges sports and cultural tours to North Korea. He brought former NBA star Dennis Rodman to North Korea five years ago on his second trip and was present during Rodmans 2013 visit to Kim Jong-uns seaside retreat. Spavor is fluent in the Korean dialect spoken in North Korea.

Spavor posted on social media Monday that he would be arriving in Seoul for a few days but failed to arrive.

The editor of the state-owned Global Times newspaper Hu Xijin posted a video on the newspapers website Wednesday warning that China would definitely take retaliatory measures against Canada if it did not release Meng.

He said if Canada extradited Meng, Chinas revenge will be far worse than detaining a Canadian.

Hu said Canada should not be drawn into tensions between China and the U.S. but should try to remain neutral. He said on Twitter that China saw Canadas arrest of Meng as chilling. On Tuesday he said Mengs arrest would make Canadian and American businesspeople nervous about traveling to China and Chinese businesspeople nervous about traveling to the U.S. and Canada.

robyn.dixon@latimes.com

Twitter: @RobynDixon_LAT
This quiet hamlet of gray-walled houses is cut off from rail lines and expressways. Many younger people have left to find work, and the elderly get by harvesting oysters from the Taiwan Strait. Empty shells litter the uncut grass along roadsides.

But things began turning around three years ago when Taiwans Southwest Coast National Scenic Area Administration hired a mural artist. Agency officials knew Haomei needed a lift and figured that fresh new murals might stimulate tourism.

The artist, Tseng Chin-cheng, 50, lives near the village and runs an art studio but also creates giant outdoor works. In Haomei, he has painted a series of colorful, almost lifelike seascapes on the outer walls of private houses and the ground in public spaces.

The murals have brought more than color to the village. They have helped revive it. No wonder 90 other villages in Taiwan are doing the same thing, in most cases with private funding.

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On weekends, Haomei now draws a couple thousand sightseers a day to gaze upon and photograph the murals, which are painted so as to have a 3D-style effect.

Some drive for hours from more populous parts of Taiwan to view the murals and experiment with photos. Most of the attractions are seascapes, but theres also a painted fairy tale forest and a giant slobbering poodle.

The once-moribund village of just 2,000 residents hopes to bring in thousands more tourists, said Shih Sheng-ming, a Haomei native who returned three years ago from the capital, Taipei, to open a coffee stand along a pedestrian route that leads to most of the murals.

Thousands of visitors come to Haomei Village each week to snap photos of the murals. (Ralph Jennings / For The Times)

Not every villager supported this art project at first, but as people started to come in for sightseeing, some of the elders would say, Wow, thats interesting,  said Shih, 30, who previously worked in a machinery factory and as a business consultant. Some tourists like Haomeis murals so much they come through with their cameras every week from hometowns two counties away, he said.

Haomei, like the other villages, is looking to the murals to revive or diversify otherwise slow rural economies by attracting day trippers.

The drawings arent just for beauty, theyre to let people come in and give the villagers some opportunities for business, like selling drinks or locally specialized farm products, said Wu Chun-chieh, the Southwest Coast National Scenic Area Administrations director for the Haomei region. They also go and look at the nearby sights such as the temples.

The murals help attract additional customers to two drink shops that are open weekends and three stores that sell products made from oysters.

Without a new draw, some villages would have to survive almost solely on farming or fishing. About 5% of Taiwanese depended on agriculture for a living in 2016, but environmental rules, natural disasters and domestic appetite for imported food have hurt income. Agricultures share of the Taiwan economy has fallen from 7.7% in 1981 to 2%.

The mural trend started on the outskirts of the central Taiwan city of Taichung in 2008. Resident Huang Yung-fu, now 96, began painting over part of a former soldier-occupied village that was being surrounded by urban sprawl. His full-color art on walls, floors and roofs resulted in 11 of its 1,200-plus single-story houses being saved from demolition after tourists began arriving by the busload.

Huang is the oldest of three siblings and, as he was growing up, worked for his father in restaurants. The former cook and soldier always liked drawing but didnt have much time or opportunity for that endeavor until 2008. He still paints at the village, leaving the houses, and the spaces between them, covered with vibrantly colored animals, vehicles, dolls and cartoon characters. The place is nicknamed Rainbow Village.

Rainbow Village in Taiwan was saved from demolition by its brightly colored artwork. (Sam Yeh / AFP/Getty Images)

Artist Huang Yung-fu, 96, began painting the buildings and grounds of the village in 2008. (Ralph Jennings / For The Times)

Before the village artwork took off, sometimes when people asked me, I would draw pictures for them, he recalled. As a cook, I would also draw on my day off. It brought in business, more people came to eat our food, and we made money.

Huang noted: If I didnt paint this village, they wouldve destroyed it.

Japanese tourist Daiichi Ueda wondered at first whether Rainbow Village was worth a visit after seeing it listed in a guidebook. Theres little to see in the surrounding city, he said. Now I really can say this place is worth coming here, said Ueda, 24.

In Japan theres no place like this, he added. I heard one old person made this place, and after I came, I couldnt believe just one person made it. He was really impressed, Ueda said. So many themes and so many pictures.

A lot of the estimated 5,000 to 8,000 visitors per day take photos with Huang, who waits for them at a desk next to the gift shop, and collects tips. Visitors who stay into the night can sometimes watch Huang paint; he prefers working when there are not large crowds.

In another village, Hujia in southern Taiwan, three sisters started painting the walls of buildings in 2014 with cartoon figures, imitating local creators as well as Western fairy tale characters. They were visiting their grandmother in the farming village of about 1,400 people when they hatched the idea for the murals.

Their work inspired other villagers to add their own murals, which cover the walls of about 40 houses today. Now they get tourists daily from around Taiwan as well as Hong Kong and mainland China. Hundreds visit each weekend, an official in the surrounding districts government office said.

Villages now effectively compete for mentions in guidebooks and references from travel agencies.

Lots of people wanted to imitate us, but in the end a lot of villages have gone quiet, said Wei Ting-chi, who works for the Taichung villages management company, which operates a gift shop. This one has its story and special character. The people who come here see it as a cultural attraction.

Jennings is a special correspondent.
A high-speed train hit a railway engine and crashed into a pedestrian overpass Thursday at a station in the Turkish capital of Ankara, killing nine people and injuring dozens, officials said.

The 6:30 a.m. train from Ankara to the central Turkish city of Konya collided head-on with the engine, which was checking the tracks at the capitals small Marsandiz station, Transportation Minister Mehmet Cahit Turhan told reporters after inspecting the site. The high-speed train, which the Anadolu Agency said was carrying 206 passengers, usually passes through that station without stopping.

At least two cars derailed, hitting the stations overpass, which collapsed onto the train. Three engine drivers and six passengers were killed in the crash, Turhan said. One passenger died after being hospitalized while the others were killed at the scene.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said 84 other people had sought medical help after the crash.

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Television footage showed emergency services working to rescue passengers from cars and debris. Hurriyet newspaper said sniffer dogs assisted efforts to find survivors. Turhan said later no one else was believed to be trapped.

Rescue workers search for survivors of the train accident Dec. 13 in Ankara, Turkey. (Ihlas News Agency)

It wasnt immediately clear if a signaling problem caused the crash. Authorities detained three state railway employees over suspected negligence and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed a thorough investigation.

Passenger Ayse Ozyurt told the IHA news agency that the accident occurred 12 minutes after the train left the main station and that it had not yet gained its maximum speed.

The train was not fast at that time yet, she said. Suddenly, there was a frightening breakage ... and the train was off the rail.

Konya, about 160 miles south of Ankara, is home to the tomb of the Sufi mystic and poet Jalaladdin Rumi, attracting thousands of pilgrims and tourists. The crash occurred during an annual week of remembrance for Rumi, when many travel to Konya to watch Whirling Dervishes, members of a Sufi sect, perform.

Turkey has had a raft of train crashes this year.

In July, 24 people were killed and more than 70 injured when most of a passenger train derailed in northwestern Turkey after torrential rains caused a section of the tracks to collapse. Last month, 15 people were injured when a passenger train collided with a freight train in Turkeys central province of Sivas.
Alfonso Guerrero Ulloa, the unofficial spokesperson of a group of Honduran migrants who caused an uproar by suggesting the U.S. pay $50,000 to each person who returns home, hasnt set foot in Honduras in more than three decades.

He left his birthplace in 1987, after being accused in the planting of a bomb in a Chinese restaurant in Honduras that injured six U.S. soldiers. Guerrero contended that the charges were false  his accuser later admitted his statement implicating Guerrero had been coerced  and Mexico offered political asylum, despite U.S. government protests.

Guerrero, 54, has spent the last 31 years living a quiet life in Mexico City. Until recently, he earned a living selling bracelets, earrings and necklaces.

But it hasnt amounted to much. Guerrero says he has $10 to his name and does not have a bank account.

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His quiet life changed Nov. 4, when he joined a caravan of Central American migrants heading north to the United States. He joined the group in Cordoba, about 180 miles southeast of Mexico City.

Migrant groups march to U.S. consulate in Tijuana demanding reparations 

Its a joy to be able to serve my country again, Guerrero said from the El Barretal migrant shelter in Tijuana. Sleeping here in the cold, eating what everyone else is eating, brings me joy.

Guerrero said he joined the caravan after seeing it on the news. He wanted to help and spread his political message opposing Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez.

As soon as he joined the caravan, Guerrero clashed with organizers who wanted to keep politics out of what they described as a humanitarian movement. But Guerrero persisted. He says a small group of migrants joined his cause, and the group slowly grew over time.

Guerrero sees the migrants flight out of Honduras as part of a larger movement. He says rampant crime, poverty and corruption are all linked to politics. In an interview, he repeatedly said the migrants goal is to liberate Honduras.

In 1987, Guerrero was linked to tension between the Mexican and U.S. governments after a bomb exploded in the China Palace near the largest U.S. military base in Honduras. Six U.S. soldiers and a Honduran civilian were injured.

The man who confessed to taking part in the bombing and who implicated Guerrero later said he had been tortured by the military into making a false confession, which brought renewed scrutiny of Honduras human rights record. Mexico called Guerrero a freedom fighter and granted him permanent asylum. The U.S. protested, calling him a terrorist.

About 10 months ago, Guerrero started an online petition asking the U.S. to exonerate him.

On Tuesday he led a group of 100 migrants to the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana asking President Trump to either let the migrants into the United States or oust Hernandez from office and pay each migrant $50,000 to go back to Honduras. He based that figure on what he considers reparations from the U.S. for its intervention in Central America.

The United States is directly responsible for this humanitarian crisis, he said. Honduras is practically colonized by the United States.

The group decided on that figure during a general assembly last week. It started when someone asked the group what it would take for people to turn around and go back.

Someone yelled that theyd leave for $10,000, and someone else shouted $20,000. People kept throwing out numbers: $50,000 and $60,000. Some said they wouldnt turn around for any price. Eventually they settled on $50,000.

Guerrero sleeps in a concrete room inside El Barretal surrounded by a small group of supporters  all of them young men. Inside the room is a small stockpile of toilet paper, pads, water bottles and an extension cord where people charge phones.

Every couple of minutes, migrants poke their heads into the room and ask for supplies. Many call Guerrero by his nickname, Comandante, or commander.

Guerrero says he is not motivated by money and rejects accusations that he is using the migrant caravan for his own gain.

If in the last 30 years I havent taken advantage of another movement, do you think Ill do it now when we are fighting for the liberation of Honduras? he asked. For me, freedom and the well-being of my countrymen are more important than any amount of money.

The groups letter gave the U.S. Consulate a 72-hour deadline to respond.

Nobody in the migrant shelter has heard a response. But on Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security criticized their proposal.

In case you havent seen, some of the so-called asylum seekers at our southern border are now demanding the United States pay them $50,000 to return to their home countries, read a statement from Homeland Security Assistant Press Secretary Katie Waldman. As weve said all along, based on historic data and open source reporting, the overwhelming majority of caravan members are not legitimate asylum-seekers  if they were they would seek refuge in the first safe country they entered.

The statement added that being a member of the caravan does not give migrants special rights for entry into the United States.

On Wednesday, migrants had mixed reactions to the $50,000 demand. Many were unaware of it. Some supported it, and others thought it was absurd.

Its unclear how many support Guerrero. About 100 marched with him to the U.S. Consulate on Tuesday, but there are nearly 3,000 migrants in the shelter. Guerrero says that thousands support the letter.

Lourdes Castillo, 50, of Honduras said the group doesnt speak for all of the migrants, although she did agree with some of the demands. I wouldnt take the money, but I think its a good idea to get rid of Juan Orlando Hernandez, she said.

Castillo plans to ask for asylum in the U.S. She says her husband repeatedly abused her back home. She reported him to the police six or seven times, but the beatings never stopped.

Others thought the demand would do more harm than good by painting the migrants in a negative light. It sounds like extortion, said Nery Pineda, 39. But if they offered it, everyone here would accept the money.

Solis and Fry write for the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Even though President Trump continues to insist Mexico will pay, or is paying, for a border wall, he apparently hasnt discussed it with the nations new leadership.

We havent touched on the matter [of the wall] in any conversation, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told reporters here Thursday, a day after his first telephone call with Trump since his Dec. 1 inauguration. It was a respectful conversation, in terms of friendship.

Mexican Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said on Twitter that the discussions between the two nations have centered instead on creating economic opportunities in Central America, the source of the so-called caravans of migrants that Trump has portrayed as an attempted invasion of U.S. territory

The Trump administration has been pressuring the government here to take steps to stem the flow of Central American migrants through Mexico, which for decades has been a transit corridor for those seeking to enter the United States. Central Americans now outnumber Mexican nationals arrested for illegal entry along the U.S. border.

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Mexico, in turn, has been pushing the White House to sign onto a multibillion-dollar development initiative for Central America, designed to provide alternatives to immigration.

The idea is that people would not have the need to migrate, said Lopez Obrador, who added that Trump invited him to visit Washington  and that he hoped to go once an accord on Central American migration was completed.

Trump has threatened to cut aid to Central American nations should the northbound flow persist.

The U.S. and Mexican leaders spoke yesterday about the positive relations between our two countries, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Thursday. They discussed the need to address illegal migration from Central America to the United States by addressing the drivers of migration, such as insecurity and economic stagnation.

But the border wall, which Trump used as a rallying cry over and over as a candidate, is clearly still on the presidents mind. Thursday morning, Trump declared on Twitter that Mexico was indeed paying for the wall  as part of what he termed savings from the now-revised North American Free Trade Agreement, the almost quarter-century-old trade pact between the United States, Mexico and Canada.

I often stated, One way or the other, Mexico is going to pay for the Wall, Trump tweeted, calling the new trade deal so much better than the current agreement. Just by the money we save, MEXICO IS PAYING FOR THE WALL!

There was no immediate official comment here on Trumps assertion that Mexico was indirectly financing the wall through U.S. savings in the trade accord.

Just two days before, in an Oval Office session with Democratic congressional leaders, Trump threatened to shut down the federal government if Congress didnt fund the border wall.

Mexicos new president has framed the migration debate as an issue of human rights and the need for job-creating investment in Central America. But he has pointedly refrained from criticizing Trumps emphasis on law enforcement, sending troops to the border and erecting new barriers.

At the same time, the Trump administration has been pushing Mexico to accept a controversial plan whereby asylum seekers arriving at the southwest border would be required to remain in Mexico while U.S. authorities assess their claims, a process that can take years. Mexico City has resisted the idea, at least absent a significant infusion of economic aid for Central America.

The wall  and Trumps insistence that Mexico pick up the tab for its construction  were toxic issues for former Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, whose term ended Nov. 30. His administration said paying for the wall was out of the question, a humiliating proposal for Mexico. On two occasions, planned trips by Pena Nieto to Washington to meet Trump were canceled because of the wall dispute.

But Mexicos new leader  a life-long leftist whose political outlook is far removed from that of Trump  has assiduously pursued a cordial relationship with Trump, frequently complimenting him on his respectful attitude. Ivanka Trump, the presidents daughter and advisor, sat in a position of honor next to Lopez Obradors wife during his inauguration ceremony at the National Palace here.

Lopez Obrador has long made it clear he was not seeking a confrontation with the Trump administration.

I hope to maintain a good relationship with the government of the United States and to convince them that the problem of migration will not be resolved building walls, nor with the use of force, Lopez Obrador, then president-elect, said in September in the northern border state of Sonora. We are not going to fight with the government of the United States, and we are not going to fight with President Donald Trump.

Times staff writer Tracy Wilkinson in Washington and Cecilia Sanchez of The Times Mexico City bureau contributed to this report.

patrick.mcdonnell@latimes.com

Twitter: @PmcdonnellLAT
Health Anergis Reports Positive Preclinical Proof-of Concept Data of the Second-Generation COP Allergy Vaccine



13.12.2018 08:08:34 - - The second-generation COP Allergy Vaccines met the preset success criteria: strong TH1 response, absence of IgE response and excellent tolerability

- Anergis will raise new financing to conduct clinical trials with the second-generation COP Allergy Vaccines as soon as possible



(live-PR.com) - EPALINGES, Switzerland, December 13th, 2018  Anergis, a company developing proprietary ultra-fast Allergy Immunotherapy (AIT), announced today that the Company has successfully completed the mice proof-of-concept study of the second-generation COP allergy vaccines based on its research collaboration with Mymetics SA, a leader in the research and development of virosome-based vaccines. The Company plans to raise new financing to return - EPALINGES, Switzerland, December 13th, 2018  Anergis, a company developing proprietary ultra-fast Allergy Immunotherapy (AIT), announced today that the Company has successfully completed the mice proof-of-concept study of the second-generation COP allergy vaccines based on its research collaboration with Mymetics SA, a leader in the research and development of virosome-based vaccines. The Company plans to raise new financing to return to clinical trials in allergic patients as soon as possible.



The mice proof-of-concept immunogenicity study evaluated the effects of the Bet v 1 COPs (the birch pollen allergy proprietary peptides) using the five subcutaneous injection schedule used in clinical trials with Anergis first-generation product candidate AllerT. The development of AllerT (Bet v 1 COPs plus aluminum hydroxide) was discontinued by Anergis in 2017 following completion of a Phase 2 clinical trial showing evidence of sensitization to the peptides and a 7% reduction in seasonal allergy symptoms vs. placebo (p=0.0047).



In the mice study, AllerT was compared to Bet v 1 COPs linked to Mymetics virosomes (the Bet v 1 COP-virosomes). As expected, the administration of AllerT led to the development of Bet v 1 specific IgEs (p<0.001) associated with a more pronounced TH2 than TH1 response. In contrast, in mice receiving the Bet v 1 COP-virosomes, no development of Bet v 1 specific IgEs were observed (p<0.001 vs AllerT). With the same dose of Bet v 1 COPs, there was a strong boost of immunogenicity with a TH1 antibody response, which was a hundred times greater than with aluminum hydroxide (p<0.001). The Bet v 1 COP-virosomes were well tolerated.



We are very satisfied with these new results because we now have a strong data base to expect successful clinical development of our second-generation COP Allergy Vaccines, said Vincent Charlon, CEO of Anergis. The new presentation of our peptides ensured a boost in immunogenicity without the development of specific IgEs during treatment. This combination should result in greater efficacy and improved tolerability as compared to the first generation. We will be happy to discuss the results in further detail at the upcoming Biotech Showcase / J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco in January.



###



About Anergis

Anergis SA is a Swiss biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of proprietary ultra-fast allergy immunotherapy products for the most prevalent allergies. Anergis was founded by Professor Francois Spertini, allergist at the University Hospital of Lausanne, Switzerland. Anergis raised over CHF 52 million from private and institutional investors, including BioMedInvest, Sunstone Capital, Renaissance PME and WJFS, Inc. Anergis SA is located in the Biopole near Lausanne, Switzerland, a life sciences community bringing together industry and academia.



About Allergies

Allergies are the most prevalent and fastest growing chronic conditions in the industrialized world, affecting over 500 million people. The only curative therapy of allergies available today, known as desensitization, allergy shots or allergy immunotherapy, is the process of inducing tolerance to the allergen. It typically requires at least 3 years of treatment and exposes patients to the risk of serious side effects  in particular immediate (<30 min) anaphylactic reactions  which can be life-threatening. With its technology, Anergis is shaping the future of allergy treatment by developing therapeutic modalities that will only require 2 months of treatment to obtain a long-lasting reduction of seasonal allergy symptoms.



About Ultra-fast Allergy Immunotherapy Developments by Anergis

Anergis is focusing on novel, proprietary ultra-fast allergy immunotherapies based on Contiguous Overlapping Peptides (COPs). The first-generation against birch pollen allergies, called AllerT, contained three Bet v 1 COPs and aluminum hydroxide as an adjuvant. With AllerT, Anergis established the clinical proof-of-concept of ultra-fast AIT with a single 2-month treatment course by demonstrating 1) rapid and sustained efficacy during two seasons following treatment and 2) four seasons long-term immune memory. Based on a comprehensive clinical data set established over the past years, Anergis initiated a preclinical program with its partner Mymetics SA to test Bet v 1 COP-virosomes as candidates for a second generation of COP allergy vaccines with enhanced efficacy and improved tolerability. The success of this initial proof-of-concept gives Anergis a time-limited option to enter into an exclusive license agreement with Mymetics for the use of virosomes in allergy.







Contacts:

Anergis SA, CH-1066 Epalinges, Vincent Charlon CEO,



akampion

Dr. Ludger Wess / Ines-Regina Buth

Managing Partners

info@akampion.com

Tel. +49 40 88 16 59 64

Tel. +49 30 23 63 27 68

to clinical trials in allergic patients as soon as possible.The mice proof-of-concept immunogenicity study evaluated the effects of the Bet v 1 COPs (the birch pollen allergy proprietary peptides) using the five subcutaneous injection schedule used in clinical trials with Anergis first-generation product candidate AllerT. The development of AllerT (Bet v 1 COPs plus aluminum hydroxide) was discontinued by Anergis in 2017 following completion of a Phase 2 clinical trial showing evidence of sensitization to the peptides and a 7% reduction in seasonal allergy symptoms vs. placebo (p=0.0047).In the mice study, AllerT was compared to Bet v 1 COPs linked to Mymetics virosomes (the Bet v 1 COP-virosomes). As expected, the administration of AllerT led to the development of Bet v 1 specific IgEs (p<0.001) associated with a more pronounced TH2 than TH1 response. In contrast, in mice receiving the Bet v 1 COP-virosomes, no development of Bet v 1 specific IgEs were observed (p<0.001 vs AllerT). With the same dose of Bet v 1 COPs, there was a strong boost of immunogenicity with a TH1 antibody response, which was a hundred times greater than with aluminum hydroxide (p<0.001). The Bet v 1 COP-virosomes were well tolerated.We are very satisfied with these new results because we now have a strong data base to expect successful clinical development of our second-generation COP Allergy Vaccines, said Vincent Charlon, CEO of Anergis. The new presentation of our peptides ensured a boost in immunogenicity without the development of specific IgEs during treatment. This combination should result in greater efficacy and improved tolerability as compared to the first generation. We will be happy to discuss the results in further detail at the upcoming Biotech Showcase / J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco in January.###About AnergisAnergis SA is a Swiss biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of proprietary ultra-fast allergy immunotherapy products for the most prevalent allergies. Anergis was founded by Professor Francois Spertini, allergist at the University Hospital of Lausanne, Switzerland. Anergis raised over CHF 52 million from private and institutional investors, including BioMedInvest, Sunstone Capital, Renaissance PME and WJFS, Inc. Anergis SA is located in the Biopole near Lausanne, Switzerland, a life sciences community bringing together industry and academia.About AllergiesAllergies are the most prevalent and fastest growing chronic conditions in the industrialized world, affecting over 500 million people. The only curative therapy of allergies available today, known as desensitization, allergy shots or allergy immunotherapy, is the process of inducing tolerance to the allergen. It typically requires at least 3 years of treatment and exposes patients to the risk of serious side effects  in particular immediate (<30 min) anaphylactic reactions  which can be life-threatening. With its technology, Anergis is shaping the future of allergy treatment by developing therapeutic modalities that will only require 2 months of treatment to obtain a long-lasting reduction of seasonal allergy symptoms.About Ultra-fast Allergy Immunotherapy Developments by AnergisAnergis is focusing on novel, proprietary ultra-fast allergy immunotherapies based on Contiguous Overlapping Peptides (COPs). The first-generation against birch pollen allergies, called AllerT, contained three Bet v 1 COPs and aluminum hydroxide as an adjuvant. With AllerT, Anergis established the clinical proof-of-concept of ultra-fast AIT with a single 2-month treatment course by demonstrating 1) rapid and sustained efficacy during two seasons following treatment and 2) four seasons long-term immune memory. Based on a comprehensive clinical data set established over the past years, Anergis initiated a preclinical program with its partner Mymetics SA to test Bet v 1 COP-virosomes as candidates for a second generation of COP allergy vaccines with enhanced efficacy and improved tolerability. The success of this initial proof-of-concept gives Anergis a time-limited option to enter into an exclusive license agreement with Mymetics for the use of virosomes in allergy.Contacts:Anergis SA, CH-1066 Epalinges, Vincent Charlon CEO, info@anergis.ch akampionDr. Ludger Wess / Ines-Regina ButhManaging PartnersTel. +49 40 88 16 59 64Tel. +49 30 23 63 27 68 Contact information:

Anergis SA







Contact Person:





eMail: eMail



Author:

Ines-Regina Buth

e-mail

Web: http://www.akampioneer.com

Phone: 030-23632768 13.12.2018 08:08:34 -

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned on Wednesday that the West's deterrence is "on the horizon" to respond to Russia's recent confrontation with Ukraine and its military moves in Venezuela.

Pompeo told Fox &Friends in an interview in New York that "sometimes the last act doesn't appear to be the last act, and deterrence is just on the horizon."

"We have pushed back against Russia in serious ways," he noted. "We've provided defensive weapon systems for the Ukrainians to defend their own country. We have sanctioned more Russians than any administration in recent history. This administration has been very serious."

Noting that the United States has obviously seen the incidents in the Kerch Strait, the top U.S. diplomat said that Washington has been working with European partners "to make sure they understand the importance of protecting that waterway and pushing back against the Russians in a way that actually leads to deterrence from this kind of aggression from Vladimir Putin."

On Nov. 25, Russia seized three Ukrainian ships near the Kerch Strait, saying the Ukrainian ships breached the Russian border. The Ukraine side called Russia's move an "act of aggression" and imposed a martial law in certain regions of the country for 30 days starting on Nov. 28.

In a separate move, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that Russian and Venezuelan military pilots had conducted training sessions to perform joint flights at a Venezuelan airfield.

The training came after two Tu-160 strategic missile-carriers, a heavy An-124 military transport aircraft and an IL-62 long-range aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces landed in Venezuela on Tuesday after covering a distance of more than 10,000 km.

In his tweet posted on Tuesday, Pompeo characterized the landing as "two corrupt governments squandering public funds, and squelching liberty and freedom while their people suffer."

The Kremlin responded later on the same day, calling Pompeo's remarks "undiplomatic and inappropriate."
In the global market made accessible by the internet, a recurring question for trade mark proprietors is how to assess online trade mark infringement given the worldwide accessibility of any website. This was considered recently by Arnold J at the High Court of England and Wales in Easygroup Ltd v Easy Fly Express Ltd & Anor ([2018] EWHC 3155 (Ch) (21 November 2018)).

EasyGroup is the proprietor of a large portfolio of trade marks including, but not limited to, the word mark EASYJET and a device mark prominently containing the word EasyFlights, both in relation to Class 39. Bangladesh-based Mr Chowdhury and his company Easy Fly Express, are proprietors of the domain www.easyfly-express.com from which their airline cargo services are available. EasyGroup claimed this use constituted infringement and passing off of their registered rights.

For infringement to result from an online platform, the use of that mark must target the UK consumer (or EU for an EU registration). A number of cases have been heard in the UK since 2014 in relation to online use, giving Arnold J a clear, but non-exhaustive test to apply. The test includes, but is not limited to whether the consumer's domicile is targeted by the defendant; the language and currency used beyond the defendant's domestic language and currency; the telephone numbers and any international codes given beyond the defendant's domestic international codes; a top-level domain name beyond the defendant's domestic domain names; and reference or testimonials of international consumers. Arnold J noted that Easy Fly Express transported foods within Bangladesh and customers were predominantly Bangladeshi and primarily resulted from direct marketing or freight forwarders in Bangladesh. EasyGroup's claim of targeting the UK and EU markets because of use of English on their website and Facebook page was broadly dismissed by Arnold J as this is the dominant language of websites and is widely spoken in Bangladesh. In addition, there were no UK or EU contact details provided whatsoever, and an internet search only produced the Easy Fly Express's website on inclusion of "Bangladesh" in the search. Therefore, Arnold J concluded that the UK or EU consumer had not been targeted and any similarities between the marks were not sufficient to find any infringement or passing off.

While not an alarming or unexpected decision, this case serves as a reminder of the test and requirements for UK courts to find infringement resulting from online use of a mark.



Rebecca Dobson

Chapman IP

Kings Park House

22 Kings Park Road

Southampton SO15 2AT

United Kingdom

Tel: +44(0) 23 8000 2022

info@chapmanip.com

www.chapmanip.com

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Despite the seemingly unlimited choice of words and the vast imagination of people, collision between similar words, real or coined, is not infrequent. In normal life these words are homonyms or homophones and do not pose any problems in everyday activities. It is a different story in the world of intellectual property. Same or similar words may mean different things but in the eyes of the consumer they are the same and for businesses they may mean loss.

Long ago, there was an international registration No 754940 covering in Russia and other countries the trade mark LINOS with priority of the year 2000 for goods in Class 10. Later, another international trade mark No 1279699 LUNOS was extended to Russia for the goods in Classes 3, 5, 21 and 10. The patent office recognised registration in all classes except 10. The reason for rejection was the confusing similarity of the trade marks.

The applicant of LUNOS appealed the decision of the patent office. He also submitted an irrevocable letter of consent for the goods in Class 10 from the cited trade mark owner (LINOS). The Chamber of Patent Disputes pointed out that the letter of consent could not have been taken into account by the examiner at the time of examination and accepted the appeal.

The law allows coexistence of a confusingly similar trade mark with the cited trade mark if the owner of that mark agrees to coexistence and if consumers are not misled about the relevant goods.

When a decision is taken in the context of a consent letter the patent office nevertheless checks whether confusion is possible and to what degree. It is clear that chances of confusion between goods are growing. The patent office worked out some guidelines for itself to check the possibility of confusion. In particular, it checks (1) whether the claimed designation and the cited trade mark are similar to the extent of sameness; (2) whether the cited trade mark is widely known and whether consumers associate it with a particular manufacturer; and (3) whether the cited trade mark is a collective trade mark and not widely known to consumers.

Even though the practice of submitting letters of consent is routine, this does not mean that all requests of this kind are accepted. The patent office may decline acceptance of the letter of consent if, for example, the trade marks are identical and the goods are the same. These cases are rare though. According to a rough estimate about 90% of letters of consent are accepted and similar trade marks are registered to the satisfaction of applicants.



Vladimir Biriulin

Gorodissky & Partners

Russia 129010, Moscow

B. Spasskaya Str

25, stroenie 3

Tel: +7 495 937 6116 / 6109

Fax: +7 495 937 6104 / 6123

pat@gorodissky.ru

www.gorodissky.com

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Manny Scecter IPAS

The challenge of how to improve understanding of intellectual property was debated at the Second Annual Intellectual Property Awareness Summit in New York on November 29.





Credit all photos: Russell Cusick

Brian Hinman of Aons Intellectual Property Solutions and former CIPO of Philips opened the summit by noting public confusion and uncertainty about IP, and doubts about whether it is promoting or stifling IP. There is a lot of misinformation out there, he said.





Hinman continued: What we are trying to do here is increase the awareness of the impact that IP has. It is a true reflection of innovation worldwide and a true differentiator as a company, as an individual inventor, as a university, as a private equity firm. It is a true reflection of that innovation. That is really the message we are trying to send here.

A gap between awareness and understanding

Increasing awareness is one thing; increasing understanding something else entirely. That was the theme of a presentation by Manny Schecter, chief patent counsel at IBM. He believes the general level of awareness is higher than before.

In my mind we have a kind of conundrum, he said. I think awareness about IP is in many ways increasing but I dont think real literacy and real understanding is on the same trajectory. It might be increasing but it isnt keeping up, thats for sure. That confusion, that lack of understanding, isnt the sole cause but it enables the lack of respect for intellectual property.

Awareness about IP is in many ways increasing but I dont think real literacy and real understanding is on the same trajectory

Schecter noted that early on in his career the only information available about intellectual property was a hard copy journal. Now, however, he said people are bombarded with free newsletters.

It is not a function of getting the information now; it is a function of figuring out which information you are going to read, he said. I think the same is definitely true for the public. They are not bombarded but intellectual property increasingly turns up in social media and other avenues. Awareness about intellectual property is on the rise. I dont think that is surprising since most of us recognise that the importance of intellectual property and the value of intellectual property in some ways has been on the rise.

Importantly, however, Schecter noted: I dont think awareness and understanding are the same thing. We can be aware that there is such a thing as patents, trademarks and copyrights and have a sense of what they do but not really understand them, and not be literate in them. A lot of the public are aware but not really literate.

This lack of understanding is a result of a variety of reasons.

Intellectual property is hard, said Schecter. It is not an intuitive subject to many people. Every one of us has seen articles where the types of intellectual property are used confusingly  where patents, trademarks and copyrights are used interchangeably, incorrectly so, because it is obvious the author didnt really understand fully what he or she was writing about.

On the patent side, people often get confused about various aspects of patents, such as the difference between filing and grant date. All understandable, noted Schecter.

Those who are intimately familiar with IP do not necessarily help the situation: a second area of confusion, according to Schecter, comes from the public debate around IP. We argue vigorously for positions in the intellectual property world, and we have a tendency to use a lot of rhetoric and take a lot of extreme positions in trying to make our point, said Schecter. Sometimes we actually want that extreme position and sometimes we are just trying to get our point across.

Schecter urged the audience to close the gap between awareness and understanding by increasing the level of understanding. We have to figure out how to optimise the benefit of intellectual property, he said.

Schecter believes that people who say that intellectual property is somehow hurting innovation are really saying is it is not achieving its optimum promotion of innovation.

If we are actually going to get people understanding intellectual property we have to overcome confusion, we have to overcome misinformation, we have to overcome our own rhetoric and we have to overcome pressure from our clients. Just speak honestly and respectfully. Our innovation economy, our national security, frankly our everyday creature comforts may depend on it, he said.

Those of us that really understand IP should feel an obligation to teach the others that need to know about IP but dont, to help them learn. If we want our competition to respect our IP, we need to respect theirs. And for other countries to respect US IP, they should see us in the United States behaving the same way towards each other. That sounds like something a parent would tell a child but I mean it sincerely.

Making IP law predictable

The summit also included a presentation by USPTO director Andrei Iancu. He stressed the need for increasing understanding of IP in Congress. He said it was important for new and existing members of Congress to be informed about IPs importance.

They should be aware why IP is important to the economy and to Americas standing in the world and competitive position, said Iancu. I would urge folks in this room to talk about these issues with members [of Congress] in ways that relate to their priorities and constituents.

He added: For the IP system to work as intended, we must make sure future IP laws are predictable, reliable and carefully balanced.

You can see the full IPAS programme here. The summit included a presentation from Priceline.com founder Jay Walker in which he described a broken US patent system and identified a need for a constitutional fix. You can read a response to that speech from Brenda Pomerance on the IPCloseUp blog.

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Thiruvananthapuram : A man set himself ablaze infront of the BJP protest vene, where BJP leader CK Padmanabhan has been on an indefinite strike.

The man identified as Muttada native Venugopal ran towards the protest venue after setting himself on fire. He sustained serious injuries and was admitted to Thiruvananthapuram Medical College.

Police personnel and BJP workers took him to the hospital. The BJP leaders had been protesting infront of the secretariat demanding the withdrawal of the state govermemnt's alleged anti-devotee approach in Sabarimala.
Kochi : The last day of the 16th Kerala Assembly ended with a noisy with with the opposition walking out from the assembly over the indefinite protest by the UDF MLA's over the Sabarimala issue.

The assembly also witnessed some unpleasant incidents after Muneer MLA said that the 'Communal wall' will be taken down just like the Berlin wall, in reference to the govt's women wall. Angered of the comment, the women MLA's in the Assembly complained to the speaker.

However, he later claimed that he never said that the women were communalist. Later Speaker adjourned assembly amid protests.
Morocco seizes over a ton of cocaine

posted December 09, 2018 at 06:35 pm by AFP December 09, 2018 at 06:35 pm

RABATMoroccan authorities said Saturday they had seized more than a ton of cocaine and detained seven people suspected of smuggling the narcotic from South America to Europe. The Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation said the cocaine was found in a truck along with two dinghies near the port city of El Jadida, according to a statement carried by the official MAP news agency. Seven Moroccan citizens were arrested for their alleged links to a transnational criminal network involved in the international trafficking of cocaine between Morocco, Latin America and Europe. The authorities said initial information suggested the drugs had been shipped over from South America on a commercial vessel before being transferred onto a smaller fishing boat and brought ashore in Morocco.Cocaine traffickers have developed new routes to Europe over the past decade. The drug is mostly sent from Central America via West African countries and more recently through North Africa, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. In recent years, the Moroccan authorities have reported increasing cocaine seizures, including a record 2.5-ton haul in October last year.

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Michael Cohen (C) walks out of a court building in New York, the United States, Dec. 12, 2018. Michael Cohen, U.S. President Donald Trump's former long-term personal attorney, was sentenced to three years in jail on Wednesday after pleading guilty to a series of crimes, including campaign finance violations, tax evasion and lying to Congress. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Michael Cohen, U.S. President Donald Trump's former long-term personal attorney, was sentenced Wednesday to three years in jail after pleading guilty to a series of crimes, including campaign finance violations, tax evasion and lying to Congress.

Prosecutors had recommended a "substantial term of imprisonment" for Cohen, pushing back on an earlier argument by Cohen's lawyers that he should serve no prison time.

Cohen's sentencing came after he pleaded guilty in cases with prosecutors in the Southern District of New York and with special counsel Robert Mueller's team that is investigating into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

"I take full responsibility for each act that I pled guilty to, the personal ones to me and those involving the president of the United States of America," Cohen said during a hearing at a federal court in New York. At times he paused to control his emotions and shed tears.

"Somewhere along the way Mr. Cohen appears to have lost his moral compass," U.S. District Judge William Pauley said. "As a lawyer, Mr. Cohen should have known better."

Cohen, 52, pleaded guilty in August to evading 1.4 million U.S. dollars in taxes related to his own businesses, as well as paying hush-money in the eve of the 2016 Election Day to two women who alleged affairs with Trump, then a presidential candidate.

"It was my blind loyalty to this man that led me to take a path of darkness instead of light," Cohen said of Trump. "I felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds."

Referring to the cover-up payments, federal prosecutors wrote in a court filing, "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." Individual-1 is the term prosecutors have been using to refer to the Trump.

Trump tweeted Monday that the payments were "a simple private transaction," not election-related spending subject to campaign-finance laws.

Before his sentencing was announced, Cohen was expected to get a four-year prison time. A slight break was granted to him because of his assistance to law enforcement as well as cooperation with the Mueller team.

However, Pauley said Cohen's plea to guilty and assistance "does not wipe the slate clean." Cohen is ordered to surrender on March 6.

Part of Cohen's cooperation with the Mueller team involves the alleged Trump Organization real-estate project in Moscow, about which Cohen admitted on Nov. 29 that he lied to Congress.

Trump reacted on the same day by calling Cohen "a weak person and not a smart person."

"Very simply, Michael Cohen is lying, and he is trying to get a reduced sentence for things that have nothing to do with me," the president said.
Is the Buyers Market for Silver Coming to an End?

Few markets are as depressed  and, as many analysts argue, suppressed  as silver. Prices for the white metal continue to languish in a low-level trading range amidst lackluster demand.

The upshot for investors is that they can now obtain silver bullion at both a low spot price and a low premium above spot.

How long this buyers market will is unknowable last. But given silvers manic-depressive personality, prices could launch explosively higher at any time.

The silver market now sits enticingly close to a major upside breakout.

The weekly silver chart shows a potential double bottom forming at the September and November low points.

Prices will need to clear the $14.75 - $15.00/oz resistance zone before bulls can finally celebrate a rally of some significance. [Silver prices entered this zone on Wednesday.]

For the moment anyway, value investors can continue to take advantage of fantastic bargains in the silver bullion space.

Silver for Barter and Trade

One of the top attributes of silver is its versatility. It comes in a wide range of shapes and sizes, including some that are particularly well suited for barter and trade.

Silver is often overshadowed by its pricier counterpart, gold, when it comes to discussions of sound money. Yes, gold is more likely to be held in reserve as a monetary metal for backing a currency. But silver is more likely to be exchanged by individuals in actual, everyday transactions.

It isnt practical to pay for a cup of coffee using a gold coin. Factional sized silver coins, however, can closely approximate the prices of just about anything on a coffee shops menu:

A 90% silver dime is worth just over a dollar in terms of its intrinsic metal content.

A silver quarter, about $2.85.

A silver half dollar, $5.70.

A half ounce pure silver round, $9.00.

And a one ounce silver round, $16.60.

Pre-1965 90% silver coins may command additional historical/scarcity premiums above their melt value in the future. You can obtain them now at regular bullion prices, giving you a free call option on rising premiums.

Silver for Wealth Building

Every silver investor should have some small denomination coins/rounds for barter and trade. Beyond that, those looking to allocate significant wealth to silver will find larger size products more cost effective and more convenient to store.

Conventional one-ounce coins/rounds are a good place to start as they are widely recognized. Most privately minted rounds are just as pure (.999 silver) as more famous government minted coins such as silver American Eagles.

The advantage to opting for products with no official coin status is they tend to carry lower premiums  thus giving you more metal for your dollar.

Serious silver stackers should consider larger bullion bars, which tend to be the most cost-effective way of building wealth in silver. Silver bars are available in 1 oz, 5 oz, 10 oz, kilo, 100 oz, and 1,000 oz sizes.

The 1,000 oz bars are generally not recommended except when holding in a Comex depository. These bulky bars are difficult to handle and ship, and, unless held in a Comex warehouse, may need to be assayed before selling.

The largest bar most investors should consider owning is the 100 ouncer. Its not too heavy to handle and can be easily sold back to dealers.

The combination of low silver prices and low retail premiums on silver coins, bars, and rounds is a market condition that has only existed in the past 18 months. But both premiums and spot prices appear to be on the rise once again.

Stefan Gleason is President of Money Metals Exchange, the national precious metals company named 2015 "Dealer of the Year" in the United States by an independent global ratings group. A graduate of the University of Florida, Gleason is a seasoned business leader, investor, political strategist, and grassroots activist. Gleason has frequently appeared on national television networks such as CNN, FoxNews, and CNBC, and his writings have appeared in hundreds of publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Detroit News, Washington Times, and National Review.

 2018 Stefan Gleason - All Rights Reserved



Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




Natural Gas Price Setup for a Big Move Lower

Our proprietary Fibonacci predictive modeling system is suggesting Natural Gas is about to break down below the $4.30 level and move aggressively toward the $3.05~3.25 level. This could be an incredible move for energy traders and a complete bust for existing longs.

This Weekly Natural Gas chart is showing our Fibonacci Predictive modeling system and highlighting the lower support price targets just above $3.00. We believe price weakness will break the $4.30 level very quickly and drive prices well below the $3.40 level  very likely towards support near $3.25 over the next few weeks.

Our Advanced Adaptive Dynamic Learning predictive price modeling system is showing similar results. It suggests a major price anomaly is setting up in Natural Gas that will prompt a massive downside price move over the next 2~3 weeks before an equally incredible price recovery takes place. The total of this predicted price swing is nearly $2.00 ($1.00 down and then $0.85 back to the upside). If this move takes place as our modeling systems are suggesting, this will drive a massive washout move pushing the long traders out of their positions on the way down and then pushing a massive short squeeze on the way back up to near $4.00.

This is the type of price swing that makes for incredible success stories if traders can play this move properly. Pay attention to the fact that the lower predicted levels of our ADL system (shown near $3.20) may not be reached in this downward price swing. Our predictive modeling system is suggesting these are the highest probability price outcome based on its internal price and technical analysis. Still, when one takes a good hard look at this chart, it is easy to see the price anomaly setup where the current price of Natural Gas is nearly $0.80 above the currently predicted price levels (shown as YELLOW DASHES) and how the ADL Predictive modeling system is suggesting a big downward move is about to unfold.

Want to keep receiving incredible trade setups like this one and learn how our research team and specialized price modeling systems can help you find and execute better trades? Then please visit Technical Traders Ltd. to learn more about our services and tools. We have been helping traders find and execute better educated trading decisions with our specialized tools and research for years. Visit www.TheTechnicalTraders.com/FreeResearch/ to read all of our most recent public research posts and to see how weve been calling these market moves over the past few months.

Chris Vermeulen

www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

Chris Vermeulen has been involved in the markets since 1997 and is the founder of Technical Traders Ltd. He is an internationally recognized technical analyst, trader, and is the author of the book: 7 Steps to Win With Logic



Through years of research, trading and helping individual traders around the world. He learned that many traders have great trading ideas, but they lack one thing, they struggle to execute trades in a systematic way for consistent results. Chris helps educate traders with a three-hour video course that can change your trading results for the better.



His mission is to help his clients boost their trading performance while reducing market exposure and portfolio volatility.



He is a regular speaker on HoweStreet.com, and the FinancialSurvivorNetwork radio shows. Chris was also featured on the cover of AmalgaTrader Magazine, and contributes articles to several leading financial hubs like MarketOracle.co.uk

Disclaimer: Nothing in this report should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. Technical Traders Ltd., its owners and the author of this report are not registered broker-dealers or financial advisors. Before investing in any securities, you should consult with your financial advisor and a registered broker-dealer. Never make an investment based solely on what you read in an online or printed report, including this report, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isnt well known. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report has been paid by Cardiff Energy Corp. In addition, the author owns shares of Cardiff Energy Corp. and would also benefit from volume and price appreciation of its stock. The information provided here within should not be construed as a financial analysis but rather as an advertisement. The authors views and opinions regarding the companies featured in reports are his own views and are based on information that he has researched independently and has received, which the author assumes to be reliable. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content of this report, nor its fitness for any particular purpose. Lastly, the author does not guarantee that any of the companies mentioned in the reports will perform as expected, and any comparisons made to other companies may not be valid or come into effect.

Chris Vermeulen Archive

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




Theresa May has survived to live another day after coming through a vote of no confidence amongst her partys MPs with a 200-to-117 majority. But whilst the Tory leader may have won this battle, she has most certainly lost the war.

The massive number of votes against May is a mortal blow to her authority, signalling that she cannot get her Brexit deal past her own party, let alone the House of Commons.

If youre a PM and a third of your MPs vote against you, noted Eurosceptic Tory MP Mark Francois, that is very bad news.

Mrs May now hopes that she will be in a stronger position to gain assurances and concessions from EU leaders as she resumes her interrupted European tour. But, to throw her own overused phrase back at her: nothing has changed.

The Prime Minister is back to square one, with all her efforts in vain. She might now be safe from leadership challenges for another 12 months. But this means very little when she is impotent to pass her all-consuming Brexit proposal. Despite the drama of the past week, May is still stuck trying to sell an impossible deal to an incalcitrant Parliament.

Now what? Robert Shrimsley asks in the Financial Times. It is not clear what has been achieved by the exercise. Mrs May remains badly wounded, but still in office. Her rebels can vote down her deal but cannot now remove her.

A British government has never been so weak, with a lame duck prime minister heading an unstable informal coalition and a completely divided party. Meanwhile, the Brexit clock is ticking.

Begging in Europe

Britain was one of the more stable countries not so long ago. Now it has become one of the most unstable. Brexit, which was once only a small cloud on the horizon, has now been thrust to centre of the shock and awe of British politics.

Is there a government in London actually? asked one diplomat, after looking with amazement as events unfolded.

May has won this battle, but she has lost the war / Image: Flickr, ECC

The UK has been through a rollercoaster ride of events over the last few days. Staring at a humiliating defeat for her proposed Brexit deal, Mrs May pulled the vote in the House of Commons. She then launched into a desperate visit of European capitals to plead with the continents leaders to give her a few crumbs that she could sell to hostile MPs.

With opponents in her own party seen to (for the time being), the UK Prime Minister has returned to Europe to continue begging for concessions. But her counterparts have made it clear that they have little else to offer  and certainly nothing that would appease intractable Tory Brexiteers.

Symbolically, the PM went cap in hand this week to see Angela Merkel in Berlin, where she was politely rebuffed. Merkels overriding interest is to defend the interests of the EU27, despite Mrs Mays warning that a no-deal Brexit could provoke a European banking crisis.

These ominous sentiments were even echoed from senior figures within the German premiers own party. There is a real risk that a hard Brexit could tip the global economy into a crisis, said Armin Laschet, prime minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germanys most populous and economically powerful state. It could be even more serious than the collapse of Lehman Brothers  if you look at the potential effect on trade.

But these concerns were not enough to sway opinion in Berlin. We know how hard things are for May and we certainly dont want to make her life any harder than it already is, explained Katja Leikert, an MP in Merkels Christian Democratic Union party who handles Brexit issues, but so much is at stake for us.

Declaring that talks had reached a dead-end, Ms Merkel warned there would be no backstop at all if Brexit talks ended with no deal. Achim Post, deputy leader of the parliamentary group of Ms Merkels Social Democratic coalition partners, put it even more bluntly: There can and will be no political discounts for political chaos.

Clearly, the Europeans have their own interests to protect. Saving Mrs May is not one of them.

Reckless and brainless

This grovelling was regarded by many Brexiteers as a national humiliation. It is seen as the final straw, provoking accusations of betrayal.

Support had been draining away from Theresa May for some time  but the process accelerated after Mondays vote withdrawal debacle. Following this, it was decided by Tory backbenchers that the time was right to act and plunge in the knife.

By late on Tuesday night, Mrs May was informed that the chair of the backbench 1922 Committee, Graham Brady, had received the required 48 letters, triggering a vote of no confidence in the party leader amongst Tory MPs.

Mrs May pleaded for her political life, saying that any new leader would lead to greater instability. Most importantly, she stressed, her irresponsible opponents could open the door to a general election and the coming to power of a Corbyn Labour government.

I will contest that vote with everything that Ive got, the Tory leader said. A change of leadership in the Conservative party now will put our countrys future at risk and create uncertainty when we can least afford it.

Any attempt to replace the prime minister in the middle of all this is utterly reckless and brainless, stated Alan Duncan, a junior minister in the Foreign Office.

But the whole Brexit gamble, started by David Cameron, has been reckless and brainless from the start from the point of view of British capitalism. Europe is a vital market for Britain. The idea that the UK can take to the open seas and secure trade deals around the world is madness.

The question of Europe, however, had long-ago poisoned the Tory Party. These latest dramatic events are simply the consequences of this decades-old tension.

Civil war

Voting eventually took place last night, on Wednesday evening, with May, the beleaguered PM, in need of 158 votes  a majority of Tory MPs  to remain as Conservative leader and in office. In the end she gained 200 votes, with 117 of her own party calling on her to step down.

But this vote has done nothing to calm the situation within the Tory party. Indeed, it will only intensify the civil war that has been raging for some time.

This vote will only intensify the civil war raging in the Tory Party / Image: Socialist Appeal

War, not peace, has broken out, announced the BBCs Laura Kuenssberg. Just when the prime minister truly needs to get her party together, its rival tribes might be now set on a course to pull her  and themselves  apart.

Pro-Remain chancellor Philip Hammond has already stated that his leaders victory would help to flush out the extremists. Meanwhile, these Brexiteer extremists are declaring victory themselves, comfortable in the knowledge that they effectively have veto power over Mays deal in the House of Commons.

They never, ever, stop, exclaimed one government minister, Alistair Burt, referring to the Brexiteers. Votes against them, letters going in late  nothing matters to the ERG [European Research Group]. After the apocalypse, all that will be left will be ants and Tory MPs complaining about Europe and their leader.

Furthermore even this unconvincing victory came at the cost of a fairly clear promise that she will not be contesting the next election, writes Shrimsley in the FT. This must be the first time a premier has won a leadership challenge by turning herself into a lame duck. She has paid a very high price for a pretty poor win.

There are now even concerns that kamikaze renegades in the Tory party might be willing to blow up the whole government in order to destroy Mays deal.

Right now there's no chance they will back her, Kuenssberg continues, in discussing the Brexiteers possible next step. And some of them might, just might, be willing to contemplate the nuclear option  to join with opposition MPs if they call for a vote of no confidence of the whole House of Commons.

The Brexit circus

The whole farce is like watching a slow-motion train crash. Nobody seems to be in control. The Tory government is being buffeted by events. The Brexit negotiations were ill prepared and ill thought out, resulting in Mays compromised patch-up of a deal, which satisfies nobody and which is rapidly unravelling.

The Tory Party has gone mad. In the past, it looked after the interests of capitalism. A political crisis such as this would never have been allowed to happen. But those days have long gone. The crazy people are now in charge.

"The circus acts and charlatans have taken over, in the form of Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg, and the sensible people have been locked up in the Tower of London" / Image: Flickr, BB

[In the past] Britain could afford to be such an endearingly odd place, with its bloated royal family and tub-thumping tabloids, because it had a genius for putting sensible people in charge of the things that mattered, the Bagehot columnist notes in the Economist.

Today the general view abroad is that this formula has malfunctioned. The circus acts and charlatans have taken over, in the form of Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg, and the sensible people have been locked up in the Tower of London.

These deluded clowns have a romantic idea of Brexit, in which sovereignty is regained, the Empire returns, and Britannia rules the waves once again.

But an independent Britain would simply be a satellite of US imperialism, and nothing more. A no-deal crashing out, hailed by the most fanatical Tory Brexiteers, would plunge British capitalism into an abyss. But they do not seem to care. The end justifies the means.

This will not lead to Shangri-La but to a very nasty place indeed. No wonder big business is pulling its hair out at the situation. It has lost control. It does not even control the Tory Party, the supposed party of business.

National government

The Tory Brexiteers wanted a new prime minister  one of their own  to oversee Britains exit from the EU. They are still willing to see Britain leave without a formal deal if necessary.

Wednesday evenings vote has done nothing to resolve these divisions with the Conservative Party. The potential for a split still exists. The Tories reactionary base is firmly opposed to May and her supporters, with two-thirds of party members wanting the leader out.

The moderate wing could eventually split away, ending up in some coalition with the right wing of the Labour Party.

Britain is faced with a national emergency. As the Brexit deadline approaches, the voices making calls for a government in the national interest will only become louder / Image: Socialist Appeal

This has raised the idea of a national government in certain quarters. Britain is faced with a national emergency. As the Brexit deadline approaches, the voices making these calls for such a government to act in the national interest will only become louder.

Already, Nicky Morgan, a former Tory minister (and strong Remain supporter) has suggested that maybe its time for some sort of government of national unity to break the Brexit deadlock. Another Conservative MP, Nicholas Soames, has also chimed in: I must say if I had my way we would have a national government to deal with this. It is the most serious problem this country has faced since the war.

But this would mean splitting the Labour Party also, with the Blairites lining up with sensible Europhile Tories and the Liberals. Prominent Tory Remainers are already making such overtures to their friends on their other side of the aisle, with hard-line Conservative Remainer Anna Soubry stating that:

I personally would abandon the Labour frontbench and I would reach beyond it and I would encompass Plaid Cymru, the SNP and other sensible, pragmatic people who believe in putting this countrys interests first and foremost.

Second referendum

The possibility of a national government forming to resolve the Brexit parliamentary paralysis cannot therefore be ruled out  but it is not the most likely outcome.

Instead, there is growing pressure for a Peoples Vote. This is being championed by the Blairites, Lib Dems, SNP, and Greens, who all want to overthrow the 2016 referendum result and Remain in the EU.

The danger for the establishment is that a second referendum may confirm Brexit, potentially even delivering a disastrous hard Brexit result / Image: Socialist Appeal

The danger for the establishment is that a second referendum may confirm Brexit, potentially even delivering a disastrous hard Brexit result. Given the volatility, the result would be very close  far too close for some to take this gamble.

Nevertheless, some of the Blairites are prepared to place a bet on a second referendum, so blindly are they wedded to the interests of big business, their real masters.

Even if Remain won, this would polarise the situation enormously. Such a polarisation, however, would not be between left and right, but between two wings of the ruling class. The underlying instability of British capitalism would not go away.

Staring into the void

May remains for the moment. But so does her Brexit headache. Such is the mess the Tory government are in that anything they do will be wrong. Recent events are preparing a further upheaval in British society.

What is clear is that Brexit cannot simply be put back in the box. There will be no return to the past. Political crisis and instability are the new normality under capitalism. The government will swing from one expedient to another in a desperate attempt to navigate the deepest crisis in modern British history.

May remains for the moment. But so does her Brexit headache. Recent events are preparing a further upheaval in British society / Image: Socialist Appeal

They are all staring into the void. A no-deal Brexit, although the least likely outcome, cannot be completely discounted given all the cross currents. More likely, if the 29th March 2019 deadline approaches without any agreement, the emergency cord will be pulled and Article 50 suspended. If not, all bets are off.

The storm clouds are gathering. Britain has entered into uncharted waters. The last few days and weeks have been convulsive, but they are nothing compared to what we are about to experience. Fasten your seat belts  we are in for one hell of a ride.
In the vicinity of Ercilla, in the Araucania region in southern Chile, 24-year-old indigenous Mapuche, Camilo Catrillanca, was murdered by members of the so-called Comando Jungla of the Chilean national police. The young man, a nephew of the local Mapuche chief of Temucuicui, leaves behind his pregnant wife and a daughter of six. Camilo was driving a tractor and was accompanied by a 15-year-old minor when they were showered by bullets, one of which found its way to the back of his head. This is just one more case in the brutal history of police assassinations against the Mapuche people. The lives of dozens of youth and minors are being taken. Meanwhile, the authorities are quick to deem such incidents as clashes, with the police continually hindering investigations.

This is also the latest episode of a long process of militarisation in the Wallmapu (the ancestral land of the Mapuche nation), that has resulted in a series of Mapuche people being gunned down under the democratic regime that followed after the end of the Pinochet dictatorship. In November of 2002, Alex Lemun (17) died after being shot by police chief Marco Aurelio Treuer. The murder of Matias Catrileo was another example: he was shot by corporal Walter Ramirez during the government of Michelle Bachelet in 2008. Carabineros de Chile, the Chilean national police, act as defenders of private property, particularly protecting the land owned by logging companies. This institution just faced a criminal case of espionage and falsified evidence against a number of Mapuche people, a scandal known as Operacion Huracan, that resulted in the expulsion of several high-ranking officers. This is in addition to an ongoing investigation for a 30-million-pesos fraud case (the equivalent of more than 40,000 dollars).

The right wing loses the initiative

Since the beginning, the official versions of events offered by the authorities have aroused suspicion. The language used in statements by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Andres Chadwick, the Intendant of the Araucania Region, Luis Mayol, and the General Director of the National Police, Hermes Soto, will seem very familiar to the generation that remembers the framings carried out under the dictatorship, and grew up watching these kinds of lies on television. The tactical police unit moved into action after an alleged anonymous call reported a car robbery, a common crime in a country where more than 100 cars are stolen every day. Supposedly, the local police were the first to respond, the Comando Jungla acting only after the policemen were shot at by unknown men.

Funeral of Camilo Catrillanca / Image: Luis Hidalgo



The Comando Jungla is an elite unit designed to combat drug trafficking and cases of extreme violence, trained in Colombia by its distinguished police forces: a different context altogether from Araucania. At least 200 policemen broke through the area, shooting indiscriminately, supported by armoured vehicles and helicopters. After killing Camilo Catrillanca, the officers arrested the minor that accompanied him, a key witness to the murder, whom they brutally beat and kept under illegal custody overnight. The General Director, Hermes Soto, said that the policemen were not carrying cameras on them. These claims were refuted by the ensuing investigation and the Human Rights Institute (INDH) after the minors declaration. The camera records were in fact found to have been destroyed by the policemen. To date, four officers have been accused. According to the minors version, sergeant Raul Avila had a camera on him, the recording from which was destroyed. He also claims that Avila was responsible of the shots that ended Camilos life.

When people learned about the tragic news, an outcry exploded across social media, and the hashtag #RenunciaChadwick started trending globally. Protests took place in Santiago, Valparaiso, Concepcion, Rancagua, Iquique, and elsewhere. On Friday, there was a demonstration organised by environmentalist groups, in connection with the struggle that the people of Quintero-Puchuncavi have been carrying out against polluting industries in the area. A few weeks ago, at the height of the movement, a local leader and fishermen union leader, Alejandro Castro, was found dead in the most suspicious of circumstances. Another, similar case was that of Macarena Valdes in 2016, her death being ruled as a suicide at first, but thereafter the involvement of a possible third party was proved.

The protest in downtown Santiago saw thousands of participants. After the police repressed the demonstration with tear gas, barricades were built by protestors, which they maintained for many hours in several downtown locations. The following days witnessed further clashes in Temuco, Ercilla and other cities of the region. Fires of dubious origin have been reported in schools and other buildings. Unfortunately, the latter help to legitimise the idea of these areas as a jungle and danger zone: a line that the government tries to sell us to justify its brutal repressive measures. In Santiago, there were people banging pots, demanding the removal of the minister of internal affairs and of the intendant of the Araucania, both responsible for the repression and militarisation of the region.

The protest in downtown Santiago saw thousands of participants. After the police repressed the demonstration with tear gas, barricades were built by protestors / Image: Luis Hidalgo and Jorge Vargas

While these events were developing, President Sebastian Pinera was absent, as he was on an official tour around southeast Asia, which allowed him to stay out of the spotlight. But the situation is delicate for the government. Pineras political programme identifies the region of Araucania as one of its main focal points. Pinera proposes the Plan Impulso Araucania, which includes many public and private entities, towards developing infrastructure, healthcare and education. While the programme envisions obtaining constitutional recognition of indigenous peoples, there is also a point about security, which outlines the development of new intelligence systems and an anti-terrorist force, the results of which we have just witnessed. The plan declares public investment amounting to 8 billion dollars for the period 2018-2026, projecting the economic reactivation of the Araucania: the poorest region in the country. This document was presented on 24 September by the Ministry of Social Development and the intendancy, taking only 50 days for it to be discredited, together with all its good intentions.

The government is trying to frame the problem as one of security, and thus justify strengthening the repressive apparatus of the state. On the matter of education, it formulated the project Aula Segura-- (safe classroom): amounting to a programme of media manipulation and misinformation that criminalises children within their schools. This doesnt bring any solution to the deep crisis of the private education model that the student movement has denounced for years. At the same time, this Mapuche conflict cannot be resolved by militarising the region and creating an image of a narco-terrorism-ridden jungle, nor by reducing the matter to an issue of poverty.

The right of self-determination in Wallmapu

The following is a speech by Pelantaro, the military leader of the Mapuche during the uprising of 1598, according to the priest Juan Barba:

Before there was memory, the Mapuche were both masters and children of the land, and in the forest, obeying the mandate of the god Admapu, they learned to treat plants as little sisters... when we needed to cut down an old tree, we planted a young one in its place, and if it was a fruit tree, we planted two, and we teach our children to respect flowers, because they are alive, and to just cut those that are open and about to fall, and our ancestors learned as well, and they taught it to us, that animals were our brothers too (...)

Cities and forts were nailed like thorns in the land, but our people didnt give up, and many said, let us be taken as prisoners to know them from the inside, the Spanish camps, their animals and the weapons that give them their might, and to discover the weakness of the Winkas to defeat them, and our ancestors also said we must form an army far more powerful, with new weapons and with the ability to fight with new skills (...)

All the men that the King of Spain could send will not suffice to save the cities and forts that we are taking from them, and while defeating the brave and fierce Spanish warrior, the more will the Mapuche courage will be distinguished, as it makes no one proud to defeat the weak, and by this we will punish forever their arrogance, we will beat their haughtiness, we will put an end to their greed and abuses and we will get a true peace.

The tension between the Chilean State and the Wallmapu has increased since the Pinochet era / Image: Felipe Duran

The Mapuche nation claims the Wallmapu as its ancient territory, which includes at least 10 million hectares, land that which was acknowledged to be theirs in treaties with the Spanish during the parlamentos. These lands have been successively usurped by the Argentinian and Chilean states at the service of the creole landowner oligarchies. Archaeological and historical data proves the existence of a homogenous cultural horizon throughout the first millennia AD: a continuity of practices, organisation, philosophy and language (Mapuzungun). The later diversity of cultural practices across the territories shared one main feature: a close and dynamic relationship with the environment. Thus, the ancient history of the Wallmapu is to be found in the collective consciousness of the Mapuche people, who claim their right to self-determination on this basis.

The Mapuche people are one of the very few indigenous peoples that maintained some autonomy during the Spanish conquest, the colonial period and the formation of the creole republics. The variety of ecosystems in the Wallmapu provided for an abundance of resources and a diversified economy south of the Bio-Bio river. They had a large amount of cattle that roamed freely and were also used for barter. During the first decades of the Republic of Chile, it was the landowning oligarchy that sought to appropriate the land and cattle of the Wallmapu in order to develop the livestock-farming economy. In this way, both the War of the Pacific (also known as Saltpeter War) and the Occupation of the Araucania in the second half of the XIX century consolidated the ruling classs power via the Chilean State. The commercial bourgeoisie and the landowner class shared the profits created by territorial expansion to the mines in northern Chile and the land towards South.

The logging industry

With the enactment of legislative decree Number 701 in 1974 (Forestry Promotion Law), the tension between the Chilean State and the Wallmapu was exacerbated. The dictatorship drastically changed the productive relations in the region, establishing a logging model which, just as under previous logging laws, gave no autonomy to Mapuche communities. In this manner, over subsequent years, private partners have received between 75 and 90 percent subsidies for the net costs of forestry plantation, operation and administration. Also, the decree sought to revoke the process of agrarian reform in the region, legally cancelling some of the land returned to the Mapuche communities during the government of Salvador Allende. The loggers also benefited from the low price of the local workforce.

The Mapuche communities could only watch as, during the period 1976-1992, the Chilean State, through the National Forestry Corporation (CONAF), gave the forestry companies 110 million dollars. The Matte and Angelini groups, the main business groups in Chile, benefited the most during these years. For example, some of the logging companies owned by the Angelini family own triple the amount of land occupied by the entirety of the Mapuche. Companies like Forestal Mininco, or CMPC of the Matte group, also form part of this monopoly.

Dont let Pinera get away with it!

Faced with many opposition movements, the Pinera government has reacted by deepening its mercantilist attitude. To the Coordinadora No Mas AFP, demands the end of privatised pensions and called for a national demonstration last month, Pinera answered by proposing a reform that entrenches the current pensions system (that currently provides 79 percent of pensions to those earning under the minimum wage, and 44 percent to those under poverty line). This system was developed by his brother Jose Pinera, appointed Minister of Labour during the Pinochets dictatorship. The president has justified the actions of the national police, and reaffirmed his confidence in both the minister of internal affairs and the intendant of the Araucania region. The right wing, aided by some evangelical churches, has grown electorally in poor, southern districts that historically offered majority support to the left and the Communist Party. This provides the presidents reactionary base of support.

Vice President Chadwick and Minister of the Interior Ubilla / Image: EMOL

The repressive agenda that the government has displayed on many fronts has increased radicalisation among wide layers of society, who are sick of the corrupt capitalist status quo. The capitalists and oligarchs have made a business out of education, healthcare, pensions, housing and exploiting the environment. It is not surprising that thousands of people now question the capitalist system itself, which puts the right to private property for a minority before the natural world and human lives. In spite of the governments intransigence, support for the Mapuche communities has extended to diverse layers, putting the government in a serious impasse.

In this situation, we have seen the real character of a state that serves the interests of the capitalists first and foremost. A reactionary alliance between the armed forces, media, businessmen, and landowners prevailed for decades in the region. This alliance was sealed during the dictatorship, which incubated a repressive machinery that was continued during the governments of the Concertacion in the post-dictatorship period. This rotten state is derived from a system based on inequality: there is no reform or agreement that could change this historical legacy. The current government is little more than the respectable wing of the dictatorship. These suit and tie criminals are nostalgic for authoritarianism and long to revive it. The generations that inherited Pinochets anti-democratic constitution cannot endure more injustices. The more experienced generations remember the sacrifices made to end the dictatorship and must join the mobilisations. Unfortunately, there is no reform that can truly console the pain of the abominable crimes committed against the indigenous people. Only in the light of concrete actions and united mobilisation of the exploited and oppressed will we prove our methods of struggle as the way towards a new society.

To move forward with a revolutionary perspective of class independence, it is indispensable that workers recognise the importance of winning all the demands of the Mapuche communities / Image: Camilo Tapia

To move forward with a revolutionary perspective of class independence, it is indispensable that workers recognise the importance of winning all the demands of the Mapuche communities. For this, it is necessary for every worker, women and student organisation to call for mobilisation from below. If we are never again to mourn the death of a young Mapuche, an environmentalist activist, a union leader or a student, we must demand the immediate dissolution of the Comando Jungla, the demilitarisation of the Wallmapu, and the recognition of every social and political right for the Mapuche nation.
In celebration of International Womens Day, and to mark the rollout of the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) Guarantee for Growth program, the African Development Bank and the African Guarantee Fund are showcasing the first beneficiaries of the AFAWA Guarantee for Growth program  an innovation aiming to unlock up to $3 billion in loans to women-led small and medium size enterprises (SMEs).

The beneficiaries are taking part in an online panel event, co-organized by AFAWA and the African Guarantee Fund on Monday 8 March. Under the theme, Women entrepreneurs: key drivers of economic growth, the virtual session centers on how the AFAWA Guarantee for Growth program works with financial institutions to address the financial and non-financial needs of African women entrepreneurs, by offering access to finance, providing technical assistance and create an enabling environment to promote policy changes and regulatory reforms.

The African Development Bank has mobilized its resources, and the support of its global partners, in what is to date, our most ambitious effort ever to change the landscape on access to finance for African women entrepreneurs, said Vanessa Moungar, the Banks Director for Women, Gender and Civil Society.

The first participants in the program include; Catherine Mumbua Wanjoya, the founder of a company manufacturing biodegradable and affordable sanitary towels, and waste incinerators; Terry Mungai, the CEO of a beauty and hair care franchise institution; Mbuaya Kalenga Mdhy, who heads a semi-industrial sewing company; and hotelier Bijour Esther Monga Ilunga Kazadi.

The AFAWA Guarantee for Growth program targets financial institutions to increase their appetite to lend to women who are known to be better payers, and who reinvest up to 90% of their income in the education, health and nutrition of their family and community.

The program de-risks women entrepreneurs and enhances financial institutions appetite in lending to SMEs. Supported by the Group of Seven (G7) countries as well as the Netherlands and Sweden, the AFAWA Guarantee for Growth program is implemented in collaboration with the African Guarantee Fund, which works to facilitate access to finance for SMEs in Africa.

We have realized when talking to financial institutions that they dont see AFAWA as a favor that we are doing to women. It is a huge business opportunity to tap into a customer segment that has not been explored before, said Jules Ngankam, CEO of the African Guarantee Fund.

Esther Dassanou, Manager of AFAWA said financial institutions in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda are signing on to the program, and that the program could be a game changer across the continent.

The AFAWA Guarantee for Growth program is different and innovative from what is on the market, in the sense that it tackles all the major challenges that women entrepreneurs face in accessing financing and growing their business at the same time, Dassanou added.

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Villagers draw water from a cellar aided by China Women's Development Foundation at home in Longtan Village of Dingxi City, northwest China's Gansu Province, July 27, 2016. The public welfare project of Mother's Cellar, organized by China Women's Development Foundation, was launched in March 2001. (Xinhua/Pan Xu)

BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- China's reform and opening up has helped liberate and develop social productive forces, opened up a path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and ushered in a new chapter in the development of human rights, according to a white paper issued Wednesday.

The white paper, titled "Progress in Human Rights over the 40 Years of Reform and Opening Up in China," was issued by China's State Council Information Office.

China has shown respect for, protected and promoted human rights in the course of reform and opening up, blazed a trail of human rights development that conforms to the national conditions, and created new experiences and made progress in safeguarding human rights, the document said.

China has summed up its historical experience, drawn on the achievements of human civilization, combined the universal principles of human rights with the realities of the country, and generated a series of innovative ideas on human rights, it said.

The country has brought into being basic rights that center on the people and prioritize their rights to subsistence and development, said the white paper.

SOLID PROGRESS IN HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION

China has firmly established a governance principle of respecting and protecting human rights, which is "the determination and ultimate goal of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese government to respect and protect human rights," the white paper said.

The rights to subsistence and development have been China's primary focus, it said, adding that the country has made tremendous achievements in poverty alleviation, ensured the supply of food, safer drinking water and clothing, improved basic housing conditions and public transportation, and made health services more accessible.

As its reform and opening up continuously deepened, China has made comprehensive progress in ensuring all human rights, ensuring economic, social and cultural rights, and enhancing the mechanisms guaranteeing civil and political rights, the white paper said.

The rights of special groups, including ethnic minority groups, women, children, the elderly and the disabled, have also been fully protected via improved mechanisms and measures, the white paper noted.

With the goal of building a socialist country under the rule of law, China has made solid efforts for the legal protection of human rights over the 40 years of reform and opening up, said the document.

It said the country had endeavored to ensure "that a well-conceived approach is taken to legislation, that law is strictly enforced, that justice is impartially administered, and that the law is observed by everyone."

PROMOTING HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE WORLD

China has also been active in facilitating the development of human rights in the world over the past four decades, according to the white paper.

The country has redoubled its efforts to share its experience, create more development opportunities globally, and increase foreign assistance to many Asian and African developing countries, the document said.

China has advanced the Belt and Road Initiative, initiated an integrated development model, and increased assistance training, it said.

China has been committed to safeguarding world peace, dispatching military and police personnel to participate in 30 United Nations peacekeeping missions in other countries.

Regarding global governance of human rights, China has been responsible for fulfilling its international obligations, conducting extensive international cooperation, and participating in establishing related international rules and mechanisms, the document said.

The country has provided Chinese solutions to global human rights governance, making proposals at the UN General Assembly and the UN Human Rights Council and on other occasions to promote the establishment of a fair, just, reasonable and effective international human rights system, it said.

PATH SUITED TO NATIONAL CONDITIONS

Over the past four decades of reform and opening up, China has created a new path of human rights protection based on China's history and national conditions, and the successful experiences of other countries, the white paper said.

"Human rights protection centers on the people," said the white paper, noting that the people-centered development toward a better life was the original aspiration and remains the distinct goal of China's reform and opening up.

China has integrated the principle of universality of human rights with its national conditions, it said.

"This path is the result of the Chinese people's experimentation in practice and theoretical innovation led by the CPC, and embodies the essence of socialism with Chinese characteristics," said the document.

(Video reporters: Sun Qing, Pan Xu; editors: Luo Hui, Zhao Yuchao)
A modified two-seat variant of the J-15 fighter jet was spotted at a Chinese aircraft carrier training base in a recent TV program, suggesting the carrier-based warplane is already being tested and expected to greatly expand the carrier's combat capability with electronic warfare equipment that one pilot cannot manage.

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy only operates the single-seat J-15 fighter jet on the Liaoning aircraft carrier at the moment, but military analysts predict the two-seat variant of the warplane would be able to join the ranks within two years.

The new fighter jet, which resembles the J-15 but with a larger cockpit, was seen parked in a hangar at an unspecified Chinese carrier-based aircraft training base in a Sunday China Central Television (CCTV) program.

CCTV's website, cctv.com, published a separate report on Tuesday titled "China's most mysterious carrier-based fighter jet quietly appears, greatly accelerating the pace of aircraft carrier's combat capability," saying the aircraft in the program is a modified two-seat version of the J-15.

The variant might already be undergoing tests with the PLA Navy, the cctv.com report said.

It is painted with military camouflage instead of the flight test color, which further supports the guess, military experts said.

Modifying the single-seat J-15 into a two-seat version can greatly increase the combat capability of the fighter jet and the aircraft carrier, cctv.com reported.

The new aircraft can also conduct electronic jamming missions, the report said.

In April, photos of the variant equipped with wingtip electronic warfare pods surfaced online, but their authenticity could not be verified.

A single pilot cannot manage to fly the jet and engage in complicated electronic battles at the same time, Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military expert, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

The extra seat can also be used to train new pilots, the cctv.com report said.

Wei said that having an experienced pilot to teach a trainee in actual flight is very effective and will contribute to the talent program, noting that the control panels for both pilots are the same.

However, having an extra pilot means the variant might need to reduce its payload or sacrifice mobility, Wei said.

We noted that it is better to combine the strengths of the single-seat and two-seat versions to compensate for their weaknesses.
China-Qatar visa exemption agreement to take effect later this month

An agreement on mutual exemption of visas between China and Qatar will take effect from Dec. 21, the two countries announced Wednesday in Beijing.

The announcement came as State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs of Qatar, co-chaired the first meeting of a China-Qatar inter-governmental strategic dialogue mechanism in Beijing.

The two sides hope to take this opportunity to bolster cooperation in tourism and expand people-to-people exchanges.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Qatar. Wang said it is of great importance to initiate an inter-governmental strategic dialogue mechanism between the two countries.

"China stands ready to work with Qatar to push bilateral ties towards another 30 years of faster development," said Wang. He proposed the two sides use the opportunity of jointly pursuing the Belt and RoadInitiative to synergize their development strategies and carry out win-win cooperation in in fields including energy, high and new technology, investment, finance.

Wang also introduced the measures taken and results achieved by XinjiangUygur Autonomous Region in combating violence, terrorism and extremism.

While calling terrorism a common threat to humanity, Mohammed said Qatar supports the measures taken by China in safeguarding national security and stability, and stands ready to strengthen cooperation in security and anti-terrorism.
China's top political advisor Wang Yang on Wednesday visited local people in the city of Baise in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary.

Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, led a division of a central delegation to conduct the visit.

Paying tribute to the martyrs of the Baise Uprising in 1929, he called for the inheritance and development of the fine traditions of the Party to help people in old revolutionary base areas lead better lives as soon as possible and to advance the great causes that the older generations fought for.

In a relocation area where more than 4,600 impoverished people reside, Wang stressed that the livelihoods and employment of the relocated people should be properly dealt with based on the specific local conditions, to make sure that people can move out to resettle, become employed and be better-off.

At a local tomato industrial base, he asked for further development of modern characteristic agriculture, longer industrial chains and changes of the development mode in agriculture to establish a modern industrial system for agriculture and enhance the comprehensive benefits of the industry.

Wang also attended a seminar on the 60th anniversary of Guangxi, pointing out that the changes in Baise epitomized the achievements of the autonomous region over the years and marked a successful practice of the Party's policies on ethnic affairs and the system of regional ethnic autonomy.

He then called on the cadres and people in Baise to break new ground in the economic and social development of the city in the new era, make more contributions to building a magnificent Guangxi and to realize the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Prices for gas imported by Ukraine from European countries hit a record high in November, according to data published by the countrys State Fiscal Service. The gas is most likely Russian in origin resold to Kiev at a premium.

The State Fiscal Service of Ukraine calculated an average cost of imported natural gas that formed during its customs clearance when it enters the territory of Ukraine.

The price totaled some 9,472 hryvnia ($339.2) per thousand cubic meters of the fuel, the statement said, as quoted by the Ukrainian Independent Information Agency UNIAN.

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In October, Kiev reportedly bought the vital fuel at $323.44 per thousand cubic meters, while the September price amounted to $304.36, compared to $261.1 paid in February.

Ukraine is paying an excessive price for gas with the numbers revealed by the government being self-incriminating, according to head of the National Energy Security Foundation Konstantin Simonov.

The price is very high. It is necessary to take into account Russias proximity. Ukraine is very close to Russia logistically, and could get gas at lower prices compared to European consumers, Simonov said in an interview with RT.

The analyst highlighted Kievs groundless pride over the fact that Ukraine doesnt have any commercial contacts with dangerous Russia.

However, Kiev still insists on transits of the fuel from Russia to Europe, he said. Due to its own stubborn streak Ukraine has lost colossal amounts of cash.

Earlier, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said that Kiev halted purchases of Russian natural gas as early as in 2015. However, Ukraine reportedly continues buying reverse supplies of Russian gas at the higher price from European nations. The minister stressed that its not vital for Russia as actual volume of exports and export revenues remain the same.

Earlier this year, Ukraines Naftogaz Commercial Director Yuriy Vitrenko said the average price of gas from European suppliers exceeded the price of gas from Gazprom by almost 34 percent.

In October, the Ukrainian government announced a rise in household gas tariffs by more than 23.5 percent to unlock multi-billion-dollar loans from the IMF.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section
Palestinian gunman kills 2, wounds 2 near Jewish settlement in West Bank, Israeli medics say

Palestinian gunman kills 2, wounds 2 near Jewish settlement in West Bank, Israeli medics say

A Palestinian man shot and killed two people and injured two others in the West Bank on Thursday, according to the head of Israels ambulance service. Two who were listed from the outset as critical have been declared dead, director of Israels emergency services Eli Bean told the radio broadcaster. Israels Army Radio said the gunman had been shot by armed passersby. The shooting took place near the Jewish settlement of Ofra, where another gunman wounded seven people in a separate attack on Sunday, Reuters reports.Source : RT - Daily news
UN chief says Yemens warring parties agree to ceasefire in Hodeidah

UN chief says Yemens warring parties agree to ceasefire in Hodeidah

Yemens warring parties have agreed to a ceasefire in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said in Sweden. Guterres said that the agreement included the deployment of neutral forces and the establishment of humanitarian corridors. A political framework will be discussed in a next round of meetings scheduled for January, Reuters said. The UN chief joined the final day of peace talks on Thursday that have brought agreement on reopening Sanaa airport and restarting oil exports. Swedens Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom said the outcome of the negotiations would be conveyed to the UN Security Council on Friday.Source : RT - Daily news
Chinas per capita residential space has reached 40.8 square meters, reported Economic Information Daily on Wednesday.

The figure for urban residents stood at only 6.7 square meters in 1978, but it has risen to more than 38 square meters during this year. The per capita floor area of rural residents already hit 45.8 square meters in 2016, said Ni Pengfei, director of the City and Competitiveness Research Center, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS).

24-year old Yang Qing has seen her living space expanding over the past years. She and her other four family members used to be packed in a small single room that had an area of only 40 square meters. But now they have moved into a 150-square-meter house.

I have my own room now. We also have a library, living room and dining hall, she said.

China has also made notable progress in improving peoples life quality. 39.1 million housing units in shanty areas have been rebuilt, and more than 100 million people have moved into new houses over the past 10 years, as indicated by the report of the CASS National Academy of Economic Strategy.

Researcher Jiang Xuemei at the CASS City and Competitiveness Research Center suggested that upon the second housing reform, the government should also take measures to tackle structural issues including the effective management of the rental market while building houses to improve livelihoods.
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People attend a testimony meeting to mark the 81st anniversary of Nanjing Massacre in Tokyo, Japan, Dec. 12, 2018. A series of commemorative activities have been held by Japanese civil groups recently in various cities to mark the 81st anniversary of Nanjing Massacre. (Xinhua/Du Xiaoyi)

TOKYO, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- A series of commemorative activities have been held by Japanese civil groups recently in various cities to mark the 81st anniversary of Nanjing Massacre.

Chang Xiaomei, daughter of a Nanjing Massacre survivor, shared her father's story at a testimony meeting in Tokyo on Wednesday at the invitation of a few local civil groups. About 100 people attended the meeting.

Chang's father Chang Zhiqiang saw with his own eyes how his parents and his four little brothers were brutally killed by the invading Japanese soldiers during the 1937 massacre.

Now 90 years old, he is not strong enough to come to Japan himself to tell the story, but he sent his daughter.

"I feel that I have a responsibility to share my father's story with the Japanese people. I hope that the younger generations of the Japanese people could also remember and learn from the history," said Chang Xiaomei.

Zhang Lianhong, a professor at Nanjing Normal University, presented to attendants of the testimony meeting some reports, films and historical materials recorded by witnesses of the massacre, including journalists, missionaries and diplomats from western countries.

"Since I came here, I have been talking to some Japanese people and attended five testimony meetings here. I was moved by the efforts in the past 20 years by some Japanese people and civil groups to hold events and reveal the war atrocities committed by the Imperial Japanese Army. I really hope that Japanese government could reflect upon the history and promote friendship between our two countries," Zhang told Xinhua.

Similar testimony meetings were also held in Hiroshima, Osaka, Nagoya and Hamamatsu.

"The atrocities committed by the Japanese troops at that time, as evidenced by the testimony of survivors and the historical records, were so shocking," said Youji Tanaka, a local resident at the testimony meeting in Osaka.

"It's important that such historical truth be passed on to the future generations," he added.

"The more we learn about the war history, the more we cherish peace. I really hope that we can learn more about the history and go to Nanjing to hear more about the testimonies of the survivors," said a local resident at the Nagoya meeting.

"There are still people in Japan who tried to deny that Nanjing Massacre ever happened. By inviting victims of Nanjing Massacre to come and share their experiences in Japan, we hope to provide a chance for the Japanese people to learn about the historical truth, " said Sachiko Momiyama, member of the civil group "Nanjing Massacre 60 Years Osaka," one of the organizers of the series of commemorative events.

Ryohei Hirayama, member of another civil group "No More Nanjing Nagoya Association," said that Japan should learn from Germany and admit to the historical truth, and that only by doing that could Japan learn from the history and face toward the future.

Noboru Takemoto, member of the Liaison Group to Think About Peace Osaka's Crisis, said that although Japan's younger generations were not directly involved in the atrocities, they are still obligated to remember the history.

"If the Japanese people couldn't know or remember the historical truth, the war tragedies could happen again. That's why we call upon people to learn more about the history," said Takemoto.

"We have the obligation to build a new friendly relationship with the Chinese people on the basis of fully recognizing the history," he added.

Chang said that to remember the history is not aimed to remember the hatred but to create a future of peace and friendship between the two countries.

"We have to learn from the history and to cherish the peace and stay away from the war. It's hoped that the friendship between our two countries could be passed on to future generations," she said.

On Dec. 13, 1937, the Japanese army bombed Nanjing and went on a murderous rampage through the city, then China's capital. The Nanjing Massacre, or Rape of Nanjing, was an episode of mass murder and mass rape committed by Japanese troops against the residents of Nanjing.
NPP will not shy away from ...
Professor Dayong Jin is doing experiment in the laboratory (Photo by Lansudan Luo)

With the development of science and technology, diagnostic technologies have become more and more intelligent. Diabetics can easily detect blood sugar levels by using a small glucometer. Many smartphones also have the function to detect heart rate and heartbeat. This is also what the Institute for Biomedical Materials and Devices (IBMD) at the University of Technology Sydney has been focused on. The Director of this institute, Professor Dayong Jin won the 2017 Prime Ministers Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year for his achievements in biomedical technologies and he is also the first Chinese scientist to win this prize.

Born in Liaoning, China, Jin in his childhood was just as naughty as many young boys. When he was in middle school, his parents got laid off, which gave him the inspiration to study harder. Like many Chinese students, he worked very hard for the college entrance examination during his three years in high school. Even now sometimes I still have nightmares about an exam coming up but not being prepared." In university, Professor Jin was very keen on student association work and became the President of the Student Union. He was then recommended to study at the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, the Chinese Academy of Sciences for his master's degree.

The real research journey for Professor Jin started in 2003 when he studies his PhD degree at Macquarie University in Australia. At that time, I didn't have my own lab. So in the beginning, I did research completely on my own, and picked up old instruments and built new ones by myself. Gradually, I found doing research is very interesting because I like exploring new things. I also learned independent thinking.

Although the scientific research process is long and arduous, Professor Jin cannot hide his excitement when talking about his projects. He vividly illustrated his research with an example of google maps. Google did a good job by using the satellite image and collecting all the images from different streets to build the street views. In this way, we can not only know the route but also get the real-time traffic condition, he said, In the field of biology, this is our dream. We want to build the street view inside of a cell by applying different techniques. Once we know that, you could have a much better understanding of the fundamental of diseases, and you could monitor and even predict the disease.

A large-scale microscopes detecting equipment built by Professor Dayong Jin and his team (Photo by Qian Su)

Because of his research on this Street View Inside Cell, Professor Jin won the UNSW Eureka Prize for Excellence in Interdisciplinary Scientific Research, one of Australias most prestigious science award in 2015 and was listed as one of Australia's "Knowledge Nation 100" in 2016. In 2017, he won the Prime Ministers Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year. Professor Jin told us that the current research only provides the possibility for the idea, and a lot of work is needed to follow up.

With all these prizes won, Professor Jin has received a lot of attention from people in different areas. During the interview, he expressed his hope that more Chinese scientists can contribute and win international awards. It may seem strange at first to see someone like me with black hair getting this prize. In fact, winning this award means that the scientific research level of Chinese has been improved both in quantity and quality. Last year, Mr. Jian Yang, the winner of the Prime Ministers Prize for Life Scientist of the Year is also a Chinese. I do believe that there will be more and more Chinese winners because its a consequent outcome for the improvement of the research ability of Chinese scientists.

In recent years, Professor Jin has received more and more applications from Chinese students in his lab. Now the number of Chinese students in my lab is increasing, thanks to China's attention on primary education and investment in education. The education I received in China in the early days has been laying a good foundation for my later scientific research process, he said.

Professor Dayong Jin is introducing his research to People's Daily Online (Photo by Lansudan Luo)

China now also attaches great importance to the investment in education. The laboratories and large facilities of various universities are funded by the state. Many students in my lab have received a scholarship from the China Scholarship Council to study in Australia. It is the support and investment in education at home that gives overseas students the opportunity to develop their abilities.

Professor Jin's research project includes many interdisciplinary, international and industrial collaborative research. He believes that collaboration is a very important part of the scientific research process. Solving a problem always requires the cooperation of multiple disciplines and technologies and the cooperation may also promote better friendship between China and Australia.

I have worked with Professor Peng Xi from Peking University for seven years on Super-resolution, and he has been an old friend with me for almost 11 years. We also have cooperation with Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences and Dalian University of Technology, he told us, True friendship requires more than just a drink or a shake of the hand. It is always maintained through working together. My field of study is biological medical equipment and solving human health problems is a common issue that our world is facing. By bringing together the best-skilled workers in the world, we can really enhance the cooperation and friendship between all the countries.

Professor Dayong Jin is doing research in the laboratory (Photo by Qian Su)

With the rapid development of the economy in China, Chinese scientific research has been developing at a remarkable speed in recent years. Professor Jin said he was often quite shocked by the level of progress. In recent years, I always feel a little behind the pace of development every time I go back. The field of materials science, optics and engineering have developed rapidly. The rapid development of science and technology in China in recent years has made companies like Huawei and Tencent a direct beneficiary of high technology.

The reform and opening-up policy promoted the development of a new China. Australia's development over the past 100 years was also attributed to the opening up policy, which brought in a large number of talents. Both China and Australia should step up more exchanges, enhance understanding between the two countries and promote common development. (Peoples Daily Online/ Lansudan Luo)
Berlin Reporter Students praised for their efforts in fighting state education cuts

by Jody Houle

Two Hillside Elementary students, Hannah Melendy and Aubrie Brochu, have written letters to legislators and have created a petition seeking signatures in the fight against state education aid cuts. The two presented a video of themselves reading the letters to officials in Berlin recently. (Courtesy Photo) (click for larger version) BERLIN  The City Council praised two Hillside Elementary students recently for their efforts in fighting state education aid cuts.



Hannah Melendy and Aubrie Brochu, fifth-graders at Hillside Elementary school in Berlin, have written letters to legislatures to get stabilization grant funds reinstated. They are also seeking signatures for a petition to overturn the decision to cut state education aid. The made a video of them reading the letter that was presented to the Berlin school board of education recently.



A New Hampshire House bill reducing education stabilization grants passed in 2015 and took effect in 2016 that is set to cut, in all, $5.5 million of education aid to the city of Berlin. The bill allows the state to gradually cut the stabilization grants in districts throughout the state by 4 percent every year for 25 years, ultimately eradicating the grants. Berlin is drawn against losing $220,000 annually in education aid. The state revised its adequacy formula and the stabilization grants set in 2012 were to offset the effects of the changes made. The formula decreases reimbursements for special education and eliminated money for districts that have the lowest tax base per student. The stabilization grants favor communities that are property-poor and have lower incomes.



Attorneys Andru Volinsky and John Tobin and the City of Berlin, as well as other property-poor town in New Hampshire that are affected, are working together in efforts to overturn the decision to cut education funds. The two attorneys contributed in Supreme Court cases in the 1990's which resulted in litigation that made the state responsible for providing an "adequate" education for schools. While Volinsky doesn't want to sue the state while he is in office, Tobin wants to with the help of a legal team.



The students have already collected hundreds of signatures for the petition including from teachers, students and other members of the community. Their plan is to present the petition to legislators early next year.



The students' project is titled "How to Change the World." The students told the council last Monday that their reasoning is that "children of today will be in charge in the future."



Councilor Lucy Remillard reported that none of the legislators have responded yet to the students' letters.



Mayor Paul Grenier praised the students "on their ability to understand the issues facing the schools and taking ownership of those issues."



He said he is "proud of their effort."



The students asked the councilors if they wanted to sign the petition and so they did along with the Mayor and others in attendance. BERLIN  The City Council praised two Hillside Elementary students recently for their efforts in fighting state education aid cuts.Hannah Melendy and Aubrie Brochu, fifth-graders at Hillside Elementary school in Berlin, have written letters to legislatures to get stabilization grant funds reinstated. They are also seeking signatures for a petition to overturn the decision to cut state education aid. The made a video of them reading the letter that was presented to the Berlin school board of education recently.A New Hampshire House bill reducing education stabilization grants passed in 2015 and took effect in 2016 that is set to cut, in all, $5.5 million of education aid to the city of Berlin. The bill allows the state to gradually cut the stabilization grants in districts throughout the state by 4 percent every year for 25 years, ultimately eradicating the grants. Berlin is drawn against losing $220,000 annually in education aid. The state revised its adequacy formula and the stabilization grants set in 2012 were to offset the effects of the changes made. The formula decreases reimbursements for special education and eliminated money for districts that have the lowest tax base per student. The stabilization grants favor communities that are property-poor and have lower incomes.Attorneys Andru Volinsky and John Tobin and the City of Berlin, as well as other property-poor town in New Hampshire that are affected, are working together in efforts to overturn the decision to cut education funds. The two attorneys contributed in Supreme Court cases in the 1990's which resulted in litigation that made the state responsible for providing an "adequate" education for schools. While Volinsky doesn't want to sue the state while he is in office, Tobin wants to with the help of a legal team.The students have already collected hundreds of signatures for the petition including from teachers, students and other members of the community. Their plan is to present the petition to legislators early next year.The students' project is titled "How to Change the World." The students told the council last Monday that their reasoning is that "children of today will be in charge in the future."Councilor Lucy Remillard reported that none of the legislators have responded yet to the students' letters.Mayor Paul Grenier praised the students "on their ability to understand the issues facing the schools and taking ownership of those issues."He said he is "proud of their effort."The students asked the councilors if they wanted to sign the petition and so they did along with the Mayor and others in attendance.


Berlin Reporter Local schools awarded Children's Literacy Foundation grant

by Jody Houle

Marilyn Taylor McDowell, author of "Carolina Harmony," visited Milan Village School last month as part of Children's Literacy Foundation Year of the Book grant program that was offered to the school as well as to Hillside Elementary in Berlin. (Courtesy Photo) (click for larger version) BERLIN/MILAN  The Children's Literacy Foundation, out of Waterbury Center, Vt., has chosen schools in Vermont and New Hampshire for their $25,000 Year of the Book grant, and Berlin's Hillside Elementary, as well as Milan Village School, are among the selections.



The Children's Literacy Foundation, or CLif, provides the grants to help schools with literacy programming, new books and authors from all over make visits at the selected schools. Reading and writing workshops are set up.



The foundation works with family literacy events and helps sets up special litercy-related programs, provides new books for the school library, classrooms and even for public libraries.



"The program involves a full school year dedicated to improving literacy with many related events to celebrate reading and writing," the press release stated. "The program is designed to create a culture of literacy within a community. The goals are to inspire students to read and write for pleasure, to encourage enthusiasm for books, to supplement schools' existing literacy efforts, to ensure all children have access to high-quality books, and to increase family engagement in literacy."



Additionally, the grant program offers an invitation to personnel from selected Year of the Book schools to attend CLiF's annual Community Literacy Conference and will receive more funding the following school year.



"CLiF Year of the Book continues to deeply impact students, their families, and their school community by nurturing a love of reading and writing," CLiF Program Director Meredith Scott said. "The renewed excitement that comes from new ideas, new books, and new connections makes this an exciting grant for schools and also for CLiF. We love to share the experiences in one school with others and to spread that enthusiasm all over VT and NH and beyond."



Marilyn Taylor McDowell, author of "Carolina Harmony," visited Milan Village School last month for a reading session.



"Storytelling at Milan Village School - all because of a Year of the Book grant from CLiF (the Children's Literacy Foundation)," said McDoweell. "I was delighted to celebrate with students and teachers. The story was Petunia; one of my favorites. 'He who owns books and loves them is wise.'" BERLIN/MILAN  The Children's Literacy Foundation, out of Waterbury Center, Vt., has chosen schools in Vermont and New Hampshire for their $25,000 Year of the Book grant, and Berlin's Hillside Elementary, as well as Milan Village School, are among the selections.The Children's Literacy Foundation, or CLif, provides the grants to help schools with literacy programming, new books and authors from all over make visits at the selected schools. Reading and writing workshops are set up.The foundation works with family literacy events and helps sets up special litercy-related programs, provides new books for the school library, classrooms and even for public libraries."The program involves a full school year dedicated to improving literacy with many related events to celebrate reading and writing," the press release stated. "The program is designed to create a culture of literacy within a community. The goals are to inspire students to read and write for pleasure, to encourage enthusiasm for books, to supplement schools' existing literacy efforts, to ensure all children have access to high-quality books, and to increase family engagement in literacy."Additionally, the grant program offers an invitation to personnel from selected Year of the Book schools to attend CLiF's annual Community Literacy Conference and will receive more funding the following school year."CLiF Year of the Book continues to deeply impact students, their families, and their school community by nurturing a love of reading and writing," CLiF Program Director Meredith Scott said. "The renewed excitement that comes from new ideas, new books, and new connections makes this an exciting grant for schools and also for CLiF. We love to share the experiences in one school with others and to spread that enthusiasm all over VT and NH and beyond."Marilyn Taylor McDowell, author of "Carolina Harmony," visited Milan Village School last month for a reading session."Storytelling at Milan Village School - all because of a Year of the Book grant from CLiF (the Children's Literacy Foundation)," said McDoweell. "I was delighted to celebrate with students and teachers. The story was Petunia; one of my favorites. 'He who owns books and loves them is wise.'"


Coos County Democrat Governor's SEC nominees draw fire from Northern Pass opponents

by Tara Giles

Sports reporter - Coos County Democrat and Berlin Reporter Sports reporter - Coos County Democrat and Berlin Reporter write the author REGION  Those in opposition to the Northern Pass project, which seeks to run power lines from Canada into southern New England are up in arms once more over upcoming changes to the Site Evaluation Committee.



Gov. Chris Sununu has nominated Republican Rep. Michael Vose of Epping to sit on the committee.



Executive Councilor Joe Kenney, however, has concerns with this nomination, stating "There's been a lot of concern in Grafton and Coos Counties that Vose has leanings towards Northern Pass. He was very vocal against the biomass plants and was outspoken against Senate Bill 365."



Kenney has received more than 40 e-mails in opposition to Vose's nomination. Included in those e-mails are words of praise to Kenney for voting against Geoff Mitchell, another recent Sununu nominee who was known to be pro Northern Pass.



"On Dec. 19, I'll be asking a lot of questions. It does not look like I will support Vose," Kenney added. "With the state Supreme Court now looking at a decision of the SEC, it's now critical more than ever to look at these nominations and how these individuals feel about Northern Pass. I think it's back in the public eye again. I believe the Governor is looking for new blood and he's looking to shake up the committee."



Kenney believes Sununu is attempting to 'stack' the SEC with those in favor of approving the Northern Pass project.



According to Kenney, "Sununu very much wants to see Northern Pass come to fruition, that's now quite apparent. There has been a big out cry of people who are adamantly opposed to this. It's a very hot topic."



"I don't know what will happen with the new council, but I think it's been the Governor's strategy all along, as he has not re-appointed anyone to the SEC," said Kenney.



Last February, the SEC voted unanimously to deny a permit to Eversource's controversial project.



Kenney shared one of the e-mails sent to him, this one from Gretchen Hesler, a resident of Franconia, who wrote "Thank you for your recent Vote [sic] against Geoff Mitchell's nomination to the SEC. We appreciate your efforts to keep individuals who have an ulterior motive, off of the SEC. It's such an obvious wrong, but politics being what it is, there seems to be no shame in nominating folks who clearly are not impartial."



Hesler went on to say, "The lack of approval from the SEC for Northern Pass was quite remarkable, not because the project makes sense, but because of the power of big business and politics. The project would not only scar our beautiful landscape, but would devalue property up and down the corridor. My husband and I have owned a small business in the North Country for 18 years. It's a hard gig making a living in the North Country however what we have on our side (besides amazing residents) is our landscape. Visitors come from all over the world to spend time in our pristine forests, mountains and lakes. Nobody I know is giving up the fight against Northern Pass, but we cannot do it without our Politicians. Politicians who are not 'bought and sold' by other interests, politicians who are working for the best of NH residents quality of life."



Kenney offered a final word on the topic, for now: "I find it odd that Sununu is kind of doing this at the last hour. We will have quite a debate on the 19th of December." REGION  Those in opposition to the Northern Pass project, which seeks to run power lines from Canada into southern New England are up in arms once more over upcoming changes to the Site Evaluation Committee.Gov. Chris Sununu has nominated Republican Rep. Michael Vose of Epping to sit on the committee.Executive Councilor Joe Kenney, however, has concerns with this nomination, stating "There's been a lot of concern in Grafton and Coos Counties that Vose has leanings towards Northern Pass. He was very vocal against the biomass plants and was outspoken against Senate Bill 365."Kenney has received more than 40 e-mails in opposition to Vose's nomination. Included in those e-mails are words of praise to Kenney for voting against Geoff Mitchell, another recent Sununu nominee who was known to be pro Northern Pass."On Dec. 19, I'll be asking a lot of questions. It does not look like I will support Vose," Kenney added. "With the state Supreme Court now looking at a decision of the SEC, it's now critical more than ever to look at these nominations and how these individuals feel about Northern Pass. I think it's back in the public eye again. I believe the Governor is looking for new blood and he's looking to shake up the committee."Kenney believes Sununu is attempting to 'stack' the SEC with those in favor of approving the Northern Pass project.According to Kenney, "Sununu very much wants to see Northern Pass come to fruition, that's now quite apparent. There has been a big out cry of people who are adamantly opposed to this. It's a very hot topic.""I don't know what will happen with the new council, but I think it's been the Governor's strategy all along, as he has not re-appointed anyone to the SEC," said Kenney.Last February, the SEC voted unanimously to deny a permit to Eversource's controversial project.Kenney shared one of the e-mails sent to him, this one from Gretchen Hesler, a resident of Franconia, who wrote "Thank you for your recent Vote [sic] against Geoff Mitchell's nomination to the SEC. We appreciate your efforts to keep individuals who have an ulterior motive, off of the SEC. It's such an obvious wrong, but politics being what it is, there seems to be no shame in nominating folks who clearly are not impartial."Hesler went on to say, "The lack of approval from the SEC for Northern Pass was quite remarkable, not because the project makes sense, but because of the power of big business and politics. The project would not only scar our beautiful landscape, but would devalue property up and down the corridor. My husband and I have owned a small business in the North Country for 18 years. It's a hard gig making a living in the North Country however what we have on our side (besides amazing residents) is our landscape. Visitors come from all over the world to spend time in our pristine forests, mountains and lakes. Nobody I know is giving up the fight against Northern Pass, but we cannot do it without our Politicians. Politicians who are not 'bought and sold' by other interests, politicians who are working for the best of NH residents quality of life."Kenney offered a final word on the topic, for now: "I find it odd that Sununu is kind of doing this at the last hour. We will have quite a debate on the 19th of December."


Littleton Courier Littleton tax base up 13 percent

by Justin Roshak LITTLETONTotal assessed valuationa.k.a. the tax baserose by a little over $96 million this year, an increase of 13.4 percent, according to paperwork filed with the state earlier this year. The tax base now stands at a little over $814 million.



Non-utility propertiesmainly homes and businessesrose in value even faster, by about 17.4 percent. For comparison, according to real estate website Zillow, the average home price in America rose 7.7 percent this year, and rose 7.5 percent in New Hampshire.



Overall, the assessed value of utilities rose by 5.2 percent, from $234 to $247 million. In 2018, utilities represented about 30 percent of Littleton's total net valuation, down from 33 percent last year



The bulk77 percentof Littleton's utility value is owned by Great River Hydro. In 2018, the value of their Littleton holdings rose to $182 million, an increase of 3.4 percent. The distant second-largest owner of utilities was Eversource Energy, which owned property worth about $38 million in 2018, an increase of 12 percent. In recent years, fluctuations in the value of hydroelectric utilities has been a major contributor to instability in the tax rate.



In 2018, there were 19,178 acres in current use, worth a total of $1.16 million. The most of these acres were forest land17,746 acres in allwith an additional 770 acres of farm land. The total value of land in current use represents less than two tenths of one percent of Littleton's total valuation.



In 2018, about $4.46 million worth of property was exempt from taxation, only slightly higher then last year. Only about one half of one percent of property value is was exempted from taxes this year.



In 2018, Littleton received some $140,847 worth of payments in lieu of taxes from fourteen nonprofit organizations. For instance, the largest was worth $38,958 from the Alder Brook Sportmens' association, and the second largest was the Littleton Hospital Association. These values were roughly level with last year.



Tax rate to fall



The increase in valuations will make possible a roughly 10.5 percent reduction in the local assessed tax rate.



On the supply side of the tax base, Littleton is largely at the mercy of market forces.



"When the select board is going to set the tax rate, they have very little control over what can and can't be changed," said Town Manager Andrew Dorsett, "When we present a budget, we are presenting something that is as close to what we need as possible."



Dorsett attributed the sharp uptick in total assessed property to a thriving, diverse economy, and pointed out that values rose across all sectors.



For Littleton residents with above-average property values, a lower tax rate may not translate to a smaller tax bill, especially if their homes grew in value ahead of the 13.5 percent average.



"Even thought the tax rate went down, they should talk to whoever their tax adviser is," Dorsett recommended. "Especially for small and medium sized businesses thinking about end-of-year purchases."



Local tax bills went out last month, and are due back in late December. For those who prepaid, before the higher valuation and lower rates were published, a discount may be in the offing. LITTLETONTotal assessed valuationa.k.a. the tax baserose by a little over $96 million this year, an increase of 13.4 percent, according to paperwork filed with the state earlier this year. The tax base now stands at a little over $814 million.Non-utility propertiesmainly homes and businessesrose in value even faster, by about 17.4 percent. For comparison, according to real estate website Zillow, the average home price in America rose 7.7 percent this year, and rose 7.5 percent in New Hampshire.Overall, the assessed value of utilities rose by 5.2 percent, from $234 to $247 million. In 2018, utilities represented about 30 percent of Littleton's total net valuation, down from 33 percent last yearThe bulk77 percentof Littleton's utility value is owned by Great River Hydro. In 2018, the value of their Littleton holdings rose to $182 million, an increase of 3.4 percent. The distant second-largest owner of utilities was Eversource Energy, which owned property worth about $38 million in 2018, an increase of 12 percent. In recent years, fluctuations in the value of hydroelectric utilities has been a major contributor to instability in the tax rate.In 2018, there were 19,178 acres in current use, worth a total of $1.16 million. The most of these acres were forest land17,746 acres in allwith an additional 770 acres of farm land. The total value of land in current use represents less than two tenths of one percent of Littleton's total valuation.In 2018, about $4.46 million worth of property was exempt from taxation, only slightly higher then last year. Only about one half of one percent of property value is was exempted from taxes this year.In 2018, Littleton received some $140,847 worth of payments in lieu of taxes from fourteen nonprofit organizations. For instance, the largest was worth $38,958 from the Alder Brook Sportmens' association, and the second largest was the Littleton Hospital Association. These values were roughly level with last year.Tax rate to fallThe increase in valuations will make possible a roughly 10.5 percent reduction in the local assessed tax rate.On the supply side of the tax base, Littleton is largely at the mercy of market forces."When the select board is going to set the tax rate, they have very little control over what can and can't be changed," said Town Manager Andrew Dorsett, "When we present a budget, we are presenting something that is as close to what we need as possible."Dorsett attributed the sharp uptick in total assessed property to a thriving, diverse economy, and pointed out that values rose across all sectors.For Littleton residents with above-average property values, a lower tax rate may not translate to a smaller tax bill, especially if their homes grew in value ahead of the 13.5 percent average."Even thought the tax rate went down, they should talk to whoever their tax adviser is," Dorsett recommended. "Especially for small and medium sized businesses thinking about end-of-year purchases."Local tax bills went out last month, and are due back in late December. For those who prepaid, before the higher valuation and lower rates were published, a discount may be in the offing.

Littleton Courier Biden touts benefits of infrastructure bill during NH visit Mask mandate reenacted at Bethlehem Town H Thanks for visiting SalmonPress.com
Littleton Courier Local library's windows offer a glimpse back in time

by Justin Roshak

The Yellow Dragon Banner of Imperial Qing China, which had already been overthrown when Abbie Greenleaf Library was built in 1912. (Photo by Justin Roshak) (click for larger version) FRANCONIAThe stained-glass flags in the windows of the Abbie Greenlaf library look out on Main Street, but they also offer a glimpse back at a moment in historyto 1912, when the flags they depict flew over a very different world.



America's own stars-and-stripes had two fewer stars than today, and was less than a year old; Arizona and New Mexico became states in early 1912. The 48-star flag would fly for 47 years, until Alaska joined the union in 1959, and is the second-longest lasting design; only the modern, 50-star flag has flown longer.



At least one flag was out-of-date before the library was even built: the Yellow Dragon Banner of Imperial China, which had been ruled by the Manchu Dynasty for 268 years. Their reign ended shortly after the turn of the century, when the notorious Empress Dowager Cixi installed her infant nephew Pu Yi  who would become the last Emperor of China  on the throne in a vain attempt to retain her own power by ruling through him. Her death in 1908 left the Manchu regime fatally weakened, and the young and ill prepared Pu Yi was dethroned by a revolution in 1911 that led to the establishment of a short-lived and ineffective nationalist republic which was itself toppled in 1948 by the Communist forces of Mao Tse Tung.



Another ancient eastern power, the Ottoman Empire, would fall apart sixteen years later, after World War I. Its successor, the Republic of Turkey, kept its red and white crescent-and-star flag, which still flies over Istanbul, old Constantinople, the City of the World's Desire.



In 1912, a united Italy was a newcomer to the European scene. Its vertical green, white, and red stripes remain today, but in 1912 it carried the crossed shield of Savoy, whose kings led the wars of unification, and who became Kings of Italy for their efforts. Mussolini tried to replace the shield with the bundled-sticks of the Fascists, and socialists tried to add a Roman eagle, but today the flag flies unmarked.



Some flags are familiarthe red and white cross of Switzerland has remained unchanged for at least four hundred yearsand the Nordic crosses of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway were then as they are today. The flags of several younger nations, like Belgium (1830), Cuba (1868), and Panama (1903) remain unchanged, despite wars and revolutions.



Though an old nation, Japan's red and white rising-sun flag only became official around 1870. The blue, white, and red French tricolor, symbol of the Revolution, was buried after Napoleon's defeat, restored in 1830, and has since survived coups, revolutions, and two world wars.



The flags of three old European empires would fall within six years of the library's completion.



Imperial Germanyunited only 41 years beforewas still ruled by Kaiser Wilhelm II, under the black, white, and red tricolor. Both flag and kaiser would fall following Germany's defeat in World War I, and the rise of the republican black, red, and gold under the Weimer government. The Nazi government restored the imperial tricolor, which flew alongside the swastika banner until its fall in 1945. Both East and West Germany used versions of the black, red, and gold, which today flies over a re-united Germany.



The flag of Austria-Hungary proclaimed its hybrid status: one half, the the red-white-red of Austria, the other half, the red-white-green of Hungary, with two shields and two crowns. Officially, old Franz Joseph, who had ruled since 1867, was both Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary, and the two nations were governed separately. The Dual Monarchy, as it was called, would dissolve in 1918, only two years after Franz Joseph's death, following defeat in World War I. Today, 13 independent nations occupy the same territory over which its bifurcated banner once flew.



The third great European empire to perish in the Great War was Russia, whose white, blue, and red stripes would be drowned by the red flag of communism following the 1917 revolution. The tricolor returned after the collapse of the Soviet Union, in 1991, and today, the flag of the czars flies once again flies over Putin's Russia.



Many nations are conspicuous by their absence: whole swaths of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East were, in 1912, still ruled by European empires. A single flagthe British Union Jackflew over a quarter of the world's lands and peoples, prompting the famous assertion that the sun never set on Britain's territories.



That too, would change in the coming, busy century. Within two years, the world would be at war, revolution would march through ancient capitals, and flags would rise and fall with the tide of politics. The windows in the library are snapshots of a moment in time, a busy time in an ever-changing world. That much has not changed. FRANCONIAThe stained-glass flags in the windows of the Abbie Greenlaf library look out on Main Street, but they also offer a glimpse back at a moment in historyto 1912, when the flags they depict flew over a very different world.America's own stars-and-stripes had two fewer stars than today, and was less than a year old; Arizona and New Mexico became states in early 1912. The 48-star flag would fly for 47 years, until Alaska joined the union in 1959, and is the second-longest lasting design; only the modern, 50-star flag has flown longer.At least one flag was out-of-date before the library was even built: the Yellow Dragon Banner of Imperial China, which had been ruled by the Manchu Dynasty for 268 years. Their reign ended shortly after the turn of the century, when the notorious Empress Dowager Cixi installed her infant nephew Pu Yi  who would become the last Emperor of China  on the throne in a vain attempt to retain her own power by ruling through him. Her death in 1908 left the Manchu regime fatally weakened, and the young and ill prepared Pu Yi was dethroned by a revolution in 1911 that led to the establishment of a short-lived and ineffective nationalist republic which was itself toppled in 1948 by the Communist forces of Mao Tse Tung.Another ancient eastern power, the Ottoman Empire, would fall apart sixteen years later, after World War I. Its successor, the Republic of Turkey, kept its red and white crescent-and-star flag, which still flies over Istanbul, old Constantinople, the City of the World's Desire.In 1912, a united Italy was a newcomer to the European scene. Its vertical green, white, and red stripes remain today, but in 1912 it carried the crossed shield of Savoy, whose kings led the wars of unification, and who became Kings of Italy for their efforts. Mussolini tried to replace the shield with the bundled-sticks of the Fascists, and socialists tried to add a Roman eagle, but today the flag flies unmarked.Some flags are familiarthe red and white cross of Switzerland has remained unchanged for at least four hundred yearsand the Nordic crosses of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway were then as they are today. The flags of several younger nations, like Belgium (1830), Cuba (1868), and Panama (1903) remain unchanged, despite wars and revolutions.Though an old nation, Japan's red and white rising-sun flag only became official around 1870. The blue, white, and red French tricolor, symbol of the Revolution, was buried after Napoleon's defeat, restored in 1830, and has since survived coups, revolutions, and two world wars.The flags of three old European empires would fall within six years of the library's completion.Imperial Germanyunited only 41 years beforewas still ruled by Kaiser Wilhelm II, under the black, white, and red tricolor. Both flag and kaiser would fall following Germany's defeat in World War I, and the rise of the republican black, red, and gold under the Weimer government. The Nazi government restored the imperial tricolor, which flew alongside the swastika banner until its fall in 1945. Both East and West Germany used versions of the black, red, and gold, which today flies over a re-united Germany.The flag of Austria-Hungary proclaimed its hybrid status: one half, the the red-white-red of Austria, the other half, the red-white-green of Hungary, with two shields and two crowns. Officially, old Franz Joseph, who had ruled since 1867, was both Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary, and the two nations were governed separately. The Dual Monarchy, as it was called, would dissolve in 1918, only two years after Franz Joseph's death, following defeat in World War I. Today, 13 independent nations occupy the same territory over which its bifurcated banner once flew.The third great European empire to perish in the Great War was Russia, whose white, blue, and red stripes would be drowned by the red flag of communism following the 1917 revolution. The tricolor returned after the collapse of the Soviet Union, in 1991, and today, the flag of the czars flies once again flies over Putin's Russia.Many nations are conspicuous by their absence: whole swaths of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East were, in 1912, still ruled by European empires. A single flagthe British Union Jackflew over a quarter of the world's lands and peoples, prompting the famous assertion that the sun never set on Britain's territories.That too, would change in the coming, busy century. Within two years, the world would be at war, revolution would march through ancient capitals, and flags would rise and fall with the tide of politics. The windows in the library are snapshots of a moment in time, a busy time in an ever-changing world. That much has not changed.

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Meredith News Lottery official discusses Keno with Meredith selectmen

by Erin Plummer MEREDITH  New Hampshire Lottery Commission Deputy Director Lynda Plante visited the Meredith Board of selectmen during their Dec. 3 workshop to answer any questions and address any concerns about Keno. She said representatives from the commission have been visiting the boards and councils of the different communities who have not approved Keno, and are encouraging communities to adopt it.



Keno was on this year's town warrant, but was voted down by a large majority. Locally, Keno has been approved in Center Harbor, Laconia, Belmont, Tilton, and other surrounding communities.



Plante said Keno has been approved for licensed pouring establishments in 66 different towns and cities in the state. She said the commission identified 15 different establishments in Meredith that could have Keno.



"People do call our agency (asking), 'When is it going to get passed in Meredith?'" Plante said.



She said one establishment that has expressed interest is the American Legion.



Proceeds from Keno benefit full day kindergarten in the state. Every district with full day kindergarten is slated to receive $1,100 per student toward kindergarten. With more communities doing Keno Plante said this number could go up to potentially $1,800 per student.



Communities that don't have Keno can still receive the money. Plante said however the fewer communities that have Keno would make the $1,100 less sustainable. So far, the state has been making enough money to distribute the $1,100 per student and on pace to make its goal and they are hoping more communities will get Keno in the coming town voting year.



Establishments that have Keno receive an eight percent commission and Plante said could attract more business. Plante said if a nearby community has Keno, people could gravitate more towards those communities, which could take business outside the area that doesn't have it.



"You want to be sure there are retailers who would like this opportunity, and it's an opportunity for people to come to your town," Plante said.



In one example, Plante said Keno did not pass in Concord but passed in neighboring communities like Bow, Pembroke, and Boscawen.



"Those places are doing really well because people go over there to play Keno outside of Concord," Plante said.



Selectman Jeanie Forrester asked whether lottery officials have documented the exact impact Concord is seeing as a result of this. Plante said the commission is currently doing research. UNH has been doing a study, and the state has been distributing surveys. She said a lot of retailers in Concord have said they want Keno, though did not have exact numbers.



Selectman Ray Moritz said the board had elected not to put it on the warrant because there didn't seem to be any interest. A petitioned warrant article generated by the owners of Lakeview Tavern was, however, submitted to the town and put on the warrant.



Moritz said the owners of Lakeview were the only ones who spoke in favor of it at town meeting. A number of people spoke against it, with concerns including the dangers of gambling addiction. One business owner said he would not have it in any of his establishments.



Plante said they do have a one percent allocation that goes to gambling addiction assistance.



"We know that that is a concern for people," Plante said. MEREDITH  New Hampshire Lottery Commission Deputy Director Lynda Plante visited the Meredith Board of selectmen during their Dec. 3 workshop to answer any questions and address any concerns about Keno. She said representatives from the commission have been visiting the boards and councils of the different communities who have not approved Keno, and are encouraging communities to adopt it.Keno was on this year's town warrant, but was voted down by a large majority. Locally, Keno has been approved in Center Harbor, Laconia, Belmont, Tilton, and other surrounding communities.Plante said Keno has been approved for licensed pouring establishments in 66 different towns and cities in the state. She said the commission identified 15 different establishments in Meredith that could have Keno."People do call our agency (asking), 'When is it going to get passed in Meredith?'" Plante said.She said one establishment that has expressed interest is the American Legion.Proceeds from Keno benefit full day kindergarten in the state. Every district with full day kindergarten is slated to receive $1,100 per student toward kindergarten. With more communities doing Keno Plante said this number could go up to potentially $1,800 per student.Communities that don't have Keno can still receive the money. Plante said however the fewer communities that have Keno would make the $1,100 less sustainable. So far, the state has been making enough money to distribute the $1,100 per student and on pace to make its goal and they are hoping more communities will get Keno in the coming town voting year.Establishments that have Keno receive an eight percent commission and Plante said could attract more business. Plante said if a nearby community has Keno, people could gravitate more towards those communities, which could take business outside the area that doesn't have it."You want to be sure there are retailers who would like this opportunity, and it's an opportunity for people to come to your town," Plante said.In one example, Plante said Keno did not pass in Concord but passed in neighboring communities like Bow, Pembroke, and Boscawen."Those places are doing really well because people go over there to play Keno outside of Concord," Plante said.Selectman Jeanie Forrester asked whether lottery officials have documented the exact impact Concord is seeing as a result of this. Plante said the commission is currently doing research. UNH has been doing a study, and the state has been distributing surveys. She said a lot of retailers in Concord have said they want Keno, though did not have exact numbers.Selectman Ray Moritz said the board had elected not to put it on the warrant because there didn't seem to be any interest. A petitioned warrant article generated by the owners of Lakeview Tavern was, however, submitted to the town and put on the warrant.Moritz said the owners of Lakeview were the only ones who spoke in favor of it at town meeting. A number of people spoke against it, with concerns including the dangers of gambling addiction. One business owner said he would not have it in any of his establishments.Plante said they do have a one percent allocation that goes to gambling addiction assistance."We know that that is a concern for people," Plante said.

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Newfound Landing Community celebrates 64 years of tradition at Santa's Village

by Donna Rhodes write the author

Nicole Stillings, daughter Kylie Kennell, dad Kyle Kennell and even their dog Max gathered together for a photo with Santa and Gumdrop the elf at Santa's Village in Bristol last weekend. (Photo by Donna Rhodes) (click for larger version) BRISTOL  A 64-year old family tradition continued in fine stead this year as hundreds of children made their way to Tapply-Thompson Community Center last weekend for a visit to Santa's Village.



Inside the village they were greeted by elves, all of whom were busy working in the North Pole Post Office and the toyshop, or offering up samples of candies at the Sweet Shop or cookies at Mrs. Claus's Kitchen. In the midst of it all, the North Pole Train made its rounds and children of all ages enjoyed watching as conductors Doug Williams and his grandson Landon raced the trains around the mountain scenery.



"I started doing this in the early '70's," Williams said. "I took a hiatus while I was in college, but I've been doing it steadily every year since 1981."



The trains, he explained, actually belong to Santa. Every year, Williams goes up to the North Pole to borrow them though, then packs them all up and takes them back once Santa's Village is over.



Other scenes everyone admired included the Snow Flake Chapel, the beautiful Annalee Doll Shop and a delightful display of snowmen and reindeers, designed by Gina Richford and the TTCC Teen Council. And once everything had been oohed and ahhed over, all the good boys and girls lined up to wait for their turn with Santa.



Six-year-old Kiley Kennell of Holderness was one of those children, and her mom Nicole said they travel to Bristol every year to see Santa's Village. In fact, families from nearly every town in central New Hampshire seemed to find their way to Bristol over the weekend.



Downstairs on the main floor, adults shopped the many vendors for Christmas gifts and holiday decorations or enjoyed minestrone soup and other foods available for lunch.



TTCC's Executive Director Leslie Dion said there was a steady flow of families coming in and out of the center all weekend as everyone was enjoyed the new scenery and holiday excitement. She wished to thank those who volunteered their time to make the village a reality once again, especially those from J. Jill in Tilton who lend valuable assistance every year.



"They're awesome. I don't know where I'd be without them," Dion said. "There's a million little details in putting this on, but every year, it comes together." BRISTOL  A 64-year old family tradition continued in fine stead this year as hundreds of children made their way to Tapply-Thompson Community Center last weekend for a visit to Santa's Village.Inside the village they were greeted by elves, all of whom were busy working in the North Pole Post Office and the toyshop, or offering up samples of candies at the Sweet Shop or cookies at Mrs. Claus's Kitchen. In the midst of it all, the North Pole Train made its rounds and children of all ages enjoyed watching as conductors Doug Williams and his grandson Landon raced the trains around the mountain scenery."I started doing this in the early '70's," Williams said. "I took a hiatus while I was in college, but I've been doing it steadily every year since 1981."The trains, he explained, actually belong to Santa. Every year, Williams goes up to the North Pole to borrow them though, then packs them all up and takes them back once Santa's Village is over.Other scenes everyone admired included the Snow Flake Chapel, the beautiful Annalee Doll Shop and a delightful display of snowmen and reindeers, designed by Gina Richford and the TTCC Teen Council. And once everything had been oohed and ahhed over, all the good boys and girls lined up to wait for their turn with Santa.Six-year-old Kiley Kennell of Holderness was one of those children, and her mom Nicole said they travel to Bristol every year to see Santa's Village. In fact, families from nearly every town in central New Hampshire seemed to find their way to Bristol over the weekend.Downstairs on the main floor, adults shopped the many vendors for Christmas gifts and holiday decorations or enjoyed minestrone soup and other foods available for lunch.TTCC's Executive Director Leslie Dion said there was a steady flow of families coming in and out of the center all weekend as everyone was enjoyed the new scenery and holiday excitement. She wished to thank those who volunteered their time to make the village a reality once again, especially those from J. Jill in Tilton who lend valuable assistance every year."They're awesome. I don't know where I'd be without them," Dion said. "There's a million little details in putting this on, but every year, it comes together."


Winnisquam Echo Everett Weeks, Linda Frawley named Heritage Award recipients

by Donna Rhodes write the author

BELMONT  The Belmont Heritage Commission recently announced the recipients of their annual Community Heritage Awards before the town's selectmen, with this year's honors going to lifelong agriculturist Everett Weeks, Jr. and former commission member and champion for the preservation of the historic Belmont Bandstand, Linda Frawley.



Vicki Donovan, chair of the Belmont Heritage Commission, said Weeks was selected for a number of reasons. For more than 70 years, he has lived in the same home on Depot Street, where he and his family have operated their farm. The family has grown a wide variety of vegetables over the years, including their popular sweet corn and the pumpkins nearly every child in Belmont has taken home to carve for Halloween at least once. Weeks Farm is also known for its hay fields and the fresh eggs, which are not only sold at their farm but found in local stores and restaurants, too.



Over the years, Weeks learned to adapt his agricultural practices, moving from the use of horses to work the farm to becoming a tractor operator. With tractors and balers and other pieces of equipment he was then able to be even more efficient at his seven-day-a-week job.



"But, this Community Heritage Award goes to [Everett] for the agricultural traditions he has preserved in true heritage form in Belmont," the commission said. "He preserves the past by using an antique apple cider press and the dateless process of making honey with beehives on his property, but more importantly for his knowledge about farming and his importance to the Town of Belmont."



Weeks was also lauded for his personality, humor and stories he shares about the community as well as his generous donations of fresh local foods to the food pantry.



Donovan noted that Weeks is also the "go to" person for information on historic sites in the town and has a collection of old photographs, including some of the first trains to travel along Depot Street nearly 100 years ago.



"Two years ago, he was presented with a lifetime Belmont Historical Society membership and, with the upcoming celebrations of Belmont's 150 years, it is our honor to present this Community Heritage Award for Preservation and Agricultural Traditions to Everett Weeks, Jr. for being a very important part of Belmont's Heritage for many generations," she said.



The second award was given to Frawley, who has accumulated a long list of achievements that have impacted the community in numerous ways. Donovan said Frawley was a catalyst for the town in 1996 and 2010 when Plan New Hampshire Charrettes were conducted to look for ways to strengthen and improve the village. Over the years she served on the Budget Committee and the Village Revitalization Committee, and founded the Belmont Heritage Committee where she served terms as a chair and vice-chair.



"Because of her determination to improve its heritage and acknowledge its history, (Linda) has brought many distinct awards to Belmont," said Donovan. "Some notable ones were the Land and Community Heritage Improvement Project Award for the restoration of the 1908 Belmont Bandstand from the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance, and the Victorian Society in America Preservation Award for the Belmont Mill."



As chair of the Heritage Committee, other accomplishments included the initiation of an historical state marker for the Belmont Mill, and spearheading the movement to have places such as the Province Road Meeting House, Belmont Mill and the bandstand added to the state register of historic places. Frawley organized the original Deck the Village events each December and brought the Heritage Concert Series to the town in the summer months. She also added historical locations in town to the My New Hampshire Online Map and created a Belmont Heritage and Preservation Fair.



She is known for her tireless work in not only researching but obtaining grants and other forms of funding to help with preservation projects in the town. Most of all, however, Frawley is known for her tireless work on the restoration of the historic Belmont Bandstand.



"Linda's guidance, support and dedication, and extreme knowledge of the Town of Belmont history, go hand in hand," Donovan said. "We are grateful to [her] for her strong belief in saving and honoring special Belmont places. She began these Community Heritage Awards in 2011 and now she is receiving one herself."



In addition to her award for Preservation of Town History and Heritage, Belmont's Board of Selectmen also presented Frawley with a painting of the bandstand she helped preserve, which was done by local artist Polly Murphy. BELMONT  The Belmont Heritage Commission recently announced the recipients of their annual Community Heritage Awards before the town's selectmen, with this year's honors going to lifelong agriculturist Everett Weeks, Jr. and former commission member and champion for the preservation of the historic Belmont Bandstand, Linda Frawley.Vicki Donovan, chair of the Belmont Heritage Commission, said Weeks was selected for a number of reasons. For more than 70 years, he has lived in the same home on Depot Street, where he and his family have operated their farm. The family has grown a wide variety of vegetables over the years, including their popular sweet corn and the pumpkins nearly every child in Belmont has taken home to carve for Halloween at least once. Weeks Farm is also known for its hay fields and the fresh eggs, which are not only sold at their farm but found in local stores and restaurants, too.Over the years, Weeks learned to adapt his agricultural practices, moving from the use of horses to work the farm to becoming a tractor operator. With tractors and balers and other pieces of equipment he was then able to be even more efficient at his seven-day-a-week job."But, this Community Heritage Award goes to [Everett] for the agricultural traditions he has preserved in true heritage form in Belmont," the commission said. "He preserves the past by using an antique apple cider press and the dateless process of making honey with beehives on his property, but more importantly for his knowledge about farming and his importance to the Town of Belmont."Weeks was also lauded for his personality, humor and stories he shares about the community as well as his generous donations of fresh local foods to the food pantry.Donovan noted that Weeks is also the "go to" person for information on historic sites in the town and has a collection of old photographs, including some of the first trains to travel along Depot Street nearly 100 years ago."Two years ago, he was presented with a lifetime Belmont Historical Society membership and, with the upcoming celebrations of Belmont's 150 years, it is our honor to present this Community Heritage Award for Preservation and Agricultural Traditions to Everett Weeks, Jr. for being a very important part of Belmont's Heritage for many generations," she said.The second award was given to Frawley, who has accumulated a long list of achievements that have impacted the community in numerous ways. Donovan said Frawley was a catalyst for the town in 1996 and 2010 when Plan New Hampshire Charrettes were conducted to look for ways to strengthen and improve the village. Over the years she served on the Budget Committee and the Village Revitalization Committee, and founded the Belmont Heritage Committee where she served terms as a chair and vice-chair."Because of her determination to improve its heritage and acknowledge its history, (Linda) has brought many distinct awards to Belmont," said Donovan. "Some notable ones were the Land and Community Heritage Improvement Project Award for the restoration of the 1908 Belmont Bandstand from the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance, and the Victorian Society in America Preservation Award for the Belmont Mill."As chair of the Heritage Committee, other accomplishments included the initiation of an historical state marker for the Belmont Mill, and spearheading the movement to have places such as the Province Road Meeting House, Belmont Mill and the bandstand added to the state register of historic places. Frawley organized the original Deck the Village events each December and brought the Heritage Concert Series to the town in the summer months. She also added historical locations in town to the My New Hampshire Online Map and created a Belmont Heritage and Preservation Fair.She is known for her tireless work in not only researching but obtaining grants and other forms of funding to help with preservation projects in the town. Most of all, however, Frawley is known for her tireless work on the restoration of the historic Belmont Bandstand."Linda's guidance, support and dedication, and extreme knowledge of the Town of Belmont history, go hand in hand," Donovan said. "We are grateful to [her] for her strong belief in saving and honoring special Belmont places. She began these Community Heritage Awards in 2011 and now she is receiving one herself."In addition to her award for Preservation of Town History and Heritage, Belmont's Board of Selectmen also presented Frawley with a painting of the bandstand she helped preserve, which was done by local artist Polly Murphy.

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Wu Handong (Photo/Website of the State Council Information Office)

Chinese eminent legal scholar Wu Handong expressed that he was not surprised to hear the news about Qualcomm Inc. filing a lawsuit against Apple Inc. in a Chinese court, saying that he believes intellectual property (IP) rights holders can get fair judgment when choosing to file a lawsuit in China, Economic View App reported on Dec.11.

In the eyes of a judge, there are only the plaintiff and defendant as well as the obligee and obligor, said Wu, former President of Chinas Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, in a press conference held by the State Council Information Office of China on Tuesday when being asked about the lawsuit between the Chinese subsidiaries of Qualcomm Inc. and Apple Inc.

Not just Chinese judges, but the judges of all countries should follow the principle of national treatment and grant equal protection to all the rights holders of inventions without distinction between nationalities or sizes and types of business, expressed Wu, adding this is the basic position a judge shall adhere to.

Wu noted that since China is a large market with a huge population, international enterprises can gain the best rewards from investing in China, and that he believes that those IP rights holders who choose to claim their rights in Chinese courts can get fair judgment in the end.

The Supreme People's Court of The People's Republic of China is going to establish a courtroom for IP rights, which means China is to establish a centralized jurisdiction system for IP appeals as the U.S. and Japan did, said Wu, who also pointed out that this indicates that China is endeavoring to unify standards of judgment and enhance judicial protection.

Yang Wu, head of All-China Patent Attorneys Association (ACPAA), expressed at the press conference that it means a lot that Qualcomm Inc. claimed IP rights from Apple Inc. through a Chinese court.

First, it means that international companies have confidence in Chinas judicial judgment, and second, they are very bullish about the Chinese market, said Yang, adding that its a good signal that China will become an increasingly important place for lawsuits concerning IP rights.
Winnisquam Echo Veterans Home commemorates anniversary of Pearl Harbor

by Donna Rhodes write the author

Congresswoman Annie Kuster addressed an audience at the New Hampshire Veterans home about the attack on Pearl Harbor last Friday morning. (Photo by Donna Rhodes) (click for larger version) TILTON  A capacity audience filled the Town Hall auditorium at the New Hampshire Veterans Home on Friday, Dec. 7, for the home's annual Pearl Harbor Remembrance Ceremony. This year marked the 77th anniversary of the Japanese sneak attack that drew the United States into World War II.



At 7:48 a.m. (Hawaiian time) on that fateful day in 1941, the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii was attacked by 353 Imperial Japanese aircraft, striking all eight battleships in the port and sinking four of them. Several other ships and numerous aircraft were also damaged or destroyed. As a result of the attack, the first of its kind to occur in the United States, 2,335 military personnel from the Navy, Army and Marines were killed along with 103 civilians. While three of the battleships that sank that day were raised, repaired and eventually returned to service, the U.S.S. Arizona still lies today in its watery grave below the Pearl Harbor Memorial.



Lakes Region historian Warren D. Hughes of Laconia was the keynote speaker for the event at the Veterans Home last Friday, and he outlined the swift reactions to the attack on the home front as the initial shock began to fade. Also on hand with remarks about that Day of Infamy were New Hampshire Congresswoman Annie Kuster and representatives of the state's other three Congressional offices. TILTON  A capacity audience filled the Town Hall auditorium at the New Hampshire Veterans Home on Friday, Dec. 7, for the home's annual Pearl Harbor Remembrance Ceremony. This year marked the 77th anniversary of the Japanese sneak attack that drew the United States into World War II.At 7:48 a.m. (Hawaiian time) on that fateful day in 1941, the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii was attacked by 353 Imperial Japanese aircraft, striking all eight battleships in the port and sinking four of them. Several other ships and numerous aircraft were also damaged or destroyed. As a result of the attack, the first of its kind to occur in the United States, 2,335 military personnel from the Navy, Army and Marines were killed along with 103 civilians. While three of the battleships that sank that day were raised, repaired and eventually returned to service, the U.S.S. Arizona still lies today in its watery grave below the Pearl Harbor Memorial.Lakes Region historian Warren D. Hughes of Laconia was the keynote speaker for the event at the Veterans Home last Friday, and he outlined the swift reactions to the attack on the home front as the initial shock began to fade. Also on hand with remarks about that Day of Infamy were New Hampshire Congresswoman Annie Kuster and representatives of the state's other three Congressional offices.


Sunitha natti By

Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Ironical, but the government never conducted a study or an audit to identify the gains from demonetisation (demo), the harum-scarum move which jolted all of the countrys 1.3 billion people two years ago. It was criticized by several economists, both within the country and abroad, for causing an upheaval in the economy and for dragging growth by 1-2 per cent. In fact, in the first quarter of FY17, growth fell with a giant thud to 5.7 per cent.

The government, though, persisted with saying that the unprecedented currency reform did deliver. Just recently, there have been drumbeats about how demo, together with GST, helped increase the tax base (direct and indirect) and tax compliance, particularly among personal tax collections.

However, its now revealed that there has been no effort by the government to authenticate the benefits earned out of the slapdash currency reform. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, in a written reply to Rajya Sabha, informed as much on Monday.

According to RBI, notes in circulation grew at an average 14.51 per cent annually since October, 2014. Sans demo, at 14 per cent growth rate, notes in circulation would have been Rs 23,418.24 billion as on November, 2018, but stood at Rs 19,850.09 billion as on November, 23. In terms of GDP, notes in circulation fell from 11.63 per cent in FY17 to 10.63 per cent in FY18.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Interpol has issued a Red Corner Notice against absconding billionaire Mehul Choksi, who is accused of cheating state-run Punjab National Bank to the tune of Rs 13,000 crore in alleged collusion with his nephew Nirav Modi, officials said Thursday.

Choksi, who escaped in the first week of January this year after he and his companies cheated the bank of Rs 7,000 crore, has taken citizenship of Antigua.

He appealed against the CBI's application seeking the RCN.

"The Interpol has issued a Red Corner Notice against Mehul Choksi on the request of the CBI," CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal said.

Choksi alleged that the cases against him were a result of political conspiracy, sources said.

He also raised questions on issues such as jail conditions in India, his personal safety and health, they said.

The matter went to a five-member Interpol committee's court, called Commission for Control of Files which cleared the RCN, the sources said.

A Red Corner Notice is a kind of international arrest warrant for fugitives where Interpol requests its member countries to arrest or detain them.

ALSO READ | PNB fraud: Official of Choksi's firm sent to ED custody

The PNB was allegedly cheated by fraudulently issued of Letters of Undertakings (LoUs) and Foreign Letters of Credit (FLCs).

The CBI has charge-sheeted both Nirav Modi and Choksi separately in the scam.

The CBI, in its charge-sheets last month, alleged Choksi swindled Rs 7,080.86 crore, making it the country's biggest banking scam at over Rs 13,000 crore.

Nirav Modi allegedly siphoned Rs 6,000 crore.

An additional loan default of over Rs 5,000 crore to Choksi's companies is also a matter of probe under the CBI.

ALSO READ | Mehul Choksi may return to India if his health improves, says lawyer

It is alleged that Nirav Modi and Choksi through their companies availed credit from overseas branches of Indian banks using guarantees given through fraudulent LoUs and letters of credit which were not repaid bringing the liability on the state-run bank, officials said.

An LoU is a guarantee given by an issuing bank to Indian banks having branches abroad to grant short-term credit to the applicant.

The instructions for transferring funds were allegedly issued by a bank employee, Gokulnath Shetty, using an international messaging system for banking called SWIFT platform and without making their subsequent entries in the PNB's internal banking software, thus bypassing scrutiny in the bank, officials said.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: A bag shop owner has been arrested by the city police on charges of possessing a country-made gun, in Sowcarpet on Tuesday night.

Based on a tip-off, a special team was formed and on Tuesday night, the team raided one Naren alias Narender Singhs house, situated in Sowcarpet and found an old country-made gun and Rs 5,000 in cash.

During investigation, it was found that Naren, a native of Rajasthan, ran a bag shop in Govindappa Naicken Street and hired the staff from his native place and accommodated them in a lodge in the city.

Naren would later hand over a gun to the staff and they would loot shops in the night and pay the former a commission, said a police officer.

Recently, Naren, had gone to Madhya Pradesh and purchased the gun for Rs 5,000 and was going to hand it over to the staff. Since he was suffering a loss in the business, he decided to loot shops, the officer added.

Four women nabbed for stealing Rs 1 lakh

Chennai: Four women have been arrested for allegedly stealing Rs 1 lakh in cash from a passenger in a bus near Maduranthakam on Tuesday. Police said, Shuba, a resident of Kolambakkam, had withdrawn Rs 1 lakh from the bank to redeem the jewels she had pledged.

She had boarded a bus to reach the pawn brokers shop at Maduranthakam. It was only after she got off the bus, she realised the money from her bag was missing, said a police personnel.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: The Modi wave -- that BJP leaders in the State was relying on and boasting about -- had no effect on Telangana or its people. If anything, the performance of the saffron party hit a new low compared to previous tenure. From 5 seats in 2014, its numbers nosedived to a mere one seat this time, though it contested from all 119 constituencies. In fact, BJP lost its deposit in all of the other four seats. Prime Minister Narendra Modi toured the State twice and delivered four public meetings.

Despite that, BJP was not even the runner-up in any of the constituencies Modi visited. Mahabubnagar was one such constituency that BJP desperately wanted to win, which is why both Modi and party president Amit Shah campaigned there. Still, the BJP candidate garnered a mere 5,763 votes. All seven segments of Mahabubnagar put together, BJP won not more than 6,000 votes.

The damp squib of the lot was Paripoornanda, a self-proclaimed heavyweight leader. The Kakinada seer who was supposedly the Chief Ministerial face of BJP held extensive road shows and public rallies, but nothing helped. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanaths show-stopper campaigns had zero effect.

The VIP culture of separate lunch rooms and cabins alienated the BJP leaders from hardworking karyakarthas. Sack these leaders, demanded BJP worker Suresh Kochattil in a tweet. What is interesting is that, while Modi, Shah and Yogi campaigning had no effect on BJPs prospects in the State, way back in 2010, K Chandrasekhar Rao campaigned for BJP candidate Yendala Laxminarayana in the by-elections which resulted in his victory.
By Express News Service

KOCHI: A three-member delegation from the Japan Maritime Defense Force (JMSDF), headed by the chief of Meteorology and Oceanography Section, Commander Takumi Matsuo, and accompanied by Resident Defence Attache (JMSDF) Captain Takio Eda visited Kochi Naval Base and held discussions with Southern Naval Command Chief Staff Officer (Training) Rear Admiral K Swaminathan on Wednesday.

The visit of the delegation was to discuss avenues for mutual cooperation in the field of Indian Naval Meteorology and Oceanography (IN METOC) and consolidate the existing strong bilateral naval relations between the two countries.

The delegation which arrived on Tuesday, visited the Indian Naval Meteorological and Analysis Center, School of Naval Oceanology and Meteorology and INS Garuda, the Naval Air Station. Naval Oceanology and Meteorology Commodore M K Singh of the Naval Headquarters, New Delhi, was present. The delegation held discussions with Rear Admiral K Swaminathan on meteorology and oceanography.
By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The 23rd edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) will draw to a close on Thursday with the screening of 36 movies.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the closing ceremony in Nishagandhi Auditorium at 6 pm. Culture Minister A K Balan will preside over the function. Agriculture Minister V S Sunil Kumar will be the chief guest.

Following the ceremony, award-winning movie in the International Competition will be screened. The FFSI K R Mohanan Endowment for the Best Debut Director from India has been incorporated this year. The 36 movies will be screened in the 12 theatres in the city.

Central Government denied permission for Muhammad: Bina Paul

We couldnt screen the film Muhammad: The Messenger of God by Majid Majidi in the IFFK because the Central Government did not give us permission to screen it, said Bina Paul, artistic director, IFFK. The film which was screened in various international film festivals, including the Kolkata International Film Festival, couldnt be screened in Kerala due to censorship issues.

The Central Government, on the films screening has not said a No, but not a Yes either. It seems like a game the Centre is playing with the state, because a No, will definitely trigger a protest from Kerala, said Bina. She was speaking at the Open Forum segment on Art as a Resistance: Lessons from IFFK. The primary viewpoint of IFFK is inclusion, not exclusion. All the films screened in the fest put forward the same perspective. Especially, films like Roma and Pope Francis: A Man of His Word are of great importance, not only because of their cinematic value but also because of what they are talking about. These films talk about the greatest threats we are facing, she added. The message of this years fest is Together, Art and Culture Rebuild.

IFFK has ignited protests, paving ideal platforms for discussions in socio-cultural issues like women in public space and playing national anthem compulsorily in theatres. The fest has been an initiative to rebuild Kerala, to resist the challenges and grow together, said Kamal, chairman, Kerala State Chalachitra Academy.

I dont believe in marketing: Anamika Haksar

Marketing is not tied to my films success. I dont believe in it. Whats important is my own people are connecting with it, said filmmaker Anamika Haksar. We still have the colonial hangover. So, once we get recognition from foreign film festivals, then we are accepted in our country, she said in the Meet the Press segment of the IFFK. Discussing her film Taking the Horse to Eat Jalebis which is in the Competition category of the fete, she said she documented the life of the homeless people on the streets and blended it with fiction. This is my debut film and I got inspiration from Malayalam filmmakers like Aravindan, Adoor Gopalakrishnan and John Abraham, she added.

No Shave November: Kamal flags off motorcycle awareness rally

Kerala State Chalachitra Academy chairman Kamal flagged off a motorcycle awareness rally, organised by No Shave November India. The rally which started from Tagore Theatre will proceed to Kasargod and return in eight days. The ride has been structured with the aim of raising an amount of `15 lakh for the liver transplantation of a four-year-old. Raru Chempazhanthy, who initiated the No Shave November campaign in India, will lead the rally along with Shiny, a rider who is based in the city.

Movies to be screened

Seven competition films - The Silence (Dhanya, 09.30 AM), The Dark Room (Dhanya, 12 pm), Taking the Horse to Eat Jalebis (Dhanya, 03 pm), The Red Phallus (Kairali, 09 am), Poisonous Roses (Kairali, 11.30 am), Widow of Silence (Kairali, 03 pm) and Sudani from Nigeria (Kalabhavan, 03.15 pm) will be screened. Under the World Cinema Category, 17 films, including Gasper Noes Climax (Tagore, 09 am), Jafar Panahis 3 Faces (Tagore 11.30 am), and Pooya Badkoobehs Dressage (Remya 09.45 am) will be screened. Amadeus (New Screen 2, 03 pm) and The Firemens Ball (Nila, 11.45 am) will be screened under the Remembering the Master: Milos Forman package.

When everybody is feeling insecure, their voices become louder

The whole of India has started making political statements and political films because that is the need of the hour, said filmmaker Vetrimaaran. Secularism has to be saved, and when everybody is feeling insecure, they start voicing out louder, said Vetrimaaran. The majority is insecure and so are the minorities. No one feels secure about their place in the country. Cinema has been a tool of political proclamation and liberation, he added.

He was participating in the In Conversation segment. In popular cinema, you often see the one person who brings an end to all the issues. The filmmakers are actually working against the very cause that they started making the film with. When you say there is this one protagonist who changes the world overnight, you end up searching for this hero. Vetrimaaran cited Kurosawa as one of his biggest influences and also said Bharathan and Sibi Malayil films have had an impact on him.
By Express News Service

VIJAYAWADA: During the two-day Southern Regional Consultation on the Implementation of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (RTE Act), organised by RTE Forum and Save the Children, delegates from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana said there was a need to include the Act in the political agenda by the next session of the Parliament.

Senior Fellow and Programme Head (Education), Centre for Child and the Law, VP Niranjanaradhya, based on the delegates deliberation, announced Vijayawada Declaration.

Addressing the gathering, Niranjanaradhya called upon the Central government to withdraw the bill to amend Section 16 of the Act, which states that no child admitted in a school shall be held back in any class or expelled from school till the completion of elementary education. Once the bill is approved, education will reach all children, irrespective of their caste, creed or social status, he said.

The Central government should allocate 6 per cent of the GDP and the State governments at least 25 per cent of their state budgets towards care, protection and development of childrens right to equitable education, he said, adding that right to equitable quality education of children up to 18 years should be a prime agenda in the forthcoming Parliamentary and Assembly Elections.

Karnataka State Government Primary School Teachers Association president Basavaraj Gurikar said state governments should come up with measures to create awareness among people about the provisions of the Act. They should recognise the role of Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs) in creating this awareness and implementing the Act, and should understand that the community at large is a critical stakeholder in the process. Privatization and commercialization of education should be stopped and governments should make sure their schools educate children to grow up and create a cohesive society, he added.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, who is about to begin his second innings as Chief Minister of Telangana, on Thursday listed out his incoming governments priorities.

Rao said that his government would work on providing unemployment allowance to around 10 lakh youths in the State in the 2019-20 financial year. He also declared that Kaleshwaram and Sitarama irrigation projects would be completed within a year and a half. He reiterated his earlier promise of filling up vacancies in the government sector.

The TRS chief is confident of getting enough financial resources to implement his promises. In my next five years, the States receipts will be around Rs 10 lakh crore. Out of this, the government has to spend Rs 2.4 lakh crore on repaying debts. We will then become eligible to borrow an extra Rs 1.3 lakh crore, he elucidated.

Continuing his explanation about the States borrowing capacity, Rao claimed that top officials of Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) had recently called him up and offered the government a loan of Rs 16,000 cr for the power sector.

For now, Raos most pressing responsibility will be to campaign for the overdue Panchayat Raj elections. After that he will have to concentrate on the Parliament elections
By IANS

BUDAPEST: Model-actress Ruby Rose was rushed to a hospital after a silicon earplug got stuck in her ear.

The 32-year-old, who is filming on location in Hungary, took to Instagram on Wednesday to tell fans about it, reports dailymail.co.uk.

She wrote: "I've had a couple co-stars end up in hospital because of ear plugs from films with gunfire and other loud noises (that) ended up being lodged in their ear canals. I always made fun of them... I will never make fun of them again!"

Rose also shared footage of herself walking into the hospital, which she captioned: "I have a silicon ear plug inside my damn brain and I think this is the scariest hospital I've ever seen."

ALSO READ: Ruby Rose quits Twitter after backlash over her Batwoman role

She later posted a photograph of herself in the empty emergency room, alongside which she wrote: "If you never see me again... I hope my organs went to wonderful people."

The Australian star continued to pass time by sharing another image of a rather eerie-looking bathroom and an empty hospital bed.

It was then time for Rose to see the doctor, and she uploaded yet another short clip of herself waiting patiently in the office.

Finally, the ear plug was successfully removed and she was able to leave hospital.

She explained after the ordeal: "It took over an hour, three doctors and a lot of screaming, crying and fainting to remove what had become glue around my ear drum - but they did it!"

"Now, to fix my TV... it doesn't seem to have sound working," she added, jokingly.
(Photo/Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang)

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang confirmed on Thursday that coercive measures have been taken on two Canadian nationals, in accordance with Chinese laws.

The Canadians are suspected of engaging in activities endangering national security and the two cases are now under investigation, he told a press conference in Beijing.

The Canadian embassy was informed of the cases without delay after necessary procedures were performed, he said, continuing that the legitimate rights and interests of the two Canadians are safeguarded.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Extending the validity of its earlier interim order, the Madras High Court has directed the police not to arrest A R Murugadoss, director of Tamil feature film Sarkar starring Vijay, till December 20.

ALSO READ: Tamil Nadu government wants Sarkar director Murugadosss vow not to criticise schemes

Justice G K Ilanthiraiyan extended the time while passing further interim orders on the anticipatory bail application from Murugadoss, on Thursday. Earlier, Devarajan of Sembium had lodged a complaint to arrest Murugadoss under the National security Act (NSA) for criticising the welfare schemes of the State by including scenes which burnt the freebies of the government. This had created law and order problem in the State, he alleged.

Fearing arrest, Murugadoss preferred the advance bail application. When the matter came up on November 9, Murugadoss tendered an unconditional apology. His counsel told the court that the objectionable scenes had been removed. Granting temporary relief, the judge had orally directed the police not to arrest him till November 27.

When the matter came up November 27, State Public Prosecutor A Natarajan insisted the judge to obtain a written unconditional apology and an undertaking that he would not depict such scenes criticising the government welfare schemes in the future.

The matter was adjourned by a day. The next day, Murugadoss refused to give any such undertaking and the judge permitted the police to proceed with its probe, but restrained it from making any arrest till December 13.

When the case came up Thursday the government counsel pleaded the judge to adjourn the matter to some other date, so that the PP Natarajan can argue the matter. And the judge posted the case to December 20 till

which time the police should not arrest Murugadoss.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: A total of 28,523 Indian nationals died in the Gulf countries of the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia in the last four years, the Lok Sabha was told on Wednesday.

The highest number of deaths of Indian nationals was recorded in Saudi Arabia between 2014-2018 at 12,828 followed by the UAE at 7,877, Minister of State at the External Affairs Ministry V K Singh told the Lok Sabha in response to a question.

About 1,021 deaths of Indian nationals between 2014-2018 was recorded in Bahrain while 2,932 deaths were recorded in Kuwait.

About 2,564 deaths of Indian nationals were recorded in Oman while 1,301 deaths were recorded in Qatar, he said.

Singh said that in order to prevent workers' death such as suicides and road accidents in the Gulf countries, awareness campaigns are conducted by the missions and posts through labour camps organised by Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra in collaboration with the Indian missions.

The highest number of deaths in these Gulf countries in the last four years was recorded in 2016 when 6,013 Indian nationals died followed by 2017 when 5,906 Indian nationals died in these countries.
By Online Desk

A Buddhist monk meditating in Maharashtra's Tadoba forest was killed in an alleged leopard attack, BBC reported.

The deceased, identified as Rahul Walke, had been meditating under a tree in the forest which also happens to be a tiger reserve.

The Devendra Fadnavis government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 12 lakh for the bereaved family.

Forest officials said they had previously warned the monks against the possible peril of roaming in the forest. Walke, the member of a Buddhist temple located inside the forest, had gone little further from it to meditate.

The officials have launched a hunt to capture the animal. "I would like to tell everyone not to go inside the forest. We have set up two cages and a camera trap. We will try to tranquilise the animal if spotted," GP Narawane, a forest official told BBC Marathi.

A monk from the same temple claimed that he had seen a leopard attacking Walke when they visited his meditation spot to give him food but by the time he reached, Walke was already dead.

Tadoba forest is a habitat of 88 tigers along with leopards, sloth bears, hyenas and honey badgers.
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: Amending Yogi Adityanath governments proposal to install a huge 155-metre statue of Lord Ram on the banks of holy Saryu in Ayodhya, senior Congress leader and former Rajya Sabha member Dr Karan Singh, on Thursday, appealed UP CM to install a statue of Goddess Sita beside Lord Ram in the temple town.

ALSO READ | Idols Tower Over Administrative Skill

In an emotional letter written to the UP CM, Dr Singh said: If you have decided to get a magnificent statue of Lord Rama installed in Ayodhya, then my suggestion to you is that reduce the height of the proposed statue to half and get a couple statue  Lord Rama and Goddess Sita  installed alongside at the same chosen place.

The Congress leader justified his view stating it was high time that Goddess Sita got a place of pride in Ayodhya which she always deserved but did not get as her life was eclipsed by the sufferings galore.

ALSO READ | Yogi Adityanath commences search for architect to design 221-metre tall Ram statue

Taking a reference of Yogi Adityanaths Wednesday visit to Janakpur in Nepal to attend Ram-Janki vivah in which the UP CM had represented the side of groom as barati, Dr Singh wrote: Your visit to Janakpur in Nepal and my recent visit to Mithila, the land of King Janak (father of Goddess Sita) where Sita was born and married to Lord Ram, reminded me of how the fate ditched her always after her marriage.

Continuing to narrate the hardships of Goddess Sita, Dr Singh wrote: After getting married to Lord Ram, Sitaji came to Ayodhya but had to embark upon a 14-year exile with husband. There she was abducted by Ravana resulting in a full blown war and even after being saved by Rama, she had to undergo the agni pariksha to prove her purity by passing through fire.

Again she was shunned by Ram and sent to exile even while being pregnant on the basis of a mere hearsay, narrated Dr Singh in the correspondence to UP CM.

When reminded of all the adversities which the life of Goddess Sita replete with, I thought of suggesting you (Yogi) to accord her a place of pride in Ayodhya now, wrote Dr Karan Singh.


By PTI

MUMBAI: A 39-year-old farmer, who was on hunger strike for crop loan, died Thursday in Maharashtra's Parbhani district, police said.

Tukaram Vaijanath Kale, resident of Mardajgaon in Pathri tehsil, had sat on a hunger strike in front of State Bank of India's Pathri branch alongwith some other farmers since Wednesday.

Their demand was that the bank should grant them crop loan speedily, said inspector Vidyasagar Shrimanvar of Pathri police station.

Kale's condition deteriorated Thursday afternoon and he was shifted to a government hospital at Manvat where he died during treatment, the police official said.

As the news of his death came, there was a commotion at the venue of the hunger strike at Pathri, he said.

His relatives took the body from the hospital and placed it at the agitation site.

A crowd gathered at the spot but the situation was under control, the inspector said.

The exact cause of Kale's death was yet to be ascertained, he said.

An accidental death report has been registered and further investigation is underway, he said.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Home Ministry will soon issue detailed guidelines and standard operating procedures (SoPs) to eliminate child pornography, rape and gang rape imageries, videos and sites on content hosting platforms and other applications, officials said.

The move came after the Supreme Court directed the central government to frame guidelines and SoPs in this regard.

The guidelines and SoPs to end child pornography, rape and gang rape imageries, videos and sites on content hosting platforms and other applications are expected to come up within next two weeks, a home ministry official said.

The home ministry is also holding regular meetings with social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp and Twitter to check spread of hate messages and rumours inciting violence and crimes against women and child pornography.

The government is putting in place a mechanism to identify, disclose name and prosecute anyone found involved in disseminating fake news creating social tension or pornographic contents inciting sex crimes, another official said.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the Centre might frame guidelines or standard operating procedure (SoP) to eliminate online videos and images of child pornography and rape.

"The government of India may frame the necessary guidelines/SoP and implement them within two weeks so as to eliminate child pornography, rape and gang rape imageries, videos and sites in content hosting platforms and other applications," the court said in its order.

The court has posted the matter for further hearing in February next year.

The top court had on December 6 said that the Centre and internet giants, including Google, Microsoft and Facebook, were in agreement that videos of rape, child pornography and objectionable material were needed to be "stamped out".
By UNI

CHANDIGARH: In a move to overhaul the state units ahead of 2019 general elections, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal today dissolved the party units in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan with immediate effect.

The decision to dissolve the state units was taken after getting suggestions for the same from party observers Balwinder Singh Bhundar, Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra and Sikandar Singh Maluka, respectively representing the three states.

SAD Senior Vice President and Spokesperson Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said the process of making major changes in the organizational structure of the party has been going on with the pacing up of the preparations for the Lok Sabha elections.

New organizational structure will be announced in the next two months after having extensive deliberation with the senior leadership of the party,a he added.
By PTI

SHILLONG: A Meghalaya High Court judge has said the NRC is "defective" as many foreigners "became Indians" due to the exercise and nobody should try to make India an Islamic country.

Justice S R Sen, in a judgement passed on Monday while disposing of a petition of a man who was denied domicile certificate by Meghalaya, also observed that he was confident that only this government under Narendra Modi will understand the gravity.

He said that like Pakistan which declared itself an Islamic country after Independence, India "should have also been declared a Hindu country but it remained as a secular country".

READ | India should have been declared a Hindu nation post Independence: Meghalaya judge

At the same time, he urged the Centre to bring a law to allow Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhist, Parsis, Christians and Khasis, Jaintias and Garos tribals who are presently residing in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan to live in this country peacefully and with full dignity, without making any cut-off year.

"The NRC is defective as many foreigners became Indian and original Indians are left out," Justice Sen said, referring to the updating of National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam.

"Nobody should try to make India another Islamic country otherwise it will be a doomsday...," Justice Sen said.

The judge was, however, quick to add that he was not against "my Muslim brothers and sisters" who are residing in India for generations and abiding Indian laws.

"They should also be allowed to live peacefully".

The judge said, "I am confident that only this government under Narendra Modi Ji will understand the gravity, and will do the needful as requested above and our Chief Minister Mamata ji will support the national interest in all respects".

READ | Meghalaya High Court judgement on 'Hindu Rashtra' unacceptable: Asaduddin Owaisi

Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhist, Parsis, Christians and Khasis, Jaintias and Garos tribals who are presently residing in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan should be given citizenship without any question or production of any 21 documents, he ruled and directed that the order be delivered to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his colleagues besides to the office of Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy and Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma.

The court said these communities may be allowed to come at any point of time to settle in India and government may provide rehabilitation properly and declare them citizens of India.

Similar principle to be adopted for those Hindus and Sikhs who are of Indian origin and presently residing abroad to come to India at any time as they like and they may be considered automatically as Indian citizens, he said in his 37-page order.

The court also said that it expects the Government of India to take a conscious decision to protect the innocent Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhist, Parsis, Christians, Khasis, Jaintias and Garos who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and who are yet to come from abroad as they have the same rights to come to India as Indian citizens.

Although the Centre's Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 also seeks to make Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from the three countries eligible for Indian citizenship after a stay of six years, there was no mention of the bill in the court order.

The judge was also critical of the Boundary Commission appointed at the time of partition which drew an "imaginary line" to divide India into two pieces.

"A burning example is that if we visit the border, it is difficult to understand which land falls within India (in Meghalaya) and which is in Bangladesh as somebody's kitchen is in India and their bedroom is in Bangladesh," he said.

READ | Experts slam Meghalaya courts Hindu Rashtra observation

Terming it "highly illogical, illegal and against the principle of natural justice", Justice Sen said Hindus who entered India during partition are still considered foreigners.

Appealing to the Hindu people of both Barak valley as well as the Assam valley to come together to find an amicable solution, Justice Sen said, "Our culture, traditions and religions are the same.

We should not hate each other just on the basis of language".

The influential Khasi Students Union(KSU) responding to the judgement said it completely disagrees with any move to give these groups refuge in India "without taking into account all aspects including the demographic structure of the north eastern states of India".

Its general secretary D V Thabah cited the instance of the Indo-Nepal Friendship Treaty, 1950, which, he said had a detrimental impact on the indigenous Khasi populace in Meghalaya although Nepal does not share a common border with the state.

"If the (Citizenship) Bill is passed then it is apparent that Meghalaya will be severely affected owing to its long and porous border with Bangladesh," the KSU leader said in a statement.

AIMIM leader and MP Asaduddin Owaisi reacted sharply to the court order.

India is a secular and plural country and it will never become Islamic state said @asadowaisi. The #Hyderabad lawmaker condemned the judgement of Meghalaya HC Justice SR sen where he said India should have declared itself a Hindu nation at the time of the Partition. pic.twitter.com/rk11vdpfJb  Aashish (@Ashi_IndiaToday) December 13, 2018

"This is a wrong judgment. We do not accept it. You cannot give such a judgement... India is and will remain a plural, secular country. What kind of judgement is this.. will the government take note," the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen Party leader said at a public meeting.

"No one, least of all Justice Sen, can change the pluralism of my country. It has always been a bouquet of diverse traditions & it always will be. It is not by the 'mercy' of the majority that India is diverse, it's because of Babasaheb's Constitution," Owaisi said on Twitter.

However, Union Minister Giriraj Singh welcomed the judge's order saying his observations are in line with public sentiments.

"What he has said is also the voice of crores of people of India," the BJP leader said.
Amit Agnihotri By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Despite a generational change at the top after Rahul Gandhi became Congress president last year, the old guard continues to assert itself when it comes to choosing leaders for key posts in the party and the government.Veterans like Ashok Gehlot, Mallikarjun Kharge, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kamal Nath, Anand Sharma, Oommen Chandy and Ahmed Patel still hold key party posts, though Rahul, 48, has been gradually injecting fresh blood into the organisation by giving new responsibilities to younger faces.

With the Assembly poll verdict setting off a chief ministerial race in the grand old party, former Rajasthan chief minister Gehlot, who was brought in as AICC general secretary in-charge of organisation to prepare for the Lok Sabha polls, has thrown his hat in the ring, limiting the chances of state unit chief Sachin Pilot, who was tipped to be the new CM.

Similarly, in Madhya Pradesh, veteran Kamal Nath is considered to be the front runner in the race for the post of chief minister, much against Rahuls plan to install a younger Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Recently, Rahul had settled for long-time Sonia Gandhi aide Ahmed Patel as the new AICC treasurer to replace aging Motilal Vora who was not keeping good health.

Azad is the leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Sharma now heads the partys foreign affairs department and Kharge continues to lead the party in the Lok Sabha besides being the in charge of Maharashtra. Former Kerala chief minister Chandy is now in charge of Andhra Pradesh.

Party insiders say the old guard is hard to ignore as it is deeply entrenched into the system and retains its ability to influence decision-making.

However, the entry of youngsters like Scindia as chief whip in the Lok Sabha, Pilot as Rajasthan chief, Gaurav Gogoi as in-charge of West Bengal, Jitendra Singh as in-charge of Odisha, Rajeev Satav as in-charge of Gujarat, K C Venugopal as in-charge of Karnataka and Sushmita Dev as chief of Mahila Congress shows Rahul is pushing the envelope in revamping the grand old party. He has also brought in several younger faces as AICC secretaries who assist the seniors.

Rahul is trying his best but he cant make sweeping changes in the party. These issues will be taken care of in the long run. Till then, a mix of youth and experience is the best policy, a party strategist said.



Professor of political science in JNU Mridula Mukherjee said the continuation of the old guards did not limit Rahuls efforts to revamp the party as leaders were deployed as per the situation and their ability to carry everyone along.

Noting that youngsters must be given sufficient space and responsibilities, she said a combination of two generations was a normal for any party or company.

Pushing the envelope to infuse young blood



The entry of youngsters like Jyotiraditya Scindia as chief whip in the Lok Sabha, Sachin Pilot as Rajasthan Congress chief, Gaurav Gogoi as in-charge of West Bengal, Jitendra Singh as in-charge of Odisha, Rajeev Satav as in-charge of Gujarat, K C Venugopal as in-charge of Karnataka and Sushmita Dev as chief of Mahila Congress shows Congress president Rahul Gandhi is pushing the envelope in revamping the grand old party.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Thursday rebuked Air India's former director of operations Arvind Kathpalia, accused of violation of aircraft rules including evading breath analyser test and forgery, saying his actions cannot be called a mistake as they put at risk the lives of many and people like him are not worth being permitted to operate flights.

Justice Mukta Gupta made the remarks while issuing notice to the Delhi Police on an anticipatory bail plea filed by the pilot apprehending arrest in the case lodged against him on the direction of a lower court in which he is also accused of tampering with evidence, criminal conspiracy and intimidating a doctor working with the airline in January 2017.

Kathpalia was removed as director of operations of Air India in November this year after failure to clear pre-flight alcohol test, with the government citing "serious nature of the transgression and (his) failure to course correct".

"These people are not worth being permitted to operate flights. You (Kathpalia's counsel) must get this person acknowledge the fact that he is not worth operating flights.

It is to make him understand that he is not above law," the judge observed on Thursday.

When the judge asked whether the pilot was present in the court, his counsel said no and submitted that he would ask Kathpalia to be present on the next date of hearing on December 20.

According to the police, Kathpalia operated a flight from New Delhi to Bengaluru without undergoing the mandatory pre-flight breath analyser test on January 19, 2017. Further, even at Bengaluru he refused to undergo a similar test.

Later, on his arrival in New Delhi, he allegedly went to Pre-Flight Medical Examination Room and made a false entry in the Pre-Flight Breath Analyzer Examination Register for the flight he had operated.

During the hearing, senior advocate Ramesh Gupta and advocate Rajiv Mohan, who were appearing for the pilot, said this was not a case of forgery and it was a mistake.

They said he was already punished for this lapse by the DDCA which had suspended his licence for three years.

The counsel claimed that it was false complaint made against him by the Indian Pilots Commercial Association and his career of over 30 years has been impacted.

To this, the court said it was not a mistake and it risks lives of so many people.

"Sometimes, over-confidence kills you," it said.

The Delhi Police opposed his anticipatory bail plea saying it was not a normal case of forgery as the consequences were grave and he also threatened the doctor on duty.

A trial court had earlier directed the police to lodge the FIR for alleged violation of aircraft rules, tampering with evidence and intimidating a doctor working with Air India in January 2017.

Police had alleged that Kathpalia has also issued threats and intimidated Dr Nitin Seth, DDCA's doctor on duty, with a view to coerce him to retract his statement given in inquiry conducted by aviation regulator DGCA, where he had alleged that the Captain had manipulated the record in the register.

It was also alleged that there was violation of aircraft rules apart from tampering of evidence, coercive intimidation.
(Photo/Xinhua)

The nation is set to overtake Europe as the world's biggest contributor to artificial intelligence research within four years, according to a new report.

The study of global AI trends also found that China is attracting more academic talent than it is losing, while Europe, the world's largest AI research market by number of publications, is suffering a "brain drain".

Dutch publisher and analytics company Elsevier carried out the study focusing on the three largest countries and regions contributing to the field of AI - China, the United States and the European Union.

"Europe is still the largest contributor to AI research but continues to lose publication share," the study authors said. "The United States is regaining ground lost in the last five years. China is bound to overtake Europe in publication output in AI in the near future, having already overtaken the United States in 2004."

Elsevier analyzed the number of research paper publications coming out of regions in five-year periods over the last two decades. It found that Europe's share of global AI research has consistently decreased.

Europe contributed 35 percent of publications between 1998 and 2002, falling gradually over each subsequent five-year period to reach 30 percent between 2013 and 2017.

Meanwhile China's share has increased dramatically, from 9 percent of global publications between 1998 and 2002 to 24 percent between 2013 and 2017.

The US lost ground in each five-year period between 1998 and 2012; however the rate of publications rose slightly between 2013 and 2017 to reach 17 percent of the global share.

"China's artificial intelligence research has developed very fast in recent years, increasing its global significance within the field," said Sun Zhenan, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Automation.

He added: "China has unique advantages in applied technology research and development, for example, in the area of face recognition. AI education has been receiving more and more attention in recent years, not only in universities, but also in vocational colleges, and even in secondary and primary schools. This growing AI talent base will result in even greater future development of the AI field in China."

Authors of the report noted that China "aspires to lead globally in AI" and is supported by "ambitious policies and rapid growth". A net "brain gain" of AI researchers also suggests an increasingly attractive research environment.

Over the 20-year period, China has experienced a 0.1 percent surplus in inflow of AI researchers, achieved through a migratory outflow of 3.5 percent versus an inflow of 3.6 percent. The US experienced an inflow surplus of 0.3 percent over the period. Meanwhile in Europe there was a 7.8 percent outflow of researchers compared with a 6.8 percent inflow, contributing to a net loss of AI talent of 1 percent.

The study also found that AI talent is increasingly migrating from the academic sector into industry, and the rise of large tech companies in the US and China may contribute to the European "brain drain".
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: The defeat in three states of Hindi heartland has sent the alarm bells ringing for the ruling BJP especially in Uttar Pradesh where it is faced with daunting task of repeating its 2014 performance

for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. BJP is now faced with resurgent Congress on one hand and challenges of SP-BSP truck on the other.

Now post- latest drubbing, while the BJP is gathering itself, it is also feeling a palpable pressure from both allies and right-wing outfits in the state. While the allies find a better scope of having a say, ideological friends like VHP and RSS are set to push the ruling party further over temple issue.

In UP, BJP had secured 42 per cent vote share winning 73 of 80 Lok Sabha seats along with allies in 2014. UP had emerged as the biggest stronghold for the saffron party. Its victory of 2014 was

consolidated in 2017 when BJP stormed to power in the state with a mammoth mandate. However, four back-to-back bypoll defeats in Gorakhpur, Phulpur, Kairana and Nurpur not only retarded the movement of saffron juggernaut but also dampened the morale of the party workers.

Even the right-wing organisations like VHP attribute BJPs defeat in three states to disillusioned Ram bakhts.

MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh have predominantly Hindus with minorities present in small numbers. Uncertainty over temple issue might have played a major role in the disenchantment of majority community which rejected BJP in three states, said a senior VHP leader.

However, many party insiders view it as the fallout of party-led governments stance on SC/ST Act which ultimately pushed the upper castes away from it. Similarly, the allies like Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) of OP Rajbhar feels that this defeat may be replicated in 2019 if the MBCs are not given their due

by carving a quota for them within OBC quota. On the other, anti-incumbency of a decade and a half in MP and Chhattisgarh played a vital role in BJPs defeat.

However, the jolt in the hindi heartland has made the BJP think tank to chalk out an elaborate programme for partys top brass including PM Narendra Modi and national chief Amit Shah while firming up its

strategy to keep its vote bank intact in 2019.

Consequently, a series of public rallies to be addressed by the PM are lined up starting with Rae Bareli on Sunday. It will be PM Modis maiden visit to Congress bastion and parliamentary constituency of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi after becoming the Prime Minister. He had earlier visited the constituency in 1999.

After addressing a rally in Rae Bareli, the PM will proceed to Prayagraj to address another public meeting. It will be followed by his public meeting in Ghazipur to woo the most backwards including the Rajbhars on December 29. While the PM will take the Mission Reconnect along by frequenting UP in December

and January, party chief Amit Shah too is expected in state capital Lucknow on December 25 to analyse booth-connect and voter-connect initiatives of the state.

BJP state unit has firmed up the programmes of its different wings focusing on caste arithmetic and issues related to women, minorities, farmers, and youthat the micro level right from the district to grass root level.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Terror incidents have nearly doubled in Jammu and Kashmir this year, and there has also been an increase in killings of security personnel in the state, according to the latest official data from the Ministry of Home Affairs. However, the state recorded a dip in the number of infiltration attempts made by terrorists from Pakistan.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Gangaram Ahir told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that 587 terror incidents were reported in the state till December 2, 2018, compared to 322 such incidents during the same period last year. In response to a question, the government said the increase in the terror incidents is linked to support provided to them from across the border. The level of terrorist violence in the hinterland part of Jammu & Kashmir is linked to infiltration from across the border, the minister said.

However, data submitted by the government shows 378 infiltration attempts were made by terrorists till October this year. During the same period, 419 attempts were made last year.

This year, armed forces killed 238 militants till December 2, as against 200 terrorists last year. Security forces killed 213 terrorists in 2017 and 150 terrorists in 2016. More than 86 security force personnel have lost their lives in the terror incident till December 2. Civilian casualties have shown a slight decline with 37 civilians losing their lives in such incidents.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: A year after the armies of India and China were locked in a standoff at Doklam, soldiers of the two countries were seen chanting, linking arms and dancing in the backdrop of a joint military drill in a video released by the Indian Army.

READ | India and China to resume joint military drills after one year gap

The armies of the two sides resumed their annual military drill 'Hand in Hand' on December 10 and it will continue until December 23 at Chengdu in China.

"Ex #HandInHand2018. 'Bole So Nihal Sat Sri Akal'. #Synergy #Interoperability #UnitedNations @SpokespersonMoD @PIB_India," the Army tweeted.

Last year, India and China were locked in a standoff at Doklam leading to tensions between the two sides.

The strained relations between the two sides later improved resulting in an informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Chinese city of Wuhan in April this year. "The drill will promote understanding between the two militaries and improving their capabilities in fighting terrorism," Col Ren said.

The exercises, which will conclude on December 23, will include live shooting and adoptive and basic training, he said, adding that true to its name 'Hand in Hand', China and Indian militaries should also work hand in hand for the benefit of people in both the nation.
Jyoti Punwani By

What does it mean for the rank and file of a police force, the most favoured arm of the state, to feel orphaned? What happens when hooligans who enjoy police patronage turn against their protectors?

All known equations have been turned topsy-turvy in Bulandshahr, first by Station House Officer Subodh Kumar Singhs murder on Decem-ber 3, then by the UP chief ministers reaction to it.

In 2006, after two constables were lynched by a Muslim mob after police firing killed two Muslims in Bhiwandi, Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil declared: If anyone throws stones at policemen, we will answer them with bullets. The NCP leaders shocking statement only corroborated what police normally do. Even during the 1992-93 Mumbai riots, when the police were openly protecting rioting Shiv Sainiks, they didnt hesitate to fire at those Sainiks who turned against them.

It is rare indeed for police anywhere in India to take action against a Hindutva mob; they normally treat them with kid gloves. In Bulandshahr too, police did not open fire despite the ferocity of the Hindu mob that wanted action against those responsible for cow slaughter. In fact, according to his driver, SHO Singh was trying to reason with the mob when he was attacked.

Mumbais first family, the Thackerays, and their boys, have never been troubled by the police, despite having openly instigated and participated in violence against Muslims and Hindu outsiders. Similarly in Bulandshahr, the police has never taken action against the main accused in the murder, local Bajrang Dal convenor Yogeshraj Singh, a known communal troublemaker. Even a week after the incident, he has not been arrested, though he and another absconding accused, boldly posted videos exonerating themselves and blaming the officer they allegedly killed.

These videos are a slap on the face of the local police. Will all this change the happy relationship between them and Hindutva groups?

Since Yogi Adityanath came to power in Uttar Pradesh, Yogeshraj has devoted his time to striking terror in the hearts of Muslims in the region. Did this 25-year-old, who boasts on Facebook about his Dadagiri and Hindugiri, ever imagine this would result in the death of a Hindu policeman? Or does he justify the elimination of a policeman who didnt endorse the Hindutva cause as wholeheartedly as expected?

And what of the relationship between the police and the government? The CM himself, negating all eyewitness accounts, has dismissed the murder as an accident, even while his own police force managed to nab the Rashtriya Rifles (RR) jawan who allegedly shot Singh.

What Adityanaths one-word description conveys is that there was no intention on the part of the mob to kill Singh, it just happened. Both Yogeshraj and the jawan, Jeetu Fauji, can take heart from this exoneration by the most powerful authority in the state. The same mob that murdered Singh set on fire the police chowki in which Circle Officer S P Sharma and two juniors had locked themselves. The three escaped through the ventilator. Also an accident?

Imagine what the murdered officers driver must feel at the CMs dismissive remark. He had urged his boss to flee with him, but Singh thought he could convince the mob. When he went back to rescue Singh, the latter was lying seriously injured. But when he put the officers inert body into the jeep, the mob attacked them again. Some accident!

The burning of the police chowki has forced its inmates to spend the long winter nights at a bus stand. The events of the last week must permeate their thoughts. What must also haunt them is the knowledge that getting hold of the goondas who struck this grievous blow to their force is not their chief ministers priority. They must first find out who killed the cows. What must this do to police morale, the factor

that prompts governments across the country to protect policemen accused of inhuman conduct with ordinary citizens?

Uttar Pradeshs policemen will be more than willing to obey their chief ministers orders to put down cow slaughter firmly, just as they have implemented his encounter criminals policy with gusto. But will his refusal to acknowledge the deliberate violence against their officer, turn them against Adityanath?

Perhaps the chief minister sees in this incident a reflection of the agitations he used to lead, except that this one went too far. His party MPs have lost no time defending the mob, pointing out that the SHO put too many obstacles to Hindu celebrations, thereby hurting Hindu sentiments. But by supporting the likes of Yogeshraj, they are riding a dangerous tiger. Remember Bhindranwale?

One does not know whether the Muslims of Rajasthan, Haryana and UP have got used to the idea that in the eyes of their governments, their lives are less precious that of cows. But now the police of the politically most important state have to get used to it. As does the family of SHO Singh.
K Madhu Sudhakar By

Express News Service

KURNOOL: With bleak prospects for exports, onion farmers are selling their produce at throwaway price at Kurnool agriculture market yard. Impacted by the price slump in Maharashtra, onion prices in Kurnool have hit the rock bottom of Rs 2 per kg.

As a result of glut in the market, arrivals of onions at the market yard have decreased  4,000 quintals of onions a day now compared to 15,000 quintals a day earlier. When the prices were high, Kurnool farmers used to export onions to Maharashtra, but it is no longer remunerative for them now due to slump in prices. Following glut in the major markets in Maharashtra, onion is selling at Rs 0.50 per kg in Pune.

ALSO READ | Prime Minister's Office returns money-order of farmer who got pittance for onions

To get a good price for their produce, the farmers are also forced to sell onions in the local market yard. Many farmers are finding it difficult to meet harvesting and transport expenses of their produce as the prices are highly unremunerative. I brought 60 bags of onions on Tuesday, which were sold at a mere Rs 3,500, said Uppari Venkatesh, a farmer from Ulchala village in Kurnool mandal. It is difficult to even recover the money spent on transportation, he added. Several farmers have stocked up onions expecting a rise in prices. But the produce is getting damaged as onion is a perishable commodity. Kurnool was once the largest producer of onions in the State  the crop is cultivated in 25,000 hectares.

ALSO READ | Maharashtra farmer earns Rs 6 after selling onions, sends it to Chief Minister

Another farmer K Narayana of Chanugondla village in Gudur mandal, said, Storing onions has become a problem. Almost half of my stock is damaged as I could not find a single cold storage unit for the farm produce. The damaged onions are now selling at a price less than Rs 1, he said.

With the onion prices touching a new low, it would not come as a surprise if the farmers resort to the extreme step of committing suicide, said Bukkala Madilety, a farmer from Parla village in Kallur mandal, Agriculture Joint Director A Uma Maheswaramma said proposals for price stabilisation will be sent the Collector.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: With his choice for the Legislative Council Chairmans post being ignored by his own partymen and another MLC installed, Congress legislative party leader and coordination committee chairman Siddaramaiah cut short his visit to Malaysia and returned to Bengaluru on Wednesday night.

Siddarmaiah, who was scheduled to be in Malaysia for five days from Monday, returned three days earlier. Earlier in the day, Congress MLC Pratap Chandra Shetty was elected unopposed as Chairman of the Legislative Council.

Siddaramaiahs staunch supporter and Congress MLC S R Patil was overlooked for the post to accommodate Shetty, who has the backing of the Congress old guard including G Parameshwara, M Veerappa Moily and Oscar Fernandes. While sources close to Siddaramaiah claim that Shettys candidature was run by the former chief minister, many leaders in the party believe that the last-minute choice stunned many, including Siddaramaiah himself.

Upper House is now like Karnataka Karavali Council



Elected as MLA from Badami, Siddaramaiah is expected to talk to legislators who are expressing disappointment. While sources close to Siddaramaiah claim that his early return has nothing to do with the Council Chairmans election, party insiders believe the urgency is a result of party leaders colluding with JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda to pick Shetty as their candidate.

The election of Shetty has come as a surprise to many within the Congress while legislators from North Karnataka have taken offence to the party sidelining S R Patil and JD(S) Basavaraj Horatti for the post. Legislators from North Karnataka have expressed disappointment over lack of representation for the region. The Council is now like Karnataka Karavali Council. This is blatant injustice to North Karnataka that is already suffering due to lack of adequate representation, said a Congress MLC.

S R Patil, Horatti upset

The swift move to elect Shetty has left 2 frontrunners for the post  Basavaraj Horatti of JD(S) and S R Patil of Congress  hugely disappointed
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday commuted the death penalty awarded to M A Antony for hacking to death six members of a family in Aluva in 2001 to life imprisonment. A bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur said the trial court, the Kerala High Court and the apex court had overlooked the probability of convicts reform and his reintegration into society while awarding him the capital punishment.

Antony was sentenced to death by a trial court in January, 2005 for murdering six members of a family within three hours in the intervening night of January 6-7, 2001 due to a financial dispute.

The trial courts order was upheld by the High Court in September 2006 after which he approached the apex court.

The Supreme Court dismissed his appeal in April 2009 and subsequently, his plea seeking review of the judgement was also rejected in April, 2010.

However, his review petition was re-opened for consideration by the top court following a constitution benchs verdict in which the apex court had held that appeals pending before it in death sentence cases be heard only by a bench of three-judges.

While commuting the death sentence to life imprisonment, the court said the trial court and the High Court should have taken into consideration his socio-economic condition while awarding the punishment.

The bench said it did not think it necessary to consider the period of incarceration of the convict as a factor for deciding whether or not he should be awarded the death sentence.

There are a number of cases where convicts have been on death row for more than six years and if a standard period was to be adopted, perhaps each and every person on death row might have to be given the benefit of commutation of death sentence to one of life imprisonment, it said.
By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An indefinite fast by the BJP over Sabarimala issue in front of the State Secretariat got a new twist, when a man set himself on fire, right in front of the tent where BJP leader CK Padmanabhan's has been on an indefinite fast, on the wee hours of Thursday.

With the 49-year-old man Venugopalan Nair, succumbing to injuries by Thursday evening, the saffron party called for a state-wide hartal, terming him an Ayyappa devotee who committed suicide over the state government's Sabarimala policies. However, the Police are of the view that Venugopalan Nair chose to end his life due to turbulent personal life.

Reports about his dying declaration also indicate that the act was due to personal reasons. However, reports have come out showing his nephew Binu has links with the RSS.

As both sides stick to their positions, the death has suddenly given fodder to the saffron party that's been locked in a pitched battle with the police and the Left government over Sabarimala stalemate.

Nair committed suicide here on Thursday in front of the tent before the Secretariat where BJP leader C K Padmanabhan's has been fasting over Sabarimala issues. Nair immolated himself around 1.30 am before the makeshift tent, where Padmanabhan has been fasting, after pouring kerosene over him. Witnesses said the man had first come to the tent and then went across the road. He spilled kerosene from a bottle he was carrying and set himself on fire.

Venugopalan Nair

The man then crossed the road and tried to barge into the tent, but was blocked by the policemen who were stationed to provide security to the fasting leader and the BJP workers using chairs.

Nair suffered grave burns and was shifted to the Medical College Hospital where his condition grew worse. He finally breathed his last by Thursday afternoon. The BJP leaders were quick to call a state-wide hartal in protest against the suicide. They said Nair was a staunch Ayyappa devotee who took his life for not being able to withstand the state government's activities in the hill-side shrine.

BJP state general secretary MT Ramesh said that government is ignoring all protests in the Sabarimala issue and is scoffing at the devotees. He said that a devotee has committed suicide following this attitude of the LDF government led by Pinarayi Vijayan and BJP is conducting the hartal on this.

The state government has been endorsing the Supreme Court verdict allowing entry of young women to the shrine, while the hindutwa organisations are up in arm against the move.

However, the police counter the BJP narrative. Special Branch top officials said Nair had no political affiliation and was having a troubled personal life.

He was living with his mother and brother at his house in Muttada. Working as a plumber, Nair had married twice but the affairs did not last long as he was an alcoholic and had a history of domestic violence, said a police officer.

"He was into alcohol and drugs. His wives and children have moved out of his house and his personal life was suffering. He regularly visited Sreekandeswaram temple and after visiting he used to loiter around in the city and return home at odd times," said a top cop with the State Special Branch.

BJP's claim is anchored on the comment of Nair's nephew Binu, who police identified as a RSS worker. Binu had said that his uncle was a Sangh Parivar activist. The police thought otherwise. "His sister's son is a BJP worker and that's why he gave such a statement," a senior officer said.

The police tried to confirm this with Nair's brother with whom he was living. His brother emphatically told that Nair was not working for any political party, the officer added. Nair used to visit Sabarimala every year, but this time he chose not to go. Police suspect this decision was due to prevailing tension at the shrine and not because he was incensed over the Supreme Court's verdict on women's entry or the police action. The Magistrate has recorded his statement before death which is expected to provide the exact reason for suicide.
By UNI

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An Ayyappa devotee attempted to commit suicide by pouring kerosene over himself in front of a tent, where a former president of Kerala BJP is staging an indefinite hunger strike, at 0200 hrs on Thursday.

Alleging that the Government was paying no heed to Sabarimala issue and the hunger strike by the BJP leader, the devotee poured kerosene on his head and tried to set himself on fire. The man identified as Venugopal belongs to Muttada here, suffered more than 70 per cent burn injuries.

READ| 3 lakh women to be part of human wall in district

A few policemen and a small group of people, who were at the dharna venue, snatched the kerosene can from him and tried to put out the fire and save him.

Police rushed him to the Government Medical College Hospital here and his condition is said to be critical.

The shocking incident happened in front of the tent where former Kerala BJP president CK Padmanabhan is staging an indefinite hunger strike demanding the withdrawal of Section 144 CrPC in Sabarimala and many police restrictions at the hillock temple.

Later, talking to mediapersons here, BJP State General Secretary MT Ramesh alleged that the Government was not providing proper security at the venue where BJP leaders are staging indefinite dharna.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has asked police not to take any action on a criminal complaint against A R Murugadoss, director of Sarkar, starring Vijay, which sought to punish him for allegedly depicting the welfare schemes and freebies offered by Tamil Nadu government in poor light.

Justice N Anand Venkatesh gave the oral directive to this effect on Wednesday and adjourned the matter till December 14. Following a complaint from one G Devarajan, Central Crime Branch had registered an FIR against Murugadoss for alleged offences including promoting enmity between different groups.

In his petition seeking to quash the proceedings, the director submitted that no prima facie case is made out against him. In a free democracy, criticising the government policy is not an offence. In fact, it is a fundamental right guaranteed under Article 19(1) (a) of Constitution.

Apart from the reasonable restrictions imposed under article 19(2), right to freedom of expression, which are deemed to be projected as an objectionable wrong against a specific political party, will amount to a tyrannical rule, unjustifiable before the eyes of the law.

Moreover, the disputed scenes had already been removed by the Central Board of Film Certification. Therefore no offence, as claimed by complainant, was committed by the petitioner, he said.

State pulled up for not punishing adulterators

CHENNAI: The second bench of the Madras High Court has indicted the Food Safety authorities for not taking action against the adulterators of food items, particularly milk. Not satisfied with the status report submitted by the Food Safety department of the State government, the bench of Justices Vineet Kothari and Anita Sumanth, directed it to file a detailed report afresh, indicating the number of adulterators prosecuted and sent to jail and the number of pending cases.

Plea against school edu secretary closed

CHENNAI: Accepting submissions of Additional Advocate-General A Kumar, the Madras HC closed a contempt plea which sought to punish School Education secretary, director and others for allegedly violating courts earlier orders. Kumar submitted that as per the court order, the department had settled all the dues to the family of a deceased teacher in Vallal SI Alagarsamy Chettiar HSS at Royapuram. Holding that there is no contempt or violation of the order of the court, Justice R Subbiah closed the application recently.

AC appointed to inspect city dog pounds

CHENNAI: A division bench of the Madras High Court has appointed Yogeshwaran as Advocate-Commissioner (AC) to inspect the dog pounds maintained by Greater Chennai Corporation and file report. Justices M Sathyanarayanan and P Rajamanickam gave the directive, when a PIL from Almighty Animal Care Trust, at Gerugambakkam, came up on Wednesday.

Plea for EC nod for starting party in Jayas name

CHENNAI: A writ plea has been made in the Madras High Court for a directive to the Election Commission in New Delhi to grant approval for starting a new political party in the name and style of J Jayalalitha Party, in short JJ Party. Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana, before whom the petition from one P A Joseph came up for hearing on Wednesday, posted it after four weeks for hearing.

The petitioner had applied in March this year along with all necessary documents, for approval. However, the EC rejected his plea. Hence, the present petition.
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By Express News Service

CHENNAI: In a significant development, the Arumugasamy commission which has been inquiring into the death of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa, on Thursday summoned deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam and health minister C Vijayabaskar to appear before it.

According to sources, the probe panel headed by retired Madras High Court judge Arumughaswamy has summoned Panneerselvam to appear before it on December 20. Vijayabaskar has been summoned for an appearance on December 18.

Earlier, the probe panel asked Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan to depose before the commission on December 14.

The former chief minister J Jayalalithaa was hospitalised in Apollo hospitals on September 22, 2016. After undergoing treatment for 75 days she was declared dead on December 5, 2016.

Raising suspicious over medical treatments provided to Jayalalithaa during hospitalisation, a detailed enquiry into the circumstances around Jayalalithaa's death was one of the main conditions laid by Pannerselvam before the merger of rebel camp with the ruling party.

Subsequently, on September 25, 2017, the Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaiswamy appointed retired High Court Arumughaswamy commission to an inquiry into the circumstances that led to the death of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa.

The commission so far inquired about 150 witnesses in connection with the death of Jayalalithaa.
By PTI

STRASBOURG: The French government on Thursday urged "yellow vest" protesters not to hold another round of demonstrations this weekend as police hunted for a second day for the fugitive gunman who attacked a Christmas market in the eastern city of Strasbourg.

Government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux called on the anti-government protesters to be "reasonable", citing the strain on security forces after the attack in Strasbourg on Tuesday evening.

Police across several European countries have launched a manhunt for the main suspect, a 29-year-old Strasbourg native, who killed two and injured 13 after opening fire on shoppers.

The suspected killer, identified as Cherif Chekatt, is thought to have been injured after exchanging fire with soldiers, but managed to escape and has not been seen since.

"Our security forces have been deployed extensively these past few weeks," Griveaux told CNews television.

"It would be better if everyone could go about their business calmly on Saturday, before the year-end celebrations with their families, instead of demonstrating and putting our security forces to work once again," he added.

So-called "yellow vest" protesters, known for their fluorescent high-visibility jackets, had called for a fifth round of protests this Saturday against President Emmanuel Macron.

The protests began on November 17 over fuel tax increases, but snowballed into a revolt over living standards as well as Macron's perceived indifference to the problems of ordinary citizens.

The appeal came as authorities announced that a sixth person had died since the start of the protests, after a 23-year-old was hit by a truck in southern France near Avignon.

Even before Tuesday's attack in Strasbourg, the government had scrapped a fuel tax increase slated for January, a core demand of the protesters, who mainly live in rural areas and smaller towns and rely heavily on their cars.

Macron also announced a hike in the minimum wage, tax relief on overtime work and a rollback on taxes for many pensioners in a televised address to the nation on Monday night.

Last Saturday nearly 90,000 police were mobilised across the country for the protests, with 8,000 officers and a dozen armoured vehicles deployed in the capital, where scores of stores, museums and monuments were closed.

While some of the movement's representatives have said they are open to halting the protests to negotiate with the government, others have said Macron's concessions are not enough.

Hundreds of police in France are now hunting for Chekatt, whose picture was published late on Wednesday in a bid to track a career criminal who has at least 27 convictions in four European countries.

His mother and father, as well as two brothers, were detained for questioning Wednesday.

Strasbourg's location at the crossroads of France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg, makes the search more complicated.

Chekatt, who lived in a rundown apartment block a short drive from the city centre, was flagged by French security forces in 2015 as a possible Islamic extremist while in prison.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced Wednesday that France's anti-terror Sentinelle operation, which counts around 7,000 soldiers nationwide, would be boosted by a total of 1,800 troops over the coming days.

Among the casualties in Strasbourg, two were killed outright and another has been declared brain-dead, while 12 more were injured, six critically, France's anti-terror prosecutor Remy Heitz said.

They included one Thai tourist who was among the dead.

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha sent a letter of condolence to his French counterpart saying he was "profoundly shocked and saddened to learn of the horrendous attack in Strasbourg".

The statement said the Thai citizen had been on holiday in the city.

In Rome, the foreign ministry said one of the injured was an Italian journalist covering the European Parliament, but did not confirm media reports that he was in a serious condition.

According to a tweet by Poland's embassy in Paris, a Polish citizen was also among the injured.
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Before earning his diving instructor certificates, first CMAS in 1990, followed by PADI in 2008, Luc Latapie says he was a Sunday diver from the age of 12, when he spent his summers in the south of France. So it was only natural that he should look for a diving watch, as an 18th birthday treat. After spending a few months looking around, he was stopped in his tracks by a shop window in Genevas Rue du Mont-Blanc. He had just found the watch of his dreams: the Seamaster 1000. It was love at first sight. He didnt know much about Omega, but he did some research on the model, and quickly discovered that this was the diving watch that had been tested by the legendary Jacques Cousteau, a highly respected figure in the underwater community. Commander Cousteau had attached a prototype of the Seamaster 1000 to the hull of the submarine that, on several occasions between 1968 and 1972, he took down to a depth of 1000 metres. The phenomenal waterproofing of the watch and its association with Cousteaus expeditions sealed its legendary status and established it as an iconic diving watch. As well as being captivated by the watchs appearance, Luc Latapie also fell for its history. In his eyes, it was as important and as symbolic as his guitar.

Luc Latapie  DR

Lucky watch

And yet, he almost lost it. He was resurfacing after an underwater fishing expedition. In order to descend to 40 metres, he had worn a lead diving belt; the belt was attached to helium balloons so that, once back in the 20-metre zone, it could be jettisoned. But just after he had unfastened the belt, Luc Latapie noticed something: his watch was attached to it, dangling between the strap and the weights. I was extraordinarily lucky. If I hadnt seen it go, I would never have found it, 40 metres below. Since then, he has become even more attached to his Seamaster 1000, and he has even greater respect for Omega. So when he read in the press that Omega was planning to reissue another cult diving watch, the famous Seamaster Professional 600 m, he didnt think twice. Its more than a watch: it connects the watch world to the underwater world, and I wanted one immediately. I love the shape of the Ploprof case, the orange push-piece that has replaced the red pusher on the old model, the crown lock and, of course, the steel shark-proof bracelet with its integral extension to fit over your diving suit. Its more precise than the original model, and its also very convenient that you can simply adjust the hour, without changing the minutes, when youre travelling. He liked it so much, in fact, that he also ordered a spare clasp with the additional black and orange rubber straps.

Luc Latapie and his Omega Seamaster  DR

A free spirit

Luc Latapie, an autodidact and outdoor enthusiast, has continued to earn professional qualifications throughout his life. Etiopathy, naturopathy, physiotherapy... his most recent qualification is a national osteopathy diploma, which brings him up to date with the latest standards of the profession. What does he like best about his job? I love the independence. I have an enormous amount of freedom to do my job; I love working with doctors, and the contact with patients. The richness of working independently comes with risks, but I have the same feeling of freedom in my job as I do when Im diving, or in the mountains. I never feel as if Im being held back. I have obligations, but no constraints. And yet he also needs to dream: The day I no longer love what Im doing, my life will be over. But thats still a long way off! Luc Latapie keeps his feet on the ground, and focuses on dreams that are accessible. What he cares most about is sharing, communicating and bringing happiness to the people around him. Im quite happy to dive or go for a hike in the mountains on my own; those moments of solitude are good for me. But I couldnt live alone, or away from the people I love. One day, he hopes to pass on his Omega watches to his two sons, even though they already have one each, in completely different styles. The oldest has a vintage Omega Geneva, while his younger brother (whose wife wears an Omega De Ville Co-Axial) has a Speedmaster Moonwatch. Luc Latapie bought his own wife, Marianne, an Omega De Ville Prestige. It was a big surprise, because I wear very little jewellery, and I was drawn to its sporty-chic look. The third generation of the Latapie family is currently a girls-only affair, and theres no doubt that Omega will play a role in celebrating the major milestones of their lives too.

Latapie family wearing Omega watches  WorldTempus/Brice Lechevalier

Omega Seamaster Ploprof 1200m Co-Axial

The Ploprof 1200 m Co-Axial, launched in 2016, is a reissue of the iconic Seamaster Professional 600m of 1970. It is water resistant to 1200 metres and comes equipped with an automatic helium valve (at 4 oclock), a screwed crown and bidirectional rotating bezel with safety button (at 2 oclock). The current version has a five-year guarantee, and is priced at CHF 8,750. The shark-proof steel bracelet (or rubber strap) has a folding clasp with finely graduated adjustment and additional fold-out extension piece. The automatic manufacture movement is the COSC-certified 8500 calibre with Co-Axial escapement, delivering a power reserve of 60 hours. There is a date window at 4 oclock, and a second time zone can be displayed on the bezel. The movement is protected by a hefty steel case (55 x 48 mm) and a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating.
Wolves & People Farmhouse Brewery in Newberg, Oregon is holding a holiday cellar sale this Friday and Saturday Dec. 14th and 15th, 2018. The rustic brewery just a little ways outside of Portland will have four different bottles on sale for 20-30% off and Ash Woodfired Pizza will be on-site. You can also enjoy the taproom and patio while trying the breweries full lineup, kids are also welcome.

Bottles Available:

NUT FARM: Our signature robust porter is brewed with nine specialty malts and fresh-ground cacao nibs imported from Peru and Honduras by Portland chocolatier, Woodblock, then aged on 100lbs of dry roasted filberts. At 7.41%abv and 32IBUs, its both balanced and beguilingly potent, with rich, warming, nutty flavors that mingle and linger. This would make a great gift for the stout and porter lover in your life! It's on draft, as well. We love this beer, and you will, too. SALE: $12/750m; $126/case

INSTINCTIVE TRAVELS: We ferment this straw-hued saison with a yeast strain isolated from the Walloon region of Belgium. It pours a vibrant gold body with a billowing, pillowy head. It's lavishly dry hopped with alpha from both the Southern and Northern hemispheres, and refermented in the bottle to create a natural carbonation. It celebrates the arrival of long, sunny days on our farm, the passing of one of hip hop's greatest, and to both travels taken and yet to be made. Just think: grassy saison, plus Mandarina Bavaria, Hallertau Blanc, and all the Brett. It's what we want to drink. And with a well-known tendency to improve with some age, it's one you can cellar as well. 6.4% ABV/0-12 IBUs. SALE: $11/750ml; $118/case

GOLDBERRY: An American wild saison aged a year in French oak Pinot noir barrels with our Amigos house sour culture and refermented with absurdly plump, aromatic local golden raspberries from Sunshower Hill Farm. We recently debuted this beer at The Festival in Denver, CO, a global gathering of brewers and beer fanatics, and suffice to say we were quite proud of the love it earned! This will also be ON DRAFT, which happens almost exactly never! SALE $12/500ml; $126/CASE

VALE RESERVE CHERRY: is our traditional biere de garde aged extensively in French oak Pinot noir barrels atop second-use Montmorency cherries with house sour cultures and gently bottle-conditioned. Brett character really comes to the fore in this complex and funky brew, recently presented by the exclusive Portland restaurant HOLDFAST on their prix-fixe tasting menu (with a dessert). With its rich and diverse grain bill and three-hour boil this beer's complexity and depth of flavor is truly something to celebrate. SALE $9.60/500ml; $100.80/case

What: Wolves & Peoples holiday cellar sale -- 20% off all bottles and 30% off cases (mixed cases, too)

When: Friday, Dec. 14th from 2-8pm and Saturday, Dec. 15th from noon-8pm (brewery will open with regular prices and hours from noon-8pm). Ash Woodfired Pizza will begin serving at noon on Saturday, until sold out.

Where: Wolves & People Farmhouse Brewery, 30203 N.E. Benjamin Rd., Newberg, OR 97132
The bodyof the man, was found lying along Bindura road in Glen Norah A, approximately 200 meters away from his house, with all his particulars, including wallet and cellphone on him.
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The slaughter of sea turtles off the coast of Alexandria is a threat to a species that has been living in the region for some hundred million years

This is the 74th sea turtle we have rescued in the last four years, said Mau Gawad Hamada, founder of the Alexandria Turtle and Wildlife Rescue Team, an NGO, as she was releasing it back into the sea off Alexandria last week.

While every release of a sea turtle is accompanied by huge crowds and marine lovers who accompany Hamada and her team, a recent survey has shown that the killing of the sea turtles is still going on despite the official and non-official campaigns that have been gaining strength across the Mediterranean city.

When someone sees turtles being sold in markets in Alexandria, they call us to go to rescue them and stop them from being slaughtered, Hamada said.

The team collects money from its members to buy turtles from sellers so they can be saved and released back into the sea. This time round, the team reached an illegal trader in the fish market at just the right time to buy the turtles from him so that they could release them back into the sea.

We must be prepared at all times for calls that might save an endangered marine life species, Hamada said.

The illegal trader who was selling the turtles was later arrested by the Alexandria Water Authority and the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency and charged under Article 28 of the environment law that stipulates that it is forbidden to hunt, possess, transport or circulate and sell endangered wild birds and animals.

Though the article is clear, illegal traders do not always get imprisoned as they are released from jail after serving a one-day sentence and paying a small fine, Hamada added.

Mohamed Nada, head of the Save the Sea Turtle Project, said that sea turtle populations have declined throughout the Mediterranean and particularly off the coast between Alexandria and Salloum.

There were various reasons, he said, including direct exploitation, the destruction of nesting sites due to the rapidly expanding tourist industry, incidental capture in fisheries, and a lack of awareness among the public.

Since Hamadas team was founded in 2014, the group has been raising awareness among local populations of the serious threat to sea turtles.

People do not always know. Sometimes even fishermen and fish traders are not aware of the risks when they catch a sea turtle, and raising awareness is one of the main goals of the group.

There has been a lot of progress. It is often local people, sometimes vendors and children, who call us if they see sea turtles in a market or being washed out to sea, Hamada added.

In addition to stopping the illegal trade in sea turtles, the group has also helped bring foreign consulates and civil society groups on board to raise awareness about the environmental changes affecting them.

Foreign Consultates

A recent report has shown that the world has lost up to 60 per cent of its wild life over the past 50 years. It shows the devastating effect of the human species homo sapiens on planet Earth.

The British Consulate in Alexandria has been hosting events to support the Alexandria Turtle and Wildlife Rescue Team and raise awareness about wild life in the city. From cleaning beaches to hosting conferences and securing funds, the consulate has made valuable efforts in this vital cause.

British Consul in Alexandria Wendy Freeman told Al-Ahram Weekly that the best way I have found in trying to address this pressing issue is to raise awareness and to educate people.

I have been supporting Mau by helping her raise awareness and get the message out. She is protecting sea turtles, which are an endangered species. But I also help her to protect wildlife and stray animals by promoting compassion to animals.

Whether you are in Egypt, in the UK, or elsewhere in the world, the best way is to raise awareness among people because it is people who have the most impact on animals, Freeman said.

Sea Turtle

The consulate offers what help and support it can, including by hosting the first conference on sea turtles in Alexandria last year that brought together experts from marine life and northern environment authorities as well as the Egyptian customs authorities and schools to help people understand the benefits of sea turtles.

When people understand the benefits of sea turtles, including that the turtles eat the jelly fish that have been threatening Egypts shores, they will stop killing them. The more turtles there are, the less jelly fish there will be and the more tourists there will be, Freeman said, adding that the consulate had helped to mark World Wildlife Day in Alexandria and the beach clean-up drive sponsored by the British embassy.

The unofficial actions of the British consulate to protect marine life and wildlife in Alexandria comes in parallel to the British governments priorities this year. One of these is to support environmental protection, especially by removing plastic from the seas and eradicating the illegal trade in wildlife.

Removing plastic from the worlds seas and oceans has topped government agendas because of the unprecedented decline in marine life threatening many species. The fact is that plastic bags have been found in turtles, and when they eat the plastic they die, Freeman added.

This plastic is choking the worlds marine life. Our role is to encourage people to stop using plastic, and I will keep doing what I can to support the campaign.

Banning Plastic Bags

According to a report by the World Economic Forum, there will be more plastic than fish in the sea by 2050 when plastic bags will outnumber fish in the worlds seas and oceans.

According to the report, the worlds use of plastic has increased 20 fold over the past 50 years, and it is expected to triple in the next 20.

Since Alexandria is one of the largest African cities with a population that exceeds eight million, it is also one of the largest waste-disposal sites in the Mediterranean Sea.

A recent report conducted by the Oceanography Department at Alexandria University monitored the physical and chemical nature of major land-based sources of pollution near the Alexandria coast, concluding that the effect of the disposal of untreated waste was very clear on marine life, which had been very seriously affected in areas downstream of such land-based sources.

Hamda team

The discharge of waste in these areas had created unacceptable environmental conditions that do not support marine life in ecologically important ways.

This was very clearly seen in recent years when we realised the impact plastic bags were having on marine life in the Alexandria sea belt, said Ahmed Yassin, founder of the citys Make a Contribution Club (MAC), a local environment group.

The club has organised initiatives to ban plastic bags in Alexandria in parallel with government efforts to replace traditional plastic bags with eco-friendly ones.

If we start from our own homes, things will be easier, said Yassin, who has identified three steps that should be followed to halt the discharge of waste into the sea. First, divide your waste into organic and recycled.

Second, reuse the plastic you already have at home. Third, use cloth bags instead of plastic ones when doing any shopping, he advised.

If these things are applied by houses, clubs, institutions and factories in the city, Alexandria will be the number one in Egypt to ban plastics.

Cleaning up the citys beaches is also a priority for the MAC club this year, as it organises clean-ups of the most polluted ones in Alexandria.

If we can ban throwing plastic into the sea, some turtles and marine life species will survive. People should realise that by changing their behaviour we can make a difference and make a great contribution to marine conservation, Yassin said.

It is sad to see a turtle die because of a straw stuck in its stomach, or a dolphin getting tangled up in a plastic bag. If we can stop these things, then lets get together and stop them, he concluded.

More On Turtles

The first records of hunting sea turtles in Alexandria are by British zoologist and conservationist Stanley Flower in 1933, when he reported seeing a large loggerhead turtle at the Alexandria fish market.

Almost 50 years later, Mohamed Nada in a study published in 2001 described the sea-turtle trade in Egypt and said the declining number of sea turtles was due not only to illegal fishing but also to low nesting figures for marine turtles compared to other areas in the Mediterranean, with nests scattered along the coastline.

Sometimes, the nests are washed away by tourism projects. A satellite tracking study conducted in 2000 showed that Egyptian waters were visiting sites on the female green turtle migration route. After nesting in Northern Cyprus, five out of six female green turtles visit Egyptian waters as a wintering area, which means that Egypt is primary destination for marine sea turtles.

Earlier studies in the 1990s revealed that nesting female populations are as low as 2,000 loggerhead turtles and 300 to 400 green turtles nesting each year. However, as Nada suggested, Egypt remains a serious threat to remaining sea turtle populations due to illegal fishing practices and illegal sales.

Sea turtles act as grazing animals, cutting sea grass beds and helping to maintain their health. Without the sea grass beds, many marine species would be lost, as would lower levels of the food chain, Ahmed Gamey, an animal specialist, told the Weekly.

There is little or no vegetation on dunes or beaches on the North Coast, and this can also be a threat to sea turtles.

When the turtles lay their eggs on the Alexandria beaches, very few hatch properly due to poor vegetation of the industrial or tourist projects constructed near the shore. These destroy the local food chains and ecosystems, Gamey explained.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 6 December, 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Saving the sea turtles

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(Newser)  The Trump administration was directly involved in an attempt to assassinate Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduroat least, thats what Maduro claims (and not for the first time), the Guardian reports. "I have no doubt that the White House authorized the drone against Nicolas Maduro," he said, speaking in the third person during a Wednesday press conference, according to the Miami Herald, which notes that officials in the US often speak of the need for peaceful regime change in the South American country, "even as the threat of military intervention hangs in the air." The embattled Maduro says US National Security Adviser John Bolton is behind a range of plots to destabilize Venezuela. These include the aforementioned botched drone attack against Maduro in August and conspiring with "ultra-right locos" in Brazil to invade Venezuela. (Read more Nicolas Maduro stories.)
(Newser)  Tragedy in Antarctica: Two technicians are dead after an unexplained accident at an American research station, the National Science Foundation says. The NSF says the two men had been working on a fire-suppression system for a McMurdo Station building that houses a generator for a radio transmitter, Reuters reports. They were found unconscious by a helicopter pilot who landed to investigate after spotting smoke coming from the building. Both men were taken from the building and given CPR. One was pronounced dead at the scene and the other was pronounced dead after being flown to a medical clinic, authorities say.

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The NSF says it is not immediately releasing personal information about the two men, who worked for PAE, a Virginia-based subcontractor, the Guardian reports. The agency says the two men were fire technicians who had been doing preventative maintenance on the building. The NSF says the deaths, which are not being treated as suspicious, will be investigated by a panel it will convene. The research station on Ross Island is the largest outpost in Antarctica, with more than 1,000 workers at this time of year, which is summer in the Southern Hemisphere. (In 2010, New Zealand's Air Force rescued a sick American from the station in winter.)
(Newser)  When he was growing up, Michael Carroll's mother told him and his three siblings that their father had walked out one day in 1961 and never returned. But George Carroll was just feet away the entire time, buried more than six feet below the basement of their Long Island home. Authorities say that bones Michael Carroll and his two grown sons found while digging in the basement on Oct. 30 have been identified as George Carroll, whose death is now being treated as a homicide, NBC News reports. The Suffolk County Medical Examiner's office says he suffered blunt-force trauma to the head that fractured his skull, though the injury may been inflicted after his death.

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Michael Carroll, who was just eight months old when his father disappeared, bought the house from his mother in the 1980s. She died in 1998. He says that growing up, he was told not to ask about his father, though there were multiple family rumorsincluding one that George Carroll had been buried in the basement of the Lake Grove home, the Washington Post reports. Michael Carroll says he has an idea who might have killed his fatherwho was never reported missingbut anybody involved is long dead, ABC7 reports. He says he would like his father, a Korean War veteran, to be buried at Calverton National Cemetery. " I want him to be a soldier," he says. "I want him to get what he needs." (The body of another long-missing person was recently found in another Long Island basement.)
(Newser)  It's not only a Michigan man who could face life in prison after a woman's mutilated body was discovered in the apartment building he owns. Jared Chance's parentsincluding a father who worked as an Illinois police officer for 25 years, per WWMTcould face the same fate if convicted on charges that they hid knowledge of their son's alleged efforts to "cut Ashley Young's body into multiple pieces," per police statements. Chance, 29, was the last person seen with the Kalamazoo woman, aged 30 or 31, at a Grand Rapids pub on Nov. 29, according to a Facebook page about Young's disappearance, per MLive. He was arrested on charges of mutilating a body and concealing a death on Dec. 2, when Young's torso was found beneath a tarp in the shared basement of his Grand Rapids rental unit, reports the Holland Sentinel, describing other body parts as found in Chance's apartment.

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A day earlier, Chance told his parents he cut up Young's body "and hid some of those pieces," according to an affidavit. Despite appearing for a police interview on Dec. 6, James and Barbara Chance "failed to inform the proper authorities of Ashley Young's death and dismemberment ... with the intent to aid the offender in avoiding or escaping detection, arrest, trial, and punishment," the complaint says. James, 76, is accused of lying to prosecutors about when the couple, their son, and a fourth person departed Grand Rapids for Holland, where Chance's parents live. Per WWMT, Barbara, 63, allegedly made false statements about the last time she'd spoken to her son. Each were charged Wednesday with one count of perjury and one count of accessory to murder after the fact. No one has yet been charged in Young's killing. (Cops in Mexico found body parts in a baby stroller.)
(Newser)  A Buddhist monks monthlong forest meditation was interrupted in a most horrid way Wednesday in India. Rahul Walke, 35, was meditating under a tree in Maharashtras Ramdegi forest, home to a Buddhist temple and a protected tiger reserve, when a leopard attacked, reports the Times of India. A fellow monk bringing food to Walke witnessed the attack and ran for help, but returned with others to find the monk dead. The BBC describes the meditation spot as quite far away from the temple, which is surrounded by solar fencing to deter predators like tigers, leopards, sloth bears, and hyenas. Per AFP, there have been four area deaths attributed to tigers and leopards this month, including the Monday killing of a shopkeeper whose stall sits on the edge of the forest.

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Gajendra Narawane of the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve says officials warned monks that wild animals were in the area. "But, unfortunately, before the monk could leave the place, the incident occurred," he tells the Times. "I would like to tell everyone not to go inside the forest," he adds, per the BBC. A police officer says Walke's "badly mauled body was found further into the forest, indicating the animal tried to drag it along," per AFP. Officials are trying to capture the leopard, though its unclear if it will be euthanized. "We have set up two cages and a camera trap, and we will try to tranquilize the animal," says Narawane. Per the BBC, state officials have pledged to give nearly $17,000 to Walke's family. (A cougar likely killed a hiker in an "unprecedented event" in Oregon.)
(Newser)  Melania Trump gave her second televised interview as first lady Wednesday nightand at times, she sounded a lot like her husband. When asked by Fox News' Sean Hannity what the hardest thing she'd had to deal with was, she singled out the media, the Washington Post reports. "I would say the opportunists who are using my name or my family name to advance themselves," she said. "From comedians, to journalists, to performers, book writers ... The problem is they're writing the history and its not correct." She said the media liked to focus on "gossip" when talking about her marriage and she would "like that they focus on the substance, not just about nonsense.

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Hannity, who interviewed Trump while they were aboard the USS George HW Bush, asked why she often uses the phrase "stay true to myself." She replied: "I do what I think is right. I know I will get the criticismfrom the public or from the mediabut I will do what is right and what I feel is right for the country and for the people." She said she sometimes advises her husband to tone down his style, but in "the end, its his decision. He knows the consequences. He's an adult. But he's a fighter. He's the fighter." Asked how she would feel about a second term for her husband, she said: "The country does best ever. I want that the country to continue to do well." (She says she sometimes tells the president to put his phone away.)
(Newser)  Once Upon a Deadpool opened nationwide Wednesday, and while it's earning tepid reviews, its promo poster is drawing more heated reaction. Who's hot about it: supporters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which boasts a painting that looks to be the inspiration for the Deadpool poster, reports Fox 13. The poster (see it here) shows the film's main character, wearing a flowing white garment under the words "Yule Believe in Miracles," with various characters playing musical instruments on either side of him, per the Salt Lake Tribune. What's got LDS advocates upset is that it very closely resembles Harry Anderson's The Second Coming, which was commissioned by the church and now appears in various LDS venues and adherents' homes. Instead of the masked Ryan Reynolds character, the Anderson art shows Jesus Christ in a white robe, surrounded by angels playing trumpets.

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A petition signed by more than 36,000 people as of Thursday morning notes that "it is unknown if the picture was used to intentionally mock the Church of Jesus Christ, but it is clear it was copied from the original picture. This is a form [of] religious discrimination." Some of the petition's comments include accusations of blasphemy, hate speech, and sacrilege over the posterthough a few commenters tell others to lighten up over the "satirical" poster and "go see the movie." A Mormon studies expert says the movie's marketing team should've more properly vetted how this poster would affect the LDS community. "If that wasn't done, then I think it's a failure of research," he tells Fox 13. "If it was done and they're disregarding people's feelings ... that would be really unfortunate." (The church doesn't want people calling them "Mormons.")
(Newser)  It took more than two hours to extract him from his vehicle, and he'd been trapped inside it for more than two hours before that. Michael Finn is lucky to be alive after being pulled out of California's Klamath River early Wednesday after an accident that sent his Ford Fusion flying into the water, overturned for almost five hours, the California Highway Patrol tells KDRV. CHP says that around 5:30am that day, a call came in that an upside-down car had been spotted in the river, and when rescuers rushed to the scene, they found the car "on its roof, almost fully submerged," with its emergency flashers blinking. When the car was pulled up, Finn was discovered inside, alive and breathing thanks to a small air pocket, and he was taken out of the car at almost 8am. He tells police he thinks he crashed around 3am.

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KVAL cites the "multiple agencies" that were involved in getting the 28-year-old and his car out of the river, with firefighters, CHP officers, divers, EMTs, and a towing company all playing a part. One Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office diver in particular was "extremely instrumental" in the rescue, jumping into the water to hook Finn's car up to a towline, per KDRV and KOBI-TV. As of Wednesday night, hospital officials said Finn was in "guarded" condition from exposure, with his vitals still all over the map. It's unclear what caused his car to crash. (A Mississippi woman walked away relatively unscathed after her car went airborne and crashed into a gas pump.)
(Newser)  The Senate on Thursday sent what the Washington Post described as a historic rebuke to the White House over Saudi Arabia. Actually, it delivered two rebukes. First, senators voted 56-41 to invoke the War Powers Act and demand that the US end its military support of the Saudi-led coalition in the Yemen war, per the Hill. Neither the Senate nor the House has ever invoked the 1973 act previously. The Senate also votedunanimouslyto condemn Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and called on the Saudi government to "ensure appropriate accountability," reports the AP. The details.

Only symbolic? Though historic, it's unlikely the war resolution can pass the House this year. That chamber already has moved to effectively make passage impossible in 2018, reports the Weekly Standard. And even if it did pass, President Trump would likely veto it. Democrats could re-introduce it in 2019, however.

Though historic, it's unlikely the war resolution can pass the House this year. That chamber already has moved to effectively make passage impossible in 2018, reports the Weekly Standard. And even if it did pass, President Trump would likely veto it. Democrats could re-introduce it in 2019, however. Why? Mounting reports of war atrocities and the killing of Khashoggi led to bipartisan anger among senators, per NPR. Seven Republicans bucked Trump on the war vote, including co-sponsor Mike Lee of Utah. Among other things, the legislation forbids the American refueling of Saudi jets and orders the US to scale back its military presence in the region, reports the Wall Street Journal.

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Argument in favor: "It says to the country, it says to the world, the United States Senate ... will not be part of this brutal, horrific war in Yemen led by an undemocratic, despotic regime," said Bernie Sanders, another co-sponsor, before the vote. Particularly, he said the bombing of a bus filled with children in August, along with the murder of Khashoggi, gave the measure its necessary added support.

"It says to the country, it says to the world, the United States Senate ... will not be part of this brutal, horrific war in Yemen led by an undemocratic, despotic regime," said Bernie Sanders, another co-sponsor, before the vote. Particularly, he said the bombing of a bus filled with children in August, along with the murder of Khashoggi, gave the measure its necessary added support. Argument against: Both Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan made the same argument: that the War Powers Act doesn't apply because the US isn't directly involved in hostilities. "If the Senate wants to pick a constitutional fight with the executive branch over war powers, I would advise my colleagues to pick a better case," said McConnell, per the Washington Examiner.

Both Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan made the same argument: that the War Powers Act doesn't apply because the US isn't directly involved in hostilities. "If the Senate wants to pick a constitutional fight with the executive branch over war powers, I would advise my colleagues to pick a better case," said McConnell, per the Washington Examiner. US help: The US has provided logistical support to the Saudis, though Ryan points out that the US already has stopped providing air-to-air refueling for Saudi jets. Lee, on the other hand, said the US is providing bombs and helping determine where to drop them. "That's involvement in war, and that's pretty direct," he said, per USA Today.

The US has provided logistical support to the Saudis, though Ryan points out that the US already has stopped providing air-to-air refueling for Saudi jets. Lee, on the other hand, said the US is providing bombs and helping determine where to drop them. "That's involvement in war, and that's pretty direct," he said, per USA Today. Focus on the prince: For the first time, senators have suggested they want the Saudi regime to remove the prince from power, notes Al Jazeera. "The current construct" with Saudi Arabia "is not working," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, who is expected to chair the Senate Judiciary Committee next year. "You're never going to have a relationship with the United States Senate unless things change."

For the first time, senators have suggested they want the Saudi regime to remove the prince from power, notes Al Jazeera. "The current construct" with Saudi Arabia "is not working," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, who is expected to chair the Senate Judiciary Committee next year. "You're never going to have a relationship with the United States Senate unless things change." A bright spot: The Senate action came hours after opposing sides in the war met in Sweden and agreed to a cease-fire in the pivotal port city of Hodeidah, reports the Wall Street Journal. It's a rare diplomatic breakthrough after four years of war.
Egyptian security forces have killed 27 "very dangerous" terrorists during recent security operations, the Armed Forces said in a statement on Wednesday.

The army said that 24 terrorists were killed in a shootout during raids in Sinai and Suez Canal cities, and that the terrorists were in possession of weapons and ammunition. Air forces killed three others in the country's Western Desert bordering Libya, it added.

The statement said the terrorists were killed over the "past period," without giving a specific timeframe. One soldier was killed in a shootout with militants, it added.

The statement also said that airstrikes destroyed 61 vehicles containing weapons and ammunition in the Western Desert.

Security forces discovered and destroyed 344 bombs planted to target forces, as well as 342 hideouts and weapons depots used by terrorists in central and northern Sinai.

Over 400 suspects have also been arrested.

Border guards arrested around 3,000 people of different nationalities trying to cross the Egyptian borders and seized large amounts of illegal narcotics.

The military launched in February a large-scale operation to eradicate terrorists who have regularly launched attacks that have killed hundreds of security forces over the past few years. The months-long campaign involves the army, navy, air force and police.

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(Newser)  A Russian woman accused of being a secret agent admitted Thursday that she conspired to infiltrate the American gun-rights movement to gather intelligence on conservative political groups as Donald Trump rose to power. Maria Butina, 30, agreed to plead guilty to a conspiracy charge as part of a deal with federal prosecutors, the AP reports. The case, which is separate from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, has offered insight into how Moscow seeks to influence American policy. Federal prosecutors in Washington say Butina and her Russian patron, Alexander Torshin, used their contacts in the National Rifle Association to pursue Russian back channels to American conservatives during the 2016 campaign.

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As part of her deal, Butina pleaded guilty to a single charge of conspiracy to act as an unregistered foreign agent and agreed to cooperate with investigators. The charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, though the defense noted Thursday that federal sentencing guidelines recommend no time to six months. She probably will be deported from the US after her sentence is completed. Authorities charged that Butina's work was directed by Torshin, a Russian government bank official now under sanction by the Treasury Department for his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Prosecutors also have said that Butina's boyfriend, conservative political operative Paul Erickson, identified in court papers as "US Person 1," helped her establish ties with the NRA. Butina has been jailed since her arrest in July.

(Read more Maria Butina stories.)
(Newser)  A TV meteorologist died by suicide amid a struggle with complications from Lasik surgery. Fox 2 Detroit announced Jessica Starr's death on air Thursday morning, saying in a statement her colleagues are "in deep shock." Starr underwent Lasik SMILE surgery in October, posting on Facebook that it "went well," but four weeks after the procedure she said in a live video to her followers that while she had just returned to work, she was struggling with dry eye and other lingering vision issues; she asked for prayers and said she had been told it could be up to three months before she felt 100%. Just a day later, in her last Twitter post on Nov. 14, she said, "Update; yesterday was a struggle for me. I really wanted to come back but I need more time to recover. Please keep me in your thoughts during this challenging time. Will keep you updated."

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Starr had been with Fox 2 Detroit since 2012, the Detroit Free Press reports. The 35-year-old leaves behind a husband and two children, the Springfield News-Sun reports: 5-year-old son Noah and 3-year-old daughter Riley. Her colleagues have been sharing fond remembrances of her and mourning her online, People reports. Deadline notes that while the risk of serious side effects following laser eye surgery is officially low, anecdotally, reports have been shared of problems being more common. Just last month, a Canadian man's suicide was blamed on side effects following laser eye surgery, the New York Daily News reports. The founder of online support group Lasik Complications told CTV after that case that there have been 10 suicides following laser eye surgery in the US. (More on the risks of Lasik here.)
During his participation in the signing ceremony to construct the Rufiji dam in Tanzania, Egypts PM Mostafa Madbouly said that the Egyptian construction alliance winning a tender to design and construct the project affirms Cairos commitment to supporting development efforts in Tanzania and Africa.

During the ceremony on Wednesday, which was attended by Tanzanian President John Magufuli and top country officials, Madbouly gave a speech where he expressed hopes that the project would open new horizons for cooperation between Egypt and Tanzania.

The leading Egyptian construction company Al-Moukawolon Al-Arab (Arab Contractors) has won a tender to design and build the huge dam on Tanzania's Rufiji River, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement last October.

The government-run company has been tasked with building the $3 billion 2.1 GW hydroelectric Stiegler Gorge dam, considered by Tanzania as one of its most important national projects for power generation.

The Egyptian government, with all its political, economic and technical institutions, is eager to strengthen bilateral relations with Tanzania, the Egyptian PM said in his speech.

Madbouly praised the 54-year-old bilateral ties between Egypt and Tanzania.

The PM said that Egypt, which will chair the African Union in 2019, is keen on boosting cooperation with Tanzania on issues of mutual interest and within the framework of Cairos desire to enhance joint African cooperation.

There are many important joint projects underway between our countries in various fields. However, we believe that there is still enormous potential to enhance cooperation with our brothers in Tanzania, the Egyptian premier said

The project is a joint venture between Arab Contractors and Elsewedy Electric Company, according to a press release from Arab Contractors.

Construction of the facility will involve building a main dam and appurtenant structures, with an expected reservoir length of 100 km and a reservoir area of about 1,350 square km. The dam will be around 134m high.

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Presidential candidate of Social Democratic Party, SDP, Donald Duke, Thursday, signed the 2019 peace accord at the Kukah Centre, Abuja.Duke, who had stayed away from signing the agreement with the National Peace Committee, being chaired by the former Head of State, Abdulsalam Abubakar, on Tuesday, along with President Muhammadu Buhari and candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, hailed the process.Speaking shortly after signing the agreement, the former Cross River State governor said the process would assist in no small measures in checkmating electoral violence at during the poll.He said: The peace accord is necessary. It is one of the fundamental thing to do. You cant have elections of violence. INEC must do the right thing by increasing voters education.INEC should live up to its responsibility by sanctioning candidates involved in vote buying so that everybody will fall in line. Until we do that people will continue to do whatever they like.The politician, however, said since the county had existing electoral laws aimed at dealing with electoral offences, there was no need for the peace accord being signed by presidential candidates.Duke implored the countrys electoral umpire, the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, to increase the voter education and find way out of vote buying in the country.He siad: They is really no need for peace accord because we have laws. We just want to show that we are coming into the race.They are laws that deal with those who dont want to respect the norms of the society. In a sane society it ought not to be so.He, further noted that the continuous migration of Nigerians to other countries in search of greener pastures had made them engender species not just to the neighbouring countries but the world.
The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Prince Uche Secondus, on Wednesday alleged that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the police had entered into a secret agreement with the All Progressives Congress to cripple PDP states.Secondus added that the alleged move was aimed at stopping the PDPs bid to reclaim power and rescue the country from the inept rule of the APC.However, the APC dismissed the allegation, saying the former ruling party was not telling the truth.Secondus in a statement by his Media Aide, Mr Ike Abonyi, claimed that the PDP was aware that the APC had mapped out a strategy to ensure that the PDP-controlled states are adequately inconvenienced and frustrated enough not to have concentration to tackle their reelection.The PDP leader alleged that the redeployment of Commissioners of Police in Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Ebonyi states was geared towards preventing his party from retaining power in the three states.He added, In the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly crisis, which was engineered by the APC, the police clearly became an interested party playing a biased role to dance to the music of the APC.In most PDP states, despite the governors being the statutory chief security officers, police commissioners have set up parallel structures to undermine the security of the states just to satisfy their paymastersThey have resolved to inject crisis into the PDP-controlled states and ensure that our governors who are refusing to play ball are permanently distracted.They have deployed a huge amount of money in these states to either use labour or state legislators to instigate crisis, frighten the governors and force them to do a deal with them.Secondus alleged that the EFCC and the police had been co-opted into what he described as a nefarious project to make it look as if it is an anti-corruption programme.He said, Nigerians should ask the Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr Ibrahim Magu, why is it that only PDP governors are on their radar.Nigerians should ask the EFCC why they are looking away from what happened in Kano that everybody watched. If Governor Ibrahim Ganduje had been a member of the PDP, would the EFCC have kept quiet?Nigerians should find out why is it that only the PDP s finance commissioners are visitors to the EFCC while their APC counterparts, where corruption is obvious, are glorified.Only PDP governors are performing and carrying out people-oriented projects across the country as can be witnessed by all but they are the only ones being harassed by Magu and his team.We are aware that Magu has vowed to make the reelection of President Buhari his personal project even if Nigerians appear to have turned their back on them.Secondus accused the APC of not planning to win the forthcoming general elections, but to rig.That is why they are not campaigning or seeking votes from Nigerians. That is why President Buhari has refused to sign into law an amended Electoral Act that would have guaranteed this nation a free and fair election, he said.However, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mr. Lanre Issa-Onilu, said Nigerians should know that the PDP was not saying the truth.He said, The PDP has many lies in its pot to dish out to unsuspecting Nigerians.This party lied that the accounts of its vice-presidential running mate, Mr. Peter Obi, were frozen. It turned out to be a lie.The party also lied that the home of two sons of its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, was searched by security agents, it also turned out to be a lie.This is another false alarm from the PDP. Nigerians should ignore it. Instead of sitting down to tell Nigerians what they want to do in 2019, they are busy ditching out lies.Issa-Onilu said the ruling party would expose the PDP soon when it started its national campaign.
Former governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, has commended aggrieved members of All Progressives Congress, APC, who lost out in the last primaries for not decamping to the opposition parties in Akwa Ibom State.The former governor who led other members of the South-South National Peace and Reconciliation Committee of the APC, explained that the committee was in the state to interact and hear from leaders and concerned members of the party with a view to brokering truce as a result of grievances that trailed the last governorship, National Assembly and state Assembly primaries of the party in the state.Addressing aggrieved aspirants, Aregbesola said: I must commend you for the maturity you have exhibited by putting behind you the hurt to work for the victory of our party. It is obvious that the APC is taking over the state in 2019.Therefore, I urge you to bury the agonies, pains and miseries of the past and remain true to the party because the victory of the party will drive away all that. The arranged defection of APC members to the PDP at Ibom Hall shows that APC is strong in Akwa Ibom and it has successfully pushed Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to start acting mischievous.Responding, the state chairman of the APC, Ini Okopido, expressed delight that the four aspirants that contested the governorship primaries of the party have decided to bury their hatchets and join hands to work with Obong Nsima Ekere, the flagbearer of the party, to ensure victory for the party in 2019.He said the party had already set up a peace and reconciliatory committee headed by Sen Akpanudoedehe to resolve all grievances arising from the last primaries.
This was announced on Thursday in a letter sent to the National Assembly and read on the floor of the House by the speaker, Yakubu Dogara.

May I crave the kind indulgence of the House of Representatives to grant me the slot of 11 hours on Wednesday, 19th December 2018 to formally present the 2019 appropriation bill in a joint session and lay before the NASS the 2019 budget proposal.

Please accept, Mr Speaker the assurances of my highest regards as I look forward to addressing the joint session, President Buhari said in the letter.

After reading the letter, some lawmakers threatened to boycott the budget presentation over the recent comment of Udoma Udoma, minister of budget and national planing.





At the end of the federal executive council (FEC) meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, the minister had said the 2019 budget proposal was ready but the national assembly is yet to fix a date for its presentation.





As you already know, the budget is ready. We are liaising with the national assembly because they are to give us a date. If they say today, we will go. The budget is ready, he had said.





Chika Adamu from Niger state had Adamu alleged Udoma told a lie on national television, and called on his colleagues to demand an apology from the minister.





Mark Gbillah from Benue state corroborated his claim, saying it is a statement he (Udoma) made categorically.





He lied against this honourable house on national television. I want to join my colleagues to request a formal apology on TV, else we will refuse to attend that budget session with Mr President, he said.





Mike Adeniyi from Ogun state also supported his submission, saying the executive arm has always portrayed the parliament in bad light.





The minister must come and apologise. If not, the president will come to meet an empty house, he added.





However, Femi Gbajabiamila, majority leader of the house, accused his colleagues of determining the minister is guilty without proper check.





He said: The minister called me this morning; he was alarmed and upset and shocked. He said he was just reading something in the papers ascribed to him and that he never said such a thing and he is writing a rejoinder as we spoke.





So I think we should tarry a while because you are accusing someone of lying. Let us not turn this house into a partisan house.





But Muhammad Soba immediately accused him of sycophancy.





We have seen how sycophancy has been taken to the next level. That is the APC government for you, the lawmaker retorted.





Thereafter, Dogara called on his colleagues to give the minister sometime to see if he will truly issue a rejoinder.





But if we dont see that (a rejoinder), then we have an issue because we will not allow this institution to be blackmailed. If nothing is done, we will take a concrete action on it, he said.





In October, the council had approved the 2019-2021 medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF) and fiscal strategy paper (FSP), and forwarded same to the national assembly for its consideration and approval.





In the following month, Udoma announced that the government was considering a reduced budget of N8.6 trillion, compared to the N9.1 trillion approved by the national assembly for 2018.





He said the decision was due to reduced government revenue projection for the year.




The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed says fake news and hate speech, if left unchecked, constitute the biggest threat to the 2019 general elections.The minister stated this on Thursday in Kaduna at the 47th Meeting of the National Council on Information, with the theme, Fighting Fake News and Hate Speech to Enhance National UnityState Commissioners of Information, Heads of federal information Parastatal, Agencies and other stakeholder are among those attending the meeting declared open by Kaduna Governor, Nasir el-Rufai.Mohammed stressed that with the 2019 general elections just a little over 60 days away, no issue that was more relevant to the election than the issue of fake news and hate speech.He said fake news had the capacity to alter the course of election, trigger legitimacy problem for the winner and the menace transcended political party lines, religion, ethnicity, and even nationality.Mohammed alleged that the opposition was using fake news to discredit the President Muhammadu Buharis Administration and deploying it as propaganda rather than engaging in issue-based campaign.He likened the development in the country to that of 2016 US Presidential elections and a recent violence in India where a dozen of people lost their lives.A recent study by researchers at the Ohio State University in the United States concluded that Russian interference and the fake news it promoted probably played a significant role in depressing Hilary Clintons support on the day of the countrys 2016 presidential elections.Among the fake news circulated ahead of the election were: that Clinton is in poor health due to a serious disease: Pope Francis endorsed candidate Trump, and Clinton approved weapons sales to Islamic Jihadists.Even the winner of that election, President Donald Trump, is still reeling from the impact of the alleged Russian intervention, he said.The minister added that: In India, about a dozen people lost their lives earlier this year because of fake news or hoax messages.The victims were lynched after they were falsely accused of child abduction based on fake messages circulated via the social media platform, WhatsApp!Right here in Nigeria, you are all aware of a recent report by the BBC, that fake news circulating in thesocial media is fueling the farmers-herders crisis in Nigeria.Disturbing pictures from other lands are circulated freely via Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter, purportedly being from the killings in Jos or Benue.Similarly, the minister said hate speech was a major catalyst of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, which left at least 800,000 people dead.He noted that the government, understanding the danger of fake news and hate speech, had taken proactive steps including the launch of national campaign against the phenomenon in July.The efforts have brought the issue of fake news and hate speech to the front burner of national discourse, which I consider a positive development.He commended the media, some government agencies and civil society organisations which had organised workshops and conferences to sensitise the nation to the topical issue.Mohammed also pointed out that the campaign against fake news and hate speech should not just be a responsibility of the Federal Government alone.He urged the governors and the Administrators of the Local Government Authorities to complement the efforts of the federal government in fighting fake news and hate speech.Speaking in same vein, El-Rufai said fake news and hate speech constituted national security threat and there was the urgent need for concerted efforts to fight the phenomenon.Represented by his Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Mr Muyiwa Adekeye, the governor said though Freedom of Speech is a significant and cherished right, it must not be a license to causing disunity and chaos.He, therefore called for vigorous law enforcement actions against fake news and hate speech.NAN reports there were goodwill messages from some participants and stakeholders before the meeting went to technical session.
Uche Secondus, national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has accused the federal government of injecting crisis in stat...





Uche Secondus, national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has accused the federal government of injecting crisis in states controlled by the PDP and forcing governors on the partys platform to a deal ahead of the 2019 polls.





In a statement on Wednesday, the opposition leader alleged that the federal government had entered into an agreement with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the police to cripple PDP states and ensure they lose focus on the 2019 elections.





Secondus said the move which is aimed at causing severe and disabling damage to these states is part of the grand design to distract the PDP from its focused journey to reclaim power and rescue this country from the inept rule of the APC.





He singled out Bayelsa state that had eight police commissioners in three years as well as Akwa Ibom and Ebonyi states where the police leadership in the states have been changed randomly.





In most PDP states despite the governors being the statutory chief security officers, police commissioners have set up parallel structures to undermine the security of the states just to satisfy their pay masters, he said.





They have resolved to inject crisis in PDP-controlled states and ensure that our governors who are refusing to play ball are permanently distracted for their re elections. They have deployed huge cash in these states to either use labour or state legislators to inject crisis, frighten the governors and force them to do a deal with them.





He alleged that anti-graft agencies have been co-opted into this nefarious project to make it look as if it is its anti- corruption programme.





Accusing Ibrahim Magu, acting chairman of the EFCC, of being deeply involved in the reelection campaign of Buhari, Secondus wondered why the commission had not gone after Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of Kano, over the controversial videos of him allegedly receiving bribe.





Nigerians should ask the EFCC Chairman Ibrahim Magu who is busy campaigning for President Muhammedu Buhari and wearing his campaign badge why only PDP governors are on their radar, he said.





Nigerians should ask EFCC why they are looking away on what happened in Kano that everybody watched, if Governor Ibrahim Ganduje had been a PDP would EFCC have kept mum?

Nigerians should find out why is it that only PDP Finance Commissioners are visitors to EFCC while their APC counterparts where corruption is obvious are glorified.





Only PDP governors are performing and carrying out people oriented projects across the country as can be witnessed by all but they are the only one being harassed by Magu and his team.





We are aware on good authority that Magu has vowed to make the re- election of President Buhari his personal project even if Nigerians appear to have turned their back on them.




A rights group, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to...









A rights group, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to consider appointing the next Inspector General of Police from the South-East at the expiration of IGP Ibrahim Idris tenure.





The group, in a press statement signed by its board of trustees chairman, Emeka Umeagbalasi, stated that the current Inspector-General would be retiring on January 3, 2019.





He said, It is authoritatively confirmed that the present Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim Kpotum Idris, shall be statutorily or legally retired from the Nigeria Police Force on 3rd January 2019.





Owing to widespread allegations and reports of exclusion of the citizens of Southeast from several important federal appointments including top security appointments the vacancy created by the retirement in three weeks time of IGP Ibrahim Kpotum Idris is now a major test case for the Administration.

The group argued that since the President and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) have constantly denied hating the Igbo, the retirement of the IG of police would be a good opportunity to demonstrate their claim.





Intersociety however warned against an attempt to keep the retiring IG beyond December 3, as such would be resisted.





Any attempt to retain him or perpetuate him in office beyond his tenure and the law is a clear invitation to anarchy and impeachment of the existing Constitution.





As his replacement, the Presidency should pick among Igbo serving senior Police Officers especially those with at least two years to stay in the Force.





From our checks, it is likely a great opportunity for Nigeria to have a first female Inspector General of Police in the person of recently promoted DIG Peace Ibekwe-Abdallah, an Onitsha (Anambra State) born female DIG, married to northern husband.





DIG Peace Ibekwe joined the NPF with appointment number AP25120 on 1st February 1986 and was born on 7th April 1963.





The group also listed some other senior police officers of Igbo extraction, and their birth and recruitment dates, who could be considered for the job.




Gamal Essam El-Din reports on preparations being made for Egypts landmark chairing of the African Union in 2019

Egypt was unanimously elected next years chair of the African Union (AU) during the AU summit in Ethiopias capital Addis Ababa in January 2018.

The AU was created in 2002, following the disbanding of the Organisation of African Unity, counts all 55 African countries as members and holds an annual summit in Ethiopia. Egypt has never before been elected head of the AU.

President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi, who is due to visit Ethiopia next month, will be chairman of the 31st round of the assembly of the AU, replacing the President of Rwanda Paul Kagame.

Ahead of Egypt assuming leadership of the AU, a two-day Africa 2018 Forum was organised in Egypts Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh. Focused on promoting economic growth across the continent, the event closed on Sunday.

Egypt, in collaboration with the African Development Bank and the African Export-Import Bank, has also organised an exhibition for inter-African trade.

The event, which kicked off on Tuesday and will continue until next Monday, has attracted more than 1,500 participants from some of the largest companies in Africa and the world.

Between 13 and 15 December, Egypt is also scheduled to host the seventh conference of African trade ministers.

Presidential Spokesman Bassam Radi said on 10 December that the conference will focus on eliminating all obstacles in the way of trade between African states. He

informed reporters that in a meeting on Tuesday with Chileshe Kapwepwe, the Zimbabwean secretary-general of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), President Al-Sisi said Egypt was set on recovering its leading role in Africa and will use its presidency of the AU in 2019 to advocate for the continent economically and politically.

Tarek Radwan, head of parliaments African Affairs Committee, told Al-Ahram Weekly that all state institutions have been mobilised to ensure 2019 becomes a landmark year in terms of Egypts foreign policy.

The African Affairs Committee, and parliament as a whole, are closely coordinating with the Foreign Ministry and the government to finalise our strategy in Africa in 2019, said Radwan.

The strategy will specify the role each ministry and government institution will play in Africa next year. For example, the Ministry of Agriculture is currently reviewing all of Egypts deals with African countries and discussing how it can help them boost African farm exports.

The African Affairs Committee is holding a series of meetings with ambassadors from African countries to set the stage for 2019.

All of them said they welcome Egypt playing a leading role in Africa and revealed that they are under instructions from their governments to do everything possible to facilitate this, said Radwan.

In a meeting with Radwan on 5 December, Djiboutis Ambassador Mohamed Zohr Harsi revealed his country had decided to grant Egypt one million square metres to establish a logistic base to facilitate continental exports.

During the closing ceremony of the Africa 2018 (Business for Africa and the World) Forum in Sharm El-Sheikh Sunday, President Al-Sisi announced the creation of an investment fund for IT infrastructure in Africa and a risk insurance fund to promote Egyptian investments across the continent.

Egypt will be back in Africa with all the strength and force required, said Al-Sisi.

We are proud to be part of this continent and it is high time for us to be a major player and partner. Egypt will use 2019 and its chairing of the AU to push for economic, legislative and political reforms in Africa in order for the continent to have a greater say in world affairs.

The world is finally recognising that Africa as a continent promises mutually beneficial business deals and high economic growth rates. It is a continent rich in natural and human resources.

Al-Sisi vowed that Egypt will boost its own investments in African countries in 2019.

Egyptian investments in Africa increased by $1.2 billion in 2018 to reach a total of $10.2 billion and are expected to grow even more in 2019, said Al-Sisi.

Radwan says the reaction of African leaders, governments and businesspeople to Egypts growing role in Africa was clear during the Africa 2018 Forum Conference.

Five presidents, 41 prime ministers and more than 3,000 entrepreneurs were keen to participate in the conference, said Radwan. This would have been unthinkable just three years ago when Egypt was struggling to recover its membership in the African Union.

Hassan Abu Taleb, a strategic analyst with Al-Ahram, told Al-Ahram Weekly that there is no question that President Al-Sisis four years in office have seen Egypt recover its leading role in Africa.

Under Gamal Abdel-Nasser Egypt was the continents most influential state, said Abu Taleb. Unfortunately, under Anwar Al-Sadat and Hosni Mubarak, Egypt lost most of its influence.

When Mubarak escaped an assassination attempt in Addis Ababa in June 1995 he decided to all but ignore Africa and after he was ousted from office in 2011 the damage of this policy became clear to all.

Ethiopia was able to begin building its Renaissance Dam without consulting Cairo, and relations with Sudan plummeted.

Now, said Abu Taleb, Al-Sisis dynamic engagement with Africa has stabilised Egypts relations with Ethiopia and Sudan. Both governments have vowed to do their best to support Egypts new strategy for Africa in 2019.

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri said in a forum held by the Egyptian-Canadian Business Association on 6 December that the fact that Egypt was unanimously elected chair of the African Union in 2019 sends a strong message that the continent is looking forward to Egypt playing an influential role again.

Egypt had been isolated from Africa since the assassination attempt on Mubarak in 1995. Now, we are returning with full force. We are entering a new epoch for Egypts continental relations.

Shoukri insisted Egypts relations with Ethiopia are strong.

Negotiations between the two countries have slowed down in recent months, largely due to a cabinet reshuffle in Addis Ababa, but we hope soon to reach common ground on the issue of Nile water and the Renaissance Dam, said Shoukri.

Shoukri said Egypts relations with Sudan have also improved.

After a brief period of misunderstanding the two countries have embarked on a new strategic relationship, greatly facilitated by President Al-Sisis historic visit to Sudan in October.

Egypts interest in Africa in 2019 will not be confined to economics and business. President Al-Sisi told the Africa 2018 Forum that there is a pressing need for institutional reforms in the AU.

I am proposing AU decision-making passes through different levels within the union for review and auditing before being endorsed by state leaders instead of being the sole prerogative of the assembly, said Al-Sisi.

Informed sources also say Egypt may use its chair of the AU to press for Africa to have a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

Abu Taleb notes that Egypts interest in Africa extends to facilitating greater cooperation in military and counter-terrorism matters.

Egypt, which has been engaged in a war on terror since 2013, is keen that sub-Saharan African countries join the battle given Islamist terrorist movements like the Islamic State have established a foothold there.

This week, for the first time, Egypt hosted military exercises for Sahel-Saharan states at the Mohamed Naguib military base west of Alexandria. The exercises are scheduled to end on 14 December.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 13 December, 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Egypt in Africa

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President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday reiterated that he will not hold on to power if he is defeated at the 2019 presidential electi...





President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday reiterated that he will not hold on to power if he is defeated at the 2019 presidential election.





President Buhari made the assertion at the 3rd Coronation Anniversary of the Olu of Warri Kingdom, HRM. Ogiame Ikenwoli.





The President, who was represented by the Minister of Petroleum Resources (State) Dr. Ibe Kachukwu, said he will ensure that the 2019 general elections is free and fair, adding that Nigerians will be allowed to vote their consciences.





Earlier in his remarks, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji SaAd Abubakar III, advised politicians not to see the forthcoming elections as a do or die affair to serve the people.





The revered monarch said, Politicians must love themselves, respect themselves and show understanding to one another, pointing out that the country needed peace and good governance.





They should respect the peoples wishes and allow them to go and vote who they want to lead them. We dont want a situation where peanuts are given to the people to go and vote, just as he enjoined the electorate to use their voter cards wisely.





Abubakar III said the Delta State Governor, Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa, should ensure he fulfilled his promises of constructing roads in the land and creeks in the State.





While noting that Nigeria needed peace, Abubakar III said, There is hunger in the land.





He attributed the hunger to poverty and bad governance amongst others.





The monarch noted that Warri, Delta State ought to be a replica of Dubai considering the amount of oil revenue that comes out of the place.





According to the monarch, the reverse is the case for Warri as it has been grossly under-developed as a result of bad governance by successive governments.





While calling on the presidency to rise up to the occasion, the Sultan said, We need to have a very developed area where people of the world live in peace.





The Olu of Warri, HRM Ogiame Ikenwoli, in his address read by Chief Brown Mene, urged Itsekiri politicians to play politics in violent-free manner, respect one another and as well put Itsekiri interests first at all times.




The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ekiti State, Prof. Abduganiy Raji, on Thursday, said the commission was now ready for the pending bye-election to fill the vacant seat in the State House of Assembly.The REC said the state office of Independent National Electoral Commission was, however, expecting directives from the National Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu on modalities for the conduct of the bye-election.NAN reports that the position of the lawmaker representing Ekiti Southwest constituency II, comprising Igbara-Odo and Ogotun towns became vacant following the death of Mr Michael Adedeji through alleged murder.Adedeji, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party was shot in the head on October 26, 2018. He died a few days later at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti.The REC told newsmen in Ado Ekiti that the commission was fully prepared for the polls.Raji, who spoke through the Commissions Public Relations Officer, Alhaji Taiwo Gbadegesin, said that he had written to the INEC s national chairman on the vacancy and was only awaiting directive.We are set for the election and we hope that the bye-election will be conducted by January. We have written to Abuja, I mean, to INEC National Chairman and we are expecting him to set the timetable for us to conduct the electionYou know it is important for the constituency to have a representative to speak for them and the commission is not unaware of this. We are prepared for the polls, but we cant unilaterally take a decision, it has to be given from AbujaI want to assure our people that there is no reason to be apprehensive about this; the bye-election will be held in due course, that we assure the constituents from that area, he said.
Udoma Udoma, minister of budget national planning, says the 2019 budget proposal is ready but the national assembly is yet to fix a da...





Udoma Udoma, minister of budget national planning, says the 2019 budget proposal is ready but the national assembly is yet to fix a date for its presentation.





Udoma made this known during a press briefing at the end of the federal executive council (FEC) meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.





The meeting was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, who had approved the estimates of the budget proposal during a special FEC meeting on Friday.





Udoma said it is now left for the national assembly to give a date for the submission of the budget proposal.

As you already know, the budget is ready. We are liaising with the national assembly because they are to give us a date. If they say today, we will go. The budget is ready, he said.





In October, the council had approved the 2019-2021 medium-term expenditure framework (MTEF) and fiscal strategy paper (FSP), and forwarded same to the national assembly for its consideration and approval.





In the following month, Udoma announced that the government was considering a reduced budget of N8.6 trillion, compared to the N9.1 trillion approved by the national assembly for 2018.





He said the decision was due to reduced government revenue projection for the year.




Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, representing Nasarawa West Senatorial District, has expressed concern over the manner former President Olusegun O...





Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, representing Nasarawa West Senatorial District, has expressed concern over the manner former President Olusegun Obasanjo criticised President Muhammadu Buhari.





Adamu, who stated this while briefing newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday, said Obasanjos criticisms of Buhari was not dignifying.





He was reacting to a recent report credited to the former president, where he said he was not neutral regarding his support for a specific presidential candidate in the 2019 general elections.





Adamu said: while he is entitled to criticise and also campaign against the re-election bid of Buhari, he should not be pedestrian in doing that.





What was Obasanjos record in office when he ran this country first from Feb. 1976 to Oct. 1979, and subsequently from May 1999 to May 2007.





Would there have been the desperate and notoriously corrupt bid for a third term in office that was witnessed by Nigerians if he had a good record by then, Adamu said.





According to the lawmaker, under Obasanjos watch, most of Nigerias strategic investments were sold without much to show as returns to the nation.





No Nigerian of repute who knows Obasanjos antecedents will be surprised at his current criticism of Buhari.





He is going off the line of fair comment in this circumstance, and I believe eminent citizens of this country need to call him to order, the lawmaker said. (NAN)
The senate has passed a bill establishing the south-east development commission. The bill was read for the third time and passed a...





The senate has passed a bill establishing the south-east development commission.





The bill was read for the third time and passed after Ike Ekweremadu, deputy senate president, put it to a voice vote on Wednesday.





Emmanuel Paulker, senate chairman on establishment, had presented a report before the bill was put to a vote.





Paulker said the commission will be saddled with the responsibility of managing funds from the federation account for the socio-economic development of the south-east region.





The senator said the bill will address the clamour for restructuring and the avalanche of complaints of marginalisation from the south-east.





The passage of the bill will no doubt lay to rest the incessant clamour and agitations from various quarters of complaints on marginalisation and decay of the zone and ensure the unity and warmness of this country, the lawmaker said.





The passage of this bill will be a bold step by the national assembly and indeed the country as it will bring to the fore, the governments determination to keep every zone of this country as an integral part of the federation.





In June 2017, there was uproar in the national assembly after the house of representatives rejected the bill. The senate had passed the bill for second reading at the time.





Here are highlights of the bill.





Clause 1 (4) of the bill provides that the president may, subject to the approval of the national assembly, wind up the commission after 10 years of its mandate.





Clause 2 of the bill provides for the establishment of the governing board of the commission.





It states that the governing board will be made up of one person from the other geopolitical zones.





Clause 13 provides for the appointment of a managing director and other staff of the commission.





Clause 15 (2a) provides that funding of the commission will come from federal government. The equivalent of 10 percent of the total monthly statutory allocation due to the member states of the commission from the federation account.




The Port Harcourt division of the appeal court on Wednesday upheld the nullification of the Rivers All Progressives Congress (APC) congres...

The Port Harcourt division of the appeal court on Wednesday upheld the nullification of the Rivers All Progressives Congress (APC) congresses.





The court struck out the appeal filed by Tonye Cole, the factional Rivers APC governorship candidate.









The appeal filed by factional chairman of Rivers APC, Ojukaye Flag Amachree, was also dismissed, a development which means the party has no ward, council, and state executives.





The Amachree-led executive had overseen the exercise which produced Cole as the partys governorship candidate.





But a high court judgment of October 10 voided the congresses, including the election of Cole, on the grounds of disobedience to the court order.





Abubakar Yahaya, the justice who chaired the three-man appeal court panel, said the appeal against the high court judgement on the partys congresses lacks merit.





The third appeal which centered on the judgement by Justice Chinwendu Nwogu was dismissed because it was filed out of time.





Emenike Ebete, counsel to Amachree, has said his client will approach the supreme court to contest the judgment.





The Amachree-faction of Rivers APC is loyal to Rotimi Amaechi, minister of transportation.





Amaechi is backing Cole, the recognised candidate of the APC, over Magnus Abe, who emerged as the factional governorship candidate.




Some of President Muhammadu Buharis achievements are listed below according to Buhari centre.A] Under President Buhari the N-Power Volunteer Corps has engaged and trained over 200,000 youths, 300,000 more are going to be engaged in a few months.Women stand by candidates they believe in all the way, so politicians do a lot to gain their confidence. I thank Nigerian women who put their confidence in me and voted for me in 2015; seeing this gathering. I am confident that the confidence is still there.  Pres. @MBuhariB] Under President Buhari 10,000 non-graduate in the N-Build category are being trained in 23 stateson vocational skills.C] The Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP) MarketMoni scheme has empowered 350,000 MSMEs across 36 states of the Federation.D] NITDA has trained Persons Living with Disabilities on ICT skills.F] The President Buhari administration has approved N10billion Youth Entrepreneurship Support Project (YES-P) to empower youth with loans to start businesses.G] The President Buhari administration has established 8 Innovation hubs to promote youth entrepreneurship and innovation.F] Under the President Buhari administration, two (2) ICT innovation Hubs were established in the Northern-central region (Abuja), and the Southern region (Lagos) of the countryTraining of Niger Delta YouthsA] Under the President Buhari administration, Several Niger-Delta youths have acquired skills in different areas of business, trade and craft.B] Under President Buhari 130 youths in the Niger-Delta have been trained on poultry, aquaculture, crop production and N1 million naira each to each person
Timi Frank, a former deputy spokesman of All Progressives Congress (APC), has called on the US, UK, European Union and the UN to call P...





Timi Frank, a former deputy spokesman of All Progressives Congress (APC), has called on the US, UK, European Union and the UN to call President Muhammadu Buhari to order over alleged harassment of the opposition.





Frank made the appeal in a statement he issued on Thursday.





The former deputy spokesman of the APC said there is a plot to arrest Nnamdi Okonkwo, managing director of Fidelity Bank, because Peter Obi, vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was a former chairman of the bank.





Apart from Okonkwo, Frank said other businessmen have been arrested for supporting Obi and Atiku Abubakar, PDP presidential candidate.





According to him, the arrest of Doyin Okupe and the said search of the residence of Abubakars sons is unlawful.





The APCs government should not be allowed to create another monster. If nothing is done to halt this ongoing harassment, it will get to a state where people will begin to defend themselves and by that time the current Boko Haram insurgency will be childs play,  he said.





In a democracy, how can a president treat his country men and women as less than human? The APCs government is using state apparatus like the Police and EFCC to intimidate innocent Nigerians, unlawfully. Nigerians are living in fear. Freedom of Speech has been put on hold under President Buharis government. Critics of the administration are increasingly being hurled into jail.





Despite signing the Peace Accord, we believe that President Buhari will not abide by its tenets based on his antecedents. Unless the friends of Nigeria come to its aid, unless this government is put to check, it is not only the 2019 election that is endangered. The continued existence of the country is also in jeopardy.





So, I urge the international community and all the lovers of democracy all over the world to prevail on President Muhammadu Buhari to stop all forms of intimidation and harassment of Nigerian citizens over spurious allegations.






Udoma Udoma, minister of budget and national planing, has denied blaming the national assembly for the delay in presentation of the 20...





Udoma Udoma, minister of budget and national planing, has denied blaming the national assembly for the delay in presentation of the 2019 budget.





At plenary on Thursday, some lawmakers threatened to boycott President Muhammadu Buharis budget presentation session next week over comments purportedly made by the minister.





Chika Adamu from Niger state had alleged that Udoma told a lie on national television by saying the executive was waiting for the lawmakers to give them a date when the budget will be presented.





While some of the lawmakers demanded an apology from Udoma, others asked that the issue be investigated.

But in a statement issued by Akpandem James, his media aide, the minister said his comments were misconstrued and that he never blamed the lawmakers for the budget delay.





The statement read: Going by the headlines in some news media today in respect of the presentation of the 2019 Budget to the National Assembly, it is obvious that some of the reporters misconstrued the response of the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, when he was asked when the budget would be submitted to the Legislature.





The Minister simply said that as is the procedure when the budget is ready, the Executive liaises with the National Assembly for a date which the Budget will be laid before the joint session of the Assembly; and that the process is on already.




The Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Usman Jibril on Wednesday resigned from President Muhammadu Buharis administration. ...

The Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Usman Jibril on Wednesday resigned from President Muhammadu Buharis administration.





Jibrins resignation letter was submitted at the Federal Executive Council meeting of Wednesday headed by President Muhammadu Buhari.





His resignation followed his emergence as the 13th Emir of Nassarawa.





Speaking as he bid farewell to the cabinet, Jibrin lamented the devastation caused by Boko Haram attack in North East, the environmental degradation in the Niger Delta and erosion challenges in Southeast.





He said his tour of the North East made him see the devastation of war in the region.





I travelled from Maiduguri to Baga and Ive seen from Maiduguri every part of the landscape, from left to right, up to Monguno to Baga, there was no village that was not destroyed.





While we look at the consequences of war, we also have to look at the environmental impact, the long-term effect it would be on the life of people in those locations.





Again, I was privileged to travel to Bama and Ive seen an entire community destroyed just within the space of two days because of the madness of Boko Haram.





Also in the North East, I was privileged to travel across four local governments in one day and Ive seen the devastation of climate change; the issue of the sand dunes, moving southwards, covering villages, houses and places of livelihood.





This has remained a permanent feature in my life because Ive seen how helpless people could be and that has put a lot of stress on me to try to make a little difference, he said





The visit to the creeks in the Niger Delta, he said, made him see the devastation there, particularly the oil spill in Forcadoes, Delta State in February 2016, where he visited with the former Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed.





I always say it to people that Im used to seeing fish fried in vegetable oil but in the Niger Delta Ive seen fish and crab that are fried in crude oil.





This has made a lasting impact on my life and made me more determined to do the best I could.





Of course, the instrument in our hand was the promise made by the president that the oil pollution in the Niger Delta would be cleaned, he said





He said the Ogoni Clean-up, which was approved by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 2011 was taken up with the support of Buhari.





Today, we have moved this project to the point of giving letters of contract for the contractors who will do the remediation work.





Tomorrow, the 13th of December, there will be a project meeting in Port Harcourt, where the contractors would be handed over their sites.





He said 15 locations would be done in the first place, while five more that would be brought to the Federal Executive Council for approval.





He said tenders are being issued at present for 14 more lots, pointing out that it was progress from what the administration inherited.





The oil companies in the Niger Delta, he said, have released $180million dollars for the execution of the project.





There are lots of speculations, but $170million is in the escrow account and the initial $10million that was given to us, $5milion is still in the account.





Jibrin also addressed the erosion problems in the South East, making reference to the incidents in Nanka and Agulu.





This is a very serious devastating problem in the South East to the extent even satellite images could capture the image of Agulu and Nanka from space.





Anambra State is just about 4000 square kilometers but it has over 900 active erosion sites.





Sadly most state governments do not care about these environmental challenges, despite receiving ecological funds from the federation account every month.





Jibrin further praised President Buhari for his commitment to issues of the environment since he assumed office and has attended





He said the President has since attended three of the four conferences on climate change and signed more than four instruments of ratification, while two are waiting.





This, he said, has increased Nigerias profile in the global stage as far as the fight against climate change is concerned.




Egypt is making Africa a top priority as it prepares to take over the chairmanship of the African Union in 2019

Africa is on centre stage in Egypt this month, with a series of events taking place almost simultaneously in the country. Earlier this week, the Africa 2018 Forum, entitled Business for Africa and the World, kicked off in Sharm El-Sheikh.

Meanwhile in Cairo, the fourth edition of Food Africa, an international exhibition dedicated to the African food and beverages industry was taking place. Yesterday, the Intra-Africa Trade Fair (IATF), the first of its kind in Africa, began and is scheduled to run well into next week.

Egypt is thus putting its money where its mouth is and focusing on strengthening and deepening its ties with Africa. And as it takes over the chair of the African Union (AU) in 2019, it is intensifying its efforts to ensure the realisation of the continents 2063 Vision with the aim of achieving comprehensive economic and social development.

Our meeting this year comes at a time when we are all looking for further regional integration and facilitating intra-regional trade, especially after the African Union launched the Continental Free Trade Area (CTA) during the summit held in Kigali in March 2018, President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi told the Africa Forum 2018 this week.

He added that Egypt was looking forward to increasing its investments in the continents countries through joint and cross-border projects particularly in the areas of infrastructure, new and renewable energy, telecommunications and information technology.

We aspire to achieve these goals through joint action in the framework of the African Union, Al-Sisi said.

Intra-African trade now stands at 15 per cent of total African trade, according to a report by Afreximbank, an African bank. A 2018 report entitled Boosting Intra-African Trade: Implications of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement, showed that in comparison European countries do 67 per cent of their trade with each other.

In Asia, the percentage is 58 per cent, and Latin America comes out at 20 per cent.

With the theme of Bold Leadership and Collective Commitment: Advancing Intra-African Investments, the forum in Sharm El-Sheikh was organised by the Egyptian Ministry of Investment and International Cooperation and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Regional Investment Agency (RIA).

The forum brought together more than 3,000 delegates, including heads of state, politicians and business figures. They put their heads together to discuss opportunities to boost private-sector engagement and intra-African investment, aiming to create a new economic system in Africa based on innovation, entrepreneurship and womens empowerment.

During the forum, Al-Sisi called on investors from Africa and abroad to take advantage of the promising opportunities in Africa to promote development and stability. He showed that Egypt has set an example by increasing its investments in Africa in 2018 to reach $10.2 billion.

Intra-African trade and industrialisation are crucial to the prosperity and inclusiveness agenda articulated under the African Unions Agenda 2063 development strategy, said the Afreximbank report.

Moving away from commodity and natural resource dependence is an indicator of success and transformation under the AU Plan, it said.

Egypt's Plans

Howaida Abdel-Azim, head of Cairo Universitys Institute of African Studies and Research, praised Egypts increased focus on Africa, much in evidence at the Africa Forum this week.

Africa is Egypts strategic depth, and it should be a priority for Egypt, she commented. She pointed out that relations with the rest of Africa had been cold since the mid-1990s, but that had changed when Al-Sisi took office in 2014.

She said that Egypts taking the helm of the AU next year would also help to build better relations with the rest of the African continent.

Abdel-Azim stressed the importance of Egyptian investments and trade in creating jobs for African people. She also stressed that Egypt must boost the work it is already doing in the areas of education and healthcare as well as technical training for the African countries through the Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development.

Helping African countries realise their development goals is something that must be encouraged, she said, praising Egypts involvement in building dams across the continent.

This week a deal was inked in Tanzania under which the Egyptian Arab Contractors Company will help build the Stieglers Gorge Dam that is expected to produce 5920 GW of power.

Khaled Ramzy, export director for Fresh Electric for Home Appliances, an Egyptian company, acknowledged the opportunities in Africa, but said doing business in Africa was not always easy.

While trading within COMESA countries had meant his company had been able to create awareness of made in Egypt products, doing business had not got easier over time, he said, adding that countries were putting up non-tariff barriers to make sure they did not lose revenues from customs.

Each country in Africa has a set of standards that exporters must abide by, he said, and acquiring certificates of conformity with such specifications is not cheap, especially when sales volume does not justify the costs.

He stressed that it was important for African countries to unify their specifications to facilitate trade among them.

This point was also stressed in the Afreximbank report, which said that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) arrangement needed to go beyond a 100 per cent tariff reduction on all goods, as non-tariff barriers were also important constraints hampering welfare gains and efficiency in intra-African trade.

Another issue faced by exporters, Ramzy said, was the shortage of hard currency because of difficult economic conditions in many African countries.

This meant that Egyptian companies could receive payment for goods months after they had been delivered, Ramzy said.

The solution, he suggested, would be to set up an account in which deals taking place between the two countries would be settled against each other.

That would be a win-win situation because Egypt would be exporting its goods while importing its needs from Africa, he explained. For example, instead of importing meat from Australia, it could import it from Sudan or Ethiopia, countries with which it shares mutual interests, Ramzy said.

Security and stability were other issues stressed during this weeks forum by Al-Sisi. If we cannot maintain security and stability, this will negatively affect us all, he said.

Ramzy agreed, saying that while investing in Africa could make life much easier for manufacturers, it was not always easy for fear of political uncertainty. Instead, he said, investors opted for joint ventures with local partners and might not choose to rent warehouses or set up assembly lines.

Getting Easier

To make life easier for exporters, Al-Sisi said at the end of the forum that Egypt would establish an investment-risk guarantee to encourage Egyptian investors to channel their investments to Africa, to participate in the development of the continent, and to capitalise on the enormous opportunities available.

However, one of the challenges of exporting to Africa was the cost of transport, Ramzy said. He said that though the government offered a 50 per cent discount on marine transport, that discount was only refunded later, which did not enable the exporter to pass on the discount to buyers.

This also made exports from China and Turkey more competitive.

What would make a world of difference in intra-African trade, Ramzy said, would be the materialisation of the Continental Free Trade Area.

He wants a greater role for the government in boosting exports through trade representation offices and entry visa facilitation for businessmen. His dream is to see Egyptian hypermarkets open in African countries that would represent ideal outlets for Egyptian goods.

The need to invest in infrastructure was another important issue raised at the forum.

The Afreximbank report quoted the African Development Bank (AfDB) as saying that Africa has lost a cumulative 25 per cent in forgone growth in the last two decades due to inadequate infrastructure, which harms trade through its impacts on costs.

The success of the AfCFTA is linked to extensive infrastructure development and finance, the AfDB said. Improving infrastructure, which is now a trade constraint, could enable African countries to engage more fully in intra-regional trade and reap the benefits of economic globalisation, it said.

Acknowledging this obstacle, Al-Sisi said that he had decided to negotiate with international institutions, our development partners, to support infrastructure development as the basis of real development, including expediting the completion of the Cairo-Cape Town Route, in order to integrate the continents countries and expand trade between our countries.

The AfDB suggests that Africa needs $130 billion to $170 billion a year to close its infrastructure gap, an amount that exceeds the ability of African governments to finance.

report also acknowledged that infrastructure investments involve long-term commitments and multiple risks, including completion risks arising from policy and regulatory uncertainly and revenue risks relating to a projects ability not only to repay its debts but also to generate an adequate return for investors.

It suggested that development finance institutions (DFIs) could make infrastructure projects more bankable by contributing capital, technical expertise and capacity where the private sector cannot.

The report suggested that DFIs, through their development mandate, could contribute to project bankability by participating in the creation of an enabling environment that solves (or at the very least improves on) regulatory and institutional challenges. DFIs can also provide a range of targeted risk mitigation products and have the ability to be a loss absorber.

Because of a lack of political stability in many of the continents nations and poor infrastructure, investment and trade are not an easy feat, but they are rewarding, Abdel-Azim said, adding that this was why major economies like China were heavily involved in the continent under the umbrella of South-South Cooperation.

In fact, according to the Afreximbank report China is Africas single largest trading partner.

China-Africa relations are at an all-time high, with Beijing proving more than willing to extend its One Belt, One Road Initiative across the continent, an April 2018 article published in the World Finance magazine said.

The One Belt, One Road Initiative is an ambitious trade and development plan that seeks to connect most of Asia, a good part of Africa, and the entire Mediterranean basin. It was launched in 2013.

Entitled Bridging Africas Infrastructure Gap, the article showed that China was financing 80 per cent of the $11.17 billion Nairobi-Mombasa Railway in Kenya.In Ethiopia, China is financing the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway with $4 billion. Other nations are certainly helping with Africas infrastructure burden, including India and the US, but China is often considered the most noteworthy, the article said.

However, there is a growing concern... that Chinas infrastructural investments are not entirely altruistic, the article said, adding that it was possible that the economic benefits of these projects would spur economic growth, but there were fears that if countries were unable to repay the sums, China could seek repayment through political agreements or favoured access to natural resources.

The African states indebtedness to Beijing is estimated at around $130 billion.

Youth And Pledges

The forum included a Young Entrepreneurs Day (YED) that provided a comprehensive platform to support entrepreneurs as well as innovative ideas that can create unconventional solutions for African countries.

The YED gave entrepreneurs the opportunity to meet investors and to enhance their skills through special workshops. You are the most valuable asset to the continent. You are the drive and energy to create a better future for our continent, Al-Sisi said to participants at the YED.

The agenda also included a Women Empowering Africa Day (WEA), with the aim of encouraging a greater role for African women in building the economic and social development of their countries.

At the end of the two-day forum, Al-Sisi made promises intended to support the African countries. These included an intention to increase technical cooperation with the countries of the continent in the areas of investment in human capital, digital transformation, management of international finance, governance and monitoring and evaluation systems.

He also promised the establishment of a fund to invest in information infrastructure, in order to support the technological development and digital transformation of the continent and to build modern economies based on the latest technological systems.

Al-Sisi boosted cooperation between Egypt and the countries of the continent in the fields of governance and fighting corruption through the exchange of expertise and the training and rehabilitation of bodies in the continent to spread a culture of good governance and eliminate corruption.

He launched the second phase of the National Strategy for Combating Corruption (2019-2022) in celebration of World Anti-Corruption Day. And he decided to establish a National Anti-Corruption Academy and provide 250 training grants to African leaders working in the field of corruption prevention.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 13 December, 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Egypts plans for Africa

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The Presidency says President Muhammadu Buhari did not consult 91 political parties before refusing to sign the electoral bill because he needed to act in the best interest of the nation.The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate) Ita Enang, said this on Thursday during an interview on Sunrise Daily, on Channels Television.Enang had said one of the reasons the President did not sign the bill was because doing so would have been in contravention of Economic Community of West Africa States Protocol.The ECOWAS Protocol prohibits the amendment of electoral laws less than six months to elections except a majority of political parties or players agree to it.Enang said the National Assembly could not be said to be an aggregate of all political parties since not all political parties are represented in the legislative.When asked if the political parties were consulted directly as recommended by the ECOWAS Protocol, Enang said, I think that what the President is to do is to take the best of discretion and from his vantage point as President of the country, to look at international best practices.Incidentally, over 40 political parties including the Peoples Democratic Party and the Social Democratic Party, as well as notable senior advocates have criticised the President for refusing to sign the bill which he had rejected four times.
Teaching of History should return to school curriculum to correct intellectual deficit in the education sector, Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State has said.He spoke, yesterday, when he received the planning committee of annual Iwude Ijesa led by Chief Olu Falomo.Iwude Ijesa is the annual festival celebrated by the Ijesa to promote the culture and tradition of the people, and has been held for more than 100 years, with the grand finale in Ilesa, presided over by Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran.This years finale will be held on December 22.Governor Oyetola, who was accompanied to the meeting by the Deputy Governor, Benedict Alabi, and other officials, said children would easily forget the tradition of their people unless history is taught.He said: If we are truly sincere on the need to revamp education sector, then concerted efforts must be made to hasten the return of History.In his remarks, Chief Falomo applauded Oyetolas administration for displaying commitment to developing the state.He expressed confidence in Oyetolas ability to take Osun to enviable heights.
Egyptian authorities have arrested two people accused of aiding a Danish couple to illegally climb the Great Pyramid and take nude pictures atop the ancient structure, the interior ministry said.

Danish photographer Andreas Hvid shared a video last week showing him scaling the 4,500-year-old Pyramid of Khufu on the outskirts of Cairo at night with an unidentified woman.

The near three-minute footage, which later showed the woman taking off her top and featured a photo of the couple in a naked embrace, has sparked considerable controversy in the conservative country.

The interior ministry said in a statement on Thursday that a man who works at the ancient Giza site on the western edge of Greater Cairo assisted the couple in climbing the pyramid in return for EGP 4,000 (approximately $223).

A woman who knew the couple on the internet helped mediate the deal. Both have been arrested and were referred to prosecutors for investigations.

The ministry said the incident took place on 29 November, but the video was only shared by Hvid on YouTube on 8 December and has since amassed over 4.5 million views.

Egypt has opened a probe into the incident and the authenticity of the video and the photos of the couple, which some Egyptian officials had dismissed as fake.

One of the original, and only surviving, Seven Wonders of the World, the Pyramid of Khufu is the largest of the Great Pyramids of Giza, soaring to a height of 140 metres.

Climbing the pyramids is outlawed in Egypt.

In 2016, a German teenager received a life ban from entering Egypt after climbing the Great Pyramid to take photos and videos.

In 2015, Egyptian authorities investigated a pornographic video filmed by foreign tourists near the Giza pyramids.

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As climate negotiations moved into higher gear this week, climate finance is still the main issue of the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate change, also known as COP24, taking place in the Polish city of Katowice. 

On Sunday, Egypt and Germany were called on by the Polish presidency to sort out the differences that continued between developed and developing countries on climate finance.

It is a historic role for Egypt and we are involved in all negotiation rooms at COP24, Yasmine Fouad, Egypt's minister of environment, told Ahram Online.

We have important issues to deal with during the negotiations to sort out the differences between the countries as part of the efforts to finalise the Paris Agreement Work Programme, Minister Fouad added.

These issues include agreeing to find more support for the climate adaptation efforts, which is a priority to the developing countries.

We believe it is more important currently than mitigation efforts in these countries, Fouad pointed out.

Developed countries dont have a financing problem as we do in our countries.

Another issue that Fouad is working on resolving is the restructuring of the UN Adaptation Fund, which is currently managed mainly by developing countries.

Almost 90 percent of the funds board members are from developing countries, she explained, adding that many developed countries want to be members of the board, and that this is met with opposition from many developing countries who fear this move will hinder their decision making ability. 

The Adaptation Fund is an international fund that finances projects and efforts aimed at helping developing countries to adapt to the harmful effects of climate change. It was established under the Kyoto Protocol of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). 

Germany is currently the largest contributor to the fund, Fouad noted, adding that no country will be able to fight climate change without funding.

Meanwhile, Jochen Flasbarth, German vice minister for the environment, nature conservation and nuclear safety, told Ahram Online that countries are looking from different sides at the same matter, and that brings difficulties in finding common ground.

Minister Yasmine and I, however, have made relevant progress since yesterday and things are working very well to reach common ground, Flasbarth said.

Financial matters are sitting at the center of all the issues we are dealing with to sort out the differences of climate finance, he stressed, adding that issues such as adaptation, mitigation and transparency are all related to the question of financing.

Flasbarth noted that it was decided in Paris that there is a need for predictability for climate financing for the developing world and for the developed countries as well.

We are dealing currently, as facilitators together with Egypt, with issues like the adaptation fund, and  long term financing after the year 2025, he said.

It is very unlikely to make progress in other areas of negotiations here at COP24 unless we solve, or at least foresee to solve, the financial issues. I am quite sure that we will do it on time, Flasbarth stressed.

The climate is changing and will keep on changing all over the world, but is likely to become more extreme in the Mediterranean region as a result of the severe challenges represented mainly in water stress and extreme heat, said Nancy Saich, managerial advisor to the European Investment Bank (EIB).

The changes are happening already and we need to find ways to adapt with them, she added.

Many countries still have to have access to financing for more climate adaptation and mitigation efforts.

Saich also said that the EIB and the Green Climate Fund take into account the most up to date information about what is actually going on in regard to climate in every country that we are involved in, and how the project is going to impact the people and the society.

The Green Climate Fund was set up in 2010 at the United Nations climate talks to help developing countries tackle the challenge of climate change through finance for clean and efficient energy, as well as other climate mitigation and adaptation measures to help ease the effects of global warming.

Saich pointed out that financial institutions like the EIB provide technical assistance and help out with the design and the implementation of projects. The EIB takes into account whether these projects are going to be sustainable or not, and what will be the impact on climate change, she said.

COP24 is key in the international efforts to combat global warming, as the year 2018 was chosen by the countries who signed the Paris Agreement as the deadline for the adoption of implementation guidelines for the Paris Agreement work programme.

We cannot afford to fail in Katowice, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last week.

The Paris Agreement was reached in 2015 in the French capital during the COP21 climate change conference, and 197 countries agreed to step up their efforts to fight climate change problems and keep global temperature rises to well under 2C, which is above pre-industrial levels. The countries also agreed to try to keep it close to 1.5C as possible.

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The cabinet approved during its weekly meeting Thursday a presidential decree about a finance deal between Egypt and the European Commission on a migration challenges' program in Egypt.

The cabinet meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli.



The finance deal, signed on October 17 in Brussels, aims to confront immigration challenges in Egypt via achieving three targets, including the empowerment of migration management in Egypt and addressing the root causes of illegal immigration.



The total cost of the program on enhancing response to migration challenges in Egypt is estimated at 63.6 million euros.

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Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) director-general Li Yong in Cairo cooperation between Egypt and the organisation on upgrading and modernising Egyptian industry, the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement.

Minister Shoukry welcomed the decision by UNIDO to include Egypt in the organisation's country partnership programme.

The partnership between Egypt and the UNIDO will allow them to coordinate to put in place industrial policies and identify the state's priorities when it comes to direct investments in the country.

During the meeting, Minister Shoukry showcased the Egyptian government's vision for economic and industrial development, the current policies adopted to achieve development in Egypt, and the results of the economic reforms adopted by the government.

The UNIDO director-general praised Egypts economic reforms, stressing that the UN organisation is keen to on cooperating with Egypt to achieve sustainable development.

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Lebanon will definitely form a new government despite the obstacles, its caretaker foreign minister said on Wednesday, after President Michel Aoun intervened in the stalled process and warned of a "catastrophe" if his efforts failed.

Heavily indebted and with a stagnant economy, Lebanon desperately needs a new government to implement economic reforms that are required to put its public finances on a more sustainable footing and unlock pledges of foreign aid.

"Partnership between the president and the prime minister along with the national consensus will certainly lead to the formation of a new government, despite all obstacles," Gebran Bassil, Aoun's son-in-law and head of the political party he founded, told an investment conference in London.

Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri, also attending the conference, told reporters, said he was "always optimistic" when asked about the prospects of forming a new government following seven months of political wrangling.

In Beirut, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said he was "optimistic for the possibility of a solution soon", according to a member of parliament from his own party.

Berri believed there was now a serious effort to form a government and his optimism stemmed from Aoun's intervention in the process, the lawmeker, Ali Bazzi, said.

Aoun said on Tuesday the government formation could not be resolved in the traditional way between the prime minister-designate and other parties, meaning he had to get involved.

Hariri said on Twitter that the new government would be firmly committed to reforms agreed at a donor conference this year, including fiscal reforms.

Agreement on the make-up of the new cabinet has met a series of obstacles as Hariri has sought to forge a deal parceling out 30 cabinet posts among rival groups according to a sectarian political system.

The final hurdle has been over Sunni Muslim representation, with the powerful Iran-backed Shi'ite Muslim group Hezbollah demanding a cabinet seat for one of its Sunni allies who gained ground in the election.

Analysts believe one compromise could be for Aoun to nominate one of the Hezbollah-aligned Sunnis, or a figure acceptable to them, among a group of ministers named by the president.

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Yemen's warring parties agreed on Wednesday to reopen Sanaa airport in the Houthi-held capital and resume oil and gas exports, sources said, as Western nations pressed them to accept confidence-building steps before the end of U.N.-led peace talks in Sweden.

The Houthi movement and the Yemeni government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi were still discussing a United Nations proposal on the contested port city of Hodeidah, a lifeline for millions of Yemenis facing starvation.

Hadi's premier, Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed, told reporters in the government's base in the southern port of Aden that there might not be enough time for full agreement on Hodeidah as the talks, the first in over two years, conclude on Thursday.

"We talked about (it) a lot but with the limited time we have, we cant talk about all the points in this round. The important thing is to build confidence and then go into the details of the Hodeidah file," he said.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was due to attend the final day of talks to support efforts to launch a political process that would end the nearly four-year-old war.

Gueterres called Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss Yemen, Saudi state news agency reported.

Another round of talks could be held in early 2019.

The Houthis hold most population centres, including Hodeidah and Sanaa from which it ousted Hadi's government in 2014.

A U.N. spokeswoman said both parties had received a "final package" of agreements covering the status of Hodeidah, Sanaa airport. "We hope to receive positive responses," she said.

The two parties agreed that international flights would stop at a government-held airport for safety s to be carried out before flying in or out of Sanaa, two sources familiar with the talks said.

Houthi delegate Abdelmajid Hanash said international flights from and to Sanaa would stop in Aden and the airport in Sayun in the south, but the U.N. would oversee the safety procedures. The U.N. declined to comment.

As part of confidence-building measures, both sides agreed to resume oil and gas exports to help shore up central bank coffers. Revenues would be used to pay salaries in both government and Houthi-held areas, delegates from both sides told Reuters.

Both sides have agreed to a U.N. role in the port, the entry point for most of Yemen's commercial imports and vital aid, but differ on who should run the city. The Houthis want Hodeidah declared a neutral zone, while Hadi's government believes the city should fall under its control as a matter of sovereignty.

"The devil is in the details - withdraw how far (from Hodeidah), the sequence, who governs and delivers services," said one diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The sides have also yet to agree on a transitional governing body, although a deal was struck on a prisoner swap that could see 15,000 prisoners freed.

A small group of Yemenis demonstrated outside the talks venue in Rimbo, north of Stockholm, waving the flags of former South Yemen in support of a separatist movement that is fighting alongside the coalition while trying to undermine Hadi's government.

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The United Nations chief will join the final day of peace talks on Thursday between Yemens warring parties that have brought agreement on reopening Sanaa airport and restarting oil exports but no deal on a strategic Red Sea port.

Western nations are pressing the Houthi group and the Yemeni government to agree confidence-building steps for a political process to end the war that has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed Yemen to the brink of famine.

The two parties have not agreed on the status of the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, a lifeline for millions, which is the thorniest issue along with a transitional governing body.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived late on Wednesday in Sweden, where the talks are being held.

He and his special envoy, Martin Griffiths, are due to announce results of the UN-sponsored talks, the first in more than two years, and a date for a new round of consultations.

The Houthis control most population centers, including Hodeidah and the capital, Sanaa, from where the group ousted the government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi in 2014, leading a an Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE to intervene in 2015.

Both sides had received from the United Nations a final package of agreements on the status of Hodeidah, Sanaa airport, supporting the impoverished countrys central bank and a political framework.

Sources familiar with the talks said they had agreed to reopen Sanaa airport with international flights stopping at government-held airports in Aden or Sayun in the south for inspection before flying in or out of the capital.

The United Nations would oversee safety procedures, a Houthi delegate said.

Deals were reached for a prisoner swap and resumption of oil and gas exports to help shore up central bank coffers. Revenues would be used to pay salaries across Yemen, delegates said.

Griffiths is trying to avert a full-scale assault on Hodeidah, where coalition forces have massed on the outskirts of the port that handles most of Yemens commercial goods and aid supplies.

He has proposed that both sides withdraw from the city and place it under control of an interim entity with international monitors deployed.

The parties agree to a UN role in the port, the Houthis main supply line, but differ on who should run the city.

The Houthis want Hodeidah declared a neutral zone, while Hadis government believes the city should fall under its control.

Guterres called Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday to discuss Yemen, state media said.

The US Senate voted on Wednesday to move ahead with a resolution to end US military support for the Saudi-led coalition in the war.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online

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UN chief Antonio Guterres announced Thursday a series of breakthroughs in talks with rivals in the Yemen conflict, including a ceasefire for a vital port.

The Yemeni foreign minister and the rebel leader shook hands in a highly symbolic gesture on the seventh day of the UN-brokered peace talks in Sweden.

The conflict has triggered what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with 14 million Yemenis now at the brink of mass starvation.

Guterres, who flew in to Sweden late Wednesday, announced that the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels had agreed on a ceasefire in the port of Hodeida, the main entry point for imported food and aid.

He said the United Nations would play a "leading role" at the Red Sea port, which is currently controlled by the rebels.

In addition, the rivals have reached a "mutual understanding" on Yemen's third city of Taiz, the scene of some of the most intense battles in the conflict.

He said a new round of talks would take place at the end of January.

International pressure has been mounting to halt the fighting between the Iran-linked Houthis and the government of Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, backed by Saudi Arabia and its military allies, with the US Senate, Saudi Arabia and the UAE honing in on the fragile talks.

The warring parties have been in the rural Swedish village of Rimbo for a week to try to hammer out agreement on a number of key issues.

A source inside the talks had said earlier that mediators remained "positive" although there was "disagreement on the points of the proposals".

The rebels control both the Red Sea port of Hodeida and the capital Sanaa. The Saudi led-military coalition controls Yemen's maritime borders and airspace.

Guterres did not immediately refer to any deal on Sanaa airport, which has been closed to commercial flights for nearly three years.

Top diplomats in last-minute push

Guterres flew into Sweden late Wednesday to attend the closing session, which had been pushed back two hours from its announced time on Thursday.

The foreign ministers of Britain, the UAE and Saudi Arabia announced they were also in Rimbo for the last day of negotiations.

Britain's Jeremy Hunt notably met with both the government and rebels at the talks.

UN special envoy Martin Griffiths, who brokered the talks, was expected to brief the Security Council on Yemen on Friday.

The US Senate on Wednesday voted to advance a resolution that ends US backing for the Saudi-led intervention by 60 votes to 39, with 11 Republicans joining Democrats to back the measure.

The final vote is expected to take place on Thursday. However, if the upper house approves the resolution, it is likely to run aground in the lower House of Representatives where Republicans hold the majority until January 3.

Both the rebels and government alliance stand accused of failing to protect civilians.

The Sweden talks mark the first meeting in two years between the northern Houthi rebels and the Hadi government that has been backed since 2015 by the Saudi-led coalition.

The last round of talks, hosted by Kuwait in 2016, collapsed after more than three months of negotiations with no breakthrough.

* This story was edited by Ahram Online

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A Turkish court on Thursday ordered the continued detention of Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtas despite a European rights court ruling calling for his release, an official from his political party said.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) last month lambasted the pre-trial detention of Demirtas, former co-chief of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), as politically motivated.

Demirtas had previously run against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and has been viewed as a potential rival.

The 45-year-old remains an influential figure in the Kurdish movement.

"He (Demirtas) will be kept behind bars," a HDP official, who did not wish to be named, told AFP after the hearing on Thursday.

Demirtas has been in pre-trial detention since November 2016, accused of managing a "terrorist organisation", making "terrorist propaganda" and "inciting others to commit crimes". He risks up to 142 years in jail if he is found guilty.

During the hearing on Wednesday, Demirtas denounced what he considered a "political trial" and said he was a "political hostage".

Erdogan regularly accuses the HDP of being a political front for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been waging an insurgency since 1984 and is considered a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies.

But even if Demirtas was released on Thursday, he would have to remain in jail since he has been sentenced to four years and eight months for "terrorist propaganda" in another case.

A Turkish court upheld the conviction on December 4 after his lawyers made an appeal.

Ramazan Demir, a lawyer for Demirtas, told AFP that the decision to keep him in detention after the ECHR called for the politician to be released was a "legal scandal".

"It is in defiance of the ECHR," Demir added.

The trial will resume on January 23-25, the official said.



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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will legalise thousands of settlement homes built without even Israeli permits in the occupied West Bank, he announced Thursday.

All settlements are considered illegal under international law and are seen as a major obstacle to peace.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison on Wednesday for financial crimes and orchestrating hush payments to women before the 2016 election, telling the judge his "blind loyalty" led him to cover up for Trump.

The sentencing by U.S. District Judge William Pauley in Manhattan capped a stunning about-face by a lawyer who once said he would "take a bullet" for Trump but has now implicated the Republican president in criminal conduct. Cohen said in his guilty plea in August he was directed by Trump to make hush money payments to two women who said they had sexual affairs with Trump in the past.

Trump has denied the affairs and any involvement in the payments.

The three-year sentence was a modest reduction from the four to five years recommended under federal guidelines, but still underscored the seriousness of the charges of violating campaign finance laws and seeking to influence the outcome of an election.

Pauley sentenced Cohen to 36 months for the payments and to two months for Cohen's lies to Congress about a proposed Trump Tower project in Russia. The two terms will run simultaneously. The judge set March 6 for Cohen's voluntary surrender.

As part of the sentence, the judge ordered Cohen to forfeit $500,000 and pay restitution of nearly $1.4 million.

Cohen pleaded guilty in August to charges including tax evasion, bank fraud and campaign finance violations in a case brought by federal prosecutors in New York. Cohen was sentenced on a separate charge of lying to Congress brought by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russia's role in the 2016 election and possible coordination between Trump's campaign and Moscow. Cohen pleaded guilty to that charge last month.

Cohen, 52, walked into court on Wednesday morning with his wife, son and daughter amid a crowd of photographers and reporters. His family members cried in the courtroom following the sentencing.

"While Mr. Cohen pledges to help in further investigations that is not something the court can consider now," Pauley said.

Federal prosecutors in New York charged that Cohen, just before the November 2016 election, paid adult film actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 and helped arrange a $150,000 payment to former Playboy model Karen McDougal so the women would keep quiet.

Federal law requires that the contribution of "anything of value" to a campaign must be disclosed, and an individual donation cannot exceed $2,700.

"It was my own weakness and a blind loyalty to this man that led me to choose a path of darkness over light," Cohen told the judge during the sentencing hearing.

"I felt it was my duty to cover up his own dirty deeds," Cohen said, referring to Trump.

The ongoing Mueller investigation represents a threat to Trump's presidency. Mueller, who also is examining whether the president has unlawfully sought to obstruct the probe, has secured guilty pleas from several former Trump aides including his former campaign chairman and national security adviser, as well as a series of Russia individuals and entities.

"He came forward to offer evidence against the most powerful person in the country," one of Cohen's lawyers, Guy Petrillo, told the court on Wednesday, arguing for leniency.

Cohen cooperated knowing "the president might shut down" Mueller's investigation, Petrillo said.

Cohen is a former member of Trump's inner circle who in the past called himself the president's "fixer." After Cohen pleaded guilty to the Mueller charges on Nov. 29, Trump called his former lawyer a liar, "a weak person and not a very smart person."

Trump last month submitted written answers to questions posed in Mueller's investigation.

Michael Avenatti, Daniels' lawyer, attended the sentencing and told reporters outside the courthouse, "Michael Cohen is neither a hero nor a patriot. He lied for months about his conduct. ... Michael Cohen was sentenced today, President Trump is next."

Trump has denied any collusion with Russia and has accused Mueller's team of pressuring his former aides to lie about him, his campaign and his business dealings. Russia has denied U.S. allegations of interfering in the election to help Trump.

In his guilty plea to Mueller's charge, Cohen admitted he lied to Congress about the timeline for discussions about plans for real estate businessman Trump's proposed skyscraper in Moscow. The project never went ahead.

Cohen said in written testimony to two congressional committees that the talks ended in January 2016, before the first electoral contests to select the Republican presidential nominee, when they actually continued until June 2016 after Trump clinched the Republican nomination.

In an interview with Reuters on Tuesday, Trump denied the payments to the women were campaign contributions. "If it were, it's only civil, and even if it's only civil, there was no violation based on what we did," Trump said.

Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani has argued the hush payments cannot be considered campaign finance violations because they were made to protect Trump's reputation and would have been made even if he had not been a presidential candidate.

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Hundreds of police scoured eastern France on Thursday for a fugitive gunman behind a deadly Strasbourg Christmas market attack that left two people dead and six others fighting for their lives.

France has raised its security threat to the highest level and police issued a wanted poster for Cherif Chakatt, the main suspect in the attack who was on an watchlist as a potential security threat.

Authorities say the 29-year-old was known to have developed radical religious views while in jail.

More than 700 police are involved in the second day of the manhunt, scouring Strasbourg, which lies on the west bank of the Rhine river, and the surrounding region.

Police have set up checkpoints on the German border and questioning the suspects associates.

Asked if police had been instructed to catch Chakatt dead or alive, government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux told CNews: It doesnt matter. The best thing would be to find him as quickly as possible.

It took police four months to track down Salah Abdesalam, the prime surviving suspect from the November 2015 militant attack on Paris, in an apartment in Brussels.

Witnesses told investigators that the suspect Chakatt cried out Allahu Akbar (God is Greater) as he opened fire on the Christmas market, a target Paris Prosecutor Remy Heitz suggested may have been chosen for its religious symbolism.

Chakatts police file photo shows a bearded man of North African descent, a prayer bruise blemishing the center of his forehead. He has 27 criminal convictions for theft and violence, and has spent time in French, German and Swiss jails.

Neighbors living on the housing estate where Chakatt familys lived described the suspect as a typical young man who dressed in jogging pants and trainers rather that traditional Islamic robes.

Two people were killed in the attack and a third person was brain-dead but on life support, the prosecutor said. Six other victims were fighting for their lives.

The attack took place at a testing time for President Emmanuel Macron, who on Monday announced tax concessions to quell a month-long public revolt over living costs that spurred the worst unrest in central Paris since the 1968 student riots.

Griveaux said a decision had yet to be taken on whether to ban another planned yellow vest protest in Paris.

The last three consecutive Saturdays of riots in the capital that have seen cars torched, shops looted and the Arc de Triomphe defaced.

Were simply saying at this stage that, given the events that are unfolding after the terrorist attack in Strasbourg, it would be preferable if everyone could go about a Saturday before the festive holidays in a quiet way, Griveaux said.

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This is 'Us': The New Jordan Peele Movie Has a Poster

By Kayleigh Donaldson | Film | December 13, 2018 |

What do you do after you win a Best Original Screenplay Oscar for your first film, which also landed you Best Director and Best Picture nominations? If youre Jordan Peele, you jump straight into your next projects. On top of helming the new reboot of The Twilight Zone, lending his voice to Toy Story 4 and producing a new Candyman movie, Peele is getting back behind the camera. And if you thought Get Out was tough enough to Google, wait for Us.

Peele has talked about wanting to continue making social thrillers following Get Out, and if the synopsis from /Film is anything to go by, Us will continue down those tracks:





A mother (Academy Award winner Lupita Nyongo from Black Panther, Star Wars: The Last Jedi and 12 Years a Slave) and a father (Winston Duke from Black Panther) take their kids to their beach house expecting to unplug and unwind with friends (including Emmy winner Elisabeth Moss from TV series The Handmaids Tale). But as night descends, their serenity turns to tension and chaos when some shocking visitors arrive uninvited.



Sounds very familiar to horror fans, but this is Jordan Peele, and the synopsis of A black man goes to visit his white girlfriends parents didnt go exactly like we thought it would. Also look at that poster!







How very Serial Mom! And those scissors. Do I see horns?

Us will open on March 15th 2019 in US cinemas.



 Review: 'Queen America' on Facebook Watch With Catherine Zeta Jones | Is Donald Trump Also an Adderall Junkie? 

Kayleigh is a features writer for Pajiba. You can follow her on Twitter or listen to her podcast, The Hollywood Read.

Header Image Source: Getty Images.
New Leaf Paper Acquired by Pennsylvania-based FutureStake

Dec. 12, 2018  New Leaf Paper on Dec. 4 announced that the company has been acquired by FutureStake, Inc., a corporation based in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Michelle Thornton, who has served as Vice President of New Leaf since 2008, will continue in that role. Jeff Mendelsohn, New Leaf's founder, has stepped down from his role as President and has moved on from the company.

Yen Lam has been appointed President and Chief Information Officer. She will assume day-to-day leadership of the company.

I am incredibly excited to assume this new role for the future of the company, said Lam. As a B Corporation, New Leaf Paper is more committed than ever to honoring our mission to drive sustainability in the paper industry. We are dedicated to bringing innovative and truly environmentally responsible products to the market.

New Leaf Paper will be headquartered in Gettysburg and will retain its Walnut Creek office in California.

SOURCE: New Leaf Paper
Suzano and Fibria Secure Final Regulatory Approval to Combine Companies Upon completion of the acquisition of Fibria, Suzano will have an annual production capacity of 11 million tons of market pulp and 1.4 million tons of paper, and have the capacity to ship exports worth R$26 billion to some 90 countries. Dec. 13, 2018 - The European Commission (EC) on Nov. 29 approved under the EU Merger Regulation the acquisition of Fibria by Suzano. The decision is conditional on full compliance with commitments offered by Suzano. Suzano and Fibria, both based in Brazil, are the two largest global suppliers of bleached eucalyptus kraft pulp ("BEKP"). EC's investigation The EC investigated concerns that the proposed acquisition would significantly reduce the level of competition in the market for the manufacture and supply of wood pulp, in particular BEKP. In particular, the merged entity would combine the two largest producers worldwide, three to four times larger than the next competitor. Furthermore, Fibria had an offtake agreement since 2016 with Klabin S.A, another major Brazilian producer of BEKP. On the basis of this agreement, Fibria acted as an exclusive sales agent for all sales of BEKP produced by Klabin outside of South America. This further increased the combined volumes controlled by the merging companies, and effectively prevented the entry of Klabin as a competitor outside South America. The proposed remedies To address the Commission's competition concerns, Suzano offered the following commitments: the termination of the offtake agreement in place between Fibria and Klabin; and

the transfer of all assets and personnel necessary to allow Klabin to independently sell BEKP in the European Economic Area (EEA), including: (1) storage capacity in the destination ports in the EEA, (2) shipping contracts and access to ports during a transitional period; (3) customers, credit history and other records; and (4) technical support and assistance during a transitional period. These commitments eliminate the Commission's concerns in relation to the proposed acquisition. The proposed remedy reduces the merged entity's total capacity and sales, and ensures that Klabin's BEKP volumes, currently sold by Fibria, will not be under the control of the merged entity. In addition, the remedy facilitates the entry of Klabin as a new competitor into the EEA market, with incentives to grow further. The Commission therefore concluded that the proposed transaction, as modified by the commitments, would no longer raise competition concerns in the EEA. The decision is conditional upon full compliance with the commitments. In a press release, Suzano said, With reviews by all required antitrust agencies duly completed, the companies can now proceed with the consummation of the transaction. The corporate restructuring, which will be concluded on January 14, 2019, will create Brazil's fourth most valuable company (excluding financial institutions). Walter Schalka will lead the company as CEO. We are about to transform a dream into reality and set a true milestone for Brazil. We will combine the best operational and sustainability practices of the two companies, the best professionals and the most important innovation projects in renewable resources, Schalka said. Once the corporate restructuring is concluded, the company will have a new brand, changing its name to Suzano. Suzano will have an annual production capacity of 11 million tons of market pulp and 1.4 million tons of paper. The company will have approximately 37,000 direct and indirect employees and 11 manufacturing units with the capacity to supply more than 90 countries and to ship exports worth R$26 billion, based on exports in the 12 months to September 30, 2018. From January to September this year, the two companies reported operating cash flow of R$10.1 billion and consolidated net revenue of R$24.5 billion. Together they already have invested R$4.9 billion in the first nine months of the year. The transaction will be concluded in accordance with the plan announced on March 16, 2018, when the merger agreement was signed. On September 13, 2018, the shareholders of Suzano and Fibria approved the terms of the corporate restructuring at their respective Extraordinary Shareholders Meetings. All other conditions precedent for the merger of Suzano and Fibria have been fulfilled. The transaction was approved without restrictions by the antitrust authorities in the United States (May 31), China (Aug. 31) and Turkey (Sept. 6). In Brazil, the agreement was approved, also without restrictions, by the country's antitrust authority CADE (Oct. 11) and by the National Water Transportation Agency  ANTAQ (Nov. 14). On November 29, the antitrust authority in Europe also approved the restructuring, subject to the early termination of the hardwood pulp offtake agreement between Fibria and Klabin S.A. The corporate restructuring involves a series of steps. Each Fibria shareholder will receive 0.4611 common shares in Suzano and R$52.50 per common share, which will be adjusted as provided for in the merger agreement approved by shareholders. The total amount to be paid on the date of the transaction's consummation, i.e. January 14, will be announced to the market on January 10. To fund the amounts to be paid to Fibria shareholders, Suzano has entered into commitments with international financial institutions to raise financing in the aggregate amount of US$9.2 billion, of which US$6.9 billion is a three-year bridge loan and the remaining US$2.3 billion is a six-year financing facility. The proceeds from the bridge loan signed in March, however, have been replaced over the course of the year by new funds at more attractive conditions. Due to the strong cash generation by Suzano in the intervening period, the capital requirement for completion has been lower than initially projected. SOURCE: Suzano and the European Commission
If you listen closely to the streets of New York, beneath the wailing sirens and screeching subways, you'll hear whispers of the legendary parties that used to be. Ladyfag, the Toronto-born, New York-based party queen who's been instrumental in shaping the city's current nightlife scene, has helmed so many of these ephemeral evenings that have transcended the churn to embed themselves in rave history. Who can forget the SHADE warehouse rave during Pride 2015, when giant inflatable dicks shot laser beams over an ecstatic sea of shirtless gays? Or that Harajuku-themed Fashion Week afterparty where Rihanna and Nicki Minaj partied in a South Street Seaport mall?

Then there was Holy Mountain, lovingly shortened to HoMo by its crowd of queer freaks. One of the crown jewels in Ladyfag's nightlife dynasty, the monthly night was held in a kooky, labyrinth-like club called Slake in Manhattan on 30th Street  a culturally dead zone lined by parking garages and listless condos. Holy Mountain was the one of the only parties that could entice Brooklyn's most fabulous ravers to cross the bridge into douche finance bro-infected Manhattan after dark. It was a classic New York melting pot: leather daddies sniffed poppers next to Vogue models, drag queens rubbed shoulders with Chelsea muscle gays, and club kids in giant costumes prowled the dancefloors, next to stern techno heads in head-to-toe black. It didn't matter if you were the next Alexander Wang or a shy kid who'd just moved to the city from Oklahoma  as long as you were down to dance, you could hang.

Last year, Holy Mountain shuttered after Slake was razed to make way for more condos  a classic New York sob story. For 12 months, the party went quiet, but Ladyfag recently announced that she's reviving the party and moving it to Brooklyn  specifically, to The Avant Gardner, a gargantuan space in East Williamsburg that's one of the most ambitious venues in North America. It felt like a realignment of the old order  a sign of a new chapter. Along with the announcement came a stunning promo video with a "Brave New World" theme, made in collaboration with French designer Charlie Le Mindu, best known for his spectacular works of art made from human hair.

So I called Ladyfag up one morning to ask her about the dystopian narrative behind the video, Holy Mountain's legacy, and whether the last nail on Manhattan's coffin has been finally pounded in. For Holy Mountain: Brave New World tickets on Friday, December 14, click here.



Hi Lady! What's up with this video you just shot? My friend Charlie LeMindu is an incredible artist and visual director, we met a few years ago and clicked. We came up with everything for the video and cast it in four days  it was a really family affair: Marco Ovando, who's taken photos of Holy Mountain for the last four years and really understands the party did the cinematography, and [resident DJ] Michael Magnan did the music. For the theme of the party, Brave New World, we thought we could bring in the condos story  and we did in a weird way, but we made it a nuclear holocaust.

Because that's the truth, New York is destroying itself. So the loose narrative is that we've been hiding in bunkers, and this disaster has caused us to sprout hair and become hairy cyborgs. It's finally safe to come out, and on December 14, all the creatures of the past Holy Mountains are being called back to the mountain, and we're gonna throw a fucking party.

I wanna talk about the lineage of Holy Mountain  it always felt very fashion, glam, in the lineage of '90s club kids. Whenever people told me club culture culture in New York is dead, I'd roll my eyes and point them to your party.

One of the things about my party is that there are four different rooms with different styles of music  that was one of the most appealing things for me. The music spans different sections of nightlife, and the club is a big labyrinth where everything becomes a big scene. There's room for people to be more organic about it, it's like a whole bunch of scenes thrown together, and that doesn't get to happen enough. The idea that it's just one thing is a little misguided. The club kids get photographed and put a lot of time into their costumes, but that doesn't mean they're the only kind of people that were at that party.

"New York is destroying itself."

Even the melting pot vibe of Holy Mountain feels kind of '90s though. If you go to Brooklyn now it feels much more segmented. But your party felt like a bridge between '90s Manhattan club world glamor and the amazing dance music that's coming from Brooklyn. Being on 30th street was very strange. Even then, I didn't want to do a party all the way in Midtown. It didn't feel cool. Five years ago, parties existed in Manhattan, but they were starting to be pushed towards Brooklyn. Since then, so many clubs have popped up in Brooklyn. It's the SoHo effect. People start partying there, living there, then bigger venues come in because they see opportunity. Output started and now Brooklyn is the place where the parties happen.

But when you find a really good venue, especially if it's a monthly, people will travel. I'll be honest, if the venue [Slake] came up now, I don't know if I would take it. The venue was a dump, it was crazy, and that's what made it work. It reminded me of the venues when I first moved here on the Lower East Side. It was this crazy labyrinth with stairways that felt like they were going to nowhere. Tons of nooks and crannies. It was a really messy, fun party  that's what made it so amazing.

Brave New World is interesting theme for the new Holy Mountain, because the Aldous Huxley reference has a sinister, dystopian undertone.

Well, there's definitely a darkness. Condos are one of New York's viruses causing the death of Manhattan. Holy Mountain was destroyed by its environment, and that's sad, but everything bounces back in its own way. We didn't die, we just morphed into these new creatures and moved. Holy Mountain started based on the [Jodorowsky] film, and the party has always been filled with symbolism and hope and lots of darkness too. Parties in general are a place where people run to escape the darkness in the world and share energy with people.

"Putting time and love in a party doesn't make it not underground or cool, it just makes it a different experience."

How will the new Holy Mountain differ from the old?

Well this won't exist every month, it's more of a special event. From sound to light to staffing, there's a lot of work that goes into making a big-scale rave like this happen. So people see it's not $10 to get in  well of course not! We all love going to crazy illegal warehouse parties, but sometimes it's nice to go to a warehouse party where there's more than five bathrooms for two thousand people, and you don't have to wait two hours at the bar and there's no ice in your drink. Sometimes it's nice to go to a rave that's more produced. Putting time and love in a party doesn't make it not underground or cool, it just makes it a different experience. It's about having a bathroom to go to when you need to pee. Call me crazy.

A big part of the old Holy Mountain were all the different rooms. Every room had its own vibe, DJs, hosts are you planning to recreate that? The venue is different so we're adapting to it. The Jade room, for example, was our baby room that had techno and acid and was upstairs. Now that's completely changed, it's one of the big rooms because I have an amazing warehouse for that space, and I can bring in four techno DJs: Lady Blacktronika from Berlin is doing a techno set as Femanyst, my girlfriend Skin, Katie Rex from Bound, and resident Danny Taylor.
Political Prisoner on Hunger Strike in Iran Has Died, Another in Grave Danger

12/13/18

Source: Center for Human Rights in Iran

Vahid Sayyadi-Nasiri Was on Hunger Strike to Protest Denial of Counsel and Prison Conditions

Growing Crisis as Political Prisoners Left with No Recourse but to Refuse Food

December 12, 2018-The political prisoner Vahid Sayyadi-Nasiri, on hunger strike since October 13, 2018 to protest the denial of his right to counsel and inhumane prison conditions at Iran's Langroud Prison in Qom where he was being held, has died at the Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Qom.

The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) condemns the state of affairs in which prisoners in Iran are left with no recourse but hunger strikes to draw attention to their unjust incarceration, as well as the Iranian authorities' lacking response to these strikes which are resulting in deaths.

"There is a growing crisis in Iran in which the entire judicial system has ceased to function in any capacity other than to defend the repressive apparatus of the state," said Hadi Ghaemi, CHRI's executive director.

"People are locked up for expressing their views, they are denied counsel and all other due process rights, lawyers are imprisoned for trying to defend them, and prisoners are dying from hunger strikes in a desperate attempt to draw attention to this crisis," Ghaemi said.

CHRI strenuously urges the authorities in Iran to immediately address the legitimate grievances of Farhad Meysami, who has been on hunger strike in Evin Prison since August 1 to protest his arrest this past July for peacefully supporting protests against forced hijab and the denial of his right to choose counsel, so that he is not the next prisoner death to be announced.

The mother of Vahid Sayyadi-Nasiri, Zahra Sadeghi, told CHRI that she received a call from prison authorities today, December 12, telling her that her son had died at the Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Qom. She was told to appear tomorrow to answer unspecified questions.

Sayyadi-Nasiri, a 28-year old real estate specialist who was critical of Iranian state policy on social media, had been released from Rajaee-Shahr Prison in Karaj on March 29, 2018, after being sentenced to five years for "insulting the sacred" and "propaganda against the state." But he was arrested again by the Intelligence Ministry in Qom on July 31. After being interrogated in the Intelligence Ministry's detention center for a week without access to a lawyer or family contact, he was transferred to the Saheli Prison in Qom and then to Langroud Prison in early October.

On October 13, Sayyadi-Nasiri went on a hunger strike to protest the inhumane prison conditions and to demand legal counsel, according to a friend who asked not to be identified. Three days later he was put on trial and within 10 minutes sentenced to 4.5 years in prison for "propaganda against the state" and "insulting the Supreme Leader."

"Vahid's condition got worse as the days went by and when I asked him to end his hunger strike, he said several times that he was serious and would not stop until his demands are met, even if it was going to cost his life. He insisted that the Intelligence Ministry and the judiciary are responsible for his life. He was right. He really put his life on the line," said the friend.

He continued, "A month after his hunger strike, Vahid contacted me and said his body was no longer able to absorb liquids and it caused him to vomit. Once or twice he was transferred to a hospital to get treatment for bleeding in his stomach but the authorities didn't inform his mother or other relatives. In his last phone contact in late November, he didn't have the strength to talk. He said he didn't understand why the authorities were bent on keeping him there [in Langroud Prison] and insisted that he was determined to sacrifice his life. I begged him to break his strike but he refused. He said... 'I will either get my demands or leave my corpse for the Intelligence Ministry.'"

The Intelligence Ministry, which is under the direct authority of President Hassan Rouhani, has become one of the leading human rights violators in Iran, responsible for the arrest of a significant number of activists, students, minority community leaders and human rights defenders over the past few years.

Sayyadi-Nasiri's friend added that human rights attorney Mohammad Najafi had agreed to take up the case but the authorities had not allowed him inside the prison to get a signature for a retainer.

Meanwhile, the life of Farhad Meysami, on hunger strike in Evin Prison since August 1, is in grave danger. Meysami, who is a 48-year-old physician, was arrested by agents of the Intelligence Ministry on July 31, 2018, for allegedly having badges in his home that said, "I am against compulsory hijab."

Meysami undertook his hunger strike to protest his unlawful imprisonment and the denial of his rights to access counsel of his choice, and to demand the release of Reza Khandan, who has been in detention since September 4, 2018, for publicly condemning the arrest of Khandan's wife, the prominent human rights attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh, who has herself been detained since June 2018.

Meysami has been moved to the medical center in the prison, where he has been held in isolation, restrained in a bed and given intravenous injections.

UN experts have expressed alarm at the critical deterioration in his health and have said they were "deeply disturbed" by the denial of his due process guarantees. They urged the authorities "to address the violations which are the basis of his protest."

Meysami was charged with "assembly and collusion against national security with the intention to incite women to appear in public with bare heads," "propaganda against the state" and "insulting the hijab as an indispensable Islamic principle" for his advocacy against forced hijab. The UN has said the charges brought against him were in clear violation of international human rights law.

The imprisoned human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh started a second hunger strike on November 26, 2018, to protest the Iranian authorities' refusal to allow Meysami to receive hospital treatment.

"Sayyadi-Nasiri's death and the danger of more deaths are a result of a judicial system that is out of control and which has abandoned any semblance of defending the rule of law," said Ghaemi.

"The Iranian judiciary is responsible for the lives of Iran's prisoners. More deaths will come if the authorities persist with these unlawful imprisonments, their denial of due process and the inhumane incarceration conditions in Iran," Ghaemi said.
Peacefmonline.com can confirm that the proposed merger of First Atlantic Bank and Energy Commercial Bank is receiving the attention of the regulator and its No Objection approval is expected shortly.



Analysts close to the transaction confirm that the combination of the banks will enable them meet the Ghc400m capital requirement given their current combined capital base and additional funds received from investors including Private Equity firms who are excited about the prospects of the combined entity.



They are set to become a top 10 player with very high liquidity and profitability ratios.



First Atlantic Bank assured customers in May this year that it is positive of meeting the 400 million cedis capital requirement set by the Bank of Ghana.



According to the bank, it has secured money from a private equity firm, hence will meet the requirement as stated by the regulator.



First Atlantic Bank (FAB) early this year officially signed an investment agreement with Advanced Finance & Investment Group (AFIG Funds), manager of AFIG Fund II (Fund II or the Fund) to strengthen its capital base.



The investment which has the approval of the Bank of Ghana was part of the banks strategy towards recapitalization before the end of the year.



First Atlantic Bank has signed a deal to acquire The Energy Commercial Bank Limited.



The acquisition will increase the two banks capital beyond the stated Ghc 400million set by the BOG and will position the bank in the top 10 league of best performing banks in Ghana.





Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Russian government is investing $190 million in the first phase of a planned Russian industrial zone in the Suez Canal Zone, with total investments in the zone expected to reach $7 billion

The Russian Export Centre is planning in 2019 to open offices in 17 countries, including Egypt, director Andrey Slepnev said.

Included among locations to host the new offices are South Africa, India, China, Singapore, Iran, Turkey, the UAE, Italy, France and Finland.

The goal is to boost Russian exports to these markets, Slepnev said in remarks to Egypt's MENA state news agency before leaving Egypt late Wednesday.

Slepnev hailed the development of an economic zone near the Suez Canal, saying the project to turn the area into an international industrial and logistics hub will save time and the cost of cargo transportation across the world.

The Russian government is investing $190 million in the first phase of a planned Russian industrial zone in the Suez Canal Zone, he said.

Russian's total investments in the zone are expected to reach $7 billion, Slepnev quoted Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov as saying.

Slepnev said a Russian business delegation that visited Egypt this week to attend Russian-African cooperation talks aimed to open direct channels of communication between Russian exporters and potential African partners with the aim of boosting Russian exports to these markets.

*This story has been edited by Ahram Online

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Fidelity Bank has met the Central Banks GH400million minimum capital requirement, a month ahead of the December 31 deadline, Edward Effah, Board Chairman of the bank, has said.



Speaking to the media after the bank held an Emergency General Meeting (EGM) which saw shareholders pass a special resolution to complete the capitalisation requirement, Mr. Effah, noted that the bank has become stronger and well positioned to aid the socio-economic development of Ghana.



We need the capital for our business. Even if the Bank of Ghana hadnt raised the capital, we would have raised the capital ourselves. Our financial performance for 2018 was excellent and Fidelity is one of the strongest banks in Ghana.



In 12 years we have built the fourth largest bank in the country. In terms of deposit we are very strong and our balance sheet is very impressive as well. We have also been very involved in social development in Ghana. We are the only bank with an inclusive banking agenda and we are supporting a lot of SMEs, he said.



To meet the new capital, Fidelity Bank moved GH70million from its retained earnings and raised GH70million in fresh capital to augment its existing GH260million of stated capital.



The GH400million means an additional capital of GH140million and we do need that capital not just to meet the minimum capital requirement but to grow our business, the board chairman added.



The Central Bank recently noted that so far only 22 banks have met the requirement and with Fidelity making this announcement now, it means the Central Bank, which is always notified ahead of such announcements, counts Fidelity as one of the 22.



Mr. Effah explained that the bank has led the socio-economic development of the country. We have built about five out of the last 10 power stations to power this country. We are a strong local bank that is positioned to contribute significantly to the socio-economic development of Ghana, he said.



Touching on new risk and credit regimes ready to take off in 2019 such as the Basell II and IFRS9, Mr. Effah noted that these regulations will require additional capital but Fidelity is well positioned to meet them.



Under the new Basel II requirement of the Bank of Ghana, we do need more capital and we are ready for that. We also do not envisage a significant increment in the capital requirement when it comes to IFRS9 but we are ready, he said.



He urged bankers and the general public to always remember that these [Basell II and IFRS9] are good policies for banks. They are not there to obstruct banks but to make banks more prudent and safer.



Fidelity Bank in 2014 acquired Procredit, a savings and loans company, which saw its branch network increase and opened its doors to SMEs. The bank subsequently, after the approval of the Central Bank, introduced agency banking as part of its expansion drive. This saw Fidelity move into aggressively into the informal sector.



These moves, analysts point out have positioned the bank as one of the strongest in terms of deposits and client services.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Some traders at the Mallam-Atta market in Accra have corroborated the position of the Agric. Minister to the effect that prices of food has become relatively cheaper in the country within the last two years.



The Minister says the agricultural sector has been given a huge boost due to the implementation of the Planting for Food and Jobs programme by the Nana Addo government.



Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, said his team has been tracking the retail and wholesale prices of foodstuffs in the various market across the country and have gathered that food prices has reached a high time low, thanks to the implementation of the planting for food policy.



Food has never been so cheap in Ghana for so many years, we have facts and network data of prices from years before we initiated planting for food and jobs and we have been tracking both the retail and wholesale prices in the market for some time, we can confidently say food is now very cheap in Ghana, Dr. Akoto told Accra-based Asempa FM.

He also added that, between January and September this year, Ghana recorded an increase in local maize production which ensured that the country imported no maize.



He further mention that plans are underway in ensuring that government halt the import of rice which cost the nation some billion dollars by giving a special attention to the rice sector.



We import about a billion dollars of rice into the country and we are determined that within the next four to five years, that should come to an end because we need that foreign exchange to develop our country he said.

However, some traders who spoke to Kasapa News said foodstuffs are less expensive in rural areas but when transported to Accra the prices shoot up because of transport fares.



Others also said they have to reduce the prices because the food may go waste if they dont want to run at a total lost.



There are a lot of food in the rural areas but the transport fare is too much so when it gets here it becomes expensive Beatrice a trader at the Mallam-Atta market said.









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Volta Regional Special Weapon and Tactics (SWAT) team over the weekend impounded a large volume of dried leaves suspected to be cannabis upon a tip-off, says the Volta Regional Commader, DCOP Francis Doku.



A street value of the dried leaves found in some homes in New Kayira, a community in the South Dayi District, has been pegged at GhC300,000.



The leaves were concealed in 50 sacks and 5 drums. 4 locally manufactured guns, 2 unregistered motorbikes and 4 weighing scales were all confiscated in the operation.



DCOP Francis Doku said the Regional Command received a tip off that some dried leaves were being hidden in some parts of the Kpeve Police District.

He added that the Regional SWAT team, led by ASP Eric Banini was quickly dispatched to the location.



He further detailed that the team on patrol in the area spotted two men on a motorbike loaded with sacks at New Kayira and gave them a chase.



...because they have knowledge of the terrain they were able to run away. We [police] did further search which led to the discovery of 50 sacks of dried leaves suspected to be cannabis and 5 drums of dried leaves also suspected to be cannabis.



DCOP Doku said they found 4 locally manufactured guns during the search and arrested four suspects whose homes the dried leaves were found.



So far we have picked 4 people namely, Prosper Donkor 27, Adzomla Torvor 70, Gati Samuel 38 and Dotse Noah 25 years, he listed.



He indicated the 4 suspects would be arraigned before court tomorrow Tuesday, while samples of the dried leaves would be sent to the crime lab for forensic tests.



He, however, stressed that his command would not relent in its fight against the illegal cultivation and sales of cannabis, and implored the citizenry to partner the police to fish out persons engaging in the illegal venture.



They are in custody at the Volta Regional Police headquarters assisting with investigations.



The four residents who have denied knowledge of the dried leaves are Prosper Donkor 27, Adzomla Torvor 70, Gati Samuel 38 and Dotse Noah 25 years.









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A twenty-year-old man under rather bizzare cirumstances has lost his life while baptizing in the Weija River in Accra.



In a video captured on the Facebook page of 'Ghana in Africa', the young man, whose name was given as Yaw Kyeremeh was seen being led by another man to undertake one of the major customs in Christianity; baptism.



Yaw Kyeremeh, in the video was the second to be baptized after a first who was led through the same process by the baptizer.



The pastor, after muttering some words of prayers immersed him into the river; head backwards, and lifted him up the first time. Per the Christian doctrines, baptism by immersion ought to be done such that the person being baptized is immersed in the water body three times to signify the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.



Kyeremeh however could not go through the Son and HolySpirit steps as he strangely sunk deep down into the water just about the time he was being immersed the second time.



Realizing what was happening, a man on the bank of the river seemed to have stretched his hand out so the drowning man could hold on to. Sadly, it was too late. About the same time though, the pastor who seemed not to be an expert at swimming with another person swam himself to safety and called for help as recorded by the video.



All efforts to retrieve Kwadwo Kyeremehs body proved futile as Kwadwos body wasnt found at the exact spot he drowned.



Though the rest of the incident wasnt recorded as it appeared the person recording the ceremonial baptism had dropped his phone to join in the shout for help, voices in the background detailed what the witnesses were saying.



Per voices in the recorded piece, the baptizer and Kyeremeh were advised not to go far into the river for the exercise since it was quite deep.



VIDEO-

Source: ghanaweb.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Members of rescue services work at the scene of a train accident in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018. A high-speed train hit a railway engine and crashed into a pedestrian overpass at a station in the Turkish capital Ankara on Thursday, killing more than 5 people and injuring more than 40 others, officials and news reports said. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)
The concept of a national park for the South Okanagan-Similkameen has divided the community. Many believe a referendum is the way to go, but not Oliver council.
The Syncrude oil sands extraction facility is reflected in a tailings pond near the city of Fort McMurray, Alta., on June 1, 2014. The Canadian government is facing heavy pressure to be one of the leaders in getting the rules for how the Paris climate change accord will be implemented at a United Nations climate change conference this week in Poland. Heads of state and environment ministers from most of the world's nations arrived on the scene this week in Katowice, a small coal-mining city in southern Poland, to try and hammer out exactly how the world will be held accountable for cutting emissions and slowing the rate of global warming. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
Omar Khadr speaks outside court in Edmonton on Thursday, December 13, 2018. Khadr is seeking a Canadian passport to travel to Saudi Arabia and wants permission to speak to his sister. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
Demonstrators stand behind a burning bin during clashes, Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018 in Marseille, southern France. 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. (AP Photo/Claude Paris)
Remembering veterans: Cpl. Gerard Gauthier Survivor of the Bataan Death March, Gerard Gauthier was born on Aug. 25, 1921 to Henry and Naomi (Rossier) Gauthier...

Public makes case for retaining district judgeship MANISTIQUE  The 93rd District Court judge for Schoolcraft County is retiring at the end of this year and the...

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Two Denver Police Department officers were assaulted, reportedly bitten by, a suspect on the 16th Street Mall early Tuesday evening.

The officers were dealing with a party on an unknown substance when they were injured.

A DPD spokesperson said the officers were taken to a hospital with minor injuries. The spokesperson would not confirm how the officers were hurt.

An officer at the scene told KDVR the person on the unknown substance bit both of the officers. That person was also taken to a hospital.
El Paso Police have arrested a suspect who they believe shot a police officer in South Central El Paso Tuesday.

Police apprehended the suspect, who they described as a Hispanic male, at around 8 p.m. at a residence.

The crisis management team made contact with the suspect but he refused to come out. After several hours, SWAT used gas in the residence to apprehend the suspect. He was then taken into custody.

No shots were fired and the suspect did not have any injuries, KVIA reports.

Police said officers were investigating a suspicious suspect call shortly after 12 p.m. Tuesday when they encountered a suspect who approached them with a weapon. The suspect fired at the officers and ran away, a police spokesman said. One of the officers was shot in the hand and transported to a nearby hospital. Shortly after 4 p.m., police said the wounded officer had been treated and released from the hospital.
Chief Daniel Paez of the Perrysburg (OH) Police Department has submitted his resignationeffective on January 8, 2019after a Lucas County Sheriff's Office investigation into Paez's response to a shooting in August.

According to the Toledo Blade, investigators found that Chief Paez pulled officers from the scene when they were needed to relieve township officers who were traumatized by the incident and did so without first conferring with township officials.

"I have a very deep appreciation and gratitude for all of the opportunities and challenges that I have been afforded through my employment with the City," Paez wrote in his resignation letter.

Paez has led the Perrysburg Police Department for more than nine years.
A teenage gunman at a middle school in Richmond, IN, reportedly opened fire on police outside the school before killing himself.

No other students were injured in the incident at Dennis Intermediate School, according to ABC News.

According to reports, an unidentified person reported suspicious activity to police, who responded to find the gunmanwho has not yet been identifiedat the school.

Indiana State Police Sergeant John Bowling said, "Someone knew something and said something. The school was able to follow procedure to help protect students."
Despite the measure passing in the city, the Dearborn Heights City Council has voted to opt out of several aspects of the recent statewide Proposal 1.

The Michigan Regulation and Taxation Act, legalizes not only the recreational use of marijuana, but also the cultivation and commercial sale of marijuana.

The ordinance was proposed by corporation counsel Gary Mitoke on an emergency basis.

The motion was seconded by Councilman Dave Abdallah.

I move that we agree with counsel that this should be adopted on an emergency basis, Abdallah said. Its being declared that this is an emergency action.

Councilman Bob Constan said it would be better to hold off.

I think its prudent to wait and see the impact this type of business would have on the city, Constan said. I encourage everyone to approve this ordinance.

Proposal one came with the option for municipalities to opt-out, which would not allow grow facilities, dispensaries, or recreational sales of marijuana to be in the city.

Councilman Ray Muscat says that based off of the phone calls and emails hes received, the city is evenly divided.

This was a very difficult decision to make and I see the pros and cons of this, he said. I have received I cant even tell you how many phone calls and emails to where I wanted to turn my phone and emails off. Its pretty well divided down the middle in the city of Dearborn Heights.

Muscat also says that it was determined that a majority of people dont want recreational marijuana use in their neighborhoods.

After looking at everything, the tabulation came out that people dont want it in their neighborhoods as a business type thing, Muscat said. Knowing full well that people can grow it in their homes and go to neighboring cities, this was a very difficult decision to make.

Abdallah says he has been doing extensive research to understand the pros and cons of having marijuana establishments within the city.

I have put in a lot of hours, talked to a lot of people, looked up stuff online, read newspapers, attended seminars Abdallah said. When this first started, I was a hundred million percent against marijuana. I have become a lot more open minded after doing the research. However, many residents do not want this in our neighborhoods.

With LARA having one year to develop the laws and regulations regarding the recreational use and sale of marijuana, Abdallah says its too soon to make a decision.

Very little cities have opted in, that I am aware of, Abdallah said. For me, in our city, until the state at the state level puts together all their ordinances, all their conditions, all their rules, all their laws, I just think its too early for us to jump into this and then we have to fly by the seat of our pants on what to do.

Police Chief Daniel Voltattorni says he agrees with the proposal by Miotke.

It gives us an opportunity to think about what we want to do as a city and gives the state a chance to get their thoughts and systems in place, he said. We are still working on procedures on how we are going to deal with it.

Miotke says that he has made this recommendation to allow time to study.

This allows us to put everything on hold and look at everything more closely, he said. We can change our mind and opt in at some point once rules are made.

The council vote was unanimous to prohibit marijuana establishments in the city effective immediately. There is no set time frame for when the issue will be revisited.
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Larry Hayden walks in for his sentencing hearing at the Champaign County Courthouse in Urbana to get mandatory natural life for two child molestations Friday Jan. 8, 2016. Due to an appellate court ruling, Hayden will receive a new trial.
TOLOnews.com, December 9, 2018

By Sayed Sharif Amiri

The Integrity Watch Afghanistan (IWA) survey shows that Afghanistans legal, judicial and educational institutions remain the "most corrupt" among government institutions.

Based on the survey, after insecurity, unemployment and corruption are among the major concerns of the Afghan people.

But, President Ashraf Ghani in his speech to a gathering in Kabul, marking International Anti-Corruption Day, highlighted the governments anti-corruption campaign and expressed satisfaction with the performance of the Afghan legal and judicial institutions towards combating the trend.

Who believes that our prosecutor and our judge do not (sway) on corruption? Thanks to the Chief Justice and the attorney general, and the whole legal and judicial system. You must not forget that thousands of cases have remained unresolved for many years, but today, by the Grace of Allah, the cases are processed on a quarterly basis in the Supreme Court of Afghanistan, said Ghani.

We are still facing major challenges and obstructions, but I can say with satisfaction that some judgments from within and outside the country, about the national unity government regarding the issue, is not based on justice, said Mohammad Sawar Danish, Second Vice President.

According to IWA, a total of 8,000 face-to-face interviews were conducted with Afghan respondents in 34 provinces of the country, of which, 14% of the respondents said that the legal and judicial institutions are the most corrupt institutions in Afghanistan; 10% said the ministry of education is the most corrupt, while 9% said that the attorney general's office is the most corrupt institution in the country.

Legal, judicial and educational institutions are named as the most corrupt institutions, but we should realize that we do not have another 17 years, we need to reform ourselves in the next two years, reform the government, reform the system, otherwise, we will face another tragedy, said IWA chairman Sayed Ekram Afzali.

The survey also states that corruption exists on a large scale in Afghanistans election management bodies - the Independent Election Commission (IEC) and the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC).

Meanwhile, chairman of the IECC Abdul Aziz Aryayee also confirmed the existence of corruption in these areas. Aryayee said the election law is discriminatory.

Corruption will not be eradicated from Afghanistan unless we consider broad-based and real reforms in our society for undertaking reforms in the election commissions to determine that these commissions work properly, he said.

In addition, Tadamichi Yamamoto, the UN Secretary-Generals Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said corruption is threatening Afghanistans national security and the issue could impact on international aid to Afghanistan.

It is time to put frameworks into practice to ensure that anti-corruption laws and strategies bring about real change for Afghan citizens, said Yamamoto.

Recognizing that the efforts and commitment of the government are yet to impact the lives of many Afghans, the United Nations maintains that corruption must be addressed in Afghanistan as a substantial obstacle to long-term peace and prosperity, UNAMA said in a press release.

US ambassador to Afghanistan John Bass said transparency is needed to deter, detect and disrupt corruption.

Today is International Anti-Corruption Day. The United States and Afghanistan are jointly committed to shining a spotlight on those who would seek to benefit by stealing finances and resources from the people of Afghanistan, Bass said.

Financial transparency and merit-based hiring are key to deter, detect and disrupt corruption. The government of Afghanistan must continue its reforms to fight corruption to improve citizen trust in government. Asset registration by government officials is a critical part of transparency and accountability. The government of Afghanistan has made progress in registering assets, and in Geneva committed to completing the verification process, he said.

Corruption hinders economic growth, erodes trust in government, and impedes peace and security. All parts of government must fight corruption, the judiciary, the legislature and the executive branch, tweeted Bass.

Based on the IWA, the overall amount of money used in corruption in Afghanistan in 2018 is estimated at $1.7 billion.
The New York Times, December 11, 2018

KABUL, Afghanistan  At least 12 people were killed on the outskirts of Kabul on Tuesday when explosives in a vehicle detonated near a convoy of security forces, Afghan officials said, and at least 12 others were wounded.

It was the deadliest of several violent attacks across Afghanistan on Tuesday that left a total of more than 30 dead, most of them members of security forces.



The site of an attack on a convoy of security forces on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday. Two women and a child were among the victims, according to the Kabul police. (Photo: Hedayatullah Amid/EPA, via Shutterstock) The site of an attack on a convoy of security forces on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday. Two women and a child were among the victims, according to the Kabul police. (Photo: Hedayatullah Amid/EPA, via Shutterstock)

Basir Mujahid, a spokesman for the Kabul police, said four of those killed in the attack on the convoy were security officers and eight were civilians. Two women and a child were among the victims, he said.

In the northern province of Kunduz, at least 10 police officers were killed and 12 others were wounded when an elite Taliban force known as the Red Unit attacked 15 security outposts in the Chardara District, said Gul Ahmad, a police commander there.

Despite calling for support many times, reinforcement forces never arrived, he said.

In the west of the country, Taliban fighters attacked an outpost of the Afghan National Civil Order Police in the Pashtun Zarghun district of Herat Province. Four members of the force were killed in that attack and seven others were wounded, said Abdul Ahad Walizada, the spokesman for the Herat police.

That toll only increased as help was called in. When reinforcement forces were trying to reach the area, they were hit by a roadside bomb, Mr. Walizada said. Two police officers were killed and five others were wounded in the explosion.

Four other members of security forces were killed in smaller attacks by the Taliban in other parts of Kunduz and Badghis Provinces, local officials said.

Violence across Afghanistan has continued unabated despite recent efforts to urge the Taliban to sit down for peace talks in the hopes of finding a political resolution to the 17-year war. Zalmay Khalilzad, the American special envoy to Afghanistan, is on his third tour of the region since his appointment to that role, trying to build a consensus for bringing the Taliban to talks.

While Afghan forces have suffered casualties that Western officials consider unsustainably high, strikes against the Talibans important field commanders also seem to have increased in recent weeks. One of the militant groups most senior commanders in the south, Mullah Manan, was killed in a recent American airstrike.
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The French stock market is slightly lower Thursday morning, despite having opened on a positive note amid optimism about a trade deal between the U.S. and China.

With a slew of economic data to tap and the European Central Bank scheduled to announce its monetary policy today, investors appear a bit wary of building up positions and are taking some profits instead. Uncertainty about Brexit is weighing as well.

The benchmark CAC 40 index is down 7.66 points, or 0.14 percent, at 4901.78, coming off an early high of 4935.48.

Legrand, Capgemini, Sanofi, Dassault Systemes, Air Liquide and Saint Gobain are among the losers.

Hermes International, Renault, ST Microelectronics, BNP Paribas, Arcelor Mittal, Veolia Environment, Kering, Engie, Atos, Valeo SA, Peugeot and Societe Generale are moving up 0.5 to 1.25 percent.

Markets in Europe are looking ahead to the latest policy decision of the European Central Bank, due at 7:45 am ET.

The bank is set to confirm today that its four-year long quantitative easing programme, which saw the bank buying EUR 2.6 trillion worth of bonds in a bid to rescue the Eurozone , will conclude in December.

The main refi rate is currently at a record low zero percent and the deposit rate at -0.40 percent, while the marginal lending facility is at 0.25 percent.

In September, the ECB Staff trimmed the growth projections for this year, and next, to 2 percent and 1.8 percent, respectively. Draghi will release the latest set of projections on Thursday that is expected to reveal a further downgrade of the forecast for the coming years and refer to downside risks.

Asian ended on a high note once again, riding on optimism about a U.S.-China trade deal before the expiry of the 90-day truce.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
After a positive start, the U.K. stock market retreated and pared most of its gains on Thursday morning, with investors largely refraining from making significant moves and looking for direction after two successive days of strong gains.

With the buoyancy over U.S. - China trade talks subsiding slightly, the market has turned subdued amid uncertainty over Brexit.

The FTSE 100 is currently down 12.96 points, or 0.19 percent, at 6867.26, off an early high of 6910.25. The index had gained 1.08 percent on Wednesday, after having moved up by 1.27% a day earlier.

Barratt Developments, Hammerson, DCC, British American Tobacco, Marks & Spencer, BP, Mondi, Reckitt Benckiser and Royal Dutch Shell are down 1.7 to 3 percent.

Glencore, TUI, Antofagasta, Taylor Wimpey, Shire and Aviva are up 2 to 5 percent.

British Prime Minister Theresa May, who survived a confidence vote on Wednesday, will be attending the EU summit in Brussels today and look to get some additional concessions on the Irish border aspect of the agreement.

In the currency market, the pound, which was hovering around $1.2670 earlier this morning, is currently at $1.2653.

Meanwhile, across Europe are looking ahead to European Central Bank's monetary policy statement, due later in the day.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Market Analysis
Allianz Global Investors Chief Executive Andreas Utermann called on global regulators to ban crypto assets.

"You (regulators) should outlaw [crypto]" as crypto currencies have "wiped out people's savings," Utermann reportedly said while speaking at a panel discussion in London.

The head of the world-renowned financial institution said he was surprised that regulators haven't "stepped in harder."



Utermann's fellow panelist Andrew Bailey supported his idea.

There was "no intrinsic value" in crypto assets, according to the head of the U.K.'s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Bailey said that FCA, which has the power to enact regulatory measures, is watching crypto trading and initial coin offerings (ICOs) very closely.

Their comments come at a time nearly all crypto-assets, including Bitcoin, are at their lowest level.

Bitcoin touched a record high of close to $20000 in December last year, and Ether hit its highest rate of $1339 in early January, but both have since given back those gains.

In the wake of the growing popularity of the crypto trade and the frauds and risks it entails, pressure is mounting on governments to develop standards for crypto regulations.

The European Parliament earlier this year had recommended that regulations concerning virtual currencies should be harmonized across jurisdictions, and that investment in cryptos should be taxed similarly to investment in other financial assets.

A British parliamentary committee in August had called on the government to introduce regulation to protect investors from the current "Wild West" situation in the crypto-asset market.

And earlier this month, G20 summit vowed to regulate crypto assets for anti-money laundering and to counter the financing of terrorism.

Only very few countries, such as Gibraltar, have introduced regulations for blockchain-based businesses.

The risks involved in investments in virtual currencies include possibility of fraud, bankruptcy of the issuer or intermediary, or speculative bubbles and bursts, among others.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Crude oil prices are drifting lower on Thursday, after a report from the International Energy Agency said crude output by OPEC members rose in November on the back of record pumping from Saudi Arabia.

The report said OPEC output increased by 100,000 barrels a day on month to 33.03 million barrels a day in November. Saudi Arabia produced an additional 410,000 barrels a day in the month, taking the kingdom's total production in the month to a historic high of 11.06 million barrels a day.

With high level of production for Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. offsetting declines in Iran, there is excess supply in the market.

Meanwhile, OPEC's monthly report released yesterday, shows a slight decline in the cartel's output in November.

Last week, the OPEC and non-OPEC members agreed to cut production by 1.2 million barrels a day starting in January.

Crude oil futures for January are down $0.64, or 1.25%, at 50.51 a barrel.

On Wednesday, crude oil futures for January delivery ended down $0.50, or 1%, at 51.15 a barrel, well off the session's high of 52.84 a barrel.

The IEA report says, "The agreement aims to achieve relative stability and to bring the market toward balance. So far, the Brent crude oil price seems to have found a floor, remaining close to $60 a barrel."

The IEA said total global oil supply in November fell by 360,000 barrels a day on month, as a result of outages in the North Sea and Canada, as well as a decline in Russian output.

And, the agency kept its oil demand growth forecasts for this year and next unchanged, at 1.3 million barrels a day and 1.4 million barrels a day, respectively.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Market Analysis
A summary of some of the widely followed stories on cryptocurrency and blockchain during the past 24 hours.

Most Asked Question of the Year on Google  What Is Bitcoin?

As part of its annual "Year in Search" series, Google released the year's most trending search topics beginning with the words "What is." And the question that Americans and Britons asked most in 2018 was "What Is Bitcoin?" Although Ripple, or XRP, is worth just 10 percent of its peak value today, the fourth most searched phrase in this category was 'How to buy Ripple.'

Deutsche Telekom, Citi, Alibaba Cloud Join Hyperledger Blockchain Project

German telecom giant Deutsche Telekom, Chinese conglomerate Alibaba's Alibaba Cloud, banking giant Citi and 13 other organizations have joined Hyperledger Blockchain project, an open source collaborative effort aimed to advance cross-industry blockchain technologies. Hyperledger creates enterprise-grade, open source distributed ledger frameworks and code bases. It enables organizations to build solid, industry-specific applications, platforms and hardware systems to support their individual transactions.

Boerse Stuttgart to launch crypto-exchange with support from solarisBank

German stock exchange Boerse Stuttgart Group is partnering Berlin-based fintech company solarisBank to help develop the infrastructure and systems for a new cryptocurrency trading platform. It is set to be launched in the first half of 2019. The new crypto-exchange will initially open trading in established crypto currencies such as Bitcoin (BTC) or Ethereum (ETH).

Allianz GI CEO calls for banning Crypto assets

Allianz Global Investors Chief Executive Andreas Utermann called on global regulators to ban crypto currency trading. "You (regulators) should outlaw [crypto]" as crypto currencies have "wiped out people's savings," Utermann reportedly said while speaking at a panel discussion in London. There was "no intrinsic value" in crypto assets, accordng to the head of the U.K.'s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Ex-AriseBank execs to pay $2.7 mln fine to settle ICO fraud charges

The U.S. Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) stated that two former executives of AriseBank have been ordered in federal court to pay nearly $2.7 million in fine for allegedly running a fraudulent Initial Coin Offering (ICO). The ICO was stopped by the SEC in late January and it filed a complaint in federal district court in Dallas. The federal court also prohibited the two executives - then-CEO Jared Rice Sr. and then-COO Stanley Ford - from serving as officers or directors of public companies or participating in future offerings of digital securities.

Current Prices

As of this writing, Bitcoin is down by 0.45 percent or $15.48 at $3391 on Coinbase. Ethereum is trading up 0.55 percent or $0.49 at $89.62.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Technology News
A day after Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison for a variety of crimes, President Donald Trump claimed in a post on Twitter on Thursday that he never directed his longtime personal lawyer to break the law.

"I never directed Michael Cohen to break the law," Trump tweeted. "He was a lawyer and he is supposed to know the law. It is called 'advice of counsel,' and a lawyer has great liability if a mistake is made. That is why they get paid."

Cohen pleaded guilty to several crimes, including violating campaign finance laws by making "hush money" payments to silence two women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump.

Recent court filings by federal prosecutors stated Trump directed Cohen to pay off the two women just weeks before the 2016 election.

Suggesting Cohen was not guilty of campaign finance violations, Trump claimed his former lawyer only agreed to plead guilty to the charges to "embarrass the president and get a much reduced prison sentence."

Cohen took full responsibility for his actions ahead of his sentencing, claiming he felt it was his duty to cover up Trump's "dirty deeds."

Despite being sentenced to prison, Cohen argued he was being freed from the "personal and mental incarceration" he has lived in since accepting an offer to work for Trump.

Federal prosecutors had recommended Cohen serve a "substantial" prison sentence of 51 to 63 months despite his cooperation with special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.

In a subsequent post to Twitter, Trump claimed former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn got a "great deal" from Mueller because of the "way he was treated."

"They gave General Flynn a great deal because they were embarrassed by the way he was treated - the FBI said he didn't lie and they overrode the FBI," Trump tweeted.

He added, "They want to scare everybody into making up stories that are not true by catching them in the smallest of misstatements. Sad!"

Flynn has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia, but Mueller recommended no prison time for the retired Army lieutenant general due to his "substantial assistance" in the investigation.

(Photo: Michael Vadon)

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Political News
Shares of Tailored Brands Inc. (TLRD) continue to see substantial weakness in afternoon trading on Thursday after gapping open sharply lower. After hitting its lowest intraday level in over a year, Tailored Brands is currently down by 29.7 percent.

The sell-off by Tailored Brands comes after the parent of apparel chains Jos. A. Bank and Men's Wearhouse reported fiscal third quarter earnings that beat estimates but weaker than expected revenues and lowered its full-year guidance.

Tailored Brands reported third quarter adjusted earnings of $1.01 per share compared to analysts estimates for $0.94 per share, although its revenues of $812.7 million came in below expectations for $820 million.

The company also reduced its full year adjusted earnings forecast to between $2.30 and $2.35 per share from prior expectations of $2.35 to $2.50 per share.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Alleged Russian secret agent Maria Butina pleaded guilty Thursday for attempting to covertly influence U.S. policy toward Russia.

As part of a deal with prosecutors, Butina pleaded guilty to conspiracy to operate as an unlisted foreign agent and agreed to cooperate with investigators.

Butina allegedly sought to establish unofficial lines of communication with Americans having power and influence over U.S. , including the National Rifle Association.

Prosecutors said Butina acted "under direction of" a Russian official believed to be Alexander Torshin, a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin and deputy governor of the Russian Central Bank.

A report from CNN suggested Butina's guilty plea and agreement to cooperate comes with the hope that prosecutors will ask for a reduced sentence.

Butina's case was not handled by special counsel Robert Mueller but provides further evidence of Russian efforts to meddle in U.S. politics.

(Photo: Pavel Starikov)

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will hold a two-day national council meeting -- the largest body of the party -- on January 11-12 here to chalk out its strategy for 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

BJP General Secretary Bhupendra Yadav announced the party's programme here at a press conference after a meeting of BJP office-bearers and state party chiefs with party President Amit Shah.



The meeting, to be held at the Indira Gandhi National Indoor Stadium here, is likely to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shah, party veteran L.K. Advani, several union ministers and members of the party's national council.



The meeting will take stock of the current political situation and would finalise its programmes for reaching out to the electorate ahead of the crucial 2019 Lok Sabha polls.





"As part of preparation for 2019, seven wings of the BJP are active to take party's agenda to different sections of the society," Yadav said.



Besidees, a series of other meetings are also scheduled to start with a workshop of the BJP Yuva Morcha in Delhi on December 15-16, followed by the convention of party's Mahila Morcha in Ahmedabad on December 21-22, which will be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.



"On January 19-20, a convention of Scheduled Castes Morcha of the party will be held in Nagpur, in which BJP President Amit Shah, Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Thawarchand Gehlot would be the main speakers," Yadav said.



The BJP Minority Cell will also hold a two-day national convention in New delhi on January 31-February 1.



On February 2-3, a national convention of the Scheduled Tribes arm of the party would be held in Bhubaneswar and that of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) would be organised in Patna on February 15-16.



Besides, Modi will address a rally of party's Kisan Morcha that will be held in Uttar Pradesh on February 21-22. The city for the rally is, however, yet to be decided.
Tuesday 12 December 2018 is a day to remember. It was a day many of us who grew up in Samoa thought we would never see.

A day when two of the biggest pillars in Samoa, the Church and Government, collided in the corridors of justice sending out a shockwave to the rest of the country with the burning question of what has happened to Samoa?

It is a day that would go down in history when church Ministers, who are regarded as ao o faalupega were shown the ultimate sign of disrespect and dragged to the Court by an all powerful Government whose thirst for money now officially knows no boundaries.

To be frank, it was a sad day; one many of us had quietly hoped would not come, especially in a Christian state like Samoa. Alas it wasnt to be.

Today, weve gone beyond the mark of compromise; were now in the territory where it is the churchs word against the government.

Needless to say, we have entered new waters, ones that have never been tested before. This is why Tuesday this week will forever be etched in the collective memory of this nation.

The images from the Court will remain with us, they are enduring.

It all started a few years ago when Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaois administration announced their plan to tax the Head of State and the alofa of Church Ministers. They argued that everyone must contribute to the development of Samoa through paying their taxes. They added that it was the right thing to do.

As it happens in a one-party state, no one could argue against it so the law was introduced and passed despite strong opposition from the biggest denomination in the country, the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa.

Last month, one of the most disturbing developments was announced by the Minister of Revenue, Tialavea Tionisio Hunt. It involved the filing of charges against C.C.C.S. Ministers for failure to pay their taxes.

In making the announcement, Tialavea said the Government is not taking a backward step.

The law was passed in January 2018 and all the church denominations have complied except the C.C.C.S, Tialavea said.

The law applies to everyone. The law does not wait until it is accepted by a certain group. We have given church ministers eleven months and those who continue to defy the law will face the consequences. It saddens me it has come to this, but the law is there and we everyone follows the law.

On Tuesday, nine Church Ministers  accompanied by hundreds of church members  fronted up in the District Court before Judge Talasa Lumepa Atoa Saaga.

The Church Ministers charged are: Reverend Amosa Reupena, Rev. Enefatu Lesa, Rev. Faasalafa Vitaoa, Rev. Ioane Petaia, Rev. Lavilavi Soloi, Rev. Petaia Leavai, Rev. Poasa Toiaivao and Rev. Semikueva Faatoafa. Each one of them is facing two counts of failure to withhold tax and failure to file wage tax returns.

The Ministers were represented by lawyer, Alex Sua, who asked the Court for an adjournment. Sua also asked the Court to waive the bail condition for his clients to surrender their travel documents.

I also refer to the chargeswhich are not serious chargesthe penalty is 10 units and I also discussed it with my lawyer friendand he does not have any objection and we will advise the Court if there are any travels, Mr. Sua said.

The lawyer representing the Ministry of Revenue, Alesana Tumua, did not oppose the application.

Outside the Court House after the hearing, the Churchs General Secretary Reverend Vavatau Taufao addressed all their supporters, thanking them for their prayers and support. The matter has been adjourned until next Tuesday.

Stay tuned!

In the meantime, have a safe Thursday Samoa, God bless!
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Samoa Red Cross Association (SRCA) and the Ministry of Health have agreed to partner to address gender-based violence in Samoa.

They are conducting Gender Based Violence Programming in Emergencies (GBViE) training workshops for three-days at the SRCA meeting room, starting yesterday with keynote remarks from the Minister for Health, Tuitama Dr. Leao Tuitama.

Speaking to the Samoa Observer, the Red Cross secretary general, Namulauulu Tautala Mauala, said there were cases of gender based violence in shelters, which were arranged for people to be evacuated to during natural disasterswhere women, young girls and children were affected.

This gender-based programing in emergencies is part of the Red Crosss preparedness programs in disasters, and emergencies raising awareness, together with health programs and stakeholdersbecause not only is this for awareness, but to also strengthen our network, he said.

What well be doing for these three days is working with tools that are available, to further promote this issue, and other problems arising from gender-based violence and all with the notion that we are in the natural disaster period, we all need to be prepared.

Sudanese program facilitor from UNFPA, Rania Abuelhassan, said it was an opportunity that Red Cross is running the program with UNFPA to create more awareness and highlight taking care of GBV survivors in times of crisis.

The design of this training is to help all of the stakeholders, who are involved in responding to women and girls needs during crisis, and how to identify GBV casesbecause then well know whether or not theres an increase of GVB, at the occurrence of any disasters.

So thats why we want them to be equipped in a way that they can handle those cases, and refer them properly without further harming them. Were hopeful that we are helpful next time, she said.

Participant, Eliza Gaya Setu, 20, said it was her first time to attend a GBV program and it was an eye opener for her.

Ive learned the causes of the abuse and violence of women and other genders in communities, their consequences and Ive come to learn how to protect myself and decrease any chances of being affected from any type of violence, she said.

According to SRCA youth leader, Astrid Koon Wai You, who is co-facilitating with Rania, the SRCA-implemented program is made possible by UNFPA funding and they looked forward to running another similar program in the communities.

Participants came from within the SRCA National Society and other sectors including Adventists Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), Nuanua O Le Alofa, Samoa Faafafine Association, Samoa Victim Support Group, Caritas Samoa, Ministry of Women and Social Developments, Samoa National Youth Council, Ministry Of Police, Ministry of Health, Loto Taumafai and People Living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA).
Students at Manono-uta Primary School can look forward to better learning facilities next year, thanks to Japan.

Yesterday, Japan continues to provide development assistance to the education sector in Samoa under the its Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects.

Manono-uta Primary is the latest recipient.

An official signing ceremony was held at the Embassy of Japan in Apia between Ambassador Maugaoleatuolo Shinya Aoki and the Chairman of the Manono Uta Primary School committee and Member of Parliament for Aiga i le Tai constituency, Mulipola Laki Misikei.

The school committee received a grant worth $394,434.

The grant will assist the school committee with reconstruction of its current school building that has deteriorated over the years due to its age conditions and impacts of past cyclones.

The new building will include eight classrooms, a staff room and a library or computer lab.

Japans assistance through educational and community projects indicates its commitment to contribute to the improvement of learning environments and welfare of the people of Samoa, not only with funding assistance, but also expanding its cooperation through the dispatch of one volunteer under Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers Programme who is currently engaging in the study fields of Mathematics and Science at the Manono Uta Primary School.

It is also in line with Samoas Strategy for Development of Samoa which lists quality education a priority area.

Japans Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects is specifically designed to address basic human needs which includes health, basic education, water supply, social welfare and environmental protection or disaster relief.
Re: Church recklessness building

This is the legacy of the previous administration of the church.

It was led by a man who claimed to be very intelligent. Yet he was very high minded and thought he is the smartest person in the world.

Maybe he went to the same school of arrogant idiots with the PM.

And this is what he has left the church in.

The church should sue those fools along with their professor for the sake of the poor church members whose sweat and blood they have wasted.

To the church, get some qualified reps for the komiti feau eseese. People with the guts to speak up against corrupt practices eating away the sanity and trust of the church faithful.

L.U.
Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi has used the Katowice Climate Change Conference to again call for oceans to become an integral part of the continuing climate change agenda.

The Prime Minister made the appeal recently at a side event on the sidelines of the 24th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 24) to the UNFCCC in Poland.

I reiterate the importance of the inextricable links between ocean and climate. A key focus therefore of our engagement of Pacific in the COP process is on this link and the need for oceans to become an integral part of the continuing climate change agenda.

The launching of the Oceans Pathway at COP 23 led by Pacific leaders sought to address and strengthen actions related to the oceanclimate nexus, he said.

Making reference to the potential effects of climate change on Pacific Island communities, should temperatures remain above 1.5 degree Celsius, Tuilaepa warned that current commitments on carbon emissions were not enough, and will fall short of meeting the Paris Agreements warming limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius.

This is why the objective of the Talanoa Dialogue is crucial. That is, we need to raise the level of ambition of the next round of NDCs. We believe the ocean is key to raising these ambitions not only as the Earths largest carbon sink, but it has potential for clean energy generation, a source of food security and supply, and a storehouse of ecosystems, which when healthy, can protect coastlines.

The Prime Minister said the weather and the ocean had a two-way relationship, adding that changes in the climate can alter the properties of the ocean.

Clearly, the ocean is a key component of the climate system. Scientists continue to highlight the critical role played by the ocean in regulating the climate. The ocean is one of the major sinks of carbon sequestration and storage.

For Pacific Island states, the relationship between the ocean and climate is clear, according to Tuilaepa.

Addressing the adverse impacts of climate change and ensuring the conservation and sustainable use of the ocean and its resources are two key and interlinked priorities for our Blue Pacific. Ocean and Climate Action are two sides of the same coin, he added.

The COP24 Conference in Poland ends today December 14.
The Supreme Court has granted bail to manslaughter suspect, Herman Westerlund.

But the defendant who together with Suapaina Savaiinaea have been charged with manslaughter in connection to the death of Jeremiah Malaki Tauiliili  has strict bail conditions while awaiting trial.

The hearing of the bail application returned to the Court yesterday afternoon.

On Wednesday, Justice Tafaoimalo Leilani Tuala-Warren ordered the Attorney Generals Office to get the police report.

Lawyer Fepuleai Patrick Fepuleai, who is representing the defendant, told the Court on Wednesday that his client should be given bail as he was not a flight risk, will not interfere with witnesses, has no previous convictions and will not reoffend while on bail.

The prosecution  through Leone Sua of the Attorney Generals Office  opposed the bail application on Wednesday.

She argued that manslaughter is a serious charge and the application should be heard, after the defendant appeared for mention.

But they changed their position yesterday, and advised the Court that the prosecution did not oppose bail.

It was then they provided strict conditions the defendant should adhere to.

We advise that we do not oppose bail, we have strict bail conditions, such as signing twice a week at the Central Police Station (Mondays and Wednesdays) before 12pm.

The defendant will also surrender his passports (Samoan and New Zealand) and any other travel documents, no direct or indirect contact with any of the Police witnesses, and curfew from 7pm to 7amstay away from the Marina or near the area.

Also cannot post on social media and cannot contact the co-defendants charged in this case.

The Supreme Court then granted bail after the submission by the prosecution and confirmed the conditions outlined by the prosecutor.

You are remanded on bail now and youre to appear in Court next week for mention, said Justice Tafaoimalo.

But not before warning the defendant that any breach of his bail conditions will have repercussions.

Just so you understand that if you breach any conditions outlined you will immediately be taken back to custody of Police, she added.

Prior to yesterdays bail application, the defendant and Suapaina were kept in custody at the Central Police Station in Apia.

Herman Westerlund and Suapaina Savaiinaea will appear for mention on December 17.
A workshop centered on drought was conducted by the Samoa Meteorological Office recently in partnership with the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme and the International Federation of Red Cross.

The one-week workshop brought together stakeholders and members of the various community sectors, where they were presented information on how to best prepare themselves for a drought.

We are trying to develop a new product looking at graphs and how we can advise sectors, stakeholders and the community on what to expect, Acting Assistant C.E.O., Tile Tofaeono said.

Three days were based on refreshing our knowledge on the drought tool  called a scopic - tool that can analyse the rainfall data we collect from all our centres.

We developed a year watch bulletin  which will be delivered to sectors especially the vulnerable sectors  like the Samoa Water Authority, the Agriculture department and Red Cross because they are the ones who give these bulletins out to the communities.

The weather office has identified four types of droughts, which are meteorological (when rainfall is below the 10 percentile point and is to do with atmosphere and rain), agricultural drought, hydrological drought and social economical drought.

Drought can be associated with the El Nino oscillation, but it wasnt the case when we analysed the data and there were some La Nina phase causing drought. Frequent droughts last for about one month or two months, Tile said.

From the climate services, we look at monthly and three-monthly rainfall, and we are trying together a bulletin for the general public on what to expect during a drought or when there is rainfall deficit.

Tile said workshop participants gave positive and constructive feedbacks on how to improve the bulletin, before the first one is released next this month.

One of the things weve tried to do is to pull in the media as well. How effective will our meeting be if people do not know about it?

He said one of the challenges facing various ministries is the staff turnover, especially project coordinators.

I think its the turnover of how each ministry operates, and how people move from one job to another because it leaves that gap. In the climate projects we have appointed a coordinator in that project, and once its completed they just look for another job. So thats a challenge for us.
A touch of innovation and a generous fund from the international mobile association giant GSMA, has put Samoan owned and operated Skyeye in prime position to enable rural communities to participate in the national marketplace.

They have developed a platform called Maua, which wants to help consumers, retailers, drivers and more connect to each other. GPS technology means no one gets lost, and digital payment facilities means everyone gets paid.

Key partner Digicel will be one of the mobile operators supporting Skyeye, ensuring their data network is strong enough to support the app as its used around Samoa, and providing the mobile payment gateway.

We are definitely excited to see this come into action, said Farid Mohammed, Digicel chief executive officer.

Its a way forward and changing the whole way e-commerce works in the Pacific.

But while the rural community may be well connected to the internet, there are still relatively low rates of smartphone use.

Mr Mohammed said ideally, government would offer the mobile operators a concession on the 20 per cent duty tax on mobile devices.

It is early days and they are new technologies so the cost of those technologies is expensive at the moment.

We are talking to the government to see how we can partner with them to increase smartphone penetration in rural areas.

He said by saving money on that duty tax, customers could save money at the retail end.

Its not something Digicel would like to benefit from, but something wed like to pass on to the customer so that they are able to access the technology.

Skyeye chief executive officer Faasootauloa Sam Saili said if getting Mauas ideal clients on board is a hurdle due to a lack of smartphones, he plans to work with the mobile providers and development partners to try and fund a supply.

Not all people will have smartphones, its true, he said.

But we are making plans to deal with that as it comes up.
Californias groundbreaking stem cell agency is running low on time and money.

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, or CIRM, is drawing down the last of $3 billion in state bond money granted by voters in 2004 with Proposition 71. The goal was to turn stem cell science into treatments for patients and boost Californias clout in this emerging field.

CIRM has funded many potential therapies now in human clinical trials, for diabetes, HIV, spinal cord injuries and more. Much of that money has gone to San Diego, including more than $70 million to ViaCyte, a company developing stem cell-based diabetes therapies.

But critics say the agencys supporters overpromised how soon it could deliver on its promises, and the state should not pay more.

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Dr. Maria Millan, CIRM president and CEO, and Jonathan Thomas, chairman, recently spoke with the Union-Tribune about these issues. Here is that conversation, edited for space and clarity:

Q: What does CIRM do?

MM: CIRM provides support at a critical stage, when traditional financial support, infrastructure, has not been there. We get it through this very fragile stage of the science  with the infrastructure and the knowledge to support it through getting into clinical trials.

The other challenge is how do we get these (treatments) to patients? Itd be a shame to have a success in terms of showing this has an effect on patients, but not being able to get it out to the patients.

Dr. Maria Millan, CIRM president and CEO (CIRM)

So how can we do that? By providing critical infrastructure, by continuing to build upon a specialized ecosystem that would provide rigorous scientific data to support coverage of these treatments for patients and by providing the expertise to deliver the resulting transformative treatments to patients.

Q: How do you ensure the views of patients are represented?

JT: We are all about patients. Our mission statement, which is included at the beginning of every presentation, captures that sentiment: To accelerate stem cell treatments to patients with unmet medical needs.

We have integrated patients into everything we do, from the (governing) board (10 of our 29 board members are patient advocates), to the peer review process, to the advisory panels that meet regularly with clinical trial teams to help improve their respective projects.

Jonathan Thomas, CIRM chairman. (CIRM)

Patients have always supported CIRM, starting with wholeheartedly backing Proposition 71 in 2004. We could not place a higher value or overstate how important that support has been and continues to be.

Because of that support and the urgency of the work on their behalf, we need to finish the job.

We cant tell you whats going succeed and what isnt and how long its going to take. We can say that we have funded 49 clinical trials  with a bunch of others in the pipeline  and have given out over 1,000 grants since we started. We have by all accounts a world-class portfolio of projects, all for the benefit of patients.

So if we dont get re-upped in the funding, what youre going to see is all this tremendous body of work hit the wall and drop straight down because there is no other source.

Q: CIRM critics say the institutes supporters overpromised in 2004, when California voters approved the funding, and that no more public money should be given to the institute. How do you respond?

JT: Maria and I werent with the agency in 2004. What I can say at this point is that science takes a lot of time and a lot of money. The field of regenerative medicine was new when we started. We have funded projects since that time starting with basic research, through translational work to get to clinical trials and on to the clinical trials themselves. All of that takes time and money. we are now seeing the fruits of that work.

For example, CIRM funded the work by Don Kohn at UCLA for bubble baby disease. Through that work, 40-plus kids with an otherwise fatal condition have been cured. Weve got a number of other projects that we believe are going to start hitting critical points, and result in treatments and possible cures, but people just have to give it time to work.

There is a lot more work to be done both with the existing projects and with future exciting projects developing up and down the state. Unfortunately, we are going to run out of research money by the end of next year  we are covered on administrative costs through 2023.

(CIRM supporter and Proposition 71 author) Bob Klein is considering bringing another initiative in 2020 to re-up CIRM and authorize $5 billion. That money would enable another 15-20 years of work and would further cement California as the leader in the exploding field of regenerative medicine.

To bridge the gap between late 2019 and the 2020 election, were talking to a number of high net-worth donors who are interested in medical research about funding our work during that time. The options are either charitable gifts or a loan instrument that we think is attractive.

MM: Id like to follow up on that. For the $2.7 billion weve given out in awards, another $2.7 billion have come into supporting the projects by way of co-funding from other entities, follow-on financing and acquisitions or licensing. So we have a multiplier effect in terms of compounding value.

When we go out and talk to people, whether they be patients, scientists, or even in other technology, business sectors, theyre extremely optimistic and very impressed by what weve been able to do to push this field forward. And theyre very much pulling for this whole effort.

Q: What kind of collaborative ventures is CIRM involved in?

MM: We have a partnership with the NIH (National Institutes of Health) for the Cure Sickle Cell Initiative, applying cell and gene therapy to solve a problem that vexes the world.

JT: Maria has been critical in developing that whole relationship. The NIH is going to use our peer review system and our internal processes as the basis for what gets funded out of this joint development.

Q: How has CIRM funding helped cancer immunotherapy research?

MM: Our investigators have been involved with oncology and CAR T cell programs. One of our first royalty checks was out of City of Hope was for working out that technology platform for cancer. The stem cell component of the T cells is being worked on to be a durable way to affect cancer.

CIRM has been critical in supporting research on concepts that were not yet quite sure, like the idea of the cancer stem cell. The whole concept of cancer stem cells was still under debate, but supported by Catriona Jamieson (a UC San Diego oncologist/researcher and CIRM grantee).

As long as there was biological credibility and solid data, we enabled our researchers to pursue it (cancer stem cell research) and now we have potential therapies flowing from them.

Related reading

Walking a Thin Line at the California Stem Cell Agency

The Valley of Death and the California Stem Cell Agency: Luring Deep Pocket Investors

Fighting It Out Over Stem Cells

CIRMs Klein proposes $100B biomed program

Stem cell-based spinal cord therapy expanded to more patients

CIRM encourages Parkinsons group

San Diego gets new stem cell center

Californias stem cell agency CIRM defends record

Stem-cell shenanigans / Lawmakers should force state institute to shape up

California Supreme Court denies stem cell challenge

Keep public in the loop with Proposition 71

Ballot measure asks California voters to OK selling $3B in bonds for embryonic stem cell research

Science Playlist  On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds

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(619) 293-1020
Tribune Publishing Co. has terminated negotiations to sell itself to fellow newspaper company McClatchy Co., a person familiar with the matter said Thursday.

The decision, reached by the Tribune Publishing board Thursday, followed several months of negotiations with McClatchy. The source said potential antitrust issues in Florida  where McClatchy owns the Miami Herald and Tribune Publishing owns the nearby Sun-Sentinel  ultimately derailed a deal between the two companies.

Putting both those newspapers under the McClatchy corporate umbrella would have created economic synergies important to the deal, but there were concerns it wouldnt pass muster with federal regulators, multiple sources said.

Tribune Publishing spokeswoman Marisa Kollias and McClatchy spokeswoman Jeanne Segal both declined to comment Thursday.

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Chicago-based Tribune Publishing counts the Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun and New York Daily News among its 10 newspapers. Formerly known as Tronc, the company sold off the Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union-Tribune this year.

Sacramento-based McClatchy, which owns more than 30 newspapers in 14 states, emerged as a potential buyer in September. It was among three suitors to submit a formal bid by Tribune Publishings deadline of Nov. 1.

The other bidders are New York investment firm Donerail and Dallas-based newspaper group Aim Media. Both of those bids remain on the table, the source said.

Tribune Publishing shares fell 1.5% on Thursday to $13.58. McClatchy shares climbed 6.5% to $8.
Virgin Galactic reached suborbital space for the first time in a test flight Thursday, bringing Richard Bransons company closer to flying its customers beyond Earths atmosphere.

Thursday was the fourth time VSS Unity fired up its rocket motor and flew on its own power after being released from the belly of a larger, twin-fuselage carrier airplane. The space plane reached a maximum altitude of 271,268 feet, or 51.4 miles, above the Earth, the company said.

Capping its hourlong journey, the space plane landed back on the runway at the Mojave Air and Space Port in front of a jubilant crowd. During post-flight speeches, one Virgin Galactic employee proposed to his girlfriend, offering her an engagement ring that had just taken the ride to suborbital space. She said yes.

Branson, a British billionaire, acknowledged the exultation as well as some heartbreak. Its been 14 hard years, he said in a speech to the crowd. Weve had tears and joy. People have literally put their lives on the line to get us here. This day is as much for them as it is for all of us.

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Thursday marked the latest step in Virgin Galactics long test-flight campaign that restarted in September 2016, almost two years after a previous version of the SpaceShipTwo space plane broke apart in midair during a powered test flight. That accident killed the copilot, Michael Alsbury, and injured the pilot, Peter Siebold.

How Virgin Galactics space plane pilot survived a 10-mile fall back to Earth 

The National Transportation Safety Board later said the space plane broke apart after the copilot prematurely opened the crafts feather system, a movable tail designed to help slow it down as it reenters Earths atmosphere.

The NTSB placed most of the blame on that planes builder, Scaled Composites, saying the design should have protected against the possibility of this human error. Mojave-based Scaled Composites is now owned by Northrop Grumman Corp.

The current version of the space plane is now built in-house at Spaceship Co., Virgins spacecraft manufacturing and assembly arm. Virgin Galactic has said it devised additional safety mechanisms to prevent pilots from opening the feather system too early.

Thursdays flight began with the takeoff of carrier aircraft VMS Eve at 7:11 a.m., just as the sun rose over the mountains. Over the better part of an hour, that aircraft and the attached space plane flew upward, reaching about 43,000 feet.

The space plane was released from the carrier aircraft about 7:59 a.m., and its rocket motor ignited shortly afterward. From the ground, it looked like a glowing red dot shooting up from the carrier aircrafts faint contrail.

The motor burned for about 60 seconds  longer than the 55 seconds Virgin Galactic expected, but less than the approximately 65 seconds its capable of burning. (The pilots have a bit of leeway: If the flight is going well, theyre allowed to push a little beyond their target.)

Thursdays flight reached a top speed of Mach 2.9, the company said  about 2.9 times the speed of sound. Previously, the fastest the space plane had flown was Mach 2.4.

The space plane landed about 8:13 a.m., with the carrier aircraft following at 8:45 a.m.

The flight is not only an important milestone for the company but also a positive for the larger, burgeoning suborbital space tourism industry, said Carissa Christensen, chief executive of Bryce Space & Technology. Companies in very early-stage ecosystems benefit from the success of their competitors because it helps demonstrate that what they are seeking to sell is possible and that there is demand for it.

Virgin Galactic has been in the space tourism business a long time  Branson first announced his commercial space service in 2004, saying at the time that he expected the first flight to occur in 2007. Since then, a number of other firms have jumped into the fray.

Amazon.com Inc. Chief Executive Jeff Bezos Blue Origin space company developed a capsule and rocket system called New Shepard thats designed to take tourists to suborbital space. The company has not yet announced ticket prices for the ride, which is expected to last for 11 minutes from liftoff to landing. So far, the rocket-and-capsule system has completed nine test flights.

Elon Musks SpaceX also plans to tap into the space tourism market. In September, Musk announced that Japanese e-commerce billionaire Yusaku Maezawa would be the first paying customer to travel around the moon on the Hawthorne companys Starship spaceship and Super Heavy Rocket, formerly known as BFR. That launch system is still under development.

Maezawa has said he expects his flight to occur in 2023. He said he could not disclose the price of the trip, though Musk has called the down payment significant.

Virgin Galactic charges as much as $250,000 per ticket for its rides to suborbital space, and Branson said Thursday that nearly 700 people have signed up for a trip as the company continues testing and fine-tuning its system. On Thursday, the company flew four research payloads for NASA to help simulate the weight of paying customers in the space plane, making Thursdays flight its first revenue-generating mission.

Branson estimated that development costs across his three space-related companies  Virgin Galactic, Spaceship Co., and small-satellite launch firm Virgin Orbit  have so far totaled about $1.3 billion.

Did Thursdays flight officially reach space? Theres no universally accepted answer.

The U.S. military considers space to be at least 50 miles above Earths surface. And after the space plane landed, a Federal Aviation Administration official said the two Virgin Galactic pilots  Mark Forger Stucky and Frederick CJ Sturckow  will be awarded commercial astronaut wings next year in Washington.

But the world governing body for aeronautic and astronautic records and other organizations define space as 62 miles above Earth, a designation known as the Karman line.

Regardless, Virgin Galactics next steps include more flight tests, including flights with employees to ensure in-flight procedures are safe and enjoyable, said George Whitesides, chief executive of Virgin Galactic and Spaceship Co.

samantha.masunaga@latimes.com

Twitter: @smasunaga
The U.S. Department of Justice does not plan to file any charges against SeaWorld, the company said Wednesday, ending a federal investigation into whether former leaders misled investors over the Blackfish documentary.

The Company considers the DOJ matter concluded, SeaWorld said in a SEC filing Wednesday in which it gave an update on the case.

Blackfish is the 2013 anti-captivity documentary that painted a damning portrait of SeaWorlds treatment of its captive killer whales.

The DOJ could not be reached for comment Wednesday night.

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Months earlier, SeaWorld reached a resolution with the other federal agency that had been scrutinizing the company.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced a $4 million penalty for SeaWorld and $1 million fine for its former CEO James Atchison in September. In the settlement, SeaWorld did not admit or deny guilt.

The SEC outlined how Atchison and SeaWorld knew for months Blackfish was hurting attendance but that did not stop the company from making misleading statements to the news media, investors and on earnings releases.

By the time they acknowledged it, SeaWorld stock tumbled and shareholders lost millions.

A SeaWorld spokeswoman declined to comment Wednesday on the filing.

It appears the federal governments investigation lasted more than a year.

In June 2017, SeaWorld disclosed in a SEC filing it had been subpoenaed by the two federal agencies over comments that executives and the company made in August 2014.

The company has been trying to rebound following negative publicity and falling attendance from the Blackfish backlash as well as tough competition from Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando.

However, the majority of 2018 brought more visitors through the turnstiles and the company has vowed to hold more events and build new attractions. Coming in 2019 at SeaWorld Orlando is Sesame Street land, geared toward children and families, while Aquatica Orlando plans to open a thrill water slide.

Got a news tip? grusson@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5470; Twitter, @GabrielleRusson

SEC fines SeaWorld, ex-CEO $5 million over Blackfish investor fraud allegations 
Apple said Thursday that it plans to expand in San Diego, bringing 1,000 employees to the local workforce over the next three years.

The Cupertino-based iPhone maker, which is in a bitter legal fight with San Diegos Qualcomm over patent fees, made the announcement as part of its unveiling of a $1 billion campus in Austin, Texas.

Apple said it is establishing new sites in San Diego, Seattle and Culver City. It did not name a specific location for San Diego, but it is rumored to be targeting a new 95,000-square-foot building in the University City/Eastgate area. An Apple spokesperson said the company is not disclosing further information about the San Diego site at this time.

Apple has been advertising for engineering workers in San Diego in recent months, including jobs involving cellular modems and other radio frequency components used in smartphones. There are 19 positions currently open in the region on Apples website with titles such as cellular modem system architect and a system on a chip verification engineer.

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That would pit Apple against Qualcomm on a new front  the competition for wireless talent. Analysts have speculated for years that Apple intends to design more of its own components that go into smartphones. It used to buy cellular modems from Qualcomm but recently switched exclusively to Intel for its latest iPhone models.

The loss of Apples business, along with the ongoing legal battles, have hurt Qualcomms financial results. The cellular technology giant has laid off about 1,500 employees in San Diego this year.

Apple operates retail stores in San Diego County but hasnt employed a significant engineering workforce in the region. It owns two companies with local offices. In September, Apple acquired app developer Shazam, which has a San Diego satellite operation. Apple also owns Emotient, a local artificial intelligence firm.

This will be a great boon for the San Diego region, adding to the luster of our already top design community, said Don Norman, director of the UC San Diego Design Lab and the former director of research at Apple. This will add to growth, helping make us more than a tourist town.

Apple isnt the only tech giant looking to tap into the San Diego regions technology talent pool. Google leased a 60,000-square-foot satellite office here in 2016, and Amazon opened a 107,000-square-foot campus last year. And data analytics firm Teradata relocated its headquarters from Ohio to San Diego in October.

Joining an influx of other large tech firms like Amazon, Google and Teradata, Apple is setting up a significant operation in San Diego to take advantage of the regions STEM talent, said Mark Cafferty, head of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp., in a statement. We look forward to building a stronger working relationship with Apple to help them grow and succeed in this already thriving tech hub.

The University of California San Diegos Department of Computer Science and Engineering has nearly 2,800 students, making it among the largest of its kind in the U.S. Its part of a program that is already doing research with Qualcomm and others on a technologies such as 5G, which is expected to greatly increase data rates for mobile phones, tablets and laptops.

Its more proof of the great tech ecosystem and talent we have in San Diego, said Mayor Kevin Faulconer. It also shows our strategy of investing in our people, our neighborhoods and our universities is continuing to pay off.

San Diego State University opened a new research center in January that will be partly devoted to developing software for mobile and wearable devices.

San Diego State University and Apple are both deeply committed to investing in talent for the San Diego region and are working to expand our pipeline for the tech industry, said SDSU President Adela de la Torre.

In addition to adding 1,000 jobs in San Diego, Seattle and Culver City each over the next three years, Apple said it would boost employment in Boston, Boulder, Colo., New York, Pittsburgh and Portland, Ore.

The company recently opened its newest office in Nashville, Tenn., and Apples Miami office is projected to double in size.

Apple said it has added 6,000 jobs to its American workforce in 2018 and now employs 90,000 people in all 50 states.

Apple is proud to bring new investment, jobs and opportunity to cities across the United States and to significantly deepen our quarter-century partnership with the city and people of Austin, said Tim Cook, Apples chief executive, in a statement. Talent, creativity and tomorrows breakthrough ideas arent limited by region or ZIP code, and, with this new expansion, were redoubling our commitment to cultivating the high-tech sector and workforce nationwide.

Apple said its 133-acre Austin campus will initially accommodate 5,000 additional employees, with the capacity to grow to 15,000, and is expected to make Apple the largest private employer in Austin, the company said.

Apple also plans to invest $10 billion in U.S. data centers over the next five years, including $4.5 billion this year and next. Apples data centers in Arizona, Nevada and North Carolina are being expanded. It is also preparing to open a data center in Iowa.

The iPhone makers legal war with Qualcomm has been heating up. A Chinese court this week banned the sale of several iPhone models there for infringing on two Qualcomm patents. Apple has asked the court to reconsider its decision.

In addition, the U.S. International Trade Commission will take a second look at Qualcomms request to ban sales of iPhones in the U.S. that contain Intel chips for infringing on a Qualcomm energy saving patent.

A commission administrative law judge in September ruled that iPhones should not be banned because it would harm competition in the cellular modem chip market and possibly result in Intel abandoning the wireless market. A decision is expected in February.

U-T reporter Gary Robbins contributed to this report.

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mike.freeman@sduniontribune.com;

Twitter:@TechDiego

760-529-4973

UPDATES:

This story was updated Thursday at 2:15 p.m.
Representatives from Southwest Key Programs told the El Cajon City Council on Tuesday that a clerical error is to blame for inconsistencies in its reporting to authorities about the number of children who have run away from its facility in El Cajon.

Members of the City Council had raised concerns about whether Southwest Key was in compliance with its state license and federal contract after a story published last month in The San Diego Union-Tribune showed a discrepancy.

The U-T Watchdog report found that Casa San Diego, the El Cajon shelter for unaccompanied migrant children run by Southwest Key, reported seven runaway children to local public safety officials in 2017. The story said that only three of those runaways were reported to the California Department of Social Services, which oversees the facility.

The Texas-based nonprofit contracts with the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement, under the Department of Health and Human Services. It provides care to children who either show up at the U.S.-Mexico border without any parents or who are separated from their legal guardians by U.S. immigration officials.

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Casa San Diego is one of 27 facilities in California, Arizona and Texas run by Southwest Key. The group also has a center in Lemon Grove and another near Alpine.

Southwest Key Assistant Program Director Ana Babudar said Casa San Diego met with state licensing officials earlier this year and was not cited for any of its reporting issues in San Diego.

We hold three licenses in San Diego and we do all the reporting accordingly to them as well as to the other agencies that we report to, Babudar said. Weve been in the city of El Cajon since February of 2016 and we have been great community members.

Ismael Avilez, an administrator at Southwest Key, told the council that the nonprofit has a pretty stellar record and that the news unfortunately only got half of the story.

Records obtained by U-T Watchdog under the California Public Records Act show the shelter called El Cajon police 19 times in 2017. While most of those calls involved a faulty burglar alarm at the facility, on seven occasions, calls to police were to report runaway juveniles.

According to state records, three of those cases were reported to the Social Services department, the state agency responsible for providing oversight over all juveniles living outside their parents care.

We were not cited, Avilez said. I think that exemplifies the fact that it was not necessarily a violation but what we saw as a clerical issue. In terms of the three locations, they were looking at different locations and it was a filing issue.

Babudar invited the City Council to tour the facility at Broadway and Oro Street. City Councilman Ben Kalasho shared his phone number with Babudar and said he wanted to see the center.

The City Council directed city staff to meet with Casa San Diego personnel to visit the site and gain an understanding of the operation. As requested by City Councilman Steve Goble, the council also will write letters to the California Department of Social Services and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services about the issue.

Seby Sebastian, regional director for Southwest Key, said that runaway children are reported to public safety officials and that the facility does not follow up on their whereabouts.

karen.pearlman@sduniontribune.com
Bethany Johnson is a self-confessed book nerd who devours Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings books. She also loves animals and volunteers as a dog walker with a humane society in Northern California.

But it is her inner drive and will to succeed that are the strongest parts of her nature, says her mother.

During her senior year at Steele Canyon Charter High in Spring Valley in 2015, despite the admonition of her mother and the schools band director, Johnson discreetly joined the schools drum line performers. She secretly added their rehearsals to her packed schedule that included a full load of course work and being part of the Color Guard.

We both told her that doing both would be impossible, said her mother, Shauni Bidwell. But on the day of a big competition for both, in a surprise to us, there she was out there performing routines for the Color Guard and the drum line. She just didnt take no for an answer!

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Next spring, she will become the first person in her immediate family to graduate from a four-year university. She has been studying in the Global Studies and Maritime Affairs department at California State University Maritime Academy.

Johnson found out last month that she had earned a prestigious fellowship to continue her education, and go even further.

Johnson, 21, is the first graduating senior at the Vallejo-based college to have been awarded a Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship. She was among 30 fellows chosen from more than 800 applicants.

I am incredibly honored to be a recipient and was actually shocked that I was chosen, Johnson said. Im really excited for it. I feel I can personally do more for the United States relationships with the rest of the world in this way. Diplomacy is at the core of policy and international relations as the world changes so rapidly. I want to be at the forefront of that change.

Johnson is in the process of applying to various graduate schools, schools I never would have thought I would have applications for  including Princeton, Columbia, Georgetown and Harvard.

The Pickering fellowship program is funded by the U.S. Department of State, and prepares a select annual group for Foreign Service careers in the U.S. Department of State.

For the fellowship, students are chosen based on a demonstrated intellectual background, dedication, integrity, cultural adaptability and communication skills.

The fellowships prepare graduates to represent Americas interests abroad.

Johnson was raised in a family where several of her relatives were career U.S. Naval employees. She was encouraged by stories told by her great-grandfather, a retired Naval commander, and decided that a life of public service was a goal.

Originally setting her sights on the U.S. Navys intelligence division, Johnson eventually decided she would be more effective working for diplomacy and change as a Foreign Service Officer.

After fellows complete a two-year masters degree program and fulfill Foreign Service entry requirements, they are given the opportunity to work as Foreign Service Officers, serving in Washington, D.C. and at a U.S. embassy, consulate, or diplomatic mission around the globe.

Fellows also agree to a minimum five-year service commitment in the Department of States Foreign Service.

Cadet Johnson represents the very best of Cal Maritime, said Dr. Assis Malaquias, chair of the Global Studies and Maritime Affairs Department at Cal State Maritime. Being selected for The Pickering Fellowship is a testament to her superior academic skills and dedication to service. She is a true leader both in and outside the classroom.

Last summer, Johnson interned with the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, preparing a report on African maritime security agencies and their operations. The final report will be distributed to various governments on the continent to help them better coordinate their operations.

The previous summer, Johnson interned at the Institute for Global Conflict & Cooperation as a Research Analyst, and also as the Program Assistant for the Public Policy & Nuclear Threats symposium, where she assisted with planning and logistics.

She said that through her major at Cal Maritime, she has learned so much about diplomacy and is looking forward to being able to use that knowledge and grow with it in the future.

Im most excited about the opportunity to gain good mentor relationships with foreign service officers and other state department officials, Johnson said. I also get to be a diplomat for a minimum of five years. That is definitely something I knew I wanted to do  really shaping Americas relationship with rest of world and helping shape foreign policy.

karen.pearlman@sduniontribune.com
A new era in Escondido government began Wednesday with the installation of a new mayor and councilwoman, as well as one incumbent.

Chants of Si se puede  Yes, it can be done!  at times filled the packed city council chambers and a Mariachi band played outside after the ceremony.

Paul Mac McNamara, who defeated two-term mayor Sam Abed in the November election by 1,544 votes (51.57 percent) out of nearly 41,000 that were cast, was sworn into office before the large, diverse and enthusiastic crowd.

So was Consuelo Martinez, who easily beat longtime incumbent Ed Gallo in the District 1 race. Martinez spoke both in English and Spanish during her comments.

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John Masson, the only incumbent to be re-elected in Escondido this year, was sworn into his District 2 seat.

The addition of McNamara and Martinez appears to signify a major sea change in the politics of the city. They will join Councilwoman Olga Diaz on the dais and for the first time in nearly two decades three Democrats will have a majority on what has been a decidedly conservative city council for years.

The mood in the auditorium during the hour-long ceremony was giddy.

It means our city has a chance again and to be the great city I know it can be, said longtime council critic, council meeting attendee, and left-wing activist Laura Hunter. ...Im just really really happy the voters decided they wanted to go a different direction. Its about time. I hope now we can restore Escondidos reputation and become a really different and better place.

Gallo choked up during his farewell speech while Abed, who graciously congratulated McNamara and Martinez, launched into a speech listing his accomplishments.

Near the end of Abeds talk, which included a reference to how the city is safer by not being a sanctuary city, Abed said, for America to remain an exceptional nation, we must commit to a more civil discourse.

That didnt go over well with the crowd, which laughed at the two-term mayor whom many in the audience thought had engaged for years in the exact opposite behavior.

McNamaras swearing-in was followed by a long, standing ovation. Martinez was also wildly cheered after taking the oath of office and the Si se puede! chants rang out.

After taking their new spots at the dais, McNamara told the crowd, Well, youre looking at the new team.

Martinez, speaking in English and then translating each segment of her speech into Spanish, said she looked forward to embarking on a journey to make one Escondido I want to make sure that all my neighbors are heard no matter what neighborhood you come from or where you were born.

McNamara thanked Abed and Gallo for their many years of service to the city.

Were building a sense of community and we will work together, McNamara said, adding the challenges the city faces will be solved by everybody working together in the community. He said there will be a great deal of transparency and feedback to move the city to the next level.

After the ceremony was over, and the new council members were getting hugs, especially Martinez, Diaz said she was excited.

It was nice to see a house full of people that for many years have been coming to City Hall to voice concerns, she said. I think finally they feel welcome here. Thats a big change.



jharry.jones@sduniontribune.com; 760/529-4931; Twitter: @jharryjones
A Superior Court judge has ordered Encinitas to comply with state law and get a housing plan approved within 120 days, but stopped short of placing a moratorium on new construction for the moment.

In his ruling Wednesday morning regarding two lawsuits against the city, Judge Ronald Frazier wrote that the court was not persuaded that issuing an injunction against (Encinitas) relating to building permits is appropriate at this time; however, the court reserves the right to reconsider this issue at a later date. Frazier emphasized the at this time portion of his decision by putting it in italics.

Encinitas is the only city in the county and one of just a few in the state that isnt in compliance with a state law that requires cities to have certified, current Housing Element plans. Those plans spell out how cities propose to accommodate future housing needs, particularly the needs of low-income residents.

The city has made multiple attempts to satisfy state requirements while complying with a growth-control initiative that the citys voters approved in 2013, but all of these efforts have failed.

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In order to finally accomplish the task after years of fruitless attempts, the judge wrote Wednesday, Encinitas will be allowed to temporarily exempt itself from the requirements of Proposition A  the growth-control initiative that mandates that Encinitas win voter approval before upzoning properties and increasing their allowable housing density.

However, Frazier wrote, he was only lifting this voting requirement on a temporary basis and only for this housing plan cycle, not for the one that begins in 2022. He also ruled that the city must submit a draft version of its proposed plan to the state for its review. That submission to the state must occur at least 45 days before the city adopts the plan and the city must take the states findings into consideration, Frazier wrote.

Representatives for the two organizations suing the city  the Building Industry Association of San Diego and San Diego Tenants United  hailed the court ruling Wednesday.

We wanted compliance with the states Housing Element law and the courts saw it our way, said Borre Winckel, president and chief executive officer of the BIA, adding that his organization will be watching with interest what steps the city takes in the coming days to meet the court deadline. We will make sure they comply.

Parisa Ijadi-Maghsoodi, who is representing the tenants organization on a pro-bono basis, said the group sued the city to force it to comply with state law and plan for the housing needs of vulnerable low-income families. Encinitas must rezone sites to accommodate this growing need, and we hope the city takes the necessary steps to come into compliance as soon as possible, so that an adequate inventory of sites is available, she wrote in a statement.

The tenants group had asked for the building moratorium, but both the BIA and the city had argued that measure was too punitive.

Encinitas Mayor Catherine Blakespear called Wednesdays ruling a reasoned and measured decision, and said the judge very clearly spelled out what the city needs to do next.

Im grateful that we dont have any injunctive relief or penalties imposed on the city at this time, she wrote in a statement. I have every intention of having the city comply with the courts requirements and meet the deadlines. In truth, we need to start putting together (another) housing plan that will go to the voters in 2020, so having this housing plan handled by April will be a relief.

The city has tried twice to win voter approval for a housing plan. Two years ago, the citys voters rejected the Measure T plan. The latest proposal, Measure U, proposed upzoning 15 privately owned properties, allowing their owners to exceed city height limits and put 25 to 30 housing units an acre on their properties. It was rejected by 52.94 percent of the citys voters in the Nov. 6 election.

Frazier waited to issue his ruling until the election results were certified Tuesday. In his six-page decision, he wrote that the city will need to provide the court with an update on its progress no later than 90 days from Wednesday.
The Vista City Council on Tuesday certified a voter-approved ballot initiative allowing the sale of medical marijuana, and authorized code changes that clear the way for those laws to take effect.

Measure Z authorizes the retail sale of medical marijuana by up to 11 businesses in the citys commercial, industrial, business park and mixed-use zoning districts. It prevailed in the Nov. 6 election over a city-sponsored proposal, Measure BB, which would have allowed up to three delivery-only medical pot retailers and two testing laboratories.

The new laws represent a dramatic turn from previous years, when Vista officials aggressively sought to shut down pot shops operating within the citys borders.

On Tuesday, the council set a schedule for permitting the new marijuana businesses over the next few months. It also passed a separate urgency ordinance prohibiting all cannabis-related uses except the dispensaries authorized by Measure Z.

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The ordinance wont affect legal pot dispensaries set up under Measure Z, but protects them from unfair, untaxed competition from illegal marijuana retailers, the staff report for the ordinance stated.

This does not in any way interfere with Measure Z, and in fact it is intended to make sure that the dispensaries that are going to invest their time and effort in coming in under Measure Z are not undercut by illegal operations within the city, City Attorney Darold Pieper said.

We believe the moratorium is necessary because of potential confusion by some people thinking that in some way Measure Z has opened Vista up to anyone and to everyone, and that is certainly not the case, and we do not want to have people initiating illegal operations here, while were getting the Measure Z people set up.

According to the calendar, the effective date for the new marijuana law will be Dec. 21. On Jan. 7, Vista staff will begin to create application forms for dispensary permits, and post rules and instructions a week later, on Jan. 14.

The city will begin accepting applications on Jan. 22, and close that window for receiving applications a week later, on Jan. 29. Between Feb. 21 and 28, the city will finish processing applications and announce the completed registrations.

Residents who spoke on the new marijuana laws asked the council to modify some provisions, to make them more protective of surrounding communities.

Kathleen Lippitt, a public health practitioner with Coastal Communities Drug-Free Coalition, asked for the city to establish a buffer between the new dispensaries and sensitive uses, including child care centers, minor-oriented facilities, treatment and recovery centers, parks, libraries, residential care facilities and playgrounds.

She also asked the council to consider rules that would prevent the sale of marijuana products contaminated with pesticides or other toxins, and to require owners of the dispensaries to be identified by name, rather than by the titles of limited liability companies.

Judi Strang, who identified herself as a public health educator, also asked the council to expand the distance between the dispensaries and youth facilities to 1,000 feet, and called for notifying residents and businesses located within 1,000 feet of the upcoming dispensaries.

Measure Z prohibits anyone convicted of a felony drug offense within the past four years from operating a dispensary, but Strang suggested that the city also refuse permits to those who previously ran an illegal dispensary.

Perhaps those who have operated illegally in the city of Vista in the past and maybe over the next couple of months also should not be considered as applicants, because this has been a controversial situation and I know your goal is to have honorable applicants, she said.

Bernard Gooden, who said he hopes to set up a medical marijuana dispensary, took issue with a provision of Measure Z that requires applicants to have operated their business for six months before applying for permits. That rule, he noted, favors people who have previously run illegal dispensaries over applicants trying to set up new, legal businesses.

I just want to make sure that the young entrepreneur whos trying to come into it the right way isnt assassinated immediately, before everything even starts, he said We have to make sure that we have the most qualified candidates, and that the people can be safe.

City officials, however, responded that the setbacks, application rules and other key provisions of the new marijuana law are established by the ballot measure, and cant be changed by council action.

Measure Z ...was not drafted by the city or the city attorney, Pieper said. It was drafted by individuals who wished to open business here in the city. We can clarify things, we can work with regulations to identify issues that are not identified, or if there are inconsistencies in the measure itself that reflect drafting errors. But we do not have the power to change the laws that were adopted by the people, where those are very clear.

deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan
Why is a heavy-metal-loving tuba player with a doctorate in musicology curating an interactive accordion exhibit  Expanding Voices in the USA: The Resurgence of the Accordion  at the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad?

And why does the exhibit include an instrument loaned by San Franciscos Renee de la Prade, who plays solo accordion versions of songs by the Ramones and Tom Waits, and oversees the annual Accordion Babes Calendars and CD compilations?

Jonathan Piper, the museums manager of collections and exhibitions, chuckles in response to such questions. He also acknowledges that his original concept for the exhibit  which opens Thursday, Dec. 13, runs through Aug. 31 and includes a kick-off concert (also Thursday) with Cory Pesaturo and accordion expert Guido Roberto Deiro  was upended once he began his extensive research.

The Museum of Making Music has a collection of accordions, mostly from the 1950s, and my initial idea had been to explore the rise and fall of accordions, said Piper, previously the education manager for the La Jolla Music Society.

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Its an instrument that, in some ways, has been forgotten by a large part of the population or is remembered, not incorrectly, but in very stereotypical, pigeonholed way. So, I hope, the most important take-away from this exhibit will be to get people excited that the accordion is being played again, by so many musicians, across so many different genres.

That it is, thanks to the popularity of such bands as Arcade Fire, Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers and The Decemberists. The accordion is also featured in the music of such varied artists as Los Lobos, Donna The Buffalo and Giants in the Trees, whose accordionist  Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Krist Novoselic  is best known as the former bassist in Nirvana.

Then theres the Celtic-rocking Flogging Molly, whose accordionist, Vista native Matt Hensley, has long championed the instrument.

Flogging Molly accordionist Matt Hensley, a Vista native, is shown performing at the 2004 Vans Warped Tour sate in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/The Florida Times-Union, John Pemberton)

When I first started playing accordion, my friends thought I was out of my mind! Hensley, 46, told the Union-Tribune in a 2012 interview.

But in the back of my mind, without sounding cliched, (the accordion) sounds to me like the working class and anthems of the world, be it Mexican or French, German or Russian, or from Louisiana. It really can travel around the world  and not a whole lot of instruments can do that.

The accordion traces its roots to Europe in the 18th century, although it was not introduced to most Americans until the early 20th century. For Museum of Making Music curator Piper, the allure of the accordion and the new museums new exhibit is less the history of the instrument but more about its possible future and its current prominence in rock, folk, punk, jazz, Celtic, classical, Cajun, Norteno, zydeco, Tejano music and more.

That is why the dozen instruments on display in the Expanding Voices in the USA: The Resurgence of the Accordion exhibit include a brand new digital accordion that, with the push of a button, can simulate the sounds of a piano, saxophone, upright bass or even an entire orchestra.

The exhibit also includes accordions loaned to the museum by an array of artists, including Flogging Mollys Hensley, Louisiana zydeo star C.J. Chenier and 2007 Grammy nominee Alex Meixner, who performs everything from polka classics to Iron Butterflys In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida and Ozzy Osbournes Crazy Train.

Audio and video examples are featured throughout the exhibit. It includes an accordion that has been almost completely disassembled  to show how intricately designed and built the instrument is  and several hands-on accordions for visitors to try out, along with video tutorials to help them.

What the exhibit lacks by design is even a mention of such past stars of the accordion as Lawrence Welk, Myron Floren and Dick Contino.

Were almost two generations removed from the accordions height of popularity in the 1950s, noted curator Piper. Today, there are teenagers who have no conception of polka, or Lady of Spain or the whole Beer Barrel-style oompah thing. They just see it as an instrument that makes a really great sound and is a lot of fun to hear.

Expanding Voices in the USA: The Resurgence of the Accordion

When: Exhibit opens Thursday and runs through Aug. 31. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday

Tickets: $7-$10 (free for members)

Accordions in Concert, featuring Cory Pesaturo and Guido Roberto Deiro

When: 7 p.m. today

Where: Museum of Making Music, 5790 Armada Drive, Carlsbad

Tickets: $10 (members), $20 (non-members)

Phone: (760) 438-5996

Online: museumofmakingmusic.org

george.varga@sduniontribune.com

Twitter @georgevarga
December 13, 1926 The San Diego Union

The San Diego Union-Tribune will mark its 150th anniversary in 2018 by presenting a significant front page from the archives each day throughout the year.

Monday, December 13, 1926

In 1926, the fastest hydroplanes in the country gathered here for the San Diego National Motor Boat Regatta. James Rands Spitfire VI and Spitfire V set new world speed records in the unlimited 151- inch hydroplane class.

Here are the first few paragraphs of the story:

SPEED RECORD FALLS AGAIN AS SAN DIEGO REGATTA ENDS

SPITFIRE V BEATS SISTER SHIPS MAR; BOAT SINKS, DRIVER LEAPS TO SAFETY

Buffalo Millionaire Pilots Craft Around Oval at 47.05 Miles an Hour for New World Pace at Wins $6000 Trophy; Owners and Racers Praise Meet as Best in History of Sport; Swimming Events are Staged.

Taking the palm from the Spitfire VI, which smashed the worlds record for for 151-class hydroplanes Saturday when it covered the five-mile course at Roseville in six minutes and 52 seconds, or 43.67 miles an hour. Spitfire V, which made one lap of the course Saturday at the rate of 47. 64 miles an hour and then broke down, roared around the oval in the second heat of yesterdays races for two laps in six minutes, 22.6 seconds, or at the rate of 47.05 miles an hour.

This smashing of all previous records, however, was not the only feat of the Spitfire V., which was driven by her owner, James H. Rand, millionaire of Buffalo, N.Y. In the first heat yesterday the flying little speedster covered the five miles in six minutes, 35.2 seconds, or at the rate of 45.55 miles an hour. The mark set yesterday, according to racing officials, breaks every existing record for hydroplanes of the 151-class for either oval courses or straightaways and sets up a figure which is expected to stand for a long, long time.

Fast Work in First Heat of Race

But if Spitfire V took all the laurels yesterday, Spitfire VI, also owned by Rand, and a right fast little craft, was not overlooking any bets. In the first heat of the day it traveled the course in six minutes, 54.3 seconds, or at the rate of 43.45 miles an hour, and in the second heat it broke its mark of Saturday when it made the journey in six minutes and 32.1 seconds, or at the rate of 43.68 miles an hour. All these marks exceeded the worlds record previous to the San Diego meet, when 42.42 miles an hour was the figure to be aimed at.

View anniversary front pages online at sandiegouniontribune.com/150-years. For more from the Union-Tribune digital archives, go to newslibrary.com/sites/sdub. Searching is free, with registration. A fee is required to view full stories.
Alfonso Guerrero Ulloa, the unofficial spokesperson of a group of Honduran migrants who caused an uproar by suggesting the U.S. pay $50,000 to each person who returns home, hasnt set foot in Honduras in more than three decades.

He left his birthplace in 1987, after being accused of planting a bomb in a Chinese restaurant that injured six U.S. soldiers in Honduras. Guerrero claimed the charges were false and, despite protests from the U.S. government, Mexico offered him political asylum.

Guerrero, 54, has spent the last 31 years living a quiet life in Mexico City. Until recently, he earned a living selling bracelets, earrings and necklaces.

But it hasnt amounted to much. Guerrero says he has $10 to his name and does not have a bank account.

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His quiet life changed on Nov. 4, when he joined a caravan of Central Americans migrants heading north to the United States. He caught up with the group in Cordoba, about 180 miles southeast of Mexico City.

Its a joy to be able to serve my country again, Guerrero said from the El Barretal migrant shelter in Tijuana. Sleeping here in the cold, eating what everyone else is eating, brings me joy.

Seated in his sleeping area of the shelter, Alfonso Guerrero Ulloa joined the migrants caravan in Cordoba, just south of Mexico City on November 4th and has been with since, to include at the new shelter in Matamoros, Tijuana. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)

Guerrero said he joined the caravan after seeing it on the news. He wanted to help and spread his political message opposing Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez.

As soon as he joined the caravan, Guerrero clashed with organizers who wanted to keep politics out of what they described as a humanitarian movement. But Guerrero persisted. He says a small group of migrants joined his cause and the group slowly grew over time.

Guerrero sees the migrants flight out of Honduras as part of a larger movement. He says rampant crime, poverty and corruption are all linked to politics. In an interview, he repeatedly said the migrants goal is to liberate Honduras.

In 1987, Guerrero created tension between the Mexican and U.S. governments after a bomb exploded in the China Palace near the largest U.S. military base in Honduras, Six U.S. soldiers and a Honduran civilian were injured. The man who confessed to taking part in the bombing and who implicated Guerrero later said he had been tortured by the military into making a false confession, which brought renewed scrutiny into the human rights record of Honduras. Mexico diplomats called him a freedom fighter and granted him permanent asylum. The U.S. protested, calling him a terrorist.

About 10 months ago, Guerrero started an online petition asking the U.S. to exonerate him.

On Tuesday he led a group of 100 migrants to the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana asking President Donald Trump to either let the migrants into the United States or oust Hernandez from office and pay each migrant $50,000 to go back to Honduras. He based that figure on what he considers reparations from the U.S. for their intervention in Central America.

The United States is directly responsible for this humanitarian crisis, he said. Honduras is practically colonized by the United States.

The group decided on that figure during a general assembly last week. It started when someone asked the group what it would take for people to turn around and go back.

Someone yelled that theyd leave for $10,000, someone else shouted $20,000. People kept throwing out numbers: $50,000 and $60,000. Some said they wouldnt turn around for any price. Eventually they settled on $50,000.

Seated in his sleeping area of the shelter, Alfonso Guerrero Ulloa joined the migrants caravan in Cordoba, just south of Mexico City on November 4th and has been with since, to include at the new shelter in Matamoros, Tijuana. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)

Guerrero sleeps in a small concrete room inside El Barretal surrounded by a small group of supporters  all of them young men. Inside the room is a small stockpile of toilet paper, pads, water bottles and an extension cord where people charge phones.

Every couple of minutes, migrants poke their heads in the room and ask for supplies. Many call Guerrero by his nickname, Comandante or commander.

Guerrero says he is not motivated by money and rejects accusations that he is using the migrant caravan for his own gain.

If in the last 30 years I havent taken advantage of another movement, do you think Ill do it now when we are fighting for the liberation of Honduras? he asked. For me, freedom and the well being of my countrymen are more important than any amount of money.

The groups letter gave the U.S. Consulate a 72-hour deadline to respond.

Nobody in the migrant shelter has heard a response. But on Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security criticized their proposal.

In case you havent seen, some of the so-called asylum seekers at our Southern border are now demanding the United States pay them $50,000 to return to their home countries, read a statement from DHS assistant press secretary Katie Waldman. As weve said all along, based on historic data and open source reporting, the overwhelming majority of caravan members are not legitimate asylum-seekers  if they were they would seek refuge in the first safe country they entered.

The statement added that being a member of the caravan does not give migrants special rights for entry into the United States.

On Wednesday, migrants had mixed reaction to the $50,000 demand. Many were unaware of it. Some supported it and others thought it was absurd.

Its unclear how many support Guerrero. About 100 marched with him to the U.S. Consulate Tuesday, but there are nearly 3,000 migrants sleeping in the shelter. Guerrero claims thousands support the letter.

Lourdes Castillo, 50, of Honduras said the group doesnt speak for all of the migrants although she did agree with some of the demands.

I wouldnt take the money, but I think its a good idea to get rid of Juan Orlando Hernandez, she said.

Castillo plans to ask for asylum in the United States. She says her husband repeatedly abused her back home. She reported him to the police six or seven times but the beatings never stopped.

Others thought the demand would do more harm than good by painting the migrants in a negative light.

It sounds like extortion, said Nery Pineda, 39. But if they offered it, everyone here would accept the money.
A San Marcos man who was shot by sheriffs deputies at the end of a 100-mph pursuit into San Diego was sentenced Wednesday to three years in state prison.

Jose Trujillo, 21, pleaded guilty in October to two felony charges of evading with reckless driving and resisting an executive officer.

Trujillo  who has a 2016 DUI conviction  had a blood-alcohol level of .05 percent five hours after the high-speed chase the night of July 20, Deputy District Attorney Kyle Sutterley said in San Diego Superior Court.

Drivers in California are considered impaired with a blood-alcohol content of .08 percent or higher.

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Defense attorney Ty Carss said Trujillo has a mental disorder and was using alcohol to self-medicate. Carss said Trujillos father was deported the day of the wild chase.

He made a huge mistake, Carss told San Diego Superior Court Judge Polly Shamoon, arguing unsuccessfully for probation.

Trujillo was placed on probation following the 2016 DUI, then was convicted of resisting arrest. He also got involved in a speed contest and was convicted of a felony resisting an executive officer, the judge said.

San Diego police said a sheriffs deputy tried to pull Trujillos car over in Vista just before 8:45 p.m. on July 20, on suspicion of drunken driving.

Trujillo headed north on surface streets and entered westbound state Route 78 at Sycamore Avenue, then headed south on Interstate 5, reaching speeds of more than 100 mph.

During the pursuit, Trujillo called 911 and told the dispatcher he had a loaded handgun and a female passenger with him and that he wanted to commit suicide by cop, said police Lt. Anthony Dupree.

Trujillo exited I-5 at Leucadia Boulevard and let his passenger out before continuing on the freeway. He exited again at Carmel Valley Road and drove west, then veered south to the Torrey Preserve marsh, driving about 200 yards before stopping.

Dupree said Trujillo got out of his vehicle, advanced toward deputies, then took a shooting stance and aimed something at them. Deputies Frank McRoberts and Nicholas Jehl opened fire, wounding Trujillo.

Staff Writer Pauline Repard contributed to this report.

pauline.repard@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @pdrepard
The Trump administrations policies limiting the daily intake of migrants at ports of entry have forced some asylum seekers to remain in danger in Mexico, in likely violation of U.S. and international law, according to a new report.

About a year ago, lines appeared outside the San Ysidro port of entry, a sign of federal officials metering or limiting the number of asylum seekers who can enter each day. Officials extended the policy border-wide earlier this year.

Customs and Border Protection has pointed to limited resources for processing as well as backlogs in transfers to immigration detention as reasons for the growing lines of migrants waiting in Mexico to ask the U.S. for help.

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The policy has led to some being forced to wait in the place they are fleeing, either because they are trying to escape harm in Mexico or because their persecutors followed them into the country, according to the report from Human Rights First, an international nonprofit organization.

Even those fleeing persecution outside of Mexico face potential dangers while theyre waiting in its border cities because theyre often targeted as victims of crimes, the report says, and Mexican officials have deported some to the countries they are fleeing before theyve had chance to make asylum claims in the U.S.

The report questions the federal governments reasons for the policy, pointing to CBP data that shows fluctuating processing rates despite the constant line and an average intake of 34 asylum seekers per day at California ports in fiscal 2018.

This is policy-driven and not about capacity, said Kennji Kizuka, a researcher with Human Rights First. The Trump administration doesnt believe that asylum seekers have legitimate claims. Theyre doing everything in their power to block asylum seekers.

Kizukas report also blamed Trump administration policies that hold more people in immigration detention for longer and release fewer new arrivals on parole as causes for bottlenecks at ports of entry.

CBP said that the number of people that the agency can process at a given port of entry depends on case complexity, available resources, medical needs, translation requirements, detention space, overall port volume and ongoing enforcement actions.

Certain demographics cannot be held together in port holding cells, the agency said, which sometimes limits how efficiently its officers can use the available space. For example, a father traveling with his child couldnt be held in a cell with single, adult men or with families led by single women.

CBP processes undocumented persons at our ports of entry as expeditiously as possible while executing a complex border security mission and without compromising the safety of individuals within our custody, a representative for the agency said.

As we have done for several years, when our ports of entry reach capacity, we have to manage the queues and individuals presenting without documents may need to wait in Mexico as CBP officers work to process those already within our facilities.

About two years ago, U.S. and Mexican officials created an appointment system when an influx of Haitians arrived at the San Ysidro Port of Entry .

The current metered line has been in place outside the port for about a year. The informal system run by the migrants themselves and overseen by Mexican officials appeared in the spring in the form of a notebook that asylum seekers use to track whos next in line.

The average intake from October to December 2016, during which California ports processed almost 6,000 Haitians, was 156 people per day, according to CBP data. The average daily intake over the past year has been about 100 people.

The decreased processing has caused more asylum seekers to cross illegally to ask for help, the report said. Over the past two years, the majority of arriving families, often used to approximate asylum seeker trends, chose to go to California ports of entry rather than cross between them. That changed in July 2018 when the majority began opting to enter the state illegally.

CBP encourages asylum seekers to come to ports of entry rather than cross between them. But the Human Rights First report said the Trump administrations push to have asylum seekers come through ports of entry doesnt make sense if officials wont process them more quickly.

While the report says that U.S. officials turning asylum seekers away or telling them to wait outside are in violation of both U.S. law and international treaties, it finds the situation for those who are fleeing Mexico itself to be particularly troubling.

Thats obviously a big problem for people who are in immediate danger in Mexico because there is no safe place for them to go back and wait for a month or month and a half, researcher Kizuka said, referring to the pre-caravan wait times for the asylum line at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.

The report gives two examples of families that its researchers met in Tijuana that were trying to request protection from the U.S.

When a woman approached the U.S. through PedWest on November 9 with her two young children and baby, she was visibly distraught and intending to seek asylum from Mexico, the report says. The woman was fleeing immediate violence in Tijuana and feared turning to local police for protection.

The researcher listened as an officer told the woman that she couldnt enter the port of entry and told her to speak with Mexican immigration authorities, who are part of the government that the women is ostensibly fleeing.

Human Rights First researchers also interviewed a Honduran woman who, with her three children and one grandchild, fled to Mexico after being sexually assaulted and threatened by a gang. The family lived in southern Mexico for several months, but the gang found them there and threatened them again.

Deciding that they wouldnt be safe in Mexico, the family traveled north to ask for help at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. The woman tried to explain to officials that she was seeking immediate protection from her situation in Mexico, but officials sent her back as well.

Beyond those who are hoping to claim asylum from Mexico, others waiting in line in Tijuana have been robbed, attacked with stones, stabbed and nearly sexually assaulted, according to the report.

CBP deferred to Mexican officials when asked about the potential dangers that asylum seekers face when forced to wait.

The Human Rights First report criticized CBP for not being involved in managing the wait list to make sure those with increased vulnerability are treated with priority.

CBP is not involved in maintaining the list and deferred questions about it to Mexican officials. The agency does take into consideration people with medical emergencies, unaccompanied children and those with disabilities and gives priority when it is able to, according to CBP.

The report found that for at least some unaccompanied children, the Trump administrations metering policies had led to them being turned back from the border as well.

Immigration Videos On Now New developments in family separation case 9:53 On Now A San Diego woman volunteered as a medic in Texas helping migrant families 2:35 On Now Immigration policy protests in Carlsbad nearly cancelled after permit issue 1:38 On Now When children are separated from their parents at the border, here is where they go next On Now Prospects of a deal for 'Dreamers' may hinge on separating Trump from hard-liners on his staff On Now What is DACA? On Now Border wall prototype contractors selected On Now Video: Ukrainian boxer wins asylum in U.S. On Now 30 apprehended after Border Patrol agents discover tunnel On Now Video: Kurdish diaspora prepare to vote on independence

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A wave of bomb threats emailed Thursday to hundreds of schools, businesses and government buildings across the U.S. triggered searches, evacuations and fear  but there were no signs of explosives, and authorities said the scare appeared to be a crude extortion attempt.

Law enforcement agencies across the country dismissed the threats, saying they were meant to cause disruption and compel recipients into sending money and were not considered credible.

Some of the emails had the subject line: Think Twice. They were sent from a spoofed email address. The sender claimed to have had an associate plant a small bomb in the recipients building and that the only way to stop him from setting it off was by making an online payment of $20,000 in Bitcoin.

We are currently monitoring multiple bomb threats that have been sent electronically to various locations throughout the city, the New York City Police Departments counterterrorism unit tweeted. These threats are also being reported to other locations nationwide & are NOT considered credible at this time.

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Other law enforcement agencies also dismissed the threats, which were written in a choppy style reminiscent of the Nigerian prince email scam.

The Palm Beach County, Florida, sheriffs office and the Boise, Idaho, police said they had no reason to believe that threats made to locations in those areas were credible. One of the emails wound up in a spam filter, Boise Police Chief William Bones said.

The FBI said it is assisting law enforcement agencies that are dealing with the threats.

As always, we encourage the public to remain vigilant and to promptly report suspicious activities which could represent a threat to public safety, the FBI said in a statement.

Across the country, some schools closed early and others were evacuated or placed on lockdown because of the hoax. Authorities said a threat emailed to a school in Troy, Missouri, about 55 miles northeast of St. Louis, was sent from Russia.

The bomb threats also prompted evacuations at city hall in Aurora, Illinois, the offices of the News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina, a suburban Atlanta courthouse and businesses in Detroit.

Organizations nationwide, both public and private, have reported receiving emailed bomb threats today, Michigan State Police spokeswoman Shannon Banner said. They are not targeted toward any one specific sector.

Penn State University notified students via a text alert about threats to a half-dozen buildings and an airport on its main campus in State College, Pennsylvania. In an update, the school said the threat appeared to be part of a national hoax.

Officials at Columbine High School in Colorado were dealing Thursday with a bomb threat of a different sort. Students were being kept inside for the rest of the school day after someone called in a bomb threat against the school.

The Jefferson County, Colorado, Sheriffs Office said the caller claimed to have placed explosive devices in the school and to be hiding outside with a gun.

There is nothing to validate the threat was found at Columbine, where 12 students and a teacher were killed by two students in 1999, according to Sheriffs spokesman Mike Taplin.

Two dozen other Colorado schools were also temporarily placed on lockout, meaning their doors were locked but classes continued normally, as the threat was investigated.
Source: tass.com

BEIJING, December 12. /TASS/. Ties between Russia and China in the sphere of national security and inter-army cooperation signal openness and a high level of political trust between the two countries, Russian Ambassador to China Andrei Denisov said on Wednesday.

"As for military cooperation, this is a natural area of cooperation for the level of relations between our countries, and it is developing like the others," the diplomat told a news conference summing up the outcome of this year.

"For us, diplomats, it is important that besides other things this cooperation is always an indicator of a high degree of political trust between our countries," Denisov said.

According to the diplomat, Chinese-Russian inter-army cooperation is absolutely transparent. "There are no secrets here. <> Joint participation in any military drills is only part of a rather broad program of cooperation," the envoy stressed, noting that these contacts range from joint military drills on the ground and at sea to cooperation in military medicine and military orchestras.

In September, Russia and China conducted the massive Vostok-2018 exercises in Russias Far East, involving nearly 300,000 Russian servicemen, 3,000 Chinese soldiers and officers and also representatives of Mongolian forces, he recalled.

"Such major events are not held often <> the program of our working cooperation will certainly develop," the ambassador said. "All this is built on a transparent basis, and foreign monitors are always invited for such events as military drills. Any who is willing to and is interested in this may visit them and see this with their own eyes.".

Disclaimer: This article was originally produced and published by tass.com. View the original article at http://tass.com/politics/1035593 .
Prime Minister Theresa May is safe, for now. She has survived a no-confidence vote engineered by her own Conservative Party, and cant be challenged again for a year. But that hasnt brought Britains Brexit battle any closer to resolution.

May was in Brussels on Thursday, imploring European Union leaders help her sell the U.K.-EU divorce bill to a skeptical British Parliament.

U.K. lawmakers were supposed to approve the plan for Britains orderly departure from the 28-nation bloc in a vote on Tuesday, but May postponed it rather than face certain defeat.

With the EU insisting the withdrawal agreement cant be reopened, May faces a struggle to win enough changes to assuage hostile British politicians.

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Britains road out of the EU has been anything but smooth, and as the country heads for the exit the way ahead still looks bumpy.

How did we get here?

Britain joined the European Economic Community  now the EU  in 1973, but has long been an ambivalent member. The U.K. never adopted the euro as its currency, and British politicians have been cool to the blocs calls for ever-closer political union.

In 2013, then-Prime Minister David Cameron pledged to hold a referendum on Britains EU membership to settle this European question once and for all  and to silence the loud euroskeptic wing of the Conservative Party which had long clamored for a membership vote.

Cameron was confident voters would choose to remain in the EU, but on June 23, 2016, they voted by 52 percent to 48 percent to leave. Cameron resigned, leaving his successor, May, to deliver on voters decision. Last year, May triggered the two-year countdown to departure for March 29, 2019.

What is at stake?

Every divorce involves paperwork. Britain can leave without an agreement  but it wont be pretty. Departure will tear up thousands of laws and rules stitched together over more than four decades, covering every aspect of British life and the economy.

If Britain and the EU cant agree to new rules, there could be chaos. Planes would lose permission to fly, British motorists would find their drivers licenses invalid on the continent, medicine supplies could run short. British officials have warned of gridlock at ports, the need to charter vessels to bring in essential goods and shortages of imported foodstuffs.

The Bank of England has warned that a worst-case no deal Brexit would plunge Britain into its worst recession for decades.

Whats the sticking point?

With compromises on both sides, Britain and the EU managed to reach agreement on many contentious issues. But one has proved intractable: the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, which will be the U.K.'s only land border with the EU after Brexit.

During Northern Irelands decades of violence, the border bristled with soldiers, customs posts, smugglers and paramilitaries. But since a 1998 peace accord, the border has become all but invisible. Thats helped by the fact that Britain and Ireland currently are both EU members, meaning goods and people can flow across the border with no need for customs checks.

Brexit could end all that, disrupting lives and businesses on both sides of the border and potentially undermining the peace process.

To avoid that, the withdrawal agreement includes a border guarantee, known as the backstop. It stipulates that if no other solution can be found, the U.K. will remain in a customs union with the EU after Brexit to avoid the need for a hard border. Both sides hope the backstop will never be needed: The agreement gives them until 2022 to reach a permanent new trade deal that could render it unnecessary.

But pro-Brexit British politicians hate the backstop, because Britain cant get out of it unilaterally; it can only be ended by mutual agreement. So potentially it could endure indefinitely, binding the U.K. to EU customs regulations, unable to make new trade deals around the world.

Pro-EU lawmakers hate it too, because it leaves Britain subject to rules it has no say in making  an inferior position to remaining in the bloc, they say.

Will the EU budge?

Not much. May says she is seeking legal and political assurances at this weeks summit that will satisfy Parliaments concerns about the backstop. But EU leaders are adamant they will not re-open the legally binding, 585-page withdrawal agreement.

But politics is also about theatrics, and the EU may well offer Britain some sort of wording  a note, an addendum or a codicil  that clarifies issues around the backstop.

What happens next?

May remains in office, but her power is ebbing away. To secure victory in the no-confidence vote, May promised restive lawmakers she would quit and hand over to a new Conservative leader before the next national election, scheduled for 2022.

She plans to bring her improved Brexit deal back to Parliament for a vote before Jan 21. If it passes, it still must be approved by the European Parliament, but that is not expected to be a problem.

If it fails, Britain is in uncharted waters. Possible outcomes include a no-deal Brexit, a postponed Brexit, a second referendum on Brexit, or a reversal of the decision to leave the EU. All those options have supporters in Parliament, but its not clear whether theres a majority for any of them.

And if Mays plan falls, its possible she will too  via a no-confidence vote in Parliament that would trigger a national election. Then it would fall to her successor to try to sort out Britains Brexit mess.

Gregory Katz contributed to this story.
The Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved an $867 billion farm bill as Congress appeared poised to pass legislation that would help an agriculture industry battered by President Donald Trumps trade war.

In an 87-to-13 vote, the Senate approved legislation that would allocate billions of dollars in subsidies to American farmers, legalize hemp, bolster farmers markets, and reject stricter limits on food stamps pushed by House Republicans.

The legislation will now head to the House, where it is also expected to pass, after lawmakers worked out a House-Senate compromise earlier this month. Trump expressed support for the legislation Tuesday and said he expects to sign it into law.

Congressional negotiators said they faced increasing pressure to complete the bill from farmers and ranchers who have suffered steep declines in commodities prices amid Trumps ongoing trade war with China.

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Weve been trying to point out this is no time for a revolutionary farm bill, said Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., chairman of the Senate committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. Its time to get a bill done so our farmers have predictability and certainty during a very difficult time. We just have to do that.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue expressed support for the legislation in a statement Monday night. The farm bill is moving along nicely, Trump said Tuesday during his meeting with congressional Democratic leaders. We think the farm bill is in very good shape.

Still, the bill has faced criticism, including from conservative Republicans. Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, one of two farmers in the Senate and a member of the agriculture committee, said he would vote against the package over its expansion of federal subsidies to more distant relatives of farmers, such as their cousins, nephews and nieces. Grassley joined eight other Republicans in opposing the measure, which was supported by every Senate Democrat.

Im very disappointed the conferees decided to expand the loopholes on farm subsidies, said Grassley, adding that he expects the bill to pass over his objections. Ive been trying to make sure the people who get the subsidies are real farmers. . . . Ive been trying for three years, and it gets worse and worse and worse.

The full text of the farm bill was released Monday night. Heres whats in and whats out.

1. Cuts to food stamps are not in the bill. The most controversial element of the farm bill debate has been over differences between the House and Senate approaches to food stamps, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

House Republicans farm bill would have forced states to impose work requirements on people ages 49 to 59 who get food stamps. It would have also forced states to impose work requirements on parents with children ages 6 to 12, among other changes. One estimate found those proposals could mean that 1.1 million households would face cuts to benefits, although conservatives and Republicans contested those numbers.

The Senate version of the farm bill made none of those changes. The farm bill requires Democratic support to get the 60 votes it needs to pass the Senate, and these cuts are not in the final package, Roberts has confirmed.

Liberal groups have cheered the news. The negotiators appear to have achieved a bipartisan compromise that maintains and modestly strengthens SNAP, ensuring that millions of struggling Americans will continue to be able to count on SNAP to help them put food on the table, Robert Greenstein, president of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning think tank, said in a statement.

2. The bill includes SNAP revisions, although they wont shrink individual benefits. The final bill does include several new changes to the SNAP program, though none will restrict families food stamp benefits, according to congressional aides.

Among them is a new National Accuracy Clearinghouse, which would prevent individuals from receiving food stamp benefits in multiple states. The final farm bill also eliminates an awards program that gave states up to $48 million per year in federal funding for high performances related to program access and payment accuracy.

The projected savings from these changes will be plowed back into food banks and other nutrition assistance programs, aides said.

3. Congress is not binding the White House on food stamps. The Trump administration has signaled its intention to cut food stamps without approval from Congress, and the farm bill does not bind the White Houses hands, according to congressional aides. The Agriculture Department has already floated weakening the waivers it gives states to temporarily suspend some food stamp work requirements.

4. Some expanded farm subsidies. The farm bill mirrors at least some provisions in the farm bill passed by House Republicans, including in expanding some federal agriculture subsidies to nieces, nephews and first cousins of farmers - even if those relatives do not directly work on the farm.

The Environmental Working Group, which tracks federal farm subsidies, has criticized this provision as wasteful giveaways to those who dont contribute significant labor to farms. Congressional Republicans have defended the expansion as helping encourage more people to be involved in farming.

5. No additional impact on the deficit. At close to $1 trillion a year, the farm bills price-tag is high. But the bills drafters used the baseline set by the Congressional Budget Office under existing spending levels of $867 billion over the next 10 years, meaning it will not increase the federal deficit from prior projections. Congressional aides said late Monday night that they were still awaiting a final score from the CBO.

6. Provides permanent funding for farmers markets, local food programs. The final farm bill also provides permanent funding for a number of programs that Congress had agreed to finance on a temporary basis, of five years at a time.

For instance, the farm bill permanently secures funding for a program that funds and promotes local farmers markets, as well as a program to research challenges facing organic farmers. It also permanently allots money for organizations that work to train the next generation of farmers - at a time when experts have raised concerns about the aging of the industry.

The bill also provides permanent funding to help veteran farmers and farmers who are minorities.

7. Conservation program preserved. The farm bill proposed by House Republicans had also proposed merging the Conservation Stewardship Program, which pays farmers to strengthen conservation efforts on their farms, into another branch of the Agriculture Department. The program will survive under the final version of the bill, aides said.

8. Legalizes hemp. The farm bill also legalizes the production of hemp, a form of cannabis with lower THCD levels than marijuana. Analysts told CNBC that hemp could grow into a $20 billion industry by 2022.

First published in The Washington Post
Staffers in President Donald Trumps White House are measured by longevity. Theres the November 9th Club, the nickname for those who joined after Trump won the election. There are those who joined the campaign earlier, but only after he secured the nomination. And there are a few who came on board when his campaign was largely viewed as a joke by the GOP establishment - and everyone else.

Few in Trumps White House have a history with him that dates as far back as Stephanie Grisham. For nearly two years, she served as communications director for first lady Melania Trump. A few weeks ago, she received a promotion to deputy chief of staff for communications and has become one of the more powerful figures in the ever-evolving Trump White House. Back in the summer of 2015, she was a lowly press wrangler on Trumps campaign.

On a hot July day 3 1/2 years ago, Grisham - who had long lived in Arizona - was the person tapped to handle press for the candidates early and pivotal rally in Phoenix. Trump was a month into his run for president and ranked seventh in the Republican field. He had the controversial Sheriff Joe Arpaio introduce him at the event, which was carried live on cable news. After his speech, Trumps jumped to third place in the Republican primary rankings.

Before joining Trumps long-shot campaign, Grisham was a local political operative who had worked on Mitt Romneys 2012 campaign for president. Shes seen now as one of the unbroken threads, says Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, referring to campaign staffers who stuck with Trump and are now working in the White House. (By this measure, Grishams thread is about a year longer than Conways, who joined the campaign in July 2016.)

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During the campaign she developed a good relationship with the president and thats carried through, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders says. She has developed a great amount of trust from both the president and the first lady, which is a pretty high commodity here, Sanders adds. There arent a lot of people who have a lot of regular interaction with both of them.

Grishams role has drawn attention for her acerbic statements directed at those who have crossed Melania Trump and her husband. When Trump attacked Mika Brzezinski in the summer of 2017 and claimed falsely in a tweet that she was bleeding badly from a facelift, rather than shying away from the controversy, Grisham offered this statement on Melania Trumps behalf: When her husband gets attacked, he will punch back 10 times harder. When Donald Trumps first wife, Ivana Trump, cheekily called herself the first Trump wife and therefore the first lady while promoting a book last year, Grisham called Ivana attention-seeking and self-serving. Grisham even got into an argument on Twitter with Issa Rae after the actress said in an interview that she would cancel her show Insecure if she learned that Melania Trump was a fan.

Aides describe the relationship between Trump and Grisham as one built on mutual protection and trust. The resistance wants the first lady to be a victim, and she hates being seen that way, one of her aides said. If anything, Grisham makes clear that she is not.

Members of the White House are also learning that Grisham is not someone with whom to tangle. In preparation for Melania Trumps first solo trip abroad, which she took to Africa this fall, deputy national security adviser Mira Ricardel clashed with members of the first ladys staff. Upon their return, Grisham and the first ladys chief of staff, Lindsay Reynolds, approached White House Chief of Staff John Kelly about the issue. When he took no apparent action, Grisham spoke directly to Melania Trump, who in turn spoke to her husband privately. Then, when still nothing happened, Grisham suggested to the first lady a different strategy: Without giving the West Wing warning, Grisham put out a statement: It is the position of the Office of the First Lady that she no longer deserves the honor of serving in this White House.

Within days, Ricardel was out of the White House.

The following week, Grisham declined to comment for this story, saying in an email: I feel strongly that I should never be the story (I know that is laughable to say after this week!), so will decline participation on this one, only to say it has been the greatest honor of my career to work for both the President and First Lady.

Still Grishams statement calling for the ouster of a West Wing official was highly unusual, according to scholars of both the presidency and the East Wing. While other first ladies have made their preferences known, as happened, famously, when Nancy Reagan helped push out her husbands chief of staff, Donald Regan, never before has the East Wing issued a statement that resulted in the dismissal of a member of the West Wing, notes Myra Gutin, a professor of communications who studies the history of first ladies at Rider University in New Jersey.

Stephanie Grisham, White House deputy chief of staff for communications and press secretary for first lady Melania Trump, talks on the phone before President Donald Trump arrives for the presentation of the National Thanksgiving turkey in the Rose Garden at the White House. MUST (Jabin Botsford / The Washington Post)

Shes got a notch in her belt, says Tom Horne, the former Arizona attorney general who hired Grisham after she left the Romney campaign. Shes gotten someone fired. Thats a big achievement! Who has the notch? The first lady or her communications director?

Horne clarified: Stephanie was the one who issued the statement. Horne says he had his own run-ins with political opposition, and Grisham defended him. Shes a very loyal type of person and when there are unfair attacks she responds strongly.

Melania Trump appears to be pushing back in more significant ways. Tension between the first ladys staff and Kelly, White House chief of staff, has grown in recent months, according to three current White House officials familiar with the dynamic. Staffers in the first ladys office felt repeatedly slighted by him. The president announced over the weekend that Kelly would be leaving by the end of the year.

If the Ricardel move was unusual, Grishams habit of adding her name to statements from the East Wing is also uncommon, Gutin says. Typically, a first ladys communications director is not well known and issues bland statements.

Among first lady scholars there are many things about Melania Trump that we dont quite understand, says Gutin. Whatever Ms. Grisham is doing becomes part of this larger riddle. Its just so hard to pin down.

Part of a small and chaotic campaign, Grisham spent months virtually living with the traveling press covering candidate Trump as they crisscrossed the country, flying together and bunking in hotels. She won their appreciation by being an advocate for media access and watching out for them on the trail.

In one notable incident, Mike Pences campaign plane slid off the tarmac at La Guardia during an icy night in October 2016. Before it could fly again, the landing gear needed to be fixed. But there was no time to wait for a repair.

Pence, his staff, and the press traveling with him needed to be off again the next morning to hit the vice presidential candidates next campaign stop.

Pences staff argued that they should be able to take over the Trump press plane, which was wrapped with a Trump logo. Trump traveled on his own plane and the press assigned to report on his campaign paid for and covered him by trailing along in a separate aircraft. Grisham stood up to Pences staff and advocated for Trumps press corps to keep the plane, a move that garnered goodwill among a weary bunch of reporters.

She had similarly good relationships with journalists on the Romney campaign, according to journalists who worked with her then. On one occasion, the Romney plane was delayed until late into the night, and Grisham was there when the press arrived to welcome them to their overnight accommodations. Everyone was sleep-deprived and cranky, recalls one of the reporters on the trip. She was waiting with warm milk and cookies, which goes a long way at a time like that.

Before the Romney campaign, Grisham created her own small public relations firm, worked for AAA Arizona, the Arizona Charter Schools Association, and Larson Public Relations, which represents education reform clients across the country.

In 2013 and 2015, Grisham was stopped for driving under the influence, according to Arizona court records. She paid all associated fines and disclosed both incidents to the White House during the transition.

When Donald Trump was elected, Grisham joined the press office as one of press secretary Sean Spicers deputies. She was hired into Melania Trumps East Wing in March 2017.

The rapport was instantaneous, says White House social secretary Anna Cristina Niceta Lloyd, who is known as Rickie.

Lloyd recalled Grisham, whose colleagues call her by her last name, volunteering to help Reynolds, the first ladys chief of staff, with a press question. Reynolds had been in her job about a month and found Grisham really helpful, and it was a bit of a gut feeling, Lloyd says.

Melania Trump knew Grisham from the campaign trail and invited her over to meet more of the East Wing staff.

I love working with her because she captures what the first lady wants in terms of perspective but also in terms of her voice, says Daniel Fisher, director of the White House Visitors Office, which is housed in the East Wing. Theyve really melded together.

East Wing staffers note frequently how dedicated Trump is to her son, Barron, and cite her time with him as part of the reason for her light public schedule as compared with her predecessors. Grisham, who is a 42-year-0ld single mother of two boys, plays a role in looking out for Barron, whom she can relate to because her younger son is about the same age.

Grishams transition from campaign mode to White House staff has not always been clearly demarcated. On July 11, Grisham tweeted: Three years ago today I listened to my gut & joined the Trump team in #PHX . . . & life has never been the same. So proud to work for both @POTUS @realDonaldTrump & @FLOTUS #MAGA. The U.S. office of special counsel sent Grisham a letter warning that she had violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits White House officials from advocating for or against candidates.

Grisham and the first lady are in touch daily, according to East Wing staffers. Stephanie more than most is on the front lines of pretty much everything that goes on that is visible, Fisher added.

Case in point: the headline-grabbing spectacle of the coat.

The morning of Melania Trumps trip to a Texas detention facility housing children who had been separated from their parents at the border, Grisham was already in the motorcade on the way to the airport by the time the first lady stepped out of the White House, dressed for the day.

The still photographs of Trump wearing her green jacket emblazoned with I REALLY DONT CARE, DO U? blew up on Twitter. Grisham was shown one of the still photos of the first lady when the plane was still in the air, according to people traveling with her. When Melania Trump stepped off the plane in Texas, she left the jacket on board.

But on the flight back to Washington, more stories published on the puzzling outfit choice. And in true Trump fashion, Melania Trump put the coat back on to walk back into the White House - at that point she had to own it; you cant say you screwed up in Trumpworld, says one veteran political reporter. She headed straight for the Oval Office, trailed by Grisham and Reynolds, according to three people who were there.

Grisham told reporters, Its a jacket. There was no hidden meaning. She followed up with a tweet decrying the medias focus on the first ladys wardrobe, not her work, and added two hashtags: #SheCares #ItsJustAJacket.

But the president had his own interpretation. His wife did mean to send a message - to the liberal media. His tweet contradicted Grishams statement and lashed out at the media.  I REALLY DONT CARE, DO U? written on the back of Melanias jacket, refers to the Fake News Media. Melania has learned how dishonest they are, and she truly no longer cares! he wrote.

Theres always something that pops up along the way that we dont anticipate, but I think Grisham did the best she could at the time, and handled it effectively, says one of her colleagues.

Another East Wing staffer notes that everyone on Melania Trumps staff - which now numbers 12 - feels protective of the first lady and each other. Theres always something out there to hurt or shame her, one says. Theres something every day that we could be affected by that the media deems disgraceful or impeachable so you go and you do your job and you serve the president and the first lady you see in front of you, not the people the media portrays.

But both the president and the first lady pay keen attention to their own media portrayals. Melania Trump in particular watches more television news and follows more coverage than she lets on, according to current staffers.

The difference is that whereas the president will tweet himself and react himself, says one White House official, shes got Stephanie.

Washington Post researcher Alice Crites contributed to this report.
An emailed bomb threat demanding a large ransom  to be paid in the cryptocurrency, bitcoin  was sent to businesses, government agencies, at least one hospital and other locations across the county on Thursday, prompting a flurry of law enforcement investigations and some evacuations, officials said.

Hundreds of similar threats were reported in states across the country including New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Iowa, according to the FBI and police officials. So far, none of the threats have been deemed credible.

The San Diego Police Department received its first call about the threats around 9:50 a.m., said San Diego police Lt. Brent Williams in a statement. By mid-afternoon, the agency had received 35 similar reports.

The San Diego Police Department is working with affected law enforcement agencies to identify the suspect(s) responsible for these false threats, Williams said.

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This email threat was sent to the Padre Dam Municipal Water Authority in Santee this morning. Hundreds of locations across the country received something similar. (Courtesy of the Padre Dam Municipal Water Authority)

At least one version of the email warned that a bomb had been hidden in the building where your business is located and that it would explode unless a ransom of $20,000 in bitcoin was paid.

Nothing personal, if you dont transfer me the bitcoin and the explosive device explodes, next time other commercial enterprises will pay me more money, because this isnt a one-time action, one line in the email read.

The San Diego County Sheriffs Department deputies also responded to more than a dozen similarly reported threats at such places as auto-repair shops, computer firms, a sports grill and the Padre Dam Municipal Water District.

Spokeswoman Melissa McChesney said the water district received the threat about 10:45 a.m. District authorities contacted the Sheriffs Department, and responding deputies determined fairly quickly that the threat likely was not valid. Business at the public agency was not seriously disrupted, and the facility was not evacuated.

Some businesses did evacuate as a precaution, but many didnt, sheriffs Lt. Karla Menzies said.

Police agencies checked out each threat, searching the businesses for explosive devices.

We are going out to evaluate it like it is the real deal, Hodge said. (Police officers) went into the buildings and they have not seen anything that would deem it to be a credible threat. However, they are still doing bomb-threat reports, because it is a crime.

Police in El Cajon, Escondido, Carlsbad, Chula Vista and National City also said they had received reports of threats.

We are treating every call like a bomb threat, Menzies said. Once (businesses) are receiving the email, they are basically calling 911 to report it and we are responding as we can.

Escondido police responded to two reports of threats within their city limits by early afternoon, said police Lt. Ed Bennett.

We went to two of them we got and checked them out, he said. It is the same thing everywhere in the country. They are demanding money or they are going to blow up the business.

Neither of the buildings in Escondido were evacuated, he said.

They walked around looking for things. They called us and we walked around and didnt see anything suspicious, Bennett said.

Twitter: @karenkucher

(619) 293-1350

karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com

UPDATES:

2:30 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details.

12:15 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details.

This article was originally published at 11:50 a.m.
An 18-year-old man was wounded with a machete during an attempted robbery in Linda Vista Wednesday night.

The victim was walking on Linda Vista Road near Glidden Street about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday to meet his girlfriend when a man approached him, demanded his wallet and punched the victim in his face, according to San Diego police Officer Robert Heims.

The two men began fighting and the victim was stabbed in his chest and cut on an arm, wrist and hip, Heims said.

The victim ran away and was picked up by his girlfriend, who took him to a hospital, Heims said.

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The victims injuries were considered non-life threatening, Heims said.

A detailed description of the suspect was not immediately available. Anyone with information on the incident was asked to call CrimeStoppers at (888) 580-8477.

Twitter: @karenkucher

(619) 293-1350

karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com
A robbery suspect fired off a shot while holding up a Subway sandwich shop Wednesday morning in Mountain View, police said.

The suspect made off with an undisclosed amount of cash from the register during the heist, which happened just before 9 a.m. at the chain eatery just east of Interstate 15 on National Avenue near South 36th Street, San Diego police Officer Sarah Foster said.

Wearing a bandanna covering part of his face, the gunman walked directly to the front counter, pointed his pistol at the clerk and demanded money, Lt. Martha Sainz said. He fired a single shot from the black handgun while inside the business, but did not strike anyone.

The suspect was described as a roughly 30-year-old black man, about 6-feet 2-inches tall, with a heavy build. He was wearing a black hoodie, black gloves, tan pants and the black bandanna over his face.

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Anyone with information about the robbery was asked to call the San Diego Police Departments robbery unit at (619) 531-2299 or San Diego County Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477.

Twitter: @Alex_Riggins

(619) 293-1710

alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com

UPDATES:

4:05 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details and a photo of the suspect.

This article was originally published at 3:45 p.m.
The drinks were flowing heavily in a Carlsbad bar on that Saturday night in early February, so much so that a then-33-year-old Catholic seminary student headed to the bathroom to throw up.

While he was standing in the stall and vomiting, the priest he had been drinking with reached around him and groped his genitals, the student testified in a Vista courtroom on Wednesday.

I couldnt leave because I was puking, the accuser said. I was panicked.

His testimony came Wednesday on the first day of trial for the priest, the Rev. Juan Castillo, who has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of sexual battery.

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The 35-year-old priest, who had been with a Carlsbad parish at the time, has pleaded not guilty. He faces up to six months in jail if convicted.

Castillos attorney, Victor Pippins, has said his client absolutely denies the allegations.

The Rev.Juan Castillo (Photo courtesy Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego)

During his opening statement Wednesday, Pippins told the jury the case was one of he said, he said  and one of (them) was drunk, and there is no corroborating evidence.

Deputy District Attorney Joshua Brisbane told the jury that the evidence will show that Castillo wanted an opportunity to make a sexual move on the seminary student.

A spokesman for the diocese said in September that the bishop removed Castillo from his assignment as an associate priest at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Carlsbad on Feb. 4, the same day church officials had learned of the allegation by the seminary student.

The accuser  a former military prosecutor who had left the service to become a priest  took the stand Wednesday.

The Union-Tribune does not identify alleged victims of sex crimes.

Now 34, he testified about meeting Castillo  a stranger to him  at a church function on Feb. 3, then agreeing later to go out for a drink afterward. The student invited another seminarian, a fellow student who was also at St. Patrick church that day.

The three men met up at a Carlsbad brewery, and hung out there for nearly five hours. The accuser said the conversation had turned bizarre after midnight, after the priest started talking about the finer points of celibacy and chastity, the witness said.

The accuser also said Castillo had been encouraging him to continue drinking that night, goading him and mocking him when he refused another drink.

Sometime before 1 a.m. on Feb. 4, the seminary student felt ill and headed to the bathroom. Once there, arms braced against the stall walls, he stood over the toilet and vomited.

Thats when he realized Castillo was behind him. He said the priest asked him if he was OK  and as the student was throwing up, the priest reached around and began to massage his genitals.

He said he shrugged Castillo off, but said Castillo did it a second time.

He was soon able to tell Castillo to get away.

I walked out of the stall, and I look at myself in the mirror and I said, Oh my God, what has happened to me? the accuser said.

He paused at a few points in his testimony, saying it was hard to relive the incident.

This was no mistake, he said. He was trying to get me going.

The former attorney  he had been both a prosecutor and defense attorney in the military  said he had concerns about coming forward. He knew there were no witnesses, he thought people might not believe him, and he feared there would be repercussions for having gotten so intoxicated as a seminary student.

The witness was still testifying when court ended for the day, and had not yet been cross-examined. His testimony will continue Thursday.

teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com

(760) 529-4945

Twitter: @TeriFigueroaUT
Transit officials agreed Thursday to scale back a proposed fare hike on seniors and disabled riders as part of the first overhaul to ticket prices on buses, trolleys and trains in more than a decade.

The adjustments are aimed at helping to address a roughly $10 million annual budget shortfall and would impact a wide range of users.

The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System met with vocal criticism when it announced earlier this year that monthly passes for seniors and disabled riders would jump from $18 to $26 a month.

In response, MTS scaled back the new proposed fare to $23. The age limit to qualify as a senior would increase from 60 to 65 years of age under the new structure.

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We have to make an adjustment or the other adjustment is cutting services, said Georgette Gomez, chair of the MTS Board of Directors and the San Diego City Council. This is not an easy conversation to be having.

We heard from the public, and Im glad that staff is making changes to what is being proposed, she added.

A number of other board members expressed concerns at Thursdays meeting about the impact to two of the regions most vulnerable populations.

Im looking at this today and going wow thats another loaf of bread, said Mike Diaz, MTS board member and Chula Vista City Councilman. Im really torn here.

Ramon Florez, a 70-year-old East Village resident on a fixed income, attended the meeting to protest the hike. He said the increase would be tough to handle.

Even two dollars, three dollars could buy extra medicine, he said. This whole system doesnt make any sense. One day the people are going to revolt.

Stacy Williams, education specialist with the San Diego Unified School Districts Transition Resource for Adult Community Education program, said at the meeting that her program assists many young adult students with disabilities who rely on the bus system and who will be hard hit by the fare hike.

That increase is going to affect them because the majority are living on less than $1,000 a month. Why are we increasing it for this population when theyre already the ones struggling the most? My kids are not middle class. Theyre living in poverty.

Other proposed ticket changes include single ride fares increasing for adults from $2.25 to $2.50 and for seniors and disabled from $1.10 to $1.25. Adult day passes would go from $5 to $6, while monthly passes would remain flat at $72.

Seventy percent of our ridership is low income, so if you look at this increase, its not just on seniors, said Paul Jablonski, MTS chief executive officer. The burden is being shared.

At the same time, youth riders, 6 to 18 years old, would see a decrease for a regional 30-day pass decrease from $36 to $23 to align with the senior fare.

The increases are expected to bring in about $4 million, while revenue from SB 1, which raised fuel and vehicle registration taxes and fees, expected to cover the remaining roughly $6 million annual budget deficit, according to MTS officials.

The changes are expected to decrease ridership by 1.8 million riders a year, but officials said that reduction is expected to likely rebound within a few years.

The fee hikes must be approved by the San Diego Association of Governments, which is expected to finalize the changes in early 2019.

Twitter: @jemersmith

Phone: (619) 293-2234

Email: joshua.smith@sduniontribune.com
Rep. Nancy Pelosi clinched the votes for a second stint as House speaker on Wednesday after agreeing to serve no more than four years in a deal with a group of Democratic rebels - a significant concession to their demands for generational change.

The group of insurgents wanted new blood in the top Democratic ranks and maneuvered for months to deny Pelosi, D-Calif., the votes she would need to trigger a shake-up. After weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiating, Pelosi backed off her resistance to setting a date for her departure but avoided becoming an immediate lame duck.

Over the summer, I made it clear that I see myself as a bridge to the next generation of leaders, a recognition of my continuing responsibility to mentor and advance new members into positions of power and responsibility in the House Democratic Caucus, Pelosi said in a statement.

Almost immediately, seven Democratic holdouts said they would back Pelosi. Their support would be enough to secure the House majority that she needs for her election to speaker on Jan. 3 - 218 votes if all members are present and voting for an individual.

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According to a Washington Post analysis, that would leave Pelosi with no more 16 Democrats openly opposing her. She could weather as many as 17 defections if all members are voting.

Already the first woman to serve as speaker, Pelosi would cement her place in history by joining a small group of lawmakers who regained the speakership after losing it. She would be the first speaker to do so since Texas Democrat Sam Rayburn took the gavel back in 1955. No other two-time speaker has reclaimed the gavel after more than four years out of power.

The deal with the rebels was a capstone to a remarkable 48 hours for Pelosi, who sparred with President Donald Trump on Tuesday at the White House over his demand for U.S.-Mexico border wall funding. She challenged the Republican president and explained the legislative process to him - a clash that highlighted the stakes of the speakership race and Pelosis bid to be the most powerful woman in American politics.

Hours after the White House session, she hashed out the final terms of the deal in her Capitol Hill office with Democratic Reps. Bill Foster of Illinois, Ed Perlmutter of Colorado and Linda Sanchez of California. Over the following day, those members relayed the deal back to fellow colleagues opposing Pelosi and honed the final announcement

Besides those three members, Reps. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, and Filemon Vela, D-Texas, as well as Rep.-elect Gil Cisneros, D-Calif., said Wednesday that they would back Pelosi.

We are proud that our agreement will make lasting institutional change that will strengthen our caucus and will help develop the next generation of Democratic leaders, they said in a joint statement. We will support and vote for Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House in the 116th Congress.

Under the accord, Pelosi, 78, will back a three-term limit for the top four House Democratic leaders, with a possible fourth term if Democratic members vote by a two-thirds majority to retain them.

The limit would be retroactive, meaning Pelosi, incoming House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., incoming House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C. - all of whom held the same posts from 2007 to 2011 - would be effectively limited to one, maybe two, terms going forward if the policy is adopted. The term limit would also apply to Rep. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico, who is poised to assume the No. 4 job.

I am comfortable with the proposal and it is my intention to abide by it whether it passes or not, Pelosi said.

The vote on term limits would occur by Feb. 15.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., heads to the House chambers at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday in Washington, D.C. I am comfortable with the proposal and it is my intention to abide by it whether it passes or not, Pelosi said. (Matt McClain / The Washington Post)

Pelosi struck the deal to the biggest vote possible and to have as much unity as possible, said an aide to the leader who was not authorized to comment publicly on the discussions. Absent a deal, the speaker race might have gone to the House floor unsettled, setting up a messy internecine fight.

No Democrat had announced a challenge to Pelosi; her critics envisioned a scenario where they would deny Pelosi the votes needed on the House floor, touching off a scramble for an alternative.

But the lack of a viable alternative hamstrung the rebels, and as Pelosi leaned on a vast network of political allies to promote her return as speaker, many of her opponents experienced a fierce political backlash.

Moulton, for instance, is facing a potential primary challenge in 2020. He said in a statement that the conversations have been difficult, but were stronger because of them.

The leaders of our caucus will no longer be determined by tenure and loyalty but by frequent and open elections, giving us a better chance to change and evolve as the country does, he said, praising Pelosi for having showed real leadership by agreeing to these reforms.

In addition to the term-limits proposal, Pelosi agreed to set up a leadership development program open to members who are interested in moving up the caucuss ranks. The rebels also said Pelosi had agreed not to retaliate against those who had opposed or will continue opposing her; the Pelosi aide disputed that such an assurance was necessary: She didnt agree not to retaliate, because she doesnt retaliate.

Several freshmen and a handful of incumbents are still expected to oppose her. At least two sitting members critical of Pelosi, Reps. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y., and Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., said this week they will oppose Pelosi regardless of any vow to step aside in the future.

One aide to a member who participated in the talks said the incumbents - running in safe Democratic districts - wanted to give cover to freshmen in more marginal districts who want to stick to campaign pledges and vote against Pelosi without actually blocking her from the gavel.

Pelosi was nominated as speaker by House Democrats last month on a 203-to-32 vote, but many of the Democrats vowed to oppose her in the decisive floor vote if she did not make further concessions, prompting the negotiations.

The term-limit proposal is subject to a vote of House Democrats next year - one that could very well become contentious, with Hoyer and Clyburn expected to oppose it. The limits would not extend to committee chairmen, a contentious proposal that could have sparked political warfare among House Democrats.

Hoyer told reporters Tuesday that he was not for term limits of any sort, dismissing Pelosis discussions: Shes not negotiating for me.

I have a term limit - its a two-year term limit, he said, referring to the length of a House term. I am not for term limits. I am for the intellect of the voter, whether its my constituency or my colleague being able to operate without such constraint and choose who they want when they want.

Clyburn said Wednesday that Pelosi had not consulted him about the proposal but said he had no concerns the deal might affect him.

Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La., a close friend of Clyburns and the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said he thought the term limit was immaterial.

If hes here another six years, I would doubt that hes going to be in the same position, he said, suggesting Clyburn might move up to a more senior post with a new term limit.

I think what it is is a moral victory for some people trying to figure out how to land their plane, Richmond added, referring to the rebels. You can land it, you can get shot down or you can run out of gas. Might as well land it.
President Donald Trump claimed Thursday that money we save from a new trade deal with Mexico and Canada would make good on his long-standing promise to have Mexico pay for a new southern border wall.

Trumps highly questionable assertion, in a morning tweet, comes as he is lobbying Congress for $5 billion to help fund construction of the wall and threatening a partial government shutdown if he does not get his way.

In recent days, as the debate over the wall has come to the fore, Trump has faced renewed criticism for appearing to have abandoned his campaign pledge to make Mexico pay for it.

I often stated, One way or the other, Mexico is going to pay for the Wall, Trump wrote on Twitter. This has never changed. Our new deal with Mexico (and Canada), the USMCA, is so much better than the old, very costly & anti-USA NAFTA deal, that just by the money we save, MEXICO IS PAYING FOR THE WALL!

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I often stated, One way or the other, Mexico is going to pay for the Wall. This has never changed. Our new deal with Mexico (and Canada), the USMCA, is so much better than the old, very costly & anti-USA NAFTA deal, that just by the money we save, MEXICO IS PAYING FOR THE WALL!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 13, 2018

Mexican officials have said there was no discussion in the trade-deal negotiations of mechanisms under which Mexico would pay for the wall.

And on Thursday, both House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., ridiculed Trump for his assertion.

It doesnt make any sense, Pelosi told reporters at a news conference. Maybe he doesnt understand how a trade agreement works. ... I think the Oval Office is an evidence-free zone.

Pelosi, who is likely to become House speaker in January, also pointed out that Congress has yet to ratify Trumps new trade deal.

Schumer, meanwhile, suggested on the Senate floor Thursday that if Mexico is truly funding the wall, Congress does not need to spend any money on it.

Mr. President, if you say Mexico is going to pay for the wall through NAFTA - which it certainly wont - then I guess we dont have to, Schumer said. Lets fund the government. Honestly. If the president really believed what he tweeted this morning, that his new NAFTA would pay for the wall, he wouldnt be threatening to shut down the government unless American taxpayers fund his wall. You cant have it both ways.

Trump spent much of the 2016 campaign promising American voters that Mexico would somehow pay for the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, a demand that angered Mexican officials but enthralled his supporters. Since becoming president, though, Trump has sought U.S. taxpayer money to fund the walls construction and threatened to shut down parts of the U.S. government if lawmakers do not acquiesce.

Last month, Trump and the leaders of Canada and Mexico signed documents that would rework the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The new deal, which Trump has designated the USMCA, still must be approved by Congress before it takes effect, and some Democrats have signaled they will demand changes.

But Trump is claiming that this new trade deal, even though the outcome is uncertain, would somehow pay for the wall, an assertion that has stumped many budget experts.

Boy, this is a stretch, said William Hoagland, a former Republican staff director of the Senate Budget Committee.

Hoagland said the only reasoning he could contemplate to back up Trumps Twitter post Thursday is that if the U.S. economy grows because of the new trade deal, Trump could claim that the new tax revenue is a bonus and therefore is somehow related to Mexico.

But he said the same reasoning could be used to say that Canada is paying for the walls construction. Hoagland also said that none of this new money would actually come from Canada or Mexico. In addition, Hoagland said he could not see a scenario under which the USMCA would save taxpayer money, as Trump asserted in his Twitter post.

At the end of the day, the American taxpayer is still paying for it, he said. Because where are the revenues coming from? They are not coming from Mexican taxpayers.

Trump made the same argument Tuesday during a contentious Oval Office meeting, during which the two Democratic leaders urged the president not to pursue a partial government shutdown. Pelosi and Schumer instead urged Trump to take a deal that would provide $1.3 billion for border fencing by extending levels of funding.

Trump raised the idea that some money for the wall could come from the newly renegotiated North American trade agreement, an idea that Pelosi dismissed.

On Thursday morning, the White House released a summary of a Wednesday phone call between Trump and Mexicos new president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. The readout said the two leaders discussed illegal immigration, but it made no mention of Trumps proposed border wall.

The Washington Posts Erica Werner and David J. Lynch contributed to this report.

First published in The Washington Post
Source: THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE

Gen Qamar lauds efforts of PAF, China Air Force in conducting international air exercise . PHOTO: ISPR

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa witnessed the ongoing Pak-China International Air Exercise Shaheen-VII at an operational air base of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in Karachi on Wednesday, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

While interacting with combat crew, the army chief lauded the professionalism of participants of exercise and appreciated the efforts of PAF and Peoples Liberation Army Air Force in conducting international air exercise in a befitting manner.

On his arrival, the COAS was received by Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan, chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force.

While highlighting the exemplary relations between Islamabad and Beijing, Gen Qamar said that the exercise would further strengthen and promote the friendship, and cooperation between the two great nations as well as armed forces of both countries.

The exercise is seventh in the series of Shaheen exercises and is conducted each year on alternate basis.

On December 8, a special forces contingent of Peoples Liberation Army China had arrived to the country to take part in Pak-China joint military exercise.

Troops of Special Service Group from both armies are participating in the three-week long exercise.
For months, President Donald Trumps spokesmen, his lawyer and his lawyers lawyer denied that Trump knew about payments during his 2016 campaign to buy the silence of women who alleged sexual encounters with him. The president himself claimed the same.

But after mounting evidence and fresh courthouse revelations of wrongdoing this week exposed those denials as lies, Trump is shifting his tune.

The president no longer disputes that he instructed his then-personal attorney, Michael Cohen, to make the payments to former Playboy playmate Karen McDougal and adult-film star Stephanie Clifford, who goes by the stage name Stormy Daniels.

Instead, Trump sought to evade that question Thursday by saying he never told Cohen to break the law - making a narrow assertion that was itself an admission that his and his teams earlier denials were false.

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I never directed Michael Cohen to break the law, Trump wrote in Twitter statements that were at times hard to comprehend. He was a lawyer and he is supposed to know the law. It is called advice of counsel, and a lawyer has great liability if a mistake is made. That is why they get paid.

In these and other statements Thursday, Trump tried to place blame entirely on his lawyer for felonies that his advisers and allies are increasingly concerned could imperil the president. The statements come as Trump feels besieged by multiplying investigations in New York and Washington and uncertain about what may be around the corner, according to several of his associates.

The evolving strategy on the hush-money allegations is textbook Trump: Tell one version of events until it falls apart, then tell a new version, and so on - until the danger passes.

Whats happened so far is not good, and it could get worse, said a former senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to comment candidly.

In reference to the Cohen case, this person added: Are they crimes? Yes. Is that a bad look if the president is directly tied to it and could under normal circumstances be criminally prosecuted? Yes. And no, thats not a good thing.

Cohen was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison for what U.S. District Judge William Pauley III called a veritable smorgasbord of criminal conduct - crimes that included tax violations and lying to a bank as well as those related to the hush-money payments.

I never directed Michael Cohen to break the law. He was a lawyer and he is supposed to know the law. It is called advice of counsel, and a lawyer has great liability if a mistake is made. That is why they get paid. Despite that many campaign finance lawyers have strongly......  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 13, 2018

Cohen told Pauley that his weakness was a blind loyalty to Donald Trump and a failure to refuse the then-candidates demands. Time and time again, I felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds rather than to listen to my own inner voice and my moral compass, Cohen said in court.

The developments have shaken people in Trumps orbit. White House staffers say they feel uneasy and nervous about what might come next, while Trump is publicly revealing a sense of betrayal that his longtime lawyer implicated him in crimes.

Trump is worried about the intensifying state of not only the hush-money investigation by the U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, but also of the Russia probe by special counsel Robert Mueller III, according to people with knowledge of the presidents private discussions. The Wall Street Journal also reported Thursday that federal prosecutors in Manhattan have opened another investigative front by probing whether Trumps 2017 inaugural committee misspent some of the record $107 million it raised from donations.

Hes never been in a position where he cant shuck and jive and work his way out of things, said one Republican who works closely with the White House. Well, its all coming home to roost.

Trump resisted commenting Wednesday on Cohens prison sentence, ignoring questions shouted by reporters about whether his former fixer had worked to cover up Trumps dirty deeds.

But on Thursday morning, before arriving at work in the Oval Office, Trump weighed in on Twitter for the first time. He claimed that he did nothing wrong with respect to campaign finance laws. Then he asserted that Cohen probably was not guilty of even civil violations related to the payments to McDougal and Daniels - a view at odds with the view of many lawyers.

Lastly, Trump argued that Cohen agreed to charges in order to embarrass the president and get a much reduced prison sentence, which he did - including the fact that his family was temporarily let off the hook.

Trump largely echoed those tweets in a television interview recorded later Thursday. Sitting down with Fox News Channel anchor Harris Faulkner in the West Wing of the White House, Trump said of his interactions with Cohen, I never directed him to do anything wrong.

....stated that I did nothing wrong with respect to campaign finance laws, if they even apply, because this was not campaign finance. Cohen was guilty on many charges unrelated to me, but he plead to two campaign charges which were not criminal and of which he probably was not...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 13, 2018

Whatever he did, he did on his own, Trump continued. Hes a lawyer. A lawyer who represents a client is supposed to do the right thing. Thats why you pay them a lot of money, et cetera, et cetera.

Trump also sought to minimize his relationship with Cohen, saying Cohen did more public relations than law, was generally responsible for low-level work and was merely OK on television. In retrospect, the president told Faulkner, hiring Cohen was a mistake.

The latest developments have exposed the depth of Trumps efforts to deceive the public about the illegal hush-money payments, and some of his friends and advisers said privately that they fear those efforts could imperil the president.

While there is a consensus view inside the White House that a sitting president will not be indicted, the former senior administration official described a deep uncertainty about other ways that Trump could be held liable. And there is growing anxiety among Trumps allies, including in Congress, that he could be vulnerable to the various investigations and, eventually, Democratic-led impeachment proceedings.

Joyce White Vance, who was a U.S. attorney in the Obama administration, explained that Trump may be accustomed to a business environment in which people posture and deceive for competitive advantage. She contrasted that atmosphere with the legal world, in which prosecutors must operate at a high ethical standard, because if they lie or cheat, they endanger their ability to continue practicing law.

Vance said the federal prosecutors who implicated Trump in the illegal payments are likely to have relied on more evidence than just Cohens testimony. She noted that other witnesses have been cooperating with the investigation - including, for instance, Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organizations former longtime chief financial officer.

Trump should be concerned, Vance said. Its not just the government saying it. Its not just a single witness saying it. Prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, who are known for their rigor in making these assessments, have decided theres evidence from a number of reliable sources and that they can prove it beyond a reasonable doubt.

Trumps credibility has been damaged by his and his teams ever-evolving statements about the hush-money payments.

Shortly before the 2016 election, when the Wall Street Journal first reported that the National Enquirer had agreed to pay $150,000 to McDougal as part of a catch and kill operation to silence her claims about having had an affair with Trump, the presidential candidates spokeswoman, Hope Hicks, said, We have no knowledge of any of this.

In January 2018, Cohen told the Journal that its reporting about a $130,000 payment to Daniels were outlandish allegations and part of a false narrative about Trump.

Then in March, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders and her principal deputy, Raj Shah, both stated publicly that the president denied knowledge of any payments and denied all of the allegations. David Schwartz, an attorney for Cohen, also denied that Trump knew about the payment.

On April 5, Trump flatly denied to reporters aboard Air Force One that he knew about the payment to Daniels. Asked why Cohen would therefore make the payment to the porn star, Trump said, Youll have to ask Michael Cohen.

Each of those statements has since been proved false.

Trumps story also kept changing. In a television interview in May, the presidents personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, said Trump had repaid Cohen for the money he gave to Daniels.

The next day, Sanders was pressed by reporters on why she had previously denied that Trump had any knowledge of the payment. She said she had given the best information I had at the time.
President Donald Trump s increasingly urgent push to construct a massive wall on the border with Mexico has created a nightmare scenario for congressional Republicans as they race to avert a partial shutdown of the federal government at the end of next week.

A day after Trump declared he would be proud to let funding lapse for dozens of government agencies if he does not get the money he wants for the wall, congressional Republicans signaled little appetite Wednesday to join his cause.

Some expressed befuddlement at Trumps strategy, while others sidestepped his comments, marking a new rift between the president and his party on Capitol Hill with just weeks left at the helm of both chambers of Congress.

I dont understand the strategy, but maybe hes figured it out and hell tell us in due course, said John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Senate Republican. But I dont understand it.

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The disconnect reflects the divergent priorities of Trump and Republicans in Congress during the twilight of their two-year grip on the federal government. While Trump made the wall a signature issue in his 2016 campaign, congressional GOP leaders have displayed less enthusiasm for it.

The divide comes weeks after a difficult midterm election for the GOP, in which Democrats won control of the House. The outcome presented Trump with even longer odds of securing wall funding in the new year.

Still, John Thune of South Dakota, the third-ranking GOP senator, said there was no scenario under which he would be proud to shut down the government.

It would not be good, Thune said.

Pressed on whether Trumps comments were helpful to the negotiations, Thune answered obliquely.

The president has his own style and way of negotiating, he said. The only thing I would say is, its just simple math - that youve to got to get 60 votes in the Senate, and thats going to require Democrats.

In the wake of Tuesdays contentious Oval Office meeting between Trump, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., Republicans found themselves no closer to bridging the gap between Trumps demand for $5 billion for his border wall for 2019 and the $1.3 billion Democrats are willing to spend on border fencing.

Instead, Republicans confronted a dilemma of Trumps own making after he flipped the script on them by telling Pelosi and Schumer hed be proud to shut down the government for border security.

The presidents off-the-cuff declaration in the televised Oval Office confab left talks at a virtual standstill and deprived Republicans of their ability to blame Democrats for a partial government shutdown that could come on Dec. 21 at midnight, just before Christmas.

Republican lawmakers and members of Trumps own administration have been talking for weeks about a Schumer Shutdown as they maneuvered to pin the blame on Democrats if a partial shutdown occurs. Democrats were delighted that Trump had taken ownership of a shutdown, and Republicans were forced to acknowledge that the presidents comments undermined their own efforts.

Im on the record saying numerous times, I think a shutdown is a fools errand. Every shutdown weve been in, nobody wins. So Im very discouraged by that, said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito , R-W.Va.

I think he wants to reach an agreement, and I think hell realize - as he thinks about it - that a shutdown is really not going to gain anything for his position and, in a lot of ways, is more damaging to the American people, Capito added.

Pelosi and Schumer urged the president in Tuesdays meeting not to pursue a shutdown and instead take a deal that would provide $1.3 billion for border fencing by extending current levels of funding. Trump long has promised that Mexico would pay for the wall, a claim he repeated privately to Pelosi on Tuesday, saying the money could come from the newly renegotiated North American trade agreement. Pelosi dismissed that idea.

In the aftermath of the Oval Office meeting, House Republicans were struggling with whether to hold a vote on a spending bill containing $5 billion for the wall. Its a priority for many conservatives in their final days in the majority, and it took on added urgency after Pelosi and Trump argued publicly Tuesday about whether it could pass the House, with Pelosi claiming it couldnt and Trump insisting it could.

House GOP leaders claimed Wednesday to have the votes, but some questioned the wisdom of holding a vote that would face certain rejection in the Senate. And the risky proposition would come in the waning days of a lame-duck session, when it could be difficult to corral scores of defeated and retiring House Republicans who have been showing up to vote only intermittently.

Do we have the votes for a measure that includes $5 billion for the wall? Yes, said Rep. Patrick McHenry , R-N.C., a member of the House GOP leadership. The question of whether to do it is a question of wisdom and strategy and tactics, and its highly debatable about whether thats the right move.

That view was disputed by some House conservatives who campaigned along with Trump on delivering the wall and feel they must do it now before they fade into the minority. A few hard-liners said they were willing to back Trump even if his demands push the government into a partial shutdown.

The presidents challenge is, and Im with him on this, is that he needs to have $5 billion locked in and assured before the gavel falls on the 115th Congress, said Rep. Steve King , R-Iowa.

He said he would be proud to own it; that might have been a little hyperbolic, King added. But this is a line hes drawn, and Im going to defend it.

The impact of any shutdown would be limited because about 75 percent of the federal governments discretionary budget has been funded through September. That includes major agencies like the Pentagon and the Health and Human Services Department.

And there would be no impact on the payment of Social Security, Medicaid or Medicare benefits because those programs fall under mandatory spending that is paid out without annual congressional approval. Mandatory spending comprises about 70 percent of federal spending.

In light of those facts, several Republicans downplayed the potential impact of a partial shutdown, suggesting that even if it did happen it wouldnt be such a big deal.

The fact is, the vast majority of the government is not going to be shut down under any scenario, said Sen. Patrick Toomey , R-Pa. So theres this little tiny sliver, and within that universe, anybody that is an essential employee still works. So I think this has all gotten a lot overblown.

Still, the agencies that remain to be funded could be hit hard.

The Interior, Agriculture, Justice, Commerce, Transportation and State departments and NASA could be forced to send thousands of workers home without pay until an agreement is reached. This could lead to major disruptions and delays in service, though the precise implications will not be clear until each agency determines how it will operate after funding lapses Dec. 21.

Within the Homeland Security Department, most employees are exempt from a shutdown and would report to their jobs regardless, including workers at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Border Patrol, Coast Guard, Transportation Security Administration, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. These workers could go unpaid if the shutdown dragged on, but they would eventually get back pay once it was over.

Were at an impasse at the moment, said Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala. Shelby said a shutdown is probably more than possible right now, probably getting toward probable - unless something happens.

Damian Paletta, Lisa Rein and Mike DeBonis contributed to this report
Congress on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a five-year farm bill after removing conservative priorities that had stalled negotiations, including stricter work requirements for people receiving food benefits and a provision allowing more tree-cutting in federal forests as President Trump proposed in the wake of Californias wildfires.

The sweeping $867-billion bill, a compromise between the House and Senate after a months-long impasse, addresses agriculture, nutrition, forest and conservation policy. The Senate passed it 87 to 13 Tuesday night. With House passage on Wednesday, 369 to 47, the measure goes to the president for his signature.

Though Trump had called the work requirements for food aid an imperative, he signaled this week he would sign the bill. He and lawmakers were anxious to reauthorize the twice-a-decade farm law, which had expired Sept. 30, before Congress adjourned at the end of the year.

The final bill does not include House Republicans controversial work requirements for able-bodied people receiving assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, or food stamps. Also dropped were eligibility changes that could have cut benefits to millions. Those were seen as a major barrier to the bills passage in the Senate.

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House Republicans lost their negotiating leverage by losing the partys majority in Novembers elections. They had to concede to help Senate Republicans get the support of the handful of Democrats needed to reach the Senates 60-vote threshold.

Senate Republicans said the compromise was the best they could do in a sweeping bill that has to balance the needs of agriculture and food aid across a diverse country.

This may not be the best possible bill. But it is the best bill possible under these circumstances. And, importantly, it provides our farmers, ranchers and other rural stakeholders much needed certainty and predictability, said the Republican chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas.

More than 42 million Americans received SNAP benefits last year, or about 12.9% of the U.S. population, according to the Agriculture Department. The nutrition section of the farm bill, which includes SNAP, accounts for about 80% of the bills cost.

An earlier House version of the bill had also allowed the government to skip some environmental reviews required by law to accelerate logging in certain areas. Trump and members of his administration latched onto the idea this fall after the Camp fire, which killed 86 people and burned 153,000 acres in Northern California, and the Woolsey fire, which killed three people and destroyed more than 97,000 acres in Southern California.

Some House Republicans said it is unfortunate the forest-thinning provision did not survive.

I wish we could have done more on forestry. The town of Paradise and the surrounding area has suffered so much and [it is] a prime example of why we need to have better forest management in that state and this whole country, Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) said Wednesday on the House floor.

In a nod to the need to thin forestland, the bill exempts specific thinning projects of between 3,000 and 4,500 acres of forest from public-comment periods.

The final bill also extends a forest management program, supported by conservationists and forestry experts, that has encouraged collaboration between federal and state officials regardless of which level of government is the designated manager of land in question. It also expands that program, known as Good Neighbor Authority, to include counties and tribal lands.

As we continue to recover from the worst wildfire season on record, the bill will allow the U.S. Forest Service to work with California to expedite the removal of dead trees from our forests and reduce the risk of deadly wildfire in our communities, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said in a statement.

The bill also creates a pilot program that encourages utility companies to clear trees and brush near power lines on federal land. California gas and electric power provider PG&E has been blamed by residents for starting the Camp fire and several other recent fires.

Other provisions would legalize industrial hemp farming, ban the slaughter and import of dogs and cats for human consumption, and extend national bans on dogfighting and cockfighting to include U.S. territories.

The latest from Washington 

More stories from Sarah D. Wire 

sarah.wire@latimes.com

Follow @sarahdwire on Twitter
Michael Cohen, who long swaggered as Donald Trumps bare-knuckled fixer only to see himself vilified by the president for cooperating with law enforcement, was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison after telling a federal judge that he had acted illegally out of blind loyalty to Trump.

Standing before a packed courtroom in lower Manhattan, the 52-year-old lawyer and businessman called his years as Trumps factotum a time of personal and mental incarceration, saying that time and time again I felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds.

In his tearful speech, Cohen asked forgiveness from his family and the country.

Most of all, I want to apologize to the people of the United States  you deserve to know the truth, he choked out.

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Among other crimes, Cohen has admitted to arranging hush money payments to two women who said theyd had affairs with Trump, concealing their stories from voters weeks before the 2016 election.

Prosecutors say Trump directed the illegal scheme, and they strengthened their case Wednesday when they disclosed that American Media Inc., a publishing company run by one of the presidents allies, was cooperating in the investigation.

In a deal that will spare American Media criminal charges, the company admitted to paying $150,000 to one of the women, former Playboy playmate Karen McDougal, to ensure she did not publicize damaging allegations ... and thereby influence that election.

The agreement further undercuts Trumps claims that the payments were a private matter that had nothing to do with his campaign.

The president has lashed out at his former lawyer as the investigation continued. Noting that Trump had recently insulted him as weak, Cohen responded in court on Wednesday by saying, my weakness can be characterized as a blind loyalty to Donald Trump.

But U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley III made clear he would not grant Cohens plea for leniency, pointing to his guilty pleas for bank fraud, tax evasion, campaign finance violations and lying to Congress.

There is an acute need for the the sentence here to reflect the seriousness of the offenses, Pauley said. Cohens crimes, he added, were apparently motivated by personal gain and ambition.

When Pauley read the sentence, Cohen shook his head; his wife, Laura, clutched their son Jake; and their adult daughter, Samantha, trembled with violent sobs. Other family members openly wept.

Cohen is scheduled to report to Ottisville Correctional Institute, a federal prison in upstate New York, on March 6. He was also ordered to pay $500,000 in forfeiture, $1.39 million in back taxes and $100,000 in fines.

As Trumps lawyer, Cohen was tasked with squelching unflattering stories about the real estate mogul. He now is helping prosecutors investigate deeply damaging narratives involving the presidents alleged extramarital affairs and his pursuit of business opportunities in Russia during the 2016 campaign.

Most notably, Cohen says the president directed him to pay $280,000 in hush money to two women shortly before the election to keep them quiet about alleged affairs with Trump years ago.

The U.S. attorneys office in Manhattan, which is handling the investigation, says it can prove that Trump directed the illegal scheme to boost his chances in the campaign. Although Justice Department rules say a president cannot be indicted in office, legal experts say Trump could face charges after his White House term ends.

While McDougal was paid $150,000 by American Media, porn star Stormy Daniels was paid $130,000 by Cohen himself.

Harry Sandick, a former federal prosecutor in Manhattan, said the deal with the publishing house means there is potentially more to come in the case.

There could be other executives, other campaign officials, who could be in the scope of the governments investigation, he said.

Follow the latest news of the Trump administration on Essential Washington 

Cohen also could pose a threat to Trump as part of the Russia investigation led by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.

Last month Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to two congressional committees about secretly trying to arrange a Moscow hotel and condominium deal for Trump during the 2016 presidential race.

Prosecutors said Cohen sought and probably needed Russian government approvals for a project potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the Trump family, which was regularly briefed on Cohens progress.

The push for a Trump Tower Moscow project coincided with Russias covert efforts to meddle in the U.S. presidential campaign by hacking Democratic Party emails and spreading misinformation on social media, prosecutors said.

In a sentencing memo last week, the special counsels office said Cohen had provided useful information concerning certain discrete Russia-related matters core to [the special counsel] investigation.

Jeannie Rhee, a member of Muellers team, told Pauley on Wednesday that Cohen sought to tell us the truth, and that is of the utmost value to us.

Pauley sentenced Cohen to two months in prison for lying to Congress, but said it would run concurrently with his three-year sentence.

Cohens sentence is significantly harsher than prison terms so far for others convicted in the Russia investigation, but he admitted to a wide array of crimes.

George Papadopoulos, a former low-level foreign policy advisor to the Trump campaign, was sentenced to 14 days behind bars for lying to investigators about his overseas contacts. Another defendant, a London-based Dutch lawyer, served 30 days in prison for lying to the FBI.

Prosecutors have urged leniency for Michael Flynn, Trumps former national security advisor, who is due to be sentenced on Dec. 18. Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to investigators about his conversations with the Russian ambassador during the presidential transition. He later provided extensive cooperation to Muellers team.

Paul Manafort, Trumps former campaign chairman, could face a lengthy prison term when hes sentenced in coming months in Virginia and Washington, D.C.

He was convicted on eight counts of tax evasion and bank fraud related to his previous work as a political consultant in Ukraine. A plea deal with Muellers office collapsed when prosecutors accused him of continuing to lie to them.

Cohen was once among Trumps closest aides, working directly for him and serving as an executive vice president of the Trump Organization, the familys private holding company for business ventures around the globe.

He initially cashed in on the unexpected election of his longtime client. In the months after Trumps victory in the 2016 election, Cohen earned millions of dollars by pitching himself as an advisor to blue-chip companies looking for connections to the new president.

But Cohens high-flying life unraveled after FBI agents in April searched his home, office, hotel room and safe deposit box, seizing computers, records and other evidence.

He pleaded guilty in August to eight charges brought by the U.S. attorneys office in Manhattan. The charges included tax evasion and bank fraud involving his New York taxi business and real estate deals, as well as two campaign finance violations tied to the payments to Trumps alleged mistresses.

Cohen returned to federal court in November to plead guilty to lying to Congress about pursuing the Trump Tower Moscow deal.

Although Cohen is heading to prison, hes expected to continue speaking out about his time working for Trump.

Lanny Davis, a lawyer and spokesperson for Cohen, said Cohen will state publicly all he knows about Mr. Trump because the presidents repeated lies cannot contradict stubborn facts.

Davis also said Cohen would be willing to meet with congressional committees. Democrats will take control of the House in January thanks to a strong showing in the midterm election, and they are expected to launch multiple investigations into Trump.

In an interview with Reuters on Tuesday, the president said Cohen was responsible for his legal woes. Michael Cohen is a lawyer. I assume he would know what hes doing, he said.

Trump also argued that the hush money payments, which he once denied knowing about, were not a crime.

Number one, it wasnt a campaign contribution, Trump said. If it were, its only civil, and even if its only civil, there was no violation based on what we did, OK?

Times staff writer Megerian reported from Washington. Sharp, a special correspondent, reported from New York.

chris.megerian@latimes.com

Twitter: @chrismegerian
Democrat Gavin Newsom has yet to become California governor, but a candidate for state Republican Party chairman already is promoting a recall effort.

In Michigan and Wisconsin, GOP lawmakers have rushed through legislation to thwart their incoming Democratic governors and hamper others in the opposing party from doing the jobs voters elected them to do.

In Congress, GOP leaders have echoed President Trump and sought to undermine the legitimacy of Democrats strong midterm performance, raising unsubstantiated allegations of fraud and political malfeasance.

It used to be that once a campaign was over and the outcome known, the losing side would accept the results, with varying degrees of grudgingness and grace, and move on.

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No more.

In a continued breakdown of political norms, the win-at-all-costs mentality that pervades campaigns now persists in their aftermath, extending the scorched-earth tactics past election day with the intent, in extreme cases, of nullifying or even reversing the results.

The consequence, some fear, is not just a few days worth of headlines about partisan skirmishing or the usual jostling between competing interests, but something far more serious and corrosive.

This is about as fundamental as it gets, said Howard Schweber, a professor of political science and legal studies at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. The way people lose faith in political institutions is when it seems theyre no longer governed by constitutional principles but government by capture  to the victor go the spoils.

Traditional politics has been replaced by holy war. Dan Schnur, a former GOP strategist who teaches at USC and UC Berkeley

The prospect of recalling Californias governor-elect, promoted by Huntington Beach Assemblyman Travis Allen, seems more a ploy to draw attention to his bid for state GOP chairman than the slightest threat to Newsom, who won in a Nov. 6 landslide. (Newsom, a former San Francisco mayor, destroyed the city, Allen asserted in a Twitter call to arms that links to an online petition. Dont let Gavin do the same to California.)

Questions by Trump and others about the vote-counting in Arizona, where Republicans lost a Senate seat, and California  where the GOP surrendered seven House seats after a prolonged tally  seem intended to deflect blame for the setbacks and may reflect genuine puzzlement about why the count took the better part of a month.

The move to neuter Democrats in Michigan and Wisconsin is more substantive and potentially far-reaching.

It is not unusual for a party losing power to, say, ram through last-minute appointments or enact policy priorities while they still have the votes. What is different this time are efforts to change the law to purposely cripple the opposition.

In Michigan, Republicans who control the Legislature have voted to strip campaign-finance oversight from the incoming secretary of state, to meddle with a voter-approved redistricting commission and to cement in place conservative policies by restricting the new governor and attorney general. All three are Democrats.

Outgoing GOP Gov. Rick Snyder promised an objective review before deciding whether to sign the bills into law.

In Wisconsin, the Republican-run legislature hastily passed legislation to limit early voting  which was seen as helping Democrat Tony Evers narrowly defeat incumbent GOP Gov. Scott Walker  and to shift power away from the governors office to GOP lawmakers.

They also sought to make it more difficult for the incoming Democratic attorney general to pull the state from a lawsuit opposing the Affordable Care Act.

This is a heck of a way to run a railroad, Jennifer Shilling, a Democrat who is the state Senate Minority Leader, said of the late-night session when the measures were enacted amid chanting protesters. This is embarrassing were even here.

The Republican speaker of the Assembly and a prime mover behind the legislation, Robin Vos, said the changes were a long overdue recalibration of power between the legislative and executive branches and an effort to ensure the dramatic policy changes enacted under Walker  on labor, welfare and voting requirements  were not reversed.

Were going to stand like bedrock to guarantee that Wisconsin does not go back, Vos told reporters.

On Friday, Walker signed the measures into law, brushing aside a lot of hype and hysteria, particularly in the national media, implying this is a power shift. Its not.

A proposal to recall Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom seems like a ploy to boost a bid by Assemblyman Travis Allen, shown, for California GOP chairman. (Aric Crabb)

In every instance, the animating impulse appears the same: the increasing gulf between the two major parties and the personal contempt, if not sheer hatred, many feel these days toward those who dont share their personal views or political outlook.

Traditional politics has been replaced by holy war, said Dan Schnur, a former strategist for Republicans Pete Wilson and John McCain.

Whether its Republicans in December 2018 or Democrats in December 2016  once you decide the person on the other side isnt your opponent but your enemy  once you decide that person must be evil or stupid, it raises the stakes, said Schnur, who teaches political science at UC Berkeley and USC. You compromise with your opponent. You dont compromise with the devil.

The fundamental policy differences between the two parties also elevate the stakes when power trades hands, making the changeover more than a matter of shifting emphasis or tinkering on the legislative margins.

In Wisconsin, for instance, Walker and fellow GOP lawmakers refused more than $1 billion in federal funding to expand the availability of healthcare under the Affordable Care Act. Evers, by contrast, has vowed to make expansion of the program one of his top priorities.

To the extent lawmakers arent talking compromise anymore, the change of party means a very striking change in outlook, said William Galston, a senior fellow in governance at the Brookings Institution in Washington and former domestic affairs advisor to President Clinton.

Given the difference, he added, political sabotage makes a kind of horrible sense.

Years of legal battling seems certain to follow. Democrats and liberal advocacy groups in Wisconsin are expected to sue to try to block the GOP-passed legislation.

Two years ago, North Carolina Republicans enacted sweeping measures designed to stymie the states incoming Democratic governor. Many of the bills were struck down in court, only to be passed again with some modification, prompting renewed lawsuits.

The solution, Galston suggested, is not litigation but lawmakers standing back from what he called a dangerous and growing threat to a bedrock of our democracy, the peaceful and orderly rotation of power in response to competition.

Parties on both sides of the aisle should do their best, while fighting fiercely over issues, to back the legitimacy of that competition, Galston said. If they dont, who will?

mark.barabak@latimes.com

Twitter: @markzbarabak
William Newsom, a retired state appellate court justice and father of Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, died Wednesday morning at his home in San Francisco. He was 84.

Gov. Jerry Brown appointed the elder Newsom to the Superior Court bench in Placer County in 1975 and he was later appointed to Californias Court of Appeal, where he served until retiring in 1995. He was a lifelong resident of San Francisco and well connected in San Franciscos political and social circles.

Newsom had grown increasingly ill in recent months, although the nature of his illness was not released by his family. This week the governor-elect canceled events to spend time with his father.

The Newsom family is deeply saddened to announce that the governor-elects father  avid environmentalist and retired Justice William Alfred Newsom III  passed away peacefully this morning at 9:59 a.m. at his home in San Francisco, said the incoming governors spokesman, Nathan Click, in a statement released Wednesday afternoon. Justice Newsom was a proud, lifelong Californian, a public servant of profound accomplishment and a powerful voice for individual rights and environmental protection.

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Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday released a statement offering condolences.

Bill was a longtime friend, a champion of the environment and someone whom I was proud to appoint to the Superior Court and Court of Appeal, Brown said.

William Newsom, known as Bill among friends and family, was born in San Francisco in 1934. His father was in the construction industry and his mother sold stock for PG&E. Newsom married his wife, Tessa, in 1966 and the couple had their son Gavin a year later and a daughter, Hilary  now Hilary Newsom Callan  in 1968. The couple divorced when Gavin was still a boy. Tessa Newsom died at 55 in 2002 after a long fight with breast cancer.

Retired California jurist William Newsom, seen at a news conference in San Francisco in 2011, was an avid environmentalist. (Jeff Chiu / Associated Press)

Newsom was a longtime friend and former high school classmate of Gordon Getty, son of oil magnate J. Paul Getty, and managed the Getty family trust. He was such a close confidant to the Gettys that he helped deliver nearly $3 million in ransom after the 1973 kidnapping of J. Paul Gettys grandson, John Paul Getty III.

I do see the family as almost an extension of my own, Newsom said of the Gettys in an interview a decade ago for a UC Berkeley oral history project on his life. Its difficult to talk on the subject without dipping into the realm of cliche. Its true that great wealth, by itself, never made anybody happy. The only people Ive ever seen who are satisfied with life are people who achieve something beyond mere wealth.

As a judge, Newsom was a steadfast believer in rehabilitation for felons in the criminal justice system. In 1980, he sat on a panel of judges that overturned sentences of life without the possibility of parole for defendants in the Chowchilla bus kidnapping case, paving the way for the eventual release of two of them.

The 1976 crime involved three men from wealthy families who kidnapped more than two dozen schoolchildren and their bus driver, burying them alive in a Livermore, Calif., quarry and demanding a $5-million ransom from the state. All 27 victims escaped by digging their way out of the buried moving van.

Newsom supported parole for the kidnappers, saying it was a mad-hatter stunt with no vicious aspect to it.

After two decades on the bench, William Newsom retired in 1995.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco praised Newsom for his generosity and years of public service, calling his death a major loss to the city and state he loved.

Bill was a proud third-generation San Franciscan, who devoted his full public and private life to our city, Pelosi said in statement.  As a state court judge and then an appellate judge, Bill worked relentlessly to uphold liberty and justice for all Californians. He took great pride in being raised Irish American, Catholic and Democratic, and commitment to public service ran through his entire life.

In an interview last year, Gavin Newsom fondly recalled spending summers as a boy with his father in the mountainous town of Dutch Flat in Placer County, where his father also had a home. Newsom said he father was more comfortable in the rugged former mining town than in the big city of San Francisco. His rustic home had an impressive collection of books, which the elder Newsom enjoyed reading in the bathtub, his son said.

The thing I value most of my father is he is the exact same person to the stranger at the bar playing Liars Dice as he is to King Juan Carlos in Spain, Newsom said in the interview last year. Its really an extraordinary life that hes lived, amazing adventures and relationships, and he was one of the great old Irish storytellers. You could spend 10 hours listening to him. But theres an empathy and a connection thats universal to everybody, and a sense of service.

It was in Dutch Flat that his father impressed upon his son a reverence for the environment and the rural expanses of California.

Theres this sort of duality Ive always had, these two mind-sets, Gavin Newsom said of what he gained spending time with his father. This deep urban mind-set, but also a real respect and admiration for the rural parts of the state.

William Newsom helped found the Mountain Lion Preservation Foundation and fought for a ballot measure that protected the animal. In retirement, he became more active in environmental causes, giving his time to organizations including the Sierra Foundation, Earth Justice and the Environmental Defense Fund.

Its freed me up to speak out more vocally and loudly on the subject and I have no restraints any longer, and if anything, in the intervening 15 years Ive grown to appreciate more than ever the importance of the environment and the importance to my children, to my childrens children to experience the beauty of creation, Newsom said of retirement in the UC Berkeley interview.

Longtime San Francisco political veteran John Burton, former chair of the state Democratic Party and a close friend of the Newsoms, described the retired judge as highly committed environmentalist. Burton recalled meeting Newsom when they were both teenagers along the Russian River, a popular summer hangout for Bay Area locals.

He was a special guy. He had a sense of humor, he had a warmth. We used to do our share of drinking when we were 18 or 19, Burton said. Ill miss him so much that I cant really describe it.

Newsom is survived by his son Gavin Newsom, daughter Hilary Newsom Callan and six grandchildren.

Times staff writers Melanie Mason and Seema Mehta contributed to this report.

Coverage of California politics 

phil.willon@latimes.com

Twitter: @philwillon
Lawmakers have a full plate as we enter the 2019-20 legislative session, with a number of important issues facing our state. But these issues arent new  theyve been discussed in the Capitol for years, mostly with limited success.

Health-care access, cost of living, housing availability, threats to public safety, and wildfire prevention and recovery have been hot topics, and I hope that this is the year we make meaningful progress towards tackling those issues.

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These major issues deserve bipartisan solutions. Affordable, accessible health care and achieving universal coverage will be a prominent debate. Any reform plan should bring together stakeholders including patient advocates, health plans, providers, pharmaceutical companies and hospitals to balance the needs of patients and the costs of care.

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The skyrocketing cost of housing has reached crisis levels, with available housing stock falling far below need. Seniors are forced to choose between medical care and food or keeping a roof over their head. Weve made minor improvements recently, but we must do more. Im hoping we can reform Californias building regulations to better balance environmental protection with the need for new housing, transportation and water infrastructure.

We also need to bring balance to our states public safety laws. Well-intentioned but misleading ballot measures have led to an uptick in crime.

While its a worthy goal to rehabilitate offenders, we need to be realistic about who can leave prison early, and the impact that has on victims. Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a number of common-sense attempts to fix loopholes in Proposition 47 and Proposition 57 that let dangerous criminals go free. With Gavin Newsom set to replace Brown, hopefully the results will be different.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we must improve how we respond to wildfires. We took a major step towards preventing fires last year when we secured $1 billion to invest in forest management, but it will be years before we realize those benefits.

Now we need to address the issue of federal lands in the wildland/urban interface, upgrade our 911 system and increase vegetation management. Its vital that we support victims as they get back on their feet and give firefighters the tools to respond to these disasters.

While these are daunting issues, we can work together on bipartisan answers. With a new governor for the first time in nearly a decade, I am hopeful we can work together to find solutions that improve life for ordinary Californians.

Waldron, R-Escondido, was elected last month as the Assembly GOP leader.
Celebrating the End of Life Option Act? Can I clap with only one hand?

Last month, a three-judge panel of the 4th District California Court of Appeals rejected a challenge to the states End of Life Option Act (EOLOA) by five independent physicians and the Christian Medical & Dental Associations. Ruling that these parties did not have legal standing to challenge the law, the court avoided ruling on the broader issue of whether the law itself was constitutional. In spite of their disappointment in the courts failure to directly uphold the broader issue of the laws constitutionality, supporters of Californias EOLOA were celebrating the courts decision.

Related: Why help is needed when facing death

They are right to celebrate this decision because it will allow those Californians facing terminal illnesses that rob them of basic human dignity and impose crushing financial and emotional costs on their loved ones to end their lives peacefully with the aid of a doctor prescribed medication if they so choose. Public opinion surveys on this question show overwhelming majorities of Californians are in favor of this End of Life Option.

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While supporters of the EOLOA are right to celebrate the recent court decision protecting this act, they should not lose sight of the fact that this act covers only a very small part of all those Californians facing illnesses from which there is no possible recovery, and which in their later stages wipe away any sense of personal dignity and impose crushing emotional and financial costs on loved ones.

In 2017, less than 3,000 terminally ill Californians obtained life-ending medications from their doctors under the EOLOA. In that same year over 600,000 Californians were living with Alzheimers disease. Yet neither the EOLOA nor any other law permits Alzheimers patients to request medical aid in dying when they reach that stage in disease where they dont recognize their own children, can no longer feed or bath themselves, or avoid the indignity of soiling themselves. This is true even if the Alzheimers patient specifies in their advance directive, written while still competent, that when they reach a particular stage of this dreaded disease they choose to end their own life.

Alzheimers patients are only one group of Californians not protected by the EOLOA. The act also fails to provide any relief to the millions of Californians who suffer the ravages of late stage Parkinson disease, congestive heart failure, Huntingtons disease or many other lesser known but equally terrifying illnesses.

So while we should rightfully celebrate the recent court decision protecting Californias EOLOA, we should also remember that Californians are still a long way from achieving the right to die with dignity now solidly embraced in countries like Switzerland, Denmark and our neighbor to the north, Canada.

The easiest way to see the gap between these countries and California with regard to End of Life options is to think of a patient with advanced stage Huntingtons disease.

Huntingtons is a progressive neurodegenerative disease. In its advanced stage patients, suffer bodily stiffness, teeth grinding and abnormal limb postures. They fall frequently. Their speech can become difficult, and they may go through periods of confusion and screaming. They often find it difficult to swallow. They require expensive professional nursing care until they die. There is currently no cure for Huntingtons disease.

In Canada, this patient has the option of making a request to their physician for medical aid in dying. Once the doctor determines the patient in fact has a grievous and irremediable medical condition, has made a voluntary request, has been given informed consent and has waited a minimum of 10 days to assure the patient has not had a change of heart, a doctor or nurse practitioner will administer a life-ending injection that assures the same kind of peaceful death that many of us witness when we accompany a much loved family pet to the vets office.

In California, this same advanced stage Huntingtons patient almost certainly would not qualify for medical aid in dying provided for in the states EOLOA. Why? Because as currently written the act limits medical aid in dying to patients that are determined to be within six months of dying. And, as is the case in many neurodegenerative diseases, a patient with advanced stage Huntingtons typically suffers many years before dying. This means that even in so-called progressive states like California a patient suffering from advanced stage Huntingtons will be required to suffer the terrible ravages of this disease, often as long as a decade or more, before dying.

Now you can see why Im clapping with only one hand for last months appellate court decision.

Price is president-elect of the Hemlock Society of San Diego.
In my nearly 30 years as a priest, I have had the privilege of visiting the homebound, and those in convalescent homes, hospice and/or in palliative care. I have witnessed many families gathered together, accompanying their parents or grandparents as they died peacefully.

I have also encountered many elderly who had been shuffled off to facilities, where they were lucky to receive a weekly phone call or an occasional visit from their children. In most of these cases, these beautiful people suffered the most, not from their ailments, but from a lack of familial love. They often told me, I just want to die.

Related: Why California must still fight for death with dignity

The latter group came to mind when I read how the states physician-assisted suicide law, the End of Life Option Act, is playing out since taking effect in June 2016.

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Some 577 individuals received aid-in-dying prescriptions in 2017, and 374 died from taking the drugs, according to the California Department of Public Health.

In my view, individuals choosing to end their life this way are a symptom of a prevailing culture that does not know what to do if someone is sick and dying, other than put them aside.

The Catholic bishops in California opposed the law allowing physician-assisted suicide because they believe the taking of any life is wrong. Their organization did more than argue against it, however.

Working in conjunction with Catholic health care, the bishops developed an approach to help individuals facing the end of their life, called the Whole Person Initiative, the first of its kind in the nation.

Many believe that the push for doctor-assisted suicide is driven by people afraid of unbearable pain, but in reality data from jurisdictions such as Oregon shows that people are more concerned about being a burden to their loved ones and losing control.

If we learn to accompany these individuals facing the end of their life, there will be no need for doctors to help them to commit suicide.

The Whole Person Initiative aims to raise awareness among the states 11 million Catholics of the need to do just that, and provides training and resources to do that.

What do you say to a dying person? How do you relate to them? Where do people go for support when they or their loved on is sick and dying?

Those are the types of questions the initiative aims to answer. The California Catholic Conference is fine-tuning this curriculum, which it plans to roll out to pilot dioceses across the state next year.

The initiative assumes that, while friends, families, health-care professionals, social services, congregations and communities each attend to peoples basic health needs, we tend to do so in silos rather than working collaboratively.

The initiative, by contrast, will educate and mobilize our parishes and health-care institutions to ensure that people feel loved, cared for and wanted throughout their illness. What better way to accompany people in their most trying time than to address their emotional needs through support of their family and friends; accompany them spiritually as they grapple with existential questions; and provide them with outstanding palliative and other medical care?

At the San Diego Diocese, we have parish ministries that reach out to the homebound and to those who are in hospitals and convalescent care facilities. We have priests who offer the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. We have Scripps Mercy Hospital, Nazareth House, Father Joes Villages and the School of Nursing at the University of San Diego. The initiative calls for these efforts to come together to help the needs of whole person.

Certainly, it takes a village to succeed, as the saying goes. But it also takes family members accompanying each other in sickness and in health. A cohesive village begins with strong family ties based on sincere love, not just in moments of dying and death, but throughout our days on earth.

Death is inevitable, but this passage does not have to be one of lonely despair. Doctors, nurses, even chaplains cant ever replace the love of family. Perhaps as we approach this New Year, we can all make a resolution to make family our priority. Whole Person Care begins at home.

Dolan, auxiliary bishop in the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego, is a native of San Diego. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1989 and consecrated as bishop in June 2017.
New City Council President Georgette Gomez has a chance early on to empower San Diego minorities  by appointing new council member and fellow Democrat Monica Montgomery to the Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee.

Montgomery sent two-term sitting council President Myrtle Cole packing by a wide margin to represent the heavily African-American City Council District 4 in November. While getting sworn in Monday, Montgomery showed again how her approach differs from that of Cole, a former police officer.

I will advocate for District 4 representation on the Community Review Board on Police Practices, and I will advocate for a revised Community Review Board on Police Practices with subpoena power to independently investigate police misconduct, Montgomery vowed. Those are big, needed changes.

Montgomery is the first council member to tally 10,000 or more votes in a District 4 election since Tony Young in 2006, and her vote total was more than anyone in the district has amassed since 2002. That the newcomer did this against an incumbent who had been elected twice by her constituents and appointed council president twice by her peers is no small feat. Montgomery has a mandate. Her community demanded change. Heres hoping Gomez fosters an important conversation by installing her on this committee, maybe even making her chair.

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Photo taken on Dec. 13, 2018 shows the scene of the state memorial ceremony for China's National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims at the memorial hall for the massacre victims in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua/Ji Chunpeng) By Wang Kejia

TOKYO, Dec. 13 (ChinaMil) -- Thursday marks the 81st anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre and the fifth National Memorial Day for the victims. A series of commemorative activities have been held by Japanese civil groups recently in various cities including Hiroshima, Osaka and Nagoya to mourn the victims of the massacre and expose the cruel crimes of the Japanese invaders. They have also called on people to remember history and create a peaceful and friendly future for both countries.

Chang Xiaomei, daughter of a Nanjing Massacre survivor, was invited to Japan to share her fathers story and exposed the flagrant crimes of the Japanese invaders. At the age of nine, Changs father Chang Zhiqiang saw with his own eyes how his parents and his four little brothers were brutally killed by the invading Japanese soldiers during the 1937 massacre.

At the time, the entire city of Nanjing was devastated by the Japanese army. Many innocent people were slaughtered, and many families shed tears for their deceased relatives, said Chang.

Zhang Lianhong, a professor at the Nanjing Normal University, presented to attendants of the testimony meeting reports, films and historical datarecorded by witnesses of the massacre, including journalists, missionaries and diplomats from Western countries. Through the perspective of the international community, Zhang exposed the brutal acts including killing unarmed people, raping women and looting property.

Many people who came to the event said that the bloody personal experience of the Nanjing Massacre survivors and the brutal truths revealed by the films and reports at that time were very shocking.

Youji Tanaka, a local resident at the testimony meeting in Osaka, said that his undergraduate major and work are related to China. He gradually learned some historical truths during his contacts and exchanges with the Chinese people. He is eager to learn more about this history.

The survivors experiences were very shocking, said Youji Tanaka. He added that it is important that such historical truth be passed on to the future generations.

As the number of people who have experienced wars is decreasing, the war has been gradually forgotten by the Japanese. The description of the war in Japanese textbooks is based on the damages in Japan. However, the content of crimes committed by Japan is constantly being deleted. Exhibits related to the history of the Japanese invasion were even removed in memorial halls such as the Osaka International Peace Center. At the same time, the denial of the history of the Nanjing Massacre by right-wing forces and other groups, and the distorted opinions by some scholars and politicians occur in Japan from time to time.

There are still people in Japan who try to deny that Nanjing Massacre ever happened. The testimony of the Nanjing Massacre victims is the most intuitive form for Japanese public to learn the truth, said Sachiko Momiyama, member of the civil group Nanjing Massacre 60 Years Osaka which is one of the organizers of the series of commemorative events. Since the 1990s, relevant groups have invited Nanjing Massacre survivors to speak in Japan every year.

Young people in Japan cannot learn the truth of the Nanjing Massacre in school. By inviting victims of Nanjing Massacre to come and share their experiences in Japan, we hope to provide a chance for the Japanese people, especially the younger generation, to learn about the historical truth, said Momiyama. She added that both Japanese and Chinese should remember this history.

Ryohei Hirayama, member of another civil group No More Nanjing Nagoya Association, one of the organizers, said that there is tons of evidence of the Nanjing Massacre crimes committed by the Japanese army, but it is outrageous that some people such as Takashi Kawamura, mayor of Nagoya, still openly distorted and denied the Nanjing Massacre. Japan should learn from Germany and admit the historical truth, and that only by doing so could Japan learn from the history and face toward the future, said Hirayama.

Noboru Takemoto, member of the Liaison Group to Think about Peace Osakas Crisis, said that although Japans younger generations were not directly involved in the atrocities, they are still obligated to remember history. The group opposes the removal of exhibits of the War of Aggression against China from all Japanese museums.

If the Japanese people couldnt know or remember the historical truth, the war tragedies could happen again. Thats why we call upon people to learn more about history, said Takemoto. We have the obligation to build a new friendly relationship with the Chinese people on the basis of fully recognizing the history, he added.

Chang said that to remember history is not aimed to remember the hatred but to create a future of peace and friendship between the two countries.We have to learn from history, cherish peace and stay away from the war. Its hoped that the friendship between our two countries could be passed on to future generations, she said.
Fouling our water wont make nation great

Re Trump administration proposes major rollback of water rules (Dec. 11): The Environmental Protection Agency and this presidential administration have created new rules for the handling of water (our most precious resource) and it plays out to be nothing but a disaster.

There should be only one rule, we should all do everything in our power to keep water clean and drinkable, and that is the bottom line.

Rod Miller

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San Marcos

Tuesdays news: 1. The Environmental Protection Agency reversed itself and wants to allow polluters to foul ditches and seasonal streams again. 2. The rain washed sewage out of ditches, into the Tijuana River and then to the Pacific, polluting miles of wetlands and shoreline. This is how pollution gets from farms and feedlots in California and Arkansas, or factories in Virginia or Minnesota, or suburbs in Illinois or Texas.

Four years ago the EPA added rules to the Clean Water Act to prevent pollution at the source, so navigable waters could finally be cleaned up. These rules cost us all to get clean water, but reduce the costs caused by harm due to polluted water. This administrations EPA says it costs too much to clean our water, but its proposed rule change cant prove this.

Send your comments to our economics-and-science-challenged EPA during the 60-day period that began Dec. 12.

Kay Stewart

San Diego

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To increase awareness of the visual arts community at Del Norte High School, five campus organizations have combined forces to publish a monthly art-oriented publication.

Untitled debuted this fall and is scheduled to come out on the last Wednesday of each month during the school year (except December). It can be found for free throughout the 4S Ranch community, including at local businesses and the library, in addition to the Del Norte High campus.

It focuses on contributions from members of five art clubs  Del Norte Graphic Design, Del Norte Paintbox, DN Photo Club, The Art of Letterforms and Jewelry-Making Club. The stated goal: By featuring artists with varying styles from differing modes, we hope that you will gain a unique perspective into the diverse culture of the artists here at Del Norte, the creators wrote on their website, delnorteuntitled.wixsite.com/untitled01.

Were hoping to spread the arts in our (community), said Nerissa Yiu, Untitleds director. Del Norte is very science and math based, so we decided to create a publication to let students know about art education. ... (We want) the arts community brought to light in 4S Ranch.

While the education emphasis is often on STEM  science, technology, engineering and math  Yiu said they want to encourage STEAM  science, technology, engineering, arts and math.

Yiu said Del Norte has several other student-run publications, including a science magazine, humanities magazine and school newspaper, but was lacking any representation of the visual arts.

The publications founders are the presidents of the five organizations  Yiu, a senior with Del Norte Graphic Design; Peggy Shen, a junior with Del Norte Paintbox; Imran Tallman, a senior with DN Photography Club; Daniel Bae, a senior with The Art of Letterforms; and Sydney Hsieh, a junior with the Jewelry-Making Club.

Per Untitleds website, The Del Norte Graphic Design Club helps those with all skills levels who want to work with Adobe applications, such as Photoshop and Illustrator, while Del Norte Paintboxs members are passionate about art. Their projects have included painting murals on walls and electrical boxes throughout San Diego.

DN Photo Club encourages photography education and pursuit in the community. The Art of Letterforms teaches and promotes various forms of lettering, ranging from Gothic calligraphy to modern brush lettering. As for the Jewelry-Making Club, its members use their projects to raise money for various causes, including helping victims of California fires.

As for those creating Untitled, in addition to Yiu as director, Hsieh as assistant director and Tallman as secretary, junior Hazelle Gunawan is the treasurer and sophomores Sophie Lee and Elizabeth Shank are its designers. Del Norte 3-D animation teacher Jason Askegreen serves as adviser.

Untitled is a nonprofit club dependent upon donors and sponsors, according to Yiu. It has held a couple fundraisers in the community to cover the publications annual operating costs of around $2,000. It also plans to sell artwork during Del Nortes Night at the Museum event held at the end of every trimester. For information on how to become a sponsor, email delnorteuntitled@gmail.com with donation inquiries in the subject line.

Email: rbnews@pomeradonews.com


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India plans to further expand the size of its navy equipment in the next decade and to build 56 warships and 6 submarines, Admiral Sunil Lanba, the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) of the Indian Navy, announced at the annual press conference in New Delhi on the eve of the Indian Navy Day, December 3. In fact, this is not the first time that the Indian Navy has announced its large-scale arms expansion.

According to Admiral Sunil Lanba, 23 out of the approved 56 new warships are presently under construction, and the construction of the second indigenous aircraft carrier will start within the next three years and is scheduled to be completed by 2028. Upon the completion of the new carrier, the Indian Navy will have three carriers to ensure two aircraft carrier battle groups (CVBG) available at all times in the Indian Ocean to achieve its "100%" control of the Indian Ocean.

The size of the Indian Navy is large enough. According to the report by India Times on December 4, the Indian Navy currently has 140 warships and 220 fighters. Among them, the main warships include: 1 INS Vikrant aircraft carrier with the capacity to carry 36 fighter planes, 11 Delhi-class and Kolkata-class destroyers, 14 Krivak-class and Godavari-class guided-missile frigates, 1 INS Arihant nuclear submarine, as well as 14 Russian Kilo-class and German Type 209 submarines. The main battle aircraft include: 9 Ka-31Helix airborne long-range early warning helicopters, 6 Ka-28 anti-submarine helicopters, 8 P-8A Poseidon anti-submarine surveillance aircraft, 45 Mikoyan MiG-29K carrier-based fighters and 30 Sea Harrier carrier-based fighters.

Nevertheless, the strength is still "seriously inadequate" for the Indian Navy. According to a statement published by the US Foreign Policy website, India is preparing to play a more active role as a "maritime security provider" in the eastern Indian Ocean. If India wants to become a regional naval power, it will need to continue to invest in the technology, manpower and force-readiness capabilities. The Indian Navy has always had the ambition of governing two oceans - "guarding the Indian Ocean and heading for the Pacific Ocean." India has long dominated the South Asia, and Indias maritime security strategy clearly regards the Indian Ocean region as Indias core interest.

In order to support the US Indo-Pacific Strategy, India has accelerated the implementation of the "Eastward Advancement" strategy in recent years. Since the beginning of this year, the Indian Navy has held joint exercises with the Vietnamese Navy and the Indonesian Navy one after another. The Indian Navys frequent interaction with the navies of Southeast Asian nations reflects its strategic intention to exert an effective influence on the Pacific region.

In order to support the "Eastward Advancement" strategy, India is in full preparation of strengthening the construction of naval infrastructure. India's newest large naval base was officially put into use in November 2017. Located in the middle of the east coast of India, the base is directly oriented to Southeast Asia and has become an important outpost for India's "Eastward Advancement" strategy.

Meanwhile, the Indian Navy has continued to strengthen the upgrade and expansion of Port Blair on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the station of the Far East Command. Some western experts predicted that the islands may become a strategic naval base capable of anchoring the main naval warships such as Indian naval aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines, so as to greatly improve the Indian navy's ability to conduct combat missions in this area.

The Indian Navy has made great progress in the construction of weapons and equipment and the formation of combat capabilities in recent years. On August 19, India's indigenous K-15 Sagarika submarine-launched ballistic missiles successfully carried out three test launches on the nuclear submarine INS Arihant. On November 5, the nuclear submarine INS Arihant made the first deterrence patrol. This means that India has officially become the third country with the "trinity" nuclear deterrent force after the United States and Russia. On the other hand, the Indian Navy spent huge sums of money to purchase advanced equipment for the upgrade and replacement. On August 25, the Indian Defense Acquisition Commission approved the purchase of 24 US MH-60R (Romeo) anti-submarine helicopters with US $1.922 billion, which will replace the Indian Navys aging fleets, that is, British Royal Navy's Sea King MK-42B that has been in service for more than 4 decades on the INS Vikrant aircraft carrier.

Nevertheless, the Indian Navy is also facing a series of unavoidable issues including a long-term shortage of fund. At the press conference, the Indian government also admitted that "this is a long-term goal requiring special capital investment, but India's military spending has not had any substantial increase for the past five years."

The Indias military industry suffers some major challenges which constrain the development of the Indian Navy. At present, India has five major shipbuilding factories, but this large-scale shipbuilding industry has developed chronic problems of low production and poor organization and management due to the serious bureaucratic structure, resulting in the much longer construction cycle of the main naval ships for the Indian Navy than the world average. However, the pace of the Indian Navy expansion can never be stopped. India's First Post reported of Indian Navy's expansion, "The Indian Navy in the 21st century is becoming a powerful force affecting the Indian Ocean region, and India will remain dominant!

Disclaimer: The author is Wang Peng with the PLA Air Force Engineering University. The article was published on www.youth.cn. It is translated from Chinese into English by the China Military online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn. Chinamil.com.cn does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same. If the article carries photographs or images, we do not vouch for their authenticity.
Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/12/2018 -- The report "Cotton Processing Market by Product (Lint, Cottonseed), Application (Textiles, Medical & surgical, Feed, Consumer goods), Equipment [Ginning (Saw, Roller), Spinning], Operation (Automatic, Semi-automatic), and Region  Global Forecast to 2023", published by MarketsandMarkets. The market for cotton processing is estimated at USD 59.7 billion in 2018 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.0% from 2018 to 2023, to reach USD 72.6 billion by 2023. The increase in demand in the textile industry, adoption of cottonseed meal as feed for ruminants, and the rising number of surgeries and operations have been propelling the consumption of cotton, leading to the rising demand for cotton processing globally.



Don't miss out on business opportunities in Cotton Processing Market. Speak to our analyst and gain crucial industry insights that will help your business grow: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalystNew.asp?id=223254896



The lint segment is estimated to account for the largest share in the cotton processing market in 2018.



On the basis of product type, the cotton processing market has been segmented into lint, cottonseed, and others. The lint segment is estimated to account for the largest share in 2018. Cotton lint is widely used for manufacturing different types of surgical bandages, apparels, and household textiles. Over the years, the rise in urbanization and change in the lifestyle of consumers have led to an increase in the demand for textiles, which, in turn, is projected to drive the growth of the lint segment further.



Browse and in-depth TOC on "Cotton Processing Market"

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The textile segment is estimated to dominate the cotton processing market, by application, in 2018.



The textile segment is estimated to account for the largest share of the global cotton processing market in 2018. The textile industry witnesses a significant demand for effective cotton processing techniques. Raw cotton is used as a key ingredient in the textile manufacturing applications, and there are no raw materials to substitute it. This leads to an increased demand in the textile industry. With the increasing purchasing power and technological advancements for expanding the production capacity of cotton in improving the fabric quality, the demand for processed cotton is projected to remain high globally.



The spinning segment is estimated to dominate the cotton processing equipment market, by type, in 2018.



The spinning segment is estimated to account for the largest share of the global cotton processing equipment market in 2018. Spinning is considered one of the most important processes in the textile and pharma industries and is used to convert baled cotton into yarn or thread to produce high-strength yarns. With the increasing demand for cotton in textile and medical & surgical applications, the demand for spinning is projected to remain high globally.



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The automatic segment is estimated to dominate the cotton processing ginning equipment market, by type, in 2018.



The automatic segment is estimated to account for the largest share of the global cotton processing ginning equipment market in 2018. Cotton processors are increasingly focusing their attention on achieving low production costs, rapid turnaround time, and higher yields. This is facilitated by incorporating advanced automated technologies. Fully automated processing plants contribute to reduced labor costs and help in achieving operational efficiencies.



Asia Pacific to be the dominant region in the cotton processing market in 2018.



Asia Pacific is estimated to be the dominant region in the cotton processing market in 2018. This is due to wide cotton cultivation in countries such as China, India, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries in the region have favorable climatic conditions for cotton production. This encourages cotton processors to invest in the cotton processing market in this region. Furthermore, growing concerns about hygiene and technological advancements in the healthcare sector in developing countries have led to an increase in the consumption of raw cotton, which, in turn, is expected to increase the demand for cotton processing solutions and equipment.

This report includes a study of marketing and development strategies along with the product portfolios of the leading companies in the cotton processing market. It includes the profiles of leading companies such as Lummus Corp (US), Bajaj Steel Industries Limited (India), Nipha Exports Private Limited (India), Shandong Swan Cotton Industrial Machinery Stock Co., Ltd. (China), Cherokee Fabrication (US), Reiter (Switzerland), and Toyota Industries (Japan).



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Sugar Hill, GA -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/13/2018 -- Surviving winter would be next to impossible without two things: Keeping warm and staying safe. For those who turn to Peachtree Comfort Gallery, accomplishing both is effortless. This fireplace store in Atlanta, GA, provides all of the services homeowners need to get their fireplace up and running and keep it operating safely all heating season long.



Fireplaces ignite a warm and inviting indoor environment. However, homeowners always should be mindful of fireplace safety, too. It's important for hearth owners to keep an eye on their unit during operation. Observe its performance and look out for signs that indicate a fireplace needs a repair, including these common problems:



- A shiny, black or brown buildup, known as creosote, on the walls of the firebox.



- The room fills with smoke every time the fireplace is lit.



- There are cracks or damage to the bricks or panels of the firebox.



It's important to repair a faulty or damaged fireplace right away to prevent carbon monoxide and other hazards from making their way into the home. This is where Peachtree Comfort Gallery shines. This company has mastered fireplace repairs. With unmatched experience, its hearth experts are proficient at restoring a unit's operation quickly and precisely.



As gas fireplace repair companies in Gwinnett County, GA, and beyond advise, there's no such thing as "too cautious" when it comes to being a hearth owner. Peachtree Comfort Gallery urges homeowners to schedule a fireplace inspection with this area's most trusted team. This proactive approach keeps a fireplace in tip-top shape, ensures it maintains its peak efficiency and leads to cleaner and safer operation.



It's important hearth owners are well-versed with these fireplace safety tips:



- Do not use an accelerant to start a fire.



- Install both smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.



- Use fireplace screens to keep sparks and fire debris inside the fireplace.



- Completely extinguish a fire before going to bed.



- Make sure the area around the fireplace is clear of all combustibles.



- Keep a fire extinguisher in the home.



- Dispose of ashes properly. Put them in a metal container, wet them and then place the ash-filled container outside.



Make this winter the safest and coziest winter to date by contacting Peachtree Comfort Gallery online or by phone at 678.439.6732 to schedule a fireplace inspection today. Keep this number on hand in case the need for a fireplace repair arises.



About Peachtree Comfort Gallery

Peachtree Comfort Gallery is Northeast Georgia's full-service provider of hearths, gas grills and gas lighting. By offering exceptional products, installations and service, Peachtree provides customers with the No. 1 shopping experience they deserve. Peachtree Comfort Gallery is a proud part of the J.R. Bolton Services family, a name Georgians have known and trusted for more than 30 years. It offers a broad range of products to accent the beauty and comfort of any home, including gas fireplaces, gas logs, wood stoves, pellet stoves, electric fireplaces, gas barbecue grills, gas lamps and complete outdoor rooms.
British Prime Minister Theresa May survived a no-confidence vote to retain her job and prevent another leadership challenge for a year.

Conservatives in the House of Commons voted 200 to 117 Thursday.

In a closed meeting with Conservative lawmakers before the vote began, May said she would step down as Britain's leader before the anticipated 2022 election, a move that might have helped win over some lawmakers who were undecided going into the secret ballot. May's announcement not to seek re-election was confirmed by Cabinet Minister Amber Rudd and Conservative lawmakers Alec Shelbrooke and Robert Buckland.

Ian Lavery, chair of the main opposition Labor Party, said in a statement that "May's weakness and failure has completely immobilized the government at this critical time for the country."


Lewes, DE -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/13/2018 -- The crisis in the Middle East seems not going to over soon. The epicentre is the tiny gas rich nation of Qatar, which is the most vital American air base in the region. On June 5th, 2017 Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain launched a economic and political embargo against Qatar, accusing the country of financially supporting terrorist groups and maintains cordial relations with Iran and interferes in the internal affairs of their countries. Though Qatar has refuted all the charges.



Both the emir of Qatar and the country's foreign minister have reiterated that Qatar is willing to negotiate with the boycotting countries and have welcomed calls from international leaders for the parties to sit down around a table.



The target of the siege is Qatar's 37-year-old emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who is now facing the challenge of saving his country.



On December 03, 2018 Qatar announced that it will withdraw from OPEC in January 2019, shaking up the alliance of oil-producing nations and furthering its dispute with Saudi Arabia.



In World Bank's ease of doing business ranking Qatar was ranked 83 out of 190 countries in 2018. Qatar's ease of doing business ranking slipped from 37th position in 2008.



Qatar, officially, officially the State of Qatar, is a sovereign Arab emirate, located in Western Asia, which is occupied in the small Qatar Peninsula on the north-easterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf.



Qatar had estimated population of 2.578 million in the year 2016 and expected to reach 2.776 million by 2022.



Qatar's real gross domestic product (GDP) was around QAR 799.758 billions in 2016 whereas the nominal GDP was QAR 570.511 billions. This resulted in GDP deflator 71.336. Per capita GDP was estimated at USD 60786.72 whereas purchasing power parity (PPP) based per capita GDP was estimated to be at USD 127659.6.



In 2016, Qatar government's revenue was QAR 172.89 whereas the expenditure was QAR 196.079 billions.

This resulted Qatar government's net lending / borrowing negative at QAR 23.189 billion in 2016.



The current account balance for Qatar was estimated to be negative at USD 3.48 billions for the year 2016 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.90% and reach USD 6.128 by 2022. This positive current account balance indicates the Qatar is net lender to the whole world.



Scope of Qatar  PESTLE Analysis and Macroeconomic Trends Report

- This report provides information about key macroeconomic indicators for Qatar.

- This report provides PESTLE (political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental) analysis for Qatar.



For more information and to purchase Qatar PESTLE Analysis & Macroeconomic Trends Market Research Report please visit: https://www.marketresearchreports.com/market-research-reports-inc/qatar-pestle-analysis-macroeconomic-trends-market-research-report



For more information and Other PESTLE Analysis Market Research Report please visit: https://www.marketresearchreports.com/pestle-analysis



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Collegeville, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/13/2018 -- Now is the perfect time for Pennsylvania homeowners to start planning a new outdoor kitchen and bar with WJA Landscaping, a trusted landscape designer in Chester County. These customers will soon have beautiful, functional, and comfortable outdoor living spaces that they can enjoy at their leisure.



An outdoor kitchen, complete with luxurious touches such as spacious granite countertops and beautiful stonework, is the perfect place to entertain guests. Summer afternoons are so much better with a cold drink from the outdoor fridge and a burger straight off the grill. Homeowners can also make a delicious homemade pizza in their new outdoor pizza oven.



Of course, an outdoor living space isn't just for the summertime! Imagine making hot chocolate piled high with marshmallows in an outdoor kitchen and then cuddling up by a custom outdoor fireplace crafted by this Montgomery County, PA, landscaping company.



WJA Landscaping has built beautiful, custom outdoor spaces for Pennsylvania homeowners since 2001. Each kitchen and bar that they design is artistically unique. Their designs are crafted to suit each home and each customer's budget. No matter how elaborate a homeowner's vision, these expert landscapers will work to make it a reality.



In addition to their outdoor kitchens, bars, and fireplaces, this company also builds incredible patios, walkways, steps, driveways, retaining walls, and pool decks. The WJA Landscaping team seeks to exceed every client's expectations with incredible craftsmanship and attention to detail.



To learn more about WJA Landscaping's outdoor kitchen and bar design services, call 610-409-0685. Interested homeowners can also contact this company online to request a free consultation.



About WJA Landscaping

The contractors at WJA Landscaping have been providing Montgomery and Chester County residents with landscaping services for over 18 years. As certified professionals, they are capable of providing quality craftsmanship and outdoor living spaces. They offer anything from hardscaping, landscaping design, outdoor living areas, walkways, retaining walls, lighting, patios, and more.



To learn more about WJA Landscaping services, visit http://www.wjalandscaping.com/.
The Vatican on Wednesday said Pope Francis had written in October to Australian Cardinal George Pell and Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz of Chile thanking them for their work on the council.

Just two months before a scheduled meeting to discuss how to move forward in the clerical sexual abuse scandals, the removal of the two prominent cardinals is seen as a further embarrassment to the Catholic Church.

Pope Francis has removed two prominent clerics from the Council of Cardinal advisers he established five years ago. The Australian and Chilean cardinals, who were among nine princes of the Catholic Church-appointed special counselors to the pope, were implicated in the sexual abuse scandals in the Church.

Pell, a 77-year-old who used to be the Vatican's finance minister, left his job with an indefinite leave of absence to stand trial in his country on sexual abuse charges. The 85-year-old Errazuriz, who used to be archbishop of Santiago, has been accused of covering up abuse. Both men deny the allegations.

The Vatican provided no explanation for the removal of the cardinals and no mention was made of the sexual abuse allegations.

The recently retired 79-year-old archbishop of Kinshasa, Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, also departed from the Council, although he had not been implicated in any scandal.

"After a five-year term, these three have now passed out. For the moment, the pope has not named new cardinals in their place," said Vatican spokesman Greg Burke.

Pope Francis established the Council of Cardinals in 2013 to help with reforms he wanted implemented in the various Vatican departments. That work of the council is close to completion. Additionally, Church authorities are working on a new document that outlines the work and mission of the various congregations within the government of the Church. The document is expected to be ready soon.
Michael Cohen, the longtime personal attorney for U.S. President Donald Trump, was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison, after telling a New York judge that his "blind loyalty" to the U.S. leader led him to "cover up his dirty deeds."

U.S. Judge William Pauley imposed the sentence on Cohen for an array of crimes, including his role in arranging $280,000 in hush money payments to two women who alleged they had affairs with Trump, and for lying to Congress about Trump's efforts to build a skyscraper in Moscow. The judge told the 52-year-old Cohen that somewhere along the way, he had "lost his moral compass."

Cohen, who worked for Trump for 12 years, once bragged that he would "take a bullet" to support Trump. More recently, however, Cohen had turned against Trump and said at his sentencing that working for Trump was a "personal and mental incarceration." "My weakness could be characterized as a blind loyalty to Donald Trump," he said.

Now, Cohen also holds the distinction of being the closest figure to Trump sentenced to prison in the wide-ranging criminal investigations of Trump's 2016 campaign, its links to Russia and whether, as president, Trump obstructed justice by trying to thwart the probes being conducted by federal prosecutors in New York and special counsel Robert Mueller in Washington.

Several other prominent figures in Trump's orbit, including his former campaign chairman and his first national security adviser, have yet to be sentenced for various offenses.

Cohen attorney Lanny Davis said that after Mueller completes his investigation, Cohen would cooperate with congressional committees as they consider possible wrongdoing by Trump and his aides. Some Democrats in the House of Representatives have called for Trump's impeachment when they assume control of the chamber next month. "Mr. Trump's repeated lies cannot contradict stubborn facts," Davis said.

Cohen's lawyers asked that he serve no prison time, but Cohen took "full responsibility" for his crimes, "including those implicating the president of the United States. He said that his allegiance to Trump led him "to take a path of darkness instead of light."

Pauley rejected leniency for Cohen, saying, "This court firmly believes that a significant term of imprisonment is fully justified in this highly publicized case to send a message." The judge ordered him to surrender March 6 for his prison term and also pay nearly $1.9 million in financial penalties.
The U.S. House of Representatives in a resolution Tuesday reaffirmed the importance of the alliance with South Korea and gave U.S. President Donald Trump a slap on the wrist for claiming that Seoul does not pay its fair share.

The House adopted a resolution based on a motion by Ed Royce, the chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

The bilateral alliance "exemplifies the broad and deep military, diplomatic, economic, and cultural ties shared between the United States and [South Korea]," it says.

It said South Korea "is a model for alliance burden-sharing, currently hosting 28,500 American active-duty military personnel, funding fifty percent of the total non-personnel costs of the U.S. troop presence on the Korean Peninsula."

The U.S. Forces Korea "are critical not only to the security of [South Korea] but also to protect against adversaries that threaten regional stability and the United States homeland," it adds. "The U.S.-[South Korea] Combined Forces Command is the most integrated and effective combined military command in the world."

The resolution also "reaffirms the need" for the allies "to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in continuing to apply the economic and financial pressure necessary to help peacefully end [North Korea's] dangerous nuclear and missile programs."

It "emphasizes that, regardless of the outcome of attempted negotiations with [North Korea], the... alliance will continue to deter, defend against, and defeat any outside aggressors, uphold the peace, and guard the prosperity built by our two nations."


Samsung will close down its plant in Tianjin, China by the end of this month, the company said Wednesday.

Samsung has been struggling with dwindling sales in the Chinese smartphone market. The closure will leave its plant in Huizhou as Samsung's only smartphone manufacturing plant there.

"We decided to cease the operation of the plant to enhance efficiency in global production. Despite the closure, we do not expect any disruption to supply," a Samsung spokesman said. "We also notified some 2,000 local production staff of the closure and will discuss compensation packages and help them find new jobs."

Samsung led the Chinese smartphone market until 2014 with a market share of about 10 percent, but could not resist the onslaught from local rivals like Huawei, OPPO, Vivo and Xiaomi that began the following year.

Its market share in the third quarter of this year plummeted to 0.7 percent. Quarterly sales have dropped from nearly 20 million to 700,000 units.


Plus, suites get up to $600 on-board credit

In addition to getting the other perks, travelers who book a suite with 'Why Not Now?' also receive up to $600 in on-board spending money.

As part of the promotion, depending on departure and ship, travelers who book an inside stateroom will be upgraded free to an ocean-view room and those booking an ocean-view room will get upgraded free to a verandah. Free upgrades are based on available space at the time of booking and may differ based on sailing date.

Reduced deposits start at $99

By booking air through Holland Americas Flight Ease program from offered gateways, travelers are eligible for an air credit up to $1,000 per stateroom. Reduced deposits starting at $99 are available with the 'Why Not Now?' offer, and booked passengers who reserve select shore excursions by Feb. 28 can take advantage of up to 10% savings.

The bonus $600 on-board credit for suite bookings can be spent on a variety of amenities, including specialty dining, spa services, shore excursions, gift shop purchases and beverages.

Cruise destinations featured in the promotion include select Alaska cruises and Land+Sea Journeys, EXC In-Depth Voyages, Asia, Australia/New Zealand, Canada/New England, the Caribbean, Cuba, Europe, Hawaii, the Mediterranean, Mexican Riviera, Panama Canal, South America and South Pacific.

The line's PartnerSHIPS website GoHAL.com provides marketing tools for travel agents promoting the 'Why Not Now?' offer.
Also in the crowd were the specialists responsible for the interior furnishings, including the wood panelling and staterooms and public areas.

It took two days to relocate the 120-passenger vessel from the yard, a subsidiary of Italys Fincantieri, to the floating dock, causing high excitement, according to gm Mark Fifield.

To date, construction has involved expertise from across the world, involving more than 800 workers, Fifield said.

On track for April's maiden voyage

He said Coral Adventurer is firmly on track for her sold-out maiden voyage in April next year.

As previously reported , the Australian-flag ship will make a maiden 18-night voyage from Singapore to Darwin on April 24, 2019.

From May until October she will cruise the Kimberley between Darwin and Broome. Afterwards she will sail new itineraries in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

Cairns-based Coral Expeditions, which has a strong representation in the United Kingdom and the United States, is currently hiking its sales efforts in Germany and the Nordic countries
At the recent Workboat convention and conference in New Orleans the session on markets for OSVs, featured Matthew Rigdon, the executive vice president/Chief Operating Officer of Jackson Offshore Operators LLC, who discussed the current situation for boats in US waters, which means the Gulf of Mexico.

Like deepwater shipping, this subset of the larger OSV sector (where vessels are Jones Act compliant) exhibits the fundamental underlying tendencies towards oversupply as does other OSV geographies. Importantly, however, the sector is less fragmented than markets such as deepsea tankers, and this concentration allows the important players to actually gather together in the same room, at least figuratively.

Rigdon presented the OSV industry version of supply/ demand calculations. In contrast to the deepsea calculations of market utilization (where laid up vessels are still counted as part of the fleet) the OSV methodology, used by throughout the sector, takes the stacked (laid up) vessels out of the equation. The rationale is that cold stacked boats take many months to reactivate.

Demand of approximately 45 OSVs in the 4,000 dwt and above category, based on approximately 20 deepwater drilling rigs deployed in the US Gulf, is contrasted with a supply of 100 domestic OSVs, netted for those who fled to international waters) with 26 stacked units removed from the supply. The effective utilisation works out to something like 73%. At present, the daily hires on such boats are around $15,000 per day- about half of the all-in daily cost.

For tanker and dry cargo markets, the analysts draw supply curves that turn vertical, a necessary ingredient of sharp volatility, at 90% utilisation and above with laid up vessels included in the supply. As the price of oil vacillates widely, this is crunch time for the OSV business. Rigdon noted that When effective utilisation [using the OSV methodology] gets to 70%, pricing power begins to return. In response to a question, he suggested that re-activation of stacked equipment requires a lengthy timeframe.

Costs begin to butt up against emotions, perhaps, when it comes to drydocking underscoring the key message of the talk. Citing fleet data, Rigdon pointed to a high proportion of boats needing to be drydocked and put out of service in 2019.

After explaining that present hires do not cover drydocking costs, he implored boat owners to think very carefully about making drydock expenditures, presumably dipping into cash resources, or borrowing to finance them, and keeping the boats in service.

If owners of these big OSVs can act rationally which he acknowledged to be a big if - then they would stack vessels, postponing drydocking for better times, and boosting the effective utilisation up towards 80% a number even a dry bulk or tanker guy might like.
The National Tax Service has launched a probe of Google, which is notorious for dodging taxes around the world.

IT industry insiders on Wednesday said tax officials in Seoul raided Google's offices in Gangnam and seized accounting and other records. It is unclear if the probe is part of regular checks or a special investigation.

Google has been generating huge profits with its Play Store app but pays no tax in Korea because it claims to have no official place of business here. It uses the same ruse in Europe, where it is only registered in Ireland.

Other industry insiders said the NTS may be seeking to scrutinize the earnings of top YouTube content creators in Korea. Some of them generate huge profits from ads on YouTube, which is owned by Google, but are not taxed like other businesses.

Profits made by Korean YouTubers are tallied by Google's offices overseas and wired to the individuals.

A Google staffer declined to comment.


Zhongshan Port & Shipping Enterprise Group will become a subsidiary of Guangzhou Port Group once the transaction completed. As one of the two principal parties involved in Guangdong ports consolidation action, Guangzhou port will integrate provincial port resources through capital increase and assets acquire.

The municipal governments of Guangzhou and Zhongshan signed a strategy cooperation agreement to jointly develop port & shipping business and major infrastructure projects. The two parties will co-operate on the fourth phase terminal project in Nansha port area, which is scheduled to be completed in the second half of 2020.

The Department of Transportation of Guangdong Province issued plans earlier this year making Guangzhou port and Shenzhen port acted as the two major parties to consolidate port assets in Guangdong and further improve ports operation efficiency and competitiveness.

Currently, Guangdong province has five major costal ports of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Shantou and Zhanjiang, and two inland rive ports of Foshan and Zhaoqing.

By the end of 2017, there were 2,715 productive berths in Guangdong. Guangdong achieved 66.37m teu container throughput and 1.98bn tons cargo throughput in 2017, separately ranking as number one and number two in the country.
The pilots completed in recent months in Singapore included using a robot to inspect an in-service tank at Sebarok island.

Vopak has also rolled out digital vessel clearance at all its four tank terminals in Singapore, helping customers clear vessels quicker and providing them with latest information on when the terminal can accommodate incoming vessels.

With support from Singapore Economic Development Board, we have embarked on a digital and innovative transformation journey to make smart terminals a reality, said Tan Soo Koong, managing director of Vopak Terminals Singapore.

In the period 2017-2019 Vopak is investing EUR100m in technology, IT and innovation, and a part of it is used to power four of our eight global digital projects in Singapore, driving the companys competitiveness in serving the industry safely and opening up new opportunities for our people, Tan said.

Read more: Vopak expanding marine gasoil storage in Singapore to meet 2020 sulphur cap demand

The new initiatives tested include drone inspection, jetty inspection using an underwater remote operated vehicle (ROV), digital vessel clearance tool and robots for in-service tank inspection.

Vopak believes that its initiatives will drive the digital transformation of the industry, leveraging on technology such as Industry Internet-of-Things, big data analytics, sensoring, mobile device and robotics to create a safer, sustainable and more productive workplace.

At present, inspections are performed by people working inside confined space, meaning that assets have to be shut down to ensure safety. The use of robots would avoid downtime and minimise exposure of personnel to hazardous conditions.

On vessel clearance, traditionally, operators have to manually check against the vessel specifications, terminal infrastructure data and a list of globally recognised embargoed vessels. Vopaks digital vessel clearance tool would allow operators to tap on internal data-driven platforms to automatically clear vessels and provide the relevant updated information.
The nephew of Achille Lauro, Aldo started family shipping business Fratelli Grildai Armatori with his four brothers  Luigi, Mario, Guido and Ugo  in 1947. Beginning with adapted Liberty ships, the company soon developed principal activities that included ro-ro operations to South America, as well as ferry and cruise services, from twin bases in Naples and Genoa.

Aldos achievements really came into their own from 1991 onwards with the founding of Grand Navi Veloci (GNV), which he ran from Genoa. The company built a series of pioneering cruiseferries - that employed cruise-like standards of comfort while retaining ro-ro decks for HGV and passenger vehicles - to serve Sardinia, Sicily and Barcelona from the Italian mainland.

In 1995 he assumed the presidency of the Italian Confederation of Shipowners (Confitarma) for a two-year period, during which he laid the foundations for creation of the Italian International Registry.

Moving with the times, Aldo Grimaldi sold 80% of GNV to Private Equity Funds in 2004, while remaining president and ceo. Three years later, he left GNV but through Grimaldi Holding continued as an innovator in Motorways of the Sea activities, ordering a further eight cruise-ferry vessels. These Navi Blu vessels remain on charter to operators throughout the Mediterranean.

Aldo Grimaldi received numerous awards and titles during his long and illustrious career, and in 2002 was bestowed the Italian states highest honour when he was named Cavaliere del Lavoro.

Confitarma paid special tribute to its former president, describing him as an incomparable, inimitable, unsurpassable man who will remain forever in our hearts.
Exferimentation Brewing Co. recently announced an expansion of its Saginaw Street brewery and tasting room, adding an additional 1,000 sq. ft. to its footprint.



With ten more taps and additional seating options, the second tasting room is ideal for overflow seating on weekends or for customers looking for a more quiet room when open mic or improv nights are scheduled. There is also a balcony attached, which will allow for outdoor seating once the summer months come around.



The room is also available to rent for private events, including weddings, company outings, and more.



"The new room has a different aesthetic, a little lighter and more airy," says Exferimentation co-owner Eric Benton.



"Its been a great opportunity to create a completely different environment."



Its not the only change for Exferimentation. The company recently hired a head chef and general manager, improving the food menu while streamlining it at the same time, allowing for faster service times.



The brewery is constantly releasing new varieties of beer, Benton says. An Exferimentation classic, the toasted coconut cream ale Clownpocalypse, one of the brewerys first beers, will make its return later this month. A number of barrel-aged beers will be released in the first quarter of 2019, as well.



As for 2019, Benton says that there are several exciting announcements on the horizon--though hes not ready to divulge any specifics, just yet.



Its been a steady climb for the still-young brewery, which opened in July 2016. Benton, along with co-owners Andy Stamper and Scott Boughton, has been high on downtown Pontiacs rebound since opening there. Hed like to see the city overtake Grand Rapids as Beer City, USA, one day, as he told us in a March 2017 profile of the company.



"Look out Grand Rapids, here comes Pontiac."



Exferimentation Brewing Co. is located at 7 N. Saginaw St. in downtown Pontiac.



Got a development news story to share? Email MJ Galbraith here or send him a tweet @mikegalbraith.
Since 2008, The Great Escape Spa in West Downtown Dearborn has been offering a host of services, including facials, massages, manicures, and more.



Theyve been running a side boutique for a while now, too, selling little gift items and accessories to their customers at the spa. But it was never a focus.



Until now.



The company recently celebrated the grand opening of a second business, The Boutique at The Great Escape Spa, located in a suite in the same building.



Tiffany Johnson, manager of both businesses and daughter of owner Kim Merry, says that as customers offered feedback of what theyd like to see for sale, she began to run out of room at the spa. A suite was open in their building and they decided to take it.



The Boutique offers a wide range of products, and many of them Michigan-made. Items include purses, jewelry, puzzles, greeting cards, and dog toys.



"We try to keep everything within everybodys budget. We want people to be happy, thats our main goal, no matter what," Johnson says.



"We get to pamper people all day long and shop for them, too. It feels good to make sure people are happy."



The Boutique at The Great Escape Spa and the spa itself are located in a historic building constructed in the 1800s. Its housed some classic businesses over the years, says Merry, including a stint as the home of WKNR Keener 13 radio.



Merrys businesses are located within the interior of the building and dont have outward-facing storefronts. No matter, she says. Merry asserts that she hasnt done much in the way of advertising over the years. Customers keep coming.



"My job is to make people happy for a living," Merry says.



"Its one of those things where Im doing what Im supposed to be doing."



The Boutique and The Great Escape Spa are located at 22266 Michigan Ave. in West Downtown Dearborn.



Got a development news story to share? Email MJ Galbraith here or send him a tweet @mikegalbraith.
This feature is courtesy of Driven , the story of how the Detroit region is leading the world in next-generation mobility.

An Ann Arbor-based tech company is partnering with the Lansing area public transit authority to increase mobility options for the regions blind, visually impaired, and wheelchair-bound residents.



Capital Area Transportation Authority has signed a contract with LookingBus, the company behind a mobile app that improves transit options for riders with disabilities by connecting them directly with the bus operators.



The contract is the result of a $465,000 Michigan Mobility Challenge grant awarded to CATA by the Michigan Department of Transportation.



Our technology is helping people with disabilities. We make the buses smart and we make the bus stops smart, says Yariv Glazer, chief technology officer at LookingBus.



The app lets the bus operator know that there is a rider with special needs at the next stop. The responsibility shifts from the rider to the driver.



Riders tell the app their destination and then LookingBus tells the rider which route to take, which bus stop to go to, and how many more stops until their next destination.



Once the rider arrives to the bus stop, an alert is sent to the bus operator, letting them know that a rider that is either blind, visually impaired, or wheelchair bound will be waiting at that particular spot. Bus operators are trained to help such riders board the bus.



Though LookingBus works with metro Detroits Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART), Lansing and CATA represent the first Michigan city to pick up the technology from the Ann Arbor-based company.



Most of LookingBuss partners are located in the south and the reason for this, says Glazer, is because of the winter weather. But LookingBus is looking forward to a big northern city picking up their services and working to address any ensuing challenges, come what may.



Glazer calls it prime time.

Were very, very happy that Michigan is starting to pick us up, he says. Its about time Michigan starts to lead the charge in mobility once again.



LookingBus is scheduled to roll out on CATA busses in spring 2019.



Visit Driven and learn how the Detroit region is leading the world in next-generation mobility.
This feature is courtesy of Driven , the story of how the Detroit region is leading the world in next-generation mobility.

The latest company to join the growing roster of tenants at the PlanetM Landing Zone in Detroit is one youve likely not heard of but one that has been a part of your life for decades.



That company is Molex Electronic Technologies, LLC, a manufacturer of electronic connections in a multitude of industries, including consumer and home appliances, automotive and Smartphones and mobile devices. The Illinois-based company was instrumental in the development of the first car radio, the first cell phone and the first high definition TV.



And now, Molex, with an eye on making further inroads in the emerging mobility and autonomous vehicle sectors, has taken up office space in the Landing Zone, a collaboration between the Detroit Regional Chamber and the Michigan Economic Development Corp.



Located in the WeWork Merchants Row location in downtown Detroit, the Landing Zone offers startups subsidized work space and access to key services, potential customers, partners and stakeholders in the mobility and autonomous vehicle ecosystem, OEMS and Tier 1 suppliers. Some 27 startups are now using space at the Landing Zone.



Were the company nobodys heard of but weve been around a long time. This is a great opportunity for us, says Kevin M. Kardel, director of corporate strategy for Molex Electronic Technologies, LLC, which also has offices in suburban Detroit. This really helps get us to connected to whats happening in the industry.



Molex, he says, is looking for ways to connect with startups and other companies in the mobility and autonomous vehicle ecosystems and help build out electronic capability. The companys recent acquisition of Laird CVS, which specializes in the design, development and delivery of vehicle antenna systems and vehicle connectivity devices, further enhances Molexs capabilities in those emerging sectors. Communication capabilities will play a key role in their development and success on the streets and highways of the real world.



There are a lot of pieces of the ecosystem, Kardel says. Were looking for any potential technologies we can leverage through being in that (Detroit) space. We thought the Landing Zone would offer great networking and a great opportunity to plug into that ecosystem and see how other players are operating in that space and get to know them.



The Laird acquisition came just after Molex moved into the Landing Zone in September. Its part of the expanding landscape at the Landing Zone. Another tenant, Condor Detroit, was recently acquired by Mobiliti, which now has its headquarters in the office space and 15 full-time employees. The companies offer month-to-month car subscription services.



Molex is a welcome addition to the Landing Zone and adds to the caliber of startups and companies taking advantage of the space, says Devon OReilly, manager of Entrepreneurship and Detroit Engagement for the Detroit Regional Chamber.



Its a huge plus to have a company like Molex as part of the space because it helps to validate what were doing here, Reilly says. Molexs interest in being in the Landing Zone space and working alongside some of the top mobility startups in the world is exactly the kind of natural ecosystem we are trying to create through our mix of members and corporate partners. It definitely helps us build traction and show there is an interest beyond the traditional automotive cluster.





Visit Driven and learn how the Detroit region is leading the world in next-generation mobility.
Editor's Note: As our On the Ground reporting team travels to Urbandale to continue our mission to tell stories about what makes Battle Creek Battle Creek, we wondered how Urbandale came to be known as the "Home to the First Auto Tours." A bit of digging turned up the following narrative written by local historian Mary Butler.Multiple entryways into Urbandale have signs that claim the community is Home to the First Auto Tours.Given its location, one might think the neighborhood within the city of Battle Creek would have aligned itself with another product  cereal, produced by the Kellogg and Post companies. But, a gentleman named James H. Brown had other ideas.By the 1920s the automobile had captured the hearts of the American people, as the lure of the open road tempted a new generation to travel. The only problem was that this open road was difficult and dangerous to travel. Even the major roads were frequently narrow and steep, rutted and unpaved. Maps were few and unreliable. Roadside accommodations were scattered and uneven in quality. Most importantly, the cars themselves broke down with great regularity and drivers had to learn to be their own mechanics.So how were people to enjoy the freedom of travel to faraway places? One novel solution was provided by Brown, of Battle Creek, who organized group tours of automobiles, who traveled in caravans for mutual pleasure, safety, and convenience. Raised on a "scientific farm near Climax, Brown was deeply interested in improving farming techniques.In the 1890s he was appointed state Sanitary Livestock Inspector and was the first in the state to administer tuberculin tests to cows. A few years later he was made associate editor of Michigan Farmer, a weekly agricultural magazine. He traveled around the state lecturing on scientific farming.He founded the Battle Creek Historical Society in 1916 and wanted to indulge his love of history by traveling to historic sites on the East coast. And he was sure others shared his interest. He introduced the concept of the caravan of automobiles, traveling together as one big family, and began his annual Michigan Automobile Tours in 1916. The trips began in Battle Creek, Urbandale to be precise, and usually went to a series of historic sites on the East Coast, including Plymouth Rock, Washington, D.C, Mt. Vernon, Niagara Falls, and the Lincoln birthplace.Brown carefully organized tour logistics for maximum safety and efficiency. He was quite proud of the fact that, in over a decade of touring, none of the 4,000 tourists had even been injured and no car had ever been bumped or put out of commission in more than 30,000 miles.He carefully designed the routes to allow the participants to study the history and geography of the cities and countrysides they passed. To save money, and to avoid the pitfalls of unreliable accommodations in local tourist homes, the travelers camped out each night on the fields of cooperative farmers.During one such tour in 1923, more than 200 cars, carrying 800 people from all over the Midwest, participated in a three-week trip from Adrian, Michigan to Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, D.C.Tour participants paid $3 in advance registration and certified that they were of good character, have an interest in educational matters, and were willing to assist in the welfare of the big tour family. Brown made all the necessary advance arrangements to make the logistics easy for the participants. He organized daily deliveries of mail, gasoline and oil, ice, and groceries made to the campsite, so no one had to stop along the way for supplies.Each morning, after cooking breakfast, the cars lined up in their appointed positions, to leave the campground with Browns car in the lead. The six-person touring car, which he designed himself, was one of the most sophisticated. It was 14 feet long and 6 feet wide. The interior was finished in oak and seats were upholstered in Spanish leather. The floor was covered with linoleum or rugs; the windows were fitted with shades and silk curtains.Inside were living and dining areas with a full office area, equipped with a writing desk and typewriter. Brown was a working journalist. In addition to directing the tour, he sent long daily dispatches back to the Battle Creek Enquirer, describing in great detail the flora and fauna the tour passed each day.Two large sleeping areas were created in awning-covered extensions. At the rear was a bathroom with toilet, lavatory, shower and folding tub. The water for the toilet and shower bath was stored in a ten-gallon tank attached to the outside of the vehicle. The kitchen area included a gas cooking range and large refrigerator which could hold a 50-pound cake of ice.At stops along his tours, Brown collected a stone to commemorate his visit. He placed many of these historic stones into Battle Creeks Stone History Cairn which he constructed in the downtown Monument Park.One of his most famous stones was brought from Plymouth Rock. Actually, he picked up four stones from the rocky coast near the pilgrim landing site, which he brought back to Battle Creek. All four rocks were put on display in the window of an old drug store and residents were asked to vote on their favorite stone. The chosen rock was mounted in the auto tour monument in Urbandale. The other three stones were set aside for the next auto caravan, which went to the west coast. Brown donated the three remaining Plymouth Rocks to Seattle, San Francisco, and San Diego.Brown was truly a pioneer in several fields -- but none more important than his innovative work in auto travel during the 1920s. As he advertised in one of his promotional booklets, Browns tours offered Life in the open  where you barter your sheets for a star-lit bed  a vacation that yields dividends in health and restfulness.Mary Butler is Research Center Director for Heritage Battle Creek. The Historical Society of Battle Creek and the Sojourner Truth Institute of Battle Creek merged in 1999 to create Heritage Battle Creek.
There are many items in addition to flowers for sale at Plumeria.

A basket of candy, wine, cheese and more might be the perfect holiday gift. Photo by Erik McCloud

In a time when people tend to keep to themselves and neighbors helping neighbors can be a foreign concept, the Battle Creek neighborhood of Urbandale is bucking that trend.Located west of downtown Battle Creek, this neighborhood of fewer than 5,000 residents is like a small city unto itself with longtime-established restaurants, shops, and businesses owned by people who take pride in the community they have created together.One of the more recent entrants into the Urbandale business community is a young woman who was born and raised in Battle Creek but never expected to return after leaving for college and her ensuing several year as a resident of Grand Blanc.We lived in Bedford for a bit and Athens, says Elisha Hodge, owner of Plumeria Botanical Boutique . I didnt have a great high school experience and I never thought I would come back.Hodge graduated from Central Michigan University and took a job in banking and later in financial advising. She had a good job, a dog, and a home in Grand Blanc, but realized she wasnt happy with what she was doing.I had this heart and this spirit, but the world kind of steps on you at times and I learned to be quiet, Hodge says. A telephone call to her mother in Battle Creek set her life on a course she never expected to follow.I was calling my mother and she said you should come home, Hodge says. My mom, my two sisters, their two families, and the rest of my family lives in Battle Creek. I dont have a relative outside of Battle Creek. For years they were asking me to come back.Hodges mother, Sandy, had worked for more than 30 years at the Country Bouquet Flower Shop located on West Michigan Avenue in Urbandale. The owner of the flower shop was planning to sell the business and at her mothers urging, Elisha decided to throw caution to the wind. She put her house in Grand Blanc on the market.My mom said I could take my banking background and her florist background and we could buy this business, Hodge says. When she mentioned it, I dont know if any of us thought she was serious.However, when Hodges Grand Blanc home sold in two weeks, she took it as a sign and moved back in June 2015 to embark on a new career as a business owner. She lived that summer in her sisters basement and interned at the flower shop, putting her energy into learning about everything from how to order flowers, to arranging, to delivering.I made a business plan and researched the market and did what I could to see if I could make this work, Hodge says. Over Labor Day my family came in and we cleaned and painted and rehabbed the whole place and on September 15 we opened as Plumeria Botanical Boutique.She says what happened even before her shop opened, validated her decision to move home and is very emblematic of the close-knit ties that are routinely found in Urbandale.Her very first impression of the way in which residents and neighborhood business owners look out for each other was when the now-late Frank Zanetti, co-owner of Battle Creek Tile & Mosaic in Urbandale, walked into her shop, introduced himself and ordered flower arrangements for family members, women at his church, and Bedford Manor.Hodge says she remembers thinking, How do you trust that Im going to be able to do this? in response to Zanettis orders. She says this was her first exposure to the pervasive We are here to help each other mentality that runs throughout Urbandale.Zanetti not only made Hodge his go-to florist but also encouraged other business owners to do business with her. The business owners in this area understand how important it is to keep our money here in the community, Hodge says.When she took ownership, the shop was under contract with 1-800-Flowers and FTD. She worked for two years to get out of those contracts because she says they were siphoning money from customers and the shop and the money was not staying local. Although she had concerns about how she could compete with well-established florists in the city, she took a proactive approach and joined the Chamber of Commerce. She continues to network with business owners, and keep on top of trends in the florist industry.Fred Bachman, owner of Bachman Hebble Funeral Home in Urbandale says Hodge is very energetic and has become very involved in the community through her participation in the annual Fall Festival, the Urbandale Level Park Area Business Association, and other activities and organizations.Like Hodge, Bachman was born and raised in Battle Creek. After high school, he planned to pursue a career as a physician and attended the University of Colorado, but a Chemistry class did him in and his father suggested a focus on Elementary Education. He taught school and worked at funeral homes in Colorado before in 1975 to work on and earn a Mortuary Science degree.Five years later he moved back to Battle Creek and joined his dad in the family business. Coming back, you know a lot of people, having grown up in the area. I was making a lot of nice contacts with people in Colorado, Bachman says, but getting back in touch with all of the people I knew -- like the different babysitters that my folks had for my sister and I -- was special because they trusted us and weve taken care of them.The funeral home owned by Bachmans father relocated to Urbandale from downtown Battle Creek in 1988 after the city wanted to build the Cereal City Museum on the corner of West Michigan Avenue and Carlisle Street. That gave Bachman and his family the opportunity to relocate to a 375-acre space in Urbandale that has proven to be the right place for them and their business.Its a peaceful neighborhood in a residential area and we had green grass and birds and rabbits, Bachman says. It felt like you were in an area where if people looked outside it could distract them which is important because they are here under difficult circumstances.That trust has gone beyond customers to other Urbandale business owners who Bachman has formed deep connections and friendships with over the years. This has led to collaborations designed to both benefit the neighborhoods profile and elevate it.Churches, restaurants, and businesses, including Plumeria, have banded together on efforts like a sweater drive organized by Bachman, the Fall Festival, and an annual Pancake Supper.Longtime Urbandale resident Patricia Graw, who is a self-described cheerleader and one-woman Welcome Wagon, says there was a great turnout this year for the Fall Festival that included a number of people from outside of Urbandale. A fourth-generation Urbandale resident, Graw says the neighborhood is fortunate to have established businesses because they serve as examples of what is possible for newer entrepreneurs like Hodge.It makes me feel very excited and hopeful because Urbandale has lost its share of businesses over the years, but as soon as I saw that Elisha had opened her business I went in and told her about our Neighborhood Planning Council and welcomed her, Graw says. We have empty buildings, but theres a lot of talk about new businesses coming in. Were never going to be like Lakeview, but I think well get it back.Bachman, who is a member of Urbandales Neighborhood Planning Council, says he thinks a lot of businesses could benefit from locating in his neighborhood.Many times, I dont think were on the radar. When youre looking at movie theaters, fast food, or a mall, thats south of town on Beckley Road, he says. The presence of Urbandale represents stability. It says something that youre here and that youre going to stay here and provide the best care possible to clients who call on you whether it be for flowers, funeral services, or hot dogs.It is that personalized service that Hodge believes is critical to the continued success of businesses like hers. She says she has been able to help other entrepreneurs in the area by purchasing their products to stock the shelves in her store which include honey, soaps, candles, greeting cards, inspirational items, and pink-feathered flamingoes.Her willingness to work with others, including community residents, led to the hiring of a young man and woman who now make deliveries for her.A neighbor across the street asked if he could take my garbage out or make deliveries. The house he lived in is across the streets from me and he said he didnt want to be at home because there were some things going on. From there he introduced me to his girlfriend who has a car and a drivers license and theyre delivering flowers for me, Hodge says.She was on the other end of this kind of helpfulness when Plumeria first opened and she remembers the kindness of a neighbor who saw her and her significant other working outside on a hot day and brought them bottled water. She says these opportunities to perform random acts of kindness can be found anywhere, the key is to look for them and act on it.If I saw somebody going through the garbage in my dumpster I'm going to ask why theyre doing that and what they need and what they want, Hodge says. If its the guy who walks by cursing, I will ask him if he needs a water bottle or coffee and Id invite him in because I want him to know that this is a safe and warm and loving place.Its all about communication. You see someone who may not look like he or she could be very approachable, but if you have a conversation with them, you may find out that they are.At the risk of sounding cliche, Hodge says she wants to be that positive first impression and to offer that smile that somebody may need.As she stood behind the counter inside the shop, Sandy Hodge says Plumeria is built on her daughters personality and thats what keeps customers coming in.Elisha Hodge says she likes the idea that she's able to help people celebrate milestones like engagements, marriages, and the births of children. She says she drives herself harder because she knows this is what it will take to continue to grow her business.When its family or independently-owned you do what you have to to make sure that its done right, like making a delivery further out than you want to pay your driver, she says. When Im sweeping the floors at 11 oclock at night, I know its good because were still here.
Press Release

December 13, 2018 De Lima presses gov't to ratify UN treaty on 'enforced disappearance' Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has underscored the need for stronger mechanisms against enforced disappearance in the country amid the government's apparent failure to seriously address the issue. In filing Senate Resolution No. 969, De Lima urged Mr. Duterte to ratify the United Nations International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (CED) to strengthen access to justice and the right to effective remedy. "It is clear that despite the enactment of the Anti-Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance Act of 2012, thousands remain missing and possibly many of them already dead, without any effective and clear action plan from our government," she said. Based on official records, there are 1,996 reported documented cases of enforced disappearance in the Philippines, 1,165 of which are missing and 244 are found dead. According to the former justice secretary, the UN Convention remains the only human rights treaty which the Philippines has not ratified, despite the existence of Republic Act 10353 or the "Anti-Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance Act of 2012." She noted there was also an earlier issuance of Administrative Order No. 35 creating the Inter-Agency Committee on Extra-legal killings, Enforced Disappearances, Torture and other Grave Violations of the Right to Life, Liberty and Security of Persons, but enforced disappearances continue to run rampant in the country. Prior to the filing of the Senate resolution, UN treaty monitoring bodies, such as the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms Discrimination Against Women, the Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, Committee Against Torture, and the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination have all expressly recommended for the Philippines to ratify the CED. "In order to ensure that our citizens would have sufficient access to remedies, it behooves upon our government to provide alternative legal framework which provides certainty of obligations, sustainable mechanism for accountability, and stronger international support or cooperation for promotion," she said. In the third cycle of the Universal Period Review of the Philippines in 2017, nine States specifically recommended ratification of the UN Convention on Enforced Disappearance, while 15 States recommended investigation into enforced disappearances, added De Lima.
President Moon Jae-in's official airplane has been blacklisted by the U.S. because it had flown him to North Korea, it emerged Wednesday. The official plane even had to be cleared for a visit to the U.S. in September after it was slapped with a 180-day ban.

One diplomatic source said, "A blacklisted plane can only travel to the U.S. by special permission."

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in September 2017 that bans all aircraft that traveled to North Korea from entering the U.S. for 180 days. But exceptions can be made.

A U.S. government official confirmed that Moon's plane had to receive authorization even when Moon went to New York on Sept. 24 to attend the UN General Assembly and meet Trump.
Press Release

December 13, 2018 Senators ratify cancer control bill SENATORS on Thursday ratified the Bicameral Conference report on the cancer control bill that will establish a national framework to combat the dreaded disease. The report is the reconciled and consolidated version of Senate Bill No. 1850 entitled "National Integrated Cancer Control Act," co-authored and sponsored by reelectionist Senator JV Ejercito, and House Bill No. 8636. "If enacted into law, the National Integrated Cancer Control Act will give hope to every Filipino who suffered long enough battling cancer on their own that they will have an equitable and affordable cancer treatment and care especially for the underprivileged and marginalized Filipinos," Ejercito said. The measure seeks to establish the National Integrated Cancer Control Program aimed at lessening deaths from and incidence of preventable cancer in adults and children, preventing cancer recurrence and secondary cancer among survivors and people living with cancer, making cancer treatment and care affordable and accessible, and supporting the recovery and reintegration to society of cancer survivors, among others. "It will address the various gaps in the cancer care continuum and integrated solutions for every single step, from prevention, detection, correct diagnosis, treatment and palliative care, pain management, and survivorship or end of life. Under the bill, a National Integrated Cancer Advisory Council shall be created tasked to develop the National Cancer Control roadmap for the effective institutionalization of integrated cancer control strategies, policies, programs and service in the national and local health care system. The council will develop, update, and promote evidence-based treatment standards and guidelines and innovative and cost-effective cancer care models for adult and children cancer. "Our vision is a patient centric support system that is caring, supportive, within a progressive and enabling environment so that Filipinos affected with cancer can live with dignity, enjoying long, productive, and meaningful lives," he said. In the Philippines, cancer is the third leading cause of adult death and fourth in child mortality. The Philippine Cancer Facts and Estimates of the Department of Health revealed an alarming increase in the incidence of cancer estimating up to 8 deaths per day for childhood cancer and up to 11 new cases and 7 deaths every hour for adult cancer. There are approximately 110,000 new cancer cases and over 66,000 cancer deaths each year. "Alarmingly, those diagnosed with the disease that came from the poor sector of the society have high mortality rate. It is expected that this is attributable mainly to the weak health systems, limited access to quality cancer care and partly to the late diagnoses of common cancers," Ejercito said.
Press Release

December 13, 2018 Filipino senior war veterans to receive 300% increase in old-age pension starting next year The 300 percent increase in the monthly old-age pension of Filipino senior war veterans has been transmitted to Malacanang last Nov. 26 and is now just awaiting President Duterte's signature. In all likelihood, it will be implemented early next year, providing the more than 6,000 Filipino World War II, Korean and Vietnamese war veterans a total of P20,000 monthly old-age pension, an increase of P15,000 in their previous P5,000 annuity. Sen. Gregorio Honasan, principal author and sponsor of Senate Bill No. 1766, known as An Act Increasing the Monthly Old-Age Pension of Senior Veterans, said the government will spend a total of P887.94 million in granting the additional P15,000 increase to the current P5,000 monthly old-age pension as provided for under the existing RA 7696, Honasan said. Both Houses of Congress decided to do away with the bicameral conference after the House of Representatives moved to adopt the Senate version and concur with its amended provisions last November 13. "The House (of Representatives), even if they first started this (piece of legislation), decided to adopt the amendments of the Senate, practically adopting the Senate version. It will lapse into law after 30 days (from Nov.26) if the President fails to act on it," the chair of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security said. "Recognizing the urgency of the said measure, we believe that the President will sign it into law. Tuwang tuwa din ako dahil I'll be riding off into the sunset next year," Honasan, whose term of office is set to expire in June 2019, said. The measure will entitle the eligible living senior veterans of World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War and those who have not been receiving pension from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to the P20,000 monthly old-age pension. It will not, however, be transferable to any member of their family or dependents. In the event of death of the senior veteran, the pension of the surviving spouse shall still remain at P5,000 a month. "The challenge is to institutionalize this to the point that it's almost engraved in the stone, that whoever is the president, whoever sits in Congress, will make sure that our veterans will live forever in the memory of this nation," Honasan said.
Press Release

December 13, 2018 Senate ratifies bicam report on Tulong-Trabaho bill The Senate ratified on Monday, December 11, a bicameral conference committee report aimed at improving the tech-voc skills of Filipinos and narrow the unemployment gap in the country. Both the Senate and the House of Representatives approved the harmonized version on the disagreeing provisions of Senate Bill 1431 and House Bill 8139 which seeks to institute Philippine Labor Force Competencies Competitiveness Program and free access to Technical-Vocational Education and Training (TVET). Sen. Joel Villanueva, chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development, said the measure seeks to increase the funding for technical and vocational trainings by providing for a Tulong-Trabaho Fund. The fund would be administered by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). Villanueva, in his speech sponsoring the bicameral report, said the Tulong Trabaho Fund will "provide qualified recipients with access to TVET training programs through the full payment of the selected programs' training fees." The fund could also be utilized to provide additional financials to recipients such as transportation allowance and laboratory fees if needed, he said. The senator cited American economist and politician Phil Gramm who said that "Government is not the generator of economic growth, working people are." "That's why we want to give more support to our people - working and not working, by apportioning a "Tulong-Trabaho Fund" in the General Appropriations Act that will be managed by the TESDA Board," he said. "Sa panukalang batas na ito, ang 'tulong' ay ginawa po nating obligasyon ng gobyerno at ang programa para tiyaking akma ang kakayahan ng ating mga kababayan ay ginawa nating bahagi ng responsibilidad ng mga employers o industry bodies," he said. "Hence, the reconciled bill involves industry bodies in the determination of qualified recipients of the Tulong-Trabaho Fund," he added. He said increasing the allocation of TESDA scholarship programs will lead to greater output and productivity of workers. According to Villanueva, TESDA received P2.2 billion for its Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP) last year. However, he said, the amount for TWSP funding remained the same for this year despite the increasing demand for tech-voc courses. TESDA records showed enrollees of tech-voc courses increased sharply by 45 percent or 2.3 million in 2015 from 1.6 million enrollees in 2010. Under the Tulong-Trabaho bill, the TESDA Board would approve the list of eligible applications based on the recommendation of the TESDA secretariat. The recipients of the Tulong-Trabaho fund would be evaluated periodically to ensure that at least 80 percent of the beneficiaries would be certified after the training program. Failure to meet the passing rate would subject the recipient industry board to performance review and be audited by the TESDA board, according to the bill. "The passage of this bill will make tech-voc accessible to all, boost our workers' confidence to face the world of work and ensure that the youth who are ready to work hard with the right skill sets to obtain in-demand jobs," Villanueva said.
The Trump administration is resuming its efforts to deport certain protected Vietnamese immigrants who have lived in the United States for decades  many of them having fled the country during the Vietnam War.



...In essence, the administration has now decided that Vietnamese immigrants who arrived in the country before the establishment of diplomatic ties between the United States and Vietnam are subject to standard immigration law  meaning they are all eligible for deportation.



...The administration last year began pursuing the deportation of many long-term immigrants from Vietnam, Cambodia, and other countries who the administration alleges are "violent criminal aliens." But Washington and Hanoi have a unique 2008 agreement that specifically bars the deportation of Vietnamese people who arrived in the United States before July 12, 1995  the date the two former foes reestablished diplomatic relations following the Vietnam War.



The White House unilaterally reinterpreted the agreement in the spring of 2017 to exempt people convicted of crimes from its protections, allowing the administration to send back a small number of pre-1995 Vietnamese immigrants, a policy it retreated from this past August. Last week, however, James Thrower, a spokesperson for the U.S. embassy in Hanoi, said the American government was again reversing course.



...Many pre-1995 arrivals, all of whom were previously protected under the 2008 agreement by both the administrations of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, were refugees from the Vietnam War. Some are the children of those who once allied with American and South Vietnamese forces, an attribute that renders them undesirable to the current regime in Hanoi, which imputes anti-regime beliefs to the children of those who opposed North Vietnam. This anti-Communist constituency includes minorities such as the children of the American-allied Montagnards, who are persecuted in Vietnam for both their ethnicity and Christian religion.

[Content Note: Nativism.]The Trump Regime's war on immigrants is a key plank in their vile agenda of wretched malice. The next target in this ever-expanding war are Vietnamese refugees, many of whom have lived in the United States for virtually their entire lives.Charles Dunst and Krishnadev Calamur at the Atlantic report Just to be clear: Many of these are people who fled Vietnam afterduring the war, and would be in danger of persecution if they were forced to return to Vietnam.I oppose and resist this policy with fervor. And I take up space in solidarity with immigrant families across this nation, including the Vietnamese refugees and immigrants who have become the target of the Trump Regime's vicious nativist malice.
Hydrogen may be the ideal fuel to provide dry-winter power supplies but it may not be economic before 2030, MPs heard today.

Genesis Energy plans to stop using coal at its dual-fuel Huntly plant in all but emergency situations by 2025, and altogether by 2030.

Chief executive Marc England said the firms Huntly coal stockpile is currently the only means the country has of meeting a potential 3,000 gigawatt-hour generation shortfall each winter if hydro lakes are low.

Hydrogen is a potential replacement, given it is relatively cheap to store, and particularly if it can made through renewable processes, he said. Unfortunately, it is uneconomic right now.

Thats the one fuel that could provide that 3,000 GWh of seasonal backup in New Zealand in the longer-term, England told Parliaments transport and infrastructure select committee.

It may not be as soon as 2030.

Meeting winter power demand  particularly in a dry-year  is the single biggest challenge to the governments calls for a 100 percent renewable generation system by 2035. Some in the Labour-led coalition have also promoted a ban on further gas-fired generation, despite the sector being more than 80 percent renewable now and contributing only about 5 percent of the countrys emissions.

Several hydrogen pilots are getting underway in different parts of the country.

Genesis is the countrys biggest thermal generator but also operates three hydro schemes. It has a small wind farm in Wairarapa and has partnered with Tilt Renewables to develop a 100 MW wind farm at Waverley on the southern Taranaki coast.

But it is the firms ability to burn either coal or gas in the ageing Rankine turbines at Huntly that makes its operation central to security of national power supplies. The coal stockpile  which can sit unused for years at a time - provides ample flexibility to generate when lakes are low, when gas supplies are interrupted, or during other system emergencies.

The two 250 MW units have been running hard on imported coal the past two months due to the recent shutdown of part of the Pohokura gas field.

The committee heard that in the year through June, more than 80 percent of that flexible supply was sold to other power retailers and major users.

Everyone depends on Huntly, not just the Genesis customers, England said. The company is not acting recklessly and declared its intention to stop using coal early so that the industry has a whole could respond.

Right now we dont have a solution. At the moment there is no alternative to that coal stockpile, but we believe as an industry and a country weve got 12 years to work it out.

In response to questions, England said New Zealand has plenty of wind and geothermal generation options to meet demand if electrification of transport and industry takes off.

But he said the country needs to look at all its options if it is to decarbonise its generation industry.

There will be no single solution and New Zealand should absolutely be looking at whether it can increase its hydro generation capacity. That could include increasing the maximum storage levels of existing schemes and lowering their minimum lake levels.

England noted over-building renewable supplies to reduce dry-year risk would put more cost onto customers.

Gas also remains important, and the governments recent ban on new offshore exploration will probably flow into higher gas and electricity prices as local supplies dwindle.

Prices would then tend to rise toward parity with imported gas. While the timing of that is hard to pick, England said that price pressure could become evident in the mid-2020s.

(BusinessDesk)

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The government appears to have left the door open for an increase in emission prices before it moves to regular auctions of emission units in 2020.

Acting Climate Change Minister Julie Anne Genter this week confirmed the current $25 cap will apply as the fixed-price option for next years surrenders  those relating to 2018 emissions.

But the government was silent on the price that will apply for surrenders due in 2020 for emissions generated during the coming year, or the process it will use for setting that.

Today, Ministry for the Environment staff said they were unable to offer more detail beyond that announced by Genter on Wednesday.

The consultation paper the ministry issued in August stated that a fixed-price option would remain in place until at least 2020 but also noted that $25 may not be appropriate throughout that period.

Wednesdays announcement on the ministrys website makes no specific comment on plans for 2020 surrenders. Under the ETS, emitters have the option of paying the ceiling price rather than buying units from other participants.

The government has agreed that several considerations must be taken into account when setting the future price ceiling level, including international emissions prices and impacts on households, the ministry said.

Spot NZ units were recently trading at $24.85. April 2019 contract prices were at $25.15, while those for 2020 and 2021 were at $26 and $26.95 respectively, according to OMF.

The government, having made political hay from the record fuel prices in September, appears to be considering its next moves on the ETS carefully, given the impact the changes will have on petrol, electricity and gas prices, and transport and freight costs more generally.

The move to auctions  intended to cap the volume of units available, keep them consistent with international prices, and align their availability with the countrys emission budgets  was widely supported by submitters.

They will be single-round, sealed bid auctions, with participants paying a uniform clearing price. They will also include a cost containment reserve as a replacement for the current $25 cap.

But their frequency - monthly or quarterly  is yet to be settled. Regulations to set the volume of units available in the reserve, and the trigger price for releasing them, are also still to be prepared.

The government also repeated its intention to retain the option of including high-quality international units in the ETS in future, but appears to have made no decision on whether participants can buy them directly, or whether the government would buy them and then auction a matching volume of NZUs.

A limit would be placed on their use, and they would only be used in a way that maintains incentives for domestic abatement, the ministry noted this week.

Another key decision deferred until next year is the phasing down of free emission allocations for high-emitting, trade-exposed industries like steel, aluminium and methanol production.

The government has been considering phasing down the allocations  set a decade ago  to better reflect firms improving emissions intensity. Leaving the allocations at current levels would be more generous than needed and would also use up a lot of the countrys emissions budget out to 2030, putting additional costs on other sectors.

Currently, 143 million units are expected to be allocated free to industry from 2021 to 2030. That would leave only about 44 million units available for auction during the same period.

Officials previously noted that many submitters on the changes favoured a decision-making process to determine the pace of any reductions across the 26 industrial activities covered by the allocations.

The suggested option of 1 to 3 percent annual reductions was considered too blunt a tool, given the varying technological options different industries had, and the varying risk of carbon leakage depending on whether rival producers operated in jurisdictions with less stringent controls.

(BusinessDesk)

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The New Zealand dollar is under pressure against the Australian dollar as signs of progress in the US-China trade dispute benefit the Aussie more than the kiwi, given Australia's greater exposure to China.

The kiwi traded at 94.84 Australian cents at 5pm in Wellington from 94.87 Australian cents at 8am and from 95.42 cents yesterday. It touched a high of 95.84 on Monday. The New Zealand dollar was at 68.56 US cents from 68.90 late yesterday.

Sentiment was buoyed overnight after Reuters reported that Chinese state-owned companies have bought more than 1.5 million tonnes of U.S. soybeans and China appears to be toning down its high-tech industrial development push, dubbed Made in China 2025, according to new guidance to local governments.

"Last night was generally a risk positive market," said Mark Johnson, a private client manager at OMF. He said, however, the kiwi was unwinding against the Australian dollar as the Australian dollar had been harder hit by the jitters around trade, given its more significant exposure to China. The Australian dollar is also often used as a more liquid proxy for the yuan, he said.

The Australian dollar is currently trading at 72.28 US cents and Johnson said if it pushes above 72.50 US cents it will open up some reasonable upside, which will further weigh on the kiwi/aussie cross.

He said investors were not phased by news that New Zealand's Treasury trimmed its surplus forecasts for the next three years and lowered its growth forecasts.

"We werent expecting any big surprises in todays Half-Year Economic Update, and we didnt get any. The general message was that the governments books are in good shape and are expected to remain that way so long as the government sticks to its Budget Responsibility Rules and the Treasurys central economic outlook broadly materialises," said ANZ Bank in a note.

The kiwi also remained under pressure against the British pound after UK Prime Minister Theresa May's "stay of execution," said Johnson. It was trading at 54.34 pence from 55.09 pence yesterday. Markets had already bet May would be able to survive a 'no confidence' vote but Johnson said the British pound may not be able to sustain the rally as the risk of a chaotic Brexit remains.

The kiwi was at 4.7116 Chinese yuan from 4.7436 yuan. It fell to 77.77 yen from 78.17 yen yesterday and declined to 60.31 euro cents from 60.83 cents. The trade-weighted index fell to 74.82 from 75.35.

New Zealand's two-year swap rate rose 2 basis points to 2.07 percent; the 10-year swaps rose 3 basis points to 2.77 percent

(BusinessDesk)

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Australian kitchenware firm GWA Group is mounting a $118 million bid for Kiwi tapware maker Methven and has the blessing of cornerstone investor Brendan Lindsay, barring a better offer emerging.

Methven's directors have agreed to a scheme implementation agreement in which GWA would pay $1.60 a share, a 39 percent premium to the $1.15 price before the deal was announced today. Since trading resumed, the shares have climbed 23 percent to $1.41. GWA would also let Methven pay an interim dividend of up to 5 cents from profits in the six-month period ending Dec. 31.

The New Zealand firm's directors are obliged to unanimously recommend the offer, provided it falls within the assessed valuation range of independent adviser Grant Samuel, and provided no superior bid emerges. The agreement includes a $1.2 million break fee, the equivalent of 1.6 cents per share.

GWA already has Methven's biggest shareholder - Sistema millionaire Lindsay - onboard, giving it 19.9 percent. Another 2.1 percent will be committed by the directors, meaning the Australian firm starts at 22 percent.

To secure control, it only needs 75 percent support at a meeting where at least half the company's voting rights are cast, rather than the 90 percent threshold needed in a formal takeover to enforce mop-up provisions. The meeting is expected to be held in March next year.

"The value offered, which includes the permitted dividend, is highly attractive as it does acknowledge future growth in Methven and allows shareholders to realise value today," chair Alison Barrass said in a statement. "Given there was a high level of understanding between both parties, a scheme proposal was seen as the best and fairest way of expediting this transaction and providing certainty of outcome within a defined timeframe at an agreed and compelling value."

Methven said GWA has committed to keeping the New Zealand design, innovation and manufacturing base for the enlarged group. That was a crucial element of the deal, it said.

GWA said it expects to cut duplicated costs by about $5 million by the 2021 financial year, primarily in logistics, freight, and listing costs. It sees the deal as boosting per-share earnings by a mid-single digit in the 2020 year, rising to a high-single-digit gain once the doubled up costs are stripped out.

The Australian company will fund the deal from its existing banking facilities.

"The transaction will enhance the regional diversity of our revenue and earnings through leveraging Methven's presence in international markets to accelerate growth opportunities for Methven and GWA brands aligned to our core water solutions," GWA managing director Tim Salt said. "The combination of GWA and Methven will create a stronger trans-Tasman business, which will allow us to strengthen our offering in bathroom and kitchen fixtures."

GWA last traded at A$2.77 on the ASX, and has decreased 2.8 percent so far this year.

The scheme also needs High Court approval, and the transaction will require Overseas Investment Office sign-off.

(BusinessDesk)

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Mayor hopes to strengthen port cooperation with Busan

From:Shine | 2018-12-12 16:29

Shanghai Mayor Ying Yong met his Busan counterpart Oh Keo-don and his delegation on December 6.

Ying said China and the Republic of Korea are neighbors and important cooperation partners, and Shanghai and Busan have had many fruitful cooperation and exchanges in many industries since the two city formed the twin cities tie in 1993.

Shanghai successfully concluded the first China International Import Expo in November and many companies from South Korea participated in the expo, including 10 companies from Busan, which greatly promoted the cooperation and exchange between the two cities.

As both countries economic centers and important port cities, Shanghai is willing to use the opportunity of the 25th anniversary of the twos twin city tie to learn from Busans experience in port management and operation and tourism development, and further strengthen the cooperation in trade, port and cultural industries, Ying added.

Oh said Shanghai is developing rapidly and it is now a metropolis. Busan and Shanghai have a lot of similarities and the two have had a lot of cooperation and exchanges since the two formed the twin city tie 25 years ago.

Busan hopes to learn more from Shanghais development experience and strengthen its cooperation and friendly exchanges with the city, Oh added.

Choi Yeong-sam, the Republic of Koreas consul-general in Shanghai, also attended the meeting.

Shanghai Mayor Ying Yong meets his Busan counterpart Oh Keo-don.
Page Content

AIRPORTFanfare and merriment was the order of the day at SXM Airport around when Rotary International President Barry Rassin stepped onto the tarmac around 4:00pm Wednesday.

He was greeted by a large delegation led by Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport & telecommunication (TEATT) the Honourable Stuart Johnson.

President Rassin was also met outside the arrival hall of the Airport by the District Governor for St. Maarten, his wife, AG, current Presidents, Secretaries and members of the various clubs.

Minister Johnson said "As a Rotarian and a Minister in the Council of Ministers for the Government of St. Maarten, I take great pride in welcoming the Rotary International President to St. Maarten. I am pleased that he has taken the time to visit us here in St. Maarten."

Also part of the Welcome Committee was Rotary Sunset President Jaida, DGND Louis Wever and his wife Amanda Wever, Secretary Elisia along with other members of the Rotary Club.

Rotary Sunset President Jaida presented RI President Rassin with a St. Martin Scarf, which he wore from the tarmac to the arrival hall where he was greeted with a Ponum Dancer performance by 6 students of the NIA (namely Ray Angel Simon, Zacquell Phipps, Tyreke Arrindell, Naomi Jonelle Wasop, and Faith Peterson & Kiara Vanterpool).

Local Calypso Kings Kenyo Baly, King James and King Vers as well as Carnival Queens Shanice, Shakiynah and Michelene were also on hand to welcome RI President Rassin.

Senior Queen, Ms Shanice Powell handed President Rassin some welcome gifts and a few words of welcome. Johnson said following the arrival of the RI President considering that it is the first visit of the RI President, we want to give him a real St. Maarten welcome and show him the type of atmosphere that this incredible country has which draws people from around the world to our shores. A strong relationship with Rotary International is significant for the island as there are often many events that the Rotary Club holds annually with its members, and we in St. Maarten can play a major role in hosting these events. We can also benefit from and be part of the Rotary Club Internationals many outreach programs.

RI President Rassin is a member of the Rotary Club of East Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas and has been elected Rotary International President for 2018-19. He has an MBA in health, as well as hospital administration and spent 37 years as President of Doctors Hospital Health System. He is a lifetime member of the American Hospital Association and has served on the Quality Council of the Bahamas, Health Education Council and Employers Confederation.
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IS 'annihilation' of Iraqi farms leaves haunting legacy



Baghdad, Dec 13 (AFP) Dec 13, 2018



The Islamic State group's "deliberate, wanton annihilation" of agricultural lands in Iraq's northern Sinjar amounts to war crimes, haunting farmers a year after the jihadists' defeat, Amnesty International said Thursday.

Based on interviews with dozens of farmers, Amnesty's new report found the jihadists' "scorched-earth tactics" meant Sinjar's farmers, particularly those from the minority Yazidi community, could not come home.

The report was released a day after Nobel Prize winner and Yazidi activist Nadia Murad visited Baghdad to call for more government support to her native Sinjar.

"Our investigation reveals how IS carried out deliberate, wanton destruction of Iraq's rural environment around Sinjar Mountain, wreaking havoc on the long-term livelihoods of Yazidis and other agrarian communities," said Richard Pearshouse, Amnesty's senior crisis adviser.

IS overran Sinjar in August 2014, killing Yazidi men, forcefully enlisting boys as soldiers and kidnapping more than 6,000 women and girls as "sex slaves".

Over the next three years, according to Amnesty's report, the jihadists also stole farming equipment and electricity lines, burned orchards, and packed rubble, oil, or other foreign objects into vital irrigation wells across Sinjar.

"Sabotage of irrigation wells and other destruction amounts to war crimes," the London-based watchdog said

"They took what they wanted and what they could not take, they broke," said Dakhil, a farmer in his early 20s from a southern village in Sinjar.

Before IS's assault, he and his father grew wheat and herded sheep and chickens.

They fled IS in August 2014, but when they returned to their farm last year after IS's fall, they found it ravaged, with their animals and equipment stolen and their water well blocked.

"We have come back to dead land. It's as if we never worked here at all," he told Amnesty.

Another farmer, Hadi, fled Sinjar in 2014 to nearby Dohuk. When he tried to go back, he found his well clogged with rubble and his olive and pomegranate trees chopped down.

"They did this to send a message: that you have nothing to return to, so if you survive don't even think of coming back," the man in his 40s said.

Sinjar's Yazidi community numbered 550,000 before IS, but the jihadists' sweep in 2014 forced 100,000 to flee Iraq and even more to seek refuge in nearby Kurdistan.

For three years, Iraqi forces, paramilitary units, and the US-led coalition fought IS until they declared victory in December 2017.

But the battles "eviscerated Iraq's agricultural production, now an estimated 40 percent lower than 2014 levels," Amnesty found.

Only a fifth of Iraq's farmers have access to irrigation, down from two-thirds before IS. The worst-affected farmlands saw 95 percent of their livestock lost.

Amnesty said the "jobless and insecure vacuum" left behind by the jihadists could serve up easy prey for IS sleeper cells looking to replenish their ranks.

"Unless there is urgent government assistance, the long-term damage inflicted on Iraq's rural environment will reverberate for years to come," Pearshouse said.
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OAS expresses 'greatest concern' over Venezuela-Russia wargames



Washington, Dec 13 (AFP) Dec 13, 2018



The Organization of American States on Wednesday expressed concerns about the deployment of Russian aircraft to Venezuela to carry out military exercises.

A statement from the body's General Secretariat said it noted news from Caracas of "the possibility that aircraft capable of using nuclear weapons from Russia are in its territory" with the "greatest concern."

Russia sent about 100 pilots and other personnel along with two Tupolev-160 bombers and two other aircraft to Caracas -- generating tensions with the US and Colombia, countries Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro regularly accuses of plotting to assassinate him.

The secretariat branded the mission as "harmful to Venezuelan sovereignty," adding it violated the crisis-hit South American country's constitution because it had not been authorized by its National Assembly.

"Likewise, this action may also be in violation of fundamental norms of international law," it said.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo this week condemned the exercises, drawing ire from the Kremlim which branded his response "undiplomatic."
NATO to send Ukraine secure comms amid Russia standoff



Brussels, Dec 13 (AFP) Dec 13, 2018



NATO announced on Thursday that it will supply Ukraine with secure communications equipment by the end of the year to help Kiev combat destabilisation efforts by Russia.

Alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg praised Ukraine for its "calm and restraint" during the recent naval standoff with Russia in the Azov Sea and said NATO support for Kiev would continue.

After talks with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Stoltenberg repeated a call for Russia to free sailors seized in the Azov Sea clash last month.

"Today, I told President Poroshenko that we will deliver secure communications equipment for the Ukrainian Armed Forces by the end of this year," Stoltenberg said.

"We are also supporting Ukraine to improve its naval capabilities, logistics and cyber defence."

Earlier this week the EU said Russia had prepared the ground for the sea clash with a year-long campaign of disinformation about Kiev and NATO's plan for the Azov Sea.

Stoltenberg took aim at Russia's "destabilising behaviour", particularly in Ukraine where a conflict rages in the east between the government and separatists supported by Moscow.

"We see that in eastern Ukraine where ceasefire violations are reported daily, including with weapons banned under the Minsk Agreements," Stoltenberg said.

The Minsk agreements were struck to end the conflict, which began following the annexation of Crimea by Russia, but they have not been successful.

Stoltenberg also said that the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) monitoring mission in Ukraine was facing restrictions.

"They are regularly prevented from moving freely and their observation drones are jammed and shot down," Stoltenberg said.
Turkish soldier killed in Syria's Afrin: ministry



Ankara, Dec 13 (AFP) Dec 13, 2018



A Turkish soldier was killed on Thursday in the northern Syrian region of Afrin after coming under fire from a Kurdish militia, the Turkish defence ministry said.

The soldier was shot by members of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia from the nearby city of Tal Rifaat, east of Afrin, the ministry said in a statement.

The Turkish army responded with "heavy fire" against YPG targets, the ministry added.

The city of Afrin was captured in March this year from the US-backed militia by Turkish armed forces and Syrian rebels supported by Ankara.

Ankara says the YPG is a "terrorist offshoot" of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been conducting an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.

The PKK is blacklisted as a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies.

The incident comes after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened on Wednesday to launch an operation against the YPG in northern Syria, east of the Euphrates River, in the "next few days" and thus risking renewed tensions with the United States.

Washington has been working closely with YPG under the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance against the Islamic State (IS) extremist group.

Ankara has repeatedly condemned the United States for its military support to the YPG and it has been one of the biggest sources of tensions between the NATO allies.

Any new offensive by Turkey would be its third operation in Syria after previous operations against IS and the YPG in August 2016 and January 2018 respectively.

But Pentagon spokesman Commander Sean Robertson on Wednesday said any unilateral military action in Syria would be a "grave concern" and "unacceptable".

Erdogan's threats came hot on the heels of Washington's announcement of observation posts in Syria intended to prevent any altercation between the Turkish army and the YPG.

Later on Thursday, the Turkish defence ministry said air strikes struck PKK targets in Sinjar and Mount Karacak in northern Iraq, hitting shelters and tunnels.

Erdogan earlier this year threatened to expand Turkey's fight against the PKK to Iraq and launch an operation against the group in Sinjar, an area where the PKK has a presence.

The ministry said in a statement that the aim of the operation was "to prevent terror attacks against our citizens and security forces, and ensure border security."
Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has delivered one of the most controversial and historic judgments ever in the history to solve the prevailing constitutional crisis in the island nation





Lead Story





In its historic judgment delivered by the Supreme Court in Sri Lanka short awhile ago has ruled out the President Maithripala Sirisenas dissolving the Parliament and calling for a snap poll is illegal and unconstitutional.





Supreme Court bench of seven judges unanimously holds the Dissolution of the parliament to be illegal, therefore the President Sirisenas decision is ultra vires and unconstitutional.









President Sirisena by issuing an extraordinary gazette notification dissolved the parliament and called for an early election to elect the new parliament last month. But the decision was challenged before the Supreme Court by numbers of parties through fundamental rights petitions.





Maithripala Sirisena is the seventh and current President of Sri Lanka assumed duties since January 2015. He is regarded as the architect of an ongoing constitutional crisis in Sri Lanka





The president's United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) had earlier on Friday, 26 October, quit the national unity government that had governed with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's UNP.





Later at about 7:00 pm without a prior announcement, President Maithripala Sirisena unexpectedly appointed former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime Minister in a live swearing-in ceremony broadcast over television. Rajapaksa took an oath of office in the presence of Sirisena and representatives of the military inside the Presidential Secretariat. He was sworn in while Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was still the incumbent and away touring in the south of the country.





The situation in Colombo was uneasy with some cabinet ministers immediately declaring the move unconstitutional, while other Cabinet ministers and parliamentarians began defecting to the new government.





On 27 October President Sirisena issued a formal notice for Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to step down. Sirisena later issued gazettes formalising and defending the dramatic move. Wickremesinghe however entered Temple Trees, the Prime Ministers residence, refusing to accept the appointment of Mahinda Rajapaksa and his dismissal, insisting in a letter to Sirisena that he was still in office. Sirisena and Rajapaksa announced their intent to form a new cabinet





Later President Sirisena was announced through an extraordinary gazette notice that general elections will be held on 5 January 2019, and the first meeting of the new Parliament to be held on 17 January 2019. UPFA MP Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said "The nominations would be tendered from 9 to 26 November 2018.





However, on 12 November, twelve Fundamental Right petitions were submitted to the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka challenging the president's decree sacking parliament and calling a snap election, by the UNP, TNA, JVP, SLMC and others including Prof Ratnajeevan Hoole, a member of the ElectionCommission. Arguing that Sirisena's actions were unconstitutional, illegal and against the people of Sri Lanka, Hoole demanded the restoration of status quo prevailing prior to 26 October. Hoole's position strengthens the argument of 11other petitions.





These were taken up for hearing on the same day by a three-member bench of the Supreme Court consisting of the Chief Justice Nalin Perera, Justices Prasanna Jayawardena and Priyantha Jayawardena. Three-Judge bench issued an interim order till 7 December staying the proclamation issued by President Sirisena to dissolve parliament and granted leave to proceed with the Fundamental Rights petitions that challenged the President's dissolving parliament.





Later, the Chief Justice nominated a fuller Bench comprising seven judges of the Supreme Court to hear on 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th December, the fundamental rights petitions filed against the declaration of dissolution of Parliament by the President.





The Bench Comprises Chief Justice Nalin Perera, Justices Buwaneka Aluwihare, Sisira J. de Abrew, Priyantha Jayawardena, Prasanna S. Jayawardena, Vijith K. Malalgoda and Murdu Fernando.
English12/12/2018

SLAVKA MATICS FAMILY KILLED WITHIN AN HOUR TIME SPAN

BRATUNAC, December 12 /SRNA/ - Among 68 Serbian civilians and soldiers whom Muslim soldier killed in only one day in the Bratunac village of Bjelovac and the neighboring villages of Sikirici and Loznicka Rijeka 26 years ago are Radivoje Matic and his daughters Snjezana and Gordana, the whole family of Slavka Matic, who by accident was not at home and who thus survived the massacre.



In the morning of December 14, 1992, when Muslim forces from Srebrenica, commanded by Naser Oric, raided Bjelovac, this women lost her children and husband, her house was looted and set on fire, the village was destroyed and those who survived fled to various directions.



Slavka lives alone in a house in Bjelovac which she partially reconstructed and has hoped for 26 years that someone will answer for the murder of her daughters and husband on their doorstep.



Slavka, now an elderly woman, remembers the murder of her family. We found Snjezana killed in front of the doors. Gordana bled to death in a bathroom. My husband and a neighbor were killed in the yard, Slavka has said and added that she lost every hope that the perpetrators of these monstrous crimes will be brought to justice.



She has said that Republika Srpska is the only justice for surviving residents of these villages and that she still believes only in Gods justice.



If someone killed so many chickens, let alone people, he would be brought to justice, Slavka has said and stressed that after the commander of Muslim forces in Srebrenica, Naser Oric, was acquitted of charges, she does not trust the judiciary and justice.



She has said that several more elderly women and disabled persons were killed on their doorsteps and that some women were taken captive together with their children and taken to a prison camp in Srebrenica, where they were tortured for two months, and that they were exchanged after two months.



On December 14, 1992, women Dostana and Mira Filipovic, seven-month-old Nemanja and three-year-old Olivera Filipovic, nine-year-old Brano Vucetic, whose father Radovan and brother Milenko were killed on that day and whose mother was killed three months earlier, were taken from Bjelovac to the prison camp.



Elderly woman Bozana Ostojic disappeared and she has not yet been found.



Fourteen-year-old Slobodan Petrovic and fifteen-year-old Cedo Miladinovic are the youngest victims of the massacre, while 80-year-old Dostana Matic is the oldest victim.



This crime, just like many others in Central Podrinje, was committed by Muslim units from Srebrenica under command of Naser Oric which were composed of Muslims from neighboring Bratunac villages.



A memorial service will be held on Friday, December 14 in the Church of Holy Prophet Elijah in Bjelovac for 109 Serbs from that village and the neighboring villages of Sikiric and Loznicka Rijeka who were killed in the patriotic-defense war, 68 of whom were massacred in one day, on December 14, 1992. /end/sg
A more recent publication of this set of statistics is available. Latest publication: Index of turnover in industry 2021, September

Published: 13 December 2018

Turnover in manufacturing grew by almost 8 per cent in the third quarter

According to Statistics Finland, turnover in manufacturing in the July to September period was 7.7 per cent higher than in the corresponding period of the year before. Domestic sales grew by 5.1 per cent and export turnover by 9.6 per cent from one year ago.

Three months' year-on-year change in turnover in manufacturing (C) sub-industries (TOL 2008)

Turnover went up from the corresponding period of the previous year in nearly all manufacturing (C) sub-industries . The growth was strongest in the chemical industry, 16.7 per cent, in the electrical and electronics industry, 10.5 per cent, and in the forest industry, 7.8 per cent. The growth was slowest in the food industry, 1.1 per cent from the previous year. Turnover decreased from the previous year only in the textile, clothing and leather industry, by 2.7 per cent.

Three months' year-on-year change in turnover in main industrial categories (TOL 2008)

The turnover of all main categories of manufacturing industries grew year-on-year. Turnover growth was strongest in the industry of electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply, 14.7 per cent. Turnover in mining and quarrying grew by 6.5 per cent and in water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities by 6.3 per cent from one year ago.

The index of turnover in industry describes enterprises whose main industry is manufacturing. The calculation of the indices is based on the Tax Administrations self-assessed tax data which are supplemented with data obtained with Statistics Finlands sales inquiry. The monthly turnovers of manufacturing enterprises can vary considerably, especially in the metal industries. The variation is mainly due to invoicing practices. The final invoice for major machinery deliveries and projects may be recorded in the sales of one month, even if the delivery had required the work of several months or years.

Source: Index of turnover in industry 2018, September, Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Maija Sappinen 029 551 3348, Kirsi-Maaria Manninen 029 551 2681, myynti.teollisuus@stat.fi

Director in charge: Mari Yla-Jarkko

Publication in pdf-format (360.6 kB)

Updated 13.12.2018

Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Index of turnover in industry [e-publication].

ISSN=1798-596X. September 2018. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 29.11.2021].

Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/tlv/2018/09/tlv_2018_09_2018-12-13_tie_001_en.html
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Stratford MP Nadhim Zahawi gave Prime Minister Theresa May his full support this evening

PRIME Minister Theresa May has survived a vote of no confidence on her leadership of the Conservative Party.

On hearing the news Nadhim Zahawi, MP for Stratford-upon-Avon, commented on Twitter, "The result means we can get on with the job of delivering the Brexit people voted for ... bringing our country together again ... and focusing on the other issues that matter to people at home. Respect to Theresa May for her relentless focus and hard work. Thankless task".

Mrs May secured 63 per cent of the total vote of Conservative MPs, she is now immune from a leadership challenge for one year.
SMW '18: nanocosmos' Oliver Lietz Talks Interactive Streaming and H5Live

Learn more about edge delivery and legacy CDNs at Streaming Media's next event.



Read the complete transcript of this interview:

Tim Siglin: Welcome back to Streaming Media West 2018, I'm Tim Siglin, contributing editor with Streaming Media Magazine. Today I've got with me Oliver Lietz from nanocosmos. First of all, tell me what is nanocosmos, because it's a fascinating name.

Oliver Lietz: Nanocosmos is a company I founded 20 years ago. We started as a coding company doing software SDKs and codings for the broadcast industry. We've now evolved to a service company providing natural legacy CDN for live streaming, including a player which works on all browsers, which we call H5Live.

Tim Siglin: And you have nanoStream Cloud. we've talked about the before. One of the things before was that some of the featureS were sort of lacking. Is it full-featured now or is it moved forward?

Oliver Lietz: It's really a natural legacy CDN now with a global scale which is running a 24/7 operation and which is working all browsers, which includes the H5Live player. It's even working on Safari on iOS. So we are going around the world in one second on that solution, and we have many customers worldwide who are using that for specific verticals like betting, bidding, i-gaming. Interactivity is key with that solution, so the vertical solutions go beyond the standard broadcast operations-

Tim Siglin: Where multi-second delivery doesnt matter. But interactivity matters in the applications youre talking about. How much of that is based on this specialized network you've built versus, based on the way your transport protocol works.

Oliver Lietz: So what we learned is that you need to have full control of the whole workflow, which means coming from the encoder and all elements of the workflow, and especially the delivery part, which is the greatest challenge due to the latency in HLS applications. So we have a client-server solution which connects the player to our edge servers, and thats why we needed to create the network also.

Tim Siglin: And for the interactivity portion, its not video coming back from the viewers. Its actually placing a bet or voting on something, so there's not as wide a pipe that needs to come back. Is that correct?

Oliver Lietz: It can also be video so it can be two-way communication. But it also can be a kind of back-channel chat or bid or a game whatever result you're getting from the audience back. Anything which needs to have back-channel in text form or message or whatever. But also a video-audio stream can be used for that.

Tim Siglin: Interesting. And for those scenarios where it's bi-directional video, is that one-to-one, one -to-many or many-to-many? What are those scenarios?

Oliver Lietz: Actually it's many-to-many. So the idea is not to have a peer-to-peer connection like a Skype-style connection. But a many-to-many or one-to-many approach where you can go instantly out, instantly live from any location with any device and you can share that with an audience of any size and around the world.

Tim Siglin: Interesting. And does everyone have to have the H5Live player or does it automatically download to their device when they try to watch the stream?

Oliver Lietz: It's no download, it's basically as a similar application on the web. It's a browser-based application, very lightweight, a Javascript library, which loads. So our customers use that to embed a livestream on their own webpage where they can easily do their own brand on top of that.

Tim Siglin: And because it's Java script that's why you can do things like Safari and iOS.

Oliver Lietz: Exactly.

Tim Siglin: One last question. Microservices is sort of a hot topic. As you say you control the experience end-to-end. Are microservices a part of that for you, doing sort of small modular approaches to services? Or are you working with a more legacy system that's fairly monolithic?

Oliver Lietz: We do microservices in our infrastructure and we have very lightweight dashboards which we can share with the customers. REST APIs which they can use to add some security levels to create streams, to use the stream logic, add some information to those streams. So that makes a lot of sense for us to use but for the customer we would like to hide as far as possible the technology background so they don't need to care about all these details in their systems.

Tim Siglin: Good. Oliver, thank you very much for your time, and we'll be right back after a short break.

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In September, we reported that networks worldwide of people living with HIV/AIDS, sex workers, and drug users were calling for an "alternative" 2020 international AIDS conference outside the U.S. to protest that the traditional biennial one is being held in the Bay Area despite the fact that people from Muslim-majority countries may have a hard time getting into the U.S. for the conference. In addition, sex workers and people who use drugs -- populations that intersect with HIV work -- are not allowed into the U.S. unless they (essentially) lie on their admission paperwork.

Well, on December 10, a coalition of those networks announced HIV 2020: Community Reclaiming the Global Response, to be held in Mexico City July 6 to 8, 2020, concurrent with the first two days of the traditional conference in the Bay Area. In other words, the alternative, people-living-with-HIV/AIDS-focused conference is definitely happening. We hopped on Skype with one of the key organizers, George Ayala, Psy.D., executive director of MPact Global Action for Gay Men's Health and Rights, to get more details.

Tim Murphy: Thanks for hopping on Skype from Amsterdam, George. So, tell us everything you know so far about the alternative conference.

George Ayala: We deliberately set the dates for the front end of the international conference, partly because there's going to be a handful of people who want to attend both. We're still researching possible venues in Mexico City. I have some steering committee members who are connected with the new president [of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador] and his administration, and they've given us every indication that they're open to hosting. We think that Mexico is a little easier to get into if you're a sex worker or a person who uses drugs. Their immigration website says they'll deny entry for anyone who has a criminal record, but I don't think they ask at the border like the U.S. does. It's not ideal, but it's easier than the U.S., plus it's in a time zone that would permit an easy connection to the Bay Area if we want to open up lines of communication. There may be an opportunity for us to co-program or telecast our keynote speaker to the main conference and vice versa.

TM: What is the programming for the alternative conference?

GA: In January, we'll set up three big working groups: communications, fundraising, and programming. There is plenty of opportunity for anyone who's interested to get involved. [Scroll down to "Join the Team."] We're going to shine a spotlight on communities and their role in the global HIV response, and we're going to emphasize peer exchange, which is not typically seen at these international AIDS conferences. But in terms of specific content, we're not there yet.

TM: What will be the key issues central to the programming?

GA: Structural barriers to HIV services and the need for us to reframe the global HIV response within a broader discussion about sexual and reproductive health, particularly for key populations including gay men, sex workers, trans women, and people who use drugs. We'll talk about strategies that bring movements together, like how is HIV a racial justice issue, or how can we think about it from an economic justice perspective? Should the HIV movement be working toward universal health coverage? The debate about the traditional conference being in the U.S. reveals some of this. Why is it okay to have a conference in a country that would openly discriminate against people who use drugs and sex workers?

TM: How have the organizers of the traditional conference answered that question?

GA: I think they get embarrassed by it. They said that if the U.S. decided to reinstate the ban on entry into the country among HIV-positive people, they would move the conference, but when we asked, "Why are legal barriers for sex workers and drug users okay?", they basically said, "That's different." There's a double standard. The main conference's main constituents are public health officials and researchers whose main purpose is to feature their own work. Through the years, there's been this trend to sideline community in favor of science-based discussions, but without community assent, the best interventions in the world won't get anywhere.

TM: Do you have an estimate on the number of participants and also the cost?

GA: As for participants, as low as 800, with a goal of 2,500 -- but your guess right now is as good as mine. It's all going to be about how much money we raise. We want to make this as accessible as possible and bring folks who otherwise would not participate. We want to raise enough money to support the travel and accommodations of half of the attendees.

TM: Will you take money from Big Pharma if they offer?

GA: Absolutely, as long as the money is given without strings attached, which in my experience Big Pharma is willing to do. We've been in early conversations with ViiV, so we have reason to believe they'll give us some funding. We have some early inroads with Gilead, and the Open Society Foundations have asked us to come back to them in February or March. We're also talking to the Dutch foreign ministry. Starting in January, you'll see more of a drumbeat about the alternative event, and that'll help keep visibility up.

TM: Will the event be fun?

GA: Yes! I think so. What excites me most is the opportunity to be in community. It's so rare for such a diverse coalition to come together to talk about cross-cutting issues that are impacting everyone. Some of the most exciting work the past few years is with sex workers and people who inject drugs around the world. But when we show up to these big international conferences, we're siloed into the Global Village [community-focused section of the traditional conference]. There's very little opportunity to have true peer-to-peer exchange.

TM: Can you give some examples of the exciting work going on among drug users and sex workers?

GA: In countries like Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Indonesia, and South Africa, key-population technical working groups are popping up and influencing their countries' national AIDS plans, with funding going to community groups led by sex workers. We're seeing more harm-reduction programs sensitive to gay men, more gender-based programming sensitive to trans women rather than just for cisgender women and girls. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) programs are springing up for both gay men and trans women.

You can follow all this on our website, and also on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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Adams states his case for Mr. Football award Fewer players have meant more to their teams than Gray Collegiates KZ Adams. Rarely has a week gone by where Adams hasnt rushed for at least 200 yards and a...
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Linkedin Truston Jianheng Yu (The Jakarta Post) Hong Kong  Thu, December 13, 2018 16:07 1082 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e220ba6 3 Opinion ASEAN,Southeast-Asia,Timor-Leste,diplomacy,international-relations Free

Much has happened in Southeast Asia this year. Just to mention a few: a landslide general election in Malaysia oversaw the downfall of the National Front ruling coalition (Barisan Nasional) and the reemergence of Mahathir Mohamad to the top seat of Prime Minister; the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia held two Khmer Rouge leaders guilty of genocide; Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat of Singapore was announced as the fourth generation leader of the People's Action Party, and is poised to become the next Prime Minister. Unfortunately, Timor Leste's (East Timor) admission to ASEAN is not among that list.

Following Cambodia's admission in 1999, Timor Leste is the final missing piece towards an ASEAN that encompasses all of Southeast Asia.

In late 2017 it was declared that Timor Leste's accession would not take place this year. Unsurprisingly the issue was not mentioned at all during the latest ASEAN Summit held in Singapore mid-November. Timor Leste has been applying for ASEAN membership since 2011. In 2017 they applied twice, and twice they got rejected. The question is, why?

ASEAN's principle of equality emphasizes equal rights and equal responsibility. Consensus is essential in ASEAN's decision-making, as stated in its Charter. Thus effectively each and every member state possesses veto power. If Timor Leste was accepted, they too, would have an equal share of power. By admitting a new member state, no current member would be gaining more power. The exact opposite is true -- the power would be diluted as the veto-bearing member count increases. If you were to give a new member the exact same power you have, you would want to make sure you can trust this state, that they would at least not jeopardize your own ideas. This probably explains why some members would be wary, if not hesitant, of letting Timor Leste in.

The equal responsibility doctrine means all must contribute equal amounts towards ASEANs operational costs. Unlike the International Monetary Fund or other institutions where powerful states may invest more to gain more influence or even more votes, ASEAN members are supposed to contribute equally to the Associations expenses, which was US$2 million per member in the 2016 budget. This, in addition to the demands on the diplomatic staff (reaching over 1,000 meetings to attend annually), puts the newest nation Timor Leste, a tiny country, in a disadvantaged position.

Even now, almost two decades since ASEAN became a ten-member family, the members have varying economic capacity. This has frustrated powerhouses like Singapore, in their advances for further regional economic integration.

With the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint and proliferation of free trade agreements, the demand on countries' economic capacity would be higher. Timor Leste, currently the smallest economy in Southeast Asia, may have a hard time keeping up with the vibrant and dynamic regional market.

From an internal political security perspective, it is also understandable why some states have reservations to Timor Leste's accession. Despite some strife it has a stable political system, and is named the most democratic in the region by the Economist Intelligence Unit Democracy Index 2017.

Adhering to ASEANs non-interference principle, as a new member Timor Leste probably would not raise issues of other states' political or human rights situation. However, Timor Leste's example might be cited by activists of these member states as a narrative pushing for political reform -- putting Timor-Leste on the forefront of ASEAN's quest for democracy. Thus other governments might be concerned about how Timor Leste's democracy would affect their own grip on power.

According to the ASEAN Charter, "The Chairmanship of ASEAN shall rotate annually, based on the alphabetical order of the English names of Member States". Since Singapore currently chairs the ASEAN and will be handing the chairmanship to Thailand next year, technically this means that if Timor Leste is to be admitted in 2019 under Thailand's leadership, by default ASEAN would be led by Timor Leste in 2020.

Right now over half of ASEAN member states are obviously not even confident of Timor Leste being a member so it is unlikely that they would be convinced with Timor Leste being in charge of holding the ASEAN Summit, Coordinating Council and the three Community Councils within two years. Might this mean Timor Leste will have to at least wait until after the chairmanship of Vietnam?

On the other hand, Southeast Asian states forgoing their own turn for chairmanship is not unprecedented -- Myanmar, under pressure from the West, declined to chair ASEAN in 2006. Thus, Malaysia handed leadership over directly to the Philippines. Therefore, it is still possible for Timor Leste to be admitted in the coming year without having to chair ASEAN in 2020

Admittedly, the realist hypotheses above may be overtly pessimistic; constructivism has a more positive outlook.

One does not deliberately block a neighbor's entry into the regional bloc just because this might weaken one's own share of power. It is also understood that ASEAN is meant to be a forum for all of Southeast Asia; thus current members must strive together towards that goal.

On the bright side, four ASEAN member states, including Indonesia, have been backing Timor Leste's bid. Even for the opposing camp, their leader Singapore has been taking active measures to prepare Timor Leste for its ASEAN membership. This was stated in Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's speech at an S. Rajaratnam Lecture in 2015.

Once Singapore approves that Timor Leste is fully ready to assimilate into the regional bloc, it is likely that the rest of ASEAN will join the bandwagon to welcome their new fellow member.

Out of four conditions for membership laid out in the ASEAN Charter, Timor Leste has fulfilled three of them; the last one is "ability and willingness to carry out the obligations of Membership", which Timor Leste is making efforts and receiving support for. The fledgling nation has definitely demonstrated its willingness over the decade, so ability is the last and only concern which remains.

Hopefully in the next two years, the final piece of puzzle to a truly Southeast Asian ASEAN would be completed.

***

The writer is a sophomore majoring in politics and public administration and finance at the University of Hong Kong. He was born in Singapore, but calls Cirebon, West Java home and is passionate in Southeast Asian affairs.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
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Linkedin Kornelius Purba (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, December 13, 2018 09:26 1082 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e20e795 1 Opinion Thailand,junta-government,coup-attempt,military,military-coup,democracy Free

There is new hope that Thailand will have a general election next February, more than four years after the military staged a coup in May 2014. But now the country has a younger hawkish army general, whose father was also a junta leader 27 years ago.



Army chief Gen. Apirat Kongsompong, who was promoted to his new position in October, hinted it was not impossible that he would stage a new coup if he concludes it is the last resort to protect the monarch. Describing the current junta leader and also prime minister, Gen. Prayuth Chan-o-cha, as his role model, the army chief never tries to pretend to be pro-civilian. His father, late Gen. Sunthorn Kongsompong, staged a coup in February 1991.



But Kongsompong would remember well the rise and fall of his father, who toppled the government to protect the King, but later found himself unwanted by the monarch because of his failure to set a good example to the nation. Kongsompong may repeat the same reason  or pretext  to use military force to grab power. This suggests the Thai brass feel they still have considerable support for nondemocratic means and ways of governance.



I always remember an amusing family incident involving a Thai coup leader many years ago. Indonesian state-owned television network TVRI and a national newspaper reported how the generals first wife caught him dancing with his mistress, not long after his successful coup, at a military reception. I did not remember his name, until a Thai dissident told me about the general recently.



I often joked about the scene with my Thai friends, including with Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, who was just released in April after serving seven years of his 11-year sentence for defaming and insulting the king and the royal family.



I do remember the scene. The generals wife forced the military band to stop playing and the general had to escape with his very young mistress, I told Prueksakasemsuk when he and another antigovernment activist, Chonticha Jangrew, visited The Jakarta Post last month. He confirmed my memory that the general was the senior Kongsompong, although I failed to find the old photograph on Google.



Kongsompong toppled then-prime minister Gen. Chatichai Choonhavan on Feb. 23, 1991, but the scandal apparently diminished his strong man image. The regime could only survive for about one year, after then-King Bhumibol Adulyadej openly showed his disapproval of the junta.



Like others of the first wives club, the generals wife was angry for years at his mistress. Kongsompong senior once described his pain as a man torn between two lovers.



The army chief apparently inherited his fathers coup aspirations, but going by the late monarchs signals with junta leaders, personal integrity would be important to the credibility of the junta leadership.



Gen. Prayuth has ruled Thailand as a dictator since May 2014, after overthrowing the democratically elected Yingluck Shinawatra.



Following repeated promises to hand over power to a democratically elected government, Prayuths newest promise is to hold a general election on Feb. 24, 2019. But Kongsompong did not rule out a coup to protect King Vajiralongkorn and the monarchy.



Thailand has had more than 10 coups, but its no longer like in the past because the recent ones occurred due to politics, he told journalists, as quoted by international media organizations.



The 58-year-old general has also branded a group of petitioners, who recently urged King Vajiralongkorn to remove the junta, as mentally insane. The majority of those who slander the monarchy are mentally insane and those who are not insane have strange ideas, Kongsompong said.



Prayuth pledged he would do his best as ASEANs new rotary chairman during its leaders summit in Singapore last month. I give you my word, the prime minister said.



Hopefully his assurance also applies to his promise to his own nation that he would end his dictatorship as soon as possible. Prayuths position as chairman of the 10-member trade bloc has clearly played a role in his determination to return political sovereignty to the people. He staged a coup against a civilian government in May 2014. Now he has strong self-confidence that the people will mandate him to continue to rule Thailand through a democratic general election.



The junta on Tuesday lifted the ban on political activities ahead of the promised election next Feb. 24.



Hopefully, the Thai people are to again enjoy a full democracy, but the threat of a new coup is not very far, if not very close to them.



Today Gen. Kongsompong has a golden chance to be written into Thai history as a general who was on the frontline to support the return of civilian supremacy. Or will he repeat his fathers history?



Prayuth has a last chance to prove that he deserves the position as chairman of ASEAN by ensuring a fair and democratic election next February. The Thai people are the holders of supreme power. Prayuth has the right to contest the election and therefore to extend his rule.



The Thai army chief should resist the temptation to repeat his fathers coup path. Dont let history repeat itself, general.
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Linkedin Damos Dumoli Agusman and Gulardi Nurbintoro (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, December 13, 2018 10:31 1082 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e2137a1 3 Opinion maritime-border,maritime-diplomacy,diplomacy,border,dispute-settlement Free

Every Dec. 13 we commemorate the day in 1957 when then-prime minister Djuanda Kartawidjaja proclaimed Indonesias new maritime approach. The proclamation, which later became known as the Djuanda Declaration, established that Indonesia has the lawful right to draw baselines connecting the outermost points of its outermost islands and that the waters within those baselines fall under Indonesias sovereignty.



The Declaration, obviously a departure from the well-established international rule of drawing territorial seas from each island instead of an archipelago, was met with worldwide protest.



Conscious of the winding journey in securing international recognition, Indonesia became actively engaged in various multilateral and bilateral forums to ensure that Indonesias proposal would be accepted.



One of the means was to seek recognition through maritime boundary delimitation. In 1969, Indonesia and Malaysia agreed to a continental shelf boundary in the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea.



It took both countries only a couple of months of negotiations until the agreement was reached.



The maritime boundary agreement opened the path to another bilateral treaty in 1982, in which Malaysia firmly recognized Indonesias archipelagic state concept.



Ever since the 1969 agreement, Indonesia remains committed to the settlement of maritime boundary delimitation with its neighbors. History shows that negotiations were not always smooth and easy.



Although the negotiation on the continental shelf boundary with Malaysia was resolved quickly, that was not the case in other areas. Indonesia and Malaysia have yet to agree on a delimitation line in the Ambalat area.



And it took 30 years for Indonesia and Vietnam to reach an agreement on a continental shelf boundary, which was signed in 2003. Since 2010, both countries are still negotiating an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) boundary.



Various factors come into play when determining whether a boundary can be concluded promptly or not. The first is the willingness of the states concerned in coming to the negotiation table.



Regardless of how eager Indonesia is to conclude a maritime boundary, it will never happen if the other state is not willing, and Indonesia must respect this. At the end of the day, it takes two to tango.



The second factor is legal issues. Since the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 1982, its provisions became the international legal basis for delimiting maritime boundaries. For instance, delimitation of territorial seas is governed by Article 15.



While there is usually no legal question on delimitation of territorial seas, there remains an issue on the use of a single boundary line for the delimitation of EEZs and continental shelves. Indonesia believes separate lines should be drawn for delimiting each zone, as the continental shelf and EEZs are two different regimes under UNCLOS.



Also, while the International Court of Justice has applied a single boundary line since the Gulf of Maine case in 1984 until the most recent delimitation case of 2018, the maritime delimitation in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean between Costa Rica and Nicaragua, the Court had never stated that the single boundary line is customary international law.



Indonesias position is not shared by all its neighboring countries, hence the need to allocate some time to negotiate this issue alone.



The third factor pertains to technicalities. Once both countries agree to commence talks on delimitation, negotiators are left with technical issues. This is the part where both sides have to agree on the use of basepoints and baselines.



Then negotiations follow on the proposed median line. Arguments and counter-arguments will usually take place on why certain basepoints and baselines should or should not be used. This will take some time.



Fourth, a border treaty to be agreed and signed will be a sacred document. It is not a treaty in the ordinary sense. Once it is concluded, it will be forever effective, and will be very hard to terminate, even for a good reason.



The Vienna Convention of 1969 on the Law of Treaties has stipulated that even a fundamental change of circumstances may not be invoked as a ground for terminating or withdrawing from a treaty that establishes a boundary.



This makes negotiators think more than twice about the final drafts. Furthermore, whatever they agree at the negotiation table should be made accountable to their respective constituents, especially their respective parliaments. Therefore, all sides need ample time to say yes.



Nevertheless, in terms of maritime boundary agreements, Indonesia is the most active country in Southeast Asia. Overall, Indonesia has entered into 18 delimitation agreements on maritime zones with Australia, India, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.



However, not all maritime zones have been delimited yet with those countries. Also, no maritime boundaries have been delimited with Palau and Timor Leste.



Pending boundaries are indeed big tasks for Indonesias government. However, delimitation involves various factors. The negotiators are always guided by the precautionary principle to ensure negotiation results will not be to the detriment of the Indonesian people.



Rest assured that Indonesian negotiators are keen and committed to settle all maritime boundaries in order to accomplish the Djuanda Declaration.

***

Damos Dumoli Agusman is director general for law and international treaties at the Foreign Ministry and Gulardi Nurbintoro is an official at the ministrys legal department. Both are Indonesias negotiators for maritime boundary delimitation.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Sydney, Australia  Thu, December 13, 2018 15:35 1082 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e2203d8 2 People skydiving,skydiver,102-year-old-granny-went-skydiving Free

A 102-year-old great-grandmother is believed to have become the world's oldest skydiver after plunging 14,000 feet (4,300 metres) through the South Australian sky.

Centenarian adrenaline junkie Irene O'Shea said she "felt normal" after a 220 kilometre per hour (140 mph) dive that sent her cheeks flapping wildly.

Read also: Iranian woman skydiver looks to break down stereotypes

She completed her first skydive to mark her 100th birthday in 2016, but organisers claimed it was Sunday's successful tandem dive at the age of 102 years and 194 days that earned her a place in the history books.

"It was very clear up there, and the weather was good but it was very cold," said O'Shea, according to Australian media.

O'Shea took the plunge to raise funds for a motor neurone disease charity, after her daughter died from the illness.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) The Hague, Netherlands  Thu, December 13, 2018 23:03 1081 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e22b3a8 2 Art & Culture mummy,mummified-monk,Mummy-world-exhibition Free

A court in Amsterdam on Wednesday dismissed a case brought by Chinese villagers who sought the return of a stolen 1,000-year-old mummified monk they said had been obtained by a Dutch collector.

The small eastern Chinese village of Yangchun has accused Oscar van Overeem of having bought the Buddha statue containing the remains of a monk in Hong Kong in 1996.

The human-sized Buddha in a lotus position, called the "Zhanggong Patriarch", disappeared from a temple in Yangchun in late 1995 after being worshipped there for centuries.

Missing for two decades, villagers in 2015 recognized the precious artefact as part of a display at the "Mummy World Exhibition" at Budapest's Natural History Museum.

The statue was subsequently withdrawn.

Read also: Egypt unearths eight ancient mummies

A scan of the statue revealed a skeleton inside -- said to be that of the monk who lived nearly a millenium ago during China's Song dynasty.

But Dutch judges said Wednesday that the Chinese village committee, which had brought the case, "cannot be considered a legal entity, and is therefore declared inadmissible".

"This means the tribunal will not deal with the case in substance," it said in a statement.

Van Overeem, an architect, repeatedly insisted during the hearings that he no longer had the statue, which he said he exchanged in a swap with an anonymous Chinese collector in 2015.

Previous retrievals of Chinese artifacts have been done through diplomatic channels.

Beijing in recent years has vehemently protested the sale of artifacts that it said were stolen, particularly in the 19th century when European powers began encroaching on Chinese territory.
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Linkedin Jessicha Valentina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, December 13, 2018 16:38 1082 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e22212e 1 Books Indonesian-books,Intan-Paramaditha,translation,Book,#books,award,#awards,Literature Free

Intan Paramadithas book, Gentayangan: Pilih Sendiri Petualangan Sepatu Merahmu(The Wandering: Choose Your Own Red Shoes Adventure), was among recipients of the 2019 PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants.

First established in 2003, PEN/Heim Translation Fund awards grants to promote the publication and reception of translated world literature in English. According to PEN Americas website, the Translation Fund received 237 applications from a wide array of languages, genres and time periods.

The committee had chosen 10 works, including Gentayangan: Pilih Sendiri Petualangan Sepatu Merahmu, and each project will receive US$3,500 to assist the completion of the translation.

Intan said in an email to The Jakarta Post that the books translator, Stephen J. Epstein, associate professor at Victoria University of Wellington, received the grant.

This is our second collaboration after my collection of short stories Apple and Knife, which was published by Brow Books in Australia and Harvill Secker in the United Kingdom. Endorsements for Gentayangan: Pilih Sendiri Petualangan Sepatu Merahmu also mean that the book is appreciated beyond national borders, and I feel really honored for that, she said.

Read also: Intan Paramaditha's 'Gentayangan' crosses many borders

In the past few months I have been preoccupied with the publication of Apple and Knife in the United Kingdom, and the literary festivals in Hong Kong in Singapore, so I didnt really think about grants and therefore receiving the great news from PEN America was quite unexpected, added Intan.

Gentayangan: Pilih Sendiri Petualangan Sepatu Merahmu brings the readers to various cities, including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Berlin, Amsterdam and Tijuana.

Intan said the book was a reflection of travel, saying that she was inspired by the movement of people transcending national boundaries.

As someone who has lived in different cities and countries, I ask many questions about what the global flows of people, images, capital. What moves us? Who has access to mobility, and who is disenfranchised in the circuit of global mobility? What is home and what is away? What if you are always in between, gentayangan  like ghosts, not quite here in the world but also not quite there? These are the questions that shape the novel, she said. (kes)
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Linkedin Marcel Thee (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, December 13, 2018 08:36 1082 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e2084a7 4 Art & Culture local-movie,1998-tragedy,Maaf-Senin-Tutup,Anggun-Priambodo,art-exhibition,Yogyakarta Free

Anggun Priambodos latest exhibition is framed under the guise of a fictional character he created for his last movie of the same name, Maaf Senin Tutup (Sorry, Closed on Mondays) -- an artist named Eva who is trying to establish herself in the art world with her first solo exhibition.

This breaking-the-fourth-wall approach is nothing new for the artist, whose work throughout his dynamic career as filmmaker, curator, music video creator and more, has included a lot of off-kilter experimentation.

His last film, 2014s Rocket Rain was an almost meditative take on divorce and the growing pains of young adulthood, which featured colorful vignettes of dancing human reproductive organs and other peculiar imagery.

So it really isnt a surprise that the conceptual approach towards Maaf Senin Tutup includes this particular exhibition.

What is a surprise is the sociopolitical nuance the film (and exhibition) has. While it isnt explicitly stated or shown, Maaf Senin Tutup suggests ideas related to the riots of 1998 as well as the political turmoil surrounding it.

Eva, the fictional artist at the center of the story, is depicted as being 10 years old at the time of the riot, and not really understanding the happenings around her -- only sensing something is off when she sees her father coming home from veteran rock band Kantata Takwas concert one day with a bloody gash on his head.

Actor-director: Artist and filmmaker Anggun Priambodo stars in the 56-minute movie alongside fellow filmmaker Tumpal Tampubolon. (Courtesy of Anggun Priambodo/-)

Anggun felt that the films timeline of 2018 made it somehow relatable to what happened 20 years ago.

Its been [20 years] since the fall of the New Order and Soeharto, which is really important to me personally. I experienced the moment, he says. That occurrence leaves a scar and will always affect any individual who went through it firsthand. Whatever history you go through, it stays with you.

Anggun, through his published multidisciplinary magazine Cobra, actively campaigned for and promoted Joko Jokowi Widodo and Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama over the years. Jokowi and Ahok led Jakarta as governor and deputy governor from 2012, respectively, until 2014 when Jokowi was elected as president.

In this story, Eva is a swimmer who is nearing the end of her twenties. With not much left to achieve professionally, she decides to refocus on an old hobby -- the arts.

This leads to her packing up and moving to Yogyakarta, a hotbed of contemporary art and a place where she ends up meeting a long-lost friend named Jansen, a character who first made his appearance in Rocket Rain, Anggun says, The film dives into Evas search to belong in this new landscape.

According to co-curators Mira Asriningtyas and Dito Yuwono (collectively known as LIR), Eva stands for Angguns fear that historical amnesia and romanticization of the past is something that is far more dangerous and alarming than the riots, crowds and the rock that hit her fathers head.

Get ready: Anggun Priambodos solo exhibition consists of the daily screening of his film, Maaf Senin Tutup (Sorry, Closed on Mondays), and the display of artwork created by the films fictional character, Eva. (Courtesy of Anggun Priambodo/-)

The idea for the exhibition wasnt always part of the plan and wouldnt have happened had Anggun not realize that it has been a while since he had a solo exhibition. His last one was last years retrospective alongside his friend, Henry Foundation, as part of their mostly music video directorial duo The Jadugar.

The idea of setting everything in Yogyakarta happened simply because of how influential the city had been for Angguns own creative growth when he was still an art student.

There were always so many fine art activities, galleries and exhibitions that I visited back then. Those activities triggered so many ideas and energy to create -- to go to galleries and meet people there. It really refreshes the mind, Anggun says.

The film, which runs at a compact 56 minutes, was shot in Yogyakarta and Ngawi in September. As he almost always does, Anggun also acts in the film, alongside Tumpal Tampubolon who was also in Rocket Rain. Music was provided by longtime collaborator Zeke Khaseli, while the edit was done by Kelvin Nugroho.

The event itself will feature three screenings of the film every day in one room, while another room will showcase Evas drawings, silkscreens, objects and installations. They will all reference the riot and happenings of 1998.

Trying to simply remember those moments is not enough, so Eva encourages herself to depict and illustrate those events and memories in this solo exhibition [] It is a form of standing up for whats right, Mira says.

______________________

The Maaf Senin Tutup exhibition runs from Dec. 1 to 16 at LIR Space in Yogyakarta.

Disclaimer: The Jakarta Posts M. Taufiqurrahman wrote the subtitles for Maaf Senin Tutup.
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Linkedin Rina Chandran (Reuters) Bangkok, Thailand  Thu, December 13, 2018 15:06 1082 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e21f6f2 2 Lifestyle transgender,indigenous-people,Miss-Universe,beauty-pageant,Spain,Thailand,Taiwan Free

Like many other contestants at the Miss Universe beauty pageant, Angela Ponce grew up watching the glitzy spectacle on television, dreaming of representing her country one day.

This year, her wish has come true, with Ponce making history as the first transgender contestant in the pageant's 66-year history.

"Trans women have been persecuted and erased for so long. I'm showing that trans women can be whatever they want," said Ponce, who was crowned Miss Spain earlier this year.

"I am proud to have the opportunity to use this platform for a message of inclusion, tolerance and respect for the LGBT+ community," she said in an interview in Bangkok, where the finale is to be held on Dec. 17.

The Miss Universe Organization, which owns the beauty pageant, lifted a ban on transgender contestants in 2012.

The competition airs in more than 190 countries, with an estimated half a billion viewers annually.

Picked by several online bookies as the favorite to win the crown, Ponce volunteers with a non-profit in Spain that works with children and families dealing with gender identity issues.

Transgender children often struggle with depression and suicidal thoughts, she said.

"I was born into a world, into a society which really wasn't prepared for me. I had the support of my family, but I still faced discrimination, and I had no role models," she said.

"So many children face discrimination for being different. It is important to tell them they have a right to be who they are, who they want to be," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation through an interpreter.

Read also: Cancer survivor inspires at Thai transgender beauty pageant

Confidence

The pageant will take place as Thailand prepares to pass a landmark bill that would allow civil partnerships of same-sex couples, becoming the first Asian country to do so.

Taiwan's constitutional court last year ruled that same-sex couples had the right to legally marry, and set a two-year deadline for legalization. But voters last month rejected a referendum on legalization.

Ponce, 26, said she was shut out of several fashion competitions because she is transgender.

"When I won Miss Spain, I was so excited," she said.

"As they were placing the crown, I just shut my eyes to take it in, because I knew it was a very significant moment."

Alongside Ponce is another contestant who has battled prejudice, and is also making history as Panama's first indigenous Miss Universe contestant.

"When I entered the competition, there was a lot of criticism; people attacked me on Instagram and in the media, and said I should not be allowed to compete," said Rosa Montezuma, her eyes welling up.

There are an estimated 370 million indigenous people in the world, according to the United Nations.

They make up less than 5 percent of the global population, but account for 15 percent of the poorest as they are denied land rights, and access to education and healthcare.

"Indigenous people have a lot of traditional knowledge, but we are not given the same opportunities," said Montezuma, 25.

"This is a great platform for me to reach the whole world and show that indigenous girls can also be successful."
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Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, December 13, 2018 12:17 1082 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e2174b8 1 National Constitutional-Court,child-marriage,reproductive-health Free

In a decision that may pave the way for the elimination of rampant child marriage in Indonesia, the Constitutional Court ruled on Thursday that the 16 years old minimum age requirement for women to marry, as stipulated in the 1974 Marriage Law, was unconstitutional.

The court granted a judicial review petition filed by three child bride survivors and their lawyer from the Indonesian Coalition to End Child Marriage (Koalisi 18+), challenging Article 7 of the law, which sets the minimum age requirement for women to marry at 16.

In a hearing presided over by Chief Justice Anwar Usman, the court argued that the rule was a form of gender-based discrimination since the minimum age for requirement for men to marry was 19, and therefore contradicted the 1945 Constitution.

The court, however, refused to grant the plaintiffs' demand to raise the minimum age for women to marry to that of the age for men, arguing that it was the authority of lawmakers and the court did not want to make a decision that could prevent any future law revisions.

"[The court] orders lawmakers to revise the 1974 Marriage Law, particularly in regard to the minimum age for women to marry, within a maximum three years," Anwar read out the ruling on Thursday.

Justice Saldi Isra said the provision in article would remain valid until the deadline of three years. Should there be no revision prior to the deadline, the minimum age requirement would be harmonized with the 2002 Child Protection Law, which defines a child as someone below 18 years old.

Justice I Dewa Gede Palguna said that those at the age of 16 were still categorized children under the Child Protection Law, meaning that those who married at 16 were considered as being involved in child marriage, which had negative impact and threatening children's welfare.

"Not only in terms of negative impact on health, there are possibilities of child exploitation and the increase of threats of violence against children in underage marriage," Palguna said, adding that child marriage also threatened children's rights to education.
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Linkedin Kharishar Kahfi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, December 13, 2018 17:52 1082 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e2251ef 1 National environment,mining,graft,Buton-Island Free

The Cibinong District Court in Bogor, West Java, has rejected a lawsuit filed by former Southeast Sulawesi governor and graft convict Nur Alam against scientist Basuki Wasis, in a move that highlighted the governments commitment to the environment.

Nur filed a lawsuit against Basuki, an environmental expert from Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), who had calculated potential losses in the former governors graft case, which amounted to Rp 2.7 trillion (US$1.8 million).

The former governor has been convicted of causing environmental destruction on Buton Island by issuing several mining permits. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison and ordered to pay a Rp 1 billion fine in the graft case.

The panel of judges of Cibinong District Court said Basukis study, which was presented in Nurs trial, had no implication for Nurs sentence as the judges in Nur's graft trial did not use it in their consideration upon handing down their verdict against Nur.

The bench accepted the defendants refutation plea and stated that Nur Alams suit cannot be accepted, according to a written statement from Basukis lawyer made available to The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

The judges also said concern over prosecution against environmental experts was among the considerations to reject Nurs lawsuit.

The Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced Nur in March after finding the National Mandate Party (PAN) politician guilty of misusing his authority to grant mining licenses between 2009 and 2014 to nickel miner PT Anugerah Harisma Barakah, in which he owns a 2 percent stake under the name of his aide.

The court also stripped him of his political rights for five years after he serves his time in prison, which was sought by Corruption Eradication Commission prosecutors.

Nur denied any wrongdoing and said he would "waste no time" in appealing the verdict, but he later sued Basuki and members of his team from IPB for committing a wrongful act that caused others to suffer losses, resulting in civil legal liability for the perpetrator, which the plaintiff claimed a violation of the Civil Code.
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Linkedin Reney Adhitya (The Jakarta Post) Kupang  Thu, December 13, 2018 15:58 1082 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e220b5f 1 Business East-Nusa-Tenggara,tourism,AP-I Free

East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) is optimistic about its tourism prospects as Labuan Bajo in West Manggarai regency is being touted as a new Bali.

NTT Governor Victor Laiskodat believes tourism is the only sector that could help give development in the province a boost.

Therefore, he appreciated the initiatives of state-airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I (AP I) to expand El Tari International Airport in the provincial capital of Kupang and the selection of the city to host the Collaborative Destination Development (CDD) forum.

The CDD, initiated by AP I in 2015, is a focus group discussion to promote tourism and business potential in the regions.

I appreciate AP I for what will be done in the province, Victor said earlier this week at the CDD forum in Kupang.

In addition to Labuan Bajo, the province is home to many other destinations, including Kupang, Alor, Rote, Ende and Sumba, as well as the popular Komodo National Park.

AP I president director Faik Fahmi said after the completion of the airport expansion in Kupang, the company planned to upgrade other airports in the province to help the economy grow.

The airport in Kupang is the main gateway to East Nusa Tenggara, supporting export-import activities and acts as a tourism hub that connects to 13 airports in the provinces remote areas, Faik added.

As of December, there were at least 258 outbound flights per week from Kupang with a capacity of 24,255 seats, said Faik, adding that El Taris inbound and outbound traffic frequencies had grown from 1.3 million in 2014 to 2.1 million in 2017.

Meanwhile, traffic at 14 other airports in NTT had shown an a compound annual growth rate of 13 percent between 2015 and 2017.

AP I has invested Rp 400 billion ((US$27.59 million) to expand El Tari, the works for which are expected to be completed in July 2019. It also plans to upgrade airports in several tourist destinations such as Alor, Labuan Bajo and Rote, with the hope that tourist arrivals grow 20 percent annually from 9 percent, currently. (bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, January 21, 2019 19:56 1043 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e21841a 1 National environmentalist,#environment,activist,human-rights-activists,Yap-Thiam-Hien-Foundation,award Free

Environmental activist Eva Bande and a local group from Central Java, Sedulur Sikep, have won the prestigious human rights Yap Thiam Hien award for their roles in agrarian conflicts.



Imdadun Rahmat, board supervisor of the Yap Thiam Hien foundation, noted the growing trend of conflicts that involved big corporations and local communities.



There are problems such as conflicts between people and big corporations, whether they are mining corporations or oil palm plantations, Imdadun said.



People were denied rights to their land and deprived of their land. Therefore, the struggle of those who fight to preserve the environment needed to be highlighted.



For decades, Eva has been fighting alongside the farmers of Toili in Luwuk, Banggal regency, Central Sulawesi, who wanted to protect their customary land from environmental disaster.



She was jailed from 2010 until 2014 for advocating for the farmers against a company who was allegedly exploiting them. She was later freed because President Joko Jokowi Widodo granted her clemency.



I would like to say thank God [for this award], Eva said after the ceremony.



Honestly, I never thought I would receive this award. I dont know if I deserve this honor. This is the result of a collective fight of people who fought alongside me.



Eva further said that she hoped the agrarian reform promised by Jokowi would happen.



I hope that the president is determined to resolve agrarian conflicts and free the farmers who are still in jail, Eva said.



When I was pardoned by the President, he said that there should be no more criminalization, no other Eva Bandes.



Sedulur Sikep is a local community from Mount Kendeng, Central Java, which has been fighting against cement factories in the area, the presence of which they argued was harmful for both the environment and the local community.



Imdadun added that, as devout followers of Kejawen, a native faith, they were stigmatization by society.



The members of Sedulur Sikep were chosen because they had inspired other groups [to fight for the same cause], he said.



For example, they got academics involved in public discussions, particularly on the impact of [factories] in rural areas.



Furthermore, they shed light on rotten dealings behind the business, such as manipulation of licensing practices. More importantly, they managed to inspire changes without using violence.



Gunretno, a member of Sedulur Sikep, said he was grateful for the acknowledgement.



He also pointed out that the people needed the protection of the law.



We dont mean to vilify [the government], but the government must remember that without its people, they wouldnt exist, so please act as good public servants, Gunretno said.



Imdadun further noted that the upcoming government need to find a middle ground between human rights and development.



They have to support human rights-based development.



Indonesia is slated to elect a new president and vice president in April next year.



Recent data showed that environmentalists have been the most persecuted activists over the past four years.



According to Protection International Indonesia data, about 80 percent of cases of human rights violations against activists and rights defenders from 2014 to 2018 involved environmentalists, many of whom have been jailed for what are widely believed to be dubious or legally flawed charges.



The prestigious Yap Thiam Hien award, named after a renowned lawyer and human rights activist who died in 1989, has acknowledged human rights activists since 1992. (spl)

This article was originally published in The Jakarta Post's print edition on Dec. 13, 2018, with the title "Environmentalists win human rights award".
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Linkedin Catherine Triomphe (Agence France-Presse) New York, United States  Thu, December 13, 2018 08:16 1082 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e205408 2 World #USA,#DonaldTrump,former,lawyer,Cohen,convicted Free

Donald Trump's former lawyer apologized Wednesday for covering up the "dirty deeds" of his ex-boss as he was sentenced to three years for multiple crimes including hush money payments implicating the US president.

Pleading for leniency in a packed Manhattan courtroom before US District Court Judge William H. Pauley III, Michael Cohen said he had been led astray by misplaced admiration for Trump.

An emotional Cohen, 52, Trump's longtime "fixer," told the court he accepted responsibility for his personal crimes and "those involving the President of the United States of America."

Cohen's lawyers had argued for no jail time after he admitted charges brought by federal prosecutors in New York of tax evasion, providing false statements to a bank and illegal campaign contributions.

Cohen also pleaded guilty to making false statements to Congress -- a charge stemming from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe into whether Trump's 2016 presidential campaign colluded with Russia to get him elected.

But Pauley said Cohen -- as a lawyer -- "should have known better" and sentenced him to three years in federal prison, ordering him to surrender to custody by March 6.

He was also ordered to pay $2 million in fines and restitution.

"Each of these crimes standing alone warrant considerable punishment," Pauley said, adding that Cohen was "motivated by personal greed and ambition."

"A significant term of imprisonment is fully justified in this highly publicized case to send a message," the judge said.

Before Pauley passed sentence, Cohen addressed the court, saying it was his devotion to Trump that caused him to choose "a path of darkness over light."

"Today is the day that I am getting my freedom back," he said.

"I have been living in a personal and mental incarceration ever since the day that I accepted the offer to work for a real estate mogul whose business acumen I deeply admired," Cohen said.

"I now realize there was little to admire," he said.

- 'Dirty deeds' -

Cohen referred to a recent tweet from Trump calling him "weak," saying his only weakness had been "blind loyalty" to his former boss.

"Time and time again I felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds rather than to listen to my own inner voice and my moral compass," he said.

Among the charges against Cohen was making secret payments to silence two women threatening to go public during the election campaign with claims they had affairs with Trump.

Cohen told prosecutors the payments totaling $280,000 to porn actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal were made "in coordination with and at the direction" of Trump -- referred to by prosecutors as "Individual-1."

Both women have claimed to have had sexual encounters with Trump before he was the Republican candidate for president and prosecutors have characterized the payments as illegal campaign contributions intended to influence the election.

"Cohen deceived the voting public by hiding alleged facts that he believed would have had a substantial effect on the election," prosecutors said.

The payment to McDougal was funnelled through American Media Inc, publisher of the National Enquirer, and prosecutors announced following Cohen's sentencing that AMI had been granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for its cooperation.

Trump this week sought to minimize the importance of the payments to the two women saying they were a "simple private transaction" and were "wrongly" being called campaign contributions.

"Cohen just trying to get his sentence reduced," Trump tweeted. "WITCH HUNT!"

There was no immediate reaction from Trump to Cohen's sentencing.

- Lied to Congress -

While federal prosecutors said Cohen's cooperation was limited and selective, the Special Counsel's office said Cohen had "gone to significant lengths" to assist their investigation.

Last month, Cohen acknowledged that he had lied to Congress about his contacts with Russia during the election campaign about building a Trump Tower in Moscow and the extent of Trump's own involvement in the negotiations.

Cohen, wearing a dark suit with a light blue tie, arrived for the sentencing with his wife, son and daughter, who was walking with a crutch. Other family members were also in the audience including his 83-year-old wheelchair-bound father.

For 12 years, Cohen was vice president of The Trump Organization, the umbrella company for Trump's real estate businesses, and one of the principal confidants of the New York billionaire.

Investigators raided Cohen's offices and New York home in April, seizing stacks of documents and electronic devices.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Denpasar, Indonesia  Thu, December 13, 2018 16:19 1082 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e221be6 2 National #Bali,#drugs,foreigners,German,arrested,execution Free

Five foreigners have been arrested in Bali for drug trafficking, authorities said Thursday, with a German and Peruvian possibly facing execution if convicted under Indonesia's strict drug laws.

The accused smugglers -- also including a Chinese, a Malaysian and a Briton -- were arrested separately over the past two weeks, Bali police said.

The arrests come less than a month after the first member of the Bali Nine heroin-trafficking gang was released from a prison on the holiday island after serving 13 years.

The Australian gang's accused ringleaders -- Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan -- were executed by firing squad in 2015, sparking a diplomatic row between Australia and Indonesia, which has some of the world's stiffest drug laws.

Bali police said Thursday they arrested 44-year-old Peruvian Jorge Rafael Albornoz Gammara after he arrived at Ngurah Rai international airport from Dubai last week.

"Officers found 4.08 kilograms of cocaine that he was hiding inside the interior of his luggage," head of local immigration office Untung Basuki told a press conference Thursday.

German Frank Zeidler, 56, en route from Bangkok, was later arrested after officers said they found 2.1 kilos of hashish inside his luggage -- an amount that could also make it a death penalty case.

Meanwhile, a 45-year-old British designer, who was not identified, was detained after he received a package from Thailand with some 31 grams of liquid marijuana poured into essential oil bottles.

On Saturday, 29-year-old Chinese national Cui Bao Lin was arrested at the airport with more than 200 ecstasy pills and over 160 grams of ketamine found in his bag, police said.

Malaysian Hamdi Izham Hakimi was also arrested the same day with a bag containing nearly 15 grams of marijuana and 11 ecstasy pills, according to authorities.

Foreigners are regularly caught trying to bring drugs into Bali, which draws millions of visitors annually.

There are dozens of traffickers on death row in Indonesia, including a cocaine-smuggling British grandmother, an American caught with crystal methamphetamine, and several west African inmates sentenced to death for drug crimes.

High-profile cases like that of Australian Schapelle Corby, who spent more than nine years behind bars for smuggling marijuana into Bali, have stoked concern that Indonesia is becoming a destination for trafficked drugs.

Corby was deported in 2017 after several years of parole.
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Linkedin Li Wenfang (China Daily/Asia News Network) Beijing, China  Thu, December 13, 2018 21:40 1082 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e229f47 2 World #China,#hospital,Guangzhou,hospital,international,rescue,patient Free

A Chinese man suffering from severe burns in Indonesia was transferred to a hospital in Guangzhou by chartered plane and helicopter on Wednesday.

The man sustained the injuries when an oil barrel exploded at his place of work in Indonesia.

The move marks the first international air transfer of a patient to a hospital in Guangdong province.

Intensive care treatment was carried out in the air while the patient was in critical condition.

The man, in his 30s, was welding when an oil barrel exploded on the island of Djailolo in Indonesia on Dec 2, Guangzhou Daily reports.

About 85 percent of his body's surface was burned, the majority of the burns severe, said Li Xiaojian, director of the burn and plastic surgery department of Guangzhou Red Cross Hospital, where the man is being treated.

He was sent to a local hospital in Indonesia after the accident. After a week, the man suffered infection, choking, high fever, and respiratory failure.

The transfer was arranged by International SOS, the Guangdong branch of Kingwing General Aviation Co, and the hospitals in Indonesia and Guangzhou, with close support from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.

The chartered plane departed Indonesia at 9:30 am and arrived at the airport in Guangzhou at 2:30 pm. The patient was then transferred to a helicopter, which arrived at the landing pad of Guangzhou Red Cross Hospital at 3:35 pm.

Since not every hospital has a burn center, the rescue network and transfer became crucial, Li said.

Li's hospital earlier this month became one of five hospitals in the Guangdong province designated by the National Health Commission as the first group of pilot hospitals in airborne medical rescue.
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Linkedin Suherdjoko (The Jakarta Post) Semarang  Thu, December 13, 2018 11:17 1082 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e215875 4 Business illegal-products,state-losses,Central-Java,Yogyakarta,Sri-Mulyani-Indrawati Free

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has said the sales of illegal goods in the markets have inflicted state losses of Rp 55 billion (US$3.78 million) in 2018.

The illegal goods that have caused the state losses are mostly in the form of fake excise tape, unregistered cigarettes, illegal liquors and other products, the minister said when attending an event in which seized illegal products were destroyed on Wednesday by the customs and excise office in Semarang.

She said the customs and excise office had seized fake excise tape and illegal cigarettes worth Rp 20.7 billion, as well as illegal liquor (Rp 779 million), among other items.

The authority investigated 203 cases in which 108 people were named suspects in 2018, Sri Mulyani said, adding that the illegal product cases in Central Java and Yogyakarta reached 28 and 25, respectively.

She said President Joko Jokowi Widodo had declared a war against illegal products and therefore, supervision and monitoring would be intensified.

The minister said the government faced a dilemma as many of the illegal products were produced by micro and small enterprises that were needed by consumers.

But law enforcement should continue. Therefore, I call on the Central Java governor to encourage small businesspeople to legalize their products. By producing legal products, their economic activities could support development, Sri Mulyanid added. (bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, December 13, 2018 14:13 1082 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e21d454 1 Business Mercedes-Benz-Indonesia,C-Class,production,bogor,West-Java,Indonesia Free

Mercedes-Benz has started the production of the new C-Class at its plant in Wanaherang, Bogor, West Java, to meet Indonesian market demand.

We are very proud that our team is able to roll off the new C-Class at the Mercedes- Benz plant Wanaherang, said PT Mercedes-Benz Indonesia president and CEO Gunter Hafele in a press statement received by The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

With the assembly plant at this location, Mercedes-Benz Indonesia has a close position to the domestic market and [that] allows us to respond with flexibility to customers demands for premium passenger cars of Mercedes-Benz.

The statement reads that Mercedes-Benz Indonesia plays an important role in the network of Mercedes-Benz assembly plants, with factories also located in Brazil, India, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia.

The new C-Class comes with a fully digitalized instrument display in three visual styles: "Classic", "Sport" and "Progressive".

The Wanaherang plant was established in 1978 on an area of 410.000 square meters. With more than 475 employees at the location, Mercedes-Benz is one of the largest automotive employers in the area.

Six types of passenger cars are currently assembled at the site, namely the C-Class, E-Class and S-Class sedans as well as the GLC, GLE and GLS SUVs, in addition to the production of three bus chassis and the Axor truck, which commenced in 2017. (bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, December 13, 2018 11:52 1082 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e216577 1 City East-Jakarta,assault,attack,parking-attendant,TNI Free

Dozens of unidentified men have ransacked the home of a parking attendant identified as I, who was allegedly involved in an assault on military personnel that some believe led to the attack on the Ciracas Police station in East Jakarta.

The house in Ciracas, which belongs to the parking attendants parents, was left with smashed windows, a closet turned upside down, the glass of a refrigerator broken, and objects scattered on the floor, kompas.com reported.

The parking attendant's father, Oloan Hutapea, said the mob had ravaged his house at 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, while he had been hanging out with his neighbors in front of the house. The attackers had arrived on motorcycles, asked Oloan whether it was I's house and ordered him to stay at his neighbor's house, before they began to damage the house.

"They ransacked my house for almost half an hour and then left," he said.

Following the rampage, his wife reported the case to the East Jakarta Police.

Oloan said he suspected the incident was related to Mondays assault on a Navy captain, Komaruddin, allegedly at the hands of parking attendants of the Arundina shop in Ciracas, including his son.

Not satisfied with the way the police were handling the assault case, a mob that reportedly comprised of Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel ransacked and burned down part of the Ciracas Police station on Tuesday night, damaging police vehicles and leaving several officers injured, according to a police report.

Police have detained one attendant, AP, and are still looking for three others. (ars)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, December 13, 2018 16:40 1082 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e222d55 1 National USAID,Rajawali-Group,workforce Free

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Rajawali Foundation and Transformasi are implementing a project on inclusive workforce development, called Sinergi, in Central Java.

Four regions in Central Java were selected for the pilot project, namely Semarang City, Semarang regency, Demak and Boyolali.

Program manager Anugraha Dezmercoledi said the project would take place until 2022, with a 15-month pilot period and 36 months of full implementation.

Our main goal is to teach young workers skills, both hard and soft, to improve their access to information," he told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

The reason for choosing Central Java, Anugraha said, was because the minimum wage there was the second lowest in Indonesia, adding that gender inequality was still rife because 88 percent of the workforce was men.

Therefore, the main focus of the program is vulnerable youngsters, aged 18 to 34, including women and the disabled. The vulnerable group, he said, was those who have an income of less than Rp 26,000 per day.

"We are training 445 young people from these four regions. We will also continue to monitor them. There are those who want to become entrepreneurs after the training program and we will support them, Anugraha added.

He said the project would cover a wider area as USAID was currently replicating and developing the program. (ggq)
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Linkedin Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, December 13, 2018 21:30 1082 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e22953a 2 Politics 2019-elections,legislative-candidates,PAN,East-Java Free

Legislative candidate, Eril Ario Ristanto, 21, was found dead on Wednesday in his rented boarding room in Bandung, West Java.

The younger brother of Trenggalek Regent Emil Dardak, who was set to run as a candidate with the National Mandate Party (PAN), was found dead in his room with a plastic bag covering part of his head.

Bandung City Police chief Sr. Comr. Irman Sugema said the police were still investigating Erils cause of death. Eril was registered as a maritime science student at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB).

From our investigation, we found no signs of violence, said Irman on Thursday.

Rena Emaliana, a cleaner for The Kartipah, the building where Eril rented a room, knocked on Erils door at 11:45 a.m. on Wednesday. After Rena knocked three times, he reported to the buildings management, asking for a spare key to enter the room.

A security guard helped Rena enter the room, where they found Erils body on the floor with a plastic bag covering part of his head.

Irman said the room was a mess as Eril had asked the cleaning service to stop cleaning it for the past month.

The polices crime unit head, Adj. Sr. Comr. Moh. Rifai, said the victim had accepted a package of small green cans containing nitrogen. The canister is usually used for whipped cream.

At 8 p.m. [on Tuesday night], he accepted the package. A witness from a room next door heard a clinking sound at 11 p.m. Maybe it was the bottles dropping, said Rifai.

The victim also had similar cans that were red.

The television and computer in his room were on. Thats why we need digital forensic experts to probe [it], said Rifai.

Biological forensics is also required as a hose was found inside the plastic bag that covered part of his head. The hose was connected to a gas canister suspected to contain helium.

Rifai confirmed that the victim was alone when he died. The rooms door was locked from the inside. The key was in the lock, he said.

Hasan Sadikin Hospital, where Erils body was examined, said Eril likely died at 4 a.m. on Wednesday, about eight hours before his body was found.

Dismissing speculation of murder, Emil, who was recently elected East Java deputy governor, said his younger brother died of heart attack.

We saw [his body], but there were no previous records [of heart problems], he said after Erils funeral in Tanah Kusir, South Jakarta, as quoted by kompas.com.

He said his family had rejected an autopsy to prevent further agony for Eril.

We have accepted his death, said Emil.

Eril was supposed to run for the East Java VII electorate, which includes Trenggalek.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Hanoi, Vietnam  Thu, December 13, 2018 12:49 1082 75e76da2d15e495661b6357e2e218fde 2 SE Asia #SoutheastAsia,#Vietnam,flash-flood,killing,victims Free

Floods caused by heavy downpours have killed 13 people in central Vietnam, officials said Thursday, as farmers scrambled to save crops and livestock ahead of more bad weather forecast for this week.

Torrential rains have lashed six provinces in the centre of the country since Saturday, killing thousands of cows and chickens and flooding several cities -- including the coastal resort town of Danang.

More than 50 centimetres (20 inches) of rain hit some areas, with more downpours expected in the coming days, the disaster management office said Thursday.

"Thirteen people were killed, while one remains missing in Quang Ngai province," the office said.

Around 12,000 hectares of crops were destroyed, and some 160,000 livestock killed, it added.

One farmer in Quang Nam province said he lost all his chickens in the flooding, costing him tens of thousands of dollars.

"The water receded but thousands of our chickens were dead. We had to collect them for burial as the smell was so bad," Nguyen Thanh said, quoted by state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper.

Several areas in Quang Nam and Quang Ngai provinces were still inundated on Thursday after hydropower plants discharged reservoir waters.

Vietnam is frequently hit by heavy downpours during the typhoon season from May to October, but forecasters said the rains arrived late this year.

More than 200 people have been killed in weather-related disasters in 2018, down from 389 last year.
Tourist destination De Tjolomadoe in Karanganyar regency, Central Java, officially launched its sugar factory museum on Dec. 8.

De Tjolomadoe was previously a sugar factory. Built in 1861 by then principality ruler Mangkunegara IV, the factory was the worlds second-largest sugar exporter after Cuba in its heyday.

The museum is located in the former factorys carbonation station. Visitors can learn about the factorys history through various infographics, photographs and texts. A large screen also displays a map of the world sugar trade.

"We have compiled this historical narrative from various archives, working with a number of academics to complement the museum," De Tjolomadoe's management PT Sinergi Colomadu president director Rachmat Priyatna said.

The museum also has a showroom showcasing documentation of the old sugar trades economic and political conditions. A blueprint and a replica of the Tjolomadoe sugar factory in its early days is also on display.

Read also: Hitman: David Foster and Friends concert breathes life into De Tjolomadoe

Photographs of Thai King Prajadhipoks visit to Tjolomadoe to study the sugar business hang on the museums wall. The factory inspired the king to open a sugar factory in his home country.

Visitors can also see contemporary art installations in other rooms. One of them is Wagis Wara Park by Tempa, which represents the factory as Mangkunegaran Temples symbol of independence.

While the museum had been open to the public for free since March 24, PT Sinergi Colomadu ended the free-entry period with the official launch. Admission to the museum costs Rp 25,000 (US$1.71). (iru/kes)
Troye Sivan by Ted Eytan via Flikr

2018 has been an important year beyond music. Politics, internet culture, equality, feminism, racism, environment, sexuality  I could go on. The music that has been produced as a result of these societal topics have been a coping mechanism in a way. Amidst all the serious topics that have hit me in the feels this year, a large proportion of my favourite albums are purely based on wanting to have a little dance and a sing to some good funky tunes.Dev Hynes music project, Blood Orange, holds a special place in my heart since the first listen as part of Palo Altos soundtrack with Champagne Coast. Negro Swan is a fascinating insight into Devs exploration of black depression and the ongoing anxieties of queer people of colour. The album literally takes you a journey of his experiences. With a cocktail of collaborations with Janet Rock (transgender activist) and Puff Daddy, the album has a constant undertone of melancholy, flicking from jazz to hip-hop to 80s chic and back again.is a truly sensational album in every single aspect.

Earlier this year, Mac Miller released his fifth album. Swimming addresses heartbreak and his mental state in a brutally honest way through lyrics and the music videos he released in conjunction. With just one month between the release and his death, Swimming holds even more emotion than it did initially and acts as a parting gift to the world. The album possesses everything you would have expected from Miller. His unique vocals are as defining as ever, the smooth transitions in verses and beats are what made his interpretation of rap music so addictive.

The adored Aussie stripped it back on this album compared to her debut; not in that its acoustic or mellow, but in that, it shows a vulnerable side, a much more personal side. Her debut album was certainly a statement for Barnett, it cemented her style and who she was and since then, she has switched it up. Since her collaborative album with Kurt Vile, Tell Me How You Really Feel couldnt be a more accurate title. Her almost speak-sing vocal style and solid guitar riffs are everything we love about Courtney, shes just letting us in a bit more this time.

Tom Misch is the man of 2018 (in my eyes), the life and soul of every playlist and modern jazz genius; Geography is a clean and crisp version of all his prior work. Geography combines jazz with indie and hip-hop and includes his own funky spin. The music he makes is all feel-good - even the likes of Movie still makes you feel warm inside. The lyrics are secondary with Toms music, with the primary focus being the funk and soul that has been injected into each individual track. Geography perfectly demonstrates every single musical talent of Tom Misch which is what makes it such a wonderful album of the year.

society

This album is quite possibly my favourite debut release of the year. From a small mining town to Manchester to festival stages, The Blinders have truly found their place in the UK music scene. Columbia is a musical call to arms, its arrival came at a vital time inwith politics being at the forefront of our minds. With clever literature references and close ties between our world and that of 1984 by George Orwell, Columbia gets the cogs turning and conversations heated.

Ms second album focuses on her influences from previous collaborations, but at the same time, allows her to speak freely for herself and define the terms of her own album. With only two collaborations from Diplo and Charli XCX,moves her away from the Major Lazer feature on Lean On and shows what shes really made of. The album is constantly funky and makes you want to clear the kitchen floor for designated dancing space.

album,

The self-titled album was incredibly long-awaited from the Brighton four-piece. With a continuous stream of music videos that flow into each other, the creation of a narrative in with the album release made it all more exciting and inclusive. Izzys distinguishing vocals laid over a classic, rip-roaring indie composition is a constant through thisand the overall aesthetic that has been present since day one still goes strong. The self-titled album is an important signifier of the band's identity in the music industry.

Take

The duo from Kent released their third album earlier this year, almost two years sinceControl. After a couple years off with shoulder surgery, training a rat and raising a baby, Slaves hit back with Cut and Run, a gruelling, raw track with humorous lyrics and a video to match, proving that they still had it. Each release continues to cement their image whilst appearing cleaning each time. Acts of Fear and Love is all of the funny lovable aspects of Slaves with a teeny bit more maturity.

Tom Grennan has rocketed his way through the music industry. From tiny venues to sold-out academy dates, the Londoner has proved his place well and truly. Toms rough vocals, funky dress sense and endless lyrical talent are all that make you love him first and then you release, damn, this is actually an incredible album. The way you know an album is good is by how little you use the next button; whether youre driving in the car, working on an assignment or getting ready to go out, Lighting Matches literally suits every mood.

Troye

Troye

From child actor to YouTube star to the brightest star in the world. Troye Sivans 2018 album has placed him on an entirely different level to before. Bloom showscoming into his own, fully taking control of his identity and becoming a vital model in the LGBTQ+ community. He is in full bloom, tackling issues such as mental health, sexuality, femininity... You name it,has taken it and turned into a floral music masterpiece.
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Dr. Emmanuel Dolo

The young Liberian public policy scholar, Emmanuel Dolo passed away last week in Atlanta, Georgia, USA at age 56. He succumbed to cancer in the middle of an engaging life of research and study and leaves a void in the ongoing quest to better understand Liberia. His wife, Mrs. Aba Hamilton Dolo and other family members were by his side as he transitioned.

I first met Emmanuel here in the Diaspora in the late 1980s/early 1990s. He called me to make some inquiries and to share perspectives as he wrote his first book, Democracy Versus Dictatorship: The Quest for Freedom and Justice in Africas Oldest Republic. A common interest in scholarship on Liberia bonded us. Our friendship endured to his end.

Emmanuel was born and raised in Nimba County. He received his undergraduate degree in Economics and Communications from the University of Liberia in 1983. He would go on to pursue graduate studies in the United States, obtaining a Masters degree in Economic Development from Eastern University in 1994, a M.Div degree in Theology and Social Ministry from the evangelical Erskine Theological Seminary in 1990, and a Ph.D. in Social Policy, Refugee mental health, and Youth Development from the University of Minnesota in 2003.

Trained as a Christian minister and a social scientist, Dolo served as a policy development professional for some two decades. His Liberia work included establishing in 2015 and leading a public policy think tank, the Center for Liberias Future; service to the government of Liberia as Head of Secretariat of President Ellen Johnson Sirleafs Advisory Committee on EBOLA, and as National Youth Policy Advisor to President Johnson Sirleaf, 2012-2014. In the private sector Dr. Dolo served Arcelor Mittal/Liberia as Head of Human Resource and Corporate Responsibility, (2010-2011), and Head of General Administration, Government Affairs and Corporate Responsibility, (2011-2012).



Dolo was a prolific writer who managed in his short career to publish two academic books, two monographs, six academic articles, twelve issue briefs, and 173 popular press articles. There were also two book length manuscripts in progress at the time of his death.

Dolo was a very engaging young man with a gifted and inquiring mind. During our many multiple hours of telephone conversations, we discussed every conceivable event that transpired in Liberia since the 1990s against the backdrop of Liberias past. There were occasions when we met at forums devoted to Liberia in the United States. I recall a poignant event in North Caroline when Emmanuel paused and bowed to grace his food in an unexpected setting. I was moved. I was also moved many years later when I was the subject of a press attack for investigative work I was asked to lead in Liberia. As I settled in my office at the University of the South early one morning the phone rang. I heard the voice of a pastor at the other end. Such was the young man.

Emmanuel last left home following the 2017 elections to continue his medical treatment in Atlanta. We simply continued carrying on as before  long phone conversations when he was not in treatment and felt up to it. As with the very first encounter on the phone in the 1990s, which led to his first book, what turned out to be our last set of conversations is probably reflected in the book manuscripts in progress when he passed.

What brought us together and kept us together was a common quest to understand our country and ourselves in the larger scheme of things. His quest has ended. Mine cannot be much longer. What matters now is how others might utilize our experiences in the continuing quest to better understand Liberia.

Goodbye small brother; Rest in Peace!




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A D iscussion with Rape and Sexual Assault Survivors will be broadcast on Comcast/Channel 8, Verizon/Channel 39 in Foxboro 15 times: 12/14 6:30 PM, 15th 1:30 AM, 10:30 AM, 6:30 PM,12/16,1:30 AM,10:30 AM,6:30 PM, 12/17, 1:30 AM,10:30 AM, 12/31, 7:00 PM,1/1/19, 2:00 AM,11:00 AM,7:00 PM, 1/2/,2:00 AM and 11:00 AM. Its also available on fcatv.org and on YouTube by searching the title of the episode.
MBABANE - The countrys national broadcaster, EBIS, has been punished by yet another parastatal for failure to pay its debts.



This time, it is the Eswatini Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (EPTC) that has disconnected its services to the Eswatini Broadcasting and Information Services (EBIS).



On Tuesday, this publication reported that the stations employees had been forced to use one toilet which is in a deplorable state after the Eswatini Water Services Corporation (EWSC) enforced its routine disconnections of water supply.

With the latest incident, information gathered is that the broadcaster allegedly owes EPTC a phone bill amounting to E3.5 million which led to the disconnection being effected early this week.



Interviews



According to impeccable sources, seeing that there was trouble in paradise, the radio stations authorities allegedly instructed some of the programme directors to inform some of the guests, who had been scheduled for interviews through the phone instead come to the station.

This allegedly took place on Tuesday.



A cellphone belonging to one of the senior managers was used to call the scheduled guests and request them to at least try and make plans to go to the station for their interviews. This was done since it was not going to be easy to interview them over the phone since there had been a disconnection, said the source.



Understanding



It was gathered that while other guests were understanding, others raised a concern that it did not make sense for them to come to the station for just interviews that were less than 10 minutes. In an interview with EPTC Corporate Communications Manager, Nqobile Magagula, she confirmed that the parastatal had disconnected the radio stations telephone lines.



Yes, we switched them off. However, I am unable to confirm the exact figure that is being owed, she said.

Magagula stated that they were currently engaged in a disconnection exercise for customers who had outstanding debts with the corporation.

We urge all our customers who owe to kindly pay to avoid termination of service, she said.



The radio station uses telephones to get representatives of various organisations for the different phone-in programmes that it airs on a daily basis.

In particular, the station makes use of the telephones to feature people for the much loved morning programme called Letishisako.

The programme allows listeners to be kept abreast with current affairs and educational feedback.



Also, government ministries make use of the programme to clarify issues affecting service delivery or concern the people in the country.

Efforts to get a comment from EBIS Director Martin Dlamini were not successful as his phone rang unanswered when called yesterday.

However, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) Maxwell Masuku confirmed knowledge of the issue.



Engage



They did notify us, we are currently preparing to engage EPTC to request that they suspend the disconnection while we work on sorting out the debt, said Masuku.

Worth noting is that this is not the first time that the station faced the predicament of having their telephone lines disconnected as it also happened early this year where guests found themselves being cut during interviews.

This was due to the fact that those presenting the programmes were given airtime for the interviews, which at times ran out even before the guests had finished talking.
LUDZIDZINI  Its all about dance and song. EmaSwati continued to show their enthusiasm on the sixth day of the ongoing Little Incwala Ceremony.

The nation gathered at Ludzidzini Royal Residence and waited for the blowing of the trumpet which took place at exactly 5:30pm.

After the blowing of the trumpet, emaSwati left the shade and rushed to the arena where they joined Her Majesty the Queen Mother in dancing the Little Incwala.



The Queen Mother remained at the Ludzidzini Royal Residence, when His Majesty King Mswati III moved to Ngabezweni Royal Residence. The mother of the nation would remain at Ludzidzini Royal Residence until the King commissions Ingatja, after visiting all the royal residences in the four regions of the country.

The commissioning of Ingatja, which would take place when the King returns from Buhleni Royal Residence, would mark the begging of the main Incwala Ceremony, where the whole world would join emaSwati in celebrating the first fruit of harvest at Ludzidzini Cattle Byre.

The nation also celebrates the peace and stability which prevailed since independence in 1968.
MBABANE  Circus! This is how one can describe the seemingly never ending ups and downs in the case of murder suspect Sipho Shongwe.



The Crown now wants the Supreme Court to review its decision endorsing the High Courts ruling that Shongwe should be admitted to bail.

The State yesterday filed an urgent application at the Supreme Court where it is seeking an order granting it leave to appeal against the order issued by Judge Sipho Nkosi on September 28, 2018.



This is the second time for the Crown to file a similar application at the Supreme Court. The initial one was dismissed and the court upheld Judge Nkosis judgment that Shongwe should be released.



Charged



Shongwe, who stands charged with the murder of shrewd businessman Victor Gamedze, was admitted to E500 000 bail.

He was ordered to pay E100 000 cash, which he paid but could not gain his liberty because of the pending extradition matter at the Manzini Magistrates Court.



In the fresh application, Principal Crown Counsel Absalom Makhanya, highlighted that Judge Nkosi, having made an order on September 28, 2018 admitting Shongwe to bail, indicated that he would give reasons for the order on October 1, 2018.



To date, Judge Nkosi has not handed down the reasons and such failure is in the circumstances inexplicable. It leaves the Crown and in fact the prosecuting authority of Eswatini, in the position that it would seek to appeal a judgment without being afforded an opportunity of being able to analyse the reasoning in the judgment, in order to be able to motivate the misdirection committed by the judge and adequately motivate that the judgment should be set aside on appeal, contended Makhanya.



He averred that an order given without reasons should be treated as an arbitrary decision or a verdict made with no reasoning.



Lacking



The principal Crown counsel said, on that basis, the Supreme Court would be free. To regard the order of Judge Nkosi to be wholly lacking in reasoning, and therefore subject to appeal. He submitted that in any event, the Supreme Court would be entitled to reconsider the record as a whole and make up its mind as to whether bail should or should not have been granted.



The position of the respondent (Shongwe) is that he stands indicted before the High Court of Eswatini, with the most serious offence, submitted Makhanya.

The principal Crown counsel stated that the indictment showed that Gamedze was shot at Ezulwini Galp Filling Station, while exiting from the filling station on his way to his car, which was parked in the vicinity.
The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) has issued, for consultation, the draft rules on crypto-asset platform operators which provides a regulatory framework for the licensing and supervision of crypto-asset services including those provided by a platform operator as a principal, agent and as a custodian, within or from the kingdom.



Realizing the growing demand for this type of market globally and regionally, the CBB is introducing a comprehensive framework, which is risk-based to regulate this area of financial services.



The new regulatory framework covers the requirements for licensing, financial resources, and measures to safeguard client or customer interests, technology standards and in particular the cyber security risk management measures, reporting and other requirements, said a statement from CBB.



Following the recent issuance of the final rules on open banking, the CBB continues to introduce initiatives that supports the development of a more efficient financial service sector driven by an environment in which innovation can thrive, it stated.



Khalid Hamad, the executive director of banking supervision, said: "This regulatory framework will address the demand from the market for these services and the need to also recognise this innovation in financial services. The CBBs experience with the participants within the Regulatory Sandbox was insightful in shaping these rules."



The kingdom's central bank is seeking feedback on the consultation by December 31. The consultation paper will be available on the CBB website (www.cbb.gov.bh) under the open consultations section.-TradeArabia News Service
Ebrahim K Kanoo, a diversified business conglomerate based in Bahrain, has become the distributor of Dulux paints, a leading global premium decorative paint brand, through its subsidiary, Kanoo Paint Centre (KPC), located in Salmabad.



Dulux, a leading brand of AkzoNobel, brings a new colour delivery system with best-in-class colour accuracy and strength, where customers can choose any colour in any product from its interior and exterior range, encompassing over 2,000 colours, said a statement from the company.



The new Dulux product range that is being introduced to Bahrain features the latest global technology that meets the diverse requirements of customers, such as Dulux Ambiance range, one of the most premium aesthetic paints for interiors across the world; Dulux EasyClean, a stain-resistant, anti-bacterial and washable premium interior paint which is perfect for families with kids; Dulux PureAir, a great innovative product which absorbs formaldehyde from the indoor air and help to improve the wellbeing of the family, it said.



The Dulux exterior range also features edge-cutting innovation, such as Dulux Weathershield Powerflexx with crack proof technology that ensures eight-year complete weather and colour protection in extreme conditions, it added.



Coenraad Jansen, manager, KPC, said: We are proud to introduce Dulux paints to our existing range of global leading paint and coatings brands.



As the market for high quality architectural paints continues to grow in Bahrain with the growth of the real estate sector, we at our company will continue to offer the best professional paint solutions and most efficient after-sales services to our customers in Bahrain, he added.



Berry Oonk, general manager, AkzoNobel, said: Our company has reached a key milestone as we officially introduce Dulux paints to Bahrain.



Dulux is a leading paint brand globally and with the support of our Bahraini partners at Kanoo Paint Centre, we can now guarantee a higher level of support and solutions to our consumers and project customers in Bahrain, he added.



In order to facilitate consumers in the decoration journey especially in the colour choosing process, Dulux has also introduced colour inspiration tools such as the Dulux Visualizer app, an augmented reality app which consumers can use to visualise how their chosen colour looks like on the walls to help them choose the right colour. The app is available for free on Android and Apple stores, it stated.  TradeArabia News Service
European dairy cooperative Arla Foods has reached an agreement with American multinational confectionery, food, and beverage company Mondelez International (Mondelez) to acquire its processed cheese business in the Middle East region, which is currently licensed under the Kraft brand.



The acquisition also gives Arla full ownership of a state-of-the-art cheese production site in Bahrain, which provides Arla with the opportunity to further expand the companys branded cheese production in the region.



The Middle East and North Africa (Mena) is one of the key geographical regions in Arlas strategy, Good Growth 2020.



Since 2010 Arla has more than doubled its sales organically across the Mena region, which is the companys largest market outside Europe, through strong positions in cheese under the Puck brand, butter under the Lurpak brand as well as milk powder and UHT milk under the Dano and Arla brands.



The company expects its retail and foodservice sales in Mena region to reach 560 million ($635 million) this year.



On the strategic move, Arla CEO Peder Tuborgh said: "This acquisition is a gamechanger for our Mena business. We have an established and growing business in the Middle East and know our consumers and customers well in this part of the world."



"As such, this deal is an excellent strategic fit for us as it enables us to both expand our branded presence in the cheese category and secure the local production capacity we have been looking for to continue to grow our business," he added.



Until now, most of Arlas products sold in the region have been produced in Europe, with some local production also placed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.



However, with Arlas capacity nearly maximized for processed cheese, todays announced deal delivers much-needed capacity and gives us a strong regional supply chain footprint that enables us to secure long-term competitiveness in the region through scale and efficiency.



Commenting on the deal, Arlas executive VP (International business) Tim rting Jrgensen said: "By expanding our branded portfolio and local supply chain in one go, we will be able to bring new commercial opportunities to our customers quicker and better."



"Over time, the site in Bahrain will also allow us to base the production on high-quality milk from our farmer owners in Europe," he added.



The production site, located in capital Manama, has a capacity exceeding 66,000 tons. Built in 2008, it includes an on-site innovation pilot plant and has won multiple awards for manufacturing excellence within core cheese categories, said the top official.



The deal, which is expected to take effect by end of May 2019, is set to significantly strengthen Arlas position in the Mena region, giving access to new product categories, new markets and a state-of-the-art production site.-TradeArabia News Service
Ebrahim K Kanoo, a diversified business conglomerate based in Bahrain, celebrated Bahraini Womens Day to honour all of the Bahraini women working with the company.



Wasna Kanoo, senior manager of marketing and communications, congratulated the women employees and noted the vital role they play in the operations of the company.



This is an important occasion for Ebrahim K. Kanoo to express our appreciation and honour the achievements of Bahraini women on all levels in order for the progress of women to become one of the main reasons for the development and advancement of their country, and this company. We are proud to have a strong and diverse team of capable women in every department of the company and we will continue to invest in them, reaffirming our commitment to fair competitiveness and equal opportunities for all, she said. - TradeArabia News Service


Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) has announced that more than 90 per cent of the work has been completed on its AED87 million ($24 million) Al Hira Beach project in Sharjah city and it is now on track for launch early next year.
International Day of Neutrality was officially celebrated in Turkmenistan. President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov attended a flower laying ceremony at the Monument of Neutrality in Ashgabat, which was the chief event of the celebration.

The head of state laid a wreath of flowers at the memorial plate at the foot of the monument. The Turkmen leader was followed by the Speaker of the Mejlis (parliament), deputy chairmen of the Cabinet of Ministers, heads of military and law enforcement agencies, ministries and departments, ambassadors of Turkmenistan in foreign countries, heads of the diplomatic missions accredited in Ashgabat, representatives of public associations, the mass media, elders and students.

A gala concert of popular Turkmen and foreign artists was held on the same day. Festive events celebrating International Day of Neutrality were held in all regions of Turkmenistan.

 TURKMENISTAN.RU, 2021
Guinea Bissau aims for energy transformation by 2030

Bissau, Dec 13 (UNI) The Guinea Bissau Sustainable Energy International Conference was attended by 150 participants from Guinean public institutions, private sector, financiers, NGOs and academic institutions.

The event was organized by the Government of Guinea Bissau, in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) and the Lusophone Association of Renewable Energies (ALER), supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), an official statement said here on Thursday.

At the opening session, Antonio Serifo Embalo, Minister of Energy, Industry and Natural Resources, reiterated the government's commitment to promoting sustainable energy and stressed that "in this conference we discuss more than just energy  we discuss the future of an entire young generation and its perspective to have access to modern public services and decent income earned in key industrial sectors such as agriculture, food processing, fishery, tourism and manufacturing."
Qatar PM meets Under-Secretary-General of UN Counter-Terrorism

Doha, Dec 13 (UNI) Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani met on Thursday morning with Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Dr. Vladimir Voronkov and the accompanying delegation on the occasion of their visit to the country to participate in the 18th Doha Forum.

During the meeting, they reviewed areas of cooperation between the two sides, especially the State of Qatar's efforts in combating terrorism regionally and internationally as well as ways of developing cooperation between the State of Qatar and the United Nations in this field, QNA said in a report.

A number of other issues of mutual interest were also reviewed during the meeting.
Woodland Park Police Department(WOODLAND PARK, Colo.) -- It's been nearly three weeks since Kelsey Berreth, a young mother from Colorado, went missing, but her family and friends said they refuse to give up hope.



"There's gotta be somebody that saw something go on there, and if they would get in contact with the police department, so they can get to the bottom ... that would be the greatest thing," Jim Morgan, a close friend of the Berreth family, told ABC News' Good Morning America on Thursday. "God is powerful and he answers prayers, and I'm just encouraging everybody to lift the family up, lift Kelsey up in prayer."



Berreth, a 29-year-old pilot, was last seen entering a Safeway near her home in Woodland Park, Colorado, on Nov. 22, according to surveillance footage from the store, but her fiance, Patrick Frazee, said he saw her later that day.



Berreth's mother reported her missing on Dec. 2, police said. The FBI confirmed on Tuesday it's assisting local authorities in the search.



"Three weeks is a long time to be missing," Morgan said. "We still have hope that she'll be back and God will bring her back to us, but we certainly can't guarantee that."



Morgan said he's known the Berreth family for almost two decades.



"In this world, good things don't always happen, miracles don't always happen, but fortunately God is with us through it anyway," he added.



Morgan described Berreth as a loving, caring, kind woman -- someone who would do anything for her loved ones.



"She was my son's first babysitter, and he really liked her. That speaks highly to her character," Morgan added. "Her dad is one of my best friends at this point, and we are talking regular trying to help him through a really tough time."



Neighbors and friends are scheduled to hold a candlelight vigil at Memorial Park in Woodland Park Thursday night, according to the Woodland Park Police Department.



The footage of Berreth at the Safeway, released by police Tuesday night, showed her entering with her baby in a car seat and getting a shopping cart. It's the last confirmed sighting of her.



There were no leads or suspects as of early Thursday.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Russia to respond in kind to sanctions by Lithuania related to Azov Sea incident: Moscow

Moscow, Dec 13 (Sputnik) Russia will respond in kind to the sanctions that Lithuania introduced against it over the recent Kerch Strait incident, the Russian Foreign Ministrys spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said on Thursday.

On December 7, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite announced that Vilnius had introduced sanctions against Russia over the incident with Ukrainian ships in the Kerch Strait.

"We have repeatedly emphasized that any anti-Russian actions by the Lithuanian government won't be left without an adequate response. And in this case, a mirror-like response from our side will follow," Zakharova said at a briefing.
GLO.ACT convenes a workshop for immigration officials on the issue of migrant smuggling

Pretoria, South Africa - 13 December 2018 - UNODC, under the framework of the Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants ( GLO.ACT), and in collaboration with the Department of Home Affairs, facilitated a three day training workshop on the issue of migrant smuggling from 4 to 6 December 2018 for immigration officials. South Africa is in the process of developing specific legislation on the Smuggling of Migrants (SOM) in compliance with its obligations under the United Nations Protocol against Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air. The current legal framework relating to migrant smuggling criminalizes individual migrants and foresees detention and repatriation as a priority. The law does not focus on migrant smuggling as a large-scale criminal activity and penalties for facilitation of irregular border crossing are low. Well-established criminal networks are smuggling migrants to South Africa from Asia, particularly China, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The majority transit through the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, East Africa and various Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries. Often migrants from these nationalities are sponsored by members of their community residing in RSA and are compelled to work until they can pay off their debt. Migrants are also smuggled from other parts of Africa, notably Ethiopia and Somalia, and many endure human rights abuses, such as kidnapping for ransom and rape. Many migrants enter overland as South Africa's extensive land borders are porous and represent a challenge to effective border measures.

The objectives of the workshop were to:

To build the capacity of immigration officials at provincial and national level on identifying and investigating SOM cases;

To build the capacity of immigration officials on the protection aspects with regards to smuggled migrants;

To facilitate discussions on Trafficking in Persons and SOM and challenges hindering the identification of potential smuggling of migrants cases at ports of entries.

During the opening ceremony of the workshop, Mr. Iglesias Roa Manuel, Head of the Section, Governance and Social Sectors, Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of South Africa said: "Migrant smuggling is a threat to citizens, businesses, state institutions as well as the economy as a whole. Criminals easily operate across borders, which creates a need to strengthen operational cooperation, secure exchange of information, expertise and analytical support between law enforcement agencies within and between countries". He further said, "we trust that through EU funded projects such as GLO.ACT and the Pilot Action on Voluntary Return and Reintegration, South Africa will develop more effective responses to migrant smuggling, including providing assistance to vulnerable migrants through the strengthening of identification, referral, and direct support mechanisms."

Ms. Tebogo Phokanoka, Deputy Director, Immigration Services at the Department of Home Affairs said, "building the capacity of immigration officials on detecting and investigating migrant smuggling cases is very important especially due to the role that immigration officials play at the ports of entries." She went on to say that, "smuggling of migrants cases are currently being detected quite often in the North-West province of South Africa. My hope is that after this training, more SOM cases will begin to be identified and investigated by the immigration officials from the other provinces in South Africa."

Meanwhile, Ms. Zhuldyz Akisheva, UNODC Regional Representative, said "People in the SADC region, like everywhere else, move continuously for a range of reasons. They move to seek employment, to reunite with their families or to flee internal conflict." She went on to say, "despite the existing regulations on legal migration they face difficulties in accessing legal channels for migration and often have to rely on the 'services' of smugglers."

During the workshop, participants identified challenges hindering the identification of SOM cases at port of entries. Immigration officials stated that due to the mixed migration flows experienced at ports of entries, this poses a challenge in detecting smuggled migrants, they also cited the lack of SOM legislation in South Africa as a challenge in the response to smuggling of migrants. Lastly immigration officials cited the problem of fraudulent passports /documents being produced at ports of entries as a challenge in the response to SOM.

A key outcome of the training workshop included the setting up an informal network for immigration officials to share information on identified SOM cases. This network will address and refer, through correct mechanisms, any potential SOM case that has been identified by immigration officials. In addition, it became clear that a SOM Training of Trainers workshop would need to be convened in close cooperation with the Department of Home Affairs learning academy as part of the institutionalization of SOM training amongst immigration officials.

Workshop participants included immigration officials from all provinces in South Africa. Also taking part were our donor, the European Union, and GLO.ACT project-implementing partner IOM.

The Global Action to Prevent and Address Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants (GLO.ACT) is a four-year (2015-2019), 11 million joint initiative by the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The project is being implemented in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). GLO.ACT aims to provide assistance to governmental authorities and civil society organizations across 13 strategically selected countries: Belarus, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao PDR, Mali, Morocco, Nepal, Niger, Pakistan, South Africa, Ukraine. GLO.ACT works with the 13 countries to plan and implement strategic national counter-trafficking and counter smuggling efforts through a prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnerships approach. It supports the development of more effective responses to trafficking and smuggling, including providing assistance to victims of trafficking and vulnerable migrants through the strengthening of identification, referral, and direct support mechanisms.

For more information, please contact:

Banele Kunene, National Project Officer,

banele.kunene@unodc.org

Twitter: @glo_act
GLO.ACT participates in UNODC expert group meeting on national responses to Trafficking in Persons

Vienna, Austria 13 December 2018 - Between 3 to 5 December 2018, team members of the Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants (GLO.ACT) participated in an expert group meeting (EGM) on national responses to Trafficking in Persons (TIP) held at the United Nations in Vienna, Austria.

The main purpose of the EGM was for experts to contribute to an internal research project undertaken by UNODC's Crime Research Section (CRS). In addition, the meeting also contributed to the current work undertaken on the Model Law against TIP. Having some of GLO.ACT's National Project Officers (NPO) as well as GLO.ACT HQ staff participate in the EGM enabled organizers to gather first hand information on responses to TIP from some of the project's selected target countries. During the three-day meeting, organizers encouraged all participants to focus on the identification of good practises and lessons learnt when responding to TIP.

The EGM was a great opportunity for NPO from Colombia, Nepal and Pakistan to speak about the work undertaken under GLO.ACT with regards to protection, prevention, criminalization/law enforcement and cooperation/coordination. Ms. Shahida Gilani took the opportunity to speak about GLO.ACT's nationwide awareness raising campaign on TIP and the Smuggling of Migrants (SOM) that has just been launched in Pakistan. This campaign includes the provision of a specialized helpline for TIP victims. She also took to opportunity to mention that Pakistan finally passed " The Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act 2018", something that will undoubtedly strengthen law enforcement in preventing and prosecuting TIP cases. Meanwhile, Mr. Gilberto Zuleta Ibarra, newly appointed NPO for Colombia, focused on the work undertaken with labour inspectors in Colombia. Working with labour inspectors and supporting their networks is an intervention that GLO.ACT has identified as a good practice in the fight against TIP. In fact, the project also engages with labour inspectors in Brazil and South Africa, thereby helping to build a global community of practice. Finally, Ms. Binija Dhital Goperma, NPO for Nepal, spoke about the development of a ground-breaking virtual reality investigation tool for TIP for organ removal and explained how the tool was trialled during a recent workshop in the country.

Following the EGM, all GLO.ACT team members participated, on 6 December 2018, in an internal GLO.ACT meeting that also focused on the exchange of good practices with regards to overall project implementation. The day included sessions on communication and visibility, key policy updates and how to ensure high quality outcome monitoring and reporting.

The Global Action to Prevent and Address Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants (GLO.ACT) is a four-year (2015-2019), 11 million joint initiative by the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The project is being implemented in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). GLO.ACT provides assistance to governmental authorities and civil society organizations across 13 strategically selected countries: Belarus, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao PDR, Mali, Morocco, Nepal, Niger, Pakistan, South Africa, Ukraine. It supports the development of more effective responses to trafficking and smuggling, including providing assistance to victims of trafficking and vulnerable migrants through the strengthening of identification, referral, and direct support mechanisms.

For more information, please visit:

www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/glo-act/

Email: glo.act@un.org

Twitter: @glo_act
Training of magistrates in Mali on Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants

The countries of the Sahel and North Africa, countries of origin, transit and or destination of migration, are particularly exposed to the risks related to the smuggling of migrants. In order to help Sahel countries address these issues, UNODC organizes training courses for magistrates to strengthen their capacity to combat smuggling of migrants.

Thus, a training workshop for judges was organized from 30 October to 2 November 2018 in Sikasso, Mali. The training brought together a total of 25 magistrates and prosecutors from all regions of the country. The workshop aimed to strengthen the capacity of prosecutors and magistrates and provide them with further tools needed to develop strong law enforcement expertise on human trafficking and smuggling of migrants.

Participants had the opportunity to improve their knowledge of national and international legal frameworks related to smuggling of migrants, as well as techniques for investigating and prosecuting cases related to smuggling. The workshop also allowed participants to identify challenges and solutions related to the protection of children exploited as part of this trafficking and to develop a road map for a better prosecution of the perpetrators of these crimes in Mali.

Mali, due to its geographical position and to the crisis the country has been facing since 2012, has become one of the main routes of irregular migration, the migratory flows gaining in importance each year. In 2016, it was estimated that between 30,000 and 40,000 migrants passed through Mali. Trafficking and smuggling networks play a central role in this phenomenon and participate in exposing migrants to abuses, ill-treatment, abduction and even death.

Mali is addressing the threats posed by trafficking, in particular by strengthening its legislative framework. For example, Mali is a State Party to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime on Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants and its Additional Protocols, which set international standards regarding criminalization, the protection of human rights and the use of necessary tools for international cooperation to combat this crime. Its National Assembly also adopted the N.2012-023 law in 2012 to combat trafficking in persons and its related practices, including smuggling of migrants.

These efforts are essential and must be supported in order to create an effective legal distinction between trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants. This will result in updating Mali's legal tools to effectively combat smuggling of migrants as a separate offense from trafficking in persons.

The Global Action to Prevent and Address Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants (GLO.ACT) is a four-year (2015-2019), 11 million joint initiative by the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The project is being implemented in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). GLO.ACT aims to provide assistance to governmental authorities and civil society organizations across 13 strategically selected countries: Belarus, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao PDR, Mali, Morocco, Nepal, Niger, Pakistan, South Africa, Ukraine. GLO.ACT works with the 13 countries to plan and implement strategic national counter-trafficking and counter smuggling efforts through a prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnerships approach. It supports the development of more effective responses to trafficking and smuggling, including providing assistance to victims of trafficking and vulnerable migrants through the strengthening of identification, referral, and direct support mechanisms.



For more information, please contact:

Email: glo.act@un.org

For more information:

Definitions and tools on trafficking in persons and migrant smuggling

UNODC Regional Strategy for Combating Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants 2015-2020

GLO.ACT
In its ongoing endeavours to support its Members through capacity building activities, the WCO conducted a National Workshop on Risk Assessment and Selectivity in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from 26 to 30 November 2018. The Workshop was made possible through funding provided by the Customs Cooperation Fund of Japan (CCF-Japan).

The Workshop was inaugurated by Col. Aripov Jasur Alimovich, the First Deputy Chairman of the Uzbekistan Customs Committee, who in his opening speech, welcomed the WCO's capacity building initiatives. He also emphasized that it was not a mere coincidence that the President's Decree on the implementation of risk management in Uzbekistan Customs was issued a few days before the commencement of the Workshop, but rather an indication of the strong commitment of the Uzbekistan Government to adopting a risk management approach.

The Workshop was structured in such a manner so as to invite maximum interaction between the facilitators and the participants. Participants were exposed to the principles, architecture and processes of risk management, and also to group activities that included practical exercises on the identification of risk indicators for different types of cargo as well as profiling and targeting techniques. They were also made aware of the various WCO tools and instruments in this domain.

The very good level of knowledge of the principles, procedures and practices of risk management displayed by the participants assisted in highly motivating their active participation. They were also keen to understand the principles of intelligence-driven risk management in the changing global business environment where Customs interventions are more and more risk based and fully adapted to cope with available resources.

At the end of the Workshop, Ms. Gulfiya Xabieva, Head of the International Relations Department, expressed her appreciation and gratitude to the facilitators and the participants for their valuable contributions to the success of the Workshop. Mr. Ramil Kontyukov, Head of the Department of Risk Management, thanked the WCO for organizing the Workshop and its continued support for other Customs related programmes.
With a view to supporting the Antigua and Barbuda Customs and Excise Department in its reform and modernization programme and to implement the requirements of the World Trade Organizations (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), the WCO conducted a Risk Management Diagnostic Mission from 26 to 30 November 2018 in St. Johns, Antigua and Barbuda. The mission was made possible through the support of the HMRC UK fund.

The mission kicked-off with an introduction by the Comptroller of Customs and his management team of the current status of risk management in Antigua and Barbuda Customs and their expectations from the reform programme. Besides discussions on the WCO Risk Management Framework and other related tools and instruments, the mission also held discussions with senior managers and specialists of various units responsible for risk management, post-clearance audit, IT, human resources and research and development. Field visits were also made to the port, container terminal, airport and cruise terminal.

The Antigua and Barbuda Customs and Excise Department were very pleased to receive the WCO's expertise in the area of risk management, and is looking forward to the recommendations of the diagnostic mission report. The Department also expressed its appreciation for the ongoing support provided by the WCO in other areas of Customs.
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Calvert City Jingle All the Way 5k and Fun Run set for December 4




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Wepre Park set for free Big Walkies dog walk on Sunday hosted by Wrexham & Deeside RSPCA

This article is old - Published: Thursday, Dec 13th, 2018

The RSPCAs Wrexham & Deeside branch will be hosting the free-of-charge Big Walkies event on Saturday, with registration at 10am

Dogs from across North East Wales have been invited to put their best paw forward, for a free-of-charge RSPCA branch Big Walkies event this weekend (Sunday 16 December).

The RSPCAs Wrexham & Deeside branch has teamed-up with Barks Boot Camp to host the mass Wepre Park dog walk, in Connahs Quay, Flintshire.

Registration is free and begins at 10am, before the dog walk starts at 10.30am. It is estimated that the walk will take between 45 minutes and one hour for owners and their canine companions to complete.

Dogs and their owners simply need to turn up at Wepre Park on Sunday, register with the RSPCA Wrexham & Deeside branch team and join in the fun, festive and free walk.

More information is available through the branchs Facebook page, or via email at admin@rspca-wrexhamdeeside.org.uk. Dogs must be kept on leads at all times during the walk.

Volunteer and Events Officer Dylan Evans said: As we get into the Christmas spirit in North Wales, Big Walkies offers a great opportunity to enjoy a social dog walk with other outgoing canines and owners!

Were urging dog owners from across the region and beyond to head over to Wepre Park on Sunday (16 December) for 10am, and join the festivities.

The event is free  and a great opportunity to meet other dog owners; and enjoy some stunning surroundings.
Wrexham MP meets Justice Minister to discuss serious failings over murder case

This article is old - Published: Thursday, Dec 13th, 2018

Wrexhams MP has met justice minister Rory Stewart to discuss the significant failings which led to the brutal murder of one of his constituents.

Mr Lucas, MP for Wrexham, took his concerns about the death of former Rossett wine bar owner Nicholas Churton to the Ministry of Justice on Wednesday, December 12.

Mr Churton was murdered in his Wrexham home in March 2017 in a machete attack carried out by Jordan Davidson. Days before he committed the crime, Davidson  who was on licence from prison  was arrested for possession of an offensive weapon but was released on police bail rather than being sent back to jail. He then went on a crime spree which included the murder of Mr Churton.

Mr Lucas feels Mr Churton was failed by the system and wants to know why a criminal as dangerous as Davidson was freed when he was already known to North Wales Police and the probation service.

More than 18 months on from when the crime was committed, Mr Lucas is still searching for answers.

During Wednesdays meeting, Mr Stewart accepted there had been deficiencies in how the Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC)  the private firm which manages offenders  had handled Davidson.

He promised that improvements had been made to the system since Mr Churtons death, and that changes had been made to how information is shared between the police and the probation services.

The case has already been the subject of an internal review by Wales CRC and there have been two investigations carried out by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC)  the second of which is looking into the polices contact with Davidson after he was released from prison and is yet to conclude.

Mr Lucas felt his meeting with Mr Stewart was worthwhile and is now awaiting the outcome of the second IOPC investigation.

It was important to meet the minister face-to-face and he conceded that there had been serious failings relating to this case, said Mr Lucas.

That, of course, is no comfort to the family of Mr Churton but at least action has been taken to ensure such errors do not occur again.

I felt I needed to get such reassurances, both for Mr Churtons family and also for my Wrexham constituents who were shocked by this appalling murder.

I await the second IOPC investigation and hope it will give Mr Churtons family the answers they have been looking for and, perhaps, some closure. If not, then I shall be calling for a public inquiry looking at the roles of both the police and probation services in this tragic case.

Mr Lucas led a Westminster Hall debate on the case in June when the Home Office admitted there had been significant failings in how the prison and probation system had handled Davidson.

Davidson was found guilty of murdering Mr Churton and is currently serving a minimum of 30 years in jail.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - The panel investigating the Florida high school massacre is recommending that teachers who volunteer and undergo extensive background checks and training be allowed to carry concealed guns on campus to stop future shootings.

The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission voted 13-1 Wednesday to recommend the Legislature allow the arming of those teachers, saying it's not enough to have one or two police officers or armed guards on campus.

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, the commission's chairman, pushed the measure, saying that most deaths in school shootings happen within the first few minutes, before officers responded.

Seventeen people died in the Feb. 14 attack. Suspect Nikolas Cruz stopped five times to reload.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - When it comes to your car during the winter months winterizing your vehicle can protect it from damage and you from being left out in the cold.

With the unseasonably cold weather in our area it is a good time to winterize your vehicle.

Experts said check your battery. Make sure it has a good charge and that the tops are clean and connections are tight.

Cold can make tires lose pressure and low tire pressure can result in a blow out. Make sure the pressure is where it should be.

Gary Atkinson of Werner Hyundai advises motorists to prepare themselves for the unexpected.

"Prepare a kit that you can put in your car. A roadside assistance kit. There is a lot of technology out there that allows you to power your phone in an emergency," said Gary Atkinson. "Be able to jump your car also it provides other 12 volt sources so you can power up other things that you have a pump for your tires for example."

Atkinson also gave more tips such as getting an oil and filter change. Frigid temps can make oil thicken. And have a professional inspect the cooling and heating system.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (The News Service of Florida) - The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission, which was created to make recommendations after the February 14 mass shooting at a Broward County high school, has released an initial draft of its recommendations for school safety.

The draft report says there were numerous lapses in security ahead of the mass shooting in Parkland that killed 17 people. These include unlocked doors and entrances at the school, along with sheriffs deputies who failed to quickly confront the attacker.

The commission began a two-day meeting in Tallahassee Wednesday, spending time discussing initial report findings and recommendations, with a goal of presenting a final report to the governor and legislative leaders by January 1.

We know that bad things will happen anywhere, and that no school is exempt," said Bob Gualtieri, Pinellas County Sheriff and Commission Chairman. "The idea that it cant happen to me is dangerous and for those who dont take this seriously and genuinely, there should be consequences.

Commission Member Ryan Pettys 14-year old daughter Aliana was killed during the mass shooting. He says all schools, along with law enforcement agencies, should be required to have active shooting policies in place.

If we are going to tell the school districts what to do, I think we should also make recommendations for law enforcement," said Petty.

The report suggests various ways to harden Florida schools, including limiting entry and exit points, restricting visitors on campus during school hours, and keeping classroom doors locked.

The alleged shooter, Nikolas Cruz, could face the death penalty if convicted in the case.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - The South African Gospel group paid a visit to Godby High School on Wednesday morning, singing selections from their program, honoring Nelson Mandela's 100th birthday.

The trip was all a part of Florida State University's Opening Nights 'in Class' program.

Opening Nights brings musicians from across the world to Tallahassee.

"It's bringing the world to Tallahassee. Some people in our community won't have the opportunity to travel to Soweto, South Africa. This gives a taste of what that is. Whenever we can bring international artists in, it expands our knowledge of the world, the people in the world, and how we're all a part of the global community," said FSU Opening Night's Director, Michael Blachly.

Swahili speaking Bond Elementary students who emigrated from Congo, were in attendance.
THOMASVILLE, Ga. (WTXL) - Thomasville is a town full of rich history and 150 year old buildings. One business owner is merging the town's history with modern-day creativity by hosting a gingerbread house making competition.

"There haven't been a lot of creative opportunities so we decided that we wanted to bring that to Victorian Christmas so that kids have something they can put their hands on and do," said Emily Mckenna, Owner of You're Maker Studios.

When children come to You're Maker Studios they'll find everything needed to decorate a gingerbread house. Adults get a bigger challenge to re-create Thomasville's historic buildings.

"Thomasville has a lot of Victorian architecture and we really appreciate this time for people to appreciate architecture and to appreciate the beautiful styles that our ancestors and our founders made," said Sophia Latz, Preservation Programs Manager.

One of those the Lapham Patterson house was built in 1884.

Sophia Latz said the Lapham-Patterson house is the perfect example of Victorian architecture complete with an intricate porch and yellow, fish scale shingles. And with all this ornate detail, it's no easy feat but one person is building a gingerbread version.

This is only the first year for the competition, but Emily and Sophia are hoping it catches on.

The goal is to eventually see all of Thomaville's historic landmarks in gingerbread form.

And that's just one of the many activities and attractions on tap for this year's festival.

The 32nd annual Victorian Christmas runs from 6-9 p.m. Thursday and Friday.

The bulk of the vendors and activities will be set up along Broad and Jackson Streets, in Downtown Thomasville.

Click here for a complete list of Victorian Christmas events.
Visitors watch a robot during the World Robot Conference 2017 in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 23, 2017.(Xinhua/Li Xin)

NEW YORK, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- The value of China's core Artificial Intelligence (AI) industries could exceed 1 trillion yuan (145.47 billion U.S. dollars) by 2030, with that of AI-enabled industries more than 10 trillion yuan, a latest report by Bloomberg Intelligence (BI) said.

Titled "China's great tech leap forward", the report said that China's push to commercialize AI technologies, supported by the rollout of the world's biggest 5G network, could position the country as a global leader for technology and innovation.

"Based on the growth trajectory in the past decade, China may overtake the U.S. in global technology-patents share by 2025," said the report.

AI-related industries may exceed 6 percent of China's GDP by 2030, according to the report.

In the report, BI analysts said the country's abundance of data may fuel the acceleration of the industry.

China's breakneck pace of consumer-lifestyle digitization potentially gives researchers unique access to Chinese-language data generated by its 1.4 billion people as they go about their daily activities both online and offline.

Vey-Sern Ling, senior industry analyst at Bloomberg intelligence, said China may overtake global peers in the commercialization of AI technologies, as large amount of capital is likely to continue pouring into the industry.

According to Tsinghua University, private funding for Chinese AI-related companies in 2017 totaled 27.7 billion dollars, equivalent to 70 percent of global investments in the industry.

Data showed China's cumulative venture-capital investments in AI startups had already caught up with the United States by 2016.

Ling, also the lead analyst of the report, said the top-down support is an important factor apart from the multi-faceted user data and the funding available in China to the industry's fast development.

"I don't think anywhere else in the world you have the government so strongly behind, identifying the technology pillar and bearing full weight," said Ling.

He added that China's potential dominance in AI by 2030 may be led by developments in transportation, corporate services, health care and finance.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-12 17:52:59|Editor: xuxin

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People view The Lady of Shalott at the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) in Canberra, Australia, Dec. 12, 2018. For the first time paintings The Lady of Shalott and Ophelia left Britain for Australia, as an exhibition named "Love and Desire: Pre-Raphaelite Masterpieces from the Tate", will open to the public in the NGA on Friday. (Xinhua/Pan Xiangyue)

CANBERRA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- For the first time paintings The Lady of Shalott and Ophelia left Britain for Australia, as an exhibition named "Love and Desire: Pre-Raphaelite Masterpieces from the Tate", will open to the public in the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) on Friday.

"I will tell the audiences that they (the two paintings) are now enjoying a holiday in Australia," Judith Nesbitt, Director of National and International Partnerships of Tate said, noting that both works are iconic as part of the founding collection of Tate.

Putting together more than 100 works from 21 artists, the exhibition which will last till April 28 next year gives audiences an insight into the rebellious and revolutionary world of the ground-breaking art movement Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

"This is one of the most important exhibitions of the 19th century of Pre-Raphaelite movement ever to be staged in the world," Nick Mitzevich, NGA Director said.

According to Nesbitt, the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was a group of artists in the mid-19th century in London.

"They wanted to produce paintings that were very true to nature," she said. "To this extent, they were the very first group of artists who painted outdoors. They actually take the canvases, place them outside and paint what they saw exactly what they saw. So you see at this exhibition high degree of naturalism, extraordinary details: foliage, texture of fabrics and objects. That's part of the power of the paintings," Nesbitt added.

Among those artists in the mid-19th century in London was John Everett Millais, a child prodigy who was the youngest student admitted to the Royal Academy Schools at the age of 11. His oil painting, Ophelia, was inspired by William Shakespeare's story and depicts the moment Hamlet's lover drowned herself in a river after she was driven mad by the death of her father.

"A number of elements make the work so interesting," NGA Director Nick Mitzevich said. He told Xinhua that the painter drew elements in nature. In fact, Millais spent over five months capturing the landscape on the banks of the Hogsmill River in Surrey. It took him many days before he found the perfect spot on the river to stage his painting. His model for Ophelia caught a severe cold after lying in a bath for hours.

Similarly, The Lady of Shalott by John William Waterhouse was also inspired by literature. The poem by Alfred Tennyson tells a cursed woman trapped in a tower near King Arthur's castle, who fell in love with the knight Lancelot. Unable to break the spell, she arrived at Camelot in a boat, dead.

These two paintings were among the earliest 65 works donated by British merchant and philanthropist Henry Tate in 1889, who would like to have them in the National Gallery, Nesbitt said.

While 40 plus works were from Tate, the exhibition also gathered paintings from private collections and institutions in Britain and Australia.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 00:50:12|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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DAR ES SALAAM, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian authorities on Wednesday signed a three-billion-U.S. dollar landmark deal with an Egyptian company for the construction of the Stiegler's Gorge hydroelectric project in a game reserve.

The signing of the deal between the government of Tanzania and Egyptian state-owned Arab Contractors was witnessed by President John Magufuli and Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly in the business capital Dar es Salaam.

Speaking shortly after the agreement was signed, President Magufuli reiterated his dismissal of environmental concerns saying the project will instead be eco-friendly. He said only a tiny fraction of the Selous Game Reserve, a world heritage site, would be used to build the proposed hydropower dam.

Magufuli said 15-percent of the money to be paid to the contractor was already available. He said hydropower was cheaper than any other kind of energy sources.

Magufuli said the project will generate 2,115 megawatts which was more than all electricity generated from all other sources in the east African country which currently stood at 1,560 megawatts.

For his part, the Egyptian Prime Minister said the project was a symbol of his country's commitment to supporting Tanzania in development.

"We believe that this project will be another opportunity to open a new chapter in the relations between the two countries," said Madbouly.

The project has attracted intense scrutiny with conservationists both at home and abroad calling for a comprehensive strategic environmental assessment before it is implemented in the Selous Game Reserve.

But President Magufuli has made it abundantly clear that his government sees the project as a game changer in its industrialization drive by promising to provide cheap and abundant electricity to the energy-starved nation.

Known for its elephants, black rhinos and giraffes, the Selous Game Reserve covers 50,000 square kilometers and is one of the largest protected areas in Africa.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 04:36:12|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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GENEVA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Wednesday launched its Turbulence Aware data resource, which improves airlines' ability to plan routes tactically in flight and avoid turbulence, which is a significant cause of in-flight injuries.

Turbulence Aware enhances an airline's ability to forecast and avoid turbulence by pooling and sharing, in real time, turbulence data generated by participating airlines, IATA said in a statement released here.

Airlines rely upon pilot reports and weather advisories to allay the impact of turbulence on their operations.

Turbulence is the leading cause of injuries to passengers and crew in non-fatal accidents, according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.

"Turbulence Aware is a great example of the potential for digital transformation in the airline industry," said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA's director general and CEO.

"The airline industry has always cooperated on safety -- its number one priority."

The first operational version of the platform will be developed by the end of 2018, said IATA.

Operational trials will run throughout 2019, with ongoing feedback collection from participating airlines. The final product will be launched in early 2020.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 04:41:14|Editor: Yurou

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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to reporters after a Security Council meeting on non-proliferation at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Dec. 12, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday urged the UN Security Council (UNSC) to maintain an arms embargo on Iran scheduled to be lifted in 2020 under the Iran nuke deal, and to take tougher restrictions on Tehran's ballistic missile program.

Speaking at a UNSC meeting on Iran, Pompeo accused the country of having the largest ballistic missile force in Middle East that has threatened many of U.S. allies.

"When we collectively 'call upon' Iran to cease its ballistic missile activity, we must agree to stop it now," Pompeo said, adding Iran's recent test-firing of a medium-range ballistic missile, together with other moves, has proved that "Iran is in open defiance of UN Security Council Resolution 2231."

However, European nations, whose stance on the Iran nuke deal has been in sharp contrast with the U.S., has tried to save the deal.

Eight European nations, including Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and Britain, said in a statement announced after the meeting that "it has been confirmed that Iran continues to implement its nuclear related commitments."

But they warned that Iran's development of "ballistic missile related activities" would violate the UNSC resolutions, calling on Iran "to refrain from such activities, which deepen mistrust and increase regional tensions and are in non-conformity with Resolution 2231."

For his part, Iran's deputy UN envoy, Eshagh al-Habib, reportedly said in the meeting that the United States has an "addiction to sanctions and warmongering," and that Iran was in compliance with its commitments under the landmark deal.

"What we heard today was another series of lies, fabrications, disinformation and deceptive statements by the U.S. It is not unprecedented," al-Habib noted.

On Dec. 1, Pompeo accused Iran of test-firing a medium range ballistic missile "that is capable of carrying multiple warheads" in violation of the UNSC Resolution 2231.

However, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that "the issue of missiles has never been subject to negotiations and nothing in Resolution 2231 prohibits Iran" from developing its missile program.

"Our defense doctrine is basically founded upon deterrence and it is defensive, not offensive," Zarif was quoted as saying.

Iran has repeatedly emphasized that its missile program is for deterrent purposes and it will not quit its development.

The Iran nuclear deal was reached in Vienna in 2015 between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council - China, France, Russia, Britain, the United States - plus Germany).

After leaving the deal in May, the U.S. government on Aug. 7 re-imposed sanctions on Iran's non-energy areas, such as the automotive sector, trade in gold, and other key metals.

On Nov. 5, the U.S. administration snapped back sanctions on Iran's "critical sectors" of energy, shipping, shipbuilding and finance.

The Trump administration has also tried to delegitimize the Iranian government and its regional influence, vowing to press other nations to isolate Iran.

For its part, Tehran has said that the U.S. side is unreliable and it will not talk with Washington.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to reporters after a Security Council meeting on non-proliferation at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Dec. 12, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned on Wednesday that the West's deterrence is "on the horizon" to respond to Russia's recent confrontation with Ukraine and its military moves in Venezuela.

Pompeo told Fox & Friends in an interview in New York that "sometimes the last act doesn't appear to be the last act, and deterrence is just on the horizon."

"We have pushed back against Russia in serious ways," he noted. "We've provided defensive weapon systems for the Ukrainians to defend their own country. We have sanctioned more Russians than any administration in recent history. This administration has been very serious."

Noting that the United States has obviously seen the incidents in the Kerch Strait, the top U.S. diplomat said that Washington has been working with European partners "to make sure they understand the importance of protecting that waterway and pushing back against the Russians in a way that actually leads to deterrence from this kind of aggression from Vladimir Putin."

On Nov. 25, Russia seized three Ukrainian ships near the Kerch Strait, saying the Ukrainian ships breached the Russian border. The Ukraine side called Russia's move an "act of aggression" and imposed a martial law in certain regions of the country for 30 days starting on Nov. 28.

In a separate move, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that Russian and Venezuelan military pilots had conducted training sessions to perform joint flights at a Venezuelan airfield.

The training came after two Tu-160 strategic missile-carriers, a heavy An-124 military transport aircraft and an IL-62 long-range aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces landed in Venezuela on Tuesday after covering a distance of more than 10,000 km.

In his tweet posted on Tuesday, Pompeo characterized the landing as "two corrupt governments squandering public funds, and squelching liberty and freedom while their people suffer."

The Kremlin responded later on the same day, calling Pompeo's remarks "undiplomatic and inappropriate."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 07:11:47|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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LONDON, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- There was swift reaction across the political spectrum in Britain on Wednesday after Prime Minister Theresa May beat off a challenge to her leadership as she called upon all politicians to "get on with delivering Brexit."

In a confidence vote among her own Conservative MPs, May won backing from 200 lawmakers, with 117 others saying they had no confidence in her as leader of the party.

Speaking outside Downing Street after the result was announced, May said she will seek legal and political assurances from the EU over the Irish border backstop position, one of the key stumbling blocks to her Brexit deal.

The prime minister said that she had had a long and challenging day, but at the end of it she was pleased to have received the backing of her colleagues in the ballot.

"While I'm grateful for that support, a significant number of my colleagues did cast a vote against me. I've listened to what they have said," she added.

May said she now has a renewed mission to bring the country back together. She said, "Following this ballot we now need to get on with the job of delivering Brexit for the British people and building a better future for this country."

The Daily Telegraph in London said significant dangers to her premiership remain in the coming weeks.

May indicated ahead of the ballot that she would not lead the Conservative Party into the next British general election, due in 2022.

That assurance is said to have won her support from some MPs who otherwise would have voted against her.

One of May's fiercest critics, Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, described the result as terrible for May, but he said he accepted the confidence vote result, adding that May should still meet Queen Elizabeth II and resign.

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour party, said the vote made no difference to the lives of British people.

"The prime minister has lost her majority in parliament, her government is in chaos and she is unable to deliver a Brexit deal that works for the country and puts jobs and the economy first," Corbyn said.

Corbyn said she must now bring her "dismal Brexit deal" back to the House of Commons next week so parliament can take back control.

He added it was clear May has not been able to negotiate the necessary changes to her deal in Europe.

"Labour is ready to govern for the whole country and deliver a deal that protects living standards and workers' rights," said Corbyn.

The result was welcomed by British Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond. He said, "Tonight's vote of confidence in the Prime Minister is the right one. Now is the time to focus on the future. Her deal means we will honor the referendum result while safeguarding jobs and maintaining business confidence."

Meanwhile, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said the result was a strong vote of support for May.

Owen Paterson, one of the MPs who confirmed he had written a letter of no confidence to help trigger the vote, described the result for May as very poor.

"She has secured well under half of the Backbench vote," he said. "She must now listen to those of us concerned that she is failing to deliver our clear manifesto pledges to leave Single Market, Customs Union and remit of European Court of Justice."

Nigel Farage, a member of the European Parliament (MEP) and co-founder the UK Independence Party (UKIP), the party set up decades ago to campaign for Britain's exit from the EU, said, "Mrs May limps on to her next failure, the deal won't pass and the real crisis is close."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 07:11:47|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday that the United States intends to enforce the re-imposed sanctions lifted under the Iran nuke deal with "great rigor" against any party violating them.

The remarks came after European nations expressed their continued support for the historic deal and confirmation of Iran's implementation of its nuclear-related commitments under the deal soon after a UN Security Council (UNSC) meeting on Iran held on the same day.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said earlier this month that Europe will finalize a cooperation mechanism for facilitating mutual financial transactions "soon" to avoid the U.S. banking sanctions on Iran. The special purpose vehicle (SPV), designed to allow European companies to bypass the U.S. sanctions, was due to be set up by the EU within the next few months.

In response, Pompeo said at the UN press conference that "we have to evaluate the facts as they present themselves."

"There are humanitarian exemptions in the sanctions that have been put in place for foodstuffs and medicine. If the activity that is undertaken is consistent with that, we obviously won't emplace sanctions," he said.

"But to the extent that there are violations of our sanctions, we intend to enforce them with great rigor against any party who is a participant in those violations," the U.S. top diplomat added.

During the UNSC meeting, Pompeo urged the Council to maintain an arms embargo on Iran scheduled to be lifted in 2020 under the Iran nuke deal, and to "establish inspection and interdiction measures, in ports and on the high seas, to thwart Iran's continuing efforts to circumvent the existing arms restrictions."

After leaving the Iran nuke deal in May, the U.S. government has re-imposed sanctions on Iran's key economic sectors. Foreign companies keeping business connections with Iran in these areas would risk U.S. secondary sanctions.

European nations have tried to save the deal and protect its companies from U.S. punishments. The EU foreign and security policy chief Federica Mogherini said in September that the EU will set up a legal entity to facilitate legitimate financial transactions with Iran in light of the U.S. re-imposition of sanctions.

Pompeo later responded that he "was disturbed and, indeed, deeply disappointed" to hear Mogherini's remarks, noting the EU's plan was unacceptable and represented "one of the most counterproductive measures imaginable."

For its part, Tehran said that the U.S. side is unreliable, and it will not talk with Washington.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 07:16:48|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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HELSINKI, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- New calculations by the governmental Finnish Natural Resources Institute indicated on Wednesday that Finland could safely consume over 80 million cubic meters of its forest wood annually without disturbing its ability of carbon storage.

The updated report indicated that the size of the carbon sink had been underestimated in earlier assessments. The new calculations took into account the global warming and the faster growth of forests in a warmer climate.

The Finnish Natural Resources Institute said that even though the Finnish carbon sink will shrink because of wood usage, it would be not be reduced to a critical level any time before 2050.

The Finnish Nature Conservation Association on Wednesday expressed concerns with the latest estimate. Harri Holtta, chairman of the association, described the new conclusions as "bold".

"With the new calculations Finland would avoid EU sanctions, even though more wood would be used to meet the needs of the pulp industry," Holtta said.

The current level of forest use is roughly 70 million cubic meters annually. The government has aimed at an increase up to 80 million.

Besides nature conservation circles, political opposition parties have questioned the sustainability of the usage exceeding the present levels.

An all-party working group is currently reviewing the Finnish climate policy. The intention is that the political parties could agree on climate policy that would cover a longer period than the next parliamentary tenure 2019-2023.

The EU land usage decree requires that members inform the commission by the end of 2018 about estimated carbon sink levels of their forests in 2021-2025. They will then be analyzed by experts from the EU and members. The EU Commission will define the final values in 2020.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 07:21:51|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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SANTIAGO, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum is poised to lead the international community in spurring free trade and multilateral integration, Chile's President Sebastian Pinera said on Wednesday.

Pinera spoke at the launching of APEC Chile 2019, a year-long series of meetings leading up to next year's APEC forum, which will be hosted for the second time by the South American country.

"The time has come for APEC to become what it was born to be: the largest, most innovative, most inclusive and most prosperous free trade initiative," Pinera told participants of a seminar at government headquarters in Santiago.

The agenda for 2019, which marks the 30th anniversary of APEC's founding, will focus on the digital economy, promoting small and medium-sized businesses, the role of women in economic growth, and sustainable development to combat climate change.

Over the years, the Asia-Pacific bloc founded in 1989 has helped to ease trade and foster greater multilateral exchanges, officials noted.

Some 20,000 delegates are expected to attend the November 2019 gathering, according to Chile's Foreign Affairs Ministry.

The bloc is home to 40 percent of the world's population, and accounts for 57 percent of global gross domestic product and 49 percent of global trade.

Chile hosted an APEC forum in 2004 in its capital Santiago.
A man holds the body of a baby who died after being delivered prematurely following a shooting attack in the West Bank, during his funeral at Mount of Olives cemetery in Jerusalem, on Dec. 12, 2018. (Xinhua photo)

JERUSALEM, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- An Israeli baby, delivered prematurely after his mother was wounded in a recent Palestinian drive-by shooting attack, died in hospital on Wednesday, Israel's Shin Bet security service said.

The mother, Shira Ish-Ran, was in the seventh month of her pregnancy during the attack at a bus stop outside the settlement of Ofra in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Sunday.

Doctors in the Shaarei Tzedek Medical Center delivered her son by an emergency Caesarean section.

On Wednesday night, the Shin Bet said in a statement that the suspects who fled the scene had been arrested.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent his condolences to the bereaved family.

"My heart, our hearts, are with Shira ... at the death of a four-day-old baby who does not even have a name," Netanyahu said in an address to foreign media and diplomats in Jerusalem.

The shooting attack on Sunday was the latest in a spate of Palestinian attacks in the form of knife stabbing, shooting, car-ramming and others, usually targeting Israeli soldiers, police officers and settlers.

Late in November, Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian man after his car ran over soldiers in the West Bank, injuring three of them.

Also in November, five Israeli policemen were lightly injured in a knife attack carried out by a Palestinian man inside a police station in East Jerusalem.

Palestinians have been struggling against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank since the 1967 Middle East war, and its blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007 when Hamas took control of the coastal enclave after weeks of fighting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' security forces.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 07:46:54|Editor: ZD

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he intends to name an experienced intelligence officer as the assistant secretary of state for South Asian affairs.

In a statement issued by the White House, Trump said that Robert Williams, for more than 20 years, "has specialized in South Asia and Afghanistan affairs as an analyst and intelligence officer."

According to the statement, Williams, since 2017, has served at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in Washington, D.C., as associate deputy director for Intelligence and Directorate for Operations.

Previously, he was the national intelligence officer for South Asia at the National Intelligence Council and defense intelligence officer for South Asia at DIA.

Williams has also been an adjunct associate professor at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service since 2017, and was previously a senior adjunct professorial lecturer at American University's School of International Service from 2013 to 2016.

He earned his B.A. at the University of Pennsylvania in 1993 and M.A. at the George Washington University in 1996.

The Trump administration unveiled its South Asia strategy last year. However, the strategy has been tested by U.S. continuous strained ties with Pakistan, and the frequent casualties in Afghanistan.

Afghan officials said earlier on Wednesday that more than 40 fighters had been killed in clash between government forces and the Taliban in the insurgency-battered nation over the past 24 hours.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 07:51:56|Editor: ZD

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BRATISLAVA, Dec.12 (Xinhua) -- Slovakia will buy 14 new F-16 Block 70/72 fighter jets. Slovak Defence Minister Peter Gajdos signed the contract on Wednesday with Lockheed Martin vice president Ana Wugofski.

With all the aircraft due to be delivered by 2023, the 1.6-billion euro (1.8 billion U.S. dollars) contract also includes weaponry, logistics support and training for aviation and ground personnel.

"Slovakia has thus confirmed its commitment to increase its military spending to 2 percent of GDP," stressed Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini.

Gajdos pointed out that the purchase of new fighter jets will make Slovakia fully compatible with other EU and NATO members.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 08:52:02|Editor: Li Xia

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LONDON, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Manchester United had to settle for second place in the UEFA Champions League Group H after suffering a 2-1 defeat at Valencia while Manchester City topped Group F by beating Hoffenheim at home on Wednesday.

Carlos Soler fired the La Liga side ahead and an own goal from Phil Jones early in the second period doubled their lead. Second-half substitute Marcus Rashford made it 2-1 in the 87th minute.

The result meant Jose Mourinho's men finished the runners-up in the group after Juventus, who topped the group with two more points despite losing 2-1 against Young Boys in Switzerland.

Mourinho was pleased with Manchester United's progression to the last 16 although it was already secured before the final match.

He said, "I don't think we were brilliant in this group phase, but with the problems we had and the injuries we had we managed to come here already qualified."

Two goals from Leroy Sane saw Manchester City fight back from falling behind to overcome Hoffenheim and seal top spot in Group F.

The German side took a first half lead through Andrej Kamaric's 16th minute penalty, but Sane brought City level against his compatriots with a stunning free-kick in first half injury time.

The winger then capped a fine man-of-the-match performance by finding the target again midway through the second half to seal the win and secure pole position for Pep Guardiola's men.

Lyon settled for the second behind City and secured the final last-16 spot after playing to a 1-1 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk in Kiev thanks to a second-half goal from Nabil Fekir.

Real Madrid suffered their worst ever defeat in the Champions League when they were beaten 3-0 in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium by CSKA Moscow.

The Russians had beaten Madrid 1-0 in Moscow earlier in the competition, but were not expected to do the same in Madrid's home ground.

Real Madrid still finish top of their group, but Viktoria Plzen's 2-1 win over Roma means that CSKA Moscow fail to qualify for the Europa League despite their win.

Bayern Munich topped Group E despite being held to a 3-3 draw by Ajax in a match that saw two red cards and two penalties.

Robert Lewandowski gave Bayern the lead but Dusan Tadic equalized. Maximilian Wober was sent off for Ajax, with Bayern's Thomas Muller dismissed for kicking Nicolas Tagliafico's head.

Tadic then put Ajax ahead with an 82nd-minute penalty, but there were three goals to come. Lewandowski scored a spot-kick with Bayern's Kingsley Coman netting before Tagliafico levelled the score five minutes into the stoppage time.

Bayern topped Group E with the draw, although Ajax would have overtaken them if they had held on to their 2-1 lead.

In the group's other match, Benfica beat AEK Athens 1-0.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 10:17:16|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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SYDNEY, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- A team of surgeons at Port Moresby General Hospital in Papua New Guinea has become an online sensation on Thursday, after images were posted to social media platforms showing the medical staff performing an operation in a dark theatre using only torches and mobile phones for light.

For 19 minutes of the three-hour cleft lip operation on Monday, the team were forced to improvise when a power outage cast their section of the hospital into darkness.

Although the hospital has several backup generators for such an event, on this occasion the theatre's generator had overheated and malfunctioned.

"I can speak on this as a surgeon and having had to operate during many such situations in India," Port Moresby General Hospital chief executive officer Dr Umesh Gupta told the Post Courier Newspaper.

"In such or any other instance when there is shortage of something, surgeons improvise and try to the best that they can."

"All developing countries have issues of power blackouts and I can tell you that in all public hospitals in these countries, such instances are known to occur."

Despite challenging circumstances that faced the operating team, Gupta was adamant that there was no danger to the patient.

"The operation was conducted successfully because a cleft lip surgery is a superficial operation that does not endanger life," he said.

"So there was no threat to life during the 19 minutes."

While the photos posted to social media have helped illustrate the professionalism and diligence of staff at the hospital, Gupta explained that from March next year, the issue of power supply is likely to be solved with the construction of an electrical backup and medical gas system for the entire hospital.

It will be safe to say that such instances will be a rarity from March 2019 onwards," Gupta said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 10:37:22|Editor: Yang Yi

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GENEVA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU), China and other World Trade Organization (WTO) members on Wednesday delivered a joint statement, emphasizing the urgent need to unblock the appointment of WTO Appellate Body members.

At a meeting of the WTO General Council, those members, including the EU, China, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, Switzerland, Australia, Republic of Korea, Iceland, Singapore and Mexico, voiced their deep concern that "continued vacancies in the Appellate Body present a risk to the WTO as a whole."

While reaffirming their commitment to the rules-based multilateral trading system, they underscored the dispute settlement system as a central pillar of the WTO.

"Such a system is also essential in building confidence amongst members in the negotiating pillar," said the statement.

The members took note of the concerns about the functioning of the dispute settlement system, saying that they are "ready to work on solutions, while preserving the essential features of the system and of its Appellate Body."

Underlining their commitment to engaging in discussions on "substantive rules" of the Appellate Body, they called on interested members to advance ideas on how to take this process forward.

The joint statement was released as previously planned after members including the EU, China and India submitted two joint proposals on reforming the WTO dispute settlement mechanism on Nov. 22. The two proposals were presented at the Wednesday meeting of General Council.

The first proposal offers proper solutions to transitional rules of outgoing Appellate Body members and the second aims to strengthen the independence of the Appellate Body, to increase its efficiency and capability as well as to enable an automatic start of its selection process.

However, the proposals are rejected by the United States, which estimated that "the proposals would not effectively address the concerns that members have raised."

The Appellate Body functions as the global trade body's de facto court of appeals and is composed of seven members. However, only three of the seven members are in office since Washington has refused to initiate the process to fill vacancies.

At a press conference after Wednesday's meeting, WTO spokesperson Keith Rockwell reiterated that the mandate of two of three members of the Appellate Body would be expired at the end of next year. If the appointment process remains blocked, "we will no longer have enough jurists to hear appeals," he warned.

"In essence, there is a degree of paralysis of the dispute settlement system," said the spokesperson.

Meanwhile, he noted some positive signs in Wednesday's meeting, revealing that Chairman of the General Council, Junichi Ihara, announced his intention to launch an informal process to open discussions on resolving the crisis.

"A willingness was expressed by all members to engage in deeper discussions," he added.
In this file photo, soldiers from the Armed Forces of the Philippines walk to a bridge in the war-tornMarawi City, the Philippines, May 22, 2018. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

MANILA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine Congress granted President Rodrigo Duterte's request to further extend martial law and the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in Mindanao for a period of one year to Dec. 31, 2019, to quell a "continuing rebellion" in the southern Philippine region.

After deliberating for almost four hours in a special joint session on Wednesday, lawmakers from both the Senate and the House of Representatives voted 235-28-1 in favor of another one-year extension of martial rule in Mindanao.

This is the third extension granted to Duterte since he imposed martial law in May 2017 after rebellion militants laid siege to Marawi City.

Under the martial law and the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in Mindanao, security forces are allowed to make arrests, detain or search without a warrant. This means that people who have committed the crime of rebellion or even suspected ones may be arrested without a warrant of arrest, and objects that are used in the commission of the crime of rebellion may be seized without a search warrant.

With the extension of martial law, Philippine Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the Duterte government "expects to achieve substantial progress in addressing the persisting rebellion in Mindanao, as well as promoting the overall security and peace and order situation in the island."

In a letter to Congress last week, Duterte asked lawmakers to allow the martial law to continue in Mindanao to quell terrorist groups that "continue to defy the government by perpetrating hostile activities."

In justifying his request for a third extension of martial law in Mindanao, Duterte added that despite the significant progress, "rebellion still persists in Mindanao and that the public safety requires the continuation of martial law in the whole of Mindanao."

Specifically, he cited the several bombings that rocked many parts of Mindanao in the past few months that killed a number of people.

Mindanao has been the hotbed of violent extremism and a brewing rebellion for decades. In more recent years, Mindanao witnessed the perpetration of numerous acts of violence like the Marawi siege and bombings in major cities.

Members of Duterte's security team, led by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, briefed the lawmakers before the voting on the need to place Mindanao under martial rule, citing lingering threats from rebel and extremist groups.

The team called upon Congress to allow the further extension of martial law "to assist the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine National Police (PNP) and all other enforcement agencies to put a decisive end to this ongoing rebellion and, thereby, remove a long-standing obstacle to the full rehabilitation and development of Mindanao."

Lorenzana, as martial law administrator, said the AFP "will continue to uphold its mandate of defending the sovereignty of our state, upholding the integrity of our territory and protecting the democratic way of life of our people, with full respect for human rights, international humanitarian law and the primacy of the rule of law."

Duterte initially imposed a 60-day martial law in Mindanao on May 23, 2017, after militants laid siege to Marawi, a predominantly Muslim city in Mindanao.

At the height of the intense fighting to retake Marawi from the pro-IS terrorist in July 2017, Duterte asked Congress to extend the martial law until December 2017, a request that lawmakers easily approved.

When the extension expired in December 2017, Duterte again asked Congress to extend it until Dec. 31, 2018.

The 1987 Philippine Constitution only allows the president to declare martial law for a maximum of 60 days. Any extension would require approval from Congress.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 10:57:26|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi reached an agreement Wednesday with her opponents which, if adopted, would most likely secure her the post of House speaker in the next Congress.

The agreement will limit Pelosi, a Democrat from the U.S. state of California, to two two-year terms as House speaker, a post she served two terms from 2007 to 2011. She has been bidding for it again since the Democrats regained House majority in the November midterm elections.

In return, a small group of critics within the Democratic Party who initially vowed to block Pelosi's ascent to the post will back her in a full House vote on Jan. 3.

The deal is expected to give Pelosi at least five extra votes, enough for her to clinch the speakership, according to Politico, a U.S. news portal focusing on political news.

Setting a term limit for party leadership has changed the Democratic Caucus rules, and thus has to be approved by other Democratic lawmakers, some of whom still oppose it.

"I am comfortable with the proposal, and it is my intention to abide by it, whether it passes or not," Pelosi said in a statement Wednesday.

The 78-year-old congresswoman won the intraparty nomination for House speaker on Nov. 28. She gained 203 votes to become the nominee, but that was still short of the 218 votes needed when all lawmakers in the House vote in January.

Pelosi's opponents have asked not only her, but also other elderly Democratic Party leaders to step aside and give way to younger generations.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 10:57:26|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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YANGON, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar is moving to implement a child labor eradication program and the related national-level work program (draft) is being sought at a Myanmar National Committee on Child Labor Eradication meeting, Myanmar News Agency reported Thursday.

Vice President U Myint Swe, who is chairman of the committee, stressed at Wednesday's meeting the need for the program implementation in order to provide protection for children working in dangerous situations.

The program can bring about vocational training and educational opportunities for the children and help alleviate poverty, he added.

According to the labor force survey 2015, there are over 12 million children below 18 years of age in Myanmar. Of them, 1.1 million are working as child laborers, while over 600,000 are working in a vulnerable situation.

As part of its efforts in elimination of child labor, Myanmar has ratified the International Labor Organization (ILO)'s Convention 182 on the worst form of child labor and has been cooperating with the ILO and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) is this aspect.

A tripartite agreement under the Decent Work Country Program between the government, employers and employees was also signed by the ILO and the Myanmar Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population.

The program includes child labor issues under the title of job opportunities, labor rights and social security.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 11:35:54|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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A human rights activist protests against violence toward women in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Dec. 12, 2018. After a woman was stabbed to death on Tuesday in her home, a total of 25 women and girls has been murdered in Israel since the beginning of 2018. (Xinhua/JINI/Gideon Markovich)
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 11:17:28|Editor: Yang Yi

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PARIS, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Song Tao, Minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of Communist Party of China (CPC), has emphasized exchanges and mutual trust with France.

Song made the remarks during a visit to France from Saturday to Tuesday at the invitation of French ruling party of The Republic On The Move (LREM).

Currently Sino-French relations are keeping up good momentum for development, and China is ready to work with France to strengthen interparty, intergovernmental and interparliamentary exchanges, promote strategic communication and boost mutual political trust so as to advance the sustainable and healthy development of bilateral relations, Song said.

The French side spoke highly of Sino-French relations and expressed its willingness to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with China in a joint effort to tackle global challenges.

During his visit, the senior CPC official held talks separately with Vice-President of the French National Assembly Carole Bureau-Bonnard, French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian, French President's diplomatic advisor Philippe Etienne, the General Delegate of LREM Philippe Grangeon, as well as leaders of other parties and local officials.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 11:32:33|Editor: Yang Yi

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TOKYO, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- "I will never stop the steps of conveying the historical truth about Nanjing Massacre," said Tamaki Matsuoka, a former primary school teacher in Japan who has spent the past 30 years recording and passing on the memories about the 1937 massacre, in a recent interview with Xinhua.

Eighty-one years ago, the invading Japanese military brutally killed some 300,000 Chinese citizens and unarmed soldiers following its capture of Nanjing, the then Chinese capital, on Dec. 13, 1937.

The massacre, one of the most outrageous crimes Japan committed during its war of aggression against China, inflicted tremendous suffering upon the Chinese people.

Matsuoka was previously teaching history in a primary school in Osaka. She found history textbooks vague and ambiguous about the invasive war against China and decided to visit Nanjing, China in August 1988 to find out more about the truth.

When seeing for the first time in her life at an exhibition in Nanjing the evidences of the atrocities committed by the Japanese army, including photos of the heads cut down and the women raped, Matsuoka could not help shedding tears of pain and shame.

"I made up my mind at that time that I have to tell my students in Japan what had really happened, and what pain and sorrow were associated with the historical truth," Matsuoka said.

In the following 30 years, Matsuoka interviewed hundreds of survivors and World War II veterans, and based on their testimonies, wrote books and produced documentaries to convey the historic truth.

Since the war ended, Japan has been trying to deny and whitewash the war history, and some historical revisionists even claimed that Nanjing Massacre never happened, said Matsuoka.

"We have to convey the historical truth about Nanjing Massacre to our people and our future generations so as to let people understand the preciousness of the hard-earned peace and prevent war tragedies from happening again," she said.

But as survivors and witnesses of the war are passing away, Matsuoka felt that she was now racing with time. An important and effective way of preserving the historical memories is to record the testimonies of the victims and victimizers and turn them into books and films, she said.

In recent years, Matsuoka and a civil group called Meishinkai founded by her, have also been cooperating with other civil groups in Japan to hold testimony meetings and seminars to convey the truth about the war.

"More than 70 years have passed since the war ended, and the Japanese society is still reluctant to acknowledge the historical truth about the war. Under such circumstances, we need to explore all possible ways to convey the truth," said Matsuoka.

She has also been organizing Japanese citizens to visit Nanjing and to talk to survivors of the 1937 massacre as well as Chinese scholars and citizens. More than 800 Japanese citizens attended such activities, according to her.

"Only by fully recognizing and reflecting upon the history, could Japan regain respect from its neighbors and the people who have been victimized by Japan's invasion," said Matsuoka.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 12:12:41|Editor: ZD

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NEW DELHI, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- A seven-year-old Indian girl tried to have her father arrested after he failed to build a toilet at home as he promised, local police said on Wednesday.

Living with her parents in the town of Ambur in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, Hanifa Zaara did not want to defecate in the open and asked her father to build a toilet in her house.

"I was shamed to go outside and I felt bad when people looked at me," Zaara told BBC.

Her father told her he would build a toilet if the girl could top her class, but so far no toilet has been built, Zaara said in her letter to the police.

"I have been topping my class since nursery," she wrote.

"I am in the second grade now. And he is still only saying he will do it. This is a form of cheating, so please arrest him," she wrote.

If not, the girl continued, she wanted the police to at least force her father to write a signed letter saying by when he would get her the toilet.

The father said he had actually started building the toilet, but lacked money to complete it as he was unemployed, according to BBC.

"The girl was adamant on having her father arrested as she felt cheated," a local police officer told Reuters via phone.

"We then rang up her father, called him to the police station and made them shake hands and compromise," the officer said.

Toilets are the much talked about subject these days in India, as the country with a billion-plus population lacks proper sanitation and cleanliness.

Under a "Clean India Mission" that started in 2014, the Indian government vowed to build 100 million toilets across the country in five years. It also promised to improve the health, safety and dignity of hundreds of millions of Indians.
NEW YORK, Dec. 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. reminds investors that class action lawsuits have been commenced on behalf of stockholders of Ternium S.A., CURO Group Holdings Corp., and Loma Negra Compania. Stockholders have until the deadlines listed below to petition the court to serve as lead plaintiff. Additional information about each case can be found at the link provided.

Ternium S.A. (NYSE: TX)

Class Period: May 1, 2014 - November 27, 2018

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: January 28, 2019

The complaint alleges that throughout the class period defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Defendant Rocca, Terniums Chairman, knew that one of his companys executives paid cash to government officials from 2009 to 2012 to expedite compensation payments for the sale of Terniums Sidor unit; (2) this conduct would lead Rocca to be charged in a graft scheme and subject Ternium, its affiliates, and/or its executives to heightened governmental scrutiny; and (3) as a result, Terniums public statements were materially false and/or misleading at all relevant times.

To learn more about the Ternium class action go to: http://bespc.com/tx/.

CURO Group Holdings Corp. (NYSE: CURO)

Class Period: July 31, 2018 - October 24, 2018

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: February 4, 2019

The complaint alleges that throughout the class period defendants issued false and misleading statements, including ongoing financial guidance, relating to CUROs efforts to transition its Canadian inventory of products from Single-Pay Loans to Open-End Loans. Specifically, defendants materially misrepresented to investors the deleterious effect that the up-front loan loss provisioning in connection with the transition was having on the companys financial performance and 2018 full-year company guidance. The truth was revealed after the market closed on October 24, 2018, when the company announced disappointing financial results for the third quarter of 2018 and substantially reduced its guidance for full-year fiscal 2018.

To learn more about the CURO class action go to: http://bespc.com/curo/ .

Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima (NYSE: LOMA)

Class Period: Pursuant and/or traceable to Loma Negras initial public offering on or about November 1, 2017

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: February 4, 2019

The complaint alleges that Loma Negras Registration Statement contained materially false statements and omitted facts including: (1) downplaying and misrepresenting Loma Negras exposure to a massive, ongoing corruption scandal engulfing its majority owner, InterCement Participacoes S.A.; (2) misrepresenting a purported increased demand for Loma Negras cement and other products as a result of economic growth and government funding for public works projects in Argentina, as well as the purported benefits to Loma Negra from that increased demand; (3) misrepresenting events and trends in the Argentinian economy, as well as Loma Negras exposure thereto; and (4) including references to known risks that if occurring might or could affect Loma Negra, despite the fact that these risks had already materialized at the time of the IPO.

To learn more about the Loma Negra class action go to: http://bespc.com/loma/.

Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. is a New York-based law firm concentrating in commercial and securities litigation. For additional information about Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. please go to www.bespc.com . Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 12:23:00|Editor: ZD

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TOKYO, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Two more Japanese medical schools admitted discrimination against female applicants, a few months after a scandal of Tokyo Medical University was revealed.

Juntendo University admitted setting different passing scores for male and female applicants on the exam.

"Women mature faster mentally than men, and their communication ability is also higher by the time they take the university exam," said Hiroyuki Daida, dean of Juntendo's medical school at a news conference on Monday. "In some ways, this was a measure to help male applicants."

According to the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, 165 applicants were unfairly rejected by Juntendo's medical school over the past two years. The university plans to accept an additional 48 applicants in 2019, of whom 47 are female.

Kitasato University, another university in Tokyo, also admitted prioritizing male applicants and applicants who had previously failed the exam fewer times in the past.

"At that time, we judged that the measure was reasonable at our university's discretion," Juntendo University President Hajime Arai apologized at the conference. "We won't do it from now on after being pointed out that our measure was inappropriate."

Kitasato University will consider setting up a third-party committee to solve the matter, Asahi Shimbun reported.

In August, it was revealed that Tokyo Medical University had manipulated entrance exam scores of female applicants on purpose to curb female enrollment. The Japanese education ministry then launched an investigation into the entrance exam processes at 81 other universities with medical faculties.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 12:33:01|Editor: ZD

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GENEVA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Despite possible slower global economic growth, the airline industry net profit worldwide in 2019 is estimated to reach 35.5 billion U.S. dollars, slightly higher than the expected 32.3 billion dollars in 2018, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) forecast on Wednesday.

Lower oil prices and solid, albeit slower, global economic growth are extending the run of profits for the global airline industry, after its profitability was squeezed by rising costs in 2018, according to IATA.

That means that 2019 would be the 10th year of profit and the fifth consecutive year when airlines deliver a return for its investors.

"We had expected that rising costs would weaken profitability in 2019. But the sharp fall in oil prices and solid GDP growth projections have provided a buffer," said IATA Director General and CEO Alexandre de Juniac, adding that the run of solid value creation for investors will continue for at least another year.

The 2019 industry outlook is based on an anticipated average oil price of 65 U.S. dollars per barrel, lower than the 73 dollars experienced in 2018, following the increase in U.S. oil output and rising oil inventories.

According to IATA, fuel is expected to account for 24.2 percent of the airline industry's average operating costs.

The airline industry in all regions, except Africa, are expected to report profits in 2018 and 2019, the IATA said. While carriers in North America continue to lead in financial performance, accounting for nearly half of the industry's total profits, Asia-Pacific carriers, especially some new low-cost carriers, are seeing strong growth due to a strong regional economic growth.

"But there are downside risks as the economic and political environments remain volatile," De Juniac said, adding that the aviation industry needs, for instance, more clarity on how Brexit will play out if a solid, steady growth is to be achieved.

Meanwhile, the IATA CEO expressed his deep concern over the impact on the industry by a less inclusive globalization and increasing protectionist policies or trade disputes over the world.

"Prosperity will come with borders that are open to people and trade. That's a pre-requisite for aviation to deliver its best to global economic and social development," he said.

Founded in 1945, IATA is a trade association of some 290 airlines from 117 countries and regions, representing about 82 percent of global air traffic. Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, and with offices in Geneva, Switzerland, it supports airline activities and helps formulate industry policy and standards.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 13:08:11|Editor: Yang Yi

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BEIJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- China's stony desert areas shrank at a faster pace during the past few years thanks to government emphasis on environmental protection.

From 2011 to 2016, the area of stony deserts declined at an average 3.45 percent each year, quickening from a 1.27-percent annual drop in the previous five-year period, Liu Dongsheng, deputy head of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, told a press conference Thursday.

At the end of 2016, stony deserts stood at 10.07 million hectares, Liu said. "The spread of stony deserts was effectively contained."

The environmental improvement was attributed to efforts to protect vegetation and plant more trees and grass, which contributed 65.5 percent of reversing desertification, according to Liu.

The results were released after the third national survey on stony deserts, which took nearly a year and a half and covered hundreds of counties in eight provincial regions, including Hubei and Guangxi.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 13:08:12|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Department of Defense said here on Wednesday in a rare public pushback against Turkey's operation plan in Syria that any unilateral military action in northeast Syria would be "unacceptable."

Earlier on Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his country will launch a military operation in the east of Euphrates River in Syria in a few days.

He also blasted the United States for establishing observation posts along Syria's border with Turkey despite Ankara's opposition.

"It is clear that the purpose of the U.S. observation points in Syria is not to protect our country from terrorists but to protect terrorists from Turkey," Erdogan said.

Commander Sean Robertson, a Pentagon spokesman, said hours later in a statement that "unilateral military action into northeast Syria by any party, particularly as U.S. personnel may be present or in the vicinity, is of grave concern. We would find any such actions unacceptable."

The statement added that consultation between the United States and Turkey, a U.S. NATO ally, "is the only way to secure the border area in a sustainable manner, and ... that uncoordinated military operations will undermine that shared interest."

While Washington has been fully committed to Ankara's border security, it will also work with the Syrian Democratic Forces, which includes Kurdish YPG fighters, "to ensure ISIS's enduring defeat," it said.

Ankara has long regarded the YPG as Syrian affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers' Party that has been designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, arguing that its presence along Turkey's southern border poses a serious threat to its national security.

Turkish and U.S. forces last month started joint patrols in the Manbij region of northern Syria. In a separate move, U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis said on Nov. 21 that the U.S. military is building observation posts along the Turkey-Syria border, in an effort widely seen to reduce tension with Turkey.

However, such efforts appeared to have been made in vain after the Turkish Armed Forces fired artillery shells at YPG positions in the east of the Euphrates in northern Syria last month.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 13:33:18|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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PHNOM PENH, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The National Assembly of Cambodia on Thursday amended the Law on Political Parties to clear the way for banned opposition politicians to re-enter politics.

Some 115 Cambodian People's Party (CPP) lawmakers, who were present during the parliamentary session, unanimously approved the amendment to the law's article 45, which will allow nation's King Norodom Sihamoni to pardon banned politicians through a request made by Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen.

A total of 118 former Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) senior members have been barred from joining politics for five years since November 2017 after the CNRP was dissolved by the Supreme Court following the arrest of party leader Kem Sokha in "treason" charges.

CPP's senior lawmaker Cheam Yeap said the legal change aimed to revive the political careers of individuals from any political party who are barred from joining politics.

"The legal change was not made following international pressure, but was made based on the spirit of national unification and the sympathy from the CPP (to those banned politicians)," he told the assembly.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 13:38:18|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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HAVANA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Cuba registered over 8,200 traffic accidents from January to October of 2018, with 553 fatalities, local media reported on Wednesday.

The number of accidents fell considerably compared to the previous year, when 11,187 traffic accidents were recorded with 750 fatalities, Col. Roberto Rodriguez, head of the National Traffic Bureau of the National Revolutionary Police (PNR), was quoted by the Cuban News Agency as saying.

Statistics show that 60 percent of those killed and injured in traffic accidents are pedestrians, and 68 percent of them are aged 21 to 56.

The Cuban government aims to reduce traffic accidents by 50 percent by 2030 mainly through road safety education in schools and community measures.

Cuban authorities also systematically inspect vehicles, especially those used for mass transit, to ensure they are in good condition. Authorities said recently more than 2,000 private taxi drivers had been stripped of their licenses due to the poor condition of their vehicles.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 13:43:19|Editor: xuxin

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Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, head of U.S. affairs at Cuba's foreign ministry, speaks to reporters in Havana, Cuba, Dec. 12, 2018. Two years after the United States first accused Cuba of alleged sonic attacks against its diplomatic personnel, it has yet to release any evidence, the Cuban official said on Wednesday.(Xinhua/Fan Xiaolin)

HAVANA, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Two years after the United States first accused Cuba of alleged sonic attacks against its diplomatic personnel, it has yet to release any evidence, a Cuban foreign ministry official said on Wednesday.

"Until today, there has been ... no evidence to prove that something occurred in Cuba that could have damaged the health of several U.S. diplomats," Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, head of U.S. affairs at the island's foreign ministry, told reporters.

The U.S. has not even released the identities of the alleged victims, he said.

"There's no concrete data on the medical condition of the patients, who they are, their clinical records, laboratory or imaging evidence. Everything has been speculation or manipulated information," he said.

The diplomats and some family members reportedly suffered symptoms such as hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo, headaches and fatigue since late 2016.

U.S. President Donald Trump ordered embassy staff be sharply reduced, curtailing visa processing, and in October 2017 expelled 15 Cuban diplomats from Washington.

Cuban investigators cooperating with the investigation failed to find any source of the afflictions.

De Cossio addressed the issue after a medical team that examined the diplomats published a new report on the mysterious afflictions that affected 26 embassy employees.

According to the University of Miami medical team that first treated the patients, all of the employees suffered damage to the part of the inner ear responsible for balance.

The Cuban government has said it believes the matter has been manipulated and politicized by Washington to roll back the normalization of ties between the two countries after more than 50 years of animosity.

"In the last two years, new information has been announced on several occasions and yet what has come out continues to be vague," he said.

De Cossio chided Washington's lack of cooperation and urged U.S. authorities to present any information they have on the incident.

"What is the U.S. government hiding? Why hasn't it put forward concrete information that the scientific community can accept as valuable to find an answer to what allegedly occurred in Cuba?" he asked.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 13:53:21|Editor: Yang Yi

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ZHENGZHOU, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- China's first phase of the middle route of the south-to-north water diversion project has delivered more than 19 billion cubic meters of water to northern cities, according to the project office.

Over 53.1 million residents of 19 cities have benefited from the water diversion project that began in late 2014, said the office located in Xichuan County, Henan Province.

The water diverted from the Yangtze River has helped ease water shortages and ensure water security in cities such as Beijing, Tianjin, and Zhengzhou, the capital city of Henan.

The diversion has accounted for 73 percent of Beijing's daily tap water supply and helped increase the city's average water resource per capita by 50 percent.

In order to ensure quality water supply, the city of Nanyang in Henan where the project originates, has made great efforts in monitoring environment, enhanced sewage treatment, and closed or relocated a number of energy-intensive enterprises.

The south-to-north water diversion project, the world's largest, takes water from the Yangtze to feed dry areas in the north through eastern, middle and western routes.

The first phase of the middle route begins at Danjiangkou in Hubei and runs through Henan and Hebei before reaching Beijing and Tianjin.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 14:03:31|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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SEOUL, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Thursday discussed details on a groundbreaking ceremony to modernize and connect railways and roads across the inter-Korean border, local media outlets reported citing Seoul's unification ministry.

The discussion was made at the inter-Korean liaison office in the DPRK's border town of Kaesong.

The four-member South Korean delegation was led by Kim Chang-su, a deputy chief of the liaison office from the South Korean side. His DPRK counterpart was Hwang Chung Song, a senior official at the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed details on the groundbreaking ceremony, such as date, venue, ways and attendees for the ceremony, which South Korean President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un agreed to hold during their third summit in Pyongyang in September.

Moon and Kim agreed to modernize and eventually connect railways and roads across the inter-Korean border after their first summit in April at the border village of Panmunjom.

The two Koreas launched an 18-day joint inspection on the DPRK's railways on Nov. 30, and already conducted a joint survey of roads along the western Korean Peninsula.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 14:13:34|Editor: Li Xia

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SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- San Francisco's officials and community members gathered on Wednesday in the City Hall to remember the city's first Chinese-American mayor Edwin Lee and honor his legacy one year after his unexpected death.

The one-year anniversary was hosted by current Mayor London Breed on the Mayor's Balcony inside the City Hall, which was crowded with people who came to pay tribute to the first Chinese-American mayor in the city's history.

Lee, 65, died of a sudden heart attack on Dec. 12, 2017. One of his major legacies is to help enhance San Francisco's ties with China.

He had led many trade missions to China to facilitate cooperation between the two sides in various areas, such as culture, sports, investment and clean energy technologies. His last visit to China happened in October 2017, just two months before his death.

During his visit to Shanghai, a sister city of San Francisco, Lee also brought with him San Francisco Opera House's English-language opera Dream of Red Chamber, based on one of China's greatest classical novels.

With his and his wife Anita Lee's efforts, the Chengdu Food and Culture Festival was hosted in San Francisco last year, helping American people better understand Chinese cuisine and culture.

"As the first Chinese-American mayor, the city will always hold a place of pride in our hearts, but especially in the hearts of our Chinese and Asian and Pacific Islander communities. Thank you to Mayor Lee for your service and we really miss you dearly," said Breed.

Lee was also regarded as "an advocate and practitioner of U.S.-China friendship" by a Chinese diplomat in San Francisco for his tremendous contributions to friendly exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation between San Francisco and China.

Lee's friends and family members, including his two daughters, wife and mother, also attended the ceremony and shared their memories.

Earlier this year, the San Francisco Board of Education voted to rename the Chinese Education Center in Lee's and his wife's honor to the Edwin and Anita Lee Newcomer School. Last week, Lee was inducted into the California Hall of Fame.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Squire Mining Ltd. (CSE:SQR | FWB:9SQ | OTCQB:SQRMF) (Squire or the Company) announces that at the Companys annual general meeting held on December 12, 2018 Stefan Matthews, Taras Kulyk and Marco Strub were elected as directors of the Company for the ensuing year. Peter Wielgosz has stepped down as a director for personal reasons. The board would like to thank Peter for his hard work and dedication in helping to advance the development of the Companys initial ASIC chip and mining rig as the Company prepares to begin fabrication of its initial chip in early 2019.



A total of 69.39% of the Companys issued and outstanding shares were represented at the meeting and all items of business as set out in the Companys Notice of Meeting dated October 30, 2018 as filed on SEDAR were adopted and approved by the shareholders.

The Company has also granted incentive stock options to purchase 200,000 common shares of Squire to each of Taras Kulyk and Marco Strub. The options are exercisable for a period of two years at a price of $0.28 per share.

About Squire Mining Ltd.

Squire is a Canadian based company engaged, through its subsidiaries, in the business of developing data mining infrastructure and system technology to support global blockchain applications in the mining space including application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chips and next generation mining rigs to mine Bitcoin SV, Bitcoin Core and other associated cryptocurrencies.

For further information contact:

Taras Kulyk, JD, MBA

Chief Executive Officer, Director

Telephone: +1 (604) 260-6142

The Canadian Securities Exchange accepts no responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 14:18:35|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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GHAZNI, Afghanistan, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- A total of 10 militants were confirmed dead and 12 others captured as Afghan government forces backed by fighting aircrafts pounded Taliban hideouts in parts of Qarabagh district of the eastern Ghazni province on Wednesday, said a statement of army released here Thursday.

According to the statement, a Taliban notorious commander Abdul Ahmad is also among those killed in the strikes.

Taliban militants are yet to make comment.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 14:23:37|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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MANILA. Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Four people were killed as troops clashed with some 50 Abu Sayyaf militants in Sulu, an island province in the southern Philippines, early on Thursday, a military official said.

Lt. Col. Gerry Besan, spokesperson of Philippine Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), said an intense firefight broke out around 2:25 a.m. on Thursday in the coastal town of Patikul in Sulu province as troops tracked the Abu Sayyaf militants.

Besana confirmed a soldier was killed while two others were wounded during the firefight. They were immediately evacuated to the military station hospital located at Camp Teodulfo Bautista in the village of Busbus, Jolo, capital town of Sulu.

Three Abu Sayyaf fighters were also killed in the clash, Besana said.

The government troops were conducting an amphibious assault to check on reports that three Indonesian fishing crews who were seized last week off Sabah were brought to Sulu, Besana said.

The Abu Sayyaf Group is a small, radical militant group that operates in the western fringes of the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. They made Sulu and Basilan island provinces as their hideouts.

The group, which is notorious for killing, kidnapping for ransom and a series of bombings in southern Philippines, are reportedly holding at least three foreign and three Philippine hostages.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 14:23:38|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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SEOUL, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's military will conduct defense drills near the disputed Dokdo islets, called Takeshima in Japan, mobilizing battleships and combat airplanes, local media outlets reported on Thursday citing the South Korean Navy.

The Navy told local reporters that the regular exercise to defend Dokdo would be staged for two days from Thursday, together with the Air Force and the Coast Guard.

Mobilized in the drills would be a 3,200-ton destroy and four to five other surface ships, a P-3C maritime surveillance airplane and four to five combat planes, including the F-15K fighter jet.

Japan has protested against the drills as it continues to lay territorial claims to the rocky outcroppings.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 14:48:43|Editor: Li Xia

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ZHENGZHOU, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Some 75 overseas investors have participated in the purified terephthalic acid (PTA) futures trading on the Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange (ZCE) since it opened to foreign investment two weeks ago.

The PTA futures is the third futures variety on the Chinese mainland open to overseas investment after crude oil and iron ore. It is also the latest move by Zhengzhou, a central China city and logistics hub with a population of about 10 million, to become a major international futures hub.

Founded in 1990 in Zhengzhou, capital of the central China's Henan Province, the ZCE is the country's first commodities futures exchange established after the reform and opening-up.

The total number of futures changing hands on the ZCE rose by 38.45 percent to 700 million in the first 11 months this year, accounting for 26.86 percent of China's futures market, according to the China Futures Association.

The municipal government of Zhengzhou released its plan to enhance opening up and internationalization in 2017, which encouraged the ZCE to develop its overseas market.

In December 2006, China listed PTA futures on the ZCE. It opened to foreign investors on Nov. 30 this year when daily turnover of the most-active PTA futures contract reached 29.5 billion yuan (4.29 billion U.S. dollars).

"PTA futures are China's first chemical futures and the first of their kind to open to overseas investors, marking one step forward in the opening-up of China's futures market," said Fang Xinghai, vice chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission.

PTA, a commodity chemical and textile raw material, is a downstream product of petroleum and one of the most important bulk organic raw materials in China.

As the world's largest producer and consumer of PTA, China's PTA production capacity exceeded 49 million tons in 2017, accounting for around 55 percent of global manufacturing capacity, said Zhu Fang, director of information and market department of China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation.

"The price of PTA futures has become the pricing benchmark of spot trade and an important reference standard for domestic PTA enterprises and polyester enterprises. It improves the pricing efficiency of upstream and downstream products and the efficiency of market allocation of resources," Zhu said.

China's futures market has marched towards internationalization in the first half this year with crude oil futures and iron ore futures embarking on the overseas market.

The ZCE plans to study and encourage other futures varieties with great overseas demand to further open to overseas investment.

As China's major agricultural province, Henan is a pioneer in farm produce futures. It began trading wheat, corn, soybean, mung bean and sesame futures in 1993.

In 2017, Henan's total grain output was about 60 million tons, accounting for 9.67 percent of the country's total grain harvest. As of the end of last year, the province has 5.03 million market entities, ranking fifth nationwide.

The vigorous agriculture and dynamic market economy have propped up the futures market in Henan.

Currently, the ZCE has listed 18 futures products and one options product, and launched the world's first apple futures to help farmers mitigate risks amid price fluctuations. Its cotton and white sugar are the most active futures varieties on the market in recent years.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 14:58:44|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of mental health professionals in the U.S. San Francisco Bay Area ramped up their protest on Wednesday over staff shortage, increasing their strikes to 14 locations in the Bay area.

Employees from Kaiser Permanente hospitals and clinics started a strike on Monday at 10 locations in the Bay Area and other parts of northern California.

The demonstrators held placards which read "Care Delayed is Care Denied" while chanting "patient care" and other slogans to press for adequate care for mental health patients.

The Kaiser Permanente mental health professionals were into their third day of a planned five-day protest gathering some 4,000 psychologists, therapists, social workers, psychiatric nurses and other medical workers.

The National Union of Healthcare Workers tweeted Wednesday that the ongoing protest "is more than just higher wages, it's about @kpthrive (Kaiser Permanente) refusing to ensure our hospitals & clinics are staffed adequately to provide safe, timely access to mental health services."

An official of Kaiser Permanente rejected the claim, saying that the protesters were not seeking better health care for patients but higher wages.

"This is not about patient care, it's not about access. The reasons the union is striking have to do with their push for an increase in wages for the workers," Michelle Gaskill-Hames, chief nurse executive for Kaiser Permanente Northern California, told a local TV.

"The fact of the matter is that Kaiser Permanente is the highest-paying in the state of California for mental health professionals" she said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 15:10:11|Editor: Li Xia

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He Zehua, an inheritor of the Wannan shadow play, displays his collections of shadow play puppets in his museum in Shuidong Town, Xuancheng City of east China's Anhui Province, Dec. 12, 2018. Shadow play, also known as shadow puppetry, is a folk performing art originating in China. With passion on shadow play, He Zehua founded his Wannan Shadow Play Museum and opened it to public for free in Shuidong Town in the year 2010. He also introduced the time-honored art form to school students regularly to make the shadow play known by more. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan)
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 15:18:47|Editor: xuxin

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SHEBERGHAN, Afghanistan, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- A Taliban shadow district chief is among three militants killed in the northern Jawzjan province on Thursday, deputy to provincial police chief Kamaludin Yawar said.

"Mullah Mukhlis who had served as shadow district chief for Faizabad district of Jawzjan province is among three insurgents killed in clash with security forces early today," Yawar told Xinhua.

The clash, according to the official, broke out late Wednesday night after the insurgents attacked security checkpoints in Haider Abad area of Faizabad district, triggering a gun battle.

But the insurgents fled away early Thursday morning after leaving three dead bodies behind including their commander Mullah Mukhlis. Four more militants were injured in the fighting which lasted for a few hours, the official said.

Taliban militants haven't commented yet.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 15:38:50|Editor: xuxin

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DHAKA, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank has approved a 250 million U.S. dollars development policy operation to help the Bangladeshi government strengthen its capacity to create more, better-paid and quality jobs in a rapidly changing environment.

The Programmatic Jobs Development Policy Credit aims at supporting Bangladesh in developing a stronger policy and institutional framework to address barriers and creating more and better jobs for citizens, including women, youth and the vulnerable population, said the lender in a statement received here Thursday.

The jobs development policy credit is the first in a series of three operations that complements the World Bank portfolio in the country.

Despite Bangladesh's robust economic growth, the pace of job creation has slowed in recent years, and almost stalled in the readymade garments sector, said the bank.

The growth rate for jobs fell to 1.8 percent in 2010-16 from 2.7 percent in 2003-10, it said, adding that women, workers in lagging regions, and youth in particular face challenges in accessing quality jobs.

According to the lender, climate change has exacerbated the job challenge, underscoring the need to significantly increase employment in the non-agriculture sector.

"Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in accelerating growth and reducing poverty, but the rate of job creation has not kept up with economic growth. Creating more and better jobs is a prerequisite for the country to achieve its vision of upper-middle income status," said Qimiao Fan, World Bank country director for Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal.

"This will require the economy to create jobs for the 2.2 million youths entering the labor force each year, while attracting more women into the labor market. This program supports reforms to stimulate trade and private sector investment, strengthen social protection for workers and help the vulnerable population access jobs."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 15:43:51|Editor: xuxin

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SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- As part of the efforts to make Chinatown sustainable, U.S. San Francisco has funded programs to help preserve the country's oldest historical neighborhood.

The city announced on Wednesday the preservation of two buildings in Chinatown for senior Chinese immigrants with low incomes.

San Francisco is an expensive city in the United States to rent a home. A one-bedroom apartment cost 3,560 U.S. dollars a month, according to November's data of rental platform Zumper.

San Francisco's Chinatown, the oldest in North America and the largest outside Asia, is at a "critical juncture" because of aging buildings and infrastructure and gentrification pressures, said Chinatown Community Development Center (Chinatown CDC), an advocacy group.

Under the city's Small Sites Program, two adjoining buildings in Chinatown are being acquired and rehabilitated by the group with 4.55 million dollars in funding from the mayor's office and another 3.5 million dollars from East West Bank.

The move will ensure that 16 homes remain permanently affordable for residents who are predominantly Chinese seniors with low incomes.

"Protecting tenants, preventing displacement and preserving existing affordable housing is critical to keeping communities across San Francisco vibrant and strong," said Kate Hartley, director of the Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development.

Almost 40 years ago, San Francisco was facing a wave of displacement, said Norman Fong, executive director of Chinatown CDC.

Thanks to the project, a 99-year-old tenant who was displaced from her apartment in 1980 now has permanently secured a home, he said.

With a history of more than 150 years, Chinatown has been a cultural hub and destination attracting international tourists.

However, the community of more than 14,000 residents and over 900 small businesses has been on a decline in the past few years.

Another project, San Francisco Shines program, is underway to restore old signs in Chinatown.

One of the oldest standing signs in San Francisco and also one of the most famous ones is Li Po Lounge, which has been up since the bar opened in 1937.

But the sign was partly broken and there was corrosion and rust over the time. With funding from the city, this neon sign has recently been restored and is ready to attract customers back to this old Chinese historical neighborhood.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 16:08:56|Editor: xuxin

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A Palestinian inspects the house where a Palestinian young man was shot dead by Israeli forces at Askar refugee camp near the West Bank city of Nablus, on Dec. 13, 2018. Palestinian sources declared that three young men were killed by Israeli forces in West Bank's Ramallah and Nablus Wednesday night and East Jerusalem Thursday dawn. (Xinhua/Nidal Eshtayeh)

RAMALLAH, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian sources declared that three young men were killed by Israeli forces in West Bank's Ramallah and Nablus Wednesday night and East Jerusalem Thursday dawn.

Local sources said that around dawn call for prayers, Israeli police forces shot down a Palestinian after he allegedly attacked two police officers leaving them moderate wounds. The officers, one male and one female, were rushed to the hospital, but the suspected Palestinian perpetrator was fatally shot on the spot.

On Wednesday night, Israeli authorities notified the Palestinian Authority (PA) liaison office of killing Ashraf Na'alwa in Askar refugee camp near Nablus after a nearly two months' manhunt.

Na'alwa was accused by Israel of carrying out a shooting attack in Barkan industrial settlement, killing two Israelis in the north of the West Bank last October.

Israeli sources declared that a special Israeli force arrested two Palestinians near Ramallah city on Wednesday night, and announced one was killed a few hours after arrest, identified as Saleh Barghouti, 29 years old.

Israeli army said Barghouti was an accomplice in the Ofra settlement shooting last Sunday, which led to injuring seven Israeli settlers.

Palestinian sources and Barghouti's family said the army notified them that Barghouti was shot after he tried to escape from arrest along with another young man accompanying him. The special force reportedly arrested the two young men after stopping their taxi near Ramallah city.

Palestinian sources confirmed that at least 19 Palestinians were arrested over night, as the Israeli forces raided Ramallah city several times during the past two days, storming into commercial shops and confiscating cameras.

The Israeli army said that the military activity in the past two days in Ramallah was part of its search of Palestinians involved in Sunday's shooting near Ofra settlement.
13 December 2018

G4S plc

Review of Separation Options for G4S Cash Solutions

The Board of G4S is today announcing that it is reviewing options for the separation of the Groups Cash Solutions businesses from the Group, following the establishment of the Global Cash Solutions division on 1 January 2018.

Since 2013, G4Ss portfolio management programme has created a focused Group with two principal business segments: Secure Solutions and Cash Solutions. The Board believes that a separation of Cash Solutions has the clear potential to enhance the focus and success of both businesses and thus to unlock substantial shareholder value.

The review of separation options has commenced and is expected to be completed during 2019. An update will be provided with the Groups full year results in March 2019.

G4S Group CEO, Ashley Almanza, said:

The implementation of our new organisation structure in January this year enables us to consider this separation in order to enhance the strategic, commercial and operational focus of both Secure Solutions and Cash Solutions.

G4S Cash Solutions has a unique portfolio of market leading cash management businesses, serving customers in 45 countries across the globe. Our Retail Cash Solutions business is the clear market leader, providing cash payment software and services in some of the worlds largest markets. With innovative, industry leading products and services and substantial market shares, G4S Cash Solutions is transforming cash management services in its markets.

G4S Secure Solutions is the global leader in security and delivers both conventional and integrated, technology-enabled security solutions to our customers across six continents. This business is very well positioned to address the global growth in demand for security services with a growing capacity to deliver integrated security solutions, an unrivalled global footprint and a premier brand in security.

The review of our separation options offers an exciting opportunity to enhance our focus for the benefit of customers, shareholders and employees. Our aim is to establish two strong, independent businesses that are able to take advantage of their leading market positions and excellent service offerings to deliver sustainable, profitable growth.

This announcement contains inside information and the person responsible for making this announcement is Celine Barroche, company secretary.





For further enquiries, please contact:

Helen Parris Director of Investor Relations +44(0) 207 9633189

Media enquiries:

Sophie McMillan Head of Media +44(0) 759 5523483

Press office +44(0) 207 9633333

Conference call

There will be a conference call this morning for institutional investors and analysts at 8.30am GMT.

The details are as follows:

Standard International Access : +44 (0)203 003 2666

UK Toll Free : 0808 109 0700

Copenhagen : +45 3271 4573

Denmark Toll Free : 8088 8649

New York : +1 646 843 4608

USA Toll Free : +1 866 966 5335

Password : G4S

To listen to a replay of the call which will be available for 15 days after the event, here are the details:

Standard International Access : +44 (0) 208 196 1998

UK Toll Free : 0800 633 8453

Denmark Toll Free : 8088 7109

Replay PIN: 0045696

Notes to Editors:

G4S is the leading global, integrated security company, specialising in the provision of security services and solutions to customers. Our mission is to create material, sustainable value for our customers and shareholders by being the supply partner of choice in all our markets.

G4S is quoted on the London Stock Exchange and has a secondary stock exchange listing in Copenhagen. G4S is active in around 90 countries and has over 560,000 employees. For more information on G4S, visit www.g4s.com .

G4S will announce full year 2018 results on 12 March 2019.

Advisers

Financial advisers - J.P. Morgan Cazenove

Stockbrokers - J.P. Morgan Cazenove and Citigroup Global Markets Limited
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 16:19:01|Editor: Yang Yi

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Cambodian students visit a science and technology exhibition in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Dec. 13, 2018. The China Science and Technology Museum (CSTM) launched a science and technology exhibition tour in Cambodia on Thursday. (Xinhua/Sovannara)

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The China Science and Technology Museum (CSTM) launched a science and technology exhibition tour in Cambodia on Thursday.

More than 60 high-tech items covering fields of basic science, life sciences and information technology are on display at the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia-Phnom Penh Branch (UYFC-PP) here.

Chen Jian, deputy director of the CSTM's resources management department, said the museum strongly believed that the exhibition would bring a rich and innovative scientific experience to the Cambodian people.

"I'm confident that the exhibition tour will promote the exchanges of scientific and technological development between China and Cambodia," he said during the opening ceremony. "It will also promote the scientific communication and education between the two countries."

UYFC's Vice President Kim Rithy said the exhibition would be held at the UYFC-PP for one month before traveling to various provinces throughout Cambodia until 2021.

"These exhibited items show the practice of theories that we've learned from schools," he said. "I believe that through this exhibition, students will gain better knowledge on science and technology."

The exhibition attracted about 1,000 students from high schools and universities during the opening ceremony.

Ngoun Lyhoung, a high-school student at the Beltei International School, said it was her first time to see such an interesting exhibition in Cambodia.

"Technology in China has been developed very fast and I really hope that this exhibition will inspire Cambodian youths to think about science," she told Xinhua.

"It really provides us a lot of advantages, enabling us to see the fast development (of science and technology) in the world," the 16-year-old student added.

Yat Lundy, a senior at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, said, "It's good for me and for all Cambodian people because it helps us understand about technology development in another country and we can learn from this to apply in our country."

The exhibition is made possible after a cooperation agreement signed between the CSTM and the UYFC-PP in June, in which the CSTM would hold a science exhibition tour in the Southeast Asian country for three years.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 16:34:06|Editor: xuxin

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SEOUL, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- South Korean prosecutors on Thursday raided the main offices of Samsung BioLogics, a biopharmaceutical unit of Samsung Group, the country's biggest family-controlled conglomerate, as part of a probe into the alleged accounting fraud, local media reported, citing the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.

Prosecutors and investigators stormed the main offices in Incheon, about 40 km west of the capital Seoul, to secure accounting books and relevant materials. Also subject to the raid were two accounting firms in charge of accounting audit of Samsung BioLogics.

The raid came about a month after the country's financial regulator ruled that the Samsung biopharmaceutical unit "intentionally" violated accounting rules and referred the case to the prosecution office for criminal investigation.

Samsung BioLogics, set up in 2011, launched a joint venture, Samsung Bioepis, with the U.S.-based Biogen in 2012.

The Samsung bio unit altered the method to evaluate its affiliate, Bioepis, into the mark-to-market valuation in 2015, leading to a net profit of 1.9 trillion won (1.7 billion U.S. dollars) in the year after years of losses.

Samsung BioLogics has been suspected of committing the fraudulent accounting to help Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, an heir apparent of Samsung Group, inherit a management control over the entire group from his ailing father Chairman Lee Kun-hee.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 16:44:09|Editor: Liangyu

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SHENYANG, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Newly published archival files revealed that Japan started setting up police units illegally in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, as early as 1905, well before Japanese troops invaded northeast China in 1931.

Wang Ziyi with the Shenyang Municipal Archives said that in 1905 Japan began stationing troops along a local railway it had occupied, on the pretext of protecting the railway, and at the same time establishing illicit police units in and dispatching Japanese police to Shenyang.

As of Dec. 28, 1930, Japan had set up 14 such illicit police units, with 17 Japanese policemen stationed in Shenyang.

Japanese police played an important part in Japanese aggression against China, Wang said. "They gathered intelligence and infringed upon China's sovereignty, and they arrested and killed Chinese people."

Files showed that Japanese police spied on Chinese armies in 1928. In August 1931, Zhang Xuli, a Shenyang resident, was falsely accused of being bandit by the Japanese police and tortured to death.

Japan started invading northeast China on Sept. 18, 1931, when the Japanese Kwantung Army bombarded Shenyang under the excuse of explosions that occurred on the South Manchuria Railway.

Since the "Sept. 18 Incident," China waged a war against Japanese aggression for 14 years and finally won the first full victory against foreign invasion since the Opium War in 1840 at the cost of over 35 million military and civilian casualties.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 17:09:12|Editor: xuxin

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Photo taken on Dec. 12, 2018 shows a batch of military vehicles being deployed in Kilis province, Turkey. Turkey has reinforced its military deployment near Syrian border in southeastern province of Kilis, local media reported, for a possible operation against Syrian Kurdish militias in coming days. (Xinhua/Ihlas News Agency)

ANKARA, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Turkey has reinforced its military deployment near Syrian border in southeastern province of Kilis, local media reported, for a possible operation against Syrian Kurdish militias in coming days.

According to state-run Anadolu Agency, a new batch of military vehicles, including tanks and howitzers, was transferred by trucks to Kilis on Wednesday. They were deployed near Syrian border.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday warned that Turkey would in a few days launch a military operation in the east of Euphrates in Syria to clear terror groups there, referring to the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) without mentioning its name.

Ankara regards the YPG as Syrian affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) designated to be a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and EU.

Earlier this year, Turkey carried out "Operation Olive Branch" to seize control of Syria's Afrin region from the Kurdish militia, while the YPG also controls the Syrian region east of the Euphrates.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 17:14:13|Editor: Liangyu

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JERUSALEM, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian knifeman stabbed and injured two police officers in East Jerusalem's Old City early on Thursday morning before he was shot dead by Israeli forces, Israel's police said.

The officers, identified as a 19-year-old woman and a 21-year-old man Border Police fighters, were lightly injured, according to the hospitals to which they were evacuated.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the assailant, identified only as a 26-year-old man from the West Bank, first attempted to stab an Israeli civilian, who was not injured.

He then ran towards the police officers and stabbed them. "They responded at the scene and the terrorist was shot," Rosenfeld said.

Rosenfeld released a photo of a large kitchen knife and said it is the knife that the attacker used.

The violence was part of an ongoing wave of Palestinian street attacks since 2015, after the U.S.-brokered Israeli-Palestinian peace talks collapsed.

Including stabbing, car-ramming, and shooting attacks, the violence is part of Palestinians' struggle against the Israeli occupation of the lands that Israel seized in the 1967 Middle East war.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 17:19:14|Editor: Liangyu

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SEOUL, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) agreed on Thursday to hold a groundbreaking ceremony later this month for railway and road connections across the inter-Korean border, Seoul's unification ministry said.

The ceremony, which South Korean President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un agreed to hold before the end of this year during their third summit in Pyongyang in September, will be held on Dec. 26 at the Panmun Station in the DPRK's border town of Kaesong.

About 100 respective officials from South Korea and the DPRK would attend the ceremony. The two sides agreed to discuss details further, according to Seoul's unification ministry.

The agreement was reached after working-level talks between the two sides at Kaesong earlier in the day.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un agreed during their Pyongyang summit in September to hold the groundbreaking ceremony before the end of this year.

Moon and Kim agreed to modernize and eventually connect railways and roads across the inter-Korean border after their first summit in April at the border village of Panmunjom.

The two Koreas launched an 18-day joint inspection on the DPRK's railways on Nov. 30, and they have already conducted a joint survey of roads along the western Korean Peninsula.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 17:24:15|Editor: Liangyu

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JAKARTA, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia will speed up reconstruction and rehabilitation of the areas affected by earthquake and tsunami in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) and Central Sulawesi provinces, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said here Thursday.

"We decide to accelerate the projects in all areas. In Lombok we will accelerate production of the project components, while in Palu we will quickly determine the relocation sites and construction of permanent housing for those affected in the earthquake and tsunami disasters," the vice president said during a meeting.

The permanent public housing relocation site in Central Sulawesi province will be picked among the areas already identified by the authorities, Jusuf said.

Indonesia Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono who attended the meeting said that 120 units of temporary houses have already been constructed and can be used by the displaced people from Monday next week.

He added that 699 units of temporary houses are expected to be ready for the displaced people by the end of this month.

Meanwhile, for the disaster-affected people in NTB province, the minister said his ministry had planned to build some 74,000 new houses in the reconstruction projects.

He added his ministry had also planned to hire more resources to carry out the house construction projects faster.

The powerful earthquake in NTB province's Lombok island in August has displaced more than 396, 000 people who are now staying in tents amid limited supplies since early September.

The earthquake has claimed 564 lives, mostly in northern part of the island, and damaged 167,961 houses.

In Central Sulawesi province, the devastating earthquake and tsunami that occurred in late September claimed 2,245 lives in the affected cities of Palu, Donggala, Sigi and Parigi Moutong with over 1,000 ones were declared missing.

The disaster in the province have displaced 206,524 people who now also stay in tents since then.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 18:04:33|Editor: Liangyu

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JOHANNESNURG, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- South Africa has deposited the instrument of ratification of an agreement establishing the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said on Thursday.

The TFTA comprises three regional economic blocks -- the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

South Africa did this on the margins of a meeting of African Union (AU) trader ministers in Cairo, Egypt, on Dec. 12-13. The deposit of the instrument means that South Africa has formally and legally committed to the TFTA.

"It was the tripartite initiative that led to the work of broadening the integration beyond our existing regional communities and working toward establishment of large free trade areas across our continent," said South Africa's Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies.

Chileshe Kapwepwe, chair of the Tripartite Task Force and the secretary general of COMESA, congratulated South Africa for the action.

She said six other countries are in the process of depositing their instruments.

The TFTA was launched in June 2015 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. It intends to integrate the continent and create a big market of 626 million people with a combined gross domestic product of 1.2 trillion U.S. dollars.

Twenty-two of 26 member states have signed the agreement. South Africa signed the agreement in July 2017 and its parliament ratified the agreement in October this year.

South Africa is the fourth country to deposit the instrument of ratification. The other three countries are Egypt, Uganda and Kenya. The agreement will enter into full force once it has been ratified by 14 countries.

South Africa's trade with TFTA countries represents about 16 percent of its trade with the world, the DTI said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 18:14:36|Editor: Liangyu

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WELLINGTON, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The New Zealand government is responding to increased drug-related deaths by cracking down on the suppliers of synthetic drugs while making it easier for those with addiction problems to get treatment, Health Minister David Clark said on Thursday.

"Under the current laws, synthetics and other dangerous drugs are killing people and fueling crime while dealers and manufacturers get rich. The current approach is failing to keep Kiwis safe and can't be continued," said David Clark.

The New Zealand government has announced a suite of measures to tackle synthetic drugs, including classifying as Class A the two main synthetic drugs that have been linked to recent deaths, which will give police the search and seizure powers they need to crack down on suppliers and manufacturers, who will also face tougher penalties up to life imprisonment.

"To be clear, this is not the full decriminalization of drugs recommended by the Mental Health and Addiction Inquiry. These are immediate steps we can take in response to the challenge we face with synthetics. We are considering the Inquiry's recommendations separately," Clark said.

Police Minister Stuart Nash said frontline police are targeting dealers and suppliers with an increased focus on organized crime and transnational crime as a result of extra resourcing in Budget 2018.

"We are striking a balance between discouraging drug use and recognizing that many people using drugs need support from the health system, or education about harm reduction," Nash said.

Clark said the government is allocating an additional 16.6 million NZ dollars (11.4 million U.S. dollars) to bolster addiction treatment services, and 8.6 million NZ dollars as part of an Acute Drug Harm Response Discretionary Fund over four years to help communities respond to acute issues such as a surge in overdoses or deaths.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 18:14:36|Editor: Liangyu

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MOGADISHU, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Eritrean President Isaias Aferwki arrived in Somalia capital, Mogadishu, on Thursday to shore up ties between the two countries.

According to Villa Somalia, Aferwki is leading a high-level delegation for talks aimed at further strengthening the historical ties between the two countries.

"The two heads of state will have bilateral discussions on areas of mutual benefit," said the presidency, adding the visit is at the invitation of President Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo.

"Somalia and Eritrea share history underpinned by friendship, respect and partnership. Today marks a new era for our two nations' bilateral relations," it said.

Eritrean information minister Yemane Meskel said the historic visit "is part and parcel of the consultative tripartite summits of the heads of state and government of Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia."

The thawing of relations among the three countries has seen restoration of diplomatic relations, with Ethiopia and Eritrea re-opening embassies in each other's capitals.

The visit comes in the wake of an impeachment motion that accuses President Farmajo of making illegal rendition and signing "secret agreements" with Eritrea and Ethiopia in a tripartite meeting seeking regional cooperation.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FinCanna Capital Corp. (FinCanna) (CSE: CALI) (OTCQB: FNNZF) a royalty company for the U.S. licensed medical cannabis industry is pleased to announce that its investee company Refined Resin Technologies Inc. (Refined Resin) of Oakland, California, has achieved its California state, Temporary Manufacturing License for Adult and Medicinal Cannabis Products (Temporary Manufacturing License). Refined Resin is a cannabinoid research and extraction company that provides B2B products and services to licensed brands, licensed dispensaries and licensed distributors in the medical cannabis supply chain.



The Temporary Manufacturing License, issued under state Type 7 license protocols, is a conditional license that authorizes the company to engage in commercial cannabis activity as would be permitted under an Annual License. The acquisition of the Temporary Manufacturing License also positions the company to submit for its Annual License by Dec. 31, 2018.

As previously announced Refined Resin has submitted for its Oakland City Building Permit, to refit its 6,000 square foot manufacturing facility that will include installation of all manufacturing equipment required for full production. The Building Permit is expected prior to Dec. 31, 2018 with construction completion expected approximately 90 days from approval with initial production the month after.

Upon completion of construction and receipt of the required permits Refined Resin will be moving expeditiously to fulfill previously announced annual minimum purchase orders of $10,400,000. The company expects to add to that total based on buying interest from a number of significant parties.

California is a well regulated jurisdiction and acquiring the right licenses in a timely manner is essential to success, said Andriyko Herchak, President and CEO of FinCanna Capital. We are impressed with the Refined Resin leadership team as they skilfully drive their business towards build out and commercialization of their Oakland based manufacturing facility.

Refined Resins intention is to become a premier producer of bulk quantities of THC distillate and various high value concentrates produced via hydrocarbon-based solvent extraction. The company also plans to provide white-labeling services to licensed brands and licensed infused product manufacturers who do not have direct access to compliant production facilities. Licensed brands and licensed manufacturers who work in conjunction with Refined Resin will also be able to utilize their in-house distribution and marketing expertise as part of their value-add service offering.

About Refined Resin Technologies Inc.

Refined Resin Technologies, based in Oakland, California, is a cannabinoid research and refinement company focussed on the medical cannabis industry to provide B2B products and services to licensed dispensaries, licensed brands, and licensed infused product manufacturers and numerous others in the medical cannabis supply chain.

About FinCanna Capital Corp.

FinCanna provides financing to top-tier companies in the licensed medical cannabis industry in exchange for a royalty on revenues. FinCanna, led by a team of finance and industry experts, is building its diversified portfolio of royalty investments in scalable, best-in-class projects and companies exclusively in U.S. legal states, with a focus on California.

The company is differentiated by its royalty business model that is based upon providing capital to best in class U.S. cannabis businesses for a percentage of their top line revenue. It is a stream of income model that supports the growth of investee companies by providing them with an infusion of cash on terms that are less restrictive than debt and without the requirement to surrender a large equity stake in their business.

In return, FinCanna receives on going cash payments based on a negotiated percentage of an investees topline revenue. FinCanna diversifies its risk by investing in multiple sectors to generate multiple income streams in various industry verticals.

For additional information visit www.fincannacapital.com and FinCannas profile at www.sedar.com.

FinCanna Capital Corp.

Andriyko Herchak, CEO & Director

Investor Relations:

Arlen Hansen

Kin Communications

1-866-684-6730

CALI@kincommunications.com

Forward-Looking Information
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 18:14:37|Editor: Liangyu

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ISTANBUL, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Turkish police on Thursday detained at least 12 people in Istanbul for their suspected links to the Islamic State (IS) militant group, local media reported.

Police launched simultaneous operations in 15 different locations across the city to capture the suspects, the private Demiroren news agency said.

The detainees were allegedly seeking to recruit new members and supply logistic support for the group, the agency said.

More than 300 people were killed in deadly attacks in Turkey over the years blamed on the IS.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 18:39:42|Editor: xuxin

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ANKARA, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- At least nine people were killed and 46 others injured in a high-speed train accident in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Thursday morning, the Ankara governor said.

According to Governor Vasip Sahin, three of the injured are in serious condition.

Previous reports said at least four people were killed and 43 others injured in the accident.

The high speed train traveling from Ankara to the central province of Konya collided with an empty commuter train, the governor told reporters.

Two carriages overturned as the train crashed into a locomotive and derailed.

TV footage from local CNN Turk showed that parts of an overpass collapsed onto some of the carriages. Ambulances, fire and rescue teams were dispatched to the scene. Rescue efforts are still ongoing.

Prosecutors have launched an investigation into the crash.

In November, at least 15 people were injured when a passenger train collided with a freight train in Turkey's central province of Sivas.

In July, a passenger train derailed in northwestern Tekirdag province because the track subgrade was eroded by heavy rains, leaving 24 dead and more than 120 others injured.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 18:44:44|Editor: xuxin

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PARIS, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- A young man taking part in "Yellow Vests" protests has died after being hit by a truck in Avignon, south of France, local media reported on Thursday.

The 23-year-old protester lost his life after a truck struck him at a roundabout near a highway exit in Avignon as angry people rejecting the government's economic and fiscal policy blocked the motorway.

The driver of Polish origin was arrested and placed in police custody, according to the report.

The young protester's death brought the toll due to the movement to six.

On Nov. 17, one female demonstrator died in Savoie, western France when a driver panicked and rammed into the protesting crowd.

Two days later, a motorcyclist was hit by a van that swerved to avoid protesters. He died from his injuries a day after.

Earlier this month, a blockade in southern city of Arles caused a collision between a motorist and a lorry, killing the motorist.

On Dec. 1, an 80-year-old woman was injured by a police teargas grenade and died the next day. On Dec. 10, a 25-year-old driver died in a collision with a lorry.

The "Yellow Vests" movement, a nation-wide protest against weak economic performance and stagnant income increase due to President Emmanuel Macron's fiscal policy, started from a campaign against surge in fuel prices this year.

Thousands of drivers, wearing the yellow high-visibility vests required to be carried in their cars, blocked roads across the country.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 18:44:44|Editor: xuxin

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ULAN BATOR, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- A group of Mongolian lawmakers sent an official letter to the country's parliament speaker, Miyegombo Enkhbold, on Thursday, urging him to voluntarily step down from his post.

The letter, signed by 39 lawmakers, was sent after some lawmakers and ministers have boycotted plenary sessions and meetings of standing committees of the parliament for two weeks, demanding Enkhbold's resignation over alleged conflicts of interest.

Audio recordings made public last year indicated that some officials of the ruling Mongolian People's Party, including Enkhbold, allegedly used their government positions as a tool to run the parliamentary election in 2016.

"We will not stop boycotting sessions of the parliament and standing committees until you resign from your post," the letter read.

"You do not have any ethical right to preside the parliament because you have conflicts of interest. So, we believe that you will be no longer allowed to exercise your full power," it added.

Mongolian Prime minister Ukhnaa Khurelsukh also submitted a request to the constitutional court on Nov. 29 to dismiss Enkhbold.

According to Khurelsukh, Enkhbold has been interfering in the handling of the case by abusing his power.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 18:49:44|Editor: xuxin

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SYDNEY, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Three eminent Australian organisations announced on Thursday they will collaborate to create the Gradient Institute, an independent non-profit body, to research and implement the ethical behaviour of artificial intelligence (AI).

A joint venture by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the University of Sydney (UoS), and the Insurance Australia Group, the institute will be led by chief executive Bill Simpson-Young, who told Xinhua that AI is already omnipresent in the daily lives.

"When people talk about AI, usually they're talking about machine learning," Simpson-Young explained.

Machine learning is an application of AI, whereby systems learn and improve from experience without being programmed by a human operator.

It is used every time a new article or product is recommended to a consumer; many companies use it to filter employment candidates and most banks use it when deciding who to give a home loan to.

With the likelihood of these and other forms of AI permeating increasingly throughout the societies, experts believe it is imperative that ethical boundaries or guidelines are created to ensure that automatic systems are operating in humanities best interest.

"Humans make decisions everyday, and we're making decisions based on an ethical framework," Simpson-Young said.

"We've now got a situation where machines are making decisions every day, about what newsitem you read, about who should be matched up with to date, and so on -- but there is no ethical framework at the moment for the machines."

However, with humanity itself thus far out of reach of ethical consensus, scientists are faced with the difficult problem of not only formulating ethical guidelines, but making them stringent enough to program into code.

"What we have at the moment is questions around what it mean to be ethically human, and we don't really know how to answer that question -- so it's incredibly hard to ask that of an AI," UoS senior lecturer Michael Harre said.

According to Harre, the first step is creating large data sets of what people expect of morality in order to formulate an approach.

The Gradient Institution will incorporate input from a broad range of academic branches including the humanities and law as well as engineers and data analysts.

"AI is steering our conversations to try to answer questions that we've had as humans for a very long time," Harre said.

"We're asking what do we want out of our interactions with other people, and that becomes what do we want out of our interactions with AI, and that gives us a very interesting and new perspective on it."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 18:49:44|Editor: xuxin

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by Xinhua writers Xu Jing, Miao Zhuang

CHICAGO, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- "We would much rather have the trade and be able to grow a crop for a fair price," said Lynn Rohrscheib, chairwoman of the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA), in an interview with Xinhua.

Besides being ISA chairwoman, Rohrscheib herself farms near Fairmount, a village in Illinois. As a ninth generation farmer, she grows corn, soybeans and a little wheat.

After finishing the harvest, Rohrscheib's family has submitted an application for the agricultural aid as soybean farmers in Illinois are eligible for the 12-billion-dollar package rolled out by the U.S. government.

"Several farmers have applied, and then it's just kind of a wait-and-see as to when those funds will be available," Rohrscheib said.

Rohrscheib admitted that the government wants the aid to be helpful, but the farmers remained anxious. "We really don't want the aid. We would much rather have the trade and be able to grow a crop for a fair price and not to have a handout from our government."

Rohrscheib's farm has stored most of the soybeans harvested this year as it has an onsite storage which can store the gains as long as between 10 months and a year.

But for the farmers who don't have a whole lot of grain storage, they've been very dependent on the certain small hours or window of time that they can barn their commodities in other locations, the chairwoman said, adding that for U.S. farmers living in places with a lot of wet weather, their gains are not easy to preserve.

"We've received 20 percent less (in price) per bushel than what we had been before the tariffs were put in place," Rohrscheib stressed. "It's made things a lot more stressful on the farmer every day."

Rohrscheib's family farm is a fairly large one, employing about 16 full-time workers all year long. Treating the employees as part of the family, she said, "If these prices and tariffs keep continuing on the way that they are, we're going to have to make some really hard, hard cuts and some hard choices in the months ahead."

Since the U.S. government imposed punitive tariff on Chinese export products earlier this year, China has taken some retaliatory actions, including cutting down its soybean imports from the United States.

According to ISA statistics, Illinois is the largest soybean producing state in the United States, and roughly exports 60 percent of its soybean production. Since 2013 when China became the biggest export destination for Illinois, the state's agricultural exports to China averaged 1.85 billion dollars per year, or an annual market share average of 25 percent of all Illinois agricultural exports.

Besides, raising and crushing soybeans and closely related industries provide 28.3 billion dollars in sales and 114,500 jobs to the U.S. state.

Rohrscheib was excited over the meeting earlier this month between the heads of state of China and the United States in Argentina, saying she even hoped the upcoming negotiations "can start fueling more trade between our countries."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 18:59:46|Editor: xuxin

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QALA-E-NAW, Afghanistan, Dec.13 (Xinhua) -- Over a dozen fighters were killed and injured as clash erupted between security forces and the Taliban militants outside Qala-e-Naw, the capital of western Badghis province on Wednesday, said a member of Provincial Council here Thursday.

The clash, according to Nasir Khan, erupted after Taliban militants ambushed a convoy of security forces late on Wednesday night and the troops returned fire which triggered fierce gun battle.

In the gun battle which lasted for a few hours, the official said, more than 12 fighters from both sides were killed and about a dozen of others injured.

Neither Taliban outfit nor police officials have made comments.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 19:04:47|Editor: xuxin

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HARBIN, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- As the fifth national memorial ceremony for Nanjing Massacre victims arrives Thursday, a wall recording horrific crimes committed by Japanese troop's Unit 731 was unveiled in the Unit 731 Museum in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

The wall reveals the lethal human experimentation and germ warfare committed by Unit 731, a Japanese biological and chemical warfare unit during World War II (WWII).

There are 25 excerpts of testimonies on the wall including spoken or written statements of germ warfare criminals, veterans of Unit 731 and relatives of the victims.

"The testimonies indicate that the acts of atrocity against humanity committed by the Japanese invaders are an organized crime and moreover, a state crime," said Jin Shicheng, a researcher with the Unit 731 Museum.

Unit 731 was a top-secret biological and chemical warfare research base established in Harbin as the nerve center of Japanese biological warfare in China and Southeast Asia during WWII.

At least 3,000 people were used for human experimentation by Unit 731 and more than 300,000 people in China were killed by Japanese biological weapons.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 19:04:47|Editor: xuxin

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WELLINGTON, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand will begin phasing down the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) from 2020 as part of an international effort expected to avoid 0.5 degrees Celsius of global warming.

The government will put in place a permitting system to set annual limits on imports of bulk HFCs, which are potent greenhouse gases mainly used in refrigeration and air conditioning, Environment Minister David Parker said in a statement on Thursday.

The annual limits will reduce gradually over a 17-year period beginning in 2020. It will allow New Zealand to phase down the use of HFCs by more than 80 percent by 2037, Parker said.

Climate Change Minister James Shaw said the change is in line with New Zealand's obligations under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

"The amendment is expected to avoid up to 0.5 degrees Celsius of global warming by the end of the century. This is a significant contribution towards the Paris Agreement's objectives to keep the global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius, and will provide ongoing ozone protection," Shaw said.

Ratifying and implementing the Kigali Amendment supports New Zealand's transition to a sustainable and climate-resilient future, Shaw said, adding it also demonstrates New Zealand's commitment to global environmental and climate objectives, and to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Kigali Amendment will enter into force 90 days after New Zealand ratifies it. The permitting system is the last step in the process towards ratification of the Kigali Amendment.

"All the necessary domestic measures are completed and New Zealand will ratify the Kigali Amendment on 3 October 2019 so it enters into force on 1 January 2020," Parker said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 19:14:49|Editor: xuxin

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BEIRUT, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has adopted a new strategy aimed at accelerating the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland, Al-Akhbar local newspaper reported Thursday.

"We are trying to promote this new strategy with Western European countries mainly," it said.

The strategy encourages Syrian refugees to return to secure areas in their country where the basic needs of citizens such as electricity and infrastructure are well provided, the ministry said.

It added that refugees whose houses have been destroyed can return to take part in the reconstruction of their country.

"As for those who ran away from their country for other reasons, they can travel to a third country as one of the solutions provided in the strategy," the ministry said.

The ministry said that it aims at returning Syrian refugees gradually to their country, the report said.

Lebanon is hosting 976,000 registered Syrian refugees, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, while the government estimates the true number of Syrian refugees in the country is 1.5 million.

The flow of Syrian refugees to Lebanon has weighed heavily on the country's economy.
New York, NY, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bendheim is expanding its award-winning Glamir colored mirror collection with Living Coral  the 2019 Pantone Color of the Year. The new rose gold addition offers architects and designers a hard-to-achieve warm metallic hue, helping them create spaces imbued with depth and luminosity.



Our design consultants strive to develop the most sought-after decorative glass products, said Steven Jayson, Bendheim Co-Owner and Vice President. With our latest introduction, weve taken the pulse of one of the most significant color trends for 2019.



New Rose Gold Glamir

The new Rose Gold Glamir architectural mirror is produced with specialty low-iron glass, eliminating the typical bluish-green glass tint and allowing the pure, delicate golden-pink hue to come to the fore. The colored mirror reflects and amplifies light, bathing interiors in a soft, warm glow. Architects and designers can now incorporate the lively, nature-inspired Living Coral hue through sophisticated, durable architectural glass.



Rose Gold Glamir is an ideal wall-cladding material for hotel lobbies, restaurants, lounges, and luxury residences. It is available to the trade in customizable sizes up to 47 x 120 (1.19m x 3.05m), in approx. 1/4" (6mm) thickness.



Glamir Collection

Glamir is a collection of colored architectural mirrors by Bendheim, featuring rare pastel and jewel tones that bring luminosity and life to interior surfaces. It reflects the shift towards richer, more opulent interiors, characterized by warmer tones and chic metallic finishes.



The collection has garnered industry awards for innovation and design, including the Most Unique Hospitality Surfaces award from Architectural Products magazine and a Best of Year recognition by Interior Design magazine.



Colored Architectural Glass Fabrication & Customization

This marks the fifth year in a row Bendheim demonstrates its design-driven color capabilities by introducing architectural glass in the latest Pantone hues. The company has the ability to create transparent, translucent, and opaque architectural glass varieties featuring Living Coral through multiple types of lamination, fritting, and back-painting. Further customization can be achieved through gradients, patterns, textures, and SatinTech matte surfaces.



Bendheims vertically integrated fabrication facilities in New Jersey provide in-house cutting, polishing, waterjet, CNC, tempering, lamination, and back-painting capabilities. They also incorporate advanced color technologies to precision-match paint manufacturers color chips, brand colors, and more. The companys custom color capabilities are amplified by a breadth of in-stock glass varieties, including a range of low-iron textures and SatinTech etched finishes.



Bendheims dedicated color experts help building professionals tackle custom color challenges through:



Spectrometer-assisted color matching

The purest low-iron glass and mirrors

Industry-leading HardShell color formulations

Installation

Bendheims recently-introduced TurnKey interior wall cladding system facilitates the speedy installation of Rose Gold Glamir feature walls. The patented mechanical system does not require the use of any adhesives or glass drilling, and allows the rapid replacement of glass panels without damaging the wall behind. Alternatively, Glamir can be installed using mirror mastics in conjunction with hidden mechanical fasteners that support the weight of the glass.



Bendheims consultative-design team brings decades of specialty architectural glass experience to building and design professionals across North America. For more information, please visit www.bendheim.com/pro.

Attachments
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 19:14:50|Editor: xuxin

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JAKARTA, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Two people were confirmed dead and six others missing as landslides hit North Sumatra province of western Indonesia, a disaster agency official said here Thursday.

Sliding soil hit and buried three houses in Halado village of Toba Samosir district, spokesman of the national disaster management agency Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told Xinhua in a text message.

The natural disaster took place just before midnight on Wednesday, the spokesman said.

The landslides also cut off road connecting districts in the region, he added.

Indonesia is frequently hit by landslides, floods and flash floods during heavy downpours.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 19:29:52|Editor: xuxin

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GAZA, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The armed wing of Islamic Hamas movement, al-Qassam Brigades, said Thursday that the two killed by Israeli army gunfire earlier in the West Bank are militant members of the group.

Overnight and Thursday predawn, the Israeli army killed Salleh Barghouti and Ashraf Na'alwa, both Hamas militants, who were responsible for carrying out two separate armed attacks in October and last week, which killed and wounded 10 Israelis.

"Our resistance will continue along the map of the homeland. There is still a lot to be done, which will confuse the enemy's calculations," the Hamas armed wing said in a press statement.

Over the past few weeks, Hamas militants escalated their military actions against Israeli soldiers and settlers. Around four shooting attacks were carried out in the West Bank within the last two months.

"The enemy should not dream of security, safety and stability in our valiant area, the West Bank," said the statement, adding that "our fire will burn the occupiers."

Israeli and the Palestinian Authority (PA) security apparatuses have been cooperating in the West Bank to prevent violence. However, Hamas leadership has been calling on the PA to sever all kinds of security cooperation with Israel.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 19:34:52|Editor: Liangyu

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UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese envoy to the United Nations said Wednesday that the Iran nuclear deal has proved its worth and deserves full and effective implementation.

At a Security Council meeting on Iran, Chinese Permanent Representative to the UN Ma Zhaoxu said the deal as a major multilateralism achievement serves the common interest of the international community.

He noted the UN nuclear watchdog IAEA has confirmed in 13 consecutive reports that Iran continues to implement its nuclear-related commitments under the deal, and urged its full and effective implementation as its worth has been affirmed through practice.

Currently, the implementation of the deal is undergoing a critical phase, he cautioned, expressing appreciation for its participants' efforts in delivering on their commitments.

He expressed regrets that the United States pulled out of the deal and re-imposed sanctions on Iran, and urged all parties to properly address the difficulties they face in economic and trade cooperation with Iran as a result.

Moreover, Ma stressed all parties should deal with the issue of Iran's ballistic missiles with caution through precise interpretation of related Security Council resolutions, adding Iran's stance that it has no intention to develop any nuclear weapon should be properly noted.

Ma's views were echoed by many at the Security Council on Wednesday.

UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo said the UN secretary-general welcomed the reaffirmation by the participants to the deal of their commitments to its full and effective implementation.

It is essential, she said, that the plan continues to work for all participants, including the Iranian people who should also receive tangible economic benefits.

In addition, the EU members on the council reaffirmed their commitment and support to the deal.

"The JCPOA has significantly rolled back Iran's nuclear program and ensures it does not develop a nuclear weapon. This is key for European security," they said in a joint statement, using the initials of the official name of the deal.

As long as Iran continues to implement its commitments in full, the EU will remain fully committed to the continued implementation of the agreement, said the statement, endorsed by Britain, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland -- the current EU members on the Security Council -- and Belgium, Germany, and Italy.

Belgium and Germany will become council members next year. Italy split a two-year council term with the Netherlands.

Iran and the five permanent members of the Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus Germany struck the nuclear deal in July 2015, under which Iran should roll back its nuclear program in exchange for the lift of the sanctions imposed on it.

The United States quit the deal in May, saying it did not put tough restrictions on Iran's ballistic missile program.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 19:39:55|Editor: xuxin

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NEW DELHI, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- A 35-year-old Buddhist monk was mauled to death by a leopard inside a forest in western Indian state of Maharashtra, police said Thursday.

The monk Rahul Walke was meditating when the leopard attacked him inside Tadoba forest area in Chandrapur district, about 830 km east of Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra.

"On Tuesday a leopard attacked a monk while he was meditating under a tree deep inside the forest," a police official posted in Chandrapur said. "A fellow monk told us he saw the leopard attacking Walke when he had gone there to give him food."

According to wildlife officials Tadoba is a protected tiger reserve.

Police said Walke had been associated with a Buddhist temple in the area and had ventured deep inside the forest to meditate.

Meanwhile, wildlife authorities have launched a search in the area to trap the leopard and have set up cameras to track its movement.

The local government in Maharashtra announced a compensation of 1,672 U.S. dollars as compensation to the family of Walke.

The Tadoba reserve is home to variety of wild animals including tigers, sloth bears and leopards.

Wildlife officials said they had previously warned the monks against venturing deep inside the forest in wake of presence of wild animals.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 19:44:56|Editor: Liangyu

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) and Colombian Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo hold the ninth political consultation between foreign affairs departments of the two countries in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 13, 2018. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

BEIJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Colombian Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo on Thursday held the ninth political consultation between foreign affairs departments of the two countries in Beijing.

"After taking office, Colombia's new government has shown strategic vision and strong will to further develop relations with China," said Wang, who suggested that both countries keep sticking to the right direction in developing ties, jointly expand and intensify pragmatic cooperation, with emphasis on enhancing coordination on multilateral affairs and making new advances for bilateral ties.

Trujillo said Colombia is committed to enhancing high-level exchanges with China, advancing cooperation in fields such as trade and investment.

Colombia firmly adheres to the one-China policy and supports multilateralism, said Trujillo, who stressed that his country stands ready to work with China on strengthening multilateral coordination and safeguarding the free trade system, so as to protect developing countries' interests.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 20:25:02|Editor: Liangyu

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TAIPEI, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- A memorial ceremony was held Thursday in Taiwan to commemorate victims of the Nanjing Massacre committed by Japanese invaders 81 years ago.

To commemorate the victims on the fifth National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims that falls on Dec. 13, the ceremony in Taiwan was held at Hobe Fort, an ancient military stronghold in New Taipei City.

The event was hosted by a local peace education foundation and co-organized by the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.

Hung Hsiu-chu, former chairperson of the Chinese Kuomintang party and president of the foundation, attended the event and laid a wreath.

Addressing an exhibition opening ceremony prior to the memorial ceremony, Hung said: "We do not want to recall this period of history, but we must do it like this. December 13 is a very humiliating day in Chinese history."

More than 150 photos and a video revealing details of the massacre are being displayed at the exhibition, which lasts until Dec. 23.

Taiwan resident Hsu Yueh-ying said she had a deeper understanding of the massacre after visiting the exhibition, adding that the exhibition was helpful for the young generation to remember Chinese history and better fulfill their duties in the future.

Japanese troops captured Nanjing on Dec. 13, 1937 and started over 40 days of slaughter. About 300,000 civilians and unarmed Chinese soldiers were brutally murdered.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 20:30:03|Editor: mmm

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Photo taken on Dec. 13, 2018 shows the site of a train accident in Ankara, Turkey. (Xinhua/Mustafa Kaya)

ANKARA, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- A Turkish high-speed train collided with a locomotive and crashed into a pedestrian overpass at a train station in Ankara on Thursday morning, killing at least nine people and injuring 47 others, The Turkish Transport Minister said.

"The high-speed train crashed head on with another locomotive returning from an inspection on the same rails. Nine people have been killed in this accident including three mechanics," Mehmet Cahit Turhan told reporters on the crash scene.

Television footage showed emergency teams working at the scene, using also dogs to free potential injured passengers trapped beneath the mangled metal wreckage of the Marsandiz train station.

The deadly accident happened just after 6:30 a.m. local time (GMT0330) as the train was traveling from capital Ankara to the central Turkish province of Konya.

It was not clear at what speed the high-speed train was traveling when the crash occurred. Three prosecutors have been assigned to investigate into the crash, local media reported.

The Marsandiz station is located around 10 km from the main Ankara station, from which the high-speed train left some six minutes earlier.

The Ankara Governor, Vasip Sahin, told reporters at the crash scene that while the accident happened, the locomotive was checking the tracks at the station after a snowfall overnight, the first of this winter in Ankara.

"The train collided with a shunting locomotive that should not have been on that rail track. An investigation into the incident is underway," Sahin said.

Sahin announced a first death toll of four dead and 43 injured, but this increased over time.

State-run Anadolu Agency said that at least two carriages derailed and parts of the overpass collapsed onto the train.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on Turhan and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu to receive information regarding the accident and ordered all related departments to be mobilized.

Konya is located about 260 km south of Ankara and is home to the tomb of 13th century scholar, mystic and poet Jalaladdin Rumi, attracting thousands of pilgrims and tourists each year.

On July 8, a passenger train derailed near the Turkish town of Corlu, west of Istanbul, killing 25 people because of torrential rains and a landslide that weakened the base of the tracks.

Rescue machines work at the site of a train accident in Ankara, Turkey, on Dec. 13, 2018. A Turkish high-speed train collided with a locomotive and crashed into a pedestrian overpass at a train station in Ankara on Thursday morning, killing at least nine people and injuring 47 others, the Turkish Transport Minister said. (Xinhua)
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 20:30:05|Editor: xuxin

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ATHENS, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Three migrants were killed and three others injured on Thursday when a van carrying them veered off course, overturned and bursted into flames in northern Greece, Greek national news agency AMNA reported.

Another three passengers were unharmed from the accident which occurred on a motorway at the outskirts of Kavala city, some 300 km north of Athens and 150 km west to the land border with Turkey.

It is the second such incident reported in the area this year.

Police sources have not yet confirmed the nationalities of the victims or injured, but estimated that they had most likely entered Greece from Turkey.

Over a million of refugees and migrants fleeing conflicts zones and extreme poverty have used Greece as a gateway to other European countries since 2015.

Following the closure of borders along the Balkan route to central Europe, the numbers have dropped sharply, but still tens of thousands this year have attempted the perilous journey.

More than 12,000 migrants and refugees have so far crossed into Greece from the land border with Turkey since the start of 2018, according to Greek authorities.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 20:40:10|Editor: xuxin

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PARIS, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The death toll of the shooting attack near the Christmas market in Strasbourg, France has climbed to three on Thursday after a wounded victim succumbed due to his injuries, regional authorities said.

"The death toll, still provisional, is now set at three dead, five seriously wounded and eight minor injuries," Bas-Rhin prefecture was quoted as saying by local media.

One of the victims fighting for their lives was brain-dead, it added.

On Tuesday evening, an armed man opened fire against passers-by in the center of Strasbourg, which is close to German border, and stabbed others.

Witnesses told investigators that the suspect shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greater) as he attacked people near the Christmas market, a target Paris Prosecutor Remy Heitz suggested may have been chosen for its religious symbolism.

"Given the targeted place, the attacker's operating way, his profile and testimonies collected from those who heard him shout "Allahu Akbar," the anti-terrorist section of the Paris prosecutor's office ... opens an inquiry into attempt of assassination linked to a terrorist enterprise," Heitz said.

The suspect is identified as Cherif Chekatt, 29. He has a criminal record and was known to intelligence services as "at risk for radicalization". He had been convicted 27 times in France, Germany and Switzerland for common law offenses, including armed robberies.

He exchanged fire with the anti-terrorism Sentinelle force that wounded him before he fled in a taxi. He fought a second time with police in the Neuhof district, according to Paris prosecutor.

Addressing lawmakers on Wednesday, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said the Starsbourg-born fugitive did not cross the German border and was still at large in French territory.

A total of 720 police officers, supported by two helicopters, are involved in a huge manhunt for the attacker.

In an interview with CNews television, government spokesperson Benjamin Griveaux, on Thursday, said security forces were trying to catch Chekatt dead or live.

Asked if police had been instructed to catch the fugitive dead or alive, Griveaux said "It doesn't matter. The best thing would be to find him as quickly as possible..."

France raised its security threat level to highest, strengthening controls along its border with Germany, where agents from both countries stepped up checks of motorists' identity and vehicles crossing the Rhine river.

President Emmanuel Macron chaired an emergency security meeting on Wednesday after which he decided to deploy an additional 1,800 security forces to guarantee security in Christmas markets and ensure calm during the year-end holidays.
File photo shows refugees from South Sudan wait to be settled outside the Khour Al-Waral refugee camp in Al-Salam locality, some 69-kilometers south of Rebek, capital of White Nile State, Sudan, May 18, 2017. (Xinhua/Mohamed Babiker)

ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The AU on Wednesday issued a statement condemning sexual violence against women and girls in South Sudan.

In a press statement, AU Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security Mme Bineta Diop, said recent reports indicate around 150 women and girls were raped and beaten in Bentiu town in South Sudan.

Diop said the Bentiu rapes are disheartening as it happened during a period of great hope that the South Sudan civil war could be coming to an end.

"I call upon all those in authority in South Sudan to scale up their efforts to ensure that perpetrators of sexual violence against women are held accountable," said Diop.

"I also urge regional, continental and international stakeholders to respond to the immediate needs of the survivors of sexual violence in South Sudan," she said.

Since the outbreak of civil war in South Sudan in December 2013, fueled by personal and ethnic rivalries, it's estimated tens of thousands of people have been killed and nearly four million are displaced.
Bermuda, 13 December 2018. Avance Gas Holding Ltd ("Avance Gas" or the "Company") announces that Kate Blankenship has resigned as board member in the Company. The Company would like to thank Mrs. Blankenship for her contribution during her directorship.

For further queries, please contact:

Peder C. G. Simonsen, CFO, Tel: +47 22 00 48 15, E-mail: p.simonsen@avancegas.com

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 20:50:13|Editor: Lu Hui

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Honor guards lay a wreath at the state memorial ceremony for China's National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims at the memorial hall for the massacre victims in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, Dec. 13, 2018. (Xinhua/Sun Can)

NANJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Sirens wailed throughout Nanjing, in eastern China's Jiangsu Province, on Thursday, as the nation marked its fifth national memorial day to commemorate the victims of the Nanjing Massacre.

On this day 81 years ago, Japanese troops captured Nanjing, then China's capital, and embarked on more than 40 days of slaughter. About 300,000 civilians and unarmed Chinese soldiers were brutally murdered, and over 20,000 women were raped.

More than 8,000 people convened in the main venue of the national memorial ceremony in the front of the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in the city on Thursday.

At 10 a.m., the city came to a halt, as pedestrians paused and drivers stopped their cars and honked their horns to echo the sirens. People stood in silence for a one-minute mourning period.

The provincial legislature has legislated details on the city-wide one-minute mourning on the national memorial day, which took effect on Thursday.

The national memorial ceremony included activities such as teenagers' reciting poems of peace, striking the Bell of Peace and releasing doves.

On Thursday, World War II memorial museums across China held commemoration activities to synchronize Nanjing's peace-praying efforts.

LESS THAN 100 SURVIVORS

On a memorial wall inside the hall, 26 names were newly inscribed this year to bring the total number of identified victims killed in the massacre to 10,664 on the wall.

With no tombs to sweep for their deceased relatives, many family members of the victims of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre came to the memorial wall to mourn their loved ones. The wall, set up in 1995, is also known as the wailing wall.

Earlier this month, two Nanjing Massacre survivors passed away. In total, 20 witnesses of the atrocity in the city passed away this year, according to the memorial museum. There are less than 100 survivors of the massacre.

The Chinese government has preserved the survivors' testimonies, recorded in both written and video documents. The documents on the massacre were listed by UNESCO in the Memory of the World Register in 2015.

Wang Chen, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, addressed the ceremony on Thursday, saying the annual ceremony is meant to proclaim the Chinese people's firm stance on remembering history and cherishing peace while looking to the future.

China's endeavors in remembering the massacre has helped increase international attention to what happened in China during World War II.

American photographer Chris Magee took part in a peace rally weeks before China's national memorial in Nanjing. The activity, which has been held for three consecutive years, draws over 300 international peace lovers every year for a two-hour walk in the former Nanjing Safety Zone.

During the war, foreigners including Chris' grandfather, priest John Magee, saved more than 250,000 Chinese refugees in 25 shelters, which are now historical sites, in the zone.

Chris said that reflecting during the event made him feel more proud about what his grandfather did for the Chinese people during the war. He wanted to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, using a camera to record changes in China.

In 2002, John Magee's son donated a camera that the senior Magee used to record the events in China to the Memorial Hall. The camera and its footage became an important part of the Documents of the Nanjing Massacre that were inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register.

"FLOWER OF PEACE"

Though spring is yet to come, Chinese netizens are forwarding a special image of violet orychophragmus, nicknamed purple grass, a symbol of peace, via social media outlets. It has become a tradition that in December, mourners in Nanjing wear "purple grass" badges, purple ribbons are tied in schools and families plant the purple grass in hopes for it to blossom in spring.

The flower blossoms in spring providing a flame of reddish-purple in Nanjing.

In 1939, a Japanese doctor surnamed Yamaguchi, who had been commissioned in Nanjing, brought the flower to Japan with a will of peace and named it "Shikinsou" (purple-gold-plant).

For decades after the war, the whole Yamaguchi family has been devoted to planting and promoting the flower. "Shikinsou" has become the flower of peace in Japan.

During China's first national memorial in 2014, an initiative dubbed "Purple Grass" was implemented by the Nanjing Television Broadcast Group to mourn the victims of the Nanjing Massacre. The organizer designed the badge with the flower's image of four purple petals with a yellow bud in the center.

The badge, anadem and other items in purple have become special tokens for the memorial. The activity has attracted 140 million netizens in the past five years to spread "seeds" of purple grass all over the world.

During the past 81 years, the city of Nanjing with its historical landmark of grand Ming Dynasty city wall has stood up from the war ruins, transforming into a technology innovation center.

In April, Turing Award winner Yao Qizhi based his Turing AI research Institute in Nanjing. In November, Cambridge University inaugurated the Nanjing Center of Technology and Innovation to research technologies in support of developing future smart cities.

"May the city that suffered the holocaust glow for the spirit of peace," said Chris Magee, when attending Thursday's memorial ceremony.

China and many other Asian nations have repeatedly denounced right-wing Japanese of whitewashing the country's militarist past. People of Nanjing are still sensitive about the trauma that occurred in the winter of 1937, describing it as a bullet hole on the ancient wall.

Zhu Chengshan, the former curator of the Memorial Hall, published a book entitled "A Hundred of My Japanese Friends" this month, with stories and photos recording how he made acquaintances with the Japanese during his tenure as the museum curator.

"My Japanese friends include journalists, lawyers, entrepreneurs, artists, politicians and veterans. No matter what they do, they agree to face the wartime history squarely and devote themselves to the peace cause and friendship ties between the two nations," said Zhu.

Zhe said one of his friends, Hiroshi Tanaka, professor emeritus at the Hitotsubashi University in Japan, has focused his research on the Nanjing Massacre.

This year, the Institution of Nanjing Massacre History and International Peace has opened 30 topics for international research on the massacre. Projects approved by the academic committee will receive support from the Instituion.

Peter Harmsen from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark has submitted his thesis, in which he compared Bernhard Arp Sindberg from Denmark who helped save up 20,000 Chinese from the Nanjing Massacre with a Danish leader who fought against German invasion during the WWII.

Harmsen said he noticed the subject after more and more literature on the Nanjing Massacre appeared in the Western world.

"Sindberg's deeds had long been ignored from 1940 to 2010, reflecting the limitation of the public cognition on some massacres during the WWII," he said.

(Video reporters: Xia Peng, Lin Kai, Wu Xinsheng; Video editors: Zhao Yuchao)
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 21:00:21|Editor: Liangyu

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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R, front) meets with Nepali Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 13, 2018. Shanker Das Bairagi leads a Nepali delegation to attend the 12th meeting of the Joint Consultation Mechanism between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Nepal and China. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

BEIJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday met separately with Shanker Das Bairagi, Nepal's foreign secretary, and Rahamtalla Mohamed Osman Elnor, first African Union (AU) representative to China in Beijing.

When meeting with Bairagi, Wang said China stands ready to continue working with Nepal to enhance high-level exchanges and welcomes Nepali leaders to attend the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation to be held in China next year.

China is ready to provide support for Nepal's national stability and development within its own capacity, he said.

Bairagi said Nepal adheres to the one-China policy, attaches great importance to the Belt and Road Initiative and hopes to enhance high-level exchanges between the two countries and carry out all-round friendly cooperation.

When meeting with Osman, Wang welcomed the latter to assume his new post in China.

As building the Belt and Road comes in tally with the AU Agenda 2063, it's imperative for China and the AU to work together in exploring the potential for cooperation through jointly advancing the Belt and Road Initiative, Wang said.

China hopes that the AU and its representational office in Beijing play a positive role in promoting the overall cooperation between China and Africa as well as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, said the State Councilor.

For his part, Osman said that developing strong ties with China represents the consensus of all African countries. AU supports China in building the Belt and Road, and the cooperation under the initiative is in line with the development goals and interests of Africa, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 21:00:22|Editor: xuxin

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KHARTOUM, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The 25th ordinary session of the policy-making organs of the Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF) on Thursday kicked off in the Sudanese capital Khartoum.

Abdillahi Omar Bouh, director of EASF, addressing the meeting, said that the force continues to execute its mission on maintaining to operational readiness in training programs with focus on integrated multidimensional standby force to respond to emerging crises.

"I assure you that the force remains committed to execute its mandate of enhancing peace and security in the eastern African region," he noted.

Sudan's Deputy Chief of Joint Staff, Essam-Eddin Mubarak Habeeballa, for his part, stressed the need to set up polices to sustain the EASF.

"The situation necessitates sustaining this force by setting up flexible polices and fixed programs that enhance and develop its capabilities to help in its deployment and exploitation in the future," said Habeeballa.

Established in 2004, EASF is one of the five regional multidimensional forces of the African Standby Force, assigned to enhance peace and security in the eastern African region.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 21:05:23|Editor: xuxin

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MOSCOW, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Russia expelled a Slovak diplomat following a similar move by Slovakia, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Thursday.

The spokesperson told a news briefing that the Slovak ambassador was summoned to the foreign ministry on Dec. 11 and received a note demanding "a military diplomat" leave Russia within two days.

Slovakia has expelled a Russian diplomat suspected of espionage in late November.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 21:25:30|Editor: Liangyu

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 13, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

BEIJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday met with Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, calling for closer cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 38 years ago, China and Ecuador have achieved deep mutual political trust and fruitful results from cooperation, Li said.

The Chinese side will join hands with Ecuador to elevate the comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level, Li told Moreno.

Saying the Chinese and Ecuadorian economies are highly complementary to each other and enjoy huge potential for further cooperation, Li called for alignment of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative with Ecuador's development strategy.

"We should make the best of the existing mechanisms, boost cooperation in key areas, push forward economic and trade exchanges based on market principles and international rules, advance a trade balance, and promote people-to-people exchanges," Li said.

He expressed the hope that Ecuador can provide Chinese enterprises with a better environment to operate businesses, so as to achieve win-win results.

Moreno said the two countries had respected and supported each other, and the Ecuadorian side is pleased to see China's tremendous achievements.

He stressed that his country firmly supports the one-China principle and appreciates China's assistance in its domestic social and economic development.

Ecuador is willing to participate in the BRI construction and intensify cooperation, said Moreno, adding that Chinese enterprises are welcome to invest in Ecuador with legal support and in a good business environment.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 21:25:31|Editor: Liangyu

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BEIJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Museums across China held various activities Thursday to commemorate the 300,000 victims of the Nanjing Massacre committed by Japanese invaders during the Second World War.

Japanese troops occupied Nanjing, then China's capital, on Dec. 13, 1937, and began a six-week massacre. Chinese records show that more than 300,000 people -- both unarmed soldiers and civilians -- were brutally murdered and over 20,000 women raped.

In February 2014, China designated Dec. 13 as "National Memorial Day for Nanjing Massacre Victims" to mourn the victims as well as all those killed during the war against Japanese aggression.

Historic museums across the country held memorial services, lectures, and exhibitions Thursday to mark the day and raise people's awareness of the sorrowful past.

In Nanjing, the memorial hall for the victims opened a photography exhibition on Thursday, featuring photos and video taken by John Magee, an American missionary who was stationed in Nanjing during the massacre, and the shots of the city today taken by his grandson Chris Magee.

John Magee secretly shot 105 minutes of film documenting the atrocities committed by the Japanese invaders in 1937. The footage is considered the only film record of the massacre.

Chris Magee revisited places and took pictures of where his grandfather had lived in Nanjing in 2017.

"I walked the city of Nanjing, a city reborn from the ashes and took pictures," said Chris Magee, " I felt the shadows of the past had given way to life and prosperity."

"One records destruction and another describes rebirth. Their works are witnesses of the city's past, present, and future," said Ling Xi, deputy curator of the memorial hall.

In Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, more than 200 representatives from all walks of life gathered in front of the 9.18 Historical Museum to mourn the victims of the massacre.

Inside the museum, people lit candles and prayed before a pyramid-shaped memorial, and elementary pupils recited poems commemorating the victims.

"I am touched by the activities, and I hope more people can know this part of history," said six-grader Fu Sihan at the museum.

Guo Dachang, nearly in his 70s, also visited the museum. "China has become more powerful after 40 years of reform and opening up, but we should never forget that our peaceful life comes at the price of the martyrs' sacrifice," Guo said.

In Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, a museum for local martyrs held a lecture themed on the historical backgrounds and reflections of the National Memorial Day.

Guides in the museum told stories of martyrs to the visitors and a special area was set up for citizens to leave commemorative notes.

In Beijing, people dressed in black gathered at the square outside the Museum of the War of Chinese's People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

After singing along with the national anthem with white chrysanthemums in their hands, the crowd stood in a silent tribute and then entered the museum to present the flowers to the deceased.

The museum features a traditional Chinese painting exhibition by He Baosen depicting the war.

"I hope to use art to raise people's awareness of history, to mourn the deceased compatriots, and to cherish the hard-won peace," He said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 21:25:33|Editor: xuxin

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RAMALLAH, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian presidency said in a statement Thursday that it blamed Israel for recent surge in violence for which "both sides have paid price," the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

The presidency stressed that its constant policy is to "reject violence, incursions and settlers' terror and not to create an atmosphere that contributes to the aggravation of the situation," the statement said.

The statement came as Israel cordoned off Ramallah city Thursday amid repeated incursions in the West Bank in the past two days.

Israeli army spokesperson Avichai Adarei declared a closure was imposed on Ramallah city and deployed reinforcements in several locations around Ramallah and Al-Bireh cities following a shooting attack that left two Israelis killed and two others critically wounded at a main junction near Givat Asaf.

Meanwhile, Palestinian sources announced that three young men were killed by Israeli forces in West Bank's Ramallah and Nablus Wednesday night and East Jerusalem Thursday dawn.

Local sources said that around dawn call for prayers, Israeli police forces shot down a Palestinian after he allegedly attacked two police officers leaving them moderate wounds. The officers, one male and one female, were rushed to the hospital, but the suspected Palestinian perpetrator was fatally shot on the spot.

On Wednesday night, Israeli authorities notified the Palestinian Authority (PA) liaison office of killing Ashraf Na'alwa in Askar refugee camp near Nablus after a nearly two months' manhunt.

Na'alwa was accused by Israel of carrying out a shooting attack in Barkan industrial settlement, killing two Israelis in the north of the West Bank last October.

Israeli sources declared that a special Israeli force arrested two Palestinians near Ramallah city on Wednesday night, and announced one was killed a few hours after arrest, identified as Saleh Barghouti, 29 years old.

Israeli army said Barghouti was an accomplice in the Ofra settlement shooting last Sunday, which led to injuring seven Israeli settlers.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 21:25:34|Editor: xuxin

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ABUJA, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Policemen stopped a female suicide bomber trying to infiltrate a security checkpoint in Nigeria's northeastern city of Maiduguri, foiling a suspected attack in the stronghold of terror group Boko Haram, police said on Thursday.

The teenage bomber was blown up by the improvised explosive devices strapped to her body as she made an attempt to pass the checkpoint in Maiduguri, the largest city and capital of the northern state of Borno, late Wednesday.

Borno police chief Damian Chukwu told reporters that there was no other casualty.

Chukwu suspected the lone bomber was a Boko Haram messenger.

Boko Haram has been trying since 2009 to establish an Islamist state in northeastern Nigeria, killing some 20,000 people and displacing millions of others.

The group posed enormous security, humanitarian and governance challenges in the Lake Chad basin, according to the United Nations.

Four countries caught up in the insurgency are Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria. The United Nations said Boko Haram has displaced nearly 2.4 million people in the Lake Chad region.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 21:35:35|Editor: xuxin

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ADEN, Yemen, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Saudi-backed Yemeni government and Houthi rebels on Thursday achieved a significant progress in the UN-sponsored peace talks by signing a ceasefire deal in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who took part in the closing day of the Yemeni peace talks in Sweden, declared a number of breakthroughs aimed at solving the years-long conflict in the impoverished Arab country.

The UN chief told a press conference in Sweden that Yemen's warring sides agreed to reach a province-wide ceasefire in Hodeidah, and withdraw troops from the port.

The Yemeni factions also agreed to open the humanitarian corridors to the besieged southwestern province of Taiz, conduct a 15,000-person prisoner swap, and hold fresh talks in January, the UN chief said.

The agreement included the deployment of neutral forces in Hodeidah following the withdrawal of the forces loyal to the warring factions.

Yemen's Foreign Minister Khaled Yamani, who led the government negotiating team, shook hands with Mohammed Abdul-Salam, head of the Houthis delegation, with the presence of Guterres.

Sources confirmed to Xinhua that withdrawal of the forces from Hodeidah will be conducted within the upcoming 14 days.

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths has engaged the two Yemeni warring parties in an intensive round of consultations outside Stockholm since Thursday, the first such talks in years.

The two parties have been discussing the details of re-opening the airport in Sanaa, deescalation measures in both Taiz and Hodeidah, and implementation of the agreement on exchanging prisoners, as well as the economic situation, Griffiths said.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since 2014 when the Houthi rebels overtook the capital Sanaa and toppled the government of President Abd-Rabbuh Mansour Hadi. A Saudi-led coalition has been fighting the Houthis since 2015.

The war has killed more than 10,000 people and created the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

The latest peace talks tackled a wide range of substantive issues, with the aim of putting Yemen back on the path of peace, and alleviating the suffering of the Yemeni people.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 21:35:35|Editor: Liangyu

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BEIJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- China can meet its target of trimming the number of "supersized" classes in its compulsory education system in 2018, or keeping the ratio under 2 percent, said an official with the Ministry of Education Thursday.

As of October, the number of supersized classes -- those each accommodating more than 66 students in primary and middle schools -- registered a 48.7 percent year-on-year drop, the biggest in 10 years, said ministry official Lyu Yugang at a press conference, citing the result of a recent nationwide survey.

The proportion of supersized classes currently stands at 1.2 percent, while the proportion of "large" classes -- those accommodating 56 students and above -- is 8.1 percent.

Lyu said educational authorities will coordinate with local governments to channel more resources to poverty-stricken counties, urging them to prioritize land allocation for schools and to improve the education quality in rural areas.

Oversized classes have long been a prominent issue in China's compulsory education system, due to the rise of urbanization and migration. A government work report delivered at the annual session of the National People's Congress in March said China would do more to bring down the number of oversized classes.
Hamilton, Bermuda, December 13, 2018

Nordic American Offshore Ltd. (the "Company") (NYSE: NAO) has been awarded a two-year fixed contract for the Platform Supply Vessel (PSV) built in 2015, "NAO Viking".

Commencement will be about mid-December 2018. The contract also grants the customer two one-year optional periods after the initial firm period.

"NAO Viking " will be operating primarily in the North Sea for a first class company. This contract has been concluded with one of the Company's regular customers.

The contract is securing steady employment and contribution for "NAO Viking".

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Matters discussed in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides safe harbor protections for forward-looking statements in order to encourage companies to provide prospective information about their business. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements of historical facts.

The Company desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. The words "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "forecast," "project," "plan," "potential," "may," "should," "expect," "pending" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without limitation, our management's examination of historical operating trends, data contained in our records and other data available from third parties. Although we believe that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond our control, we cannot assure you that we will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Important factors that, in our view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include the strength of world economies and currencies, general market conditions, including fluctuations in charter rates and vessel values, changes in demand in the PSV market, as a result of changes in the general market conditions of the oil and natural gas industry which influence charter hire rates and vessel values, demand in platform supply vessels, our operating expenses, including bunker prices, dry docking and insurance costs, governmental rules and regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities as well as potential liability from pending or future litigation, general domestic and international political conditions, potential disruption of shipping routes due to accidents or political events, the availability of financing and refinancing, vessel breakdowns and instances of off-hire and other important factors described from time to time in the reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Contacts:

Nordic American Offshore

+377 9798 5717 (Monaco)

+1 646 432 3315 (New York)

Web-site: www.nao.bm
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 21:40:36|Editor: Liangyu

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Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, visits senior citizens at a nursing home in Beihai, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Dec. 13, 2018. Leading a division of a central delegation, Wang on Thursday visited local people in the city of Beihai in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, which is currently celebrating its 60th anniversary. (Xinhua/Liu Bin)

BEIHAI, Guangxi, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- China's top political advisor Wang Yang on Thursday visited local people in the city of Beihai in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, which is currently celebrating its 60th anniversary.

Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, led a division of a central delegation to conduct the visit.

When calling on a family of overseas Chinese returning from abroad at a fishing town in Beihai, Wang urged them to keep their striving spirit and contribute to the development of their hometown and motherland.

When visiting a nursing home in Beihai, he instructed thorough implementation of policies that take good care of senior citizens, as the country's ageing population increases.

Wang was also briefed on the development of electronic industry in Beihai at a local electronics company and asked the city to adopt a pattern of high-quality development.

At a seminar to mark the 60th anniversary of the autonomous region, Wang asked the city to advance reform and opening-up, enhance industrial restructuring, fully exploit its geographic, industrial and cultural advantages and natural resources, and improve people's livelihoods.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 22:05:39|Editor: Yurou

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Soldiers patrol along a road near the Supreme Court in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Dec. 13, 2018. Sri Lankan Supreme Court on Thursday ruled against President Maithripala Sirisena's decision to dissolve the parliament and conduct a snap parliamentary election in early January. (Xinhua/A. Hapuarachchi)

COLOMBO, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan Supreme Court on Thursday ruled against President Maithripala Sirisena's decision to dissolve the parliament and conduct a snap parliamentary election in early January.

A seven-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Nalin Perera, delivered the verdict saying the president's decision was unconstitutional with Chief Justice Perera further explaining that if Sirisena wants to dissolve the parliament, there must be a resolution with a two thirds majority at the parliamant.

According to local media, the Supreme Court verdict means that the president, without a two thirds majority, cannot dissolve the parliament and the parliamentary elections will be held as scheduled after February 2020, after its four and a half years of term.

Following the ruling, ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in a statement on his Twitter account called on Sirisena to respect the judgement while his party, the United National Party (UNP) said they hope to meet the president later on Thursday to discuss the court's ruling.

Namal Rajapaksa, a lawmaker from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, a party loyal to challenged Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said his party respected the court's decision but they would continue their call for a parliamentary election in order to end the ongoing political struggle.

There was no immediate comment from President Sirisena.

Sri Lanka has been facing a severe political turmoil when on Oct. 26, Sirisena sacked his cabinet and then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and appointed former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to the post.

Sirisena later appointed a new caretaker government, with following increasing protests from Wickremesinghe and his UNP, who called their sudden dismissal from cabinet unconstitutional.

Sirisena, on Nov. 10 dissolved the parliament calling for a snap parliamentary election in January.

The election, which was announced one and a half years ahead of schedule, was challenged in the Supreme Court by opposition lawmakers who said the president did not have powers to call for an early poll.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 22:20:43|Editor: mmm

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Yemen's Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani (L) shakes hands with the Houthi delegation with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (C) at the closing ceremony of peace talks in Stockholm, Sweden, on Dec. 13, 2018. The week-long Yemen peace talks concluded in Sweden on Thursday, during which, constructive progress was made for the upcoming talks. (Xinhua/Rob Schoenbaum)

STOCKHOLM, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The week-long Yemen peace talks concluded in Sweden on Thursday, during which, constructive progress was made for the upcoming talks.

In a press conference held at the Johannesberg Castle north of Stockholm, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres who joined in on the final day of the Yemen peace talks, said that the Houthi rebel fighters and the government of Yemen have agreed on partial ceasefire at the port of Hodeidah. Guterres hoped that this would lead to the opening of humanitarian corridors.

"Being able to receive humanitarian aid will improve living conditions for millions of Yemenis," said Guterres.

At the conclusion of the talks, Guterres thanked both parties, emphasizing that there are still many questions to be resolved. The parties have agreed to meet next in late January 2019.

Guterres left the climate summit in Poland to travel to Sweden, where the Yemen peace talks have been taking place since last week.

At the press conference, Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom said the conversations have been "constructive" and led to increased trust between the parties in the conflict.

"This is a special day for Yemen, for the UN, and for us here in Sweden", she said.

Peace talks between the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels, coordinated by the UN, started in Sweden last Thursday.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 22:20:44|Editor: xuxin

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DAMASCUS, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has succeeded in capturing vast areas of the town of Hajin, one of the last Islamic State (IS) strongholds in eastern Syria, a war monitor reported Thursday.

The IS militants have retreated to the eastern outskirts of the town as a result of the SDF assault with the backing of the U.S.-led coalition, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The London-based watchdog said the SDF has broken through the IS defense lines in Hajin over the past 48 hours, capturing a hospital and other areas in the town.

The progress of the SDF and allied Kurdish groups was made despite the feverish resistance from the IS, which detonated five car bombs on Wednesday to slow down the SDF, according to the Observatory.

The capture of Hajin could be achieved within hours, it noted.

The SDF had previously lost the town to the IS during the U.S.-backed dragging campaign on the eastern bank of Euphrates River, which started on Sept. 10.

Since then, the last IS-held pocket in the eastern Euphrates in eastern Deir al-Zour Province witnessed advances and retreats of both sides, killing at least 911 IS militants and 531 SDF fighters.

The recent advance of the Kurdish-led groups come as Turkey, a key opponent of the Kurdish influence in northern Syria, said there will soon be a military campaign against "terrorists" in the eastern Euphrates region.

"It is time to realize our decision to wipe out terror groups in the east of Euphrates," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.

"We will start the operation to clear the east of the Euphrates of separatist terrorists in a few days," Erdogan added, referring to the territory held by the Kurdish militias.

There has been no immediate comment from Damascus, which deems Turkey a force of occupation along with the United States.

Earlier in the day, activists said the SDF brought reinforcements to the northern Syrian city of Ayn al-Arab near the border with Turkey as the Turkish reconnaissance planes were hovering over the Kurdish-controlled city of Manbij.

Meanwhile, the U.S. forces have evacuated from their positions in the Kurdish-controlled city of Tal Abyyad in northern Syria as the Turkish forces were gathering on the Turkish side of the border.

The Kurdish self-administration in northern Syria issued a statement on Thursday, calling for mass mobilization in areas under its control and urging the Syrian government to respond to Erdogan's remarks.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 22:35:48|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TOKYO, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- A high court in Japan's Okinawa upheld on Thursday a lower court's ruling that found a major anti-U.S. military base activist guilty of several criminal offenses committed during protests against the U.S. base relocation plan.

The Naha District Court ruled in March that Hiroji Yamashiro was guilty of obstructing the U.S. base relocation work for piling blocks at the gate of U.S. Marine Corps' Camp Schwab and cutting barbed wire there in 2016.

He was also found guilty of injuring a local Japanese defense bureau official near a U.S. military training site in 2016.

The 66-year-old activist was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for three years, by the local court.

His lawyers, however, said that he should be acquitted of all charges except for property damage, saying that he was "merely expressing his opposition under the freedom of expression guaranteed by the constitution."

The Naha branch of the Fukuoka High Court rejected Yamashiro's appeal, saying that the construction work was disrupted "beyond the scope of the freedom of expression."

Okinawa hosts the bulk of U.S. bases in Japan while accounting for only 0.6 percent of the country's total land mass. Criminal cases involving U.S. military men repeatedly happened there.

The Japanese and U.S. governments have been seeking to move the Futenma base from Ginowan to the less-populated Henoko coastal area of Nago. The people of Okinawa, however, demand the Futenma base to be relocated outside the prefecture.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 22:35:49|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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HARARE, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Zimbabwean government on Thursday met representatives of doctors and other health care workers in a bid to resolve their grievances and end a two-week strike by junior doctors at public hospitals.

The strike has paralyzed operations at government health institutions as the doctors demand better working conditions and improved supply of drugs and equipment.

Health minister Obadiah Moyo told journalists after the meeting that his ministry had decided to start by addressing "low hanging fruits" in dealing with the doctors' grievances while treasury works on other demands that require their attention such as adjustments in salaries.

As a result, the ministry had made arrangements for doctors to be availed with fuel for transport to work while government had also bought about 34 percent of the essential drugs for immediate distribution to government health institutions.

"We made arrangements with the ministry of energy and the central mechanical and engineering department and they have indicated that they will be able to support us with fuel.

"We even went to the extent of requesting for our doctors and critical health care workers to be given exemptions from being in fuel queues so that they can go and attend to the essential service and look after the patients," the minister said.

He said the country had started receiving medicines which should help ease the current drug shortages.

He encouraged the doctors to go back to work while government addresses their concerns.

Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association president Elias Muzoremba said the doctors would announce, most likely Thursday, the way forward after consulting with others.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 23:06:03|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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CAPE TOWN, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's electricity utility Eskom said on Thursday that it has secured a loan worth 1.5 billion rand (about 107 million U.S. dollars) from French Development Agency (AFD) to enhance power transmission.

An agreement to this effect was signed between the two sides on Thursday, Eskom said.

The loan facility from AFD aims to support Eskom's investment policy in strengthening its high-voltage electricity network, in order to ensure the integration of planned or under-construction renewable energy sources, Eskom said.

This is in line with Eskom's Transmission Development Plan 2019-2028 investment of 91 billion rand for the construction of 6,535 km of high voltage lines and the installation of 45,900 MVA of additional transformer capacity.

The transmission system plays a pivotal role in the nation-wide provision of electricity, as it delivers electricity from the power stations to distribution centers across South Africa, said Eskom.

"AFD remains part of a core of longstanding partners to Eskom, and we regard the signing of this loan agreement as a formal yet symbolic gesture of a sustainable partnership in aiding Eskom to enhance the security of supply, and stabilize the power systems in South Africa," said Phakamani Hadebe, Eskom's Group Chief Executive.

"AFD's funding to Eskom reaffirms our commitment to support the public utility's efforts to diversify its energy mix, which will ultimately strengthen its capacity to respond to the growing energy needs of South Africa while addressing the climate change challenges attached to it," said Bruno Deprince, AFD's Regional Director.

This funding also demonstrates AFD's support to Eskom in a period of transition and recovery, he added.

Eskom, which provides more than 95 percent of the electricity consumed in South Africa, has implemented rolling blackouts for more than one month, seriously affecting economic activities and people's lives.

The state-run parastatal has been blamed for poor management and rampant corruption which are believed to be the main factors for the blackouts.

Eskom says it implements load shedding rotationally as a last resort to protect the power system from a total collapse.

Cash-strapped Eskom reportedly wants the South African government to absorb about 100 billion rand of its debt as part of a rescue plan for the utility.

International ratings agencies have warned that Eskom is a risk to the health of South Africa's economy.
File Photo: Turkish-allied Free Syrian Army (FSA) soldiers are seen in Afrin, Syria, on March 14, 2018. (Xinhua)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Department of Defense said here on Wednesday in a rare public pushback against Turkey's operation plan in Syria that any unilateral military action in northeast Syria would be "unacceptable."

Earlier on Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his country will launch a military operation in the east of Euphrates River in Syria in a few days.

He also blasted the United States for establishing observation posts along Syria's border with Turkey despite Ankara's opposition.

"It is clear that the purpose of the U.S. observation points in Syria is not to protect our country from terrorists but to protect terrorists from Turkey," Erdogan said.

Commander Sean Robertson, a Pentagon spokesman, said hours later in a statement that "unilateral military action into northeast Syria by any party, particularly as U.S. personnel may be present or in the vicinity, is of grave concern. We would find any such actions unacceptable."

The statement added that consultation between the United States and Turkey, a U.S. NATO ally, "is the only way to secure the border area in a sustainable manner, and ... that uncoordinated military operations will undermine that shared interest."

While Washington has been fully committed to Ankara's border security, it will also work with the Syrian Democratic Forces, which includes Kurdish YPG fighters, "to ensure ISIS's enduring defeat," it said.

Ankara has long regarded the YPG as Syrian affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers' Party that has been designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, arguing that its presence along Turkey's southern border poses a serious threat to its national security.

Turkish and U.S. forces last month started joint patrols in the Manbij region of northern Syria. In a separate move, U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis said on Nov. 21 that the U.S. military is building observation posts along the Turkey-Syria border, in an effort widely seen to reduce tension with Turkey.

However, such efforts appeared to have been made in vain after the Turkish Armed Forces fired artillery shells at YPG positions in the east of the Euphrates in northern Syria last month.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 23:16:10|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BEIJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Coercive measures have been taken against two Canadians on suspicion of jeopardizing China's national security, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said Thursday.

According to China's Criminal Law and the Criminal Procedure Law, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of State Security and the state security bureau in the northeastern Chinese city of Dandong in Liaoning Province respectively took coercive measures against the two people according to the law on Dec. 10, Lu said.

"According to what I know, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of State Security and Liaoning Provincial Bureau of State Security have notified the Canadian Embassy in Beijing," Lu said. "The two persons' lawful rights have been guaranteed."

Lu said China has always maintained a positive and open attitude while communicating with the outside world.

"China welcomes foreign tourists and citizens to travel to China to carry out normal friendly exchanges, including doing business and studying," he said. "As long as they abide by Chinese laws and regulations, there is actually nothing to worry about."

From January to November 2018, Canadians made 780,000 visits to China, said Lu, adding that this figure is much higher than the number of Chinese citizens visiting Canada during the same period.

Lu said the figures are partly indicative. "Whether China is safe or not, the people of Canada can make their own judgment."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 23:26:14|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BEIJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese defense experts on Thursday reaffirmed the Chinese military's commitment to upholding peace and regional stability.

They expressed this to reporters from 26 domestic and overseas media institutions during a press event held at the International College of Defense Studies (ICDS) at the National Defense University (NDU) in Beijing.

"The Asia-Pacific region has been one of the most peaceful and prosperous regions in the post-Cold War world. This cannot be achieved without China's role as the stabilizer and engine of world economic prosperity after its reform and opening up," said Xu Hui, Commandant of the ICDS at the NDU.

"In the past few decades, China has been actively maintaining regional stability in this area, promoting the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, participating in the establishment of a regional mechanism and confidence-building measures," said Xu.

In the last ten years, China has actively participated in anti-piracy, anti-crime, and escort missions in the Gulf of Aden, said Liang Fang, professor of the College of National Security (CNS) at the NDU.

"The crime rate has substantially declined in the Gulf of Aden since China actively shouldered peacekeeping and stability maintaining missions in the area," Liang said.

"Chinese naval forces have never controlled any strategic passage during their peacekeeping and disaster relief missions overseas. In the defensive nature of China's defense policy, we do not bring chaos or turbulence to other countries, but rather provide public security goods and dividends," said Meng Xiangqing, professor of the CNS at the NDU.

Among the five UN Security Council permanent members, China has provided the most military personnel and the second most financial support for UN peacekeeping missions, and China will adhere to the principle of upholding peace and stability consistent with the UN Charter, Meng said.

So far, the ICDS has received senior military officers from over 160 countries in five continents for training sessions and exchanges.

China has played an important role in world peacekeeping missions, said Olard Joel, a lieutenant colonel from Gabon who was trained for four months at the ICDS.
TORONTO, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) applauds Mayor Tory for making housing affordability one of his top and first priorities of the new term of Toronto City Council.



The Housing Now initiative is an excellent first step for the new City Council to take to start getting immediate results with regard to housing supply. TREB strongly believes that governments at all levels should be focused on increasing the supply of housing and facilitating an appropriate mix of housing types and tenures.

TREB has also recognized the symbiosis between housing and transit, and, as such, we are encouraged that the Housing Now initiative also makes transit accessibility a priority.

As stated by Mayor Tory, addressing and solving Torontos housing challenges requires the combined efforts of government, and the private and not-for-profit sectors. In this regard, TREB looks forward to working with Mayor Tory and all of Toronto City Council to ensure that our City remains one of the best places to live, work and play in the world.

Media inquiries:

Mary Gallagher, Senior Manager Public Affairs

(416) 443-8158 maryg@trebnet.com

Greater Toronto REALTORS are passionate about their work. They are governed by a strict Code of Ethics and share a state-of-the-art Multiple Listing Service. Over 53,000 residential and commercial TREB Members serve consumers in the Greater Toronto Area. TREB is Canadas largest real estate board.

www.TREBhome.com

https://www.facebook.com/TorontoRealEstateBoard

https://twitter.com/TREBhome

https://www.youtube.com/user/TREBChannel

https://www.pinterest.com/trebhome/

http://www.linkedin.com/company/treb

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Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 23:26:15|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ROME, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Italy's economy snapped a streak of 14 consecutive economic quarters of positive -- even if usually sluggish -- economic growth in the third quarter of the year after the country's gross domestic product contracted 0.1 percent.

According to the country's National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), growth was hindered by a "marked contraction in investments and a slight decrease in (domestic) consumption," and jobless rates remained high while corporate profits shrank.

If the trend continues through the end of the year as expected, 2018 will mark the 14th consecutive year economic growth in Italy trailed that of the European Union as a whole. The buying power of Italians is now 6 percentage points lower than it was a decade ago.

"What is happening now is part of a larger trend that has been happening for a long time," Andrea Ciarini, an economic sociologist with the Department of Social and Economic Sciences at Rome's La Sapienza University, told Xinhua. "There is a crisis now because the situation is intensifying. But these problems are not new."

Ciarini pointed out that the lack of economic innovation has became a main problem for Italy, driving many of the country's most capable citizens to move abroad in search of work.

"The economy is dominated by small and medium-sized companies that can be overly cautious in their decision making," Ciarini said. "Unlike some countries, Italy does not suffer from a lack of capable workers. But it suffers from a lack of demand for those workers."

The ISTAT report comes amid other negative economic indicators. Earlier this month, data showed consumer confidence had flattened in recent months. The main indexes on the Italian Stock Exchange in Milan have all lost at least 15 percent of their value so far this year, while government bond yields have climbed dramatically, reflecting rising investor nervousness.

Taking a wider angle on the country's economic health, the socio-economic research institute Censis released the 52nd edition of its "Report on the Social Situation in Italy," which painted a bleak picture of Italy as a country plagued by geographical divisions, poor economic prospects and an aging population.

"In more than half a century of previous reports on the social situation Censis has produced, this one is probably the most pessimistic," Massimiliano Valerii, Censis' general director, said in an interview. "It is not that the country did not have problems in the past. But Italy now finds itself at an epic crossroads."

Valerii said the long-term trends for the country produced a kind of "national bitterness" that leaves many Italians eager to place blame for their problems on others. He said three in four Italians see immigrants to the country as a negative factor. Two in three, he said, believe the situation in Italy will decline in the future. Only about one in five trusts the government.

Additionally, social mobility -- the ability for a person to rise from one economic class to another through better education and hard work -- is seen as near its lowest point ever.

"There is a kind of rancor in Italy that is guiding national decision making, but that will not be an effective way to confront the problems the country has," Valerii said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 23:31:18|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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Li Zhanshu (R), chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, meets with visiting Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 13, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

BEIJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislator Li Zhanshu met with Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno Thursday in Beijing.

Li, chairman of China's National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said China stands ready to work with Ecuador to implement the consensus reached by the two countries' leaders, expand and deepen bilateral ties, and always remain each other's partner.

The Chinese NPC hopes to keep in close touch with Ecuador's National Assembly, learn from each other and enhance mutual understanding, Li said.

Moreno expressed Ecuador's appreciation for China's development path and achievements. He said what China had achieved not only benefitted its own people but also contributed to the common development of humanity.

Ecuador hopes the two countries become good partners of mutual benefit and cooperation, and support exchanges between the two countries' legislative bodies, Moreno said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 23:31:18|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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AMMAN, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Jordan on Thursday warned its citizens against holding copycat "yellow vest" protests in the kingdom, saying it is unacceptable.

Jordan's Minister of State for Media Affairs Jumana Ghunaimat made the remarks during a press conference Thursday after some Jordanians held demonstration recently while putting on yellow vests to imitate the protesters in France.

The minister slammed the Jordanian opposition figures who are residing abroad for seeking to create chaos in Jordan.

Ghunaimat issued the warning in response to the calls on social media and by some parties in Jordan to hold protests against the government's economic policies and the recently-endorsed income tax law.

She urged all Jordanians to be vigilant and abide by the law, while expressing their views in a way guaranteed by law.

The minister noted that the Jordanian government is aware of the situation and concerns by citizens and is working to address the challenges faced by the kingdom.

She added that the government has held several meetings with many segments of the society to address the issues of concern by citizens.

Recently, French protesters worn reflective yellow vests during demonstration against the government's hike in fuel tax, turning the clothing into a symbol of street protest against the government.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 23:36:19|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BEIJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- A central delegation led by Wang Yang, China's top political advisor, on Thursday returned to Beijing after visiting south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and the rest of the delegation started the visit on Sunday in Nanning, capital of Guangxi.

They attended the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the region, visited the cadres and people of Guangxi and looked into the region's economic and social development, receiving warm welcomes from the locals of all ethnic groups.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 23:51:23|Editor: Yang Yi

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Photo taken on May 21, 2018 shows a cross-border e-commerce freight train from Hamburg of Germany arriving in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. China-Europe freight trains made 5,611 trips in the first 11 months of 2018, surging 72 percent compared with the same period last year, according to a meeting held in southwest China's Sichuan Province. In 2017, more than 3,000 trips were made via the China-Europe freight trains between cities on the two continents. The number is expected to reach 6,000 in 2018, according to the meeting held by the Transport Coordinating Committee of China Railway Corporation's China-Europe project. As of November, the trains connect 56 Chinese cities with 49 European cities in 15 European countries. The number of trips from Europe to China has increased and accounted for 71 percent of the trips to Europe, according to the committee. In late August, the trains marked their 10,000th trip since beginning operations in March 2011. The China-Europe freight rail services have pushed forward China's opening-up and boosted economic and trade cooperation with countries along the Belt and Road, the China Railway Corporation said in a statement. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, a transnational network connecting Asia with Europe, Africa and beyond. Over the past five years, China's trade in goods with countries along the Belt and Road exceeded 5.5 trillion U.S. dollars. Chinese direct investment in the non-financial sectors of these countries reached 80 billion dollars during the same period. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)

CHENGDU, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- China-Europe freight trains made 5,611 trips in the first 11 months of 2018, surging 72 percent compared with the same period last year, according to a meeting held in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

In 2017, more than 3,000 trips were made via the China-Europe freight trains between cities on the two continents. The number is expected to reach 6,000 in 2018, according to the meeting held by the Transport Coordinating Committee of China Railway Corporation's China-Europe project.

As of November, the trains connect 56 Chinese cities with 49 European cities in 15 European countries. The number of trips from Europe to China has increased and accounted for 71 percent of the trips to Europe, according to the committee.

In late August, the trains marked their 10,000th trip since beginning operations in March 2011.

The China-Europe freight rail services have pushed forward China's opening-up and boosted economic and trade cooperation with countries along the Belt and Road, the China Railway Corporation said in a statement.

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, a transnational network connecting Asia with Europe, Africa and beyond.

Over the past five years, China's trade in goods with countries along the Belt and Road exceeded 5.5 trillion U.S. dollars. Chinese direct investment in the non-financial sectors of these countries reached 80 billion dollars during the same period.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 23:51:23|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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by Yu Qianliang, Abu Hanifah

JAKARTA, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia continues panning out strategies to boost its leading industry tourism, amid difficulties caused by a string of disasters and a fatal air crash.

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua in her office on Thursday, Deputy Tourism Minister for Regional II Marketing Development Nia Niscaya said that Indonesia eyes countries with more advanced tourism sector in the region as major market destinations.

Foreigner touring in those countries would hopefully continue trips to Indonesia, said the official.

"We want to offer them a distinctive vacation experience in exploring Indonesia's myriad of natural and cultural richness. It apparently the one and only thing that differs Indonesia from countries around," Nia told Xinhua.

The tourism ministry has opted Singapore as the prime foreign tourist hub in visiting Indonesia with Thailand and Malaysia could serve as the alternative ones, she said.

"That is a the new strategy that we would apply besides continuing the promotion efforts in targeted markets," she added.

With its huge foreign tourist arrival record, Singapore is highly potential for Indonesia to receive extending trip of those tourist through 14 airlines serving flights to Indonesian destinations.

Nia pointed out that connectivity is the highly crucial factor in tourism business as 75 percent of foreign tourist traveling were done with flights.

Nia also said Indonesia would still focusing efforts to seize more tourists from China.

She said the ministry set a target to receive 3.5 million tourists from the Chinese mainland next year.

It was part of Indonesian tourism ministry's program to attract Chinese tourists to spend Chinese New Year holiday slated for February in Bali and other destinations.

"It has good responses as we got more than 2,000 Chinese tourists booked travel packages for the holiday season to Indonesia during the Chinese New Year,"said the official.

She was upbeat to get more Chinese bookings for the holiday season in the upcoming programs in the China's two cities of Shanghai and Xiamen.

Responding to concerns on series of natural disasters and an air crash that occurred in Indonesia in the past several months, the official said that the ministry has set up a tourism crisis center to address safety issues in emergency situation.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 23:56:24|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ANKARA, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday unveiled the second 100-day action plan, four months after the first one was announced.

Erdogan said the new action plan includes 454 projects worth 24 billion Turkish liras (4.49 billion U.S. dollars), adding that 340 of the 400 projects in the first plan had been completed.

Turkey will start the construction of part of the TurkStream natural gas pipeline project in Turkish territories and finish it by the end of 2019, the president said.

TurkStream is an export gas pipeline set to cross beneath the Black Sea from Russia to Turkey and further extend to Turkey's borders with neighboring countries.

In addition, two new institutes, the Financial Stability and Development Committee and Turkey Development Fund, will be established to boost financial sector and private investment.

Turkey will also sign an agreement for the Akinci project, a high-altitude long-endurance unmanned armed aircraft, Erdogan noted.

After being re-elected as president for another five-year term, Erdogan revealed the first 100-day action plan on Aug. 3, which covers ambitious projects in energy, foreign trade, education, health, agriculture and tourism sectors.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 23:56:24|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopia Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) announced on Thursday it has returned home 2,250 Ethiopians in one week period.

Speaking to local and foreign media outlet, Meles Alem, Spokesperson of MoFA, said the 2,250 Ethiopians who had been serving prison sentences in Saudi Arabia were returned home in recent days after negotiations with Saudi authorities.

Alem said its ministry has also given travel documents to more than 40,000 Ethiopians living in various countries, including Saudi Arabia, as part of efforts to assist the legalization of their residency status in foreign countries.

In recent years thousands of undocumented Ethiopians have been rounded up and put in prison in Saudi Arabia, accused of illegal entry.

It is estimated every year thousands of Ethiopians travel across the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia looking for better economic opportunities, often employed in the informal sector without having valid residency permits.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-13 23:56:24|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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MOGADISHU, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Somali security forces on Thursday arrested former al-Shabab deputy leader, Sheikh Mukhtar Robow Ali who is a candidate for the office of the Southwest State in Baidoa town, officials said.

Ministry of internal security said Robow had deployed weapons in Baidoa town, noting that the former militant leader did not meet certain conditions of the agreement he had entered with the government.

"Mukhtar Robow deployed weapons and fighters to Baidoa town, he organized the army to threaten and destabilize the general security of the country, in particular, in Baidoa town and that shows that he did not get rid of the extremist ideology and intends to harm Somali people again," the ministry said in a statement issued in Mogadishu.

According to the ministry, the government wanted the ex-al-Shabab leader not to take an action that damages the governance system and the federal member states.

Robow surrendered to the Somali government in August 2017 following protracted talks that led to his defection. He later stayed in Mogadishu's headquarter for National Intelligence and Security Agency for a year.

He was among regional state presidential candidates running for the elections slated for Dec. 19.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-14 00:01:27|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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MOSCOW, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Members of the European Parliament who reject Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline might have to pin their hopes on firewood or global warming, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Thursday.

The spokesperson told a news briefing that Europe has few choices if they oppose Nord Stream 2.

"In certain countries, nuclear power plants are being closed, and they also urge abandoning the Russian gas. Will they switch to firewood?" Zakharova said.

On Wednesday, the European Parliament passed by a majority of votes a resolution condemning the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline as "a political project that poses a threat to European energy security" and calling for its cancellation.

Zakharova said that speaking against energy cooperation and its diversification is "simply insanity" for Europe, which needs energy.

She said that Russia is a reliable supplier and is ready to provide Europe with gas at reasonable prices.

Zakharova added that politics, not economic reasoning, is likely behind the European Parliament resolution.

The resolution followed a U.S. one passed Tuesday by the House of Representatives condemning the pipeline as a "drastic step backwards for European energy security and U.S. interests," and urging European governments to reject it.

Moscow is at odds with Washington over gas supplies to Europe. The United States insisted that its shipments of liquefied natural gas could reduce Europe's dependence on Russian fuel, while Russia held that its gas is cheaper.

The Nord Stream 2 is the second Russia-sponsored pipeline to supply gas to Europe via the Baltic seabed, bypassing Ukraine, Belarus, Poland and other eastern European and Baltic countries.

The project is expected to be put into operation by the end of 2019.
SAVAGE, Md., Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With the support of LTN Global Communications, Inc. (LTN), the global leader in broadcast quality IP video transport solutions, Sinclair Broadcast Groups station WCTI-TV provided critical and lifesaving public service information to residents of New Bern, North Carolina through Hurricane Florence.



WCTI the only TV station located in New Bern, continued to keep residents informed throughout flooding caused by the storm. Engineers worked diligently to get the station back on the air, while parent company, Sinclair partnered with LTN to provide support in the aftermath of the storm.

Any operational plan we could devise, LTN was there to support, said Paul Spinelli, Sinclairs Director of Engineering, remarking that the LTN Network Operations Center was "terrific" during and after the storm.

Due to the flooding, WCTI was unable to operate from their facility. Using the LTN network, Sinclair was able to deliver important local news and other programming to New Bern, allowing them to continue to deliver critical information to Craven County residents, through both digital and linear feeds.

LTN's network uses real-time decision-making to route traffic to the most efficient pathway. This allowed Sinclair to quickly route live video feeds between the hundreds of LTN connected locations they operate.

LTN has worked alongside Sinclairs forward-thinking engineers to build a bulletproof terrestrial, IP, Multi-cast network. Said Jonathan Stanton, LTNs VP of Technology. This level of engineering and development allows Sinclairs affiliates to provide the highest level of public service to the communities they serve.

Even while continuing to operate from their parking lot, WCTI used LTN to backhaul feeds to a new master control facility for New Bern in the aftermath of the storm, said Paul Spinelli. Its during the unavoidable and unexpected disasters like Hurricane Florence where LTNs fully managed Network Operations Center and technology really stand out.

About LTN

LTN Global Communications, the global leader in broadcast quality IP video transport solutions, has revolutionized the video transport industry with an innovative, IP-based live video delivery service that meets or exceeds broadcast quality standards. LTNs service has been widely adopted by major broadcasters, media companies, content creators and owners and is connected to over 2000 sites globally.

LTNs unique, patented technology was designed to combine the reach and flexibility of the Internet with the quality and reliability of a private network. The network enables live video delivery with consistent low delay and high quality, with 99.999%
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-14 00:01:28|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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LONDON, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Three Chinese innovation start-ups impressed Britain's Prince Andrew and over 300 audience in a high-end international competition held in London.

The Pitch@Palace, an initiative founded in 2014 by Prince Andrew to support entrepreneurs with the amplification and acceleration of their business ideas, has seen its global final Wednesday night at the St. James's Palace.

A total of 23 global entrepreneurs, selected from hundreds of participants in 15 countries, pitched their businesses at the palace to an influential audience including angel investors, mentors and key business supporters.

Three Chinese start-up companies entered the global final this year, including YI Tunnel, who is among the first companies to make use of AI in the retail sector, Pony AI, who has launched China's first self-driving fleet for urban area open street operation and aims to create the safest, most reliable and state-of-the-art technologies for autonomous vehicles, as well as China Craftmanship, which combines Chinese traditional craftsmanship with modern fashion designs to create a business model with both commercial and cultural value.

"All the Chinese entrepreneurs are excellent," Prince Andrew told Xinhua at the site, "All of them were really, really good. This particular event is not about one being better than all the others. This is about showing the great innovation that there is around the world at the moment, and China has got just as much innovation as anywhere else. "

He added that it was a great privilege and a pleasure to be able to bring Pitch@Palace to China since 2017 and to have Chinese partners that want to expand the event around China.

"Because it is not only about, as it were, finding businesses, it's about raising the awareness of your own population to the innovation that's going on and encouraging younger people in the schools system to think about being an entrepreneur and solving problems in an entrepreneurial way," he said.

Xia Hua, co-founder of Pitch@Palace China, said while new technologies brought both opportunity and challenge to Chinese entrepreneurs, many entrepreneurs now have their eyes on China's domestic market.

"We suggest that entrepreneurs have an international perspective from the outset, targeting the global market while integrating global capital and intellectual resources. In this regard, Pitch@Palace presents many chances," she said.

Pitch@Palace has seen 45 events in Australia, Bahrain, China, Hungary, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, the UK and Vietnam in 2018. The three Entrepreneurs of the Year are a Uber-like program for trucks from Vietnam, a portable hardware device from Uganda that offers cost-effective and rapid diagnosis of malaria, and a high resolution imaging tool invented in Australia that allows surgeons to accurately remove tumors.

Over the past five years, Pitch@Palace has worked with entrepreneurs from over 50 countries and caused more than 800 million pounds investment for nearly 700 businesses.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-14 00:01:29|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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NAIROBI, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- African Development Bank (AfDB) said Thursday it has approved a 7.34-billion-shilling (71.5 million U.S. dollars) loan to improve access to sustainable wastewater services in Kenya's capital city Nairobi.

The lender said the project, co-financed by the French Development Agency (AFD) with additional 22.7 million dollars, targets prioritized sanitation investments in Nairobi City to improve health and living conditions.

"The objective of the project is to improve access, quality, availability and sustainability of wastewater services in Nairobi city to help restore the Nairobi River Basin," AfDB said in a statement.

According to the Bank, an estimated 500,000 people are expected to benefit from the project through rehabilitation and construction of wastewater treatment facilities at Dandora, construction of 220km sewer reticulation network including faecal sludge management infrastructure, as well as construction and rehabilitation of 100 toilet facilities in Nairobi's informal settlements.

Wambui Gichuri, Director of Water and Sanitation said delayed and inadequate investments in wastewater management have resulted in poor wastewater services in Nairobi which is home to an estimated 4.4 million people, representing about 9 percent of the country's total population of 48.5 million.

"This project will deliver safe, adequate and reliable sanitation services, reducing health risks and economic burdens," she added.

According to AfDB, Kenya each year loses an estimated one percent of GDP due to poor sanitation since urban services have not kept pace with rapid expansion, with the existing sewerage infrastructure serving only 48 percent of the city.

The project will also support Athi Water Services Board and Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company to offer improved sanitation services through institutional strengthening.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-14 00:01:30|Editor: mmm

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BEIJING, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- China and the United States are advancing their trade talks with close communication on details, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Thursday.

"The Chinese side welcomes the U.S. team to visit China for consultation and is open to visiting the U.S. for communication," MOC spokesperson Gao Feng told a news conference.

Gao said the two countries had reached consensus on specific issues including agricultural products, energy and automobiles. "Soybean has always been an important kind of agricultural import from the U.S. given the huge demand in China."

Gao said more details of the trade talks would be released.

Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, who currently heads the China-U.S. trade talks, spoke with U.S. officials on Tuesday, and the two sides exchanged views on implementing the consensus reached by the heads of state of the two countries and on the timetable and roadmap to push forward the trade talks.
Ma Zhaoxu (C, Front), Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations, addresses a Security Council meeting on non-proliferation at the UN headquarters in New York, on Dec. 12, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese envoy to the United Nations said Wednesday that the Iran nuclear deal has proved its worth and deserves full and effective implementation.

At a Security Council meeting on Iran, Chinese Permanent Representative to the UN Ma Zhaoxu said the deal as a major multilateralism achievement serves the common interest of the international community.

He noted the UN nuclear watchdog IAEA has confirmed in 13 consecutive reports that Iran continues to implement its nuclear-related commitments under the deal, and urged its full and effective implementation as its worth has been affirmed through practice.

Currently, the implementation of the deal is undergoing a critical phase, he cautioned, expressing appreciation for its participants' efforts in delivering on their commitments.

He expressed regrets that the United States pulled out of the deal and re-imposed sanctions on Iran, and urged all parties to properly address the difficulties they face in economic and trade cooperation with Iran as a result.

Moreover, Ma stressed all parties should deal with the issue of Iran's ballistic missiles with caution through precise interpretation of related Security Council resolutions, adding Iran's stance that it has no intention to develop any nuclear weapon should be properly noted.

Ma's views were echoed by many at the Security Council on Wednesday.

UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo said the UN secretary-general welcomed the reaffirmation by the participants to the deal of their commitments to its full and effective implementation.

It is essential, she said, that the plan continues to work for all participants, including the Iranian people who should also receive tangible economic benefits.

In addition, the EU members on the council reaffirmed their commitment and support to the deal.

"The JCPOA has significantly rolled back Iran's nuclear program and ensures it does not develop a nuclear weapon. This is key for European security," they said in a joint statement, using the initials of the official name of the deal.

As long as Iran continues to implement its commitments in full, the EU will remain fully committed to the continued implementation of the agreement, said the statement, endorsed by Britain, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland -- the current EU members on the Security Council -- and Belgium, Germany, and Italy.

Belgium and Germany will become council members next year. Italy split a two-year council term with the Netherlands.

Iran and the five permanent members of the Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus Germany struck the nuclear deal in July 2015, under which Iran should roll back its nuclear program in exchange for the lift of the sanctions imposed on it.

The United States quit the deal in May, saying it did not put tough restrictions on Iran's ballistic missile program.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-14 00:16:35|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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SARAJEVO, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Three persons charged with war crimes were arrested by members of Bosnia and Herzegovina's (BiH's) State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) on Thursday in the town of Zvornik, located 125 kilometers northeast of the capital Sarajevo.

Acting on the order of BiH's Prosecutor's Office Special Department for War Crimes, SIPA police officers have identified and deprived of the liberty of Branko Studen, 55, Pero Radic, 59 and Bozo Vidovic, 64, in Zvornik, according to SIPA official website.

The suspects are charged with war crimes conducted during the attack of the village of Jusici near Zvornik on May 27, 1992, when 48 Bosniak victims were killed.

"Three persons are suspected of, while being members of the Territorial Defense of the Serb Municipality Zvornik, conducted a widespread and systematic attack on the Bosniak civilian population in the area of Zvornik and participated in the attack on the village of Jusici, inhabited by civilian population of Bosniak nationality," BiH's Prosecutors Office statement explained.

The suspects are charged with the criminal offense of Crimes against Humanity.

After interrogation of the suspects, the prosecutor in charge will decide on further activities in the case.

An ethnically rooted war that took place from 1992 to 1995 in BiH was fought between Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs, resulting in 100,000 people killed and over 2 million displaced worldwide. After years of bitter fighting, Western countries backed by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) imposed a final ceasefire negotiated at Dayton, Ohio, the U.S., in 1995.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-14 00:16:36|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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JOHANNESBURG, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Embattled former South African President Jacob Zuma is not entitled to state funding when defending his criminal prosecution and must start footing his own legal bills, said North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Thursday.

"The decisions taken by the Presidency and the State Attorney that the State would cover the legal costs that Mr Zuma incurred in his personal capacity in interlocutory and ancillary applications related to his criminal prosecution are reviewed and set aside," said Deputy Judge President Aubrey Ledwaba.

Ledwaba ordered that the State Attorney must determine the amount of money spent on Zuma's legal fees from 2005. It is estimated that the state has paid over R15 million (around 1 million U.S. dollars) for Zuma's legal fees since 2005.

Judge Dunstan Mlambo says it is unfair that millions are being diverted from services in an effort to fund Zuma's criminal charges.

Zuma faces 16 charges including racketeering, corruption, money laundering and fraud emanating from a government arms deal in 1999.

In March this year, opposition parties, including the Democratic Alliance and the Economic Freedom Fighters filed court papers seeking the court to review and set aside the state decision to fund Zuma's legal fees in his personal capacity.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-14 00:31:44|Editor: mmm

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. top-tier manufacturing company General Electric (GE) said on Thursday that it planned to establish a new, independent company aiming at building Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

"The company will start with 1.2 billion U.S. dollars in annual software revenue and an existing global industrial customer base," said GE.

The Boston-based giant said that the proposed new company would bring together IIoT solutions of its subsidiary GE Digital.

GE also said that Bill Ruh, the chief executive officer (CEO) of GE Digital, decided to depart GE, leaving GE to conduct an internal and external search to find the CEO for its new independent company.

GE said it would release further details on the new IIoT software company in the first quarter of 2019.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-14 00:46:53|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ROME, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- A nearly two-year-old lawsuit alleging a company unjustly fired one of its workers is having a widespread impact on hiring practices in Italy, analysts said, making employers more and more hesitant to offer long-term contracts.

Italy's national statistics institute ISTAT reported earlier this month that full-time employees accounted for 63.7 percent of the entire workforce as of October, down from 65.1 percent four years earlier.

The trend has accelerated more recently, according to Ebitemp, an association of employment agencies. The association's data shows that the number of temporary employees in Italy rose by 3.4 percent over the year ending in October -- even though overall unemployment numbers remained more or less flat over the last year.

Ebitemp also reported that average working hours per employee grew by 5.1 percent over the last year. That means businesses asked current workers to stay on the job more time in lieu of taking on new employees.

"Companies are worried about taking on new full-time workers," Marco Leonardi, an economist with the Department for the Study of Labor and Welfare at the State University of Milan, told Xinhua. "In past years, it was difficult to fire workers without clear cause but the process was at least certain. Now it is unclear."

Leonardi explained that the firing of a female worker in 2017 -- the identity of the worker and the company are not public - has proved to be a test case after the 2015 labor reform, which aimed to encourage companies to take on full-time workers.

"There was a boom in the hiring of permanent workers after 2015 because of the new reform," Leonardi said. "But now, until there's a court ruling on this lawsuit, things are much less clear."

Italian media reports said the case could be decided next year.

"This trend is happening because many Italian companies are too short-sighted," said Corrado Ezio Barachetti, the national coordinator for labor markets with the Italian General Confederation of Labor, or CGIL, the country's largest trade union.

"Hiring and training a full-time worker is an investment in quality," Barachetti said in an interview. "Italian companies are looking to cut costs instead of improving quality. But a company cannot effectively compete in a global market unless it produces goods and services of the highest quality."

Italy's labor reform, passed with great fanfare in 2015, was intended to have the opposite effect. Though it only had an impact after workers were hired, it would gradually make it easier for companies to fire workers on the theory that such a change would make them more likely to hire them in the first place. The worker behind the 2017 lawsuit was hired after the 2015 reform.

The first move of the new Italian government, in power since June, was to pass what is called a "Dignity Decree," in effect reforming the 2015 reform. The latest decree reduced the maximum length or temporary contracts from three years to two, and it limited renewals to four, one less than before. So far, however, statistics show the decree has had a limited impact.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-14 01:27:03|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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MADRID, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez presented a new project involving businesses and other social actors aimed at combatting child poverty (those under the age of 18) in Spain on Thursday, the government informed in a communique.

"We cannot allow Spain to be one of the countries with the highest risks of child poverty in Europe," said Sanchez at the launch of the 'Third Sector Conference' (Cumbre del Tercer Sector), which was promoted by the Spanish High Commission against Child Poverty.

According to data highlighted at the event, 29.7 percent of Spaniards aged below 18 were at risk of poverty in 2016. This is 9.7 percent higher than the European Union average.

"Although the number was reduced to 28.3 percent in 2017, it is still very high," commented Sanchez.

"The welfare state is uneven in its capacity to redistribute wealth. It is very effective in reducing poverty in the final cycle of life (old age), but doesn't work when it comes to protecting infants," explained the press communique on the event.

This statement is corroborated by figures which show that between 2012 and 2015, the risk of poverty among minors stood at 22.3 percent in Spain: well above the risk for other age groups.

"We aim to promote and put into practice a wide range of measures aimed at combating the inequalities which leave children in a vulnerable situation," continued the prime minister, stressing that his government had an "binding" promise to "reduce and prevent child poverty".

Alongside Sanchez, the event was also attended by the Minister of Health, Consumption and Social Welfare, Maria Luisa Carcedo, the Minister of Territorial Policy and Public Function, Meritxell Batet, and the High Commissioner for the Fight Against Childhood Poverty, Pau Mari-Klose.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-14 01:47:07|Editor: mmm

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Michael Cohen (C) walks out of a court building in New York, the United States, Dec. 12, 2018. Michael Cohen, U.S. President Donald Trump's former long-term personal attorney, was sentenced to three years in jail on Wednesday after pleading guilty to a series of crimes, including campaign finance violations, tax evasion and lying to Congress. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen has been sentenced for crimes including those he committed to help his boss win the presidency, and Trump has denied that he had directed Cohen to break the law.

Cohen was sentenced to a three-year jail term on Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to multiple crimes, including tax evasion, lying to Congress, as well as violating campaign-finance laws by paying two women, who alleged affairs with Trump, hush-money to buy their silence on the eve of the 2016 presidential election.

"I take full responsibility for each act that I pled guilty to, the personal ones to me and those involving the president of the United States of America," Cohen said in a guilty plea at a federal court in New York on Wednesday. At times he paused to control his emotions and shed tears.

Trump, who reportedly said in private Wednesday that Cohen is a liar, held off from commenting publicly on the matter until Thursday, when he fired three tweets in the morning in an effort to distance himself from the case.

"I never directed Michael Cohen to break the law. He was a lawyer and he is supposed to know the law. It is called 'advice of counsel,' and a lawyer has great liability if a mistake is made. That is why they get paid," he tweeted.

The president was responding to prosecutors' accusation on Friday that Cohen "acted in coordination with and at the direction of Individual-1" in the hush-money payments. Individual-1 is the term prosecutors have been using to refer to Trump. Cohen had admitted it.

Trump tweeted on Monday that the payments were "a simple private transaction," not election-related spending subject to campaign-finance laws.

On Thursday, he said that "many campaign finance lawyers have strongly stated I did nothing wrong with respect to campaign finance laws, if they even apply, because this was not campaign finance."

In addition to life behind bars, the former Trump confidant is also subject to forfeiture of 500,000 U.S. dollars, restitution of 1.4 million dollars and fines totaling 100,000 dollars. He was ordered to surrender on March 6.

"It was my blind loyalty to this man that led me to take a path of darkness instead of light. I felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds," Cohen said.

Contrary to Wednesday's sentencing, Cohen was initially expected to serve four or five years in jail, as prosecutors had recommended "substantial term of imprisonment" for him, pushing back on an earlier argument by Cohen's lawyers that he be exempted of any prison time.

The reason for the exemption is that Cohen has assisted federal prosecutors as well as special counsel Robert Mueller, who is leading the ongoing investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

In fact, a shortened jail term is already the result of taking into consideration what Cohen did during the legal process. U.S. District Judge William Pauley said when announcing Cohen's sentencing that his plea to guilty and assistance "does not wipe the slate clean."

Part of Cohen's cooperation with the Mueller team involves the alleged Trump Organization real-estate project in Moscow, about which Cohen admitted on Nov. 29 that he lied to Congress.

Trump reacted on the same day by calling Cohen "a weak person and not a very smart person." "Very simply, Michael Cohen is lying, and he is trying to get a reduced sentence for things that have nothing to do with me," the president said.

In addition, none of Trump's three tweets on Thursday morning mentioned the acknowledgement by the National Enquirer tabloid's publisher of its 150,000-dollar payment to Karen McDougal, one of the aforementioned two women, in 2016 to "suppress the woman's story" and "prevent it from influencing the election."

According to an agreement between the prosecutors and the company, American Media Inc. (AMI), the prosecutors will not prosecute the company and AMI said it will engage in further cooperation with law enforcement.
TORONTO, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Copper Lake Resources (TSX-V: CPL) is pleased to announce the results of the recent field program on the previously producing Queen Alexandra Gold Property, located 47 km south of Dryden, Ontario.

Highlights:

Sampling of the veining from the Queen Alexandra shaft returned assays of up to 45.00 g/t Au and 17.50 g/t Au

A second historical production shaft was discovered on the Queen Alexandra Gold Mine property

Sampling of quartz veining from the newly discovered Shaft #2 assayed up to 1.50 g/t Au

Terry MacDonald, CEO of the Company commented: These are very encouraging results as well as the discovery of a second mine shaft which we believe may be part of a larger mineralized quartz veined structure. Going forward, the Company plans to perform work to confirm the existence of a high-grade deposit in light of the historic mining with reported estimated grades of circa 25.00 g/t Au. 

The 2018 program was designed to confirm the grades of vein material from the historically producing mine and to locate, sample and map extensions to the gold vein system to determine the overall grade and size potential. A total of 19 field samples were collected.

The current program returned assays of up to 45.00 g/t Au and 17.50 g/t Au from quartz vein material collected from the Queen Alexandra Shaft. Sampling in 2014 from the waste dumps at the Queen Alexandra mine shaft returned assays of up to 28.80 g/t Au, 89.30 g/t Au, 140.80 g/t Au and 340.80 g/t Au.

The recent field program located a new shaft 60 m SE of the Queen Alexandra Shaft and sampling of vein material from the shaft returned values of up to 1.50 g/t Au.

Field observations showed that both shafts are located along a predominant NE trending ridge that is approximately 100 m in length, with the Queen Alexandra shaft located near the bottom of the ridge while shaft #2 is located near the top of the ridge 60m to the SE of the main shaft indicating a width of the vein system of at least 60 m wide. The ridge is composed of altered mafic volcanic rock. The predominant gold bearing mineralization is comprised of smoky quartz within moderate carbonate and chlorite alteration.

The next step will be to prospect further along strike to the NE and SW to establish the strike length and width of the well mineralized gold system and determine the overall size and grade potential located at the Queen Alexandra gold property.



QA/QC

Rock samples are collected in plastic bags in the field and are shipped in secure sample bags using unique security coded tags to Activation Laboratories Ltd. in Dryden, Ontario, an accredited mineral analysis laboratory. Samples were prepared in Dryden and assays were performed in Thunder Bay by Activation Laboratories. All samples are analyzed for gold using fire assay with an AAS finish, and samples returning over 5.0 g/t Au are analyzed using fire assay with a gravimetric finish assay method.

About the Queen Alexandra Property

Located in the Lower Manitou Lake area, 47 km south of Dryden, Ontario, and 400 metres east of Carlton Lake, 130-hectare Queen Alexandra Property occurs within mafic volcanic rocks of the Blanchard Lake Group. Quartz veining in chlorite-carbonate alteration, averaging 0.5 m wide, has been located within a major NNE-SSW shear zone which was historically mined via the Queen Alexandra shaft, which was sunk 25 m in 1904. According to the historical records, this shaft was sunk to the depth of 25 m and reported grade of approximately 25.00 g/t Au. Work by the Ontario Geological Survey in 1989 and Bond Gold in 1990 returned impressive gold assays of up to 2.24 oz/t Au (OGS), but there was no recorded follow-up work done until 2014 when surface sampling was conducted and sampled around the shaft and nearby open cut 60 m to the southeast, which is now known to be a second shaft.

QP

The Queen Alexandra program was overseen and managed in the field by Nikolay Bashaev, P.Geo. The contents of this news release were read and approved by Gary OConnor, FAusIMM, who is acting as QP for the Company under the rules of NI 43-101.

About Copper Lake Resources Ltd.

Copper Lake Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: CPL, Frankfurt: W0I) is advancing the Marshall Lake high-grade VMS copper, zinc, silver and gold property, just north of Geraldton, Ontario, accessible by all-season road. CPL has an option to increase its interest to 87.5% from its current 75% interest.

The Norton Lake nickel, copper, cobalt, PGM property (69.79%), located in the southern Ring of Fire area, is approximately 100 km north of the Marshall Lake Property, and has a NI 43-101 compliant measured and indicated resource of 2.26 million tonnes @ 0.67% Ni, 0.61% Cu, 0.03% Co and 0.46 g/t Pd.

The Company recently entered into a mineral property option agreement to acquire up to 100% of four separate Ontario properties in the Kenora and Patricia mining belt: Queen Alexandra Gold Property, the Mine Lake Gold Property, the Grand Chibougamau Gold Property and the Centrefire-Redhat Gold-Copper Property.

Issued on behalf of the Board of Directors

Terrence MacDonald

Chief Executive Officer and Director

Copper Lake Resources Ltd.

For further information, please contact:

Copper Lake Resources Ltd. CHF Capital Markets Terry MacDonald, CEO Cathy Hume, CEO Off.: (416) 561-3626 Off.: (416) 868-1079 ext. 231 tmacdonald@copperlakeresources.com cathy@chfir.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This news release includes forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause the actual results of the Company to be materially different from the historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements contained in this news release, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward-looking. Although Copper Lake believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2f90cf0e-59d6-4ac2-83f4-1bc0b72cfc76

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f15d0679-ec52-4fb3-be1d-f5373c59e6fa
A Russian Tupolev Tu-160 strategic long-range heavy supersonic bomber aircraft is pictured upon landing at Maiquetia International Airport, just north of Caracas, on December 10, 2018. (AFP Photo)

MOSCOW, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Russia sent Tu-160 strategic bombers to conduct a 10-hour flight over the Caribbean Sea, partly together with Venezuelan air force, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

"In certain parts of the route, the flight of Russian bombers was conducted together with Su-30 and F-16 fighter jets of the Venezuelan National Bolivarian Military Aviation," the ministry said in a statement.

"The pilots from the two countries practiced air cooperation when fulfilling air tasks," it added.

The flight was performed in strict accordance with international rules of using airspace, the statement said.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday that two Tu-160 strategic missile-carriers, a heavy An-124 military transport aircraft and an IL-62 long-range aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces had arrived in Venezuela.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-14 03:27:28|Editor: mmm

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LONDON, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt on Thursday hailed the progress in the week-long Yemen peace talks, which ended in Sweden earlier in the day, saying it represents "an important step towards ending the conflict" in the Middle Eastern country.

Hunt made the remarks while in Stockholm to attend the UN-led peace talks, during which the Houthi rebel fighters and the government of Yemen have agreed on a partial ceasefire at the port of Hodeidah, Hunt's aides told Xinhua here.

"Today's agreement in Stockholm between the Yemeni government and the Houthis is an important step towards ending the conflict in Yemen -- the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today," the foreign secretary said.

In Stockholm, Hunt met UN special envoy Martin Griffiths and the delegations of both the Yemeni government and the Houthis, including Yemeni Foreign Minister Khalid Al Yemeni and Houthi Spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam.

"Today in Stockholm, I urged both sides to seize this opportunity and reach agreements which can alleviate the dreadful suffering of the Yemeni people and bring us closer to ending this horrific war," Hunt said. "It is now vital that the parties act in good faith and take urgent steps to implement these agreements.

"We have been working with the United Nations to bring the two sides in this terrible conflict together for the first time in years, including through constructive talks with key Saudis and Emiratis during my recent visits, and regular discussions with Oman," he said.

The week-long Yemen peace talks, coordinated by the UN, concluded in Sweden on Thursday, during which constructive progress was made for the upcoming talks.

At a press conference held at Johannesberg Castle north of Stockholm, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres,who joined in on the final day of the Yemen peace talks, said that the Houthi rebel fighters and the government of Yemen have agreed on a partial ceasefire at the port of Hodeidah.

The UN chief voiced hope that this would lead to the opening of humanitarian corridors.

Yemen has been in a civil war since 2014 when the Houthi rebels overtook the capital Sana'a and toppled the government of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. A Saudi-led coalition has been fighting the Houthis since 2015.

The war has killed more than 10,000 people and created the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

The ongoing talks tackle a wide range of substantive issues with the aim of putting Yemen back on the path of peace and alleviating the suffering of the Yemeni people.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-14 05:02:47|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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NICOSIA, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- A public outcry over a sentence on a child molester which was considered too light prompted the Attorney General of Cyprus to lodge an appeal on Thursday, asking for a harsher punishment.

The four-year jail sentence imposed by a criminal court on a 48-year-old man who was found guilty on charges of sexual assaults between June 2016 and May 2017, when the girl was 14-15 years old, was criticized by political parties.

The court's decision was announced on Wednesday.

The Attorney General said in a statement that his appeal was filed as he considered the sentence was insufficient, taking into account the aggravating factors, and asked the court to revise it upward.

Children's Rights Commissioner Leda Koursoumba denounced the sentence, saying it did not take into account law provisions stating that sexual abuse of a child, who is in a vulnerable condition, due to mental or physical disability, is subject to life imprisonment.

The court had said in its decision that it took into account the man's clean criminal record and that he had stayed in custody for 18 months before the trial as he was unable to raise the bail money.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-14 05:02:47|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said here on Thursday that there will be no meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin when Russia still holds Ukrainian ships and sailors.

While speaking on U.S. new Africa strategy at the Heritage Foundation, a think tank, Bolton said that "I don' t see circumstances in the foreseeable future where such a meeting could take place until the ships and the crews are released."

He also lashed out at Russia over its alleged attempt to "increase its influence in the region through corrupt economic dealings."

Trump has, for his part, announced to cancel the planned meeting with Putin, before arriving in Argentina for the Group of 20 summit, citing that "the ships and sailors have not been returned to Ukraine from Russia."

On Nov. 25, Russia seized three Ukrainian ships near the Kerch Strait, saying the Ukrainian vessels sparked the confrontation by refusing to yield upon orders from Russian border forces to change their course in Russian territorial waters.

The Ukraine side denied that the vessels were in Russian waters and they had the right to sail through the Kerch Strait, calling Russia's move an "act of aggression" and imposing a martial law in certain regions of the country for 30 days starting on Nov. 28.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned on Wednesday that the West's deterrence is "on the horizon" to respond to Russia's recent confrontation with Ukraine and its military moves in Venezuela.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-14 05:22:52|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- A UN humanitarian official said Thursday that out of the estimated 181 million people living in Central Africa, nearly 26 million will need humanitarian assistance and protection in 2019, representing a dramatic increase of 22 percent from 2018.

To put this into perspective, Director of Operations and Advocacy division of the UN relief wing (OCHA), Reena Ghelani, said one person out of seven in Central Africa is caught up in crisis and in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and protection, compared to one out of 70 people globally.

She told the Security Council that violence, extreme poverty, climate change and population growth are behind these humanitarian crises affecting countries including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad and Cameroon.

DRC: EBOLA AND CHOLERA

About half of the projected 26 million people in need are found in the DRC, as the humanitarian situation in the country has deteriorated further in 2018 and is one of the world's largest and most complex crises, Ghelani said, blaming Ebola and cholera for worsening the situation.

She said the Ebola epidemic in the northeast of DRC has claimed 289 lives and is still spreading and the response is particularly difficult given the extremely challenging security environment, with attacks against civilians by non-state armed groups interrupting Ebola containment efforts.

In the meantime, the current cholera outbreak is the largest on record in the past 15 years, she said. "With more than 26,000 cases and almost 900 deaths this year, cholera has killed even more people in the DRC than Ebola."

In addition, the security situation has deteriorated in the east of the country, causing new large-scale displacements of people in search of safety and protection, she said.

Further, the influx of more than 360,000 Congolese nationals returning from Angola is adding pressure to the fragile Kasai province, already affected by years of inter-ethnic conflicts.

CAR: RELAPSE AND SPILLOVER

In CAR, the humanitarian situation is also extremely dire. Areas relatively stable in the past, such as the southeast, have this year relapsed into conflict.

The escalating violence has taken a heavy toll on the people in CAR, Ghelani said, with 2.9 million people - well over half the population - now requiring humanitarian assistance.

"The number of internally displaced people has reached 643,000 -- an increase by over 60 percent this year alone. One in four children in the country is displaced," the UN official said.

The worsening situation in CAR has also had a significant impact on neighboring countries.

Cameroon is today hosting 268,000 refugees from CAR while Chad is hosting 101,000, according to Ghelani. This translates into a significant burden on already vulnerable host communities.

CHAD AND CAMEROON: BOKO HARAM AND SEPARATISTS

Further, Chad and Cameroon - in addition to Nigeria and Niger - are seriously affected by the crisis involving Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin.

"Now in its ninth year, this regional crisis has led 2.4 million people to flee their homes, and some 10.8 million people currently require humanitarian assistance and protection," Ghelani said.

Beyond the regional crisis in the Lake Chad Basin and the influx of refugees from CAR, Cameroon is facing an additional humanitarian crisis in its southwest and northwest regions.

In recent months, fighting between the separatists and Cameroon's forces has sent hundreds of thousands of people fleeing, with hundreds of people killed in the two English-speaking regions in the largely Francophone country.

"Internal displacement in this part of Cameroon has tripled, and today counts 437,000 internally displaced people. In addition, over 30,000 Cameroonians have fled across the border to Nigeria seeking refuge. This is now one of the fastest growing displacement crises in Africa," she said.

The majority of the displaced are hiding in dense forests, without adequate shelter and lacking food, water and basic services. Schools and markets are also disrupted, and there are alarming health needs, she noted.

Despite limited access, humanitarian partners are scaling up their presence in Cameroon. Ghelani said food distributions have so far reached more than 17,000 people and some 4,000 people have received shelter materials.

LACK OF HUMANITARIAN FUNDING

However, Ghelani lamented severe underfunding has a significant impact on the humanitarian community s ability to respond to the escalating crisis.

She pointed out this year, every single Humanitarian Response Plan in Central Africa -- for Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo -- is funded at less than the global average of 56 percent, and Cameroon is the least funded of all, at 39 percent of requirements.

"This needs to change for the humanitarian response in the region to be fully effective, and I am calling on member states for their urgent support," she urged.
File Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump (L) meets with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland, on July 16, 2018. (Xinhua/Lehtikuva/Heikki Saukkomaa)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said here on Thursday that there will be no meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin when Russia still holds Ukrainian ships and sailors.

While speaking on U.S. new Africa strategy at the Heritage Foundation, a think tank, Bolton said that "I don' t see circumstances in the foreseeable future where such a meeting could take place until the ships and the crews are released."

He also lashed out at Russia over its alleged attempt to "increase its influence in the region through corrupt economic dealings."

Trump has, for his part, announced to cancel the planned meeting with Putin, before arriving in Argentina for the Group of 20 summit, citing that "the ships and sailors have not been returned to Ukraine from Russia."

On Nov. 25, Russia seized three Ukrainian ships near the Kerch Strait, saying the Ukrainian vessels sparked the confrontation by refusing to yield upon orders from Russian border forces to change their course in Russian territorial waters.

The Ukraine side denied that the vessels were in Russian waters and they had the right to sail through the Kerch Strait, calling Russia's move an "act of aggression" and imposing a martial law in certain regions of the country for 30 days starting on Nov. 28.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned on Wednesday that the West's deterrence is "on the horizon" to respond to Russia's recent confrontation with Ukraine and its military moves in Venezuela.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-14 05:47:56|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ANKARA, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Turkish president announced his army will launch a new military offensive in northern Syria "within a few days," sending signals that Turkey is determined to remove U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters in the region.

"We will start an operation in the next few days to free the east of the Euphrates from the separatist terrorist organization," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday, referring to the territory, east of Euphrates, controlled by Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).

Pentagon voiced "grave concern" over Turkey's imminent military operation in northeastern Syria.

"Unilateral military action into northeast Syria by any party, particularly as U.S. personnel may be present or in the vicinity, is of grave concern," Pentagon Spokesman Sean Robertson said Wednesday. "We would find any such actions unacceptable."

The Turkish president's statement came after the United States is establishing observation posts along the border between Turkey and Syria where the YPG keeps the control, a move that is likely to further strain ties between the two NATO allies.

The posts are designed to help keep the focus on fighting Islamic State (IS) in Syria, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said.

"We take Turkish security concerns seriously and we are committed to coordinating our efforts with Turkey to bring stability to northeastern Syria," he stated.

But Ankara is not convinced with U.S. explanation. During a visit by U.S. special envoy for Syria James Jeffrey, the Turkish defense minister asked him to lift these observation posts which Ankara assumes they aim to prevent Turkey targeting YPG positions in the area.

Turkey deems the YPG as an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is listed a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the EU.

The YPG, a part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance, has been a partner in the U.S.-led campaign against the IS in Syria.

"It is clear that the purpose of these U.S. observation posts is not to protect our country from terrorists but to protect terrorists from Turkey," the Turkish president said, adding that U.S. President Donald Trump had promised him to clear the region of the YPG within 30 days. "We will see. We hope that they do it."

"Now, it's time to realize our decision to disperse the circles of terror east of the Euphrates. The fact that we have deep differences in perception with the United States is no secret," the president said.

One day before Erdogan's remarks, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) spokesman Omer Celik expressed skepticism about a U.S. plan to train around 40,000 locals in northeastern Syria.

The move will be seen by Turkey as "lending fresh support to terror elements in Syria," Celik said.

U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford said last week that the United States needs to train and equip around 40,000 local fighters to "provide stability" in Syria.

The support remains a source of tension between Washington and Ankara as the Syrian Kurds gained leverage in northern Syria with arms support of the United States since civil war erupted in the country in 2011.

The U.S. decision to deploy observation posts in northern Syria along with Turkish border came after the Turkish Armed Forces fired artillery shells at YPG positions east of the Euphrates in the Kobane region in November.

Anadolu Agency reported that Turkish howitzers hit YPG targets in Zor Magar region along the Turkish-Syrian border line.

Since 2016, The Turkish military has already launched two military operations in Syria and it has an undisclosed number of troops in several Syrian regions, mainly to block advance of Syrian Kurds in the region.

Turkey sent troops to Syria in August 2016 to clear a border area of fighters belonging to the IS and prevent bridging Kurdish regions in the east and west.

The Turkish army launched another operation earlier this year in the northern Syrian enclave of Afrin to remove Kurdish fighters.

Turkey's target is never the U.S. soldiers, but rather the members of the YPG group, Erdogan said, adding that "this step will allow for the path to a political solution to be opened and for healthier cooperation."

Experts warn against such move by Turkish army in the region would bring high risks since the U.S. soldiers in the area could cause a confrontation between the two NATO allies.

"It would be a military offensive with high risks. There are American soldiers in the area, along with French ones," Ugur Sevkat, a military-focused commentator of NTV broadcaster said.

He also recalled that the United States has been providing arms support to the YPG for the past few years, and the content of these weapons are not transparent, but reportedly some 20,000 trucks carried the logistics for the Kurdish group.

Sevkat noted there is a 500-km-long border of Turkey with the specified area of northern Syria, which requires a remarkable military buildup for the border troops of Turkey.

"In the past few days there are a small scale of military reinforcement for these border troops, but not at a scale that is needed for a comprehensive military offensive. Therefore, we can assume Turkey will not launch a major military campaign here," he said.

If the Turkish army moves into "small pockets" into Syria, it will show it's determination and convince the United States for a solution, according to the expert.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-14 06:02:59|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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CAPE TOWN, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The South African Presidency pledged on Thursday to abide by a court ruling which bars the state from funding former President Jacob Zuma's legal fees in his criminal defence litigation.

The Presidency will abide by the court's decision, in line with a notice to this effect filed with the court, presidential spokesperson Khusela Diko said.

This came after the North Gauteng High Court ruled on Thursday that Zuma himself must pay the legal fees for his pending cases.

"The Presidency has noted the judgment of the Gauteng North High Court on the personal legal costs of former President Jacob Zuma," Diko said.

The Presidency specifically notes the court's interpretation of the applicable law, said Diko.

The court said that if the state is burdened with the high legal costs of public office bearers charged with fraud and corruption, the taxpayer bears the burden and poor communities continue to be denied services.

The court ordered Zuma to pay back the money already incurred by the state in his criminal defence litigation.

The state has spent over 30 million rand (2.1 million U.S. dollars) on Zuma's legal fees over the past 13 years, according to the court.

The 783 payments or gratifications Zuma allegedly received outside of his official remuneration cannot be seen as conduct connected to his official function, said the court.

It's in the public interest that charges of abuse of public office, such as fraud and corruption, are prosecuted, the court said.

Zuma, who resigned in February, faces 16 charges of fraud, corruption and racketeering.

Thursday's ruling drew applause from political parties and civil groups.

"Today the people of South Africa have achieved a great victory in the battle for accountability," Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane said.

The system of corruption where those who loot the state are then able to defend themselves using public money has been stopped today, said Maimane.

Calling the ruling "an important precedent," she said the DA will take this fight further to those people complicit in state capture, which refers to collaboration between senior government officials and the Indian Gupta family in looting from state-owned enterprises.

"The DA is committed to seeing justice done, and we will continue to fight for accountability at all levels of government," Maimane said.

The Center for Constitutional Rights (CFCR) said the judgment against Zuma confirms the constitutional principle of accountability.

This sends out a clear message to public officials that the state is not a cash cow to finance lavish criminal defence litigation, the CFCR said.

The DA filed papers at the North Gauteng High Court in late March, asking it to set aside a 2006 agreement the Presidency had signed, over legal costs Zuma incurred for his criminal prosecution.

The agreement formed the basis for the decision to continue paying for Zuma's legal fees in his criminal defence litigation regarding an arms deal with French weaponry manufacturer Thales in the late 1990s. In the deal, Zuma allegedly received a bribe from the company.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-14 06:08:00|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Following a fire that destroyed Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) election material, the United Nations on Thursday appealed to all parties "to assist in the holding of free and fair" balloting in 10 days.

"We've been very clear, including through the head of the UN mission (MONUSCO) there, Leila Zerrougui, we are concerned about any actions by various parties that could impede the holding of elections on the ground and we are encouraging all parties to assist in the holding of free and fair elections," Farhan Haq, deputy UN spokesman said.

"Obviously any sort of incidents like this are a cause for concern in that respect," he told reporters at a regular briefing.

There were reports earlier this week of violent clashes between factions in the capital city, Kinshasa.

"The UN Mission in the DRC, MONUSCO, reported that earlier (Thursday) a large fire engulfed the independent national electoral commission warehouse in Kinshasa," Haq said. "Preliminary reports indicate that polling station kits from Kinshasa and a large number of voting machines and other electoral material were destroyed in the fire."

"A MONUSCO fire-fighting team was rapidly deployed to the scene and helped to extinguish the fire," he said. "So far, details surrounding the cause of the fire are unknown."

Balloting in the war-torn and resource-rich DRC is slated for Dec. 23 to determine a successor to President Joseph Kabila who has been in office since 2001 when he replaced his assassinated father Laurent Kabila. Joseph Kabila is not running for re-election, having stayed beyond his term limit, following cancellation of the 2016 elections.

Earlier, Haq said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' special representative, Zerrougui, has expressed her "serious concern" over repeated incidents hampering the proper conduct of the electoral campaign in the country.

"She spoke out against the obstacles some opposition candidates have faced as they tried to hold public meetings in some cities," Haq said. "Deploring the loss of life, Zerrougui urged Congolese authorities to take all necessary measures to prevent further such incidents."

"She also voiced her concern about the interference of some armed groups in the electoral campaign and stressed the need to respect the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful demonstration," the spokesman said.

Last month seven UN peacekeepers from MONUSCO, six from Malawi and another from Tanzania, were killed in the DRC while on an operation against one of the warring factions.
TORONTO and MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. (the "Company" or "TGOD") (TSX:TGOD) (US:TGODF) and HelloMD, a leading online cannabis healthcare company, are pleased to announce a partnership to streamline TGODs medical cannabis onboarding experience.



TGOD will begin selling its premium, certified-organic cannabis to medical patients in late January 2019. The integration of HelloMD's convenient online clinic services will enhance TGODs best-in-class approach to patient care.

HelloMD provides a solution for patients looking to conveniently access medical cannabis in Canada online. By leveraging HelloMDs white-label patient services platform, TGOD will ensure patients have convenient access to independent, practitioner-led advice and education about medical cannabis. Prospective patients can connect online with a licensed practitioner seven days a week from the comfort of their preferred location. Patients who obtain appropriate documentation can purchase from TGODs broad range of premium medical cannabis products.

At TGOD, Making Life Better is not just our brand tagline, its our ongoing commitment to every consumer, said Andrew Pollock, Vice President of Marketing at TGOD. Patients deserve premium organic cannabis and through the partnership with HelloMD, we are pleased to provide increased access to TGODs product lines with the highest level of customer service and functionality to our patients.

The journey from canna-curious, to feeling better, can be complex for Canadians considering medical cannabis, said Larry Lisser, SVP of Business Development at HelloMD. HelloMDs services enable our partners to improve their patients experience by streamlining the onboarding process. In this joint effort with TGOD, we will ensure patients receive the best personalized advice on organic medical cannabis to move forward.

To become a TGOD patient, click here.

For Media Inquiries:

HelloMD: Garrett Repski, Project Manager, Marigold Marketing & PR, 1-647-972-2466, garrett@marigoldpr.com



TGOD: Andrew Pollock, Vice President, Marketing, 905-304-4201, apollock@tgod.ca

About HelloMD:

HelloMD has facilitated more than 100,000 virtual consults between medical cannabis patients and licensed practitioners. The companys white-label solutions enable third parties to quickly deploy a turnkey telehealth solution, complete with the technology, practitioners and support personnel required to improve their own patient onboarding processes.

For further information about HelloMD:

Email: partners@hellomd.com

Visit: https://www.hellomd.com

ABOUT THE GREEN ORGANIC DUTCHMAN HOLDINGS LTD

The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. is a research & development company licensed under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR) to cultivate medical cannabis. The Company carries out its principal activities producing cannabis from its facilities in Ancaster, Ont., pursuant to the provisions of the ACMPR and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (Canada) and its regulations.

The Company grows high quality, organic cannabis with sustainable, all-natural principles. TGOD's products are laboratory tested to ensure patients have access to a standardized, safe and consistent product. TGOD has a funded capacity of 170,000 kg of cultivation facilities in Ontario and Quebec and Jamaica.

TGODs Common Shares and warrants issued under the indenture dated November 1, 2017 trade on the TSX under the symbol "TGOD" and TGOD.WT, respectively.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Investor Relations

Email: invest@tgod.ca

Phone: 1 (416) 900-7621

www.tgod.ca



Forward-Looking Information Cautionary Statement

This news release includes statements containing certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law ("forward-looking statements"). Forward looking statements in this release includes, but is not limited to, statements about the future legalization of recreational cannabis and cannabis-infused products in Canada, statements about future research, development and innovation by the Company, statements about the offering of any particular products by the Company in any particular territory and statements regarding the future performance of the Company. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Various assumptions were used in drawing the conclusions or making the projections contained in the forward-looking statements throughout this news release. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. The Company is under no obligation, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law.



Neither TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of Toronto Stock Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Ce s-a intamplat dupa accidentul jandarmilor care au cazut cu masina in sant

Ce s-a intamplat dupa accidentul jandarmilor care au cazut cu masina in sant? Anchetatorii nu au stat mult pe ganduri si au deschis un dosar penal pe numele executantului lucrarii! Autoritatile au deschis un dosar penal dupa accidentul [citeste mai departe]
TORONTO, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lingo Media Corporation (TSX-V: LM; OTC: LMDCF) ("Lingo Media" or the Company), a global provider of digital and print-based English language learning solutions, is pleased to announce that all matters were approved at the Companys annual and special shareholders meeting held on December 11, 2018 (the AGM) and that the shareholders have re-elected Messrs. Hon. Jerry Grafstein, Robert Martellacci, Martin Bernholtz, Tommy Weibing Gong, and Michael Kraft as directors of the Company. Shareholders also approved the reappointment of RSM Canada, Chartered Professional Accountants as auditors.



The directors held a board meeting subsequent to the AGM and the following changes and appointments were made to management and the board of directors:

Gali Bar-Ziv has been appointed as President & CEO, from COO, and to the board as a director, to further enhance Lingo Medias strategies and take the Company through its next phase of development and growth;

Michael Kraft has accepted the position of Chairman and will remain as an active director supporting both current and new developments of the Company

Gali Bar-Ziv brings more than 15 years of management and entrepreneurial experience, including financing, mergers and acquisitions, strategic planning, channel development and corporate development. Mr. Bar-Ziv profitably grew a sales, marketing and distribution start-up to sales growth of more than 700% year over year. Prior to that, he successfully turned around the largest service division of a $300 Million financial services company. Mr. Bar-Ziv holds a Bachelor of Law (LLB) degree from the University of London and an MBA in Strategic and Entrepreneurial studies from the Schulich School of Business in Toronto.

The Board is very appreciative of Michaels contributions in building and enhancing our channel sales strategies, recruiting key talent, leading our transition from print into offering scalable online learning solutions in the evolving global ELL market, said Gali Bar-Ziv, President & CEO. We look forward to beginning 2019 with an expanded management team, and ever stronger commitment to delivering value for shareholders.

The details of the matters approved at the AGM are set forth in Lingo Medias Information Circular dated November 6, 2018 and posted on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

About Lingo Media (TSX-V: LM; OTC: LMDCF)

Lingo Media is a global provider of best-in-class digital and print-based English language learning solutions that are Changing the way the world learns English.

Developed for learners of English at every level, Lingo Medias ELL Technologies products combine a vast content library with proprietary technology. ELL Technologies intuitive dashboards enable students to track and manage their progress, and allow teachers to organize and interact with students, providing ongoing support. Lingo Medias Lingo Learning division is a print-based publisher of English language learning programs in China.

Lingo Medias product and program are marketed through established sales channels to key education, government and business organizations in Latin America and China and continues to extend its global reach and expand its product offerings.

Follow Lingo Media On:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LingoMedia

Twitter: @LingoMediaCorp

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/lingomedialm

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lingo-media-corporation

RSS: http://feeds.feedburner.com/LingoMedia

For further information, contact:

Lingo Media



Michael Kraft, Chairman

Tel: 416 927-7000 Ext. 23

Toll Free: 866 927-7011

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Democrat Lindsey Williams, winner of the November election in a Pittsburgh-area state Senate district, has come under fire from GOP Senate leaders who question her residency. Read more

This fall, voters in a Pennsylvania state senate district that straddles Pittsburgh and its northern suburbs knew all about the questions that had been raised about the Democrat in the race, a labor lawyer and first-time candidate named Lindsey Williams.

Anyone who picked up a newspaper could read Republican charges that Williams hadnt lived in the commonwealth long enough to meet a four-year residency rule, and also check out Williams' counter-argument that shed met the requirement, albeit just barely.

On Nov. 6, the will of the people in western Pennsylvania was clearly to ignore the residency kerfuffle. Williams was narrowly elected, by a margin of roughly 800 votes, in the longtime Republican-held 38th Senate District -- part of a blue wave across the state that saw Democrats make meaningful gains in the GOP-controlled state legislature, especially in suburban districts.

The response from those Republicans who still control the state Senate has been ... not so fast!

In a move lacking any clear precedent, GOP Senate leaders have demanded that Sen.-elect Williams -- if we can still call her that -- submit extensive documentation to prove that the Pennsylvania native had indeed moved back to the Keystone State before the Nov. 6, 2014, cutoff date. And theyve threatened action to block her from taking office if they find her paperwork lacking.

She needs to have the ability to come in and lay out that she does meet the requirements and, if she does, thatll be the end of it, the Republican Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman told the Associated Press last month. If she doesnt, then weve got an issue that we need to deal with.

There has already been ample opportunity to deal with the issue of Williams' residency. Neither the GOP nor Williams' Democratic primary opponent challenged her when she filed her petitions last winter, during the legal window for doing so. When Republicans finally did go to court in October, a judge not only dismissed it as too late but said the non-residency allegations were barely colorable. The controversy clearly failed to convince voters that Williams was some kind of outsider.

What the Republicans are threatening in Harrisburg is a pure power play -- a scheme to abuse their majority through that barely colorable technicality to overturn the results of an election. If this all sounds familiar, it should. Its one more salvo in a war against democracy thats been taking place this fall in statehouses in Wisconsin, Michigan and North Carolina, where sore loser Republicans are holding lame-duck sessions to limit the powers of Democratic governors, judges, or lawmakers before they take office in January.

Its frustrating ... because the consensus in the 38th District was they knew about the issue, it was already dealt with in court and they still voted for me, Williams told me by phone Wednesday night. She argued that voters cared more about the issues she ran on -- expanding access to health care and education funding -- rather than whether she just made or just missed an arbitrary cut-off by a few days.

Nonetheless, Williams has already submitted roughly 1,000 pages of paperwork to Republican Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati in an effort to prove that shed already accepted her current job as a lawyer for the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers union and begun her move here before the 2014 deadline.

The absurd part of this -- well, one of them, anyway -- is that Williams is as Pennsylvania as they come, a daughter of the coal country outside of Scranton. Her father was a union man, a lifelong member of the Operating Engineers, and she stayed in the state for Dickinson College and Duquesne University School of Law. She moved for a time to Maryland and worked in D.C. with the National Whistleblowers Center, where her fight to unionize her co-workers made national news.

The dispute over her residency -- Williams has the email accepting her Pittsburgh job days before the cutoff, but her GOP critics noted she voted in Maryland that November and gave her Maryland address on a traffic ticket -- seems a bit silly.

Having covered politics around these parts for more than two decades, I know judges to be generous to candidates when residency issues seems the least bit murky (the 1999 Philadelphia mayoral candidate Marty Weinberg was Exhibit A) and for good reason: They think voters should have a greater say in who represents them than some judge. And maybe its because Im a native New Yorker -- where politicians like Bobby Kennedy and Hillary Clinton waltzed in from Massachusetts or God knows where and got elected U.S. senator -- but four years seems an unduly restrictive deadline, aimed at protecting incumbents.

But Corman, Scarnati, and the other GOP powerbrokers in Harrisburg arent working in a vacuum. The post-electoral assault on Williams' election is a miniature version of much grander power plays in Wisconsin -- where GOP lawmakers and just-defeated Gov. Scott Walker enacted a series of bills to weaken the incoming Democrat who defeated Walker. (One measure, for example, would limit the ability of Gov.-elect Tony Evers to fulfill his promise to withdraw from a lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act. ) Similar legislative moves that would limits what new governors or attorneys general (who just happen to be Democrats) can do are afoot in Michigan and North Carolina.

The anti-democratic maneuvers come off as a way for the Republican Party to hold onto power thats slipping away at the ballot box, its base of white rural voters shrinking. For decades, the Republican Party prepared to keep power even as it represented a coalition that became the minority, Vann R. Newkirk II wrote recently in The Atlantic. Now, the plan is in full effect.

In Wisconsin, some lawmakers have been very open about the notion that rural lawmakers represent the true will of the people" -- even if more actual votes come from cities with large populations of college kids or non-white voters. The Badger States Republican House speaker even claimed that if you took Madison and Milwaukee out of the state election formula, we would have a clear majority,

In Pennsylvania, its hard not to imagine some rural Republicans with the same warped idea about Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, or their increasingly Democratic suburbs. The presence of a Democratic governor in Tom Wolf -- who bucked a GOP national landslide when he was elected in 2014 -- has blocked the kind of extreme measures emerging in Madison or Lansing. But Wolf presumably couldnt defend Williams -- except in the court of public opinion -- if the Republican Senate majority refuses to accept her election.

Harrisburg Republicans are working not from strength but from fear. The 2018 Democratic gains in suburbs like Delaware County that are in a state of resistance against the Trump presidency suggests real danger for GOP control in 2020 -- and a four-year Senate seat like Williams' could make the difference. You could argue that its hardball, or realpolitik -- the kind of nonsense Pennsylvanians should be numb to by now.

But this feels different. Refusing to accept the results of an election -- either by refusing to seat the winner or by leaving booby traps when the other party wins -- is the stuff of banana republics, not the great American Experiment in government by the people. The intense tribalism -- the notion that members of the opposing party arent real Americans, or lack legitimacy -- isnt politics as usual. Its one more alarming warning sign of a nation increasingly ripped asunder.

And now the political aspirations of Lindsey Williams are caught in that cross seam. She told me she ran because she thought she could make a difference in Harrisburg after watching lawmakers attack teachers and chip away at labor protections, that it got really frustrating fighting it as an outsider. Now she waits to see if the men who run Harrisburg will let her inside.
George W. Hill Correctional Facility, Delaware County's jail, will continue to be managed by the GEO Group for the next five years. Read more

After months of speculation, Delaware County has renewed its multimillion-dollar contract with a private-prison firm with just two weeks to spare.

The countys prison board on Wednesday unanimously voted to approve a five-year agreement with GEO Group to operate the George W. Hill Correctional Facility in Thornton, the only privately run facility of its kind in the state.

GEO pledged to add services to the facility, including expanded drug-treatment and behavioral rehabilitation programs, and make a $14.8 million commitment for capital improvement projects  essentially an interest-free loan for the county.

The company estimates the contracts five years will cost the county about $259 million,according to data from the prison board. And unlike the current contract with GEO, which expires on Dec. 31, the new agreement gives the board the ability to terminate it with 180 days' notice.

The procurement process has been completed in compliance with the law, but it has been much more than that, prison board Chairman John C. Hosier said. The contract requirements exceed those imposed in other jurisdictions ... and were developed with the health and safety of inmates, staff, visitors, and the general public in mind.

As the deadline for the contract neared, some local officials and citizens pushed for changes at the jail, which has been beset in recent years by reports of violence and inmate suicides. Some of those activists attended Wednesdays meeting, calling for transparency and bemoaning the continuation of the countys dealings with GEO.

Im concerned with what happens at this facility. What happens in New Mexico I take with a grain of salt, Hosier later said, referring to reports of lawsuits at other prisons GEO operates throughout the country. Ive gotten to know the people at GEO that work with us here, and I trust them.

Currently, Delaware County pays GEO nearly $50 million annually for its operation of George W. Hills 1,883 beds.

GEO, headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla., is the second-largest private-prisons firm in the world. The company took over George W. Hill when the county privatized it in 1996, and held that contract until it was terminated in 2008 amid a flurry of lawsuits and costly settlements over inmate injuries and deaths.

Another company, Community Education Centers, handled the prison until 2017, when the company was acquired by GEO.

Hosier said the request for proposals for the new contract began in June, and bids were solicited from five private prison companies. The board whittled that list down to two: GEO and Management & Training Corp. (MTC), based in Utah.

GEO emerged as the victor because its offer was technically superior and substantially the same price as MTCs, according to a report compiled by the board.
Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub discusses the arrest of 11 people in a drug selling ring Wednesday, December 12, 2018 at Warminster Police Department in Warminster, Pennsylvania. Authorities recovered more then 100 pounds of heroin and fentanyl from the home. Read more

Bucks County authorities have charged nearly a dozen people with running a massive narcotics distribution center out of an unassuming Warminster home, pumping out nearly $8 million of opioids per week, District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said Wednesday.

After several months of investigation, the FBI, Pennsylvania state police, and local authorities descended late Tuesday on the single-family home in the 600 block of Cheryl Drive. When they entered, all 11 of those arrested were inside, with some working at basement stations set up for drug packaging, authorities said.

Investigators found about 200 pounds of heroin and fentanyl; bundles packaged for sale; stacks of cash totaling $32,000; 200 discarded heroin wrappers; and a loaded silver Taurus handgun, Weintraub said.

This is as normal a residential community, 9-to-5 sleepy bedroom community as you will find anywhere in the country, Weintraub said, and this was going on right in the middle of it.

Moises Rodriguez, 42, of Paterson, N.J., and Dariel Vasquez, 38, of Northeast Philadelphia, ran the operation, authorities said, and had often been seen leaving the house with giant trash bags. Weintraub said the pair regularly transported large quantities of drugs to and from the residence, but he did not know to where exactly they had traveled. No attorneys for the men were listed on court documents on Wednesday.

Warminster police have had the home on their radar since July, when an anonymous tip came in about suspicious activity, said Police Chief James Donnelly III.

The case exemplifies why tips from the public are important to authorities, Weintraub said.

Keep your tips coming, he said. They are working."

Those charged were living in the home, Weintraub said, but did not own it. The owner of the property had no idea what was going on there, he added.

Six of the defendants had no fixed address, according to court documents, and Weintraub said he didnt know what brought them together in this quiet neighborhood, aside from the allure of making a profit. Authorities also said they did not know how long the drug ring had been operating out of that home.

The crews secret scheme came to an end on Tuesday.

TV news footage showed officials in hazmat suits and masks appearing to search the property into the night, parking a large truck in the driveway and hauling out dozens of boxes. Weintraub declined to elaborate on the logistics of the federal raid, but said it was like what youd see in the movies."

Arrested alongside Rodriguez and Vasquez were Nuris Martinez, Yocasta Maria-Mercedes, Eleni Saturrie, Carlos Garcia-Perez, Roberto Espinal, Jose Luis-Morales, Luis Torres, Devlin Perez, and Luigi Ortega. All face drug distribution and related charges.

All were being held Wednesday at the Bucks County Correctional Facility. Bail for Rodriguez and Vazquez was set at $10 million each; the other nine each had bail set at $5 million.

For years, a heroin epidemic has been building across the country. Fentanyl, heroins cheaper, more addictive, and more potent counterpart, has recently increased in popularity, according to Drug Enforcement Administration data. In Pennsylvania, the synthetic opioid was present in 67 percent of the more than 5,000 overdose deaths in 2017.

While urban places like Kensington are considered the epicenter of the crisis, the suburbs have not been untouched.

In an unrelated case last year, Bucks County authorities seized more than 13 pounds of heroin, valued at $4 million, during a routine traffic stop. At the time, Weintraub said the bust was the largest he could recall in recent county history.

The crisis has hit other suburban communities, too. Delaware, Chester, Montgomery, and Camden Counties, as well as Philadelphia, are all designated as High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas because of above-average instances of drug trafficking.

Weintraub said Bucks County applied for that designation, which comes with federal funds and resources for combating drug-related crime, but was denied. He said he intends to apply again.
Local and federal authorities say a massive, multimillion dollar heroin operation was run for months out of this home in Warminster. Read more

The new tenants at 669 Cheryl Dr. mowed their lawn and decorated for the holidays, waving to passing neighbors in their quiet pocket of Warminster. They were friendly, neighbors said, if not sociable.

But it was all a facade, authorities said, a thin veneer of suburban normalcy camouflaging a sophisticated heroin operation in the homes basement that raked in $8 million a week by pushing out hundreds of pounds of the narcotic.

On Thursday, it became more clear how the drug ring conducted its business in plain sight for months. From having someone else rent the property to squeezing SUVs into the homes tiny garage, to load them up with trash bags that investigators believe were filled with heroin, the 11 members of the drug ring were careful, law enforcement officials said.

As those details came into focus, the members of the alleged drug crew, arrested Tuesday, sat in the county jail, unable to post bail, according to court records. The ringleaders, identified by theBucks County District Attorneys Office as Moises Rodriguez, 42, of Paterson, N.J., and Dariel Vasquez, 38, of Northeast Philadelphia, are each being held on $10 million bail.

The nine others each face bail of $5 million. All 11 have been charged with felony drug distribution and related offenses.

They knew how to behave, how to blend in, said Marion McLauchlan, who has watched neighbors come and go for more than four decades from the home she shares with her sister on Cheryl Drive. You dont think this could happen here, but apparently, theres always a possibility.

On Tuesday night, McLauchlan watched a new kind of commotion: Nearly 20 police vehicles, including large vans carrying federal agents, descended on the block. Explosive charges shredded a front window and rear door as officers stormed the home in the culmination of a months-long investigation.

When they emerged, the 11 people had been taken into custody, handcuffed and lined up on the lawn, covered in blankets to ward off the December cold, according to McLauchlan.

Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said Thursday that it was too early to determine how far the crew members spread the heroin they packaged at the home, or where the drugs originated. Some of the stamps on the 200 pounds of heroin and fentanyl recovered Tuesday were known to his investigators from earlier drug seizures, with names like Black Panther, Wild Wolf, and Domino.

But Weintraub acknowledged that the location of the operation came as somewhat of a surprise to his office.

Its always been my understanding that an operation like that occurs elsewhere, predominantly in Philadelphia, which weve been trained to know as a hub for the drug trade, he said. But I take nothing for granted. If its happening here, we want to know about it, and we want to stop it.

None of those arrested in the raid have criminal convictions in Pennsylvania, according to court records . However, law enforcement sources said Thursday that they were probing the possibility that some of the suspects may have been previously arrested under different names.

Investigators were led to the home on Cheryl through an anonymous tip in July, about two months after the new neighbors moved in. Weintraub said a task force of local, county, and federal officials kept a close eye on the house through the summer and fall, but declined to elaborate.

The search warrant approving the raid was issued by U.S. Magistrate Judge Marilyn Heffley, but it has been placed under a federal seal, a spokeswoman for the FBI said. So, details of the evidence investigators gathered were few.

From where Steve Puglisi sits, something seemed off when the new tenants moved into the house in April. On his street, where block parties are a staple and everyone stops to say hello during evening walks, the people at 669 stood out.

I figured, if they were transient, they wouldnt be too friendly, because they knew theyd be moving soon, said Puglisi, whose home is directly across the street from the alleged drug operation site.

Then he noticed small details, like the way theyd cram large vehicles into the garage, sometimes even scraping the side panels on the walls. Or the way theyd block the windows.

Sure, we suspected something like this, but we never thought it was that scale, Puglisi said. No one would drive up at night for pickups and leave, like youd expect.

On Thursday morning, the home still bore the scars of the police raid two days earlier. Unlit Christmas lawn ornaments sat in stark contrast to the cracked window frame, out of which a curtain stirred listlessly in the slight breeze.

Property records show that the house is owned by Vera Maydel, who purchased it in 2007. Years earlier, it was owned by Patricia Stephens, a township supervisor. Neighbors said Maydel began renting out the house a few years ago, after the death of her husband made it difficult to pay the mortgage.

Maydels daughter visited the home Thursday, leading a team of contractors who secured its door and windows with broad pieces of plywood. She declined to comment at length, saying only that her mother thought everything about the renter looked good.

Vladimir Shursky, the Realtor who helped Maydel find a tenant for the home, said he was first approached this spring by a woman through the real estate website Zillow. Shursky declined to identify the woman, but said she was not one of those arrested.

During the application process, Shursky ran what he called a standard background check on the woman, including reports on her credit, eviction history, and criminal background.

Everything came back clean, he said Thursday. A lease was executed April 1 for $2,600 a month.

Shursky said the tenants never complained to Maydel about any issues, and that she only visited the home once since they moved in, to check on the pool in the backyard.

There was never any indication, he said, of what was going on inside.

Ours is a neighborhood where youre almost sure something like this wont happen, Puglisi said.
Following the May shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas, freshman Caitlyn Girouard (center) hugged a friend as students and parents waited to reunited. Read more

The past year has seen 93 gun-related incidents in K-12 schools across the United States, the highest number since recording began in 1970 and more than double the number of shootings in 2017.

The previous record was 59 incidents, set in 2006, according to data from the Center for Homeland Defense and Security Naval Postgraduate School.

The data counts any time a gun is brandished, is fired, or a bullet hits school property for any reason. It includes shootings where there was no victim.

A running tally kept by Education Week counted 113 people killed or injured in school shootings in 2018, with 23 shootings leading to injuries or deaths. The latest in the report was a Nov. 20 incident in Virginia in which one parent was wounded after a gun in another parents pocket accidentally discharged.

In February, 17 were killed by a shooter at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., and in May, 10 were killed at Santa Fe (Texas) High School. The Parkland shooting was highly publicized, and surviving students spoke, toured, and marched to put the issue in the national spotlight.

Three months later, one detail of the Santa Fe shooting captured public attention: When interviewed in the aftermath, a student said she was not surprised a shooting had happened at her school. Its been happening everywhere, she said. Ive always kind of felt like eventually it was going to happen here, too.

As scrutiny on mass shootings and school violence increased, 2018 also saw myriad proposals for protecting students being made in state legislatures and individual school districts, ranging from arming teachers to stocking classrooms with objects to throw at a shooter and legalizing carrying firearms on school campuses.

Several states passed laws expanding the ability to carry guns to types of venues that have been targeted in shootings, including schools and places of worship.

Also this week, a draft report was released in Florida that detailed some confusion during the Parkland shooting, saying that the county sheriffs office was not adequately trained and that some officers did not respond properly to the reports of gunshots.

And last week, new details about the shooter who killed 26 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in 2012 emerged after the Hartford Courant obtained records detailing the mans life and mental state. Friday will mark the sixth anniversary of that shooting, considered by many an early turning point in the modern gun-control movement.

Since 1970, the three most-populous states have seen the highest number of gun-related incidents in schools -- California, 157; Texas, 131; and Florida, 87 -- according to the data. Pennsylvania has had 51 recorded incidents, and New Jersey, 9.

In total, there have been 1,300 school shooting incidents since 1970, according to the center. In the vast majority, the shooter was a male high school student acting alone. In most, the perpetrator targeted specific victims.

The top reasons for shootings were disputes, gang-related, or accidental. Just over 9 percent were suicides or attempted suicides, and 2 percent murder-suicides. Only four shootings were in self-defense.
Some of the tiny homes to house people who are homeless at Othello Village in Seattle. A proposal in Philadelphia would involve a village of tiny homes almost twice the size, in Frankford. Read more

On any given night, close to 1,000 people in Philadelphia sleep outside, on sidewalks, on benches, and in tents. Shelters fill to capacity, and the places that can take people in often require couples to separate and pets to be left behind.

Stephanie Sena thinks that to solve a very big problem, the city needs to think small: like 350-square feet-small.

Sena, a Villanova University adjunct professor who founded the Student-Run Emergency Housing Unit of Philadelphia (SREHUP), wants to build a village of tiny houses to help the citys homeless. The small-home idea, well underway in a half-dozen U.S. cities and Edinburgh, Scotland, has the backing of City Councilmen Allan Domb, who says hell fund the first one, and Mark Squilla, who said hed welcome a village in his district.

The concept of housing people in tiny homes  sometimes no bigger than a bedroom  has been criticized by those who see the structures as undignified. In Philadelphia, Sena said, shes also encountered pushback from neighbors wary of having formerly homeless people living in their community and those whod rather revitalize vacant housing than build something new.

Its significantly less expensive than the route we were originally going with, rehabbing an abandoned church or office building," Sena said. And these are going to be gorgeous houses. Theyre basically full houses that are tiny.

The idea evolved from Senas desire to open a pet-friendly homeless shelter. Now she envisions a community village of 30 to 40 tiny houses on a now-vacant lot at 3809 Frankford Ave. to serve as emergency housing. The houses would be between 300 and 650 square feet, with electricity and plumbing. They would cost between $50,000 and $70,000 to build, she said, estimating that the first 10 and a community center could go up for as low as $500,000. The community center would have social workers to help people move to permanent housing outside of the village. Eventually, shed like to build a second set of tiny homes available to rent at very low cost.

In March, a first tiny home will go up at 2147 E. Orleans St., paid for with a $75,000 no-interest loan by Domb. Its meant to be a model to spark further investment, Domb said. He got behind the idea after seeing the high cost of building just one affordable housing unit.

Our viewpoint was, if the citys going to spend $418,000 on affordable housing  and I put that affordable in quotes  why should we not be building five or six tiny homes for the same value? It just makes economic sense, Domb said.

Sister Mary Scullion, who heads Project HOME, said shes for any organization that wants to contribute to ending homelessness. The key, Scullion said, will be in the bones of the homes. Will they be cozy cottages with some of the style and clever functional attributes people ogle over on HGTV, or will they look more like wooden tents?

The key words are safe, decent, and affordable, Scullion said. If Stephanie and her group can do that, I welcome it. I think its awesome."

Case study: Seattle

Seattles taxpayers will spend $4.5 million to fund nine tiny house villages next year. King County, where Seattle is located, counted 6,300 people living unsheltered on the streets this year. Thats more than six times Philadelphias count of 987.

The Seattle homes started in 2015 as an alternative to tents, and have evolved to insulated, heated, 120-square-foot rooms with locking windows and doors. Today, about 325 people live in the villages, spread around the city, across industrial areas and residential neighborhoods.

The villages provide communal showers, laundry and kitchen space, and case managers to help residents find more permanent housing. People stay from two weeks to a year, said Sharon Lee, who heads the nonprofit Low Income Housing Institute, which manages some of the villages.

The organization encourages nonprofits, churches, and civic groups to donate money and labor to build homes, which cost $2,500 each and can last as long as 15 years, Lee said.

Just three years in, its difficult to tell if tiny houses move more people into permanent housing than traditional shelters. According to the City of Seattle, about 20 percent to 30 percent of tiny-home residents move to permanent housing.

Its more or less similar to other emergency shelters, said Will Lemke, a city spokesman. The number of people in shelters is far larger than that of those in the homes, though, so its difficult to compare the two.

There have been some hiccups. A village that housed homeless men and women with substance abuse problems and allowed drug and alcohol use will close in March following a slew of complaints in the neighborhood. Lemke said the homes would be repurposed.

Elsewhere across the country, tiny homes are sprouting in backyards. Boston, Portland, and Los Angeles all have programs to encourage residents to build tiny residences for the homeless on their property. Austin is exploring 3D printed houses.

Eugene, Ore., opened its Opportunity Village in 2013. It provides community stability, support, and sort of a self-empowerment model for residents," said Elena Domingo, a policy analyst for the city. So its not just a physical place for them to be, but a place for them to emotionally heal and get back on track.

In Philadelphia, the idea of tiny homes has been floated before. Liz Hersh, director of the citys Office of Homeless Services, said she visited Seattle in October to look at its efforts. She no longer thinks of the concept as somewhat undignified. Her office is looking at 6,500-square-foot lots around the city for a village.

Ive been a skeptic, but what really convinced me when I went to Seattle is, they really found it gave them dignity," Hersh said. They had a lock on their door, they could charge their own phone, keep their own hours, they worked, their kids went to school. ... They really perceived it as being their place. That really told me a lot.

Hersh noted that as with all affordable housing initiatives, the question for the city and Sena is whether funding and resources will come through.

Its not a panacea, and I think that theres this wishful thinking that somehow this is the silver bullet," Hersh said. "Theres never going to be enough, and the model were looking at, its meant to be temporary, a stepping stone for people, so its going to have all the limitations that all the other temporary assistance has.

The woman behind Phillys tiny houses initiative

Sena is both an academic who understands the systematic problems related to poverty and someone who tries to solve every individual problem that comes her way.

Some pushback Ive gotten is, like, who is this girl from the Main Line, this Villanova professor who is not from our neighborhood?" Sena said. But the thing is, Im an adjunct who lives in Philadelphia in a one-bedroom apartment with my two children, and often I cant afford to keep my electric on."

On Monday, Sena zigzagged across her cramped kitchen, working pots and pans on her stove in anticipation of four dinner guests, all formerly homeless people whom her shelter has helped. For Sena, a tiny-houses village would be a bigger version of this small dinner gathering, a way to give people resources and connections to one another in a way not always fostered across cots at shelters.

Over pizza and matzo ball soup, the four guests talked about how homelessness had sneaked up on them and the domino effect it had. They shared stories of jobs lost, and lamented how expensive it is to be poor. Each persons story was a study in how rapidly one can go from stable to out in the cold.

Corey and Alisha Robinson, both 36, talked about being evicted from their home in Mayfair after Corey lost his job and they fell behind on rent. They lived with relatives for a while, but then things got tense and they started to feel like a burden. The couple decided to move out. They didnt anticipate the trouble theyd encounter finding a shelter that would allow them to stay together, let alone let them bring their long-haired Chihuahua. So they wrapped the puppy up tightly and decided to brave it on their own, spending days riding buses and nights on benches in Jefferson Station. Alisha couldnt believe how many benches were already occupied.

After connecting with Stephanie, they got help paying for an Airbnb. SREHUP is also going to pay their move-in costs once they find an apartment.

I think what people dont realize is, theres this gap, this period of time where you just need someone to help you stabilize so you can figure your life out," Alisha Robinson said. "Otherwise, its just going to spiral. Id move into a tiny house. Id go anywhere dry and warm where we could stay together and reset, figure things out.
Marc Lamont Hill is provocative, but he also needs to speak factually and not just from rumors and speculation. Read more

Thanks to Temple University professor Marc Lamont Hill for his provocative comments at the United Nations, which led to local debates on academic freedom, hate speech, Israel, Palestine, and the meaning of the phrase from the river to the sea.

These debates resulted from the speech that seemed to reject nonviolent approaches by the Palestinians to gain more rights in Israel and condoned the use of violence as a self-defense measure. Many analysts have argued that the phrase used by Hill that caused the most outrage  a free Palestine, from the river to the sea  has been used frequently by Hamas and other terror groups in their calls to wipe Israel off the map.

Hill wrote a column denying this charge and declaring solidarity with Jewish people. He used similar rhetoric at the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights on Sept. 28, 2018. According to the Jewish Journal and the Washington Free Beacon, at this conference, Hill, in discussing whether the Palestinians should use only nonviolent tactics to oppose Israeli oppression, said: How can you romanticize nonviolence when you have a state that is at all moments waging war against you, against your bodies, poisoning your water, limiting your access to water, locking up your children, killing them? We cant romanticize resistance.

I have watched the video of this event and Hill does appear to claim the Israelis are poisoning the water of Palestinians. This kind of claim is at the heart of what I think Temple should do: I propose a body that evaluates whether Hill can offer evidence that backs up his statements.

I support his freedom to make statements, but I think college professors must have a basis in facts, particularly on matters such as this. Does he really have evidence that Israelis are poisoning the water or is this just another example of the conspiracies that have been placed on Jewish people over hundreds of years?

Temple experienced another academic freedom case that got national attention. Bruce Rind, an adjunct professor, produced a study in 1998 titled A Meta-Analytic Examination of Assumed Properties of Child Sexual Abuse Using College Samples. The key finding was that adult sex with children is not always psychologically damaging to the child and, in some cases, it was a positive experience for willing young people.

I was the first local media source who exposed this study and its publication in the journal of the American Psychological Association. This publication was like the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. I did not call for Rinds firing, but I wanted a panel to analyze the facts, the science of his statements.

The New York Times reported that Dr. David Spiegel, a Stanford University psychiatrist and member of the Family Research Council, said the study contained serious methodological flaws and that the researchers use meta-analysis the way a drunk uses a lamppost  for support rather than illumination.

Im not saying that Hill and Rinds controversies are the same, but I am saying that both are useful to demand that facts be at the core of the debate. So, when Hill says essentially the Israelis are oppressing the Palestinians, that is a matter of debate, but, when he lists specific acts of oppression, then we have a teachable moment for students and supporters of the truth. If Hill can produce evidence of Israels poisoning the water, then this whole debate will be remembered as advancing the truth.

Ill admit that I feel there is no evidence that Israelis are poisoning the water, and I think statements such as that make people not buy the idea that his U.N. statements were misinterpreted. Thats why when incidents such as this happen, universities should sort them out publicly rather than dividing into camps that either immediately call for a professors firing or assert that freedom of speech protects every utterance.

Ive debated Hill on my own show and at other venues. He is a smart and articulate guy who says a lot of provocative things. However, given his status at a major university, he must engage in factual speech.

Teacher-turned-talk show host Dom Giordano is heard 9 a.m. to noon weekdays on WPHT (1210-AM). Contact him at www.domgiordano.com On Twitter at @DomShow1210
Bench Ansfield, a Philly Food Bucks user, picks up a tomato at Clark Park in West Philadelphia. The pilot effort provides $2 in vouchers for every $5 spent on produce at Food Trust markets. Read more

The federal government just reestablished a program that feeds 40 million Americans a year, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as SNAP. This week, Congress approved the Farm Bill, which allocates 80 percent of its funding toward SNAP and the rest toward other food and agriculture programs. Some policymakers pushed for the updated Farm Bill to decrease SNAP funding and enact stricter work and eligibility requirements that would reduce or eliminate benefits for many participants. Though these changes did not go through, these recent negotiations demonstrate the precariousness of SNAP, a vital social safety net program, and highlight the ongoing issue of food insecurity  a problem some Philadelphia organizations have taken into their own hands.

As of 2016, over 20 percent of citizens in Philadelphia were food insecure, defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as lacking sufficient food to support an active, healthy life. Pennsylvania and national rates of food insecurity are comparatively low  12.5 percent and 12.3 percent respectively in 2016. More than one in five Philadelphians participated in SNAP by the USDAs biannual count, but the SNAP benefit may not meet household needs. The typical SNAP recipient in Pennsylvania receives $122 a month, but the USDA reports that the monthly cost of food for a single person over age 5 exceeds that even by the agencys cheapest recommended food guidelines.

To address the disconcerting reality of food insecurity in Philadelphia, a local nonprofit called the Food Trust and the Philadelphia Department of Public Health created the Philly Food Bucks program to make fresh fruits and vegetables more accessible to SNAP participants. For every $5 SNAP participants spend at selected farmers markets, the Food Trust offers $2 in Philly Food Bucks that can be used to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. The program is a SNAP dollar-matching program that may allow shoppers to buy 40 percent more produce at participating farmers markets. In recent years, the Food Trust expanded its Food Bucks program to five Fresh Grocer supermarket locations, Olivares Food Market in South Philadelphia, and sites in Camden and Western Pennsylvania. The Food Trust reported this spring that SNAP produce purchases at their farmers markets have increased by more than 300 percent.

Expanding SNAP dollar-matching programs like Philly Food Bucks could benefit SNAP participants across the city and increase consumption of healthy food. State agencies, local food producers, private companies, and academic and health-care institutions represent diverse community stakeholders that could advocate for such an initiative. Increasing produce purchases through SNAP dollar-matching programs could also decrease food waste in grocery stores, which in 2015 could have offered 24 pounds of additional meals and food to SNAP participants. Studies of dollar matching programs in other states reported evidence that they meaningfully reduce participants' reports of food insecurity and increase produce purchases and intake. SNAP dollar matching programs offer an accessible method of diminishing chronic hunger and improving food systems, the costs of which could be offset by long-term savings in health-care spending for illnesses like diabetes.

To prevent a rise in an already troubling rate of food insecurity, public and private entities should collaborate with state and local institutions to create food programs that make every dollar count. Food insecurity is increasingly common and for many can follow any unexpected financial hardship. Ensuring that the residents of Philadelphia can meet a need as fundamental as food supports not only our citys health, but also its commitment to fairness, justice, and community.

Michelle Chung is a graduate student in social work and public health at the University of Pennsylvania.
Adrianne Gunter sits on the steps outside her Philadelphia apartment holding a steel cane that helps her get around due to her Multiple Sclerosis. Gunter waited 788 days for a hearing in Philadelphia, all while her Multiple Sclerosis worsened and she continued to be unemployed and dependent on her mother. The Social Security Administration says it doesnOt have enough judges and support staff to keep up with the pace of applications and appeals. Jose F. Moreno/Staff Photographer Read more

Four Philadelphia-area congressmen sent a letter Monday to the acting chief of the Social Security Administration asking that the agency address the sometimes years-long delays for Philadelphia-area residents seeking disability-benefits hearings.

The letter to acting Commissioner Nancy Berryhill, signed by U.S. Reps. Brendan Boyle, Dwight Evans, Robert Brady, and Donald Norcross, all Democrats, came in response to an article in Sunday's Inquirer that reported that applicants in the city are waiting an average of 26 months for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) appeal hearings. That's the longest average waiting time for any city in the country. Applicants in adjacent counties in South Jersey and Pennsylvania also are experiencing average wait times of 20 months or longer.

"While we are certainly sympathetic to the budgetary constraints of your agency, we are deeply concerned by the number of individuals subject to undue stress and health risks brought on by reports of bureaucratic inefficiency," the letter said.

Across the country, more than 1 million people are waiting for appeal hearings after being denied disability benefits. Philadelphia's two hearing offices each have 5,000 pending cases. The Elkins Park and South Jersey offices each have about 10,000 people waiting for decisions.

The administration has acknowledged it has a problem and said it does not have enough administrative law judges and support staff to handle the backlog, which started years ago. Hiring freezes made it hard to catch up.

"We therefore request that your agency detail the number of such staff members that would be necessary to begin to reverse this problem," Monday's letter said.

The administration previously said its goal was to hire 250 judges each year for three consecutive years starting in 2016. But in the last two years combined, only 396 judges were hired.

The congressmen also asked Berryhill how much funding would be required to address the backlog "so that we may do all we can to fight for this additional funding for fiscal year 2019."

The Inquirer story highlighted the wait for Adrianne Gunter, a 33-year-old West Philadelphia native and University of the Arts graduate, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2015. She waited 788 days  more than two years  for an SSI appeal hearing. Since her Dec. 13, 2017, hearing, she is still waiting for a decision.

"This is simply unconscionable," Boyle, a Democrat whose district includes parts of Northeast Philadelphia and Montgomery County, tweeted Sunday. He vowed then to write a letter to the administration asking for improvements.

Brady and Evans issued a joint letter to Berryhill in August complaining about the long wait times and what they perceived as understaffing in the Philadelphia offices.

"We are writing with great concern about the staffing of the two main Social Security Office of Disability Adjudications and Review (ODAR) hearing offices serving our disabled constituents  constituents who are largely of low or no income," the congressmen wrote, noting that the Philadelphia office had six judges and the Philadelphia East Office eight. "The understaffing at the two Philadelphia ODAR offices requires a prompt response."

Stanley White, Brady's chief of staff, said his office has yet to receive a response from Berryhill or the SSA.

The Philadelphia hearing office, however, has seven judges now.

Monday's letter from the four congressmen also asks Berryhill for a meeting with her and her staff to discuss "specific needs and goals."
LONDON, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Ship Lease, Inc. (NYSE: GSL) (the Company) today announced that it is soliciting consents (the Consent Solicitation) from holders of its 9.875% First Priority Secured Notes due 2022 (the Notes) to approve amendments (the Proposed Amendments) to the indenture governing the Notes (the Indenture). The Company previously announced, on December 6, 2018, its intent to commence a consent solicitation and a description of the terms thereof, including the Proposed Amendments.



Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Consent Solicitation Statement, dated December 13, 2018 (the Consent Solicitation Statement), the Company is offering a cash payment (Consent Fee) of $7.50 per $1,000 in aggregate principal amount of Notes held by each holder as of the record date set forth in the Consent Solicitation Statement who validly delivers (and does not validly revoke) a duly executed consent at or prior to the Expiration Time. The Company will not be obligated to make any payments if the Company does not receive the Requisite Consents at or prior to the Expiration Time, the Consent Solicitation is terminated for any reason before the Expiration Time or if the other conditions to the Consent Solicitation are not satisfied or waived.

Adoption of the Proposed Amendments requires the consent of the holders of at least a majority of the aggregate principal amount of all outstanding Notes (such consent, the Requisite Consents). As of December 13, 2018, the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Notes was $340,000,000. On December 6, 2018, the Company reached an agreement with beneficial owners of approximately $164.2 million of the principal amount of the Notes, representing approximately 46% of the $360,000,000 aggregate principal amount of Notes outstanding at the time, pursuant to which such holders have agreed to consent with respect to all of their Notes.

The Company anticipates that, promptly after receipt of the Requisite Consents at or prior to 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on December 19, 2018, unless extended by the Company as set forth in the Consent Solicitation Statement (the Expiration Time), the Company will give notice to Citibank, N.A., London Branch, as trustee and security agent (the Trustee), that the Requisite Consents have been obtained and the Company, the Guarantors and the Trustee will execute and deliver a supplemental indenture with respect to the Indenture (the Supplemental Indenture and such time, the Effective Time). Pursuant to the terms of the Supplemental Indenture, the Proposed Amendments will become effective at the Effective Time, with retroactive effect as of the date of completion of the transactions contemplated by the Agreement and Plan of Merger dated October 29, 2018 by and among the Company, Poseidon Containers Holdings LLC, K&T Marine LLC and the other parties thereto, and shall thereafter bind every holder of Notes. Although the Supplemental Indenture will become effective upon execution by the Company, the Guarantors and the Trustee, the Proposed Amendments will not become operative and will have no effect until and unless the payment to consenting holders described above is made in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in the Consent Solicitation Statement.

The complete terms and conditions of the Consent Solicitation are set forth in the Consent Solicitation Statement. The Company may, in its sole discretion, extend or amend the Consent Solicitation at any time, subject to its agreement with the beneficial owners of the Notes referred to above. A copy of the Consent Solicitation Statement may be obtained from Global Bondholder Services Corporation, the tabulation agent and information agent for the Consent Solicitation, at (866) 807-2200 (toll free) or (212) 430-3774 (collect).

This announcement is for informational purposes only and is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy any security. This announcement is also not a solicitation of consents with respect to the Proposed Amendments or any securities. If and when commenced, the Consent Solicitation will be made solely on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Consent Solicitation Statement. The solicitation of consents will not be made in any jurisdiction in which, or to or from any person to or from whom, it is unlawful to make such solicitation under applicable state or foreign securities or blue sky laws. No recommendation is being made as to whether holders of Notes should consent to the Proposed Amendments.

About Global Ship Lease

Global Ship Lease is a leading independent owner of containerships with a diversified fleet of mid-sized and smaller containerships. Incorporated in the Marshall Islands, Global Ship Lease commenced operations in December 2007 with a business of owning and chartering out containerships under mainly long-term, fixed-rate charters to top tier container liner companies. On November 15, 2018, it completed a strategic combination with Poseidon Containers.

Global Ship Lease owns 38 vessels ranging from 2,207 to 11,040 TEU, of which nine are fuel efficient new-design wide beam, with a total capacity of 198,793 TEU and an average age, weighted by TEU capacity, of 10.7 years determined as at September 30, 2018.

The average remaining term of the charters at September 30, 2018, including those on the 19 Poseidon Containers vessels acquired on November 15, 2018 and subsequent charter agreements, was 2.7 years on a weighted basis.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements provide the Companys current expectations or forecasts of future events. Forward-looking statements include statements about the Companys expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, intentions, assumptions and other statements that are not historical facts. Words or phrases such as anticipate, believe, continue, estimate, expect, intend, may, ongoing, plan, potential, predict, project, will or similar words or phrases, or the negatives of those words or phrases, may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not necessarily mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that may be incorrect, and the Company cannot assure you that the events or expectations included in these forward-looking statements will come to pass. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including the factors described in Risk Factors in the Companys Annual Report on Form 20-F and the factors and risks the Company describes in subsequent reports filed from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, you should not unduly rely on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise any forward-looking statement to reflect circumstances or events after the date of this press release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Investor and Media Contact:

The IGB Group

Bryan Degnan

646-673-9701

or

Leon Berman

212-477-8438
You may have seen the "tiny house" phenomenon on TV: families or couples drastically downsize, some with the hopes of traveling the country in their new little home. Could the trend help solve homelessness in Philadelphia? We could be the next U.S. city to try it out, reporter Julia Terruso writes this morning. Something advocates hope the state won't try is a new algorithmic risk-assessment tool for sentencing. Lawmakers want to scrap the project, saying it could amplify racial biases within the criminal justice system.

Reading this online? Sign up here to get this newsletter delivered to your inbox every morning.

 Aubrey Nagle (@aubsn, morningnewsletter@philly.com)

With shelters filling to capacity and close to 1,000 people in Philadelphia sleeping outside on any given night, homelessness continues to be a big problem in the city.

Could trendy tiny homes help solve it? Stephanie Sena, the founder of the Student-Run Emergency Housing Unit of Philadelphia, says thinking small is the next big thing.

She wants to build a village of tiny houses to help the city's homeless. The idea is already being used in a half-dozen U.S. cities and has the support of Councilmembers Allan Domb and Mark Squilla.

Its been nearly a decade since Pennsylvania legislators ordered the development of a risk-assessment algorithm that would  theoretically  make sentencing fairer, eliminate guesswork and judicial bias, and reduce incarceration.

Now reform advocates, lawyers, lawmakers, and others affected by the justice system want the Commission on Sentencing to go back to the drawing board or scrap the project altogether.

They say the latest proposed risk-assessment tool is racially biased and inaccurate, with one lawmaker likening it to faulty autocorrect on a smartphone.

A massive narcotics distribution center pumping out nearly $8 million of opioids per week from a Warminster home was busted Tuesday, with nearly a dozen people charged. Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said he intends to apply again for federal funding to combat drug trafficking as the opioid crisis continues into suburban communities.

The opioid crisis has resulted in startling news about pregnant women in Pennsylvania. According to new research, opioid use is present in one in every 51 pregnancy-related hospital stays in the state's hospitals. In 2000, that rate was just one in 329.

Today, Pennsylvanians across the state can pick up naloxone, which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, at dozens of locations across the state for no cost.

What you need to know today

Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly

South Philadelphians: Do you agree or disagree with @elisshug?

Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and we'll pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout out!

Thats Interesting

Opinions

Class, as much as race, determines outcomes in the criminal justice system. Everything, from how one is treated in an interaction with police officers, to whether one is able to pay bail, to what kind of representation one can afford, is determined by our financial status."  Columnist Solomon Jones on why Phillys new fight against white poverty should prompt help for people of color, too.

Government inaction is only one reason 3,415 children in the Philly region have tested positive for lead poisoning. The companies responsible for the legacy of lead paint should be held accountable, writes Donna Cooper, executive director of Public Citizens for Children & Youth.

As 2018 draws to a close, we want to know what you hope 2019 will bring for the Philadelphia region. Tell us: what's the most important change the area needs to see next year?

What were reading

Your Daily Dose of | French Toast

What if everywhere you found funnel cakes and soft pretzels you also found French toast bites? Charisse McGill wants to become the Auntie Anne of French toast.
Fox News legal analyst Andrew Napolitano (right), a former federal judge, has said Michael Cohen's three-year prison sentence threatens the presidency of Donald Trump. Read more

If President Trump was looking for comfort Thursday morning following the three-year prison sentence handed to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, he certainly didnt get it from Fox News legal analyst Andrew Napolitano.

Napolitano, a former New Jersey Superior Court judge, appeared on one of the TV-obsessed presidents favorite cable news shows, Fox & Friends, explaining to the Trump-friendly hosts why the hush-money payouts made to silence allegations affairs weeks before the 2016 election were a crime.

If you make an honest mistake in failing to report something  you can correct that by returning the money, paying a fine, and correcting the report, Napolitano said. If you do this as part of a scheme to hide it, then its not a civil wrong, then its a crime. Thats what the judge found yesterday.

Napolitano also threw cold water on parallels being drawn to a case involving former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, who was ultimately found not guilty of campaign-finance violations after paying off a former mistress to cover up an affair and a illegitimate child.

The John Edwards case actually hurts the president, because John Edwards lawyers made a motion to dismiss the indictment saying its not a crime, and the judge published an opinion saying why its a crime, Napolitano said.

Over on CNN, legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Shan Wu made a similar point, noting that Edwards was ultimately indicted and faced trial, where a jury ultimately found him not guilty on one of six counts. They deadlocked on the remaining charges, which the Justice Department ultimately dropped.

Wu also pointed out differences in the timing of the two cases, noting that Edwards made the payouts more than a year before the election. He also pointed to audio tapes allegedly recorded in September 2016 by Cohen discussing the details around the payouts with Trump.

The problem for the presidents defense there is that the element here is that its hiding the contribution with the intent to influence the election," Wu said. Theres enough to indict him there.

A federal judge in Manhattan sentenced Cohen Wednesday to three years in prison. Cohen had previously pleaded guilty to a host of crimes, including campaign-finance violations that involve hiding payouts allegedly ordered by Trump to silence former Playboy model Karen McDougal and porn star Stormy Daniels, who claimed they had sexual encounters with the president.

The Justice Department said Trump directed Cohen to make the payment to influence the election, linking the president to a federal crime. But on Twitter Tuesday morning, the president denied directing Cohen to break the law and attempted to make the case that the federal crimes his former lawyer pleaded guilty to werent actually crimes.

He was a lawyer and he is supposed to know the law, Trump wrote on Twitter about Cohen. The president added that Cohen was guilty on many charges unrelated to me, but he plead to two campaign charges which were not criminal and of which he probably was not guilty even on a civil basis."

MSNBC legal analyst Frank Figliuzzi, a former counterintelligence director at the FBI, predicted Trumps defense Wednesday and shot it down during a discussion on Deadline White House.

Lets keep focusing on this: [Prosecutors] are saying that it was directed by the president. Youre going to hear the president repeatedly issue a defense of, My lawyer did it. I didnt know what he was talking about. But the tapes are there, Figliuzzi said. The [Southern District of New York] would not have gone forward with this prosecution unless they understood that the president was engaged in this crime.

CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, meanwhile, said its worth remembering that if voters had known in 2016 that Trump ordered payouts to keep the allegations of affairs with two woman silent, it might well have swung the election.

Of all times to make these expenditures, its right on the eve of the election, Toobin said. This was an embarrassing, politically toxic subject for him, and he wanted to cover it up, so he paid the money to cover it up to help him win the presidency.
Jaipur: The ground situation in Rajasthan over who would be the next chief minister of the state from Congress is threatening to spiral out of control with supporters of Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot getting increasingly agitated over the pending decision. By Thursday evening, Pilot's supporters had blocked a key road in Karuali and damaged a highway bus in Dausa while demanding the CM's post for their leader.

Congress managed to secure a win in the Rajasthan assembly elections even without naming a CM face for the state. It is reported that both leaders - former CM Gehlot and state unit president Pilot - played a key role in reversing the fortunes of the party. Now, supporters of both leaders feel that their leader deserves to be named CM. A final decision has been left to national party president Rahul Gandhi.

While a final decision is awaited, party sources say that Gehlot's name has been almost finalised. These reports have led to flaring up of the situation on ground with supporters of Pilot carrying placards - sloganeering in his support - and blocking a key road in Karauli. Tyres were burnt to block the regular passage of traffic even as hundreds gathered to demand their youth leader - and not Gehlot - be named CM.

A state highway was also blocked in Dausa and a bus was damaged by agitators. Hundreds of trucks, commercial vehicles and private vehicles were halted here.

This prompted Pilot to immediately fire a tweet in which he appealed to his supporters to maintain calm.

??? ???????????? ?? ????? ??? ??????? ???? ???? ?? ????? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ????? ??????? ?? ???? ??????? ??, ?????? ????? ????? ?? ??? ??????? ?????? ????? ?? ?? ?????? ????? ???? ?? ?????? ????????? ??? ???????? ?? ???????,?????? ?? ????? ????? ???? ?? ??? ?? ???????????  Sachin Pilot (@SachinPilot) December 13, 2018

There is a fear that the situation could spread to other parts of the state, and similar scenes could also unfold in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh where the race to the CM's post is being contested long after elections are over. In MP, supporters of Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia have gathered with demand for their leader to be named CM while in Raipur, supporters of Bhupesh Baghel and TS Sehdev clashed.

Critics have taken the opportunity to slam Congress and have said that the party is incapable of providing a stable government if it cannot even keep its cadre united.
New Delhi: In the race to be the next CM of Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot said on Thursday evening that Congress will follow due process in naming who all would be at the helm of political affairs in his state, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Even as supporters of several Congress leaders across the three states have been sloganeering for their respective candidate to be named CM, Gehlot said that the party is following established procedures before coming to its decisions. "The decision will be taken soon, there is nothing to worry. Enjoy kijiye (just enjoy). The decision has to be taken on CMs of three states, so, naturally it takes time. Party president will take a call," he told news agency ANI.

Scenes across the state capitals of Jaipur, Bhopal and Raipur though are far from enjoyable with Congress workers surrounding party offices here and demanding their respective leader be named the CM. The party had won elections in all three states where BJP was in power albeit without naming a CM candidate. The simmering rifts between its leaders here - Gehlot and Sachin Pilot in Rajasthan, Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia in MP and Bhupesh Baghel and TS Sehdev in Chhattisgarh - has been exposed even if Congress leaders say the party is completely united.

A number of party leaders has said that the final decision on who would be the CMs is for party president Rahul Gandhi to take. There have been numerous and seemingly endless meetings at Rahul's residence in New Delhi but no decision has yet been taken. Meanwhile, reports of unrest emerged from several parts of Rajasthan with supporters of Sachin Pilot blocking key roads in Dausa and Karauli. This prompted both Pilot and Gehlot to urge party workers to maintain calm.
Amid the chaos in Rajasthan on Thursday over the selection of chief minister, Congress leader Sachin Pilot assured full confidence in Congress president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Soni Gandhi and said the decision taken by them will be welcomed by all the party leaders. He also appealed the party workers to maintain peace.

He also "requested the media to not run news based on rumours and only rely on confirmed news".

The supporters of Pilot became increasingly agitated demanding selection of Pilot as Rajasthan CM and blocked a key road in Karuali and damaged a highway bus in Dausa.

Earlier, the supporters of Pilot had gathered outside the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in Delhi, raising slogans.

Pilot took to Twitter saying that it is the responsibility of the leaders and workers to uphold the honour of the party.

"I appeal to party workers to maintain peace and decorum. I have full faith in the leadership, we will welcome whatever Rahul Gandhi ji and Sonia Gandhi ji decide. It is our responsibility to uphold the honour of the party, we are dedicated to the party," tweeted Pilot.

An apparent tussle between the old and the young guard in the Congress seems to have delayed the announcement of chief minister for Rajasthan, as the party leadership carried out hours-long hectic deliberations before deciding on names.

The chief minister aspirants in Rajasthan (Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot) met Rahul Gandhi and staked their claims even as senior leaders huddled at the residence of party chief Rahul Gandhi, where UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also participated in the deliberations.

Rahul Gandhi also separately met Gehlot and Pilot at his residence earlier in the day. The two spent around 15 minutes each with the Congress president and left without talking to the waiting media outside. Later also, they did not take calls from the media. In Rajasthan, party veteran Gehlot was said to be leading the race, even as Pilot is staking his own claim strongly.

As deliberations continued inside, supporters of each contender were heard raising slogans and flashing banners in support of their respective leaders -- out the party offices in the three states as also outside the house of top leaders. Pilot's supporters raised slogans outside Gandhi's office also.

Facing his first test within the Congress, Gandhi started hectic deliberations with senior party leaders early Thursday morning and a final decision was expected by the evening to enable the oath-taking ceremonies at the earliest.
Mumbai: Markets regulator Sebi Wednesday said it is examining the whistleblower complaint against Dilip Shanghvi-led Sun Pharmaceutical Industries.

A whistleblower had last month approached Sebi with a document alleging various irregularities by the company, its promoter Shanghvi and others.

"There is whistleblower complaint which we are examining. I have nothing more to add," Sebi Chairman Ajay Tyagi told reporters after its board meeting.

"When somebody files consent, they give facts and details. On that basis it is decided. And if the facts are wrong then it can be reopened. The adjudication was a separate case. Sun Pharma settlement was a separate case. It was on their internal code of conduct," he added.

Shangvi, who is also the managing director of the pharma firm, earlier this month denied receiving any query so far from the markets regulator regarding the whistleblower complaint.

"We are following highest levels of corporate governance at Sun Pharma," Shanghvi had said.

Sources had told PTI last month that Sebi may reopen an insider trading case against Sun Pharma and as well as probe alleged lapses by some of its promoters and other entities in raising funds overseas.

In August 2017, Sun Pharmaceutical, Shanghvi and nine other entities settled an insider trading probe on payment of Rs 18 lakh towards settlement charges.

However, reports have stated that the regulator is likely to reopen the case as it has powers to reopen cases of settlement related to insider trading on various grounds.

The sources had said that alleged irregularities by the company's promoters and others in raising funds through Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds (FCCBs) are also likely to be investigated by the watchdog.

In August 2017, the regulator had not disclosed the details of the insider trading case.

However, it had appeared to be related to the acquisition of Ranbaxy by Sun Pharma from Japanese drugmaker Daiichi, as the settlement with the regulator has also been done by former Ranbaxy CEO Arun Sawhney, Daiichi's director Kazunori Hirokawa, its ex-Chairman Takashi Shoda and its former senior executive officer Tsutomu Une.

Shoda is said to have led Daiichi's acquisition of Ranbaxy in 2008, though the Japanese giant had to eventually sell its stake in the company to Sun Pharma in 2014.

Besides, the settlement was done by Ranbaxy's former secretary S K Patawari; Sun Pharma's directors Sudhir V Valia and Sailesh Desai; and its company secretary Sunil Ajmera.
New Delhi: Industry body COAI on Wednesday asserted that there is an agreement among all operators on need for immediate relief on issues like cut in licence fee and spectrum charges, as well as release of GST input tax credit locked up with the government.

The Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) stressed that there is no divergence of opinion on pain-points like need for reduction in levies, and all industry players as well as the sector regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) have highlighted these issues.

"On the larger issue of need for a telecom relief package, a view can be taken by the telecom department based on their due diligence. On policy matters, government decisions ought not be based on majority or minority views but the facts of the situation," COAI Director General Rajan Mathews told PTI.

The telecom department can undertake a comprehensive exercise to determine whether or not the industry is under financial stress, Mathews said.

The COAI had earlier also written to telecom secretary stating that industry be granted refund of accumulated input tax credit, as refund of unutilised credit is "widely accepted and prevalent concept" in other jurisdictions.

"...And the same has been quite prevalent in India under the erstwhile Value Added Tax regime," COAI said.

As much as Rs 30,000 crore is estimated to be locked up on account of GST payment under 'reverse charge mechanism'.

In the letter dated November 27, the COAI also demanded regulatory levies like spectrum payment, licence fee and spectrum usage charges be exempt from GST levy.

"Exemption of telecom regulatory levies from payment of GST would ease overall working capital burden of telecom operators and would ease out cases of accumulation of credits," the COAI said.

The association said that of the accumulated GST input tax credit (ICT) of mobile operators, a significant portion is on account of spectrum and licence fee and spectrum usage charges related payment.

In another letter to the Department of Telecom (DoT), the COAI has also demanded that 4G and 5G related network products along with Long term Evolution (LTE) products, and other equipments be exempt from customs duty. This, said COAI, is critical given the "essential nature of these imports to meet the national vision of digital India".

Currently, the customs duty on these products stands at 20 percent.

"With the hike in customs duty for 4G/5G related network products, the operators will incur additional cost and this will be an additional burden as the industry is already debt-ridden and facing severe financial distress. Additional duty will result in more financial challenges in the long run," the COAI said in the letter dated November 29.

The telecom sector has been bruised by falling tariffs, eroding profitability, and mounting debt, in the face of stiff competition triggered by disruptive offerings of Reliance Jio, owned by Mukesh Ambani.

But a senior DoT official had recently noted that the government may find it "difficult" to respond to calls for relief package for the telecom sector given the differences among operators on financial stress.

The official familiar with the ongoing parleys, had said action has been initiated for a way out on two of the concerns -- review of import duties for telecom equipment and GST payments locked up with revenue department.

Without naming any particular company, the official had said while certain operators had expressed concerns on severe liquidity crunch in the sector and high spectrum payments, one of the key players had disagreed with the position. This polarisation reflected in the industry association's representation to the government too.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday issued a warning of a cyclonic storm which is likely to intensify and move towards Andhra Pradesh coast during the next 72 hours.

The storm is currently a depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal and is likely to intensify further into a deep depression during the next 12 hours and into a cyclonic storm during the subsequent 24 hours.

Heavy rainfall is expected to take place at most places with heavy to very heavy falls at isolated places likely to commence over coastal Andhra Pradesh and north coastal Tamil Nadu on December 15.

The warning comes a month after cyclone Gaja hit the two states, claiming 46 lives and causing widespread damage to property and livestock.

Rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy falls at a few places and extremely heavy falls at isolated places are likely over coastal Andhra Pradesh on December 16 and isolated heavy falls on December 17.

The sea condition is very likely to be rough to very rough over central parts of south Bay of Bengal and high over southwest and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal on December 14. The sea condition is very likely to be high to very high over southwest and adjoining west central Bay of Bengal on December 15 and over west central and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal on December 16.

The fishermen have been advised not to venture out and those who are already out in the deep sea areas have been advised to return to the coast.

Hyma Rao, deputy officer at Visakhapatnam`s Cyclone warning centre, told ANI, "Yesterday`s well-marked low-pressure area over the southeast Bay of Bengal intensified into a depression and centred about 1330 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam. Due to this influence, rain will start from December 15 onwards with a heavy fall at one or two places and strong winds will also start from the same day. Due to these factors, fishermen are advised not to venture into the sea from December 14 onwards," he added.

The Central Government earlier in the day had issued a pre-cyclone watch for Andhra Pradesh. "It (cyclone) is very likely to intensify further into a deep depression during next 12 hours and into a cyclonic storm during the subsequent 24 hours. It is very likely to move northwestwards towards Andhra Pradesh and adjoining north Tamil Nadu coast during next 72 hours," said a statement from the Central Government.

"Latest satellite imageries and surface observations indicate that a depression has formed over the southeast Bay of Bengal and lay centred at 0530 hrs IST of today, 13th December, 2018 near latitude 6.5N and longitude 88.7E, about 850 km east-southeast of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka), 1170 km southeast of Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and 1350 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam (Andhra Pradesh)," it added.
Ranchi: A local court Wednesday issued summons to Congress president Rahul Gandhi for allegedly making a controversial statement against his BJP counterpart Amit Shah.

Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate Ajay Kumar Gudia, who had reserved the order after hearing a petition in this regard on November 28, directed that summons be issued against Gandhi.

In his petition, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) leader Naveen Jha alleged that Gandhi had made the statement against Shah on March 18 during the national convention of the Congress.

The BJYM is the youth wing of the BJP.

The petitioner submitted that the statement had hurt his sentiment and tarnished the image of the party.

Earlier this year, the same SDJM's court had rejected the petition of Jha, an executive member of Jharkhand BJYM.

He appealed before the court of Judicial Commissioner Navneet Kumar against the rejection order. Kumar quashed the SDJM's order and directed the lower court to hear the petition again.
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday issued a notice to Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis over alleged nondisclosure of pending criminal cases in election affidavit.

A three-judge bench, comprising of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph, was listening to a plea seeking annulment of Fadnavis' election to the state assembly over alleged non-disclosure of pending criminal cases against him in his nomination papers.

The Bombay High Court had dismissed the plea of one Satish Ukey seeking annulment of Fadanavis's election to the Maharashtra Assembly on the ground of alleged non-disclosure of all pending criminal cases against him.

The apex court was hearing an appeal of Ukey against the high court order.
NEW YORK, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Columbia Care LLC (Columbia Care), the nations largest and most experienced medical cannabis company, announces the opening of an additional medical cannabis dispensary in Pennsylvania. The new dispensary, located at 3025 W. Tilghman Street in Allentown, will begin serving qualifying patients on Dec. 17, 2018. The location is Columbia Cares third dispensary in Pennsylvania, complementing its Scranton and Wilkes-Barre dispensaries.



The addition of this third Pennsylvania dispensary further substantiates Columbia Cares exponential growth and validates our ongoing commitment to expanding accessibility and availability of pharmaceutical-quality cannabis-based medicines for more patients, said Nicholas Vita, chief executive officer of Columbia Care. We are proud to serve patients throughout Pennsylvania, and we remain devoted to safety, product consistency and delivering an exceptional patient experience. We are grateful for the support provided to us by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and are honored to begin serving the Allentown community. We look forward to continuing to improve the lives of patients and their families by ensuring ease and convenience at this new location.

Consistent with the Companys vision and mission, the Pennsylvania dispensaries are designed with patient access, safety and comfort in mind. The Allentown location will be staffed by a dedicated team, including a licensed pharmacist, trained to provide the highest level of professionalism, compassion, confidentiality, security and respect to the patients they serve. Leveraging its operating experience and the nations largest repository of patient data gathered from its national dispensary networks, Columbia Care pharmacists provide educational resources and counseling to help patients understand the various formulations and delivery applications to determine an optimal dosing regimen, improving efficacy and outcomes.

To access Columbia Care Pennsylvanias state-licensed dispensaries, patients must be deemed eligible by a certified practitioner and be registered with the Pennsylvania Department of Health. State certified patients are encouraged to schedule an appointment at any Columbia Care Pennsylvania location during business hours and are welcome to visit our website ( https://col-carepa.com ) for additional information. Patients can also speak to a Columbia Care Pennsylvania representative at (484) 838-7900 during business hours.

About Columbia Care Pennsylvania

Columbia Care Pennsylvania has dispensaries in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Allentown, which offer a comprehensive assortment of sublingual tinctures, capsules, concentrates, pain creams, transdermal patches and vaporization pens and cartridges in high THC, high CBD and equal THC:CBD doses. Columbia Care Pennsylvania provides discounts to veterans, seniors and those on social security disability insurance, Medicaid or Medicare. For more information on Columbia Care Pennsylvania and current product offerings, please visit https://col-carepa.com.

About Columbia Care

Columbia Care is the nations largest and most experienced manufacturer and provider of medical cannabis products and services. The Company is licensed in highly selective and regulated jurisdictions and has completed more than 750,000 successful patient interactions since its inception. Working in collaboration with some of the most renowned and innovative teaching hospitals and medical centers in the world, Columbia Care is a patient-centered healthcare company setting the standard for compassion, professionalism, quality, caring and innovation for a rapidly expanding industry. For more information on Columbia Care, please visit www.col-care.com.

Media Contact:

Josephine Belluardo, Ph.D.

LifeSci Public Relations

+1.646.751.4361

jo@lifescipublicrelations.com
Thiruvananthapuram: A 50-year-old man early on Thursday set himself on fire at a BJP protest venue here and died at the state-run Medical College Hospital in the evening, police said.

Venugopalan Nair poured kerosene on his clothes, set them on fire and ran into the protest venue in front of the state Secretariat.

At the venue was former state BJP President C.K. Padmanabhan, who is on an indefinite fast against the manner in which the Kerala government is handling the Sabarimala temple issue after the Supreme Court ruled in September that all women can enter the shrine.

Nair was rushed to the hospital. He had suffered 90 per cent burns and breathed his last on Thursday evening.

Following the death, the BJP called a dawn-to-dusk shutdown in Kerala on Friday.

While the police are yet to ascertain the reason for the immolation, the BJP is linking it to the Sabarimala temple issue.

But in his dying declaration, Nair has said he does not wish to live any longer and is ending his life and made no mention of the Sabarimala temple.
New Delhi: Bollywood actress Disha Patani made a stunning appearance at business tycoon Mukesh Ambani's daughter Isha Ambani's wedding. The actress wore a stunning white lehenga with intricate silver work.

Disha shared multiple pictures of her stunning outfit on Instagram. She has a massive fan base and posts frequently on social. Her pictures go viral in no time and fans are always eager to know what their favourite actress is up to.

Disha will soon light up the silver screen with her presence in 'Bharat'. The film is being helmed by Ali Abbas Zafar and has an ensemble star cast including Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Tabu, Sunil Grover to name a few.

'Bharat' will release in 2019 on the occasion of Eid and is high on the buzzword ever since it was announced. As per reports, Disha will play a trapeze artist in the film. Not much has been revealed about her role as makers remain tight-lipped about the whole affair.

On the personal front, the actress is rumoured to be dating her 'Baaghi 2' co-star Tiger Shroff. Neither Disha nor Tiger have confirmed their relationship status. However, the two are often spotted hanging out together in Bandra and it tells that there is more than what meets the eye! Like Disha, Tiger too is known for being a fitness freak. The hunk of an actor is a great dancer as well! Dancing prowess and fitness enthusiasm is something that the two have in common.
New Delhi: Search engine giant Google has announced that its is bringing easily filter for its shopping search features.

In its official blog, Google said that it is bringing a personalised and immersive experience that will help you easily filter through offers, review prices from multiple retailers and find that right product.

Google said that this experience will get richer with usage and is available across several Google products: the first is a made-to-browse (think window shopping!) experience on the new Shopping home page.

We are also making the same experience available to users with entry level phones, through a Progressive Web App (PWA). Further, starting today, you will also see a new Shopping tab on Google Search. Finally we are introducing Style Search in Google Lens, an all-new visual approach to find the products you are looking for, Google said.

Now you can also use Merchant Center to upload product details so they can appear across Google, without paying for ad campaigns. So far, the Merchant Center has been only available in English, and starting today Google is expanding it to Hindi.

The Shopping home page is a new made-to-browse destination for shoppers to search across multiple product categories and find products from thousands of retailers. Google has also added some smart features, including price drops and a collection of the most popular products.

You will now see a new Shopping tab in Google Search showing a list of products matching your search, with the ability to view details and review prices across retailers. Queries can be made in both English and Hindi.
ANKARA: At least four persons died and over 43 injured after a high-speed train crashed into an overpass in Turkish capital Ankara, reported the country's media.

A video footage uploaded by Posta Gazetesi, a Turkish daily newspaper, showed mangled metal remains of the train. Emergency workers were seen rescuing people from the accident site.

Ankaradaki Yuksek Hzl Tren kazasndan ilk goruntuler... pic.twitter.com/luJp8rLa2T  Posta Gazetesi (@Postacomtr) December 13, 2018

The accident took place at the overpass at the Marsandiz train station, to the west of Ankara at around 6:30 am (9 am IST) as the train was travelling between Ankara and the central Turkish province of Konya.
The Day of Andrew the Apostle is one of the most mysterious and interesting days: people do the fortune telling and try to predict their future

Andrew the Apostle 112.international

Ukraine celebrates the St. Andrews Day on December 13.

The Bible says that Saint Andrew was the first apostle to follow Christ. Later, he brought his brother, the holy Apostle Peter, to The Savior.

According to the legend, Apostle Andrew preached in the Crimea, then came along the Dnieper to the place where Kyiv later arose. "The grace of God will shine upon these mountains: the great city will be here, the Lord will consecrate this land with holy baptism and will erect many churches here," said the Apostle to the disciples. Then he blessed the Kyiv hills and raised the cross.

The apostle also preached in the Greek city of Papros, where he healed many from diseases. The local ruler hated the apostle, calling his teachings insane, and sentenced Andrew to crucifixion. To make St. Andrew suffer longer, he was tied to a cross in X position, without hammering nails into his hands and feet.

The Day of Andrew the Apostle is one of the most mysterious, interesting day: people do the fortune telling and try to predict their future.

The people used to call this holiday Kalyta and considered it to be a holiday of young men, because on St. Andrew's night they were allowed to behave disgracefully. It was believed that girls could find out their fate at night. The feast of St. Andrew is a logical continuation of the youth festivities on the Saint Catherine's Day, where boys and girls are looking for their couple.

According to the traditions of our ancestors, girls and boys gathered in the same house on the evening of December 12. They were joking, telling interesting stories and played different games, and at night they did fortune telling.

Starting from this day, some prohibitions come in force and remain until the New Year or Baptism. You cannot sew and wind threads, so that "the animals do not wonder around the pens." It was believed that the violation of this ban would cause trouble for the whole family. According to tradition, if you celebrated St. Andrews Day specially well, you can expect good harvest.
Ukrainian MP and financier Viktor Pynzenyk on 2019 state budget, the impact of the martial law, and the pressure of public debt on the country's economy

112 Agency

Ukraine has introduced martial law. What economic results will we face at the end of December, when it expires?

Martial law means the introduction of systems of any additional actions unusual for the normal regime. But some special actions are not introduced. The presidential decree and the law that approved this decree provide for only the right to introduce some kind of system of restrictive measures and specific actions in ten regions of Ukraine. And it depends on how the situation develops.

National Bank head (NBU) Yakiv Smoliy said that the liquidity of the banking sector is about 2,7 billion USD, which is a sufficient level for the proper uninterrupted functioning of the system

The growth rate occurred at 1.3%. I cannot say whether this is connected with this decision or not. Perhaps it had a definite influence on the course. But we deal here with excessive liquidity. Most likely, there is a reason for the growth rate, because excessive liquidity is the number of free funds that are in the accounts of commercial banks of Ukraine, that is, these funds can affect the exchange rate.

In 2014, the president explained why it was impossible to impose martial law for this period, they say, all external financial assistance would be stopped. Now the question is whether financial assistance from the IMF will be frozen - 3.9 billion dollars. They expected to receive the first 1.5 billion by the end of the year.

We have heard the IMFs explanation that there are no legal restrictions on cooperation with us, in which martial law has been declared. Assistance depends solely on economic policy, on economic activities, associated with the provision or failure of IMF support. It is necessary to take into account one more circumstance: sometimes it is very difficult to judge the decisions taken in such situations.

How do sanctions against Russia affect the Ukrainian economy?

We have fewer ties with the Russian economy. Not only traditional war has been declared against us, but also a trade war, which is little talked about. We have a free trade agreement with the Russian Federation. This agreement prohibits the imposition of any restrictions on trade. RF has unanimously banned the importation of goods from Ukraine. It has also banned transit to some other countries. This economic war is declared and it lasts for many years. A positive moment here us that many of our manufacturers have reoriented to the West. Our exports to the CIS countries compared with 2013 fell 3.5 times. Our exports to the EU have increased. Our economy is looking for stable sales markets.

After the decision of the Stockholm arbitration, Russian Gazprom announced the termination of contracts with Naftogaz.

How to live with a neighbor who can turn off the gas tap any time? Are these civilized relationships of the XXI century? Therefore, Ukraine has made the right move, when stopped buying Russian gas. We do not have any problems with gas today. I do not see any risks now because we have enough gas reserves (17 billion cubic meters). According to statistics, daily gas withdrawal is 61 million cubic meters. This is less than 2 billion a month.

For how long will "Rotterdam+" exist?

As soon as we do all those things, any schemes will disappear, because the price will be set by the market. We cannot talk about the market price when there is one supplier.

Ukraine has risen by 5 steps and ranked 71st in the World Banks rating of ease of doing business. However, the conditions of doing business in Ukraine are among the worst in Europe.

This is one of the problems of doing business. When the investor hears that the owner suddenly changes, such things repel him. When he does not know which court to apply to. This is one of the reasons why an investor does not come here. And its not only about foreign ones. For these six months, foreign investors have provided $ 1.3 billion. This is not that much. Basically, this is the financial sector - $ 750 million. Mostly, this is a forced investment, when the National Bank forces the owners of Ukrainian banks abroad to recapitalize their banks. On the other hand, the National Bank states that an amount exceeding the amount of foreign investment will be withdrawn from Ukraine by repatriating profits by foreign companies. This indicates some problems. And the situation in the domestic market is no better. The statistics show that our investments grew by almost 20% in 9 months, but let's look at some other figures. How have the prices of industrial products increased? By 18%. Prices for construction and installation work increased by 23%. These numbers mean that there is no real growth. We must realize that slogans do not raise the economy, but the investments do. If we want a rate to exceed 2-3% (at least, by 5-7%), then the investment environment in the country should be significantly better than in other countries.

Last year, there were 115 rich people in Ukraine, and now this number increased to 135? I mean those whose wealth exceeds $ 50 million.

The rich people are not a problem. A country, in which people do not have the opportunity to get rich, does not have a chance for a better life. Our problem is that the wealth of some people is done against the background of the impossibility of improving the life of another people.

How do you see the influence of the participation of oligarchs in Ukraines economic development?

I am afraid that the possibility of this influence is high. Many decisions, made in the Verkhovna Rada, demonstrate it. They control groups of deputies who influence the adoption of certain decisions. You can find a common position if you have the will to do it. In 2005, the budget was adopted along with some decisions. We have canceled all the tax privileges, all preferences that individual oligarchs had. A lot of people who are engaged in business came to me then. They had one demand: not to save the benefits, but to apply this rule applies to all.

What is the future of eco-energy in Ukraine?

The European Bank said it would not give more than a single dollar loan for the construction of solar power plants. I think this is because there are no such prices for electricity generated by solar power plants. Just imagine what would happen if this approach to the power industry is maintained? These prices are just terrifying, and we have to pay. In other countries, the price of alternative energy is 3-4 times lower. Therefore, it is necessary to make a decision, and those people whom you called oligarchs have an extremely strong influence here.

Would Ukraine benefit from the functioning of the cryptocurrency market and its taxation? Is this an urgent question?

For what? Do we want to create another problem for people? I took some sweetie papers and say: buy, it will be a new currency. Bitcoin was worth 20 thousand USD, now its 4.7. Well, a technological element of the release of currency is permissible. You might even use it as a tool for market games. But it cannot serve as currency. The state should have a monopoly on the currency. Sometimes, the state uses it as a technological issue tool.

In November, five years have passed since the beginning of the Revolution of Dignity. Yanukovych did not sign the association with the EU thus launching the mechanisms that changed Ukraine forever. Finally, the agreement was signed and ratified. Did we pay the bad value? What has Ukraine got from the association now?

We have already received it. The desire of people to live in the civilized world is natural. Have you ever heard that Ukraine banned exports to the EU? Or banned transit? Of course, not. This is a huge market, comparable to the US one. This is a unique opportunity, and we need to use it.

Read the original text at 112.ua.
Earlier, the European Parliament adopted a resolution, in which it condemned the actions of Russia in the Sea of Azov

The European Parliament supported a document, which provides the increase of sanctions against Russia in case the Ukrainian captured sailors are not released. Reporter of Radio Liberty Rikard Jozwiak claimed this on Twitter.

A European Parliament report calling on more EU sanctions on Russia if the Ukrainian servicemen captured on 25 Nov are not released has been passed. 433 in favor, 105 against, 30 abstentions, reads the message.

Related: EU adds nine people involved in elections in Donbas to sanctions list

a European Parliament report calling on more EU sanctions on #Russia if the Ukrainian servicemen captured on 25 Nov are not released has been passed. 433 in favour, 105 against, 30 abstentions . #Ukraine #Crimea #Azov #KerchStrait  Rikard Jozwiak (@RikardJozwiak) December 12, 2018

The European sanctions against Russia were imposed on July 31, 2014, as the response to the annexation of Crimea. The sanctions, including the aggression in Donbas, are strengthened and extended from time to time.

Related: Are anti-Russian sanctions of EU and US meaningful?

The European Parliament urged to extend the sanctions due to the suppressions in the occupied Crimea in October 2017. Moreover, the MPs planned to urge the European Council to extend the targeted sanctions and impose the visa ban on those responsible for the illegal activity in Crimea.

In addition, the Council of the European Union prolonged sanctions against Russia for the illegal annexation of Crimea until June 23, 2019.
Ambassador of Israel to Ukraine Joel Lion urged not to forget the crimes committed against the Ukrainian Jews, while Bandera directly participated in the horrible anti-Semitic crimes

Ambassador of Israel to Ukraine Joel Lion has written an open letter in which he stated that he is shocked by a decision of Lviv Regional Council to declare 2019 as the year of Stepan Bandera as Israeli Embassy reported on Facebook.

I was shocked when I heard the decision of Lviv Regional Council to declare 2019 as the year of Stepan Bandera. I cannot understand how the glorifying of those, who directly participated in the horrible anti-Semitic crimes, helps to fight against the anti-Semitism and xenophobia. Ukraine should not forget the crimes committed against Ukrainian Jews and should not celebrate them by the worship of their performers in any way, the message said.

Earlier, 2019 was proclaimed as the year of Stepan Bandera in Lviv region.

Who is Stepan Bandera?

The Washington Post wrote that Bandera had entered into a tactical relationship with Nazi Germany and that his followers were accused of committing atrocities against Poles and Jews. The New York Times wrote that he had been vilified by Moscow as a pro-Nazi traitor, a charge seen as unfair in the eyes of many historians and certainly to western Ukrainians.
Joint press point by NATO: Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko www.nato.int

NATO on Thursday expressed concern over the heightened tensions between Russia and Ukraine for a naval confrontation in the Sea of Azov. Jens Stoltenberg said that during his joint press conference with the Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

We remain concerned by the heightened tensions in and around the Sea of Azov. There can be no justification for Russia's use of military force against Ukrainian ships and sailors, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference after a meeting with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Stating that Ukraine is a highly valued partner of NATO, Stoltenberg called on Russia to release the seized sailors and ships immediately, and allow free navigation in the sea.

This is part of Russias pattern of destabilizing behavior. We see that in eastern Ukraine, where cease-fire violations are reported daily, he said, referring to latest developments in the Sea of Azov.

Stoltenberg went onto say that NATO provided Ukraine with strong political and practical support.

On his part, Poroshenko said Russia crossed red line by opening fire in international waters and they would not allow the incident to be ignored.

Stoltenberg applied to Ukraine's President as Petro, showing support.

"President Poroshenko, I appreciate the calm and restraint Ukraine has demonstrated during the developments near the Sea of Azov. Escalation would be in no-ones interest now. I also commend you for your commitment to the democratic process in view of next years elections in Ukraine. Good governance and reform will bring Ukraine closer to the Euro-Atlantic family. Important progress has already been made and we encourage Ukraine to continue on the path of reform. Including toward greater civilian control over the security and intelligence services, anti-corruption and minority rights.

Allies recognise Ukraines aspirations to join the Alliance. We want to see your country succeed. And we are committed to helping you do so.

So once again President Poroshenko, dear Petro, welcome to NATO, its always great to have you here."

As is known, in late November, the Russian Navy attacked the Ukrainian sailors. Three Ukrainian ships were on their way from Odesa to Mariupol to join the newly created Ukrainian naval base in the Sea of Azov. Russian naval vessels and aviation opened fire and wounded three Ukrainian servicemen. The ships and their crews were captured. Currently, 24 Ukrainian sailors face charges with the illegal border crossing, as they stay in detention centers in Moscow.
The European Parliament adopted a resolution with a call to shut down the construction of Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in Baltic Sea between Russia and Germany, as the website of the EP reported.

In this resolution, Ukraine is praised from the cooperation with the EU in the energy sector, success in energy efficiency and usage of renewable energy sources. At the same time, Kyiv is recommended to continue reforming gas and electric energy market.

The Europeans noted that Ukraine plays a key role in the European energy supply network. Due to this, the members of the EP condemn the construction of Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline which goes round Ukraine.

The members of the EP stated that Nord Stream 2 is a political project, which poses a threat to Europes energy security. They call for its cancellation.

As is known, Russia's Gazprom and its partners are intended to begin realization of the Nord Stream 2 project, which costs ten billion dollars. It is expected that the 1200 km gas pipeline will be laid through the Baltic Sea, and will connect Russia and Germany passing Ukraine, Poland, and Baltic countries. The capacity of the gas pipeline will be twice increased than the first Nord Stream. The construction is estimated to be completed by the end of 2019.

Nord Stream 2 will have the capacity to transport 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year from Russia to Germany along the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Ukraine could lose up to $ 3 billion, or 3% of GDP due to the Nord Stream 2.

Ukraine is adamantly opposed to the construction by calling it politically motivated and suggesting the EU to create a consortium with the involvement of European companies to manage the existing more efficient transportation route through Ukraine. A number of EU countries have expressed their disagreement with the Nord Stream 2 project, in particular, Poland and Lithuania.
Dublin, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Applicant Tracking System Market to 2025 - Global Analysis and Forecasts by Deployment Model; Component; and End-user" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global applicant tracking system market accounted to US$ 675.3 Mn in 2017 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.2% during the forecast period 2018 - 2025, to account to US$ 1345.7 Mn by 2025.



Driving factors such as demand for time-efficient selection systems owing to rising number of job applicants, and gaining prominence of the cloud-based applicant tracking system are anticipated to have a huge impact on the development of applicant tracking system market in the coming years.



The key trend which will predominantly affect the applicant tracking system market in the coming year is the integration of artificial intelligence with ATS system for enhanced capabilities. As the HR groups in the coming years are expected to raise the demand for solutions, which in response would further enhance the employment curve and understand not only the effects of AI on their workforces but also the benefit of incorporating new and exciting tools into their workflows, especially for recruitment. With a plethora of startups out there in this space, it's easy for talent acquisition teams to experiment and find what works for them.



Applicant tracking system market by end-user is segmented into IT & Telecom, retail, BFSI, Retail & Consumer Goods, Manufacturing, healthcare, government & others. Despite slightly gloomy employment outlook, the IT & telecom sector is expected to boost the adoption of applicant tracking systems based on two major factors. The first one it's the rising demand of talents across the globe and increasing count of applicants every day. In order to effectively manage these employees, the IT & Telecom companies are increasingly deploying applicant tracking systems.



The second factor is the spending capability of the IT & Telecom companies. IT & Telecom imbibe the highest spending capability on the upcoming technologies owing to which the sector is expected to contribute significant profits to the applicant tracking system.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Introduction



1.1 Scope Of The Study

1.2 Research Report Guidance



2. Key Takeaways



3. Market Landscape

3.1 Market Overview

3.2 Market Segmentation

3.3 Pest Analysis



4. Global Applicant Tracking System Market - Key Industry Dynamics

4.1 Key Market Drivers

4.1.1 Demand For Time Efficient Selection Systems Owing To Rising Number Of Job Applicants

4.1.2 Gaining Prominence Of The Cloud Based Applicant Tracking Software

4.2 Key Market Restraints

4.2.1 Outages, Data Mobility And Data Security Concerns

4.3 Key Market Opportunities

4.3.1 Mobile Based Recruitment To Bring Ample Opportunity To The Market

4.4 Future Trends

4.4.1 Artificial Intelligence Is Expected To Impact Capacity And Skills Required

4.5 Impact Analysis Of Drivers And Restraints



5. Applicant Tracking System Market - Global

5.1 Global Applicant Tracking System Market Overview

5.2 Global Applicant Tracking System Market Forecast And Analysis



6. Global Applicant Tracking System Market Analysis - By Deployment Model

6.1 Overview

6.2 Cloud Market

6.3 On-Premise



7. Global Applicant Tracking System Market Analysis - By Copmonent

7.1 Overview

7.2 Solution

7.3 Service



8. Global Applicant Tracking System Market Analysis - By End-User

8.1 Overview

8.2 Bfsi

8.3 It & Telecom

8.4 Manufacturing

8.5 Government

8.6 Retail & Consumer Goods

8.7 Healthcare

8.8 Others



9. Global Applicant Tracking System Market - Geographical Analysis



10. Industry Landscape

10.1 Market Initiative

10.2 Merger And Acquisition

10.3 New Product Development



11. Competitive Landscape

11.1 Competitive Product Mapping

11.2 Market Positioning - Global Top 5 Players Ranking



12. Global Applicant Tracking System Market - Key Company Profiles



ApplicantStack

Oracle Corporation

iCIMS, Inc.

Workable Software Ltd.

Hyrell

Bullhorn, Inc.

ClearCompany

Greenhouse Software, Inc.

Jobvite Inc.

Automatic Data Processing, Inc.

SAP SE

4Talent

Grupo Navent S.R.L

GUPY Tecnologia em Recrutamento LTDA

Kenoby

Pemasys

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/23tl2f/glbal_applicant?w=12

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.
Maria Zakharova stated that in the next few days Kyiv is going to arrange the armed provocation at the contact line

Spokeswoman of Russias Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova claimed that Ukraine prepares armed provocation at the contact line in Donbas for rapid offensive on Mariupol direction with the access to the border with Russia as Interfax reported.

According to the present information, in the next few days Kyiv is going to arrange the armed provocation at the contact line in order, using martial law, which is also imposed in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, to organize the rapid offensive on Mariupol directon to seize (the occupied territories of Donbas,- 112.international) the territories of Azov region and access to the border with Russia, Zakharova said.

According to her, it is planned to use the focused military grouping for the fulfillment of the military tasks; it was reinforced by forces and hardware by the Armed Forces of Ukraine during a few past months.

Only in the period of time from December 1 until December 7, the OSCE observers spotted 190 units of the heavy weapons and hardware banned by the Minsk Agreements beyond established storages, Zakharova stated.

She noted that by design of Kyiv strategists, the sharp escalation is needed as the air by President of Ukraine Poroshenko to try to stop the steadily decreasing rating of his popularity before the elections.

Earlier Poroshenko demanded to urgently create an inter-ministerial coordination body for forming Ukraines claims to Russia.
Officers of Russian Federal Security Service Open source

Russian law enforcers detained Crimean Tatar Edem Bekirov at the entrance to the occupied Crimea from Chonhar, as the Chairman of Mejlis of Crimean Tatars Refat Chubarov wrote on Facebook.

On December 12, 2018 Ukrainian citizen, a Crimean Tatar Edem Bekirov was detained at the entrance to the occupied Crimea. He was born in 1961, he lives in Novooleksiivka, Kherson region. It is known that Edem was heading to Crimea to visit his 78-year-old mother and relatives, the message says.

According to Chubarov, Berkirov was arrested during passport control on the territory controlled by the Russian law enforcers. Later, Chubarov noted that the detainee was taken to Russias Security Service office in annexed Simferopol.

Crimea was annexed by Russia by way of the illegal referendum that was held on the peninsula in March 2014. Earlier, the Russian military captured all strategic military objects and buildings of the key authoritative bodies. Neither Ukraine nor the rest of the civilized countries recognized the results of the referendum. A number of the European and the world countries, including Ukraine, imposed the economic sanctions against Russia.

On October 7, 2015, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has signed the relevant law. International organizations recognized the occupation and annexation of Crimea illegal and condemned Russia's actions. Western countries have introduced a series of economic sanctions. Russia denied the occupation of the peninsula and calls it a "restoration of historical justice."
The general producer of 112 Ukraine TV channel Artem Marchevskyy on the air of political talk show "Ukrainian format" on the TV channel NewsOne spoke about the visit to the European Parliament and the details of the draft resolution on the freedom of the press in Ukraine

The general producer of 112 Ukraine TV channel Artem Marchevskyy on the air of political talk show "Ukrainian format" on the NewsOne TV channel spoke about the visit to the European Parliament and the details of the draft resolution on the freedom of the press in Ukraine.

"Me and my colleague Vasyl Holovanov spent hours on a draft resolution on Freedom of Speech in Ukraine. We spoke to each deputy who signed it, we met, we explained, we showed the documents. We received enormous support - 43 signatories - it's only the beginning, it's just a draft resolution. Then it goes for voting, and I think that we will visit Brussels and Strasbourg more than once to meet with a hundreds deputies or with that number of deputies, which is needed to move this resolution from the stage of project to the stage of debate and voting. And for our government and 229 people's deputies to get politically whipped, the general producer said.

He added that the website of the President Poroshenko states a false number of votes of signatories for protection of 112 TV channels and NewsOne: "More than three weeks ago, the petition for the support of 112 Ukraine TV channels and NewsOne gained more than 25,000 votes, however, the figure on the President's website was completely different - 17,000. And when we, together with the leadership of NewsOne, made official inquiries to the president, 50 votes were automatically added to the president's official list. Currently, the number of signers is 27,179, but the site again has another figure - 23,712 votes."

Artem Marchevsky has officially appealed to the head of the Ukrainian state: "Petro Oleksiyovych (Poroshenko, - 112.international), please, react (to the petition, - 112.international). Let's stop these games and work honestly. People made their choice and the audience made their choice, we are supported within the country. We are supported by the European Parliamentarians. Please, the ball in your field, react."

Recently Marchevsky and Holovanov returned from the European Parliament. There they along with British politician Jonathan Arnott, Germanys representative to the EP Arne Gericke and the representative to the EP from Great Britain Nathan Gill discussed the process of the consideration of the draft resolution On freedom of speech in Ukraine.

*****

112 Ukraine is an informational and analytical TV channel which broadcasts 18,5 hours per day on air and uses modern technologies to be the first channel to provide the unbiased information on important and interesting events going on in Ukraine and in the world. This is mentioned in the respective statement by Artem Marchevskyi, the Chief Producer, and Yehor Benkendorf, Director General of 112 Ukraine.
The number of the dead and wounded is still unknown

Two passenger trains collided in Turkey CNN Turk

Two passenger trains collided in Turkey on December 13. The express train heading from Ankara to Konya, rammed the locomotive of the suburban train, reports CNN Turk.

The accident occurred at 6:30 am local time at the Marsandiz station in the Yenimahalle district. At least two wagons have come down from the rails and dropped over at speeds. On the cars fell part of the overpass, which was pulled down by train.

It is still unknown what caused the accident. Ambulance transports the wounded to nearby hospitals. Emergency services are at the site, Governor of Ankara Vasip Sahin also went there.

Our diplomats found out there were no Ukrainians who suffered in the accident.

As it was reported earlier, 30 car accidents occurred in Kyiv after the deterioration of weather conditions, one person died, one more injured. Drives are called to observe traffic safety regulations, in particular, to keep a distance to the next going car, and not to use a personal car without a particular need.
Earlier it was reported that over the period of Donbas war, the damage done was estimated in $464 million

The President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko Ukraine's Presidental Administration

The European Council will allocate $4,5 million for humanitarian aid for Donbas, as President Poroshenko said during the press conference with Valdis Dombrovskis, Vice-President of the organization. 112 Ukraine broadcasted the event.

The European Council decided to allocate $4,5 million for humanitarian aid for Donbas, This is another result of our meetings, our cooperation. I congratulate the EU, Donbas residents with this important decision to help Ukraine, Donbas, Poroshenko noted.

Earlier it was reported that over the period of Donbas war, the damage done was estimated in $464 million. At the same time, the Deputy Minister of Temporarily Occupied Territories and IDPs Georgiy Tuka believes that for now, nobody knows the actual cost of damage caused in Donbas.
The President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has a meeting with Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, and the leadership of the European Commission, as Svyatoslav Tseholko, the Spokesperson of the Head of the State, wrote on Twitter.

I welcome the adoption of the report on the implementation of the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement. I thank the members of the EP for recognition of Ukraines progress in the European integration reforms since the Revolution of Dignity. There were more of them than over the past years of independence, Petro Poroshenko wrote on Twitter.

Before his flight to Brussels within the session of the European Council, the President announced the aim of his visit: I pay an official visit to Brussels, where some important decisions for Ukraine will be made. I will fight for them to be full of real and specific content.

Poroshenko stated that he would not convince the European partners to prolong and tighten anti-Russian sanctions.

We have to convince them to consider the Azov package, the President said.

According to him, there should be reflected the position on Russias responsibility along with its aggressive actions against Ukraine and an attempt to occupy Azov Sea and Kerch Strait. Poroshenko added that Armed Forces of Ukraine should be enhanced to defeat the aggressor state, international solidarity to Ukraine should be strengthened.

To make the aggressor understand that the more aggressive actions it performs, the more responsibility Russia takes as an aggressor state for such behavior towards our country,  the Head of the State stressed.
Nadia Savchenko states that she cannot be physically present at the court session as she feels bad due to the hunger strike

Open source

Shevchenkivsky District Court of Kyiv has rescheduled the court session in case of MP Nadia Savchenko due to her poor well-being for December 17 as correspondent of 112 Ukraine reported.

The court was postponed as the statement of Nadia Savchenko was received by the court that she cannot be physically present at the court session as she feels bad due to the hunger strike. The judge said that it is impossible to consider the extension of the restrictive measure without Nadia Savchenko according to the procedure so he offered the side of the prosecution to postpone the session, the journalist said.

Besides, the correspondent talked with Nadia's sister, Vira Savchenko. She assures that Nadia feels not really good. Vira did not have the possibility to see her recently but she would come to sister to know how the doctors take care of her.

The restrictive measure for Nadia Savchenko will expire on December 24.

Earlier MP Nadia Savchenko reported that she would stop the dry hunger strike on December 13.

Reportedly, Savchenko underwent a polygraph testing. The Security Service of Ukraine claimed that the psychological forensic examination with the use of the polygraph of MP Nadiya Savchenko confirmed her intentions of committing the coup d'etat, particularly the commitment of the terrorist act in the governmental quarter and the Ukrainian Parliament.

Shevchenkivsky District Court decided on preventive measures for Nadiya Savchenko  detention on custody for two months till May 20, 2018, without a right for bailment. During her speech, she declared a hunger strike. She also noted that she wasnt going to escape Ukraine. Later, Appeal Court enhanced Savchenkos detention until July 14.

Yuriy Lutsenko, Prosecutor General, claimed that he has proof that Savchenko planned an armed coup d'etat, which would have brought to mass civilian casualties. In particular, according to the information of Prosecutor General's office, she planned to shell Kyiv with a grenade launcher. Furthermore, she together with early detained Volodymyr Ruban are suspected of an organization of assassination of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchate will present its candidate for primacy in the local church during the assembly on December 15

The date of the delivery of the Tomos on autocephaly to the future Head of the Local Orthodox Church in Ukraine is announced. The Ecumenical Patriarch will do it on January 6, 2019, in Constantinople. Archbishop Yevstraty (Zorya), the spokesperson of Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchate made such statement as BBC Ukraine reported.

Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchate held its own bishops assembly on December 13 for the preparation to the unification assembly.

Tomos of the Ecumenical Patriarch should be passed to the Primate on January 6, Archbishop Yevstraty said.

He noted that on January 6 in Constantinople the Divine Liturgy should be held, the joint serving of the Ecumenical Patriarch and Primate (of the local church) and then, he will get the Tomos.

Talking about the assembly, the Archbishop noted that the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchate will come to it on December 15. Each of them will take two persons: one cleric and one monk or layperson.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchate will present its candidate for primacy in the local church during the unification assembly.

We have the only offer concerning the candidate, who will be proposed to the assembly, Zorya said.

According to him, the voting at the assembly will be secret.

Archbishop Yevstraty added that the commission of the representatives of Orthodox Churches of Ukraine, which holds the preparation for the unification assembly, has considered the project of the charter of the future local church.

We considered the project charter, which was proposed by Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. We debated, particular things were kept, some things are unchangeable, and some of them were abandoned, he said.

On October 11, the Synodus lifted the anathema from Filaret, head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyivan Patriarchate, and Makariy, Primate of Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. Filaret stated that the United Jubilee Bishops' Council would take place soon to create a unified Ukrainian local church.

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko reported that the unification assembly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church shall take place on December 15. Besides, the Security Service of Ukraine reported that the provocations are prepared before the unification assembly. According to the service, they are prepared by the Russian Federation.
Open source

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) made the unprecedented decision to not admit any complaint prepared by Ukrainian lawyer Natalia Tselovalnychenko for the consideration as European Truth reported citing the court.

It is specified that the court decided to ban Tselovalnychenko to provide aid or to help claimants to the ECHR in the present or future complaints in any way.

The court suspended Tselovalnychenko considering her fraudulent and offensive activity, particularly, there are the obvious signs of the forgery in the number of the documents, which she filed to the court and some of the complaints were filed from the deceased people and the court was not notified about their death, the message said.

This decision is unprecedented for the ECHR, as such a possibility is not provided by the rules of the court.

Natalia Tselovalnychenko is the lawyer from Luhansk, who works in Kyiv now.

She is well-known for her attempt to file lots of complaints to the ECHR against Ukraine due to the combat actions in Donbas. The majority of the complaints prepared with her involvement were rejected as unacceptable.

More than a hundred people appealed to us, who stated that their buildings are destroyed due to the attacks. A person files the copy of the passport with the registration, for example, in Donetsk region and a photo of some destroyed house. What is the connection between them? It is absolutely unknown, ECHR judge Anna Yudkovska explained.

The ECHR got about 3,800 complaints against Ukraine due to the consequences of the Russian aggression as ECHR President Guido Raimondi reported.

He noted that more than half of the complaints connected with the Russian aggression in Crimea and Donbas Conflict. Besides, the court considers five inter-state complaints of Ukraine against Russia.

Meanwhile, only 242 complaints were filed against Russia.

Earlier the ECHR obliged Ukraine to pay $8,400 of compensation to the Chinese man, who was wrongly convicted of murdering a Ukrainian in Kharkiv.
All of them served sentence in jails on the uncontrolled part of Donetsk region

The militants passed 13 convicted to Ukraine on Novotroitske checkpoint. All of them served sentence in jails on the uncontrolled part of Donetsk region, as Ukraines Ombudsman Lyudmyla Denisova wrote on Facebook.

The representatives of the occupation administration on the temporarily occupied territories in Donetsk region passed us 13 convicted who served sentence in prisons on the uncontrolled part of Donbas and gave their criminal cases, Lyudmyla Denisova.

According to Ombudsman Denisova, all the transferred people were convicted before Russian aggression on the East of Ukraine.

It is known that the convicted expressed a desire to continue serving the sentence in Ukraine.

In addition, Denisova noted that they were ready to take all the prisoners from jails in Donetsk region, which would like to serve the sentence in Ukraine.
MELBOURNE, Australia, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cynata Therapeutics Limited (ASX: CYP), a clinical-stage biotechnology company specialising in cell therapeutics, is pleased to announce that the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has approved a grant to fund a Phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate Cynatas Cymerus mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a treatment for osteoarthritis.



Key Highlights

448-patient Phase 2 clinical trial in osteoarthritis expected to commence in 2H 2019 Costs of trial substantially funded by NHMRC; no cash contribution from Cynata Cynata to supply Cymerus MSCs to facilitate the trial

This trial will be one of the largest MSC trials ever run, representing a breakthrough achievement for Cynata and showcasing its capacity to produce MSCs at scale

Cynata retains full commercial rights to the use of Cymerus MSCs in osteoarthritis, representing a market opportunity forecast to be worth US$11.6 billion globally by 2025

Osteoarthritis becomes the third Phase 2 indication for Cynata, highlighting demand for the companys Cymerus MSCs in multiple indications

Trial will take place in Sydney and Tasmania, and will be managed by a world-class clinical team led by Professor David Hunter of the University of Sydney

Dr Kilian Kelly, Cynatas Vice President, Product Development, said:

This clinical trial in patients with osteoarthritis is a very significant milestone for the Cymerus platform, as it will be the largest clinical trial to date with Cymerus MSCs. The trial will provide Cynata with an enormous amount of clinical data in a very large commercial opportunity. In fact, it will be among the largest clinical trials ever conducted with MSCs from any source. With an enormous unmet need for disease-modifying agents in osteoarthritis, we are excited to explore the potential role of Cymerus MSCs in improving the quality of these patients lives.

Clinical Trial Overview

The aim of the Phase 2 clinical trial is to assess the effect of Cymerus MSCs compared to placebo on clinical outcomes and knee joint structure over a two-year period, in 448 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.

Preclinical research has shown that MSCs can exert a number of important effects that may improve outcomes in patients with osteoarthritis, including release of cytokines and growth factors that reduce inflammation and promote tissue repair, new blood vessel formation, and regeneration of compromised cartilage.

The trial will be led by Professor David Hunter, Florance and Cope Chair of Rheumatology, Chair of the Institute of Bone and Joint Research and Professor of Medicine at the University of Sydney. Professor Hunter has been Chief Investigator of numerous clinical trials in osteoarthritis. He has more than 450 publications in high-impact journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association and British Medical Journal.

The research team also includes Professor Changhai Ding (University of Tasmania), Professor Stefan Lohmander (Lund University, Sweden), Dr Rachel O'Connell (University of Sydney) and Dr Xia Wang (University of Sydney), as well as numerous associate investigators.

The conduct of the clinical trial will be funded by an NHMRC project grant, in addition to in-kind contributions from participating institutions. Cynata will supply Cymerus MSCs for use in the trial, subject to ethics/regulatory approval, and execution of a satisfactory material transfer agreement with the University of Sydney. Cynata will not be required to contribute any cash to fund the project. The trial will take place in Sydney and Tasmania, with the first patients expected to be treated in the second half of 2019.

Professor Hunter commented, We are delighted that the NHMRC reviewers recognised the value of this trial, given that a very small proportion of clinical trial project grant applications are successful. If Cymerus MSCs are found to improve symptoms and knee joint-structure in this trial, it would have a substantial and immediate impact on osteoarthritis management worldwide, with major implications for reducing the osteoarthritis disease burden. We very much look forward to the commencement of the trial next year.

About Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a chronic joint disease that causes pain and disability, and that affects around two million Australians and 30 million people in the USA. With no cure and an aging population, it is estimated that the incidence of osteoarthritis will increase by more than 50% in the next 15 years. Market research estimates that the resulting global osteoarthritis treatment market is expected to grow from a value of US$8.0 billion in 2018 to US$11.6 billion by 20251.

CONTACTS:

Dr Ross Macdonald, CEO, Cynata Therapeutics, +61 (0)412 119343, ross.macdonald@cynata.com

Rosa Smith, Australia Media Contact, +61 (0) 475 305 047, rosa.smith@mcpartners.com.au

Annie Starr, U.S. Media Contact, +1 973.768.2170 , astarr@6degreespr.com

About Cynata Therapeutics (ASX: CYP)

Cynata Therapeutics Limited (ASX: CYP) is an Australian clinical-stage stem cell and regenerative medicine company focused on the development of therapies based on Cymerus, a proprietary therapeutic stem cell platform technology. Cymerus overcomes the challenges of other production methods by using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and a precursor cell known as mesenchymoangioblast (MCA) to achieve economic manufacture of cell therapy products, including mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), at commercial scale and without the limitation of multiple donors.

Cynatas lead product candidate CYP-001 met all clinical endpoints and demonstrated positive safety and efficacy data for the treatment of steroid-resistant acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) in a Phase 1 trial. Cynata plans to advance its Cymerus MSCs into Phase 2 trials for GvHD and critical limb ischemia. In addition, Cynata has demonstrated utility of its Cymerus MSC technology in preclinical models of asthma, critical limb ischemia, diabetic wounds, heart attack and cytokine release syndrome, a life-threatening condition stemming from cancer immunotherapy.

1 Persistence Market Research 2018 research report: "Osteoarthritis Treatment Market: Global Industry Analysis (2012-2016) and Forecast (2017-2025)."
The session of the IMF Board of Directors is planned for December 18

Yakiv Smoliy, Head of the National Bank of Ukraine NBU

The National Bank of Ukraine expects for the positive decision of the Board of Directors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the continuation of the cooperation with Ukraine and supply of the first tranche within new stand-by program until December 25. Yakiv Smol,y, the Head of the NBU, made such statement as Interfax-Ukraine reported.

The session of the IMF Board of Directors is planned for Tuesday, December 18, during which the Ukrainian issue will be considered. We expect the positive decision on the stand-by program instead of the current EFF program and expect that the next tranche will be supplied after the decision until the Christmas (December 25), Smoliy said.

Earlier it was reported that Ukraine can get new tranche until the end of the year. It is supposed that its sum will make $1.5 billion.

October 19, the Government adopted the decision on the gas price increase by 23.5 percent from November 1. Within one hour after the relevant decision of the Cabinet of Ministers, a statement appeared on the website of IMF that Ukraine and the Fund reached an agreement on a new 14-months-long support program of economic policy Stand-By Arrangement (SBA), which is supposed to replace the Extended Fund Facility (EFF), which is adopted in March 2015 and expires in March 2019.

Related: Martial law seen no obstacle to IMF aid for Kyiv: Ukraine update

The Monetary Fund expects that the IMF Council will adopt the program by the end of 2018 under the condition that Ukraine fulfills all agreements. That includes the adoption of the state budget by the Ukrainian Parliament, which corresponds to the recommendations of the Fund.

The credit program for Ukraine in the amount of $17.01 billion was approved by the IMF at the end of April 2014, and the first tranche of Stand-By Arrangement loan in the amount of $ 3.19 billion was granted in early May.

Related: All funds of IMF tranche to go to reserves of National Bank, - Finance Minister

In March 2015, the Board of Directors of the International Monetary Fund approved the allocation of $ 17.5 billion to Ukraine under the 4-year EFF (Extended Fund Facility) program instead of the SBA program.

The SBA program has been replaced by the Extended Fund Facility due to the longer need of the balance of payments of Ukraine.
Open source

Ukraines Security Service has documented the intentions to organize provocations in Kyiv and other regions of Ukraine before and at the time of Unification Assembly and creation of Ukrainian Orthodox church. Viktor Kononenko, the deputy head of Security Service reported during the briefing, broadcasted by the 112 Ukraine TV channel.

Last November a person Yuriy approached a resident of Kyiv, who used to participate in different rallies of various political forces. Yuriy presented himself as an Anti-Maidan activist, who is hiding out in Moscow. He offered to organize protests in Kyiv. He offered to meet on November 26 in Minsk, but in the capital of Belarus, however, when in Belarus the venue was moved to Moscow, where the negotiations actually took place. Yuriy offered to hold protests on the territory of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra against Tomos for Ukraine and creation of the united local Orthodox church, reads the message.

According to Kononenko, 5000 dollars were given out in cash to implement the intentions.

The instructions were provided, there was a need to buy a new cell phone and a sim card to have a close communication channel with Yuriy and to contact one of the priests of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra who was to coordinate the activity of our informers from inside. It was under our control already, the organizer of the protest contacted Yuriy, who said that a priest called Pavel shall be the coordinator of the future protest in Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. It was it was found that this was actually a vicar of the LAvra Metropolitan Pavlo, Kononenko added.

It is noted that on December 8 in accordance to the instruction by the Russian side a meeting with Metropolitan Pavlo took place who voiced the password and invited the organizers into his cabinet and held a talk with them.

on December 10 the ordering party named the dates to hold the protests, specifically  December 13, i.e. today, and December 14, 2018 at 12:00 on the territory of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra during the religious service. Having received the information we decided to terminate the operation and bring the results to the public, Kononenko underlined.

The deputy head of the security agency noted that there are no grounds for detention of the priest Pavlo yet.

Its not enough to serve him with charge papers, but we work in this direction. Metrolpolitan Pavlo shall be questioned in the frames of this criminal proceeding, Viktor Kononenko summed up.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchate struggled for the autocephaly since the country gained independence in 1991. For his firm stance in this regard, Patriarch Filaret, the current leader of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchate, was stripped of his orders in 1992, as the Russian Orthodox Church imposed the anathema on him. On October 11, the Synodus lifted the anathema from Filaret, head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyivan Patriarchate, and Makariy, Primate of Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. This decision, and the subsequent decision to grant Ukraine Tomos outraged the Russian Orthodox Church, which already promised 'a tough and decisive response.'

On Thursday, November 29, the Synodus of Ecumenical Patriarchate released a communique about the preliminary draft project of the statute of the future Ukrainian Church.

Thus the unification assembly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church shall take place on December 15.

Metropolitan Emmanuel of France to chair Unification Assembly of Ukrainian Orthodox church on December 15 in Kyiv
This is due to the fact that he law On the breach of Ukraine-Russia Friendship Treaty came into force

Open source

Ukraines Central Election Commission ceases cooperation with the Russian Central Electoral Commission, as the law On the breach of Ukraine-Russia Friendship Treaty came into force, as the press office of Ukraines Central Election Commission informed.

As the law On the breach of Ukraine-Russia Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership comes into force on December 12, 2018. The Central Election Commission reports on termination of the Protocol of cooperation with Russian Central Election Commission of Russia and the one of Ukraine, signed on February 24, 2000, which exempts the Commission from the commitments on its implementation, the message says.

On September 21, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine sent a note to Russia on the non-renewal of the Treaty of friendship, cooperation, and partnership.

November 10, President Petro Poroshenko signed a law on the termination of Russian-Ukrainian Friendship Treaty from April 1, 2019.

Earlier, Ukraine's service for foreign intelligence began the official procedure of withdrawal from the CIS Agreement on Cooperation of Intelligence and Security Services. The press office of the Ukrainian authority reported that on Tuesday evening.

The original agreement was signed in 1992.

'The part of Ukrainian intelligence in this agreement, standing next to the Russian special services is an absurd thing, taking into account the armed aggression of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, which lasts for more than four years now', the Ukrainian authority states.
According to the consuls, the sailors are doing well and hope to come back home soon

The Ukrainian consuls visited Ukrainian POWs detained in Kerch Strait, as Lyudmyla Denisova wrote on Facebook.

I received information from our consuls from the Embassy in Moscow. Today, they have finished the process of visiting the Ukrainian sailors detained by the Russian aggressor, in particular  Andriy Shevchenko, Volodymyr Varymez, Seriy Chybula, Yuriy Budzylo, and Andriy Drach. According to the consuls, the guys are brave, they hope to come back home soon and they know that Ukraine and the international community does everything possible for that, Denisova wrote.

She added that the consuls will call all the representatives of the families and tell them the details of the visits.

As we reported earlier, the coast guard ships of the Russian Navy acted aggressively against the ships of the Ukrainian Navy, which have been carrying out a scheduled transition from Odesa port to Mariupol port in the Sea of Azov.

Related: Detained Ukrainian sailors write letters from Russian prison

Today, November 25, the ships of the Ukrainian Navy with two armored gunboats and a sea mule tugboat have been carrying out a scheduled transition from Odesa port to Mariupol port in the Sea of Azov. The intention to make the transition was informed in advance in accordance with international standards in order to ensure the safety of navigation. However, contrary to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Treaty between Ukraine and the Russian Federation on cooperation in the use of the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait, the Russian coast guard ships - Sobol class patrol boat, Don border guard cruiser, Mangust class patrol boat and Suzdalets anti-submarine warfare ship performed blatantly aggressive acts against the ships of the Ukrainian Navy, reads the message.

Related: Merkel urges Putin to release Ukrainian sailors

It is specified that Don border guard cruiser rammed the Ukrainian armored artillery boat, which led to the damage of the main engine, planting and accommodation rail, life float is lost. The Ukrainian Navy states that "the dispatcher service of the occupiers refuses to ensure the right of freedom of navigation, guaranteed by international agreements.

The Ukrainian Navy states that "the dispatcher service of the occupiers refuses to ensure the right of freedom of navigation, guaranteed by international agreements." Thus, according to the Ukrainian side, Russia has once again demonstrated its aggressive nature and complete disregard for the norms of international law.

Related: All captured Ukrainian sailors enjoy legal support, - ombudswoman

Related video:

Ukraine news on 112.international
Rob M.

As I write this, I'm sipping apple cider and waiting to see if the final 2018 Farm Bill passes. It includes wording that will distinguish between marijuana and industrial hemp, removing the latter from the list of controlled substances.

The 2014 Farm Bill defined hemp as cannabis with less than 0.3 percent THC. It made farming and studying hemp through university agricultural programs legal. The new bill will remove it from the list of scheduled substances permanently.

The Farm Bill gets renewed every five years or so and determines the US Department of Agriculture's policies on farming and nutritional programs. This year's version is expected to be signed any time now, and those who care have been waiting on pins and needles. Sen. Mitch McConnell got everyone worked up when he said language was being included in the bill that would remove hemp from the list of federally controlled substances. Last week he told reporters that House and Senate agriculture committee leaders from both parties had reached an agreement and were almost ready to sign it.

Hemp hasn't been legal in America since the early 20th century, and opening the doors now will completely change the face of farming in the US. It will also green light the budding CBD industry which has been plagued by a strange legal nebulousness (more on that later).

Meanwhile, true to form, New Mexico has once again proven that it will always show up late to the party.

See: Last month the New Mexico State University regents finally approved regulations for hemp cultivation across the state. Last year, Gov. Susana Martinez vetoed a couple of bills that would have legalized regulated industrial hemp cultivation for research purposes. But the state Supreme Court ruled against the vetoes in August 2017, saying Martinez had violated state law and failed to give adequate reasoning.

Yet even with the law in place, it took over a year for the Department of Agriculture to finally begin taking public comment on hemp cultivation regulations. That was back in October, and they've only now approved the damn things.

Under the new rules, an individual or organization will apply annually for a grower's license from the agriculture department. Department of Agriculture inspection parameters were also set. All licensing fees and testing are to be paid for by the growers. The proposal was approved unanimously by the three NMSU regents present during the Nov. 29 meeting. The Board of Regents oversees the Agricultural Department under state constitution.

NMSU Chancellor Dan Arvizu said the university plans to work with private investors on production and marketing strategies, with an eye on studying how to reduce investment risks inherent to the crop. And NMSU President John Floros told the Albuquerque Journal that the university is perfectly positioned to help in this industry by throwing researchers from various fields at hemp research.

The new regulations go into effect Dec. 11.

(But what's irritating to your humble asshole reporter is that the federal pathways for states to develop industrial hemp research programs have been open since the 2014 Farm Bill was signed, and 42 states decided to take them up on the offer. While others already have functioning hemp pilot programs up and running, we're only just getting our feet movingnow, on the eve of federal legalization. I'd applaud sarcastically but I'm just too tired.)

CBD Wins

Now the Farm Bill will turn hemp into a major money-making crop for the US, and we're bound to see some industries change how they do business once the product is more readily available. How it will affect the paper, plastics and textile industries is pretty obvious. Hemp is a much lighter, cheaper and more durable material than those currently being used in these corners, and it will likely bring production costs down and introduce new strategies in most of them, too.

But another exciting thing to see will be the effect it has on the burgeoning CBD market. CBD is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid and has been touted as a new miracle drug. The only problem is it comes from cannabis and hemp, which are considered the same thing legally. Yes, every one of those CBD shops you went holiday shopping in last week are selling a drug that is illegal federally. But according to a report by the Brightfield Groupdespite the legal weirdnessthe CBD industry is running strong and is projected to grow 40 times its current size by 2022.

Once the Farm Bill legalizes hemp, though, those projections are almost certainly going to rise. Since CBD is a compound that has to be isolated from the plant, the THC percentage of the plant doesn't matter, meaning hemp is a perfectly viable source. Most of the CBD on the market is hemp-derived anyway, since a lot of these companies are totally confused about the laws and think the ban only applies to cannabis-derived CBD (it doesn't).

But it will after this bill is signed. With the removal of hemp from the list of Schedule I controlled substances, CBD will finally be completely legal to sell (although it will still lack FDA approval). Just think: If the CBD industry is flourishing under a federal banwith investors having to fear that their money will disappear and the DEA will kick in their doorhow much better will it do in the free market? Happy holidays, indeed.
The Abolition of War Requires New Thoughts, Words...

PLEASE NOTE!

Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate!

All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited!

(One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!)
The term auteur, in simplest terms, refers to a filmmaker who writes and directs their own works. In broader terms, it defines a filmmaker whose personal style and control over a particular project is unmistakable. Alfred Hitchcock, Woody Allen, Stanley Kubrick and Wes Anderson are just a few examples of Hollywood auteurs, directors whose entire body of work bears the stamp of a singular, instantly recognizable creative mind. Over the course of a mere four films (Dogtooth, Alps, The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer) Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos has established himself as one of the 21st centurys most identifiable auteurs. All his films are limned in the same borderline surreal tone and absurdist black humor. At the same time, its difficult to draw a narrative line between his films, which veer from Charlie Kaufman-inspired drama (Alps) to Franz Kafka-esque comedies (The Lobster) to Steven King-like horror thrillers (The Killing of a Sacred Deer). Adding further to the subjective scrum is Lanthimos latest, a more-or-less straightforward costume comedy-drama about the British royalty.

Though The Favourite clocks in as Lanthimos most accessible film, that doesnt mean its your standard, BBC-approved history lesson. Set in early 18th-century England, the film takes us to the court of Queen Anne (played by longtime British actress Olivia Colman from The Crown, Peep Show and Broadchurch). Sickly and sour-faced, the Queen spends more time hiding in her bedroom than ruling over her country. Her manic-depressive moods are mitigated by her best friend, close companion and trusted advisor Lady Sarah (the always-welcome Rachel Weisz, who appeared with Colman in Lanthimos oddball romantic fantasy The Lobster).

Seen from the point of view of a dispassionate observer, its evident that Lady Sarah is a master manipulator, steering the Queens thoughts toward her own personal benefit. Lady Sarahs husband is a military commander, currently off fighting the French. Despite the fact that the war is bankrupting the country, Lady Sarah is constantly pushing Anne to pump more money into the military. Its a direct assist to Sarahs family fortunesand as a side benefit, Sarahs husband could end up killed in battle, leaving her a wealthy widow.

Lady Sarahs talons run deep. In time it becomes clear that she and the Queen arent just BFFs. Theyre also longtime lovers. Its a secret, of course, that remains locked firmly behind closed doors. But its also a hint that maybe Sarah does have a heart after all. Her relationship with the Queen is occasionally quite touching and honest. Deep down, maybe she really does love Anne. Or not.

Lady Sarahs life of secretive trysts and self-serving advice are threatened when her distant cousin Abigail (Emma Stone) shows up at the palace. Poor Abigail has had a rough life. Her drunken father gambled away the family fortune. Now destitute, Abigail has arrived at the palace to beg her cousin for a job. Sensing a threat to her long con, Lady Sarah banishes Abigail to the palace kitchen. But Abigail proves to be as astute a social climber as her cousin. She quickly ingratiates herself to Queen Anne and is soon on her way to replacing Sarah as the Queens favourite.

The Favourite shares shelf space with Stephen Frears 1988 adaptation of Choderlos de Laclos Dangerous Liaisons. Though both films share a witty and wicked appreciation of courtly intrigue, The Favourite takes it a step further. As Sarah and Abigail go to war with one another over the attentions and favors of the increasingly feeble Queen, their backstabbing goes from politely mean to violently nasty real quick.

The films three-way power struggle is a juicy, soap opera-worthy one. But its hard to find someone to root for here. Anne, played with impressive bipolar energy by Colman, is petty and childlike. Sarah is an unapologetically devious maneater (and womaneater). And Abigail, though initially sympathetic, takes to Sarahs world of self-serving avarice like a duck to water, becoming increasingly awful as the winner-takes-all battle wears on. This savage trio is a wonder to behold. The talented actresses behind it are obviously going at one another with relish and brio. Their command of the film leaves their male costars in the dust. (With the possible exception of Nicholas Hoult, who provides a beautifully catty counterpoint to the ladies as the Earl of Oxford, leader of the Loyal Opposition.)

The lush settings (shot primarily at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire) do provide a delicious, baroque counterpoint to all the bad behavior. Lanthimos lenses many of his shots in fish-eye, spinning and circling his camera around the tight chambers like a goggle-eyed observer. Its one of his few surreal touches, other than the occasional hint of Fellini-esque debauchery and the films dark and multilayered final shot. Its a major improvement over the somnambulant and seemingly pointless art house horror of The Killing of a Sacred Deer. The Favourite has energy to burn. To reiterate, however, that does not mean The Favourite will be the average anglophiles cup of tea. Its loopy, long-winded and devolves into increasingly misanthropic spirals. But the wonderfully deadpan humor, scabrous assessment of female power dynamics and well-played lesbian twist on it all further cement Mr. Lanthimos reputation as an auteur to watch.
PRINT | EMAIL | PERMALINK Weekly Specials Rail Yards Market If you didnt know that the holidays are coming up, this weekends events will certainly remind you. Apparently all food consumption must be holiday-themed throughout December, so lean in and reach for another slice of pumpkin pie, amigos. Carbs help you stay warm through the winter, you know.

Adobe Gingerbread Houses at Bosque Brewing Another event involving cookies and beer? Yes! Because its been a long year and we all deserve some sugar. Bosque Brewing Nob Hill (106 Girard Blvd SE) is hosting a gingerbread house building event on Thursday, Dec. 13, for you and the little ones to build a very New Mexican holiday tradition. Each flat-roofed house kit comes ready with a miniature chile ristra, luminarias and other candies to decorate your work of art. There are two separate seatings at 6pm and 8pm, and tickets are $30 each or buy 3, get 1 free. Check out moonlightmakes.com to buy tickets. View in Alibi calendar

Rail Yards Holiday Market If youve been missing the Rail Yards Market as much as I have, then youll be excited to hear that their holiday market is this weekendand theyve extended it to three days this time. Friday through Sunday, the Rail Yards (777 First Street SW) will once again be bustling with farmers and bakers and makers of all sorts selling their wares, and you ought to be there to get some locally made goodies for all those on your gift list. The market goes from noon to 4pm each day, and you can be sure there will be plenty of coffee, apple cider and hot cocoa to keep you warm while you shop. If the lovely people from Red Tractor Farm happen to be there, youd better get some of their apricot lavender jam before I buy all of it. View in Alibi calendar
Rosebar

Its obvious that we value some foods more than others. Historically, this value system has been based largely on scarcity, nutritional content and even the trendiness of certain foods. But how does the labor that goes into food factor into its value?

At 516 ARTS current exhibit, Currency: What do you value?, artists are exploring why we value the things we do, and how those value systems might be skewed. How do materialism and corporate interests take precedence over human and environmental concerns? asks Josie Lopez, the curator of the exhibit, How do debt and money impact art and creativity? Creative work often goes undervalued (and underpaid), and only more so in an economy choked by student debt and steadily climbing housing costs. There is another kind of labor that often goes overlooked and taken for granted as well, though: the work that goes into harvesting and preparing our food.

Many of us have seen the recent photos of migrant farmers continuing to work in the fields in California even as wildfires raged nearby, while temperatures and air quality became unlivable. These farmerssome of whom are undocumentedhave limited or no protection or recourse offered to them in times of crisis like this. Many of these workers have been forced to work without respirator masks, and overtime pay for California farmworkers only became mandatory this year. Even farmers who own or manage their own land face difficult financial decisions on a regular basis: Access to affordable land is the number one challenge faced by farmers, according to a report by the National Young Farmers Coalition.

And agriculture isnt the only kind of food-related labor thats often undervalued. Restaurant kitchen and service industry workers often face brutally long shifts, unsafe working conditions and environments of assault. Again, it is usually the migrant and undocumented workers who are the most taken advantage of in restaurant kitchens.

This is the labor that 516 ARTS wants to bring attention to in a catered lunch series theyre hosting on Thursday and Friday, Dec. 13 and 14 as a part of the Currency exhibit. Long tables will fill the entryway at 516, where visitors can buy a $12 lunch and eat together in the middle of the exhibit. The lunch, which is catered by Rosebar, a small farm-to-table catering company, will highlight some of the foods that have historically been used as currency such as potatoes, butter and eggs, with an emphasis on eating local, says Suzanne Sbarge, the Executive Director at 516 ARTS. Lunch is served starting at 11:30am each day until supplies run out.

Though they farm in the South Valley and source from other local farmers in their cooking, We dont cook New Mexican food, says Marjory Sweet, one half of the farm and catering duo Rosebar. Rosebars food can best be described as simple, approachable and brightthey prepare many vegetable-forward dishes with colorful, acidic sauces, homemade breads and savory and sweet pastries. It would be kind of weird if two girls from Maine came here and started serving New Mexican food.  Well leave that to the abuelas who know best. Corinne Fay, the other half of the duo, can personally speak to the financial instability of working in the food service industry. She worked for several years in restaurants in Portland, Maine, where a very seasonal tourism industry makes for a dramatic drop-off in customers in the fall and winterand often layoffs for restaurant staff. It was pretty feast or famine out there, she says.

Having access to nutritious, affordable food is immeasurably important, but its something we often take for granted. If the price of our food were to increase by just three percent, what budget cuts would you have to make in your life to afford the same food you typically buy? What about 15 percent, or 30? If all of our food was produced in a way that adequately compensated the people who make it, these are certainly the kinds of price increases we would see. The questions posed by the Currency exhibit challenge our notions of the imbalances in the economy we live in, and nudge us to examine how our own values are distorted. If people come for the food and end up walking through the exhibit as well (or vice versa), perhaps that speaks to how two undervalued industries can support each other in a harsh economy.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Glance Technologies Inc. (Glance or the Company) (CSE:GET.CN) (OTCQB:GLNNF) (FKT:GJT) is proud to announce that in the almost 2 years since it launched the current version of its proprietary fraud prevention technology, its platform has experienced less than 0.018% of its transactions being fraudulent across all of its live locations (which includes even what is called friendly fraud whereby users mistakenly identify transactions as fraudulent). This represents less than one instance of fraud for every 5,500 transactions. Glance is not aware of any payment firms that have had this level of success with card-not-present transactions, providing an additional key competitive advantage.



We believe payment platforms that can reduce or eliminate fraud will be best positioned to succeed in the long run, said Desmond Griffin, CEO of Glance Technologies. That is why Glance has placed security and anti-fraud technology as its highest priority and at the core of its platform. Our best-in-class performance on security has been an important differentiator that has been key to us signing many of our merchant customers.

Glance Pay has consistently demonstrated a high level of anti-fraud performance while other mobile payment providers have struggled to combat fraud. For example, it was recently reported by the Wall Street Journal that PayPal-owned Venmos transaction loss rate rose to 0.40% of overall Venmo transaction volume in March (which is more than 22 times higher than Glances aforementioned 0.018% performance). According to the Wall Street Journal, in the first three months of 2018, Venmo recorded an operating loss of about $40 million  nearly 40% larger than the loss for which the company had budgeted. Expenses related to fraudulent transactions were reported to be a big factor for these losses.1 The Wall Street Journal article also quoted a PayPal spokeswoman as saying that Venmos loss levels are lower than the overall average for PayPal and compare favorably to the industry.

About Glance Technologies Inc.

Glance Technologies is the owner of Glance Pay and Glance PayMe , a pair of complementary smartphone payment applications that enable merchants to provide their customers with quick secure payments, digital rewards, and a better customer experience.

For more information about Glance, please go to www.glance.tech .

For more information, contact:

Paola Ashton

VP Business Development

855-288-6044

investors@glancepay.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: may, "believe", thinks, "expect", exploring, expand, could, "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", plan, pursue, "potentially", projected, should, will and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. These forward-looking statements, which involve risks and uncertainties, relate to, among other things, the discussion of Glances business strategies and its expectations concerning future operations. Although Glance considers these forward-looking statements to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect, and the forward-looking statements in this release are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Such risk factors include, among other things, risks that Glances software and applications may contain security problems, security vulnerabilities, or defects in design or manufacture, including bugs and other problems that could interfere with the intended operation of its software, and that there have been occurrences of fraud on the Glance Pay platform that are unknown to Glance. The forward-looking information in this press release is also based on certain estimates, forecasts and projections, as well as expectations, beliefs and assumptions, including, among other things, that Glance will be able to achieve its business objectives, and that Glance will be able to continue to have a low rate of fraud on its platform. For additional information with respect to these and other factors and assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements in this press release, see the section entitled Risk Factors in the most recent Annual Information Form and Prospectus of Glance, which may be accessed through Glance's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Glance cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by Glance is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Undue reliance should not be placed on such forward-looking information, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are based will occur.
Eric Williams Photography

From one hand to the next, the Albuquerque City Councils powerful presidents gavel was passed at its Dec. 3 regular meeting. It happens each year during the first meeting of December, kind of like the annual plates of Burque biscochitos beginning to be doled out at homes across the city as the holiday season advances.

Grrrl Power!

This years city leadership is a rosy shade of pink. Councilor Klarissa Pena was unanimously elected to take the gavel from outgoing President Ken Sanchez. Pena, by the way, has a vintage pink Cadillac which she sometimes uses to cruise down Central Avenue legally, thanks to legislation she helped get turned into ordinance. Riding shotgun with the new Council President will be Councilor Cynthia Borrego who secured the Vice President spot over Councilor Diane Gibson by a 6 to 3 vote. Councilor Trudy Jones will be the Chair of the Committee of the Whole, so the women at the table are in charge.

Influencers

Tucked in the consent agenda for this weeks meeting was $158,000 in appropriations for lobbying firms to sway lawmakers in D.C. and Santa Fe toward this town and its many funding needs. To sway lawmakers at the New Mexico Roundhouse, Thompson Consulting, LLC was given a $48,000 annual contract for the next four years. A mysterious company called HROD Inc., dba MMO Partners, out of Washington, D.C., got a four-year annual hit of $90,000 to keep on top of Capital Hill lawmakers. And Thomas J. Horan, Ltd., received $20,000 a year for four years to be a lobbying consultant to the city.

The New Mexico Legislature convenes on January, 15, 2019 for a 60-day session that occurs in odd years; 30-day sessions occur in even numbered years. Up on Capitol Hill, meanwhile, the US House is in session annually about 138 days, and the US Senate about 162 days.

Step Up!

During the last couple of meetings the following citizens were appointed to do some civic duty: Mayra A. Acevedo was appointed to the Early Head Start Program Governance Advisory Committee; Nicholas T. Hart has been assigned to the Labor-Management Board; Emilie M. De Angelis will serve on the Arts Board; Christine J. Weidmann-Wilson has been selected for the Biological Park Board; Matthew C. Loehman will be a member the Americans with Disabilities Act Advisory Council; Amanda L. Somerville has been selected to serve on the Veterans and Military Affairs Advisory Board; Robert E. Walling has been assigned to the Library Advisory Board; Felipe Rael is now a member of the Affordable Housing Committee; Sara Brownstein was appointed to the Early Head Start Program Governance Advisory Committee; Erin Hagenow is now a member of the ABQ Volunteers Advisory Council; Charlene Kalbfell was assigned to the Old Town Portal Market Advisory Board; Diann I Huddleson will be on the Senior Affairs Advisory Council as will Allison Weber; the Council also reappointed Rene Horvath to the Open Space Advisory Board.
Newscity

New Security Measures For Legislative Session

Last week lawmakers in Santa Fe adopted a new set of security rules for the upcoming legislative session, including a ban on some firearms during the first day.

The Albuquerque Journal reports the New Mexico Legislature has adopted a new set of security rules this year, possibly in an attempt to prevent protests during Governor-elect Michelle Lujan Grishams State of the State address. Included in the new rules is a ban on entering the Roundhouse with a rifle on opening day of the 60-day legislative session. The ban does not extend to owners of a license to carry concealed weapons, however, and the ban only lasts for that day.

In past years, gun rights advocates have often been seen carrying weapons openly in the Roundhouse during legislative sessions as political statements, but tensions are higher this year as Democrat lawmakers reportedly plan gun control legislation and second amendment activists rally against it. Last week, the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action warned NRA members that anti-gun politicians would be introducing gun control laws and warned that more stringent legislation would follow.

The new security rules will also ban large signs and enforce bag checks on the first day of the session, which begins Jan. 15 of next year.
Via Facebook

Akhil Abbas will be the new state represtentative in this citys district 20 of the N.M. House of Representatives.

Following an automatic recount of this very close election in the Northeast Heights, Abbas beat Republican Jim Dineswho exits the position after a term that begain in 2016by a mere 114 votes to become the first member of the Muslim faith in the New Mexico Roundhouse.

Weekly Alibi spoke with Representative-elect Abbas early this morning as he took the Railrunner to Santa Fe. Abbas was upbeat and looking forward to his tenure.

Weekly Alibi: Hello, how are you doing?

Akhil Abbas: I am fine August and on the train to Santa Fe!

So, briefly recap the latest from District 20, please.

So the recount happened. Before the recount, I was ahead by 115 votes. The recount is an amazing process. I applaud Maggie Toulouse Oliver, our Secretary of State as well as our county clerk, Linda Stover, for engaging such a transparent process. Anyway, out of about 11,700 votes, my count went down to 114 votes. So, I won. I am thoroughly impressed by the system that is in place.

So, your election to the New Mexico House has been certified by the Secretary of State?

I believe it has. That happened on Monday. The Canvassing Board has certified the election in District 20.

Awesome!

Yes, Im getting ready to start my legislative term; Im going up to Santa Fe to meet other legislators. The group of freshmen representatives is a very close-knit group. We have and we will frequently consult each other to exchange ideas. Thats going very well. I need to get to know the Legislative Finance Commitee. All of these are folks who will support me in indroducing bills, discussing ideas surrounding legislation.

What would you like to tell your constituents?

Of course, thank you for having faith in me and for supporting my candidacy. My focus will be on the district and the challenges it has. I will be working with neighborhood associations and community leadersas well as City Councilor Don Harristo see how we can address the challenges in my district.

Well, Mr. Abbas, congratulations!

Id also like to thank my campaign manager and team. These guys put their heart and soul into this effort. We pulled off an amazing victory that few expected.
CALGARY, Alberta, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Crown Point Energy Inc. (TSX-V:CWV) ("Crown Point" or the "Company") announces that a decision has been released by the arbitration tribunal (the "Tribunal") formed to consider the claims made by Roch S.A. ("Roch") in respect of the Company's acquisition of Apco Austral S.A. ("Apco Austral").



Background Regarding Acquisition of Apco Austral and Related Litigation and Arbitration

On June 7, 2018, the Company closed the acquisition (the "Acquisition") of all of the issued and outstanding shares of Apco Austral from Pluspetrol Resources Corporation ("Pluspetrol") for US$28.4 million of cash consideration plus up to US$9 million of contingent royalty payments. Apco Austral holds a 25.7796% participating interest in the Rio Cullen, Las Violetas and La Angostura hydrocarbon exploitation concessions located in the Tierra del Fuego region of the Austral basin in southern Argentina (the "TDF Concessions"). Following the completion of the Acquisition, Crown Point holds a 51.56% participating interest in the TDF Concessions. The Acquisition doubled Crown Point's reserves and production.

Pursuant to the joint venture agreement governing the TDF Concessions (the "UTE Agreement"), Crown Point's and Apco Austral's partners in the TDF Concessions (each an "UTE Partner") had a right of first refusal ("ROFR") that allowed them to participate in the Acquisition at a level that was equivalent to their participating interest in the TDF Concessions. Roch, one of the UTE Partners, disputed the validity of the ROFR notices issued by Pluspetrol to the UTE Partners and obtained an injunction (the "Injunction") from an Argentine court prohibiting Pluspetrol from selling the shares of Apco Austral to the Company. Both Pluspetrol and the Company successfully challenged the Injunction and the Argentine court ordered that the Injunction be revoked and that instead Roch's claim be recorded in Apco Austral's share registers to give notice of the claim to potential purchasers (a legal remedy known as "lis pendens" in Argentina) (the "Lis Pendens Remedy"). However, Roch immediately appealed this decision to an Argentine Court of Appeal, which had the effect of reinstating the lower court's initial decision (which kept the Injunction in place). The Argentine Court of Appeal subsequently rejected Roch's appeal, with the result that the lower court's decision to revoke the original Injunction and impose the Lis Pendens Remedy was restored. Roch did not appeal the Court of Appeal's decision by the applicable deadline, with the result that the Injunction was permanently revoked and the Lis Pendens Remedy remains in effect.

During the course of the ROFR litigation described above, Roch also commenced arbitration proceedings against Apco Austral and Pluspetrol under the UTE Agreement (the "Arbitration") in order to have the Tribunal consider and rule on the ROFR dispute. Pluspetrol has provided certain indemnities to the Company in connection with the Arbitration proceedings.

Arbitration Tribunal's Decision

The Tribunal has now released its written decision (the "Arbitral Award"), in which it has made, among other things, the following conclusions and declarations:

The Tribunal has determined that the Acquisition involved the indirect transfer of Apco Austral's participating interest in the TDF Concessions and that Apco Austral and Pluspetrol failed to properly comply with the procedures set out in the UTE Agreement that must be complied with in order for Roch to exercise its ROFR.



As a result, the Tribunal has concluded that Roch was not required to respond to the ROFR notice provided to it by Apco Austral and Pluspetrol by the applicable deadline, and that Roch's ROFR has not been extinguished.



The Tribunal has ordered Apco Austral and Pluspetrol to comply with the provisions of the UTE Agreement that grant a ROFR to Roch and the other UTE Partners to acquire their respective pro rata portions of Apco Austral's participating interest in the TDF Concessions. Apco Austral and Pluspetrol are required to commence the ROFR process by January 18, 2019. The Arbitral Award provides that the ROFR notices must otherwise comply with all of the requirements of the ROFR provisions of the UTE Agreement.

Crown Point is reviewing the Arbitral Award with counsel in order to, among other things, assess the alternatives available to Apco Austral and determine how the Arbitral Award would be implemented in light of the fact that, among other things, the Acquisition closed over six months ago and involved the acquisition of the shares of Apco Austral rather than the direct acquisition of Apco Austral's interest in the TDF Concessions. Crown Point will provide further updates regarding any material developments relating to the Arbitral Award and the Company's response thereto as they arise.

Website: www.crownpointenergy.com

About Crown Point

Crown Point Energy Inc. is an international oil and gas exploration and development company headquartered in Calgary, Canada, incorporated in Canada, trading on the TSX Venture Exchange and operating in South America. Crown Points exploration and development activities are focused in two of the largest producing basins in Argentina, the Austral basin in the province of Tierra del Fuego and the Neuquen basin, in the province of Mendoza. Crown Point has a strategy that focuses on establishing a portfolio of producing properties, plus production enhancement and exploration opportunities to provide a basis for future growth.

Advisories



Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information regarding Crown Point set forth in this document may constitute forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. The forward-looking information is based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by Crown Point, including expectations and assumptions concerning Crown Point's ability to rely on the indemnity provided by Pluspetrol in respect of the Arbitration proceedings. Although Crown Point believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking information is based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information because Crown Point can give no assurances that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking information addresses future events and conditions, by its very nature it involves inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. These risks include, without limitation, the possibility that the Company incurs losses or damages in connection with the Arbitral Award that Pluspetrol is not obligated (or refuses) to indemnify the Company for. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Crown Point's actual results, performance or achievement could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements and, accordingly, no assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits that the Company will derive therefrom. Additional information on these and other factors that could affect Crown Points operations and financial results are included in reports on file with Canadian securities regulatory authorities and may be accessed through the SEDAR website ( www.sedar.com ) or Crown Points website (www.crownpointenergy.com). The forward-looking statements contained in this document are made as at the date of this news release and Crown Point does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.




NEW YORK, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via CannabisNewsWire -- CannabisNewsWire ("CNW"), a multifaceted financial news and publishing company, today announces the publication of an editorial featuring Marijuana Company of America, Inc. (OTC: MCOA), a client of CNW that focuses on product research and development of legal hemp-based consumer products containing CBD under the brand name "hempSMART", an affiliate marketing program to promote and sell its products, as well as leasing of real property and expansion of business into ancillary areas of the legalized cannabis and hemp industry.



To view the full publication, titled Political Breakthrough Heralds the End of the Prohibition on Hemp, visit: http://cnw.fm/vQ9t8

The anticipated legislative changes may lead to a new agricultural phenomenon for United States farmers, but it will be far from the first hemp crop in North America. Aside from the pilot projects in the United States, more liberal legislation in Canada has allowed farmers to get a head start on hemp production. For MCOA, this has meant pursuing profitable crops and supporting farmers on both sides of the border.

The companys U.S. project at Scio, Ore., is earlier in its development and proportionally smaller. The Oregon cultivation benefited from good weather in 2018, extending growing time and leading to an improved harvest. Here, MCOA is already growing hemp with a higher CBD content  6 to 12 percent. Large greenhouses were used to dry out these plants, with staff continuing to learn and refine their drying techniques with each batch.

About Marijuana Company of America Inc.
TORONTO, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Emerita Resources Corp. (the Company or Emerita)(TSX-V: EMO) along with its Spanish joint venture partner, the Aldesa Group (Aldesa), have received all permits required to initiate the exploration program at the jointly owned Plaza Norte Project (the Project) located in Cantabria Region, northern Spain.



The Project was acquired in a public tender process organized by the Direccion General de Industria, Comercio y Consumo -Consejeria de Innovacion, Industria, Turismo y Comercio del Gobierno de Cantabria (the Government of Cantabria, in northern Spain). The Plaza Norte Project is located in the Reocin Basin which hosts the famous Reocin mine, formerly one of the premier zinc producers in Europe, having produced approximately 62 million tonnes grading 11% zinc and 1.0% lead.

Upon completion of the environmental and social licenses, the government ratified the resolution granting a three year exploration permit to Cantabrica del Zinc (CDZ) (Emerita and Aldesas joint venture company). CDZ has initiated negotiations with local land owners to access selected target areas for drilling. CDZ expects to commence the first drilling campaign in Q1, 2019. Presently, geological and geophysical modeling is being conducted in advance of the drilling.

David Gower, P.Geo., CEO of Emerita, commented: We are highly encouraged with the strong support we have received from the government in Cantabria with respect to the Project. A meeting will be held in Santander next week with the President of Cantabria, Miguel Angel Revilla Roiz, and our joint venture partner, Aldesa, to present the Project. The President of Cantabria has publicly expressed support for the Project, demonstrating the strong local support for the Project which is essential for its success. We have also consulted with the municipalities in the Project area and have received their approval.

The process for final granting of the license involved extensive consultation. The 3,600 Ha. of the Plaza Norte Project extends into parts of 6 municipalities, Suances, Reocin, Torrelavega, Santillana del Mar, Cartes and Mazcuerras. To complete the permitting process, the Project was presented to each of the municipalities for public consultation. Once the social license was obtained from the municipalities, the Project was presented to the Regional Environmental Bureau and the Historical and Cultural Heritage Bureau for review, and once all comments were addressed gained their approvals. Receipt of the approvals satisfied the final requirements to allow the Panel responsible for the Public Tender process to finalize the resolution and award the license.

About the Plaza Norte Project

The Plaza Norte Project was identified by Emeritas team after reviewing the historical data gathered during exploration programs mostly carried out by Asturiana de Zinc (Glencore) when the Riocin Mine was in operation. The key points which make Plaza Norte a unique opportunity are:

Proven Historical Mining activity: The Plaza Norte Project is immediately adjacent and hosts the extensions of the Reocin mine which produced approximately 62 million tonnes grading 11% zinc and 1.0% lead (USGS paper: Compilation of Mineral Resource Data for Mississippi Valley-Type and Clastic-Dominated Sediment-Hosted Lead-Zinc Deposits). The region has a strong understanding of the economic benefits associated with a modern mining operation.



The Plaza Norte Project is immediately adjacent and hosts the extensions of the Reocin mine which produced approximately 62 million tonnes grading 11% zinc and 1.0% lead (USGS paper: Compilation of Mineral Resource Data for Mississippi Valley-Type and Clastic-Dominated Sediment-Hosted Lead-Zinc Deposits). The region has a strong understanding of the economic benefits associated with a modern mining operation. Extensive Existing Data Base . Emerita has acquired the historical data base for the Plaza Norte Project which includes more than 300 drill holes (approximately 73,000 meters of drilling) with numerous high grade intercepts such as hole 532  18.96 meters grading 9.72% zinc, Hole SS21  8.20 meters grading 7.05% zinc. A significant number of the drill holes are preserved in well maintained core shacks and also available. Target areas with multiple mineralized diamond drill intercepts have been identified for immediate follow up drilling.



. Emerita has acquired the historical data base for the Plaza Norte Project which includes more than 300 drill holes (approximately 73,000 meters of drilling) with numerous high grade intercepts such as hole 532  18.96 meters grading 9.72% zinc, Hole SS21  8.20 meters grading 7.05% zinc. A significant number of the drill holes are preserved in well maintained core shacks and also available. Target areas with multiple mineralized diamond drill intercepts have been identified for immediate follow up drilling. Strong Spanish Partner Emeritas joint venture partner, Aldesa, is a major Spanish construction and infrastructure firm with international operations. Emerita will be the operator of the Plaza Norte Project.



Emeritas joint venture partner, Aldesa, is a major Spanish construction and infrastructure firm with international operations. Emerita will be the operator of the Plaza Norte Project. Recent legislated revisions to improve permitting process The parliament of Cantabria passed amendments to the law that regulates various land uses in April 2017 and created a solid legal framework intended to promote and attract mining activity in the region.



The parliament of Cantabria passed amendments to the law that regulates various land uses in April 2017 and created a solid legal framework intended to promote and attract mining activity in the region. Political Support and Solid Mining Laws. The rights to the Plaza Norte Project have been granted for an initial three-year term with the option to renew. The government has publicly indicated its support for exploration in the region.

Andalusia Election

Elections were held in the Andalusia Region last week and for the first time since Spain became a democracy, 36 years ago, the ruling socialist party has not been elected in sufficient seats to form the government. It is most likely that the new government will be formed by a coalition of conservative parties. The key issues during the election were corruption, the weak economic performance of the region and disaffection with the Federal Socialist party. Multiple corruption cases have recently been initiated that allege large sums of money were wrongly being paid and in numerous cases represented a willful mishandling of public funds. Economically, Andalusia has performed the weakest in Spain. Health care services, education and other services have been deteriorating and the levels of unemployment are 10 points higher than the Spanish average (Spain unemployment rate 12% in 2017).

Emerita has been engaged in a lengthy law suit relating to corruption charges which has named certain bureaucrats employed by the outgoing Junta in Andalusia related to the Public Tender for the Aznalcollar project. The Company looks forward to meeting with the incoming Government at the appropriate time to discuss the project. Emerita remains committed to acquiring and developing that project in a responsible manner that will benefit the community. During the tender process, Emerita spent approximately $1 million on detailed technical studies amounting to approximately 10,000 pages of data and plans, which included a detailed water program for the development that was signed off by the federal water authority. The Company remains prepared to expedite development of this important project in the region should the case be favorably resolved.

Changes to the Board of Directors

The Company announces that Mr. David Patterson and Mr. Colin Watt have resigned from the Board of Directors, effective immediately. Mr. Patterson and Mr. Watt have been with the Company since its inception. We greatly appreciate the strong contribution they have made to the Company and wish them well in their future endeavours.

Qualified Person

Joaquin Merino is a qualified person as such term is defined in NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information included in this press release and has approved its dissemination.

About Emerita Resources Corp.

Emerita is a natural resource company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties in Europe, with a primary focus on exploring in Spain. The Companys corporate office and technical teams are based in Sevilla, Spain with an administrative office in Toronto, Canada.

For further information, contact:

Joaquin Merino

+34 (628) 1754 66 (Spain)

Helia Bento

+1 416 309 4293 (Toronto)

info@emeritaresources.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, without limitation, statements regarding the Plazas Norte Project, the Companys ability to complete a financing, the mineralization of the Plaza Norte Project, the operation of joint venture company, the support of the local community and governmental authorities, the impact of the new government coalition in Andalusia, the impact of changes to the Companys board of directors, and the Companys future plans. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Emerita, as the case may be, to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, geopolitical and social uncertainties; the actual results of current exploration activities; risks associated with operation in foreign jurisdictions; ability to successfully integrate purchased properties or mining rights awarded; foreign operations risks; and other risks inherent in the mining industry. Although Emerita has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Emerita does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.




MIAMI, FL, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Novus Acquisition and Development, Corp. (OTC Markets: NDEV), through its wholly owned subsidiary WCIG Insurance Services, Inc., is a diversified insurance entity in health, liability, annuity and accident, and, the nations first carrier/aggregator offering a cannabis health plan, today announced its plans to file as an Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) in the State of California.



Novus Cannabis MedPlan had a positive initial teleconference with the California Department of Managed Health Care (CDMH) regarding filing its Cannabis MedPlan as a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO). Additional follow up reviews and evaluations by CDMH beginning as early as January 2019.

Novus as an HMO will expand its breadth as health insurance carrier through its developed network of provider(s) such as:

 Physicians (for example, family doctors that write cannabis recommendations),

 Specialists (for example, oncologists and ophthalmologists that recommend cannabis) and,

 Med facilities (for example, clinics and cannabis dispensaries/cultivators)

Novus Cannabis MedPlan will initiate as an HMO where it will agree to pay cannabis providers specific levels of compensation for a range of services they provide to its patient/members commencing in the State of California. In return for a monthly fee, or premium, patient/members are granted access to providers inside Novus cannabis network at no additional cost.

The value add of this premium structure is three-fold:

 Patients : Reduce healthcare costs with likely reimbursement of cannabis meds and services for patient/members.

 Providers : As an HMO cannabis network providers benefits by supplying them with more patients.

 Employers : Growing interest in Novus Cannabis MedPlan by many Professional Employment Organizations that want to integrate THC and CBD Plans for their client base in an HMO format.

Novus Chief Executive Officer Frank Labrozzi, stated, "This is an unprecedented opportunity for Novus and for the cannabis industry to be permitted by the CDMH to file as an HMO that includes cannabis as a benefits package. Since Novus announced it would begin its business model in an ever-evolving cannabis healthcare landscape, we believe we are seizing an opportunity by disrupting the old healthcare model that pits insurers against providers and instead of working directly with them to offer complete integrated care experience. Novus Cannabis MedPlan is the next generation of healthcare that will do away with the annoyance that many of us have experienced in getting traditional and cannabis related healthcare services.

As progress is made Novus will keep shareholders updated of its filing as it transpires.

About Novus

Novus Acquisition & Development Corp. (NDEV), through its subsidiary WCIG Insurance, provides health insurance and related insurance solutions within the wellness and medical marijuana industries in states where legal programs exist. Novus has developed its infrastructure within many lines of the insurance business such as, health, property & casualty, life, accident and fixed annuities.

Novus medical cannabis benefits package will work as outside developers and will not cultivate, handle, transport grow, extract, dispense, put up for sale, put on the market, vend, deliver, supply, circulate, or trade cannabis or any substances that violate the United States law or the Controlled Substances Act, nor does it intend to do so in the future and will continue to follow state and federal laws. The statements made about specific products have not been evaluated by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. All information provided on these press releases or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other health care professional. Once a push notification is competed the transaction is solely between the state-licensed dispensary and the registered patient.

The state laws are in conflict with the federal Controlled Substances Act. The current administration has effectively stated that it is not an efficient use of resources to direct federal law enforcement agencies to prosecute those lawfully abiding by state designated laws, allowing the use and distribution of medical marijuana. However, there is no guarantee that the current administration, nor any future administration, will not change this policy and decide to enforce the federal laws strongly. Any such change in the federal government's enforcement of current federal laws could cause significant financial changes to Novus Medical Group. While we do not intend to harvest, distribute or sell cannabis or cannabis related products, we may be harmed by a change in enforcement by federal or state governments.

 For more information, please visit: https://bit.ly/2u1NgMh

 For NDEV Financial Filing: https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/NDEV/filings

 Learn How Insurance Companies Are Evaluated: http://bit.ly/2ddIYva

Forward-Looking Statements

This release includes forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and reflects management's current expectations. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations. Some of these factors include: general global economic conditions; general industry and market conditions and growth rates; uncertainty as to whether our strategies and business plans will yield the expected benefits; increasing competition; availability and cost of capital; the ability to identify and develop and achieve commercial success; the level of expenditures necessary to maintain and improve the quality of services; changes in the economy; changes in laws and regulations, includes codes and standards, intellectual property rights, and tax matters; or other matters not anticipated; our ability to secure and maintain strategic relationships and distribution agreements. Novus disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Harrison, NY, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- One Step Vending Corp. (OTC PINK: KOSK), announced today that the Company has begun preparation and delivery of an initial 15 CBD vending machines to be placed inside convenience stores that are joining KOSKs newly established CBD Kiosk network. These partner stores are located throughout the greater New York City metropolitan area and the vending machines to be installed are the Companys branded CBD Kiosks. One CBD Kiosk will be placed prominently inside each partner convenience store.



Delivery and placement of the first 5 of these initial 15 vending machines is anticipated by the end of next week and investors will be kept abreast of installation progress through KOSKs corporate Twitter account (https://twitter.com/OneStepVend). Installation of these initial CBD Kiosks represents the Company officially entering the pre-rollout phase in the greater New York City region for the strategic purpose of influencing other major metropolitan areas and establishing nationwide inroads and presence.

KOSK President David Garfinkel commented: We hope that both investors and consumers can understand our corporate vision to provide far-reaching, easy-access to CBD infused products such as candies, capsules, shots, and other CBD-related products through branded automated vending machines. These first 15 CBD Kiosks are the absolute beginning of the beginning of what we believe will soon evolve into a nationwide rollout. As each CBD Kiosk comes online it will immediately begin generating revenue. Rolling Stone recently projected that the CBD Market will reach $22 Billion dollars annually by 2022. KOSKs goal is to provide such convenient ease-of-access to desirable CBD products that we capture a significant percentage of the explosive CBD market. With the potential of hundreds of CBD Kiosks coming online monthly through our own networks and/or potential franchise relationships we can confidently say to our investors that we believe KOSK is in the right place at the right time. What RedBox is to DVD and BluRay, so KOSKs branded CBD Kiosks may become to CBD products. This is our vision and goal and we are working diligently to achieve it.

Investors are warmly invited to reach out to the Company and/or corporate IR with questions or feedback.

One Step Vending Corp., corporate website: http://www.onestepvending.com

Please follow us on twitter: https://twitter.com/OneStepVend

About One Step Vending Corporation

One Step Vending Corp. is a holding company focused on the acquisition of market-changing and disruptive business models. The Company supports subsidiaries with key financial, sales, marketing, and operational changes designed to accelerate growth and shareholder value. The Company has prioritized the development of Micro-Markets which are displacing vending machines with a small convenience store in thousands of offices across the Country, this transition will change the $7 billion vending industry by igniting growth in revenues and delivering fresher high-value products to meet new consumer demand. For more information visit: http://www.onestepvending.com

About Sofos CBD Inc.

Sofos CBD Inc. is currently developing the www.cbdkiosks.com, a hemp specialized market platform, aimed to provide various cannabinoid-infused products made in the United States, through collaboration with breakthrough companies in the field and specially designed products under its brand. The e-shop platform is currently under development and pending to be launched.

About Corporate Refreshment Services-Micro Markets, Inc.

CRS-Micro Markets, Inc., a provider of a wide range of food and beverage solutions, focuses on the use of self-checkout Micro Market technology in the area of San Diego, California.

Safe Harbor Statement This release may contain forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "intends", "plans", "seeks", "estimates", "may", "will", "could", "stands to" and "continues", as well as similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which might cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of One Step Vending Corp., or industry results, to be materially different from any historic or future results, financial conditions, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Given these uncertainties, the reader is advised not to place any undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of publication of this document. One Step Vending Corp. expressly disclaims any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements in this document to reflect any change in its expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based unless required by law or regulation.
SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Virtual Instruments , the leader in hybrid infrastructure management, today announced the latest version of WorkloadWisdom , the industrys only production storage workload modeling and performance validation platform. Through Virtual Instruments partnership with SAN storage emulation systems provider SANBlaze Technology , the new WorkloadWisdom delivers non-volatile memory express (NVMe) workload modeling and testing over Fibre Channel (FC), enabling data-driven analysis of and intelligent workload placement in next-generation flash technologies. WorkloadWisdom provides a superior methodology for validating storage performance based on customers own production workloads, and is tightly integrated with Virtual Instruments VirtualWisdom , the industrys most comprehensive hybrid infrastructure performance management and analytics platform.



Organizations across all verticals, from high frequency trading in financial services to genomics research at universities, continue to invest in emerging technologies for competitive advantage gains of microseconds and even nanoseconds. According to an ActualTech Media 2018 State of NVMe Survey , the network fabric and storage media are identified as the top two sources of performance bottlenecks among those surveyed, and over 90 percent of the respondents expect performance improvements from NVMe. However, the ever-increasing complexity of todays dynamic workloads make it a cost- and time-prohibitive task to devise and execute effective data storage deployment strategies.

The storage vendors that IT organizations rely on are not immune to competitive pressures, either. NVMe is considered the most disruptive innovation in the storage industry since flash storage, and vendors need to ensure their NVMe-based products will reliably scale to meet the needs of next-generation production workloads  such as those based on AI and big data approaches.

The new WorkloadWisdom helps both enterprises and storage vendors solve these challenges by providing a purpose-built and highly scalable platform for production workload analysis, workload modeling, workload creation, performance reporting, and test management across all major storage technologies, now including FC-NVMe.

WorkloadWisdom continues to be the gold standard for storage system performance validation and testing, said George Crump, chief analyst, Storage Switzerland. This new release will be very important to storage vendors bringing out their next generation NVMe-based storage systems, and ultimately equally as important to large enterprises and service providers as they start to deploy FC-NVMe into their production environments.

The WorkloadWisdom 6.2 release features new capabilities in five key areas: adding support for emerging technologies; enabling large-scale test environments; expanding production workload analysis features; expanding workload modeling features; and improving the user experience.

Key features and benefits of WorkloadWisdom 6.2 include:

Adding Support for Emerging Technologies: Through Virtual Instruments partnership with SANBlaze, WorkloadWisdom enables the new era of high-performance flash storage by delivering NVMe over Fibre Channel workload modeling and testing WorkloadWisdom now provides coverage for FC-NVMe, FC-SCSI, iSCSI, SMB, NFS, Amazon S3, and OpenStack Swift

Enabling Large Scale Test Environments: WorkloadWisdom 6.2 delivers significant improvements for testing large environments across Fibre Channel, iSCSI, and SMB/NFS, including: New iSCSI auto-discovery enables auto creation of large iSCSI Test Beds New bulk entry enables creation of large SMB/NFS Test Beds in seconds Optimization gives up to 10x improvement when managing large FC Test Beds

Expanding Workload Analysis Capabilities: New Analysis Policy for VirtualWisdom NAS Performance Probes that creates NFSv3 workload models that give users the ability to customize the command distribution Improved Analysis Policy for VirtualWisdom SAN / NAS Performance Probes that further improves the fidelity of workload models

Expanding Workload Modeling Capabilities: Data Verification: new single-click data verification option built into workload models that enables byte-level data verification and error reporting DFS: new option for SMB workloads to perform testing on a distributed SMB file system

Improving User Experience: New FC browser simplifies reviewing accessible Targets and LUNs in a large test lab New filters in Report Templates reduces report definition and configuration time New Run Now button enables immediate start of a workload test without any change



The partnership between SANBlaze and Virtual Instruments provides our customers with a unique solution that combines the core strengths of both companies to deliver the workload modeling and analysis of WorkloadWisdom with the NVMe emulation and traffic generator of the SANBlaze platform, said Vince Asbridge, president and CEO of SANBlaze. Our combined product provides end-to-end validation for storage network customers evaluating the impact of NVMe on their storage and network environments.

The new WorkloadWisdom platform dramatically simplifies the entire storage performance testing, validation and forecasting process at the scale our customers demand, said Tim Van Ash, SVP of products at Virtual Instruments. The integration of WorkloadWisdom with the SANBlaze VirtuaLUN FC-NVMe emulation system gives our mutual customers a best-in-class solution for NVMe workload modeling and performance validation.

WorkloadWisdom 6.2 is available now. To learn more about WorkloadWisdom, please visit https://www.virtualinstruments.com/workloadwisdom/

About Virtual Instruments

Virtual Instruments is the leader in application-centric hybrid infrastructure management. It provides comprehensive infrastructure instrumentation and performance analytics for enterprise data centers. The companys solutions give IT teams deep workload visibility and actionable insights into their end-to-end systems across the hybrid data center. Virtual Instruments empowers companies to maximize the performance, availability and utilization of their production IT infrastructure from the data center to the cloud. The privately held company is headquartered in San Jose, Calif. For more information, visit https://www.virtualinstruments.com .

Contact

Anne Stanley

10Fold for Virtual Instruments

virtualinstruments@10fold.com

+1 415 800 5383

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/869921b5-f8c4-4fd7-907b-84f241762e24
Dublin, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Wide-Bandgap (WBG) Power Semiconductor Devices Market 2019-2023" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



With the growing implementation of signal processing applications including radio detection and ranging (radar), UAVs, unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), sound navigation and ranging (SONAR), in the aerospace and defense sector, the adoption of wide-bandgap power semiconductor devices is likely to increase considerably resulting in the market to register a CAGR of close to 39% by 2023.



Market Overview



Increasing demand for high-power density devices



As the WBG semiconductors operate at much higher temperatures compared to conventional semiconductors, their adoption has significantly increased in manufacturing high-power density devices including EV batteries, motor drivers, military and industrial components.



High cost of WBG power semiconductor devices



Owing to the high material and substrate costs of SiC and GaN, the manufacturing costs of WBG power semiconductor devices also increases considerably, which in turn, hinders the growth of the market. The prices of these devices range between USD 1,800 to USD 2000 as compared to that of Si wafers costing as low as USD 19.02.



Competitive Landscape



The market appears to be concentrated with the presence of a few companies manufacturing WBG power semiconductor devices with high-quality and advanced features for catering the evolving needs of the consumers. This industry research report offers comprehensive analysis about the companies competing in the market for improving their shares in the market and retaining their market positions. It also offers key strategies followed by the companies to make informed decisions.



Key Topics Covered:



PART 01: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



PART 02: SCOPE OF THE REPORT

Preface

PART 03: MARKET LANDSCAPE

Market ecosystem

Market characteristics

Market segmentation analysis

PART 04: MARKET SIZING

Market definition

Market sizing 2018

Market size and forecast 2018-2023

PART 05: FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

PART 06: MARKET SEGMENTATION BY APPLICATION

Market segmentation by application

Comparison by application

UPS and PS systems - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

PV inverters - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

IMDs - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

EVs/HEVs - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Others - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Market opportunity by application

PART 07: CUSTOMER LANDSCAPE



PART 08: GEOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPE

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

APAC - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

EMEA - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Americas - Market size and forecast 2018-2023

Key leading countries

Market opportunity

PART 09: DECISION FRAMEWORK



PART 10: DRIVERS AND CHALLENGES

Market drivers

Market challenges

PART 11: TRENDS

Growing implementation of signal processing applications

Increasing number of foundry services for WBG power semiconductor devices

Focus on moving toward larger wafers

PART 12: VENDOR LANDSCAPE

Overview

Landscape disruption

PART 13: VENDOR ANALYSIS

Vendors covered

Vendor classification

Market positioning of vendors

CREE

Infineon Technologies

ROHM SEMICONDUCTOR

STMicroelectronics

Transphorm

PART 14: APPENDIX



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/3p3sqk/global?w=12

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.
Houston, Texas, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Megola, Inc. (OTC: MGON),



Megola Corp. CEO Eric Ottens, says that Acordy President, Francis Baez, has disclosed that the initial test marketing of their OG Kush products have been well received by customers in Europe. The Cannaviar, the banana OG Kush and the OG Kush oil seems to be particularly favorites. In the U.S. the OG Kush strain of medical marijuana is renowned for its medicinal qualities and it is easily one of the most popular strains sold by dispensaries today. OG Kush is considered to be a powerful night-time medication that is good at easing body ailments, chronic ailments, bipolar disorders, anxiety, depression vomiting, digestion issues and much more. While OG Kush has long been popular in the U.S., in Europe it is only now beginning to make inroads with medical marijuana consumers. It is Megolas goal to be a leading distributor of OG Kush products in the European Union (EU) a market larger than the U.S.

The Company also wishes to notify all shareholders and persons of interest that Megola, Inc. will be making announcements and updates via social media. Updates can be found at on newly created new social media channels on Twitter https://twitter.com/MegolaMMJ and a Facebook Business Page https://www.facebook.com/Megola-Inc-1844493719004617 .

Acordy S.A. is currently a privately owned Spanish company that was formed in late 2014. Acordy is primarily involved in the production and distribution of food items from Spain with a concentration in olive oils and wines from the Iberian Peninsula. Acordy became involved in the production and distribution of medical marijuana products and is commencing the commercialized launch of CBD products.

Safe Harbor: This release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain. Actual performance and results may differ materially from that projected or suggested herein due to certain risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, ability to obtain financing and regulatory and shareholder approvals for anticipated actions.

Contacts

SOURCE Megola, Inc.

RELATED LINKS

http://www.acordyinvest.com

https://www.facebook.com/Megola-Inc-1844493719004617

https://twitter.com/MegolaMMJ

For further information, contact:

Eric Ottens

weottens@gmail.com
PHOENIX, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GlobalTranz Enterprises, Inc., a leading technology-driven freight management solutions provider, and Impact Diversity Solutions Corporation (IDSC) have been approved and recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) through the All Small Mentor-Protege program .



This joint venture gives GlobalTranz the ability to more efficiently serve customers with government contracts by providing one-stop access to a single entity that is classified as a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), a Veteran Owned Small Business, a Small Business, and a Disadvantaged Minority Owned Small Business located in a Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone).

We believe that when we support businesses such as Impact Diversity, it benefits everyone involved, said Bob Farrell, CEO of GlobalTranz. Satisfying diversity requirements through a single entity like GlobalTranz is more efficient for shippers. This streamlined access is great for the community, our customers, our partners, and our companys long-term industry leadership.

The designation allows GlobalTranz and IDSC to jointly pursue opportunities that will drive sustainable growth and create jobs for both organizations. This news comes on the heels of GlobalTranzs record third quarter revenues, continued acquisition streak, and a wave of industry accolades.

Impact Diversity appreciates GlobalTranzs support and partnership and commitment to supporting the SBAs All Small Mentor-Protege program, said Charles Brown, President and Co-Founder of Impact Diversity Solutions Corporation. Through this joint venture, Impact Diversity will be able to leverage the proprietary technology, expertise, and deep resources of GlobalTranz to better serve our customers.

For more information about GlobalTranz, visit www.globaltranz.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @GlobalTranz.

About GlobalTranz

GlobalTranz is a technology company providing award-winning cloud-based multi-modal Transportation Management System (TMS) products to shippers, carriers, 3PLs and brokers. GlobalTranz is leading the logistics software and services market in innovative technology that optimizes the efficiency of freight movement and matches shipper demand and carrier capacity in real-time. Leveraging its extensive independent agent network, GlobalTranz has emerged as a fast-growing market leader with a customer base of over 1 million product users and 25,000 shippers. In 2018, Transport Topics named GlobalTranz a Top 10 largest freight brokerage firm in the U.S.

About Impact Diversity Solutions Corporation

Founded in 2009 by Charles Brown and Tim Johnson, Impact Diversity Solutions Corporation (IDSC) is a courier and logistics management company which leverages its capabilities to reliably expedite virtually any volume of freight parcels, etc. worldwide on very attractive terms. IDSC enjoys volume discounts, cutting edge technology and the critical mass to competently execute very large contracts.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Nick Fryer

224-515-7383

communications@globaltranz.com
AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Streamline Funding , one of the largest and longest-operating hard money lenders in Texas, has named Romney Navarro as Chief Lending Officer overseeing its loan originations division. The move was made as the company shifts its focus to address a quickly-evolving real estate market in the state of Texas.



The real estate investment industry is comprised of businesses and individuals who are either building new homes and developments or purchasing old housing stock, renovating it and selling it for a profit. Due to the attractiveness of real estate investment, the industry has begun to mature with a greater number of entrepreneurs and new lenders entering the sector. Going into 2019, Streamline Funding is changing its strategic approach to the new market landscape.

Weve seen an increased interest in real estate from entrepreneurs and, subsequently, hard money lenders over the past five years, said Jadon Newman, Founder of Streamline Funding. When we started in 2002, we were one of the only lenders specializing in real estate renovation loans in Texas. Thats no longer the case. Romney has the experience and vision to move us up market and grow the company.

The strength of the Texas economy has created a shortage of housing in the state, particularly in the major metro areas where job growth has put an enormous strain on existing housing stock and pushed home prices upward. The need for new and refurbished homes to accommodate the steadily growing population has brought an unprecedented number of investors and lenders into the Texas market.

The key to continue growing the business is to target a new level of investor in a slightly different segment of the market, said Romney Navarro , Streamline Fundings new Chief Lending Officer. Our goal is to increase the total dollar amount of our loan originations by 50 percent in 2019, which has the potential to create $80 million in wealth for our clients. Were creating new loan products and revamping our processes to address our new target markets in our efforts to achieve this goal.

Prior to joining Streamline Funding, Romney Navarro was the Chief Marketing Officer for Streamlines parent company, Noble Capital, a private investment and wealth management firm.

About Streamline Funding

Founded in 2002, Streamline Funding is the leading hard money private lender in Texas. With a focus on single-family residential real estate investment, Streamline has deployed nearly half a billion dollars into the sector to fund more than 1,200 individual development, new construction and renovation projects for investors and entrepreneurs all across the state. For more information, visit: www.streamlinefunding.com .

Press Contact:

Sean Harris

512-492-3814
SAN FRANCISCO and TOKYO, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, RocketSpace , a Silicon Valley-based external innovation consulting company, announced its partnership with The Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company , one of Japans largest life insurance providers. Leveraging RocketSpaces leadership in open innovation, the two companies are focused on building innovative solutions to support Dai-ichi Lifes commitment to customer service excellence. This new partnership further strengthens Dai-ichi Lifes presence in Silicon Valley and its access to disruptive technologies and startups.



Japans population is living longer, creating unique needs that require a range of services. Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and robotics are creating new opportunities for forward-thinking industry leaders like Dai-ichi Life to expand how it can empower its millions of customers to lead a higher quality of life. By taking a proactive approach to exploring and testing disruptive technologies, Dai-ichi Life also creates opportunities to enter new markets and improve internal productivity, among other revenue-driving business benefits.

Dai-ichi Life is taking a tech-driven approach to creating new business opportunities that support our customers quality of life, said Shun Mitsuogi, Dai-ichi Lifes Chief Representative in Silicon Valley. We chose RocketSpace as our innovation partner because of their results-driven methodology and extensive experience in helping large organizations accelerate their innovation initiatives.

Progressive organizations like Dai-ichi Life challenge themselves to innovate beyond their core business, said Brad Strum, vice president of Corporate Services at RocketSpace. Dai-ichi Life is taking a proactive approach to exploring emerging technologys impact on the customer experience, and that is critical in anticipating the needs of Japans aging population.

Into 2019, Dai-ichi Life and RocketSpace will explore multiple focus areas affecting Dai-ichi Lifes customer base through conceptualization and testing of new technology solutions.

About RocketSpace

RocketSpace is a global ecosystem of people and ideas that provides the necessary velocity  both speed and direction  to help the worlds top innovators bring the future to market. Founded in San Francisco in 2011, its global network of technology campuses and services are designed to help tech startups scale. RocketSpace also helps corporations fuel their continuous growth by tapping into its ecosystem of top startups from around the world. Learn more at rocketspace.com.

About Dai-ichi Life

The Dai-ichi Life Group is one of the world's largest life insurance groups with its life insurance business across seven countries in Japan, the Asia Pacific and North America regions. Since its founding in 1902, the Group has put customers first while demonstrating the spirit of innovation as needed as time shifts and society changes. In recent years, the Group has coined the term InsTech as a name for its initiatives to create innovation unique to the life insurance business from both the insurance and technology perspectives, as well as established the Dai-ichi Life Innovation Lab in Shibuya, Tokyo and Silicon Valley in 2018, to aim to work with agile process in small scale PoCs in order to create new values in the healthcare and the senior markets. Learn more at http://www.dai-ichi-life-hd.com/en/index.html.

Press Contact:

Deann Sonoda

dsonoda@rocketspace.com
CHICAGO, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bungalow, a new residential real estate platform, today announced its entrance into Chicago, the companys first Midwest market. Early career professionals can now find a home with amazing roommates across Bungalow's diverse portfolio of properties in Chicago's Wicker Park and Bucktown neighborhoods; additional homes and neighborhoods including Lincoln Park and University Village will become available in the coming months.

In less than two years, Bungalow has quickly scaled to hundreds of properties and more than 900 residents across eight major metropolitan areas in the U.S., now including Chicago. The company operates by signing long-term leases with homeowners and renting out their properties for roommate living in some of the most desirable neighborhoods in these cities.

A two-sided platform, Bungalow offers homeowners a source of income without the responsibility of being a landlord, and in turn, helps solve housing issues faced by early career professionals in urban areas:

Convenience  Bungalow expertly matches potential roommates, provides furnished common areas, and takes care of utilities including WiFi and monthly cleaning services.

 Bungalow expertly matches potential roommates, provides furnished common areas, and takes care of utilities including WiFi and monthly cleaning services. Community  The company hosts monthly events for its residents, creating an instant community for those new to a city or who are looking to expand their social circle.

 The company hosts monthly events for its residents, creating an instant community for those new to a city or who are looking to expand their social circle. Affordability  On average, renting with Bungalow cost 30-40% less than a studio apartment.

 On average, renting with Bungalow cost 30-40% less than a studio apartment. Flexibility  Bungalow offers the ability to move between homes within cities and even between cities without having to break a lease.

Growing up in Illinois, I witnessed Chicagos massive growth trajectory as it attracted people not only from the Midwest but across the country and world, said Justin McCarty, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Bungalow. The housing challenges for todays early career professionals arent confined to coastal cities; these issues are prevalent in urban regions throughout the U.S. Bungalows expansion into Chicago will offer residents a superior rental experience as well as help them find and establish a community in this increasingly diverse city.

Bungalow properties are currently available for rent in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, Seattle, Portland, Washington D.C., and now, Chicago, with additional cities to be added in the coming year. To learn more about Bungalow or inquire about renting a home or leasing a property, please visit www.bungalow.com

About Bungalow

Bungalow is a residential real estate platform providing beautiful homes with great roommates, paired with a seamless digital-first experience for early career professionals. The company takes care of everything from matching great roommates and furnishing a homes common areas to streamlining rent and utility payments and handling service requests, removing friction from the rental experience. In addition, Bungalow helps its residents create a thriving community through exclusive social events and volunteer opportunities. Bungalow is able to offer homes in the most desirable neighborhoods by working directly with homeowners who are looking for a guaranteed income stream but dont want to sell their homes. This model has helped Bungalow scale to hundreds of homes within a year. Founded in 2017 by Andrew Collins and Justin McCarty, the company currently has more than 900 community members in hundreds of homes across 8 markets. For more information visit www.bungalow.com.

Contact

LaunchSquad for Bungalow

bungalow [at] launchsquad [dot] com
Washington, DC, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF), in partnership with PepsiCo Foodservice, is proud to release its seventh Project Taste Test Servin Up Successful Careers video  an educational series dedicated to passing on advice from the best in the business and showcasing the limitless opportunities in restaurants, foodservice and hospitality.

This years Project Taste Test video features an exclusive interview with Stephen Joyce, CEO of Dine Brands Global; Darren Rebelez, President of IHOP; and John Cywinski, President of Applebees. They are interviewed by Sidney Reed, a ProStart alumna from California who is now a sophomore at the Collins College at Cal Poly Pomona and interested in pursuing a career in the restaurant and hospitality industry.

PepsiCo Foodservices Project Taste Test video is produced exclusively for ProStart, one of the nations most successful high school culinary arts and restaurant management programs represented by 1,800 schools and nearly 140,000 students. Each company executive shares their story and pathway to success with Sidney, and gets quizzed with a lightning round of questions at the end. Video highlights include:

The overwhelming success of IHOPs IHOb campaign and how it helped the brand

Applebees craveable menu innovations and inviting promotions

How the Dine Brands CEO leads the organization to success

The Project Taste Test video is another key example of our partnership with PepsiCo Foodservice in support of the industrys top talent, said Rob Gifford, executive vice president of the NRAEF. Our goal is to show ProStart students the many pathways to success in our industry and help guide them towards success of their own.

As a surprise, at the end of the video, Dine Brands Global surprised Sidney with a $5,000 scholarship to continue her collegiate studies in restaurant and hospitalityand PepsiCo Foodservice matched their donation.

Click here to watch PepsiCo Foodservices Project Taste Test video. For more information on the ProStart program, visit ChooseRestaurants.org/ProStart or find us on Twitter or Facebook.





About the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation

As the philanthropic foundation of the National Restaurant Association, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the industrys training and education, career development and community engagement efforts. The NRAEF and its programs work to Attract, Empower and Advance todays and tomorrows restaurant and foodservice workforce. NRAEF programs include: ProStart  a high-school career and technical education program; Restaurant Ready  partnering with community based organizations to provide opportunity youth with skills training and job opportunities; Military  helping military servicemen and women transition their skills to restaurant and foodservice careers; Scholarships  financial assistance for students pursuing restaurant, foodservice and hospitality degrees; and, the Hospitality Sector Registered Apprenticeship Project  a partnership with the American Hotel & Lodging Association providing a hospitality apprenticeship program for the industry. For more information on the NRAEF, visit ChooseRestaurants.org .

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $63 billion in net revenue in 2017, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose  our fundamental belief that the success of our company is inextricably linked to the sustainability of the world around us. We believe that continuously improving the products we sell, operating responsibly to protect our planet and empowering people around the world enable PepsiCo to run a successful global company that creates long-term value for society and our shareholders. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Schall Law Firm , a national shareholder rights litigation firm, announces that it is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Glencore plc (Glencore or the Company) (OTC: GLNCY , GLCNF ) for violations of 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.



The investigation focuses on whether the Company issued false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose information pertinent to investors. Reuters reported on December 5, 2018, that trading firms including Glencore have been accused by Brazilian prosecutors of paying more than $30 million in bribes to employees of Petrobras, a graft scheme that prosecutors believe may still be ongoing. In exchange for these bribes, Petrobras employees are alleged to have offered the traders better prices for oil and related commodities and services. According to Reuters, top executives of Petrobras had total and unequivocal knowledge of the scheme. Based on this news, shares of Glencore traded down sharply during morning trading on December 6, 2018.

If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate .

We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall, or Sherin Mahdavian, of the Schall Law Firm, 1880 Century Park East, Suite 404, Los Angeles, CA 90067, at 424-303-1964, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com , or by email at brian@schallfirm.com .

The class in this case has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member.

The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics.

CONTACT:

The Schall Law Firm

Brian Schall, Esq.

Sherin Mahdavian, Esq.

310-301-3335

info@schallfirm.com
Washington, DC, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Academy of Social Insurance announces Isabel M. Perera as the winner of the 2019 John Heinz Dissertation Award. Perera joins a prestigious and diverse network of over 40 previous Heinz Dissertation Award recipients, who are scholars in social insurance and closely related fields. Pereras dissertation, States of Mind: A Comparative and Historical Study of the Political Economy of Mental Health was submitted for her doctorate in political science at the University of Pennsylvania. Perera was nominated for this honor by Julia Lynch, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania.



Andrea Campbell, professor and current head of the Political Science Department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), said: [This] dissertation is built on a stunning number of primary sources, and the research design is very strong, examining cases with similar starting conditions that then diverge. It is a complex, nuanced, and sophisticated analysis, a real tour de force utterly deserving of the Heinz Dissertation Award.

The 2019 Heinz Dissertation Award Selection Committee (see list below) also gave an honorable mention to Wei-Ting Yen for her dissertation, Unstable Income and the Welfare States in Asia. Yen wrote the dissertation while she was a doctoral student in political science in the graduate school at Ohio State University. Her thesis was nominated by Sarah M. Brooks, professor in the department of political science at Ohio State University.

The Academy is committed to developing the next generation of social insurance policy scholars and leaders. We are very pleased to recognize Isabel Pereras groundbreaking work, as well as Wei-Ting Yens fascinating research. Like previous Heinz Dissertation Award winners, the scholarship of Perera and Yen will surely help us develop sound policies in the coming years, said William J. Arnone, Chief Executive Officer of the National Academy of Social Insurance.

As the 2019 Heinz Dissertation Award winner, Perera will receive $3,500 in prize money and travel expenses to attend the Academys 31st annual policy conference on Regenerating Social Insurance for Millennials and the Millennium, in Washington, DC. Wei-Ting Yen will also receive a travel stipend to attend the policy conference. The 2019 Heinz Dissertation Award will be presented on January 30, 2019, at the National Press Club, as part of the Academys 2019 conference.



About the John Heinz Award

The National Academy of Social Insurance bestows the John Heinz Dissertation Award in honor of the late Senator John Heinz, who was a founding member of the Academy and an advocate for health reform and social insurance. The Award, made possible by the Heinz Family Foundation, recognizes and promotes outstanding doctoral research by new scholars focusing on policy questions in social insurance and related areas, including health, aging, and economic opportunities. These are all areas that were important to John Heinz, who is also remembered as a champion of the elderly. His long list of political activities included: Chairmanship of the Special Committee on Aging; Chairmanship of the Republican Conference Task Force on Job Training and Education; membership in the National Commission on Social Security Reform, and the National Commission on Health Care Reform. Teresa Heinz Kerry, chair of the Heinz Family Foundation, said of Senator Heinz: In the performance of his duties, both as a public servant and as a philanthropist, he was not merely tireless, he was joyfully ferocious, himself the embodiment of radiant living. Senator Heinz died in a tragic airline accident in 1991.

Nominations are reviewed by a national, multi-disciplinary selection committee chaired by Courtney Coile, Professor of Economics at Wellesley College. Other members of the selection committee: Jason Barabas, Professor of Political Science at Stony Brook University and winner of the 2001 Heinz Dissertation Award; Ezra Golberstein, Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health; and Jeffrey Wenger, Senior Policy Researcher at the RAND Corporation and faculty fellow at American University.

The Academy will be accepting nominations for the 2020 John Heinz Dissertation Award in the late summer/early autumn of 2019. To obtain application forms and additional information, please visit the Student Opportunities section of the Academys website: www.nasi.org .

For more information about the Academys 31st annual policy conference on Regenerating Social Insurance for the Millennials and the Millennium, January 30-31, 2019, at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, please visit: www.nasi.org/events .





###

The National Academy of Social Insurance is a non-profit, nonpartisan organization made up of the nations leading experts on social insurance. Its mission is to advance solutions to challenges facing the nation by increasing public understanding of how social insurance contributes to economic security.
LISLE, Ill., Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED), the multiple listing service (MLS) of Chicagoland and the surrounding counties, is thrilled to welcome the Livingston County Board of Realtors (LCBR) as its newest association partner. LCBR is the fifteenth and most recent Realtor association to obtain its MLS and related services from MRED.

This partnership adds LCBRs membership of real estate professionals to MREDs growing network of more than 45,000, which spans across all of northeastern Illinois and reaches into central and western parts of the state.

The Livingston County Board of Realtors is excited to join forces with MRED and become a networking partner with several of the local MLS boards that surround us, said LCBR President Jill Thompson.

LCBR will continue to operate in central Illinois Livingston County, the fourth-largest county in the state. LCBR covers the countys nearly 40,000 residents in 15,000 households across 16,000 housing units. Livingston is the twenty-second county in MREDs service area, which continues to expand in order to best serve the MLS real estate professionals by perpetually improving data and services.

Its been a pleasure getting to know the fantastic LCBR leadership and learning how MRED will be able to best meet the needs of their members, said MRED President/CEO Rebecca Jensen. LCBR has been extremely easy to work with and were beyond excited to welcome them as a integral association partner.

The partnership is beneficial for MRED customers as a whole, and Thompson said its also the right move for her associations members.

By joining MRED, our sellers will now have a larger Realtor audience for all of our MLS listings and we'll have easier access to out-of-area listings when working with our buyer clients as well, Thompson said. As a board, were thrilled to have the power of MRED and all of its technology and applications at our fingertips.

The LCBR-MRED announcement comes less than three months after Illinois largest MLS welcomed the Bloomington-Normal Association of Realtors (BNAR) and its more than 500 real estate professionals to MRED.

About MRED

Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) is the real estate data aggregator and distributor providing the Chicagoland multiple listing service (MLS) to more than 45,000 brokers and appraisers and over 7,300 offices. MRED serves Chicago and the surrounding "collar" counties and provides property information encompassing northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin, and northwest Indiana. MRED delivers more than 20 products and services to its customers. MRED is the 2013 Inman News Most Innovative MLS/Real Estate Trade Association, and for nine consecutive years the MRED Help Desk has been identified as one of the best small business centers in North America by BenchmarkPortal. For more information please visit MREDLLC.com.

Attachment
ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via OTC PR WIRE -- Immune Therapeutics, Inc. (OTCQB:IMUN) ("Immune" IMUN or the "Company"), a clinical late stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of therapies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, inflammatory diseases, cancer and HIV/AIDS announced today that their lead therapy, Lodonal (LDN), was featured in an article published in A&U Magazine ( https://issuu.com/aumagazine/docs/a_u_december2018 pg. 59).



The article, titled The Next Waltz, cited studies suggesting Lodonals potential for changing the course of the epidemic by treating HIV-related comorbidities driven by inflammation such as Chrons disease, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Addressing that, existing medications to treat inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), such as Crohns disease and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), can cause significant immune suppression which can be more damaging in PLWHAs than those with IBD alone. The author goes on to say; Lodonal is hopefully the first in a line of new therapies needed for people living with HIV and Crohns or IBS. The comprehensive article also shows studies suggesting Lodonal and LDN s potential to enhance the immune system, demonstrating CD4 recovery that was attributed to decreases in inflammatory cytokines.

Another study mentioned, from the University of Minnesota, discovered that Naltrexone affected HIV expression in CD4 lymphocyte cultures which play a role in the potentiation of antiretroviral drugs and suggest that clinical trials should be considered of naltrexone as an adjunctive therapy of HIV infection. Dr. David Malebranche Associate Professor at the Moorehouse School of Medicine, is quoted in article saying that Naltrexone would be a good intervention option for HIV-positive people. and points out that, As a medical and research community we focus on interventions such as bnAbs [broadly neutralizing antibodies], two drug regimens, vaccines, etc., and forget about intersecting epidemics.

The author surmised that: Separately, and collectively, these studies indicate that Naltrexone, in its various forms, (Lodonal /LDN) is a unique and versatile therapy that holds potential for several uses in HIV disease and other conditions. PLWHAs struggling to recover immune function and those addicted to opiates and alcohol may strongly benefit from its use and guidelines to assist these key populations of PLWHAs should be considered to help maintain viral suppression and treatment retention.

Following the next few press releases, Immune Therapeutics, Inc. intends to make future announcements regarding its financial and corporate performance exclusively through its website and Facebook page. Website: https://www.immunetherapeutics.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ImmuneTherapeutics/

An upcoming press release will detail the date of this transition.

About A&U

A&U Magazine is a monthly direct to consumer magazine focused on issues relating to HIV, including HIV research, policy, treatment and prevention. A&U Magazine was founded in 1991 and is distributed through direct mail and at AIDS service organizations, doctors offices, and HIV clinics across the United States. A&U Magazine is also available online.

ABOUT IMMUNE THERAPEUTICS, INC.

Immune Therapeutics Inc. is a late stage clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of our highly innovative immunotherapies. IMUN is a biotechnology company developing T-Activation immunotherapies to achieve immunomodulation in patients with autoimmune and inflammatory disease and cancer and infectious diseases.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ from those projected due to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the possibility that some or all the matters and transactions considered by the Company may not proceed as contemplated, and by all other matters specified in the Companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These statements are made based upon current expectations that are subject to risk and uncertainty. The Company does not undertake to update forward-looking statements in this news release to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting such forward-looking information. Assumptions and other information that could cause results to differ from those set forth in the forward-looking information can be found in the Companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (www.sec.gov), including its recent periodic reports.
Louisville, KY, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Appriss Health, provider of the most comprehensive platform for substance use disorder in the U.S., today announced that the Minnesota Prescription Monitoring Program (MNPMP) is now live on Appriss Healths NarxCare platform and PMP AWARxE solution. Together, NarxCare and PMP AWARxE aggregate and analyze prescription information from MNPMP and present visual, graphical and advanced analytic insights, machine learning risk scores and more to help physicians, pharmacists and care teams provide better patient safety and outcomes. NarxCare also provides clinical tools and resources that support patients needs, including connectivity to treatment options, when appropriate.



Minnesota has made great progress over the past year to help all prescribers and pharmacists statewide identify, manage and prevent substance use disorder (SUD). In October 2018, the MNPMP was queried 695,715* times compared to 89,893 queries in October 2017, an increase of 673.9 percent year-over-year. Minnesota now shares prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) information with 38 states across the U.S. via the PMP InterConnect data sharing hub, as well.



The Minnesota Prescription Monitoring Program was implemented nine years ago to promote public health and welfare by detecting diversion, abuse and misuse of controlled substances, said Cody Wiberg, Pharm.D., Executive Director, Minnesota Board of Pharmacy, administrators of MNPMP. We are proud of the recent progress we have made to make innovative technologies available to all prescribers and pharmacists statewide to help address the opioid epidemic. And, we remain wholly committed and unwavering in our support of the goal of the MNPMP  to assist in improving patient care and reducing the misuse of controlled substances for the benefit of all of the citizens of Minnesota.



Appriss Healths NarxCare platform and PMP AWARxE solution enable providers and pharmacists to make more informed clinical decisions about patient care. As the opioid epidemic continues to change and evolve, illicit drug events now dominate concern on behalf of federal and state agencies and clinicians throughout the nation. NarxCare transforms static prescription data history into a clinical tool that provides critical insights into risk of overdose and overall patient risk factors, and provides resources including an MAT locator. Identifying patients at risk of an overdose sooner helps mitigate illicit drug events.



We are pleased to partner with Minnesota on the successful deployment of Appriss Healths solutions that provide more information to clinicians, in a more meaningful way, to improve patient care, said Rob Cohen, President, Appriss Health. Across the nation, today, 1.35 million prescribers and pharmacists utilize Appriss Healths PDMP solutions to complete more than 15 million patient searches per month to help provide better patient outcomes. We applaud the efforts of the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy to help providers more holistically determine if there are any controlled substance prescription use, misuse, or abuse concerns that would suggest further evaluation and/or discussion with their patients about treatment, if appropriate, and to assist in the reduction of their risk of addiction, overdose, and death."



For more information and to learn about the MNPMP, please visit http://pmp.pharmacy.state.mn.us/.



*Total queries include prescribers, pharmacists, delegates, and administrative users granted access according to Minnesota Statutes 152.126. In September 2018 one statewide pharmacy chain and one health system integrated a one-click feature to view a MNPMP report from within their pharmacy dispensing system and electronic health record system via Appriss Healths PMP Gateway managed service. Previous months reflect system direct queries only.



About Appriss HealthAppriss Health is the provider of the nations most comprehensive platform for early identification, prevention and management of substance use disorder (SUD). We provide state government agencies with the most advanced repository of controlled substance dispensing information, and deliver real-time clinical decision support, critical insights and interventions to physicians, pharmacists, and care team members through millions of patient encounters each year. Our solutions enable healthcare providers, pharmacists, and care team members to assess and manage clinical risk in order to positively impact patient safety and health outcomes. For more information, please visit www.apprisshealth.com.
SAN FRANCISCO and AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Soul Machines, a ground-breaking company re-imagining how humans connect with machines, is launching Digital DNA to give brands the ability to create and deploy a diverse range of highly realistic digital humans.



The future of customer experience is being driven by the democratization of personal service and the delivery of specialized knowledge and Artificial Intelligence is a great platform for delivering this specialized knowledge. Soul Machines personalizes customer experience through face-to-face interactions with its lifelike digital humans and its unique ability to create engaging customer connections based on the emotional responsiveness of Soul Machines Human Computing Engine, which works like a virtual nervous system.

Soul Machines has already set new industry standards with lifelike digital humans built for some of the most innovative brands today including Autodesk, Mercedes Benz, Royal Bank of Scotland and ANZ Bank. Soul Machines is able to autonomously animate each digital human in real-time by synthesizing human behavior, setting itself far ahead in the industry with a combination of the most realistic digital humans and the most advanced real-time animation in the world. Soul Machines digital humans continue to become more advanced over time with their patented cognitive models learning from each user interaction in the same way humans learn.

Production time for Soul Machines digital humans is already among the lowest in the industry, taking two to three months. Now, with Digital DNA, individuals and companies can create unlimited numbers of digital humans to better serve and support their customers, fans and prospects online. Using Digital DNA, companies can determine the color of eyes, shape of face, hair and skin color, age and even determine how many wrinkles and skin blemishes to show.

The process of creating lifelike digital humans is time-intensive. Just look at the video game or movie industry where new releases take years to complete and huge investments, said Greg Cross, Chief Business Officer, Soul Machines. We are proud to be making Soul Machines Digital DNA technology available to companies so they can supercharge their online customer experiences in a high-quality way in a short amount of time.

Recently, we have seen brands release avatars and digital humans that are clunky, ugly and embarrassing they look like the digital equivalent old fashioned puppets without the strings, added Cross. Why would you invest so heavily in the future of AI and create a terrible customer experience. We understand that it can be complex to deploy a digital human but no company should settle for less than perfection because their customers will not buy it or engage with it.

How Was Digital DNA Formed

The intelligence of digital humans comes from the one-of-a-kind innovative process that uses neural networks to combine biologically inspired models of the human brain and key sensory networks. Together they create a virtual central nervous system called the Human Computing Engine. The digital human comes to life when you plug the engaging and interactive artificial humans into the cloud-based Human Computing Engine and the result is an emotionally responsive, artificial human with personality and character that allows machines to talk to humans face-to-face.

The models of the 3D faces Soul Machines creates are as close to the real thing as possible and are an important instrument of emotional expression and engagement between people. Soul Machines models the face in detail, from the way the facial muscles create complex expressions all the way through the eyes that react to images relayed by a computer camera.

Digital DNA has been created and captured over the last four years through the numerous Soul Machines created digital humans, including their intelligence and physical characteristics. The company has captured this digital DNA from each digital human it has created to construct a virtual gene pool. This gene pool is used to synthesize new digital humans by blending Digital DNA together. This allows Soul Machines to create a completely new digital human in minutes versus the months it previously took.

Digital DNA is also changing the model for licensing the digital likeness of real humans.

Availability

Please contact Soul Machines to find out more about Digital DNA.

About Soul Machines

Soul Machines is a ground-breaking, high-tech company of AI researchers, neuroscientists, psychologists, artists and innovative thinkers; re-imagining how we connect with machines. The company brings technology to life by creating incredibly lifelike, emotionally responsive, artificial humans with personality and character that allow machines to talk to us face-to-face. Their vision is to humanize artificial intelligence to better humanity. Soul Machines is now deploying the worlds first digital avatars with some of the biggest corporate brands in the world in Banking and Finance, Software and Technology, Automotive, Healthcare, Energy and Education industries.

Contact:

Tracy Sjogreen for Soul Machines in North America and EMEA

+1 415-425-0249

tracy@nectarpr.com

Sandra Lukey for Soul Machines in New Zealand and Australia

+64 021 2262 858

sandra@shinegroup.co.nz
Dublin, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Cancer Vaccines: Analytical Tool" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



With the first prophylactic cancer vaccine Gardasil approved in 2006 and therapeutic cancer vaccine Sipuleucel-T (Provenge) approved in 2010, cancer vaccines is a proven hot treatment modality which is now turbocharged with the event of immune-checkpoint inhibitors.



Cancer Vaccines: Analytical Tool is the must have handbook for any business developer, BI/CI operative or clinical developer who needs to be on top of this hot and fast moving area of immune-oncology. This unique product is truly the only tool of its kind and is designed to give you a competitive edge in your cancer vaccine drug surveillance and intelligence, allowing you to power your decision making and advance your own interests.



Keeping you In the know

Simply put, our mission is to fuel your knowledge of immune-oncology, to make you the first to know about very early technologies and startups, emerging clinical trial results, drug approvals and the ever-changing competitive landscape.



Cancer Vaccines: Analytical Tool achieves this by continuously scanning development in cancer vaccine and reporting:

Deals & Collaborations

New technologies/drugs (emerging from patents, grants, abstracts (see Conference Coverage) etc.)

Funding/Grants/IPOs

Filings & Approvals

Latest Clinical Trial Development & Results

Newly launched clinical trials

Conference Coverage of the world's twelve leading meetings in oncology*

Quarterly & Annual Reporting

This puts you in control of most, if not all, day-to-day developments in your field while also benefiting from one of the most comprehensive commercial pipeline review & competitive assessment tools available on the market today!



Identify, prioritize, and lead scientific assessment of oncology opportunities and competition by multiple factors such as:

Emerging Technologies

Target Novelty

Recent Funding

Early & Late Stage Pipeline

Biomarker/Companion Diagnostic Development (featured below)

Entered Deals & Alliances

Conference surveillance of world leading cancer meetings (featured below)

Combination Therapy Choices (featured below)

Outcome of Clinical Trials

Indication Selection & Expansion Choices

Drug Repositioning Opportunities

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YEREVAN, DECEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. An explosion at a gas filling station (CNG) on the Ashtarak highway has injured a 65 year-old person, authorities said.

The Ministry of Emergency Situation said the incident took place Wednesday evening. The victim, whose identity has not been disclosed, has been hospitalized with various degree injuries.

The cause of the explosion wasnt immediately clear.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. Armenian acting prime ministers spouse Anna Hakobyan, chairwoman of the Board of Trustees of My Step and City of Smile Foundations, visited on December 12 the St. Jacob Church in Geneva, thereafter, met with the representatives of the Swiss-Armenian community, reports Armenpress.

At the meeting Anna Hakobyan touched upon the recent velvet revolution, the new situation in Armenia, as well as introduced the goals and activities of the My Step Foundation.

I have no doubt that we will solve our issues in the same atmosphere of love and solidarity. Now I am a guest in a country which is one of the most prosperous states in the world, where there are almost no poor or unemployed people, where everything is shining, and all conditions exist for happy living. And on my way to this country, by looking at this wonderful place from the sky I wondered why Armenia cannot be such? Anna Hakobyan said, expressing confidence that everyone believes in the prospect of having a developed and prosperous country after the velvet revolution, even the Diaspora-Armenians.

And the belief is the most important thing, the rest, as it is called to say, is a technical issue, constant hard work everyone in his/her place, combination of efforts of Diaspora-Armenians, love towards each other, towards our wonderful country, and we will soon present a new surprise to the world, we will surprise it as we did by our perhaps the kindest revolution in the human history, she said.

During the meeting Mrs. Hakobyan also answered to the questions of the participants. Asked whether the My Step Foundation has any program relating to journalism, Anna Hakobyan attached great importance to the role of qualified journalism, adding that at the moment the Foundation has no such program. But I would like very much to create an opportunity for our journalists in the future to undergo training in famous foreign media outlets, she said.

Asked how the Foundation differs from the remaining ones, for example, from the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, CEO of My Step Foundation Hovhannes Ghazaryan said the Hayastan Fund is a state fund and deals with the renovation of infrastructures, but the My Step Foundations activities are directed for developing a healthy and inclusive society via long-term impact programs.

During the meeting a proposal was made to create platforms adjacent to the Armenian Embassies which will enable all people having ideas on Armenia and the Armenia-Diaspora relations to present their suggestions. Numerous concerns, proposals and wishes were voiced during the meeting which mainly related to the countrys economic, public, political, educational and cultural spheres.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Ambassador to Kazakhstan Gagik Ghalachyan on December 12 presented his credentials to President Nursultan Nazarbayev, the Armenian foreign ministry told Armenpress.

During the meeting President Nazarbayev touched upon the development of the relations between Kazakhstan and Armenia, stating that the trade turnover increased by 68% during 2018.

Following the ceremony Ambassador Ghalachyan delivered statement for the media, highlighting the potential to further develop the Armenian-Kazakh friendly relations, as well as further strengthen the bilateral cooperation within the frames of a number of regional and international organizations, including the Eurasian Economic Union (EAQEU) and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

Earlier the Armenian Ambassador presented the copy of his credentials to the Kazakh deputy foreign minister Galymzhan Koyshybayev. During the meeting the officials emphasized the need to boost opportunities for bilateral economic relations and eliminate existing barriers on this path.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. Caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has addressed the optimization issue of the state administration system today at the Cabinet meeting.

He emphasized that he had given concrete tasks in the context of 2019 budget bids discussions.

Pashinyan made the remark after his finance ministers report regarding Project Implementation Offices (PIO) and State Non-Commercial Organizations (SNCO).

I will not once again return to this topic, and woe to those officials who failed to carry out my tasks in this context, Pashinyan said. Meaning, we talk this much that this country is governed by the logic of PIO-isms and SNCO-isms and fund-isms, and every time when it comes to solving issues it turns out it needs to discussed again. We should discuss anything again. Whats a PIO? [chauffeur services], kickbacks, corruption, the largest corruption centers today, go and enter any sector, thats whats there and soon they will be revealed one by one. And yes, enough, each time they say, you know the employees at the ministry dont have skills. Lets dissolve these ministries then, then why are we keeping this entire state administration system and why have we divided it to grades of officials  first grade, second grade, third grade, and then we are saying we should raise salaries in the state administration system. How should we raise salaries when there are state administration systems where people are earning higher than anyone, ten times higher salaries. Are they privileged?

I am saying, a political decision has been made on this topic, and I will address it. And those officials who have failed to fulfill the tasks can take their stuff and leave from today. I am saying this very clearly, Pashinyan said.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. The government will provide 1 million 303.6 thousand AMD to the defense ministry to carry out the treatment of soldier Ruzvelt Torosyan in France, reports Armenpress.

The soldier received gunshot wound while fulfilling his duties during the military service.

The funds will be provided from the governments reserve fund.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. Armenia and the European Union plan to sign a funding agreement for improving education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, in an initiative called EU for Innovation in Armenia.

The government approved the bill on signing the 26,125,000 Euro deal today.

By the agreement, it is envisaged to provide assistance for the creation of the EU for Innovation: Tumo Center, in cooperation with TUMO.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received today newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Latvia to the Republic of Armenia Ingrida Levrence (residence in Tbilisi).

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the official website of the Prime Minister of Armenia, the acting PM congratulated the Ambassador on the occasion of assuming the post and wished her success. Pashinyan mentioned that Armenia highlights expansion of both bilateral and multilateral relations with Latvia, as well as deepening cooperation in the sidelines of the EU. In this context Pashinyan highlighted the ratification of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between Armenia and the EU by the parliament of Latvia.

Referring to the changes going on in Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan emphasized that Armenia moves forward along the path of development of democracy.

The newly appointed Ambassador of Latvia thanked the Armenian acting PM and assured that will spare no efforts for deepening relations between the two countries. Ingrida Levrence said that as an EU member state Latvia is ready to share its experience in cooperation with the EU and support Armenia in that process.

The interlocutors exchanged views on regional issues and Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement process.

The Ambassador of Latvia congratulated Nikol Pashinyan on successfully holding the early parliamentary elections on December 9.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan
NEWSDESK | Pacific Media Centre | Edited extracts

Paul Paraka flourishes his legal documents (EMTV)

AUCKLAND - Embattled Papua New Guinean lawyer Paul Paraka has challenged the government with a lawsuit citing a section of the constitution never previously used for breaching his citizen rights, the PNG Post-Courier reports.

Mr Paraka has applied to the courts alleging a breach of Section 23 of the PNG Constitution that, if proven, could imprison ministers, members of the anti-corruption Task Force Sweep, heads of state agencies and banks for up to 10 years.

Reporter Jeffrey Elapa says he is seeking hundreds of millions of kina in damages against the state, its agents and the individuals involved.

Mr Paraka, who once owned one of the biggest law firms in PNG, said it was now his time to declare war on the state by seeking damages and justice from the court.

He said he is seeking orders to invalidate all actions of the National Executive Council (Cabinet) and Task Force Sweep and seeks extensive damages and compensation for the total loss of his business.
More than 50 years since the bag was crafted, Lynch uses it to hold more than just bits and pieces. The bilum also allows Lynch to carry his love for Australias nearest, but barely known, neighbour.

It would have been used for carrying spare bow strings, Lynch explains.

Yet hanging from his chair is a beautiful indication of what has occupied much of his life. It is a string bag, or bilum, hand-made in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea in 1964.

NEWCASTLE - Sitting in Talulah bar and cafe at The Junction, Mark Lynch looks very much like a manager, which is what he was for many years. He wears a crisp business shirt, and his hair and beard are neatly trimmed.

As he says of Papua New Guinea, its a place that gets into your soul.

Long before Mark Lynch first went to the territories of Papua and New Guinea, pieces of PNG found their way into his familys home in Sydney.

Born in 1941, Lynch has few memories of his father from the first four years of his life. Max Lynch was serving in Papua and New Guinea, fighting against the Japanese during World War ii. For a time, he worked in the Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit, helping organise carriers to take supplies to the frontline.

When Max Lynch returned home at the end of the war in 1945, four-year-old Mark was entranced by the boots his father was wearing, and what came out of his pack.

He had giri-giri shells, cowrie shells, money with holes in the middle, Lynch recalls. I found that fascinating, but I didnt carry any interest in New Guinea through my childhood.

Many years later, in 1974, Max Lynch returned to New Guinea to attend the wedding of his son and Marks brother, John, to a local woman. The brides father had been a carrier during the war.

So by the time the afternoon was over, my father and he had both convinced themselves theyd known each other!, Lynch says.

By the time Mark Lynch finished high school, the family was living in Brisbane. His first job was in the despatch office of an asbestos cement factory, while studying commerce at the University of Queensland.

I was not excited, Lynch says, before explaining how his escape to a new life came about.

I was home with the flu in winter, and I saw an ad in the paper: Career with a challenge. Cadet patrol officer [for the territories of Papua and New Guinea]. And I thought, You wouldnt get the flu up there in the tropics.

The 17-year-old applied and was offered a position. But his mother, Marie, wasnt happy about it, so he delayed accepting. The day before his deadline, Lynch went to the Royal Queensland Show, because there was a PNG pavilion, and he quizzed a patrol officer there about his job, and what the teenager could expect.

After an hour and a half, I went to a phone booth, rang my mother and said, Im going, Lynch recalls. My mother said, Stay there, Im coming in to see this bloke.

She was still not enthusiastic by any means, but he did a pretty good job in reassuring her.

In August 1959, having just turned 18, he was at the Australian School of Pacific Administration in Sydney, undergoing an intense course about a complex and fascinating place, tackling subjects from land use to tropical medicine.

Six weeks later, he and 25 other young men were in Port Moresby: We were like a bunch of young puppies, wanting adventure.

Adventure awaited in 15 districts, each a world unto itself. Lynch applied for, and was sent to, the Eastern Highlands.

On his first patrol with a senior officer, Lynch walked into a village and received a traditional greeting. A man grabbed Lynch by the testicles. The shocked teenagers reaction was to clench his fist, ready to fight. Then he thought better of it.

I suddenly realised this bloke was still holding me, so Id better be careful!, he recalls. I was very cranky that the senior patrol officer hadnt warned me about this.

The learning curve was as steep and variable as the terrain of the Eastern Highlands.

As a patrol officer, Lynch was involved in everything from ordering supplies and hearing disputes to medical emergencies. And all the while he was trekking further and further out of his comfort zone.

I had to learn very quickly at least to pretend to be capable of a whole lot of things Id never be able to do, Lynch says. You just didnt know what you were going to confront and deal with from day to day.

There were confronting moments, as he picked his way through the impacts of tribal fighting. On patrol, he had to bring in carriers from far away, not from a local village, otherwise theyd often be walking into enemy territory nearby. He was threatened with sorcery.

But he rarely felt in danger: I only ever had an arrow fired at me once.

He gradually immersed himself in the different cultures and languages: You didnt speak English, you spoke Pidgin all the time. In fact, I dreamed in Pidgin.

And in the Eastern Highlands, he came to know himself. Mark Lynch became a new man in an ancient land.

When I went back to where I worked [in Brisbane] to say hello to my old colleagues 21 months after I left, I just looked at them loading the rail wagons and checking the trucks, and I thought, My God. By then, Id built a road, Id built a school, Lynch says.

Id had so much experience. Id already had an extraordinary life, and I had gained an enormous amount of confidence in myself. So I never looked back again.

Lynch spent more than five years in the Eastern Highlands then transferred to the Louisiade Archipelago of islands, off the tail of PNG, for 15 months: It was like going to another planet. For one thing, transport was mostly by boat.

Lynch returned to Australia in 1967, studying economics at the University of Queensland, before heading back to Port Moresby and into a new role. He taught public servants at the Papua New Guinea Administrative College and tutored in economics at the recently established national university, helping prepare the next generation for the countrys future.

He also better prepared himself to be part of PNGs transition from Australian-administered territories to one independent state. Lynch studied comparative politics at the University of Sussex in England, before returning to PNG and being at the heart of historic change.

It was pretty full on, because there were a lot of changes happening very, very rapidly, he says.

Lynch served as cabinet secretary and was deeply involved in the mechanics of government in an emerging nation. There were many consultations for drafting the constitution, he travelled widely with PNG politicians.

Then, in September, 1975, when the PNG flag was raised for the first time on independent soil, he was the first secretary of the National Executive Council.

That was the first cabinet meeting, Lynch says, showing a photo on his phone. A longer haired Lynch is standing at the back, smiling. In that moment, he felt part of history but was also in familiar company.

The minister for forests was one of Lynchs medical orderlies during his patrol officer days in the Eastern Highlands. Sitting at the front in the official photo is the countrys first prime minister, Michael Somare.

He was excellent, Lynch says. He was young, idealistic, very good at reaching consensus and brokering disputes.

Was he a friend?

He became one, he replies, explaining how the Somare family would occasionally visit the Lynch family home. His little boy and my eldest son would swim in the river.

After another three very bloody hectic years as cabinet secretary and 12 months as prime minister Somares special adviser, Lynch decided it was time to return to Australia. He and his then-wife had three children, so for their schooling, Lynch brought a close to his two-decade career/adventure in PNG. He missed the wonder and sheer diversity of the place.

There are 850 languages in the country, and I worked with 17 of them, so that gives you some idea of the human diversity.

In Australia, Lynch was a federal public servant for more than a decade, working in a string of high-ranking positions. He was the head of immigration policy during the globally turbulent events of the late 1980s, such as the disintegration of the Eastern bloc.

So it was a bit like World War Three, being in charge of the migration policy division, he says.

He is unimpressed with Australias present approach to immigration, particularly its treatment of asylum seekers on boats, and the deterioration of services provided to new arrivals: Im no longer proud of how the Immigration Department works.

Lynch moved to Newcastle with his second wife, Elizabeth, and their son in 1994. She was returning to her hometown to care for her mother. The couples plan was to stay a short while then go back to Canberra and the public service. Instead, they are still here, living in Merewether.

Whats more, Lynch left the public service and became the general manager of the NSW Rural Doctors Network, helping improve the lot of medicos and the communities they serve. He was in that job for 15 years before retiring.

What I was enjoying was there was a job needing to be done, and you had capacity to get stuck into it, he says. Which was very much like the way it was in New Guinea, when I was a young guy out in the bush.

Now Lynch has returned to PNG  in words. He joined a writing group at the Newcastle University of the Third Age (U3A) early last year. The group has just published a book, The Tale Makers, and it includes three short stories by Lynch, drawing on his PNG experiences, from the tragic to the hauntingly beautiful.

Lynch hopes to write a book based on his time in PNG, and he holds a secret ambition to be in Port Moresby for the 50th anniversary of independence in 2025. Mark Lynch and PNG remain entwined as tightly as the weave of his bilum.

As Lynch says, while slinging the bilum over his shoulder, Your hearts still there in many ways.
South Africa on Thursday held its first cannabis industry exhibition since the constitutional court ruled private, personal cannabis use was legal, attracting scores of entrepreneurs and consumers. Although no smoking was allowed at the venue, hundreds of people attended the trade show including producers, manufacturers, brand owners, distilleries and brewers. "It is an enormous opportunity and I don't think people realise how big it is. If we look at the market, it is enormous when you look at what is happening in America and Canada," said Steve Carver, 50, a director at U Can Grow Africa which sub-lets land for cannabis cultivation. Another attendee Sifiso Pretorius, who has a licence to cultivate the plant, said the profits derived from cannabis based products were "unbelievable". "It's a huge industry and its mainly export based, dollar based. The potential is huge," he said. The country's top court decriminalised private use and cultivation of the herb in September, although it did not decriminalise the use of the drug in public -- nor the offences of supplying or dealing. From medicinal oils, dog treats and even pure hemp clothing, attendees were treated to a world of cannabis-derived products from the southern Africa region. - 'Make this industry viable' - Zimbabwean-born fashion business owner Haanes Swan, 25, who sells tailored hemp clothing, praised the cost-effective nature of the plant. "The fabric is four times stronger than cotton and takes half the amount of water to grow." "Eventually we will grow hemp in Zimbabwe by the end of next year. We will be able to clothe people for almost next to nothing," Swan said. For others, the decriminalisation is a chance to cash in on the budding industry in a country where unemployment is stubbornly high. "I wanted information about growing and cultivating because I want to do that myself. I'm quite happy with what I got because I know where to find seeds and everything else to start," law student Amogelang Shadi, 24 said. Dressed in Rastafari colours, director of the privately-owned Marijuana Board of South Africa, Rasta Sphesihle Madola, told AFP that the rasta community was also working with farmers and growers associations to profit from the plant. "As we are rasta we are about the economy of cannabis, we know that it makes money in the world. We call on international investors to invest and make this industry viable," Madola added. The South African parliament now has just under 24 months to draft new laws that reflect the decriminalisation court order. Attendees were treated to a world of cannabis-derived products, from medicinal oils, dog treats and even pure hemp clothing The country's top court decriminalised private use and cultivation of the herb in September
Burnaby, British Columbia, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Traction on Demand is announcing the opening of its first office outside North America in Jaipur, India. With a talent-rich base of seasoned Salesforce platform experts, India provides the organization, which has grown its team by more than 40% in 2018, with world-class resources that will contribute to 24/7 client support and expansion into new international markets.



Mike Epner, President at Traction on Demand, recently returned from a visit to the new office. With round-the-clock support for customer programs, we will be able to deliver faster and more effectively on their goals. Traction on Demand has a 12-year history of amazing customer success with consultants located in Canada and the US. By adding this dimension, we can build on that success to take things to an even better place. We are off to a great start and it's going to be a really fun ride.



With a continued focus on growth, Traction on Demand's hiring strategy in Jaipur will align with the one used across North America, which emphasizes cultural fit, aptitude and experience. Unlike many traditional organizations that may look to establish offshore resource centres, Traction on Demand's focus is on enhancing the overall capabilities of our team, regardless of physical location. The hiring teams in Jaipur, Burnaby, Toronto and Montreal are dedicated to building a culturally-aligned team where collaboration and customer success is paramount, says Tanya Jarrett, Chief People Officer at Traction on Demand.



Traction on Demand's team in India is led by Manpreet Singh, who recently joined as Managing Director. His previous experience includes scaling a Salesforce delivery centre in India to 500+ employees in five years. The office is located in Mahindra World City, the country's largest IT/ITES SEZ (Special Economic Zone), which consists of 80+ organizations and 10,000+ employees.



About Traction on Demand

Traction on Demand is North America's largest dedicated and independent Salesforce consulting and application development firm, delivering cross-platform solutions and standalone SaaS products. Traction on Demand provides services to support the design, development, implementation and integration of technology and process for both commercial and nonprofit organizations. Unlike traditional system integrators, Traction on Demand's mission is to develop and grow the Salesforce ecosystem by empowering people and enabling organizations.



Tractions SaaS applications include Traction Guest, Traction Hierarchies, Traction Complete and Traction Rec.





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New footage has been released showing a missing mother and her one-year-old daughter walking through a supermarket on the day she vanished.

Kelsey Berreth mysteriously vanished from her Woodland Park, Colorado, home on Thanksgiving Day. She has not been seen since.

Footage released by Woodland Police this week shows the 29-year-old entering a Safeway store near her home with her baby in a car seat.

She can be seen retrieving a trolley before walking out of the cameras view. It is her last confirmed sighting.

Police are hoping video of a missing Colorado mother and her baby will help prompt new leads in her mysterious disappearance. Image: Woodland Police

The flight instructor reportedly left her daughter with her fiance, Patrick Frazee, the childs father later that day. Mr Frazee is yet to publicly comment on Berreths disappearance.

Three days later her employer received a text message saying that she would not be coming into work the next week.

Despite the fact that the missing Colorado womans cell phone was pinged to near Gooding, Idaho, police report that there are no leads in the state right now.

Kelsey Berreth has not been seen since November 22. Image: Facebook/Kelsey Berreth

Both Berreths cars are still in Colorado, and members of Berreths family reported on Facebook that after the search of her home, it did not appear as though she had packed anything.

The only thing missing from the home was her purse.

Doss Aviation also reported that all their airplanes are accounted for, and De Young said there is no indication that she took off in a plane.

The FBI is now involved in the case, and both law enforcement and Berreths family are urging anyone who may have any knowledge to report it to the Woodland Park Police Department
Two girls sprint from a hair salon into a car that will lead them back to safety in Vietnam -- a snapshot of the daring rescues taking place each month to free women and girls from forced marriages or sex slavery in China. Filmed on a shaky camera phone, the successful rescue saved the Vietnamese teenagers from a brothel in China, where a huge surplus of males has fuelled the lucrative trade for brides and sex workers. Bringing them home is dangerous work, pitting rescuers against vengeful husbands, pimps and organised trafficking networks who spin tens of millions of dollars selling women from poor Mekong countries. "No one wants their business to be broken," says a rescuer from Blue Dragon, a Hanoi-based non-profit. Blue Dragon has helped bring about 400 trafficked women and girls home from China since 2007. They are among tens of thousands trafficked into China from impoverished pockets of Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos. They are tricked, lured or kidnapped and sold as wives and prostitutes across the border, some ending up deep inside the tightly-controlled Communist country. Rescues are a complicated and all-consuming job, says the Blue Dragon rescuer whose identity has been concealed for safety reasons. The stress is constant and the phone buzzes around the clock. "But I couldn't walk away," the rescuer says. "Imagine your child didn't come home at dinner time. What would you do?" - 'Please help me' - Victims reach out via Chinese messaging services like WeChat and QQ or call the non-profit -- if they can get their hands on a phone. "I was trafficked to China please help me," reads one text. "I'm praying for a miracle," says another. But most girls -- especially sex workers -- are barred from contact with the outside world; an escaped girl means thousands of dollars lost for traffickers. With risks high, each rescue can take months to plan and execute. One girl faked illness and checked into hospital where she called Blue Dragon rescuers, leading them to a remote corner of China where she had been trafficked as a bride. Another who had been sold into a brothel secretly used customers' phones to contact rescuers before evading bouncers by escaping via a back door. Blue Dragon helps to bring home up to eight people a month and gets one or two desperate pleas for help each day. The organisation keeps photos and videos of successful missions -- weeping mothers reunited with daughters, teenaged girls grinning widely after being saved -- morale-boosting reminders of their work. "If we don't get her out of there she's stuck, she's in slavery," said Michael Brosowski, the Australian founder of Blue Dragon, which also rescues and rehabilitates street kids, sexual abuse victims and other kids in crisis. - 'Alive again' - Le Thi Vu knew trying to escape could mean being beaten or even killed by her pimp, who kept her in a brothel for four months in China's Guangxi province where she was forced to sleep with up to 12 men a day. Traumatised and fearing pregnancy, she secretly bought a phone and got in touch with her family who connected with Blue Dragon. She had no idea of her location and could not read the Chinese street signs outside, but Vu -- whose name has been changed -- found a phone number for a hotel across the street and relayed it. One morning two months later, the rescue unfolded. She went into a hair salon next to the brothel with another Vietnamese woman and suddenly made a dash for the waiting car, praying not to get caught. Within days the pair were back in Vietnam. "I felt like I had come back to life again, I was so happy to see my mother," said Vu, now 21 and training to be a spa technician. Rescues have helped Blue Dragon prosecute 76 traffickers over the past five years in Vietnam, where the maximum sentence for selling people outside the country is 20 years. Vu's traffickers -- her friend and her friend's boyfriend -- were both jailed. Nguyen Trang was saved last year, eight months into a forced marriage to a poor Chinese labourer in Hunan province. She slipped out of the house early one morning to meet a Blue Dragon contact, who guided her onto a bus bound for the border. She was offered $2,100 not to testify against her trafficker -- a former boyfriend who sold her to brokers in China. But Trang, also using a pseudonym, refused and her ex was jailed in August for seven years. Today, the slight 20-year-old works in a Hanoi restaurant and has tried to put the dark chapter behind her. "In Hunan my spirit hurt... now I can live again," she says. Vu, whose name has been changed, knew trying to escape could mean being beaten or even killed by her pimp Now 21, she is training to be a spa technician Map highlighting the provinces in Vietnam where girls were known to have been trafficked to China, according to rescue data from NGO Blue Dragon.
Egyptian authorities Thursday arrested a camel driver and a woman accused of having helped two Danes scale the Great Pyramid of Giza to take a video and naked photograph, sparking outrage in the country. The interior ministry said the woman had put the pair into contact with the camel driver who took them to the site illegally at night on November 29 for 4,000 Egyptian pounds ($225, 200 euros). The two had acknowledged their role in the incident and would be put on trial. In a video called "Climbing the Great Pyramid of Giza", Danish photographer Andreas Hvid appears to scale the 4,500-year-old tomb on the outskirts of Cairo with a woman who is later seen removing her top. Hvid says the video was shot in late November and posted on YouTube on December 8, setting in motion an investigation by Egypt's public prosecutor. A photograph also released by Hvid appears to show the pair completely naked on top of each other while looking in the direction of a nearby pyramid. The nearly three-minute video has so far notched up 4.5 million views on YouTube, while stirring a public outcry in Egypt. "A 7,000-year-old civilisation has turned into a bed sheet," a Twitter user in Egypt lamented. Hvid, 23, has explained back home to the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet that he had "dreamed for many years of climbing the Great Pyramid" as well as of taking a naked photograph. The young Dane, who runs his own YouTube channel, said the woman in the video was not his girlfriend. "It was just a pose. We did not have sexual relations," he said. The Great Pyramid is the largest in Giza, standing 146 metres (480 feet) tall, and the only surviving structure of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Climbing pyramids is forbidden in Egypt. In 2016, a German tourist was barred from entering the country for life after he posted online footage of climbing one of the ancient structures. The Giza pyramids on the outskirts of Cairo
EU leaders extended punishing economic sanctions against Russia over the conflict in Ukraine for another six months on Thursday, amid heightened tensions over the Azov Sea clash. The EU first imposed the measures in July 2014 after Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine, killing 298 people, an attack blamed by the West on pro-Russian rebels. The sanctions target whole sectors of the Russian economy including its valuable oil businesses. "EU unanimously prolongs economic sanctions against Russia given zero progress in implementation of Minsk agreements," EU President Donald Tusk tweeted from a summit in Brussels. The EU-brokered Minsk peace agreement, endorsed by both Moscow and Kiev, was first reached in late 2014 and then re-worked in early 2015 but is violated regularly. The Ukraine-Russia conflict flared up again last month when Russian forces seized three Ukrainian vessels and sailors as they tried to pass through the Kerch Strait from the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov. The 28 EU leaders renewed their criticism of Russia over the incident, voicing their "utmost concern" at Moscow's "violations of international law" in a strongly-worded summit statement. "There is no justification for the use of military force by Russia," the statement said, calling once again for the sailors to be released. Earlier on Thursday, the NATO military alliance announced it would give Ukraine secure communications equipment by the end of the year to help it combat Russia's "destabilising behaviour". Along with sector-wide economic sanctions, the EU has measures targeting individuals and organisations over Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and in connection with the conflict in Ukraine. The leaders said the EU "stands ready to adopt measures to strengthen further its support, including in favour of the affected areas of Ukraine" -- opening the door to new sanctions. Earlier this week the EU hit nine more people with sanctions over elections in the breakaway pro-Russian regions of Ukraine which were condemned as illegitimate by the international community. But new measures would require the unanimous support of all 28 EU countries and some with strong business ties or political sympathies with Russia are resistant to the idea. The war in eastern Ukraine between government forces and rebels backed by Moscow has claimed more than 10,000 lives and rumbles on despite a series of periodic truce deals. The EU first imposed these economic sanctions on Russia in July 2014 after Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine, killing 298 people, an attack blamed by the EU on pro-Russian rebels
The family of an Adelaide grandmother who vanished in Malaysia is making one last desperate trip to find her.

Private investigators are now on the case a year after Anna Jenkins bizarre disappearance on the streets of Penang.

Its like trying to find a needle in a haystack, but weve got 100 haystacks, her daughter, Jen Bowen, said.

The 66-year-old woman was in Malaysia visiting her dying mother last December with her husband, Frank.

Anna Jenkins, 66, vanished without a trace. Source: 7News

It has been one year since Ms Jenkins bizarre disappearance. Source: 7News

But on her way back from a dentist appointment something went wrong.

An Uber driver has since revealed she suddenly fled the car and was never seen again.

Annas daughter, Jen Bowen, said they are fearful they will never know what happened. Source: 7News

Her son and daughter have travelled to Penang 13 times and have put up 11,000 posters.

Malaysian and Australian authorities have provided some assistance, but the family has called in private investigators.

Annas son and daughter have travelled to Penang numerous times and put up thousands of posters. Source: 7News

We just wish that there was some kind of help that we could get from a higher level because we just simply cant do it on our own, but weve got no choice, Ms Bowen said.

A Facebook page has been set up to help in the search for the missing grandmother but the family admits they cannot keep going forever.

The biggest fear of whats happened is that we will just never know and that were always going to be in this state of limbo, Ms Bowen said.
The gunman who killed three people at a Christmas market in Strasbourg was shot dead by French police on Thursday as the Islamic State jihadist group claimed him as one of its "soldiers". More than 700 French security forces had been hunting for 29-year-old Cherif Chekatt since the bloodshed on Tuesday night -- the latest in a string of jihadist attacks to rock France. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said three police tried to question Chekatt after spotting him on the street in the Neudorf area of the northeastern French city where he grew up, but he opened fire. "They immediately returned fire and neutralised the assailant," Castaner said. A source close to the investigation said a woman spotted a man fitting Chekatt's description with a wounded arm on Thursday afternoon and alerted authorities, who sealed off the area and used a helicopter with thermal cameras to hunt for the suspect. People gathered at the police cordon where Chekatt was shot and applauded, some shouting "bravo!", a source said. "It's really a huge relief," said Alain Fontanel, a local official in the mayor's office, describing the anxiety that locals had felt since Tuesday's attack. "We didn't really feel very safe," one 18-year-old local named Arthur told AFP. - Watchlist - The propaganda wing of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attack. The perpetrator of "the attack in the city of Strasbourg... is one of the soldiers of the Islamic State and carried out the operation in response to calls to target nationals of the coalition" against IS, the Amaq agency said in a message posted on Twitter. Chekatt, who lived in a rundown apartment block a short drive from the city centre, was flagged by French security forces in 2015 as a possible Islamic extremist. France has been hit by a wave of attacks from people claiming allegiance to Al Qaeda or IS since 2015, which have claimed the lives of nearly 250 people, according to an AFP toll. It is also not the first time a Christmas market has been targeted in Europe. In 2016, a jihadist attacked a Christmas market in Berlin and went on the run through the Netherlands and France before being shot and killed three days later in northern Italy. Defiant local authorities insisted the Strasbourg Christmas market would reopen as usual on Friday. - Career criminal - Chekatt was believed to have been wounded after exchanging fire with soldiers during the attack, but managed to escape and had not been seen since fleeing the scene on Tuesday. Police in several other countries had joined the hunt for the career criminal with at least 27 convictions in four European states. Officers who had already detained Chekatt's parents and two brothers on Wednesday took a fifth person into custody for questioning on Thursday. French President Emmanuel Macron thanked security forces in a tweet and vowed: "Our commitment against terrorism is total." He earlier expressed "the solidarity of the whole country" towards the victims. "It is not only France that has been hit... but a great European city as well," he added, referring to the seat of the European parliament in the eastern French city that lies on the border with Germany. Strasbourg's location in the heart of western Europe means that Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg can be easily reached by car or train, making the search for Chekatt more complicated. Swiss police had reinforced border checks, while German authorities also widely published the photo of the suspect, which showed him with dark hair, a short beard and a mark on his forehead. - Plea to 'yellow vests' - As police hunted Chekatt, the French government urged "yellow vest" protesters angry over French economic reforms not to hold another round of demonstrations this weekend, given the strain on the country's security forces. Government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux called on the anti-government protesters to be "reasonable" after nearly four weeks of often violent demonstrations that have led the government to offer a range of financial relief to low earners. "Our security forces have been deployed extensively these past few weeks," Griveaux told CNews television. "It would be better if everyone could go about their business calmly on Saturday, before the year-end celebrations with their families, instead of demonstrating and putting our security forces to work once again." The yellow-vest protesters, known for their fluorescent high-visibility jackets, had called for a fifth round of protests this Saturday. The protests began on November 17 over fuel tax increases, but snowballed into a revolt over living standards as well as Macron's perceived indifference to the problems of ordinary citizens. burs/jah/qan French police officers and forensics teams search for evidence at the site where Strasbourg Christmas market gunman Cherif Chekatt was shot dead by police Cherif Chekatt is suspected of killing three people and injuring 13 in an attack on Strasbourg's Christmas market Messages of support for the victims, as well as candles and flowers, are multiplying in Strasbourg streets Hundreds of police in France joined the hunt for Cherif Chekatt, who had at least 27 convictions in four European countries Strasbourg's location in the heart of western Europe and easy cross-border links made the search for Chekatt more complicated A prayer service is to be held at the city's medieval cathedral
Ohid Sarder prises a rusted nail from a tree and drops it into his bucket, another eyesore scrubbed from the countryside as he embarks on a one-man mission to clean up Bangladesh. The 53-year-old self-professed tree hugger has been riding his bicycle across the country, in a grassroots effort to free trees of the billboards and clutter nailed to their trunks. Trees in Bangladesh are often used as free advertising space, with every available inch of wood plastered with placards until the trunk is barely visible. The billboards might disintegrate over time but the nails remain embedded deep in the wood -- agitating tree-lover Sarder, who has devoted his life to healing these wounds. "Trees have life. They feel pain just as we do," the self-styled conservationist told AFP in Jessore district in the country's southwest. "I have seen how these nails have killed trees, and how they are causing them pain." Sarder grew up idolising Jagdish Chandra Bose, a prominent Bengali botanist who wrote about the emotions of plants in the early decades of the 20th century. Inspired, Sarder began planting trees in Jhenaidah, his home district, and neighbouring Jessore, a passion he kept up for decades. But this year it occurred to him that planting trees was not enough -- he needed to protect those already under threat. Traversing battered roads with a bicycle, bucket and a metal rod welded with prongs, Sarder began prying thick nails and spikes from abused trees across the country. Since he began his beautification drive in July he has collected more than 80 kilogrammes (176 pounds) of them. "It looks easy, but it isn't. It takes a lot of effort to pull out a rusted nail that has been there for years," he said. - Seeking to inspire - It is arduous and thankless work. His wife complains that Sarder, a mason by trade, spends more time with his trees doing unpaid volunteer work than earning a wage. Often, he doubles back on a section of road to discover fresh billboards hammered into his beloved trees. "You know what breaks my heart the most? Most of these banners are advertising doctors, lawyers, tutors and other clinics," he said. "They all are well educated. Why on earth can't they refrain from destroying a tree?" Sarder often attracts crowds of curious onlookers as he goes about his work. "No one really does this work. People thought I was crazy," he said. But sensing an opportunity to educate the public about his mission, he attached a placard to his bicycle extolling the benefits of trees and merits of conserving nature. "I try my best to explain the importance of having more trees and inspire them to plant and save more trees." Sarder has appealed to local politicians to try and outlaw this form of vandalism, but has not had much success. But he intends to keep up the fight, saying a growing awareness of climate change and environmental conservation in his impoverished homeland could spur change in the future. Bangladesh, a low-lying riverine country of 160 million, is particularly prone to floods. Experts say trees, by soaking up water and reducing soil erosion, can help mitigate the devastation brought by yearly deluges. "What we have failed to understand is that to keep the balance in nature, we need more trees," he said. Sarder removes billboards, thick nails and spikes from abused trees across the country It is arduous and thankless work, leaving his hands scarred His wife complains that Sarder, a mason by trade, spends too much time with his trees doing unpaid volunteer work Sarder often attracts crowds of curious onlookers as he goes about his work
Kosovo will vote Friday on whether to create its own army, in a heavily symbolic show of independence from Serbia that has inflamed tensions between the former wartime foes. Since breaking away from Belgrade in a guerilla war in the late 1990s, Kosovo has relied on NATO-led forces to guarantee its security. But at the end of the week -- dubbed "Army week" by one Kosovo newspaper -- Pristina lawmakers will vote on legislation to transform its own lightly-armed emergency response force, known as Kosovo Security Force (KSF), into a professional army. The measure is widely expected to pass as it draws support from all political parties in ethnic Albanian-majority Kosovo, except for a minority of ethnic Serb MPs who have boycotted the sessions. But there is outrage in Belgrade, which refuses to accept the former southern province's independence and has cast the army plans as a threat to the 120,000 Serbs still living in Kosovo. Last week Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said she "hoped" Serbia would not need to use its army against Kosovo, though it is "one of the options on the table." Twenty years ago, 13,000 lives were lost -- mostly ethnic Albanians -- when Serb troops clashed with Kosovo's ethnic-Albanian independence fighters. Serbian tabloids have warned of a possible new conflict, with the daily Informer stating "War with Kosovo will start on December 15", the day after the army vote. But analysts say it is more likely to remain a war of words. It will take up to a decade for the KSF to be combat-ready, according to officials. Even then, its new 5,000 troops will be minnows compared to Serbia's some 30,000-strong army in addition to fighter planes. "A military response is not in the realm of reality," Milan Karagaca, a Belgrade-based military analyst, told AFP. "Neither they nor we have the means and capacities to wage war and the international community...would not allow it," he said, adding that an attack on Kosovo would amount to attack on NATO. Instead, the rhetoric on both sides are "manoeuvres to secure better positions in future negotiations," he said. - Recognition battle - The army vote comes during a low point in relations between Kosovo and Serbia, who are under EU pressure to normalise ties if they want to join the bloc. Tensions surged in November when Kosovo slapped Serbian goods with a 100 percent tariff in retaliation for Belgrade's efforts to sabotage it on the world stage. Serbia has long blocked Kosovo from international organisations, including the UN, and recently upped a diplomatic campaign to sway other countries to revoke recognition of Kosovo's sovereignty. Belgrade says it has achieved a dozen reversals, though Pristina disputes the claims and says it is still recognised by some 115 states. The army move is likely "tied up with the current frustration (in Kosovo) about the recognition issue," said James Ker-Lindsay, a Balkans expert at the London School of Economics. "An army is seen as a symbol of statehood," he said. - American arms - NATO, which has four members who don't recognise Kosovo, has condemned the army move as "ill-timed." But Pristina's core ally Washington has given the green light, calling it a "positive step". The commander of the current 2,500-strong KSF, which is trained for crisis response operations, said this week that the new army will be equipped with US weapons and vehicles. In an interview to Insajderi newspaper, Kosovo's Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said Serbia would not dare to attack, knowing that "America would defend Kosovo." He has also stressed it will be an army of "peace" that will not target Serbs but be used to support international forces in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. The move is broadly popular among the ethnic Albanian majority in Kosovo, where the government has been dealt a series of setbacks in recent months, including a failed bid to join Interpol which it blamed on Belgrade. There is also widespread frustration over a lack of progress in acquiring visa-free travel status in the EU -- something every other Western Balkan state enjoys. "The government is trying by all means to claim at least one success story among the numerous failures that have happened this year," said political analyst Imer Mushkolaj. Kosovo will vote on whether to turn its own lightly-armed emergency response force, known as Kosovo Security Force (KSF), seen here in a ceremony, into a professional army. The army vote comes during a low point in relations between Kosovo and Serbia. Tensions surged in November when Kosovo slapped Serbian goods with a 100 percent tariff, sparking protests over the taxes Since breaking away from Belgrade in a guerilla war in the late 1990s, Kosovo has relied on NATO-led forces to guarantee its security
A Texas inmate who fatally shot a newlywed during a robbery more than 25 years ago has been executed.

Alvin Braziel Jr, 43, received a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville for the 1993 slaying of 27-year-old Douglas White, who was attacked as he and his wife walked on a jogging trail.

Asked by the warden if he had a final statement, Braziel thanked supporters and apologised to the victims wife, Lora White.

I would like to apologise  for her husband dying at my hands, Braziel said from the death chamber gurney.

He also said he loved the White family and a person he named but who was not present, then told the warden he was finished.

As the sedative pentobarbital began taking effect, he took a couple of breaths, gasped, then snored loudly three times. The fourth snore was noticeably less pronounced, and then all movement stopped.

Braziel was pronounced dead 7.19pm, nine minutes after the drug began.

Alvin Braziel Jr was executed for fatally shooting Douglas White. Source: AP

Braziel became the 24th inmate put to death this year in the US and the 13th executed in Texas, the nations busiest capital punishment state. He will be the last Texas inmate executed this year.

A brother of Douglas White and two friends attended the execution but declined to speak afterward. Braziel selected no one to witness his death.

Braziel killed Douglas White 10 days after his wedding

In 1993, as Douglas and Lora White walked along a jogging trail encircling Eastfield College in the Dallas suburb of Mesquite, Braziel jumped out from behind some bushes with a pistol in his hand and demanded money.

The Whites, who had only been married 10 days, didnt have any money on them but told Braziel they could get him some and they started walking back to their truck. But Braziel became angry with the couple and ordered them to the ground.

Doug  was praying, asked God to forgive him and Lora their sins because they both knew that this was it, said Michael Bradshaw, the lead detective on the case for Mesquite police.

Story continues

The last thing Doug said before Braziel fired the first round, he said, Please God, dont let him hurt Lora.'

Braziel shot White once in the head and once in his heart.

The couple was approached on a jogging track that encircles Eastfield College. Source: Google Maps/file

Murder unsolved for seven years

Bradshaw said he believes Braziel would have also shot then-24-year-old Lora but his gun malfunctioned. Braziel instead took her to bushy area near the trail and sexually assaulted her.

Douglas Whites murder was featured on the television show Americas Most Wanted and a US$20,000 ($27,000) reward was raised by the chiropractic college he had worked for as an electrician.

Bradshaw said more than 40 potential suspects were interrogated and had their blood drawn for testing.

But the murder remained unsolved for more than seven years.

I really didnt know that I would ever be able to solve it. But I really did not give up hope, said Bradshaw, 63, who retired from Mesquite police in 2012.

Braziel was eventually tied to the killing in 2001 after he was imprisoned for sexual assault in an unrelated case and his DNA matched evidence from Lora Whites assault.

At his trial, Braziel said he wasnt near the college during the killing.

The man was executed 25 years after the murder. Source: Getty

Braziels lawyers didnt immediately reply to emails and calls seeking comment on Tuesday.

Last week, his lawyers asked the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to stop his execution, arguing in part he should not receive lethal injection because he is intellectually disabled.

The Supreme Court held in 2002 that people convicted of murder who are intellectually disabled cannot be executed.

Braziels lawyers later withdrew their request.

Courts had previously turned down Braziels appeals that have focused on claims of mental illness and that he had suffered a childhood brain injury, saying Braziel refused to be examined by a mental health expert during his trial and that his family declined to help his defence attorneys obtain evidence of any mental health problems in Braziels family.

His lawyers also filed a last-minute appeal on Tuesday, arguing that an emotional outburst at the 2001 murder trial from Lora White was unfairly elicited by prosecutors when she was shown on the witness stand a photo of her husbands autopsied body.

Bradshaw said he still keeps in contact with Lora White and that she started a new life and is doing well.

Lora wants it known that shes prayed for Alvin Braziel and his family, Bradshaw said.
Lithuanian English

AUGA group, AB (legal entity code: 126264360, registered office address: Konstitucijos pr. 21C, Vilnius; hereinafter  the Company) was informed that the internal committees of its main lenders (Luminor bank AB and Swedbank, AB) approved the amendments of credit and credit line agreements concluded with the Company, under which, among other amendments, would be agreed not to apply the Financial Debt and EBITDA ratio covenant* until the end of third quarter of the year 2019 and to extend credit lines for a year. The additional condition stipulated in the above-mentioned decisions  additional approval of the banks will be required for the capital expenditures exceeding 2 mil. euro in year 2019.

The Company concluded the respective amendment of the 17.6 mil. euro Credit Line Agreement with Luminor bank AB today. Amendments of other agreements are intended to be concluded in the near future.

* definitions are provided in the management report of the Companys consolidated interim financial statements for 9 months ended 30 September 2018.









General manager

Linas Bulzgys

+370 5 233 5340
From the Central American caravans trekking desperately northward to the mass exodus from Venezuela, 2018 was the year the migration crisis swept the Americas and reached the doorstep of the United States. Scenes of Syrian and African refugees risking their lives to reach Europe's shores had their New World equivalent this year in the masses of Central Americans who traveled more than a month to the US-Mexican border, many carrying young children or pushing them in strollers. Playing to the same anti-immigrant sentiment leveraged by Europe's far right, President Donald Trump called it an "invasion," sought to overhaul US asylum policy and deployed thousands of troops to the border. Among the lasting images of 2018 are seas of dogged migrants walking in flip-flops or flimsy plastic shoes; crying children taken from their parents and held in cage-like enclosures under the Trump administration's since-abandoned practice of separating undocumented families; and hundreds of desperate migrants rushing the US-Mexican border, only to be battled back with tear gas. Latin Americans have long migrated to the United States -- half a million Central Americans cross Mexico each year to chase their American dreams -- but they used to do it in secret. This was the first time the US had confronted such a large, visible influx of Central Americans, as people fleeing poverty and violence used social media to organize themselves into caravans, seeking protection from kidnapping, extortion and murder by crime gangs that prey on migrants. For Trump, it played into his political message at the height of an election season. "If you want to protect criminal aliens -- VOTE DEMOCRAT. If you want to protect Law-Abiding Americans -- VOTE REPUBLICAN!" he tweeted on November 3, three days before the US midterm elections. Trump's party lost control of the House of Representatives in the elections -- though it gained seats in the Senate, enabling him to claim his nationalism had resonated with voters. Facing a new political reality, Trump has threatened to partly shut down the federal government by refusing to sign a spending bill if Congress does not give him $5 billion to build his much-wanted border wall. - American Christmas - For the migrants now stuck on the border, the choices are bleak: join the huge lines to enter the United States legally and file long-shot asylum applications; sneak across and hope for the best; settle in Mexico; or go home. In Tijuana, across the border from San Diego, California, Honduran migrant Elvin Perdomo -- one of the more than 7,000 people who joined the largest caravan at its height -- looks longingly at the other side. "There's nothing in the world I want more than to spend Christmas over there, with my family and a roof over my head," he told AFP. Perdomo, 32, traveled 4,300 kilometers (nearly 2,700 miles) to get here, but does not know what to do next. Other groups of migrants also found few options at the border. The first to face Trump's fury -- the "Migrant Way of the Cross" launched in March -- dissipated as participants realized they had little chance of gaining asylum in the United States. Organized by activists every year around Easter to raise awareness about the plight of migrants, that caravan used to draw a few hundred people. This year -- whether in spite of Trump or because of him -- it drew 1,500, and inspired the larger caravans that followed. But despite their numbers, such caravans inevitably run into the reality of outmoded asylum policies adopted in the wake of World War II, said Dolores Paris Pombo, a migration expert at the College of the Northern Border, in Tijuana. The 1951 Refugee Convention signed in Geneva mainly addresses political, ethnic and religious persecution. But "there is a very large flux of people now migrating because of emergency situations caused by other inter-related factors, such as poverty, violence and climate change," she said. - Venezuelan exodus - In South America, the number of Venezuelans fleeing the country's economic and political implosion meanwhile swelled to 2.3 million since 2015. The once-wealthy oil-producing country has veered toward the brink of collapse under leftist President Nicolas Maduro, who won a new six-year term in May in a widely condemned election marred by irregularities. The exodus of Venezuelans has stoked tension across the region. In Brazil, an angry mob in the border town of Pacaraima set fire to Venezuelan migrant camps in August, chasing out 1,200 people. In Peru, where 600,000 Venezuelans have fled, the government last month began requiring passports for those who would follow them. A court blocked a similar measure in Ecuador. Carmen Fuenmayor, 57, a teacher, joined the exodus but returned to Venezuela after nine months struggling to find work. She will spend Christmas alone this year. Her daughters are still in Ecuador. "They have their lives. I decided mine was here in Venezuela," she said. A group of Central American migrants climb the border fence between Mexico and the United States near El Chaparral border crossing in Tijuana -- the crisis is ongoing An aerial view of Honduran migrants in southern Mexico heading in a caravan to the US border -- the situation presented a major foreign policy challenge for US President Donald Trump Central American migrants -- mostly Hondurans -- run along the Tijuana River near the El Chaparral border crossing in Tijuana after the US border patrol threw tear gas to disperse them in late November 2018 For migrants like these, stuck near the border in Tijuana, the choices are bleak: wait to enter the US legally, sneak across the border, settle in Mexico or go home Central American migrants in the US-bound "Way of the Cross" caravan line up for food in April 2018 in Mexico's Oaxaca State -- it was the first caravan to face Donald Trump's fury Venezuelan migrants on their way to Peru sleep along the Pan-American Highway between Tulcan and Ibarra in Ecuador, after entering the country from Colombia in August 2018 -- hundreds of thousands fled crisis in Venezuela this year Members of the Warao tribe, Venezuela's second-largest indigenous group, rest in hammocks at a shelter where they have been taking refuge in the Brazilian border city of Pacaraima in August 2018 after a violent anti-migrant riot there
If you thought your parents were tough on you as a child, this Michigan mother might have you re-evaluating just how stern they really were.

Crystal Towns was so fed up with the morning struggle of trying to wake her son up for school, she decided to escalate her approach.

While her son might have thought he had successfully slept his way out of another day of school, a call to the local police department suggested otherwise.

I woke him up. He thought he was just going to not go and I said nope youre learning today boy, Ms Towns told Fox 5 News.

Ms Towns wasnt bluffing. Image: WJLA/Crystal Towns

He blamed his sister for not waking him up, and I had had it.

Any thought that his mum was bluffing went out the window when the officer arrived at the familys front door.

I called [the officers] cell phone and he answered and he came and got him, came to the door, knocked then told him Im here to take you to school and you are riding in the backseat and they left, she said.

The mother captured a photograph to commemorate the occasion and Ms Towns said she hoped the drastic measure would serve as a lesson for her son and others to wake up and go to school.
Kurdish-led forces on Thursday moved deep into Hajin, the main village in the last pocket still held by the Islamic State group in eastern Syria, a war monitor said. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), with support from air strikes conducted by the US-led coalition, deployed across the Euphrates Valley village. "The SDF managed to break the defences of the Islamic State group after massing a large number of fighters backed by the international coalition," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "They achieved quick progress inside Hajin, the largest of the villages that were controlled by IS," Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Britain-based monitoring organisation, said. The SDF said on social media they had "liberated the city centre of Hajin and the big mosque". Hajin lies on the east bank of the Euphrates in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, about 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the border with Iraq. The area held by IS is sometimes referred to as the "Hajin pocket", the last rump of a once-sprawling "caliphate" the group proclaimed in 2014 over parts of Syria and Iraq. The SDF Kurdish-Arab alliance launched an operation in September to flush out IS but their advance has been fraught with obstacles. The push to retake Hajin was delayed by Turkish threats on Kurdish heartlands further north and deadly counter-attacks by die-hard jihadists making a bloody last stand. "Now IS is confined to tunnels and to the edges of town," Abdel Rahman said. "Fighting on the group and air strikes are continuing. The mines planted by the jihadists are the main remaining obstacle," he said. No casualty toll was immediately available for the latest fighting but according to the Observatory close to 500 SDF fighters have been killed since the start of the operation on September 10. Around 300 civilians have also been killed, many of them in coalition air strikes, and thousands have been forced to flee their homes. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are backed by the US-led international coalition against the Islamic State group
The United States lashed out Thursday at "predatory" Chinese and Russian involvement in Africa as it announced a leaner footprint on the continent that insists on accountability in trade and peacekeeping. In a speech billed as unveiling a new US strategy on Africa, national security advisor John Bolton echoed Trump's "America First" philosophy, showing a distrust of international institutions and a sense of stark competition with rival powers. Bolton denounced China for its aggressive quest for natural resources and its rising military and maritime presence -- warning that the balance of power in the Horn of Africa could shift to Beijing -- and accused Russia of using the continent to seek past imperial glory. "The predatory practices pursued by China and Russia stunt economic growth in Africa, threaten the financial independence of African nations, inhibit opportunities for US investment, interfere with US military operations and pose a significant threat to US national security interests," Bolton said at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. He said that China used "bribes, opaque agreements and the strategic use of debt to hold states in Africa captive to Beijing's wishes and demands." China has found ready partners in part by promising not to interfere in internal affairs. Abe Denmark, a former assistant secretary of defense now at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, called Bolton's approach on China "particularly self-defeating" and said it may drive more African nations toward Beijing. "Can't we just engage Africa on its own merits and not make it part of the grand China competition chessboard?" he tweeted. - Self-reliance over aid - Bolton also told African governments to expect a tighter-fisted approach to aid, with an end to "indiscriminate assistance across the entire continent." "All US aid on the continent will advance US interests, and help African nations move toward self-reliance," Bolton said. Trump has vowed to slash foreign aid across the world and is not known for his interest in Africa, notoriously being quoted by lawmakers as calling some African countries "shitholes" when discussing immigration to the United States. But Bolton said that the tycoon turned president's "transactional history" of "making deals that are mutually beneficial" should be an encouraging sign to African nations. Bolton announced, with few immediate details, an initiative called "Prosper Africa" to boost US private sector investment across the continent with a goal of offering "high-quality, transparent, inclusive" trade. Bolton said the approach showed how the United States is "the least imperial power in the history of the world." "In America's economic dealings, we ask only for reciprocity, never for subservience," he said. Bolton also warned that the United States was considering cutting off aid to South Sudan, which has benefited from US largesse since its independence in 2011, unless its "morally bankrupt leaders" end their internal fighting. - Criticism of UN peacekeeping - The competition with China and Russia comes as Washington prepares to dial down its already modest military response to the spread of Islamist militant groups in Africa. Instead, Washington wants regional players to take more responsibility for their own security. Bolton cited as an example the so-called G5 Sahel -- a security force backed by the United States which consists of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. But Bolton, known for his hawkish criticism of the United Nations, said the United States would seek to "streamline, reconfigure or terminate" UN peacekeeping missions unless they "facilitate lasting peace." "Our objective is to resolve conflicts, not freeze them in perpetuity," he said. Bolton accused the world body of creating peacekeeping missions and then not looking further at how to resolve the underlying conflicts. "We will not provide legitimacy to missions that give large payouts to countries sending poorly equipped soldiers who provide insufficient protection to vulnerable populations on the ground," Bolton said. In a speech billed as unveiling a new US strategy on Africa, national security advisor John Bolton echoed Donald Trump's "America First" philosophy Kenya in 2017 inaugurated a Chinese-built railway, the country's biggest infrastructure project since independence -- China has made dramatic inroads in Africa with direct investment, aid and infrastructure projects Workers offload US aid destined for South Sudan from the World Food Programme (WFP) at Port Sudan on March 19, 2017: the United States warned it was considering cutting off aid to South Sudan unless its "morally bankrupt leaders" end their infighting The US says the G5 Sahel task force -- a US-backed security force consisting of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger -- is a good example of how regional players can handle their own security; Mauritanian soldiers are seen here
A former head cook at an upstate New York jail is accused of engaging in sex acts with inmates who worked with her in the kitchen.

Jennifer Parker, 43, of 8129 County Route 27, Lisbon, has been indicted on 16 counts, including third-degree rape, third-degree criminal sexual act, second-degree promoting prison contraband, forcible touching and official misconduct.

The charges stem from an investigation conducted by the state attorney general's office and New York State Police. Parker, who was the head cook at St. Lawrence County Correctional Facility in Canton since August 2010, allegedly engaged in sexual intercourse, oral sex and other misconduct with three inmates between 2011 and 2014. The inmates worked with Parker in the kitchen, according to a news release.

Under state law, inmates are incapable of consent.

"The charges alleged in today's indictment represent a shocking and horrifying breach of duty," Attorney General Barbara Underwood said. "This employee used her position to take advantage of multiple individuals in her care  compromising the safety of other inmates, employees and the public."

Parker was charged with promoting prison contraband because she allegedly brought beef sticks into the jail, according to the indictment.

The attorney general's office received a criminal referral from the state police, which led to the investigation and Parker's arrest.

"We have no tolerance for public employees who abuse their authority and break the law," State Police Superintendent George Beach said. "Those who do will be held accountable. I want to thank our members and the attorney general's office for their hard work and collaboration on this case."

Parker was arraigned in St. Lawrence County Court Thursday. She pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released to probation supervision, according to a news release.

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A new infestation of hydrilla, an invasive species of plant that can choke waterways with its rapid growth, was found on Cayuga Lake in October, prompting experts Wednesday to warn about the plant's ability to spread.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service describes the aquatic plant as "the world's worst invasive plant," largely for its extreme ability to reproduce. Like the mythological Greek Hydra for which it's named, hydrilla can grow an entirely new plant from a single stem fragment, clogging waterways for swimmers, boats and native fish with significant negative effects on local economies and biodiversity.

In October, a field crew from the Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith colleges requested access to a private marina on Cayuga Lake in King Ferry to survey for hydrilla as part of a lake-wide survey conducted with the Finger Lakes Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management.

The new infestation is concerning and underscores the need for everyone using the lake to take precautions to minimize the risk of spread, however, Hydrilla at this site should be manageable given the relatively small size." said Mike Greer, Regional Technical Specialist of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Buffalo District in a release from the FLI. The corps has been leading a chemical treatment program to combat hydrilla in the waters off the village of Aurora.

The owner of the marina, identified as Don's Marina at a conference on hydrilla at Wells College in November, led the team to plants.

While, barring further survey, no hydrilla was found outside the dock, experts at the conference were concerned that boats that may have docked at the marina could spread it further.

The recent finding of Hydrilla at Dons Marina clearly demonstrates the role of watercraft in spreading aquatic invasive species. Cleaning, draining, and drying watercraft and equipment is essential to protecting the waters of New York. We will continue efforts to engage the public in taking these preventive steps while we work with stakeholders to respond to the recent discovery,"said DEC Acting Deputy Commissioner for Natural Resources Judy Drabicki in a release.

The FLI, PRISM, DEC and USACE are all working together with the marina owner to address the infestation, according to the release, and will take public feedback in a spring conference yet to be scheduled.

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The Auburn Enlarged City School District will stop its attempt to recoup its loss from Cayuga Centers closing its residential treatment program earlier this year.

The board of education approved a motion to end attempts to engage with Cayuga Centers; the district had been trying to recover over $200,000 it said Cayuga Centers owed. The motion was made following an executive session at a board meeting Tuesday night, Superintendent Jeff Pirozzolo said Wednesday.

The district operated a school for children in Auburn for years until Cayuga Centers abruptly announced in February it would close its residential treatment program in the spring, leaving district employees who worked at Cayuga Centers without jobs. Pirozzolo said Wednesday that he believed that every district employee who had lost their position have since been rehired by the district except for two who have found employment elsewhere and one who is still looking for work.

The school board approved a plan over the summer to write Cayuga Centers a letter to help the district recover $210,000; the number of students Cayuga Centers was taking in before the closure and the tuition the district received didn't match, causing the deficit, Pirozzolo said at the time. Ed Hayes, Cayuga Centers' president and CEO, said in early August the situation was more complex than it appeared.

"I think that's a very complicated situation that's been made very simplistic," Hayes said at the time.

At Tuesday's meeting, board member Eli Hernandez made a motion to try to set up a meeting between the board of education and Cayuga Centers' board, Pirozzolo said. The motion was seconded by board member Ian Phillips.

Hernandez and Phillips voted yes, as did board president Kathleen Rhodes and vice president Joe Sheppard, while members Sam Giangreco, Fred Cornelius and Jeff Gasper voted no. Members Rhoda Overstreet-Wilson and William Andre had left during executive session and were unable to vote. Although the motion received more yes than no votes, at least five affirmative votes were required for the motion to pass, Pirozzolo said.

Pirozzolo said some board members argued it would be worth it to try to meet with the Cayuga Centers board so the school board could "explain some of what we've been going through with the closure," while others felt there was no reason to try to continue attempts to secure the money and simply move on.

After that first motion failed, Cornelius made a motion to have the board stop attempting to regain its loss. Gasper seconded the motion, and every board member present approved it except Phillips and Hernandez.

Pirozzolo said he would have been fine with trying to set something up with Cayuga Centers, but was also OK with the board's decision and would respect its wishes. He also thanked the district's advocacy committee, which was created to lobby for more state aid, for its attempts at reaching out to Cayuga Centers.

Staff writer Kelly Rocheleau can be reached at (315) 282-2243 or kelly.rocheleau@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @KellyRocheleau.

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MORAVIA  Two community members addressed the Moravia school district about the recently discontinued summer recreation program.

Meara Sabin and Erica Heim separately spoke about the program at a district board of education meeting Wednesday. The town of Moravia voted to stop maintaining the program at a council meeting last month. Town supervisor Terry Baxter asked the board to consider having the district run the program in October, saying the town had lost around $17,000 over the last three years.

Sabin, a special education teacher in the school district, said she was disappointed by the town's decision. She said she does not feel the district is able to financially bear the program's cost or that they should have been asked to be responsible for it in the first place.

"I'm standing in front of you this evening not to ask that you take over the summer rec program, because we all know that that's not a possibility, but to ask if there's anything the district can do to support the continuation of the program," Sabin said.

Heim said she also feels the district is "not the right fit" for the program.

"I want to implore the importance of the program which I think you all feel and know, and see what we can do as a community to get to some type of solution and how we can partner with the school to ensure that the program continues," Heim said.

The six-week program involved various recreational activities every summer with little over 200 children from kindergarten to sixth grade at Fillmore Glen State Park in Moravia. Students from the village of Moravia and the towns of Niles, Locke and Moravia were in the program over the last 10 years. Children in the Moravia district are eligible for the program. Baxter said municipalities pay for children in their area to participate but the funds weren't covering costs. The most recent program cost $40,000.

Municipalities would set aside a certain amount to pay for the program, Baxter said, but have to contend with factors they can't necessarily account for between November  when municipalities typically decide their annual budgets  and July, such as how much snow removal an area will require. As a result, some towns were not paying for their share of the program.

Birmingham said last week the district realizes the program's value but doesn't believe it could financially take it over, saying it couldn't justify the tax burden to the community. He said the district was willing to work with the town to find and secure revenue sources such as private or public grants, allow school facilities to be used and transportation for field trips.

Birmingham said Wednesday he would love to serve on some kind of committee to save the program. Board president Michelle Lyon said the board was also disappointed about the decision and the board would respond to Heim and Sabin in writing.

After Heim spoke, she and Chris Bonnet, who has a child who was in the summer program, said they are interested in the possibility of a governmental entity or a nonprofit taking the program's reins. Bonnet said he is also hoping the town might reconsider their decision and run the program for another year in order to give him and and other community members time to create a nonprofit to handle it. Heim and Bonnet said they plan on attending the town council's next meeting Dec. 19 and have organized a letter-writing campaign to ask them to reconsider.

Staff writer Kelly Rocheleau can be reached at (315) 282-2243 or kelly.rocheleau@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @KellyRocheleau.

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Jeremy J. King, 37, was charged Wednesday with two counts of possessing a sexual performance by a child, a class E felony, according to a press release.

King is accused of uploading several images consistent with child pornography through the internet, police said. He was arraigned in Marcellus Town Court and remanded to the Onondaga County Justice Center in lieu of $20,000 cash or bond. He is due next in court Monday, Dec. 17.
Software powered by artificial intelligence and used by the London Metropolitan Police to spot illegal or incriminating images on the computers and cell phones of criminal suspects has proven highly unreliable and prone to embarrassing errors, and has a tendency to mistake images of desert sand for exposed human skin, according to a report by Britains Telegraph newspaper.

The Metropolitan Police digital forensics investigators use the algorithms to identify and grade images to determine whether or not they are illegal, such as images of children, or otherwise indecent. But the AI still has a lot of learning to do, according to what Mark Stokes, head of the digital team, told The Telegraph.

"Sometimes it comes up with a desert and it thinks its an indecent image or pornography, Stokes said. "For some reason, lots of people have screen-savers of deserts and it picks it up thinking it is skin color."

The Metropolitan Police are hoping to have AI algorithms do the dirty work of examining illegal images of children, in order to spare the human police officers now charged with that unpleasant task the psychological trauma that comes along with repeated exposure to such images. But the software is still two to three years away from being ready to take on that task without completely screwing it up, according to The Telegraph.

An investigation by the tech news site Gizmodo tested an app called Nude, which is intended to scan a users phone for nude or sexualized images, grouping them together for easy deletion. But in the test, the app flagged pictures of dogs, a cute (fully clothed) baby photo, a photo of a doughnut and an image of Grace Kelly in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller To Catch a Thief.

The social media platform Facebook also employs AI technology to scan uploaded images for inappropriate contentbut the software once flagged and deleted an iconic, Pultizer Prize-winning Vietman War photograph showing a naked young girl fleeing in terror from a napalm attack, identifying the imageone of the most famous and powerful war photographs ever takenas child pornography.

Facebook eventually allowed the image to be posted after an online protest in which thousands of Facebook users uploaded the Vietnam image to their own feeds.

Photo by Wonker/Wikimedia Commons
Over the years ModelCentro has made their mark in the industry by giving models the power to take control over their content and their businesses. ModelCentro was created to be a community, and its platform acknowledges the undeniable power models have when it comes to being self-made. ModelCentro's staff is dedicated to the industry and strives to create a strong bond with models and celebrate their entrepreneurial abilities by giving them the best tools possible achieve success.Check out this behind-the-scenes look at #TeamCentro here
The day after the free porn mega-site Pornhub released its sixth annual year-end roundup of data on Pornhub users porn preferences and habits, as AVN.com covered, Pornhubs sister site YouPorn joined the statistical party and released its own 2018 Year in Review data, for the first time.

You Porn is one of a network of porn video aggregator sites owned by the Montreal-based firm MindGeek, of which PornHub is the flagship property. As might be expected, then, YouPorns stats show results similar to those revealed Tuesday by Pornhub, but in significantly smaller numbers.

While Pornhubs stats showed that the site received 33.5 billion visits in 2018, YouPorn received 4 billion visits, roughly 11 percent of the PornHub total, according to the data presented on Wednesday by YouPorn.

While on Pornhub, the search term lesbian was dropped from the top spot by MILF, YouPorn users still searched for lesbian more than any other term in 2018. But the dominance of interest in searching for lesbian porn appeared to be driven largely by women, who made up 29 percent of all visitors to YouPorn, the same gender breakdown as with Pornhub.

But lesbian was the leading search by women, while men on YouPorn searched for MILF, and step mom most often, with lesbian coming in 10th among male YouPorn visitors.

The second-most searched term among women on YouPorn was gangbang, in 2018, with MILF in 10th place among women, right between Japanese and big dick. Among men, big dick did not even make the top 15, but big tits placed 14th.

Also ranking among the top 15 search terms for women visitors to YouPorn were, massage, squirt, anal and orgasm.

Anal and squirt also made the list for men, but men were also significantly more interested in trans porn, a term which did not crack the top 15 for women.

Among YouPorn users from the United States, only 22 percent were women, well below the average. The country with the greatest proportion of female YouPorn visitors was Austria, at 37 percent, followed by Brazil and France with 35 percent eachperhaps accounting for why the search term Francaise ranked third among all women on the site.

While ranking highest in the percentage of women visiting YouPorn, Austriaa country of only 8.7 million people, slightly more than the state of Virginiaranked 19th worldwide in total YouPorn traffic. The United States, as with Pornhub, far outstrips other countries in the world for total traffic on the site.

Photo by Youporn.com Screen Capture
A few months back on Highly Questionable, Papi hit Michael Smith with his signature too slow and the resulting celebration led to Dan Le Batard breaking his own glasses with a noisemaker of some kind.

Today, Michael Smith was back as the guest co-host, and he somehow fell for it again.

The graphic switch to Michael Falls For It Again really makes it, too. They had it ready to go! Also, though this sadly didnt appear to be captured by the studio cameras:

We didnt get the twerking, sadly (or perhaps happily), but we can add another moment to this Papi fakes people out compilation.

It was a big news day for Le Batard, as his upcoming podcast network was announced, but the most important news might be confirmation that Papi remains delightful.
Dublin, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Adaptive Design Clinical Trials 2019" conference has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



2 days of informative, scientific and business development presentations, workshops, 1 to 1 meetings, speed networking sessions and interactive corporate exhibition.



Over 50 attendees representing leading pharmaceutical organisations and global biotechnology companies, and internationally renowned academic institutions.



Presentations, case studies, workshops and panel discussions focused on the key issues in new harmonization initiatives, benefit risk optimization and legislation.



4 interactive main topics:

Clinical Trial Supply Chains

Partnerships in Clinical Trials

Outsourcing in Clinical Trials

Clinical Trial Innovation

One to one meetings, exhibition and informal networking opportunities



Globally the CTMS is witnessing significant growth due to increasing R&D investment pharmaceutical life science and clinical research industries.

According to a new market report, the global clinical trial management system market was valued at USD 844 million in 2013 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 14% from 2014 to 2019, to reach an estimated value of USD 1,848.5 million in 2019.



In Europe, countries in Central and Eastern Europe provide abundant chance to life science companies for clinical development. Due to government support and funding for biomedical sciences, Germany has become a preferred location for clinical trials.



However, Asia is the fastest growing region in the clinical trial management system market. Improved regulatory laws and patent expiration laws in various countries including Japan, China and India, have led to the expansion of the clinical trials market in Asia.

For more information about this conference visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/q6s44c/2day_conference?w=12

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.
Executive Director Woodhouse says he believes Bladen County shared absentee ballot results prematurely with outsiders

A "systematic failure of the election process" may warrant a new election in North Carolina's 9th Congressional District, N.C. Republican Party Chairman Robin Hayes says.The Bipartisan State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement must assume control over the Bladen County Board of Elections' operations if a new election is held, Hayes said in a news release Tuesday, Dec. 11.This is a change from the party's earlier position. State Republican Party Chairman Dallas Woodhouse told CNN Dec. 7 he would support a new election if it's proven absentee mail-in ballot fraud was so rampant it altered the course of the election Republican Mark Harris won over Democrat Dan McCready by 905 votes.A report published Monday in The Charlotte Observer, that Bladen County officials may have released absentee ballot counts early and shared the results with outsiders, led the GOP to call for a new election if the premature release were confirmed. At a Tuesday afternoon news conference in Charlotte, Woodhouse said he believed the absentee voting information had been leaked.Republican lawmakers also held a news conference Tuesday in which they contemplated the possibility of a new election.Meanwhile, Bipartisan State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement Chairman Joshua Malcolm has asked a panel of Superior Court judges to extend the election board's life until the investigation into widespread election anomalies in Bladen and Robeson counties concludes. The judges previously ordered the board to dismantle by Dec. 12 because it was unconstitutionally organized under Republican legislation.Republican senators said at their Tuesday news conference they would file a similar request with the court seeking an extension of the order for the state elections board to disband. Monday, Woodhouse posted on Twitter the Republican Party supports Malcolm's request to extend the board's terms to continue the investigation for as long as it takes.he said in his post.Hayes said the Bladen County Board of Electionsand cited the Observer story about a possible leak of early voting totals. State law prohibits counting of absentee ballots until election day, at which time a majority of county election board members must be present, with at least one representative of the two major parties in attendance.Hayes said.Under current law, a new election ordered by the state board would pit Harris, McCready, and distant third-place Libertarian Jeff Scott. At press time, the House Rules Committee was debating legislation requiring a new state board to allow a primary with other candidates if the 9th District race were redone.The U.S. House of Representatives could order a new election with the possibility of a primary open to other candidates.According to the Observer story, the 'tape' showing election results at Bladen County's one-stop polling site was tabulated after the polls closed Nov. 3, the last day of early voting. The totals were viewed by officials who weren't judges.Democratic precinct worker Agnes Willis wrote in an affidavit dated Nov. 29.Hayes said accessing early vote totals before the overall results are final can clearly give an unfair advantage to one candidate over another. The Republican Party has been concerned about the security and confidentiality of the early vote for years, he said.Hayes cited the resignation of Jens Lutz as Democratic vice chairman of the Bladen County Board of Elections after the state inquiry into election irregularities began.Lutz wrote in an email to State Elections Board Executive Director Kim Strach.Lutz, a Democrat who has been interviewed by investigators, was once a partner in a political consulting firm with then-Democrat Leslie McCrae Dowless, a central figure in the ballot harvesting scandal. Lutz said he became suspicious of Dowless' activities and ended his involvement in the firm, a story by WSOC-TV reported.The state elections board has named Dowless, a convicted felon, a person of interest in its investigation. Subpoenas were issued to Harris' chief political strategist, Red Dome Group, which hired Dowless for get-out-the-vote efforts, and the Mark Harris for Congress Committee.Dowless is believed to have paid a crew of workers to glean absentee mail-in ballots from voters, and submit them to him for delivery to the county elections boards, which is illegal. Investigators hope to determine whether those workers checked boxes for Harris, and threw out ballots voters already filled in for McCready.Democrats are demanding to know what Harris knew about Dowless' activities.N.C. Democratic Party Chairman Wayne Goodwin told news representatives on Tuesday.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently released a spending report showing that the rate of health care spending growth slowed for the second straight year.Good news, right? Not really.Despite a slower growth rate, the United States spent $3.9 trillion or $10,739 per person on health care in 2017. While some measures, such as the spending growth rate or uninsured rate, may seem to show promise for a more sustainable health care sector, total spending and related outcomes are still causes for concern.Telemedicine could be the innovation that provides meaningful relief from expensive or hard-to-access care. Telemedicine isHealth technology has many potential benefits that can help solve the problems of America's health care system.Telemedicine market projections show that the worldwide telemedicine market will reach just under $80 billion by 2022. Current research has begun to examine the use of this technology and how it may provide lower cost, higher access care that produces better outcomes in our health care sector. This month, a few notable research articles were published that speak to the potential benefits of what telemedicine for our health care system. In the space below, I plan to detail the findings of the studies as well as what they mean for telemedicine policymaking.The first piece of research is titledResearchers used a survey to ask physicians where and how they use telemedicine. The study's 3,500 respondents represent a robust sample, but there are methodological limitations that come with surveys and qualitative research generally. That is why the authors' finding that physicians use telemedicine sparingly should be taken with a grain of salt.Of the 3,500 respondents, 15.4 percent of practices had physicians who used telemedicine to interact with a patient, while 11.2 percent of practices had physicians that interacted with another physician. They also break down the telemedicine usage by medical specialty. In the survey, the three highest specialty users of telemedicine to interact with patients were radiologists (39.5 percent), psychiatrists, (27.8 percent), and cardiologists (24.1 percent). The authors also examined usage by geographical location and found that the use of telemedicine in a nonmetropolitan area was associated with a much higher rate of physician interaction with another health care professional. Physicians in metropolitan areas were more likely to video conference with the patient.The next piece , titled, "Trends in Telemedicine Use in a Large Commercially Insured Population." looked at how often telemedicine was used in a single, large commercial health insurance plan, including Medicare Advantage plans. This study has its limitations in that researchers only looked at a single commercial insurer, which could have different demographics when compared to another large commercial insurer. The study tried to determine if state parity legislation and the supply of county physicians affected the utilization of telemedicine in the enrollees of a large commercial health insurance plan. The users of telemedicine in their sample from 2015-17 were female mostly (68 percent) and resided primarily in urban areas (83 percent). Further, when broken down by services, most of the telemedicine usage was for mental health issues (53 percent) and for primary care (39 percent). However, by 2017, primary care was the most common use of telemedicine. The authors found no difference in telemedicine use between states with and without parity laws.The final piece is titled "Reduced Cost of Specialty Care Using Electronic Consultations for Medicaid Patients." The authors wanted to examine the rising number of referrals to specialists from patients' primary care doctor. The referral process will introduce many costs, and the researchers sought to test if an electronic consultation or "eConsult" option would reduce costs for Medicaid patients who are referred to specialists. An eConsult option allowed specialists to be consulted first by the primary care doctor to determine if a follow-up appointment was necessary for referrals to dermatologists, endocrinologists, gastroenterologists, and orthopedics. The authors found that, following the introduction of the eConsult between the primary care doctor and the specialist, that spending per Medicaid patient was lower than without the eConsult option. Across the four specialties that were included in the eConsult observations, average costs were $84 less per patient per month compared to those given a referral for a face-to-face consultation. The paper mentions that between 1999 and 2009, specialty visits in the United States rose from 41 million to 105 million. It's not hard to see the potential savings if this type of eConsult were used widely to coordinate care.These three pieces of research are important for the evolution of telemedicine research and policy formulation. The first piece shows that, while it is innovative and full of potential, telemedicine is still fairly uncommon for patient-to-physician conferencing as well as physician-to-physician conferencing. However, it does show us that some specialties, like the ones noted above, are leading the way in implementing an innovative technology that can bring exponential improvements to health care access, cost, and outcomes.Improving health care access is the most important benefit of telemedicine. This technology is designed to digitally connect patients and physicians by breaking down many of the physical barriers that could stand in the way of a patient accessing the care they prefer. The first two pieces give us some insight into exactly how telemedicine increases access for both urban and rural areas. Rural and urban areas have unique barriers to health care access. Telemedicine has the potential to enhance access to physicians for patients in urban areas without the worry of navigating public transportation or inner-city traffic. Telemedicine has the potential to increase access to health care in rural counties, which typically have fewer and more geographically dispersed health care facilities compared to urban and suburban areas.Our country spends an enormous amount of money on safety net health care programs such as Medicaid. The third article I examined shows the potential savings from altering protocol slightly to institute an eConsult option before a face-to-face visit. Imagine the savings across the entire spectrum of government-funded health programs if small telemedicine innovations were implemented into the coordination of care process to save doctors time and money.This is also an important reminder that harmful regulation of telemedicine can disrupt the natural evolution and adaption in the marketplace that is already underway. Parity laws that mandate equal reimbursement for this type of medical care are one such regulation. Parity laws were examined in the first two studies, and both found no significant difference in usage between states that have parity laws and states that don't. Very careful consideration must be used to determine the way that telemedicine is implemented in the health care sector. Deference should be shown to physicians to implement telemedicine in ways that would benefit their patients the most.As a country, we haven't come close to fully realizing the benefits of telemedicine. It has the potential to revolutionize the way care is delivered and coordinated. A more efficient health care system means healthier people and more money in the pockets of patients.
DENVER and HOUSTON (Dec. 13, 2018), Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

The Shell GameChanger Accelerator Powered by NREL (GCxN) today announced its first round of startup companies. The goal of the first cohort of this multimillion dollar, multiyear cleantech accelerator is to focus on technologies enabling the grid of the future through long-term energy storage and controls. Following an extensive global selection process, GCxN has named four companies to its inaugural cohort.



GCxN partners early-stage companies with experts from the U.S. Department of Energys National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Shells GameChanger program to provide promising startups with access to financial resources, state-of-the-art facilities and world-class technical experts. The assistance is designed to help companies de-risk technology development while accelerating their path to market.

Each participating startup will receive as much as $250,000 in non-dilutive funding to aid in development and demonstration of its technology, with the opportunity for future follow-on funding and beta-testing with a strategic program partner, in addition to access to expertise and laboratory capabilities at both NREL and Shell.

Companies selected for this round are:

Antora Energy (Fremont, Calif.): Antora Energy is building large batteries for the grid at remarkably low costs using modified solar panels to efficiently change heat to electricity. This technology will both improve grid resiliency and provide long-duration energy storage at approximately five percent the cost of conventional batteries. Antora Energy was referred to GCxN by Cyclotron Road.

(Fremont, Calif.): Antora Energy is building large batteries for the grid at remarkably low costs using modified solar panels to efficiently change heat to electricity. This technology will both improve grid resiliency and provide long-duration energy storage at approximately five percent the cost of conventional batteries. Antora Energy was referred to GCxN by Cyclotron Road. e-Zn (Toronto, Ontario): The first company in the world to metallize electricity, e-Zns zinc-based energy storage system is both affordable and flexible  it can be deployed in any geographic setting and succeed in small or large-scale systems, while also delivering energy for hours, days, weeks or longer. e-Zn was referred to GCxN by MaRS.

(Toronto, Ontario): The first company in the world to metallize electricity, e-Zns zinc-based energy storage system is both affordable and flexible  it can be deployed in any geographic setting and succeed in small or large-scale systems, while also delivering energy for hours, days, weeks or longer. e-Zn was referred to GCxN by MaRS. Electrical Grid Monitoring Ltd. (Rosh Haayin, Israel): EGM created its Meta-Alert system to secure real-time communications and perform self-learning analytics on the whole grid. The collected data produces insights for optimal grid management and operation. EGM was referred to GCxN by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

(Rosh Haayin, Israel): EGM created its Meta-Alert system to secure real-time communications and perform self-learning analytics on the whole grid. The collected data produces insights for optimal grid management and operation. EGM was referred to GCxN by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Feasible, Inc. (Emeryville, Calif.): Feasible, Inc. is developing a technology platform that uses sound waves and data analytics to deliver insights about batteries across the value chain. At scale, Feasibles technology will enable widespread adoption of clean energy sources by improving the performance and safety of battery packs and decreasing their lifetime cost. Feasible was referred to GCxN by Cyclotron Road.

Unlike most accelerators, companies cannot simply apply to GCxN. Instead, companies must be recommended by a member of the Channel Partners network (cleantech incubators, accelerators and universities), with finalists selected after rigorous review by technology experts at NREL and Shell. The selected startups are focused on developing long-term energy storage and smart grid controls.

Were very excited to begin work with this first round of GCxN companies, said Richard Adams, director of NRELs Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center. It is our goal to fill this program with game-changing ideas, and our first cohort of startup companies demonstrates real potential to enable the grid of the future through their unique technologies.

GCxNs first cohort of companies have impressed us with their innovative ideas, their technical know-how and their eagerness to advance cleaner energy technologies, said Lene Hviid, global manager for Shell GameChanger.

For more information, visit GCxNREL.com .

About GCxN

The Shell GameChanger Accelerator powered by NREL (GCxN) is a new multimillion dollar, multiyear program developed in collaboration between Shell GameChanger and the U.S. Department of Energys National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to discover and advance emerging clean technologies with the potential to dramatically alter the future global energy landscape. GCxN identifies promising startup companies through an ecosystem of more than 40 cleantech business incubators, accelerators and universities, providing access to up to $250,000 in non-dilutive funding in the form of technical experts to develop and demonstrate new energy technologies. GCxN is made possible by funding through Shell GameChanger. GCxN is administered by NREL, located in Golden, Colo.

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As an early work in the history of Linnaean taxonomy, Beredeneerde catalogus van eene, by uitstek fraaye en weergaalooze verzameling, zoo van inlandsche als uitheemsche vogelen, viervoetige en gekorvene dieren (i.e. Vroegs Catalogue, 1764) by Adrian Vroeg is the source of dozens of new species of birds [1]. Published just six years after the 10th edition of Linnaeus Systema Naturae  considered the starting point of zoological nomenclature  the work is extremely rare, with only a handful of copies known to exist worldwide.

Because of the works age and rarity, first-hand access to the title has been difficult, and many researchers have had to rely on secondary sources for Vroegs names, which may have introduced errors or even overlooked the priority of a name established by Vroeg.

It is absolutely rare that the scientific community gets access to such an early work in which new names were established after 1758, explains Dr. Francisco Welter-Schultes of the Zoological Institute of Gottingen University in Germany. Imagine being able to finally view an original spelling of a name that might not have been verified for more than 100 years. Generations of scientists never reliably saw the correct spellings of these names.

Between 2008-2011, during his time on the BHL Europe project, Welter-Schultes served as the Lead of the Project Group for AnimalBase, which was originally established to link the early literature with the names of the animals described therein [2]. The database provides original and corrected spellings of names, type localities, citations for the original descriptions, and, where, possible, links to digitized copies of these descriptions in the literature  many from the Biodiversity Heritage Library.



A major reference for the Project Groups work was Sherborns Index Animalium (1902), a compendium of zoological taxonomic species nomenclature from 1758 to 1850 [3]. Where possible, the Project Group compared the Index with the original works to verify the accuracy of the names and make any necessary corrections. If it was not possible to consult the original work, the Group had to rely on Sherborns Index.

The question, of course, is whether Sherborn himself was able to verify every name against the original source or whether he, too, had to rely on secondary sources in some instances.

I knew immediately after realizing the date of Vroegs publication that new names which were cited in secondary sources like Sherborns Index Animalium were not very reliably cited, explains Welter-Schultes. If a work is that rare, then the likelihood is greater that Sherborn may never have seen the original. Did Sherborn just copy errors from other lists, and we just copied Sherborns forwarded errors to AnimalBase?

In the hopes of being able to verify the names published by Vroeg in 1764, Welter-Schultes submitted a scan request to the Biodiversity Heritage Library for Vroegs Catalogue in 2010. At the time of the request, no BHL partner library appeared to hold the title. So, the request remained in the queue in the chance that, with the addition of new partners in the future or the growth of existing partners collections, it might be possible to digitize the work at a later date.

A few years later, whilst reviewing outstanding requests in the queue, Smithsonian Libraries staff discovered that its Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History had since cataloged the item after it was transferred from the Libraries general collections. The Smithsonian Libraries is not only the sole BHL partner to hold this work, but the Libraries copy is also one of only a few known copies worldwide, with the others being in Denmark (2), the Netherlands (2), and Germany (1) [4].

The catalog record provides insight into the interesting provenance of the Smithsonian Libraries copy of this very rare book, which was previously owned (and donated) by Charles Wallace Richmond, a Smithsonian ornithologist and bibliographer who served as Assistant Curator, Associate Curator, and Curator in the Division of Birds of the United States National Museum (USNM) (now the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History) between 1894 and his death in 1932 [5]. Richmonds signature can be seen on the verso of the title page, dated Aug. 31, 1905, and a book dealers mailing label to Richmond from Frederik Muller & Co. of Amsterdam is bound into the volume.

An avid book collector, Richmonds personal library consisted of over 200 publications and auction catalogs in German, Italian, French, Spanish, Latin, and English on various natural history topics  many quite rare as Richmond specifically sought out obscure books, particularly those with new species names. Richmond donated the contents of his library to several institutions, including not only the Smithsonian but also the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, the Library of Congress, and the California Academy of Sciences  all of which are BHL partner institutions [6]. His donation of taxonomic books to the Smithsonian became the foundation of the Bird Library at the National Museum of Natural History [7].

Unfortunately, the Smithsonians copy of Vroegs Catalogue was in need of conservation before it could be scanned. The item was added to the Smithsonian Libraries preservation queue, and once the necessary treatments were completed, it was added to the Libraries queue for folio digitization.

Finally, in 2018  eight years after the initial request, Vroegs Catalogue was digitized by the Smithsonian Libraries digitization team and made freely available online through the Biodiversity Heritage Library.

Several Smithsonian Libraries staff members were involved in completing this books journey from shelf to screen, including Digital Library staff Jacqueline Chapman, Adriana Marroquin, and Stefaan Hurts; Special Collections staff Leslie Overstreet, Daria Wingreen-Mason, and Alexandra Newman; Cataloging staff Julia Blakely; Preservation staff Katie Wagner; and BHL Secretariat staff Bianca Crowley and Grace Costantino. We extend our thanks to all involved for making this extremely rare book freely available to the world.

And because this work is now easily accessible to researchers, it can be used to empower global research, such as that of Welter-Schultes. His response to Jacqueline Chapmans email notification that the work had been digitized was swift: This was really very, very useful. I immediately spent two hours exploring this interesting work.

With the digital copy of the Smithsonian Libraries Catalogue, Welter-Schultes was able to uncover taxonomic errors that had persisted for at least a century and improve the accuracy of the names data available through AnimalBase.

It was easy for me to verify our data set of names, and in fact it turned out that Sherborn must have relied on a third source, explains Welter-Schultes. There were so many inaccuracies in the spellings of the names that we must assume that Sherborn, who in his work (published in 1902) had a very low average error rate, did very probably not extract those names from an original copy of the 1764 work.

Knowing that their work is so valued and impactful is also very encouraging for the staff who dedicate so much time and energy to addressing the needs of BHLs user community.

It is rare that we hear from users that the items we digitize in response to these older requests are so immediately relevant and impactful on current research, shares Chapman. And it is so fulfilling!

Thanks to the efforts of the staff at Smithsonian Libraries and other BHL partners around the world, researchers can now easily access original species descriptions and other rare literature that underpins the work of taxonomists today.

Today, thousands of names in online data resources are equipped with links to their original descriptions in BHL, lauds Welter-Schultes. What we did 10 years ago with AnimalBase was pioneering work  many others followed and did the same. Today, providing a link to a BHL source is something absolutely usual and taxonomists can probably not imagine life anymore without BHL.

We are grateful to Dr. Welter-Schultes for sharing this example of how BHL is impacting real research today. We also extend our sincere thanks to all of our partners for making BHL the essential resource that it is today. The dedication and diligence of the staff at our partner libraries to support the scientific and research community  whether that involves more straightforward digitization projects or complex, multi-year undertakings  ensures that the Biodiversity Heritage Library will continue to empower global research for decades to come.

References

[1] AnimalBase. 2018. Taxa described as new in Vroeg 1764. Accessed on 29 November 2018. http://www.animalbase.uni-goettingen.de/zooweb/servlet/AnimalBase/list/taxa?from_reference=1908.

[2] AnimalBase. 2018. About. Accessed on 29 November 2018. http://www.animalbase.org/.

[3] Smithsonian Libraries. 2018. About this Project: Index Animalium. Accessed on 29 November 2018. http://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollections/indexanimalium/about/.

[4] Leslie Overstreet, email message to author, 24 September 2018.

[5] Stone, Witmer. 1933. In Memoriam: Charles Wallace Richmond. The Auk, 50(1): 1-22.

[6] Smithsonian Institution Archives. 2011. Record Unit 7382, Richmond, Charles Wallace, 1868-1932, Charles Wallace Richmond Library Catalog and Lists, 1906-1908 and undated. Collections, 19 August. Accessed on 29 November 2018. https://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_arc_217538.

[7] Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. 2018. Charles W. Richmond (1868-1932). Department of Vertebrate Zoology: Division of Birds. Accessed on 29 November 2018. http://vertebrates.si.edu/birds/Hall_of_fame/CharlesRichmond.html.
MONTREAL, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amex Exploration Inc. (Amex or the Company) (AMX: TSX-V; FRA: MX0) is very pleased to announce that it has intersected a high grade gold bearing quartz vein containing multiple free coarse gold grains that returned a value of 269.23 g/t Au over 1.35 meters (from 241.85m to 243.2 m in hole PE2018-17; ie Target 2018-X3: please refer to Fig.1) at the Eastern Gold Zone (EGZ).



Hole PE2018-17 (target 2018-X3) targeted mineralization that is 86 metres above last years hole PE2017-03 (see section 1) that returned 12.22 g/t Au over 4.66m from a depth of 311.9m to 316.56m (see PR2018-03-02). Hole PE2017-03 was composed of two quartz veins that also contained free coarse gold grains separated by a gabbro dyke and that returned individually gold values of 16.7 g/t Au over 0.57 meter and 47.2 g/t Au over 1.00 meter (see table 1). The mineralogy, texture and structural features of these two quartz veins are the same as hole PE2018-17. It is important to note that the collar of hole PE2018-17 was located on the same drill pad site as for hole PE2017-03, but at a different drilling dip angle (see section 1). Following the results of hole PE2018-15 (See PR2018-12-13A), the Company has decided then to deepen hole PE2018-17 to target the second mineralized zone.

Table 1: 2017 and 2018 intersect of the high grade subzone of the EGZ

Hole From To Length (m) Au (g/t) PE2018-17 241.85 243.20 1.35 269.23* PE2017-03 incl 311.90 316.56 4.66 12.22* PE2017-03 incl 311.90 312.47 0.57 16.70* PE2017-03 315.56 316.56 1.00 47.20* Interval intersected along the hole, undetermined true thickness.

*VG: Visible Gold or Coarse gold grains



"We are quite excited with the results of the first mineralized intersect of hole PE2018-17 on the EGZ that now can be identified as a high grade gold subzone. This subzone is characterized by the presence of a significant quartz vein zone containing multiple free coarse gold grains and that is sitting next to a gabbroic intrusive that acts as a marker unit within the rhyolite host rock of the EGZ. This fact will have a definitive impact on the continuation of this ongoing follow-up drilling program and I am looking forward with great expectation for the results still to come," said Jacques Trottier, PhD Amex's Executive Chairman.



FIGURE 1: http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a7c19d08-2b79-482f-ad69-caa78e58bcfe

SECTION 1: http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ece64efe-63fc-40f3-a4ba-912debd184e3

To date, hole PE2018-19 (Target 2018-X2) has been completed and the drill rig has returned to hole PE2018-17 to reach the rhyolite andesite contact. Complete results on holes PE2018-16, 17 and 18 are still pending and will be announced once completed.

As a reminder, this entire drilling program consists of 18 diamond drill holes (DDH) totalling 6,171 meters designed primarily to test the lateral and depth extensions of the known EGZ. In addition, the program is designed to test the continuity between the mineralized intersections of previous drill holes that intersected the EGZ (i.e. infill drilling). The planned intersection spacing, if successful, should enable us to establish a first estimate of a potential resource calculation of this Zone, once the drilling campaign is completed in the first Quarter of 2019.

Maxime Bouchard M.Sc.A, Geologist of Laurentia Exploration, a Qualified Person as defined by Canadian NI 43-101, reviewed and approved the geological information of the current drilling reported in this news release. The drilling campaign and the quality control program has been planned and supervised by Maxime Bouchard and Amexs management. The QAQC include insertion of blank or standard every 10 samples on average. The gold values are estimated by Fire Assay with finish by atomic absorption and value over 3 ppm Au are re-analysed by fire Assay with finish by gravimetry by Laboratoire Expert Inc, Rouyn-Noranda, 486 samples were submitted to Laboratoire Expert Inc. for gold and base metals. Samples with visible gold were analysed by metallic sieve to limit the nugget effect. Whole rock analysis are taken every 30 meters and at each major lithology change and will be submitted to ALS Laboratory. Core Logging and sampling was realized by Maxime Bouchard and Alizee Lienard M.Sc.A, Trainee Geologist of Laurentia Exploration.

About Amex

Amex Exploration Inc. is a junior mining exploration company, the primary objective of which is to develop and bring into production viable gold and base metals deposits in mining-friendly jurisdictions. Amex has multiple highly prospective projects: the 100% owned Perron gold project located 110 kilometres north of Rouyn Noranda, Quebec, consisting of 116 adjacent claims covering 4518 hectares; the 100% owned Eastmain River gold properties consisting of 135 claims covering 7,102 hectares and the 100% owned Cameron project located in Lebel-sur-Quevillon, Quebec, comprising 263 claims covering 14,743 hectares. In addition, Amex has an option agreement to acquire a 100% interest in the Gowan Property located near the Kidd Creek Mine.

For further information please contact:

Victor Cantore

President and Chief Executive Officer

Amex Exploration: 514-866-8209

Forward-looking statements:

Except for statements of historical facts, all statements in this news release regarding, without limitation, future plans and objectives are forward-looking statements which involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

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




7 of 8 directors on Detour Golds Board when Paulson began to publicly advocate for change - and all long-term, core directors  are no longer on the Board

5 of 8 directors replaced by Paulson director nominees

Paulson thanks fellow shareholders for their support and looks forward to a brighter future for Detour Gold

NEW YORK, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Paulson & Co. Inc. (Paulson), one of the largest, long-term shareholders in Detour Gold Corporation (TSX: DGC) ("Detour Gold" or the "Company) today announced its appreciation to fellow shareholders for voting to bring positive change to Detour Gold and its support for the Companys newly constituted Board of Directors.

At a Special Meeting of Detour Gold Shareholders held earlier today, the Companys shareholders voted to remove Lisa Colnett, Edward Dowling, Michael Kenyon, Alex Morrison and Jonathan Rubenstein and to add Paulson director nominees Steve Feldman, Chris Robison, Ron Simkus, Dawn Whittaker and Bill Williams.

Todays outcome represents a major victory for all of Detours shareholders, said John Paulson. We support Detour Golds new Board of Directors and believe that our investment is now in the capable hands of experienced, independent and professional directors. We look forward to Detour Gold turning the page on its recent challenges and creating value for all shareholders.

Paulson also thanks its advisors Goodmans LLP, Shorecrest Group, MacKenzie Partners, Inc. and Longview Communications & Public Affairs for their advice and support.

About Paulson & Co. Inc.

Paulson is one of Detour Golds largest investors, exercising control or direction over approximately 5.7% of Detour Golds shares. Having first invested in the Company nine years ago, Paulson previously provided C$280 million in direct equity and US$250 million in convertible notes to finance its mine completion. Paulson, along with several other major shareholders in the Company, has grown increasingly frustrated by the Companys inability to appropriately manage shareholders assets, having destroyed billions of dollars of value in the process.

Paulson, founded in 1994, is an investment management firm with offices located in New York, London and Dublin.

Contact Details

Media:

Longview Communications & Public Affairs

Joel Shaffer

416-649-8006
What a wonderful time to be alive.

A photo ID card issued to a young Vladimir Putin has been publicly released by Germany's BTSU, the Federal Commissioner for the Records of the State Security Service of the former East Germany, and subsequently published in the German news outlet Bild.

Here it is. Russia is denying that Putin was ever issued a KGB identification card, which naturally means it's legit.

From the New York Times:

The German tabloid Bild's publication of a photo ID card issued to a young Mr. Putin by the Stasi, East Germany's secret police, pulls back the veil on one part of his tenure in Dresden, causing a ripple of excitement on social media and raising questions about his presence in the former German Democratic Republic. The Putin ID card was also released on Wednesday by the Federal Commissioner for the Records of the State Security Service of the former East Germany. Printed on green passport-style paper, the card bears a black-and-white photo of a young intelligence officer identified as Major Putin, who would have been 33 at the time. It was issued on the last day of 1985, and has validation stamps for each quarter except one  the last quarter of 1986. The ID also bears what appears to be Mr. Putin's signature. The Stasi building was a stone's throw away from the villa where the K.G.B. had its offices.

[IMAGE: The photo ID card issued to a young Vladimir V. Putin by the Stasi.]
Welcome back to The Bureau. This week will be a holiday segment.

Above the fold you'll see this week's comic and playlist, and you can catch up here on the current story. While the main office building gets covered in gasoline and the intruders pounce upon The Brain, we're reminded of this time of year and the basic need of giving thanks and appreciations.

Part of this series has been to acknowledge electronic instruments that impact our lives positively. We've already highlighted the work of Metasonix and Soma Labs, as well as the RF Nomad and SSL's Scat Talker, but there are some incredible pieces never made for mass production. Easily one of the most interesting categories of electronics is circuit bending.

When asked about the weirdest thing in the studio, I'm happy to point to an unassuming set of toy guitars. One is a Hot Lixx guitar by TYCO and the other is a generically titled "Electronic Guitar" by Radio Shack. To certain friends with shared interests, the phrase "These are modified guitars by Mr Quintron" is usually all the introduction needed to elicit immediate interest. These are treasured items that I acquired about 15-20 years ago when he put them up for sale. First, let's meet the guitars without modification.

By themselves, these toys are pretty damn funny and obnoxious. Here's a TV commercial from TYCO from 1989:

The TYCO Hot Lixx Guitar promises you'll PLAY IT IN A MINUTE with its computerized buttons. Also includes a whammy bar and pitch wheel.

And here, by glory of the all-providing Internet, is a gentleman performing the Radio Shack Electronic Guitar  Amazingly, Part 1 of a 4 part sequence:

The Radio Shack Electronic Guitar has a pretty nice drum machine built in.

And this, without any need for an introduction, is Mr Quintron

But let's back up two and a half decades to 1993

So, in the spirit of holiday appreciations, I want to thank Chicago's Wicker Park in the mid-1990s. It's hard to mention something like Quintron's music and not think back to that era, in particular the No Wave scene of Chicago in 1993-1995 or so. WFMU has a great two part post on No Wave from their blog. The author Fatty Jubbo is a vivid writer, sharing experiences that I consider familiar:

When I moved to Chicago in 1994, I arrived for the last half of a very interesting period of Chicago music. I'm not speaking of the MTV shit-pile of Smashing Pumpkins, Varuca Salt, etc etc, but of the strange avant-weirdness that was brewing around the not-so-gentrified-yet area of Wicker Park (now a derogatory term and a place to avoid if you live around these parts). Bands such as Scissor Girls, Mother Country Death Rattle, Dot Dot Dot, Duotron, Flying Luttenbachers and Math were some of the mysterious names I saw on flyers around town, performing at strange places such as The Milk of Burgundy, The Hub Theater and The Czar Bar. These bands were carving their own identity though continuing a long Chicago tradition of exalting dark humor and the absurd while actively avoiding classification.

Read Part One and Part Two. Mr Jubbo's WFMU playlists are not to be missed, either. And while there, support the station.

The Milk of Burgundy was Mr Quintron's club on North Avenue. It was a portal into a different way of thinking. I had just moved to Chicago from Denver, which had its own portals. The Denver ones I frequented are gone and very missed: Muddy's Cafe, Rock Island, and Ground Zero. These were weirdly psychic places (the real kind, not the foolish stuff I was discussing last week) but places that gave a strong imprint on your mind and direction in life. Moving to Chicago I wanted to find that same thing. This lead me to Earwax Cafe, which has its own bizarre memories, like Jay Lynch, Archer Prewitt, and Dan Clowes at a booth drawing and cracking one another up or the Ear Wax back room, filled with videotapes, comics, and records. Down the street off Damen was the original location for Quimby's Books.

Rather funny New York Times rave on the Milk of Burgundy in 1994:

The decorating scheme for Milk of Burgundy on West North Avenue could have been dreamed up in 15 minutes; the only formal seating area in the low-ceilinged nightclub is a rumpled queen-size bed.

I moved to Chicago in 1993 to go to school. I chose the city partly because Wax Trax was there. I was a teenager from Denver and my goth/punk/weird head was soaked in Industrial music. Denver had the original Wax Trax record stores (still around) but Chicago had the actual Wax Trax label (dead and/or revived). I found Wicker Park on my first night, because I'd heard that KMFDM were somewhere around there recording their Angst album.

KMFDM seems really silly and creatively conservative now but I absolutely loved it.

Thrill Kill Kult still stands up beautifully well, though, and is why I moved to town.

Mr Quintron and his curious effect on people's lives.

My first week in town, much of my taste in music would abruptly change. The school booked a local band in its ballroom to welcome new students. One advantage to going to an art school is their occasional bullseye in cracking your head open to something new. They invited the band MATH. I think it'd be another decade before I'd play another Wax Trax album.

MATH was a total shock to my system. It was a three-piece band that seemed like some weird Dada or Futurist group, but serrated and primitive. A great stage with a giant radiola horn. They were beautifully percussive. Charismatic and booming in the middle of the room, enchanting you with strange organ playing, a vibrantly loud woman's voice paired with two men shouting, and these weird weird wonderful horns, musical saws, noise makers. Just pure art menace. It felt like three snake charmers wrapping around every one in attendance. The man screaming in the band doing an abriged cover of "Old Man Mose" and counting out loud chants was Mr Quintron (though going by another name back then)

When I die, thinking we can revisit our life's experiences, I'd like one of my first dips back in time to be a reenactment of that evening, so much is my regard for that moment. That this experience was just handed to me at a school-sponsored party my first week in the city is still very odd to comprehend. I was very young and it was a blessing.

Sometimes life can be very kind to you.

MATH's BASK album was issued in a square paper box, on the fondly remembered and dearly missed BULB RECORDS label

What did MATH sound like?

Thanks again to WFMU, two entire Math albums are downloadable here. And if there was any one song that shows off MATH best, it's Bill the Conductor  I also love the number song from Rubber Musique.

A hint at the surrealist stage design of a MATH show, from the liner notes to BASK

I can't find performance video of MATH, but I can give a suggestion of what it felt like. The closest impact to your mental space might be a Crash Worship show, which Quintron also occasionally fronted on vocals:

Of course MATH was only a three piece with no dancers or fire swinging, but same genome.

I would only see MATH live once again, at Chicago's Empty Bottle. That evening was nuts itself, a friend had a bottle dropper of acid back at his seat/table, and was dripping any quantity into sugar cubes for any takers. Subsequently my memory of the second MATH show was somewhat more prismatic and less specific, but I remember them glowing.

I'd live in Wicker Park until its art culture died out, moving to Logan Square for the remainder of time in the city. In 1999, I moved to Austin.

It was only once I got to Austin that I resumed my interest in MATH and found all the amazing music and inventions Mr Quintron had made since. His move to New Orleans with Miss Pussycat, and the music and art they'd make together was fascinating and life affirming. The Drum Buddy, a four oscillator light bulb-based drum machine that plays patterns based on holes drilled through coffee cans (and operated with a car key) will likely go down in history as one of the most impressive stage instruments of this century:

His recent Weather Warlock is another stunning invention

And of course the current stage shows, talk about mind-cracking:

In 2000, my world sank a bit, depression-wise (we all go through it) and going through Quintron albums and catching up with their characters and self-contained world was a delight, saving me from feeling worse.

Two Other Great Albums: Robot and Tahiti

MC Trachiotomy, a fellow inhabitant of the Rhinestone Records planet, put out two albums at that time: Robot, Alien or Ghost which helped me in depression in a real way. In fact I'll say it complete cured it (thank you man) and then I met the woman I'd soon marry. His next album With Love From Tahiti would be our courtship record. Trachiotomy's song "Angel Dust" would be a romantic song for me and my wife, as we fell in love together, laughing to lyrics like "Talking to myself, taking a shower with no water". I'm forever thankful for that and recommend both Trachiotomy albums for their lyricism, off-the-wall uniqueness, and amazing creativity.

This is some outstanding sampling and performance:

Anyway, this is a long drive around the road to my point, but around 2001 after my life had caught back on its rails, these two circuit bent guitars came up for sale from Quintron and I delightedly acquired them.

The two guitars add a little bit of his uncanny charm and carnival unpredictability into the toys.

Here are two completely unprocessed examples of their sound output.

The guitars really come alive with a little studio processing. Here's a short demo. The guitars are playing with their output split into audio and into an envelope generator sent into a VCA that's gating a noise channel.

These guitars in The Bureau

The TYCO Guitar's whammy bar is the sound of the Cartoon Tip-Toes:

The Radio Shack Guitar is the sound of Pitch-Bent Weather and Clouds:

The modified TYCO Hot Lixx shows the most visual changes with a series of switches on top that modify the tone of the guitar itself, one is a hard clicking dial that seems to dampen the signal and changes the tone depending on what you dial setting you select, the other switch modifies how the pitch wheel responds and how much voltage seems to apply to the light and touch sensors when you tap them with your fingers. A strobe light sent on the guitar can cause a nice vibratto effect and the whammy bar seems to be especially rubbery when you pull the bar.

The modified TYCO Hot Lixx with two added switches and two touch/light sensors

The Radio Shack "Electronic Guitar"

The Radio Shack guitar is the most exciting of the two. The addition of that large knob on top slows down the bitrate of the guitar, which you can slow to near quanta-level noise grit, or very fast, backwards and forwards causing very odd bit-rate clacking to other weird tones and loops. There are preprogrammed note sequences that are affected by this dial. The onboard drum machine is wicked, too.

The only visible difference on the modified Radio Shack guitar is the very prominent knob. Vast changes in sound and function suggest a lot of components and rewiring below, however

Sound Examples in some Quintron & Miss Pussycat projects

By most evidence, Quintron never recorded much with these, but you can hear the toy guitars being used in Miss Pussycat's "North Pole Nutrias" right here at the 7 minute, 12 second mark:

I hear it in the introduction of this Flossie and the Unicorns album, as well:

Most importantly, I'm thankful for the world we live in, where if you look for things not common you can find deep meaning and joy.

Happy Holidays from The Bureau  Continued Next Wednesday.

View all Bureau installments
Maria Butina, 30, stood in a D.C. federal court this morning and told the judge that she "knowingly engaged in conspiracy against the United States." Then, one hour into the hearing, she stood again and said one word: "Guilty."

The accused Russian spy acknowledged that she acted "under direction of" a Russian official who has been identified as Alexander Torshin.

She has signed a plea agreement with the U.S. that requires her to cooperate fully with any relevant federal, state, or local investigations. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office may want to talk with her about a few things.

Prosecutors say Butina acted under the direction of Russian bank official Alexander Torshin (who has disappeared) and U.S. right-wing operative Paul Erickson, to establish back-channels with the NRA and U.S. political officials  all with the goal of advancing Russian power and interests in the United States.

Butina's promised cooperation could be the key that unlocks the bigger question of whether and how the NRA, the GOP, and Trump were linked together in a criminal conspiracy with Russia.

While the accused Russian spy has been locked in jail awaiting this plea hearing, she told the judge she had a conversation with a journalist, and on that call  which was surveilled and made available  she complained that her court-appointed U.S. public defender lawyer was acting as a go-between with news media, passing on messages to journalists.

Butina's case is under a gag order. The judge in her case addressed Butina's complaint before the hearing got under way.

We had a pretty good idea before today that she was a foreign agent for Russia. And last week, we knew she planned to flip.

Now it's official.

Today Maria Butina's lawyers said she agrees to plead guilty to conspiracy and cooperate with federal, state and local authorities in any ongoing investigations.

"The agreement, which Butina signed on Saturday, Dec. 8, also notes that the conspiracy charge carries  up to five years in prison, but the deal could see Butina receive a lesser sentence, depending on the level of her cooperation, before likely being deported back to Russia."

Accused Russian spy Maria Butina is accepting a plea deal in court, @SchneiderCNN reports. She's charged with conspiracy and illegally acting as a foreign agent. Federal authorities say she infiltrated politically powerful groups to push Russian interests https://t.co/3wZRjScJzo pic.twitter.com/Vd08I9nLu1  CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) December 13, 2018

Butina has admitted, as part of the deal copy filed with the court, that.

She and an unnamed "U.S. Person 1," which sources have identified as longtime Republican operative Paul Erickson, with whom she had a multiyear romantic relationship, "agreed and conspired, with a Russian government official ("Russian Official") and at least one other person, for Butina to act in the United States under the direction of Russian Official without prior notification to the Attorney General." Based on the description, the "Russian Official" appears to be Alexander Torshin, deputy governor of the Russian Central Bank and a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Under his direction, the agreement said, she "sought to establish unofficial lines of communication with Americans having power and influence over U.S. politics." The agreement, which Butina signed on Saturday, Dec. 8, also notes that the conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison, but the deal could see Butina receive a lesser sentence, depending on the level of her cooperation, before likely being deported back to Russia. It is unclear what Butina's cooperation might entail, but federal prosecutors have reportedly notified Erickson that he is a target of an ongoing investigation..

Anyone seen "Sheriff" David Clarke lately?

Also, from back in July, "We now know 'U.S. Person 2' is George O'Neill Jr, an heir to the Rockefeller fortune." Outgoing California congressman Dana 'I love Russia' Rohrabacher was also implicated, and it's possible any of her forthcoming cooperation could impact them both.

After the meeting, Butina sent the Russian Official a message, which was translated as saying "We should let them express their gratitude now, we will put pressure on them quietly later."https://t.co/yCBg6OmIc7  Rachel Maddow MSNBC (@maddow) December 10, 2018

So many high profile Russian reporters at this "low profile" case of a girl who "nobody knows" according to #Putin. #butina  Fatima Tlis (@fatimatlis) December 13, 2018

NEWS: We uncovered more photos of Maria Butina's boss with top NRA leaders. And congressional investigators tell us they are zeroing in on the NRA-Russia money trailand whether it leads to Trump https://t.co/MUXZBYSKd5 From me and @dfriedman33  Mark Follman (@markfollman) December 12, 2018

Is that why the Russian gov has conducted 6 consular visits to Butina, passed 4 diplomatic notes to State about her case, and had Lavrov personally speak to Pompeo twice about her prosecution? (The official Kremlin Twitter account changed its avatar to a picture of her, too.) https://t.co/arP4QLqvd2  Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) December 11, 2018

There is already a line outside the courtroom where alleged Russian agent Maria Butina will appear for a hearing at 10:30 a.m. Meanwhile, there is a man wearing a shirt that's says "SPY" in big letters and he is trying to talk to everyone on the line.  Marshall Cohen (@MarshallCohen) December 13, 2018

Want to help fight Russian propaganda? Retweet this. It's proof the Russian Gov't is lying about Maria Butina. I doubt many "innocent grad students" spend extensive time at Russian private military training camps. See the below photos that @funder found. https://t.co/qIaMyljFCy  Jon Cooper (@joncoopertweets) December 13, 2018
Stephen Keys, an actor who has appeared in many movies, including Soul Plane, was on a flight from Reno to Los Angeles last week. When he raised his armrest so he could get his seatbelt, his pinky got stuck in a hole under the armrest. According to a lawsuit he filed against American Airlines and SkyWest Airlines, "The spring mechanism embedded inside of this hole in the armrest applied intense pressure to plaintiff's finger, immediately inflicting injury, swelling and pain."

"By this time, dozens of passengers became aware of Mr. Keys' perilous condition, causing his dire situation to become a humiliating public spectacle," the suit alleges. "By the end of it all, he remained entrapped in this nightmarish condition, suffering for nearly an hour."

From NBC:

Flight personnel and members of a fire department rescue team were unable to free Keys' finger, which was finally accomplished with the help of an airline mechanic who disassembled the armrest, the suit says.

The injury to his finger left Keys unable to perform such previously routine tasks as driving and playing with his children, according to his complaint, which says he experienced weeks of intense pain and severe emotional distress.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Nelson Chamisa, the MDC Alliance leader, has called for an immediate dialogue with President Emmerson Mnangagwa to find a lasting solution to the economic crisis that has hit the country.Chamisa said his call for dialogue was not because he wanted to form a government of national unity with Zanu-PF, but to find a common ground to address problems affecting Zimbabweans.Meanwhile, President Mnangagwa has ruled out the formation of a Government of National Unity (GNU) with MDC-Alliance, saying the ruling Zanu-PF had won an overwhelming people's mandate in the July 30 harmonised elections.The President, who is also the ruling party's First Secretary, said this while opening the 110th Ordinary Session of the Central Committee at Zanu-PF Headquarters in Harare yesterday.More to follow...
News / National

by Mandla Ndlovu

MDC Deputy Treasurer General Charlton on Thursday shocked social media users when he referred to President Emmerson Mnangagwa as 'President' for the first since elections.MDC leadership is on record vowing never to recognise Mnangagwa as the legitimate President."How a whole President Emmerson Mnangagwa confuses Political Dialogue and a GNU is shocking. Zimbabwe needs Dialogue on Political, Constitutional and economic reforms." Hwende said responding to a statement by Mnangagwa on Wednesday that ZANU PF is not going into a Government of National Unity with any party.When pressured by tweeter user, Hwende backtracked and said, "He is a disputed President after stealing an election."Recently Presidential Spokesman George Charamba revealed that President Mnangagwa is ready to talk to Chamisa, "But a key pre-condition is that there must be a recognition of ED as the winner of the 2018 elections  there are no two ways about that," he said emphatically.
News / National

by Staff reporter

As the Zanu-PF conference gets off in earnest in Esigodini today, security agents are stressing over the safety of President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his top aides - as the ruling party converges there for its annual end of year get-together, the Daily News reported.This comes as investigations into the June 23 Bulawayo bombing - in which Mnangagwa narrowly escaped an apparent attempt on his life when an explosion rocked a Zanu-PF rally that he was addressing at White City Stadium - have seemingly hit a dead end.That explosion killed two of Mnangagwa's close security aides, while also injuring scores of other people.Police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga confirmed to the Daily News yesterday that they had put in place "very tight security" for the Zanu-PF conference."We deployed our teams there a week ago  and we have the whole area covered," he said, without going into details.Well-placed sources said security agents - including police, heavily armed military personnel and intelligence operatives - were working "around the clock" in a desperate bid to avoid a repeat of the White City Stadium incident."Both the party and government are on tenterhooks as this conference gets under way because the president has in the recent past had multiple attempts on his life."As a result, security agents are not leaving anything to chance in Esigodini, remembering that twice now - while he has been in Matabeleland - there have been attempts on his life."It is for these reasons that his safety is a very big issue to all concerned, and people are advised to behave themselves well at this conference, in their own interest," one of the sources said."It is in this light that elaborate security measures have been put in place to make sure that number one (Mnangagwa) and all the other delegates are safe. Everything there is being scrutinised very closely, from the aircon gas, fluids and food meant for the president and other VIPs."The security forces have and continue to do all they can to make sure that everyone who is attending the conference is safe," the highly-placed source added.Another insider said so anxious were authorities that security agents were constantly "combing the venue and its surrounding areas" - including using drones and sniffer dogs."When ED (Mnangagwa) officiates at the conference, all mobile phones will be out of reach within the radius of the venue, while motorists and travellers on the busy Bulawayo to Beitbridge highway will have to contend with several security roadblocks," the second source said.Political analysts said the extraordinary security measures at the Zanu-PF conference showed that internal tensions were still high in the ruling party, with Mnangagwa remaining at risk of attacks."This suggests that there are security threats ... and I think this is more of enemies within the party because one would expect that as Zanu-PF is meeting as a family, security would be relaxed, with delegates interacting freely."They (security forces) thus want to make sure that people with certain agendas will not succeed. They want to avoid another Bulawayo incident."Interestingly, we have still not been told about the findings of the Bulawayo incident, which may mean that they have failed to make headway on the matter, or that the issue is sensitive," University of Zimbabwe political science lecturer, Eldred Masunungure, said.Another political analyst, Maxwell Saungweme, said the elaborate security arrangements at the Esigodini gathering had "clearly been deemed necessary" given the June 23 bomb attack."It's in line with ED's security profile since the White City bombing. He has become more paranoid, necessitating heavy security around him," Saungweme said.At the height of Zanu-PF's deadly tribal, factional and succession wars, Mnangagwa was allegedly poisoned by his political foes at a youth inter-face rally at Pelandaba Stadium in Gwanda, in August last year.This saw him falling seriously ill and subsequently being airlifted to Johannesburg for emergency treatment.Describing that incident later, Mnangagwa said he survived death by a whisker thanks to the timely intervention of one his current deputies - Rtd General Constantino Chiwenga - who organised a helicopter to rush him to Gweru military hospital, where doctors recommended his immediate airlifting to South Africa."After two days of being unconscious  they (his doctors) said the level of poisoning was very high, something like 31 percent. It was reduced in six days down to 11 percent."And I had something like three to four hours of life (had I not been immediately rushed to South Africa). I would have died of cardiac failure."The research which was done by various doctors in South Africa, in Australia and other places ... where the tests were done, called it metal poisoning - arsenic metal poisoning. And they narrowed it as to where it could have come from."My last review says the level of poisoning in my system is now under three percent," Mnangagwa said as he revisited the incident during an interview with CNN in September.The 76-year-old Zanu-PF leader later narrowly escaped the June 23 bomb when an explosion rocked a Zanu-PF rally that he was addressing at White City Stadium in Bulawayo - killing two security aides and injuring scores of other people.The explosive device, suspected to be a hand grenade, went off moments after Mnangagwa had just stepped off the stage - seriously injuring his other deputy, Kembo Mohadi, and senior Cabinet minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, as well as a host of other people.Both Mohadi and Muchinguri-Kashiri were later airlifted to South Africa for specialist treatment.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Former Defence minister Sydney Sekeramayi has been given until December 31 to pay over $110 000 in salary arrears to over 60 of his farm workers.Sekeramayi, who became a career Cabinet minister under former president Robert Mugabe's iron-fisted rule, was given an order in March to pay the money to his employees at Ulva Farm in Mashonaland East.This was after the Progressive Agriculture and Allied Workers' Union of Zimbabwe (Paawuz) - the union that represents farm workers - approached the Labour Court for redress.However, the Zanu-PF politburo member ignored the court order, prompting the employees through Paawuz's lawyers to write him a final letter of demand on December 4 to compel him to pay."We refer to letters dated February 5, 2018 and the hearings of March 20, 2018 and December 4, 2018 conducted at our Marondera offices at which it was ruled that you settle the claim for under/non-payment of $112 800," reads the letter of demand.The employees expressed regret that since the court order to pay was given to Sekeramayi, the former minister has not bothered to act accordingly."This letter serves as our last reminder unless payment is made on or before December 31, this ruling will be referred to the Labour Court," they vowed.The minister risked being held in contempt of court.Sekeramayi was not immediately available for comment as he was not picking calls. He also did not respond to messages sent to his mobile phone.Several other Zanu-PF politicians have been dragged to court by their employees over failure to pay wages at their farms.Court documents in the possession of the Daily News show that some of the bigwigs include former Public Service minister Nicholas Goche; Bindura South Zanu-PF MP Remigious Matangira; former first lady Grace Mugabe's sister Rose Chidhakwa and former Mbare legislator Tendai Savanhu. They owe their employees tens of thousands of United States dollars in unpaid wages and allowances.The development is the clearest indication that even the elite in Zanu-PF are finally feeling the pinch of economic hardships being faced by the majority of their countrymen.Goche, who has previously held the powerful State Security portfolio, was invited to attend court proceedings on July 19, over non-payment of workers at his Ceres Chizenga Farm in Shamva.He had gone for 15 months without paying the aggrieved farm workers, according to the documents.
English French

TORONTO, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- YMCA Canada is pleased to announce that Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor General of Canada, has become the Patron of YMCA Canada.



In granting patronage to YMCA Canada, Her Excellency shows her support for the community building work of the YMCA.

We are honoured that Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette has become Patron of YMCA Canada, says Brenda Flaherty, Board Chair, YMCA Canada. We share her belief in the power of working together and offering supportive structures so everyone can reach their goals.

In her installation speech, Her Excellency stated that in Canada we are in a position now more than ever to make a difference. Because we are rich: rich in values, openness, tolerance, mutual co-operation and compassion.

Peter Dinsdale, President and CEO of YMCA Canada agrees with this sentiment, noting community building is at the heart of what we do as a charity. Were committed to offering inclusive spaces where people come together, feel they belong, and are supported in achieving goals that are meaningful to them.

Viceregal patronage recognizes special contributions to Canadian society, bringing special attention to worthy causes and showcasing excellence. YMCA Canadas history of patronage dates back to 1944 when the Earl of Athlone became the first Patron of YMCA Canada.

About YMCA Canada

The YMCA is a powerful association of people joined together by a shared passion to foster a sense of belonging for all. In an age of complex social challenges, the YMCA is steadfastly dedicated to building healthy communities by inviting and encouraging Canadians to join in, to give back, and to gain the connections, skills, and confidence they need to thrive.

YMCA Canada is a charity, and the national office of the Canadian YMCA Federation, providing support to 46 YMCA Member Associations. For more than a century weve been at the heart of communities across the country, serving evolving needs and providing vital community services.

For more information please visit ymca.ca

Contact:

Angela de Burger, Manager, External Communications and Marketing

YMCA Canada

Ph: 416-645-5977 Email: angela.deburger@ymca.ca
News / National

by Mandla Ndlovu

The family of the late MDC Bulawayo Ward 28 Councillor Hapson Ncube has been arrested over allegations of accusing former Councillor Collet Ndlovu as being the one behind the death of their son.A source close to the development revealed to that the arrest was effected on Thursday."Former ward councillor Collet Ndlovu reported the late Happy's mother and his two siblings for bringing a corpse to his business compound and accusing him of killing their son." Said the source."As you are aware that on Wednesday during the funeral procession mourners were singing anti-Collet songs and claiming that he bewitched Happy. Throughout the funeral speeches that were made suggested that Collet killed Happy. This did not go down with him and he reported the matter to the police. As I speak to you now, the mother and the two siblings are have been arrested under the Witchcraft suppression Act."On Thursday state media reported that MDC suporters sang songs at the business premises in Cowdray Park suggesting that Happy, who died on Sunday was killed through witchcraft.They passed through the business premises enroute Bulawayo Amphitheatre where a service was held before burial at Lady Stanley Cemetery.The crowd chanted slogans denigrating Mr Ndlovu, saying "Phansi ngo Collet, phansi (down with Collet)" before breaking into song, "Ndiwe wakauraya pahukama, hazvina mhosva pahukama."The late Ncube was in 2013 incarcerated for 14 months for actively participating in MDC structures after quitting the army 2006. His resignation had been rejected on the grounds that no army member should leave.Ncube was arrested on January 3 2013 and court-martialled on March 12 on charges of desertion and active participation in opposition politics.The late activist was jailed under "D Class", which is a category for dangerous criminals.He did time in several prisons from Khami Maximum Prison, Masvingo, Hurungwe, Karoi and Beitbridge Prison.
News / National

by Mandla Ndlovu

Maverick businessman Wickneil Chivayo's Intratrek Zimbabwe has won its lawsuit against Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) for breach of contract, with the High Court declaring their contract signed between the parties for the Gwanda solar project valid.ZPC was ordered to engage Intratrek and discuss progress on the Gwanda solar project in the next 60 days or alternatively pay $25 million damages to Intratrek.More to follow
News / National

by Mandla Ndlovu

Siphosami Malunga, son to the late struggle stalwart Sydney Malunga has called upon Zimbabweans to name and shame Western Union over its opaque dealings when it comes to delivering money sent to Zimbabweans by relatives outside the country.Said Malunga, "It's the festive season and people in the diaspora are frantically working to either get to Zimbabwe or send money or groceries for the holidays. Whatever you decide to do, DO NOT send money by Western Union."They will not deliver the money. I sent money to a family member on Saturday and it was supposed to take 10 minutes. It's now Thursday afternoon and Western Union has been giving one excuse after another."Malunga advised Zimbabweans in diaspora that it is not safe to send their United States Dollars back to Zimbabwe."The point is simply, it's not safe to send or have your US dollars in Zimbabwe. We must name and shame Western Union. This money is for crucial medicines or medical costs and not remitting as promised is despicable and criminal."Western Union was recently accused of allowing upwards of a billion dollars in fraudulent money transfers. Western union is alleged to have conveniently turned a blind eye to millions of these fraudulent transfers, all the while skimming their service fees off the top.
News / National

by Mandla Ndlovu

Self-styled communications strategist William Mutumanje's (Acie Lumumba) claims that suspended RBZ bosses Mirirai Chiremba, Norman Mataruka, Gresham Muradzikwa and Azvinandawa Saburi - were part of a cartel controlling the allocation of foreign currency and bond notes to traders on the black market has been rubbished by the Central bank as false information.In a letter to the public dated 10 December Governor John Panonetsa Mangudya said, "Members of the public will recall that RBZ suspended for an indefinite period four of its staff members Messrs Mirirai Chiremba, Norman Mataruka, Gresham Muradzikwa and Azvinandawa Saburi to pave way for investigations following some public utterances by Mr. William Gerald Mutumanje that the four were involved in corrupt activities and illicit financial dealings."The Bank and law enforcement agents carried out investigations which on conclusion have revealed that Messrs Mirirai Chiremba, Norman Mataruka, Gresham Muradzikwa and Azvinandawa Saburi were not involved in the corrupt activities or any impropriety as alleged by Mr Mutumanje. The Bank would thus like to advise the public that the quartet has been accordingly absolved of any wrong doing."Mutumanje had claimed that the four directors together with senior Zanu PF officials with political clout were behind the cartel's survival, adding that the officials were linked to "remnants" of former Central Intelligence Organisation director-general Happyton Bonyongwe, his wife Willia, who is the former Zimra board chairperson and an unnamed top executive at the National Oil Company of Zimbabwe.Mutumanje later confessed in a leaked whatsapp audio recording that he was working for embattled War Veterans leader Chris Mutsvangwa who had bought him with $40 000 to lie.
News / National

by Staff reporter

FINANCE minister Mthuli Ncube, who has publicly said joining South Africa's Multilateral Monetary Area could be a solution to Zimbabwe's currency crisis, is agonising over currency reforms, as it dawns on him that his preferred choice is a herculean task, while a plethora of problems are standing in the way of other potential solutions.When announcing the 2019 National Budget statement in parliament last month, Ncube skirted the volatile currency reform issue, insisting the bond note and Real-Time Gross Settlement are still at par with the United States dollar.Before and upon his arrival from Switzerland in September amid a populist storm and blaze of publicity, Ncube spoke about macro-economic fundamentals, fiscal and monetary policy reforms, debt, budget deficit, current account deficit, clearing of arrears with international financial institutions (IFIs) to secure new funding, lines of credit and currency reforms.He got his fingers scorched soon after taking up his new job when he attempted to officially re-dollarise the economy, demonitise bond notes and later bring back the defunct local currency.His remarks that bond notes would be abolished in December sent the rate of the quasi-currency rocketing in relation to the US dollar on the parallel market.Although he did not address the elephant in the room during his budget presentation, Ncube told editors last week that currency reforms were a necessity.He said he would tackle them once economic fundamentals are addressed, emphasising that the options he spoke about before and after his appointment were still on the table.He admitted, though, that he was facing serious hurdles as he tries to implement the necessary reforms."We will confront the currency issue at a point when we feel our fundamentals are strong enough to sustain currency reform."If you look at what we are doing, we are not doing a big bang approach. It is very clear, otherwise we would have done it," Ncube said.Among other issues, Ncube said Zimbabwe needs to speedily build credit lines and reserves."So the timing would not allow us to do anything fast on that. So we have to watch these fundamentals, I said the deficit is going very well. We literally have a primary surplus. That's already signalling that we are getting closer and closer," Ncube said."Number two is: I cannot announce the days of the currency reforms. Actually that's not how you reform currency. Even if you give the clearest signal, you must never be specific. In the end you must just act. Why? Because people take positions and so on. Currency introduction is one of the most sensitive things you do in an economy. In fact, when we do it, probably only three people will know about it."Soon after arriving to take up his new Treasury job, Ncube told the media bond notes could be gone by the end of this year. He also spoke about the possibility of full dollarisation, adopting the rand and re-introducing the Zimbabwean dollar."I am very clear that there have to be currency reforms and the (current) currency approach is not working. In doing so, there are three choices that I will explore and pursue with urgency: One, adopt the US dollar only and remove the bond notes from circulation through a demonetisation process and also liberalise exchange controls," Ncube said in September."Two, adopt the rand by negotiating to join the Rand Monetary Area, and this will close the gap in loss of competitiveness against our largest trading partner, South Africa."Three: adopt a new Zimdollar, and here one needs to be clear that it has to be backed by adequate foreign reserves and macroeconomic conditions for its stability. Foreign currency accounts will also be introduced. For sure, currency reforms will be implemented."Ncube said the options were still on the table, but revealed that being in office had given him a reality check after realising he could not speedily implement his ideas, as previously reported by the Zimbabwe Independent."When you are in government and you are in a position of decision-making, you weigh the options. You weigh to say which will be the most harmful, which will be the least harmful?' When I was outside there, I am an adviser, I am a consultant. It's very different when you have to pull the trigger yourself.It's very different," Ncube said."But then you must know that at some point you will have to pull the trigger. You understand that something that you think you could have done fast you can't because of one, two, or three reasons. You have to go slower but you must still do it and that's where we are right now. You know it will be done, but you know that there are one or two steps that you need to take. You cannot wish those steps away."Ncube revealed that joining the Multilateral Monetary Area, which he previously recommended in a scientific journal, was a cumbersome process."And that rand paper is the most in-depth research paper. It's actually published in a professional journal, globally. It's actually a scientific paper where I showed that we have actually lost 50% of our competitiveness by using the US dollar. Those were the facts there. It's properly researched. Absolutely!"So you have the rand route. But now think about it, trying to join the Rand Monetary Area. How long is that going to take you? How many regulations to comply with? Forty-eight. We removed 12 for you, it's actually 60."Forty-eight requirements that you need to satisfy before you join the Rand Monetary Area, so now you are faced with the reality now.". . . Join next week, let's see, and then South Africa says, but we run this thing, so let's check your budget deficit, ummm 10%, you don't qualify. It should be below 3,5%'. Current account deficit should be below 3%. Reserves, local currency and other things. You should have a local currency before joining."So there are administrative impediments of otherwise doing the right thing or what you may think may be the right thing."Member countries of the Multilateral Monetary Area  South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland  would also need to agree on whether to admit Zimbabwe or not, taking into account its macro-economic imperatives and economic indicators.Ncube, who was accompanied by his permanent secretary and former Bankers Association of Zimbabwe president George Guvamatanga, said using the rand informally was also difficult because of South Africa's tight exchange control regulations.Guvamatanga said it is easier to import US dollars from South Africa than to import the rand."Most of the banks here import US hard currency from a bank in South Africa, First Rand, for that matter. So it's easy for you to obtain US$50 million from First Rand than to import R5 million from First Rand because of exchange control regulations in South Africa," Guvamatanga said."So even to use it informally, that room is non-existent. It is very tight and I'm talking from experience."We tried it at one point in time, we thought we were smart. We tried with my previous employer. We said let's bring in more rands and pump rands onto our ATMs. We couldn't bring in the rands. So joining the rand union informally is completely impossible. If I say today may you bring US$50 million and transfer the money, by tomorrow it would have come. And if I ask for R5 million, they will ask a hundred questions and it will not come."Those are some of the practical realities that are there. When we sit now and I phone (South African Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja) Kganyago, he will say my brother I need to go to parliament'."Ncube said re-introducing the Zimbabwean dollar would be disastrous without foreign currency reserves, gold reserves and poor export performance.Government officials say dollarisation would be very difficult without enough dollars. Zimbabwe only has US$1,5 billion and about US$400 million in bond notes in circulation. The market is dry in terms of hard currency because of low production and low exports.The other sources of foreign currency such as foreign direct investment, diaspora remittances, investment inflows and donor aid are limited, hence the forex shortages.To exacerbate the situation, formalising a currency deal with the United States is impossible due to Washington DC's economic and financial sanctions on Harare. US President Donald Trump in August signed Congressional amendments to the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (Zidera) which tighten the restrictions."It doesn't mean that the options are not on the table; they are still on the table, but the issue is now processes and speed," Ncube said."We have to choose an option that is credible, that is sustainable, that is least costly, both in terms of time administratively and in terms of time building reserves. There is a cost to introducing a currency so you have to evaluate all of this."But before you do that, sort out the fundamentals. You cannot introduce a new currency when the budget deficit is 12%. You are not credible," he added.Ncube, however, said Zimbabwe was making progress in terms of addressing the economic fundamentals necessary for currency reforms, including balancing of the budget.Zimbabwe achieved a budget surplus of US$29 million last month, the first time in many years.Ncube said the achievement is the first indication that the country is on track to meet a narrower budget deficit of 5% of gross domestic product in 2019 from an estimated 11,7% this year.
Escalating fears of retaliation after Canada detained a high-ranking Chinese business executive have prompted some Canadian business leaders to think twice before going to China on business.

The detention of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver on behalf of U.S. authorities earlier this month enraged Chinese authorities. And though she's been released on bail, the situation has prompted fears that Beijing may be in the mood to retaliate by drumming up trumped-up charges on Canadians travelling in China.

It was revealed on Tuesday that former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig has been detained on murky national security grounds. A day later, word emerged that a second Canadian man, Michael Spavor, is also being held on similar grounds.

The impact of Meng's arrest was reverberating even before China appeared to retaliate. Last weekend, the government of British Columbia suspended a planned trade mission to China as the story was unfolding.

That's led to fears of more reprisals to come, even for businesspeople with no connection to any part of Canada's foreign service.

"I wouldn't go," retail consultant Bruce Winder of the Retail Advisor's Network said. He says Beijing will employ any tactic they can to exert pressure to get what they want. "I don't think folks should be going over to China right now from Canada until this is resolved, just for the fear of retaliation."

Managing partner Andy Chan with law firm Miller Thomson LLP says the situation has "complex hybrid considerations" that Canadian businesses doing deals in China need to be aware of. Firms in fields such as security and infrastructure in particular, he says, should take a "hard look" at whether Beijing would consider them to be higher-risk industries.

"Canadians need to look at and balance their reasons for travel to China against the current political environment," said Chan, the head of the firm's Asia practice.

Story continues

Jason Lee/Reuters

Granting bail to Meng Wanzhou until her extradition hearing in February likely helped the situation a little, but Chan said Canada is caught in a situation where the forces driving the tension are beyond Canada's control. Based on extradition treaties, Canadian authorities were obligated to act when U.S. officials wanted to proceed with fraud accusations against Meng.

But in the eyes of the Chinese government, Canada has been lumped in with its southern neighbour.

"The arrests happened here, the judicial proceedings are happening here and, consequently, worldwide attention is on Canada," Chan said.

While tensions are high, he thinks the situation is definitely fixable over time. "It is important to stay diplomatic," Chan said.

Officially, the Canadian government does not have a travel advisory against going to the country, and simply urges Canadians to "exercise a high degree of caution" while visiting the country  but the same level of caution is advised for 94 other countries in the world.

No reason for concern

Indeed, there are many business leaders who have no more qualms about travelling to China now than they would have at any other time.

"I don't see any reason why one should be concerned," said Ken Courtis, chair of Starfort Holdings and the former head of Goldman Sachs Asia. "It's like going anywhere else, mind your Ps and Qs, respect your hosts, obey the law." he said.

Jane Wolsak/Canadian Press

Courtis actually spoke to CBC while en route to China for business and said, "I don't see any reason not to continue [travelling to China]."

And yet there is definitely a sense in some corners of the Canadian business community that the situation is far from normal.

Elmer Kim, president of Uclid Inc., summed up the feeling succinctly in a recent interview on CBC News Network.

"If I was a Canadian executive I'd get the heck out of China on the fastest plane I could find."

Watch his interview in the player below:
The Canadian Press

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP)  Cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus popped up in countries on opposite sides of the world Sunday and many governments rushed to close their borders even as scientists cautioned that it's not clear if the new variant is more alarming than other versions of the virus. The variant was identified days ago by researchers in South Africa, and much is still not known about it, including whether it is more contagious, more likely to cause serious illness or more
By Euan Rocha MUMBAI (Reuters) - The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), the country's biggest public pension fund, plans to continue deploying capital in China, despite political tensions between the two nations, Chief Executive Mark Machin said on Wednesday. Following the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei Technologies Co Ltd's [HWT.UL] chief financial officer on Dec. 1, China warned Canada it would face severe consequences if it did not immediately release her. Wanzhou, who was granted bail on Tuesday, faces extradition to the United States, which alleges she covered up her company's links to a firm that tried to sell equipment to Iran despite sanctions. "There's a lot of rhetoric always around these situations. If we cut aside all of the rhetoric, I think China will take a mature, cool-headed attitude toward pragmatic negotiations, so we won't get too much wild action," Machin told Reuters on a visit to Mumbai. CPPIB, one of the world's biggest investors, has 8 percent of its funds invested in China and has previously indicated it plans to increase that significantly in the next few years. Machin, who previously headed CPPIB's Asia business and spent more than two decades as an investment banker in the region prior to that, said CPPIB is going to keep "engaging and deploying" capital in China. "We have lots of long relationships in China," said Machin, adding he did not see any risk to having people on the ground there. Machin's comments come after a former Canadian diplomat was detained in China this week. It was not immediately clear if the cases were related, but Wanzhou's arrest has heightened fears of reprisals against foreign businesses. The United States is mulling issuing a new warning to U.S. citizens, including business executives, traveling to China. On trade tensions, Machin said: "At the moment it doesn't change the long term, but we hope, not just for ourselves but for everybody, that people can reach a pragmatic agreement and move on." With India having much younger demographics than China and being further behind in infrastructure development, Machin said CPPIB is exploring different opportunities in both countries. "In India, longer term we continue to be very positive about demographics and the growing middle class, consumption and GDP growth - all these trends continue," he said Machin. "We are more likely to be investing in assisted living and old-age care in China more than India, while in India looking at things like education," said Machin, whose fund just last week invested 8.86 billion rupees ($123 million) in Indian online tutoring start-up Byju's. The fund, which has net assets of C$368.3 billion ($276 billion) is also looking to find a strategic partner in the troubled non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) sector in India that has been squeezed by a liquidity crunch. Machin said he is not worried about the outcome of the 2019 elections in India, as long as there is policy continuity. "If we are making infrastructure investments and real estate investments, we need regulatory and tax regimes that are pretty predictable in the long term." (Reporting by Euan Rocha; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
Rumble

Johanita is a beautiful five year old child who is meeting llamas for the first time in her life. She is feeding them some salt from her hand and the experience makes her laugh with extreme joy. Whether it is the feel of them tickling her hand or the delight at the interaction with these large creatures is hard to know, but Johanita is loving every minute of this. Johanita has not had as much experience with animals or nature as many children her age. She has been battling a brain tumour and much of her time since the age of 18 months has been spent either in hospital, or at home recovery from the numerous surgeries and treatments that she has gone through. But all of this is behind her now and she is healthy and growing stronger each day. Her family has taken her on an excursion to an archeological site in Ecuador that features beautiful scenery and fascinating history, but for Johanita, the highlight was the opportunity to interact with a herd of more than 100 gigantic and wooly animals. The people who run this interactive site provide a few salt packages to guests who would like to meet the animals up close. The llamas know the routine and they come running across the grass when they see a group of friendly guests. The llamas crowded around Johanita, eager to get their share and she quickly caught on that an outstretched hand would draw them right up to her. Fearless and enthusiastic, this young girl is truly experiencing the joy of life for the first time in her young life. She has some catching up to do and her family is working hard to provide their daughter with every opportunity. For Johanitaes parents and brothers, the highlight of their day was hearing the beautiful sound of her belly laughs as she throws her head back with sheer joy and delight.
BETHLEHEM, Pa., Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lehigh Valley Hotel and Conference Center is proudly hosting a special holiday buffet in their premier event facility, the Hanover Grande Ballroom, this Christmas, December 25th, 2018, from 11AM  3PM. Guests are invited to focus on loved ones and avoid the holiday hassle by indulging in a lavish meal expertly prepared and presented by a professional catering team in a cheerful setting.



The festive holiday buffet will begin with delectable soups, a sweet breakfast baked goods display, and a robust salad bar complete with imported and domestic cheeses. Seafood lovers will rejoice at the sight of the cold seafood display overflowing with cocktail shrimp, crab salad and smoked salmon. An elegant carving station attended by a talented professional will be serving freshly sliced top round of beef and slow roasted garlic pork loin, presented with the appropriate accompaniments. In addition, a carefully executed entree display will consist of pan seared chicken carbonara, horseradish encrusted salmon with a lemon beurre blanc, and mushroom ravioli in a parmesan chive sauce.

Each of these crave-worthy items and more will be perfectly paired with traditional holiday trimmings, such as cornbread stuffing, loaded cauliflower casserole and roasted garlic Yukon potatoes. The holiday buffet concludes with a delicious assortment of pies, cakes, petit fours, cookies, and brownies.

New to this years festivities are Lehigh Valley Hotels latest editions to their celebrated culinary team, including Executive Chef, Phillip Cerminara and Sous Chef, Axell Esquivell. Chef Cerminara joins the property from The Woodlands Inn in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where he performed as the Executive Sous Chef. With over 18 years of experience in the hospitality industry, he is the perfect addition to Lehigh Valley Hotels creative culinary staff. Chef Esquivell brings his exceptional culinary skills enhanced by his Spanish heritage to add a new flair to the menus at the property, which is proud to continue evolving to meet the ever-changing tastes of the Lehigh Valley.

For a full menu and pricing details, please visit http://hanovergrandeballroom.com/special-events . All seating times are for 1.5 hours. Reservations can be made by calling (610) 866-5800.

About the Hanover Grande Ballroom

Lehigh Valley Hotel and Conference Centers Hanover Grande Ballroom is the ideal space for weddings, corporate events, celebrations, or gatherings of any kind. Occasions of all sizes are easily accommodated with unlimited seating options. Equipped with a private entrance, built-in bar, and brilliant lighting, the ballroom provides an element of sophistication for any event. Audio and visual services are also available when needed.

About Lehigh Valley Hotel and Conference Center

The Lehigh Valley Hotel and Conference Center welcomes business travelers and vacationers alike. Whether visiting Allentown, Bethlehem, or Easton, the property is conveniently situated in the heart of businesses, attractions, and universities. Additionally, its only minutes away from Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE).

Accommodations and amenities are top of the line. All rooms include a complimentary hot breakfast, Wi-Fi, and parking, while a fitness center and large outdoor pool are also available onsite. Guests can visit the Foundry Restaurant & Pub or the Bar With No Name, or simply order from room service.

The Lehigh Valley Hotel and Conference Center an emphasis on high standards for quality and personalization to ensure each and every guest enjoys their stay.
Two and a half years after the landmark Panama Papers leak of offshore financial information, the Canada Revenue Agency has yet to charge or convict anyone with offshore tax evasion.

"To date, no Canadian taxpayer or company has been charged with an offence as a result of information received from the Panama or Paradise Paper affairs," said Dany Morin, spokesman for the department.

While the CRA currently has 50 "mature" investigations into offshore tax evasion, it appears that few of them are related to the Panama Papers, a massive leak of confidential offshore financial information that rocked the world and led to the resignations of top government officials in a number of countries.

"In relation to the Panama and Paradise Papers specifically, several criminal investigations are ongoing," wrote Morin.

"As with any criminal investigation undertaken by law enforcement bodies, including the CRA, these can be complex and require months or years to complete."

Morin refused to state exactly how many ongoing investigations are related to the Panama or Paradise papers, saying it would jeopardize the agency's investigative work.

The agency's review of the Panama Papers has identified 3,330 offshore entities with "2,670 possible beneficial owners that have some link to Canada."

Meanwhile, "the agency is currently auditing over 1,100 taxpayers with offshore links."

NDP MP Pierre-Luc Dusseault said Canada is taking longer than other countries to act on the information contained in the Panama Papers.

"In different countries, those revenue agencies take this very seriously and they go fast," he said. "They don't wait three years to get things done."

"Here in Canada, it is unfortunate that it takes so long," he said, suggesting that the Liberal government is being influenced by wealthy donors.

Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier and CRA officials came in for an opposition grilling over their handling of offshore tax evasion Tuesday, when they appeared before the House of Commons Finance Committee to answer questions about a critical report by Canada's auditor general which found that the agency didn't apply tax rules consistently.

Story continues

Dusseault also questioned a donation that Lebouthillier's riding association received from former Liberal senator Leo Kolber.

Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press

Elections Canada records show that Kolber and his wife, Ronith Hirsch-Kolber, each contributed $225 to LeBouthillier's Gaspesie-Les Iles de la Madeleine riding association on Dec. 20, 2016.

They were the only contributors to the revenue minister's riding association who do not live in the riding.

Kolber is a wealthy Montrealer with close ties to the Bronfman family who has donated generously to the Liberal Party of Canada over the years. He was thrust into the headlines in November 2017 after the Kolber Trust he set up in the Cayman Islands in 1991 was included in the Paradise Papers leak.

Reached at her Montreal home, Hirsch-Kolber said her husband was too ill to do an interview. She said she didn't know anything about the donation that is listed in her name.

Dusseault questioned why Lebouthillier accepted the contribution from Kolber.

"Why is she accepting dollars, even one dollar, from a very well-known former Liberal senator who has his two hands right in the Paradise Papers?" he said.

"When she received the donation, she just should have said, 'No thank you' and (given) back the money."

Lebouthillier defended accepting the contributions from the Kolbers.

"You will understand that I will not lose my reputation for $225," she said on her way out of the meeting.

Lebouthillier said she held two fundraisers in the Gaspe and neither cost $225 a head to attend.

A few hours later, Dusseault raised the same question during question period, calling the Liberal government's vows to fight tax evasion "a smoke screen."

"The revenue minister herself accepted a donation on the part of an influential Liberal cited in the Paradise Papers," he told the House. "Now we understand her inaction better. As they say, we don't bite the hand that feeds us."

Lebouthillier shot back.

"What my colleague is trying to do is to indirectly associate me with the Paradise Papers. If he wants to play that game, I invite him to look in his own backyard," she said.

"Mr. (Jagmeet) Singh and (Tom) Mulcair, as well as the MPs for Timmins-James Bay (Charlie Angus) and Skeena -Bulkley Valley (Nathan Cullen), have all accepted contributions from individuals named in information leaks."

Emilie Gagnon, Lebouthillier's press secretary, said those donations to candidates running in last year's NDP leadership campaign, totalling $1,210 between 2012 and 2017, were made by Robin Sears.

Sears also appears in the Paradise Papers as a shareholder in Recipco Holdings incorporated in Bermuda.

Contacted by CBC News, Sears said he holds a small investment in the company, set up by a friend more than 20 years ago. He said he has given money to lots of different candidates, including Liberal cabinet minister Carolyn Bennett and Ontario provincial cabinet minister Caroline Mulroney.

"If this is the best they can do, there's not much there, or they should hire new researchers," he said. "I don't think there is much of a smoking gun in this case."

Elizabeth Thompson can be reached at elizabeth.thompson@cbc.ca
A Whitehorse movie theatre  closed last week after a safety inspection  will likely re-open on Friday, according to owner Landmark Cinemas.

The Yukon Theatre, on Wood Street, was forced to shut its doors after city fire officials found problems with the lighting in the building. Some exit signs were not properly lit and emergency lighting was not working.

"Whenever we have a serious life safety issue like non-functioning emergency lighting, that triggers an emergency response from us. We have to do something to deal with that quickly," said Wayne Smith of the Whitehorse Fire Department.

Smith says there were also no records of the emergency lighting being checked. That's a monthly requirement, he says, "to show that the owner is actually taking these things seriously."

Wayne Vallevand/CBC

"Once those issues are properly addressed, they will call me, I'll go back I will do another inspection, and if everything is fine, they can re-open," Smith said.

Bill Walker, CEO of Landmark Cinemas Canada, said an electrician is now working to fix the problems as fast as possible. He says the issues were "nothing major, per se."

"It was just some issues that were identified that, given the building's age, had to be rectified," he said. "We're hopeful we'll be ready for Friday."

'Past its better days'

Some Whitehorse residents said they were disappointed to see the theatre temporarily closed, though not surprised.

The aging two-screen theatre has plenty of detractors  it's a far cry from the plush, reclining-seat multiplex cinemas found in other Canadian cities.

"It's terrible," said Noelle Lang, who saw movies at the theatre as a child, and now sometimes brings her own kids. "It's far, far, far past its better days.

Philippe Morin/CBC

"It's hard, because [kids] see all these movies they want to go see, and as parents, like, I take my Purell, I wipe it down ... I spray the chairs  like I'm phobic, because it's just been too long."

Story continues

Walker admits the theatre  one of two in Whitehorse, both owned by Landmark Cinema  could be a lot better. The company hoped at one time to build a new theatre, but "could never make those economics come together," he says.

Instead, Walker hopes to renovate the existing building  some day.

"We know that we don't serve the market well, and we don't do it justice, for what it deserves ... but you know, as a company sometimes you've got to prioritize things, and and we just haven't made it to Whitehorse yet."
Diduno (Did you know) is a ministry of which I am President in which we provide a wide range of important historical information (for schools, universities, publications, on-line) and this is one of these and the information itself came Diduno's Annie Hamilton.

With a single swift swing the sledgehammer exploded through the window, sending splinters of glass flying through the air. The young storm trooper wielding the hammer turned his back as crystal shards tinkled to the ground.

Vom Rath will be avenged! Destroy another Jewish shop! He directed his squad of brown-shirted thugs, many of them armed with crowbars, further up the street.

By the end of the night, so many windows in Jewish shops and synagogues across Germany had been destroyed that the carnage was dubbed KristallnachtCrystal Night or the Night of Broken Glass.

This was another event leading up to the 2nd World War that had international attention.

Hitlers claim that thousands of ordinary people across Germany and Austria suddenly rose up as one murderous body to avenge the murder of a German diplomat was far from believable.

Supposedly, it was to expend their fury over the shooting of Ernst vom Rath, a young embassy official in Paris, by a seventeen year old Jewish boy. This boy was angry at the Nazi regime, for herding his father into a crowded boxcar and deporting him to Poland. Ironically vom Rath was opposed to the Nazis for their vicious anti-Semitism and was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

William Cooper

In retaliation over 30,000 Jews were rounded up by the Nazis and deported to death camps and the worldmostlyfell silent.

Stung by the reports of destruction, looting and wholesale arrests of innocent people, William Cooper decided to act.

Knowing that silence encourages the oppressor to continue perpetuating injustice, he took his protest to the German Embassy in Melbourne on 6th December 1938.

Leading a delegation of the Australian Aboriginal League he tried to deliver a formal petition which condemned the cruel persecution of the Jewish people by the Nazi government of Germany.

Although the petition was not accepted, the protest did not go unnoticed. When the people of Israel made plans to set up Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, they found this record of what is considered the only private protest against the Germans following Kristallnacht.

As a result William Cooper is highly honoured in Israel.

A memorial at the Yad Vashem and seventy Australian trees have been planted in Jerusalem to pay him tribute. An Academic Chair in his honour has also been created in Israel. The professorship attached to this Academic Chair is valued at one million dollars. A truly significant legacy!

I must give my heart to God

In his early twenties, and influenced by the teaching of the Bible, William announced, I must give my heart to God

Nourished by the faith community of the Aboriginal Mission at Maloga, Williams growing understanding of Scripture began to equip him for a fight for equality for his own people. A long campaign for indigenous rights began.

When he was in his seventies, his serious activism began. This was because he discovered that he couldnt get the pension if he stayed on an Aboriginal Mission. So he moved to

Melbourne  and began writing letters and putting together petitions. Of all the goals he set for himself during his lifetime, only one was achieved: that of creating Aboriginal Sunday. It is still commemorated today: as NAIDOC week.

Although William died in 1941, he inspired an entire generation of Aboriginal people to seek justice and to work for the elimination of racist elements in Australias government legislation.

Report on Kristallnacht in The Argus: http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/12062109

Report on William Cooper memorial at Yad VaShem: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/israel-honours-aboriginal-elder-for-defying-nazis/story-e6frg6nf-1225899241138

Ongoing legacy of William Cooper: http://www.theage.com.au/national/half-a-world-away-sound-of-breaking-glass-found-an-echo-20121114-29cm1.html
..the flavors on this cigar were very good  and that was enough to win me over. I also found the cigars medium strength and medium body meshed quite well with the flavor delivered.

Wrapper: Dominican

Binder: Mexican Negro San Andres

Filler: Ten-year-old Dominican (Piloto Ligero, San Vicente Ligero and San Vicente Visus) combined with a Semilla A Seco and Esteli Visus from Nicaragua.

Country of origin: Dominican Republic

Factory: Cigars Davidoff

Toro: 6 x 52

Price: $35.00

Review: Davidoff  The Master Selection 2010 (3/8/2018)

Appearances on Countdown (By Year/Company): 6 (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)

Coming in at #24 is Davidoff  The Master Selection 2010. This is a limited edition cigar released by Davidoff in 2017. The cigar lands Davidoff on the Cigar Coop Countdown for a record-setting sixth consecutive year.

The Master Selection is a series of six blends that were personal blends which Davidoff Master Blender Eladio Diaz created to commemorate some of his birthdays. In this case, the Davidoff Master Selection 2010 commemorated his 57th birthday. It was a cigar rated by Jiunn Liu of Developing Palates as his highest ranked cigar of the year for 2017 (Liu is the co-owner of Developing Palates along with Prime Time Host Aaron Loomis)

Last year, another installment of the Master Selection series, the Davidoff Master Selection 2016 landed as the #10 Cigar of the Year on the 2017 Countdown.

The Davidoff Master Selection 2010 consists of a Dominican wrapper, a San Andres Mexican binder and a combination of tobaccos from regions of the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua for the filler. As with each of the Master Selection cigars, the Master Selection 2010 is a 6 x 52 Toro.

Flavor wise, the Davidoff Master Selection 2010 delivers notes of cocoa powder, nut, cedar, natural tobacco, and pepper. The flavors were medium-bodied and countered by medium strength. I found these flavors worked perfectly with the medium profile of this cigar.

The Davidoff Master Selection 2010 is a pricey cigar, but its one definitely worth getting. These are getting harder to find, but if you can find them, get some for your humidor.

For details of the 2018 Cigar of the Year Countdown, see our 2018 criteria.

Photo Credit: Cigar Coop
Crowned Heads has announced its exclusive project to online retailer Thompson Cigar known as Juarez. Its a cigar being produced in conjunction with a factory known as Tabacalera Pichardo.

According to Crowned Heads, the Juarez was inspired by Jericho Hill  the companys first Mexican San Andres Mexican wrapped cigar. The challenge was put forth to us by Thompson Cigar Co. to create a value-conscious alternative to our Jericho Hill brand, commented Crowned Heads co-owner/co-founder Jon Huber. We had been working behind the scenes with Tabacalera Pichardo in Esteli (Nicaragua) on some blends since 2016, mostly just fun, but as time passed and more and more samples were delivered, we became very impressed with the quality and there was certainly potential in working with that house. When we smoked the final blend that would ultimately become Juarez, we felt like we had something ready to launch.

In addition to a San Andres Mexican wrapper, the blend for Juarez features an Ecuadorian Sumatra binder, and a mix of tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic in the filler. The cigar is available in three rounded parejo sizes: 4 3/4 x 52, 6 x 54, and 5 x 56. Each cigar will be available in 20-count boxes with pricing ranging from $5.95 to $7.95 per cigar.

As for the factory, Tabacalera Pichardo is the second factory that Crowned Heads is collaborating with for the first time. Earlier this year, Crowned Heads announced it was working with Drew Estate for the Buckeye Land cigar.

According to Crowned Heads, Tabacalera Pichardo was established in 2005 (then known as Dhatuey Tobaccos). It was founded by Don Radio Pichardo. Originally from Cuba, Pichardo is a third-generation agriculturist who worked under the late Arsenio Ramos. In 2014 Pichardo teamed up with entrepreneur and sommelier Luciano Meirelles, who helped expand the operation. Today Tabacalera Pichardo is producing cigars for 16 brands and 12 different countries.

Thompson Cigar is an online retailer that was acquired by Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) earlier this year. It is known to sell a wide variety of exclusive cigars made just for Thompson.

At a glance, here is a look at the Juarez:

Blend and Origin

Wrapper: San Andres Mexican

Binder: Ecuadorian Sumatra

Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Factory: Tabacalera Pichardo

Vitolas Offered

4 3/4 x 52

6 x 54

5 x 56

Photo Credits: Crowned Heads
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. and PRISTINA, Kosovo, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hill International (NYSE:HIL), the global leader in managing construction risk, announced today it was selected by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), to provide, as a leader of a joint venture, construction supervision services for the railway rehabilitation and upgrade of the Fushe Kosove - Hani i Elezitrailway line.



The project will improve the connection between Kosovos railway network and the wider European network through Pan-European Corridor X, running southwards from Fushe Kosove to the Macedonian border. The current contract refers to the first stage (out of three stages covered by joint financing efforts of EBRD and European Union-Western Balkans Investment Framework (EU-WBIF)) which spans over 48 months and includes the defects period, and which will involve construction rehabilitation and upgrade of 64 km of track to comply to the European standards for speed up to 120km/h from current 40-60km/h.

"We are proud to have helped deliver large infrastructure development in Kosovo for almost 10 years, which makes Hill International the largest international company continuously active in the country for infrastructure projects. We look forward to supporting such an important rail program for the entire region," says Panagiotis Methenitis, Hill's VP and Managing Director, Balkans Region. "This project enhances Hill's rail portfolio and involvement in European transport corridors across the Western Balkans, which we believe will be a strong base for future investment in Kosovo and the neighboring countries."

Hills team of professionals will work closely with the implementing authority - Infrastruktura e Hekurudhave te Kosoves (Infrakos), the national railway infrastructure company, to provide professional services for construction supervision, contract administration, project controls, associated reporting and on-the-job training.

The EBRD began investing in Kosovo in 1999. To date, the Bank has signed 58 projects in the country with a net cumulative business volume of 339 million. Kosovo became an EBRD member and country of operations in December 2012.

About Hill International

Hill International, with approximately 2,800 professionals in more than 50 offices worldwide, provides program management, project management, construction management, and other consulting services to clients in a variety of market sectors. Engineering News-Record magazine recently ranked Hill as the eighth-largest construction management firm in the United States. For more information on Hill, please visit our website at www.hillintl.com .

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements contained herein may be considered "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and it is our intent that any such statements be protected by the safe harbor created thereby. Except for historical information, the matters set forth herein including, but not limited to, any statements of belief or intent, any statements concerning our plans, strategies, and objectives for future operations; and any statements regarding our intent to file late periodic reports or relisting on a national securities exchange, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations, estimates and assumptions and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties. Although we believe that the expectations, estimates, and assumptions reflected in our forward-looking statements are reasonable, actual results could differ materially from those projected or assumed in any of our forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from estimates or projections contained in our forward-looking statements are set forth in the Risk Factors section and elsewhere in the reports we have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including that unfavorable global economic conditions may adversely impact our business, our backlog may not be fully realized as revenue, our expenses may be higher than anticipated, and the review of the Company's accounting, accounting policies and internal control over financial reporting, and the preparation of and the audit or review, as applicable, of filings may take longer than currently anticipated or additional restatement adjustments may be identified. We do not intend, and undertake no obligation, to update any forward-looking statement.

Hill International, Inc.

Elizabeth J. Zipf, LEED AP BD+C

Senior Vice President

Hill International, Inc.

One Commerce Square

2005 Market Street, 17th Floor

Philadelphia, PA 19103

(215) 309-7707

elizabethzipf@hillintl.com

Hill International, Inc.

Todd Weintraub

Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

(215) 309-7776

toddweintraub@hillintl.com

InvestorCom

John Glenn Grau

President

(203) 295-7841

jgrau@investor-com.com

(HIL-G)
THURSDAY, Dec. 13, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Federal health investigators said Thursday that they've pinpointed at least one California farm implicated in the recent outbreak of E. coli illness tied to romaine lettuce, but they added that more farms are probably connected.

So far, 59 people across 15 states have come down with the often severe gastrointestinal illness. Health concerns were so high that just before Thanksgiving, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked Americans to temporarily stop consuming all romaine lettuce while they investigated the source of the outbreak.

That investigation has now uncovered at least one source, experts at the FDA and CDC said in a news briefing Thursday afternoon.

"One of the samples tested by the CDC was positive for the outbreak strain by genetic fingerprinting, and was found in the sediment of an agricultural water reservoir at one ranch that is owned and operated by Adam Brothers Farming in Santa Barbara County, Calif.," said Dr. Stephen Ostroff, senior advisor to the FDA Commissioner.

He said the farm was cooperating with the investigation. The farm hasn't shipped romaine lettuce since Nov. 20, and Ostroff said the farm is "committed to recalling products that may have come into contact with water from the agricultural water reservoir."

That said, other farms in the area might still be implicated, so "people should still pay close attention to where their lettuce is from," he added.

Because of this and other recent outbreaks, romaine lettuce now sold in the United States has labeling indicating the place and date of harvest. If heads of romaine are sold loose, without affixed labels, retailers are being asked to post a notice showing place and date of harvest near the store register.

Most romaine sold in the United States is safe to eat. Right now, precautions are limited to romaine lettuce from just a few California counties, the FDA said.

"We continue to advise avoiding romaine lettuce from Monterey, San Benito and Santa Barbara counties in California," Ostroff said.

Hydroponically- and greenhouse-grown romaine also does not appear to be related to the current outbreak.

Illnesses from the E. coli O157:H7 strain implicated in this outbreak have sometimes been severe. Although no deaths have been reported, there have 23 hospitalizations and 2 cases of kidney failure, health officials said.

"The E. coli strain isolated from ill people in the current romaine lettuce outbreak is also closely related to the E. coli strain isolated from people in a 2017 outbreak linked to leafy green in the United States and romaine lettuce in Canada," noted FDA Deputy Commissioner Frank Yiannas.

So who's most at risk from E. coli?

Dr. Robert Glatter is an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City who's seen the effects of infection with the gastrointestinal bug firsthand. It's not a minor ailment, he said.

"In general, symptoms of E. coli infection generally begin about three to four days after consuming the bacteria, and may include abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, and watery or bloody diarrhea, along with fever," Glatter said.

And while healthy people who battle a bout of E. coli typically recover within five to seven days, the illness can be more protracted -- and even deadly -- for people already made vulnerable by chronic disease or advanced age.

"People with diabetes, kidney disease or those with cancer or autoimmune disease run the risk of a more severe illness," Glatter explained.

The particular strain of E. coli detected in the current lettuce outbreak -- E. coli O157:H7 -- is particularly nasty, he noted.

"Most strains of E. coli do not actually cause diarrhea, but E. coli O157 produces a powerful toxin that injures the inner lining of the small intestine, leading to bloody diarrhea," Glatter said. Even a tiny amount of ingested bacteria could spur this type of illness.

"It can make people much more ill, and may lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure, in some cases," he said.

In many cases, antibiotics are used to help beat back an E. coli infection, but these drugs can affect the kidneys, Glatter noted.

"Antibiotics may be necessary in certain cases, so it's important to see your doctor if you have continued and severe symptoms such as fever, bloody diarrhea, and you are not able to eat or drink," he said.

However, in the case of E. coli O157:H7, "taking antibiotics may actually increase your risk of developing kidney failure, so it's important to speak with your health care provider if you should develop severe symptoms," Glatter advised.

And if you do think you might be sick with E. coli, or any other foodborne illness, make sure you don't spread it to those near you.

The bacterium "can be transmitted person-to-person, so it's vital that anyone who is potentially infected wash their hands thoroughly and not share utensils, cups or glasses," Glatter said. "This also goes for bath towels. Linens also need to be washed in hot water and treated with bleach."

He noted that "ground beef, unpasteurized milk, fresh produce and contaminated water are common sources of E. coli bacteria."

More information

Find out more about E. coli illness at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Bangkok, December 13, 2018A Cambodian news fixer who helped to produce a documentary on sex trafficking for Russian government-funded international news network Russia Today, or RT, was deported yesterday from Thailand to Cambodia on accusations of abetting the production of false news, according to news reports.

Rath Rott Many, a news fixer and labor activist, was detained by Thai police in Bangkok, the capital, on December 7 while attempting to seek asylum at a visa office for the Netherlands, news reports said. He was held in a Thai immigration detention center until his deportation yesterday, the reports said.

Cambodian authorities requested his extradition on the grounds he helped RT film a documentary entitled My Mother Sold Me, which was first aired in October and told the stories of impoverished Cambodian families selling their daughters into prostitution, reports said.

We call on Cambodian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Rath Rott Many, said Shawn Crispin, CPJs senior Southeast Asia representative. The real story behind this false news accusation is that Cambodia has morphed from a multi-party democracy with a relatively free media into a one-party dictatorship that brooks no dissent. Its Prime Minister Hun Sens regime that has damaged the national image, not the media.

Cambodian officials have claimed that Rath Rott Many paid interviewees featured in the film to lie about their personal experiences, news reports said. One mother portrayed in the film, Kav Malay, has since recanted her on-camera account that she sold her daughters virginity, news reports said. Others have stood by their personal stories featured in the documentary, reports said.

Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak said before Rath Rott Manys deportation that he had committed a crime by defaming the country and that he will not be free after returning to Cambodia, Radio Free Asia reported the official saying.

Interior Minister Sar Kheng confirmed to local reporters that Cambodia had requested Rath Rott Manys deportation for questioning, but that he had not yet been charged with any crime, the Radio Free Asia report said.

Rath Rott Manys whereabouts were not known after his deportation from Thailand to Cambodia, the same report said.

We are highly concerned about the detention of the documentarys fixer in Cambodia, Rath Rott Many, and are doing everything we can to help resolve the situation, including via diplomatic channels, RTs press office told CPJ. We stand by our story, and are disheartened to hear that because of questioning by authorities, statements intended to contradict our reporting and undermine a legitimate focus on the real problem of Cambodias sex industry have been extracted from documentary participants.
Not for distribution to U.S. wire services or for dissemination in the United States

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sabina Gold & Silver Corp (SBB.T), (Sabina or the Company) has announced today that in connection with the Companys C$22.0 million bought deal offering (the Offering), Zhaojin International Mining Co., Ltd. (Zhaojin) has elected to exercise its participation right under its Shareholder Agreement with the Company dated December 19, 2017, as amended, to purchase 1,831,671 common shares of the Company (Common Shares) by way of a private placement (the Zhaojin Private Placement) which would raise an additional C$2.2 million. In the event that the underwriters for the Offering elect to fully exercise the over-allotment option in connection with the Offering, then Zhaojin has agreed to instead subscribe for a total of 2,106,422 Common Shares, which would raise approximately C$2.53 million.

The net proceeds of the Offering and the Zhaojin Private Placement will be used to advance development of the Companys Back River Gold Project and for working capital and general corporate purposes.

Sabina Gold & Silver Corp.

Sabina Gold & Silver Corp. is well-financed with approximately C$39.4 million in cash and equivalents and is an emerging precious metals company with district scale, advanced, high grade gold assets in one of the worlds newest, politically stable mining jurisdictions: Nunavut, Canada.

Sabina released a Feasibility Study on its 100% owned Back River Gold Project which presents a project that has been designed on a fit-for purpose basis, with the potential to produce ~200,000 ounces a year for ~11 years with a rapid payback of 2.9 years (see Technical Report for the Initial Project Feasibility Study on the Back River Gold Property, Nunavut, Canada dated October 28, 2015).

The Project received its final Project Certificate on December 19, 2017 and its Type A Water License on November 14, 2018 and is now in receipt of all major authorizations for construction and operations.

In addition to Back River, Sabina also owns a significant silver royalty on Glencores Hackett River Project. The silver royalty on Hackett Rivers silver production is comprised of 22.5% of the first 190 million ounces produced and 12.5% of all silver produced thereafter.

For further information please contact:

Nicole Hoeller, Vice-President, Communications:

1 888 648-4218

nhoeller@sabinagoldsilver.com

Forward Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws (forward-looking statements), including our belief as to the extent, results and timing of construction and development activities, sealift and overland transportation and permitting and licensing outcomes. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the future circumstances, outcomes or results anticipated in or implied by such forward-looking statements will occur or that plans, intentions or expectations upon which the forward-looking statements are based will occur. While we have based these forward-looking statements on our expectations about future events as at the date that such statements were prepared, the statements are not a guarantee that such future events will occur and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors which could cause events or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors and assumptions include, among others, the effects of general economic conditions, commodity prices, changing foreign exchange rates and actions by government and regulatory authorities and misjudgments in the course of preparing forward-looking statements. In addition, there are known and unknown risk factors which could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Known risk factors include risks associated with exploration and project development; the need for additional financing; the calculation of mineral resources and reserves; operational risks associated with mining and mineral processing; fluctuations in metal prices; title matters; government regulation; obtaining and renewing necessary licenses and permits; environmental liability and insurance; reliance on key personnel; the potential for conflicts of interest among certain of our officers or directors; the absence of dividends; currency fluctuations; labour disputes; competition; dilution; the volatility of the our common share price and volume; future sales of shares by existing shareholders; and other risks and uncertainties, including those relating to the Back River Project and general risks associated with the mineral exploration and development industry described in our Annual Information Form, financial statements and MD&A for the fiscal period ended December 31, 2017 filed with the Canadian Securities Administrators and available at www.sedar.com. Although we have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. We are under no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statements except as required under applicable securities laws. This news release has been authorized by the undersigned on behalf of Sabina Gold & Silver Corp.
Mark Heyer, whose daughter, Heather Heyer, was killed in 2017 while protesting a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, says he does not want federal prosecutors to pursue the death penalty against the man who killed his daughter.





James Alex Fields, Jr., a 21-year-old who identifies as a neo-Nazi, was tried in Virginia state court and convicted of murder and a litany of other crimes for driving a car into a crowd of protesters, killing Heather Heyer and injuring many others.





On December 11, the state-court judge accepted the jurys sentencing recommendation and sentenced Fields to life in prison plus 419 years and a fine of $480,000. However, Fields still faces federal hate crime charges arising out of the incident, including one murder charge for which prosecutors could seek the death penalty.





Mark Heyer told BuzzFeed News, I dont relish the thought of [Fields] getting the death penalty. Thats my belief. Id rather him get his heart straight and get life [in prison].





On the issue of Fieldss hateful beliefs, Heyer wondered, What happened to make him hate that much? You dont just wake up in the morning like that. He had hatred building up in him for years.





Heyer expressed sympathy for Fieldss family, saying, He was too stupid and too young to realize what he was about to do would change his whole life. I think about his mother and what shes having to go through.





During the state court trial, Fieldss lawyers presented evidence that he had suffered from psychiatric disorders dating back to his early childhood.





Heather Heyers mother, Susan Bro, has not publicly shared her views on the appropriate punishment for Fields, but has promoted her daughters legacy of fighting racism.





In an email to BuzzFeed News, she wrote that killing Fields would not bring Heather back.





Federal prosecutors have not yet announced whether they will seek the death penalty against Fields.





Whether they are able to do so may depend, in part, upon the outcome of an unrelated case being considered by the U.S. Supreme Court.





On December 6, 2018, the Court heard argument in Gamble v. United States, a challenge to a legal concept known as the separate sovereigns doctrine, which allows a defendant to be tried in state and federal court for the same conduct.





Terance Gamble, who was charged in both state and federal court with being a felon in possession of a firearm, argued that facing both state and federal charges violated the Constitutions double jeopardy clause, which protects against being "twice put in jeopardy for the same offence.





If the Court rules in Gambles favor, it could block Fields from being tried in federal court on at least some of the federal charges.





Court watchers said after the argument that the Court did not appear inclined to strike down the separate sovereigns doctrine.

Charlottesville Rally Nazi Car Killer Gets Life Sentence Plus 419 Years

White nationalist James Alex Fields Jr. on Tuesday was sentenced to life in prison, plus 419 years, after being convicted of murdering anti-racism protester Heather Heyer during the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville.





Fields, a 21-year-old Ohio native, received his life sentence just days after being convicted of first-degree murder for the vehicular rampage, which killed Heyer, 32, and injured dozens of other people protesting against the white-nationalist rally.





In addition to his prison sentence, Fields also faces half a million dollars in fines related to the attack, including a $100,000 fine for first-degree murder.





Her death was an explosion to the world, Heyers mother Susan Bro said in a victim impact statement while confronting her daughters killer in court for the first time. We are forever scarred by pain.





In total, Fields was convicted Friday on ten charges, including five counts of aggravated malicious wounding, three counts of malicious wounding, and one count of failing to stop at an accident involving a death. Six of those counts had a maximum sentence of life in prison.





"Please know that the world is not a safe place with Fields in it," Wednesday Bowie, who was also hit by Fields car, told the jury in her statement. News of the white nationalists guilty verdict, she confessed, was the best [shes] felt in a year in a half.





The 12-person jury that convicted Fields heard more evidence and witness testimony on Monday from both sides before recommending the sentence to Charlottesville Circuit Court Judge Richard E. Moore, who made the final call.





Fields prison sentence comes after a highly anticipated two-week trial in Charlottesville. Prosecutors largely focused on the white supremacists intent to cause physical harm after a day of attending the racist Unite the Right rally, in which hundreds of alt-right, white-nationalist, and neo-Nazi activists carrying tiki torches gathered to protect a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.





Bro, one of the four women to spoke to the jury before the sentencing, also detailed her daughters fatal injuries, including a severed aorta and lacerations that left skin and blood on Fields' windshield. Within minutes of being struck, she said, her daughter bled out internally on the street.





Heather was full of love, full of justice, and full of fairness. Mr. Fields tried to silence her, but I refuse to allow that, Bro said through tears, according to reporters present at the hearing. She later added that she does not hate Fields and is putting his fate in the hands of justice.





My family has been to therapy as the darkness has tried to swallow us whole, she added. We are survivors, but were much sadder survivors.





Jeanne Peterson, one of the surviving victims who also gave a statement, told the jury her life has been a living nightmare since the attack, with devastating effects on her 7-year-old son.





My son doesnt want to go out in public with me because hes scared. He asks me, What if theres another bad guy? Peterson, who was friends with Heyer, said. I cant answer why someone would do this on purpose.





Peterson also described how she laid on the road with her head split open after the attack, not knowing if she would be paralyzed. Over the last 15 months, she explained, she has undergone intense physical therapy after breaking her spine, hip, and both legs.





On my best days, I have 20 percent of the energy I did before the attack, Peterson reportedly said, adding that she has been unable to return to work.





Fields defense attorneys argued that the white-nationalist activist, who brought a homemade shield to the rally, was acting out of self-defense when he plowed his gray 2010 Dodge Challenger through the crowd on Aug. 12.





The defense team noted that Fields had been diagnosed with and was receiving treatment for ADHD, anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder; and claimed he was afraid for his life after witnessing earlier violence break out between the white nationalists and counter-protesters. Ultimately, his lawyers said, Fields reacted without thinking of the consequences.





[James] mental health history is not to offer an excuse for his actions, but rather an explanation and to provide context, defense attorney Denise Lunsford said.





During the sentencing phase on Monday, the defense team only called Dr. Daniel Murrie, a forensic psychology expert, who testified about Fields lifelong history of severe mental illness. Murrie performed a court-appointed mental health evaluation of Fields after the attack, and described for the jury a traumatized, isolated man who spent his whole life battling a slew of mental-health disorders, including schizoid personality disorder.





Despite being diagnosed at the age of six and having a history of angry and violent outbursts, Murrie explained, Fields was not found to be legally insane.





In order to meet the legal definition of insanity the individual has to not understand the nature of what theyre doing, Murrie said. That being said, I do not think he arrived to the rally in good mental health.





Federal prosecutors, on the other hand, described Fields background as a neo-Nazi sympathizer who previously advocated on social media for violence against blacks and Jews, and participated in hateful white-supremacist chants during the Charlottesville rally.





His intent was not to kill Heyer specifically, but to kill any member of the group, prosecutor Nina-Alice Antony argued in her closing arguments last week, pointing to video showing Fields idling at an intersection before backing up slowly and then plowing into the crowd. He gets toward that group and he goes for them. What intent could he have other than to harm or kill?





While Fields prison sentence will likely prevent the 21-year-old from ever seeing the world outside his prison, this was only the first of two trials he faced.





The next one, regarding a 30-count hate crime indictment brought against him by the Department of Justice, does not yet have a start date.





Judge Moore will formally sentence James Fields on March 29th, and while he can not impose a longer punishment, he can reduce the jury's recommended sentence.













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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
Bengaluru: Two notorious dacoits, hailing from Bangladesh origin and having cases booked against them in Delhi, Goa, UP and other states were shot at and arrested by the Bengaluru police on Wednesday morning.

The two dacoits, identified as Muneer (38) and Milan (27), who were evading police arrest, had taken shelter in K.R. Puram police station limits.

On December 1, the Whitefield division police got a tip-off from Delhi police of two dacoits having taken shelter in their division. Based on this information, Whitefield DCP Abdul Ahad formed two teams under K.R. Puram police inspector Jayaraj H. and sub-inspector Srinivas Doddaswamy.

The K.R. Puram police received credible information that the dacoits would come near Whitefield railway station at around 5:30 am on Wednesday.

The two teams took position on Immadihalli-Ajagondahalli road and waited for the Muneer and Milan.

After the police spotted the two dacoits, they rushed to arrest them. The dacoits launched an attack on police constables Manjunath and Chandrappa.

As the situation went out of control, Inspector Jayaraj opened fire and shot at Munner's leg while Sub-Inspector Doddaswamy shot at Milan's leg to immobilize him.

The two dacoits and the injured cops were rushed to a hospital where they are undergoing a treatment.

Preliminary investigation revealed that Muneer was jailed for seven years for his involvement in a dacoity in 2002 in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. He and Milan were involved in a dacoity Madgaon and Ponda in Goa, police said.
The "Malaysia Fantastic Deals" package was launched from Chennai on Teuesday. The campaign featured Tuan Syed Yahya Syed Othman, Director of Package Development Division, Tourism Malaysia, and Mr. Chandran Rama Muthy, CEO, Malindo Air.

Chennai: Ahead of the year-end festivities, Malaysia Tourism has launched five packages exclusively targeting the Indian market. With a 10 per cent discount on airfares from Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, the packages assure a family-friendly holiday and a broader experience of Malaysia.

India has consistently been one of the top 10 tourist generating markets for Malaysia and has continuously made significant contributions to tourist arrivals and tourist receipts to Malaysia. From January till September 2018, Malaysia received 4,37,736 tourists from India - an increase of 10.4 % compared to last year. The country received tourist receipts of RM 1.2 billion from the India market from January till June which was an increase of 15 % for the same period of last year.

Tuan Syed Yahya Syed Othman, Director of Package Development Division, Tourism Malaysia, who launched the "Malaysia Fantastic Deals" package on Tuesday, said these packages brought together the best of Malaysia's islands and beaches, city, gastronomy and family-friendly experiences, and would provide a broader experience of Malaysia.

Aimed to promote more value-for-money holiday packages to Malaysia for tourists from India, the initiative sees Tourism Malaysia partnering with Malindo Air and several popular hotels and a restaurant in Malaysia to offer a total of five packages through selected Indian travel agents based in Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. Bookings are open from December 15 2018 to January 15, 2019, for travel to Malaysia between February 1 and July 31, 2019. The premium Malaysia-based airline, operating to nine cities in India, is offering a 10 % discount on airfares from four Indian metros.

According to Manoj Mehta, General Manger, India region, Malindo Air, the airlines, which launched its service to New Delhi in December 2015, now operates from nine Indian cities.
Bengaluru: Acting on the directions of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, former Chief Minister and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Siddaramaiah cut short his foreign tour and arrived here on Thursday in the wake of reports about disgruntled party legislators engaging in rebel activity.

Sources close to Mr Siddaramaiah told Deccan Chronicle that their leader was earlier supposed to arrive on Saturday and then attend the winter session of the legislature being held in Belagavi from December 17.

Mr Siddaramaiah had left Bengaluru on Monday for Malaysia to attend the marriage of his close friend.

After reaching there, he got a call from Mr Gandhi asking him to be in Bengaluru at the earliest following reports of ministerial aspirants holding secret meetings to discuss their future course of action.

To prevent any awkward move by these Congress MLAs over delayed cabinet expansion, Mr Gandhi felt Mr Siddaramaiah's services were needed and directed him to cut short his Malaysia tour.

The sources said that Mr Gandhi has more confidence in Mr Siddaramaiah than in any other leader in the Karnataka Congress unit.

The Congress President had seen how the CLP leader handled the situation when municipal administration minister Ramesh Jarkiholi and his brother Satish Jarkiholi raised the banner of revolt.

At that time, Mr Siddaramaiah not only defused the tension but also prevented a major embarrassment for the Congress.

The state cabinet is likely to be expanded on December 22 to accommodate six Congress MLAs in the Council of ministers and others as chairmen of various boards and corporations.

However, reports on the expansion likely to be postponed till the Lok Sabha polls, have angered the MLAs forcing them to voice their their grievances in public embarrassing the grand old party.

The first and foremost task before Mr Siddaramaiah will be to make sure his party MLAs keep quiet at least till the winter session is over.

A majority of these legislators owe allegiance to the former Chief Minister and are likely to listen to him.
If a Canadian judge rules the case against Meng is strong enough, Canadas justice minister must next decide whether to extradite her to the United States.

A top executive of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd was granted bail by a Canadian court on Tuesday, 10 days after her arrest in Vancouver at the request of US authorities sparked a diplomatic dispute.

Meng Wanzhou, Huaweis chief financial officer and the daughter of its founder, faces US claims that she misled multinational banks about Iran-linked transactions, putting the banks at risk of violating US sanctions.

In a court hearing in Vancouver, British Columbia, Justice William Ehrcke granted C$10 million ($7.5 million) bail to Meng, who has been jailed since her arrest on Dec. 1. The courtroom erupted in applause when the decision was announced. Meng cried and hugged her lawyers.

Among conditions of her bail, the 46-year-old executive must wear an ankle monitor and stay at home from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Five friends pledged equity in their homes and other money as a guarantee she will not flee.

If a Canadian judge rules the case against Meng is strong enough, Canadas justice minister must next decide whether to extradite her to the United States. If so, Meng would face US charges of conspiracy to defraud multiple financial institutions, with a maximum sentence of 30 years for each charge.

The arrest of Meng has put a further dampener on Chinese relations with the United States and Canada at a time when tensions were already high over a trade war and US accusations of Chinese spying.

US President Donald Trump told Reuters on Tuesday he would intervene in the US Justice Departments case against Meng if it would serve national security interests or help close a trade deal with China.

Speaking in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Mengs arrest was a mistake from the start.

We have already made clear our position to the United States and Canada, who should immediately correct their mistake and release Meng Wanzhou, he told a daily news briefing.

Any person, especially if it is a leader of the United States, or a high-level figure, who is willing to make positive efforts to push this situation toward the correct direction, then that, of course, deserves to be well received.

China had threatened severe consequences unless Canada released Meng immediately, and analysts have said retaliation from Beijing over the arrest was likely.

The US State Department is considering issuing a travel warning for its citizens, two sources said on Tuesday.

The Canadian government was considering issuing a similar warning, Canadas CTV network reported. Reuters was not able to confirm the report.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Canadian government said that one of its citizens in China had been detained.

The International Crisis Group think-tank said on Wednesday it had received no information from Chinese officials about the detention of its employee, former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig, and that it was seeking consular access to him.

The Chinese ministry spokesman, Lu, said he had nothing he could say on the details of the case, but said the ICG was not registered in China as a non-governmental organization and Kovrig could have broken Chinese law.

The Canadian government said it saw no explicit link to the Huawei case.

However, Guy Saint-Jacques, Canadas former ambassador to China, asked by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp whether the Kovrig detention was a coincidence, said: In China there are no coincidences ... If they want to send you a message they will send you a message.

ELECTRONIC MONITORING

Meng, who was arrested as she was changing planes in Vancouver, has said she is innocent and will contest the allegations in the United States if she is extradited.

Tuesday was the third day of bail hearings. Mengs defense had argued that she was not a flight risk, citing her longstanding ties to Canada, properties she owns in Vancouver and fears for her health while incarcerated.

Her family assured the court she would remain in Vancouver at one of her family houses in an affluent neighborhood. Her husband said he plans to bring the couples daughter to Vancouver to attend school, and Meng had said she would be grateful for the chance to read a novel after years of working hard.

I am satisfied that on the particular facts of this case ... the risk of her non-attendance in court can be reduced to an acceptable level by imposing bail conditions, said the judge, adding that he was also persuaded by the fact that Meng was a well-educated businesswoman with no criminal record.

She must remain in Canada and be accompanied by security guards when she leaves her residence. Meng will pay a cash deposit of C$7 million, with five guarantors liable for a remaining C$3 million if she absconds.

Meng was ordered to reappear in court on Feb. 6 to make plans for further appearances.

Huawei, which makes smartphones and network equipment, said in a statement it looked forward to a timely resolution of the case.

We have every confidence that the Canadian and US legal systems will reach a just conclusion, it said, adding that it complied with all laws and regulations where it operates.

The case against Meng stems from a 2013 Reuters report here about Huawei's close ties to Hong Kong-based Skycom Tech Co Ltd, which attempted to sell US equipment to Iran despite US and European Union bans.

Huawei is the worlds largest supplier of telecommunications network equipment and second-biggest maker of smartphones, with revenue of about $92 billion last year. Unlike other big Chinese technology firms, it does much of its business overseas.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
CLEARWATER, Fla., Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- December 1st, The Foundation for a Drug-Free World Florida Chapter distributed the Truth About Drugs to parents and had the children pledge to be Drug-Free as part of the Holiday Season cheer at the chapters headquarters in downtown Clearwater. Over 100 people enjoyed the event and over 50 kids signed the pledge.



Alcohol and other drugs actually become quite a problem during the Holiday Season, said Julieta Santagostino the President of the Foundation for a Drug-Free World Florida Chapter, and we want to make sure that kids stay safe during this time.

The Foundation for a Drug-Free World Florida Chapter held a Holiday event with Christmas music, hot chocolate and holiday cheer inviting in families to learn the dangers of drugs and encouraging children to take the Drug-Free Pledge.

The Foundation has 14 booklets covering different drugs of concern including the Truth About Alcohol, which the Foundation encourages people to read and stay safe during the Holidays.

If anyone would like free copies of any of the booklets or would like more information, they can visit the Foundation for Drug Free World information center at 41 N. Fort Harrison Ave, or call them at (727) 467-6962. They can also be reached by email at info.fl@drugfreeworld.org .

Foundation for a Drug-Free World

The Foundation for a Drug-Free World is a non-profit organization that educates youth and the community on the truth about drugs, so they can make the right decision to live drug-free. The Church of Scientology is a sponsor of the program making it possible for the Foundation to provide educational materials at no cost to educators, law enforcement and the community.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For More Information Contact:

Julieta Santagostino

drugfreeworldflorida@gmail.com

727-475-6541

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c0029080-a373-41e4-bab7-e42315dba70f
VietinBank struggles to increase its capital to meet international norms. Photo by VnExpress

International norms require VietinBank to increase its capital, but its current ownership structure leaves little room to act.

According to securities company VCSC, VietinBanks capital adequacy ratio (CAR) was 10 percent last year and is expected to be 9.7 percent this year. The industry average in Vietnam is 12.14 percent.

However, once Vietnam moves to Basel II standards from 2020, according to securities companies, VietinBanks CAR will fall by 1-3 percentage points, failing to meet minimum requirements.

The second Basel Accords, or Basel II, prescribe a CAR of 8 percent of risk-weighted assets for all financial institutions to cover operational risks.

While Vietcombank and BIDV, two of Vietnams largest banks by assets, are issuing shares to their strategic shareholders, VietinBank has seen no movement in its chartered capital of VND46.2 trillion ($1.99 billion) from 2013.

The states stake in VietinBank is over 64 percent, the lowest approved rate, and foreign investment is already at its legal maximum of 30 percent, said Le Duc Tho, chairman of VietinBank.

Considering the fact that VietinBanks CAR is so near the minimum requirement, the easiest way raise capital is to pay stock dividends, experts say.

Whether this will be approved or not depends on many factors.

For instance, in 2016, despite receiving concurrence from the State Bank of Vietnam, VietinBank was unable to carry out the stock dividend payment due to pressure from the Ministry of Finance on budget issues.

Even the banks plan to pay VND4 trillion ($172.24 million) as dividend in 2017, in whole or in part with shares, has not been authorized by the competent authorities until now.

Le Duc Tho, chairman of VietinBank, revealed that the bank is proposing that it is selected as one of the state-run banks that can have its state ownerships reduced to 51 percent in 2020.

This is seen as the most feasible solution for VietinBank when issuing shares to existing shareholders will be difficult to do along with maintaining the needed state ownership ratio.

A master plan recently approved by the Prime Minister targets to have 3-5 banks listed on foreign stock exchanges.

The plan, which covers the banking sector's development until 2025 with a vision to 2030, also sets targets to reduce the states ownership in three major banks: Vietcombank, BIDV and VietinBank.

In 2018-2020, the state will reduce its shares in these banks to at least 65 percent and in 2021-2025, to 51 percent.

Vietnam has nine wholly-owned foreign banks, four state-owned banks and 31 joint-stock banks.
Vietnam has no alternative energy source in the medium term to replace coal for power generation, Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung said.

Speaking at a meeting Wednesday he said since there are currently no effective alternatives, "coal power must be developed with modern and environment-friendly technologies."

Dung warned that if Vietnam does not resolve its coal shortage, it could face a power shortage right from this year.

Total electricity production next year is estimated at 232.5 billion kilowatt hours, with coal power plants accounting for exactly half, and requiring 13 million tons of coal.

"Under all circumstances and at all costs, Vietnam must provide enough electricity to the economy," Dung said.

He ordered the Ministry of Industry and Trade to quickly draft a plan for consumption of local and imported coal.

Dung instructed the countrys two coal suppliers, Vietnam National Coal-Mineral Industries Corporation (Vinacomin) and the North-Eastern Company (NECO), to sign coal purchase contracts next year.

Data from EVN shows demand for electricity this month is 18.89 billion kilowatt hours. To meet this, the countrys thermal power plants need to operate at their maximum capacity of 10.47 billion kilowatt hours.

Vinacomin and NECO have supplied 20.5 million tons of coal to power plants this year, or only 89 percent of the contracted volumes, with Vinacomin accounting for 16.2 million tons.

But Vietnam faces a coal shortage. EVN warned at the end of last month that the lack of coal might lead to a shutdown of thermal power plants and it might have to resort to load-shedding next year.

Several power plants in the north have shut down their turbines since mid-November or reduced their operations to a minimum.

EVN also said it might have to raise electricity prices next year because of higher coal prices to produce enough power.

Vietnam currently relies mostly on hydropower and thermal power. But its hydropower potential can only meet 30 percent of demand and is almost fully exploited. The countrys oil and gas reserves are running low.
Grab said it did not breach Vietnam's competition law in its acquisition of Uber in March 2018. Photo by Reuters

Ride-hailing firm Grab has asserted that it did not breach Vietnams competition laws, contesting authorities definitions and interpretations.

The assertion was a response to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, which said Wednesday that it had evidence that Grabs acquisition of Uber violated Vietnams Competition Law .

In a statement released Thursday, Jerry Lim, country head of Grab Vietnam, said that the transaction between Grab and Uber earlier this year was conducted "in the good faith belief that there is no breach of competition laws, after diligent consultation with legal counsels."

Lim explained that the issue has become contentious because of differences in the authorities and Grabs definitions of relevant market and what constitutes a competitive playing field.

He said that the entrance of new ride-hailing companies into Vietnam shows that they believe there is a chance to succeed, with some of them claiming high market shares.

In June, Vietnams first ride-hailing services FastGo and Aber were launched. Go-Viet, an affiliate of Indonesia's Go-Jek, entered Vietnam in August, claiming to take 15 percent of the market share in Ho Chi Minh City within two weeks of launching.

Vietnams top taxi operator Mai Linh and second-ranked Vinasun have also invested in a ride-hailing service to compete with Grab.

Grab said that a ride-hailing app was just one of many options for customers. It cited a third-party survey, without revealing details, which said more than 59 percent of Vietnamese car ride-hailing users and 62 percent of motorbike ride-hailing users surveyed would switch to a different transport service other than ride-hailing if there was a 10 percent increase in prices.

Lim also said that Grab was not the only ride-hailing company in the market, as the Vietnamese government has granted ride-hailing pilot licenses to nine other companies, including established taxi companies, to operate services in five cities and provinces.

Both customers and drivers can respectively decide to switch to other forms of transport and join other companies if prevailing conditions such as pricing and income are not favorable to them.

"The power of choice remains in the hands of customers," Lim said.

He said Grab has fully cooperated with the Vietnamese authorities for the purpose of a fair investigation and recommendation. "We fully understand that all governments seek to protect the best interests of consumers. Grab truly shares the same goals."

Lim said he hopes that the final verdict of the Vietnam Competition Committee will take into account the "vibrancy and contestability of the current Vietnamese market landscape and support the competitive business environment brought about by technology application and innovation."

Singapore-based Grab acquired Uber in Southeast Asia in return for a 27.5 percent stake in the U.S. company, with Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi joining Grabs board.

The 2004 Competition Law requires any merger or acquisition that results in a company gaining a 30 percent market share to be reported to competition authorities.

If a company gains a 50 percent market share from the deal, it can only be implemented with express permission from the authorities.

Preliminary investigations by Vietnamese authorities have found that Grabs market share in Vietnam was in excess of 50 percent after Uber quit the market last April.

But Grab has countered this, saying that since its combined market share with Uber in Vietnam was less than 30 percent, it did not have to "inform the competition authority before proceeding and completing this transaction in the country."
Two men carrying 19 kilos of meth were arrested at a major Ho Chi Minh City bus station Wednesday.

Nguyen Dang Khoa, 39, and Hoang Minh Nhut, 30, were detained at Mien Dong Bus Station, from where passengers take buses to northern and central regions.

The drugs were hidden in a loudspeaker.

Border guards from the central province of Quang Tri, which borders Laos, had been following the men for some time. They traveled 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) south to HCMC and arrested the men with two local police officers.

Vietnam is a key trafficking hub for narcotics in and around the "Golden Triangle," a lawless wedge of land that intersects China, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar and is the world's second largest drug producing region.

The country also has some of the worlds toughest drug laws. Those convicted of possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine face the death penalty. The production or sale of 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal narcotics is also punishable by death.
U.S. President Donald Trump at the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, U.S., July 25, 2018. Photo by Reuters/Joshua Robert

After backing off last August, the Donald Trump administration has renewed its push to deport thousands of Vietnamese immigrants.

It is doing so despite a unique bilateral agreement between the U.S. and Vietnam that those arrived in the U.S. before 1995, the year the two former foes normalized relations, would not be subject to deportation.

Many of the targeted immigrants have lived in the U.S. for decades, having arrived in the country after the end of the Vietnam War.

The administrations latest move has sparked strong criticism from legal analysts and immigrant rights advocates, the U.S.-based Atlantic magazine reported Wednesday.

To go around the 2008 treaty, the Trump administration is claiming that Vietnamese immigrants who arrived in the country before 1995 are subject to the standard immigration law, making all of them eligible for deportation.

Since early 2017, former citizens of Vietnam, Cambodia and several other countries have been targeted by Trumps hardline immigration policy. The administration has sought to deport immigrants with criminal records who have green cards but did not become naturalized U.S. citizens, even if theyve served their sentences.

Since March last year, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has launched a crackdown to detain and deport Vietnamese immigrants who have committed crimes even if they have served their time.

To many Vietnamese immigrants' relief, New York Times last month said that following a California district court ruling on October 18, thousands of Vietnamese immigrants who came to the U.S. as legal residents before 1995 have been spared from the risk of deportation by the federal immigration agents.

The shift followed an agreement reached with Vietnam last August under which "the removal of pre-1995 Vietnamese is not reasonably foreseeable," the Times report said.

But James Thrower, a spokesperson for the U.S. embassy in Hanoi, told The Atlantic last week that the American government was again reversing course.

He said Washington now believes that the 2008 agreement cannot protect pre-1995 Vietnamese immigrants from deportation.

"While the procedures associated with this specific agreement do not apply to Vietnamese citizens who arrived in the United States before July 12, 1995, it does not explicitly preclude the removal of pre-1995 cases," he said, as cited in the report.

A spokesperson from the State Department has confirmed that the Department of Homeland Security is working with representatives of the Vietnamese embassy in Washington D.C., but refused to provide further details of the discussion, it said.

According to ICE figures, 71 Vietnamese people were deported to Vietnam last year, compared to 35 in 2016, and 32 in 2015. No information is given on when the deportees arrived in the United States.

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau reveal nearly 1.3 million Vietnamese citizens have migrated to the United States since the end of the Vietnam War and obtained green cards. Of them, 10,000 Vietnamese nationals are subject to deportation under the new regime. Most of these have criminal convictions or lost their green cards.

The push by the Trump administration had led to the resignation of Ted Osius, former U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam whos opposed to the policy.

Osius, who left his post in October last year, told Reuters last April that most people targeted for deportation had arrived in the United States prior to 1995, the year diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the United States were resumed after the Vietnam War.

The controversial interpretation puts thousands of Vietnamese who have lived in the U.S. for decades at risk.

"We have 5,000 convicted criminal aliens from Vietnam with final orders of removal," the Atlantic cited Katie Waldman, a spokeswoman from the Department of Homeland Security, as saying.

"These are non-citizens who during previous administrations were arrested, convicted and ultimately ordered removed by a federal immigration judge," she said.
People wait for arriving flights at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City in February 2018. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran

Some 106 million passengers passed through the countrys airports this year, a 12.9 percent increase and highest of all time.

They also handled nearly 1.5 million tons of cargo, 7.7 percent up, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam.

It also reported that local carriers carried more than 50 million passengers and nearly 400,000 tons of goods this year, 14 percent and 26 percent up.

Over 14 million foreign passengers arrived by air in the first 10 months of this year, an increase of 21.3 percent year-on- year, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

Four local carriers, Vietnam Airlines, its subsidiary VASCO, VietJet Air and Jetstar Pacific Airlines, and 68 foreign airlines from 25 countries and territories operate in the country. Vietnam's fifth carrier Bamboo Airways is set to fly by year end and a joint venture with AirAsia in August next year.

Vietnam's aviation has been booming in recent years. The countrys biggest airports Tan Son Nhat in Saigon and Noi Bai in Hanoi are usually crowded.

Construction of Long Thanh Airport, 40 km east of HCMC, is expected to share the overload. The airport is planned to be built in three phases over three decades, able to handle 25 million passengers a year by 2025 and 100 million by 2050.
Vietnam could be home to next travel startup unicorn

The Golden Bridge is in Da Nang City's Ba Na Hills, supported by a pair of giant hands. Photo by Vo Van Hoang/Shutterstock.

Travel Daily Media has ranked Vietnam third in its top five underrated Asian markets for travel startups.

"Vietnam is a country that cannot be ignored as it is one of the fastest growing markets in the region. They say that Vietnam is the new Thailand as the latter is slowly joining the ranks of Singapore and Hong Kong," Travel Daily Media wrote in a recent report.

The site also said that the start-up ecosystem is not yet developed in Vietnam.

Travel Daily Media is a website "dedicated to informing, connecting and developing the worlds travel industry professionals."

"The start-up ecosystem is still in the infancy stage. It was in 2016 when the country experienced high-speed growth. The increase of start-ups was made possible with a good telecommunications system, the Internet, 4G, and the improvement of technology and education."

The ecosystem has also been driven by Vietnamese who study overseas and return. "Although the market is still young, it only promises incredible growth in years to come," the report said.

View of busy river in ancient town Hoi An in Central Vietnam. Photo by Romas/Shutterstock.

The Philippines topped the list of underrated Asian markets for travel startups, followed by Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan and Israel.

Vietnam attracted a record 14 million foreign tourists in the first 11 months of this year, up 21 percent year-on-year. The number could go as high as 15 million for the whole year, according to the General Statistics Office. The total number of foreign arrivals last year was 12.9 million.

With visa waivers for several countries in Asia and Europe, the tourism industry hopes to welcome 17-20 million foreign visitors.

It expects to earn $35 billion in revenues per year by 2020, contributing 10 percent to the countrys GDP, compared to the current 7.5 percent.

A global report published last month by the United Nations World Tourism Organization ranked Vietnams tourism growth as fourth highest in the world.

An aerial view of Vietnam:
Canada should distance itself from U.S. hegemonism and grant unconditional freedom to Meng Wanzhou, the state-owned Global Times said Thursday.

Meng Wanzhou, Huawei Technologies Co Ltd's chief financial officer (CFO), is seen in this undated handout photo obtained by Reuters December 6, 2018. Photo by Huawei/Handout via Reuters

Meng, the chief financial officer of Chinas Huawei Technologies, has been accused by U.S. prosecutors of misleading banks about transactions linked to Iran, putting the banks at risk of violating sanctions.

She was arrested on Dec. 1 and released on bail on Tuesday. She will be set free if the United States fails to submit a formal demand for her extradition within 60 days of her arrest.

Meng has no criminal record anywhere in the world and her arrest violates a U.S.-Canada extradition agreement, the Global Times said in an editorial, adding that Canada could end the crisis immediately by freeing Meng unconditionally, rather than acting as the "51st state" of the United States.

"Canada should distance itself from U.S. hegemonism and fulfill its obligations to help maintain international order and protect human rights," it said.

Authorities in China are holding former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig on suspicion of engaging in activities that harm Chinas national security. He was detained on Monday.

The Global Times said there was no evidence that the arrest of Kovrig was in any way connected to the case, but said "the assumption is because Canada has gone too far and people naturally believe China will retaliate".

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland warned the United States on Wednesday not to politicize extradition cases, a day after President Trump said he would intervene in the case if it served national security interests.

In another editorial on Thursday, the official China Daily newspaper accused the United States of manufacturing the diplomatic incident in order to serve political ends.

"Washington is mistaken if it thinks it can take Meng hostage and ransom her for concessions in the upcoming trade talks," it said.
Kathryn Williams Appointed to Take Over for Imeson in Early April

PORTLAND, Ore., Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The NW Natural Holdings (NYSE:NWN) and Northwest Natural Gas Companys boards of directors have acknowledged Tom Imesons intent to retire on April 1, 2019, and appointed Kathryn Williams to take his place as NW Naturals vice president of Public Affairs.

Imeson has been at NW Natural since March of 2014 overseeing government affairs, environmental policy and community relations. Before coming to NW Natural, he was director of Public Affairs at the Port of Portland, vice president of Public Affairs at PacifiCorp, chief of staff to two Oregon governors, and a longtime aide to U.S. Senator Mark O. Hatfield. He was recently awarded Willamette Universitys Glenn L. Jackson Leadership Award.

Imeson is currently chair of the Oregon Board of Forestry and member of the Portland State University board of trustees. He has also served as a chair or member of The Nature Conservancy in Oregon, Oregon State Board of Higher Education and Special Olympics Oregon. Other board experience includes the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission and Oregon Health and Science University. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Sciences from the Johns Hopkins University.

Tom has had an incredible career and we will greatly miss his tremendous experience in government and community relations, said David H. Anderson, NW Natural president and CEO. Tom leaves a legacy of respect from the community for his ability to work toward resolution no matter what the issue or politics.

Williams joined NW Natural in April from the Port of Portland where she worked since 2007, most recently as State Affairs Manager. Prior, she was an associate at a regional public affairs consulting firm and spent more than a decade working on issues for transportation providers, utilities, infrastructure companies and nonprofit organizations. Williams currently serves on the board of Urban Gleaners and is a past board member of the Oregon Transportation Forum, Oregon Public Ports Association and Innovation Partnership/Partners in Diversity.

Kathryn has quickly jumped into government affairs at NW Natural and contributed her expertise and skills to our team, added Anderson. Shes in an excellent position to lead our public affairs efforts on all fronts.

A native of Oregon, Williams is a graduate of The Colorado College where she received a bachelors degree in History and Latin American Studies. She completed an executive education program at Harvard Universitys Kennedy School of Government on Economics and the Environment, and is a graduate of the Portland Business Alliances Leadership Portland program and the Willamette University Utility Management Program.

ABOUT NW NATURAL HOLDINGS

Northwest Natural Holding Company, (NYSE:NWN) (NW Holdings), is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, and owns a 159-year-old regulated natural gas local distribution company, NW Natural Gas Company (NW Natural), NW Natural Water Company (NW Water), and other business interests and activities.

NW Natural currently provides natural gas service to approximately two million people in more than 140 communities through 740,000 meters in Oregon and Southwest Washington with one of the most modern pipeline systems in the nation. NW Natural consistently leads the industry with high J.D. Power & Associates customer satisfaction scores.

NW Natural is currently constructing a 2.5 Bcf regulated gas storage expansion of its 16 Bcf facility in Oregon to support renewables. NW Natural Holdings subsidiaries own and operate 31 Bcf of underground gas storage capacity.

NW Water currently provides water distribution service to approximately 22,000 people through 7,350 connections. To date, NW Water has acquired four water distribution systems with one additional acquisition pending. Upon closing that transaction, cumulatively, NW Water will serve nearly 42,000 people through 16,750 connections in the Pacific Northwest with total investments of approximately $67 million.
Vu Thi Dinh showed everyone she met the snap of the 16-year-old friends Dua and Di in white and red velvet dresses. Photos by AFP/Nhac Nguyen

Vu Thi Dinh spent weeks scouring the rugged Vietnamese borderland near China after her teenage daughter vanished with her best friend.

She clutched a photo of the round-faced girls now feared sold as child brides.

The anguished mother showed everyone she met the snap of the 16-year-old friends Dua and Di in white and red velvet dresses, the words "Falling Into You" printed above their photoshopped picture.

They went missing in February during an outing in Meo Vac, a poor mountainous border zone a stone's throw from China.

Their mothers fear they were sold in China on one of the world's most well-trodden bride trafficking circuits.

"I wish she would just call home to say she is safe, to say 'please don't worry about me, I'm gone but I'm safe,'" said Dinh, bursting into tears.

She is among countless mothers whose daughters have disappeared into China where a massive gender imbalance has fuelled an unregulated buy-a-bride trade.

Countless young women have disappeared into China where a massive gender imbalance has fuelled an unregulated buy-a-bride trade

Most people in this part of Vietnam have a story about bride trafficking.

High-school students talk of kidnapped cousins. Husbands recall wives who disappeared in the night. And mothers, like Dinh, fear they may never see their daughters again.

"I warned her not to get on the backs of motorbikes or meet strange men at the market," she says from her mud-floored home where she expectantly keeps a closet full of her daughter's clothes.

She's not heard from Dua since she went missing, unable to reach her on the mobile phone she bought just a few weeks before she disappeared.

'Marriage by capture'

The victims come from poor communities and are tricked by boyfriends and sold, kidnapped against their will or move across the border by choice for marriage or the promise of work.

Like many of the missing, Dua and Di are from the Hmong ethnic minority, one of the country's poorest and most marginalised groups.

Traffickers target girls at the busy weekend market, where they roam around in packs dressed in their Sunday best, chatting to young men, eyeing the latest Made-in-China smartphones or shopping for lipstick and sparkly hair clips.

Traffickers target girls at the busy weekend market, where they roam around in packs dressed in their Sunday best.

Or they find them on Facebook, spending months courting their victims before luring them into China.

It is a sinister departure from the traditional Hmong custom of 'zij poj niam', or 'marriage by capture', where a boyfriend kidnaps his young bride-to-be from her family home -- sometimes with her consent, sometimes not.

Others are enticed by the promise of a future brighter than that which awaits most girls who stay in Ha Giang: drop out of school, marry early and work the fields.

"They go across the border to earn a living but may fall into the trap of the trafficking," said Le Quynh Lan from the NGO Plan International in Vietnam.

Vietnam registered some 3,000 human trafficking cases between 2012 and 2017.

But the actual number is "for sure higher", said Lan, as the border is largely unregulated.

Ly Thi My never dreamed her daughter would be kidnapped, since the shy Di rarely went to the market or showed much interest in boys.

Just two weeks after that photo shoot with Dua, the giggling girls went for a walk in the rocky fields near their homes.

They never came back.

"We think she was tricked and trafficked as a bride, we don't know where she is now," said My.

Fluid border

Her worst fear is the teenagers are now child brides or have been forced to work in brothels in China where there are 33 million more men than women due to a long-entrenched preference for male heirs.

The trip across the 1,300-kilometre (800-mile) border is an easy one, said Trieu Phi Cuong, an officer with Meo Vac's criminal investigations unit.

"This terrain is so rugged, it's very hard to monitor," he told AFP at a border crossing marked by a few waist-high posts as a Vietnamese man nearby sold a cage of pigeons to a customer on the China side.

Many victims don't even know they've crossed into China -- or that they've been trafficked.

Lau Thi My was 35 and fed up with her husband, an abusive drunk, when she grabbed her son and headed to the border.

She went with a neighbour who promised her good work in China, but she fell prey to traffickers.

My was separated from her son and sold three times to different brokers before a Chinese man bought her as a wife for about $2,800.

Vietnam registered some 3,000 human trafficking cases between 2012 and 2017, though NGOs say the number is far higher.

"He locked me up several times, I hated him," said My, who fled after 10 years by scrabbling together enough money for the journey home.

She is now back with her Vietnamese husband -- still a drinker -- in the same home she escaped a decade ago, a smoke-filled lean-to where her dirt-streaked grandchildren run about.

But she's desperate for word from her son.

"I came back totally broken... and my son is still in China, I miss him a lot," she said.
Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi (L) and Reuters journalists Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, are seen in this combination image of TIME covers. Photo courtesy of Time Magazine/Handout via Reuters

Time on Tuesday named a group of journalists as Person of the Year and warned the idea of truth as critical to democracy is under assault.

The honorees include a slain Saudi Arabian writer and two Reuters reporters imprisoned by Myanmars government.

The publication also honored the founder of a Philippines news website critical of that countrys authoritarian government and a Maryland newspaper that was the target of a mass shooting, the first time in the magazines 95-year history that Time has bestowed the distinction on its own profession.

A cover story highlighted the role of journalists, including Reuters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who Myanmar imprisoned for violating a state secrets act, and Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi writer and critic of the nations de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was slain two months ago inside a Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey.

"I hope that this is received by the public at large far, far beyond the United States as a reminder of the importance of defending free expression and the pursuit of truth and facts," Ben Goldberger, Time magazines assistant managing editor, said during an interview. "That is the baseline for all free societies. Democracy certainly cannot function without a shared understanding of the facts."

The annual distinction is intended to recognize the person, group or idea that had the greatest influence on world events that year. It has been given to a wide range of influencers, from U.S. civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. and Queen Elizabeth to Adolf Hitler, the leader of Nazi Germany, who was honored before the start of World War Two.

Wednesday will mark one year since Reuters journalists Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, were imprisoned for their work investigating the killing of villagers from Myanmars Muslim Rohingya minority by the countrys security forces and civilian mobs. They were convicted on Sept. 3 under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act in a case seen as a test of democratic freedoms in Myanmar.

"We hope this recognition will draw continued awareness to their unjust arrest and imprisonment in Myanmar, and reaffirm the essential role of a free press around the world. Every day that Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo remain in prison is an assault on press freedom," said Reg Chua, the chief operating officer for Reuters editorial.

Khashoggi was killed two months ago at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul when he went there to collect documents for his forthcoming marriage. He was the first person to be named a Time Person of the Year after his death.

U.S. senators briefed by the Central Intelligence Agency have said they are certain that the Saudi crown prince was responsible for Khashoggis killing, a view U.S. President Donald Trump has said he is skeptical of. The crown prince has denied knowledge of the operation that killed Khashoggi.

Time also honored Maria Ressa, the founder of the Philippine news site Rappler, which has been a frequent critic of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, and the staff of the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland, where a gunman shot and killed five people in June.

Ressa and her site were charged with tax evasion by the Philippines justice department in November.

The four groups were highlighted on four separate covers of the magazine, one of which features the wives of the imprisoned Reuters reporters embracing one another as they hold photos of their husbands.

"Whether they have been denied their freedom or been brutally murdered, honoring their work speaking truth to power is essential at this critical time where reporters are under unprecedented threat across the globe," said Margaux Ewen, the North America director for Reporters Sans Frontieres, or Reporters Without Borders.
During martial law period, Army to receive over 200 units of new equipment  Defense minister

Martial law is introduced for two main reasons. The first is aggression against Ukraine. The second is a threat of open aggression.

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EU might need to switch to firewood if Nord Stream 2 project halted, MFA Russia warns

Zakharova believes that the U.S., via Ukraine," attempts to spoil excellent relations in the energy sector that Russia's had with Europe for decades."

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Amount of IMF's first disbursement for Ukraine to be announced on Dec 18

The schedule of all the disbursements under the SBA will be decided next week

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Calgary, Alberta, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dr. Temple Grandin, global expert in livestock behaviour and autism advocate, will be the keynote speaker to kick off Inventures 2019 in Calgary June 5-7. Inventures is a global innovation experience hosted by Alberta Innovates to bring together the brightest ideas in data, digital and other emerging technologies that are transforming economies, industries and communities across the globe.



Dr. Grandin is a best-selling author and a pioneer in improving the handling and welfare of livestock. Her ground-breaking work has become the industry standard for livestock facilities, grazing behaviour and animal welfare practices. Dr. Grandin is also a passionate autism advocate, shaped by personal experience and for which she credits her professional achievements.



Dr. Grandins world-renowned work offers insight not only for the agricultural industry, but all industries and sectors. Her inspiring story is one that will make us all strive to be more courageous, more determined and more innovative in our own ventures, said Alberta Innovates CEO Laura Kilcrease.



Inventures is designed to forge new relationships and drive creative collisions among people who will shape the future, here in Alberta and around the world. Inventures opens doors, opens minds and erases boundaries, bringing entrepreneurs and startups together with venture capitalists, angel investors, service providers and thought leaders. Now in its second year, Inventures is gaining global interest as the place to be to discover new technologies, markets, capital and customers.



We are producing Inventures to connect big ideas with the businesses and backers they need to accelerate their endeavor. By bringing motivated and thoughtful people together in Alberta, we are creating an experience that showcases our expertise in research and innovation. And, were demonstrating that our province has the capacity to deliver innovation that can serve global markets, said Kilcrease.





Tickets are available at the early bird price of $399 at www.inventurescan.com/registration.

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A traditional bar in Seville. paco puentes

It is a commonplace belief that Spain is the land of bars, yet this is increasingly less so, according to the Spanish Hospitality Federation.

Last year, the number of drinking establishments fell for the seventh year in a row to 184,430. Since 2010, Spain has 18,269 fewer bars, and the trend will continue this year.

Hospitality is a sector with a social role

Emilio Gallego, Spanish hospitality federation

The industry blames not just the recent economic crisis, but also demographic shifts such as the rural exodus and an aging population.

Despite this, the hospitality industry as a whole  which also includes restaurants and hotels  continues to grow, with 5,000 new openings in 2017.

Emilio Gallego, secretary general of the Spanish Hospitality Federation, and its president, Jose Luis Yzuel, explain what they feel are the causes behind the drop in that staple of traditional Spanish lifestyle: the bar de barrio.

The property bubble led to a reshuffle of city residents. The new neighborhoods attracted people, and establishments moved there, while traditional bars in areas with aging populations shut down, says Gallego.

Ilda Pinto runs the Luna bar on Santa Teresa street in Madrid. Carlos Rosillo

Those new establishments are generally larger and their offerings are more oriented to a new consumer, he adds, illustrating his point with the case of Las Tablas, a relatively new residential area with many food and drink options.

As for the older businesses, unless they change and attract a new crowd, their future is very bleak, notes Yzuel.

And then there is the demographic decline in rural areas. The local bar used to provide many services  it was a general store, it sold lottery tickets  but if theres no more people in the village, the bars end up closing, adds Gallego.

Both experts also pointed at the rise of franchises against the decline of independent businesses.

Employment

Gallego and Yzuel underscore that the hospitality industry is a major source of jobs in Spain. According to statistics from the EPA workforce survey, in 2017 there were an average 1,637,100 workers in the hospitality sector, representing a 2.1% rise from the previous year and accounting for 8.7% of the entire Spanish workforce.

Hospitality is a sector with a social role, says Gallego, noting that the industry hires young people, immigrants and other social groups with high unemployment rates.

However, these jobs are highly seasonal and 39.3% of workers were on temporary contracts in 2017, compared with the average of 26.7% for the entire workforce.

English version by Susana Urra.
The baby was already dead when it arrived at hospital.

A court in Vigo, in the northwestern Spanish region of Galicia, is considering whether to press charges against parents who opted to have a home birth without any medical assistance.

The couple wanted their second child to be born at home like their first, which had been a positive experience. But the decision this time led to the worst possible outcome: the death of the baby.

It is not typical to give birth at home, even less so without medical assistance

Elena Gil, advocacy group

In this case, the baby was in breech presentation (feet or buttocks first), a high-risk position that is treated in hospital because these births require the support of gynecologists, not just midwives. The parents ended up calling emergency services and the 33-year-old mother and newborn were taken to Alvaro Cunqueiro Hospital.

When emergency services arrived at the home, no health professional was present, according to the local daily La Voz de Galicia. According to this news outlet, the official statement made by the hospital to the court stated that the woman had refused to see a gynecologist in the last month of the pregnancy and had instead gone to a person who was not a trained health worker.

Galicias emergency services received the call on Monday at 2pm. Two ambulances were sent to the home and took the mother and child to the hospital. The baby was already dead, according to Galicias Health Service (Sergas).

It is not typical to give birth at home, even less so without medical assistance, says Elena Gil, spokesperson for O Parto e Noso (Childbirth is Ours), a non-profit feminist organization that campaigns to improve conditions for women during pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period.

Gil says that most women in Galicia and Spain who decide to have a home birth are very well informed and do it with medical assistance. They hire midwives who come to the homes with the technology needed to solve possible complications, she explains.

When emergency services arrived at the home, no health professional was present

Whats more, midwives only agree to do a home birth when the pregnancy is low risk  never in cases of breech presentation like the one in Vigo, says Gil. According to the spokesperson, the number of women who choose to have a home birth is very low. Not even 10%, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), which also includes deliveries that happen suddenly at home and are not a personal choice.

Gil believes home births are as safe as giving birth at hospital when the risk is low and a health professional is present with all the necessary resources.

On whether the mother in Vigo purposely missed her last gynecologist appointment, the organization does not want to speculate. The birth could have come early without the the woman having the option of going to the last check-up; we have to be cautious given the lack of concrete information.

English version by Melissa Kitson.
Journalists from the Diario de Mallorca protest the court's decision. CATI CLADERA (EFE)

Spanish politicians, journalists and legal experts have strongly criticized a Mallorca judges decision to confiscate cellphones and computers used by two investigative journalists in order to find the source of an information leak in a far-reaching corruption case codenamed Cursach.

The case revolves around Tolo Cursach, a well-known Mallorca entrepreneur who built a business empire on a fortune of obscure origins and who once mingled with royalty and high-placed government officials. Long considered the islands most powerful figure, he was arrested in March 2017 on 16 charges that include bribery, extortion, threats, money-laundering, homicide, corruption of minors and possession of firearms.

The public prosecution underscored that it is not the journalists who are being investigated for criminal acts, but their sources

Critics say that the decision to confiscate the reporters material is a clear violation of their right to the confidentiality of their sources, which is encoded in Article 20 of the Spanish Constitution.

Judge Miquel Florit, who is overseeing the Cursach investigation in Palma de Mallorca, ordered the police to seize the cellphones and computers used by Blanca Pou, a reporter with the news agency Europa Press, and Jose Francisco Mestre, of the island daily Diario de Mallorca. Spains Attorney General Maria Jose Segarra has defended the move, but legal experts consulted by EL PAIS said that it violates the reporters rights.

While the case is under seal, the reporters were served with a warrant authorizing the analysis of WhatsApp messages, emails and other social media in order to detect possible leaks of information by the individuals under investigation.

The public prosecution underscored that it is not the journalists who are being investigated for criminal acts, but their sources. The latter may have incurred in disclosure of secrets for leaking a report that is part of an ongoing investigation.

Former "king of Mallorca" Tolo Cursach was arrested in March 2017. EFE

But legal experts say that a line has been crossed.

Jacobo Dopico, a professor of criminal law at Carlos III University in Madrid, notes that protecting a reporters sources is a basic tenet of democracy. If sources are not protected, there is no freedom of the press, he says.

The ultimate goal of confidentiality is freedom of information and thus the existence of free public opinion, which is essential in a democratic state, adds Manuel Sanchez de Diego, who teaches constitutional law at Madrids Complutense University.

If sources are not protected, there is no freedom of the press

Jacobo Dopico, Carlos III University

These experts note that the European Court of Human Rights has always ruled in favor of reporters in cases where the protection of sources and the interests of a judicial investigation have clashed.

Despite this, the courts have repeatedly targeted journalists for investigation as a way to get them to reveal their sources.

The remarkable thing about this particular case, said the experts, is that neither reporter is formally under investigation, nor have they been summoned to give testimony in court, yet their phones and computers have been seized. Experts described this as highly unusual.

The head of the prosecution service for the Balearic Islands, Bartomeu Barcelo, played down the relevance of the move.

Great social alarm has been created, perhaps because there hadnt been such a situation before, but it is of no particular relevance, he said in a radio interview on the Cadena SER radio network. Law firms have been searched on many occasions without this kind of repercussion, although lawyers are entitled to attorney-client privilege.

Politicians have also voiced their concern. Asked about the case at a debate panel, Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said he was not aware of the facts, but added in a surprised tone: I thought this had happened in Venezuela.

The regional premier of the Balearics, Francina Armengol, said she respects judicial decisions but that for citizens to receive relevant information, the rights and the confidentiality of sources must be respected, she said. This is a fundamental element of the rule of law.

English version by Susana Urra.
Views of foggy Madrid on Thursday morning. ANGEL DIAZ (EFE)

A cold front is sweeping over the Iberian peninsula from northwest to southeast after entering Spain through Galicia on Wednesday night.

On Thursday, 36 provinces and the exclave city of Melilla were on alert for wind, rain, snow and adverse sea conditions.

On Thursday evening the cold front is expected to reach the Balearic Islands, where a low-pressure area will form with winds of up to 100 kilometers per hour that will affect the archipelago and nearby parts of the mainland, said the Spanish weather service AEMET.

Rain compounded traffic jams in Madrid this morning. LUIS SEVILLANO

There will be winds gusting up to 90 and 100km/h in inland areas of Castellon province, and around 90km/h in Almeria and Menorca, said AEMET spokesman Ruben del Campo.

Meteorologists are expecting winds of 60 to 80km/h in many other parts of the peninsula. Snowfall is expected at an elevation of around 1,000 to 1,200 meters.

The cold front is also bringing rain to much of Spain, with particularly intense rainfall in the northwest and in the Balearic Islands, which this year experienced extensive damage from a gota fria episode in October. A gota fria, literally cold drop, is used in Spain to describe a phenomenon when a mass of polar air arrives on the Mediterranean coast.

Daytime temperatures are dropping noticeably, and coastal areas are bracing for dangerous sea conditions in Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, parts of the Valencia region, eastern Andalusia and the Balearic Islands.

English version by Susana Urra.
Pablo Iglesias in the Senate on Thursday. ULY MARTIN

The leader of the anti-austerity party Podemos, Pablo Iglesias, appeared on Thursday before a Senate committee investigating party financing. The session, which was convened by the conservative Popular Party (PP), was aimed at shedding light on alleged financial links between the leftist political group and Venezuela.

If the question is whether financing for Podemos came from the Venezuelan government, then the answer is no, Iglesias stated during a testy question-and-answer session, which was being directed by Luis Aznar, a PP senator and spokesperson in Spains upper house of parliament.

We are not here to talk about who I have worked with, we are not here to talk about my life

Pablo Iglesias

I have not worked for the Venezuelan government, but we are not here to talk about who I have worked with, we are not here to talk about my life, Iglesias added.

The PP senator tried to bolster his accusations against Podemos by showing videos from a Venezuelan TV channel during which the founder members of the Spanish anti-austerity party are mentioned, and Iglesias is seen praising former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. I get a warm feeling imagining you watching this channel, tucked up under a blanket, joked Iglesias in response to Aznars accusations. These are personal opinions, he said of the recordings. I dont agree with some of the things I said in the past. The current political and economic situation of Venezuela right now is dire. To rectify in politics is a good thing.

Aznar also drew attention to statements made a week ago by the exiled head of the Venezuelan Supreme Court, Miguel Angel Martin Torbatu. The magistrate spoke about the Foro de Sao Paulo, which he said was promoted by the extreme left in the 1990s, as a platform to spread its ideology throughout the world via funds in countries such as Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua, and to finance parties  even in Spain. If anyone is saying that this forum financed my party I can unequivocally say that it did not, Iglesias responded.

The tensest exchange came when Aznar alluded to evidence that is in the hands of Interpol

If the question is whether any foreign government, or any outside organization [funded the party], or if Podemos had any kind of illegal financing, the answer is no, Iglesias continued. And I have the proof here. The head of the party brought with him reports from Spains Audit Court  responsible for monitoring party financing  and the audits that had been carried out on Podemos. He produced as many as 10 lawsuits that had been dismissed by the courts relating to accusations brought by the PP.

Aznar insisted on focusing on work that Iglesias did before becoming the leader of Podemos. But each time, the politician gave the same response: I am here to answer questions about the financing of my party.

The tensest exchange came when Aznar alluded to evidence that is in the hands of Interpol, in relation to Venezuelan financing that Podemos allegedly received via the CEPS foundation (Center of Political and Social Studies). The senator was referring to funds of more than 7 million received by the foundation  for which a number of Podemos leaders, including Iglesias, worked in the past  between 2003 and 2011. You took money from the foundation which in turn took money from Venezuela, and these documents are in the hands of Interpol, Aznar stated. You left the CEPS foundation the day that you set up Podemos, because you knew that from that moment on you wouldnt be able to take that money legally. There is official documentation about this that we have in our power.

Iglesias has always denied that any funds the CEPS foundation received were used to set up Podemos

Iglesias responded by citing the PPs appalling track record in terms of corruption. Its legitimate for the PP to try to sow doubts, he said. But it is strange for the party with more corruption convicts in the history of [Spanish] democracy to propose an inspection of the finances of the rest of the parties. He went on to read out the sentence issued by a court in a case overseen by Judge Manuel Marchena. Not even Marchena, who is one of yours, found evidence of illegal financing by Podemos.

While CEPS was indeed engaged in consultancy work for the Venezuelan government, Iglesias has always denied that any funds it received were used to set up Podemos, which was created in March 2014 in the wake of the Indignados protest movements in Spain against corruption and inequality. The party currently holds the third-highest number of seats in Congress, with 67. The PP has 134 and the governing Socialist Party (PSOE) has 84.

Iglesias offered financial data from the Audit Court, relating to the partys expenditure on the European elections of 2014  the year of its foundation, and the scene of its first and unexpected, success. Podemos spent 134,196 on its campaign and secured five seats - 26,832 of investment per seat. The PP, he continued, had to invest 708,000 per member of the European Parliament in those polls.

English version by Simon Hunter.
More information More than 9,000 officers will police Spanish Cabinet meeting in Barcelona

December 21 has become a key date for the future of Catalonia, and the relationship between the regional and central Spanish government. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has decided to hold his weekly Cabinet meeting on that day in Barcelona, potentially causing a massive headache for the regional police force, the Mossos dEsquadra, who will have to guarantee that they can maintain public order.

The self-styled Committees for the Defense of the Republic (CDR), a pro-independence protest group that has already staged a number of demonstrations in the region, has called for a battle on the day to stop the meeting going ahead. Via social networks and their internal communication channels, the CDR have called on supporters to be there first thing in the morning using the hashtag lets overturn the regime. On 21D we will be ungovernable, one of their messages reads.

The Catalan police expressed their concern that the Cabinet meeting could cause massive disruption if it is held in Llotja de Mar

At the weekend, the CDR blocked a highway and tampered with toll plazas, coinciding with a national holiday that saw increased traffic volume on Spains roads. They were protesting against the ongoing pre-trial incarceration of the politicians and pro-independence leaders who were involved in last years illegal referendum on secession from Spain and subsequent unilateral declaration of independence. Several of the men in prison have begun a hunger strike.

The Mossos were criticized by the central government for not intervening in the demonstrations at the weekend. The Spanish executive subsequently sent three letters to Catalan authorities lamenting the neglect of duty on the part of the Mossos, and warning that if the regional government does not guarantee public safety, the Interior Ministry will send in officers from the National Police force.

If the prime minister gets his way, the Cabinet meeting on December 21  the second to be held outside of Madrid, as part of a plan by Sanchez to bring central government closer to the regions  will take place in Llotja de Mar, which is located in the social and political heart of the city. At the first meeting on Tuesday between the Mossos and the central government delegate in Catalonia, Teresa Cunillera, the police suggested an alternative venue: the Palacete Albeniz, located away from the city, on the Montjuic mountain. The authorities believe that this will be a simpler place to protect.

The Mossos are already preparing the security measures for the meeting, and will call on all the resources available

At the meeting the Catalan police also expressed their concern that the meeting could cause massive disruption if it is held in Llotja de Mar, according to Spanish daily La Vanguardia. The location is around 700 meters from Plaza de Sant Jaume, where the regional government and Barcelona City Hall have their headquarters, not to mention being 900 meters from the Catalan parliament and the Catalan police headquarters.

Whats more, two of the most touristic neighborhoods of Barcelona are nearby: Born and Gotico. Both are packed with narrow alleyways, making any kind of public order intervention hugely complicated.

According to sources from the central government delegate in Catalonia, the executive of Pedro Sanchez has chosen the old Barcelona stock exchange building in Llotja de Mar for the meeting given that it is one of the most emblematic buildings in the city and representative of the culture of Barcelona.

The meeting has been announced at a time of simmering tensions between the central government in Madrid and Catalonia

In contrast, the Mossos choice of venue, the Palacete Albeniz, is in an area far from the nearest Metro station, and is surrounded by wide avenues. The police would easily be able to control the access routes to the site, and could even land a helicopter inside the building.

The Mossos are already preparing the security measures for the meeting, and will call on all the resources available, working with the National Police and the Civil Guard, who were also present at the meeting with the central government delegate.

The central government may send extra officers from the two forces in addition to those already stationed in the region. The main aim will be to stop the center of the city from grinding to a standstill.

Another issue on the day will be responding to possible protests in the rest of the region. Depending on the amount of people who come out to demonstrate, the Mossos may be limited in terms of their capacity to react. This was the case during a strike that was called on November 8, 2017. A number of freeways were blocked by protestors, as well as the high-speed AVE train lines in Girona and Barcelona. In many places, the Catalan police  who were under the control of the central government in the wake of the unilateral declaration of independence in the region  were unable to intervene.

Regional government minister Elsa Artadi said this week that the planned Cabinet meeting had caused unease among sections of Catalan society

The meeting has been announced at a time of simmering tensions between the central government in Madrid and Catalonia. In addition to the CDR protests on the weekend, Catalan premier Quim Torra added more strain by suggesting the way toward independence for the region is the Slovenian path, given that the breakaway of the country from Yugoslavia ended with a conflict in which nearly a hundred people lost their lives.

Regional government minister Elsa Artadi said this week that the planned Cabinet meeting had caused unease among sections of Catalan society because the date coincides with the first anniversary of the December 21 regional elections, which were called by the central government of then-Popular Party Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy after the regions powers were suspended. It has an element of provocation, said Artadi.

The central government, however, has been trying to project an air of normality about the Cabinet meeting. We are also the government of Catalonia, said Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo in November, when she announced the plan, pointing out that such a meeting had already been held in Andalusia.

English version by Simon Hunter.
CLEARWATER, Fla., Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Florida chapter of Criminon, an international non-profit organization dedicated to rehabilitating criminals through a secular education program based on the works of L. Ron Hubbard, held its last graduation for 2018 on December 8th at the Manatee County Correctional Institution. Twenty-four inmates completed the first in the series of Criminon courses, The Way to Happiness, a non-religious, non-political, commonsense guide to better living. The graduation marked the seventh graduation this year and capped a total of 1,445 inmates helped in the 120 Florida prisons where the program is being delivered through correspondence courses and on-site delivery.



At the Everglades Correctional Institution graduation in August, over one hundred guests saw 20 inmates receive their Criminon certificates for the completion of a course. There wasnt a dry eye in the room when the inmates shared their experiences and life-changing successes. One example was Billy, who was imprisoned in 1991 for first degree murder and who lived a miserable life in his prison cell until 2014 where he started in the Criminon correspondence courses. The program, he said, changed his life forever, I can honestly say that if Criminon was delivered every day to inmates, everything would be much better and that would be it!  Rehabilitation is possible!

With the Florida Department of Corrections using only 3.5% of its budget on educational programs and an increasing inmate population of over 96,000, Criminon is filling an important gap in actually rehabilitating offenders. Through free correspondence courses that any inmate can do, even lifers like Billy have new hope.

Its all about helping them regain their self-respect, stated Francisco Leyton, the Executive Director of Criminon Florida. Criminons educational programs are pivotal in stopping the revolving door of criminality.

Criminons motto is taken from The Way to Happiness by L. Ron Hubbard in which he writes, There is no person alive who cannot make a new beginning.

Besides The Way to Happiness, the Criminon Program also provides the following courses: Learning Improvement Course; Truth About Drugs; Personal Integrity; How to Handle Suppression; How to Handle Conditions in Life; Parenting Skills; and Understanding and Overcoming Addiction.

For more information, call 727-467-6963 for Criminon Florida, headquartered at 45 North Fort Harrison, downtown Clearwater. Criminon Florida is open to the public from 10 am to 10 pm daily with interactive displays outlining Criminons 50-year history, a seminar room, a conference room and offices for volunteers. Relatives of inmates can have their relatives request the program sending a letter to PO Box 2396 at Clearwater, FL, 33757-9804.

About Criminon:

Criminon is an international non-profit organization dedicated to rehabilitating criminals through a secular educational program based on the works of made by Author, Humanitarian and Philanthropist L. Ron Hubbard who once said: A criminal career always begins at the moment when the criminal-to-be loses his self-respect. And that is what Criminon addresses with its program. Thanks to the sponsorship of the Church of Scientology, Criminon has gotten 23,000 inmates through the program in 23 different countries across the globe. For more information contact: info@criminonfl.org.

For More Information

Contact: Francisco Leyton

Criminon Florida

727-467-6963

info@criminonfl.org

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1aa8c89d-cd3e-4807-9cb4-18235e78c041
The court in New York has upheld claims of national joint-stock company Naftogaz Ukrainy against Russia's Gazprom, Naftogaz Chief Operating Officer (COO) Yuriy Vitrenko has said.

"This is only the first step in the United States. Details will be later," he wrote on his Facebook page on Thursday night.

"We are still waiting for a court decision in Texas," Vitrenko added.

According to the materials of the Offshorealert project, Naftogaz filed an application at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas to conduct discovery from Gazprom Marketing & Trading USA, Inc. for use in legal proceedings involving PJSC Gazprom in the Netherlands and Switzerland.

Interfax-Ukraine today has no information on the details of the application.

"Gazprom continues to defiantly not execute the award of the international arbitration tribunal... I am not complaining, but I explain our actions, in particular, in the United States for compulsory execution," Vitrenko said, commenting the appeal to U.S. courts by Naftogaz on December 12.

"And the United States is not the last jurisdiction where Gazprom faces problems, until they pay us the full amount," the representative of the Ukrainian gas monopoly said.

He recalled that Gazprom had lost the litigation in the Court of Appeal in Sweden about the suspension of the enforcement of the arbitration award. Therefore, it has no legal basis not to pay Naftogaz under this award.

The press service of Naftogaz reported that they did not comment in more detail on the trials initiated in the United States at the request of lawyers.
Ukraine has arranged the attraction of a $500 million loan in China to build Dnistrovska hydroelectric pumped storage plant. The loan interest would not exceed 4.5% per annum, Board Chairman of Ukrgasbank Kyrylo Shevchenko has said in an interview with the Delovaya Stolitsa publication.

"Unfortunately, today the volume of direct Chinese investment in Ukraine is far from desirable. There are certainly reasons for that. However, Ukraine's proximity to the EU market is already enough for a number of Chinese companies to take a decisive step and start developing their business in Ukraine," Shevchenko said, answering the question about the prospects of Ukrgasbank in partnership with China.

As reported, a memorandum of understanding on the participation of China National Electric Engineering Company (CNEEC) in the completion of construction of Dnistrovska hydroelectric pumped storage plant was signed by Ukrhydroenergo and CNEEC in the presence of Economic Development and Trade Minister of Ukraine Stepan Kubiv. Its cost of $500 million was announced.

Head of the parliamentary committee for industrial policy and entrepreneurship MP Viktor Halasiuk said that the intention of state-owned company Ukrhydroenergo to place an order for turbines intended for the third stage of construction of Dnistrovska hydroelectric pumped storage power plant with CNEEC instead of Turboatom (Kharkiv), which was involved in the first two stages, is inadmissible.

Turboatom said that the enterprise is ready to supply hydroelectric turbines and equipment for units five, six and seven of this power plant. Recently the enterprise shipped the fourth turbine to the plant.

"The hydroelectric turbines were created under own project of Turboatom and designed and produced by Turboatom and Electrotyazhmash," the press service of Turboatom said.
U.S. court satisfies Naftogaz requirement to get info about Gazprom's assets in Europe

The U.S. Federal Court in New York has satisfied the requirements of NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy to obtain information from GLAS Americas, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas and Bank of New York to disclose information about the assets of PJSC Gazprom in Europe, the Ukrainian gas monopoly gas reported.

"In the coming days, Naftogaz will send the relevant notifications to these companies," a company press release reads.

The company said that in order to enforce the arbitral award on the payment of $2.6 billion by Gazprom, on December 6 it filed lawsuits to the federal courts of New York and Texas demanding that five U.S. companies registered in Europe be required to disclose information about Gazprom's assets in Europe.

The lawsuits, in particular, were filed against GLAS Americas LLC, a financial company that probably owns information on the whereabouts of the shares of the Swiss company Nord Stream 2 AG, wholly owned by Gazprom.

Naftogaz needs this information to file a lawsuit in Switzerland for the seizure of Nord Stream 2 AG's shares, Naftogaz explained.
A Ukrainian consul has visited all the Ukrainian naval seamen that are kept in prisons in Moscow following an incident near the Kerch Strait, Vasyl Kyrylych, the spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's Consular Service, has said.

"Today the consul has visited five Ukrainian naval sailors illegally held in Russia. All the 24 prisoners of war have been visited by now," Kyrylych told Interfax-Ukraine on December 12 night.

The sailors have been provided with legal defense, and Ukraine gives them every support necessary, he added.

"The visitations show that the sailors are bearing themselves with dignity, realize that they are prisoners of war, and have faith in their liberation," Kyrylych said.

On December 13 night, Verkhovna Rada Human Rights Commissioner Liudmyla Denysova disclosed the names of the visited Ukrainian sailors, citing the data received from Ukrainian diplomats stationed in Moscow.

"They have finalized visits to all military sailors today that were taken prisoners of war by the Russian aggressor, namely to Andriy Shevchenko, Volodymyr Varymez, Serhiy Chuliba, Yuriy Budzyl, and Andriy Drach," Denisova said.

Consuls are going to call the families of all the seamen and tell them about their visitations, she added.
A group American politicians and public figures appealed to U.S. President Donald Trump with the request to tighten sanctions against Russia as much as possible and to provide military assistance to Ukraine in strengthening its defense potential in the Black and Azov Seas.

Some 45 public and political figures sent D. Trump a letter dated December 12, 2018, in which they note that Russia's aggression against Ukrainian ships in international waters near the Kerch Strait and the Sea of Azov represents a serious threat to international security and the free movement of world trade. The letter notes that "Russia's actions require a strong and clear response from the United States."

"Mr. President, you currently have it in your power to swiftly raise the costs on Russia for its latest illegal actionsand by making visible preparations to impose even higher costs for future aggression. The United States must not waver: the costs must rise until Russias leaders no longer wish to bear the burden of challenging peace in Europe," the letter says.

The signatories suggest that the American leadership begin with the rigid implementation and observance of the already existing American sanctions against Russia to the maximum extent permitted by law.

"Second, providing additional security assistance to strengthen Ukraines maritime capabilities, specifically by providing systems such as radars, coastal defense missiles, ISR equipment, and patrol boats for defense and deterrence against future attack on Ukraines Black and Azov Sea littoral zones," the letter says.

"Third, employing the bully pulpit of your office to ensure that all European allies hold firm in maintaining their own financial penalties on Russia for its previous illegal actions in Crimea and press our allies to maintain a robust NATO maritime presence in the Black Sea in order to defend freedom of navigation.

Fourth, immediately imposing either new or more restrictive sanctions on Russian financial instruments and banks, including Vnesheconombank (VEB), Promsvyazbank, Gazprombank, and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF)," the letter says.

The fifth step, proposed to D. Trump by the signatories, is to rally the European allies of the United States around the goal of convincing the German government to suspend official support for the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline due to the latest Moscow aggression.

The letter was signed by 45 people, including American-British journalist and writer Anne Applebaum and several retired ambassadors and U.S. generals.
NATO to keep an eye on situation in Sea of Azov  Poroshenko

President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine has said an agreement has been reached with NATO to arrange an effort by the Alliance to monitor the situation in the Sea of Azov from the air and the sea.

"We reached an agreement that NATO will monitor the situation in the Sea of Azov and will ensure the security in the region. This is what we need right now," Poroshenko said at a press conference he held jointly with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels on December 13, following their talks there.

He said that such a monitoring mission by NATO will help assess the situation in that region in a better way.

At the same time, Stoltenberg who spoke to the press before Poroshenko did not mention any such agreements. He said NATO will continue to provide assistance and support to Ukraine.

At the same time, after the press conference, Poroshenko posted a tweet on Twitter in English saying: "NATO enhanced permanent presence in the Black Sea is needed to prevent escalating tensions further and to ensure the security in the region. We would welcome launching NATO air and sea monitoring missions."

At the same time, another tweet published by the Ukrainian president on Twitter in Ukrainian says: "I think NATO must enhance its permanent presence in the Black Sea to avoid further escalation of tensions and ensure the security in the region. We herewith support the launching of an effort to monitor the sky and the sea by a NATO mission."

In yet another tweet Poroshenko said that Ukraine is going to participate in the Regional Airspace Security Programme (RASP).

"We welcome our planned more active engagement with NATO in the framework of joint military exercises and training programs for Ukrainian Army," the tweet reads.
NATO provides Ukraine with strong political and practical support  Stoltenberg

NATO will continue its political and practical assistance to Ukraine, North Atlantic Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said.

"NATO provides Ukraine with strong political and practical support," Stoltenberg said at a joint press conference with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko in Brussels on Thursday.

He noted that NATO helps Ukraine to strengthen the Navy, ensure cyber security in response to Russia's aggressive actions.

He said this includes around EUR 40 million pledged by Allies for NATO-Ukraine Trust Funds.

"And today I told President Poroshenko that we will deliver secure communications equipment for the Ukrainian Armed Forces by the end of this year," he added.
President Hassan Rouhani's budget for the next Iranian year (beginning March 21) will not be delivered to Iran's parliament until amended on the basis of the Supreme Leader's demands, reporters were told by a parliamentary leader, December 12.

Immediately after meeting the heads of judiciary and parliament on Tuesday, Rouhani also announced that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has presented "guidelines" concerning the budget bill.

"The ways to implement the guidelines were debated at the special session of the heads of three powers of the government," Rouhani said, adding that the bill might be amended to meet Khamenei's demands.

It is not yet clear what amendments Khamenei has put forward.

The budget bill was scheduled to be delivered to parliament on December 16, but it is now pending Khamenei's approval.

According to Iran's constitution the Supreme Leader has the final say in all state matters, even indirectly overriding legislation.

Iran is in the grips of an economic crisis, compounded by heavy sanctions imposed by the United States.

The country mainly depends on oil income to finance its government operations and now its fossil fuel exports are halved as a result of U.S. sanctions.
A member of the women's faction in the Iranian Parliament says only 17 percent of managerial positions in Iran are held by women and that President Hassan Rouhani's order to appoint women to 30 percent of managerial posts has been ignored.

Speaking to the parliament's official site, Khane-ye Mellat (the Nation's House), Fatemeh Zolghadr says that despite their efforts, Rouhani's order has been overlooked.

Although Zolghadr did not list the reasons for the order being ignored, Rouhani's deputy for women and family affairs, Masoumeh Ebtekar, recently announced that there are still "sensitivities" and "religious ambiguities" concerning women's service in some positions.

"There are glass ceilings" that prevent Iranian women from certain appointments, Ebtekar argued, adding that "one cannot explicitly say that employing women to serve in these positions is banned or allowed by religious regulations."

Referring to her managerial experience, Ebtekar said, "When I was first appointed deputy president during Mohammad Khatami's pro-reform cabinet [1997-2005], there was a religious debate over its credibility, but none of the [Shi'ite] jurists said the appointment was against Shari'a (Islamic law)."

Nearly four decades ago, before the Islamic Revolution, the appointment of women as ministers and judges in Iran was a generally accepted practice.

Iran was one of the first countries in the region to appoint a woman as a cabinet minister. Farrokhroo Parsa was an Iranian physician, educator, and parliamentarian as well as the first female cabinet minister under the shah, from 1968 to 1971.

After the 1979 revolution, she was accused of ambiguous charges by an Islamic Revolutionary Court and later executed by firing squad.

Nevertheless, in past decades, Iranian women have been banned from serving as judges, while only one woman, Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi, succeeded in serving as minister -- health and medical education minister (2009-2013) under conservative President Mahmud Ahmadinejad.

Although Rouhani has repeatedly promised to allocate higher positions to women, he has preferred to keep them out of his cabinet so far.

Rouhani, a relative moderate, won re-election in May 2017 with the support of reformists and women after vowing to improve civil liberties and rebuild ties with the West.

Nevertheless, Rouhani made it clear after the elections that he was not going to appoint women for high-level, ministerial positions, Appointing women to serve in key positions should be done in a step-by-step manner, he said on June 24, 2017.

There are discriminatory approaches against women serving in high managerial positions, Zolghadr says, adding, "The statistics show that only 17% of managerial positions are occupied by women."

Zolghadr says Iranian women's share in the country's job market is only 16 percent, which is quite low compared with other countries.

"The share of Iranian women in the national job market is so low and indefensible since 63 percent of university lecturers are women," Zolghadr says, calling upon Rouhani's deputy in womens and family affairs to look into the matter.

According to Zolghadr, one of the main barriers for women is a "petty culture" that should be changed.

Rouhani asked his ministers on December 12 to give more management positions to youth, women, and people from ethnic groups.

One of the promises that I made during my campaign wasgiving management positions to them, Rouhani's official site, President.ir, reported.

The other promise I made was taking advantage of young people in management positions, he added.

I have always urged all ministers and deputy presidents to choose at least some of their deputies and advisers from women, young people, and different ethnic groups; this has been stressed by me and I emphasize this again to governors-general, he continued.

No woman currently holds a ministerial role, but Rouhani appointed three women as members of his cabinet, two as deputy presidents and one as his assistant, reported the government's official daily, Iran.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

Trend:

Undergraduates of Baku Higher Oil School (BHOS) participated in 43rd International Collegiate Programming Contest (ACM ICPC) conducted in Georgia.

Four teams composed of eleven Process Automation Engineering students and led by Senior Teacher of the Process Automation Engineering department Suleyman Suleymanzadeh attended semifinals of the regional tour of ACM ICPC titled Northeastern Eurasia Contest (NEERC). The contest, which was held at the European University in Tbilisi, gathered more than 318 teams from around the region.

In the course of the team all-around competition, the participants were given five hours to solve 12 algorithmic tasks including graph theory, dynamic programming and computational geometry problems.

Then the students representing universities of the Caucasian region participated in the individual all-around contest and had to solve five algorithmic problems in five hours. BHOS student Anar Piriyev became one of the winners of the individual all-around competition. He was awarded a Second Place ACM ICPC Diploma.
Not for release, publication or distribution in the USA, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Australia or Member States of the European Economic Area ("EEA")

SCHLIEREN (ZURICH), Switzerland, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kuros Biosciences (SIX: KURN) (the Company or Kuros) announces the final number of offered shares and gross proceeds from the rights offering and share placement, first announced on November 29, 2018, in which a total of 8,013,306 new registered shares of Kuros sourced from the ordinary and authorized share capital with a nominal value of CHF 1.00 each were offered at an offer price of CHF 2.50 per share.



After completion of the share placement, 3,686,074 new registered shares for which subscription rights were not exercised were placed in the share placement to eligible institutional investors or others. Combined with the 2,769,608 new registered shares, which were validly subscribed for in the rights offering, the total number of new registered shares placed in the offering at the offer price of CHF 2.50 per share amounts to 6,455,682. Total gross proceeds raised from the capital increase amount to CHF 16.1 million.

As a result of the capital increase, Kuros share capital will increase from CHF 8,602,929 to CHF 15,058,611, divided into 15,058,611 registered shares with a nominal value of CHF 1.00 each.

With the gross proceeds raised in the capital increase, the commercialization of MagnetOs can be progressed as well as the phase 2 clinical study of the Companys proprietary fibrin-PTH (KUR-113) product in spinal fusion can continue as planned.

The listing and first day of trading of the new registered shares on the SIX Swiss Exchange and the delivery of the new registered shares against payment of the offer price are expected to take place on December 18, 2018.

For further information, please contact: Kuros Biosciences AG Media & Investors Michael Grau Hans Herklots Chief Financial Officer LifeSci Advisors Tel +41 44 733 47 47 +41 79 598 7149 michael.grau@kurosbio.com hherklots@lifesciadvisors.com

About Kuros Biosciences AG

Kuros Biosciences (SIX: KURN) is focused on the development of innovative products for bone regeneration and is located in Schlieren (Zurich), Switzerland and Bilthoven, The Netherlands. Visit www.kurosbio.com for additional information on Kuros, its people, science and product pipeline.

Forward Looking Statements

The purpose of this publication is to inform shareholders of Kuros Biosciences AG and the public. This press release does neither constitute an offer to buy or to subscribe to rights or shares of Kuros Biosciences AG nor a prospectus within the meaning of the applicable Swiss law

This publication may contain specific forward-looking statements, e.g. statements including terms like "believe", assume", "expect", "forecast", "project", "may", "could", "might", "will" or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may result in a substantial divergence between the actual results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and those explicitly or implicitly presumed in these statements. Against the background of these uncertainties, readers should not rely on forward-looking statements. Kuros Biosciences AG assumes no responsibility to update forward-looking statements or to adapt them to future events or developments.

The securities described herein were offered publicly without restrictions in Switzerland only.

THIS PRESS RELEASE IS NOT BEING ISSUED IN THE USA, IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, IN AUSTRALIA, CANADA OR JAPAN AND SHOULD NOT BE DISTRIBUTED TO U.S. PERSONS OR PUBLICATIONS WITH A GENERAL CIRCULATION IN THE UNITED STATES, THE UNITED KINGDOM, AUSTRALIA, CANADA OR JAPAN AND MUST NOT BE DISTRIBUTED OR DISSEMINATED TO ONE OF THESE COUNTRIES BY PUBLICATIONS WITH A GENERAL CIRCULATION. THIS DOCUMENT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OR INVITATION TO SUBSCRIBE FOR OR PURCHASE ANY SECURITIES. THE SECURITIES OF KUROS BIOSCIENCES AG HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 AS AMENDED AND ARE NOT BEING OFFERED IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. PERSONS.

In relation to the United Kingdom the communication of this publication is not being made, and this publication has not been approved, by an authorized person for the purposes of Section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. Accordingly, this publication is not being distributed to, and must not be passed on to, the general public in the United Kingdom. Rather, the communication of this publication is being made to, and is directed only at persons outside the United Kingdom. This publication is only available to such persons and the transaction contemplated herein will be available only to, or engaged in only with persons outside the United Kingdom, and this publication must not be acted on or relied upon by any other person.

In relation to each Member State of the EEA which has implemented the Directives 2003/71/EG dated November 4, 2013 (the "Prospectus Directive") (each a "Relevant Member State") and 2010/73/EU dated November 24, 2010, an offer to the public of rights or shares of Kuros Biosciences AG which are the subject of the offering contemplated by this publication may not be made in that Relevant Member State. An offer to the public of rights or shares of Kuros Biosciences AG may in particular also not be made under the provisions of Article 3 (2) of the Prospectus Directive or the respective regulations of national regulations implementing the Prospectus Directive.

The offer referred to in this press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation would be unlawful prior to registration, exemption from registration or qualification under the securities laws of any jurisdiction.
Details added (first version posted on 15:27)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Azerbaijan and the EU will hold a meeting in Baku to discuss the cooperation issues in the field of transport, Head of the EU delegation in Azerbaijan Kestutis Jankauskas told reporters in Baku Dec. 13, Trend reports.

A high-level transport dialogue will be held in Baku in February 2019.

During this meeting, development of cooperation between the two sides on all types of transport will be discussed, he added.

Jankauskas added that the aviation agreement between Azerbaijan and the EU will also be discussed at this meeting.

The signing of this agreement will give impetus to the further development of relations between the sides in the tourism sector, he added.

Presently, several routes from the East to Europe pass through the territory of Azerbaijan. Among such projects are the International North-South Transport Corridor, which is designed to transport goods from India and the Persian Gulf countries to Russia, Western Europe, the Baltic and Scandinavian countries.

In addition, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway built at the initiative of Azerbaijan, which is part of the East-West Corridor, also allows supplying cargo to Europe. Another example is the Lapis Lazuli route, which runs from Afghanistan to Turkey and further to Europe.

Creation of a common aviation area is an initiative of the European Commission and aims to open and integrate aviation markets. This will lead to new opportunities for consumers and operators, and, most importantly, to high standards in terms of flight safety as well as air traffic management.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

Trend:

Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have 23 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said Dec. 13.

The Armenian armed forces were using heavy machine guns.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

Trend:

The ceasefire monitoring on the Azerbaijan and Armenia state border, in the direction of Gazakh district, held in accordance with the mandate of Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Dec. 13, ended without incidents, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense said in a message on Dec. 13.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

By Fikret Dolukhanov  Trend:

The issue of settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is always one of the main ones in the course of contacts and during the visits of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to the region, Spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said at a press conference Dec. 13, Trend reports.

This is related to the fact that the issue of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement is the main one for Azerbaijan and Armenia, and Russia is the co-chair of the negotiation process.

After the adoption of the mentioned documents [a joint statement by the heads of delegations of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries, as well as the heads of delegations of Azerbaijan and Armenia] and the contacts that took place [the conversation between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan on the sidelines of the informal CIS summit], it is obvious that there is a dialogue and it is being conducted, she said. We, on the Russian side, based on our role as co-chair country, will actively promote positive dynamics aimed at achieving the main goal [settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict].

She also added that there is a whole range of concrete steps that the parties, with the help of the co-chairs, will have to work out, and promised to clarify whether there is any specific list of steps or its drafting hasnt started yet.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanov
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, president of the National Olympic Committee Ilham Aliyev has attended a ceremony dedicated to sporting results of 2018 at Azerbaijan National Olympic Committee.

The president made a speech at the ceremony.

The event then featured an awards ceremony on 2018 sporting results.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

Trend:

A delegation of the NATO Defense College, located in Rome, is on an academic visit to Azerbaijan, Trend reports citing the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry on Dec. 13.

During the visit, briefings on Azerbaijans social and economic development, military power and its contribution to global security, as well as the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be held for the guests, who will visit various state structures and higher education institutions.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

By Leman Zeynalova - Trend:

Azerbaijan and the EU have taken a step forward to start a dialogue on visa liberalization, head of the EU delegation in Azerbaijan Kestutis Jankauskas told reporters in Baku on Dec. 13, Trend reports.

Two meetings of the committees on visa and readmission issues were held, Jankauskas said.

They take place regularly, once a year, he noted.

This year, a meeting took place in mid-September, he added.

He noted that first of all, agreements on visa facilitation and readmission should be fully implemented.

When they are fully implemented, it will be possible to start a dialogue on further visa liberalization, he added.

In November 2013, Azerbaijan signed an agreement on visa simplification with the European Union. The agreement provides for easing visa formalities for Baku with the EU countries, mainly for Azerbaijani businessmen, students, scientists and culture workers, as well as citizens travelling for medical treatment in the EU.

The agreement on visa facilitation came into force on Sept. 1, 2014.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended the inauguration of the newly built Youth Center in Bakikhanov settlement, Sabunchu district, Baku.

The Youth Center is located in the renovated recreation park. The renovation of the 2.3-hectare park started in 2014.

A statue to national leader Heydar Aliyev was erected in front of the three-story Youth Center as part of the renovation work.

The president laid flowers at the statue of national leader Heydar Aliyev.

President Aliyev then cut the ribbon symbolizing the opening of the Youth Center, and viewed conditions created there.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

Trend:

The 39th meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) will be held under the chairmanship of Azerbaijan Dec. 14 in Baku, Trend reports citing the countrys foreign ministry.

The meeting will be attended by delegations headed by senior officials of the member countries.

The main priorities of Azerbaijans chairmanship include provision of efficient, reliable and safe transport and transit services in the organization, increasing the export potential of agriculture and the further development of tourism.

In general, four ministerial meetings were held during Azerbaijans chairmanship, including a meeting at the level of foreign ministers, 21 thematic meetings of a working group and an ad hoc working group, and action plans of a number of working groups were adopted (tourism, ICT, energy).

After Azerbaijan, the chairmanship will pass to Bulgaria.

The Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, which was founded in 1992, is an intergovernmental organization uniting 12 states of the Black Sea and Southern Balkans. The headquarters of the organization is located in Istanbul.

Azerbaijan assumed the BSEC chairmanship at the 38th meeting of the Organization's Council of Foreign Ministers, which took place on June 27. Azerbaijan will chair BSEC until December 2018.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

Trend:

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met with the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Gabriela Cuevas Barron, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

At the meeting, the sides exchanged their views on the organizational issues of IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians, which is to be held in Azerbaijan on Dec. 14-15.

Expressing her satisfaction over the organizational work on the mentioned event, Gabriela Cuevas Barron underlined her confidence that the global conference will be held at a high-level.

The sides reiterated their belief that the conference will give an impetus to further development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the IPU.

The sides also exchanged views on other issues of mutual interest.
MCLEAN, Va., Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Freddie Mac (OTCQB: FMCC) further reduced its credit risk and enhanced the stability of the U.S. housing market with its fifth and largest Structured Agency Credit Risk (STACR) - Securitized Participation Interests (STACR SPISM) deal to date.



In a challenging environment, our final on-the-run STACR SPI transaction drew 17 unique investors, said Mike Reynolds, vice president of credit risk transfer at Freddie Mac. We will work to build on that strong interest beginning with our upcoming 2019 deals, as we introduce STACR DNA and HQA in a REMIC structure.

The $275 million STACR 2018-SPI4 securities are backed by participation interests in 30-year fixed-rate non-HARP mortgage loans with an aggregate principal balance of approximately $6.9 billion and will include retention of the credit risk on loans subsequently refinanced under Freddie Macs Enhanced Relief Refinance Program (ERR). Three classes of STACR SPI 2018-4 certificates (M1, M2 and B) were sold. Freddie Mac will retain a 5 percent interest in each of the three classes, maintaining alignment of interests with credit investors.

Pricing for STACR Series 2018-SPI4:

M-1 class: EDSF plus a spread of 160 bps

M-2 class: Swaps plus a spread of 350 bps

B class: $47.50.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Barclays Capital, Inc. are co-lead managers and joint bookrunners.

Freddie Mac has led the market in introducing new credit risk-sharing offerings. Since 2013, the company has transferred a portion of credit risk on more than $1 trillion in unpaid principal balance (UPB) on single-family mortgages. It has also grown its investor base to more than 230 unique investors, including insurers and reinsurers. Freddie Mac has a STACR issuance calendar to help investors plan their allocations.

This announcement is not an offer to sell any Freddie Mac securities. Offers for any given security are made only through applicable offering circulars and related supplements, which incorporate Freddie Macs Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on February 15, 2018; all other reports Freddie Mac filed with the SEC pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Exchange Act) since December 31, 2017, excluding any information "furnished" to the SEC on Form 8-K; and all documents that Freddie Mac files with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c) or 14 of the Exchange Act, excluding any information furnished to the SEC on Form 8-K.

Freddie Macs press releases sometimes contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond the companys control. Managements expectations for the companys future necessarily involve a number of assumptions, judgments and estimates, and various factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations expressed in these and other forward-looking statements. These assumptions, judgments, estimates and factors are discussed in the companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, and its reports on Form 10-Q and Form 8-K, which are available on the Investor Relations page of the companys Web site at www.FreddieMac.com/investors and the SECs website at www.sec.gov. The company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements it makes to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this press release.

The financial and other information contained in the documents that may be accessed on this page speaks only as of the date of those documents. The information could be out of date and no longer accurate. Freddie Mac undertakes no obligation, and disclaims any duty, to update any of the information in those documents.

Freddie Mac makes home possible for millions of families and individuals by providing mortgage capital to lenders. Since our creation by Congress in 1970, weve made housing more accessible and affordable for homebuyers and renters in communities nationwide. We are building a better housing finance system for homebuyers, renters, lenders and taxpayers. Learn more at FreddieMac.com, Twitter @FreddieMac and Freddie Macs blog FreddieMac.com/blog.

MEDIA CONTACT: Fred Solomon

703-903-3861

Frederick_Solomon@FreddieMac.com

INVESTOR CONTACT: Mike Reynolds

571-382-4852
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

By Trend:

Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have solid potential for further mutually beneficial cooperation, Kazakh Ambassador to Azerbaijan Beibit Isabayev said at a reception in Baku on the occasion of Kazakhstans Independence Day, Trend reports Dec. 13.

"Kazakh-Azerbaijani relations are developing dynamically in all spheres, and the two countries have solid potential for further strengthening partnership and mutually beneficial cooperation," the ambassador said.

Isabayev noted that over the years of independence, very close and friendly relations based on mutual trust and equality have been established between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.

The ambassador also briefed the guests on the achievements of Kazakhstan in the socio-economic and political spheres.

In turn, Azerbaijans Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov noted that during the years of independence, Kazakhstan under the leadership of President Nursultan Nazarbayev achieved great success and has become one of the leading states in the region.

"By implementing important projects, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have turned their countries into key international energy and transport corridors," the minister said.

Shahbazov expressed confidence that the friendly and fraternal relations, as well as cooperation and solidarity between the two countries, will continue.

The event was attended by members of the government, Azerbaijani MPs, heads and employees of foreign diplomatic missions and international organizations, members of the Friends of Kazakhstan Club, activists of the Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan Friendship Republican Society named after Heydar Aliyev and representatives of the public.

Various video footage about Kazakhstan, as well as dishes of the Kazakh cuisine, added national color to the event.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

Trend:

Minister of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan Colonel General Zakir Hasanov has met with the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk, Trend reports referring to the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan.

During the meeting, an exchange of views was held on the current situation at the contact line of troops, the results of monitoring and the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

Trend:

Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has received the delegation headed by Tudor Ulianovschi, minister of foreign affairs and European integration of Moldova, in the framework of his working visit to Azerbaijan, Trend reports citing Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry.

Mammadyarov noted that the current visit is praiseworthy and creates a good opportunity to coordinate the positions on a wide range of issues related to the broad agenda of bilateral relations.

During an exchange of views, the sides discussed political-diplomatic issues, including the continuation of mutual visits, international and regional cooperation.

The importance of the trade-economic cooperation between the two countries was noted and the prospects to arrange the next meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation as well as coordination of the work to be done by various governmental bodies and business circles with a view to improving the quality of bilateral cooperation to a new, higher level were discussed.

It was emphasized that there are opportunities to continue the good partnership for further development of relations in the spheres of logistics, industry, energy, and transport.

At the meeting, the sides noted with satisfaction the existence of reciprocal support within the international organizations.

The sides reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to the principle position of unconditional compliance with the principles of international law, territorial integrity and the inviolability of the international boundaries as an assurance for proper regulation of the ongoing world developments, including the resolution of existing conflicts.

The sides also exchanged views on expansion of the legal framework between the two countries, as well as other regional and international issues of mutual interest.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

By Ilhama Isabalayeva  Trend:

Azerbaijani great leader Heydar Aliyev, who was born in a simple, hardworking family, went down in history as a winner in the struggle to save the Azerbaijanis, Director of the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan, MP, academician Yaqub Mahmudov told Trend.

National leader Heydar Aliyevs life and activity, as opposed to other great personalities, fell on the period of two different social and political systems and in both periods he was able to rise to the highest level in his political activity, he said.

Mahmudov stressed that for the first time in the Soviet period Heydar Aliyev got engaged in the rather difficult and honorable work - the personnel nationalization in the State Security Committee.

"Heydar Aliyev graduated from the Baku State University, he added. When we studied in the first year, the group in which he studied graduated from the Baku State University.

During that period, Heydar Aliyev worked in the State Security Committee, he said. We understood well the importance of that for all of us. Then, when he became chairman of the State Security Committee, we were glad that, as opposed to the 1920s and 1930s, nobody could eliminate us any more because we had such a defender.

Mahmudov also recalled a story involving Heydar Aliyev.

"In 1958-1959, I was the secretary of the student All-Union Leninist Young Communist League (Komsomol). One of the talented students distributed leaflets condemning the Soviet power. We all were afraid that this young man would be eliminated. I was told to hold a closed Komsomol meeting.

During that period, Heydar Aliyev worked in the State Security Committee, he said. He also participated in this meeting. Various statements were made. One group demanded to ease this young mans lot, another group - to expel him from the university.

Heydar Aliyev spoke at the meeting for about an hour in connection with the youth issues, Mahmudov said. This was very instructive speech. By the words voiced in conclusion, he saved this young man. Heydar Aliyev said that he saw that the majority was sensible youth there, with enough power to educate this young man. Only then we realized that the activity of this brave Azerbaijani in such an organization as the State Security Committee meant salvation from the threat of the elimination of millions of our children."

The academician added that in 1969, when Heydar Aliyev came to power, a 50-year-anniversary of the Baku State University was marked.

"Frankly speaking, we were surprised by the speech of the president at the jubilee event in his native language, Mahmudov said. Then our intelligentsia realized that the president intended to revive Azerbaijan and was moving towards development in this direction."

The academician also witnessed how the great leader patronized the national revival of the Azerbaijanis in the late 1960s-1970s.

During that period Mahmudov worked as a scientific editor of History Editorial office in Azerbaijan Soviet Encyclopedia, which was one of the main centers of national revival.

The academician stressed that the employees who worked in Encyclopedia, headed by great thinker Rasul Rza and the progressive intelligentsia who gathered in the Encyclopedia during that period took rather brave actions.

During that time, employees of the Encyclopedia raised such issues as the decisive role of the Turkic ethnos in the formation of the Azerbaijanis, the occupation of Northern Azerbaijan by Tsarist Russia, the progressive role of the public figures of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in Azerbaijans history, the objective assessment of the work of the public figures of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and occupation in April 1920, he said.

"I also did not forget that the enemies who didnt want Azerbaijans national revival tried to badmouth us, Mahmudov said. Without paying attention to all this, in March 1971 the great leader entrusted me with such a position as scientific deputy editor-in-chief in the Encyclopedia. During those years, we were able to print Azerbaijans historical maps for the first time thanks to his support. After a short period of time, we were called "nationalists", "bourgeois ideologists", "enemies of Soviet power and enemies of Russia".

Mahmudov also said that the son of Stepan Shaumyan, who committed the March genocide in 1918 against the Azerbaijanis, Levon Shaumyan was brought to Baku. During that time, Shaumyan was the first deputy editor-in-chief of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia.

"Ill-wishers made every effort to badmouth the Azerbaijani intelligentsia, but they could not achieve their goals," Mahmudov added.

Mahmudov said that thanks to Heydar Aliyev, employees who worked in Encyclopedia and a big group of intellectuals, as well as he himself, not only were not prosecuted by the State Security Council, but were able to avoid punishment in the party.

"I was in Azerbaijans districts situated on the frontline, inspiring young people in Kerkijahan, Khojaly, Gubadli, Lachin, Mahmudov said. Every young man said that Heydar Aliyev would save us from this disaster and urged to bring him to power. Heydar Aliyev is a man who ranks with such well-known political figures as Ataturk, Jawaharlal Nehru, George Washington, Bismarck, Charles de Gaulle."

The historian added that the National Academy of Sciences, which is the flagship of Azerbaijani science, and its numerous team have always felt the care and attention of national leader Heydar Aliyev.

"Despite during the first days of Heydar Aliyevs coming to power the country was in a military-political crisis, he met with members of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan and listened to their opinions, he said. He took effective steps to solve social problems of scientists. He proudly stated that the path passed by the academy is a brilliant page in the history of the Azerbaijanis. At the Institute of History of the academy special attention is paid to comprehensive research of political and state activity of national leader of Azerbaijanis at the academic level."

He said that for this purpose the Institute conducts research, there is a department for studying Heydar Aliyevs heritage.

The academician stressed that modern Azerbaijan is achieving more success in creating a democratic, legal and secular country.

"Azerbaijans statehood was forever saved from enemies, he said. For all this, our grateful people are indebted to Heydar Aliyev. The great statesman of the modern period, President Ilham Aliyev, successfully developing Heydar Aliyevs ideas, ensured the steady rise of the Republic of Azerbaijan and turned our country into one of the advanced countries."
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

Trend:

A charity event dedicated to the memory of Azerbaijans National Leader Heydar Aliyev was held in Los Angeles on December 11, 2018, on the eve of the National Leaders 15th death anniversary. During the day, many homeless residents of Los Angeles were provided hot meals.

Initiated and sponsored by the Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles, the event was held at the Los Angeles Mission (LAM), which is one of the largest service providers to the homeless and disadvantaged men, women and children in the U.S.

Dean of the Los Angeles Consular Corps and Azerbaijans Consul General Nasimi Aghayev and the Consulate staff joined the LAMs volunteers in handing out the meals.

Before the event, Consul General Aghayev met with the leadership of the Los Angeles Mission. At the meeting, the Consul General spoke about the extraordinary life path of Heydar Aliyev and his outstanding role and tireless efforts in the preservation and strengthening of Azerbaijans independent and sovereign statehood. He noted that the timely return of Heydar Aliyev to power in 1993 shielded Azerbaijan from potential fragmentation and collapse. Highlighting the many difficult challenges the National Leader faced in preserving Azerbaijans independence and how masterfully he overcame them, the Consul General said that the memory of Heydar Aliyev will always live in the hearts and minds of the Azerbaijani people.

The leadership of the LAM expressed their appreciation for hosting this beautiful charity event dedicated to the memory of Azerbaijans National Leader Heydar Aliyev and thanked the Consulate General for helping the homeless citizens of Los Angeles.

At the invitation of the Consul General, one of the prominent leaders of Los Angeless Christian community, the Vice-President of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition (NALEC) Rev. Walter Contreras also joined the event. Rev. Contreras commended this act of charity by Azerbaijan and noted that Heydar Aliyev was a prominent statesman serving his people, promoting religious tolerance and values of multiculturalism.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

Trend:

Students of Baku Higher Oil School (BHOS) attended a ceremony of awarding the winners of the Second national innovation contest titled National Innovation Challenge Azerbaijan 2018. At the event, Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan Shahin Mustafayev presented the winners certificates and cash prize of 5,000 manat to the BHOS students who participated in the contest with ThermoNorth start-up project and took the first place.

Speaking at the ceremony, BHOS student Alexander Oborovsky thanked all organizers of the event and expressed special gratitude to the Ministry of Economy. Then he and other BHOS team members including undergraduates Husseyn Aliyev, Elmar Askarzada, Yadigar Nazarov, Murad Rahimov and their research supervisor, associate professor Amir Reza Vakhshouri made a presentation of the ThermoNorth project and told about its goals and objectives.

The Second national innovation contest of Azerbaijan was jointly organized by the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies, the State Agency for Public Services and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani National Academy of Sciences and United National Development Program (UNDP) in Azerbaijan. Nearly 220 projects were presented by young Azerbaijani researchers and scientists participating in the National Innovation Challenge Azerbaijan 2018.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

Trend:

English language classes and an introduction to the culture of the United States will be part of a new program launched on December 4 at the Gubadli Demirchiler Village Secondary School in Sumgayit called Knowledge is Power.

The program is being administered by American Councils for International Education and sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Baku, with support from the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan and the State Committee for Affairs of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons. The two-year program plans to bring English language and personal development programming to youth from the IDP community, providing them with an American-style classroom experience, including problem-solving and critical-thinking skills development.

American Councils Country Director Jodi Blankenship and U.S. Embassy Cultural Affairs Officer Heidi Smith joined representatives from the local IDP community, the Gubadli Executive Committee, the Gubadli Education Department, and students and parents from the school on December 4 to kick off the program. Twenty students from the school will benefit from the Knowledge is Power program, and already received books and materials to begin their study.

The U.S. Embassy in Baku invites the public to learn more by visiting its social media platforms, including on Facebook, Instagram, and on Twitter.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

By Elnur Baghishov - Trend:

Following the discussions between Iranian and Iraqi companies, a condition has been created for signing a 380 million euro contract for the export of Iranian products to Iraq, Iranian Commercial Attache in Iraq Naser Behzad said, Mehr News Agency reported.

He said that Iranian companies actively participated in the 45th international trade fair in Iraq, and many special meetings were held with businessmen from different provinces of Iraq.

Considering the potential of Iran in terms of supplying Iraq with necessary goods and services, condition emerged for signing a 380 million euro contract for the export of Iranian products, including reinforcement, animal and poultry forage, equipment, processed foods, detergents and carpets to Iraq, he noted.

The marketing program of companies participating in the exhibition, as well as information on increasing cooperation with the Iraqi side will be registered at the Iraqi Chamber of Commerce, he said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.13

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan ratified the bill on establishment of National cosmic agency, Trend reports with reference to Resmi Gazete.

The agency will function under the ministry of industry and technologies of Turkey, the source in Turkish parliament told Trend.

Erdogan noted that this is one of the most important priorities for Turkish government.

The project of establishment of National cosmic agency in Turkey is the second largest one after the construction of the shipping channel in Istanbul.

Headquarters of agency will be located in Ankara.

In February of 2017 the bill on establishment of National cosmic agency was submitted to Turkish Parliament. First in January, 2016 the Turkish parliament announced about establishment of National cosmic agency.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

By Rashid Shirinov  Trend:

Kazakhstans Association of Agricultural Product Exporters plans to supply about 1,000 tons of lamb to China, Trend reports with reference to Kazakh media.

On December 12, over 16 tons of Kazakh frozen lamb arrived at a special railway station for meat reception of the Urumqi railway port, which was Kazakhstans first export of meat products to China.

"The contract signed by the Association envisages the amount of 300 tons, which are planned to be supplied in the near future. Moreover, after completion of deliveries under this contract, it is planned to export about 1,000 tons of lamb to China," said the Association Chairman Bauyrzhan Bakshilov.

It is worth noting that Kazakh producers have increased the export of frozen lamb to foreign markets by almost 5 times. In 2016 only 190 tons were exported, but in 2017 the export volume amounted to 900 tons.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @ShirinovRashid
Nevada City, Calif., Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Department of Agriculture searching for a vendor to perform hazard tree removal. This opportunity is a total small business set-aside and the response date is January 4, 2019. For assistance in meeting this deadline with proper registrations and a strong offer, businesses may use third-party government registration firm, US Federal Contractor Registration (USFCR).

115310 is the NAICS code for this opportunity. The contractor is expected to provide all of their own materials. The exact specifications for this contract can be found on the Advanced Procurement Portal from USFCR. Questions about this opportunity are to be submitted to Gregory Cunningham (gregorycunningham@fs.fed.us). Contracting officers will be unable to assist with specific contractor requirements such as registration in the System for Award Management (SAM).

SAM is the mandatory registration that all federal contractors must complete before making offers to perform any work for the government. This system can be tricky to handle, especially when trying to meet a deadline and put a quote together. For assistance with all of these matters, US Federal Contractor Registration is standing by to provide.

US Federal Contractor Registration (USFCR) is the world's largest third-party government registration firm. They have helped thousands of entities translate their capabilities into the U.S. Government's language and systems with the Simplified Acquisition Program, bid training, and proposal writing services. They not only register companies on their behalf in SAM, but also have pioneered the Advanced Procurement Portal (APP). APP shows active and historical federal business opportunity information in the same place, simplifying market research. Active federal buyers and vendors are not only cataloged in APP but also are also using the system, creating a powerful network. Businesses who partner with USFCR will be able to dedicate their complete effort toward their performance on a contract, rather than the acquisition of it.




Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Azerbaijan and the EU will hold a meeting in Baku to discuss the cooperation issues in the field of transport, Head of the EU delegation in Azerbaijan Kestutis Jankauskas told reporters in Baku Dec. 13, Trend reports.

A high-level transport dialogue will be held in Baku in February 2019.

During this meeting, development of cooperation between the two sides on all types of transport will be discussed, he added.

Jankauskas added that the aviation agreement between Azerbaijan and the EU will also be discussed at this meeting.

The signing of this agreement will give impetus to the further development of relations between the sides in the tourism sector, he added.

Presently, several routes from the East to Europe pass through the territory of Azerbaijan. Among such projects are the International North-South Transport Corridor, which is designed to transport goods from India and the Persian Gulf countries to Russia, Western Europe, the Baltic and Scandinavian countries.

In addition, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway built at the initiative of Azerbaijan, which is part of the East-West Corridor, also allows supplying cargo to Europe. Another example is the Lapis Lazuli route, which runs from Afghanistan to Turkey and further to Europe.

Creation of a common aviation area is an initiative of the European Commission and aims to open and integrate aviation markets. This will lead to new opportunities for consumers and operators, and, most importantly, to high standards in terms of flight safety as well as air traffic management.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

By Taleh Mursagulov  Trend:

The delegation of Azerbaijani entrepreneurs left for Saudi Arabia to establish cooperation, the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) told Trend on Dec. 13.

The Azerbaijani delegation includes 29 companies engaged in the production of building materials, textiles, canned products, juices, as well as travel agencies, etc., AZPROMO said. The negotiations will continue until December 14.

"In 2018, AZPROMO sent 10 delegations to various countries up till now," the message said.

According to the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee, trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia amounted to $15.476 million in January-October 2018, which is 5.7 percent more than in the same period of 2017.

During the reporting period, Azerbaijan exported products worth $727,000 to Saudi Arabia, while $14.749 million accounted for the import.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @TalehMursagulov
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

The EU and Azerbaijan intend to agree on a draft partnership agreement on cooperation till May 2019, Trend reports citing Head of the EU delegation in Azerbaijan Kestutis Jankauskas as saying.

The political and trade components of the agreement were discussed in early December 2018, Jankauskas told reporters in Baku on Dec. 13.

Following these discussions, great progress was achieved, especially in the trade component of the document, he said.

The negotiations on trade issues will be also held in the format of a videoconference till the end of December 2018, Jankauskas added.

The next round on the new agreement as a whole will be held in Brussels in late January 2019, he added.

The European Council adopted a mandate for the European Commission and the high representative for foreign affairs and security policy to negotiate, on behalf of the EU and its member states, a comprehensive agreement with Azerbaijan in November 2016.

The new agreement should replace the 1996 partnership and cooperation agreement and should better take account of the shared objectives and challenges the EU and Azerbaijan face today.

The agreement will follow the principles endorsed in the 2015 review of the European Neighborhood Policy and offer a renewed basis for political dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan.

Currently, bilateral relations between the EU and Azerbaijan are regulated on the basis of an agreement on partnership and cooperation that was signed in 1996 and entered into force in 1999.

The new agreement envisages the compliance of Azerbaijans legislation and procedures with the EUs most important international trade norms and standards, which should lead to the improvement of Azerbaijani goods access to the EU markets.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

Trend:

Azerbaijan has exported various types of aluminum profiles to Denmark, Trend reports referring to Sumgait Technology Park.

In November 2018, Sumgait Technology Park signed a contract with a Danish company to sell 100 tons of aluminum profiles. The company has completed the preparation of the order and sent the ready products to the client.

The aluminum plant, which was established at the Sumgait Technology Park in 2014, produces hot and cold rolled profiles, window frames, aluminum busbars, and other aluminum products in accordance with clients' orders.

The plant mainly uses the local raw materials produced in Ganja.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

By Taleh Mursagulov  Trend:

The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) is ready to explore the possibility of supporting the implementation of the Trans-Caspian pipeline, Director of the Regional Hub of the IsDB Group in Turkey Saleh Jelassi said in an interview with Trend and Azernews.

"The IsDB is ready to explore possible support for the Trans-Caspian pipeline project if the Republic of Azerbaijan and other stakeholders decide to approach the IsDB Group as a potential partner," he said.

Jelassi said the Trans-Caspian pipeline project has the potential to facilitate growth and development in two key regions - the Caucasus and Central Asia.

In addition, he noted that supporting economic infrastructure and connectivity are major pillars of the IsDB Group's Ten-Year Strategy.

"We believe that the Trans-Caspian pipeline project will potentially play a highly significant role in strengthening cooperation between two major Member Countries of the Islamic Development Bank, i.e., Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan," Jelassi said.

In 2011, the European Union adopted a mandate to negotiate signing of a legally binding agreement between the EU, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan for the construction of the Trans-Caspian pipeline.

The Trans-Caspian Pipeline Agreement will lay the foundation for construction of a sub-sea pipeline connecting Turkmenistan with Azerbaijan, and also for connection of this pipeline with the infrastructure that will deliver gas from Central Asia to the EU.

Azerbaijan joined the Islamic Development Bank in 1992. The main areas of interest of IsDB in Azerbaijan are energy, irrigation, road construction and agriculture.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @TalehMursagulov
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.13

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Around 87 percent of the territory along the route of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) has been reinstated in Greece and Albania, Trend reports citing TAP AG consortium.

The consortium said that back in January 2018, it had reinstated about 50% of the pipelines route in Greece and Albania.

Fast forward to early Dec 2018, approximately 87 percent of TAP's route is restored to its original state or better, said a message from TAP AG.

TAP project, worth 4.5 billion euros, is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union (EU). The project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz Stage 2 to the EU countries.

Connecting with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Greek-Turkish border, TAP will cross Northern Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea before coming ashore in Southern Italy to connect to the Italian natural gas network.

The project is currently in its construction phase, which started in 2016.

Once built, TAP will offer a direct and cost-effective transportation route opening up the vital Southern Gas Corridor, a 3,500-kilometer long gas value chain stretching from the Caspian Sea to Europe.

TAP shareholders include BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A. (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

By Rashid Shirinov  Trend:

Brazil is expected to contribute 1.9 million barrels per day (mbd) or 22 percent of the global offshore crude oil production in 2025, followed by Norway with 1.1 mbd (13 percent) and Nigeria with 0.9 mbd (11 percent), Trend reports citing GlobalData.

The leading data and analytics company noted that globally 387 planned and announced crude and natural gas projects are expected to start operations during the outlook period.

Of these, 154 are planned projects with identified development plans and 233 are early-stage announced projects that are undergoing conceptual studies and are expected to get approved for development, reads the message.

GlobalData noted that key offshore projects are expected to contribute about 8.6 mbd of crude production and around 51.6 billion cubic feet per day of gas production in 2025.

Among the companies, Petroleo Brasileiro SA, Equinor ASA, and China National Offshore Oil Corp will lead with highest offshore crude and condensate production of 1.2 mbd, 0.6 mbd and 0.4 mbd in 2025, respectively.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @ShirinovRashid
South Koreas Hyundai Motor Co (005380.KS) plans to provide funding worth 1.7 trillion won ($1.5 billion) to stabilize management of its suppliers, the company said in a statement on Thursday, Trend reports citing Reuters.

The funding is designed to also support research and development and innovation by the suppliers.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

By Huseyn Veliyev -Trend:

Lenovo has started supplying data storage systems to Azintelecom LLC of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of Azerbaijan, Director General of Lenovo Global Technology Russia and the CIS Dmitry Parshin said at a conference dedicated to the launch of the first corporate blockchain platform Dec. 13, Trend reports.

He said cooperation with the company began at the end of this year.

We very much hope that our technological solutions will continue to be actively implemented in Azintelecom, including in the creation of backup data centers and corporate clouds for banking sector, he said.

Lenovo is also a supplier of a personal identification system based on blockchain technology, which is being introduced by the Central Bank of Azerbaijan, he added.

Lenovo was chosen as the supplier of hardware and software, he said. Nutanix is our technology partner in the project. For us, the uniqueness of this project is that the highest performance systems of Lenovo, namely four-processor servers, which are the most reliable in the world, were chosen as the hardware platform for this system."

Parshin mentioned another project, which was also implemented on the basis of the Nutanix platform. This project includes construction of a data center in the regions biggest medical center in Azerbaijan, which was opened in March this year, he noted.

More than 70 different medical software products were adapted to work on the Nutanix virtualization platform, including solutions based on Microsoft and SAP, he said. Lenovo has big plans for investments and creation of a competence center in Azerbaijan."

"While many companies, optimizing their expenses, reduce their presence in the region, we are trying to increase it. All this has become possible thanks to our partners.
Kyrgyzstan has to switch to the production of only organic products, that is, non-GMO and cultivated with the use of natural fertilizers, Trend reports referring to 24.kg.

Speaker of the Parliament Dastanbek Dzhumabekov sent a corresponding instruction to the government. It states that the production of agricultural products throughout the country should become organic within ten years.

Farmers should not use agrochemicals, pesticides (toxic chemicals), synthetic substances, hormones, growth regulators, feed additives, GMOs, antibiotics and additives other than biological preparations for plant protection and organic fertilizers.

Control over implementation was entrusted to the Committee on Agrarian Policy, Water Resources, Ecology and Regional Development of the Parliament.

Earlier, MP Kenzhebek Bokoev said that the specialists of the Ministry of Agriculture should work better, and recommended to help farmers in Talas region with the sale of beans, to hold a campaign in the region about the benefits of this product.

The parliament members blamed the Ministry of Agriculture for the fact that there were still no so-called organic farms in the republic where fruit and vegetables were grown without chemicals.
French English

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN THE UNITED STATES.

SAINT-MICHEL-DES-SAINTS, Quebec, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NOUVEAU MONDE GRAPHITE INC. (the Corporation or Nouveau Monde) (TSX Venture Exchange: NOU) (OTCQX: NMGRF) (Frankfurt: NMG) announces that it has filed on December 10, 2018, a technical report entitled NI 43-101 Technical Feasibility Study Report for the Matawinie Graphite Project with an effective date as of July 10, 2018 and an issue date as of December 6, 2018 (the Technical Report), the results of which were announced by the Corporation on October 24, 2018. Based on the results of the Technical Report, the Corporation hereby announces that is has filed a preliminary short form base shelf prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in each of the Provinces of Canada (except the territories) (the Prospectus). The Prospectus, when made final, will allow the Corporation to make offerings of common shares, debt securities, convertible securities, subscription receipts and warrants (collectively, the Securities) or any combination thereof up to a maximum of CAD$300,000,000 during the 25month period that the final Prospectus, including any amendments thereto, remains effective. Securities may be offered separately or together, in amounts, at prices and on terms to be determined based on market conditions at the time of sale and set forth in an accompanying shelf prospectus supplement.

Based on the results of the Technical Report, the Corporation plans to raise capital in the next 25 months under the final Prospectus to fund the construction and commissioning of its mine project, for working capital and reserve funds of the Matawinie Graphite Property and also for general corporate purposes.

Mr. Eric Desaulniers, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation stated: "This base shelf prospectus demonstrates our firm intention to move forward with our Matawinie project based on the results of our feasibility study. This type of prospectus will provide us with the flexibility required over the next 25 months to raise the required funds for the construction of the project through a variety of financial tools."

A copy of the Prospectus may be obtained on request without charge from Director Legal Affairs & Corporate Secretary of the Corporation at 331, Brassard Street, Saint-Michel-des-Saints, Quebec, J0K 3B0 telephone: 1 (450) 757-8905 and are also available electronically at www.sedar.com .

The securities have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 (the Act) or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold absent registration under the Act and applicable state securities laws or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements thereof. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction or an exemption therefrom.

About the Corporation

In 2015, the Corporation discovered a major and high-quality graphite deposit on its Matawinie property, located in Saint-Michel-des-Saints, 150 km as the crow flies North of Montreal. This discovery led to the completion of a Prefeasibility Study, the results of which were announced on October 25, 2017 and a Feasibility Study, the results of which were announced on October 24, 2018. The Feasibility Study revealed strong economics with projected graphite concentrate production level of 100,000 tonnes per year over a 25.5-year period. The Corporation will operate its demonstration plant until 2020 with a capacity of 2,000 tonnes of concentrated flake graphite to qualify its products with North American and international clients.

Moreover, in a vertical integration and sustainable development perspective, the Corporation is planning the establishment of a large-scale graphite secondary transformation facility, catering the needs of the booming lithium-ion battery market. With over 60 years of experience in the world of graphite, the Corporations team develops its project with the utmost respect of neighboring communities, while favoring a minimal ecological footprint. NMGs project is privileged by direct access to the workforce and infrastructure needed to operate its mining project, and it can also rely on an abundant, affordable and renewable source of hydroelectricity.

For more information :

Eric Desaulniers

President & CEO

Tel: +1 (819) 923-0333 Tristan Menard

Executive Vice-President, Capital Markets

Tel: +1 (514) 296-6339



www.nouveaumonde.ca



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Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this press release including, but not limited to, the Corporations project financing endeavours and the receipt of sufficient proceeds therefrom such that the Corporation will be able to fund the construction and commissioning of its mine project on the Matawinie Graphite Property, constitute forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of certain securities laws and are based on expectations and projections as of the date of this press release. There is no assurance that the Corporation will be able to raise the required capital in the next 25 months.

All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this press release including, but not limited to generally, or the About Corporation Graphite paragraph which essentially describe the Corporations outlook and objectives, constitute forward-looking information or forward-looking statements within the meaning of certain securities laws, and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as of the time of this press release. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Corporation as of the time of such statements, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. These estimates and assumptions may prove to be incorrect.

Many of these uncertainties and contingencies can directly or indirectly affect, and could cause, actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about managements expectations and plans relating to the future. The Corporation disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable law.
Civil society activists propose the Kyrgyz authorities to declare 2019 the Year of a Child, director of the Public Foundation Childs Rights Defenders League Nazgul Turdubekova told today at a press conference, Trend reports referring to 24.kg.

According to her, the problems of children in Kyrgyzstan require real solutions. Today, 35 percent or 2,312 million people in Kyrgyzstan are children. About 12,000 children live in orphanages. They have no opportunity to get guardianship. Various types of disabilities were found in 29,900 children.

There are 25 children in a penal colony now. The conditions of their detention require changes and bringing into line with international standards. The problem of child labor exists in the country. One or both parents of 11 percent of the children went abroad to earn money. Children do not tolerate a fragmented approach. It is necessary to mobilize all the efforts of society in order to have the support of regional bodies, Parliament, departments, international communities. Only in such a way we will be able to achieve tangible results, Nazgul Turdubekova stressed.
A clock tower is expected to be erected in Tajik capital in March next year, Trend reports referring to news.tj.

It will be erected on the site of the stele with the emblem of the of the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic (Tajik SSR), which was demolished in December 2015.

The tower will house a turret clock built in Turkey, an official source at Tajik parliament told Asia-Plus in an interview.

According to him, the construction of the Dushanbe clock tower will be completed in March next year.

Recall, the stele with the emblem of the Tajik SSR, designed by prominent Soviet sculptor Yelena Tatarinova, was erected in the center of Dushanbe in 1949 on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Tajik SSR.

A monumental column, which was one of Dushanbes last major symbols of Tajikistans Soviet past, was removed on December 12, 2015.

The stele was reportedly torn down as part of the municipal redevelopment plan that includes the construction of modern buildings in the Tajik capital.

A 45-meter column with the national emblem of the Republic of Tajikistan was officially opened in Dushanbe in August 2011.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Dec. 13

By Huseyn Hasanov Trend:

A test motorcade carrying cargo has been sent from Afghanistans western province of Herat, to be delivered by land through Turkmenistan and the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan, Trend reports citing a source close to the transport industry of Turkmenistan.

President of Afghanistan Mohammad Ashraf Ghani took part in the launching ceremony of a transport corridor allowing Afghanistan to enter global markets bypassing the traditional Pakistani direction.

The Turkmen delegation was headed by Minister of Automobile Transport Orazdurdy Sukhanov.

It was earlier reported that with the opening of the Serhetabat (Turkmenistan)-Torghundi (Herat, Afghanistan) railway this year, the initiative to connect Afghanistan to the transport and logistics system of Turkmenistan and through it to the international communications network is being successfully implemented.

Thanks to the modernization of the highway, the capacity of the Torghundi station has increased, its importance in Afghanistans trade has grown, the possibilities for bringing Afghan products to international markets have increased, as well as deliveries of imported goods to the country in a short and optimal way, the Turkmenistan State News Agency reported.

By using the railway line, Afghanistan will be able to export its products to foreign markets and import the goods in demand, the report said.

The railway construction project will contribute to increasing the volumes of interstate transportation as well.

It is assumed that the railway lines and motorways will connect the city of Turgundy in the Afghan province of Herat with Ashgabat, then with the port of Turkmenbashi on the shore of the Caspian Sea. Further, the corridor will continue through the Caspian Sea to Baku, and then through Tbilisi to Ankara and Istanbul.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

By Fikret Dolukhanov  Trend:

On Dec. 12, the UN General Assembly at its plenary session unanimously adopted a special resolution Enlightenment and Religious Tolerance, the draft of which was developed by Uzbekistan, Trend reports on Dec. 13 referring to Uzbek media.

The adoption of the resolution was the practical implementation of the initiative of President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, put forward at the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly in September 2017 in New York.

Speaking from the high rostrum of the United Nations, the head of state said the main goal of the resolution proposed by Uzbekistan is 'to ensure universal access to education, eliminating illiteracy and ignorance'. The document is intended to 'promote the establishment of tolerance and mutual respect, ensure religious freedom, protect the rights of believers, prevent discrimination'," the press service of the Foreign Ministry said.

In order to implement this initiative, the Foreign Ministry of Uzbekistan, together with other state agencies, carried out work to develop the draft resolution and its coordination with all the UN Member States.

Among the co-sponsors of the resolution, are such countries as Azerbaijan, Belarus, India, Kazakhstan, Canada, Kyrgyzstan, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Tajikistan, Japan, etc.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanov
Some 1784 Iranian historic objects will be repatriated from US, Vice President and Head of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization Ali Asghar Munesan said, Trend reports referring to IRNA.

Munesan made the remarks while visiting Pars tourism exhibition in Shiraz, Fars province on Wednesday night.

The permission to repatriate these clay tablets which belong to Persepolis has been issued by US Treasury Department, he said.

About 11,000 objects have been estimated to exist in Chicago University, he added.

On the pretext of sanctions, the objects were said to be delivered in the US, he said, adding that we hope to receive them in The Hague.

They said that the remaining objects will be delivered in a three-year period but we did not accept and are negotiating to get them sooner, Munesan said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

The anti-terrorist operation planned to be held by the Turkish armed forces in northern Syria will be the third operation over the recent years, but obviously it will not be the last one.

A complete cleansing of Syria from the terrorists, who currently control about 30 percent of the country's territory, is not easy even for the Turkish army - one of the strongest NATO armies.

The first operation was called the Euphrates Shield, the second one - the Olive Branch, in which the Free Syrian Army also took part. It is not excluded that the new military operation will be called Tigris Shield.

The Operation Euphrates Shield was conducted in northern Syria against "Islamic State" (IS) terrorist organization. The Operation Olive Branch, which was also carried out in northern Syria, was directed against PYD/YPG, the Syrian wing of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) terrorist organization.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has recently stated about the beginning of new military operations in northern Syria against PYD/YPG.

It is clear that the matter rests in clearing Syrias Manbij from the PYD/YPG terrorists.

The terrain in Manbij is flat, which facilitates holding the operation as opposed to Afrin, where the Operation Olive Branch was conducted.

But on the other hand, there are the US and French military contingents in Manbij, which complicates the military operation as opposed to Afrin.

Another important factor is that as opposed to Afrin, terrorists have heavy military equipment in Manbij, which was provided by the US, and as is known, the US is not considered an ally of Turkey any more due to this incident.

It is not excluded that taking all this into account, the Turkish Armed Forces will conduct the operation in several stages. At the first stage, jets will be used, at the second stage - artillery, at third stage - infantry, i.e. troops of the Free Syrian Army.

No matter how the new anti-terrorist operation is held, it can be considered the second round of the US-Turkish battle in Syria.

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Rufiz Hafizoglu, deputy editor-in-chief of Trend

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Japan and South Korea will be the next export markets for Georgian wine, Georgian Agricultural Minister Levan Davitashvili said, Trend reports referring to Agenda.ge.

Davitashvili accented the importance of state programmes that result in the development of Georgian wine on export markets. The minister also underlined the increase in the Georgian National Wine Agencys budget, which will assist in the process of entering new export markets.

Georgia should concentrate more on markets of neighboring countries, where Georgian wine is already well-known. Despite the fact that Georgian wine is not as popular in Eastern Europe as in the South Caucasus, the loyalty rate is quite high and interest in our wine in rising every year. It is worth mentioning the US segment, which is the worlds greatest importer, stated Davitashvili.

Moreover, he said, Georgia should take into consideration the potential of the East Asian market.
The European Commission has disbursed 15 million in loans to help Georgia cover part of its financing needs and support the implementation of economic reforms, Trend reports referring to Agenda.ge.

The loan was provided under the first instalment of its new Macro-Financial Assistance (MFA) programme.

The grant component of 5 million will be disbursed in the coming days, bringing the total amount of this instalment to 20 million, read the press release published by the EU Delegation to Georgia.

Georgia's new MFA programme is worth up to 45 million in total.

The European Parliament and the Council approved the new programme in April 2018.
China will keep its economic growth in 2019 within a reasonable range, the politburo, a top decision-making body of the ruling Communist Party, said on Thursday in remarks carried by the state news agency Xinhua, Trend reports referring to Reuters.

The government will further stabilize employment, the financial sector, foreign trade, investment and market expectations, Xinhua said, citing a politburo meeting chaired by President Xi Jinping.

China will balance its efforts to stabilize growth, promote reforms, prevent risks and will boost market confidence, Xinhua said.
Italy and the European Commission may have resolved their seven-week standoff over the Italian government's 2019 draft budget plan after Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte agreed to lower the proposed deficit by nearly 7.5 billion euros (8.5 billion US dollars), Trend reports citing Xinhua.

Italy has been at odds with the executive wing of the European Union since Oct. 22, when the government unveiled a budget plan that included a deficit for 2019 equal to 2.4 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). That is far above the commission's guidance for a deficit of 0.8 percent.

The commission repeatedly refused to approve the plan and Italy refused to change it, saying the spending was necessary to spark economic growth and keep an array of electoral promises.

Wednesday may have produced a breakthrough, when Conte met with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. Conte emerged from the meeting to announce that Italy would lower the budget deficit next year from 2.4 percent to 2.04 percent of gross domestic product (GDP),

Conte promised the government would stick to its main electoral pledges, including a lowering of the retirement age, raising minimum pensions, and proving some kind of basic income to Italian citizens. But he did not provide details on how the government would do so with the dramatically reduced spending.

It is not clear whether the 2.04-percent target would be enough to satisfy the European Commission, which analysts said could still ask for further reductions.

It is also possible that the anti-establishment Five-Star Movement and the nationalist League -- the two political parties in the Conte government -- could reject the prime minister's compromise target.

"I didn't think the Five-Star Movement and the League would allow a deficit target of less than 2.2 percent," Andrea Fumagalli, a political economist with the University of Pavia, told Xinhua. "With a smaller target we have to see what the political consequences will be."

In the leadup to Wednesday's Conte-Juncker meeting, leaders from the Five-Star Movement and the League pointed to France, where French President Emmanuel Macron made spending promises in the wake of widespread protests. Macron vowed to raise the minimum wage and cut taxes on retirees, almost surely pushing France's 2019 budget deficit above the 3-percent threshold.

Luigi Di Maio, head of the Five-Star Movement and a deputy prime minister, said that Italy would be given the same flexibility France has.

France's total public debt is about equal to the country's gross domestic product -- less than Italy's public debt, which equal to more than 130 percent of its gross domestic product. But both countries' debt levels are above the 60-percent target in the European Union's Growth and Stability Pact, or the 80-percent average for the bloc as a whole.
TORONTO, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- North American Palladium Ltd. ("NAP" or the "Company") (TSX:PDL) (OTC PINK:PALDF) is pleased to announce that it has signed a contract with Redpath Canada Limited of North Bay, Ontario, Canada for underground mine development at its Lac des Iles mine. This is part of a major mine expansion, as detailed in the October 2, 2018 Technical Report, that will take the mine from its current rate of just over 6000 tonnes per day (tpd) to 12000 tpd. The Redpath scope of work consists of approximately 6550 Metres of lateral development and 560 Metres of vertical development to access ore reserves in the upper mine beneath and around the perimeter of the dormant Roby open pit. The contract is expected to be approximately 2 years in duration.



The Lac des Iles mine development crews will continue with their work to sustain ongoing production, which is expected to rise to over 7000 tpd by the end of 2019.

The Companys President and CEO, Mr. Jim Gallagher, commented, Redpath is one of the premier mining contractors in the world and we welcome them onboard as we expand the Lac des Iles mine and make it one of the largest underground mines in Canada.

The Company also announced today that the Board of Directors have concluded the strategic alternatives review process that commenced in February, 2018.

About North American Palladium Ltd.

North American Palladium Ltd. (TSX: PDL) (OTC PINK: PALDF) is a Canadian company with over 20 years of production at Lac des Iles mine, located northwest of Thunder Bay, Ontario. North American Palladium is the only pure play palladium producer in the world. With over 500 employees, Lac des Iles mine features a unique world class ore body and modern infrastructure, which includes both an underground mine and an open pit mine.

For Further Information

North American Palladium Ltd.

Investor Relations

Telephone: 416-360-7374

Email: IR@nap.com

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information

Certain information contained in this news release constitutes 'forward-looking statements' and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. The words 'target', 'plan', 'should', 'could', 'estimate', 'guidance', and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, without limitation: information pertaining to the Companys future results at LDI; information pertaining to the Company's strategy, plans or future financial or operating performance, such as statements with respect to, long term fundamentals for the business, operating performance expectations, project timelines, tailings management plan, mining method change, production forecasts, operating and capital cost estimates, expected mining and milling rates, cash balances, projected grades, mill recoveries, metal price and foreign exchange rates and other statements that express management's expectations or estimates of future performance. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risk factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks include, but are not limited to: the possibility that metal prices and foreign exchange rates may fluctuate, the risk that the Lac des Iles mine may not perform as planned, that the Company may not be able to meet production forecasts, the possibility that the Company may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service its indebtedness and may be forced to take other actions, inherent risks associated with development, exploration, mining and processing including environmental risks and risks to tailings capacity, employment disruptions, including in connection with collective agreements between the Company and unions and the risks associated with obtaining necessary licenses and permits. For more details on these and other risk factors see the Company's most recent managements discussion and analysis and the Companys annual information form on file with Canadian securities regulatory authorities on SEDAR at www.sedar.com under the heading Risk Factors.

Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of factors and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. The factors and assumptions contained in this news release, which may prove to be incorrect, include, but are not limited to: that the Company will be able to continue normal business operations at its Lac des Iles mine, that metal prices and exchange rates between the Canadian and United States dollar will be consistent with the Company's expectations, that there will be no significant disruptions affecting operations, and that prices for key mining and construction supplies, including labour, will remain consistent with the Company's expectations. The forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. The Company disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, events or otherwise, except as expressly required by law. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.
The EU extended economic sanctions against Russia for another six months, European Council President Donald Tusk said Thursday, Sputnik reports.

"Decision: EU unanimously prolongs economic sanctions against Russia given zero progress in implementation of Minsk agreements," Tusk said on Twitter.

Relations between Russia and the West have long been tense over Moscow's alleged role in the conflict in the east of Ukraine, which has prompted to the European Union to introduce sanctions against Russia. Despite Minsk peace agreements, set to put end to conflict between Ukrainian government and the country's eastern breakaway republics, no significant progress has been reached.

Relations between Moscow and Kiev deteriorated in 2014 after Crimea's reunification with Russia and amid the crisis in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities have accused Russia of interference in Ukraine's internal affairs and involvement in the conflict in Donbas as well as espionage and cyberattacks.

Russia has repeatedly denied the allegations, stressing that it is not party to the internal conflict in Ukraine and wanted Kiev to overcome political and economic crisis.

The conflict in Donbas started in 2014, when Ukrainian authorities launched a military operation against the self-proclaimed republics that refused to recognize the new government in Kiev, which came to power after what they considered to be a coup.

In February 2015, the warring parties signed the Minsk peace accords to end the hostilities in the region, but the situation has remained tense, with both parties accusing each other of ceasefire violations.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has described his last week's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as the most useful session in his whole political career, Trend reports referring to TASS.

"This was the most useful meeting in my career. We strengthened the process of cooperation between Russia and Venezuela in the sphere of military-technical cooperation," Maduro told a press conference.

Last Friday Maduro finished his visit to Moscow. As a result, the sides signed agreements on cooperation in the oil extraction and mining industries, servicing Venezeulan weapons systems and delivering wheat to the South American country. According to the Venezuelan president, bilateral projects are worth over $6 billion of investment.

Russia and Venezuela are implementing joint investment projects in energy, agriculture, geological exploration, pharmaceuticals, as well as in the spheres of information technologies, nuclear medicine, military-technical cooperation and others.
Russia sees it has become much more important to forge an energy cooperation alliance with China to meet the interests of both sides and secure energy networks, Andrey Denisov, Russia's Ambassador to China, said at a press conference on Wednesday, Trend reports citing Sputnik

As a major consumer of energy products, China buys oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) and Russia is a major supplier of those products, so a tie-up between the two countries will help establish secure energy relations, Denisov said during the conference held in Beijing.

The two countries have seen significant progress in further enhancing bilateral relations in 2018, and "this special bond could enable us to tackle all the problems," of increased external pressure, Denisov noted.

Bilateral trade volume surpassed $97 billion from January to November, an increase of 28 percent year-on-year. And it will reach and exceed the stated target of $100 billion, the ambassador said.

Since January 1 this year, a second line of the China-Russia oil pipeline began operating, with a total volume of 30 million tons per year.

China and Russia are being pushed toward an energy partnership by economic factors, as Russia is a resource behemoth and China has seen its energy consumption rapidly surge in recent years. "Enhancing this partnership with China is a long-term strategy for the Russian government," Li Li, director of research at the Shanghai-based research and consulting firm ICIS China, told the Global Times.

This tie-up has been market-driven, as Russian and Chinese energy firms have seen business booming as the supply met the demand," she said.

Other milestone projects in their energy links include Novatek's Arctic LNG project. The third phase has been finalized with a total capacity of 16.5 million tons.

In summer 2018, the first LNG shipment was made from the Russian port of Sabetta, home to the Yamal LNG project in the Russian Arctic, to the Chinese port of Rudong in East China's Jiangsu Province, according to media reports.

Meanwhile, the eastern route for Russian gas exports to China will be finalized next year, and natural gas deliveries will commence on December 20, 2019, the ambassador said. "It will be the largest energy cooperation in terms of scale and will deliver 38 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year," he said.

China and Russia have been settling bilateral trade in the yuan and ruble, but about 15 percent of the trade settled in the currencies was in sectors such as agriculture and machinery, Denisov noted. "We hope this payment mechanism can be extended to other industries, for example, the energy sector," he said.
The negotiations between Russia and India on some military and technical cooperation deals vital for ensuring Indias defense capability and national security are at the final stage, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov said on Thursday, Trend reports referring to TASS.

The diplomat who spoke at the 3rd Russia-India forum of the heads of research centers said that during the visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to New Delhi in October this year a major contract had been signed for the delivery of S-400 air defense missile systems to India.

"Some other major deals crucial for ensuring Indias defense capability and national security are at the concluding stage," the diplomat said, noting that "Russia is the first and the sole power in many areas, which shares the most advanced military technologies with India."

The contract for the delivery of S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile systems to India was signed during the visit by Russian leader Putin to India on October 5.

Under the contract worth an equivalent of over $5 billion, India is expected to get five regiment sets of S-400 systems. Settlements under the contract will be made in rubles. As a source in military and diplomatic circles said, India will get all the five S-400 regiments by the spring of 2023.

In November, Russia also signed contracts with India on the delivery of four Project 11356 frigates. Under the deal, two frigates will be built at Russias Yantar Shipyard on the Baltic coast and the other two will be constructed at Indias Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL). Head of Russias United Shipbuilding Corporation Alexei Rakhmanov earlier said that the first Project 11356 frigates for India will be built in Russia within three years.
A regular, 11th, session of the Russian-Syrian Intergovernmental Commission on Trade-Economic and Scientific-Technical Cooperation will be held in Damascus on December 14, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on Thursday, Trend reports referring to TASS.

"The Russian delegation, which includes representatives for relevant ministries and agencies, will be headed by chairman of the Russian part of the intergovernmental commission, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov," she reported. "A number of meetings are planned to be held on the sidelines of the event, including with Syrias top administration.".
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

Trend:

9:18 (GMT+4) Six people were injured and 20 were killed in train derailment.

8:57 (GMT+4) The high-speed train running between Ankara and Konya derailed in the capital of Turkey - Ankara, Trend reports citing the Turkish media on Dec. 13.

Numerous people were injured.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Forty people were injured as a result of train derailment in Turkey, Ankara Governor Vasip Sahin said.

The cause of the derailment is a collision with another train, Trend reports citing the Turkish media.

Sahin said that four people were killed as a result of train derailment.

The high-speed train running between Ankara and Konya derailed in the capital of Turkey  Ankara on Dec. 13 morning.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Twelve people were detained in Istanbul as part of an operation against the "Islamic State" (IS), Trend reports referring to Turkish media.

The operation to detain IS members was carried out at 15 previously determined addresses.

On Nov. 5, a major operation was carried out against members of the "Islamic State" in 11 provinces of Turkey. Some 24 people, who were engaged in raising funds for terrorists in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Libya, were arrested.

Also, cash money of more than $500,000 and more than two million Turkish liras were confiscated during the operation. The names and nationalities of the detainees were not disclosed.

Meanwhile, 33 members of IS were detained in Istanbul in July.

As part of special operations in May 2018, the Istanbul police detained 51 members of the IS terrorist organization.

Syrian citizen Riad Haji Osman, one of the IS executioners, was detained during a special operation in Turkeys Adana Province on Apr. 13.

Kifah Bashir Hussein, the so-called minister of health of IS, was detained in Sanliurfa in southeastern Turkey on Jan. 24.

On Jan. 12, the Turkish police detained the so-called minister of agriculture of IS, Tarik Ahmet.

In December 2017, a 28-year-old terrorist nicknamed Mahmud, one of the IS executioners, was detained in Turkeys Hatay Province on the border with Syria.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Deputy head of the police department of Turkeys Antalya province Ali Karaarslan was found dead, Trend reports, referring to the Turkish media.

Karaarslans body with a gunshot wound was found in his car near the Kepez town.

According to the preliminary data, Karaarslan committed suicide.

Other details of the incident have not been reported.

----

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

Turkish-made weaponry will be used in the new military operations against the Syrian wing of the PKK - PYD/YPG terrorist organization in Syria's north, a source in the Turkish government told Trend on Dec. 13.

The source noted that during the earlier operations of the Euphrates Shield and the Olive Branch, the Turkish Armed Forces used domestically produced weaponry.

"It's important for the Turkish Armed Forces to avoid civilian casualties," the source said.

Despite the fact that it is too early to talk about the tactics that the Turkish Armed Forces will use, the source noted, it is possible that the anti-terrorist operations will be carried out in stages.

"It is expected that the forces of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) will also take part in the new military operations against the PYD/YPG terrorists in Syria's north," the source said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has recently said that the Turkish Armed Forces will launch a new military operation within few days in northern Syria against PYD/YPG, the Syrian wing of the PKK terrorist organization.

Erdogan claimed that there are American soldiers in the detachments of the terrorists in Syria.

"Despite that the US has promised Turkey that they would not support PYD/YPG, the Syrian wing of the PKK, the US did not keep its word," Erdogan said.

On June 4, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed a road map on Syria's Manbij during talks in Washington.

Also, Pompeo and Cavusoglu met in Brussels and discussed the Operation Olive Branch, as well as other issues.

On Jan. 20, the Turkish Armed Forces, together with the Free Syrian Army, launched the Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, Syria.

On Aug. 24, 2016, units of the Turkish Armed Forces began the Operation Euphrates Shield against the "Islamic State" and with the support of the Syrian opposition liberated the border town of Jarablus in northern Syria, as well as al-Bab.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Viva Gold Corp. (TSX-Venture: VAU; OTCBB: VAUCF) (the Company or Viva) announces that it has granted, pursuant to its stock option plan, a total of 1,025,000 incentive stock options to directors, officers, employees and consultants. The incentive stock options have an exercise price of CDN $0.29 per share, are valid for a three-year period from the date of grant, and are subject to regulatory approval.



The Company's Stock Option Plan allows for the issuance of up to 10% of issued and outstanding share capital in the form of incentive stock options. As a result of this grant, the Company has 2,075,000 stock options issued, representing 9.8% of the issued and outstanding shares.

Viva has made a concerted effort to reduce corporate spending, including a reduction in management salaries to allow for a greater financial focus on advancing the Tonopah project, including its current drill program and metallurgical testing work.

About Viva Gold

Viva Gold is a gold exploration and development company with a focus on Nevada. Viva holds 100% of the Tonopah Gold Project, a large land position with demonstrated high-grade measured, indicated and inferred gold resources, located on the prolific Walker Lane Trend in Nevada, 30 kilometers south-east of the Round Mountain mine of Kinross Gold and 20 kilometers from the Town of Tonopah. Vivas management team has extensive experience in mining exploration, development and production and are supported by a Board of Directors and advisors who are proven mine finders, deal makers and financiers. Viva trades on the TSX-V as VAU, on the OTCBB in the US as VAUCF and on the Frankfurt exchange under 7PB. For additional information on Viva Gold and the Tonopah Gold Project, please visit our website: www.vivagold.com

More information can be found on www.sedar.com or the Companys website at www.vivagoldcorp.com

For further information please contact:



James Hesketh

President & CEO

720-291-1775

jhesketh@vivagoldcorp.com

or

Valerie Kimball

Corporate Secretary & Director, Investor Relations

720-933-1150

vkimball@vivagoldcorp.com




Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 13

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

People are being evacuated in Istanbul from the building of the Ministry of Justice in the Buyukcekmece district, Trend reports citing Turkish media Dec. 13.

An unknown person called the Ministry of Justice and warned that there was an explosive device in the building, according to the report.

Teams of sappers are working to detect the explosive device.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador spoke by telephone with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday and discussed the issue of migration, he said in a tweet.

The two leaders discussed the possibility of creating a joint program for development and job creation in Central America and Mexico, Lopez Obrador said.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Thousands of migrants are living in crowded shelters and encampments in Tijuana after traveling from Central America to escape poverty and violence. They may have to wait weeks or months to claim asylum at the US border.

Illegal immigration was a central theme of Trumps presidential bid, and he repeatedly invoked the issue ahead of the Nov. 6 midterm elections and deployed some 5,800 US troops to the border.

Trump has reiterated his campaign promise to build a wall along the US-Mexico border, even after Mexico repeatedly rejected his demand that it pay for the multibillion-dollar project.

Funding for the border wall has been a sticking point in spending bills before the US Congress, and Trump clashed with leading Democrats over the issue during an Oval Office meeting on Tuesday.

Lopez Obrador has pledged to discourage migration through economic development, and wants the United States to contribute to a plan focused on Mexicos poorer south and Central America.

Shortly after Lopez Obrador took office on Dec. 1, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard to discuss border issues.
By KiMi Robinson, KYODO NEWS - Dec 13, 2018 - 08:47 | Arts, Feature, All

A mural depicting classical Hollywood actress Ava Gardner at a public school in Los Angeles' Koreatown neighborhood will be painted over later this month after local organizations said the work resembled the rising sun symbol on the Imperial Japanese Army's flag during World War II.

The Wilshire Community Coalition, along with local Korean organizations and individuals, in November sent the Los Angeles Unified School District a letter detailing "serious concerns about the hate symbol portrayed" on a wall at Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools' campus in the heart of Los Angeles' Korean community.

"This flag symbolizes the Japanese military aggression which resulted in one of the most of horrendous and gruesome crimes against humanity in human history," the joint letter reads, referencing the Japanese army's wartime atrocities in Nanjing, Manila and Singapore.

Artist Beau Stanton's murals can be found around the world, many of them featuring the ray motif. His mural, completed in May 2016, is one of several on display at the school.

[Photo courtesy of Beau Stanton]

Gardner's image pays homage to the property's history as the former site of the Ambassador Hotel -- where Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968 -- and the Cocoanut Grove nightclub, which the actress frequented.

"Art is intended to celebrate the human spirit, but in this case, it has offended a group in our community," Roberto A. Martinez, local district superintendent for the Los Angeles Unified School District, said in a statement released Tuesday. "We will be removing the mural over the winter break, and we are looking forward to working...on next steps in the selection of a new mural."

"Public use of (the) Swastika is prohibited; so should the rising sun flag," Phyllis Kim, executive director of the Korean American Forum of California, wrote in an email to Kyodo News.

Stanton told the Los Angeles Times that he is "disappointed," noting that "radial lines terminating at a focal point" are a common design found throughout history.

The National Coalition Against Censorship opposes the mural's removal, citing concern over the right to free expression.

"The surrounding rays are a common device found in many of artist Beau Stanton's murals," the NCAC wrote in a statement.

"Removing the mural in response to their complaints sets a dangerous precedent of submission to public pressure in assessing art and allowing students' access to diverse viewpoints and ideas," it said.
The seat became vacant after Mani resigned from the Rajya Sabha on January 9 early this year after his party joined the LDF fold before the Assembly polls. His tenure will now extend till July 2024.
TORONTO, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hudbay Minerals Inc. (Hudbay or the company) (TSX, NYSE:HBM) today announced that Waterton Global Resource Management, Inc., on behalf of certain funds managed by it (collectively, Waterton) has withdrawn its special meeting requisition for the purpose of considering an advisory resolution. Accordingly, the company will cancel the shareholder meeting it had previously set for February 28, 2019.



As the company noted in its November 13, 2018 press release, the Board welcomes constructive engagement with all shareholders. The Chair of the Board and another independent director met with Waterton on November 1, 2018. Following this meeting, Waterton provided a list of demands to the Board that were entirely disproportionate to its ownership interest and would give Waterton unique rights and powers held by no other shareholder. Among the items of significant concern was Watertons request to gain access to confidential company information through the appointment of a Waterton employee who would be entitled to attend all Hudbay Board and committee meetings and receive access to all materials provided to the Board as well as communications between management and the Board. Waterton, a relatively recent shareholder, is a mining private equity firm that competes with Hudbay for mining assets and may not have interests aligned with other shareholders.

In an attempt to find common ground while protecting the interests of all shareholders, the Chair of the Board, on behalf of the Board, sent Waterton two letters referencing their prior discussion regarding the Boards ongoing refreshment initiatives. Waterton was repeatedly invited in good faith to share the names and biographies of individuals it thought could potentially add value to the Board, so that the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee could assess their qualifications, as it would with any other potential director candidate. Waterton has now responded by announcing its intent to nominate a majority slate of directors. While Hudbay remains open to continued dialogue, it is disappointed with Watertons personal attacks on certain of the companys leadership, its selective use of performance metrics and its revisionist history regarding its confrontational approach to date.

Hudbays robust investor outreach program continues and the company appreciates the time shareholders have taken to provide their views. The Board and management remain committed to Hudbays disciplined approach to driving long-term and sustainable value creation, in the best interests of the company and all of its shareholders.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, forward-looking information) within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes information that relates to, among other things, statements with respect to Hudbays strategy and strategic priorities and the Boards intentions to meet and engage with Waterton and other shareholders. Forward-looking information is not, and cannot be, a guarantee of future results or events.

Forward-looking information is based on, among other things, opinions, assumptions, estimates and analyses that, while considered reasonable by us at the date the forward-looking information is provided, inherently are subject to significant risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors that may cause actual results and events to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. The risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information may include, but are not limited to, risks generally associated with the mining industry, such as economic factors (including future commodity prices, currency fluctuations, energy prices and general cost escalation), as well as the risks discussed under the heading Risk Factors in Hudbays most recent Annual Information Form.

Should one or more risk, uncertainty, contingency or other factor materialize or should any factor or assumption prove incorrect, actual results could vary materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Hudbay does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information after the date of this news release or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and any forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law.

About Hudbay

Hudbay (TSX, NYSE: HBM) is an integrated mining company producing copper concentrate (containing copper, gold and silver), molybdenum concentrate and zinc metal. With assets in North and South America, the company is focused on the discovery, production and marketing of base and precious metals. Through its subsidiaries, Hudbay owns three polymetallic mines, four ore concentrators and a zinc production facility in northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan (Canada) and Cusco (Peru), and a copper project in Arizona (United States). The company is governed by the Canada Business Corporations Act and its shares are listed under the symbol "HBM" on the Toronto Stock Exchange, New York Stock Exchange and Bolsa de Valores de Lima. Further information about Hudbay can be found on www.hudbay.com.

For further information, please contact:

Candace Brule

Director, Investor Relations

(416) 814-4387

candace.brule@hudbay.com

For media inquiries, please contact:

Scott Brubacher

Director, Corporate Communications

(416) 814-4373

scott.brubacher@hudbay.com
The Columbia University undergraduate student who was captured on video incoherently ranting about his own racial superiority (while harassing a group of primarily black peers) has stepped forward to defend himself. Sophomore Julian von Abele said in a statement that he doesn't believe he is racist or a white supremacist, and said his words were taken out of context: "I was tired of the divisive rhetoric that blames all the ills of society on white men," he said in a statement provided to The Daily Beast.

Von Abele also revealed that he is a Trump supporter, and the heated exchange began "when several students were accusing Trump supporters of encouraging sexual violence.

"I explained that I am a Trump supporter and I do not in any way encourage violence, sexual or otherwise," he said. "A large group of students gathered around me and told me that I had no right to share my views on women as Im a white male with 'white privilege.'"

In the video, which was posted to Twitter on Sunday, von Abele declares, "White people are the best thing that happened to the world. We're white men. We did everything!" As the people around him pushed back at his statements, he could be seen jumping around erratically, flailing his arms, and screaming: "We invented science and industry and you want to tell us to stop because Oh my God, were so bad.'" Echoing the Proud Boys slogan"Western chauvinists who refuse to apologize for creating the modern world"he went on to assert that "we invented the modern world" and "built modern civilization."

In his statement, von Abele disputed the characterization of him as a racist: "I am not a white supremacist or racist, nor do I subscribe to any views that support that ideology. I unequivocally denounce all groups that support racism, he said. "My reaction that evening grew out of my distaste for the overuse of the term 'white privilege' and similar divisive rhetoric as a means of dismissing views of others."

Instead, von Abele believes "every single person should love themselves and love their culture, and we should all be allowed to be proud of our heritage." He was able to recognize that the forum for the "discussion" was perhaps not the best: "I regret that I subsequently engaged in an exchange that was admittedly overzealous and was not the right venue to discuss the value of identity politics."

What von Abele does not address is allegations he harassed the other students that night, following them around campus and instigating the argument. According to witnesses who spoke with the Columbia Spectator, von Abele followed the group from Butler Library to JJ's Place, where he continued to berate them with unprompted declarations of white supremacy. Kwolanne Felix, one of the students in the group, posted on Twitter that he "went out of his way to harass groups of black people who were minding their business. And continued to instigate and followed us after we left!"

Instead, von Abele insisted his rhetorical tactics were purposefully obnoxious and meant to rile people up, a la Fox News talking head: "The rhetoric I used to prove a point sounded as if I feel that whites are better than other races, while really, I was theatrically and sarcastically demonstrating that whites are not allowed to embrace their cultural achievements," he said. "The out-of-context video widely circulated was not representative of my general argument that evening, which was not that white men were solely responsible for the scientific accomplishments of the world, but instead that the great things western culture has accomplished throughout history should not be ignored to accommodate identity politics."

"At no time did I shove, grab, or physically or verbally assault anyone, nor did I denigrate anyones race," he added. "I apologize for going over the top, and I emphasize that my reaction was not one of hate."

In a statement on Monday, Columbia issued a statement denouncing the "racially charged incident," and vowing to create a "working group on bias incidents" under the university's existing Inclusion and Belonging Task Force. "Statements of white racial superiority conflict with the Universitys core value of inclusivity as well as the educational work and research that take place on our campuses," the university added.
We got played, Council Speaker Corey Johnson said on Wednesday morning at the first of three hearings on the controversial deal for a new Amazon campus in Long Island City.

Because the City Council was essentially cut out of the deal, which will purportedly create at least 25,000 jobs over the next 10 years, and as many as 40,000 jobs in 15, Johnson said the goal of the hearing was to ask the questions that the councilmembers and the public would have asked if the deal hadnt been brokered in secret.

This should not be a two-step tango to get you to come here and talk to us, Johnson said, addressing the two Amazon executives and the head of the citys Economic Development Corporation James Patchett.

The officials had barely begun speaking when anti-Amazon activists unfurled a banner and chanted GTFO, Amazon has got to go!

GTFO, Amazon has got to go as Amazon and EDC reps sworn in pic.twitter.com/pAi3128leW  Rosa Goldensohn (@RosaGoldensohn) December 12, 2018

In his opening statement, Patchett defended the deal, calling it the single biggest job creation opportunity in New York Citys history.

Amazon would cushion the city from any looming economic blows, including the next recession, Patchett argued, and he reminded the audience that the City came close to declaring bankruptcy in 1975.

As the head of the economic development corporation, it is my job to make sure that no city mayor ever has to weigh whether to keep police on the streets or our daycare centers open ever again, Patchett said. If we dont internalize these historical lessons, we run the risk of reliving these tough times. And for my own children, and every child in New York City, that is not a risk I am willing to take.

Do you think its a public benefit to offer a way to avoid local oversight? Johnson asked Patchett. Whose interests did you feel like you were representing in negotiating this deal?

One hundred percent the people of New York City, Patchett replied. Critics in the audience laughed.

Patchett, who said that he met or spoke with Mayor Bill de Blasio more than 10 times to discuss the terms of the Amazon deal, cited a recent Quinnipiac poll that said 57 percent of New York City voters approve of the new Amazon campus.

You live by the poll you die by the poll, Speaker Johnson retorted. The polls said Hillary Clinton was going to be president. I wish they were right.



Amazon executives Brian Huseman (center) and Holly Sullivan (left) testify in front of the City Council on Wednesday (William Alatriste / City Council)

Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen said when the plans for the new campus were announced that Amazon would have walked if forced to go through the typical public review process, called Uniform Land Review Process or ULURP. Under ULURP, the public has a chance to weigh in and the council must approve or reject a project.

Asked whether theyd have come if theyd been required to go through the ULURP process, Amazon executives Brian Huseman and Holly Sullivan demurred.

The elected officials didnt buy it. Youve taken the L in ULURP and turned it into an S, said Brooklyn Councilmember Inez Barron.

Huseman and Sullivan testified that Amazon was attracted to the diverse workforce and talent in New York. They pledged to begin hiring more employees locally early next year, lauded the $27.5 billion in new tax revenue Amazon expects to generate for the city and state, and emphasized the $2.5 billion in community investments, including a new school, workforce training, artist workspace, and arts, tech and business incubators.

As part of the deal, Amazon is also getting nearly $3 billion in tax credits and incentives, most of which were not unique to Amazon, and could have gone to any company seeking to build a campus of this size in New York City. You are a trillion dollar company, Johnson said. Why should we give you this money?

Amazons Sullivan acknowledged the incentives were a priority, and emphasized that the incentives depended on Amazon reaching its local-hiring goals.

We are a bit different than most companies, Huseman said, assuring the council that the company would be a good neighbor to New Yorkers living in Long Island City. We have onsite food services that can serve only a small percentage of our workforce, so our employees can frequent local restaurants and retail. The company has also promised to work with a newly appointed community advisory board on infrastructure and workforce needs in the surrounding area.

One aspect of the arrangement that was unique to Amazon: the helipad, which Johnson called the rotten cherry on top of a bad sundae. Huseman said Amazon would be paying for the helipad itself. I would hope so, Johnson replied. Huseman added that they anticipate only 120 landings a year and that the helicopters would fly over the river rather than the surrounding neighborhood. Do you realize how out of touch that seems? Johnson asked.

Queens City Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer, who represents Long Island City, admitted in his opening statement, I was wrong to sign the letter supporting New Yorks bid. But he contended that at the time, he was unaware that the city would be cut out of the deal, and that Amazon would receive billions in incentives.

"The mayor and governor caved to the richest man in the world and handed New Yorkers the bill, Van Bramer said.

Van Bramer also pointed out that a private development site next to the proposed Amazon campus owned by the plastics company Plaxall has now been rolled into the Amazon plan, meaning it will not require ULURP. The Councilmember asked the Amazon reps to commit to redirecting the $500 million discretionary grant the company is getting from the state to fund repairs for public housing in Western Queens. The reps declined to do so, and Patchett again referenced the projected tax gains to the city and state.

Asked about Amazons efforts to sell facial recognition technology to ICE, Huseman replied, We provide that recognition service to a variety of agencies and government should have the best technology. He said the company has a positive record on immigration, including advocating for Dreamers and green card reform.

Amazon just affirmed they provide facial recognition technology to ICE.



"We think the federal government should have access to the best technology." - Brian Huseman, Amazon VP for Public Policy.



In pursuit of profit, they are willing partners in Trump's deportation machine.  Brad Lander (@bradlander) December 12, 2018

Patchett admitted that he was concerned about reports of Amazons poor labor practices, and noted that the city has encouraged the retailer to work with the citys construction unions on the build-out of the new campus. In terms of Amazons own workers, bringing Amazon to New York City is an opportunity for us to engage with them about the beliefs and values of New York City including that unionization is important, Patchett said.

Huseman said he disagreed with the premise of the question that weve engaged in anti-union practices elsewhere.

By his count, Speaker Johnson asked the Amazon officials on Wednesday 12 times if theyd come to the two upcoming council hearings on the deal. I cannot commit today, Huseman said, before ultimately relenting.

The next Council hearing on Amazon is slated for January, but has yet to be officially scheduled.

Jessica Gould is a reporter in the newsroom at WNYC. You can follow her on Twitter at @ByJessicaGould.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents seized a charm of live finches (that's right, a "charm"isn't that nice? hold on to that feeling...) at JFK Airport earlier this month, having discovered 70 contraband birds entombed in tiny hair roller prisons and packed inside a black duffle.

When I heard this news, a fantastic image popped into my mind: That of a uniformed investigator suspiciously patting someone's chirping carry-on bag, only to cautiously unzip the top and accidentally free a cloud of agitated finches, which proceeded to zoom cheerfully around the airport for months, relishing their restored flight power. Unfortunately, that is not the way this story ends.

The finch smuggler brought in this haul on a flight from Georgetown, Guyana, on December 8th. The suspect netted each captive inside its own individual roller, secured with electrical tape to ensure the birds couldn't escape in a conspicuous flap. To judge by photos distributed by the CBP, our avian travelers did not enjoy this mode of transportation very much, some clawing at the holes in their rollers as if hoping to jailbreak themselves.



The contraband finches in their rollers. (Courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

See those sad little krampus hands creeping from their cages? Don't do this to the finches!



(Courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

In addition to animal cruelty, this secret avian haul raises concerns over disease transmission. The CBP pointed to a 2015 bird flu outbreak (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza) that reportedly "resulted in the culling of 50 million commercial turkeys and chickens, and $850 million in damages."

"CBP Agriculture Specialists are the first line of defense to prevent the introduction of animal diseases that have the potential to cause significant damage to the Nation's agricultural economy," Troy Miller, Director of Field Operations at the New York Field Office, said in a statement, which noted that the finches were turned over to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Veterinary Services.

CBP spokesperson Anthony Bucci said the thwarted bird smuggler is a Guyanese citizen, and that "he was not admitted into the United States and was sent back to his home country."

Bucci told Gothamist that some people like to gamble on the birds, betting on how many chirps they'll chirp in a minute. The NY Times has previously reported on these "speed singing contests," which pit finch against finch in a high-stakes competition to see who can sing 50 songs fastest. Competitors can be worth anywhere from $500 to $10,000, according to the Times, and considering the lucrative nature of the trade, illegal bird busts are not exactly a rarity for JFK customs agents. According to the Times, finches have been found "zipped into suitcase linings, sometimes stuffed in toilet paper rolls, or tucked inside socks, pantyhose, or specially tailored pants."



(Courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

Having been sent a photo of the freed finches enjoying a snack, I initially concluded that things had improved for our flock after CBP rescued them. Then I received a reply from the Department of Agriculture Veterinary Services, and now have the extreme displeasure of informing you that "the birds were humanely euthanized because of their condition and disposed of by incineration," in the USDA spokesperson's words. Please, for the love of Mandarin Patinkin, leave the birds alone!


Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. APD declared that it will build, own and operate an air separation unit (ASU) in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. This new facility is will provide reliable liquid industrial gas option to distributors and customers in the region, and is scheduled to be onstream between early-2020 and mid-2020.



Per the company, the new large-scale ASU will produce liquid oxygen, nitrogen and argon, which will allow it to strengthen its presence in a dynamic environment. Air Products supplied onsite and merchant liquid gases to Minnesota and the surrounding regions customers for decades. The latest investment is in sync with the companys commitment to customers in the Midwest region, which is likely to provide reliable product supply to new customers.



Air Products makes necessary investment in order to provide consistent and excellent service to its customers. The company currently owns and operates more than 300 ASU plants in over 40 countries globally.



Shares of Air Products have lost 4.8% in the past six months compared with the industrys decline of 21.6%.





Air Products projects adjusted earnings of $8.05-$8.30 per share for fiscal 2019, reflecting a 10% increase at the midpoint year over year. Moreover, it expects adjusted earnings of $1.85-$1.90 per share for first-quarter fiscal 2019, up 5% at the midpoint year over year. The company also anticipates capital expenditure of $2.3-$2.5 billion for fiscal 2019.



Air Products has a capacity to deploy at least $14 billion in high-return investments over the next four years, aimed at creating significant shareholder value. Acquisitions and new business deals are also expected to continue driving results in the near term.

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. Price and Consensus

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. Price and Consensus | Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. Quote

Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider



Air Products currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).



A few better-ranked stocks in the basic materials space are The Mosaic Company MOS, Nexeo Solutions, Inc. NXEO and BHP Billiton PLC BBL.

Mosaics shares have rallied 24.1% in the past year. The company has an expected long-term earnings growth rate of 7% and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



Nexeo has an expected long-term earnings growth rate of 30.6% and a Zacks Rank #1. The companys shares have gained 6.6% in the past year.



BHP Billiton has an expected long-term earnings growth rate of 5.3% and a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The companys shares have gained 8.6% over the past year.



The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All



Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early.



See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >>



Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (APD) : Free Stock Analysis Report



The Mosaic Company (MOS) : Free Stock Analysis Report



BHP Billiton PLC (BBL) : Free Stock Analysis Report



NEXEO SOLUTIONS (NXEO) : Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
(Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. said it would invest $1 billion to expand its operations in Austin by constructing a new employee campus in the area, large enough to house 15,000 additional employees.

Further facilities will also be established in Culver City, Seattle and San Diego, and existing sites in Pittsburgh and Boulder will be expanded over the next three years. In a statement on its website Thursday, the company said it was also considering other U.S. regions for growth.

"With this new expansion, were redoubling our commitment to cultivating the high-tech sector and workforce nationwide, Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said in the statement. Apple shares rose less than 1 percent to $170.29 this morning in New York.

The company said the second Austin building would cater to a wide range of business disciplines, including R&D, sales, customer support, and engineering.

Read more: Samsung, Apple and the Optics of Domestic Cash

Austin is already the largest home for Apple employees after the iPhone-makers Cupertino headquarters, with about 6,200 people working at the existing site about a mile from the location of the new facility.

The investment will follow announcements from other major tech companies, which have been laying out their U.S. expansion plans. E-commerce giant Amazon Inc. recently revealed plans to build a major new campus in New York, while Google has opened new offices in sites including Boulder, Colorado.

Among U.S. President Donald Trumps America First policies were promises to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. from Asia, and businesses have been increasing efforts to hire locally to avoid conflict.

Apple has long used China as its production base for everything from the signature iPhone to iPads and Macs. In his early years running Apple, Cook responded to questions about increasing manufacturing in the U.S. by saying the skill sets in China are more conducive to producing the companys products.

Story continues

However, in recent months, Cook has modified that view, saying in an interview this year that its not true that the iPhone is not made in the United States. Some components, like the smartphones glass cover, are manufactured in the U.S. and shipped for assembly in China.

In December 2013, Cook said on Twitter that the then-flagship Mac Pro desktop computer would be manufactured in Austin, rather than China.

(Updates with shares.)

To contact the reporter on this story: Nate Lanxon in London at nlanxon@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Giles Turner at gturner35@bloomberg.net, Peter Elstrom

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2018 Bloomberg L.P.
Investing.com - Asian markets rose in morning trade on Thursday following reports that China is considering postponing some targets of its ambitious plans to dominate high-end technologies, as Beijing tried to ease trade tensions with the U.S.

Citing two people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported that Beijing may delay the Made in China 2025 plan by a decade to 2035.

The news came after U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Treasury Undersecretary for International Affairs David Malpass urged China to do more to end the tariff war.

What you will see, if we do get to a trade agreement with China, is there will be verification procedures, there will be enforcement mechanisms, Ross said on CNBC television. Were talking about some fairly fundamental structural changes that over time will be needed to accomplish at least our end purposes.

The Shanghai Composite and the SZSE Composite jumped 1.6% and 1.9% respectively by 9:45 PM ET (02:45 GMT). Hong Kongs Hang Seng Index also gained 1.5%.

Meanwhile, Citi said in a report on Tuesday that China will likely speed up its Belt and Road projects amid tension with the U.S.

China will likely "escalate the loan and shorten the project approval" process to quicken the pace of infrastructure building "so as to diversify trade and economic activities there away from the U.S.," Citi analysts said in the report.

"We believe the BRI will primarily benefit the railway sector, given China's distinct advantages globally in terms of technology and cost in railway infrastructure," they said.

Elsewhere, South Koreas KOSPI edged up 0.6%. Hyundai Motor (KS:005380) said in a statement that it is planning to provide funding worth 1.7 trillion won ($1.5 billion) to stabilise management of its suppliers.

Japans Nikkei 225 rose 1.0%, while Australias ASX 200 traded 0.4% higher.

In other news, the Brexit sage remained in focus as U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May won a vote of confidence in her leadership of the Conservative Party. May won the leadership challenge by 200 votes to 117 votes against her in the ballot of Conservative members of parliament (MPs).

Story continues

"The fact remains that the EU is highly unlikely to offer the reassurance MPs are demanding on the Irish backstop," analysts at ING said, adding there was a risk that a parliamentary vote on the Brexit deal will not take place until later in the first quarter of 2019.

"In the meantime, the lack of clarity and elevated risk of 'no deal' is set to see economic activity slow further," they said.

May called off Tuesdays vote on her Brexit deal so she could go back to Brussels and ask for changes to it. Reports on Tuesday said one of May's spokespeople noted that the House vote on May's Brexit deal could be postponed for up to six weeks.

Questions about May's future arrived as she made little progress convincing lawmakers in Brussels to amend the terms of her Brexit deal, increasing the prospect of another referendum, or an extension of Article 50, which was triggered in March last year, setting into motion Britain's departure from the European Union.

The British pound jumped about 1% on Wednesday following the news. The GBP/USD pair last traded at 1.2618, down 0.1%.

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A Brinks truck spilled its bounty all over a New Jersey highway this morning, turning passing motorists into cash collectors scooping up stray hundos from the road.

According to the East Rutherford police department, an armored truck experienced a technical malfunction that caused one of its doors to open as it drove along NJ Route 3 around 8:30 a.m. Thursday. A few drivers stopped to collect on the cash flurrying from the vehicle's rear end, leading to two separate crashes. Police say these opportunists absconded with their windfall, fleeing the scene after grabbing bills from the pavement.

Based on the videos circulating on social media, it seems like the money was blowing fast and thick:

Never thought Id I see a BRINKS truck accident. 100 dollar bills flying everywhere  Im glad no one was hurt  pic.twitter.com/pkFu741jWa  Jon Halapio (@Jhalapio67) December 13, 2018

Authorities don't know how much money was lost in the spontaneous highway robbery, and a Brinks Vice President of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications Edward A. Cunningham said only: "We can confirm that there was an incident with one of our trucks this morning, which we are investigating."

Brinks Truck accident on Rte 3 near Lincoln Tunnel. Bills scattered all over Hwy. Brinks guy and other drivers stop traffic and scramble for bills. #CantMakeThisUp pic.twitter.com/8cI0pX6qLR  Betsy Richards (@BetsyTRic) December 13, 2018

Witness Betsy Richards was on a New Jersey transit bus, headed toward the Lincoln Tunnel, when she found herself in a front-row seat for the calamity unfolding across the highway. As her bus began to slow to a halt, her interior groan over delay-making traffic turned to alarm when she "started hearing people going, 'Oh my God, oh my God!'" all around her, she told WNYC.

"One thinks of an accident, your usual horror, things that happen on the highway," Richards said. But when she looked out the window, she saw a Brinks truck pulled over, its driverwhom Richards described as "kind of laughing and crying at the same time" at the awful absurdity of the situationrunning across the highway in a futile attempt to gather the flying cash blanketing the road.

Richards and her fellow passengers gathered on one side of the bus to watch what happened next: "I saw fives, I saw tens, but I also saw hundred dollar bills," Richards said. "They were scattered all over the place."

Once approaching drivers figured out why a uniformed man was running through traffic, she added, a few jumped out of their vehicles and snatched up whatever money they could.

Richards noted that she and the other voyeurs on her bus worried both for the driver's safety and job security, riders lamenting that the breach would almost certainly translate to some kind of punishment. Still, the entire scene struck her as "amazing," she said. "You can't make this stuff up!"

East Rutherford police are less amused. The ERPD asks anyone with information, video or pictures to contact police headquarters at 201-438-0165.


Avista Corp.s AVA commercial solar program, Solar Select is leading to more solar power generation in Washington. The Adam Nielson solar array, located in Lind, WA, consists of 81,700 panels that span 200 acres. The 28-MW (DC) solar project will be capable enough to meet the demand from 4,000 homes annually. The project is also expected to deliver the environmental benefit equivalent of more than 7,300 cars removed from the road each year.



Avista has plans to invest $1.24 billion in the 2018-2020 time frame for upgrading and strengthening its existing systems.



Washington Solar Policy



In 2006, Washington passed a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) mandating that 15% of the utilities electricity production must come from renewable resources by 2020.



In April 2018, Avista introduced its Solar Select Program in Washington to meet large commercial and industrial electric customers demand for renewable solar energy. This program will assist the company to produce more electricity from renewable sources and also enable it to meet the RPS goal.



Rising Solar Production Across United States



Per a recent release from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the U.S. solar generation will rise to 268,000 megawatt hours per day (MWh/d) in 2018 and further to 303,000 MWh/d in 2019 from 212,000 MWh/d in 2017.



The rising awareness against emission and extension of the solar tax credit are leading to the addition of more solar projects in the United States. We expect the solar projects across the United States to improve, and ongoing research and development activities to further bring down the cost of operating utility-scale solar projects.



The solar industry is currently shifting from fixed-tilt solar PV to tracking solar panel systems, which are assisting to generate cleaner power than before.



Companies like Sunrun Inc., RUN and SunPower Corporation SPWR are well poised to gain from the increasing focus to generate electricity from clean sources, amid the new administrations assistance to pull out the coal industry from difficult times.



Price Movement



Avista has declined 11.9% in a years time against its industrys growth of 0.7%.

Story continues





Zacks Rank and A Key Pick



Avista currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A better-ranked stock from the same industry is Duke Energy Corporation DUK, holding a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.



Duke Energy surpassed third-quarter earnings estimates by 7.84%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2018 earnings has moved 0.9% north to $4.74 per share over the past 60 days.



The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All



Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early.



See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >>



Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



Duke Energy Corporation (DUK) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Avista Corporation (AVA) : Free Stock Analysis Report



SunPower Corporation (SPWR) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Sunrun Inc. (RUN) : Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment Research
HENDERSON, NV / ACCESSWIRE / December 13, 2018 / The 2018 Farm Bill was passed by the Senate on Tuesday by a vote of 87-13. The next move is that the legislation heads to the House for a vote-- and then if it passes there, it goes to President Trump to be signed into law. It is expected to face no significant challenges.

The impact of this legislation on the cannabis industry is enormous. Last year, hemp sales in the U.S. reached $820 million, according to the Hemp Business Journal. That's without hemp being completely legal. These sales have been projected to reach $2.1 billion by 2020 -- and that's not taking into account the passage of the Farm Bill. Here are a few companies set to benefit.

Today we are highlighting: CleanSpark, Inc. (CLSK), Aurora Cannabis, Inc. (ACB), Aphria, inc. (APHA), Charlotte's Web Holdings, Inc. (CWBHF), and PG&E Corporation (PCG).

The $3.5 billion cannabis industry is one of the nation's most energy intensive, often demanding 24-hour indoor lighting rigs, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems at multiplying grow sites. Legal cannabis cultivation in the U.S. consumes an estimated 1.1 terawatt-hours of electricity a year, according to the 2018 Cannabis Energy Report, published by Scale Microgrid Solutions along with New Frontier Data and the Resource Innovation Institute. Companies managing these solutions are great ways to diversify your cannabis industry risk.

Indoor growers are looking to cut spiraling electricity consumption with custom-built microgrids in U.S. states where cannabis cultivation is legal.

A company that seems to be in the right place at the right time to capitalize on this huge market inefficiency is CleanSpark, Inc. (CLSK) (Market Cap: $112.537M, Share Price: $3.08).

CLSK has a unique microgrid solution for the cannabis industry. Their mPulse software reduces the monthly electricity bill of indoor grow-houses by up to 82%! They do this by virtually eliminating the demand charges that can account for almost 50% of the utility charges for such a facility.

Story continues

Pressure is mounting on the cannabis industry to improve its margins after a lackluster 3rd quarter, companies like CLSK can help do just that.

CLSK also just released an impressive letter to shareholders highlighting: an agreement for an $18.3 million 'Zero Net Energy' Microgrid with an S&P 500 Member Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), near completion on a $900,000 contract to install a 'turn-key advanced microgrid system' at the U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, has been awarded 2 patents, and has updated an acquisition that could be a huge boost to the company's year end revenues.

CLSK's acquisition, Pioneer Custom Electrical Products, has delivered $32 million in products since 2016 and has $5 million in backlog. They have also received a $2.4 million equipment order as part of a contract for the new U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon which should end up on CLSK's balance sheet.

____

Aurora Cannabis (ACB) (Market Cap: $6.064B, Share Price: $6.12), a Canadian marijuana producer was just selected to supply medical cannabis to Luxembourg. The decision by the Luxembourg Health Ministry helps Aurora expand its footprint in the European Union and comes more than a week after the company announced it completed the first shipment of medical marijuana to the Czech Republic.

____

Aphria, inc. (APHA) (Market Cap: $1.446B Share Price: $5.81) completed its LATAM acquisition of LATAM Holdings Inc. This acquisition consisted of licenses and other assets and related businesses in Colombia, Argentina and Jamaica and a right of first offer and refusal in respect of Brazil. There has been some controversy over the value of the acquisition.

_____

Charlotte's Web Holdings, Inc. (CWBHF)(Market Cap: $1.113B, Share Price: $11.90), rephrased its website and many other CBD companies dialed down the promises of efficacy. The stock, listed in Canada, has moved from C$8.13 to a year high of C$20.76 and was lately trading at C$16. Charlotte's Web recently reported financial results for its third quarter, with revenue growth of 57%, to $17.7 million, versus last year's $11.3 million for the same time period. Gross profits increased 54%, to $13.8 million over last year's $9 million for the same time period.

____

A potential CLSK suitor, PG&E Corporation (PCG) (Market Cap: $13.688B Share Price: $26.39), states multiple factors contribute to wildfire risk across PG&E's service area. These include vast tree mortality following a historic five-year drought. Fire season is now extended due to prolonged periods of high temperatures, extreme dryness, tinder-dry grass and record-high winds increasing the number of wildfires and making them more dangerous. Headquartered in California where 3% of electricity consumed goes to cannabis grow operations, this is one to watch.

Legal Disclaimer:

This article was written by Regal Consulting, LLC ("Regal Consulting"). Regal Consulting has agreed to a three-month term consulting agreement with CLSK dated 9/12/18. The agreement calls for $10,000 in cash, and 30,000 restricted 144 shares of CLSK per month. Regal and CLSK have signed an amendment to extend the contract for twelve months starting 10/10/18, and increased the cash component to $20,000 per month. All payments were made directly by Clean Spark, Inc. to Regal Consulting, LLC. to provide investor relations services, of which this article is a part of. Regal Consulting also paid one thousand dollars cash to microcapspeculators.com to distribute this article. Regal Consulting may have a position in the securities mentioned in this article at the time of publication, and may increase or decrease its position without notice. This article is based on public information and the opinions of Regal Consulting. CLSK was given an opportunity to edit this article. This article contains forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from any results predicted herein. Regal Consulting is not registered with any financial or securities regulatory authority, and does not provide or claim to provide investment advice.

http://www.regalconsultingllc.com/full legal disclaimer/

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(Bloomberg) -- BMW AG and Porsche unveiled a charging station that can jolt electric vehicles with enough power to drive 100 kilometers (62 miles) in less than three minutes, pushing ahead of Tesla Inc. in the race to make battery-powered cars more convenient.

The ultra-fast prototype charger has capacity of 450 kilowatts, more than triple Teslas Superchargers. Test vehicles developed to take that much power were recharged to 80 percent capacity in 15 minutes. Teslas stations need about 30 minutes for a similar charge, according to its website.

Carmakers, developing a wave of electric models to keep up with tightening carbon emissions regulation, are under pressure to overcome consumer turnoffs like slow charging times and patchy infrastructure. With demand remaining tepid, BMW, Daimler AG and Porsche parent Volkswagen AG are also building a fast-charging network along major highways in Europe.

The super-powered charging point was developed by a consortium comprising the two German car brands, engineering giant Siemens AG and charging specialists Allego GmbH and Phoenix Contact E-Mobility GmbH, the station in Bavaria was opened to the public on Wednesday. Its free to use for existing models, BMW said Thursday in a statement.

One drawback -- the charger offers more power than current models can take on. The BMW i3 limits its power intake to 50 kilowatts, while the battery-powered iX3 will triple that to 150 kilowatts when it rolls out in 2020.

For the test vehicles to withstand the full electricity surge, Porsche used a cooling system that keeps battery cells at a steady temperature, while the charging cables were cooled too. Siemens provided a higher electric voltage energy supply to test the limits of the power jolt.

(Updates with technology detail in last paragraph.)

To contact the reporter on this story: Chris Reiter in Berlin at creiter2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.net, Elisabeth Behrmann

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2018 Bloomberg L.P.
By David Ljunggren

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland on Wednesday warned the United States not to politicize extradition cases, a day after President Donald Trump said he could intervene in the affair of a Chinese executive detained in Canada at Washington's request.

Freeland also told reporters that a second Canadian citizen could be in trouble in China. Authorities in China are already holding former diplomat Michael Kovrig, who was detained on Monday.

China has strongly protested the arrest in Vancouver on Dec. 1 of Huawei Technologies Co Ltd [HWT.UL] Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou. Meng has been accused by U.S. prosecutors of misleading multinational banks about Iran-linked transactions, putting the banks at risk of violating U.S. sanctions. She has said she is innocent.

Trump told Reuters on Tuesday he would intervene https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump/trump-says-would-intervene-in-arrest-of-chinese-executive-idUSKBN1OB01P in the U.S. Justice Department's case against Meng if it would serve national security interests or help close a trade deal with China.

But the legal process should not be hijacked for political purposes, Freeland said.

"Our extradition partners should not seek to politicize the extradition process or use it for ends other than the pursuit of justice and following the rule of law," Freeland said when asked about Trump's comments.

Others also questioned whether Trump might be misusing the extradition request.

"This is a legal issue and one that appears properly executed but your comments can only diminish an important extradition agreement we have with our next door neighbour," said Bruce Heyman, an ex-U.S. ambassador to Canada who was appointed by President Barack Obama, Trump's predecessor.

Meng was released on bail by a Canadian court on Tuesday.

The United States has not yet made a formal extradition petition. Once it does, if a Canadian judge rules in favour of the request, Canada's justice minister must decide whether to extradite Meng to the United States.

Freeland expressed deep concern over the Kovrig case and said a second unnamed Canadian had made contact with Canadian authorities to say Chinese officials were asking him questions. Canada has not been able to make contact with him since, she added.

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Officials said earlier they have no indication from Beijing that Kovrig's detention was tied to Canada's arrest of Meng.

But they have seen an uptick in anti-Canadian sentiment online and in China, an official said, and have communicated concerns about diplomatic staff safety to the Chinese government, which beefed up security in response.

"We have in general informed our personnel in Beijing and in our consulates to take extra precautions," an official said.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren and Anna Mehler Paperny; editing by Bernadette Baum and Rosalba O'Brien)
Shares of Fiat Chrysler, General Motors and Ford rise after reports that China is moving toward cutting tariffs on U.S.-made autos.

Chinese Vice Premier Liu He has told U.S. officials that China plans to reduce tariffs on American auto imports from 40 percent to 15 percent in a move that could break an escalating trade war between the world's two largest economies, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a person familiar with the negotiations.

The vice premier told Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer of the decision in a call late Monday, the Journal reported.

Bloomberg News earlier reported that China was moving toward cutting tariffs, citing people familiar with the matter, giving U.S. automakers' shares a lift before the markets opened. China raised tariffs on U.S. autos to 40 percent in July in retaliation to U.S. tariffs.

China's Commerce Ministry issued a statement saying the conversation  held Monday evening in the U.S., early Tuesday in China  was meant to "push forward with next steps in a timetable and road map" for negotiations, the Journal reported, adding that Liu plans to come to Washington early next year.

Chinese officials are also considering amending the Made in China 2025 plan, which is designed to give Chinese companies an edge in a number of industries, including artificial intelligence and robotics, the Journal reported. It's been a sticking point for the U.S., which complains that it allows Beijing to engage in unfair trade practices.

Fiat Chrysler (FCA-IT), GM (GM), Ford (F) and Tesla (TSLA) all rose Tuesday.

A day after President Donald Trump agreed to a 90-day trade truce with China at the G-20 summit, he tweeted that the country had agreed to lower these auto tariffs.

But after the tweet, neither the White House nor China verified any such agreement. The White House did not return a request for comment on Tuesday's report.

Read the full Bloomberg and Journal articles here and here.
By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Europe's second-highest court on Thursday slashed an EU antitrust fine handed down to Deutsche Telekom four years ago by about a third to 19 million euros ($21.6 million), saying that EU regulators had erred in calculating the penalty. Deutsche Telekom welcomed the decision but said it was not convinced by all aspects of the judgment and would consider appealing to the European Court of Justice, the highest court in the European Union. Europe's largest telecoms provider and its Slovak Telekom unit were sanctioned by the European Commission in 2014 for squeezing out competitors by charging unfair wholesale prices in Slovakia. The EU competition enforcer said the anti-competitive practice to shut out competitors from the Slovak market for broadband services lasted more than five years. The two companies were given a joint fine of 38.84 million euros while Deutsche Telekom was also hit with an additional 31-million-euro penalty. The companies subsequently challenged the EU decision at the Luxembourg-based General Court. The Court said a parent company's liability can exceed that of the subsidiary if there are factors which reflect the former's conduct for which it is held liable. However, in this case, what was at fault was the basis used by the Commission for assessing the additional fine. "Deutsche Telekom's turnover is not capable of reflecting its individual conduct in the infringement at issue and ... it therefore could not serve as a basis for the calculation of an additional fine imposed on the latter," judges said. They also cut the joint fine from 38.84 million euros to 38.06 million euros. Deutsche Telekom said it viewed as problematic the court's finding that rulings in national competition cases can be treated as the basis for determining an anti-trust violation under European law. Further, Deutsche Telekom said in a statement, that the court had failed to provide clarity regarding procedural errors on the part of the European Commission's economic analysis and calculation methods in the case. The Commission may also appeal to the EU Court of Justice but only on points of law. (Additional reporting by Douglas Busvine in Frankfurt; Editing by Adrian Croft and Kirsten Donovan)
By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Vodafone's (VOD.L) purchase of Liberty Global's (LBTYA.O) assets in Germany and east Europe may damage competition in Germany and the Czech Republic, EU antitrust regulators said on Tuesday, as they opened a full-scale probe into the $21.8 billion (17.13 billion) deal.

The deal between the world's second-largest mobile operator and U.S. cable pioneer John Malone's Liberty would enable Vodafone to compete more effectively with Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE) in the German rival's home market.

It also expands Vodafone's reach in broadband, cable and mobile services elsewhere in Europe as it includes Liberty Global assets in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania.

The European Commission said some rivals might be shut out of the Czech market, where Vodafone offers mainly mobile telephony services and Liberty Global offers fixed services.

In Germany, the deal might reduce competition in the retail fixed telecoms markets and retail TV markets, curb investments in next-generation networks and give the merged firm more power as a TV broadcaster, the EU competition enforcer said.

It saw no issues in Romania and Hungary and said it will decide whether to clear the deal by May 2. The deadline can be extended if Vodafone offers concessions.

Reuters reported on Nov. 30 that the watchdog was set to launch a full-scale probe into the deal.

Vodafone said it still expected EU approval by mid-2019.

"On balance, we conclude based on the language in the press release that this transaction remains on track for a Phase II approval and closing," Bernstein wrote in client note.

The telecoms industry is hoping for a lighter regulatory touch from the Commission after it cleared without conditions Deutsche Telekom's bid to acquire Tele2's (TEL2b.ST) Dutch business despite earlier qualms.

Telefonica Deutschland, which has called for the deal to be blocked, said it expected Vodafone to make every effort to avert the negative effects singled out by the Commission.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, additional reporting by Douglas Busvine in Frankfurt; Editing by Gabriela Baczynska, Edmund Blair and Alexander Smith)
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany is holding high-level talks to facilitate a possible merger of the nation's two largest private banks - Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank - Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.

Bloomberg, citing unnamed sources, said that discussions included German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz and Deutsche Bank Chief Executive Christian Sewing.

Spokesmen for the two banks declined to comment. A spokeswoman for Germany's finance ministry said there was nothing she could say about the report.

The discussions include possible ways to change laws to make a merger cheaper, Bloomberg reported. Talks are in an exploratory phase, the report said.

Shares of Deutsche Bank spiked 6.5 percent, while Commerzbank jumped 7.1 percent.

Speculation about a possible tie-up between the two banks has been rife this year. Last week Focus magazine reported that the German government was ready to orchestrate a merger between them.

Senior officials at both lenders have played down chances of a merger over the next 12 to 18 months as they restructure their companies to make them profitable.

(Reporting by Tom Sims; Editing by Michelle Martin and Maria Sheahan)
(Bloomberg) -- In 2014, when Instacart Inc. was a younger grocery-delivery startup, Whole Foods was its first major relationshipInstacarts debut national retail partner and an investor as well. A lot has changed since then. Amazon.com Inc. now owns Whole Foods and runs its own delivery service. So the startup and grocery chain are splitting up for good.

Starting Thursday, Instacart said it will begin separating itself from Whole Foods and eventually no longer let its customers order from the Amazon-owned grocer through its app or website, the company said. The 1,415 part-time employees that Instacart hires to pick and pack grocery orders inside some Whole Foods stores will also be given the option in the coming months to transfer to another store or leave their jobs, with either a transfer bonus or severance pay, Instacart said.

The Whole Foods-Instacart breakup will take months to finalize, largely because of how closely intertwined the two companies were. For years, Instacart looked for more efficient ways to help its shoppers buy, sort and deliver orders of kale, peanut butter and cheese at Whole Foods. The startup set up in-store shoppers and made dedicated checkout aisles for Instacart orders within Whole Foods stores. They also signed a five-year agreement in 2016 that made Instacart the exclusive delivery service for many Whole Foods groceries.

Then Amazon said it was buying Whole Foods in June 2017 for $13.7 billion, and the relationship with Instacart suddenly became very complicated. Soon after, Amazon workers started popping up in Whole Foods stores, picking and delivering groceries through an Amazon app, just like Instacarts workers were doingand, in some cases, physically crowding out the space in Whole Foods stores where Instacart workers had been.

Instacart is one of only a few companies with the infrastructure and capital to challenge Amazon in groceries. Instacart has more than 70,000 workers, a mix of part-time employees and contractors, who shop for groceries for its customers. Just this year, investors have handed over some $1 billion to Instacart. The business is valued at $7.6 billion.

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Even though Whole Foods was initially a big partner, Instacart has grown less dependent on the stores over time. Whole Foods orders account for less than 5 percent of Instacarts revenue, according to a person familiar with the matter. In 2017, it was less than 10 percent. That figure includes all revenue associated with a Whole Foods order, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. It includes the cut the retailer pays for orders, delivery fees from customers and advertising revenue from coupons.

San Francisco-based Instacart plans to move its in-store shoppers out of Whole Foods stores and into similar part-time jobs at other retail partners, such as Publix, Costco, Wegmans, Safeway and Sprouts. The company declined to give details about the timeline or financial agreements around the separation.

(Updates with Instacart revenue details in the sixth paragraph.)

To contact the author of this story: Ellen Huet in San Francisco at ehuet4@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Milian at mmilian@bloomberg.net, Molly Schuetz

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2018 Bloomberg L.P.
(Bloomberg) -- Its boom times in the crafts business. Since the start of last year, the market value of Etsy Inc. has nearly quadrupled. In that same time period, three former colleagues at Square Inc. started an online wholesale market for handmade goods and have already amassed more than $100 million in investments.

Their company, called Faire, offers a similar selection of products to whats found on Etsy but sells them to independent shop owners, most of whom manage just one store. Faire pitches its service as a way for mom-and-pops to keep up with Amazon.com Inc.

On Thursday, the San Francisco-based company plans to announce that it raised $112 million in three funding rounds this year. The most recent deal values the company at about $535 million, said a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the terms are private. Investors include Lightspeed, Sequoia Capital and a venture arm of Y Combinator. Willett Advisors, the investment arm for the personal and philanthropic assets of Michael Bloomberg, the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, is an investor in Y Combinator startups.

Faire sells products from a variety of small businesses and some larger manufacturers. The startup is part of a growing ecosystem that supports a dwindling list of retailers not named Amazon. Canadian software maker Shopify Inc. has rocketed to a $17 billion valuation by providing tools for small businesses to sell online, while Square is pushing deeper into the field, spending $365 million in April on a startup to help online sellers build their websites.

For years, Etsy tried to develop a similar business to Faire that catered more to larger retailers. But the project failed to gain traction, and Etsy closed it down this year.

Meanwhile, Faire said its currently on track to move $100 million worth of goods through its platform this year and has signed up 15,000 retailers. Alex Taussig, a partner at Lightspeed who led the firms investment in Faire, said the company is succeeding where Esty failed by providing perks like free returns and the exclusive rights to sell a particular product in a retailers geographic area.

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As some high-profile big-box retailers march into bankruptcy, the ubiquity of Amazon is, unexpectedly, opening an opportunity for small, bespoke stores that can feel more authentic, said Max Rhodes, co-founder and chief executive officer of Faire. The data is showing these retailers are making a comeback, he said.

The most popular product category on Faires marketplace, according to Rhodes: Not sold on Amazon.

(Corrects amount of funds raised in third paragraph.)

To contact the reporter on this story: Gerrit De Vynck in New York at gdevynck@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jillian Ward at jward56@bloomberg.net, Mark Milian

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2018 Bloomberg L.P.
(Bloomberg) -- Lazada Group Chief Executive Officer Lucy Peng will step down and cede her role to Pierre Poignant, a six-year veteran of the leading Southeast Asian e-commerce operator.

Peng, a co-founder of Lazadas controlling shareholder Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., will remain executive chairman, the Singapore-based company said in a statement Thursday. Poignant, who joined Rocket Internet-incubated Lazada in 2012, will immediately take the CEO role.

Poignants appointment comes nine months after Alibaba installed Peng as CEO to replace Maximilian Bittner. The Chinese e-commerce behemoth had put in another $2 billion this year to deepen its bet on Southeast Asia. Poignant, 39, has held several roles during his six-year stint at Lazada, including expanding logistics as chief operating officer. Lazada has 31 warehouses in six countries.

The job is not new to me, Poignant said in an interview. We are in a very diverse region, in six countries with vastly different consumer base, vastly different landscape. The solution is different in each of these markets.

Poignant, who was appointed to Lazadas newly created executive president post in August, brushed aside speculations about internal issues that might have led to the management shuffle.

Obviously when you bring the two companies with strong cultures together and draw the road map for the next three to five years, people can share their ideas and debate, which is quite natural, he said. Im very confident that we have the right team and the right strategy for the future.

Under Peng, Alibaba and its Southeast Asian subsidiary Lazada worked on integrating their platforms and rolled out a set of new features. For example, Lazada customers can now snap a picture of any product they wish to buy using the app. And itll instantly show a list of similar items and their prices, which is powered by Alibabas search-by-image.

To contact the reporter on this story: Yoolim Lee in Singapore at yoolim@bloomberg.net

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To contact the editors responsible for this story: Robert Fenner at rfenner@bloomberg.net, Reed Stevenson, Edwin Chan

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2018 Bloomberg L.P.
Alignment to Allow Expansion of Services to Independent Insurance Agents and Their Clients

DENVER, CO and SALT LAKE CITY, UT / ACCESSWIRE / December 13, 2018 / MLF Financial Group and WebBank announced they have entered into a definitive agreement whereby National Partners, a national premium finance company and subsidiary of MLF Financial Group, will be acquired by WebBank. The transaction is expected to close in early 2019, subject to regulatory approval.

National Partners was founded in 2016 by a highly experienced and successful management team. It remains focused on providing commercial premium finance solutions to brokers, agents and insureds on a simple and efficient basis, leveraging its leading technology. All staff and executives will remain in place at National Partners, which will become a subsidiary of WebBank.

Denver-based National Partners has attracted a fast-growing clientele ranging from local independent insurance agencies to Top-10 national brokers and plans on continued growth.

It is the first foray into insurance premium finance for Utah-based WebBank, a national issuer of consumer and small-business loans in partnership with well-known brands, including FinTech platforms and leading OEM/retailer brands.

"We're excited to join the WebBank family and in doing so assure our continued access to efficient capital to meet our growth," said National Partners CEO Bruce Lundy. "We are very fortunate to have a new parent with such a strong track record of success working with market leaders in the FinTech space as well as traditional financial companies. This will only accelerate and expand our abilities to bring value to our agents, brokers and their insureds."

Combining the two companies also will create synergy that will benefit insurance agents, he added. "WebBank is nimble, has access to superb technology, deep knowledge, and smart people, which is evident in the brands it has attracted and helped grow," Lundy said.

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WebBank said National Partners fits with its strategy and expertise.

"National Partners is innovative, growth-oriented and customer-focused," said Jason Lloyd, WebBank's Executive Vice President. "Their growth trajectory, risk management culture, and strong reputation with their clients convinced us that they will be an excellent partner and long-term investment."

The pending acquisition includes National Partners and its wholly owned subsidiaries, National Partners of California and National Partners of New York. National Partners Management was advised by Colonnade Advisors. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

AboutWebBank

WebBank is the bank behind today's growing, customer-centric brands. It is a national issuer of online consumer and small business loans through brand partners that include retailers, OEMs, and financial technology companies. In addition, WebBank is a leader in digital lending, driving innovation in financial products through strategic partner relationships. The Bank is dedicated to providing customized credit products and solutions to both SMBs and consumers as a best-in-class provider of compliance, capital, and oversight management for strategic partner platforms.

Organized in 1997, WebBank is an FDIC-insured, Utah-chartered industrial bank headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. WebBank is owned by Steel Partners Holding Corp (SPLP). For more information on WebBank, visit www.webbank.com.

About National Partners

Dedicated to providing the highest standards in the premium finance industry, National Partners works with clients of all sizes through its commercial insurance agent and broker relationships. Responsive service, ease of use and creative solutions are its hallmarks. It also offers funding programs to third-party premium finance companies, often those affiliated with agents, brokers and MGAs, so that these smaller premium finance companies can access capital to grow and expand. National Partners additionally provides a variety of services to the premium finance industry, including profit-sharing models, private-label servicing, and premium-finance loan purchase facilities. Besides its Denver headquarters, it has regional offices in Chicago, New York City, and Tampa, Florida.

More information is available at www.nationalpartners.com or by contacting National Partners at 800-506-8901 or info@nationalpartners.com.



National Partners CEO Bruce Lundy

Media contact: Henry Stimpson, Stimpson Communications,508-647-0705, Henry@StimpsonCommunications.com

SOURCE: National Partners
(Bloomberg) -- Samsung Electronics Co. is backing off an envisioned collaboration with a disputed version of streetwear label Supreme after drawing derision and condemnation from consumers.

The Korean electronics giant -- regarded as one of the savviest marketers in technology -- provoked outrage across social media after announcing it was tying up with Supreme, the New York design house founded by James Jebbia and famed for its skateboarding and hip hop aesthetic. At a smartphone launch this week in China, a Samsung executive brought onstage a man he introduced as Supremes chief, who then proceeded to outline -- in fluent Mandarin -- plans to open a flagship store and host a runway show.

Turns out, the tie-up actually involved Supreme Italia -- a company the New York original has clashed with in court over copyright and accused of being a fake. The U.S. company was quick to disavow any collaboration with Samsung in a statement seen by Hypebeast, in which it reportedly called the claims blatantly false.

Now, Samsung says its reassessing the alliance.

We are now reconsidering this collaboration and regret any concern this may have caused, Samsung said in an emailed statement.

The Korean giant wouldnt say whether it knew about the dispute before its announcement -- but its no stranger to global design partnerships, having previously collaborated with household names from Swarovski and Giorgio Armani to even Hello Kitty. The gaffe is another black eye for the worlds largest smartphone maker, whose business has withered under the onslaught of Chinese rivals ramping up their own marketing offensives.

--With assistance from Myungshin Cho.

To contact the reporter on this story: Sam Kim in Seoul at skim609@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Robert Fenner at rfenner@bloomberg.net, Edwin Chan, Reed Stevenson

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2018 Bloomberg L.P.
Alberta, one of the highest oil producing provinces of Canada, decided at the beginning of the month to curb output from the start of 2019. Premier of Alberta, Rachel Notleys decision of reducing production of heavy crude by 8.7% has worked miraculously for oil prices in the country. Western Canadian Select (WCS), which has been witnessing a big discount against the U.S. benchmarks, due to the takeaway capacity constraints, is now too expensive to ship to refiners in the U.S. Gulf Coast. Most of the oil produced in the Alberta region is usually headed for refineries in the United States.

Differential Narrows

In October, the differential between WCS and WTI amounted up to $50 per barrel. Crude prices in Canada fell to $14 per barrel in November, which led the government to take a step to remove 325,000 barrels of oil production per day from the market from 2019-begining. Presently, heavy crude from Alberta is priced around $41 per barrel, leaving about $9 for midstream companies to support their cost of shipping, as the U.S. benchmark WTI is presently hovering just above $50 per barrel.

Producers Gain is Shippers Loss

Producers in the province are happy as they have witnessed a relatively higher price after a long time. Cenovus Energy Inc. CVE welcomed the governments move. Since the announcement, the stock has gained nearly 7%. However, large companies like Suncor Energy Inc. SU and Imperial Oil Limited IMO, owning refineries as well as upstream assets, believe that the market is the most efficient tool that balances demand and supply, which determine differentials. Intervention from the government can affect the efficiency of market mechanism. Both these companies have a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Moreover, the decision has made shipping heavy crude to Houston through TransCanada Corporations TRP Keystone pipeline pretty expensive. Enbridge Inc.s ENB pipeline in the province is also facing the same problem. Notably, for companies without predetermined commitments, shipping crude down the Keystone pipeline will cost more than $15.50 per barrel while that through Enbridges mainline will cost $9.40 per barrel, per Bloomberg. Moreover, moving oil through rail to the Gulf costs around $18-$22 per barrel. With the differential failing to meet transport costs, shippers are likely to incur losses.

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Where is Alberta Headed?

The North West Sturgeon Refinery near Edmonton is scheduled to commence commercial operations next year. It has an estimated capacity of 80,000 barrels a day. Producers in Alberta are expected to benefit from the project. However, it is not sufficient to offset the impact of the price crisis.

Notley, looking for solutions to solve the ongoing price crisis in the region, recently announced her intention of building a new refinery in Alberta. Given the present situation in Alberta, she thinks a refinery will do wonders for the local economy and producers operating in the region. However, finding a solid refining project and investments associated with it will likely take time and theres no relief in sight for the industry in the near term.

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(Bloomberg) -- Qualcomm Inc. persuaded a U.S. trade agency to consider banning imports of Apple Inc. iPhones that use Intel Corp. chips, though the agency appeared to be grappling with ways to forge a compromise that would protect Americas dominance in the next generation of phone technology.

The U.S. International Trade Commission said Wednesday it would take a closer look at a recommendation by a judge in September that an import ban would hurt Americas competitive edge in the development of the next generation of mobile technology, known as 5G. It also will look at the judges finding that Apple infringed one of three Qualcomm patents in the case, though confirmed that two other patents werent infringed.

Qualcomm and Apple both rose less than 1 percent in extended trading, building on their gains during the regular session.

The commission said it would issue a final decision Feb. 19. In the meantime, it said it wants answers to the questions of how long it would take Apple to work around the patented battery-saving feature, whether a limited order could be crafted and what national security concerns would be implicated. It also wants more information on Intels claim it would exit the market for high-end chips if an import ban is implemented.

In seeking an import ban on certain iPhone models, Qualcomm is using the power of its patents to try to get leverage over Apple in licensing negotiations. Apple, which claims Qualcomm charges too much, has refused to pay anything for more than a year and has cost the chipmaker billions of dollars in profit.

The trade case is one of dozens around the world, with much of the focus on the U.S., Germany and China. On Monday, Qualcomm said a Chinese court issued a sales ban on certain Apple phones in the Asian nation.

Don Rosenberg, Qualcomms general counsel, said the company was pleased that the U.S. agency would review the judges recommendation.The commission was set up to protect U.S. markets from unfair trade practices, and its only power lies in the ability to prevent products from entering American borders. Typically, if it finds an importer is infringing a U.S. patent, it issues a ban. In rare instances, it has said the public interest is more important than the patent rights and the trade judge in this case recommended just such a finding.

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The key issue is the competition between America and China when it comes to 5G. Even if the commission issues an import ban in its final decision, it could be vetoed by President Donald Trumps administration, which cited security concerns linked to China and 5G development in nixing a hostile takeover bid of Qualcomm by Broadcom Inc.

It is obvious that the issue of national security should be a matter of pre-eminent importance in this investigation, especially when 5G development, innovation, control, and dominance will so dramatically affect competitive conditions in the U.S. economy in the long run, ITC Judge Thomas Pender said in his September findings. If the commission does issue an exclusion order as Qualcomm requests, it will do so with the near certainty there will be real harm to the United States on a potentially very broad basis.

Pender found that the iPhones infringed one element of a Qualcomm patent, for a power saving technique, but not two patents for a power amplifier and for a graphics application. Each side asked the commission to review the portion of those findings that they lost.

Qualcomm makes the modem chips for older Apple phones and most other high-end mobile devices. It gets the bulk of its profits, however, from licensing its technology that underpins how the phones communicate.

The ban would affect the iPhone 7, iPhone 8 and iPhone X which contain Intel chips that work only on the AT&T and T-Mobile networks. Those models with Qualcomm chips can be used on any carrier network, while newer iPhones with Intel chips work on all networks.

Intel and Apple said that, without the ability to supply chips to its only customer, Intel is likely to exit the market altogether. Qualcomm said the judges unprecedented recommendation, would immunize Apple from any case brought before the trade agency.

The only other makers of premium baseband chipsets are Samsung Electronics Co. and Huawei Technologies Co., and both companies only supply chips for their own devices. Huawei has issues with claims its a national security threat and Samsung is unlikely to help out an arch rival, leaving Apple with a choice between Qualcomm and Intel.

The case has garnered attention from a broad spectrum of organizations -- conservative groups say an Apple victory would show disrespect to property rights, while one representing software application developers say a Qualcomm victory would harm competition.

The dispute has split the technology industry along the usual fault lines that formed a decade ago during the so-called smartphone wars. IP Europe, a group including Ericsson AB, Nokia Oyj and the French government-backed France Brevet, said Qualcomm makes substantial technical contributions to 4G and 5G standards, but Intel and Apple collectively make relatively few.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association, whose members include Google, Intel, Samsung and Nvidia Corp., said the trade case is part of Qualcomms effort to resume its effective monopoly over the baseband chipset market.

The case is In the Matter of Certain Mobile Electronic Devices, 337-1065, U.S. International Trade Commission (Washington).

(Updates with Qualcomm comment in sixth paragraph.)

--With assistance from Ian King and Mark Gurman.

To contact the reporter on this story: Susan Decker in Washington at sdecker1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jon Morgan at jmorgan97@bloomberg.net, Elizabeth Wasserman

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2018 Bloomberg L.P.
Its no secret that the majority of American workers are struggling to reach retirement savings goals.

A new study by professional services firm Aon found that two in three workers fall into that category.

Whats worse, more than 46 percent of workers were actually significantly below  which was measured as more than four times pay below  their savings targets. Another 20 percent fell into the two- to four-times below target category, while 15 percent were two times, or less, below their retirement goals.

On average, employees are contributing about 8 percent of their pay to retirement accounts. That compares with the 16 percent that Aon recommends workers put away in order to retire comfortably by the age of 67.

The median employee expects to be able to retire by the age of 70, according to Aon, but that may not be feasible for all workers.

For younger workers, the problem is even more pronounced as retirement benefits and pensions plans have decreased over time. While 73 percent of workers were eligible to receive a pension in 1996, only 8 percent could by 2017.

Additionally, medical costs  a big source of retirement spending  are projected to continue to increase over time. Overall, Aon found that the younger an employee is, the more they were likely to fall into the significantly below target category  including 55 percent of individuals in their 20s.

Industry can also influence a workers retirement readiness. Those in aerospace, energy and oil, for example, were more likely to be able to retire by the age of 67, compared with workers in food service, retail distribution and some hospitality professions  whose retirement target was 75 or older.

The Trump administration and conservative lawmakers have sought to help Americans save more for retirement, including a new effort to increase age contribution limits for individual retirement accounts (IRAs).

For 2019, the Internal Revenue Service raised contribution limits to $19,000, from $18,500, for 401(k) retirement plans. For IRAs, that number  which hadnt been raised since 2013  increased to $6,000 from $5,500.

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There are also ways older Americans (ages 50+) can increase savings through catch-up contributions  which allows for an extra $6,000 to be put into a 401(k).

The level of funding in an individuals IRA account could also help boost Social Security checks. According to a study by the Journal of Pension Economics & Finance, more than 34 percent of people who began taking benefits at the age of 66 had enough funds in their IRA to delay claiming Social Security for two years, while about 25 percent were capable of delaying for four additional years.

Delaying Social Security until the age of 70 could increase a retirees lifetime income stream by as much as 32 percent.

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U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Building







A message to corporate executives and their public-relations minders: One in a trillion may no longer be a reasonable guarantee of anonymity.



The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is confronting the difficult challenge of how to keep an eye on and sort through a fire hose of social media posts, which easily number more than a trillion every yearand only accelerating. Just weeks after Tesla founder Elon Musk tweeted in August that he had secured funding for a private buyout of the electric car maker, the commission said it was actively looking for an off-the-shelf tool to track posts.



The desired tool would provide emailed alerts to SEC staff based on keyword searches for relevant topics with the ability to monitor social media sites, including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Google+, and LinkedIn, according to the notice of solicitation. It would also check message boards and news sites.



Finding a solution appears to be a matter of urgency for the commission. Within a month, it awarded the contract to Talkwalker, a Luxembourg-based company that provides social-media monitoring solutions. Talkwalkers products, according to its website, can monitor potential issues with instant and predictive alerting and unique AI-Powered Sentiment. Except in this case, the regulator, rather than the regulated, will be the one monitoring potential issues.



SEC staff would train the tool on the online utterances of corporate executives to make sure they are complying with the array of statutes, rules, and guidance governing how and when public companies may release market-moving information. The Form 8-K and the SECs EDGAR filing system have clearly reached their limits amidst the countless new avenues through which corporate messaging reaches investors.



Musk in October settled charges brought by the SEC that his assurance on funding for the going-private transaction was fraudulent. That was not the first time a social-media post stirred the SEC to action: Back in 2012 Netflix CEO Reed Hastings posted on his personal Facebook page that Netflix had surpassed one billion hours of content streaming in a single month. Earlier that year, the company had announced the same metricat a substantially lower volumein a letter to shareholders filed as an exhibit to an 8-K.



In both cases, Wall Street considered the information released to be material, with both Teslas and Netflixs shares increasing markedly as the news hit the markets. Though the SEC ultimately passed on taking official action against Hastingshis statement on Facebook was truthful and broadly disseminatedit released an investigative report into Hastings post to provide guidelines for other companies and executives who might consider using social media to make potentially market-moving company announcements. The Hastings report represented the SECs official application of Regulation Fair Disclosure (Reg. FD) to the world of social media.



With the bid solicitation process complete, public company executives should assume that it is only a matter of time before the SEC is actively wielding a powerful tool that will be reviewing the content and dissemination of tweets and other social media posts, while assessing their overall compliance with Reg. FD, the Hastings Report, and the implications of the Musk settlement.



Musks tweet gave the SEC a set of facts that paved the way for it to make a definitive statement on what executives should not do on social media. With the new web-crawling tool on the horizon, executives must assume that, in the not too distant future, the SEC will actively search for and review all of their posts. This developing capacity raises the precarious question of how to implement policies and procedures that place restraints on people who are often not used to them; forcing CEOs and other corporate executives to submit to proper vetting by trained and empowered personnel is no easy task. That is especially true for social media, the power of which often derives from an immediacy and perceived intimacy that no Form 8-K can replicate.



But the consequences of the failure to develop these procedures are real: While Musks fast fingers cost him $20 million, the penalty for the next wayward tweet could be higher.







Before joining Buckley Sandler LLP as a partner, where he represents clients in securities and whistleblower matters, Thomas A. Sporkin spent 20 years with the SECs Enforcement Division, most recently as Chief of the Office of Market Intelligence. Ian Acker is an associate at Buckley Sandler where he assists clients in securities matters, government enforcement actions, and litigation.
Typical iterations of China sector exchange traded funds predominantly focused on Internet and technology stocks, but Global X has long offered sector ETFs targeting China's energy, financial services and industrial groups, among others.

The New York-based ETF issuer added to its China sector lineup in a big way Tuesday with the debuts of six funds.

What Happened

Global X now offers 11 China sector ETFs, each of which tracks an index from MSCI. Among the new ETFs are the the Global X MSCI Consumer Staples ETF (NYSE:CHIS) and the Global X MSCI China Health Care ETF (NYSE:CHIH).

CHIH enters a growing arena of China-specific health care ETFs and is the third such fund to come to market this year. The new ETF tracks the MSCI China Health Care 10/50 Index. Home to 35 stocks, CHIH allocates nearly three-quarters of its weight to pharmaceuticals companies and health care providers.

CHIS, the new China consumer staples ETF, follows the MSCI China Consumer Staples 10/50 Index and holds 24 stocks. China's consumer staples is not as expansive as the same sector in the U.S. as highlighted by just four industry groups being represented in the new CHIS.

Why It's Important

Global X, which already had a fund representing China technology and Internet stocks, also unveiled the Global X MSCI China Information Technology ETF (NYSE:CHIK), which tracks the MSCI China Information Technology 10/50 Index. That new ETF holds 34 stocks, over half of which are makers of electrical components or semiconductors.

The Global X MSCI China Communication Services ETF (NYSE: CHIC) is the first China-specific fund for that sector. Communication services officially debuted in the U.S. in September with the first domestic ETF dedicated to the sector launching last June. Software and hardware companies combine for about 85 percent of that new ETF's roster.

What's Next

Global X's new China sector ETFs span groups that, in the U.S., are usually viewed as conservative. The Global X MSCI China Real Estate ETF (NYSE:CHIR) and the Global X MSCI China Utilities ETF (NYSE:CHIU) round out Global X's new offerings.

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Each of the new ETFs carries annual fees of 0.65 percent, or $65 on a $10,000 investment.

Related Links:

New ESG ETFs

A Quartet Of New MLP ETFs

See more from Benzinga

 2018 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
WILMINGTON, Del., Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This holiday season, 30 children from 10 families in the First State are receiving warm clothing like coats, boots and hats, electronic games and toys, grocery gift cards, and many other items on their wish lists, thanks to Team Navient and the companys employee activity committee.



This year, Navient employees raised more than $12,000 through fundraising efforts like the popular dunk tank at the companys annual fall picnic event. In addition, employees raised money through the companys Jeans BeCause program, which gives participating employees a pass to dress casually in exchange for volunteer donations.

The raised funds will support a merry holiday season for many families served by Delawares Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families. The departments social workers collected a list of needs from the families, and Navient employees volunteered to fulfill their wish lists. The year-long effort culminates in a gift presentation to parents and caregivers.

Think of a Child First really helped my family out this year, especially my daughter who suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, said Shylanea, one mom served by the program who attended the gift presentation ceremony at Navients Newark office. This is our first year participating in the program and I know she will be really happy about the gifts.

This holiday season marks nine years of Navient participation in Think of a Child First program. The companys tradition of supporting area families during the holidays started in 2009 with the help of employee Judi Beamer.

Delawares Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families supports the needs of area families dealing with financial problems, medical issues, substance abuse and other challenges year-round. To learn more about services available to Delaware families in need, visit kids.delaware.gov.

Connect with @Navient on Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn and Medium .

Story continues

About Navient

Navient (NAVI) is a leading provider of asset management and business processing solutions for education, healthcare and government clients at the federal, state and local levels. The company helps its clients and millions of Americans achieve financial success through services and support. Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, Navient employs team members in western New York, northeastern Pennsylvania, Indiana, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin and other locations. Learn more at navient.com.

Contact:

Media: Brianna Huff, 302-283-2973, brianna.huff@navient.com

NAVICF
Tetra Tech, Inc. TTEK recently clinched a $23-million single-award contract from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Per the five-year USAID PRO-BOSQUES contract, Tetra Tech will support USAIDs work in improving forest management in Peru, apart from promoting private sector engagement in the sector.

Notably, Tetra Tech will be responsible for providing technical services for the development and implementation of monitoring tools like electronic timber tracking system. This will help in tracking the movement of timber throughout the value chain, which will eventually allow prevention of illegal logging practices and forest degradation.

The company will also work on promoting the private sector participation in the countrys forest sector through enhanced business practices apart from encouraging the involvement of forest-dependent communities. Notably, the companys support services will help in restoring Perus forest biodiversity.

Existing Business Scenario

Tetra Tech is bullish about its growth prospects across all four client sectors, namely, U.S. federal, U.S. state and local, the U.S. commercial work and finally international. Based on the growth rate forecast for both the U.S. federal and the U.S. state local markets, the company expects federal work to comprise almost a third of its business, while work for U.S. state and local clients is expected to grow 5%. Such positive industry trends are likely to act as catalysts for the companys over the long run.

Moreover, in a bid to maximize growth prospects, the company is currently focusing on high-end consulting and engineering services that is helping it promote its high value and high margin business, thus differentiating it from peers.

On a year-to-date basis, this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company has returned 13.8%, significantly outperforming the industrys growth of 2.9%.

However, fluctuations in mining and energy markets as well as escalating costs are a major cause of concern for Tetra Tech.

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Key Picks

Some better-ranked stocks from the same space are DXP Enterprises, Inc. DXPE, Harsco Corporation HSC and Enersys ENS. While DXP Enterprises and Harsco sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Enersys carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

DXP Enterprises exceeded estimates thrice in the preceding four quarters, the average positive earnings surprise being 112.62%.

Harsco outpaced estimates in each of the preceding four quarters, the average earnings surprise being 13.58%.

Enersys surpassed estimates thrice in the trailing four quarters, the average positive earnings surprise being 2.83%.

The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All

Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early.

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Embattled prime minister Theresa May arrives at the European Council summit in Brussels (Reuters)

The political crisis over the Brexit deal looks set to continue over Christmas after the prime minister played down hopes of securing a quick fix during crunch talks with European leaders today.

Theresa May survived a vote of confidence on Wednesday by promising Conservative MPs to deliver legal and political assurances that the UK could not be trapped in the Irish border backstop.

Arriving at the Brussels summit, May said she had heard loud and clear the concerns of MPs over the backstop and would tell her continental counterparts what we need to get this deal over the line.

Im going to be addressing the European Council later and Ill be showing the legal and political assurances that I believe we need to assuage the concerns that MPs have on this issue, she said.

I recognise the strength of feeling in the House of Commons and thats what I will be putting to colleagues today.

READ MORE: EU want to give Theresa May a helping hand to end Brexit crisis

But she admitted that she did not expect an immediate breakthrough on the issue, adding: What I do hope is that we can start to work as quickly as possible on the assurances that are necessary.

Mays address to leaders in Brussels looks set to be the start of new talks over what assurances can be given to MPs over the backstop.

One senior EU source predicted the process would conclude with another special EU leaders summit in January when written assurances would be given ahead of the postponed meaningful vote.

Mays effort to manage the expectations of her party and the public came as EU leaders suggested it might not be possible on her vow to deliver legal assurances.

Finnish prime minister Juha Sipila told reporters: Legally binding will be a little bit difficult but anyway I think that we all want to help.

Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte also called a legal assurance difficult and said leaders would instead today seek to demystify the backstop.

Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar, who met one-to-one with May, said she had put new ideas on the table. Some of the suggestions she made sense, others I thought were difficult, he said.

Story continues

Asked whether he was willing to risk a no deal Brexit by refusing to bend over the backstop, he pointed out it was within the gift of the UK to take no deal off the table.

Its possible, if the UK wishes, to revoke Article 50, or if thats a step too far, to seek an extension of Article so that the UK parliament has more time to come together and decide what they would like the outcome to be, he said.

After greeting May to the summit with three kisses, Luxembourg prime minister Xavier Bettel told her we are ready to help. But on the backstop he told reporters: We can speak about interpretations but I dont want to change the deal we worked on for the last two years.

Asked whether he would prefer the UK to remain in the EU, Bettel pointed to the pin badge of crossed EU and UK flags on his chest and said: Look what Im wearing, I still believe.

I would prefer a second referendum than no deal, he added.

European leaders are likely to publish a joint statement from the summit clarifying that it is not their intention to use the backstop, but May is seeking a legally binding document.

While the prime minister faces a challenge in fulfilling her pledges to MPs over the backstop, she has confirmed she will honour a commitment to stand down before the next scheduled election in 2022.

READ MORE: Juncker warns May there is no room whatsoever to change Brexit deal

She said: In my heart I would love to be able to lead the Conservative party into the next general election but I think it is right that the party feels it would prefer to go into that election with a new leader.

Asked whether she would step down after Brexit, she replied: People try to talk about dates but what Im clear about is the next general election is in 2022 and its right that another party leader takes us into that general election.

My focus now is on ensuring I can get those assurances that we need to get this deal over the line because I genuinely believe its in the best interest of both sides.

The Dutch prime minister said he had the highest admiration for May winning Wednesdays vote of confidence and paid tribute to the tenacity and resilience she had shown over Brexit.

May is not the only leader present whose domestic power is waning. German chancellor Angela Merkel will step down shortly, French president Emmanuel Macron and Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki are facing no confidence votes and the Belgian prime minister is now leading a minority government.




Bank recognized by Oregons business community for fourteenth year in a row

PORTLAND, Ore., Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Umpqua Bank, a subsidiary of Umpqua Holdings Corporation (UMPQ), has been named Oregon's Most Admired Financial Services Company by the Portland Business Journal. Umpqua, which celebrates its 65th anniversary in 2018, has received the recognition every year since the award was introduced 14 years ago.



"Being recognized once again as a Most Admired Company by the outstanding leaders and companies of our great state is a real honor, and something were extremely proud of, said Cort OHaver, Umpqua Bank president and CEO. This award is first and foremost a testament to the passion and dedication of our 4,000 associates and reflects Umpquas continued commitment to the people, businesses and communities we serve.

Each year, the Portland Business Journal conducts a statewide poll of CEOs and top executives across the state to determine Oregons Most Admired Companies in several industry categories. Those polled select winners based on criteria including community involvement, innovation, quality of management, quality of products and services, and branding and marketingareas in which Umpqua marked important developments in 2018.

2018 Umpqua Bank Highlights:

Umpqua Bank and the Umpqua Bank Charitable Foundation awarded $2.1 million in funding to nonprofits committed to enhancing the quality of life in communities across the companys footprint.





In September, Umpqua associates marked 500,000 in paid volunteer hours through the banks Connect Volunteer Program , representing a $12.5 million investment to support thousands of community nonprofits since the program was formed in 2004.





Umpqua launched Umpqua Go-To, the industrys first Human Digital Banking platform, which leverages technology to give every Umpqua customer the choice of a personal banker devoted to their financial needs regardless of account balance size.





Tory Nixon was named Umpquas first chief banking officer to advance Umpquas Human Digital Banking strategy and to ensure a more seamless and integrated customer experience across all customer-facing divisions of the bank.





Umpqua hired Kathe Anchel as director of innovation . Anchel is helping to build a world class innovation team to rapidly evolve Umpqua Go-To and build strategic partnerships that develop other innovations for associates and customers.





Umpqua launched a digitally-responsive website to support enhanced online and mobile banking solutions for consumers and businesses. The bank also partnered with Swift, a highly-regarded Portland-based creative agency, to bring customer service and marketing capabilities into the digital age and in a way that understands money is central to peoples lives.

Oregon's Most Admired Companies is an annual event held by the Portland Business Journal. Hosted by publisher Craig Wessel, the event is one of the publication's business programs created to recognize the state's leading organizations. To see the complete list of Oregon's Most Admired Companies, visit www.bizjournals.com/portland .



About Umpqua Bank

Umpqua Bank , headquartered in Roseburg, Ore., is a subsidiary of Umpqua Holdings Corporation, and has locations across Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California and Nevada. Umpqua Bank has been recognized for its innovative customer experience and banking strategy by national publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, BusinessWeek, Fast Company and CNBC. The company has been recognized for eight years in a row on FORTUNE magazine's list of the country's "100 Best Companies to Work For," and was recently named by The Portland Business Journal the Most Admired Financial Services Company in Oregon for the fourteenth consecutive year. In addition to its retail banking presence, Umpqua Bank also owns Financial Pacific Leasing, Inc., a nationally recognized commercial finance company that provides equipment leases to businesses. A subsidiary of Umpqua Holdings Corporation, Umpqua Investments, Inc ., provides retail brokerage and investment advisory services in offices throughout Washington, Oregon, and California.

Media Contact:

Kurt Heath

(503) 219-6124

KurtHeath@UmpquaBank.com
A Boulder County man is facing more than two dozen charges for breaking into residence halls on the CU Boulder campus this fall and stealing w
Reporter

Stephanie Earls is a news reporter and columnist at The Gazette. Before moving to Colorado Springs in 2012, she worked for newspapers in upstate NY, WA, OR and at her hometown weekly in Berkeley Springs, WV, where she got her start in journalism.
The record for the number of candidates aspiring to be commander in chief is likely to be shattered.
Former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, a Denver Democrat, on Thursday filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission concerning a campaign for U.S. Senate.

But a Romanoff representative said the filing is an update of previous information concerning a campaign committee dating from Romanoff's unsuccessful 2010 Senate bid and not specifically related to a 2020 challenge to Republican Sen. Cory Gardner.

The filing comes as speculation has ramped up in recent weeks that Romanoff would mount a challenge to Gardner, consider by some to be the most vulnerable GOP incumbent senator up for election in 2020.

Democratic operatives tell Colorado Politics that Romanoff and his representatives have been contacting potential supporters and operatives ahead of an anticipated announcement of a campaign.

Romanoff is the president and CEO of Mental Health Colorado, a nonprofit advocacy organization.

The 52-year-old former lawmaker lost a primary against U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet in 2010 and fell short in a bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman, an Aurora Republican, in 2014.

Romanoff raised more than $5 million for his congressional campaign, out-raising Coffman in what was one of the most hotly contested and expensive races in the country that year.

According to the most recent filing with the Federal Election Commission by Romanoff's still-active campaign committee, he has a negative balance of $66.70 after zeroing out the account earlier this year and then paying some bank charges this summer.

Gardner, who defeated Democratic incumbent Mark Udall by 2 percentage points in 2014, is the only Republican incumbent whose Senate seat is labeled a toss-up ahead of 2020 by election forecasting site Sabato's Crystal Ball.

A poll released this week by ProgressNow Colorado showed Gardner trailing an unnamed Democratic challenger by 6 percentage points.

Other Democrats have been circling Gardner for what could be Colorado's marquee race in two years, including U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, former state Sen. Mike Johnston, outgoing House Speaker Crisanta Duran, former U.S. attorney for Colorado John Walsh, former Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett and outgoing state Rep. Joe Salazar.

Term-limited Gov. John Hickenlooper is also said to be a potential Gardner challenger, though he's been flirting lately with a run for president and has formed a federal exploratory committee for that race.

According to Gardner's most recent FEC filing, his campaign has raised $1.8 million through the end of September and had $1 million on hand.

Democrats already running for Gardner's seat include Lorena Garcia, the executive director of Colorado Statewide Parent Coalition, who announced her bid last month, and activist James Blanton and pharmacist Dustin John Leitzel, both of Denver, who filed statements of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission last year. Scientist Trish Zornio last year formed an exploratory committee to weigh a run.

CLARIFICATION: An earlier version of this story said that Romanoff's filing Thursday was specifically in relation to a run for U.S. Senate in 2020. But a representative of Romanoff said Thursday's FEC filing was an update to previously filed paperwork regarding an existing Romanoff Senate campaign committee and was not intended to launch a new campaign for Senate.
Authorities are looking for the person responsible for making a bomb threat made against Columbine High School Thursday, leading to security p
Editor's note: The title of this story previously said the men plead guilty to poaching elk and pronghorn. This has been changed to reflect that the animals kill were deer and pronghorn.

Two Florida men have pleaded guilty to poaching at least three mule deer and six pronghorn in Elbert and Lincoln counties, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said.

Timothy Daper, 31, was arrested in March when Parks and Wildlife officials found DNA evidence in his truck that they confiscated from the Colorado Springs Airport parking lot, a news release said.

He pleaded guilty in October to illegal possession of three or more big game animals. Draper forfeited all weapons and equipment used in the killing of the animals.

Lawrence Cowart, 29, was taken into custody about the same time when authorities found evidence of poaching in his Limon apartment.

The men, both from Bunnell, Fla., surrendered the trophy heads of the illegally harvested deer and pronghorn, according to the news release.

As the agency responsible for perpetuating the wildlife resources of the state, Colorado Parks and Wildlife will not tolerate poaching, said Frank McGee, Parks and Wildlifes Area Wildlife Manager for the Pikes Peak region. These men are not hunters by any definition. In the eyes of CPW, and the law, they are criminals who were engaged in illegal killing of wildlife.

McGee said more arrests and misdemeanor citations are expected as the investigation continues.

The information that led to the arrest came from an anonymous tip from the public.

We have a limited staff. Its critical we get help from the public to stop crimes against wildlife, McGee said. This is a great example that when people call, we respond.

Anyone who has information about a possible wildlife crime is encouraged to call the operation game thief by calling, toll free, 1-877-265-6648. Verizon cellphone users can dial #OGT. Or send an email to CPW at game.thief@state.co.us.

A $500 reward is offered for information on cases involving big game or endangered species. A $250 reward is offered for information on turkey and $100 for fishing and small game cases.

Rewards are paid for information that leads to an arrest or a citation being issued.

Twitter: @lizmforster Phone: 636-0193
In solving the growing problem of homelessness, the public should welcome and support innovative ideas to get people off the street.
Selbyville, Delaware, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --



The soft exoskeletons market is poised to grow from its current value of USD 765 thousand to over USD 3900 thousand by 2025; according to a new research report by Global Market Insights, Inc. Increasing disabilities among people along with the growing number of accidents leading to immobility will drive the market share. Technological advancements including the introduction of lightweight materials for suit construction along with lean manufacturing processes for lowering weight and suit costs will further support the industry expansion through 2025.

Upper and lower body soft exoskeletons market share was valued at over USD 700 thousand in 2018 and is expected to hold dominance through the forecast period. Increasing cases of spinal cord injuries and neurological disorders across the globe are among the prominent factors that will drive the segment growth.

Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/3031

High number of injuries associated with manufacturing and construction industries will support proliferation of soft exoskeletons market share from 2019 to 2025. According to Harvard University, over half a million workers are injured in industrial-related jobs resulting in direct costs of over USD 13.8 billion. Moreover, the integration with existing personal protective equipment for mitigating major injury risks and improving productivity are expanding the segment share over the projected timeframe.

Designing and distribution aspects related to the exosuits depend on the availability of companys funds, technical expertise and are closely monitored by regulatory authorities. Moreover, extensive testing of these products is conducted prior to commercialization owing to product malfunctioning resulting in major damages. Compliance to multiple standards are necessary for marketing these products, particularly in the healthcare sector. This will inadvertently boost the consumer confidence in the products thereby augment the soft exoskeletons market size over the forecast timeframe.

Based on product, full body soft exoskeletons market share is expected to witness highest growth over the forecast timeframe. Benefits offered by these systems include the ability to wear underneath clothing, full body protection and support along with availability of wide range of alternatives. Lower cost of these suits compared to the rigid exosuits along with light weight and availability across several sizes will support the industry proliferation through 2025.

Browse key industry insights spread across 200 pages with 234 market data tables & 12 figures & charts from the report, Soft Exoskeleton market Size, By Product (Full Body, Upper & Lower Body), By Application (Industrial, Military, Healthcare) Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia, Japan, China, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, MEA), Application Potential, Price Trend, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2019  2025 in detail along with the table of contents:

https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/soft-exoskeleton-market

Healthcare application segment will hold dominant soft exoskeletons market share through the forecast period. Rehabilitation of patients coupled with the augmentation of medical devices are responsible for the lucrative segment growth. The system enables effective performance in exercise repetitions of patients in equal amount of time. Its application in aiding mobility strengthening individual joints, spinal cord injuries, paralysis, strokes and geriatric rehabilitation, muscle activations, gloves and others will present strong growth opportunities.

Military soft exoskeletons market size will witness highest growth owing to considerable requirements of supporting equipment for the armed forces. Decreasing metabolic cost of movement and mobility assistance to the leg muscles are among their key advantages. Running assistance leverages the users endurance that provide significant gain in efficiency, thereby positively influence the product adoption through the forecast time period.

Asia Pacific soft exoskeletons market share will witness a significant growth owing to continuous investments by industry participants to expand their reach and offer a wide range of products for their customers. For instance, in March 2018, Rewalk Robotics and Timwell Corporation Limited announced an investment of around USD 20 million for expanding its presence across the Chinese marketplace. The investment will further enable the company to launch its Restore soft suit exoskeleton portfolio in the country, contributing significantly toward the industry expansion over the forecast timeframe.

Major industry participants in the soft exoskeletons market place include ReWalk Robotics, Ekso Bionics, Daiya Industry, Roam Robotics, SRI International, and Bioservo Technologies AB. Partnerships and joint ventures are among the prominent strategies adopted by the industry participants to develop new products and increase their market share.

Make an Inquiry for purchasing this report @ https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/3031





Browse Related Reports:

Exoskeleton Market Size By Product (Stationary, Mobile), By Application (Industrial [Full Body, Upper Body, Lower Body], Military [Full Body, Upper Body, Lower Body], Healthcare [Full Body, Upper Body, Lower Body]), By Technology (Passive, Semi-Passive, Active) Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, Germany, France, UK, Russia, Japan, China, Australia, Singapore, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, MEA), Application Development, Competitive Landscape & Forecast, 2019  2026

https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/exoskeleton-market

Fitness Equipment Market Size By Equipment (Cardiovascular [Elliptical Machines, Treadmills, Exercise Bikes, Climbers], Strength Training [Weight-Lifting Equipment, Weights, Barbells & Ladders, Extension Machines, Power Racks]), By End-Use (Home, Health Clubs, Office, Hotel), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, France, Italy, France, Spain, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, UAE, South Africa), Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2018 - 2024

https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/fitness-equipment-market-report





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.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MGX Minerals Inc. (MGX or the Company) ( CSE: XMG / FKT: 1MG / OTCQB: MGXMF ) is pleased to announce that joint venture partner Chilean Lithium Salars (CLS) is drilling at the Francisco Basin Project (the Project) located 30 kilometres south of the Salar de Maricunga.

The 5-hole program was designed to target the brine aquifer that extends from the Northern Lagoon, where samples in May of 2018 averaged 694mg/L Lithium. ( see press release dated September 27, 2018 ). The drill program is testing lithium mineralization to a depth of up to 300 meters as well as the lateral extent of lithium mineralization.

The 1st hole is located in the center of where the salt lagoon anomaly encountered very high pressure of fresh water and was shut down at 20 meters.

The 2nd hole is located on the western edge of the anomaly (see Figure 2 showing drilling approximate location in red). It has successfully drilled and cased through the fresh water and is now advancing towards a depth of 110 meters where expected to encounter brine as predicted by the electro-magnetic survey.

The Project lease area comprises 12,900 hectares. An electromagnetic geophysical survey was completed in April 2018 and results indicated strong potential for the presence of two highly conductive brines zones where significant thickness and horizontal coverage may exist.

Rapid Lithium Brine Extraction Technology

MGX has developed a rapid lithium extraction technology eliminating or greatly reducing the physical footprint and investment in large, multi-phase, lake sized, lined evaporation ponds, as well as enhancing the quality of extraction and recovery across a complex range of brines as compared with traditional solar evaporation. MGX is prepared to mobilize a rapid lithium extraction system to the Francisco Basin.

Francisco Basin

The Francisco Basin Salar resides within a large, fault-bound, alluvium-filled basin to the immediate south of the Copiapo Volcano. The basin is closed, drains a large area and the Salar appears to be the lowest point within the drainage. The rocks in the drainage surrounding this salar are dominantly volcanic, ranging in age from Eocene to Miocene, juxtaposed with some older rocks. To the west is a Cretaceous sedimentary sequence separated from the volcanic rocks of the Francisco Basin area by the Cerro Guerrita Fault. To the east, an older Oligocene to Miocene volcanic sequence is overlain by the Copiapo volcanic rocks. The Francisco Basin alluvial basin sits at the junction of three catchments. These river systems presumably provide the fill for the basin and are in part, along with the limits of the Salar, structurally controlled. The alluvial fill may be covering post-Copiapo aged faulting.

About MGXs Chilean Lithium Joint Venture

MGX is earning a 50% interest in CLS, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chilean Lithium Salars Holdings Ltd. (CLSH). CLSH holds a 100% interest in three prospective lithium exploration projects located in Chile, including the Francisco Basin, Laguna Brava and Laguna Escondida projects. To acquire an undivided 50% interest in CLS, MGX has agreed to make Option Payments totaling US$1.5 million, incur exploration expenditures totaling US$2 million, and complete an NI 43-101 resource estimate on at least one of the Projects within 20 months. MGX is acting as project operator and has appointed Mr. Aldo Boitano, current project manager for CLS, as to oversee the project and work alongside Kura Minerals. MGX maintains the right to participate as a service provider of the engineering, construction and/or procurement of a brine processing plant using its rapid lithium extraction technology.

About Kura Minerals

MGX is represented by Kura Minerals in Chile and led by MGXs President of South America Operations Francisco Acuna (P. Eng.). Kura Minerals is a leading mining consulting firm with a network extending throughout South America. Additional Kura personnel and consultants include Erich Schnake, former Chilean Mining Ministry Undersecretary, Alvaro Florez (LL.B) and Thomas Eggers.

About MGX Minerals Inc.

MGX Minerals is a diversified Canadian resource and technology company with interests in global advanced material, energy and water assets.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.



Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "potentially" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by the Company is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking information as a result of various factors. The reader is referred to the Company's public filings for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects which may be accessed through the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com .

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5607caac-4f86-4def-b0e2-e0b8e2d79a9e

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/04eeeae7-7121-4567-b170-d4438a2cb2fa

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ae0ea6cc-662e-4047-845b-db22af491fda
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As Canadian policymakers grapple with a potential national pharmacare program, we should learn from the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand where publicly-funded pharmacare schemes have resulted in reduced access to new drugs for patients, drug shortages, higher taxes and less pharmaceutical innovation, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.



Government-run pharmacare programs in countries such as the U.K., Australia and New Zealand have produced unintended consequences for patients, so Canadians should be aware of the risks as policymakers here pursue potential reforms, said Kristina Acri, professor of economics at Colorado College, Fraser Institute senior fellow and author of The Unintended Consequences of National Pharmacare Programs in Australia, New Zealand and the UK .

The study finds that government-run pharmacare programs in all three countries employ similar strategies to contain costs, which can result in the following:

Patients have reduced access to new drugs, as pharmaceutical companies delay or even withhold new drugs (in certain markets) if the price regulated by government is too low.

Potential drug shortages, as government-funded pharmacare programs tend to favour single suppliers, leaving patients vulnerable to shortages if the sole supplier runs out.

Higher taxes, as previous research estimates government-run pharmacare in Canada would cost taxpayers up to $13 billion per year.

Less pharmaceutical innovation in Canada, because when government mandates lower prices, theres less incentive for pharmaceutical companies to invest in research and development to create new life-saving drugs.

Any new national drug plan should put the interests of patients first and not limit access to drugs or stifle the innovation that drives new treatments and cures, Acri said.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Kristina Acri, Senior Fellow

Fraser Institute

To arrange media interviews or for more information, please contact:

Bryn Weese, Senior Media Relations Specialist, Fraser Institute

(604) 688-0221 Ext. 589

bryn.weese@fraserinstitute.org

Follow the Fraser Institute on Twitter and Facebook
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles and Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia (SSFF & Asia) have partnered to showcase Short Shorts Film Festival in Hollywood on January 17, 2019. The free one-day film festival will bring together premier film talent from Japan, including Cannes Film Festival judge Naomi Kawase and actor and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) member Tetsuya Bessho, at the historic TCL Chinese 6 Theatres. The two-part program aims to bring a sense of intrigue and cultural discovery to festival attendees through the art of short contemporary visual storytelling.



The festival opens with Master Class with Naomi Kawase: The Possibilities of Film, as celebrated Japanese female director Naomi Kawase presents her unique insight on the future of film and explores the short film format, followed by a discussion with Akira Mizuta Lippit, the Vice Dean and Professor of School of Cinematic Arts and Division of Cinema and Media Studies at the University of Southern California. This special program offers a rare classroom-like environment in a theatre, as it invites the audience to participate in a live dialogue with the director and is also set as the U.S. premier of her film Parallel World (2017).

The Short Shorts Film Festival in Hollywood film screening will follow as it features the U.S. premier of Daishi Matsunagas Canaria (2018); Benjamins Last Day at Katong Swimming Complex (2017) by Yee Wei Chai, 2018 SSFF & Asias Grand Prix George Lucas Award winner; Lies (2015) by Naomi Kawase; and The Human Face (2017) by Aline Pimentel, multiple award-winning short documentary about Kazuhiro Tsuji, the first person of Japanese and Asian descent to win the Makeup and Hairstyling Oscar at the 2018 Academy Awards and starring film director Guillermo Del Toro, Oscar-winning artist Kazuhiro Tsuji, actor Gary Oldman, and artist Chet Zar. The program will be accompanied by introductions made by special guests representing respective films.

SSFA & Asia has grown exponentially since it was established to promote short films to the Japanese audience in 1999. The festival first debuted outside of Asia in Hollywood in 2002, and JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles is pleased to bring this festival back with its founder, Tetsuya Bessho, to provide an interactive platform to share Japanese culture through the form of short films.

2019 SHORT SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL PROGRAM

Master Class with Naomi Kawase: The Possibilities of Film

1:00  2:30 p.m. | TCL Chinese 6 Theatres | Hollywood & Highland, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Level 3

Short Shorts Film Festival in Hollywood

6:30  8:00 p.m. | TCL Chinese 6 Theatres | Hollywood & Highland, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Level 3

Canaria (2018) by Daishi Matsunaga

Benjamins Last Day at Katong Swimming Complex (2017) by Yee-Wei Chai

The Human Face (2017) by Aline Pimentel

Lies (2015) by Naomi Kawase

Free admission. Reserve tickets at www.japanhousela.com

ABOUT JAPAN HOUSE

JAPAN HOUSE is an innovative, worldwide project with three hubs  London, Los Angeles, and Sao Paulo  conceived by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Kenya Hara is Chief Creative Director for the project, which seeks to nurture a deeper understanding and appreciation of Japan in the international community. JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles occupies two floors at Hollywood & Highland, with the 2nd floor featuring a gallery space and shop. The 5th floor hosts a Japanese restaurant, relaxing library, and event space, along with spectacular views of Hollywood and Downtown Los Angeles. The 2nd floor has been open since December 2017, and with the completion of the 5th floor, JAPAN HOUSE celebrated its grand opening in August 2018, offering the public a place of new discovery that transcends the physical and conceptual boundaries creating experiences that reflect the best of Japan.

Location: 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028

Website: www.japanhouse.jp/losangeles

ABOUT SHORT SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL & ASIA

Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia was founded in 1999 by actor and director Tetsuya Bessho, with the aim of introducing Japanese audiences to short films. In 2004 it became an Academy of Motion Picture Art and Sciences-accredited festival. The festival has received over 10,000 short film submissions from over 130 countries since inception, and has attracted 400,000 participants the last 20 years. For more information, visit http://shortshorts.org/20th/en/index.html .

Media Contact

Nerissa Silao | 310-874-9230 | nerissas@ca.rr.com

Lisa Nakanouchi | 323-904-9298 | lnakanouchi@japanhousela.com




Monthly USDA data suggests that the U.S. dairy cow herd is shrinking. Thats a good thing when it comes to supply-demand balance and the impact on milk prices.

The estimated U.S. inventory for both September and October was at least 30,000 head below year ago levels, the first time consecutive months have been down that much since the summer of 2010.

It has been noted in this column and elsewhere that milk supplies need to come into better balance with current demand in order for prices to show significant recovery. While these recent developments are an encouraging sign for future milk prices, further inventory reductions or large gains in demand are still needed to return most U.S. dairy operations to profitability.

The all-important watch list

A handful of states will be important to watch in the coming months to determine the extent of supply reductions. Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, and Texas are the only states in the monthly survey that have expanded cow numbers for every two-year period from 2009 to 2017. In fact, these states have grown milk cow numbers a total of 309,000 head since 2009, compared to a drop of 120,000 head for all other states combined. These six states have accounted for 17.8 percent of dairy cow numbers this year relative to just 14.8 percent in 2009.

Bucking trends

While it is not unusual for herd expansions and contractions to occur at different rates in different parts of the country, the duration to which these states have continued to expand or maintain cow numbers throughout a period that has included significant financial challenges is noteworthy.

Even during the last 12 months as the national herd has peaked and began contraction, Kansas and Texas cow numbers have each failed to decline from the previous month even once, adding a total of 33,000 cows. Only Idaho, Iowa, and Utah can also claim to show no monthly declines in the past year, but their combined herd additions have only amounted to 11,000 cows.

Of course, no one in the dairy industry likes to see contraction, and boosting demand would be the best option to strengthen prices. But until that jump in demand occurs, more supply cuts are needed. And it will be tough to accumulate a substantial national herd reduction as long as a handful of key dairy inventory states continue growing.

To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com.

(c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2018

December 10, 2018
The legislature convenes next month, and so Shiny Balloon Season is nearly upon us.

As any first-year law school student knows, shiny balloons are pretty but insubstantial things floated to distract scrutiny from things that actually matter. This time, the new governors push for a progressive income tax threatens to be a giant shiny balloon inflated to draw attention from the states inability to accomplish stuff worth accomplishing and that might, finally, be within reach, if the General Assembly  and yes, that means you, Democrats  would grow a pair.

We have the second-highest property taxes in the nation, sales taxes arent far behind and lawmakers keep passing unbalanced budgets. Meanwhile, people are stampeding for other states, saddling fewer and fewer taxpayers with bigger and bigger fiscal messes, not the least of which is an unfunded pension obligation thats something north of $130 billion.

We have, according to any number of think tanks across the political spectrum, a horrible tax system. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a liberal-leaning group that likes progressive income taxes, says that Illinois has the eighth-most regressive tax system in America. To be sure, a progressive income tax seems fairer than the flat tax rate enshrined in the state constitution. But, being in the constitution, the flat tax isnt easy to eliminate.

First, three-fifths of the legislature must agree to put it to a public vote. Thats not so huge a hump now as before Democrats added to majorities in the General Assembly, but it is still a hump  Democrats who want a progressive tax can afford three defections in the House and four in the Senate. Then voters must approve, which would, likely, be a bigger hump, particularly since the governor-elect and his allies havent said what rates folks of any given income level would pay, and dont hold your breath waiting for such details. Trust politicians who got us into this pickle to find Jesus and tell us what were really voting for? Thats not so much a hump as a Hail Mary, and there will be no shortage of well-financed fear mongers to fill in blanks, truthfully or otherwise, that lawmakers leave. Theres also the matter of legislators who want to keep their jobs appearing on the 2020 ballot at the same time as a tax overhaul proposal. Woo hoo.

Assuming that the General Assembly puts the question on the ballot and voters approve, legislators couldnt enact a progressive tax system until 2021, with the first tax bills arriving in 2022. And thats if everything moves at legislative light speed. Would anyone be surprised if J.B. Pritzker and lawmakers, assuming voters OKd a constitutional amendment, delayed an overhaul so that the first bills didnt go out until 2023, when the governor and lawmakers wouldnt be on the ballot? Or if everything fell apart and nothing changed?



While we wait and see, were stuck with a horrendous tax code that could be made much better much sooner, and it isnt complicated stuff. We dont tax services. We dont tax retirement income, no matter how much retirees make. We tax everyone and everything else to the breaking point, unless youre Sears or some other corporation that has the means to chisel out special deals while the states fiscal hole remains just that.

Making things better isnt complicated, but it does require a certain, even teensy, amount of courage and honesty thats hard to find at the Capitol. Regardless of political persuasions, economists agree that the best tax systems spread the burden as much as possible, with low rates and lots of folks paying. Thats both fair and prudent. If tax revenue from one sector of the economy tanks, another can pick up the slack. In Illinois, if tax revenue slumps, we go back to the same wells. Ask shoppers at Legacy Pointe who are facing the highest sales taxes in the state.

If we taxed services and retirement income above $50,000, we could reduce rates, both for sales and income taxes, assuming Democrats renounce tax-and-spend traditions. Lowering rates would help sell a progressive tax at the ballot box. And, even if voters reject a progressive tax, wed still be better off.



You gotta dance with the partner youve got, and, in this case, the partner is a flat tax. Bruce Rauner blew it by being Bruce Rauner, holding his breath, waiting for a dance partner, until the state turned blue, and just when the GOP had an opening. If hed been just a little less ideological, Rauner would be picking out a new suit for his second inauguration. Pritzker would do well to remember that.

A progressive-tax-or-bust way of thinking is reminiscent of the landmark pension bill of 2013, which passed just in time to sideline pension issues for the 2014 election. The pension fix proved phony as the state Supreme Court after the election pointed out what any sixth-grader could understand: What part of the constitutions ban on reducing pension benefits dont you understand?

Pritzker has made a lot of promises, and promises cost money. He needs to come up with a way to pay for them other than betting on a progressive tax that may or may not happen.



Contact Bruce Rushton at brushton@illinoistimes.com.
Victims of domestic or sexual violence often dont reach out for help or report incidents to law enforcement. For deaf women, the barriers are even greater. Deaf Wings is an initiative of the Jacksonville Area Center for Independent Living (JACIL) designed to help women deal with the violence they have experienced. Deaf Wings is like the transformation of a caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly  changing and becoming free.

Barriers to reporting include shame, guilt, embarrassment, confidentiality concerns, fear of being judged and not being believed. Imagine the extra difficulties for a deaf person. To whom can she tell her story? Is an interpreter available in an emergency situation at a shelter or hospital? Who will be her voice to communicate with law enforcement? How does she know if the information is conveyed accurately? Who will be her advocate?



According to a report by the VERA Institute of Justice, deaf women in the U.S. experience higher rates of domestic and/or sexual violence, and survivors face barriers to services and support systems. From 911 systems that only take phone-based calls, to domestic violence programs and rape crisis centers that do not provide bilingual and bicultural services in American Sign Language (ASL), to prosecutors who question the credibility of deaf witnesses, the services and systems designed to respond to domestic and sexual violence are not equipped to meet the unique language and cultural needs of the deaf community.



Deaf Wings is funded through a grant from the Women for Women fund of the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln (CFLL). Becky McGinnis, executive director of JACIL, saw a notice about the grant opportunity and asked her staff for ideas. The issue of domestic violence in the deaf community emerged as a priority. McGinnis contacted Brandie Belford, former executive secretary for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission for the state of Illinois. Belford pulled in Morgan Grant, and both are now part-time employees of JACIL, helping to implement Deaf Wings.

Deborah Berman and Peggy Ryder are members of the Women for Women grant committee. They were both extremely impressed with the women who made the case for this project. The grants committee was persuaded of the need, and it seemed granting the request would truly make a difference in the lives of deaf people, mostly women, in the larger area of the Land of Lincoln. Jacksonville is known for its support of the deaf community, and many people from the greater surrounding area make use of these services, said Berman.

Deaf Wings involves three strategies. Volunteers will be certified as Deaf Domestic Violence Advocates and work directly with victims. American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters will receive training in trauma-informed interpreting. Outreach efforts to personnel in law enforcement and the judicial system will focus on increasing sensitivity to the unique characteristics of domestic violence among the deaf population.

Belford and Grant are both deaf and are victims and survivors. They want to help deaf women who have been victimized and prevent people from going through what they have experienced. Belford and Grant developed the Deaf Wings logo with the butterfly image.

Belford says women who are abused are already damaged. They need someone with compassion who also understands their rights. You are picky about who you share your guts with, says Belford. She was 14 when her mother had to serve as her interpreter. No parent should be interpreting for their child, says Belford. Regulations now require that ASL interpreters have a certain degree of training to interpret in law enforcement situations. However, not all qualified ASL interpreters have been specially trained in trauma-informed interpreting, and police officers may randomly select an interpreter without understanding how crucial the interpreter is to a deaf victim.

Grant emphasizes the importance of clear communication. There are so many opportunities for miscommunication and not getting a clear picture of the situation, says Grant. What is lacking is documentation of the many barriers. Current systems to respond to domestic and sexual violence are not designed to understand the language and cultural needs of the deaf community.



The first phase of the project is completed  training deaf individuals to serve as deaf-to-deaf advocates for victims of domestic and sexual violence. Deaf Wings is partnering with Deaf Hope, based in Oakland, California. Deaf Hope works to develop new approaches to facilitate change within the deaf community, to break down the systems that perpetuate violence against women and to empower individuals to work toward a life free of violence. Five individuals have completed the deaf-to-deaf advocate training provided by Deaf Hope. Belford points out that the role of interpreters is to translate, not to explain. Thats where an advocate or Certified Deaf Interpreter can provide an extra layer of support.

Trauma-informed training for ASL interpreters will take place Jan. 12-13 in Jacksonville. Deaf Hope will conduct the training, which will be done in ASL. Master and advanced ASL interpreters are targeted for this training because they are the only ASL interpreters qualified to interpret in medical and legal cases. ASL interpreters throughout Illinois outside the Chicago area are invited to the training. Chicago has the only deaf-focused domestic violence program in Illinois.

The third prong of Deaf Wings is training for law enforcement and judicial system personnel about the unique characteristics of domestic violence among the deaf population and how current procedures result in greater barriers to reporting. Plans are to hold three or four training sessions with law enforcement officers in the Jacksonville area.

Although the JACIL serves Morgan, Cass, Scott and Mason counties, Deaf Wings is not limited to these counties. Any ASL interpreter is welcome to attend the January training. And, deaf victims from Sangamon County and beyond are encouraged to ask JACIL for help.

The program is in the training phase, with the goal to provide direct service to deaf victims of domestic and sexual violence. Survivors like Belford and Grant realize the importance of a support group. Their message is, If I can do it, you can do it.



For more information about Deaf Wings or the January ASL training, contact Becky McGinnis at becky@jacil.org. For more information about the Women for Women giving circle, contact Stacy Reed at reed@cfll.org.



Karen Ackerman Witter started freelance writing after retiring from a 35-year career in Illinois state government. Her goal is to connect people, organizations and ideas to achieve greater results. She is a member of the CFLL Women for Women giving circle where she learned about Deaf Wings and was inspired by Brandie Belford and Morgan Grant.




Cookbooks are some of the best gifts to give your food-minded friends and relatives for the holidays. Among this years new releases are two wildly different books that share a surprisingly common theme.



Joe Beef: Surviving the Apocalypse: Another Cookbook of Sorts by David McMillan, Frederic Morin and Meredith Erickson (Alfred A. Knopf, $45).

Montreals restaurant Joe Beef is a study of contrasts. It is considered the second best restaurant in Canada and made it to 81 on the S. Pellegrino list of the Worlds Best Restaurants a few years ago, though its co-owner/chef David McMillan stated, We have worked all our lives to not be on this list.

Joe Beef, named after the gruff but philanthropic tavern owner who oversaw the restaurants working class neighborhood in the 1800s, looks more like a woodshed than a fine dining establishment. It is small. Its decor is flea-market eclectic. The chalkboard menu is written in French, changes daily and always includes a horse dish. Youre encouraged to let the server order for you after polling your food preferences (useful if you dont speak French). Its where Barack Obama and Justin Trudeau like to dine when they get together. When Momofukus David Chang first visited Montreal, he ended up eating dinner there every night of his trip. It was one of Anthony Bourdains favorite restaurants; he filmed two episodes of Parts Unknown in Canada with Joe Beefs owner/chefs, including an episode in Newfoundland the November before his suicide.

Joe Beef: Surviving the Apocalypse was conceived in 2014 and started out as tongue-in-cheek but became very relevant in light of the political and climate changes of the last four years. Rather than a survivalists doomsday, boys-like-guns apocalypse vibe, it is a guide for doing things for yourself: putting down your cell phone and spending more time with real people, turning off the TV, canning your own food, smoking your own sausage, cooking a warming stew, spending time with family  focusing on whats truly important and living each day as though it were your last. We set out to write a book about shutting out the noise, because that was the problem in our lives.

Surviving the Apocalypse is fun. It is unpretentious  actually it is anti-pretentious. Subtitled a cookbook of sorts, in addition to its 150 odd recipes, it shows you how to make your own cough drops, Worcestershire sauce and even soap. What McMillan wants people to take away from this book is to f**k around, get back into the kitchen and enjoy cooking. Spend more time cooking with family, go camping  preserve, can, grow things, go pick apples  take a look at whats around you, get more in touch with the old ways of cooking, have more candlelight dinners, be more romantic 



Ottolenghi Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi (Ten Speed Press, $35).

Yotam Ottolenghi is a celebrated London-based chef known for popularizing vegetable-centered, Middle Eastern-influenced cuisine. His flavors are vibrant. His dishes are brilliantly colorful. But his recipes have tended to be a bit unapproachable for the home cook with a typical pantry. Ottolenghi Simple is his attempt to make his approach to cooking more accessible. Its 140 recipes are full of all the delicious flavors and brilliant combinations that characterized his previous cookbooks but with quicker and easier instructions.

According to its author, the concept for this book arose a few years ago when the editors at The Guardian, for whom Ottolenghi writes a weekly column, asked him to do a series of simplified recipes. He realized that simple means different things to different home cooks. For some simple refers to uncomplicated technique. For others it means cooking with easily accessible ingredients. For working folks who get home at 6 and need to feed their family by 7:30, its about fast preparations.

Ottolenghis recipes are loaded with flavor and rely heavily on vegetables, herbs, spices and sauces. Consider his unlikely combination of hot, charred cherry tomatoes with cold yogurt: cherry tomatoes charred under the broiler with spices and herbs, then plated atop a mound of fridge-cold thick yogurt. Simple? Absolutely. Accessible ingredients? Totally. Quick? Under 30 minutes.

Like the authors of Joe Beef: Surviving the Apocalypse, Ottolenghis mission is to encourage its readers to reclaim control of what goes in their mouths and offer a viable antidote to commercially processed food-like substances.

The Apocalypse is a metaphor for many things. It is the future we are afraid of. Its what makes us seek protection from zombie attacks. Despite efforts to make America great again, our life expectancy is decreasing. Chronic disease and death from opiates is on the rise. Our children are developing diabetes and fatty liver disease. No wall can protect us from these threats. Staying inside, watching TV and eating pizza wont protect us. New drugs wont cure us. Surviving the Apocalypse means doing things for ourselves. Finding deliciousness and nutritiousness in simple cooking.



HOT, CHARRED CHERRY

TOMATOES WITH COLD

YOGURT

From Ottolenghi Simple

Serves four as an appetizer

 pound cherry tomatoes

3 tablespoons olive oil

 teaspoons cumin seeds

 teaspoon light brown sugar

3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced

3 sprigs thyme

6 sprigs fresh oregano, 3 sprigs left whole, the rest picked and roughly chopped, to serve

1 lemon  zest of one half shaved off in 3 wide strips, the other half grated

Sea salt and black pepper

 pound fridge-cold, extra thick Greek-style yogurt

1 teaspoon chili flakes



Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Place the tomatoes in a mixing bowl with the olive oil, cumin, sugar, garlic, thyme, oregano sprigs, lemon strips,  teaspoon of flaked salt and a good grind of pepper. Mix to combine, and then transfer to a baking sheet just large enough  about 6 x 8 inches  to fit all the tomatoes together snugly. Place the sheet about 2 inches beneath the broiler and roast for 20 minutes, until the tomatoes are beginning to blister and the liquid is bubbling. Turn the oven to the broil setting and broil for 6 to 8 minutes, until the tomatoes start to blacken on top.

While the tomatoes are roasting, combine the yogurt with the grated lemon zest and  tsp of flaked salt. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

Once the tomatoes are ready, spread the chilled yogurt on a platter with a lip or in a wide, shallow bowl, creating a dip in it with the back of a spoon. Spoon the hot tomatoes on top, along with their juices, lemon strips, garlic and herbs, and finish with the oregano leaves and chili flakes. Serve at once.



"Hot, charred cherry tomatoes with cold yogurt" from OTTOLENGHI SIMPLE: A COOKBOOK by Yotam Ottolenghi, copyright  by Yotam Ottolenghi. Used by permission of Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.
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Thus, human rights activists, like Heshmat Alavi, are worried that the clerical regime [is] preparing yet another onslaught targeting a particular sector of Irans society and paving the path for yet another wave of atrocities.

Previous incidents

Back in September, gunmen killed 25 people, including at least 12 members of the regimes notorious Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), at a military parade in the southwestern city of Ahvaz. But one thing strikes many as odd. The gunmen reached the stage where high ranking officials were watching the parade, but only shot at low-ranking IRGC members. Why would they do that?

Alavi explains that this conveniently-timed incident allowed the IRGC to look innocent, with media coverage showing IRGC members rescuing small children just days before US President Donald Trump was due to chair a United Nations Security Council session focusing on Iran.

In response to the attacks, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted that Iran would respond swiftly and decisively to find the attackers and quickly reached the conclusion that the attackers were terrorists recruited, trained, armed & paid by a foreign regime. Alavi suggests that the text was pre-written, which means that the Regime planned the attack, likely in order to derail Trumps meeting and launch a major crackdown against the Iranian Arab community in Ahvaz and Khuzestan Province.

Amnesty International reported that up to 600 activists were arrested in very overt public raids, like to install a climate of fear among Iranians.

In June 2017, there was an attack launched on both Irans parliament and the mausoleum of regime founder Imam Khomeini, which left 17 dead and dozens wounded. But how were attackers armed with AK-47 rifles and explosive vests allowed to pass through security at these heavily fortified sites?

The attack was blamed on ISIS, but rather than go after the terrorist group, the Iranian Regime launched a crackdown on Irans Kurdish communities, especially in Kermanshah Province bordering Iraq. Dozens were arrested for cooperating with extremist religious groups and eight were sentenced to death in May 2018, but there was no real evidence that they could have planned the attack and many believe this was a plot by the Regime.

Alavi wrote: Considering the nature and history of the Iranian regime, and recent developments following the Chabahar bombing, there is legitimate concern of Iranian authorities carrying out a new wave of crackdown and executions possibly targeting the minority Baluchi community in the southeast. There are already reports of arrests in this area with authorities claiming they are in connection to the recent attack.
This article will summarise the main points, but we recommend that you read the original for a fuller understanding.

Protests

Anti-regime protests have been the single most defining aspect of Iran this year. The mass uprising that took over the country in January spread to over 140 cities in all 31 provinces in a matter of days. People from all sectors of Iranian society took part, proving that this is not simply one group (i.e. students) that opposes the Regime, but rather all Iranians.

Now, the protests have grown from being about the economy to demanding that the Regime stop supporting terrorists from demanding that the Regime is removed from power altogether.

These protests have been organised in part by the MEK, which is one of the reasons that they have been so successful. Through a nationwide underground network, the MEK knows where to strike for maximum impact and minimum risk. Despite mass arrests and the Regimes suppression, these protests have continued in different shapes and forms all year.

It has now become clear that the Regime cannot contain a nation desperate for change.

Sanctions

US sanctions on Iran have been another dominant factor, with many Regime members wrongly asserting that the sanctions, supported by the MEK, would hurt ordinary Iranians. Iranians have been speaking out against that idea, noting that the sanctions are not hurting them because sanction relief doesnt help them.

Many Iranians, like merchant Mahdirashid Mohammadzadeh, blame Irans costly interventions in Syria and other places in the Middle East for the dire economic situation in Iran. If the Regime would stop wasting money on that, then poverty in Iran could be eliminated. Most Iranian people support the sanctions, like designer Sarah.

She said: Sanctions have made us poorer, but I can tolerate this situation because I hope that this regime will be overthrown and will be replaced by a better governmentI think [the US] is doing the right thing because these pressures can lead to the overthrow of the Islamic Republic. If all these things would lead to the downfall of the regime, I am prepared to sleep on the streets for six months with my husband and my daughter.

The mullahs, terrified of the MEK, have resorted to plotting terror attacks against them in the West  all thankfully neutralised  which should show the world that the MEK will soon free the Iranian people from oppression.
Europe has repeatedly made clear that they want to remain a party to the deal, otherwise known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), but this has become a more difficult position to defence as the Iranian Regime continues to launch ballistic missiles in violation of the UN Security Council Resolution that enshrines the deal.

Last week, both France and the United Kingdom requested closed-door discussion at the UNSC after Iran test-fired a ballistic missile with a range capable of hitting Europe on December 1.

Of course, Iran denies that they violated the resolution, which replaced earlier UN resolutions on Iran, claiming that it only refers to missiles designed for nuclear warheads and that their ballistic missile programme is purely defensive. But what ballistic missile programme could ever be considered purely defensive? And does it matter that the missile is capable of carrying nuclear warheads if the Regime claims it was accidental?

Donald Trump, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and US Defence Secretary James Mattis all say that this was a clear violation of the resolution, even if the mullahs might use semantics to argue their way out of it.

So how can Europe continue to support Iran?

After all, France and the UK already raised the issue of Irans firing of shorter-range missiles, which carried the slogan Death to America, into eastern Syria in September. While back in the spring, the UK, France, and Germany, all three European signatories to the JCPOA, argued unsuccessfully for the EU to bring sanctions against Iranian individuals or groups linked to the missile programme.

The E3, as they are sometimes known, tried to raise their concerns directly with Iran, sending senior officials, including UK Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt, to Tehran, but this didnt work, with one senior official suggesting that Iran had flat-out refused to talk ballistics.

Now, the US has made a series of 12 demands on Iran in order to secure a new nuclear deal. These include restrictions on the countrys missile programme, an end to the enrichment of uranium, and the cutting of ties to terrorist proxies like Hezbollah and the Houthis.

Europe needs to start following the USs example, abandon any hope of saving the nuclear deal, and enforce sanctions against the Regime. Appeasement of the mullahs is a failed policy that only helps to keeps a dictatorship in power and denies the true wish of the Iranian people for regime change.
At the time of withdrawal, Trump noted that the Regime is likely still pursuing a nuclear programme that is hidden at underground military sites, which are off-limits to international inspectors, along with their other malign activities, i.e. terrorism, proxy wars, and ballistic missiles.

This came just days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed an archive of Iranian nuclear documents, which US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said shows that Iran had a secret nuclear weapons program for years. However, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had not completed any inspections of these sites by September, which allowed the Regime time to remove items, despite numerous German intelligence reports and information from the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), who revealed Irans nuclear programme in the first place.

Despite all of this evidence that Iran has violated the nuclear agreement and Irans increased ballistic missile tests in violation of the UN resolution that enshrines the deal, the Wall Street Journal recently reported that Europe, led by France and Germany, have joined forces to rescue a European effort to create a payments channel to keep trade flowing with Iran.

To make things clear, the Iranian Regime seeks to bring chaos to the world, eliminate those they consider to be infidels (including the US and Europe) and have missiles capable of hitting Europe. The Iranian regimes nuclear weapons program threatens the world and the US position to impose sanctions is the right one and the one that Europe should follow.

Yet still, Europe is ignoring this for short-term financial benefits, so it may be that the only thing that could stop them would be penalties. Thats likely why the US ambassador to Germany said that the US would consider imposing primary sanctions on entities that violated US sanctions on Iran.

As Rovvy Lepor wrote on American Thinker: [The US] must ensure that any nation or entity that evades those sanctions face debilitating sanctions that it will never forget. The European appeasers must not be permitted to unleash the Iranian monster; otherwise, it risks Iran wreaking devastation on the world.
It has been quantified as being 28 million rials per month or less which is the equivalent of around $230 with the free market exchange rate and $480 based on the governments official exchange rate for next years budget.

Purchasing power has declined across the whole country and more people are struggling to live adequately. Not even comfortably. Just adequately.

Raw material costs are increasing. Food costs are increasing. Even the products that have been subsidised by the government are sold at much higher prices than before.

Twelve months ago, it was possible to buy a single dollar for 40,000 rials on the open market. With the current exchange rate, it is now 120,000 rials. A three-fold increase.

Since spring last year, 22 per cent more people in Tehran have fallen under the poverty line. Even if wages have increased, it has not been enough to stop millions from living in extreme poverty because of the rapid increase of the cost of goods.

More people in rural parts of the country are suffering from the problem compared to the populations of urban areas.

The people know that this is all because of the Iranian regimes mismanagement and corruption. At the end of their tether with such malpractices, the people of Iran took to the streets at the end of last year to make their discontent known. The protests spread rapidly across the country and they are continuing to this day.

The people of Iran have made it very clear that the only solution that remains is regime change. Foreign governments have encouraged the people to be patient and to let the moderate government bring change. However, this is a very naive view because moderation within the Iranian regime is nothing but a myth.

The regime has had countless opportunities to change its path, but it has always chosen terrorism and malign activities outside its own borders. When the previous economic sanctions on Iran were lifted, billions of dollars were freed up. Instead of putting these funds towards domestic problems that needed addressed, it used its newfound funds to spread terror across the region.

The people are the first victims of the regime and it is up to the international community to support them in their quest for freedom, democracy and human rights. The people have been so badly treated and disrespected by the leaders that have a responsibility to look after them and it is callous to leave them to their own devices.

The U.S. administrations maximum pressure campaign will hopefully add to the domestic pressure and result in the collapse of the regime.
- In a live video which was recorded by some fans, it can be seen that Miss Colombia, Miss USA, and Miss Australia are talking about something

- They were talking about their fellow candidate who was Miss Cambodia who can't communicate in the English language

- On the other clip, their topic was about Miss Vietnam and her English speaking skills

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Miss Universe 2018 candidates including Miss Colombia Valeria Morales, Miss USA Sarah Summers, and Miss Australia Francesca Hung have landed in hot water for allegedly bullying Miss Cambodia Nat Rern and Miss Vietnam HHen Nie.

It was during their live video where they pointed out Miss Cambodia as someone who can't speak the English language.

I was talking to Francesca the other day, Miss Cambodia is here and doesnt speak any English and not a single other person speaks her language," Miss USA said.

Can you imagine, like, Francesca said that that would be so isolating and I said yes and just confusing all the time, she added."

At the end of the clip, it can be heard that Miss USA uttered the words, Poor Cambodia.

On the second clip, they were talking about Miss Vietnam where Miss Colombia and Miss Australia are commending her for her good fashion sense.

Suddenly, Miss USA shared her experience with her and said that she's just pretending that she can express in English.

Shes so cute and she pretends to know so much English. And then you ask her a question after having a whole conversation with her and she goes, she stated and mimicked Miss Vietnam's facial expression.

On the other hand, a video was also uploaded where they apologize to Miss Cambodia and fortunately, the Cambodian beauty queen said that everything was fine.

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In a previous report by KAMI, Catriona Gray flaunts her national costume for Miss Universe 2018.

The Grand Coronation night of the prestigious Miss Universe 2018 is scheduled Monday, December 17, at Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news!

Filipinos Street Quiz: Philippines tricky questions - can you answer these tricky questions? Today we are going to ask the Philippines strangers some very funny Tagalog tricky questions! These individuals from the Philippines have their answers  on KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel!

Source: Kami.com.ph
- The Miss Universe 2018 candidates faced the judges on December 12 for the preliminary interview

- Catriona Gray shared how she performed during the important event

- She also revealed the questions that were asked to her

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Binibining Pilipinas  Universe Catriona Gray shared to public how her performance went during the preliminary interview of Miss Universe 2018.

KAMI learned that after the national costume competition, the Philippines bet and the other contestants prepared for a brief conversation with the panel of judges on December 12.

Right after her turn, Catriona was immediately asked by the media as to how she performed during the important interview.

She explained that it went so fast because they were just given four minutes to answer the questions that the selection committee would ask.

Despite the limited time to express her answers, the Pinay beauty queen was happy with how it went since she claimed that they just had fun during the conversation.

Masaya! Sobrang bilis naman e, she quipped in an interview with ABS-CBN News.

I felt like it went so fast, and we just had fun, she added.

Regarding the kind of questions that the judges threw, Catriona disclosed that she was asked about her desire to be Miss Universe and what she loves about the title.

She was also asked about her outfit which was a modern Filipiniana and she was thankful that she wore a terno like that.

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One of the judges even asked me about my terno Im so happy that I wore this today, the beauty queen stressed.

Meanwhile, Catriona exposed to public that she is already excited about her evening gown.

She even praised her designer for doing a good job in making her long gown for the fast-approaching coronation night.

Gown, for sure. Im so excited for you guys to see it. Grabe si Mak Tumang, she said.

Catriona is hoping to bring home the fourth Miss Universe crown for the Philippines on December 17 in Thailand.

Here are the videos of the interview:

In a previous article by , the former Miss World finalist broke her silence about the experiencing technical glitch during the national costume show.

Catriona Gray is a Filipino-Australian actress and model who was born on born January 6, 1994. She already joined and became a finalist in Miss World 2016 before she decided to try her fate in Binibining Pilipinas.

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Chambe Hit Song - Our Low-Budget Version. Alex Gonzaga, what an amazing song you have come up with! We can only try to reach the stars with our low-budget versions. But we are doing our best! - on HumanMeter!

Source: Kami.com.ph
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Speed limits will be going up on more than 100 miles of Los Angeles streets in an effort to make roads safer. You read that right.

The L.A. City Council approved an ordinance Tuesday that directs speed limits to increase on about 102 miles of city streets. Roughly 12 miles of road will get decreased speed limits. The majority of changes boost speeds by 5 miles per hour (you can view the full list here.)

Maybe you're wondering why the city would raise speeds at the same time it's trying to reduce car crashes and deaths. How did we get here? It all comes down to a state law that city leaders and law enforcement say has interfered with their ability to punish speeders.

The Los Angeles Police Department has several tools to monitor car speeds. Police can pace a car to determine its speed, but that can be dangerous, so they prefer to use radar or laser.

But under a California law, using such equipment is only allowed on streets that have been surveyed by the city within the last 10 years. In 2016, about 80 percent of L.A. streets had not been checked in that time period, meaning police have been unable to issue speed tickets on many city roads.

The law was originally intended to protect drivers from arbitrary "speed traps," usually in rural areas where jurisdictions sometimes set arbitrarily low speed limits to ticket drivers and raise revenue.

"(It's) a necessary evil in order to enforce speed laws in the city of Los Angeles," City Councilman Mike Bonin told LAist Wednesday, calling the state law "the stupidest, most ludicrous, most problematic law" he's ever dealt with.

Bonin, who chairs the council's transportation committee, said nearly everyone on the council has expressed frustration over the law, explaining "a cruel catch-22" that uses a formula based on how fast people are driving to calculate speed limits. In effect, that allows lead-footed drivers to influence legal speeds.

"If people are speeding, you have to raise the speed limit," Bonin said. "It's absolutely nuts."

And higher speeds increase the likelihood of a collision turning deadly. So to get drivers to slow down, the city has to put the fear of a speeding ticket (or inconvenience) back into motorists, hoping that will lead to better driving and safer streets.

Simple as that.

Traffic enforcement is one of the key components of Vision Zero, an international initiative the city joined in 2015 that aims to eliminate traffic fatalities, in large part by addressing the most dangerous driving behavior: speeding.

After yesterday's action, Bonin said 97.5 percent of streets now have enforceable speed limits. Mayor Garcetti still needs to sign the ordinance, which should take effect in the first few weeks of 2019.

But enforcement won't begin right away. First city workers will have to change out more than 450 speed limit signs, according to a Los Angeles Department of Transportation spokesman. That process is expected to take two or three months.

KPCC/LAist mobility reporter Meghan McCarty Carino contributed to this story. Some of her reporting was previously published on KPCC.org.

UPDATES:

Dec. 13, 7:40 a.m.: This article was updated with more information from a Los Angeles Department of Transportation spokesperson.

This article was originally published at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 12.

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By Darby Maloney with Marialexa Kavanaugh & John Horn

To make Roma, Alfonso Cuaron returned to his childhood home, recreating it down to the tiles on the floor and the clothes his family wore. The process was powerful for the Mexican filmmaker -- and painful at times.

Roma, named for the Mexico City neighborhood where he grew up, unfolds almost like a dream. It's in black and white, with no musical score. Instead, you hear the sounds of the home, the city, and the world outside the family's front door.

Cuaron was a triple-threat -- writing, directing, and serving as cinematographer on the film, which unfolds over one tumultuous year in the early 1970s. He told The Frame that he wanted the camera to be "almost like a ghost that is observing, looking at the past. ... I wanted the camera to be very steady even when it moves. ... I want it to feel more as if it's haunting you."

Even though it's a personal story, it isn't told from the point of view of young Alfonso. Instead, it focuses on his parents, along with his nanny (named Cleo in the movie). Getting her story right was the most important thing for Cuaron.

"I started talking with the real-life Cleo, because I didn't want it to be about me," Cuaron said. "I witnessed maybe 80 percent of the scenes that are in the film. But the film was not about me, it was about her."

Veracity was critical for him. He cast actors who looked like the real people from his childhood. For Cleo, he cast a young teacher -- the non-professional actor Yalitza Aparicio.

"In my memory, she was this nurturing being, this woman who was always around me, and I think that for the first time I realized that she is a woman," Cuaron said. "She's a woman from a different social class. And from an indigenous background. And I think that tainted the rest of the memories of that period."

Since Cuaron was just a boy at the time, recreating Cleo's own young adulthood in such a visceral way was an exercise in immersing himself in her feelings. The process of mining his and other people's memories of that time put him in a position to see the adults who raised him in a new way. He started to see his parents, whose marriage was breaking apart, from the point of view of an adult.

Cuaron and Aparicio. (Carlos Somonte)

"If you are thinking about your mom, remembering your mom, you don't really see her as a woman -- you're not thinking her sexual life," Cuaron said. "You don't want to think about those things. You don't want to think too much about whether or not she was lonely. We don't want to think that aspect of our dear ones."

At times, he was in a lousy mood while shooting scenes from his past, Cuaron said. On one day, he was so upset that he needed to step away from the set. After walking through the neighborhood talking with himself, he figured out what was bothering him.

"It's when I realized that I am directing the character of my father leaving the family," Cuaron said. "You know, a person that I have always judged from the outside, for the first time I have to dig into his motivation. ... He was feeling suffocated. And he could not stand there in this family anymore."

Cuaron was able to return to set, conveying that insight to the actor playing his father.

During the making of Roma, signifiers of Cuaron's youth were everywhere. He lived in his actual childhood home and tracked down the family's old furniture, which relatives had dispersed across Mexico.

He also researched with his siblings, comparing memories. He found that his experiences differed from his brothers.

"My younger brother remembered less," Cuaron said. "He was more abstract, and he was a bit confused in different periods. Or my older brother, who had decided to block more. But with my sister, I found that we had a very similar recollection of events. So that was a great tool for me."

Long conversations with his sister led to the excavation of even more memories.

"Memory, like everything, is like a narrative," Cuaron said. "I always see memory as this wall that has a crack. Particularly if you go through something that is painful. It's a wall with a crack. Because the crack is too painful, you create a narrative. And it's a layer of paint. That layer of paint doesn't really cover the crack, so you go with another layer of a different color. And the crack is still seen. You keep on doing layer, after layer, after layer, after layer, after layer of things, in which the crack is still there, but you are unaware of it. You don't see it -- but it's there."

(Carlos Somonte)

He acknowledges that, despite all his attention to detail, the film could still be tainted by his subjectivity.

"I would never claim that what is in the film is the truth," Cuaron said. "Because probably the truth is hidden under many other layers of paint."

He said it may not always be factual -- but it is truthful.

The timing of Roma felt deeply serendipitous for Cuaron. The process of restaging scenes from his childhood and "recreating a common wound" ended up being timed with the end of his mother's life.

"Everything is kind of in sync." Cuaron said. "It was December [2017] that I felt that my mom's days were ending, so I felt that she had to see a cut of the film. And then a couple of months later she passed. So I was happy that she saw it. That creates this great bond."

He continued to find more wounds following those that had already been opened.

"But by the same token, by digging out into the scars, also you open other wounds," Cuaron said. "You open other wounds that you have to heal. But that's part of what love is about -- it's about healing wounds."

Alfonso Cuaron's movie Roma has been playing in limited theatrical release, but it's available on Netflix as of Friday, Dec. 14.

Note: A version of this story was also on the radio. Listen to it here on KPCC's The Frame.

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Agape Church of L.A. Plans Holiday Events

Lady Rose Neale (Courtesy photo)

Sherwood Sledge (Courtesy photo)

Agape Church of Los Angeles will present two family-oriented events during the holiday season. According to Bishop Craig A. Worsham, senior pastor, Agape will host Christmas Eve Worship on Monday, Dec. 24, at 6:30 p.m., at their sanctuary located at Consolidated Plaza, 3725 Don Felipe Drive in Los Angeles. Sherwood Sledge will be the guest psalmist.

We encourage the public to celebrate the birth of Christ at Agape. Your entire family will enjoy the unique vocal talents of Mr. Sledge, who is renowned throughout the West Coast dramatic musical abilities, said Worsham.

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The holiday celebration continues on Monday, Dec. 31, at 12 noon with a New Years Eve Service. The theme is Crossing Over From Better to Greater based on Ephesians 3:20.

The dynamic duo of Bishop T. Larry Kirkland, Sr. and Lady Rose Neale will bring a spirit-filled message and share uplifting music to prepare you for a victory in 2019, Worsham said.

Throughout his 50+ years in the ministry, Kirkland has led thousands to Christ with his powerful, yet practical sermons. A retired AME bishop, he served nearly 20 years as pastor of Brookins Community AME Church in Los Angeles.

Neale is a leading gospel artist and popular performer at churches and various venues in the Southland. Her repertoire ranges from classical hymns to intricate anthems to contemporary gospel music.

Following the worship, Worsham said a free brunch will be held in the fellowship hall. To learn more, visit agapela.org or call (323) 295-5571.
APLA Health and Supervisor Ridley-Thomas Cut Ribbon on New Community Health Center

Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and APLA Health cut the ribbon on Los Angeles Countys newest community health center. APLA Health  Olympic Health Center will offer people living and working in West Hollywood, Hollywood, Miracle Mile and Central Los Angeles access to quality primary medical and mental healthcare; HIV specialty care and support services, as well as HIV and STD screening and treatment and prevention services  including PrEP counseling and management. This newest health center is in the Hollywood-Wilshire Health district, which has the highest rate of people living with HIV in Los Angeles County.

As we cut the ribbon on this new health center and commemorate World AIDS Day in Los Angeles County and around the world, we remember the friends and family we have lost but also celebrate the extraordinary progress we have made and recommit ourselves to the mission of achieving an AIDS-free generation, something that APLA Health has been working toward for 35 years, said Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas.

At full capacity, this clinic will serve over 5,000 individuals regardless of their race/ethnicity, ability to pay, sexual orientation, gender identity, or HIV status, said Craig E. Thompson, CEO of APLA Health. Not only will they receive quality care in a state-of-the-art medical facility; they will be met by a staff that is eager to serve them with compassion and empathy.

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A lot has happened since the virus was discovered in 1981. Currently, more than 35 million people are living with HIV around the world and millions more have come together to fight this disease; including all of us at APLA Health, said Dr. Jay Gladstein, Site Medical director for APLA Health-Olympic. Its not just emerging medical technologies that will end this epidemic; but also the hard work of those who guarantee access to care. APLA Health can provide healthcare to anyone; regardless of their life circumstances.

The new health center is in the Olympia Medical Plaza located at 5901 W. Olympic Blvd., Suite 310, Los Angeles, CA. The new state of the art facility has nine exam rooms, a lab, a dispensary, a large and comfortable patient waiting room, private medical offices and ample provider work areas in an open office layout. The facility was designed by Klawiter & Associates and the general contractor was Evilsizer Construction.
Attorney Claims Black, Gay Man Shot at Hollywood Walgreens Was Targeted

A 21-year-old man who was fatally shot by a security guard at a Hollywood Walgreens store was not shoplifting, but was targeted because he was Black and gay, an attorney for the mans family said today.

Jonathan Hart, 21, who was homeless and was also known as Sky Young, was fatally shot at 8:10 p.m. Dec. 2 inside the store at Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street.

The guard allegedly claimed that Hart was shoplifting. Authorities said there was a brief confrontation between the unarmed Hart and the unidentified guard, who opened fire when Hart tried to leave the store.

An at emotional news conference, attorney Carl Douglas said Walgreens only has armed security guards at four stores in the Los Angeles area.

Each of these stores are in the Black, Brown and homeless and LGBT communities, and we want to know why, Douglas said on behalf of Harts family.

Walgreens issued a statement saying the company has extended our deepest and most sincere condolences to Harts family, and noting that as a result of the shooting, we immediately terminated the security company.

We are committed to providing a safe environment for our employees, patients and customers in the communities we serve, according to the company.

We contract for armed and unarmed security, as well as video surveillance, in our stores based on the public safety needs of each location. We operate in thousands of communities and neighborhoods across the nation and the suggestion that we would inappropriately serve any community is simply false. We firmly believe everyone should be welcomed and treated equally in all of our stores.

Douglas insisted that Hart was not shoplifting. He said Hart and another Black man were in the store, and at one point while inside the store, one of them picked up a $2.99 water flavoring product. The guard confronted the men and got into an argument with Hart, the attorney said.

The guard feels the man push him one time, Douglas said. The guard pushes the man back one time. The guard watches as the man turns to run toward the back door. The guard raises his gun and points at the man. The guard says, `Freeze, as the man travels toward the door. The guard fires one shot, striking the man in the back of the neck. The guard watches as the man crumbles to the ground.

Hart died at a hospital. Douglas said the only thing in Harts hands when he died was a California ID card.

Jonathan was not shoplifting, he said. Let me repeat that. Jonathan was not shoplifting when he was shot. Thats the propaganda Walgreens wants you to report.

He added: I dare say, Jonathan Hart was profiled because he was homeless. He was harassed because he was gay and he was shot because he was Black.

Douglas said he plans to file a lawsuit against Walgreens seeking $525 million in damages and an explanation about why it has armed guards only at stores in minority communities.

The only way that we will be able to make our community safe for all the Jonathan Harts of the world is by hitting Walgreens where it hurts, he said.

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Community Critical of LAPDs Ability to Solve Case of Swastikas Painted on Crenshaw Mural

On Fri. Dec. 7, over 100 people packed into the community room of the new Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Hills  Crenshaw Medical Offices to hear the latest details on the investigation into the painted swastikas on the Our Mighty Contribution mural better known as the Crenshaw Wall.

We know at this point that the crime occurred at approximately between 8 p.m. Wednesday night and 8 a.m. the next morning, explained veteran LAPD Southwest Investigating Detective Anthony Kong. We know this because Bethesda Temple Church had services until 8 that night and the people that left did not notice any type of graffiti on the wall. Additionally, looking at the type of vandalismtype of paint there was wet paint about a foot radiance on all four faces. It was probably applied sometime before midnight because midnight was when the downpourand there was on-and-off rain all night. There was no streaking when you [look] at the damagethere was no streaking.

Det. Kong concluded his comments by calling on the community to help solve the crime.

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Unfortunately there were no eyewitnesses.

Kong asked for witnesses who may have been driving down Crenshaw Blvd. between 8 p.m. and midnight on Nov. 29 to call him if they remember seeing anything or anyone.

If you want to remain anonymous, we have the Crime Stoppers phone where you can make the tip.

Others in attendance during Fridays meeting included LAPD Captain Lee Sands, newly appointed police commissioner, Dale Bonner, mural artist, Enkone Goodlow and mural curator, Gregory Everett.

LAPD Southwest Detective Commanding Officer, Perry Griffith, whose team is responsible for investigating all crimes that happen in Southwest Division said that there had been 35 hate crimes to date in his division which includes Leimert Park, Baldwin Hills, West Adams, Jefferson Park, Exposition Park and University Park.

Griffith explained the difference between how the LAPD categorizes a hate crime verses a hate incident and said that swastikas painted on the mural were viewed by the LAPD as a hate crime.

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Despite assurances from the LAPD that this case was a priority for the department, many in the audience remained skeptical of their ability to catch the person or persons behind the hate crime.

A man who identified himself only as Calvin said, You got cameras all up and down the street and you got cars that ride around the city that see everything happening so I dont understand how in the world that you dont see a guy putting swastikas on a wall. Because if a murder would have happened right then and there they would have caught the guy. There would have been a witness. He would have been in jail and he would have gotten 25 years to life. All you have to do is just do your job and you can bring the person to justice anything other than that is just bull-.

What are we going to do to self-protect?, questioned Khalifa Bey to applause. We need to come up with our own strategy. Those who are security guards and have a guard card and can carrywe can start that on tomorrow.

Others in the audience wanted to know more about the credentials of the investigating detectives and the number of crimes they had solved.

Organizer, Keyanna Celine, questioned where or not the investigating detectives had looked into possible involvement of white nationalist groups and the Oath Keepers, a far-right anti-government group who earlier this year bailed on a plan to protest outside of Rep. Maxine Waters district office in South Los Angeles.

Ben Caldwell, who is known as the Father of Leimert Park and runs the Leimert Park Art Walk and manages for-profit community media lab, Kaos Network, said that hate crime makes him mad.

But the beauty is the wonderfulness that you saw Enk do with the work and it was off instantly and we can go on with the job of being our African selves, Caldwell told the audience.

As of Sentinel press time, the case remains unsolved and police are still seeking the unknown suspect or suspects who spray painted the swastikas on the mural. Witnesses are encouraged to call (800) 222-847 with tips.
Crenshaw Christian Center and American Red Cross Celebrate Power in the Blood

Crenshaw Christian Center (CCC) and the American Red Cross (ARC) united to present the 2018 Annual Prayer Breakfast on Dec. 6, and an ecumenical crowd of 250+ came out to support the event.

The creative theme, Celebrating the Power in the Blood, underscored the Christian doctrine of salvation in the blood of Jesus and the efforts of Red Cross to increase blood donations to save lives.

Further emphasizing the theme were faith leaders CCC Pastor Fred Price Jr., CCC CEO and ARC Regional Board Member Angela Price Evans, Armenian Church Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Hyepin Im of Faith and Community Engagement in Koreatown, Matt Ball of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and Father Mike Gutierrez of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Baldwin Park.

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The ARC-L.A. speakers were CEO Jarrett T. Barrios, Faith-based and Community Programs Director Osas Otasowie and Community & Volunteer Engagement Director Nikki Davis.

Asha Nwaki and the Frederick K.C. Price School choir carried the theme further with the musical selection, The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power. Also, Jennifer Degeddingseze directed the group in spirited rendition of There is Power in the Blood.

The power of your blood can save lives but only if youre willing to step up and join the American Red Cross and help us connect your communities to the life saving gift, which is giving blood, said Barrios. Were asking our faith partners to join this mission. Without blood, people will die.

Quoting from Leviticus 17:11, keynote speaker Dr. Cheryl Jang said, There is life in the blood, but the life of the flesh is in the blood and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls. For it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.

Noting Jesus shed His blood for us, Jang said that blood is composed of three components  red blood cells (RBCs), platelets and plasma. Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood, she said, which equates to an annual need of 13 million units of RBCs, 2.5 million units of platelets and 3.5 million units of plasma.

People with sickle cell, chronic anemia, and kidney and cancer patients need 24,000 units of blood a year as well as those with unexpected injuries like transplants, ruptured vessels or bleeding from pregnancies, said Jang, who an emergency room physician and a member of Epicentre Church in Pasadena.

She added that the shelf life of blood is 42 days and must be discarded if not used. Also, it cant be refrigerated, but must be kept at room temperature. Because of these factors, ongoing blood donations are critical to aid those with chronic illnesses or everyday emergencies.

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Your Christmas present to Jesus is one unit of blood and one unit can help three people, insisted Jang. This is the reality of the power of the blood. It can help so much.
Hundreds Attend Nappers Making a Difference Awards

Moreno Valley resident Regina Napper celebrated an overflow of love, support and service at the fourth Regina Napper Honors Committee Making a Difference Awards Ceremony on Nov. 10, in The Living Room at Faithful Central Bible Church.

Napper worked in collaboration with over 30 mayors of 30 different cities to provide certificates for deserving honorees for their service to others.

This years ceremony was attended by over 400 individuals and organizations such as the U.S. Navy, Army, Air Force, Marines, National Guard, local police departments, local fire departments, missions, shelters, foster family agencies and group homes.

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Also, businesses and community groups representing the Women of Color Breast Cancer Survivors Support Project, the Resident Advisory Councils of several Los Angeles public housing developments, the Department of Mental Health and many more were in attendance.

In a heartfelt speech, Napper praised first responders from the fire department for going into the fire to allow us to come out safely and the police department for going into dangerous situations so that we can come out. She also commended California police departments for operating with integrity in the face of so much controversy and adversity associated with their jobs.

The Women of Color Breast Cancer Survivors Project was awarded a cash donation from Napper during the ceremony. The military was well represented at the ceremony and was praised for putting their lives on the line on a daily basis to protect our freedom and keep us safe. In another touching moment, Nappers youngest brother, Anthony Nash, accepted certificates on behalf of their mother, the late Mother Rayford, who was a pastor that served her community for over 50 years by providing both spiritual and physical food to anyone in need.

The Regina Napper Honors Committee was founded by Napper to recognize and celebrate people and organizations in the community who work tirelessly to help others without recognition. She realized that there were other people who had worked just as hard as she had without recognition or acknowledgement and the Making a Difference ceremony was created.

This years ceremony was marked by the great outpouring comradery and good will that was shared among the honorees. All the recipients expressed excitement and joy at being honored and many acknowledged that this was the first time that they had ever been celebrated for the work they did, said a spokesperson.

They marveled that the ceremony was the vision of an everyday citizen whose only motivation was to provide recognition to the unsung heroes who assist us in our daily lives. Smiles were plentiful, and tears of joy pooled in the eyes of several recipients. The day was a beautiful celebration of the best humanity has to offer!
Hyundai sends Taste of Soul contest winner off in style at the 2018 L.A. Auto Show

Platforms and spinning displays of the newest car models and emerging auto technology filled the Los Angeles Convention center at the 111thannual L.A. Auto Show. This years Hyundai display drew thousands of visitors including The Los Angeles Sentinel and Kyle Kyson-Clark, the winner of the Hyundai and Taste of Soul 2018 car contest.

Zafar Brooks, led the auto show giveaway last Thursday, where Clarks brand-new Kona awaited him, complete with a big red bow on top.

The person that is going to win that car today is going to drive off with the keys to his or her brand-new car and drive right out, said Brooks.

Hyundai has been a partner with the Los Angeles Sentinel and Taste of Soul for three years and this is the second year that it has hosted the car giveaway at the auto show. The car company, based in Seoul, South Korea is the sixth largest in the world, and has its US headquarters in Orange County.

At Hyundai, as the chief diversity officer, one of my priorities is to show our commitment to diversity and inclusion, and having such a rich and diverse history as an Asian car company, partnering with the Taste of Soul and the Los Angeles Sentinel was just the right thing for us, said Brooks. We believe in our diversity statement that we are stronger together, thats why Taste of Soul is so special.

Bakewell Company CEO Danny Bakewell Sr. joined Zafar Brooks in congratulating Clark not only for winning the car, but for his continued work in the community.

We have chosen a magnificent winner of this great car thats going to be given away this morning, said Bakewell Sr. We have the right partner in Hyundai. They have done an amazing job partnering with Taste of Soul and making the community know that they care about them.

Clarks dedication to education and childhood development stood out amongst more than video submissions. After six rounds of reviews and in-person interviews, Hyundai agreed that Clarks philanthropic work demonstrated how he makes L.A. a better place.

When Clark got the call from Hyundai, he was in a classroom and had to run out to take the call in the hallway.

In that moment, I saw everything Ive been through since I came to LA. I slept on couches I slept on floors, I slept in my car, said Clark. With the help of Taste of Soul, L.A. Sentinel, The Bakewell Company and Hyundai, you guys are not only helping me, because its bigger than me, its bigger than my dreams, its for me to touch the lives of kids. Thats what I do.

A tearful Clark was joined by his closest friends and even by his mom in Florida, who surprised him with a video message on the Hyundai screen.

Life will make your crooked path straight, said Clark. Keep on driving through, keep on doing what you are supposed to do because God will align your life to be so easy.

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Local Reporter to Present Panel on Black Infant Mortality

KPCC in Person and reporter Priska Neely are inviting the public January 24, to Racism and Reproduction: What Black Women Need to Know, a panel discussion on the high prevelance of Black infant mortality in America, taking place at the LA84 Foundation in Los Angeles. Guest speakers include Debbie Allen  owner and clinical director of Tribe Midwifery, Raena Granberry  mother, maternal-child health advocate and program manager with Black Women for Wellness and Dr. La Tanya Hines  OB-GYN, Kaiser Permanente.

Racism not Race, say panel orchestrators, is the main cause of the wide disparity.

Black babies born in the United States are two times more likely to die before their first birthday than white babies, said event organizers.

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The numbers are even worse in Los Angeles, where black babies are three times more likely than white babies to die. Lowering those rates is a priority for local public health officials

Neely, a reporter for KPCC wrote a series on the subject, as part of her project for USCs Center for Health Journalism fellowship, seeing that members of her own family had been affected. One of the leading causes of infant mortality, she said, is prematurity infants are born too soon and too small. Both her sisters experienced such, she said.

One of my sisters lost two babies and my other nephew was born premature, Neely explained to the Sentinel recently.

[Neither one of them] knew they were part of this larger issue.

The event, she said, is to amplify the extensive reporting that she has done on the subject.

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Ive met people during the process of my reporting who had never heard about this trend until something terrible had affected them and they experienced a loss personally.

For months [Id] been talking to researchers, community health workers, educators and others who are working to improve birth outcomes, she wrote in an article from her series.

I began most of my interviews by asking how they found out about the disparity in infant mortality rates. Some happened upon the information while searching for research topics in grad school. Others learned once they experienced their own loss.

Ive also learned that this is not an issue that can simply be solved in a hospital or clinic. This problem is big and persistent and complex. Like most health inequities, this is about social and economic systems and the distribution of money and power

Its something I continue to cover. And, the way the [county of Los Angeles] is really addressing it, is looking at the connection to racism and chronic stress. And, my thought on that is always, if the issue is chronic stress and then you dont find out about it until youre pregnant, then youre already stressed and thats just a terrible time to worry about it.

In 1989, Los Angeles Countys Public Health Department was one of the first entities to receive funding from Californias Black Infant Health Program, in response to the high mortality rates among black babies. Their goal was to create culturally specific perinatal programs aimed at prevention and reduction. And, though they have made some headway with those efforts, county health officials said the problem persists.

Despite a gradual decline in African American infant mortality in L.A. County since 2007, African American infants continue to die at more than 3 times the rate observed for white and Asian infants, the two racial/ethnic groups with the lowest infant mortality rates, they said.

The panels mission is to empower women with information on ways they can protect themselves. The event begins at 7:00 pm. For more information visit https://www.scpr.org/events/2019/01/24/2660/racism-and-reproduction.
New Antioch COGIC Presents Christmas Services

Superintendent Jeffrey and Lady Floetta Lewis extend an invitation to families everywhere to attend the upcoming Christmas services at New Antioch Church of God in Christ.

Beginning Wednesday, Dec. 19, at 7:30 p.m., the Fine Arts Department will present a theatrical performance. A day of worship services is set for Sunday, Dec. 23, at 8 a.m., and 11 a.m. At 10 a.m., the Children and Youth Department. will reflect on the birth of Jesus Christ with a special Christmas presentation. The New Years Eve Watch Night Service will be held on Monday, Dec. 31, at 10 p.m.

Our church family will be ready to greet you with a genuine smile, our humble ushers will be ready to serve you, our choir will awaken and lift your spirit through song, and our pastor will deliver an on-time raiment word that will be both relevant and applicable to your life, said a spokesperson. Come out and be blessed!

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New Antioch Church of God in Christ is located at 7826 S. Vermont Ave., in Los Angeles. Services are broadcast live on Sundays at 11 a.m., at newantiochcogic.tv.
SENTINEL EXCLUSIVE L.A. City Council President Herb Wesson Announces Bid to Become Next 2nd District L.A. County Supervisor in 2020

Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson announced Monday in a fundraising e-blast that he is looking to become the next 2nd District Los Angeles County Supervisor in 2020. Wesson is looking to replace departing Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who faces term limits in two years.

After discussing with my wife, Fabian, and our sons, we are excited to continue the progress we have begun in my time in the assembly and Los Angeles City Council, I am asking you to join me in these early stages of my campaign because you know where I stand, Wesson said. I have always prioritized making Los Angeles a better place to live, work and raise a family.

The announcement included the launch of a campaign website and a 2020 Twitter page.

In an exclusive interview with the Sentinel, Wesson and his campaign consultant John Shallman spoke about his desire to be the next Supervisor of Los Angeles.

I have an incurable desire to serve. Its my passion,said Wesson. This campaign is not about me, its about we, its about us. And I am proud of my record fighting for social justice, investing in education and economic opportunity for our community. I am looking forward to meeting residents, listening to their concerns and working together to improve the quality of life for all of our families.

Council President Wesson has been a passionate progressive local leader fighting for our most vulnerableour seniors, our children and the homeless community, said Shallman. His experiences as chief of staff for LA County Supervisor Burke, as Speaker of the California State Assembly and as LA City Council President make him uniquely qualified to serve the diverse communities and people of the 2nd Supervisorial District.

Wesson is not the only one considering a run for the Ridley-Thomas seat. Former City Councilwoman Jan Perry, and California State Senator Holly Mitchell are also said to be contenders for the seat.

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Sentinel Exclusive: LAPD Chief Meets With Prominent Black Leaders After an Officer Involved Killing

On October 29, two Los Angeles Police Department(LAPD)officers responded to a scene at a 24-Hour Fitness located at 6380 West Sunset Boulevard after a receiving a radio call that 30-year-old, Albert Ramon Dorsey was trespassing. During the officers attempt to escort Dorsey(whowas naked in the mens locker room) from the property, he was uncooperative which resulted in the officers attempting to arrest him.

Soon an altercation occurred between the two officers and the suspect which led both officers to deploy their tasers. However, the tasers had no visual effect on Dorsey. According to the department, Dorsey took possession of one of the officers tasers, punched and broke Officer Edward Agdeppas nose, forced his female partner to the ground and repeatedly struck her in the face. The incident ended with Officer Agdeppa firing at Dorsey, who was later pronounced dead at the scene by the Los Angeles Fire Department.

In light of this event and in an effort to continue the promises he made when elected chief of LAPD, Michel Moore met with local Black leaders at the Los Angeles Sentinel Newspaper on Tuesday, December 11, to discuss the officer-involved shooting.

Some of the leaders who attended the event included Khalid Shaw from Stop the Violence Increase the Peace Foundation, Minister Tony Muhammad, Michael Lawson from the Los Angeles Urban League, representatives from the Ward AME Church and the Community Coalition, Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer, former Assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas, radio personality Dominique DiPrima, Pastor Boyd from First AME Church, Los Angeles Sentinel and L.A. Watts Times executive publisher, Danny J. Bakewell Sr., Los Angeles Sentinel and L.A. Watts Times executive editor Danny J. Bakewell Jr., Los Angeles Sentinel and L.A. Watts Times managing editor, Brandon I. Brooks, as well as many other representatives from the South Los Angeles area.

Chief Moore began the roundtable discussion by presenting the facts surrounding the investigation. He then allowed local community leaders to watch the exclusive footage from the two officers body cameras. After viewing the critical incident video, Moore welcomed comments, concerns and feedback.

All of the leaders were in agreement that Dorseys actions should not have resulted in his death. During the remainder of the conversation, community leaders discussed the topic of mental health and the changes that need to be implemented in order for officers to better respond to radio calls.

The conversation then shifted to a discussion on improving the placement and installation of body cameras so that they are unable to fall off when an officer engages in a physical confrontation with a suspect.

Bakewell Sr., applauded the chief for initiating a conversation with local Black leaders:

The chief didnt actually have to come here and share this video with us, he said. I think it was a preventable incident.

We gave a lot of input and we gave a lot of suggestions as to how we would be able to prevent something like this from happening in the future. Far too often, Black men and men of color die at the hands of LAPD in comparison to what happens to White men and other groups. It just seems as if the police show up with a different perspective.

Pastor Boyd was in agreement with Bakewell Sr., and stated that young Black men continue to be killed by police officers.

All too often we see this happening in Black communities, said Boyd. The question is here, why did this situation have to escalate to the point that a life is loss? Maybe a psychological or mental health professional could have been brought in or police officers with a much larger mass in size to the victim could have actually been brought in.

Pastor Boyd goes on to say that he hopes weapons will be drawn less, tasers will be used less, conversations will be used more and officer involved encounters will be deescalated.

Lawson stated that he appreciates LAPD chief Moore taking the time to meet with him and other prominent Black leaders without a press conference and cameras.

We had the opportunity to have an open and candid conversation with him and tell him how we feel and what need from him as the chief of police, he said. The key here is that a Black man died and that is the thing that we cant walk away from and based on what I saw and heard, this is a death that could have been prevented.

Lawson continues the interview in saying that he is concerned with the way the two police officers handled the altercation which he believes to be a training issue and an authority issue.

LAPDs specialized Force Investigation Division began interviewing witnesses who were present at the scene as well as collecting forensic evidence.

Chief Moore, the Board of Police Commissioners, the Office of the Inspector General, as well as representatives from the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office will review the completed investigation and determine whether or not the officer Agdeppas use of deadly force was within reason and followed department policies and procedures.

This process could take up to one year.

These investigations do take months in order to get done, said Moore.

We end up transcribing all of the officers statements, we are gathering other witness statements, all of the visual evidence, the autopsy results, all of the forensic studies, so this report will end up coming back to my desk probably about eight or nine months from now but it will be well completed within a year.

To view the 17-minute body camera footage, please visit www.lapdonline.org or visit their YouTube page at Los Angeles Police Department. Please note this video is not suitable for children or persons who are troubled by the events described in this investigation. Viewer discretion is advised.

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Study: Culturally Tailored Education is Key in Mitigating Alzheimers Disparities

Focusing on culturally tailored literacy and education is going to be the best bet for African Americans to combat Alzheimers Disease, an issue that affects the older community two to three times higher than their white counterparts, according researchers. For her part, Dr. Karen Lincoln, an associate professor at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work and founder of Advocates for African American Elders at the USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging, has conducted the Brain Works study, which highlights that fact. Alzheimers is the fourth leading cause of death among African American older adults.

There is no cure for AD, but experts agree that earlier diagnosis provides greater treatment and planning options  including organizing ongoing care and planning for financial and social well-being  for patients and caregivers, Lincoln said.

Alzheimers education is important for everyone, she said.

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However, increasing Alzheimers literacy among African-Americans is crucial for increasing their awareness of their personal risk for the disease, improving care, reducing disparities and ultimately enhancing the quality of life of people diagnosed and their caregivers.

Researchers, explained Lincoln, say traditional methods of educating older Americans and their caregivers  print communication and the internet  are missing the mark. One in four African-Americans have below basic literacy levels and less than half of older African-Americans are internet users. In contrast, 77 percent of older African-Americans and 92 percent of African-American adults overall own a cellphone, providing what the USC research team called a level playing field and the means to reach its target audience.

For the study, USC researchers enrolled 225 African-Americans ages 45 years and over from senior centers, churches, senior residential communities and social clubs in Los Angeles. They randomly assigned participants to three different interventions and conducted pre- and post-intervention surveys to evaluate their effectiveness.

First, one group of participants received standard printed materials on Alzheimers and attended a 60-minute, culturally tailored talk show format event held at a large community site. Second, another group received the materials, attended the talk show and also received daily text messages designed to increase knowledge about Alzheimers by providing nudges to engage in healthy brain behaviors.

Third, a different group received the materials, attended the talk show event and received text messages that addressed the same kind of information as the general text messages but used colloquialisms, language and style that better resonated with older African-Americans.

In another culturally tailored message designed to encourage mental stimulation, researchers substituted a suggestion in the general text messages to play Scrabble and Sudoku with a culturally tailored suggestion to play games popular in the African-American community such as bid whist, dominoes or spades.

While all three groups had measurable increases in Alzheimers literacy from baseline (measured by the Alzheimers Disease Knowledge Scale, a set of 30 true/false items), the group that received the culturally tailored text messages had the greatest increases in literacy.

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There are no other interventions Im aware of that focus on Alzheimers disease literacy in African-Americans, Lincoln said. In addition to being culturally appropriate and tailored, its fairly low-tech, which is very important as were talking on average about a low-literate, low-computer-use population.

As a social worker, Lincoln started a program through which she works with a lot of seniors in South Los Angeles, directing them to resources and providing information and education. Through her work, she started to see a disturbing trend. She began to notice that more and more people were looking for help with loved ones whose mental health was deteriorating.

But they were looking for help that was difficult to find. Some African-Americans delay consulting a physician about memory problems, for instance, by as long as seven years, according to Patricia Clark and colleagues, at Emory University. Reasons include their own or their familys inability to recognize the symptoms, low perceived threat of getting Alzheimers or their belief that the symptoms of Alzheimers are just part of the aging process.

We started to see a lot of people looking for help with things like housing, medical resources, etc. and I thought, We really need to get to people before they get to a crisis state. [African Americans] are more likely to reach crisis state, diagnosed at later stages when its less manageable. We were dealing with a lot of things like senior fraud for instance so we started to educate people on what signs to look for

Then, the crisis hit home.

About two years ago my mom started to engage in some interesting behaviors, Lincoln recalled.

I was being told [by my sister who lives in Northern California] about some of things going on and they were being explained away.

[For instance], she started to purchase a lot of unnecessary things from television. My sister noticed she was trying to get a reverse mortgage on her house. As a result of that, we had to find somewhere for her to move because of all the expenses that she had racked up that were attached to her mortgage. And then, here hygiene started to deteriorate, which is another sign

Fortunately, for Lincolns family her mother was able to get the help she needed. But others havent been as lucky. Over 5 million Americans suffer and of those a little over 40 percent are black.

The likelihood of suffering Alzheimers is up to three times as great among African-Americans than whites. If I didnt actually know these facts, I could have guessed based on my work with older African-Americans and their families in South Los Angeles and other under-resourced, underserved communities, Lincoln wrote in a recent commentary about her experiences.

Of the many crisis-oriented requests I receive as a social worker, the most common involve the effects of memory loss on a persons ability to live independently and their familys inability to care for them. Consider scenarios where an aging parent repeatedly calls the police for no reason or falls into extreme debt for inexplicable purchases or scams. Housing issues come up a great deal: Adult children seek to understand what help Social Security can give (none) and face considering quitting their job when realizing they and their parents cant afford $7,000-a-month for memory care, special care living units designed for Alzheimers or dementia patients. Lets not even mention latchkey parents; seriously, dont because health care providers are duty bound to report that.

While, the causes of Alzheimers are relatively unknown, the higher prevalence of Alzheimers among African-Americans has been attributed to a higher incidence of diabetes, hypertension and poverty  all risk factors for Alzheimers. However, few studies focus on risk-reduction factors such as Alzheimers education

Additional study authors are Tiffany W. Chow, professor of clinical neurology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and director of clinical monitoring and diversity strategies at USC Alzheimers Therapeutic Research Institute, and Bryan F. Gaines, co-chair and project specialist for Advocates for African American Elders and assistant director of the Hartford Center of Excellence in Geriatric Social Work at the USC Roybal Institute.

The study was supported by a $28,500 grant from the Alzheimers Disease Research Center (P50-AG05142) and two grants totaling $19,400 from the Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UL1 TR001350).
Studying Black Identity in South Africa Transformed My Worldview

Of the more than 330,000 U.S. students studying abroad, only 6.1 percent are African American and 10 percent are Latino. This is one in a series of articles by students of color who are breaking down barriers by studying abroad thanks to the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship, which awards 10 full scholarships a year to students at Minority Serving Institutions. These students will periodically share their stories, hopefully inspiring others to apply.

My name is Chiagoziem Sylvester Agu. Im 20, a sophomore of Albany State University, majoring in biology, a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, with aspirations of pursuing a medical degree in cardiology. A few months ago, I had an extraordinary experience studying abroad in South Africa as a Frederick Douglas Global Fellow. I spent four weeks in Cape Town on a full scholarship, studying political Blackness, Black consciousness, and the complexities of colored identity. Every day, I was exposed to something different. Although the knowledge I was acquiring was both intimidating and scary, I also found it empowering. This is my story.

It was 2001 when my young eyes first glimpsed America. I had flown with my family over 6,000 miles from my birthplace in Nigeria. I attended pre-K in the United States, but after a year, we flew back home. I didnt return to America until 2012 when I arrived in Georgia for high school.

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Before enrolling in high school, my knowledge of America came from sitcoms and talk shows like Maury and Jerry Springer, which I later learned spread stereotypes and false narratives. In Nigeria, I was on track to graduate high school at 15. When I came to America, I was 14 and technically a high school junior, but I was enrolled as a freshman. I studied hard academically, but didnt realize how much I had to learn culturally. It was actually a blessing for me to have the time to assimilate and spend time with American youth in high school.

My father, a geography professor and journalist, still lives with three of my six sisters in Nigeria, where it is sometimes hard to express yourself as a journalist. My mother has been unable to work since 2005, when she suffered an aneurysm. She now lives in Texas with one of my sisters, who is a nurse.

My study abroad experience was one of the best decisions I have made as a college student. I was one of 10 students from a Minority Serving Institution who received the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship sponsored by the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) and the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions. The 10 of us from all different backgrounds studied for four weeks at CIEEs Global Institute in Cape Town. During that time, I had some of the deepest and most profound conversations and experiences of my life.

Learning about South Africas history and the intricacies of colored identity that pervade the country allowed me to carefully analyze and process how similar South Africa is to the United States. Although the terms that classify different racial subgroups are different and the history of colonization might be different, the struggle remains the same.

One day during the program, we went to the beautiful city of Johannesburg. Besides its beauty, we witnessed its unfortunate poverty. Residents wanted us to realize that they do not want money handed to them. They want transferable skills to build infrastructure and the means to create their own wealth, and a better life.

I am eager to take all the insight, motivation, and knowledge I found in Cape Town and give it back to my family, friends, and community. My experience in Cape Town as a Frederick Douglas Global Fellow was like getting a new pair of glasses  I felt like I was suddenly able to see more clearly. Studying abroad, every single day, I got a new pair of glasses.
Success On The Way Ask Dr. Jeanette: Meeting/Not Meeting the Mark? Part 1

My grandmother talked about West Bank and Gaza Strip. Remembering rekindled my interest hearing there are 193 United Nations (read on) The US put forth a first time resolution condemning Hamas, theIslamic terror group, which controls Gaza, failed to win the required two-thirds majority in the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday.

Before the vote on the resolution, the 193-member world body had narrowly voted to require a two-thirds majority for approval as sought by Arab nations for rather than the simple majority urged by the United States.

Before the vote U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley told the assembly thatit could make history and unconditionally speak out against Hamas, which she called one of the most obvious and grotesque cases of terrorism in the world. What is so very interesting is that we can see the number of nations which do not support the U.S. and U.S. ideologies. To me, this is worthy of attention! Who is listening?

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What the U.N. chooses to do today (Nikki Haley) will speak volumes about each countrys seriousness when it comes to condemning anti-Semitism, she said. Because there is nothing more anti-Semitic than saying terrorism is not terrorism when its used against the Jewish people and the Jewish state.

But the vote on the resolution to condemn Hamas was 87 in favor against 57 opposed, with 33 abstentions  a plurality but below the two-thirds requirement to adopt it. The vote to require a two-thirds majority was much closer, 75-72, with 26 abstentions and several countries changing their votes to yes at the last minute.Hamas officially thanked U.N. member states that stood by our peoples resistance and the justice of their cause and attacked Haley who it said is known for her extremism and her positions that support the Zionist terrorism in Palestine.

What is Hamas? Formation and Ideology. From late 1970s, Islamic activists connected with the pan-Islamic Muslim Brotherhood established a network of charities, clinics, and schools and became active in the territories (the Gaza Strip and West Bank) occupied by Israel after the 1967 Six-Day War .

In Gaza they were active in many mosques, while activities in the West Bank generally were limited to the universities. The Muslim Brotherhoods activities in these areas were generally nonviolent, but a number of small groups in the occupied territories began to call for jihad , or holy war , against Israel.

In December 1987, beginning of Palestinian intifadah (Arabic intifadah , shaking off) uprising against Israeli occupation, Hamas (Arabic meaning zeal) (QUOTES: Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica )was established by members of the Muslim Brotherhood and religious factions of the PLO.

The new organization quickly acquired a broad following. Hamas 1988 chartermaintained that Palestine is an Islamic homeland that can never be surrendered to non-Muslims and that waging holy war to be (continued).

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Jeanette Grattan Parker, Ph.D. Superintendent/Founder Todays Fresh Start Charter School 4514 Crenshaw BL, LA, CA 90043 323-293-9826 Teach the Children. Inquiring Minds Want to Know
The Time I Met President George H.W. Bush

During this week, as we all join in the natural reflection of the character, conviction, and contributions of our 41stPresident, George Herbert Walker Bush, I was reminded of the time when I had the honor of meeting that great man.

It was the spring of 1992. He was the president of the United States running for reelection and I was the mayor of Compton running for Congress. Suddenly, something extraordinary happened that brought us together: April 29, 1992the LA Riots following the not guilty verdict of the LAPD police officers caught on video beating Rodney King. In a flash, LA and Compton were overcome with fires, looting, gunfire, and violence. As an African American, I was as angry as those out rioting in the streets. But, as an elected official, as the political leader of Compton, my focus was on restoring order and saving our city from destruction.

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On the third day of the riots, I hopped in front of a mobile CNN crew broadcasting from the streets of Compton and demanded, Governor Wilson, send in the National Guard now before the whole damn town burns to the ground! Fortunately, Pete Wilson heard the broadcast, sent in the National Guard, and order was restored. However, those few days of chaos had caused about $100 million dollars of damage to our city. In a couple of days, the Governor was with me in Compton touring the riot torn area. He promised to do all he could to help with federal emergency funds, but said to me, First, there is someone I want you to meet that will help your cause.

The next day I was at the Governors LA office and in walked the 41stPresident of the United StatesGeorge H.W. Bush. This is who I wanted you to meet, said Pete Wilson. My eyes widened, my back stiffened, and my heart beat faster as President Bush walked toward me matter-of-factly and extended his hand. I shook his hand and said, Hello, Mr. President. He replied, Hello, Mr. Mayor. I heard youve had some real damage in your city. Yes, sir. Its the worst property damage the city has ever seen and, well, we really need those FEMA dollars right away to start the rebuild, I said.

President Bush reared his head back slightly and I detected a subtle smile. Mayor Tucker, let me tell you a story. Before my career in politics, before my life in business, I served in the Navy in World War II. It was during that time that Barbara and I lived in Compton. You lived in Compton! I replied with great surprise, pointing at him. Yes, thats right. Right there on Santa Fe, just north of Alondra. It was military housing then. Our time in Compton was one of the happiest times in our lives, he said, his wry smile now fully visible. Mayor Tucker, Compton will have its rebuild money. Now lets take a photo.

The president, the governor, and I lined up for some photos. Little did I know that their photographer had snapped some candid shots of us while we were talking earlier. The next day a photo the President and me grace the papers and, in many ways, that was the turning point in my congressional campaign. I went on to become the only African American to ever to be elected from Compton to the U.S. Congress. Unfortunately, as we all now know, President George H.W. Bush did not win his reelection. However, that day in April, 1992, he won my heart. I met much more than a man who was white, a republican, and the president of our country. I met a man who was approachable, humble, and friendly. Though our conversation was fairly short, the impression he made on me would run long.

Once I learned of President Bushs connection to Compton, as mayor I tried to have a memorial built where he and his family once lived. I never got the political support to do it. But, after all these years, a memorial does stand in my heartone to the man who exuded grace and honor. A man who could walk with kings, but never lose the common touch. Job well done, President Bush! May your life and legacy continue to remind us all that its all about being respectful to all men and finding common connections instead of focusing on and exploiting our differences.
Transfiguration Catholic Church Holds Christmas Concert

Deacon Mark A. Rice (File photo)

Its that time again for the annual Christmas Concert at Transfiguration Catholic Church, 2515 W. Martin Luther King Blvd., in Los Angeles. The musical event takes place on Sunday, Dec. 16, at 7 p.m. The theme is Gods Gift of Grace: the Baby Jesus.

Our theme was taken from the exceptionally, beautiful gospel song, I Know Something About Gods Grace. Our program will emphasize the urgent need of Gods grace through His love for mankind despite the troubles and unrest that the world is presently experiencing, said Oscar Pratt, choir conductor.

With all of the devastating difficulties, we sorely need Gods grace to help us. Our choir members will hopefully help to stimulate our Christian faith through their performance.

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In addition to renditions of familiar Christmas carols, there will be a presentation by Father Oscar Pratt II of Katherine Drexel Catholic Church in Boston, Mass. Drexel was a nun who was instrumental in establishing Xavier University, an African American institution in New Orleans.

Transfiguration concerts have a long tradition of success, said Deacon Mark Anthony Rice, church administrator. We are so grateful to our parishioners and the community for supporting this wonderful fundraising program for so many years. This years concert promises to result in another evening to remember.

Following the performance, refreshment will be served in the Parish Hall. For more information, call the church office at (323) 291-1136.
U of R welcomes first Tuskegee University exchange student

Following last years announcement about a new partnership between the University of Redlands and Tuskegee University, the first student from the private historically black university in Alabama has arrived on the Redlands campus.

Noelani Pierce, a sophomore food science and biology major from Chicago, Illinois, says she was initially attracted to the exchange program because of the new experiences it offered.

I wanted to branch out and experience something different, she says. I went to a predominantly black elementary school and a predominantly white high school so I already had that dichotomy within my learning experiences.

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Throughout her childhood and into her teenage years, Pierce worked with a number of sustainable living and agricultural programs, which led to an interest in food science. Tuskegees program integrates chemistry, physics, biology, and math as they apply to food and the human body. As a whole, Tuskegee is known for its STEM programs, which graduate a large number of aerospace engineers and environmental scientists, in addition to food scientists.

At Redlands, in addition to working with chemistry and biology faculty members, Pierce has found a home within the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies community and has enjoyed getting to know professor of English, Priya Jha during her literature course. With the goal of making as many connections as possible, she plans to get involved in campus diversity and Inclusion and the sustainable University of Redlands farm.

U of R study abroad director, Leo Rowland, who was instrumental in forming the Redlands-Tuskegee agreement, is looking forward to other opportunities to leverage the partnership. In addition to having Redlands students and faculty study and teach at the Tuskegee campus, three Tuskegee students will embark on a study abroad trip with University of Redlands students during the upcoming May Term. The three-week-long trip, which will be funded by a diversity grant from the Institute for the International Education of Students (IES), will enable participants to explore London, with a focus on storytelling.

As for Pierce, so far she is happy with her decision to spend time at Redlands. Ive already learned so much about how I interact with other people and the boundaries that Ive set for myself in the short time Ive been here, she says. Everyone at Redlands is very supportive, and Im excited to come back and visit after I leave.
Vermont/ Slauson Economic Development Corporation Designated Community Financial Institution

In October, the Vermont/ Slauson Economic Development Corporation was designated a Community Development Financial Institution, giving it the power as an organization to receive and distribute funding for small businesses in the South Los Angeles area. The designation was granted after a nine month effort by VSEDC members to procure it. Said the organizations leader Joseph Rouzan, their new distinction will provide a three-fold benefit to the Council District 8 and 9 communities, by growing new business, making it easier for established businesses to get loans and creating jobs.

We are thrilled to provide financial resources that allow Angelinos, particularly those in South Los Angeles, achieve self-sufficiency and excel in business and beyond, said Rouzan, who is the executive director.

Our team looks forward to providing loans, business assistance, financial planning, and more with the ultimate goal of improving communities that need economic resources the most.

In the past, VSEDC was only able to broker funding by packaging loans and sending referrals to financial institutions.

They will now be able to receive loan funds from major banking institutions that they can disseminate to businesses in the area, who sometimes see procuring funding from those institutions as a hurdle. Now, said Rouzan, they can have more direct access to funds from VSEDC. With products similar to those provided by mainstream banking institutions, VSEDC will offer mortgage financing for low to moderate -income, small businesses, and lending for community facilities. Considering urban communities often endure more stringent requirements when attempting to qualify for financial products, VSEDC bridges the access gap allowing residents to economically engage and thrive.

All they have to do is come to VSEDC for an assessment Rouzan told the Sentinel during a recent interview. If needed, they go through a credit building workshop. When finished with that part, they go through a business plan training as well. When those things are done, Rouzan said they can then start the process of procuring funds from VSEDC for their business.

We can now become a better resource for those who in the past have not had access. Giving our own loans to our own community, Rouzan said.

Established in 1979 as a citizen advisory committee by Mayor Tom Bradley, VSEDC resulted from the communitys concern after the closing of Sears department store, which served as an economic cornerstone.

Since its inception, VSEDC has brought economic resources to the community including access to capital, business planning, training, development, and more. It proudly stands as a symbol of financial advocacy for marginalized communities.

Mobilizing dollars from the private sector and government to lead the revitalization of the Vermont Slauson community, VSEDC collaborates with the City of Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency, Economic + Workforce Development Department, and the Mayors Office to name a few. Governed by an active Board of Directors comprised of area residents, community leaders, local merchants and real estate development professionals, VSEDC responds quickly to socioeconomic changes to addresses the needs of residents.

We want people who want their business dreams to become a reality, to come to us, Rouzan said. VSEDC success stories include Harold and Belles, Southern Girl Desserts, Bill Bike Shop and Hotville Chicken.

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Victoria Rowells New Film Unveils The Tragedy Behind Opioid Epidemic

The opioid epidemic continues the shatter the lives of many families. Millions have been affected by the lack of resources presented to those suffering. The crisis has sparked a national conversation on how the government handles addicts. Actress, director, and producer Victoria Rowell has taken the role to uncover the effects of opioid addiction.

Her new mini-series, Jacqueline and Jilly, will showcase the many stories of families dealing with opioid addiction. We spoke with Rowell about her activism and using her art to tell stories.

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL NEWSPAPER: What made you want to get involved with this type of project on opioid addiction?

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ROWELL: Everyone should be concerned because its a health crisis. We have over a hundred people dying a day. There are opioids being manufactured so strong, they are toxic by the touch. Law enforcement are wearing masks and gloves because they are ten thousand times the strength of morphine. We all should be concerned. This should be as critical as AIDS or Ebola.

LAS: Do we explore those trends in the movie?

ROWELL: Yes, its a story about opioid addiction affecting a black family in Virginia and how they feel as black people not wanting to air their dirty laundry. Its also about a family that is healing together.

LAS: Has your history impacted the decision in roles you pursue?

ROWELL: I saw a lot of injustice in foster care. I saw injustice with the elderly having difficulty buying medication and other things. So, when I came to Hollywood and saw the grandeur of injustice and the lack of economic inclusion, I spoke up. I told CBS and Viacom that their core audiences are black women between 18 and 54. You have to make it your business to speak up. Look in the mirror and see who you are. Be interested in fixing the problems. People care when you speak on your experiences. I dont think you should shy away from who you are. I still have a level of intellectual concern of recognizing the disparity for minorities due to my experience in foster care.

LAS: Why do you think a lot of artists dont speak about certain issues?

ROWELL: I dont know. I cant even answer that question. I still dont understand why people cant find their courage. For a long time, women were afraid to speak up so they wont be punished. Now the Me Too movement is changing that. We see what happens when women and men dare to speak out. It happened to me suing CBS and Sony for their horrific retaliations against me for speaking out of lack of inclusion for minorities.

LAS: What was the process of creating Jacqueline and Jilly?

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ROWELL: It was a collaborative effort with the Virginia film office, board of tourism, DC film office, and the government office. It took a village to make this film. It will have a limited theatrical release. As a result of turning over every stone, Im also grateful the Commission of the Arts & Humanities will be under the banner too.. You need to do the footwork and Im not afraid of work.

Jacqueline and Jilly also stars Richard Brooks, Daphne Maxwell Reid, Nikko Austen Smith, and Shannon Wallace. The six-part series will release in selected theaters with AMCI.
Wendys Window: The Life and Legacy of Nelson Mandela Calls Us All to Act as Global Citizens

As I sit to write this article, I am overlooking where the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez intersect in Los Cabos, Mexico. My heart is full because Ive had the opportunity to travel around the world and I enjoy being a Global Citizen. I embrace this term not just because of my ability to travel, but also because I truly have a heart and compassion for the people of the world. This week while Ive been down in Cabo, the Global Citizen Festival was held in Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa. The Festival had many main headliners such as Beyonce, JAY-Z, Ed Sheeran, Oprah Winfrey and so many others that came together to support the mission of and raise money for the Mandela Foundation.

2018 marked the centenary of the birth of Nelson Mandela. Many events and activities have been held across the globe celebrating the life, work and legacy of Mr. Mandela. The yearlong campaign theme was, Be The Generation. The desire is to lift the global goals of improving health, nutrition, education, gender equality, water, sanitation and the criminalization of poverty. I am not sure at the point of this writing how much has been raised (but let me say it is in the billions) and $500 million of what is raised will be set aside to impact specifically the needs of 20 million women and girls worldwide that are impacted by these issues. The nonprofit organization, Forgiving For Living, Inc., that I started close to 20 years ago, is also committed to helping girls improve their lifestyle and we believe the importance of making sure they have access to quality health, nutrition, education, gender equality and helping them rise above poverty.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the man behind this movement, was born in South Africa in 1918 and died in 2013. During his lifetime he was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, leader and philanthropist. He served close to a quarter of a century in prison for his work and beliefs. After his release from prison he received the Nobel Peace Prize along with FW de Klerk in 1993 and in 1994 he became the first Black Head of State for South Africa. He once said, It always seems impossible until it is done. Mr. Mandela certainly achieved what appeared too many to be the impossible. In 2014, I had the opportunity to travel to South Africa and although he had passed, and I never got the opportunity to meet him in person, I was able to tour his home, walk the streets he traveled as well as visit Robben Island where he served much of his time in prison. His body was gone, but his spirit was alive and still is to this very day.

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The Mandela Foundation believes that it is important for all of us to take action, inspire change and make every day a Mandela Day. It is important for us to think globally, but we must also act locally. To keep the vision and legacy of Mr. Mandelas alive think of ways you can do your part to be active and support causes in your own neighborhood. Issues around social justice are just as important (if not even more so) today than they ever have been. The global goals of improving health, nutrition, education, gender equality, water, sanitation and ending poverty are universal. We can all help make a difference and be global citizens even if we never leave our backyards. We can all do our part and live large by pouring into others. There is no passion to be found playing small in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living. Nelson Mandela

Healing Without Hate: Its a choice. Its a lifestyle. Pass it on!
A team of machine learning developers has created a system for making caricatures of peoples faces.

In a caricature, the artist creates a drawing of a face, with different parts of it greatly enlarged, or exaggerated, in other ways. The pictures or images are usually made to make the person look funny.

Such drawings can be difficult for machines to produce. This is often because the human face is made up of complex shapes with a lot of extremely small details. Generally, good caricatures require skilled artists who can effectively exaggerate faces, while still staying true to life.

The new system for making caricatures is the creation of computer scientists from the City University of Hong Kong and Microsoft Corporation. They presented their findings at a recent computer graphics conference in Tokyo.

Kaidi Cao led the research. He is currently studying computer science at Stanford University in California. He helped develop the system while working as a volunteer at Microsoft. Other members of the team were Lu Yuan of Microsoft and Jing Liao of the City University of Hong Kong.

Cao describes the process as a photo-to-caricature translation. He says other machine systems for creating caricatures depend on a series of rules, which are based on how people would draw. But his teams system uses machine learning to create the caricatures from thousands of examples made by experienced artists.

In a paper explaining his research, Cao said other machine-based systems appear to pay more attention to appearance and style. But his teams research uses a second machine learning tool to add geometric exaggeration.

The new method improves on existing ones in terms of visual quality and preserving identity, Cao wrote. In addition, the system gives users more ability to change results in both shape exaggeration and appearance, he added.

The team tested how recognizable its caricatures were to human test subjects in two separate studies.

In the first study, people were shown caricatures and then asked to choose the correct one from a group of images with faces that looked very similar.

Test results showed that in many cases, people had difficulty choosing the correct image when the caricatures were created with the older methods. The researchers said this was because such systems often created caricatures that were far too exaggerated or unclear.

Not surprisingly, the most easily recognized caricatures in the experiment were made by humans. But the researchers said their system performed better in tests with human subjects than the older methods.

The second study tested how close the systems caricatures were to hand-made caricature styles. People were first shown eight caricatures drawn by artists. They were then presented with one hand-drawn caricature and five machine-created examples. Test subjects were then asked a series of questions about which examples were the most similar.

Results showed that people taking part in this experiment chose the teams machine-created caricature about 23 percent of the time. This means the system can fool users into thinking it is the real hand-drawn caricature, the researchers wrote. The team noted, however, that an ideal fooling rate for such a system would be about 50 percent.

To date, the team has mostly worked on developing caricatures of peoples faces. But the researchers say they plan to expand on this in the future to include full bodies and other objects.

They also plan to explore turning the current model around to permit caricature-to-photo translation. The team says it believes this might be useful for facial recognition of caricatures.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

What are your thoughts on these machine-created caricatures? Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

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Quiz - AI for Fun: Machine Learning Makes Caricature Faces Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz



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Words in This Story

caricature  n. a funny drawing of someone that makes part of their appearance or character more noticeable than it really is

exaggerate  v. make something seem larger, better or worse than it really is

translation  n. process of changing from one form to another, such as with languages

style  n. way of doing something that is typical of a particular person, group, place, or period

geometric  adj. of, relating to, or according to the methods or principles of geometry

preserve  v. to keep something the same or prevent it from being damaged or destroyed
American Roy Funch has lived and worked in northeastern Brazil for many years.

Around his home are large mounds of dirt in the shape of a volcano. Funch often wondered what built them, how many there were and how long they had been there.

But a chance meeting with Stephen Martin, an expert on social insects, led to some interesting discoveries: Northeastern Brazil has over 200 million mounds of dirt, and they cover about 230,000 square kilometers -- an area about the size of Britain.

Some of the dirt mounds are almost 4,000 years old. Who or what made these small hills? Insects  termites, to be exact!

Funch told the Associated Press (AP), While the Romans were building their columns, their buildings, these termites were building their mounds. He added that the dirt columns represent the largest natural construction of any species other than humans.

The mounds are found in a large desert-like area called the Caatinga. They stand between 2 to 4 meters high and are spaced almost equally apart -- between 16 to 22 meters.

Funch told the AP he wrote two stories about the dirt mounds in Brazilian publications. But they received little, if any, attention. Funch said he was not sure how to further his research because he is not an expert in the world of insects or scientific publishing.

But then he met Stephen Martin, an entomologist with the University of Salford in England. A few years ago, Martin was studying honey bees and ants in the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia. He was also interested in the dirt mounds.

Martin and Funch met by chance next to a river in a small town about 50 kilometers west of the edge of the mound area.

Martin spoke to Funch about seeing the volcano-like piles while he was driving. Funch told him, You just met the only guy in Brazil who is working on these mounds.

Soon after, Funch and Martin began to study them together. A report with their findings was published last month in the journal Current Biology.

The two men found that the mounds were built by a large termite group that eats leaves and lives underground. But they did not find the termites actively working in the larger mounds. Instead, the insects were found along the edges of the mound areas.

Funch and Martin found only a small tube-like hole going to the top of each pile. They did not find an extensive system of tunnels throughout. That suggested the termites were simply finding a place to leave earth from underground, where they build their passageways.

Martin noted, These are just waste heaps. Under normal circumstances we wouldnt see them because they wouldnt persist for such a long time.

The mounds are also very old. Scientific testing showed they were built from 690 to 3,820 years ago.

Funch and Martin say there is much they still need to investigate. They both wonder why the mounds do not appear to have active termite colonies underneath them, as well as how long it took termites to make the biggest mounds.

Im Jonathan Evans.

Victor Caivano and Peter Prengaman wrote this story for the Associated Press news agency. Jonathan Evans adapted the report for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

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Words in This Story

mound  n. a small hill or pile of dirt or stones

species  n. a class or grouping of living things

construction  n. the act of building something

column  n. something designed to support an object and built in the shape of a straight line

circumstance  n. an event or incident
How can you command attention with so many colorful images around the world?

Some activists have learned that they can gain popularity by connecting their movements to a color like yellow, red, blue or green.

This month, French demonstrators wore yellow vests to block highways from Provence to Normandy. They rioted in Paris and left French President Emmanuel Macron struggling to meet their demands.

Why do they wear yellow vests?

All French drivers must carry a yellow vest in their cars in case they have car trouble. The drivers launched their protest against a proposed increase in fuel taxes wearing the vests.

To the protesters, the vests represent a troublesome government demand. So they used the vests to express their anger over high taxes and other financial difficulties.

The vests can be seen easily at night and at roadblocks around France. But they also made protesters easy targets for police during the riots.

Green abortion rights movement in Argentina

Across the Atlantic, demonstrators wore green handkerchiefs in the streets of some Argentine cities last August. They were calling for women to have the right to end their pregnancies as they choose.

The protests in the homeland of Pope Francis started as lawmakers in the Senate voted against a bill that would have permitted abortion in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. If approved, the bill would have made Argentina only the fourth Latin American country to legalize abortion, after Cuba, Uruguay and Guyana.

Womens groups across Latin America have said they will keep fighting for a right to abortion.

Umbrella movement in Hong Kong

In 2014, the yellow color was connected with pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. They became known as the Umbrella Movement.

The protesters used umbrellas as protection from pepper spray and tear gas. They wore yellow pieces of cloth and hung a yellow banner overlooking the city from Lion Rock to demand full voting rights.

The yellow color was borrowed from another of Asias pro-democracy protests in the 1980s. At that time, Filipinos wore yellow in an effort to drive out the countrys dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

Green movement in Iran

In Iran, supporters of reformer Mir-Hossein Mousavi wore green to support his campaign against then President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the countrys clergy in 2009.

Green is a good color in Islamic tradition. Some link it to nature. Iranian poet Eqbal Mansourian told a crowd at a demonstration, Make our lives green again, make it rain again, make us hope again.

Security forces finally crushed the demonstrations. The violence ended with at least 80 people killed and 2,500 arrested. Many others were tortured in prison.

The saffron revolution in Myanmar

Buddhist clergy led protests against Myanmars military government in 2007. The dark brown color of their clothes gave the movement its name, the Saffron Revolution.

The protests started as the government raised fuel prices. They soon turned into a call for democracy. The Buddhist monks even visited the home of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi who was under house arrest at the time.

On September 24, over 100,000 Buddhist monks marched in Rangoon as demonstrations took place throughout Myanmar, also known as Burma. The militarys violent response led to worldwide condemnation.

Under international pressure, the military slowly approved a new constitution and held democratic elections. In 2015, Aung San Suu Kyis opposition party won the majority of seats in national elections to take control of the government.

Yellow shirts vs. red shirts in Thailand

In neighboring Thailand, activists wore red shirts or yellow shirts to signal which of two opposing political groups they supported.

Yellow is the color connected with the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. On the 60th anniversary of the kings rule, opponents of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra wore yellow calling for his removal from office.

In September 2006, Thailands military ousted Thaksin from office saying he had abused his power. Thaksins supporters reacted by wearing red shirts. In Thailand, red is one of the colors of the national flag representing the nation. The other colors are white for religion and blue for the monarchy.

Orange revolution in Ukraine

Orange was the campaign color of Ukraines pro-Western presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko in 2004.

His supporters protested the victory of his pro-Russia opponent and took to the streets in what was called the Orange Revolution. After huge street demonstrations, officials ordered a new election that Yushchenko won. Russia blamed Western countries for supporting the protests.

Political disputes ended Yushchenkos presidency in 2010 and led to the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

Blue states and red states in the Untied States

The words blue states and red states gained new attention during the disputed 2000 U.S. presidential election.

American television networks used the colors of red and blue from the U.S. flag to identify the states voting for Texas Governor George W. Bush or Vice President Al Gore.

The color red came to represent Republicans and blue, Democrats. The division between red states and blue states has expanded to clothing. Politicians and supporters from the two parties often avoid wearing colors connected to their opponents.

Im Mario Ritter. I'm Caty Weaver.

Hai Do adapted this AP story for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter Jr. was the editor.

Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

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Words in This Story

handkerchief n. a small cloth used for wiping ones face, nose, or eyes

abortion n. a medical operation used to end a pregnancy causing the death of the fetus

banner n. a large strip of cloth with a design, picture or writing on it
Iranian government-supported hackers have reportedly tried to break into the personal emails of American officials and international nuclear experts.

The Associated Press, or AP, reported on the attempted attacks Thursday. The APs report was based on information collected during an investigation by the internet security company Certfa, which is based in London.

AP said the group, known as Charming Kitten, is believed to have tried to break into the private emails of more than 12 U.S. Treasury officials. The attempts took place over the past month. Other targets included well-known defenders, opponents and enforcers of an international nuclear deal signed in 2015 with Iran.

In addition, the hackers sought to break into the emails of some Arab nuclear scientists and Iranian civil society members. Employees of major American research groups, known as think tanks, were also targeted.

One target was Frederick Kagan, who works for the American Enterprise Institute, a think tank based in Washington. Kagan has repeatedly written about Iranian cyberespionage efforts.

Presumably, some of this is about figuring out what is going on with sanctions, Kagan told the AP. He was speaking about economic sanctions the U.S. has placed on Iran. The latest sanctions, on Irans oil and financial industry, were announced last month.

Those restrictions officially cut off trade ties the U.S. permitted Iran after a nuclear agreement was completed in 2015. The U.S., Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany signed that agreement, along with Iran.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced last May that the U.S. would withdraw from the agreement. Trump said the deal permitted Iran to continue secretly developing nuclear weapons and provided it money to support violence across the Middle East.

Kagan said he was concerned about the latest reported hacking attempts. This is a little more worrisome than I would have expected, he said. He added that the information in Certfas report had all the signs of a state-supported operation.

Certfa said its investigation found the hackers used Virtual Private Networks, or VPNs, to make it look like they were operating from France and the Netherlands. But the group said it uncovered strong evidence to prove that the hackers were operating from inside Iran.

Certfa researcher Nariman Gharib said it is not clear how many personal emails the hackers were able to successfully break into.

Iran has previously denied responsibility for hacking operations.

Charming Kittens targets suggest that they are of interest to Irans government. One was a scientist working on a civilian nuclear project for Pakistans Ministry of Defense. Another worked as an operator at the Research and Training Reactor in the Jordanian city of Ramtha. A third was a high-ranking researcher at the Atomic Energy Commission of Syria.

The AP said the three targeted individuals suggested a general interest in nuclear technology and administration.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from the Associated Press and Certfa. Mario Ritter Jr. was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

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Words in This Story

hacker  n. person who uses technology illegally to get control of a computer to read information or spread a computer virus

think tank  n. an organization that consists of a group of people who think of new ideas on a particular subject or who give advice about what should be done

cyberespionage  n. the use of computer networks to conduct spying operations against a government or organization

presumably  adv. used to say what you think is the likely situation

sanction  n. measure put in place to cause a country to obey international law, usually by limiting or banning trade

Virtual Private Network  n. private computer network used to connect users in other places to a companys private, internal network
For the first time in more than a century, bilbies are running wild in Southeastern Australia.

The small animals were once widespread across much of Australia, but were last observed in the wild in New South Wales state in 1912.

Every year bilby populations continue to decrease. Wildlife experts are afraid that the bilby, a small marsupial, could eventually disappear forever, either because of land clearing or fires. Another reason is a threat from cats and foxes, which hunt down and kill bilbies.

In northern New South Wales state, environmentalists are celebrating what they are calling a historic moment.

Thirty bilbies from a captive breeding program have been released into a large predator-free enclosed area north of Sydney.

Without the protection of a 32-kilometer fence, experts say the animals probably would not survive.

Tim Allard heads the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, which is involved in the project.

He says the release of these beloved animals is a big deal.

Bilbies only really survive behind fenced areas. There are some remaining wild bilby populations, but they get predated upon heavily by feral cats and foxes.

Allard said the point of doing this project is to return the countryside to what it used to be before Europeans arrived.

So in the not-too-distant future, you will be able to go inside the fenced area and it will be like stepping back before Europeans turned up, he said.

Bilbies are known for their long ears and large back legs. They usually sleep during the day, and are awake at night. They look a lot like rabbits and grow to about 2.5 kilograms.



Australia has one of the worlds worst rates of mammal extinctions. The bilby project is seen as an important part in protecting the nations wildlife.



Im Susan Shand.

Phil Mercer reported this story for VOANews.com. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. The editor was George Grow.

Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page

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Words in This Story

marsupial  n. a kind of animal that carries its young under a piece of skin on the mother's stomach

moment  n. a brief period of time

breeding  n. the act or process of producing plants or animals

predator  n. an animal that lives by killing and eating other animals

mammal  n. a kind of animal that feeds milk to its young and that usually has hair covering most of its skin
The memory of a beloved pet inspires one couple's fight against injustice.
The gold rush that is Chinas electric-car market is getting its latest entrant as a slew of local manufacturers fight for a foothold ahead of Tesla Inc.s planned offensive.

Xpeng Motors is starting deliveries of its first commercial model yesterday, four years after its founding by entrepreneur He Xiaopeng and partners in Guangzhou, southern China. The G3 sport utility vehicle gives Xpeng instant credibility and revenue, while hundreds of other startups are still working on their prototypes and competing for investors funds.

At stake is a market that is set to balloon to hundreds of billions of dollars in the coming decades as Chinas government promotes greener vehicles at the expense of gas guzzlers. Local brands are trying to gain relevance and secure their survival before Elon Musks Tesla starts building cars in Shanghai next year and global giants from Volkswagen AG to Ford Motor Co. flood the market with their locally produced electrified models.

Very few can succeed, He said in an interview in Guangzhou. Xpeng is very likely to be one of the few. Xpeng is handing over the first batch of its five-seater SUVs, priced at about USD29,000 to $41,000, after having its employees test the model for the past 14 months. Tesla is set to start delivering U.S.-made, higher-end versions of its Model 3 sedan priced at about $78,000 next year before starting local production of the vehicle.

While the Chinese contenders lower prices are likely to appeal to buyers, they need to convince customers of their vehicles quality and brand appeal. At the same time, the startups will face challenges in ramping up manufacturing capacity, which can easily cost hundreds of millions of dollars and is something that rivals from Tesla to NIO Inc. have struggled with.

He said Xpeng has a healthy cash flow, which will help sustain the company for at least the next 25 months. The company needs to sell more than 100,000 vehicles to break even, and its profit margin is set to pick up rapidly after it achieves more scale and starts making money on services, he said. Xpeng has no timetable for an initial public offering, finance chief Brian Gu said.

Xpeng has raised more than 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) from investors including Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., Foxconn Technology Group and Xiaomi Corp. founder Lei Jun., all interested in backing a maker of data-collecting vehicles that tech companies can monetize through apps and services. With Alibaba maps and software, voice controls, live video and streaming music, the G3 is like a smartphone on wheels.

Smart features is a must-have for XPeng to attract young people, and it needs to perform better than others, said Nannan Kou, an analyst at Bloomberg NEF in Beijing. The key for XPeng is how much volume it could deliver.

Chinese competitors such as WM Motor Technology Co. and Byton have also attracted billions of dollars in total investments in recent years as they prepare for product launches. NIO Inc. raised more than $1 billion in its stock sale in September that valued the company at $6.4 billion, even as the company had delivered fewer than 2,000 vehicles up until its IPO filing.

Yet just 1 percent of Chinas electric-car startups will survive in an industry that requires significant investment in technology, NIO Capital Managing Partner Ian Zhu said in August. Faraday Future, which is developing a luxury 1,050-horsepower electric vehicle, warned of extraordinary financial hardship in October as it furloughed employees and hunted for cash.

EV startups have become hot potatoes for investors, said Qiu Kaijun, a Beijing-based independent analyst focusing on the EV industry. Most of the startups are destined to fail since the threshold for making a car is still very high. Bloomberg
Ivo Ferreira, Portuguese director of the locally-inspired film Empire Hotel, has detailed that the movie has been his reality since his arrival in the SAR in 1994  and a collection of his memories from more than a decade ago. The movie was screened in Macau at the Cultural Center during the International Film Festival and Awards Macao (IFFAM).

Shot in Macau, the film presents a story about a woman named Maria who lives in Empire Hotel, which is situated in a traditional neighborhood of Macau where clothes hang between neon lights, and an entangled net of electric wires dominates the streets.

Speaking to the press during the red carpet event, Ferreira said, This is probably the most important screening of the film because its shot in Macau. I wont say its a film about Macau as many will be mad. Its kind of a view of Macau. Its not the reality but rather my reality since 1994.

Empire Hotel was partially funded by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), which Ferreira described as seed money that helped him start the film. Ferreira, residing in Macau, was part of the first group of directors that the bureau supported. It was during the first edition of the Macao International Film Festival in 2016 that Ferreira pitched his feature film.

With the IC policy, it [the film industry] has changed completely. Also with the creative industry fund, it has changed the investment in cinema, which is very important. We can say that most of the finance [for the movie] came from Europe but that money [from Macau] was very important, said Ferreira.

He made his first documentary in Macau while traveling in Asia, and then he directed a series of anthropological documentaries in Angola.

His subsequent feature films were Em Volta (2002), April Showers (2009) and Letters From War (2016), which premiered in a competition in Berlin.

Empire Hotel is his fourth feature.

According to the director, the Macau film industry can only grow, adding that there has been growth and change in how local directors are being supported.

I think we are seeing now something that is growing [and] improving. One of the things that is very clear is this film festival. Since the festival started, from that point on, [] Macau now exists on the map for cinema so I think this will make it easy [for local directors], said the filmmaker.

Also for the market. Itll be easier for local directors to finance their films so its a promising future, he added.
In Mary Queen of Scots two 16th-century queens compete for influence as an English succession crisis begins to unfold. A tale of political intrigue, the cousin-queens of Scotland and England might be polar opposites by character, but both must navigate the treacherous political landscapes of their own countries with a similar (and justified) distrust for nearly every man around them.

The film was screened on Tuesday night under the Special Presentations segment of the 3rd International Film Festival and Awards Macao and was well-received by the audience, prompting the occasional laugh and an applause at its credits.

Saoirse Ronan delivers an ambitious Queen Mary of Scotland, determined to shore up her legitimacy at home while insisting on her rightful claim (as the granddaughter of Henry VIIIs elder sister, Margaret) to the English crown.

On the other end of the island, Elizabeth I of England (Margot Robbie) is secure on her throne but crippled physically by disease and emotionally through self-doubt and jealousy for a younger, prettier and more legitimate rival.

Told from the perspective of Mary, the depiction of Elizabeth is unflattering.

The film casts an unfavorable light on Elizabeths famous reluctance to marry, insinuating that she had little choice in the matter on account of being unattractive, unwanted and barren, and that she harbored a great resentment over the birth of Marys son James, who would go on to inherit both kingdoms.

The film chronicles a series of betrayals against the Scottish queen, eventually forcing her to abdicate in favor of her child heir.

Mary flees across the border and requests English intervention to restore her to the throne of Scotland. But Elizabeth refuses, offering only protection on the condition that Mary never tries to undermine her sovereignty. The rest is history.

In the most thrilling scene of the movie  an ahistorical confrontation between the two sister-queens  a deposed yet fiery and indignant Mary insists on her superior claim: If you murder me, remember you murder your sister, and you murder your queen. I will not be scolded by my inferior, she warns Elizabeth.

Marys character is only weakened by director Josie Rourkes insistence on portraying the young queen as a modern progressive and tying the narrative to current events. In one scene, Mary forgives a homosexual courtesan (Ismael Cruz Cordova) after he is caught sleeping with her husband (Jack Lowden), telling him you have not betrayed your nature, and welcoming the courtesan back into her entourage.

Though at times beautifully cinematic and immersive, Mary Queen of Scots is dominated by a dull and prolonged build- up where even the political intrigue of Mary and her barons passes without excitement. Audiences expecting thrills from one of historys greatest rivalries will be left wanting, as Elizabeth is given almost no screen time to come into her own.
Dozens of North and South Korean soldiers crossed over the worlds most heavily armed border Wednesday as they inspected the sites of their rivals front-line guard posts to verify theyd been removed, part of inter-Korean engagement efforts that come amid stalled U.S.-North Korea nuclear disarmament talks.

Soldiers from the two Koreas exchanged cigarettes and chatted as they inspected the dismantlement or disarmament of 22 guard posts  11 from each country  inside the Demilitarized Zone that forms their 248-kilometer-long, 4-kilometer-wide border.

The inspections yesterday were mostly symbolic  the removals will leave South Korea with about 50 other DMZ posts and North Korea with 150, according to defense experts in South Korea  but they mark an extraordinary change in ties from last year, when North Korea tested a series of increasingly powerful weapons and threatened Seoul and Washington with war.

A small group of journalists was allowed to enter the zone to watch a South Korean team leave for a North Korean guard post yesterday morning and a North Korean team come to a South Korean guard post later in the day.

Seven helmeted South Korean soldiers wearing backpacks, one carrying a camera and another a camcorder, approached the line separating the northern and southern sides of the DMZ. North Korean troops then walked in a row down a hill to meet them. The soldiers from the rival Koreas exchanged handshakes before moving up the hill together to go to the dismantled North Korean guard post.

Other groups of South Korean soldiers simultaneously visited 10 other North Korean guard posts. They inspected whether the guard posts and any underground structures have been completely dismantled and whether all troops, weapons and other equipment have been withdrawn, according to Seouls Defense Ministry.

Hours later, seven North Korean soldiers clad in olive-green uniforms crossed the same borderline and were then escorted by South Korean troops to the concrete and steel debris of a destroyed South Korean post. North Korean teams also visited 10 other South Korean sites.

South Koreas liberal president, Moon Jae-in, the driving force behind the current engagement effort, watched parts of the verification broadcast live at an underground bunker in Seoul. Moon called the work a new milestone in inter- Korean history that was unimaginable in the past, according to his office.

North Korean soldiers allowed South Korean soldiers to use stethoscope-like equipment to inspect whether there were any underground tunnels below the site, South Korean presidential spokesman Kim Eui- kyeom told reporters.

The Demilitarized Zone was originally created as a buffer between the countries at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. But contrary to its name, the DMZ has become the worlds most heavily fortified frontier after the rival Koreas planted an estimated 2 million mines, deployed combat troops and heavy weapons and set up layers of barbed wire fences.

When the leaders of the Koreas met in Pyongyang in September, they agreed to lower military tensions along their border, including the withdrawal of some DMZ guard posts, halting live-fire exercises near the border, demilitarizing their shared border village of Panmunjom and removing mines at a DMZ area to launch joint searches for Korean War dead.

Conservatives in South Korea have criticized the deals, saying Seoul shouldnt have agreed to such conventional arms reduction programs because North Koreas nuclear threat remains unchanged.

U.S.-led nuclear diplomacy aimed at stripping North Korea of its nuclear program has reported little progress since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump met for a summit in Singapore in June. North Korea has made a vague disarmament pledge, and some experts say the Norths turn to diplomacy after last years string of weapons tests is aimed at weakening U.S.-led sanctions. Ahn Young-Joon, Hyung-Jin Kim, Inside the Demilitarized Zone, AP
The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lionel Leong, said yesterday that local casinos will not be allowed to hire non-local croupiers. Leongs statement comes after a meeting of the Council for Economic Development Council (CED) on Tuesday, where several members proposed the import of non-local dealers.

The Council for Economic Development has members coming from different sectors, and they brought up different opinions regarding Macaus economic development. We will aggregately analyze the opinions, said Leong.

On Tuesday, the head of CED human resources policies research section, Vong Kok Seng, reported that there were CED members proposing that Macau import non-local dealers based on a maximum percentage of the total number.

Leong did not comment on the proposal during the CED meeting.

There was indeed one member who queried whether Macau could introduce non-local croupiers. However, I reaffirm that the Chief Executive has reiterated many times, in different locations, that Macaus policy is to prevent non- residents from taking up jobs as casino dealers. The concerned policies have not changed, Leong said his response yesterday while presenting at the 2018 award ceremony of the Macau convention.

In addition, Leong declared that the SAR government will continue supervising local casinos by providing training to local employees in order to nurture their abilities for higher positions.
The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) presented the preliminary results of developments related to the construction of a smart city and what that means for the field of tourism.

The outcomes were presented to the media at a press conference held yesterday afternoon at the Transport Bureau (DSAT) that was attended by the director of MGTO, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, as well as Acting Head of Organizational Planning and Development Department of MGTO, Herbert Choi, and the Senior Expert of Machine Intelligence of Alibaba Cloud, Zhu Jintong.

At the event, Fernandes outlined three main projects on which MGTO has been working together with Alibaba Cloud, that are nearly concluded and are expected to enter into operation early next year.

The projects relate to: the Tourism Information Interchange Platform, the Application for Visitor Insights and the Smart application for visitor flows.

The projects are basically completed and expected to come into service early next year, Fernandes said, adding, I believe that by the variety of functions [they possess], the projects will bring convenient experiences for visitors, tourism businesses and events to the residents of Macau.

As often explained by the director of MGTO, the use of such instruments and tools will serve to review policies using technology.

Choi explained further that the goals of smart tourism are at three different levels (visitors, citizens and tourism industry), adding, We want to improve the experience of visitors in different phases: before, during and after their stay in Macau through the different smart tourism applications; using big data to obtain information on the behavior of visitors from further analysis; and to use information technologies to monitor and to detour people in the overcrowded areas.

As in previous presentations of results from different sectors, the MGTO responsible also noted that the larger part of the first phase was dedicated to the preparation of infrastructure and platforms that would allow the exchange of tourism data, noting that, when it enters into operation in early 2019, we will start to collect and analyze big data and aim its practical applications at different aspects.

Questioned by the media, Fernandes revealed that the government has invested a total of MOP19 million in the three projects, but is open to further investments depending on the future needs.

Among the new tools that will be used to collect and analyze the data are new mobile applications and a brand new website from MGTO that would offer a more interactive experience and a better flow of information to and from visitors, such as the timetable of museums and others venues, and the real-time and forecasted occupancy of such locations. Included also would be schedules for events and activities in a range of areas.

Choi announced that the new web tools would be ready to enter into operation in the second quarter of 2019.

In regards to challenges, Alibaba Cloud representative Zhu highlighted the diversity and quantity of data that needs to be collected and integrated, giving examples of such information as entries, exits, hotel industry figures, services and numbers of visitors to the different venues and sites. [The system works in] three chambers: the first where we collect data, the second where we compute that data immediately and the third where it is made available to share on the exchange platform, Zhu explained, noting that such data is not used only by MGTO but, for instance, shared with departments such as DSAT to coordinate with bus needs and routes and other services.
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the local government agreed yesterday to introduce 19 measures to foster economic and trade ties between the mainland and Macau.

The new measures were announced after the first meeting of the Commission on Economic and Trade Cooperation between mainland and Macau. The meeting, held at the Government Headquarters, was co-chaired by the Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce, Fu Ziying, and the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lionel Leong.

Following the meeting, the two officials signed a new document under the framework of the Mainland and Macau Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA).

During todays meeting, Fu  who is also designated China International Trade Representative  discussed a series of measures to enhance economic cooperation in both directions, including further measures to promote liberalization of trade in services within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, as well as support for Macau to continue taking part in the China International Import Expo.

Secretary Leong said he believed the Commission would help propel the citys economic diversification effort, and help advance Macaus position as a commercial and trade cooperation service platform between China and Portuguese- speaking countries.

The CEPA update aims to create a more comprehensive regulatory framework to encourage movement of goods between the two places. Highlights of the new agreement include a chapter dedicated to measures for facilitating trade in goods within the Greater Bay Area, and to enhance movement of goods under joint inspection protocols between different customs authorities.

CEPA was initiated in 2004, with the aims of promoting the mutual economic prosperity and development of the mainland and the MSAR, and of enhancing the level of economic and trade cooperation between the two governments. It covers three economic and trade areas, namely Trade in Goods, Trade in Services, and Trade and Investment Facilitation.

According to official data, as of November 30, the Macao Economic Services had issued 5,418 CEPA certificates of origin, of which 4,793 had been exercised, involving products with a total export value of approximately MOP940 million, generating an estimated saving  in what would otherwise have been cross- boundary tariffs  amounting to some MOP66.5 million.

Goods covered by the certificates include cement, textiles and clothing, yarn, plastic bags, recordable compact discs, printing ink, food and beverage products (confectionery, biscuits, nuts, coffee beans, coffee powder and distilled water for human consumption), refined copper foil, electrical conductors, chemicals (thinners, glue, salt of tetracyclines), postage materials, ribbons for typewriters, footwear, crude glycerol, recycled plastics, cosmetic products, other industrial materials, monocarboxylic fatty acids and fibreglass cloth.
In the race to lure companies looking for alternative sites amid the U.S.-China trade war, Vietnam wields a slew of advantages over its rivals.

Vietnam was ranked No. 1 among seven emerging Asian countries as manufacturing destinations by Natixis SA, which looked at demographics, wages and electricity costs, rankings in doing business and logistics, and manufacturing as a share of total foreign direct investment.

Vietnam is poised to capture some of Chinas global market share in labor-intensive manufacturing, said Trinh Nguyen, a senior economist at Natixis in Hong Kong. Its the clear winner from the trade war.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc is taking advantage of trade tensions to boost the nations profile as a manufacturing and export powerhouse, selling everything from shoes to smartphones. Trade amounts to about twice its gross domestic product  more than any country in Asia apart from Singapore.

Heres a look at what makes Vietnam attractive to foreign investors:

Cheap

Production workers in Vietnam are paid an average of USD216 a month, less than half what their peers get in China. Thanks to government subsidies, electricity is also cheaper at 7 U.S. cents per kilowatt hour compared with 10 cents for Indonesia and 19 cents for the Philippines, according to GlobalPetrolPrices.coms June data.

Vietnam also has one of the largest labor forces in Southeast Asia, at 57.5 million. That compared with 15.4 million for Malaysia and 44.6 million for the Philippines, according to the World Bank.

Deals, Investment

Vietnams communist leaders have pursued free trade deals with South Korea and Europe and joined 10 other nations in March in signing a Trans-Pacific trade pact.

Officials completed a trade deal with the EU in June that will eliminate almost all tariffs. In Southeast Asia, only Singapore has a similar agreement with the EU.

The government is also making it easier for foreign investors to do business with a proposed securities law that would allow 100 percent foreign ownership of public companies, except those in restricted sectors like banking and telecommunication.

Foreign direct investment is surging, with the government expecting disbursed FDI to rise to a record $18 billion this year.

Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., the Taiwan-based manufacturer for companies such as Apple Inc., is considering shifting some of its production to Vietnam as a hedge against the trade tensions between the U.S. and China, said Vu Tien Loc, chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Representatives of the company have spoken with Vietnamese officials, though discussions are preliminary, he added.

Geography

Vietnams proximity to China also adds to its appeal. The two share a land border, compared with countries like Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia which are all much farther away.

Chinese companies that need raw materials or product components from the U.S. will find it easier to source these goods via Vietnam. Vietnam is Chinas largest trading partner in Southeast Asia as the two nations become more central in each others production chains.

Stability

Vietnam boasts one of the worlds fastest-growing economies, forecast to expand at about 7 percent this year. The dong has been relatively stable in 2018, compared with other currencies in Asia like the rupee and rupiah which suffered large declines.

Strong economic growth and political stability are very important to investors, said Tony Foster, the Hanoi-based managing partner in Vietnam for law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP.

The dong will remain fairly stable in the near-term, Fitch Solutions Macro Research, a unit of Fitch Group, said in October, citing support from strong FDI inflows and manufacturing.Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen, Bloomberg
Aedes aegypti mosquitoes act as vectors, transmitting deadly diseases like Dengue Fever when infected mosquitoes bite humans. Credit: James Gathany on Flickr

Tracking human demographic, climate, and environmental data may help scientists predict and prioritize areas with high risk for mosquito-borne diseases, according to new research.

In a new study presented in a poster session this week at the 2018 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in Washington, D.C., researchers built a numerical model that predicted areas in Brazil at risk for mosquito-borne disease outbreaks.

Unlike other models that make outbreak predictions based solely on climate factors, in the new study the researchers also considered how human demographics, such as the percentage of people living in poverty or how many households had a garbage collection service, affect the spread of mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue.

They hope that taking human demographics into account will improve risk predictions, helping policymakers make decisions to stop the spread of potentially deadly mosquito-borne diseases like dengue, which causes severe pain, and chikungunya, which also causes fevers.

"We want to give this information to policymakers so they can use it to make decisions, otherwise it's just interesting math," said Kaitlyn Martinez, a Ph.D. student at the Colorado School of Mines who presented the work.

Infected mosquitoes spread viral and parasitic diseases when they bite humans. Both climate factors and human demographics determine how often people come into contact with mosquitoes that may be carrying deadly diseases.

In the new study, researchers gathered data from the Brazilian census to get information on human demographics in over 5,000 cities and towns. They then analyzed satellite imagery and weather station records of temperature and rainfall.

Researchers typically make predictions about infectious disease risk from climate or clinical data, but medical records can be messy and unreliable in developing countries. Instead, Martinez and her team turned to factors that were easy to observe to predict disease outbreaks in real-time.

In total, the massive dataset had over 2,000 variables, which the researchers simplified by monitoring 39 factors that were most representative of overall trends.

They expected some factors, such as higher temperature or the number of people per household, to be associated with increased disease risk. Warmer temperatures are more suitable for mosquito breeding; more people living close together increases the chances that those people will transmit diseases to each other.

However, some of the factors were surprising. For example, one of the biggest risk factors was the percentage of households without a garbage collection service.

Mosquitoes lay eggs in stagnant water. Martinez speculates that garbage may accumulate little pools of water when it rains, creating hotspots for mosquitoes  and the diseases they spread  outside of homes without a service to take away their trash.

Because the factors aren't disease-specific, in theory scientists can use the model to predict the risk of similar vector-borne disease outbreaks: chikungunya, malaria, West Nile virus, or Zika. This means researchers can use the model to make predictions about diseases for which there isn't much data, such as chikungunya.

To test the model's accuracy, the researchers looked back at an outbreak of chikungunya from 2016 to see if their model could predict it in hindsight. Based on human demographics and climate data from that year, the model generated a map of disease risk. It was remarkably similar to what actually happened in the 2016 outbreak.

In areas where the model predicted high risk, there were more chikungunya cases during the outbreak in 2016. This told the team that human demographics and climate data could accurately predict mosquito-borne disease risk.

As with any model, there are limitations. However, Martinez is optimistic that scientists' ability to predict mosquito-borne disease risk will improve as their models do.

"I hope one day we'll be able to forecast disease like NOAA forecasts the weather," she said.

Explore further A new climate model can predict dengue outbreaks in the Caribbean region

Provided by GeoSpace

This story is republished courtesy of AGU Blogs (http://blogs.agu.org), a community of Earth and space science blogs, hosted by the American Geophysical Union. Read the original story here.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The calorie content of popular main meals served in UK and international restaurant chains is excessive and only a minority meet public health recommendations, finds a University of Liverpool study published in the Christmas issue of The BMJ.

University of Liverpool researchers call for the food industry to reduce the number of calories in food products sold to the general public and for mandatory labelling of all restaurant food.

England's national public health agency recently recommended that midday and evening meals contain no more than 600 calories (kcal) each. But while the poor nutritional content of 'fast food' has been well studied, the energy content of traditional 'full service' restaurants has received less attention.

To better understand the extent to which restaurants are contributing to overconsumption, researchers compared the calorie content of popular meals from major fast food and full service restaurant chains across several countries.

In the study researchers, led by Dr. Eric Robinson from the University's Department of Psychological Science, analysed the calories in 13,500 main meals from 27 large UK restaurant chains (21 full-service, six fast-food).

They found an average of 751 kcal in main meal dishes served by fast food chains, and 1033 kcal in dishes served by full service restaurant chains.

Only a small minority of meals met the 600 kcal public health recommendations, with 89% of full service dishes and 83% of fast food dishes over this limit.

Dr. Eric Robinson, said: "Only one in ten of the meals we surveyed could be considered a healthy number of calories. Although some of the results are shocking our findings probably underestimate the number of calories consumed in restaurants because our analysis did not include drinks, starters, desserts or side orders.

"It's really clear what the food industry need to do, they need to act more responsibly and reduce the number of calories that they're serving."

Explore further Why printed calorie counts at restaurants are important

More information: '(Over)eating out at major UK restaurant chains: observational study of energy content of main meals',BMJ (2018). Journal information: British Medical Journal (BMJ) '(Over)eating out at major UK restaurant chains: observational study of energy content of main meals',(2018). DOI: 10.1136/bmj.k4982
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

"When people hear a baby crying, they say, 'We have to do something.' Yes, we do."

Dr. Kathy Wedig, a clinical neonatologist, spoke those words last month to a crowd of around 65 people during a seminar titled "Connecting the Dots," which aimed to bring together health professionals, funders, researchers and community partners to identify, discuss, plan and execute solutions to neonatal abstinence syndromea term used to describe a group of symptoms that occur when babies experience withdrawal from drugs they were exposed to in the womb.

Ohio University's College of Health Sciences and Professions (CHSP) partnered with Northern Kentucky University, Marshall University, Ohio River Valley Addiction Research Consortium and the Ohio Alliance for Innovation in Population Health (The Alliance) to host the event at the Athens Community Center on Nov. 2.

Dean Randy Leite welcomed attendees, speakers and panelists to the forum saying CHSP wanted to drive the effort and address some of the issues involved with opioid abuse. Ohio University President M. Duane Nellis also issued a welcome, recognizing the serious challenges facing the region, state and country and calling for unity regarding the discovery of solutions to opioid addiction and the neonatal abstinence syndrome crisis.

Wedig, an associate professor of clinical pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati and the keynote speaker for the event, talked about how happy she was with the title of the conference.

"'Connecting the Dots' is perfect because that's what we have to do. We need to connect the dots between children and families," she said.

The crowd listened intently to Wedig's words as she described the effects of drugs on a baby's brain, gastrointestinal system and autonomic nervous system that controls breathing, sweating, sneezing, fever, etc. She said these systems can be affected in as little as 10 weeks of gestationa time period in which some may not even yet know they're pregnant.

Wedig urged medical professionals to treat babies by paying attention to each individually. She said neonatal abstinence syndrome isn't relegated to any socioeconomic class and that avoiding misdiagnosis is crucial. She also touched on allowing development of the baby to occur naturally and to resist the urge to medicate unnecessarily.

During the conference, three panels were convened and spoke on the topics of funding, research and community groups. The funder panel included Tara Kunkel, of the United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance. She detailed ways to apply for federal funding for opioid-related grants and emphasized being thorough and early when it comes to applications. Tracy Plouck, an executive in residence for CHSP and for The Alliance, expanded on the need for collaboration and highlighted the use of champions to the cause. She said those both in the know of a proposed project and those who can be convinced of a project's need, such as legislators, are useful in influencing people who can contribute.

Carrie Baker, a healthcare professional of more than 15 years, delivered a story of her personal experience involving family and neonatal abstinence syndrome. Baker spoke of the difficulties in treating her adopted son who suffered from withdrawal when information on neonatal abstinence syndrome was not readily available. At the same time, medical professionals still struggle with consistent treatment strategies. Baker has been an advocate with legislators, pushing for more efforts for research on neonatal abstinence syndrome. Her personal story moved the audience to ask more questions and personalized the experience.

"Neonatal abstinence syndrome is a serious condition, not just a byproduct of the opioid crisis. These are people who are born into this without a choice and we need to find ways to help these babies," said Rick Hodges, director of The Alliance. "I want to thank all those who presented and attended the conference. Getting people like this together to work collaboratively is key to finding ways to help treat this condition."

Explore further Smaller heads related to opioid-related neonatal abstinence syndrome
A specific genetic mutation may not cause disease in every instance and any harm typically arises in the future. Credit: shutterstock.com

A woman recently sued a London hospital for doctors not disclosing that her father had the genetic mutation that causes Huntington disease  a neurodegenerative disorder. The woman was pregnant at the time. She argues doctors should have told her about her risk of also having the mutation and passing it on to her unborn child.

Genetic changes that cause health complications can be hereditary. So, genetic information is relevant not only for an individual but also their blood relatives.The UK case raises the question of whether medical professionals have a duty to disclose a patient's genetic test result to family members who might be at risk, even without consent.

This challenges traditional notions of medical privacy and doctor-patient confidentiality. We believe a medical professional does have a duty to consider genetic relatives in making this assessment. But it should not be necessary to go a step further and impose a duty to disclose.

No such legal case has arisen in Australia to date. If it did, there are some laws governing the disclosure of genetic information that could be relied on. But these are inconsistent and information about how often medical professionals do rely on them is lacking.

What laws protect genetic privacy?

Privacy laws in Australia generally prohibit disclosure of personal (including genetic) information without consent, except in certain circumstances such as where it is required by law. But the specific regulations that govern disclosure vary between states and territories, and between the public and private sectors.

Professional ethical obligations protect doctor-patient confidentiality in most circumstances. But if a patient discloses information that may lead to harm for another person, competing ethical obligations to that other person may override doctor-patient confidentiality. For instance, if a patient experiencing severe psychosis expresses a definite plan to harm another person, the doctor will be required to breach confidentiality to protect the intended victim.

Deciding whether to disclose the presence of a genetic mutation to a relative is more complex. This is because a specific genetic mutation may not cause disease in every instance and any harm typically arises in the future.

Under the Privacy Act 1988, medical professionals can disclose genetic information to at-risk genetic relatives (blood relations) of an individual who refuses to disclose that information themselves. But that disclosure must be "necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to the life, health or safety of another individual who is a genetic relative."

This is where it gets tricky, because a particular genetic mutation could cause serious harm to a family member who shares the mutation. However, we don't understand enough about how likely it is a given mutation causes disease in each individual to pick which individuals will definitely be harmed.

Comprehensive guidelines have been developed to guide medical professionals in disclosing genetic results appropriately. These include requiring that reasonable steps be taken to try to obtain the patient's consent before disclosing the genetic information and also, where possible, to avoid disclosing the patient's identity.

But there is no reporting requirement associated with these guidelines. This creates difficulty in determining how often the regulations are used in practice.

The Privacy Act is federal legislation. This means it applies to Australian government agencies and private institutions, but not to state entities such as public hospitals, which are governed by their own state laws. And it applies only to statutory liability. This protects a disclosure from being in breach of privacy legislation, but does not address the common law duty of confidentiality.

New South Wales recently passed legislation mirroring the relevant Privacy Act provisions, which aligns all the state's public and private entities with the federal approach. This has not been done nationally, however, creating inconsistency among other states and territories.

In Victoria, for instance, the applicable legislation requires that the threat of harm is both serious and imminent. This restricts its applicability to genetic information as genetic risk is often serious but not imminent.

Is there an ethical duty to disclose?

Even where medical professionals are legally allowed to override patient privacy to disclose results to genetic relatives, Australian law doesn't obligate them to to do so.

There is a growing recognition of the ethical rationale for disclosing genetic information to individuals who may be at risk where preventive health measures based on that information are available.

On the flip side are other ethical issues  such as knowing your genetic risks can lead to discrimination by insurance companies. But it is difficult to argue against at least offering the information to at-risk individuals in these circumstances.

Genetic and other healthcare professionals routinely counsel patients about communicating genetic information to family members. Most genetics clinics in Australia prepare a "family letter" to help with this. But where an individual refuses to do so, a medical professional must decide how to proceed. Fortunately, these scenarios are the exception rather than the rule.

The Privacy Act regime regarding disclosure to genetic relatives and the guidelines that accompany it are comprehensive. A thorough understanding and consideration of those guidelines by a medical professional should enable an ethically defensible case-by-case assessment of these scenarios.

But a nationally coherent approach must be adopted to effectively modulate this issue. This must be consistent with the federal regime. And it should preferably include a reporting mechanism to capture instances of disclosure.

Explore further Review reveals ambiguous understanding of genetic privacy in US study participants

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
The photo shows neurons (red) with a mutation in the MAPT gene  a gene that makes the protein tau. People with this mutation develop frontotemporal dementia. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that cells carrying the MAPT mutation developed abnormalities in genes that control communication between the brain cells. Credit: Sidhartha Mahali

Unlike the more common Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia tends to afflict young people. It accounts for an estimated 20 percent of all cases of early-onset dementia. Patients with the illness typically begin to suffer memory loss by their early 60s, but it can affect some people as young as their 40s, and there are no effective treatments.

In an effort to better understand the condition, an international team of researchers, led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has found that a lone mutation in a single gene that causes an inherited form of frontotemporal dementia makes it harder for neurons in the brain to communicate with one another, leading to neurodegeneration.

The new findings zero in on the MAPT gene. That gene makes a protein called tau, which also has been associated with cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease. Identifying the downstream effects of the mutation could help identify new treatment targets for frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer's disease and other tau-related illnesses, including Parkinson's disease.

The study is published Dec. 13 in the journal Translational Psychiatry.

"We have demonstrated that we can capture changes in human cells cultured in a dish that also are appearing in the brains of individuals suffering with frontotemporal dementia," said Celeste M. Karch, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry and one of the study's senior authors. "Importantly, the approach we are using allows us to zero in on genes and pathways that are altered in cells and in patient brains that may be influenced by compounds already approved by the FDA. We want to evaluate whether any of these compounds could prevent memory loss, or even restore memory, in people with frontotemporal dementia by improving the function of these pathways that have been disrupted."

Karch, with co-senior author Carlos Cruchaga, Ph.D., an associate professor of psychiatry, and the other co-senior author, Oscar Harari, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry, gathered skin samples from patients with frontotemporal dementia who were known to have a specific mutation in the MAPT gene.

The researchers then converted the patients' skin cells into induced pluripotent stem cells, which have the ability to grow and develop into any cell type in the body. The researchers treated these stem cells with compounds that coaxed them to grow and develop into neurons, which also had the MAPT mutation. Then, using gene-editing technology called CRISPR, the researchers eliminated the mutation in some neurons but not others and observed what happened.

"We found differences in genes and pathways related to cellular communication, suggesting the mutation alters neurons' ability to communicate," said Cruchaga. "The initial mutation in MAPT is the key change that starts the disease, and it is a potential target for therapy, but there are other genes downstream from the MAPT gene that also are good targets that may be used to treat the disease."

In neurons with the mutation, the researchers found alterations in 61 genes, including genes that make GABA receptors on brain neurons. GABA receptors are the major inhibitory receptors in the brain, and they are key to several types of communication between brain cells.

The researchers identified similar disruptions in genes that make GABA receptors when they did experiments in animal models and analyzed brain tissue from patients who had died with frontotemporal dementia. They also looked at findings from a genomewide association study of more than 2,000 patients with frontotemporal dementia and more than 4,000 without the disorder. That analysis also pointed to GABA-related genes as potential targets.

"Using our stem cell-derived neurons, we have the opportunity, in human tissue, to target some of those GABA genes in advance of the neurodegeneration we see in the postmortem tissue we study," said Harari. "So, at least in cell cultures, we can learn whether potential therapies prevent the damage caused by inherited forms of frontotemporal dementia."

And by studying rare, inherited forms of brain diseases, the researchers believe they will learn a great deal about how to treat the more common forms of those disorders.

"Genetic forms of frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease are caused by rare mutations," Cruchaga said. "But they have much in common with the more typical cases of those diseases. If we understand these cases caused by inherited mutations, we also should better understand the common forms of these diseases."

Explore further Neuroscientists pinpoint genes tied to dementia

More information: Jiang S, et al. Integrative system biology analyses of CRISPR-edited iPSC-derived neurons and human brains reveal deficiencies of presynaptic signaling in FTLD and PSP. Translational Psychiatry, published online Dec. 13, 2018. Journal information: Translational Psychiatry Jiang S, et al. Integrative system biology analyses of CRISPR-edited iPSC-derived neurons and human brains reveal deficiencies of presynaptic signaling in FTLD and PSP., published online Dec. 13, 2018.
A cross section of a zebrafish spinal cord. Left: Arrow indicates the immune cells in the spinal cord of a healthy zebrafish. Right: Arrows indicate the accumulation of immune cells near spinal curvature in the spinal cord of a zebrafish with scoliosis, indicating an immune response. Credit: The Hospital for Sick Children

Idiopathic scoliosis (IS) is a complex genetic disorder that affects approximately 4 per cent of children worldwide, yet its underlying biological cause remains unknown.

Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) have determined that neuroinflammatory signals, the signals that trigger inflammation in the spinal cord, drive spinal curve formation in zebrafish. The team also found that suppressing these signals with common drugs like N-acetylcysteine (NAC) or aspirin blocked the formation of spinal curves or reduced the severity of scoliosis after onset. The study was published in Science Advances on December 12, 2018 and is the first study to establish a link between neuroinflammatory signals and spinal curve formation.

Idiopathic scoliosis is characterized by three-dimensional curves in the spine that typically arise during adolescence. In some cases, it can cause chronic back pain, disfigurement and functional disability.

In addition to affecting humans worldwide, IS is also a common deformity found among fish. The zebrafish, in particular, has emerged as a consistent model for human scoliosis and other congenital defects. In this study, a laboratory team led by Dr. Brian Ciruna, Senior Scientist and Head of the Developmental & Stem Cell Biology Program at SickKids, examined zebrafish models to determine the biological cause of IS.

The lab team looked for genes and genetic pathways that were abnormally expressed upon the development of spinal curvature. Surprisingly, they found that immune cells associated with inflammation accumulated at the site of spinal curvature, indicating a strong immune response associated with scoliosis.

Top: An untreated mutant fish demonstrating severe spinal curvature. Bottom: A mutant sibling fish treated with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) for 20 days after scoliosis onset, demonstrating a significant reduction in severe spinal curve progression. Credit: The Hospital for Sick Children

Using genetic tools, the team also discovered that activating pro-inflammatory signals in the spinal cord could induce scoliosis in healthy zebrafish. When these signals were blocked by administering NAC, an over-the-counter supplement with both anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, the incidence and severity of scoliosis was significantly reduced.

"Traditionally, scoliosis has been considered to be a disease affecting bone, cartilage, or neuromuscular activities. We were surprised to find an immune response associated with IS," says Dr. Ciruna.

Currently, management and treatment of scoliosis is limited to full-time rigid bracewear, or invasive surgery. Wearing a brace can cause psychosocial challenges in patients, including negative body image and self-esteem. It does not correct curvature; it only minimizes the risk of curve progression. Surgery is the only corrective treatment but is typically only considered for patients with spinal curves of approximately 50 degrees.

"Our study has revealed that simple and safe immunomodulating therapies like NAC may be effective in managing scoliosis," says Dr. Ciruna, who is also a Professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto. "If our findings translate to humans, this could have a profound impact on the treatment of idiopathic scoliosis."

Before clinical applications are considered, a definitive link between neuroinflammation and scoliosis in humans must be established. Currently, Dr. Ciruna's team is exploring how pro-inflammatory signals contribute to the development of human spines. The team hopes to use the biological insights gained from zebrafish research to inform future studies.

The lab has also initiated a study in collaboration with SickKids' Spine Program to explore the genetic causes of scoliosis in IS patients. They plan to collaborate with Dr. David Lebel, an Orthopaedic Surgeon at SickKids; to examine the possible association of inflammatory signals with the onset and progression of spinal curvature in IS patients.

Explore further Research reinforces call for early scoliosis detection, appropriate treatment

More information: J. L. M. Van Gennip et al. Neuroinflammatory signals drive spinal curve formation in zebrafish models of idiopathic scoliosis, Science Advances (2018). Journal information: Science Advances J. L. M. Van Gennip et al. Neuroinflammatory signals drive spinal curve formation in zebrafish models of idiopathic scoliosis,(2018). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aav1781

Provided by The Hospital for Sick Children
Jason Busse, associate professor of anesthesia at McMaster University. Credit: McMaster University

If you experience an injury at work, the amount of compensation you receive depends on which impairment rating system is used, according to research from McMaster University and the Netherlands.

The American Medical Association (AMA) Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment is used in workers' compensation systems, federal systems, automobile accidents and personal injury cases to rate impairment.

However, a comparison of a group of injured workers assessed using the two most recent editions of the AMA guides revealed that usage of the sixth edition resulted in significantly lower impairment ratings than the fifth edition.

The findings were published today in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

"Our study shows your impairment rating will depend on the version of the AMA guides that you are assessed with," said Jason Busse, first author and an associate professor of anesthesia at McMaster.

"The difference in impairment rating is likely due to the fact that when these guides first came out, they were focused on pain and range of motion, and they have increasingly moved to more direct measures of function.

"For example, in an earlier guide they may have measured whether a person could lift their arm above their head without discomfort, but now they look at whether the person could put a box on a shelf."

Researchers used data from a consecutive sample of 249 injured workers referred for an independent evaluation at the Orthopedisch Expertise Centrum Amsterdam between 2011 and 2012.

The results showed the median whole person impairment rating was seven per cent for 131 claimants assessed with the fifth edition of the AMA guides, and four per cent for 118 claimants assessed with the sixth edition.

"Because all assessors in the Netherlands switched from the fifth to the sixth edition at the same time, we were able to study two large cohorts of patients with similar injuries and explore the impact on impairment ratings," said Busse, who is also a researcher with the Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Pain Research and Care.

The other major finding of the study was considerable inconsistency of AMA Guides editions used by workers' compensation boards across North America.

"There was a tremendous variability in the edition that North American compensation boards are using," Busse said. "The most recent version, which was the sixth, was published in 2007. Yet, for example, we have the largest compensation board in Canada, which is in Ontario, using the third revised version which came out in 1991."

Busse said he recommends consistency across compensation boards.

"Workers' compensation boards should standardize impairment rating systems so that everyone is gauged on the same scale," he said. "If we believe that more recent editions of the AMA guides do a better job of quantifying impairment, why is it that so many Boards are using earlier versions?"

Explore further Opioid use often persists in workers' compensation claimants

More information: Jason W. Busse et al, Comparative Analysis of Impairment Ratings From the 5th to 6th Editions of the AMA Guides, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (2018). Journal information: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine Jason W. Busse et al, Comparative Analysis of Impairment Ratings From the 5th to 6th Editions of the AMA Guides,(2018). DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000001440
A US study in the Christmas issue of The BMJ today finds "insidious, persistent, and sometimes blatant" manifestations of discrimination experienced by physicians based specifically on their status as mothers.

While some of the experiences are consistent with those reported by women across professions, there are unique aspects of medical training and the medical profession that exacerbate maternal discrimination, say the researchers.

They call for structural changes that address pregnancy, parental leave, and childcare to mitigate the impacts of maternal discrimination in medicine.

The majority of medical student entrants are women, and recent studies suggest that women physicians may have better patient outcomes than their male counterparts. Yet there is compelling evidence of gender inequity in medicine.

Women physicians (around 80% of whom are or will become mothers) also report experiencing "maternal discrimination" based specifically on their role as a mother. Yet very little is known about this type of discrimination or its impact.

So a team of US researchers led by Eleni Linos at the University of California San Francisco, set out to identify ways in which women doctors experience this maternal discrimination.

They surveyed an online community of women who identified as medical mothers.

Mean age was 39 years (range 24-62), median number of children was 2, 74% were White, 12% were Asian, 8% were Hispanic or Latina, and 5% were Black. Most worked more than 40 hours per week.

They included questions about demographics, physical and reproductive health, perceived discrimination, potential workplace changes, and burnout.

Responses were reviewed and combined into themes which were used to create a conceptual model to illustrate the extent and nature of maternal discrimination in the medical workplace.

Emerging themes included varying expectations of performance (both higher and lower), fewer opportunities for career development, financial differences, lack of support before and after birth, and difficulties achieving life-work balance.

For example, participants described being denied earned salary increases or bonuses due to maternity leave (despite reaching or exceeding productivity goals), being passed over for leadership roles in favor of colleagues perceived as less qualified, or having their contracts grossly modified or terminated in response to announcing a pregnancy or when returning from maternity leave.

Participants also described ways in which the culture and structure of the medical workplace perpetuated maternal discrimination. These included policies and procedures that limit maternity leave, the lack of coverage and flexibility in physician schedules, the lack of physical space and time to breastfeed or pump milk, and the long (and often overnight) work hours generally required of physicians.

Reported effects of maternal discrimination included extreme stress due to work and family demands and financial instability, forcing some women to give up full-time work or leave the profession altogether.

The researchers point to some limitations that could have influenced their results, and say the findings "should be viewed as preliminary."

But they conclude: "As we strive to build more equitable workplaces, our findings suggest that challenging norms around motherhood in the medical workplace, as well as structural changes that address pregnancy, parental leave, and childcare, are needed in order to mitigate the impacts of maternal discrimination in medicine."

In a linked editorial, Kate Lovett, Dean at the Royal College of Psychiatrists in London, says further work to understand this complex area of human behaviour is needed.

However, she points out that, as long as parenthood is seen as a women's issue rather than an issue for us all, "maternal discrimination will remain unresolved."

As both men and women "lean in" on the domestic and work front, "we need to understand how we can support each other in equal relationships both inside and outside of work," she concludes.

Explore further Physician moms are often subject to workplace discrimination

More information: Physician mothers' experience of workplace discrimination: a qualitative analysis, Physician mothers' experience of workplace discrimination: a qualitative analysis, www.bmj.com/content/363/bmj.k4926
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

University of Michigan professor W. Nicholson Price, who also has affiliations with Harvard Law School and the University of Copenhagen Faculty of Law, suggests in a Focus piece published in Science Translational Medicine, that the time has come to set up a way to validate and integrate deep learning medical systems. He claims that the medical community is already facing serious questions of properly implementing the new kind of technology.

Deep learning algorithms are set to make a major impact on the practice of medicinePrice notes that areas such as prognosis, radiology and pathology are already being impacted. Next up will be diagnosis. Deep learning algorithms allow for the swift retrieval and analysis of vast amounts of disparate information and can learn more as they are fed more data. They are expected to revolutionize some areas of medicine, for example, diagnosing very rare diseases, or identifying tumors more quickly than a human ever could.

But deep learning algorithms suffer from a serious problemthey are not transparent. You cannot ask a deep learning algorithm why it flagged a given cell sample as cancerous, because it does not know how it knows. It just does. Before doctors are allowed to diagnose, they require difficult training, and before medicines are prescribed or medical devices are approved, they must go through extensive testing and clinical trials. But what about deep learning algorithms? How should they be tested and certified as safe for use with human patients? They could be tested in clinical trials, but what happens when the data or the algorithm is updated? Also, how can such systems be tested in tried and true ways if the means by which they arrive at answers is unknown?

Price claims the main issue is validation, and suggests a three-step process that would allow for the safe integration of deep learning algorithms into modern medical practices. The first involves adopting procedural steps to ensure that medical algorithms are created in ways that will work with previously tested vetting techniques, and that they will be trained on high-quality data. The second involves developing a reliability factor to ensure independent test data is used and results verified. And the third involves developing performance standards that stand up to real-world evidence.

Explore further Artificial intelligence may fall short when analyzing data across multiple health systems

More information: W. Nicholson Price. Big data and black-box medical algorithms, Science Translational Medicine (2018). Journal information: Science Translational Medicine W. Nicholson Price. Big data and black-box medical algorithms,(2018). DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aao5333

 2018 Science X Network
As more and more parents travel overseas to find a surrogate, a new study published in Human Fertility is the first to compare the experiences of those who carry out surrogacy in the UK with those who go abroad. The research highlights important problems faced by parents, which could influence UK surrogacy law.

A new study is the first to compare the experiences of people who have carried out surrogacy in the UK with those who go overseas, for example, to countries such as USA, India and Georgia. The research, led by Dr. Vasanti Jadva at the Centre for Family Research, University of Cambridge, in collaboration with NGA Law and Brilliant Beginnings, surveyed over 200 people who had either already had a child through a surrogate, were in the process, or were planning a surrogacy arrangement.

Almost half (42 percent) of parents who chose to find a surrogate in the UK did so to foster a closer relationship with the surrogate, while almost all (97 percent) of those opting to go to the US did so to access a better legal framework, which includes being recognised as the legal parents of the child from birth. In addition, although the laws surrounding surrogacy vary by state in the US, many states allow commercial surrogacy and it is generally easier to find a surrogate than it is in the UK.

Although the US offers a more secure legal framework, it comes with a hefty price tag, and the study found that going to the US simply wasn't affordable for many parents who considered it.

Those who found a surrogate in other, more affordable countries  such as India, Thailand or Ukraine  experienced greater delays and difficulties in obtaining the necessary legal documents on their return to the UK. One couple returning from India reported a delay of 6 months in getting a passport for their child.

The UK has a notoriously challenging legal landscape for those seeking surrogacy arrangements. Profit-making surrogacy agencies are illegal in the UK and surrogacy arrangements are not legally enforceable, which means the surrogate remains the legal mother of the child until a Parental Order is made, often many months after the birth.

Estimates suggest that the number of children being born through surrogacy in the UK has tripled in the past few years. But until now, very little has been known about why people go to these countries or their experiences of the process.

The findings of this new study highlight the stress and anxiety that parents can face when travelling abroad for surrogacy, particularly in trying to obtain legal parenthood when back in the UK, but also caused by the lack of legal security in the UK.

"UK surrogacy law is outdated and struggling to cope with the strain of modern surrogacy experience both in the UK and globally," said co-author Natalie Gamble.

The Law Commission (the independent body responsible for reviewing the law in England and Wales) has started a project to substantively review surrogacy law. As lead author and Senior Research Associate at the University of Cambridge, Dr. Vasanti Jadva, added: "We hope our findings will feed into the Law Commission's review of surrogacy law as they highlight how people's experiences can differ depending on the country in which they conduct their surrogacy arrangement."

Explore further First study to look at Australians' use of surrogacy

More information: Vasanti Jadva et al. Cross-border and domestic surrogacy in the UK context: an exploration of practical and legal decision-making, Human Fertility (2018). Vasanti Jadva et al. Cross-border and domestic surrogacy in the UK context: an exploration of practical and legal decision-making,(2018). DOI: 10.1080/14647273.2018.1540801
Study author Dr Naiyer Rizvi, director of thoracic oncology and immunotherapeutics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, US. Credit:  European Society for Medical Oncology

First line immunotherapy with durvalumab or the combination of durvalumab and tremelimumab does not improve overall survival in unselected patients with lung cancer, according to late breaking results from the MYSTIC trial presented at the ESMO Immuno-Oncology Congress.

The combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors and chemotherapy has been successfully tested in different trials as first line therapy for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) while the use of two immunotherapy drugs without chemotherapy has been addressed in very few studies. Commenting on behalf of ESMO, Dr. Pilar Garrido said: "Some patients are worried about the side effects of chemotherapy and prefer to delay it. Avoiding the use of chemotherapy in the first line setting also leaves an effective rescue option when immunotherapy fails."

The MYSTIC trial enrolled 1,118 patients with metastatic NSCLC who were randomly allocated to durvalumab alone, durvalumab plus tremelimumab, or chemotherapy. The primary endpoints were overall survival for durvalumab versus chemotherapy, and overall survival and progression free survival for durvalumab plus tremelimumab versus chemotherapy in patients with 25% or greater PD-L1 expression in tumour cells.

A total of 488 patients (44%) had PD-L1 expression of 25% or greater. Durvalumab alone or with tremelimumab did not improve overall survival or progression free survival compared to chemotherapy. Study author Dr. Naiyer Rizvi, director of thoracic oncology and immunotherapeutics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, US, said: "While not reaching statistical significance, durvalumab monotherapy gave a clinically meaningful median overall survival improvement of 16.3 months compared to 12.9 months with chemotherapy in patients with 25% or greater PD-L1 expression."

An exploratory analysis examined survival according to high or low tumour mutational burden (TMB) in the blood16 or more mutations per megabase was defined as "high" and less than 16 as "low". TMB evaluation was performed in more than 70% of patients, of whom 40% had high TMB.

In patients with high TMB, overall survival was 16.5 months with durvalumab plus tremelimumab versus 10.5 months with chemotherapy, with a hazard ratio of 0.64. Overall survival with durvalumab alone was 11 months. The proportion of high TMB patients alive at two years was 39% with durvalumab plus tremelimumab, 30% with durvalumab, and 18% with chemotherapy. In those with low TMB, overall survival was 8.5 months with durvalumab plus tremelimumab, 12.2 months with durvalumab, and 11.6 months with chemotherapy.

Rizvi said: "The results of the exploratory analysis need to be validated in a future trial. TMB is measured with a simple blood test and might be an easy way to select patients for this treatment. The CheckMate 227 trial previously showed that first line immunotherapy combinations work best in advanced NSCLC patients with high TMB."

Safety data were consistent with previous studies. The incidence of grade 3/4 treatment-related adverse events was 14.6%, 22.1% and 33.8% with durvalumab, durvalumab plus tremelimumab, and chemotherapy, respectively.

"Immunotherapy has rapidly become a first line treatment option in NSCLC, as shown in the 2018 ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for metastatic disease," said Garrido, head of the Thoracic Tumour Section, Medical Oncology Department, Ramon y Cajal University Hospital, Madrid, Spain. "The ESMO Immuno-Oncology Congress showcases cutting edge developments in this fast moving field, such as the highly anticipated MYSTIC trial. The analysis shows that appropriate biomarkers are needed to select the patients most likely to benefit from combination immunotherapy in first line. The challenge now is to prospectively validate them prior to implementation in clinical practice."

Explore further Durvalumab extends survival in stage III non-small cell lung CA

More information: 1 Abstract LBA6 'Durvalumab with or without tremelimumab vs platinum-based chemotherapy as first-line treatment for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer: MYSTIC ' will be presented by N. A. Rizvi during Proffered Paper session I on Thursday, 13 December, 18:15 to 19:00 (CET) in Room A. Annals of Oncology, Volume 29, 2018 Supplement 10. 1 Abstract LBA6 'Durvalumab with or without tremelimumab vs platinum-based chemotherapy as first-line treatment for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer: MYSTIC ' will be presented by N. A. Rizvi during Proffered Paper session I on Thursday, 13 December, 18:15 to 19:00 (CET) in Room A., Volume 29, 2018 Supplement 10. DOI: 10.1093/annonc/mdy493 2 The tumour mutational burden cut off of 16 mutations per megabase in the blood is equivalent to the cut off used in the CheckMate 227 trial of ten mutations per megabase in the tumour. 3 Hellmann MD, Ciuleanu TE, Pluzanski A, et al. Nivolumab plus Ipilimumab in Lung Cancer with a High Tumor Mutational Burden. N Engl J Med. 2018.;378:2093-2104. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1801946. 4 Planchard D, Popat S, Kerr K, et al. Metastatic non-small cell lung cancer: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Ann Oncol. 2018;29(Supplement 4):iv192-iv237. DOI: 10.1093/annonc/mdy275. Journal information: Annals of Oncology
Jik Nijssen, Eva Hedlund, Julio Aguila Benitez, researchers at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. Credit: Ulf Sirborn

The neurodegenerative disease ALS causes motor neuron death and paralysis. However, long before the cells die, they lose contact with muscles as their axons atrophy. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have now devised a method that radically improves the ability to study axons and thus to better understand the pathological development of ALS. The method is described in the scientific journal Stem Cell Reports.

All neurons have a fibre-like projection called an axon, and those of motor neurons can be extremely longover a metreas they have to stretch from the spinal cord to the muscles of the arms and legs. It is known that in ALS the motor neurons die "backwards" and lose functionality where the axon meets the muscle before gradually atrophying completely.

By examining RNA in a cell, it is possible to discover which genes are switched on and off and thus the cell's function and general condition. In long-axoned neurons, there is a buffer of RNA in the axon that enables them to quickly interact with their environmente.g., muscle cells. Scientists are keenly interested in investigating the repertoire of RNAs in motor axons of healthy individuals and ALS patients to gain deeper insight into disease processes. However, this has proven to be very difficult as the amount of RNA in axons is minute. If just one single cell body gets into the axon study material, it will contaminate it with its own RNA, making it impossible to see what the axon's RNA reservoir looks like.

"We have now developed a greatly improved method for this called Axon-seq," explains Eva Hedlund associate professor at the Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet. "It's a relatively cheap, simple and highly sensitive method that we've described in detail in our study so that it can be used by other researchers interested in studying neuronal processes."

Her research group has used the method to examine motor neurons generated from mouse and human stem cells. Their results show that the axon's reservoir of RNAs differs significantly from that of the cell body, which is a new discovery. The researchers also examined the transcriptome of ALS-diseased motor neurons and found that in neurons with the mutated version of the SOD1 gene that causes ALS, the axon's RNA profile differed from that of healthy cells.

"Many of the genes we found dysregulated in ALS are needed for the normal function of the axon and its contact with the muscle," says Jik Nijssen, doctoral student and joint first-author of the study with postdoc Julio Aguila Benitez. "Many of these genes present possible targets for future therapies."

Explore further Scientists find that sensory neurons can be used to discover therapies for ALS

More information: Jik Nijssen et al, Axon-Seq Decodes the Motor Axon Transcriptome and Its Modulation in Response to ALS, Stem Cell Reports (2018). Journal information: Stem Cell Reports Jik Nijssen et al, Axon-Seq Decodes the Motor Axon Transcriptome and Its Modulation in Response to ALS,(2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2018.11.005
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A whole-genome sequencing study of nearly 2,000 families has implicated mutations in 'promoter regions' of the genomeregions that precede the start of a genein autism. The study, which appears in the December 14 issue of Science, is the first genome-wide analysis to uncover a role for mutations in the noncoding portion of the genome in any human condition.

Most sequencing studies of autism and other conditions have focused on the coding portion of the genomethat is, the genes, which encode the recipe for each protein a cell can build. But more than 98 percent of the human genome consists of material other than genes. "We wouldn't have that DNA if it didn't do something," says Stephan Sanders of the University of California, San Francisco, one of the scientists who led the new study.

Mapping the role of these noncoding regions in conditions such as autism is vastly more difficult than mapping the role of genes, both because of the volume of data and because the functions of these noncoding regions are poorly understood. But the new study shows that 2,000 families' worth of data is enough to start extracting a signal from the noise.

Sanders' team looked at 1,902 'quartets'families that include one child with autism, unaffected parents and an unaffected siblingin the Simons Simplex Collection, a repository of data from families with autism. In promoter regions of the genome, the study found, children with autism have more de novo mutations (spontaneous mutations that aren't inherited from a parent) than their siblings do.

"Being able to show that de novo mutations in noncoding regions contribute to autism is phenomenally exciting," Sanders says. "It's our first chance to really come to grips with rare mutations in the other 98 percent of the genome."

Some of the mutations, the team found, are in promoters for genes involved in neuronal differentiation or developmental delay, as well as genes that interact with CHD8, one of the most common autism risk genes.

"All of that collectively fits," says Alan Packer, a senior scientist at the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative. "It's a reassuring sign that they're on the right track."

The signal appears strongest in promoter regions that are conserved across many different animal species, rather than parts of the genome that are uniquely human. "Although autism is a very human trait, the mechanisms involved are potentially ones that have been with us for millions of years," Sanders says. The finding suggests, encouragingly, that animal models of autism may indeed help illuminate the condition, despite the differences among species.

Promoter regions play a key role in determining which types of cells express a particular gene, and during which stages of development. So the new finding may shed light on autism traits that cannot be understood by looking at genes alone. "The eventual long-term payoff of the study may be in pointing to particular places and times in brain development that you want to focus on, from among the many possibilities," Packer says.

The study was made possible by the unique design of the Simons Simplex Collection, which not only makes available whole-blood samples that allow for sequencing studies, but also focuses on 'simplex' families, which have one affected child and unaffected parents and siblingsprecisely the families in which de novo mutations are most likely to be found. The structure of the collection, which was launched in 2006, "has been hugely influential," Packer says, not just for autism research but also for completely different conditions, such as congenital heart disease. Researchers of such conditions have followed the collection's lead in looking for de novo mutations in simplex families.

Researchers can soon take the new study's approach to an entirely different level, via whole-genome sequencing of families in the SPARK cohort study. SPARK includes behavioral data and DNA from about 21,000 families. The New York Genome Center has begun whole-genome sequencing on 400 SPARK families, with another 400 families in the pipeline and many more planned for 2019. "SPARK is the largest study of autism in the United States," says lead investigator Wendy Chung of Columbia University. "With a goal of studying over 50,000 individuals with autism, we will be confident of the genetic factors we identify."

Explore further Autism study finds de novo mutations associated with motor skill deficiencies

More information: J.-Y. An el al., "Genome-wide de novo risk score implicates promoter variation in autism spectrum disorder," Science (2018). Journal information: Science J.-Y. An el al., "Genome-wide de novo risk score implicates promoter variation in autism spectrum disorder,"(2018). science.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi  1126/science.aat6576

Provided by Simons Foundation
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Many people feel better in that window of time after exercise, but new research suggests that exercise results in better choices about what we actually eat, an idea UO researchers are exploring to improve health for kids.

Nichole Kelly, Evergreen Assistant Professor in the Department of Counseling Psychology and Human Services and a member of the UO's Health Promotion and Obesity Prevention Initiative, is testing new ways to help kids eat healthier by observing what and how much they eat after a brief period of physical activity.

"I'm interested in a broad spectrum of eating habits," Kelly said. "My overall goal is to find a way to help people eat healthier in a way that doesn't become burdensome."

With assistance from a $405,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health, Kelly is diving into the relationship between physical activity and executive functioning, testing to see if exercise boosts kids' ability to regulate their behavior and if those changes translate into making healthier eating choices.

Childhood obesity is now defined as a national epidemic according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which reports that 1 in 5 school-age children are obese. Obesity is associated with poor health and serious health complications, including asthma, sleep apnea, bone and joint problems, Type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Taking place over two years, the study will work with elementary schools in rural communities, a population disproportionately affected by childhood obesity. Children in rural communities have 26 to 55 percent greater odds of being obese, and research shows that children in rural settings consume more junk food and calories per day relative to their urban counterparts.

"There is a lot of research showing that if we take kids outside to walk around for 20 minutes or exercise for 20 minutes we see improvement in their cognitive functioning right away," Kelly said, "and so I'm just seeing then if that translates into better eating habits."

Kelly's research will study approximately 90 students ages 8-10 to test the correlations among exercise, cognitive functioning and eating habits by bringing them into a lab and monitoring them while they exercise. After exercising, the youths will complete a brief cognitive task and then be presented with a variety of foods for lunch, ranging from relatively healthy foods like carrot sticks to foods high in fat and sugar, like cookies.

Researchers will then observe if kids' cognitive functioning improves and whether they make healthier eating choices following their round of exercise. Next, the two-part study will partner with local elementary schools, including Creslane Elementary School in Creswell, to apply this research by changing something deceptively simple: recess hours.

"We are talking with schools to see if there is a way where we can manipulate where recess is in a school day and then what they're actually doing during recess," Kelly said.

The goal, Kelly said, is to change recess times so kids can get more exercise before lunch, potentially contributing to their ability to choose lunches that are more nutritious.

"My goal is to come up with a way for kids to eat healthier without them maybe even knowing they're doing it so it's not something they're spending a lot of time thinking about," Kelly said. "If there's a way for schools to change their environment in a way that just makes it easier and more effortless to make good eating decisions, we want to help them do that."

Kelly said the project has received overwhelming support from parents, who support improving their children's health. The biggest barriers, she said, are some of the practical implications of switching recess times, such as encouraging hundreds of children to wash their hands after playing and before eating.

Kelly said she is excited for the opportunity to apply research to make changes in rural communities.

"My goal is to help find a way to help kids eat healthier on a day-to-day basis and hopefully prevent the onset of diabetes," Kelly said. "We are working to make somewhat small modifications to an environment that kids are in so often that there could be real-world and long-term changes for their health, and that's exciting."

Explore further Small changes to cafeteria design can get kids to eat healthier, new assessment tool finds
Cancer cell during cell division. Credit: National Institutes of Health

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is divided into three subtypes, one of which is particularly aggressive. Researchers from the Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC) of MedUni Vienna and Vienna General Hospital have now managed to discover a mechanism that contributes to this aggressive behaviour: The tumour cells of this subtype are able to assume special characteristics that promote migration and therefore spread of the cancer. This is possible because the cells receive the requisite signals for this spread from certain messenger substances, namely the two growth factors FGF2 and EGF. By blockading these signals, it might be possible to develop new approaches for treating this subtype of malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Many mechanisms that cause cancer were originally processes that a healthy body needs to function normally. However, the tumour cells "exploit" these processes to promote tumour growth.

For example, in some instances, such as embryonic development or wound healing, it is essential for cells that are anchored in one spot to be able to migrate. To allow this to happen, a complex modification process is initiated within the cell. This is known as epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). As a result of EMT, the cells change their properties and their appearance. Cells that were once epithelial cells with high cell-cell adhesion and therefore immovable, transform into mesenchymal cells. These are cells with no fixed cell junctions that are therefore able to migrate and spread.

Michael Grusch, molecular biologist at the Institute of Cancer Research and member of the Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC) of MedUni Vienna/Vienna General Hospital and one of the two principal investigators explains: "EMT plays a key role in the development of metastases and in local spread. Especially in the aggressive forms of malignant pleural mesothelioma, we could see that the tumour cells are very similar in appearance to mesenchymal cells. In a petri dish, we have now investigated which biological signals cause the cancer cells to take on the characteristics of these mesenchymal cells."

The researchers found that, in aggressive malignant pleural mesothelioma, EMT is triggered by defined signals. These are, in fact, a group of so-called fibroblast growth factors (FGF2) and epidermal growth factors (EGF). These signaling substances bind to receptors on the surface of the tumour cells and forward the signal to modify into the cell interior.

Says Karin Schelch, Institute of Cancer Research of MedUni Vienna, member of the CCC and lead author of the study: "If FGF2 and EGF are in play, the tumour subtype becomes more aggressive."

Signal blockade as new therapeutic approach

In a further step, the researchers showed that tumour cells lost their aggressive characteristics again as soon as they encountered substances that blockade the effect of FGF2 and EGF. Says Mir Ali Reza Hoda, Department of Surgery of MedUni Vienna/Vienna General Hospital, member of the Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC) of the two institutions and second lead author: "Our results help to provide a better understanding of the disease. Blockading these signals could therefore offer new approaches for treating certain aggressive forms of mesothelioma.

About mesothelioma

With around 90 new cases per year in Austria, malignant pleural mesothelioma is one of the rarer forms of cancer. However, it is on the increase. Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a very aggressive form of cancer that is associated with asbestos and is routinely treated with a combination of chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy. Since this particular type of tumour often develops resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the prognosis is very poor. Around 15% of all cases involve the particularly aggressive form of pleural mesothelioma, which was the subject of the research project.

Explore further New transmission route discovered for malignant pleural mesothelioma

More information: Karin Schelch et al. FGF2 and EGF induce epithelialmesenchymal transition in malignant pleural mesothelioma cells via a MAPKinase/MMP1 signal, Carcinogenesis (2018). Karin Schelch et al. FGF2 and EGF induce epithelialmesenchymal transition in malignant pleural mesothelioma cells via a MAPKinase/MMP1 signal,(2018). DOI: 10.1093/carcin/bgy018
Credit: University of Sydney

Increased arrivals by air and urbanisation are the two main factors leading to a growing vulnerability to pandemics in our cities, a University of Sydney research team has found.

Led by the Centre for Complex Systems and the Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, the multidisciplinary team found these were two key reasons for an increase in severe pandemic trendsand they fear that local population growth is outstripping the capacity of urban infrastructure to deal with disease outbreaks.

"Air travel and Australians' growing propensity to live near airports is increasing our population's susceptibility to contagions, which has a significant impact on our health services, crisis response and pandemic preparedness," said Professor Mikhail Prokopenko, Director of the Complex Systems Research Group.

"The Australian Census has provided comprehensive data with which to calibrate a nation-level model of pandemic influenza spread and investigate the population's vulnerability to the contagion over a period of rapid urbanisation." said Professor Prokopenko.

The study is the first of its kind to use anonymised data from the 2006, 2011 and 2016 Australian censuses to create a refined simulator which tracked anonymous households and suburbs. The team studied their daily interactions to better understand how diseases spread and how to better prepare infrastructure to combat outbreaks.

"We should be wary of the tendency for local population growth to out-strip the carrying capacity of the urban infrastructure," said Dr. Cameron Zachreson from the Complex Systems Research Group, who believes the research has exposed a vulnerability in Australia's health infrastructure.

"It's unclear when the next outbreak will behowever our policies should prepare us for crisis situations, such as epidemics, rather than simply keep pace with growth under placid circumstances," said Dr. Zachreson.

Despite an increase in medical infrastructure, many major hospitals in NSW routinely operate at one hundred percent capacity. Influenza has also been increasing on average since H1N1 influenza (swine flu) gripped the world and arrived in Australia in 2009.

"We hope that our research can lend strength to the argument that keeping hospital beds at a consistent ratio to the urban population is insufficient and will not account for the relative increases in disease prevalence that our simulation results suggest will occur," said Dr. Zachreson.

The global population has been rapidly urbanising since the 1950s, the very same decade that commercial air travel became a more viable option for those travelling to Australia.

Australia's domestic landscape has also changed considerably. As of 2018 ninety per cent of the total population now resides in an urban setting, concentrated in just several major urban centres across the country. Between 2006 and 2016, Australia's population increased by four million people, with most migrants settling in the metropolitan Sydney and Melbourne areas.

"Australia's isolation once meant that it was spared from epidemics, however Australia suffered from the 2009 swine flu pandemic, and has since experienced extreme seasons such as in 2017," said Professor Prokopenko.

In this same period inbound international flights increased significantlynearly doubling from eleven million passengers over 2006-7 to almost twenty million passengers in 2016/17.

The team also found that pandemics are likely to bloom quickly in cities, near large airports where the disease is introduced from overseas, followed by a more gradual diffusion into the countryside where a second bloom occurs several weeks later.

"This urban-rural bimodality may offer the potential for intervention strategies to limit the diffusion of influenza from city to country, protecting communities lacking immediate access to health infrastructure," said Dr. Zachreson.

About H1N1 Influenza (Swine Flu)

The swine influenza pandemic saw over 37,500 confirmed cases in Australia, with 191 associated deaths. According to the World Health Organisation, 18,000 people have died from swine influenza.

The new study was published in Science Advances.

Explore further Domestic travel key to distribution of flu across Australia

More information: Cameron Zachreson et al. Urbanization affects peak timing, prevalence, and bimodality of influenza pandemics in Australia: Results of a census-calibrated model, Science Advances (2018). Journal information: Science Advances Cameron Zachreson et al. Urbanization affects peak timing, prevalence, and bimodality of influenza pandemics in Australia: Results of a census-calibrated model,(2018). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aau5294
@alextdaugherty

Bill Nelson got something Wednesday that doesnt happen very often these days in the U.S. Senate.

An audience.

Most Senate speeches are delivered to a largely empty chamber, but a few dozen colleagues turned up to hear and applaud Nelsons final address, in which the outgoing senior senator from Florida reflected on many different aspects of his life and career in elected office that began in 1972.

When it comes down to it Im just a country boy who loves serving my state and my country for all of my life, Nelson said at the end of his speech. Its been an incredible honor.

With that, the chamber erupted in applause.

Nelson began his remarks by sharing a story about his first floor speech in 2001. He waited a few months after being sworn in to formally speak, out of deference to his more senior colleagues, and spoke in front of an empty chamber. By the time he finished, West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd, the longest-serving senator in history, heard Nelson was in the midst of making his maiden speech and made his way to the chamber. He followed Nelson with a 30-minute oration about the history of first speeches in Congress upper chamber.

You can imagine, nothing I said was memorable, but it was certainly memorable to this senator that all the sudden I would be treated to the corporate knowledge of one of the lions of the Senate in looking back at the history of this body, Nelson said.

Nelson then went into a detailed description about how he became an original Florida boy, with Florida roots that date back to 1829, 16 years before Florida became a U.S. state.





More here.
President Donald Trump greets Ron DeSantis, the Republican candidate for Florida governor, and his wife Casey at a campaign rally in Fort Myers. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)

Ron DeSantis is in Washington, D.C. today for a White House event with governors-elect from across the country, and will likely have an additional one-on-one meeting with President Donald Trump.

Shortly after the election results came in on Nov. 6 showing DeSantis with a considerable lead, he told reporters that he and Trump had spoken on the phone so the president whose endorsement, rallies and tweets helped DeSantis claim victory could congratulate him.

Since then, the two have spoken frequently, according to his transition team.

Thursday's event with the governors-elect was announced through the White House press office.

DeSantis told the Palm Beach Post that one item he intends to discuss with Trump on Thursday is asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to end toxic discharges from Lake Okeechobee into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers.
Despite the increasing number of mobile payment options and widespread support for card payments, South Africans are using more cash than ever.

Responding to recent questions about the addition of biometric security and contactless technology to ATMs, local banks confirmed that South Africa is still a cash country.

Subsequently, South African banks have improved ATMs with a number of features, including wider support for cash deposits, stamped statement dispensation, and many other self-service features.

Additionally, Nedbank, Standard Bank, and Absa stated they were testing new technology to secure ATM transactions and reduce the risk of card skimming.

These technologies included tap-and-PIN authentication in addition to biometric security.

Cash still growing

Absa said that South Africa is mainly a cash-based market with an increasing demand for ATMs.

We expect the volume of ATM transactions to continue to grow as we expand our self-service banking services on ATMs as well as improving existing services, the bank said.

This trend was confirmed by Nedbank, with the bank stating that the demand for cash and ATM features continues to grow.

Over the past five years, cash throughput on ATMs increased by more than 100%, the bank said.

We have noted an increase in usage of non-cash transactions like stamped A4 statements and we will continue to expand our service offering on self-service devices.

Standard Bank also weighed in on the adoption of ATMs and the growing use of cash.

We also see a growth in transactions on ATMs traditionally done in branches, such as cash deposits, Standard Bank said.

South Africas cash economy

In 2017, around 90% of the total payments in South Africa were made with cash.

This was due to the popularity of using cash for lower-value payments in addition to low levels of financial inclusion.

Obstacles to the migration from cash to digital payments include the process of opening an account, the complexity of the systems, and the high level of documentary compliance.

Absa said that to cope with the increased demand, it has optimised its ATM placements in 2018  allowing it to only marginally increase the number of ATMs.

During 2018, we repositioned 204 ATMs more conveniently located based on customer insights, Absa said.

We also managed to keep our overall South African ATM footprint stable, with a marginal increase of 23 new ATMs to support our retail corporate customers.

The bank added that cash usage will continue to grow in South Africa, and locals will continue to use ATMs or retailers to manager their cash.

Recent statistics provided by the South African Reserve Banks indicate that cash, in the South African market, will continue to grow by 6% to 10% in the short to medium term, Absa said.

Customers will continue to make use of ATMs or retailers to withdraw, deposit, and manage their cash.

Now read: South African banks testing biometric security for ATMs
Netflix announced in October that its was launching Netflix gift cards in South Africa.

The cards provide a way of paying for the streaming service besides credit card, and were said to be available with denominations from R150 to R1,000. The card were also said not to expire.

Existing Netflix members can use the gift cards to top up their Netflix account credit, while those who dont have an account can redeem the cards on Netflixs website.

Netflix stated that the gift cards were available from a range of local retailers, including CNA, Makro, Checkers, and Game.

Several users have reported to MyBroadband that the gift cards are not available in South Africa, however, and when they contacted the retailers they had no record Netflix gift cards coming in.

Not available

MyBroadband visited the online stores of several of the retailers which were listed as having the cards from Netflix, but could not find the item.

Makro, CNA, and Game did not have the Netflix gift cards listed in their inventory, while Checkers also did not have a listing for the cards.

The absence of the cards in South Africa was further confirmed when we visited Netflixs help section on their website.

A message on the Netflix website stated that Netflix Gift Cards are not currently sold in your country when South Africa was selected.

MyBroadband contacted Netflix about the lack of gift cards almost a month after their launch, but the company did not provide feedback on why they were not available.

We are happy that we have launched Netflix Gift Cards in South Africa. We are continuously working on making them available at all designated sales points, said Netflix.

Netflix message

Now read: South African blockchain startup to support new ticketing app
Huawei Technologies Co. Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou was granted bail by a Canadian court, allowing the executive to stay in her Vancouver home as she awaits a possible extradition to the U.S. over fraud charges.

Justice William Ehrcke of the British Columbia Supreme Court agreed to release Meng on the condition she post bail of C$10 million ($7.5 million), including at least C$7 million in cash, and submit five people who would act as sureties  guarantors to ensure she complies with the bail terms who would lose the cash or other assets they put up if she were to flee.

Meng broke into tears and wiped her eyes upon the announcement from the judge. The viewing gallery applauded.

Meng, 46, was arrested Dec. 1 at the request of U.S. authorities as she changed planes in Vancouver on her way from Hong Kong to Mexico to Costa Rica to Argentina to France and back to China. Before the ruling, she seemed almost relieved at the prospect of taking a break from the punishing pace.

Ive been working hard for 25 years and, if I were to be ordered released, my only simple goal is to be with my husband and daughter. I havent read a novel in years, Meng said in a message to the judge through her defense lawyer. She also said shed like to apply to the PhD program at the University of British Columbias business school, near her house.

The mother of four is accused of conspiring to defraud banks to unwittingly clear transactions linked to Iran, in violation of U.S. sanctions. The U.S. has 60 days from the arrest date to turn over its full extradition case with supporting evidence. The judge scheduled Mengs next court appearance for Feb. 6.

Huawei, in a statement, said it has every confidence the Canadian and U.S. legal systems will reach a just conclusion in the matter. U.S. President Donald Trump told Reuters that he would consider intervening in the case if it would help win a trade deal with China.

The court decision is the start of a long legal process in Canada that could end with Meng being sent to the U.S. to stand trial. Even though the North American neighbors have a longstanding treaty governing extradition, it can take months, even years, for a defendant to be handed over, if at all.

At some point, American authorities will have to reveal more evidence to justify the request to have Meng turned over and to show why they believe she committed a crime. A potentially thornier issue is whether Mengs alleged transgressions were illegal in both the U.S. and Canada.

The U.S. has accused Meng of hiding ties between Huawei and a company called Skycom that did business in Iran, violating international sanctions.

But Ehrcke said the sole question in relation to bail was whether Meng had proposed sufficient terms to offset the risk that she might flee the country before the extradition proceedings. The judge ordered her to remain in a restricted area of Vancouver, wear a GPS tracker, pay for extra supervision and agree to unannounced visits by police at her home. Meng wont be released from custody until she fulfills the terms of the bail.

Meng will be subject to surveillance by a combination of security guards and technology as part of the agreement, and surrender her Chinese and Hong Kong passports.

Mengs lawyers argued their client has no criminal record, cited high-profile character witnesses to vouch for her, and said she has substantive ties that ensure she would remain in Vancouver. Meng spends a couple weeks every summer in Vancouver and her family has two homes assessed at a combined C$20 million in the Pacific Coast city. The lawyers also cited health issues, including daily medication, to argue for her release from a Vancouver-area detention center.

Her arrest has sparked protests by the Chinese government, which says Meng committed no crime. She is the daughter of Ren Zhengfei, the founder of Huawei, one of the worlds biggest makers of smartphones and wireless networking equipment. The case has shaken global financial markets and threatened the fragile trade relationship between the U.S. and China.

Tensions also rose in the Chinese-Canadian relationship on Tuesday when a former Canadian diplomat was detained in China. The arrest spurred the Canadian government to raise the issue with Chinese authorities. There is no indication it is connected to Mengs arrest.

Mengs bail hearing over three days hinged on the validity of the sureties, or guarantors. Ehrcke cast doubts about Mengs husband, Liu Xiaozong, serving as sole surety, since he doesnt have Canadian residency.

During Tuesdays hearing, Mengs lawyer, David Martin, put up four additional candidates, including a realtor for the couples properties in Vancouver; a former Huawei employee; a homemaker whose husband once worked for Huawei; and a part-time yoga instructor. Those four put up a combined C$3 million in cash and home equity, adding to Lius C$7 million.

Now read: US mobile networks fear possible order to rip out Huawei equipment
The surprise arrest of Huawei Technologies Co.s Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou is about to impact one of the Chinese companys suppliers in Japan.

Yaskawa Electric Corp., which supplies industrial robots for Huaweis smartphone and telecom gear factories, saw all orders for its machines put on hold after the arrest, President Hiroshi Ogasawara said in an interview on Wednesday. Of Yaskawas 448.5 billion yen ($4 billion) in revenue for the fiscal year that ended in February, 23 percent came from China.

My people on the ground in China say that Huawei is turned upside down internally, Ogasawara said. All kinds of capex deals are temporarily on hold as they figure things out.

Huawei declined to comment. Yaskawas stock erased earlier gains in Tokyo trading, falling as much as 4 percent. Shares of other factory automation companies Fanuc Corp., SMC Corp. and Nabtesco Corp. have also paired gains.

Meng was arrested in Vancouver at the request of U.S. authorities for allegedly violating sanctions related to selling technology to Iran. While her detention has become an international incident, this is the first indication that it is beginning to affect Huaweis operations. The arrest has further undermined the international standing of the company, which was already under suspicion in the West because of its ties to the Chinese government.

Separately, the Japanese media reported earlier this week that the countrys top three carriers  NTT Docomo Inc., SoftBank Group Corp. and KDDI Corp.  will ban telecommunications equipment by Huawei and ZTE Corp. Frances Orange SA said it does not plan to work with Huawei to build its fifth-generation mobile network.

The order freeze is making Yaskawa reconsider its outlook on the timing of demand for 5G phones and communications equipment, because Huawei was at the forefront of the technologys rollout, Ogasawara said.

Now read: Japanese mobile networks ban Huawei
ChiccoDodiFC/iStock(RICHMOND, Ind.) -- A teenage suspect is dead after a shooting outside an Indiana middle school Thursday morning, police said.



The single shooter exchanged gunfire with police before killing himself, according to Indiana State Police Sgt. John Bowling.



No other students were injured in the incident at Dennis Intermediate School in Richmond, police said.



Bowling credited an unknown individual who warned police.



"Someone knew something and said something," he said. "The school was able to follow procedure to help protect students."



The students are being evacuated from the intermediate school, Richmond Community Schools said, while other schools in the district are resuming classes.



"You wouldn't think a small town like Richmond this would happen," one grandmother who raced to the scene told ABC Indianapolis affiliate WRTV. "I don't know what's wrong with this new generation."



"My heart is aching for all these parents," she added.



The investigation is ongoing, Bowling said.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
A federal regulatory ruling Wednesday aimed at protecting consumers from text-messaging spam may also help California mobile phone users avoid a proposed state texting tax.

The California Public Utilities Commission has proposed a surcharge on text messaging to help cover its growing budget for programs that help make phone service accessible to the poor, with a vote scheduled for Jan. 10. But the proposal -- first reported Tuesday by this news organization -- has drawn fast and fierce criticism from opponents.

The wireless industry, business groups and other critics argued that California can't tax text messages unless federal regulators allow state regulators to treat text messaging as a telecommunications service.

On Wednesday, the Federal Communications Commission in a 3-1 decision declared that wireless Short Message Service (SMS) and Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) are "information services" similar to email under the Communications Act -- and not a telecommunications service.

The FCC's Wednesday decision denied requests from mass-texting companies that have complained wireless providers are thwarting their ability to reach consumers via texts. Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioners Michael O'Rielly and Brendan Carr were in favor, with Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel opposed.

"We commend Chairman Pai and the FCC for protecting consumers from an avalanche of messaging spam and allowing them to continue to benefit from a flourishing and competitive messaging ecosystem," said Scott Bergmann, CTIA's senior vice president for regulatory affairs.

The vote could have an impact on California's proposal to tax text messages. The Public Utilities Commission had no immediate response Wednesday, but text tax critics considered the FCC decision a victory.

"We hope that the CPUC recognizes that taxing text messages is bad for consumers," said Jamie Hastings, senior vice president of external and state affairs for CTIA, which represents the U.S. wireless communications industry, including AT&T Mobility, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon.

"Consumers exchanged 1.77 trillion messages in 2017, making text messages one of the most common and effective means of communication for Americans," Hastings said. "Taxing this service would burden those who rely on and use this service each and every day."

Supporters of the surcharge, including the Oakland-based Greenlining Institute, a think-tank that promotes social equity for communities of color, agreed the FCC ruling is a setback, but not necessarily fatal.

"I'd agree the FCC decision complicates things," said Paul Goodman, the institute's director of telecommunications and technology policy. "But I don't think it eliminates the PUC's ability to impose that."

Critics including business groups like the Bay Area Council and Silicon Valley Leadership Group said in a Dec. 5 letter to the commission that it could not impose the text tax "without an explicit federal classification of text messaging as a telecommunications service."

But supporters of the texting surcharge noted the commission proposal makes several other arguments for its authority to impose it.

"Nothing the FCC has done prevents leadership in this area," said Mindy Spatt, spokeswoman for The Utility Reform Network, a consumer group in favor of the texting surcharge.

Supporters argued that as traditional telephone service gives way to new technologies like texting, revenues for promoting "universal service" aren't keeping up and need to branch out into those areas. They noted the wireless providers don't need to pass the charges on to their customers.

The proposed surcharge would be part of the Universal Service Charge at the bottom of consumers' mobile phone bills, which pays for programs that help poor people afford telephone service and subsidize service in rural areas schools and hospitals.

Critics countered that charging for texting would put them at a disadvantage with other messaging services like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger that are rapidly gaining popularity and would not be required to pay the surcharge.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Chase the January blues away! Soroptimist St. Helena Sunrise is hosting bingo on Friday, Jan. 18, at the Native Sons Hall on Spring Street in St. Helena. Doors open at 6 p.m. and games start at 7 p.m. Cost is $25 for nine games. St. Helena Fire Chief John Sorensen will be the bingo caller. Hot dogs, chili and beverages will be available for purchase. Proceeds will benefit Rianda House and Soroptimist awards.
SAN FRANCISCO  In a new plan to tackle the Bay Areas housing crisis, regional leaders are calling for a cap on rents, protection against arbitrary evictions and new employer and property taxes to generate $1.5 billion annually to help create new housing, preserve existing housing and pay for other measures.

The proposal is the outcome of around 18 months of work from some of the regions heavyweights when it comes to planning for, approving and building housing: the mayors of the Bay Areas three largest cities, tech giants, transit agencies and advocates, environmentalists, champions of affordable housing, tenants rights organizations, labor groups and developers alike.

In short, a lot of people who all agree the region needs more housing but often argue about the best ways to get there, said Leslye Corsiglia, the executive director of Silicon Valley at Home, an affordable housing advocacy organization, and co-chair of the working group, called CASA, or the Committee to House the Bay Area. Convened by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), the regions transportation planning agency CASA formed to address the housing crisis in a holistic way, Corsiglia said.

For all these years, weve been handling the housing crisis city by city and also in lots of different silos and not seeing eye-to-eye on the solutions, she said. We can see where its gotten us.

Where its gotten us is astronomical home prices and precious hours spent on ever-lengthening commutes, said Randy Rentschler, a spokesman for the MTC. Nearly 190,000 workers from outside the nine-county Bay Area commute into Silicon Valley and the Tri-Valley every day, and more than 220,000 East Bay residents cross toll bridges to get to the Peninsula, according to the MTC. And theres increasing recognition, he said, that the twin demons of worsening traffic and ballooning housing costs plaguing the Bay Area are intrinsically linked.

That made this something we couldnt ignore, he said.

That led to a 10-point, 15-year emergency policy package approved by the CASA committee Wednesday. But its really just the first step. From there, the committee will take its ideas to legislators in the hopes of turning them into law, meaning it could be a full year on the most optimistic time schedule before the first polices are enacted.

The good news is the CASA committee represents a broad spectrum of interests, said Michael Covarrubias of TMG, a development corporation. Developers sat down with anti-gentrification activists. Affordable housing advocates heard from tech companies. Labor unions met with city officials.

Some members of the committee said there werent enough protections for tenants or that those protections should come before increasing housing production. Others said there wasnt enough money to preserve existing housing. Still others, including San Francisco Mayor London Breed and San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, said there wasnt enough emphasis on producing housing at all income levels. Despite that, they still managed to produce a suite of solutions they all could agree on  even if only reluctantly  an outcome that was baked into the process, said Fred Blackwell, the CEO of the philanthropic San Francisco Foundation.

We are searching for the uncommon common ground, because, he said, The status quo is quite unacceptable.

But that doesnt mean the plan, which emphasizes the preservation of existing housing, the production of new housing and the protection of tenants vulnerable to displacement, was not without its critics.

Other elected officials who were not on the committee are already rallying against it. The Los Altos City Council unanimously approved a letter rejecting the compact, said Los Altos Mayor Lynette Lee Eng. She, along with another member of the council, blasted the committee for its closed door meetings, lack of attention to transportation infrastructure and its top-down attack on local control.

This compact as written is not feasible or respectful to local jurisdictions, Eng said. It will have the opposite of the desired effect and make housing more expensive by effectively up-zoning significant areas.

Those sentiments were shared by Novato City Councilmember Pat Eklund, who vowed to fight the plan in the legislature, where it will likely manifest as a series of state bills.

Some of those bills will impact only the Bay Area, and some will cover the entire state, but Corsiglia said the idea is that all of these policies will eventually be implemented together. That includes region-wide just cause for eviction protections, a cap on rents, emergency rental and legal assistance for people facing evictions, the loosening of local control on building heights near transit, reforming the permitting process for new residential buildings, the creation of a regional housing authority with the power to purchase and lease land and, of course, some $1.5 billion annually in new taxes on employers and the public to help pay for it all.

Some bills have already been proposed this year that incorporate the recommendations from the CASA committee, including a proposal from state Sen. Scott Wiener to add more housing near transit. Senate Bill 18 by Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, would expand rental and legal assistance to help residents fight evictions and stay in their homes. And Assembly Bill 11, from Assemblymember David Chiu, D-San Francisco, would allow cities and counties to create agencies similar to the former redevelopment agencies that were dissolved during the Great Recession.

I look forward to supporting this, Chiu said. Well soon be having a deeper conversation about how to move forward this vision of a regional strategy.



A 10-point plan for housing the Bay Area:

1. Just cause for eviction: After a tenant has lived in a building for at least 12 months, they would no longer be vulnerable to arbitrary evictions. They could still get evicted if they fail to pay the rent, violate the rental agreement, create a nuisance or engage in illegal activity, if the owner is moving in or removing the building from the rental market, the building is unsafe or for demolition.

2. Emergency rent cap: Rent increases would be capped region-wide at the consumer price index plus 5 percent, per year. There are some exceptions for passing along the capital cost of repairs to renters or if the landlord had not raised the rent in prior years.

3. Emergency rent and legal assistance: Any tenant facing eviction could have access to a lawyer, unless the landlord or master tenant bringing the eviction action is living in the same unit as the tenant being evicted. And, low-income tenants facing eviction could receive emergency rent assistance, with the total amount of assistance capped at between $5,000 to $10,000.

4. More tiny homes: Technically, theyre called accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, but the idea is to make it easier for people to build homes of fewer than 500 square feet on their properties.

5. Taller buildings near transit: This proposal is similar to a law state Sen. Scott Wiener introduced last year and revived this year. The newest iteration would require cities to approve buildings up to three stories high along high-frequency bus corridors and up to around six stories high near BART, Caltrain or other fixed rail stations.

6. A better permitting process: Establishes standards for permitting residential projects that already conform to the city or countys underlying development standards, or zoning codes. It also requires more transparency and consistencies about how fees are set and enforced.

7. Fast-track certain projects: Streamlining, streamlining, streamlining. This would create a faster way for projects to get reviewed, as long as they meet a set of criteria, including already complying to underlying zoning, exist in an already-urban area, and setting aside a portion of the units to be affordable to middle-class residents, generally defined as making 80-110 percent of the areas median income. In exchange, the qualifying projects would be eligible for reduced taxes, reduced parking requirements and a density bonus.

8. Unlock public lands: Make it easier for public agencies to develop their land for affordable housing. Create a database listing all publicly owned land in the Bay Area, limit approval process to no more than two years, and deploy 10 percent of available public land to affordable housing on an annual basis.

9. New taxes to generate $1.5 billion annually: Generate new revenue from a broad range of sources, including employer taxes, property taxes, vacant parcel or home taxes, general obligation bonds, sales taxes and more.

10. New, regional housing authority: One regional entity that could purchase, lease and sell land, monitor and report progress toward the regions housing goals, provide incentives and offer technical assistance. This entity would not regulate or enforce housing policies, but it would be able to dole out regional money for housing.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
SAN FRANCISCO  Two women filmed damaging a restaurant on San Franciscos Polk Street during Saturdays unsanctioned SantaCon festival have been charged with felonies, according to the district attorneys office.

Natalie Alcantar of San Francisco and Hannah Baughman of Pacifica, both 21 years old, have been charged with felony vandalism. Baughman has also been charged with misdemeanor battery.

The pair turned themselves in on Tuesday after videos of them vandalizing the Shalimar Restaurant, located at 1409 Polk St., began circulating on social media.

In the videos, one of the women is seen violently breaking a glass door with a chair and in another, the other is seen throwing a jar at an employee.

According to police, a restaurant employee told officers that after the women entered the restaurant appearing to be drunk, an argument ensued between them and employees over whether they had paid for food.

One of the women then became angry and allegedly began knocking items off the counter, including the cash register. When an employee tried to stop her, she allegedly punched him in the face, police said.

The suspect then continued to knock over items, while her accomplice grabbed the chair and shattered the front door.

By the time officers arrived, the pair had already left.

The rowdy scene happened during the annual SantaCon event, in which people flock to the citys downtown and surrounding areas dressed as Santa Claus.

Police said they arrested seven people during this years event on suspicion of being drunk in public. Additionally, 15 people were treated by medics.

Prosecutors expect the two women to be arraigned in court sometime this week.
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump denied Thursday that he had directed his former personal attorney Michael Cohen to break the law during the 2016 campaign by buying the silence of two women who claimed they once had affairs with the future president.

In morning tweets, Trump, however, did not dispute that he had directed Cohen to make the payments, as Cohen and federal prosecutors have alleged - actions that could imperil Trump if he knew what was being done violated campaign finance laws.

The president claimed that Cohen bore responsibility for any violations of criminal law but also asserted that Cohen "probably was not guilty" of even civil violations related to the payments to former Playboy playmate Karen McDougal and adult-film star Stormy Daniels - a view at odds with that of many lawyers who specialize in campaign finance law.

"Those charges were just agreed to by him in order to embarrass the president and get a much reduced prison sentence, which he did," Trump alleged.

Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison on Wednesday for what U.S. District Judge William Pauley called a "veritable smorgasbord of criminal conduct" - crimes that included tax violations and lying to a bank as well as those related to the hush-money payments.

Trump's tweets Thursday were his first public comments about Cohen since his sentencing. On Wednesday afternoon, the president ignored questions shouted by reporters about his onetime loyalist.

"I never directed Michael Cohen to break the law," Trump said Thursday. "He was a lawyer and he is supposed to know the law. It is called 'advice of counsel,' and a lawyer has great liability if a mistake is made. That is why they get paid."

During an interview on Fox News on Thursday, Lanny Davis, an adviser to Cohen, said Trump's credibility is questionable. Davis pointed to an assertion Trump made in April to reporters aboard Air Force One that he knew nothing about a $130,000 payment to Daniels to silence her about their alleged decade-old dalliance.

The White House has since changed its story. In a television interview in May, Trump personal attorney Rudy Giuliani said Trump had repaid Cohen for the money he gave to Daniels. The next day, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders was pressed by reporters on why she had previously denied that Trump had any knowledge of the payment. Sanders said she had "given the best information I had at the time."

In his three tweets Thursday morning, Trump made no mention of a cooperation deal announced Thursday between federal prosecutors and the National Enquirer's parent company, in which it acknowledged paying McDougal to "suppress the woman's story" and "prevent it from influencing the election."

Prosecutors announced that they would not prosecute the company, American Media Inc. (AMI), for its role in a scheme to tilt the presidential race in favor of Trump. In the agreement, AMI said it would cooperate with prosecutors and admitted it paid McDougal $150,000 to before the 2016 election to silence her allegations of an affair with Trump.

The deal signaled the unraveling of the deep relationship Trump and AMI chief executive David Pecker had forged over decades. It also made clear that Pecker, whose tabloid strongly supported Trump's candidacy, has turned on the president.

In a tweet later Thursday morning, Trump weighed in on the fate of another associate, former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who is scheduled to be sentenced next week for lying to investigators.

"They gave General Flynn a great deal because they were embarrassed by the way he was treated," Trump wrote, referring to prosecutors on the team of special counsel Robert Muller, who is probing Russian election interference. "They want to scare everybody into making up stories that are not true by catching them in the smallest of misstatements. Sad!"

A federal judge on Wednesday ordered both Flynn and the special counsel to turn over additional investigative records describing his January 2017 interview with FBI agents - a conversation in which Flynn later admitted he lied.

Last week, Mueller told the court he was seeking no prison time for Flynn, describing him as a critical cooperating witness in the special counsel probe and other ongoing investigations.
Ousted from office and stripped of his pension, the first California judge to be recalled in nearly a century is now asking people to donate to his failed campaign before the end of the year, so he can pay $135,000 in court-ordered attorney's fees to his victors' lawyer.

In an email titled "A Final Ask," former Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky implores supporters to dig into their pockets one last time, otherwise he will be forced to pay the debt himself because he has no money left to draw on in his campaign account. Persky was thrown out of office in June after more than 60 percent of Santa Clara County voters agreed he should be recalled over the controversial sentence he gave to a former Stanford athlete in a sensational sexual assault case.

"My campaign committee has spent all its resources fighting the recall, and now must pay $135,000 to satisfy the attorney fees order, which is due by December 31," he said in the email. "I am writing to ask you to make a contribution to that effort."

Persky collected more than $840,000 in donations, but spent it all to try to keep his seat. Critics led by Stanford law professor Michele Dauber launched the recall effort in mid-2016, immediately after Persky gave former Stanford swimmer Brock Turner what many considered a light sentence -- six months, of which he served three -- for sexually assaulting an intoxicated, unconscious woman outside a campus frat party. Under California law, Turner must also register for life as a sex offender.

Persky could not be reached for comment about his urgent request, but one of his major donors defended the ex-judge.

"There's nothing wrong with asking people, and people will pay or they won't," said James McManis, whose law firm represented Persky for free during his court battle against the recall and his unsuccessful effort to stop the court from requiring that he pay recall proponents' legal costs. "I hope this works out for him. He's been punished more than enough."

Recall proponents, however, maintain that the judge has only himself to blame for his predicament.

"Judge Persky made the bad decision to repeatedly file frivolous lawsuits and appeals with the goal of stalling and causing expense," Dauber said in an email. "The court has concluded that he should be required to pay for that decision, and we are happy that our lawyer will be getting paid for his outstanding work in defending our constitutional rights, and those of the voters of Santa Clara County."

Persky's unsuccessful legal argument against the recall, rejected by a lower court in 2017, was that judges like him are state officers, so California's secretary of state, not the Santa Clara County registrar, should have overseen the petition drive to qualify the measure for the ballot.

In his email to supporters asking them to donate via the "Retain Judge Persky" campaign website, the judge contended his motives in making that argument were not entirely self-serving.

"I pursued the litigation so that Superior Court Judges would benefit from the same procedural protections as other state officers who face recall elections," he said.

Recall opponents, including many California judges, had argued that Persky didn't deserve to be recalled because his sentence for Turner was lawful and followed a probation department recommendation. They also contended the recall would threaten judicial independence by encouraging any group that didn't like a verdict to challenge the judge who made the decision.

Persky continued trying to block the recall in court, even after the state Attorney General's Office agreed with recall proponents that the county registrar of voters was responsible for handling the campaign's petition drive, not the secretary of state.

In October, Persky initially was ordered to pay more than $163,000 in attorney fees and costs to attorney Fredric Woocher, of the Los Angeles firm Strumwasser and Woocher, who represented the recall campaign without payment pending the award of attorney's fees. The bill was later reduced to $135,000 through a settlement approved by both sides.

Persky, now 56, had been earning more than $186,000 as a judge. He would have gotten a pension of $150,000 a year for the rest of his life, starting at age 70, if he had served about six more years in office. But after being recalled, he could only receive a lump sum refund of the money he and his employer had put into his pension fund, plus interest, according to a CalPERS spokesperson. He remains eligible to receive monthly healthcare benefits, starting at age 65, though they will be less generous than if he had retired at 70.

Persky gave up his Superior Court seat in early to mid-July after his successor, prosecutor Cindy Hendrickson, was sworn in.

Persky is only the fifth judge in California history to be booted out of office before his term is up -- and the first in 86 years. One judge was recalled in San Francisco in 1913, and three were ousted on the same ballot in Los Angeles in 1932. In 1986, three state Supreme Court justices were removed from office, including Chief Justice Rose Bird, but that was during a general election, not a recall.
When Washington braces for a potential government shutdown, the usual ritual is that Republicans and Democrats will posture over who will get blamed.

President Donald Trump, however, made it clear Tuesday morning that he will be the one shutting down the government if Congress doesn't provide money for the bigger, more expansive wall he has promised to build along the southern U.S. border.

Meeting with the top House and Senate Democrats, Trump engaged in a surprisingly public airing of differences over the last remaining appropriations bills. Funding for about half of the federal government will run out Dec. 21 unless Congress acts to extend it, but it appears that lawmakers and Trump are at an impasse -- he wants $5 billion to help fund his project, but he may not have enough votes for the wall funding in either chamber.

This isn't because lawmakers think border security is strong enough already. It's because many of them don't think a bigger wall is the right way to shore up the southern border.

Anyway, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader (and soon to be Speaker) Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) took pains while the media were present to pin the blame for any shutdown on Trump. In fact, they called it the "Trump shutdown."

Trump initially sought to blame Senate Democrats for the hold-up, but Pelosi argued that Trump doesn't have enough support from House Republicans to get the wall funded. (The House Appropriations Committee included $5 billion for the wall in their version of the fiscal 2019 spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security, but GOP leaders never brought the bill to the House floor, suggesting they don't have enough Republican votes to pass it.) So eventually Trump declared, "You know what I'll say? 'Yes, if we don't get what we want one way or the other, whether it's through you, through military, through anything you want to call, I will shut down the government.'"

Just to make sure the point was not too fine, he added, "And I am proud to shut down the government for border security, Chuck, because the people of this country don't want criminals and people that have lots of problems and drugs pouring into our country. So I will take the mantle. I will be the one the shut it down. I'm not going to blame you for it."

Well, that settles that! Except that it doesn't. Trump is betting that the public will fear migrants more than it will care about some federal agencies going temporarily dark. So he's calculating that the blame game won't matter so much this time.

Here's how Press Secretary Sarah Sanders put it:

"President Trump made clear that any government funding measure must include responsible border security, including a wall, to protect the American people from drugs, crime, terrorism, public health threats, and the severe straining of the social safety net. Illegal immigration is deeply unfair to American workers, wage-earners, and taxpayers -- costing billions of dollars and thousands of innocent lives.

"So far, the Democrat Party has made clear they would rather keep the border open than the government open. President Trump was grateful for the opportunity to let the press into the meeting so that the American People can see firsthand that while Republicans are fighting to protect our border, Democrats are fighting to protect illegal immigrants. This Administration will always put Americans first."

Just to be clear here, just about everything Sanders said about what the wall would protect against is not supported by evidence or experience. Just to take one -- people in the country illegally aren't eligible for any of the federal safety net programs, so it's hard to see how they could be severely straining it. Yes, California has chosen to spend its own tax dollars extending Medi-Cal to some non-citizens, but only to children, whose healthcare costs are relatively low.

Beyond that, a wall doesn't "protect" anyone against people who overstay their visas, who represent a growing proportion of the undocumented population. In fact, according to the Department of Homeland Security, almost twice as many people overstayed their visas as crossed the border illegally.

Regardless, Trump's tactic is typically bold and risky. In previous shutdowns -- this year, during President Obama's second term and President Clinton's first term -- big, important issues were on the table: relief for "Dreamers," the fate of Obamacare and funding for major federal benefit programs, respectively. And in each case, polls showed that the public objected to the shutdown regardless of the issues at play. People want a functional government. They don't want agencies held hostage to a policy agenda, especially not one that's contentious.

Jon Healey is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times.
Erdogan says Turkey is ready to become mediator between Russia and Ukraine

NEWS.am daily digest: 29.11.21

CSTO Parliamentary Assembly might hold next meeting in Yerevan

Erdogan talks about idea of road leading to Igdir through Armenia

Armenia official: New power station will enable reducing electricity prices

Iran FM describes meeting with Azerbaijan counterpart as positive and friendly

Armenia armed forces conduct battalion tactical exercises

Helicopter bursts into flames in Iran

Armenia parliament speaker nominates Russia State Duma chairmans candidacy to post of CSTO PA head

ARF-D Bureau member states conditions for not allowing emptying of Armenians from Artsakh

Yerevan mayor leaves for Saint Petersburg

Azerbaijan army holds tactical military exercises

Jean-Christophe Buisson: Syunik is Armenia, and Erdogan is a warmonger

Dollar goes up in Armenia

Armenian National Committee rep Elizabeth Chouldjian on cooperation with Armenia's Ambassador to the US

11 new cases of coronavirus reported in Karabakh

Former prosecutor for case of Armenia 2nd President appointed judge of Criminal Court of Appeal

ARF-D Bureau representative: Azerbaijan, Turkey will do everything to bury the Artsakh issue through delimitation

USAID official meets with people displaced from Artsakh (PHOTOS)

Armenia deputy PM, France diplomat discuss Karabakh conflict settlement issue

Armenia ballet dancer wins main prize in Belarus

Demonstration being held in Yerevan

Armenia PM attends opening of new power plant (PHOTOS)

Protest being staged outside court of Armenias Goris

Search for remains of fallen soldiers resumes in Karabakh since November 22

Armenia ex-defense minister to remain in custody for another 2 months

Anna Ter-Hovakimyan: Middle East Classical Music Academy in Dubai helped us successfully organise Academy in Armenia

189 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

European Parliament official: There are prospects for successful diplomatic solutions, EU will stand with Armenians

Australia parliament to debate on Armenian Genocide recognition

Russia peacekeepers in Artsakh carry out measures against coronavirus

US Congressman Schiff says he will not rest until many Armenian captives are returned from Azerbaijan

USSR Marshal Baghramyan monument be unveiled in Russia

WHO: Those who recovered from COVID-19 can catch Omicron variant

Armenia opposition MP: Probability of new aggression by Azerbaijan remains

World oil prices going up

Armenia opposition party to hold urgent press conference

Rolls Royce introduces car worth $28M

Carrot that kills Covid

Ebrahim Raisi, Ilham Aliyev hold their first meeting in Ashgabat

Meeting of Erdogan and Aliyev held in Ashgabat

Armenia opposition "5165" movement to not work with Liberation Movement anymore, to act alone and meet with forces

Armenian newspaper: Identities of remains of 11 servicemen transferred to Armenia established

South African doctor states unusual symptoms of new Omicron coronavirus variant

Francis Fukuyama: Ukraine's use of Turkish drones could be a complete game-changer

Tehran, Baku sign agreement on natural gas supplies from Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan through Iranian territory

Armenia Parliament Deputy Speaker, member of ARF-D holds meeting in Hrazdan city of Kotayk Province

Armenia Parliament Speaker touches upon need for Karabakh conflict settlement at IPU Assembly

Iran President: Any change of political geography of the region will incite further tension

Erdogan declares that so-called 'Zangezur corridor' is 'important'

Pro-government alliance of parties in the lead during parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan

Raisi: Cooperation with countries of Asia and the Caucasus is a priority for Iran

Fire breaks out in kindergarten in Armenia's Kartchevan village

Aliyev believes 'Zangezur transport corridor is becoming a reality'

"Arush Arushanyan" Alliance calls on residents of Armenia's Goris to support arrested mayor

Iran declares need to revive natural gas deal with Turkmenistan

Isn't Moscow concerned about Turkey's attempts for control over natural gas route from Turkmenistan to Europe?

Turkey seeks to enhance relations and increase trade with Turkmenistan up to $5 bln

Two Azerbaijani soldiers blow up on mine in Karabakh's occupied Varanda region

Iran FM welcomes holding of trilateral meeting of Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders in Sochi

Iranian and Turkish presidents discuss regional issues

Members of Armenia's Liberation Movement initiative take pilgrimage to Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

New Zealand MP cycles to hospital to give birth

Russians create rock that can track Russia's enemies

25-year-old citizen's suicide attempt prevented at Yerevan bridge

Iran's Raisi to meet with his Turkmen counterpart

409 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Guterres talks Russian role in continuation of contacts between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Cavusoglu and Bayramov discuss situation in Ashgabat region

More than 30 flights delayed or canceled at Moscow airports

Aliyev told Lukashenko over Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia leaders' meeting

Artsakh citizen returning from Azerbaijan is under medical supervision

World Medical Association boss compares new strain of COVID-19 with Ebola

ECHR rules on application of interim measure in respect of 4 Armenian POWs

Armenia PM participates in Board of Trustees of Hayastan All-Armenian Fund meeting

Gyumri ex-mayor's son found and apprehended

Russia and China call for peaceful coexistence of countries with different ideologies

517 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Armenia per day

Ombudsman rejected after applying to initiate proceedings against Armenia Security Council Secretary

Karabakh emergency situations service: Remains of one serviceman found in Varanda
YEREVAN.  The capital city Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction on Thursday resumed its hearing on deciding whether to remand Armenias Former Deputy Prime Minister Armen Gevorgyan in custody; and Gevorgyan is in the courtroom.

The Special Investigation Service on Wednesday filed a motion with the court that the former official be remanded in custody.

Also on the same day, several new criminal charges have been filed against Armen Gevorgyan; they are: taking a very large bribe by an official, committing very large-scale money laundering, and aiding in breaching Armenias constitutional order.

Gevorgyan was already charged with obstruction of justice in connection with the criminal case into the tragic events that occurred in Yerevan, in March 2008. The investigative agency had enforced a signature bond to not leave Armenia as a preventive measure for him.

According to the respective statement by the Special Investigation Service, from February 28 to March 8, 2008 the Constitutional Court (CC) had considered the case on challenging the Central Electoral Commissions February 24, 2008 decision on the election of the new President of Armenia.

Aiming to obstruct the serving of constitutional justice on this case, however, Armen Gevorgyan had abused his official position, and instructedthrough indirect channelsthe CC judge examining this case that it was indispensable to make a decision of upholding the results of the presidential election that was conducted in February 2008.

On March 1 and 2, 2008 the then authorities of Armenia used force against the opposition members who were rallying in downtown Yerevan, and against the results of the presidential election on February 19, 2008. Eight demonstrators as well as two servicemen of the internal troops were killed in the clashes. But no one had been brought to account for these deaths, to this day.
YEREVAN.  There are no grounds and conditions for arresting Armenias Former Deputy Prime Minister Armen Gevorgyan, his attorney Erik Aleksanyan on Thursday told reporters at the capital city Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction.

The court continues to consider the Special Investigation Services petition that the former official be remanded in custody.

Several new criminal charges have been filed Wednesday against Gevorgyan; they are: taking a very large bribe by an official, committing very large-scale money laundering, and aiding in breaching Armenias constitutional order.

Erik Aleksanyan informed that the bribe-taking and money laundering cases were being investigated along the lines of the criminal case into what had occurred in Yerevan in March 2008, and that Gevorgyan had testified in connection with the new charges that were brought against him.

As per the attorney, Armen Gevorgyan had not attempt to hide, and he will not hide.

The legal defender added that even though they find that there are no grounds and conditions for arresting Gevorgyan, should the court see such grounds later on, they will motion that Gevorgyan be released on bail.

Asked whether the ex-deputy PM has had any contact with second President Robert Kocharyansince they both are accused in the same criminal case, the attorney gave a negative response.

The court hearing on determining Gevorgyans preventive measure is held behind closed doors.

Gevorgyan was already charged with obstruction of justice in connection with the criminal case into the tragic events that occurred in Yerevan, in March 2008. The investigative agency had enforced a signature bond to not leave Armenia as a preventive measure for him.

According to the respective statement by the Special Investigation Service, from February 28 to March 8, 2008 the Constitutional Court (CC) had considered the case on challenging the Central Electoral Commissions February 24, 2008 decision on the election of the new President of Armenia.

Aiming to obstruct the serving of constitutional justice on this case, however, Armen Gevorgyan had abused his official position, and instructedthrough indirect channelsthe CC judge examining this case that it was indispensable to make a decision of upholding the results of the presidential election that was conducted in February 2008.

On March 1 and 2, 2008 the then authorities of Armenia used force against the opposition members who were rallying in downtown Yerevan, and against the results of the presidential election on February 19, 2008. Eight demonstrators as well as two servicemen of the internal troops were killed in the clashes. But no one had been brought to account for these deaths, to this day.
Israel is the recipient of the largest annual package of Foreign Military Financing, the grant program that allows foreign countries to purchase U.S.-made weapons. The current terms, signed under the Obama administration and implemented by President Donald Trump, give Israel $38 billion in U.S. military aid in the next 10 years, an increase of $8 billion over the previous decade. This includes $5 billion for missile defense.

Israel is one of a handful of countries that can use Foreign Military Financing grants to buy directly from private U.S. weapons corporations, a process with much less U.S. oversight than Foreign Military Sales, where the U.S. government coordinates the purchase of weaponry. And in a unique arrangement, Israel can use about 25 percent of its U.S. military aid to buy equipment made by Israeli companies. (This arrangement will end over the next decade.)

Its a lucrative deal for U.S. weapons manufacturers. According to a State Department report, the U.S. authorized the shipment of almost $3 million in firearms last yearlike the Ruger sniper rifle that killed Obeid. But its unclear how much a particular company like Ruger is profiting; the U.S. government does not break down the purchases by manufacturer. The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that in 2011, the Israeli military bought over $27 million worth of equipment in preparation for West Bank protests. The shipments included Ruger rifles and tear-gas canisters.

Foreign Military Financing money is not supposed to flow with no strings attached. In 1998, Congress passed what came to be known as the Leahy Law, authored by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). The legislation bans U.S. military aid and training from going to foreign security units that commit human rights abuses, unless the secretary of state determines that the foreign country is holding members of the unit accountable. The law is rarely exercised. According to a 2017 RAND Corporation study, of 180,000 units and individuals vetted by the U.S. government each year under the Leahy Law, only 0.3 percent are rejected for U.S. assistance, in countries such as Colombia, Honduras and Nigeria.

Outside Bilal Tamimis home in Nabi Saleh, U.S.-made tear gas canisters and stun grenades hang on a fence. One such canister killed Mustafa Tamimi, a Nabi Saleh resident, in 2011. (Photo by Faiz Abu Rmeleh)

Because the Leahy Law is narrowit only bars assistance to particular military units that commit rights violations, rather than the entire foreign armyPalestinian rights advocates working in Washington see enforcement against Israel as an achievable goal that could curb civilian deaths.

The Leahy Law being implemented would not end violations, but I think it would seriously constrain [them], says Brad Parker, international advocacy officer and staff attorney at Defense for Children International-Palestine. Israeli officials would have to scrutinize military decisions and the use of force in a way that would ultimately increase protection for Palestinian civilians.

The State Department did not answer questions from In These Times about whether any Israeli army units have been barred from receiving U.S. weapons under the Leahy Law or whether the State Department has acted on specific evidence of Israeli soldiers misusing U.S. arms. A State Department official told In These Times in a statement that the department continues to apply the Leahy Law across the board, including in Israel, as it has for years.  We take seriously any credible information of a gross violation of human rights, and we review alleged violations utilizing standardized criteria worldwide.

This statement is disputed by Bill Harper, chief of staff to Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), who has emerged as the leading congressional critic of Israeli human rights abuses. They cannot credibly make the claim that they enforce the law equally, Harper says. We enforce it where we want and ignore it where we dont.

In a February 2016 letter, Leahy wrote to Secretary of State John Kerry about his concerns that the State Department is not adequately monitoring the use of U.S. military aid to Israel, and asked for an investigation into whether Israel committed extrajudicial executions with U.S. weapons. There have been a disturbing number of reports of possible gross violations of human rights by security forces in Israel or Egyptincidents that may have involved recipients, or potential recipients, of U.S. military assistance, Leahy wrote. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded that Israeli soldiers are not murderers and act in a moral manner.

In meetings and conversations with the State Department from 2012 to 2015, Mike Coogan, then the legislative coordinator for the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, says he brought up a 2009 Human Rights Watch report on U.S.-supplied white phosphorus that killed Palestinians in Gaza. He also communicated with officials about a 2014 Amnesty International report documenting U.S.-made tear gas canisters killing Palestinian protesters.

State said well look into it and well get back to you, Coogan says. But they never got back to us.

Brad Parker told In These Times that, in meetings about the Leahy Law during the Obama administrations second term, State Department officials said they do not track where weapons go once they are sent to Israeli units, making it difficult to assess whether the weapons are being misused.

One former U.S. official familiar with how the Leahy Law is implemented (who requested anonymity out of concern about losing their current job, which involves working with State Department officials), says that the State Department doesnt have much of a record of understanding where material assistance flows.

The former official believes that an unwillingness to challenge Israel is one reason the broader lack of monitoring goes unaddressed. Getting more fidelity on specific instances of assistance to, say, Nigeria or Kenya  raises the defenses of a number of different pockets of support for Israel, who are concerned that our support for Israel will be in question or at risk.

Support for Israel on Capitol Hill is driven by a multi-pronged machine: the weapons industry, which makes money from U.S. military aid to Israel; donors, who give to pro-Israel politicians, both Democrats and Republicans; Christian evangelicals, who see support for Israel as part of biblical prophecy and make up a large part of the Republican base; and Israels lobbyists, who continually push Washington to ramp up support.

The current State Department official interviewed for this story also describes a general reluctance to confront allies: We never want to deliver bad news to them. ... The implementation of the Leahy Law is where you see the downsides of that.
YEREVAN.- Armenia's acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received today newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Latvia to the Republic of Armenia Ingrida Levrence, the official website of the PM.

The acting PM congratulated the Ambassador on the occasion of assuming the post and wished her success. Pashinyan mentioned that Armenia highlights expansion of both bilateral and multilateral relations with Latvia, as well as deepening cooperation in the sidelines of the EU. In this context Pashinyan highlighted the ratification of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between Armenia and the EU by the parliament of Latvia.

Referring to the changes going on in Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan emphasized that Armenia moves forward along the path of development of democracy.

The newly appointed Ambassador of Latvia thanked the Armenian acting PM and assured that will spare no efforts for deepening relations between the two countries. Ingrida Levrence said that as an EU member state Latvia is ready to share its experience in cooperation with the EU and support Armenia in that process.

The interlocutors exchanged views on regional issues and Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement process.

The Ambassador of Latvia congratulated Nikol Pashinyan on successfully holding the early parliamentary elections on December 9.
It was in February 2017 when Dr. Michael E. Hoffer took the call.

This is the State Department, the official said. We have a problem.

Hoffer, a professor of otolaryngology and neurological surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, was not surprised by the call. He had spent 20 years in the military, is an expert in blast trauma, and continues to hold a government security clearance. And, he is in Miami, close to the location of the problem.

The caller talked about an individual assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba, and how that person wasnt feeling right. The person reported hearing a loud noise, and then feeling intense ear pain and dizziness.

Over the next several months, Hoffer and his medical team  Hillary Snapp, associate professor of otolaryngology and chief of Audiology at the Miller School; Bonnie E. Levin, professor of neurology and director of the Division of Neuropsychology at the Miller School  identified 25 diplomatic personnel living in the U.S. Embassy in Havana who had experienced severe neurosensory symptoms after exposure to a unique sound and pressure phenomenon. They later consulted with Carey D. Balaban, professor of otolaryngology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, a long-time collaborator of Hoffers.

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Read: Findings from Havana embassy phenomenon

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At a news conference at the Miller School Wednesday attended by nearly 50 members of the media, the medical team described their diagnosis and findings, which are included in the study, Acute Findings in an Acquired Neurosensory Dysfunction, which was published Wednesday in the peer-reviewed journal Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology. Hoffer is the lead author.

Before a bank of news cameras, Hoffer and his team each explained their role, and the examination process of the patients. They determined those experiencing symptoms had suffered an injury to the ear, but what caused the injury remains unknown. The symptoms were similar  moodiness, trouble problem-solving, anxiety, and balance issues.

As the first medical team to examine the embassy personnel reporting symptoms  sometimes just days after the initial incident  the teams findings were not impacted or affected by a long lapse of time, by previous treatment, workmans compensation claims, or by media coverage of the exposure which could influence descriptions provided by the patients on how they were feeling.

We have objective evidence they had an abnormality, Hoffer said. He said the patients all felt a little off.

They came from the same place with the same symptoms, Hoffer said. X happened  pressure or noise  and then the symptoms.
Posted by Mark Williams | May 1, 2017





By Aaron Bragman

Living with a half-ton luxury pickup truck isn't terribly difficult. These premium rigs can cost $60,000 to $80,000 and come with amenities that  until recently  only foreign luxury-brand flagship sedans have provided. But what happens when you go a size bigger on the pickup spectrum? Upgrading from a half-ton to a three-quarter-ton truck means a beefier suspension, more weight, a bigger engine, a larger body, different steering; they're entirely different than their light-duty cousins.

They also don't get a lot of media attention; most comparison tests involve light-duty half tons or the ultimate heavy-duty one tons. But the HD diesel monsters we tested in our 2017 3/4-Ton Premium Truck Challenge are a good stop in between. They're for people who need more capability than half tons can deliver but who still want a relatively easy-to-use vehicle that won't make the daily commute a chore.

Since all four of the lux trucks in our Challenge featured optional diesel engines, we put them through a mileage test to see how efficient they are. Fun fact: HD pickups are not rated by the EPA, and manufacturers generally don't report their efficiency since they're heavy enough to be considered commercial trucks. But fuel economy is important for any buyer  commercial or consumer  so our testing should help determine who is more efficient.

Fuel-Economy Analysis

We took these pickups on two loops of 111 miles in mixed urban and highway driving in the Phoenix area; they were empty for one loop and towed a 10,000-pound gooseneck trailer for the second loop.

The winner of the fuel-economy test for the empty loop was the 2017 Nissan Titan XD Platinum Reserve, which is not surprising given that its turbo-diesel 5.0-liter V-8 Cummins was the smallest, least powerful engine of the field. It got 19.3 mpg, beating the 2017 Ram 2500 Laramie Longhorn and its massive turbo-diesel 6.7-liter inline-six-cylinder Cummins by a fraction; it registered 19.2 mpg. Third place went to the 2017 Ford Super Duty F-250 King Ranch and its turbo-diesel 6.7-liter V-8 Power Stroke at 18.3 mpg, while the 2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 LTZ Midnight Edition and its turbo-diesel 6.6-liter V-8 Duramax finished last at 18.2 mpg.

Hook the trucks to a 10,000-pound gooseneck trailer filled with bags of construction sand and the order changes. When towing a big load, the Ram was the top performer at 13.1 mpg, followed by the Ford and Chevy in a veritable tie at 12.1 and 12.0 mpg, respectively. The Nissan trailed the rest at 11.5 mpg due its smaller engine, which had to work much harder than the others.

As Daily Drivers

As daily drivers, these four luxo trucks were far more pleasant and tolerable than their base-model brethren tested in our 2017 3/4-Ton Work Truck Challenge. That's to be expected for trucks that cost twice what the entry models go for. They still ride stiffer than light-duty trucks, and their sheer size can make parking them an adventure in urban environments. They all feature massive turning circles, and visibility can be a bit compromised by the sheer amount of sheet metal surrounding you, but they all come with aids such as parking sensors and cameras to help alleviate those stresses.

It's when you put them to work that you start to see the real differences emerge. Towing the 10,000-pound trailer opened our eyes to how differently they behave, with the Nissan singled out for how unhappy it was towing that much weight. The engine struggled, but the transmission was truly the weakest link in the Nissan's powertrain. It had such severe driveline slap on deceleration and foot-off-the-throttle liftoff when accelerating that none of our judges thought it was going to last the life of the truck if it was used mainly as a towing rig. The other trucks were more impressive, with the Ford getting the most praise for its smoothness and ability to make work tasks look easy.

Cars.com photos by Angela Conners

Overview | Track Testing | Towing | Daily Driving | Dynamometer Testing | Results
10. Tom Hardy British actor Tom Hardy had a stellar year career wise. The 41-year-old Londoner starred in the huge Marvel hit Venom this year. The movie made an incredible 672 million internationally at the box office and proved yet again Hardys star power. He also grabbed headliens this year for being awarded a CBE for his services to drama.

Its been another year full of celebrity drama, intrigue and more than a few surprises. And on Yahoo Search weve had some major British telly stars, actors and a few American stars top the most searched for male celebrities by British Yahoo users in 2018.

To develop the Yahoo Year in Review, our editors analyse Yahoo Search queries based on a number of factors, including absolute volume and growth from previous periods, to see which themes and trends bubble to the surface. Individuals and their Search queries always remain anonymous. This list is constructed without navigational searches  i.e. searches where the intention is clearly purely to navigate to a site rather than to discover information.

Slide through our gallery to find out which male celebrity was most searched for on Yahoo in the UK this year

Read more

The 10 most searched female celebrities of 2018

2018s comic book movies  ranked from worst to best

Strictlys most liked and disliked 2018 contestants revealed
By Sarah Dadouch ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Up to 15,000 Syrian rebels are ready to join a Turkish military offensive against U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in northeast Syria, but no date has been set for the operation, a spokesman for the main Turkish-backed Syrian rebel group said on Thursday. President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Turkey would launch the offensive in a few days, targeting a border region east of the Euphrates river which is held by the YPG Kurdish militia. The announcement prompted a sharp rebuke from the Pentagon, which said any unilateral military action into northeast Syria would be unacceptable. The United States has been supporting the YPG in the fight against Islamic State insurgents since 2015. Following cross-border shelling from Turkey into Kurdish-controlled territory two months ago, U.S. forces have set up three military observation posts near the border. Turkey says the YPG is a terrorist organization and an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged an insurgency against the state in southeastern Turkey for more than three decades. On Thursday the Turkish military said one of its soldiers stationed in Syria's Afrin region was killed by fire from YPG fighters, who were in the Tel Rifaat area. Both areas are west of the Euphrates in northern Syria. Turkish forces returned fire, the military said. Turkey has already swept YPG fighters from Afrin and other areas west of the Euphrates in military campaigns over the past two years, but has not gone east of the river - partly to avoid direct confrontation with U.S. forces. But Erdogan's patience with Washington over Syria - specifically a deal to clear the YPG from the town of Manbij, just west of the Euphrates - seems to have worn thin. The spokesman for the National Army, a Turkish-backed rebel force aimed at unifying disparate factions in northwest Syria, said on Thursday that there was no set date for the operation, which would start from both Syrian and Turkish territory. "The battle will be launched simultaneously from several fronts," Major Youssef Hamoud told Reuters. "It will be in Manbij and Tel Abyad and Ras al-Ayn," he said, referring to towns about 200 km (125 miles) apart near Syria's northern border. Hamoud said the operation from Turkey might begin a few days before the move from within Syria. In a speech on Wednesday, Erdogan said that Turkey's target "is never U.S. soldiers". Commander Sean Robertson, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement that unilateral military action into northeast Syria by any party would be of grave concern, "particularly as U.S. personnel may be present or in the vicinity." Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford spoke with the chief of Turkish General Staff General Yasar Guler on Thursday. "Dunford emphasized that the observation posts will continue to focus on and deter threats from Syria toward the Turkish southern border," a U.S. military statement said. "In addition, he reiterated that the U.S. remains committed to coordinating efforts with Turkey to bring stability to northeastern Syria," it added. (Additional reporting by Tulay Karadeniz in Ankara and Idrees Ali in Washington. Editing by Dominic Evans, Mark Heinrich and Cynthia Osterman)
Amman (AFP) - Two babies have died of illness in the past week at a camp for displaced people on the Syrian border with Jordan, the United Nations children's agency UNICEF said Thursday.

The deaths prompted UNICEF to reiterate calls for humanitarian access for the thousands of people at Rukban camp, which lies in an inhospitable stretch of desert.

"Another sad week for children and families in Rukban. Two sick babies under six months old died in Rukban," said Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa.

"Freezing temperatures and lack of supplies including of basic commodities, threaten the lives of nearly 45,000 people -- among them many children, leaving them at the risk of disease and death," he said in a statement.

Last month the United Nations and Syrian Arab Red Crescent announced the first delivery of humanitarian aid at Rukban in 10 months.

Civilians trapped at the camp face the risk of starvation amid a deteriorating humanitarian situation after Jordan sealed its border following an Islamic State attack on its soldiers.

Soon afterwards, the army declared Jordan's desert regions that stretch northeast to Syria and east to Iraq "closed military zones".

Amman believes the responsibility of the camp lies with Damascus since it is inside Syrian territory.

Syria has been embroiled in a civil war that killed more than 360,000 people and displaced millions since it started with the brutal repression of anti-government protests in 2011.

mz/dv
Planning for your retirement is something that can span most of your working life, and the sooner you start saving, the better and more fruitful your nest egg years will be.

Contributing money to a 401(k) can be a prudent way to save up for your financial goals. A 401(k) is a retirement plan offered by an employer where qualified employees make recurring contributions from their pre-tax income.

401(k) plans are popular instruments for retirement planning. According to Investopedia, data provided by the Investment Company Institute shows that approximately $5.3 trillion of the $27.2 trillion in total retirement-plan assets in the United States were comprised of 401(k) plans as of Sep 30, 2017. It further states that there has been a more than 100% rise in total 401(k) plan balances between 2008 and 2017.

Furthermore, maxing out your 401(k) is generally the best way to gather a good sum for retirement with great tax benefits.

In order to make the most out of the benefits provided by your 401(k), here are three things you should know:

Contributions (Limits and the Matching Rule)

Even though the IRS allows you to contribute up to 100% of your income to a 401(k) plan, its best to adhere to the maximum employee contribution limit. Its important to note that the maximum employee contribution for 2019 has been raised to $19,000 from $18,500 in 2018. Moreover, if you are 50 years or older, you can make a catch-up contribution of an extra $6,000 a year.

One can contribute to other retirement plans at the same time as well. Under IRS regulations, contributions to all retirement plans should not exceed $56,000 for 2019 (up from $55,000 in 2018), or 100% of the participant's compensation, whichever is lower. Meanwhile, the maximum annual contribution limit for 401(k) participants age 50 years or older is $62,000 for 2019.

Employers offering a 401(k) plan may make matching contributions to the plan on behalf of their qualified employees, called 401(k) matching. For instance, an employer that matches dollar-for-dollar would match one dollar for every dollar that you contribute to your 401(k). However, there are 401(k) matching limitations, with 3% of your salary being the most common and some companies opting for 8% of an employees salary as well.

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Distributions

One can begin taking penalty-free distributions from their 401(k) once they reach 59  years of age. But, if someone chooses to withdraw funds prior to that, they face a 10% early withdrawal penalty on whatever distribution they take.

Also, if someone cashes out their 401(k) after leaving a job before they turn 59 , it could be seen as an early distribution and that person will be subject to a penalty. However, if someone rolls over their 401(k) funds into another existing or new retirement plan, or starts a new retirement plan within 60 days of possessing the 401(k) funds, they can dodge the 10% penalty.

One exception to this rule is that if you are at least 55 when leaving the company that sponsors your 401(k), you will not be subjected to the 10% penalty for early withdrawals.

Additionally, one must begin taking required minimum distributions, or RMDs, after turning 70. An individuals first RMD is due by April 1 following the year they turn 70. For instance, if Mr. X turns 70  in September 2018, then his first RMD will be due by April 1, 2019.

RMDs are calculated based on an individuals life expectancy and account balance. The penalty for neglecting your RMDs is 50% of the amount you do not withdraw, which means you lose $500 if you dont take your RMD, which amounts to $1,000 for a given year.

But there is an exception to the RMD rule. If you are still employed with the company sponsoring your 401(k) and do not own anything more than or equal to 5% of the company, you can ignore RMDs while you keep working.

Tax Deductions

Traditional 401(k) accounts allow you to defer income tax payments on the funds you contribute until withdrawal. Being above-the-line tax deductions, these contributions reduce any taxable income immediately. For instance, an individual falling in the 25% tax slab will save $500 in taxes on contributions amounting to $2000.

One may also qualify for a tax break at the state level. According to experts, low-income savers may be eligible for the savers tax credit.

Meanwhile, there are after-tax investment options like a Roth 401(k). Here, the contributions are made after paying income taxes, but withdrawals are fully tax-free, and subject to certain conditions.

A Simple Way to Build Wealth



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There are some biotech stocks which are down more than 20% this year so far but have the potential to bounce back next year.

Founded in 1947, Franklin Templeton Investments prides itself in offering "exceptional asset management" to its clients in more than 170 nations. It has presence in 34 countries and more than 650 investment professionals. With around $737.5-billion assets under management as of Mar 31, 2018, Franklin Templeton Investments is a well-known global investment management firm. The company offers investment management strategies and integrated risk management solutions to individuals, institutions, pension plans, trusts and partnerships.

Below we share with you three best-ranked Franklin Templeton mutual funds. Each has earned a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and is expected to outperform its peers in the future. Investors can click here to see the complete list of all Franklin Templeton mutual funds, their Zacks Rank and past performance.

Franklin DynaTech Fund Class A FKDNX invests mostly in companies that are expected to be leaders in innovation, have better management, and can reap the benefits of new technologies and advantages of new industry situations in a fluctuating global economy. FKDNX seeks growth of capital. Franklin DynaTech Fund Class A has three-year annualized returns of 15.8%.

FKDNX has an expense ratio of 0.86% compared with the category average of 1.08%.

Franklin Convertible Securities A FISCX invests a bulk of its assets in convertible securities. FISCX may invest almost all its assets in securities rated lower than investment grade. The fund may invest about one-fifth of its assets in preferred and common stocks as well as non-convertible debt securities. Franklin Convertible Securities A has returned 11.1% in the past three years.

As of October 2018, FISCX held 84 issues, with 2.1% of its assets invested in Square Inc 0.5%.

Franklin Corefolio Allocation A FTCOX seeks growth of capital. FTCOX invests its assets in a variety of funds, including Franklin Flex Cap Growth Fund, Franklin Growth Fund, Mutual Shares Fund and Templeton Growth Fund. Funds, in which FTCOX allocates its assets, tend to invest in both domestic and foreign equity securities. Franklin Corefolio Allocation A has three-year annualized returns of 8.7%.

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T. Anthony Coffey is the fund manager of FTCOX since 2003.

To view the Zacks Rank and the past performance of all Franklin Templeton mutual funds, investors can click here to see the complete list of funds.

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For some women, an ovarian cancer diagnosis comes after a lengthy, frustrating, stressful process, given that many dont have observable symptoms until the cancer is in a more advanced stage. And if someone does have early symptoms of ovarian cancer, theyre often vague or nonspecific, such as changes in appetite, abdominal bloating, and abdominal/pelvic pain.

Women with a new diagnosis of ovarian cancer have often had symptoms for months and have seen multiple medical specialists before arriving at the diagnosis, Melissa Frey, M.D., gynecologic oncologist at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine, tells SELF.

Aside from the sometimes exhaustive road to a diagnosis, ovarian cancer comes with other challengeslike feeling a great deal of uncertainty, in part because the majority of women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed when the cancer is already in an advanced stage. (Only an estimated 20 percent of ovarian cancers are diagnosed at an early stage, according to the American Cancer Society.)

But the best people to speak to these hurdles are those who have experienced them firsthand. So, SELF interviewed three inspiring survivors about how they handled the most difficult parts of having ovarian cancer, and how they pushed forward during treatment with a positive outlook. Their best advice, below.

1. Allow yourself to lean on family and friends.

For 69-year-old Mary Stommel, from Virginia Beach, a strong support system was crucial in helping her deal with her biggest challenges following her diagnosis of ovarian cancer. But it took her some time to let people in to help: I like my independence, and it wasnt easy to ask others for help in completing everyday tasks," she tells SELF.

On the days she was feeling down, she made a point of calling her kids or siblings. They were more than willing to listen and offer words of encouragement. My family was a constant support for me and took turns sitting with me during my chemotherapy treatments," Stommel says. "They made arrangements for meals and house cleaning because there were so many times when I just couldn't manage even the easiest daily routine things.

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However, you may find yourself in a situation where a loved one doesn't know what to do or say. "Most patients I work with have the experience of one close friend who surprised them by not stepping forward to be there for them and one acquaintance who they did not know as well who did step up," Bonnie A. McGregor, Ph.D., a licensed clinical health psychologist who specializes in helping people cope with cancer and chronic illness, tells SELF. "It is important to be aware that friends and family members are having their own feelings about your diagnosis and the changes in relationship dynamics," she says, adding that friends and family may be experiencing their own grief at the thought of losing you.

It's also important to be specific in your requests for support, McGregor says. "For example, you can tell your friends that you would like to hear about what is going on in their day."

2. Give yourself permission to feel all of your emotions, but create boundaries for your fear.

Initially, Stommel tried to stay strong in front of everyone, despite feeling fearful. I didnt want to look weak and I didnt want anyone to feel sorry for me, she says.

But it's important for people with ovarian cancer to be authentic with what they are feeling," McGregor says. So you don't have to force yourself to smile through it and fake optimism if it doesn't feel genuine in that moment.

In fact, a fearful reaction after a diagnosis and throughout the journey is completely normal. This can be very unsettling as a woman was previously completely healthy and then suddenly learns she has an advanced and aggressive cancer, Dr. Frey says.

That said, you don't want to let fear and anxious thoughts consume you day in, day outwhich is why working with a mental health professional can be a great tool. "There are cognitive behavioral techniques we can use to help women with inaccurate or distorted thoughts," McGregor says.

Benedict Benigno, M.D., director of gynecologic oncology at Northside Hospital Cancer Institute in Atlanta, encourages his patients to keep time spent on fearful thoughts to a minimum. I ask my patients to allow only four fifteen-minute periods a day in which thoughts of these problems are allowed to be entertained, he tells SELF.

3. Try to maintain a sense of humor.

Another piece of Stommels advice for anyone going through treatment for ovarian cancer is to allow yourself to smile and laugh through it when you can. I needed to laugh and stay positive instead of focusing on the negative, she says. A good sense of humor has always helped me in difficult times. She even wore costumes to every chemotherapy treatment: It not only made me happy, but the other patients would laugh and smile and even take pictures.

One aspect of ovarian cancer treatment that may be difficult to feel light-hearted about is losing your hair after chemotherapy, Dr. Benigno says, as it can contribute to a loss of identity. He recommends finding a great wig if that is of interest to you, and seeing it as a chance to change and play around with your image.

4. Keep up with your hobbies and interests to help maintain a sense of normalcy.

For Leslie Medley-Russell, 52, from Houston, Texas, it was important that her ovarian cancer diagnosis didnt become the biggest part of her life. I continued to motor through life as usual, she tells SELF.

As an Ironman triathlete, her version of normal involved training and racing throughout her treatment, with the support of her doctor and entire medical team. I had moments that I didnt feel great, she says. But I knew it was temporary, and I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

And you dont need to be a triathlete to benefit from exercise following a cancer diagnosis physically and mentally. Even a 30-minute walk every day will help, Medley-Russell says. I honestly believe I didnt suffer as so many do because I continued to exercise.

Dr. Benigno agrees that maintaining normalcy is important for dealing with the mental stress of an ovarian cancer diagnosis and treatment. He recommends continuing to work, if possible, and advocates making plans for the future, with a focus on fun. I ask my patients to purchase a large calendar that has a different picture for each month and to begin to pencil in things to do that are fun, from taking piano lessons to planning a great trip, he says.

This is exactly what 56-year-old Kym Roley, from Honolulu, Hawaii, did after her ovarian cancer diagnosis. My husband and I took the opportunity to take some trips that we had been putting off for a while, she tells SELF. Don't wait until something like this happens before you do the things you want to do!

You may find that it's difficult to find the energy to do the things you want to do at points, McGregor notes. "I think of it like money: You need to budget your energy and invest wisely. It is helpful to do as much as you can, but also be careful with where you spend your energy." So try to find that healthy balance between taking care of yourself, getting the rest you need, and also making time for things that give your life meaning, like family, friends, work, or hobbies, she suggests.

5. Be an active participant in your health care.

It was important for Roley to educate herself about her illness. I wanted to know every detail, she says. I think knowledge is power and the more information I could get, the better prepared I was to fight.

When her cancer came back for a second time, requiring further surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, Roley felt better prepared thanks to her breadth of knowledge of the illness. I keep a huge folder of my medical information, and I still study up on current cancer-fighting drugs and move forward with positivity, she says.

Dr. Frey encourages patients to have frequent, open, and honest communication with their gynecologic oncologist. In a qualitative study published in the journal Gynecologic Oncology in 2014, Dr. Frey and her team found that all of the 22 ovarian cancer survivors in the study focus group said that communication with their physician about things like goals, perceptions, and values was an essential element in determining their treatment course. However, only 14 percent of the group reported that this type of discussion occurred for them regularly.

6. Be proactive about taking care of your mental health after treatment is over.

"It's important for you and your friends and family to know that everything does not just go back to normal when treatment is done. Friends and family will want this; they want this disease to be over," McGregor says. But even if treatment is over and you've recovered physically does not mean that you will have already recovered emotionally.

"Many cancer patients are surprised to learn that a cancer diagnosis and treatment can take an emotional toll that does not make itself known until later," she continues. "I have had patients come in to my office three years after the end of treatment saying, 'My doctor says my cancer is gone, my family says I should be happy, why do I feel so sad?'"

Getting support for emotional healing is important, and you may want to connect with a mental health professional to help you learn stress management techniques as well as to cope with the fear of recurrence, McGregor explains. (She co-created an online stress management and workshop called Living WELL for ovarian cancer survivors who have recently completed treatment.)

Everyones experience after a cancer diagnosis is different, of course.

But the overwhelming message from Stommel, Medley-Russell, and Roley is clear: Take the diagnosis as an opportunity to work out what really matters to you.

Yes, there were challenges, but more than anything, I learned so much about myself through the experience that it definitely outweighed the negative, Leslie says. I always say that challenges make us stronger, and help us to appreciate life that much more.

Related:
Srinagar, December 13: Thousands of people, today, attended the funeral prayers of youth, Owais Ahmad Butt and Tahir Ramzan Dar, slain overnight by the Indian forces during a cordon and search operation and gunfight in Brath Kalan area of Sopore in north Kashmir.

A large number of people from different areas of Sopore including Brath Kalan, Saidpora, Dangarpora and other adjoining localities assembled at the native villages of the martyrs as the news of their death spread.

Thousands attend funerals of Sopore martyrs

Thousands attend funerals of Sopore martyrs

Thousands of mourners raising pro-freedom slogans marched with the bodies of the martyred youth in their native areas before lowering them into the graves.
Maria Butina, leader of a pro-gun organization in Russia, speaks to a crowd during a rally in support of legalizing the possession of handguns in Moscow - AP

Maria Butina, a Russian gun rights activist accused of trying to infiltrate the National Rifle Association and influence US policy toward Russia, is expected to plead guilty in a court hearing on Wednesday.

Butina was charged with conspiracy and working as an unregistered agent of the Russian government after her arrest in the US in July.

She pleaded not guilty to both charges and has since been held in solitary confinement awaiting sentencing. But according to a Monday court filing, Butina appears to be cooperating with investigators and will plead guilty to at least one of those charges.

The parties have resolved this matter, a filing by Butinas lawyer said.

Butinas case represents just one of many apparent attempts by relatively fringe Russian actors to reach out to the Trump campaign in 2015 and 2016 with offers of arranging a meeting between Donald Trump, the US president, and Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia.

Maria Butina appears in a police booking photograph released by the Alexandria Sheriff's Office Credit: Reuters

Butina appeared to make deep inroads with the NRA, one of the earliest and most vocal groups to come out in support of Mr Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Butina widely publicised her efforts to network with NRA officials and Republican presidential candidates, and owed much of her success in wooing the NRA to her background as a quasi-Libertarian gun rights activist in Russia.

Examination of her background suggests she championed gun rights liberalization in Moscow in an effort to launch a political career.

As head of a Russian gun rights group, Butina studied closely the NRA playbook. She also fell in with a former Russian senator, Alexander Torshin, who had also fostered close ties with several NRA officials.

Maria Butina during a hearing in federal court in Washington Credit: AP

Butina suddenly resigned as head of her gun rights organisation in 2015, and then began frequent travels to the US, eventually enrolling in a graduate program at American University in Washington.

All the while, she kept in regular contact with Mr Torshin, who acted as a handler, as she continued to network with NRA officials and work to establish backchannels between Russian officials and Trump's campaign.

It is unclear when she caught the attention of US authorities, but she was arrested in July when she was deemed a flight risk. US prosecutors working the case appear unrelated to Special Counsel Robert Muellers broader investigation into Russian interference efforts.
By Tim Hepher

PARIS (Reuters) - Airbus has launched a strategic review to outline changes under incoming chief executive Guillaume Faury as it faces industrial challenges and prepares for overdue modernization, industry sources said.

The "Airbus Next Chapter" review involves a team of planners working outside the normal strategy organization in pursuit of a break from years of industrial problems, management feuds and an ongoing bribery scandal.

It is being led by investor relations chief Julie Kitcher in what one insider described as a signal to financial markets that profits will be embedded in strategy, as the once state-sponsored European project marks its 50th anniversary.

Planemaking boss Faury, who becomes CEO when Tom Enders retires next April, "wants to go fast and introduce a new state of mind; he wants to turn the page on the past," a person familiar with the company said.

Airbus declined comment on the review, which is designed to war-game strategic decisions and possible structural changes.

Founded in 1969, Airbus <AIR.PA> has risen to compete on a par with Boeing and is one of Europe's leading exporters.

But its growth has been punctuated by Franco-German tensions, personal rivalries and most recently a crippling bribery investigation that accelerated management departures.

The review may address how Airbus can meet demand by sharply ramping up production of jets like its A320. One previous taboo that may come up for discussion is a fragmented production system securing jobs in Britain, France, Germany and Spain.

The A320 is the lifeblood of Europe's largest aerospace group, described by operations chief Tom Williams, who retires later this month, as the "golden goose".

Executives are warning Airbus must not find itself lacking in proven technology for the A320's successor after 2030, as it had been in wide-bodies when Boeing launched its 787.

For now, Airbus is winning a bigger slice of the market on the A320 but some analysts say it has fallen behind Boeing in manufacturing techniques - a gap that could grow if Boeing launches a mid-market jet with a new factory system.

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The review may study how Airbus can compete with Silicon Valley for talents in the digital era, while handling a wave of departures through retirements and a board-driven clearout.

Spurning global firms that typically work for Airbus, Faury has brought in Zurich-based consultants Egon Zehnder who are better known as head-hunters.

The roll-call of scheduled retirements continued this week as Alberto Gutierrez was named head of military aircraft as Fernando Alonso steps down after stabilizing the troubled A400M.

Programs chief Didier Evrard, who led two of Europe's most ambitious projects, the Storm Shadow/SCALP cruise missile and A350 jetliner, is due to retire this month and will be replaced by an internal candidate from services or engineering.

Some changes are happening already, with Airbus switching its quality-control chief this week after a series of snags.

(The story has been corrected to remove the word "former" in third paragraph to clarify Kitcher's position)

(Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Keith Weir/Adrian Croft)
The new weapon will replace the existing M16 (Getty)

Americas soldiers will soon be equipped with a new assault rifle described as the most powerful in the world  and which rips through body armour with the pressure of tank rounds.

The Next Generation Squad Automatic Rifles (NGSAR) will be in use by 2022: its a 6.8mm rifle with unprecedented power, accuracy and range.

Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley told Military Times, This is a weapon that could defeat any body armor, any planned body armor that we know of in the future.

There is a target acquisition system built into this thing that is unlike anything that exists today.

Colonel Geoffrey A. Norman told Task & Purpose that the weapon will fire, a small bullet at the pressure equivalent to what a tank would fire.

MORE: Two charged with assault over video showing men kicking tent with homeless people inside

MORE: What are the chances of a second referendum?

Colonel Norman said that the weapon would be more suitable for open terrain and near-peer threats like Russia.

Colonel Norman said, For the past 10 or 15 years, weve been really focused on the requirement of lethal effects against unprotected targets.

Now were looking at near-peer threats like Russia and others. We need to have lethal effects against protected targets and we need to have requirements for long-range lethality in places like Afghanistan, where youre fighting from mountaintop to mountaintop over extended ranges.

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Former Vice President Joe Biden is wrapping up a busy stretch of events this week before stepping out of the public eye to hold family deliberations over the holidays on whether to launch another campaign for president, according to multiple people familiar with his thinking.

They spoke on the condition of anonymity because Biden was still weighing his options. With his name recognition and strong connections to Democratic power brokers across the country, Biden would likely enter a presidential contest a top-tier candidate, if not the front-runner. That prospect is creating intense focus around his every move as he approaches a decision.

Biden, 76, was expected in Washington on Wednesday to host two annual holiday receptions with friends, including longtime backers from key early presidential primary states, according to invitees who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private parties. Biden also was expected to meet with some of his longtime political advisers while in Washington.

Former President Barack Obama, who formed a close relationship with Biden during their years in the White House, wasn't expected to attend the receptions. Obama has met with other potential presidential candidates since midterm elections, including Rep. Beto O'Rourke of Texas.

After his swing through Washington, Biden will host what was expected to be his final public event of the year on Thursday at a university in Utah.

The moves cap what has been an extraordinarily busy year for Biden. He maintained a packed campaign schedule stumping for Democrats ahead of the midterms, including stops for candidates in the early presidential contest states of Iowa and South Carolina. In all, Biden will have visited 31 states this year, including trips intended to promote a book about his late son.

Biden has done little to dissuade speculation that he'd run for president a third time. Since the midterms, he has held calls and met privately with longtime supporters about what a presidential campaign could look like, according to aides. He declared himself "the most qualified person in the country to be president" during an appearance last week in Montana. At a later event in Vermont, he recalled concerns from his dying son, Beau, that "I'd turn inward, that I'd withdraw from public life."

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Alabama Sen. Doug Jones, a devout Biden supporter, said Wednesday that Biden would bring unmatched qualifications to the race. He said Biden has the ability to connect with a range of voters Democrats need to win back the White House in 2020, including those in less-typically Democratic territory, where President Donald Trump won in 2016.

"I think he's probably the best one qualified to do that. He's been doing it for a long, long time, and I'm hoping to see that," Jones said during an interview for The Associated Press' Newsmakers series. "I feel confident there are others as well."

The reflection ahead for Biden comes at a time when the Democratic presidential field is in flux. As many as two dozen potential candidates could announce intentions to run for president by early next year. Many of those potential contenders are fresh faces in a party eager to move on from its disastrous performance in 2016. O'Rourke, in particular, has emerged as an unlikely force. Many donors and activists are awaiting his decision before declaring allegiance to a candidate.

Biden said last week he expects to decide within two months whether to wage a third campaign for the presidency.

Teri Goodman, a longtime Biden supporter from Dubuque, Iowa, said she met with Biden during his campaign visit to Cedar Rapids in late October.

"We had a good visit. It wasn't brief," Goodman said. "He had not made up his mind."

___

Beaumont reported from Des Moines, Iowa; Kinnard reported from Columbia, South Carolina. AP Washington Bureau Chief Julie Pace contributed to this report.
Three people who disappeared in a closed West Virginia mine last weekend have been rescued and taken to a hospital in what Gov. Jim Justice called a "Christmas miracle."

Kayla Williams, 25, Erica Treadway, 31, and Cody Beverly, 21, were found late Wednesday inside the Rock House Powellton Mine near Clear Creek, Justice announced. They emerged within hours, and video from the scene showed the group walking toward medical personnel to big applause.

A fourth person walked out of the mine Monday and provided some information concerning where the trio might be found, Raleigh County Sheriff's Lt. Mark McCray said.

"We think they went in to steal copper wiring," McCray told USA TODAY. "Typically when mines close the wire is left behind, and people will often times try to steal the copper. That is how it's being investigated."

More: Search continues for three people missing in West Virginia coal mine

McCray said that, regardless of their intent, it is illegal  and dangerous  to enter a closed mine. Coal has not been mined at the underground location for two years, according to the mine safety office. He said there was no timeline on when a determination on possible charges would be made.

A lot of resources were spent on the rescue operation, McCray added, although he declined to estimate the cost.

An ATV believed to be used by the group was found near the mine entrance after they disappeared before dawn Saturday. Rescue teams had been unable to enter the main entrance due to high water levels, and authorities pumped water out of the mine for days while fans circulated fresh air into it.

The complex rescue operation involved multiple four-man teams entering the mine, aided by additional teams who guided the effort from the surface. The rescue teams progressed 4,000 ft. into the mine, located about 100 miles southeast of Huntington in the western part of the state.

Justice had traveled to the mine earlier in the week, encouraging rescuers and consoling family members.

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"It's a Christmas blessing, that's all there is to it," Justice said. He lauded rescuers, saying they told him "We're gonna get them, we're gonna find them. And they did."

Eugene White, director of West Virginia Office of Miners' Health, Safety, and Training, said rescuers risked their lives to bring the trio out of the mine.

"I'd love to be up there right now hugging them," White said.

McCray said the trio was taken to a hospital for evaluation but appeared to be in good condition.

Williams' cousin, Lou Ellen Williams, told the local Register-Herald newspaper the family was "happy and relieved."

"I'm tickled that they're all OK," she said. "They said they are battered, but they're alive. That's all that matters."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Christmas miracle': 3 suspected thieves rescued after days in West Virginia mine
Lake McDonough in Barkhamsted,

Lake McDonough in Barkhamsted. Photo by Google.



The Connecticut Appellate Court relied on governmental immunity to uphold a lower court's summary judgment dismissing a lawsuit against the Metropolitan District Commission for a drowning on its lake property in Barkhamsted.



In its 3-0 ruling Tuesday, the panel said the family of 23-year-old Andres Burgos was not able to show that employees should have known people might be using an undesignated swimming area on Lake McDonough known as "The Point." The family attempted to argue government immunity didn't apply because public employees should have known of the danger associated with people swimming in that particular area.



Burgos was swimming with friends when he drowned, according to the family's attorney, Steven Errante of New Haven-based Lynch, Traub, Keefe & Errante.



Burgos' estate claimed the MDC knew people swam in the area. The MDC, the state's sewer and water agency, argued that it had governmental immunity and that Burgos and his friends were trespassing when the incident occurred in July 2011. A fence was even put up to keep people out of the area.



Writing for the court, Chief Judge Alexandra DiPentima said: "We conclude that a group of individuals in an undesignated swimming area, whose presence is unknown to the defendant, cannot be deemed identifiable for the purposes of the identifiable person, immunity harm exception. Accordingly, there is no genuine issue of material fact as to whether the plaintiff's claim is barred by the doctrine of governmental immunity."



Errante said he wasn't surprised by the ruling.



"The trend has been to almost eliminate any municipal liability," Errante said. "Towns and entities that are supposed to be taking care of citizens can be negligent with no consequences."



Errante said the MDC knew for a long time the area where Burgos drowned was a popular place to swim.



"They were constantly trying to stop people from swimming there," Errante said. "They had no lifeguards in the area. While they had boat patrols, they were not frequent enough. There were no eyes on that area."



The area in question is difficult to see from the lake, Errante noted.



With regard to whether Burgos had any liability in his own death, Errante said he would have hoped a jury could have decided that.



"The way the law is structured now, government immunity has taken away the ability for juries to make that decision," Errante said.



Errante said he has recommended that Burgos' family not appeal to the Connecticut Supreme Court.



"It is so hard to crack government immunity," Errante said. "There is no real chance the Supreme Court will take the case or, if they did, reverse the decision."



Burgos was at Lake McDonough for a family member's third birthday party, Errante said. "It's a very sad situation that every time his birthday comes up they will remember Mr. Burgos' death."



The MDC is represented by Jack Steigelfest and Christopher Harrington of Hartford's Howard, Kohn, Sprague & FitzGerald. Neither attorney responded to a request for comment Wednesday,



Errante was assisted by colleagues Daniel Scholfield and Marisa Bellair.



In addition to DiPentima, Judges Douglas Lavine and Lubbie Harper Jr. concurred.
Aquaman mid-credit scene explained

WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM AQUAMAN

It wouldnt be a superhero movie without a post-credit scene but in Aquaman, the only tease for the next film is mid-way through the credits.

The scene focuses solely on Black Manta AKA David Kane (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and Dr Stephen Shin (Randall Park) in the latters research space.

Kane was left for dead by Aquaman (Jason Momoa) after he had attacked the half-Atlantean and Mera (Amber Heard) in his new suit that he had enhanced with Atlantean technology given to him by Orm (Patrick Wilson) so he could take the two heroes out.

He was found by sailors and Dr Shin who took him back to his research facility so the mercenary could recover (though he seems to have lost an eye) and so the scientist could take a closer look at the tech.

Review: Aquaman seems like it leapt off the pages of a comic

Shin was introduced earlier in the film in a TV news scene during a debate over recent disastrous events that saw all of the trash and harmful waste humans had dumped in the sea thrown back onto land.

The scientist is the only one to argue that the city of Atlantic exists though no one believes him even though the world is aware of Aquaman.

His obsession with Aquaman and Atlantis led him to Kane in order to learn even more about both and so they strike a deal to help each other.

Stephen Shin first appeared in The New 52 reboot

Shin debuted in The New 52 reboot of the DC Comics series and is a marine biologist who was a friend of Thomas Curry and a young Arthur. His storyline saw him not only fall out with Arthur because the hero refused to reveal the location of Atlantis but makeup again later.

Shin and Black Manta also have an established backstory which inspired this post-credit scene.

In the comics, the marine biologist found Kane shipwrecked off the coast of Iceland and helped him to recover but while the film suggests they are teaming up the literary versions of the characters were not in cahoots.

Aquaman is in cinemas now

READ MORE

How does Aquaman relate to Justice League?

What critics think of Aquaman

The stars we lost in 2018




(Photo: Shutterstock.com)



A $619 million legal malpractice case against Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads may be transferred out of the state despite opposition from the plaintiffs, a group of residents from a northeastern Pennsylvania town.



U.S. Magistrate Judge Martin Carlson in the Middle District of Pennsylvania filed a report and recommendation Monday finding the case should be transferred from his district to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The federal court in Manhattan is "the 'home court'" where a bankruptcy case central to the plaintiffs' claims was litigated, Carlson wrote.



"There is a certain measure of jurisdictional irony in his case," Carlson wrote, noting that the complaint was filed in the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas and ended up before him in the Middle District, despite the fact that the underlying bankruptcy case took place in New York. "However, the one thing all parties seem to agree upon is that this case should not remain with this court."



Carlson's recommendation is in line with Montgomery McCracken's request that the case be transferred to the Southern District of New York. The plaintiffs had argued that it should be remanded to Luzerne County.



Montgomery McCracken was bankruptcy counsel to residents of Avoca, Pennsylvania, seeking to recover damages against the Kerr-McGee Corp. for injuries allegedly caused by proximity to the companys wood treatment plant located in Avoca. The plaintiffs had been arbitrating the claims but ultimately had to pursue the damages from Kerr-McGee, which was renamed Tronox, in bankruptcy.



In their April 2018 complaint in the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas, the Avoca plaintiffs, a proposed class of 4,300 residents, said they should have recovered $949 million and accused Montgomery McCracken of mishandling the case and engaging in a conflict of interest by representing the head of the creditors committee in the Kerr-McGee bankruptcy.



In a motion to dismiss, Montgomery McCracken said lead plaintiff Stanley Waleski and the other class members achieved a manifestly positive outcome in winning $329 million in damages, funded by a $5.15 billion settlement.



The Avoca residents alleged that Montgomery McCracken failed to object to an omnibus claim filed by another group of creditors from Mississippi, which ultimately reduced the amount of recovery available to the Avoca group. Additionally, the plaintiffs alleged that Montgomery McCracken chose to create a conflict of interest by representing Michael Carroll, a member of the creditors committee.



But Montgomery McCracken has argued that there is no legal argument to back up the Avoca plaintiffs claim that their interests were superior to the Mississippi groups. As for the alleged conflict, Montgomery McCracken said it is not improper for a firm to represent Carroll as a member of the creditors committee while also representing the Avoca group.



Carlson said the plaintiffs' motion to remand Montgomery McCracken's motion to dismiss should be considered by the Southern District of New York, because that court is most familiar with and interested in the underlying dispute.



"The firm is very pleased that Magistrate Judge Carlson accepted its argument that this matter should be transferred to the Southern District of New York so that the bankruptcy court, which has the greatest interest in and familiarity with the issues, oversees the proceedings," Daniel Brier of Myers Brier & Kelly, who is representing Montgomery McCracken in the case, said in a statement Thursday.



Neither did Pittsburgh lawyer Scott Hare, who is representing the Avoca plaintiffs.



READ MORE:



Montgomery McCracken Fights Back Against $619M Malpractice Claim
Abducted Indian boy rescued from Damak, Jhapa

Police rescued a seven-year-old abducted boy, a resident of the state of Bihar, India, from Damak on Tuesday.
Investing in small cap stocks has historically been a way to outperform the market, as small cap companies typically grow faster on average than the blue chips. That outperformance comes with a price, however, as there are occasional periods of higher volatility. The one and a half month time period since the end of the third quarter is one of those periods, as the Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) has underperformed the larger S&P 500 ETF (SPY) by about 4 percentage points. Given that the funds we track tend to have a disproportionate amount of their portfolios in smaller cap stocks, they have seen some volatility in their portfolios too. Actually their moves are potentially one of the factors that contributed to this volatility. In this article, we use our extensive database of hedge fund holdings to find out what the smart money thinks of Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT).

Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) was in 23 hedge funds' portfolios at the end of September. WAT shareholders have witnessed a decrease in hedge fund sentiment in recent months. There were 25 hedge funds in our database with WAT positions at the end of the previous quarter. Our calculations also showed that WAT isn't among the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds.

Hedge funds' reputation as shrewd investors has been tarnished in the last decade as their hedged returns couldn't keep up with the unhedged returns of the market indices. Our research has shown that hedge funds' small-cap stock picks managed to beat the market by double digits annually between 1999 and 2016, but the margin of outperformance has been declining in recent years. Nevertheless, we were still able to identify in advance a select group of hedge fund holdings that outperformed the market by 18 percentage points since May 2014 through December 3, 2018 (see the details here). We were also able to identify in advance a select group of hedge fund holdings that underperformed the market by 10 percentage points annually between 2006 and 2017. Interestingly the margin of underperformance of these stocks has been increasing in recent years. Investors who are long the market and short these stocks would have returned more than 27% annually between 2015 and 2017. We have been tracking and sharing the list of these stocks since February 2017 in our quarterly newsletter.

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RENAISSANCE TECHNOLOGIES

We're going to take a look at the new hedge fund action regarding Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT).

What does the smart money think about Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT)?

At Q3's end, a total of 23 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey were bullish on this stock, a change of -8% from one quarter earlier. By comparison, 27 hedge funds held shares or bullish call options in WAT heading into this year. So, let's find out which hedge funds were among the top holders of the stock and which hedge funds were making big moves.

WAT_dec2018

According to Insider Monkey's hedge fund database, Renaissance Technologies, managed by Jim Simons, holds the biggest position in Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT). Renaissance Technologies has a $179.9 million position in the stock, comprising 0.2% of its 13F portfolio. The second most bullish fund manager is Bares Capital Management, managed by Brian Bares, which holds a $175.1 million position; 4.9% of its 13F portfolio is allocated to the company. Some other professional money managers that are bullish contain David Blood and Al Gore's Generation Investment Management, Robert Joseph Caruso's Select Equity Group and Noam Gottesman's GLG Partners.

Seeing as Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) has faced declining sentiment from hedge fund managers, logic holds that there exists a select few funds that decided to sell off their entire stakes in the third quarter. Intriguingly, Kevin Oram and Peter Uddo's Praesidium Investment Management Company cut the largest investment of all the hedgies followed by Insider Monkey, worth about $33.5 million in stock, and Benjamin A. Smith's Laurion Capital Management was right behind this move, as the fund sold off about $4.6 million worth. These bearish behaviors are important to note, as total hedge fund interest was cut by 2 funds in the third quarter.

Let's also examine hedge fund activity in other stocks similar to Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT). These stocks are CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBRE), Evergy, Inc. (NYSE:EVRG), Restaurant Brands International Inc (NYSE:QSR), and Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE:AGR). This group of stocks' market caps are similar to WAT's market cap.

[table] Ticker, No of HFs with positions, Total Value of HF Positions (x1000), Change in HF Position CBRE,29,1780804,5 EVRG,23,1590898,-2 QSR,40,3833537,-2 AGR,18,293195,2 Average,27.5,1874609,0.75 [/table]

View table here if you experience formatting issues.

As you can see these stocks had an average of 27.5 hedge funds with bullish positions and the average amount invested in these stocks was $1.88 billion. That figure was $837 million in WAT's case. Restaurant Brands International Inc (NYSE:QSR) is the most popular stock in this table. On the other hand Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE:AGR) is the least popular one with only 18 bullish hedge fund positions. Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) is not the least popular stock in this group but hedge fund interest is still below average. This is a slightly negative signal and we'd rather spend our time researching stocks that hedge funds are piling on. In this regard QSR might be a better candidate to consider a long position.

Disclosure: None. This article was originally published at Insider Monkey.

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JERUSALEM (AP)  Israeli forces killed a Palestinian suspect wanted in a drive-by shooting at a West Bank bus stop, shooting him Wednesday just hours after an Israeli baby delivered prematurely as a result of the weekend attack died.

The Shin Bet security agency said Salah Barghouti, 29, was killed while "attempting to harm" Israeli forces as he sought to escape from an arrest raid. It said an unspecified number of additional suspects were arrested.

In Sunday night's attack, assailants in a Palestinian vehicle opened fire at a bus stop outside a West Bank settlement, wounding seven people before speeding away. Israeli forces have been on a manhunt for the attackers in the West Bank since then.

Among the wounded was a pregnant woman who was critically injured. Her baby was delivered by cesarean section after the attack. On Wednesday, Jerusalem's Shaare Zedek Hospital said the boy had died.

Speaking to foreign reporters Wednesday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attackers as "the most deviant criminals on Earth."

"The security forces are pursuing them and I hope that there will be news soon on this matter," he said.
Japan bitcoin cryptocurrency

The bear market that the crypto industry is facing has had a lot of adverse effects, with companies shutting down services and laying off staff members in their droves.

Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck seems to be the latest company to feel the brunt of the dire crypto market state, according to reports from Nikkei Asian Review.

A top executive of the firm was quoted by the outlet, saying that the company which has been trying to turn back its fortunes after suffering a major crypto heist in January  has not found it easy. Bitcoin, whose value as of this writing is $3,429, along with the rest of the market, is currently experiencing one of the worst downturns in their prices. The bearish run has also battered the market cap of most cryptocurrencies.

Per the reports, the slide in the value of Bitcoin has soured the efforts of Coincheck to recover its lost fortunes, after a hack led to the loss of 58 billion Yen ($511 million) in cryptocurrency back in January.

Toshihiko Katsuya, President of Coincheck, said on Wednesday:

We hope to see trading volume rise as we run the exchange in a stable way, but the market is weak. Volatility is high, but transaction activity has not been revitalized.

In what has been referred to as one of the biggest thefts in the history of cryptocurrency, Coincheck was forced to halt all operations after 523 million NEM coins- which, at the time, were worth approximately $530 million- were stolen on the 26th of January.

According to the companys representatives, the coins were lifted through a series of unauthorized transactions from a hot wallet that the hackers got access to. The NEM funds were housed in the wallet, and the hackers were able to drain it. After the hack, Coincheck was forced to halt all withdrawals from the site shortly after the breach.

The exchange, however, resumed its services on November 26, 2018, including opening new accounts and trading tokens. Although the company is yet to obtain approval from the Financial Services Agency, Japans financial regulator, it operates nonetheless.

Story continues

As part of the companys moves to gain lost ground, online broker Monex Group, which purchased the exchange back in April, announced that it would be launching crypto trading in the United States from the first quarter of 2019.

Monex held a press conference in Tokyo, where John Bartleman- President of TradeStation, the U.S. subsidiary of Monex- announced that they are planning to expand their crypto trading offerings to U.S.based customers in Q1 2019.

Featured image from Shutterstock.



The post Bear Market Hinders Coinchecks Stabilization Effort after $530 Million Theft appeared first on CCN.


Netflix has delivered some real heavy hitters in 2018. (Netflix)

As each passing year goes by, Netflix continues to grow stronger, bolder and more creative to ensure their imprint is woven into the fabric of contemporary cinema.

In other words, we cant ignore the significant and positive impact theyre having on the movie industry, so with that in mind, Yahoo Movies UK has compiled a list of the ten best Netflix Original films of 2018.

10. 22 July

22 July from Paul Greengrass

After Erik Poppes controversial, genre-style take on the tragic and horrific occurrences that took place on Utya back in 2011, this hugely distressing series of events has since been brought to screen in a somewhat safer pair of hands.

Paul Greengrass was at the helm of this profound and moving feature that takes us on an uncomfortable journey from days before Breiviks attacks, right up until the trial. Not an easy watch, but a worthwhile one.

9. Outlaw King

Outlaw King from David MacKenzie

After a middling reaction in Toronto, David Mackenzies Outlaw King was edited down before making its way to Netflix and the subsequent version is a far more accessible and compelling production.

Telling the story of Robert the Bruce, played with stunning conviction by Chris Pine, the film also features excellent performances from Florence Pugh and a crazed Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

8. To All the Boys Ive Loved Before

To All the Boys Ive Loved Before staring Noah Centino and Lana Condor

Lana Condor plays Lara Jean, who writes personal letters, for her eyes only, to each of the crushes in her life, until, mysteriously, theyre unwittingly sent to each recipient.

There can be something wonderfully comforting about familiarity, and this charming little number hits all the right notes, albeit ones weve heard before.

7. Theyll Love Me When Im Dead/The Other Side of the Wind

Orson Welles makes a posthumous comeback

Were slightly cheating here as these are two different movies, but its hard not to indulge in both as a double bill.

Theyll Love Me When Im Dead is an excellent documentary by the Oscar-winning Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom) on an unfinished Orson Welles feature while The Other Side of the Wind is that very unfinished film, finally released almost 50 years after it began shooting.

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6. The Land of Steady Habits

The Land of Steady Habits from Nicole Holofocener

This Nicole Holofcener film is the perfect exploration into the notion that the grass is not always greener on the other side.

Starring Ben Mendelsohn as a father, and husband, who decides to leave his family in search of happiness elsewhere, this film thrives in the idea that sometimes we really ought to appreciate and be thankful for what weve already got.

5. The Bleeding Edge

The Bleeding Edge is a top doc

Its not just dramatic features Netflix excel at, their documentaries are remarkable too, and The Bleeding Edge is the best feature-length doc theyve made this year.

We dip deep into the world of medical devices and technological advances in this field. Without wanting to give too much away, lets just say that sometimes ignorance is bliss.

4. Private Life

Private Life looks at the IVF experience

There are two reasons why were greatly appreciative that Private Life exists, and they are Kathryn Hahn and Paul Giamatti.

Two wonderful actors granted nuanced and complex characters to get their teeth stuck into, and for the former, theres scope for an Oscar nomination  as we delve into a tempestuous marriage that is struggling due to the couples ongoing fertility therapy.

3. Annihilation

Annihilation from Alex Garland

After the ex-cellent Ex-Machina, Alex Garland returns to the directors chair with this breathtaking sci-fi that was a far better entry into the genre for Netflix after the disappointing Mute and The Cloverfield Paradox.

Natalie Portman heads up an all-star lead female cast, taking us on an exciting and yet unsettling journey into the unknown.

2. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs fromJoel and Ethan Coen

You know Netflix is to be taken seriously when it provides the home for the latest Coen brothers film.

Comprised of six short stories, we meet the likes of the title role played by Tim Blake Nelson, a gold-digger portrayed by Tom Waits, as well a romantic encounter between Bill Heck and Zoe Kazan. Its the Coens at their best; witty and self-aware while taking a barbed, if somewhat affectionate take on American culture.

1. Roma

Roma from Alfonso Cuaron

This is a film that has sparked a big debate among the film community, as many feel its a feature that should be seen only on the big screen.

While this intimate masterpiece by Alfonso Cuaron is a striking cinematic experience, with beautiful cinematography and an indelible sound design, this semi-autobiographical film from the Mexican director is so moving and so wondrous in every way shape and form, that the most important thing, above everything else, is just that its seen.

If that happens thanks to the accessibility and affordability of Netflix, which is likely, given a two-hour black and white subtitled film without any big stars is a tough sell to the regular movie-going public, then you wont find us complaining. Just make sure you see it, thats all that matters, after all.

READ MORE

Worst movie plot holes of 2018

The stars we lost in 2018

Movies that jumped the shark in 2018




Sack the designer?

Movie studios, do not skimp on your marketing budget.

You can have the greatest, funniest, Oscar-worthiest movie ever made, but if your movie poster looks like it was made by a design intern with a hangover then youre staring down the barrel of a flop.

These 10 one-sheets represent the worst movie posters that 2018 had to offer  the kind of badly designed, gaudy monstrosities that make walls want to fall down.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

As much as wed love a Jurassic World movie that didnt feature any humans, its not going to happen any time soon, but this bizarre mash-up poster suggests an alternate timeline where the dinosaurs really are the stars of the show.

The scaling (no pun intended) is exceedingly odd, and the placement of the actual park in mid-air above the hovering cluster of dinosaurs is a very strange design choice indeed. Still, it does what it says on the tin: if you asked anyone who saw this poster what they thought this movie was about, theyd tick the two boxes marked DINOSAURS and VOLCANOES.

Speed Kills

Speed Kills

A fun game when looking at actors posing on movie posters is to imagine what directions the cameraman was yelling at them during the shoot. Itd usually be something like Pout! or Squint! or Be sexier! but in the case of this little-seen speedboat thriller, we can imagine John Travolta was told Youre waiting for the toilet and your bladder is full! No, full! Fuller!

If you can shift focus away from Travolta doing the need-a-wee walk, you may also notice the random helicopter and bullet holes, sure-fire signs that this movie is definitely amazing and not an assorted collection of tough guy cliches.

Aquaman

Aquaman

Theres not an actor in the world that can pull off the armour-plated underwater king riding a rainbow seahorse look without looking a little bit silly  Warner Bros had to hire Dolph Lundgren for the role in the hope his intense stare would counter-balance the camp.

In truth, all of the Aquaman posters have been terrible and have the horrible, flat look of novelty photobooths at aquariums that make it look like youre underwater. Still, were not about to tell Dolph he looks like a water pixie. Be our guest.

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Holmes & Watson

Holmes & Watson

Okay, so. Hear me out. Maybe, just maybe, if Sherlock Holmes is the worlds greatest detective wouldnt he have figured out that there is no lens in Dr Watsons magnifying glass?

Is that is that supposed to be the actual joke? Its quite hard to tell if its an intentional joke. Most of the trailers for this movie seem to be relying on the comedic premise of Will Ferrell and John C Reilly but in the past! i.e. just sort of having them standing around in old-timey clothes seems to be about the size of it. So is the magnifying glass thing a joke or not? Its a mystery worthy of well.

Bumblebee

Bumblebee

Why is Bumblebee sitting on a toilet?

Venom

Venom

First thoughts: its a bit busy, isnt it? Lots, as they say, to unpack. Although its an improvement on the big face poster, with Tom Hardy doing 50% catalogue model pose and 50% Help Im being consumed by an alien symbiote, this one sheet feels like someone was told to fit the entire movie on the poster.

It absolutely must feature Venom, Tom Hardy, Riz Ahmed, Michelle Williams, also a bridge, a spaceship, some police cars in the woods, a helicopter drone thing and a big black V daubed over the top, and if theres any room left after that you can fill it with indecipherable black squiggly things. See? Its easy being a designer.

King of Thieves

King of Thieves

Ive got you now, you treacherous slags. Not the best, funniest or smartest line from 2018, but certainly the largest, thanks to this King of Thieves character poster, featuring Tom Courtenay next to his most memorable line of dialogue.

Are there better ways to sell this movie? Yes. Its a British gangster movie about a diamond heist starring Michael Caine! However, focusing on those things would mean you wouldnt get to have a picture of Tom Courtenay next to the word SLAGS in giant white lettering, so fair play.

Bad Times at the El Royale

Bad Times at the El Royale

Have you ever seen a movie poster panic? Here we have an ominous teaser poster for the Drew Goddard thriller, featuring an all-star cast  including A-listers like Chris Hemsworth, Jeff Bridges and Jon Hamm  lined up with their backs to the camera. Ooh, bold! I like it. It says This movie is so cool, you dont even need to see the casts faces!

That is, until you get to the bottom of the poster, where it chickens out and starts hyperventilating because you cant see any of the casts faces, oh god why did we spend so much money on casting, so you get a little row of last-minute head-shots just in case you cant read.

The Happytime Murders

The Happytime Murders

Attention! reads the notice on this French poster for the off-brand Muppets black comedy, This is not a movie for children! Judging from the smoking crater in the box-office where money should have been, it was not a movie for anyone, and this poster might offer a clue as to why.

Yes, the concept of a Muppet movie for adults is fun, but nobodys kink is watching two fuzzy felt characters going at it against frosted glass. Thatd be like taking crack in a Sesame Street back-alley or watching Elmo fritter away his dole money in the bookies. Some things should just be for children and thats okay. Pass the mind bleach.

The Equalizer 2

The Equalizer 2

The poster for Denzel Washingtons first ever sequel called for some big ideas. Big ideas like hes wearing a tie thats also justice? Thats it. Thats literally it. Denzel Washingtons tie  and come to think of it, Im not sure he even wears a tie in this movie, like, the tie is definitely not even an integral part of the characters look, let alone the movie as a whole  is also a silhouette of Lady Justice.

This is one of those design concepts that absolutely sounded like a goer at 1 am when it was scribbled on a napkin in a bar, but the cold light of day reveals it to be a complete duffer.

READ MORE

Best Netflix Original films of 2018

Worst movie plot holes of 2018

The stars we lost in 2018




revolut app bitcoin cryptocurrency crypto exchange

Revolut, a digital banking alternative that features an in-app bitcoin and cryptocurrency exchange, has received a European banking license as it seeks to expand its offerings and position itself as the Amazon of banking.

Revolut to Offer Bank Accounts in Europe

The London-based unicorn, which remains one of the hottest fintech startups in the United Kingdom, announced on Thursday that it had received permission to begin offering European customers traditional banking services alongside its current suite of products.

Initially, Revolut customers in eligible jurisdictions will have the ability to sign up for direct deposit and receive deposit insurance on up to 100,000 through the European Deposit Insurance Scheme. Later, the firm will roll out overdraft protection, as well as traditional personal and business loans.

Commenting on the development, Nikolay Storonsky, founder and CEO of Revolut, said:

With the banking licence now secured, commission-free stock trading progressing well and five new international markets at final stages of launch, we are living up to our reputation as the Amazon of banking. Our vision is simple: one app with tens of millions of users, where you can manage every aspect of your financial life with the best value and technology.

Those services will begin to launch in 2019, and Revolut said that they would first launch in smaller markets before expanding them to larger markets in Europe such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Poland.

Storonsky continued:

Our vision is that retail and business customers will be able to apply for a loan in just two minutes from within the app, and then have the money in their account almost instantly. Well remove the bureaucratic process and come in cheaper than traditional lenders.

Revolut Embraces Bitcoin as other Banks Shun Crypto

The move represents a major step forward as upstart firms seek to disrupt traditional banking, but it also carries particular significance for the cryptocurrency industry. Crypto firms  particularly exchanges  have often faced significant roadblocks when attempting to find stable banking partners, as many financial institutions remain wary of the nascent technology.

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However, Revolut has welcomed the advent of crypto technology, as CCN reported. The firm launched an in-app cryptocurrency exchange last year, and it also debuted a debit card that will allow customers to receive cash back denominated in bitcoin, ripple (XRP), or any of the other cryptocurrency assets available through the app. Those services sit alongside its other products, which for some customers will soon feature standard bank accounts.

Revolut recently received a $1.7 billion valuation following a funding round that raised its total financing to $340 million. The firm claims to have more than 3 million customers in Europe, with as many as 10,000 new customers signing up on a daily basis. Those customers are transacting over $4 billion per month, enabling Revolut to increase its revenue fivefold over the past 12 months.

Similar to popular US trading app Robinhood, Revolut recently announced that it would add commission-free stock trading for customers in the UK and across Europe early next year.

The company has also announced plans for an ambitious global expansion that could see it enter the United States, Canada, Singapore, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand in early 2019.

Featured Image from Shutterstock



The post Bitcoin-Friendly Revolut Receives European Banking License, Aims to be Amazon of Banking appeared first on CCN.


Chicago (AFP) - A federal judge in Texas on Wednesday sentenced a Brazilian couple to short prison terms for helping to kidnap their grandson from the US.

A Houston jury had convicted Carlos and Jemima Guimaraes in May for helping their daughter relocate their grandson Nico Brann to Brazil five years ago, without his American father's permission.

The grandparents faced up to three years in prison, but a federal judge sentenced Carlos Guimaraes to three months and Jemima to one month. They were each also fined $75,000.

The case generated international headlines after the couple in their 60s were arrested in February while arriving in Miami for vacation.

The couple's daughter Marcelle Guimaraes relocated her then-three-year-old child to Brazil in 2013 under allegedly false pretenses and without the permission of his American father Chris Brann, a Houston physician. They divorced in 2012.

Brann claims his ex-wife told him the trip would only last a few weeks, but the child was never brought back to the US.

Guimaraes's parents allegedly helped her hide her motives, before the South American country's legal system granted the mother full custody.

The grandparents presented evidence during trial that the child's mother was fleeing domestic violence, according to local media.

"The world needs to know the truth because I married a monster," Marcelle Guimaraes, who is now a fugitive wanted by the FBI, told Houston TV station KHOU prior to the sentencing.

"My ex-husband's lies and manipulation has destroyed my family, my whole family."

Brann testified before the US Congress in 2016 to ask Washington to impose sanctions on Brazil for violating an international standard requiring the return of children to their home country, if they were taken in violation of custody agreements.

A similar dispute led to the Sean Goldman Act in 2014, authorizing Washington to take action in international child custody disputes.
A migration worker settlement, whose inhabitants mostly work on construction sites, on the property of one of the future building projects by Donald Trump in Gurgaon, Haryana. Photo: Enrico Fabian for The Washington Post

One of Britains most prominent hedge fund bosses is taking on an Indian property company that has partnered with US President Donald Trump on building projects.

TCI head Sir Christopher Hohn and a group of around 400 other investors have demanded that the management team step down at property developer Ireo. It has been alleged that the team stole assets from the company,based in the tech hub of Gurgaon near Delhi, the Financial Times reports.

The shareholder campaign includes hedge funds, university endowment schemes and significant individual investors, and believes that Ireos managers have embezzled some of the 1.26bn ($1.6bn) they raised, allegedly using a string of companies to siphon money away to people connected to the companys managing director, Lalit Goyal.

In turn, Goyal told the Financial Times the claims were all bullshit and part of a classic hedge fund strategy to take over the company from me and give it to somebody else.

Ireo teamed up with Donald Trump to build an office tower in New Delhi in 2016, leading his son Donald Trump Jr to praise Ireo as truly a fantastic group.

US President Donald Trump. Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Hohn could lose roughly $40m of his own money, and a further $140m invested from his Childrens Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), a charitable organisation.

He is joined in the campaign by Axon Capital, an American hedge fund with around $500m in assets. Together with CIFF they hold more than 20% of funds invested with Ireo. Other prominent investors include Indianas University of Notre-Dame and Stanford University endowments.

Axon and CIFF sent a letter to investors detailing their criticisms of Ireo, claiming: We are worried that Goyal [and] Ireo are intentionally creating damage and committing new frauds to cover old ones.

READ MORE: Why now is a good and bad time to buy UK property before Brexit

The letter continued: Faced with the prospect of wrongdoing uncovered, they have appeared to be almost intentionally trying to scramble the egg and both create damage and shuffle and sell assets and initiate liquidations, to both hide past transactions and to steal money from the company while they can.

We have pleaded to the [Indian Supreme] Court that they should consider replacing/suspending Goyal, and replacing him on an interim basis with an administrator (likely a retired judge).

Hohn made the news earlier this week when he earned $274m from his $19bn TCI hedge fund last year.
Luxury retailer appears to be first casualty as calls for a boycott spread on social media Weibo and echoed on state-run media

The companys slide in the stock market comes amid reports that former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig has been detained in China. Photograph: Rich Fury/Getty Images for Canada Goose

Growing tensions between Beijing and Ottawa over the arrest of a senior Huawei executive have inflicted damage on the luxury clothing retailer Canada Goose, as Chinese consumers call for a boycott of the brand.

Shares in the company have plunged nearly 20% since the arrest last week of Huaweis chief financial officers Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver. A Canadian judge granted bail to Meng on Tuesday evening.

The companys slide in the stock market comes amid reports that a former Canadian diplomat, Michael Kovrig, has been detained in China. He is facing accusations of harming state security, according to Chinese media.

Analysts had warned that Canadian businesses could face increased pressure if China takes punitive measures against the detention of Meng, which they have previously likened to a kidnapping.

In recent years, a number of flagship Canadian companies  including the train manufacturer Bombardier and doughnut retailer Tim Hortons  have sought to make inroads in China, a coveted and largely untapped market for Canadian companies.

Canada Goose appears to be the first casualty of the diplomatic row over Meng: calls for a boycott spread quickly on the social media platform Weibo and were echoed by state-run media.

You look at Canada Goose and it says Canada right in it, said Bruce Winder, co-founder of the Retail Advisors Network. Its very easy for people to sort of pick up on that.

The apparel company is set to open its first physical location in Beijing in the coming days. Dani Reiss, the companys president and CEO, was in the Chinese capital last month, and the day before Mengs arrest he told the Globe and Mail: We definitely have a lot of brand recognition here, which is great.

China makes up 10% of the companys global sales  but the company has hoped to increase in the coming years, with Reiss calling the expansion potential absolutely massive.

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As of Monday, Bosideng  a rival Chinese apparel company  has seen its stock reach five-year highs.

Canada Goose did not respond to a request for comment.

I hope it blows over the next couple days, said Winder. But it all depends on sentiment. It could get worse and you might see other companies become boycotted as well.

 This article was corrected on 13 December 2018 to clarify that Ottawa is Canadas capital, not Toronto.
Nirmala murder case: Activists stage symbolic protest demanding justice

Demanding the government to capture and prosecute the people who raped and murdered Nirmala Pant, womens rights activists performed Homa Hindu ritual where various offerings are made to fire in return for fulfilment of a wish in Kanchanpur, on Wednesday.
Ian Naude has been jailed for 25 years for raping a 13-year-old girl (PA)

A paedophile police constable has been jailed for 25 years for raping a 13-year-old girl in the back of his car.

Ian Naude, 30, who had an insatiable appetite for preying on young girls, attacked the teenager after meeting her while serving as a student police officer with Cheshire Police.

Sentencing him for 37 offences, the judge said Naude used and abused his position to attack young girls.

Forecaster have warned that as much as eight inches of snow could fall in parts of Britain this weekend, as temperatures plummet to below freezing across the UK.

A low pressure weather system developing in the Atlantic is set to clash with cold air across the UK, which could see rainfall turning to snow in some parts.

The snow is unlikely to reach southern parts of England, but between 10cm and 20cm is predicted across the Scottish Highlands and northern England.

Britains Prime Minister Theresa May speaks with European leaders as she arrives to attend a European Summit aimed at discussing the Brexit deal, the long-term budget and the single market (Getty Images)

The Prime Minister has warned not to expect a quick fix to her Brexit deal, during crunch talks with European leaders.

Theresa May survived a vote of confidence on Wednesday by promising to deliver legal and political assurances that the UK could not be trapped in the Irish border backstop.

However the EU has insisted numerous times it is not willing to renegotiate the deal.

The internet has another disagreement on its hands, this time over what to call the end piece of a loaf of bread.

The debate was started by actor Stephen Mangan, who tweeted the various names he had heard people call the slice, including knobbler, doormat, topper, nut end, nub and heel.

Thousands of people tweeted to weigh in with their own opinions.
By Giulia Paravicini KINSHASA (Reuters) - A fire overnight at a warehouse in Congo's capital destroyed thousands of voting machines and ballot boxes that were due to be used in the country's long-delayed Dec. 23 presidential election, authorities said on Thursday. Democratic Republic of Congo's national electoral commission (CENI) said in a statement the blaze had destroyed 8,000 of 10,368 voting machines due to be used in the capital Kinshasa, but said the election would go ahead as scheduled. CENI did not say who it believed to be responsible for the fire - which broke out about 2 a.m. (0100 GMT) in the Gombe riverside area of Kinshasa that is also home to President Joseph Kabila's residence - but the ruling coalition and leading opposition candidates immediately traded accusations of blame. Kabila's Common Front for Congo (FCC), which is backing former interior minister Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary in the presidential race, accused opposition candidate Martin Fayulu of inciting violence earlier this month. "Over the course of this electoral campaign, (Fayulu) called on his supporters and sympathizers to destroy electoral materials," the FCC said in a statement. Fayulu rejected the charge and suggested that state security forces might have been behind the blaze. "The fire erupted in a building guarded by the Republican Guard," Fayulu told Reuters. "You understand today that the Kabila people do not want to organize elections." Felix Tshisekedi, the other leading opposition candidate, also suggested on local radio that the government was responsible. "How is it that what should be the best protected place in the republic at this time can burn so easily?" he said. Barnabe Kikaya Bin Karubi, a Kabila adviser, said police guarding the warehouse had been arrested and that forensic police had launched an investigation. Kabila, in power since his father's assassination in 2001, is due to step down because of constitutional term limits. The vote has already been delayed by two years due to what authorities said were logistical challenges but the opposition said were obstacles put in place out of Kabila's reluctance to relinquish power. This month's highly anticipated vote could mark Congo's first peaceful transition of power since independence in 1960, after decades marked by authoritarian rule, assassinations and civil wars in which millions of people are thought to have died. ELECTION DATE MAINTAINED CENI president Corneille Nangaa told a news conference the destroyed equipment represented the materials for 19 of 24 voting districts in Kinshasa. "Without minimizing the gravity of this damaging situation for the electoral process, CENI is working to pursue the process in conformity with its calendar," Nangaa said. Kikaya said voting machines from elsewhere in Congo would be recalled for use in Kinshasa, which is home to more than 15 percent of the population. The introduction of the untested tablet-like voting machines for the election has been widely opposed by opposition candidates competing against Shadary. They say the machines are more vulnerable to vote-rigging than paper and ink, and could be compromised by the unreliability of Congos power supply. The delay in the elections over the past two years has coincided with a breakdown in security across much of the vast mineral-rich country. Militants fight over land and resources in the east near the borders with Uganda and Rwanda. Campaigning over the past three weeks has been mostly peaceful, but police fired live rounds to disperse opposition supporters this week in the southeast, killing at least one person on Wednesday. Another person was killed on Thursday by security forces in the central city of Mbuji-Mayi ahead of a campaign visit by Tshisekedi. Vincent Ngoy, a spokesman for the provincial governor, told Reuters a "stray bullet" was to blame. (Additional reporting by Stanis Bujakera and Aaron Ross; Writing by David Lewis; Editing by Aaron Ross, Gareth Jones and Peter Graff)
Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site.

Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site.

A sweeping agriculture bill recently signed by President Trump gives the legislative nod needed to make CBD (cannabidiol), one of hemps byproducts, legal at the federal level.

Thats good news for consumers who use or want to try various products infused with CBD, which is nonpsychoactive. And it could soon mean more products for consumers on retail store shelves. The bill also allows farmers to legally grow industrial hemp.

Although consumers have been able to purchase CBD products in the 47 states where CBD sales are permitted, the federal legality question has loomed. (See map below.)

Thats because the Drug Enforcement Agency previously classified CBD as a Schedule I controlled substance, meaning the federal government contended that it had no known medical value and risked being highly addictive, similar to drugs such as LSD and heroin.

But times have changed, and many in the medical community and in the public say that CBD can be potentially helpful for certain health conditions. Most notably, it has clearly proved to help reduce the number of seizures in people who suffer from two devastating forms of epilepsy. The FDA approved the CBD-based drug Epidiolex earlier this year.



Thousands of CBD products can be found online and in retail stores. They include oils and tinctures, food and candy, even coffee and other drinks.

A growing body of preliminary research suggests that CBD has properties that improve health. For example, it appears to act as an anti-inflammatory, which in theory could help with arthritis and some forms of pain. And it has many effects on brain chemistry, which could ease anxiety and depression, among other conditions. Still, some consumers were in limbo, wondering whether the products were legal and whether they were breaking the law when buying them.

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The full 2018 Farm Bill is a package of programs estimated to cost $876 billion over 10 years. It touches almost every aspect of farming, food, and food production in the U.S.

My Hemp Farming Act as included in the Farm Bill will not only legalize domestic hemp, but it will also allow state departments of agriculture to be responsible for its oversight, Mitch McConnell, (R-Ky.) said in a statement.

The bill allows each state to decide whether it wants to okay the sale of CBD products from hemp within its borders. And by changing how marijuana is defined in the Controlled Substances Act so that it doesn't include hemp, the bill effectively removes CBD derived from hemp from the DEAs list of controlled substances. Marijuana and hemp are variations of the Cannabis sativa L. plant.

Legalizing hemp in the U.S. could mean doubling or tripling domestic cultivation within the next year, Colleen Keahey, president of the Hemp Industry Association, told CR in an earlier interview.

And by removing CBD hemp from the controlled substances list, Jonathan Millerlegal counsel of the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, a group of 60 CBD producerssays he believes that companies will be able to legally transport it across state lines.



But Scott Gottlieb, commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said in a statement that for now the agency still considers interstate commerce of foods and dietary supplements containing CBD to be illegal, "regardless of whether the substances are hemp-derived." That's because CBD is now approved as an active ingredient in a prescription drugEpidiolexand the agency forbids adding such drug ingredients into food or supplements. Gottlieb said the agency plans to hold hearings soon to consider how to regulate CBD in the future.

In the meantime, Miller and many others still expect many more CBD products to enter the market. And that greater variety could be good for people like K. C. Ferrill, 64, of Pendleton, Ind., who says taking CBD has been life changing, allowing him to drop the antidepressants that he took for 25 years to quell anxiety and depression.

Ferrill says he was flabbergasted when Indiana allowed retailers to sell CBD, and he feels more secure about purchasing it now that it appears the federal government is legalizing it as well.

A Consumer Reports nationally representative survey from last month showed that 15 percent of adult Americans had tried CBD and a majority (83 percent) said it helped, to some degree, the symptoms they were treating.

What Is Hemp?

Industrial hemp is a type of cannabis, defined by the federal government as having THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the psychoactive compound found in cannabis, of 0.3 percent or less. That amount has not been shown to make a person feel high. In fact, some researchers and physicians argue that having even a small amount of THC helps CBD work better in the body because of whats known as the entourage effect. (Read more about how to shop for CBD.)

For comparison, some marijuana products contain amounts of THC that are up to 100 times more potent.

Hemp, one of the oldest known crops cultivated by humans, has a long and twisted history in the U.S., often conflated with marijuana and banned as a crop in 1937. But hemp can produce hundreds if not thousands of consumer goods, including fiber, paper, textiles, rope, and even biofuel.

From Tobacco to Hemp

Todays bill makes hemp a commodity crop for farmers, who will now be able to obtain crop insurance, financing, loans, and other federal and state benefits to help them grow and sell it, says Miller.

That could help farmers like Brent Cornett in London, Ky.

For seven generations, he and his family have farmed at the foot of the Appalachian mountains, growing produce including tomatoes and corn. But the family always relied on tobacco as a major cash crop.

Cigarette smoking has dropped sharply in the U.S. and abroad, and the demand and value for tobacco has taken a nosedive, Cornett says. At the same time, U.S. farmers have suffered recently from the U.S. trade war with China, which imports U.S. agricultural products.

Four years ago, as part of a state agricultural department pilot program, Cornett decided to try industrial hemp as a new crop. So far its been successful. He says that even an average yield can earn profits similar to an excellent tobacco crop.

But until the Farm Bill passed, one of the biggest risks [was] the lack of crop insurance, Cornett says, which protects against poor and unpredictable weather conditions. All other agricultural commoditiescorn, soybeans, and tobaccohave federal crop insurance, he adds.

With the passage of the bill, Cornett says hell breath a sigh of relief. Where we are today is because of income from tobacco, he says, but with the outlook on tobacco, I would be worried if we didn't have the prospects of the hemp to replace it with.







CBD Still Faces FDA Scrutiny

While hemp production may eventually be a boon for U.S. farmers, for now, CBD may still face legal hurdles, even with the passage of the Farm Bill, says Miller, legal counsel for the U.S. Hemp Roundtable.

Indeed, FDA commissioner Gottlieb emphasized that though hemp growing is now legal, the agencyunder the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Actstill has authority to regulate the use of compounds from the plant, including CBD.

Gottlieb said that could mean regulating CBD products as prescription drugs, which would require them to first undergo rigorous studies for safety and effectiveness.

Or, Gottlieb said, the agency could issue a regulation allowing the compound to be used in foods or dietary supplements. "We are taking new steps to evaluate whether we should pursue such a process," he said. The agency intends to hold hearings on that question "in the near future," he said.

In the meantime, the agency noted that it will continue to go after companies that make unapproved health claims on their products.

Since 2015, the FDA has cracked down on dozens of companies selling CBD products online for making unsupported health claims. It noted in letters to the companies that CBD can't be sold as a supplement because it was introduced into clinical trials as an investigative new drug. And the FDA recently approved a prescription drug called Epidiolex whose main ingredient is CBD.

While regulators plot their next moves, retailers and manufacturers are gearing up.

Michael DeAngelis, a CVS spokesman, says the drugstore is continuing to monitor how the legislation evolves on federal and state levels before the chain stocks CBD products.

Joseph Dowling, the CEO of CV Sciences, the manufacturer of PlusCBD Oil, says the bills passage should make way for more retail sales throughout the U.S. We believe 2018 Farm Bill legislation, including the provisions pertaining to hemp and hemp-derived products, will provide the legal framework for products like PlusCBD Oil to be placed onto store shelves, he says.

Editor's Note: This article updates "Congress Approves a Bill to Make CBD Legal at Federal Level," including information about Trump signing the Farm Bill and clarification from the FDA on how it may regulate CBD in the future.





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Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright  2019, Consumer Reports, Inc.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump told Republican U.S. Representative Mark Meadows that he wants him to stay in Congress rather than take the White House chief of staff job the president is seeking to fill, three senior White House officials said on Wednesday. Meadows had been among 10 or 12 people that Trump is considering for the post that retired General John Kelly is leaving early in 2019. Kelly, Trump's second chief of staff, after Reince Priebus, had tried to bring more discipline to the chaotic Trump White House and frequently found himself at odds with the president. Trump and Meadows, a North Carolina lawmaker who heads the conservative House Freedom Caucus, had a phone conversation to discuss the job, one White House official said. "Congressman Mark Meadows is a great friend to President Trump and is doing an incredible job in Congress. The president told him we need him in Congress so he can continue the great work he is doing there," the official said. Meadows said in a tweeted statement that he was committed to staying in Congress. "I know the president has a long list of tremendous candidates for his next chief of staff, and whomever it is will have my total support going forward," he said. The search to fill the top administrative post in the West Wing comes as Democrats prepare to take control of the House of Representatives in January and begin investigating Trump's businesses and some of his most contentious policies. Trump told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday that he was having no trouble recruiting people for one of the most powerful jobs in Washington. Some potential candidates like Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have offered polite no-thank-yous. I have so many people, I cannot interview them all, Trump told Reuters. Trump said last Saturday that Kelly would be departing the job. But he was left without a clear replacement for Kelly after Nick Ayers, currently chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, declined the job and said on Sunday he was returning to Georgia with his family at the end of the year. Trump is also considering former campaign adviser Dave Bossier, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Light, sources said. (Reporting by Steve Holland and Jeff Mason; Editing by Peter Cooney)
Connecticut gift tax

Connecticut recently increased its lifetime gift tax exemption to $2.6 million, and it will continue to climb in the coming years. This means you wont owe a Connecticut gift tax unless the gifts you provide in those years exceed their corresponding exemption levels. But even if you do, there are plenty of steps you can take to protect your assets and your estate from taxes. This article will explain everything you need to know about Connecticut and federal gift taxes, as well as ways you can steer clear of these taxes. We can also help you find a financial advisor to guide you through the entire estate planning process.

What is the Connecticut Gift Tax?

Beginning on January 1, 2018, the Connecticut gift tax exemption climbed to $2.6 million. It will rise to $3.6 million in 2019. On January 1, 2020, the Connecticut gift tax exemption is scheduled to match the federal lifetime gift and estate tax exemption. That currently stands at $11.18 million (roughly $22 million for married couples).

So unless you gift cash, property or other assets valued past these thresholds, you wont owe a Connecticut gift tax out of pocket. But you may owe a gift tax at the federal level.

What is the Federal Gift Tax?

Following the passage of the Trump Tax Plan, the annual federal gift tax exemption rose to $15,000 for 2018 and 2019. This means you can gift assets worth up to $15,000 without triggering a federal gift tax. And this applies per person. So you can give $15,000 each to your son, daughter and grandchild without catching Uncle Sams attention.

But even if you go over this limit, you may just need to file some extra paperwork. For instance, you must report it on IRS Form 709. Its also known as the United States Gift (and Generation-Skipping Transfer) Tax Return.

However, gifting more than $15,000 in a year would begin eating away at your lifetime gift and estate tax exemption. Though it currently stands at $11.18 million for 2018, it rises to $11.40 million for 2019.

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Once you provide gifts valued above those levels, youd owe an out-of-pocket gift tax.

So assume you give away $20,000 in 2019. You breach the annual exclusion by $5,000. So you have to subtract that amount from your lifetime exemption : $11.40 million  $20,000 = $11.38 million. Thats how much you have left to give away in your lifetime before paying a gift tax. This assumes you breached the annual exclusion for the first time in 2019.

The same rule applies to the Connecticut state gift tax. Youd owe this after you gift more than what the state allows as a lifetime gift exemption. The top rate on the Connecticut gift tax is 12%. The top rate for the federal gift tax peaks at a whopping 40%.

But even if you do owe an out-of-pocket gift tax at the state or federal level, there are many steps you can take to protect your estate from the government while also staying generous.

Protecting Your Estate from Taxes

Passing on wealth when you die is technically gift giving in the eyes of the IRS. Thats why its called the lifetime gift and estate tax exemption. To make it clearer, you have less of your estate to pass to loved ones tax free when you die if you began to use up your lifetime exemption when you were alive.

However, the estate tax applies to assets and property that you pass on to heirs after youve passed away. The federal government and Connecticut each levy their own estate tax.

For tax year 2018, Connecticut would levy a tax on the portion of your estate you leave behind to heirs if it exceeds more than $2.6 million in value. Notice thats equivalent to the 2018 Connecticut lifetime gift tax exemption.

The Connecticut estate tax ranges from 7.2% on estates valued at more than $2.6 million to 12% on those valued at more than $10 million. However, Connecticut caps the estate tax at $20 million. It is scheduled to be reduce to $15 million in 2019. The federal estate tax rate can climb up to 40%.

So in general, leaving behind a smaller estate decreases the chances that the government will take a cut before it is passed on to the proper beneficiaries.

One way to do so is by taking advantage of the federal annual gift tax exclusion. Remember, you can give up to $15,000 per person each year without even having to file any paperwork with the IRS.

So you can give $15,000 each to your son and daughter each year without having to worry about taxes. But they may be too young to manage this amount of money wisely on their own. One solution could be creating a trust fund and naming your kids as the beneficiaries.

Protecting Your Estate With Trusts

There are several types of trusts out there, including irrevocable trusts. When you transfer assets to these trusts, they technically leave your ownership. While the transfers count as gifts, they effectively reduce the size of your estate.

You can also designate a trustee such as qualified financial advisor to manage the assets in the trust. These can include virtually any property including the following:

Savings accounts

Certificate of deposit (CD) accounts

Investment portfolios

What Gifts Dont Get Taxed?

Connecticut gift tax

The federal government excludes certain expenses from the gift tax entirely. This means you wont owe taxes on these gifts even if their value exceeds your lifetime gift tax exemption. They include the following:

Spouse: Youre always free to give your husband or wife cash without the government sticking its nose in your business.

Charities: If you make a gift directly to a registered nonprofit organization, Uncle Sam wont tax it.

Medical Expenses: If you send money directly to the entity providing care to cover someone elses medical expenses, youd most likely avoid any gift tax. As far as the IRS is concerned, qualified medical expenses include disease treatment, long-term care insurance, transportation required for medical care and several other expenses. Check with a local CPA or financial advisor for more details.

Tuition: If you send money directly to an educational institution to cover tuition, it is not considered a taxable gift. However, keep in mind that you need to send the money to the school. If you give it directly to your son or daughter, for example, it will count toward your lifetime gift tax exception. Also note that books and school supplies dont count. But you can fund these by taking advantage of 529 college savings plans.

529 College Savings Plans and Gift Tax

If you contribute to a 529 college savings plan on behalf of someone else, youre making a taxable gift. However, there is a special exemption involving 529 plans. You can make a one time lump-sum contribution of up to $75,000 toward a 529 plan without eating into your lifetime gift tax exemption. The only catch is that you cant make any more contributions toward the plan with the same beneficiary in the next five years.

If you simply gave away $75,000 in 2018 or 2019, it would count against your lifetime exemption because you gave away more than $15,000 and breached your annual exclusion. Not so if you move it to a 529 plan. In essence, the IRS lets you use up five years worth of applicable exclusions (5 x $15,000) in one shot.

What Else Should I know About The Gift Tax?

Keep in mind that laws surrounding gift and estate taxes can change. For example, the new lifetime gift and estate tax exemption was made possible by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. However, this rate is set to expire in 2025. Unless Congress takes action to make these permanent, the rate will likely revert back to its pre-2017 levels at about $5.49 million for individuals.

The Connecticut gift tax exemption will increase gradually each year until 2020. But that doesnt mean it will continue to rise. In fact, it may dip. In addition, some Connecticut lawmakers want to dial back the estate tax or undo it entirely. But until then, dying in the Nutmeg State may cost you if youre leaving behind a sizable estate.

And one note more on reporting gifts: Individuals typically dont need to fill out a Form 709 to report gifts unless they exceed the applicable gift tax exclusion for the year. Married couples who make joint gifts, however, always need to report it regardless of value. So if you and your spouse provide a $10,000 gift to help with your daughters wedding expenses, for example, youd have to file it with the IRS.

The Takeaway

Connecticut gift tax

Unless youve made substantial gift giving in your lifetime, you likely wont owe any out-of-pocket gift tax. For 2018, the Connecticut gift tax exemption stands at $2.6 million. For 2019, that number rises to $3.6 million. And it will climb in the coming years. In 2018, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act raised the federal lifetime gift and estate tax exemption to roughly $11.18 million ($22 million for married couples). One way to avoid the gift tax is to take advantage of the $15,000 annual exception. Unless you go over this limit, you wont even have to report it to the IRS. You can also take advantage of trusts and other estate planning strategies to protect what you pass on to loved ones upon death. These strategies are deployed best with the help of a competent attorney and financial advisor.

Tips for Estate Planning

If youd like to work with a financial advisor, we can help. Our SmartAsset financial advisor matching tool connects you with up to three local advisors. It also provides access to their profiles. So you can review their qualifications before deciding to work with one.

Once youre ready to meet a financial advisor, its important to keep some points in mind. To help, weve published a list of the five questions to ask when choosing a financial advisor.

Photo credit: iStock.com/artisteer, iStock.com/Vasyl Dolmatov, iStock.com/AndreyPopov

The post Connecticut Gift Tax: All You Need to Know appeared first on SmartAsset Blog.

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This story is reprinted with permission from FC&S Legal, the industrys only comprehensive digital resource designed for insurance coverage law professionals. Visit the website to subscribe.



A federal district court in Pennsylvania has ruled that an insurance company must provide a defense to a teenage boy who was sued by the parents of a girl who committed suicide after he allegedly cyberbullied her.





The Case





As alleged in a lawsuit filed in a Pennsylvania state court by Julia Moraths parents against Zach Trimbur, a high school student, and his parents, before April 7, 2017, Trimbur harassed, bullied, and/or cyberbullied an unnamed classmate, Jane Doe.



The state court lawsuit alleged that high school administrators informed Trimburs parents of their sons behavior, and they assured the administrators they would supervise, discipline, and/or control their son. They ensured the school administrators their son would not engage in similar behavior in the future.



Despite those assurances, the state court lawsuit alleged, Trimbur continued his conduct. At some unspecified time in the days before April 7, 2017, he texted his classmate, Morath:



"Thats ok with me, so go back to your hellhole of a home and sit in your room and let some more guys come and penetrate you as you desperately reach out for any attention you can grasp because you are afraid of everything and anything. No one cares about your health issues and how you are an anorexic, bulimic, receding hairline c--- who goes home and cuts herself every night to cope with the fact that guys will only ever do anything with you due to the fact that you are easy and that your own mother doesnt even love you. So then you have to go back to a hospital with all of your other freak show disabled people that dont know how to stick a piece of food in there sic mouths. You claim to cut people off but no one cares about you enough to give a shit. Also you should probably work better on covering up your scars located on EVERYWHERE on your fucking body because they make you look more repulsive than you already do. Best regards,"



The state court lawsuit alleged that Morath felt distraught with severe mental and emotional pain and suffering. She showed the text message to her parents, who then informed school administrators of the message on April 6, 2017. The high school suspended Trimbur the same day, but he allegedly continued to harass, bully, and/or cyberbully Morath after his suspension.



Morath died by suicide April 7, 2017.



The homeowners insurance company for Trimbur and his parents, State Farm Fire and Casualty Co., sought a declaratory judgment that it had no duty to provide a defense to Trimbur.



State Farm contended that the alleged bodily injury sustained by Julia Morath did not arise from an occurrencethat is, an accidenttriggering coverage under the policy, because Trimburs harassment, bullying and cyber-bullying was inherently non-accidental in nature.



Trimbur countered that Pennsylvania law required that the court consider the foreseeability of the injury from his perspective, and that although he could not dispute sending the text message, Moraths death by suicide constituted an extraordinary intervening event far beyond anything contemplated in the text message and unforeseeable as to him.



The parties moved for judgment in their favor.





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The District Courts Decision





The district court granted Trimburs motion for judgment on the pleadings.



In its decision, the district court explained that the Moraths, in their individual capacities and as co-administrators of their daughters estate, sued Trimbur for negligence, as well as wrongful death and survival. They alleged that Trimburs conduct was unreasonable, negligent, grossly negligent, careless, and reckless and he intentionally breached his duty to exercise due care generally and in various particular respects, including, among other things, his failure to use his cell phone in a reasonable manner and acting with a reckless disregard to Julia Moraths health and safety.



The district court decided that State Farm had to defend Trimbur because the negligence claim against him fell within the scope of the occurrence language in the State Farm insurance policy.



According to the district court, viewing the events from Trimburs perspective, it could not conclusively find that death by suicide was foreseeable from his cyberbullying because suicide constituted an independent intervening act so extraordinary as not to have been reasonably foreseeable by the original tortfeasor.



The district court concluded that, from Trimburs perspective, his classmates death by suicide was an accident, and the Moraths negligence claim fell within the scope of the State Farm policy.



The case is State Farm Fire and Casualty v. Motta.



Steven A. Meyerowitz is the director of FC&S Legal, editor-in-chief of the Insurance Coverage Law Report and founder and president of Meyerowitz Communications Inc.
Cinematographer Curtis Clark will receive the John A. Bonner award, a medallion, for his extraordinary service to the motion picture industry, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday.

Further, the Academy will present nine scientific and technical achievements represented by 27 individual award recipients at the Scientific and Technical Awards Presentation on Feb. 9, 2019, at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills.

Ed Catmull, the departing chief of Pixar Animation Studios, is among the recipients of a plaque presented by the Academy.

Also Read: A Hostless Oscars? The Last Time the Academy Tried That, Things Got Ugly

Unlike other Academy Awards to be presented this year, achievements receiving Scientific and Technical Awards do not need to have been developed or introduced in 2018. Rather, the achievements must demonstrate a proven record of contributing significant value to the process of making motion pictures.

The Academy also has three levels of Science and Technical awards, including a certificate, a plaque and an Oscar statuette. No individual this year was recognized with a statuette.

Clark is a cinematographer and shared a technical achievement award from the Academy in 2014, as well as won the Presidents Award from the American Society of Cinematographers, USA in 2013.

Also Read: Do the Oscars Have an Asia Problem in the Foreign Language Film Race?

The Academy Awards for scientific and technical achievements are listed below:

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS (ACADEMY CERTIFICATES)

To Eric Dachs, Erik Bielefeldt, Craig Wood and Paul McReynolds for the design and development of the PIX Systems novel security mechanism for distributing media.

PIX Systems robust approach to secure media access has enabled wide adoption of their remotely collaborative dailies-review system by the motion picture industry.

To Per-Anders Edwards for the initial design and development of the MoGraph toolset in Cinema 4D for motion graphics.

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MoGraph provides a fast, non-destructive and intuitive workflow for motion designers to create animated 3D graphics, as used for title design and fictional user interfaces in motion pictures.

To Paul Miller for the software design, principal engineering and continued innovation, and to Marco Paolinifor the efficient, artist-friendly workflow design of the Silhouette rotoscope and paint system.

Silhouette provides a comprehensive solution for painting, rotoscoping and image manipulation of high-resolution image sequences. Its fast, scalable and extensible architecture has resulted in wide adoption in motion picture post-production.

To Paul Debevec, Tim Hawkins and Wan-Chun Ma for the invention of the Polarized Spherical Gradient Illumination facial appearance capture method, and to Xueming Yu for the design and engineering of the Light Stage X capture system.

Polarized Spherical Gradient Illumination was a breakthrough in facial capture technology allowing shape and reflectance capture of an actors face with sub-millimeter detail, enabling the faithful recreation of hero character faces. The Light Stage X structure was the foundation for all subsequent innovation and has been the keystone of the methods evolution into a production system.

To Thabo Beeler, Derek Bradley, Bernd Bickel and Markus Gross for the conception, design and engineering of the Medusa Performance Capture System.

Medusa captures exceptionally dense animated meshes without markers or makeup, pushing the boundaries of visual fidelity and productivity for character facial performances in motion pictures.

To Charles Loop for his influential research on the fundamental scientific properties of subdivision surfaces as 3D geometric modeling primitives.

Loops 1987 masters thesis, Smooth Subdivision Surfaces Based on Triangles, together with his subsequent research and publications, extended the theory of subdivision surfaces and inspired further development of methods that transformed the way digital artists represent 3D geometry throughout the motion picture industry.

SCIENTIFIC AND ENGINEERING AWARDS (ACADEMY PLAQUES)

To David Simons, Daniel Wilk, James Acquavella, Michael Natkin and David Cotter for the design and development of the Adobe After Effects software for motion graphics.

After Effects pioneering use of consumer hardware to host an application that is extensible, efficient and artist-focused has made it the preeminent motion graphics tool in film production, allowing motion designers to create complex animated elements for title design, screen graphics and fictional user interfaces.

To Thomas Knoll and John Knoll for the original architecture, design and development, and to Mark Hamburg for his continued development and engineering of Adobe Photoshop.

Photoshops efficient, extensible architecture, innovative virtual-memory design and powerful layering system introduced a new level of user interactivity, which led to its adoption as the preferred artistic tool for digital painting and image manipulation across the motion picture industry.

To Ed Catmull for the original concept, and to Tony DeRose and Jos Stam for their pioneering advancement of the underlying science of subdivision surfaces as 3D geometric modeling primitives.

Their creation of essential geometric operations and sustained research on the fundamental mathematics of subdivision surfaces helped transform the way digital artists represent 3D geometry throughout the motion picture industry.

JOHN A. BONNER AWARD (Medallion)

Curtis Clark

Read original story Curtis Clark to Receive Academys John A. Bonner Award for Scientific and Technical Achievement At TheWrap
Here are the companies the Yahoo Finance team is watching for you today.

New guidance is out for Delta. The airline now says it expects 2019 earnings to be in-line with expectations and revenue will grow 4% to 6% next year. The CFO says Delta has shown its resilience and worked to overcome the headwinds from rising fuel costs this year.

SoftBank is the latest big mobile carrier saying no to Huawei. The company reportedly will be replacing hardware from China based Huawei in its Japanese telecom system. The U.S. has been pushing foreign companies and governments to avoid Huawei technology, over spying fears.

The Justice Department is closing its criminal investigation into SeaWorld. In a securities filing, the company says, the government isn't taking any additional action. SeaWorld already paid more than $4 million to settle charges it misled investors about the negative impact the documentary "Blackfish" was having on its business.

It's getting a little easier to re-watch favorite scenes on Netflix. The streaming service is testing an instant replay feature that pops-up a message and lets you re-cue those moments. At least one person who tried it out called it distracting. Netflix tells Time magazine it's just a test for now, and they're looking to see if people like it before rolling it out more broadly.

A popular device from Google is coming back to Amazon. The Chromecast is once again up for sale, more than a year after Amazon pulled the devices. At the time, Amazon said they were worried about quote "customer confusion" since it was selling its own Fire TVs. For the record, the Chromecasts up for sale now still don't support prime video.
Health secretary appointment: Apex court serves show cause to PMs Office and Health Ministry

The Supreme Court has issued a show cause notice to the government for transferring Dr Pushpa Chaudhary from the Ministry of Health and Population.
By Lisa Rapaport (Reuters Health) - - A growing number of people with diabetes in the U.S. are losing toes and feet to the disease by the time they reach middle age, according to a study that suggests a reversal after years of progress against diabetes. When people with diabetes have poorly controlled blood sugar, over time this can restrict blood flow to the lower legs and lead to nerve damage and impaired wound healing. With a lack of sensation in the feet and lower legs, people may not notice sores and infections that develop until these problems become so extensive that they can only be addressed by amputating the damaged portion of the foot or leg. From 2000 to 2009, the rate of so-called nontraumatic lower extremity amputations fell by 43 percent, from 5.4 cases to 3.1 cases for every 1,000 adults in the U.S with diabetes. But then amputations rebounded by 50 percent between 2009 and 2015, to 4.6 cases for every 1,000 adults with diabetes, the current study found. The increases were most pronounced in younger adults, ages 18 to 44, and in middle-aged adults, 45 to 64, researchers report in Diabetes Care. "We already knew that younger adults were not experiencing the same improvements in amputations over time as older adults," said senior author Edward Gregg of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, by email. "However, this is the first time we have observed an increase in amputations." For every 1,000 adults with diabetes under age 45, the number of amputations dipped from 2.9 in 2000 to 2.1 in 2009, then climbed to 4.2 by 2015. Among middle-aged adults, amputations per 1,000 people with diabetes went from 6.9 in 2000 to 3.8 in 2009, then to 5.4 by 2015. In older adults, amputation rates declined from 2000 to 2009 and then held steady. The study wasn't designed to assess whether or how any changes in diabetes treatment over time might have contributed to amputation rates. Even so, the results suggest that many U.S. diabetes patients need more support to keep their blood sugar controlled and more education about foot care, the authors conclude. "Amputation risk is due to a combination of impaired sensation in the feet due to nerve damage from high (blood sugar) and impaired circulation in small and larger blood vessels of the feet and legs," said Dr. Simon Heller of the University of Sheffield in the UK. "This increases the risk of developing ulcers followed by infection and impaired healing," Heller, who wasn't involved in the study, said by email. Patients may lower their risk of amputations by keeping blood sugar in a healthy range, not smoking and getting regular foot exams, Heller added. When foot complications do develop, amputations may be prevented by early treatment and vigilant follow-up care with a podiatrist and by wearing specially designed shoes to reduce the risk of ulcers. SOURCE: https://bit.ly/2TvEjZG Diabetes Care, online November 8, 2018.
If you own shares in Airtificial Intelligence Structures, S.A. (BME:AI) then its worth thinking about how it contributes to the volatility of your portfolio, overall. In finance, Beta is a measure of volatility. Volatility is considered to be a measure of risk in modern finance theory. Investors may think of volatility as falling into two main categories. The first type is company specific volatility. Investors use diversification across uncorrelated stocks to reduce this kind of price volatility across the portfolio. The second sort is caused by the natural volatility of markets, overall. For example, certain macroeconomic events will impact (virtually) all stocks on the market.

Some stocks mimic the volatility of the market quite closely, while others demonstrate muted, exagerrated or uncorrelated price movements. Some investors use beta as a measure of how much a certain stock is impacted by market risk (volatility). While we should keep in mind that Warren Buffett has cautioned that Volatility is far from synonymous with risk, beta is still a useful factor to consider. To make good use of it you must first know that the beta of the overall market is one. Any stock with a beta of greater than one is considered more volatile than the market, while those with a beta below one are either less volatile or poorly correlated with the market.

View our latest analysis for Airtificial Intelligence Structures

What we can learn from AIs beta value

Given that it has a beta of 1.7, we can surmise that the Airtificial Intelligence Structures share price has been fairly sensitive to market volatility (over the last 5 years). If this beta value holds true in the future, Airtificial Intelligence Structures shares are likely to rise more than the market when the market is going up, but fall faster when the market is going down. Beta is worth considering, but its also important to consider whether Airtificial Intelligence Structures is growing earnings and revenue. You can take a look for yourself, below.

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BME:AI Income Statement Export December 13th 18

Does AIs size influence the expected beta?

Airtificial Intelligence Structures is a rather small company. It has a market capitalisation of 139m, which means it is probably under the radar of most investors. It takes less money to influence the share price of a very small company. This may explain the excess volatility implied by this beta value.

What this means for you:

Since Airtificial Intelligence Structures has a reasonably high beta, its worth considering why it is so heavily influenced by broader market sentiment. For example, it might be a high growth stock or have a lot of operating leverage in its business model. This article aims to educate investors about beta values, but its well worth looking at important company-specific fundamentals such as Airtificial Intelligence Structuress financial health and performance track record. I highly recommend you dive deeper by considering the following:

Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for AIs future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for AIs outlook. Past Track Record: Has AI been consistently performing well irrespective of the ups and downs in the market? Go into more detail in the past performance analysis and take a look at the free visual representations of AIs historicals for more clarity. Other Interesting Stocks: Its worth checking to see how AI measures up against other companies on valuation. You could start with this free list of prospective options.

To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements.



The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
President Donald Trump on Thursday insisted money saved from the new NAFTA replacement trade deal will pay for his proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall, days after Democratic leaders rejected his demand for $5 billion to fund it.

The president again claimed without evidence that Mexico is paying for the wall, as hes promised repeatedly since his days on the campaign trail, thanks to the trade deal he calls the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA.

I often stated, One way or other, Mexico is going to pay for the Wall. This has never changed, Trump tweeted. Our new deal with Mexico (and Canada), the USMCA, is so much better than the old, very costly & anti-USA NAFTA deal, that just by the money we save, MEXICO IS PAYING FOR THE WALL!

I often stated, One way or the other, Mexico is going to pay for the Wall. This has never changed. Our new deal with Mexico (and Canada), the USMCA, is so much better than the old, very costly & anti-USA NAFTA deal, that just by the money we save, MEXICO IS PAYING FOR THE WALL!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 13, 2018

Trump on Tuesday sparred with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) over funding for his promised wall during a tense meeting in the Oval Office.

Pelosi and Schumer want the president to accept a set of bipartisan proposals that would allocate about $1.3 billion toward border security measures, including fencing. But Trump has threatened to shut down parts of the government if his border wall funding demands arent met.

Democratic lawmakers have long pushed back on the presidents request to allocate billions of taxpayer dollars toward a border wall. Trump, though, has insisted Mexico would pay. Both Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrado and his predecessor, Enrique Pena Nieto, have vehemently refused to do so.

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The USMCA still needs to be ratified by the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Congress wont consider the deal until 2019, at which point Democrats will have gained control of the House.

Democrats have made it clear they dont support the USCMA in its current form and have urged Trump to include more enforceable labor standards.

The trade deal, essentially a NAFTA 2.0, wouldnt change very much in the way the U.S. conducts business with Mexico.

Its unclear how its most significant changes, like better wages for auto workers in Mexico, will be enforced. And even if they are, these arrangements are not directly connected to the number of dollars in the U.S. Treasury.

Related...

No, Trump Will Not Be Building The Border Wall On Mexico's Side Of The Border

DHS Chief Acknowledges Border 'Wall' Might Not Be An Actual Wall

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President Donald Trump has criticised American TV host Mika Brzezinski over her use of a homophobic slur, claiming a conservative would be banned from the airwaves for using the remark.

The MSNBC co-host of weekday morning show Morning Joe called Secretary of State Mike Pompeo a butt-boy on air over an interview Mr Pompeo gave to Fox News where he said reports of a CIA assessment that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman was linked to the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi were inaccurate.

The CIA has reportedly assessed with high confidence that the crown prince was involved in the order to kill Mr Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October. Saudi Arabia has blamed a rogue team of operatives for the killing and repeatedly denied that Crown Prince Mohammed was involved in any way. Mr Trump has also doubted the CIAs findings.

If it was a Conservative that said what crazed Mika Brzezinski stated on her show yesterday, using a certain horrible term, that person would be banned permanently from television, Donald Trump posted on his Twitter account.

With his trademark ellipses, the president then added: She will probably be given a pass, despite their terrible ratings.

Ms Brzezinski tweeted an apology after the incident, saying she was guilty of a super bad choice of words.

Trump went on to praise gay US Ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, after he criticised Ms Brzezinski.

Mr Grenfell posted on his Twitter account: Outrageous. This is totally unacceptable & deeply disturbing. Sexualising gay people this way is designed to control them and minimise our worth...

In a further tweet, responding directly to the tweeted apology from Ms Brzezinski, Mr Grenfell added: Accepting apologies is important. We all fail. But I dont see that youve actually apologised to gays? Your words demean, mock and therefore try to control whole groups by minimising our humanity.

A known Democrat, this is not the first run in Ms Brzezinski has had with Donald Trumps Twitter account.

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During the 2016 presidential campaign, Mr Trump criticised both Mika Brzezinski and co-host Joe Scarborough. In turn, Ms Brzezinski called Trumps presidency fake and failed.

The following year Donald Trump was heavily criticised for tweeting: How come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Years Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!

There has been speculation that Ms Brzezinski did not appear on Morning Joe on Thursday over the homophobic comment, but her Joe Scarborough claimed her absence was due to a long-planned family event.
By Gabriela Baczynska and Alastair Macdonald BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Dutch fudge is off the summit table as EU lawyers look closer to home in Belgium for a model of what leaders can offer Prime Minister Theresa May in the way of reassurances to help her sell a Brexit deal at home in Britain. May arrived in Brussels on Thursday hoping to persuade the rest of the European Union at the summit to gift-wrap a treaty on British withdrawal that she agreed with them just last month, but has been unable to get through parliament before Christmas. The EU refuses to reopen the package so efforts focus on new words the Union could offer to ease fears that an Irish "backstop" insurance clause could trap Britain forever in EU rules. There is long pedigree of such special favors, involving Danes, the Dutch, the British themselves and a quick fix to fend off a veto threat in 2016 from the French-speaking Belgian region of Wallonia. Complicating calculations is how far the EU can or should hand May a gift before Christmas, and how much it should take more time -- meaning their delivery is still fresh in the minds of British lawmakers when they come to vote in the new year. May visited Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Tuesday. After a referendum in the Netherlands two years ago seemed set to undo an EU pact with Ukraine, Rutte got fellow leaders to issue a summit "decision" that reassured his country that Ukraine was not about to join the EU. However, EU officials say the "Dutch fudge" model would need longer preparation than May has left before Brexit in March and carries more legal weight than Ireland and others would accept. That applies too to the "Danish solution", referring to a summit in Edinburgh in 1992 which gave Denmark a side-deal to avoid its government vetoing the Maastricht Treaty on deep European integration, despite Danes voting No in a referendum. HOMAGE TO WALLONIA The favored solution now, say EU diplomats, is that used to appease Belgium's Walloons when their left-wing parliament threatened to veto a free trade accord with Canada. Belgian trade policy is devolved to its French-, Dutch- and German-speaking regions, so this was a major threat. The fix was a 12-page "Joint Interpretative Instrument", by which the Union set out how the EU-Canada treaty would work. Lawyers believed this did not go beyond the deal already signed in Ottawa or obfuscate possible future legal arguments. That would fit the bill now for an EU determined not to unwrap the indefinite guarantee to Dublin that Britain would stay in a customs union until a better way is found to avoid frontier posts that could disrupt the peace in Northern Ireland. Officials have already drafted a page of "conclusions" which could be issued after a late-night session on Thursday to "clarify", for example, the EU's intent not to use the backstop. Some diplomats think that could mark just an early Christmas gift to bolster May at home, with a more substantial package of promises -- though still political rather than legally-binding -- to come next month, before she puts her deal to parliament. "We cant give too much now as we would be left empty-handed for stage two in January," one senior EU diplomat told Reuters. The British have form on this. Leaders remember a summit deal for May's predecessor David Cameron in early 2016. Based on the Danish model, it included an opt-out from EU migration rules and was meant to help him persuade Britons to stay in the EU. But in campaigning for the June Brexit referendum, he barely mentioned it and then lost -- throwing the Union into an existential crisis "The experience of Mr. Cameron showed these things have a tendency to evaporate very quickly," a second senior diplomat said of the timing of any special reassurances for May. "There is a risk of a similar situation." (Additional reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; Writing by Alastair Macdonald; editing by David Stamp)
The Turkish president claims the YPG is an offshoot of the PKK, which has fought against the Turkish state for decades - AFP

Turkey will launch a new operation in Syria within days against a US-backed Kurdish militia that Ankara considers a terrorist group, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday.

"We will start an operation to free the east of the Euphrates from the separatist terrorist organisation in the next few days," Mr Erdogan said during a speech in Ankara, referring to territory held by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).

Turkey says the YPG is a "terrorist offshoot" of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.

The PKK is blacklisted as a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies.

US forces have worked closely with the YPG under the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil).

"The target is never American soldiers but terrorist organisation members active in the region," Mr Erdogan told the audience at a defence industry summit.

There are US forces with the SDF east of the Euphrates as well as in the flashpoint city of Manbij, which is west of the river.

Washington's relationship with the YPG, seen as a key ally, is one of the main sources of tensions between Turkey and the US. Ankara has repeatedly lambasted Washington for providing military support to the Kurdish militia.

Mr Erdogan has previously threatened to attack areas held by the YPG. In a bid to avoid any clash, the Nato allies agreed a "roadmap" for Manbij in June.

His comments came a day after the Pentagon announced the setting up of US observation posts on the northeast Syria border region intended to prevent altercations between the Turkish army and the YPG despite calls from Ankara not to go ahead with the move.

Mr Erdogan claimed Turkey was not being protected from terrorists but "terrorists were being protected" from possible action by Turkey.
Brussels (AFP) - An EU court on Thursday rejected the "excessively high" diesel emissions limits Brussels set just after the scandal in which German carmaker Volkswagen cheated on emissions tests.

The General Court "annuls in part the (European) Commission's regulation setting excessively high oxides of nitrogen emission limits for the tests for new light passenger and commercial vehicles," it said.

The Commission, the EU's executive arm, aimed to set new norms to what existed already for emissions tests conducted in the laboratory but which lawmakers said accounted for differences in real driving conditions.

By chance, the new limits were set weeks after the "Dieselgate" scandal erupted three years ago.

Emissions laws have been a key target for environmental activists since the scandal erupted in 2015, when Volkswagen admitted to manipulating 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide to cheat regulatory emissions tests.

But the General Court, based in Luxembourg, upheld the actions taken by the cities of Paris, Brussels and Madrid to annul the limits set by the Commission.

"They submit that the Commission was not entitled to adopt the oxides of nitrogen emission values selected because they are less demanding than the limits set by the applicable Euro 6 standard," the court said.

The Euro 6 standard was set in 2007 by the European Parliament and the EU member countries concerning emissions from light passenger and commercial vehicles.

The court ruled "the Commission did not have the power to amend the Euro 6 emission limits for the new real driving emission tests."

The court went further.

"Even if it had to be accepted that technical constraints may justify a certain adjustment, a difference such as that stemming from the contested regulation means that it is impossible to know whether the Euro 6 standard is complied with during those tests."
Chiefless Nepal Oil Corp may get new boss soon

Nepal Oil Corporation, which has been without a chief for more than a year, is likely to get a new managing director soon as its line ministry plans to send the names of the three final nominees to the next Cabinet meeting for its approval.
Flyers traveling through UK airports are more likely to suffer flight delays and cancellations compared to other transit hubs in Europe, says a new report on the 50 most disrupted flight routes in the region.

That's according to the number crunching of flight compensation company AirHelp, which released "Europe's 50 Most Disrupted Flight Routes."

The flight route to take the dubious distinction of topping the list? Mykonos, Greece to London Gatwick airport, with 75 percent of all flights experiencing a delay this year.

Likewise, travelers flying between Lisbon and Rome Ciampino and Lisbon and Brussels S. Charleroi (in second and third spots respectively) should expect major delays, with nearly three-quarters of all scheduled flights delayed as well.

Overall, however, the list of Europe's most disrupted flight routes is dominated by UK airports, which take up half of the 50 spots, followed closely by Italian and German hubs.

The data also revealed a few noteworthy trends for flight punctuality.

Travelers who are sticklers for time, for instance, may want to fly on a Tuesday, which sees 78 percent of flights arriving at their destination on time.

The worst day of the week for flight punctuality, meanwhile, is Sunday, with more than one in four flights delayed or canceled.

Here are the top 10 most disrupted flight routes in Europe, based on European flight routes with more than 200 flights between Jan. 1, 2018 to Oct. 9, 2018:

1. Mykonos, Greece, to London Gatwick: 75 percent

2. Lisbon to Rome Ciampino: 74 percent

3. Lisbon to Brussels S. Charleroi: 74 percent

4. London Gatwick to Bucharest Henri Coanda: 72 percent

5. Frankfurt, Germany to Pristina, Kosovo: 70 percent

6. Venice Marco Polo to London Luton: 68 percent

7. Eindhoven, Netherlands to Dublin, Ireland: 68 percent

8. Eindhoven, Netherlands to Rome Ciampino: 67 percent

9. Krakow John Paul II, Poland to Dublin, Ireland: 67 percent

10. Roma Fiumicino to Cologne/Bonn, Germany: 67 percent
Tammi Bleimeyer cried when she was sentenced (KTRK)

A mother-of-seven has been jailed for 28 years after starving her five-year-old stepson and keeping him in a cupboard under the stairs.

The authorities were also told that Tammi Bleimeyer may have tasered Jordan, slammed his head against a wall and made him wear a nappy.

The horrific details emerged as Bleimeyer, a 37-year-old Texan, was found guilty of injury to a child by omission after forcing the child to sleep in the tiny space under the stairs surrounded by exposed nails and wiring.

Jordan was compared to a Holocaust survivor by doctors (Harris County Precinct 4 Constables Office)

Doctors say he was close to death when he was rescued and weighed just 29lbs (2st 7oz). They compared his condition to that of a Holocaust survivor.

The authorities first became aware of the abuse after Tammis a 16-year-old son reported her in March 2014.

Tammi, who was six months pregnant at the time, fled, taking Jordan with her.

Jordan was only allowed to eat one slice of bread each day (Harris County Precinct 4 Constables Office)

She was eventually tracked down to a nearby motel.

Jordan was covered in bruises when he was recovered by the police.

One expert told the court that Jordan had suffered severe physical abuse and habitual starvation and was close to death.

He was only allowed to eat one slice of bread every day  which could be taken away if he did not eat it fast enough  and could not eat with the rest of the family.

Jordan was also put on drugs by his parents to stop him complaining if guests came to the house in Spring.

Jordans dad Bradley Bleimeyer was found guilty of the same charges as his wife in 2016 and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Bleimeyer has been jailed for 28 years (Harris County Precinct 4 Constables Office)

The stepmother was sentenced following a 10-day trial and two of her biological sons took to the stand to testify against her.

One of them told the court that he would never be the same emotionally because of the trauma of the abuse.

Jordan is now aged nine and has been reunited with his biological mother.

Jordan has recovered and is now back with his biological mother and is aged nine (KPRC)

Child Protective Services have taken custody of Tammis six children, and the newborn baby has been given to a foster family.

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By Aditya Kalra and Aditi Shah

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Denmark's Carlsberg <CARLb.CO> and India's United Breweries <UBBW.NS> have filed pleas with Indian authorities, seeking leniency in a probe into alleged collusion to fix beer prices, five sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has been investigating the two companies, as well as the world's largest brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) <ABI.BR>.

Last year, as previously reported by Reuters, AB InBev told the regulator it had discovered an industry cartel that discussed and agreed on beer prices before submitting them to Indian states, which regulate pricing.

The company's confidential disclosure under the CCI's whistleblower-protection scheme led to dawn raids by the regulator in October at offices of all three of the brewers.

In recent weeks, both Carlsberg and United Breweries filed pleas under the CCI's so-called leniency programme, submitting evidence and agreeing to cooperate, the sources said, adding that such cooperation could lead to a smaller fine if wrongdoing is discovered.

A Carlsberg spokesman in India said it was "cooperating fully with the CCI" and had done so from the beginning of the probe.

United Breweries, part-owned by Heineken, did not respond to requests for comment. Following the Reuters story on the October raids, it told the Indian stock exchanges it was reviewing its legal risks and the potential implications. Heineken declined to comment.

An AB InBev spokesman in India said they take antitrust compliance "very seriously", but declined to comment further.

LIKE A GAME OF "POKER"

The three brewers account for 90 percent of beer consumption in the $7 billion Indian market, where rising social acceptance towards drinking and a growing pub culture are helping the industry to grow.

They collectively face an estimated fine of up to $279 million if found to have operated as a cartel. Individual executives can also be fined, though AB InBev could escape all of its share of the fines as it reported the issue.

Story continues

The CCI's leniency programme grants relief through lower penalties to subsequent applicants only if they add value to evidence already held by the regulator from its own investigation and from the initial applicant, in this case AB InBev. But the filings remain confidential and companies do not know of others' submissions.

"It's like playing blind, like in poker," said one of the sources.

The CCI did not respond to questions from Reuters.

Gautam Shahi, a New Delhi-based antitrust lawyer, said subsequent leniency applications were typically filed to reduce potential penalties.

"It's a promise of cooperation in return for a lenient treatment," said Shahi, who is not involved in the case.

During the October raids, the CCI found e-mails that showed executives regularly discussed beer prices, potentially violating Indian anti-trust laws, a government source said at the time.

One of the sources told Reuters the CCI was still collecting evidence and reviewing the various leniency petitions but the investigation would be likely to continue for a year.

United Breweries is known for its Kingfisher brand while AB InBev's beer brands include Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois. Carlsberg sells beer under its own-name brand among others and also owns Tuborg.

The antitrust investigation is set to cast a shadow on the beer industry in India, which is already facing stringent compliance and state-level regulation, making it tougher for brewers to expand.

(Reporting by Aditya Kalra and Aditi Shah; Editing by Martin Howell and Kirsten Donovan)
By Karl Plume CHICAGO (Reuters) - China on Wednesday made its first major purchases of U.S. soybeans since President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping struck a trade war truce earlier this month, providing some relief to U.S. farmers who have struggled to find buyers for their record-large harvest. Trump told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday the Chinese were already buying a "tremendous amount" of U.S. soybeans and would also soon cut tariffs on U.S. autos. The purchase of over 1.5 million tonnes of beans is the most concrete evidence yet that China is making good on pledges the U.S. government said Xi made when the two leaders met on Dec. 1 and agreed to a 90-day detente to negotiate a trade deal. Global markets had whipsawed since then, with little sign that China was making the substantial purchases of U.S. farm, energy and industrial products that Trump said would start immediately after the meeting. Investors have been skeptical about the progress made toward ending a trade war that has disrupted the flow of hundreds of billions of dollars of goods between the world's two largest economies. The arrest in Canada of a top Chinese executive from technology giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd also stoked concern in markets that the trade war could worsen. In another sign of concessions to the United States, China appears to be easing its high-tech industrial push, dubbed "Made in China 2025," which has long irked Washington. China has also told state oil trader Unipec to buy U.S. oil, and the United States is expecting Beijing to cut tariffs on U.S.-made autos and car parts. BACK IN BUSINESS The soybean purchases by Chinese state-owned companies, valued at more than $500 million, will do little to reduce the $43.1 billion U.S. trade deficit with China, which Trump wants to narrow over the long term. The purchases will, however, provide a goodwill gesture before the next round of U.S.-China talks to change their terms of trade. The United States has a long list of complaints against China on intellectual property, forced technology transfers and industrial subsidies. The soybean exports will also provide relief to U.S. farmers. Soybeans are the single most valuable U.S. agricultural export product and China bought 60 percent of those exports in 2017, worth $12.25 billion. But China has been out of the market since Beijing imposed a tariff on U.S. soy imports in July, pushing prices of the oilseed to decade-lows. Benchmark soybean futures on the Chicago Board of Trade hit their highest level since midsummer on Wednesday. Chinese state-run firms Sinograin and Cofco bought the soybeans, said one European trader. The sellers included global agricultural merchants Cargill Inc, Louis Dreyfus Company and U.S. farmer-owned agriculture company CHS Inc . The trader said China was seeking to buy a total of 2.5 million to 3 million tonnes of U.S. soybeans. Cargill and CHS declined to comment. Dreyfus did not immediately respond to requests for comment. One U.S. trader with direct knowledge of the deals said Chinese state-owned firms bought at least 12 cargoes for shipment from January to March. Another trader with direct knowledge of the deals and one who sells beans to exporters involved said around 30 cargoes had traded by Wednesday afternoon. "China was buying right out of the gate this morning. It looks like we're back in business now," the first U.S. trader said. The soybeans are expected to be shipped mostly from grain terminals in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, the most direct route to Asia, the U.S. traders said. JUST A START U.S. farmers welcomed the deals. "This is a start," said Valley City, North Dakota farmer Monte Peterson. "Any business that we can put together we're pretty grateful for." The White House this week delayed additional payments from a $12 billion aid package for farmers stung by the trade war because it expected Beijing to resume buying U.S. soybeans. U.S. farmers stored soybeans after the fall harvest, instead of selling them to grain traders and processors, because of low prices and lack of alternative buyers. Commodities traders and analysts said soybean prices may struggle to build on Wednesday's gains unless China buys considerably more soybeans. "If this is all we're going to get, it is a whopping disappointment and we are adding at least 200 million bushels to our soybean stocks," said Ted Seifried, chief market strategist for Chicago-based Zaner Ag Hedge. "We need follow-up sales in short order in order to keep the momentum higher in soybeans." The 25 percent tariff on U.S. soybeans Beijing imposed on July 6 remains in effect. The higher duties discouraged private Chinese importers from making purchases as Brazilian soybeans, which are not subject to the tariffs, are less expensive. China this year has relied on Argentina and top exporter Brazil for most of its soybeans used to feed the world's largest pig herd. Brazil will start harvesting its next crop in early 2019 - leaving a window for the U.S. to sell. "The Chinese evidently want the beans quickly as they have not been able to cover all their needs in South America," the European trader said. (Reporting by Karl Plume; additional reporting by Michael Hogan in Hamburg and Julie Ingwersen, Tom Polansek and Michael Hirtzer in Chicago; editing by Caroline Stauffer, Simon Webb, Bernadette Baum and Richard Chang)
By Steve Holland and Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he has 10 to 12 candidates he is considering for the post of new White House chief of staff and although he could move quickly to fill the job, he was in no particular rush. Trump's current chief of staff, retired General John Kelly, is leaving at the beginning of the new year. Smiling broadly, Kelly trailed Trump into the Oval Office briefly as the president began a half-hour interview with Reuters. While some potential candidates like Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have offered polite no-thank-yous, Trump said he was having no trouble recruiting people for one of the most powerful jobs in Washington. "I have at least 10, 12 - 12 people that want it badly. I'm making a decision. Great people," he said. "I could do it immediately. I'm in no rush. A lot of people want it." Trump said one candidate, North Carolina Republican Representative Mark Meadows, "is a great guy," as is former campaign adviser Dave Bossie, who is also on the list - "friend of mine." But he gave no indication who he was leaning toward. "Everybody wants it. Who doesn't want to be one of the top few people in Washington, D.C.," Trump said, gesturing to the three reporters interviewing him. "I mean, you three guys would take it." "I have so many people, I cannot interview them all," he said. Turning to senior communications adviser Bill Shine, Trump asked: "Is that a correct statement?" Shine agreed. SIMILAR IDEAS Trump, who is in search of his third chief of staff after Kelly and Reince Priebus, said he is looking for "somebody that I can really get along with well." "Somebody whose ideas are similar to my ideas. Somebody that will take my ideas and go with them. That doesn't mean they can't be questioned. I like being questioned. I think it's good to be questioned," he said. "You know people would be surprised to hear that. But I do like to be questioned. And somebody that loves our country," he added. Kelly, with whom Trump clashed at times, took the job in July 2017 to instill order to a sometimes chaotic White House after Priebus left the post. Trump was left without a clear replacement for Kelly after Nick Ayers, currently chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, declined the job and said on Sunday he was returning to Georgia with his family at the end of the year. The opening comes as the White House braces for an onslaught of political and legal challenges in the coming year in the face of the Russia investigation, multiple lawsuits and Trump's efforts to win re-election in 2020. Besides Meadows and Bossie, Trump has also been considering former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. Mnuchin and White House budget director Mick Mulvaney have said they are not interested, sources said. Bossie, who is a contributor for Fox News, said on Tuesday he was meeting with Trump on Friday but did not expect to be offered the job. (Additional reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Sonya Hepinstall)
By Steve Holland and Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he stood by Saudi Arabia's crown prince despite a CIA assessment that he ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and pleas from U.S. senators for Trump to condemn the kingdom's de facto ruler. Trump refused to comment on whether Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was complicit in the murder, but he provided perhaps his most explicit show of support for the prince since Khashoggi's death more than two months ago. "He's the leader of Saudi Arabia. They've been a very good ally," Trump said in an interview in the Oval Office. Asked by Reuters if standing by the kingdom meant standing by the prince, known as MbS, Trump responded: "Well, at this moment, it certainly does." Some members of Saudi Arabia's ruling family are agitating to prevent MbS from becoming king, sources close to the royal court have told Reuters, and believe that the United States and Trump could play a determining role. "I just haven't heard that," Trump said. "Honestly, I can't comment on it because I had not heard that at all. In fact, if anything, I've heard that he's very strongly in power." While Trump has condemned the murder of Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist who was often critical of MbS, he has given the benefit of the doubt to the prince with whom he has cultivated a deep relationship. Trump again reiterated on Tuesday that the "crown prince vehemently denies" involvement in a killing that has sparked outrage around the world. Trump has come under fierce criticism from fellow Republicans in the Senate over the issue, particularly after CIA Director Gina Haspel briefed them. Last month, the CIA assessed that MbS ordered the killing, which Trump called "very premature." "You have to be willfully blind not to come to the conclusion that this was orchestrated and organized by people under the command of MbS," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, said last week. MEETING WITH SENATORS Graham and other senators who have supported the U.S.-Saudi alliance over the years have said that Trump should impose more sanctions after a first round targeted 17 Saudis for their alleged role in the killing in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. As the Senate considers this week a joint resolution condemning the crown prince for the killing, something that the president would have to sign or veto if passed by Congress, Trump said he would meet with senators. Trump said he hoped senators would not propose stopping arms sales to the Saudis, deals he has doggedly fought to save ever since the gruesome details of Khashoggi's murder were leaked by Turkey. "And I really hope that people aren't going to suggest that we should not take hundreds of billions of dollars that theyre going to siphon off to Russia and to China," Trump said. Trump said he could abide by legislation ending U.S. support for the Saudi-led war effort in Yemen, a proxy war with regional rival Iran that has led to a deepening humanitarian disaster. "Well, I'm much more open to Yemen because frankly, I hate to see what's going on in Yemen," Trump said. "But it takes two to tango. I'd want to see Iran pull out of Yemen too. Because - and I think they will." (Editing by Mary Milliken and Sonya Hepinstall)
Leading pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts Holding Company ESRX and retail giant Walmart Inc. WMT recently announced a three-year agreement to deliver affordable prescription solutions to underinsured and uninsured Americans. Financial terms of the deal have been kept under wraps.

Number of Uninsured Americans in 2018

A news report by Forbes reveals that the number of people in the United States without health insurance has risen to 15.5% as of May 2018, up from 12.7% two years ago.

Considering the growing number of uninsured American populace, the latest development seems to be a timely one.

Whats the Plan Ahead?

In the latest initiative, Express Scripts and Walmart plan to increase affordable access of the prescription drugs for insured and uninsured Americans. These drugs are generally expensive and are considered the first line of treatment for many diseases.

Walmart will leverage on Express Scripts pharmacy-savings platforms on brand-name prescription drugs. One such unit is InsideRx, which provides significant discounts (of almost 40%) to uninsured Americans brand-name prescription drugs.

Headquartered in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, Inside Rx is a subsidiary company of Express Scripts. It provides affordable access to medication, especially for the uninsured and those navigating the changing healthcare landscape.

Per management at Walmart, the latest development will help Americans afford health and wellness products, including the prescription needs in urban, rural and suburban areas.

Share Price Movement

Express Scripts stock has outperformed its industry in a years time. The stock has gained 40.4% during this period compared with the industry's gain of 28.4%. The current level is also higher than the S&P 500 index's decline of 0.7% over the same time frame. The stock has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Express Scripts Holding Company Price and Consensus

Express Scripts Holding Company Price and Consensus | Express Scripts Holding Company Quote

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Meanwhile, shares of Walmart lost 4.2% in a years time. This is wider than its industrys decline of 1% over the same time frame.

Recent Developments

Express Scripts actively pursues deals and acquisitions. The company recently announced plans of expanding its customized workers' compensation pharmacy solutions through the acquisition of myMatrixx, a pharmacy benefit solutions provider for the workers' compensation industry. Furthermore, the acquisition decision of eviCore comes at an interesting time in the healthcare and pharmacy space, as PBM leaders like Express Scripts await a possible decision from e-commerce player Amazon.com, who may or may not move into pharmacy benefits.

Lately, Saratoga County announced an agreement with Inside Rx to offer the Inside Rx discount savings card to Saratoga County residents as part of the County's Prescription Drug Discount Program.

Recently, the company collaborated with Petco with a view to enable millions of pet parents to order and receive pet medicines from the comfort and convenience of home.

Stocks to Consider

A few better-ranked stocks in the broader medical space are Quidel Corporation QDEL and STAAR Surgical Company STAA.

Quidel has long-term expected earnings growth rate of 25% and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

With a Zacks Rank #1, STAAR Surgical delivered average four-quarter positive earnings surprise of 400%.

The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All

Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce ""the world's first trillionaires,"" but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early.

See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >>



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Despite the recent drop in sales growth, Caterpillar (CAT) will benefit from strong order rates and an increasing backlog through the rest of 2018.

Exxon Mobil Corporation XOM has made a final investment decision for the development of the West Barracouta gas field in Bass Strait.



The field will aid in transporting new gas supplies to the Australian domestic market. Located in the VIC/L1 block offshore Victoria, the project is a part of the Esso-BHP Gippsland Basin Joint Venture. The project is a part of the companys ongoing investment in the Gippsland Basin.



Recently, front-end engineering design work for the project was completed by ExxonMobil. The joint venture also handed out contracts to Subsea 7 and OneSubsea, a company of Schlumberger Limited (SLB).



The existing Barracouta infrastructure in offshore Bass Strait, to which the project will be tied back, marks the first offshore field ever discovered in Australia. The project is expected to produce first gas in 2021.



The east coast of Australia receives about 40% of its supply from the Gippsland Basin Joint Venture. The joint venture has invested more than $4 billion (AUD $5.5 billion) in recent projects including the Kipper Tuna Turrum offshore project and the Longford Gas Conditioning Plant in Victoria to supply Australian domestic gas demand. Also, it is expected to provide aid in the construction of the new project.



The Bass Strait well, drilled in 1965, has produced about four billion barrels of crude oil and eight trillion cubic feet of natural gas till date.



Esso Australia Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil, operates the Gippsland Basin Joint Venture on behalf of a 50-50 joint venture with BHP Billiton Petroleum (Bass Strait) Pty Ltd. The companys presence in Australia dates back to 1895. Its business in Australia includes a widerange of petroleum related activities from oil and gas exploration as well as production to petroleum refining and supply of fuels and lubricants. The company has invested about $19 billion in Australia, including billions in natural gas projects.



Zacks Rank & Key Picks



Currently, ExxonMobil carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).



A few better-ranked players in the same sector are Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation COG, Enterprise Products Partners L.P. EPD and SunCoke Energy, Inc SXC, each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



Houston, TX-based Cabot is an independent oil and gas exploration company with producing properties mainly in the continental U.S. The company delivered an average negative earnings surprise of 5.7% in the last four quarters.



Headquartered in Houston, TX, Enterprise Products Partners is among the leading midstream energy players in North America. It pulled off an average positive earnings surprise of 9.3% in the last four quarters.



SunCoke acquires, owns and operates the coke making and coal mining operations. The company delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 302.6% in the last four quarters.



The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All



Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early.



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SunCoke Energy, Inc. (SXC) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation (COG) : Free Stock Analysis Report



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The centuries-long tradition of cockfighting in U.S. territories may soon be coming to an end, thanks to provisions in the farm bill approved by both chambers of Congress that now awaits President Donald Trumps signature to become law.

Arguing against the farm bill language ahead of the House of Representatives floor vote Wednesday, Congresswoman Jenniffer Aydin Gonzalez Colon decried the impact the ban would have on her constituents in Puerto Rico. Citing numbers from Puerto Ricos Cockfighting Affairs Commission that oversees regulated cockfights on the island, she told fellow House members the cockfighting ban would impact 27,000 direct and indirect jobs and push the $18 million industry underground.

It will be much worse as an unregulated industry, she told Yahoo Finance. Those animals are taken care of after each fight, most of them are nursed. It will be very risky and dangerous not just for the birds, but for the people handling them.

Resident Commissioner Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, who represents Puerto Rico as a nonvoting member of Congress, listens as Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello speaks during a news conference. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

That would be the opposite impact the Humane Society of the United States, an animal rights group, was pushing for when it lobbied for the passage of the bipartisan Parity in Animal Cruelty Enforcement (PACE) Act, which was introduced by Congressmen Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) and Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.). Both representatives received more than $4,000 in contributions from the advocacy group in 2018, according to donation tracker Open Secrets.

While Louisiana became the last state to outlaw cockfighting in 2008, the bill sought a federal ban that would also forbid the sport in all U.S. territories, including Guam, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.

But beyond the question of the ethical treatment of animals, Gonzalez Colon highlighted the bills inclusion in the farm bill as another example of Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories not getting a chance to voice concerns about legislation that will impact their communities.

I represent more Americans than any other member of the House, but I cant actually vote, she said, referring to Puerto Ricos population of more than 3 million. We never even got the courtesy of having a hearing we never thought it would be banned.

Story continues

Cockfighting fuels the economy

For her constituents back home, a cockfighting ban would be an unexpected blow to an economy that is still recovering from the damage caused by Hurricane Maria and the decade-long recession that preceded it. Numbers from the U.S. Department of the Interior paint an even more dire financial fallout from a cockfighting ban than what Gonzalez Colon mentioned.

According to a 2014 report, economic measurements that also include betting around cockfighting as well as the admission sales and other expenses at galleras, or cockfighting stadiums, puts the annual size of the industry closer to $100 million.

Were all going crazy. Everybody is desperate, Angel Ortiz, an 86-year-old who owns a gallera in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, told the Associated Press. There are so many people who make a living off of this.

An owner of a loosing rooster pays his bet as the cockfight judge removes sharp plastic spurs from the defeated bird at Las Palmas, a government-sponsored cockfighting club in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

Another owner who was interviewed said he was stunned by the House vote and wasnt sure what he would do after pouring $50,000 into fixing the damage his cockfighting ring endured when the hurricane blew through the Puerto Rican town of Caimito. A local animal supply store owner echoed the concern, fearing a ban on cockfighting would mean a 75% hit to overall feed sales.

Culturally, cockfighting remains quite popular in Puerto Rico and other Caribbean territories. While the sports roots in Puerto Rico trace back to its official recognition in 1770 under Spanish rule, cockfighting was outlawed when the U.S. invaded the country in 1898. It was later reinstated and regulated in 1933 and soon after became known as a deporte de caballeros or a gentlemans sport for the handshake bets made in the cockfighting ring.

While a cockfighting ban is now just a signature away from becoming a law, how such a ban might be enforced becomes the next logistical question. Gonzalez Colon expressed her skepticism of the bans enforcement, at least in Puerto Rico.

Youre asking the local government to cut expenses and then youre over regulating another industry and jeopardizing another $18 million of the economy, she said. Whos going to enforce this law? With what resources?

Trump is expected to sign the farm bill into law by next week.

Zack Guzman is a senior writer and on-air reporter covering entrepreneurship, startups, and breaking news at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter @zGuz.

Read more:

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Juul surpasses Facebook as fastest startup to reach decacorn status
Binod Ghimire covers parliamentary affairs and human rights for The Kathmandu Post. Since joining the Post in 2010, he has reported primarily on social issues, focusing on education and transitional justice.
The fiance of a Colorado mother missing since Thanksgiving is praying for her safe return and is cooperating with the police investigation into her disappearance, his lawyer said Wednesday.

Patrick Frazee has been voluntarily helping investigators in the Thanksgiving Day disappearance of flight instructor Kelsey Berreth, 29, Colorado Springs lawyer Jeremy Loew said in a statement emailed to HuffPost.

Mr. Frazees cooperation includes interviews with law enforcement, voluntarily releasing his phone to be searched by law enforcement, swabs for DNA comparisons and photographs, Loew said, adding that Frazee hopes and prays for Ms. Berreths return.

Police on Tuesday released surveillance footage taken on Nov. 22 that shows Berreth shopping with her 1-year-old daughter at a Safeway in Woodland Park, some 20 miles northwest of Colorado Springs  the last confirmed sighting.

Frazee told investigators he last saw Berreth after her shopping trip, when he picked up their daughter, police said. Frazee, according to investigators, also said he received a text message from her on Nov. 25. Authorities havent disclosed the content of that message.

According to police, Frazee did not report Berreth missing and ignored an invitation to a press conference police held Monday to raise awareness about the disappearance.

When a reporter at the press conference asked why Frazee wasnt in attendance, Woodland Park Police Chief Miles De Young replied, Thats a question youd have to ask him.

Loew told HuffPost his client was unable to attend.

Much has been said over the news and social media about Mr. Frazees absence at the local news conference recently held by the Woodland Park Police Department, the attorney said. Mr. Frazee was first notified of the press conference approximately an hour prior to its commencement. Had he been given more advance notice, he would have participated.

ABC News approached Frazee outside Loews office on Tuesday, but he declined to talk. When the network followed him to his Florissant residence, Frazee warned reporters they were trespassing.

Story continues

This is private property, this is a private road, he said, according to video of the encounter.

Frazee will continue to cooperate with police, but will not participate in media interviews, his lawyer said.

He does not want to impede law enforcements investigation, Lowe said.

The missing womans mother, Cheryl Berreth, who lives in Idaho, first reported the disappearance on Dec. 2.

We wont quit looking, she said in a brief statement at Mondays press conference.

De Young said police are treating the case as a missing person investigation.

We have not identified anyone as a suspect, the police chief said.

Authorities have yet to verify information that purports to show Kelsey Berreths cellphone signal was picked up near Gooding, Idaho, roughly 600 miles away, on the afternoon of Nov. 25, De Young said.

It could just be a false ping. Woodland Park Police Comdr. Chris Adams told KEPR-TV.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

Kelsey Berreths family has released few details about her life or her relationship with Frazee.

An individual who answered a message HuffPost sent Wednesday to the Missing Mother  Kelsey Berreth Facebook page, which police say is maintained by the family, offered no additional information.

The family want everyone to know that they greatly appreciate all the support, concern and assertiveness in working to bring Kelsey home, the response said.

Kelsey Berreth is described as a white female with brown hair, approximately 5 foot 3 and 110 pounds.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Woodland Park Police Department at 719-687-9262, or the Colorado Bureau of Investigation at 719-647-5999.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article mistakenly identified the town Kelsey Berreths cellphone signal was picked up near as Irving, Idaho. The correct town, according to police, is Gooding, Idaho.

Send David Lohr an email or follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

Related...

Mystery Surrounds Female Pilot Who Vanished Thanksgiving Day

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Susan Powell was reported missing by her family on Dec. 7, 2009, when she failed to show up for her job as a stockbroker at Wells Fargo Financial. Her husband, Josh Powell, told police he had been camping with their two children, then ages 2 and 4, and had last seen his wife around midnight. Suspicious of his story, investigators named Powell a "person of interest" in his wife's disappearance. Not long after, Powell and his two children moved back to his hometown of Puyallup, Wash. On Feb. 5, 2012, police say Josh Powell attacked his two boys, Charlie, 7, and Braden, 5, with a hatchet and then set his home on fire, killing the three of them in a gas-fueled explosion. Since that time, a mountain of evidence has emerged that supports law enforcement's decision to name Powell the prime suspect in his wife's disappearance. Nevertheless, her whereabouts remain a mystery.

Natalee Holloway

Natalee Holloway, 18, from Mountain Brook, Ala., disappeared May 30, 2005, while on a trip to Aruba to celebrate her high school graduation. Holloway's classmates said they last saw her leaving Carlos 'n Charlie's nightclub with Joran van der Sloot, then a 17-year-old Dutch honors student living in Aruba, and his two friends, Surinamese brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe. All three young men would be arrested in the case, but they were released without being charged. On Jan. 13, 2012, van der Sloot, now 24, was sentenced to 28 years in prison for the slaying of Stephany Flores on May 30, 2010. The Peruvian business student was found dead in van der Sloot's hotel room in Lima that year. Van der Sloot was charged with first-degree murder and robbery in the case. Holloway's body has never been found.

Jessie Foster

Jessie Foster has not been seen since March 29, 2006. According to her mother, Foster was living in Kamloops, British Columbia, in the spring of 2005, when she began traveling to the United States. In May 2005, the then 21-year-old ended up going to Las Vegas. While in Las Vegas, Foster met a man and the two were quickly engaged to be married. The man was reportedly wealthy and the two lived together in a million-dollar home. In 2006, Foster stopped calling her family. Concerned, they contacted her fiance and he allegedly said Foster had left him in April 2006. Foster's family promptly reported her missing to police, but with few clues to follow, the case quickly went cold. Foster is described as 5 feet 7 inches tall and 120 pounds, with blonde hair and hazel eyes. Anyone with information is asked to call Las Vegas Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477. Foster's mother also maintains a website devoted to the case, which can be found at jessiefoster.ca. According to the site, a $50,000 dollar reward is being offered for information in the case.

Jesse Ross

Jesse Warren Ross was a 19-year-old sophomore when he vanished on Nov. 21, 2006, while attending a mock United Nations conference in Chicago. According to police, Ross was last seen at about 2:30 a.m., leaving the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, where a conference dance was held. Surveillance footage from the hotel does not indicate Ross was intoxicated when he left. He was likely heading to his hotel, the Four Points Sheraton, about 10 minutes away. What happened to Ross after he left remains a mystery. For more information, visit Findjesseross.com.

Brittanee Drexel

Brittanee Drexel, 17, was last seen by friends on April 25, 2009, when she left the Bar Harbor Hotel in Myrtle Beach, S.C., to meet friends at the nearby BlueWater Resort. Surveillance footage shows Drexel arriving at the resort, then leaving roughly 10 minutes later. What happened to her after that is a mystery. For more information, visit Helpfindbrittanee.com.

Corrie Anderson

Corrie Anderson, a 36-year-old mother of three from Chautauqua County, N.Y., was last seen at about 1 p.m. on Oct. 28, 2008. Family members reported Anderson missing at about 3:45 p.m. that day, when she failed to show up at her son's school for a meeting. Two days later, a hunter discovered Anderson's car abandoned about 2 miles from her house. Authorities used ATVs, helicopters and dogs to search areas of interest in the case, but there's been no sign of Anderson. For more information, visit Findcorrie.com.

John James Morris

John James Morris, 38, was last seen on July 30, 2007, in the driveway of his ex-boyfriend's residence on Whites Ferry Road in Dickerson, Md. According to police, Morris' ex-boyfriend was out of town on the day John stopped by to pick up his belongings. Morris has not used his credit card or cell phone since and, according to his family, he did not have his ADD (attention deficit disorder) medication with him when he disappeared. For more information, visit Findjohnmorris.com.

Lakeisha Nichole Archie

Lakeisha Nichole Archie was last seen on Aug. 5, 2002. A family member dropped her off at a residence in the vicinity of Park Street and Buckeye in Sidney, Ohio, and she has not been seen since. Archie has a tattoo that reads "Lakeisha" on the right side of her neck, a tattoo of a black panther on her left forearm and tattoos of claws on each breast. For more information, visit Blackandmissinginc.com.

Ahren Benjamin Barnard

Ahren Barnard was last seen in Boise, Idaho, on Dec. 4, 2004. He dropped his young son off for the evening with the child's mother and presumably drove home. His car was later found parked in his driveway, but he has not been seen since. For more information, visit Helpfindahren.com.

Roxanne Paltauf

Roxanne Paltauf was 18 years old on July 7, 2006, when she disappeared from the Budget Inn hotel in Austin, Texas. According to Roxanne's mother, Elizabeth Harris, Roxanne had been staying at the hotel with her boyfriend. The couple had an argument and, according to the boyfriend, she left the hotel, leaving all of her belongings behind. For more information, visit Find Roxanne Paltauf.

William "Billy" Smolinski

William "Billy" Smolinski, was a 31-year-old resident of Waterbury, Conn., when he disappeared Aug. 24, 2004. Smolinski told a neighbor he was going out of town for a few days to look at a vehicle. He has not been seen since and his truck was later found in his driveway. His keys and wallet were found inside. Investigators searched Smolinski's home and truck, and conducted several interviews but found no clues suggesting what might have happened to him. For more information, visit Justice4billy.com.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
By Tom Arnold DUBAI (Reuters) - United Arab Emirates-based UAE Exchange and U.S. startup Ripple plan to launch cross-border remittances to Asia via blockchain by the first quarter of 2019, UAE Exchange's group CEO said in an interview. Asia was one of the biggest recipients of the roughly $613 billion in remittances sent globally last year, with a large swathe coming from expatriate workers in the Middle East, where UAE Exchange, part of payments and foreign exchange company Finablr, is one of the main players. Most funds are currently sent through foreign exchange branches but a growing chunk is being transferred via websites and apps, with the use of blockchain technology expected to ramp up in the next few years  a transition that UAE Exchange and San Francisco-based Ripple are aiming to capture. "Blockchain holds tremendous promise for the industry but there is progress to be made before we see it go fully mainstream," said Promoth Manghat, also executive director and chief executive at Finablr. "We expect to go live with Ripple by Q1, 2019 with one or two Asian banks. This is for remittances to start with, from across the globe into Asia." In February, UAE Exchange and Ripple announced a partnership to process cross-border payments, making the UAE-based company the largest payments firm in the Middle East to use Ripple's blockchain technology for processing payments. RippleNet, which includes more than 100 member banks and financial institutions, enables messaging, clearing and settlement of transactions. Middle East lenders National Bank of Ras Al Khaimah (RAKBANK) and Kuwait Finance House have also joined RippleNet, alongside global banks such as Standard Chartered . "We are also looking at how Ripple can enhance our business-to-business solutions at Finablr," Manghat said. Finablr, which houses Travelex Holdings, Xpress Money and other businesses, has hired JPMorgan and Barclays as global coordinators for its listing in the first half of 2019 on the London Stock Exchange, Reuters reported last month. UAE Exchange set a target in 2016 to spend between $250 million and $300 million on acquisitions to build its global market share. The company had consumed a large portion of that amount and had a "strong pipeline" of further acquisition opportunities, Manghat said. "Blockchain is one aspect we are looking at. We want to become the partner of choice for banks and technology companies and are looking at potential bolt-ons," he said. UAE Exchange aims to increase its share in the global remittance industry to more than 10 percent by 2020, Manghat had told Reuters last year. (Reporting By Tom Arnold; Editing by Sai Sachin Ravikumar)
Get Out director Jordan Peele is returning to horror next year, with the mysterious US. We havent heard much about it outside of the title, and the first poster only adds to the mystery.

The official synopsis says:

A mother (Academy Award winner Lupita Nyongo from Black Panther, Star Wars: The Last Jedi and 12 Years a Slave) and a father (Winston Duke from Black Panther) take their kids to their beach house expecting to unplug and unwind with friends (including Emmy winner Elizabeth Moss from TV series The Handmaids Tale). But as night descends, their serenity turns to tension and chaos when some shocking visitors arrive uninvited.

That doesnt really help, but we can have a good guess about US antogonists from the clues available to us on the first poster.

It depicts a black man holding a pair of golden scissors, wearing a single driving glove and some kind of red robe.

Golden scissors are traditionally used to cut ceremonial ribbons, robes are worn in religious ceremonies, and driving gloves  well, driving gloves are used to drive. So, could this be one of the uninvited visitors to the the unnamed mother and fathers beach house?

If you look closely at those scissors, youll see what looks like a pair of devils horns (it could also be a skull, but whatever)  could this be a movie about a Satanic cult? Peeles talked about his love for Rosemarys Baby  another devil worship movie  in the past, in fact, it was an influence on Get Out. We predict itll be an influence on US too.

I was probably eleven when I first saw it, Peele told Criterion. I remember my mother told me about the phenomenon of the Ira Levin book and how everyone in New York in the early seventies was carrying it around. Rosemarys Baby is probably my favorite film.

:If you can try doing yourself the service of imagining that you dont know where its going, the movie plays so buttery good. And the visuals are so iconic, and I just adore the world of the movie. It makes me feel nostalgic, because I grew up a couple blocks from the Dakota, on the Upper West Side, where the movie was shot. Its where John Lennon was killed, so its a building with a lot of dark history.:

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There were so many little things that I got from Rosemarys Baby. It begins with [sings the creepy music that plays over the opening credits], which showed me that the way to start a horror movie is to give people a hint of where its going to go. Even if you move away from that menacing tone for a bit, people know its coming back.

Theres also a party sequence in Get Out that pays homage to the Japanese character who turns up at the end of Rosemarys Baby. Its a scary turn in that film because when you see that guy, you realize this is not just a group of run-of-the-mill, Upper West Side devil worshippers. Its an international cult.

My mother told me the thing that makes this movie so great is that it may be the only movie that captures the feeling of being pregnantthe insecurity, the fear, the paranoia, the feeling when someone tells you, Oh, thats just the chemicals and the hormones. That feeling of being placated. Its a film about gender; its about men making decisions about womens bodies behind their backs.

US is released in the UK on 15 March, 2019.





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Peruvian Jorge Albornoz Gamarra (centre) and German Frank Zeldler (right) sit next to evidence and Indonesian custom officers (AP)

A Briton is among five foreigners who could face execution if they are convicted of smuggling drugs in Indonesia.

The group of five men have been held on the tourist island of Bali since the end of November and police now say they may be sentenced to the death penalty.

Police paraded the citizens of Britain, Peru, China, Malaysia and Germany at a news conference in Denpasar, the capital of Bali province.

Indonesian custom officers show evidence as they stand next to Gamarra, during the press conference (AP)

The men were arrested in five separate operations by customs and police since November 30 in which 8.8lb of cocaine were seized as well as marijuana, ecstasy and ketamine.

Indonesia has strict drug laws and dozens of convicted smugglers are on death row.

MORE: Man extracted from restaurant grease vent after being stuck inside for two days

MORE: What are the chances of a second referendum?

Its last executions were in July 2016 when an Indonesian and three foreigners were shot by a firing squad.

A police statement said the cocaine was smuggled by a Peruvian citizen in the lining of his suitcase and had a value of about 10.2 billion rupiah (554,000).

Gamarra (left) and Zeldler (right) are led away after the press conference in Bali, Indonesia (AP)

A British man was arrested for allegedly receiving nearly 68lb of cannabis oil in the mail, and a German for allegedly trying to smuggle 5.7lb of hashish on a flight from Bangkok.

Police said the Chinese citizen was arrested with 200 ecstasy tablets and ketamine powder, and the Malaysian had small quantities of synthetic cannabis and ecstasy.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  Florida's election started badly when Hurricane Michael disrupted early voting in some Panhandle counties. Long lines, ballot shortages and other problems followed statewide, both during early voting and on Election Day. Now the state is having recounts in its U.S. Senate and governor races.

Because of the 2000 presidential recount fiasco and Florida being the largest swing state, any election problems it incurs immediately become a national crisis  one that President Donald Trump and Republican Gov. Rick Scott inflamed by accusing elections supervisors in two major Democratic counties of fraud without offering evidence. State law enforcement and elections officials have said no fraud complaints have been filed.

In the Senate race, Scott's lead over incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson is 0.14 percentage point  about one vote for every 700 cast. In the governor's contest, unofficial results show Republican former Rep. Ron DeSantis ahead of Democratic Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum by 0.41 percentage point.

So how does the recount work? What problems have been reported? Is Florida really that screwed up? And do Nelson and Gillum have a shot?

HOW THE RECOUNT WORKS

For now, it's simple. Florida's 67 county elections offices run the ballots through the tallying machines a second time. Not all counties are created equal, however  small counties have only a few thousand votes, while Miami-Dade has 800,000. Overall, 8 million votes were cast. The counties' deadline is Thursday afternoon, pending court action seeking to extend it. Some are already done, including Miami-Dade.

Here's where it gets tricky. If the statewide margin between the candidates after the machine recount is less than 0.25 percentage point  one vote for every 400 cast  the counties conduct a manual recount. During the initial recount, the machines set aside any ballots that cannot be tallied. During a manual recount, only those ballots are re-examined to see whether the voter skipped the race or marked the ballot in a way that cannot be machine read but can be deciphered.

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For example, in most counties voters fill a bubble for their candidate. But some mark the bubble with an X or circle the name. Others cross out one bubble and fill another. If the voter's intention is clear, that ballot is counted. If not, it isn't.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The results will be presented to the state's canvassing board, for final approval  that's scheduled for next week, pending court action. Scott would normally sit on the panel, but he recused himself Wednesday. Typically, the board's approval is perfunctory. The state did not respond to a query asking what happens if the board refuses to certify the results.

ELECTION PROBLEMS

Several problems, real and perceived, have cropped up in the counting and casting of ballots  some worse than others.

Democratic-dominated Broward and Palm Beach, the state's second- and third-most populous counties, were both slow to complete their counts. That's why Nelson and Gillum gained ground in the days after the election. That led to accusations by Trump, Scott and others that something nefarious was afoot  but they offered no evidence and a slow count is not illegal.

While Florida's other 65 counties all tallied at least 99 percent of their votes by noon the day after the election, by that time Broward stood at 94 percent and Palm Beach at 96, an Associated Press analysis showed. Broward blamed its lengthy ballot, which included 10 county charter amendments, while Palm Beach blamed aging voting equipment. However, a quick count is not required: State law says the initial tally must be finished four days after the election and Broward and Palm Beach met the deadline.

"If it didn't take up to four days, the law wouldn't have put that in there," said Eugene Pettis, attorney for Brenda Snipes , the county's elections supervisor.

Broward also accidentally counted 22 provisional ballots that had been deemed ineligible, mostly because the signatures on the envelopes didn't match those on file. Snipes acknowledged the error.

Palm Beach Elections Supervisor Susan Bucher said her county might not make Thursday's original deadline because its tabulation machines may not be fast enough. If a county's recount in a race is incomplete, its pre-recount tally stands.

But Broward and Palm Beach weren't the only counties with possible or actual irregularities.

For example, in Republican-dominated Bay County, Elections Supervisor Mark Andersen accepted 147 ballots by email, even though that's barred by state law. Andersen said the voters were displaced by Hurricane Michael, telling a Panhandle television station that anyone who objects "ought to be ashamed."

IS FLORIDA REALLY MORE SCREWED UP THAN OTHER STATES?

That's subjective, but Florida's mistakes are magnified because the electorate is equally split. Voting problems in overwhelmingly Democratic states like California and New York or in Republican states like Texas and Utah do not get any attention because they don't change statewide outcomes.

Ballots got wet and couldn't be read last week in New York City. In Utah, some counties didn't have enough machines, causing hourslong lines. Google any state and "voting problem" and chances are you will find something.

CAN NELSON OR GILLUM STILL WIN?

Unlikely, though Nelson's odds are better than Gillum's. Recounts that flip races are rare and candidates who have succeeded overcame much smaller deficits.

In the 2008 Minnesota Senate recount, Democrat Al Franken overcame an initial 206-vote gap to win by 312 votes. In the 2004 Washington governor's race, Democrat Christine Gregoire trailed by 261 votes in the initial count, but won by 133 after the recount.

____

Associated Press writer Stephen Ohlemacher in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.

____

For AP's complete coverage of the U.S. midterm elections: http://apne.ws/APPolitics .




Several former K&L Gates lawyers have alleged they suffered sexual harassment or gender discrimination by male partners in the firm's Pittsburgh office, who were perceived to be protected from the fallout of those claims.



Sources with knowledge of the allegations said several male partners in the firm's Pittsburgh headquarters allegedly engaged in the conduct from the 2000s through the mid-2010s.



Numerous sources, including former K&L Gates employees and others with first-hand knowledge of incidents who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, described instances of misconduct ranging from affairs with subordinates to unsolicited advances and, in one instance in the early 2000s, a sexual assault.



In a statement to The Legal Intelligencer for this article, K&L Gates said it does not comment on specific personnel issues. The firm said it prohibits all forms of harassment and discrimination and reviews its policies continuously.



As a matter of policy and practice, the firm takes allegations of harassment and discrimination very seriously, the firms statement said. When we learn of allegations of harassment or discrimination, we investigate and take action as appropriate.



However, others questioned the firms approach.



It was very clear that women in the partnership were not treated the same as men, said one former K&L Gates partner, a male lawyer who worked at the firm in the 2000s and early 2010s. I never would have let my daughter work there.



In several instances, multiple sources said, female associates in Pittsburgh raised complaints with the firm about how they were treated after rebuffing a male partners advances or ending a romantic relationship with him. Other instances of male partners making unsolicited advances toward female associates went unreported, sources said.



Between 2002 and 2012, firm management signed at least three confidential settlement agreements with women who alleged sexual harassment or claimed that their career was stunted after they rebuffed a male partners advances in the firms home office, sources confirmed. In all of those cases, sources said, the male partner was kept on by the firm, and the female lawyer left soon afterward.



Despite efforts by some at K&L Gates to keep these allegations from being known by the partnership at large or becoming public, word of the claims and settlements spread. Numerous sources said they had heard of confidential settlements between the firm and women who had worked there, related to inappropriate sexual relationships or discriminatory behaviour.



While many of the allegations by these women centred on partners in Pittsburgh, RollOnFriday last year reported on similar allegations in the firm's London office. A Solicitors Regulation Authority spokesman confirmed that it is investigating the claims detailed in that article.



Sources who spoke with The Legal Intelligencer said associates at K&L Gates were assigned work under an entrepreneurial system that required them to seek out and form working relationships with partners in order to get assignments. They said many partners became valuable mentors to the associates they worked with, including women, and some women became very successful at the firm.



But if a woman lawyer experienced inappropriate behaviour by a partner for who she worked, sources said, there was often a fear that reporting that behaviour could undermine her ability to gain assignments or advance toward partnership.



A number of sources also said it was their perception that women who worked for certain partners at K&L Gates in Pittsburgh during this same period generally struggled to succeed after having children.



Sources cited discriminatory remarks made by certain male partners about pregnant associates. And multiple sources said some women lawyers left K&L Gates because they struggled to get assignments from partners after taking maternity leave, and received poor performance reviews as a result of lower billed hours.



One female lawyer who previously worked at K&L Gates, who asked not to be named, said a male partner told her directly when she was pregnant that he expected that she would stop practising law and stay home with her kids after her baby was born. I experienced attitudes that werent friendly toward women, the female lawyer said. I did find it harder as a woman to get the good billable work.



A controversial lateral



David DeNinno was said to be a major rainmaker at Reed Smith. But in 2011, he left the firm for K&L Gates. That was just weeks after Reed Smith resolved a gender bias suit in which an alleged statement by DeNinno was cited as an example of discriminatory behavior.



In the gender bias suit, former Reed Smith partner JoEllen Lyons Dillon claimed she received little to no work from more senior partners at Reed Smith and that work was diverted to male non-equity partners or women who engaged in sexual relationships with firm management.



According to the suit, Dillon had complained to DeNinno about her compensation being cut by almost half after she took maternity leave. In response, the complaint said, DeNinno asked Dillon if she was done having babies.



Samuel Cordes, the lawyer who represented Dillon, declined to comment for this story.



In addition, prior to DeNinno joining K&L Gates, three female lawyers from Reed Smith with who he allegedly had affairs complained to Reed Smith, according to a source with knowledge of the claims. Those women ultimately left the firm.



Reed Smith declined to comment for this story. DeNinno did not return a call seeking comment.



K&L Gates hired DeNinno from Reed Smith just days after Dillon dropped the case  her lawyer said in May 2011 that "the matter has been resolved to our mutual satisfaction".



Multiple sources said numerous lawyers within K&L Gates were aware of the allegations against DeNinno and were unhappy with K&Ls decision to hire him.



DeNinno left K&L Gates less than a year later for an in-house position.





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I dont want a scandal





It was because of the culture at K&L Gates that Roberta Anderson Sutton (pictured), a lawyer who practised in the firms Pittsburgh office for 20 years, chose not to immediately report her worst experience at the firm, she said.



It was about 15 years ago. She was an associate at the firm, then known as Kirkpatrick & Lockhart, attending a firm event at a Pittsburgh hotel.



During that evening event, she said, she left the party to go to the bathroom and encountered a male partner in the hallway. Anderson Sutton said the partner took her by the shoulders, forced her into a nearby conference room and shoved her onto a table. He then ripped open her blouse, she said.



Anderson Sutton said she protested and called out. The male partner eventually left the room, she said, though she was unsure what caused him to do so.



It was extraordinarily aggressive, she said.



Anderson Sutton said she called her then-husband, a former K&L lawyer, and asked him to meet her at the hotel. She told him what had happened. He was furious, she said, but she refused his suggestion of reporting the incident.



At the time I thought: No, Im doing really well at this firm. Im going to succeed here. I dont want a scandal, she said.



And she did succeed there. Anderson Sutton, an insurance recovery lawyer, became a partner after about seven years at the firm, and she co-founded K&L Gates cybersecurity practice. She later moved to Cohen & Grigsby in 2017, before starting her own consulting business earlier this year.



Anderson Sutton said she chose not to tell firm management about the incident because she worried that making a report would harm her career. Two sources, including Anderson Suttons ex-husband, confirmed that she told them about the incident soon after it happened.



More than a year after the alleged assault, during an out-of-state firm event, the same male partner came knocking on Anderson Suttons hotel room door, she said. She called hotel security and stayed quiet until he stopped knocking. Because of their previous encounter, she was afraid, she said, so she confided in a friend of hers who worked at the firm, telling her friend about the assault. That friend then told someone in firm management, Anderson Sutton said.



An employment lawyer for the firm met with Anderson Sutton to hear her account of what happened, she said. And a few days later, at the firms Pittsburgh headquarters, the male partner who had allegedly attacked her came to her office unaccompanied, she said.



According to Anderson Sutton, the partner said he had been directed by the firms employment lawyer to come apologise to her. He said: I guess youve solidified your future with the firm. I said: I would think just the opposite, she revealed.



Even though she had not intended for firm management to hear about the incident, Anderson Sutton said she was extraordinarily offended by how the firm responded after hearing her account. The male partner continued to practise at K&L Gates for several more years, before leaving the firm to take another legal position.



Charles Pemberton, a lawyer in Pittsburgh who represents employees in employment discrimination cases, said the kind of response by the firm that Anderson Sutton described would be improper. That is out of the ordinary, he said.



Anderson Sutton chose to go public with her account, even posting about it on her Facebook page, after Justice Brett Kavanaughs confirmation hearings, at which Christine Blasey Ford detailed her sexual assault allegations against the now-confirmed US Supreme Court justice.



Anderson Sutton said there were other times she encountered inappropriate behaviour at K&L Gates, whether toward herself or other women at the firm.



A few years later, for example, another male partner groped her chest and buttocks at a firm retreat, she said, and she noticed that at least one other male partner saw the groping but said nothing to stop it.



I unfortunately shrugged it off as this is something you just have to deal with, she said.
Former Tribune Publishing chairman Michael Ferro described California billionaire and civic leader Eli Broad as being part of a Jewish cabal during a company meeting in 2016, according to an NPR report published Wednesday.

Ferro, who exited the company in March after a tumultuous tenure, made the remarks during a 2016 strategy dinner at an upscale restaurant near the companys Chicago headquarters, NPR reporter David Folkenflik reported, citing two unnamed individuals who attended the event.

Earlier this year, Tribune paid a $2.5 million settlement to a fired Tribune executive in order to avoid a lawsuit that would have led to public disclosure of Ferros alleged remarks about Broad, NPR reported, citing three people with knowledge of the deal. The Los Angeles Times later reported that it was former Los Angeles Times publisher and editor Davan Maharaj who received the payout.

Also Read: National Enquirer Parent Company Admits Paying Off Karen McDougal to Help Trump in 2016

A rep for Tribune Publishing declined to comment on NPRs report. However, a rep for Ferro told TheWrap, Mr. Ferro categorically denies those reckless allegations. Further, regarding Mr. Broad, he and Mr. Ferro are friends and Mr. Ferro thinks the world of Mr. Broad.

Ferros leadership of Tribune Publishing was deeply divisive, with the executive overseeing waves of layoffs and cost-cutting across various properties as well as the renaming of the company to the widely ridiculed tronc. Under his tenure, he saw the company unload its flagship asset, the Los Angeles Times, to billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong for a half-billion dollars.

Ferro was ultimately forced to step down from the company in March of 2018 after accusations of sexual misconduct surfaced dating from his tenure at a Chicago investment firm.

Also Read: Tribune Media Spikes $3.9 Billion Deal With Sinclair Broadcast Group, Sues for Breach of Contract

According to a report from Fortune, Ferro forcibly kissed The Muse CEO and co-founder Kathryn Minshew in 2013, after making an investment in her startup the year before. A second woman, Hagan Kappler, an executive at manufacturing giant Ingersoll Rand, told the magazine that Ferro groped her during a meeting in a Las Vegas hotel suite.

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Ferro still, however, remains close to his successor on the job, Justin Dearborn, and is the largest shareholder  owning more than a quarter of the companys shares.

Downsizing continued after Ferros exit, however, with savage cuts hitting the Tribune-owned New York Daily News in July. Management at the historic tabloid said later they were not sure themselves what the plan would be for employees who remained.

Read original story Former Tribune Publishing Chairman Accused of Calling Eli Broad Part of a Jewish Cabal (Report) At TheWrap
Michael Cohen, the former longtime personal lawyer of President Donald Trump, was sentenced to three years in federal prison on Wednesday, taking a parting shot at the President after implicating him in hush money payments to two women over alleged affairs with Trump.

It was my blind loyalty to this man that led me to take a path of darkness instead of light, Cohen said in court, the Associated Press reported. I felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds. Cohen said he had been living in a personal and mental incarceration since starting to work for Trump, the New York Times reported.

But U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley III said a tough sentence was warranted because as a lawyer, Mr. Cohen should have known better.

In August, Cohen pleaded guilty to tax evasion, campaign finance violations and making false financial statements  charges brought by prosecutors in New Yorks Southern District. Cohen admitted that he worked at the direction of Trump to pay former Playboy model Karen McDougal and adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about their alleged affairs with Trump  which Cohen said was an effort to influence the 2016 election.

Daniels lawyer, Michael Avenatti, was present for Cohens sentencing hearing Wednesday.

Trump  who has denied the affairs and denied that the payments were campaign contributions  has lashed out at Cohen throughout the trial, calling him a weak person, accusing him of lying and saying he deserves to serve a full and complete sentence.

In a filing on Friday, the federal prosecutors in New York recommended a harsh sentence for Cohen, who requested a sentence for time-served. Now he seeks extraordinary leniency  a sentence of no jail time  based principally on his rose-colored view of the seriousness of the crimes, prosecutors wrote. 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.

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Prosecutors said Cohen deserved to serve substantial prison time, even though he had cooperated with investigators, suggesting a sentence of about three and a half years.

In a separate case, Cohen pleaded guilty last month to lying to Congress in 2017 about the timing and details of his work on a since-abandoned project to build a Trump tower in Russia. Those charges were brought by Special Counsel Robert Mueller as part of his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

In his own filing on Friday, Mueller recommended that Cohens sentence for lying to Congress should be served concurrently with his sentence from the Southern District of New York case, crediting Cohen for providing credible and consistent information in cooperation with the Russia investigation.
False promises: Beauty products promising virginity restoration, enlargement or reduction of breasts and bottoms have potential detriments to health

Beauty products were once simplerfoundation, eye shadow, lip pigment and hair colour. But now, theyve taken on a more insidious edge, promising the restoration of a womans virginity and the enlargement, or reduction, of breasts and bottoms.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Michael Cohen, U.S. President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, was sentenced to a total of three years in prison on Wednesday for his role in making illegal hush-money payments to women to help Trump's 2016 election campaign and lying to Congress about a proposed Trump Tower project in Russia. U.S. District Judge William Pauley in Manhattan sentenced Cohen to three years for the payments, which violated campaign finance law, and to two months for the false statements to Congress. The two terms will run concurrently. Cohen pleaded guilty to the campaign finance charge in August and to making false statements in November. (Reporting by Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Will Dunham)
New York (AFP) - US President Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen delivered a blistering attack on his ex-boss as he was sentenced to three years in prison on Wednesday for multiple crimes including paying "hush money" to two women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump.

"It was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds," Cohen said as he pleaded for leniency before US District Judge William H. Pauley III.

Cohen, 52, Trump's longtime "fixer," said he was taking responsibility for his personal crimes and "those implicating the President of the United States of America."

Cohen's lawyers had asked for no jail time after he admitted tax evasion, making false statements to a financial institution, illegal campaign contributions and making false statements to Congress.

But Pauley said Cohen -- as a lawyer -- "should have known better" and sentenced him to three years in federal prison, ordering him to surrender to custody by March 6.

"Each of these crimes standing alone warrant considerable punishment," Pauley said, adding that Cohen was "motivated by personal greed and ambition."

Before the judge passed his sentence Cohen addressed the court.

"Today is the day that I am getting my freedom back," he said.

"I have been living in a personal and mental incarceration ever since the day that I accepted the offer to work for a real estate mogul whose business acumen that I deeply admired," he said.

Cohen referenced a tweet from Trump calling him "weak," saying his "weakness was a blind loyalty to Donald Trump."

- 'Hush money' -

Cohen pleaded guilty to charges brought by federal prosecutors in New York and by the office of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, the former FBI director who is looking into Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether any members of Trump's campaign colluded with Moscow.

Among the counts against Cohen was making "hush money" payments to silence two women threatening to go public during the 2016 presidential election campaign with claims they had affairs with Trump.

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Cohen told prosecutors the payments totaling $280,000 to porn actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal were made "in coordination with and at the direction" of Trump.

Both women have claimed to have had sexual encounters with Trump before he was the Republican candidate for president and prosecutors have characterized the payments as illegal campaign contributions intended to influence the election.

"Cohen deceived the voting public by hiding alleged facts that he believed would have had a substantial effect on the election," prosecutors said.

Trump this week sought to minimize the importance of the payments saying they were a "simple private transaction" and that they were "wrongly" being called campaign contributions.

"Cohen just trying to get his sentence reduced," Trump tweeted. "WITCH HUNT!"

In a sentencing memo, the special counsel's office said Cohen had "gone to significant lengths" to assist their investigation.

Last month Cohen acknowledged that he lied to Congress about his contacts with Russia about building a Trump Tower in Moscow.

Cohen, wearing a dark suit with a light blue tie, arrived for the sentencing with his wife, son and daughter, who was walking with a crutch.

For 12 years, Cohen was vice president of The Trump Organization, the umbrella company for Trump's real estate businesses, and one of the principal confidants of the New York billionaire.

Investigators raided Cohen's offices and New York home in April and he admitted in August to hiding about $4 million in revenue from his taxi business from the tax authorities.
Strasbourg (France) (AFP) - The gunman who killed three people at a Christmas market in Strasbourg was shot dead by French police on Thursday as the Islamic State jihadist group claimed him as one of its "soldiers".

More than 700 French security forces had been hunting for 29-year-old Cherif Chekatt since the bloodshed on Tuesday night -- the latest in a string of jihadist attacks to rock France.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said three police tried to question Chekatt after spotting him on the street in the Neudorf area of the northeastern French city where he grew up, but he opened fire.

"They immediately returned fire and neutralised the assailant," Castaner said.

A source close to the investigation said a woman spotted a man fitting Chekatt's description with a wounded arm on Thursday afternoon and alerted authorities, who sealed off the area and used a helicopter with thermal cameras to hunt for the suspect.

People gathered at the police cordon where Chekatt was shot and applauded, some shouting "bravo!", a source said.

"It's really a huge relief," said Alain Fontanel, a local official in the mayor's office, describing the anxiety that locals had felt since Tuesday's attack.

"We didn't really feel very safe," one 18-year-old local named Arthur told AFP.

- Watchlist -

The propaganda wing of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attack.

The perpetrator of "the attack in the city of Strasbourg... is one of the soldiers of the Islamic State and carried out the operation in response to calls to target nationals of the coalition" against IS, the Amaq agency said in a message posted on Twitter.

Chekatt, who lived in a rundown apartment block a short drive from the city centre, was flagged by French security forces in 2015 as a possible Islamic extremist.

France has been hit by a wave of attacks from people claiming allegiance to Al Qaeda or IS since 2015, which have claimed the lives of nearly 250 people, according to an AFP toll.

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It is also not the first time a Christmas market has been targeted in Europe.

In 2016, a jihadist attacked a Christmas market in Berlin and went on the run through the Netherlands and France before being shot and killed three days later in northern Italy.

Defiant local authorities insisted the Strasbourg Christmas market would reopen as usual on Friday.

- Career criminal -

Chekatt was believed to have been wounded after exchanging fire with soldiers during the attack, but managed to escape and had not been seen since fleeing the scene on Tuesday.

Police in several other countries had joined the hunt for the career criminal with at least 27 convictions in four European states.

Officers who had already detained Chekatt's parents and two brothers on Wednesday took a fifth person into custody for questioning on Thursday.

French President Emmanuel Macron thanked security forces in a tweet and vowed: "Our commitment against terrorism is total."

He earlier expressed "the solidarity of the whole country" towards the victims.

"It is not only France that has been hit... but a great European city as well," he added, referring to the seat of the European parliament in the eastern French city that lies on the border with Germany.

Strasbourg's location in the heart of western Europe means that Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg can be easily reached by car or train, making the search for Chekatt more complicated.

Swiss police had reinforced border checks, while German authorities also widely published the photo of the suspect, which showed him with dark hair, a short beard and a mark on his forehead.

- Plea to 'yellow vests' -

As police hunted Chekatt, the French government urged "yellow vest" protesters angry over French economic reforms not to hold another round of demonstrations this weekend, given the strain on the country's security forces.

Government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux called on the anti-government protesters to be "reasonable" after nearly four weeks of often violent demonstrations that have led the government to offer a range of financial relief to low earners.

"Our security forces have been deployed extensively these past few weeks," Griveaux told CNews television.

"It would be better if everyone could go about their business calmly on Saturday, before the year-end celebrations with their families, instead of demonstrating and putting our security forces to work once again."

The yellow-vest protesters, known for their fluorescent high-visibility jackets, had called for a fifth round of protests this Saturday.

The protests began on November 17 over fuel tax increases, but snowballed into a revolt over living standards as well as Macron's perceived indifference to the problems of ordinary citizens.

burs/jah/qan
Get ready for what might be the best meteor shower of 2018.

The Geminid meteor shower, which peaks late at night on Thursday into the wee hours of the morning Friday, could bring more than 100 meteors per hour to light pollution-free skies in dark areas around the world, according to NASA.

That's a whole bunch of meteors.

"If you can see the familiar winter constellations Orion and Gemini in the sky, you'll see some Geminids," NASA explained in a skywatching video.

"Expect to see up to 120 meteors per hour from a dark sky location, but only after the first quarter moon sets around midnight your local time. From the Southern Hemisphere, observers should see fewer but still plenty of medium-speed meteors once Gemini rises above the horizon after midnight local time."

Perhaps the best thing about a meteor shower is you don't need any special gear to see it. All you need to do is bundle up and head out to a dark area with little cloud cover and an unobstructed view of the sky to see the shooting stars.

Even if you're in a light-polluted part of the world, you still might be able to see at least a handful of meteors per hour. If you can't leave a city, try to find a dark park or a somewhere with as little artificial light as possible and get comfortable.

Patience is your best friend when watching a meteor shower.

Grab a warm jacket or blanket and plan to camp out for quite a few hours to see as many meteors as you can. And remember, it takes about 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark.

The Geminid meteor shower comes along once per year when the Earth passes through the trail of debris left behind by the asteroid 3200 Phaethon, making it somewhat unique.

Usually, meteor showers are sparked by comets, which slough off a fair bit of debris during their trips around the sun.

SEE ALSO: Unique gifts for your friend that's obsessed with skywatching

Scientists think that 3200 Phaethon  which orbits the sun every 1.4 Earth years  could be a "dead comet," according to NASA, meaning it doesn't develop a comet's distinctive tail when it gets close to the sun and looks somewhat like an asteroid.

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That said, the object has a strange, elliptical orbit which suggests a cometary origin, NASA added.

"Due to its close approach to the sun, Phaethon is named after the character of Greek myth who drove the sun-god Helios' chariot," NASA said.

"Phaethon is a small asteroid  its diameter measures only 3.17 miles (5.10 kilometers) across. It was astronomer Fred Whipple who realized that Phaethon is the source for the Geminid meteors."
A questionable article on media bias is making waves after being introduced during a congressional hearing with Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Tuesday.

Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) brought up a blog post from conservative site PJ Media, using it to argue that internet search results are biased against President Donald Trump.

The post, written by PJ Media supervising editor Paula Bolyard in August, included an infographic that suggests outlets like conspiracy theory site Infowars is in the same place on the political spectrum as The New York Post and The Christian Science Monitor. It also labels The Washington Post, The New York Times and NPR as far-left media outlets.

The Daily Beasts Will Sommer flagged the chart on Twitter:

The Google hearing has kicked off! A GOP congressman is grilling Google's CEO over a PJ Media "study" that proves Google favors liberal search results. The whole study is based on this chart from notorious kook Sharyl Attkisson. pic.twitter.com/R29vjF7JwT  Will Sommer (@willsommer) December 11, 2018

At the hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, Smith stated, PJ Media found that 96 percent of search results for Trump were from liberal media outlets  a reference to Bolyards blog post.

In her post, Bolyards maintained that Google was manipulating its algorithm to give preference to left-leaning outlets.

She backed up that claim by saying that she searched for Trump and found that the first page of Google News results was filled with links to outlets described as left leaning on the infographic. (The infographic was created by former CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson, who posted it on her personal website.)

But Bolyard criticized Smiths use of her blog post, pointing out on Twitter that it was an anecdotal observation and should not be treated like a study. She added that she never claimed it was in any way scientific.

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She pointed to Smiths use of her article as evidence that Congress lacked the expertise to handle the Google hearing, which the committee said was intended to look into the search engines data collection, use and filtering practices.

Case in point: Rep. Lamar Smith cited my "study" at PJ Media  which was not a "study" but an anecdotal observation  as evidence of Google bias. I merely reported what happened when I searched for Trump and never claimed it was in any way scientific.  Paula Bolyard (@pbolyard) December 11, 2018

Bolyards previous claim about liberal search results was eventually regurgitated by President Donald Trump on Twitter.

....results on Trump News are from National Left-Wing Media, very dangerous. Google & others are suppressing voices of Conservatives and hiding information and news that is good. They are controlling what we can & cannot see. This is a very serious situation-will be addressed!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 28, 2018

As for the infographic, Attkisson said that she based it on feedback from readers of her blog and various sources, including a 2014 chart from the Pew Research Center that categorized news sources based on the political leanings of their audiences. That said, Attkissons graphic is significantly different from the chart published based on Pew data:

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A 2014 chart from the Pew Research Center that categorized news outlets based on readers' political leanings. (Photo: Pew Research Center)

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
As we already know from media reports and hedge fund investor letters, many hedge funds lost money in October, blaming macroeconomic conditions and unpredictable events that hit several sectors, with healthcare among them. Nevertheless, most investors decided to stick to their bullish theses and their long-term focus allows us to profit from the recent declines. In particular, lets take a look at what hedge funds think about Kimberly Clark Corporation (NYSE:KMB) in this article.

Kimberly Clark Corporation (NYSE:KMB) was in 26 hedge funds' portfolios at the end of September. KMB has seen a decrease in hedge fund interest lately. There were 27 hedge funds in our database with KMB holdings at the end of the previous quarter. Our calculations also showed that KMB isn't among the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds.

To most market participants, hedge funds are viewed as unimportant, old financial tools of yesteryear. While there are greater than 8,000 funds with their doors open today, Our experts choose to focus on the bigwigs of this club, approximately 700 funds. These hedge fund managers have their hands on most of the hedge fund industry's total capital, and by watching their inimitable stock picks, Insider Monkey has determined many investment strategies that have historically outperformed Mr. Market. Insider Monkey's flagship hedge fund strategy outstripped the S&P 500 index by 6 percentage points per year since its inception in May 2014 through early November 2018. We were able to generate large returns even by identifying short candidates. Our portfolio of short stocks lost 24% since February 2017 (through December 3rd) even though the market was up nearly 23% during the same period. We just shared a list of 11 short targets in our latest quarterly update.

John Overdeck of Two Sigma

Let's take a look at the new hedge fund action surrounding Kimberly Clark Corporation (NYSE:KMB).

Hedge fund activity in Kimberly Clark Corporation (NYSE:KMB)

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At Q3's end, a total of 26 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey were long this stock, a change of -4% from one quarter earlier. The graph below displays the number of hedge funds with bullish position in KMB over the last 13 quarters. So, let's examine which hedge funds were among the top holders of the stock and which hedge funds were making big moves.

KMB_dec2018

When looking at the institutional investors followed by Insider Monkey, Ric Dillon's Diamond Hill Capital has the largest position in Kimberly Clark Corporation (NYSE:KMB), worth close to $169.1 million, comprising 0.8% of its total 13F portfolio. The second largest stake is held by Panayotis Takis Sparaggis of Alkeon Capital Management, with a $113.6 million call position; the fund has 0.5% of its 13F portfolio invested in the stock. Some other peers with similar optimism consist of John Overdeck and David Siegel's Two Sigma Advisors, Israel Englander's Millennium Management and Ken Griffin's Citadel Investment Group.

Judging by the fact that Kimberly Clark Corporation (NYSE:KMB) has witnessed a decline in interest from the entirety of the hedge funds we track, it's safe to say that there lies a certain "tier" of hedgies that slashed their entire stakes heading into Q3. At the top of the heap, Jim Simons's Renaissance Technologies dumped the biggest position of all the hedgies watched by Insider Monkey, worth about $40.6 million in call options. Noam Gottesman's fund, GLG Partners, also dumped its call options, about $28.6 million worth. These transactions are intriguing to say the least, as total hedge fund interest was cut by 1 funds heading into Q3.

Let's also examine hedge fund activity in other stocks similar to Kimberly Clark Corporation (NYSE:KMB). We will take a look at The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc (NYSE:RBS), Kinder Morgan Inc (NYSE:KMI), Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM), and Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS). This group of stocks' market caps resemble KMB's market cap.

[table] Ticker, No of HFs with positions, Total Value of HF Positions (x1000), Change in HF Position RBS,6,32493,-3 KMI,50,1504171,10 WM,34,3428401,-2 BCS,11,584129,4 Average,25.25,1387299,2.25 [/table]

View table here if you experience formatting issues.

As you can see these stocks had an average of 25.25 hedge funds with bullish positions and the average amount invested in these stocks was $139 billion. That figure was $567 million in KMB's case. Kinder Morgan Inc (NYSE:KMI) is the most popular stock in this table. On the other hand The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc (NYSE:RBS) is the least popular one with only 6 bullish hedge fund positions. Kimberly Clark Corporation (NYSE:KMB) is not the most popular stock in this group but hedge fund interest is still above average. This is a slightly positive signal but we'd rather spend our time researching stocks that hedge funds are piling on. In this regard KMI might be a better candidate to consider a long position.

Disclosure: None. This article was originally published at Insider Monkey.

Related Content
Accused of sanctions busting and forced to abide by a curfew and wear an ankle bracelet as she awaits possible extradition to the United States, China's "Princess of Huawei" could be said to have fallen spectacularly from grace.

But Meng Wanzhou, heiress to her billionaire father's global tech conglomerate, is managing to surround herself with a few home comforts.

Huawei's chief financial officer was arrested on December 1 on a US warrant for alleged sanctions-breaking dealings with Iran, while changing planes in Vancouver.

She faces more than 30 years in jail if convicted, but was freed on Can$10 million bail Tuesday night pending the outcome of an extradition hearing, which could take months, or even years, if appeals are made in the case.

The following morning, Meng was spotted by AFP answering the front door of her Vancouver house to three visitors bringing flowers who arrived in a sedan with diplomatic plates.

Outside, a handful of local residents walked their dogs past a group of journalists while a security guard watched from a car down the block.

Later, Meng stepped out to offer reporters slices of pizza that she'd had ordered in (they politely declined).

Meng's husband Liu Xiaozong in 2009 bought the six-bedroom house where she must stay in Vancouver's Dunbar neighborhood -- a leafy quiet enclave of single-family homes a few blocks from an urban forest.

Although valued at a hefty Can$5.6 million, the house -- on a large corner lot with a view of the Pacific coast city's majestic north shore mountains -- does not stand out as particularly ostentatious.

Colleen McGuinness, who lives in the neighborhood, said the reaction to the executive's arrival has been muted.

"I don't think I'll see her at the grocery store," McGuinness told AFP. "She's obviously been here before, she's just another person in the neighborhood, but with a bit of an entourage."

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- Chinese-Canadians divided -

Meng's husband Liu resided at the 28th Avenue home up until 2012 while working on a Masters degree, and the couple's young son attended a local pre-school.

Meng's in-laws have also spent several summers at the house, and her mother and eldest son visited too.

"While my work obligations have typically required that I travel extensively, I always try to spend at least 2-3 weeks in Vancouver every summer," she said in court documents.

The couple bought a second home in the tony Shaughnessy neighborhood worth an estimated Can$16.3 million. It is currently being renovated.

Meng's case has divided the Pacific coast city's large Chinese-Canadian community.

"I was surprised at the amount of vitriol I'd gotten from supporters of Meng, saying she should be released," Justin Fung, whose parents immigrated from Hong Kong in the 1970s, said on Twitter.

"I felt this is about the rule of law, and I was surprised at how some of these folks were speaking about human rights issues."

Speaking to AFP, Fung said the controversy, however, is not likely to affect Meng directly: "We're a pretty low key city, we routinely get Hollywood stars come through and people are not badgering them."

- Curfew -

While on bail, Meng is required to wear an electronic anklet and a security team paid by her has been assigned to monitor her movements in Vancouver. She also has an 11 pm to 7 am curfew.

Speaking through her lawyer, Meng sought to put a brave face on her situation -- saying she looked forward to spending time in Vancouver with her family, and maybe applying for a doctorate program at the University of British Columbia while the extradition case plays out.

Family photos submitted to the court showed her smiling and striking poses at tourist spots around the city, including Stanley Park with the Lions Gate bridge in the background, and on a boat in False Creek.

Her lawyer, David Martin, argued that she was not a flight risk because it would otherwise "embarrass China itself." Meng also cited health reasons for requesting bail.

"I have been working hard for 25 years and if I were to be ordered released my only simple goal is to be with my husband and my daughter," she said. "I haven't read a novel in years."

As CBC News commented, "she may have time to finish War and Peace, Anna Karenina and the complete works of Marcel Proust before her extradition odyssey is done."
Gandaki Province lawmaker Tek Bahadur Gharti dies

Gandaki Province lawmaker Tek Bahadur Gharti died on Thursday while undergoing treatment for Jaundice in India. Gharti, 46, was taken to New Delhi-based Apollo Hospital by air ambulance on Tuesday for treatment.




Ince & Cos Piraeus office Greek law head George Iatridis is the latest partner to leave the firm as it gears up to merge with listed law firm Gordon Dadds.



He is set to join Watson Farley & Williams' Athens base next year. Iatridis spent 10 years at Ince, developing his practice advising Greek and international ship owning groups, P&I clubs, banks and insurers and reinsurers.



His move will see him reunite with former Ince Piraeus office head Antonis Lagadianos and shipping partner Evangelos Catsambas, who joined Watson Farley this month.



Ince London partner duo Renaud Barbier-Emery and Jonathan Goldfarb also left the firm in November to join Norwegian firm Wikborg Reins UK base.



Iatridis departure comes a week after that of Inces London head Andrew Jameson. Jameson is to leave the firm as Gordon Dadds CEO prepares to take the reins at the merged outfit.









Listed firm Gordon Dadds announced last month that under AIM rules, the acquisition of Ince will be classified as a reverse takeover. Legal Week revealed that partners in the merged firm will move to a black box pay system while legacy Ince partners will also be subject to an effective 12-month lock-in at the combined firm, followed by a potential six-month notice period.











Ince & Co declined to comment.






Ian Naude has been jailed for 25 years for raping a 13-year-old girl (PA)

An out of control paedophile police constable who raped a 13-year-old girl in the back of his car has been jailed for 25 years.

Ian Naude, 30, who had an insatiable appetite for preying on young girls, was convicted following a trial of the rape and sexual assault of the girl who he met while serving as a student police officer with Cheshire Police.

Liverpool Crown Court heard Naude, who was sentenced for a total of 37 offences, joined the force in April 2017 and was obsessed with taking the virginity of teenage girls who he groomed online.

He first met his rape victim in October last year when he was called to a domestic incident at her home and days later picked her up in his car and raped her in the back seat, filming the assault on his phone.

Naude first met his rape victim in October last year when he was called to a domestic incident at her home (Cheshire Police)

Sentencing him on Thursday to 25 years in prison with an extended licence period of five years, honorary recorder of Liverpool Judge Clement Goldstone QC said: In order to impose your will on a young girl, three weeks past her 13th birthday, and to commit offences of rape and sexual assault against her, you used and abused your position as a Cheshire Police officer, thereby enabling you to satisfy your lust and perversion.

Naude, wearing a grey suit and burgundy tie, was ordered to pay attention by the judge as he looked down at a folder of evidence while he was sentenced.

Judge Goldstone told him: Having seen and heard you during the trial, I am wholly persuaded that you do not, even now, have any inkling or appreciation of the extent of your perversion or of the psychological harm and damage you have caused.

MORE: Man who stole phone then indecently exposed himself to victim on a video call jailed for a year

MORE: Five foreigners  including one Brit  could face death penalty after being held for drug smuggling in Indonesia

He said Naude, of Market Drayton, Shropshire, was out of control with an insatiable appetite for young girls and described a selfie he took after raping his victim as showing his smug self satisfaction and total lack of shame.

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Naude, who was based at Crewe police station, had denied rape, telling the jury the sex was consensual.

In a statement read to the court, her mother said the victim would no longer leave the house without close family and friends.

Naude used aliases on fake social media profiles (Cheshire Police)

She said: She will no longer walk past the local police station and hides when a police car drives past.

Other parents said their daughters had gone on to self-harm after being groomed online by Naude, who would blackmail and threaten his victims.

Naude, who was suspended and dismissed by Cheshire Police following his arrest, was also found guilty by a jury of four charges of attempting to arrange commission of a child sex offence and one charge of arranging commission of a child sex offence.

He pleaded guilty to 30 other offences, including inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, making indecent photos of children and misconduct in a public office.

Naude posed as a teenage boy when messaging girls (Cheshire Police)

He groomed six girls, aged between 12 and 16, online and admitted using his position as a police officer to find contact details of two other teenage girls.

He also admitted possessing 1,443 indecent images of children, including pictures of girls aged as young as 18 months.

The court heard South African-born Naude would gain the trust of young girls by posing on social media as a 15-year-old boy called Jake Green.

The father-of-one, who previously served in Afghanistan as a machine gunner with the Royal Irish Regiment, was named as a suspect in cases in neighbouring forces before taking up his post in Cheshire Police.

The police officer was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court (Wikipedia)

The force said his appointment was delayed from January 2017 to April because he was alleged to have raped a woman in Staffordshire.

No further action was taken in the case and Naude was allowed to join  but reports of child grooming in Staffordshire and West Mercia which named him as a suspect in January and February 2017 were not picked up by Cheshire Police until after his arrest in November that year.

Saul Brody, defending, said there was very little mitigation and conceded the defendant was a dangerous offender.

He added: Its unclear whether he entered the police force specifically to exploit vulnerable victims but he undoubtedly sought opportunities to do so once appointed.

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Every night, groups of young habaneros turn up in droves at Fabrica de Arte. The contemporary art space set inside an old factory in the heart of Havanas Vedado neighborhood is an alternate reality to daily Cuban life, where live trova music and colorful projections of avant-garde films swirl through a warren of galleries. The brainchild of afro-rocker X Alfonso, the venue is brimming with the kind of progress youd fully expect to miss when visiting this last remaining relic of the Cold War. But on one recent evening, the scene was more modern-day Soho than old Havana: In between the dance floor and bar, the art was as biting as the cocktails, with photographs by local artist Enrique Rottenberg showing shabby bedrooms and startling portraits of women posing half-naked on disheveled beds.

There has been a lot of talk about a boom in contemporary Cuban art among international collectors, who now travel to the gritty streets of Havana from London and New York in search of the next rising star. In a sense, it is not Cuba that has changed but the level of attention the art world has deigned to give it. Havana has always been a wildly creative place, says Bryant Toth, a New York art dealer who specializes in Cuban art. It has been hugely vital in music, the visual arts, ceramics, theater, and literature. It was just difficult to showcase it to the world.

The rich tradition goes back to the 1920s, when Cuban artists like Wifredo Lam were hanging out in Paris with Picasso and Hemingway. But the heyday didnt last long; everything changed with the Revolution. Under the rule of a young Fidel Castro, art suddenly became another ward of the socialist state. Galleries were the property of the government, art was subject to heavy censorship, and even calling yourself an artist required an official certificate. Canvases were a luxury reserved for a privileged few, as was access to the leaders free art schools and institutes.

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Since Raul Castro introduced his reform in 2011, the tide has turned back, if slowly and unevenly. The first private galleries have opened, young artists have flourished, and the hunt for new talent is onand a hunt it truly is in this country where Internet is still a rare commodity. Its not like New York where you can walk down a street and see a dozen galleries, says Toth. You really have to know where to look. You still need to visit artists in their homes and in their studios.

Though todays artists are no longer relegated to a clandestine existence, they remain dangling on the fringes of whats considered acceptable in a country still prone to erratic spasms of censorship. Its a government-ordained purgatory that mandates only subtle protestnothing too loud, lest it draw the wrong kind of attention. Such is the case with Rottenberg, whose squalored subjects are an easy reference to the rampant poverty and inequity on the island, yet they are presented without commentary. Its the same with Adrian Fernandez: He makes good use of quiet critique in his photographic series To Be or To Pretend, which highlights floral arrangements in front of dramatic backdrops with an almost cartoonish vividness. But the flamboyant still lifes are a subtle swipe at Cubas upper-class: A closer look reveals that these arrangements, which were photographed in the homes of Havanas affluent families, are fakecheap knock-offs posing as flagrant displays of wealth.

There are acceptable forms of protest, of coursethose that turn the focus away from Cuba altogether. Painter Alain Pinos use of images of Benjamin Franklin and George Washington from U.S. greenbacks in paintings littered with paratroopers and military aircraft are blatant in their message, yet they keep the finger pointed outward. The artists other paintings showing the profiles of President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping hidden in silhouette, presumably scheming, are the kind of on-the-nose commentaries that fly well on Cubas radar. (Were Castro included in those works, the story would no doubt be different.)

And then theres the all-out resistance of Esterio Segura, whose studio-home is a must-see for any collector seeking a glimpse into the future of Cubas art scene. His private space comprises a series of white-cube galleries filled with sculptures depicting Pinocchios (an overt reference to liars), cages (prisons), and airplanes (exile). But Seguros most rebellious work lives in his dining room, at the end of a long table, where the artist regularly hosts dinner parties. There, an entire wall is covered with 48 Glorious Entries of the Victorious Hero into Havana, four dozen ceramic plates painted with detailed images of Fidel Castro making love to Cuba in the form of a woman. Each plate depicts a different sexual position to represent el comandantes relationship with the country throughout his 48-year rule. The raw blue sketches would be graphic in any countrymost certainly this one. And the day it can be exhibited at Fabrica de Arte will truly be the signal of a new era for Cuban art.

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It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. On the other hand, wed be remiss not to mention that insider sales have been known to precede tough periods for a business. So before you buy or sell Deep Industries Limited (NSE:DEEPIND), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling.

What Is Insider Selling?

It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required.

We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. For example, a Colombia University study found that insiders are more likely to engage in open market purchases of their own companys stock when the firm is about to reveal new agreements with customers and suppliers.

View our latest analysis for Deep Industries

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Deep Industries

While there werent any large insider transactions in the last twelve months, its still worth looking at the trading.

In the last twelve months insiders netted 836k for 3.50k shares sold. Over the last year we saw more insider selling of Deep Industries shares, than buying. The sellers received a price of around 239, on average. Insider selling doesnt make us excited to buy. But we note that the selling, on average, was at well above the recently traded price of 129. The chart below shows insider transactions over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

NSEI:DEEPIND Insider Trading December 13th 18

If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Insider Ownership

I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. I reckon its a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Its great to see that Deep Industries insiders own 63% of the company, worth about 36m. Most shareholders would be happy to see this sort of insider ownership, since it suggests that management incentives are well aligned with other shareholders.

Story continues

What Might The Insider Transactions At Deep Industries Tell Us?

There havent been any insider transactions in the last three months  that doesnt mean much. Its great to see high levels of insider ownership, but looking back at the last year, we dont gain confidence from the Deep Industries insiders selling. Therefore, you should should definitely take a look at this FREE report showing analyst forecasts for Deep Industries.

If you would prefer to check out another company  one with potentially superior financials  then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements.



The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
Tehran (AFP) - Iran confirmed on Tuesday that it had carried out a recent test of a medium-range ballistic missile after Western powers sharply criticised a December 1 launch.

"We are continuing our missile tests and this recent one was a significant test," the Fars news agency reported, citing Revolutionary Guards aerospace commander Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh.

"The US reaction showed that it was a big thing for them and that it upset them," the conservative news agency said, adding that Iran carried out between 40 and 50 missile tests a year.

Iran has pressed on with its ballistic missile programme after reining in much of its nuclear programme under a landmark 2015 deal with major powers.

A UN Security Council resolution adopted after the agreement calls on Iran to refrain from testing missiles capable of carrying a nuclear weapon, but does not specifically bar Tehran from missile launches.

The UN Security Council convened at the request of Britain and France on December 4 to discuss the latest test which both governments described as "provocative" and "inconsistent" with Resolution 2231.

Britain said that the types of missiles fired had capabilities that "go way beyond legitimate defensive needs".

Iran has developed several types of ballistic missiles with a range of up to 3,000 kilometres (1,875 miles) -- sufficient to reach Israel and Western bases across the region.

In its report, Fars did not specify the date of the latest test or say which types of missile were fired.

Washington, which quit the nuclear deal in May, described the test as an outright "violation" of Resolution 2231 and called on the Security Council to condemn it.

But veto-wielding Moscow has defended Tehran's right to carry out the missile tests, and the December 4 meeting ended with no joint statement or any plan for follow-up action.

The council is due to meet again on December 19 for a regular review of the resolution's implementation.

Iran has received regular certifications of compliance with the provisions of the nuclear deal from the UN atomic watchdog.

Western criticism has focused instead on Tehran's missile programme and its military interventions in the region.
Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - A Palestinian shot dead two Israeli soldiers at a bus stop in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, the military said, sparking army raids in the city of Ramallah during which a Palestinian was killed.

In response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to 'legalise' thousands of settlements homes considered unlawfully-built even by Israel.

The attack came hours after security forces killed two Palestinian murder suspects.

In total six people were killed in the most violent 24 hours to hit the West Bank and Jerusalem in months.

The Israeli army said a Palestinian exited his car at a bus stop near the Ofra settlement in the West Bank before opening fire on soldiers and civilians.

Two soldiers were killed and at least two other people -- including another soldier -- were wounded, the army said, with the attacker fleeing.

"We are searching for the terrorist. We will find him," the military said on Twitter.

Following the attack, the army raided the nearby city of Ramallah, home to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

Entrances and exits to the city were sealed for a number of hours and the army entered multiple neighbourhoods, before troops withdrew to the outskirts on Thursday evening.

Clashes broke out in various spots but subsided later in the evening, AFP correspondents said.

A 60-year-old man was shot dead by Israeli soldiers, in what the army said was an attempted car ramming.

- Hamas claim -

The bus stop shooting came only hours after Israeli forces killed two militants allegedly responsible for West Bank attacks that claimed the lives of three Israelis, including a baby.

The armed wing of Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which has fought three wars with Israel in Gaza since 2008, claimed the two Palestinians as its "fighters".

One of them was Salah Barghouti, a 29-year-old accused of shooting seven Israelis on Sunday, also at a bus stop near the Ofra settlement.

Story continues

The Shin Bet Israeli internal security service said that other members of Barghouti's group, all of them affiliated with Hamas, had been arrested overnight.

A woman who was seven months pregnant was among those wounded in that attack.

Doctors tried to save her baby boy with an emergency caesarean but he died on Wednesday and was buried in Jerusalem.

The mother remains in hospital in a serious condition.

The other Palestinian killed by Israeli forces on Wednesday night had been suspected of shooting dead two Israelis in October.

Ashraf Naalwa, 23, was killed when forces tried to arrest him near Nablus in the West Bank, Israel's Shin Bet security service said.

In another incident Thursday morning, a Palestinian stabbed two Israeli border police in Jerusalem's Old City before being shot dead.

- Netanyahu pledge -

The violence came amid heightened tensions in the West Bank, with a former head of Shin Bet's intelligence and research division saying it appeared to be a "new front" opened by Gaza's rulers Hamas.

While Abbas's forces control Palestinian cities in the West Bank, some Hamas cells continue to operate.

Since Sunday's attack, Israeli forces have made a series of incursions into central Ramallah, where Abbas's Palestinian Authority is based.

Abbas himself condemned the anti-Israeli attacks but highlighted Israeli raids as a potential cause of anger.

"The climate created by the policy of repeated intrusions into the cities, the provocations against the sovereignty of the president and the lack of a horizon for peace are what led to this unacceptable series of violence that we condemn and reject," he said.

Hebrew posters have been pasted in the West Bank over the past week inciting the killing of Abbas.

Senior Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi accused Israeli forces of carrying out "summary executions" of the four Palestinians killed.

"Israeli settlers are on the rampage, protected by the Israeli army. This reign of terror has compounded the pressure cooker effect," she wrote on Twitter.

Israel's premier Netanyahu responded to the violence by vowing to legalise "thousands" of settlement homes built without even Israeli permits.

All settlements are considered illegal under international law and are seen as a major obstacle to peace, but Israel draws a distinction between those it sanctions and those constructed without permission.

"They think they can uproot us from our land, they will not succeed," Netanyahu said in a statement.

He additionally said they would seek to destroy the homes of Palestinian attackers within 48 hours.

Israel seized control of the West Bank and east Jerusalem in a 1967 war.

Around 600,000 Israelis now live in settlements there considered illegal by the international community.

Many Palestinians consider violence against Israelis in the West Bank to be a justified response to the growth of settlements on land they see as theirs.
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP)  Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man in the West Bank after he attempted to ram his car into them, Israeli police said Tuesday.

Police said the driver struck a police vehicle and then attempted to hit forces securing an area near the West Bank city of Hebron. Police say officers opened fire at the car and that no Israeli forces were harmed.

Police said the driver was taken to hospital and died there. The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed the death but did not immediately identify the man.

In a separate incident in the northern West Bank, police said another Palestinian drove his car toward Israeli forces, who opened fire and arrested the driver.

The incidents come as Israeli troops are conducting a manhunt for suspects who shot and wounded seven Israelis outside a Jewish settlement this week, including a pregnant 21-year-old whose baby was prematurely delivered by cesarean section after the attack. The baby remains in critical condition.

Following that attack, the military carried out a series of raids in the West Bank city of Ramallah, bursting into stores and the offices of the official Palestinian news agency.

Security forces are also still searching for a Palestinian who killed two Israelis in an attack at a West Bank industrial zone in October.

Speaking Tuesday at the opening of an interchange near an Israeli settlement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned this week's shooting and promised to "hunt down those responsible for the attack and make them pay."

Netanyahu said the attackers intended to push Israel out of the West Bank but that Israel would deepen its ties to the territory under his leadership.

"As long as I am prime minister, not even one Jew will be uprooted from his home. Not only will they not be uprooted from their homes, they will build more homes," he said at the event, about a half-hour's drive from the site of Sunday's shooting.

Israel captured the West Bank, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 war. Some 600,000 Jewish settlers currently live in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, while Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005.

The Palestinians seek all three territories for their future state and view the settlements as a major obstacle to peace. Most of the international community views the settlements as illegal.
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A baby who was delivered prematurely by emergency Caesarean section to an Israeli woman wounded in a Palestinian drive-by shooting died in hospital on Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. Shira Ish-Ran, seven months pregnant, her husband and five others were injured in Sunday's attack at a bus stop outside the Jewish settlement of Ofra in the occupied West Bank . Doctors said she was shot in the abdomen and that her son was born in critical condition. The Palestinian gunman fled the scene, Israel said. "My heart, our hearts, are with Shira and Avihai at the death of a four-day-old baby who does not even have a name," Netanyahu told foreign media and diplomats in a speech. "The security forces are in pursuit of the murderer." After he spoke, Israel's Shin Bet security service said troops shot and wounded a suspected militant who tried to evade arrest near the Palestinian city of Ramallah. It said he was in custody, but did not immediately confirm or deny Israeli media reports that he was sought in connection with the Ofra attack. The West Bank has seen simmering violence over long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. (Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Mark Heinrich and John Stonestreet)
By Gavin Jones and Giuseppe Fonte ROME (Reuters) - Italy's surprise decision to sharply cut its budget deficit goal does little to address the problems of its finances or a deeper debate over EU fiscal rules, but may serve the real purpose of easing market pressure and playing for time. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte told the European Commission on Wednesday he was lowering next year's target to 2.04 percent of gross domestic product from 2.4 percent to avoid disciplinary action by Brussels. Rome has yet to detail how it will achieve the lower target, and many economists believe it won't. The new goal probably still breaks European Union rules, but the Commission signaled it should be enough to halt its threatened "excessive deficit procedure" and markets celebrated. Italian two-year bond yields hit their lowest level in six months on Thursday and the closely-watched Italy/Germany 10-year spread was at its tightest since late September, at 261 basis points, down about 80 points from highs reached in October. If maintained, that means lower borrowing costs which will help the economy and reduce the deficit, taking pressure off the coalition of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement and the right-wing League. "What they have done wins some time, it opens a channel of communication with the Commission and it shows some pragmatism which the markets may appreciate," said Wolfango Piccoli of the London-based political risk consultancy Teneo. European Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said after an "extremely constructive meeting" in Brussels with Economy Minister Giovanni Tria that Italy had made a "significant effort" and a deal was possible. "We are working with the aim to reach a common position ... we want to do it quickly," he said, adding that there was still some "technical work" to be hammered out. "NON-COMPLIANT" Lorenzo Codogno, head of LC Macro Advisors and former chief economist at the Italian Treasury, believes the government may meet its new target by delaying implementation of welfare and pension measures, but this was of little importance. "What matters is that the budget still entails a structural increase in spending which risks making Italy's public debt unsustainable," he said. Even under the revised target the structural deficit, adjusted for economic growth and one-off items, still rises significantly next year, so Italy remains "non-compliant" with EU rules, Codogno added. The main reason for Rome's move was market pressure that was squeezing the banking system and businesses in the League's northern Italian heartland, government and coalition sources told Reuters. The government had justified the previous 2.4 percent target as the way to throw off austerity and unleash growth in the euro zone's most chronically sluggish economy, so it loses some face over the climbdown. However, opposition parties are in disarray, with the League and 5-Star together still commanding around 60 percent support in opinion polls. "Still at work for the Italians, keeping our promises on work, pensions, health and security, aiming to avoid sanctions and problems with the EU and the markets," League leader Matteo Salvini tweeted after the new target was announced. Salvini, who has softened his eurosceptic policies to capture the political middle ground, ignored advice from his hardline economics adviser Claudio Borghi to keep the deficit no lower than 2.2 percent. FLAGSHIP REFORMS Ministers have said some of the savings will come from costly flagship reforms: an income support scheme known as the "citizens wage", and a lowering of the retirement age. Neither measure will take effect at the start of 2019, and the take-up of the early retirement option will be less than budgeted, yielding savings of "a few billion euros", Deputy Industry Minister Dario Galli said. To find the rest of the roughly 7 billion euros needed, the government will sell public real estate and cut spending, and is considering a new tax on internet companies planned by the previous government but never implemented, sources said. Some economists say that with the economy teetering on recession, the deficit will overshoot. "If the 2.4 percent target was hard to hit, then 2 percent looks like fantasy," said Piccoli. Barclays Capital said in a note to clients that it still expected a deficit of 2.8 percent next year, though there was now a slight chance it would be a little bit lower. Brussels looks set to put Italy on a looser leash, having already indicated leniency toward France over its spending concessions following violent street protests. "It will be very hard for the Commission to play hard ball with Italy given what is going on in France and now that Rome has shown some initiative," said Piccoli. He forecast that Brussels would play for time by delaying its final verdict on Rome's budget until April, when final end-2018 data are available. Gustavo Piga, economics professor at Rome's Tor Vergata University, said considering the unrest in France the Commission would be mad not to accept Italy's concessions. "It would show that they don't understand that economics feeds politics and they would be asking for trouble," he said. (Additional reporting by Massimiliano Di Giorgio; editing by David Stamp)
There are plenty of choices in the Sector - Health category, but where should you start your research? Well, one fund that you should consider investigating is Janus Henderson Global Life Science A (JFNAX). JFNAX possesses a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

Objective

The world of Sector - Health funds is an area filled with options, such as JFNAX. Healthcare is one of the biggest sectors of the American economy, and Sector - Health mutual funds provide a great opportunity to invest in this industry. Here, funds can include everything from for-profit hospitals to pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers.

History of Fund/Manager

JFNAX is a part of the Janus Fund family of funds, a company based out of Boston, MA. Janus Henderson Global Life Science A made its debut in July of 2009, and since then, JFNAX has accumulated about $178.79 million in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund's current manager, Andrew Acker, has been in charge of the fund since July of 2009.

Performance

Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. This fund has delivered a 5-year annualized total return of 13.66%, and it sits in the top third among its category peers. But if you are looking for a shorter time frame, it is also worth looking at its 3-year annualized total return of 6.39%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame.

When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Compared to the category average of 9.89%, the standard deviation of JFNAX over the past three years is 15.27%. Over the past 5 years, the standard deviation of the fund is 16% compared to the category average of 10%. This makes the fund more volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

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Risk Factors

It's always important to be aware of the downsides to any future investment, so one should not discount the risks that come with this segment.

Even still, the fund has a 5-year beta of 1.03, so investors should note that it is hypothetically as volatile as the market at large. Alpha is an additional metric to take into consideration, since it represents a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark, which in this case, is the S&P 500. JFNAX has generated a positive alpha over the past five years of 2.57, demonstrating that managers in this portfolio are skilled in picking securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.

Expenses

For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, JFNAX is a load fund. It has an expense ratio of 1.01% compared to the category average of 1.32%. JFNAX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost.

While the minimum initial investment for the product is $2,500, investors should also note that there is no minimum for each subsequent investment.

Bottom Line

Overall, Janus Henderson Global Life Science A ( JFNAX ) has a neutral Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, worse downside risk, and lower fees, Janus Henderson Global Life Science A ( JFNAX ) looks like a somewhat average choice for investors right now.

This could just be the start of your research on JFNAXin the Sector - Health category. Consider going to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for additional information about this fund, and all the others that we rank as well for additional information. For analysis of the rest of your portfolio, make sure to visit Zacks.com for our full suite of tools which will help you investigate all of your stocks and funds in one place.



Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Government to ban higher denomination Indian Currency notes in Nepal

The government has decided to ban the use of high denomination Indian Currency notes and use only IRS 100 in Nepal from now onwards.
Kathie Lee Gifford tearfully announced her upcoming departure from the Today show in an emotional on-air reveal that highlighted the bond between her and longtime co-anchor Hoda Kotb.

Gifford said she plans to retire from the program in April 2019, on what will be her 11th anniversary on Today. She and Kotb have co-hosted the shows fourth hour for the past decade. Gifford shared the bittersweet news on Tuesday, saying she is excited about her upcoming projects but will miss her team, particularly Kotb, and the work they did together.

Ive been in this business for 120 years and never worked with a more beautiful group of people who just give, give every day, she said. I love you Hoda mama.

"Its bittersweet, as these things always are@kathielgifford announces she will be leaving TODAY on her 11th anniversary in April 2019. pic.twitter.com/YsHIq6c9ev  TODAY (@TODAYshow) December 11, 2018

Gifford credited Kotb with her decision to stay on the show for the previous decade.

I thought I would stay one year, she said. Something happened along the way  fell in love with a beautiful Egyptian goddess.

Kotb grew emotional as she paid tribute to her co-anchor.

The minute you stepped into my life with both feet, everything changed, she said, as a crew member lowered tissues on to the set so the women could wipe away their tears. You chose me. And thats how it started. Everything good thats happened in my life has happened since you came.
Kevin Lee celebrates after his TKO victory over Edson Barboza of Brazil in their lightweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at the Boardwalk Hall in 2018. (Getty Images)

Kevin Lee may be the lightweight divisions forgotten man. In the aftermath of featherweight champion Max Holloways dominating victory over Brian Ortega, talk turned toward Holloway competing at lightweight.

And all of the talk centered on fights with champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and ex-champions Tony Ferguson and Conor McGregor.

When a reporter mentioned Lees name in that mix during a question to Holloway, Holloway spoke of Nurmagomedov and Ferguson far more.

Lee vows there will be a different discussion by the end of this week.

He fights Al Iaquinta on Saturday in Milwaukee on a Fox-televised card that is a rematch of a terrific fight between them that Iaquinta won at UFC 169.

Lee has gone 10-2 since and has moved up to No. 4 in the rankings. A Holloway-Lee fight at lightweight would be compelling, and Lee insists hell remind people of his talent during the fight with Iaquinta.

Ive stayed kind of quiet in the media and Ive even stayed quiet on social media, Lee said. Ive been quiet just because on Saturday night, Im really going to go out there and open up peoples eyes and kind of shock a lot of people. Yeah, Im getting left out of certain conversations, but it dont matter to me. After this one, everyone will know.

Lee is an explosive athlete with size, speed and power. Hes 10-3 in the UFC and 16-4 overall in MMA since getting turned onto the sport by watching a fight between Georges St-Pierre and B.J. Penn.

As much success as hes had, though, he hasnt satisfied himself. He hasnt lived up to what he thinks he could, or should, be. And yet, he has evolved greatly and gave a very good account of himself in a loss to Ferguson for the interim title last year. Without too much going differently, there was a path for Lee to win.

He insists hes not the fighter he was then.

I havent really had an overly great fight in the UFC yet, Lee said.   I think of [how close I came to the title in the Ferguson fight] a little bit, but I know in my heart of hearts that Ive learned a lot from that fight about myself. Honestly, I took it as a little bit of a positive because I learned so much from it. I grew so much from that fight.

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I learned not to overdo it and not putting too much on my plate and expecting to just push through it. I learned how to be more focused and you saw that in the Tony fight. I kind of lost it, and got drawn [mentally] out of it and it really wore my body down. But I feel that was a positive in a way because Ive made the changes and made the adjustments and Im better for it.

Kevin Lee, punching Al Iaquinta (L) in their lightweight fight at the UFC 169 event in 2014, will have a rematch with Iaquinta on Saturday. (Getty Images)

If he avenges the loss to Iaquinta, Lee will be in a unique position. Hell be highly ranked  presumably, if he wins Saturday hell be ranked no lower than fourth, which he is now  and that will put him in a position for a mega-fight, especially if Holloway moves to lightweight.

If Ferguson and Nurmagomedov fight for the belt  and we all know the troubled history of that match  that leaves quality opponents like McGregor, Holloway and Dustin Poirier potentially available for Lee.

Lee said Nurmagomedov would be the opponent who would most motivate him, but he is surprisingly not as interested in a McGregor fight despite the money that would bring.

Id really get up for Khabib because people see him as this Russian tank who is undefeated and unstoppable and all this, Lee said. I feel like Im seeing something different. I feel like I could really, really beat that man and put his lights out, so that one interests me the most.

I feel Ive already fought the best Tony Ferguson. The redemption factor in that one is a little fun for me, but he looked a little frail versus [Anthony] Pettis to me. He didnt look the same. He didnt look like he was moving the same way, and hes only getting older now. Whoever wins that fight between Tony and Khabib is definitely the one Im going to chase.

But then there is the McGregor factor. Despite his loss to Nurmagomedov, he remains the biggest name and brings the most attention and the most money.

Lee, though, isnt inclined to go in that direction.

Conor is kind of out of the equation, Lee said. Yeah, hell bring some attention to you and hell make you some money, but from a competitors standpoint, he just aint even up there. Hes really got to prove himself before I would be interested. Even if they offered me that fight now, I wouldnt be too interested. Hed have to prove himself first.

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If you want to know who really controls New Jersey Resources Corporation (NYSE:NJR), then youll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. Insiders often own a large chunk of younger, smaller, companies while huge companies tend to have institutions as shareholders. Companies that used to be publicly owned tend to have lower insider ownership.

New Jersey Resources has a market capitalization of US$4.5b, so its too big to fly under the radar. Wed expect to see both institutions and retail investors owning a portion of the company. In the chart below below, we can see that institutional investors have bought into the company. We can zoom in on the different ownership groups, to learn more about NJR.

See our latest analysis for New Jersey Resources

NYSE:NJR Ownership Summary December 13th 18

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About New Jersey Resources?

Many institutions measure their performance against an index that approximates the local market. So they usually pay more attention to companies that are included in major indices.

We can see that New Jersey Resources does have institutional investors; and they hold 67% of the stock. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. Its therefore worth looking at New Jersey Resourcess earnings history, below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

NYSE:NJR Income Statement Export December 13th 18

Institutional investors own over 50% of the company, so together than can probably strongly influence board decisions. New Jersey Resources is not owned by hedge funds. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily.

Insider Ownership Of New Jersey Resources

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it.

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Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances.

Our most recent data indicates that insiders own some shares in New Jersey Resources Corporation. The insiders have a meaningful stake worth US$57m. Most would see this as a real positive. Most would say this shows alignment of interests between shareholders and the board. Still, it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public, with a 32% stake in the company, will not easily be ignored. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Next Steps:

Its always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand New Jersey Resources better, we need to consider many other factors.

I like to dive deeper into how a company has performed in the past. You can find historic revenue and earnings in this detailed graph.

But ultimately it is the future, not the past, that will determine how well the owners of this business will do. Therefore we think it advisable to take a look at this free report showing whether analysts are predicting a brighter future.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements.



The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
JERUSALEM (AP)  The Latest on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (all times local):

7:05 p.m.

Israel's prime minister has ordered a number of security measures in the West Bank in response to a Palestinian shooting attack that killed two Israeli soldiers.

Benjamin Netanyahu's office says he has ordered the expedited demolition of attackers' homes within 48 hours, increased detentions of Hamas militants in the West Bank and a beefing up of Israeli forces in the region.

He also ordered additional security on roadways and increased checkpoints.

In an announcement Thursday, Netanyahu's office says he also decided to legalize thousands of existing settlement homes in the West Bank that he says were built in "good faith" but whose status is unclear.

Speaking at a military ceremony, Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel suffered a "tough blow" with Thursday's West Bank shooting.

"We will settle the score with whoever did this," he said. "Our guiding principle is that whoever harms us or tries to harm us will be held responsible."

___

5:10 p.m.

The Israeli army says forces shot and killed a Palestinian man near the West Bank city of Ramallah after he attempted to ram his car into them Thursday, lightly injuring one soldier.

The incident comes after a Palestinian gunman opened fire on a bus stop outside a West Bank settlement, killing two Israeli soldiers and injuring two others. The army has launched a manhunt for the assailant, sealing off the main roads to Ramallah, setting up checkpoints around the city and boosting military forces across the West Bank.

Israeli troops also shot and killed a Palestinian suspected of a drive-by shooting at a West Bank bus stop on Sunday, in which a baby delivered prematurely as a result of the attack died.

___

2:30 p.m.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has condemned the latest round of violence in the West Bank, criticizing both militant attacks and the tough Israeli response.

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Abbas' office issued a statement on Thursday, shortly after a Palestinian gunman killed two Israelis near a West Bank settlement, accusing Israel of creating a "climate" conducive to violence through its frequent military operations in Palestinian cities.

Abbas also accused Israel of incitement against him.

His statement says that "the absence of the horizon of peace is what led to this series of violence, which we condemn and reject, and for which both sides pay a price."

The statement also added: "Our permanent policy is to reject violence, incursions and terror of the settlers, and the need to stop incitement and not to create an atmosphere that contributes to the aggravation of the situation."

___

1:45 p.m.

Israel has sealed off major roads leading to the West Bank city of Ramallah and set up checkpoints in search of a gunman who earlier in the day carried out a deadly shooting attack nearby.

The Israeli military declined to comment on the measures, saying only it had sent reinforcements to the area.

A Palestinian gunman opened fire on a bus stop outside a West Bank settlement on Thursday, killing two Israelis and wounding another two.

The unusual measure to clamp down on Ramallah, the Palestinians' economic and administrative hub, reflects the severity with which Israel views an uptick in violence this week in the West Bank.

Thursday's shooting comes after Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian suspected of a drive-by shooting at a West Bank bus stop on Sunday, in which a baby delivered prematurely as a result of the attack died.

___

11:55 a.m.

The head of Israel's medical rescue service says two Israelis have been killed and two wounded in a shooting attack near a West Bank settlement.

Eli Bin, the head of Israel's Magen David Adom service, told Israeli Army Radio that two people were dead following Thursday's shooting. He says another two, a man and woman, were critically wounded and were being taken to hospital. Their identities were not immediately known.

The Israeli military had no immediate additional details.

The incident comes as Israeli troops ended a two-month manhunt for a Palestinian wanted in the killing of two Israelis at a West Bank industrial zone in October.

On Wednesday, Israel also killed a Palestinian suspect accused of staging a shooting attack in the West Bank earlier this week.

___

8:30 a.m.

Israeli police say security forces tracked down a Palestinian accused of killing two Israelis and shot and killed him, following a two-month manhunt.

Police say Ashraf Naalweh was armed when he was found and that he was killed during the arrest raid early on Thursday near the West Bank city of Nablus.

Naalweh fled the scene of a West Bank industrial zone in October after shooting to death two Israelis. Israeli forces have conducted a widespread manhunt for him since.

On Wednesday, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian suspect wanted in a drive-by shooting at a West Bank bus stop, shooting him just hours after an Israeli baby delivered prematurely as a result of the weekend attack died.

The militant Hamas group that rules Gaza said both men were its members.
Rudy Giuliani, Brett Kavanaugh, James Comey, and District Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilin



Lawyers could not stop talking in 2018.



Attorneys uttered many of 2018s most notable quotes, according to the annual list compiled by Yale Law librarian Fred Shapiro for The Associated Press that was released this week. Taking the top spot this year is Rudy Giulianis much-lampooned comment that, Truth is not truth, spoken while a guest on "Meet the Press" in August.



Next up is Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaughs infamous line about his soft spot for beer, delivered during a contentious and widely watched confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in September.



Also making the list is a Tweet from former FBI Director James Comey lamenting a lack of respect for the truth in Washington. Michigan Judge Rosemarie Aquilina is also in the mix with her harsh words for former USA Gymnastics team doctor and convicted molester Larry Nassar delivered during his sentencing. And yes, President Donald Trump landed on the list too.



Law.com caught up with Shapiro on Wednesday to ask if lawyers were particularly noteworthy and pithy this year. Heres what he said.



It may be that, because of special characteristics of the Trump administration, legal struggles are more in the news than usual lately. In the early 1970s, the Watergate era, lawyers were both involved in the scandal itself and involved in the investigation and prosecution of the scandal. Our era today is the closest thing to Watergate in half a century. Other kinds of conflict, such as racial conflict and gender conflict, also seem to be at a peak level, and lawyers may be involved there as well.



Heres the full list, courtesy of The Associated Press:



1. Truth isnt truth.  Rudy Giuliani, interview on Meet the Press, Aug. 19.



2. I liked beer. I still like beer.  Brett Kavanaugh, U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee testimony on his Supreme Court nomination, Sept. 27.



3. While all pharmaceutical treatments have side effects, racism is not a known side effect of any Sanofi medication.  Sanofi drug company, in a tweet responding to Roseanne Barrs blaming of its product Ambien in explaining a tweet that led ABC to cancel her show, May 30.



4. We gather to mourn the passing of American greatness, the real thing, not cheap rhetoric from men who will never come near the sacrifice he gave so willingly, nor the opportunistic appropriation of those that live lives of comfort and privilege while he suffered and served.  Meghan McCain, eulogy for John McCain, Sept. 1.



5. Were children. You guys, like, are the adults. You need to take some action and play a role. Work together, come over your politics and get something done.  David Hogg, a survivor of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting, in a CNN interview, Feb. 15.



6. I am not smart, but genius ... and a very stable genius at that!  President Donald Trump, in a tweet, Jan. 6.



7. You dont have to agree with Trump but the mob cant make me not love him. We are both dragon energy. He is my brother. I love everyone.  Kanye West, in a tweet, April 25.



8. Our country is led by those who will lie about anything, backed by those who will believe anything, based on information from media sources that will say anything.  James Comey, in a tweet, May 23.



9. I have just signed your death warrant.  Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, addressing former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar upon sentencing him to up to 175 years in prison for sexual assault, Jan. 24.



10. If you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd! And you push back on them. And you tell them theyre not welcome anymore, anywhere.  Rep. Maxine Waters, in remarks at a rally in Los Angeles, June 23.
Judge Thomas Thrash Jr., Chief Judge U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. John Disney/ ALM.

Chief Judge Thomas Thrash Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia is presiding over the case. (Photo: John Disney/ ALM)



Attorneys suing Atlanta-based credit bureau Equifax on behalf of consumers and financial institutions in a massive class action stemming from the firms 2017 data breach want documents and witness statements the company turned over to Congress.



On Wednesday, less than 24 hours after a congressional committee released a 96-page report finding the breach was preventable, plaintiffs lawyers filed a motion asking for the materials that served as the basis for that report.



Plaintiffs counsel is seeking the information because the rules in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia generally preclude discovery until after a judge has ruled on motions to dismiss. As a result, once defendant parties move to dismiss a case, little or no discovery occurs until after the court rules.



The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released a majority report Tuesday that concluded the data breach that exposed personal and financial data of an estimated 148 million consumers was preventable.



Attorneys are expected to face off Friday before Chief Judge Thomas Thrash Jr. for a daylong hearing on Equifaxs motions to dismiss pending claims.



Co-lead plaintiffs counsel for the consumer plaintiffs are Amy Keller of DiCello Levitt & Casey in Chicago, Ken Canfield of Doffermyre Shields Canfield & Knowles in Atlanta, and Norman Siegel of Stueve Siegel Hanson in Kansas City, Missouri.



Co-lead counsel for the financial institutions include: Craig Gillen of Atlanta's Gillen, Withers & Lake; Ranse Partin of Atlanta's Conley Griggs Partin and MaryBeth Gibson of Atlanta's The Finley Firm.



Equifax is represented by a team of King & Spalding attorneys led by David Balser and Phyllis Sumner in Atlanta.



Plaintiffs counsel pointed to 122,000 pages of documents from transcribed interviews with three former Equifax employees directly involved with the credit bureaus information technology department and a trove of documents on file with committee." Those documents include witness interview transcripts, emails, incident response charts, security audits, internal policies and procedures, and expired digital security certificates.



All of these documents are highly relevant to this litigation, plaintiffs counsel said. They also suggested it will be more efficient to produce the information already provided to Congress now, rather than after Thrash rules on the motions to dismiss.



Presumably, a meaningful review of the documents in the civil litigation will also take months to conduct, the motion said. There is no need to impose this additional delay in these cases of great public importance.



It is not the first time plaintiffs lawyers have asked for materials that Equifax turned over to the House oversight committee. They first asked Thrash to lift the discovery stay regarding all material turned over to Congress in October and suggested that Equifax had balked at providing preliminary information that would allow them to tell the judge what discovery they intended to seek and avoid months of dead time.



Equifax has informed plaintiffs counsel that it would not provide any documents before discovery formally opens and has cited employee nondisclosure agreements that would bar Equifax employees from disclosing company information.



Equifax lawyers have asked Thrash to deny the request.



To depart from this courts local rules and the mutually agreed-upon scheduling order, plaintiffs must show good cause why discovery must be obtained now and not after the forthcoming ruling on the pending motions to dismiss, Equifax lawyers responded.



Plaintiffs specific discovery requestsseeking every document Equifax provided to any government regulators, up to five depositions, ... and the production of documents from multiple third partiesfar exceed the scope of permissible discovery at any time and would only invite further discovery disputes before this court at a time when the Court is otherwise focused on the threshold motions to dismiss.








Beijing-based intellectual property specialist firm LexField Law Offices has helped chipmaker Qualcomm Inc. win two preliminary injunctions against iPhone sales in China.



Earlier this week, San Diego-based Qualcomm announced that China's Fuzhou Intermediate People's Court had granted the company injunctions against Apple Inc., banning imports and sales of seven older models of iPhones in China, on grounds of two patent violations.



Qualcomm was represented in the case by LexField co-managing partner Jiang Hongyi, a prominent intellectual property litigator. Apple was advised by longtime counsel Fangda Partners with a team led by Beijing partner Yang Pu. Fuzhou-based Topwe Law Firm was co-counsel to Apple.



Little-known to the outside world, LexField has a strong reputation in the intellectual property field, especially in helping multinationals fending off infringement in China. In 2013, Jiang, who co-founded the firm in 2009, successfully represented Google on a trademark infringement case that ended up going all the way to the Supreme People's Court, China's top court.



Jiang was also a founding partner of specialist IP firm Lifang & Partners before forming LexField in 2009 with former King & Wood trademark partner Jan Liu.



In two related decisions issued on Nov. 30, the Fuzhou Intermediate Court agreed with Qualcomm that Apple's iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X violated two Chinese patents owned by the chipmaker. The sales ban came after an unsuccessful attempt earlier this year by Apple to challenge the validity of the two patents before China's Patent Reexamination Board.



In granting relief to Qualcomm, the court held that if Apple's infringement is not stopped, it will cost Qualcomm more damages as more iPhone models are introduced. The court was also concerned that damages will expand to Qualcomm's other licensees in China.



The injunctions were part of Qualcomm's ongoing patent infringement suit against Apple, which are part of a global patent dispute between the two U.S. companies. A preliminary injunction is a form of interim relief during litigation proceedings. The patents in question are related to photo resizing and touch screen app managing.



According to the court, the injunctions are effective until a judgment is rendered for the infringement suit. The injunctions themselves are not appealable to a higher court, but Apple is allowed 10 days to file for a reconsideration at the same court. The injunctions will remain effective during the reconsideration period.



As of press time, the iPhone models in question are still on sale in China. On Thursday, Qualcomm said it has filed a petition asking the court for compulsory enforcement of the injunctions. The Greater China region, which includes the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan, accounts for almost 20 percent of iPhone's global shipment.



The iPhone injunctions follow a similar sales ban issued by the same court earlier this year against U.S. semiconductor maker Micron Technology Inc. In July, the Fuzhou Intermediate Court granted injunctions to Chinese chipmaker Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit Co. Ltd. and Taiwanese chipmaker United Microelectronics Corp. against imports and sales of Micron's chips. In November, the U.S. Department of Justice charged both Jinhua and UMC with economic espionage.



The Fuzhou Intermediate Court is one of the 15 municipal courts across China that have set up a specialized intellectual property tribunal; these tribunals are in addition to three specialist Intellectual Property Courts in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. In October, the Supreme People's Court set up its own IP tribunal, which will operate as a circuit court, aiming to take over all appellate patent cases.





Story continues

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Apple Turns to Fangda Partners to Protect Its iPhone in China




SAN FRANCISCO  Google's chief executive officer Sundar Pichai rejected claims of political bias against conservatives while emphasizing the American roots of the internet company in his first-ever appearance before Congress.

Again and again, Pichai stressed during the Tuesday hearing that Google operates "without political bias," as Republican lawmakers hammered him over allegations that the search engine manipulates results to show conservatives in a negative light or suppresses the viewpoints of right-leaning voices.

Rep. Bob Goodlatte, the Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, signaled the hearing's focus on political bias in his opening statement, raising allegations that Google's search algorithms favor "the political party it likes, the ideas it likes or the products it likes." He offered no evidence for the allegations.

Rep. Jerry Nadler, the top Democrat on the panel, fired back, calling charges of censorship "fantasy" and part of a "right-wing conspiracy theory." Another lawmaker even accused Google of "over using" conservative news sources.

Google has repeatedly denied any partisanship in search results. During his testimony, Pichai underscored that Google's only mission is to "provide accurate, trusted information." Seated five rows behind Pichai was Alex Jones, a conspiracy theorist banned from YouTube for violating its policies against abuse.

On the other politically volatile issue of the day, Pichai refused to rule out launching a censored search engine in China. He dodged question after question about re-entering China, a country that Google abandoned in 2010 over censorship and hacking concerns, repeatedly saying Google has no "current" plans to operate a search product that complies with Beijing censorship rules.

At times, Pichai appeared uncomfortable discussing the controversial project, codenamed "Dragonfly," which has drawn significant fire from some employees and lawmakers. More than 50 human rights organizations sent a letter to Pichai demanding Google stop work on Dragonfly.

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"We have explored what search could look like if it were launched in a country like China," Pichai admitted during the hearing, but evaded providing any specifics. He disclosed that Google had more than 100 people working on the project at one point, but said staffing levels fluctuated.

Time and again, Pichai described "Dragonfly" as an "internal effort" and pledged Google would be "transparent" with Congress about the initiative before launching it in China. But he also offered what would likely be Google's rationale for returning its search engine to China: "We think its in our duty to explore possibilities to give users access to information."

A number of other questions from the House Judiciary Committee centered on Google's massive collection of personal information, raising the issue of whether American consumers should consent to it, rather than forcing them to opt out of it.

Of particular interest to lawmakers was whether consumers understand how much and how often Google's mobile Android operating system and Google apps collect data about their location. Pichai told lawmakers Google offers users controls to limit that kind of data collection but sidestepped questions on how Google exploits that data to sell advertising.

The hearing cam a day after Google disclosed that a security bug had leaked the data of 52 million users on its social network Google Plus. "We always think there is more to do," Pichai told lawmakers. He avoided making any commitments to altering Google's privacy policies during the hearing that ran more than three hours.

The appearance on Capitol Hill was the first major test of whether Pichai could present the kind of public face Google needs in Washington as the internet giant faces increasingly harsh scrutiny of its business practices and new threats of regulation from the Trump administration.

The soft-spoken CEO, who at one point during the hearing was asked to speak into the microphone so he could be heard, does not have the political experience of his predecessor Eric Schmidt, who, during his 10-year tenure from 2001 to 2011, developed strong relationships with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

An engineer by training, Pichai joined Google in 2004, climbing through the ranks and running key parts of the business, including the Chrome web browser and the Android mobile operating system. In 2015, when the company reorganized Google as a subsidiary of Alphabet, he became its CEO. He now runs an online advertising business that's forecast to make more than $100 billion this year.

The internet giant has largely avoided heavy scrutiny from Washington even as concerns mount over its dominance of the search business around the world and the spread of disinformation and conspiracy theories on its YouTube video service, but tensions escalated in recent months.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., left, and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, talke before hearing testimony from Google CEO Sundar Pichai at a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018, in Washington. [Via MerlinFTP Drop]

In September, Googles parent company Alphabet refused to send its chief executive Larry Page or Pichai to testify before a Senate intelligence committee hearing. So U.S. senators set out a chair bearing Googles name and repeatedly took shots at the company for being a no-show while grilling Facebook's chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey about Russian election meddling, online privacy and political bias on tech platforms.

As criticism of Google cranked up, a trip to Capitol Hill was hastily arranged. Pichai, 46, met with lawmakers from both parties, including a sit down with House Republican Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and agreed to appear before Congress.

Since then, Pichai has been working to solidify relationships with GOP lawmakers and conservative groups. Last week, he took part in a White House business roundtable that included other tech leaders such as Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Oracle co-chief executive Safra Catz.

President Donald Trump and his campaign manager, Brad Parscale, have accused Silicon Valley companies of liberal bias that has led to the suppression and censorship of conservative voices. In August, Trump claimed search results for "Trump News" were "RIGGED, for me & others, so that almost all stories & news is BAD." Google has repeatedly denied any political bias in Internet search results.

More: Is Facebook too liberal? It pledges to investigate charges it's biased against conservatives

More: 'I lead this company without political bias,' Google CEO Sundar Pichai to testify before Congress

McCarthy has also chastised Google for search results, tweeting that results that incorrectly said the ideology of the California Republican Party included "Nazism" were a "disgrace." Google blamed "vandalism" at Wikipedia.

McCarthy made a special appearance Tuesday, saying "it was necessary to convene this hearing because of the widening gap of distrust between Silicon Valley and the American people."

More: Pro-Trump YouTube stars Diamond and Silk demand sit down with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg

More: Is Facebook too liberal? It pledges to investigate charges it's biased against conservatives

Censorship charges have been leveled in multiple hearings on Capitol Hill against Silicon Valley tech companies. A recent poll from the Media Research Center conducted by McLaughlin & Associates found that 65 percent of self-described conservatives believe that social media companies intentionally censor the political right.

Until recently, lawmakers had focused much of their criticism on Facebook, after a series of privacy blunders and the unchecked spread of online propaganda by Russia agents during and after the 2016 presidential election. CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified on Capitol Hill in April.

Google was frequently mentioned during a meeting earlier this year with then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions and state law enforcement officials exploring potential antitrust and data privacy investigations.

Tuesday's hearing had moments of levity. In attendance was an activist dressed as Monopoly Man, who first turned up at a congressional hearing in 2017 over the Equifax data breach. The activist, Ian Madrigal, also photobombed Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's hearing on Capitol Hill in April dressed as a troll doll. Madrigal, a strategist with Revolution Messaging, calls his brand of activism "causeplay," a play on cosplay.

"Users have no say in how Google uses even our most personal data, and the only way to opt out is to boycott the internet itself," Madrigal told Inverse. "When we allow corporations to behave like monopolies, everyday citizens have less control over their daily lives."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Google hearing: CEO Sundar Pichai tells Congress there are no 'current plans' for China, rejects bias claims
A Florida man testified this week about fatally shooting his best friend  who was long suspected of falling victim to alligators  because he was having an affair with the friends wife.

Brian Winchester told a courtroom in Tallahassee that he killed his best friend, Mike Williams, in 2000 and hid his body because he was having an extramarital relationship with Denise Williams, who is now on trial for first-degree murder, the Tallahassee Democrat reported.

We were best friends; Bonnie and Clyde ... partners in crime, Winchester, 48, said in court of the affair.

Winchesters remarks came as the prosecution presented its case against Williams on Wednesday, the second day of testimony.

Brian Winchester sits on the witness stand in Tallahassee, Florida, on Dec. 12, 2018. (Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

According to prosecutors, Denise Williams collected $1.75 million from life insurance claims following the death of her 31-year-old husband.

She and Winchester married in 2005, but the relationship eventually fell apart. Winchester is now serving a 20-year prison sentence for kidnapping her in 2016.

Winchester confessed last year to fatally shooting Mike Williams after prosecutors agreed not to put him on trial.

He told jurors he and Denise Williams began having an affair in 1997.

The more we were together, the more we wanted to be together, Winchester said. Overall, it was very mutual. We wanted to be together  and we werent going to let anything stop that.

He said the two plotted together how to kill her husband  a plan he said was put into action on Dec. 16, 2000.

Denise Williams listens during her trial for the murder of her husband Mike Williams on Dec. 12, 2018. (Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Winchester testified that he lured Mike Williams out to Lake Seminole under the premise of duck hunting. Once out on the water, he said he pushed his best friend out of a boat in hopes he might drown. When Williams grabbed a stump, Winchester said he was forced to improvise.

I didnt know how to get out of that situation, so I loaded my gun and made one or two circles around and I got closer to him and he was in the water and as I passed by, I shot him in the head, Winchester said.

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He detailed for the jury how he pulled Williams body into the boat, took it to a secluded area in northern Leon County and buried it in a makeshift grave.

A recess was taken to give Brian Winchester time to collect himself before continuing his testimony. (Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

At the time, no one  aside from Denise Williams, the prosecution alleges  knew that anyone had been with Mike Williams on the lake that day. When he failed to return home, a search party was organized. His truck was found parked along the shoreline and his canoe was discovered floating nearby.

The missing mans hunting license, jacket and hip waders were later found in the water, according to CBS 48 Hours. The discoveries reportedly led investigators to suspect Williams had fallen into the water and been devoured by alligators.

The location of Mike Williams body remained a mystery for 17 years.

They found Mike, exactly where Brian said he would be, prosecutor Jon Fuchs told jurors during opening arguments on Monday.

During his own opening remarks, Denise Williams defense attorney, Philip Padovano, told jurors there is no tangible evidence tying his client to the crime. He said they should consider the source of the allegations, Tallahassees WTXL-TV reported.

The issue youre going to have to decide is whether to believe him, the defense attorney said of Winchester. All youre going to have to go on is the word of the man who actually committed the murder.

Denise Williams trial continues Friday morning.

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Patricia Kane



I have spent the past few weeks fielding the same question: Is he really going to retire? I know Mark Dubois wrote that farewell article about how he was going to fix bikes and make soup, but truth be told, I have heard this all before.



When Mark worked with me in the Chief Disciplinary Counsels Office, not a week went by that he wasnt threatening to leave. Someday this will all be yours, he would tell me. Yeah, right, I would think and go back to my office to delve into yet another sad tale told in a grievance file. At one point he was interested in an advertisement he had seen for a lawyer to set up a legal system in Afghanistan. It was the type of challenge that appealed to him, and he thought they played a lot of polo in Afghanistan, so that would be a bonus. Well, we all know he didnt go to Afghanistan. But when he came home from his summer vacation in Provincetown in 2010 and told me he and his wife had bought a condo there, I knew the time had come for him to leave the stifling regularity of state employment behind.



I wondered how we would go on without him. Mark had the ideal combination of skills to get the Office of the Chief Disciplinary Counsel up and running, to make something from nothing. He is an incredibly bright guy with a great liberal arts education, capable of abstract thinking, analyzing the history of the law that would lead to the rationale for deciding whether what we wanted to do was appropriate, and able to see the big picture. At the same time, he is compassionate; with his experience in private practice he could empathize with all the struggles that go with the challenge of making a living as a ham and egg lawyer, as were so many of our constituents in the disciplinary system.



Underlying the compassion was a strong personal moral code, no doubt fostered by the Jesuits. What was wrong was wrong, and had to be dealt with accordingly. The unpleasant parts of the job of meting out discipline had to be done, and with the least possible drama.



Then he left the Office of the Chief Disciplinary Counsel and went on to private practice and lead the Connecticut Bar Association. We went on without him, in the house that he built.



It is clear from the interest in Marks alleged retirement that he is esteemed by many in the Connecticut bar, for many different reasons by many different people. He represents the lawyer we can all identify with: he is not such a fancy dresser that we feel outclassed; he has his own style of sartorial splendor in the vein of a tweedy absentminded professor (if you dont see the tattoos). A genius disguised as an old hippie. He even has the ability to, on occasion, make comments with the filter off when it should be on. We can all identify with that.



He is soft-spoken and kind. When he would counsel the many troubled lawyers who called the disciplinary counsels number in either panic or desperation, Mark would take the time to calmly talk them off the ledge, and lead them to a path forward before hanging up the phone. Pastoral counseling, we called it. He continues to do the same for his clients and his colleagues.



The bar needs lawyers like Mark, who are not full of themselves, who do not have to believe they are better than the rest of us because they are so smart. We need the combination of intellectual skills, practical advocacy, recognition that solving problems can be the equivalent of winning, and kindness to set the example for our younger brothers and sisters at the bar. This keeps us going as lawyers, to know that there is someone we can trust to call when we are in a pickle. We look forward to other attorneys who will rise to fill the void.



Mark will fully retire one day, maybe. He has a remarkable gift of survival, given any number run-ins between his bicycle and motor vehicles of one sort or another, other assorted illnesses, and, of course, the broken neck that he suffered because he was more interested in watching a turkey vulture than the road. We will hope by then that some other equally inspirational lawyer rises to the top of our profession to lead us forward. We need inspiration.



So, as for this so-called retirement, you read the articlethe phone will continue to ring in his pocket. His intellectual curiosity will compel him to answer. Maybe he wont be traveling back for as many grievance hearings, but hell be around for whatever piques his interest, which will not be put out to pasture any time soon. When he pitches his phone into the Atlantic, then I will believe that he is retired.



Patricia Kane is a former chief disciplinary counsel for Connecticut, now with Geraghty & Bonnano in New London. She can be reached at Pking@geraghtybonnano.com.
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This has been updated since it was originally published Aug. 28, 2018.

Russian spy tactics are aggressive but, to those who know them, familiar.

Schmoozing with political operatives, cultivating an elaborate backstory, using a fake name to mask Russian roots  these are standard aspects of Russian espionage. They typically assume roles as professors, students, business owners  anything that lets them gain information but not draw attention.

That's why accused Russian spy Maria Butina, 30, an unapologetically Russian gun-rights activist who gravitated toward publicity and the National Rifle Association, baffles some ex-intelligence officials with decades working counterintelligence for the FBI and CIA.

Butina, who initially pleaded not guilty, is expected to plead guilty Wednesday to conspiracy over the allegation she worked for Russia without informing the U.S. government. A conviction could result in a five-year prison sentence, but prosecutors estimated a six-month sentence, according to CNN.

Butina's July 15 arrest came more than three years after the FBI claims she began her mission. She's been sitting in a Virginia jail cell ever since.

The four ex-intelligence officials who spoke to USA TODAY worked and oversaw countless Russian espionage investigations at home and abroad with careers dating to the 1960s through the modern day.

They analyzed Butinas case using public information on the alleged spy operation and their institutional knowledge. They describe her as a variation of a spotter, a person who makes connections in the U.S. and passes information to more senior Russian espionage officials. Her influence campaign, they said, sought grassroots goodwill toward Russia.

But she was not working in the shadows. Butina gave interviews and speeches, published articles and posed for magazine photos.

This Friday, Aug. 17, 2018 photo provided by the Alexandria, Va., Detention Center shows Maria Butina, accused of being a Russian spy.

That does not fit any spy that I can think of, said Jack Devine, who ran all CIA operations worldwide in the mid-1990s, met with high-level KGB officers and served as the agency's acting and associate deputy director.

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It's unclear if Butina's public image was a tactic, opportunity or mishap. Some officials suggest Butina recycled an old Russian routine: target the presidential administration through an affiliated political group  no matter who resides in the White House.

(Trump) and his administration are the target and groups that are related to the administration, or seek to influence the administration, are the means" to get access and information, said retired FBI special agent Ed Shaw, who worked several Russian espionage cases abroad during his career from 1989 to 2014. Theyre following the bread crumbs.

If this is the case, the NRA made for a rich target of potential sources. Trump is an enthusiastic supporter of the organization. The NRA and other gun-rights organizations spent $55 million during the 2016 election. The NRA used $31 million in advertising money to back Trump.

Butina built a persona ripe for the NRA as the leader of her own Russian gun-rights group "The Right to Bear Arms." She attended NRA events, developed a relationship with NRA leadership and went to member meetings, including one where she met with a political candidate.

Butina tagged the NRA as the need-to-know group well before the 2016 election, calling a GOP victory early.

In March 2015, the indictment states, she emailed her diplomatic goals to an American, who was not named but matches the description of GOP fixer Paul Erickson, 56. In the message, she describes how Republicans would likely obtain control over the U.S. government after the 2016 elections and pegs the NRA as a place of conservative influence.

Butinas goal to build a backchannel communication line between Russia and the U.S. appeared to show some success. Erickson provided contacts while a Russian official directed her.

President Donald Trump greets supporters at the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum during the NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits on May 4, 2018.

She met Republican leaders, organized dinners in Washington, D.C., and attended two National Prayer Breakfasts, an annual D.C. event usually attended by the sitting president.

She'd gained access  and in the spy game, access rules.

She was doing pretty well making pretty rapid progress and, in some respects, may have been doing too well too soon because her profile on the radar screen raised up too high, Shaw said. But that shows in some respects shes a natural at engaging with people  figuring out who the movers and shakers are.

"Ghost stories"

Butinas case reminds ex-officials of a 2010 case in which federal authorities outed, arrested and expelled from the U.S. 10 Russian spies with fake names and years-long backstories.

The program, named "Operation Ghost Stories," aimed to search and develop ties in policymaking circles and send intelligence reports to Moscow, according to a federal indictment. It involved Hollywood-level spy tactics, such as burying payments underground, sending encrypted messages on images and seamless cash hand-offs in train stations.

In that case, a couple working as spies targeted then-President Barack Obamas young administration and his Cabinet. Just weeks into Obamas first term, Moscow instructed Vladimir and Lydia Guryev  who were living in the U.S. under the aliases Richard and Cynthia Murphy  to gather information on U.S. international policy positions ahead of an Obama trip to Russia. The Murphy's used fake birth certificates to back up their identities.

The Russians were heavily targeting the Democrats because they were in power, said Eric ONeill, a former FBI undercover operative from 1996 to 2001 who tracked numerous Russian spies in Washington, D.C., in hopes to uncover their information sources. They were trying to understand the policy decisions of the political party that is in power at that time and to hopefully influence them.

Butina's efforts with Republicans were less subtle. She used Twitter, Facebook and Instagram in Russian. She spoke with a thick Russian accent and even earned her own article in Russian GQ.

She also took opportunities to overtly connect Russia with the GOP. In 2015, a column she wrote for the foreign policy magazine The National Interest begins, "It may take the election of a Republican to the White House in 2016 to improve relations between the Russian Federation and the United States."

Theyre trying to manage the perception of Russia in the United States, said retired FBI special agent David Gomez, who worked a number of Russian espionage cases during his career from 1984 to 2011. They were trying to make friends of Russia.

Butina burrowed into NRA and Republican spheres through Erickson, a South Dakotan with a spotty career in GOP politics.

The two met in Moscow in 2013 when Butina was leading The Right to Bear Arms." Erickson reviewed her diplomatic goals and lent her contacts, according to the indictment. The couple later dated, lived together and started a company.

The U.S. Attorneys Office defined Butina's relationship with Erickson as duplicitous, claiming Butina used it for her spy effort. Prosecutors also allege Butina offered sex with another person in exchange for a job with a special interest group. Prosecutors later recanted this allegation, saying they were "mistaken" and misunderstood text messages Butina sent to a friend that were the basis of the claim.

Her attorney Bob Driscoll always denied Butina offered sex for a job, calling the allegation a "sexist smear" meant to paint Butina "as some kind of James Bond spy character." Driscoll confirmed Butina and Erickson were indeed "an item," but any allegation she used him is "unsupported."

Either way, the allegation hinted at an understood fact in the spy world: Sex is a well-worked method of coercion and blackmail. The Russians, in particular, are known for this, and FBI agents are trained to sidestep such honey traps.

The women are the most dangerous, said O'Neill, who helped take down his boss Robert Hanssen, an FBI agent who was ultimately exposed as a Russian spy. Part of that is because men are just way more susceptible to an attractive woman. Thats just the way it is.

Sex can be used a few ways: for coercion, blackmail or as a way to get someone to divulge something they shouldnt. The gathered intel may provide insight on a targets exploitable weaknesses  a debt or affair, for example.

Former Marine Sgt. Clayton Lonetree, accompanied by his attorney Lee Calligaro at left, is hustled from a military prison van to Calligaro's car after making financial transactions at a bank in Leavenworth, Kan., on Feb. 27, 1996.

Relationships can be used similarly. Clayton Lonetree, a U.S. Marine who fell for a female KGB agent in the 1980s, ended up selling government documents to the Russian government.

If you can have a dinner with someone who knows important policy decisions, and youre an attractive woman, and that person feels flattered at the attention youre laying on them, they might slip and saying something, said ONeill, national security strategist for cybersecurity company Carbon Black.

Butina's 'new fame'

Among the more memorable spies nabbed in the 2010 spy case is Anna Chapman, who posed as the founder of the website nycrentals.com in New York City. The case revealed that Chapman covertly passed information to other Russians using closed internet connections, often at New York City coffee shops and bookstores. After her arrest, Chapman, who ultimately returned to Russia in a prisoner swap, became a model, media personality and celebrity in her home country.

O'Neill sees similarities between Butina and Chapman. Butina's own Russian contact made the same comparison.

How are you faring there in the rays of the new fame? the Russian official wrote to Butina in 2017. Are your admirers asking for your autographs yet? You have upstaged Anna Chapman.

Anna Chapman, who was deported from the U.S. on charges of espionage, displays a creation by I Love Fashion during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Moscow on March 22, 2012.

The Russian official, described in the indictment only as a former member of the Russian legislature and a top official at the Russian Central Bank, fits the description of Russian politician Alexander Torshin.

The message came after a number of media articles mentioned Butina, whose prominence in American media bucks the norm for a Russian spy, the ex-officials agreed.

Unlike Chapman and the rest of them, she comes over here as a Russian, O'Neill said. Shes hiding in plain sight. Thats very bold.

Butina resided in the U.S. just a few months before the American press caught wind of her. In December 2017, her and Erickson's attempts to make connections with the Trump campaign and the NRA were reported by The New York Times.

Part of what differentiates Butina, Devine said, is how she blended covert political action, like cozying up to the NRA, and espionage, or gathering intelligence to send to Russia.

Driscoll said Butina simply wanted to be a member of the NRA.

"I don't think there's much evidence she did anything covert," he said. "She ran a Russian gun-rights group, so she joined the NRA to help get ideas for that."

While the ex-officials all agree that a public and prominent spy is unusual, they differ over whether that was by design or whether Butina's plan went awry.

ONeill suggested Butina's cover was the outward persona  an idea so brash it wouldnt draw suspicion. There's also the belief she possessed a genuine interest in gun rights and the Russian government used her to its advantage. Shaw credits her inexperience.

She could have been unwitting in that sense, he said. She could have gone rogue or things could have just gotten away from her.

There are more spies out there

Butinas specific goal, even to the ex-officials, is unclear.

The long-term objective may have been something completely unrelated to the NRA or guns, said Gomez, a retired FBI agent.

But her case  and the Russian election meddling  is evidence the Russians have grown bolder in their spy efforts, said Devine, the ex-CIA official, who over a 32-year career led the effort to drive the Russians out of Afghanistan. He suggests Americans have let their guard down.

In this photo taken on Sunday, April 21, 2013, Maria

Theres a view in Russia, as demonstrated by the intervention in the election, that you can get away with this stuff today where you couldnt get away with it in the past, he said. The level of threat is much different, its not just meddling in the election, its out there collecting sources of information.

Devine hinted the Russian election meddling should have driven home the point the Russians are a real threat  still.

The emphasis is on collusion and the political piece, he said. We dont have enough focus on the fact this is a big intelligence initiative, and it lays bare how aggressive they are.

Many of the officials agree other Russian espionage efforts are operating on U.S. soil. Shaw estimates the number of Russian spies in the U.S. could be somewhere between 10 and 20. While cyber warfare proved useful during the 2016 election, on-the-ground spying remains the most effective, and people, he said, ought to absolutely be fearful.

Where (Russians) used to use people to spread disinformation, now theyre using social media and different electronic means to do the same things, ONeill said. But the old ways still work.

Contributing: USA TODAY archives, Dana Ferguson and Jonathan Ellis of the (Sioux Falls, S.D.) Argus Leader, Fredreka Schouten, Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Does not fit any spy': What made accused Russian spy Maria Butina different
WASHINGTON (AP)  Melania Trump highlighted the spirit of giving Tuesday by sorting toys and making Christmas cards for an annual toy drive held by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.

The first lady said she had been looking forward to the Toys for Tots event all year. The charity collects new toys and distributes them to needy children at Christmas.

"I have been looking forward to this event ever since last year's ended," Mrs. Trump said. "As a mother, I feel children are the most precious gift of all. They provide so much joy in life." She added that her "mission" as first lady is to "shine a light" on programs that provide children with opportunities to succeed.

"I believe in the good work that Toys for Tots is doing," the first lady said.

Dozens of children from military families joined her at a Washington-area military base to sort scores of toys, including dolls, cars, games, stuffed animals and other gifts into boxes labeled "Girls" and "Boys." The job lasted a few minutes and then everyone sat down to make Christmas cards.

The first lady was seen drawing a snowman on her piece of construction paper.

"Don't forget the carrot," she told a girl.

The White House said Mrs. Trump was donating 100 books to a companion Toys for Tots literacy program. She also gave the children coloring books and White House candies stashed inside white tote bags labeled "Be Best" - the name of her child welfare initiative - and delivered by Santa Claus.

Retired Lt. Gen. Henry Osman, president and CEO of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, said there's greater demand for toys this year after the devastating California wildfires and hurricanes in Florida and the Carolinas. Osman said the foundation would meet the demand through the generosity of the American people and the work of the Marines and their thousands of volunteers.

He called the first lady "our No. 1 volunteer."

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"What a champ she has been," Osman said.

___

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MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador spoke by telephone with U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday and discussed the issue of migration, he said in a tweet. The two leaders discussed the possibility of creating a joint program for development and job creation in Central America and Mexico, Lopez Obrador said. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Thousands of migrants are living in crowded shelters and encampments in Tijuana after traveling from Central America to escape poverty and violence. They may have to wait weeks or months to claim asylum at the U.S. border. Illegal immigration was a central theme of Trump's presidential bid, and he repeatedly invoked the issue ahead of the Nov. 6 midterm elections and deployed some 5,800 U.S. troops to the border. Trump has reiterated his campaign promise to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, even after Mexico repeatedly rejected his demand that it pay for the multibillion-dollar project. Funding for the border wall has been a sticking point in spending bills before the U.S. Congress, and Trump clashed with leading Democrats over the issue during an Oval Office meeting on Tuesday. Lopez Obrador has pledged to discourage migration through economic development, and wants the United States to contribute to a plan focused on Mexico's poorer south and Central America. Shortly after Lopez Obrador took office on Dec. 1, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard to discuss border issues. (Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon; Additional reporting by Eric Beech in Washington; Writing by Lisa Shumaker; Editing by Sandra Maler)
By Doina Chiacu and Anthony Esposito WASHINGTON/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic leaders rebuked President Donald Trump on Thursday for saying Mexico will pay for a border wall through a new trade deal, while Mexico's new president said the topic has not come up in his talks with Trump. The Republican president vowed during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign to build a wall along the border with Mexico to slow the flow of illegal immigration, and he has long pledged that Mexico - not U.S. taxpayers - would fund it. In a Twitter post early on Thursday, Trump said that unspecified savings for the United States as a result of the renegotiated trade deal between the United States, Mexico and Canada would pay for the wall. "Just by the money we save, MEXICO IS PAYING FOR THE WALL!," he wrote. While some U.S. businesses stand to benefit from a renegotiated North American trade deal, it was not clear what Trump was referring to in terms of savings for the U.S. government. Funding for the border wall has been a sticking point in spending bills before Congress, and Trump clashed with leading Democrats over the issue during an Oval Office meeting on Tuesday. One of them, House of Representatives Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, ridiculed Trump's assertion on Thursday. "What money? What money? 'That money will be used to pay for the wall?' The money that businesses make? What money is he talking about that's going to go pay for the wall? It just doesn't measure up," Pelosi told reporters at the U.S. Capitol. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer taunted Trump over his Mexico claim in a riposte on Twitter. "Mr. President: If you say Mexico is going to pay for the wall (which I dont believe), then I guess we don't have to! Let's fund the government," Schumer wrote. In Mexico City, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the border wall was not discussed on a phone call with the U.S leader on Wednesday. Mexico has repeatedly rejected Trump's demand it pay for the wall. "We have not discussed that issue, in any conversation. ... It was a respectful and friendly conversation," Lopez Obrador told reporters after Trump's tweet linking the trade deal to wall funding. Instead, he said the two leaders spoke about the possibility of creating a joint program for development and job creation in Central America and Mexico. The White House confirmed the call was about the drivers of migration including insecurity and economic stagnation. Lopez Obrador said he also discussed a possible meeting with Trump in Washington. "He invited me. I'm also able to go to Washington, but I think that both for him and for us there must be a reason and I think the most important thing would be to sign this agreement or meet with that purpose," said Lopez Obrador. (Reporting by Anthony Esposito in Mexico City and Doina Chiacu in Washington; editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Jonathan Oatis)
Mexico City (AFP) - Investors rejected a new, sweetened offer from the Mexican government Wednesday to buy back their bonds from a cancelled airport project, deepening a growing quagmire for President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Lopez Obrador, an anti-establishment leftist who took office this month, has been scrambling to calm market jitters caused by his controversial decision to scrap plans for a new $13-billion Mexico City airport, which business leaders say Latin America's second-largest economy badly needs.

Seeking to restore investor confidence, Mexico offered last week to buy back part of the bonds used to raise money for the sleek new airport, which was about one-third complete.

When a majority of bondholders rejected that offer -- which would have paid them between $900 and $1,000 on every $1,000 invested -- the government sweetened the deal by offering full repayment plus one-percent interest.

But a group representing investors who hold more than 50 percent of the bonds, the MexCAT Ad Hoc Bondholder Group, said that was not good enough.

"While the group recognizes that the amended proposal makes incremental improvements, fundamental problems remain such that the group cannot support the amended proposal in its current form," it said in a statement.

It said there was no guarantee that the airport tax revenues meant to ensure repayment of the remaining bonds would not diminish as Mexico adopts Lopez Obrador's preferred plan: repurposing an old military airbase to complement the capital's badly overstretched current airport.

The government is offering to buy back up to $1.8 billion of the $6 billion in bonds.

Lopez Obrador, widely known by his initials, "AMLO," axed the airport project after holding a referendum on the issue that was marred by irregularities.

The president, who ran on a pro-austerity, anti-graft platform, has criticized the new airport as an unnecessary mega-project marred by corruption.

But one of the main backers of the project, Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, warned during the presidential campaign that canceling the project would amount to "canceling the economic growth of the country."

Transportation Minister Javier Jimenez admitted Wednesday the government would lose money by canceling the airport, but added: "We'll lose less than if we had finished it."
Anup Ojha is a reporter for The Kathmandu Post primarily covering social issues and human interest stories. Before moving to the social beat, Ojha covered arts and culture for the Post for four years.
A federal judge in Manhattan sentenced President Donald Trumps former personal lawyer Michael Cohen to three years in federal prison on Wednesday. Cohen previously pleaded guilty to numerous criminal charges related to lying to Congress and violating campaign finance law through paying hush money to women who allegedly had sexual affairs with Trump.

Cohen, 52, faced two separate cases  one from U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York and another from special counsel Robert Muellers office  covering a range of criminal offenses.

I take full responsibility for each act that I pled guilty to: the personal ones to me and those involving the president of the United States of America, Cohen reportedly told the judge before his sentencing. He said he had been living in a personal and mental incarceration ever since the day that I accepted the offer to work for a real estate mogul.

Responding to a Trump tweet that called him weak, Cohen said that he was weak because time and time again I felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds.

Lanny Davis, an adviser to Cohen, said that Cohen would state publicly all he knows about Mr. Trump at an appropriate time.

Michael has owned up to his mistakes and fully cooperated with special counsel Mueller in his investigation over possible Trump campaign collusion with Russian meddling in the 2016 election, Davis said. While Mr. Mueller gave Michael significant credit for cooperation on the core issues, it is unfortunate that SDNY prosecutors did not do the same. To me, their judgment showed a lack of appropriate proportionality.

The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York also announced Wednesday that it had reached a non-prosecution agreement with AMI, the parent company of the National Enquirer. AMI admitted to making the $150,000 payment in concert with [Trumps] presidential campaign as part of an effort to hide Playboy playmate Karen McDougals alleged affair with the now-president from voters. The company has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.

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Federal prosecutors had recommended last week that Cohen serve 42 months in prison for his crimes, rejecting the notion he should be given leniency for pleading guilty and providing information to authorities. Muellers office, however, detailed in their pre-sentencing filing how Cohen had offered extensive assistance to their investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.

Cohens lawyers had requested that their client serve no time in prison, stating in a court filing that his cooperation with prosecutors was extensive and that he gave seven interviews to Muellers team. Cohen told the special counsels office about the Trump Organizations real estate plans in Moscow, and also outlined his own contacts with Russian interests during the presidential campaign.

The FBI raided Cohens office, hotel room and home in April of this year, making him a key figure in Muellers probe. Since then, he has pleaded guilty in multiple cases that include payoffs to porn star Stormy Daniels and McDougal, as well as lying to congressional committees about the Trump Organizations proposed projects in Russia.

Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former attorney, arrives for his sentencing in the Manhattan borough of New York City, Dec. 12, 2018. (Photo: Brendan McDermid / Reuters)

Cohen acted as Trumps fixer for years, carrying out tasks that ranged from overseas business negotiations to trying to kill negative press coverage. Federal prosecutors stated in a court filing last week that during the presidential campaign, Trump directed Cohen to pay off women who alleged they had sex with Trump while he was married to his wife, Melania. Cohen told a Manhattan court in August that he paid Daniels $130,000 during the 2016 campaign to have her stay quiet about her alleged affair with Trump.

Cohens court date Wednesday is the first of three high-profile sentencing hearings for former Trump officials. Former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who Muellers office recommended receive no prison time due to his cooperation, will receive his sentence on Dec. 18. Meanwhile, Trumps former campaign chairman Paul Manafort will have to wait until March for his sentencing after Muellers office outlined last week how he lied to investigators and violated his plea deal in a court filing last week.

Although Trump would have the power to pardon Cohen, the prospect is extremely unlikely. Trump turned on Cohen after his former lawyer began assisting Mueller, and has publicly berated him as weak and stupid. Earlier this month, Trump tweeted that Cohen should serve a full and complete sentence.

This has been updated.

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President Donald Trumps former national security adviser Michael Flynn has asked a judge to spare him a prison sentence because of his cooperation with the Russia investigation.

Special counsel Robert Mueller, who is leading the investigation, recommended last week that Flynn, a retired Army general, receive little or no prison time. Mueller said Flynn has been interviewed 19 times by the special counsel or other Justice Department officers and has provided documents and communications.

In a sentencing memo filed Tuesday, Flynns attorneys ask that he receive one years probation at most, along with 200 hours of community service, when a federal judge sentences him Dec. 18. The memo cites his military service and says hes accepted responsibility for his conduct.

As the Government has made clear, his cooperation was not grudging or delayed, the defense memo said. Federal sentencing guidelines suggest up to six months in prison.

Flynn in December 2017 pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian government representatives while he was serving in Trumps White House. Trump in February 2017 claimed he fired Flynn after less than a month on the job because he had lied to Vice President Mike Pence about a conversation with then-Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

Trump continued to defend Flynn publicly for a year and a half, saying he had been treated unfairly by the fake media. But the president has stayed quiet since Muellers recommendation of no jail time for Flynn.

Flynn has been a central figure in the probe into the Trump campaigns contacts with Russia during the 2016 election.

Former Trump attorney and fixer Michael Cohen faces sentencing on Wednesday for crimes including tax evasion and illegal hush-money payments to women who said they had affairs with Trump to shield him from negative publicity during the campaign.

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NEW YORK (AP)  The moment of reckoning has nearly arrived for Michael Cohen, who finds out Wednesday whether his decision to walk away from President Donald Trump after years of unwavering loyalty will spare him from a harsh prison sentence.

A federal judge in New York is set to decide whether Cohen gets leniency or years in prison for crimes including tax evasion, making illegal hush-money payments to protect Trump during the campaign and lying to Congress about the president's past business dealings in Russia.

Few observers expect the hearing to go well for the 52-year-old attorney.

For weeks, his legal strategy appeared to revolve around persuading the court that he is a reformed man who abandoned longtime friendships and gave up his livelihood when he decided to break with the president and speak with federal investigators. That narrative collapsed last week. New York prosecutors urged a judge to sentence Cohen to a substantial prison term, saying he'd failed to fully cooperate and overstated his helpfulness. They've asked for only a slight reduction in the 4- to 5-year term he would face under federal sentencing guidelines.

A sentence of hard time would leave Cohen with little to show for his decision to plead guilty, though experts said Wednesday's hearing might not be the last word on his punishment.

Cohen could have his sentence revisited if he strikes a deal with prosecutors in which he provides additional cooperation within a year of his sentence, said Michael J. Stern, a former federal prosecutor in Detroit and Los Angeles.

"Few things spark a defendant's renewed interest in cooperating faster than trading in a pair of custom Italian trousers for an off-the-rack orange jump suit," he said.

Annemarie McAvoy, a former federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, said prosecutors appear to be angry at Cohen for limiting his cooperation.

"It could be a tactic to try to break him like they've tried to do with (Paul) Manafort," McAvoy said, referring to Trump's former campaign chairman. "It kind of shows they're putting the screws to him. If they're not mad at him, he didn't give them what they wanted."

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Cohen's transition from Trump's fixer-in-chief to felon has been head-spinning.

During the campaign, he coordinated payments to buy the silence of two women  former Playboy model Karen McDougal and adult film actress Stormy Daniels  who were thinking of speaking with reporters about alleged sexual encounters with Trump. Cohen once told an interviewer he would "take a bullet" for Trump.

But months after investigators began gathering evidence that he'd dodged $1.4 million in taxes, Cohen pleaded guilty in August, pledged to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian interference in the presidential election and changed his party registration from Republican to Democrat.

Prosecutors said Cohen orchestrated payments to McDougal and Daniels at Trump's direction.

Trump, who insists the affairs never happened, said Monday in a tweet mocked for its spelling errors that the campaign finance allegations are being made up by Democrats disappointed not to have found a "smocking gun" proving collusion between his campaign and Russia.

"So now the Dems go to a simple private transaction, wrongly call it a campaign contribution ... which it was not (but even if it was, it is only a CIVIL CASE, like Obama's - but it was done correctly by a lawyer and there would not even be a fine. Lawyer's liability if he made a mistake, not me). Cohen just trying to get his sentence reduced. WITCH HUNT!" Trump wrote.

U.S. District Judge William Pauley III, who was appointed to the federal bench by former President Bill Clinton, may allow Cohen to begin serving any prison term he receives at a later date. But legal experts said Cohen could also be taken into custody immediately.

"If I were advising him, I'd encourage him to bring his toothbrush to court," said Stern.

Cohen's lawyers have asked for no prison time, saying he has suffered enough already.

"The greatest punishment Michael has endured in the criminal process has been the shame and anxiety he feels daily from having subjected his family to the fallout from his case," his attorneys wrote in a court filing last month. "The media glare and intrusions on all of them, including his children, the regular hate correspondence and written and oral threats, the fact that he will lose his law license, the termination of business relationships by banks and insurers and the loss of friendships, are but some of this fallout."

Federal prosecutors said the request of a probation-only sentence is unbefitting of "a man who knowingly sought to undermine core institutions of our democracy."

Mueller's office took a far kinder view of Cohen's cooperation in a separate court filing, crediting him for useful insights about attempts by Russian intermediaries to influence Trump, among other matters.

Cohen's latest plea agreement, reached last month, requires he "provide truthful information regarding any and all matters" Mueller deems relevant. The same document bars Cohen from appealing his sentence unless his prison term exceeds federal guidelines, or he claims to have received ineffective assistance of counsel in his proceedings.

David S. Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor in Miami, said Cohen's lawyers miscalculated by seeking an "unreasonably lenient" sentence.

"They got a little greedy," Weinstein said. "Judges take a dim view of lawyers who have played the system. Cohen knew where the line was, and he chose to step over the line."

__

Associated Press writer Larry Neumeister contributed to this report.
The James family and baby Harvey in hospital (PA)

The mother of a baby boy who stopped breathing for five minutes after birth has praised the amazing medical teams who saved her sons life  as the family gets ready to spend their first Christmas together.

Emily James, 36, said Harvey, now aged two months, is thriving at their home in Upper Cambourne, Cambridgeshire.

He was born two weeks premature by emergency caesarean section after a possible infection.

Admin worker Mrs James said Harvey, who weighed 6lbs 3oz, was pale and floppy when he was delivered and did not breath for five minutes according to medical notes.

Harvey was born two weeks premature, and did not breath for five minutes after birth (PA)

Paediatricians have since told her they believe it may have been up to 10 minutes of CPR before his first breath, she said.

It felt like forever until he finally took that precious breath, she said.

He was then rushed to a specialist hospital for lifesaving cooling treatment.

He was taken to a specialist Cambridgeshire hospital for lifesaving treatment (PA)

Harvey, who was diagnosed with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy caused by a lack of oxygen and blood to his brain, was wrapped in a special jacket similar to a wine cooler for three days to reduce his body temperature.

It is designed to prevent babies from developing long-term brain damage.

He was then re-warmed to his core temperature and spent further time in the neonatal intensive care unit, with both his parents at his side thanks to accommodation provided by The Sick Childrens Trust.



Harvey, who was born in September this year, was able to go home 12 days later.

We are delighted to have him at home and to be enjoying our time as a family-of-three, said Mrs James. Hes been such a brave, courageous and determined little boy.

She said he is gaining weight and is doing really well, other than slight hearing loss on his right side.

Astonishingly, Harvey was able to go home 12 days after birth (PA)

I dont know if in the future there might be other things that come up, but at the minute he seems to be thriving and thats a strong positive, she said.

Harveys parents Emily and Chris James, a 38-year-old financial adviser, are now looking forward to many milestones with their firstborn.

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This year were celebrating his first Christmas which were so excited for, said Mrs James. We will be spending it with both our families and cannot wait to spoil him.

Harvey has slight hearing loss, but no other symptoms at the moment (PA)

Fran Stephens, head of midwifery at North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Hinchingbrooke Hospital, said: In these cases it is vital our staff act quickly to ensure babies receive the right treatment in order to minimise any issues caused by lack of oxygen.

On behalf of the maternity team at Hinchingbrooke, I would like to wish the Jameses a very happy family Christmas.

His mother Emily has praised the amazing medical teams (PA)

The family is now fundraising to support The Sick Childrens Trusts Christmas appeal.

To donate, see www.justgiving.com/campaign/mychristmaswish or call the team on 020 7638 4066.

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A young Muslim college student in Tennessee has been expelled from school simply for wearing a hijab, a civil rights organization said.

On Tuesday, Muslim Advocates and a local law firm sent a letter to the Georgia Career Institute, demanding the college refund Linde McAvoys tuition and amend its dress code.

According to the letter, staff had told McAvoy that her hijab didnt adhere to the colleges dress code. McAvoy said staff members repeatedly harassed her and told her she was not allowed to wear her covering even after she explained to schools administrators that she wore it as a part of her religious beliefs.

Its incredibly important for Muslim women to wear the hijab and get educated. We dont think those things are antithetical. We dont think that wearing the hijab is inherently unprofessional, Nimra Azmi, a staff attorney at Muslim Advocates told HuffPost.

The schools dress code policy does not prohibit religious head coverings; the only specified requirement is that students dressed professionally and wore solid black attire according to the student handbook.

McAvoy said that she still dressed professionally, wearing black slacks, black shirt and a neatly-tied black hijab.

The 21-year-old also said that the college president Joyce Meadows forcibly removed her from classes and sent her home. Meadows told McAvoy that if she wanted to continue to finish her studies at the school with the hijab - she needed to provide a note of external confirmation that she wore the hijab for religious reasons.

But McAvoy refused to provide confirmation, she said, because she believed she was adhering to the dress code, which did not state students had to present any letter.

I was expelled in a public space. It made the environment feel very hostile. It was pretty intimidating to have to choose [between] the career Im trying to pursue and do for the rest of my life versus the religion that Im following and hold dear to me and want to do well in, said McAvoy. I definitely felt targeted.

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Meadows told HuffPost the allegations were unfounded in a statement and said the schools staff, students and graduates represent every possible cultural, racial and religious group. No one has ever been expelled from the Institute for requirements of a religion.

She said she could not elaborate further due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act - a federal law that protects the privacy of student records.

GCI is a for-profit school. The letter alleged the school violated federal civil rights law because it receives federal funding; specifically in the form of federal loans from McAvoy and other students. Receiving those funds, the letter said, makes the school bound to Title IX, which is a civil rights law prohibits educational programs from discrimination on the basis of sex.

McAvoy was excited to jumpstart her studies at the institute that trains students in cosmetology and other areas. A year after McAvoy began studying at the school, she converted to Islam and decided to wear the hijab. She said she was nervous about becoming a hijab-wearing student. She specifically worried that some students would taunt her for new religious beliefs. But it turned out her peers didnt give her any issues. It was the staff.

Immediately there were problems on day one, McAvoy told HuffPost over the phone. I was expecting more problems maybe from the students but definitely not from the teachers. That definitely came as a shock to me.

McAvoys lawyers are now seeking a full-tuition refund on her behalf and implementation of anti-discrimination training for all the staff and its owner.

It is illegal to discriminate against Muslim women who want to wear the hijab. It is unjust to do so. Wearing the hijab isnt somehow in opposition to receiving an education or growing your career, said Azmi. All women should have the opportunities regardless of how they dress themselves in accordance to their faith.

This story has been updated with a statement from Meadows.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Did you catch Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D) in action Tuesday? The California congresswoman is known to be a masterful negotiator, and she was in her full glory at an Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Vice President Mike Pence.

At the outset, she set Trump back on his heels by naming the possible government shutdown the Trump shutdown, and sending him into a kind of tailspin. (Did you say Trump? he asked incredulously.)

Trump tried every sexist tactic in the book in an attempt to diminish the 78-year-old Pelosi: He repeatedly interrupted her, tried to mansplain to Pelosi  who is the former, and likely future, speaker of the House  how Congress works, and even talked about her in the third person as if she werent there.

None of it went well for him. It was a clear win for one of the most powerful women in politics, and a lesson in how to win a negotiation with a guy who underestimates women.

Read this remarkable exchange, via a transcript from The Washington Post:

Trump: Nancys in a situation where its not easy for her to talk right now, and I understand, and I fully understand that. Were going to have a good discussion, and were going to see what happens. But we have to have border security.

Pelosi: Mr. President  Mr. President, please dont characterize the strength that I bring to this meeting as the leader of the House Democrats, who just won a big victory.

She was steely calm, while Trump and Schumer traded barbs back and forth and grew agitated. Like here:

Trump: Okay, let me ask you this, just  and were doing this in a very friendly manner. It doesnt help for me to take a vote in the House where I will win easily with the Republicans.

Pelosi: You will not win.

And Trump sure did lose this round  or at least thats the consensus. Pelosi and Schumer got him to say that if the government shuts down, its Trumps own fault. I will take the mantle of shutting down, and Im going to shut it down for border security, he said.

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Successful negotiators try to put their opponent on the defensive. And, boy did Pelosi do that, said Deborah Kolb, the author of Negotiating at Work: Turn Small Wins Into Big Gains.

She saw how he was trying to undermine and demean her and she turned it  established herself as a worthy negotiating partner, said Kolb, who is a professor emerita at Simmons University. Also I think she gets that he is a terrible negotiator, competitive but cant carry it through. Bluffs but then capitulates.

Later, to her colleagues, Pelosi reportedly revealed a bit of her strategy. Essentially, she challenged Trump on one of his biggest insecurities  his masculinity.

I was trying to be the mom, Pelosi said, according to Politico, but it goes to show you: You get into a tinkle contest with a skunk, you get tinkle all over you.

Its like a manhood thing with him  as if manhood can be associated with him, Pelosi reportedly said. This wall thing.

This was originally published as part of HuffPosts In(formation) email, a newsletter focused on the reality of being a woman  by the numbers. Subscribe here.

Related Coverage

Trump Battles With Nancy Pelosi And Chuck Schumer Over Border Wall Funding

Twitter Users Mock Mike Pence's Lack Of Emotion During Trump Tantrum

Nancy Pelosi's Red Coat Was The Subtlest Power Move

Also on HuffPost

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Mitrovica (Kosovo) (AFP) - Kosovo's NATO-led peacekeepers moved troops through the Serb-dominated north on Thursday, an AFP correspondent reported, amid high tensions with Belgrade on the eve of a parliament vote to create a Kosovo army.

A spokesman for the international KFOR forces, which guarantees the security of the former Serbian province, confirmed the deployment and told AFP it was part of "normal exercises all around Kosovo".

"We have a couple of convoys moving around. One of them is going today to the north," said KFOR spokesman Vincenzo Grasso, adding that there was no reason for alarm.

During the morning around 50 KFOR vehicles moved through the divided city of Mitrovica and headed north in the direction of Leposavic, a mostly Serb municipality in Kosovo, an AFP correspondent said.

Zoran Todic, the top official in Leposavic, confirmed their presence and said the troops were "heavily armed and equipped to prevent demonstrations".

KFOR troops were later seen returning south, according to an AFP correspondent.

On Twitter, the peacekeeping mission's official account said it was conducting "a regular training activity to keep ready to be rapidly deployed all over Kosovo" in line with its mandate.

The exercise comes during a tense moment between Kosovo and Serbia, which fiercely opposes Pristina's plans to turn its crisis response force into a full-fledged army.

Belgrade refuses to recognise the independence Kosovo declared in 2008, a decade after a brutal guerilla war, and has maintained strong links with Serb communities there.

Pristina has struggled to exercise its authority in those Serb enclaves, who are also against the creation of an army.

In 2012, there were violent riots in northern Kosovo after Pristina authorities sent police to take control of two border crossings with Serbia.

KFOR, which has more than 4,000 troops, has been deployed in Kosovo since the end of the 1998-99 war between Serb forces and Kosovo Albanian separatists, which left more than 13,000 dead.

Late Thursday, without establishing a link with inter-ethnic tensions, Kosovo police said it had found about 15 kilogrammes (33 pounds) of explosive outside of Pristina, near a Serb monument commemorating the 1389 Kosovo Battle, seen by many as the origin of the Serb national identity.
Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Wednesday to find Palestinian gunmen behind a West Bank attack, after a baby delivered prematurely following the shooting died.

The baby's mother was one of seven people wounded in the drive-by shooting at a bus stop near the Ofra settlement in the occupied West Bank late Sunday.

She was 30-weeks pregnant and the baby was delivered by caesarean section at a Jerusalem hospital.

"We lost a few hours ago an newborn baby, four days old," Netanyahu said in an address to foreign media.

"We will find the killers, we haven't stopped searching. We will find them and bring them to justice," he said, as the army and security services continued their search.

US peace envoy Jason Greenblatt said in a Twitter message that the death was "absolutely heart-breaking".

"My thoughts & prayers are with the family of the baby who died today as a result of the despicable terror attack on Sunday," he wrote. "This is an attack Hamas praised as 'heroic'".

The Islamist Hamas movement, which runs the Gaza Strip, saluted the shooting and in a statement said it proved "resistance" was still alive in the West Bank.

Following the attack the 21-year-old mother was reported as stable, but the Shaare Zedek hospital said Monday that her baby had taken a turn for the worse.

The child died "despite the medical efforts of the premature baby unit to save him," the hospital said on Wednesday.

The others wounded in the attack were not in life-threatening condition.

Palestinian attacks against Israelis occur sporadically in the West Bank.

Sunday's shooting north of Jerusalem was the most serious attack in the West Bank since October 7, when Palestinian Ashraf Naalwa shot two Israelis dead in an industrial zone for a nearby settlement.
Deadpool (Credit: Fox)

The new poster for Once Upon A Deadpool has fallen foul of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

A promo for the PG-13-rated re-cut of Deadpool 2 shows the red-masked superhuman mercenary flanked by trombone and tuba-playing angels, while he floats among them in a float robe.

Its emblazoned with the legend Yule believe in miracles, and also, in a mean twist, features John Wicks sadly departed terrier.

(Credit: Fox)

So far, so biblical (apart from the tagline and the terrier), but apparently it bears a rather striking resemblance to a famous piece of Gospel art held dear to the church.

Harry Andersons The Second Coming shows Jesus descending from the heavens on a cloud, heralded by trumpeting angels, and was commissioned by the church in the 1960s.

The Second Coming, by Harry Anderson. (Image: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)

Many versions of the paintings, and others by Anderson, find themselves in Mormon homes and places of worship.

And now a petition has been launched calling for director Tim Miller to have the poster withdrawn from circulation, and at the time of writing it has a not inconsequential 36,000 signatures.

Said the petition founder Cassidy Carter: Deadpool recently posted a new poster for the Once Upon a Deadpool that resembles the sacred picture of The Second Coming.

In the original painting Jesus Christ is at the center surrounded by angels. In the poster Deadpool replaces Jesus Christ. Deadpool is positioned exactly as Jesus Christ was and is wearing a white robe.

It is unknown if the picture was used to intentionally mock the Church of Jesus Christ, but it is clear it was copied from the original picture. This is a form a religious discrimination. We ask that the picture be not used or posted in any manner. That they find another poster to represent their movie.

Said one signee: This isnt just a stab at the Church of Jesus Chris of Latter-Day Saints, this is mocking our Savior, Jesus Christ. While I choose to not be offended when someone mocks my religion, I will forever stand with and defend Jesus Christ.

Story continues

However, another quoted senior church member David A. Bednar in saying: To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else.

As yet the Fox, nor the church itself, has commented on the matter.

Read more

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Incredible actor transformations

Most bizarre Disney crossovers




Police have found a shovel they were searching for in connection with Grace Millanes murder (Picture: PA)

Police investigating the murder of British backpacker Grace Millane have found a shovel they were searching for in connection to her death.

Detective Inspector Scott Beard previously said detectives were looking for a long-handle shovel in connection with the investigation into Graces Killing.

Grace, 22, went missing from a hostel in Auckland on December 1, just weeks after arriving in New Zealand.

Her body was found on Sunday and a 26-year-old man has been charged with her murder.

Detective Inspector Scott Beard had previously said police were looking for the shovel in connection with Graces death (Picture: Doug Sherring/NZ Herald via AP)

Police have now reportedly found the red Atlas Trade shovel after what has been described as an intensive examination of CCTV footage.

The tool was found in the central west Auckland area on Thursday.

MORE: Believe in yourself: Actor and dancer is first person with Downs Syndrome to get honorary university degree

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Graces family are currently in the process of organising to take her body home.

In a tribute, they said their whole world turned upside down after her disappearance.

They said: We all hope that what has happened to Grace will not deter even one person from venturing out into the world and discovering their own OE (overseas experience).

The family paid tribute to police for their concise, stringent and thorough investigation and added: We would like to thank the people of New Zealand for their outpouring of love, numerous messages, tributes and compassion.

Grace was not born here and only managed to stay a few weeks, but you have taken her to your hearts and in some small way she will forever be a Kiwi.
Bigstock



As the United States Supreme Court has now noted on several occasions, modern smartphones and other mobile devices implicate privacy concerns far beyond those raised by the search of a cigarette pack, a glove compartment, a wallet or a purse. Digital technology is unquestionably different.



One of the most notable distinguishing features of the modern mobile devices that have revolutionized the way we live, work and communicate, as articulated by our nations highest court in Riley v. California, 134 S. Ct. 2473, 2489 (2014), is the immense storage capacity of these devices. As the United States Supreme Court has pointed out, a modern smartphone, for instance, collects in one place many distinct types of informationan address, a note, a prescription, a bank statement, a video or photo, a text message, web historyall of which reveal much more, collectively, than any isolated record might if it was, standing alone, disclosed in the abstract. The United States Supreme Court put it best when writing, a cell phone faithfully follows its owner beyond public thoroughfares and into private residences, doctor's offices, political headquarters, intimate encounters, and other potentially revealing locales. The importance of safeguarding the contents of an individuals cell phone, then, is undeniable. Carpenter v. United States, 138 S. Ct. 2206, 2218 (2018)



The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution and the related Act of Production Doctrine protect individuals from compelled self-incrimination. Under New Jersey law, the privilege against self-incrimination is the product of the common law, and embodied in the Rules of Evidence. The question of whether these fundamental individual rights can protect an individual from being compelled to provide mobile device passwordsthe proverbial keys to what has been widely recognized as the most intimate details about a personis testing courts across the country.



In In re Grand Jury Subpoena Duces Tecum, dated March 25, 2011, 670 F.3d 1335, 1346 (11th Cir. 2012), the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit held that the required production of decrypted hard drives in response to a grand jury subpoena would be tantamount to testimony by the defendant because it would require the use of the content of the defendants mind and could not be fairly characterized as a physical act that would be non-testimonial in nature. Similarly, In United States v. Kirschner, 823 F. Supp. 2d 665 (E.D. Mich. 2010), the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division, quashed a subpoena that required a defendant to provide the password to his computer in connection with a grand jury investigation targeting him.



Demonstrating the evolving nature of the law in this arena, in 2016, the District Court of Appeal of the State of Florida decided State v. Stahl, 206 So. 3d 124 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2016), holding that requiring a defendant to produce his cellphone password did not communicate information that had testimonial significance, and therefore did not violate the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. However, in 2018, a separate panel of the same Florida court quashed a trial courts order compelling the disclosure of two passwords in G.A.Q.L. v. State, No. 4D18-1811, 2018 WL 5291918 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. Oct. 24, 2018). In that case, prosecutors were seeking to compel a cellphone password and an iTunes account password. The court stated that all of these password cases, with the exception of Stahl, have determined that the compelled production of a passcode is more akin to revealing a combination than producing a key. This is so because revealing one's password requires more than just a physical act; instead, it probes into the contents of an individual's mind and therefore implicates the Fifth Amendment. Id. at *2. The G.A.Q.L. court concluded that the compelled production of the cellphone password or the iTunes password would be testimonial and covered by the Fifth Amendment. Because of the inherent conflict between G.A.Q.L. and Stahl, the law in Florida is unsettled.



On Aug. 21, 2018, in Seo v. State, No. 29A05-1710-CR-2466, 2018 WL 4040295 (Ind. Ct. App. Aug. 21, 2018), the Court of Appeals of the State of Indiana held that the defendant's act of using her passcode to unlock and decrypt the contents of her phone was testimonial in nature. In so holding, the court stated, when the State seeks to search a smartphone, it seeks to inquire into far more than old-fashioned information physically contained on paper. In truth, nearly every smartphone contains data stored and arranged in such a way as to uniquely reveal the innermost thoughts of its owner. Id. at 420.



Non-criminal cases in the regulatory context have also been decided in favor of preserving the privilege against self-incrimination. In SEC v. Huang, 2015 WL 5611644 (E.D. Pa., Sept. 23, 2015), the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania denied the regulator plaintiffs motion seeking to compel the defendants to disclose their personal passcodes for smartphones owned by their former employer. The court found that the defendants confidential passcodes were personal in nature, and the defendants may properly invoke the Fifth Amendment privilege to avoid production of the passcodes.



On Oct. 16, 2018, in State v. Andrews, the New Jersey Appellate Division heard oral argument on whether a defendant could be compelled by police to produce his cellphone passwords. The defendant, an Essex County Sherriffs Officer, was accused of exposing an undercover narcotics investigation to his friend. The friend was the subject of the investigation. The friend testified that he and the defendant sent texts messages to each other relating to the investigation. The State obtained search warrants for the defendants cellphones, but were unable to unlock the phones.



The Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey (ACDL-NJ) appeared as amicus curiae in the matter. Consistent with the majority of rulings of other courts across the country, the ACDL-NJ argued that requiring a defendant to provide the password to his cellphone constitutes testimonial conduct that invokes the protections against self-incrimination. The ACDL-NJ further argued that enhanced scrutiny should be placed upon the states efforts to circumvent the right against self-incrimination where electronically stored information is involved. In analyzing matters involving electronically stored information, such as the unbounded and limitless contents of a mobile phone, great caution must be exercised. Consistent with the broader protections afforded to individual rights under New Jersey law, as opposed to federal law, New Jersey courts should emphasize the importance of safeguarding the contents of an individuals cellphone.



On Nov. 15, 2018, the Appellate Division, in a published opinion written by Judge Yannotti, rejected the defendants arguments. Relying on Commonwealth v. Gelfgatt, 11 N.E.3d 605 (Mass. 2014) (a mortgage-fraud case that compelled defendant to enter his password for encryption software defendant has placed on various media storage devices), and United States v. Apple MacPro Computer, 851 F.3d 238 (3d Cir. 2017) (a child pornography case that compelled defendant to provide passwords for encrypted external hard drives), as well as the foregone conclusion doctrine, the Appellate Division concluded that the compelled disclosure of the passcodes of defendants cellphone were not barred by the Fifth Amendment. The court refused to address the ACDL-NJs argument that electronically stored information should be subjected to an enhanced degree of scrutiny, because the issue was not raised by the parties. Defense counsel will appeal to the New Jersey Supreme Court.



The proliferation of smartphones and other mobile devices has forced our courts to constantly reevaluate the application of the United States Constitution, state constitutions, and various other statutes and rules implicating individual privacy rights well beyond the brick-and-mortar contexts in which these cornerstone legal constructs were first devised. The amount of personal information held in a persons mobile device is overwhelming, and worthy of protection. It is nothing short of a treasure trove of testimonial material. The evolution of technology necessitates the parallel evolution of fundamental constitutional principles. New Jersey has long been a place where enhanced individual rights are recognized. It is time for New Jersey to recapture its rightful place as a leader in defending those very fundamental individual rights that we hold dear.







Matthew S. Adams is a partner with Fox Rothschild, and co-chair of the firms White Collar Criminal Defense and Regulatory Compliance practice group. Marissa Koblitz Kingman is an associate the practice group. They have frequently appeared as amicus curiae on behalf of the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers of New Jersey to advance individual rights issues in the technology context.




Nordson (NDSN) came out with quarterly earnings of $1.44 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.47 per share. This compares to earnings of $1.38 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.

This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of -2.04%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this maker of adhesives and industrial coatings would post earnings of $1.59 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.60, delivering a surprise of 0.63%.

Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates two times.

Nordson, which belongs to the Zacks Manufacturing - General Industrial industry, posted revenues of $569.30 million for the quarter ended October 2018, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.59%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $573.94 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters.

The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.

Nordson shares have lost about 24.4% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's decline of -1.4%.

What's Next for Nordson?

While Nordson has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?

There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.

Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.

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Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Nordson was unfavorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to underperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $1.16 on $494.43 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $6.59 on $2.29 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.

Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Manufacturing - General Industrial is currently in the top 39% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.



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Photo credit: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Joshua Hammond

From Popular Mechanics

An ex-military jet operated by a private aviation company slammed into the water off the coast of Hawaii yesterday, injuring the pilot. The vintage Hawker Hunter fighter jet was playing the role of adversary in an exercise with the Hawaii Air National Guard.

According to eyewitness accounts, the single-seat fighter jet crashed off the island of Oahu, in the vicinity of Sand Island. Video shared by CBS News shows the pilot ejecting at very low altitude, with the aircraft crashing into the water shortly thereafter.

A group of parasailers in a nearby boat rescued the pilot, diving into the water, untangling his parachute, and bringing him aboard. The pilot was then transferred to a U.S. Coast Guard ship and transferred to a local hospital, where he was in serious condition.

The Hawker Hunter was an early first-generation fighter jet. Developed by the United Kingdom, the Hunter entered service with the RAF in 1954. The Hunter has a maximum speed of 525 knots indicated airspeed, powered by a single Rolls-Royce Avon 207 turbojet engine. The aircraft has a maximum range of 1,300 nautical miles.

The plane was owned by Airborne Tactical Advantage Company , a private military contractor firm that specializes in flying older, retired fighter jets. ATACS has found a niche in supplying jets and trained pilots to the U.S. Armed Forces to acts as simulated enemy aircraft during training exercises. Theyre also used to augment U.S. military jets flying in the aggressor role, provide close air support in exercises, and even simulate incoming cruise missiles.

Photo credit: U.S. Navy

The Hunter was flying in support of a Hawaii Air National Guard exercise, but exactly what it was doing has not been released. Earlier this year, ATACs flew in support of the U.S. Navys TOPGUN fighter training program and the 2018 Rim of the Pacific naval exercises.

ATACs antique but well maintained fleet includes ex-Swiss Air Force Hawker Hunters, ex-Israeli Kfir fighter jets, and Czechoslovakian-made L-39 Albatros jet trainers. The company is currently adding French-made Mirage F1 fighters to its inventory.



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The odds of a second EU referendum have now shortened dramatically (Getty)

Theresa May has insisted there will be no second EU referendum  but yesterdays leadership challenge may well have made one more likely.

The Prime Minister survived a significant rebellion by Tory MPs, winning a confidence vote by a margin of 83 votes, but the task of getting her Brexit deal through Parliament has not got any easier.

Mrs May appears to have neither the will of the EU to make any further concessions, nor the support of enough MPs to vote through her plan when it returns to the Commons for a meaningful vote before January 21.

If her deal is voted down by Parliament, rebel MPs could then move to bring about another Brexit vote, with Labour thought to be on the brink of backing the idea.

Theresa May clung on to power following a dramatic leadership challenge (Getty)

Mrs May will today address EU leaders at the two-day European Council with one burning question at the forefront of her mind: how can she convince the EU to tweak the Withdrawal Agreement?

And the chances of that are appear to be getting more remote. According to bookies William Hill, the odds of a second referendum by the end of 2020 have now shortened to 1/1, compared to 8/11 of no second vote.

And while Mrs May managed to cling on to power in Wednesdays confidence vote, her position as leader remains precarious, with odds of her leaving office in 2019 now standing at 1/3 from 4/6.

William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams said: Theresa May has done well to make it through but clearly question marks remain and we are still odds against her getting the deal through Parliament.

Ominously for the Prime Minister the price of both a second referendum and Article 50 being revoked have shortened considerably.

The odds come following news that young voters in Leave-voting Labour marginals support a second referendum by more than three to one, according to a new poll published by campaigners.

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Polling in 54 marginal Labour seats which voted to quit the EU in 2016 suggested that 66% of 25-34-year-olds back a second referendum, compared to 20% who oppose it.

Among 18-24-year-olds, 66% favour a second vote, with 20% opposed, according to the ICM survey of 1,535 people aged 18-34, published by Labour for a Peoples Vote.

Labours leadership has so far resisted calls for the party to commit to a so-called Peoples Vote amid concerns about the potential impact in Leave-voting heartland constituencies in the North and Midlands, but has kept the door open by insisting all options are still on the table.

The Government chaos around their handling of Brexit has made a second vote more likely, according to bookies (Getty)

Some Leave voters want the Prime Minister to walk away without a deal (Getty)

The most recent national YouGov poll showed 53% of 18-24-year-olds support a fresh EU poll, with 16% against it. Among 25-49-year-olds, 46% support another vote, with 27% opposed.

Mike Buckley, director of Labour for a Peoples Vote, said: Among young people, support for a Peoples Vote is overwhelming.

They will have to live with the consequences of what the country decides on Brexit for generations to come. Labour has to give the country leadership on this and work across Parliament to make sure a new referendum happens and the people have the final say on Brexit.

One Tory backer of a second referendum, Totnes MP Sarah Wollaston, said: Sooner or later were going to have a blinding flash of the obvious and the Prime Minister is going to have to accept that we have reached deadlock and the only way forward is to take her deal direct to the British people with a simple question, Is this the Brexit you voted for or would you rather prefer to stay on the terms we have?

The SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has also said she will back any referendum that has remain in the EU as an option.
Griffon (GFF) has witnessed a significant price decline in the past four weeks, and is seeing negative earnings estimate revisions as well.

Investors in Morgan Stanley MS need to pay close attention to the stock based on moves in the options market lately. That is because the Dec 14, 2018 $47.00 Call had some of the highest implied volatility of all equity options today.



What is Implied Volatility?



Implied volatility shows how much movement the market is expecting in the future. Options with high levels of implied volatility suggest that investors in the underlying stocks are expecting a big move in one direction or the other. It could also mean there is an event coming up soon that may cause a big rally or a huge sell-off. However, implied volatility is only one piece of the puzzle when putting together an options trading strategy.



What do the Analysts Think?



Clearly, options traders are pricing in a big move for Morgan Stanley shares, but what is the fundamental picture for the company? Currently, Morgan Stanley is a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) in the Financial  Investment Bank industry that ranks in the Top 23% of our Zacks Industry Rank. Over the last 60 days, four analysts have increased their earnings estimates for the current quarter, while none have dropped their estimates. The net effect has taken our Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter from 96 cents per share to $1 in that period.



Given the way analysts feel about Morgan Stanley right now, this huge implied volatility could mean theres a trade developing. Oftentimes, options traders look for options with high levels of implied volatility to sell premium. This is a strategy many seasoned traders use because it captures decay. At expiration, the hope for these traders is that the underlying stock does not move as much as originally expected.



Looking to Trade Options?



Each week, our very own Dave Bartosiak gives his top options trades. Check out his recent live analysis and options trade for the NFLX earnings report completely free. See it here: Bartosiak: Trading Netflix's (NFLX) Earnings with Options or check out the embedded video below for more details:



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Obstruction in forestry university over contested affiliation to the private colleges set to end

A month-long obstruction in the Agriculture and Forestry University over contested affiliation to the private colleges is set to end on Friday after the Supreme Court postponed the hearing in the case filed by the schools demanding order to admit students.
Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - A four-year-old Palestinian boy has died after being injured during clashes between the Israeli army and protesters along the Gaza border, the health ministry in Gaza said.

"Ahmed Abu Abed, aged four years and eight months, died as a result of the wounds he received last Friday east of Khan Yunis," health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said in a statement late Tuesday.

The statement did not provide further details on how the child was injured.

In the hospital where the boy died, 38 year-old Bassem told AFP he was the child's uncle.

He said Abu Abed was injured by shrapnel when his father was shot during regular Friday protests along the border.

It was not clear why the child had been taken to the border protests and there was no independent confirmation of the circumstances.

His funeral will take place on Wednesday.

The Israeli army said it was reviewing the incident, while accusing Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas of using residents as cover for attacks.

"The Hamas terrorist organisation cynically uses Gaza residents, especially women and children, as human shields and places them at the forefront of the violent riots, terrorist attacks and the terror of arson, demonstrating their contempt for human life," the army said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Facing this reality, the IDF (army) does everything possible to avoid harming children."

Palestinians have been protesting along the Gaza border at least weekly since March 30, triggering repeated clashes with the army.

At least 235 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire, the majority during clashes on the border but others in air strikes or by tank fire.

Two Israelis have been killed over the same period.
A Palestinian man was shot and killed following an alleged ramming attack that injured an Israeli soldier in al-Bireh on December 13, local media reported.

The incident occurred outside an aluminum company in al-Bireh. The man killed was reported to be Hamdan Tawfiq al-Arda, the 60-year-old owner of the company, according to local news, which cited the ministry of health.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that the soldier was lightly injured and that the attack occurred near a bus stop.

In an interview, a member of the Palestinian Red Crescent said that soldiers stopped the first responders from attending to the man.

Earlier in the day, a Palestinian man was shot dead by Israeli police officers after a knife attack in Jerusalems Old City in the early hours of December 13, according to Haaretz.

Two Israelis were also killed by a gunman near the West Bank settlement of Ofra. Also on December 13, the IDF said that an overnight operation had led to the deaths of two Palestinians suspected of involvement in two separate, deadly attacks on Israelis. Credit: Mohamed Turkman via Storyful
Some parents are expressing shock and outrage after three teens appeared onstage in Ku Klux Klan robes during a high school play  but a spokesperson for the school claims critics of the costumes are taking them out of context.

On Friday, the ASU Preparatory Academy in Phoenix, Ariz., put on a performance of the popular play The Foreigner, a comedic tale by the well-known satirist Larry Shue. A scripted moment toward the end of show requires Klansmen characters to enter the scene  but audience members were shocked to find the young performers emerge in full Ku Klux Klan regalia, according to one ASU parent who spoke with ABC 15.

Three students dressed as the KKK walked down the middle of the assembly as part of a play, said the parent, who remained anonymous at his daughters request. Its wrong in any way shape or form. Theres no justification for it. He was alarmed that parents  and the non-drama students who attended the assembly where the play was performed  were never informed of the costume choice. At least inform the parents. Give us the ability to make that decision. The KKK walked into my childrens school on Friday, and I didnt get to stop it.

Students in a high school performance of The Foreigner wear KKK robes, to the shock of audience members at ASU Preparatory Academy in Arizona. (Photo: ABC 15)

Video of the controversial scene is making the rounds on social media  and made its way to Dawn M. Demps, who has three children that attend ASU charter schools. It was absolutely unnecessary to put the children in the robes, Demps tells Yahoo Lifestyle. I was not at the play, but as a black mother, when I saw the pictures, it was triggering for me. I cant imagine being one of the kids in that space and seeing them come out in Klan costumes. To me, [the robes] are inappropriate, especially for that age group. She says it was important to provide context to the students and help them understand that the outfits were not meant to promote the Klan in any way.

Another parent, Richard Crews, shared this sentiment in a note he posted to Facebook. It isnt troublesome to me that students picked this play (kids do stuff like that)It is however troublesome to me, that the school did not let people know of the potential triggering moment, he wrote, noting that hes already taken his grievances to authorities at ASU Prep.

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But a spokesperson for ASU Prep said that the scene intends to ridicule the KKK, and the outfits were not meant to be offensive. The play portrays an image of members of Klansmen [sic] in a brief  less than one minute long  scene toward the end in which they are made fun of and driven away, the spokesperson noted in a statement to Yahoo Lifestyle. We apologize if anyone was caught by surprise with the appearance of these characters. We are confident that a fair reading of the text of the play, and a fair interpretation of the intentions of students who performed it, reveals no endorsement of bigotry.

The spokesperson also said that it was the students themselves who chose to perform The Foreigner out of several options because the story deals with a topic that resonates with many teens: anxiety and the inability to interact with peers. He emphasizes that the play  and particularly the controversial scene  were meant purely as satire. He calls the Klans appearance in the play incidental and says that unfortunately these monsters have existed in American history, as documented in films and books that most high school students have likely come across.

On Facebook  where the video clip has been watched by thousands  the opinions are split. Some are appalled by the decision to allow students to wear the robes, calling it so wrong and saying they are appalled and not surprised. But other commenters agree with the school. The play was produced in 1984. The Klan are in the play. It is a comedy, one wrote. The play is supposed to show how ridiculous the Klan is.

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(Credit: Pixar)

Pixars next movie will be called (drum roll, please) Onward.

The Disney-owned animation giant has unveiled the name, some graphics, and an all-star cast including two Avengers.

Guardians of the Galaxys Chris Pratt and the British star of Spider-Man Tom Holland take the leads, with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Octavia Spencer also confirmed for the voice cast so far.

Pratt and Holland will play two teenage elf brothers, who head off on a journey to see if magic still exists, in a plot described as a suburban fantasy.

Chris Pratt and Tom Holland (Credit: Getty)

Dean Scanlon, who directed Monsters University, will be helming the project, and revealed some of the concept at Disneys D23 convention last year.

He said that it is a mix of the fantastic and the everyday, [with] elves, sprites and pretty much anything that would be on the side of a van in the 70s.

Speaking yesterday, he added: At Pixar we try to create stories that come from some kind of personal truth.

This film was inspired by my own relationship with my brother.

The movie will hit screens on March 6, 2020.

Itll be preceded by Pixars next movie, Toy Story 4, due for release on June 21, 2019.

Read more

The stars we lost in 2018

Incredible actor transformations

Most bizarre Disney crossovers




Maria Butina and her attorney, Robert Driscoll, in court on Thursday. (Sketch: Dana Verkouteren via AP)

WASHINGTON  It was called the Diplomacy Project  an ambitious campaign to curry influence within the Republican Party and change its views toward Vladimir Putins Russia.

But the chief operative for the project, Maria Butina, a striking young woman from Siberia, was no diplomat. Instead, as she admitted in federal court Thursday, she was a covert agent of the Russian Federation dispatched to the United States by a senior Russian official to develop unofficial channels of communication with Americans having power and influence over U.S. politics. The goal: to change U.S. policy toward Russia, especially around the sanctions imposed after Moscows invasion and annexation of Crimea.

Butina, now 30, wearing glasses and a green prison suit and speaking in terse monosyllables, appeared before U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan. Looking chastened and anything but glamorous, she entered a plea of guilty to one count, not of espionage, but of failing to register with the Justice Department as an agent of a foreign government, a crime that could result in up to five years in prison. But Butina also has agreed to cooperate with federal investigators, marking another milestone in the investigations into Russian attempts to influence the 2016 election.

Butinas case is not being prosecuted by special counsel Robert Mueller. Instead, for reasons that remain unclear, it was handed off to the U.S. attorneys office in Washington. But it appears to have been a notable part of Russias political influence campaign in large part because of the creative means devised by Butina and her handler in Moscow, Alexander Torshin, a former deputy governor of Russias Central Bank and influential figure in Putins United Russia party.

As laid out by federal prosecutor Erik Kenerson, who dryly read a seven page statement of offense, Butina and Torshin concocted a plan to influence the GOP by cultivating relationships with the leaders of a certain U.S. civil society gun rights organization  a reference to the National Rifle Association. In a written proposal she drafted for Torshin in March 2015, titled Description of the Diplomacy Project, Butina predicted that the Republican Party candidate in 2016 would win the presidential election and she pointed to contacts she had made at NRA conventions as having laid the groundwork for an unofficial channel of communication with the next U.S. administration.

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Butina wrote the Diplomacy Project paper with the assistance of somebody Kenerson described as U.S. person 1  a reference to Paul Erickson, a South Dakota conservative activist with whom she was having a romantic relationship. And, after her project was funded with $125,000 by an unidentified Russian billionaire, it brought a high profile delegation of NRA leaders to Moscow in December 2015 for meetings with high-level Russian government officials, sessions that were arranged by Torshin. After the meetings, Butina wrote a note to Torshin, referring to the NRA leaders that Kenerson told the judge has been translated two different ways. One translation was: We should let them express their gratitude now, we will put pressure on them quietly later. Another translation, a bit more subtle was, We should allow them to express their gratitude now, and then quietly press.

Maria Butina and Alexander Torshin in 2012, when he was a member of the Russian upper house of parliament. (Photo: Pavel Ptitsin/AP)

That was hardly Butinas only endeavor as part of the Diplomacy Project. With the funds supplied by the Russian backer, she traveled the United States attending NRA conventions and other political events. One of them, not mentioned by Kenerson in his presentation in court, was a July 2015 event in Las Vegas, called FreedomFest, where she appeared in the audience during a talk by then candidate Donald Trump and asked him what his policy would be toward sanctions on Russia. Trump responded: I believe I would get along very nicely with Putin, OK? I dont think youd need the sanctions. It was the first time Trump had addressed the issue as a candidate and, thanks to Butinas question, he had given the Kremlin exactly the answer it wanted.

Kenerson told the judge that Butinas efforts to influence U.S. policy continued right through the 2016 campaign, including setting up friendship dinners with influential political figures, attending an NRA convention in Louisville, and organizing a Russian delegation to the National Prayer Breakfast in January 2017 with members hand-picked in consultation with Torshin to establish a back channel of communication to the new Trump administration. (President Trump was slated to meet with Torshin at the prayer breakfast, but when National Security Council officials got wind of it, they scrapped the meeting.)

The statement of offense that Butina pleaded to leaves open the possibility that her cooperation will lead to charges against other figures. But it says nothing about what many investigators had suspected  that Russian money might have been funneled into the NRA as part of its unprecedented $30 million expenditure during the 2016 election on behalf of Trumps candidacy. That could mean Butina has more information to provide or, alternatively, that her efforts  while provocative and secret  were not quite what investigators in the FBI and Congress had suspected.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:


By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a rare break with President Donald Trump, the U.S. Senate voted on Wednesday to move ahead with a resolution that would end U.S. military support for the Saudi Arabian-led coalition in the war in Yemen.

Eleven of Trump's fellow Republicans voted with Democrats to provide the 60 votes needed to advance the war powers resolution in the Republican-led chamber, paving the way for debate and a vote on U.S. involvement in a conflict that has created one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters.

The vote was largely symbolic because the House of Representatives is not expected to take the matter up this year. Trump has threatened a veto.

But backers of the resolution said it sent an important message that lawmakers are unhappy with the humanitarian disaster in Yemen, and angry about the lack of a strong U.S. response to the killing of prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey.

The Trump administration had urged Congress not to oppose U.S. fueling and other support for the Saudi-led coalition as it battles the Houthis, Shi'ite Muslim fighters viewed by Yemen's neighbors as agents of Iran.

Earlier on Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended the administration's handling of Khashoggi's killing.

Related Video: Should the U.S. be Involved in Saudi-Led War in Yemen?

Pompeo repeated his assertion there was no direct evidence linking Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the Oct. 2 killing of Khashoggi in Istanbul, despite a CIA assessment it was likely he ordered the killing.

Riyadh initially denied knowledge of Khashoggis disappearance, then offered contradictory explanations, including that he was killed in a rogue operation.

Trump condemned the murder but has stood by the Saudi crown prince. "He's the leader of Saudi Arabia. They've been a very good ally," Trump told Reuters on Tuesday in an Oval Office interview.

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BRIEFINGS FOR LAWMAKERS

Central Intelligence Agency Director Gina Haspel briefed leaders of the House of Representatives behind closed doors about the killing. After the classified briefing, House members said they had not heard anything to change their minds about Khashoggi's death.

Democratic Representative Eliot Engel, likely the next chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee when Democrats take control of the House in January, said he intended to hold hearings starting early next year on all aspects of Saudi behavior and the U.S.-Saudi relationship.

"Saudi Arabia's an important ... partner, but I don't think we can simply look the other way when things happen and talk about business as usual," Engel said.

Haspel had already briefed Senate leaders. Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who held a separate briefing for the entire Senate, are due to discuss Saudi Arabia with the entire House on Thursday.

Khashoggi's death sent shockwaves around the world and has drawn outrage from Congress. Many lawmakers, including some Republicans, also strongly criticize the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen.

But several have urged that Congress keep the Yemen conflict separate from anger over the killing of Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist.

They view Saudi Arabia as an essential counterweight in the Middle East to Iran, arch-enemy of close U.S. ally Israel. White House officials see Saudi support as a linchpin for an Israeli-Palestinian peace plan yet to be unveiled by the Trump administration.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters in Jerusalem that Saudi Arabia's role in the Middle East must be taken into account in responding to Khashoggi's "horrific" fate.

"If Saudi Arabia were to be destabilized, the world would be destabilized," Netanyahu told foreign reporters, speaking in English.

There are at least three Saudi-related pieces of legislation making their war through the U.S. Senate.

Washington imposed economic sanctions on 17 Saudi officials last month over the killing, stopping short of action that might affect arms deals Trump has vowed to preserve.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu in Washington and Dan Williams in Jerusalem; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Peter Cooney)
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday urged the United Nations to tighten restrictions on Iran's missiles, which he warned could strike US allies, but other powers called instead for dialogue.

Pompeo headed to New York for a Security Council meeting on Iran, which recently confirmed a medium-range ballistic missile test, arguing it is legal and necessary for its defense.

"We risk the security of our people if Iran continues stocking up on ballistic missiles," Pompeo told the Security Council.

"We risk escalation of conflict in the region if we fail to restore deterrence. And we convey to all other malign actors that they too can defy the Security Council with impunity if we do nothing," he said.

Iran has "hundreds of missiles which pose a threat to our partners in the region," Pompeo said, referring to Israel and Arab allies such as Saudi Arabia.

Pompeo said the United States would press to preserve a UN arms embargo on Iran due to expire in 2020 and urge the Security Council to set up inspections at sea to prevent weapons shipments.

He also called for the return of a firmer prohibition on Iran developing missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, toughening language from the Security Council resolution that supported the nuclear deal.

President Donald Trump has made pressuring Iran a major focus, withdrawing from an international accord on curbing Tehran's nuclear program negotiated under his predecessor Barack Obama and reimposing sweeping sanctions.

Confirming US concerns, a UN report submitted to the Security Council said that recent missiles fired by Yemen's Huthi rebels were manufactured in Iran.

Saudi Arabia has been waging air strikes and a blockade against the rebels, who share religious ties with Iran, triggering what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

- Iran denounces 'lies' -

Responding as Pompeo looked on, Iranian envoy Eshagh Al Habib said the top US diplomat was casting Iran as a threat to sell more "beautiful weapons," sarcastically quoting Trump's rationale for backing Saudi Arabia.

Story continues

He said Iran's missiles were not nuclear in nature and defended the need for strong defense, noting that Western powers backed Saddam Hussein as his warplanes destroyed Iranian cities in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.

"What we heard today was another series of lies, fabrications, disinformation and deceptive statement by the US," Al Habib said, recalling the "infamous speeches" of top US officials in the past -- a clear reference to Colin Powell's selling of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

"For the first time in the UN history, a permanent member of this Council is blatantly punishing UN members not for violating, rather for complying with, a Security Council resolution," he said.

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia also made a veiled but clear swipe at Pompeo as he denounced attempts to "fan anti-Iranian hysteria."

"There is no proof that the ballistic missiles can carry a nuclear load," Nebenzia told the council, adding that Iran "is ready for dialogue."

France, while saying it shared US goals on Iran, pleaded for the preservation of the nuclear accord, saying it was verifiably working in freezing Iran's nuclear program.

"It's only on this basis that we can build together a long-term strategy for the region," Ambassador Francois Delattre told the council.

"Such a strategy can't come down to a policy of pressure and sanctions; it equally has to come with a firm, frank dialogue with the Iranians on our concerns," he said.

European powers said they were working to ensure that Iran sees the economic fruits of compliance.

But Iran's economy has suffered a severe blow and is forecast to contract due to the renewal of sanctions by the United States, which has vowed to preclude all countries from virtually any business in Iran.




Its customary for law firms to list their lawyers email addresses online to allow prospective clients to contact an attorney. But do these public listings also lead to a heightened risk of cyberattacks?



Some cybersecurity professionals have argued that the benefits of placing lawyers email addresses online can outweigh potential risksif lawyers are equipped with the proper training.



Once a threat actor has targets in mind, they will often send malicious emails to attorneys with lures related to new or existing client matters, explained Charles Carmakal, vice president of cybersecurity platform FireEye. The emails typically contain links to websites that attempt to collect credentials or malicious attachments that deploy backdoors on victim computers.



Carmakal said removing email addresses from a law firms website to prevent targeted attacks may possibly slow down the attacker by a little bit ... but its easy to guess an email address," because many organizations follow a consistent format.



Indeed, the benefits of posting lawyers email addresses online outweigh the risks, Carmakal and others said.



I dont know how lawyers can function without their email addresses being publicly available, said Chicago-based Hinshaw & Culbertson partner and security officer Steven Puiszis.



Instead of removing their email address, Puiszis recommended that lawyers not post too much information on social media.



"One of the things I tell people is, the more information you post about yourself or family members on social media, the easier it is for a hacker to craft an email that seems to come from someone you know or trust," Puiszis said.



Some also suggested cybersecurity exercises and training to protect lawyers data. Its not dangerous or inappropriate to put your name out there, but you have to train your employees to look out for certain things, said David Lipscomb, an IT professional and president of BDPA Philadelphia, an organization seeking to connect diverse IT and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals to development programs.



I think what happens is most people need to be educated by their IT team or general counsel, Lipscomb said.



Lipscomb cited the American Bar Associations technology competency rule that states, in part, to maintain the requisite knowledge and skill, a lawyer should keep abreast of changes in the law and its practice, including the benefits and risks associated with relevant technology. Ongoing cybersecurity training and assistance may fulfill that requirement, Lipscomb said.



Since the ABA added that rule of professional conduct in 2012, many state bars have adopted the rule with mixed competency results. Alaska and Montana were the most recent states to add such a requirement, according to LawSites.
On-duty photo journalist Barsha Shah detained briefly

Police personnel on Thursday misbehaved and arrested photo journalist Barsha Shah while she was capturing photos for the news at the Presidents office.
The Progressive Corporation PGR reported earnings per share of 39 cents for November 2018, which rose 50% year over year. The figure was driven by an improved top line.



Year to date, shares of Progressive have rallied 13.8% against the industrys decrease of 1.4%. Sustained solid operational results drove the outperformance.





November Numbers



Progressive recorded net premiums written of $2.3 billion in the month, up 15% from $2 billion in the year-earlier period. Net premiums earned were about $2.5 billion, up 20% from $2.1 billion recorded last November.



Net realized income on securities was $18.5 million, substantially up from $0.7 million in the year-ago month.



Combined ratio  percentage of premiums paid out as claims and expenses  deteriorated 40 basis points (bps) year over year to 91.3%.



Total operating revenues came in at $2.7 billion. The top line improved 20.9% year over year owing to a 19.7% increase in premiums, a 56.3% surge in investment income, 46.4% growth in fees and other revenues plus a 21.4% rise in service revenues.



Total expenses shot up 20.7% to $2.4 billion. This increase can be primarily attributed to 20.9% higher losses and loss adjustment expenses, 20.5% rise in policy acquisition costs and a 19.7% jump in other underwriting expenses.



In November, policies in force were impressive in both Vehicle and Property businesses. In its vehicle business, Personal Auto segment improved 15% year over year to nearly 13 million. Special Lines inched up 0.5% from the year-earlier month to 4.4 million policies.



In Progressives Personal Auto segment, Agency Auto expanded 12% to 6.3 million while Direct Auto increased 17% to nearly 7 million.



Progressives Commercial Auto segment rose 8% year over year to 0.7 million. The Property business had about 1.9 million policies in force in the reported month, up 33% year over year.



Progressives book value per share was $19.88 as of Nov 30, 2018, up 19.8% from $16.60 as of Nov 30, 2017.



Return on equity in the trailing 12 months was 24.9%, up 390 bps from 21% in November 2017. Debt-to-total-capital ratio improved 120 bps year over year to 26.7% as of Nov 30, 2018.



Zacks Rank and Other Key Insurers



Progressive currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Investors interested in property and casualty insurance space might also consider some other top-ranked stocks like Mercury General Corporation MCY, National General Holdings Corp. NGHC and State Auto Financial Corporation STFC, each sporting Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). YoYou can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



Mercury General engages in writing personal automobile insurance in the United States. The company delivered positive surprise of 85.00% in the last reported quarter.



National General provides various insurance products and services in the United States. The company delivered positive surprise of 75.68% in the last reported quarter.



State Auto Financial engages in writing personal, business, and specialty insurance products.. The company pulled off a positive surprise of 62.96% in the last reported quarter



The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All



Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early.

Story continues

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Demonstrators chanted and sang as they occupied the rotunda at the Michigan State Capitol Building in Lansing on Wednesday, December 12, in a protest a raft of legislation aimed at limiting the power of incoming lawmakers.

Activists gathered to urge Michigan Governor Rick Snyder to veto a series of proposals that would give the state legislature greater power over lawsuits brought by the states newly elected Democratic attorney general and amend recent laws increasing the minimum wage, according to the Washington Post. Republicans in Wisconsin have proposed similar bills in their lame-duck session after both states elected Democratic governors in November. Some see these bills as power grabs by outgoing Republicans, while others have argued they are a form a traditional gamesmanship.

Footage from the Capitol on Wednesday shows protesters chanting in the center of the Capitol and outside the governors office. Credit: Zack Smith  For Our Future via Storyful
Chicago (AFP) - Where is America's beer capital?

Many cities claim the title, including Grand Rapids, Michigan and San Diego, California.

But when it comes to sheer math, the title now belongs to Chicago.

The "Third Coast" city -- situated along the banks of vast Lake Michigan -- is first in the US in the number of breweries it contains, according to new data provided by the Brewers Association, an industry group.

Los Angeles and New York, two cities with bigger populations, come in fourth and sixth respectively.

"It shows that Chicago has earned the right to be thought of as a top beer city," Bart Watson, the group's chief economist, told AFP.

Chicago had 172 breweries as of the end of November, with Denver -- with less than a third of Chicago's population -- boasting the second highest number at 161.

Overall, the country has seen explosive growth in the number of breweries -- 98 percent of them making craft beer.

Their numbers have doubled or tripled since 2013 in the eight US cities with the highest number of new beer makers, according to Watson.

"We've seen more breweries open in the last five years than in any other point in our country's history," Watson said.

The sheer volume of brewers in Chicago makes a strong case for the Midwestern city to take the crown as the country's beer capital, said Danielle D'Alessandro, executive director of the Illinois Brewers Association.

"We are really seeing our craft beer scene just thrive," she told AFP, calling the city an epicenter of innovation.

D'Alessandro credits a number of factors -- from culture, to regulatory changes, to ready access to fresh water from Lake Michigan -- for helping Chicago's beer scene hop.

"We're pretty excited about this designation," she said. "It's a testament to our brewers."
We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. On the other hand, wed be remiss not to mention that insider sales have been known to precede tough periods for a business. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Staffline Group plc (LON:STAF).

Do Insider Transactions Matter?

It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market.

Insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. As Peter Lynch said, insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise.

See our latest analysis for Staffline Group

Staffline Group Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider sale was by Andrew Hogarth for UK10m worth of shares, at about UK10.20 per share. That means that even when the share price was below the current price of UK12.72, an insider wanted to cash in some shares. While their view may have changed since they sold, this isnt a particularly bullish sign. When an insider sells below the current price, it does tend to make us wonder about the current valuation. Please note, however, that this single sale was 66.8% of Andrew Hogarths stake. The only individual insider seller over the last year was Andrew Hogarth.

In the last twelve months insiders purchased 25.21k shares for UK277k. But they sold 1.01m for UK10m. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions over the last 12 months, below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

Story continues

AIM:STAF Insider Trading December 13th 18

If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Insiders at Staffline Group Have Bought Stock Recently

Over the last three months, weve seen significant insider buying at Staffline Group. We can see that Martina McKenzie paid UK78k for shares in the company. No-one sold. This could be interpreted as suggesting a positive outlook.

Does Staffline Group Boast High Insider Ownership?

Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Staffline Group insiders own about UK772k worth of shares (which is 0.2% of the company). This kind of significant ownership by insiders does generally increase the chance that the company is run in the interest of all shareholders.

So What Do The Staffline Group Insider Transactions Indicate?

It is good to see recent insider purchase. On the other hand the transaction history, over the last year, isnt so positive. Neither the level of insider ownership, nor the transactions over the last twelve months inspire us, but we think the recent buying is positive. If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future.

If you would prefer to check out another company  one with potentially superior financials  then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements.



The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee quickly unloaded newly acquired Raytheon stock following a report that the purchase was made after he urged President Donald Trump to boost defense spending by billions of dollars.

The Daily Beast first reported that a financial adviser to Sen. James Inhofe bought between $50,000 and $100,000 of Raytheon stock Tuesday, a week after the Oklahoma Republican met with Trump and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to discuss the military's budget.

Following that meeting, according to separate reports, Trump planned to ask Congress to provide the Pentagon with a record level of military spending in fiscal year 2020: $750 billion.

Leacy Burke, a spokeswoman for Inhofe, said all of the senator's financial transactions are handled by a third-party adviser and Inhofe had "no involvement in and has not been consulted about his stock transactions." She said he wasn't aware of the Raytheon buy until it appeared in the system very early Tuesday morning.

"As a result, the Senator has called his financial adviser and they reversed, or busted, the transaction," Burke said in an emailed statement. "This means that the transaction was canceled before it was settled; the senator never took ownership of it."

Inhofe also instructed his financial adviser in a Wednesday letter "to no longer purchase defense or aerospace companies as a part of my financial holdings."

Raytheon, headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, is one of the Defense Department's largest contractors, providing the U.S. military with missiles, sonars, torpedoes, electronic warfare systems and more.

Inhofe, who took over as chairman of the Armed Services Committee following the death of Sen. John McCain, has long advocated for bigger defense budgets to pay for new warfighting gear and more uniformed personnel. Trump pledged during the presidential campaign to rebuild the armed forces after years of war, railing about what he claimed was previous administrations' neglect of America's armed forces.

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The Pentagon's budget for 2019 totaled about $716 billion. Mattis and other military leaders wanted even more  around $733 billion  for 2020. But Trump signaled in October he wanted the 2020 number to be just $700 billion, a sizable decrease. After the meeting last week with Mattis, however, Trump reversed course and backed the $750 billion figure.

Inhofe and Rep. Mac Thornberry, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, warned against going below the $733 billion figure in a Nov. 30 opinion column published in The Wall Street Journal.

"We cannot and should not balance our budget on the backs of America's troops," the lawmakers wrote. "Too much is at stake. This is a time to follow through on the progress of the past two years and give our troops the sustained, sufficient, predictable funding they deserve."
WASHINGTON  Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, one of President Trumps attorneys, unloaded on special counsel Robert Mueller, the FBI and Trumps one-time fixer Michael Cohen in a phone conversation with Yahoo News on Wednesday.

Giuliani said the Trump legal team is focused on encouraging Mueller to end his investigation into whether the presidents campaign colluded with Russian intervention efforts in the 2016 election. He further suggested that Mueller lacks the authority to prosecute Trump.

Our strategy is  to do everything we can to try to convince Mueller to wrap the damn thing up, and if hes got anything, show us, Giuliani said. If he doesnt have anything, you know, write your report, tell us what you have, and well deal with it. He cant prosecute him [Trump]. All he can do is write a report about him, so write the goddamned thing and get it over with now.

Rudy Giuliani at an event in Portsmouth, N.H. (Photo: Charles Krupa/AP)

The special counsels office declined to comment on Giulianis assessment of the investigation.

Giulianis unprompted call to Yahoo News came hours after President Trumps former personal attorney Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison for what a judge described as a smorgasbord of federal crimes. Cohens offenses included charges related to lying to Congress about a tower Trump sought to build in Moscow, tax evasion, making false statements to a bank and campaign violations stemming from payments to two women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump. Tapes Cohen made of his conversations with Trump and other associates were seized in FBI raids on his home and office in April.

Giuliani also blasted Cohen, who spent more than a decade working for Trump as his personal attorney and as an executive at his real estate company.

Cohen is a completely dishonorable person.  Ive never heard of a lawyer that tape-recorded their client without the clients permission, and Ive known some pretty scummy lawyers, Giuliani said. You dont exist very long in the legal profession if you go around taping your client.

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Cohen did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trumps former personal lawyer received a reduced sentence because he pleaded guilty and cooperated with Muellers team. Cohen testified that the money paid to the two women was designed to suppress their stories during the election and that Trump directed those payments. The president and his legal team have offered shifting stories about what he knew about the payments. On Monday, Trump tweeted that the money was a simple private transaction that was not a campaign finance violation.

The campaign finance charges against Cohen were based on the premise that the six-figure payments to the women were designed to help Trump escape scandal during the election. As such, they could be viewed as campaign contributions that were well above legal limits.

Giuliani pointed to Trumps lack of legal expertise when he was asked whether he thought it was plausible to argue that the payment was a private matter rather than an attempt to influence the 2016 campaign.

The presidents not a lawyer. The simple fact is that its not a criminal violation of the campaign finance law, said Giuliani.

Special counsel Robert Mueller leaves a meeting on Capitol Hill in June 2017. (Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Giuliani claimed the case of 2008 presidential candidate John Edwards proves its questionable to accuse Trump of a campaign finance violation. Edwards was indicted in 2011 for payments that were made on his behalf during the 2008 race to a woman he had an affair and fathered a child with. Edwards was acquitted on one count for a payment made after the 2008 election. The jury deadlocked on five other counts, resulting in a mistrial.

They tried exactly the same theory against Edwards in order to sensationalize the case, Giuliani explained. They couldnt succeed in that. The campaign finance board has indicated that payments like this, which even if theyre for some campaign purpose, if theyre also for a personal purpose and you would have made them anyway, are not campaign contributions.

Giuliani went on to argue that Trump can hardly be prosecuted for a questionable violation of the law. He also suggested that Muellers prosecutors have shifted their focus to possible campaign finance violations because they have been unable to find evidence of collusion with Russia or obstruction of justice.

How do they all of a sudden become campaign finance prosecutors? You need a special prosecutor for campaign finance? I mean, they started with collusion.  After two years and two investigations  they have nothing on collusion, Giuliani said. Then, they started squeaking about obstruction. Theyve got nothing on obstruction, and Article II prevents them from doing anything about obstruction. Now theyre doing campaign finance.

While Trump and his allies have argued that the information released by Mueller so far shows prosecutors have found there was no collusion with Russia, the spate of recent legal filings in cases involving members of the presidents inner circle have revealed that there are multiple ongoing federal investigations.

Nevertheless, Giuliani said he was certain there is no further probe of whether Trumps team aided the Russian efforts to hinder his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton. Giuliani said his confidence in this assertion was based on having seen written questions Mueller submitted to the president, as well as a belief that no one on the Trump campaign was guilty of any wrongdoing with respect to Russia.

Ive seen their questions. Theres nothing to look at. They could look at collusion for the next 30 years and, unless they get somebody to lie, theyre not going to find any evidence of it because it didnt happen, Giuliani said.

I think hes desperately trying to come up with some smoke and mirrors so he can say theres some form of collusion. I dont think he can do it, Giuliani said. I saw a prosecutor that was on a fishing expedition as opposed to somebody that has a solid piece of evidence and wants to nail you with it. Its like something youd do at a beginning of a case, not the end.

Giuliani also suggested a crime would have taken place only if Trump was directly involved in Russian efforts to hack into Democrats emails and computer networks during the 2016 race.

Collusion isnt even a crime. Collusion is like the biggest bunch of bullshit. The crime is conspiracy to hack. Do you believe that Donald Trump engaged in a conspiracy with the Russians to hack Hillary Clinton? Of course not. Its ridiculous, Giuliani said.

President Trump speaks in the Oval Office on Dec. 11, 2018. (Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

The U.S. intelligence community has concluded the Kremlin directed hacking efforts during the 2016 election to boost Trump and hurt Clinton. In July, Muellers team issued an indictment of 12 Russian intelligence agents for allegedly participating in the election hacking. Trump has steadfastly denied that his campaign worked with the Russians and has dismissed Muellers probe as a partisan witch hunt.

Giuliani echoed Trumps characterization of the Mueller probe. He pointed to the fact that Cohen was not being prosecuted for false statements he initially made about the payments to women as proof of the prosecutors unethical behavior.

Federal prosecutors in New York urged the judge to give Cohen only a modest break from the recommended sentence for his crimes because they said he was unwilling to fully cooperate with their investigations.

Giuliani suggested Cohen still received an overly light sentence. He contrasted Cohens situation with that of Paul Manafort, the former chairman of Trumps campaign.

Manafort pleaded guilty to multiple charges in September, 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 has also admitted to obstructing justice by attempting to influence witness testimony in his case.

As part of his plea deal, Manafort agreed to cooperate with Muellers investigation, but late last month the special counsel accused him of violating the terms of his plea agreement by lying about contacts he had with the Trump administration.

Some observers have suggested Manafort and other Trump associates who have attracted Muellers attention are refusing to cooperate with prosecutors because they hope to be pardoned by Trump. Giuliani said he thinks Manafort isnt waiting for a pardon and is simply refusing to lie just to appease prosecutors.

In Manaforts case, they really should give up at this point. I mean, how much do you want to do to the guy? Do you want to waterboard him? I mean, come on, you have him in solitary confinement. They take him out every other day, Giuliani said. He knows exactly what he has to say to get out, but he says, you know, Im not going to say it because its not true. Gee, is it possible maybe hes right  it isnt true?

While Giuliani rejected the notion that Manafort is holding out for a pardon, he also noted that Trump hasnt ruled out absolving his former allies of guilt.

Pardons are not on the table for anyone right now, Giuliani said. At the same time, hes not forfeiting his right to pardon based on an analysis of the case.

_____



Read more from Yahoo News:




Six dead as jeep carrying wedding procession collides with bus in Dang

At least six people died when a jeep they were travelling in collided with a passenger bus in Lamahi Municipality, Dang along the East-West Highway on Thursday morning.
The 2018 Strictly contestants (Credit: BBC Pictures)

Seann Walsh reportedly wont be taking part in the Strictly Come Dancing tour, but it appears hes still contractually obliged to pitch up for the annual past contestants dance for this weekends final.

But hes noticeably distant from pro-dancer Neil Jones in this snap from the practice sessions, posted by radio DJ Vick Hope from the shows home at Elstree Studios.

Tabloid rumours spoke of potential confrontation between Jones and Walsh, after the stand-up reportedly mocked him during a recent set.

Walsh was resident in the red tops for weeks after he was snapped by paparazzi kissing his pro-dance partner Katya, who also happens to be Neil Joness wife.

According to The Sun, Walsh joked in front of an audience in Kennington, South London: Before the show, the newspapers were complaining they didnt know who I was.

You know who I am now, motherf***ers. Im the guy who kissed a gay mans wife.

He quickly added: Please dont report that. Im only joking. Im just here trying to make you laugh.

(Credit: BBC)

Also in the snap is Danny John-Jules reunited with partner Amy Dowden.

The Red Dwarf star was also the subject of headlines claiming that he had bullied Dowden, accusations both parties denied.

It was also said that he had lashed out at show judges at the after-show party following his exit from the show.

Hopefully this is all behind them now, with the former hopefuls performing for the last time this series.

The final, in which Joe Sugg, Stacey Dooley, Faye Tozer and Ashley Roberts will battle it out for the Glitterball Trophy, happens this weekend.

Read more

Barrowman moved to tears in emotional reunion

Dimbleby to present last Question Time

Strictlys Sugg gets a new look
By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee said on Tuesday he planned to introduce this week a joint resolution condemning Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which could force President Donald Trump's hand on the issue. Republican Senator Bob Corker said he expected the measure to pass the Senate, noting that its co-sponsors include Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. If it passes the House of Representatives, it would go to the White House for Trump to sign or veto. Corker said he hoped to introduce the legislation as soon as Tuesday, but a spokeswoman said later it would not be before Wednesday. "Hopefully, we'll have a very, very strong vote on a resolution condemning the crown prince," Corker said. Aides to Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the House planned to vote on the measure if it passed the Senate. Separately, a House aide said that CIA Director Gina Haspel would hold a classified briefing on the Khashoggi case for House leaders and the heads of national security committees on Wednesday. Two Democratic senators, Ed Markey and Jeff Merkley, said they sent a letter on Tuesday asking Energy Secretary Rick Perry to brief Congress on any talks he had with Saudi Arabia on a civilian nuclear agreement on a recent trip to the kingdom. Department of Energy officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Joint congressional resolutions must be signed by the president and have the force of law. The resolution's content has not been released, so it was not clear whether the joint resolution would prompt any specific punishment against the crown prince or the kingdom beyond a statement of condemnation. Corker said it was largely similar to a resolution introduced last week by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and other Republicans and Democrats that condemned Khashoggi's death and said the Senate "has a high level of confidence" that the Saudi crown prince was complicit in his murder. Khashoggi, a U.S. resident who was a columnist for the Washington Post, was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, additional reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Sonya Hepinstall)




Shearman & Sterling has added two partners to its London office with a double hire from Baker McKenzie as the US firm looks to ramps up its growth City growth strategy.



Corporate partner Tim Sheddick is moving to Shearman alongside infrastructure finance counsel Katie Hicks, who will join as a partner.



Sheddick has spent 19 years at Bakers, making partner at the firm in 2006. His M&A practice has a focus on infrastructure, acting for major clients including Macquarie, with roles on deals including the bank's 790m purchase of National Car Parks from private equity fund 3i, and its sale of its stake in Bristol Airport in 2014.



He was also part of the Bakers team that won Nike as a new client in 2007 when it advised on the sportswear giants acquisition of rival kit-maker Umbro.



Hicks, meanwhile, joined Bakers at the start of the year to lead its brownfield infrastructure finance team, before which she was an associate at Clifford Chance.



Shearman global head of finance Nick Buckworth said: Tim and Katie present a unique opportunity to establish a market leading infrastructure funds practice in London, complementing our pre-eminent US business. They have unparalleled client relationships, transactional experience and sector knowledge that will enable us to continue to offer the best possible service to our clients. There is very strong demand for infrastructure assets and they bolster our capability to advise sponsors and lenders in this area. 



The hires come after Shearman welcomed back high yield star Ward McKimm from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer this summer. His return ended a prolonged lateral drought at Shearman in London, coming almost three years after the offices last significant City lateral hire, of Freshfields TMT co-head Frank Miller.



At the time Shearman City head Matthew Readings told Legal Week that the firm was aiming to further grow its core finance and M&A practices.



The US firm has seen a number of London partner exits in recent years, with highly rated high yield partner Apostolos Gkoutzinis joining US rival Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy at the start of this year and M&A partner Ben Rodham leaving for Linklaters in late 2015.



A Baker McKenzie spokesperson said:"I can confirm that Tim Sheddick, a partner in our corporate practice, and of counsel Katie Hicks will be leaving the Firm. We wish them both well with the next phases of their careers."
Dancer, Dasher, Comet, and Vixen are getting pretty lonely these days.

A new report on climate change finds the number of wild reindeer in the Arctic has dropped a startling 56% in the past two decades. The study, compiled by the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and released at an American Geophysical Research Union meeting, found the population has dropped to roughly 2.1 million from 5 million, with some herds shrinking more than 90%.

Reindeer, referred to as caribou in some areas, are affected by higher temperatures, resulting in changes in vegetation and drought in some areas, according to scientists. Other locales are seeing increased rain, which freezes and prevents reindeer from reaching their food.

The rise in temperatures is also causing more insects in the Arctic, making reindeer expend more energy when swatting them off their bodies.

Scientists warn their concerns continue.

As a result of atmosphere and ocean warming, the Arctic is no longer returning to the extensively frozen region of recent past decades, the study reads. In 2018 Arctic sea ice remained younger, thinner, and covered less area than in the past. The wintertime maximum sea ice extent measured in March of 2018 was the second lowest in the 39-year record, following only 2017.
Passengers on Southwest Airlines flight 3606 Sunday were shocked by a the reason why their plane, which was en route to Dallas, had to make a sudden turn and head back to its origin city of Seattle.

Apparently, someone had forgotten to unload a human heart, The Seattle Times reports.

The life-critical cargo shipment was supposed to be unloaded in Seattle and transported to an undisclosed local hospital, a representative from Southwest told HuffPost.

A hairpin turn had to be made upon the organs discovery so that it could be delivered to its destination within the window of time allotted by our cargo customer, Southwest said.

A passenger on the flight told the Times that his fellow passengers were initially stunned by the news. But the shock gave way to kindness, and many onboard were happy to save a life.

It is unclear, however, what the heart was intended for or whether someones life was on the line, the Times reports.

Once the plane landed in Seattle, the aircraft was taken out of service because of an unrelated mechanical issue, according to the companys rep. But passengers were ultimately loaded onto another plane and flew on to Dallas without an additional hitch  though all the hiccups amounted to a five-hour delay.

Although it seems a bit odd for a vital organ to be transported on a commercial flight, the Times reports that Southwest does work with companies that ship organs for transplants  as well as transporting human remains  but it accounts for very little of its total revenue.

Also on HuffPost

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
By Ranga Sirilal COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena's decision to dissolve parliament ahead of its term is unconstitutional, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday, a setback for the embattled leader in his dispute with an ousted prime minister. Sirisena dissolved parliament last month and called a general election for Jan. 5, days after sacking Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and naming opposition leader Mahinda Rajapaksa to the post. The court said Sirisena could not dissolve parliament before it had completed most of its five-year term. "The president can't dissolve parliament before four-and-half years," judge Sisira de Abrew said in summing up the verdict of a seven-judge bench. The ruling raises the possibility of Wickremesinghe being reinstated as prime minister since his coalition enjoys a majority in parliament. Sirisena has repeatedly said he will not appoint Wickremesinghe even if he has the backing of all 225 members of parliament. There was no immediate comment from Sirisena's office. Many foreign countries have yet to recognize Rajapaksa's government. Credit rating agencies Fitch and Standard & Poor's have downgraded Sri Lanka, citing refinancing risks and an uncertain policy outlook. On Wednesday, parliament passed a vote of confidence in Wickremesinghe. "We trust that the president will promptly respect the judgment of the courts," Wickremesinghe tweeted after the ruling. "The legislature, judiciary, and the executive are equally important pillars of a democracy and the checks and balances that they provide are crucial to ensuring the sovereignty of its citizens," he said. Rajapaksa was not immediately available for comment. His son Namal, a lawmaker, tweeted: "We respect the decision of .... Supreme Court, despite the fact that we have reservations regarding its interpretation". (Reporting by Ranga Sirilal; Writing by Shihar Aneez; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
Putting liquor in your coffee might not be something you do on the daily unless youre a Baileys loyalist -- but the combination of both bitter liquids is actually more common than you may think.

Cocktails like Espresso Martinis and Mexican Coffees have been earning spots on the trendiest menus for years with good reason  theres something to be said about the decadence that a perfectly roasted coffee bean matched with a rich, equally-as-strong liquor offers.

And perhaps no brands reputation for perfectly roasted coffee beans proceeds that of Starbucks, which is set to open its fourth (second in the United States) Reserve Roastery in New York on December 12.

The Roastery is an all-immersive experience where customers can stop by the first craft coffee bar on the way in, grab their signature skim latte and watch the roasting process actually take place on the same floor.

The 23,000-square-foot Roastery in Manhattans Meatpacking District is massive and multi-leveled, with a different tasting experience to be had around every corner.

But the real star of the Roastery sits perched atop a staircase overlooking the main-level coffee bar (the Roastery boasts two in total) and Princi bakery  the craft-cocktail focused Arrivamo Bar.

The name Arriviamo is a nod to Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Milan, an Italian phrase that roughly translates to We have arrived and an homage to the bars dedication to the concept of Italian apertivo.

Because when you pull up a conveniently angled high-top seat at the massive yet intricately detailed 60-foot Arriviamo bar, youll truly feel as if youve reached a separate destination in and of itself.

Take a look through the new Roastery here:



The menu at the bar was carefully curated by award-winning mixologist Julia Momose, whose Japanese roots can are celebrated in certain whiskeys and spirits that are specifically chosen to enhance the Starbucks coffee or tea that every cocktail contains.

At Arrivamo, the coffee and teas used in each specialty drink are the stars  the other syrups, bitters and liquors are just complementary to what the Starbucks brand is putting forward at the base.

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11 of the craft cocktails on the menu are spirit-forward and five are spirit-free, a unique but intentional way to distinguish between and label drinks on the menu that contain alcohol and those that do not.

The spirit-free cocktails can all be made alcoholic, each bartender having knowledge of a specific liquor to add to each specific drink at the customers request that will best elevate the drink as it stands.

This is a major distinction from spirit-free drinks in most bars and cocktail lounges where alcohol is simply omitted to make a drink virgin  customers are usually left with some semblance of a concoction that feels like an after-thought, ingredients muddled together that feel juvenile and anything but elevated.

But since Starbucks Reserve blends, cold brews and teas are the pinnacle element in every drink at Arriviamo  whether theyre spirit-forward or not  guests dont lose out by choosing the spirit-free drinks.

Turning the virgin drink on its head is a clearcut example of what Arriviamo aims to do  take classic cocktails and twist them.

Switching out gin for tequila, or one variation of whiskey for another is something that becomes necessary when being challenged to center each cocktail around a coffee or tea element.

How do you keep the same flavor profile and facets of smokiness or bitterness or sweetness in a beloved cocktail while making it something completely unique at the same time?

Thanks to Momose, theres a menu full of answers.

Here are our Arriviamo must-trys:

1. Sirens Glaze Spirit-free

Starbucks Reserve Coffee, Hazelnut, Cocoa, Acacia Honey, Coconutmilk

With a chocolate mixture swirling at the bottom and around the side of the glass, you get a full liquid desert with this one  best enjoyed slowly, like any spirit-filled cocktail. Plus, when was the last time your drink came with a side of assorted nuts drizzled with chocolate? Just saying!

2. Final Say

Matcha, Tequila Cabeza, Liquore Strega, Roots Mastiha, Royal Combier, Lime, Coffee Infused Amarena Cherry

A major twist on the classic recipe, this one swaps out gin for tequila in an attempt to stop the strength of the gin from competing with the grassiness of the matcha base and it makes all the difference. Bonus points for the chartreuse color which is absolutely stunning -- it's one of the most Instagram-able items on the menu (Millennials take note!)

3. The Triomphe

Teavana/MC Darjeeling de Triomphe Tea, NY Distilling Dorothy Parker Gin, Dr. Konstantin Frank Dry Riesling, Krogstad Aquavit, Passionfruit LaCroix, Weatherbys Orange Saffron Bitters

A light and airy drink, this one has a tea base, which gives it an earthy, cooling flavor without any sort of sugary-sweetness. The pop of passion fruit flavor paired with an eye-catching floating flower on top of the cocktail serves you your daily dose of girliness and romance (if that's what you're after).

Experts at their craft of cocktail-creating and masters of drink presentation, all of the mixologists and bartenders at Arriviamo have undergone standard Starbucks barista training to ensure that theyre completely familiar with the Starbucks brews, roasts and teas that can be found at the center of the drinks that they're serving.

Through training, theyve become proficient in the notes and profiles of selected Starbucks variations so that everything about the cocktails they make for customers come rich with an understood history and appreciation for each element.

And yes, Momose went through the training, too, before creating the menu.

But in a city thats ever-evolving, the menu must be too  since Starbucks Reserve blends change seasonally, so do the drinks. Most cocktails at Arriviamo are seasonal solely based on the different blends of coffees and teas theyll be centered around.

The Arriviamo bar is fully stocked with over 200 different spirits, from nearly all beers being sourced locally (albeit one Italian offering) to hundreds of different global liquors that allow it to be the place where you can go to discover the taste Black & White Manhattan poured through coffee beans or order your standard Gin & Tonic with your favorite house liquor.

So whether youre one for tradition or one for innovation, Arriviamo knows the real way to our hearts is through a solid cup of coffee  and thats something we can all cheers to.
Sub-panel to probe aircraft procurement

The Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee has formed a seven-member sub-panel to look into the alleged financial irregularities in the procurement of two wide-body aircraft by the Nepal Airlines Corporation.
Large storms and cold air are likely to take a break over much of the nation during much of the week ahead of the Christmas holiday.

Generally quiet weather conditions can be expected over the Lower 48 states from Monday, Dec. 17, into Wednesday, Dec. 19.

The only exception to the quiet weather pattern during this time will be in the Northwest corner of the nation, where storms will continue to roll ashore.



Static US Next Week X

Blustery and cold conditions are forecast to follow the departing storm in the Northeast with bands of lake-effect snow likely off of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario during Monday and Monday night. Steady, accumulating snow can also fall in Maine during this time.

Travel during this holiday season is likely to be the heaviest on record, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).

More than 102 million people will take their vehicle on a holiday trip, and congestion could be four times that of a normal trip around some of the major cities with some of the worst days for travel expected to be on Wednesday, Dec. 19, and Thursday, Dec. 20, AAA stated in their press release. These days will bring a mix of commuters heading to work and the beginning surge of holiday travel.

Toward the end of the week, a pair of storms may converge on the eastern half of the nation.

"One storm may spring up from the South with a chance of rain spreading from the Gulf of Mexico to the Ohio Valley and Northeast," according to AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok.



Thurs Dec 15

Depending on the strength and extent of that storm later in the week, there may be added slowdowns on the highways, a greater risk of accidents and perhaps some minor airline delays related to poor visibility and a low cloud ceiling at some of the major hubs in the East.

"If an Alberta Clipper catches up with the storm and allows cold air to plunge on its backside, there is the potential for either snow or a changeover to snow in the Midwest," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski. "That can definitely foil up travel plans and could lead to delays in the arrival of holiday shipments."

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"If another storm follows on the heels of the late-week system, there can be a narrow stripe of snow from the Midwest to New England the day or two before Christmas," she added.

The weather pattern may stay ornery with the potential for a big storm in the eastern part of the nation perhaps shortly after Christmas.

"We believe there will be some sort of potent storm that brews near the Gulf of Mexico just prior to Christmas with a window of movement from straight off the southern Atlantic coast to the Great Lakes during Christmas Day or as late as Thursday, Dec. 27," Pastelok said.

Both of the storms, late next week and after Christmas, may fuel heavy thunderstorms in part of the Deep South.

Meanwhile, there may be a gusty wind event for California by next weekend, followed by patches of snow and cold air that spread southward over the interior West during the week of Christmas.

The timing of the storms in the East and the West will ultimately determine which areas of the nation end up with a white Christmas.

Officially, a white Christmas is determined by at least an inch of snow on the ground and not necessarily snow falling on the holiday.



Historical white Christmas

This map shows the probability of a white Christmas (1 inches of snow on the ground or greater), based on climatology and not anticipated conditions for Dec. 25, 2018.

The 1-3 feet of snow that fell on the southern Appalachians and Piedmont areas from last weekend will have melted long before Christmas.

Best bets for a white Christmas in 2018 will be over ski country in the Rockies, Sierra Nevada, Cascades, the northern Great Lakes and the northern Appalachians.



White Christmas Dec 15

"There may also still be snow on the ground on Christmas Day from the late-week storm or the other on its heels in parts of the Midwest, central Appalachians and New England," according to Pydynowski.

AccuWeather will continue to provide updates on travel weather for the days leading up to and through the Christmas holiday. Download the AccuWeather app to see the forecast for your area.



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Many investors are still learning about the various metrics that can be useful when analysing a stock. This article is for those who would like to learn about Return On Equity (ROE). To keep the lesson grounded in practicality, well use ROE to better understand Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HE).

Our data shows Hawaiian Electric Industries has a return on equity of 8.5% for the last year. One way to conceptualize this, is that for each $1 of shareholders equity it has, the company made $0.085 in profit.

Check out our latest analysis for Hawaiian Electric Industries

How Do You Calculate Return On Equity?

The formula for return on equity is:

Return on Equity = Net Profit  Shareholders Equity

Or for Hawaiian Electric Industries:

8.5% = 184.571  US$2.2b (Based on the trailing twelve months to September 2018.)

Its easy to understand the net profit part of that equation, but shareholders equity requires further explanation. It is all earnings retained by the company, plus any capital paid in by shareholders. You can calculate shareholders equity by subtracting the companys total liabilities from its total assets.

What Does Return On Equity Signify?

Return on Equity measures a companys profitability against the profit it has kept for the business (plus any capital injections). The return is the profit over the last twelve months. That means that the higher the ROE, the more profitable the company is. So, as a general rule, a high ROE is a good thing. Clearly, then, one can use ROE to compare different companies.

Does Hawaiian Electric Industries Have A Good Return On Equity?

One simple way to determine if a company has a good return on equity is to compare it to the average for its industry. The limitation of this approach is that some companies are quite different from others, even within the same industry classification. The image below shows that Hawaiian Electric Industries has an ROE that is roughly in line with the Electric Utilities industry average (9.6%).

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NYSE:HE Last Perf December 13th 18

That isnt amazing, but it is respectable. ROE doesnt tell us if the share price is low, but it can inform us to the nature of the business. For those looking for a bargain, other factors may be more important. If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

The Importance Of Debt To Return On Equity

Companies usually need to invest money to grow their profits. That cash can come from issuing shares, retained earnings, or debt. In the first and second cases, the ROE will reflect this use of cash for investment in the business. In the latter case, the debt required for growth will boost returns, but will not impact the shareholders equity. Thus the use of debt can improve ROE, albeit along with extra risk in the case of stormy weather, metaphorically speaking.

Combining Hawaiian Electric Industriess Debt And Its 8.5% Return On Equity

While Hawaiian Electric Industries does have some debt, with debt to equity of just 0.95, we wouldnt say debt is excessive. Although the ROE isnt overly impressive, the debt load is modest, suggesting the business has potential. Judicious use of debt to improve returns can certainly be a good thing, although it does elevate risk slightly and reduce future optionality.

The Bottom Line On ROE

Return on equity is useful for comparing the quality of different businesses. A company that can achieve a high return on equity without debt could be considered a high quality business. All else being equal, a higher ROE is better.

But when a business is high quality, the market often bids it up to a price that reflects this. The rate at which profits are likely to grow, relative to the expectations of profit growth reflected in the current price, must be considered, too. So you might want to take a peek at this data-rich interactive graph of forecasts for the company.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies.

To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements.



The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
Bringing in pleasant news for investors, Technip FMC plc FTI recently boosted its stock-buyback program by an additional $300 million, over and above its existing authorization of $500 million.



Notably, the industry downturn had severely impacted revenues and earnings of oilfield service players including TechnipFMC, consequently resulting in slashing of dividend by the company. However, with the energy landscape gradually improving, it resumed its payout from the third quarter of 2017 and also announced to repurchase shares up to $500 million by the end of this year. Very recently, it gave investors another reason to cheer, with a boost in its share repurchase program. Notably, TechnipFMC also boasts a strong balance sheet, with a debt-to-capital ratio of 23.8%, lower than industrys average of 29.2%, which provides it with ample flexibility to tap on growth opportunities. Moreover, we appreciate the companys efforts to consistently enhance long-term shareholder value.



An Insight Into 2019 Guidance



In addition to boosting the repurchase program, it also outlined its financial guidance and capex budget for 2019. TechnipFMC projected its 2019 capex at $400 million, up from this years estimated level of $300 million.



Importantly, TechnipFMC forecasts its subsea revenues within $5.4-$5.7 billion, reflecting an increase from this years guided range of $5-$5.3 billion. Moreover, the Surface Technologies segment is expected to generate revenues within $1.7-$1.8 billion in 2019, up from this years forecast of $1.5-$1.6 billion. While the 2019 revenue forecast for these two segments is higher than this years estimated levels, the company expects offshore/onshore revenues for the next year in the band of $5.7-$6 billion, which is a tad lower than $5.8-$6.1 billion projected for 2018.



Nonetheless, overall 2019 revenues of the company are expected to rise from the 2018 level. An uptick in inbound orders seems to be the driving factor behind the higher year-over-year revenue forecast. Notably, in the last reported quarter, all the three segments of the company witnessed gains in backlog and order activities. Inbound orders in the quarter came in at $3.6 billion, reflecting a 48% year-over-year increase. In fact, the inbound orders also surpassed sales, in turn brightening prospects for future revenue growth of the company. Importantly, its backlog stands at $15.2 billion, reflecting a steady demand from customers.



However, while the companys revenue forecast instills optimism, lower EBITDA margin expectation may dent investors sentiments. Notably, it expects EBITDA margin of 11% and 12% for its Subsea and Onshore/Offshore segment, down from this years margin expectation of 14% and 13%, respectively. The Surface Technology segment, however, expects an EBITDA margin of at least 17% vis a vis this years forecast of 16%. Nevertheless, this best-performing segment of the firm is its smallest unit, accounting for just around 12.7% of the company's revenues.



Bottom Line



While the companys buyback boost, revenue forecasts and strong backlog raise optimism about this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) firm, its shareholders are still advised to exercise caution, especially after the reduced EBITDA margin guidance. We are also worried about the negative free cash flow of the company over the last four quarters. Moreover, the improving landscape is not likely to filter down to oilfield services soon, as the upstream players are benefiting from discounted dayrates.



Investors interested in the energy sector can opt for some better-ranked stocks given below:



Houston, TX-based Enterprise Products Partners L.P. EPD holds a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). The companys earnings for 2018 are expected to surge more than 36% year over year. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.



Rome, Italy-based Eni S.p.A. E has a Zacks Rank #1. Its earnings for 2018 are expected to grow more than 100% from the 2017 level.



Houston, TX-based Shell Midstream Partners, L.P. SHLX carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The companys profits for 2018 are expected to grow nearly 20% from 2017.



The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All



Last year, it generated $8 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $47 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early.



See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >>



Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



Shell Midstream Partners, L.P. (SHLX) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (EPD) : Free Stock Analysis Report



TechnipFMC plc (FTI) : Free Stock Analysis Report



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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment Research
Shares of electric car maker Tesla (TSLA) could jump sharply in the next year as the company starts making money more consistently, according to an analyst at Baird.

Analyst Ben Kallo reiterated his outperform rating on the stock and hiked his price target to $465 from $411. Kallo's new 12-month price target implies a 26.8 percent upside from Wednesday's close of $366.60.

Tesla shares rose 2.8 percent Thursday, to $376.79.

"We believe the narrative will continue to change from 'TSLA will never make money' to 'TSLA can be sustainably profitable,'" Kallo said in an investor note Thursday. "The narrative on TSLA, particularly in the middle of 2018, was as negative as we have experienced in our coverage, but we believe sentiment will continue to improve as the company proves it can be self-supportive, which should drive sustained share appreciation."

Tesla reported a surprise third-quarter profit on Oct. 24. Since then, the stock is up more than 27 percent. That quarter was its third profitable one.

"We do not believe the strong Q3 results were a 'flash in the pan' and think TSLA could maintain profitability," Kallo said. "Further execution will reinforce investor belief the company can be self-supportive, which should be a positive catalyst."

Tesla shares have had a wild year. At one point, they were down more than 20 percent for 2018. They were also up as much as 22 percent year to date.

Tesla reached its 2018 high after CEO Elon Musk tweeted in August he had " funding secured " to take the company private. He would later walk back what he wrote in the tweet, agreeing to keep the company public. The Securities and Exchange Commission settled with Musk over charges stemming from his tweet . As part of the settlement, Musk agreed to step down as chairman for three years.

Moving forward, "we continue to believe there are several catalysts upcoming which could drive shares higher, and first-half 2019 results could benefit from easy comps given the Model 3 delay," Kallo wrote. "TSLA could be entering a positive estimate revision cycle, which should coincide with several other catalysts, in our view, including start of European deliveries, initial production in China, introduction/production of new products, and inclusion in the S&P 500."

CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this report.

WATCH: How taxpayers have boosted Elon Musk and Tesla
Prime minister Theresa May arriving at the European Council summit in Brussels on Thursday (Getty)

Theresa May has insisted that she could win assurances from the EU over the Brexit backstop within days despite suffering a wounding setback at a summit in Brussels.

The prime minister said EU leaders have privately signalled their willingness to deliver the assurances necessary to get the deal through parliament.

My discussions with colleagues today have shown that further clarifications and discussion following the Councils conclusion is in fact possible, she told a press conference.

There is work still to do and we will be holding talks in coming days about how to achieve the further assurances that the UK parliament needs in order to be able to approve the deal.

She spoke after being dealt a blow on Thursday when EU leaders reneged on an arrangement to sell the deal to MPs with a politically helpful statement about the backstop.

It was pulled because leaders feared giving May something now would only encourage British MPs demand further concessions before the meaningful vote in January, the Times reported.

A special Brexit summit to deliver written assurances is not though out of the question, Belgian prime minister Charles Michel confirmed.

In a passionate appeal to EU leaders on Thursday, May said the deal could get through the Commons with a new legal clause that proves the Irish border backstop is not a trap.

Despite having to call-off the meaningful vote to avoid a humiliating defeat last week, she told them: There is a majority in my parliament who want to leave with a deal, so with the right assurances this deal can be passed.

But the European Council ruled out delivering on the legally binding guarantee May has promised her MPs. A crucial part of the meetings draft conclusions, promising to examine whether further assurances can be provided, was deleted after a three hour debate among EU leaders.

May had said she did not expect an immediate breakthrough as she arrived at the summit, but her hopes of securing another special Brexit summit next month also now appear to be fading.

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The only assurance May will take back to Britain is a commitment from the EU to work speedily on a future trade deal so that the backstop will not need to be triggered.

READ MORE: Brexit chaos to continue over Christmas as May warns of no immediate breakthrough

May played-up the significance of that clause on Friday, calling it the clearest statement we have had yet from the EU that the backstop will not be used.

EU leaders appear to have made up their minds during a 53-minute question and answer session with May. She asked for their help in changing the dynamic in parliament by tackling the perception among MPs that the backstop is a trap from which the UK could not escape.

And she concluded by with a call for the EU to hold nothing in reserve in the effort to conclude a Brexit deal. We must get this right, she implored. Lets work together intensively to get this deal over the line in the best interests of all our people.

But her failure to table firm proposals to the meeting left even close European allies exasperated. German chancellor Angela Merkel reportedly interrupted May more than once to ask what she really wanted.

EU chief Jean-Claude Juncker said the UK was being nebulous and imprecise with its demands and called on May to spell out what she wants.

I do find it uncomfortable that theres an impression perhaps in the UK that it is for the EU to propose solutions, he said. It is for the UK leaving the EU and I would have thought that it was rather more for the British government.

Merkel was among EU leaders who spoke in favour of leaving open the possibility of giving May legal assurances at a further summit in January. Austria, who current hold the European Council presidency, are also sympathetic to Mays situation.

Theres different opinions on the legal nature of any assurances, said one senior EU diplomat. Some are flexible if its more legally binding, some dont want that. This is something that is just beginning so we need to discuss this internally.

Its natural when you have something on the table for the first time, he added. How likely is it that 27 people are of the same opinion?

But Spain and France are among countries whose tough stance appears to have prevailed. One Spanish diplomat said: The government refuses any binding solution, even if it doesnt involve renegotiating the deal. Working on a binding solution means you change the deal through the back door.

Arriving for the second day of the summit, Luxembourg prime minister Xavier Bettel said leaders held an honest exchange with May on Thursday. We told her that to renegotiate the text will be impossible but if she needs clarification about the backstop [she can give it].

Belgian prime minister Charle Michel said: The signs that we were given yesterday were not especially reassuring as to the ability of the parliament to be able to honour the commitment that was given.

But Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz said leaders still want to make clear what the backstop means, adding: The backstop is an idea for a short period of time and not for the next decades.




A vote of no confidence in British prime minister Theresa May will be held on Wednesday evening, after a crucial number of lawmakers in her ruling Conservative party revolted over Brexit.

May will need to secure the support of more than half her partys 315 lawmakers for her position to be safe. If she loses, she will be forced to step down as prime minister and will be unable to run in the leadership contest that follows.

Mays decision on Monday to postpone a key parliamentary vote on the Brexit deal she negotiated with the E.U., fearing loss by a significant margin, is widely seen as the factor that led lawmakers to trigger the vote.

Heres what to know about the vote that could force Theresa May from office.

How was the vote of no confidence triggered?

The vote was prompted on Tuesday, the date the parliamentary vote to accept Mays deal was set to be held.

To trigger the vote, 48 Conservatives 15% of the partys lawmakers in parliament  submitted letters to Sir Graham Brady, the party official in control of leadership matters. (Because Britain is a parliamentary democracy, May leads the country because she is at the helm of her party. If her party ousts her, she ceases to be prime minister.)

The lawmakers publicly calling for May to stand down are overwhelmingly further to the right of the party than the prime minister. They are pushing for a more severe break from the E.U. than May is currently proposing  a so-called hard Brexit.

The hard Brexiters have in effect become a party within the Conservative party, says Robert Hazell, a politics professor at University College London. They wanted to be able to vote down Mays Brexit deal on Tuesday, and I think whats finally tipped them over into 48 letters of no confidence is that theyve lost any hope that this prime minister can deliver the kind of hard Brexit they want.

The process is a fast one: lawmakers will submit their ballots between 6 and 8 p.m. U.K. time on Wednesday, just a matter of hours after the news became public.

Story continues

What are the rules?

For May to be ousted, those 48 lawmakers will need to convince an extra 110 of their colleagues (158 Conservative lawmakers in total) to vote against May in a secret ballot. My hunch is that its unlikely, says Hazell. As many commentators have said, the Conservatives would be mad to change their leader at this crucial moment of national crisis.

I dont think its very likely at all, for them to get 158 votes, agrees Wyn Grant, emeritus professor of politics at the University of Warwick. The risk is that she wins, but not by a convincing margin. If more than 100 MPs, about a third, put in a vote of no confidence, then her position would be difficult. There would then be pressure on her to stand down from senior cabinet ministers.

But if May wins on Wednesday evening, then she is safe from another leadership challenge for a year. This would take her well past March 29, 2019, Britains scheduled E.U. exit date.

How has May reacted?

On Wednesday morning, as the news broke publicly, May stood at a podium in front of the famous black door of her 10 Downing Street residence  a giant Christmas tree glittering behind her  to make an address.

I will contest that vote with everything Ive got, she said, noting her history of public service. She argued that if she lost the vote, Brexit would have to be delayed because of the time-consuming leadership contest that would follow. Hard Brexiters say this is not necessarily true.

Even if she wins convincingly, lawmakers will have to approve or reject her deal. The vote on that deal was scheduled for this week, but May delayed it on Monday, saying it was clear she would have lost by a significant margin.

Mays day will now be spent trying to convince as many of her lawmakers as possible to support her leadership. She has canceled a trip to Ireland scheduled for Wednesday in order to rally support.

Is she facing open revolt?

Mays cabinet is split between Brexiters and Remainers, but her entire top team fell in behind her on Wednesday morning, pledging to vote for her. And, according to the BBC, 158 lawmakers (the number she needs to survive) have already pledged their support.

But the ballot on Wednesday evening will, crucially, be secret  meaning lawmakers do not necessarily have to align their vote with their public statements.

Rebellious lawmakers on the right of the party are mounting a renewed push to oust May, after an attempt in November, in response to the finalization of Mays deal, failed.

The Country needs a new leader, it is time for Mrs May to resign.  Jacob Rees-Mogg (@Jacob_Rees_Mogg) December 12, 2018

Jacob Rees-Mogg, a leading Brexiter who publicly submitted a letter of no confidence last month, said Wednesday: The Country needs a new leader, it is time for Mrs May to resign.

But hotly-tipped contenders for the party leadership in future, including the Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, the Home Secretary Sajid Javid, and the Environment Secretary Michael Gove, all pledged their support for May.

The former Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, who resigned in July over Mays negotiating approach, remained silent. He has run for the party leadership before, and is regarded by many lawmakers as having ambitions for the position.

If May loses, who would lead the country?

If May fails to garner the support of half her lawmakers, she will have to stand down as prime minister.

A leadership contest will also begin within the party, with lawmakers being able to put themselves forward for the position.

Multiple rounds of voting by lawmakers will then commence, until two candidates remain. The Conservative party membership (comprised of people from around the country, not just lawmakers) will then have the chance to vote on the candidates.

Here the selection process by Conservative MPs is really important, says Hazell. What is certain is that when it goes to the party membership, the party membership are overwhelmingly pro-Brexit. Therefore they will support any hard Brexit candidate.

What this means, Hazell says, is that Boris Johnson may still stand a chance at becoming leader, despite having alienated many of his supporters in parliament with his criticisms of May. If MPs want to prevent Boris from becoming leader, they have got to prevent him being one of the last two names. Because Boris is the kind of leader who is likely to be elected by the membership, Hazell says.

May made the argument in her Downing Street speech that a leadership contest would inevitably drag on, putting Britains in danger of not being able to exit the E.U. on the scheduled date of March 29, 2019.

However Brady, the official who informed May of the no confidence vote, told Sky News that the list could be whittled down to two candidates within 10 days.

It is therefore unclear whether a new leader would be in place by Jan. 21, the date by which the government has pledged the postponed vote on Mays Brexit deal will occur in parliament.

Is May safe if she wins?

After postponing the vote on the deal, May embarked on a European tour, heading to the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium to speak to E.U. leaders. But those leaders have repeatedly said they are unwilling to renegotiate the deal.

And as May admitted herself in her speech on Wednesday morning, A leadership election would not change the fundamentals of the negotiation or the parliamentary arithmetic.

May could also face a leadership challenge even if she wins narrowly, according to Grant, the politics professor.

I think the only cabinet members who might want to exert that pressure are leadership hopefuls, says Hazell. You then have to ask yourself how mad they are to want to become prime minister at this stage, because the E.U. have made it abundantly clear that this is the best deal on offer. Then again, the Brexiters are slightly mad.
By Ursula Knapp

KARLSRUHE, Germany (Reuters) - Germany's highest court ruled on Thursday that a defunct limousine service offered by Uber [UBER.UL] was illegal, in a setback for the U.S. ride-hailing company that has struggled to comply with the law in Europe's largest economy.

The Federal Court of Justice, handing down a final decision, upheld lower-court rulings in favor of a complaint brought by a Berlin taxi business that the so-called Uber Black service had violated German laws governing car rentals.

Responding to the judgment, Uber said it had taken Uber Black out of service in 2014, adding that the services it now operates in four German cities complied with the law.

"This ruling has no impact on our current services in Germany as we changed our operating model more than four years ago," the company said in a statement.

"We will continue to engage with local stakeholders as we develop services that address Germany's growing transportation needs and shape the future of urban mobility in a responsible way."

Uber, which could fetch a valuation of $120 billion when it floats next year in what would be the biggest stock market listing by a tech startup, has had a series of run-ins with regulators, courts and drivers around the world.

In Britain, the company has fought a long-running court battle over whether its drivers should be given workers' rights, including a minimum wage. The company argues that drivers are self-employed.

In the German case, two lower courts had banned the Uber Black service based on the complaint brought by a Berlin taxi operator, Richard Leipold.

He had argued that its operations should be covered by laws covering car rentals. These require a car to return to its base after each trip and for trips to be awarded by a dispatcher.

Taxis, by contrast, can accept orders directly.

Uber now offers its services in four German cities - Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt and Duesseldorf - and says it is in full compliance with German laws.

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Its Uber X service operates in partnership with car rental companies whose drivers hold a license to carry passengers, a company spokesman said. Its UberTaxi service functions as a regular taxi service.

Establishing an important principle, the Federal Court found that Uber was subject to German transportation laws, dismissing arguments that European Union rules governing the provision of services should apply.

(Reporting by Ursula Knapp, writing by Douglas Busvine, editing by Larry King)
Photo credit: Getty Images

From Car and Driver

As the year ends with the world mired in political turmoil and uncertainty about the economy, you would be forgiven for wondering, 'Is this a good time to start thinking about buying a new car, or will steel and aluminum tariffs mean prices are going to be out of reach for me soon?' The answer is not definitive-we'll show you why-but a little background on how we got here might help give perspective. (See our timeline for even more to think about.)

In 2011, when President Obama announced a plan to raise the fleet-average fuel-economy standards to 54.5 mpg by 2025, automakers signed on largely without complaint. In 2018, President Trump rolled back those targets and introduced a rash of drastic trade policies intended to help the American manufacturing sector, and now industry executives are balking. What gives?

In a word: uncertainty. Trump has been eager to create or overturn policies by executive order, which Congress has little ability to limit. But his decisions and indecisions have rattled the auto industry. Tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, tariffs on Chinese imports, and possibly even more tariffs on imported cars have turned executives into squawk boxes. Ford yowled that metal tariffs had cost the company $1 billion in profits; Honda complained that they brought hundreds of millions of dollars in new costs; and, in opposing the Trump administration's proposed fuel-economy standards, General Motors jabbed that "we can do better."

"When we have costs not incurred by competitors that produce similar vehicles abroad, we find ourselves in a position of being potentially less competitive," says Paul D. Ryan, vice president of trade at industry-lobbying group Global Automakers (not to be confused with the Wisconsin congressman).

According to Ryan, some domestic mills hiked prices by up to 50 percent in response to the 25 percent tariff on steel, implemented under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. In October, index prices for hot-rolled steel-a material widely used in manufacturing-increased by more than 40 percent compared with the previous year, to more than $830 per ton, a roughly $100 premium over imported steel, according to American Metal Market.

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In April, aluminum prices rose when the U.S. imposed sanctions on Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska and his companies, one of which is Rusal, the world's second-largest aluminum producer. Prices on the London Metal Exchange spiked above $2600 per ton, a 27 percent year-over-year increase. Prices aren't going up just because trade policies make metals costlier to buy. With foreign metals more expensive, American companies can raise prices without the risk of being undercut by cheaper products from abroad.

The U.S. imported 5.5 million tons of raw aluminum in 2017, according to Doug Hilderhoff of industrial consultancy CRU Group. Domestic production totaled 740,000 tons. Aluminum production requires significant amounts of electricity, but electricity costs in the U.S. are high compared with those in China and that's preventing any surge in domestic aluminum production, Hilderhoff says. Add in declining vehicle sales and the renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement, now called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which revises origin requirements on car parts and requires higher minimum wages for a percentage of workers, and it's no wonder automakers feel threatened. But the administration's policies have not been all bad for U.S. automakers.

Compared with 2017, profits were down for Ford, GM, and Fiat Chrysler in the third quarter, but Trump's tax breaks, which cut the top corporate rate from 35 to 21 percent, have helped the Big Three, even if the costs incurred by new tariffs have wiped out these savings. A booming economy growing at 3.5 percent, increased consumer spending, and low unemployment are helping, too. Even though material costs surged, prices for commodities such as steel and aluminum have always been volatile, and they're now falling fairly quickly, as they did after previous surges, like during the recession. As of November, futures contracts for steel on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange had dropped below $750 per ton, and aluminum spot prices were trading at their lowest since August 2017.

"It's easy to say Section 232 tariffs caused a price jump for aluminum," Hilderhoff says. "It was true for a little while, but other factors took over."

Ultimately, automakers have some legitimate beefs with the government. Under President Obama, when Democrats controlled both houses of Congress and GM and Chrysler were working through their bankruptcies, automakers conceded to costly regulations and energy policies. Now those rules are changing quickly, and automakers, locked into long-term contracts and product-planning cycles, can't pivot fast enough.

But unpredictable trade policies aren't the only problems facing manufacturers. The car market is oversaturated, and executives worry they won't be able to top 2016's record 17.6 million sales. Also, they're still struggling to build credible Tesla fighters, and their new "mobility" divisions aren't making money. Shifting blame to metal markets helps automakers appease shareholders in the short term, but it's hard to predict what the long-term impact of these policies will be. If you're concerned that Detroit is suffering, though, there's one surefire way to help: Go ahead and buy that $60,000 pickup.



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Nayak Paudel is a crime reporter for The Kathmandu Post. Since joining the Post in 2018, he has also written on health issues.
Britain must stay in the single market and customs union and maintain EU rights to help reverse manufacturing decline and protect jobs from automation, Britains most senior trade union leader has warned.Frances OGrady, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), argues in a new report that Britain must have frictionless trade with the EU, amid parliamentary gridlock and continued negotiation between the British government and the EU over Brexit.

The federation of Britains unions report, All Tomorrows Jobs  How robotics and new technology can create better work, includes a soft Brexit among the measures needed to revive Britains manufacturing industry with a million new jobs by 2030.

The report claims: Nearly three million UK jobs rely on trade with the EU and around 120bn [$152bn] of trade could be at risk from a Brexit deal that limits UK businesses access to EU markets.

READ MORE: How the Tory Brexit chaos brought Irish politics a year of stability

The report states that the aims of All Tomorrows Jobs will not be possible to achieve if we put obstacles in the way of ourselves and our closest and most important export market, the European Union.

The TUC believes that the UK must retain barrier-free, tariff-free, frictionless trade in goods and ensure that workers continue to be protected by EU levels of rights.

The TUC believes that the best option available to achieve this is continued membership of the EU single market and customs union.

Investment is also needed to prepare for the rise of machines and automation in the workplace, according to the TUC.

There should be funds provided in order to train workers to be ready for the digitalisation of the industry, which entails a move to digital processes rather than hands-on manufacturing work. Automation could prove disruptive to the role of humans in the textile sector.

The report cites the Made Smarter Review, which was conducted by the chief executive of Siemens UK arm, Jurgen Maier.

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The review argues that over 10 years, industrial digitalisation could boost UK manufacturing by 455bn, increasing sector growth up to 3% per year. It could create a net gain of 175,000 jobs whilst reducing CO2 emissions by 4.5%.

More resources will need to be made available due to the implications of an ageing workforce, it adds. The report predicts: Two-thirds of those who will be in work in 2030 are already in the workforce.

Investing in mid-career workers is essential to making sure that ongoing employment opportunities are provided in the next wave of technological disruption.

The TUC notes a disparity in training expenditure between the UK and the EU average, stating: At present, the UK invests half the EU average on workforce training.

All workers should have access to a mid-life training review to assess their skills and government must reintroduce individual learning accounts to give everyone a personalised budget for training.

If the UK government does not take heed of the goals, the TUC report warns that there could be something similar to the mistakes of past industrial transformations, such as the decline of the coal mining industry, which left unemployment and social devastation in its wake.
Donald Trump has reportedly cancelled the annual White House Christmas party for members of the media.

The festive gathering has been hosted by presidents for decades, and the apparent decision not to hold it this year, reported by Fox News, marks the latest episode in the Republican leaders turbulent relationship with journalists.

It follows weeks of speculation as to the fate of the reception  usually attended by legions of Washington journalists  after administration officials refused to say it was going ahead.

This year were inviting Mueller, Bill Shine, the White House deputy communications chief, quipped when asked about the party last month  a reference to special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Trump campaign ties to Russia.

Last years Christmas party saw its own controversy, after a number of black and LGBT reporters were left off the guest list for the first time in years.

It also saw CNN boycott the event, in light of the presidents continued attacks on freedom of the press.

Those attacks have only escalated over the past 12 months, with Mr Trump repeatedly referring to media he does not approve of as fake news and the enemy of the people.

In November, tensions peaked when the White House temporarily revoked CNN journalist Jim Acostas press pass.

The White House has been contacted for comment.
Sometimes Donald Trump opts for illusion, sometimes elision. Right now, it feels like a combination of the two.

Firstly the illusion. In an interview with Reuters the day before former lawyer Michael Cohen was jailed for three years for making hush money payments on the eve of the election, Trump said he was not concerned about the threat of impeachment.

The payments were a civil matter, he insisted, despite the fact his own Department of Justice considered them a criminal breach of campaign finance laws.

Then there is the elision  what he chose to leave out. When Cohen admitted his guilt last week in an arrangement with federal authorities that was a de facto plea deal, prosecutors said in court filings the 52-year-old told them the 2016 payments were made at the direction of the Republican candidate for the presidency.

With respect to both payments, Cohen acted with the intent to influence the 2016 presidential election. 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, said the filing.

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 [Mr Trump].

Cohen, who was born and grew up in New Yorks Long Island, once said he would take a bullet for Trump. That is very clearly no longer the case.

An emotional, tearful Cohen, complete with his trademark dark suit and sky blue tie, on Wednesday told New York judge William Pauley of the smorgasbord of crimes he was accused of: I blame myself for the conduct which has brought me here today. It was my own weakness and a blind loyalty to this man that led me to choose a path of darkness over light.

In the eyes of many legal experts, Donald Trump now stands as an indicted co-conspirator. He has not been charged with any offence, but his own Department of Justice has cited as evidence testimony from Cohen that his crimes were committed at the presidents behest. Trump earlier this year admitted reimbursing Cohen for the $130,000 payment to adult actress Stormy Daniels, something he previously disputed knowing anything about.

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In his interview with Reuters, Trump displayed a combination of swagger and threat when asked about impeachment.

Its hard to impeach somebody who hasnt done anything wrong and whos created the greatest economy in the history of our country, he said. Im not concerned, no. I think that the people would revolt if that happened.

It is unclear what special counsel Robert Mueller concludes as to whether Trump obstructed justice or colluded with Moscow  both things the president has denied.

Some legal experts  among them independent counsel Kenneth Starr, whose investigation 20 years ago led to the impeachment of Bill Clinton  say it is impossible to criminally indict a sitting president. Others say it is not, and that is what the impeachment process is designed for.

As Democrats take charge of the House of Representatives next month, there will be plenty among them pushing for Trumps impeachment. In a dramatic Oval Office encounter on Tuesday worthy of a Broadway stage, Nancy Pelosi, almost certain to become the next House speaker, told him: Dont characterise the strength that I bring to this meeting as the leader of the House Democrats, who just won a big victory.

Even if the Democrats decide for tactical reasons not to seek Trumps impeachment  Republicans suffered a major midterm backlash after Clintons impeachment by the House in 1998  and even if it is decided the president cannot be indicted while in office, there are still dangers.

Earlier this month, Democrat Adam Schiff of California, the man about to become chair of the House intelligence committee, told CBS: Theres a very real prospect that on the day Donald Trump leaves office, the Justice Department may indict him  that he may be the first president in quite some time to face the very real prospect of jail time.
Donald Trump is said to have become increasingly worried about the prospect of being impeached in recent days, as Robert Mueller's Russia investigation inches closer to the president.

Despite a public declaration that he is not concerned about the threat of impeachment, the progress of the Mueller probe and federal investigations into his former associates, coupled with Democrats taking over the House of Representatives, has left the president alarmed.

The most alarming development, according to sources speaking to NBC News, came on Wednesday when federal prosecutors in New York announced they had reached an agreement with American Media Inc (AMI). The publisher of tabloid the National Enquirer admitted to making a $150,000 payment in 2016, in coordination with Mr Trumps presidential campaign, to silence Karen McDougal who alleged an affair with Mr Trump. AMI have said it was to prevent the story influencing the presidential election.

AMIs announced cooperation with prosecutors come on the heels of Michael Cohen, Mr Trumps former personal attorney, pleading guilty to violating campaign finance laws in 2016 by arranging a hush money payment to adult actress Stormy Daniels over another alleged affair. That is as well as facilitating the payment to Ms McDougal. Mr Trump has denied the affair.

In a few weeks, Trump Organisation Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg, who was allegedly and David Peck, the chief executive at AMI, will give testimony on the payment. Mr Weisselberg was granted immunity in exchange for his testimony.

The entire question about whether the president committed an impeachable offense now hinges on the testimony of two men: David Pecker and Allen Weisselberg, both cooperating witnesses in the SDNY investigation, an anonymous source, who is a close ally for Mr Trump, told NBC News.

The deal with AMI makes Mr Trump the only individual who is still arguing that those payments were not made to influence the election.

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The president, who is also scambling to find a new chief of staff, has reportedly been scrambling to seek advice and vent to his friends outside the White House and on Capitol Hill. The president reportedly was not in the Oval Office on Wednesday until noon.

The president is also said to have been frustrated at the lack of progress in getting enough funds to build a border wall. Mr Trump has also reportedly snapped at his own staff and Capitol Hill legislators.

But in the publics eye, Mr Trump seems unfazed by the federal investigations and the likelihood of his impeachment. In an interview with Reuters, Mr Trump said he was not concerned with the prospect and that Americans would revolt if it had happened.

Its hard to impeach somebody who has'nt done anything wrong and whos created the greatest economy in the history of our country, Mr Trump said. Im not concerned, no. I think that the people would revolt if that happened.

The White House did not respond to our request for comment.
By Roberta Rampton and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended his search for a new White House chief of staff, telling reporters he would make an announcement about the job within two weeks, after his first choice declined the position. Earlier on Twitter, Trump said more than 10 people were vying for the crucial job but offered no names. He later said some of his friends were interested. "We have a lot of people that want the job," Trump told reporters at the White House. "We'll be seeing what happens very soon. We're in no rush." Trump and the outgoing chief of staff, John Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general, reportedly had been at odds for months, and Trump announced on Saturday that Kelly would be leaving the job. Kelly had taken the job in July 2017 to instill order to a sometimes chaotic White House after Reince Priebus left the post. Trump was left without a clear replacement for Kelly after Nick Ayers, currently chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, declined the job and said on Sunday he was returning to Georgia with his family at the end of the year. The chief of staff opening comes as the White House braces for an onslaught of political and legal challenges in the coming year in the face of the Russia investigation, multiple lawsuits and Trump's efforts to win re-election in 2020. White House adviser Kellyanne Conway on Tuesday said Kelly would stay on the job through Jan. 2 to lead "a very peaceful and pragmatic transition." Asked if Kelly would stay longer, she said it was up to Trump and Kelly. Asked why he was in no rush, Trump told reporters: "We have a wonderful chief of staff right now. "A lot of my friends of mine want it, a lot of people that Chuck and Nancy know very well want it," he said, speaking during a meeting with U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. Conway later told reporters at the White house that Trump's list of candidates included women but would not comment on whether she was one of them or if she was interested in the job. Sources familiar with the search for a replacement said those Trump is considering for the job include Republican Representative Mark Meadows, former campaign adviser David Bossie, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. Some possible contenders, including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House budget director Mick Mulvaney have said they are not interested, sources said. Bossie, who is a contributor for Fox News, said on Tuesday he was meeting with Trump on Friday but did not expect to be offered the job. Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and a White House adviser, told Fox News on Monday night that hopefully Trump will "choose somebody hes got great chemistry with, great relationship with, who will help him navigate the next couple years." The chief of staff job is considered one of the most powerful in Washington, advising the president and serving as a gatekeeper controlling the flow of information and access to the Oval Office. (Additional reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Bill Trott)
President Donald Trump on Wednesday cited the terror attack in Strasbourg, France, as a reason for building his proposed wall along the U.S. border with Mexico.

Another very bad terror attack in France. We are going to strengthen our borders even more, the president pledged on Twitter, the day after a gunman opened fire at a crowded holiday street market, killing three and injuring 13.

Trump, in two Wednesday tweets arguing for his wall, failed to offer sympathy for the victims in Strasbourg or extend offers to help French authorities.

He urged House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to back his wall. On Tuesday, he publicly sparred with the two Democratic leaders over funding for his proposed wall during a White House meeting and threatened to shut down the government down if he doesnt get his way.

I will be the one to shut it down, Trump told the two Democrats. I will take the mantle of shutting it down ... I am proud to shut down the government for border security.

Another very bad terror attack in France. We are going to strengthen our borders even more. Chuck and Nancy must give us the votes to get additional Border Security!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2018

Trump over the weekend was urged by Frances government to stay out of the countrys affairs after he shared his unsolicited opinion on Twitter of how the country should respond to demonstrations over taxes.

Frances Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, responded by asking Trump to quit meddling in other countries affairs.

We do not take domestic American politics into account and we want that to be reciprocated, Le Drian told LCI, a French television channel. I say this to Donald Trump and the French president says it too: leave our nation be.

The suspect in Tuesdays shooting was from Strasbourg, near the German border, French authorities said. He had a criminal record for incidents in Germany and Switzerland, and had been monitored by French intelligence services since 2015 because of suspected religious extremism, a senior interior ministry official said.

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Related...

French Government Slams Trump: Stop Interfering And 'Leave Our Nation Be'

Trump Battles With Nancy Pelosi And Chuck Schumer Over Border Wall Funding

Strasbourg Shooting: 3 Dead, Several Injured And In Critical Condition

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
WASHINGTON (AP)  For some time now, President Donald Trump has been encouraging people to think of Mexico as a portal for international terrorists who "pour" into the U.S. Except, he says, for 10 who were recently caught by the U.S.: "These are very serious people."

These 10 do not exist, except as a federal statistic that Trump and his vice president put through a rhetorical grinder in service of describing emigrants from Mexico as a menace.

There is, in fact, genuine concern about the potential for Islamic extremists to make their way across the border into the U.S. But that concern applies more to the Canadian border, where Trump is not planning to put up a wall.

Here is how the myth of the "very serious" 10 developed over the months, culminating this week in Trump's assertion that "we caught 10 terrorists. These are over the last very short period of time  10."

___

In July 2017, a State Department report on terrorism comes out, breaking down perceived threats by country, and it does not fit into Trump's story about danger from the south.

It says: "There are no known international terrorist organizations operating in Mexico, no evidence that any terrorist group has targeted U.S. citizens in Mexican territory, and no credible information that any member of a terrorist group has traveled through Mexico to gain access to the United States."

At most, it notes that "Mexican government officials observed on social media an increase in terrorist group sympathizers in its territory over the previous year."

That report dwells much more on the northern neighbor, home to "Canada-based violent extremists inspired by terrorist groups such as ISIS and al-Qaida and their affiliates and adherents." Moreover, Canada has experienced episodes of terrorism at the hands of sympathizers of those organizations. And, the report says, Canada faces a "significant challenge in prosecuting individuals who have traveled abroad to engage in terrorism, due to the difficulty in proving association with terrorist organizations or having committed specific terrorist acts."

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Yet the State Department credits both Canada and Mexico with cooperating with the U.S. on terrorism and strengthening protections. And no evidence has emerged that terrorists are pouring in from Canada, either.

___

In January, a joint report by the Homeland Security and Justice departments states that Homeland Security had 2,554 "encounters" worldwide with people on a terrorist watch list who were trying to travel to the U.S. That breaks down to an average of seven per day, and is the seed of what becomes Trump's claim about the "very serious" 10.

The vast majority, 2,170, were trying to come by air, with 335 by land and the rest by sea. Nothing ties them specifically to Mexico.

Vice President Mike Pence misrepresents the finding the next month, attributing all of those encounters to the Mexico border: "I learned yesterday at the Hidalgo border center that along the southern border of the United States, we actually still apprehend 1,100 individuals a day, who are attempting to enter this country illegally, including seven individuals a day who are either known or suspected terrorists."

There's more wrong with his statement than that.

The people encountered by Homeland Security were denied entry to the U.S., not apprehended en masse as Pence says. In some cases law enforcement authorities were notified for "appropriate action," says the report, giving no detail on arrests or any charges.

As well, it may be a stretch to characterize everyone on the watch list as a "known or suspected" terrorist. The list is an initial trip-wire identifying people who, rightly or wrongly, raise some concern. The standard for placing someone on the list is reasonable suspicion, a lower bar than the probable cause needed to arrest someone for an alleged crime.

___

In June, the average of seven per day grows to 10, without new statistics being announced. "On average, my department now blocks 10 known or suspected terrorists a day from traveling to or attempting to enter the United States," says Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

___

In September, the next annual State Department terrorism report is released, finding "no credible evidence indicating that international terrorist groups have established bases in Mexico, worked with Mexican drug cartels or sent operatives via Mexico into the United States. The U.S. southern border remains vulnerable to potential terrorist transit, although terrorist groups likely seek other means of trying to enter the United States." More episodes of terrorism are noted in Canada.

Late in the month, with the Trump administration signaling concern about Central American migrants making their way north, and Trump continually prodding for money to build his wall, the statistic is brought out, and misshapen, again.

"In the last fiscal year, we apprehended more than 10 terrorists or suspected terrorists per day at our southern border from countries that are referred to in the lexicon as other than Mexico," Pence says. "That means from the Middle East region."

The average of 10 a day has grown again, to more than 10. And Pence again says this all happened at the Mexico border.

This time, when Pence's office is asked about the claim, his people acknowledge the error. Later the same day, the vice president correctly attributes the number to all points of entry into the U.S.

Trump, though, continues to drum up fear about Muslim extremism coming via Mexico and migrants, tweeting Oct. 22: "Sadly, it looks like Mexico's Police and Military are unable to stop the Caravan heading to the Southern Border of the United States. Criminals and unknown Middle Easterners are mixed in. I have alerted Border Patrol and Military that this is a National Emergy. Must change laws!"

The next day he tells reporters in the Oval Office: "I spoke with Border Patrol this morning. ... They say that over the course of the year, over the course of many years, they have intercepted good and bad people, including people from the Middle East."

Yet he acknowledges, "There's no proof of anything."

___

This month, Trump's proposed southern wall becomes the prickly centerpiece of a budget struggle that threatens to idle parts of the government starting Dec. 21 barring a deal.

In his contentious public meeting with the Democratic leaders, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer, Trump makes a case for varied menaces from Mexico, describing those trying to get into the U.S. as carriers of disease  an assertion he did not support  and criminals.

He renders the average of 10 watch-list travelers per day encountered by Homeland Security last year as "10 terrorists," never mind suspects, recently "caught" trying to get in.

The White House's support for that assertion? The same report that got the ball weirdly rolling almost a year ago: a daily average of encounters in 2017, not 10 terrorists in the flesh, very serious or not.

___

Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Colleen Long contributed to this report.
Watch your words

Online harassment is an epidemic that needs to be addressed more seriously
The McMurdo station in Antarctica: National Science Foundation

An investigation is underway after two fire technicians at a US research station in Antarctica have died after they were discovered when smoke was spotted coming from the building they were in.

The pair, who worked at the McMurdo Station in Antarctica, were found unconscious on the floor of the building after a helicopter pilot flying over the area saw the smoke and landed to investigate.

The men had been performing preventive maintenance on a fire suppression system at a radio transmitter generator, the National Science Foundation (NSF) said.

Both were given CPR but one was pronounced dead at the scene by medical staff from the McMurdo clinic, and the other was pronounced dead after being flown to the clinic on Ross Island, the NSF said. Their relatives have been notified.

The foundation said the deaths were under investigation.

The workers were employed by a Virginia-based company, PAE, which in turn was hired by the US Antarctic Programmes logistics contractor Leidos, based in Colorado.

The McMurdo research station, established by the US in 1955, is named after Archibald McMurdo, a British naval officer who was part of the expedition that first charted the area in 1841.

It lies on the southern tip of Ross Island in the New Zealand-claimed territory known as the Ross Dependency, used as a base for expeditions to the South Pole.

The buildings at the station are ageing and need replacing, but with the Trump administration seeking to slash federal spending, the fate of Antarctic research may be in doubt.

Daytime highs in December, in the middle of the Antarctic summer, average -3C. More than 1,000 people, including scientists and support personnel, work at the station at this time of year.

Leidos said its Antarctic team provides station operations, logistics, information technology, construction, maintenance and more.

Joseph Dantona, a volunteer firefighter, tweeted: Very sad news The work of all in Antarctica is not without risk, often significant risk  please know that there are a great many who appreciate such dedication and commitment.

Additional reporting by agencies
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said on Thursday he expects the White House to approve a second tranche of aid payments to farmers hurt by ongoing trade disputes, despite new Chinese purchases of soybeans. Perdue told reporters he expected to meet with the White House Office of Management and Budget on the issue on Friday. He added that he hoped China would continue buying U.S. soybeans after the recent purchases, but said he had no knowledge of new agreements for China to do so. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Writing by Richard Valdmanis; Editing by David Gregorio)
By Devika Krishna Kumar

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices climbed 1 percent on Thursday, after data showed inventory declines in the United States and as investors began to expect that the global oil market could have a deficit sooner than they had previously thought.

OPEC's output agreement with Russia and Canada's decision to mandate production cuts could create an oil market supply deficit by the second quarter of next year, if top producers stick to the deal, the International Energy Agency said in its monthly Oil Market Report. [IEA/M]

U.S. crude inventories at Cushing, Oklahoma, the delivery point for U.S. crude futures, fell by nearly 822,000 barrels in the week through Dec. 11, traders said, citing data from market intelligence firm Genscape.

Brent crude <LCOc1> was up 57 cents, or 1 percent, at $60.72 per barrel by 12:02 p.m. EST (1702 GMT). U.S. light crude <CLc1> was 79 cents higher, or 1.5 percent, at $51.94 a barrel.

"The market over the last week has attempted to stabilize and I still think that's what is happening today," said Gene McGillian, manager of market research at Tradition Energy in Stamford, Connecticut.

"For further weakness in the market you need to see even stronger signs that demand growth is going to deteriorate and supply will continue to increase."

Global oil supply has outstripped demand over the last six months, inflating inventories and pushing crude oil's price at the end of November to its lowest in more than a year.

But the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other big producers including Russia said last week they agreed to cut production by 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd).

Still, oil demand growth is slowing, OPEC said.

OPEC said on Wednesday that demand for its crude in 2019 would fall to 31.44 million bpd, 100,000 bpd less than predicted last month and 1.53 million bpd below what it currently produces.

Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said his country has no plans to reduce its oil production, but will remain a member of OPEC, the official news agency IRNA reported.

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Factors such as production cuts and output losses elsewhere should keep markets tight in the first half, Jefferies analyst Jason Gammel said. But he added that U.S. production growth "will almost inevitably re-accelerate in 2H19 as incremental pipeline capacity is installed in the Permian Basin. This means that by early 2020 the market could move back into oversupply."

The United States, where weekly crude production <C-OUT-T-EIA> has hit a record, is set to end 2018 as the world's top oil producer, ahead of Russia and Saudi Arabia.

"Global supply and demand should reach a fine balance next year with the market ebbing and flowing on either side of equilibrium compared to trending for prolonged periods of over and undersupply as seen since the turn of the decade," RBC Capital Markets analysts wrote in a note.

"Whether that is enough to bring apprehensive investors back to the table remains the topic du jour."

(Additional reporting by Christopher Johnson in London and Koustav Samanta in Singapore; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle, Dale Hudson and David Gregorio)
Ripple UAE

RippleNet, the blockchain-based global payment network of Ripple, is set to increase its footprint in the Middle East with a United Arab Emirates-based remittance firm set to unveil cross-border payments using the technology.

According to Reuters, remittance firm UAE Exchange will roll out RippleNet-powered cross-border remittance services to Asia in the first quarter of 2019 in partnership with other financial institutions operating in the region.

We expect to go live with Ripple by Q1, 2019 with one or two Asian banks. This is for remittances to start with, from across the globe into Asia, the CEO of UAE Exchange, Promoth Manghat, said.

Expat Community

Asia is a lucrative market with regards to remittances owing to its large population working abroad. The United Arab Emirates (UAE), on the other hand, is one of the countries that boasts one of the highest percentages of expatriates relative to the native population. A significant number of these expats hail from Asian countries.

When UAE Exchange joined RippleNet in February this year, the global head of Infrastructure innovation at Ripple, Dilip Rao, buttressed this point noting the ready market waiting to be tapped in the UAE:

We chose to focus on solving inefficiencies in key corridors where payment flows are significant and growing. Adding a market leader like UAE Exchange to RippleNet will bring instant, certain, low-cost payments to the millions of retail customers in the UAE who send money abroad.

Growing List of Members

Though Ripple and UAE Exchange did not name the partnering financial institutions, it could be any of the over 100 member banks and financial institutions that have joined RippleNet in the recent past. In Asia, among the most recent banks to join the enterprise blockchain network of Ripple is Malaysias Commerce International Merchant Bankers (CIMB) Group, the fifth biggest bank in Southeast Asia by assets.

Ripple Adds 5th-Largest Southeast Asian Bank to Enterprise Blockchain Network https://t.co/RqaKvVvp1g  CCN (@CryptoCoinsNews) November 19, 2018

Just like in the case of UAE Exchange, CIMB Group joined RippleNet to enhance cross-border payments. While CIMB Group already had an existing remittance service known as SpeedSend, incorporating Ripples technology is expected to extend the service to the rest of Southeast Asia.

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CIMBs network already spans 15 countries, nearly 800 branches and offers SpeedSendone of the best solutions in the ASEAN region. Now, by integrating Ripples blockchain technology, they will enable their customers to send vital funds to family, friends and loved ones more efficiently, the CEO of Ripple, Brad Garlinghouse, said at the time as CCN reported.

Other Asian banks that joined RippleNet this year include Indias Kotak Mahindra Bank and Thailands Siam Commercial Bank.

Featured image from Shutterstock.



The post UAE Firm Taps Ripple Blockchain RippleNet to Launch Cross-Border Payments appeared first on CCN.


The most popular U.K. ETF, iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF EWU declined by 1.2% on Dec 10 after prime minister Theresa May postponed the significant vote on her Brexit deal, which was set to take place on Dec 11. Sterling hit its lowest level in 18 months.

May said that she has opted to delay the vote on the withdrawal agreement rather than facing a severe loss in the Parliament, since the loss in voting could threaten the Brexit deal and her political survival. In doing so, May stretched her tenure long enough to have another round of talks with the European negotiators.

The prime minister believed that the best possible deal was struck by her. However, May will return again to Brussels this week to do all she can to secure the reassurances the House requires to get this deal over the line and deliver for the British people.

Trade difficulties, problems in attracting talented people and increased cost of living are being cited as the possible oppositions to the Brexit deal. Some opponents against the deal want May to win stronger commitments with regard to free trade agreements with EU, release Britain from EU courts and stop payments of an agreed 39 billion "divorce bill (read: Brexit Draft Deal Makes These Sector ETFs a Must-See).

Northern Irish Backstop

Though May claimed that deal had a broad consensus to be the right one, the issue of the Northern Irish backstop was an area of concern. According to this arrangement, no hard border will be erected between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland even if no formal Brexit deal can be reached. This implies that Northern Ireland could stay in the customs union and select parts of European Unions (EU) single market, resulting in a friction-free border with the Republic of Ireland.

However, this arrangement is being opposed by lawmakers of different parties. They fear that in the absence of an agreed time limit or a unilateral right by the U.K. to end the clause, this arrangement could be leveraged to keep the whole of the U.K. under EU rules unless Brussels decides otherwise. The lawmakers will continue to oppose the deal until May either removes the backstop or put a time limit to its effectiveness.

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What Lies Ahead?

European Council president Donald Tusk wrote on Twitter that there will be no negotiations on the deal, including the backstop but the council is ready to discuss how to facilitate the U.K. ratification. He added a likely scenario of a no-deal Brexit would also be considered given the looming deadline date. So, it is unlikely that May would return to the parliament with anything thats significantly different from the already negotiated deal.

Britain is set to officially exit the European Union, deal or no deal, on March 29, 2019  just a little over three months away.

ETFs in Focus

Below we highlight EWU and Invesco CurrencyShares British Pound Sterling Trust FXB in detail. EWU and FXB have been performing poorly in the past four weeks, losing 5.8% and 2.3%, respectively (as of Dec 10) given the uncertainty surrounding Britains divorce deal (see: all the European Equity ETFs here):

EWU

The fund tracks the MSCI United Kingdom Index providing exposure to large and mid-sized companies. It comprises 98 holdings. Sector wise, Financials (19.6%), Energy (17.5%), Consumer Staples (16.4%) and Health Care (11.9%) have double-digit weights. The funds AUM is $1.8 billion and expense ratio is 0.49%.

FXB

The fund offers exposure to the British pound relative to the U.S. dollar. It has AUM of $136.4 million and expense ratio of 0.4% (read: Is the Uptrend in Dollar ETFs Over?).

Want key ETF info delivered straight to your inbox?

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Rimbo (Sweden) (AFP) - Mediators in UN-brokered talks on Yemen pushed Wednesday for a truce between warring parties as a crucial step to allow aid deliveries, with 24 hours left in the negotiations.

Mediators are seeking a de-escalation of violence in two flashpoint cities: rebel-held Hodeida, a port city vital to the supply of humanitarian aid, and Taiz, Yemen's third largest city, scene of some of the war's most intense fighting.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was due at the talks in Rimbo, Sweden, late Wednesday for Thursday's closing round of consultations. His arrival comes hours after his office said it had evidence the rebel Huthis were using Iran-made missiles.

Both government and rebel representatives traded accusations of unwillingness to negotiate, particularly on rebel-held Hodeida, the main route for 90 percent of food imports and nearly 80 percent of aid deliveries.

Multiple draft proposals have been submitted to the two delegations over the past week. None have found consensus as yet.

"It's slow progress," rebel representative Abdelmalik al-Ajri told AFP. "We are faced with the intransigence of the other side.

"Things should become clearer today."

"Nothing has changed as of now," said Othman Mujalli, Yemen's agriculture minister and a member of the government's Sweden negotiation team.

"But the issue today is the airport, the final touches. Today's discussion is around (Sanaa airport), which will be a domestic airport for flights that have been searched during a stop in Aden."

Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani this week proposed government-held Aden as Yemen's sole international airport, with Sanaa turning into a hub for domestic flights.

The government accuses the rebels of arms smuggling through Sanaa airport and the Red Sea port of Hodeida, and the Saudi-led coalition has severely restricted flights to and from Sanaa for years.

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Both Mujalli and Marwan Dammaj, Yemen's culture minister, told reporters Wednesday their camp would hold firm to UN Security Council Resolution 2216 -- which calls for the Huthis to withdraw from all areas seized in a 2014 takeover, including Hodeida.

The rebels have refused a full withdrawal.

The Yemen conflict has killed nearly 10,000 people since the Saudi-led coalition joined the war in 2015, according to the World Health Organization, triggering what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Both parties stand accused of failing to protect civilians. The Saudi-led alliance has been blacklisted by the UN for the killing and maiming of children.

burs-mou-ny/gd
Rimbo (Sweden) (AFP) - Yemen's warring parties on Thursday agreed to a ceasefire on a vital port in a series of breakthroughs in UN-brokered peace talks that could mark a major turning point after four years of devastating conflict.

If implemented, the deal on the Hodeida port, a key gateway for aid and food imports, could bring relief to a country where 14 million people stand on the brink of famine.

In a highly symbolic gesture on the seventh and final day of the peace talks in Sweden, Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani and rebel negotiator Mohammed Abdelsalam shook hands to loud applause -- although both later voiced scepticism.

The two leaders gave contradictory readings of the Hodeida deal shortly after the announcement by UN chief Antonio Guterres.

The week-long talks left a number of key issues unresolved. A new round of talks is scheduled for the end of January, with analysts predicting the US will continue to up the pressure on ally Saudi Arabia, a key backer of the Yemeni government, to end the conflict.

Impoverished Yemen has been mired in fighting between Iran-backed Huthi rebels and troops loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi since 2014. But the war escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition stepped in on the government's side.

- Withdrawal 'within days' -

Under the Hodeida agreement, released on Thursday evening, an "immediate ceasefire" should come into effect in Hodeida and its three ports upon signing, followed by a "mutual redeployment of forces... to agreed upon locations outside the city and the ports".

The UN will play a "leading role" in management and inspections at the ports, for four years under rebel control. The port will eventually be under the control of "local security forces" -- a term the rival parties disagree on.

Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani, who agreed to the deal in Sweden, declined to specify whether the forces would be solely state security forces but told AFP they would report to the "central authority" -- the government.

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But the head rebel negotiator told AFP the phrase referred to the "security forces currently present in Hodeida" -- the rebels.

Saudi Arabia and its allies accuse the rebels of arms smuggling from Iran through Hodeida and the capital Sanaa, charges Iran has denied. The Saudi led-military coalition currently controls Yemen's maritime borders and airspace.

UN chief Guterres said the rivals had also reached a "mutual understanding" on Yemen's third city of Taiz, the scene of some of the most intense battles in the conflict, to facilitate the delivery of aid. No further details were given.

- 'More than expected' -

No deal has been reached on the future of the airport in the capital Sanaa or on economic measures needed to spare the population from further hunger.

Sanaa airport has been closed to commercial flights for nearly three years. The airport will be discussed at the next round of talks, UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths said.

Foreign Minister Yamani said the deal was the biggest step forward since the outbreak of the war but remained "hypothetical". "We will wait and see," he told AFP.

The rebels' Abdelsalam told AFP his group was "bound by an agreement".

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was upbeat, saying "peace is possible".

"The work ahead will not be easy, but we have seen what many considered improbable begin to take shape," he said in a statement.

"The end of these consultations can be the beginning of a new chapter for Yemen."

Analysts said the Rimbo talks progressed better than anticipated, two years after the last negotiations hosted by Kuwait in 2016 collapsed with no breakthrough after three months.

"The Sweden talks have achieved more than anyone expected," the International Crisis Group told AFP.

"We have heard a different tone from the government of Yemen in these talks, and US pressure has clearly focused minds in the Gulf."

- US Senate vote -

The case of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, along with the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, were the turning point for the US.

The US, Britain and France are still the biggest arms suppliers to Saudi Arabia.

Both the rebels and government alliance are accused of failing to protect civilians. The UN last year blacklisted the Saudi-led coalition for the killing and maiming of children in air raids.

The US Senate on Thursday approved a resolution to end American backing for the Saudi-led intervention.

The largely symbolic resolution cannot be debated in the House of Representatives before January, and would likely be vetoed in any case by US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly signalled his backing for the Saudi regime.

Saudi Arabia and its Arab coalition partners "strongly support" the agreement, Riyadh's US ambassador Khalid bin Salman said, while Iran hailed the breakthroughs as "promising".
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - More suspected Iranian-made weapons have been found in Yemen, the UN says in a report that will be discussed Wednesday by the Security Council.

The Gulf monarchies and United States accuse Iran of supporting Huthi rebels in Yemen -- and see this as justification for the military campaign they have been waging in Yemen since 2015.

Iran supports the rebels politically but denies supplying them with arms.

The report from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' office says his staff examined two container launch units for anti-tank guided missiles recovered by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

"The Secretariat found that they had characteristics of Iranian manufacture," the report said.

"The Secretariat also examined a partly disassembled surface-to-air missile seized by the Saudi-led coalition and observed that its features appeared to be consistent with those of an Iranian missile," it added.

A probe into the origin of the weapons continues, it said.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was expected to attend Wednesday's meeting on Iran, scheduled to start at 1500 GMT.

Guterres' report mainly addresses Iran's obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal it struck with six major powers. The United States pulled out of the accord in May and has reimposed sanctions on Iran.

The report concludes that Iran continues to abide by the nuclear accord, under which it won sanctions relief in exchange for limiting its nuclear program.

The UN has said in the past that Yemen's Huthi rebels have fired Iranian-made missiles at Saudi Arabia. But it said it could not be certain that these weapons were in fact supplied by Iran in what would be a violation of UN resolutions.
Chicago (AFP) - A Southwest Airlines flight headed from Seattle to Dallas was turned back mid-flight after it was discovered that a human heart had been left on board, officials said Thursday.

The plane had was over eastern Idaho -- around 600 miles (950 kilometers) into the journey -- when staff discovered the "life critical cargo shipment," meant for delivery back in a Seattle hospital after being transported from California.

"Once we realized the error we immediately worked to return to Seattle," airline spokesman Dan Landson told AFP.

The airline didn't provide the name of the company that shipped the organ, or confirm any further details.

But the Seattle Times reported that the flight's captain told horrified passengers the cargo was a human heart.

The error is thought to have squandered four hours -- three hours in the air -- and experts say a human heart can typically be stored for between four and six hours for a transplant.

Andrew Gottschalk, a doctor with no connection to the incident, described fellow passengers' shock as those with internet connections discovered the small window of viability for a heart transplant.

He told the Times the incident was a "horrific story of gross negligence." The newspaper was unable to locate the hospital where the heart was being sent.
Washington (AFP) - The US Senate sent a fresh warning to President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia Wednesday by greenlighting a vote that could end US military support for Riyadh's war in Yemen.

Anger at the human cost of the war, as well as outrage over the killing of US-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, have prompted a harder line in Congress about the US military's role in backing the Saudi-led coalition fighting to bolster the Yemeni government against Huthi rebels.

That mounting anger may prompt a separate measure in the coming days accusing Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of direct involvement in the journalist's killing -- in line with the reported conclusions of the CIA, whose director Gina Haspel briefed lawmakers on Capitol Hill Wednesday.

That would be a direct challenge to Trump, who has sought to cast doubt on the crown prince's involvement in the killing and has stressed instead the importance of US trade and military ties with the kingdom.

The Senate voted to advance the resolution that ends US backing for the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen by 60 votes to 39, with 11 Republicans joining Democrats to back the measure.

The final Senate vote is expected to take place on Thursday, although even if the upper house approves the resolution, it is likely to run aground in the lower House of Representatives where Republicans hold the majority until January 3.

And even if Congress does back the measure, Trump will be able to deploy his veto power. It remains, however, a powerful symbol of growing unease at US backing for the young heir apparent to the Saudi throne.

Republican Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell -- a Trump loyalist -- had called on his party to vote against the resolution. But he did back a pending non-binding resolution that would hold the Saudi crown prince responsible for the Khashoggi killing.

That resolution, crafted by Bob Corker, a Republican who has been critical of the president, is expected to enjoy broad bipartisan support.

In the meantime, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis are set to defend the alliance with Riyadh in a closed-door briefing to Congress on Thursday.
David J. Carney, Anapol Weiss



Vaccines are an integral part of the American society and have been instrumental in eliminating dangerous diseases that once crippled millions of people, curtailing the spread of contagious diseases that are recurrent in the population, and keeping health care costs down. Since vaccinations are manufactured to combat preventable diseases and illnesses, they undergo long and careful review by scientists, doctors and the federal government to ensure their safety. Vaccines have almost completely eradicated diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, measles, mumps, and rubella from our society.



Vaccines have become mandatory in schools due to the concentration of students and the potential for diseases to spread rapidly. Children in Pennsylvania are required to have four doses of TDaP, four doses of polio, two doses of MMR, three doses of Hepatitis B and two doses of varicella in order to attend Pennsylvania public schools. By seventh grade, children are required to have another TDaP vaccine and a meningococcal conjugate vaccine. Unless a religious or medical exemption is asserted, a child can be excluded from public school for failing to comply with the vaccination regulations.



Vaccine exemptions, exercised by adults or parents on behalf of their children, have created a public health issue despite their legality under state law. For instance, in Pennsylvania, 28 Pa. Code 23.84 sets forth two provisions for vaccine exemptions:





Medical exemption. Children need not be immunized if a physician or the physicians designee provides a written statement that immunization may be detrimental to the health of the child. When the physician determines that immunization is no longer detrimental to the health of the child, the child shall be immunized according to this subchapter.

Religious exemption. Children need not be immunized if the parent, guardian or emancipated child objects in writing to the immunization on religious grounds or on the basis of a strong moral or ethical conviction similar to a religious belief. Medical exemptions are predicated on a physicians opinions that certain vaccines must not be administered due to a childs current or past health condition. For instance, a child with a prior history of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) would not be administered the influenza vaccine since it is well established that the influenza vaccine causes GBS.





In 28 Pa. Code 23.84(b), the basis of a strong moral or ethical conviction similar to a religious belief is also known as the philosophical exemption. The religious and philosophical exemptions are becoming increasingly common throughout Pennsylvania and across the United States. In 2017-2018, 3,335 children asserted religious exemptions and 4,326 asserted philosophical exemptions. All that is required to assert one of these exemptions is a signed letter from the parent or guardian of a child which alleges the provisions of 28 Pa. Code Section 23.84. Since no further explanation is required, the bar has been set very low to assert these exemptions, thereby jeopardizing others health and allowing preventable diseases to spread throughout schools and communities.



The most recent example occurred when 36 students from the Asheville Waldorf School in North Carolina were diagnosed with chickenpox during one of the worst outbreaks the country has seen. As a result of the outbreak, students who came into contact with the afflicted children were quarantined at home for 21 days. The Asheville Citizens Times reported that North Carolinas Department of Health and Human Services tracks the rate of kindergartners whose parents have claimed a religious exemption to avoid certain vaccinations. During the 2017-2018 school year, Asheville Waldorf had a third-highest rate of religious exemptions for vaccinations in the state. Of the 28 kindergartners who enrolled that year, 19 had an exemption to at least one vaccination that was required by the state for school entry. This area of Asheville is a known hotspot for the anti-vaccination movement.



In Pennsylvania, there has been a decrease in vaccination rates as parents are choosing to not vaccinate their children against preventable diseases and illnesses. As a result, the state legislature has stepped in with proposed legislation to combat the growing issue. Specifically, state Sen. Daylin Leach (D-Montgomery/Delaware) introduced Senate Bill 217 in January 2017 in response to Pennsylvanias low vaccination rates in schools that he believes are partially due to the philosophical exemption enumerated in 28 Pa. Code Section 23.84. Leachs legislation is designed to increase the number of Pennsylvania school children who are immunized against preventable diseases by removing the philosophical exemption. His legislation, which is awaiting a vote in the Senate Education Committee, would not impact the religious or medical exemptions that currently exist under the law.



Interestingly enough, clusters of vaccine refusers do not belong to a single political affiliation. For instance, The Washington Post examined this issue recently and discovered excessively high vaccine-refusal rates in Vashon Island, Washington, home to many affluent ex-hippies, and in rural Ferry County in Washington state, which voted for Donald Trump by a margin of approximately 30 percentage points.



The exact reasoning for vaccine refusals is unknown, but it is thought to be related to a communitys shared values, demographics and socioeconomic status. One thing is for certain, education on the issue is critical. High vaccination rates in communities protect individuals from preventable diseases and protect the community at large from outbreaks. If the vaccination rate is high enough, herd immunity is created which virtually eliminates any risk of an outbreak. Herd immunity is also critical in protecting individuals and children that cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons (history of prior autoimmune diseases, immunodeficiencies or those on cancer chemotherapies). Clusters of vaccine refusers breach the herd immunity barrier and put those who cannot be immunized at serious risk of harm.



Parents may be concerned about their children suffering adverse reactions after the administration of various vaccinations. The most common debate is whether the MMR vaccine can cause autism. This debate started in the late 1990s and was heavily litigated in the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP) before it was appealed to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and then to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Except for a few rare exceptions, the courts found that the science did not support a causal link between the MMR vaccine, or any vaccine, and the development of autism spectrum disorder.



The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP) routinely compensates individuals and children for various injuries that have been shown to be caused by various vaccines. For instance, the most common injuries from vaccines include shoulder injuries from improper vaccination (also known as SIRVAshoulder injury related to vaccine administration), Guillain-Barre Syndrome, transverse myelitis (TM), acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), lupus, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), brachial neuritis shoulder injuries, myositis, Bells palsy and optic neuritis. While these injuries and conditions are linked to various vaccines, their occurrences are extremely rare in the country and should not deter one from obtaining their physician-recommended vaccines, unless a medical exemption applies. The risks of being afflicted by one of these conditions are far outweighed by the benefits provided by vaccinations. Some parents or guardians assume that refusing vaccines will somehow prevent their children or loved ones from contracting one of these conditions. However, the influenza virus, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, measles, mumps and rubella all can trigger an immune response that results in one of the above diseases or conditions just as easily as a vaccine can. Regardless, parents are refusing vaccines on behalf of their children.



Even adults are refusing physician-recommended vaccinations at increasing rates. For instance, according to a nationally representative survey of 1,200 people conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago, an independent research institution, approximately 41 percent of the people indicated that they planned to forgo the influenza vaccine in 2018. This is in comparison to the 2017-2018 season when approximately half of the American population received their influenza vaccines. The main argument for declining the flu shot is the belief that it is only 36 percent effective. In the wake of increased vaccine-refusal rates, public health departments, physicians, health care employees, parents and educators need to be fully educated and informed on the benefits of vaccines and their vital role in our society, as well as the extremely small risk that an adverse outcome may occur.



Health care providers should be proactive in educating the community and parents of both the immense benefits of vaccinations and the potential risks. While health care providers often focus on the importance of high vaccination rates and herd immunity, such education should not disregard or ignore science by which vaccines can, and do, cause certain rare autoimmune conditions. Ignoring the discussion on potential adverse risks will only cause parents to distrust the health care industry. Gaining this important education will help individuals understand why extremely rare adverse outcomes occur as a result of vaccines, and the legal remedies available to injured victims. For those of us without a legitimate medical exemption, vaccinating against preventable diseases will almost always outweigh the extremely small risk of suffering an adverse event from a vaccine.



David J. Carneyis an attorney at Anapol Weiss and is currently the vice president of the Vaccine Injured Petitioners Bar Association. He represents individuals who have suffered adverse events from vaccines, as well as those who have catastrophic personal injuries from hazardous chemical, toxic and environmental exposures, benzene exposures, medical malpractice and defective products. Contact him at 215-735-3770 or via email at dcarney@anapolweiss.com.
By Eric M. Johnson MOJAVE, Calif. (Reuters) - A Virgin Galactic rocket plane reached space on Thursday and returned safely to the California desert, capping years of testing to become the first U.S. commercial human flight to breach Earth's atmosphere since America's shuttle program ended in 2011. The successful test flight presages a new era of civilian space travel that could kick off as soon as next year, with Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic battling billionaire-backed ventures such as Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, to be the first to offer suborbital flights to fare-paying tourists. Branson, who said he personally put up $1 billion toward the roughly $1.3 billion development costs for Virgin's space businesses, told Reuters he viewed competition with Bezos and others as a race, though passenger safety was the top priority. "Today we get to enjoy the fact that we have put people into space before anybody else," Branson said. Virgin's twin-fuselage carrier airplane holding the SpaceShipTwo passenger spacecraft took off at 7:11 a.m. local time (1511 GMT) from the Mojave Air and Space Port, about 90 miles (145 km) north of Los Angeles. British billionaire Branson, wearing jeans and a leather bomber jacket with a fur collar, attended the take-off along with hundreds of spectators on a crisp morning in the California desert. After the rocket plane, also called the VSS Unity, reached an apogee of 51.4 miles (83 km) above Earth, a crying Branson hugged his son and high-fived and hugged other spectators. The plane reentered the atmosphere at 2.5 times the speed of sound and landed a few minutes later to cheers and applause, concluding roughly an hour's journey. One of the pilots handed Branson a small Earth stress ball when the two hugged. Thursday's test flight - the fourth mission during which VSS Unity flew under its own power - had pilots Mark Stucky and Frederick Sturckow onboard, four NASA research payloads, and a mannequin named Annie as a stand-in passenger. The next flight test is within the next couple of months, depending on data analysis from Thursday's flight, Virgin Galactic said. Branson has said Virgin's first commercial space trip with him onboard would happen "in months and not years." 51.4 MILES ABOVE EARTH The carrier airplane hauled the SpaceShipTwo passenger rocket plane to an altitude of about 45,000 feet (13.7 kms) and released it. Seconds later, SpaceShipTwo fired, catapulting it to more than 51 miles above Earth, high enough for the pilots to experience weightlessness and see the curvature of the planet. The ship's rocket igniting and vertical ascent through a cloudless sky could be seen from the ground. Virgin's latest flight test comes four years after the original SpaceShipTwo crashed during a test flight that killed the co-pilot and seriously injured the pilot, dealing a major setback to Virgin Galactic, a U.S. offshoot of the London-based Virgin Group. "It's been 14 long years to get here," Branson told reporters after the landmark flight. "We've had tears, real tears, and we've had moments of joy. So the tears today were tears of joy." EXPENSIVE TRIP Nearly 700 people have paid or put down deposits to fly aboard Virgin's suborbital missions, including actor Leonardo DiCaprio and pop star Justin Bieber. A 90-minute flight costs $250,000. Virgin Galactic has received about $80 million in deposits from future astronauts, Branson said. Short sightseeing trips to space aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket are likely to cost around $200,000 to $300,000, at least to start, Reuters reported in July. Tickets will be offered ahead of the first commercial launch, and test flights with Blue Origin employees are expected to begin in 2019. Branson added that he "would be delighted to offer Bezos a flight on Virgin" and for Bezos "to maybe offer me a flight" on New Shepard. Bezos' New Shepard has already flown to the internationally recognized boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space known as the Karman line at 62 miles (100 km) - though the Blue Origin trip did not carry humans. Virgin's Thursday launch did not go as high as the Karman line. Its pilots were aiming to soar 50 miles into the sky, which is the U.S. military and NASA's definition of the edge of space and high enough to earn commercial astronaut wings by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. Other firms planning a variety of passenger spacecraft include Boeing Co, Elon Musk's SpaceX and late Microsoft Corp co-founder Paul Allen's Stratolaunch. In September, SpaceX said Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, founder and chief executive of online fashion retailer Zozo, would be the company's first passenger on a voyage around the moon on its forthcoming Big Falcon Rocket spaceship, tentatively scheduled for 2023. Musk, the billionaire CEO of electric carmaker Tesla Inc, said the Big Falcon Rocket could conduct its first orbital flights in two to three years as part of his grand plan to shuttle passengers to the moon and eventually fly humans and cargo to Mars. Looking to the future after the successful flight, Branson talked about the possibility of using his space plane to link international cities, offering orbital space flights, or potentially even building a Virgin hotel in space. "One thing leads onto another. I forever dream," he told Reuters. "Actually, I said to my son today, we were sitting in the cockpit (before the flight), and I said sometimes I think life is just one incredible dream." (Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Mojave, California; Additional reporting by Irene Klotz in Cape Canaveral, Florida; Writing by Nick Zieminski; Editing by Leslie Adler)
Photo credit: Virgin Galactic

From Popular Mechanics

Everyone loves a successful space launch. They are long shots: expensive, complicated, dangerous feats of engineering that seem to symbolize everything ambitious and daring about humanity. And so the world felt a twinge of pride when Virgin Galactic succeeded today, reaching the lower edge of suborbital space with SpaceShip Two.

It was vindication for founder Richard Branson, and not just because of the company's long road and tragic struggles, including a 2014 crash that killed a test pilot. The media has treated the event as Branson winning a space race, beating Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk at sending a human to suborbital space in a privately built spacecraft.

But lets face it: Virgin's achievement, while impressive, has already been overtaken by other paradigm-shattering space launches, and its luster will soon be dimmed by astronaut launches into actual orbit. And while the tempting narrative here is to pit the billionaire space industrialists against one another in some sort of race to recapture human spaceflight, that framing misses the point entirely. Each one has chased the dream in unique ways-ways so different that calling it a race is deceptive at best.

Beyond the Edge of Space

Let's start with Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos and his company Blue Origin. Bezos has a suborbital rocket program that most closely echoes Virgin Galactics niche of sending rich tourists to the edge of space. But Blue Origin is also busy making an orbital version of its human spaceflight hardware. Unlike SpaceX, which skipped the suborbital race entirely, the company saw the less ambitious flights as vital practice for larger rockets and spacecraft.

Photo credit: Getty Images - Getty Images

Branson just beat Bezos is sending a person to suborbit, yes. Yet this milestone is a little hollow. Consider that Bezos company has created a new engine for the United Launch Alliance, is building major manufacturing facilities at Cape Canaveral, and has an active lunar landing program. All of this makes a suborbital flight pale in comparison. In some ways, Bezos has the fewest headline-making achievements to point to, yet perhaps the best market position as the industry matures.

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Meanwhile, it's hard to say that Branson beat Elon Musk to space when Musk's company is already delivering cargo to the International Space Station and launching orbital payloads for a host of customers, including Uncle Sam. SpaceX (along with Boeing) has also booked pending crewed missions to the ISS-true orbital spaceflight with astronauts on board. Those are to start early next year and will signal the return of orbital human spaceflight to U.S. soil after years of exile in Russia. And Musk managed to change the entire competitive landscape for space launch across the globe in the same amount of time as Branson struggled to get this one flight off the ground.

A suborbital flight is a matter of altitude - go high enough to call it space (50 miles, in this case, instead of the traditionally-accepted height of 62 miles) and come back down. Its a ballistic jump shot. An orbital flight must go high, but it must also go fast in a lateral direction. The goal is for the spacecraft to fall off the edge of the planets curve. Orbital flights must be precise, and use smaller engines to place spacecraft exactly where they need to be. All of this requires complicated engines, thrusters, navigation and telemetry systems.

Comparing a suborbital test flight with a crewed mission to ISS, then, is like comparing a diving bell to a deep-sea submarine. Adding insult to injury, both Musk and Bezos have an eye on human interplanetary exploration, with Blue Origin looking at the Moon and SpaceX fixated on Mars. Musk even has a paying customer looking at a cruise past the Moon and back. Now thats space tourism!

The New Space Race(s)

Photo credit: Al Seib - Getty Images

A decade ago, the idea of a private tourist riding a spaceplane launched from mid-air to the edge of space was revolutionary. Back then, the Space Shuttle faced retirement and NASA stumbled under the pressures of shifting politics. People wanted something hopeful, and the idea of a real private industry filled the void.

But things change a lot in ten years. While Bransons promised timeline for space tourism gave way to tragic reality, the rest of the space industry underwent a revolution. Dozens of small satellite launchers rose up to fill low-Earth orbit with new constellations. The U.S. government grew eager to develop hire private companies for launches. Instead of building dedicated spaceports like the oft-maligned Spaceport America, cities are converting underused airports to spaceports that can accommodate air-launch rocket systems.

There is not one New Space Race. There are several. The key players have hardware that will face off to win future markets, and those markets are more vital than space tourism. According to a new research report by the market research and strategy consulting firm, Global Market Insights, Inc, the market to launch commercial satellites will hit $7 billion by 2024, dwarfing the space tourism economy.

Even Branson knows this. His other space company, Virgin Orbit, is taking air-launch concept and applying it to something more important and economically stable than putting Leonardo DiCaprio into suborbital space. Launching satellites from a large airplane has big advantages, especially for U.S. government customers who may need to replace a sat or augment their orbital technology during a crisis.

None of this is to say we shouldn't celebrate Virgin's achievement. But keep the good champagne on ice, because the truly remarkable breakthroughs in spaceflight are right around the corner.

('You Might Also Like',)
Virgin Galactics SpaceShipOne rocket plane, dubbed VSS Unity, fires its hybrid rocket motor for a 51-mile-high flight. (MarsScientific.com / Trumbull Studios)

MOJAVE, Calif.  Virgin Galactics SpaceShipTwo rocket plane, dubbed VSS Unity, has become the first privately funded vehicle in 14 years to carry people to the edge of space  depending on how you define space.

Im not allowed to say this, but hopefully were going to space today! Virgin Galactics billionaire founder, Richard Branson, said just after the flight took off from Californias Mojave Air and Space Port today.

Over the course of almost an hour, SpaceShipTwo and its White Knight Two mothership rose to a launch altitude of about 43,000 feet. Just before 8 a.m.. PT, the rocket plane was dropped from White Knight Twos underbelly and lit up its own hybrid rocket motor.

The rocket blasted for 60 seconds, sending Unity upward at supersonic speeds as high as Mach 2.9 and powering test pilots Mark Forger Stucky and Rick CJ Sturckow to a height of 271,268 feet. That translates to 51.4 miles, or 82.6 kilometers.

The internationally accepted boundary of space is currently 100 kilometers, or 62 miles, although that could soon change. Virgin Galactic favors a boundary of 50 miles, or 80 kilometers, which is the height at which military pilots get their astronaut wings. Thats also the height thats written into the companys contracts with customers for future spaceflights.

Thus, todays flight was a cause for celebration for Virgin Galactic and its sister company, The Spaceship Company, which is building more SpaceShipTwos.

Welcome to space, Unity! Enrico Palermo, president of The Spaceship Company, told the crowd watching the flight as SpaceShipTwo passed the 50-mile point.

After Unity glided back down to its landing, Branson made a declaration that he said he had been waiting to make for nearly two decades: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, space is  Virgin territory!

Stucky said the plane worked like a charm.

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To actually get out there and have that motor shut down, and go, Huh, were going to space, and see the dark sky  its great, he said.

Sturckow, a former space shuttle astronaut, was also impressed. It was a great flight, and I cant wait to do it again, he said.

Lovely shot of takeoff! WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo take to the skies pic.twitter.com/JFcSDVB9jR  Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) December 13, 2018

The Federal Aviation Administration said both test pilots will get their astronaut wings in a ceremony early next year. Assuming that 50 miles up qualifies as space, todays flight marked the first time since the space shuttle fleets retirement in 2011 that U.S. astronauts flew on a U.S.-made spacecraft launched from U.S. soil

Human spaceflight right here in the United States! Bailey Edwards, the FAAs assistant administrator for policy, international aiffairs and environment, told the crowd. Its amazing.

If Unitys flight crews demonstrate that they can blast past the 50-mile mark repeatedly, reliably and safely in Mojave, thats sure to open the way for commercial suborbital tours to begin at Spaceport America in New Mexico next year. Virgin Galactics team began reviewing data from the test flight almost immediately after landing.

Ideally, wed want to do three more flights before we go to New Mexico, Branson said. It just depends on the data.

Branson said he intends to be the first commercial passenger, but more than 600 other Future Astronauts have signed up at a price of as much as $250,000 a seat.

Branson said the price would soon go up, but he declined to say by how much. He said he expected the price to come down again once Virgin Galactic gets well into commercial operations.

In addition to its two test pilots, Unity flew four research payloads paid for through NASAs Flight Opportunities Program. Branson said such services would help defray the considerable cost of development.

Space is not cheap, and Ive personally invested about a billion dollars in this project, he told reporters. Having our first money coming back is a good feeling.

Enrico Palermo

Contrails

Unity landing

Unity's tail

Enrico Palermo and son

Including investments from other backers, the total for Virgin Galactic, The Spaceship Company and Virgin Orbit amounts to around $1.3 billion, he said. About $250 million more will be required to complete the development and test program, and then the cash will start coming in quite quickly, Branson said.

The atmosphere in Mojave is much as it was 14 years ago  when the SpaceShipOne rocket plane, funded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen  rose past the 100-kilometer mark three times, winning the $10 million Ansari X Prize and blazing the trail for SpaceShipTwo. Dozens of VIPs and journalists were here to witness todays test flight, just as they were in October 2004.

Among those in the spotlight back then was Branson, who was so impressed with SpaceShipOne that he licensed the technology from Allen and his partners at Mojave-based Scaled Composites.

Today Branson paid tribute to Allen, who died in October at the age of 65 due to non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Paul was an extraordinary man, and its very sad that he was not here, Branson said.

Much has happened since then, and not all of it good: Three of the workers on the SpaceShipTwo project were killed in 2007 when a nitrous oxide tank blew up. And one of Scaleds test pilots was killed in 2014 when the first SpaceShipTwo plane, known as VSS Enterprise, broke apart in midflight due to a cascade of errors.

I found myself questioning seriously for the first time, whether in fact it was right to be backing the development of something that could result in such tragic circumstances, Branson said at the time

Its taken four long, tough years for Virgin Galactic to finish work on its second SpaceShipTwo and bring the flight test program its spaceworthy climax. And no ones happier about that than Branson.

This is the milestone weve been aiming for, for 14 years, he said. It was just a really, really upbeat, joyous day.

Update for noon PT Dec. 13: Virgin Galactic tweeted out some amazing views from VSS Unitys flight. Heres how things looked from the cockpit, with the curving Earth visible through the front windows:

SpaceShipTwo looking back on Spaceship Earth  pic.twitter.com/ynr31mKzzf  Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) December 13, 2018

Today, for the first time in history, a crewed spaceship built to carry private, paying passengers reached space https://t.co/B17Fc3l7HI @virgingalactic @thespaceshipco pic.twitter.com/R0cgkp95g6  Richard Branson (@richardbranson) December 13, 2018

This video, captured by a camera on one of Unitys wings, documents the gliding planes victory roll:

Victory roll for SpaceShipTwo. Planned test point and mission accomplished pic.twitter.com/3dI1fipoCW  Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) December 13, 2018

And heres a picture looking back over VSS Unitys shiny butt:

Our SpaceShipTwo traveling among the moon and stars    pic.twitter.com/fDKdguHWoW  Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) December 13, 2018

More from GeekWire:
Wall Street expects a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) reports results for the quarter ended November 2018. While this widely-known consensus outlook is important in gauging the company's earnings picture, a powerful factor that could impact its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates.

The stock might move higher if these key numbers top expectations in the upcoming earnings report, which is expected to be released on December 20. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower.

While the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's discussion of business conditions on the earnings call, it's worth handicapping the probability of a positive EPS surprise.

Zacks Consensus Estimate

This largest U.S. drugstore chain is expected to post quarterly earnings of $1.43 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +11.7%.

Revenues are expected to be $33.58 billion, up 9.3% from the year-ago quarter.

Estimate Revisions Trend

The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 0.17% lower over the last 30 days to the current level. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period.

Investors should keep in mind that the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts may not always get reflected in the aggregate change.

Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Earnings Whisper

Estimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. This insight is at the core of our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction).

The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is subject to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.

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Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant for positive ESP readings only.

A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Our research shows that stocks with this combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of Earnings ESP.

Please note that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss. Our research shows that it is difficult to predict an earnings beat with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative Earnings ESP readings and/or Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell).

How Have the Numbers Shaped Up for Walgreens?

For Walgreens, the Most Accurate Estimate is lower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate, suggesting that analysts have recently become bearish on the company's earnings prospects. This has resulted in an Earnings ESP of -0.50%.

On the other hand, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of #3.

So, this combination makes it difficult to conclusively predict that Walgreens will beat the consensus EPS estimate.

Does Earnings Surprise History Hold Any Clue?

While calculating estimates for a company's future earnings, analysts often consider to what extent it has been able to match past consensus estimates. So, it's worth taking a look at the surprise history for gauging its influence on the upcoming number.

For the last reported quarter, it was expected that Walgreens would post earnings of $1.44 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.48, delivering a surprise of +2.78%.

Over the last four quarters, the company has beaten consensus EPS estimates four times.

Bottom Line

An earnings beat or miss may not be the sole basis for a stock moving higher or lower. Many stocks end up losing ground despite an earnings beat due to other factors that disappoint investors. Similarly, unforeseen catalysts help a number of stocks gain despite an earnings miss.

That said, betting on stocks that are expected to beat earnings expectations does increase the odds of success. This is why it's worth checking a company's Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank ahead of its quarterly release. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.

Walgreens doesn't appear a compelling earnings-beat candidate. However, investors should pay attention to other factors too for betting on this stock or staying away from it ahead of its earnings release.



Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA) : Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Dramatic footage from the body cam of a police officer in Balch Springs, Texas has gone viral after the amazing rescue of a little boy was caught on tape.

After being called to the scene, the officers began frantically running up the stairs and through the halls trying to evacuate all tenants from the 8-unit building. To their horror, they soon realized that one family was trapped on the second floor.

To see them up in that window it was scary very scary, officer Tyler Gross told the local news.

As the flames grew bigger, the officers hatched a plan to get the 10-year-old boy, who was standing frozen in the window, to safety. One officer threw his baton to first break the window, and then they all pleaded with the nervous child to jump to safety. We got you buddy, its ok you can hear them yell to him as he whimpers for help.

See Also: Police respond to a noise complaint but end up playing video games with the respectful tenants

Much to the officers relief, the boy finally takes a leap of faith, and falls into their waiting arms. Though he can be heard crying for his mother, he came out of the experience miraculously unscathed.

He was a great old trooper, the officers told Inside Edition afterwards.

That day everything lined up and we were just able to do good.
U.S. Supreme Court

U.S. Supreme Court. Credit: Diego M. Radzinschi/ NLJ



The fierce political battle in Wisconsin over Republican measures that could weaken the power of the incoming Democratic governor has taken down an unexpected target: the states solicitor general.



The package of bills passed in advance of Democratic Gov.-elect Tony Evers taking office includes a provision that would abolish the position of solicitor general, who argues before state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, and his office, which includes five other lawyers. Current Gov. Scott Walker has yet to sign the bills.





Misha Tseytlin





If he does, Wisconsin Solicitor General Misha Tseytlin, a former clerk to Justice Anthony Kennedy and former associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, may be the first and last solicitor general the state has had.



He might have been out of a job anyway with the election of a Democratic attorney general as boss, but legislation abolishing the position altogether has an undeniable finality. Tseytlin did not respond to a request for comment.



The bill also runs contrary to a decadeslong trend toward increasing the number of state solicitors general nationwide to improve the advocacy and professionalism of state litigators. Only 10 states now lack state solicitors. Wisconsin would be the 11th, and may be the first state to end the innovation by legislation. As with the other states that have no solicitor general, appellate lawyers in the state justice department would likely pick up the slack.



But why would the solicitor generals office, created in 2015 by Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel, be a casualty of wide-ranging political conflict?



Strangely enough, the answer may be the history of Democratic animosity toward the solicitor generals office, caused in part by Tseytlins conservative advocacy in major cases.



He argued and won two Supreme Court cases on behalf of Wisconsin: the regulatory takings case Murr v. Wisconsin in 2016, and Gill v. Whitford, the political gerrymandering case, in 2017. Tseytlins official profile notes that in his previous job as West Virginias general counsel, he specialized in litigation challenging unconstitutional and otherwise unlawful overreach by the federal government.





Story continues





falcon-embed src="embed_1"









After the office was created, a Democratic legislator grumbled that it would become a mini right-wing law firm in the attorney generals office. Tseytlin oversees a chief deputy solicitor, three deputy solicitors and an assistant solicitor. His chief deputy, Ryan Walsh, was a former clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia and a Jones Day associate.



On the campaign trail, Democratic Attorney General candidate Josh Kaul said he would keep the position of solicitor general but would restructure the six-lawyer office if elected, which he was. Kaul said the cases the office has taken on are highly partisan and are not serving the interests of Wisconsinites.



It may be that the Republican legislators, in the midst of their other agenda items, saw fit to give Democrat Kaul more than what he wanted: no solicitor generals office at all.



With the shoe on the other foot, that void may hamper the new administrations ability to litigate cases taking positions that Republicans, not Democrats, may soon view as partisan.













Read more:



$400K for SCOTUS Clerks: A Bonus Too Far?



Former SCOTUS Clerks Dominate the Ranks of Trumps Judicial Nominees



Jones Day Lands a Record 11 Supreme Court Law Clerks as Associates



State Solicitors General Step Into SCOTUS Spotlight and Beyond
Tribesmen loyal to Houthi rebels hold up their weapons as they attend a gathering to show their support for the ongoing peace talks being held in Sweden - AP

Talks in Sweden between Yemen's warring parties on Thursday led to a major breakthrough in blunting a devastating war that has killed thousands and driven the country to famine, with both sides agreeing on a ceasefire in a key port that acts as a lifeline for millions.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres announced that the Iran-linked Houthi rebels, who control Hodeidah port, had reached a ceasefire there with the Saudi-led coalition that was massing troops in the Red Sea city ahead of a final push into the port.

In a statement released near the end of peace talks this week in Sweden, Mr Guterres said that UN troops would be dispatched to Hodeidah, where the organisation will also help distribute much-needed aid.

The ceasefire will hold both in the city of Hodeidah, which is the principal life-line for two-thirds of the country, and the broader province, the UN chief added.

A "mutual understanding" was also struck in the nation's embattled third city of Taiz, although few details were released .

There was no agreement, however, on ending the fighting elsewhere in Yemen.

Nor has a deal been struck on a political framework or the reopening of the rebel-held Sanaa airport. Further talks on those subjects are due in early 2019.

Rebel negotiator Mohammed Abdelsalam (C) holds a press conference together with members of the delegation following the peace consultations in Sweden Credit: AFP

Mr Guterres thanked both delegations, saying "real progress" had been made towards ending the conflict.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt had flown to Sweden on Thursday to back mounting pressure on both sides to reach an agreement.

He met the Houthi rebels for the first time when he hosted meetings with them and the Saudi-backed government, the Foreign Office said in a statement.

Todays agreement in Stockholm between the Yemeni Government and the Houthis is an important step towards ending the conflict in Yemen - the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today.

We have been working with the United Nations to bring the two sides in this terrible conflict together for the first time in years, including through constructive talks with key Saudis and Emiratis during my recent visits, and regular discussions with Oman."

Story continues

The US senate voted on Wednesday to press ahead with a resolution ending US military support to the Saudis and their allies in Yemen.

On Wednesday, the UK-based observer group Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLEDP) said the official UN death toll of 10,000 was likely a vast underestimate. Its own survey put the toll at more than 60,000.

The war, launched by Saudi Arabia and its allies in 2015 after the Houthis overran much of Yemen, has come under increased scrutiny in recent months, particularly after Saudi agents murdered columnist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom's Istanbul government.

The US senate voted on Wednesday to to end US military support to the Saudis and their allies in Yemen, a significant blow to President Trump who has stood firmly by Riyadh.

All the main Yemeni factions, and Saudi-backed coalition, have been accused of rights violations including torture. The Saudi-led coalition sparked an international outcry following an air strike on a bus that killed dozens of children in August.
(Reuters) - New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood said on Thursday that she had filed a lawsuit against Target Corp <TGT.N>, Walmart Inc <WMT.N> and toy importer LaRose Industries over the sale of lead-contaminated children's toys.

Underwood said her office conducted tests in New York City, Long Island, and the Syracuse and Buffalo areas on "Cra-Z-Jewelz" jewelry-making kits that were imported by LaRose and found levels up to 10 times higher than the federal limit.

The kits were supplied by LaRose and sold at Walmart and Target stores.

According to Underwood, the companies violated several state laws in 2015 and 2016 and the lawsuit is seeking civil penalties collectively ranging from $70 to $6,000 for each "Cra-Z-Jewelz" kit the companies sought to sell in New York.

"The findings of our investigation have already led to a nationwide recall of the toys," Underwood said.

Walmart said it removed the toys from its shelves and online as soon as LaRose informed the recall nearly three years ago and it did not sell the products thereafter.

"We've discussed this matter with the New York Attorney General's office and will address the allegations and demands with the court," a Walmart spokesman said.

Target and LaRose did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.

(Reporting by Aishwarya Venugopal in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur and James Emmanuel)
1. Yes. The new strain spreads quickly; experts are concerned. It might be in our area soon.

2. Yes. The new variant may be vaccine-resistant, which would be a huge threat.

3. No. Health experts have moved quickly to contain it; it may not reach our community.

4. No. Even if the variant arrives in Texas, researchers may have some answers by then.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say until experts have had a chance to monitor it for a while.

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Well, Disney better be telling Charlie Cox they have plans for him because I hope to god this new Daredevil comic series is gonna be good to tie me over until then. This is coming from someone who went to see that crummy as Daredevil film back when it came out, swore off any and all Daredevil stuff because I thought it would be done tacky and awful like the film.



Glad to know it's not forever though.

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lol I was the same with Daredevil, loved him as a kid but then the movie just put me off until the Netflix show

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I hate this. Disney+ needs to have a separate mature section or app. They shouldn't cancel these.

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But Daredevil got so good



Bullseye ;-;



Elektra ;_;



My OT3 became my OT3 again



Get rid of Wanda and Vision. No one cares

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Wilson Bethel's back in Daredevil </3



Edited at 2018-12-13 01:35 am (UTC)

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What Jellycar said. Wilson Bethel's Bullseye

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ia to ALL OF THIS





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mte sis!!!

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Wait Punisher is next month? Have we had a trailer?

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Netflix released like. Two seconds of footage at the end of their "What's new to US Netflix in January!" video. They don't give a date but it says 'coming soon' so everyone's assuming it'll come out in January: https://io9.gizmodo.com/heres-your-first-tiny-little-tease-for-the-punisher-sea-1831042079

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Marvels twitter confirmed Punisher is returning in January today.

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I'm so tired of all these streaming services.

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...duh? Did anyone think a show where a character obliterates someone's head with a car door was going to be on a Disney service?

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Look....look



Disney killed Mufasa. They aren't above this.

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Disney killed Bambi's mother. They don't care.

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Disney owned Miramax for almost 20 years and during that time, put out films like Pulp Fiction and Trainspotting. Not sure if they'll do something like that again, but they're no stranger to making more adult-themed entertainment.

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Disney is legit evil.

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i'm not over it. fuck them for canceling it when s3 was so good and before elektra came back.

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charlie cox looks so much like my ex bf jfc they even cry the damn same

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this gif is like the serious-actor version of this

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Daredevil sucks so good riddance



Luke Cage is not interesting to me without the Shades/Mariah plot and that's done so, so long. Though I do love Misty 



Jessica Jones and Iron Fist were two shows I legitimately loved and I hope JJ has a good last season because lbr, it'll be the last.



this universe did not know how to properly use a valuable character/actor resource in Rosario Dawson, though, talk about a waste of a talented performer. She was an emotional support prop for superheroes and the only truly decent content she had was in S1 of Iron Fist with Colleen. Otherwise, what a mess. I came into this universe solely for my Rosario stanning and ended up staying despite the fact that I thought Claire was a terribly written and terribly utilized character



don't get me started on the snoozefest that is Matt Murdock's manpain

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I'm not sure which pisses me off more, the cancellation of Luke Cage or Daredevil. While Daredevil's season 3 was more consistent in quality, and was better in terms of action, I really liked a lot of the acting in Luke Cage, and the season two finale opened up a lot of potential for Luke's character.

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goodnight my sweet prince

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Sweet sassy cinnamon bun 

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i love Barry Jenkins so goddamn much, and i can't wait to see If Beale Street Could Talk. I'm reading the book right now and it is beautiful.

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yes as our country burns and democracy crumbles, you too can have an overpriced coat!

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mte

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YAS, slay, member of the bourgeois ruling class!



Edited at 2018-12-13 07:55 pm (UTC)

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lol right

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lol christ it's exhausting

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Right lmao 

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she looks great but rme at "This is diplomacy in motion, soft power wielded like a machete through the diligent, decisive act of dressing."

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yeah this is such an overreaction. i don't mind stanning the coat, but literally what at this statement?

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the definition of doing too much

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Mostly just posting this for Barry, he's so damn hilarious I hope he and his coat are very happy.

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I heart him. He seems like hed be fun to hang out with.

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lol when I saw a picture of this I knew it would get the meme treatment.

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She literally put the sunglasses on for like two seconds she knew EXACTLY what she was doing.

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lol she did?! I had no idea!!



Who says memes are just for millennials? Nancy wanted her moment too hahah



Edited at 2018-12-13 07:40 pm (UTC)

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i love Barry but lmfao at his tweets. lord.

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Right? Someone grab the salts right quick for Barry.

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Lol right? So fucking extra.

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lol when he said he bought the coat

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I read these in Barry's voice and it made them that much better.

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Ive never heard of Barry Jenkins before this but they seem...intense

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Intense how?

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Its a coat, not an act of ~revolution~. A coat as diplomacy in motion? Really?! Im hard pressed to see it as anything other than a cute coat.

Can clothes be a statement and art in themselves? Absolutely. Is this coat one of those pieces? Not to me!





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He wrote and directed Moonlight!

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Nancy Peloslay and Chuck were absolutely amazing. The grin on Chucks face after Trump took credit for the government shutting down is one for the history books.

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Mike Pence looking like he wanted to die was the cherry on top tbh

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I thought mother had forgotten to change his batteries that morning

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Yeah I feel like Schumer was looking for Trump to say something like that and when he got he was def gleeing in victory.



He was not holding back LOL

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I know - they got him so good.

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Chuck was probably thinking to himself along the lines of:''This idiot really fell for it''

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It was like watching Bugs Bunny fuck with the opera singer.

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Lmao yeah I love it. I actually already own several coats with the high collar for a long time. Its my personal style Im proud of. Its subtly ninja styled technowear and cyberpunk as fuck to me. I have another coat that is so classy as hell that Id look like I come from one of the finest schools in the country. <3

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Barry Jenkins seems like such a nice person??? He'd pick you up short notice from the airport or help you move.



Coats are the thing I love most. Like how for some people it's shoes or purses or whatever.

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He legit THANKED La La Land for handing over the Oscar his film won, LoL.

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He'd pick you up short notice from the airport

lmao so specific yet exactly someone i need in my life

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Barry Jenkins seems like such a nice person??? He'd pick you up short notice from the airport or help you move.



Hahahaha Ita.

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a good coat is the best

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lmao ikr? he really seems like a genuinely lovely person

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Legit half my closet is coats, idk what Id do if ever had to live somewhere that doesnt get cold

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yes, i love coats. i'm always looking for new coats even though i rly don't need and already have too many lol.

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lol - he just seems genuinely happy about life which is rare for a director and I love it!

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I live in Texas and heavy winter coats are my favorite. I have more than any Texan has the right to and KEEP BUYING THEM

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I love coats and shoes too much

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I love it so much that he was the one who bought it off Poshmark!

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It's a great coat!



I love Barry Jenkins and would read his tweets about anything, tbh.

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Barry is so sweet on twitter

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Last week Bloomberg created quite a stir with this story: The U.S. Just Became a Net Oil Exporter for the First Time in 75 Years. I have seen a number of follow-up stories that praised the significance of this development, but others laughed it off as misleading or incorrect.

There is some truth to both viewpoints. Yes, the headline is somewhat misleading and requires some context. But there continues to be a trend in the direction of energy independence for the U.S. So, today I want to break down the numbers so readers can understand the truth about U.S. petroleum production, consumption, and exports.

Domestic Crude Production Has Surged

The Bloomberg story is based on data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Each week the EIA publishes detailed statistics on U.S. oil production, consumption, exports, and inventories in a report called the Weekly Petroleum Status Report. So, lets go straight to the source.

For the week ending 11/30/18, the EIA reported that the U.S. produced 11.7 million barrels per day (BPD) of crude oil. That represents a 2 million BPD increase from the year-ago number. This number is generally accepted even by those who believe the Bloomberg headline was misleading.

Further down in the report, the category of Products Supplied is listed at 20.5 million BPD. This is approximate U.S. crude oil consumption for the week. Thus, as some skeptics of the story suggested, the bottom line is that the U.S. is burning more than 20 million BPD while producing less than 12 million BPD. Thus, the conclusion for some was that the U.S. isnt close to being energy independent.

Other Supply

But there is important context between these numbers. First, the 20.5 million BPD is a fairly accurate representation of U.S. consumption, but there is a large U.S. production number that isnt included in the crude oil production numbers. Related: Will China Turn Its Back On U.S. LNG?

There is a line item called Other Supply, which consists primarily of natural gas liquids (NGLs) and fuel ethanol. This category represents a significant input to refiners in addition to the 11.7 million BPD of production (and the 4.0 million BPD of net crude oil imports). Other Supply represented 6.9 million BPD of production, and it mostly ends up as feedstock for refiners or petrochemical production. (Note that this category also includes Refinery Processing Gain of 1.2 million BPD, which results from refiners making products that are of a lower density than crude oil).

So, Domestic Production of crude oil plus Other Supply is equal to (11.7 + 6.9) = 18.6 million BPD  which is still about 2 million BPD less than the U.S. consumes.

Growing Exports

However, these numbers dont account for exports. During that particular week, the U.S. imported 7.2 million BPD of crude oil, and exported 3.2 million BPD. Thus, net crude oil imports were 4 million BPD.

But product exports are a different story. During that week the U.S. imported 1.6 million BPD of finished products, while exporting 5.8 million BPD (which includes some ethanol and NGLs). Net U.S. exports of finished products were 4.2 million BPD. (The U.S. became a net exporter of just finished products in 2011).

The U.S. also exports crude oil. President Obama repealed the 40-year old crude oil export ban in 2015, and crude oil exports have soared since. As an aside, the reason the U.S. simultaneously imports, and exports crude is that some of what we produce isnt a good match for our domestic refineries. So we export some domestic crude and import crude that is a better match for our refineries.

Fact Check

So, heres a summary of the important inputs to the balance that resulted in the Bloomberg claim:

 U.S. crude oil production  11.7 million BPD

 Other supply (NGLs, ethanol, processing gain)  6.9 million BPD

 U.S. crude oil imports  7.2 million BPD

 U.S. crude oil exports  3.2 million BPD

 U.S. finished product imports  1.6 million BPD

 U.S. finished product exports  5.8 million BPD

 U.S. petroleum consumption  20.5 million BPD Related: Analysts: Output Cuts To Balance Oil Markets In 2019

So the Bloomberg headline results from a net crude oil import number of 4.0 million BPD and a net finished product export number of 4.2 million BPD. So, indeed when you consider crude oil and finished products, for the week ending 11/30/18, the U.S. was a net exporter of 0.2 million BPD of crude plus finished products. (For perspective, this average over the previous four weeks was 2.0 million BPD of net imports).

Verdict: Remarkable Achievement, But False Headline

Significantly, this is the first time this category of weekly crude plus finished products became an export number since the EIA began reporting this information in 1991. This is a far cry from 2005, when that weekly number hit an all-time-high of 14.4 million BPD. As far as I can tell, Bloomberg is correct that this hasnt happened in the past 75 years.

But thats not what the headline claimed. The headline said oil. The U.S. is still a net importer of oil to the tune of 4.0 million BPD.

Further, total U.S. production of oil and other supply that is fed into refineries is 18.6 million BPD, while U.S. consumption is 20.5 million BPD. That still puts U.S. consumption at nearly 2.0 million BPD more than we produce. (Its actually a little worse than that, because not all NGLs end up as refinery feedstock).

So the bottom line is that we arent net exporters of crude oil, and we arent energy independent. But, the U.S. has trended in that direction for over a decade. Regardless of whether it remains that way, this is undoubtedly a remarkable achievement. I know a lot of people  including myself  would have scoffed at such a prediction in 2005.

By Robert Rapier

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Now nearly a week removed from the OPEC+ agreement, confidence in the efficacy of the deal is becoming shaky.

Immediately after OPEC+ announced cuts of 1.2 million barrels per day (mb/d), a flurry of reports from oil analysts and investment banks congratulated the group on a job well done. After all, the 1.2 mb/d figure was larger than the market had anticipated.

However, reality is beginning to set in. First, the cuts might not be realized in January, despite the promise. Russia indicated that it was going to slow walk the cuts, phasing in an initial 50,000 to 60,000 bpd in reductions in January. This is significant because Russia is the main actor in the non-OPEC cohort. The non-OPEC group is expected to slash output by 400,000 bpd, but if Russia is only going to do its part gradually over the next few months, the non-OPEC cuts might not reach the promised levels anytime soon. Moreover, because there are no country-specific allotments, it will be hard to hold any producer accountable.

That undermines confidence in the deal. Compared to early last week, the outcome was rather disappointing, the whole process wasnt convincing, and its still uncertain whether they will actually cut, ABN Amro senior energy economist Hans van Cleef told Bloomberg.

While oil traders are suddenly doubting the integrity of the deal, even if OPEC+ were to adhere to its promised cuts, it still might not be enough. Thats because there are other factors that could leave the market oversupplied. Cracks in the global economy are growing, demand is showing signs of strain, and supply continues to rise.

The EIA just issued its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, and the agency still expects significant production growth from U.S. shale despite the downturn in prices. The EIA lowered its forecasted 2019 WTI prices by $10 per barrel from its previous report, yet it kept its supply forecast unchanged  it still thinks that U.S. oil production will rise from 10.9 mb/d in 2018 to 12.1 mb/d in 2019, despite the significant downward revision in prices. Related: Morgan Stanley Slashes Oil Price Forecast For 2019

In other words, U.S. shale production may not be slowed by the recent downturn in prices in any dramatic way, and at the same time, with its production cut agreement, OPEC+ reassured shale executives that it wouldnt let prices fall any lower. The US is not only the worlds largest oil producer at present, but will also remain the leading marginal producer in future, Commerzbank said in a note.

According to Rystad Energy, OPEC+ would need to cut an additional 700,000 bpd in order to balance the market and bring Brent back up to $70 per barrel. The OPEC+ agreement predictably came up short of what Rystad Energy argued would be required to fully balance the market in 2019, Bjornar Tonhaugen, Rystad Energy head of oil market research, said in a statement. The agreed production cuts will not be enough to ensure sustained and immediate recovery in oil prices. The muted market reaction seen thus far comes as no surprise to us.

Rystad says that the cuts agreed to in Vienna provide a soft floor beneath oil prices for now, and the group can still succeed if it extends the cuts through the end of 2019. The OPEC+ coalition is set to evaluate the progress of the cuts in April and might decide to extend the cuts in June if they feel the market needs more time. Most likely, OPEC will be forced to conduct production management sporadically over the next few years, unless US shale supply grows even faster than we currently expect. OPEC members have their work cut out for them in the years to come, Rystads Tonhaugen said. Related: 2019: A Pivotal Year For OPEC

The supply surplus could still be eliminated by unplanned outages. Libya just lost 400,000 bpd because of encroaching militias, according to the National Oil Corp. Venezuela and Iran are also set to continue to lose output, while Nigeria remains a risk. These events are impossible to predict, and they could quickly erase any supply overhang.

For now, though, the oil market is not convinced that the OPEC+ cuts will be sufficient to significantly increase oil prices, despite the initial euphoria surrounding the Vienna agreement.

By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com

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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is now OPECs third-biggest producer, having surpassed Iran whose output has plunged below 3 million bpd with the U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil.

The UAE, an ally of the cartels largest producer Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf and within OPEC, is vying for playing a more prominent role as a swing producer on the oil market and is boosting its oil production capacity for the longer term, despite the most recent output cuts to which it says it will be strictly adhering.

We need that swing to allow us to contribute to production as needed, the UAEs Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei told S&P Global Platts in an interview after OPEC and its non-OPEC partners agreed last week to curtail 2.5 percent of their combined October oil production levels between January and June next year, to rebalance the market spooked by a looming oversupply.

OPEC and its Russia-led non-OPEC partners agreed last week to cut a combined 1.2 million bpd for six months, with OPEC reducing output by 800,000 bpd and non-OPEC cutting 400,000 bpd.

No individual quotas were handed down or announced, and one of the few certainties is that Iran, Venezuela, and Libya were given an exemption from the cuts in view of their special circumstances.

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), the producer of nearly all of the oil in the UAE, has already notified its customers that it will reduce the January 2019 crude oil allocations by 15 percent for Murban grade, 5 percent for Das, and 5 percent for the Upper Zakum grade, al-Mazrouei said on Monday, noting that The UAE is committed to the voluntary production adjustments agreed with its OPEC and non-OPEC partners under the Declaration of Cooperation. Related: Why The OPEC+ Deal Wont Cut It

The UAE pumped 3.175 million bpd in October and boosted further its output in November by 71,000 bpd to 3.246 million bpd, according to OPECs secondary sources. With Irans production plunging by 380,000 bpd to 2.954 million bpd in November due to the U.S. sanctions on its oil, the UAE is now OPECs third-biggest single oil producer behind Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

Despite the cuts as part of OPECs policy to prevent another glut, the UAE is looking beyond the short-term strategies and to its oil production capabilities a decade from now, when U.S. production growth is expected to slow down while oil demand is forecast to continue to grow.

The UAE is investing because we feel there is a requirement for this production, but we are not going to put that production into the market unless we feel there is a need for it, al-Mazrouei told Platts.

A month before the latest OPEC+ market-management move, Abu Dhabis Supreme Petroleum Council (SPC)the highest governing body of the oil and gas industry in Abu Dhabiapproved ADNOCs new integrated gas strategy and plans to increase its oil production capacity to 4 million bpd by the end of 2020 and to 5 million bpd by 2030.

ADNOC, which already had a target to boost production capacity to 3.5 million bpd by the end of this year, will invest a total of US$132.3 billion (486 billion UAE dirhams) between 2019 and 2023 under its new five-year business plan approved by the Supreme Petroleum Council.

According to al-Mazrouei, by investing in more capacity, the UAE will be capable of meeting new global oil demand, while it would be keeping spare capacity for more wiggling room in case of future volatility, in coordination with OPEC, of course.

The UAEs plans are not without risks, according to analysts. Mohammad Darwazah, a MENA energy/OPEC analyst at Medley Global Advisors, told Platts that the 2020 production capacity target of 4 million bpd might be a bit too aggressive. Carole Nakhle, the founder and CEO of consultancy Crystol Energy, warns that if OPEC were to extend and/or deepen the cuts for a longer period of time, this could constrain ADNOCs finances, possibly affecting investment targets, everything else being the same.

At any rate, higher production capacity will give the UAE a more prominent swing producer role on the oil market over the next decade.



By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Saudi Arabia bet that it could defy the U.S. when it pushed for oil production cuts at the OPEC+ meeting, gambling that President Trump would not lash out in retaliation despite some heavy-handed pressure from his twitter feed ahead of the summit in Vienna. This week, the bet seems to have paid off.

To be sure, Saudi Arabias decision to push for oil production cuts was a bit of a no brainer. The extreme budgetary pressure facing Riyadh from low oil prices is vastly more concerning than any legal or political action from the U.S. Congress or White House. And absent a deal in Vienna, oil prices could have fallen further.

Saudi Arabia today had a 'Saudi first' policy, Helima Croft, global head of commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets, said shortly after OPEC+ announced its production cuts last Friday. She told CNBC that such a move risked angering the American president. I think everybody in OPEC is waiting to see what President Trump does next. Is he going to be quiet after this agreement, or is he going to take to social media and criticize OPEC? Croft said.

Riyadh certainly weighed American interests more than at any other OPEC meeting in recent memory. The murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has burned a lot of bridges in Washington, and the White House is one of the few places left where Saudi Arabia can find friends.

However, it appears that the oil production cuts did not anger President Trump enough for him to take action against crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. On Tuesday he rode to the crown princes defense. Hes the leader of Saudi Arabia. Theyve been a very good ally, Trump said in an interview with Reuters. He said once again that MbS vehemently denies having ordered the assassination of Khashoggi, despite the conclusion from the CIA to the contrary. Related: The Dangers Of Chinas Growing Oil Demand

Late last month, the U.S. Senate voted to cut off American support for Saudi Arabias war in Yemen. The bipartisan consensus condemning the murder of Khashoggi, and the role that MbS played in it, has only grown since then. You have to be willfully blind not to come to the conclusion that this was orchestrated and organized by people under the command of MbS, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said last week.

Now, the U.S. Senate is considering another measure, a resolution condemning the crown prince for the murder. The resolution would have no practical effect, but it would force Trump to either sign it or veto it.

Trumps support for MbS, while steadfast, may not be bottomless in the face of mounting pressure. Well, Im much more open to Yemen because frankly, I hate to see whats going on in Yemen, Trump said, according to Reuters. But it takes two to tango. Id want to see Iran pull out of Yemen too. Because - and I think they will.

Trump may still run interference on another major piece of legislation that has gathered momentum in Congress. The No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels, or NOPEC Act, would allow the U.S. government to sue OPEC members for antitrust violations. The legislation has been floating around Washington for years but has often failed to garner enough support. Past presidents, from both parties, have also opposed the various versions of a NOPEC bill over fear of damaging their relationship with the Saudi monarchy.

However, the Khashoggi murder has sparked a lot of momentum for the NOPEC bill and Congress may even try to take it up before the end of the year. There's some push to look at NOPEC, but there's nothing certain yet, a U.S. House aide involved in talks told S&P Global Platts on December 7. One factor working in favor of the bills proponents is that the legislation, at this point, is not divided along partisan lines. Related: 2019: A Pivotal Year For OPEC

This is where Trump could be pivotal. He has lashed out at OPEC on twitter several times this year, blaming them for high oil prices. Hes obviously no fan of the cartel. Yet, he has gone out of his way to defend MbS over the Khashoggi murder. Its unclear how he would react if Congress succeeded in moving the NOPEC legislation.

The one thing the Saudis have going for them is the fact that the production cuts from OPEC+ have so far failed to significantly boost oil prices. As a result, Trump might not be all that angry.

Meanwhile, the Saudi economy continues to bleed cash from low oil prices. The FT reports that many of MbS highly-hyped economic transformation initiatives are floundering, and international investors are staying away.

Everything seems to be going wrong for MbS right now. He is facing international scrutiny, oil prices have not rallied even as Saudi Arabia prepares to curtail production, and Washington may move on damaging legislation anyway.

By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com

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Houston-based LNG player Tellurian Inc. said last Thursday that its subsidiary has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Vitol, a British energy and commodities company, to supply 1.5 million metric tons per annum (mtpa) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from its proposed Driftwood LNG export terminal south of Lake Charles, Louisiana. Tellurian said that the two companies have agreed in principle on the 15-year contract but are still ironing out the details of the deal.

Tellurian is trying to change the way the LNG business evolves. Instead of pricing its LNG on the Henry Hub bench-mark, it will price LNG on the Japan-Korea-Marker (JKM), a benchmark price assessment developed by commodities data provider S&P Global Platts, which includes spot physical cargoes delivered ex-ship into Japan, South Korea, China and Taiwan.

Currently, 72 percent of global LNG demand is derived from the Asia-Pacific region, while Japan and China are the worlds largest LNG importers, followed by South Korea. By pricing its LNG on the JKM, Tellurian is also forward thinking and ahead of most of its industry rivals in realizing that the super-cooled fuel is increasingly being delinked from oil-price indexations and will in time trade more like a real commodity, similar in some respects to the worlds most heavily traded commodities, crude oil and iron ore.

Tellurian President and CEO Meg Gentle said, The LNG business is evolving into a true commodity market, which includes LNG purchases and sales based on actual LNG prices rather than indexing to other energy products. JKM has emerged as the most liquid and transparent pricing mechanism for LNG. Tellurian is proud to work with Vitol, who has long been known for its innovation and creativity in the energy commodity markets, to lead LNG market transformation with a long-term LNG sale at the market index.

Changing LNG project funding models

Not only is Tellurian going to have the first U.S.-based LNG export project to base its fuel on JKM prices, the company is also changing the way massive capex intensive LNG projects are funded. Related: Saudi Arabias Biggest Geopolitical Error

Historically, LNG projects were mostly funded when developers inked long term off-take agreements with buyers in order to secure capital necessary to reach the all-important final investment decision (FID) needed before a project moves forward. Tellurian, for its part, is securing investment partners to take an equity stake in its project instead for its massive 27.6 mtpa Driftwood LNG project. Tellurian is offering 60 percent to 75 percent equity interest in Driftwood Holdings, which comprises Tellurians upstream company, its pipeline and the upcoming terminal.

The company will charge around $1.5 bn payable over a four-year period for 1 million tonnes of LNG, or $1,500 per tonne for the equity, Martin Houston, co-founder and vice-chairman of the firm, told reporters on the sidelines of the Singapore International Energy Week late last year. Houston said that by taking a stake in the project, investors could eventually deliver LNG at even lower prices than the company claimed at a conference earlier this year since it has been able to cut costs at the Driftwood project.

The project will be one of the largest LNG export terminals in the world and help the U.S. compete for top LNG exporter status against industry heavyweights Qatar and Australia. More than 80 million metric tons of capacity are under construction in the U.S., Tellurian recently estimated. Driftwood is projected to become operational around the year 2022, a period that until recently many analysts thought would mark the possible beginning of a global LNG supply crunch. However, with rampant gas and LNG demand coming out of China as the country works to replace dirtier burning coal used mainly for power generation with gas, LNG markets have been revolutionized. Correspondingly, global supply of the super-cooled fuel could face supply pressures a number of years ahead of earlier forecasts.

By Tim Daiss for Oilprice.com

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The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries - the oil market institution that has exerted an unyielding power over the price of crude for nearly 60 years - is now in deep crisis. The latest OPEC meeting in Vienna offered new insights into the cartels raging civil war that is tearing it apart and threatens to ultimately make the cartel irrelevant.

In a two-year period since the group of 15 major oil producers formed an alliance with Russia, OPECs smaller members have been marginalized, their voices have been diminished and Saudi Arabia seems to prioritize its partnership with Moscow above all else. An unlikely partnership between Saudi Arabia and Russia is causing dissension within OPEC, with one of the oldest members announcing it would withdraw from the organization in January just days prior to the talks. With Russia tightening its grip over OPECs decisions and the United States officially reaching net oil exporting status in late November for the first time in decades, even if only briefly, the new world oil order is now dependent on three energy superpowers: Saudi Arabia, Russia and the United States.

OPEC has been under the barrage of external and internal forces since the day of its inception in 1960. Yet, even during the most tumultuous years of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, OPEC still met twice a year and managed to coordinate policy to support the price of crude oil. This was not the case during the pivotal OPEC meeting last week in Vienna, where geopolitics ruthlessly invaded the talks.

After the first day of negotiations OPEC members emerged without a consensus, canceled a press conference and crude prices tumbled. West Texas Intermediate had already suffered a hefty loss of 22% in November, marking the worst month for the U.S. oil benchmark since the financial crisis in 2008. In early Thursday trading, WTI shed an additional 3% in value after Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said that a no deal outcome is real and that Saudi Arabia would not go for a production cut alone. These comments were quickly followed by a statement from Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganesh that his country under no circumstances would curb output, citing U.S. sanctions. Zanganeshs comments carried a clear undertone of bitterness over Saudi cooperation with U.S. President Donald Trumps re-imposition of the sanctions that took effect in early November. Related: Saudi Arabia Under Fire From All Sides

During the second day of the conference, the oil market held its breath, while waiting for the Russian Delegation to come to the negotiating table. Russia - the second largest oil producer in the world has increased its oil production to a post-Soviet high of 11.41 million bpd while Russian oil companies have been investing heavily in their upstream activities and oilfield maintenance.

Russia agreed to a larger-than-expected cut of 230,000 bpd, the lions share of the 400,000 bpd reduction in crude production from the non-OPEC contingent. Saudi Arabia would curb output by 250,000 bpd under OPECs collective cut of 800,000 bpd according to news reports, with OPEC+ offering no breakdown of country quotas.

Upon conclusion of the OPEC+ talks, WTI futures stabilized, recovering 2.2% of their value on Dec. 7 to $52.61 bbl while Brent recovered by 2.7% to $61.67 bbl. Several analysts said oil futures would have sold off absent an agreement. Russia played a crucial role in bringing Iran into the framework of an agreement while backing temporary exemptions from the cuts for Libya, Nigeria, Iran and Venezuela. After the hard-fought agreement was struck Nigerian oil minister, Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu was quoted as saying that not having Russia around the table would be a futile exercise.

Other OPEC members are not as enthusiastic about Russias growing influence over the cartels decisions. The nation of Qatar, which joined OPEC in 1961, served notice of withdrawal from the organization days before the meeting in Vienna. Qatars oil production has steadily declined and currently represents only 2% of OPECs total output or 609,000 bpd. Yet, news that one of the oldest OPEC members is leaving the cartel after almost 60 years is serving as a shot across the bow for the Vienna-headquartered producer group.

Two days of intense negotiations last week revealed intensifying resentment from members of OPEC who feel sidelined by the growing partnership between Saudi Arabia and Russia. As several members chafed against the power shift within the organization, they were prepared to vote against an agreement that would halt the selloff in a commodity critical to their economies, ultimately rendering OPEC and their meeting useless and irrelevant.

Related: Will China Turn Its Back On U.S. LNG?

Ever since Saudi Arabia and Russia reached an agreement on production cuts in late 2016, the Saudis have insisted that Russia participate in all meetings. The success of this unexpected partnership is a testament to the fact that even geopolitical rivals that have been on opposing sides of almost every conflict affecting the Middle East can become allies when mutually beneficial.

While some analysts predict the biggest test for the Saudi-Russian relationship is yet to come, the two countries enjoy their marriage made in oil heaven along with the multi-billion-dollar investment projects following King Salmans first trip to Moscow. During the G20 International Forum in Buenos Aires, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman shared laughs and high-fives.

Fading OPEC influence has everything to do with the energy renaissance in the United States. The United States has emerged as one of the worlds top three oil producers, recently overtaking Russia to become the worlds top oil producer, a dramatic turnaround from 10 years ago that has readjusted the world order and shaken OPEC. In late November, the United States was a net oil exporter while shipping a record 3.2 million bpd of crude oil, more than double the volume from a year ago. It was the first time petroleum exports exceeded imports since 1949.

U.S. producers have added a volume equivalent to the entire output of OPECs Nigeria in the past twelve months, reaching record high crude production at 11.7 million bpd in November. According to the Energy Information Administration, U.S. crude production could reach 12.05 million bpd in April, six months sooner than forecast in October, and reaching 12.29 million bpd in December 2019. These are the worrying statistics for OPEC, as it loses control in determining world oil prices and market share to producers in the United States. And while Russia has worked with OPEC in the past, Saudi Arabia clearly eyes Russia as an essential partner to guide world oil prices through targeted production cuts.

As the Moscow-Riyadh partnership strengthens and OPEC cohesion frays, the growing power of the United States over the global oil markets was clearly a factor during the negotiations in Vienna last week. The verdict is still out on whether the OPEC+ deal to cut 1.2 million bpd during the first half of 2019 will be enough to offset surging production from the United States and bring the markets into equilibrium.

Even before last weeks meeting and the acrimony leading up to it, OPEC faced an ominous future. News reports surfaced in early November that King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center, a think tank based in Riyadh, was conducting a study on what it would mean if OPEC dissolved. Kapsarc, headed by former U.S. EIA Administrator Adam Sieminski, are considering what the end of OPEC would mean to world oil markets and to Saudi Arabias role in those markets.

By Liubov Georges for Oilprice.com

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On 10 November 2018, Turkey shared with Western and Saudi officials the audio recording that proved Saudi Arabia was responsible for the murder Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi on October 2nd. Before this announcement, Turkish officials managed a steady leak campaign alluding to the recordings existence and generated large-scale anticipation, in order to keep the story alive and create international pressure against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for allegedly ordering the journalists killing. President Erdogan and the Crown Prince view one another as regional rivals over the formers embrace of Islamist ideology and subsequent support for Qatar in the face of a Saudi-led blockage. Saudi Arabia views Turkish actions to shield Qatar and its tacit partnership with Iran in the Syrian war with suspicion; bin Salman himself referred to Turkey earlier this year as part of a triangle of evil in the region.

The Crown Prince and his nation have been roundly criticized in the past month for Khashoggis murder in the Istanbul consulate. Initially denying any involvement in the affair, the Saudi narrative started shifting once international pressure mounted rapidly. Far-fetched explanations were used to explain his death, ranging from Khashoggi starting a fight to being drugged. They also shifted blame onto rogue elements being behind the killing, curiously after President Donald Trump raised this possibility. Ultimately, the Kingdom indicted fifteen individuals involved in the plot once criticism increased and is seeking death penalty against several of these suspects.

Now that Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has revealed the audio evidence pointing to Saudi involvement in the crime, the questions are changing. What else can Turkey do to discredit their regional rival and how much longer can the campaign remain effective?

Enormous Outcry, Limited Repercussions

The Kingdom has endured significant criticism for its role in the Khashoggi murder. A joint statement from the leaders of the United Kingdom, France and Germany decried the killing as well as the lack of transparency in investigations. At the same time, business executives including Sir Richard Branson and Jamie Dimon withdrew from the Davos in the Desert conference in protest, a significant and symbolic repudiation to the Crown Princes economic modernization program. While the outcry has been unprecedented, the repercussions endured by Saudi Arabia have proven manageable. Related: One Houston Gas Player Is Changing The LNG Business Forever

Initially, Saudi leaders warned that any sanctions aimed at their nation over the murder could lead to a counter-reaction in the energy sector, implying a move that would affect the price of their primary export, oil. However, this threat did not have the desired effect of quieting criticism since Saudi Arabias Energy Minister declared that the Kingdom would follow through on earlier promises to increase output ahead of U.S sanctions on Iran in November 2018. Oil prices actually proceeded to drop in the month since the incident. Amidst this bluff, Saudi officials engaged in a series of denials, counter-scenarios, and partial admissions, reinforcing the idea of a cover-up.

In the face of Turkeys pressure campaign, Saudi Arabia has still faced limited and tangible backlash. While leaders in the United Kingdom, France, and the United States all stated that the Saudi account of Khashoggis murder was dubious, they have not moved to seriously alter their relations, particularly in the area of arms sales. Leaders in each of these nations stated that the Saudis should be held to account but all declined to disrupt the arms trade lest they risk jobs being lost in this sector or lucrative arms deals on advanced weaponry. President Donald Trump has been particularly stalwart in his insistence that whatever the circumstances behind Khashoggis murder, he would not risk scuttling a $110 million arms deal he personally touts with Saudi Arabia.

Minimal Gains for Turkey

Turkish officials had confirmed existence of audio evidence that proved Khashoggi was murdered shortly after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Until recently, they had kept the recordings to themselves in the hopes of using it as a means to maintain global pressure on their main rival in the Middle East.

However, the impact of sharing evidence with others appears limited thus far. Echoing his boss refusal to abandon the Saudis, U.S National Security Advisor John Bolton cast doubt on whether or not this proves Mohammed bin Salmans involvement in the crime. In spite of an assessment from the CIA, Bolton as well as, President Trump downplayed the intelligence to the point that neither admits to hearing the tape provided to the agency by Turkey. Despite recent American sanctions against the alleged perpetrators, the administration continues to view Saudi Arabia as essential to its anti-Iran strategy and will not risk undermining it.

A reason believed to be behind Turkey isolating Saudi Arabia is to try and improve relations with America. Shortly after the killing, Turkey quietly released Andrew Brunson, an American pastor imprisoned for his supposed involvement in the July 2016 coup attempt against Erdogan. Additionally, the Trump administration granted Turkey an exemption to allow it to keep purchasing Iranian oil despite the renewal of sanctions on 5 November. In light of these moves, Turkeys lira, battered by foreign debt issues and U.S sanctions, regained some value and the U.S announced it would consider removing its sanctions over Brunson.

Even if Turkey has achieved some gains over the Khashoggi episode, its isolation strategy has not proven successful. President Trump has made it explicit that he does not want to see jobs lost over any disruption to the arms deal with the Saudis while his advisors continue to encourage limited retaliation in favor of maintaining the current strategy against Iran.

Saudi Arabia Can Outwait The Crisis

Saudi Arabia does have the ability to outlast the clamor ignited by Turkeys pressure campaign, owing to the seemingly unwavering Trump administration support and the unwillingness of the West to curtail their arms trade with the Kingdom. Its regional allies stand firm in their support, other major powers have declined to pass a judgement ahead of any investigations conclusion. Turkey may find that it is running out of options in the pressure campaign with the limited damage thus far from the release of their recording. Related: China Determined To Avoid Another Natural Gas Crisis

What other options remain? The possibility exists for Turkey to publicly release its recordings to generate more public outcry, but given the obstinance of figures such as President Trump to protect the Saudis, this still may not be enough. Also, the Saudis have declined to extradite Khashoggis murderers to Turkey  they are likely sparing themselves further embarrassment through a public trial in the Turkish court.

Additionally, Turkeys attempts to use Khashoggis killing to drive a wedge between King Salman and Mohammed bin Salman appears to be ineffective. The King has asserted himself more forcefully since the killing, intervening by reducing the cover-up when he grew concerned over damage to Saudi-American relations. However, in his annual speech to the Shura, he stood by Mohammed bin Salman through his continued support for the crown princes economic agenda.

While key aides have been sacked and a trial is underway against the perpetrators, the crown prince may opt simply to keep a lower profile until enough time passes for him to reemerge. He has the support of the King, control of security agencies and had many of his rivals previously arrested, giving him time to recover his image. Abroad, the crown prince still retains the confidence of the U.S and its regional allies that will buttress his position against potential rivals domestically.

While Erdogan may have more damning material in this case, without stronger action from the Kingdoms allies, the damage from it may also prove sustainable. The Saudi leadership has enough capacity now to wait out the outcry and is the most likely option.

By Global Risk Insights

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State-controlled China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) has suspended investment in the giant South Pars gas field in Iran, following pressure from the United States and in an attempt to steer clear of U.S.-China tensions amid the ongoing trade talks, Reuters reported on Tuesday, quoting three Chinese state oil executives.

China sees the relationship with the U.S. as paramount over anything else. As a state-owned entity CNPC will stay clear of bringing any unwanted trouble into this relationship as the U.S. China trade talks are under way, an official familiar with CNPCs global strategy told Reuters.

CNPC is replacing French oil and gas major Total in Irans multi-billion-dollar South Pars gas project, Irans Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said at the end of November.

Last year, Total became the first supermajor to return to Iran after the previous sanctions were lifted. But after the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, Total said in May that it would not be in a position to continue the South Pars 11 gas project and would have to unwind all related operations before November 4, 2018. Before Total quit Iran, the French company had 50.1 percent in the project and was its operator, while CNPC owned 30 percent, and Petroparsa wholly owned subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC)held the remaining 19.9 percent.

A suspension of the CNPC investment would be a blow to Iran, which has hoped to continue the South Pars 11 project with Chinese participation instead of French investment.

According to two of Reuters sources, although CNPC has agreed to suspend the South Pars investment, it has managed to convince U.S. officialswith whom the Chinese company held four rounds of talks in recent monthsthat CNPC should continue to invest in the oil fields North Azadegan and Masjid-i-Suleiman (MIS) to recover billions of dollars spent under contracts signed years ago.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Exxon has decided to go ahead with the development of the West Barracouta natural gas project off the coast of Australia, which will supply gas to the domestic market, the company said.

West Barracouta is located in the Gippsland Basin, where Exxon already has producing fields, operated in partnership with Australian mining giant BHP Billiton. The joint venture of the two supplies some 40 percent of the natural gas consumed on the Australian East Coast.

The West Barracouta field is part of a larger deposit by the same name and will be tied to the existing production infrastructure in the Bass Strait off the coast of Victoria, Exxon also said. Separately, BHP Billiton said it will invest US$144.4 million in the new project. Recently, the joint venture between Exxon and BHP has spent some US$3.98 (A$5.5 billion) billion on expanding production in the area, all to go to the domestic market.

Not too long ago, Australia, boasting some of the largest gas reserves in the world, found itself in the unusual position of turning into a major gas exporter while suffering shortages on the domestic market.

Last year, the Australian government introduced a Domestic Gas Security Mechanism, allowing it to force LNG exporters to divert certain amounts of the fuel for the domestic market in case of a shortage. The move sparked mixed reactions with some seeing it as a much-needed intervention and others perceiving it as interference on the market.

Meanwhile, the industry itself rushed to secure greater supply for the domestic market. For now, at least in certain parts of Australia, the shortage danger seems to have been avoided. Yet a recent report in The West Australian cited research from the Australian Energy Market Operator that projected a potential shortage of gas for the local market amid lower prices that made otherwise recoverable reserves for local consumption unviable.



By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Japanese refiners will start buying Iranian crude oil in January, but will only continue buying until March to make sure they dont get on the bad side of Washington in case the 180-day sanction waivers are not extended, S&P Global Platts reports, citing the head of the countrys Petroleum Association.

"We aim to lift as much as possible over January-March to keep our hope for the next [period]," Takashi Tsukioka said.

Japan is one of Irans largest oil importers, but it is also the United States staunchest ally in Asiaand the combination of the two has not worked to Tokyos advantage. Earlier this year, while the government tried to secure a waiver from the U.S. State Department, local refiners stopped all purchases of Iranian oil ahead of the sanctions that came into effect on November 5.

Even though the sanction waivers were issued last month, Japanese refinerslike their counterparts in South Koreahave steered clear of Iranian crude so far because there was not enough clarity about tanker insurance, S&P Global Platts notes. Now, they will have three months to stock up on cheap Iranian oil before the waivers expire.

The Trump administration has made it clear the ultimate goal of the sanctions was to bring Iranian oil exports down to zero, which puts a question mark over any extensions. On the other hand, Japan, like China, India, and South Korea, may find it hard to secure alternative supplies in amounts and for prices that would justify them, hence the three-month buying spree Japanese refiners are preparing to embark on.

S&P Global Platts also quoted a U.S. government official who wished to remain anonymous as saying that all transactions involving the purchase of Iranian crude by the eight countries granted waivers had to be completed before May 5, when the waivers expired.

"If someone takes delivery or pays for Iranian crude oil when they do not have an active SRE (significant reduction extension), that transaction would be sanctionable."

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Saudi-led forces and Yemen-based Houthi rebels announced that oil and gas exports will resume in an effort to restore revenues to the troubled country, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

The U.S. is expected to pass tonight a resolution that calls for a halt to U.S. military support in Yemen in a strongarm move to end the proxy war in Yemen between Iran and Saudi Arabia. This news comes as a likely blow to the Saudi-led forces, who have until now enjoyed the support of the United States.

If the Senate vote passes, the resolution still must gain unlikely House support by the end of the year. On top of that, President Donald Trump would need to sign the bill.

The UN pushed for what is now an uneasy truce between the warring factions that have seen oil flows disrupted for years. The talks have been ongoing for days, and began with a prisoner exchange that both sides agreed to.

Just two days ago, tensions escalated as The Houthis accused the Saudi-led coalition of blocking oil shipments from Yemeni ports.

The crisis in Yemen has long plagued the important oil chokepoint of Bab el Mandeb Straitthe worlds fourth largest chokepointand the world has watched for years as Iran/Saudi Arabias war mongering threatens a vital oil shipping routea threat that the U.S. military has taken seriously.

Yemens oil industry essentially collapsed at the onset of the war in 2015, although one oil shipment resumed earlier this year as OMV re-opened its wells at Shabwa after a three-year hiatus. Yemens production was roughly 140,000 bpd before the war began.

The peace talks are said to be ongoing until Thursday, but so far the partial truce as seen as a big win.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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IT'S final. President Rodrigo Duterte is attending the turnover ceremony for the return of three churchs bells to Balangiga, Eastern Samar on Saturday, December 15.Duterte decided to show up hours

IT'S final. President Rodrigo Duterte is attending the turnover ceremony for the return of three churchs bells to Balangiga, Eastern Samar on Saturday, December 15.

Duterte decided to show up hours after the Palace announced that he will skip the ceremony anew. But he changed his mind following "persistent requests" for his attendance, Malacanang said Thursday, December 13.

"Due to the persistent requests from the people of Eastern Samar who look forward to President Rodrigo Roa Dutertes personally bringing the Balingiga bells to the town of Balingiga, the President has decided to attend the turnover ceremony of the Balangiga bells to the local officials on Saturday, December 15," Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said.

On December 11, Duterte was absent during the historic hand-over of the church bells by the United States (US) to the Philippines, as he intended to fly to Samar to lead the turnover rites of bells to Eastern Samar officials.

On late Wednesday night, December 12, Panelo announced that Duterte would not grace the turnover rites in Balangiga because of "pressing matters of governance that require his utmost and immediate attention prevent him from personally bringing the bells to Balangiga on this date."

In a statement issued early Thursday morning, December 13, though, Panelo said the President had made "changes" in his schedule of activities to join the Filipinos in welcoming the return of the three Balangiga bells.

The bells were taken as war booty by US troops in 1901 after killing the town's people.

Two Balangiga bells were displayed at the Francis E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyyene, Wyoming, while the third bell was at a US Army museum in South Korea prior to their repatriation.

Panelo emphasized that while Duterte's physical presence at the ceremonial turnover was "an added attraction" to the event, the Chief Executive focused more on the bell's return from where "they properly belong."

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He said the bells, which symbolize the Filipinos' bravery and patriotism for refusing to be subjugated by a foreign power and shed blood to assert the sovereignty of our country, "are now indeed home."

"The descendants of those who perished in one of the bloodiest and tragic consequences of the Filipino-American war rightfully cherish the coming home of a part of our national heritage and the Filipino nation join them in rejoicing the historic event," he said.

"As the Balangiga bells resume their ringing after a silence of more than a century, the booming sounds that will come out of them will resonate around the world with the sterling message that foreign domination nor outside intrusion on its sovereignty has no place in this part of the world," he added. (SunStar Philippines)
These days, you dont have to go cruising the sublime azure waters of the French Riviera or the Amalfi Coast to experience the ultimate in yachting luxury. Here in the Philippines, you can immerse yourself

These days, you dont have to go cruising the sublime azure waters of the French Riviera or the Amalfi Coast to experience the ultimate in yachting luxury. Here in the Philippines, you can immerse yourself in equally spellbinding settings like Subic Bay, Punta Fuego and Palawanyou just have to have the right vessel in order to make your leisure and competitive boating dreams a reality.

Europa Yachts Philippines makes choosing the right yacht easy for Philippine-based boating enthusiasts by offering some of the most sophisticated and beautifully designed vessels in the world.

The premier yachting authority in the country, Europa Yachts Philippines has the largest fleet of luxury sailboats, trawlers, catamarans, cruisers and speed boats crafted by top yacht builders in Europe. These include Azimut Yachts, Beneteau, Monte Carlo, Lagoon, and CNB or Construction Navale Bordeauxall celebrated names in the world of sailing and yachting.

According to Richard Sarinas, Europa Yachts Philippines Director of Marketing, the company is committed to introducing the notable heritage, luxury and performance of French and Italian boats to the Philippine market.

Our yachts occupy a special position at the intersection of European boat building history, design and engineering. You can, for instance, look at a company like Beneteau, which has a long and storied tradition of craftsmanship dating all the way back to 1884 when it was founded in France, he said.

On the other hand, this very same boat builder is also the originator of the Oceanis series, which has included some of the most technically interesting sailboats built in the last few decades. Today, they are the world reference in cruising with their safety features, efficient performance, and superior buildall while lending themselves to personalization, he added.

Indeed, Europa Yachts Philippines carries a number of boats that have won accolades from some of the yachting worlds most prestigious award-giving bodies. The Beneteau-made Oceanis 51.1 cruiser, for example, has won a number of awards across the globe, the most recent of which being the Cruiser of the Year for 2018 at the China Sailing Awards in Dapeng District. The locality, from which the megalopolis of Shenzhen sprung, is the epicenter of sailing in Asia and the host city of The China Cup International Regatta, the biggest and most influential sailing event in this part of the world.

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Characterized by its new stepped hull, taut cruiser lines, and beautiful brushed oak or mahogany interiors, The Oceanis 51.1 was also nominated in 2018 by the Dusseldorf International Boat Show for European Yacht of the Year. This sleek cruiser was brought to life by Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design and Nauta Design, who designed it with comfort, easy operability and safety in mind. The boat also provides plenty of space to relax and sunbathe in, making this monohull ideal for even larger groups of people.

Benetaus newly launched Oceanis 46.1 was also recently nominated for another award, this time as one of the Best Boats of 2019 for the Monohulls Cruising category by SAIL Magazine, an American authority on sailing. Possessing the same stepped hull design as its older siblings, the Oceanis 46.1 was designed by Pascal CONQ and Nauta Design to offer the perfect balance between sophisticated design, usable space and impressive performance at sea.

Aside from the Oceanis 46.1, SAIL Magazine also nominated two other boats from Europa Yachts Philippines collection for Best Boats of 2019. These include the Lagoon 40 and the Lagoon 50, which were both nominated as best vessels under the Multihulls Cruising category. These cruising catamarans, separated by a length difference of 10 feet, were created by Lagoon for navigators who value seaworthiness aside from modern and elegant visual identities.

These are only a few of the renowned vessels that customers can expect to find in Europa Yachts Philippines expansive collection of luxury yachts. If youre interested in purchasing a boat, email the company today at info@europayachts.net, or call (+632) 553-2027 to make an inquiry. (Sponsored Content)
Japan is planning to tighten regulation of tech giants like Google and Facebook after an expert panel called for better oversight on competition and privacy, an official said Thursday. Japan has followed in the footsteps of other countries in scrutinising the dominant role played by the world's largest information technology companies, including Big Four tech firms Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon. The government has now issued a report based on expert opinion that urges new regulatory oversight plans by next year. Despite bringing benefits, tech giants "tend to monopolise the market through their features such as... low costs and economies of scale," the report said. It calls for better protection of consumer privacy and for more fairness and transparency from the firms about technologies that control market access. "Based on the report, the government will officially announce principles for new regulations" in the next two weeks, a trade ministry official told AFP. Japan's anti-trust authorities have already said they plan a probe into whether global tech firms are using their market leader positions to exploit contractors or obstruct competition. Japan's decision to tighten regulations comes as European authorities crack down on US tech giants. Earlier this year, the European Union issued a record 4.34 billion euro ($5 billion) anti-trust fine to Google, accusing it of using the Android system's huge popularity to promote its Google search engine and shut out rivals. Google has appealed the decision, arguing that the EU's accusations were unfounded, but said last month it would comply with the decision in order to avoid further fines. And the European Parliament in September approved a controversial EU copyright law that hands more power to news and record companies against internet behemoths like Google and Facebook, though the firms have pledged to fight that ruling.
(L-R) President Rodrigo Duterte and Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno

MANILA, Philippines  Malacanang on Thursday (December 12) called on both houses of Congress to respect the authority of President Rodrigo Duterte over each member of the Executive branch amid calls for Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno to resign.

On Wednesday (December 11), the Lower House adopted House Resolution No. 2365 which urges the Office of the President to reconsider the appointment of Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Benjamin Diokno after the congressmen grilled him in a joint session over alleged insertions in the proposed 2019 National Budget.

President Spokesperson Salvador Panelo in a statement said, while the Executive branch respects the Legislative branchs decision to act against Diokno, Panelo explained that: Secretary Dioknos record in the government service, to the mind of the Chief Executive and of the rest of his Cabinet, is unblemished. As one of the Administrations economic managers, PRRD considers him as one of the best and brightest in his official family. Sec. Dioknos reputation as an upright, competent and honest public servant stays solid up to this day.

Panelo noted that it is the Congress who has the authority under the Constitution to scrutinize the budget and even has the power to revise or amend proposals found in it.

The Presidential Spokesperson said the Congress should at least show respect to the Chief Executives prerogative of choosing his own officials the same way that the President respects the same privilege the Lower House congressmen enjoy.

Should it feel that there was irregularity in the allocation of the budget, it can always correct it apart from having the option of recommending the filing of charges against those they deem are responsible for the transgressions should the same amount to a crime. In the same manner that the President doesnt tell Congress who it will choose as its officers and how to go about it, we wish that its members return the same courtesy, Panelo concluded.  Marje Pelayo (with reports from Rey Pelayo)

The post Malacanang calls on Congress to respect Dutertes prerogative over Sec. Diokno appeared first on UNTV News.
The US Congress has voted to demand access for US diplomats, journalists and tourists to Tibet, threatening to bar the Chinese officials responsible for the policy from the United States if the region remained walled off to foreigners. The bill, which passed with bipartisan support, comes after years of concern over human rights violations in the predominantly Buddhist region, where foreigners are generally required to obtain a special permit to visit. Congress voted to require the State Department to verify each year whether China has granted access to Tibet and ethnically Tibetan areas in line with how it treats the rest of the country. If restrictions remain in place on Americans seeking to enter Tibet, the State Department would then be compelled to ban Chinese officials responsible for the policy from entering the United States. Senator Robert Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the bill was "about fundamental fairness." "Chinese citizens enjoy broad access to the United States, and I think that is terrific," he said. "But it is unacceptable that the same is not true for US students, journalists or diplomats going to Tibet, including our Tibetan-American constituents just trying to visit their country of origin." The bill passed without objections by a voice vote this week after similar passage in the House of Representatives. The legislation needs the signature of President Donald Trump, which appears likely as it has wide support within his Republican Party. The bill comes amid frictions between the United States and China over trade and the arrest in Canada on a US request of an executive with Chinese tech giant Huawei on charges of violating US sanctions on Iran. A recent op-ed piece in China's state-run Global Times denounced the Tibet bill and accused the United States of "double standards or even multiple standards on human rights," pointing to how Washington pulled out of the UN Human Rights Council over the body's criticism of Israel. Matteo Mecacci -- the president of the International Campaign for Tibet, an advocacy group close to the exiled Dalai Lama that has pressed for the legislation -- said the measure was different from trade tensions as it will become part of US law. "Certainly this is a major step forward because now it is clearly on the agenda of the Chinese government," said Mecacci, a former Italian MP. "Our goal is not to stop Chinese officials from coming here. It is to open up Tibet to the world," he told AFP. "If they choose to scrap this system of additional permits, that would be, as they would say, a win-win."
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

For nearly 100 years, biologists have argued about how exactly natural selection can possibly work. If nature selects the individuals with the best genes, then why aren't all organisms the same? What maintains the genetic variation that natural selection acts upon, the genetic variation that has ultimately led to the spectacular diversity of life on Earth today? Recent findings made at Uppsala University suggest that the answer could be sex.

Evolutionary genetic theory shows that genetic variation can be maintained when selection favors different versions of the same genes in males and femalesan inevitable outcome of having separate sexes. That is, for many genes, there may not be a universally 'best' version, but rather one is best for males and one is best for females. This is known as sexually antagonistic genetic variation, but it might only be maintained under a narrow set of conditions, limiting its prevalence in nature. However, a new study by Dr. Karl Grieshop and Professor Goran Arnqvist, published in PLoS Biology, may change this view.

"One of the simplest ways for sexually antagonistic selection to maintain genetic variation in fitness is via sex-specific dominance reversal, where neither version of a gene is always dominant or recessive, but rather the version that benefits a given sex is also dominant in that sex. So whether a given version of a gene is dominant or recessive to the other will depend upon which sex it is in," says Dr. Karl Grieshop.

This mechanism was met with early skepticism, but has seen recent theoretical and empirical support.

Grieshop and Arnqvist have now provided the first evidence of sex-specific dominance reversal for fitness. Using a panel of genetic strains of a seed beetle population that Grieshop studied throughout his Ph.D., and analyzing crosses among these strains, they could determine which strains harbored genetic variation that was dominant to the others'. Further, they could do this with regard to male fitness and female fitness separately. When they ranked the strains according to their relative dominance over one another they found that strains tending to be dominant over other strains with regard to male fitness also tended to be recessive to other strains with regard to female fitness, and vice versa. Thus, whether the genetic variation for fitness in each of their strains was dominant or recessive to that of other strains depended, oppositely, on whether it was in a male or a female.

The pattern suggests that sex-specific dominance reversal for fitness is a strong and common phenomenon throughout the genome in their study population.

Explore further Study reveals why older women are less healthy than older men

More information: Karl Grieshop et al, Sex-specific dominance reversal of genetic variation for fitness, PLOS Biology (2018). Journal information: PLoS Biology Karl Grieshop et al, Sex-specific dominance reversal of genetic variation for fitness,(2018). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2006810
This photomicrograph of a blood smear contains a macro- and microgametocyte of the Plasmodium falciparum parasite. Credit: Wikipedia.

An international team led by Institute researchers has visualised the unique molecular 'key' used by the world's deadliest malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, to enter and infect human blood cells.

This breakthrough provides scientists with the missing information required to design a vaccine that combats the prevalent parasite.

The findings represent a significant milestone because the malaria parasite kills more than 500,000 people each year and an effective vaccine for protection against it does not yet exist.

Published today in Nature, the study was led by Professor Alan Cowman and Dr. Wilson Wong at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, along with collaborators at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Janelia Research Campus (US) and the company ExpreS2ion Biotechnologies in Denmark.

The 'key' to infection

The first-ever 3-D image of the parasite's key to causing infection was achieved using Nobel Prize-winning cryo-EM (cryo-electron microscopy) technology.

The 'key' is a complex of three parasite proteins  called Rh5, CyRPA and Ripr  which work together to unlock and enter the cell, Professor Cowman said.

"This complex is fundamental to the malaria parasite's ability to enter cells and cause infection. With this new information we can now target the parasite in a much better way because we understand how it functions to infect the blood.

"Capturing the first ever image of the protein complex  revealing with astounding clarity exactly what it looks like  was a 'Eureka' moment in the field of malaria research," he said.

These findings are significant because the entry of the malaria parasite into human red blood cells enables rapid growth, multiplication and spread; driving serious symptoms such as fever, chills, malaise, diarrhoea and vomiting. Understanding how parasites enter cells opens up opportunities for blocking the parasite from infecting humans and stopping the cycle of disease and transmission.

Seen for the first time

The Melbourne-based team led by Professor Cowman prepared samples for the study by genetically engineering parasite DNA and extracting the proteins Rh5 and CyRPA. The third protein, Ripr, was produced by the biotechnology company ExpreS2ion.

Dr. Wong said the 3-D image of the 'Rh5/CyRPA/Ripr' complex was obtained using the world's most advanced cryo-electron microscope, the Titan Krios, at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Janelia Research Campus.

"Together with our colleagues in the US we obtained hundreds of thousands of images of the complex from different angles.

"With the help of high-powered computing we were then able to assemble these together, revealing the first-ever high resolution, 3-D image of the Rh5/CyRPA/Ripr complex  the key to the parasite's ability to cause infection," Dr. Wong said.

'Blueprint' makes vaccine possible

Professor Cowman said the new structure provided researchers with critical information for designing an effective vaccine against the Plasmodium falciparum parasite.

"We now have the information required to design a vaccine that gives the immune system precise instructions about how to stop the malaria parasite.

"If we can block the protein complex from forming, Plasmodium falciparum will never have the key it needs to infect human blood cells," he said.

"Making this discovery has been rewarding because it brings us an important step closer to hopefully one day achieving the ultimate goal of eradicating malaria."

Explore further Researchers discover 'map' in malaria vaccine hunt

More information: Wilson Wong et al. Structure of Plasmodium falciparum Rh5CyRPARipr invasion complex, Nature (2018). Journal information: Nature Wilson Wong et al. Structure of Plasmodium falciparum Rh5CyRPARipr invasion complex,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0779-6
Trackways. Credit: Anthony Shillito.

Our understanding of when the very first animals started living on land is helped by identifying trace fossilsthe tracks and trails left by ancient animalsin sedimentary rocks that were deposited on the continents.

Geoscientists Anthony P. Shillito and Neil S. Davies of the University of Cambridge studied the site of what has widely been accepted as the earliest set of non-marine trackways, in Ordovician (ca. 455 million-year-old) strata from the Lake District, England.

What they discovered is that the trackways occur within volcanic ash that settled under water, and not within freshwater lake and sub-aerial sands (as previously thought). This means that the site is not the oldest evidence for animal communities on land, but instead "is actually a remarkable example of a 'prehistoric Pompeii'," says Shillitoa suite of rocks that preserve trails made by distressed and dying millipede-like arthropods as they were overcome by ash from volcanic events.

Shillito and Davies directed their research at this site in particular because it seemed unusualat every other known trackway site in the world the evidence for when animals came onto land dates to the latest Silurian (ca. 420 million years ago), so something about the Borrowdale site didn't seem right. Further investigation proved that this was the case. In the course of their study, they found 121 new millipede trackways, all within volcanic ash with evidence for underwater or shoreline deposition.

Close-up of a looping millipede death-trail. Credit: Anthony Shillito.

Volcanic ash is known to cause mass death in some modern arthropod communities, particularly in water, because ash is so tiny it can get inside arthropod exoskeletons and stick to their breathing and digestive apparatus. Shilllito and Davies noticed that most of the trails were extremely tightly loopinga feature which is commonly associated with "death dances" in modern and ancient arthropods.

This study, published in Geology, overturns what is known about the earliest life on land and casts new light onto one of the key evolutionary events in the history of life on Earth. Shillito notes, "It reveals how even surprising events can be preserved in the ancient rock record, butby removing the 'earliest' outlier of evidencesuggests that the invasion of the continents happened globally at the same time."

Close-up of one of the millipede trackways. Credit: Anthony Shillito.

Understanding how life engineered major evolutionary advances within environments, and the rate and impact of these advances on the functioning of the Earth system, provides vital context for understanding global change at the present day, and underlines the inseparable relationship between life and the planet.

Explore further Researchers report the earliest fossil footprints

More information: Anthony P. Shillito et al, Death near the shoreline, not life on land: Ordovician arthropod trackways in the Borrowdale Volcanic Group, UK, Geology (2018). Journal information: Geology Anthony P. Shillito et al, Death near the shoreline, not life on land: Ordovician arthropod trackways in the Borrowdale Volcanic Group, UK,(2018). DOI: 10.1130/G45663.1
"There's a lot of talk about what makes a place welcoming for immigrants, and this research puts a number on that," said Juan Pedroza, an assistant professor of sociology. "A sizable concentration of Hispanicsbetween 20 and 40 percentprovides the momentum and agreement that immigrant rights should be a priority." Credit: Randy Michaud

An exhaustive new analysis of deportation practices across the country reveals a "protective effect" for noncitizens living in communities that are 20 percent to 40 percent Hispanic.

"There's a lot of talk about what makes a place welcoming for immigrants, and this research puts a number on that," said Juan Pedroza, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, whose findings appear in the current issue of Policy Studies Journal. "A sizable concentration of Hispanicsbetween 20 and 40 percentprovides the momentum and agreement that immigrant rights should be a priority."

Notably, there's a limit to the welcoming effect of living in a community with a lot of Hispanic residents: Counties with more than 40 percent Hispanics were more punitive, according to Pedroza, who analyzed 2008-2013 data compiled during the Obama administration.

"On the low end and high end, one in five noncitizens is deported," he said. "The protective effect is in the middle, when the Hispanic community is visible but not too large. That's when the proportion of noncitizens who are arrested and get deported drops to one in six or one in seven."

The uneven implementation of immigration policy is not random, and it generates uneven ripple effects in communities, said Pedroza. "Food insecurity, housing instability, foreclosures, families that are being split up: Some places are dealing with it every day, all the time," he said.

The most unwelcoming communitiesthose that exerted the least discretion in deportationinclude Imperial County in California along the border with Mexico; El Paso, Texas; Charleston, South Carolina; and Mecklenburg, North Carolina. Among the most welcoming communities for immigrants were liberal strongholds like San Francisco, Chicago, New York, and San Jose, California, as well as Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and Newark, New Jersey.

Pedroza acknowledges that "we are in a different climate today" under the Trump administration, but he believes the "protective effect" is likely still in place.

"It's not the absolute numbers that that make the difference, it's the clout of certain segments of the Hispanic population in the community," he said. "Communities with a low concentration of Hispanics aren't able to develop the local, community-based organizations that influence elected officials like sheriffs."

Pedroza suspects that communities with more than 40 percent Hispanics, including many in Southwestern states, experience immigration quite differently, with Hispanic residents perhaps "splintering" between those who support the rights of noncitizens under arrest and those who have other priorities.

Methodology: county-by-county analysis

During the Obama administration, the federal Secure Communities initiative allowed sheriffs to use their discretion when deciding whether to turn noncitizens over to federal authorities following an arrest for a minor offensetypically a misdemeanor that carries less than a one-year sentence for conviction.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the federal agency charged with enforcing immigration laws, released monthly reports, which Pedroza monitored regularly for several years, juxtaposing immigration and deportation activity with changes in the size of each county's Hispanic population, their local deportation policies, voting patterns in presidential elections, unemployment, and crime rates.

Pedroza kept tabs on data about more than 3,100 counties nationwide; over 2,000 counties "qualified" for his study, with at least one immigrant arrest in their system. About 500 counties accounted for 95 percent of the nation's deportation activity, he said. Pedroza's results provide a broad picture of regions that supported cooperating with federal mandates and those that resisted compliance.

"Jails and sheriffs were making decisions about these immigrants without Congress looking over their shoulder, long before immigration advocates became aware of the Secure Communities program," said Pedroza. "Counties had wiggle room. We got an unvarnished peek at what counties would do left to their own devices."

Changing federal priorities

Secure Communities was retired by Obama in 2015 in favor of a Priority Enforcement Program that emphasized more serious offensesand retooled the mandatory information-sharing component on which Pedroza relied. Secure Communities was resurrected in 2017 by the Trump administration, which has erased any mention of priority enforcement by state and local agencies in favor of a mandate to deport everyone who is eligible.

Today, counties that were generally less welcoming of noncitizens under Obama are speeding up deportation, notes Pedroza, who said local policies designed to accelerate deportationknown as 287(g) agreements, named after a 1996 change to federal laware also on the resurgence, with the federal government training local police and sheriff departments to investigate immigration violations.

"State context really matters, and what the federal government is encouraging really matters," he said.

Pedroza anticipates a "Trump effect," not only in deportation practice but in consequences, including crime reporting and cooperation with law enforcement. "As deportations go up, immigrants become hesitant to cooperate with police, even to report things like domestic violence reports," he said. "We are starting to see it."

"We know from recent research that the consequences of deportation are tremendous," he said. "If enforcement is uneven, where the consequences are taking hold is going to be very uneven as well."

Explore further Deportation and family separation impact entire communities, researchers say

More information: Juan Manuel Pedroza. Deportation Discretion: Tiered Influence, Minority Threat, and "Secure Communities" Deportations, Policy Studies Journal (2018). Juan Manuel Pedroza. Deportation Discretion: Tiered Influence, Minority Threat, and "Secure Communities" Deportations,(2018). DOI: 10.1111/psj.12300
The solar wind, the Sun's outflow of material, along with one-off eruptions of solar material called coronal mass ejections carry the Sun's magnetic field out through the heliosphere, producing space weather effects on Earth and other worlds. Credit: NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center/Scientific Visualization Studio/Greg Shirah

Weeks after Parker Solar Probe made the closest-ever approach to a star, the science data from the first solar encounter is just making its way into the hands of the mission's scientists. It's a moment many in the field have been anticipating for years, thinking about what they'll do with such never-before-seen data, which has the potential to shed new light on the physics of our star, the Sun.

On Dec. 12, 2018, four such researchers gathered at the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union in Washington, D.C., to share what they hope to learn from Parker Solar Probe.

"Heliophysicists have been waiting more than 60 years for a mission like this to be possible," said Nicola Fox, director of the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Heliophysics is the study of the Sun and how it affects space near Earth, around other worlds and throughout the solar system. "The solar mysteries we want to solve are waiting in the corona."

From Oct. 31 to Nov. 11, 2018, Parker Solar Probe completed its first solar encounter phase, speeding through the Sun's outer atmospherethe coronaand collecting unprecedented data with four suites of cutting-edge instruments.

Parker Solar Probe is named for Eugene Parker, the physicist who first theorized the existence of the solar windthe Sun's constant outpouring of materialin 1958.

"This is the first NASA mission to be named for a living individual," said Fox. "Gene Parker's revolutionary paper predicted the heating and expansion of the corona and solar wind. Now, with Parker Solar Probe we are able to truly understand what drives that constant flow out to the edge of the heliosphere."

Our Sun's influence is far-reaching. The solar wind, its outflow of material, fills up the inner part of our solar system, creating a bubble that envelops the planets and extends far past the orbit of Neptune. Embedded in its energized particles and solar material, the solar wind carries with it the Sun's magnetic field. Additional one-off eruptions of solar material called coronal mass ejections also carry this solar magnetic fieldand in both cases, this magnetized material can interact with Earth's natural magnetic field and cause geomagnetic storms. Such storms can trigger the aurora or even power outages, and other types of solar activity can cause communications problems, disrupt satellite electronics and even endanger astronautsespecially beyond the protective bubble of Earth's magnetic field.

This image from Parker Solar Probe's WISPR (Wide-field Imager for Solar Probe) instrument shows a coronal streamer, seen over the east limb of the Sun on Nov. 8, 2018, at 1:12 a.m. EST. Coronal streamers are structures of solar material within the Sun's atmosphere, the corona, that usually overlie regions of increased solar activity. The fine structure of the streamer is very clear, with at least two rays visible. Parker Solar Probe was about 16.9 million miles from the Sun's surface when this image was taken. The bright object near the center of the image is Jupiter, and the dark spots are a result of background correction. Credit: NASA/Naval Research Laboratory/Parker Solar Probe

Other worlds in our solar system experience their own versions of these effects, and far beyond the planets, the Sun's material butts up against the interstellar medium, which fills the space between the stars. The interaction in this region plays a role in how often high-energy galactic cosmic rays shoot into our solar system. All of these effects result from complicated systemsbut they all start back at the Sun, making it critical to grasp the fundamental physics that drive our star's activity.

Parker Solar Probe is designed to address three major questions about the physics of the Sun. First: How is the Sun's outer atmosphere, the corona, heated to temperatures about 300 times higher than the visible surface below? Secondhow is the solar wind accelerated so quickly to the high speeds we observe? And finally, how do some of the Sun's most energetic particles rocket away from the Sun at more than half the speed of light?

"Parker Solar Probe is providing us with the measurements essential to understanding solar phenomena that have been puzzling us for decades," said Nour Raouafi, Parker Solar Probe project scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab in Laurel, Maryland. "To close the link, local sampling of the solar corona and the young solar wind is needed and Parker Solar Probe is doing just that."

Parker's instruments are designed to look at these phenomena in question in ways that haven't been possible before, giving scientists the opportunity to make new strides in the study of the solar atmosphere.

For instance, Parker Solar Probe's imagers, in the WISPR suite, will have a new perspective on the young solar wind, capturing a view of how it evolves as Parker Solar Probe travels through the solar corona.

The spacecraft's ISIS suite will help scientists dig down into the causes of energetic particle acceleration. Right now, theories diverge on how solar energetic particles are accelerated within the thin shock wave structures usually driven by fast coronal mass ejectionsbut energetic particle measurements gathered as the spacecraft travels through such waves will help shed light on this problem.

The electric field antennas of the spacecraft's FIELDS instrument suite can pick up radio bursts that could shed light on the causes of coronal heating.

This video clip shows actual data from NASA's Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observatory Ahead (STEREO-A) spacecraft, along with the location of Parker Solar Probe as it flies through the Suns outer atmosphere during its first solar encounter phase in November 2018. Such images will allow us to provide key context for understanding Parker Solar Probe's observations. Credit: NASA/STEREO

The Solar Probe Cup instrumentwhich extends beyond the spacecraft's heat shield and is exposed to the full solar environmentmeasures the thermal properties of different ion species in the solar wind. Coupled with data from the FIELDS suite, these measurements could help reveal how the solar wind is heated and accelerated.

The science team also expects to be surprised by some of what they learn.

"We don't know what to expect so close to the Sun until we get the data, and we'll probably see some new phenomena," said Raouafi. "Parker is an exploration missionthe potential for new discoveries is huge."

Parker Solar Probe's reports indicate that good science data was collected during the first solar encounter, and the data itself began downlinking to Earth on Dec. 7. Because of the relative positions of Parker Solar Probe, the Sun and Earth and their effects on radio transmission, some of the science data from this encounter will not downlink until after the mission's second solar encounter in April 2019.

The mission team did get a chance for some real-world instrument tests during Parker Solar Probe's Venus flyby in September 2018. Parker Solar Probe made a close pass at the planet while performing a gravity assist to draw its orbit closer to the Sun. Though not expected to study the environment around Venus, Parker's instruments successfully recorded data, giving scientists an early look at what their instruments are capable of in the harsh environment of space.

As the newest addition to NASA's fleet of heliophysics missions, Parker Solar Probe works alongside prolific solar and heliospheric research satellites like NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, the Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observatory and the Advanced Composition Explorer. For yearsor decades, in some casesthese observatories have scrutinized the Sun and its outflowing material, changing the way we see our star. But they are limited by where they live.

Even as Parker uncovers new information, scientists working with its data will rely on the rest of NASA's heliophysics fleet to put those details in context.

Parker Solar Probe will give scientists another new perspective on the Sun, joining those from other Sun-observing spacecraft. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

"Parker Solar Probe is going to a region we've never visited before," said Terry Kucera, a solar physicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "Meanwhile, from a distance, we can observe the Sun's corona, which is driving the complex environment around Parker Solar Probe."

The distinct perspectives of these observatories should be a boon for contextualizing Parker's observations. While SDO is in geosynchronous Earth orbit, STEREO orbits the Sun at slightly less than 1 AUone astronomical unit is the average distance between Earth and the Sunmaking it just a little bit faster than Earth. That means STEREO usually observes the Sun from a different angle than we do here on Earth. Along with Parker's measurements close to the Sun and often from a different angle than any of our other satellites, this will give scientists a fuller picture of how solar events change and develop as they propagate out into the solar system.

"The STEREO mission is all about observing the heliosphere from different locations and Parker is a part of that  making measurements from a perspective we've never had before," said Kucera.

Modeling is another critical tool for painting the complete picture around Parker's observations.

"Our simulation results provide a way to interpret both the localized measurements from the in situ instruments, like FIELDS and SWEAP, as well the more global images produced by WISPR," said Pete Riley, a research scientist at Predictive Science Inc., in San Diego, California.

Models are a good way to test theories about the underlying physics of the Sun. By creating a simulation that relies on a certain mechanism to explain coronal heatingfor instance, a certain kind of plasma wave called an Alfven wavescientists can check the model's prediction against actual data from Parker Solar Probe to see if they line up. If they do, that means the underlying theory may be what's actually happening.

"We've had a lot of success predicting the structure of the solar corona during total solar eclipses," said Riley. "Parker Solar Probe will provide unprecedented measurements that will further constrain the models and the theory that's embedded within them."

Numerical models provide a global context for interpreting Parker Solar Probe observations. This animation is from a model showing how the solar wind flows out from the Sun, with the perspective of Parker Solar Probes WISPR instrument overlaid. Credit: Predictive Science Inc.

Parker Solar Probe is in a unique position to help improve modelsin part because of its record-breaking speed.

The Sun rotates about once every 27 days as viewed from Earth, and the solar structures that drive much of its activity move along with it. That creates a problem for scientists, who can't always tell if the variability they see is driven by actual changes to the region producing the activitytemporal variationor is caused by simply receiving solar material from a new source regionspatial variation.

For part of its orbit, Parker Solar Probe will outrun that problem. At certain points, Parker Solar Probe is traveling fast enough to almost exactly match the Sun's rotational speed, meaning that Parker "hovers" over one area of the Sun for a short amount of time. Scientists can be certain that changes in data during this period are caused by actual changes on the Sun, rather than the Sun's rotation.

Parker Solar Probe is part of NASA's Living with a Star program to explore aspects of the Sun-Earth system that directly affect life and society. The Living with a Star program is managed by the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. APL designed, built and operates the spacecraft.

Explore further Parker Solar Probe reports good status after close solar approach
Wave-driven flooding event damaging the homes of people living on Majuro, an island in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, in March 2014. Credit: University of Hawaii Extension Program

A recently developed early warning system can forecast floods on coral-lined coasts worldwide and could help save residents of low-lying island nations from unprecedented disaster, according to researchers.

An international team of scientists has developed a simplified system for delivering early flood warnings on many of Earth's coral reef-lined coastlines and provides a marine flooding forecast out to seven days.

By predicting flood events in the short-term, researchers can help island communities mitigate the impacts of oncoming floods as they arise, according to researchers who presented the work this week at the 2018 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Over one hundred million people around the world live along coral reef-lined shorelines that are vulnerable to marine flooding that affects infrastructure, freshwater availability, agriculture, and habitats for threatened and endangered species. Future sea level rise and coral reef degradation will make these coasts even more vulnerable to flooding from more frequent storms, according to the researchers.

Curt Storlazzi, a research oceanographer from the U.S. Geological Survey who presented the work, is concerned about the impacts flood events will have on local populations.

"A lot of these folks are really tied to the sea," Storlazzi said. "We're gonna hit these critical tipping points where the impact is so frequent that you're not gonna have a chance to recover."

Early warning flooding systems are in place for some locations, but the vast majority of inhabitants of coral reef-lined coasts have no such system in place. So Storlazzi and other researchers from USGS and NOAA teamed up with scientists from the University of Hawaii and Deltares, an applied research institute in the Netherlands, to create a tool that forecasts flooding on Earth's most vulnerable shores. They wanted to develop a global-scale, simplified warning system based on existing science and prediction tools.

Flooding event topping the manmade perimeter in Roi-Namur, an island in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, in March 2014. Credit: Photo credit to Peter Swarzenski (USGS)

The researchers looked at data on fluctuating sea surface levels, daily wave heights and specific reef characteristics to create an artificial database that provides flood forecasts for up to seven days. The hypothetical lookup table provides researchers with 400,000 unique combinations that can be applied to complex reef scenarios.

These models give local communities a chance to mitigate the damage. The researchers expect the early warning system could be running in experimental mode for many coasts around the world within two to three years and could help prioritize high-risk areas.

"This is a tool that can be applied globally, and that's our hope, basically to save dollars and lives," Storlazzi said.

In addition to local flood forecasts, the team uses satellite imagery to track the height of waves and sea surface levels on a global scale. William Skirving, a satellite oceanographer from NOAA, leads these atmospheric investigations to find answers about what areas on Earth will be hit hardest.

Because the impacts of destructive floods go far beyond the shoreline, researchers remain interested in modeling island flood events on coral reef-lined coasts globally. If these islands vanish, "you're taking their culture away from them, you're taking their home away from them," Skirving said.

Considering the thousands of small islands of all different shapes and sizes, researchers from Deltares plug satellite information into their models to forecast which islands will be of most concern. The database gives researchers a better idea of which places need to be prioritized in the event of coastal flooding, allowing scientists to model different flood scenarios based on changing sea level and wave transformation parameters.

As scientists continue collaborating across borders to protect coral reef environments everywhere, these wave and flood models shed light on an ongoing climate refugee crisis that will continue driving people out of their homes in search of safety, according to Skirving.

"Your climate footprint can affect people somewhere else in the world and ruin their lives, literally," he said.

Explore further Scientists counter threat of flooding on coral reef coasts

Provided by GeoSpace

This story is republished courtesy of AGU Blogs (http://blogs.agu.org), a community of Earth and space science blogs, hosted by the American Geophysical Union. Read the original story here.
The multilateral and complex relationships of freshwater pearl mussel (FPM), salmonids and other co-infectants can influence potentially in the conservation of FPM. The human impacts  habitats degradation, loss of host fish, siltation, pollution, and overexploitation affect a considerable decline of this species.

M.Sc. Motiur R. Chowdhury from the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland, studied in his Ph.D. project the multilateral relationships between FPM, its salmonid host and other co-infectants (parasites and pathogens) of the host in the laboratory. His most striking result was that FPM infestation protects brown trout against Flavobacterium columnare, a pathogen that is very harmful for fish farming. In addition, he concluded that the year of the young (0+) salmonid is the most effective host for the success of the FPM.

Chowdhury also found that salmon and brown trout developed acquired immunity against FPM glochidia, but exposure to other mussel species (duck mussel) did not induce immunity against FPM.

Although FPM infestation increased resistance against Flavobacterium, it, on the other hand, decreased the growth of fish and increased vulnerability to the eye fluke infection, says Chowdhury.

The long-lived (>200 years) freshwater pearl mussel provides valuable ecosystem services by improving the water quality through filtration activities. FPM is endangered worldwide. For example in Finland, new individuals are found only less than 10 populations (among about 120).

Motiur Chowdhury defends his doctoral dissertation "Relationship between the Endangered Freshwater Pearl Mussel Margaritifera margaritifera, Its Salmonid Host and Co-infectants" on Saturday 15th of December 2018 in lecture hall YAA303 in Ambiotica. Opponent is Dr. Nicoletta Riccardi (CNR Institute of Ecosystem Study, Italy) and custos is Professor Jouni Taskinen (University of Jyvaskyla). The doctoral dissertation is held in English.

Motiur Chowdhury studied M.Sc. in Sustainable Management of Inland Aquatic Resources in the University of Jyvaskyla. He has started doctoral studies in 2015 financed by Maj ja Tor Nessling Foundation and the doctoral program of the Department of Biological and Environmental Science.

Explore further Endangered mussels reproducing at hatchery

More information: Relationship between the endangered freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera, its salmonid host and co-infectants Relationship between the endangered freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera, its salmonid host and co-infectants urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-39-7626-2

Provided by University of Jyvaskyla
Recently published NIVA research shows that in Skagerrak, the status of soft bottom communities improved between 1990 and 2010. During the 20-year period, tube-building annelids (see picture) increased at all stations. Credit: Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA)

Reductions of nutrients have led to a greater species richness at the seafloor in the Skagerrak after 1990. But warmer winter temperatures and increased river runoff might be the new challenges for the animal life at the soft bottom.

Over a 20-year period, the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) has monitored annelids, molluscs, brittle stars and other soft bottom dwelling animals in Skagerrak.

"Overall, there has been an improvement for the soft bottom fauna. This indicates large-scale changes for the species richness all over the Norwegian Skagerrak," says marine biologist Hilde Cecilie Trannum, project coordinator for NIVA's soft bottom monitoring.

The major cause for the faunal improvement is probably a reduction in long-range transported nutrients from the continent, as a result of stricter regulations on the use of fertilizers in the agriculture and on sewage discharges. These are the conclusions in a recently published paper by Trannum and colleagues, based on results from NIVA's monitoring program for the Norwegian Environmental Agency between 1990 and 2010. The paper was published in the scientific Journal of Sea Research.

Warm winters led to reduced species richness

At various sampling sites along the Norwegian coast to Skagerrak, researchers from NIVA investigated fauna at the soft bottom and measured environmental variables like temperature, salinity and nutrients for 20 years. The environmental variables were related to species richness and diversity, and using statistical methods, they modelled which variables had the strongest influence on the fauna. They found that climate related factors and changes in nutrient levels affected the species composition the most.

"What was particularly interesting, is that warm years were followed by reduced species diversity at the soft bottom. We fear that the positive trend of increased species richness might be reversed with the predicted climate changes," Trannum says.

The temperature in the North Sea has increased by one to two degrees since 1985, and is expected to further increase in the future. This has both direct and indirect impacts on the bottom dwelling fauna; some of the indirect impacts are increased runoff from rivers and increased stratification.

"The effects of local runoff will probably increase in the future. Higher precipitation leads to increased river runoff, which leads to increased transportation of particles to the sea bottom," Trannum explains.

"We don't know yet how this will affect the soft bottom fauna; maybe the sedimentation increases to the extent that sea bottom communities are buried certain places. We did find that a larger proportion of the species are feeding on suspended organic material in the water column or the sediment surface, which i.e. points to a change in the food source. This can very likely be linked to an increase in particulate nutrients," she says.

A changed species composition

Great amounts of nutrients are transported to the Skagerrak from European rivers via ocean currents. High nutrient levels might lead to algal blooms, which consume oxygen from the water masses. This affects the oxygen dependent life in the ocean, including the organisms at the sea floor. At the beginning of the 1990's, the species richness at the soft bottom in the Norwegian Skagerrak had reached a minimum level, and strong management efforts were initiated in order to reduce nutrient runoff from agriculture and wastewater. The improvements that are observed today are partly results of these measures.

"There has been a positive development in the animal life at the soft bottom, from tolerant species to more vulnerable species. Tolerant species have a shorter generation time and are less specialized than the vulnerable species, like the tube-building annelids. Vulnerable species typically grow larger, live longer, have more specific requirements on the environmental conditions, and build tubes and structures in the sediments. Such species tend to stabilize the sediments," Trannum explains.

100 species on 0.1 square meters of sediments

Within 0.1 square meters of sediments, Trannum typically finds several hundred individuals, and between 50 and 100 different species of soft bottom fauna. The sea floor is the world's second largest habitat, and the animals living here play an important role for all the other ecosystems in the ocean. Waste and dead material arising from the water column are being recycled back to nutrients by the benthos, which themselves are being eaten by predators, including fish.

"The improved status for soft bottom fauna is good news. It will be exciting to see which factors are determinative for species richness and diversity in the future," Trannum concludes.

Explore further Climate change poses uncertain future for Indiana's aquatic habitats

More information: Hilde Cecilie Trannum et al. Soft bottom benthos and responses to climate variation and eutrophication in Skagerrak, Journal of Sea Research (2018). Hilde Cecilie Trannum et al. Soft bottom benthos and responses to climate variation and eutrophication in Skagerrak,(2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.seares.2018.08.007

Provided by Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA)
By Ruth Anderah.

Prosecution has asked High Court in Kampala to hand a deterrent sentence to a 48 year old man for defiling his 13 year old step daughter.

Prosecutions Lillian Nandaula asked for a deterrent sentence after High Court Judge Jane Frances Abodo convicted him with aggravated defilement as charged.

Nandaula says, the convict Henry Sentongo had a duty to protect this child as a daughter but instead he abused it and defile her.

Court observed that Sentongo defiled the girl on March 4th 2016 at Kitaka zone in Nateete a Kampala suburbs.

It was discovered that Sentongo was caught red-handed by his wife defiling the child on their bed.

The incident took place very early in the morning while the mother of the victim had gone to work, but unfortunately she forgot something at home and come back.

The judge sent him back on remand until December 14th to pass a sentence.
Hammerhead shark entangled in a Queensland Shark Control Program net at Magnetic Island in Queensland, Australia. Credit: Nicole McLachlan

Queensland's coastal shark numbers are continuing a 50-year decline, in sharp contradiction of suggestions of 'exploding' shark populations, according to an analysis of Queensland Shark Control Program data.

University of Queensland and Griffith University researchers analysed data from the program, which has used baited drumlines and nets since 1962 to minimise human-shark interactions, and now spans 1760 km of the Queensland coastline.

UQ School of Biological Sciences researcher Dr. George Roff said historical baselines of Queensland shark populations were largely unknown, despite a long history of shark exploitation by recreational and commercial fisheries.

"Explorers in the 19th century once described Australian coastlines as being 'chock-full of sharks', yet we don't have a clear idea of how many sharks there used to be on Queensland beaches," he said.

"Shark populations around the world have declined substantially in recent decades, with many species being listed as vulnerable and endangered."

By analysing the Queensland Shark Control Program data, the research team reconstructed historical records of shark catches to explore changes in the number and sizes of sharks over the past half century.

"What we found is that large apex sharks such as hammerheads, tigers and white sharks, have declined by 74 to 92 per cent along Queensland's coast," Dr. Roff said.

"And the chance of zero catchcatching no sharks at any given beach per yearhas increased by as much as seven-fold.

"The average size of sharks has also declinedtiger sharks and hammerhead sharks are getting smaller."

"We will never know the exact numbers of sharks in our oceans more than half a century ago, but the data points to radical changes in our coastal ecosystems since the 1960s.

"The data acts as a window into the past, revealing what was natural on our beaches, and provides important context for how we manage sharks.

"What may appear to be increases in shark numbers is in reality a fraction of past baselines, and the long-term trend shows ongoing declines.

"While often perceived as a danger to the public, sharks play important ecological roles in coastal ecosystems.

"Large apex sharks are able to prey on larger animals such as turtles, dolphins and dugongs, and their widespread movement patterns along the coastline connects coral reefs, seagrass beds and coastal ecosystems.

"Such losses of apex sharks is likely to have changed the structure of coastal food webs over the past half century."

Explore further Conservationists slam Australia shark policy as more killed

More information: George Roff et al, Decline of coastal apex shark populations over the past half century, Communications Biology (2018). George Roff et al, Decline of coastal apex shark populations over the past half century,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s42003-018-0233-1
Ford is under fire from the French government for shuttering a factory

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire accused Ford of "treachery" and "cowardice" on Thursday in a furious reaction to the US automaker's decision to shutter a factory near Bordeaux and snub a potential buyer.

Around 850 jobs are on the line at the Blanquefort plant in the southwest of the country, which has turned out gear boxes for Ford since 1972.

The French government has been involved in negotiations to find a buyer and supported a bid from Franco-Belgian equipment manufacturer Punch Powerglide, based in the eastern city of Strasbourg.

But Ford said Thursday that it planned to reject a takeover offer and would instead offer redundancies to the staff ahead of an end to production there in August 2019.

"I want to denounce the cowardice of Ford, which I have tried to talk to for three days and which did not have the courage to take a call from the economy and finance minister," Le Maire told senators in Paris.

"I want to denounce the treachery of Ford towards its more than 800 employees at the Blanquefort site," he added. "They have been betrayed by Ford."

In a statement, Ford's local subsidiary FAI said that "we do not believe that the plans presented by the potential buyer offer a level of security and protection, or limit the risk of future job losses, which we are seeking for FAI employees."

'Treachery', 'cowardice' - harsh words from the finance minister

Ford "acknowledges the commitment and efforts of the French government to develop a viable and robust takeover plan, as well as the intensive efforts from the unions of FAI and the potential buyer," it added.

Jean-Marc Chavant, a staff representative from the Force Ouvriere union, expressed his "immense disappointment" at Ford's decision.

"It was understandable, it was what we feared, but we had started to hope a little bit," he told AFP.

The Ford factory has become another battleground between French trade unions and American multinationals that are often portrayed in France as heartless, job-slashing capitalists.

Plans by US appliance maker Whirlpool to close a factory in the northern town of Amiens became a controversy during last year's presidential election campaign, which was won by centrist Emmanuel Macronwho was born in the city.

Explore further Ford faces outrage in France over factory closure

 2018 AFP
Economists have searched for the mythical balance between the cost of climate action, and the future cost of doing nothing. Credit: Joop Hoek/Shutterstock.com

As delegates at the UN climate summit in Katowice, Poland, discuss the possibility of restraining global warming to 1.5, it might sound like a reasonable question to ask how much money it will cost if they fail.

Economists have spent the past 25 years trying  and largely failing  to agree on the "right" answer to this question. It's an important consideration, because governments are understandably keen to balance the benefits of limiting long-term climate damage with the more immediate costs of reducing greenhouse emissions.

In simple economics terms, we can ask what price would be worth paying today to avoid emitting a tonne of carbon dioxide, given the future damage costs that would avoid.

This mythical figure has been called the "social cost of carbon", and it could serve as a valuable guide rail for policies such as carbon taxes or fuel efficiency standards. But my recent research suggests this figure is simply too complicated to calculate with confidence, and we should stop waiting for an answer and just get on with it.

While some climate economists have put the social cost of carbon at hundreds or even thousands of dollars per tonne of CO, one of the most influential analyses, by Yale University economist William Nordhaus, offers a much more modest figure of just over US$30.

Nordhaus won this year's Nobel Prize in Economics, but his analysis has some uncomfortable conclusions for those familiar with the science.

At this level, it will be economically "optimal" for the world to reduce its CO emissions quite slowly, so that global warming peaks at about 4 some time next century. But this certainly doesn't sound optimal from a scientific perspective.

The impossibility of knowing the social cost of carbon

Calculating this magical economic balancing point is the holy grail of climate economics, and sadly it also seems to be an impossible task, because the question is so complex as to be unanswerable.

Why so? Normally, we gain knowledge via three main methods. The first option is to design an experiment. If that's impossible, we can look for a similar case to observe and compare. And if that too is impossible, we can design a model that might hopefully answer our questions.

Generally, the laws of physics fall into the first category. It's pretty straightforward to design an experiment to demonstrate the heat-trapping properties of CO in a lab, for instance.

Reconstructed global mean temperature anomalies for 02000 CE, and DICE-2016R projections for 20152400. Credit: Author provided

But we can't do a simple experiment to assess the global effects of CO emissions, so instead climatologists have to fall back on the second or third options. They can compare today's conditions with previous fluctuations in atmospheric CO to gauge the likely effects. They also design models to forecast future conditions on the basis of known physical principles.

By contrast, economists trying to put a dollar value on future climate damage face an impossible task. Like scientists, they cannot usefully test or make comparisons, but the economic effects of future climate change on an unprecedented 10 billion people are too fiendishly complex to model with confidence.

Unlike the immutable laws of physics, the laws of economics depend on markets, which in turn rely on trust. This trust could break down in some catastrophic future drought or deluge. So economists' various rival calculations for the social costs of carbon are all based on unavoidable guesswork about the value of damage from unprecedented future warming.

This view is understandably unpopular with most climate economists. Many new studies claim that recent statistical techniques are steadily improving our estimates of the value of climate damage, based mainly on the local economic effects of short-run temperature and other weather changes in recent decades.

But so far, the world has experienced only about 1 of global warming, with at most 0.3 from one year to the next. That gives us almost no way of knowing the damage from warming of 3 or so; it may turn out to be many times worse than projected from past damage, as various tipping points are breached.

Focus on emission reduction, not damage cost

One reason why economists keep trying to value climate damage is a 1993 US Presidential Executive Order that requires cost-of-carbon estimates for use in US regulations. But my findings support what many other climate economists have been doing anyway. That is to build models that ignore the future dollar cost of climate damage, and instead look at feasible, low-cost ways to cut emissions enough to hit physical targets, such as limiting global warming to 1.5 or 2, or reaching zero net emissions by 2100.

Once we know these pathways, we don't need to worry about the future cost of climate damage  all we need to ask is the cost of reducing emissions by a given amount, by a given deadline.

Of course, these costs are still deeply uncertain, because they depend on future developments in renewable energy technologies, and all sorts of other economic factors. But they are not as fiendishly uncertain as trying to pin a dollar value on future climate damage.

Focusing on the cost of emissions-reduction pathways allows researchers to put their effort into practical issues, such as how far and fast countries can shift to zero-emission electricity generation. Countries such as Sweden and the UK have already begun implementing this kind of action-oriented climate policies. While far from ideal, they are among the best-ranked major economies in the Climate Change Performance Index. Australia, by contrast, is ranked third worst.

But aren't trillion-dollar estimates of future warming damage, as featured in the recent US Fourth National Climate Assessment, necessary ammunition for advocates of climate action? Maybe, but it is still important to appreciate that these estimates are founded on a large chunk of guesswork.

Setting climate targets will always be a political question as well as a scientific one. But it's an undeniably sensible aim to keep climate within the narrow window that has sustained human civilisation for the past 11,000 years. With that window rapidly closing, it makes sense for policymakers just to focus on getting the best bang for their buck in cutting emissions.

Explore further Video: Pricing carbon emissions

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
In less than a month, France's gilets jaunes (yellow vests) have gone from being a celebrated example of Facebook's ability to power a spontaneous revolution to a cautionary tale of how social networks can be manipulated by outsiders to provoke outrage and sow dissension. But in both of these extreme scenarios, the central actors lie outside France, whether it's the platforms based in Silicon Valley or the suspected propagandists in Russia.

Because the gilets jaunes phenomenon couldn't be connected to one particular trade union, political party or any other national organization, many looked to the role of the Internet to explain the emergence and diffusion of the protest movement, symbolized by the yellow safety vests that activists wear.

The French are accustomed to protests that are scheduled well in advance. There's even an app called "C'est la greve" that announces strikes, be they with the railways, schools or elsewhere.

There's an orderly fashion to so-called disruptive manifestations (as protests are referred to in French), but the gilets jaunes movement hasn't followed the rules. So who exactly broke the rules? An easy answer has been the Internet.

Breaking the rules

In many ways, that's the point of the gilets jaunes: they're breaking the rules. Not only did they bypass traditional organizations, but they have accused the Parisian establishment, particularly President Emmanuel Macron, of being elitist and out of touch with the economic struggles of working-class people, particularly those in rural areas. They are not anti-tax in principle or even anti-government intervention, but they are against the type of decision-makers who supported an increase in the tax on diesel fuel without understanding how challenging it has been for people in the countryside to survive  they're struggling because they have to drive farther and farther to get to fewer and fewer jobs, with wages that have not kept up with the costs of living.

And since existing institutions weren't responding to these everyday needs, the protests that erupted in November have expanded to broader economic and political demands. But how did this movement happen? If it wasn't existing organizations, many have said, it must be the Internet. A common example of this argument stems from the viral Facebook videos by Jacline Mouraud, a digitally savvy musician who lives in north-western France and early on encouraged people to protest.

Jacline Mourauds videos went viral, here on October 27.

The revolutionary power of social media is wishful thinking

Both scholars and journalists have argued that digital technology, rather than organizations, drive modern social movements. A decade ago, commentators dubbed the Iranian Green Movement in 2009 a "Twitter Revolution." Soon after, many suggested that a "Facebook Revolution" drove protests in Egypt. Scholars also claimed that the Internet was key to the 2011 anti-austerity movement in Spain and the American "Occupy Wall Street" movement.

More recently, with the Women's March against Trump in 2017 or the gilets jaunes in 2018, the same argument is put forth. As a sociologist who researches social media, social movements and social class, I was not surprised at the overblown credit given to Facebook with these latest movements. Still, le sigh. Again?

Yet over the past two years, this celebration over digital technology's role in political participation took a dark turn. From Trump's toxic tweets to Brexit's online cesspool, the role of far-right outfits like Cambridge Analytica and Facebook itself came to light in fomenting far-right movements. And the French foreign minister recently announced an investigation into fake news and Russian manipulation of the gilets jaunes. What was once a horizontal digital army of white knights out to save the day was all of a sudden a horde of bots and hacks orchestrated by authoritarian institutions. Yet many still want to put faith in the Internet over institutions.

But both of these views, whether digital utopianism or dystopianism, fail to acknowledge people on the ground and their existing networks, as well as the fact that populist movements that seem to arise out of nowhere are not new to the digital era.

Just a tool

Without a doubt, the spread of information during a time of upheaval is certainly faster with the Internet. And the gilets jaunes are no exception. But do we call the French Revolution a "letter" movement? The American civil rights movement a "mimeograph" revolution? The Internet is a communications tool. An efficient one, but it's still a tool.

Every radical movement has had their communication tools, such as radio with the French Resistance, yet those coded messages in the 1940s needed a network on the ground to make sense of them and respond. Many of the gilets jaunes protests at traffic circles (ronds-points, as they're called in France) were organized by people who were already connected on Facebook through other ties or who work and live together in the same small towns.

The mimeograph, Film Archives NYC, 2014.

Populist movements like the gilets jaunes often have spikes of initial protest without necessarily having formal organizations that link people together, or what scholars like to call "weak ties".

Yet existing institutions and networks, from the connections made by France's Nuit debout movement to traditional unions of teachers and transport workers, were inspired to spread the news of the gilets jaunes during the emergence period of this movement. And the word "inspired" is the operating word here, as the gilets jaunes movement has motivated these organizations to not only participate in the protests but to take bolder stands on their own issues, such as the current teacher strikes and school occupations over the high school reforms.

And what is often forgotten is the still-critical role that traditional mainstream media play in disseminating information, such as the conservative French newspaper Le Figaro, which has run sweeping coverage of the protests since their inception. And French nightly television news has run non-stop footage and analyses of the protests.

Behind the Hashtags are Community Ties and Structural Inequalities

But how can the gilets jaunes movement sustain itself? From the analysis and research presented in my upcoming book, The Revolution That Wasn't: How Digital Activism Favors Conservatives (Harvard University Press), I found that over time, movements that have resources and infrastructure are more likely to harness the power of the Internet, and conservatives tend to have an advantage in this regard. Over the long run, it takes focused time and expertise to maintain online participation for social movements. Hierarchical, not horizontal, groups are more likely to be able to do this. Simply, more, not less, organization is required for digital activism to endure in a movement.

Yet I am not arguing that the gilets jaunes was sparked by a conservative organizational bureaucracy. Quite the contrary. It is an organic popular movement that wants the government to be more, not less, involved in improving the lives of the working-class. Yet we can already see how institutions, such as Jean-Luc Melenchon's left-leaning La France Insoumise movement, have tried to fill the vacuum of this so-called leaderless movement. In the absence of a strong grassroots organization, others will take over, including orchestrated dis-information digital campaigns.

But nor is propaganda new to political movements. The problem with the pendulum swing of "Hooray, the Internet connects!" to "Boo, the Internet deceives!" is that neither explanation for protest takes into account the community ties before the protests began but more importantly, the broader structural crisis that brought people together in the first place.

This is a movement that is linked to power and economic differences  not just people feeling a financial squeeze at the end of the month but also eyeing the growing inequality between the elites and the working class all over France. And they're not spending valuable time at protests or risking arrest because they are dupes to fake news. They are embedded in a societal context that drives their participation.

When I first moved to France in 2014 after studying populist movements in the United States  from Occupy Wall Street to the Tea Party  I was curious why there hadn't been a strong left-wing populist movement in France like in Spain, the US or much of the western world in 2011.

I soon began to understand that despite the emergence of movements like Nuit debout and other protests against the "Loi travail" (a law that loosened worker protections), France's social system was able to weather the storm of the economic recession that had plagued other countries. So even though digital activism was alive and well in 2011, a strong movement against neo-liberal policies had not yet emerged. Simply put, a popular movement drives Internet use. Not the other way around.

Explore further French NGO threatens Facebook with privacy lawsuit

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
A dried up Lake Hume on the border between New South Wales and Victoria. Credit: University of New South Wales

A global study has found a paradox: our water supplies are shrinking at the same time as climate change is generating more intense rain. And the culprit is the drying of soils, say researchers, pointing to a world where drought-like conditions will become the new normal, especially in regions that are already dry.

The study  the most exhaustive global analysis of rainfall and rivers  was conducted by a team led by Professor Ashish Sharma at Australia's UNSW (University of New South Wales) in Sydney. It relied on actual data from 43,000 rainfall stations and 5300 river monitoring sites in 160 countries, instead of basing its findings on model simulations of a future climate, which can be uncertain and at times questionable.

Large rivers drying out

"This is something that has been missed," said Sharma, an ARC Future Fellow at UNSW's School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. "We expected rainfall to increase, since warmer air stores more moisture  and that is what climate models predicted too. What we did not expect is that, despite all the extra rain everywhere in the world, the large rivers are drying out.

"We believe the cause is the drying of soils in our catchments. Where once these were moist before a storm event  allowing excess rainfall to run off into rivers  they are now drier and soak up more of the rain, so less water makes it as flow.

"Less water into our rivers means less water for cities and farms. And drier soils means farmers need more water to grow the same crops. Worse, this pattern is repeated all over the world, assuming serious proportions in places that were already dry. It is extremely concerning," he added.

Credit: University of New South Wales

'Blue water' vs 'green water'

For every 100 raindrops that fall on land, only 36 drops are 'blue water'  the rainfall that enters lakes, rivers and aquifers  and therefore, all the water extracted for human needs. The remaining two thirds of rainfall is mostly retained as soil moisture  known as 'green water'  and used by the landscape and the ecosystem.

As warming temperatures cause more water to evaporate from soils, those dry soils are absorbing more of the rainfall when it does occur  leaving less 'blue water' for human use.

"It's a double whammy," said Sharma. "Less water is ending up where we can store it for later use. At the same time, more rain is overwhelming drainage infrastructure in towns and cities, leading to more urban flooding."

Global conversation needed

Professor Mark Hoffman, UNSW's Dean of Engineering, welcomed Sharma's research and called for a global conversation about how to deal with this unfolding scenario, especially in Australia, which is already the driest inhabited continent (apart from Antarctica).

Lake Hume, on the Upper Murray, New South Wales. Credit: University of New South Wales

"It's clear there's no simple fix, so we need to start preparing for this," he said. "Climate change keeps delivering us unpleasant surprises. Nevertheless, as engineers, our role is to identify the problem and develop solutions. Knowing the problem is often half the battle, and this study has definitely identified some major ones."

In a paper published in November in the American Geophysical Union's Water Resources Research, Sharma and colleagues write that despite widespread global evidence of rising precipitation extremes, there's no evidence of an increase in flooding, with evidence pointing more towards decreased flood peaks for the moderate flood events that form the key refill events in water supply reservoirs. "While extreme floods may increase due to the larger storms that are occurring, these floods are often too large to be stored for water supply. It is the less extreme floods our reservoirs depend on," Sharma said.

"On the whole, flood magnitudes are decreasing," write Sharma and his co-authors, Dr. Conrad Wasko of the University of Melbourne, and Professor Dennis Lettenmaier of the University of California Los Angeles. (Wasko was Sharma's Ph.D. student at UNSW during most of the research).

Large declines in soil moisture

They suggest that large declines in the amount of moisture in the soil, coupled with the contraction in the geographical spread of each storm event, are the major reasons why increases in extreme rainfall are not resulting in corresponding increases in flooding.

They point to previous US research that shows that, in extreme rainfall events, if surrounding soils are wet before a storm, 62% of the rain leads to flooding that is captured by catchments. But when soils are dry, only 13% of the rain results in flooding.

One of the massive tunnels that make up the 225 km of tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts of the Snowy Mountain Scheme. Credit: University of New South Wales

"This is kind of contradicting the increasing flood argument in past IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] reports, but pointing to possibly a far worse scenario," said Sharma. "Small floods are very important for water supply, because they refill dams and form the basis of our water supply," said Sharma.

"But they're happening less often, because the soils are sucking up the extra rain. Even when a major storm dumps a lot of rain, the soils are so dry they absorb more water than before, and less reaches the rivers and reservoirs."

Reduced flows into reservoirs

Past research has so far missed this. "Everybody has been obsessed by the flood side of the equation but have ignored the more critical component, which is the embattled water supply that comes from reduced flows into our reservoirs," he added.

So what is the solution? "One option is to wait for international agreements to take effect, so greenhouse gas concentrations can be reined in  but this will take a long time. The other option is to be proactive, and re-engineer our water systems so we can better adapt and cope."

To adapt to this new reality, new policies and infrastructure is needed. In areas where water supply is shrinking, water-intensive farming will need to be curtailed or moved elsewhere, while reservoir storage capacities may need to be expanded. In urban areas, where flooding is becoming more common, incentives to create 'green cities' and to store or divert flood water will need to be explored.

New Orleans four days after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005. Credit: U.S. Navy

Re-engineering on a massive scale

"We need to adapt to this emerging reality," said Sharma. "We're going to need re-engineering on a massive scale in some places if we are to continue living in them. But it's possible: places like Arizona and California receive barely 400mm of rain each year, but have engineered their water supply systems to make previously uninhabitable places liveable.

"Or take the Snowy Mountain Scheme: it's not just about hydroelectricity, it's also a complex water supply scheme with 225km of tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts."

Sharma said the answer was not just more dams. "Re-engineering solutions are not simple, they have to be analysed on a region-by-region basis, looking at the costs and the benefits, looking at the change expected into the future, while also studying past projects so mistakes are not repeated. There are no silver bullets. Any large-scale re-engineering project will require significant investment, but the cost of inaction could be monstrous."

In urban areas, the reverse will be needed: flooding is becoming more common and more intense. Global economic losses from flooding have risen from an average of $500 million a year in the 1980s to around $20 billion annually by 2010; by 2013, this rose to more than $US50 billion. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change expects this to more than double in the next 20 years as extreme storms and rainfall intensify and growing numbers of people move into urban centres.

Adapting to this is possible, but will require large-scale re-engineering of many cities, says Sharma. "Tokyo used to get clobbered by floods every year, but they built a massive underground tank beneath the city that stores the floodwater, and releases it later. You never see floods there now."

Explore further Urban floods intensifying, countryside drying up
On December 12, 2018 at 0047 UTC (Dec. 11 at 7:47 p.m. EST) GPM found extremely heavy rainfall was occurring in the Arafura Sea well to the northwest of Owen's center of circulation, falling at a rate of over 97 mm (3.8 inches) per hour. West of Owen's center, rainfall was occurring at a rate as high as 40 mm (1.5 inches) per hour. Credit: NASA/JAXA, Hal Pierce

As expected, tropical cyclone Owen recently intensified as it moved over the Gulf of Carpentaria and NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's GPM core satellite found very heavy rainfall occurring within the revived storm. The storm has made a U-turn in the Gulf and is now headed back to Queensland.

The Gulf of Carpentaria is located between Queensland and Northern Territory, Australia.

On December 12, 2018 at 0047 UTC (Dec. 11 at 7:47 p.m. EST) Owen's maximum sustained winds had increased to about 55 knots (63 mph) when the Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core observatory satellite scanned the western side of the tropical cyclone. This wind speed meant that Owen's intensity had reached the equivalent of a strong tropical storm on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.

GPM's Microwave Imager (GMI) and GPM's Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) instruments collected data showing that extremely heavy rainfall was occurring in the Arafura Sea well to the northwest of Owen's center of circulation. GPM's GMI indicated that rain in that area was falling at a rate of over 97 mm (3.8 inches) per hour. West of Owen's center, rainfall was occurring at a rate as high as 40 mm (1.5 inches) per hour.

At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, a 3-D view was created using GPM data. The 3-D view was created using data from the GPM satellite's Radar (DPR Ku Band) and showed the precipitation structure in storms north of Australia's Northern Territory. Those powerful convective storms in the Arafura Sea were found by DPR to reach extraordinary heights above 17 km (10.54 miles). The extremely heavy downpours in those storms were returning radar reflectivity values higher than 60 dBZ to the GPM satellite.

On December 12, 2018 at 0047 UTC (Dec. 11 at 7:47 p.m. EST) GPM found extremely heavy rainfall was occurring in the Arafura Sea well to the northwest of Owen's center of circulation, falling at a rate of over 97 mm (3.8 inches) per hour. West of Owen's center, rainfall was occurring at a rate as high as 40 mm (1.5 inches) per hour. This animation shows the location and intensity of rainfall within the area scanned by the GPM satellite's GMI and DPR instruments. Credit: NASA/JAXA, Hal Pierce

On Dec. 13, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology or ABM noted that "Severe Tropical Cyclone Owen has started moving eastwards back over the Gulf of Carpentaria and will continue to strengthen as it moves east." Warnings have been dropped from Port Roper to Port McArthur now that the storm has turned back toward the east. Eastern Northern Territory and western Queensland now have all the warning and watches. ABM said the Warning Zone includes Port McArthur in the Northern Territory, to Aurukun in Queensland, including Mornington Island, Karumba, Kowanyama and Pormpuraaw. The Watch Zone extends inland from Karumba to Aurukun as far as Georgetown, Chillagoe and Coen, Queensland.

On Dec. 13 at 9:30 p.m. ACST local time (6:30 a.m. EST) ABM noted that Owen was considered locally as a category 3 storm (a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale) with maximum sustained winds near the center at 87 mph (140 kilometers) per hour. Owen was centered near 15.1 degrees south latitude and 136.9 degrees east longitude, about 53 mph (85 km) northeast of Port McArthur and is moving east.

ABM said "Owen is likely to continue to develop further over the next 24 hours as it continues to move east into the central Gulf of Carpentaria and through a more favorable environment. Severe Tropical Cyclone Owen may reach Category 4 intensity early Friday.

A coastal crossing along the southeast Gulf of Carpentaria coast between Gilbert River Mouth to Pormpuraaw later Friday or early Saturday is likely, and there is a chance it crosses the coast as a category 4 system.

The ABM forecast calls for Owen to make landfall along the southeast Gulf of Carpentaria coast between Gilbert River Mouth to Pormpuraaw later Friday [Dec. 14] or early Saturday [Dec. 15], western Queensland, Australia. For updated forecasts, visit: http://www.bom.gov.au

Explore further NASA measures rainfall from Tropical Cyclone Owen's remnants at Queensland coast
The illustration shows how two black holes merge. This causes gravitational waves to emerge. Credit: LIGO / T. Pyle

The gravitational waves created by black holes or neutron stars in the depths of space have been found to reach Earth. Their effects, however, are so small that they can only be observed using kilometer-long measurement facilities. Physicists are therefore discussing whether ultracold and miniscule Bose-Einstein condensates with their ordered quantum properties could also detect these waves. Prof. Ralf Schutzhold from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and the TU Dresden has studied the basis of these suggestions and writes in the journal Physical Review D that such evidence is far beyond the reach of current methods.

As early as 1916, Albert Einstein submitted an article to the Prussian Academy of Sciences in which he demonstrated that moving masses such as giant stars orbiting each other leave behind a dent in space and time, which spreads at the speed of light. These dents are known as gravitational waves, and should move precisely like radio waves, light and other electromagnetic waves. The effects of gravitational waves, however, are normally so weak that Einstein was convinced that they could never be measured.

The reason for this skepticism is that gravitational waves are weak. For example, even the quite large mass of the Earth, which orbits the sun at almost 30 kilometers per second, produces gravitational waves with a power of merely three hundred watts. That wouldn't even be enough to power a commercial vacuum cleaner with an Energy Star label. The influence of these gravitational waves is therefore imperceptible.

When Black Holes Merge

The situation improves when considerably larger masses are involved. When two huge black holes merged at a distance of 1.3 billion light years from Earth, of which one possessed the mass of approximately 36 suns and the other a mass of 29 suns, space and time trembled. During this merger, a mass that measured three times that of our sun transformed into a gigantic gravitational wave, whose remnants reached Earth 1.3 billion years later on September 14th, 2015, at 11:51 AM Central European Time. Because the waves propagate in all directions over such enormous distances and spread to an unimaginably large space, their power was hugely diminished.

On Earth, only an extremely weak signal was received, which was registered using two four-kilometer-long perpendicular vacuum tubes in the United States. Two special laser beams shoot back and forth between the end points of these facilities. From the time required for one light beam to reach the other end, the researchers can very precisely calculate the distance between the two points. "As the gravitational waves reached Earth, they shortened one of the two measurement distances by a tiny fraction of a trillionth of a millimeter at both facilities, while the other perpendicular stretch was extended by a similar amount," says HZDR researcher Ralf Schutzhold, outlining his colleagues' results. Therefore, on February 11th, 2016, following a detailed analysis of the data, the researchers reported the first direct detection of the gravitational waves predicted by Albert Einstein. Three of the contributing researchers were awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 2017.

Atoms in Synchronization

Astrophysicists can now use these waves to observe massive events in space, such as black hole mergers or supernovas. Physicists are now asking whether it's possible to build facilities that are easier to deal with than the four-kilometer-long perpendicular vacuum tubes. Some suggest using Bose-Einstein condensates, a form of matter that Satyendranath Bose and Albert Einstein predicted back in 1924. "Such condensates can be thought of as heavily diluted vapor from individual atoms that are cooled to the extreme and therefore condense," explains Schutzhold. Researchers in the United States created a Bose-Einstein condensate in 1995.

At extremely low temperatures, only very slightly above the absolute zero of minus 273.15 degrees Celsius, most atoms of metals such as rubidium exist in the same quantum state, forming a chaotic hodgepodge as vapor at higher temperatures. "Similar to laser light particles, the atoms of these Bose-Einstein condensates move, so to speak, in synchronization," says Schutzhold. Gravitational waves, however, can change sound particles or sound quanta, which physicists call phonons, within synchronized atom condensates. "This is a bit similar to a big vat of water in which waves generated by an earthquake change the existing water waves," says Ralf Schutzhold, describing the process.

Little Evidence is too Little

However, when the head of HZDR's Theoretical Physics Department took a closer look at the fundamentals of this phenomenon, he ascertained that such Bose-Einstein condensates had to be several orders of magnitude larger than is currently possible in order to detect gravitational waves emanating from merging black holes. "Today, Bose-Einstein condensates with, for example, 1 million rubidium atoms are obtained with great effort, but it would take far more than a million times that number of atoms to detect gravitational waves," says Schutzhold. However, a kind of vortex is formed within a Bose-Einstein condensate in which gravitational waves directly generate phonons that are more easily observable. "But even with such inhomogeneous Bose-Einstein condensates, we are still orders of magnitude from detecting gravitational waves," says the physicist.

The HZDR researcher nevertheless provides a hint as to possible proof: If the noble gas helium is cooled down to less than two degrees above absolute zero, a superfluid liquid is formed that is not a pure Bose-Einstein condensate, but contains just under 10 percent of such synchronized helium atoms. Because much larger quantities of this superfluid helium can be produced, many orders of magnitude more Bose-Einstein condensate atoms can be created this way than with direct production. "Whether superfluid helium is really a way to detect gravitational waves can only be shown with extremely complex calculations," says Schutzhold. The mini-detectors for gravitational waves still therefore lie some time in the future.

Explore further A Bose-Einstein condensate has been produced in space for the first time

More information: Ralf Schutzhold, Interaction of a Bose-Einstein condensate with a gravitational wave, Physical Review D (2018). Journal information: Physical Review D Ralf Schutzhold, Interaction of a Bose-Einstein condensate with a gravitational wave,(2018). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevD.98.105019
"We are bearing the torch for those vulnerable to climate change," Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine told the COP24 in Katowice, Poland. She is shown here addressing the UN General Assembly in September

Dozens of nations threatened with catastrophe from unchecked climate change warned Thursday they "face extinction" without immediate action to rein in mankind's emissions, as UN climate talks limped towards their conclusion.

Representatives from nearly 200 nations are locked in negotiations in Poland over how to make good on the promises they made in the landmark 2015 Paris agreement aimed at limiting global temperature rises.

Talks have however hit a wall over a host of disputes ranging from adopting the newest environmental data to how the fight against climate change will be financed in future.

But with Earth already experiencing widespread droughts, flooding and mega-storms made worse as our planet heats up, many nations simply cannot wait for action.

"We are bearing the torch for those vulnerable to climate change," Hilda Heine, president of the Marshall Islands, told delegates at the COP24 summit.

"We represent a number of nations, like my own, that face extinction. Species of all kinds also face existential risk."

A group of 48 nations representing more than one billion people urged developed countriesresponsible for the lion's share of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissionsto pay up to help the worst affected.

"We are in Poland in the name of the children of tomorrow whose interests we must secure, compelled by science and duty," said Emmanuel De Guzman, from the Philippines Climate Change Commission.

"We find the ambivalence of countries in these negotiations unacceptable. We are discussing here not trivial text or punctuation marks but our very survival."

A major sticking point at talks scheduled to wrap up Friday remains how nations use the findings of a landmark UN report released in October.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) highlighted the need for greenhouse gas emissions to be nearly halved by 2030 and for fossil fuel use to be slashed in order to achieve the Paris goal of limiting temperature rises to 1.5C.

Four nationsthe United States, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kuwaitblocked a proposal for nations to "welcome" the IPCC report as a basis of future climate action.

'Talking and talking'

Delegates in the Polish mining city of Katowice must agree on a rulebook to implement the Paris accord and are encouraged to outline what they plan to do in practice ahead of a stock-taking in 2020.

But talks are dogged by competing interests, and even if the Paris pledges are realised Earth is on the path towards 3C warmingenough to tear at the fabric of society.

"We are not prepared to die," said Mohamed Nasheed, former Maldives president and a veteran of UN climate summits.

"Perhaps now it's time to tell ourselves some hard truths. Carbon emissions keep rising, and rising, and rising. And all we seem to be doing is talking and talking and talking. We are not winning the battle."

Explore further Small islands plead for action at UN climate talks

 2018 AFP
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The equivalent of more than 6 million gallons a day of raw sewage has been spilling into the Tijuana River since Monday night, according to federal officials.

The U.S. section of the International Boundary and Water Commission, or IBWC, said Tuesday that counterparts in Mexico informed the agency that the cause of the sewage leak was a ruptured collector pipe. Federal officials said the aging collector underwent millions of dollars in upgrades over the last year but had yet to be fully rehabilitated.

"We are in close contact with Mexico," said Lori Kuczmanski, spokeswoman for IBWC. "We have engineers in the field getting the details of the incident."

Shorelines from Imperial Beach to Coronado have been shuttered for several days because of polluted water flushed through the Tijuana River by recent rains, according to the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health.

However, this recent spill could dramatically exacerbate the situation.

"There's communication from the IBWC, but Mexico should have let us know yesterday," said Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina, who has called for an investigation into when the spill occurred. "There's no way that a pipe broke down three days after the flood. It seems suspicious."

South Bay beaches are routinely inundated with polluted water from Mexico, especially during rain events when pumps that suck water out of the Tijuana River must be turned off because of limited capacity. Wastewater is supposed to be treated before it's emptied into the river, but flows are routinely mixed with other pollutants, including raw sewage from cracked pipes.

Residents are advised to stay out of the ocean 72 hours after it rains because of contamination from urban runoff, but sewage-tainted pollution is far more dangerous. Raw effluent can carry pathogens, such as E. coli, Vibrio and salmonella, as well as several viruses and intestinal parasites that can cause everything from diarrhea to meningitis to respiratory infections.

In September, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra joined the cities of Imperial Beach, Chula Vista and the Port of San Diego in suing the Trump administration over sewage spills and other toxic flows coming from Mexico.

The lawsuit by the local agencies seeks to force the federal government to upgrade the capacity of the pumps in the river as well as catchment basins in nearby canyons. The systems are intended to divert flows to the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant before they can foul beaches.

The state's lawsuit focuses more narrowly on water pollution flowing through the canyons.

"This is exactly why we filed our lawsuit," Dedina said. "We should have infrastructure that can capture the sewage and send it back into the system."

The federal government has said it isn't legally responsible for the renegade flows that escape its collection systems, pointing out that the situation would be significantly worse without its efforts.

Before the federal government spent roughly $344 million to create its diversion and treatment system in the 1990s, millions of gallons of sewage would flow daily down the Tijuana River into San Diego County.

Officials with IBWC have for several years attempted to work with officials in Baja to outline a spending blueprint for improving the region's failing wastewater infrastructure. However, so far, only limited progress has been made.

If this latest spill continues unabated, it could be the largest since February 2017 when a pipe burst and flooded the river with at least 28 million gallons of raw sewage, tainting coastal waters for weeks.

According to county records, the Imperial Beach shoreline is off limits to swimmers about a third of the year on average as a result of water pollution from Tijuana.

Explore further Beaches open after sewage spill on California Central Coast

2018 The San Diego Union-Tribune

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Undersea robot LarvalBot has dispersed microscopic baby corals (coral larvae) to help scientists working to repopulate parts of the Great Barrier Reef. Credit: Great Barrier Reef Foundation, photographer Gary Cranitch, Queensland Museum

Ecology and technology have combined to give nature a helping hand, using a robot to deliver heat-tolerant coral larvae directly onto Australia's Great Barrier Reef in the first small-scale pilot of a new technique to help restore and recover coral reefs.

In a world-first, an undersea robot has dispersed microscopic baby corals (coral larvae) to help scientists working to repopulate parts of the Great Barrier Reef during this year's mass coral spawning event.

Six weeks after winning the Great Barrier Reef Foundation's $300,000 Out of the Blue Box Reef Innovation Challenge, Southern Cross University's Professor Peter Harrison and Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Professor Matthew Dunbabin trialled the ground-breaking initiative on Vlasoff Reef, near Cairns in north Queensland.

Professor Dunbabin engineered QUT's reef protector RangerBot into LarvalBot specifically for the coral restoration project led by Professor Harrison.

The project builds on Professor Harrison's successful larval reseeding technique piloted on the southern Great Barrier Reef in 2016 and 2017 in collaboration with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) and Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service (QPWS), following successful small-scale trials in the Philippines funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research.

"This year represents a big step up for our larval restoration research and the first time we've been able to capture coral spawn on a bigger scale using large floating spawn catchers then rearing them into tiny coral larvae in our specially constructed larval pools and settling them on damaged reef areas," Professor Harrison said.

"Winning the GBRF's Reef Innovation Challenge meant that we could increase the scale of the work planned for this year using mega-sized spawn catchers and fast track an initial trial of LarvalBot as a novel method of dispersing the coral larvae out on to the Reef.

Ecology and technology have combined to give nature a helping hand, with robot LarvalBot delivering heat-tolerant coral larvae directly onto Australia's Great Barrier Reef in the first small-scale pilot of a new technique to help restore and recover coral reefs. Credit: QUT and Biopixel

"With further research and refinement, this technique has enormous potential to operate across large areas of reef and multiple sites in a way that hasn't previously been possible.

"We'll be closely monitoring the progress of settled baby corals over coming months and working to refine both the technology and the technique to scale up further in 2019."

This research and the larval production process was also directly supported by the recent successful SBIR 2018 Coral larval restoration research project on Vlasoff Reef led by Professor Harrison with Katie Chartrand (James Cook University) and Associate Professor David Suggett (University of Technology Sydney), in collaboration with Aroona Boat Charters, the GBRMPA and QPWS.

With a current capacity to carry around 100,000 coral larvae per mission and plans to scale up to millions of larvae, the robot gently releases the larvae onto damaged reef areas allowing it to settle, and over time develop into coral polyps or baby corals.

Professor Dunbabin said LarvalBot could be compared to 'an underwater crop duster' operating very safely to ensure existing coral wasn't disturbed.

"During this year's trial, the robot was tethered so it could be monitored precisely but future missions will see it operate alone and on a much larger scale," Professor Dunbabin said.

"Using an iPad to program the mission, a signal is sent to deliver the larvae and it is gently pushed out by LarvalBot. It's like spreading fertiliser on your lawn.

QUT Professor Matthew Dunbabin engineered undersea robot RangerBot into LarvalBot to disperse microscopic baby corals (coral larvae) to help scientists working to repopulate parts of Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Credit: Great Barrier Reef Foundation, photographer Gary Cranitch Queensland Museum

"The robot is very smart, and as it glides along we target where the larvae need to be distributed so new colonies can form and new coral communities can develop.

"We have plans to do this again in Australia and elsewhere and I'm looking forward to working with Professor Harrison and Southern Cross University, the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and other collaborators to help tackle an important problem."

This project builds on the work by Professor Dunbabin, who developed RangerBot to help control the coral-killing crown-of-thorns starfish, which is responsible for 40 per cent of the reef's decline in coral cover.

Great Barrier Reef Foundation Managing Director Anna Marsden said: "It's exciting to see this project progress from concept to implementation in a matter of weeks, not years. The recent IPCC report highlights that we have a very short window in which to act for the long-term future of the Reef, underscoring the importance of seeking every opportunity to give our reefs a fighting chance.

"This project is testament to the power of collaboration between science, business and philanthropy. With the support of the Tiffany & Co. Foundation, whose longstanding support for coral reef conservation globally spans almost two decades, our international call for innovations to help the Reef has uncovered a solution that holds enormous promise for restoring coral reefs at scales never before possible."

Following the success of this initial trial in 2018, the researchers plan to fully implement their challenge-winning proposal in 2019, building even larger mega spawn-catchers and solar powered floating larval incubation pools designed to rear hundreds of millions of genetically diverse, heat-tolerant coral larvae to be settled on damaged reefs through a combination of larval clouds and LarvalBots.

Explore further Reef RangerBot becomes 'LarvalBot' to spread coral babies
By Damali Mukhaye.

The minister of Kampala Betty Kamya has asked all the street vendor to vacant the streets of Kampala to pave way for shop vendors to conduct their business as Christmas season nears.

Addressing journalists at media centre, Kamya says that the city is awash with street vendors who have taken over the city, something that has led to traffic jam and pickpocketing in the city.

She says that the shop vendors who pay taxes have complained of making losses due to street vendors yet this is a time they expect to sell their items.

She says that police and kcca enforcement officers are on standby to ensure that they enforce the law adding that kcca o yet to make designated areas for vendors.
Northern Snakehead (Channa argus) tops the list of alien species, not yet established in the European Union, that pose the greatest potential threat to biodiversity in the region. Credit: George Berninger Jr., CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Scientists have identified 66 alien plant and animal species, not yet established in the European Union, that pose the greatest potential threat to biodiversity and ecosystems in the region.

From an initial working list of 329 alien species considered to pose threats to biodiversity recently published by the EU, scientists have derived and agreed a list of eight species considered to be very high risk, 40 considered to be high risk, and 18 considered to be medium risk.

The research, led by Professor Helen Roy of the UK's Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and involving 43 people from across Europe and funded by the European Commission, is published in the journal Global Change Biology.

The authors developed a horizon-scanning approach in order to derive a ranked list of potential invasive alien species (IAS). Using this procedure, they worked collaboratively to reach consensus about the alien species most likely to arrive, establish, spread and have an impact on biodiversity in the region over the next decade.

The approach is unique in the continental scale examined, the breadth of taxonomic groups and environments considered, and the methods and data sources used. Species considered included plants, terrestrial invertebrates, marine species, freshwater invertebrates and vertebrates.

The eight species that pose the highest risk are:

1. Channa argus. The northern snakehead is a species of fish native to southern and eastern China but now also widely distributed in Japan within shallow, marshy ponds and wetlands, where it preys on native fish species.

2. Limnoperna fortunei. The golden mussel is native to China and south-eastern Asia but became established in Hong Kong in 1965, and Japan and Taiwan in the 1990s. Subsequently, it invaded the United States and South America. It alters native fauna with an impact on the freshwater food web.

3. Orconectes rusticus. The rusty crayfish, native to the United States but now found in Canada, is a large and aggressive species of freshwater crayfish, which is more successful in deterring attack from predators than other crayfish and therefore outcompetes native species.

4. Plotosus lineatus. The striped eel catfish is native to the Indian Ocean but was first recorded in the Mediterranean in 2002 and subsequently spread rapidly along the entire Israeli coast. This venomous catfish now inhabits all sandy and muddy substrates contributing to species declines through competition and displacement.

5. Codium parvulum. This green seaweed native to the Indo-Pacific Ocean and subsequently described from the Red Sea, has since been recorded off the northern shores of Israel in the Mediterranean and along the Lebanese coast. It is considered an ecosystem engineer, altering the structure and functionality of ecosystems.

6. Crepidula onyx. The onyx slipper snail is native to the southern coast of California and northern Pacific coast of Mexico. It is now widespread and considered highly invasive in Asia where it has been reported from Korea, Japan and Hong Kong. Slipper snails are sedentary filter-feeders and change native ecosystems.

7. Mytilopsis sallei. The black striped mussel described from the Pacific coast of Panama is a brackish species that invaded the Indo-Pacific Ocean during the 1900s and has reached Fiji, India, Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan, and Australia. In some of these coastal areas the species completely dominates since it can survive extreme environmental conditions.

8. Sciurus niger. The fox squirrel native to eastern and central North America, competes for resources with the native western gray (S. griseus) and Douglas squirrels (Tamiasciurus douglasii).

Other key findings include:

The highest proportion of the species identified originate in Asia, North America and South America.

Aquatic species are most likely to arrive via shipping, while terrestrial invertebrates are most likely to arrive along with goods such as plants.

The Mediterranean, Continental, Macaronesian and Atlantic biogeographic regions are predicted to be the most threatened across all taxonomic groups, while the Baltic, Black Sea and Boreal regions are least at risk. The Alpine region appears not to be under threat by any species.

The research provides a basis for full risk assessments that can comprehensively evaluate the threat posed by these species to EU biodiversity.

Professor Helen Roy of the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology said: "Preventing the arrival of invasive alien species is the most effective way of managing invasions. Predicting which species are likely to arrive and survive in new regions involves considering many interacting ecological and socio-economic factors including climate but also patterns of trade.

"Our collaborative approach involving experts spanning many disciplines has been critical to achieve the ranked list of alien species that pose the greatest threat to European biodiversity."

Explore further When do invasive species pose a threat?

More information: Helen E. Roy et al, Developing a list of invasive alien species likely to threaten biodiversity and ecosystems in the European Union, Global Change Biology (2018). Journal information: Global Change Biology Helen E. Roy et al, Developing a list of invasive alien species likely to threaten biodiversity and ecosystems in the European Union,(2018). DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14527

Provided by Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
People dont have to be in the same social network to share beliefs. Credit: iStock/aurielaki

When Amir Goldberg had his first child a decade ago, he was bewildered to learn that some of his colleagues at Princeton University, where he was a doctoral student, weren't planning to vaccinate their offspring.

It seemed obvious to Goldberg that vaccines were crucial to protecting his daughter's health. Yet people who were similar to himleft-leaning, highly educated academicshad come to the opposite conclusion. They distrusted Big Pharma and thought that vaccines put their kids at risk of autism and other health problems. What accounted for the vast gulf between their beliefs and his?

Goldberg suspected that the explanation ran counter to a prominent theory among sociologists called social contagion. This model holds that beliefs and behaviors spread like a virus. They infect the people with whom one has the strongest ties, and the primary obstacles to their expansion are the boundaries dividing social groups.

But social contagion didn't adequately explain the anti-vaxxers. "We were passionately divergent about how we interpreted the same reality," Goldberg says, "yet the idea that we were in different networks was just incorrect."

The Role of Meaning

Goldberg, now an associate professor of organizational behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business, came up with a new theory, which he calls associative diffusion, to explain cultural variation in contemporary societies. Influenced by insights from cognitive science, he and Sarah K. Stein, a Ph.D. student he advised, describe the model in a recent paper in the American Sociological Review.

The idea is this: When people are exposed to certain beliefs and behaviors, they don't just automatically "catch the bug." Rather, they receive information about which ideas and actions tend to go together. Networks do play a role, but people can pick up on signals from someone they follow on Twitter as easily as they can pick up on those from their parents. The way they interpret those social cues then influences which behaviors they adopt.

"I learn appropriate social roles for particular categories of people, and I'm going to emulate people only as a function of whether I associate with their other attributes," Goldberg says.

While the social contagion theory assumes that the structure of networks is what determines varied preferences, associative diffusion argues that what matters most is the meaning people ascribe to the world around them.

For example, someone might notice that people who prefer home births and oppose genetically modified foods are against vaccinating their children. The observer learns that anti-vaxxing is associated with those health-related choices, and if she identifies with those, she may decide to update her behavior regarding vaccinations. (This is theoreticalGoldberg hasn't empirically studied vaccine naysayers.)

Goldberg and Stein backed up their theory with a mathematical formula that shows how individuals observing others at random eventually end up in an equilibrium of cultural variation. Competing theories do not result in a similar equilibrium, unless they assume that social groups are completely segregated.

To Change Minds, Change Associations

Goldberg's theory potentially explains a wide range of phenomena, from varying musical tastes to schoolyard cliques to the current polarization of American politics. For example, why do people who oppose gun control also tend to want to limit abortion rights, when those positions are not inherently linked by reason and are not often jointly subscribed to in other countries? "That's a cultural script in American politics," he says. "People learn from the environment that if you're a conservative, this is what that implies."

Understanding how preferences and behaviors spread is important, Goldberg says, because signals about social identitysuch as taste in food, dress, and musichave everything to do with access to power and opportunities. "Systemic cultural variation is also the way in which systemic inequality is sustained," he says.

Associative diffusion also holds lessons for how to change beliefs and behaviors, intractable as they may appear.

"The implication is that you have to change people's perception of the associations," Goldberg says. With smoking, for example, it took decades of public awareness campaigns for people to stop seeing cigarettes as symbols of rebellion and coolness and start viewing them as gross and unhealthy. Over time, similar shifts can happen with anti-vaxxing and political stances, too.

Explore further Social relationships more important than hard evidence in partisan politics: study

More information: Beyond "Social Contagion": Associative Diffusion and the Emergence of Cultural Variation. Beyond "Social Contagion": Associative Diffusion and the Emergence of Cultural Variation. www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-r  n-emergence-cultural
The soils around lead and zinc mines, as here in Olkusz-Boleslaw in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland, are severely contaminated with heavy metals. Credit: Pierre Vollenweider, WSL

The Polish Olkusz region, which is home to one of the largest lead-zinc ore deposits in the world and a correspondingly large number of mines, holds a sad record: it is home to some of the most contaminated soils in Europe. The average concentrations of cadmium, zinc and lead can be five to ten times higher than the maximum permissible value in Switzerland. Plants grow poorly here because the toxins slow down the biological activity in the soil and hinder important processes in the plant cells.

Thale cress (Arabidopsis halleri), however, thrives splendidly in this region. In the course of evolution, it has acquired a particularly effective handling of environmental toxins. This was demonstrated in a genetic study conducted by researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL together with colleagues from the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN) in Krakow. They rely on a Polish field experiment in which cress plants from four locations - two contaminated and two unpolluted - were examined.

Reaction to environmental stress

The WSL researchers Christian Sailer and Christian Rellstab investigated the entire genomes of plants from the contrasting locations. "We found striking differences at specific sites in the genome between plants from locations with and without heavy metals," said Rellstab. "This is probably due to the fact that this cress species has adapted to heavy metals in the soil through genetic modifications at precisely these sites." The identified genes control the reactions of plants to adverse environmental conditions. One reaction is the transport of metals into specific cell sections, the vacuoles, in which heavy metals and other toxins are stored and thus rendered harmless. Other reactions are part of the repair system that corrects damage to cell components or DNA caused by heavy metals.

Small but mighty: Thale cress (Arabidopsis halleri) can thrive on contaminated soils. Credit: Martin C. Fischer, ETHZ

Cleaning soils using plants

These results, which were published in the journal Scientific Reports, are important for the remediation of contaminated sites - possibly also in Switzerland. According to the register of contaminated sites, over 30,000 locations covering a total area of 220 square kilometres are contaminated with chemicals and heavy metals, which corresponds to the size of the Canton of Zug. Around 4000 sites are being remediated. Plant cover is one possible way of doing this, either by allowing the vegetation to absorb and retain the heavy metals, or by removing the pollutants through mowing. Although thale cress is too small for this, it is an ideal research object. Not only can it withstand extremely high concentrations of heavy metals, but also absorb large quantities of them from the soil and store them harmlessly in its plant cells. The current study shows that transport genes play a particularly important role in this process. A better understanding of these mechanisms could help breeding particularly resistant plants for soil remediation.

"In order to be able to use adapted plants for remediation, we need to know the exact mechanisms of heavy metal adaptation," says plant physiologist Pierre Vollenweider from WSL. The study builds on the WSL researchers' experience with the genome of A. halleri and on previous research projects on the adaptation of plants to heavy metals and other environmental pollutants.

Thale cress (Arabidopsis halleri) can store heavy metals in its plant cells and thus render them harmless. Credit: Petr Filippov, Licence: CC-BY-SA-3.0

Explore further First South American plant for purifying soils contaminated with zinc and cadmium

More information: Christian Sailer et al. Transmembrane transport and stress response genes play an important role in adaptation of Arabidopsis halleri to metalliferous soils, Scientific Reports (2018). Journal information: Scientific Reports Christian Sailer et al. Transmembrane transport and stress response genes play an important role in adaptation of Arabidopsis halleri to metalliferous soils,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-33938-2

Provided by Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Stop-and-frisk search and school safety are both subjects of frequent public debate, but there's a place these two issues meet that hasn't gotten much attention: On the journeys of city students to and from school.

Assistant Professor of Education and Sociology Derron Wallace interviewed Black Caribbean students in London and New York City high schools, and nearly all of them reported they had either witnessed or been subjected to stop-and-frisk procedures during their trips to and from school.

"Young people generally, and Black young people in large city contexts particularly, all too often negotiate an intense set of anxieties around their safety in the company of law enforcement while traveling to and from school that goes unrecognized in public discourse" Wallace said. "This is a key dimension of young people's educational experiences that researchers, policymakers, teachers and youth advocates should take seriously."

From 2012 to 2014, Wallace conducted in-depth interviews with 60 Black Caribbean high school students in New York City and London to better understand how they interact with police during their trips to and from school. In all, 57 of the 60 participants reported having witnessed racial and ethnic minorities being frisked by police during their travels to and from school, and 25 of the 60 reported having been stopped and frisked themselves. Of those 25, 23 were males.

Wallace's research, highlighted in an article recently published in Harvard Educational Review, included interviews with 30 high school age students from a large public high school in New York City, and 30 from a large public high school London. All of the students were Black with at least one parent emigrating from a Caribbean nation. The study is part of a larger research project by Wallace examining the educational experiences of Black Caribbean young people in both cities.

The in-depth nature of the interviews allowed Wallace to pick up on common sentiments, to examine how public perceptions of Caribbean heritage differs in the two cities, and to understand how young people view police differently in the two cities.

Students at both public schools are required to wear uniforms, and they often remarked at how little those uniforms did to influence the way they were treated by police. They didn't expect the uniforms to provide immunity, Wallace said, but they thought they would be treated like children because they were wearing them.

"They expected their uniforms to signal to law enforcement that they were children and that their engagement with police officers would at least be informed by the fact that they were young people," Wallace said. "But according to participants, they were treated like adults."

Focusing on Black Caribbean youth provided an opportunity for Wallace to examine processes of racialization and ideas of ethnic exceptionalism. In the United States, there are myths of ethnic exceptionalism for Black immigrants and because of these myths, children are often encouraged by their parents to emphasize their Caribbean identities in interactions with authority, Wallace said. In London, meanwhile, these myths of exceptionalism do not exist. Yet students from both cities told Wallace that their ethnicity didn't seem to influence the way they were treated by police. For Black Caribbean students, it was their race that mattered in the policing process.

"Participants revealed that their accents, deferential attitudes, and school attire did not save them from police scrutiny as they traveled through segregated and disadvantaged regions of global cities," Wallace said. "Black Caribbean youth recounted being stopped, questioned, and searched in their local neighborhoodsat points for no clear or convincing reason."

One student from New York told Wallace: "School clothes, Caribbean background... don't really stop the police... The police will come for you anyway... All the things my mother told me would help protect or cover me didn't... I showed respect, but that didn't change nothin'."

Statistics from the New York Police Department show a steep decline in stop-and-frisk searches after a Supreme Court ruling in 2013 limited their use, but Black and Latinx people are still stopped by police while walking on city streets at considerably higher rates than white people.

"A drop in reported incidents changes the public perception, but it doesn't necessarily change the experiences of young people," Wallace said.

Wallace will continue his research into the subject, and search for paths to improved experiences for students, as the Stuart Hall Fellow at Harvard University's Hutchins Center for African and African American Research this coming spring. Wallace said change will require more than traditional political action and court decisions; it will need grassroots movements where community stakeholders, parents and schools are all involved.

"The results of this study show that we need to make sure we are thinking about the safety of young people beyond national crises," he said. "Finding a safe route to school can matter just as much as the safety in London and New York City public schools."

Explore further Children with ASD are not just picky eaters

More information: Safe Routes to School? Black Caribbean Youth Negotiating Police Surveillance in London and New York City, Safe Routes to School? Black Caribbean Youth Negotiating Police Surveillance in London and New York City, hepg.org/her-home/issues/harva  afe-routes-to-school
Examining 1,000-year-old corn cobs from an ancient ruin in Arizona, researchers found a previously unknown virus -- the oldest plant virus ever reported. Credit: Roossinck Laboratory, Penn State

Researchers studying ancient corncobs found at a Native American archeological site have recovered a 1,000-year-old virus, the oldest plant virus ever reported.

Only a few RNA viruses had been discovered previously from archaeological samples, the oldest dating from about 750 years ago. The new discovery came as the research team examined ancient plant material from Antelope House, an Ancestral Puebloan ruin located at Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona.

The Ancestral Puebloans who lived in the canyon planted crops such as maize, beans and squash. During the excavation of Antelope House by the National Park Service in the 1970s, more than two tons of plant refuse, in highly recognizable form, were recovered.

"It's clear from these remains that maize was a major food source for the inhabitants," said lead researcher Marilyn Roossinck, professor of plant pathology and environmental microbiology, College of Agricultural Sciences, Penn State. "The maize remnants recovered at Antelope House consisted of cobs, ears with kernels, individual kernels, husks, leaves, shanks, stem portions and tassels."

Using carbon 14 dating, researchers confirmed that the age of the ancient samples was about 1,000 years old. While analyzing cobs, the scientists isolated three nearly complete genomes of a previously unknown virus of the family Chrysoviridae, which infect plants and fungi.

Ancient inhabitants of the Antelope House ruin, in Arizona's Canyon de Chelly National Monument, grew crops such as maize, beans and squash. Credit: National Parks Service

The researchers, who report their findings in the current issue of the Journal of Virology, noted that chrysoviruses are persistent plant viruses that are transmitted from generation to generation through seeds and can remain in their hosts for very long time periods. Persistent viruses typically do not cause disease and rarely are detected. This is the first chrysovirus described from maize, Roossinck noted.

"When we analyzed modern corn samples, we found the same chrysovirus with only about 3 percent divergence from the ancient samples," she said. "Most RNA viruses, with short generation times and error-prone replication, evolve rapidly. However, persistent viruses have very stable genomes."

Roossinck said the most interesting aspect of the findings for the team is that the virus has been maintained in corn for so long.

"That implies that the virus might confer some potential benefit to the plant, but we haven't shown that yet," she said.

Explore further Microbes team up to boost plants' stress tolerance

More information: Mahtab Peyambari et al, A 1,000-Year-Old RNA Virus, Journal of Virology (2018). Journal information: Journal of Virology Mahtab Peyambari et al, A 1,000-Year-Old RNA Virus,(2018). DOI: 10.1128/JVI.01188-18
Credit: Vanessa Pirotta

In a new report, researchers from Macquarie University are calling for a rethink of global shipping routes, to protect whales and sharks from becoming marine 'roadkill'.

More than 10 billion metric tons of goods travel by sea each year, making up 80 per cent of the world's merchandise trade.

The continual growth of the shipping trade and rebounding of some whale populations post-whaling is leading to increasing clashes between cargo ships and marine giants. Melting sea ice has opened up new shipping routes through previously untouched whale habitats.

Marine megafauna like Great Whales, whale sharks and basking sharks are particularly vulnerable to ships because of their size, migration routes and the whales' need to travel close to the surface for air.

Deadly ship strikes are not the only threat to the animals, with vessel noise disrupting whales' delicate communication, and chemical pollution and heavily used routes fragmenting habitats.

Whale researcher Vanessa Pirotta from Macquarie University's Department of Biological Sciences said lessons from the wildlife impacts of roads could be applied to the ocean, to prevent marine giants becoming 'roadkill'.

"New shipping routes through whale habitat put vulnerable species at risk, and this study provides a new understanding of how to mitigate shipping traffic impacts on these marine giants," Ms Pirotta said.

The report's authors propose limiting the creation of new shipping routes in areas such as the Arctic and broadening shipping exclusion zones to take into account the impact of ships beyond the marine roads themselves, such as noise pollution and chemical contamination.

Designing cleaner and quieter ships would reduce the risk of oil spills and chemical pollution and reduce underwater noise. In addition, implementing speed limits and detours around whale habitats at certain times of year would mitigate some of the negative consequences.

Ms Pirotta said: "New technologies can accurately monitor whale populations and behaviour, and if combined with data about shipping routes and intensity, could provide a clearer picture of their interaction.

"Looking at the impacts of roads on wildlife populations can then help predict what might happen if the shipping industry continues to expand, and this can inform better management plans to protect our marine giants."

Explore further How to reduce the impact of shipping vessel noise on fish? Slow them down

More information: Vanessa Pirotta et al. Consequences of global shipping traffic for marine giants, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment (2018). Journal information: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment Vanessa Pirotta et al. Consequences of global shipping traffic for marine giants,(2018). DOI: 10.1002/fee.1987
Credit: shin28, Shutterstock

Researchers have developed revolutionary new robots that adapt to the culture and customs of the elderly people they assist.

Population ageing has implications for many sectors of society, one of which is the increased demand on a country's health and social care resources. This burden could be greatly eased through advances in artificial intelligence. Robots have the potential to provide valuable assistance to caregivers in hospitals and care homes. They could also improve home care and help the elderly live more independently. But to do this, they will have to be able to respond to older people's needs in a way that is more likely to be trusted and accepted.

The EU-funded project CARESSES has set out to build the first ever culturally competent robots to care for the elderly. The groundbreaking idea involved designing these robots to adapt their way of acting and speaking to match the culture and habits of the elderly person they're assisting.

"The idea is that robots should be capable of adapting to human culture in a broad sense, defined by a person's belonging to a particular ethnic group. At the same time, robots must be able to adapt to an individual's personal preferences, so in that sense, it doesn't matter if you're Italian or Indian," explained researcher Alessandro Saffiotti of project partner Orebro University, Sweden, in a news item posted on the 'Phys.org' website.

What exactly does a CARESSES robot do?

Through its communication with an elderly person, the robot will fine-tune its knowledge by adapting it to that person's cultural identity and individual characteristics. Using this knowledge, it will be able to remind the elderly person to take their prescribed medication, encourage them to eat healthily and be active, or help them stay in touch with family and friends. The robot will also be able to make suggestions about the appropriate clothing for specific occasions and remind people of upcoming religious and other celebrations. It doesn't replace a care home worker. Nevertheless, it will play a vital role in helping to make elderly people's lives less lonely and reducing the need to have a caregiver nearby at all times.

Scientists are testing the first CARESSES robots in care homes in the United Kingdom and Japan. They're being used to assist elderly people from different cultural backgrounds. The aim is to see if people feel more comfortable with robots that interact with them in a culturally sensitive manner. They're also examining whether such robots improve the elderly's quality of life. "The testing of robots outside of the laboratory environment and in interaction with the elderly will without a doubt be the most interesting part of our project," added Saffiotti.

The innovative CARESSES (Culture Aware Robots and Environmental Sensor Systems for Elderly Support) robots may pave the way to more culturally sensitive services beyond the sphere of elderly care, too. "It will add value to robots intended to interact with people. Which is not to say that today's robots are completely culture-neutral. Instead, they unintentionally reflect the culture of the humans who build and program them."

Explore further Culturally competent robots  the future in elderly care

More information: CARESSES project website: CARESSES project website: www.caressesrobot.org/en/ Culturally competent robots  the future in elderly care. phys.org/news/2018-09-cultural  -future-elderly.html
By Damali Mukhaye.

Kampala Capital City Authority has issued guidelines to churches,entertainers and motorists operating in the city ahead of the Christmas seasons.

Addressing journalists at the Uganda Media Center, the minister for Kampala Betty Kamya has said that noise pollution from bars and churches should be minimized to ensure that they do not disturb the peace of other city dwellers.

She advises those planning outdoor prayers should first seek permission from the National Environment Management Authority and KCCA, warning that any noise beyond permitted levels will not be tolerated in the city.

Kamya also warns motorists against parking along the Kampala streets but make use of the designated parking areas for peaceful celebrations and safety of their vehicles.
Its 10:30 on a Saturday morning, there are already four guys waiting in line for a haircut, and no one knows where Tony is.

Hes not here? Dante Folino Gallo asks, holding the door open for his father, Salvatore, who uses a walker to shuffle past a towering, 40-year-old Schefflera plant, a millennial buried in his iPhone, and a guy whos been methodically counting his thin billfold for the past 10 minutes.

You call Tony, see if he answer you, Mr. Perri calls out, Italian accent thick. He drapes a striped cape over his customer as Chi Chi the cat perches on the partition, the baby powder scent of Pinaud aftershave wafting through the air. He no answer me.

This is a little too early for Tony, Dante says, depositing his father into an empty barber chair.

Antonio Perri came to America in 1961 when he was 24. Boat. Ten days. Seventh day, I throw up. He spoke no English. Came here because everyone wanted to come here. Made his way to Sewickley, where his aunt was living. He had been cutting hair in Italy since 1946, which appealed to the owner of Brunos Barbershop in Ambridge. After a year, he took a test to get his own license.

I flunked, he says. Twice. My English.

Perris Barber Shop opened in 1966, one of 14 barber shops in Ambridge at the time. First, I open down there, he motions outside. In 1976, he paid $6,000 for 280 4th Street, spent $20,000 fixing it up, and the next 50 years cutting some of the same hair. One guy drives all the way from Portersville.

Okay, Mr. Perri says, retrieving shears from the edge of a sink the color of imported jade, into which water from the faucet drips relentlessly. What you want today?

Make it real short, like this. But dont cut over here, his customer motions over the top of his head. Can you do that? And in the middle, shape it up a little but still keep it high.

Mr. Perri nods, glancing at the clock. Tony, he no have a time, he says. He the boss. He come in any time.

When his son finally arrives, its through the back door with his dog. Shaddup! he yells, shushing a Chinese Crested named Gino, who wears two gold chains around his neck and the remnants of someones shirt on the rest. His winter wear, Tony explains. I make them out of sleeves and sew the leg parts on. Otherwise, hell freeze his hairless ass off.

Ti ho chiamato, perche non hai risposto? Mr. Perri shouts, rapid fire.

Il mio telefono e morto! Tony shouts back, throwing his hands up. He rolls his eyes, plugging his busted Samsonite into a small set of portable speakers and opens a playlist titled 80sand70sMemories that kicks off with Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose.

Its too late to turn back now I believe, I believe, I believe, Im falling in love

Well, Tony says, picking up a comb as Dante settles into his chair. End of the Steeler season, huh?

Tonys cutting station is an altar to sentimentality and staples; religious figurines, a ticket stub to a 2009 Pens vs. Canadians game, a photo of Pope John Paul II, a Terrible Towel, cans of Barbasol, electric shears, Barbicide, and two clocks, one of which works.

Non sono nemmeno le nove di mattina ed e gia ubriaco, Mr. Perri motions towards the waiting area.

Yeah? Tony replies, shaking his head as he continues cutting.

Si, si. Pensi che sia la prima volta?

Whoever theyre gossiping about has no idea and blinks innocently. As another customer pays his tab, two more arrive and take seats under a wood burning of The Last Supper, next to which hangs a price board:

Regular Mens Cut $10

Regular Kids Cut Under 12 $9

Shave $9

No hot towels. No facial massages or pampering. No perms or straightening or coloring. No website, Facebook, or Instagram. Nothing to tweet, post, like, snap, or hashtag for the five guys who dont mind waiting their turn.

Ive been coming here for five years, Bill Oplinger says, Starbucks still in hand. I was driving by one day and thought, Ive got to try it one time. It was one of the best haircuts Ive ever had. I paid $100 for a haircut when I was living in New York and it wasnt nearly as good. Plus, the atmosphere here? Theres nothing that even comes close.

An-tho-nee! Mr. Perri calls out as the back door swings open and Tonys 25-year old son appears. Come in here. Know why everyone is Tony? he asks the room. They put a tag on you when you come over that say, To NY. So, everyone Tony.
By Ritah Kemigisa.

President Yoweri Museveni has accused the opposition of holding evil intentions while holding rallies and assemblies.

During the IPOD summit yesterday, the JEEMA party President Asuman Basalirwa asked Museveni to guarantee the opposition of their freedoms of assembly and association by ensuing that their rallies are not cancelled.

However Museveni says there is no problem in opposition parties assembling but where they hold their rallies from matters.

He said holding rallies and demonstrations that can erupt into chaos and riots like it happened in France and those held in markets will not be accepted.

He insists that before any public rally is Okayed three objectives have to be fulfilled namely; the venue, intention of the rally and the message to be given has to be made clear.

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December 13, 2018 in Gaming (E)

[prMac.com] Warsaw, Poland - Today is the day! Book of Demons, Thing Trunk's unique deck-building, papercraft Hack and Slash, leaves early access with Book of Demons 1.0 landing on Steam 8am PST! Get ready to save the Paperverse from evil by facing your foe with the new Archdemon reveal trailer!



To celebrate the launch, Thing Trunk will be selling Book of Demons at 20% off the regular price during the launch week. Also available, for the first time, is the Collector's Content DLC which includes a 70 pages digital PDF art book, the full Original Book of Demons Soundtrack, 18 thematic 4K wallpapers, and a digital poster! The launch week sale, the DLC and a free demo are available TODAY on Steam!



Book of Demons is a Hack & Slash deck-building hybrid in which YOU decide the length of quests. Wield magic cards instead of weapons and slay the armies of darkness in the dungeons below the Old Cathedral. Save the terror-stricken Paperverse from the clutches of the Archdemon himself! Featuring:



* Hack & Slash deck-building hybrid

* Procedurally Generated Dungeons

* 40 magic cards plus magical and legendary variants per character class

* Tailored sessions with Flexiscope

* Roguelike Mode for fans of an extreme challenge

* 70 different types of monsters, with different traits and custom mechanics

* Xbox and Steam controller support

* 3 underground realms and epic Quest Boss battles

* Monthly and all-time Leaderboards, 200 Achievements

* Allow your Twitch or Mixer audience to interact with your game

* Free demo



Book of Demons has been in early access for two and a half years and many of the above features were implemented in response to community feedback. The final 1.0 update also brings the much-anticipated new batch of common, magical and legendary cards for each of the 3 playable classes.



Book of Demons is the first installment of Return 2 Games - a series of original mid-core titles, inspired by the early golden days of PC gaming coming from Thing Trunk. Book of Demons launches for PC and Mac OSX gamers on December 13, 2018 at 8am PST.

Thing Trunk is a small game development studio based in Warsaw, Poland. The core team is comprised of seven dedicated developers. The 3 founders Filip Starzyski, Konstanty Kalicki, and Maciej Biedrzycki are casual game industry veterans who (despite a level of success) became disappointed with the miring trends in the market and scrapped their former brands (Codeminon and Twinbottles) to focus solely on the ambitious Return 2 Games idea. Since then, they have been busy trying to prove that making the high-quality games is possible with a small but experienced team with lots of passion. All Material and Software (C) Copyright 2018 Thing Trunk. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, and macOS are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other trademarks and registered trademarks may be the property of their respective owners.

###
By Moses Kyeyune.

Parliament has this evening given the ministry of works up to Wednesday next week to explain why they have a failed to allow tenants at Buganda roads flats to buy the flats.

This comes after a petition by the 96 sitting tenants of Buganda road flats challenging the refusal by National Housing and Construction Company Ltd.

The report has been read to Parliament by Butambala county mp MuwangaKivumbi, in which the tenants demand the minister of lands to intervene in their plight and ensure that National Housing issues sales offers at the unit cost of 51 million to all the 96 tenants.

Convinced by the merits in the petition, the speaker Rebecca Kadaga has asked the minister Betty Amongi to report to Parliament as to why the government estates company is curtailing the tenants at Buganda road form from benefiting from a policy which encourages Ugandans to own homes yet those in Wandegeya, Bukoto, Naguru and other areas have been granted ownership.
By Samuel Ssebuliba.

The parliamentary committee on Agriculture has directed the ministry of defense to avail its financial plan for UPDF Marine unit to enable them police all water bodies.

While interfacing with the MPs yesterday, the state minister for defense Bright Rwamirama, said illegal fishing still exists because the UPDF lacks logistical and financial support.

He said the fishing community living along the shores of Lake Albert petitioned his ministry seeking extension of marine UPDF officerson the lake to counter illegal fishing, but this has been constrained by lack of funds.

The committee chairperson Jane Akori meo has asked the ministry to present its plan to enable them plan in time.
By Ruth Anderah.

The incitement to violance case against Mukono Municipality member of parliament Betty NamboozeBakireke has been adjourned by Nakawa magistrates court until March 7th 2019.

The case has been adjourned by a grade one magistrate Noah Sajjabi and ordered prosecution to produce witnesses on that day.

Nambooze who was in Court, is alleged to have inciting members of the public to commit offenses against Government officials.

According to prosecution, Nambooze on the June 9th 2018 through utterings and writings in the media, she incited the public to attack and murder public figures whenever guarded they could be since government could not secure them.

Namboze was summoned by police to explain her words just after a few days when assailants had attacked and gunned down the former Arua Municipality MP Ibrahim Abiriga near his home at Mattuga.
" " Cartoon by Jorge Cham , "Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe"

Light isn't just a bright patch of sunshine on your windowsill. It's also a metaphor for enlightenment and exploration, a bit paradoxical for a phenomenon that  even after thousands of years of inquiries and endless experiments  scientists still can't quite explain.

In the episode "Is Light a Particle or a Wave?" the hosts of the podcast "Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe" discuss whether light is a particle or a wave ... or something else altogether. Spoiler alert: Light is not, as co-host and online cartoonist Jorge Cham lightheartedly proposes, "little puppies."

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Your eyes tell you a lot about the way light behaves. It travels very fast (about 186,000 miles per second or 300,000 kilometers per second) and blazes through space in laserlike straight lines. But it also bounces, reflects and refracts, and when it interacts with the right medium, like a camera lens, it may curve. We use terms like wavelength and photons to describe its movements, but none of them really encompass light's odd meanderings.

In ancient times, the Greeks used philosophical questions to address light's wide range of behaviors. Perhaps, they wondered, light is actually little bits of stuff that bounces to and fro. In the 1600s, French philosopher Rene Descartes became convinced that light was essentially a wave, one that moved through a mysterious substance called plenum. Isaac Newton thought light was a particle, but he was at a loss for a way to explain many of its properties, like the way it refracted and split in a prism.

"This is back in the day when empirical studies of science weren't the main way to answer questions," says podcast co-host Daniel Whiteson, a physicist who's spent time working on the Large Hadron Collider. People would come up with ideas about how things worked, "... and then argue about them."

In our investigations of light, our hosts point out, it's important to remember some science basics. Waves aren't a thing or a substance, they're a property of a thing, compressing and stretching a particular medium, like an ocean wave rippling across the surface of a lagoon. You can see the waves with your eyes and feel them with your body.

Particles, on the other hand, are not so easy to define. Some people like to think of particles as bits of matter, fragments that are broken down into their smallest and most basic units. Water, for example, is countless particles ... particles that are affected by waves.

So what, then, is light? Is it its own special type of particle, a photon? Or is light really just a wave that's flowing through another medium? Is there some creepy, unknown substance surrounding us that we simply don't perceive or understand?

Whiteson highlights a famous 19th-century double-slit experiment, in which researchers beamed light through two slits and observed the way light struck a screen behind the slits. What they saw was that the streams of light affected each other  like two hands splashing water in the same sink  as if they were waves interfering with one another.

In the 20th century, scientists began their pioneering explorations into particles like neutrons and electrons. Famed physicist Albert Einstein wondered what would happen if you emitted light one photon at a time in the double-slit experiment. What scientists saw dumbfounded them  because the single photons behaved with the same interference pattern that occurred with full-scale beams of light streaming through both slits, introducing elements of quantum mechanics that elevate light's properties to realms we still don't really understand.

Ultimately, say our hosts, you can call light both a particle and wave, and you'd be correct on some level. But as for fully explaining how light works, we're still working on it.

Now That's Interesting Light's particulate behavior becomes more evident depending on where you're observing it. In the vacuum of space, light zips along at more than 186,000 miles per second (300,000 kilometers per second). But point a beam of light at a very dense bit of matter  say, a diamond  and it slows to "only" around 77,000 miles per second (124,000 kilometers per second).
 "An Unappreciated Constraint on the President's Pardon Power" | Main | Six former governors urge outgoing California Gov Jerry Brown to commute 740 death sentences 

December 13, 2018

Latest developments and discussions surrounding FIRST (baby) STEP Act

Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary released this press statement titled "Senate & House Lawmakers Release Updated First Step Act." Here are key passages and links from the release:

A bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers today released revised text of the First Step Act to continue building support for criminal justice reform. This update was brokered by the White House and a bipartisan group of lawmakers in both chambers of Congress. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker Paul Ryan have pledged to take up the revised package before the end of the year.... The revised legislation further clarifies eligibility for earned time credits following successful completion of evidence-based recidivism reduction programs, and expands on the existing list of disqualifying offenses. The changes address points raised by some law enforcement groups and provides for additional transparency in the Bureau of Prisons risk assessment framework. A summary of the update can be found HERE. Text is available HERE. The First Step Act is endorsed by President Trump and cosponsored by more than a third of the Senate, evenly balanced among Democrats and Republicans. The recent updates to the bill have garnered the support of additional senators in recent days, including Senators Thom Tillis, Ted Cruz, David Perdue and John Cornyn.... The First Step Act is backed by a number of law enforcement groups, including the nations largest police group. Its also supported by 172 former federal prosecutors including two former Republican U.S. attorneys general, two former deputy attorneys general and a former director of the FBI along with sheriffs from 34 states across the country. The National Governors Association, which represents the governors of all 50 states, praised the bill. A broad coalition of conservative and progressive groups along with a host of business leaders and faith-based organizations also support the First Step Act.

As the title of this post indicates, I am tempted to rename the FIRST STEP Act the First Baby Step Act because all of the latest carve outs in the latest version of the bill have made an already watered-down reform effort even more watery. But, because even a baby step is still so much better than no step at all, I remain very excited about the FIRST STEP Act and hope to be able to officially celebrate its enactment in the coming weeks.

And, of course, Senator Tom Cotton is not eager to go down without a fight here, and the press is rightly talking about his prominent role in the debate over this bill. Here is a sampling of recent coverage:

December 13, 2018 at 09:18 AM | Permalink

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The gunman who killed three people at a Christmas market in Strasbourg was shot dead by French police on Thursday as the Islamic State jihadist group claimed him as one of its "soldiers". More than 700 French security forces had been hunting for 29-year-old Cherif Chekatt since the bloodshed on Tuesday night -- the latest in a string of jihadist attacks to rock France. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said three police tried to question Chekatt after spotting him on the street in the Neudorf area of the northeastern French city where he grew up, but he opened fire. "They immediately returned fire and neutralised the assailant," Castaner said. A source close to the investigation said a woman spotted a man fitting Chekatt's description with a wounded arm on Thursday afternoon and alerted authorities, who sealed off the area and used a helicopter with thermal cameras to hunt for the suspect. People gathered at the police cordon where Chekatt was shot and applauded, some shouting "bravo!", a source said. "It's really a huge relief," said Alain Fontanel, a local official in the mayor's office, describing the anxiety that locals had felt since Tuesday's attack. "We didn't really feel very safe," one 18-year-old local named Arthur told AFP. - Watchlist - The propaganda wing of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attack. The perpetrator of "the attack in the city of Strasbourg... is one of the soldiers of the Islamic State and carried out the operation in response to calls to target nationals of the coalition" against IS, the Amaq agency said in a message posted on Twitter. Chekatt, who lived in a rundown apartment block a short drive from the city centre, was flagged by French security forces in 2015 as a possible Islamic extremist. France has been hit by a wave of attacks from people claiming allegiance to Al Qaeda or IS since 2015, which have claimed the lives of nearly 250 people, according to an AFP toll. It is also not the first time a Christmas market has been targeted in Europe. In 2016, a jihadist attacked a Christmas market in Berlin and went on the run through the Netherlands and France before being shot and killed three days later in northern Italy. Defiant local authorities insisted the Strasbourg Christmas market would reopen as usual on Friday. - Career criminal - Chekatt was believed to have been wounded after exchanging fire with soldiers during the attack, but managed to escape and had not been seen since fleeing the scene on Tuesday. Police in several other countries had joined the hunt for the career criminal with at least 27 convictions in four European states. Officers who had already detained Chekatt's parents and two brothers on Wednesday took a fifth person into custody for questioning on Thursday. French President Emmanuel Macron thanked security forces in a tweet and vowed: "Our commitment against terrorism is total." He earlier expressed "the solidarity of the whole country" towards the victims. "It is not only France that has been hit... but a great European city as well," he added, referring to the seat of the European parliament in the eastern French city that lies on the border with Germany. Strasbourg's location in the heart of western Europe means that Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg can be easily reached by car or train, making the search for Chekatt more complicated. Swiss police had reinforced border checks, while German authorities also widely published the photo of the suspect, which showed him with dark hair, a short beard and a mark on his forehead. - Plea to 'yellow vests' - As police hunted Chekatt, the French government urged "yellow vest" protesters angry over French economic reforms not to hold another round of demonstrations this weekend, given the strain on the country's security forces. Government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux called on the anti-government protesters to be "reasonable" after nearly four weeks of often violent demonstrations that have led the government to offer a range of financial relief to low earners. "Our security forces have been deployed extensively these past few weeks," Griveaux told CNews television. "It would be better if everyone could go about their business calmly on Saturday, before the year-end celebrations with their families, instead of demonstrating and putting our security forces to work once again." The yellow-vest protesters, known for their fluorescent high-visibility jackets, had called for a fifth round of protests this Saturday. The protests began on November 17 over fuel tax increases, but snowballed into a revolt over living standards as well as Macron's perceived indifference to the problems of ordinary citizens. burs/jah/qan
Will hundreds of arrests in Japan for possession of child pornography finally lead to a crackdown?

Hundreds of Japanese men  including teachers and doctors  have been arrested for possessing child pornography in the past two years, according to the National Police Agency, prompting calls for more stringent regulation and tougher punishments.

A total of 570 men had their cases referred to prosecutors in the period between January 2017 and June 2018, including 27 people employed as teachers or child welfare centres and a number of doctors, nurses and therapists. Court officials and police officers were also among those charged.

Critics of the lax Japanese laws against child pornography point out that most cases ended with the perpetrator fined rather than receiving a custodial sentence, so employers may never know their staff have been arrested for possessing child pornography.

Much of the problem stems from the way the material is defined, said Cade Mosley, an advisory officer for the Tokyo-based Human Rights Now.

There are systemic failures behind why child pornography can still be openly distributed in Japan, which enables consumption, he told the South China Morning Post. The police here focus on the very extreme cases, which means those that are considered borderline are effectively ignored.

There are systemic failures behind why child pornography can still be openly distributed

Cade Mosley, Human Rights Now

The borderline cases include young girls  often pre-teen  who appear in videos or picture-books wearing bikinis and provocatively posed. Alternatively, there are actresses who are legally above the 18-year-old threshold to appear in adult publications but look very young and are advertised as such to consumers.

These publications are effectively permitted so they are sold openly in stores, which leads to fan clubs being formed around the material, Mosley said. And once the consumers are part of these clubs, they goad each other on and this feeds into the demand for more extreme images.

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Human Rights Now released a report on the problem of child pornography earlier this year, declaring: Effective monitoring systems to protect childrens rights are essential and the implementation of current legal standards should be improved.

The report also called for changes in Japanese society that effectively considers the consumption of child pornography acceptable, and urged a zero-tolerance policy on the production, circulation, sale, delivery and rental of pornography featuring children.

On Wednesday, the Maritime Self-Defence Force suspended a lieutenant commander in the education division for 12 months after he was found to have paid 30 minors for sex over the past eight years.

The officer, who has not been named, said he found one girl on a social media site and took her to a hotel in the city of Kitakyushu in June 2017. The officer said he was aware she was under the age of 18 before they had sex. The case has been referred to prosecutors.

This article Will hundreds of arrests in Japan for possession of child pornography finally lead to a crackdown? first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.

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Michael Kovrig, an employee with the International Crisis Group and former Canadian diplomat appears in this photo provided by the International Crisis Group in Brussels, Belgium, December 11, 2018. Courtesy CRISISGROUP/Julie David de Lossy/Handout via REUTERS

By Ben Blanchard and John Ruwitch

BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese authorities are questioning former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig, who was detained days after the arrest in Canada of a Chinese businesswoman, on suspicion of engaging in activities that harmed China's national security.

The state-run Beijing News said on Wednesday that Kovrig, who works for the International Crisis Group (ICG), had become the subject of an investigation by the Beijing State Security Bureau.

He was detained after police in Canada arrested the chief financial officer of China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd on Dec. 1 at the request of U.S. authorities, infuriating Beijing.

The Canadian government has said it saw no explicit link to the Huawei case.

"Canadian citizen Michael John Kovrig was on Dec. 10 investigated in accordance with the law by the Beijing State Security Bureau on suspicion of engaging in activities that harm China's state security," the newspaper said in a brief report.

The case is continuing to be investigated, it added without elaborating.

Accusations of harming state security could cover a wide range of suspected crimes, and in China are often very vague when first levelled.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Ottawa was engaging with Chinese officials about the case, which in the short term at least looks to have hurt his government's bid to forge closer trade ties with China.

"This is obviously an issue that we are taking very seriously and it is ongoing," he told reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday.

The ICG, a think-tank focused on conflict resolution, said in an earlier statement Kovrig was detained by state security officials in Beijing on Monday night.

Diplomats in China said the apparent involvement of the secretive state security ministry, which engages in domestic counter-espionage work, among other things, suggests the government could be looking at levelling spying accusations.

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However, ICG President and Chief Executive Robert Malley said the group did not engage in such activity.

"I don't want to speculate as to what's behind it but I am prepared to be categorical about what's not behind it, and what's not behind it is any illegal activity or endangering of Chinese national security," Malley told Reuters, before the state media report came out.

"Everything we do is transparent, it's on our website. We don't engage in secretive work, in confidential work."

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang, also speaking earlier in the day, said he had nothing he could say on the details of the case. He said the ICG was not registered in China as a non-government organisation (NGO) and Kovrig could have broken Chinese law.

"If they are not registered and their workers are in China undertaking activities, then that's already outside of, and breaking, the law, revised just last year, on the management of overseas non-governmental organisations operating in China," Lu said.

The Ministry of Public Security, which has oversight over foreign NGOs, did not respond to a request for comment. China's Ministry of State Security has no publicly available contact details.

The foreign NGO law, which took effect in January, is part of a raft of new national security measures introduced under President Xi Jinping.

"All foreigners that come to China, so long as they respect the law, have nothing to worry about," Lu said.

'NO COINCIDENCES'

William Nee, China Researcher for Amnesty International's East Asia Regional Office in Hong Kong, said Kovrig's detention was alarming, especially as it appeared to be the first time the law has been used to detain a foreign NGO worker.

"We need to wait for the official explanation from the Chinese side, but this detention could have a chilling effect on the foreign NGO and business communities in terms of their feeling safe while travelling in China," he told Reuters.

Guy Saint-Jacques, Canada's former ambassador to China, was asked by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp on Tuesday whether the Kovrig detention was a coincidence after the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou.

"In China there are no coincidences ... If they want to send you a message, they will send you a message," he said.

A Western diplomat in China, who asked not to be identified, was even more blunt: "This is a political kidnapping."

China had threatened severe consequences unless Canada released Meng immediately and analysts have said retaliation for the arrest was likely.

Meng was granted bail by a Canadian court on Tuesday, 10 days after her arrest in Vancouver on U.S. claims that she misled multinational banks about Iran-linked transactions caused a diplomatic dispute.

(Additional reporting by Christian Shepherd and Michael Martina in BEIJING and David Ljunggren in Ottawa; Editing by Paul Tait, Robert Birsel and Nick Zieminski)
Israeli soldiers stand guard near the scene of a shooting attack near Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 13, 2018. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

By Stephen Farrell

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - A Palestinian gunman killed two Israeli soldiers at a bus station in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, Israel's military said, hours after Israeli forces killed two Hamas fugitives it blamed for earlier deadly attacks.

Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli military spokesman, said the gunman had climbed from a car at a junction near Ofra settlement and opened fire at Israeli troops and civilians standing nearby. In addition to the two soldiers killed, a third was wounded.

The attack took place near the site of a drive-by shooting on Sunday that wounded seven Israelis, including a pregnant woman whose baby was delivered prematurely and later died.

In earlier overnight swoops in the West Bank, Israel also said on Thursday its commandos had killed the Palestinian behind Sunday's attack, as well as another wanted for an Oct 7 shooting at a settlement industrial park that killed a man and a woman, both civilians.

The West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem were captured by Israel in a 1967 war. Palestinians hope to establish a state in the three territories.

The West Bank is under Israeli military occupation, with the Palestinian Authority exercising limited self-rule. Israel has withdrawn its settlers and soldiers from Gaza but maintains a blockade on the coastal strip, which is now controlled by the armed Islamist group Hamas.

In two other incidents on Thursday, police said a Palestinian had stabbed and wounded two Israeli police troopers in East Jerusalem before being shot dead, while the army said a Palestinian driver had carried out a ramming attack in the West Bank targeting Israeli soldiers, injuring one of them.

Israeli forces at the scene of the ramming attack responded with gunfire. The Palestinian health ministry said the driver was killed.

SECURITY COORDINATION

The increase in violence in the West Bank looks likely to fray Israel's already strained ties with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Palestinian Authority.

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The vehicle in Thursday's attack on the Israeli soldiers fled toward Ramallah, Conricus said, prompting Israeli troops to shut down entrances to the West Bank city and to begin searches and roadblocks.

While there was no immediate claim of responsibility, Fawzi Barhoum, a Gaza-based spokesman for the armed Islamist group Hamas, hailed that attack as an "heroic and brave operation".

Abbas's Western-backed authority has continued to coordinate with Israel on security in the West Bank, despite deepening rancour between Israelis and Palestinians at a political level since negotiations broke down in 2014.

Although Hamas's power base is in Gaza it also poses a grassroots challenge to Abbas in the West Bank, where its ability to operate is hampered by the presence of both Abbas's forces and of Israeli troops.

Conricus would not say whether Israel thought Thursday's shooting was carried out by an organisation, or by someone acting independently. But he said that recent attacks had been "glorified" on Palestinian social and regular media outlets.

"We are definitely aware of the phenomenon of copycats and our forces are deployed accordingly." He added: "This could definitely fall into that pattern."

Abbas's office issued a statement on Thursday denouncing violence. Published by the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, it blamed the recent events on Israel's "policy of repeated raids into cities and incitement against the President, and the absence of a peace horizon".

(Additional reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi and Ali Sawafta; Editing by Gareth Jones and Peter Graff)
Israeli mourners attend the funeral of a baby who died after being delivered prematurely following a shooting attack near the Israeli settlement of Ofra, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, at Mount of Olives cemetery in Jerusalem Israeli mourners attend the funeral of a baby who died after being delivered prematurely following a shooting attack near the Israeli settlement of Ofra, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, at Mount of Olives cemetery in Jerusalem December 12, 2018. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A baby who was delivered prematurely to an Israeli woman wounded in a Palestinian drive-by shooting in the occupied West Bank died in hospital on Wednesday, officials said, hours before the gunman was killed by pursuing Israeli forces.

Shira Ish-Ran, seven months pregnant, her husband and five others were injured in Sunday's attack at a bus stop outside the Jewish settlement of Ofra in the occupied West Bank. The gunman fled the scene in a car.

Doctors said Ish-Ran was shot in the abdomen and that her son was born by Caesarean section in critical condition but never recovered.

"My heart, our hearts, are with Shira and Avihai at the death of a four-day-old baby who does not even have a name," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told foreign media and diplomats in a speech. "The security forces are in pursuit of the murderer."

After he spoke, Israel's Shin Bet security service said troops operating near the West Bank city of Ramallah tried to arrest Omar al-Barghouthi, a Palestinian who was among suspects in the Ofra attack, but shot him dead when he tried to escape.

The Islamist group Hamas issued a statement claiming Barghouthi as a member and confirming that he carried out "the heroic operation in Ofra".

The West Bank, where Hamas's secular rival Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas exercises a measure of self-rule, has seen simmering violence over long-stalled statehood talks with Israel. Hamas, which opposes long-term coexistence with Israel, runs Gaza, another Palestinian territory.

(Writing by Dan Williams, Nidal al-Mugrhabi and Ali Sawafta; Editing by Mark Heinrich, John Stonestreet & Simon Cameron-Moore)
Chinese coffee chain operator Luckin Coffee has raised US$200 million in its latest funding round, doubling the valuation of the Starbucks challenger in just five months.

The B round of fundraising was led by its existing investors including Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC, China International Capital Corporation, Joy Capital and Centrium Capital, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

The latest investment follows a July A round when Luckin raised US$200 million at a valuation of US$1 billion, bringing the Xiamen-based start-up unicorn status in the six months since a soft launch.

Luckin has expanded to over 1,700 stores in 21 major cities across China and claims thorough coverage of downtown Beijing and Shanghai, where theres basically a store within a five-minute walk for everyone, it said.

We will continue to increase capital investment in product research, technology innovation and business development, and continue to optimise our product and user experience, Qian Zhiya, Luckin chief executive said.

The start-up promises an average customer in major cities that they need only wait about 18 minutes after placing a delivery order through their phone to receive their coffee, Qian said in a July interview. Such orders would be fulfilled by takeaway kitchens where coffee is prepared exclusively for on-demand service.

In August, Starbucks Corp unveiled a tie-up with Alibaba Groups Chinese food delivery platform Ele.me, in a move to battle competition from local challengers. Before the deal, the Seattle-based giant had no formal online delivery service in China.

Alibaba is the parent company of the South China Morning Post.

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Seletar Airport. (FILE PHOTO: Yahoo News Singapore)

Singapores Ministry of Transport (MOT) has refuted Malaysias claim that the implementation of Instrument Landing System (ILS) procedures for the northerly approach into Seletar Airport is a clear violation of Malaysia sovereignty and international law and standards.

In a media statement released on Wednesday (12 December) amid the ongoing dispute over the use of airspace by Seletar Airport, MOT said that Malaysias claim is not true, adding that the nature of international civil aviation is such that flights have to traverse the airspace of different countries.

It is not uncommon for flight procedures to/from airports in one State, especially those near other States, to traverse the territories of neighbouring States, it said in the statement.

This does not entail a violation of the sovereignty of the States being overflown. The instrument flight procedures for some Malaysian airports also extend into the territories of neighbouring States.

Cross-border airspace management

MOT said that while Singapore respects Malaysias sovereignty, cross-border airspace management is not incompatible with sovereignty.

It said in its statement, The purpose of airspace management is to ensure the safety and efficiency of air traffic. Malaysia had agreed to Singapores management of the airspace over Southern Johor in 1973 and a bilateral agreement was signed in 1974 to operationalise this agreement.

The ILS procedures for Seletar Airport were published in accordance with Singapores responsibilities under the relevant ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) requirements as well as the bilateral arrangements with Malaysia. Singapore had nonetheless consulted Malaysia since December 2017 in the spirit of goodwill.

Malaysia has never raised any objections to the existing flight profile in place for Seletar Airport which the ILS procedures adhere to. They provide an additional tool for the safe and efficient operation of aircraft, for the benefit of all.

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Contention over flight path

On Tuesday night, Malaysias Transport Minister Anthony Loke had put up a video post on his Facebook page detailing the reasons why Malaysia is opposed to Seletars Airports ILS procedures.

The video explained that the flight path used by the ILS  a precision runway approach system that makes it safer for planes to land even with poor visibility  will encroach into Malaysian airspace, as Seletar Airport is about 2 km away from Pasir Gudang in Johor. The height limits set by the flight path means that buildings and mobile cranes would be in the way of any descending planes flight path.

Our position is very clear. We are not against Seletar, but as far as the descending flight path is concerned, it cannot be over Pasir Gudang, Loke said in the video.

Malaysias Ministry of Transport also released a statement on Wednesday detailing its objections over the ILS procedures on the northerly approach to the Seletar Airport, and not the southerly approach. It also urged the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) to use their creativity to resolve the disagreement.

Flight procedures are for safety

In response, MOT said that flight procedures for both directions are necessary, because aircrafts land and take off into the wind.

In this region, winds blow from a north-easterly direction for half of the year, and a south-westerly direction for the other half of the year. Therefore, flight procedures for a southerly approach cannot safely replace all flight procedures for the northerly approach, it added.

MOT also said that CAAS had conveyed its intention to implement ILS procedures for both approaches during a meeting with the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia on 29 November.

Despite the ongoing disagreements, MOT said it is prepared to discuss Malaysias technical concerns in good faith and in the spirit of cooperation and mutual benefit.

On 4 December 2018, Malaysia Minister of Transport Anthony Loke stated that Malaysia would be giving Singapore its counterproposal. We look forward to receiving Malaysias counterproposal, and would be pleased to meet with Malaysia thereafter, it said.

Related stories:

Malaysia is using technical excuse of ILS to trigger unfriendly act: Khaw

Be creative, Transport Ministry tells Singapore aviation authority in resolving airspace dispute

The Johor-Singapore airspace conflict: Why Malaysia is standing firm
Fierce Duterte critic Maria Ressa is one of Times Persons of the Year Fierce Duterte critic Maria Ressa is one of Times Persons of the Year

The Philippines Maria Ressa  one of the persecuted journalists recognised by Time magazine as its Person of the Year  still believes social media can save democracy.

Ressa, 55, a former war correspondent who was also the CNN bureau chief in Manila and Jakarta, co-founded the online news site Rappler in 2012. The site has been outspoken in its criticism of the Philippines government, particularly President Rodrigo Dutertes deadly war on drugs.

Ressa was recently charged with five cases of tax fraud, which many in the country see as a reaction to Rapplers reporting. The New York-based NGO Committee to Protect Journalists has called the case a direct assault on press freedom.

Part of the reason the government is attacking us is we show data-based evidence that officials were complicit in the spreading of hate, Ressa told the South China Morning Post.

The Duterte administration in January moved to revoke Rapplers licence as scrutiny of the news site intensified in the Philippines, where its credibility has been attacked on social media on the basis of what Ressa has said is misinformation spread by the government.

She was last week arrested and released on bail in one case of alleged tax evasion, and this week prepaid bail in the Philippines in advance of another arrest warrant.

While embroiled in these domestic disputes, Ressa has received a series of global awards this year from press freedom advocates applauding her fight against what she calls two fronts  the Philippines government, and Facebook  which seed violence, fear, and lies that poison our democracy.

The countrys congress on Wednesday approved Dutertes move to extend martial law in the state of Mindanao for another year, which analysts say is evidence of the decline of democracy in the archipelago.

Facebook  from which an estimated 80 per cent of internet users in the Philippines get their news information  in October took down more than 100 pages and accounts, some linked to Duterte, for violating its spam and authenticity policies.

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The reason we set up Rappler in the first place was to try to use new tech to jump-start development, she said, emphasising that she still believes technology and social media can be used to build a more democratic society. That dream is still there.

The other journalists recognised by Time magazine were Jamal Khashoggi, The Washington Post contributing columnist who was killed inside Saudi Arabias consulate in Istanbul in October; the staff of the Capital Gazette newspaper in Maryland, where five employees were killed in a mass shooting in June; and journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who have been jailed in Myanmar for nearly a year for their work exposing the mass killing of Rohingya Muslims.

Luis Teodoro, a board member of Philippines NGO Centre for Media Freedom and Responsibility, said the country has been distinguished by the number of journalists who have been killed for their work in the past 30 years. There have been 80 journalists murdered in the Philippines since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Silence is consent, Ressa said last month when accepting the 2018 Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award, as she encouraged journalists to keep publishing without fear. Im on the tail end of my career. Im not going to risk who I am, and neither will Rappler.

We decided that when we look back at this moment a decade from now, we will feel that we did everything we could. We did not duck, and we did not hide. We are Rappler, and we will hold the line.

Additional reporting by Associated Press

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The editor of a Singaporean website was charged with defamation Thursday for publishing a letter alleging corruption among the city-state's leaders, with rights groups criticising the "heavy-handed" response from authorities. Singapore has long been criticised for restricting free speech and other political rights, as well as slapping critics with financially ruinous libel suits. The affluent financial hub is regularly ranked among the world's least corrupt countries and its leaders are sensitive about accusations of graft. Terry Xu was charged in court with defaming government ministers after his independent media website, The Online Citizen, published a letter stating there was "corruption at the highest echelons" of Singapore's government, according to court documents. Police seized computers and other devices used to operate the website from Xu's residence after receiving a complaint. The website ceased publication temporarily but is now up and running again. Xu faces a maximum jail term of two years and a fine, or both. The letter's author, Daniel De Costa Augustin, was also charged with defamation and breaking computer crime laws for allegedly sending the piece from another person's email account without their consent. Augustin's letter was published in September under the name "Willy Sum", and did not mention the names of any allegedly corrupt officials or provide any evidence of graft. Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said that Singapore authorities had "once again responded to criticism with criminal charges". "The government should respond to any inaccuracies in the letter by seeking a correction, apology or retraction, rather than with a heavy-handed criminal prosecution," he said. Singapore's media scene is dominated by pro-government publications, with critical commentary expressed mostly online. Officials insist tough libel laws are necessary to protect their reputation from unfounded allegations.
A Malaysian vessel intruding into Singapore territorial waters off Tuas. (Screenshot of video by Singapores Ministry of Defence)

Amid the ongoing maritime boundary dispute with Malaysia, the Singapore government on Wednesday (12 December) filed a declaration under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to prevent the unilateral commencement  by Singapore or any other country  of third-party arbitration or adjudication on such disagreements.

Should a dispute arise that cannot be resolved through negotiations, Singapore will work together with the other signatories to agree on the choice of forum and the specific issues to be decided, in order that the matter can be submitted to arbitration or adjudication, Singapores Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement on Thursday.

MFA said that the declaration  lodged with the United Nations in New York  is preferable to one party taking another unilaterally to arbitration or adjudication, without prior mutual agreement on the key issues.

It added, Singapore believes that maritime boundary delimitation disputes are best resolved through negotiations, in order to reach an amicable settlement acceptable to all of the parties.

However, if this cannot be achieved, Singapore is prepared to settle such a dispute by recourse to an appropriate international third party dispute settlement procedure, on terms mutually agreed to by the parties.

Malaysia informed of filing

Singapore has informed Malaysia of the filing of the declaration. Countries such as France, Canada, Italy, Spain, Australia and Thailand have made similar declarations under UNCLOS.

Singapore and Malaysia have previously agreed to bilaterally submit territorial disputes for arbitration. In 2003, the two countries signed a bilateral agreement to resolve the territory dispute around the island of Pedra Branca at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). In 2008, the ICJ ruled that the sovereignty over Pedra Branca belongs to Singapore.

MFA noted in the statement that representatives of both countries will be meeting in the second week of January to discuss and exchange views on the Johor Bahru port limits issue.

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It said, Singapore hopes that by engaging each other, the two governments will reach a swift and amicable resolution, in accordance with international law.

Singapore will continue to uphold international law and remains committed to the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law.

Related stories:

Malaysian vessels stationed in Singapore waters do not make one iota of difference to legal claims: Khaw

Malaysia rejects Singapores counter-proposal on maritime spat, willing to take steps to de-escalate situation

Malaysia proposes to Singapore for both sides to stop sending assets to disputed maritime area

Singapore happy that Malaysia is dropping ICJ challenge on Pedra Branca: Vivian Balakrishnan
The future of energy is solar energy, and SolarLux is here to assist entities that produce and champion solar energy in getting more benefits through SolarCoins

In one conversation, Ursus Negenborn, the co-founder of Hong Kong-based SolarLux spilled about how the company ushers the solar-based future with SolarCoins currency.

With operation in few countries including Southeast Asia in particular Thailand, SolarLux has been a shotgun for companies that exist to make the environment more sustainable with solar energy. The company provides itself to be the advisor of how best to acquire SolarCoins, solar energy-generated blockchain.

What is SolarCoins

Its a game changer, said Negenborn. In SolarLuxs site, the explanation about SolarCoins concept is broken down as blockchain-based tokens issued into circulation when solar energy is verified to have been produced.

In doing the transaction, SolarCoins are available among peers with them being collected, verified, and summarized in blocks  creating the SolarCoin blockchain. Just like the classic blockchain, SolarCoins become the decentralized, incorruptible, and auditable record of solar energy produced.

The main idea is to reward solar producers with this additional incentive. This makes it the first energy-referenced currency ever existed, explained Negenborn.

Also Read: Hargapedia monitors, tracks and compares grocery prices in Malaysia  both offline and online

The low carbon blockchain token (SLR) is exclusively granted to solar installation owners. This, in turn, provides cash value and has the potential to reduce solar financing cost within the solar industry and beyond.

The SolarCoin Foundation rewards solar energy producers with blockchain-based digital tokens at the rate of 1 SolarCoin (SLR) per 1 Megawatt Hour (MWh) of solar energy produced. The additional and independent rewards can be claimed retroactively back to January 1, 2010, and can be claimed on an ongoing basis for future production.

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The blockchain system can be utilised by almost every sector, from government subsidies, feed-in tariffs, green certificates, tax incentives, carbon credits, the list goes on.

Global energy heroes

SolarCoins, as it has been explained before, will reward whoever produces solar power and in result helping to avoid CO2 emissions.

Today, SolarCoins have cash value and are already used for payments. It can also be swapped into any other currency.

With its noble and effective mission, the network is still relatively small now. Some first industry players are starting to adopt SolarCoin, and this where SolarLux enters the picture.

With almost everything being regulated with blockchain for more transparency, we started almost four years ago, and my co-founder, Thomas, was the one who brought me in, said Negenborn, who has a full-time job as a corporate lawyer.

Negenborn highlighted Thomas Chrometzka, who happened to have the experience in the solar energy industry for ten years. For him, it came naturally, and when he invited me, I just thought its a great idea, given my law background, Negenborn added.

At the time the light bulb was lit, both Chrometzka and Negenborn noticed that the SolarCoins premise could use some help, especially with infrastructure and creating a network around it.

So we just thought we could professionalise the service, given that Thomas understands how solar energy distribution work and myself to give law assistance. We proceeded to have a functioning platform to fully support SolarCoins, and reached to players in the energy industry, explained Negenborn.

To date, their lists of clients include the Dubai-based Acwapower that leads in water energy, Germany-headquartered SMA that specializes in photovoltaic system technology, and Bangkok-based Symbior Solar that provides a one-stop solution for development, financing, implementation, and operation of state of the art solar PV installations in Asia.

Partnering with these companies, we are able to tap into smaller players who are currently within their networks and extend SolarCoins benefit to these solar energy providers as well, said Negenborn.

Unblock the Road

Negenborn further explained that SolarLux is at a full-support to essentially guide solar energy companies and producers to claim their SolarCoins.

We realized that even though blockchain is everywhere and almost everybody has understood how it works, theres still fear for the unknown parts of it. Like how it works, the implication, as well as the utilisation, said Negenborn.

SolarLux provides assistance in advising these companies on how to get a start in SolarCoins and claim what is already theirs.

I personally feel that by doing this, we are helping out the otherwise not well informed solar energy providers, and knowing that theres a system made for them to be rewarded for their environmental work, said Negenborn.

When being asked if this is a passion project for both co-founders, Negenborn emphasized the fact that it is. Definitely, but its not at all a side job. Our first impulse in creating SolarLux was nothing to do with money. We measure our success by the growth we can see in the ecosystem. It was worth it.

Anyone producing solar energy can come to SolarLux for a discussion. Usually people see us in convention or read about us from somewhere, Negenborn explained.

Also Read: Startups and corporates need marriage counselling

SolarLux then will calculate the energy the entity has produced, and they will be eligible to receive SolarCoins backdated to 2010. But in this stage, it will be up to the solar producers to continue registering themselves for SolarCoins wallet, or leave it all in SolarLuxs hand.

SolarLux gives technical perspective to facilitate basic understanding and legal framework within the SolarCoins ecosystem, and this is especially effective in a certain country where the companies dont have local expertise that can hook them with SolarCoins.

If the solar producer decided to go along with SolarLuxs service, SolarLux will take care of their documents, registration, SolarCoins introduction, and wallet setup.

With this approach, SolarLux fills the gap in the market and becomes the connector for the solar producers and the cryptocurrency. The mission now is for SolarLux to building the SolarCoin ecosystem, making SolarCoin the first energy backed global currency.



Image Credit: SolarLux

The post How SolarLux helps solar producers get a fair share of their good deeds appeared first on e27.
The 29-year-old man sought by police over a shooting in Strasbourg lived in a small apartment in a ramshackle housing bloc and has convictions in France and several European countries after a life of crime, officials say. The man, Cherif Chekatt, lived in the Poteries area of Strasbourg about a 20-minute tram ride west of the centre of the French city and its Christmas market where the attack struck. "It's a building for desperate people. No one wants to live there," one local, Bemba N'diaye, 37, told an AFP reporter near the nine-storey concrete bloc where Chekatt's name is on a letterbox. "People there are very isolated," N'diaye said. Others said the man was known in the area owing to his criminal record, but he kept a low profile, only venturing downstairs for a coffee and baguette. "His family has lived around here for a while, but he lived on his own nearby," Zach, a 22-year-old, said. "He was discreet, not a thug." The suspected gunman has been sentenced 27 times, mostly in France where he was born, but also in Germany, Switzerland as well as Luxembourg which are easily reached from Strasbourg. His crimes range from violence to robbery, but not terrorism. Chekatt was added to a watchlist of possible extremists while in prison in France in 2015 after he "called for practising a radical form of religion," French deputy interior minister Laurent Nunez said on Wednesday. He has since been monitored by France's domestic intelligence agency, the DGSI, which is occupied monitoring a large number of suspected extremists in France. Some 25,000 people are currently on the "S" extremism watchlist, 9,700 of them for radicalism "linked mainly to Islamist terror movements," according to the interior ministry. "He is an individual who has unfortunately been known for a very long time for crime," Interior Minister Christophe Castaner told French MPs on Wednesday. "From the age of 10, his behaviour was already criminal. He had his first sentence at 13 years old," Castaner said. On a photograph released by French authorities the suspect has dark eyes, black hair and a short beard. - Cross-border crime - Police had tried to detain Chekatt on Tuesday morning in connection with an attempted murder enquiry, but he was not at home, Nunez told France Inter radio on Wednesday. A grenade, four knives and a rifle were found during a search of his apartment, prosecutors have said. Alarmed by their find, police began their manhunt for Chekatt. "Then at 19:47 (18:47 GMT), he appeared... in the heart of Strasbourg and the Christmas market," Castaner told the French parliament. German authorities were on the lookout for the fugitive on Wednesday "along the Rhine" river which serves as the border between France and Germany, a spokesman from the Baden-Wuerttemberg region said. "But at the moment we do not believe that he has crossed into the country," he added. According to Germany's Tagesspiegel newspaper, Chekatt broke into a dentist practice in Mainz, Rhineland Palatinate state, in 2012, making away with cash, stamps and gold used for teeth fillings. Four years later, he targeted a pharmacy in the Lake Constance town of Engen, Baden-Wuerttemberg, pocketing cash. He served a year behind bars in 2016 before being expelled back to France. Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel told his country's parliament that the shooter was involved in a robbery there in 2012, without offering any more details. Chekatt's profile is "a familiar composite portrait of today's jihadist," Anne Giudicelli, Director of the consulting firm Terrorisc, told AFP. "He has ticked all the boxes of the profiles seen before." burs-arp/rlp
The Security & Sustainability Guide

Posted on 13 December 2018 by John Hartz

A Guest Post by Michael Sales, Ed.D., Michael Marien, Ph.D. and David Harries, Ph.D.

The Security & Sustainability Guide is an online resource that seeks to map out the rough contours of a vast system of more than 3,000 organizations attempting to bring rationality, valid data, and positive energy to climate change mitigation and adaptation, and broader issues related to security and/or sustainability.

It is constructed around a core hypothesis: security and sustainability are at risk and often difficult or impossible to achieve when either is vulnerable or missing.An additional core hypothesis is that there is little or no appreciation of the growing number of S&S organizationsmostly NGOs, but also academic institutes, government agencies, action groups, consultancies, etc. This includes:

more than 100 organizations focused on climate change,

more than 100 organizations concerned with the necessary energy transition away from fossil fuels, and

more than 120 associations, coalitions, consortia, and networks.

Very few of these organizations have the resources or political clout to influence planetary or national decision-making. Security and sustainability are profoundly affected by climate change, and, as urged by the October 2018 IPCC Special Report, Global Warming of 1.5 C, it is in everyones interests to reflect the near-term prospects of climate change in decision-makinga matter of national and global security. The S&S Guide is intended as a rough map for those within this emerging mega-system, so that they can be better informed about where their efforts exist within it, and for those outside of the system, so they can appreciate this growing force, roughly doubling in size over the past 15 years.

The new frontiers of security and sustainability concerns have both expanded in scope and range. Overlaps are acknowledged in titles of such organizations as the U.N. Universitys Institute for Sustainability and Peace, the Institute for Environmental Security in The Hague, and the Center for Climate and Security in Washington. The mission statement of many organizations, such as Earth Charter International and Kofi Annans Future World Foundation, note the intersection of the two broad realms. The still-relevant book, Climate Change and National Security edited by Daniel Moran (Georgetown University Press, 2011), clearly makes the case for addressing the impacts of climate change in nearly all of the 19 nations and regions analyzed. These impacts include increasing frequency and intensity of floods, droughts, extreme storms, and wildfires, as well as sea-level rise threatening major cities. This is just one study reinforcing NATOs conclusion in 2015 that climate change is a major threat multiplier.

A transition to sustainability is underway, but still at an early stage of development. The progress that has been made (e.g. wind and solar energy installations) is being offset or outmatched by continued global warming and environmental damage. Security and sustainability are threatened everywhere not only by climate change, but by a variety of military and para-military groups, criminal organizations, fossil fuel interests, world population growth (a 30% increase is projected by 2050), human displacement, obsolete and deteriorating infrastructure, government incompetence, citizen [and media] ignorance of emerging complexities, and showy expenditures of huge sums on largely unnecessary military hardware, such as F-35s. Notably, the hope for nuclear disarmament is fading, and all nuclear states are devoting vast resources to upgrading their arsenals; the US alone plans to spend $1.7 trillion over the next 30 years (data not disclosed for other countries). Detonation of one or more nuclear weaponsby design or defaultremains an ominous possibility whose likelihood is amplified by costly cyber-insecurity. Economic instability, rising inequality, emergence of bioweapons, and potentially devastating pandemics are among other concerns that can aggravate negative sustainability.

Optimistically, it is encouraging to learn how many S&S organizations have been and are being created and expanded. Without them, human affairs would be in a worse state than it is. But, on the negative side, little if any overall progress seems to have been made toward either security or sustainability, despite the laudable ambitions of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, which encompass both security and sustainability. Greater progress might be made if the plethora of S&S organizations were better known to society in general and to each other. Redundancy could be reduced as action learning networks expand, and the S&S Guide offers resources that could accelerate action.

The Guide encourages individuals and organizations to learn who is thinking and doing what. It includes profiles of 40 individuals who have made and are making a difference in S&S thinking, profiles of 60 notable organizations, a guide to some 150 information portals, and a listing of some 150 recent online reports such as the 2018 IPCC Special Report on global warming.

Organizations described in The S&S Guide are global in their operational reach (e.g. Greenpeace, International Union for the Conservation of Nature), nation-oriented but working on global concerns, or selected regional or local groups focused on original research or effective activism that might be utilized or replicated in other countries (e.g. Bay Area Eco-Tours). Most of the organizations are non-governmental: large or small, old or new, mainstream or anti-establishment, reflective or action-oriented, systemically focused or specialized single-purpose.Some are attached to governments or universities; others supported by governments, corporations, foundations, or wealthy individuals.

This meta-system could be constructed in several ways. The decision was taken to be reasonably generous in defining what is important to security and to sustainability. Organizations are thus included that focus on the many frontiers of law, greening business, cities, schools and universities, finance, publishing, philanthropy, oceans, forests, food security, water security, Arctic warming, cities, indigenous people, womens groups, religious groups, youth groups, peace, human security, green jobs, rethinking economics for the 21st Century, etc.

The three Principals developing The S&S Guide have very different educational and career backgrounds, although we were all members of the former World Future Society, and have spent our working lives thinking in transdisciplinary ways about probable, possible, and preferred futures. Dr. Michael Marien conceived of the Guide, and was later joined by Dr. David Harries and Dr. Michael Sales. For 30 years, Marien edited Future Survey, a 24-page overview of books, reports, and articles on a wide range of subjects, published monthly by the World Future Society. Harries is a retired Canadian military officer trained as a nuclear engineer, and a practitioner of Strategic Foresight; he has lived or worked in 113 countries, and served as recent Chair of Canadian Pugwash, one of the largest affiliates of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs. Sales is a former co-chair of the MIT-based Society for Organizational Learning. He has provided strategic leadership advice across a wide variety of economic sectors, and is co-author of Life-Sustaining Organizations: A Design Guide.

As the unpolished state of the S&S website attests, the Guide is very much a work in progress, and will likely remain so as new information rapidly becomes available. After something of a false start, the site is now under the management of Brian Pennington, who oversees the StarTalk podcasts for Neil deGrasse Tyson, and we are excited about its future.

We invite interested researchers and activists to suggest ways to advance the guide, including sources of potential financial support. Specifically, the Guide requires 2-3 additional Associates to assist in writing abstracts, indexing keywords, updating existing organization information, and publicizing the Guide. For further information, please use the Contact tab provided at the top of the Homepage of The S&S Guide website.
The New York Times may have branded it Netflix for conservatives, but Samantha Bee has another name for Fox News new venture: Birth of a (Fox) Nation. Its like television, Grandpa, but you get it on the smaller screen that you use for writing racism on Facebook, the late night host quipped as she introduced her audience to the new way to consume conservative news, a $5.99-a-month subscription streaming service that will provide even more content for the networks loyal viewership.

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What all of their programming has in common is the Fox worldview that this is our country and others are taking it away from us. But if you watch every Fox Nation showas I forced my staffers to do right before they quityoull find that some of its nauseating resent-ertainment is actually fun to watch, said Bee. She then showed a clip of Jeanine Pirro trying to re-write history to convince viewers that coverage of the Central American migrant caravan couldnt be racist  because apparently the Civil War ended racism.

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Bee then reminded viewers, Of course, Fox Nation wouldnt be complete without its newest rising star, cutting to a clip of Tomi Lahren and her segment My First Thoughts.

Oh my gosh! 26 years old and youre finally having your first thoughts, Bee said.

Those first thoughts? Anger at the many jokes that have been made about Melania Trumps Christmas decorations, specifically the color of her Christmas trees. Yes, we shouldnt look down on people for their tree color, said Bee, mocking Lahrens track record on racial issues. Thats what skin color is for.

Bee ended her segment with a ringing endorsement for Fox Nation, calling it pure, substance-free propaganda squirted right down your slobber hole.
If you look on the National Enquirers website you will find a story titled Thief Hides GPS In His Anus! That one headline sums up the journalistic stature of the grocery store tabloid.

While the Enquirers standing as a news source would make the editors at almost any publication cringe, the Enquirer has played a significant role in supporting Donald Trumps political ambitions and in tearing flesh from bone every time his political opponent, Hillary Clinton, did something as innocuous as cough, or wear an expensive pant suit, or express her love for hot sauce during the 2016 election.

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For years, the Enquirer has been there for Trump. Until now.

On Wednesday, an agreement between the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York and American Media Inc., the National Enquirers corporate parent, was released. Federal prosecutors agreed to give AMI immunity from prosecution, for its participation in a campaign finance violation, in exchange for cooperation in the ongoing investigation of that crime. With the other culprit in the crime, Michael Cohen, having been sentenced to three years in prison on Wednesday, there appears to be only one direction for AMIs cooperation to lead: President Donald Trump.

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In the agreement, AMI admitted that it paid former Playboy model Karen McDougal $150,000 to stop her from disclosing an alleged affair with Trump, out of concern her story would negatively affect Trumps chances of winning the White House. It appears the illegal arrangement was the brainchild of David Pecker, AMIs chief executive and a former confidant of the president.

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Until recently, speculation that the Department of Justice may proceed with campaign finance charges against the president, or indict and hold charges until he leaves office, centered on his former personal attorney, Cohen. According to Cohens August guilty plea, to identical charges from the same set of facts, his old boss directed him to commit this crime.

But last week New York prosecutors filed their sentencing memo on Cohen, and it included a revelation that Cohen refused to provide full and continuing cooperation. That seems to have extinguished speculation that Cohen will be a star witness against Trump in a campaign finance case.

As a former federal prosecutor who frequently handled prosecutions in which I gave a plea deal to one conspirator to testify against another, the potential loss of Cohen as a witness against Trump appears significant. Cohen could testify not only to the transactions that formed the bulk of the crime, he could also credibly testify to a key element of the crime: whether Trumps purpose for the hush-money payoffs was to save his shot at the White House, rather than save his marriage.

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As Cohen seemed to fall out of the picture as a potential witness, Pecker appeared to take his place. The factual basis AMI agreed to in the immunity agreement covers most of the bases that Cohen could have testified to and comes in a less compromised package that may be more believable to a jury.

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New York prosecutors thoroughly dismantled Cohens character in their sentencing papers. Before filing such a brutal sentencing memo, they must have ruled him out as a trial witness. While no sane prosecutor relishes the idea of offering the National Enquirers mastermind as a witness at trial, Peckers baggage appears to be carry-on size while Cohens appears to come with a heavy, handle with caution tag.

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What is significant, from a prosecutors perspective, is the early decision to offer immunity to Pecker and the National Enquirer. The U.S. attorneys move in this regard tells us a few things. First, Pecker and AMI must have already offered substantial cooperation. Next, the April raid on Cohens officessaid to have netted all forms of evidence, including surreptitious audio recordingsmust have given federal investigators substantial evidence not just against Cohen, but also against AMI. Under ordinary circumstances, the media organization would have had a strong First Amendment defense in that choosing not to publish the Trump affair allegations was done for journalistic reasons. But AMI decided to cooperate. That would indicate that prosecutors had them dead to rights, or that it was afraid of what a fulsome investigation of AMIs other dealings might produce.

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New York prosecutors thoroughly dismantled Cohens character in their sentencing papers.

Finally, and most importantly, prosecutors do not like to let people who commit crimes walk away without a convictionespecially in high-profile cases where a conviction could mean substantial deterrence of other people who may be considering similar crimes.

In AMIs case, proving the most difficult element of a campaign finance violationan intent to influence the electioncomes with an easy roadmap. The Enquirer broke the story about former presidential candidate John Edwards alleged campaign finance violation for a similar hush-money scheme, which led to his indictment, trial, and eventual acquittal based on the argument that Edwards was trying to protect his personal life and not his electoral prospects. Since Pecker and AMI broke a similar story, they would be hard-pressed to claim naivete about the basics of campaign finance laws.

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Further, the chief executive of the National Enquirers parent company is not a sympathetic character who prosecutors would lightly agree to let escape a criminal convictionunless he has something the prosecutors really want him to offer in return. That something is likely Donald Trump. Giving Pecker and AMI a pass makes sense when the return on the prosecutors investment is the president of the United States.

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Choosing to cooperate in this manner is not, as the president has attempted to portray it, some unethical flipping scheme. People who commit crimes do not agree to cooperate out of the goodness of their hearts. They want something in return. And, the best witnesses are co-conspirators. Having been a participant in the crime, they know of what they speakthat makes them believable. Particularly when moving up the culpability chain, it is both routine and righteous to offer a deal to one criminal to obtain evidence against a more significant criminal.

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If prosecutors are considering an indictment against Trump, they undoubtedly have additional evidencelike recordings, texts, and emailthat will support testimony that may come from Pecker. A recording in which Cohen and Trump plotted the payment to McDougal has already emerged.

A quick read of AMIs immunity agreement may result in missing a briefly noted but key point. The agreement identifies at least one other member of the [Trump] campaign who was present at the August 2015 meeting between Cohen and AMI officials when the seeds of the crime were planted. It has been reported that Trump was the other person, which would put him at the center of the conspiracy. If those reports are accurate, Peckers testimony, placing Trump at ground zero of the criminal scheme, would undo Trumps defense that the hush money was not intended to influence the election.

Wednesdays disclosure of AMIs immunity agreement was bad news for the president. The speed with which new details of the payoff scheme are surfacing could ultimately prove to be terrible news for the president. You should know youre in trouble when the National Enquirer turns against you.
This is certainly not the end of the devastating war and humanitarian crisis in Yemen, and its probably premature to even call it the beginning of the end. But at the very least, today may be remembered as a turning point in the conflict.

At U.N.-brokered talks in Sweden, the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized Yemeni government and the Iranian-aligned Houthi movement agreed to a ceasefire around the city of Hodeidah and to remove troops from the area.

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The Houthi-controlled port is a where the bulk of humanitarian aid enters the country, in which an estimated 16 million people are facing famine.

Fighting around the city threatened to cut off a vital lifeline. Ceasefires were also agreed to at two other ports. The U.N. Security Council will meet Friday to discuss a resolution on monitoring the troop withdrawals.

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There are plenty of reasons to be skeptical. Previous ceasefire agreements have fallen apart over the course of the conflict, which has raged since 2014 and likely killed more than 60,000 people. Several armed groups were not party to the deal and its termsparticularly the question of who will maintain security in Hodeidah after the troop withdrawalsare vague. But on the other hand, there is far more international pressure to end the conflict now, as the sickening humanitarian toll has grown and the Saudi government has faced a backlash over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

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The best example of that backlash was in Washington today, where the Senate passed a resolution invoking the War Powers Resolution to end U.S. cooperation with the Saudi-led coalition. The resolution, co-sponsored by Sens.

Chris Murphy, Bernie Sanders, and Mike Lee, was tabled by the Senate in a 55-44 vote last March, but today passed 56-41, a result that would have been unthinkable prior to Khashoggis death.

Procedural shenanigans by House leadership will keep a similar resolution from getting a vote in the House this term, which means this wont reach President Trumps desk, much less become law.

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But even if its mostly a symbolic gesture at this point, the vote is a landmark in two ways: It marks the first time the Senate has voted to invoke the War Powers Resolution to end a conflict, and the first time the WPR has been applied to an assistance mission rather than the deployment of U.S. combat troops. The Senate is also not done with the Saudis yet: Several other Saudi-related measures are currently up for debate, including one that would suspend U.S. arms sales to the kingdom for the duration of the Yemen conflict.

Until recently, advocates called Yemen a forgotten war, a deadly but obscure conflict of little interest to the international media or policymakers in countries allied with Saudi Arabia. Its taken far too long, and required an unexpected and unrelated eventthe killing of Khashoggibut at least the world is now paying attention to Yemen.
Like many people I know, Ive spent a lot of time this year consuming news coverage trickling in from our southern border. Ive listened to recordings of children crying after they were ripped from their parents and pored over photographs of asylum-seekers running to escape tear gas. Unlike most people, I am a former foreign service officer who resigned halfway through a consular assignment in western Europe the week the current iteration of the Muslim nationtargeted travel ban went into effect.

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My experiences implementing this administrations immigration policy have led me to believe that the travel ban paved the way for the separation of families and the current attempts to restrict individuals from exercising their legal right to claim asylum. Since day one of the Trump presidency, the administrations individual immigration policies have been part of a well-thought-out, coordinated strategy of escalation, with the end goal of keeping black and brown immigrants out and keeping America white. These policies would not have been possible without the collective, gradual normalization of the Trump administrations racist immigration agenda over nearly two years of it careening from one shocking policy to the next.

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When the travel ban first went into effect, seven days after President Trump took office, journalists and activists spent days documenting the chaos at airports throughout the United States. The public was outraged as images went viral of families stranded at airports, unsure about the fate of loved ones stuck on the other side of arrivals. Immigration attorneys reported inconsistent and at times nonsensical application of the poorly written executive order. Crowds of activists rallied in arrival halls with banners proclaiming that America was better than this.

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These policies would not have been possible without the collective, gradual normalization of the Trump administrations racist immigration agenda.

Of course, press was not allowed into consular sections in U.S. embassies throughout the world, but it was chaos there too. We faced the same unanswered questions the rest of our country was grappling withcould we interview dual nationals? Did immigrant visa applicants from impacted countries who had waited years for visa interviews lose their appointments? We strained under the emotional impact of frantic calls from applicants and their loved ones. Hundreds of officers, myself included, signed onto a dissent cable expressing our belief that the ban runs counter to core American values and our fear that the order would trigger anti-American sentiment abroad, harm our economy, and have immediate and devastating humanitarian impact.

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During this time, pictures and videos of activists rallying at airports gave me hope: America would not stand for this.

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Then, the courts stepped in and a modified version of the ban went into effect. Lawyers and policymakers in the Consular Affairs Bureau translated court rulings into a series of guidance cables adjudicating how officers around the world were to make decisions. If many of us did not agree with the underlying racist and Islamophobic intentions of the ban, we felt grateful that at least there were parameters to curb the orders most harmful effects. And, by and large, we moved on. No more dissent cables.

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Unlike officers in other consulates and embassies, I did not have to implement the ban on a daily basis. I was lucky to work in an embassy where I interviewed relatively few applicants from travel banaffected countries. But let me tell you something: The first time I refused someone under the authorities of the bans executive order, I went to the bathroom and I cried. I did not sleep well that night. The second time, it was easier. My own ability to rationalize implementation of a policy that ran so starkly counter to my personal values was in and of itself alarmingand a factor that fueled my eventual resignation.

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When I resigned my post and first returned to the United States, in October 2017, I found that the travel ban had largely slipped off the radar for most of the country, the media, and elected officials. It largely stopped being a public issue when the images stopped streaming in from the airports. In June of this year, the ban briefly reappeared in headlines when the Supreme Court voted to uphold its third iteration, and then it faded into the background again. The current version of the ban is sanitized under so many layers of bureaucracy, domesticated by countless court opinions. It is not shocking. It is forms and waivers and confusing legalese. It plays out quietly, in petitions and paperwork, in a fraudulent waiver process, its human impact largely borne by vulnerable populations thousands of miles away.

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Our experience with the presidents first major immigration-policy actionwhen bureaucracy and the next news cycle subsumed initial shock and outragehas repeated several times over the past year. In June, news crews flooded to the border to document the hastily implemented policy of family separation. Then, weeks later, a federal judge ruled that this practice was unconstitutional and that families must be reunited, and the bureaucracy turned to making sense of what this would mean in terms of family-detention facilities. Then the migrant caravan and militarization of the border dominated the headlines for weeks in October. In November, the president announced severe restrictions on individual rights to claim asylum outside of official ports of entry. A federal judge quickly struck down this order, and a conservative appellate judge hammered it further, triggering what looks likely to be another high court legal battle regarding the limits of executive power. The latest outrage came on Wednesday, when it was reported that Trump was seeking to remove protections from deportation for Vietnam War refugees.

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Significantly less coverage has been given to the evolution of these policies months after their initial implementation, including reports that the practice of family separation is quietly resuming and migrant parents are seeing legal challenges to their right to custody of their children.

At the end of this year, I am worried for what comes next: What comes after tear-gassing children in diapers? As we move into 2019 and prepare for the swearing in of a new Congress, we need to take stock of the lessons we have learned. We must not allow cosmetic changes to racist policies to distract us from their underlying animus or their continued harm to vulnerable populations. We must view the treatment of migrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers attempting to enter the United States as the human rights issue that it is. Critically, we must hold our elected officials accountable for their actionor inactionon challenging the Trump administrations racist, xenophobic zero tolerance agenda. Immigration is this administrations chosen vehicle to advance white supremacy, and we must respond to it as such.
Americans may never rid ourselves of our collective need to narrate political conflict in military terms. Everything must be understood as a pitched battle between two clear opposing sides. This is not an especially illuminating way of looking at thingsnor does it meaningfully narrate the messiness of the present. Still, for years now, media narratives have tended to flatten complicated dynamics into the simpler concept of battle. And Trumps presidency has supercharged this tendency: His conduct is regularly described via words and metaphors that connote virility and warlike might. Its a puzzling way to characterize a man in his 70s whos sufficiently wimpy enough that he allegedly doesnt fire people himself, and who alternates his eruptions of bravado with sulky retreats whenever hes in a direct confrontation. The fact remains, however, that Trump is seldom credited with merely having said something. Instead, he assails. He reasserts. He cracked down, ripped into his enemies, and conducted multifront wars. These narrative decisions effectively launder his flaws: his poor judgment, his fits, his inconsistency, his moodinessthese, along with his ignorance and sulks, get rescripted as proofs of his masculine strength.

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I finally wrote about this strange tendency several months ago because I fear it does real damage to our understanding of the world we live in now. Those metaphors and vivid verbs arent merely frivolous and imprecise in ways that favor our love of drama over fidelity to the facts; they also betray our lizard-brain instincts about power. Among other things, they show how easy it is for men to get credited with qualities we subconsciously associate with warriors at the top of their gameeven when the men in question are old or confused or soft. Its easy to understand why this happens. It is basically the bread and butter of both patriarchy and YouTube: Put any two pundits on television to argue and youll end up with two videos of exactly the same footage labeled, X DESTROYS Y! and Y DECIMATES X!

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Trumps opposition has struggled to counter the cultural impulse to find things impressive when theyre large and repetitive and loud. Trumps messaging is hard to fight because it exploits our underlying biases about how gender and power and dominance line up. Ive been encouraged to see small signs of progressyesterday the Washington Post characterized Trumps Oval Office meeting with Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi as a squabble, which has the merit of being accurate while managing not to imbue Trumps barks about border security with gladiatorial magnificence. But the problem persists: Plenty of other headlines have him vowing and threatening because many news organizations still think powerful writing reduces to active verbs.

Its a thoroughly anodyne statement whose corrosive edge takes a minute or so to sink in.

In their attempts to counter Trumps messaging, Democrats are working with a stacked linguistic deck and a basket of bad ideas. Their efforts thus faras my colleague Ben Mathis-Lilley pointed outhave not been great. When Pelosi said in June that the Supreme Court had become the Supreme Corp., everyone groaned. Horrifying wordplay, Mathis-Lilley called it, correctly. Its the kind of thing that sounds good when youre punchy after hours of brainstorming and get an idea in your kitchen. Other Dem efforts have been equally weak. Chuck Schumers Make America Sick Again failed as so many feeble attempts at re-appropriation do: Its not just derivativeit ends up proving the verve and appeal of the original concept.

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If Trump, unlike the Democrats, is good at finding short phrases to repeat, its also true that his tactics havent all been winners. Like the Democrats, Trump is actually at his weakest when hes using someone elses comedic formula. For instance, in August, Trump faux-endorsed Nancy Pelosi, citing her effort to take down the Democrat Party. Democrats, please do not distance yourselves from Nancy Pelosi. She is a wonderful person whose ideas & policies may be bad, but who should definitely be given a 4th chance, he tweeted, sarcastically. If that feels a little wobbly, it should: Its not quite Trump. He was imitating House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who in 2016, just after the election, did much the same thing: Im rooting for Nancy! McCarthy joked. She may have more support in our conference than her own conference.

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The way Pelosi handled that joke back in 2016 speaks to the different audiences these sorts of exchanges are implicitly addressing. Her spokesman, Drew Hammill, tweeted the following response: I think Congressman McCarthy has demonstrated in multiple ways his inability to measure the support of his colleagues #AlmostSpeaker. Now, if you know what hes talking about, thats actually a fairly solid burn. The trouble is that most people on Twitter, and in America, didnt. The missing context there is that McCarthy didnt have the votes to become speaker after Boehner resigned. He couldnt get 218 Republican votes to support him. GET IT?

Hammills joke is pointed and personal: Its meant to make McCarthy feel bad about his underperformance based on fairly wonky procedural details that McCarthy and Pelosi understand. But it isnt a public burn; it isnt legible to the American people, who dont keep track of those things. So it doesnt count as a win. People were just confused.

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No one was more surprised than I was, therefore, when arguably the most satisfying recent rebuke of Trump came from Pelosi. Of her last words to Trump about preventing a government shutdown, Pelosi simply said, I asked him to pray over it. It wasnt punchy or sarcastic. Coming from a woman with considerable negotiating power, she gave the impression, at least while she was saying it, of being sincere. It sounded like a simple statement of fact, an earnest expression of their shared public interest with only the thinnest trace of disdain.

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If you can stop thinking about political exchanges in military terms for a second, its easier to appreciate the reason Pelosis maneuver works. Its not, in the obvious sense, combative. Its a thoroughly anodyne statement whose corrosive edge takes a minute or so to sink in. It appears to accept Trumps claim that hes a man of faith. Pelosi, despite the considerable power she holds, positions herself here as exactly the kind of supplicant Trump likes, particularly when theyre women. Shes not telling him but asking him, and what shes asking him to do is something he says he does: pray. Anyone reading that line will supply the requisite snort of disbelief, and thats the point: This is a collaborative burn, one that requires the listener to supply her own analysis of the target. The best insults dont spoon-feed you the conclusion; thats why Pelosis subsequent jokes about Trumps masculinityIts like a manhood thing for him. As if manhood could ever be associated with him. This wall thingdont land nearly as well. Of course, that was in a private meeting for Democrats. But you pitch your jokes to the audience you care about.

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The Washington Post describing that episode as merely a squabble was a kind of progress. So was Pelosis wry invocation of Trumps professed faith. But there are probably no big breakthroughs at play here. The media has been slow to learn important lessons about how to narrate Trump, and Democrats keep backsliding into old strategies that only show how much worse they are at petty combat than Trump is. Take Pelosis groaner of a line, maybe coasting off her victory: It goes to show youyou get into a tinkle contest with a skunk, you get tinkle all over you.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi is set to be the next Speaker of the House after agreeing to serving a limit of two terms in the top spot, in return for support from Democratic holdouts that had been clamoring for generational change at the top of the partys House leadership. The deal, the Washington Post reports, gave the longtime Democratic leader seven key holdouts and moved her above the 218 votes needed to secure a majority and the speakership during a floor vote Jan. 3rd. House Democrats nominated Pelosi as speaker by a 203-to-32 vote last month, but enough pledged to oppose her nomination on the floor vote to force Pelosi to the negotiating table.

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Under the deal, according to the Post, Pelosi agreed to support a three-term limit for the top four posts in the House, unless a two-thirds majority of Democratic members want them to serve a fourth term. The term limits would be applied retroactively, meaning that Pelosi, as well as incoming House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and incoming House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.), all of whom served in the same posts the last time Democrats were in the majority from 2007-2011, would be limited to one or two terms. The limits will not apply to committee chairs.

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Hours after the White House session [with Trump], [Pelosi] hashed out the final terms of the deal in her Capitol Hill office with Democratic Reps. Bill Foster (Ill.), Ed Perlmutter (Colo.) and Linda T. Sanchez (Calif.), the Post reports. Besides those three members, Reps. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) and Filemon Vela (D-Tex.), as well as Rep.-elect Gil Cisneros (D-Calif.) said Wednesday that they would back Pelosi. According to the Post, 16 Democrats remain in open opposition to Pelosis reelection as Speaker, which means that she can currently afford to lose only a single Democratic vote and still have enough support. The vote on term limits in the caucus was agreed to be held by Feb. 15th.
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On The Gist, President Trump interrupted Nancy Pelosi because he interrupts everyone.

In the interview, the deputy executive director of U.N. Women, Asa Regner, knows how to bring more women into politics. Countries like Bolivia, Rwanda, and those in Scandinavia have achieved more equal representation. So how useful are quotas? Does religion play a role? How can gender parity be seen not just as a rights issue but something smarter for policymaking, the economy, and the health of the country?

In the Spiel, putting a dollar value on the election fraud in North Carolinas 9th Congressional District.

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Podcast production by Pierre Bienaime and Daniel Schroeder.
A version of this piece first appeared on the blog Impeachable Offenses.

On Wednesday, Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison for tax and bank fraud and, most notably, campaign finance violations he said he committed at the behest of his former benefactor, Donald Trump. The pleadings filed in Cohens case and those of Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn have gotten House Democrats talking more actively about impeachment, even though none of them are rushing to judgment. If the House takes up the question next year, it should pay particular attention to Trumps conduct during his successful campaign for the White House and his general assault on the legitimacy of American elections.



As I have written elsewhere, a successful case for the impeachment of the president must rest not on any single event, but on a pattern of behavior that fatally damages the legitimacy of the president and/or amounts to subversion of the constitutional order.

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The political legitimacy of any president who ascends to the office by election rests primarily on that electoral success. Presidential misconduct of two types related to elections may constitute an impeachable offense. The first type is any presidential behavior that casts doubt on the essential validity of the presidents own election. The Framers made a particular point of noting that misconduct of that type would be impeachable. George Mason maintained that a president who procured his appointment by corrupting the electors must be impeachable. Gouverneur Morris made the same point.

To the founders, the only obvious way of corrupting the presidential selection process was to corrupt the then-tiny circle of eligible votersthe members of the Electoral College. Today, of course, electors exercise no independent judgment. They merely transmit the preference of the voters of their state. Therefore, practical modern electoral corruptionother than outright ballot box stuffing or its modern computerized equivalentsmust take the form of distorting the judgment of the electorate, rather than the electors.

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The Framers made a particular point of noting that misconduct of that type would be impeachable.

That sort of corruption, if of sufficient magnitude, might be impeachablewith this significant caveat: The arts of voter persuasion inevitably have some aspects of flimflam. Just being an ordinary politician cannot be an impeachable offense. Even concealment of a disreputable fact about ones past surely cannot alone be impeachable. Impeachments on this ground would permit relitigation in Congress of every presidential election. Therefore an impeachment on grounds of corrupting the electorate would have to be based on behavior so far outside the elastic norms of modern political conduct that it both demonstrated the successful candidates contempt for the democratic process and put the fair operation of democracy at risk. Trumps conduct may have crossed this threshold.

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Something like this is among the subjects of special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation. There seems little doubt, for example, that members of Trumps family and campaign apparatus sought negative information about Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton from representatives of the Russian government, most particularly at a meeting between Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, Manafort, and various Russians at Trump Tower in July 2016. Whether they received such information or, alternatively, encouraged Russian operatives to release it secretly through the WikiLeaks platform, remains to be seen.

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Its important to note here that the mere act of seeking negative information about a political opponenteven from a foreign sourceis neither criminal nor in itself a violation of any democratic norm. Suppose, for example, that a foreign power was offering information that an opposing presidential candidate was herself a spy or active traitor. Surely there could be nothing inherently wrong in pursuing a credible claim that such information existed (although doing so secretly and without the knowledge of official national security agencies would be profoundly unwise).

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What makes Trumps case much more questionable is that it would have been plain to anyone in his campaign that any information would be coming from intelligence services of a hostile foreign state. If and when it became clear that the information was Clintons emails, it would have also been clear that the information had been acquired illegally by those services. Thus, in accepting the information, the Trump campaign would have known itself to be benefiting from a crime by a foreign spy agency.

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Finally, and dispositively in my view, the mere effort to obtain tainted information from Russian sources necessarily creates precisely the situation that Trump now faces. The fact of such contacts undertaken without coordination with U.S. intelligence agencies is, at least, politically discreditable. It thus places Trump in his capacity as president at a disadvantage in any dealings with Russia because they have the power to disclose more about the contacts and thus do political damage to Trump. This reality is not altered even if nothing more happened than we now know. By even entering into conversation with Russia about this subject, Trump gave a foreign adversary leverage over him in the event of his election.

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It is also now undisputed that Russia attempted to intervene in the election against Hillary Clinton and for Donald Trump. Critically, it did so, not by open declarations of its governments preferences but by surreptitious proliferation of anti-Clinton/pro-Trump social media content and the aforementioned criminal hack. Whatever Trump knew or didnt know about Russias activities, he was perfectly willing to accept secret electoral help from a traditionally hostile foreign power. Taken as a whole, Trumps behavior with Russia during the election was far outside the historical norms of American democratic politics and an egregious betrayal of American foreign policy interests. And more revelations are likely forthcoming.

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Finally, theres the allegation that Trump guided Cohens hush money payments to two women with whom he allegedly had extramarital affairs and the fact that these payments were criminal violations of federal election law. Cohen and the media organization that took part in the payoffs have cooperated with prosecutors and admitted that the purpose of the payments was to deceive voters. But proving that Trumps purpose in authorizing the payments was primarily political rather than personala desire to hide his behavior from his wifemight be challenging. Even if criminal, this behavior standing alone is surely not impeachable. The analogies to Bill Clintons efforts to conceal his affair with Monica Lewinsky, which did not result in his removal from office, are too painfully obvious.

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As Rep. Jerrold Nadler, DNew York, incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, recently observed, the hush money payments may be impeachable offenses in a technical sense, but not serious enough to warrant impeachment by the House. That said, the mistress hush money payments do form a part of a larger pattern of willingness to ignore both the law and democratic norms in pursuit of election victory. That pattern could constitute a key element in a broader case for impeachment.

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Trump has also engaged in a second type of impeachable behavior related to elections. He has persistently attacked the integrity of the U.S. electoral process by making repeated, and entirely unsubstantiated, claims of individual voter fraud or corruption on the part of election officials.

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Trumps dogged adherence to the voter fraud fantasy can be explained in large measure by his well-documented insecurity over the fact that Hillary Clinton received about 2.9 million more popular votes than Trump in the 2016 election, even though he won the Electoral College. However, his assaults on the integrity of the election system have not been limited by this personal idiosyncrasy. In the days following the midterm elections of 2018, when a number of races in Arizona and Florida were so close that recounts seemed likely, Trump immediately began chargingagain, without any evidencethat election officials were corrupt and that the elections were being stolen.

The American democracy will only survive so long as the people have confidence that their votes will be counted and honored. A president who incessantly questions the essential integrity of elections cannot be excused on the ground that he is merely salving his tender ego. Nor is a persistent pattern of questioning electoral integrity any part of traditional American political discourse. It is deeply dangerous, deeply subversive of the constitutional order, and for that reason could properly be considered as part of a larger pattern supporting impeachment and removal from office for abuses related to Trumps 2016 campaign.
Greetings, Future Tensers,

As electric scooters continue to roll into cities, a particular problem has emerged. Or, rather, submerged: People keep throwing them into bodies of water. In October alone, cleanup crews in Oakland, California, fished more than 60 of them out of Lake Merritt in what was called a crisis for the wildlife refuge. For these underwater Birds, Limes, and other e-scooters arent just a matter of lost wheels. They also pose a serious environmental threat: corroding batteries that can seep toxic compounds into these waterways. April Glaser reports on where these sunken scooters are turning up, and how local communities have been reacting. On dry land, these popular new modes of transport havent been doing a good job of avoiding controversy either. Stephen Zoepf, Bryan Casey, and J. Christian Gerdes explain how scooter companies and regulators came to be at each others throatsand how both can do better.

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Elsewhere on Future Tense, weve been covering the escalating tensions between the U.S. and China. DigiChinas Graham Webster speculates on what last weeks arrest of Huaweis chief financial officer by Canadian authorities could mean for the U.S.-China trade war. And New Americas Sharon E. Burke and Rachel Zimmerman tell us about the next big resource that may determine the new geopolitical hot spots as competition heats up between the two superpowers (hint: its not oil).

Other things we read between looking at the Google hearings celebrity photobombs:

Here comes the sun: By 2020, California will require that most new homes be built with solar panels, a move that shows how the state is taking the lead in forward-thinking environmental policies, as Jennifer Kang explains.

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Youve got mail: Mia Armstrong follows the paper trail of a new mail system being used by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections that routes letters, postcards, and photos sent to incarcerated people through a digital scanning company. The results are  not good.

Watchmen: You still have the right to remain silent, and now, a federal judge has ruled, you also have the right to record the policeeven secretly. Slates Mark Joseph Stern explains how the decision represents a big win for First Amendment protections and police accountability.

Getting a gig: Would-be gig workers with criminal records are often stymied by vague background check policies from on-demand companies like Uber and Lyft.

Grandstanding illiteracy: Tuesdays congressional hearing grilling Google CEO Sundar Pichai featured a lot of confused representatives. Will Oremus explains that their bewilderment over how the tech company works underscores the need for Congress to regulate it.

Currency: Sara Nasser looks at how the volatility in the value of the Turkish lira has led some Turks to begin investing and trading in cryptocurrencies instead.

To Elizabethan beauty products,

Anthony Nguyen

For Future Tense
This story was originally published by Mother Jones and has been republished here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer released a list of committee assignments on Tuesday that brought bad news for environmental activists: Joe Manchin, the pro-coal West Virginia senator who narrowly held on to his deep-red seat this November, will now be the highest-ranking Democrat on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

In his new role, Manchin isnt likely to be a strong advocate for reining in fossil fuel use to combat climate change. He once went so far as to shoot a bullet through Democrats failed cap-and-trade legislation in a campaign ad. While Manchin does say we have the responsibility and capability to address climate change, he has taken nearly $750,000 in donations from the mining industry and more than $419,000 from the oil and gas industry during his Senate campaigns, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

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The problems facing our country are serious, and I am committed to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find common-sense solutions for long-term comprehensive energy policy that incorporates an all-of-the-above strategy and ensures our state and our nation are leaders in the energy future, Manchin said in a statement on his promotion.

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Energy and Natural Resources isnt the primary committee dealing with climate change and environmental oversight (that would be Environment and Public Works) or comprehensive climate legislation (either EPW or Finance). But it still plays an important role overseeing public lands, energy infrastructure, and the electrical grid. While strong climate action is a nonstarter in the Republican-controlled Senate, the ranking member can set the agenda for messaging and investigationsduties that will become even more important if Democrats manage to take control of the chamber in 2020 and Manchin assumes the chairmanship.

Supporters of climate action arent happy about Manchins ascension.

In his new role, Manchin isnt likely to be a strong advocate for reining in fossil fuel use to combat climate change.

I have concerns, and thats why I say that our issues are not just left and right but that theyre top and down, incoming Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York said at a press conference a few weeks ago outside the Capitol. I have concerns over the senators chairmanship just because I do not believe that we should be financed by the industries that we are supposed to be legislating and regulating and touching with our legislation.

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Climate activist Bill McKibben, a co-founder of 350.org, tweeted, Truly depressing, at a key moment in earth history, to see Joe Manchin take over as ranking member on the Energy Committee. McKibbens group was one of the climate-advocacy groups targeting Schumer with protests in an attempt to convince him to disregard Senate tradition and choose someone else.

In a system where senators are promoted based on seniority, it is relatively surprising that the eight-year senator was the next in line for ranking member after Washington states Maria Cantwell, the current top Democrat, moved to replace departing Florida Sen. Bill Nelson on the Commerce, Science, and Transportation panel.

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Three other senators could have claimed the post, including Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, but they wanted to keep their ranking slots on the Finance and Agriculture committees, respectively. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, meanwhile, chose to keep his post as the ranking member of the Budget Committee. Sanders is a potential 2020 presidential hopeful who plans to stake out an aggressive position on climate change. At a recent town hall, he described global warming as an urgent problem. This is a crisis situation, he said. It is unprecedented, and weve got to act in an unprecedented way. His staff argues that the Budget Committee can play a key role in climate legislation through the reconciliation process, which could allow a future Democratic majority to avoid a Republican filibuster.

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When Manchins elevation appeared inevitable late last month, advocacy groups and two prominent possible Democratic presidential candidates questioned the West Virginia senators commitment to a progressive environmental agenda.

Jay Inslee, the Washington governor who has made climate change a major plank of his likely 2020 bid, excoriated Manchin last week for backing Donald Trumps dirty energy agenda.

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In a statement following the senators promotion, Inslee said Manchin cannot effectively lead our partys energy policy.

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Inslee added, Senator Manchin and I have spoken on this subject, and I expressed to him my expectation that now he and all Senate Democrats must hold the line against Donald Trumps dangerous environmental policies.

Billionaire megadonor Tom Steyer, who trailed only Sheldon Adelson and Michael Bloomberg among this election cycles top givers, also called on Democrats to pursue a bold, positive path forward on climate changeone that pointedly does not include Manchin. Senator Manchin does not offer that vision and should not be the Democratic leader on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Steyer said in a statement last week.

The intraparty feud has done little to undermine Manchins support among Senate Democrats. He may be the ranking member, but hes part of a team when it comes to issues of climate change, issues of the environment, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker told Politico on Thursday. I have a lot of confidence I can work with him to fight for a far more aggressive agenda for dealing with the planetary crisis of global warming.
It is a relatively mild scene in a documentary about the sexual predator who helped transform American politics. Back when he ran Fox News, Roger Ailes bought up his hometown paper, and in Divide and Conquernow in theatersthe Putnam County News and Recorders former copy editor describes what happened to her after she eventually quit the job. In the next few days, people she had messaged privately about Ailes on Facebook began finding out that he was looking into them. One even received a phone call: This is Roger Ailes, and I hear youve been making threats about me. Ailes then quoted the friends Facebook conversation, verbatim. In her interview with Divide and Conquer, the copy editor was clearly still shaken by the experience: It was really terrifyingthis feeling that there are really powerful people who live five minutes from me that are out to destroy me and my life.

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But business owners would not need much money or influence to follow in Ailes footsteps. At thousands of organizations across the country, the requisite software is already installed on every computer. There are dozens of options for so-called employee-monitoring software, and they are cheap, legal, and incredibly sophisticated. Some let employers watch people through their webcams. Others track cellphone locations. Others, like Veriato 360 and Teramind, give employers the ability to get alerts whenever an employee visits a certain website, types a certain phrase, or sees a certain word appear on her screen. From there, the surveiller can look back at that point in time and watch a video of the employees screen alongside a record of what she was typing. If the boss wants, Veriato 360 lets her exclude passwords from these keystrokes that get logged, but it is only an option. If the Putnam County copy editor accessed Facebook on a work computer just once, it would have taken Ailes only a minute to look up a time she accessed the site and see the password she entered.

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But Ailes terrorizing was not only easy to emulateit was more or less legal. Employment contracts often include a clause that says something like, By signing here, you acknowledge that your computer and internet usage will be monitored. Ifeoma Ajunwa, a legal scholar who is a leading expert on privacy in the workplace, tells me that it is an open question whether such a clause is even necessary for employers to be able to legally install and operate monitoring software on technology that the business owns. But if there is such a clause, all rights to privacy are abolished, and passwords are no exception. Companies have no obligation to elaborate on what that monitoring consists of, and it is common for workplace-surveillance-software makers to advertise that their products can be installed without anyone ever knowing they are there.

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Peoples personal lives always show up on their work computers.

So Ailes almost certainly got her password legally. What about when he used it to log in to her account and look through her messages? This is less clear. Ajunwa tells me that on the one hand, unauthorized access to the account would be illegal (and any shared access violates Facebooks terms of service), but on the other hand, workers often authorize their bosses to log in to their Facebook accounts. Bosses requesting or demanding the social media passwords of employees and job applicants has become common enough that the ACLU launched a campaign to get the practice outlawed, and a couple dozen states have done so. Ailes home state of New York, however, is not one of them. Ajunwa says that if the Putnam County News contract included a clause such as I acknowledge that my social media accounts will be monitored, a judge might accept that as authorization to log in.

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Right now, the law places essentially zero limitations on employers ability to gather sensitive information about their workers. Of course, once they have that sensitive information, there are innumerable laws mandating how they can use it, but that misses the point. No matter what the law says, when given the opportunity to abuse their power, many people take it. Employee-monitoring software creates countless opportunities for abuse, with a degree of secrecy that, in many cases, makes it inherently difficult for the wrongdoer to be caught.

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There are perfectly good reasons someone would buy this software, beyond megalomania, lechery, or even desire for profit. For instance, a company might turn to it because the law actually requires that businesses take proactive steps to making sure their employees do not misuse certain sorts of customer data, like patient information and credit card numbers. I talked to an executive of a 50-person health care company who bought the software for that purpose as well as a few tech contractors paid to implement it for various clients. While no one had horror stories comparable to the copy editors, I gathered two main lessons from the conversations. First, while people purchase the software for plenty of reasons, once it is there, they find other uses for it. Some tyrants are born; some tyrants are made. Second, peoples personal lives always show up on their work computers. They text their lovers. They Google problems that are on their mind. A surprising number send nudes.

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When a boss has a vested interest in that personal life, the combination of these two facts can be explosive: One contractor told me about a job where he installed Veriato on employees computers at 4 a.m. so a CEO could investigate intellectual property theft, only for the CEO to then discover that his son-in-law, who also worked for him, was coordinating meetups with his mistress through Yahoo Chess. If it had been another employee cheating, he probably would have ignored these intimate secrets. Or maybe not.

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If we have learned anything from all the revelations of what men like Roger Ailes have done, the degree of interest many bosses take in their employees private lives is downright criminal. Sexual harassment is a critical example of how this access to private information can be abused. It is no coincidence that the most prominent lawsuit about monitoring software in the legal literature has sexual undertones. In that case, a woman alleged that her supervisor made a creepy joke to her, in the process admitting that he had used the companys GPS tracking app to watch her location after work. She uninstalled it, and he fired her, according to the 2015 complaint.

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However, harassment is just one avenue for abuse among many, and it is a particularly easy one for workers to spot. The ability for employers to receive alerts whenever specific wordsany specific wordsare typed or even just appear on the screen is a power that has implications for everything from disability protections to organized labor. And in a market full of competitors, developers have little incentive to leave a feature outlittle incentive to make anything hard to do.

You can see this for yourself: A demo of Teramind is available here. For instance, Teramind lets employers receive alerts whenever people visit a website of a certain category, and the categories one can alert on include everything from canoeing to dermatology. Celebrity gossip. Job search. Resume writing. LGBTQ. Cancer. Depression. Abortion. Substance Abuse. Divorce support. Abuse support. AIDS/HIV. Islam. Pregnancy.

Of course, it is illegal to fire someone for being or trying to become pregnant. However, employers can walk right up to that line, with nothing to restrict them besides their own conscience and their fear of being caught. But would they be caught? Would anyone even suspect what had really happened? With almost no one noticing, our bosses have recently acquired a monstrous new power. Roger Ailes will not be the only monster to misuse it.
Pyongyang and Seoul retain an unarmed one for historical value. Military personnel controlled the complete withdrawal of weapons and troops, in addition to the demolition of some underground structures. From the conciliatory efforts a debate on the future status of US troops. Expert: "In the peace process, the interests of the great foreign powers are influential".

Seoul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Yesterday, the two Koreas conducted a joint inspection to verify the dismantling of 20 guard posts (GPs) inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). This is one of the latest initiatives undertaken by the two governments to further military, economic and political relations between the South and the North. Despite the steps forward in the pacification of the peninsula, analysts warn: the two Koreas must overcome the geopolitical obstacles caused by the great powers, struggling for their balance of strategic interests.

In the beginning, Seoul and Pyongyang had agreed to dismantle 11 outposts each; later they decided to keep one each, even if unarmed, in light of their historical value. In the morning, the South sent 11 teams, made up of seven people each, to check the northern watchtowers. The teams crossed the military demarcation line on newly built paths, which now link the posts of the two countries. The military personnel controlled the complete withdrawal of weapons and troops, in addition to the demolition of some underground structures. The North followed the same procedures in the afternoon.

The decommissioning of the outposts is part of a military agreement that the defense ministers of both Koreas signed after the third summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang, in September. The military agreement includes a series of measures to strengthen mutual trust and arms control measures, such as the disarmament of landmines in the Joint Security Area (JSA) of Panmunjom. Added to this is the creation of air, land and sea buffer zones to prevent accidental collisions.

The conciliatory efforts, in particular those of Seoul, have triggered a debate on the future status of US troops. Many, mostly liberals, argue that a peace regime, if shaped to replace the current armistice, could question the basis of the US military stamp on the peninsula. Reduced American influence in Korea could threaten Washington's pre-eminent position with respect to a range of regional allies and competitors: Japan on one side, China and Russia on the other.

According to observers, even Beijing fears that a peace process on the peninsula could bring its communist ally, the North, closer to the United States. For China, this could mean the disappearance of a crucial strategic buffer on the peninsula, which prevented American troops in the South from approaching its border. Nam Chang-hee, professor of international relations at the University of Inha, says: "It is a fact of life in international politics that the interests of the great powers influence the foreign policies of middle and smaller states - a reason for which a realistic political formula is needed ".
At the end of November, Gillian Brockell, a video editor at the Washington Post, posted a short note to Twitter: some sad personal news, she wrote. Her son, who she was in the process of delivering, had died. She was devastated by the stillbirth, but wrote eloquently about her hope for the future while acknowledging that she was currently in a period of grief.

Taking time to process deep personal tragedy is one of the most trying tasks of being human. It is also an action that is inherently at odds with social media. Not in the content we post, necessarilypeople like Brockell have bravely demonstrated that public platforms can be a place to share and connect over the bad stuff, too. But in the sense that the platforms themselves exist, ultimately, not to highlight and facilitate our social lives, but to profit off of them.

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They dont really have any concrete incentives to handle grief with care, and it shows. After posting about her stillborn son, Brockell continued to see ads for all manner of baby things. [L]et me tell you what social media is like when you finally come home from the hospital with the emptiest arms in the world, after youve spent days sobbing in bed, and pick up your phone for a couple minutes of distraction before the next wail, she wrote in a viral tweet Tuesday, also published in the Washington Post, addressed to tech companies. Its exactly, crushingly, the same as it was when your baby was still alive.

Platforms can seamlessly morph to serve up relevant ads that fit with good newsmaternity clothes, for example, populate the feed of a pregnant woman seemingly automatically, as they did for Brockell after she posted on Instagram about her #babybump and searched Google for baby-safe crib paint. But avoiding such ads after a miscarriage involves manual work. Rob Goldman, the VP of ads at Facebook, replied to Brockells tweets with instructions on how to turn off certain ad topics: Settings>Ad Preferences>Hide ad topics. (If you look, there are three options for topics you can mute: parenting, alcohol, and pets, hardly an exhaustive list.) Brockell replied that she had tried to figure this out earlier, but found it too confusing. But further, if she didnt have to take the time to toggle a setting for the company to know her happy news, why couldnt it apply that same algorithmic prowess to her tragedy? Thats why I was suggesting a keyword like stillborn triggering an ad break, she wrote.

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Brockell is not the only person to have gone through this wrenching experience. One writer advises having a friend or family member detox your devices after pregnancy or infant loss. Please remember to avoid Facebook on anniversaries of celebratory posts you made around it or delete them or something, because a year from now Facebook will make all the pain come back so hard, another user replied to Brockell on Twitter. (Its unclear who these gratingly cheerful year-in-reviews are supposed to serve, anywaythey seem more and more out of touch with what anyone actually lives through.)

The real problem is that theres no quick capitalistic incentive for Facebook to do the work of sorting ads or pictures for you. As one grieving woman told the Australian website Kidspot, Theres no money in miscarriages obviously. Empathetic replies to Brockells thread from people who teach mathematics and computer science, and Facebooks own VP of ads promising to consider ways to help people hide painful ads, suggest the only solution: using social media platforms to loudly pressure tech companies toward humanity.
Robert Gilpin, R.I.P. - The Washington Post : His greatest book was written in 1981, but the main theory in it is perhaps more trenchant now...
The tower, part of the Eurovea extension, is designed to be 168 metres high.

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Bratislava is scheduled to get a new landmark within a few years. The developer J&T Real Estate (JLRE) has obtained a development permit for the project of extending Eurovea on the Danube embankment. Included is the 168-metre high Eurovea Tower, the first building in Bratislava that meets the latest criteria for being called a skyscraper, i.e. higher than 150 metres. The residence tower will have 47 storeys and have almost more than 380 residential units. The project will add 84,000 square metres of retail premises to the existing ones in the first phase of Eurovea, the Hospodarske Noviny wrote.

The height of 168 metres is the result of detailed expert evaluation, said Daniela Strickova, spokesperson of JLRE. They took into consideration its location in the city zone, influence on the skyline and views of the city, as well as optimal technical and technological solutions.

But the planned height of the building has raised negative responses from the public as well as experts. The loudest critic is Dusan Pekar, the former mayor of the Ruzinov borough, in which the tower will be built. He has claimed that the tower is at odds with the Bratislava master plan.

The original study contained a 20-storey building, he pointed out. A large number of architects and urbanists share his opinion. But the project has already won the development permit and is waiting for a construction permit.

The height of buildings is not capped in Bratislava even though there is such a plan. The Bratislava city council has not yet passed regulation proposing capping future buildings to 111 metres, i.e. the height of the National Bank of Slovakia. Since the introduction of the draft, JLRT has built Panorama Towers, the highest residential buildings in Slovakia, on the Danube waterfront. They are 112 metres high.
He must leave the country within 48 hours.

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A Slovak military diplomat will have to leave Russia after being declared a persona non grata, the Russian news website Meduza reported on December 13.

The decision comes as a reaction to the earlier decision of Slovakia to expel a Russian diplomat in late November due to suspicions of espionage.

The Slovak diplomat will now have 48 hours to leave the country, said Maria Zakharova, spokesperson of Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as reported by the Russian news agency TASS.

Slovakias Foreign Affairs Ministry will not comment on the step, the TASR newswire reported.

Who was the expelled Russian?

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Read also: Slovakia has expelled Russian diplomat for espionage Read more

A Russian diplomat was expelled from Bratislava on November 22 and he also had to leave the country within 48 hours. He was conducting espionage activities against the interests of Slovakia and NATO, PM Peter Pellegrini explained.

The Russian worked as a diplomatic worker at the military institute of the Russian Embassy in Bratislava. The Dennik N daily identified him as Alexander Nikolaevich Vinogradov. The counter-intelligence unit had been monitoring him for some time due to his activities, which were not in compliance with his diplomatic profession, according to the daily.

Russia called the Slovak decision an enemy action and announced reciprocal measures.
He learned of the plan and turned himself in to police

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The National Criminal Agency (NAKA) suspects Norbert Bodor, the Nitra-based businessman and son of the owner of the Bonul security company, in connection with the murder of Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova, the Dennik N daily reported on December 13.

The prosecutor of the Special Prosecutors Office issued an order for his arrest to interrogate him in the case. Bodor found out and came on his own to the police, saying that he is ready to cooperate with the law enforcement bodies, according to the daily.

Both the police and the prosecutor were surprised, questioning how he learned about the planned detention. They agreed with Bodor on the interrogation, so he was not arrested.

Relationship with Kocner

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Read also: Not only Peter Toth spied on journalists for Kocner Read more

Suspicions against Bodor suggest that he was somehow involved in monitoring several Slovak journalists, ordered by controversial businessman Marian Kocner one year before Kuciaks murder. The monitoring was conducted by Peter Toth, former head of counter-intelligence unit of the Slovak Information Service (SIS) intelligence agency. He is currently collaborating with the police as a secret witness, Dennik N wrote.

Bodor admitted to the daily that he came to the police on his own but not based on the information from the investigation team about his arrest. He does not consider it to be non-standard. Bodor said that he is ready to cooperate with the police and the suspicions that he could have something to do with the murder bothers him.

He does not know anything about Kuciaks murder or the monitoring of other journalists, he claimed. He did not want to say anything about his relationship with Kocner. Kocners car was parked in front of the Zlaty Klucik (Golden Key) hotel in Nitra several weeks after the murder of Kuciak and Kusnirova, Dennik N wrote.

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Read also: Security company Bonul competed with itself Read more

Bodor is a relative of former police corps president Tibor Gaspar. His security company Bonul won several lucrative state administration contracts during the government of Robert Fico and Smer.

Kuciak also wrote about these links before he was murdered.

Angry police corps president

Dennik N published the information about Bodor only one day after Interior Minister Denisa Sakova claimed that there is no connection between the businessman and the police.

Police Corps President Milan Lucansky told Dennik N that the information leakage makes him angry.

My role is to ensure secure the team, not the investigation, thats why I dont know about this information myself, Lucansky said, as quoted by Dennik N. Im angry and disappointed that such crucial information leaks out despite the taken measures.

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Read also: Police fail to deal with information leaks in Kuciak case Read more

The police corps president said that he would propose to the head of NAKA and the head of team, Peter Juhas, to consider changes in the team, keeping in mind the minimum amount of people working only to solve the journalists murder.

The prosecutor did not comment on the information leak. Daniel Lipsic, attorney of Jan Kuciaks family, does not have any information about suspicions toward Bodor, and neither does Roman Kvasnica, attorney of Zlatica Kusnirova.
Opekance, bobalky and pupacky are the same thing. But what is it?

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It is Christmas Eve, and Slovak families are finishing off their preparations for the most important day of Christmas. It is also a time when the carp becomes part of some Slovak families.



Canadian Naomi Huzovicova, who has lived in Slovakia for several years now, unveils what traditional meals her family prepares on the December 24 evening.



As Slovaks are superstitious, they start their supper with apples, garlic, or Christmas wafers with honey. What else should you know about Slovak Christmas? They may get literally very sweet as you learn from the episode.

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The Supreme Court, which challenged the provisions, acted based on a case from 2013.

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Some provisions in the law governing the residence of foreigners and on asylum are at odds with the Slovak Constitution and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.

This was the ruling issued by the Constitutional Court during its December 12 closed session, the TASR newswire reported.

It concerns the provision, according to which a police unit can reject the application of a foreigner for permanent or temporary residence or decide on administrative expulsion due to a security interest of Slovakia. Another provision concerns the Interior Ministrys decision not to grant asylum or deprive it.

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Read also: FAQ: Non-EU citizens - dealing with immigration authorities Read more

The law requires this procedure if there is a suspicion that a non-EU citizen could endanger the countrys security during their stay, as reported by TASR.

The respective provisions were challenged by the Supreme Court back in 2016. The senate claimed that a principle of equality before the law and the right of the proceeding parties to a fair trial have been violated.

In the Supreme Court senates opinion, making the reasons on which the public administration body bases its decision inaccessible strips a participant in court proceedings of the opportunity to comment on all the evidence, reads the motion, as quoted by TASR.

In the courts opinion, during an administrative or a review proceeding the current laws create conditions that are more unfavourable for non-EU citizens than for the public administration bodies.

Reference to older case

The Supreme Court based its motion on a specific case from 2013 when the Foreigners Police department rejected an application of a foreigner for permanent residence. The regional court dismissed the complaint submitted by the foreigner and confirmed the decision.

When reviewing the regional court ruling, the Supreme Court found facts that raise some concerns over the constitutionality and the compliance of the provisions with the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, TASR reported.
The country supports the extension of sanctions due to the conflict in the Sea of Azov.

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Slovakia will support the extension of the economic sanctions against Russia adopted on December 13 at the European Council meeting in connection with the current conflict in the Sea of Azov. Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini said before the discussion that Slovakia will not go against the sanctions.

Though we maintain a reserved attitude to the efficiency and impact of sanctions which, it seems, do not have the desired effect, Slovakia will not divert from a unified line and will fully respect and be part of the EU 27 decision as it is to be proposed, Pellegrini said, as quoted by the TASR newswire.

Similar results resulted from the December 13 coordination meeting of the Visegrad Group (V4) countries that took place before the summit.

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Read also: PM: Slovakia is ready to respond to situation in Ukraine Read more

Apart from the current conflict between the Ukraine and Russia, EU leaders will discuss Brexit and other foreign policy topics at the two-day summit. They will also deal with the preparations for the February summit between the EU and the Arab League, to be held on February 24 and 25.

In addition, they will also discuss economic topics, including the completion of a single EU market, as well as climate change, migration, disinformation and the fight against racism and xenophobia.

The summit will end with the eurozone meeting, TASR reported.
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Journeyman trainer and driver Gerald T. Gerry Kazmaier, originally of Far Hills, N.J., passed away while at his home in Pompano Beach, Fla. on the night of Tuesday, December 4. He was 75.

An alumnus of Bernardsville (N.J.) High School, Kazmaier began his driving career at Saratoga in the early 1960s and was hired by leading Canadian trainer Roger Lareau soon after to drive for his stable. He went on to enjoy success all across North America through a career which spanned thousands of miles and six decades.

He won the first race ever contested at Phoenix (Ariz.) Trotting Park in 1965, and over a thousand others as a driver in his career up to his retirement in 2013. His best season in the bike was 1999, when he won 75 races and earned nearly $300,000 in purses while competing exclusively on the California circuit.

Kazmaier notably drove Ru Girl in her California Sires Stakes starts at two, three and four, and the pair teamed up for 11 wins over stakes company in the Golden State. Additionally, Kazmaier earned track records at Cal Expo, Los Alamitos, Hazel Park, Centennial Park and Fraser Downs through the course of his career, many with his own trainees.

His homebred Summer Fashion won the 1994 Surrey Cup at Cloverdale Raceway (now Fraser Downs) in British Columbia, and his trotter Cellebrity Force still holds a 1:57 track record for three-year-old trotting geldings at Cal Expo, which he took in 2005.

While much of his success came in the western half of the continent, Kazmaier captured a training and driving title at Freehold Raceway in the 1980s, which snapped Herve Filion's 10-year streak atop the driver standings.

Kazmaier, who was preceded in death by his parents and brother Martin, is survived by his longtime partner Ron Goldman, his brothers Daniel and Richard, and many nieces and nephews.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the friends and family of Gerry Kazmaier.

(USTA)
I wanted to own the business world at one point in my life.

I had dreams of high finance. Exhausting international travel, working all-night with counsel on negotiations, and last minute deals for hundreds of millions of dollars.

We would finally agree to a deal, and our stock price would go crazy. I would loosen my tie in a hotel lobby in Zurich or Dubai and look forward to my December bonus.

The team would fly all night back to New York on the company jet.

To be honest, I have no idea what I was thinking. That sounds awful now. I think I was just young and naive.

Traveling, without my entire family, has zero appeal to me.

And who wants to need to woo an investor?

Reading a book at home with the coffee pot and fire going sounds infinitely better.

The email connection usually kicked off an introductory phone call between me and the investor. If that call went well, theyd ask when I would next be in the Valley, a.k.a. Silicon Valley. My 2009 fundraising attempt dictated no fewer than four separate trips to that valley, most with four or more separate meetings spread over a few days. Im most comfortable eating homemade cookies and watching the Die Hard canon while my wife shouts advice to the characters on-screen. This was not my world.

-Rand Fishkin, Lost And Founder
While Turkey prepares for a possible assault on the eastern banks of the Euphrates, Russia and the regime are becoming impatient about the status of Idleb writes Al-Modon.

Ankara is facing a new challenge in the Syrian war, which has manifested in a new dead end: Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Idleb. If confrontations occur between the group and regime forces, then the Syrian regime could carry out broad scale operations in Idleb. Damascus and Tehran are waiting for this eagerly. However, this sort of broad scale operation could create a new influx of refugees towards Turkey. If this influx occurs, then the ruling Justice and Development Party will be faced with another challenge, potentially losing some votes in Marchs local elections. This could in turn lead to more political changes in Turkey.

There is no doubt that Ankaras priority is to prevent pockets of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is backed by the US in Syria. For Ankara, the Peoples Protection Units (YPG)the US ally in Syriais just an extension of the PKK, which has waged war against Turkey for decades. Ankara believes that this pocket is nothing less than an existential threat.

Recently, Ankara has increased the tenor of its threats to militarily intervene on the eastern banks of the Euphrates River, where the YPG controls about a third of Syrias energy resources.

If Ankara has not yet fulfilled its military promises, the reason for that is not just the American protection there. Carrying out this military action would also require Russias approval. However, for Moscow, the priority is without a doubt Idleb. President Vladimir Putin wants a final political settlement for Syria as soon as possible, and not a new military conflict that will delay this deal.

Despite that, the situation in Idleb is making the Russians impatient. Moscow, along with its ally Iran and the regime, wants full control over the area, to clear it of rebels, especially the groups they describe as having radical mentalitiesand specifically Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. However it also knows that if it launches a military operation in Idleb, the cost could be larger than it calculates. Civilian deaths and a projected influx of refugees could anger Europe. Victory is also not guaranteed.

For this reason, Russia has decided to give Turkey a chance, which is the reason for the Sochi agreement that was signed between Putin and Erdogan. They agreed to set up a demilitarized zone that measures 15 to 20 km around the city of Idleb, and that radical groups, including Tahrir al-Sham, would withdraw from by Oct. 20 2018. However, since that date, the Russians have complained that the extremists are still in the demilitarized zone.

If Ankaras first priority was to prevent the PKK-linked entity in Syria, the second priority is to establish and expand the pockets retained by the rebels in order to create a sort of stability in these areas, especially Idleb, and to make the rebels there into an entity with international legitimacy. In this sort of scenario, Tahrir al-Sham has no place, because it will win no legitimacy in the eyes of many because of its connection with al-Qaeda, despite its denials.

Tahrir al-Sham is trying to take control of some territory from other rebel groups in Idleb, and is trying to increase its grip over the M5 and M4 highway, which is the lifeline between Aleppo and Lattakia. However, the Sochi deal suggests that these two roads should be open to all until the end of the year, and the responsibility of that falls on Turkeys shoulders.

So far, Ankara has tried to divide Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rather than confront them directly. It achieved partial success, by backing competing groups. Can these tactics be implemented on the eastern bank of the Euphrates as well? Ankara may now need to consider this during the thorny time its gained in Idleb.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
The sustainability of education for displaced Syrian children is threatened, as donors hesitate to predict how much longer refugees will remain in host countries writes Al-Araby al-Jadeed

As the war in Syria continues, with fighting in the countryside of Hama and Idlib and in the province of Deir az-Zour, political and financial elites circle the remains of Syria.

The outcomes of their negotiations will go a long way in shaping the future of the country. But amid the talks of political settlements and reconstruction, humanitarian concerns, such as the future of a generation of Syrian children, are often put on the backbench.

In Syria at least 2.8 million children under the age of six have known nothing but war. Living under constant fear of bombardment and violence, many children in Syria are reported to live in a state of toxic stress, a state that if left untreated can irreparably damage a childs cognitive development. Many children have plunged into depression or anger, and self-harm, suicide, and acts of violence are on the rise.

Where these children have had the opportunity to access psychosocial support, results have been impressive, says a 2017 report by Save the Children, one of the most up-to-date accounts on the situation of children in Syria. But in besieged areas under heavy bombardment, such professional support is rarely available.

Data on the current educational opportunities in Syria speak for themselves. 1.7 million children inside Syria have stopped going to school and over a third of all schools have been bombed or taken over by militias as headquarters or prisons.

At the same time, 180,000 educational personal have fled the country and the UNHCR has received only 55 percent of the expected funding it needed to support Syrian childrens access to education in 2018.

In such circumstances, widespread lack of security and poverty are pushing parents to send their children into early marriage and labour.

The rate of marriage of girls as young as 11 has increased since the start of the war. This is not just a product of poverty: fear of rape, an unspoken ghost that follows all Syrian women, is one of the biggest reasons. Families believe their daughters will be protected from sexual violence if they get married, a spokesperson and activist for WomenNow in Idlib explained to The New Arab.

Often lacking better prospects, many children have turned toward the local militias, the only groups who can still provide a steady income in return for participation in military activities.

Randa, a Syrian activist from Deir az-Zour who spent the last two years in Idlib before fleeing to Lebanon, told The New Arab how common it was to find 14 or 15-year-old boys at checkpoints in rebel-held areas.

Thats where most young soldiers are placed. When they walk around the car you can see their face, and some still dont even have a beard!

Living in Deir az-Zour during the Islamic State [IS] groups initial occupation, Randa told us how easy it was for militias to recruit minors.

They targeted young males from the uneducated population, especially from the rif, the countryside. They could control them easily, giving about $50 salary, a uniform and a gun after a quick training on how to use it.

They used the youngest boys as informers, getting the children to spy on their own families often just in exchange for a hot meal and some cash.

In a context of widespread violence, joining a militia can also be a way of finding a place and a meaning to ones life.

Daesh [IS] doesnt just pay wages. They also teach that if they get killed fighting jihad they will go to heaven. The boys get brainwashed in justifying the violence they perpetrate for some higher purpose. Not even their parents can stop them from believing what they have been taught, because violence is all they know, is all they remember knowing.

As the Syrian regime and its allies continue to fight extremism with indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas, they perpetuate a vicious circle that recreates the conditions for the recruitment of the most marginalised.

Perhaps, as Randa explains, If more effort was given on supporting children to find stability and the possibility of a future, extremists would have a harder time recruiting in Syria.

For those children who fled Syria, the situation is perhaps a little brighter. Being relatively removed from the conflict zones, refugee children in Syrias neighbouring countries are relieved from the direct effects and psychological traumas of war.

Nonetheless, the precarious conditions most Syrian refugee children live in daily, place them at a high risk of exploitation and abuse. Child labour and child marriage are prevalent in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, the three bordering countries hosting most Syrian refugees. To face such problems, each host country has come up with its own ways of supporting Syrian children.

In Lebanon, all Syrian children are given the opportunity to go to school with no fees and no need to produce any ID, in a second shift system whereby Lebanese children attend school in the morning and Syrians go to the same schools in the afternoon.

Similarly to other aid programmes in Turkey and Jordan, such a service has been mostly funded by international donors, the EU especially. Moreover, there are many organisations  international and local  working to change the odds and ensure that Syrian children get the minimal educational support they need.

For children aged four to 12-year-old, this has proved relatively successful, getting about 220,000 children into school  nearly half of the Syrian children in that age bracket. This means that for Lebanons underfunded public-school system, there are now more non-Lebanese nationals (Syrian, Palestinian and Iraqi refugees) than there are Lebanese.

When looking at secondary level education, however, the picture changes dramatically. Only three percent of non-Lebanese nationals in secondary school age (13-18) enrolled in public schools last year.

This comes as the consequence of widespread poverty among the refugee population, driving families to send their children to work or get married at that age. However, disincentives generated by unfavourable socio-economic conditions are not the only reasons keeping Syrian children out of school.

In January 2015, Lebanon changed its laws related to the permanence of Syrian nationals on its territory. The law obliges all Syrians above 15 years of age to pay an annual residency fee of $200, to possess a valid ID, a legal entry permit, a confirmation of place of residence and, for those not registered with the UNHCR, a Lebanese sponsor. Such money and documents are not accessible to most, affecting childrens accessibility to secondary education.

This article is the third in a six-part series investigating the issues of return of Syrian refugees from Lebanon.

However, there are people who fight against all odds to keep Syrian children at school. Mustafa H is one of them. Arriving to Lebanon in 2012 as a young Syrian teacher from Damascus, Mustafa now heads three Syrian schools in Tripoli.

I used to teach people who later fought against each other in Syria. But I refuse to fight violence with violence. It makes sense to me that the future of Syria is with our children, so right now, the most important way I can fight for my country is to run these schools and make sure children receive an education.

Mustafas job is not easy. Balancing his own personal hardships as a refugee with precarious status, he established the first school in 2015 with around 300 children. Three years later he directs three schools with over 3,000 children from the surrounding neighbourhoods, including Palestinian and Lebanese children.

My first problem is with big international NGOs and the UN. There have been billions of dollars poured into the Lebanese education system from abroad, but of all this money only a part goes to supporting the children. The rest disappears.

Mustafas critique is not unfounded. A Human Rights Watch report issued last year confirms that lack of transparency is endemic when it comes to accounting for donors money arriving to Lebanon to support refugees education, resulting in the loss of millions.

Unfortunately, what is left often goes to paying high salaries and providing tokenistic education. For example, when I started working in Lebanon, my first role was to evaluate a special fast-track programme teaching French to Syrian children needing to catch up with Lebanons francophone school programme. I couldnt believe it, but after six months the kids had only learned how to count up to 10.

At my schools we rely mostly on donations coming from the Gulf, but these come only with certain conditions, which often clash with the secular education I guarantee in my schools. So, I do not know for how much longer they will continue funding us.

As regional policy shifts toward preparing the pathway for the return of Syrian refugees, the sustainability of education is threatened, as donors hesitate to predict for how much longer refugees will remain in host countries.

For Mustafa, sustainability is key as he works to ensure that all kids get their school certificates officially recognised.

It is hard to make sure all the children get an official certificate for their work. I have 100 children who could access secondary school next year, but they cannot go without official certificate.

For half of these children, who studied the Lebanese curriculum, the Lebanese Ministry of Education has agreed to grant the certificates. For the other half, who studied the Syrian curriculum, formal recognition remains uncertain.

Despite all of this, Syrians are showing their resilience both at home and abroad. Many families challenge the daily fear of sending their kids to school, whether in a war zone or in a refugee camp abroad.

Education in Syria was a right, and as such it was provided to everyone for free, Mustafa concludes.

This conflict has taken everything from us. But we need to give a chance to these children before they turn into a lost generation.

Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Optical cables were disconnected on Tuesday evening reports SANA.

On Wednesday morning, land communications and internet services were restored to Daraa city, after repairs were finished to the optical cable connecting the cities of Daraa and Damascus.

Director of Syrian Telecoms branch in Daraa, Ahmad al-Hariri, told SANA that the companys engineers commenced work to repair the cable feeding Daraa city after it was cut off on Tuesday evening.

This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
We listen to local police and fire departments scanner traffic, but sometimes miss crimes, wrecks, fires or other incidents, especially if they happen overnight. If you know of something were not covering yet, please let Managing Editor Jeff Pownall know by emailing him at jpownall@lufkindailynews.com, or submit a news tip online by visiting lufkindailynews.com/tips.
The US plan to train 40,000 locals in northeastern Syria, has caused concern and anger within Turkey reports Anadolu Agency.

Turkey is skeptical about a US plan to train around 40,000 locals in northeastern Syria, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK) spokesman said Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters in the capital Ankara, Omer Celik expressed concern over a reported US plan to train 35,000 to 40,000 people in northeastern Syria.

We do not see these actions as well-intentioned.

He added that the move will be seen by Turkey as lending fresh support to terror elements in Syria.

Last week, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of the US Army, General Joseph Dunford, announced that the US-led coalition is planning to train 35,000 to 40,000 locals to stabilize the northeastern part of Syria by defeating the Islamic State (ISIS).

Turkey has repeatedly objected to US support for the terrorist YPG/PKK in Syria, which Washington considers a reliable ally in the fight against ISIS.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the EU, has been responsible for the death of some 40,000 people, including women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.

Turkish and US troops began joint patrols in Manbij on Nov. 1, 2018, as part of an agreement that focuses on the withdrawal of YPG/PKK terrorists from the city to stabilize the region.

This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
The conditions for the 55,000 residents of the al-Rukban camp are dire and the loss of water is adding to their troubles reports Al-Araby al-Jadeed.

Thousands of displaced Syrians in the al-Rukban desert camp are suffering for a fourth day in a row from a lack of drinking water, with the living and health conditions inside the camp deteriorating, and fears that there will be new victims because of Jordan now not receiving patients in its hospitals.

A media official in the civil administration of the al-Rukban camp, Omar al-Homsi, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that, There has been contact with the Better World foundation, who operate water wells in the camp, and the response was that the lack of the water was due to an outage at the pumps, and that it would be fixed today.

Homsi said, The displaced people in the camp are accustomed to rationing water. The displaced people are also working to store up water in anticipation of similar situations, especially given that the wells that supply the camp are about 10 kilometers into Syrian territory. So far, the displaced people of the camp have not resorted to alternative sources of water, while the water of the wells that is available, is not fit to drink.

A member of the Palmyra city coordination council, Khalid Bahaeddin told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, There is a water well in an area called al-Dakaka, which is about 30 kilometers from the camp. Local and international organizations have previously promised to operate it, but this hasnt been done. He noted that, This isnt the first time the pumps at the al-Rukban camp have failed. Sometimes the water will be cut off from the camp as a form of pressure on the residents, to encourage them to accept settlements with the regime.

Bahaeddin added, We worked last year to set up water tanks in the camp for emergency situations, but they collapsed during a storm. This year, work began again on two tanks, but they arent enough for the 55,000 residents.

Obtaining drinking water is a real burden for displaced people because of the lack of a network connecting the wells with the distribution points in the camp. Displaced woman Samya Umm Amar told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that, The displaced people are enduring daily suffering to obtain water, as everyday they have to go to the border with Jordan to obtain water from the taps there, and this is difficult.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
The UN has expressed their gratitude to the nations hosting refugees and has said that they will be providing help to lessen the burden writes Alsouria Net.

The United Nations said that about one million Syrian children had been born in neighboring countries, to which they have fled, since the beginning of the humanitarian crisis in Syria, adding that it had adopted a plan to support national efforts for the host countries of these children, of which Turkey hosts the largest number.

The Director of the UNHCRs division for Iraq and Syria, Amin Awad, said that there were about one million Syrian children who had been born in recent years in neighboring countries.

He added, in a statement to the United Nations news portal, late on Tuesday that the highest portion of them are in Turkey, and then Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq, without adding more details.

He called for global support for Syrian children in neighboring countries, saying that the international community must consider these children and what they require. He added that the United Nations was now directing efforts to support neighboring countries.

He said, It is critical that the international community continues to recognize the plight of Syrian refugees and provide vital support to host governments and Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan partners to help shoulder this massive burden, while waiting for the voluntary return of refugees in safety and dignity.

According to a UN news source, the agency has appreciated the generous role of neighboring countries in hosting a large number of refugees since the start of the crisis, and the provision of asylum and protection, making public services available to refugees, and enabling a large number of them to participate in the local economy, despite the impacts on their own development path.

The United Nations stressed that dealing with this huge number of refugees was still a challenge, especially given that there were more than 5.6 million refugees currently registered across the region.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
But arent these migrants seeking asylum because their lives are in danger? Does this mean their lives are worth $50,000 ?

This is extortion.

And chutzpah.

Via Fox News.

Two groups of Central American migrants marched to the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana on Tuesday with a list of demands, with one group delivering an ultimatum to the Trump administration: either let them in the U.S. or pay them $50,000 each to go home, a report said.

Among other demands were that deportations be halted and that asylum seekers be processed faster and in greater numbers, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

The first group of caravan members, which included about 100 migrants, arrived at the consulate around 11 a.m. Alfonso Guerreo Ulloa, an organizer from Honduras, said the $50,000 figure was chosen as a group.

It may seem like a lot of money to you, Ulloa told the paper. But it is a small sum compared to everything the United States has stolen from Honduras.

He said the money would allow the migrants to return home and start a small business.

A lot of people are leaving because there is no solution here, said Douglas Matute, 38, of Tijuana. We thought they would let us in. But Trump sent the military instead of social workers.
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43 minutes ago

Liz Weston: How to maximize your health span

Were living longer on average, but the number of years were healthy hasnt kept up. This lagging health span  translates into more time living with serious illness and disabilities at the end of our lives. This can have significant repercussions for our retirements.

Read Article
The Trade Department plans to make the Philippines a vehicle production hub and an exporter in Southeast Asia. Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez broached the topic in a recent meeting with Mitsubishi Motors Corp. chairman and chief executive Osamu Masuko with the hope of encouraging vehicle manufacturers to export vehicles made from the Philippines. The Trade Department asked Mitsubishi to start producing car models that could be exported. The intention is to produce specific models that will be exported to our neighbors in Asean. The good thing here is, as Mitsubishi is already present in other Asean countries like Thailand and Indonesia, they are planning to make certain countries as production hub for certain models, which will serve their respective domestic and export markets, Lopez said. The car company is preparing to tap a larger market for the countrys manufacturing base and help address the widening trade deficit. Mitsubishi manufactures the Mirage G4 under the governments Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy program. The program aims to attract investments, stimulate demand, develop a vibrant local auto parts supplier base and implement industry regulations to revitalize the countrys automotive industry and turn it into a regional automotive manufacturing hub.Masuko disclosed a company strategy to produce more units of Mirage G4 and L300 in the Philippines and to start exporting them to other Asean countries by 2019. He said the intention was to collaborate with the Philippine government to develop the electric vehicle industry. We keep saying that building an export manufacturing base is the way to go. It is also a good import substitution strategy. Through this initiative, we will address the trade imbalance and provide more jobs to our countrymen, Lopez said. Othel V. Campos MMC invested P5.74 billion to level-up local production. Mitsubishi is the second biggest automotive player in the Philippines with a market share of 19 percent as of November.
Romania hopes to adopt the euro "by 2024" and wants to use its forthcoming EU presidency to reduce tensions between the bloc's eastern and western members, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said Wednesday.

"Our aim is for Romania to adopt the euro by 2024," Dancila told parliament, less than three weeks before Romania takes up the EU's rotating president for the first time on 1 January.

Romania joined the EU in 2007 and had intially hoped to join the monetary union in 2019.

However, it recognised in 2015 that it would not meet the currency's convergence criteria in time, and since then had not set a new one.

Romania is the EU's second poorest country but has one of the bloc's highest GDP growth rates, standing at 6.9 percent in 2017.

Dancila said that Romania would try to use its time at the head of the bloc to help "remove the dividing lines and imbalances" within it.

"We will have to overcome attitudes along the lines of 'old members versus new members' or 'West against East'," she said.

Romania's presidency would aim at "ensuring equal opportunities and advantages for all" so that "there are no more first- and second-class citizens," she added.

Last month the European Commission adopted a highly critical report on the judicial reforms brought forward by Romania's left-leaning government.

According to Brussels, the measures risk undermining the independence of judges and prosecutors.

Along with neighbouring Bulgaria, since joining the EU Romania has been under special monitoring targeting the judicial system and the fight against corruption, where progress has been slow.

Dancila once again criticised this monitoring mechanism, which Bucharest has branded discriminatory.

"Romania wishes to enjoy respect and equal rights within the Union," she said.
Federalists and their allies nationwide were elated due to the approval (on 3rd and final reading) of Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) 15 which seeks to shift the Philippines to a federal form of government. This was the reaction of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas Secretary General Thompson Lantion Thursday in an official statement of the newly Comelec-accredited national political party. We are all elated because the crucial discussion on the issue of federalism in the Philippines is now on the move. It is imperative that real efforts are being made to define as to what kind, form, or version of federalism does our country urgently needs to adapt based on the current problems and miseries that our people are now facing, Lantion said. In the end, it is actually the entire Filipino nation that will decide on which type is best for all of us. What is important is that the critical discussions on federalism has now begun, he added. Lawmakers voted 224-22-3 for RBH 15 last Tuesday and gave their approval after 3 days only of plenary sessions and debates.RBH 15 must be approved by a majority of the votes cast in a plebiscite however Congress must draft the organic law that will create the actual federal state (of the Philippines). Despite the said resolution has been getting strong oppositions for its controversial provisions, its supporters and advocates remain positive that it can be the answer to our nations woes. The Philippines is a rich and blessed country in terms of natural and human resources. Why is it then that majority of our people remains to be miserable and suffering in poverty? Does the distribution of wealth or government resources, among our people, in a way related to this problem? Lantion asked.
Members of environmentalist group Ecowaste Coalition again trooped to the Korean Embassy in Taguig City Thursday, this time by holding a Christmas caroling, restating their demand to bring the smuggled tons of garbage now dumped in Mindanao back to South Korea. Dubbed as the Keep Your Promise caroling, the group together with running priest Father Robert Reyes and Buklod Tao, gathered at the embassy gates to restate their demand to get the Korean garbage. Last month, Ecowaste gathered at the embassy and submitted a letter to Ambassador Han Dong-man urging his government to act decisively to ensure the speedy return of the garbage shipment which are sitting at the Mindanao International Container Terminal in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental, and at a warehouse in Cagayan de Oro City. The South Korean government had earlier confirmed through a press release issued on Nov. 21, 2018 by its Embassy that it would take measures to have the wastes in question be brought back to Korea as soon as possible, stressing that relevant authorities of Korea will have the wastes repatriated and properly disposed [of] and work to prevent recurrence of the problem. We are here to implore the Korean government to honor its promise and ensure that the illegal hazardous waste shipments weighing 6,500 metric tons are removed from our land. As the customs authorities have already issued a Re-Exportation Order and confirmed that the garbage is now ready for pick-up, we hope the re-shipment will be done at once before Christmas, said Ecowaste coordinator Aileen Lucero. With the resources at the command of the shipper and the Korean government, we see no justifiable excuse for the delay. The re-export of the garbage consignments will be the best Christmas gift ever that we can ask for from South Korea, she added.Father Reyes, for his part, said: The Korean dumping incident, I hope, will be resolved before Christmas and will not suffer the same fate as the infamous Canadian garbage imports. We will keep our fingers crossed that this stinking scandal will be over soon and will not occur again. To drive their message home, the protestors sang a modified version of Sa Maybahay ang Aming Bati, a favorite song that children sing when they go caroling. The songs last stanza says: Ang sanhi po ng pagparito, ipaalala inyong pangako. Kung sakaling kamiy perwisyo, pasensiya na kayo kamiy apurado. They also brought a dummy trash-filled boat with ribbon and bow resembling a gift. The side of the boat is marked Rush: Return to Korea. The protestors also held blown up photos of the illegal Korean garbage imports that were taken by the group during a field visit conducted on Dec. 11 at the PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental.
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Con giong bot, a traditional powder figurine from northern Vietnam, is making a comeback thanks to a dedicated team hoping to use their passion and expertise to revive the nearly extinct art form.

Con giong bot artists mix tapioca starch and glutinous rice flour to create a doughy medium used to craft toy animals painted with colors extracted from flowers, leaves, or spiny bitter gourds.

Traditionally, there are two types of powder figurine historically linked in to Vietnam.

Con giong Dong Xuan figure were mainly made by Vietnamese women in their idle time during the Full Moon Festival.

The common figures in this style were animals, such as buffalos, horses, goats, dogs, chickens, pigs, and gold fish. Fruits were also a common design for Con giong Dong Xuan makers.

Con giong Pho Khach artists tended to design their figurines using a more sophisticated and delicate style of modeling.

Figurines in this style often took the form of the four sacred animals in Asia  dragons, lions, turtles, phoenixs  or feng shui animals like the Jin Chan (Money Toad), the five tigers, or the lion head.

Figurines of the twelve Zodiac animals

A journey of restoration

Though traditional Con giong bot is all but extinct, artists Trinh Bach, Dang Van Hau and Pham Nguyet Anh are leading the crusade to bring back this small piece of their countrys culture.

Each member of the crew brings their own unique set of skills to the table.

Dang Van Hau is a young artisan with skills and potential.

Pham Nguyet Anh, at over 70 years old, holds the secret to making the powder figurine.

Team leader Trinh Bachs knowledge of the history and origin of the powder toy is likely unmatched by anyone alive.

Even with their combined set of skills, the group faces an interesting set of challenges.

Phien, Bach and Hau (left to right) met up in October 2018 to discuss a figurine model. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Dang Van Hau has been making to he (pronounced TOH HEH), a similar type of powder figurine that is edible and still quite popular today, for quite some time, but says con giong bot is a whole different game.

Hau learned from Pham Nguyet Anh that technically it takes a set of more than ten tools and a whole lot of skill to design the perfect traditional powder toy.

Relying on Bachs knowledge and research, Haus craftsmanship, and Anhs expertise, the team can now reproduce con giong bot in both the Dong Xuan and Pho Khach styles.

Their set of the four sacred Asian animals now retails for VND600,000 (US$25.75)

Pham Nguyet Anh with some of her typical Dong Xuan powder figurines. Photo: Trinh Bach

Meticulous work

Part of the teams success in bringing these toys back to life is their attention to detail.

It took me a whole afternoon just to make one pig figurine, Hau said.

The pig shouldnt be too real or too rough. It has to be chubby, innocent, and most importantly, soulful.

Similarly, a dragon figurine for the average person can only have four claws, according to Bach, explaining that five-clawed dragons were reserved exclusively for the royal family.

Making whiskers can also be a challenge.

The eldest member of the team, Anh, uses feathers meticulously plucked from only certain areas of the chicken and dyes them black before sticking them onto mouse figurines.

Feathers for the tail of a phoenix must be taken from the tail feathers of ga tre, a small-sized native Vietnamese chicken which can only be found in small section of the chicken feather duster market on Trieu Khuc Street in Hanoi.

Different models of con giong bot

The team also hopes to revive different models of con giong bot that are no longer made today.

In October, Bach and Hau gathered together with the latters uncle, Phien, who is also known as an excellent to he artist.

The three spent time studying an old model featuring a flagged boat carrying four dancing Vietnamese women in traditional four-part dresses.

They called the model Tu phu and believe it was meant to be a festival offering first designed in the beginning of the 20th century in Phu Xuyen District, Hanoi.

Passion and devotion

Trinh Bach has a true passion for Vietnamese traditional culture.

He gave up his artistic career as a guitarist in the US and returned to Vietnam to reproduce traditional Vietnamese royal art, including ceramics, wood craft, and clothing.

Besides con giong bot, he has also helped to revive other lost traditional handicrafts such as the star-shaped Bao Dap lanterns of Nam Dinh province.

Dang Van Hau was born in a to he making village and began learning the art at a young age from his grandfather, Dang Xuan Ha.
Vietnam officially recognized December 12 as its annual Day of Pho at the second gala celebration of the day in Hanoi on Wednesday.

Day of Pho (also called Pho Day) is an event held by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper in celebration of the iconic Vietnamese dish now winning over the hearts and stomachs of foodies worldwide.

Following the inaugural event in Ho Chi Minh City in 2017, this years Pho Day was organized at AEON MALL Long Bien in Hanoi, the widely accepted birthplace of pho.

At Wednesdays gala, Phan Ngan Son, deputy director of the National Office of Intellectual property, presented Tuoi Tre editor-in-chief Le The Chu with an exclusive authorization certificate of Day of Pho, officially marking the day as national event.

The Gala also hosted an awards ceremony for two contests held in conjunction with this years event - one focused on contributions toward the development of Day of Pho while the other was a writing competition titled Ky uc ve Pho (Memories of Pho) organized by Tuoi Tre.

Prior to the gala, the second Day of Pho was successfully held in Hanoi on Wednesday, attracting a number of visitors, despite cold weather and light rain.

The event also hosted several special guests, including Palestinian Ambassador to Vietnam Saadi Salama, Miss Vietnam World 2010 Diem Huong, and general director of Acecook Vietnam Kajiwara Junichi.

Before Tuoi Tre, Japan had pioneered the idea of honoring Vietnams national dish by holding its own Day of Pho on April 4 annually since 2017.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
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A Vietnamese expat in South Korea is trekking her way up the leader board of an annual contest whose top prize is a trip to the North Pole alongside a crew of like-minded adventure enthusiasts from around the world.

The Fjallraven Polar 2019 contest, hosted by Fjallraven  a winter clothing and outdoor gear brand from Sweden  is part of an annual marketing campaign which invites participants from around the globe to try and earn enough votes to participate in a survival challenge event at the North Pole.

Though sub-zero temperatures are a foreign concept to many in tropical Vietnam, one young woman from the Southeast Asian country is hoping to win the chance to stave of frostbite and hypothermia as she experiences the worlds northernmost, and perhaps most unforgiving, region.

With such an icy adventure at stake, the competition is heating up between the dozens of contests vying for enough votes to earn a one of the two spots available for contestants from each of the worlds ten regions.

Wild gal, wild life

Bui Thi Hong Ngoc, 24, is representing Vietnam in the contest and hopes to earn one of two spots available to contestants from the Asia/Oceania region, which also includes Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, and Thailand.

I just want to share my countrys culture and its wonders with the world. Thats not to say I wouldnt cherish an opportunity to explore the North Pole, Ngoc explained.

Having lived abroad quite some time, including in South Korea where she earned a Master of Law degree, Ngoc is well aware of her home countrys image hopes to use the trip as a platform to boost the way Vietnam is seen on the world stage.

Ngoc currently works as a law intern, but her adventurous lifestyle has taken her to some of Asias most interesting and far flung destinations.

In 2017, she became the first Vietnamese woman to set foot in Oymyakon village, Russia, widely considered one of the coldest inhabited places on Earth.

Hong Ngoc during her trip to Oymyakon village, Russia.

The following year, she performed as a Vietnamese model in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchange, South Korea.

The harsh conditions at the North Pole might be considerably different than walking a catwalk or visiting a frozen village, but thanks to relentless training and attunement to extreme climate, Ngoc is confident she can overcome the challenge.

As the voting period comes to a close later today, Ngoc is hoping for a victory so, if for nothing else, she has the opportunity to bring and wave her countrys proudly at the top of the world.

I want to livestream and cast the trip beside my beloved Vietnamese flag. I want to give off the vibe that the whole of Vietnam is there me! Ngoc exclaimed.

Toward the end of 2016, Vietnam banded together to help Hoang Le Giang win the chance to explore a 300km (186.4mile) stretch of the North Pole, marking the first Vietnamese presence at the worlds extremes.

The young man only finished his trek in April 2017, fueling the inspiration for hundreds of Vietnamese to go seek the worlds wonders.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Competent authorities in the north-central Vietnamese province of Thanh Hoa are investigating a case where a 10-year-old boy was purportedly beaten by an abbot at the pagoda where he is being raised.

Managers of Ha Hai Elementary School, located in the namesake commune in Ha Trung District, recently submitted a report to authorities regarding the physical abuse against N.C.D., a fifth-grader.

N., a teacher of the school, was the one who discovered countless bruises across D.s back, chest, and arms.

The boy would appear in pain when his classmates touched his body, N. recalled.

After a long conversation, D. eventually stated that the wounds were caused by Thich Dam Trang, master of the Long Yen Pagoda where the young boy is living.

During a working session with authorities, Master Trang admitted to hitting him with a rattan cane as a way to discipline him.

The boy is very mischievous, the abbot stated.

Nguyen Van Huy, head of the education office in Ha Trung District, confirmed on Wednesday that the agency is working closely with Ha Hai School to deal with the case.

We may have to transfer D. to the provincial orphanage village, Huy added.

The administration in Ha Hai commune has been made aware of the situation and asked local police unit to probe the case.

According to Vu Thi Diep, D.s homeroom teacher, the boy hails from the northern province of Son La.

His father passed away and his mother suffers a serious illness, Diep elaborated, adding that his grandparents brought him to the Long Yen Pagoda in 2015.

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The number of people killed by heavy downpours and subsequent flooding in central Vietnam has reached 13, and could rise after expected torrential rains return to the region this weekend.

As of 5:00 pm on Wednesday, the death toll caused by the extreme weather conditions in central provinces topped 13, according to the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention.

South-central Binh Dinh Province recorded the highest casualty, with five residents killed, followed by central Quang Nam Province with four victims, the committee added.

One person is currently missing in the south-central province of Quang Ngai.

Heavy rain first hit the central region on Saturday and lingered until Tuesday.

Rainfall in some areas exceeded 1,000 millimeters, triggering massive floods.

More downpours are forecast to hit localities between north-central Quang Binh Province and south-central Khanh Hoa Province from Thursday to Sunday due to an enhanced cold spell, the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting reported.

Average rainfall is expected at 150 to 250 millimeters.

The volume of rainwater, however, may reach up to 500 millimeters in provinces from Quang Tri to Phu Yen.

The National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention has asked competent authorities in the affected provinces to promptly deal with the aftermath of the storm.

Authorities are also expected to closely monitor local weather conditions to prepare for such disasters as inundation, flash flooding, and landslides over the next few days.

Authorities should also be ready to evacuate residents in at-risk areas, the committee stated.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Doctor Somkuti is joining us as a guest author. We welcome this Hungarian point of view. pl

------------

"The russians are coming in, the americans are slowly getting out, and the germans are already up."

by Balint Somkuti, PhD

The below essay focuses on foreign powers intentions and actions toward the former central European communist countries. The conclusions presented below are solely mine, and do not represent any governmental or other bodies views. These are admittedly from a Visegrad 4, or to be more precise a Hungarian point of view, our fellow Czech, polish, and Slovak allies may disagree with some, but definitely not most points. In the first part of the essay Russian methods and interests are examined, the 2nd will be treating US steps, and the final concluding one will discuss German and local actions taken.

So lets start with the Russians. For them, elite and society alike, grandeur and the self image of a great power is self evident. Only the most devoted, and ardent anti-Russians try to deny it, which is as foolhardy as it seems especially regarding the cca. 2000 nuclear warheads Russia possesses, as well as a seat at UN Security Council. Yet this position is precarious to say at least since this huge destructive power is coupled with a secondary economical power. The Russian leadership is completely aware of that ambiguous situation, meaning they know that a classical military conflict does not favour them even in the abysmal status of European military forces.

Yet 2 factors determine their thinking.

Millions of ethnic Russians inserted mostly by the communist regime into previously ethnically more or less homogenous areas. This system is not new, all multi-ethnical empires did the same, e.g. the Austrian Habsburgs. This is how serbs got into northern Hungary, Slovaks into the south etc. The related term used in conjunction with them close abroad speaks for itself. The former central European communist countries for whose conquest hundreds of thousands of Russians gave their life. The vehemently defended monuments erected in all conquered capitals are a testimony for this.

The first is not difficult to understand, although does not affect us directly, but the second in my opinion is widely misunderstood. Our region is not primarily interesting for them because of influence, and especially sphere of influence, since these have a significant soft power/cultural aspect and who wants to live like contemporary average Russians do. (As a side note looking at the current terror and social situation in France and Germany or Sweden illiberal states DO have an appeal.) I think it has more to do with the general Russian paranoia about invaders, and foreign powers meddling into their affairs. The further a possible staging area is from their borders the better. Not to mention modern intelligence and information gathering methods in which the NATO and especially the US excels. A Joint STARS, or a Rivet Joint plane can eavesdrop into hundreds of kilometers into foreign territory even when flying comfortably deep in own territory.

Russian grand strategy seems to be aimed at maximal return at minimal investment, and they dug deeply in their pocket only when it is really compulsory. A good example is the Nabucco gas pipe line. When its building was started to bring Azeri/Iranian gas into Europe in order to decrease dependence on Russian natural gas, the terminal point of that line, the Austrian Schwechat gas depot was already in Russian hands. How and why? Very simple. Pres. Putin offered a helping hand to the beleaguered Austrian govt. which were at the time under joint European and US embargo due to their coalition with Freiheits Partei Osterreichs (a clearly anti-emigrant party), a coalition partner of the christian democrats in 2000. Buying the privatized installation was a brilliant move. Although not a surprising one when someone wrote his thesis on enabling Russian influence in Europe through the use of energy sources, which allegedly Pres. Putin did.

When Hungary accepted Russian govt offer about a loan of 10 billion Euros to build the second phase of the only local atomic power plant a series of minor diplomatic and internal scandals erupted. These were covered in detail by a watchdog, openly financed by George Soros (more on this in the next part). One of the issues were the planned sole use of Russian technology. After US and French firms receiving big chunks of that business voices against this investment weathered down. So much about value driven diplomacy. In the second published case a Russian company wanted to forcibly take over a joint, local firm, with 50-50 ownership also related to the nuclear power plant. The Hungarian owners took the case to the court and won, which the Russian company grudgingly accepted.

Oddly enough Russian influence in Hungary was not an issue during the social democrat-liberal government of PM Gyurcsany, who as an ex-communist was heartily welcomed by Pres. Putin in his dacha, near Moscow, basically the Russian counterpart to US Camp David. Such was Gyurcsanys position within western decisionmakers, that he even got away with the fact that he used Russian intelligence personnel (!) to personally and locally scour after opposition (conservative) aligned members among the ranks of Hungarian intelligence, and other national security officers. Have I said something about value-driven foreign policy of the EU or the US?

These stories clearly show the limits but also the possibilities of Russian influence in a NATO and EU member country. To me it seems that the Russians are after getting back some of their economical positions in their former satellites, with the help of clever political maneuvering and clandestine methods among the growing frustration of the ivory tower Eurocrats and their American counterparts.

Russian influence of course varies in V4 countries. For example under prime minister Meciar, Russian influence was significantly stronger in Slovakia, and was always present to some extent in the Czech Republic for historical reasons. In Poland after 120+45 years of Russian occupation /1795-1919, 1945-1990/ there is a clearly anti-Russian sentiment, which is highly unlikely to disappear, especially after the highly controversial Smolensk air disaster in 2010. Speaking of history. Living historical memories is another regional aspect often overlooked by outside viewers. We are not like western people, who tend to view their past with a get over it feeling. Borders are non-existent for people over the Leitha as we say, since decades, yet are still a living thing here. Not to mention who has fought whom, and what result. I always keep saying (ceterum censeo) that you are cautious with a great power you fought 5 times in the last 150 years /1849,1914-18, 1919, 1941-45, 1956/. Yet thinking similarly russians seem to understand local sensitivity (see Pres. Putin's words on borders in 2016 in a Bloomberg interview).

To sum it up Russian decisionmakers seem to know their limits in this region. Apart from the occasional political meddling, and diplomatical show of force their intentions seem to be to remain on the markets, and to hinder yet another military attack from the West against their Motherland.
The final Australian Story for the year profiles filmmaker James Ricketson who was imprisoned in Cambodia for 15 months before being released in September.

This episode is introduced by columnist Elizabeth Farrelly.

I felt that I had basically been abandoned by the Australian government. James Ricketson.

We thought he was going to die. Peter Ricketson, brother.

In a television exclusive, the untold story of James Ricketson, the Australian filmmaker locked up in Cambodia for 15 months on espionage charges.

Ricketson endured squalid conditions and failing health as he found himself a pawn in much larger game of Cambodian politics.

Meanwhile in working for his release his family faced a dilemma  to go along with the Australian Governments softly, softly diplomatic approach or ceding to Jamess demands to shout injustice from the rooftops and risk even harsher punishment.

How do you deal with a situation like this? asks friend and fellow filmmaker Rachel Ward. Do you listen to the government and go quietly and not embarrass the Cambodians or do you make a bloody racket?

Featuring interviews from Ricketson, his family and friends, Inside Story is a candid and eye-opening account of his harrowing time in prison and the family tensions that remain.

Producer: Winsome Denyer and Belinda Hawkins

Monday December 17th at 8pm on ABC.
Some six million students attend Quranic schools, both private and government-sponsored. Educating orphans is one positive aspect of madrasas. However, the "sanctification of the Quran without real theological explanations is a risk. Graduates tend to become wives who are "docile and conservative in how they live their beliefs."

Dhaka (AsiaNews)  Madrasas for girls are an elusive, underground reality that is growing but is little talked about, this according to a local Christian source.

These are actual Quranic schools where Islam is learnt mostly by heart, the source explained. Arabic is also taught even though teachers are not fluent in the language. What happens in essence is a sort of sanctification of the Quran, which is memorised without any real interpretation or exegesis."

In Bangladesh, girls used to study at home. In recent years, up to six million students attend madrasas, a contributor to The Guardian newspaper wrote.

What pushes families to choose this kind of schooling "is that they are free and recognised by the government, said a Dhaka merchant. Certainly, the quality of teaching is not the same, but these schools are the best solution for many needy families, who otherwise might not have the money to send their children to school."

Bangladesh has two kinds of madrasas: private Quomi madrasas and state-sponsored Alia madrasas. There are an estimated 6,500 Quomi madrasas in the country, with almost 1.5 million students. By contrast, there are 7,000 or so Alia madrasas, which follow a standardised curriculum that includes English, Bengali, science, and mathematics.

About 30 per cent of the countrys university teachers come from Alia madrasas, whose graduates tend to seek higher education.

The main difference between the two is that Quomi schools are supported by private donations whilst Alia schools are certified and supervised, explained the source. The curriculum followed by the former is hard to understand and may not meet government standards, whilst in the latter, religion is included but the quality of education is good and students can further pursue their studies.

Overall, "in a country of 160 million people, 1.5 million girls attending Quomi madrasas is a small number. On the positive side, these schools take care of orphans without parents or relatives who can support them.

However, in the case of madrasas, for both boys and girls, we must look at how the Quran is taught. The sacred text is memorised without understanding its meaning. This raises an educational issue, namely that mere memorisation can lead to the sanctification of the text without understanding it.

After this kind of schooling, young people assume they know the Quran and Arabic, which they simply memorised without any real theological explanations.

The risk "is that ensuing interpretations will be influenced by context, friendships and dangerous assumptions based on feelings of social marginalisation and the presumption of being knowledgeable about religion.

The danger posed by this type of schooling is that it does not preclude possible behavioural radicalisation as a result of the influence of Wahhabism on Bangladeshs Islam, running counter to the countrys older Sufi traditions.

Ultimately, the girls who graduate from madrasas tend to be socially docile towards their husband, noted the source. From a religious point of view, they tend to be inflexible and conservative in how they live their beliefs."
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said Thursday the Philippines might miss the governments target to attract at least 7.4-million foreign tourists this year as the six-month closure of Boracay capped visitor arrivals. The Duterte administration targets breaching the 7.4-million foreign tourists mark this year, a goal that was threatened when the President ordered a six-month closure of the island resort for environmental cleanup and rehabilitation.Boracay officially reopened for business on Oct. 26, with limits on the number of tourists visiting the island to 19,000 per day. Im not confident it will reach 7.4 million, Puyat told reporters during a press conference in Makati City. The Department of Tourism is looking at 7 million to 7.2 million foreign tourists arriving as likely more achievable for 2018. I m confident it will surpass last years, but Im not confident it will reach the target, Puyat said.In 2017, around 6.6 million foreign tourists visited the Philippines. Although [the number of tourist arrivals] is increasing, we have to admit that the closure of Boracay affected arrivalsIt was a top tourist destination and it was closed for six months, Puyat said. Tourism Undersecretary Benito Bengzon noted around 500,000 potential foreign visitors dropped their plans of visiting the island resort during Boracays six-month closure. People have to understand that while we are able to divert some of the traffic to Cebu, Bohol, and Palawan there might be some who canceled ... altogether, Bengzon said.
House Rules judge Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen will be a prominent 2019 face for Seven, now set to host the return of Instant Hotel.

The series, originally due to resume in 2018, was previously fronted by Luke Jacobz. Designer Juliet Ashworth also returns.

I live in hotels rather than at home these days, so I have an enormous amount of experience and believe it or not, a few opinions! said Llewelyn-Bowen.

Teams of two will explore locations in Australia with destinations to be judged on everything from comfort to value.

Instant Hotel gives you the opportunity to look at where people live and judge for yourself whether it is an experience you want to share in, he continued.

You could go to an international hotel chain and get the same beige. And its a very relaxing and wonderful experience, but the joy of an Instant Hotel is to feel you are inhabiting someone elses life for a couple of days.

You are escaping who you are and what you do and immersing yourself into the experience of how somebody else lives.

From a design point of view, its great fun to be able to see how peoples personalities are expressed in an Instant Hotel offer.
In the salty, sea-spray world of Tidelands there sure are a lot of pent-up emotions.

But the cameras are there when they manifest themselves in either sex, brawling, or both at the same time

A youthful, chilled out cast of buff bods and alluring femmes populate this mysterious fringe community, possibly located just north or south of the more juvenile H20: Just Add Water.

Our central character is Cal McTeer (Charlotte Best) who returns to the fishing village of Orphelin Bay after 10 years imprisoned (thats pretty serious time for someone who was obviously just a teen). Time behind bars has made her dangerous or possibly super-human in strength.

But back in Orphelin Bay it isnt the handsome young copper Will (Matius Inwood) that consumes her, but her unfinished past. Cal has fond memories of her young fisherman dad (Dustin Clare). While her alcoholic mother (Caroline Brazier) now runs a local bistro, Cal aligns with her hunky brother Augie (Aaron Jakubenko).

Augie is a lynchpin in a local fishing co-operative (which includes Offsprings Richard Davies), busy trafficking illegal goods -none of which are the scaly kind. But he finds himself at odds with the local Tidelanders, referred to as a hippy community, whose presence and mystical powers are deliberately unclear.

The dreamy Tidelanders are led by the alluring Adrielle (Elsa Pataky) who slinks in an out of the ocean as readily as she does flowing satin. Pataky purrs throughout with her Spanish accent, seemingly driving sailors to their death, and making conspiracy deals in Algerian deserts when she is moored on dry land.

Throw in some hard yakka cops, driftwood, Queenslander homes, sugar cane fields and crashing waves and you have a horny hotbed of emotions, bad boys, bad girls and the supernatural.

Quite where it will all land remains to be seen. While this may aspire to be True Blood by the Bay, or perhaps Shadowhunters by the Shore, Stephen M. Irwins script signposts an awful lot, too often with clunky dialogue. Temptresses and rogues aplenty may draw us in but character sympathy is a more sustainable commodity in episodic drama.

Im also unclear on what the secretive Tidelander community wants (perhaps thats deliberate), and curious that it seemingly draws upon more forces than the history of its handful of Indigenous members. But with more rules of this world becoming evident than the opening chapter provides there is a potential for a cult, youthful audience if Supernatural or the Vampire Diaries aroused you.

As the first fully-funded Australian drama from Netflix, one hopes this drama performs internationally. In the humid Queensland climate, Tidelands certainly looks inviting on screen and, in the hands of director Toa Fraser, is prone to getting horizontal very quickly.

And there are a lot worse ways to spend your summer.

Friday December 14 on Netflix.
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The challenges and opportunities for developing the use of artificial intelligence in Africa are being discussed by experts at the inaugural Forum on Artificial Intelligence in Africa, hosted by ...

The two day conference, which began on Wednesday, at the Mohamed IV University Polytechnic in Benguerir features keynote speakers who will attempt to convince participants of the pros and cons of developing artificial intelligence.

The technology combines elements of computer science, psychology, cognative science, mathematics and philosophy.

From automated driving to healthcare, artificial intelligence has become more prominent in our daily lives, but it's not a new concept.

Just like mobile technology helped African countries to bypass infrastructual woes in the banking and communication sectors, advocates of AI are hoping this latest wave of technological development will help develop education, health care and even protect the continent's wildlife.

"Governments need to integrate this new technology into their public policies," Firmin Edouard Matoko, head of UNESCO's Priority Africa programme told RFI's Rosie Collyer in this interview:

AI involves developing computer programmes or algorithms to complete tasks which would otherwise require human intelligence.

And there have been varying forms of machine learning for decades.

Drones are already being used to deliver health care products in Rwanda and to track poachers in Niger. Both are private initiatives.

Digital divides

The majority of the Forum participants are from governments and regional bodies.

UNESCO aims to bring governments up to speed on the potential benefits and dangers of AI.

One of the biggest obstacles to developing AI in the education sector is that teachers are increasingly less technological literate than their students, even at a tertiary level.

"Students across the continent are managing to obtain degrees online (from overseas) that are not recognised by their governments," Matoko explains.

Experts are also concerned by the digital divide between the northern and southern hemisphere.

AI is already being used widely by both governments and the private sector in developed countries, while African countries find themselves playing catch up, for now.
FILE PHOTO: Handout of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei Technologies Co Ltd's chief financial officer (CFO) FILE PHOTO: Meng Wanzhou, Huawei Technologies Co Ltd's chief financial officer (CFO), is seen in this undated handout photo obtained by Reuters December 6, 2018. Huawei/Handout/File Photo via REUTERS

SHANGHAI/BEIJING (Reuters) - Canada should distance itself from U.S. "hegemonism" and grant unconditional freedom to Meng Wanzhou, a top executive of China's Huawei detained in Vancouver on Washington's request, state-owned tabloid Global Times said in a Thursday editorial.

Meng, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies, has been accused by U.S. prosecutors of misleading banks about transactions linked to Iran, putting the banks at risk of violating sanctions. She was arrested on Dec. 1 and released on bail on Tuesday.

The United States needs to make a formal extradition request within 60 days of her arrest, which a Canadian judge will weigh to determine whether the case against Meng is strong enough. Then it is up to Canada's justice minister to decide whether to extradite her.

Meng has no criminal record anywhere in the world and her arrest violates a U.S.-Canada extradition agreement, the Global Times said, adding that Canada could end the crisis immediately by freeing Meng unconditionally, rather than acting as the "51st state" of the United States.

"Canada should distance itself from U.S. hegemonism and fulfil its obligations to help maintain international order and protect human rights," it said.

Even before the arrest, pressure from the United States has been forcing Huawei on to the back foot in telecom markets.

Washington has long expressed worries that Huawei's ties to Beijing make the network equipment it sells a security risk.

Huawei, the world's largest supplier of telecommunications network equipment and second-biggest maker of smartphones, has repeatedly denied accusations that it facilitates Chinese espionage.

"I am proud of Huawei, I am proud of my motherland," Meng said in a post on Chinese social media after her release.

Meng's arrest and Huawei's struggle to allay security fears have triggered a wave of sympathy on Chinese social media.

Story continues

"She has a strong motherland at her back," wrote one user on the Twitter-like Weibo.

DETAINED CANADIAN

Authorities in China are holding former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig on suspicion of engaging in activities harmful to national security. He was detained on Monday.

The Global Times said there was no evidence Kovrig's arrest was in any way connected to the case, but added, "the assumption is because Canada has gone too far and people naturally believe China will retaliate".

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland warned the United States on Wednesday not to politicise extradition cases, a day after President Donald Trump said he would intervene in the case if it served national security interests.

In another editorial on Thursday, the official China Daily newspaper accused the United States of manufacturing the diplomatic incident in order to serve political ends.

"Washington is mistaken if it thinks it can take Meng hostage and ransom her for concessions in the upcoming trade talks," it said.

(Reporting by David Stanway and Ryan Woo; Editing by Kim Coghill and Himani Sarkar)
France arrests a former minister from Central African Republic on war crimes charges

France on Wednesday arrested Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona, a former minister of the Central African Republic, wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court.

Anti-Balaka militias emerged after civil war broke out in 2013 with the declared aim of defending Christian communities from mostly Muslim rebels.

Before the violence erupted, Ngaissona briefly served as minister of sport under former president Francois Bozize, whose overthrow in 2013 by mainly Muslim Seleka rebels triggered the conflict.

The warrant issued in December is for "alleged criminal responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity which include murder, torture, mutilation, intentionally targeting and displacing civilians, pillaging and enlisting child soldiers.

The arrest comes just weeks after another suspected Central African militia leader Alfred Yekatom, known as Rambo -- was arrested and deported to The Hague.

In a statement, ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda on Wednesday "welcomed" the arrest of Ngaissona.

"I am confident that pursuant to the domestic proceedings already underway in France, Mr Ngaissona will be transferred to the ICC in due course to face justice," she said.

(with AFP)
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas addresses an event discussing issue of '100 years of German Polish policy' in Berlin, Germany, November 15, 2018. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany is not willing to renegotiate a backstop solution for Northern Ireland that is laid out in the draft agreement for Britain's exit from the European Union, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told Deutschlandfunk radio on Thursday.

The text of the draft deal is not the basis for discussion, but the basis of decision-making, Maas said.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is seeking legal assurances on the most controversial part of her deal - an insurance policy known as backstop to prevent a hard border between EU member Ireland and the British province of Northern Ireland.

(Reporting by Gernot Heller; Writing by Thomas Seythal; Editing by Douglas Busvine)
LONDON (AP)  The latest on Brexit (all times local):

11:25 p.m.

EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker says British Prime Minister Theresa May failed to bring a clear plan for how the European Union should help her get the Brexit deal past her recalcitrant parliament.

Juncker says that the British "still need to say what they want instead of asking us what we want."

He said early Tuesday after an EU summit that he will need answers "within a few weeks."

Juncker says it sometimes is tough to fathom his own state of mind but adds that "it is even harder to understand the state of mind of the British" members of Parliament.

___

11:15 p.m.

European Union leaders meeting in Brussels have declared that the bloc's divorce agreement with Britain is "not open for renegotiation," despite a plea from U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May for changes to help her sell the unpopular deal to British lawmakers.

The leaders in their summit conclusions released early Friday also promise to work for a speedy new trade deal with Britain to avoid triggering a contentious Irish border guarantee.

They say that "it is the Union's firm determination to work speedily on a subsequent agreement that establishes by 31 December 2020 alternative arrangements, so that the (border) backstop will not need to be triggered."

U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May is seeking a firmer commitment to win over skeptical lawmakers at home, who are vowing to sink the deal.

___

3:30 p.m.

French President Emmanuel Macron has ruled out the possibility that the Brexit withdrawal text that all 28 leaders, including British Prime Minister Theresa May, endorsed last month can be altered.

Speaking ahead of a Brexit discussion at a summit of European Union leaders in Brussels, Macron said it is "important to avoid any ambiguity."

He added: "We cannot reopen a legal agreement .... We cannot renegotiate what has been negotiated over several months."

Story continues

Political discussion around the agreement was possible, he added.

___

2:30 p.m.

Austria's chancellor says there's room for "better interpretation" of Britain's withdrawal deal with the European Union but the agreement won't be renegotiated.

Austria currently holds the EU's rotating presidency. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said as he arrived on Thursday for a summit of the 28-member bloc's leaders in Brussels he thinks British Prime Minister Theresa May understands "there will be no new negotiation of the withdrawal agreement."

Kurz said he thinks remaining EU members will show "some readiness" at the Brussels summit "to maybe find some better explanation about the future relationship" between the EU and Britain.

When reporters raised British lawmakers' objections to a "backstop" provision in the deal that would keep the U.K. in the EU's customs union as a default until separate arrangements are made for the border between the U.K.'s Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland.

Kurz said: "There's also some room to have a better interpretation of what we agreed on, but there will be no new deal about the withdrawal agreement."

___

2 p.m.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says European Union leaders won't change their Brexit withdrawal agreement with Britain but might consider "additional assurances."

Merkel said as she arrived at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday it was "very welcome" that British Prime Minister Theresa May survived a no-confidence vote by her Conservative party's lawmakers.

Merkel cautioned against expecting too much compromise from the EU, saying that she considers the withdrawal agreement  which May is struggling to sell to British lawmakers  "very well-negotiated."

Merkel said: "Of course, we have our principles too and I don't see that we can change this withdrawal agreement again. We can, of course talk, about whether there should be additional assurances, but the 27 (remaining) member states will be very united on this and make their interests clear."

Merkel says the bloc wants "very, very good relations with Britain after Britain's withdrawal."

___

12:40 p.m.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has confirmed that she will step down before the country holds its next scheduled national election in 2022.

Arriving at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, May said "I think it is right that another party leader takes us into that general election."

Late Wednesday May survived a no-confidence vote among her Conservative Party lawmakers, triggered by unhappiness in the party at the way she is handling Brexit.

She secured victory by 200 votes to 117 after telling lawmakers at a private meeting that she would hand over power to another Conservative leader before the next election.

But May has not said what she will do if, as many expect, Britain faces an early national election triggered by divisions over Brexit.

___

11:35 a.m.

British lawmakers won't be voting next week on Theresa May's deal with the European Union for leaving the bloc.

The leader of the House of Commons, Andrea Leadsom, published a list of government business for next week  and there was no mention of the so-called meaningful vote on the Brexit bill.

Earlier this week, May postponed the vote on the deal after realizing she was heading for a heavy defeat. The vote is now likely to be held next year, when Parliament returns from its Christmas break.

Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29.

___

11 a.m.

The German parliament has approved a motion stating that the Brexit deal can't be renegotiated, underlining the stance of the government and European Union allies.

The largely symbolic motion was approved hours before Chancellor Angela Merkel and the other 27 EU leaders gather in Brussels.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is seeking reassurances about the withdrawal deal, which she is struggling to sell to skeptical lawmakers.

The German motion states that "there will not be an agreement that is better and fairer for both sides. Any hope that a rejection of the agreement could lead to its renegotiation must prove to be illusory."

It adds: "It must be clear to all that the finely balanced overall package cannot be undone again."

___

10:50 a.m.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has arrived at European Union headquarters for crunch Brexit talks with Irish leader Leo Varadkar and EU Council President Donald Tusk.

May arrived in a sealed-off area where no cameras were allowed, a few hours before Thursday's EU summit where she is seeking support from her European partners to help sell the Brexit deal to the U.K. Parliament.

Tusk, who is chairing the summit in Brussels, tweeted that he is meeting May separately "for last-minute talks."

EU leaders insist that the Brexit deal she has reached with them is the only one possible and that it cannot be reopened. However, they have said they are willing to clarify elements of the agreement and provide reassurances about how it would work.

___

9:10 a.m.

Germany's main business lobby group says it's up to the British government "not to waste any more time" and to secure an orderly exit from the European Union.

The Federation of German Industries placed responsibility for avoiding a no-deal Brexit squarely on London.

In a statement, the group's director general, Joachim Lang, appealed to "those responsible in London to organize a majority to avert a hard Brexit as soon as possible."

Otherwise, he said companies "will have to press ahead with implementing the necessary emergency measures for a disorderly withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU."

Lang said the withdrawal agreement Prime Minister Theresa May is struggling to sell in Britain "will help limit the damage on both sides of the Channel."

___

9 a.m.

The pound has advanced further after British Prime Minister Theresa May won a confidence vote among lawmakers from within her Conservative Party.

The currency, which slumped earlier in the week to 20-month lows after May pulled a vote on her Brexit divorce deal with the European Union, has recovered ground since it became clear would win the confidence vote and that she would not face another one from her own party in the next year.

Traders think that means she may have more room for manoeuver in her dealings with Parliament that could mean Britain ends up having close economic ties with the EU after Brexit officially happens in March.

Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets, also said the defeat of her opponents in Conservative Party suggests that the "risks of a 'no-deal' Brexit may well have receded."

The pound was up 0.3 percent in morning trading at $1.2679.

___

8:30 a.m.

Germany's foreign minister says he's relieved that Britain's governing party stopped short of creating "total chaos" in the Brexit process, but is indicating that he still sees little chance of substantial concessions to London on its European Union divorce deal.

Prime Minister Theresa May is expected at an EU summit Thursday after surviving a confidence vote by her party's lawmakers, many of whom loathe the agreement. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told Deutschlandfunk radio that "we now have another chance with Theresa May of her ... getting a majority for this accord, which is a compromise between both sides."

Asked what could be done to secure British approval without renegotiation or legal changes, Maas replied: "Ultimately the British have to tell us that because, if there are proposals from Brussels now, no one can tell given the confusion in London whether it is enough to get a majority in the House of Commons."

___

8:10 a.m.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is seeking a lifeline from European Union leaders after winning a no-confidence vote triggered by Conservative lawmakers unhappy with her Brexit plan.

May will ask the 27 other EU leaders at a Brussels summit Thursday for reassurances about the Brexit divorce deal that she can use to win over a skeptical British Parliament. The British leader scrapped a planned vote on the deal this week when it became clear she would lose.

The bloc is adamant there can be no substantive changes to the legally-binding withdrawal agreement.

On Wednesday evening, May survived a vote on her leadership from Conservative lawmakers by 200-117. The victory gives her a reprieve from domestic pressure but the size of the rebellion underscores the unpopularity of her Brexit plan.
A transportation advocate on Thursday questioned the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board for not considering regulating motorcycles as public utility vehicles. At the Usaping Balita media forum in Quezon City, Ariel Inton, president of Lawyers for Commuters Safety and Protection and a former LTFRB board member, said the drivers of the mobile-app based Angkas ride and the motorcycle taxi riders were well-trained and careful than private motorcycle drivers. I dont see any reason why the government continues to refuse to regulate the ride-hailing motorcycles, Inton told the. He made his statement even as the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group said Thursday it had yet to receive proper guidance from the LTFRB on the apprehension of the bikers of the motorcycle ride-hailing firm Angkas, whose operations were ordered suspended by the Supreme Court. There is no official request yet from the LTFRB. We first need to coordinate with LTFRB on what grounds, fines and other penalties [to impose] as LTFRB is the lead agency in [the] franchise of Angkas, Chief Supt. Roberto Fajardo, HPG director, told reporters. In Board Resolution 095, the LTFRB ordered its law enforcement unit and other traffic enforcement agencies to impound the motorcycles of Angkas if they are found operating as public utility vehicles. Under the law, a motorcycle registered as a private vehicle may not at all times be used for public use, Inton said.But he challenged the LTFRB for allowing private motorcycles being used by companies to deliver goods. We hope that the government would open its mind that ride-hailing drivers are more professional than ordinary bikers, he said. Why cant the LTFRB ban the? They are used as PUV to service commuters, too. The Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order against a decision of the Mandaluyong City court that blocked authorities from apprehending drivers operating under the motorcycle-hailing firm Angkas. The restraining order directed Branch 213 that came up with an Aug. 20 decision that the LTFRB could not apprehend Angkas riders. We plan to file an intervention with the high court, Inton said.
STRASBOURG, France (AP)  The Latest on the attack on a Christmas market in Strasbourg, France (all times local):

11:45 p.m.

The office of the Paris prosecutor, which handles terrorism cases in France, says a man killed in Strasbourg in a shootout with police has been identified as the main suspect in a Christmas market attack that killed three people.

The man was identified as Charif Chekatt, a 29-year-old whom police had been searching for since Tuesday night's attack near Strasbourg's Christmas market, which also left 13 people wounded.

Earlier, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner had said police had been attempting to arrest a man fitting the suspect's description when the man turned around and opened fire on them. Police responded, killing the shooter.

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11:20 p.m.

The SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist activity online, says the Islamic State group's Amaq news agency is claiming the gunman who opened fire near a Christmas market in Strasbourg as a "soldier" of the group.

The claim was published shortly after news emerged of a shootout with French police in Strasbourg Thursday night in which a man believed to be the suspect was killed. IS claims of responsibility have often been considered opportunistic in the past.

French police had been searching for 29-year-old Charif Chekatt, the suspected shooter during the Tuesday night that killed three people and wounded 13.

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10:20 p.m.

France's interior minister says the prosecutor in charge of terror-related investigations is heading to the scene of a police shootout in Strasbourg to confirm if a man killed by officers is the suspect in the attack near the city's Christmas market.

Christophe Castaner said from Strasbourg late Thursday that police spotted an individual who matched the description of 29-year-old Cherif Chekatt. He has been the focus of a massive manhunt since Tuesday's attack.

Castaner says the moment they tried to arrest the man they spotted in the Neudorf neighborhood, he started shooting. The minister says police returned fire, killing the man.

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Neudorf is where the suspect last was seen after the Tuesday attack that killed three people.

Authorities say Chekatt was born in Strasbourg and appeared on a watch list of potential extremists.

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9:30 p.m.

A top French official says a suspect has been killed in a shootout with police in Strasbourg, but hasn't been confirmed as the alleged gunman who killed three people near a Christmas market on Tuesday.

The official, who could not be named because the operation was ongoing, said the suspect opened fire on police Thursday night, and police responded, killing him.

A local police official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity for the same reason, said the man who opened fire was armed with a pistol and a knife.

The shooting occurred in the Neudorf neighborhood, where police conducted a search earlier Thursday for Cherif Chekatt, a 29-year-old born in Strasbourg who police named as the suspected Christmas market gunman.

 By Elaine Ganley and Samuel Petrequin

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5:40 p.m.

The Paris prosecutor's office says a fifth person has been arrested and placed in custody in connection with the investigation into Tuesday's shooting near Strasbourg's Christmas market.

The office said the man is a member of the "entourage" of main suspect Cherif Chekatt, 29, but not a family member. He was placed in custody on Thursday morning. The four others detained were Chekatt's parents and two of his brothers.

A massive manhunt is underway for Chekatt.

Three people died in Tuesday's attack, and 13 people were also injured.

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5:30 p.m.

A police operation has ended in the Strasbourg neighborhood where a suspected gunman who killed three people and wounded 13 was last seen.

There was no word on what, if anything, the Thursday evening operation had uncovered. A police official had earlier said security forces, including the elite Raid squad, had taken action on a "supposition only" that suspect Cherif Chekatt could have been hiding in a building in the area. The official could not be identified because he was not authorized to disclose details.

Authorities said a taxi driver dropped Chekatt off Tuesday evening in the Neudorf neighborhood, south of the eastern French city's center, after the shooting near a Christmas market.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner was expected in Strasbourg Thursday evening.

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4 p.m.

AP journalists and a French police official say a police operation is going on in the Strasbourg neighborhood where a suspected Christmas market gunman was last seen.

One French police official said security forces, including the elite Raid squad, are taking action on Thursday based on a "supposition only" that the suspect, 29-year-old Cherif Chekatt, could be hiding in a nearby building. The official could not be identified because he was not allowed to disclose details on the investigation.

Authorities said a taxi driver dropped Chekatt off Tuesday evening in the Neudorf neighborhood, south of the eastern French city's center, after the shooting near the Christmas market. He is believed to be the gunman who left three dead and 13 wounded in an attack that night.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking in Brussels where he is attending a European summit, said Interior minister Christophe Castaner will travel to Strasbourg on Thursday evening.

 By Elaine Ganley

This version corrects the spelling of the suspect's last name to Chekatt, not Chekkat.

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10:30 a.m.

French security forces are trying to catch the suspected Strasbourg gunman "dead or alive" as the city in eastern France mourned with flowers and lit candles left at the site of the attack near its famous Christmas market.

More than 700 officers were involved Thursday in the manhunt for 29-year-old Cherif Chekatt, who had a long criminal record and had been flagged for extremism, government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux told CNews television.

Asked about instructions given to police forces, Griveaux said the focus was on catching the suspect "as soon as possible," no matter whether he was dead or alive, and "put an end to the manhunt."

Chekatt allegedly shouted "God is great!" in Arabic and sprayed gunfire during Tuesday's rampage near Strasbourg's Christmas market, which left three people dead and wounded 13 others.
The aftermath of the deadly crash

At least nine people have been killed after a high-speed train crashed in the Turkish capital of Ankara.

The train ploughed into a railway engine and then a pedestrian overpass at Marsandiz station, said officials. Local media said at least two carriages derailed.

As well as the dead, another 47 people have been injured say officials. Three of those persons were said to be in a serious condition.

Among the dead were three train drivers, according to the Turkish Transport Minister Cahit Turhan.

The train was en route from the Turkish capital, Ankara, to the town of Konya

Rescue teams and ambulances have been sent to the scene and are looking for survivors.

Our hope is that there are no other victims, said Ankara governor Vasip Sahin.

It was not immediately clear what caused the train, en route from Ankara to the central Turkish city of Konya, to crash.

Mr Sahin said a technical inspection has begun while NTV television, quoting unnamed officials, said three prosecutors were assigned to investigate.

The accident happened at around 6.30am, local time.

It is not yet clear what speed the train was travelling at the time of the crash.

Turkey has suffered a number of train crashes in recent months.

In July, 10 people were killed and more than 70 injured when most of a passenger train derailed in north-western Turkey, after torrential rain caused part of the tracks to collapse.

Turkey has suffered several train crashes in the last few months

Last month, 15 people were injured when a passenger train collided with a freight train in the central province of Sivas.

Konya, about 160 miles south of Ankara, is home to the tomb of the Sufi mystic and poet Jalaladdin Rumi, attracting thousands of pilgrims and tourists.

Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK
The man was stuck inside the grease vent for two days before he was rescued (Alameda County Sheriff)

A man who was stuck inside a filthy grease vent at a Chinese restaurant in California has finally been rescued.

The 29-year-old was said to be physically exhausted after his ordeal and suffering from dehydration, but is expected to make a full recovery.

The man was discovered after emergency services responded to reports of a faint voice calling for help from the building in San Lorenzo, near Oakland, San Francisco.

Voices could be heard coming from the rooftop vent (Alameda County Sheriff)

An investigation is underway to determine whether the man was trying to trespass and steal from the restaurant (Alameda County Sheriff)

An investigation found that the voice was coming from the rooftop vent and emergency crews discovered the man stuck inside, covered in grease and oil.

It took nearly an hour to pull the man out of his tiny prison, before he was taking to hospital for treatment.

MORE: Two charged with assault over video showing men kicking tent with homeless people inside

MORE: What are the chances of a second referendum?

Police say the man may not have survived another day trapped inside the vent.

Officers have now begun an investigation to determine whether the man was using the vent to try and break into the restaurant to vandalise or steal from the property.

Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK
Protesters rallied in front of Hungarys Parliament building in Budapest on December 12, to voice their opposition to Prime Minister Viktor Orbans plan to overhaul the countrys labor laws and courts.

On Wednesday, Hungarian Parliament passed legislation that called for the creation of a new court system with judges appointed by the justice minister who would rule over elections and corruption cases, the New York Times reported.

Hungarys parliament also approved an amendment to labor laws, which has been dubbed the slave law by labor groups and opposition politician, amid chaotic scenes in the chamber. The amendment rises the maximum overtime employees can work to 400 hours a year, or one extra day a week, the Times reported.

This video shows police guarding the entrance to Parliament as a large group of protesters rallied in front of the building. Police are seen spraying a substance at the group, uploader Todor Gardos told Storyful tear gas was used against the protesters. Credit: Todor Gardos via Storyful
Photo: Getty

Shailesh Vara has resigned and has become the first politician to quit their job over prime minister Theresa Mays draft Brexit deal proposal.

On Twitter the MP for North West Cambridgeshire said, 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.

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

READ MORE: May goes to war over her Brexit deal and to keep her power

On Tuesday evening, Theresa Mays government confirmed that it had sealed a draft Brexit deal with the European Union. After a night of intensive one-on-one talks with her ministers and she then held a Cabinet meeting the following day. On Wednesday night, she confirmed that the collective decision of Cabinet was that the government should agree the draft withdrawal agreement and the outline political declaration.

Importantly, she did not stipulate that it was unanimous decision. In fact, reports have surfaced since then that ministers are on the brink of resigning as that Cabinet meeting left some of the MPs in tears.

It is suggested as many as a third of the 28 ministers that attended that Cabinet meeting voiced doubts about the deal.

READ MORE: Brexit deal: Ministers on the brink of resigning as stormy Cabinet meeting leaves them in tears

Late last night, May drew battle lines over what the options are over the draft Brexit deal.

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When you strip away the detail the choice before us is clear. This deal, which delivers on the vote of the referendum, which brings us back control of our money, laws and borders, ends free movement, protects jobs, security and our union, or leave with no deal, or no Brexit at all, she said.

I know that there will be difficult days ahead But the choice was this deal or going back to square one, with more division, more uncertainty, and the failure to deliver on the referendum.

It marked the first time she had publicly acknowledge that cancelling Brexit was an option.

More to follow
The Irish border backstop is not on the table for re-negotiation, Leo Varadkar has said.

Irelands Taoiseach held a lengthy one-to-one meeting with Theresa May ahead of the main European Council summit of leaders in Brussels on Thursday.

He said that while the EU was keen to assist the Prime Minister, it could not reopen the Withdrawal Agreement.

Mr Varadkar said: As the European Union we are very keen to offer explanations, assurances, clarifications, anything that may assist MPs to understand the agreement and hopefully to support it but the backstop is not on the table.

He reiterated: If the backstop has an expiry date, if there is a unilateral exit clause, then it is not a backstop. That would be to render it inoperable.

That would mean reopening the substance of the Withdrawal Agreement and the European Union is unequivocal that is not an option.

First meeting of the day here in Brussels is with @theresa_may Summit in the Irish delegation rooms before this afternoons @EUCouncil. Were talking state of play with #Brexit pic.twitter.com/ZqQjEhORy3  Leo Varadkar (@campaignforleo) December 13, 2018

Mrs May is seeking reassurances about the backstop, an insurance policy if nothing better is on offer which neither side are seeking.

It would mean Northern Ireland remaining aligned to EU regulations after Brexit to prevent a hard border with the Republic.

The backstop has been opposed by unionists over fears it could split Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK.

Critics believe it could leave the UK bound by EU rules indefinitely, restricting the ability to strike trade deals with other countries.

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Mr Varadkar said the deal negotiated last month between Britain and the EU was the only one available.

Leo Varadkar said the deal negotiated last month between Britain and the EU including the Irish border backstop was the only one available (Niall Carson/PA)

Mrs May has said she is not expecting a breakthrough on the backstop during this weeks two-day summit in Brussels.

European leaders have said any assurances they deliver cannot contradict the accord agreed with the Prime Minister.

Earlier this week the Taoiseach raised the prospect of delaying next Marchs Brexit to allow a resolution.

Ireland is stepping up its preparations for a no-deal Brexit with additional measures at ports and airports but not at the land border with Northern Ireland.

Mr Varadkars meeting with the Prime Minister scheduled for Wednesday evening in Dublin was cancelled due to the Tory no-confidence vote.
A US woman has been jailed for 28 years after starving her stepson so badly that he looked like a Holocaust survivor, doctors said.

Tammi Bleimeyer, 37, forced Jordan Bleimeyer, who was five when the abuse started, to wear a nappy and sleep in a small cupboard under the stairs in the family home in Spring, north of Houston.

The space, known as the "Harry Potter room", had exposed nails and wiring surrounding the mattress where he slept.

:: WARNING: Graphic photos of the undernourished Jordan below

Jordan, who only weighed 29 pounds (13kg) when he was rescued, had been starved for months at the very least, doctors who treated him said.

They compared his level of malnourishment "to that of a Holocaust survivor," Assistant District Attorney Stephen Driver said.

The boy wore a nappy and "was often given only a slice of bread to eat and that was snatched away from him if he took too long to eat it," prosecutors said in a statement.

Ms Bleimeyer was found guilty of injury to a child - serious bodily injury, according to the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

Bradley Bleimeyer, 24, Jordan's father, pleaded guilty to the same charge in 2016 and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Jordan's ordeal only came to an end when one of his brothers reported the abuse in 2014, telling police Jordan was being abused by his mother and stepfather.Mother of seven Tammi Bleimeyer initially "left the home with the victim," so police could not check on him, Ebony Fleming of the Harris County District Attorney's Office told ABC News.

But officers tracked them down at a nearby motel, Fleming said.

Jordan, who was covered in bumps and bruises and severely underweight, was rushed to a nearby hospital, where a paediatrician said he had suffered "severe physical abuse and habitual starvation".

The boy, now 9 and in his mother's care, is healthy, but his growth was, according to doctors "permanently stunted," Ms Fleming added.

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Prosecutors said Bradley Bleimeyer had taken the boy from his mother's care and she did not see him for two years.

When she learned her son was in danger, she "made several reports to police," Fleming said.

Tammi Bleimeyer's lawyer, Matt Horak, said she was the victim of "prolonged and brutal physical and emotional domestic violence."

She has since lost custody of all of her children.
Theresa May has embarked on a fresh round of Brexit diplomacy after emerging from a confidence vote of Tory MPs bloodied and bruised but victorious.

The Prime Minister flew to Brussels where she will ask EU leaders for assurances on the temporary nature of backstop arrangements for the Irish border in the hope of securing MPs support for her Withdrawal Agreement.

Reports from the European Council summit suggested the leaders are considering a draft document stating the EU stands ready to examine whether any further assurance can be provided to the UK on the backstop.

Ahead of the formal opening of the two-day summit, Mrs May met Irish premier Leo Varadkar and was also due to speak with Council president Donald Tusk and Luxembourgs PM Xavier Bettel.

It is understood she may also have a one-on-one meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.

First meeting of the day here in Brussels is with @theresa_may Summit in the Irish delegation rooms before this afternoons @EUCouncil. Were talking state of play with #Brexit pic.twitter.com/ZqQjEhORy3  Leo Varadkar (@campaignforleo) December 13, 2018

After a day of drama in Westminster, the Prime Minister continued to face calls for her resignation from hardline Brexiteers including Jacob Rees-Mogg, who said her 200-117 victory indicated she had lost the confidence of a third of her MPs and more than half of backbenchers.

She still had to figure out a solution to the dilemma of how to convince the EU to tweak the Withdrawal Agreement so it will be passed by Parliament.

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Mrs May was forced to pull a Commons motion endorsing the deal earlier this week after admitting she was facing a heavy defeat if she took it to a vote.

(PA Graphics)

Speaking in Downing Street after Wednesdays vote, she promised to seek legal and political assurances on the backstop, which would keep the UK within a customs union with the EU until a broader trade deal is concluded, to avoid a hard border in Ireland.

The scale of this task was highlighted by Mr Varadkar and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, who insisted in a phone call that the Withdrawal Agreement cannot be reopened or contradicted.

DUP leader Arlene Foster insisted that tinkering around the edges of the agreement would not be enough to win the support of her party, which wanted fundamental legal text changes.

Arlene Foster (Jeff Overs/BBC)

Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith said the PM should take a tough line with EU leaders, threatening to withhold a divorce bill of up to 39 billion agreed last year as the price of UK liabilities on its departure.

He urged Mrs May to say to the EU now your 39 billion is fully at risk. We are not committed to the 39 billion unless we get some resolution.

They know that this backstop can be completely replaced by an open borders policy. Push them to the point where they recognise they have to do that and it resolves everything.

(PA Graphics)

Tory Leavers and the DUP have branded the backstop unacceptable as it would prevent the UK from doing trade deals and subject the country to EU rules with no means of leaving without approval from Brussels.

Mrs May has made clear she still intends to push her Withdrawal Agreement through Parliament, with the remaining two days of debate and votes due to take place before January 21.

But Downing Street said no date had been fixed for returning the agreement to the Commons.

Mrs Mays victory in the confidence vote means another challenge cannot be mounted against her position as Tory leader for a year.

But she still faces the danger of a no-confidence motion in the House of Commons, which could bring her Government down if backed by more than half of MPs.

John McDonnell (Kirsty OConnor/PA)

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell urged Mrs May to bring her deal back to Parliament to establish what outcomes MPs were willing to accept.

I think theres an overwhelming majority in the House of Commons against no deal, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme.

Lets establish that once and for all and use parliamentary mechanisms to narrow that option away. Then lets get a proper debate going.

Thats why it would have been better to have the vote this week as she promised. That would have tested the will of Parliament, that would have set parameters, and it would have been a clear message to our EU partners as well.
SUV moves through the assembly line at the General Motors Assembly Plant in Arlington, Texas FILE PHOTO: An SUV moves through the assembly line at the General Motors Assembly Plant in Arlington, Texas June 9, 2015. REUTERS/Mike Stone

By David Shepardson and Lisa Lambert

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Thursday said General Motors Co's <GM.N> decision to shift much of its focus to electric vehicles will not succeed, and he asserted a new trade deal will make it harder for the company to move work to other countries.

GM last year said it planned to launch 20 new electric vehicles by 2023 as it faces rising regulatory requirements for zero-emission vehicles in China and elsewhere.

The largest U.S. automaker has come under enormous criticism in Washington after it announced on Nov. 26 plans to close four plants in the United States and cut up to 15,000 jobs in North America.

Trump questioned GM CEO Mary Barra's business strategy in an interview with Fox News.

"They've changed the whole model of General Motors. They've gone to all-electric. All-electric is not going to work ... It's wonderful to have it as a percentage of your cars, but going into this model that she's doing I think is a mistake," Trump said.

Barra was on Capitol Hill for two days of meetings last week to discuss the company's decision with angry lawmakers from states where plants are closing. "To tell me a couple weeks before Christmas that's she going to close in Ohio and Michigan - not acceptable to me," Trump said.

Trump has repeatedly said GM should reverse a decision to close an assembly plant in northeast Ohio, an area potentially crucial in the 2020 presidential election. "Ohio is going to replace those jobs in like two minutes," Trump said. "She's either going to open fast or somebody else is going to go in."

GM shares fell 1.4 percent in trading Thursday.

Asked to respond, GM said it timed its job cut announcement so employees could accept open jobs at other plants.

"We continue to produce great vehicles today for our customers while taking steps toward our vision of a world with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion," GM said.

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Trump suggested that a new free trade deal with Mexico and Canada makes it "very uncomfortable" for GM to build cars outside the United States.

"I don't like that General Motors does that... General Motors is not going to be treated well," he said without elaborating.

Trump signed a new trade deal with Mexico and Canada on Nov. 30 to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, but that deal has not been approved by the U.S. Congress.

The deal boosts the North American content requirements for vehicles to be traded tariff free and requires a significant percentage of vehicles to be made by workers earning at least $16 an hour.

Some Democrats argue the trade deal may need changes to deter GM and other automakers from continuing significant production in Mexico. GM is not backing off its plans to build the new Chevrolet Blazer SUV in Mexico.

(Reporting by Lisa Lambert; editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Two Israeli soldiers have been killed in a gun attack near a West Bank settlement.

The Israeli military said a Palestinian gunman got out of a car and opened fire at a bus stop before speeding away.

Two other people were injured, including another soldier who was critically wounded.

The deaths extend a violent week that began with a shooting outside a West Bank settlement on Sunday, resulting in the death of a baby who was delivered prematurely.

While the West Bank experiences occasional deadly violence, often between Israeli troops and Palestinian protesters, much of the Israeli-Palestinian violence in recent months has been limited to the Gaza Strip, where some 175 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in border protests.

Israeli soldiers are investigating the attack in the West Bank (Mahmoud Illean/AP)

In recent days, we definitely feel like the situation (in the West Bank) is getting worse, Shalom Galil, a paramedic who assisted at the scene of the shooting, said.

Following the attack, Israel set up checkpoints at the entrances to the West Bank city of Ramallah, searching cars entering the city and checking drivers IDs. Some Israeli-controlled roads were completely blocked to Palestinian traffic.

The clampdown on the city, the Palestinians economic and administrative centre, was an unusual step that signalled the severity with which Israel viewed the violent flare-up.

Walid Whadan, spokesman of the Palestinian civil affairs ministry, said Israel had not taken such measures in Ramallah since the second Palestinian uprising that ended more than a decade ago.

Lt Col Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman, said the gunman fled toward Ramallah and that the measures were also meant to prevent additional attacks. We know that when there is one attack there may be others, he told reporters.

He said the army was bolstering its forces in the West Bank with a focus on securing roads and launching a massive manhunt for the Palestinian gunman.

Mr Conricus declined to comment on whether there was a connection between Thursdays shooting and the attack earlier this week, but he said the army was investigating such theories, and responding to the current environment of incitement in the West Bank.

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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the latest round of violence, criticising both militant attacks and the tough Israeli response.

In a statement, he accused Israel of creating a climate conducive to violence through its frequent military operations in Palestinian cities. He also accused Israel of incitement against him.

This atmosphere created by the frequent Israeli raids of the cities, and the incitement against the president and the absence of the peace hopes, lead to this series of violence that both people are paying the price for, he said.

Israel captured the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. The Palestinians claim the territories for their hoped-for state.

The latest shooting came hours after Israeli security forces tracked down and killed a Palestinian accused of killing two Israelis.

Israeli police said Ashraf Naalweh was found armed near the West Bank city of Nablus and was killed during a raid.

A Palestinian boy looks at the damage after an Israeli raid killed Ashraf Naalweh (Majdi Mohammed/AP)

Israel accuses Naalweh of shooting to death two Israelis and wounding another at an attack on a West Bank industrial zone in October. He fled the scene and Israeli forces have been searching for him since.

Israels long arm will reach anyone who harms Israeli citizens, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

Police said it had made a number of arrests in its attempt to hunt down Naalweh and suspected he was planning on carrying out another attack.

On Wednesday, Israeli forces killed Salah Barghouti, a Palestinian suspect wanted over a drive-by shooting earlier this week at a West Bank bus stop.

In Sunday nights attack, assailants in a Palestinian vehicle opened fire at a bus stop outside a West Bank settlement, wounding seven people, including a 21-year-old pregnant woman, before speeding away.

The militant Hamas group that rules the Gaza Strip said that both Barghouti and Naalweh were its members but stopped short of claiming responsibility for the attacks the two carried out.

The flame of resistance in the (West) Bank will remain alive until the occupation is defeated on all our land, Hamas said.
Now that hes again running for a Senate seat, former Senator Bong Revilla said that he would include in his legislative agenda a measure against false accusers. Revilla, who was acquitted by the Sandiganbayan on charges of plunder after the prosecution failed to prove that he received kickbacks worth P224.5 million by allegedly channeling his Priority Development Assistance Funds, or pork barrel, to fake foundations of alleged scheme mastermind Janet Lim Napoles, said he will push for the measure to get back against those who had worked to put him in jail. legislative agendafalse accusers, said Revilla, who was detained at Camp Crame for the last four years. counter. But while he refused to identify the persons who he said were moving against him, the former senator wished that bad karma will catch up with them. Up to the very last minute theyre moving. Kumbaga they really want to hang me., he said. While Revilla was exonerated, his former aide Richard Cambe and Napoles were found guilty and sentenced to reclusion perpetua. Revilla, along with his former colleagues at the SenateSenators Juan Ponce Enrile and Jinggoy Estrada, were indicted by then Conchita Morales of the Office of the Ombudsman in the pork barrel scam, which was one of the biggest controversies during the Aquino administration in 2014.Then-Justice Secretary and now Senator Leila de Lima pursued the case against Revilla and company, but De Lima was later indicted for her alleged involvement in drug trafficking inside the national penitentiary. Revillas lead counsel, Estelito Mendoza, said Morales was eager to file plunder charges because plunder was non-bailable nature. The problem was that during that time when the Ombudsman was Justice Conchita Morales,trigger happy-fileplunder.plunder no bail,, Mendoza said. Revilla, meanwhile, said he also plans to return to his acting stint next year since acting has been his bread and butter even before he became a politician. bread and buttersource of income, Revilla said. personal [funds][showbiz]bread and butter, he added.
Storyful

The World Health Organization has called for a new international accord on tackling pandemics, following the emergence of the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus.During a special session of the World Health Assembly on November 29, WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the new variant underlines just how perilous and precarious our situation is.Omicron demonstrates just why the world needs a new accord on pandemics, he said. Our current system disincentivizes countries from alerting others to threats that will inevitably land on their shores, he said.Tedros called on richer nations to commit to vaccine equity in order to bring an end to the pandemic. More than 80 percent of the worlds vaccines have gone to G20 countries. Low income countries, most of them in Africa, have received just 0.6 percent of all vaccines, he said. The longer vaccine inequity persists, the more opportunity this virus has to spread and evolve in ways we cannot predict.Tedros also said South Africa and Botswana should be thanked for detecting and sequencing and reporting this variant, not penalized, and said it was not yet known whether the variant is associated with more transmissions, severe disease, or vaccine resistance. Credit: World Health Organization via Storyful
Rival sides in Yemen's civil war have agreed a province-wide ceasefire in Hodeida, the United Nations says.

Troops will also be withdrawn from the Red Sea port city, said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

At the end of week-long peace talks in Sweden, Yemen's foreign minister Khaled al Yamani and rebel negotiator Mohammed Abdelsalam shook hands.

The Saudi-led coalition - which backs the government - has been laying siege to Hodeida for months and blocking aid deliveries.

The city has been controlled by Houthi rebels since 2014 and is a lifeline for food deliveries to Yemenis across the country, where the UN says millions face famine because of a blockade.

Mr Guterres told the Yemeni delegations: "You have reached an agreement on Hodeida port and city which will see a mutual redeployment of forces from the port and the city and the establishment of a governorate-wide ceasefire.

"The UN will play a leading role in [the] port and facilitate aid access for the civilian population."

He also said that the next round of talks would happen at the end of January.

A prisoner swap involving some 15,000 people was also agreed at the start of the talks, held in the town of Rimbo.

Britain's foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, was also present on Thursday.

At least 10,000 people have already been killed in the war - though observers believe the number could be much higher - and Save the Children estimates 85,000 children under five may have starved to death.

Saudi Arabia and the coalition it leads first intervened in Yemen in 2015, with the aim of restoring its internationally recognised government that had been ousted from the capital by Houthi rebels the year before.

They are widely seen as having got involved because of the rebels' ties to regional rival Iran.

Pressure to end the war has intensified amid dire humanitarian warnings and the Jamal Khashoggi murder, which has focused attention on Saudi government actions.
The Mike Cottrell College of Business (MCCB) is looking to build on the success of its "London Experience" with the inaugural "Singapore Experience" in May 2019.

From May 11-25, the program will feature visits to five to seven large corporate offices and manufacturing plants; as well as a stop in Doha, Qatar; a company visit in Malaysia; and a day and a half at a resort in Indonesia.

Students may use the overseas experience as part of a three-credit-hour online international business course or a one-hour-credit excursion. It is open for 15-20 students, including non-business students who want to use it as an elective credit.

Warren King, lecturer in the Management and Marketing Department in the MCCB, will lead the Singapore Experience. He previously lived in Singapore, a city-state between Malaysia and Indonesia in Southeast Asia.

Large numbers of Chinese, Indian, Malaysian, Indonesian, Arab, Australian, and Japanese people live in Singapore.

"Singapore is an unusual place because it's very much a mixture of Southeast Asian cultures," King said.

Among the planned business stops are Coca-Cola Asia; Cisco Asia; HAVI Global, the exclusive supply and distribution company for McDonald's; and a production plant in Malaysia that crushes and processes cocoa beans.

"The students will find out how business is done in Asia and experience the wonderful cultural variety that exists in Singapore," King said.

Students can apply to be part of the program on the Center for Global Engagement website.

The cost includes airfare, hotels, local transportation and much of the food for the two weeks.

King said students will have a good amount of free time to explore Singapore, where English is the primary language.

The London Experience is a 25-year staple of the MCCB that lasts 10 days during spring break.

"The London Experience has been a huge success," King said. "We're trying to duplicate that with Singapore."

Sadie Foote, study abroad adviser with the Center for Global Engagement, appreciates how the Singapore program will offer a different perspective from some of the university's other overseas experiences. A hub of shipping and trade, Singapore blends one of the most modern cities in the world with the continued presence of traditional influences, Foote said.

For more information on the Singapore Experience, contact King at warren.king@ung.edu or 678-936-3904.
Yanni Burton is a musical artist hailing from Adelaide, Australia, who earned both a bachelor's and a masters degree from the acclaimed Juilliard School of Music. Now the producer and the General Manager of the prestigious Salome Chamber Orchestra in NYC, Yanni is not too proud to admit that he is a fan of pop music. His brand new single titled Awake directly combines his love for classical music and pop beats.

Yanni recently discussed his love of music, his new single, and the personal inspiration behind it via an exclusive interview.

Classical music, Juilliard, and influences

Meagan Meehan (MM): How did you discover your love for the classical genre?

Yanni Burton (YB): My love for classical music didnt really fully evolve until I went to college! I started on double bass at about 12 years of age playing jazz, musical theater, classical and pop music. Suddenly, it was time to go to college, and all I really knew was that the bass was cool and that I wanted to keep playing it. I did six months of a jazz degree, hated it, then secretly applied to college in the USA and was lucky enough to receive a scholarship to study at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. It was there that I found my true love and passion for classical music.

MM: How did you hone your musical skills and what was the path to Juilliard like?

YB: I bunkered down in the practice room, spending 5-8 hours a day practicing the bass. It took me almost two solid years of practice to prepare for the Juilliard audition. Applicants had to prepare an hours worth of music for the panel, of which only ten minutes was listened to.

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To add to the pressure, the audition panel consisted of 8 of the worlds most famous double bassists - no pressure! In the end, I was lucky, and well prepared, and managed to squeeze my way into Juilliard!

MM: Whats it like being the General Manager of the Salome Chamber Orchestra in NYC?

YB: Its an incredible opportunity that was one of those right time/right place moments!

I had just graduated from Juilliard and was looking for work. I won an audition as the principal bassist of this new chamber orchestra, Salome Chamber Orchestra. They were just starting and it was kind of an all-hands-on deck situation. I helped out with event planning, ticketing, production, and after a year of this, they hired me as their general manager in addition to principal double bassist! I never would have thought a few years down the road in this position that I would be touring the world, producing and performing on shows with John Legend, Bill Clinton, and Rufus Wainwright.

MM: How much did pop music influence you growing up and what are the challenges of infusing it with classical elements?

YB: Pop music was always something I listened to growing up, but its hard to say how much of an influence it had on me. I was one of those kids that was a big theater, band, and orchestra geek. I spent high school breaks in the music rooms practicing with my jazz band, and after school was always orchestra or double bass practice. However, we had a piano at home, and I would learn songs by Evanescence, Vanessa Carlton and Beyonces first solo album which I think sparked my passion for songwriting and composition. I think that being surrounded by a lot of varied styles of music made it easier to infuse classical and pop, and it was more natural to lean on my classical music knowledge than to produce straight pop.

MM: How did your personal life experiences inspire Awake?

YB: Awake is one of those songs that was a very close personal experience. So much so that I actually toned it back a little so, a) I wouldnt isolate the listener, and, b) mortify the person that this song was about. Essentially the song is about coming to terms with the realization that it was time to break free from a stagnant relationship. Theres nothing more isolating than being in a relationship and not feeling connected to your partner.

Pop tunes and musical projects

MM: What have responses to the Awake single been like so far?

YB: There has been such a warm and positive response to the single since its release! I had my hesitations about how confronting the video might be to certain audiences, but my intentions were to create a video that was true to myself, and I feel like I have achieved that.

It has been so heartwarming and rewarding to see people taking the time to listen, watch the video, and send messages of support!

MM: Might you make other pop tunes in the future?

YB: Im definitely making more pop tunes in the future. In fact, I have three new singles on the way! Ive been fortunate enough to collaborate with some incredible song writers and producers over the past year who have really helped develop my sound and style as a musician. So get ready for some club bangers, power pop ballads, and disco vibes!

MM: What other fun musical projects are you excited about?

YB: Well outside of my pop writing, Im currently the executive producer of a new musical thats opening at the National Sawdust in Williamsburg which is a new one for me. After that, Im heading out to LA to work with the director of Awake, James Daniel, on a couple of new music videos.
The states of North and South Carolina and Virginia had faced the fury of Hurricane Florence recently. It struck in September and was a monster Category 4 storm with 140 mph winds. They are now struggling to come to terms with another Natural Disaster in the form of a snowstorm. It has taken three lives and all of them were storm-related as confirmed by the office of Governor Roy Cooper. One of these was a person who was on his way to a shelter and succumbed to a heart-related condition. The second was a woman. She was terminally ill and on life support but a power cut resulted in the stoppage of the oxygen device.

The third was a motorist who died when a tree uprooted and crushed his vehicle.

Sky News reports the authorities took action to warn residents about possible dangers from the snowstorm because when snow accumulates on rooftops, that can cause injuries. There were warnings for those living in the North Carolina city of Charlotte where a 48-story tower had large chunks of ice falling from it.

Flights canceled due to the snowstorm

The snowstorm has affected movement by roads. Many of them are slippery due to the accumulation of snow and are difficult to navigate. This, in turn, has led to the cancellation of flights due to the similar condition of runways. North Carolina's Charlotte Douglas Airport is one of the busiest in the country and it has canceled around one in four flights.

Three people have died in the US state of North Carolina due to a snowstorm https://t.co/KU7AfA5xCd  Sky News (@SkyNews) December 11, 2018

Nancy Vaughan, mayor of Greensboro, said that emergency services had to attend many cases of stranded drivers on snowy and icy roads. There were reports of power cuts that added to the misery of the people because electricity is an inseparable part of their lives.

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However, an official of the National Weather Service assured that the worst of the storm has passed.

Life is in disorder

BBC reports the snowstorm has forced the authorities to declare a state of emergency in North Carolina which had nearly 18.5 inches of snow over the weekend. Many flights stood cancelled while the South witnessed a combination of snow, sleet and freezing rain.

While interacting with the media, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said, "a year's worth of snowfall fell in some places in a day."

The snowstorm has disturbed normal life with state police attending to crashes in Virginia and North Carolina. Black ice formation on roads could create problems for motorists, NWS officials notified. Gov Cooper added that the roads could "turn into ice rinks" even as the storm passes. He urged residents to be alert and check on, especially, senior citizens. In April, heavy snowstorm with rains brought the central US to its knees. People have to adjust their lifestyle to cater to these vagaries of nature.
A gunman broke through the security cordon of a Christmas market in the city of Strasbourg in France and unleashed terror leaving at least three dead and more than a dozen injured. The incident happened at 8 PM and the assailant went on a rampage in the crowded city center. Police fired at the suspect and it is believed that he has fled into neighboring Germany. This incident is proof that France continues to be in the crosshairs of terrorists.

Telegraph UK reports police have established the identity of the gunman. He was born in the city of Strasbourg and his name appears in a security and terror watch list.

According to a media report, he was in a prison in Germany until 2017 on charges of theft. Anti-terrorist prosecutors in France have opened an investigation. As a Strasbourg prosecutor remarked - "terrorism has once again struck our soil."

Another attack at Christmas time

The Strasbourg Christmas market is a massive affair and witnesses millions of footfalls every year during the festive season. Roland Ries, the mayor of Strasbourg, confirmed that the gunman had entered a security zone to carry out the attack. He fired at pedestrians and used his knife. It seems he has several convictions against his name in neighboring countries and has a long criminal record.

Strasbourg shooting latest:



*Two people killed and several injured, officials say

*Gunman pursued by officers and injured in exchange of gunfire

*France's counter-terrorism prosecutor opens investigationhttps://t.co/ooMdRvAwzg  BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) December 11, 2018

Interior minister Christophe Castaner revealed that as a precautionary measure, the level of security threat is raised and border controls reinforced.

He added that security is also strengthened at other Christmas markets to prevent any similar attack.

In 2015, France faced a number of attacks by ISIS militants in which 240 people lost their lives. There were terror attacks also in parts of Europe during Christmas. Two years back, terrorists drove a stolen vehicle into a crowd in Berlin that killed 11 pedestrians and left 56 injured.

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They usually selected crowded places to inflict maximum casualties and create panic among the people.

The suspect fled in a taxi

According to the Washington Post, there was an exchange of gunfire between the suspect and the law enforcement agencies. Police shot the suspect in the hand and he escaped from the scene in a taxi.

The driver gave his description to the police and said he had a handgun and a knife. The taxi driver also mentioned that the man had bragged about some of his recent exploits. That information helped to identify him.

The city of Strasbourg is considered to be a high-profile target. Terrorists belonging to the al-Qaeda had planned attacks in 2000. Their targets were the Strasbourg Cathedral and Christmas market on New Years Eve. However, timely action taken by German and French authorities foiled the attempt. In 2016, there was a terror attack in Nice on Bastille Day in which dozens died and hundreds were injured. Recently, in Paris, a 20-year-old man stabbed multiple individuals, killed one and injured others before he fell to police bullets.
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President Rodrigo Duterte will attend the turnover ceremony of theon Saturday following the public clamor for his presence at the ceremony, the Palace said Thursday. This was after Malacanangs initial announcement that Duterte would not be able to attend the turnover ceremony for the historic church bells in Balangiga, Eastern Samar. But Duterte changed his mind and decided to attend the ceremony.Due to the persistent requests from the people of Eastern Samar, the President has decided to attend the turnover ceremony on Saturday, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said. In September 1901, the three bells were taken by US soldiers from the San Lorenzo de Martir Church in Balangiga town in Eastern Samar. The soldiers took the bells in retaliation for the killing of 48 of their comrades and the wounding of 12 others from the Charlie Company of the 9th Infantry Regiment, which happened following an ambush by Filipino freedom fighters during the Philippine-American War. In other developments:  The Catholic Church on Thursday rejected a proposal to transfer one of the three bells of Balangiga to the National Museum.The Diocese of Borongan, which has jurisdiction over Balangiga, Eastern Samar, said it will not allow the transfer of any of the bells.  The Diocese of Borongan has prepared a special program for the turnover over of the Balangiga Bells on Saturday. On Tuesday, Monsignor. Pedro Quitorio, head of the Borongan Diocese-Return of the Balangiga Bells Committee, said several activities will highlight the turnover from the State to the Church this weekend. The overall program will have prayer, welcome talk, unveiling and ringing of the bells, he said. On Tuesday,after spending over a century on foreign soil, meeting Dutertes 17-month-old appeal to the United States to return the bells during his second State of the Nation Address last year. The President was supposed to attend the turnover in Villamor Air Base, Pasay City, on Tuesday but he skipped the event. Panelo said Duterte considers his appearance in the turnover ceremony as an added attraction, but he still underscores the fact that the bells have been returned after 117 years. The descendants of those who perished in one of the bloodiest and tragic consequences of the Filipino-American war rightfully cherish the coming home of a part of our national heritage and the Filipino nation joins them in rejoicing, Panelo said.
This month, TWHs Australian correspondent Josephine Winter brings us the latest news snippets from the Australian Pagan Community.

Western Australia: Combined Covens Participates in PrideFest WA

Last month, Perth-based non-profit Pagan social group Combined Covens participated in PrideFest, Perths LGBTQI+ arts, culture and community festival for the second year running. Members of Combined Covens dressed as gods and goddesses for the parade through Northbridge, which marked the conclusion of the festival.

PrideFest is organised and facilitated by Pride WA . Originally incorporated in 1993 as Lesbian & Gay Pride (WA) Incorporated, Pride WA began in its earliest form during the 1989 march on Parliament, during the contentious debate about the Law Reform (Decriminalisation of Sodomy) Act 1989 which decriminalised private sexual acts between two people of the same sex. Since then, Pride WA has grown to host some of the largest LGBT events in Perth and played an important role in campaigning for gay and lesbian law reform in the state.

Combined Covens was formed in 1996 as a unification of a number of larger covens and groups in Western Australia. The group is an incorporated non-profit group and is geared towards providing networking and fellowship to Pagans across the state.

Queensland: Author Sandra Greenhalgh Announces Druid Wisdom Oracle Cards

Both ancient and modern Druid practices are the inspiration for this new deck of oracle cards, set for release in February 2019.

The deck also features images based on Pictish rock carvings as well as Celtic mythology, says author and artist Sandra Greenhalgh. Greenhalgh began working on the deck in April 2018, after experiencing an unexpected and sudden flow of Awen. This led to her learning digital art techniques (though no photographic images are included in the deck), and how to independently self-publish the finished cards.

Teaser images on the cards Facebook page so far include Stonehenge, a pomegranate, several trees, oak, mistletoe and an image of a bradan feasa (salmon of knowledge) alongside an Australian platypus.

Sandra is a long term member of the international Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, and lives in Queensland, Australia.

For more information about the Druid Wisdom Oracle follow their Facebook page or the hashtag #druidwisdomoracle on Instagram.

Victoria: Australias Newest Magical Tradition Prepares for Midsummer

During the solstice the sun is at its peak in the sky, large and strong on the longest day of the year, says Dorian Manticore, the founder of the Sovereigns of the Golden Path (SGP). For the SGP its symbolic of the culmination of the prior year, of accomplishment and survival. A time to reflect on what were proud of and excited about for the future  the equivalent of New Years Eve celebrations. Being an astronomical event it can also be celebrated by people with a more secular mindset.

According to the SGP website, the tradition is an anarchistic, non-binary, two-handed, animistic, DIY, intersectional tradition rooted in chaos magic and existentialism.

The tradition is open to anyone who identifies as queer, regardless of their level of experience. Its practices include ritual, sacred storytelling, divination, spirit-work, healing, and growth [the SGP] encourages the joy of scientific learning, play and genuine, authentic connection with the world around us.

The group held their first public ritual in December 2017, and have hosted a number of events in and around Melbourne throughout 2018.

The SGPs summer solstice ritual will take place on a Melbourne beach on the weekend of the 22nd of December. The weekend is set to be a busy one for Melbournes Pagan community, with public events also being hosted by a range of traditions, such as Silver Birch Grove ADF, OBODs Melbourne Grove and the Monthly Hills Pagan Coffee Meets.

I started the SGP because I felt a need in community for a tradition that is both queer-centred and as a haven for people who wish to re-engage with their spirituality, Manticore said. Especially those who may feel alienated elsewhere. A space to focus on personal growth, sacred self-ownership and authenticity, a haven for the othered.
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Photo taken on Dec. 10, 2018 shows a Tu-160 strategic bomber at the Simon Bolivar International Airport, in Maiquetia, Vargas State, Venezuela. Two Russian Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bombers have arrived in Venezuela, the Russian defense ministry said in a statement. According to Russian news report, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez welcomed the Russian warplanes, saying that Venezuela is getting prepared to defend itself when needed and the country will do it with the friends who advocate respect-based relations between states. (Xinhua/Marcos Salgado)

Source: Two Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers arrive in Venezuela  Xinhua | English.news.cn

This is a good thing and, Oh My, it has stirred things up in the US Gov

Earlier in the day, Pompeo referred to the Russian and Venezuelan governments

MOSCOW, Dec 11 (Reuters)  Two Russian strategic bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons have landed in ally Venezuela in a show of support for the government there that infuriated Washington.

Russias government has sent bombers halfway around the world to Venezuela, fumed U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Twitter. and The Russian and Venezuelan people should see this for what it is: two corrupt governments squandering public funds, and squelching liberty and freedom while their people suffer.

Nothing like telling a flagrant lie! Is there U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo?

Maybe looking at the home front and fixing things there is a better way to begin. Right Pompeo?

WtR
time

Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Thursday challenged those opposingto go and bring their arguments to Mindanao. Sotto issued the challenge after Congress, voting 235-28 with one abstention, granted the request ofin the countrys southernmost island for the. However, opposition members of the House of Representatives said they would challenge the renewed extension of the state of martial law in Mindanao before the Supreme Court. The so-called Magnificent 7 opposition bloc and the progressive Makabayan bloc both said they will seek relief from the high tribunal. We feel very strongly that there is no constitutional and factual basis for that extension, Albay Rep. Edsel Lagman told reporters in a press conference. We will definitely still maximize an arena where we can present our case. We will be filing definitely by January, like what we did last year, Anakpawis party-list Rep. Ariel Casilao of the Makabayan bloc said. However, the Senate president feels differently. I wish those against ML in Mindanao to go there and say there what they are saying here, Sotto said in a text message after Congress overwhelmingly voted on Wednesday to approve the martial law extension until Dec. 31, 2019. They dont need to live there. Just go there and say that they are against it, he added. Sotto was among the 12 of the 23 senators, who voted for the extension. Five senators were against it, while one abstained. Two did not participate while three failed to attend the session. Sotto said he was no longer surprised when Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto abstained from voting and when Senator Francis Escudero voted against the extension. Recto and Escudero belong to the majority block in the Senate. I knew what they were going to vote, Sotto said. Ralph wanted six months [extension] lang. Chiz probably has his reasons. The thing is, there is a continuing actual rebellion in Mindanao, he said. Escudero voted no to the extension of martial law in Mindanao for another year, saying he sees no strong basis to extend it anew. Escudero said that the Constitution empowers the President to declare the country or parts of it under martial rule in case of invasion or rebellion when public requires it. Rebellion at invasion, at hindi pagpapanatili ng peace and order, pagpapaganda ng ekonomiya at hindi dahil gusto ng tao ang magiging basehan ng martial law, the senator said. Mindanao can achieve and has already achieved progress and peace through the efforts of the administration not because of martial law because it can do and not do the same things with or without martial law. Can we not maintain this norm without resorting to extraordinary measures? Escudero asked. Martial law cannot be the new normal in Mindanao. I wish Mindanao will continue to achieve peace and progress not because of the taint of martial law. Let us give credit to ourselves, not martial law, he added. Senator Franklin Drilon expressed the same sentiment. Martial law cannot be the new normal, Drilon said, adding that theres no actual rebellion or armed uprising in Mindanao which can justify the declaration of martial law in Mindanao. The persistence to continuously place Mindanao under martial law, without any clear showing of actual rebellion, makes me wonder: Is this the new normal? said Drilon, who voted no to the third extension of martial law in Mindanao. Drilon likened the governments consistent resort to martial law to taking an antibiotic. Ang martial law po ay parang antibiotic. It is resorted to only when ordinary over-the-counter drugs have ceased to work. Unlimited resort to this powerful medicine desensitizes the body and eventually no longer becomes effective in providing the protection that it was designed to give. For Drilon, martial law should be a measure of last resort. We must not resort to it when other, less extreme measures are available. The longer and more often antibiotics are used, the less effective they become. A stronger, more expensive drug may then be required to kill the bacteria, Drilon added. If martial law is reduced to become part of Mindanaos everyday reality, what recourse do we have left if, despite such military rule, the problem in Mindanao is not solved? he added.Drilon also raised concerns that martial law, which he called the highest form of self-preservation, was being viewed as a tool to make governance more effective. Implementing martial law to make governance more effective is a disturbing thought. That was never the intention of our framers, Drilon said. We must remember that martial law is the highest form of self-preservation. It cannot be the norm, he added. Drilon said that based on the Presidents request to extend Mindanao martial law, there is nothing that shows actual rebellion and armed uprising in the region to justify the extension, which is required by the Constitution. We submit that there is no ground, there is no actual uprising that is taking place in Mindanao to justify the extension of martial law. We must remember that Proclamation No. 216 was premised on the Marawi siege, he said. He also noted that the siege ended in October last year. The former Justice secretary also said in a briefing with the senators on Monday that the defense secretary called the continuation of martial law a psychological war to quell an armed uprising. He said that the military has even classified the terrorist groups as merely a peace and order problem today. What the Constitution requires as ruled by the Supreme Court is actual armed uprising for the purpose of removing from the allegiance of the government the territory of the Philippines or any part thereof, Drilon said. Duterte first placed Mindanao under martial law on May 23, 2017, when the Islamic State-inspired Maute terrorist group attacked Marawi City. He later asked Congress for its extension until December of 2017 but requested again to extend it until the end of 2018. Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said there was nothing new with the Communist Party of the Philippines threat to mount a nationwide offensive in response to another year-long extension of martial law in Mindanao. In an interview, Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo, AFP spokesperson, said the rebels are merely using the martial law extension as an excuse for their real goals which is to conduct attacks and disturbances which could severely affect the country. In the past, they continued attacking soldiers on a humanitarian mission even if a ceasefire is in effect. They also extort money from businesses and investors and burn farming and public works equipment. These are the reasons why the President scrapped the ceasefire. So, whats new? Arevalo also chided the rebels for having the temerity to declare a unilateral ceasefire during parts of the Yuletide season, a truce which they have conveniently forgotten following this latest CPP pronouncement. And they still have this unilateral ceasefire which they declared for the Christmas season, he added. The CPP ceasefire is slated to begin on 12:01 a.m. of Dec. 24 to 11:59 p.m. of Dec. 26 and on 12:01 a.m. of Dec. 31 to 11:59 p.m. of Jan. 1, 2019. This proves that the decision of the Armed Forces of the Philippines not to declare a ceasefire is right. Its because we know that this is just another ploy for them to be able to hurl allegations that the AFP is against peace. Its because we learned from their lies and propaganda, he added. Still, Arevalo assured the public that they are not taking the rebel threats lightly and have ordered troops to take necessary precautions. We are on a high alert level not because of that threat. Its because we will help the PNP in case they ask assistance from the AFP, he said. Meanwhile, as Mindanao braces fora clash in Patikul, Sulu between government soldiers and the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf resulted in the death of three ASG bandits and a marine soldier. Capt. Felix Serapio Jr., head of the Philippine Marines public affairs office, said government troops exchanged fire against around 50 bandits in Minis Island around 2 a.m. Two more soldiers from the 62nd Marine Company under the Philippine Marine Ready Force - Sulu were injured in the skirmishes. Serapio said one of the bandits killed was a sub-group leader of the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu. The soldiers were able to recover two M14 rifles after the operation. The firefight is still ongoing as of this report while the casualties were already extricated, the military official said. READ: Martial law in Mindanao extended for
HEAP OF COMPLAINTS. Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Director General Aaron Aquino (right) files charges before the Department of Justice on Thursday against persons allegedly involved in the smuggling of P6.4 billion worth of shabu into the country. Norman Cruz

READ: PDEAs No. 2 man sacked over shabu
En espanol | Nevada earned its nickname as the Silver State because of prospectors who rushed there in the 1800s in hopes of scoring big. But today, the state is attracting another type of get-rich-quick business: unwanted phone calls from telemarketers and robocallers illegally hawking everything under the sun  including solar panels.

According to a new report from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Nevada led the nation in the year that ended Sept. 30 in the number of complaints about unwanted, abusive or  in some cases  illegal telemarketing calls. Nevadans lodged 77,316 complaints, which is roughly 2,579 complaints for every 100,000 of its residents. The Silver State was followed by Colorado, Arizona, Oregon and New Jersey for the most complaints per capita.
En espanol | This week the IRS warned businesses and their employees to beware of scams in which crooks pose as company owners or executives in an attempt to steal valuable tax and personnel information. The thieves can then use the pilfered W-2 data to file false tax returns or sell the information on the dark web, experts say.

Is it pervasive? Yes, says Raphael Tulino, an IRS spokesman in San Diego. Weve seen a lot of it in the last couple of years, unfortunately.

A W-2 form lists an employees annual wages paid and withholdings for income taxes, Social Security and Medicare. Large companies may have cybersecurity software and other tools aimed at stopping criminals in their tracks, but smaller businesses, too, must be vigilant, says attorney Joseph Lazzarotti, an expert in data security at law firm Jackson Lewis in Morristown, N.J. You see people get duped for a lot of things, he notes.

According to the IRS, the scheme usually works this way: A scammer sends an email pretending to be a company executive. The correspondence may begin with an innocuous, Hey, you in today? But by the end of the exchange, the impostor asks for a list of employees and their W-2 statements.
Holiday travelers are getting an early present this year, with gas prices at their lowest levels of 2018 and fuel costs expected to remain stable for the rest of the month. According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), more than 112.5 million people will be on the move during the next few weeks, mostly by car.

The national average price for unleaded gas earlier this week was $2.42, which is 28 cents cheaper than in November and four cents lower than in December of last year, according to AAAs research. The largest price reductions occurred in Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska, where gas has dropped about 40 cents since November.

It means that holiday travelers will be greeted with an early gift at the pump, says Devin Gladden of AAA. The organization projects that the national average price could drop to $2.40 a gallon by the end of the year.

Of the millions who will be traveling for the holidays, 102 million will do so by car, according to AAAs projections. The forecast of 112.5 million represents slightly more than a 4 percent increase over last years estimate and is the highest number since AAA began following holiday travel numbers in 2001.
There was no letup in the House campaign to press Budget SecretaryThursday over the insertion of P75 billion in the 2019 national spending plan, but some senators defended the embattled Cabinet member. House Majority Leader and Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. said the committee on rules would hold a hearing on the alleged budget anomalies and questionable allocations by Diokno on Jan. 3, 2019 in Naga City. He said his committee will subpoena, among others, the regional director of the Department of Public Works and Highways, two district engineers of Sorsogon City and the district engineer of Catanduanes. Andaya said the House also extended invitations to heads of the DPWH bids and awards committee, active and recently retired, who handled the projects of alleged favored contractor C.T. Leoncio Construction and Trading, a proprietorship owned by Consolacion Leoncio. On a later date, the committee would also summon Diokno to shed light on questions related to the 2019 budget. I am particularly interested in knowing the total amount of payables that the DBM owe to contractors and suppliers this year. During the Question Hour, he [Diokno] disclosed that these payables run to billions of pesos. The government owes contractors and suppliers P100 billion, and this will not be paid this year. This was not disputed by Secretary Diokno during Question Hour, Andaya said in a mix of Filipino and English. The DPWH [Department of Public Works and Highways] undersecretary for planning, Ma. Catalina Cabral has confirmed to Congress that for DPWH alone, the payables have reached P44 billion. And until now, this has not been paid, Andaya added. Given this, he questioned the insertion of P75 billion, which Diokno defended as part of the budget process. The billion-dollar question: Why then did Secretary Diokno insisted on inserting an additional P75 billion in the DPWH infrastructure projects for 2019 when the DBM has no money to pay for P100 billion [in debt to contractors and suppliers]? Andaya said. If the DBM cannot pay the P100 billion in debt, this is mismanagement, he continued. It is clear that there was neglect on the part of Secretary Diokno. It is clear he must answer for it. Unless he clears himself of this mess, there will be perpetual doubt that the peoples taxes are not safe under his stewardship. Andaya earlier said C.T. Leoncio Construction and Trading cornered huge projects in supposed connivance with some DBM officials.by manipulating the budget process and allowing the P75 billion in insertions. Andaya said that Diokno admitted that husband and wife, Casiguran Mayor Edwin Hamor and Sorsogon Vice Governor Ester Hamor, were his in-laws, but claimed he did not know they would be running in 2019. Ester Hamor is running for mayor of Sorsogon City, while Edwin Hamor will run for reelection for mayor of Casiguran, Sorsogon. He claims his daughter did not tell him about this, Andaya said. Dioknos daughter Charlotte Justine is married to Romeo Sicat Jr., the son of Esther Hamor from her first marriage to a certain Gerardo Sicat. The Hamors, according to sources, are very close to the sole contractor C.T. Leoncio Construction and Trading. Opposition lawmakers led by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said the President may have known about the P75 billion in insertions. If the facts and figures are admitted by no less than Secretary Diokno, then we should be able to rely on his admission that there is a P75-billion additional amount. But I dont think that Secretary Diokno will do this on his own. I think he has the permission, the consent, and prior knowledge of the executive, more particularly the President, Lagman told reporters at a news conference. Lagman also said he has a strong possibility that other government officials are behind the allegations against Diokno. Senate President Vicente Sotto III, however, spoke out on Dioknos behalf. Ben Diokno has been doing a good job and has never been known to indulge in any illegal actions as far as the government budget is concerned, Sotto said.He added that if there were a problem with the P75 billion, all they had to do was cut it from the budget. Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said he had no comment on the House resolution but said the Senate had no problems dealing with Diokno. We are not fully aware of House allegations at this time. We are still studying the budget and its attendant issues, Recto added. Senator Loren Legarda said Diokno was a man of integrity and his competence was unquestionable. Senator Panfilo Lacson described as too harsh and unfair the call of the. He said the accusations against Diokno were speculative and not supported by solid evidence. Instead of getting Diokno fired, he said, Congress should first conduct an investigation. We may be barely scratching the surface of anomalies involved, not only in unwarranted realignments by both House and Senate members but in the preparation of the NEP [National Expenditures Program], he said. At the same time, Lacson urged Malacanang to reject an expected request by Diokno for a special session on the 2019 budget as Congress goes on Christmas break on Thursday. Diokno earlier said he would recommend to the President to call for a special session to approve the budget within the year. But Lacson said even with a special session, there was no time to pass the budget before the year ends. Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said the Senate tried its best but said it would be physically impossible to approve the budget this year. Even if the President calls for a special session, it would be doubtful that Congress could get a quorum, Zubiri added. Also on Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said that while the Department of Health will take a huge cut in its budget in 2019, some P16.18 billion was mysteriously buried in the proposed P3.575-trillion national budget, supposedly to help local government units. Whats more, he said, the principal agency tasked to assist LGUs, the Department of the Interior and Local Government disowned the fund, claiming it had no knowledge of how the funds would be used. Drilon said the DILGs admission that it is not aware that there are P16-billion funds earmarked for LGU assistance only reinforces doubts about the budget. He said the money would be best used to augment the budget of the Health Department to enable the agency to equip around 900 health facilities and finish the construction of 300 more. If the DILG had nothing to do with this item, we will move that we give it to the Department of Health, because, certainly, our 900 rural health units should have the highest priority in the budget, Drilon said.
People there, officials say, feel safe with the presence of the military.

The House and the Senate in a joint session approved the extension of martial law in Mindanao. By granting President Rodrigo Dutertes request, Congress has made martial law the new normal there. The third extension of martial law will start on January 1, 2019 and will last up to December 31, 2019 Citing Islamist separatists and communist New Peoples Army threat in the area, government officials were able to convince Congress to continue military rule in Mindanao. He added that the people in Southern Philippines felt safer with the presence of the military, particularly after the siege of Marawi by the terrorist group ISIS. The same feel safe sentiment was expressed by Mindanao businessmen, according to Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea. Opposition lawmakers headed by Minority Leader Senator Franklin Drilon and Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman pointed out that the military itself claimed victory after dislodging the ISIS raiders from Marawi. Lagman also said that the extension of martial law in Mindanao only proved that the military and the police failed in installing order despite martial law being extended twice already. In the government panel at the congressional hearing were Medialdea, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon and Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra. On the war on illegal drugs, there are people now voicing their desire for the return of the death penalty for criminals who commit heinous crimes, including large-scale drug trafficking. These concerned citizens cited the execution of Chinese drug trafficker Lim Seng by firing squad in the first few days of the proclamation of martial law by President Ferdinand Marcos. The public execution shown live on national television put the fear of God among drug traffickers. Chinese drug traffickers are shot at the back of the head in China. So they do their nefarious crime here in the Philippines where capital punishment has been abolished. When apprehended here, these Chinese are merely deported by the Bureau of Immigration. Often they come back into the country and even manufacture shabu for local and foreign distribution. Before, the Philippines was merely a transshipment point for cocaine coming from Burma and as far away as Colombia and Mexico. Complicit BI officials and Filipinos in connivance with Chinese shabu manufacturers should be meted the same stiff punishment as the principal accused. This, more than the alleged extrajudicial killings of suspects, would be a better deterrence against drug trafficking.Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia are among our ASEAN neighbors who still mete out the death penalty for drug trafficking and they have shown a lesser number of drug- related cases. A great majority of the populace supports President Dutertes relentless war on drugs but there are also many who dont approve the manner of carrying out the campaign. Three policemen were recently convicted for the senseless killing of teenage drug suspect Kian delos Santos, prompting the President to review the police operation in these cases. Hopefully, the conviction of the guilty cops will deter trigger-happy policemen to shoot suspects only to incapacitate them unless of course if the situation calls for extreme measure to defend themselves. * * * In developments in other parts of the globe, British Prime Minister Theresa May survived a no-confidence vote in parliament spurred by the divisive issue of Britain exiting from the European Union. PM May who is at the head of Brexit lost support from her own Conservative ranks but managed to have enough numbers to stay as prime minister. She returned to London after holding dialogues with Frances Emmanuel Macron and Germanys Angela Merkel. I hope Macron also weather protesters demands for him to resign. This is a time when Europe needs strong leaders like Macron, May and Merkel. The three Ms have proven their worth as leaders in times of great challenges. Macron, particularly, handled the French protesters with great aplomb. He did not submit to mob rule by rescinding the excessive tax on fuel. Instead he offered the protesters an increase in daily wages and a better deal if they leave the streets and desist from violence that saw thousands of protesters taken into custody and damage to property running in the millions of euros. Merkel on the other hand has taken Germany to new economic heights since assuming the post of Chancellor. A native of East Germany, Merkel proved that German reunification was the right step for the economically prosperous nation with its signature BMW and Mercedes Benz cars.
2021 sales tax revenues encouraging for Aberdeen, Watertown

Aberdeen Sales tax returns for 2021 are keeping up with record returns in 2020 and Watertown sales tax returns are up.
Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  After waiting over a decade, Nallely Hernandez finally got to see her fourth-grade teacher convicted for sexual crimes against her and a classmate.

A jury on Wednesday found former teacher Gary Gregor guilty of three counts of criminal sexual penetration of a minor, four counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and five counts of kidnapping.

The jury deliberated for about four hours after a trial that lasted more than week. Gregor faces 168 years in prison.

Gregor, 62, was accused of molesting girls while he was teaching at Fairview Elementary School in Espanola during the 2007-08 school year. One of his victims was 21-year-old Hernandez.

Im pretty speechless right now, but Im thankful to God that justice has been served, Hernandez said after the verdict was read. I waited for what felt like forever, but its worth it now.

Hernandez, who has talked publicly about the case before, testified last week that Gregor would touch her private area while he was sitting next to her at a student council table at the front of the class.

She also said he kept her behind in class, turned off the lights and closed the blinds, and tried to kiss her in a classroom closet. The abuse occurred daily, she said.

In court Wednesday, defense attorney Shelby Bradley said in his closing argument that the state had not produced any physical evidence against Gregor and said the women who testified against him had a financial incentive to say Gregor touched them sexually in class.

The Espanola school district has already paid $9.2 million to settle two lawsuits involving Gregor. Hernandez already collected a $4 million settlement for her lawsuit and the other alleged victim in this case, who is currently in custody in Mississippi for a felony conviction, has pending litigation.

The only evidence of something happening is from those young women, and they have financial bias, Bradley said.

Deputy Attorney General Clara Moran said in closing arguments that there were red flags for Gregors grooming and abuse. Other school employees testified that Gregor would sit with some of his female students in the cafeteria with his hands under the table and would also hold their hands on the playground.

Gregor, who showed no emotion when the guilty verdicts were read, still faces three more trials for similar crimes he allegedly committed against female students in Santa Fe and additional students Espanola. The next one is slated for January.

Although civil lawsuits over Gregors behavior have resulted in millions in payouts, he was never charged criminally until Attorney General Hector Balderas did so last year amid national media attention on so-called passing the trash of sex offender teachers from school district to school district without accountability.

Gregor first faced accusations while teaching at Santa Fe Public Schools, after docents at the International Folk Art Museum observed questionable behavior by Gregor with girls during a field trip. But the Santa Fe district let him go with a neutral recommendation and he was then hired in Espanola.

He had also faced accusations in Utah and Montana before coming to New Mexico.

Graphic testimony

The testimony against Gregor in his Santa Fe trial was sometimes graphic.

Hernandez said Gregor started by putting his hand on her knee, then he started touching and rubbing her thighs. He then started putting his hand inside her skirt and inside her underwear, and would rub her for minutes at a time.

Hernandez said she started wearing pants with a belt. But that didnt stop him, she said, and he would still force his hand into her underwear. These kinds of assaults would happen on a daily basis, she said.

Hernandez also testified that after she and other girls went to Fairview principal Ruby Montoya to report Gregors behavior, the principal came to the class and told students to stop spreading false information. The other victim in this case also testified she went to Montoya about Gregor touching her and nothing happened as a result. No one from the school ever went to police.

Gregors wife, Judith Gregor, a 32-year-old Philippines native, was the only defense witness. She testified she became pen pals with Gregor and married him in the Philippines in January 2006. She spent time in his classroom and she said shed never seen her husband touch anyone inappropriately, but did say that girls in his class would hold his hand. The girls were the ones who grabbed his hand first, and I didnt like that, Judith Gregor said.  As a wife, you would feel jealous a little bit.
Detectives are investigating the death of a woman on Dec. 3 that the Office of the Medical Investigator recently determined was a homicide.

Albuquerque Police Department spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said officers had been called out for the unattended death of a 61-year-old woman in the Foothills area command.

At autopsy the next day or so, the pathologist alerted police to some circumstances that led us to open an investigation, Gallegos wrote in an email. The circumstances will be released at a later date.

He did not say where the woman was found or how she died. It is unclear why police waited more than a week to tell the media about the homicide investigation.

Gallegos said after detectives find the womans next of kin they will release her name.

He did not say if there were any suspects.
Wouldnt it be great, now that the state Motor Vehicle Division has eased up on the requirements for a driver authorization card (DAC), if all New Mexicans showed up at the neighborhood MVD office with the documents they need, and all state and contract MVD clerks knew exactly what was required?

Sure it would. But considering many drivers and clerks still dont understand whats required under the federal Real ID Act, which the state adopted two years ago, thats overly optimistic. (A Real ID drivers license is accepted for federal purposes, including boarding a plane after October 2020. A DAC allows you to drive legally.)

From drivers who show up with a file folder of random paperwork and expect a clerk to sort through it, to clerks who ask for documents that are not required, it has been a hard road for many.

The DAC changes, announced Friday, are the result of a settlement agreement that resolved a class-action lawsuit. They have lessened the requirements so that folks who want a DAC now only have to provide:

1. One document that shows the applicants name and date of birth. The list of 34 possible documents includes a drivers license that has not been expired more than a year.

However, if an applicant cannot prove he or she is in the United States legally and their New Mexico drivers license is expired, they will have to be fingerprinted.

2. Two proofs of residency that have name and street address (homeless residents just need one, which can be a notarized letter from a shelter they stay at). The list of 14 possible documents includes current utility bills (except cellphone), rental agreements, insurance bills, pay stubs or bank statements.

In the news release announcing the changes, MVDs parent agency, Taxation and Revenue, said the MVD will train all staff and contractors on the revised requirements as well as inform New Mexicans previously denied a Driving Authorization Card or non-federally compliant ID card about their options to resolve the reason for the denial and their right to appeal the departments decision. Both need to happen.

Meanwhile, the list of documents accepted for a Real ID license or DAC is at www.mvd.newmexico.gov. All New Mexico drivers, including MVD clerks, should read it.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
SANTA FE  With less than a month left in office, termed-out Republican New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez has pardoned three people in a state with a robust history of forgiveness by governors.

The governors office this week confirmed that Martinez issued three pardons in 2012 and no others. She did not respond to a request for comment on her approach to pardon applications.

A former district attorney and proponent of reinstituting the death penalty in New Mexico, Martinez has added restrictions on pardons that rule out candidates convicted of sexual offenses and multiple drunken driving violations.

The governors office indicated that it does not keep a list of pardon applicants and denials or track overall numbers. It did not immediately provide access to pardon applications. The state Parole Board also did not respond immediately to a request for its recommendations to the governor.

Martinezs two immediate predecessors each pardoned scores of people for a variety of convictions.

Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson famously dabbled with a posthumous pardon of the 19th-century outlaw known as Billy the Kid in the killing of a sheriff that was ultimately denied, while he did commute the life sentence of a woman who killed her allegedly abusive husband.

Former Republican Gov. Gary Johnson, an early proponent of legalizing marijuana who later ran for president as a Libertarian, commuted a sentence in 2002 for Belinda Dillon, who was convicted of stealing a small amount of money, apparently because of addiction.

Dillon was sexually assaulted by prison guards and Johnson expressed outrage that the guards received lesser sentences than Dillon did for her nonviolent crime.

In New Mexico, the power to pardon resides solely with the governor. A pardon restores citizenship rights, such as the ability to vote and run for public office. It does not expunge public records.

The Restoration of Rights Project currently lists New Mexico among states where pardons are infrequent or uneven, alongside states including Louisiana, New York and Hawaii.

Democratic Gov.-elect Michelle Lujan Grisham takes office Jan. 1. after defeating Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce.

In 1986, Democratic Gov. Toney Anaya commuted the death sentences of five men awaiting execution in a move to thwart his elected Republican successor.

New Mexico repealed capital punishment in 2009, replacing it with mandatory lifetime sentencing.
Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  As New Mexico enjoys a revenue boom  after a financial crisis just two years ago  legislators are struggling with how much they should set aside for the next rainy day.

The debate boiled over Wednesday as the chairman of the Senate Education Committee took aim at state economists who warned that this years surge in revenue may not last.

Sen. William Soules, D-Las Cruces, questioned whether state officials are being too cautious by recommending the Legislature maintain reserves of 20 to 25 percent of state spending levels. He said he had reviewed a report from an international credit rating agency that recommended New Mexico keep about 17 percent in reserves.

Soules comments came as lawmakers face pressure to sharply boost spending on schools  after a landmark court ruling that said New Mexico isnt providing at-risk students with an adequate education.

Economists working for the legislative and executive branches of government have repeatedly warned lawmakers this week about the potential for an economic recession sometime in the next few years and highlighted volatility in the oil industry  a critical source of state revenue. The price per barrel of oil has fallen from about $75 in October to closer to $51 this month, for example.

Soules suggested some of the economists fears are unfounded.

You all have been pretty lousy over the last few years at predicting the future, Soules said Wednesday during a meeting of the Legislative Education Study Committee.

Investing in the people of New Mexico  through spending on schools and education  would help the state grow in a sustainable way, less susceptible to wild swings in oil prices, he said.

The economists responded that theyre simply trying to prepare lawmakers for the wide range of potential outcomes in the next budget year, not discourage them from making their own policy decisions about how much to spend.

Just a $1 change in oil prices can result in a $17 million change in annual state revenue, they said.

The oil industry is prone to sudden shocks, said Dawn Iglesias, an economist for the Legislative Finance Committee. Its up to you as lawmakers to decide what level of risk you want to protect against in the event of a downturn.

The state Department of Finance and Administration this week recommended reserves of at least 25 percent in the short term and higher reserves in future years. Legislative economists suggested at least 20 percent, in addition to other cautionary measures aimed at ensuring the state has enough cash in case of another budget crunch.

The back-and-forth came as New Mexico enjoys a massive bump in revenue, thanks largely to an oil boom in the Permian Basin. The state may run up a surplus of $950 million this year, unless more spending is authorized.

Altogether, the budget now authorizes about $6.3 billion in general-fund spending this fiscal year, which ends June 30.

For the next fiscal year, state economists are projecting about $7.4 billion will be available, though theyve stressed that theres uncertainty over how much money will actually materialize.

Responding to Soules, some legislators pushed back on the idea that the states economists are too cautious.

We know due to global events totally out of our control, things can change overnight, Sen. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces, said.

Sen. Craig Brandt, R-Rio Rancho, said he understands the difficulty in trying to project future revenue.

I love the fact that we have all of this new money, he said. Dont count on it being there in a year. Dont count on it being there in two years.

No one has offered a firm estimate on how much it will cost to boost school funding to satisfy the landmark court ruling. A judge gave the state until mid-April to assemble a funding plan that meets constitutional requirements.

Just two years ago, the state nearly depleted its cash reserves. Moodys Investor Service downgraded New Mexicos bond rating as recently as this summer  the states second downgrade in two years  citing high pension liabilities and other factors.

Soules, meanwhile, said the state must walk a line between reasonable frugality and holding too much money back during a time when there are tremendous needs. He pointed to a stress test analysis conducted by Moodys.

In 2017, Moodys Analytics estimated that New Mexico needs 17 percent in reserves to withstand a severe recession.

But state economists said Wednesday that New Mexico is increasingly reliant on the oil sector  something that isnt captured by an analysis that examines past years.

About 80 percent of this years revenue growth, for example, is directly related to the oil and gas industry, legislative economists said in a report this week.

New Mexico is on pace for a record year in oil production. And just last week, the U.S. Geological Survey said that New Mexico and Texas are home to the largest pool of oil and gas reserves ever announced by the USGS  a finding that prompted U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to say Christmas came a few weeks early this year.
Katowice, PolandThe worlds nations have a lot to figure out to make swift progress in taking forward climate action. Several scientific reports provided snapshots of the likely future impact of increasingly severe climate change, as well as the worlds progress toward avoiding them. Since last week, governments from more than 195 countries have been meeting in Katowice, which lies at the heart of Polands coal-mining region of Silesia, for the 24th Conference of Partiesunder the United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change. The UNFCCC aims to finalize the rulebookrules and processes for turning the ambition into actionto implement the 2015 Paris Agreement. But actions needed to be significantly toughened at the two-week COP 24. Nations of the world have a narrow path to preventing global temperatures from overshooting. This was particularly the stark warning of the UNs Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change special report: Countries need to take rapid and far-reaching transition in energy, industry and transportation to keep temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius. Already, climate change is significantly increasing the likelihood of extreme weather, severe, widespread and irreversible impact on billions of people and the environment. Challenges brought about by the impacts of climate change, both rapid and slow onset, are getting worse every day we spend doing nothing. Inaction has its price. Countries should embrace the massive co-benefits of ambitious climate action, said Secretary Emmanuel de Guzman, Climate Change Commission vice chairman and the head of the Philippine delegation to COP 24. As chairman of the Climate Vulnerable Forum in 2015, the Philippines, on behalf of 48 developing countries, led the advocacy for the ambitious global warming threshold of 1.5C, now enshrined in the Paris Agreement as its long-term temperature goal (stated as: limiting global average temperature to well below 2 C and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 C). De Guzman said the Philippine advocacy for a highly ambitious climate goal has upheld the fundamental principles of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, as well as historical responsibilities, and climate justice. Here in Katowice climate talks, the Philippines will be constant and persistent in our call for the provision of scaled-up, continuous, predictable, and adequate financial support of developed countries to developing countries. We continue to enjoin developed countries to improve their mitigation targets, mobilize climate finance, and accelerate its flow as well as the development and transfer of technology, De Guzman said.During the crucial second week of the climate conference, dozens of people protested and disrupted a side event inside the COP24 venue hosted by the Trump administration promoting innovation in coal and natural gas chanting keep it on the ground and unfurling a banner. During the weekend, hundreds of climate activists and environmentalists marched throughout Katowice, demanding that governments take tougher action to curb global warming.Yet, here at COP 24 in Katowice, some countries refused to welcome the IPCC report on 1.5C that a huge majority of countries wanted to put at the heart of the climate talks. Rodne Galicha, country manager of Climate Reality Philippines, said that climate justice, just and fair transition need to be highlighted in the climate talks. Climate debt must be settled once and for all. It is our moral obligation to lead the country to a more sustainable path and achieve below 1.5C. To welcome and take action on the 1.5C in the climate negotiations process are both moral and inter-generational responsibility. If we allow US, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kuwait to control climate action, this is a failed process, Galicha said. Galicha lamented that five years after Haiyan hit the Philippines, its impact continues to echo from within the communities of eastern Visayas to the halls of climate negotiations. Its survivors continue to struggle with recovering from loss and damage, he added, saying that the thousands of lives lost serve as a reminder of the consequences of allowing fossil fuels to continue dominating the energy sector globally. Everyone has a role to play in stopping further global warming within their respective capacities. Divestment is but one of the many feasible ways to contribute to solving the climate crisis, a personal investment with far-reaching benefits for current and future generations, Galicha said. Gerry Arances, Executive Director of the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development expressed his disappointment over the lack of significant policy support from the part of the government to shift from carbon-intensive coal energy to more renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. While there has been a global shift towards renewables this year, the Philippines and other ASEAN countries do not seem to be onboard, considering their energy policies and projections, Arances said. If we are to abide by the targets of the Paris Climate Agreement, global emissions must reach their highest peak in 2020, but the recent UN special report on 1.5C indicates that this may not be possible by 2030, he noted. Arances cited the International Energy Agency report that in 2017, 70 percent of global energy demand was met by oil and gas which corresponds to the 1.2 percent increase in emissions in the same year. It is alarming that two years after the Paris Accord is when we reached a record high in global emissions. This means that developing countries like the Philippines and the rest of Southeast Asia can no longer use development to opt out of doing their fair share in cutting emissions, he said.
BRUSSELS  British Prime Minister Theresa May implored European Union leaders Thursday to help her sell the Brexit divorce deal at home, only to be told that her proposals are not clear enough for the bloc to offer a helping hand now.

Instead, the EU said it would plow ahead with plans for a cliff-edge no-deal Brexit on March 29, with a raft of contingency measures to be presented next week.

May came to an EU summit in Brussels seeking support after a week that saw her Brexit deal pilloried in Parliament and her job threatened by lawmakers from her own party. She pleaded with the 27 other EU leaders to hold nothing in reserve in helping her sell the Brexit deal to hostile British lawmakers.

There is a majority in my Parliament who want to leave with a deal, so with the right assurances this deal can be passed, May said, warning her EU counterparts that failure could mean Britain crashing out of the bloc without a deal, with all the disruption that would bring.

EU officials, however, seemed exasperated at the lack of concrete new ideas from Britain. A proposal for encouraging wording offering to give the U.K. further assurances was left out of the leaders final summit conclusions on Brexit.

I do find it uncomfortable that there is an impression perhaps in the U.K. that it is for the EU to propose solutions, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said at a news conference early Friday. It is the UK leaving the EU. And I would have thought it was rather more up to the British government to tell us exactly what they want.

He said the British must set out their expectations within weeks if they want to make progress and avoid tumbling out of the EU without a deal.

May had earlier acknowledged that major progress was unlikely at the two-day summit, even as she tried to get tweaks to the withdrawal package that she could use to win over opponents  particularly pro-Brexit lawmakers whose loathing of the deal triggered a challenge to her leadership this week.

I dont expect an immediate breakthrough, but what I do hope is that we can start work as quickly as possible on the assurances that are necessary, May said.

Her week from hell began Monday, when she scrapped a planned vote in Parliament on her Brexit divorce deal at the last minute to avoid a heavy defeat.

Anger at the move helped trigger a no-confidence vote among Mays own Conservative lawmakers Wednesday. May won, but more than a third of her partys lawmakers voted against her in a sign of the unpopularity of her Brexit plan. To secure victory, she promised she would step down as Conservative leader before Britains next national election, which is scheduled for 2022.

The 27 other EU nations are adamant there can be no substantive changes to the legally binding agreement on Britains withdrawal from the bloc and declared that the deal was not open for renegotiation.

It is important to avoid any ambiguity, said French President Emmanuel Macron. We cant renegotiate something which has been negotiated over several months.

The Brexit deal has many critics but one intractable issue  a legal guarantee designed to prevent physical border controls from being imposed between Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K., and the Republic of Ireland, a member of the EU. Northern Irelands 1998 peace accord depends on having an open, invisible border with Ireland.

A Brexit provision known as the backstop would keep the U.K. part of the EU customs union if the two sides couldnt agree on another way to avoid a hard border.

Pro-Brexit lawmakers strongly oppose the backstop, because it keeps Britain bound to EU trade rules and unable to leave without the blocs consent. Pro-EU politicians consider it an unwieldy, inferior alternative to staying in the bloc.

May told EU leaders that to win U.K. backing for the deal, we have to change the perception that the backstop could be a trap from which the U.K. could not escape.

But while Britain would like a guarantee that the backstop will be temporary, the EU insists there can be no fixed end date.

If the backstop has an expiry date, if there is a unilateral exit clause, then it is not a backstop, said Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. That would be to render it inoperable.

The leaders gave May a few crumbs of comfort in their summit conclusions. As a sign of goodwill, the EU said preparations for trade relationships would start as soon as possible after British and EU legislatures approved the deal.

They promised to work for speedy new trade deal with Britain to avoid triggering the backstop, and underscored that the measure was intended to be temporary, saying it would only be in place for as long as strictly necessary.

But May remains a weakened leader atop a government and a Parliament whose members are deeply and damagingly divided over Brexit.

Juncker said it sometimes was tough to fathom his own state of mind but added: It is even harder to understand the state of mind of the British MPs. 

___

Associated Press writers Danica Kirka in London, Geir Moulson in Berlin and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this report.

___

Follow APs full coverage of Brexit at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit
LAS CRUCES  Las Cruces businessman Paul Ikard, 55, has been sentenced to four years and six months in prison after he was convicted of putting hidden cameras in his home bathroom and recording images of children under the age of 18.

Ikard was sentenced Monday in Third Judicial District Court following his conviction for possession of visual medium of sexual exploitation of children under 18 and two counts of voyeurism, in which the victim was under the age of 18.

Ikard also faces up to one year of probation or parole and must register as a sexual offender for the rest of his life, according to 3rd Judicial District Court officials.

The investigation

Las Cruces police became aware of the allegations on May 22, 2016.

Videos created by Ikard were discovered on his computers hard drive when he sent the hard drive to a private Ohio-based company to be repaired in September 2015. The company discovered several videos depicting minor children during the repair process, and contacted the FBI in Ohio.

The matter was referred to the New Mexico FBI office, and was eventually handed over to investigators with the Las Cruces Police Department.

Search warrants for the hard drives revealed multiple videos depicting Ikard setting up hidden cameras in different bathroom vents and under sinks. The videos captured four separate people using the toilet, showering and changing clothes.

Those on the video ranged in age from 9 years old to early 20s.

When searching Ikards home, authorities found a small digital video camera with Velcro strips attached to it. Corresponding Velcro strips were found mounted to the bathroom vent. Ikards face can be seen on some of the videos while he attempted to mount the camera to the vent cover, authorities said.

KFOX-TV reported that during testimony, Ikard said an accuser tried to blackmail him and a police video showed Ikard telling a detective he put up the cameras because of the blackmail threat.



2018 the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.)

Visit the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.) at www.lcsun-news.com

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LAS CRUCES  Sierra County Sheriff Glenn Hamilton provided the Sun-News with additional information about an early morning single-vehicle crash on Monday.

Hamilton first confirmed a report by the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol of a pursuit that began at the Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 25 north of Las Cruces.

A 2012 Kia Sorento SUV fled the checkpoint at approximately 1 a.m. after it was referred for a secondary inspection. Border Patrol pursued the vehicle north on I-25 for several minutes, and briefly lost sight of the vehicle. Border Patrol agent Denisse Licon told the Sun-News the SUV was traveling at high speed and without its headlights on.

According to Border Patrols report, agents encountered the vehicle after it rolled over near mile marker 51, or near the Garfield/Salem exit by the census designated area of Garfield.

Sheriff Hamilton, however, said the rollover occurred farther north, at exit 59, in Sierra County. Hamilton said no other vehicles were involved in the crash, and provided additional information about the occupants.

Hamilton said the Kia had eight occupants, five of whom were injured in the crash and taken to various hospitals. Two of the injured occupants identified themselves as migrants from El Salvador and one from Guatemala, and Hamilton said that from their statements he believed they had made contact with human traffickers in order to enter the United States.

Meanwhile, the remaining three occupants escaped on foot and remain at large. Hamilton said the Sierra County Sheriffs Office and Border Patrol are asking residents to call Sierra County Central Dispatch at 575-894-6617 if they spot anyone suspicious in the area.



2018 the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.)

Visit the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.) at www.lcsun-news.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Eddy and Lea counties are the source of almost half a billion dollars in state revenue, coming from lease sales of federal land in southeast New Mexico to the oil and gas industry.

The Bureau of Land Managements September lease sale of federal land to the oil and gas industry generated about $972 million, with about $486 million going to the State.

The sale included 142 parcels and grossed more revenue, records show, than all of the BLMs 2017 sales combined.

Thirty-one parcels, many near the boundary of Carlsbad Caverns National Park were deferred following protest from environmentalist groups.

Representatives from the BLMs Washington D.C. headquarters presented a check for the state revenue, Tuesday at the BLMs Carlsbad Field Office.

Katharine MacGregor, deputy chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Interior, commended the work at the Carlsbad office and vowed continued support for the surrounding rural communities.

Were so proud of having a lease sale of this size, she said. I cant tell you how thrilled we were to give away the biggest check we ever have. I think its clear President (Donald) Trump and (Secretary of the Interior) Zinke are committed to rural prosperity.

MacGregor said the Carlsbad Field Office holds about 40 percent of BLM activity nationwide  the busiest office in the country  reporting 1,533 applications to permit drilling in fiscal year 2018.

The next closest office was the entire state of Wyoming with 1,227 during that same time frame.

But MacGregor said the BLM is committed to uses other than oil and gas, such as grazing and recreation.

She said a balance must be struck to encourage the ongoing economic benefit of extraction, while preserving traditional uses such as farming and ranching and the local way of life.

It will always be multiple use, MacGregor said. What is clear is that this is a unique basin. Its really a matter of striking that balance. Rural prosperity isnt just energy.

Ken McQueen, cabinet secretary of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department said the boost from the lease sale will continue to support education across New Mexico, along with local infrastructure in southeast New Mexico.

He said the Permian Basin region is an important priority for the states administration, as it provides a significant portion of New Mexicos revenue.

Earlier this year, the State reported about $1 billion in surplus funds, mostly driven by oil and gas revenue.

And with the majority of active rigs in southeast New Mexico, McQueen said the priority should be obvious.

Were just glad to have this really unexpected bonus into the state government, McQueen said. The fact that most of these leases are in Eddy and Lea counties is just an indication of whats to come. This is an indication of billions of investments to come.

McQueen pointed to the New Mexico Department of Transportations $60 million project to upgrade U.S. Highway 285, where much of the oilfield traffic travels in and out of Carlsbad, and $43 million in state funds appropriated to remediate the Carlsbad Brine Well beneath the South Y  the main highway junction in southern Carlsbad.

I think there is a lot of interest in Santa Fe that the investments here keep up with the development, he said. We just need to collaborate as we move forward. We need to find a way to spend the money in the best interest of the citizens of New Mexico.

That also means continuing to support the oil and gas industry at the state level through, McQueen said, as oil production in the Permian is not expected to slow down.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported last week that the biggest oil and gas shale ever discovered could be beneath southeast New Mexico and west Texas.

The report estimated that the Wolfcamp Shale and overlying Bone Spring Formation could contain about 46.3 billion barrels of oil, 281 trillion cubic feet of natural and 20 billion barrels of natural gas liquids (NGL).

The stage has already been set, McQueen said. This is an important precedent. Oil and gas will continue to be the largest contributor to the state budget for years to come. Its important to safeguard that resource.

Jim Stovall, director of the BLMs Pecos District said activity at the Carlsbad Field Office has continued busy and steady.

He said the office is hiring more staff to work with the State office to identify parcels ideal for mineral leasing.

State headquarters handles the actual bidding, but Stovall said his employees are instrumental in determining which parcels of land should be opened to drilling.

We work closely with the state office. Its a collaboration, Stovall said. The employees are the unsung heroes. These guys work very hard.

Meanwhile, the BLMs quarterly lease sale in December generated about $39 million for 107 parcels or 86,814 acres in New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma.

The highest bid per acre was $35,003 by Oklahoma-based Reagan Smith Energy Solutions Inc., for 40 acres in Lea County.

The highest per-parcel bid was by Flat Creek Resources LLC for $2.9 million for 160 acres in Eddy County.

The BLM is a key contributor to the Trump Administrations America First Energy Plan, which is an all-of-the-above plan that includes oil and gas, coal, strategic minerals, and renewable sources such as wind, geothermal, and solar  all of which can be developed on public lands, read a BLM news release.

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.



2018 the Carlsbad Current-Argus (Carlsbad, N.M.)

Visit the Carlsbad Current-Argus (Carlsbad, N.M.) at www.currentargus.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
MOJAVE, Calif.  Virgin Galactics tourism spaceship climbed more than 50 miles high above Californias Mojave Desert on Thursday, reaching for the first time what the company considers the boundary of space.

The rocket ship hit an altitude of 51 miles (82 kilometers) before beginning its gliding descent, said mission official Enrico Palermo. It landed on a runway minutes later.

We made it to space! Palermo exclaimed.

The supersonic flight takes Virgin Galactic closer to turning the long-delayed dream of commercial space tourism into reality. The company aims to take paying customers on the six-passenger rocket, which is about the size of an executive jet.

Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson said there will be more test flights and if all goes well he will take a ride before the public gets its chance.

I believe that sometime in the second half of next year that we will start being able to put regular people up into space, he said, describing Thursday as one of the best days of his life.

Virgin Galactic considers 50 miles (80 kilometers) the boundary of space because that is the distance used by the U.S. Air Force and other U.S. agencies. Thats different from a long-held view that the boundary is at 62 miles (100 kilometers). Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides noted that recent research favors the lower altitude.

Whitesides said a review of the data from the test flight will last into the new year.

This is a huge step forward and once we look at the data well see what that pathway is, he said.

At the start of the test flight, a special jet carrying the Virgin Space Ship Unity flew to an altitude near 43,000 feet (13,100 meters) before releasing the craft. The spaceship ignited its rocket engine and it quickly hurtled upward and out of sight of viewers on the ground. The spaceship reached Mach 2.9, nearly three times the speed of sound.

The two test pilots  Mark Forger Stucky and former NASA astronaut Rick CJ Sturckow  will be awarded commercial astronaut wings, Federal Aviation Administration official Bailey Edwards said.

It was a great flight and I cant wait to do it again, said Sturckow, who flew on the space shuttle four times.

Virgin Galactics development of its spaceship took far longer than expected and endured a setback when the first experimental craft broke apart during a 2014 test flight, killing the co-pilot.

People have literally put their lives on the line to get us here, Branson said. This day is as much for them as it is for all of us.

More than 600 people have committed up to $250,000 for rides that include several minutes of weightlessness and a view of the Earth far below. The spaceship will also be used for research: NASA had science experiments on the test flight.

The endeavor began in 2004 when Branson announced the founding of Virgin Galactic in the heady days after the flights of SpaceShipOne, the first privately financed manned spacecraft that made three flights into space.

Funded by the late billionaire Paul G. Allen and created by maverick aerospace designer Burt Rutan, SpaceShipOne won the $10 million Ansari X Prize. The prize was created to kick-start private development of rocket ships that would make spaceflight available to the public.

When Branson licensed the SpaceShipOne technology, he envisioned a fleet carrying paying passengers by 2007, launching them from a facility in southern New Mexico called Spaceport America.

But there were significant setbacks. Three technicians were killed in 2007 by an explosion while testing a propellant system at Scaled Composites LLC, which built SpaceShipOne and was building the first SpaceShipTwo for Virgin Galactic.

Then, in 2014, SpaceShipTwo broke apart during a test flight by Scaled Composites when the co-pilot prematurely unlocked its unique feathering braking system and it began to deploy. The co-pilot was killed but the injured pilot managed to survive a fall from high altitude with a parachute.

During descent, the crafts twin tails are designed to rotate upward to slow it down then return to a normal flying configuration before the craft glides to a landing on a runway.

New versions of SpaceShipTwo are built by a Virgin Galactic sister company and flight testing is now in-house. Its previous test flight reached 32 miles (52 kilometers).

Branson isnt alone in the space tourism business: Jeff Bezos Blue Origin is planning to take space tourists on trips, using the more traditional method of a capsule atop a rocket that blasts off from a launch pad. SpaceXs Elon Musk recently announced plans to take a wealthy Japanese entrepreneur and his friends on a trip around the moon.
A joint venture involving a South Korean company is expanding to Church Rock on the Navajo Reservation, bringing 350 jobs.

Rhino Health, which makes sterile gloves, plans to invest more than $49 million in a 124,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and warehouse, Gov. Susana Martinez announced Thursday.

This big win represents impactful job creation on the Navajo Nation and for rural New Mexico, Economic Development Secretary Matt Geisel said.

The company describes itself as a U.S.-based firm that has a global management team from Korean rubber conglomerate Jungwoo Rubber & Plastic. The Church Rock location is Rhino Healths first U.S. plant, a news release said.

Its the second announcement in as many days about a company with foreign ties setting up operations in New Mexico.

State officials announced Wednesday that Taiwanese manufacturer Admiral Cable is moving to Santa Teresa, with 342 jobs expected.

Rhino Health specializes in nitrile gloves, which it says provides better protection for industrial purposes than latex because they are stronger and less likely to prompt allergic reactions.

The company will get $3.5 million in Local Economic Development Act money, with McKinley County acting as the fiscal agent. Also, Rhino Health will get up to $30 million in industrial revenue bonds issued by the county. The company would be responsible for paying off the bonds, which provide it with some tax advantages.

The company will begin production early next year in an existing 20,000-square-foot building before starting the new facility, which will house most of its production lines, Geisel said.

Wages will start at $11 an hour, with management earning annual salaries of $30,000 to $60,000.

Navajo Nation President-elect Jonathan Nez, in a statement, welcomed Rhino Health, saying We understand the importance of partnering with the private sector to bring economic opportunities and most importantly jobs for the people.

Geisel said the twin announcements this week are the results of years-long efforts to make the states tax and economic environment more favorable for business.

Were seeing some nice gains on the manufacturing side in New Mexico, he said.
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.  Some law enforcement in Mesa County are taking body cameras for a test drive.

The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reports officers from the Mesa County Sheriffs Office and the Grand Junction Police Department have been field-testing the body-worn cameras in recent weeks.

Both agencies are testing a body camera model from Axon, an Arizona-based manufacturer formerly known as TASER International and best known for its stun gun. Police Cmdr. Matt Smith and Sheriffs Deputy Curtis Brammer say its going well.

Smith says the Police Department is looking to start using some number of the cameras next year, probably within the ranks of patrol officers.

Sheriffs spokeswoman Megan Terlecky says the Sheriffs Office isnt far enough along in the process to know how or when more deputies might start wearing the cameras.

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Information from: The Daily Sentinel, http://www.gjsentinel.com
Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled Thursday that taxpayer dollars can be used for nonreligious textbooks in both religious and secular private schools, reversing its previous decision on the matter.

The case has been winding its way through the courts for years.

The state Supreme Court originally ruled in 2015 that a state law allowing private schools to get publicly purchased textbooks and other instructional materials is unconstitutional. But it was forced to reconsider after the U.S. Supreme Court vacated that conclusion and sent it back to the state Supreme Court.

But ultimately, the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled that its original decision raises concerns under First Amendment guarantees of free exercise of religion. The most recent opinion confirms that the state textbook loan program does not violate the state Constitution.

We reinstate the provisions of the (Instructional Material Law) that allow private school students to participate in the textbook loan program, says the opinion, written by Justice Barbara Vigil.

Thursdays decision came about seven months after the most recent arguments. Two justices dissented.

The case began with a 2012 lawsuit. New Mexico parents Cathy Moses of Santa Fe and Paul Weinbaum of Las Cruces filed suit against the state Public Education Department, seeking to stop tax-supported textbooks and computer programs for private schools.

The PED stopped funding textbooks for students in private schools after the 2015 ruling. Nearly $1.4 million worth of books were provided to 109 private schools around New Mexico in 2014, PED previously reported.

But everything changed when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a Missouri churchs playground case in which justices decided it is unconstitutional to ban the use of public funds for certain projects at religious institutions based solely on the schools private or religious status. The conversation around the First Amendment shifted and the state Supreme Court re-evaluated its ruling.

And although the 2015 ruling asserted that the textbook lending program violates a constitutional provision, justices now believe there was discriminatory intent and anti-Catholic sentiment in that provision, which is why First Amendment concerns surfaced.

The opinion also rejects two other constitutional provisions that were challenged, including arguments that putting state money toward a private entity that isnt under the direct control of the state is unconstitutional; the opinion rejects this argument by saying legislative appropriations are made directly to the Public Education Department.

However, Chief Justice Judith Nakamura and Justice Gary Clingman dissented.

Nakamura said in her dissent that the U.S. Supreme Courts decision doesnt require the states highest court to abandon its original conclusion.

She reiterated that the court originally decided that a provision in the Constitution bars supplying books to private schools and asserts there is insufficient evidence that the provision stems from discriminatory motives.

And she pushed back on the majoritys opinion that the courts original decision brings up First Amendment concerns.

These are concerns that do not exist, Nakamuras dissenting opinion said.

Frank Susman, who represents the two plaintiffs, Moses and Weinbaum, said he found it strange that the decision wasnt unanimous.

One of the most surprising things was that there was a dissent, he said.

Despite the dissent, he said he is disappointed by the ruling and doesnt think theres any other avenue to take the case.

Generally, when the states highest court rules on a state law or the state Constitution, thats the end of it, he told the Journal. And in light of what the U.S. Supreme Court has done, it would be useless.

Thursdays decision was praised by Eric Baxter, vice president and senior counsel at Becket Law Firm, who defended the New Mexico Association of Non-public Schools alongside the PED.

We didnt know this was coming down today, he told the Journal. This is a really exciting day.

He said the ruling is especially crucial for rural areas that relied on the resources.

Baxter said reimbursement for the years without textbook funding is something that would have to be looked at moving forward.

It would make perfect sense for the Legislature to reimburse the schools for the funding that was lost, he said.
A New Mexico State Police officer was arrested Wednesday after witnesses said she fired her service pistol from her official cruiser during a fight with her girlfriend in a southeast Albuquerque neighborhood.

Roslyn Vigil, 24, is charged with criminal damage to property, domestic violence, negligent use of a weapon and tampering with evidence. She was booked into the county jail but has since been released.

Lt. Mark Soriano, a State Police spokesman, said after learning officer Vigil had been arrested State Police Chief Pete Kassetas put her on administrative leave.

An internal affairs investigation is being conducted, Soriano wrote in an email.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court, Albuquerque Police Department officers were dispatched to the 11000 block of Coconino SE, near Eubank and Southern, for reports of a gunshot and a police vehicle leaving the area.

The caller also reported hearing a man say go ahead and hide behind your badge.

Officers found Vigil in her police cruiser at a nearby community center. She told them she had been fighting with her girlfriend and punched holes in the wall and in the glass of cabinet as she was leaving.

Vigil told police her girlfriends son continued arguing with her as she went out to her car.

She said she fired a shot toward the ground but she doesnt remember what led her to do so, according to the complaint.

Prior to Roselyn leaving the residence she stated she picked up the casing to the round that was fired and (it) was on top of her computer in her police vehicle, an officer wrote in the complaint. It should be noted that Roslyn admitted to drinking alcoholic beverages prior to her driving her vehicle.

A DWI officer determined Vigil was not too drunk to drive, according to the complaint.
The Senate and the House of Representatives voted Wednesday to extend martial law in Mindanao until the end of 2019.

In a joint session, both Houses of Congress voted to grant the request of President Duterte to extend martial law because rebellion still existed in Mindanao and that public safety required its continuation. The President named numerous terror groups that seek to promote global rebellion. Security officials also told lawmakers of a continuing rebellion in Mindanao. The extension, already the third since it was first imposed in May last year when terrorists invaded Marawi City. It took five months before Marawi was declared free from terrorists, and even then martial law was not immediately lifted. The extension is greeted in different ways by various sectors, depending on their political affiliation. Many argue that Mindanaoans are in favor of the extension of martial law because they feel safe and appreciate the need for it. Others agree with the extension because it is timely given the potential violence that may be brought by the midterm elections in May.Others, however, feel that this may extend the window for the Commission on Human Rights abuses. In granting Malacanangs request, both Houses of Congress also extended the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, paving the way for continued warrantless arrests. The argument that only those in Mindanao would know whether martial law is good or not holds true, even though their perception may be clouded by biases for or against the administration. It is true, as well, that those in other places like Metro Manila may have only a superficial sense of what is good and bad for the region, and whether martial law is truly solving the ills it is meant to solve. But there are some things that are true whether the observer is in Mindanao, Metro Manila or elsewhere. First, martial law should always be seen as temporary measure and not an end state. If it achieves the goal and has established ways to keep that goal doable, then it should be lifted and not a day later. Second, the government must continually assure the people that it is not a recipe for abuse. Finally, those tasked to implement martial law should always remember that it is the peoples interests they are upholding at all times. Their loyalty must not lie with anybody else. The Duterte administration has another year to wipe out terror groups and other threats to public safety in Mindanao. Martial law remains a last resort, and a means to an end. It is not the be-all and end-all of peace and order in that part of the country.
The Santa Fe Police Department said in a news release today it is investigating multiple reports of bomb threats at several different locations in Santa Fe.

The threats appear to be part of a nationwide coordinated effort, the news release says. The Santa Fe Police investigated each of the individual threats to determine if they were credible. At this time all threats the Department was made aware of have been determined to be unfounded.

It is unclear if the threats are related to a bomb threat called into the North Central Regional Transit District dispatch center in Espanola this morning.

Bus routes serving norther New Mexico were temporarily shut down and about 20 buses were evacuated while the buses underwent inspection.

This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
Custom apparel startup Ink Theory was swamped Wednesday night by a crowd of eager patrons seeking slogan-stamped T-shirts at the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Expo Downtown.

The company, which two former university students started in Albuquerque last January, screen-printed the free shirts on the spot to promote its business at the event, which brought dozens of organizations and businesses together for a night of networking and celebration of the citys rapidly-growing startup economy. The Albuquerque Community Foundation organized and hosted the expo at .

We hope to turn this into an annual expo, foundation Vice President Kelli Cooper told the Journal. Its an opportunity to stop and smell the roses, to acknowledge how far weve come in building the local ecosystem and to create more connectivity among all of us.

Nearly two dozen nonprofit organizations gave lightning, 75-second presentations to encourage participants to take advantage of the resources they offer. That included some business accelerators and incubators, economic development groups, co-working spaces and entrepreneurial-focused community groups.

Weve created a vibrant support system for startups, but its a challenge to make everyone aware of the resources available, Cooper said. This helps fill the gap by introducing everybody.

The foundation has helped build the ecosystem through charitable donations, including about $800,000 in Mayors Prize grants to local nonprofits working with startups. Its also a participant in City Alive, an umbrella organization working to build resources and networks that bring all people, particularly low-income and minority groups, into the fold.

Were celebrating a community thats wrapped itself around small companies with diversity and inclusivity at its core, Cooper said.

Attendees sampled local food and New Mexico beer offered by up-and-coming culinary startups, such as exotic flavored popcorn from the Cornivore Popcorn Co. and green chile scones by the Atomic Age Bakery, started by a graduate of Albuquerques Street Food Institute. The mobile Munchies Truck, also started by institute graduates, hawked its goods outside.

Ink Theory gave away 164 custom-stamped T-shirts, providing a live demonstration of the companys screen-printing at the event. The startup, which employs nine people, will surpass $400,000 in revenue this first year, said co-owner Austin Wade.

Our business took off from Day One, Wade said. We launched in January, and weve been rocking and rolling since then.
In the telegram sent to the Archbishop of Strasbourg, Pope Francis condemns violence and expresses compassion "to the families affected " and to the "French people". Imam Drouiche, vice president of the imams of France: "Islam is going through a profound crisis at a global level". "My religion is hostage in the hands of ignorant and hateful people".

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The Pope has expressed "sadness", "concern" and "condemnation" of the December 11 attack on the Christmas market in Strasbourg. In a telegram signed by the secretary of state, Card. Pietro Parolin, addressed to the archbishop of the city, Msgr. Luc Ravel, Francis expresses his "compassion ... to the families affected and to all the people affected by this attack, assuring his prayer". While entrusting the dead "to God's mercy", he addressed "a special thought to the professionals and volunteers who care for the injured. As a sign of consolation, he implores the abundance of divine blessings on the victims, on those who assist them and on the entire French people ".

Meanwhile, the situation has returned to near normal in Strasbourg: there is a heavy police presence but shops and schools have been reopened, excluding Christmas markets.

The death toll however is rising: there are three dead and 14 wounded, of which nine are very serious. Among them is the young Italian journalist Antonio Megalizzi. Of those killed, one is Thai, one French, one Afghan.

The 29 year old author of the massacre, Cherif Chekatt, who escaped capture and is wounded, seems to have taken refuge in Germany, thanks to a network of secret supporters. Known by the anti-terrorist services, the young man has a heavy criminal past. According to police information, he was Muslim, but not radicalized. His radicalization took place place during a period in prison from 2013 to 2015.

In prison  according to Interior Secretary Laurent Nunez - Cherif "incited religious practice in a radical form" and was engaged in profound proselytism.

According to some testimonies, confirmed by the prosecutor Remy Heitz, the young man would have shouted "Allah akhbar! (God is great!)" before killing the first victim.

Imam Hocine Drouiche, vice president of the imams of France, expresses his concern for this violent use of religion. "Once again  he has told AsiaNews - France is hit by terrorism in the name of the Islamic jihad. These sick people always find religious coverage to justify their inhumane crimes. Terrorism will not stop until all Muslims condemn it firmly and remove this cover that dirties them and endangers their future in France and Europe".

Prof. Drouiche points the finger at the indoctrination of imams in mosques.

"In general, the speech of the imams has not yet adapted to the values of the republic or human ones. If Muslims want to continue living in France and in Europe, it is necessary and urgent to awaken and free this religion from the hands of intolerant integralists. If a religion does not introduce peace, it is harmful to itself and does not deserve to be close to the divine ".

For Drouiche, "Islam is going through a profound crisis worldwide". It needs "a new wise and intelligent elite to be free and humanized. We can still save the situation in Europe, but I'm not too optimistic ".

"I am sad - he concludes - for the victims, but also because my religion is hostage in the hands of ignorant people full of hatred".
Some 5.6 million Syrians need help outside the war-torn country and one million of them are children born in exile, UN agencies and partners said on Tuesday, in an appeal for $5.5 billion to cover humanitarian needs for 2019.

Since conflict erupted in Syria in 2011, host communities in neighboring countries have supported those who have fled, despite the significant impact on their own development, The UN Refugee Agencys (UNHCR) Amin Awad, Regional Refugee Coordinator for Syria and Iraq, told journalists in Geneva.

We are appealing this year for $5.5 billion, that is to support neighboring countries, but also to support operations assisting refugees in the areas of health, water, sanitation and food, education, psycho-social support, community services and so on and so forth.

In total, 3.9 million people from host communities in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq are to benefit from the appeal. These countries have been living under significant strains and have been super generous to all of the refugees that have been there, but its also important for these countries to think not only about how they can support in the present, but also in the future, said Senior Regional Manager for the UN Development Program (UNDP) Samuel Rizk.

Following the 2015 launch of the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP), around $12 billion in aid has been distributed in the five main host countries, via more than 270 humanitarian and development partners.

Help is also required inside Syria, with up to 250,000 people expected to return there next year from outside. So far this year, around 28,000 have gone home, the UNHCR official said, noting that returnees are provided with winter shelter kits, household items and additional help from 100 community centers in operation inside Syria.

Insisting that all returns should be voluntary with people allowed to return in safety and dignity, the UNHCR official explained that the agency is working with the Government of Syria and providing basic services including health, education and housing. He said that a significant number of youngsters were also in need.

Noting that one million Syrian children were born in exile during the last eight years in the neighboring countries alone, he said a big number of children will be returning. Seventy to 80 per cent of Syrian refugees are living below the poverty line in their host communities or countries, he said.

It is critical that the international community continues to recognize the plight of Syrian refugees, Mr Awad insisted, noting that many families have resorted to early marriage and child labor, just to survive.

In 2019, the aid funding will be used to helping to boost protection for refugees and get more children into education.

In addition, basic services will be enhanced and there will be a focus on providing economic opportunities  especially for women  at a local and national level.
NEW YORK (AP) - The Latest on the sentencing of Michael Cohen, a former lawyer for President Donald Trump (all times local):

12:05 p.m.

President Donald Trump's former lawyer has been sentenced to three years in prison.

U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley III said Wednesday that Michael Cohen deserved a harsh punishment for crimes including tax evasion, lying to Congress and arranging illicit payments to silence women who posed a risk to Trump's presidential campaign.

The judge rejected arguments by Cohen's lawyers that he should be spared jail time because he cooperated in multiple federal investigations involving Trump.

Cohen said his "blind loyalty" to Trump made him feel a duty to "cover up" the president's "dirty deeds."

Cohen's crimes included evading $1.4 million in taxes and misleading Congress about his talks with Russians about a Trump skyscraper project in Moscow.

Trump had called for a tough sentence for Cohen, whom he labeled a liar.

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11:55 a.m.

President Donald Trump's ex-lawyer Michael Cohen says his "blind loyalty" to Trump led Cohen to "cover up his dirty deeds."

Cohen said at his sentencing Wednesday that he takes "full responsibility" for the crimes he admitted committing. But he went on to say his allegiance to Trump led him "to take a path of darkness instead of light."

Cohen has pleaded guilty to dodging taxes, lying to Congress and violating campaign finance laws.

Cohen, who used to be the president's self-described fixer, could get about four to five years in prison.

His lawyer is arguing for leniency, noting Cohen's cooperation with prosecutors investigating whether Russians attempted to influence Trump's campaign.

But a prosecutor on the case against Cohen says Cohen's crimes showed a pattern of deceit, brazenness and greed.

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11:50 a.m.

A prosecutor with special counsel Robert Mueller's office says President Donald Trump's ex-lawyer Michael Cohen "has provided consistent and credible information about core Russia-related issues under investigation."

Jeannie Rhee didn't elaborate on that information as she spoke Wednesday at Cohen's sentencing. But she did say that Cohen "has sought to tell us the truth, and that is of the utmost value to us."

The 52-year-old Cohen served as Trump's personal lawyer and self-described fixer. Cohen has pleaded guilty to dodging taxes, lying to Congress and violating campaign finance laws.

Cohen could get about four to five years in prison, but his lawyer is arguing for leniency.

His attorney, Guy Petrillo, says Cohen "came forward to offer evidence against the most powerful person in our country" when he cooperated with prosecutors.

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11:25 a.m.

A defense lawyer says Michael Cohen "came forward to offer evidence against the most powerful person in our country" when he cooperated with prosecutors investigating whether Russians attempted to influence President Donald Trump's campaign.

Cohen's lawyer, Guy Petrillo, told a judge Wednesday that Cohen "stood up to power and influence."

Petrillo spoke as Cohen faced sentencing after pleading guilty to dodging taxes, lying to Congress and violating campaign finance laws.

Cohen could get four to five years in prison, but his lawyers are arguing for leniency.

The 52-year-old served as Trump's personal lawyer.

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10:35 a.m.

The outspoken lawyer for porn star Stormy Daniels has turned up at the federal courthouse in Manhattan where Michael Cohen is scheduled to be sentenced for crimes including a hush-money payment to the performer.

Michael Avenatti represented Daniels in a legal dispute with Cohen in which she sought to be released from the non-disclosure agreement.

Avenatti has bashed Cohen for months on cable television, saying President Donald Trump's former lawyer deserves to go to prison.

Cohen's sentencing will begin Wednesday at 11 a.m.

Cohen pleaded guilty to evading $1.4 million in taxes, bank fraud and campaign finance violations.

Prosecutors say the $130,000 payment Cohen made to Daniels exceeded legal limits.

His lawyers say some of his crimes were motivated by overenthusiasm for Trump.

New York prosecutors have urged a judge to give Cohen substantial prison time.

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10:10 a.m.

President Donald Trump's former lawyer has arrived at the courthouse in Manhattan where he is scheduled to be sentenced for evading taxes, lying to Congress, bank fraud and campaign finance violations.

Michael Cohen was accompanied Wednesday by his wife and two college-aged children. He didn't stop to speak with a crowd of reporters.

Cohen is facing the possibility of four years in prison. His lawyers have asked for leniency.

They say some of his crimes were motivated by overenthusiasm for Trump.

New York prosecutors have urged a judge to give Cohen substantial prison time.

Cohen pleaded guilty to evading $1.4 million in taxes.

He also admitted misleading Congress about a Trump real estate project in Moscow and orchestrating prohibited payments to two women who said they had affairs with Trump.

___

1:05 a.m.

A lawyer who made his career protecting President Donald Trump is set to learn whether cooperating with federal investigators will lessen his punishment for dodging taxes, lying to Congress and violating campaign finance laws.

Michael Cohen's sentencing hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m. at a courthouse in Manhattan.

He could get around four years in prison. His lawyers have asked for leniency.

They say some of his crimes were motivated by overenthusiasm for Trump.

Cohen pleaded guilty to misleading Congress about a Trump real estate project in Moscow and orchestrating prohibited payments to two women who said they had affairs with Trump.

Cohen also dodged $1.4 million in taxes.

New York prosecutors have urged a judge to give Cohen a substantial prison term.
CHICO, Calif. - The Paradise Town Council held a packed meeting in the Chico City Council Chambers on Tuesday.

A major topic of discussion among audience members was when the remaining evacuation orders will be lifted.

Many expressed a growing frustration with the process, but some expressed their want to rebuild regardless of how long it takes.

"The bottom line for me is: I love this community," said Nicki Jones, Paradise home and business owner. "This community, as all communities do, came together after the disaster. I want to be a part of that."

Additionally, Council Member Scott Lotter retired at Tuesday's meeting. He was honored as the longest-serving council member in the town's history.
Axis Bank, Indias third-largest private sector bank, announced that its prepaid forex cards has crossed aggregate load value of $10-billion, an industry-first milestone. With this noteworthy achievement, the Bank has further consolidated its leadership position in the over $4-billion annual prepaid forex card market in the country. Significantly, the business has grown at 16% annually over the past 10 years, underpinning the Banks dominance in the segment. The forex cards have shown impressive growth especially in the leisure and education travellers segments.

Axis Bank has as many as 16 currency options linked to VISA, Mastercard and Discover platforms. The cards offer protection against currency fluctuation risks for customers who plan to travel abroad by locking in the exchange rate at the time of loading the card. Axis Bank Forex cards are also loaded with features such as NFC-based contactless technology enhanced chip-enabled security and lost-card liability insurance cover of Rs 1.50 lakh.

Summarising his thoughts on the milestone, Satheesh Krishnamurthy, Senior VP & Business Head - Affluent & NRI, Axis Bank, said, We are happy to achieve this industry first milestone. Its our Banks constant endeavour to have our products evolve as per the changing needs of our customers. The outbound travel base is increasing year on year and we see a huge potential here. We look forward to penetrate this market further with our innovative product offerings to our customers by capitalizing on our digital technology capabilities.

The Bank has pioneered several innovations in forex cards, including Paywave contactless card, Airline Miles cobranded Miles & More Axis Bank World Traveller Card, commercial forex card, and a mobile app for forex card customers.

Axis Bank has been a consistent performer in the prepaid forex card segment since the launch of its first forex card in 2003. In 2009, it also became the first bank to cross $1 billion in aggregate load value in prepaid forex cards  a first in the global banking sector. Subsequently, three years later in 2012, the bank went on to breach the $ 2 billion mark.
Note: For decades, politicians who have seen first hand the trauma of vaccine induced autism have abandoned us. Remember Representative Elijah Cummings at the hearings so many year ago - appalled, angry and then... apathetic? Once pharma turns the screws, most politicians fold like cheap lawn chairs. As you read the article, you may, like me, be at odds with his stances on other topics. Big time.

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A soon-to-be congressman from Tennessee told constituents Tuesday he believed vaccines may be causing autism, questioning data from the Centers for Disease Control and other institutions disproving such a theory.

Not only did Republican Mark Green, a Congressman-elect from Clarksville who is also a medical doctor, express hesitation about the CDC's stance on vaccines, he also said he believed the federal health agency has "fraudulently managed" the data.

His remarks came in response to an audience question at a town hall meeting in Franklin from a woman identifying herself as the parent of a young adult with autism. The woman was concerned about possible cuts to Medicaid funding.

"Let me say this about autism," Green said. "I have committed to people in my community, up in Montgomery County, to stand on the CDCs desk and get the real data on vaccines. Because there is some concern that the rise in autism is the result of the preservatives that are in our vaccines

"As a physician, I can make that argument and I can look at it academically and make the argument against the CDC, if they really want to engage me on it," Green said.

Despite calls by the anti-vaccination movement for parents not to vaccinate their children against a number of diseases, CDC data disproves the movement's findings.
Qatar Petroleum has entered into an agreement with an ExxonMobil affiliate to acquire a 10% participating interest in three offshore exploration blocks in the Angoche and Zambezi basins in the Republic of Mozambique.

The agreement is subject to customary regulatory approvals by the government of Mozambique. Following such approval, the various partners composing the consortium will be made up of affiliates of each of ExxonMobil (operator) with a 50% participating interest, Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos (ENH) with a 20% participating interest, Rosneft with a 20% participating interest, and Qatar Petroleum with a 10% participating interest, Qatar Petroleum announced.

Minister of State for Energy Affairs, and President & CEO of Qatar Petroleum, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, said: We are pleased to sign this agreement, with our long-time partner ExxonMobil to participate in exploring these frontier offshore basins in the Republic of Mozambique. This is a milestone for Qatar Petroleum as it marks its first foray into Mozambiques promising offshore basins.

We hope that the exploration efforts, which will commence soon, will be successful, and we look forward to collaborating with ExxonMobil, Rosneft and ENH on this opportunity, Al-Kaabi said, adding This signature is very much in line with our growth strategy in Qatar Petroleum with a new country entry to prospective frontier basins with significant hydrocarbon resource potential.
The State Department still doesnt have a permanent Middle East policy chief, even as the Donald Trump administration ratchets up the pressure on Iran while dealing with the blowback against its key ally Saudi Arabia. The reason? The White House still refuses to justify its missile strikes against Syrian military facilities.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee today attempted to advance Trumps nominee to be assistant secretary of state for near east affairs, David Schenker, but failed to do so after Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., refused to lift a hold he has had in place for months. David Satterfield has held the post on an acting basis for more than a year in the absence of a Senate-confirmed nominee.

Why it matters: Kaine has repeatedly asked the Trump administration for a legal justification for its 2017 strikes against the Shayrat air base in response to the Bashar al-Assad government's chemical weapons attacks. Trump launched a similar strike earlier this year, targeting chemical weapons facilities with Britain and France. Neither operation was approved by Congress, raising questions about their legality.

Im going to keep the hold until I get the memo that [Secretary of State Mike Pompeo] said he would try to get to me, Kaine told Al-Monitor after todays committee meeting. I am in a dialogue with the White House about it. The interim White House counsel is briefing the incoming White House counsel. Look, Im on the Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees. Im entitled to see this, and they havent yet produced it.

Whats next? Schenkers nomination is unlikely to proceed unless Kaine releases his hold. So far, the Virginia Democrat has been resolute in his refusal to do so until he gets his way.

The Foreign Relations Committee also failed today to advance Trumps nominee to serve as assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, Clarke Cooper, due to a hold from Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass. Markey has vowed to keep his hold in place until the Trump administration reverses its decision to allow an organization to post online blueprints for 3D-printed guns. Cooper would oversee foreign military sales to countries such as Saudi Arabia, a priority for the Trump administration.

Know more: Military operations against the Syrian government and its allies are not just limited to conventional missile strikes. Read Pentagon Correspondent Jack Detschs report on how Syria is becoming ground zero for US-Russian tech warfare.

-Bryant Harris
The UN Security Council convened Dec. 12 to address the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). US Secretary of State Pompeo said that Irans pace of missile activities has not diminished since the JCPOA and that the United States seeks to reimpose ballistic missile restrictions that were outlined in UN Security Council Resolution 1929. European countries, however, distanced themselves from the United States by saying Iran had been in compliance with the Iran nuclear deal, while at the same time saying the missile tests were in noncomformity with UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the nuclear deal. Meanwhile, China and Russia said Irans missile tests were not a violation of Resolution 2231.

Iranian officials, including Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, have rejected that there have been any violations, reiterating that the UN resolution does not ban Tehran's missile activities.

One reason President Trump cited to justify his decision to withdraw the United States from the nuclear deal was Irans missile program. Pompeo also demanded that Iran dismantle its ballistic missile program. Iran has repeatedly rejected calls for dismantling its arsenal, insisting that its defensive capabilities are non-negotiable. Moreover, Irans Revolutionary Guards warned that if threatened, Tehran would increase the range of missiles to above 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles).

The following interconnected factors shape Irans missile policies and its defense strategy:

One is the horrific memories of Iraqs invasion of Iran in 1980; hundreds of thousands of Iranians died in an eight-year war bankrolled by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and supported by major world powers, including France, the Soviet Union and the United States. The conflict left an indelible mark in the Iranian political psyche that the country must fight for its survival at all costs.

Second, Iraqs systematic use of Scud missiles to bombard defenseless Iranian cities gave Iran the incentive to begin investing in its ballistic missile program. Over the period of eight years, the Iraqi army launched 533 ballistic missiles on Iranian cities, resulting in 2,300 deaths and injuries to 11,600 Iranians. By the end of war in 1988, Tehran had been attacked 118 times, resulting in 1,600 casualties. In a potential future conflict, Iran can use its inventory to deter and retaliate against an adversary.

Third, the traumatic experience of Saddam Husseins systematic use of chemical weapons against Iran, and the international communitys indifference to such violations, has convinced Iran that it cannot rely on international institutions to deter and punish such flagrant violations. A CIA declassified assessment reveals that Iraq began using chemical weapons early in 1983, only to escalate in 1984. Iraq's 11,000-page report to the UN Security Council listed 150 foreign companies  including from the United States, Germany, and France  that played a role in Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction program.

Fourth, the current imbalance of conventional forces in the region play a critical role in Irans missile policies. While Iran has been under an arms embargo for decades, its regional rivals, especially Saudi Arabia, have de facto carte blanche to purchase any advanced weapon systems. With defense spending of $69.4 billion in 2017, the kingdom became the largest arms importer in the world. Meanwhile, Israel, with military spending of $19.6 billion, is equipped with the most-advanced military hardware. In comparison, Irans defense spending stood at $14.5 billion, a fraction of its neighbors'.

While Irans missile arsenal is the most diverse of its kind in the region, it has voluntarily limited the range of its missiles to 2,000 kilometers. However, Saudi Arabias Chinese made DF-3 and Df-21 missiles are reported to have an increased range of 2,800 kilometers (1,740 miles), with some claiming a range of up to 4,000 kilometers.

Fifth, Iran is surrounded by US military forces in the region and a number of nuclear-weapon states, such as Israel and Pakistan. Israel, which has the most hostile relations with Iran, has an inventory of 200 nuclear warheads that are deliverable by ballistic missiles, including Jericho II, with a range of 3,500 kilometers (2,175 miles), Jericho III (6,500 kilometers, or 4,000 miles) and air- and sea-launched warheads.

Last but certainly not the least, over the past four decades, the United States has used economic, cyber and political warfare to isolate and weaken Tehran, and has repeatedly called for regime change in the country. Moreover, the Trump administration has firm intentions to create a new political alliance with six Gulf Arab states, Egypt and Jordan aimed at confronting Iran.

The Nuclear Threat Initiative chaired by former US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz found in a study that between 2005 and 2012, when the world powers imposed the most comprehensive sanctions on Iran, the country developed new, liquid-fuel ballistic missiles and tested at least 33 missiles, more than twice the number of missiles tested in the preceding 20 years. From 2012, when Iran-US high-level direct nuclear talks began, until the signing of the deal in July 2015, Iran conducted only one missile test. The study said that in the 2012-2017 period since the negotiations began, Iran decreased the overall number of tests and focused more on solid-fuel short-range missile capabilities rather than intercontinental ballistic missiles. However, the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag reports that Western intelligence services maintain that Tehran, after Trumps departure from the nuclear deal, this year has doubled the number of last year's missile tests.

In such a hostile environment, an acceptable framework to alleviate mutual concerns should address the legitimate security concerns of all parties. Such a framework could include a multilateral arrangement for the establishment of a zone free of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East and a regional conventional arms arrangement beneficial to all parties. Otherwise, under current circumstances, where the countries of the region are aggressively arming themselves, it is simply folly to expect that Iran will dismantle the backbone of its defense doctrine.
Interpol has dropped the arrest warrant against Egyptian scholar Yousef al-Qaradawi, a sharp critic of President AbdelFattah al-Sisi and a persona non grata in most Gulf countries.

A source from the Egyptians office at Doha-based International Union of Muslim Scholars, told Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu that Qaradawi received an official notification from the Interpol informing him that his name has been lifted from the list.

The source described the notification which was received on Nov.30 as a positive step.

Qaradawi is wanted by Egypt and Iraq.

President al-Sisis regime leveled charges against the scholar in connection with an alleged range of crimes including murder and theft  after Egypts 2013 military coup, Anadolu says.

The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood member has been targeted along with several dozens of the others, including first democratically elected Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, who is currently in prison after he was toppled by al-Sisi.

Qaradawi has also been placed on wanted list by Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt since last year in June. The list includes several individuals and organizations believed close to Qatar, accused by the four countries of supporting terrorism.
SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq  Yielding to extensive pressure from Turkey, the Kurdistan Regional Government recently decided to ban political parties not officially licensed by its Interior Ministry  even if those parties are licensed by Iraq's federal government. One such party, Tavgari Azadi, which supports the ideology of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or the PKK, says the closure of its headquarters is illegal and came about only as a response to Turkish threats.

The Kurdistan region's security services, the Asayish, closed Tavgari Azadi's headquarters in the city of Sulaimaniyah, as well as in the towns of Qaladiza, Raparin, Koya and Kifri, on Nov. 29.

Tavgari Azadi, also known as the Kurdistan Free Society Movement, was established in October 2014. It is a Kurdish political party that adheres to the ideology of Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the PKK. Tavgari Azadi received formal permission in December 2017 from Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) to operate as a political party across the country. The party ran in the May parliamentary elections on a joint list with the New Generation Movement in the disputed area of Kirkuk, obtaining a seat in the Iraqi parliament.

The PKK is banned in Turkey, as it has been fighting the Turkish army since 1984, seeking to obtain greater political and cultural rights. Turkey, the United States and the EU consider the PKK a terrorist entity.

Following Kurdistan's failed independence referendum last year, Turkey and Iran grew more sensitive to Kurdish parties in the region. They frequently warned officials of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to impose limits on the activities of Kurdish parties that oppose Iran and Turkey, as well as Iranian and Turkish opposition parties.

KRG Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, a member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), ordered the closure of the headquarters of all parties not licensed in the Kurdistan region on Nov. 25. However, Tavgari Azadis official spokeswoman said that closing their headquarters is an illegal, political decision forced by Turkey on the KRG.

In October 2017, Turkey banned all incoming and outgoing flights from Kurdistan airports in response to the Kurdish independence referendum. Ankara resumed international flights to and from Erbil on March 23, but extended its ban on direct flights to and from Sulaimaniyah.

Turkish flights to and from Sulaimaniyah have not resumed yet," Dana Mohammed, head of Sulaimaniyah International Airports media office, told Al-Monitor. "We do not know when they will resume. The Turkish side has not formally told us anything about resumption of the flights.

Of the PUK's decision to close Tavgari Azadi's headquarters, Hakan Karacay, Turkey's consul general to Erbil, said, "Undoubtedly, the move made by the PUK is the right one."

Tara Hussein, official spokeswoman of Tavgari Azadi, told Al-Monitor, "When we were saying that [the closing of our] headquarters was a decision from the Turkish state forced on the KRG to implement, it was hard for some people to believe us.

Hussein dismissed claims that the party is affiliated with the PKK, describing such accusations as baseless" and an "illegal pretext" to ban the party. She said the party has been banned for its national stances against the occupying states," meaning Turkey and Iran.

She said the party's only tie to the PKK is "shared philosophy, which is a normal thing across the globe. We are holders of Ocalans thinking.  Today, many political organizations have been formed in Argentina, Latin America and elsewhere that hold Ocalans ideology.

She said the party asked for permission from the KRG's Ministry of Interior to operate but never received a response. Thus, according to the Kurdistan regions laws governing political parties, the party is formally licensed. The law stipulates that if a political party asks for permission from the KRG but does not get a response within three months, the party is considered licensed and can operate in the region.

Hussein said the party will not only file a complaint with IHEC against the partys closure, but also will bring the case to the Iraqi Federal Court and international magistrates. She said IHEC is now following up on the issue.

We know a number of political parties that are not licensed by the Kurdistan region and were not told to close their headquarters," Hussein said. "Paradoxically, some NGOs that have formal permission from the KRG were ordered to close their offices, as they are close to us.

Samir Hawrami, media adviser to Deputy Prime Minister Talabani, told Al-Monitor that any political party operating in the Kurdistan region needs to obtain a formal license from the KRG Ministry of Interior, or else it will be banned. Hawrami said that regardless of whether a party was licensed by Iraq, it should get additional licensing from the KRG Interior Ministry.

There were statements from Turkish officials that Sulaimaniyah is embracing groups that Turkey labels as terrorists. Turkey considers any party that believes in Ocalans ideology an extension of the PKK, said Rawshan Qasim, a Kurdish journalist and activist. Qasim is from northern Syria and has sought refuge in the Kurdistan region since 2004. Since then, she has held several political posts in the Syrian opposition.

This is a baseless excuse from Turkey, as this party is licensed by Iraq. It is an Iraqi Kurdish party, she added.

Qasim said Turkey was also pressuring the Kurdish parties, particularly PUK officials close to the Kurdistan Democratic Party, thus the decision to close Tavgari Azadis headquarters came from the Sulaimaniyah administrative zone.

She also warned that Turkey wants to close down more Kurdish parties to fulfill its agenda in the region through fueling disorder and civil war.

This is a big turmoil," Qasim said, "and currently there is danger of fights erupting among the Kurdish parties, in which the Kurds will be the ultimate losers. She cautioned that Turkish pressure on the Kurdistan region will not stop until the Turks fulfill the "Ottoman dream of annexing Mosul and northern Syria."

Turkey understands that, with renewed US sanctions against Iran, it possesses a golden opportunity to pursue its aims in northern Iraq, as the Kurdistan region has no choice but to export its oil through Turkey. Ankara is seeking to kill two birds with one stone: to exert pressure and limit the activities of pro-PKK parties in Kurdistan on the one hand, and to transport Kirkuk's oil through Turkish territory  a move that will boost Turkey's troubled economy.
At a time when Jordanians are protesting the governments economic policies and accusing it of failing to address domestic challenges, Prime Minister Omar Razzaz moved to alleviate pressure on one of the kingdoms most underprivileged communities, Gazans refugees.

Praised by most and viewed with skepticism by a minority, the Cabinet decided Dec. 3 to allow the kingdoms more than 150,000 Gazan refugees to own property and certain types of vehicles. The move came after members of the Lower House had called on Razzaz a month earlier to look into the plight of Gazans living in Jordan who are denied basic civil rights. Previous governments had balked at taking similar steps in the past for fear of a backlash by those  mainly right-wing nationalists  who may accuse them of settling Palestinians in the kingdom.

The government decision allows heads of Gazan families to own some form of property and own diesel-run cars, under certain restrictions limited to land size, and Gazans who hold a two- or five-year Jordanian passport and who are not entitled to citizenship.

Government spokeswoman Jumana Ghunaimat did not return calls from Al-Monitor to comment on the governments decision. On Dec. 4, Razzaz told parliamentarians that the government will study all demands made by Gazans who suffer as a result of loopholes in services provided to them.

On June 23, representatives of Gazans living in Jordan  30,000 of whom reside in a refugee camp on the outskirts of Jerash, 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Amman  sent a letter to Razzaz outlining their difficult humanitarian situation. They said that they are barred from working in any government body; denied work in 18 private sectors such as tourism, law and health; have no access to government health insurance; cannot register property to their names; have to pay double university fees compared to Jordanians; have to pay for a work permit; had fees for their temporary two-year passport raised from 25 Jordanian dinars ($35) to 100 dinars ($141); have to pay triple what Jordanians pay to renew their driver's license; and get no support from the Palestinian Authority, among other complaints.

These conditions do not apply to Palestinian refugees from the West Bank.

In response, the government formed a committee in September to register Gazans living in Jordan. Official figures vary over their actual numbers putting them between 120,000 and 150,000, while the United Nations estimates that there are about 158,000 so-called ex-Gazans in the kingdom.

Unlike most of Jordans estimated 2.2 million Palestinian refugees registered with the UN, Gazans living in Jordan have no access to Jordanian citizenship, while West Bank residents can claim citizenship rights. The West Bank was part of Jordan until the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, while the Gaza Strip was administered by Egypt. Egypt does not recognize their right to reside in its territory.

Oroub el-Abed, Amman-based independent researcher working on Middle East refugee issues, told Al-Monitor, Ex-residents of Gaza were granted temporary Jordanian passports valid for two years but were not granted citizenship rights.

She said that Gazans are treated by Jordan as Arab foreigners and pay taxes whenever they interact with the state. The passport they hold is in effect simply a residency permit, the renewal of which is left to the discretion of the state. Gazan men cannot renew their residency permit without clearance from the Jordanian security authorities. Their administrative vulnerability can lead to curtailment of rights to political participation and membership of trade unions enjoyed by Jordanian citizens, Abed said.

The recent government move has raised questions about the timing and purpose. Hassan Barari, professor of political science at the University of Jordan, told Al-Monitor that the decision had nothing to do with the possible settlement of Gazans in Jordan or to pave the way for granting them citizenship rights. These are humanitarian steps to make life easier for Gazans who will not return to their homeland anytime soon, he said.

Barari added, As long as their constitutional and legal status does not change, they are treated like any other Arab resident."

Omar Kullab, a Gaza-born journalist and head of an ad hoc committee to follow up on the claims of Gazans in Jordan, told Al-Monitor that the government has moved in the right direction, but more was needed. We had submitted 16 demands to the government and only two were approved, he told Al-Monitor.

We had avoided making claims to practice our civil rights at the level of municipal elections and underlined instead the need to open up employment in all areas in the private sector, abolish the requirement for a work permit and include Gazans in state-run health insurance, Kullab noted. The prime minister had promised that he would look into these demands.

On Dec. 5, political columnist Fahd al-Khitan wrote in daily Al-Ghad that it is understandable that the recent decision will create some controversy. There are certain social elements that are afraid of the future repercussions of such moves and classify them under soft settlement [of Palestinians in Jordan], he wrote. But we should differentiate between civil and political rights and how to manage ties between various elements of Jordans social components without sacrificing the kingdoms tough stance in support of Palestinian brothers.

Writing in Ad-Dustour daily on the same day, columnist Maher Abu Tair defended the governments decisions saying that they had nothing to do with liquidating the Palestinian cause, the Jordanian option [the far-right Israeli claim that Jordan is Palestine] or [US President Donald Trumps] 'deal of the century.'

He continued, We should not look at every step that seeks to provide an honorable life to a deprived component of our society as a conspiracy against the country.

Some viewed the latest decisions as purely economic in nature aimed at attracting investments from thousands of Gazan entrepreneurs who had done well in Arab Gulf countries and would like to have a base in the kingdom. The right to buy property by Gazans is expected to give the ailing Jordanian economy a much-needed push as the Treasury collects 10% of the value of the property upon registration.

So far, public opposition toward the government move to improve the lives of Gazans in Jordan has been subdued. This may encourage Razzaz to adopt additional steps as he had promised. Echoing positive sentiments, Abed said, Until such time as a Palestinian state is established, stateless Gazans should not be forced to live in limbo, left outside conventions that should ensure their human and civil rights.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  The Ministry of Finance in the Gaza Strip has decided to float the price of cooking gas cylinders  a move that pleases consumers but angers the owners of gas stations, who will have to make up the price difference.

The ministry announced that, as of Nov. 25, the price of the 12-kilogram cylinders  which had sold at a fixed cost of 64 shekels (around $17)  would be determined based on supply and demand, not to exceed 64 shekels. No further details were given.

Only one gas station in Gaza City implemented the decision. Al-Monitor visited Daban station in the eastern Gaza neighborhood of Zaytoun. The station is selling the 12-kilogram cylinder at 51 shekels ($13.60). Other stations and fuel and gas distribution companies opposed the government's decision, describing it as unjust.

Mahmoud al-Shawa, chairman of Gaza's Petroleum and Gas Station Owners Association (PGSOA), told Al-Monitor that gas and fuel companies in Gaza buy fuel, including cooking gas, from the Palestinian Authority (PA), which is the only entity authorized to import cooking gas. The PA buys the cylinders for only 3 shekels (80 cents) and sells them to Palestinian distribution companies after taxation for 51 shekels ($13.60). In turn, these companies sell cooking gas cylinders to citizens at amounts ranging from 55 shekels ($14.70) to 64 shekels ($17).

Shawa said the only gas station that went along with the government's decision only did so to sell its gas stock and achieve liquidity as soon as possible.

We earn only around 13 shekels [$3.50] from the sale of each gas cylinder, he said. Those who deliver the cylinders to citizens' houses get 5 shekels [$1.30] per cylinder, and fuel stations get 8 shekels [$2.20].

He added, By making this decision, the Ministry of Finance in Gaza is asking gas stations and fuel distribution companies to give up their profits. Meanwhile, the ministry is not exempting them from taxes.

The Hamas government administers the Gaza Strip. It collects taxes from citizens and grants licenses without consulting the government of Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah in the West Bank, despite the PA's announcement that it would officially take over administration of the strip on Oct. 2, 2017.

Gas stations in the Gaza Strip pay the Hamas government an income tax on diesel sold to citizens. PGSOA accountant Sofian al-Turk explained to Al-Monitor that the Gaza government collects a 1.45 shekel lump sum on each gas cylinder and 100 shekels per ton.

He added, Gas stations buy cooking gas from the PA after the imposition of three taxes. These are the income tax, the blue tax and the value-added tax.

Economic expert Samir al-Daqran told Al-Monitor, The PA imports from Israel a ton of cooking gas for 300 shekels [around $80.40]  3 shekels per cylinder. Each ton fills 83 cylinders. Then the PA adds the blue tax imposed on fuel and gas, including cooking gas, of an average of 3 shekels per fuel liter.

He added, The government in Gaza collects an income tax on commodities, such as fuel and cooking gas, at a rate of 2.2% of the initial price of the commodity purchased by traders from the PA. The 12-kilogram cooking gas cylinder is already subject to the PA income tax at a rate of 100% of its initial price before being sold in the Gaza Strip. To make profits, traders are forced to raise the price of these commodities. This is how citizens end up paying high prices.

Yahya Attar, deputy head of the General Directorate of Petroleum at the Finance Ministry in Gaza, said his directorate unilaterally made the decision to float the price, so the change only affects the Gaza Strip, which has been suffering a crisis in terms of supplying fuel and cooking gas amid the siege imposed by Israel.

There were no cuts in the fuel or cooking gas quantities supplied to the West Bank," Attar told Al-Monitor. Since 2012, the General Directorate of Petroleum has been implementing a contingency plan. The PAs fuel supplied to the General Directorate in Gaza has been distributed to the gas stations according to the quota system amid a shortage in fuel quantities entering the Gaza Strip. Each of the 30 fuel stations in the Gaza Strip has a quota in line with the number of served residents. In light of the lack of competition and poor supervision by the Ministry of Finance in Gaza on fuel stations, their owners agreed to raise the price of gas cylinders to 64 shekels, similar to the price applied in the West Bank.

Attar continued, The General Directorate of Petroleum was concerned about the threats by gas stations owners that they would stop buying cooking gas if we decided to reduce the price of cylinders. Small quantities were entering the Gaza Strip, barely enough to cover the needs of the population. However, when the PA imported cooking gas from Egypt, [which] allowed it to enter the Gaza Strip in sufficient quantities to meet the needs of the population, the first decision by the directorate was to float the price of the gas cylinder. Citizens wont have to pay excessively high prices."

Over the course of 12 years of the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, the PA supplied gas to the Gaza Strip through Israeli crossings in limited quantities controlled by Israel. Egypt had stopped supplying Gaza with cooking gas in accordance with Israel's wishes. But in early August, Egypt allowed the entry of cooking gas to the Gaza Strip against the backdrop of truce talks between Hamas and Israel.

For his part, economic expert Moeen Rajab described the floating decision as an unprecedented economic measure.

For the first time, the government in Gaza issued an economic decision in favor of citizens. It prohibited the sale of cooking gas cylinders at a price higher than 64 shekels. This means that it has fairly set the concerned companies profits and was also fair to citizens," Rajab said.

Majdi Hassan, director general of the Petroleum Authority at the PAs Ministry of Finance in the West Bank, affirmed to Al-Monitor that his government did not instruct the Ministry of Finance in Gaza to issue any decision on floating the price of gas cylinders. Traders pay the gas cylinder price after the PA Ministry of Finance adds all taxes imposed by the government. Then, traders can sell gas cylinders at a price that guarantees profits based on the demand and supply without the PA government requiring them to pay any [other] taxes. On the contrary, the Hamas government in Gaza is collecting additional taxes on goods that were already taxed.

Hassan added, The Hamas government's decision won't pose any danger to the PAs budget, but it will bring Gazas government more profits and funds. The decision to float the price of the gas cylinder is an attempt by the Hamas government in Gaza to win over citizens. This is mere propaganda.
RAMALLAH, West Bank  There's no end in sight to the tensions between the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority (PA) and Iran, especially in light of Irans improving ties with Hamas. The PA pegs that improvement as the main reason for its failed attempts at reconciliation with Hamas and Hamas ongoing control of the Gaza Strip.

Azzam al-Ahmad, a member of Fatahs Central Committee and the PLO's Executive Committee, made scathing comments against Iran on Nov. 27, saying it's the No. 1 sponsor of the rival Palestinian factions' division.

The Fatah-led PA controls the West Bank. Hamas, which is considered a terrorist group by the United States, the European Union, Israel and several other countries, ousted Fatah from the Gaza Strip in 2007. The PA, however, still controls Gaza's purse strings and uses its financial power to try to control Hamas.

Ahmad said Iran is interfering with the internal Palestinian struggle by funding Hamas directly. He made his comments on the same day Iran announced, during the Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran, its decision to financially adopt families of Palestinians killed and wounded in the Great Return protests along the border with Israel. The weekly protests began last March.

In a TV interview, he said, If Iran had good intentions, it would have adopted all of the Palestinian revolution martyrs. But it did not even adopt one martyr in Jerusalem, only those who were killed in Gaza, because it wants to ensure the continuation of the division  its trump card in political maneuvers.

Ahmads remarks came after the Nov. 26 failure of the last round of reconciliation talks between Fatah and Hamas in Cairo under the auspices of Egyptian intelligence.

Iran didn't take long to respond to Ahmads comments. Iranian Foreign Ministry adviser Hussein Sheikh al-Islam told the Risala newspaper, which is affiliated with Hamas, The adoption decision was made based on the recommendation of the Return and Resistance Committee, one of the Islamic Unity Conference committees, adding that it is currently helping 500 families.

We make sure to send our funds in secure ways so that they reach their recipients and beneficiaries, rather than through unreliable channels, he said, in a jab at the PA.

The PAs strained relations with Iran are likely to drag on. Fatah spokesman Atef Abu Seif told Al-Monitor, Our stance toward Iran is based on several arguments. First, we refuse any external interference in the Palestinian political decision, which is exactly what Iran is doing by supporting Hamas.

He added, "Any foreign support that does not pass through the PA further deepens the division and contributes to turning the Gaza Strip into an independent entity."

He criticized the decision to send aid to the Gaza Strip and not the West Bank. Many martyrs fell in the West Bank and Jerusalem, but [their families] were not supported. The funds were allocated only to the Gaza Strip, which is part of the discrimination in the struggle. This is unacceptable, as it's not right for foreign parties to [interfere with] the Palestinian struggle.

Abu Seif also charged that Iran is trying to forge ties with Palestinians apart from the Palestinian leadership, noting that Iran and Hamas are both parts of what is known as political Islam.

The PA has long accused Iran of deepening the Palestinian division and supporting Hamas, or of sending donations or aid to the Palestinians by bypassing the PA.

In February 2016, Iranian Ambassador to Beirut Muhammad Fath Ali announced Irans support of Al-Quds intifada that broke out in the West Bank. He promised to offer $7,000 to every family that lost a member in Jerusalem, and $30,000 for every family whose house was demolished by Israel.

This statement sparked a media clash between the two sides. Sheikh al-Islam, the Iranian Foreign Ministry adviser, said Iran would send funds through its own channels, which prompted PA government spokesman Nabil Abu Radina to retaliate by saying that bypassing the legitimate Palestinian leadership violated the law, including international law, and was unacceptable interference in Palestinian and Arab domestic affairs.

In examining the tense relationship between the PA and Iran, one must factor in other relationships in the region. Saudi Arabia has closed the door to rapprochement with Hamas because of Hamas' relationship with Iran, while the PA is keen to maintain a good relationship with the Saudi kingdom.

The PA is also diligent not to anger the Saudis in many cases. For example, despite accusations that top Saudis were involved in the October assassination of Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey, the PA issued a brief statement saying that Saudi Arabia is a state of justice, values and principle; the statement didn't even mention Khashoggis case. The PA has also kept silent on the Saudi war in Yemen. This can't be separated from Riyadhs financial support to the PA, most recently with a $60 million transfer Nov. 11 to the Palestinian government's budget.

Hani al-Masri, director of the Palestinian Center for Policy Research and Strategic Studies (Masarat), told Al-Monitor, Palestinians shouldn't be aligned with any of the regions axes. We need to have the support of both the Arab countries and the region to our cause.

He added, Although the Palestinian leadership is more inclined toward the Saudi axis, it didn't sever relations with Iran. Palestinians should realize that Iran is not an enemy. This is a very important point. We have common [interests] with Iran, but Tehrans project in the area does not benefit Arabs, he said.

Masri stressed the importance of Palestinians strengthening ties in the region  including with Iran and Saudi Arabia  to serve the Palestinian cause.

Ahmad Jamil Azam, an international relations professor at Birzeit University near Ramallah in the West Bank, told Al-Monitor, The tense relations between the PA, Fatah and Iran are nothing new. The PA believes that the same Palestinian faction that's dragging its feet in achieving reconciliation is receiving funds from Iran."

He added, The PA is also discontented with the fact that, while many countries that support Hamas, like Turkey and Qatar, have maintained channels of dialogue with the Palestinian leadership, Iran makes no overtures in this direction."
Will Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan follow through with threats to send Turkish troops against the United States Kurdish allies in Syria? The question has grown ever more pressing since the Pentagons swift and stern response to Erdogans vow yesterday to start the operation to clear the east of the Euphrates from separatist terrorists in a few days. Although Erdogan emphasized that a Turkish incursion would not target US military personnel in any way, it remains unclear how the US would respond if Turkey waded in, raising the specter of confrontation between the NATO allies.

The Pentagon responded soon after Erdogan made his comments. Unilateral military action into northeast Syria by any party, particularly as US personnel may be present or in the vicinity, is of grave concern, said Pentagon spokesman Commander Sean Robertson. We would find any such actions unacceptable. He warned of giving the Islamic State breathing space in an apparent reference to Turkeys operation in January against the Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) in Afrin.

The Turkish incursion prompted many YPG fighters to abandon the US-led coalitions campaign against IS in the Euphrates Valley and take up arms against Turkey and its opposition rebel allies. In October, the YPG briefly paused operations again when Turkish forces mounted artillery attacks against the YPG in Kobani. The complication has undermined the coalitions bid to conclusively defeat IS.

Today a spokesman for the National Army, a Turkish-backed Syrian rebel force in northwest Syria, claimed up to 15,000 fighters were ready to join Turkish forces against the YPG but that no date had been set. Maj. Youssef Hamoud told Reuters, The battle will be launched simultaneously from several fronts. It will be in Manbij and Tell Abyad and Ras al-Ain.

A Western reporter on the ground in northern Syria said there is currently no evidence of Turkish offensive military activity along the border. Wladimir van Wilgenburg, a freelance journalist and researcher who toured the road running the length of Turkeys border with YPG controlled territory today, including Ras al-Ain, told Al-Monitor, I checked the walls from all sides, there is nothing. Van Wilgenburg was responding to claims that Turkish forces had dismantled parts of a 764-kilometer (475-mile) security wall that it completed this summer. Removing blocks would ostensibly facilitate an incursion.

An official for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the YPG-dominated umbrella group for Kurdish and Arab militias fighting IS, said that Turkeys threats needed to be taken seriously despite some analysts' view that they had more to do with Erdogan's attempts to corral nationalist votes ahead of nationwide municipal elections in March. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Al-Monitor in a telephone interview, Each time Erdogan said he would attack us, he has. It would take the Turks a few minutes to remove chunks of the wall. If they want to come in they can. The question is, will the United States let them?

Like many, the official reckoned Turkeys initial target may well be the Arab-dominated town of Tell Abyad. Before it fell to the YPG in 2015, the town served as the main gateway for jihadis making their way via Turkey to join the ranks of IS. Tell Abyad offers the shortest path to Raqqa, which served as the capital of their caliphate until it too was seized in September 2017. Control of Tell Abyad would drive another wedge between Kurdish-run areas, as did Turkeys Euphrates Shield invasion in August 2016. This, together with Januarys Operation Olive Branch, torpedoed the Kurds long running attempts to carve out an uninterrupted chunk of territory from the Iraqi border all the way to Afrin. The official insisted, however, that unlike in Afrin, where the YPG withdrew to avert civilian casualties, "this time the YPG will fight back."

Turkey has long wanted the United States to boot the YPG out of Arab-majority territory and allow it to muscle its way in with its own Kurdish and Sunni Arab proteges. Erdogan made this clear during the summit on national defense where he delivered his threats against the YPG, saying, Although 80% of the region belongs to Arabs, terrorists groups rule there. We will do what we have to do.

The SDF official speculated that Turkey and the United States might have struck a secret deal for Tell Abyad despite the Pentagons public disavowals of Turkish threats.

There is little evidence, so far, that the United States would let Turkey move into the Syrian Kurdish area under its protection. To the contrary, it has begun erecting observation posts along the Turkish border in order to hold the Turkish army at bay.

Michael Stephens, a research fellow at the London-based Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies, dismisses the notion that Turkey can act without the United States blessings. He told Al-Monitor via email, Turkey will not be able to launch any type of operation in SDF controlled Syria without US permission, or unless the US decides to vacate the area. He continued, Particularly at a time in which the SDF operation against IS have slowed, and are coming under some pressure, it is highly unlikely the US would accept a Turkish operation in Syria at any time in the near future.

Others argue that Turkey may judge this moment to bully Washington into submission as particularly opportune. In any case, none of it should come as a surprise. Asli Aydintasbas, a senior fellow for the European Council on Foreign Relations, contended that Turkey had made its intentions known in private meetings with US officials for some time. Aydintasbas told Al-Monitor, Turkey has seen the Americans talk tough before but then failing to commit to the SDF either politically or militarily or pushing back when matters come to a head.

US attempts to appease Turkey with the temporary and transactional formula memorized by US officials to characterize relations with the YPG have further muddied the waters. The half-baked deal over Manbij, the mainly Arab town where the United States has yet to fulfill pledges to remove all YPG elements from military and administrative structures, has deepened Turkish distrust. Aydintasbas concluded, If Turkey does mount another offensive I am not sure the United States will react any differently this time."
MOSCOW  Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, Putins special envoy for the Middle East and North Africa, traveled to Beijing for talks on Dec. 5-6 with Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of China Le Yucheng and Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Chen Xiaodong, whose area of responsibility includes West Asia and North Africa.

The focus of the discussions was on the current situations in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya and the Gulf, as well as the Israeli-Palestinian settlement. Following the talks, the parties stated Moscow and Beijing share approaches to addressing the crises in the Middle East via politico-diplomatic tools in accordance with fundamental principles of the international law and the UN Charter. Most interestingly, Russian and Chinese diplomats agreed to maintain dynamic bilateral dialogue on the Middle East issues that are in the mutual interest.

Russias Syria campaign made Moscow one of the prime pacesetters in the Middle East in the security domain. China became the largest investor in the region in 2016, outpacing the United States and the United Arab Emirates. President Putin and President Xi Jinping occasionally showcase their strong ties. Even if the relationship between the two countries is profoundly more nuanced, the sour Sino-American relations, and arguably the worst US-Russia confrontation in history, makes Moscow and Beijing appear to be part of the global powers axis of resistance to the United States. Yet Russian-Chinese dealings over the Middle East seldom make news. This makes latest contacts between Russian and Chinese diplomats all the more interesting.

We attach special importance to the development of ties with China in all areas. In addition to our relations being as valuable as they are and not dependent on the international situation and the situation in other regions around the world, we are neighbors. We are connected by a common border, geography and history, as well as our nations interests, Russia Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated at a press briefing the same day Bogdanov visited Beijing.

It is evident that in todays world that is lacking any movement toward stability, it is important to have a close dialogue with countries who are responsible global players. Moscow and Beijing have demonstrated these qualities many times, she added.

Russia and China were both driven to the region by the same two imperatives: security and opportunity. For Russia, the initial driver was security, but monetization of various opportunities is now becoming equally if not more important. For China, investment opportunities, success of its signature Belt and Road mega-plan for strong trade routes between China and Central and Southeast Asia, as well as sources of energy for its growing consumption are what made the region critical in the first place. Yet all of this is seriously threatened unless the region is secure.

Russia and China were both driven to the region by the same two imperatives: security and opportunity.

China is engaged in a complex system of economic, technological and politico-military spheres with all major regional powers. Since it has its interests everywhere it cannot take sides in various ongoing rivalries in the region. It has huge investments in the MENA region, thousands of Chinese workers work across the region. Security of all these assets is a mounting concern, hence a more dynamic military activity in the region and the military base in Djibouti, Vasily Kashin, a senior fellow at the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at Moscows Higher School of Economics and a leading Russian expert on China, told Al-Monitor.

Traditionally, Russia and China are united in their opposition to destructive foreign interference in regional affairs. In 2011, Russia and China abstained from UN Security Council Resolution 1973, which ultimately enabled the toppling of Moammar Gadhafi and entailed a loss of billions of investments and geopolitical assets. The bitter lesson made the two take a more proactive stance on standing up to Western policies of political pressure and military action, yet the two are not fully aligned on how to better do it.

Speaking at a gathering with representatives of 21 Arab nations in Beijing earlier this year, Chinas President Xi Jinping said development was key to resolving security problems in the Middle East, pledging a package of $20 billion in loans and some $106 million in financial aid to Middle East countries, as part of what he called an oil and gas plus model to revive economic growth in the region. Russias approach is that of dynamic multilateral diplomacy mixed with the projection of power and force.

Russians are also striving for status recognition, which makes their policies more loud, whereas the Chinese are keeping a much lower profile to get things done, though this may soon change.

Kashin argued that China is acting from behind by promoting its political interests in the region, both via economic tools and through a phased support for Russia. He believes that while Syria may not be that important for China from an economic perspective, it is critical to the construction of Beijings policy in the region in general.

Until now, China has sided with Russia on six out of 12 UN Security Council resolutions on Syria that Russia vetoed.

Russia is dwelling on its image as a new security guarantor in the region. China is a go-to loan giver and perceived source of development and growth. Each has its own advantages as a partner, instills fears as a potential hegemon and arouses mistrust as an outsider.

Finally, both Russia and China have a terrorism problem. According to Putin, about 4,000 Russian nationals and 5,000 more from other post-Soviet republics joined the ranks of the Islamic State, Jabhat al-Nusra and other radical groups in Syria and Iraq. The Chinese authorities worry about Uighurs  a mostly Muslim people who speak a Turkic language and reside predominately in Chinas far western region of Xinjiang  whose numbers in various terrorist groups in Syria vary from 1,000 to 5,000 militants. The number of extremists has shrunk, but the problem of domestic radicalization has not been entirely solved, either by the Russian campaign in Syria or the Chinese policy on Uighurs, which makes Moscow and Beijings involvement in this issue long-term.

China feels negative toward the political Islam in general, and cheers for keeping secular regimes," said Kashin. "Given the robust campaign on suppressing Islam and separatism in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, Beijing has to keep a watchful eye on the activity of Uighur migration and forces in the Middle East that support it. This is a particular irritant for Chinas relations with Turkey that continues to flirt with the Uighur movement.

Russian and Chinese policies are not supplementary, but both  each for its own reasons  seek stable relations with Middle Eastern powers. In turn, regional states may need both Russia and China to hedge their own stakes, diversify their own opportunities and promote their own interests.

Vasily Kashin played down the disagreements between Moscow and Beijing on military-technical cooperation with regional states, and argued theres a particular interest on the Chinese side to draw closer to Russia.

China is indeed Russias competitor in some areas, but these usually are the ones where Russias own positions are weak, like combat drones. Russia can in no way challenge China in terms of economy  just two very different weight categories  and the areas of interest to Russia are just of little interest to China. [But] Beijing is lagging behind Moscow in terms of political influence. The public opinion may take an even worse turn vis-a-vis China in light of the anti-Muslim repressions, and the US is actively promoting this narrative. So, Chinas interest toward a greater cooperation with Moscow in the Middle East may be growing, he concluded.
Saudi Ambassador to the United States Khalid bin Salman, who has faced withering criticism for his handling of the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, has left Washington for the second time since the killing.

News of his departure comes as the Financial Times reported Wednesday that Prince Khalid is next in line to become national security adviser, fueling speculation across Washington that he may have left his post for good.

The ambassador is attending Formula E taking place just outside Riyadh and plans to be back afterwards, an embassy spokeswoman told Al-Monitor via email.

The ambassador previously departed Washington in October under a fog of criticism after a Saudi prosecutor confirmed Riyadhs role in the killing. Prince Khalid returned in late November to attend the funeral of former US President George H.W. Bush.

The ambassador stirred controversy by denying Riyadhs role even as a steady drip of Turkish and US intelligence leaks began to link Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman directly to Khashoggis Oct. 2 slaying. The CIA concluded in November that Prince Mohammed ordered the killing, according to press reports.

Prince Khalid had long been set to leave his post in December to take a senior national security position at the royal court, with Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, the philanthropist daughter of longtime Bush family confidant Prince Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, taking his place, two sources said. The web site Quartz first reported rumors of her expected appointment in October.

But the long-planned move was delayed by the fallout surrounding Khashoggis death, which entangled the young ambassador, who drew on false promises of evidence from Riyadh about the killing, the sources said.

They told him, look, nothing happened, and weve got pictures, and thats what he said, and it turned out they didnt have pictures, a former US official told Al-Monitor. He was as miffed and embarrassed about it as anyone else.

In private meetings, top lawmakers told reporters they did not accept that explanation. Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., accused Prince Khalid of lying when the Saudi royal failed to provide video evidence of the journalists killing. Corker introduced a resolution that passed on Thursday to formally condemn Saudi Arabia for Khashoggis death, adding pressure on the Trump administration to respond.

The Washington Post reported that Prince Khalid told Khashoggi he would be safe to travel to the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents he needed to marry a Turkish woman, according to sources familiar with the intelligence intercepts.

Though the Donald Trump administration signaled this week that Riyadh will face no further punishment for Khashoggis death, Washington has become increasingly hostile territory for the Saudis. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., has called on the State Department to expel the young prince from the United States.

Separately, the Senate has asked the US administration to decide whether to sanction Prince Mohammed for his role in Khashoggis death. The Senate voted today to end US involvement in Yemen, which includes intelligence support to the Saudi-backed coalition fighting Houthi rebels in the country, though Republicans in the House have blocked legislators in the lower chamber from considering the bill.

Update: Dec. 13, 2018. This article has been updated with a comment from the Saudi Embassy in Washington.
The Senate voted 56-41 today to end US support for the Saudi-led coalitions war against Yemens Houthi rebels, an unprecedented use of the 1973 War Powers Act.

The vote reflects Congress growing ire with Saudi Arabia over the massive humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen and Riyadhs murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

I think we stand a chance today, for the first time, to use that War Powers Act to stop a war, and that is the horrific war in Yemen, which is destroying that country, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who introduced the resolution, told reporters ahead of the vote. The United States Congress is going to reassert its constitutional authority to be the body that makes war, not the president of the United States.

A handful of Republicans joined Democrats to pass the resolution, defying leaders in their own party.

The resolution would permanently ban US midair refueling support for the Saudi coalition, which the Donald Trump administration ended last month. Sanders and many Democrats also believe it would force the Trump administration to end targeting assistance and logistical support for the coalition. Reports of US troops stationed on the Saudi-Yemeni border and a classified Defense Department operation that could involve US ground troops in anti-Houthi operations have raised further questions on Capitol Hill about the extent of US involvement in the war.

But Republican leaders in Congress oppose the resolution, arguing that US support for the coalition is necessary to counter Iran, which provides weapons and missiles that the Houthis use against civilian targets in Saudi Arabia.

Every single member of this body shares grave concerns about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and wants accountability, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., argued on the floor ahead of the vote. We also want to preserve a 70-year partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia.

The resolutions opponents also contend that US support for the coalition does not amount to hostilities as outlined in the War Powers Act.

The United States is not involved in combat, said McConnell. It is not dropping ordnance. It is no longer even providing air-to-air refueling.

To that end, Iran hawk Tom Cotton, R-Ark., attempted to water down the resolution with amendments that would have enabled the Trump administration to continue support for anti-Houthi operations, but he failed to secure enough votes. However, senators voted to adopt amendments offered by Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, that would require the Trump administration to report on the national security implications of withdrawing support from the Saudi coalition.

Even as the Senates historic vote marked a strong rebuke against the Saudi-led coalition, House Republican leaders managed to forestall the same vote in the lower chamber on Wednesday.

Although expedited procedures in the War Powers Act allow any lawmaker to force a floor vote on the resolution, House Republican leaders managed to quash the vote by stripping the resolution of its privileged status in an unrelated procedural vote on a farm bill.

This is why people hate Congress, tweeted Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who introduced the same resolution in the House. Khanna asserted that Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is not allowing a vote on my resolution to stop the war in Yemen because many Republicans will vote with us and he will lose the vote. Of the 98 co-sponsors on Khannas resolution, only four are Republicans.

After a similar maneuver last month, the House narrowly voted 206-203 on Wednesday to keep the resolution off the floor. Notably, five Democrats  Reps. Jim Costa, D-Calif., Al Lawson, D-Fla., Collin Peterson, D-Minn., Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., and David Scott, D-S.C.  sided with House Republicans in the procedural vote.

As a result, the resolution cannot advance until Democrats take control of the House in January. The Senate will therefore have to vote again next year, but the prospects of successfully passing the resolution a second time remain uncertain with Republicans set to expand their majority in the upper chamber. Furthermore, Trump is likely to veto the resolution, contesting its legality.

Wednesdays House vote came shortly after CIA Director Gina Haspel briefed Republican and Democratic leadership on Khashoggis assassination after briefing the Senate last week. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary James Mattis also briefed the full House today but appear to have done little to change anyones position.

Meanwhile, McConnell instead urged his colleagues to vote for a resolution condemning Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for his alleged role in murdering Khashoggi. The Senate unanimously adopted the resolution, offered by outgoing Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., after passing the Sanders resolution.

Although his resolution is nonbinding, Corker implied that it is the most effective congressional response as it is most likely to pass both chambers without any legal hangups.

Talk to people inside the Saudi government about all the efforts that are underway and ask them which one they worry most about, Corker told reporters.

The retiring senator has also sought to amend another bill that would also ban US midair refueling for the anti-Houthi coalition. It would sanction Saudi officials and royal family members involved in Khashoggis assassination and in blocking humanitarian aid flows to Yemen, while also banning offensive arms sales to Saudi Arabia through 2020.

But the bill is at a standstill with the Foreign Relations Committees top Democrat, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., opposing Corkers proposed amendments.

Menendez has a very, very strong bill and I appreciate what he  and others have done on it, said Corker. He wants to keep this bill as munch intact as he can, because he knows its not likely to happen this year anyway. So, hed just rather start the next year with a really strong bill, and I understand that.

Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, who will replace Corker as committee chairman in January, has not committed to advancing the Menendez bill. Risch has been much less critical of the Saudis and Trumps close relationship with the crown prince than Corker.
Less than 40 percent of registered voters would cast a ballot for President Donald Trump if the election were held today, a new Fox News poll shows.

The survey showed 38 percent said they would vote to re-elect Trump if the election were held today. Thirty percent said they would definitely vote to re-elect Trump, up from 22 percent who said the same in January. Forty-seven percent said they would definitely not vote for Trump.

The presidents numbers remain high among Republicans, with 84 percent saying they would either definitely or probably vote for Trump. Only 4 percent of Democrats said they would vote for the president in 2020.

Overall, 39 percent said they thought the president would win a second term of office in the 2020 elections; 52 percent said they would not.

The same poll put the presidents approval rating at 46 percent with a disapproval rating at 52 percent. The president received his highest approval ratings  50 percent  for his handling of the economy, followed by 46 percent for his work on border security.

When asked about possible Democratic challengers to the president in 2020, former vice president Joe Biden received the highest scores (23 percent rated excellent), followed by Bernie Sanders (19 percent); Elizabeth Warren (10 percent) and Beta ORourke (9 percent).

Fox News poll contained answers from 1,006 randomly chosen registered voters nationwide. It was conducted Dec. 9-11 with a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
Authorities across the country said they were responding Thursday to bomb threats made to several locations, though some law enforcement officials were quick to say that these messages were not believed to be credible.

Similar threats appeared to stretch from coast to coast, prompting investigations on colleges campuses in Washington state and Pennsylvania and spreading across cities such as New York, Washington, Chicago and San Francisco.

Police in New York said the threats they received were "sent electronically" to places across the city, and they linked these messages to the others reported across the country.

"We are currently monitoring multiple bomb threats that have been sent electronically to various locations throughout the city," the New York Police Department's counterterrorism bureau said in a message posted on Twitter. "These threats are also being reported to other locations nationwide (and) are NOT considered credible at this time."

Multiple bomb threats were received in several Alabama cities, according to law enforcement:

The Tuscaloosa Police Department has received numerous calls from local businesses, schools and institutions concerning an email bomb threat demanding payment in Bitcoin, a department press release stated. Thus far no devices have been discovered and the emails appear to be a hoax. We are investigating the emails. Please contact the police department should you have information regarding their origin.

We are investigating a report of a bomb threat sent via email to a location in Pelham. NO credible threat has been found to this point, and this is believed to be part of a larger incident unfolding now across the country. (1/3)#PelhamPD pic.twitter.com/d8s460XOzC  Pelham Police Dept (@PelhamPoliceAL) December 13, 2018

HPD is currently investigating reports of multiple bomb threats that investigators believe to be an email scam. Investigators are taking all reports seriously. However, they do not believe anyone is in real danger. @rocketcitynow @WAAYTV @whnt @waff48 @aremkus1  Huntsville Police (@HsvPolice) December 13, 2018

The Anniston Police Department has reported multiple bomb threats in various locations around town today. Nothing has been found to validate the threats. They ask everyone to please stay calm but be aware of your surroundings.  Cal Co Sheriff (@CalCoSheriffAL) December 13, 2018

The threats on Thursday came less than two months after a Florida man was arrested and charged with mailing homemade package bombs to opponents of President Donald Trump. Threatening messages have also forced evacuations and spurred unease in communities across the country in recent years. Last year, a man in Israel was arrested and charged with making threats to Jewish communities and institutions in the United States, all through phone calls and emails. In 2015, threatening emails later viewed as a hoax prompted the Los Angeles school system to shut down every school.

As word of the threatening messages spread Thursday, the FBI said in a statement that it was "aware of the recent bomb threats made in cities around the country, and we remain in touch with our law enforcement partners to provide assistance. As always, we encourage the public to remain vigilant and to promptly report suspicious activities which could represent a threat to public safety."

Other law enforcement agencies and academic institutions echoed the message from the New York police. A spokesman for the Chicago police said that city had received threats similar to the others, but he noted that there was "no elevated threat level" there.

In the nation's capital, police said they received 11 emailed bomb threats between about 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. that law enforcement authorities attributed to the same situation echoing across the nation.

The San Francisco police said they responded to threats received at about 10 a.m. local time across the city, noting that there were "similar threats" in "several other cities across the United States."

The police in Cedar Rapids, Iowa's second-largest city, said businesses there received "what appears to be a robo-email saying there is a bomb threat to their business unless they pay money in Bitcoins." But, the department added, it "found no credible evidence any of these emails are authentic."

News outlets also reported that they had to evacuate their buildings due to the threats. The Park Record building in Utah was evacuated after staffers received the message, the outlet reported, while the News and Observer in Raleigh, N.C., also reported that it was forced to evacuate its building.

Academic institutions were not immune. A spokeswoman for Pennsylvania State University said the campus police, along with the FBI, were "investigating a message received by individuals in multiple locations on campus and across the state." She said the message on campus was sent via email to eight buildings or facilities there.

"At this time, police say the threat appears to be part of a national hoax, however, an investigation is ongoing," the spokeswoman said.

The University of Washington said it was investigating threatening emails sent to individuals on campus and swept buildings before the campus police determined there is no safety concern. The school said the FBI had advised that the email is not a credible threat.
The Member States who took part in the intergovernmental conference in Morocco committed to a global migration framework based on facts not myths, said Louise Arbour, UN Special Representative for International Migration, adding that the framework would protect their national interests and enable better cooperation.

Mrs Louise Arbour, who was speaking at a closing press conference, thanked the Kingdom of Morocco for hosting the conference and enabling this historic moment for migration and multilateralism to unfold in Marrakesh. We leave Marrakesh full of energy and conviction. With the Global Compact, we have an opportunity to embark on a new phase of cooperation on migration, she said.

She said the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration is designed to enhance safety and order in migration management, and reduce recourse to dangerous, chaotic migratory routes, revealing that it seeks to maximize all the benefits of human mobility and mitigate its challenges.

A central promise of the non-binding pact is that it reinforces, unambiguously, the fundamental principle that migrants everywhere should be treated with dignity and fairness, added Ms. Arbour.

She called on the governments who did not join to reconsider their position. I urge you to read it carefully and of course form your own opinion. In doing so, listen to the Secretary-Generals dispelling of the myths about the Compact.

A former top Canadian judge, who also served as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Arbour, told sceptical nations who had decided not to be in Marrakech that under international human rights law citizens of a country have the right to enter, stay and leave their country but they dont have a right to go anywhere else unless they seek asylum, or are authorized by another country to enter its territory.

Ms. Arbour reiterated Secretary-General Antonio Guterress call to banish the myths surrounding migration, and the international accord, saying that it is not correct to suggest it imposes obligations on Member States and infringes on their sovereignty. It does nothing of the sort, and it is not binding, as a treaty would be.

The Compact also does not create any new right to migrate, she added. She reminded developed economies that migration is a net gain, and a boost to the work force. On the other hand, when countries host refugees and those forced to flee, they should be assisted and celebrated, as they make the world a better place for all of us.

More than 2,000 delegates made the trip to Morocco and the specially erected conference facility, including government officials, representatives of business, labor unions, civil society, mayors and many others who have a vital role to play in ensuring that migration is managed in a manner that benefits all.

The Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Nasser Bourita, stressed the importance his country attaches to multilateralism in addressing migration and other pressing international issues.

He told reports that Member States had demonstrated in Marrakesh, that migration unites more than it divides. He said adoption of the pact represents only the first step, which must be followed now by implementation.

Urging everyone to maintain momentum, Mr. Nasser Bourita hailed the Secretary-Generals initiative to launch the UN Network on Migration, describing it as the cornerstone to the Compact.
Birmingham native and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice helped break ground Wednesday on a new $7 million clubhouse for the A.G. Gaston Boys and Girls Club.

Rice co-chaired the fundraising drive to build the Walter Howlett, Jr. Clubhouse at the Birmingham Crossplex and also made a personal donation to the effort (the non-profit did not disclose the amount of Rices contribution.) She said the new building will provide Birmingham children with opportunities for personal growth and opportunities to lead healthier lives.

This is a day of possibilities, Rice said. This is about the possibilities when a community comes together. Its absolutely the case when the corporate community and private citizens and people from across the city come together and say, were going to do something special for our kids, something magnificent happens."

The building, which will replace the clubs Kirkwood R. Balton Clubhouse on South Park Drive West, will enable the organization to serve more than double the amount of kids that the Balton facility does -- from 250 children to more than 500 in the new clubhouse. The new clubhouse will include a STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts and Math) lab that takes advantage of the partnership between the Boys and Girls Club and Birmingham City Schools. It will also feature a game room, theater room and a whole floor dedicated to teens.

The clubhouse is expected to open sometime in 2020.

I look forward to coming back here when this possibility is a reality, when the club is built, when these kids are here to be educated and to have healthy lives, Rice said, and when this community can celebrate again that it has made certain that these kids have a chance for a great future, because the best in us believes that every life is worthy and every life is worthy of greatness.

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, who attended the groundbreaking ceremony, was a member of the A.G. Gaston Boys and Girls Club in his youth.

The greatest lesson I learned from the club  is the importance of teamwork in this city, the mayor said. I learned that no matter how great the individual players were as part of the club and on the team its the unity that ensures victory, and I believe thats the same cooperation and synergy that brings us all here today.

City Councilor Steven Hoyt, whose district includes the location of the new clubhouse, said Gaston was smiling down on the ceremony from heaven. Gaston, a black businessman and entrepreneur, founded the club in 1962.

Today is evident that dreams do come true. Not only do dreams come true but today is very much about an orchestrated optimism in the future of our young people, he said. We, the collective, believe that this club will continue to make a difference in the lives of so many. In fact we have a chance to do it all over again with a new vision and a new paradigm that speaks to the next 52 years. The future of our young people are much brighter than it was before because of all of you.
Congressional leaders hope a rare piece of bipartisan legislation on criminal justice reform will be approved by the end of the month.

But while there is momentum to approve the so-called First Step Act, most of Alabamas Republican lawmakers remain non-committal.

U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, chairman of the Senate appropriations committee, wants to review the legislation to see what changes have been made and will then make a decision regarding it, his spokeswoman said.

Im hoping that they are meaningful changes because Ive said all along we do need real criminal justice reform, especially for nonviolent people, Shelby told The Washington Examiner this week. But we want to make sure that the violent ones dont come back on the streets.

House Republicans responding to a request for their position on the measure largely took a wait-and-see approach. The legislation is widely viewed as positive move toward undoing certain federal criminal policies that fueled an overcrowding of prisons and the racial discrepancies that exists in Americans prison system.

Alabamas six GOP House members each backed a criminal justice reform measure that passed out of their chamber earlier this year, but most have indicated that they havent seen the text of the latest version that is currently in the Senate.

The Senate version, which could be approved by the weekend, is expected to come up for a vote in the House before the lame-duck session of Congress ends. President Donald Trump has signaled he wants the reform bill approved before Democrats take control of the House in January.

Alabamas two congressional Democrats  U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell and U.S. Senator Doug Jones  both support the measure.

Our prisons should be a pathway for rehabilitation, not recidivism, and this bill clears that pathway for tens of thousands of incarcerated individuals, Sewell said in a statement to AL.com. The First Step Act is not a perfect bill, and I strongly believe that Congress must take action to end the epidemic of mass incarceration that has made the United States the worlds biggest jailer. But this legislation begins our work to fix the criminal justice system with bipartisan reforms that will have a real-life impact for families across the country.

Said Jones, This is a great first step, and Im keeping my fingers crossed that it can pass.

What does it do?

The bill does not affect state prisons, nor any state laws.

Generally speaking, the legislation does the following:

- Improves rehabilitation programs for former prisoners and gives judges more discretion in sentencing nonviolent offenders.

- Allows more home confinements, and not costly federal prison terms, for lower-level offenders.

- Requires federal prisoners to stay within 500 miles of their homes.

- Increases good time credits inmates can earn, allowing well-behaved inmates to cut their prison sentences by an additional week for each year they are incarcerated.

- Allows more early release credits to inmates who participate in vocational and rehabilitative programs.

- Bans shackling pregnant inmates

- Prohibits solitary confinement of juveniles in most cases

- Provides inmates the option to have their cases retroactively reviewed under the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, which reduced sentencing disparities between crack and powder cocaine sentences at the federal level.

That disparity has particularly hurt black men, who were more likely to possess crack than the more expensive cocaine. According to The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization focused on criminal justice reform, approximately 2,600 federal inmates could be affected by the change.

The current Senate version of the First Step Act offers a modest, but meaningful opportunity to address some of the injustices in our federal criminal laws, said Frank Knaack, executive director of the Montgomery-based Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice which has pushed for criminal justice reform within the state. But we must also not forget that this is just a first step.

Jenny Carroll, a professor of law at the University of Alabamas School of Law, said the provisions within the legislation are structured to help save costs, something which she believes could be appealing to Alabama lawmakers.

The legislation has a politically diverse group of supporters. They include the America Civil Liberties Union, the Koch brothers-backed Right on Crime, the Fraternal Order of Police, and other organizations on both sides of the political spectrum.

Carroll however, said the National Sheriffs Association has yet to get behind it.

Its not necessary for them to get behind it, she said. In any other presidency, Id say its relatively unimportant.

Trump, though, ran on a tough-on-crime agenda in which he promised to support harsher prison sentences. Former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions of Alabama, when he served in the Senate, was credited with helping to kill past criminal justice reform measures.

The president has come to support the legislation thanks to the backing of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and hes taken to Twitter in recent days to urge Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to allow the measure to go for a vote. McConnell, on Tuesday, said he would.

Thanks to Leader McConnell for agreeing to bring a Senate vote on Criminal Justice this week! These historic changes will make communities SAFER and SAVE tremendous taxpayers dollars. It brings much needed hope to many families during the Holiday Season.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 11, 2018

This bill is a discouragement for recidivism  its a punitive measure instead of a safety measure, said Carroll. In that sense, it has the potential for appeal to a variety of political spectrums and I can image a world where even very conservative lawmakers can get behind this type of reform bill.

Trickle-down

Could approval of a federal criminal justice reform measure have a trickle-down effect to the Alabama Legislature, where wide-reaching criminal justice reform measures have stalled in recent years?

Carroll said that could be a positive from the bill.

If the feds put up numbers that suggest the cost-benefit analysis of this bill is accurate and it reduces recidivism and the costs of incarceration itself, and you are reducing the total prison population  if a state sees this, such as Alabama, where it takes a lot of money to run the prison systems, that cost-benefit analysis becomes a benefit in conservatives states that take a harsher view on crimes, she said.

Dillon Nettles, policy analyst with the ACLU of Alabama, said he hopes the federal action on criminal justice reform will motivate Alabama lawmakers.

Were still a number of months out from session, but we hope this will have a trickle-down effect, said Nettles. We cant quite assess what those are yet.

Sakira Cook, senior counsel at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights based in Washington, D.C., said many other states have taken a more aggressive approach in criminal justice reform, and that Alabama has a little work to do.

We believe what happens at the state level impacts what happens federally and vice versa, said Cook. To end mass incarceration and address racial disparities, we need reform at all levels and we need to have meaningful reform.

State Senator Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, said that Alabama has addressed a number of things already in the federal bill, such as mandatory minimum sentencing which contributed to soaring incarceration rates.

We have, for practical purposes, no mandatory minimums left except for the highest of the highest crimes, said Ward.

State reforms

Negotiations on a final federal bill comes at a time when Alabamas beleaguered prison system continues receive sharp rebuke from the federal courts.

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson ordered the Alabama Department of Corrections to show why it should not be held in contempt of court for failing to meet the courts deadline for increasing mental health personnel in the states prisons.

A written response is due by noon on December 21.

Ward, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said there is pressure to hire more workers, but that the state needs to compensate them appropriately.

It will be a budget issue, said Ward. You have to pay them and with unemployment so low, I can get a job with a local law enforcement agency and get paid more to do a job thats less dangerous. Thats the real struggle. There is no simple way out of this and you have to pay to fix it.

Beyond prisons, the federal criminal justice reform package come ahead of anticipation in Montgomery to address a host of justice matters: Civil asset forfeiture reform, racial profiling, marijuana legalization, among other things.

Ward anticipates a bill surfacing that redefines the amount of marijuana that is needed to trigger a simple possession offense.

According to Alabama Appleseed, in an analysis of the states marijuana laws and enforcement, prosecutors have the discretion to charge a person with criminal possession of marijuana if they are in possession of anything less than 2.2 pounds, even just trace amounts.

We havent raised (the amount) in so many years, said Ward.

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A 22-year-old Dolomite man will spend the rest of his life in prison for the 2016 shooting death of a customer during a holdup at Jacks in Pleasant Grove.

Roderick Derrell King pleaded guilty Thursday in the shooting death of Ashton Blake Roberts, which happened during a three-city crime spree on Jan. 13, 2016. He also pleaded guilty to robbery for a holdup the same night at Papa Murphys in Hueytown.

By entering a guilty plea, King avoided the death penalty and instead was sentenced to life without parole. He received a 20-year sentence for the Papa Murphys robbery.

Im pleased we were able to bring a truly bad person to justice, said Pleasant Grove Lt. Danny Reid. He absolutely needed to be off the streets.

But it doesnt bring Ashton back, he said. Ashtons was a life that was unfairly taken and Im heartbroken for the family.

Bessemer Cutoff Circuit Court Judge David Carpenter presided over the case. James Butler and Lane Tolbert prosecuted King.

The spree began that night when the gunman brandishing a rifle fired shots inside the Burger King in Fairfield, then robbed Papa Murphys before the fatal shooting inside Jacks.

During the robbery at Jack's, King demanded everyone get on the ground and he fired one shot from what looked like a pistol-grip AK-47 type weapon, killing Roberts, authorities have said. A 7.62 shell casing was found at the Jack's restaurant scene.

Video of the robberies were recovered at all three restaurants and the suspect in all three robberies wore what appeared to be similar clothing, but the suspect's face wasn't visible, detectives have said. At the robbery in Hueytown, police found a cellphone and an unspent 7.62 caliber bullet lying on the ground where a witness had seen the suspect's car. Hueytown police, who had known King from a previous investigation, found King's photo on the phone's lock-screen.

Shell casings recovered from the Fairfield robbery, where there was a shootout, also were 7.62 caliber of the same type as used in the other two robberies. When looking for King later that evening in Dolomite where he lived, Hueytown police ran into King's girlfriend who told them she had loaned King her car - a gray metallic Honda Accord. A witness at the Jack's robbery in Pleasant Grove had said the suspect had driven away in a silver car. A witness at one of the other robberies had described it as gray.

King was captured by Birmingham police about 1:15 a.m. the following morning when they spotted King drive the car to a club, The Palace, on Third Avenue West in Birmingham where his girlfriend worked. King got out of the car and got into a white Marquis with his brother. King had on a hat similar to the ones in the video and underneath some coveralls he had black cargo style plants, both similar to the ones in the videos. Inside his pants was an unspent 7.62 round like the ones found at all three robbery scenes, police later testified.

"This guy has zero remorse, Reid said shortly after the killing. He doesn't care."

King was also charged with the Burger King robbery. At the time of his 2016 arrest, he already was awaiting trial in a 2014 case in Hueytown. In that case, King and a 16-year-old were arrested after a Nov. 25 6:30 a.m. holdup at the Burger King on Allison-Bonnett Memorial Drive. The robbers fired several shots in the parking lot.

In October 2016, authorities charged King with bribery of a public servant. The suspect offered to pay a jail deputy hundreds of dollars if he would smuggle in cellphones, cigarettes and drugs.

According to an arrest warrant and affidavit in that charge, King on Aug. 16 offered the deputy $350 to bring in contraband to him, and the deputy reported the incident to his supervisor. Two days later, King offered the same deputy $500, again to deliver the requested items to him.

In exchange for his guilty plea Thursday to capital murder and robbery, all other charges against King were dismissed. Also as part of the plea, King waived his right to appeal.
The Alabama Attorney Generals Office is taking over the case of the Thanksgiving shooting death of Emantic Fitzgerald EJ Bradford Jr. and the wounding of two other people inside the Riverchase Galleria .

Attorney General Steve Marshall said his office is assuming jurisdiction after the admission by Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr in a letter to Marshall of the presence of potential conflicts between himself and key parties in the case. Marshall met with Carr on Monday in Birmingham, and said he also has had multiple conversations with him. Efforts by AL.com to reach Carr were not immediately successful.

Carrs potential conflicts appear to be his relationships with several of the organizers of ongoing protests over Bradfords death. The day after the Nov. 7 election, Carlos Chaverst Jr. posted this on Facebook, accompanied by two photos of himself with Carr.

Mannnnnnnnnnnn last night was historic. My brother Danny Carr was elected as the first black District Attorney of Jefferson County. This journey began over a year ago. After it was known that Mr. Charles Henderson couldnt serve as DA, Danny was appointed as Interim DA. That day we launched a campaign asking Governor Ivey to appoint him to the seat until the election. After garnishing thousands of signatures and running an extensive campaign, it still didnt sway her. We knew than we wanted Danny Carr elected as DA and thats what we got.

Chaverst in 2017 had launched a petition for the governor to keep Carr as district attorney, netting more than 1,500 signatures. Also, protester LeDarius Hilliard attended Carrs swearing in on Wednesday.

Protest organizer Carlos Chaverst Jr. posted these photos of himself with Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr.

State Rep. John Rogers, D-Birmingham, said national civil rights leaders are prepared to take part in expanded protests if there is an indication that Marshalls investigation leads to a cover-up. Rogers spoke to the media outside the attorney generals headquarters after Marshalls press conference.

If theres any hint of a cover-up, there will be massive protests from Birmingham to Montgomery by national people, Rogers said. And they told me to tell right now that theyre waiting to see whats going to happen.

Asked who might be involved, Rogers said, Al Sharpton and everybody. Jesse (Jackson), NAACP, everybody. Itll be like in 1960.

Initially, the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office was brought in to investigate the case at the request of Hoover police and then-District Attorney Mike Anderton. It is standard procedure for an outside agency to investigate officer-involved shootings.

Two days after the shooting, however, Anderton asked the State Bureau of Investigation to take over the probe at the request after authorities determined a potential key witness in the mall incident is a cousin of the wife of Jefferson County Sheriff-Elect Mark Pettway.

Since then, Carr has taken office and assumed responsibility for the case. Marshall said Carr shared with him another potential conflict -- the officer involved in the deadly shooting is a material witness in at least 20 cases pending in Jefferson County. "Those are 20 victims who deserve justice like other victims in other cases,'' Marshall said.

Marshall said Carr did not ask to be recused from the cases. "He specifically told me he would like to continue this case and did not ask to be recused,'' Marshall said.

He shared his response to Carrs letter:

I have reviewed your December 11th letter regarding your prosecutorial role in the shooting death of Emantic E.J. Bradford, Jr., Attorney General Marshall wrote District Attorney Carr. Based on the information you provided in that letter and our multiple conversations on the subjectparticularly your acknowledgement that a fair-minded, objective observer could conclude that a conflict existsI have determined that the National Prosecution Standards dictate your recusal from the investigation of each of the shootings that occurred in the Riverchase Galleria on Thanksgiving night, not just E.J. Bradfords. Marshall continued, While I have no reason to believe that you are actually biased or compromised, I agree that other fair-minded persons might question your neutrality based on the information that you provided in the letter and during our private conversations. For example, you state that the officer who shot Mr. Bradford is either the charging officer or a witness in approximately 20 cases pending in your office. A fair-minded Defendant (or family member) in those cases could question whether you and/or your prosecutors are biased in favor of protecting the officer from prosecution because the officers testimony may be important in his or her case. On the flip side, you acknowledge personal relationships with some of the protesters who are calling for the officer who shot Mr. Bradford to be criminally prosecuted, which could lead a fair-minded person to question your bias in favor of indictment. I have weighed these factors and others mentioned during our conversations and agree that, when taken as a whole, these factors warrant recusal under Rule 1-3.3(d).

Marshall said under National Prosecution Standards rule 1-3.3(d), the prosecutor should excuse himself or herself from any investigation, prosecution, or other matter where personal interests of the prosecutor would cause a fair-minded, objective observer to conclude that the prosecutors neutrality, judgment, or ability to administer the law in an objective manner may be compromised.

Marshall further noted that his office would also prosecute the shootings of 18-year-old Brian Wilson and 12-year-old Molly Davis.

Your letter requests guidance on the officer-involved shooting of E.J. Bradford; it does not mention the shootings of Brian Wilson and Molly Davis. However, it is my understanding that all three shootings were part of a single chain of events. Thus, the investigation of Mr. Bradfords shooting is inextricably intertwined with the investigation into the shootings of Mr. Wilson and Ms. Davis and must be conducted by the same entity. Accordingly, to guard against inconsistent prosecutorial decisions, you must also excuse yourself from those investigations.

Carr issued a statement after the press conference that confirmed his meeting with Marshall during which the attorney general notified me that he believes there are several factors taht may exist which could possibly lead the public to believe a conflict may exist between the Jefferson County District Attorneys Office and the parties involved in the Thanksgiving Day Galleria shooting. However, as I stated to Attorney General Marshall, the Jefferson County District Attorneys Office stands ready and capable to proceed with this case based on the facts and evidence once provided, and the law as it currently exists.

Despite the Attorney Generals Office intervention in this instance, the Jefferson County District Attorneys Office will continue to seek and ensure justice for all citizens of this county. I trust that justice will prevail.

Carr said he would have no additional comment.

Shortly after Marshalls press conference ended, Chaverst posted on a Facebook a photo of himself with Marshall accompanied by this: Due to my personal and close relationship with Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, Im asking that he and his office recuses himself and themselves from the pending case of those involved in the shooting death of Emantic EJ Bradford Jr. It should not be fair the Attorney General is prosecuting the case when he and I have a personal and close relationship. I also have copies of emails and letters sent to Steve Marshalls office and campaign on several occasions. There seems to be a conflict of interest. Im asking that the federal government take over this case. Hilliard also posted a photo of himself with Marshall which much the same status attached.

A spokesman for Marshalls office said the photos of the attorney general with Chaverst and Hilliard were taken May 5, 2017 outside Advent Episcopal School in Birmingham during a Safe School Award presentation. Chaverst and Hilliard were there to protest the Attorney Generals Office as part of their demonstrations over alleged wrongdoing at the Birmingham Water Works Board. Marshalls office said he does not have any kind of relationship with Chaverst or the others.

Frank Matthews, Carlos Chaverst Jr., LeDarius Hilliard and Iva Williams held a press conference Thursday asking Attorney General Steve Marshall to reverse his decision to assume jurisdiction of Nov. 22 shootings inside the Riverchase Galleria.

Later Thursday afternoon, Chaverst and Hilliard, joined by activists Frank Matthews and Iva William, held a press conference outside the attorney generals office, calling for Marshall to recuse.

Chaverst made a personal appeal to Marshall, who he called a friend. The four men held up a poster-size photo of Chaverst and Marshall from the May 2017 picture.

My friend, Steve, you and I go way back, Chaverst said. Im asking you to please do the right thing. Recuse yourself from this investigation. You know how things are, brother. You know things dont have to be this way. You know that this right thing is not for yourself to get involved and to really make this about you.

Please Steve, do the right thing and recuse yourself, brother. Let justice play out like justice should play out. You should not interfere, Steve, with justice. This is not what justice is. Justice should be served, Steve. And were looking for you to really set the tone and allow it.

Williams said it was wrong that the prosecutor elected by voters in Jefferson County, a Democratic stronghold in a Republican-dominated state, was not being allowed to handle such an important case.

The largest case in Jefferson County, the highest profile case, the first one that comes along, and then our district attorney is removed, Williams said. And it just begs to ask the question, if every time something goes on in Jefferson County, not only do we have to worry about home rule when it comes to governing ourselves, but also we have to worry about the state of Alabama imposing itself when we seek justice.

Hilliard said the effects of how the case is handled will be far reaching.

In 2018, the words of Dr. Martin Luther King are just as relevant as they were then, Hilliard said. A threat to justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. And right now, justice is being threatened by the hijacking of our friend, Steve Marshall, over this case.

The shooting happened just before 10 p.m. Thanksgiving night on the second floor of the Riverchase Galleria. Hoover police said an argument between several young men led to gunfire. Wilson was wounded, as was bystander Molly Davis, who took a bullet to the back. Bradford was shot by a Hoover police officer, who was in uniform and on-duty as part of a beefed-up holiday shopping detail.

Bradford was pronounced dead on the scene. Eight other people were treated by paramedics for injuries sustained while fleeing the gunfire.

Within hours of the shooting, Hoover police said Bradford was the shooter. The following day, however, they retracted that statement.

According to authorities, 20-year-old Erron Brown, involved in the altercation with Bradford and Wilson, shot Wilson and fled the scene. Brown is charged with attempted murder in the shooting of Wilson.

The U.S. Marshals Service arrested Brown in Georgia on Nov. 29. Though his name had quickly surfaced as a suspect in the case, authorities withheld his identity while law enforcement officers searched for him.

Browns attorney, Charles Salvagio, said all of the men involved knew each other. He said Brown is not guilty of any crime.

Multiple protests have been held over the Bradford case. The highest-profile demonstration took place Tuesday, Dec. 4, when they protested at several Hoover businesses and then got on Interstate 459 and ultimately stopped at the Interstate 65 interchange. They got out of their vehicles and locked arms while standing across the roadway.

Police blocked the Hoover entrances to I-459 during the protest. Dozens of lawmen, some riding on police SUV running boards, flocked to the scene and ultimately dispersed the crowd. Several large wreckers were brought in by the city and protesters were told if they did not move out of the roadway, their cars would be towed, and they would be arrested. No arrests were made that night, and the protesters contend that the police were the ones who shut down the interstate.

Since then, six protesters have been arrested. Four of those  Carlos Chaverst Jr., Mark Myles, Sherrette Spicer and Andy Baer  have been charged with disorderly conduct in connection with the I-459 shut down. Chaverst also has two other disorderly conduct charges and a loitering charge for wearing a mask to a protest at Renaissance Ross Bridge. A Vestavia Hills woman, Anne Susan Diprizio, is also charged with disorderly conduct for a lone protest she held on U.S. 31 Dec. 6.

Police say Diprizio was throwing Christmas ornaments into traffic, and tried to climb on the hood of a motorists vehicle while stating she was going to stop traffic until there was justice for EJ.

Martez Lamar Parker, 25, was arrested Wednesday night during a protest at Target at The Grove shopping center.

Previous protests have been held at the Galleria, Hoover City Hall, Sams Club, the home of Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato, and Hoovers Public Safety Center. Chaversts arrest took place at the latter, while a group of about 30 were protesting outside the city jail.

They are demanding that video of the deadly shooting be released and also want the officer who shot Bradford to face criminal charges.

Marshall said he has put together teams of investigators to work on the shooting cases. I believe strongly in the team we have assembled, he said, that they will seek justice in the case,

AL.com report Mike Cason contributed to this report.
Birmingham police are investigating after a 4-year-old boy was shot early Thursday morning.

Officers from the East Precinct responded to a shooting around 1:05 a.m. in the 600 block of Calahan Road, Officer Rodarius Mauldin said. When they arrived, police learned a child had been struck by gunfire and taken by private vehicle to St. Vincents hospital.

The child was later transported to Childrens Hospital, where he is currently in critical condition.

Police said the boy was inside the house when someone shot into the home.

No suspects are in custody as of Thursday morning.

This post will be updated.
Weve got to tell the unvarnished truth, are words inscribed on a wall at The National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., and attributed to American historian and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient John Hope Franklin. Good history is a good foundation for a better present and future.

Franklins quote struck a chord when recent mass media headlines and certain community folklore portrayed University Charter School in Livingston, Alabama  the county seat  as Sumter Countys first integrated school.

Wanda Jackson, a native of Sumter County, Alabama. (Provided by Wanda Jackson)Provided by Wanda Jackson

UCS is not the first. To say otherwise only magnifies and perpetuates inequalities and distrust, and frankly dismisses African-Americans who risked much to improve themselves, their beloved communities and families. Moreover, you cannot build a sound future  a community that innovates competitively, and attracts businesses, the arts, industries, tourists and new residents  based on an untruth, no matter how prettied up or gift-wrapped its presented.

Good history. In the 1954 landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education, justices unanimously ruled that "racial segregation of children in public schools is unconstitutional and inherently unequal." While some states complied with the verdict, many officials in the South defied it.

In the 1960s, when more direct forms of resistance to desegregation began to falter and threaten federal aid, Southern states trotted out "Freedom of Choice" as a remedy, giving students the right to choose schools independent of race.

Sumter County officials, however, cited concerns about overcrowded classrooms, and as a consequence limited black enrollment at all-white schools.

In September 1966, 12 African-American students integrated Livingston High School. Then-10th-grader Carol Wabbington later became the first black student to graduate (1969). Eighth-graders Charlie Mae Porter and Gary Richey graduated in 1971. Denise Wabbington attended three years, then transferred to Sumter County Training School, SCTS. Eddie Hardaway and Bernice Washington attended two years, then transferred to SCTS and York West End HS, respectively. Ronald Browder attended one year, then moved to California. Jesse Biffle attended one year, transferred to SCTS the next year, then moved to Illinois. Terry Idrell attended briefly, then transferred to SCTS. Mason Larkin, Abigail Williams and Hattie Mae French also attended, based on recollections at the time of writing.

At Livingston Laboratory, I attended alone, graduating the sixth grade in 1967, and later LHS in 1973 (with core classes completed as a junior, I skipped senior year to attend Livingston University in 1972).

We experienced constant verbal and physical harassment, racial slurs including the N-word and death threats. Black students were barred from LHSs cafeteria so they brought their lunches and gathered at mealtime on outdoor steps, sometimes in a compassionate teachers classroom.

Not all white students harassed their black classmates. Most were silent bystanders. It didnt matter that black families owned homes and land in the same communities or that many of our fathers also served honorably during World War II.

A handful of white students attended predominately black public schools in Sumter County. There, racial hostilities were virtually nonexistent.

Most black public schools in Sumter County were Rosenwald schools. Built between 1912 and 1932 to advance black education in the South, Rosenwald schools developed from a partnership between Booker T. Washington, the pre-eminent educator and Tuskegee Institutes principal developer, and Julius Rosenwald, a Chicago philanthropist and president of Sears, Roebuck & Co. Rosenwald granted seed money, and locals  both black and white  provided remaining funds, and often land and labor. More than 5,300 Rosenwald schools (405 in Alabama, including nine in Sumter County) were built in 15 Southern states.

What churches were on Sunday, Rosenwald schools became Monday through Friday, the heart and soul of the community. "I thought my school was grand," says American poet and memoirist Maya Angelou, a Rosenwald alumna, in Washington filmmaker Aviva Kempners 2015 documentary, "Rosenwald."

Rosenwald schools provided the foundation for many black children in Sumter County to realize various careers, including education, law, medicine, the arts, business and the military.

In 1969, nearly 15 years after Brown v. Board of Education and the 1955 Brown II ruling, which ordered that schools be integrated "with all deliberate speed," federal courts demanded Alabama integrate public schools.

By September 1970, Sumter County began consolidating its racially segregated schools; black students in ninth through 12th grades were transferred to previously white high schools.

The upshot: Private religious schools (termed "segregation academies") sprang up across the South. In Sumter County, most white parents  some of whom taught at predominately black public schools  supported Sumter Academy or carpooled their children to neighboring counties. After 47 years, Sumter Academy closed in 2017.

Whats ahead? Reclaiming (our) history is an act of hope for the future. When people have hope, extraordinary things happen.

And, that is "the unvarnished truth."

Jackson is a Sumter County native who lives in the Washington, D.C., metro area.
Officials of Irans Civil Aviation Authority are mulling plans to look up to Russias Sukhoi Superjet as the Iranian carriers seek to buy up to 500 aircraft to upgrade their ageing fleets.

Ali Abedzadeh, head of the Civil Aviation Organization, quoted by semi-official Fars news agency, indicated that Tehran could go for Superjet 100.

If the Iranian airlines want to use this aircraft (Superjet 100) and the seller is willing to sell it to Iran, the Civil Aviation Organization is ready to issue its final comment on this aircraft, Abedzadeh said.

this aircraft has adhered to world standards and is flying currently, therefore there is no reason for us to reject it, he added.

The choice of the Russian aircraft has come after Boeing and Airbus have been forced by the US to scrap deals and discussions with Irans national carrier and other airlines.

US President Donald Trump in May tore the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and imposed a set of punitive measures while demanding multinationals to choose between the Islamic Republic and the USA.

IranAir, the national carrier, placed orders for 200 passenger aircraft  100 from Airbus, 80 from Boeing and 20 from Franco-Italian turboprop maker ATR (LDOF.MI).

Sukhoi, Reuters notes, is working on reducing the number of US parts in the hopes of winning an Iranian order for up to 100 aircraft. For modern commercial planes to fly to US territory, they must have more than 10 percent in US parts.
Infighting in the Conservative Party continues as the prime minister tries to strike a deal that appeases critical MPs.

London, England  Britains beleaguered Prime Minister Theresa May has defeated an attempted coup by Conservative MPs unhappy at her handling of Brexit but has been politically wounded and compelled to signal that she will step down before an election in 2022.

Her win on Wednesday evening by 200 votes to 117 in a secret ballot was announced by Sir Graham Brady, chair of the 1922 Committee of Conservative backbenchers, to the applause of loyalists packing committee Room 14 in the House of Commons.

The prime minister has come under heavy criticism since cancelling a parliamentary vote on Tuesday on her deal to exit the European Union  a move that prompted MPs opposed to her proposal to launch a plot to overthrow her  and the outcome of last nights confidence motion is unlikely to affect the parliamentary arithmetic that prompted her to shelve the vote.

Maddy Thimont Jack, a researcher at the Institute for Government in London, said: The fundamentals of Brexit havent changed  Theresa May still has to try and get her deal through parliament, she still has to have a meaningful vote, she still has to pass the legislation  so the scale of the challenges hasnt changed.

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Paul Webb, professor of politics at the University of Sussex, said the vote reflects only what is happening inside the Conservative parliamentary party at the moment.

Thats a very febrile electorate and possibly a duplicitous one. But, on the face of it, Theresa May will still not have a majority for her Brexit deal and this is unlikely to make a lot of difference to that.

The Conservative leader cannot now face another no-confidence vote among her own MPs for 12 months  giving her time to see through the infighting over Brexit.

She is talking to EU leaders on Thursday in an effort to make headway in securing concessions over the deeply unpopular Northern Ireland backstop that fuelled the revolt.

But Wednesdays vote is also unlikely to impact those talks  EU leaders have repeatedly insisted that they will not change their draft deal reached with London.

Professor Anand Menon, director of the UK in a Changing Europe academic think-tank on Brexit, said: It does not affect their attitude towards concessions because for them this is a legal matter, not a political matter. For them this is just a matter of law, the backstop is the backstop, theres no going round it.

Interpreting the result

The result of Wednesdays vote was a temporary relief for May, allowing her to paint 200 votes as a triumph because this exceeds the 199 she won in her original leadership ballot in 2016.

However, her victory was at the price of her premiership  a majority of Conservative MPs backed her only after she signalled she would step down before the 2022 election.

Moreover, Mays win will do little to heal divisions within the wider Conservative party: The European Research Group of hardline Brexiteers behind last nights vote are also claiming victory.

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The vote also weakens the PM even further in the House of Commons, which is still smarting from her last-minute decision to push back the Brexit vote until January.

Professor Menon said: What we know in the structural sense is that were exactly back where we started  she has got a deal that no one likes that there arent the numbers to get through parliament.

David Jeffery, a lecturer in British politics at the University of Liverpool who has studied the Conservative Party, said the vote of confidence in May could signal an acceptance among most of her MPs that her deal is the best they are going to get.

A lot of the tweets in support of her yesterday were about getting on with the job of Brexit  a lot of them want it over and done with so the next election scheduled in 2022 can be possibly on a different playing field, it can be in a post-Brexit environment and they can talk about other issues that they might be less divided on.

British Prime Minister Theresa May meets with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to discuss Brexit at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium on December 11, 2018 [Yves Herman/Reuters]

May still remains vulnerable to a no-confidence vote within the House in the government itself, something the opposition Labour Party has been poised to launch.

Thimont Jack said: The confidence vote illustrates what we already knew to be the case, but at the same time, because you cant trigger another confidence vote for 12 months, so it does give May some breathing room. But of course, the political pressure doesnt go away for her.

The scale of disillusionment has prompted some to suggest that hardline Conservatives who rebelled against May might now be prepared to join the opposition to unseat her  the so-called nuclear option.

Webb said: There might some elements of the European Research Group who are so disillusioned and angry that if Labour called a vote of no confidence they actually could either abstain on that or maybe even vote with the opposition.

Questions are also being asked about Mays promise not to lead the Conservatives into an election in 2022. MPs have not forgiven her for an historic miscalculation in calling the 2017 general election in which the party lost seats and ended up relying on the small Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to retain power.

How infighting affects public confidence

Mays sternest opponents within the ERG hinted that they did not entirely believe she will stick to her pledge to go before 2022.

Webb said: If they were forced to go into an election now with her as a leader that puts her in an extremely difficult position to campaign  which would be very difficult for the Conservative Party. But it would also be very difficult to find anyone to replace her.

By carefully avoiding offering a specific date on which she would resign, while powering ahead to deliver her own vision of a softer Brexit, May risks deepening Conservative divisions as the economic pain Brexit is likely to cause hits voters.

A golden rule of British politics is that voters do not vote for divided parties.

Jeffery believes, however, that despite their divisions, the Conservatives can still go into the next election with a chance of winning.





They are very lucky in the fact that they are against an equally divided Labour Party. At the moment they are being saved by their own opponents.

Menon pointed out that voters memories tend to be quite short and the things that stick are the things that affect them directly.

But this is different, this is just pantomime, and there is an element of A plague on all your houses. The divisions in the Labour Party are equally bitter, equally deep.

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party, which has previously threatened to table a no-confidence motion against May, said Wednesdays vote changes nothing.

If the next general election is in 2022, Webb said, a lot can happen before then.

But if it is an election any time soon, notwithstanding the doubts the electorate has about Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, I think Labour would win it.
Activist-journalists in Syria inform international media about the war, and sometimes it is hard to leave views aside.

March 18, 2011, will forever be recorded in Syrian history as the day that marked the beginning of demonstrations against President Bashar al-Assad.

Protests that first took place in Deraa extended to the entire country, resulting in one of the bloodiest conflicts of modern history.

Since 2011, the conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions has received significant international interest. And the way the world is being informed about the war is also part of the story.

Abuse that plagued demonstrations was not broadcast on Syrias mainstream media outlets, such as the arrests, shootings and massacres. And so, a new era of information in Syria began: citizen journalism.

READ MORE: Syrias war  Hope is all I have

There was, and remains, a lack of journalists able to report the reality of the conflict and its harrowing consequences.

Six years ago, by the time the revolution had begun, the majority of Syrian media was managed by the regime.

They were in absolute control of the news that they wanted people to know.

At the same time, the regime tried to shut down all sources of information that showed actual numbers of arrests, real footage and other information coming out of the conflict.

Relying on citizen journalists

As Syria became a no-go zone to foreign correspondents due to its danger, international media relied on citizen journalists and stories from activists to show the world what was happening.

So who are these citizen journalists?

When you live inside a conflict and are directly affected - with family members and friends being killed, mutilated, or displaced - it is quite hard to leave your own views on aside

As their name suggests, they are regular citizens who, as a moral duty, turned around their careers or extended their hobbies into reporting to show the world Syrias reality, without altering facts and truth.

Videographers, photographers, media students, legal professionals, writers and activists, to name just a few, are among those who turned their paths to citizen journalism.

READ MORE: Syrian journalists struggle to make ends meet amid war

The following list includes just some of the people who have committed to report on Syria, exchanging their careers for journalism and activism:

Hadi Al-Abdallah  Hadi won Reporters Without Borders press freedom prize in November, 2016. A trained nurse, he has been arrested and injured during the war. In June last year, he was seriously wounded after an attack in Aleppo on the home of his fellow journalist Khaled al-Essa. Essa died.

Khaled Khatib  Khaled documents the work of the Syria Civil Defence, known as the White Helmets. Without his work, the world would know less about the horrors of war, of being pulled from rubble, of fighting for your life.

Lina Shamy  Lina was a student when the revolution began. An architect by trade, she chronicled the violence when Aleppo was besieged by the regime via social media, risking her life to do so.

Malek Tarboush Showing the world how the war looks is Maleks chosen job, from the aftermath of an attack and heartbroken victims to the stolen moments of simple life such as children playing in liberated areas of Aleppo to a fresh plate of spaghetti.

Being both objective and passionate should not be a sin in war reporting

Where, then, does citizen journalism end and activism begin?

Being a citizen journalist in Syria, affected by the conflict and passionate in trying to help others, blurs the line between citizen journalism and activism, which is not a bad thing.

Journalists are taught to not show preference to one side over another and to keep their personal views to themselves.

However, for Syrian citizen journalists, some of whom spent their final teenage years and early adulthood living a horrible war, not expressing a point of view while reporting is simply challenging.

Blurred lines

Being both objective and passionate should not be a sin in war reporting.

Citizen journalists and activists bloggers are fighting against governments, which want to mould the media in their hands, to direct societies to their story  which is mostly propaganda.

Activists take on the duties of journalists in their work on social media and traditional media channels.

They share resources and reports from the ground showing the raw reality as the world wants to see it.

Activist-journalist Hadi al-Abdallah says his prizes were not for work in activism, but journalism. Over the course of the past six years, he has become one of the most reliable sources of news and truth for many global agencies.

OPINION: The case against  Can journalists be activists?

The difference between journalism and activism is the source of much debate. I believe this difference is quite simple. Journalists are storytellers and they are trained to remain objective. When a reporter attempts to help by calling for action, this is where journalism ends and activism begins.

Indeed, the line between citizen journalism and activism is quite blurred.

A threat to objectivism?

Activists and citizen journalists present news and content on what is really happening: killings, arrests, sieges and more.

Citizen journalists and activists in Syria try to be objective most of the time and, as I mentioned earlier, try to leave their personal views aside to focus on providing information.





However, when you live inside a conflict and are directly affected  with family members and friends being killed, mutilated, or displaced  it is quite hard to leave your own views on aside.

Activists base their reporting on their motivations towards the cause they are fighting for, whereas citizen journalists  in most cases  simply summarise the event they have been commissioned to cover.

A citizen journalist becomes an activist when they get too passionate and blame people, governments or organisations for the situation theyre covering, and as they start to call for action in order to help.

This call can be anything from adding links on their pieces to funding aid groups in Syria or taking part in street movements in Europe to pressure governments to take action.

So, does activism and citizen journalism represent a threat to objectivism? Does this open the door to fake news, I hear you asking.

As with all news events, audiences have to be cautious when deciding which media sources to trust.

However, in situations when all activists, citizen journalists and members of the public in Syria broadcast the same message in their own words, then it is hard to disbelieve the veracity of their stories.

Zouhir Al Shimale is a Syrian journalist based in east Aleppo.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Why did Trump, Bolton and Mattis refuse to listen to the tape of Jamal Khashoggis murder? Because of Arabic?

We have the tape, US President Donald Trump finally admitted that there is a tape-recording of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi  but then he immediately added: I dont want to hear the tape, no reason for me to hear the tape. When he was asked why, he said: Because its a suffering tape, its a terrible tape. Ive been fully briefed on it. Theres no reason for me to hear it.

He elaborated further: I know everything that went on in the tape without having to hear it  It was very violent, very vicious and terrible.

It was good to see the man who had no qualms about dropping the mother of all bombs (MOAB) on Afghanistan or arming Saudi Arabia to the teeth to slaughter Yemenis had suddenly developed a gentle soul and felt he could not handle hearing the suffering of a single person being strangled.

Soon after Trump revealed he had refused to listen to Khashoggis murder tape, we learned something else from John Bolton, Trumps national security adviser, about this tape. No, I havent listened to it, he echoed his boss. Why do you think I should? What do you think Ill learn from it? Unless you speak Arabic, what are you going to get from it  I dont speak Arabic.

That was much clearer now. We now learned the late Jamal Khashoggi was screaming in Arabic when he was being strangled by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salmans henchmen. We can therefore also surmise from Mr Trump and Mr Boltons remarks, that the butchers attending to him were also sawing him in Arabic  and in fact, to paraphrase Senator Lindsey Grahams words, even the saw was smoking in Arabic. That makes a lot of sense now.

Soon after Bolton, US Defense Secretary James Mattis also said he had declined to listen to the tape because he too cannot understand that language. He curiously would say the name of the language in which the scream was screamed and the victim was murdered.

Let us be honest though: Can we really imagine Donald Trump or John Bolton speaking and understanding Arabic (or any other language for that matter)  they who commit their atrocities only in their pidgin English?

Still, their dodging of the Khashoggi tape got me thinking: How do you scream in Arabic?

Giggling in Armenian, chuckling in Amazigh

Not knowing how Arabs scream in Arabic I decided to Skype a few friends in Morocco, Tunisia, all the way to Egypt, Palestine, even in Oman and Kuwait and Jordan and ask them to scream in Arabic for me a little bit. They all started laughing hysterically, which was not useful.

One Lebanese friend who is a professor of philosophy started giggling in Armenian, another Tunisian friend, a literary critic, went into a stupor in French. My Moroccan friend was still chuckling in Amazigh when I hung up. A Palestinian friend from inside Israel sneered in Hebrew. All of that came to nought.

So how in the world do Arabs scream?

When that bit of what anthropologists call ethnography did not get me anywhere, I decided to do a little research to see if there was any insight into how Arabs scream in Arabic.

It turns out scientists too have been wondering how and why we humans (Arab or otherwise) scream. I came across this study in which we learn: Scream science is a new area of study, so David Poeppel, a professor of psychology and neural science at New York University, and his co-authors collected an array of screams from YouTube, films and 19 volunteer screamers who screamed in a lab sound booth.

This was a good start to learn more about how Arabs scream, but in this piece, I read there was no indication that Professor Poeppel and his colleagues had included in their study any Arab screaming, particularly when that said Arab is being strangled. Perhaps the Turkish media could send them the tape to include in their study.

From regular phonation to a chaotic regime

I did, however, find an interesting passage in Poeppels paper published in the journal Current Biology: Screams result from the bifurcation of regular phonation to a chaotic regime, thereby making screams particularly difficult to predict and ignore  While previous research in humans suggested that acoustic parameters such as jitter and shimmer  are modulated in screams, whether such dynamics and parameters correspond to a specific acoustic regime and how such sounds impact receivers brains remain unclear.

I thought that was it: the bifurcation of regular phonation to a chaotic regime was the key to it. Even Kellyanne Conway and her habit of chewing on English words could see her favourite alternative facts in this.

The man enters a consulate and says hello, ahlan wa sahlan, I am here to obtain this form to be able to marry all in regular phonation, but suddenly a gang of 15 butchers dispatched by a lovely Saudi prince friend of Jared Kushner and Thomas Friedman jump on him and start strangling him until the poor thing bursts into a chaotic regime of inconsolable jitter and shimmer. And such particular acoustic regimes, especially when dispatched in Arabic, would make no sense to Bolton, Mattis, or even Trump for that matter.

At this point, I remembered that the one person in Washington who did listen to that tape was CIA chief Gina Haspel, herself a world authority on how Arabs scream under torture. Current CIA director Gina Haspel, we have learned, talked in detail about torturing a terror suspect by means of waterboarding and other controversial methods while she was running a secret black site in Thailand, according to previously classified cables.

Ms Haspel could write a whole book on the linguistics of Arab screaming, as it were. Heavily redacted documents, many of which are believed to have been written by Ms Haspel, reveal a previously undisclosed level of detail about the methods being employed by the CIA following the 9/11 attacks and after George Bush launched his so-called war on terror.

Alas, she still has not published such a book.

I scream, you scream

Science and psychology, as well as banned and official media, were helpful but not definitive in my question to understand how Arabs scream. In desperation, I looked around and found myself standing in front of The Scream (1893) by the Norwegian expressionist Edvard Munch, where I thought perhaps his rendition of the primordial scream of humanity in reaction to the criminal stupidity of our species needed an Arab update.

I happened to be talking with the eminent Iraqi artist Dia Azzawi at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha and asked him point blank if he ever did an Arab scream. He looked at me with his pair of piercing bright eyes and said: Are you blind, my entire work is about Arabs screaming?

I bade Dia Azzawi goodbye, thanked him for his magnificent work, went home and sat myself down with a warm cup of karak, thinking.

Khashoggis screams  I began telling an imaginary jury  as he was being strangled by a gang of Saudi assassins, were not in Arabic or in any other language.

Those were the primordial cries of a people from one end of the Arab and Muslim world to the next, maligned and brutalised by a sustained history of tyrannical abuse. In that Saudi consulate, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (also known as MBS) had ordered the butchering of not just one dissident, but the assassination of a whole human chorus for freedom.

Meanwhile, the moral affliction of the ruling class in the US, now institutionalised in Trumps White House and mitigated through MBSs buddy Jared Kushner is symptomatic of something far more elemental.

They rule the world with blind eyes, deaf ears, and dumb tongues, having been lobotomised out of any sense of human decency. The Arabic that Donald Trump, John Bolton, and Jared Kushner cannot understand does not come from a secret tape from the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. That Arabic is screamed day and night, loudly and clearly, from Palestine to Yemen.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
Over the last few years, especially after Donald Trumps victory in the 2016 US presidential election, we have been witnessing the normalisation, and rise, of a white-supremacist, ultranationalist brand of right-wing politics across Europe and the United States. While the shift towards extreme right alarmed many across the world, far-right ideologues of the Trumpian era swiftly found support in a seemingly unlikely place: India.

Many members of the so-called alt-right  a loosely knit coalition of populists, white supremacists, white nationalists and neo-Nazis  turned to India to find historic and current justifications for their racist, xenophobic and divisive views. Using a specific, white nationalist brand of Orientalism, they projected their fantasies about a racially pure society onto the Indian culture and in response received a warm welcome from Hindu fundamentalists in India.

While an alliance between the Hindu far right and the Western alt-right may appear confounding on the surface, it actually has a long history, going all the way back to the construction of the Aryan race identity, one of the ideological roots of Nazism, in the early 20th century.

In the 1930s, German nationalists embraced the 19th-century theory that Europeans and the original Sanskrit speakers of India who had built the highly developed Sanskrit civilisation  which white supremacists wanted to claim as their own  come from a common Indo-European, or Aryan, ancestor. They subsequently built their racist ideology on the assumed superiority of this pure race.

Savitri Devi (born Maximiani Portas), a French-Greek thinker and mysticist who later became a spiritual icon of Nazism, helped popularise the idea that all civilisation had its roots in this Aryan master race in India. She travelled to India in the early 1930s to discover the source of the Aryan culture and converted to Hinduism while there.

She quickly integrated herself into Indias burgeoning Hindu nationalist movement by promoting theories that support privileged caste Hindus superiority over Christians, Muslims and unprivileged caste Hindus in the country. In 1940, she married Asit Krishna Mukherji, a Hindu nationalist and Indian supporter of Nazism who had praised the Third Reichs commitment to ethnonationalism, seeing commonalities between the goals of the Hitler Youth and the youth movement of Hindu nationalism, Rashtriya Sevak Sangh (RSS).

Devi worked as a spy for the Axis forces in India throughout World War II and left the country after the defeat of Nazi Germany using a British-Indian passport. In the post-war period, she became an ardent Holocaust denier and was one of the founding members of the World Union of National Socialists, a conglomeration of neo-Nazi and far-right organisations from around the world.

Devi still has a strong influence over the Hindu nationalist movement in India. Her 1939 booklet titled A Warning to the Hindus, in which she cautions Indian nationalists to embrace their Hindu identity and guard the country against non-Aryan influences, such as Islam and Christianity, is still widely read and highly regarded among Hindu nationalists. Perhaps not surprisingly, recently Devi and her theories have also been rediscovered by right-wing ideologues in the West and she is now considered an alt-right icon.

However, the current connection between far-right groups in the West and Hindu nationalists is limited neither to Devis teachings nor the old myth of the Aryan race.

Today, the two groups share a common goal in eroding the secular character of their respective states and a common enemy in Muslim minorities. This is why they often act in coordination and openly support each other.

In the US, the Republican Hindu Coalition, a group with strong links to the Hindu nationalist movement in India, has been rallying behind President Donald Trumps controversial immigration policies, like the Muslim ban and the border wall. Trumps campaign strategist and prominent alt-right figurehead Steve Bannon once called Indias Hindu-nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi the Reagan of India.

Meanwhile, in India, a far-right Hindu nationalist group named Hindu Sena (Army of Hindus), which has been linked to a series of inter-communal incidents in India, has been throwing parties to mark Trumps birthday. The groups founder even claimed that Trump is the only person who can save mankind.

In Canada, far-right Islamophobic organisations such as Rise Canada, which claims to defend Canadian values and combat radical Islam, are popular among Hindu-nationalists. The groups logo even features a red maple leaf rising out of a lotus flower, which is often associated with Hinduism.

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In Britain, the National Hindu Council of Temples (NHCTUK), a Hindu charity, recently caused controversy by inviting far-right Hindu nationalist Tapan Ghosh to speak at the parliament. Ghosh has previously suggested the UN should control the birth rate of Muslims and said all Muslims are Jihadis. During his visit to the UK, Ghosh also attended celebrations of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, with cabinet ministers Amber Rudd and Priti Patel, and met the former neo-Nazi leader Tommy Robinson.

On top of their shared Islamophobia and disdain for secular state structures, the destructive actions, protests and aggravations of Hindu nationalists and the Western far right are also very much alike.

In November, the government of the state of Uttar Pradesh, which is led by the nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), proposed to build a statue of the Hindu god Ram in Ayodhya, where the historic Babri Masjid was illegally demolished by Hindu nationalists in 1992. Only a month earlier, the same government pulled off a massive spectacle, having a helicopter drop off individuals dressed as Ram and Sita at the Babri Masjid site to mark the start of Diwali celebrations.

The sentiment behind these apparent attempts to intimidate Muslims and increase tensions between communities was in many ways similar to the far-right, white supremacist rally that shook Charlottesville in 2017. The neo-Nazis chanted You will not replace us as they marched through the streets of Charlottesville.

The far right in the US, Europe and Canada  emboldened by the electoral success of ultra-nationalist parties and individuals across the globe  aspire for a future in which secular protections are abandoned in favour of a system that favours the majority and protects the white Christian identity that they believe their nations were founded upon.

Likewise, Hindu nationalists in India, empowered by the BJPs landslide election victory in 2014, and inspired by European ethnonationalism and fascism, reject the constitutional secularism of the Indian state, propose that India is fundamentally a Hindu nation, and insist that minorities, especially Muslims and Christians, do not belong in a Hindu country.

Ever since the start of the normalisation of far-right ideas in the West, a surge in racist, anti-Semitic and Islamophobic attacks was witnessed across the US and Europe.

The same happened in India after Hindutva officially became the governing ideology in the country. Over the past few years, countless Muslims, Christians and low-caste Hindus have been persecuted, assaulted and even killed for allegedly killing cows and many Muslims were targeted for allegedly participating in so-called love jihad.

But despite all these similarities, there is major a difference between Hindu fundamentalism in India and far-right movements in the West: the liberal reaction to it.

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While liberals and leftists quickly united against the rise of the far-right, they chose to largely ignore the rise of Hindu nationalism in the worlds largest secular democracy. Especially after the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, the necessity of expanding the anti-fascist praxis to include all forms of racism, from anti-Semitism to Islamophobia, was emphasised by many. However, the opposition to Hindu nationalism has not yet been made part of the broader movement, despite the well-documented suffering of Indias minorities under BJPs rule.

Instead, the idea that India is a Hindu nation is being accepted as a given by the majority of liberals. The fact that Indias constitution defines the state as secular is being ignored, and Hindu nationalism is being presented as a benevolent movement despite ample evidence to the contrary.

White vegans in the West, for example, rejoiced over the decision by several Indian states to ban the consumption of beef, without bothering to understand what these laws would mean for Muslims and Dalits who had already been suffering at the hands of so-called cow vigilantes. Animal rights and veganism advocate PETA has in fact gone further and berated vegetarians who consume milk in India for supporting the beef industry, thus playing into the communal politics of food in India.

Hindu nationalism and white supremacy are the two sides of the same coin. For the global movement against racism, white-supremacy and fascism to succeed, anti-fascists across the world need to acknowledge and stand up to the Hind nationalism threat.

Hindus themselves, both in India and abroad, also need to take action and raise their voices against the abuses that are being committed in their names. One such organisation already exists for diaspora Hindus in North America: Sadhana. It is a coalition of progressive Hindus based in New York City, seeks to stop the use of Hindu thought for the purposes of misogyny, queerphobia, Islamophobia and white supremacy.

However, Hindu nationalism cannot be defeated by Hindus alone. People around the world who engage with and comment on the Indian culture on a regular basis, including sub-urban Yoga mums in the US and vegan activists in Europe, should educate themselves on the secular nature and diverse identities of India. They need to join the resistance against the oppression and abuse of the countrys minorities and stop perpetuating the Hindu-nationalist myth that India is a Hindu nation.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday signed a deal for peaceful elections but his main challenger for the upcoming election, Atiku Abubakar, snubbed the peace pact.

We, the candidates pledge to uphold the highest standard of conduct and encourage our teeming supporters to do the same, the 75-year-old former military ruler said after signing the deal with representatives of other parties in the capital, Abuja.

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, said he did not attend the signing of a peace pact for 2019 presidential elections because he did not receive any formal invitation.

Also absent was Donald Duke, a former governor of Cross River State, and Oby Ezekwesili, who was education minister under Olusegun Obasanjo.

The 2019 peace pact, convened by a former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, was to commit the candidates and the political parties to a peaceful poll.

Abdulsalami cautioned leaders against unguarded utterances, reminding them that their disposition could either make or mar the polls.

A similar pact was signed by presidential candidates in 2015.

Before that, in 2011, some 1000 people were killed after clashes between supporters of Buhari after his defeat to Goodluck Jonathan.

According to a Bloomberg analysis on the Nigerian President Muhammadu Buharis chances in the 2019 presidential poll, Buharis party may be wracked by defections and his battles against corruption and an Islamist rebellion under fire, but he has one crucial advantage in securing re-election: incumbency.
The worlds biggest hotel chain revealed its network had been hacked in November, affecting 500 million people.

The United States has blamed China for the massive hack of data from as many as 500 million guests from the Marriott hotel chain, the worlds biggest hospitality group.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday told Fox News that the US believed China masterminded the hacking, which included the theft of credit card and passport numbers over a four-year period from guests who stayed at hotels previously operated by Starwood, a brand bought by Marriott in 2016.

They have committed cyberattacks across the world, Pompeo said on Foxs Fox & Friends programme.

We consider them a strategic competitor, he added, referring to China, the worlds second-largest economy. They are taking actions in the South China Sea. Theyre conducting espionage and influence operations here in the United States.

There was no immediate comment from the Chinese government.

US investigators suspect the hackers were working on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of State Security, an official briefed on the investigation who requested anonymity told The Associated Press news agency.

The official said investigators were particularly concerned about the data breach because Marriott is used frequently by the US military and government agencies.





US suspicions of Chinese involvement in the Marriott theft come amid heightened rivalry between the two countries over trade, geopolitics and technology despite continuing attempts to reach a truce.

Arrests

This months arrest in Canada of Meng Wanzhou, a top executive of Chinese electronics giant Huawei, at the request of the US has complicated efforts to resolve a dispute which has seen Washington slap tariffs on $250bn worth of Chinese goods, and Beijing responding in kind.

Meng, Huaweis Chief Financial Officer, was picked up on a US warrant on December 1 and has been granted bail pending extradition hearings.

President Donald Trump said he would get involved in the Huawei case if it would help produce a trade agreement with China, but Canadas Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland on Wednesday warned the United States not to politicise extradition cases.

Meanwhile, China has detained Michael Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat who now works with the global conflict research firm International Crisis Group.

Every rock we turn over, every time we looked for it, it's not only there, it's worse than we anticipated. Bill Priestap, FBI's counterintelligence division

The US is clamping down on what it sees as a sustained attack on its government and companies and is expected to announce new charges this week against hackers from Chinas military and intelligence services.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is said to be investigating the Marriott hack.

Chinese espionage efforts have become the most severe counterintelligence threat facing our country today, Bill Priestap, the assistant director of the FBIs counterintelligence division, told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. Every rock we turn over, every time we looked for it, its not only there, its worse than we anticipated.

At the committee hearing, officials from the Justice Department, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security said that China was working to steal trade secrets and intellectual property from US companies in order to harm the US economy and further its own development.





Priestap said federal officials have been trying to convey the extent of the threat to business leaders and others in government. The bottom line is they will do anything they can to achieve their aims, he said.



Cybersecurity expert Jesse Varsalone, of University of Maryland University College, said the Marriott hack given its length and the information stolen, showed signs of the involvement of a foreign intelligence agency.

Its about intelligence, human intelligence, he said. To me, it seems focused on tracking certain people.

US crackdown

Priscilla Moriuchi of Recorded Future, an East Asia specialist who left the USs National Security Agency last year after a 12-year career, cautioned that no one has put out any actual data or indicators showing Chinese state actor involvement in the Marriott intrusion.

Marriott acquired Starwood, which includes such brands as Sheraton, W Hotels and St. Regis, in 2016. The hospitality group itself has not commented on the likely hackers.

Our primary objectives in this investigation are figuring out what occurred and how we can best help our guests, Marriott spokesperson Connie Kim said. We have no information about the cause of this incident, and we have not speculated about the identity of the attacker.

In the last few months, the Justice Department has filed several charges against Chinese hackers and intelligence officials.

A case filed in October marked the first time that a Chinese Ministry of State Security intelligence officer was extradited to the US for trial.

Prosecutors allege Yanjun Xu recruited employees of major aerospace companies, including GE Aviation, and attempted to persuade them to travel to China under the guise of giving a presentation at a university. He was charged with attempting to steal trade secrets from several American aviation and aerospace companies.

The Justice Department is training prosecutors across the country to bring more of these cases, US Assistant Attorney General John Demers told the Senate Judiciary Committee.

We cannot tolerate a nation that steals the fruit of our brainpower, he said.
The rights group asks the Iraqi government to repair rural infrastructure and compensate the displaced.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levants (ISIL, also known as ISIS) deliberate, wanton annihilation of agricultural land in northern Iraq amounts to a war crime, Amnesty International has said.

The rights group, in a report released on Thursday, said the ISILs scorched-earth tactics devastated Iraqs rural communities as it looted livestock, burned orchards, planted land mines, sabotaged water pumps and destroyed farmland.

The report was released a day after Nobel Peace Prize winner and Yazidi activist Nadia Murad visited Iraqs capital, Baghdad, to call for more government support to her native Sinjar region.

ISIL overran Sinjar in 2014, killing Yazidi men, forcefully enlisting boys as soldiers and kidnapping more than 6,000 women and girls as sex slaves.

The US-backed Iraqi forces gradually drove the fighters from the territory under their control, declaring victory last year after a costly campaign that destroyed entire neighbourhoods and towns.

Compensate the displaced

The conflict against ISIL eviscerated Iraqs agricultural production, now an estimated 40 percent lower than 2014 levels, the Amnesty report said.

Before ISIL, around two-thirds of Iraqs farmers had access to irrigation  only three years later, this had fallen to 20 percent. Around 75 percent of livestock was lost, spiking to 95 percent in some areas.

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Richard Pearshouse, senior crisis adviser at Amnesty International, said the consequences of the conflict on Iraqs rural residents are being largely forgotten.

The damage to Iraqs countryside is as far-reaching as the urban destruction, he said.

The London-based rights group said ISIL fighters sabotaged wells by filling them with rubble, oil or other materials. The armed group also stole or destroyed pumps, cables, generators, transformers and vital electricity lines.

Amnesty called on the Iraqi government to repair rural infrastructure and compensate the displaced. About half of Sinjars residents have returned, with many others saying they have nothing to go back to.

A year after #Iraqs government formerly declared military victory over Islamic State @amnesty has a new report showing IS deliberately targeted the country's rural environment. The report is here: https://t.co/DlsQobcpnz This thread is about what we found + why it matters [1/8] pic.twitter.com/NmnuhQ8ziT  Richard Pearshouse (@RPearshouse) December 13, 2018

Rural poverty and resentments

There is nothing left. Now the house is destroyed, and all the trees burned down, Majdar, a farmer in his mid-50s from a village south of Sinjar mountain, told Amnesty.

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We had 100 olive trees, but when I went I didnt see a single tree in any direction. They were chopped down and burned  They wanted us to lose everything. They didnt want us to be able to come back to our land, he said.

ISIL still maintains its presence in the Syrian desert and remote areas along the border with Iraq. Many warn it could stage a comeback if economic grievances are not addressed.

Unless there is urgent government assistance, the long-term damage inflicted on Iraqs rural environment will reverberate for years to come, Pearshouse said.

When ISIL tore through Iraq in 2014, it thrived off rural poverty and resentments, so Iraqs government should be concerned that something similar could happen again.
UNICEF reiterates calls for humanitarian access to Rukban camp as civilians face the risk of starvation.

Two babies have died after an illness in the past week at a camp for internally displaced people on the Syrian border with Jordan, as the United Nations childrens agency reiterates calls for humanitarian access to the camp.

The deaths took place in Rukban camp, which lies in an inhospitable stretch of desert.

Another sad week for children and families in Rukban. Two sick babies under six months old died in Rukban, said Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, on Thursday.

Freezing temperatures and lack of supplies including of basic commodities, threaten the lives of nearly 45,000 people  among them many children, leaving them at the risk of disease and death, he said in a statement.

Last month the UN and Syrian Arab Red Crescent announced the first delivery of humanitarian aid to Rukban in 10 months.

Civilians trapped in the camp face the risk of starvation amid a deteriorating humanitarian situation after Jordan sealed its border following an attack by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group on its soldiers.

Soon afterwards, the army declared Jordans desert regions that stretch northeast to Syria and east to Iraq closed military zones.

Amman believes responsibility for the camp lies with Damascus since it is inside Syrian territory.

Syria has been embroiled in a civil war that killed more than 360,000 people and displaced millions since it started with the brutal repression of anti-government protests in 2011.
A student and activist from the embattled Central European University is being investigated for assault.

Budapest, Hungary  A student at Hungarys embattled Central European University (CEU) has been arrested for assault following protests over a controversial labour legislation and judicial reforms.

Authorities in the capital Budapest told Al Jazeera that Adrien, whose last name is withheld pending an investigation, and four other unidentified people were arrested on Wednesday night following protests against the governments moves.

Adrien had joined thousands of protesters outside the parliament building, raising slogans and blocking traffic over a new legislation allowing employers to demand up to 400 hours a year of overtime work, which critics have called a slave law.

Police responded by spraying the protesters with pepper spray  a rare occurrence in Hungary  and arresting at least five people.

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Katalin Kovacs, spokesperson for the prosecutor, told Al Jazeera that an investigation was launched following allegations of felony of assault against a public official committed in a gang.

Adrien was arrested along with four others and the investigation is in progress, Kovacs said.

In a statement, Szabad Egyetem (or Free University) group, to which the arrested student belonged, said there was no evidence supporting the allegations and that he should be released immediately.

Szabad Egyetem is a student movement against the Hungarian governments crackdown on the CEU.

The Hungarian Civil Liberties Union told Al Jazeera it will has provided legal advice to Adrien, but was not in a position to evaluate his case.

Slave law protests

Budapest witnessed a large protest and rare scenes of chaos in parliament on Wednesday after Prime Minister Viktor Orbans government succeeded in amending labour laws to increase the maximum annual overtime hours employers can demand, from 250 to 400 hours.

The government said the new laws were meant to comply with requests from multinational companies, including German car makers, to face the acute labour shortage in the country.

However, trade unions allege the legislation is equivalent to a slave law since it exposes workers to exploitation by employers.

Protests were also held over a controversial judicial reform that allows the justice minister to appoint the judges who would hear matters relating to voting, corruption and the right to protest.

Students join workers protest

The anti-slave law demonstrations saw a large number of students joining the protesting workers and chanting Free university, free country.

The Hungarian governments action against CEU has been seen by critics as part of a wider crackdown on academic freedom, including tighter budgetary and academic controls over the universities.

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CEU, founded and partially funded by Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros, was asked to meet the requirements of a law passed last year compelling foreign universities to have a campus in their home country.

Earlier this month, after nearly 20 months of attempting to remain in Hungary, CEU announced it has been forced out and will move to Vienna.

The hounding of CEU exemplified the right-wing policies of Orban, who has stated his desire to create an illiberal democracy and has made remarks viewed as racist, xenophobic and anti-Semitic.

We stand in solidarity with Szabad Egyetem and [Adrien] and will continue to show our support in the streets and elsewhere, Attila Vajnai, a left-wing activist, told Al Jazeera.
COP24: Coal-dependent Poland refrains from adopting clean energy

It is evident that for coal-dependent nations like Poland, transition to clean energy is long way off.
Senators also pass resolution saying that Mohammed bin Salman is responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.

Washington, DC  The US Senate voted on Thursday to approve a resolution calling for an end to United States involvement in the Saudi-UAE-led military campaign in Yemen, setting the stage for a potential showdown next year between Congress and President Donald Trump over US military support for Saudi Arabia.

The Senate also approved a resolution saying that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known as MBS, is responsible for the murder of columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

US politicians have grown increasingly outraged as the number of civilians killed in Yemen by Saudi and UAE air attacks using US-made weapons has risen dramatically in the past two years. The Saudi-UAE coalition launched an intervention in 2015 through a massive air campaign targeting Houthi rebels.

The final vote of the Yemen resolution was 56-41, with seven Republicans breaking with their party to vote in support of the measure.

Warfare involves a lot more than a single battlefield and lines of military personnel firing against each other with guns, Senator Mike Lee of Utah, the leading Republican sponsor of the resolution, told Al Jazeera in a Capitol Hill press conference.

There are a lot of aspects of modern warfare that involve cyber activity and there are certainly a lot of aspects of modern warfare that involve reconnaissance, surveillance, target selection and things like midair refuelling.

Trump administration officials had urged Congress not to undermine the Pentagons ability to support Saudi Arabia in the conflict in Yemen with Houthi rebels backed by Iran. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis described the conflict in private briefings for legislators as part of a larger regional contest with Iran. The Pentagon announced a suspension on November 9 of US aerial refuelling of Saudi and UAE combat aircraft.

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Due to tactics used by the Republican leadership in the House, the lower chamber will not take up the Senate measure before adjourning, leaving the matter unresolved until the new Congress convenes in January.

Senators pointed to progress in UN-brokered peace talks and claimed pressure from Congress had pushed Saudis to make concessions.

Warring factions meeting this week in Rimbo, Sweden agreed to a ceasefire in the key port city of Hodeidah and to exchange of 16,000 prisoners. The Houthis agreed to relinquish control of Yemeni ports, allowing desperately needed international aid to flow.

The United States will no longer participate in the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen which has caused the worst humanitarian crisis on earth with already 85 thousand children starved to death, Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont Independent who co-sponsored the resolution with Lee, said in remarks to the full Senate.

Outrage over Khashoggis murder

The Yemen resolution had been tabled by the Senate in a 55-44 vote on March 20, but after the October 2 killing of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi, widespread anger in Washington prompted politicians to bring the Yemen measure forward.

Khashoggi was killed after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents needed for his planned marriage.

After giving contradictory statements about the whereabouts of the writer, Saudi Arabia admitted that Khashoggi was killed inside its consulate and his body was dismembered. The kingdom maintains that Prince Mohammed had no knowledge of the killing, which Turkey said was ordered at the highest level of Saudi leadership.

Despite reports of a CIA assessment that MBS at least had knowledge of the murder, Trump reiterated on Tuesday in an interview with Reuters news agency, that he stood by the crown prince.

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The Senate on Thursday also unanimously adopted a separate, non-binding resolution condemning the Khashoggi murder and calling for a peaceful resolution to the Yemen war. Thursdays action followed a series of procedural votes in the past two weeks that signalled broad dissatisfaction within the Congress about the US relationship with Saudi Arabia.

What the United States Senate said today, in a very loud way, is that we will not continue to have our military posture dictated by a despotic murderous regime in Saudi Arabia, a regime which does not respect democracy, does not respect human rights, a regime whose leader, nobody doubts, was involved in the horrific murder of a dissident journalist in the Saudi consulate in Turkey, Sanders told reporters.

War Powers Act

For the first time in 45 years, the Senate Yemen resolution invoked the War Powers Act, a law passed by Congress to curtail President Richard Nixons continued deployment of US forces in the Vietnam War. The 1973 law provides that Congress, which holds sole authority to declare war, may restrain the president from deploying US forces by the passage of a joint resolution.

Whether the legislation will advance in the next Congress remains uncertain. Proponents said they intended to bring it forward.

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Unless and until we withdraw from those hostilities, unless and until we stop engaging as a co-belligerent in this war, I am going to keep pushing, Lee said.

Democrats, who favour an end to the war in Yemen, will control the House of Representatives next year, but Republicans will retain control of the Senate and President Trump has threatened to veto the measure.

So long as war, famine and cholera continue to claim civilian lives in Yemen, and concerns about Prince Salmans role in Khashoggis murder remain unanswered, members of Congress say they will seek to apply pressure on Saudi Arabia.

In addition to prohibiting military cooperation in Yemen, Congress can block future arms sales, impose sanctions and withdraw funding from joint projects.
London, United Kingdom  British Prime Minister Theresa May has arrived in Brussels for talks with European Union leaders over her Brexit deal, the morning after surviving a vote of confidence.

May will seek legal and political reassurances from European officials at the start of an EU council summit on Thursday, over the widely maligned backstop clause in her Brexit divorce deal.

EU leaders have so far shown no willingness publicly to renegotiate any aspect of the Brexit deal struck with the United Kingdom in November.

Critics of the backstop, which would guarantee no hard border is erected on the island of Ireland in the event that post-Brexit trade negotiations between the UK and the bloc prove unsuccessful, argue it could tie the UK into the EUs orbit indefinitely.

Thats because the clause proposes that the whole of the UK, including Northern Ireland, remain in a customs union with the EU unless and until the bloc agrees there is no prospect of a return to a hard border.

The Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which May relies on to command a majority in the British parliament, have cautioned meanwhile that it could lead to Northern Ireland being treated differently to the rest of the UK.

Vote of confidence

Mays dash to Brussels comes after a week of domestic political turmoil in the UK.

Vociferous opposition to her withdrawal plan  brokered after months of arduous negotiations between London and Brussels  forced the British leader to pull a parliamentary vote on it scheduled for Tuesday.

Acknowledging the proposal would have been heavily defeated by members of the UKs lower Chamber House of Commons, May instead embarked on a whistle-stop tour of several European cities aimed at winning reassurances from EU leaders over the backstop clause.

But her efforts were derailed somewhat when she was forced to abandon a meeting with Irish counterpart Leo Varadkar after gruntled parliamentary members of her ruling Conservative Party triggered a vote of confidence in her leadership, breaching the 48 demands needed to do so early on Wednesday morning.

May survived the secret ballot, held in the Commons on Wednesday evening, with 200 Conservative MPs voting in support of her and 117 opting against the 62-year-old.

In the wake of the vote, she said the government had a renewed mission to deliver the Brexit people voted for and vowed to assuage the concerns that members of parliament have on the backstop by winning reassurances in Brussels on Thursday.

Analysts cautioned May was substantially weakened by the vote, however, and had less authority, power and credibility.

She will not be able to push through her deal under any circumstances, she will try and she will fail, and there will be a paralysis of parliament, Jonathan Lis, deputy director of the think-tank British Influence, said.

May has promised parliament a rescheduled vote on her withdrawal plan before January 21, ahead of the UKs scheduled departure from the EU on March 29.

EU: No renegotiation

European leaders, meanwhile, have refused to countenance changes to any aspects of the withdrawal agreement, including the backstop proposal.

On Thursday, the European Parliaments governing body issued a statement saying the Brexit deal was not open to renegotiation.

The Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration are fair and balanced and represent, given EU principles, current UK red lines and the commitments set out in the Good Friday Agreement, the only deal possible to ensure an orderly withdrawal from the European Union, the statement said.

EU experts said the most May might be likely to get out of the blocs officials would be some nicely polished words to help her sell the divorce deal at home.

What they [EU leaders] will probably do is again repeat that their intention and desire is to work towards arrangements which obviate the need for the backstop, Agata Gostynska-Jakubowska, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, said.

[But] Whats happening in London these days does only reassure the EU that they shouldnt be leaning towards any demands concerning unilateral withdrawal from the backstop  [because] the UK is not a predictable partner any longer, she added.

The ongoing uncertainty over Britains high-drama Brexit process has raised fears that the country could exit the EU without a deal on the terms of its departure, however, and disrupted the countrys currency valuation against the US dollar and the euro.

The UKs central bank has warned that Britains gross domestic product could shrink by up to eight percent in such a scenario. The government, for its part, has forecast a potential economic slump of more than nine percent in the wake of a no-deal Brexit.
Moscow to cope with six more months of European sanctions for zero progress in implementation of Ukraine peace accord.

EU leaders extended economic sanctions against Russia over the conflict in Ukraine for another six months, amid heightened tensions between Kiev and Moscow over their Azov Sea clash.

European Council President Donald Tusk said on Twitter from a summit in Brussels that the European leaders made the decision unanimously on Thursday.

He said the decision was made given zero progress in implementation of Minsk agreements.

The EU-brokered Minsk peace agreement, backed by Moscow and Kiev, was first reached in late 2014 and then re-worked in early 2015 but is violated regularly.

The EU first imposed the measures in July 2014 after Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine, killing 298 people, an attack blamed by the EU on pro-Russian rebels.

The sanctions target whole sectors of the Russian economy including its valuable oil businesses.

Tusk received Ukraines President Petro Poroshenko in Brussels on Wednesday.

Latest incident

The Ukraine-Russia conflict flared up again last month when Russian forces seized three Ukrainian vessels and sailors as they tried to pass through the Kerch Strait from the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov.

The EU and NATO have condemned Russia over the incident, saying there was no justification for the violence, and demanded the sailors be freed.

Earlier on Thursday, NATO announced that it would give Ukraine secure communications equipment by the end of the year to help it combat Russias destabilising behaviour.

As well as the sector-wide economic sanctions, the EU also has measures in place targeting individuals and organisations over Russias annexation of Crimea in 2014 and in connection with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

The war in eastern Ukraine between government forces and rebels backed by Moscow has claimed more than 10,000 lives and rumbles on despite a series of periodic truce deals.

Earlier this week, the EU hit nine more people with sanctions over elections in the breakaway pro-Russian regions of Ukraine which were condemned as illegitimate by the international community.
Blaze erupts at election commission warehouse in the capital, Kinshasa, days before presidential election.

A fire broke out in an electoral commission building in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday, officials said, 10 days before presidential elections that have been foreshadowed by violence.

The blaze destroyed thousands of voting machines and ballot boxes that were due to be used in the election, a presidential adviser said.

Barnabe Kikaya Bin Karubi said 70 percent of the equipment due to be used for voting in Kinshasa, the countrys capital, was destroyed in the fire he said was started by criminals.

The enemies of democracy have stepped it up a gear, he said.

Kikaya said that the police guarding the warehouse had been arrested and that preparations for the vote, which could mark the countrys first peaceful transfer of power, would go ahead as voting machines from elsewhere in the country would be recalled to be used in Kinshasa.

Congos first use of voting machines on December 23, a rarity in Africa, has caused concerns among the opposition, diplomats and experts about possible manipulation in favour of President Joseph Kabilas preferred successor. Kabila is stepping aside after taking power in 2001.

The fire broke out around 2am in a building where election materials were being kept, the head of the Independent National Election Commission (CENI) said.

A thick cloud of black smoke was still visible above the city by early morning, the AFP news agency reported.

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The blaze came after three people were killed on Wednesday in clashes with police on the sidelines of an opposition rally in eastern DRC.

Clashes erupted in Kalemie, a town on Lake Tanganyika, as opposition candidate Martin Fayulu was campaigning there.

Two witnesses said live rounds were fired after the opposition candidate arrived and headed to the rally venue.

Fayulu blamed the violence on police  as well as on armed youths on drugs, who, he said, were dressed in PPRD clothing, a reference to the countrys ruling party.

On Tuesday, two of Fayulus supporters were killed and 43 hurt in clashes at a rally in Lubumbashi, the DRCs second-largest city.

Fayulu, 62, a little-known legislator and former oil executive, has made a late surge after being named the joint candidate for several opposition parties.

The DRC is in the throes of a major campaign in advance of the December 23 election to choose a successor to President Joseph Kabila, who has ruled the vast central African country since 2001.

The nation has never known a peaceful transition of power since it gained independence from Belgium in 1960.
Authorities in northern France have launched an inquiry into allegations of violence and racism by members of a far-right group in the city of Lille, after an undercover Al Jazeera investigation exposed Generation Identity (GI) activists carrying out a racist attack on a teenage girl and admitting to a series of other assaults on Muslims and Arabs.

Thierry Pouquet du Haut Jusse, Lilles public prosecutor, announced the preliminary inquiry into the racist incidents shown in Al Jazeeras documentary, Generation Hate, late on Wednesday, according to the Voix du Nord newspaper.

The people who appear in [Al Jazeeras] report are going to have to explain themselves to police officers in order to define the criminal offences which might lead to prosecutions, said Voix du Nord.

The documentary, broadcast on Sunday, showed one GI activist punching a teenage girl in the head several times in Lilles city centre in January.

The assailant, identified as Remi Falize, in a secretly filmed conversation, afterwards said: Girl, or no girl, I couldnt give a f***. They are just Arabs.





The 30-year-old supermarket worker was later caught on camera saying that if he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, he would go to Lilles Wazemmes market and sow carnage against Muslims.

Falize made the remark at a private bar called the Citadelle, owned by Aurelien Verhassel, head of Lilles branch of GI, one of Europes fastest growing and most prominent far-right movements.

The anti-Muslim group advocates the defence of what it sees as the identity and culture of white Europeans from what it calls the threat of Islam and mass immigration.

The group gained prominence when its activists occupied a mosque in western France in 2012 and attempted to block a snowy mountain pass on the French-Italian border last April.

Secretly filmed footage from the Citadelle and other parts of Lille also show activists boasting about carrying out violent attacks and making Nazi salutes.

Verhassel was also secretly filmed encouraging members of the Citadelle to violence.

The opening of the inquiry on Wednesday came after letters of concern from Martine Aubry, the mayor of Lille, and Miche Lalande, prefect of the Nord County.

Voix du Nord quoted Lalande saying he denounced racist remarks and violent actions, proved or planned relayed in the documentary.

In a statement on Tuesday, Aubry called the comments from GI activists unacceptable.

This is entirely reprehensible and is in breach of the law. I have called upon the local authorities so we can find the appropriate measures to put a stop to the activities of these individuals and to shut down the Citadelle, which should have never opened in Lille, she said.

Verhassel, leader of the Citadelle, told the Voix du Nord on Tuesday there was nothing against me in the Al Jazeera documentary.

Reiterating comments made Al Jazeera through his lawyer, Verhassel said the attacks and Nazi salutes filmed in the documentary do not concern the Citadelle.

Al Jazeeras investigation also revealed close ties between GI and Marine Le Pens National Front, one of Frances largest political parties.
The African Development Bank, as part of its Initiative to Support Access to Women in Africa (AFAWA), in partnership with Entreprenarium, has launched training sessions for 200 women entrepreneurs in Cote dIvoire.

Masterclasses in business management and financial planning will be conducted by Entreprenarium at the Banks premises, benefiting 100 women entrepreneurs.

A second masterclass week is planned for March 2019 in Abidjan to train a total of 200 women in Cote dIvoire, the bank said.

This activity is part of a pan-African pilot initiative between the Bank and Entreprenarium that aims to support 1,000 women entrepreneurs in five African countries. Over the coming months, training sessions will be conducted not only in Cote dIvoire (Abidjan), but also in Gabon (Libreville), Kenya (Nairobi), South Africa (Johannesburg) and Tunisia (Tunis).

According to a 2014 KPMG report, only 15% of women are entrepreneurs in Cote dIvoire, 34% of women entrepreneurs are in trade compared to 36% in agriculture and 14% in livestock. Ivorian women entrepreneurs face many challenges, particularly in terms of access to finance and training, the bank noted.

During the opening of the training in Abidjan, Basil Jones, Coordinator of Programs and Gender Policies at the African Development Bank, said: It is a pleasure to welcome, here at the Bank, entrepreneurs with ambition and ideas to transform the countrys economy. We hope that this initiative will help them in the realization and expansion of their business projects, so that they can fully play their part in creating inclusive and sustainable growth in Cote dIvoire. Beyond individuals, we want to have a real impact on the female entrepreneurship ecosystem in Africa. In this sense, our ambition is to build more partnerships with organizations like Entreprenarium, which bring their expertise and resources,

In Cote dIvoire, the African Development Bank and Entreprenarium worked with the support of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry to circulate the call for applications. The most promising business projects will benefit from loan financing from partner commercial banks.
Police have identified the suspect as Strasbourg-born Cherif Chekatt, who has a long criminal record.

French authorities have issued a wanted poster and are calling for witnesses after a deadly attack at the Strasbourg Christmas market.

French police have identified the suspect as Strasbourg-born Cherif Chekatt, 29, who was known to intelligence services as a potential security risk.

A photo of Cherif Chekatt was distributed by French police on Wednesday.

French authorities have appealed to the public to remain vigilant as the suspect is still on the run and not to approach him, but instead call a hotline.

The poster reads: Dangerous individual, above all do not intervene.

Chekatt has been on the run since allegedly spraying gunfire at the citys famous Christmas market on Tuesday, killing two and leaving one person brain-dead. A dozen others were injured.

The dead included a Thai tourist, 45-year-old Anupong Suebsamarn, according to Thai Foreign Ministry and the website of the Khao Sod newspaper. It quoted his uncle as saying he and his wife had originally planned to visit Paris, but the protests there prompted them to change plans and go to Strasbourg instead.

One Italian was reported to be among the wounded. Italian media said Antonio Megalizzi, 28, was in critical condition. Italian daily La Repubblica reported he was in Strasbourg to follow the session of the European Parliament.

French police have circulated the poster of the suspect on Twitter and provided a link to a website where individuals are able to submit information that could assist the investigation.

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France has raised its three-stage threat index to the highest level and bolstered troops around France.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner told politicians that Chekatt had run-ins with police starting at age 10 and his first conviction at age 13.

He had been convicted 27 times, mostly in France but also in Switzerland and Germany, for crimes including armed robbery. He had been flagged for extremism and was on a watch list, but the interior minister said: the signs were weak.

Hundreds of police and soldiers were combing Strasbourg in search of him, blocking bridges that cross the border into Germany.
Attackers on motorbikes kill 43 in a village 20km from northern town of Menaka, official says.

Armed men on motorbikes killed more than 40 Tuareg civilians this week in northern Mali, where clashes over land and scarce water are common, an official said on Thursday.

The violence compounds an already dire security situation in the desert region used by armed groups to launch attacks in Mali and neighbouring countries in West and Central Africa.

The identity of the assailants was unknown, but disputes between the nomadic Tuareg and herder Fulani ethnic groups have killed several hundred and displaced thousands this year.

Menaka town mayor Nanout Kotia told Reuters news agency that 43 Tuareg died in a village 20km from the town over the past two days.

Armed men riding motorbikes attacked several nomadic campsites in Tinabaw. They shot indiscriminately at the population, Kotia told Reuters, saying security forces had been sent to the area.

Malis main Tuareg separatist group, the Coordination of Azawad Movements, said 47 Tuareg civilians were killed in the Tinabaw area. Nobody has claimed responsibility.

Armed men killed 15 Fulani civilians in Malis central Mopti region earlier this month.

Mali has been in turmoil since Tuareg rebels and loosely allied armed fighters took over its north in 2012, prompting French forces to intervene to push them back the following year.

They have since regained a foothold in the north and centre, tapping into ethnic rivalries to recruit new members.
Former minister arrested in 2017 as part of fraud probe at state oil company dies in state custody, prosecution says.

Nelson Martinez, a former Venezuelan oil minister imprisoned over corruption allegations, has died of health complications, according to the prosecutors office.

The chemist, who also served as president of state oil firm PDVSA and its United States subsidiary Citgo Petroleum, was arrested on November 30 last year as part of a sweeping fraud probe, four days after President Nicolas Maduro removed him from his position.

Nelson Martinez was suffering from a serious chronic illness whose progression aggravated his condition and led to his death. Until the last moment  he received the required treatment and medical attention in a health center, the prosecutors office said on Wednesday, denying that Martinez died in prison.

Martinez had been transferred to a military hospital from prison because of kidney problems, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters news agency earlier. He had a heart attack while receiving dialysis, they said.

Rafael Ramirez, a former state oil firm chief and opponent of the countrys president, had earlier announced Martinezs death and blamed Maduro.

Nelson Martinez just died  kidnapped and abused for a year under the orders of Maduro, who knew of his chronic illness. They humiliated him and denied him his right to defense and to life. Maduro, YOU are responsible, Ramirez wrote on Twitter.

Martinez at the swearing-in ceremony of the new board of directors of PDVSA in Caracas on January 31, 2017 [File: Marco Bello/Reuters]

Prosecutors accused both Martinez and Eulogio del Pino, another former oil minister and PDVSA president, of being part of a corruption network in the countrys oil sector, with Ramirez at the helm.

Ramirez was the president of PDVSA for a decade from 2004, a member of late President Hugo Chavezs intimate inner circle. Until a falling out with Maduro last year, Ramirez had not been investigated and served as Venezuelas ambassador to the United Nations.

Martinez was jailed after the countrys top prosecutor said he allowed a poor refinancing deal for Citgo to go ahead without government approval.

He had yet to appear before a judge at the time of his death, and the date for his preliminary hearing was pushed back several times, Reuters reported. His lawyers began asking authorities months ago for Martinez to be granted house arrest, citing his ill health, a source told the news agency.

Martinez started having health problems while leading Citgo, based in the US city of Houston. Maduro named him oil minister in January 2017, and he assumed the dual role of PDVSA president later that year, replacing del Pino, who is currently jailed.

He had joined PDVSA in 1980 and oversaw the companys offices in Britain, Argentina and Ecuador before being tapped to lead Citgo.

Martinez is the latest in a series of people to die in Venezuelan custody.

In August, opposition councillor Fernando Alban died after falling from the 10th floor of Venezuelas intelligence services headquarters in the capital, Caracas.

The government maintains it was a suicide, but Maduros critics claim he was tortured during interrogation and thrown from a window.

Another opposition leader, Carlos Andres Garcia, also died last September while in the custody of intelligence services.

According to human rights organisation Foro Penal, there are 288 political prisoners in Venezuela.
The head of the United Nations (UN) body focusing on AIDS has offered his resignation following an expert report on sexual harassment in the agency that blasted his defective leadership.

Michel Sidibe, executive director of UNAIDS, told the agencys board on Thursday in the Swiss city of Geneva that he would leave his post in June, spokesperson Mahesh Mahalingam said without elaborating.

Sidibe, whose term was supposed to end in January 2020, has been accused of fostering a work environment that tolerated bullying, sexual harassment and a culture of fear among the staff.

A panel of independent experts released a report on Thursday, saying Sidibe was overseeing a patriarchal workplace and promoting a cult of personality centred on him as the all-powerful chief.

The experts said the situation could not be changed unless Sidibe, a native of Mali who has headed the UN agency for nine years, resigned.

Sidibe denied claims that he tried to force an employee to drop allegations that she was sexually assaulted by his former deputy. Despite the scathing report, he insisted he was the right man to turn around the organisation.

No confidence

Sweden, a major UNAIDS donor, joined a chorus of activists this week in calling for Sidibes removal.

We have no confidence in him. He has to resign now, Swedish International Development Cooperation Minister Isabella Lovin told Svenska Dagbladet newspaper, according to the AFP news agency.

Paula Donovan, co-director of AIDS-Free World and its Code Blue Campaign, which works to end impunity for sexual abuse by UN personnel, said Sidibe doesnt deserve to leave on his terms and on his timeline.

A leader of any other major institution who was accused of the wrongdoing described in  the report would have been summarily fired, she said, criticising a failure of leadership by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres  who can fire Sidibe  and the UNAIDS board.

This is the culmination of the abuse of power and authority that has marked Sidibes tenure, Donovan said. The culture of impunity remains intact. Zero tolerance is  nothing more than [an] empty slogan.

The scandal broke out earlier this year when UNAIDS staffer Martina Brostrom went public with allegations originally laid out in a sexual harassment and assault complaint in 2016.

In it, she alleged that Luiz Loures, once the agencys deputy director for programmes, had forcibly kissed and grabbed her in a Bangkok hotel in May 2015  claims Loures denied. He left UNAIDS earlier this year.

The World Health Organization office that investigated the case concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support Brostroms claims.
Seven months after a general election, leaders are still at odds on how to form a cabinet with rival groups.

Lebanons Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri says he is pretty sure of a new national unity government by the end of the year after seven months of wrangling over the allocation of ministerial posts.

Speaking at Chatham House think-tank in London on Thursday, Hariri said negotiations over the formation of a new government were in the last 100 meters and that hopefully we should form it before the end of the year.

I am pretty sure by the end of the year we will have a government, Hariri said.

I think the pressure that we have from the economic crisis  is pushing more and more people to form the government.

Seven-month deadlock

Heavily indebted and with a stagnant economy, Lebanon desperately needs a new government to implement economic reforms to put its public finances on a more sustainable footing and unlock foreign aid.

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Seven months after a general election, Lebanese leaders are still at odds over how to parcel out cabinet positions among rival groups according to its confessional political system that allocates government positions according to sect.

The final hurdle to a deal has been Sunni representation, with six Sunni legislators aligned with the Iran-backed Shia Hezbollah group, demanding a cabinet seat to reflect their gains in the election.

Hariri, whose family has long dominated Lebanese Sunni politics, has ruled out giving up one of his cabinet seats for them.

Still one obstacle

President Michel Aoun this week said he had launched a new effort to forge an agreement and that he had to get involved to avoid catastrophe  an apparent reference to the economy.

Analysts believe one compromise could be for Aoun to nominate one of the Hezbollah-aligned Sunnis, or a figure acceptable to them, among a group of ministers named by the president.

I believe that most of the obstacles were resolved. There is still one obstacle and I am sure that we are able to resolve it, Hariri said.

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Lebanons economy has often seemed to be on the brink of collapse, but a Paris conference, dubbed CEDRE, in April this year earned the country $11bn in aid pledges.

France last week warned that Lebanon risked heavy losses if the unprecedented solidarity expressed by donors was to fizzle out.

The lack of a government in Lebanon means running the risk that this dynamic in the international community is lost, said Frances ambassador to Lebanon, Bruno Foucher.

That moment could pass, he said. There are other countries that may need international assistance.
Philippines: Life inside one of the worlds most congested jails

Philippine jail population has been growing at rapid rate since President Duterte launched controversial war on drugs.
Commercial surrogacy was banned in 2016, but trade has continued as government discusses formal legislation.

Kampong Speu, Cambodia  Shortly before 24-year-old Lee left for China, her parents borrowed $300 from a lender in their village to buy a suitcase for their pregnant daughter and clothes for the baby she was expecting.

Her mother, Poch Leng, was anxious because she would not be by Lees side when she gave birth to the child she was carrying for a couple from mainland China.

But days before Lees flight in June, she was arrested in Cambodias capital, Phnom Penh. She was one of 32 pregnant women held for surrogacy, along with a Chinese broker suspected of coordinating the trade.

I felt sorry for her, Poch said recalling what happened. And [I] worried about her.



Surrogacy was banned in Cambodia in 2016, but with formal legislation still under discussion, demand from Chinese couples looking for fertility services that are illegal at home, coupled with the lure for Cambodian women of potentially being paid thousands of dollars for carrying someone elses baby, has pushed the industry underground.

Women who are caught are punished under anti-trafficking legislation, facing steep prison sentences and fines.





Its not only the rights of the women were concerned about, its the rights of [the] baby, said Chou Bun Eng, vice chair of Cambodias National Anti-Human Trafficking Committee. And its not exactly rights of the women but their willingness: they want to get the money [compensation], but theyre forgetting about the rights of the baby.

Factory recruitment



Many surrogates come from poor families, where work in the garment and light manufacturing industries brings in a minimum wage of $170 a month.

Lees father, Roen Ry, helped build statues and novelty items at the same factory where Lee worked before she became pregnant.

Roen, 43, said work in the factory was inconsistent, so Lee and her husband struggled to find a permanent home and raise their four-year-old daughter, Chandy.

She agreed to a surrogate arrangement in the hope that she and her husband would finally be able to afford to move out of the factorys dormitory housing and build their own home.

Poch Leng and Roen Ry at home with their granddaughter. Despite mounting loans, they are determined to care for their daughters children, including her newborn son, who was conceived via IVF for adoptive parents in China. They did not want to show their faces on camera [Danielle Keeton-Olsen/Al Jazeera]

The $10,000 she had been promised would also help pay the monthly medical bills for Pochs diabetes, and ease the familys debts.

Lek Sopheak, a union leader in the district where the father and daughter worked, said he knew of nearly 20 women from the district who agreed to work as surrogates despite the criminalisation.

Ive heard the discussion among the workers, and one of my colleagues reported to me, that there is a broker among the workers who said [factory workers] can do [the] surrogacy service and become a surrogate mother, Lek told Al Jazeera.

According to Lek, the broker worked in local factories and served as a surrogate mother herself, recruiting women with offers of $10,000 and a break from the grind of the factory floor.

Al Jazeera could not independently verify Leks claims, but Yang Sophorn, president of the Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions, said representatives reported surrogate recruitment within the provinces.

Many garment workers in Cambodia carry heavy responsibility for their family, and their families often fall in the debt, so they have to find all the possibilities to make money and support their family, she said. Their income is still low compared to what they would make as a surrogate mother.

Chinese demand

The demand for the trade is largely coming from China where commercial surrogacy is banned and there are long waits for in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and other fertility treatments.

More than 70,000 couples went overseas last year looking specifically for fertility services, according to the South China Morning Post.

Cambodia first became involved in surrogacy when the trade took off in neighbouring Thailand. It was banned there in 2015 following high-profile cases that raised ethical questions.

In Phnom Penh, at least two urban clinics  First Fertility Phnom Penh and Royal Fertility Hospital  provided fertility information and services in Mandarin.

Chinese fertility service providers such as Universal Surrogate Births advertise connections to the Royal Fertility Hospital in WeChat posts, while the fertility information portal Tai Jia Yun described Cambodias lack of surrogacy legislation as an advantage making it easier for couples to access such services.

Last month, 11 pregnant women were arrested along with four Cambodians after another raid.

In both cases, Cambodian authorities said the women were carrying babies for Chinese clients but admitted it was difficult to track down the couples or those who had brokered the deals.

Four Cambodians arrested in a surrogacy sting in November shield their faces as they leave court. They allegedly worked as cooks and drivers for a group of 11 surrogate mothers living in Phnom Penh leading up to their delivery dates [Sineat Yon/Al Jazeera]

Fertility legi slation

Discussions on new legislation have been going on in Cambodia since early 2017. The law was reportedly finalised in March but was postponed two months later for further study.

Chou, of the National Anti-Human Trafficking Committee, said the new legislation would aim to govern all elements of the industry, including (IVF), sperm banks and the banned breast milk trade, but existing human trafficking and general criminal law would still be used to punish offenders.

We are still thinking about how to make the new law or the amendment law to be consistent with existing law, she said.

Chou acknowledged that many Cambodians are unaware of the ban on commercial surrogacy, and many were confused about what was legal and what was not.

She said the government was trying to get more information out to more people, most recently via text notifications on major telecom networks.

So happy

Poch and Roen had never heard of surrogacy arrangements, nor the criminal punishments surrogates could face, before their daughter was arrested.

But now they warn other villagers to stay away from the practice, no matter how lucrative it might seem.

Lee was released from pre-trial detentions and returned to her Kampong Speu village last week with her newborn son, but none of the money that she had hoped would change her life.

The only person who doesnt know the story of Lees new son is her daughter.

Shes just thrilled to have a new playmate.

My granddaughter Chandy looks so happy now that shes got a brother, Poch said. She does not go anywhere now, she just holds him.
The Rohingya are facing a lost generation as children both in Myanmar and in the refugee camps of Bangladesh struggle to get an education, a new report has warned.

The Rohingya youth who remain in Myanmars Rakhine State have faced serious restrictions on access to schooling since the outbreak of violence there in 2012, with children often kept in separate facilities and unable to attend mainstream schools, the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK) said on Thursday.

Older students are unable to attend university.

In Bangladesh, where more than 700,000 Rohingya now live in sprawling refugee camps after fleeing a brutal Myanmar army crackdown last year, authorities have banned formal education and even the construction of any structure that might seem like a permanent school building.

As a result, most young people only have the option of attending informal learning centres run by civil society groups.





Now, more than ever, we need educated Rohingya who can act as leaders for the community, but as long as education remains severely restricted this will be impossible, Tun Khin, president of BROUK, said in a statement.

We are facing the prospect of a lost generation.

Learning centres

The mostly Muslim Rohingya are one of the worlds most persecuted minorities, attacked and driven out of Rakhine in what United Nations investigators have said remains an ongoing genocide.

An international law firm hired by the US State Department said earlier this month it had found evidence of genocide in the August 2017 military crackdown that drove the Rohingya into Bangladesh and urged a criminal investigation into the atrocities.

Right now, Rohingya are not getting any kind of formalised education in the camps, John Quinley, a human rights specialist with Fortify Rights in Bangladeshs Coxs Bazar, where the refugee camps are located, told Al Jazeera. This is a big concern for future generations of Rohingya. We are talking about lots of children who are unable to access education.

Education in the 27 camps around Coxs Bazar is provided by international and local NGOs as well as community-based organisations, and quality depends on who is running the centre.

The report, titled The Right to Education Denied for Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh, noted that what classrooms existed were often overcrowded and poorly resourced. Many of the learning centres were located in refugees own shelters, it said.

Years of discrimination in Rakhine itself, an apartheid state according to Fortify Rights Quinley, had made the recruitment of teachers a serious challenge.

BROUK said of the teachers who arrived initially in August last year, only 21 percent had education beyond the secondary level while the segregation in Rakhine meant that Rohingya teachers were not allowed to travel and were therefore unable to access government-run teacher training programmes.

Inescapable challenges

UNICEF, which has been heavily involved in the provision of education in the camps, admitted in an August report that there were inescapable challenges in addressing the issue.

Without an agreed and approved curriculum, children were taught with a variety of materials, the UN agency for children said. So enthusiastic were the children to learn that classrooms were often overcrowded.

BROUK said that while aid groups had made heroic efforts to respond to the crisis, there had been little long-term planning in relation to education, even as prioritising primary over secondary education had created a shortage of opportunities for teenagers.





By July 2018, approximately 1,200 learning centres were operating, while almost 140,000 Rohingya children had been enrolled in non-formal education of some kind, according to UNICEF.

BROUK noted that more than 150,000 children remained excluded from any kind of education, particularly those between the ages of 15 and 18.

UNICEF said it was developing a Learning Competency Framework and Approach (LCFA) to address some of the problems faced by school-age Rohingya.

The LCFA aims to double the amount of contact time for each child from the current two hours of teaching a day, expand classes for older children and teach in the languages used by the Rohingya, including English, Burmese and local dialects.

Community involvement

According to BROUK, any solution required the involvement of the community who had been largely absent from any decision-making on education.

It is essential to both the access and acceptability of education that communities have the freedom to establish their own schools  with the curriculum and language of their choosing, the groups report said. While politically unpopular  such permissions should acknowledge the reality and potentially protracted nature of the situation.

BROUK urged authorities in Bangladesh to remove all barriers on Rohingya refugees access to education and reiterated its call for the Myanmar government to address the hurdles facing the minority in their homeland.

The only long-term and viable solution to the crisis lies inside Myanmar, the report said. The Myanmar authorities must immediately remove all restrictions on the human rights of Rohingya (including on access to education and freedom of movement), and grant Rohingya citizenship under national law.

A November plan to start the repatriation of Rohingya to Myanmar fell apart after the refugees refused to leave.

The repatriation, agreed at the government level without the input of the Rohingya themselves, has been postponed indefinitely.
Vote condemning kingdom comes as bipartisan group of senators vows to apply sanctions pressure on it in 2019.

Washington, DC  As the US Senate moved to vote on Thursday on a resolution condemning Saudi Arabia for its conduct of the war in Yemen and the assassination of prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a bipartisan group of senators vowed to impose concrete sanctions on the kingdom in legislation next year.

Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, and Senator Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, said on Wednesday that the group plans to advance legislation imposing financial penalties and prohibiting arms sales when the new Congress begins in January.

In some of their strongest comments to date, senators signalled they would like to see Saudi Arabia remove Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman from power.

To our friends in Saudi Arabia, you are never going to have a relationship with the United States Senate unless things change. And its up to you to figure out what that change needs to be, Graham, a congressional ally of President Donald Trump, told reporters at a Capitol Hill press conference.

From my point of view, the current construct is not working. There is a relationship between countries and individuals. The individual, the crown prince, is so toxic, so tainted, so flawed that I cant ever see myself doing business in the future with Saudi Arabia unless there is a change there, Graham said.

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Members of Congress have said US intelligence has tied the October 2 murder of Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to Prince Mohammed, who also launched a Saudi-led military campaign in neighbouring Yemen in 2015.

The Senate voted 60-39 on Wednesday to advance debate on a war powers resolution that would force the Trump administration to withdraw US military support for the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen, where an estimated tens of thousands of people have been killed in what has been described by the United Nations as the worlds worst humanitarian crisis.

A final vote on the measure is expected on Thursday, in a largely symbolic action that legislators said is designed to send a firm rebuke to both Saudi Arabia and the Trump administration.

Our legislation doesnt say its the end of our relationship with Saudi Arabia, Menendez told reporters. We are saying Saudi Arabia has to change.

Sentiment voiced in both the House and Senate this week signals a shift in congressional support for Saudi Arabia and Prince Mohammed. In addition to the war in Yemen and the murder of Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, legislators cited the 2017 forced detention in Riyadh of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri and the unilateral embargo of Qatar, which hosts the largest US military base in the Middle East.

They characterised Saudi foreign policy in the region as irrational and Prince Mohammeds leadership as unstable.

Whats happening in Yemen and the humanitarian disaster there is unacceptable, said Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat who is a co-sponsor of the future Saudi sanctions bill.





This is not going away. People who are responsible have to be held accountable. This is a bipartisan effort that will continue.

In a sign of potential Republican support, Senator Jim Risch, an Idaho politician who will be chairman of the powerful Foreign Relations Committee in the new Congress, was among 11 Republican senators who voted in favour of the war powers resolution on Wednesday. Menendez will be the top Democrat on the committee.

We will find a way, a process, a procedure to make sure we get a vote. I think that will send the most defining action we can to Saudi Arabia, Menendez said. The bipartisan legislation set for next year is co-sponsored by Menendez and Senator Todd Young, an Indiana Republican.

The resolution sends a very clear signal to this administration and to Saudi Arabia that, if this administration doesnt reorient our policy toward Saudi Arabia, then Congress is going to do it, said Senator Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat whose state is home to several key US weapon manufacturers.

Saudi Arabia is our ally, but when your ally jumps into a pool of sharks, you are not obligated to follow. And Saudi Arabia crossed a line, I would argue, long ago, Murphy said, citing evidence the Saudis are using American-made bombs to deliberately target civilians and civilian infrastructure in Yemen.

The House of Representatives will not take up the war powers resolution despite Senate approval after a narrow 206-203 procedural vote on Wednesday. In any case, the White House had threatened a presidential veto. Trump on Tuesday reiterated his support for Prince Mohammeds leadership, telling the Reuters news agency in an Oval Office interview, Hes the leader of Saudi Arabia. Theyve been a very good ally.

The US Congress is rushing to complete its business for the year in a lame duck session and focus on Capitol Hill is beginning to turn to 2019. Democrats will control the House of Representatives when the new Congress is seated in January, while Republicans will retain control of the Senate until the next election in 2020.
US slams Russia over its joint military exercise with Venezuela

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has consistently accused US of plotting to overthrow him.
Opportunities abound for Africa to engage in and benefit from e-commerce and the digital economy as the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) comes into force, speakers said at an UNCTADs Africa eCommerce Week in Nairobi, Kenya.

The High-level Dialogue on Trade and the Digital Economy in Africa showed that the continent has the potential to scale e-commerce enterprises  but its new free trade area will be key in this regard.

The event addressed challenges such as the persisting infrastructure gap and the digital divide, inadequate regulatory and institutional frameworks, a weak enabling environment, and limited skills of both producers and consumers of digital products.

UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi said that global e-commerce had grown phenomenally, but even so, it remained constrained.

Its very clear that e-commerce and the digital economy do not happen by accident but as a result of purposeful actions, an UNCTAD press release quoted him as saying.

Governments must create a policy framework, invest in the right skills, protect the integrity of payment systems, and construct roads and delivery networks, he said.

Today we must build momentum and governments cannot be left behind, Dr. Kituyi said, adding that the driving force must be the developmental state and an all-of-government approach to building enabling environments for digital economic activity.

Today, broadband should be seen as a public utility, he said.

Stephen Karingi, director of the Capacity Development Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), said the African continental free area, foreseen by the AfCFTA, will require half of Africa to obtain a legal identity. This was a prerequisite of forming well-functioning e-commerce markets, he said.

The continental free trade area will offer opportunities of scale and the free movement of people, goods and services, he said.

Several other speakers underlined the importance of connectivity in the continent where the rural populations are still dominant, as digital technology offered a route to their economic emancipation. It also provided a way to improve performance, traceability and trust along the value chain in, for example, agriculture.

They noted that Africa was full of creativity and that it was important for governments on the continent to retain its entrepreneurs, insisting that affordable connectivity is the first precondition of building the digital economy.
The largest rise in more than 40 years and could see the salaries of millions of low-paid workers grow by 22 percent.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez promised a huge jump in the minimum wage on Wednesday as he appeared to be gearing up for an early election widely expected for next year.

The 22 percent rise is the largest in more than 40 years and could see the monthly salaries of millions of low-paid workers grow from 736 euro ($835) to 900 euro ($1,019).

A rich country cant afford to have poor workers, Sanchez told Spains parliament in a debate on Wednesday.

Ministers will approve the measure by decree at a meeting in Barcelona on December 21, Sanchez said, with the change taking effect in January.

The move came two days after French President Emmanuel Macron announced a 100 euro ($114) increase for minimum wage earners following massive protests by the so-called yellow vests over a planned rise to fuel tax.

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Spain sets the minimum wage annually, but the 2019 target is much higher than those of recent years, with a rise of just 4 percent.

The rise is part of a deal by the ruling Socialists to pass the countrys 2019 budget with the support of anti-austerity party Podemos.

Sanchez, 48, came to power in June after a surprise parliamentary vote of no-confidence against the previous conservative government of Mariano Rajoy.

However, his Socialists control just 84 seats in the 350-seat parliament and rely on both Podemos and the Catalan separatist parties to push through key measures, including the budget.

Renewed tensions with Catalonia

The wage rise may be an attempt to woo the Catalan separatists, who have so far refused to back Sanchez as tensions between Madrid and the semi-autonomous region have flared up again a year after an extremely contentious independence referendum in Catalonia.

Sanchez had called for renewed dialogue with Catalonia after he came to power, but his government has adopted a much sharper tone in recent days.

During Wednesdays debate, the prime minister compared Catalonias independence campaign with the United Kingdoms push to leave the European Union, saying both campaigns invent a story of grievances, magnified by manipulation and force people to choose between two identities.

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His comments follow Catalan President Quim Torras urging to Catalans over the weekend to follow the example of Slovenia, which unilaterally declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, triggering at 10-day armed conflict with the Yugoslav army that killed more than 60 people.

Madrid had already threatened on Monday to take control of security in Catalonia after pro-independence protesters blocked a major highway at the weekend for 15 hours without any intervention by the Mossos dEsquadra, the Catalan regional police.

Protests are expected ahead of Sanchezs governments meeting in the Catalonian capital on December 21.
In landmark ruling, top court says President Maithripala Sirisenas dissolution of parliament is unconstitutional.

Colombo, Sri Lanka: Sri Lankas Supreme Court has ruled President Maithripala Sirisenas decision to dissolve parliament and hold snap elections was unconstitutional, dealing a major blow to the embattled leader in his feud with a deposed prime minister.

A seven-judge bench unanimously ruled on Thursday that Sirisena cannot sack the 225-member House before four-and-a-half years have passed since its election.

The much-anticipated ruling came seven weeks into a political crisis, which began on October 26 when Sirisena fired Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with Mahinda Rajapaksa, a controversial former president.

Rajapaksa, however, could not muster a majority in parliament, and Sirisena on November 9 dissolved the legislature two years ahead of schedule.

The Supreme Court, responding to a court complaint against the moves, issued an interim ruling suspending Sirisenas decree and restoring parliament, which went on to pass two no-confidence motions against Rajapaksa.





The courts final verdict on Thursday raises the possibility of Wickremesinghe being reinstated as prime minister.

In a Twitter post, the sacked leader said he hoped Sirisena will promptly respect the judgement of the courts.

The legislature, judiciary, and the executive are equally important pillars of a democracy and the checks and balances that they provide are crucial to ensuring sovereignty of its citizens, he said.

Supporters of his United National Party (UNP) celebrated the verdict, lighting firecrackers outside the Supreme Court complex.

Negotiations

There was no immediate comment from Sirisena or Rajapaksa.

But Rajapaksas son, Namal, said they respected the Supreme Courts decision, despite reservations regarding its interpretation.

He added in a Twitter post, We will continue to stand alongside those calling for a parliamentary election, without which there is no real justice.

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Alan Keenan, Sri Lanka project director at the International Crisis Group, told Al Jazeera that Thursdays ruling was a welcome one and indicated the resilience of Sri Lankas judiciary and its independence from executive control.

But the judgment does not resolve the crisis, he said, as Sirisena has repeatedly refused to reappoint Wickremesinghe.

On Wednesday, the parliament voted overwhelmingly to demand the UNP leader be reinstated as prime minister, but the president has not yet commented on that motion.

The former allies fell out dramatically over economic policy and what Sirisena said was the involvement of a Wickremesinghe ally in an alleged assassination plot against him.

Keenan said political negotiations were key to resolving the crisis.

The outlines of a possible deal have been clear for a while: restoration of Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister in exchange for parliament agreeing to dissolve itself and go to fresh elections, he said.

The biggest loser in the nearly two months of political upheaval was Sirisena, Keenan continued, adding, It is hard to see how [Sirisena] can salvage a political future for himself.

Asanga Welikala, a Sri Lankan law professor at the University of Edinburgh, also echoed the call for negotiations.

He said he was sceptical of a swift resolution to the crisis as Sirisena has so far not shown any respect for the Constitution or parliament.

Moreover, it remains to be seen how Mahinda Rajapaksa will react, he said. Their behaviour does not give rise to confidence that they will easily or quietly withdraw from the attempted power grab. So it remains to be seen if the crisis will end any time soon.

The protracted crisis has sparked international concern and hit the countrys economy.

The countrys currency  the Sri Lankan rupee  fell to a record low of 177.20 to the dollar in November, and foreign investors have pulled out more than 30bn rupees ($169.5m) since the crisis began, according to Reuters news agency.

The travel industry, which makes up about five percent of Sri Lankas $87bn economy, has also reported cancellations by both business and leisure visitors.

Zaheena Rasheed reported from Doha. Rathindra Kuruwita reported from Colombo.
Cherif Chekatt, on the run for 48 hours after deadly Christmas market attack, shot dead in brief gun battle with police.

After a two-day manhunt, authorities in France say police have found and killed the suspected gunman who shot three people dead at a Christmas market in Strasbourg.

More than 700 French security forces in the northeastern French city had been hunting for 29-year-old Cherif Chekatt since the Tuesday evening attack, which left 13 people wounded, including five in a critical condition.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner on Thursday said three police officers tried to question Chekatt after spotting him wandering through the streets in Strasbourgs Neudorf area, where he grew up, but he opened fire.

They immediately returned fire and neutralised the assailant, Castaner said.

181211212103352 The 29-year-old was on a security watch list and had a long criminal record for non-terrorism offences. French prosecutors had opened a terror investigation into Tuesdays shooting, while police distributed a photo of Chekatt with the warning: Individual dangerous, above all, do not intervene. Chekatt spread panic in central Strasbourg on Tuesday evening as he ran through the streets shooting some people with a handgun and slashing others with a knife, Al Jazeeras Bernard Smith, reporting from the French city, said. His time on the run ended in his hometown just three kilometres from where he committed his last and most violent crime of a life spent as a criminal, he added.

Hours after Chekatts death was confirmed, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) armed group claimed him as one of its soldiers.

The perpetrator of the attack in the city of Strasbourg  is one of the soldiers of the Islamic State and carried out the operation in response to calls to target nationals of the coalition against ISIL, the group said via its Amaq wing in a message posted on Twitter, in a reference to allied countries which are carrying out attacks against it in Syria and Iraq.

Strasbourg residents light candles in tribute to the victims of the deadly shooting [Christian Hartmann/Reuters]

Massive manhunt

The usually busy streets of Strasbourg were eerily empty on Thursday, with a heavy police and military presence. The Christmas market was closed on Thursday.





Some lit candles and brought flowers to a makeshift memorial at the site of the attack.

You can feel a very heavy atmosphere due [to] all these events, said resident Lucille Romance. People are in a state of shock and are avoiding getting out of their house.

The dead in Tuesdays shooting included a Thai tourist, 45-year-old Anupong Suebsamarn, according to Thailands foreign ministry. Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said an Italian among the wounded was in a critical condition.

French President Emmanuel Macron expressed the solidarity of the whole country towards the victims.

It is not only France that has been hit  but a great European city as well, he added, referring to Strasbourg, the seat of the European Parliament, which lies on the border with Germany.

Strasbourgs location in the heart of Western Europe means that Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg can be easily reached by car or train, making the search for Chekatt more complicated.

Swiss police had reinforced border checks, while German authorities also widely published the photo of the suspect, which showed him with dark hair, a short beard and a mark on his forehead.

French authorities said the Strasbourg-born suspect had run-ins with police starting at age 10 and his first conviction was at age 13.

Chekatt was convicted 27 times, mostly in France but also in Switzerland and Germany, for crimes including armed robbery.

Yellow vest protests

France had raised its three-stage threat index to the highest level and deployed 1,800 additional soldiers across the country to help patrol streets and secure crowded events in a bid to try and prevent or discourage further attacks.

As police searched for Chekatt, the government called on the yellow vest protesters who have demonstrated across France since last month not to take to the streets again this weekend.

Members of the movement, known for their fluorescent high-visibility jackets, have planned a fifth round of demonstrations on Saturday to demand tax relief and economic reforms.

Government spokesperson Benjamin Griveaux called on the anti-government protesters to be reasonable after nearly four weeks of often violent demonstrations that have led the government to offer a range of financial relief to low earners.

Our security forces have been deployed extensively these past few weeks, Griveaux told CNews television.

It would be better if everyone could go about their business calmly on Saturday, before the year-end celebrations with their families, instead of demonstrating and putting our security forces to work once again, he added.

The protests began on November 17 over fuel tax increases, but snowballed into a revolt over living standards as well as Macrons perceived indifference to the problems of ordinary citizens.
At least nine dead, dozens injured, as high-speed train crashes and two carriages topple over in Ankara.

At least nine people have been killed and dozens injured in a crash involving a high-speed train in Ankara, according to a Turkish official.

Ankara Governor Vasip Sahin told reporters in televised remarks that 43 people were injured as the fast train was on its way to the central province of Konya.

Sahin said the high-speed train had crashed into a locomotive that carries out track inspections.

The governor added that search and rescue efforts continued as technical investigations were under way to find out exactly what caused the crash in Yenimahalle district.

Video footage showed emergency workers at the scene, working to rescue people from carriages trapped beneath the mangled metal wreckage of an overpass at the Marsandiz train station, to the west of Ankara.

It was not clear at what speed the trains were travelling when the crash occurred.

The accident happened at a station where the Ankara-Konya train does not stop.

Turkey has seen several other train accidents in recent months. In July, 10 people were killed and more than 70 injured when most of a passenger train derailed in the countrys northwest, after torrential rains caused part of the rail tracks to collapse.

Last month, 15 people were injured when a passenger train collided with a freight train in the central province of Sivas Konya, about 260km southwest of Ankara.

The train was travelling between the capital, Ankara, and the central province of Konya [EPA]

Rescue workers searched the wreckage after the crash in Ankara [Tumay Berkin/Reuters]
UN secretary-general said the sides achieved real progress after a ceasefire was brokered at the Sweden peace talks.

Rimbo, Sweden  Yemens warring sides agreed to a ceasefire for the flashpoint city of Hodeidah and its surrounding governorate, a major breakthrough that could end what the UN calls the worlds worst humanitarian crisis.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday that the Houthis agreed to withdraw from the strategic western city and relinquish control of three of its ports  Hodeidah, Saleef and Ras Isa  which serve as a major lifeline for more than 18 million Yemenis who live in the rebel-held territory.

As part of the agreement, the ports would fall under the control of local forces, who would then send the ports revenues to the countrys Central Bank.

The Central bank would then begin paying the salaries of government employees in Houthi-held areas. As many as 1.2 million civil servants have not received their salaries in nearly two years, leaving health, education and sanitation services without the people and resources needed to keep them running.

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The agreements today mean a lot. This can be a starting point for peace and for ending the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, Guterres told reporters.

The war in Yemen has gone on for four years. Four devastating years of suffering for the Yemeni people, he said.

We made great concessions for the sake of the Yemeni people because Hodeidah is the last remaining corridor that can save the country from this impending famine Mohammad Abdul Salam, Houthi spokesman

Houthis to withdraw within days

The UN special envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, said that the rebels were expected to withdraw from the port within days, and then from the city, with both sides expected to disengage.

He added that the ceasefire would open up the east-west road [that connects Hodeidah and Sanaa] so that a humanitarian pipeline, which is crucial to the people of Yemen, can start delivering aid.

Following months of deadly battles in the city, a Saudi-UAE alliance, which backs the Yemeni government, and Iran have agreed that there can only be a political solution to the conflict.

For more than a week, representatives from the Yemeni government and Houthis rebels had been holding closed-door discussions with Griffiths in Rimbo aimed at discussing ways to end the conflict that, according to rights groups and monitors, has killed an estimated 60,000 people.

It is obvious the UN will play an important role in the port, probably a monitoring role and the management of that port, Guterres said.

He added that the agreement would see the deployment of UN-supervised neutral forces and the establishment of humanitarian corridors which would improve the living conditions of millions of Yemenis.

Loud applause

In a highly symbolic gesture, Yemens Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani shook hands to loud applause with the head of the Houthi delegation, Mohammad Abdul Salam at the end of the conference.

We depend on the international community, the Red Cross and [the] office of the special envoy to guarantee the implementation of this agreement, al-Yamani later told Al Jazeera.

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It is now up to the Houthis to prove that they respect international law.

Abdul Salam told Al Jazeera that the Houthis had signed the agreement in good faith and to were hoping it would avert the countrys impending famine.

We made great concessions for the sake of the Yemeni people because Hodeidah is the last remaining corridor to save the country from this impending famine.

Without offering details, Guterres told reporters that the two sides had also reached a mutual understanding to ease the situation in the city of Taiz.

This will lead to the opening of humanitarian corridors and the facilitation of goods, he said.

The Yemeni people ... want to see their leaders, the various Yemeni parties, find a way to end this conflict. Matthew Tueller, US Ambassador to Yemen

Week of breakthroughs

Earlier this week, the opposing sides agreed to terms on a large-scale prisoner swap, with more than 16,000 prisoners expected to be released in the next 30 days.

However, the parties failed to come to an agreement on reopening the Sanaa airport or on economic measures that are vital to helping the countrys impoverished population.

Sources told Al Jazeera that the next round of talks, that is scheduled to be held in late January, would focus on a framework for negotiations on a political process.

Peter Salisbury, a Yemen analyst and consultant at the International Crisis Group, hailed Thursdays announcements, but said the momentum hadnt yet shifted from war to peace.

This is welcome news and a step in the right direction but the hard part starts now.

Turning this agreement into a reality on the ground will be a slog and a lot could go wrong. With luck and a tonne of hard work, this can build into a peace process but the momentum hasnt yet shifted from war to peace.

Mounting international pressure

International pressure to end the war has mounted since the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of Saudi Arabias foreign policy.

Western powers have expressed their outrage over the killing, with senators in the United States questioning Washingtons strategic partnership with Riyadh.

Under the leadership of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known as MBS, the de-facto ruler of the kingdom and alleged architect of the war, the Saudi-led coalition has carried out more than 18,000 air raids with weddings, funerals, schools and hospitals not spared from the bombardment.





The US Senate voted on Thursday to end the US involvement in Yemen, but the resolution is likely to run aground in the lower House of Representatives where Republicans hold the majority until January 3.

Matthew Tueller, the US Ambassador to Yemen, refused to answer questions about the Senate vote but said Washington would be working hard to ensure the ceasefire lasts.

The expectations of the Yemeni people is what we really need to be thinking about. And what theyre signalling to everyone right now is that they want to see their leaders, the various Yemeni parties, find a way to end this conflict.

What we, the US, want to see is a government that treats all Yemenis the same. That doesnt distinguish between Yemenis based on religion, family, tribe or where you come from regionally. Thats a message we hope the Houthis have heard and one that they understand.

The talks in Sweden have come at a critical time with a staggering eight million people  a number greater than the entire population of Switzerland  on the verge of famine.

Yemens currency, the riyal, has depreciated by nearly 180 percent in recent months, pushing even more towards starvation.

Food prices have increased by an average of 68 percent and the price of fuels such as petrol, diesel, and cooking gas has increased substantially.
Israeli army locks down Ramallah and kills fourth Palestinian suspect after drive-by shooting of two Israeli soldiers.

Four Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in separate operations over the past 24 hours in the occupied West Bank, with the Israeli army announcing the city of Ramallah a closed military zone.

The closure was announced following a shooting attack near the illegal settlement of Ofra east of Ramallah. Two Israeli soldiers were killed by an unknown Palestinian. According to local news agencies, the Palestinian fled the scene in his car.

In a statement, the Israeli army said it is carrying out searches near the areas of the roads entering and exiting Ramallah.

The Hamas movement, which governs the besieged Gaza Strip, saluted the shooting and in a statement said it proved resistance was still alive in the West Bank.

The flame of resistance in the West Bank will remain alive until the Israeli occupation is defeated from the entirety of our land, and we regain our full rights, Hamas said.

For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to legalise thousands of Jewish settlement homes in the occupied West Bank that were built without Israeli permits.

He also vowed to expedite the demolition of the Palestinian attackers homes within 48 hours, increase detentions of Hamas members already in Israeli prisons and beef up Israeli forces in the region.

Our guiding principle is that whoever attacks us and whoever tries to attack us  will pay with his life, he said. Our enemies know this and we will find them.

Overnight killings

The first of the killings came overnight on Wednesday when Israeli forces killed three Palestinians in separate operations over the span of six hours. They were suspects in alleged attacks on Israelis.

In the pre-dawn hours on Thursday, Israeli forces also shot dead a Palestinian accused of killing two settlers in the West Bank last October, following a two-month manhunt.

Ashraf Naalweh, 23, was killed during the arrest raid in Askar refugee camp in the northern West Bank city of Nablus Earlier, according to Palestinian security sources. The army has withheld his body.

In another overnight raid on a West Bank village, Israeli forces shot dead Salah Omar Barghouti, who was suspected to be behind a drive-by shooting on Sunday, in which seven Israeli settlers were wounded near the Ofra settlement.

Wafa said the 29-year-old Barghouti was driving his cab when Israeli soldiers opened fire at his vehicle near Surda, north of Ramallah, and that undercover Israeli forces seized his body.

Army units raided the Barghouti residence in the village of Kobar, north of Ramallah, and arrested his father and brothers, Wafa reported.

In the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem, Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian man, Majd Muteir, after he injured two Israeli police officers in an alleged stabbing attack before dawn. One of the officers was moderately injured, the other lightly.

Israeli forces prevented Palestinians from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound for dawn prayers and were heavily present in the streets of the Old City.

The fourth Palestinian was killed on Thursday afternoon, after an alleged car ramming attempt on a group of soldiers in Ramallahs twin city of al-Bireh.

The man was identified as 60-year-old Hamdan Tawfiq al-Ardah.

Serious security situation

Speaking from West Jerusalem, Al Jazeeras Harry Fawcett said the events in the past 24 hours have been very bloody  one that the occupied West Bank hasnt seen for a good deal of time.

We have the pretty extraordinary circumstance of the entire city of Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority in Area A  where Palestinian administration is supposed to have at least nominal authority  has been sealed off as a closed military zone, he added.

Regarding the alleged car ramming attack, Fawcett said that the official Palestine TV reported that it might not have been a deliberate attack, [but] there might have been a loss of control instead.

He added, Its certainly a very serious security situation that is still prevailing in the occupied West Bank.

A total of 56 Palestinians across the West Bank and Jerusalem were also arrested by the Israeli army early Thursday morning.

In the aftermath of the overnight killings, dozens of Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian vehicles with rocks on the busy Route 60 highway, south of Nablus.

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, 69 Palestinians were injured in protests against the Israeli army raids into Ramallah and various other towns and villages in the West Bank.

Undercover Israeli forces posing as Palestinians, known as Mustaribeen, were seen by locals roaming the streets of Beiteen village, northwest of Ramallah.

The closures in the West Bank has led to Fatah, the ruling party of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, to announce their offices will be open for those who are unable to reach their homes.

Additional reporting by Ibrahim Husseini
Israeli forces kill three Palestinian suspects, followed by drive-by shooting in which two Israelis are killed.

At least two Israelis have been killed and two injured in a shooting in the occupied West Bank, after Israeli forces killed three Palestinians in separate operations overnight on Wednesday.

Israels army said on Twitter that a Palestinian opened fire at a bus stop killing 2 Israelis, severely injuring 1 & injuring others.

Eli Bin, the head of Israels Magen David Adom emergency services, confirmed to Israeli Army Radio that two people were killed in the shooting. Their identities were not immediately known.

The shooting took place near the illegal settlement of Ofra, in the central West Bank. Israeli media reported that a passing car opened fire outside the settlement.

On Wednesday night, Israeli forces killed three Palestinians in separate operations over the span of six hours. They were suspects in alleged attacks on Israelis.

Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian man, Majd Muteir, after he injured two Israeli police officers in an alleged stabbing attack before dawn in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem. One of the officers was moderately injured, the other lightly.

Israeli forces prevented Palestinians from entering the al-Aqsa Mosque compound for dawn prayers, and were heavily present in the streets of the Old City.

In a separate event, Israeli police say security forces also shot dead a Palestinian accused of killing two settlers in the West Bank, following a two-month manhunt.

Israeli forces killed Ashraf Naalweh, 23, during the arrest raid early on Thursday in Askar refugee camp in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, according to Palestinian security sources.

The sources told Wafa news agency that an Israeli military unit raided the camp in the early hours and surrounded the house where Naalweh was staying. An exchange of gunfire ensued in which Naalweh was killed. The army has withheld his body.

Naalweh, from Shweikeh, north of the city of Tulkarem, was the main suspect in the killing of two Israeli settlers in early October in the Barkan industrial area near the Israeli settlement of Ariel.

Israeli forces conducted a widespread manhunt for him. His entire immediate family was arrested during the search and their home was constantly raided and ransacked, according to Wafa news agency.

Cab driver killed

During an overnight raid on another West Bank village, Israeli forces shot dead Salah Omar Barghouti, 29, suspected in a drive-by shooting on Sunday, in which seven Israeli settlers were wounded, including a pregnant woman whose baby later died, the Shin Bet security service said in a statement.





Sundays drive-by shooting also took place near the Ofra settlement.

According to Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, Barghouti was driving his cab when Israeli soldiers opened fire at his vehicle near Surda, north of Ramallah. Sources told Wafa that undercover Israeli forces seized Barghoutis body.

Army units raided the Barghouti residence in the village of Kobar, north of Ramallah, and arrested his father and brothers, Wafa reported.

They also raided a building in Ramallah after killing Barghouti and seized a car believed to be related to Sundays drive-by shooting attack near Ofra.

The Shin Bets statement did not say if Barghouti was suspected of being the gunman or an accomplice. It said an unspecified number of other suspects were arrested.

The Shin Bet announcement came hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that those who carried out Sundays drive-by shooting would be found and brought to justice.

He spoke shortly after a Jerusalem hospital announced the death of the baby boy, delivered by emergency caesarean section after his mother was shot. She was 30-weeks pregnant.



We lost a few hours ago a newborn baby, four days old, Netanyahu said in an address to foreign media.

The Hamas movement, which governs the Gaza Strip, saluted the shooting and in a statement said it proved resistance was still alive in the West Bank.

Israeli forces arrested a total of 56 Palestinians across the West Bank and Jerusalem early Thursday morning.
The EU has announced new funding totaling 125 million for the Sahel countries.

The fresh injection of 125 million will be used for the swift launch of new initiatives, which are in line with the priorities set by the G5 Sahel to enhance development and security.

The measures will focus on boosting the resilience and social cohesion of the most vulnerable groups in the cross-border regions.

European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, said: Ten months after the Brussels Conference on the Sahel, which mobilized the international community around the G5 Joint Force, we are now focusing on the incontrovertible need to complement our security initiatives with development projects.

The additional 125 million announced by the European Union will focus on development projects in the most vulnerable areas, with an immediate impact on the living conditions of local communities, the commissioner said.

According to EUs press release, the new envelope comprises a contribution of 70 million to help improve living conditions for people in cross-border areas, by improving the quality of basic services and boosting their resilience. The program will be implemented by several partners of the Sahel Alliance.

Other initiatives worth 55 million will aim to strengthen the capacities of the G5 Sahel institutions in the area of justice, security and defense of human rights, and to combat human trafficking and give young people a proper voice in the public debate.

These additional funds come on top of the 672.7 million already available to support ongoing activities from the priorities identified by the G5 Sahel. Development cooperation support from the European Union and its Member States to the G5 Sahel countries amounts to a total of 8 billion for the period 2014-2020.

In 2014, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Chad set up the G5 Sahel group to promote closer cooperation and address the major regional challenges facing them, including extreme poverty, terrorism and human trafficking, all of which have potential spill-over effects beyond the region.

Since then, the EU has stepped up its cooperation with this African initiative in order to forge a strong partnership on various fronts: political dialogue, development cooperation and humanitarian aid, and efforts to enhance security and tackle irregular migration.
Historically the word bastard meant someone whose parents were not married. But even more than just the marital status of ones parents, the word also carried with it an implication of defective character that was attributable to such an inauspicious beginning.

One might imagine that without the provision, protection, instruction, and correction of a father, children (boys in particular) would find harsh instruction from the world, like a child thrown into a swimming pool trying to learn how to swim.

Being thrown into the social world with little instruction can lead a child to develop a jungle-type survival skill set. Often the skills children develop are how to use people to get what you want or what to do to feel good. Those who are more capable or lucky learn how to manipulate others and indulge themselves without ending up in jail. Others never quite get the hang of how to function without attracting the attention of the police.

The statistics are clear:

63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes

90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes

85% of all children who show behavior disorders come from fatherless homes

71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes

70% of juveniles in criminal detention are from fatherless homes.

The relationship between fatherlessness and imprisonment suggests an importance to fatherhood not often fully appreciated. The impact of fatherless homes should have been alarming 50 years ago. Today a 40% rate (80% in many black communities) indicates a society irreparably damaged. If we consider historical events that contributed to this phenomenon, we can identify three main ones:

1. The specialized and collectivized work of the industrial age took fathers out of the home.

2. Compulsory public education took children out of the home.

3. Feminism took women out of the home.

People may debate the value of these dynamic forces, but most can agree that they are not going to be stopped much less reversed. Some may attempt to resist these forces by homeschooling or having a home business, but often face great difficulty. The family of just 100 years ago had more in common with families throughout the ages and cultures than with the vestige that survives in modern life today.

It is not just illegitimacy that contributes to the bastardization of our country. Divorce is also a contributing factor in fatherlessness. There is also that which might be called "de-facto fatherlessness". The father who resides with a family but is either absent for purposes of work or withdraws into the comfort of TV and alcohol also makes a contribution to fatherlessness.

Paternal influence diminishes with limited time. However, it almost vanishes when contrasted with the time allocated to the influence from teachers, friends, TV, and the Internet. Compounding this problem is that since this effect has been progressing for several generations, even if a father had the time to influence his children, he often has little to say because he is unaware of what is happening and why.

The disconnection of children from fathers often makes fathers less interested in the expense and effort to raise them. Boys raised with decreasing paternal influence often grow to be even less interested in fatherhood. It has been said that the cure for the disease of adolescence is parenthood. The implication being that the responsibilities of caring for a child often force a turn away from the selfishness definitive of childhood. A young man who grows up without seeing the selflessness of a father or benefiting from a fathers correction and discipline often enters adulthood with amplified selfishness.

Like a wolf among sheep, a bastard may grow up thinking that since he has no father (or effectively has none), he has to get whatever he can from others by whatever means are necessary. The word bastardize carries with it the connotation of adulteration. In a way the young man with little paternal influence may be seen as having excessive contamination with selfishness. This often plays out through the betrayal of trust.

Americans in particular are somewhat more vulnerable to the betrayal of trust, because we used to be a more Christian nation. Christianity contributes stability to society in that trust is more easily extended. A bastard can operate more effectively in societies where there is more trust. In societies that have few Christians, there is a greater expectation of selfish motives.

We can see where in the past the term bastard used to be reserved for illegitimate children, it now is also applicable to a larger population in proportion to the decrease of paternal discipline, instruction, and correction.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
Anwar al-Awlaki was an American citizen who chose to advocate terrorism and built a career on orchestrating activities intended to weaken, injure, and ultimately overthrow the government of the United States. He was a member of numerous subversive groups, dating back to his college days. He was an avowed Islamist, who pledged to do all in his power to subjugate the world, and everyone in it, under Islam, by any means necessary.

As an able propagandist, Awlaki became a valuable recruiter for terror groups. By any objective measure, the man was an enemy of his own nation. Awlaki was a fiery Islamic preacher. His words were unreservedly anti-American. They inflamed Islamic passions. Awlaki wielded words as weapons.

He met his demise in 2011, on the receiving end of an American drone strike in Yemen ordered by then-president Barack Obama. That strike also killed Awlaki's American-born 16-year-old son.

While there were a few bleats and squawks from various civil libertarians on the left and right over the assassination of not one, but two American citizens without due process of law, the issue grew stale quickly as the media sensed that their favorite son (Obama) might be harmed politically with further reporting.

Fast-forward to the present day, and while keeping the circumstances of Awlaki's death in the forefront of your mind, ask yourself why so many on both sides of the aisle are now exercised over Saudi Arabia allegedly doing the exact same thing to a Saudi national, Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi national guilty of every crime (and a few more!) for which Awlaki paid with his life.

There is little reason to mourn the deaths of Khashoggi and Awlaki, as both surely understood the risk inherent in attempting to bring down the governments of their respective nations. The two scenarios are, in nearly all aspects, identical.

Khashoggi was Muslim Brotherhood. Not only did he belong to groups committed to overthrowing the House of Saud, but he founded two of them himself. He was a proud friend of Osama bin Laden, even taking up arms and fighting alongside bin Laden in his younger days. He was as committed an Islamic supremacist as Awlaki. Khashoggi's diatribes were instrumental in sparking and sustaining the Muslim Brotherhood-led uprisings collectively known as the "Arab Spring," which was not the grassroots demand for democracy the Obama administration and the media claimed, but rather a series of coups to replace secular-minded leaders with Islamist theocrats who shared the ideology of the Brotherhood.

In Khashoggi's posthumously published final article in the Washington Post, he wrote: "The Arab world was ripe with hope during the spring of 2011," echoing verbatim the tape-recorded words of al-Qaeda founder Osama Bin Laden, praising the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, and speaking of a "rare historic opportunity" for Muslims to rise up. Throughout Khashoggi's career, his words and those of bin Laden were largely indistinguishable in sentiment, purpose, and vitriol toward the West.

More recently, Khashoggi became incensed over the progressive direction taken by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince bin Salman regarding the social strictures of Islam and the role of Islam in government. For the first time since the founding of the kingdom one hundred years ago, Islam in Saudi Arabia has been removed from its favored perch in the affairs of government. No longer willing to accept a Middle East where the only exports are oil and terrorism, MBS has taken concrete steps to enforce a growing separation of church and state in his nation, has arrested and prosecuted those wealthy patrons of terrorism among Saudi society, and has initiated diplomatic overtures to Israel and the West.

MBS is the embodiment of everything the Muslim Brotherhood despises, and his continued rule in Saudi Arabia means the continued decline of the Brotherhood and its influence. Khashoggi knew it. The Muslim Brotherhood knew it. Most of all, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia knew it.

Did bin Salman consider Khashoggi a threat to the throne, as the media and political pundits claim? There is little evidence for this. There are no elections in Saudi Arabia, so MBS couldn't have worried about Khashoggi mounting a political campaign to win control. Khashoggi's influence in the Middle East had been greatly diminished with the failure of the Arab Spring, reducing his readership to boutique status, no longer capable of fomenting major shifts of opinion.

If the crown prince did indeed order his death, it likely wasn't for the reasons Western media are reporting, but more likely due to his backdoor facilitation of continued terror funding of Saudi origin through his so-called democracy-building organizations. Khasoggi was a dangerous Islamic ideologue whose employment as a "journalist" with the Washington Post gave him a hyper-magnified platform for his radical Islamic thoughts and the perfect patina of legitimacy to conceal his more nefarious activities.

Due almost exclusively to the efforts of the Muslim Brotherhood in America, Islamic ideology here in the U.S. is alive, well, and thriving. A federal judge recently ruled that it is unconstitutional to prevent female genital mutilation of girls as young as five, ruling that authorities have no constitutional basis for interfering in that Islamic rite.

The elevation of Islam above all other religions by criminalizing criticism of it remains a shining beacon for Muslim activists and the groups to which they belong. The international Muslim Brotherhood is not a fantastical concoction of Arab-phobic morons, but is an active and powerful organization that has been committed to civilizational jihad for the better part of a century.

They operate through front groups masquerading as civil rights organizations, and the unwillingness of responsible authorities to investigate and dismantle these Islamic Trojan horses does not constitute evidence of their innocence, but is indicative of their mastery of propaganda and "lawfare," using our open system against us. This is the arena where Khashoggi operated in plain sight.

We are in a war with Islamic extremism and the ideology that gave birth to groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda. President Trump knows that a good relationship with a progressive Muslim ruler in the Middle East like bin Salman is key to winning that war. He was wise to make a measured response to the murder of Khashoggi, eschewing the overreach demanded by his detractors.

Apparently, either the Post didn't check into the background of this man it publicly mourns or it wasn't bothered by his lifelong commitment to facilitating Islam's goal of global dominance.

A question remains unanswered by those calling for harsh sanction of the young Saudi ruler: "Why is the U.S. permitted to defend itself by assassinating a citizen who was a clear and active threat, but the Saudis are not?"

If we ought to sanction the Saudi crown prince for an order we have no firm evidence was given, then we certainly ought to revisit Obama's well documented order and apply the same standard.

Dr. Christian is the executive director of the Global Faith Institute and invites you to visit www.globafaith.org. Joe Herring writes from Omaha, Neb.
Well, the new sex object for liberals  who hate the very idea of sex objects  is a cute young lady named Ocasio-Cortez, who is famed in legend and song for her extreme ignorance of the U.S. Constitution.

But whaddayawant for a sex object? The Federalist Society?

Ms. O-C is now stealing headlines from Hillary and Lizard, I mean Liz Warren, who are no longer heap big wampum in the Big Money fields of the left. How quickly they fall.

Now Ms. O-C proclaims herself a genuine socialist, while the party has turned sharp left (again!) so that Democrats can now feel satisfied that Karl Marx is once again marching valiantly toward the glorious future for humanity  not exactly the vanguard of the European working class (which was all white heterosexual males), but perhaps the vanguard of all the sex workers of the world, neatly classified by race, class, queerness, trans type, current gender, and sex objects.

This Frankfurt Marxism inverts the pyramid of classical Marxism  which was all about liberating white male workers in Germany and England.

Today, it is white hetero males who are the favorite hate objects of 2018 on campus  but old white men are the true hate targets, which makes things hunky-dory again. Harvey Weinstein may have been the first real Old Male Hate (OMH) object of the current left, but let's face it: it is Donald Trump who wins the title of the greatest hate object of all hate objects they have nightmares about.

Switching to new heroes and devils helps the Marxist Democrats to organize their emotional universe again, around the lodestones of passionate love (Bill Clinton and Barack Obama) and malignant hatred (Trump, Nixon, Reagan).

The left has always thought most clearly by way of organs other than the brain, and every heavy-breathing lefty in the land is now having secret fantasies about Ms. O-C, the sexy angel who will destroy that ol' devil Trump.

The only trouble with Ms. O-C is reality, which is the constant enemy of the left. Socialism, it turns out, is actually not such a wonderful thing in reality, as the starving peasants of Venezuela are now finding out. (Again.)

A month ago, I ran into a big problem with a lefty lady when I asked her about reality, and she responded by cutting off all communication with me. My big mistake was asking her about Josef Stalin and the 100 million innocents murdered by Marxist-Leninist-Stalinist regimes in the 20th century, although I did not actually get a chance to finish my sentence.

I only said the name "Stalin" and she hung up the phone, stopped all texting and emails, and probably hung me on her personal gallows in effigy.

This happened after she assured me that all her friends on campus were peace-loving social democrats, the nice folks who kept getting murdered by the Bolsheviks, the Nazis, then the Maoists, the Pol Pot killer squads in Cambodia, on and on and on.

So I committed a terrible faux pas in by asking one question: how do you explain Stalin? How do you explain 100 million murdered innocents left by all the Marxist regimes of the 20th century?

I know that liberals are all about love and peace forever, but I'm starting to wonder why they keep getting into murderous fantasies when another Reagan, Nixon, or Trump is elected POTUS.

Since Trump got elected, all our "mainstream" media have been indulging in murderous fantasies. They have also been whipping up Antifa lynch mobs, along the lines pioneered by Vladimir Lenin in his famous telegram of 1918:

Comrades! The insurrection of five kulak districts should be pitilessly suppressed. The interests of the whole revolution require this because "the last decisive battle" with the kulaks is now under way everywhere. An example must be demonstrated. Hang (and make sure that the hanging takes place in full view of the people) no fewer than one hundred known landlords, rich men, bloodsuckers. Publish their names. Seize all their grain from them. Designate hostages in accordance with yesterday's telegram. Do it in such a fashion that for hundreds of kilometres around the people might see, tremble, know, shout: "they are strangling, and will strangle to death, the bloodsucking kulaks". Telegraph receipt and implementation. Yours, Lenin. Find some truly hard people.

In the good old days, Hillary's "deplorables" would be dead in the frozen fields of Siberia, but today, that has to be left to the enraged nightmares of our peaceful Democrats.

Life shows us one lesson after another, if we only know how to learn.

So this is what I learned.

How do you shut up a liberal?

Ask him to say "Stalin."

Now will some Breitbart journo take his life in his hands and ask Ms. Ocasio-Cortez about Stalin? If not Stalin, then Lenin, Mao, Trotsky, Hitler, and Kim III. I guarantee she will shut up, at least for a few minutes.

Image: Corey Torpie via Wikimedia Commons.
The E.U. media are making a thing over the fact that Cherif Chekatt, the on-the-run terrorist who perpetrated the Strasbourg mass shooting, was born in France and was not an "immigrant."

Yes, he was known to authorities as a dangerously militant Muslim extremist. Yet he was, they are telling the people, a native Frenchman.

In truth, that should not be a comfort to anyone, nor is it an effective argument for those who favor allowing a nearly endless crowd of migrants from North Africa and the Middle East into Europe.

In fact it really shows the danger in doing so.

This is a lesson the U.K. has had before it now for a couple of generations. (Not a lesson they have learned, mind you.) Those first-generation "Asian" (the word used in the U.K. to describe such as Pakistan Muslims) immigrants who have come to the U.K. often are at least at first appreciative of the welcome given them and the opportunities it has opened for them. It is not they, but their children who most often become extremists  hating the nation in which they were born, but with which they share few values.

That, too, is France's problem. And Germany's, and Sweden's, and Belgium's, and the Netherlands', etc.

These European nations are behind the U.K. in the timeline  large and rapidly growing Muslim populations are for them something relatively new in modern times. But such are already forming communities of their own  taking over housing developments, entire neighborhoods, and in some cases most of entire smaller cities. Their children are anything but the "new Frenchmen" or "new Swedes" the media like to speak of.

In truth, these second-generation citizens, born of migrants, often see themselves as angry outsiders who wish to see their own foreign culture become the dominant one in their new land. Some of them are willing to do whatever it takes to help bring that about  even commit mass murder.

That is the lesson, to the extent there is one, in Cherif Chekatt's hideous rampage.

Will the French, or the Germans or the Belgians or the Swedes (etc.), learn this? Not if those currently in power in the E.U. have their way.

Make of that what you will.
Judge Emmet G. Sullivan, who is due to sentence General Michael Flynn next Tuesday, has thrown a wild card on the table, raising the possibility that a miscarriage of justice may finally be called out and the guilty plea coerced by Team Mueller thrown out.

Thanks to the sentencing memorandum filed by counsel for General Michael Flynn, we now see that the FBI used deception to ensnare him in a perjury trap. The Wall Street Journal summarizes the deception employed by or at the behest of James Comey and Peter Strzok, both now fired and revealed as fanatical Trump-haters:

The Flynn filing describes government documents concerning the Jan. 24, 2017 meeting with two FBI agents when Mr. Flynn supposedly lied. It turns out the meeting was set up by then Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, who personally called Mr. Flynn that day on other business  to discuss an FBI training session. By Mr. McCabe's account, on that call he told Mr. Flynn he "felt that we needed to have two of our agents sit down" with him to talk about his Russia communications. Mr. McCabe then urged Mr. Flynn to meet without a lawyer present. "I explained that I thought the quickest way to get this done was to have a conversation between [Mr. Flynn] and the agents only. I further stated that if LTG Flynn wished to include anyone else in the meeting, like the White House Counsel for instance, that I would need to involve the Department of Justice. [Mr. Flynn] stated that this would not be necessary and agreed to meet with the agents without any additional participants," wrote Mr. McCabe in a memo viewed by the Flynn defense team. According to the FBI summary of the interview  known as a 302  Mr. McCabe and FBI officials "decided the agents would not warn Flynn that it was a crime to lie during an FBI interview because they wanted Flynn to be relaxed and they were concerned that giving the warnings might adversely affect the rapport." We also know from then FBI Director James Comey that this was his idea. This is "something I probably wouldn't have done or wouldn't have gotten away with in a more organized administration," Mr. Comey boasted on MSNBC this weekend. "In the George W. Bush Administration or the Obama Administration, if the FBI wanted to send agents into the White House itself to interview a senior official, you would work through the White House counsel, there would be discussions and approvals and who would be there. And I thought, it's early enough let's just send a couple guys over." If the goal was to set a legal trap, it worked.

Chuck Ross reports for the Daily Caller News Foundation on Judge Sullivan's startling order:

District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan on Wednesday ordered Flynn's lawyers to hand over two documents: a memo that then-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe wrote after speaking with Flynn ahead his Jan. 24, 2017 interview with two FBI agents and the FBI summary of notes taken during that same interview. That summary, known as an FD-302, was compiled on Aug. 22, 2017 by the two FBI agents who interviewed Flynn. It is unclear why the summary was put together seven months after the Flynn interview.

The delay in filing the Form 302 is totally in violation of the FBI's procedures. Courtesy of Mark Wauck, a retired FBI agent (emphasis added):

Full text of "FBI Manual of Administrative Operations and Procedures (MAOP) 2007" 10-13.4 Initialing Original (FD-302) and Dating The original of an FD-302 is to be read and initialed where his/her name is typed by the reporting employee who will thus certify to the accuracy and completeness of the interview. FD-302 is to be dated in upper right corner and is to bear the date of which the typing was completed; the date of dictation is to appear on FD-302 at the lower right corner where other data is set out. If rough draft is made, the date of the rough draft shall be date of dictation. Date of dictation must be within five working days of the action.

Judge Sullivan wants to see the documents provided to Flynn's counsel but also demands relevant documents from the FBI and special counsel:

Sullivan also ordered the special counsel to hand over any other memos or interview notes relevant to Flynn's interview. The judge set a Friday deadline to turn over the documents. He will decide on Flynn's sentence next Monday.

It is hard for me to imagine a legitimate reason for filing (or revising?) the form 302 months after it was due. But I also can imagine no legitimate reason for the FBI not to record sound and video of all interviews instead of relying on the memory of its own agents.

The Washington Post notes that Judge Sullivan has in the past thrown out a conviction of a politician based on prosecutorial misbehavior.

The judge is well known for his concern about defendants receiving fair treatment from the government. He also issues a standard warning to prosecutors to turn over any and all information to a defendant that could be helpful in their defense, including any evidence of government misconduct. Sullivan famously threw out a jury's 2008 public corruption conviction of U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens after it was discovered that prosecutors and agents had hid [sic] evidence of key government witnesses giving conflicting accounts.



Judge Emmet G. Sullivan (official photo).

As I noted in 2015, there were profound political consequences of the prosecutorial misconduct in the Stevens case:

Obamacare would not have passed if Senator Ted Stevens had been re-elected in 2008. But two Alaska federal prosecutors, assistant U.S. attorneys Joseph Bottini and James Goeke, charged him with accepting tens of thousands of dollars of illegal contributions, and obtained a felony conviction on October 27, 2008, just days before the election. The only problem: they had illegally withheld exculpatory evidence from the defense, and the conviction was overturned. But the damage had been done, and the longest-serving Republican in the Senate at the time had been turned out of office, replaced by Democrat Mark Begich, who provided the crucial 60th vote to pass Obamacare.

The prosecutors in the Stevens case got off with a slap on the wrist: suspension but keeping their careers (and pensions).

[T]he two prosecutors would escape punishment for their history-changing misconduct. Zoe Tillman of the National Law Journal reports: Top U.S. Department of Justice officials violated policy in suspending two prosecutors involved in the botched case against the late Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, a federal board ruled this month in declaring the discipline invalid. Justice Department officials in 2012 concluded that assistant U.S. attorneys Joseph Bottini and James Goeke committed professional misconduct and ordered that they be suspended without pay  Bottini for 40 days and Goeke for 15. The prosecutors, accused of withholding information from Stevens' defense lawyers, challenged the suspensions.

It is far from clear what actions Judge Sullivan might take. General Flynn is unlikely to get sentenced to any imprisonment, as the sentencing memos from the prosecution and defense both requested no prison. But General Flynn's good name has been marred with a guilty plea to a felony. If Judge Sullivan was already going to hand out a sentence with no prison time, there may be something else on his mind.

I have my fingers crossed that Judge Sullivan will throw out the guilty plea and dismiss the case. Depending on what he finds in the documents he will receive, a public rebuke of the special counsel and FBI would be in order.
For the last few weeks, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell had been adamantly opposed to bringing a sweeping criminal justice reform bill to the floor. But yesterday, at the president's urging, McConnell finally relented and said he would schedule a vote on the bipartisan measure.

USA Today:

"At the request of the president and following improvements to the legislation that have been secured by several members, the Senate will take up the revised criminal justice bill this month," the Kentucky Republican said. He said he would turn to it as early as the end of the week. An unusual coalition of Republicans and Democrats, civil rights groups and small-government conservatives have pushed for action on the Senate bill called the "First Step Act." President Donald Trump also backs it. The effort to pass a Senate bill had stalled as McConnell remained reluctant to bring it to a floor vote by the end of the year. Then pressure began to mount on him from Trump and other Republican senators. The measure would give judges more discretion in sentencing offenders for nonviolent crimes, particularly drug offenss [sic], and bolster rehabilitation programs for former prisoners. It would also call for placing federal prisoners closer to home  no more than 500 miles  so families could visit more often.

Not everyone is happy about the bill. Senator Tom Cotton believes that the legislation would free too many prisoners, including some violent felons.

Cotton said he looked forward to debating a revised measure and introducing amendments to address his concerns, including the early release of felons who commit certain crimes. "Unfortunately, the bill still has major problems and allows early release for many categories of serious, violent criminals,'' he said in a statement Tuesday.

Cotton's concerns are valid. If a violent criminal is locked up for drug possession, taking him off the street is a blessing in disguise. Cotton wants to tighten up the early release of some felons who were violent in the past but are in prison for a nonviolent crime.

Otherwise, the bill, even if it passed the Senate, will face a stiff challenge when the legislation goes to a conference with the House to iron out differences with the House bill, which was passed earlier this year.

Some House Republicans object to eliminating the mandatory sentencing requirement for many crimes. Others echo Cotton's objections. It remains to be seen whether those differences can be papered over enough to pass what many are calling historic legislation.
Republicans, of all people, are being called soft on crime. Here is what Washington Post columnist Catherine Rampell wrote recently:

For a party that claims to be "tough on crime," Republicans seem pretty confused by what it means to hold criminals to account. Particularly when it comes to white-collar crimes, or really any crimes committed by rich people. In reality, the reason Manafort wasn't prosecuted ages ago  despite the many red flags over the years  has little to do with politics and more to do with the fact that the United States has basically stopped prosecuting white-collar crimes. Consider the sweetheart plea deal given to Palm Beach billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, which the Miami Herald recently reported on in damning detail.

Ummm, well, ahem. While I agree with Rampell about crime not being enforced, blaming of Republicans for this is a little hard to swallow. In fact, she is tremendously confused when she pretends journalists such as herself and other Democrats have ever cared about pardons by Democratic presidents or criminal activity by powerful Democrats. She and other Democrats absolutely can't stand it if Trump pardons Paul Manafort after he was found guilty of campaign finance law violations.

Let's start with Bill Clinton.

The story of Jeffrey Epstein, who was running a pedophile transport service, was out there when Hillary Clinton was running for president, and Democrats didn't care about putting Bill and Hillary back in the White House with that going on. Now journalists all of a sudden care about the case.

Here is a May 2016 Fox News report showing just that, and here is another Fox report from July 2016.

Here is one from a July 2015 story on Politico.

And don't forget the final signature move of Bill Clinton's presidency: his pardon of white-collar commodity crook Marc Rich in exchange for campaign donations.

President Clinton's pardon of Marc Rich is a saga of secrecy, tenacity, sleight of hand and pressure from Rich's ex-wife and one of her friends, who together have steered millions of dollars to Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton's causes and those of fellow Democrats. Whether it is a story of bribery as well or illegal gifts from abroad is the subject of congressional inquiries and a criminal investigation by the FBI and the U.S. attorney's office in New York.

Bill Clinton actually sold a pardon to the wealthy Marc Rich in exchange for political donations. The Clintons continued to sell access throughout their political careers, and journalists and Democrats knowingly supported putting them back in the White House, showing that laws don't matter  only the agenda.

Clinton's lawlessness didn't stop there. He also pardoned terrorists for political purposes. Remember these headlines?

11 Puerto Rican nationalists freed from prison

President Obama's Pardon for Oscar Lopez Rivera Trades a Terrorist for Votes

Now let's move on to Hillary Clinton.

Hillary, her aides, and President Obama repeatedly violated the nation's security laws, and Democrats, including the media, didn't care. I don't even have to link it, it's so well known.

Now let's move to President Obama:

Here's a choice headline from his presidency:

Obama Granted Clemency Unlike Any Other President In History

On Obama's watch, white-collar scientists repeatedly committed fraud on the public by manipulating climate data, and not only don't Democrats care, but they just repeat the fraudulent numbers as if they were true.

Democrat fundraising powerhouse Planned Parenthood crushed and crunched babies while preserving body parts to sell illegally, and not only didn't Democrats care, but they threatened to shut down government if they didn't continue to get a $500-million taxpayer allowance.

Then there are the Democrats in Congress. Anybody remember this one?

When sexual harassers agree on confidential settlements with victims, at least the payments come out of the harassers' own pockets or from companies that choose to employ them. But not, as the nation has learned this month, when the harasser serves in Congress. Then, taxpayers foot the bill. And the entire episode remains hidden.

Members of Congress from both parties used taxpayer funds to keep the public from knowing about sexual harassment claims, but now Democrats, including journalists, say Trump should be charged with a crime for using personal funds to pay off blackmailers. Shouldn't all members of Congress be charged with campaign finance law violations since these hidden settlements were kept from the public so politicians could be re-elected?

Meanwhile, downstream in Democratville, powerful Democratic political operatives, such as Franklin Raines, Jamie Gorelick, and James Johnson committed massive fraud at Fannie Mae, yet Democrats didn't care. Remember this?

Senior executives at Fannie Mae manipulated accounting to collect millions of dollars in undeserved bonuses and to deceive investors, a federal report charged Tuesday. The government-sponsored mortgage company was fined $400 million.

Would pardoning Paul Manafort be worse than any of this? The Justice Department that did everything to let people off throughout Obama's eight years clearly targeted people around Trump for special prosecution. That certainly doesn't pass the smell test for equal justice.

It is a joke that Democrats are the party of law and order. They are the party that wants the government to have power. They gladly supported the corrupt Senator Bob Menendez for re-election.

People who supported putting the Clintons back in the White House, who support sanctuary cities and states that refuse to abide by laws Congress passed, and who had no problem with the Justice Department protecting Hillary and others who worked for Obama no matter which laws they broke while targeting Trump and those surrounding him have zero credibility talking about law and order and equal treatment under the law.

Image credit Nick Youngson, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Alpha Stock Images.
Another day, another dead dissident over in the socialist hellhole of Venezuela.

The death of Nelson Martinez in police custody made the news, because no one had ever seen such a high-level official killed off, possibly by bad medical care, which wouldn't be surprising in a Venezuelan dungeon, or maybe a rubout from the mafia state that's currently in power. Maybe it was both. It's likely someone wanted him dead.

Martinez had been Venezuela's oil chief, the man at the top of state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., which brought in 95% of the country's export revenues based on Venezuela's oil shipments, and close to Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro. The news accounts say he had ostensibly been busted for corruption, but that's largely meaningless, given the widespread corruption of the Chavista nomenklatura. They're all corrupt, so why would this guy's corruption be important? The more specific issues seem to do with his stewardship of CITGO, the Venezuelan government's marketing and refining operation, a vital asset of Venezuela in ensuring that a market always exists for Venezuelan oil, given that Venezuela produces a less desirable heavy crude than what other oil-producers provide. With CITGO refineries in the U.S. specially configured to handle Venezuela's output and Venezuela's short shipping distance to the U.S. providing a competitive advantage, CITGO has been key to ensuring that Venezuela would always have a full-price buyer even when oil prices dropped. And that's what brings the money in in socialist Venezuela.

As former PDVSA board member Pedro Burelli noted on Twitter (his tweets are worth watching on this; the Venezuelan former oil official is going to know what is going on):

Existiendo MUCHA evidencia de que Nelson Martinez era un sinverguenza, murio sin que le formularon cargos. Fue hombre de confianza de @NicolasMaduro y TEA. Tambien sabia MUCHO pues compartio/repartio MUCHO con MUCHOS de los jerarcas del Estado Mafioso. Silenciarlo era esencial.  Pedro Mario Burelli (@pburelli) December 13, 2018

Microsoft translation:

There was a lot of evidence that Nelson Martinez was a scoundrel, he died without being charged. He was a man of trust for Nicolas Maduro and TEA. He also knew a lot because he shared/dealt with many of the hierarchs of the mafia state. Silencing him was essential.

Burelli has other thoughts about it here, and hitting the translate button at the bottom of the tweets is not difficult if you don't read Spanish.

Now let's look at the news accounts about why Martinez ended up in a Chavista jail back in late 2017. According to the BBC:

Two powerful Venezuelan former oil officials have been arrested as part of a sweeping anti-corruption operation. The arrests came just days after the two, oil minister Eulogio del Pino and head of state oil company PDVSA, Nelson Martinez, were replaced in their posts with members of the military. A number of senior officials at Citgo, Venezuela's US-based refining company were detained last week. Critics of President Nicolas Maduro say this is part of a political purge. They say Mr Maduro, who is expected to stand for re-election in presidential elections due to be held next year, is sidelining influential and capable figures within his party who he thinks could become rivals for the presidency.

Farther down in the story:

Chief prosecutor Tarek William Saab said in a news conference that Mr Del Pino was suspected of playing a part in a $500m (370m) corruption scheme at Petrozamora, a joint venture between PDVSA and Gazprom. He also said that Mr Martinez had been detained for allegedly allowing a Citgo refinancing deal to proceed without the approval of the Venezuelan government. The chief prosecutor said the operation had been led by Venezuela's military counterintelligence unit.

There has been a back and forth going on about how to shield CITGO from creditors, given that Big Oil and other companies have won many lawsuits over the late Hugo Chavez's expropriations of their assets in Venezuela in the name of socialism. Venezuela also is in sovereign default on its debt, which makes CITGO an attractive asset for creditors to claim. Somehow, it's held together as a Venezuelan asset, but it's always on the edge of being confiscated.

The question of why Venezuela has fought so hard to hold the asset, and how it has used the asset, seems to be where Martinez comes in. Martinez ran CITGO in recent years.

Turns out that CITGO hasn't just been an attractive means of holding Venezuela's market share in oil imports  it's also been an important lobbying operation, and in two ways. It forked over a lot of lobbying money to gamy regimes such as Syria and Libya to lobby U.S. lawmakers. (They like money.) It was also the principal vehicle for Joe Kennedy's Dial-Joe-4-Oil cheap heating oil program, which gave Venezuela such propaganda chops with the lefty set in the U.S.

Get a load of this interview, from veteran Venezuela expert and Harvard professor Francisco Monaldi, whose observations are always worth reading. I will just post the Google Translate version with emphasis on key issues raised, but the link to the 2014 interview about what CITGO's game was during Martinez's presidency is well worth reading if you can read Spanish:

Francisco Monaldi is always attentive to news from Venezuela. He is part of his work as director of the IESA Energy Center and as a visiting professor at Harvard University. Despite living in Boston, he says that it is enough to turn on the television to see the propaganda of a foundation that reminds the poor of Massachusetts that the people of Venezuela and Nicolas Maduro generously give fuel and heating to the areas in need. "Before there was talk of Chavez, but with his death a year went by without propaganda. As the contract was renewed, they are announcing it again and now with Maduro. The son of Robert Kennedy, Joe, has a foundation with a great weight in the state and maintains a close relationship with Venezuela. These are things that have given the government a political floor, it has opened the doors to certain groups in the United States that benefit from the subsidies and it is a great political instrument for Venezuela. " In a recent article by Prodavinci, journalist Andres Rojas Jimenez explores the case of Citizens Energy Corporation, the Bostonian foundation of Joe Kennedy that maintains the Venezuelan subsidy, along with the remarkable influence of CITGO in the lobbying of American lobbyists. For experts like Francisco Monaldi, this phenomenon is very clear: "Subsidies like those in Boston and the Bronx give rise to favorable feelings towards Venezuela in certain sectors of the population. They buy a favorable reception with characters, like Sean Penn, who see Venezuela as an actor with a progressive agenda. And not only within the country, but also outside. " Monaldi points out that one of the great utilities that Hugo Chavez found at CITGO was the great weight that his economic income has on the strategies of Venezuelan foreign policy and the US voice favorable to the revolutionary cause: "It is also a very important company that , despite its problems, it is still the seventh refiner in the United States. CITGO processes 750,000 barrels per day of oil and around 60% of those barrels are heavy. That makes it a great asset for a heavyweight producer, as is the case in Venezuela. " How important do you think the role of this company has been in Venezuelan international politics? When he could not sell CITGO, Hugo Chavez discovered that he had a series of attractions such as, for example, the influence he has on American politics. Lately several very interesting works have been published on how Venezuela used CITGO to pay lobbyists in favor of Syria, North Korea and Libya. CITGO does a very strong lobbying for the interests of Venezuela in the United States and that is very useful. Despite the fact that people like Bernard Mommer, who is one of the great critics of internationalization, are still one of the architects of oil policy, there are people within PDVSA such as Nelson Martinez, current president of CITGO, who has a good relationship with Nicolas Mature and is a person who sees a greater value from the strategic point of view to the existence of this company.

In other words, Martinez ran the influence-lobbying operations for Venezuela; forked over cash to rogue states such as North Korea; and was the guy who brought Sean Penn, Joe Kennedy, and other lefties onboard to cheer Chavez.

Now Chavez is dead, and Venezuela is under big-time sanctions, possibly based on these lobbying activities, which clearly worked for a while but not when President Trump got in the saddle.

What does Joe Kennedy know about this guy and why he died? Why did Joe Kennedy meet with Nicolas Maduro in 2016, something Maduro put up on Twitter?

What does this say about Venezuela's overseas operations and the crash-out of them with the election of Trump and the squeeze that's followed?

This story is probably bigger than it looks.
As yet another Christmas season dawns upon us, those who rejoice in its message must once again contend with those who despise it. Anti-Christianity has become the hate that dares not speak its own name, disguising itself instead in the sheep's clothing called "freedom from religion."

While denying that they hate Jesus and His followers, the anti-Christian warriors have clearly demonstrated their animosity in various ways, even forbidding their employees to say, "Merry Christmas." In doing so, they have cited their right to be free from religion.

The motives of those who make war on Christmas are not about freedom. There is no Church of America to compel their worship, nor are there compulsory tithes. Non-Christians are as free as Christians, either to worship or not, but that is not enough for the social injustice warriors. Their motives are fear and hatred.

This is nothing new. Hatred of Jesus is an ancient and deadly sin. The Bible records perhaps the first instance of it:

Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth [his army], and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men. (Matthew 2:16)

One of the many lessons in this passage is not, repeat not, that King Herod disbelieved in Jesus. Quite to the contrary, he recognized in Jesus a challenge to his own power. However misbegotten that recognition was, Herod rightly feared Jesus, the king of no earthly kingdom.

So it is today. We are told that religious freedom means the suppression of Christianity. It is to be barely tolerated, and even then, only so long as it hides behind the walls of churches. It is as if the phrase "nor prohibit the free exercise thereof" meant "except in the public square." It is as if the term "neutrality toward religion" meant hostility toward it.

Ironically, while the political left despises all symbols of Christianity, it fawns over the least tolerant of all the world's major religions, even going so far as to call for the implementation of sharia law.

Anti-Christian hatred has all but expunged from public education the teaching of the Mayflower Compact, the oldest written form of constitution in North America. The compact explicitly and unapologetically proclaims its purpose: "Having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith ..."

Anti-Christian bigots have gone so far as to punish schoolchildren for wearing Christian-themed tee shirts, for the most innocuous expressions of their faith.

At the same time, they seek to compel adherence to their own rituals, including by firing a teacher for quietly refusing to address a gender-confused girl as a boy.

The war against Christmas is not imaginary. It is not a campaign against a tree. It is a recognition that when citizens worship God more than they worship government-enforced secular dogma, those in power become less powerful. That terrifies them, and like Herod, they will stop at nothing to preserve their positions.

By the way  merry Christmas!
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who was received Tuesday in Rabat by King Mohammed VI, expressed enormous gratitude to the Sovereign and to the Kingdom of Morocco for hosting the conference for the adoption of the Global Compact for Migration.

He thanked the King for the successful organization in Morocco of the intergovernmental conference that was crowned with the adoption of the Global Compact on Migration, dubbed the Marrakech Pact, said a statement issued by the Royal Office.

Mr. Guterres also commended the Kingdom for its contributions and steadfast commitment to UN peacekeeping operations, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic, and for its continued support to his initiatives on UN reform.

During the audience, Mr. Guterres praised Moroccos constructive role in boosting South-South cooperation, human rights achievements, as well as the implementation of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development & climate change, added the statement.

They also exchanged views on issues of mutual interest, such as the situation in the Maghreb region, Africa and the Sahara issue in light of the 1st round-table on the regional conflict held in Geneva Dec. 5-6.

King Mohammed VI availed this opportunity to reaffirm Moroccos firm support to the efforts made by the UN Secretary General and his personal envoy to reach a final political solution to the Sahara regional dispute.
Over the years, I've learned that Mexican presidents use Cuba as a way of keeping the domestic left quiet.

Therefore, it does not surprise me that President Lopez-Obrador is going to bring in some Cuban doctors, as I learned from Victor Becerra:

According to an article published on December 2 in the Brazilian newspaper Estadao, by the well-known Mexican journalist Veronica Calderon, which was quickly picked up by media from all over the world, since last September it is a deal that was negotiated between the Cuban dictatorship and the Mexican government, through Lazaro Cardenas Batel, coordinator of advisers to Lopez Obrador himself, with the intermediation of Celso Amorim, a former Brazilian official of the governments of Lula Da Silva and Dilma Rousseff, to bring three thousand Cuban doctors to Mexico. The Mexican government would pay USD $6.5 million a month to the Castro dictatorship, amounting to a total of USD $80 million per year, an amount equivalent to, for example, the amount spent annually to bring water to Mexico City.

So what's the big deal? What's wrong with Mexico importing doctors to supplement its domestic supply of health care professionals?

There is no problem, but this is not a routine "importation" of doctors. As the article also pointed out, Brazil was paying US$3,500 to the Castro regime for each doctor. However, the Cuban doctor only got US$900 and could not bring his family along.

You can do the math. It looks like a great source of "hard currency" for the Castro regime and not a very good salary for the Cuban doctor.

President-Elect Bolsonaro of Brazil promised to kill the program because the Cuban doctors are exploited. Apparently, President Lopez-Obrador of Mexico does not see it that way.

A few hours ago, I spoke with a Mexican friend who is a surgeon in Mexico City. I asked for his reaction to this and how the news is going down. He said he supports the idea but only if the doctors are being paid directly and work free of the Cuban government.

What about public opinion? I asked. He felt that most Mexicans would react negatively to people being used like this.

Maybe this is why President Lopez-Obrador is downplaying the move.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

Photo credit: Pixabay.
A top academic on Thursday blasted U.S. President Donald Trumps suggestion that Huaweis arrested Chief Financial Officer might be used as political leverage if the need arises. According to Scholl Chair for international business at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Mr. William Reinsch, the history of the U.S. and Canada has a straightforward approach to contemporary criminal justice systems and requires justice to be blind, i.e. be applied equally to all perpetrators and victims based on the circumstances of every particular case and not the involved parties identities. Trump is basically saying he might interfere with this process, which is a terrible precedent, the academic remarked.

Pushing for a new trade deal by any means necessary

Renegotiating major trade agreements with China has been one of President Trumps primary promises on the campaign trail and in his attempt to come good on that vow, the head of the U.S. started a full-blown trade war with the Far Eastern country that already resulted in massive tariffs imposed on tens and hundreds of billions of goods and technologies being exchanged between the worlds two largest economies. While Washington and Beijing agreed to a 90-day truce two weeks ago during the latest G20 summit in Argentina, Canadian authorities have been on the verge of arresting Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, having pulled the plug on that plan on December 1. Neither President Trump nor Prime Minister Trudeau was aware of the effort conducted on the behest of the stateside Department of Justice, with both parties claiming the arrest wasnt politically motivated, i.e. in any way related to the ongoing trade war.

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Deja vu

Beijing disagrees and has already said as much, having publicly criticized the development on numerous occasions. State-backed media in China is currently going as far as to call Canada a U.S. puppet, asserting Ms. Mengs arrest was baseless and made in bad faith with an obvious political agenda. The Department of Justice is alleging the long-time executive and daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei organized a banking scheme and established hidden ties to a Hong Kong company operating in Iran, all with the goal of breaking U.S. trade sanctions imposed against Iran. Violated trade sanctions imposed on Iran were the reason why another giant Chinese company  the state-owned ZTE  was nearly put out of business earlier this year, with that episode signaling Huaweis CFO likely wont be getting off the hook easily if even a fraction of the accusations against her are true.

Ms. Meng was released on bail equivalent to approximately $6.5 million earlier this week and is currently under limited house arrest in Canada as shes perceived to be a flight risk. The DOJ has until early February to formally request her extradition but is already expected to do so this month. If the full extent of the current allegations against Huaweis CFO is proven true, she is facing up to 30 years in federal prison, according to existing fraud legislation, though any such a scenario isnt likely to happen before a lengthy legal battle takes place.
Chinas state media accused Canada of acting like a United States puppet that gave in to Washingtons hegemonism by caving in to the Justice Departments demand for Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou to be arrested earlier this month. In a polarizing editorial that went live on Thursday, Chinas Global Times published an editorial wherein it argues Ms. Mengs arrest is illegal as it violates an existing extradition treaty between the U.S. and Canada and that Ottawa should release the 46-year-old immediately and unconditionally instead of continuing to act as the 51st [U.S.] state. The bulk of that argument rests on the claim that the controversial arrest is purely political in nature and doesnt have a strong legal backing in reality; both international law and precedents set by Canadas responses to previous U.S. extradition requests dictate politically motivated extradition requests should not be honored under any circumstances, the outlet argued.

Neither the Trudeau administration nor Washington responded to the criticism and arent expected to do so, even as part of Chinas propaganda machine concluded its latest publication with what could be perceived as a threat: Canada must be clear that in the U.S. political war against China, if it picks the U.S. side, it will inevitably be injured by Chinas counterattack.

Trump accused of manipulating the U.S. judicial system

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The state-owned media outlet argues President Donald Trumps Wednesday comments that saw him indicate a willingness to intervene in Ms. Mengs case if doing so would help the U.S. in its ongoing trade negotiations with Canada demonstrate the stateside judicial system isnt independent. The same source pointed to the Secretary of State Mike Pompeos support of the Presidents stance as further evidence of that assertion, describing Ms. Mengs arrest as nothing short of yet another politically motivated attack against China and its rising technology sector.

Huawei itself has been arguing similar points in the past, accusing Washington and other Western governments opposing its aggressive global expansion in order to unfairly aide its rivals. The U.S. government any many American companies tell a different story; one that doesnt lack in accusations of trade secret theft, corporate espionage, and close ties to Chinas communist government indicative of major security risks. Those connections go all the way back to Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, a former engineer and official of the Peoples Liberation Army. Ms. Meng whos been with Huawei since its startup days in 1993 is also one of Mr. Rens three children.

An endless stream of regulatory issues

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The list of Huaweis accusers alleging the company practices trade secret theft includes everyone from Cisco Systems and T-Mobile to Motorola and even some Silicon Valley startups. Many of those ended up taking the company to court, though the Chinese conglomerate often chose to settle so as to avoid dragging those accusations through the court, a policy many interpreted as an indirect admission of guilt. While Huaweis ambitions to bring its contemporary Android smartphone portfolio to the U.S. are no secret, the only wireless carrier willing to partner with it on that goal  AT&T  was pressured into dropping the idea by Washington in early 2018, mere hours before the partnership was planned to be announced at Las Vegas, Nevada-based Consumer Electronics Show.

Some half a year later, Congress voted for this years spending bill that contained an anti-Huawei provision, essentially barring government agencies from purchasing or licensing any kind of technologies produced by the Chinese company, as well as solutions that are in any way associated with the thereof. Both Huawei and ZTE, another Chinese firm also targeted by the same provision, condemned the move as unfair. Around the same time, the Pentagon banned sales of Huawei and ZTE Android smartphones on and around U.S. military bases in the country and abroad, citing national security concerns.

This is just the beginning

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Ms. Mengs December 1 arrest appears to be only the beginning of things to come; the industry veteran was released on bail equivalent to $6.5 million earlier this week and is presently under limited house arrest, wearing an ankle monitor and being without her passport after a Vancouver court decided any lesser measures would make her a flight risk. The executives legal team previously argued the defendant would never dishonor her father by openly defying a court order and fleeing the country. The stateside Justice Department has until early February to submit an official extradition request, something its expected to do before the end of the year. Beijing already registered its complaints in the media and with U.S. Ambassador to China and former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, though the amount of political pressure it exerted up until now has yet to yield any results.

Initial reports on the matter and Ms. Mengs bail hearing revealed the Justice Department suspects the Huawei CFO of establishing an illegal banking scheme and forging hidden ties to a Hong Kong company operating in Iran with the goal of circumventing U.S. trade sanctions imposed on the Middle Eastern country. Ms. Meng has no criminal record anywhere in the world and Huawei insists it has no evidence of any wrongdoing on her part. High-profile tech executives in both the U.S. and China are now said to be fearful of finding themselves in the middle of Washington and Beijings clash that may be escalating with Ms. Meng but has started as soon as President Trump took office, promising a trade war less China agrees to negotiate a new trade deal with the U.S. and address the issue of deficit between the two. He later came good on that promise, imposing tariffs on tens of billions of dollars of Chinese goods and technologies, prompting Beijing to retaliate in an eye-for-an-eye manner. The two countries agreed to a 90-day truce at a late November G20 summit in Argentina but as news of Ms. Mengs arrest broke only days following that gathering, their relations are now once again hitting a historic low. The Huawei executive will continue to fight the DOJs extradition demands later this month at a court in Vancouver.
DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg has expanded on the companys recent research into Googles search practices, alleging that results from the search giant put signed-out users into filter bubbles categories based on their location, Business Insider reports. Speaking with the source following Google CEO Sundar Pichais appearance before a House Judiciary Committee this week, the executive claims that not only do Googles search results show bias but that the bias is inadvertently political because its location-based. Centering his examples on searches for the term gun control, Mr. Weinberg explains that users in some zip codes will see results pertaining to the NRA while other zip codes dont. The CEO went on to say that may not even be specific zip codes that cause the discrepancy but that the bias does appear to be location based to some degree. Google is, Mr. Weinberg suggests, filtering content for users in a biased fashion without even realizing it.

Background: The new remarks from Mr. Weinberg follow from and are based in a study conducted by the Google competitor earlier this month. That study painted a picture of Googles search algorithms as being untrustworthy since results still showed signs of personalization even after a given user was signed out. Based on the executives more recent remarks, that may be the result of biases based on location, time of day, and similar factors. The algorithms also generally tend to surface material based on popularity, cultural relevance, and other more abstract concepts but DuckDuckGo says that the personalizations go further than that. Deliberate or not, the company seems to be fine-tuning which results a user is likely to see in a way that effectively boxes users in  creating an echo chamber of sorts based on relatively trivial aspects of their lives. The differences resulting from various searches with controls for those aspects in place are vast, Mr. Weinberg says.

For Googles part, the search giant has claimed that the studys methods are flawed, leading to completely flawed conclusions. Rather than being objective, the company remarks, the study is based on the assumption that all differences are based on some form of personalization. Google refers to the time of day and location where the search is performed as examples of factors that DuckDuckGo has failed to control effectively. The latter company provider has argued that the differences in search results based on those were not slight and with hopes that others will perform further studies into the matter. In the meantime, issues of bias in search arent necessarily new and Google has recently been forced to go into at least somewhat more detail about how its algorithms work, via the abovementioned House Judiciary Committee hearing. Among other issues discussed at the hearing, the company was faced with questions about political bias but mostly responded that the examples provided as evidence of bias were not, in fact, instances of bias. Instead, Mr. Pichai explained that results are basically what Googles algorithms determine the user expects to see.

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Impact: Whether or not there is an inherent bias in results to a Google query is a topic that will likely require more studies to determine with certainty but it doesnt appear to be deliberate in any case. As pointed out by Mr. Weinberg, the biased results appear to be formed via a purely algorithmic happenstance. That hasnt stopped and realistically shouldnt halt efforts by the privacy-focused search competitor to shine a light on probable issues with Googles search results. The recent controversies faced by the Alphabet Inc subsidiary and studies calling out some of its practices could ultimately force the company to prioritize looking into the matter internally, at a minimum.
The Lenovo Smart Display is now in the process of receiving a new update that adds a number of improvements to the overall user experience. Lenovo has confirmed the update is now rolling out, and had placed a seven-day time-frame on the expected completion of the rollout. A conscious decision the company states was made to ensure no catastrophic issues occur. In addition, Lenovo has also explained the update is only rolling out to devices in the US, Canada, and the UK. Which is probably to be expected, considering, and as Lenovo points out  these are the only locations in which the companys smart display has been released so far.

Theres quite a few feature changes/improvements in this update and in line with the nature of smart displays in general, the importance of any particular feature change will come down to how often you use that feature, as theres nothing here that necessarily offers an across the board improvement to the experience.

Only the tiles you want to see

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Compared to some of the other features, the use of tiles is likely to be one of the more widely used aspects as these make up much of the experience with card-like tiles employed to denote various other features. If nothing else, they provide a good way to inform the user of what the smart display can do. However, up until now, Lenovo Smart Display users were not able to customize the tile view very much which makes for a more cluttered experience for those tiles that the user in not interested in. Following the update, users will now be able to swipe those unwanted tiles away leaving a more clutter-free view. However, Lenovo has pointed out that not all tiles can be swiped away, and therefore tiles for Calendar, Commute, Explore, News, Music & Video Recommendations, and Upcoming Reminder will remain in place after the update with no option to remove. Although in fairness, most if not all of these tiles are likely to be commonly accessed by most users. In addition, the use of mini remote control tiles are now supported for additional devices, and these will be available on the home screen as well as accessible when media playback is in effect.

Now easier to find save recipes

For those who prefer to use a smart display to help with the cooking, the command options will be more varied following the update. Specifically, the Cookbook feature now lets users do more with smart display owners able to now command Google to show the contents of a Cookbook, save a recipe, and remove one when needed. These commands can all be initiated by simply following the Hey Google hotword with the specific action. For example, show my cookbook, add to cookbook and remove from cookbook.

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Better smart home control, photo actions

Providing you have some compatible smart home products connected to the smart display, following the update users will be able to better control some of them. This specifically relates to the Nest Thermostat as owners will now be able to use more commands to manage the heat-cool feature associated with the thermostat. While light controls have been improved which now means users are able to control the on/off and dim-level of individual lights that have been allocated within a group  for example, within a room. Last, but not least, photo actions have also been improved with users able to favorite a photo, share one, or remove one.

Lenovo doing well to keep its Smart Display updated

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The Lenovo Smart Display was the first Google Assistant-related smart display to arrive to market which likely means it was also one of those that has seen a higher level of adoption. Which makes it all the better to see the company remaining committed to keeping the device updated, For example, the last update to arrive for the Smart Display landed in the closing week of November and that was largely headlined by the introduction of the Cookbook feature that has seen its feature-list expanded on today. So not only is Lenovo proving to be quick at rolling out updates with new features, but also as quick on updating those features with new abilities and supports. While these changes do not seem like the biggest of improvements, it is this finer level that matters as the interface experience on offer with the Lenovo Smart Display is largely the same as whats offered with any other Google Assistant-related smart display. Therefore, it is exactly these small changes at the user experience level that can make the difference between one display and another.

Still the best Smart Display to buy

In spite of being the first to market, the Lenovo Smart Display remains one of, if not the best smart display for consumers to buy. As the interface is primarily the same as that found on other similar devices, the buying decision facing consumers will mostly come down to the design. Unlike other options, this is in particular an area Lenovo has focused on to ensure its solution is as much in line with being a home product as it is a tech product. An aspect which was a little more lost on JBL, LG, and Googles options. Whats more, Lenovos Smart Display is also available in two different sizes. One of which compares to the display offered by LG and JBL (with all three offering larger displays than Googles option), and the other comes with an even larger display for those looking for an improved viewing experience. So not only are you getting a nicer designed smart display in general, but you also have the option of choosing which size best serves your needs. All of this has resulted in the Lenovo Smart Display becoming one of the more expensive options, although it can often be found at discounted prices due to the Holidays. For example, right now some retailers are selling the smaller 8-inch model for as low as $99  the lowest price it has been available for since launch.
Prayers, meetings and confessions are scheduled for Advent. The Bahrain cathedral is essential to meet the needs of Catholics in Saudi Arabia as well. Social and confessional relations are developing slowly. Pope Francis's visit is a source of "encouragement" for the regions Christians despite some issues.

Kuwait City (AsiaNews)  In this period of Advent in preparation for Christmas, "let us renew the call for the journey of unity" in a context in which the faithful of various nationalities and rites live, said Mgr Camillo Ballin, apostolic vicar of Northern Arabia (Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain).

The prelate is currently in Kuwait for a series of meetings with various groups. In order to meet their "material and spiritual" needs, it is important "to complete the construction of the new cathedral in Bahrain, he told AsiaNews.

With respect to the upcoming papal visit to the United Arab Emirates, the first of a Roman pontiff in a Gulf nation, the vicar stressed that the event will be a "source of encouragement" for the regions Catholics, although some doubts remain.

"Every community, every group coming from various source countries is getting ready with prayers, songs, and spiritual retreat-like gatherings, Mgr Ballin said.

"We have brought in priests from outside the region so that the faithful can confess [in their own language] and we have organised some educational activities related to the holidays, he said.

Of course, "the ambiance is nowhere like Christmas in Italy, or Europe, but the faithful are waiting eagerly for the celebrations".

In Kuwait, as in the regions other Muslim majority countries, no major changes have occurred for the community. As a local saying goes, here "you walk at the speed of the camel. This means Its a slow walk, slow progress that does not bring great change in terms of social or confessional relations."

For decades, as foreign workers, most Christians have reproduced here the life and traditions they brought from their countries of origin. As a Church, we try as much as possible to make them happy."

According to 2014 figures, the regions Catholics (mostly economic migrants) number almost 2.5 million out of a population of 36 million. They are served by about 60 priests, two deacons, in ten parishes, plus 40 men religious and 18 nuns.

Except for Saudi Arabia, where only Islam is allowed, religious freedom exists to a substantial extent in the other countries and religious practice faces no particular restrictions.

For Mgr Ballin, "The main problem is the location for celebrations. Usually, we have only one church available for all groups and languages. For example, here in Kuwait there are five different rites. And for the Latin rite alone, we have 13 languages bit a single parish for Mass and services."

Each rites "tries to maintain its traditions, but we insist on the importance of communion; otherwise we are but many different Churches without any catholicity", which is why "I ask the faithful to be patient and work on a journey of communion.

At the same time, it is crucial to meet practical needs, by building a cathedral in Bahrain. The site is only 24 km from the Saudi border, making it an essential place of prayer for those who live and work in the kingdom."

With respect to the popes Gulf visit next February, the vicar of Arabia calls it an "encouraging" event that will push Christians to "live their faith with greater strength". However, sources in the vicariate spoke to AsiaNews about some "critical issues" related to the visit.

In the past, other countries in the region, such as Bahrain, had invited the pontiff. For this reason, "a visit to the four countries of the region that have diplomatic relations with the Holy See, however brief, would have been more appropriate," especially in light of the row between Riyadh and Doha and the war in Yemen.

"What is more, the path to dialogue seems to privilege Sunni Islam, including Egypt, at the expense of other countries and Shia Islam."
Constitutional Court Allows Sale of Lands on Foreigners, Time is Limited

By Gvantsa Gabekhadze

The Constitutional Court of Georgia declared unconstitutional the moratorium imposed by the Parliament of Georgia regarding the sale of agricultural lands to foreign citizens.The lawsuit was filed by Greece citizens, who failed to register heritable land plots in Georgia.The court has announced the decision without a trial, as the court made a similar decision in 2012 and 2014.However, the court decision will work until 16 December, as on the day when the inauguration ceremony of the new president of Georgia will take place a new constitution of Georgia comes into play.The new constitution prohibits the sale of agricultural lands to foreigners.Consequently, the foreigners who wish to buy agricultural lands in Georgia has about a week to do this.Georgia introduced a moratorium on the sale of agricultural lands to foreigners in 2017.The new constitution of Georgia says that agricultural lands cannot be sold to foreign citizens, foreign-registered companies and companies registered by foreign nationals in Georgia.
MediaTek unveiled latest chipset offering, the Helio P90 SoC. The Taiwanese semiconductor company claims that its newest product offers up to four times better performance in artificial intelligence tasks compared to previous Helio P chipsets, and the improved performance is made possible by the addition of APU 2.0, a built-in processing unit and fusion AI architecture designed by MediaTek. The APU 2.0 enables the Helio P90 to support a wide variety of artificial intelligence-powered features, which include the Google Lens, an image recognition feature developed by the search giant, and human pose detection, a functionality that can track and analyze the body movements of the user. Handsets can also use the APU 2.0 to accelerate augmented reality and mixed reality experiences.

The Helio P90 chipset is manufactured using the 12-nanometer process node technology and it features an octa-core CPU, which includes a dual-core ARM Cortex A75 CPU running at a maximum clock speed of 2.2GHz and a hexa-core ARM Cortex A55 CPU clocked at up to 2.0GHz. The chipset also includes a PowerVR GM 9446 GPU from Imagination Technologies, and this GPU can power displays with an aspect ratio of 21:9 and a resolution of up to 2,520 by 1,080 pixels. The Helio P90 also supports up to 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM. Meanwhile, MediaTeks proprietary CorePilot technology manages the way the chipset operates to ensure consistent and sustained peak performance while reducing the power consumption of the device. Connectivity-wise, the Helio P90 includes a 4G LTE modem, which supports technologies like 44 MIMO antenna, three-carrier aggregation, High Power User Equipment (HPUE), and 256-QAM data modulation, and it also supports 802.11 ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 standards. The SoCs LTE modem is compatible with 600MHz LTE spectrum, which means that devices with this chipset can connect to T-Mobiles low-band LTE network.

The upgraded triple image signal processors of the Helio P90 can support either a single 48-megapixel camera or two rear shooters equipped with 24-megapixel and 16-megapixel sensors. Devices equipped with the chipset can capture 48-megapixel images at a frame rate of 30FPS and it can also record super slow-motion videos at HD resolution and a frame rate of 480FPS. The ISP itself includes an AI engine that aims to reduce image noise by detecting faces and scenes in real-time in both low-light and shaky scenarios, and the SoC also includes a dedicated Depth Engine which allows smartphones to offer real-time bokeh previews at a frame rate of up to 30FPS.

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Background: The latest addition to the Helio P-lineup of chipsets continues MediaTeks strategy of developing SoCs with improved AI performance. Last year, the Taiwanese semiconductor firm paused the development of high-end mobile chipsets and focused its efforts on its mid-range product offerings that belong to the Helio P series. However, to remain competitive at the more premium segments of the smartphone market, MediaTek focused its efforts on developing chipsets with dedicated AI functionality, which should allow the tech firm to continue offering top-tier features while keeping the costs low. The inclusion of a dedicated built-in processing unit for AI tasks on the Helio P90 is likely a result of the companys recent strategy in chipset design.

Impact: MediaTek expects that the first consumer devices that sport the Helio P90 chipset will start shipping in the first quarter of 2019, although the company did not specify any partner manufacturers that will feature the Helio P90 in their respective smartphones. However, users will likely see this chipset in a number of mid-range devices within the next few months.
Posted on: December 13, 2018 3:57 PM

The Anglican Primate of Burundi, Archbishop Martin Blaise Nyaboho, has led hundreds of people on a march through Makamba in a protest against gender-based violence (GBV). The march took place during the international annual 16 Days of Activism, which concluded on Monday  international Human Rights Day. The march was one of a number of activities that took place in Burundi during the 16 Days to raise awareness of the harmful consequences of GBV and take the courage to denounce them, the provincial Communications Officer, Guy Nasasagare, told the Anglican Communion News Service.

Activities were organised in different dioceses, such as Gitega, Matana and Makamba, where people from diverse backgrounds and religious denominations and of all kinds came together to protest the violence suffered by women and girls, he said.

Speaking about the march on Burundi National Television, Archbishop Martin said: We are all concerned and we want to call on everyone to say no to violence against women, to denounce the perpetrators and to plead for the victims to receive appropriate assistance and above all that their dignity be preserved.

One of the male participants of the march said that women had been subjected to violence by their partners because they had engaged in initiatives like adult literacy and savings and credit groups; but the women persevered and changed attitudes through the added income they contributed to the households.

The determination of our wives and their contribution to the development of our families has completely transformed us because we realised that they were worth much more than our acts of abuse against them, he said. They are now buying clothes, they have started activities that generate income when we used to consider ourselves the only ones to be able to meet the needs of the family. We then decided to join them in the associations and we are happy today.

Some of the development initiatives the man spoke about were devised and run by the Mothers Union. Local government officials say that womens empowerment programs initiated by the Mothers Union have significantly reduced domestic violence as a result of changing living conditions in households, where women have become true artisans, Guy Nasasagare said.

The provincial co-ordinator for the campaign against GBV, Jeanne Francoise Ndimubakunzi, welcomed the involvement of religious leaders in the eradication of this violence, but said that there was still a long way to go. We need to work hand-in-hand especially since we are all concerned, it is also our duty to extend our hands to these women and girls in distress because of the violence suffered, she said.
Posted on: December 13, 2018 1:21 PM

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has joined other Christian and Jewish leaders to speak out against the rise of anti-Semitism in the UK and the persecution of Christians in many parts of the world. Britains Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis; the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols; and the head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Great Britain, Archbishop Gregorious; are amongst the religious leaders who co-signed a letter to The Times newspaper today (Thursday). The religious leaders, Co-Presidents of the Council of Christians and Jews (CCJ), used their letter to express concern about the rise in anti-Semitism in the UK.

Anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic discourse is noticeably growing in public life and within social media in the UK, they said. As leaders of the Jewish and Christian communities in the UK we are concerned where this situation may lead. Anti-Semitism has no place in our society and those in positions of power and influence must listen to these concerns. Similarly we continue to speak out on anti-Christian sentiment and persecution of Christians in many parts of the world.

They continued: we affirm our belief that all humankind is made in Gods image. In our respective faiths we pursue the biblical commandment to uphold a community that is fair to its people and generous to the stranger. Our faiths compel us to speak to defend truth, celebrate our diversity and common humanity, be a voice for those in need and seek transformation for the common good.

We call on people of faith to act together with us to promote religious and cultural understanding and advance the elimination of religious and racial prejudice, with particular reference to antisemitism, through education, dialogue, and social action.

The other signatories were Laura Janner-Klausner, Senior Rabbi to Reform Judaism; Dr Susan Brown, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland; Joseph Dweck, Senior Rabbi of the S&P Sephardi Community; Danny Rich, Senior Rabbi and Chief Executive of Liberal Judaism; Dr Hugh Osgood, Moderator of the Free Churches; and Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg, Senior Rabbi of Masorti Judaism.

The Chair of CCJ, Bishop of Lichfield Dr Michael Ipgrave, welcomed the letter, saying it came at a time when a survey has shown a sharp rise in concern about anti-Jewish sentiment in the UK, with 29 per cent of Jews saying they had considered emigrating as a result.

Churches today have a particular responsibility to address historic Christian anti-Judaism which in some cases still informs prejudice in our society, he said. We must inspire people of faith to act to eradicate antisemitism from society and seek to build together a community which respects the individual, celebrates diversity, and pursues the common good.
ToledoA regional 'baron' of the Spanish socialist party would not look askance at proposing the outlawing of pro-independence parties. The president of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano Garcia-Page, said Wednesday that there should be a debate in Spain on whether the parties that support independence should be allowed to continue "benefiting from the Constitution" even though, "openly, they just want to undermine it. "

In an interview with Spains Onda Cero radio, Garcia-Page indicated that there are two models on which Spain needs to seek clarification, and said that there is a precedent of this: the moment in which Spain decided to outlaw the political parties that endorsed violence in the Basque Country.

Although he said that "there is probably still a lot of time" for "raising a question of this type in Spain with a consensus and broad unanimity", Garcia-Page pointed out that "he would not rule out" that outlawing pro-independence parties is the conclusion reached at the end of the debate.

Separatists are "political predators"

Garcia-Page insisted that the prohibition of the parties that stand for independence "is not completely impossible", and he added that the opposite would be "having to get used to living with a group of political predators" such as exist in Catalonia, according to him. In his opinion, it is intolerable that "constitutional institutions and regional governments", that also belong to him "as a Spaniard", "use ideology to manage and govern the institutions for their own ends". "Such a situation cannot remain like this for a long time or become widespread," he concluded.

The President of La Mancha, nevertheless, denied that there is a need for direct rule to be brought back by invoking Article 155 [of the Spanish Constitution]. "In order to take constitutional measures for rupture there must be constitutional reasons for rupture, not political conflict or rhetoric or testosterone."
The initial commitment of US$535 million is from a group of eight regional banks. The accordion feature allows the facility to be increased to up to US$600 million at any time after the initial closing. The facility will support the future financing needs of the business.

Firoz Tarapore, chief executive officer of DAE said: We are pleased to sign this facility with Emirates NBD, a leading bank in the UAE and the Middle East. This facility reinforces the strong availability of liquidity in the market and the confidence in DAEs strategy and reputation. The addition of this facility substantially enhances our financial flexibility and provides yet another element of diversification to our funding strategy.
Putting the global business aviation sector under the microscope at the latest event in the regular regional series held by the Middle East & North Africa Business Aviation Association (MEBAA), Al-Olama sees a future where he hopes everyone should be able to afford to own or use business jets. Driving a car used to be a luxury only afforded to the extremely wealthy. But I see a future, driven by technology and reduced costs, where business aviation will become much more affordable and commonplace, he said.

He pointed out that disruptive companies such as Uber and Tesla have taken inspiration from the aerospace sector. Conventional airline travel has always been based on ride-sharing. Uber took this concept and digitised it. Teslas driverless vehicles follow the lead shown by the aerospace industry in terms of flight automation.

Badr Al-Olama sees a number of disruptive technologies on the horizon. Mubadala has already provided 3D printed thermoplastic parts for Etihad, with Al-Olama pointing out that fast, cost-effective 3D printing sits perfectly with the business aviation sector, for example printing bespoke and obsolete parts, adding: it makes such good sense, and represents an enormous opportunity.

Mubadala is also working with IBM in the AI sector, where the aviation expert sees business aviation as fertile ground for AI-based technology  especially in terms of flight deck automation and cost-saving predictive maintenance.

He suggested that electric engines are more likely to be adopted by business aircraft before commercial airlines, and called for virtual testing of aircraft and products to speed up time to market. In the highly dangerous and expensive nuclear industry, they test new plants using simulation, so why cant we do this in the aerospace sector? We have to run real physical tests, which are time-consuming and costly. We can create digital twins of aircraft and parts and run simulations, saving time and costs.

Badr Al-Olama also wants to see a future where ground handling and MRO is geared towards the smaller needs of business aviation, rather than the large commercial operators. He hopes to see MRO facilities in future becoming more like High Street automotive garages.

The audience, made up of global sector influencers and thought leaders, attend the MEBAA conference to discover the issues and challenges that are driving the regional business aviation industry.

Innovation is a key driver for the business aviation sector, but an in-depth panel session, featuring global players XJet, UAS International Trip Support and Comlux revealed a perceived lack of innovation in the industry.

Renowned aviation entrepreneur Josh Stewart, CEO and founder of XJet, said: This industry needs entrepreneurs and it needs fresh investment in terms of money and ideas. I wish we were more innovative. I think we are way behind  and we must change. We face a classic old boys network, and there is not a lot of space for entrepreneurship.

Kids out there simply dont know that business aviation offers so many viable and exciting career opportunities. People tend to think in terms of commercial pilots as the only career in aviation, and rarely think beyond that. We need organisations like MEBAA, schools and universities to promote opportunities in the sector.

Ryan Frankhouser, Regional Director  America, UAS International Trip Support, said: We are facing a dilemma  people want powerful tools, but a large part of our market is afraid to accept and adapt to innovative ideas. He pointed out his internet is way faster at home than in the air, and the reason connectivity speeds in air are slower is often down to slow regulation and bureaucracy.

Tobias Laps, Senior VP, Comlux, said: Our industry is quite bi-polar, in that we have conservative clients, but we are offering some very innovative measures  for instance, we have been using 3D printing for years.

Consolidation might bring cost savings to end-users, but is it a good thing for industry players? The three panellists delivered an emphatic no, with Stewart suggesting that the industry is losing its face. How does a new company or young entrepreneur compete against an FBO with 210 locations owned by a multi-billion dollar public company?

Frankhouser told delegates that theres a price to pay for convenience, and theres comfort in knowing a product you use in one place will be identical in another, but that we are losing touch with what made the industry special, we are in danger of losing our identity. We need innovators, and we need disruptors. What we developed 20 years ago was considered disruptive and innovative, now its commonplace. We should let the innovators make their impact, make their money and sell to larger companies  to make way for more innovators.

Laps highlighted that the nature of the industry is to supply very specialised services, of a very high standard. To maintain quality, its important to take advantage of synergies  - but keeping a personal relationship is vital.

Josh Stewart perhaps summed up the panels take on innovation best: We need entrepreneurs, disruptors, innovators. We need to remove barriers to entry. This industry is wide open for growth, but we need to create awareness of the sector opportunities and attract a certain kind of entrepreneur.

Ali Alnaqbi, founding & executive chairman of the Middle East & North Africa Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) said: Innovation is what drives us, and what makes this industry so fascinating. Our conference has speakers from some of the industrys most disruptive, innovative and creative companies. What is fiercely apparent is the passion in the room, and that our industry will never be stale.

As MEBAA, we organise the conference series to listen very carefully to what the industry is saying  and through interaction with the delegates and speakers, we are constantly striving to develop greater sector awareness and a positive vision for all our futures.
First time exhibitor at the MEBAA Show, Riyadh-based Ajwa Aviation Services, is now offering a storage solution for business aircraft  some of which are valued at up to US$90 million  announcing the launch of bespoke aircraft hangars at Riyadhs private airport during the MEBAA Show.

Ajwa CEO, Abdulmajid Obaid, said: We are in the final planning and approval stage of constructing a number of hangars on a secure 32,000 square metres site at Riyadh Airport. This will help our growing number of customers protect and maintain their aircraft.

The harsh weather in Saudi Arabia can cause problems, such as dust, and the weather makes aircraft sitting on the apron extremely hot. Our hangars allow for safe, secure and clean storage, the CEO explained, adding that a number of Saudi owners and operators present at the MEBAA Show have expressed interest in making use of the hangars, which can be utilised on a long term or ad-hoc basis

Ayman Al Shaikh, technical consultant at Ajwa, said light maintenance could be performed within the hangars, but revealed a later phase of the hangar construction would include heavy maintenance facilities.

Initially, three controlled temperature hangars will be constructed, beginning Q1 2019, with smaller ones measuring 45 x 80m, and larger ones measuring 80 x 80m  large enough to comfortably house an A320.

Ali Alnaqbi, Founding & Executive Chairman of the Middle East & North Africa Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) said: The industry growth we are both witnessing and anticipating requires forward-thinking companies such as Ajwa Aviation to provide the facilities, maintenance and infrastructure needed. The MEBAA Show is where regional and global players come to find companies who can fulfil all their needs  from education to cutting-edge technology.

Visitors to Satcom Direct, the business aviation solutions provider, could watch live hacks performed by experts from CogniSec Inc, the digital security testing company, demonstrating just how vulnerable aviation networks can be to those with malicious intent. Twice daily during the three-day event, experts are revealing loopholes in security systems and how easily they can be breached with the right software tools and knowledge.

Engin Basyurt, Business Development Director for Satcom Direct Middle East & Turkey, explained how his company helps business aviation avoid the threat of cyber security: "We provide active threat monitoring as part of our suite of digital flight monitoring services. We have the technology to notice anything unusual on the network - whichever network you are using, and can alert the client however they wish."

He pointed out a key issue with business aviation is that those using the service tend to be HNWIs, Heads of State and the like - therefore prime targets for cyber attack. "We are the gatekeepers - we protect people during flights from anything unusual by monitoring activity and simply blocking devices from accessing connectivity services. Data going in and out of aircraft is monitored by our system.

Satcom Direct also chose the MEBAA Show to introduce QEPA, a new flat panel connectivity antenna for business and military aviation produced in a partnership between SD Avionics and QEST. The light weight, low profile, electronically-steered antenna brings high-speed connectivity to a wide range of airframes

A new connectivity solution, SD Xperience combines cabin and cockpit communications services, aircraft connectivity hardware, and flight operations software to deliver purpose-built technology satisfying the requirements of business aviation.

First-time exhibitor ENOC  Emirates National Oil Company  is attending the MEBAA Show to showcase its range of aviation fuel services, which currently supply 55 per cent of Dubai International Airports jet fuel requirements. The company is behind a 16.2 km fuel pipeline currently under construction, set to supply jet fuel from its storage facilities in Jebel Ali to Al Maktoum International Airport, in order to meet the expected increase in traffic.

Saif Humaid Al Falasi, Group CEO, ENOC, said: As a national oil company, we are committed to support our countrys ambitions of being a leading player in the aviation sector. Over the years, we have continuously enhanced our partnerships with airlines, suppliers and airports, which enable us to supply more than three million US gallons of jet fuel daily. With these recent network expansions, we plan to continue maintaining the highest standards of quality and operational excellence, both locally and internationally.
This delivery celebration for the first GEnx-powered Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners marks our continuing efforts to grow our fleet and expand our long-haul routes to North and South America, the Middle East and Europe, said Abdelhamid Addou, chief executive officer of Royal Air Maroc. We welcome the new aircraft into our growing B787 fleet.



GE Aviation and RAM have developed a strong relationship over the last decades, providing engines and maintenance for the majority of the airlines fleet and partnering on innovation and digital projects to enhance their operations, said Chaker Chahrour, vice president and general manager of Global Sales and Marketing for GE Aviation. This delivery is another milestone in our relationship, and we wish RAM much success on its expansion efforts.
The Saudi Aviation Club revealed that the exhibition is the first of its kind in the field of aviation and aerospace in the Kingdom, highlighting its importance in supporting the civil aviation industry.

The club said that the GACA will play an important role in the Saudi International Airshow as a strategic partner. The TRA has formed a supervisory committee to welcome more than 100 aircraft from abroad to be showcased at the event and to apply the relevant rules, regulations and procedures to ensure air transport safety and security during the airshow.

Saudi International Airshow will host a mix of business and commercial aviation and aerospace exhibitors on a 100,000 sqm static area which will accommodate more than 100 aircraft ranging in size from single-engine and executive jets to commercial wide-body aircraft. The show will offer chalets located next to the runway to enable manufacturers to present their entire range of aircraft and to facilitate demonstration flights. In addition, three exhibition halls will host more than 500 booths and international pavilions where exhibitors will showcase a full range of aviation and aerospace services and products.
On 11 December, French Defense Minister Florence Parly oversaw the handover at a ceremony at M'Polo military base in the capital Bangui. France donated over 1,400 AK-47 assault rifles and three amphibious vehicles (no model specified) to the Central African Republic. The 1,400 AKs are a gift: they were seized aboard a dhow off Somalia in 2016 that was intercepted for breaching an arms embargo with Yemen.



Central African Armed Forces (FACA) personnel conducting joint patrols with peacekeepers from the UNs MINUSCA Force in Bangassou, in the Mbomou prefecture in the south-east of the Central African Republic , August 1, 2018 (Picture source: UN)

This military aid was announced in Paris last November, along with 24 million ($27.4 million) in civilian assistance. The UN-backed central government controls only a fraction of the country's territory with its 7,000-men army. The European Union has a military training mission in the Central African Republic that involves 170 people. In July, it pledged 25 million euros to extend the mission until September 2020.

France, the former colonial power, sent 2,000 troops to quell the Seleka rebels, winding down the operation in 2016 after President Faustin-Archange Touadera was elected. It has around 200 troops in the country today, working in support of the armed forces and the UN peacekeeping mission here. Minister Parly said that France was the republic's "major partner for development aid", providing 130 million euros annually.
Liverpools plight is a reminder of just how close to the edge many regional theatres are operating and how perilously near many are to breaching their NPO agreements. As one leading industry insider put it to me: There are many canaries in cages coughing, if not yet falling off their perches. As with Liverpool, it wouldnt take all that much to knock them off, and when one tumbles  particularly one as big as Liverpool  the fear is that more may follow.  The Stage
Do it yourself if you can We accept  in principle  that private equity can deliver (somewhat) excess returns over most other asset classes. But there are a lot of qualifications attached to that, and most of them are very relevant to whether and how pension funds should invest in private equity.


The Buffalo News (New York)

Copyright 2018 The Buffalo NewsAll Rights Reserved

In Romania, George Piha was a prominent businessman and politician - then after a car accident, he became an OxyContin addict.

Piha, who holds dual citizenship, returned to the United States and, according to prosecutors, began a statewide crime spree to feed his addiction. Piha stole from YMCAs in the towns of Tonawanda and West Seneca, the Aquatic and Fitness Center in Tonawanda and LA Fitness locations in Clarence and Hamburg, said Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn.

The 51-year-old used a bolt cutter to break into fitness center lockers and take credit cards. He used the stolen cards to buy Apple-brand electronics, which he sold for cash.

A remorseful Piha was sentenced Tuesday in Erie County Court to 2 to 6 years in prison for burglary, identity theft and scheming to defraud. He also must pay the credit card companies more than $95,000 in restitution. He faces charges for similar thefts in the Albany area.

"I know I made horrible mistakes to support my addiction," said Piha, who wore an orange jumpsuit and was shackled at his wrists and waist. "And I have to live with it my whole life. And this is much greater than the punishment I get today."

Piha came to this country in 1994 after winning a visa lottery, Flynn said.

He owned businesses in Queens, including a liquor store, but returned to Romania in 2005 when his father developed Parkinson's disease.

There, Piha started a construction company and, with its success, entered politics. He served as a deputy mayor of a community near the Romanian capital of Bucharest before running unsuccessfully for mayor and for a seat in the national congress.

In 2016 or 2017, Piha got into a car accident and became addicted to prescription painkillers. Flynn said Romania is not welcoming to drug addicts, and that's why Piha returned to Queens in 2017.

He started stealing to feed his addiction, Flynn said.

The district attorney said he didn't know why Piha targeted gyms and fitness centers. Piha would pay for a day pass or brazenly walk past the front desk and into the locker room.

There, he took out bolt cutters he'd hidden under his clothing to cut through the locks, Flynn said. He took credit cards, not cash, and then slipped out of the gym and drove to the Apple store and Best Buy to purchase high-end electronics he could sell for cash.

He was arrested July 30 in the Albany suburb of Slingerlands after a traffic stop. Officers found cut-up credit cards, a wig, disguises, lock-picking equipment and new electronic devices worth more than $10,000 in his van.

Erie County Judge James Bargnesi said he was troubled most by the effort Piha put into his thefts.

"You're obviously a very smart man, and unfortunately you used that intelligence to develop this scheme that, quite frankly, was difficult to unravel," said Bargnesi, noting the possibility of other as-yet-unknown thefts carried out between Buffalo and Albany.

Piha pleaded guilty in October to six counts and faced a maximum of 35 years in prison. Prosecutors say Piha stole $95,355 here and the victims were reimbursed by their credit card companies.

At Tuesday's sentencing, Piha said he, his son and his daughter would start investing in properties to give back to the community after he finishes his sentence.

"I'm assuring you right now, your honor, you're going to hear from me in a few years in a very, very positive way," Piha said.

Flynn noted the epidemic of opioid addiction in this community.

"I'm rooting for him," Flynn said of Piha's post-release plans.

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Partner Harvey Weaver, who headed the Ashurst team, said that the firm is delighted to work on a landmark transaction for the university, adding that the residences will provide students with the highest quality amenities and support to help them thrive in their academic studies.

Student accommodation continues to be an important infrastructure sector in Australia, as universities are progressively looking to institutional investors for long-term financing solutions. The market has developed considerably over the last few years and we are seeing new greenfield, brownfield and acquisition opportunities as the market matures, he said.

Weaver was assisted by counsels Melinda Harris and Laura van den Berg and lawyer Adam Fyfe. The firm also fielded partners Ian Kellock and Geoff Mann to handle tax matters, as well as partner Rehana Box for insurance advice. Partner Matthew Bubb provided finance expertise with the help of counsel Trent Chugg and lawyer James Szauer. Trust matters were handled by senior associate Jonathan Scott.

Senior lawyer Joel Seignior headed the universitys legal team.
Greenwood explained why his firm has got involved.

Technology is playing an increasingly important role in our drive to service our clients in a way that is ever quicker, simpler, more efficient, and more robust. As the new wave of technologies enter the legal market, we need to consider how firms and clients can access them in a secure and integrated manner. We see Reynen Court as the missing piece of this evolving and exciting puzzle and we are delighted to be supporting its progress, he said.

Global firm strengthens Middle East team with new litigation head

Eversheds Sutherland has appointed a new head of litigation and dispute management for the Middle East region.

Rebecca Copley takes up the new role in January having held leadership roles in the UAE and the wider region. Her appointment comes at a time of growth for the global practice groups Middle East capabilities which has seen 5 recent hires.

I am delighted that Rebecca has agreed to lead the Litigation and Dispute Management Group in the Middle East where we are seeing a steady increase in litigation and arbitration work, much of it centred around construction and development work or infrastructure projects, said Paul Worth, Paul Worth, global co-head of litigation. I have no doubt that Rebecca will continue to drive things forward and help our clients in the region to thrive.
Starting 7 January, Mills Oakley will be operating from a bigger and better base in Sydney.

The national firm has confirmed that it will relocate to the newly built Barrack Place at 151 Clarence St. It will take up five floors of the new A-grade office tower, increasing its space in Sydney by 40%.

Twelve years ago, we opened Sydney with a launch staff of four people, said John Nerurker, Mills Oakley chief executive. Since then, the office has grown to nearly 250 partners and staff and is now our largest office nationally. We are continuing to experience double-digit growth in Sydney, and this investment in new premises will mean that our clients and people will enjoy a more spacious, state-of-the-art experience.
EV

kW

kWh

There are several work groups currently involved in researching charging technologies that could safely and significantly reduce the amount of time anneeds to stay plugged in and fill its battery up. One of the most advanced is the German FastCharge project.Started in 2016, the workgroup comprises BMW Porsche , Allego, Phoenix Contact E-Mobility, and Siemens and is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure.This week, the first tangible results of the research have been rolled out in the German region of in Jettingen-Scheppach. There are two charging stations deployed there, each capable of providing an output of up to 450The stations can be used by electric car models of all brands with the European standard Type 2 variant of the Combined Charging System (CCS). Using the chargers will cost nothing, at least for now.Porsche, the company which made this news public, says the stations can be used by both 400-volt and 800-volt battery systems, as the charging capacity is adjusted automatically.For reference, Porsche conducted a test with a special electric vehicle equipped with a 90battery. When plugged into the fast charging station, the battery received enough electricity to keep it going for 100 km (62 miles) in just three minutes.Overall, depending on the car and battery capacity, the FastChargers are three to nine times faster than current C rapid-charging stations.The technology is still in testing stages, and there is no word yet on when it will become widely available. The figures already announced, states Porsche, are only interim results.
Hailed as  the most important SUV of the year  by Doug DeMuro, the electric crossover manufactured in Austria by Magna Steyr couldnt do better than avoiding a collision with the help of AEB at 15 km/h (9 mph). Curiously enough, the E-Paces system did it even at 70 km/h (43.5 mph). Jaguar engineers were present for the group test, and following the woeful result of the first run, they convinced Dinside 20 ar to try again. Later in the day, the second run yielded a similarly disappointing outcome.The engineers then explained to the Norwegian motoring publication that power is cut to some systems when opening the drivers door, erasing some data from the cars electronic brain. But wait, theres more! The vehicle uses the first ten minutes of driving to learn the traffic conditions and in what scenarios the emergency braking system should activate.If that jibber-jabber makes any sense to you, were inclined to think that Jaguar has experimented with the programming and sensors of the AEB in the I-Pace without giving thought to this particular scenario, which happens to be similar to the testing procedure of the Euro NCAP. The engineers might have made a hodgepodge of the system in the I-Pace, but the question is, why couldnt Jaguar use the one in the E-Pace?On that note, care to guess which of those 25 vehicles in the group ranked highest? That would be the Hyundai Santa Fe at 85 km/h (53 mph), followed by the Hyundai Nexo at 80 km/h (50 mph). Next on the list, the Honda CR-V tied the Volvo V60 (75 km/h or 47 mph).While on the subject of I-Pace, one such vehicle had a thermal incident while parked last week in the Netherlands. Jaguar is collaborating with the owner and authorities at the present moment, trying to figure out what exactly led to this case of spontaneous combustion.
While drag racing is not the top priority of these two Zuffenhausen beasts, their owners decided to throw the machines at each other in a straight-line battle.The drag race took place on an airfield, which meant the two had all the space they needed to stretch their mechanical legs.Since the GT4 is a Neunelfer-engined special, both toys are animated by naturally aspirated flat-six motors. However, while the mid-engined model comes with 385 ponies, the Rennsport model packs 500 hp.Then there's the gearbox difference. Rumor has it that Porsche initially tested the Cayman GT4 with a PDK and after noticing the lap times of the machine were a threat to the Neunelfer, the carmaker decided to offer the mid-engined machine in manual-only form.And while the GT4 obviously doesn't stand a chance against the 3RS, we have to mention that the drivers of the two turned to the obvious trick in a bid to keep the audience on its toes - the Cayman got the hit.Note that the piece of footage documenting the battle also involves other fights, so you might want to pay attention to the full clip.Since we mentioned the GT4, we'll remind you the Germans are preparing to introduce the 2019 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 As confirmed by the automaker, the newcomer will maintain the naturally aspirated flat-six power. And we're expecting it to sport a detuned version of the 4.0-liter unit animating the GT3 and GT3 RS.Once again, the street car will be offered in manual-only trim, while the Clubsport track-only version will sport a PDK.
A Hawker Hunter crashed during an Air National Guard training exercise off the coast of Hawaii on Wednesday. The pilot was able to eject and was rescued about three miles south of Oahu by a private sailboat. He was then transferred to a U.S. Coast Guard vessel and taken to a hospital. It has been reported that he sustained serious injuries but is in stable condition.

The jet went down at approximately 2:30 p.m. local time shortly after takeoff from Honolulu International Airport (HNL). Outbound flights from HNL were held for about 20 minutes following the crash. The pilots name has not been released. He is reported to be a civilian contractor who was participating in a military exercise called Sentry Aloha, which is hosted by the Hawaii Air National Guards 154th Wing.

More than 800 personnel and 30 aircraft from nine states are involved in the exercise. Activities were suspended following the crash but are scheduled to resume on Thursday. The cause of the accident is under investigation.

The crash was captured by a Surfline Waikiki camera, shown below.
Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said Wednesday that Canada is trying to gain access to a Canadian ex-diplomat and employee of the International Crisis Group who was reportedly detained by Chinese security services in Beijing. She also revealed that the government has been unable to reach a second Canadian who was questioned by Chinese authorities.

Why it matters: This all comes after Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, CFO of Chinese tech giant Huawei. Meng was released on bail yesterday, but faces extradition to the U.S. on fraud charges tied to the alleged evasion of U.S. sanctions on Iran. It's unclear what the connections are between these cases and the Huawei incident, but China had warned of "serious consequences" if Meng was not freed.

The ex-diplomat has been identified as Michael Kovrig. Freeland raised the case of the second Canadian for the first time this evening:

We are aware of a Canadian who got in touch with us because he was being asked questions by Chinese authorities. We have not been able to make contact with him since he let us know about this. We are working very hard to ascertain his whereabouts and we have also raised this case with the Chinese authorities, we are in touch with his family.

 Chrystia Freeland, Canadian foreign minister

Go deeper:
1 big thing: The new oil order

The International Energy Agency's latest oil market analysis this morning describes two key features of today's petro-landscape:

Near-term: The new OPEC+ deal may have steadied the volatile market.

The new OPEC+ deal may have steadied the volatile market. Long-term: The U.S. influence on global markets is very big now.

Why it matters: Today's monthly IEA report is the first since OPEC and Russia struck a deal in Vienna last week to trim output beginning next year.

"The agreement aims to achieve relative stability and to bring the market towards balance. So far, the Brent crude oil price seems to have found a floor, remaining close to [$60 per barrel] much where it was when the ministers met," IEA said (emphasis added).

But, but, but: IEA cautions that "time will tell how effective the new production agreement will be in re-balancing the oil market." And indeed Brent crude has dipped below $60 at times in trading this morning.

The big picture: The report is a CliffsNotes look at how the U.S. has joined Russia and Saudi Arabia as entrenched members of the super-producers club. The U.S. pumps well over 11 million barrels of crude per day and climbing.

"While the US was not present in Vienna, nobody could ignore its growing influence," IEA notes.

The report flags the recent moment when the U.S. briefly became a net exporter (by a small margin) of crude and petroleum products combined.

What they're saying: "[E]ven if it proves to be an isolated data point, the long-term trend is clear," IEA said about U.S.' net exporter moment, adding that net imports in 2018 are well under a third of what they were just a decade ago before shale took off.
In an interview with Reuters, President Trump suggested he might be willing to trade an arrested Chinese executive for a better trade deal. Such an offer, experts tell Axios, is uncomfortably transactional, dangerous to U.S. institutions and alliances, and quite likely a constitutional no-no.

Background: The administration reportedly began discussing using Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of the global electronics giant Huawei, as a bargaining chip very soon after her arrest in Canada for violations of U.S. sanctions against Iran.

What Trump said: Answering a Reuters question about intervening in the Meng case:

Whatevers good for this country, I would do.... If I think its good for what will be certainly the largest trade deal ever made  which is a very important thing  whats good for national security  I would certainly intervene if I thought it was necessary."

The Department of Justice bristles at the suggestion it pursues any arrest with the purpose of advancing political negotiations. But Trump's statement gives that charge weight in this case.

At a Congressional hearing Wednesday, Assistant Attorney General John Demers addressed the potential for the DOJ to be miscast: "What we do at the Justice Department is law enforcement.... It's very important for other countries to understand that we are not a tool of trade when we bring those cases."

"Frankly," replied Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), "that's the danger of the president's statement. It makes it look like law enforcement is a tool."

The DOJ, for its part, appears to have clean hands. The Huawei investigation dates back to 2016, 1 president and 2 attorneys general ago. It was not a spur-of-the-moment arrest.

Executive-branch norms: It's worth noting that the president likely does not have the right to interfere with DOJ investigations. Trump has had a few other scuffles over this very issue.

Courts have never formally settled that issue, but the principle is deeply held in the U.S.

Campaign promises: Trump campaigned as the tough-on-Iran candidate, with reinstated sanctions a centerpiece of that strategy. Yet Huawei would be the second company, after ZTE, that he's been willing to forgive violating those sanctions.

Relations with Canada: Canada did not arrest a high-profile Chinese executive thinking the U.S. mainly intended to use her in trade negotiations.

Trump's statement might have aided Meng's defense, which can now credibly say she's a political target. Per Reuters, that argument "would resonate in Canada where judges are particularly wary of abuse of the court system."

Meanwhile, Canada now faces potential Chinese boycotts and possibly even the arrest of citizens abroad in China in retaliation.

The rule of law: In this situation  in a striking parallel to the case of Jamal Khashoggi, the U.S.-based journalist murdered by Saudi Arabia  Trump's position forthrightly elbows aside the law for transactional needs.

"At its core, this is an Iran sanctions issue," said Elizabeth Rosenberg, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, who worried blunting punishments for violating sanctions might encourage more violations.

U.S. business: If Canada faces Chinese retaliation, the U.S. might, too. One executive Axios interviewed had researched all of the countries that have extradition treaties with China to keep his employees safe.
Cardinal George Pell, the Vatican's third-highest ranking member, was convicted by an Australian court Tuesday on charges related to the sexual abuse of two choir boys in the late 1990s, reports The Daily Beast. He's reportedly the highest ranking Vatican official to go to trial and face punishment in the churchs sex abuse scandal.

Why it matters: This is yet another major blow to the Catholic Church, one of the worlds most powerful institutions, which has been grappling with mounting child sex abuse scandals across the globe, including in the U.S. Pope Francis, who has faced some backlash over his handing of sexual abuse cases, on Wednesday expelled Pell and Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz of Chile from a Vatican advisory group. Errazuriz has been accused of covering up cases for abusive priests.

Go deeper with the New York Times' Damien Cave and Adam Baidawi: Why the Cardinal Pell Case Has Been So Secretive
National Security adviser John Bolton unveiled the Trump administration's Africa strategy on Thursday, saying the U.S. would revamp its aid and investments in the continent. The plan is largely designed to counter China and Russia.

Between the lines, from AP's Maria Danilova: "Any renewed U.S. effort to counter China in Africa, however, comes years late. China became the continent's top trading partner nearly a decade ago and has invested billions of dollars in high-profile infrastructure projects."

"Africa is incredibly important to the U.S. If we didnt understand it before, the competition with China and Russia should highlight it for us. Which is why I think its a turning point for us."

 Bolton, speaking at the Heritage Foundation

Bolton accused China and Russia of using "bribes," "opaque agreements," "and corruption" to gain competitive advantage over the U.S. in Africa.

The backdrop:

The U.S. is the largest foreign direct investor in African countries, per EYs fall report on Africa Attractiveness. U.S. direct investment in Africa was $39 billion last year, per the U.S. Trade Representatives office.

in African countries, per EYs fall report on Africa Attractiveness. U.S. direct investment in Africa was $39 billion last year, per the U.S. Trade Representatives office. Yes, but: China is the regions largest creditor , per Foresight Africa 2018. Chinas investments and construction abroad are valued at $1.9 trillion, per AEI.

, per Foresight Africa 2018. Chinas investments and construction abroad are valued at $1.9 trillion, per AEI. Russian investment has ticked up over the last two years, and includes military cooperation deals and weapons sales in exchange for mining and resource extraction contracts.

The goals Bolton laid out:

Investing in specific sectors in African nations instead of providing "indiscriminate assistance across the entire continent, without focus or prioritization," Bolton said.

in African nations instead of providing "indiscriminate assistance across the entire continent, without focus or prioritization," Bolton said. Re-evaluating support for "unproductive" UN peacekeeping missions. Specifically, Bolton said the U.S. is reievaluating assistance to South Sudan.

Specifically, Bolton said the U.S. is reievaluating assistance to South Sudan. Establishing new trade agreements with African countries.

with African countries. Continuing support for counterterrorism missions in African countries.

The big picture: While there arent many big, concrete steps in Boltons plan, it follows Trump signing into law the BUILD Act this October, which effectively doubled the U.S. development investment budget to $60 billion.
In the near-term, the new OPEC+ deal may have steadied the volatile market; while in the long-term, the U.S. influence on global markets is now massive.

The big picture: The International Energy Agency's latest oil market analysis is a CliffsNotes look at how the U.S. has joined Russia and Saudi Arabia as entrenched members of the super-producers club. The U.S. pumps well over 11 million barrels of crude per day and climbing.

"While the US was not present in Vienna, nobody could ignore its growing influence," IEA notes.

The report flags the recent moment when the U.S. briefly became a net exporter (by a small margin) of crude and petroleum products combined.

Why it matters: Today's monthly IEA report is the first since OPEC and Russia struck a deal in Vienna last week to trim output beginning next year.

"The agreement aims to achieve relative stability and to bring the market towards balance. So far, the Brent crude oil price seems to have found a floor, remaining close to [$60 per barrel] much where it was when the ministers met," IEA said (emphasis added).

But, but, but: IEA cautions that "time will tell how effective the new production agreement will be in re-balancing the oil market." And indeed Brent crude has dipped below $60 at times in trading this morning.

What they're saying: "[E]ven if it proves to be an isolated data point, the long-term trend is clear," IEA said about U.S.' net exporter moment, adding that net imports in 2018 are well under a third of what they were just a decade ago before shale took off.
Yemens internationally recognized government and the Houthi-led rebel movement agreed to a cease-fire in the port city of Hodeidah and its surrounding governorate on Thursday, following a week of UNsponsored peace talks in Sweden.

Why it matters: The agreement follows mounting pressure from humanitarian groups; if it holds, it would mark a major diplomatic breakthrough. Since some 70% of basic commodities and relief aid flow through Hodeidah, keeping the port open is essential to staving off even more widespread food insecurity.

Background: The Saudi- and UAEled offensive has severely restricted commercial and humanitarian cargo. Some 65,000 people in Yemen already face famine conditions and another 16 million  an increase of more than 2 million in just three months  are on the verge of acute food insecurity.

Details: The agreement calls for a UNsupervised withdrawal of both sides' forces from Hodeidah within three weeks, and UN management of port facilities and inspections. It also provides for a swap of thousands of prisoner combatants, and support for Yemens central bank to enable salary payments to over a million public-sector workers

What to watch: A lot will need to go right to ensure the agreement becomes a reality on the ground.

A UN Security Council resolution will have to lock in international support for the deal and lay out consequences for failure to comply with its terms.

The UN must increase its presence in Hodeidah, assume management of the port and monitor the withdrawal of forces.

Local forces will need to manage security  a daunting task in a conflict zone full of armed groups not party to the agreement.

Finally, the UN and the parties will need to leverage these confidence-building measures into a wider political agreement to end the war.

Whats next: The U.S. Senate voted Thursday to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led military campaign, though the prospects of that resolution in the House are unclear. Meanwhile, Martin Griffiths, the UN mediator, is expected to brief the Security Council on the agreement and the UN's commitments. The next round of peace talks is scheduled to take place in January.

Hardin Lang is vice president for programs and policy at Refugees International.
The Yemeni government and representatives from the Houthi rebel movement have agreed to a "province-wide ceasefire" and the withdrawal of troops from Hodeida, a port city that is the entry point for around 70% of the food, fuel, and medicine shipped into the country, the AP reports.

Why it matters: The warring sides gathered in Sweden for talks sponsored by the United Nations in an attempt to bring an end to one of the worst humanitarian disasters on the planet. The Yemeni Civil War has killed an estimated 56,000 people and left 22 million needing humanitarian assistance, prompting an increasing number of congressmen to call for an end to the U.S. government's military support to Saudi Arabia.
Armenias Court of Appeals has annulled an arrest warrant against a senior law-enforcement official who led a criminal investigation into the 2008 post-election violence in Yerevan during former President Serzh Sarkisians rule.

The official, Vahagn Harutiunian, was charged in late October with forging factual evidence to cover up the Armenian armys involvement in the deadly break of opposition protests staged in the wake of a disputed presidential election.

The Special Investigative Service (SIS) started alleging such involvement following this springs mass protests that toppled Sarkisian. It now says that Sarkisians outgoing predecessor, Robert Kocharian, illegally ordered army units into the streets of Yerevan before declaring a state of emergency on March 1, 2008.

Last week, Kocharian was arrested on charges of overthrowing Armenias constitutional order. He strongly denies them.

On November 2, a district court in Yerevan allowed the SIS to arrest Harutiunian pending investigation. The latter left Armenia for Russia in July, ostensibly to undergo medical treatment.

The Court of Appeals overturned the district court ruling late on Wednesday. It did not immediately publicize reasons for the decision.

Harutiunian rejected the charges leveled against him as unfounded, illegal and fabricated when he spoke to RFE/RLs Armenian service by phone on November 1. He insisted that his team of investigators never found any evidence of illegal actions taken by the Armenian military during the 2008 unrest.

Harutiunians lawyer, Mihran Poghosian, said that the SIS has failed to substantiate the accusations. Poghosian also claimed that Armenian courts are under unprecedented pressure to rubber-stamp decisions made by the SIS.

Harutiunians team failed to identify anyone responsible for the deaths of eight protesters and two police servicemen in vicious clashes that broke out in central Yerevan on March 1, 2008. Instead, its inquiry led to the arrest and imprisonment of dozens of opposition figures involved in those protests. They included Nikol Pashinian, who became Armenias prime minister after launching another protest movement that forced Sarkisian to resign in April.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian met with Bako Sahakian, the Nagorno-Karabakh president, in Yerevan on Thursday two weeks after accusing senior officials in Stepanakert of meddling in Armenias parliamentary race.

One of Pashinians close associates, Sasun Mikaelian, caused uproar when he stated during the election campaign that this springs protest movement that brought Pashinian to power was more important than the Armenian victory in the 1991-1994 war with Azerbaijan.

Mikaelians remark was condemned by Armenian opposition politicians as well as some Karabakh Armenian government and military officials. Pashinian portrayed it a slip of the tongue, accusing the critics of misinterpreting what Mikaelian meant to say.

The premier also hit out at the Karabakh leadership. Sober up and mind your business, he said at a November 29 campaign rally. I will certainly discuss this with you, but only after the elections.

Sahakians press office said the Karabakh leader discussed with Pashinian Armenias and Nagorno-Karabakhs internal and foreign policies as well as security issues. It did not elaborate.

The Armenian government issued no statements on the meeting.

The meeting came the day after several Armenian media outlets reported that the commander of Karabakhs Armenian-backed army, Levon Mnatsakanian, as well as Sahakians two national security aides will be relieved of their duties. The reports linked the impending sackings to the unprecedented spat between Yerevan and Stepanakert.

The Karabakh leadership did not confirm or refute those reports on Thursday.If there are such personnel changes, we will announce them, Sahakians spokesman, Davit Babayan, told RFE/RLs Armenian service (Azatutyun.am).

I have no such official information, the Karabakh army spokesman, Senor Hasratian, said, for his part.
Moscow and Yerevan have still not agreed on a new price of Russian natural gas imported by Armenia, Energy Minister Garegin Baghramian said on Thursday.

Baghramian revealed that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian discussed the matter with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit of ex-Soviet states held in Saint Petersburg last week. They did not reach any agreements, he said.

Armenia currently pays $150 per thousand cubic meters of Russian gas in line with a 2016 agreement that runs until the end of this month. By comparison, Russias Gazprom monopoly charges European Union countries more than $200 per thousand cubic meters.

The Armenian government and Gazprom started negotiating on a new deal this fall. Yerevan hopes that the Russians will at least keep the current price unchanged.

Baghramian stressed that the price will remain the same for the time being if the two sides fail to cut a deal by December 31.

The [2016] agreement will remain in force until the negotiations are over, he told reporters. These are quite difficult and time-consuming negotiations  The [new] price will be set only when the negotiations are over.

Gazprom, which owns Armenias gas distribution network, already cut the price from about $190 to $165 per thousand cubic meters in 2015 and on to $150 in 2016.

The networks chief executive, Hrant Tadevosian, indicated on November 19 that the Russian giant could raise the price soon. Tadevosian said that his company has operated at a loss for a second consecutive year.
By Trend

Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have 23 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said Dec. 13.

The Armenian armed forces were using heavy machine guns.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

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By Trend

The Concept of Cooperation of the CIS Member States in Digital Development and the Plan of Priority Measures for its Implementation have been approved, Trend reports referring to the Regional Commonwealth in the Field of Communications (RCC).

A meeting of an expert group, where the delegation of Azerbaijan also took part, was held on Dec. 11 in the office of the CIS Executive Committee in Moscow.

Considering the proposals of the CIS member states on expediency of combining the Concept of Cooperation of the CIS Member States in Digital Development, prepared by RCC, and the Concept of Cooperation of the CIS Member States in Digital Economy Development, prepared by the CIS Council for Industrial Policy, it was decided to request the expert group to support the initiative to merge the mentioned concepts into a single document.

Further consideration of this issue is planned as part of the Commission for Economic Affairs at the CIS Economic Council in Moscow in February 2019.

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By Narmina Mammadova

Beekeeping can surely be called one of the key areas of agriculture in our country. It plays a crucial role in areas such as food security, employment, and the preservation of biological balance.

Everyone knows that, bee products (honey, royal jelly, bee venom, propolis) are of high value. There are about 600 species of honey plants in Azerbaijan, of which almost 200, as a source of nectar and pollen, create even greater natural opportunities for the expansion of beekeeping.

Azerbaijani beekeepers will be provided with subsidies in the amount of more than 450,000 manats ($264,784), the Ministry of Agriculture said.

According to the decision taken during the regular meeting of the Republican Commission for the payment of subsidies, subsidies will be allocated for each beehive, which is kept by individuals and legal entities involved in the sector.

During the meeting, which was chaired by the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Ilham Guliyev, the documents received from 13 district commissions on the payment of subsidies to the above-mentioned persons in the amount of 10 manats for each beehive were reviewed. Decisions were made on the payment of subsidies in the amount of 480,300 manats to 2,189 beekeepers, who have 4,830 bee hives.

The meeting was also attended by representatives of the Azerbaijans Association of Beekeepers. The working group includes not only representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, but also associations. The working group was established to review documents received from region (city) commissions.

During the meeting it was decided to pay subsidies to beekeepers in the following areas: Absheron, Agjabedi, Astara, Barda, Fizuli, Goranboy, Gedabay, Hajigabul, Imishli, Ismayilli, Kurdamir, Gazakh, Gobustan, Gubadlinsky, Lankaran, Masalli, Oguz, Sabirabad, Samukh, Samukh-Ganja, Shabran, Shamakhi, Shamkir, Siyazan, Salyan.

A list of beekeepers who will be paid subsidies for each hive, as well as information on the number of hives and the corresponding amount of subsidies will be posted in the "subsidies" section on the ministry's website (http://agro.gov.az).

Presently, about 6,000 people are engaged in beekeeping in Azerbaijan.

In 2017, Azerbaijan produced 3,000 tons of honey.

In accordance with the decree of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev dated March 5, 2018, in order to stimulate the development of beekeeping in the country, support small businesses and provide employment in rural areas to individuals and legal entities involved in beekeeping, a subsidy worth 10 manats per year for each bee family (beehive) will be paid during five years, including this year as well.

The development and introduction of new technologies and methods of beekeeping are aimed at the development of the region.

Recently, Azerbaijans Agriculture Ministry has begun preparing proposals for amendments to the Law on Apiculture in order to increase the number of local honeybees.

Members of the Azerbaijan Beekeepers Association already have more than ten proposals that may support the development of beekeeping.

Specialists suggested organizing the production of boxes, beehives, containers in Azerbaijan, arranging the supply of medicines for bees, creating a special laboratory for beekeeping, organizing work to combat bee diseases and conducting trainings for beekeepers.

The main task nowadays is to increase the production of honey and export it through participation of local beekeepers in international markets under the Made in Azerbaijan brand.

The increase in export of bee products will bring great profit to the economy of our country. The development of this area will provide employment to a large number of the population, and satisfy the needs of the country's inhabitants for beekeeping products.

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Services





FOOD PANTRY





Located at the Resource Center, the Food Pantry is open twice a week:



Mondays and Fridays, 1-4pm.



Donations Needed for the Food Pantry: A Message from Our Director







There is nothing worse than for a child to go to bed hungry. The Resource Center has had a Food Pantry for the past 15 years to help feed families that just do not have enough food to last to the end of the month. Over the years we have always had enough funding to keep our shelves stocked to feed those that need our assistance. However, with the wars going on in the Middle East a lot of the food supplies we were receiving from the USDA Commodity Food Program is going to feed the Military. We need your donations so we can purchase food from the Food Bank in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, because our free source of food (USDA) is just not there any longer (or at least as long as the war is going on). A monetary donation will help us to provide a box of groceries to a family. What a situation to have in a country with so much wealth! No child should have to go to bed hungry. Please help us feed our children.

Pidamaya (Thank You)!

Charon Asetoyer

VIOLENCE PREVENTION



The Women's Lodge is a shelter to protect women and children fleeing from sexual assault and domestic violence. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Native Americans are raped at a rate nearly double that of rapes reported by all races annually  3.5 per 1,000 for Natives and 2 per 1,000 for all races. Actual numbers are much higher, because 84% of rapes go unreported. Three-fourths of Native women have experienced some type of sexual assault and or domestic violence in their lives. The Women's Lodge provides a safe haven for Native women and children while providing a number of services. Our services include but are not limited to; sheltering, medical referrals, court advocacy and legal referrals, transportation, support groups, job readiness, crisis hot line, community education, men's re-education groups, relocation, services and transitional housing. The Women's Lodge can sleep 18 women and children before anyone has to sleep on the floor, two-thirds of our residents are children, because most women bring their children to protect them from the abuser's violence.



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SHELTER FOR VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE



The Womens Lodge provides shelter for women and families suffering from domestic abuse and or sexual assault. In addition to shelter and food, services include: rape advocacy, support groups, legal advocacy, and referrals to other service agencies. The Women's Lodge can sleep 18 women and children before anyone has to sleep on the floor. Two-thirds of our residents are children, since most women bring their children to protect them from the abuser's violence.

The Women's Lodge crisis hotline can be reached 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at (605) 487-7130.



For emergencies call Law Enforcement at (605) 487-7625 or 911.







According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Native Americans are raped at a rate nearly double that of rapes reported by all races annually  3.5 per 1,000 for Natives and 2 per 1,000 for all races. Actual numbers are much higher, because 84% of rapes go unreported. Three-fourths of Native women have experienced some type of sexual assault and or domestic violence in their lives.



TRANSITIONAL HOUSING

Dear Sisters and Allies,

I'm writing to you today because of an urgent opportunity facing the Yankton Sioux Community that will greatly benefit the many local women and children who are victims of domestic and sexual violence. After reading this letter, I hope that you will agree with me that this project is worthy of your financial and moral support. Right now, many victims of domestic violence and sexual assault turn to the Womens Lodge shelter run by the nonprofit Native American Womens Health Education Resource Center (NAWHERC). Besides offering emergency, temporary housing, the Womens Lodge is a catalyst for holistic services for victims, offering mentoring, alcohol abuse education, job readiness skills building, GED preparation, food pantry services and other programs that assist women and families. The Womens Lodge can sleep 18 per night before anyone has to sleep on the floor. Two-thirds of our residents are children, because most women bring their children to protect them from the abusers violence.

But too many women and children are forced to return home to the abuser because of the lack of transitional housing after their stay at the shelter. Thats where our opportunity (and you) come in. With your gift, NAWHERC will purchase four two-bedroom units that will help transition women and their children from the Womens Lodge to independence. The units are in the town of Lake Andes, four blocks from the Law Enforcement Center, Close to NAWHERCs office, five blocks from the grade school, three blocks from the city pool and walking distance to the post office, the grocery store and right across the street from the medical clinic. Most women that come to the Womens Lodge do not own a car, so the location of this housing is perfect. The cost of these units is extremely affordable: only $35,000. They ne ed some cosmetic work, such as painting, new carpeting, some plumbing, some electrical work, some yard work and new roof shingles. The repairs costs would run $20,000, making the total $55,000. I hope that you will find it in your heart to give as generously as you can. Gifts to the Native American Community Board (NAWHERCs parent nonprofit organization) are fully tax-deductible to the extent of the law. Remember: Violence Against Women is Against the Law. I know that you are as committed as NAWHERC to ending violence against women and children. Your support of this project is critical toward this effort.

Thank you,

Charon Asetoyer

Executive Director

P.S. These safe and affordable homes, purchased with your gift, will help women and children fleeing from domestic violence and sexual assault to permanently escape their violent relationship and achieve independence. Please give at whatever level is significant to you to make this happen. Thank you for caring.

MEN'S RE-EDUCATION GROUP



NAWHERC hosts a weekly men's re-education group, also known as a Batterers Intervention Program (BIP). Taught by Richard Milda (pictured below), this class uses an interactive curriculum with a strong cultural focus to intervene with and prevent domestic violence.



These groups give men an opportunity to examine their roles and attitudes toward women and themselves. Discussion topics include: individual respect, fatherhood, and creating a future that is peaceful and nurturing for all.



This service is open to all men, Native and non-Native, living in the Ihanktonwan community and surrounding areas of the greater community. The program is 26 weeks long, but new participants can start any given week.



This class meets every Wednesday from 6-8 pm at the Resource Center. Call NAWHERC at 487-7072 for more information.





COMMUNITY EDUCATION



Community education is the heartbeat and driving philosophy behind the organizations work. Information is powerthe more information people know about an issue the more informed their decisions will be.



Building a movement starts with knowledge about an issue that has its roots in a common ground. Community-based coalitions arise at the grassroots level and center around common ground. Social change often starts at the kitchen table, moving out into the community and then onto the greater masses.

You can often hear the most political conversations in the Resource Centers kitchen or at the table during a community feed. In the Resource Centers kitchen you can always find a group of Indigenous women sharing a story about their familys history, planning some kind of social change, or discussing current events related to the business of women, environmental issues, Federal Indian policy, and Supreme Court decisions. And it doesnt stop there--such conversations are often just the beginning of groundbreaking community education work that happens at the Resource Center.

back to top TRADITIONAL FAMILY LIVING GROUP

Richard Milda, Crow, Oglala, ShoshoneDakota Tiwahe Service Unit-DV/SA Program Coordinator

Traditional Family Living focuses on convening women in small groups on a regular basis to engage in dialogue and traditional teachings. This program assists Native women in the transition from abusive relationships with their spouses to supportive single parenting family structures. The program also assists women in developing economic independence and helps them to overcome the barriers to positive independent parenting.
By Trend

The delegation of Azerbaijani entrepreneurs left for Saudi Arabia to establish cooperation, the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) told Trend on Dec. 13.

The Azerbaijani delegation includes 29 companies engaged in the production of building materials, textiles, canned products, juices, as well as travel agencies, etc., AZPROMO said. The negotiations will continue until December 14.

"In 2018, AZPROMO sent 10 delegations to various countries up till now," the message said.

According to the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee, trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia amounted to $15.476 million in January-October 2018, which is 5.7 percent more than in the same period of 2017.

During the reporting period, Azerbaijan exported products worth $727,000 to Saudi Arabia, while $14.749 million accounted for the import.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Laman Ismayilova

Russian and Belarus circus artists will come to Azerbaijan for the New Year celebrations.

The event will be held at Baku State Circus from December 28 to January 13, Report.az informed.

The circus show will feature trained animals, air acrobats. Unique laser and light effects, funny clowns, and beloved winter characters Santa Claus and Snow Maiden await the guests of the show.

Tickets for the winter program vary between 10, 12, 15 to 20 AZN ($ 6, 7,8, 12).

The Baku State Circus is the main arena for circus art in Baku.

In 1945, a collective of Azerbaijani circus was organized, and it comprised of actors, who performed tricks in the circus and amateur participants with artistic skills.

In 1967, a building was constructed specially for the circus, and it is still functioning. At that time, it was not only the most modern and technically advanced structure, but also the first largest permanent circus in the Middle East. Even the building of the Great Moscow Circus was designed according to the Baku project, and only in 1971.

For modern times and even by the standards of today's technology, the Baku circus is quite competitive - this is evidenced by numerous shows with complex stunts.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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By Laman Ismayilova

An exhibition devoted to the 90th anniversary of the Peoples Artist of the USSR, Vice President of the Russian Academy of Arts Tahir Salahov will be held at Baku Expo Center on December 14, at 18:30.

The event is organized by the Ministry of Culture, Trend Life reported.

The exhibition will run until December 24.

Tahir Salahov, one of the most prominent representatives of the Azerbaijani art, is the vice-president and honorary president of the International Association of Plastic Arts of UNESCO, the vice-president of the Russian Academy of Arts, People's Artist of the USSR, Azerbaijan and Russia, and is the winner of a number of high awards, including the State Prize of the USSR and Azerbaijan.

The world-renowned artist, who sensitively catches the rhythms of life and able to listen and hear the time, Salahov is the master of portraits, landscape pictures, still-life paintings and large many-figured paintings.

His paintings such as "Oilmen", "Portrait of Gara Garayev", "Woman of Absheron" and "Aydan" have become the most beloved works.

The artist currently lives in Moscow, where he is a professor at the Moscow Art Institute.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Laman Ismayilova

Baku Media Center has completed work on documentary "Miras" (Heritage).

The film is dedicated to the activities of Nobel Brothers' Petroleum Company in Azerbaijan's oil industry, Day.Az reported.

The project was implemented under the sponsorship of the company "Nobel Oil".

The purpose of the film "Miras" is to emphasize the historical role and significance of the activities of the Nobel brothers in Azerbaijan in the development of oil production in the region and in the world. The film aims to promote the history of oil production in Azerbaijan.

The film tells about the achievements of Nobels - the creation of the world's first oil tanker and metal storage tanks for oil and oil products, the launch of the first oil pipeline in Europe in Baku and other innovations.

At the same time, the film speaks of the growing importance of "black gold" as a geostrategic raw material, as well as the increasing geopolitical significance of Azerbaijan in the region.

It traces the current development in Azerbaijan of the heritage of the Nobel brothers and the country's role as a reliable global supplier of energy resources.

The film director and scriptwriter is Zaur Gasimly, operator-director is Vladimir Artemyev, artistic director is Shahin Hasanli.

The film will soon be presented to the public.

Baku Media Center is an innovative company in the media sector of Azerbaijan with experience in several international events. BMC is a multifunctional company that provides a wide range of services in the field of audiovisual production.

The recent works of Baku Media Center include films "Target is Baku. How Hitler Lost the Battle for Oil", "Lifelong Mission", "Under the Single Sun", dedicated to the Year of Multiculturalism, "The Last Meeting" and others.

More information about Baku Media Center can be found on the official website of the company www.bakumediacenter.az, as well as on the company's pages on Facebook, Youtube, Linkedin, Instagram and Twitter.

Beginning from 1875, the Nobel Brothers took an active roll in Azerbaijan's oil industry that started developing apace in the second half of the 19th century.

After detecting oil in the Absheron peninsula, Robert Nobel invested his capital in the oil sector and set up drilling operations. He also bought a small kerosene factory and began refining oil.

The Nobel Brothers company officially began operating in 1879. Set up by Robert, Ludwig and Alfred Nobel, the company became the most authoritative and valuable oil company worldwide.

By the early 20th century, the Nobel Brothers Company had become the dominant oil company in Azerbaijan.

The company had capital equal to 30 million rubles and more than 13 plants (including 6 oil processing plants) from the period of 1914 to 1917. Their total oil production was 76 million pounds in 1916.

The Nobel Brothers were also strong humanitarians, who donated funds to schools and ran a hospital.

Ludvig Nobel worked actively to improve working conditions in his factories.

In 1885, he started a cooperative bank for the workers.

Dining rooms, billiard rooms, libraries and conference rooms were also built for workers.

Moreover, large park, created by brothers still exists in the "Black City".

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist,follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Trend

National leader Heydar Aliyev saved Azerbaijan by ensuring its eternity and inviolability, Vice Speaker of the Azerbaijani parliament Bahar Muradova told Trend on the occasion of the 15th death anniversary of the national leader.

We are proud to be citizens of such a rapidly developing state, the authority of which in the international arena is increasing, she said.

She said that Heydar Aliyev, who is one of Azerbaijans great personalities, will be remembered throughout history.

The memory of great leader Heydar Aliyev is honored by both the citizens of Azerbaijan and guests who come to the country, she noted. They always remember and value the life path that he passed. I can definitely say that Heydar Aliyev was a great person.

She noted that national leader Heydar Aliyev came to power for the second time in the most difficult period for Azerbaijan.

The first time when he came to power wasnt an easy period, either, she said. At that time, Azerbaijan had economic and social difficulties, as part of the USSR, being an agrarian republic, the country was lagging behind in development. Just like in those years, when he came to power for the second time, Heydar Aliyev brought prosperity and development to Azerbaijan, and turned it into one of the most advanced countries.

She added that after returning to power by the insistent demand of the people in 1993, great leader Heydar Aliyev ensured safe life of every citizen of Azerbaijan.

In the same year, after Heydar Aliyev was elected president, he officially began to fulfill the tasks that were very important for the development of the Azerbaijani state, and a new era began in the life of Azerbaijan, Muradova said.

Muradova noted that the second period of Heydar Aliyev's leadership is particularly significant for Azerbaijan.

That is because namely in this period, the great leader saved the independence of the Azerbaijani state, ensured its eternity and inviolability, turning Azerbaijan into a master of its capabilities and potential, Muradova added.

"Heydar Aliyev was conducting activity on promoting the "Azerbaijani state exists, one should reckon with it, and as long as the world exists, Azerbaijan will also exist opinion, Muradova said. "Today in Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev's ideas dont remain just as ideas, they are real and are being implemented. This work is headed by a worthy successor, President Ilham Aliyev. Under his leadership, we are implementing projects the development directions of which were designed by Heydar Aliyev.

She said that Azerbaijan has a bright future, and great leader Heydar Aliyev is definitely creator of this future.

Muradova added that the economic model created by Heydar Aliyev and continued by President Ilham Aliyev is being successfully implemented.

Muradova stressed that the foreign policy course, the foundation of which was laid by great leader Heydar Aliyev, is being modernized by President Ilham Aliyev, and is developing at the level of the modern system of international relations.

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By Trend

The results of the audit, conducted on July 2-11 by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) at the State Civil Aviation Agency under the Azerbaijani Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies were disclosed, Trend reports citing the ministry.

According to the results, over the past two years, progress has been achieved at 23.3 percent in ensuring compliance of Azerbaijans civil aviation with international standards.

Regional Director of the ICAO European and North Atlantic Office Luis Fonseca de Almeida congratulated the delegation of the State Civil Aviation Agency during the meeting held on December 4-5 at the ICAO's European and North Atlantic Regional Office.

Almeida stressed that the progress achieved by Azerbaijan is the highest result in the region in 2018.

Head of the Azerbaijani delegation Arif Mammadov thanked Almeida for his congratulations and stressed that close cooperation with ICAO will also continue in the future to achieve better results in ensuring aviation security in Azerbaijan.

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By Trend

On Dec. 2, the State Border Service of Azerbaijan prevented a Pakistani citizen, who arrived on the Moscow-Baku flight, from entering Azerbaijan with a fake UK passport, Trend reports referring to the State Border Service.

Another Pakistani citizen, who arrived on Dec. 4 on the Istanbul-Baku flight, was stopped with a fake Swedish ID card.

Besides, fake date stamps were detected in the passport of an Uzbek citizen who arrived on the Moscow-Baku flight on Dec. 5.

The passport of a British citizen, who arrived on the Erbil-Baku flight on Dec. 6, turned out to be counterfeit. During the investigation, it was found that he had an Iraqi passport.

An Indian citizen, who arrived in Baku from Dubai on Dec. 7, had a fake electronic visa to Azerbaijan.

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By Laman Ismayilova

Volcanoes are spectacular forces of nature. The have long been a source of myths and legends. A volcanic eruption is a unique and beautiful sight.

The first mud volcano eruption in Azerbaijan was recorded in 1810 in the Caspian Sea.

Over the past 200 years, 418 eruptions have been recorded in 93 mud volcanoes in Azerbaijan.

The head of the department of mud volcanism at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, doctor of geological-mineralogical sciences, professor Adil Aliyev told Trend.

He noted that there are 353 volcanoes in Azerbaijan, 200 of which are on the surface. About 60 percent of them do not erupt at all.

"As a result of the eruption, the microforms of volcanic crater, gas, water, dirt are released without affecting the Earths surface. In areas where this process is active, the volcano does not erupt, because the energy is already exhausted. In rare cases, erosion happens when some volcanoes are very weak. For example, the volcano Shikarpar in Gobustan erupts every 2-3 years," said Aliyev.

The professor stressed that volcanoes in Binagadi, Lokbatan, Shamakhi and Gobustan erupt very often. Other volcanoes erupt within 510 years, and sometimes 25 years later.

Azerbaijan or as it is called Land of Fire has the highest number of mud volcanoes in the world. Some 350 out of over 1,000 mud volcanoes in the world are located here.

The worlds largest mud volcanoes - Boyuk Khanizadagh and Turaghai - are both in Azerbaijan. Boyuk Khanizadagh, the diameter and height of which are 10 kilometers and 700 meters respectively, erupted on October 10, 2001, shooting out flames for 300 meters in the air. It was the highest record for flames shot from a mud volcano.

Underground and submarine mud volcanoes are also located in Azerbaijan.

There are more than 140 submarine volcanoes in the Caspian Sea. Eight islands in the Baku Archipelago are mud volcanoes by origination.

About 23 mud volcanoes in Azerbaijan received the status of the National Park and are protected by the state. In addition, they were included in the list of Seven Wonders of the World.

There are several interesting facts about mud volcanoes in Azerbaijan.

NASA geologists studying Mars planet, concluded that mud volcanoes of Azerbaijan are similar to uplands of the planet for their structure.

On September 5, 2004 the greatest mud volcano in the territory of Azerbaijan was added into the Guinness World Records.

The mud volcanoes located in Gobustan National Park sights attract thousands of tourists annually.

The State Historical-Artistic Reserve has been functioning since 1967. In 2007, the reserve was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list.

A trip to Gobustan gives you a great chance to see these amazing active volcanoes from very close distance.

Azerbaijan's rich fields of oil and gas condensate such as Lokbatan, Garadagh, Oil Rocks, and Mishovdag were also discovered near mud volcanoes.

The lava, mud, and liquid spewed by mud volcanoes are used as raw materials for chemical and construction industries, as well as pharmacology.

Enriched with specific components - mineral salts, organic substances, microelements, volcanic mud has medicinal properties that have a beneficial effect on the human body.

Volcanic mud gives a great effect in the treatment of patients suffering from diseases of the peripheral and central nervous system, gastrointestinal tract, skin, etc.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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By Trend

Azerbaijani great leader Heydar Aliyev, who was born in a simple, hardworking family, went down in history as a winner in the struggle to save the Azerbaijanis, Director of the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan, MP, academician Yaqub Mahmudov told Trend.

National leader Heydar Aliyevs life and activity, as opposed to other great personalities, fell on the period of two different social and political systems and in both periods he was able to rise to the highest level in his political activity, he said.

Mahmudov stressed that for the first time in the Soviet period Heydar Aliyev got engaged in the rather difficult and honorable work - the personnel nationalization in the State Security Committee.

"Heydar Aliyev graduated from the Baku State University, he added. When we studied in the first year, the group in which he studied graduated from the Baku State University.

During that period, Heydar Aliyev worked in the State Security Committee, he said. We understood well the importance of that for all of us. Then, when he became chairman of the State Security Committee, we were glad that, as opposed to the 1920s and 1930s, nobody could eliminate us any more because we had such a defender.

Mahmudov also recalled a story involving Heydar Aliyev.

"In 1958-1959, I was the secretary of the student All-Union Leninist Young Communist League (Komsomol). One of the talented students distributed leaflets condemning the Soviet power. We all were afraid that this young man would be eliminated. I was told to hold a closed Komsomol meeting.

During that period, Heydar Aliyev worked in the State Security Committee, he said. He also participated in this meeting. Various statements were made. One group demanded to ease this young mans lot, another group - to expel him from the university.

Heydar Aliyev spoke at the meeting for about an hour in connection with the youth issues, Mahmudov said. This was very instructive speech. By the words voiced in conclusion, he saved this young man. Heydar Aliyev said that he saw that the majority was sensible youth there, with enough power to educate this young man. Only then we realized that the activity of this brave Azerbaijani in such an organization as the State Security Committee meant salvation from the threat of the elimination of millions of our children."

The academician added that in 1969, when Heydar Aliyev came to power, a 50-year-anniversary of the Baku State University was marked.

"Frankly speaking, we were surprised by the speech of the president at the jubilee event in his native language, Mahmudov said. Then our intelligentsia realized that the president intended to revive Azerbaijan and was moving towards development in this direction."

The academician also witnessed how the great leader patronized the national revival of the Azerbaijanis in the late 1960s-1970s.

During that period Mahmudov worked as a scientific editor of History Editorial office in Azerbaijan Soviet Encyclopedia, which was one of the main centers of national revival.

The academician stressed that the employees who worked in Encyclopedia, headed by great thinker Rasul Rza and the progressive intelligentsia who gathered in the Encyclopedia during that period took rather brave actions.

During that time, employees of the Encyclopedia raised such issues as the decisive role of the Turkic ethnos in the formation of the Azerbaijanis, the occupation of Northern Azerbaijan by Tsarist Russia, the progressive role of the public figures of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in Azerbaijans history, the objective assessment of the work of the public figures of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and occupation in April 1920, he said.

"I also did not forget that the enemies who didnt want Azerbaijans national revival tried to badmouth us, Mahmudov said. Without paying attention to all this, in March 1971 the great leader entrusted me with such a position as scientific deputy editor-in-chief in the Encyclopedia. During those years, we were able to print Azerbaijans historical maps for the first time thanks to his support. After a short period of time, we were called "nationalists", "bourgeois ideologists", "enemies of Soviet power and enemies of Russia".

Mahmudov also said that the son of Stepan Shaumyan, who committed the March genocide in 1918 against the Azerbaijanis, Levon Shaumyan was brought to Baku. During that time, Shaumyan was the first deputy editor-in-chief of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia.

"Ill-wishers made every effort to badmouth the Azerbaijani intelligentsia, but they could not achieve their goals," Mahmudov added.

Mahmudov said that thanks to Heydar Aliyev, employees who worked in Encyclopedia and a big group of intellectuals, as well as he himself, not only were not prosecuted by the State Security Council, but were able to avoid punishment in the party.

"I was in Azerbaijans districts situated on the frontline, inspiring young people in Kerkijahan, Khojaly, Gubadli, Lachin, Mahmudov said. Every young man said that Heydar Aliyev would save us from this disaster and urged to bring him to power. Heydar Aliyev is a man who ranks with such well-known political figures as Ataturk, Jawaharlal Nehru, George Washington, Bismarck, Charles de Gaulle."

The historian added that the National Academy of Sciences, which is the flagship of Azerbaijani science, and its numerous team have always felt the care and attention of national leader Heydar Aliyev.

"Despite during the first days of Heydar Aliyevs coming to power the country was in a military-political crisis, he met with members of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan and listened to their opinions, he said. He took effective steps to solve social problems of scientists. He proudly stated that the path passed by the academy is a brilliant page in the history of the Azerbaijanis. At the Institute of History of the academy special attention is paid to comprehensive research of political and state activity of national leader of Azerbaijanis at the academic level."

He said that for this purpose the Institute conducts research, there is a department for studying Heydar Aliyevs heritage.

The academician stressed that modern Azerbaijan is achieving more success in creating a democratic, legal and secular country.

"Azerbaijans statehood was forever saved from enemies, he said. For all this, our grateful people are indebted to Heydar Aliyev. The great statesman of the modern period, President Ilham Aliyev, successfully developing Heydar Aliyevs ideas, ensured the steady rise of the Republic of Azerbaijan and turned our country into one of the advanced countries."

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By Leman Mammadova

OPEC did not change the forecast for average daily oil production in Azerbaijan at the end of 2018, keeping it at the level of 800,000 barrels per day, according to the cartel's December report.

The daily oil production in the country is expected to decrease by 20,000 barrels to 780,000 barrels in 2019 complied with the commitment undertaken by Azerbaijan within the framework of OPEC+ agreement.

In the previous report, the organization reduced the forecast for daily production for the next year by 10,000 barrels, to 790,000 barrels.

Recently, OPEC revealed its forecast for 2018 on the increase in oil supply from non-cartel countries by 190,000 barrels per day compared to last month - up to 2.5 million barrels per day.

Azerbaijan undertook to reduce its production by 35,000 barrels per day within the framework of the Declaration of Cooperation signed in Vienna on Dec. 10, 2016.

Azerbaijan presented data on its daily oil production in November 2018 to the OPEC Joint Technical Committee as part of the Vienna Agreement. Daily oil production stood at 801,000 barrels in November 2018, of which 733,000 barrels accounted for crude oil and 68,000 barrels for condensate, while 6,000 barrels of oil products were exported.

Major oil producers have reached a deal to reduce oil production by 1.2 million barrels per day at the fifth meeting of OPEC and non-OPEC ministers held in Vienna on December 7.

It has been agreed to reduce daily oil production by 800,000 barrels per day for OPEC countries in the first six months of 2019. Non-OPEC countries have agreed to reduce oil production by 400,000 barrels a day.

The agreement will enter into force on January 1, 2019. The next meeting of OPEC and non-OPEC format will be held in Vienna in April next year to revise the agreement.

OPEC and non-OPEC producers reached an agreement in December 2016 to curtail oil output jointly and ease a global glut after more than two years of low prices. OPEC agreed to slash the output by 1.2 million barrels per day from January 1.

Non-OPEC oil producers such as Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Equatorial Guinea, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Russia, Sudan, and South Sudan agreed to reduce output by 558,000 barrels per day starting from January 1, 2017.

OPEC and its partners decided to extend its production cuts till the end of 2018 in Vienna on November 30, as the oil cartel and its allies step up their attempt to end a three-year supply glut that has savaged crude prices and the global energy industry.

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See the excited reactions of some of the first students admitted to Emory's Class of 2023.

For yet another year, Emory University received a record number of applications for the first round of Early Decision admission. A total of 1,910 students applied to the university, selecting to apply to Emory College of Arts and Sciences, Oxford College or both to start their Emory University experience.

Early Decision applicants commit to a binding decision, meaning if they are admitted and receive adequate financial aid, they will enroll.

On Dec. 12, Early Decision I notifications were announced. Emory College admitted 559 students and Oxford College admitted 256 students. Some students who were admitted to both campuses now have the option to select where they want to enroll.

We continue to be excited about the number of talented students interested in Emory, signaling that top students seek us out as the university in which they can best pursue an education, says John Latting, dean of admission.

Within the group of students admitted in Early Decision is a wide array of voices that will enter Emorys classrooms, given the range of circumstances from which they come, Latting says. What they have in common, though, is proven ability to gain new knowledge, a curiosity to explore academic opportunities, and a wish to contribute to the community and the world around them.

Kelley Lips, dean of enrollment services for Oxford College, says that the students admitted have demonstrated high levels of engagement in the classroom and in their communities. They are an impressive cohort, and we are thrilled for them to bring that to the Emory family.

Oxford College, home of Emorys original 1836 campus in Oxford, Georgia, provides a distinctive liberal arts environment along with unique leadership opportunities for students during their first two years of undergraduate studies. Oxford offers an opportunity for students who seek a more intimate environment to begin their Emory experience. As juniors, all Oxford students move to the Atlanta campus to complete their degrees either in Emory College, Goizueta Business School or the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing.

Another strong year of QuestBridge Match Scholars

In addition to the increase in students who applied in Early Decision, the university also had an increase in the number of students applying through the QuestBridge National College Match program. QuestBridge is a national non-profit that links highly qualified students from low-income backgrounds with 40 of the nations leading universities.

Students in the match program can select from any number of elite institutions to attend, but they specifically listed Emory as a top choice. QuestBridge Scholars receive a four-year financial aid award covering full tuition and fees.

This year Emory University matched with 32 students from across the nation, an increase over last years cohort. Nationally, 1,044 students were matched with a participating university.

Timothy Fields, associate dean, says that partnering with QuestBridge allows us to provide access to Emory, and places like Emory, to students who may not have ever thought beyond their home city. These are exceptional students who will bring diverse perspectives to the classroom and to our campus community.

Emory continues to see QuestBridge as an important partner in helping to enroll the most academically-talented and most diverse class, year after year. Many of this years QuestBridge Scholars will be the first in their families to attend college.

Emory University is home to one of the largest on-campus QuestBridge Scholars networks in the country, with about 400 students at the Atlanta or Oxford campus. Members include previous years match scholars as well as other QuestBridge students who choose to enroll at the university through Regular Decision.

The deadline for Early Decision II and Regular Decision applications is Jan. 1. Based on the students applying and admitted thus far, admission leadership believes applicants will remain competitive in achievement, scores and community engagement.
By Trend

President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan ratified the bill on establishment of National cosmic agency, Trend reports with reference to Resmi Gazete.

The agency will function under the ministry of industry and technologies of Turkey, the source in Turkish parliament told Trend.

Erdogan noted that this is one of the most important priorities for Turkish government.

The project of establishment of National cosmic agency in Turkey is the second largest one after the construction of the shipping channel in Istanbul.

Headquarters of agency will be located in Ankara.

In February of 2017 the bill on establishment of National cosmic agency was submitted to Turkish Parliament. First in January, 2016 the Turkish parliament announced about establishment of National cosmic agency.

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By Trend

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan held a meeting with Paul Fitzpatrick Russell, Apostolic Nuncio to Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan, Trend reports referring to information of the Turkmen foreign ministry.

The parties discussed the possibility of construction of Vatican embassys building in Ashgabat.

Besides, having discussed priorities of bilateral relations, the parties touched upon the opinions regarding the further development of mutually beneficial cooperation between Turkmenistan and Vatican in various areas.

The Apostolic Nunciature in Turkmenistan was established on a permanent basis on July, 10, 1996.

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By Trend

Turkey is transporting heavy military equipment to its Sanliurfa province bordering Syria, Trend reports citing the Turkish media on Dec. 13.

Reportedly, this process started on Dec. 12 after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated about the beginning of new military operations in northern Syria.

Turkey's Armed Forces will launch a new military operation within three days in northern Syria against PYD/YPG, the Syrian wing of the PKK terrorist organization, President Erdogan said Dec. 12.

Erdogan claimed that there are US soldiers in the detachments of the terrorists in Syria.

"Despite that the US has promised Turkey that it would not support PYD/YPG, the Syrian wing of the PKK, the US did not keep its word," Erdogan said.

On June 4, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed a road map on Syria's Manbij during talks in Washington.

Also, Pompeo and Cavusoglu met in Brussels and discussed the Operation Olive Branch, as well as other issues.

On Jan. 20, the Turkish Armed Forces, together with the Free Syrian Army, launched the Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, Syria.

On Aug. 24, 2016, units of the Turkish Armed Forces began the Operation Euphrates Shield against the "Islamic State" and with the support of the Syrian opposition liberated the border town of Jarablus in northern Syria, as well as al-Bab.

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By Trend

Turkish-made weaponry will be used in the new military operations against the Syrian wing of the PKK - PYD/YPG terrorist organization in Syria's north, a source in the Turkish government told Trend on Dec. 13.

The source noted that during the earlier operations of the Euphrates Shield and the Olive Branch, the Turkish Armed Forces used domestically produced weaponry.

"It's important for the Turkish Armed Forces to avoid civilian casualties," the source said.

Despite the fact that it is too early to talk about the tactics that the Turkish Armed Forces will use, the source noted, it is possible that the anti-terrorist operations will be carried out in stages.

"It is expected that the forces of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) will also take part in the new military operations against the PYD/YPG terrorists in Syria's north," the source said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has recently said that the Turkish Armed Forces will launch a new military operation within few days in northern Syria against PYD/YPG, the Syrian wing of the PKK terrorist organization.

Erdogan claimed that there are American soldiers in the detachments of the terrorists in Syria.

"Despite that the US has promised Turkey that they would not support PYD/YPG, the Syrian wing of the PKK, the US did not keep its word," Erdogan said.

On June 4, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed a road map on Syria's Manbij during talks in Washington.

Also, Pompeo and Cavusoglu met in Brussels and discussed the Operation Olive Branch, as well as other issues.

On Jan. 20, the Turkish Armed Forces, together with the Free Syrian Army, launched the Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, Syria.

On Aug. 24, 2016, units of the Turkish Armed Forces began the Operation Euphrates Shield against the "Islamic State" and with the support of the Syrian opposition liberated the border town of Jarablus in northern Syria, as well as al-Bab.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Sarah Beth Brown and Edward Jenner Wood III, the newest members of Emorys Board of Trustees.

Emory Universitys Board of Trustees has elected two new members: Sarah Beth Brown, global customer director of The Coca-Cola Company; and Edward Jenner Wood III, chair of the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation.

Brown, who joined The Coca-Cola Company in 1989, is responsible for supporting the companys ongoing partnership and business growth with U.S.-based foodservice and on-premise customers doing business and expanding internationally.

She has held a variety of roles at the company in sales and sales management with a focus on capability building and strategic planning. In 1996, she relocated to the companys headquarters in Atlanta.

Prior to joining Coca-Cola, Brown was in medical equipment sales with Johnson & Johnson and Bayer Laboratories in Houston, Texas.

Brown holds a bachelor of science degree in business from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, and received an MBA from Emorys Goizueta Business School in 1989.

Brown serves on the Georgia Tech Advisory Board, Georgia Tech Parents Board, Goizueta Business School Dean Advisory Board, and Piedmont Healthcare Foundation Board. She served as a charter member of the Parent Development Board of Auburn University. She also is a trustee of The John and Rosemary Brown Family Foundation.

Wood serves as a director of Genuine Parts Company, Southern Company, and Oxford Industries, and is a former director of Crawford & Company. He spent his entire career with SunTrust Bank, serving in various corporate executive positions from 1975 to 2017.

His civic responsibilities include the Jesse Parker Williams Foundation, Sartain Lanier Foundation, and Episcopal High School. Wood served as chair of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce in 2016. He also formerly served as a trustee of the Camp Younts Foundation, Pitts Foundation, SunTrust Foundation, Inc., Agnes Scott College, Atlanta Speech School, Trinity School, Visiting Nurse Health System, and Piedmont Healthcare System.

Wood holds a bachelors degree from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and an MBA from Georgia State University.
One faithful arrested this morning. The Early Rain Covenant Church, led by Pastor Wang Yi, counts 500 faithful and 300 sympathizers. Despite being an underground church, members evangelize in the streets, have a seminary and a primary school. Wang Yi had criticized the "cult" of Xi Jinping and the new regulations on religious activities. "The persecution is a fair price to pay for the Lord".

Chengdu (AsiaNews) - About 100 Protestant Christians and seminary students were arrested in Chengdu (Sichuan) between 9 and 10 December. Some of the faithful, later released claimed they were "raped and abused" by the policemen who kept them in custody.

Among those arrested are Pastor Wang Yi and his wife Jiang Rong (photo 2), taken away by the police; two others, Guo Hai and his wife, were dragged away from home, leaving their two children alone.

Others arrested include: Jiang Ruolin, Ge Yingfeng, Zhu Hong, Xiao Hongliu, Ye Yin, Zhang Jianqing, Liu Yingxiu, deacon Zhang Guoqing, Elder Su and his wife, Xiao Yingshan and his wife, Song Engquang and his wife, Xiao Baoguang, Zhou Xiaojuan, Liu Daxuan, and Zhou Yong.

Many were arrested at the community headquarters; others were taken from their homes. The arrests continued even today, when Li Yingqiang, who had hidden himself in the first raid and warned the media, was also arrested.

All the arrested belong to the Church of the First Rain of the Alliance, an unofficial domestic Church, which is not recognized by the government, led by Pastor Wang Yi. Unlike many underground Protestant Churches, Early Rain Covenant Church practices its faith in an open way; publishes sermons and online studies; evangelizes on the streets of the city; has a seminary for future pastors and a primary school for 40 children.

The community has about 500 members and 300 sympathizers. It is not new to arrests and raids. Last June their headquarters was closed because the community had wanted to remember the people killed in the Tiananmen massacre with a memorial service. Some of his members were arrested two months ago because they were evangelizing in the street near the Chengdu station.

Although the police did not want to explain the reasons for the arrests, it is very likely that they are the consequence of the application of the new regulations on religious activities that prohibit unsanctioned gatherings. Pastor Wang Yi, described by many as "the most courageous" religious leader in China, has branded the new regulations as a tool to stifle religious freedom.

Recently, Wang Yi had also raised his voice against the "cult of Caesar", after the patriotic associations forced Christians to place - often on the altars - the photo of President Xi Jinping.

Before being arrested, Li Yingqiang declared: "Even if we are down to our last five, worship and gatherings will still go on because our faith is realPersecution is a price worth paying for the Lord. We would rather live through it than to hide our faith and we hope more Chinese churches will speak up and stand with us.
Gunmen on motorbikes have killed more than 40 Tuareg civilians this week in north Mali, where clashes over land and scarce water are common, an official said on Thursday.



The violence compounds an already dire security situation in the desert region used by jihadist groups to launch attacks in Mali and across West Africa.



The identity of the assailants was unknown, but disputes between the nomadic Tuareg and herder Fulani ethnic groups have killed several hundred and displaced thousands this year.



Menaka town mayor Nanout Kotia told Reuters 43 Tuareg died in a village 20 km (12 miles) away over the past two days.



"Armed men riding motorbikes attacked several nomadic campsites in Tinabaw. They shot indiscriminately at the population," Kotia told Reuters, saying security forces had been sent to the area.



Mali's main Tuareg separatist group, the Coordination of Azawad Movements, said 47 Tuareg civilians were killed in the Tinabaw area. Nobody has claimed responsibility.



Armed men killed 15 Fulani civilians in Mali's central Mopti region earlier this month.



Mali has been in turmoil since Tuareg rebels and loosely allied Islamists took over its north in 2012, prompting French forces to intervene to push them back the following year.



They have since regained a foothold in the north and center, tapping into ethnic rivalries to recruit new members.







Reuters
Robert Craig Bunch, a librarian and teacher from San Antonio, is author of The Art of Found Objects: Interviews with Texas Artists, and the guest curator for The Art of Found Objects: Enigma Variations, an exhibit at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas.

Many artist use recycled materials in the sense of using materials for a purpose for which they were not originally intended, Bunch said. For instance, coins were intended to be spent, not to be used as art materials. Magazine or high school yearbook pages were intended to be read or looked at, not to be cut up and used as collage materials. So, in this sense, such materials are living second or even third lives. Some of the material might have been found in the trash, but probably not most of it.
Authorities say bomb threats sent to dozens of schools, universities and other locations across the U.S. - including Beaumont - appear to be a hoax.

The New York City Police Department said the threats sent Thursday were meant to cause disruption and compel recipients into sending money and are not considered credible.

Some of the emails had the subject line: "Think Twice."

Beaumont police responded to the first of nearly one dozen bomb threats made by email to the Lower Neches Valley Authority just after 1 p.m.

RELATED: Officials investigating multiple bomb threats in Beaumont

By 1:30 p.m., two other threats had been reported to police: one in the 3100 block of College Street and one in the 3500 block of Delaware Street, according to the department's online active call log.

About 10 threats were reported in all.

"Once we got to that first location, we started receiving multiple calls," said BPD officer Haley Morrow during a news conference at the police station. "The longer it went on, the more we start to find out that this is happening nationwide.

"So we are going to continue to investigate, but at this time we haven't found anything that's been alarming - other than the fact that these threats are being made nationwide."

"We are still working with our federal partners to investigate, and will continue to do that," Morrow said.

The Palm Beach County, Florida sheriff's office and the Boise, Idaho police said they had no reason to believe that threats made to locations in those areas were credible.

Across the country, some schools were closed early and others were evacuated because of the threats. Penn State University noticed students via a campus alert. Near Atlanta, people were ushered out of a courthouse.

Monique Batson and Erica Apodaca contributed to this report.
American Valve and Hydrant Manufacturing decided this year to celebrate its 50th anniversary by donating $5,000 to EJs Empty Stocking Fund.

That represents a whopping 10 percent of the Christmas charitys $50,000 goal.

I guess we did $5,000 because of the number five to represent the 50 years weve been operating in Beaumont and the 50 years weve been a part of our parent company, American Cast Iron Pipe Co., company president Tim Sudela said.

The donation memo read, In honor of American Valve & Hydrant employees, past and present, who have contributed to our Golden Rule story for 50 years.

Its a reference to the age-old advice to treat others the way you would want to be treated.

The Golden Rule was the foundation on which the company was built on back in 1905, Sudela said. Its something that, when American Valve and Hydrant Manufacturing opened 50 years ago, was incorporated into our culture with how we treat our co-workers and customers.

This isnt the first time the company has donated to the fund, though it is the first time for such a hefty gift.

We wanted to celebrate and make an impact, Sudela said. I believe that it is important for any corporation, big or small, to participate in the community they work in.

All donations made to EJs Empty Stocking Fund go toward purchasing gifts for less fortunate kids so that they may have the joy of opening presents during the holiday season.

The Enterprise works with the Christmas Bureau to make the event possible.

erica.apodaca@beaumontenterprise.com
Showers and thunderstorms will cover much of the Houston area this morning before strong winds develop in the afternoon, meteorologists said.

Chances of showers and thunderstorms in Houston are at 50 percent during the day, according to the National Weather Service. The rain is expected to move eastward through sunrise along a cold front.
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As hospitals are pulled between their current fee-for-service reality and a value-based future, the key to survival may be a focus on clinical documentation improvement, enhanced by artificial intelligence.

Most hospitals are still operating in a fee-for-service world and cautiously sizing up the jump to value. However, the costs built into the healthcare infrastructure and thinning hospital margins make that jump look even more precarious. Hospitals need to maximize fee-for-service revenue while optimizing outcomes  and the simplest way to do this is through comprehensive clinical documentation, according to Anthony Oliva, DO, vice president and CMO of Nuance Healthcare CDI.

This content is sponsored by Nuance.

Dr. Oliva spoke Nov. 14 at the Becker's Hospital Review 7th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable in Chicago at an executive roundtable hosted by Nuance on the opportunities to transform clinical documentation and drive better outcomes.

Using advanced analytics and AI-powered guidance, hospitals can better utilize resources lost during the back-and-forth between the coding/revenue cycle and clinical quality teams by simply better identifying the severity of patient populations at the outset. This not only helps coders more accurately submit claims that align with patient outcomes, but it also helps ensure patient documentation reflects proper diagnoses and drives improved care sooner.

Trapped between curves

The healthcare industry is trapped between two curves like those described in Ian Morrison's The Second Curve, Dr. Oliva observed.

In The Second Curve, Mr. Morrison makes the case that most industries experience two curves. In the first, when a product or service is new, the company that provides the product controls the supply and the demand. As consumers become familiar with the product and as technology advances, they begin to expect more from the product. This is the tipping point. Eventually, consumerism, technology and transparency will flip the industry into the second curve. Companies can either adjust or make way for others who will deliver what consumers want.

Dr. Oliva believes healthcare is teetering between the first and second curves. "There is often a misconception that we are being driven down this value road," Dr. Oliva said. "I don't think we are being forced down it at all. I think it's a natural progression of the industry."

This progression has been triggered by four main trends, according to Dr. Oliva.

Cost. In the first curve, providers control the supply of care, and often the demand. They determine how and when patients need care for which conditions. This control has driven costs to an unsustainable high

Informed consumers. The internet has flattened the playing field a little bit with regard to medical knowledge. Providers are no longer the gate-keepers of information, contributing to a greater push by consumers for care on their terms.

Technology. Meanwhile, technology is improving, allowing procedures to enter lower-cost outpatient settings, which can also offer patients the convenience they want.

Transparency. Reputation no longer reigns in healthcare. Patients have easy access to information on which providers are performing best.

Unlike attempts to control costs with managed care in the '90s, these four trends combined have solidified the shift to the second curve, according to Dr. Oliva. "I don't think the cats going to get back in the bag here."

A marker of this shift is the steady drop in inpatient surgical cases due to better and more affordable care opportunities in the outpatient setting. Unfortunately, just shifting to an outpatient focus isn't a cure-all for the financial challenges facing health systems. The costs of maintaining the infrastructure for inpatient care make it impossible to make up the difference in revenue. The math just doesn't work out.

"We put so much into the healthcare infrastructure that it's a very costly system we live in. We've been feeding the beast forever with fee-for-service," Dr. Oliva said. The only way out is the move to value, rewarding providers for performance and outcomes. Yet value-based care only really exists in small pockets around the country. It's far from the reality in most regions where hospitals are struggling to just stay afloat financially.

So, what's the best way to mitigate the challenge created by being trapped between the two curves?

"It's clear that clinical documentation improvement is that strategy because it's managing what we currently have to the best of our ability," Dr. Oliva said.

Why CDI is more important than ever

Comprehensive clinical documentation helps hospitals squeeze every drop of revenue coming in from a fee-for-service perspective. At the same time, claims are used to determine quality outcomes in a value-based care world  making accurate clinical documentation critical for success in the second curve.

"Outcomes and patient satisfaction have become more important, therefore the ability to measure the severity of the population just became more important, much more important," Dr. Oliva said.

In a value-based care world, performance will be determined by comparing actual care outcomes over expected outcomes. Actual, or observed outcomes, have infinite factors. How long did it take for the patient to come to the hospital? Did they receive the appropriate medications? Were the correct protocols followed? Did they face long wait times? Did providers communicate well? Was there variation between providers? Addressing these factors is the aim of the second curve.

Expected outcomes are controlled by patient age, principle diagnosis and secondary diagnoses. In other words, the care hospitals provide is not immediately relevant to the expected outcome. In the transition between curves, optimizing expected outcomes through proper clinical documentation is essential.

"We looked at the observed to expected ratios and saw a significant difference between hospitals with clinically focused documentation improvement programs and other institutions [that dont have such programs]. This suggests that you can outperform other organizations by focusing on clinical documentation," Dr. Oliva said. Hospitals can easily optimize this part of the equation with computer-assisted physician documentation solutions that prompt physicians to add specificity to notes that will improve the coding process on the backend.

How technology can help supercharge CDI programs

Without technology, CDI programs are heavily dependent on human capital to sift through clinical notes for proper quality, coding and billing. A hospitalist may write what he or she sees as an incredibly detailed note, but the note may not contain particularly accurate or complete diagnoses, leaving coders short of the information they need for billing.

CAPD technology can make clinical documentation improvement less retrospective and integrate it into normal physician workflow. AI and natural language processing have three main benefits in this arena:

The technology can prompt physicians to add more specificity to notes to help with coding and quality, while they are still thinking about the patient case.

It can evaluate unstructured text to identify if there is clinical evidence of something not yet noted.

Automated technology is always on  24x7x365. Always searching and guiding improvements, filling gaps that just cant be covered with traditional resources.

Taken together, these benefits mean clinical notes are in a much better place before the physician signs off on it, reducing delay on the back-end. "Delay is the deadliest form of denial," Dr. Oliva said. While the solution cannot replace human capital, it can move some work to the front-end and help optimize the coding process, ultimately maximizing revenue and optimizing performance.

Conclusion

While providers are moving down the path to value, they are still largely operating in a fee-for-service world, and probably will be for a while longer. To make the most of both worlds, hospitals should put an eye toward optimizing clinical documentation, to maximize revenue and ensure they are ready for value-based care.

One of the biggest opportunities for CDI comes at the point of care when physicians are entering notes. "The top five clinical documentation questions nationally in 2004 were the same as they are today," Dr. Oliva said. "My hope now is that because we're actually asking the question now in real-time, instead of the next day, that maybe getting that information when it's fresh, may actually get them to a different place."

Using natural language processing and AI, providers can get ahead of coding issues, reduce resource-heavy reviews on the back-end. This will ultimately help providers drive appropriate reimbursement and better understand their patient populations and performance.

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Two revenue cycle management companies  Aspirion Health Resources and HRS ERASE  are combining.

Four things to know:

1. Columbus, Ga.-based Aspirion focuses on motor vehicle accidents, workers' compensation, the Veterans Administration and Tricare insurance claim segments. Kansas City, Mo.-based HRS ERASE offers Medicaid eligibility, workers' compensation and out-of-state Medicaid services to healthcare providers.

2. Through the transaction, Aspirion Health Resources will will combine with HRS ERASE.

3. The combined company will serve more than 100 facilities in 28 states, according to a news release. Its solution suite will include motor vehicle accident claims, workers' compensation claims, Veterans Affairs claim management, Medicaid eligibility verification, and out-of-state Medicaid collections.

4. Aspirion said the new platform advances the combined companys aim to be the leader in the U.S. for complex claims revenue cycle management via continued growth and acquisitions.

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Standalone hospitals have experienced financial boosts from investment income in recent years amid a stronger economy, according to an analysis by Juniper Advisory, an investment banking firm.

For the analysis, researchers examined the most recent audits available between 2016 and 2017 for 90 independent hospitals in California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin.

Four findings:

1. Most hospitals (61 percent) saw operating margins below 3 percent.

2. Hospitals' average operating margin was minus 0.8 percent, and average net income margin was 3.7 percent.

3. Average net margin decreased 21 percent due to operating performance, meaning hospitals in the analysis on average lost money on operations.

4. Average investment income revenue accounted for 47 percent of the hospitals' net margin.

While investment income has boosted standalone hospitals' balance sheets recently, they could see the opposite effect in a weaker economy, said David Gordon, principal with Juniper Advisory.

"Like any business, hospitals should not consistently rely on investment income to support their day-to-day operations," he said. "We've been watching the ongoing economic growth, which is good for both hospitals and their patients, but the economy will not always be as strong as it has been the last few years. When that time comes, hospitals will have to demonstrate that they can provide care much more cost-efficiently."

Read more about the analysis here.

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The adenovirus outbreak at Haskell, N.J.-based Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation is over, but health officials still are barring new patients in the children's unit, according to northjersey.com.

Three things to know:

1. By the end of the outbreak, 36 children had been infected with the adenovirus and 11 had died.

2. Four weeks have passed since the most recent patient case, which is the standard for declaring the end of viral outbreak.

3. The New Jersey Health Department will continue to bar all new admissions to the Wanaque pediatric unit, which includes 92 beds, about 60 of which are reserved for patients who need ventilators.

"Out of an abundance of caution, we are continuing to work with the facility to ensure they have infection control procedures in place," said Donna Leusner, spokesperson for the New Jersey Health Department. "There is always a risk of the introduction of a new respiratory outbreak in this facility because its flu season."

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Here are 12 key notes from orthopedic and spine device companies in the past week.

Orthopedic medical device company EDGe Surgical completed $4 million in financing for its electronic depth gauge device.

Forbes named Medtronic among the nation's most JUST Companies in 2018.

Select Health of South Carolina now exclusively covers Paradigm Spine's coflex interlaminar stabilization device for lumbar spinal stenosis treatment.

ZygoFix is ramping up its human clinical study of its zLOCK spinal facet joint fixation system.

Medtronic agreed to pay a $50.9 million settlement to resolve three outstanding issues with the Justice Department.

Globus Medical entered the European market with its spine surgical robot, Excelsius GPS.

IntraFuse received a U.S. patent for its FlexThread Intramedullary Fracture Fixation system.

SpineGuard teamed up with Carnot Interfaces to combine SpineGuard's DSG technology with surgical robots.

Stryker and Zimmer Biomet are heading back to federal appeals court over the scope of damages awarded in an eight-year long patent infringement case.

Frost & Sullivan granted Vallum's PEEKplus spinal interbody fusion device the 2018 North America New Product Innovation Award.

NuVasive received FDA 510(k) clearance for expanded use of its Monolith Corpectomy System.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona now exclusively covers minimally invasive sacroiliac joint fusion with SI-Bone's iFuse Implant System.
MedCore Partners plans to open a new medical office building on the Dallas-based Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance campus.

Here are four highlights:

1. Dallas-based Spine Team Texas will lead the new building.

2. The new medical office building will also be home to the Texas Health Spine Surgery Center-Alliance, an ambulatory spine surgery center operated by Spine Team Texas.

3. Spanning two stories, and 65,000 square feet, the medical office building will be located next to the 98-bed hospital. The new space is already 70 percent pre-leased to various tenants, including Spine Team Texas.

4. The project is expected to complete in the first quarter of 2020.
Sickening sight: Some of the sheep killed in the Keady attack

A farmer has spoken of his anger after 12 of his sheep were killed by three vicious dogs.

Alan Faloon, from Madden Road near Keady, believes the attack happened between Sunday night and Monday morning.

Nine of the animals were pregnant.

The 43-year-old caught a husky-type dog and two Alsatians mauling a lamb which was stuck in a wire fence while he was on the school run on Monday morning.

He fired two shots at them with a rifle and thought he injured one, but they escaped.

At this stage, it is not known where the dogs came from.

Mr Faloon said: "I am annoyed, but it's one of those things, you just get them and that's it.

"I just hope they don't come back and the owner sorts them out."

The distraught farmer said that he hoped the dogs would not return to his property, but warned that if they reappeared, he would have no choice but to shoot them in order to protect his flock.

Conor Donnelly, a director at Orchard Veterinary Practice, who attended the incident, described the shocking scene he encountered after the attack.

He said that the sheep had suffered wounds "wherever the dogs could get their teeth into them".

"Really, I wouldn't hold back with the devastating scene of destruction and death and mauling that these animals received," he added. "Each year you may get a case of a couple of sheep killed from time to time, but for a dozen to be lost in a single occasion like this is quite a bad case."

The field had 19 sheep in it at the time and Mr Donnelly said there could yet be further fatalities due to stress the animals experienced during the attack.

"When dogs attack sheep like that they tend to chase them around the place and, rather than attacking one and eating it, they would attack as many of them as they can and the sheep are really just chased to the point of exhaustion," he said.

"There is the potential for the other sheep to die later from the stress of it all or abort their lambs as well over the next few weeks."

It was a crucial time of the year for the sheep, which were heavily in lamb and due to give birth in February.

Mr Faloon has estimated the cost at between 150-300 per sheep.

Mr Donnelly, who will monitor the flock in the coming days, added: "The absolute message is you have to know where your dog is and have it restrained at all times, to prevent cases like this happening again."
The devastating economic cost to Northern Ireland following the closure of the JTI Gallaher tobacco plant in Ballymena has been borne out in new Government data, economists have said.

Separate reports released yesterday unveiled a 2.9bn or 20% slump in export sales by Northern Ireland companies into Britain during 2017, while the Mid and East Antrim council area recorded the biggest loss in gross value added (GVA) in the UK.

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Export sales to EU countries apart from the Republic fell by 269m (12.1%) to 2bn.

However exports to the Republic increased by 540m or 16.2% over the year to a record 3.9bn.

Sales to the rest of the world also increased by 195m (4.8%) over the year to 4.3bn.

Total sales by companies in Northern Ireland were estimated to be worth 66.6bn in 2017 - down 1.1bn on 2016 (1.7%). Within Northern Ireland, sales increased by 1.3bn to 45.2bn, up 2.9% over the year.

The 2.9bn slide in sales to Great Britain was the first recorded decline since the survey began in 2011.

Exports to Britain are now worth 11.3bn to Northern Ireland's economy.

The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency said the slump was driven by "a substantial fall in sales" in the manufacturing sub sector of food, beverages and tobacco.

Ulster Bank chief economist Richard Ramsey said the figures reflected the growth in exports to the rest of the world due to strong global growth, while the weakness of the pound against the euro contributed to a big boost in sales to the Republic, with wholesale and retail trade up 13% over the year.

However he said the considerable slump in exports to GB and the rest of the EU, was primarily down to the closure of JTI Gallaher.

The Co Antrim factory, which once employed 800 people, closed in October 2017.

The loss of the cigarette plant was part of a double blow to Ballymena alongside the phased closure of tyre maker Michelin.

"Going forward we now have no tobacco industry whatsoever," Mr Ramsey said.

"Food and drink in my view during 2017 will show growth, so most of that (slump) must be attributed to JTI."

Michael Bell of the NI Food and Drink Association agreed.

He said: "Food and drink sales have been performing very well, given the turbulence in the market place over the last two years.

"Over the last decade, Northern Ireland's food and drink industry has actually doubled its output by value."

Stephen Kelly of Manufacturing NI added that the data reflected the fragility of the sector.

"Losing one large firm has a big detrimental impact," he said. "Only 1% of our manufacturing firms are large, employing more than 250 people.

"But they account for half of turnover and half of jobs.

"We must not create conditions which force them out."

Economist Jordan Buchanan said the latest GVA report from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) also reflected the local impact of JTI. GVA measures of the value of goods and services produced in an area, industry or sector of an economy.

"The manufacturing of beverages and tobacco sector's output has fallen by almost 350m last year. This is largely the closure of JTI in Ballymena," he said.

"This one closure has taken just under 1% off the total GVA of the whole of the local economy."

GVA in Northern Ireland was estimated to have increased by 1.7% in 2017.

Mr Ramsey said he expects the 2018 figures to reflect a smaller increase to around 1.5%, which could fall to 1% in 2019.

"I think in the second half of 2019 we're going to see more people talking about the potential for a recession," he added.

Yesterday's new ONS data revealed that Belfast is now ranked as number five in the table for UK's top 10 areas for GVA added per head.

The table is dominated by some of the wealthiest areas of London, including the city's financial district and Westminster.

In contrast, four Northern Ireland council areas make up the five lowest performing areas in the UK. Ards and North Down, Causeway Coast and Glens and Fermanagh and Omagh sit at the very bottom of the UK rankings. Newry, Mourne and Down and Mid and East Antrim are also in the bottom 10.

In terms of annual change, Causeway Coast and Glens recorded the best improvement in the UK (8.9%).
Northern Ireland's housing market remains the strongest performing among UK regions, with house prices predicted to keep increasing.

Property prices fell across Great Britain for a third successive month in November, according to the latest Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and Ulster Bank Residential Market Survey.

But Northern Ireland defied the trend, with 39% more respondents reporting an increase in the value of their home.

RICS residential property spokesperson Samuel Dickey said he believes 2018 is "shaping up to be a good year" for the housing market, despite concerns over performance elsewhere.

"House prices look to have risen at a healthy rate and activity in various segments of the market has been relatively good, albeit that there are regional variations," he said.

"Uncertainty in the wider environment doesn't seem to be having a significant impact on the housing market to date.

"Whether that continues into 2019 remains to be seen."

According to the RICS, the professional body for estate agents and surveyors, experts are significantly more optimistic about sales activity in Northern Ireland. However, the latest survey does show a slight drop in the number of new properties coming onto the market, which has prompted calls for action.

"One thing that does continue to be a feature is the lack of supply," Mr Dickey said. "We need to see more new homes being built, and more resale properties would need to become available to meet demand."

Surveyors here are more optimistic about prices continuing to rise over the next three months, compared to experts in England, Scotland and Wales.

Sales are expected to fall in all but one other region over the next quarter.

London and the South East of England experienced the biggest slump in property prices last month.

Terry Robb, head of personal banking at Ulster Bank, said that high demand has driven the stream of healthy activity during the year.

"Our new paperless mortgage process has played a role in helping generate interest, but demand more broadly in the market remains firm," he added.

"The level of interest that we are seeing from customers, as well as feedback from surveyors, suggests that the early part of 2019 at least will continue to see good demand."

The latest Land and Property House Price Index survey revealed the average Northern Ireland home cost 135,060 in the third quarter of 2018.
Bosses at Northern Ireland's second largest port have abandoned plans to create a more cost-effective dredging site in the mouth of Carlingford Lough over environmental concerns.

Warrenpoint Port authorities made the decision after an analysis of the proposed location between Cranfield Point and Greencastle revealed substantial differences in water flow during ebb and flood tides make the site infeasible.

Chief executive Clare Guinness said early results from a site characterisation study revealed the proposal would potentially have an unacceptable detrimental impact on the ecology and aquaculture within the lough.

"Throughout the process we have been clear that should the scientific research identify the potential for such an impact, then the proposal would go no further," she said

"We are pleased to deliver on this commitment as conservators of the marine environment and will immediately cease pursuit of a revised dredging proposal."

The data, which was compiled by aquaculture consultancy experts Longline Environment, indicates that sediments disposed of at the proposed in-lough site will not travel as far out to sea as first anticipated.

It also infers that any material which reaches the seabed is likely to drift back into the lough.

The study involved conducting a range of experiments which saw 400,000 cubic metres of material disposed of in three different scenarios.

Gravel, sand and mud migrated into the lough each time material was deposited at the proposed new site. Only material disposed of at the current site, 10km from the shoreline, did not drift back into the lough, where water flow fluctuates significantly.

South Down Sinn Fein MP Chris Hazzard welcomed the action taken by port authorities which he said delivers on a promise to be guided by science.

"Seeing that these proposals would potentially damage the sensitive ecology and aquaculture in the lough they have taken the responsible decision to not move forward with the proposals," he said.

He added that the local community will be pleased that the protection of the lough's marine environment has been prioritised above profit.

"They will look forward to again engaging constructively with the port in finding an alternative model for addressing the increased silting of the harbour and its impact upon the competitiveness of Warrenpoint Port," he said.

Earlier this year the port announced it is set to pump 3m into its infrastructure to ensure it is Brexit-ready.
DUP leader Arlene Foster yesterday joined forces with former Brexit secretaries David Davis and Dominic Raab to push for changes to the withdrawal deal.

At an event in the British Academy in central London, DUP representatives appeared with high-profile Brexiteers to launch the 'A Better Deal' pamphlet, which sets out proposals for an alternative EU withdrawal agreement.

On Twitter, Mrs Foster wrote: "Delighted to speak at the launch of A Better Deal. The WA would undermine the economic & constitutional integrity of the UK. There are alternatives.

"London, Dublin & Brussels have all ruled out a hard border in any circumstance. Backstop is not needed."

Included in the document is a proposal for a new protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland to replace the backstop.

The document states that "nothing in the New Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland shall imply the creation, existence or maintenance of a single customs territory between the European Union and the United Kingdom".

The protocol would be in place from the end of the transition period at the end of 2020 if no alternative arrangements are in place to guarantee the absence of a hard border.

The paper retains many elements of Mrs May's package but removes what they referred to as "poison pills" which prevented her securing cross-party support.

Backers of the new approach said that Parliament had effectively rejected the deal by making it impossible for Mrs May to get it through the Commons.

The document, drawn up by a former adviser to Liam Fox, Shanker Singham, customs expert Hans Maessen and lawyer Robert MacLean, proposed:

 No single customs territory between the UK and the EU, allowing Britain to regain control over tariffs and regulations and negotiate trade agreements with other countries;

 A 10-year, extendible backstop featuring advanced customs facilitation measures to keep the Irish border open, a zero-tariff free trade agreement in goods and a commitment by all parties not to place infrastructure on the border;

 Mutual recognition of regulations, with measures to ensure that the animal health and disease control zone on the island of Ireland can be maintained;

 Level playing field provisions on labour, the environment, competition and state aid;

 The removal of geographic indications provisions from the withdrawal agreement, to be considered as part of a later free trade deal;

 The removal of language on World Trade Organisation collaboration, ensuring that the UK can operate independently in the WTO.

Launching the paper, former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab said: "There are modest and reasonable changes that could help salvage the proposed deal with the EU.

"The UK needs a unilateral exit mechanism from the backstop, but we can give the Irish Government assurances that we would put in place specific measures to guarantee no return to a hard border.

"This proposal can help deliver this and allay fears that the UK would be stuck indefinitely in an undemocratic regime of laws we have no control over and can't exit."

Also backing the paper was Mr Raab's predecessor as Brexit secretary David Davis.

Labour MP David Lammy added: "The alternative plan of two failed Brexit secretaries is not a solution but a recipe for disaster.

"Not only would it create a hard border in Ireland, it would cut the UK off from our closest partners and make the whole country poorer, disproportionately hurting the worst off.

"As we stand, there is no clear majority in this House for any specific Brexit plan.

"The way to unblock our politics and get a mandate for a tangible plan to move forward is through a people's vote, which gives the option to remain in the EU."
Theresa May has urged her party to "come together" after seeing off an attempt by rebel backbenchers to oust her as Conservative leader and Prime Minister.

She won a confidence vote of the 317 Conservative MPs by a margin of 200 to 117 in a secret ballot at Westminster. But she sowed the seeds for her eventual departure by telling Tory MPs that she would not lead the party into the next general election, expected in 2022.

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She immediately faced calls to resign from Brexit-backing MPs including Jacob Rees-Mogg, who said that she had lost the confidence of more than one-third of her MPs and a majority of backbenchers.

Speaking in Downing Street moments after the result was announced, Mrs May acknowledged that a "significant" number of her MPs had voted against her and said: "I have listened to what they said."

She pledged to seek "legal and political assurances" on the Brexit backstop to allay MPs' concerns about her withdrawal agreement when she attends a European Council summit in Brussels today.

Last night the BBC reported that EU leaders are considering making a commitment to continue negotiating a trade deal with the UK even if the Irish backstop comes into force.

It was reported that the move aims to reassure the House of Commons that the backstop will be a temporary measure - although it would not be legally binding.

It is believed this would be the start of a two-stage reassurance process starting immediately, with officials working on more drafts to be published in January.

Mrs May also said she and her administration had a "renewed mission", adding: "Following this ballot, we now need to get on with the job of delivering Brexit for the British people and building a better future for this country."

But Mr Rees-Mogg said Mrs May should resign "as soon as the Queen has a moment in her diary to see her".

The chairman of the European Research Group of Tory eurosceptics told the BBC: "It's a terrible result for the Prime Minister."

With the "payroll vote" of ministers, parliamentary aides and trade envoys all likely to have backed Mrs May, a majority of the remaining 160-170 backbenchers voted no confidence in her, he said.

But other Brexiteers said they would end their efforts to unseat Mrs May.

Nadine Dorries said: "The PM has secured the confidence of the Parliamentary party tonight. It's not the way I voted, however I will fully respect the result."

It was Mrs May's decision to pull a vote on her deal in the face of what she acknowledged would have been a heavy defeat earlier this week which sparked a new wave of letters of no-confidence from Tories, triggering the challenge to her position.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said that the "dismal" deal should be put before MPs next week.

"The Prime Minister has lost her majority in Parliament, her Government is in chaos and she is unable to deliver a Brexit deal that works for the country and puts jobs and the economy first," Mr Corbyn said.

"It's clear that she has not been able to negotiate the necessary changes in Europe.

"She must now bring her dismal deal back to the House of Commons next week so Parliament can take back control."

Labour MPs described Mrs May as a "lame duck" due to her decision to pre-announce her departure.

Mrs May said after the result: "While delivering Brexit is important, we also need to focus on the other issues that people feel are vital to them and matter to them today. The issues that we came into politics to deal with, building a stronger economy, delivering first-class public services, building the homes that families need.

"We owe it to the people who put us here to put their priorities first. So here is our renewed mission: delivering the Brexit that people voted for, bringing the country back together and building a country that truly works for everyone."

Mrs May's victory in the vote means that another challenge cannot be mounted against her position as Tory leader for a year.

But she still faces the danger of a no-confidence motion in the Commons, which could bring her Government down if backed by more than half of all MPs.

Addressing MPs at a meeting of the 1922 Committee moments before the crucial vote, Mrs May said she accepted she could not fight the next election as leader.

Solicitor general Robert Buckland told reporters: "She said, 'In my heart I would like to lead the party into the next election' and then that was the introductory phrase to her indication that she would accept the fact that would not happen, that is not her intention."

And, according to MPs at the meeting, she also promised to find a "legally-binding solution" to ensure that the UK does not get permanently trapped in a backstop arrangement.
DUP Westminster leader Nigel Dodds said Theresa May now had to fight a "heck of a battle" in Brussels over the Northern Ireland backstop.

It comes after the Prime Minister saw off a rebellion in her own party securing a confidence motion with 200 votes and a majority of 83.

She did, however, have to pledge to step down before the next scheduled general election in 2022. Mrs May said she would see to get assurances from the EU on the withdrawal agreement.

The DUP has said the controversial backstop has to be binned.

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"She says tonight she is going to go off and try and get legal and political changes," he told BBC's Newsnight.

"I think that is quite significant, she has recognised it is not just political declarations or reassurances necessary.

"Against that, Leo Varadkar and Jean-Claude Juncker say the Withdrawal Agreement cannot be reopened or contradicted.

"So there's going to be a heck of a battle that has to happen now."

Former Northern Ireland Secretary, and Theresa May supporter, James Brokenshire, said the Prime Minister must "recognise, listen to and act on" the concerns within her own party.

He also told the Press Association that the DUP had "reaffirmed that we need to work with them".

Mr Brokenshire added: "The public frankly want us to get on with this, they want to see it happen and that's what we're going to do."
Arlene Foster has said that Theresa May's survival as Tory party leader changes nothing for the DUP on Brexit.

Mrs Foster said alterations were still needed to the withdrawal agreement if it is to secure the support of her 10 MPs in Parliament.

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Speaking last night after the Prime Minister won a no-confidence vote among Conservative MPs, the DUP leader said: "The business of the 1922 Committee is entirely that.

"It is not a matter for the DUP and doesn't change the arithmetic of the Parliament. Our focus and objective is to defeat the backstop. We will work over the coming weeks to achieve that.

"Clarifications or assurances won't be enough. We need legal changes."

Ulster Unionist leader Robin Swann said: "Now that the question of the leadership of the Conservative Party has been settled, we need to see the Prime Minister and her Government working to ensure that our concerns in relation to the backstop are addressed.

"It is vital that minds now focus on the most important task at hand - to make sure that the UK leaves the EU with a deal that works for the nation in its entirety.

"The Prime Minister must return to the negotiating table to get a deal which preserves the economic and constitutional integrity of the UK.

"And if more time is needed to get the right deal, then the Prime Minister should seek to extend Article 50 and ensure that we don't leave with 'no-deal'."

TUV leader Jim Allister said: "With almost 40% of Conservative MPs declaring no confidence in the Prime Minister, she is now a lame duck leader who survived by committing to resign before the next election.

"The greatest encouragement I draw from this result is that her chances of getting her sellout Brexit deal through Parliament have diminished further." Alliance deputy leader Stephen Farry said the UK was in "a massive political mess".

He said: "The Brexit stand-off is a huge self-inflicted wound. The confidence vote for the Prime Minister leaves her in a weakened position.

"But the UK can't afford a prolonged leadership contest or a general election."

Mr Farry warned that uncertainty was causing significant economic damage.

"A decision needs to be taken urgently between this deal or calling off Brexit," he added.

DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds last night said his party was concentrating on altering Mrs May's Brexit deal.

"Our focus has very much been on the withdrawal agreement and the changes that need to be made to it to get our support, and support across Parliament," he said.

"I don't think this vote really changes very much in terms of the arithmetic of that.

"We had a good meeting with the Prime Minster today, she understands what our concerns are about the legally binding and indefinite arrangements we are tied into.

"Whether or not she delivers anything that changes that remains to be seen. She knows what has to be done and hopefully that is what has got through."

In terms of trust, Mr Dodds stressed that it was actions not words that the DUP was interested in from the Prime Minister.

"There are commitments that haven't been lived up to in terms of actions, so whatever she says, it's whatever is delivered in the text that we'll be examining very closely," he said.

"We wouldn't be supporting (any Labour-tabled) no-confidence motion, it would be illogical to do this while we still have to wait for the outcome of the work the Prime Minister is now engaged in, and while we're still engaged in getting the withdrawal agreement changed."

Mr Dodds added: "Obviously, if the deal as it is currently proposed was to pass, that would be a different situation, but we're not at that stage."

Mr Dodds and Mrs Foster met the Prime Minister in the House of Commons yesterday afternoon.

The DUP leader said: "We emphasised that tinkering around the edges would not work.

"We were not seeking assurances or promises. We wanted fundamental legal text changes.

"We have been consistent, which is why it is so frustrating that our warnings about the backstop have not been heeded.

"The DUP wants a sensible deal which our MPs can support in the House. Over the coming weeks we will continue to work towards that."

Mrs Foster said unionism in Northern Ireland had rightly stood against the withdrawal agreement.

"It should be utterly unacceptable to any unionist," she stated.

"For Northern Ireland traders to be expected to treat GB as a third country is ridiculous and was never going to receive support in Parliament."

Earlier, Sinn Fein vice-president Michelle O'Neill insisted the backstop was the "only show in town" and must not fall victim to a Tory civil war.

Mrs O'Neill insisted the EU withdrawal treaty could not be renegotiated and called on the Irish Government to "remain firm" despite the "debacle" at Westminster. She said the backstop was a "bottom line".

"It is about making sure the backstop is the only show in town, it is the bottom line, it is the insurance policy," she added.
Deaths associated with anti-anxiety drug brand Xanax have risen sharply in a three-year period in Northern Ireland.

The drug was named on one death certificate in 2015, but by the end of 2017 it had soared to 26, an investigation by the Detail website found.

Xanax, the trade name of alprazolam, has alarmed experts after it was found - along with other drugs - in a fifth of the total 136 drug-related deaths here last year.

The addictive medication is a type of tranquilliser and can cause drowsiness, which has gained it popularity with recreational drug users.

It is not available on the NHS and can only be bought through private prescriptions in the UK.

Coroner Joe McCrisken told The Detail: "There's irrefutable evidence of a large rise in deaths where alprazolam or Xanax has been involved with other drugs.

"We didn't really see this coming. We never really heard of alprazolam two years ago and now it's involved in one fifth of all drug-deaths occurring in 2017."

He said one of the victims had bought the drug online from Syria, with other sources being China, Eastern Europe and Africa.

Mr McCrisken believed deaths associated with Xanax will increase for 2018.

"There are massive problems with supply and there are so many different forms of supply now," he said.

"It's not just that someone is getting extra drugs from their GP and selling them on. These things are available so easily on the dark web."

But research has found Xanax and counterfeits are also being bought openly off the internet for as little as 65p.

Around 30,000 Xanax tablets were seized as they were smuggled into Northern Ireland this year as part of a global operation code-named Pangea.

It is thought the tablets either came from the Republic - where it is legal on prescription - or they are fakes that were shipped in.

Anthony Harbinson, chair of the Organised Crime Taskforce Strategy Group in Northern Ireland, said: "During Operation Pangea the UK Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency also targeted websites on the open and dark web that offered falsified and unlicensed medical products leading to 123 websites being shut down and the removal of 535 online adverts."

Pfizer, which produces Xanax, said: "We have found dangerous ingredients such as boric acid, heavy metals and floor polish in counterfeit medicines.

"Pfizer has always been at the forefront in the fight against counterfeits and the criminals behind them.

"We will continue to work side-by-side with all law enforcement agencies around the world to help detect, disrupt and deter counterfeit medicines trade."
A Londonderry man paralysed after a motorcycle crash two years ago has described as "unbearable" the pain he endures making a nine-hour round trip to Belfast for treatment he used to receive in his home city.

Sean Friel (48) spent six months in hospital after the accident in May 2016 that left him in a wheelchair. He suffers painful muscle spasms, for which he received medication through a surgically implanted pump and catheter at the Western Trust's Spruce House in Derry.

But Mr Friel was left devastated after he was told in May the treatment would no longer be available there, because there was no longer anyone trained to administer it.

It meant he would need to travel to Musgrave Park Hospital in Belfast.

The round trip takes around nine hours, and because Mr Friel is confined to his wheelchair for the journey, and this causes problems.

He said he and others across the north west could be spared the pain and discomfort of travelling to Musgrave Park if he could have the treatment in Derry as before.

"I am dependent on this medication to control the muscle spasms I get from the spinal injury I got when I crashed my motorbike," he said.

"It used to take an hour from the time I left my home until I returned again, but now I have to get a train to Belfast, a taxi out to Musgrave, hang around the hospital and then come back.

"All this can take around nine hours and sitting in my wheelchair all that time means I get terrible spasms, which, ironically, is the very thing the treatment is for.

"I cannot begin to describe how horrendous these spasms are, they are unbearable and I live in dread of each time I have to go to Musgrave. But if there was someone in the Western Trust trained to administer the medication, I would be spared so much.

"It is essential I get this treatment, because if the pump runs out I could end up in intensive care, so I am also worried that one day I might not make the journey to Musgrave for whatever reason - snow, a bomb scare, you just don't know."

The Western Health Trust said: "For confidentiality we do not comment on individual patients/clients.

"The Western Trust has in place a range of services for clients who require support as a result of any psychological trauma and will provide care and advice through multi-disciplinary teams based on individual assessed needs."
The family of Jim 'JD' Donegan have appealed for "no retaliation, only justice" for the father of two who was gunned down outside a Belfast school.

"We are truly heartbroken by Jim being taken away from us in such a cruel, cold way but we wish for no retaliation, only justice for Jim," the family said ahead of the funeral service.

Mourners gathered for the funeral of the 43-year-old on Thursday. They heard how some members of his family found out about the death through social media.

Addressing the congregation at the Requiem Mass in St John the Evangelist Church on the Falls Road, Fr Martin Magill said while his family were heartbroken at the loss.

He also said speculation Mr Donegan was involved in the drug trade had "added to the family pain".

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Jim 'JD' Donegan was shot eight times while waiting for his 13-year-old son outside of St Mary's Christian Brothers School on the Glen Road on Tuesday, December 4. Hundred of school children witnessed the brutal attack, police said, although his son was spared.

"They have known and know the anguish wrought upon them by the individual who killed Jim," said Fr Magill.

"Yet in the depths of their pain they are very clear - they want no one else to suffer as they have suffered and are suffering and will continue to suffer."

Fr Magill said that while the focus of the pain was on the "brutal and callous way in which Jim was murdered", it was added to by the fact that "within a very short time of his murder photos of JDs car were already circulating in social media".

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Referring to "speculation and allegations made in some papers", Fr Magill said: "I know that Jims wife Laura has spoken out clearly to deny what was written."

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Funeral for Jim Donegan at St John the Evangelist on the Falls Road, Belfast Funeral for Jim Donegan at St John the Evangelist on the Falls Road, Belfast Funeral for Jim Donegan at St John the Evangelist on the Falls Road, Belfast Jim Donegan's funeral in west Belfast. Jim Donegan's funeral in west Belfast. Jim Donegan's funeral in west Belfast. / Facebook

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"Last Tuesday afternoon Jim Donegan went to collect his son from school, an ordinary and everyday event in the lives of so many parents. His murder in any circumstances was wrong but even more so in the presence of children who were nearby and witnessed the traumatic scene, one that will stay with them for the rest of their lives," Fr Magill said.

Mr Donegan is also being remembered at another service at Roselawn crematorium after the burial.

He ran a courier firm and lived in Lisburn with his wife Laura. She has defended her late husband after reports linking Mr Donegan to the illegal drug trade began to emerge.

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Police are investigating a dissident republican link to the death as the main line of enquiry. They believe the gunman had killed before.

CCTV footage of the murder scene shows an assassin wearing a hi-vis jacket fleeing the area. The word 'security' was printed on the back of the jacket.

Police have appealed for anyone with information on Mr Donegan's murder can contact police on the non-emergency 101 number.
DUP leader Arlene Foster has said party officers will examine the claims arising from BBC NI Spotlight over Ian Paisley's family holiday to the Maldives soon, saying she expects high standards from political representatives.

The North Antrim MP has faced growing calls to resign for not declaring a lavish family holiday in the Maldives to authorities in parliament.

The BBC's Spotlight programme alleged the trip was paid for by the Indian Ocean nation's government.

Mr Paisley denied the holiday was paid for by the Maldives government, instead insisting an unnamed friend part-funded the 2016 vacation.

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The DUP has pledged to examine the very serious claims levelled in the investigation.

Arlene Foster said that would happen "soon".

"I expect and the public expect high standards of those of us who are in public life," she told the BBC.

"I think it is important that we hold to those high standards.

"Let us look at this issue in the party officers I think that is the right forum to all of do that and we will be doing that soon."

Sinn Fein, the SDLP and Ulster Unionists have written to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Kathryn Stone urging her to investigate the case.

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Sinn Fein and the SDLP said Mr Paisley should resign and, if he did not, DUP leader Arlene Foster was obliged to take action against him.

Traditional Unionist Voice leader Jim Allister urged Mr Paisley to self-refer himself to the standards commissioner. It is unknown whether she is investigating the latest claims, as she is prevented from publicly confirming details of any probe until it concludes.

The claims aired by Spotlight came days after Mr Paisley returned to Parliament having served a 30-day suspension for failing to declare two holidays paid for by the Sri Lankan government and lobbying on its behalf.

He narrowly avoided facing a by-election after Parliaments first ever recall petition fell short of the number of constituent signatures required to oust him by 444 names.

At last months party conference in Belfast, DUP leader Mrs Foster apologised after acknowledging that standards of conduct within the party had fallen short in a number of areas.

Sinn Fein vice president Michelle ONeill said: I think that what we need to see now is more than fine words at a party conference, I think those fine words need to be acted upon and I think this will be the first test of Arlene Fosters comments at her party conference.
There is no other credible fall-back solution to replace the backstop that would allay Irish fears of seeing a corrosive hard border on the island of Ireland, the countrys foreign affairs minister has said.

Simon Coveney told a parliamentary committee on Thursday that, even though the Irish government did not want to use the insurance mechanism contained in the draft withdrawal agreement, it had to be included.

We are all committed to ensuring that the backstop never takes effect and should it take effect, we are committed to trying to ensure that it is only temporary so that it can be replaced with something more permanent, Mr Coveney said.

But for the moment in my view, there is not another credible fall-back solution that can take the place of the backstop and that is why EU leaders have been so clear and why the British Prime Minister has been so clear that there is a need for the backstop, even though we want to avoid using it.

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Mr Coveney reiterated comments made in the Dail on Thursday that that the backstop was not a threat to anybody.

The backstop is about preventing the threat to the normality and stability and peaceful relations that have built up over the last two decades on the island of Ireland and ensuring that we dont have the corrosive impact in the future of enforced border infrastructure between the two jurisdictions, he said.

If we have a no-deal Brexit that kicks in after the 29th of March a lot of those preparations have to be fast-trackedSimon Coveney

The deputy premier commended Prime Minister Theresa May for following through on political commitments she made last December and for her understanding the fragility and complexity of politics on the island of Ireland.

Mr Coveney said she recognised the need for an insurance mechanism that can allay the fears and address the fears that many people have of seeing physical border infrastructure reemerging on our island.

Mr Coveney said the Irish government was continuing to prepare for all eventualities.

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If we have a no-deal Brexit that kicks in after the 29th of March a lot of those preparations have to be fast-tracked, he said.

Work is taking place now to do that.

Mr Coveney said the Government had agreed in July to take on 1,077 extra inspectors and staff at airports and ports due to Brexit and that recruitment campaigns were already under way.

He said more than 3,000 people had applied for the initial 600 jobs advertised.

In the event of a no-deal scenario he said that panel would allow the government to increase the number of custom officials they take on if needed.
District Judge Fiona Bagnall refused bail and remanded Axon in custody to appear again by video-link in January (stock photo)

A man allegedly attacked and threatened to slit another hostel resident's throat a month after being released on licence, a judge has heard.

Scott Axon appeared before Belfast Magistrates Court yesterday charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm to the other man.

The 25-year-old faces a second count of threats to kill over the incident at their accommodation in the city on Tuesday.

Axon, with an address at Ventry Lane in Belfast, claims instead he was the one assaulted.

Opposing bail, a policeman said: "The allegation is he said 'I will slit your throat' or words to that effect."

Defence solicitor Eoghan McKenna said the alleged victim was another resident in the hostel.

"He (Axon) has given a very different account to that injured party, (saying) he was the victim of an assault," the lawyer added.

District Judge Fiona Bagnall refused bail and remanded Axon in custody to appear again by video-link in January.
A man once charged in connection with the IRA attack which killed Mary Travers and seriously injured her father, magistrate Tom Travers has died.

Joseph the Hawk Haughey was charged with being one of the perpetrators in the attack in April 1984. He had always denied a role in the killing.

In April 1984 two IRA gunmen ambushed the Travers family as they left Mass at St Brigid's church on Derryvolgie Avenue, killing 22-year-old teacher Mary and leaving her father, a prominent magistrate fighting for his life after being shot six times. Mother Joan escaped with her life after a gun pointed at her head misfired twice.

At his trial Haughey, then aged 33, was identified by Mr Travers as being the man who killed his daughter.

However, he was acquitted after doubt was cast over Mr Travers' identification of the gunman.

Only the former Sinn Fein special adviser Mary McArdle was jailed for her role in the ambush. Aged 19 at the time she was arrested shortly after the attack and two guns and a wig used by one of the two gunmen found strapped to her thighs. She was jailed for life but was freed under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement after serving 14 years.

In a tweet victims' campaigner Ann Travers revealed that she had learned of Haugheys death at the age of 66 on Wednesday, she paid tribute to her late "gorgeous" father, sister and mother, Joan.

"Violence achieves nothing. It destroys all lives. #NeverAgain," she tweeted.

I heard this morning that IRA man Joseph "I'm the hawk from the walk and I don't squawk " Haughey died. My thoughts are of my gorgeous father ,my beautiful sister and mother and of course all of his victims. Violence achieves nothing. It destroys all lives. #NeverAgain  Ann Travers (@AnnTravers6) December 12, 2018
The complainant had accepted being "well and truly drunk" when she met Hunter (stock photo)

A Co Down man has been cleared of raping a female at her cousin's hen night in Cookstown.

Jamie Hunter never disputed that sexual contact occurred but maintained it was consensual, claiming there was a "spark" between them.

Mr Hunter (24), from Rathfriland Road, Dromara, denied committing the offence in a nightclub car park on July 5, 2015.

In a trial lasting just over two weeks at Dungannon Crown Court, the defence argued sexual activity was consensual, with the prosecution contending the complainant was too drunk to consent.

The complainant had accepted being "well and truly drunk" when she met Hunter.

CCTV footage showed them leaving the club, both appearing unsteady. Hunter took the complainant's hand and pulled her a short distance, then placed his arm around her waist, before they crossed the car park and entered an area of trees.

Twenty minutes later security staff escorted the complainant back indoors, having found her in the car park.

Body-cam footage captured the complainant's ripped clothing and a bleeding, grazed knee.

Staff assisted the distressed complainant noting "nothing right" about her clothes. She said: "I'm scared it wasn't right what he was doing I told him stop."

Hunter was arrested at his home the following day, replying after caution: "What the hell?"

He later said: "I kissed a girl it's her word against mine."

During interview Hunter said: "She was loving it. She wasn't telling me to stop or anything."

At trial he confirmed talking to the complainant at the bar.

"The mood was good," he said. "It was too warm so I was going outside for fresh air. She said: 'I'll go with you'. There was a spark."

Hunter described walking to an area of trees where: "We kissed. Things started to heat up." The complainant began to undo his belt, but he responded: "Stop, we're too drunk. She said it would be okay. She lay down and I got on top."

Sexual contact followed, with Hunter adamant he knew they were too drunk and stopped.

The pair headed back to the nightclub when the complainant fell. He went to assist, but security staff appeared and noted her dishevelled state.

Hunter emphasised distinctly hearing one of the staff ask the complainant: "Did he do that to you?", saying she replied: "No."

Asked by his barrister if sex was consensual, Hunter said: "Yes - she instigated it. Nothing about her behaviour made me think she did not consent."

Under cross-examination he accepted being sexually attracted to the complainant and, when asked why he believed there was a spark, replied: "She didn't walk off."

He added: "It was me who said stop... she was drunk, but she knew what she was doing."

After around three hours of deliberations the jury returned a majority verdict of not guilty.

Judge Neil Rafferty told Mr Hunter: "You are free to go without a blemish on your character."

The judge referred to the two female security personnel who assisted the complainant, remarking: "The manner in which they dealt with this was gentle, tender, caring and professional.

"I wish to formally place on record their behaviour was an exceptional demonstration of humanity and I commend them for their actions."
The cousin of the alleged killer of Newcastle man Padraig Fox has appeared in court accused of lying to police.

Standing in the dock of Downpatrick Magistrates Court, 20-year-old Nathan Rice confirmed that he understood the two charges against him.

Rice, from Bernagh Green in Newcastle, is accused of burglary of the Slieve Donard Hotel where he allegedly stole three bottles of alcohol and perverting the course of justice in that he allegedly made a statement to police knowing it was false with both offences allegedly committed in 8 December.

He is the third man to appear in court charged in relation to the death of Padraig Fox last weekend.

On Wednesday, December 12, at Newtownards Magistrates Court, his cousin 21-year-old Donach Rice appeared accused of murder and jointly charged with Paul Patrick Magennis (26) on charges of perverting justice by faking knife wounds to give the false impression of self defence, burglary of the Slieve Donard Hotel and attempted robbery of cash.

Donach Rice is also accused of fraud by false representation by allegedly trying to cash in a winning betting slip.

That court heard how Donach Rice, from the Kilkeel Road in Annalong and who issued heartfelt apologies through his solicitor for the death of 29-year-old Mr Fox, had made admissions during police interviews.

As well as burglary, attempted robbery and lying to police Magennis, from Burrendale Park in Newcastle, is also alleged to have perverted justice by placing a knife into the hand of Mr Fox after he was killed and stealing a bicycle two days before the murder.

In court on Thursday, December13, detective Inspector Wright gave evidence that he believed he could connect Nathan Rice to the charges he faces, adding that police were objecting to bail as he is a priority offender who had no job and no stability.

None of the facts surrounding the allegations were opened in court but the senior detective said the charges were in connection with Mr Foxs murder at a Burrendale Park Road flat.

The body of Mr Fox (29) was found at around 1.45pm on Saturday inside a flat on Burrendale Park Road in Newcastle.

It is understood Mr Fox had only moved into the block of flats a few months ago.

When DI Wright was being cross examined by Mr Keown on behalf of Donach Rice he had agreed that Mr Foxs tragic death was delivered by one punch but the senior officer added however it is the police case that the victim had been assaulted prior to that one punch.

I have been asked by the defendant, who has made admissions to delivering that one punch, asked specifically by him to convey his heartfelt apologies to the family of the deceased, said the solicitor.

In court today and acting for Nathan Rice, Mr Keown conceded "It's accepted that he did make a false statement to police.

He submitted however the defendant had "acted very foolishly out of a sense of misguided loyalty to his cousin."

Refusing bail, District Judge Amanda Brady remanded him into custody to appear again on 3 January by videolink.
Theresa May has faced heavy criticism from all sides of the House. (Alastair Grant/AP)

Theresa May has appealed to EU leaders to give her the assurances she needs to get the backing of MPs for her Brexit deal.

At the EU summit in Brussels, she insisted she could construct a Commons majority for the controversial Withdrawal Agreement, despite heavy criticism from all sides of the House.

However, in a meeting with the leaders of the remaining 27, she said she had to be able to convince MPs the UK would not find itself tied to the EU indefinitely through the Northern Ireland backstop.

There is a majority in my Parliament who want to leave with a deal so with the right assurances this deal can be passed, she said in prepared remarks released by No 10.

Indeed it is the only deal capable of getting through my Parliament.

It is in none of our interests to run the risk of accidental no-deal with all the disruption that would bring, or to allow this to drag on any furtherTheresa May

After listening to her appeal, European Council president Donald Tusk said EU leaders had reaffirmed their determination that there could be no renegotiation of the Withdrawal Agreement.

He said that they had expressed a firm determination to work speedily to ensure that there was an agreement on the future relationship in place by the end of the transition period at the of 2020 so the backstop was not needed.

He said that if the backstop was ever activated it would apply temporarily unless and until it is superseded by an agreement that ensures a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic is avoided.

His comments stopped short of offering any sort of legally binding commitment or brake clause that is likely to persuade MPs critical of the deal to support it in Parliament.

Meanwhile European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker criticised Mrs Mays lack of clarity over what she was seeking from the future relationship.

Our UK friends need to say what they want, instead of asking us to say what we want, he said.

So we would like within a few weeks our UK friends to set out their expectations for us because this debate is sometimes nebulous and imprecise and I would like clarifications.

He added: We dont want the UK to think there can be any form of renegotiation, that is crystal clear. We can add clarifications but no real changes.

There will be no legally binding obligations imposed on the withdrawal treaty.

The Prime Minister, who on Wednesday survived a bruising vote of no confidence by Tory MPs, said a package of assurances around the backstop could change the dynamic at Westminster.

At the same time, she made clear a failure by EU leaders to offer concessions risked the collapse of the whole agreement with the UK leaving in March in a disorderly, no-deal Brexit.

We have to change the perception that the backstop could be a trap from which the UK could not escape. Until we do, the deal  our deal  is at risk, she said.

I am in no doubt that the best result for all of us is to get this deal delivered in an orderly way and to get it done now.

It is in none of our interests to run the risk of accidental no-deal with all the disruption that would bring, or to allow this to drag on any further.

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She ended with a highly personal appeal to EU leaders to put their trust in her to deliver on her promises and to give her the political room for manoeuvre she needs.

Over the last few years I hope I have shown you can trust me to do what is right, not always what is easy, however difficult that might be for me politically, she said.

We must get this right and hold nothing in reserve. Lets work together intensively to get this deal over the line in the best interests of all our people.

Following her address, Mrs May took questions from the leaders of the 27, before leaving the summit while they discussed their response over dinner.

Earlier, No 10 said the Commons vote on the agreement would not now take place until the new year.

The vote had been due on Tuesday, but was dramatically pulled after the whips warned the Prime Minister she was heading for a heavy defeat unless she delayed.

We cannot reopen a legal agreement, we can't renegotiate something which has been negotiated over several monthsEmmanuel Macron

The move, which was met with anger on all sides of the House, finally prompted the no confidence vote by Conservative MPs, with more than a third of parliamentary party voting to get rid of her.

Arriving in Brussels earlier, Mrs May acknowledged that with her own party divided and the opposition parties set against her agreement, she needed additional assurances regarding the backstop.

However, she made clear she was not expecting an immediate breakthrough during the course of the two-day gathering in the Belgian capital.

My focus now is on ensuring that I can get those assurances that we need to get this deal over the line, she said.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who currently holds the rotating EU presidency, suggested there could be a special Brexit summit in January to agree additional assurances.

Other leaders indicated their willingness to help through clarifications to the backstop arrangements  intended to prevent the return of a hard border on the island of Ireland  but were adamant they would not re-open negotiations on the Withdrawal Agreement.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who met Mrs May in Berlin on Tuesday, said: I do not see that this Withdrawal Agreement can be changed.

`We can discuss whether there should be additional assurances, but here the 27 member states will act very much in common and make their interests very clear.

PM @Theresa_May is in Brussels at @EUCouncil  starting by meeting the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar pic.twitter.com/fgU9V1GTyD  UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) December 13, 2018

French President Emmanuel Macron said: We cannot reopen a legal agreement, we cant renegotiate something which has been negotiated over several months. We can have a political discussion in this context.

Irish premier Leo Varadkar, who held a lengthy one-to-one meeting with Mrs May ahead of the main summit, said that while EU was keen to be helpful, some of the suggestions she had put forward were difficult.

In particular he warned there could be no unilateral exit clause on the backstop, as some MPs are demanding.

If the backstop has an expiry date, if there is a unilateral exit clause, then it is not a backstop. That would be to render it inoperable, he said.

That would mean reopening the substance of the Withdrawal Agreement and the European Union is unequivocal that is not an option.
Theresa May has delayed a fresh Commons showdown over her Brexit deal until the new year as she acknowledged it will take time to win the assurances she is seeking from EU leaders.

After the Prime Minister survived a bruising no confidence vote by Tory MPs on Wednesday, No 10 said the meaningful vote on the Withdrawal Agreement would not now be brought to Parliament before Christmas.

Arriving in Brussels for an EU summit, Mrs May acknowledged she needed fresh assurances from EU leaders regarding the operation of the Northern Ireland backstop if the agreement was to get through the Commons.

However, she played down the prospect of an immediate breakthrough during the two-day gathering in the Belgian capital.

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Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who currently holds the rotating EU presidency, suggested there could be a special Brexit summit in January to agree additional assurances which could be attached to the Political Declaration on the UKs future relationship with the EU.

In an interview with the Austrian Der Standard newspaper, he said diplomats were working intensively on a form of words which could be agreed after Christmas.

The EU27 have a clear goal of ensuring an orderly Brexit. Of course we are ready to make concessions to Theresa May where possible, he said.

It is our goal to find a settlement which works for both sides and is capable of securing a majority in both the European and British parliaments.

A Downing Street spokeswoman confirmed that it was the Governments aim to hold the vote in the Commons as soon as possible in January.

I recognise the strength of concern in the House of Commons and that's what I will be pushing to colleagues todayTheresa May

The vote had been due to take place on Tuesday, but was dramatically pulled after the whips warned the Prime Minister she was heading for a heavy defeat unless she delayed.

The move was met with anger on all sides, prompting a further flurry of letters from Conservative MPs which triggered Wednesdays no confidence vote.

While Mrs May said she was grateful to those MPs who backed her, with more than a third of the parliamentary party calling for her to go, she accepted their concerns had to be addressed.

My focus now is on ensuring that I can get those assurances that we need to get this deal over the line, because I genuinely believe its in the best interests of both sides  the UK and the EU, she said.

But I recognise the strength of concern in the House of Commons and thats what I will be pushing to colleagues today.

I dont expect an immediate breakthrough, but what I do hope is that we can start work as quickly as possible on the assurances that are necessary.

In a last minute change to the summit arrangements, the Prime Minister was addressing the EU leaders and taking their questions on Brexit at the end of opening session on Thursday.

She will then leave while the remaining 27 discuss their response over dinner.

PM @Theresa_May is in Brussels at @EUCouncil  starting by meeting the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar pic.twitter.com/fgU9V1GTyD  UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) December 13, 2018

Arriving in Brussels, EU leaders indicated their willingness to help Mrs May through clarifications to the Brexit deal, but were adamant they would not re-open negotiations on the Withdrawal Agreement.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who met Mrs May in Berlin on Tuesday, said: I do not see that this Withdrawal Agreement can be changed.

We can discuss whether there should be additional assurances, but here the 27 member states will act very much in common and make their interests very clear.

French President Emmanuel Macron said: We cannot reopen a legal agreement, we cant renegotiate something which has been negotiated over several months. We can have a political discussion in this context.

Irish premier Leo Varadkar, who held a lengthy one-to-one meeting with Mrs May ahead of the main summit, said she had to honour her commitments on the backstop, intended to ensure there is no hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

As the European Union, we are very keen to offer explanations, assurances, clarifications, anything that may assist MPs to understand the agreement and hopefully to support it but the backstop is not on the table, he said.

In particular, he insisted there could be no unilateral exit clause as some MPs are demanding amid concerns that the UK could be tied to EU customs arrangements if the backstop is activated.

If the backstop has an expiry date, if there is a unilateral exit clause, then it is not a backstop. That would be to render it inoperable, he said.

That would mean reopening the substance of the Withdrawal Agreement and the European Union is unequivocal that is not an option.

Reports from Brussels suggested EU leaders were considering a draft document stating the bloc stands ready to examine whether any further assurance can be provided to the UK on the backstop.

It said that if the backstop was ever activated, the EU would seek to ensure it would only be in place for a short period and only as long as strictly necessary.

But such assurances are unlikely to satisfy hardline Brexiteers who have been demanding the backstop is dropped altogether.
Uncertainty remains over whether a disgraced Boys' Brigade captain from Co Down can keep his MBE.

David Morrow (55) avoided jail this week after being convicted of stealing 34,000 from 1st Killinchy Boys' Brigade, an organisation he led for 19 years.

He will serve 200 hours of community service instead.

At Downpatrick Crown Court, Judge Piers Grant slammed Morrow for his "arrogance" in how he "spitefully" betrayed the trust of Killinchy Presbyterian Church.

The Cabinet Office declined to confirm yesterday if Morrow's honour, awarded in 2012, was now under consideration.

A spokesperson said: "Forfeiture action is confidential and we cannot comment on whether or not specific cases are being considered by the committee."

The forfeiture committee normally considers cases put to it when a holder has brought the honours system into disrepute.

A recommendation for forfeiture would then be submitted through the Prime Minister to the Queen.

All forfeitures are announced in the London Gazette.

The Rev Dr Annes Nel of Killinchy Presbyterian Church said he preferred not to comment on the matter.

A former bank official, Morrow pleaded guilty to charges committed between July 2009 and May 2011 including false accounting, fraud by abuse of position, fraud by false representation and transferring criminal property.

The court heard this week that Mr Morrow paid back over 34,000, slightly more than was originally stolen.

A victim impact statement from the Down Presbytery said Morrow had shown an arrogance that "he could do as he liked".

As sentence was being passed, Judge Grant told Morrow, who is from Ballydorn Road, Killinchy, that he had lost his reputation in the community.

He added: "You should be utterly ashamed.

"You inflicted enormous damage on the community and on the Church."

The judge said that what Morrow did caused "enormous division and tension" and he added that it was a matter of concern that he hadn't shown any insight into or real concern for what he had done.

Prosecution lawyer David McClean said that Morrow was stood down as captain of 1st Killinchy Boys' Brigade attached to the local Presbyterian church in November 2010 after "spiritual differences".

Mr McClean said Morrow was asked to return all Boys' Brigade books, accounts and records, but it emerged that he destroyed some of the material "due to anger".

The Crown said two boxes of material were destroyed to cover up what he had done.

Earlier this week, the retired clerk of session of the Killinchy church, Joe Tate, said he was glad the matter was over and Morrow had admitted his wrongdoing.

"We may now hope that the healing process can begin and that Killinchy Presbyterian Church and the wider community, in a spirit of forgiveness, can move forward from here," Mr Tate added.
An emergency crew responded to the incident, as did the Air Ambulance (stock photo)

A rural community in Co Antrim has been left devastated after a well-known farmer was killed in an incident involving a bull.

The victim was named locally as James Gibson of Killycarn Road, Aughafatten, near Broughshane.

Local people said Mr Gibson, who was in his late 60s, was a "nice, quiet man" who was well-known and respected in the area.

It is understood that Mr Gibson was married and had children.

DUP councillor Beth Clyde said: "I really am sorry, I feel for the family's loss, especially at Christmastime.

"It seems to be worse whenever something like this happens at Christmastime.

"It is a devastating loss for the family and for the district."

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said it had received a report around 8am yesterday of a male having been hit by a bull.

An emergency crew responded to the incident, as did the Air Ambulance.

"Nobody was taken from the scene," the Ambulance Service added.

The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland said inspectors were at the scene yesterday and continue to investigate what happened.
The number of pupils enrolled in Northern Ireland schools has risen by almost 3,000 in the past year, pushing numbers to a record high in a time of doubtful resources in the sector.

The number of pupils enrolled in Northern Ireland schools has risen by almost 3,000 in the past year.

It comes at a time of increased financial pressure on the sector, and uncertainty around funding due to the current impasse at Stormont.

Figures taken in October show there there were 347,000 pupils in all funded schools across Northern Ireland, an increase of nearly 3,000 on the year before.

An increase in total pupil numbers has come as a result of a rise in the number of primary school pupils, up by almost 20,000 over the past decade.

The figure of 174,522 pupils enrolled in primary school in Northern Ireland is the highest number since 1999.

In the same time period there has been a fall of around 5,500 in the number of pupils enrolled in post-primary education.

The provisional enrollment figures have been released by the Department of Education as part of an annual census.

The number of schools in Northern Ireland has decreased, falling from 1,180 in the 2014/15 year to 1,146, a drop which comes mostly on the back of a drop of 23 primary schools and 10 non-grammar schools in 2014.

Expand Close The number of pupils enrolled in Northern Ireland / Credit: Department of Education / Facebook

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The figures included in the annual school census exercise are used by the Department to inform a range of policy areas, including how funding is allocated.

Ahead of the 2018/19 school year a leading teaching union warned education was at a "make or break point" from a funding perspective after the Education Authority revealed it overspent its budget by 18.9m - something which mostly came as a result of increased spending on schools and pupils with special educational needs.

In March it was announced every school in Northern Ireland would receive less money per pupil for the current academic year than previous, with a decline of 6 per pupil.
A Northern Ireland woman allegedly raided a department store for Yankee Candles as part of a "steal to order" scheme, the High Court heard today.

Prosecutors claimed Kathryn Kelly and a male co-accused were involved in thefts of the scented lights then destined for sale on Facebook.

A judge was also told police who tracked the suspects down to a Derry hotel discovered cocaine, cannabis and extreme pornographic material featuring animals.

Kelly, of Belvoir Park in the city, was refused bail on a total of nine charges.

The 39-year-old is accused of theft, going equipped for theft with false number plates, handling stolen goods, conspiracy to steal and trading in counterfeit products.

She also faces counts of possessing Class A and B drugs, being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs, and having an extreme pornographic image.

Crown lawyer Conor Magauire said 16 Yankee candles valued at 200 were stolen from Menarys in Omagh, Co Tyrone on November 29.

A similar alleged theft was said to have been carried out at the store earlier that month.

The court heard police suspected Kelly's involvement, based on a description of the thieves and their Toyota car.

She was detained with her co-accused after they left a room at the Banks of the Faughan Motel and got into that vehicle, according to Mr Maguire.

Deal bags containing small amounts of suspected cocaine and cannabis were seized from the car, along with a piece of card shaped as a snorting device, the prosecution alleged.

Mr Maguire also claimed a phone recovered by police contained messages relating to the supply of drugs and extreme pornographic material.

He described images portraying adult men and women, along with dogs, horses and monkeys, were contained in 49 tabs or windows on the phone which had not been properly shut down.

"Police say both the applicant and her co-accused appear to use the one device that was seized from the vehicle," counsel said.

He added: "There were also a number of requests which police say are 'steal to order' requests in relation to Yankee Candles.

"Police say this is part of the modus operandi of the applicant and co-accused.

"These items are then placed on a Facebook site for sale."

The court was told two number plates were found during searches of the motel room - one of them being the proper registration for the Toyota.

Defence barrister Ben Thompson confirmed Kelly and her co-accused dispute having anything to do with the material contained on the phone.

"Both deny possessing the extremely unpleasant images on this device," he said.

Mr Thompson set out how Kelly was seeking release from custody in time for Christmas.

But denying bail due to the risk of potential re-offending, Mr Justice McCloskey described her application as "entirely unmeritorious"
The UK energy watchdog has blamed a Stormont department for the botched Renewable Heat Incentive being "fundamentally flawed" from the start.

Regulator Ofgem faced criticism for its role in running the ill-fated green energy scheme, which allowed claimants to exploit lucrative subsidy payments by burning biomass unnecessarily.

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The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (Deti) set up the initiative in 2012, while Ofgem was tasked with running it.

In its final submissions to the panel yesterday, Ofgem laid the blame for failure at the door of Deti.

Speaking on behalf of Ofgem, Jason Beer QC accepted significant failings, but insisted these did not cause the key problems in the scheme.

"There were many things that Ofgem could and should have done better in relation to its administration of the scheme.

"Ofgem accepts overall that it didn't communicate with Deti as effectively as it should have done," he told the inquiry.

But he said it "can't be concluded that those failings caused the key problem in the scheme".

Mr Beer added that Ofgem has identified several key problems that caused the projected vast overspend on the RHI scheme.

"The design of the scheme was fundamentally flawed from the outset," he added.

Mr Beer said Deti was responsible for drafting the legislation that led to all of those problems while Ofgem reviewed the draft legislation and warned the department of the dangers of scheme exploitation.

Mr Beer also rejected a suggestion by Deti that Ofgem didn't tell the department about its concerns around the scheme's weaknesses.

He added: "Ofgem lucidly and cogently identified a number of the risks about the design of the scheme to the department when it was drafting the regulations in November 2011.

"These are not failures by Ofgem to communicate concerns about the design of the scheme at its inception, they are failures by those to whom the concerns were communicated to heed and act upon them."

Ofgem's contractors were required to visit businesses and farms to check that boiler installations were compliant and to detect any fraud.

However, only 31 installations were checked in the first three years of the scheme, after 2,120 applications.

Ofgem also did not make Deti explicitly aware of the "phenomena" of the use of multiple boilers with heating systems serving the same loads until late 2014 or early 2015, by which time the scheme was facing huge budgetary pressures.

Unlike in Britain, no cap or payment tier system was placed on the money that could be claimed in proportion to the size of boiler here. In effect, this enabled unnecessary heat to be burned just to make money, a move that left the taxpayer with an estimated 490m bill.

The inquiry has heard that the lack of communication between Deti and Ofgem amounted to a "major systems failure" and led to public money "literally going up in smoke".

Appearing before the panel in October, Ofgem chief executive Dermot Nolan described the finding as "sobering" and admitted that the regulator had been "far from perfect" when sharing key information with Deti.

Mr Nolan added that he believed both agencies, Deti and Ofgem, were "culpable".

He acknowledged that their relationship was "not as effective" as it was with the department running the RHI scheme in Britain.

The amount of installations that were checked in the first three years of the scheme after 2,120 applications
The child was taken to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children

A man has been arrested after a young boy was left in a critical condition in hospital after he was struck by a car in Co Down.

The incident happened on the Movilla Road in Newtownards at around 5.20pm on Thursday, close to a local primary school at a set of traffic lights.

The child - thought to be of nursery school age - was hit by a silver Volkswagen Golf.

Police said given the seriousness of the incident no traffic was being allowed down the road.

The man was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving, the PSNI said.

DUP councillor Naomi Armstrong Cotter was at the scene of the incident and in contact with the police.

She said her church  Ards Elim  had put the boy in its prayer line and the community had come together to offer its support.

And they are our hopes and sincere prayers. Its all you can do  you want to do more but you cant, she told the Belfast Telegraph.

So we are all taking the time now to pray sincerely and fervently for the child.

All you can do is pray and ask God for mercy.

As a mummy my heart is physically aching.

Ive felt just physically ill at the thought of this. Ive two child aged three and four  all their Christmas presents bought and upstairs  and you cant bear the thought of what this family are going through and our hearts go out to them.

Since I posted about it on Facebook there have been lots of messages of people offering their prayers and hoping.

Community workers in the area described as sense of shock in the area as word spread of the incident.

They said they had been campaigning for traffic measures to be introduced on the 40mph road which runs past a primary school, a housing estate and shops which had been rejected.

In a statement the Ambulance Service it dispatched crews following a 999 call.

Two rapid response paramedics, two Doctors and an A&E crew were dispatched to the scene, the Ambulance Service said.

The HEMS [air ambulance] team also attended by car.

After initial treatment at the scene the child has been taken by ambulance to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.

Police have said the road is likely to remain closed for some time.

Diversions are in place at Old Movilla Road and Stratheden Heights. Anyone with information should call 101.

In a statement the PSNI added: Police are appealing for witnesses following a road traffic collision on the Movilla Road in Newtownards on Thursday, 13 December.

The collision involving a silver coloured Volkswagen Golf and a young pedestrian occurred at around 5.20pm.

The pedestrian has since been taken to hospital and remains in a critical condition.

A man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of dangerous driving and is currently in custody assisting with police enquiries.

Officers would ask anyone who witnessed the collision or who may have dashcam footage to contact them at Newtownards on 101 quoting reference number 1000 13/12/18.
Northern Ireland's gas and electricity regulator did not share all of its information with police probing allegations of fraud by a former special adviser to Arlene Foster.

The revelation came yesterday as the RHI Inquiry returned for three days of closing submissions from key players on the flawed scheme.

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This will include a short presentation of the evidence already heard over 111 days, as well as oral submissions from lawyers representing three key players - the Department for the Economy, the Department of Finance and regulator Ofgem.

One of the first matters examined yesterday was how an application for the scheme by former DUP special adviser Stephen Brimstone was handled.

Junior counsel to the inquiry Joseph Aiken said it has more than 1,000 pages of evidence on the matter.

Mr Brimstone gave evidence to the RHI Inquiry in September and the independent panel heard how he initially applied to the lucrative scheme in August 2015.

A former 'Spad' to Mrs Foster when she was First Minister, Mr Brimstone - who is now an IT consultant - had an RHI boiler installed to heat both a large shed and his home, replacing an old heating system.

Internal Ofgem notes referred to Mr Brimstone's application as a "special case", reflecting the "political sensitivity" of Mr Brimstone's party position, as well as media speculation surrounding the scheme.

Ofgem also emphasised to the inquiry that these were "factors which merited extra diligence and greater consideration from senior management".

The inquiry was previously told that in May 2016 an anonymous complainant alleged that Mr Brimstone was involved in a "total fraud" and that he was using the boiler on the non-domestic scheme to heat his home in breach of regulations.

However, Ofgem took the decision not to inform the Department for the Economy (DfE) - formerly the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (Deti) - which was running the scheme about that allegation, until it obtained "concrete evidence" to support the claim.

The inquiry heard that it would "not have been standard practice" for Ofgem to disclose details which "would allow identification" to Deti while an investigation was being carried out.

A second anonymous complaint about the same boiler was made in October 2016 and passed in a note to TUV Assembly Member Jim Allister. The PSNI, NI Audit Office, DfE and Ofgem were also notified at that time. Following a number of audits, Ofgem later accepted that Mr Brimstone's installation had complied with the scheme's rules.

However, the inquiry heard yesterday that the regulator did not provide all the documentation it held about Mr Brimstone's application to the PSNI when it began investigating the fraud allegations.

In his written witness statement, Ofgem's lawyer John Jackson told the inquiry he didn't believe the documents that Ofgem wanted to share with the PSNI were "critical" to its investigation.

"There was nothing in the documents, or the conclusions that they reached, that would have assisted the police in a criminal prosecution of Stephen Brimstone," he said.

He added that the documents "appeared to confirm that no offence of fraud had been committed" in Mr Brimstone's RHI application.

No crime was detected by police during its investigation.

Inquiry chairman Sir Patrick Coghlin said either Mr Jackson's assessment was that Ofgem's audit could not assist police or he was not satisfied that Data Protection Act restrictions allowed him to release that information.

Mr Aiken said it was "difficult" to look at the Data Protection Act as intended to "create some sort of guessing game... for law enforcement agencies trying to prevent or detect crime".

He put it to the panel that they "may want to consider whether that's an illustration of wider cultural issue about Ofgem's approach to transparency and information sharing".

Further oral submissions will be heard today and tomorrow from some of the 27 individuals and organisations who were granted enhanced participatory rights.

These include Mrs Foster, former DUP minister Jonathan Bell, a number of the party's special advisers (Spads) and some senior civil servants.

The RHI Inquiry is likely to publish its findings at some stage in 2019.
Three people were yesterday accused of perverting justice more than 20 years ago when police were investigating the murder of Robert Hamill.

It is the third time that 67-year-old Kenneth Hanvey, ex-RUC reserve officer Cecil Atkinson (64) and his 65-year-old wife Eleanor Atkinson have been accused of lying about a phone call made from the Atkinsons' house on April 27 1997.

Hanvey, from Derryanvil Road, Portadown, is accused of perverting the course of justice on November 25, 1997.

The Atkinsons, from Brownstown Road, also in Portadown, are accused of conspiring with each other and with Andrea McKee and Michael McKee to pervert the course of justice. The charge states that in dates between September 8 and October 30, 1997, they allegedly "agreed to give false information to police officers making enquiries about a phone call made from your house as to the identity of the person making that call".

The case has been dismissed by two previous judges, the last time in September 2014.

The most recent decision was subject to a Judicial Review, brought by Jessica Hamill, whose son Robert was beaten to death by a loyalist mob on May 8, 1997, and that court ordered the charges to be reinstated.

Mr Hamill's murder was the subject of a public inquiry, because it was alleged that four police officers were positioned in a police vehicle near the scene of the attack but did not intervene.

Mr Atkinson was one of the officers in the police vehicle on the night Mr Hamill was killed in April 1997.

It was alleged a phone call was made from the police officer's home to the home of Allister Hanvey - one of the six people who had, at one time, been charged with Mr Hamill's murder.

It was further alleged that the ex-policeman advised Mr Hanvey to destroy the clothing he was wearing at the time of the incident and that he kept Mr Hanvey up-to-date as the police investigation progressed.

The charges against five of the murder accused, including Mr Hanvey, were dropped and the sixth person was acquitted following a trial.

Mr Atkinson denied making the phone call to Mr Hanvey's house.

The ex-policeman claimed that his phone had been used by Michael McKee, the uncle of Mr Hanvey's girlfriend.

At the time, Mr McKee and his then wife Andrea, and the policeman's wife, Eleanor Atkinson, all gave police statements supporting Mr Atkinson's version of events.

However, three years later, following the breakdown of her marriage to Michael McKee, Andrea Jones told the police that neither she nor her former husband stayed at the Atkinsons' house on the night of the murder.

Ms Jones said that she had been asked by her ex-husband to make the false statement following a request from Mr Atkinson.

Michael McKee and Andrea Jones later pleaded guilty to carrying out an act tending to prevent the course of justice.
Two Belfast men have been seriously injured during assaults at homes in the north the city.

The attack happened at Fairfax Court, in the early hours of Thursday, December 13.

Detective Inspector Michael McDonnell said: Shortly after 4:10am, it was reported that two males were assaulted. One man, aged 34, suffered head injuries after being struck with a wooden bat at a house in the area.

"Another male, aged 29, was also struck on the head by a wooden bat in another nearby property. Both males have been taken to hospital for their injuries and their conditions are described as serious.

A 65-year-old woman is believed to have sustained a suspected broken wrist during the incident. She was taken to hospital for treatment to her injuries."

Two women aged 50 and 29 years old and three men aged 42, 24 and 22 years old have been arrested in relation to the incident.

All five persons have been released on police bail pending further enquiries.

Anyone with any information regarding the incident can contact detectives on 101, quoting reference number 148 13/12/18.
Unionist parties in Northern Ireland have said that Theresa May must now focus on the task at hand after dramatically defeating a bid to oust her as Tory leader.

DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds, speaking shortly after the 200-117 vote of confidence in the Prime Minister, said his partys focus was on the draft agreement.

Our focus has very much been on the Withdrawal Agreement and the changes that need to be made to it to get our support, and support across Parliament.

I dont think this vote really changes very much in terms of the arithmetic of that, he said.

There are commitments that haven't been lived up to in terms of actions, so whatever she says, it's whatever is delivered in the text that we'll be examining very closelyNigel Dodds

We had a good meeting with the Prime Minster today, she understands what our concerns are about the legally binding and indefinite arrangements we are tied into.

Whether or not she delivers anything that changes that remains to be seen.

She knows what has to be done and hopefully that is what has got through.

In terms of trust, Mr Dodds noted it was actions not words that the DUP were interested in from the Prime Minister.

There are commitments that havent been lived up to in terms of actions, so whatever she says, its whatever is delivered in the text that well be examining very closely.

We wouldnt be supporting (any Labour-tabled) no confidence motion, it would be illogical to do this while we still have to wait for the outcome of the work the Prime Minister is now engaged in, and while were still engaged in getting the withdrawal agreement changed.

.@NigelDoddsDUP - Sec of State telling everyone the Withdrawal Agreement is a wonderful deal. On the other hand the Prime Minister is saying that no-one wants it. How does she explain the utter contradiction in her argument. pic.twitter.com/R3dWvO3uRj  DUP (@duponline) December 12, 2018

Obviously, if the deal as it is currently proposed was to pass, that would be a different situation, but were not at that stage.

Ulster Unionist Party leader, Robin Swann said a no-deal Brexit still needed to be avoided.

Now that the question of the leadership of the Conservative Party has been settled, we now need to see the Prime Minister and her Government working to ensure that our concerns in relation to the backstop are addressed, he said.

It is vital that minds now focus on the most important task at hand  to make sure that the United Kingdom leaves the European Union with a deal that works for the nation in its entirety.

The Prime Minister must return to the negotiating table to get a deal which preserves the economic and constitutional integrity of the UK. And if more time is needed to get the right deal, then the Prime Minister should seek to extend Article 50 and ensure that we dont leave with no-deal.
The Republic's main opposition party has been criticised after it announced it would extend a confidence-and-supply arrangement with the Irish Government for another year.

It was announced yesterday after weeks of discussion that the Fine Gael government would continue with the support of the country's second biggest party, Fianna Fail, until 2020 due to Brexit's impact on Ireland.

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Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin said his party had reached the decision reluctantly, but he said it was "unavoidable" given the concerns posed by Brexit.

He said: "With business and communities already fearful about the impact of Brexit and with Ireland manifestly not ready for many of the potential outcomes, how could it possibly be in the national interest to have extended political uncertainty next year?

"This is why Fianna Fail will extend a guarantee that government will be able to operate throughout 2019."

Fine Gael deputy leader Simon Coveney hailed the "maturity" of opposition leader Mr Martin and said the deal ensures "certainty for at least another year, probably more".

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald labelled the negotiations as "political theatre" and said it was "astonishing that Fianna Fail have agreed to keep Fine Gael in government for another year without achieving one additional thing".

"They seem happy to have more of the same, the same failures. All the things Micheal Martin apparently had a problem with, apparently now he has no problem with," she said.

"The truth is you can't be in government and opposition at the same time. It is clear he (Martin) has full confidence in Leo Varadkar as Taoiseach, and will have achieved nothing by way of additionality, and will ensure government continues on."

After the 2016 general election, Fianna Fail agreed to support Fine Gael in power for three budgets, by committing to not bring down the government or vote against key votes.

However it remains unclear whether Fianna Fail received any new commitments from the government for extension. Mr Martin said that there was "disagreement on issues of delivery" but they would continue to keep the government under pressure.

There is no new document or agreement; the current document in relation to confidence and supply is still in use.

Similarly, Irish Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin was quick to criticise Fianna Fail for entering into an extended agreement.

"The six weeks of the labours of Hercules have produced exactly nothing," he said. "Apparently there is to be a deal with no consequences, no requirements.

"All the analysis about the failures in housing and health are meaningless because there is no new target to be set, conditions to be met."

The Irish Government has come under criticism domestically for the ongoing homeless crisis, lack of affordable housing, hospital waiting lists and what political opponents call "rising inequality".
Brexit and Theresa Mays future make the papers both home and abroad (Danny Lawson/PA)

A dramatic day in Westminster has given Thursdays newspapers plenty to talk about as Prime Minister Theresa May survived a vote of no confidence.

But views on Mrs Mays Brexit plan, the future of the party and Mrs Mays position within it are subject of fierce discussion and debate among the nationals.

The Times runs with the headline May scrapes home after the vote went 200 votes for Mrs May and 117 against, but added that her critics remained unbowed.

The Times 13/12/2018

Prime minister Theresa May returns to No.10 Downing Street and eventually survives the no-confidence vote. Photo: Times Photographer Jack Hill

#thetimes #tomorrowspaperstoday #theresamay @thetimes pic.twitter.com/3WDqLvrLQ2  The Times Pictures (@TimesPictures) December 12, 2018

Inside the paper, Conservative peer Lord Finkelstein questions whether the hectic day has actually changed anything.

He writes: Almost every problem Theresa May had yesterday she still has today. She still has to win support for the withdrawal agreement despite overwhelming opposition.

She still has to pass a bill to ratify the agreement. And she still has to keep her government in office despite the threat that the Democratic Unionist Party will withdraw its support if the deal is agreed.

I have never doubted Theresa Mays steel and determination, but I do doubt her understanding of what the Brexit vote meansMP Ben Bradley in the Daily Telegraph

He adds Mrs May should focus on making sure her deal is the only thing left on the table and concludes: Meanwhile we are 24 hours closer to leaving the EU, without being any wiser about how.

The Daily Telegraph contains a front-page column from Mrs Mays former chief of staff Nick Timothy in which he says her deal is as dead as a dodo, while Mansfield MP Ben Bradley said the country needed a prime minister who had not just determination, but who is pointing that determination in the right direction.

Mr Bradley, who resigned as vice chair of the party over the Chequers Agreement, adds: I have never doubted Theresa Mays steel and determination, but I do doubt her understanding of what the Brexit vote means.

You cannot seek to deliver on a vote for change if all you aim to do is replicate the status quo.

Yes, we want a relationship with Europe, but it has to be a different one I honestly dont think its complicated, but this Government has made it complicated.

The Daily Mirrors Kevin Maguire says Mrs May lives to die another day, saying it was the hollowest of victories, while the Daily Mail and Daily Express both urge the party to let Mrs May get on with her job.

Peter Oborne in the Daily Mail calls the rebels silly fools who have blown themselves up, writing: Mrs May is not the greatest prime minister in British history, not by a long shot.

But shes incredibly fortunate in her opponents  both on the Opposition benches and in her own party.

But she now looks stateswomanlike indeed thanks to the half-baked challenge launched by colleagues such as Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg.

The Suns leader column attempts to sum up the problems facing Mrs May, saying she is caught between the devil and the DUP.

It says much of Britain is in disarray  pointing to rail services, police, hospitals and the military as problem areas  but warns: Every single Tory needs to remember one thing: if you dont get your act together, well end up with Corbyn.

The front pages of tomorrow's Irish Examiner and Irish Examiner Sport.



Available in-store and online: https://t.co/rdKlwaMzs4 pic.twitter.com/mxKV7vm1h4  Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) December 12, 2018

The Irish Examiner writes Mrs May is not going anywhere for now pointing out the struggle to sell the Brexit deal remains.

In continental Europe, Mrs May also makes the fronts with Le Soir in Belgium running the headline May saved, her Brexit still under threat and De Standaard refers to the vote result as a pyrrhic victory for the Conservative leader.

Expand Close The front page of De Standaard (Screenshot) / Facebook

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Politiken in Denmark talks of drama in Mrs Mays future, while Het Belang Van Limburg, a Dutch regional paper in Belgium, says Survival artist May does it again.
John Drennan and Daniella Anthony were reunited with the police officers who found their lost wedding ring on US TV (Michael Rozman/Warner Bros/PA)

A British man whose fiancee dropped her engagement ring down a grate in Times Square popped the question again after being reunited with the band on a US chat show.

John Drennan got down on one knee in New Yorks Central Park to ask his partner of 10 years Daniella Anthony to marry him.

Hours later, while on their way back from a Broadway show, the ring slipped off Ms Anthonys finger and into a pavement grate.

Expand Close John Drennan and Daniella Anthony appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show after losing their engagement ring in New York (Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.) Michael Rozman/Warner Bros. / Facebook

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Whatsapp John Drennan and Daniella Anthony appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show after losing their engagement ring in New York (Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.)

The couple, from Peterborough, were the subject of a mass online appeal after the New York Police Department (NYPD) tweeted a video of them desperately trying to retrieve the band.

By the time the ring was found by officers, the couple was already back in the UK. On Thursday, they appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in the US and were surprised by the officers who retrieved the ring.

An ecstatic Mr Drennan got down on one knee again in front of the cameras. Ms Anthony said yes.

During their appearance on Ellen, Mr Drennan told how the couple were left devastated at losing the ring but did not tell their friends and family back home for fear of putting a negative spin on their engagement.

Expand Close John Drennan and Daniella Anthony were reunited with the New York police officers who retrieved their engagement ring (Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.) Michael Rozman/Warner Bros. / Facebook

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Whatsapp John Drennan and Daniella Anthony were reunited with the New York police officers who retrieved their engagement ring (Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.)

Instead, a friend contacted Mr Drennan via Whatsapp, asking if he was the man in the video.

Mr Drennan said: I was like, Daniella, they found our ring, they found our ring!

I dont know anywhere in the world where a police department, or two police officers  they went back the next day.

Ellen, one of the most recognisable faces on US television, asked: And where is the ring now?

Still with the New York Police Department, Mr Drennan replied. Ellen stunned the couple and said: Thats right, they are, adding, come on out!

Beyonces Single Ladies played in the studio as two NYPD officers  in full uniform  walked onto the stage.

Ms Anthony shouted, oh my God! before covering her mouth in shock. The couple then embraced the officers, who joined them on the couch.

Expand Close John Drennan proposed to his partner Daniella Anthony on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.) Michael Rozman/Warner Bros. / Facebook

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Whatsapp John Drennan proposed to his partner Daniella Anthony on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.)

One of the officers handed the jewellery to Mr Drennan, who joked, theres no grates, anything like that in here?

He then got down on one knee  for the second time  and asked his fiancee: Would you be my wife?

A tearful Ms Anthony replied: Yes. The officers later jokingly handed the couple a set of ring adjusters, costing eight US Dollars (6.32).

Mr Drennan then told Ellen they were aiming for a June 2020 wedding, so they could save up and enjoy being engaged.

Ellen then handed the couple a cheque for 10,000 US Dollars (7,900) on behalf of US photobook firm Shutterfly.
Ian Paisley is facing calls from other politicians to resign over new allegations

Former public standards watchdog Sir Alistair Graham has joined a number of politicians in calling for a Parliamentary Commissioner to investigate Ian Paisley over a five-night family holiday at a luxury Maldives resort months after advocating on behalf of the country's government.

The trip took place in October and November 2016, and was not declared on Parliament's Register of Members' Interests.

In February 2016 the North Antrim DUP MP visited the Maldives with two other MPs from an all-party parliamentary group.

Despite the Maldives Government being criticised for human rights abuses at the time, Mr Paisley appeared to advocate on behalf of the regime, arguing against economic sanctions.

He and the other MPs also visited the prison where opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed had been held, and described the conditions as quite luxurious.

BBC NI's Spotlight programme said its evidence suggests that full board and transfers for the family visit by Mr Paisley, his wife and two sons eight months later were provided complimentarily at the request of the Maldivian Government.

It also claimed they were facilitated by resort owner Hussain Hilmy - a former minister in the Maldives Government who has held a number of other important public posts.

Mr Paisley claimed he paid for part of that holiday and the rest was paid for by a friend, whose identity he did not disclose.

He said the friend was unconnected with his work and had received no benefit as a result of his work.

Spotlight's allegations came just weeks after Mr Paisley returned to the House of Commons following a 30-day suspension for failing to declare two 2013 family holidays paid for by the Sri Lankan Government.

Sir Alistair, a former chairman of the committee on standards in public life, said that in his view, Mr Paisley ought to have disclosed the Maldives family trip in the Register of Members' Interests.

"He should have declared it," he said.

"I think he should refer himself to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.

"Even if it wasn't paid for by the government, he should have declared that trip."

Sir Alistair said the identity of the mystery friend who paid for part of the Paisley holiday needs to be established in order "to judge whether his conduct has met the standards we expect of an MP".

Sir Alistair added: "I think he's got himself into serious trouble by all accounts, unless he can demonstrate in an open and transparent way there was no money coming from the Maldives Government."

TUV leader Jim Allister also called on Mr Paisley to refer himself to Standards Commissioner Kathryn Stone, and said the DUP had questions to answer after readmitting Mr Paisley to the party following a temporary suspension linked to his Sri Lanka trips.

"I think what he needs to do immediately is to self-refer," he said.

"I intend to write to the commissioner to ask her to launch an investigation.

"There are big questions for his party. It's inconceivable that before he was readmitted to the party they wouldn't have asked him if there are any other lavish holidays they should know about.

"It's embarrassing all round for the DUP."

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood called for Mr Paisley to fall on his sword.

He said he had written to ask the Commissioner for Standards to investigate.

"It really is time for Ian Paisley to resign," he said.

"If he doesn't, then the onus is on Arlene Foster to remove him from the DUP."

Sinn Fein vice president Michelle O'Neill said Mr Paisley should have been long gone by now.

"It's the latest in a long line of scandals associated with the DUP and Ian Paisley in particular," she said.

"I think Ian Paisley should have resigned many months ago.

"I think where he finds himself again today at the centre of another scandal is not anything befitting of someone who holds public office."

Sinn Fein MLA Philip McGuigan said the Maldives allegations raised "serious questions" and that he had also written to ask the commissioner to investigate.

UUP leader Robin Swann said there was "an onus on Mr Paisley to cut the bluster and offer openness and transparency to the people of North Antrim".

"The allegations raised by Spotlight are extremely serious and deserve a credible response from Ian Paisley and the DUP," he said.

"The DUP also need to be open about when they learned of these allegations and what they know.

"The Commissioner for Standards must launch an investigation urgently."

In a statement to Spotlight, Mr Paisley said the Government of the Maldives "did not organise or pay for my family vacation in 2016".

He added: "I'm satisfied the vacation did not have to be recorded on the register."

Last night the BBC reported that Mr Paisley had contacted the office of the Parliamentary Standards Commission to discuss questions raised over the Maldives trip.

The DUP said: "The party officers will want to consider these very serious matters being mindful of the high standards we require of elected representatives."

Earlier, the Commissioner for Standards said that, due to a decision taken by the House of Commons in July, they couldn't confirm or deny whether she had began an inquiry into the conduct of a named MP.

The embassy of the Maldives failed to provide a response for publication.

How the North Antrim MP has never been been a stranger to controversy

The Maldives holiday allegations are far from the first controversy to have hit Ian Paisley Jnr in recent years.

In 2008 he resigned as a Stormont junior minister following criticism of his links to property developer Seymour Sweeney and allegations he had lobbied on his behalf.

In 2012-2013 he emerged as the MP with the highest expenses.

In July, the House of Commons voted to exclude the North Antrim DUP MP for 30 sitting days - the joint-longest period for any member in almost 70 years.

It came after the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards found that he had breached rules by not declaring two luxury foreign holidays paid for by the Sri Lankan government, which he had also lobbied for. He was also temporarily suspended from the DUP pending further investigation into his conduct.

The breach of rules led to the UK's first recall petition - which could have cost Mr Paisley his seat.

To force a by-election, it needed 10% of his constituents to sign. But the required number of signatures on the petition was 7,543 - falling short by just over 400.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the Scottish Government had not been told about the planned closure (Jane Barlow/PA)

Nicola Sturgeon says she is disappointed the Scottish Government only found out about the planned closure of a rail maintenance depot through media reports.

It was reported on Tuesday that Gemini Rail Services proposed to close its site in Springburn, Glasgow, putting around 200 jobs at risk.

Ms Sturgeon said officials met Gemini bosses last week and were given no indication such an announcement would be made.

The company took over the depot from Knorr-Bremse Rail Services after a sale was agreed in August.

The issue was raised at First Ministers Questions on Thursday by Bob Doris, MSP for Maryhill and Springburn.

The First Minister said: The Scottish Government learned of this development only through the media and let me say, I am extremely disappointed that that is the case.

Officials met with the new owners last week but no reference was made on any immediate plans to make such an announcement.

The Scottish Government will continue to engage constructively with the owners in the interests of the staff effected and the overall Scottish economy.

We are committed to supporting rail services and have made record investment in rail in recent years.

Statement on the proposed closure of the St. Rollox Railway Works by Gemini Rail Services. I will aim to raise this in Parliament later today. pic.twitter.com/MhNRQ5aydu  Paul Sweeney MSP (@PaulJSweeney) December 13, 2018

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard and shadow Scotland minister Paul Sweeney plan to meet members of the Unite union at the depot on Friday to discuss how the future of the plant may be secured.

This is a vital part of our industrial capacity in Scotland, Mr Leonard said.

It is inconceivable that Springburns connection with the railway industry might finally be broken.

Scottish Labour stands shoulder-to-shoulder with these workers in the fight for their livelihoods.

Our party was established to take on challenges like these and together we can win.

Mr Sweeney said: These works, which date back to 1856, are the last vestige of an industry that is the very reason Springburn exists today and was the centre of world locomotive manufacturing. Its iconic.

This is one of just three railway maintenance plants left in Scotland and is now a modernised centre of excellence.

Its closure would be a hammer blow for our community, our city and our country.

I will do everything I can and work tirelessly at all levels of government to save it.

A spokesman for Gemini Rail Services said: It is with deep regret that Gemini Rail Services has had to announce to employees its proposal to close the Springburn site in Glasgow.

It is very clear, as it has been for some time, that numbers of pre-privatisation rolling stock which have been the cornerstone of business for many years, are in severe decline.

Due to the introduction of more modern vehicles, the number of pre-privatisation vehicles in service will reduce by 80% in the next five years.

Furthermore, Springburn will continue to suffer an unsustainable decline in demand due to its location as only around 10% of the rolling stock that will be accessible is in Scotland and the north of England. As such, it is necessary to put forward the proposal.

The decision to make this proposal has not been made lightly. We recognise the dedication and hard work of all staff at Springburn and know this will be an upsetting period for them and their families.
Home Secretary Sajid Javid has announced a cash boost for police that could total nearly 1 billion.

Council taxpayers will fund more than half of the potential 970 million rise, which the Government said would represent the largest overall increase since 2010.

The announcement drew an immediate backlash, with one rank-and-file leader describing it as a sticking plaster solution.

Unveiling the provisional funding settlement of up to 14 billion for 2019/20, Mr Javid said demand pressures on police had risen this year as a result of changing crime.

Today weve announced the largest increase in police funding since 2010.



Our settlement includes more money from central funding for Police & Crime Commissioners, and the flexibility to raise local taxes for local policing by up to 2 a month for a typical band D household. pic.twitter.com/DspxtuN36q  Home Office (@ukhomeoffice) December 13, 2018

He said: Since becoming Home Secretary I have been clear I would prioritise police funding, and today I have delivered on that promise.

Taken together, this substantial increase in police funding will enable forces to continue recruiting, fill crucial capability gaps such as in detectives, meet their genuine financial pressures, drive through efficiency programmes, and improve their effectiveness by preventing crime and delivering better outcomes for victims of crime.

While most police force funding comes directly from central government, around 30% is drawn from council tax through the policing precept levy.

Under the provisional settlement announced on Thursday, police and crime commissioners have been given the green light to ask for an additional 2 a month per band D household.

The Government is right to recognise the serious pressures on policing mean we could not wait for a full spending review and further funding is needed nowChief Constable Dave Thompson

If all PCCs take up the option, this would generate around 510 million in additonal funding, the Home Office said.

The rest of the proposed year-on-year increase is comprised of a 59 million rise in counter-terrorism funding, a 161 million increase in general government grants, 153 million to help meet increased pension costs, and 90 million earmarked for capabilities to tackle serious and organised crime.

National Police Chiefs Council lead for finance Chief Constable Dave Thompson said: The Government is right to recognise the serious pressures on policing mean we could not wait for a full spending review and further funding is needed now.

The Government has today announced extra funding for policing as part of the provisional police funding settlement. Read our full response here  https://t.co/BKbN7qxPv1 pic.twitter.com/7oDKjSVTge  National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) (@PoliceChiefs) December 13, 2018

The additional funding through the police grant will help forces meet the costs of government pension changes and should allow chief constables and police and crime commissioners to avoid making further cuts.

Increased flexibility through the council tax precept will give chief constables and police and crime commissioners the opportunity to address local issues  with many focusing on violent crime.

Paddy Tipping, deputy finance lead for the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, said: Whilst this additional funding is welcome there are still significant challenges for policing.

It needs to be acknowledged that, because of the different levels of precept and share of budget accounted for by council tax, the level to which forces benefit will vary.

Shadow policing minister Louise Haigh said: The simple truth is that because the Home Secretary cannot make the case within government for extra resources for the police, he passed his own political failure onto local ratepayers.

Police Federation of England and Wales national chairman John Apter said: The truth is that this appears to be a quick fix. A sticking plaster solution that injects extra money in the short-term, but one which sees the burden falling unfairly on local council tax payers.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: Londoners will be furious at the Governments announcement today.

The additional funding represents a tiny fraction of the huge government cuts to the Met Police since 2010 and will mean the number of police officers in London will continue to fall over the years ahead.

Londoners will be furious at the Governments police funding deal which shunts the costs of policing onto council tax payers. It's a tiny fraction of the huge cuts to @MetPoliceUK since 2010 - and means the number of officers in London will continue to fall. pic.twitter.com/8OdlqWnh0e  Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan (@MayorofLondon) December 13, 2018

Ministers have come under sustained pressure to provide a cash injection as forces attempt to tackle rising levels of serious violence, and knife crime in particular, as well as a severe terror threat.

Police funding has fallen by 19% in real terms since 2010. Over the same period, officer numbers have decreased by more than 20,000.

A slew of statistics and highly critical reports have prompted intense scrutiny of police performance and funding in recent weeks.

The number of arrests in England and Wales has halved in a decade and stop and search activity has sunk to the lowest level since current data collection started in 2001/02.

In October, a report from the Commons Home Affairs Committee warned policing risked becoming irrelevant amid vanishing neighbourhood presences and low detection rates.
The Scottish Parliament Information Centre has released analysis of income tax plans in the Scottish Budget (Jane Barlow/PA)

Income tax plans in the Scottish budget will raise an estimated 182 million above UK Government deductions for devolved tax powers, independent analysis has found.

A senior analyst at the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) said extra tax revenues should be enough to offset the UK Government reduction to the Scottish budget to account for devolved tax-raising powers, known as the block grant adjustment.

The Scottish Governments draft budget, published on Wednesday, states the planned income tax changes  including freezing the higher rate tax threshold instead of increasing it to 50,000 to match the rest of the UK in April  will raise 500 million more than changing to match the UKs income tax policy.

Yesterday, the @scotgov set out its proposals for the Scottish Budget. What does it mean for taxpayers? See the infographic below or read the analysis from our information centre: https://t.co/ce51PSRVaC #ScottishBudget pic.twitter.com/QgRZghF4j2  Scottish Parliament (@ScotParl) December 13, 2018

SPICe senior analyst Nicola Hudson said: The extra tax revenues should be enough to offset the reduction in the Scottish budget  the block grant adjustment  that results from the devolution of tax-raising powers.

However, the budget document shows that estimated income tax revenues in 2019-20 will only exceed the block grant adjustment by 182 million, considerably less than the 500 million that the Scottish Government say its policy will generate relative to the UK Government tax policy.

She said this reflects different policy choices since the partial devolution of income tax powers in 2017-18 as well as differences in forecasts made by the Scottish Fiscal Commission and the Office of Budget Responsibility, which will be reconciled when the amount of tax raised is known.

She said it also reflects different rates of tax revenue growth per head between Scotland and elsewhere in the UK, which she warned could be a more persistent issue.

Ms Hudson highlighted the fiscal framework determining the calculation of the block grant adjustment protects Scotland against revenue reductions resulting from slower population growth but not against a fall in taxpayers, wage slowdowns or a change in the taxpayer mix, such as lower numbers of higher rate taxpayers.

She said: If these types of changes hit Scotland harder than the rest of the UK, then it will be harder for the Scottish Government to generate the tax revenues that it needs to offset the block grant adjustment.

The analysis also found all workers earning up to 124,375 will pay less tax in 2019-20 than this financial year but for the majority only 10 of the benefit comes from Scottish Government decisions with the remaining 120-130 a result of the UK Governments change to the personal allowance.

Those earning under 27,000 will pay around 20 per year less than elsewhere in the UK but those earning above this will pay more, a difference of more than 1,500 a year for people earning more than 50,000.

We are using our new income tax powers to deliver 68 million of additional revenue to invest in our essential public services. #ScotBudget pic.twitter.com/Cb2uNXaSoJ  Scottish Government (@scotgov) December 12, 2018

Callum McCaig, special adviser to the First Minister, tweeted in response to the analysis: Income tax policy is raising 182 million over the block grant adjustment.

If we were to replicate UK tax policy it would be 318m less than it, so replicating UK income tax in Scotland would cost 500m.
Police have appealed for witnesses after a fatal crash in the north of Scotland (David Cheskin/PA)

Police have named a teenager who died in a two-car crash in Caithness.

Lauren Miller, 18, was killed in a collision on the A882 on Monday evening.

The driver from Thurso was travelling in a white Citroen DS3 towards Wick when the crash happened near Bridge of Milton at around 8.30pm.

The male driver of the other car, a blue Peugeot 207, was not injured.

Road Policing Sergeant Donnie Mackinnon said: Our thoughts remain with Laurens family and friends at this difficult time.

We are continuing to work to establish the full circumstances of this collision and would ask anyone with information who has not yet spoken to police to contact us.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank everybody who has already been in contact about this incident.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident 3776 of December 10.
Theresa May has confirmed a new Tory leader will take the party into the next election (Steve Parsons/PA)

Theresa May has confirmed she will not lead the Conservative Party into the next general election.

But she declined to put a date on her departure, and appeared to suggest her promise applies to the next scheduled election in June 2022, leaving a question mark over whether she would stand down if an early vote is called.

Mrs May was speaking a day after she survived an attempt to oust her by rebel Tory MPs, who submitted at least 48 letters of no confidence in her leadership.

Her victory by a margin of 200-117  and her call for politicians to come together in the national interest  did not quell vicious feuding within the party.

Brexiteers led by Jacob Rees-Mogg repeated demands for the Prime Minister to quit as Tory leader, insisting the result showed she had lost the confidence of more than a third of her MPs and a majority of backbenchers.

However, loyalists hit back, with one minister comparing members of the hardline European Research Group to ants surviving a nuclear holocaust.

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Arriving at the European Council summit in Brussels, Mrs May was asked to confirm publicly the promise she made behind closed doors to Tory MPs as she sought their support on Wednesday.

She said: Yes, I have said that in my heart I would love to be able to lead the Conservative Party into the next general election.

But I think it is right that the party feels that it would prefer to go into that election with a new leader.

The Prime Minister was pressed over whether her decision means she will step down as soon as the Brexit process is complete.

Her response suggested the promise is linked in her mind to the scheduled vote in three-and-a-half years time.

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Asked whether she has a date in mind, she said: No. People try to talk about dates. What Im clear about is the next general election is in 2022 and I think its right that another party leader takes us into that general election.

Mrs Mays announcement sparked inevitable speculation about a successor, and backbench Tories reported that campaigns are already getting under way on behalf of potential future leaders.

Simon Hart, the leader of the Brexit Delivery Group of Tory backbenchers, said: Ive had people I havent spoken to in nine years since I was first elected in 2010 using this opportunity to sell their own credentials and engage in a private beauty parade.

Mrs Mays former policy adviser George Freeman said there is no hope of long-term survival for any Tory leader taking the country through Brexit.

Whoever leads through this, I think, will be finished by it, he said.

Prominent former minister Nicky Morgan even suggested the party may split, telling the BBC: I think theres an inevitability that some of these people  the hardest Brexiteers  are going to walk.

There may be some sort of reconfiguration of parties on the right of the UK political spectrum and that may be something we are going to have to accept in order to get a Brexit deal through the House of Commons.

Staunch Brexiteers were smarting at Chancellor Philip Hammonds description of them as extremists who had been flushed out by the confidence vote.

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Former party leader Iain Duncan Smith  whose Commons office was reportedly used as an HQ by rebel Tories during Wednesdays voting  told the Chancellor to moderate your language.

He told Radio 4s Today programme: I have one simple message for the Chancellor: When you start turning on your own party and making accusations about them, thats the beginning of the end for your party.

One of Mr Hammonds Cabinet colleagues, Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay, distanced himself from the comment, telling Today: I think all of us say sometimes things in interviews which we perhaps could have phrased in a better way. Its not the phraseology I would have used.

Both Mr Duncan Smith and Mr Rees-Mogg denied reports that the rebels had nicknamed their Commons base for the vote the kill zone, with the ERG chair claiming the deeply disagreeable moniker was invented by May supporters in the hope of discrediting them.

Mr Rees-Mogg also said it is not impossible that, on reflection, Mrs May would decide to stand aside soon.

You may remember that Margaret Thatcher said We fight on, we fight to win, he said. Nobody was tougher than Mrs Thatcher and the next day she resigned. So, its not impossible.

I think Theresa May should consider what she said last night. I agree with her that we do want somebody who can unite the country and the Conservative Party, and she has to ask herself is she realistically that person?

There were appeals for unity and calm from supporters of the Prime Minister.

Some colleagues, perhaps out of frustration, saying foolish things about other Conservatives.



Now would be a good time to stop.



Respect the results of the two referendums; 52% to leave the EU and 63% to support @theresa_may



Theres work to do.  James Cleverly (@JamesCleverly) December 13, 2018

Business Secretary Greg Clark called on MPs to move from being critics to being responsible participants.

Tory deputy chair James Cleverly said: Some colleagues, perhaps out of frustration (are) saying foolish things about other Conservatives. Now would be a good time to stop.

Respect the results of the two referendums  52% to Leave the EU and 63% to support Theresa May.

They never, ever stop. Votes against them, letters going in late- nothing matters to ERG. After the apocalypse, all that will be left will be ants and Tory MPs complaining about Europe and their leader. https://t.co/n3Jt04CjJe  Rt Hon Alistair Burt (@AlistairBurtUK) December 12, 2018

Foreign minister Alistair Burt was more blunt: They never, ever stop. Votes against them, letters going in late  nothing matters to ERG.

After the apocalypse, all that will be left will be ants and Tory MPs complaining about Europe and their leader.
Prime Minister Theresa May makes a statement in 10 Downing Street after she survived an attempt by Tory MPs to oust her with a vote of no confidence (Victoria Jones /PA)

Theresa May heads to Brussels on Thursday seeking fresh concessions for her Brexit deal after emerging from a confidence vote by Tory MPs bloodied and bruised but victorious.

The Prime Minister will address EU leaders at the two-day European Council after seeing off rebels who attempted to remove her from the party leadership, winning by 200 votes to 117 in a secret ballot.

She will hold one-on-one talks with Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar before the summit opens, after cancelling a planned trip to Dublin on Wednesday in order to fight for her leadership.

After a day of drama in Westminster, the Prime Minister was still faced with the dilemma of how to convince the EU to tweak the Withdrawal Agreement so that it will be passed by Parliament.

Speaking in Downing Street moments after the result was announced, Mrs May acknowledged that a significant number of her MPs had voted against her and said: I have listened to what they said.

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She pledged to seek legal and political assurances on the Brexit backstop to allay MPs concerns about her Withdrawal Agreement when she attends a European Council summit in Brussels on Thursday.

And she said she and her administration had a renewed mission, saying: Following this ballot, we now need to get on with the job of delivering Brexit for the British people and building a better future for this country.

She said this must involve politicians of all sides coming together and acting in the national interest.

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But she had earlier sowed the seeds for her eventual departure by telling Tory MPs at a meeting of the backbench 1922 committee that she would not lead the party into the next general election, expected in 2022.

According to MPs present at the meeting, she also promised to find a legally binding solution to ensuring that the UK does not get permanently trapped in a backstop arrangement to keep the Irish border open after Brexit.

The scale of this task was highlighted by Irish premier Leo Varadkar and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, who insisted in a phone call as MPs voted that the UKs Withdrawal Agreement cannot be reopened or contradicted.

DUP leader Arlene Foster, who met Mrs May shortly before the ballot, insisted that tinkering around the edges of the agreement would not be enough to win her partys support for the deal.

Mrs Foster, whose 10 MPs prop up the minority Conservative administration, said she told the PM that we were not seeking assurances or promises, we wanted fundamental legal text changes.

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Immediately after the vote result was announced by 1922 chairman Sir Graham Brady, she faced calls to resign from Brexit-backing MPs including Jacob Rees-Mogg, who said that she had lost the confidence of more than one-third of her MPs and a majority of backbenchers.

Mr Rees-Mogg told the Press Association Mrs May should resign as soon as the Queen has a moment in her diary to see her.

The hardline European Research Group (ERG) vowed to continue opposing Mrs Mays disastrous Brexit deal, with a spokesman warning: The parliamentary arithmetic remains unchanged.

But other Brexiteers said they would end their efforts to unseat the Tory leader.

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Crispin Blunt said: The leadership question is now behind us for a year and we must get behind Theresa May in delivering Brexit.

It was Mrs Mays decision to pull a vote on her deal in the face of what she acknowledged would have been a heavy defeat earlier this week which sparked a new wave of letters of no confidence from Tories, triggering the challenge to her position.

Mrs Mays victory in the confidence vote means that another challenge cannot be mounted against her position as Tory leader for a year.

But she still faces the danger of a no-confidence motion in the House of Commons, which could bring her Government down if backed by more than half of all MPs.

Tonight's vote changes nothing.



Theresa May has lost her majority in Parliament, her Government is in chaos and she's unable to deliver a Brexit deal that works for the country and puts jobs and the economy first.



She must now bring her botched deal back to Parliament next week  Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) December 12, 2018

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the dismal deal should be put before MPs next week.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell hinted that Labour could call the motion next week if Mrs May does not get changes to the Withdrawal Agreement that it wants, telling ITVs Peston: We will just have to judge what she comes back with on Sunday night, Monday morning, see what the statement is in the House of Commons on Monday and take a proper judgment then.
A woman leaves flowers at a makeshift memorial outside the Metropolitan Cathedral (Rovena Rosa/AP)

Close to 1,000 people have attended a memorial service for the people gunned down inside a cathedral in southeastern Brazil, and authorities said the toll of dead had risen to five.

Investigators said they were still trying to determine what led 49-year-old Euler Fernando Grandolpho to attack worshippers after Tuesdays midday service at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Campinas.

After taking a bullet in the ribs in a firefight with police Grandolpho shot himself in the head, authorities said.

The faithful sat quietly as Monsignor Rafael Capelato said: Through prayers and solidarity we are supporting each other in this time of suffering.

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Pope Francis sent a message to the Archdiocese of Campinas in which he urged that forgiveness and love prevail over hate and vengeance.

After the service, the Mario Gatti hospital reported that one of the four wounded in the shooting had died, adding to the four who died earlier.

Grandolpho, a systems analyst, was not a member of the church, authorities said.

According to public records Grandolpho had held various jobs with government entities, including a stint as an assistant to the prosecutor in the public ministry in Sao Paulo.

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Inspector Jose Henrique Vantura told reporters that Grandolpho lived as a recluse with his widowed father in a gated community and that he was once treated for depression.

Rita Franco, a former girlfriend, told the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper that Grandolpho was an extremely bright person.

President-elect Jair Bolsonaro, a former army captain, has promised to crack down on violence, in part by loosening gun laws so more civilians could arm themselves.

Among other things, Brazils gun control laws require people wanting to buy a weapon to explain why they need a gun.
French police have killed a suspect in their hunt for the alleged gunman who killed three people near a Christmas market in Strasbourg on Tuesday.

The shooting occurred in the Neudorf neighbourhood, where police conducted a search earlier on Thursday for Cherif Chekatt.

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The 29-year-old was born in Strasbourg and had been named as the suspected Christmas market gunman.

Tuesday's attack left three people dead and wounded 13 others, including five who are in a serious condition.

More than 700 officers were involved in the manhunt for 29-year-old Cherif Chekatt and prosecutors have opened a terror investigation into Tuesday's attack.

France's interior minister said the prosecutor in charge of terror-related investigations was heading to the scene to confirm if the man killed by officers was the suspect.

Christophe Castaner said police had spotted an individual who matched the description of Chekatt.
First lady Melania Trump speaks during a Toys for Tots event at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling (Susan Walsh/AP)

Melania Trump has made history by flying in a V-22 Osprey aircraft during a visit to a pair of military bases.

The White House said it was the first time a first lady has flown in an Osprey.

We are off to visit some of our brave men & women in uniform today & thank them for their service. Ill be visiting Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Joint Base Langley-Eustis & the #USSGeorgeHWBush aircraft carrier today. Looking forward to meeting everyone! #USA pic.twitter.com/XrYsFyItJJ  Melania Trump 45 Archived (@FLOTUS45) December 12, 2018

The tilt-rotor aircraft takes off and lands vertically.

Mrs Trump flew from Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington to Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Virginia, for an appearance.

An incredible flight today on a V-22 to visit the service members aboard the USS George HW Bush. Thank you to ALL who serve!  pic.twitter.com/ylRIl37qwa  Melania Trump 45 Archived (@FLOTUS45) December 12, 2018

First ladies usually do not take solo helicopter rides.

When they do travel by helicopter, they often are accompanying the president aboard Marine One, a more traditional aircraft.

In Virginia, Mrs Trump inspected the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jet and addressed an audience of service members, noting that many had just returned from deployment.

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Some had been responding to natural disasters such as Hurricane Michael, which devastated Florida Panhandle communities.

The first lady said she was honoured to welcome them home and thanked them for answering the call of duty.

She exchanged high-fives with children from a local school and posed for selfies with some of those wearing military garb.

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She also spent time with the crew aboard the USS George H.W. Bush and toured part of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier named after the former president, who died in November.
Yemens warring sides have agreed to a ceasefire covering the Red Sea port of Hodeida following peace talks in Sweden.

The United Nations secretary general said the rival parties have also agreed to a withdrawal of troops from the contested city.

Antonio Guterres thanked the Yemeni delegations for what he called an important step and real progress toward future talks to end the conflict.

He spoke at the closing ceremony for the talks in the Swedish town of Rimbo.

Mr Guterres said to the Yemeni parties: Thank you for coming here to discuss a better future for Yemen.

He said that the next round of talks is planned for the end of January.

Expand Close UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the agreement (Mosaab Elshamy/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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The four-year civil war, which pits the internationally recognised Yemeni government, supported by a Saudi-led coalition, against the Iran-backed rebels known as Houthis, has made Yemen the worlds worst humanitarian crisis.

According to the United Nations, 22 of its 29 million people are in need of aid. The two sides have for months been locked in a fight over Hodeida which is a key port for aid deliveries.

The UN-sponsored talks had low expectations for halting the conflict immediately, but saw some progress with the agreement of a prisoner swap to include 15,000 people at the start of the discussions last week.

Both sides have said they sought to build on goodwill for future talks, although it was unclear how far they have come in agreeing on a draft agreement given to them a day earlier to consider by UN envoy Martin Griffiths.

The document consists of a set of proposals, including one for a political framework for a post-war Yemen, the reopening of the airport in the capital, Sanaa, and a proposal for Hodeida, a lifeline for millions of Yemenis dependent on international aid.
The fate of Theresa May has hung in the balance for what seems like forever, but in the end it took just a single minute for us to hear the verdict of the jury last night.

It seemed a bit of an anti-climax. In Committee Room 14 in the House of Commons, five Tory men and one woman stood stiffly to attention at 9pm to make the announcement.

"The result of the ballot held this evening is that the parliamentary party does have confidence in Theresa May as leader of the Conservative Party," declared backbench chairman Sir Graham Brady.

Turnout among MPs was better than even the most fiercely contested sectarian head-count in Fermanagh and South Tyrone - 100% of the Tories 317 MPs voted, and not a single ballot paper was spoilt.

But there was no real victor and no out-and-out loser in what should have been an end of year conclusion to this long-running political drama.

There was applause from Theresa May's supporters as the result was declared, and they understandably insisted 'a win is a win'.

No further challenge can be made to the Prime Minister from within her party over the next 12 months so this does give her a bit of a breathing space, although it doesn't bring any answers.

The House of Commons remains as divided as ever on the way forward on Brexit. Something was needed to break the political paralysis but last night's result doesn't provide that momentum for change.

The Tory rebels didn't gain the ground they hoped but neither did Mrs May drive a stake through their heart.

Parliamentary arithmetic means she still needs the DUP's support to get her deal passed and while the backstop remains she won't have that - there are no ifs or buts on that one.

The DUP insisted all yesterday that it didn't have a dog in the Tory leadership fight. The party is far too cute to have publicly voiced support for any of the contenders for the Conservative crown.

But make no mistake about it - had Mrs May lost, the DUP's attitude would have been 'good riddance'.

The party just doesn't trust the Prime Minister personally any more. It would have been far more content moving forward with Dominic Raab, Jeremy Hunt or Sajid Javid.

The Duppers last night did sound deflated that the Prime Minister would be limping on.

Mrs Foster issued only a terse 54-word statement on the result. But with a make-or-break 10 MPs, the DUP still holds all the cards.

The focus now surely shifts to the EU and Dublin. Are they going to continue playing hardball with the government or will they throw some compromise Mrs May's way?

Many in Brussels have been clearly banking on putting so much pressure on London that a U-turn on the entire Brexit project is forced in Westminster.

So far that hasn't happened and the risks of a no-deal scenario are significant for the EU and Dublin in particular.

The battle for the Tory leadership ended last night but there is still so much to play for on the wider political stage as the countdown continues to March 29.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, center, walks to address the media as he arrives on the opening day of the winter session of the Parliament in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis Hindu nationalist BJP party lost power through polls in three key agrarian states, according to official results out Wednesday, dealing his government its worst defeat since 2014 and boosting the oppositions political fortunes ahead of next years general election.

Mounting loans owed by farmers, low prices for farm produce, lingering anger over the BJP governments decision to ban high-denomination currency notes in 2016, and a lack of new jobs were among issues that led to the ruling partys unseating in state assembly polls in the three northern states, political observers said.

The trio of Hindi-speaking states  Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan  have often been referred to as bellwether states for parliamentary elections, which are next expected in April or May. During state assembly elections in 2013, a majority of voters in all three states picked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in a precursor to the partys massive victory in the 2014 general election that brought Modi to power.

The BJP faced anti-incumbency and dissatisfaction of the voters on falling farm prices, lack of adequate employment opportunities and a general drift in policies in the rural areas, analyst Anil Wadhwa told BenarNews.

State election results may not affect the general elections in 2019, where the voter will look for political stability and strong leadership, cautioned Wadhwa, who is a distinguished fellow at the Vivekananda International Center, an Indian think tank. On that score, the BJP May perform better.

According to results announced by the countrys Election Commission on Wednesday, the opposition Congress party took over control of the state assemblies from the BJP in all three states.

Congress was declared the winner in the Chattisgarh polls, but fell short of a state assembly majority in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. However, regional parties, which had previously opposed Congress, offered the party support, allowing Indias main opposition party to obtain majorities in those two states assemblies.

Assembly elections were also held in the southern state of Telengana and northeastern state of Mizoram. In both these states, regional parties won the polls. Supporters of Telangana Rasthtra Samathi (TRS) celebrate as trends indicate victory for the party in the Telangana State Assembly elections in Hyderabad, India, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018. [AP]

A BJP lawmaker, Sanjay Kakade, said the party had focused its election campaign on partisan themes like building a Hindu temple at a disputed site in Ayodhya city claimed by both Muslims and Hindus.

We forgot the issue of development that prime minister Modi took up in 2014, newspapers quoted him as saying.

Online newspaper Scroll noted that the BJP cannot afford to ignore the acute agrarian distress that afflicts state after state, prompting thousands of farmers to march on the capital, demanding redress.

Across Rajasthan, Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh farmers spoke of low minimum support prices, rising input costs and losses that have built year on year, the report said.

Prime minister Modi tweeted on Tuesday that we accept the peoples mandate with humility as he congratulated the Congress Party.

BJPs setback in regional polls could boost the political career of Rahul Gandhi, the 48-year-old president of the Congress Party whose great grandfather, grandmother and father were all prime ministers.

He took over as party chief from his mother, Sonia Gandhi, last year.

On Tuesday evening, on the eve of the official announcement of poll results and as his party was out ahead, Rahul Gandhi told reporters that frankly, Narendra Modi taught me the lesson what not to do.

One of Indias biggest newspapers, the Indian Express, said that mere asset creation by the ruling BJP through the building of roads, houses, and toilets, or providing liquefied petroleum gas, electricity and broadband connectivity was not enough for rural voters.

Incomes not rising, due to low crop prices and stagnating wages, has more than offset any asset gains in the recent period, which also probably explains the party's heavy losses in the three states it ruled, the newspaper said.
Government lawyers Jeremy M. Joseph (center) and Ong Chee Kwan speak to reporters in Kuala Lumpur after a court approved the sale of the yacht Equanimity, Aug. 24, 2018.

A superyacht seized from fugitive financier Jho Low is back on the market after Malaysias government rejected secret bids that came in below a guiding selling price of U.S. $130 million (543.44 million ringgit), officials announced Thursday.

The government was now moving to sell the Equanimity off through private negotiations because of unacceptable bids received when the government placed the luxury vessel on the auction block from Oct. 29 to Nov. 29, said lawyer Jeremy M. Joseph, whom the attorney general appointed to represent the government and beleaguered state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) in the sale.

We are going to the second phase because the market is very niche, very specialized so buyers prefer to have private negotiations, Joseph told BenarNews.

The yacht was confiscated from Jho Low as part of an international probe into allegations of massive corruption and embezzlement of billions of dollars in 1MDB money. The guiding price was set after Equanimitys value was assessed by Winterbothams, a Britain-based appraiser.



The Admiralty Court in Kuala Lumpur agreed to allow the sale through private negotiations, setting a deadline of March 31, 2019, Joseph said.



But it is not a private negotiation with one party. We are open to anyone who wants to come with an offer, we can negotiate a deal provided that they can offer within the guiding price, he said.

Joseph said there were bidders, but declined to reveal how many there were.

[I] cannot tell which country they come from because we dont want the information to leak, and the interested parties use this information to manipulate their bids. We dont want that, he said.

Joseph said the government would have to consider the best offer on the table if bids did not reach $130 million.



Its not a minimum price, it is a guide price. If somebody offers a sufficiently high value we have to negotiate, he said.

On Nov. 29, the last day to accept bids, government lawyers revealed that bids for the Equanimity came from prospective buyers in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the United States.



The 300-foot yacht is believed to have been purchased by Jho Low  whose real name is Low Taek Jho  for $250 million (1 billion ringgit) with funds allegedly stolen from 1MDB.

Jho Low and his father, Low Hock Peng, were both charged in absentia on Aug. 24 for allegedly laundering stolen funds from 1MDB to purchase the Equanimity. In addition, Jho Low was charged in absentia on Dec.4 on suspicion of other offenses related to 1MDB.

The U.S. Justice Department alleged that almost $4.5 billion (18.7 billion ringgit) from the sovereign wealth fund was embezzled and laundered through real estate and other assets.

In August, just weeks after the Indonesian government turned over the Equanimity to Malaysia, Jho Low issued a statement regarding the governments plan to sell it to the highest bidder.

Given the illegal manner in which they took the asset, it is unlikely any bid will come close to its fair market value, Jho Low said in the statement.
An aerial photograph of the southern Philippine city of Marawi shows the extent of destruction after five months of gunbattles between militants and security forces, Oct. 25, 2017.

A Marine and three Abu Sayyaf militants were killed in a firefight in the southern Philippine province of Jolo Thursday, a day after Congress approved President Rodrigo Dutertes request to extend martial law in the Mindanao region for one more year to quell terrorist violence.

The fighting between 50 heavily armed members of the Abu Sayyaf group under sub-commander Majid Emamil and the Marine Ready Force erupted before dawn at a remote island off the town of Patikul, the military said.

We are deeply saddened by the news that another gallant soldier was killed during the encounter of our troops with the militants, said regional army spokesman Lt. Col. Gerry Besana.

Two other Marines were wounded and bought to a military hospital in the town of Jolo, where doctors said they were out of danger, Besana said.

Three were killed on the enemy side, he said. Their remains were recovered including two rifles.

Lt. Gen. Arnel Dela Vega, a regional military commander, said officials would extend the necessary assistance to the soldiers bereaved family. He said the manhunt for the Abu Sayyaf gunmen was ongoing.

All measures are now being undertaken, in accordance with the rules of engagement and with the support of the local government and the populace, Dela Vega said.

The Abu Sayyaf, the smallest but most brutal of militant groups in the south, is believed to still be holding at least six hostages, three of them foreigners, on Jolo island. During the past two years, the group has beheaded a German and two Canadian hostages.

The military, however, has vowed to crush the rebel force this year, and lawmakers on Wednesday approved another yearlong extension of military rule covering the entire south, in a move aimed at ending militancy in the region.

Remnants of Abu Sayyaf militants who fought in the southern city of Marawi continue to pester the military in Mindanao.



Isnilon Hapilon, a former Abu Sayyaf leader and chief of the Islamic State in the Philippines, led a group of fighters from the Middle East and Southeast Asia and took over Marawi last year.



But security forces defeated the militants after five months of firefights that ruined the predominantly Islamic lakeshore city and killed 1,200 people, most of them militants.

Hapilon and his key aides were killed in October last year, ending the siege, but dozens of other fighters had escaped, authorities said. The militants, according to military officials, have been trying to rebuild their ranks by recruiting fresh gunmen in far-flung Muslim regions in the south.

After the Marawi fighting, authorities also captured suspected foreign militants in the south, including a Spaniard who was arrested in the nearby island of Basilan, months before a suicide bomb attack there that left 11 people dead.

The bomb attack was initially claimed by IS, and the U.S. intelligence group SITE named the attacker as a Moroccan national. But the Philippine government in its own investigation later said that the bomb was carried out by the Basilan branch of the Abu Sayyaf. It had charged 18 people for the bombing, including eight it had already arrested.

Meanwhile, police in Manila on Wednesday announced the capture of a suspected militant in a slum area north of the Philippine capital.

The suspect, Jomar Labay (alias Jumar Ibrahim), was wanted for the beheading of two Filipino sawmill workers kidnapped in the southern town of Butig in April 2016. He was also believed to be a follower of the Maute brothers who helped carry out the Marawi attack, although it was not clear if he fought in Marawi city.

Dennis Jay Santos from Davao City contributed to this report.
A woman and her children ride a motorcycle as they head to school in Pattani, Aug. 14, 2018.

Thailand will raise the minimum age for Muslims to marry without parental consent from 15 to 17  effective Friday  following an international outcry over the wedding of an 11-year-old girl in June, officials said Wednesday.

Wisoot Binlatah, director of the southern office of the Sheikhul Islam, the body that oversees Islamic matters in predominantly Buddhist Thailand, said its top leader, Aziz Phitakkumpon, had endorsed the Islamic Committee of Thailands call to increase the minimum age for Muslims to marry.

Sheikhul Islam signed the Regulations of the Central Islamic Council of Thailand regarding person(s) under the age of 17 in 2018 and officials will announce nationwide at every mosque to all religious leaders to acknowledge and put in use effective Dec. 14, Wisoot told BenarNews.

To protect the rights of children, the Islamic Committee appointed a set of sub-committees, which must include at least one woman who is knowledgeable in Islam.

The endorsement will allow for younger Muslims to marry if they have parental or court approval, Wisoot said.

The government in the Thai Deep South, which is predominantly Muslim, is getting involved in the effort.

The SBPAC will translate the regulations into Bahasa Malay and propose organizing a seminar on human rights for women and children in the Deep South provinces to promote this delightful practice, Panadda Isho, legal specialist of Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center (SBPAC), told BenarNews. The regulations will be applied throughout the country as well.

Under Thai law, a woman can marry at 20 without parental consent but can marry at 17 with her parents approval or at 15 through court order, according to legal experts. The four provinces in the Muslim-dominated Deep South are exempt from the law and follow the sharia court.

Earlier this year, a sharia court in Malaysias Kelantan state fined a man 1,800 ringgit (U.S. $446) after he pleaded guilty to two charges stemming from his Islamic marriage in southern Thailand to an 11-year-old Thai girl, local media reported in July.

The 41-year-old man, who was already married to another woman, was charged with solemnizing a marriage and polygamy without obtaining the courts permission under Malaysias Kelantan Islamic Family Law, Malaysian media outlet reported at the time.

Thailands human rights commission challenged the marriage and its commissioner called for the Thai government to change the law.

The National Human Rights Commission is concerned that underage marriage (under 18 years of age) of a woman, a deprival of education and chance to development into adulthood, is inconsistent with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Children Protection Act, the commission said in a statement.

Thailand should pass a law to ban underage marriage in all cases. Underage marriage of the poor is an exploitation of children by the adult husband. It is multiple violations of children, human rights commissioner Angkhana Neelapaijit told BenarNews in July.

Mostly girls, when they are in their teens, their families will rush to arrange a marriage, especially families with difficult situations, they want their daughters to marry to reduce their burden, she said.

Child bride speaks out

Gaya, who asked that her last name not be used, told BenarNews about her experience.

I had an arranged marriage by my family when I was 15, but that did not last long, she said. So I fortunately did not have children, so I could go back to school and work at the same time, though I could not finish school because my family arranged another marriage for me, and I could not do anything but to follow.

I feel good and agree with this new regulation. I believe about 80 percent of children ages 14 to 16 are unwilling to marry and have the same feeling I had, Gaya said.

SBPAC legal specialist Panadda Isho said the new regulation will be effective on the day it is endorsed by the Sheikhul Islam (the nations Islamic leader), adding that it allowed for some loopholes.

A person under the age of 17 can marry with a written court order or a written parental consent which is recorded at the Provincial Islamic Committee Office where the parent(s) want to marry their child or at the police station in that area, Panadda told BenarNews.

Marriage is subject to the supervision of the Islamic Provincial Committee or the Islamic Committee of the mosque and the authorized person who performs marriage under Islamic Law.

I know they have changed the regulations. It is a progress of the Sheikhul Islam Office to protect the right of the girls who will have a premature marriage. Because it is concerned about reproductive health, and for children to receive appropriate education so they can take care of themselves and their children when they are ready, human rights commissioner Angkhana told BenarNews.
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Personalised medicine expert is the only Singapore-based academic inventor to receive this esteemed professional accolade this year

Singapore Professor Dean Ho, Director of the Singapore Institute for Neurotechnology (SINAPSE) at the National University of Singapore (NUS), has been elected as a Fellow of the United States National Academy of Inventors (NAI), the highest professional accolade for academic inventors.

Prof Ho, whose research covered artificial intelligence (AI) and its application towards personalised and precision medicine, as well as emerging areas of nanomedicine and nanodiamond-based drug delivery, is recognised for demonstrating a prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and welfare of society. He is the only Singapore-based academic inventor to be elected as an NAI Fellow this year. This is also the first time an NUS academic has achieved this professional distinction.

The Fellowship will be conferred on 11 April 2019 as part of the Eighth NAI Annual Meeting which will be held at the Space Center Houston in Houston, Texas.

I am deeply honoured to be elected as an NAI Fellow, and to join a distinguished community of innovators who have pioneered industry-changing advances across a broad spectrum of disciplines. I look forward to advance the fields of medicine, AI, and digital health with my team of dedicated and innovative researchers, and to create a positive impact for the future of patient care, shared Prof Ho, who is also a Provosts Chair Professor from the Biomedical Engineering and Pharmacology departments at NUS, as well as a member of the Biomedical Institute for Global Health Research and Technology (BIGHEART) at NUS.

Prof Ho was nominated for his role in developing CURATE.AI, a powerful artificial intelligence (AI) platform that drives personalised and precision medicine, and successfully translating it to multiple human studies. Currently, he is co-leading multiple combination therapy studies pertaining to oncology and transplant medicine to dynamically modulate multi-drug regimens with CURATE.AI. These trials have already demonstrated a complete halt in disease progression, resulting in durable patient responses that far outperformed conventional dosing. CURATE.AI trials have also shown improvement in patient treatment outcomes in preventing organ transplant rejection.

This prestigious accolade is also a tribute to Prof Hos pioneering work in the development of platforms using nanodiamonds for drug delivery and imaging, and for initiating a first-in-human clinical trial to validate a nanodiamond-biomaterial device to enhance root canal therapy.

Reflecting on the inspiration behind his inventions, Prof Ho said, The ability to take an idea and watch it evolve into a scalable platform that can directly improve patient outcomes has been a major driver of my enthusiasm for inventing new technologies. The pathway to realising a clinically impactful technology may involve a lot of troubleshooting, but the successful implementation of an idea that has taken years to bring to fruition is a deeply rewarding experience. It is most gratifying when a patient ultimately benefits from an approach which I am deeply involved in.

On top of being a prolific scientist, Prof Ho has also been very active in promoting technology transfer and commercialisation. He is Co-Founder and Chairman of KYAN Therapeutics, a clinical and revenue stage company that has commercialised CURATE.AI, and is advancing novel oncology and liver disease therapies towards the clinic. He has also advised multiple publicly traded technology companies and private equity/venture funds in the areas of technology development and investment management.

He was formerly President of the Board of Directors of the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS), a global drug development organisation comprised of senior executives from the pharmaceutical and medical device sectors, as well as academic visionaries. During his tenure, Prof Ho led a team to expand SLAS into Asia and Europe, and also established the SLAS Graduate Fellowship Grant Program with a generous funding of US$1 million to support graduate students pursuing careers at the intersection of drug development, diagnostics, and bioengineering.
Partners Forum is a global health partnership launched in September 2005 to accelerate efforts to reduce child and maternal mortality, improve adolescent, child, newborn and maternal health.

It is only partnerships that will get us to our goals. Partnerships between citizens, Partnerships between communities, Partnerships between countries. The Sustainable Development agenda is a reflection of this. This was stated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he inaugurated the Partners Forum, 2018, in New Delhi recently. The Prime Minister also released the coffee table book Proven Paths, a compendium of 36 best practices in maternal, child and adolescent health, at the inaugural ceremony.

J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal UpendraYadav, Gabriela Cuevas Barron, President Inter Parliamentary Union, Kim Simplis Barrow, First Lady of Belize, Ashwini Kumar Choubey and Anupriya Patel, Ministers of State for Health & Family Welfare, Preeti Sudan, Secretary (Health & Family Welfare) and Acting Board Chair, TikhalaItaye, Chairperson, She Decides Global Movementalong with 23 Ministers from 21 countries, representatives from various organizations and participants from 85 countries across the globe were also present at the function.

The Prime Minister said that the Partnership for Maternal, New-born, and Child Health, is a unique and effective platform. We are not only making a case for better health. We are also making an argument for faster growth, he added. He further said that India was one of the first countries to advocate focused attention on adolescence and implement an extensive health promotion and prevention programme for adolescents. Our effort ensured that they get their due recognition in the Global Strategy for Womens, Childrens and Adolescents Health adopted in 2015, he mentioned.

Appreciating the Immunization Programme of the country, Prime Minister said that the programme is close to his heart and he is pleased that its being featured as a success story in this forum. Under Mission Indradhanush, we reached 32.8 million children and 8.4 million pregnant women over the last three years. We have also increased the number of vaccines under the universal immunization programme from 7 to 12. Our vaccines now cover life threatening diseases like- Pneumonia and Diarrhoea, he elaborated.

The Prime Minister stated that the government has launched the PradhanMantriSurakshitMatritvaAbhiyan to provide best possible care to mothers during pregnancy. We called upon the private sector doctors to pledge one day of service per month to this campaign. Under this campaign, 16 million Ante-Natal care check-ups have been performed, he added.The Prime Minister further stated that the country has 25 million new-borns. Our robust facility based new-born care system, which provides care to more than 1 million new-born babies through 794 Special New-born Care Units, has served as a successful model. As a result of our interventions, 840 additional lives of children under five are being saved each day in India as compared to four years back, he said.

Speaking at the function, J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare said that under the dynamic leadership of the Honble Prime Minister our efforts are bearing fruits. We have witnessed an accelerated pace of reduction in maternal and child mortality that is much faster than the global average rate of decline and are poised to attain the related SDG targets much before the target deadline, he stated

Reiterating the commitment of the Government, Nadda said that the Government is coming closer to realizing the dream of Universal Health Coverage. The Ayushman Bharat Yojana, which epitomises political commitment, vision and guidance from the Honble Prime Minister is already being hailed globally as a paradigm shift in healthcare delivery, he added. The Union Health Minister said that Ayushman Bharat is a holistic scheme that covers all dimensions of health care namely - prevention, health promotion and primary care through 150 thousand health and wellness centres; as well as in patient care through PMJAY a public funded assurance scheme that provides care of uptoRs. 500 thousand annually to 550 million people, constituting about 40% of the nations population. We are also implementing other country-wide programmes like Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan, Mission Indradhanush and Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) for immunization, Nadda mentioned.

Nadda further said that the Honble Prime Minister has envisioned the concept of Aspirational Districts wherein 117 lowest performing districts were identified to be taken up for holistic development. I am very happy to inform that Health and Nutrition, WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene), Education, are among the sectors that have been given the highest attention for improvement, through a collaborative and multi-sectoral approach. India has also steered the setting up of National Nutrition Mission with an aim of doubling the pace of improving the nutritional status of mothers, children and adolescents, through concerted actions between various departments and stakeholders, he added.

J P Nadda also inauguratedthe Marketplace at the Forum which is showcasing some of Indias best practices and innovations in reproductive maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (RMNCH+A); health system strengthening; and communicable and non-communicable diseases. Over 24 best practices/innovations are being showcased under four theme-based pavilions -Ayushman Bharat Hub, Health System Strengthening Hub, Nutrition Hub and Adolescent and Youth Hub.

The opening ceremony witnessed and enthralling curtain raiser using projection mapping to display larger than life pre-recorded graphics of Indian women welcoming delegates and a lively animation film of the Partners Forum logo, video with voices of women from across the globe and collage of photographs of women, children and adolescents from various continents of the world. The anthem of the Partners Forum was performed by MsAbelone, baby Zoey and MsTarana. The lyrics of this anthem were crowd-sourced from youth participants from around the world including India.

The Partners Forum is co-hosted by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Partnership of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH). The two-day event brings together more than 1200 participants from 85 countries in New Delhi, to deliberate on issues of health and well-being of women, children and adolescents.

Partners Forum is a global health partnership launched in September 2005 to accelerate efforts to reduce child and maternal mortality, improve adolescent, child, newborn and maternal health. This partnership is an alliance of more than 1,000 plus members, across 10 constituencies in 92 countries: academic, research and teaching institutions; donors and foundations; health care professionals; multilateral agencies; non-governmental organizations; partner countries; global financing mechanisms and the private sector.

The previous chapters were held in Johannesburg, South Africa (2014), New Delhi, India (2010) and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (2007). This is the second time India is hosting the Partners Forum.
Crest Cellulose, based in India, manufactures a wide range of superior excipients to address a strong and increasing demand in the pharmaceutical market

Roquette, a global leader in plant-based ingredients for Food, Nutrition and Health markets, announced the completion of the acquisition of a majority stake in Crest Cellulose, from Pravesha Industries, a major Pharma packaging company in India

The creation of this joint-venture will reinforce Roquettes position as a major supplier to the pharmaceutical industry and a global leader in superior natural-based pharmaceutical excipients. The addition of Crest Celluloses know-how and production capabilities to Roquettes strong expertise and track-record in the pharmaceutical excipients market will create new opportunities for both Roquettes and Crest Celluloses customers and employees as the companies both share a commitment towards innovation, quality and excellence.

As a privately-owned company incorporated in 2012 and located in Hyderabad and in Nellore (India), Crest Cellulose takes pride in its robust infrastructure and technical platform. The company manufactures a wide range of superior excipients to address a strong and increasing demand in the pharmaceutical market.

This strategic investment allows Roquette to expand its offering of pharmaceutical excipients and nutraceuticals, following the acquisition of Blanver Pharmaceuticals excipients division in 2017. It also underpins Roquettes commitment to increasing its footprint and proximity to customers in India to serve the large and fast-growing pharmaceutical sector.

The size of this market was estimated at US$ 33 billion in 2017 and was growing at over 10% per year at the beginning of 2018. India supplies over half of the global demand for various vaccines, and 25% of all medicines in the world.

As the majority shareholder, Roquette will have a controlling stake and manage the day-to-day operations of Crest Cellulose.
More than four million visitors are expected in Israel in 2018, 14 per cent more than the previous year. Bethlehem has 95 per cent hotel occupancy. For Sobhy Makhou, such "unexpected" levels are due to visitors from China, South Korea and India. But more infrastructure and new rules for access to holy places are needed.

Jerusalem (AsiaNews) - Holy Land tourism, including religious tourism, has hit "unexpected levels" this year. The flow of pilgrims "has topped forecasts", especially the many visitors "from Asia  in particular, China, South Korea, India  many of whom are Christians, said Sobhy Makhoul, of the Maronite Church of Jerusalem and administrator of the Christian Media Center.

Speaking to AsiaNews, he said that accommodation is a problem. "We had to rely on hotels in Jericho and Hebron, which are 40 km from Jerusalem. In Bethlehem, there are more hotels, 28 at present but they are not enough." People who want to visit the Holy Sepulcher "have to wait up to three hours and this gives an idea of the number of pilgrims. We are at or near maximum capacity."

Israels Ministry of Tourism "is trying to solve the problem, he noted. Jewish agencies use hotels in Palestine. A few days ago, the ministry signed an agreement with the Philippine Labour Ministry to bring over a thousand Filipinos to meet the needs."

The current trend is a shot in the arm for tourism in Israel and Palestine after a precipitous decline in the recent past. The worst year was 2015, the lowest of the decade, following a series of knife attacks that sowed fear among residents and visitors.

Some 3.8 million tourists visited Israel in the first 11 months of this year, 14 per cent more than in the corresponding period last year. The goal is to exceed four million. "In October alone, there were 483,000 tourists, 40 per cent over the same month in 2017," Sobhy Makhoul said.

Bethlehem is one of the places that is benefitting from the tourist boom with hotel occupancy expected to exceed 95 per cent by the end of December. Bethlehem businesses also said they were benefiting from a surge of visitors to Israel for its 70th anniversary year.

The number of pilgrims is up for Advent, especially in the traditional sites, like the restored Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem, which now can show off its original splendor.

We have never received this number of tourists coming to Palestine, said Palestinian Minister of Tourism Rula Maayah. Especially in a city like Bethlehem, tourism creates waves throughout the economy.

This has one added benefit. Christians are leaving the Holy Land due to the lack of peace and economic hardships and we are struggling to keep them in their homeland, said Bethlehem Mayor Anton Salman. Tourism is one of the ways of keeping them.

The renovation of the basilica began in 2013, a year after UNESCO declared it a world heritage site. So far, million out of million have been raised to complete the work.

"It is not easy to understand the reasons for this jump in tourism, said Sobhy Makhoul. Many are "studying the trend. One of the reasons appears to be the increase in visitors from China, South Korea, India (more than 30,000 in 2018), especially Christians who come for religious reasons.

For us this is a new market, he added. The US market remains stable and the decline from Europe continues. Hopefully, the "trend will be sustained, favoured also by a climate of relative stability in the region. This is why it is more necessary than ever to improve infrastructures to support the hospitality industry, whilst preparing a new plan for the holy places to regulate the flow of pilgrims and visitors."
PR Newswire

BEIJING, Dec. 12, 2018

BEIJING, Dec. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- CreditEase, a Beijing-based leading FinTech conglomerate in China, announced today that its direct investment arm, CreditEase FinTech Investment Fund (CEFIF), participated in the recent $100 million funding round of Cross River Bank ("Cross River"), a fast-growing provider of banking services for financial technology companies together with KKR, Lion Tree Partners, Battery Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Ribbit Capital, and others.

This additional funding will enable Cross River to invest in its continued growth by expanding its technology and product development teams as well as its compliance infrastructure. The capital will also allow Cross River to continue building and enhancing a complete banking platform where FinTech companies can leverage best-in-class banking technology coupled with compliance excellence.

Cross River combines innovative technologies with the trust, security and established expertise of a bank to create new services and solutions for FinTech companies by giving them access to a full suite of banking solutions and services. Cross River has developed partnerships with FinTech leaders in marketplace lending and payment processing arenas such as Affirm, Best Egg, Upstart, RocketLoans, Coinbase, and TransferWise.

"We are very pleased that our growth and progress has the endorsement of leading investors such as KKR," said Gilles Gade, founder, CEO and Chairman of Cross River. "We are also excited to welcome CreditEase and Lion Tree Partners as new investors with deep experience and insights in the FinTech industry. This is a very strong signal that we continue to execute on our plan and are poised to take Cross River through its next phase of successful development here in the U.S. and across the globe."

Ms. Anju Patwardhan, Managing Director of CEFIF, said, "Cross River is a proven bank innovator, focused on partnering with leading FinTech companies. We are very pleased to partner with Gilles Gade and the management team at Cross River."

CEFIF continues to receive global recognition and honors since it was established three years ago. The Fund has invested in over 40 FinTech companies globally since inception in areas ranging from wealth management, alternative lending, InsurTech, payments and enterprise services. Some of its portfolio such as Tiger Brokers, Dasouche, Tradeshift and Circle have become unicorns in the recent years, while Funding Circle filed an IPO application and raised 300 million pounds which is the largest FinTech IPO in London since the global payment giant WorldPay has been listed on the market in 2015.

About CreditEase

CreditEase is a Beijing-based leading FinTech conglomerate in China, specializing in inclusive finance and wealth management, in addition to payment technology, marketplace lending, crowdfunding, robo-advisory, insurance technology and blockchain products and services. CreditEase actively engages with global FinTech innovators through business incubation, commercial co-operation, and investment. Better tech, better finance, better world.

About CreditEase FinTech Investment Fund

Founded in February 2016, CreditEase FinTech Investment Fund ("CEFIF") is a venture fund investing in FinTech companies globally. CEFIFI has an equivalent of USD 1 billion in the total committed capital. The Fund was recently ranked the 2nd "Most Active Fintech VC Fund" globally by CB Insights and also nominated for "Top Fintech Equity Investor" Award at LendIt USA Annual Conference.

www.cefintechfund.com

About Cross River

Cross River Bank is a fast-growing financial services organization that merges the established expertise and traditional services of a bank, with the forward-thinking offerings of a technology company. They combine a fully compliant and comprehensive suite of products into a unique banking-as-a-platform solution, encompassing lending, payments and risk management. Cross River partners with leading marketplace lenders and FinTech companies enabling them to focus on their own growth without hindering innovation. Founded in 2008, Cross River is a New Jersey state-chartered FDIC insured bank. For more information, please visit Cross River's website at www.crossriver.com or the company's Twitter @crossriverbank.

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SOURCE CreditEase
PR Newswire

ANNAPOLIS, Md., Dec. 12, 2018

ANNAPOLIS, Md., Dec. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital, Inc. ("Hannon Armstrong," "we", "our", or the "Company") (NYSE: HASI) announced today the pricing of its public offering of 5,000,000 shares of common stock for total estimated gross proceeds of approximately $112 million before deducting estimated offering expenses payable by the Company. The Company has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 750,000 additional shares of common stock.

BofA Merrill Lynch, Baird, J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley, UBS Investment Bank and Wells Fargo Securities are acting as joint book-running managers for the offering. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. is acting as a co-manager. The underwriters propose to offer the shares of common stock from time to time for sale in negotiated transactions or otherwise, at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to such prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices.

A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and has become effective. The offering will be made by means of a preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus. A copy of the preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus related to the offering can be obtained by contacting BofA Merrill Lynch, Attention: Prospectus Department, NC1-004-03-43, 200 North College Street, 3rd Floor, Charlotte, NC 28255-0001, or email: [email protected]; Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated, Attention: Syndicate Department, 777 East Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53202-5391, telephone: 1-800-792-2473, or email: [email protected]; J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Attention: Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, telephone: 1-866-803-9204, or email: [email protected]; Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 180 Varick Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10014, or email: [email protected]; UBS Securities LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 1285 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019, telephone: 888-827-7275, or email: [email protected]; or Wells Fargo Securities, Attention: Equity Syndicate Department, 375 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10152, telephone: 800-326-5897, or email: [email protected]

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any of the offered shares, nor shall there be any sale of such shares in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction.

About Hannon Armstrong

With over 30 years of experience, Hannon Armstrong (NYSE: HASI) is a capital provider focused on reducing the impact of, or increasing resiliency to, climate change. Our portfolio includes efficiency, renewable energy and resiliency assets with a focus on long-term, recurring and largely predictable cash flows or cost savings from proven technologies. With scientific consensus that climate warming trends are linked to human activities, we believe our firm is well positioned to generate better risk-adjusted returns by investing in the assets that reduce carbon emissions. We are based in Annapolis, MD.

Forward-Looking Statements

Some of the information in this press release contains forward-looking statements and 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. When used in this press release, words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "continue," "intend," "should," "may," "target," or similar expressions, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Investors are cautioned against placing undue reliance on such statements. Actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements include those discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, which was filed with the SEC, as well as in other reports that the Company files with the SEC.

Forward-looking statements are based on beliefs, assumptions and expectations as of the date of this press release. The Company disclaims any obligation to publicly release the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements reflecting new estimates, events or circumstances after the date of this press release.

Contact: Investor/Media Relations

Phone: 410-571-6189

Email: [email protected]

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SOURCE Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital, Inc.
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PR Newswire

IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 12, 2018

IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Shopoff Realty Investments ("Shopoff"), a national manager of opportunistic and value-add real estate investments, announced today that the company's chief financial officer, Lisa Jack, has been honored as a Power Woman of 2018 by Bisnow, a national commercial real estate news media outlet.

"Lisa has been an integral part of the Shopoff team over the past three years and it comes as no surprise to our firm that she has been recognized in the industry for her expertise and achievements in the field," explained Shopoff Realty Investment CEO William Shopoff. "We are proud to have her as a leader here at Shopoff, and congratulate her on this amazing honor."

The 2018 Bisnow Power Women is a select group of women in commercial real estate who are recognized for their outstanding accomplishments over the past year. A special event will be held in Los Angeles, California on December 13, 2018 to formally honor Jack and present her with her award.

Jack has over 15 years of experience in finance and accounting, primarily in the real estate industry, and is a certified public accountant in Texas and California. Prior to joining Shopoff in 2016, Jack served as chief financial officer of IMH Financial Corporation, a public reporting real estate investment and finance company. Previously, Jack also served as chief financial officer for Arch Bay Capital, a mortgage hedge fund that managed loans and real estate valued in excess of $3.5 billion.

For more information please visit www.Bisnow.com.

About Shopoff Realty InvestmentsShopoff Realty Investments is an Irvine, California-based real estate firm with a 26-year history of value-add and opportunistic investing across the United States. The company primarily focuses on proactively generating appreciation through the repositioning of commercial income-producing properties and the entitlement of land assets. The 26-year history includes operating as Asset Recovery Fund, Eastbridge Partners and Shopoff Realty Investments (formerly known as The Shopoff Group). Performance has varied in this time frame, with certain offerings generating losses. For additional information, please visit www.shopoff.com or call (844) 4-SHOPOFF.

DisclosuresThis is not an offering to buy or sell any securities. Such offer may only be made through the offerings memorandum to qualified purchasers. Any investment in Shopoff Realty Investments programs involves substantial risks and is suitable only for investors who have no need for liquidity and who can bear the loss of their entire investment. There is no assurance that this strategy will succeed to meet its investment objectives. The performance of this asset is not indicative of future results of the Fund. Securities offered through Shopoff Securities, Inc. member FINRA/SIPC, 2 Park Plaza, Suite 1120, Irvine, CA 92614, (844) 4-SHOPOFF.

Contact:Jill SwartzSpotlight Marketing [email protected]

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SOURCE Shopoff Realty Investments
The two Chambers of the Colombian Parliament have adopted a resolution expressing full support to Moroccos territorial integrity and sovereignty over the Sahara.

The Colombian MPs also denounced the serious violations of human rights committed by the Polisario separatists against the Sahrawis sequestered in the Tindouf camps, situated in South Algeria, which arms, funds and shelters the secessionists.

We reiterate our full support to the sustained efforts made by Morocco for a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution to the regional dispute over the Sahara, says the resolution.

It voices backing to the Moroccan autonomy plan offered for the Sahara region, a plan which has been described as serious, credible and realistic by the United Nations and the international community.

Only a political solution to the question of the Sahara, preserving Moroccos sovereignty and territorial integrity, can bring in peace and stability to the region, underline the Colombian MPs in their resolution.

They voiced their deep concern about the persistence of the Polisarios serious violations of human rights, citing in this regard the restrictions imposed on the Sahrawis freedom of movement, expression and demonstration.

The Colombian MPs deplored the inhumane and deteriorating living conditions in the Tindouf camps, stressing the need to conduct a census of the Sahrawis sequestered in these camps as stipulated by the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2414 adopted on April 27th 2018, the Geneva Convention and the UNHCR.

The two Chambers of the Colombian Parliament also hailed the excellent relations existing between Colombia and Morocco, calling for the consolidation of bilateral cooperation in the political, economic, cultural, and social fields.
Tunisia has identified two suspects from Bosnia and Croatia as killers of Mohammed al-Zawari, a former Hamas drone maker.

Zawari was gunned down in December 2016 in front of his house in Sfax by unknown assailants. Palestinian group Hamas then said the Tunisian had worked with the movement for a decade as its drone expert. The Gaza ruler accused Israel for carrying out the killing and Tunisian authorities said it bore the hallmarks of a foreign spy agency.

State-run news agency TAP citing an investigator on the case, has named Elvir Sarac, a Bosnian national and Alem Camdzic from Croatia as the two gunmen who mowed down the Hamas-linked expert.

Warrants were issued against the perpetrators of the crime, but the Bosnian authorities refused to hand them over to Tunisia for trial, TAP said.

It is not possible to prove the involvement of Mossad (the Israeli intelligence agency) if the perpetrators of the crime were not interrogated, it added.

The two men were arrested in March in connection with the murder but the two Balkan countries refused to hand them over to Tunisian authorities.

In May, Croatias highest court blocked Camdzics extradition to Tunisia and Sarac was released after a Bosnian court refused to hand him over to Tunisia, saying there was no extradition deal between the two countries.
Morocco and Mauritania signed a partnership agreement in the fields of hydrocarbons and mines on Wednesday in Nouakchott, on the sidelines of the 5th Mauritanides, a conference-exhibition on the oil and mining sector in Mauritania.

This agreement was signed by Director General of the Moroccan Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM), Mrs. Amina Benkhadra, and the Director General of the Mauritanian Company of Hydrocarbons and Mining Heritage (SMHPM), Fall NGuissaly.

The agreement that was in the pipeline for a few months aims to strengthen the exchange of expertise, know-how, information, and documentation between the two countries in the field of hydrocarbons and to upgrade the personnels organizational learning.

The large Moroccan delegation, which participated in the Mauritanides, convened Dec. 11 to 13, held meeting with several companies operating in the fields of hydrocarbons and mines, as well as with Mauritanian officials on the prospects of Moroccan-Mauritanian partnership.

On the sidelines of the event, Nouakchott hosted a business forum aimed at boosting Mauritanian-Moroccan partnership in the energy field.

The forum, held under the auspices of the Pan-African Confederation of Electricity (CAFELEC), was co-organized by the Moroccan Federation of Electricity, Electronics and Renewable Energies (FENELEC Morocco) and the Mauritanian Electricity Company (SOMELEC).

Morocco has been helping Mauritania, which is diversifying its resources by investing in renewable energy, to harness the full potential of its extensive renewable energy resources.

Although there is a wide-range of renewable energy technologies that are currently being deployed in Mauritania, the country currently lacks the know-how and human capital needed to support the continued growth of this new economic sector.
Minnesota representative Collin Peterson. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call,Inc.

The government of Saudi Arabia has been bombing and starving the Middle Easts poorest country for about three years, now. One recent estimate suggests that 85,000 children under 5 years old have already died from malnutrition as a result of Riyadhs intervention in Yemens civil war. If the Saudis air strikes and blockade continue, Yemen is poised to face the worst famine humanity has seen in 100 years, according to the U.N.

The United States bears much of the responsibility for all of this: Our federal governments steadfast commitment to an alliance with the Saudis has led America to support Riyadhs monstrous campaign by supplying it with weapons, logistical support, and midair refueling services for Saudi fighter planes. Without that last form of support, much of the Saudi campaign would be impossible.

Recently, a critical mass of U.S. senators decided that abetting a world-historic war crime  for the sake of helping a totalitarian Islamist regime install its puppet government of choice in a country that is of no strategic importance to the United States  might be unwise. Two weeks ago, the Senate voted to actually allow debate on the issue. And as of Wednesday afternoon, a resolution to end American military support for the Saudi intervention was expected to pass the upper chamber.

In a bizarre coincidence, right around the same time, the House Rules Committee realized that its agricultural spending bill was missing one key provision  a rule forbidding the House from voting to end U.S. military support for the Saudi war in Yemen before the end of this year.

The addition of a pro-famine clause to the annual farm bill struck many Republican lawmakers as odd: When the rule came up for a vote Wednesday, 18 GOP House members voted against it. But the measure passed 206-203 anyway  because five Democratic congressmen (they were, indeed, all men) voted in favor.

One of those Democrats was Minnesotas Collin Peterson. Shortly after the vote, the Washington Posts Jeff Stein asked Peterson about his rationale for backing the indefinite extension of a brutal war:

Stein: Can you explain your vote on the Yemen resolution?

Peterson: Yeah. It didnt belong there.

Stein: Why not? Couldnt you just have come back and done another vote?

Peterson: No  weve worked for two years on this farm bill, and Ill be damned if I let anyone screw it up.

Stein: Do you have any thoughts about the war in Yemen?

Peterson: I dont know a damn thing about it, and it should be in there and it  it didnt do anything anyway. [my emphasis]

Stein: What do you mean by that?

Peterson: All it did say was that they couldnt have a vote or something. Didnt authorize anything, it didnt  you know. Our party gets off on tangents. Its ridiculous.

There are many reasons why Petersons explanation is  unsatisfying. For one, by all accounts, voting against the Yemen resolution would not have doomed the farm bill.

But Petersons most fascinating argument is surely this: I voted to prolong American involvement in a foreign war (that doubles as the worlds most severe, ongoing humanitarian crisis) because I dont know a damn thing about it!

Now look: I get that Petersons (largely rural and conservative) constituents arent calling his office everyday to express their concerns about the Saudi blockade of Yemen. And I understand that Peterson is a Blue Dog Democrat, and thus, contractually obligated to scold his party for getting off on a tangent whenever it contemplates issues that do not concern rural white people or major corporations.

But Collin Peterson is not an isolationist. He does not actually believe that the U.S. government shouldnt involve itself in matters that dont directly concern the good people of Moorhead, Minnesota. The representative reliably votes to expand (already gargantuan) Pentagon budgets that are designed to ensure American military hegemony over the entire planet. Which is to say: Collin Peterson believes the United States should maintain a globe-spanning military empire  but that U.S. congressmen shouldnt be expected to read the foreign affairs section of the newspaper.
SLAVE LAKE, Alta. - Premier Rachel Notley says her recent decision to cut oil production seems to be working.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/12/2018 (1081 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SLAVE LAKE, Alta. - Premier Rachel Notley says her recent decision to cut oil production seems to be working.

And in a speech to northern Alberta leaders Thursday she also served up a little yuletide jab at the prime minister.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley speaks to the media at the First Ministers conference, Friday, December 7, 2018 in Montreal.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

"It wasn't an easy decision," Notley said of the oil cut.

"But I believe that in the circumstances it was the right decision.

"At least so far we've seen the right result, but you never want to shut down production as an economic plan. It's counterintuitive. It's not a long-term solution."

Earlier this month, Notley ordered companies to cut production by almost nine per cent starting in the new year to close the price gap between Alberta oil and the North American benchmark.

That price gap was growing so wide that vast reserves of oil were building up in Alberta and the price was falling through the floor, leading to fears of massive job cuts and project closures.

The differential, which was over US$50 at one point, has bounced back in recent days and now trades at about US$25 less than the benchmark West Texas Intermediate price.

The oil cut program will exempt the first 10,000 barrels per day, to shield small producers. It will be reviewed monthly and is to end on Dec. 31, 2019.

Notley is also buying rail cars and continues to push Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for action to end the pipeline bottleneck, considered the primary culprit for the oil glut and low prices.

Alberta's long-term focus remains on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, to get more oil to the B.C. coast. The project was OK'd by Trudeau's government two years ago but is now in limbo as the feds respond to a Federal Court of Appeal decision that ordered a better examination of the impact on marine life and further consult with affected First Nations.

Notley has called on Trudeau to get Trans Mountain moving and also roll back on two bills now before Parliament  a northern B.C. coast tanker ban and changes to rules for energy megaprojects  which critics say will needlessly hamper energy development.

She has been critical of the federal government in recent days, particularly over Ottawa's resistance to join Alberta in purchasing extra rail cars.

Notley noted that Trudeau expressed concern earlier this week for Alberta's plight.

"He said his sympathy is with Alberta at Christmas because we're going through tough times," she said.

"'Quite the Christmas gift, his sympathy,' I thought to myself.

"I truly hope that he got a gift receipt with that little Christmas gift because I would like to exchange it for a pipeline."

Notley also crossed swords this week with Quebec Premier Francois Legault.

Legault has said there is no social appetite in Quebec right now to accept "dirty energy" from Alberta. Notley responded Tuesday, saying Legault "needs to get off his high horse," examine the environmental changes Alberta has introduced, and remember that the revenue helps fund infrastructure nationwide.

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister waded into that fight Thursday, criticizing the feds for sitting on the sidelines.

"For one province to say 'We don't want that dirty energy' when it's their principle import, and to have the federal government say nothing in response, tells you the level of dysfunction is dangerous right now in this country," said Pallister.

 By Dean Bennett in Edmonton and Steve Lambert in Winnipeg
OTTAWA - "It attempts to influence how our free and independent media report on immigration issues."  Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer on the UN Global Compact for Migration, Dec. 4, 2018

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/12/2018 (1082 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Leader of the Opposition Andrew Scheer holds an end of session news conference in the Foyer of the House of Commons in Ottawa, Thursday December 13, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA - "It attempts to influence how our free and independent media report on immigration issues."  Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer on the UN Global Compact for Migration, Dec. 4, 2018



The Global Compact for Migration is the first UN agreement on international migration. It is billed as a co-operative framework. It is not a UN treaty and is not legally binding.

Scheer disagrees with Canada's support for it. He says he fears it will give foreign entities influence over Canada's immigration system and it will influence media coverage of immigration issues.

Is the Conservative leader's specific claim, that the compact attempts to influence free and independent media reporting on immigration issues, true?

Spoiler alert: The Canadian Press Baloney Meter is a dispassionate examination of political statements culminating in a ranking of accuracy on a scale of "no baloney'' to "full of baloney'' (complete methodology below).

This one earns a rating of "A lot of baloney" the statement is mostly inaccurate but contains elements of truth.

Here's why:

THE FACTS

Consensus on the final version of the Global Compact on Migration was reached this summer in New York at the sixth round of negotiations on the international policy document.

A total of 164 countries among the 193 UN members approved the agreement by acclamation on Monday, including Canada.

The compact contains 23 objectives and commitments.

One of the objectives  No. 17  includes a call to eliminate "all forms of discrimination and promote evidence-based public discourse to shape perceptions of migration."

In order to achieve this, the agreement text calls for the promotion of independent, objective and quality reporting by media outlets, including "internet-based information."

It adds this involves "sensitizing and educating media professionals on migration-related issues and terminology, investing in ethical reporting standards and advertising, and stopping allocation of public funding or material support to media outlets that systematically promote intolerance, xenophobia, racism and other forms of discrimination towards migrants, in full respect for the freedom of the media."

The federal Conservatives have pointed to this language as evidence of an attempt to influence press freedom.

For example, Ontario Conservative MP David Tilson posted on his website to express concerns about it.

"The GCM contains troubling language around 'sensitizing and educating' journalists on how they should report about immigration," he posted. "Conservatives believe Canadian journalists should be free to scrutinize the government on immigration policy without influence from an international body."

In response to these concerns, Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen denied Tuesday that the agreement will mean any limit on press freedom in Canada.

"This document ... reinforces the importance of media to public discourse," he said during a teleconference from Marrakech, Morocco. Canada has worked with other countries to achieve the same press freedom and standards, he added.

THE EXPERTS

Craig Damian Smith, an associate director of the Global Migration Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto, said it is critical to examine the context of the language in the compact.

Lines cannot be pulled out of the document with a disregard for the rest of a paragraph, he said.

"That's what everybody is doing around the compact," he said. "They're saying, 'Hey, here's this non-binding document in which there's this one line taken out of context.' "

Canada has free and open media, he added.

Christina Clark-Kazak, an associate professor of public and international affairs at the University of Ottawa, agrees part of the text cannot be read in isolation, as this would amount to misquoting it.

She also says there are elements in the document recognizing the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of media as fundamental rights. Objective No. 17 in the compact makes an explicit reference to the "full respect for the freedom of the media."

There is also a reference to upholding international human-rights law and in particular, the right to free expression.

Christopher Waddell, a professor at Carleton University's journalism school, also said nothing he can see in the document would affect the way journalists cover migration.

"It is journalists' job to take all the information they can find on an issue, sort through it, make sense  what's different between fact and fiction  and report on it as completely as possible," he said.

THE VERDICT

While Scheer and the Conservatives have identified language contained in the compact pertaining to media coverage and asking governments to avoid supporting racism and xenophobia, they do not make mention of additional language in it on the freedom of the press and freedom of expression.

For this reason, the experts agree that Scheer is not correct in his claim.

METHODOLOGY

The Baloney Meter is a project of The Canadian Press that examines the level of accuracy in statements made by politicians. Each claim is researched and assigned a rating based on the following scale:

No baloney  the statement is completely accurate

A little baloney  the statement is mostly accurate but more information is required

Some baloney  the statement is partly accurate but important details are missing

A lot of baloney  the statement is mostly inaccurate but contains elements of truth

Full of baloney  the statement is completely inaccurate

With files from Teresa Wright and the Associated Press
Trumps good at keeping his base revved up. But thats not enough to reelect him. Photo: Sean Rayford/Getty Images

With the midterm elections now past, the political system is officially in a presidential cycle right now, leading up to what virtually everyone with a voice considers a highly significant contest. Assuming he is running for a second term, as he has consistently said he is, and assuming he hasnt been removed from office or forced into a premature retirement by prosecutors and Congress, Donald Trump will need a reelection strategy. He has already announced a slogan (Keep America Great) that echoes his aspirational/nostalgic MAGA motto of 2016. And he has a nascent reelection campaign apparatus that looks a lot like his wild-and-woolly 2016 operation, as Gabriel Sherman reported in September:

His re-election effort is typically Trumpian: sprawling, disjointed, and bursting with confidence. In February, Trump announced that Brad Parscale, the digital guru with the Billy Gibbons beard who led his 2016 online strategy, would be his 2020 campaign manager. Meanwhile, Trump has been crisscrossing the country holding fund-raisers, building up a war chest of $88 million in his first 18 months. Many cast members from the original campaign are expected to reprise their starring roles, including Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, as well as Corey Lewandowski, David Bossie, and Kellyanne Conway. Even [Stephen] Bannon is starting to find his way back into Trumps orbit after a bitter falling-out.

Sherman suggests that Trump 2020 will be roiled by rivalries involving its different GOP Establishment, Trump family, and right-wing populist spheres of influence. But whoever is in charge, and even if no one is in charge, the reelection effort needs a strategy. The weird thing is that its not clear there is one.

Just winging it might work fine if Trump was a popular president with a solid constituency for reelection. He is famously not very popular (unless you insist, like Trump, in only consulting Scott Rasmussens wild outlier polls), and after two years, its reasonably clear his unpopularity is extremely consistent (hes never been above a 50 percent approval rating in anybodys polls other than Rasmussens). And despite his claims of a midterm victory, based on making gains from an insanely skewed Senate landscape, his party just got spanked in the midterms.

So its pretty obvious Trump needs to either expand his base of support, or somehow get his existing base to the polls in greater numbers without mobilizing voters who really dislike him. As the team at FiveThirtyEight observed today, nothing Trump has ever done seems designed to expand his base. And this weeks bizarre Oval Office confrontation with Democratic congressional leaders, in which he promised to shut down the federal government if he doesnt get his border wall money shows the midterms didnt change Trump at all, at least so far:

[T]his is a complete play to the base, which Trump arguably already has locked up. If hes looking to improve his fortunes, pursuing a government shutdown for something that the majority of Americans oppose doesnt seem wise.

If Trump is incapable of executing a pivot to the center, or just doesnt want to, then what are his other options? He sometimes seems to believe that conditions in the country (and the world) will, under his stewardship, become so wonderful that voters will keep him around almost against their own will. But after two years in which steadily improving economic indicators and the absence of any fresh international crises havent done him much good in the court of public opinion, it seems unlikely that good times will suddenly lift him into popularity. And its far more likely that hell be dealing with an economic downturn by 2020, while his approach to world affairs isnt exactly designed to keep things calm, either.

The other distinctively Trumpian strategy might be simply to gamble that he can solidify and rev up his base to previously unimagined levels. He did, after all, win non-college-educated white voters by a record margin in 2016, as Ruy Teixeira noted:

In 2012, Obama lost whites without a college degree nationally by 25 points. Four years later, Clinton did 6 points worse, losing these voters by 31 points, with shifts against her in Rust Belt states generally double or more the national average.

Had Clinton hit the thresholds of support within this group that Obama did, she would have carried, with robust margins, the states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Iowa, as well as (with narrower margins) Florida and Ohio. In fact, if Clinton could simply have reduced the shift toward Donald Trump among these voters by one-quarter, she would have won.

Can Trump go higher with this base demographic? Nobody knows for sure, but the GOP margin among non-college-educated white voters dropped to a Romney-like 24 points in 2018. And the other, overlapping group of intense GOP supporters, white Evangelicals, probably cant get much Trumpier than they already are.

Trumps own midterm strategy focused on base turnout, with some limited success. But in the end, the percentage of the 2018 electorate that strongly approved of Trump was outgunned by the percentage that strongly disapproved of him by a not-so-close 31/46 margin. Its not going to be easy for the president to get his fans fired up and marching to the polls in a hate frenzy without helping Democrats do the same.

The silver lining for the Trump reelection campaign is that he faced most of these problems in 2016 and won anyway. And that example may indicate the real 2020 strategy for the president: fire up the base just enough to get within striking distance and hope for luck and a Democratic opponent with popularity problems as large as his own.

The luck part may be difficult to reduplicate. Is there some equivalent to the Comey letter that could benefit Trump at the last minute once again? Will Democrats again misjudge and underinvest in key states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, which in effect let Trump draw an inside straight for an Electoral College win? And will Democrats be so overconfident that many of them wont bother to vote while many others waste their votes on third and fourth parties?

The more you think it through, the likely Trump strategy will be to do everything imaginable to drive down the positive sentiments associated with their Democratic opponent, perhaps enlisting those hated godless liberal news media assets who are driven by fairness to reinforce negative narratives about the candidate they are presumed to favor. The virtual certainty of a Trump campaign that exceeds in sheer savagery anything this country has ever seen before should serve as a warning to Democrats about how they think about their own nominating process. I argued earlier this year that Democrats should look for an unbreakable nominee  one with no obvious vulnerabilities in age, background, ideology or character that an absolutely unprincipled Trump campaign might exploit to drag her or him down to his level of unpopularity. Breaking his opponent by any means necessary looks to be Trumps only avenue for extending his unlikely and heinous hold on the presidency.
OTTAWA - Canada's cumbersome extradition system means Chinese business executive Meng Wanzhou could wait years before her case is resolved even if she will inevitably be committed to stand trial in the United States, legal experts say.

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This article was published 13/12/2018 (1081 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, leaves her home with a security guard in Vancouver on Wednesday, December 12, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

OTTAWA - Canada's cumbersome extradition system means Chinese business executive Meng Wanzhou could wait years before her case is resolved even if she will inevitably be committed to stand trial in the United States, legal experts say.

That means there are no quick fixes to Canada's current political quandary: resolving Meng's case to alleviate the wrath of China, which has arrested two Canadians in apparent retaliation, without alienating the United States.

China is Canada's second-biggest trading partner; the U.S. is its biggest.

Robert Currie, a professor of international law at Dalhousie University in Halifax, pointed to the case of Ottawa professor Hassan Diab as an illustration of the flaws with Canada's Extradition Act.

Diab was extradited to France on charges he bombed a Paris synagogue in 1980, even though the Ottawa judge presiding over the case acknowledged the evidence was too weak to have led to a conviction in Canada. Judges in extradition cases aren't supposed to examine the evidence as if they were conducting trials.

Diab's case took six years to wind its way through Canadian courts before he was sent to France. Last January, after Diab spent years in a French jail, the French dropped all the charges against him for lack of evidence. He returned to Canada vowing that his mission in life had become to reform Canada's extradition law.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (C-R) and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (C-L) attend a signing ceremony after a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, August 31, 2016. Diplomat Michael Kovrig (left) and Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion (second from left) also attend. Canadian entrepreneur Michael Spavor and former diplomat Kovrig were arrested Monday in Beijing on suspicion of "engaging in activities that endanger the national security" of China, shortly after Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou in response to a request from American authorities who want her on suspicion of bank fraud.THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP- EPA/WU HONG / POOL

There's no reason to believe Meng's case will unfold any quicker, Canadian officials said this week, saying the case could take years.

When all is said and done, it's all but inevitable that Meng will be extradited to the U.S. because the Canadian system is so steeply tilted against the accused person, said Currie.

"The accused is not meaningfully able to challenge the requesting state's evidence," said Currie. "Diab's case really highlights that."

Diab's lawyer Donald Bayne said the extradition law essentially gives judges no discretion.

"It's a terrible and defective system ... (the judge is) a rubber stamp," Bayne said. "And now we're going to be the victims of our own defective system."

Bayne and others have called for a review of the Extradition Act. Now, he said, Canada's faulty extradition system will be on full international display as the world closely watches Meng's case.

"We get caught as the filler of the sandwich between these two giant superpowers and we're constrained by our own Extradition Act," he said. "China's looking very hard at what we do here and if our extradition system works in its normal way... The world is looking at our process here."

That leaves Canada entangled in a diplomatic crisis with China, which has threatened serious consequences and has arrested the two Canadians, alleging each violated national security.

The Trudeau government has repeatedly said Meng will be dealt with fairly and transparently by an independent judiciary, but U.S. President Donald Trump undermined those assertions when he mused Tuesday in an interview with Reuters about interfering in Meng's case if it would help him forge a trade deal with China.

On Wednesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said Meng's lawyers could use Trump's comment to help fight her extradition.

Currie said Freeland was sending "a shot across the bow" at Trump to keep politics out of the process. "Or," he said, "it could also have been, 'Hey you better stop the president from making those remarks because it might screw up the extradition; we don't want to give her lawyers ammunition.' "

Currie said Trump's remarks raise the possibility that Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould could block Meng's extradition on political grounds. The minister has to sign off on the extradition once a court renders its decision, but that decision is also subject to appeal.

It would be rare for a justice minister to reject a court-ordered extradition, said Currie, who cited one obscure case in the last decade where an extradition ruling was blocked at the political level.

Bayne said he believes the stakes in Meng's case are so high for Canada that it's possible Wilson-Raybould will step in to prevent the extradition.

Regardless, it will likely be years before the case is resolved.

"It has taken in some other cases, many years 10 years, 12 years," said a senior Canadian government official, who briefed reporters this week on the condition of anonymity. "Typically, they're done more expeditiously than that."
TORONTO - The organization that regulates midwives in Ontario says the provincial government has axed its funding, forcing it to consider cost-cutting measures of its own.

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TORONTO - The organization that regulates midwives in Ontario says the provincial government has axed its funding, forcing it to consider cost-cutting measures of its own.

In a statement posted on its website, the College of Midwives of Ontario says it was recently advised that the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care would no longer provide it with operational grants.

The college says it was told the decision is retroactive to April, which means the organization will not receive the funds it had expected for the current fiscal year.

The organization says it has received annual grants from the ministry for 25 years and the loss of this funding creates a "significant" budgetary shortfall.

The regulator says it will operate with a deficit until at least 2021, and will have to find efficiencies to cut costs. It will likely require higher fee payments from midwives as well, the statement says.

The college says there will be no impact on the public, however, as its work is mandated by law and it cannot cut its services and programs.

The ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
EDMONTON - Two security guards were injured in an explosion during an overnight armed holdup at a Scotiabank branch in northeast Edmonton.

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Police investigate the scene of a suspected bank robbery with an explosion that sent two guards to hospital in Edmonton, Alta., on Thursday, December 13, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

EDMONTON - Two security guards were injured in an explosion during an overnight armed holdup at a Scotiabank branch in northeast Edmonton.

Police at the scene said the guards  a man and a woman employed by GardaWorld  suffered significant head and facial injuries in the blast that occurred around 2 a.m. Thursday.

They also said the guards were involved in some sort of confrontation with a male armed with a gun, who got away with a bag of money and was still being sought.

Alberta Health Services said the injuries to the male guard were serious, but he was stable when paramedics took him to hospital. The female guard was also stable.

GardaWorld issued a statement that said the guards were "safe and in good hands."

"We are providing support to our employees, their families and colleagues at the branch. GardaWorld's corporate security team is collaborating with the local authorities (in) the investigation.''

Scotiabank said it had been in contact with the branch to ensure people there had support.

"The safety and security of our employees, customers and partners is our top priority and we are taking this matter very seriously." the bank said in a statement. "Our primary focus is on the well-being of our employees at this time."

Teamsters Canada, the union that represents the guards, called the attack gutless and cowardly.

The union said the use of an improvised explosive device represents a shift from normal armoured car robbery tactics, which usually involve knives or guns.

"Armoured car crews are professionals who put their lives on the line every day, but they dont expect to face IEDs when they go to work, said Al Porter, secretary-treasurer of Local Union 362. "The two guards did everything right last night."

Karan Singh, a clerk at a convenience store across the street, told CTV Edmonton that he was working at the rear of the store when he heard what sounded like a blast.

"I was sitting back in the room and there were two explosions. After that, one of my customers told me that down the street there were people screaming out there."

Early-morning commuters were asked to avoid the area while police investigated.

It was the second explosion at an Edmonton bank in about three months. Early on the morning of Sept. 19, police were called to an RBC branch after an improvised explosive device, also known as an IED, went off inside the vestibule.

Police said at the time that two security guards had just arrived when the blast occurred. Both were treated at the scene, then taken to hospital for precautionary reasons.

Investigators treated the explosion as an attempted robbery, but no money was stolen.

There have been at least two other dramatic heists in the city.

In July 2016, a suspect was shot and killed during a botched robbery in which two thieves used pepper spray at a TD Canada Trust. The other robber got away.

In June 2012, an overnight crew of five armed guards employed by security company G4S was reloading ATM machines on the University of Alberta campus when one of the guards opened fire. Three of his co-workers were killed and the fourth was seriously injured.

Travis Baumgartner fled with thousands of dollars in cash, but was arrested a day later while trying to enter the United States at a border crossing in British Columbia. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 40 years.

GardaWorld is the largest privately owned security services company in the world with some 45,000 employees and clients.

(CTV Edmonton, The Canadian Press)
OTTAWA - Allowing Chinese firm Huawei Technologies to help build Canada's 5G wireless networks could give Beijing backdoor access to revealing data about Canadians, security analysts warn.

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A sales clerk looks at his smartphone in a Huawei store at a shopping mall in Beijing Wednesday, July 4, 2018. Allowing Chinese firm Huawei Technologies to build Canada's 5G wireless network could give Beijing backdoor access to revealing data about Canadians, security analysts warn. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Mark Schiefelbein

OTTAWA - Allowing Chinese firm Huawei Technologies to help build Canada's 5G wireless networks could give Beijing backdoor access to revealing data about Canadians, security analysts warn.

But at least one intelligence expert is skeptical the Chinese government would risk the international reputation of a marquee corporate star by making the company hand over such information.

As the federal government weighs Huawei's possible participation in the next-generation telecommunications system, the ultimate question is, how much weight will Canada place on fears of inappropriate data-harvesting  or full-blown espionage?

The question has been percolating since long before Canada arrested Huawei's chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver, on an American request, and will still be there after Meng's case has been resolved.

For the record, Huawei stresses it is not a state-controlled enterprise and that it would never facilitate intelligence-gathering on behalf of China or any other country.

However, China's National Intelligence Law plainly states that Chinese organizations and citizens shall support, assist and co-operate with state intelligence work, stirring up national security concerns in Canada.

Some Huawei products are already in the fourth-generation networks that millions of Canadians use for wireless internet access. The development of a 5G, or fifth-generation, telecom network will enable much faster internet connections and provide vast data capacity to satisfy ever-expanding demands to do more in cyberspace.

Private companies  big ones such as BCE and Telus  will do the building but the federal government could forbid them to use certain products to do it.

The Chinese firm's possible participation in Canada's 5G infrastructure is widely expected to mean more than just antennas and wires, such as software that will need maintenance and upgrades.

"We're potentially married forever because we will rely on their support  it's their product," said Cytelligence chief executive Daniel Tobok, a digital forensics expert whose company investigates cybersecurity incidents.

Security experts say Huawei's role could give it access to a wide range of data gleaned from how, when and where Canadian customers use their electronic devices. It is information that government agencies would find most attractive.

"This can be used for a lot of things, for manipulation of businesses to harvesting of intellectual property," Tobok said. "On a national security level, they can know who is where at any given time. They can use that as leverage to jump into other operations of the government. They can influence elections.

"Everything is data today, literally. That's why this is so dangerous."

Former Canadian security officials and two members of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence have warned that Huawei's participation could compromise the security of Canada and its closest allies.

Three of Canada's partners in the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing group  the United States, Australia and New Zealand  have forbidden the use of Huawei products in 5G network development in their countries.

Ottawa is carrying out a comprehensive review of Huawei's potential involvement that is believed to include a broader, strategic look at how Canada should navigate an increasingly globalized economy.

It will get to the heart of a culture clash within government between proponents of economic benefits and those wary of national-security compromises, said Wesley Wark, a security and intelligence specialist who teaches at the University of Ottawa.

"They need to find a way to bring those voices together," he said. "I think that's very challenging."

Concerns about Beijing's possible influence form "more of a potential issue than a concrete one," said Phil Gurski, a former Canadian Security Intelligence Service analyst who is now a private consultant.

But there are valid reasons to question the wisdom of allowing a company based in China  a nation with interests "diametrically opposed" to those of Canada  to play a significant role in developing a key component of the country's future infrastructure, he said.

"China is not a responsible democracy with checks and balances like we have here in the West, and if the Chinese do want to leverage Huawei's capability to collect data on Canadians or whatever, they certainly could tell Huawei to do that," Gurski said.

"I'm not sure Huawei would have any choice but to comply with that order."

Wark acknowledges the potential security risks. But he emphasizes a need for a more nuanced appraisal.

First, the fact Huawei is not a state-owned enterprise means it has latitude to make decisions independently, he said.

In addition, there is no documented evidence the Chinese intelligence laws that took effect last year have actually been used to compel a company to do something on behalf of the Chinese government, Wark added.

"The only thing, I think, we can be sure about at this point is that the laws exist and we haven't seen them implemented."

Finally, it is simplistic to assume the Chinese government would imperil the global reputation, status and integrity of a corporate ambassador like Huawei to conduct cyberespionage, Wark said.

"It doesn't really reflect the way in which the Chinese government thinks about its national champions and how important they are for China in terms of its global economic expansion.

"I can't see many circumstances, other than very extreme ones, in which the Chinese government would actually risk Huawei's standing globally as a company in order to conduct some kind of surveillance campaign."

Banning Huawei from Canada's 5G plans solely because of concerns about a hypothetical future danger would be "a huge step to take," he said.

Still, Canada can't afford to be shut out of the Five Eyes or play a diminished role in the alliance, and if Britain decides to forbid Huawei from taking part in its 5G networks, Canada could not be the lone member to embrace the company, Wark said.

"There would be no political appetite for it."

 Follow @JimBronskill on Twitter
EDMONTON - Former Guantanamo Bay detainee Omar Khadr says he will continue to fight for his freedom.

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EDMONTON - Former Guantanamo Bay detainee Omar Khadr says he will continue to fight for his freedom.

Khadr, 32, was in an Edmonton courtroom Thursday to apply for changes to bail conditions which were imposed on him while he appeals war crimes convictions by a U.S. military commission.

He is asking for a Canadian passport to travel to Saudi Arabia and wants permission to speak to his sister on his own.

"When I initially asked for bail, I didn't expect it to take this long," Khadr said in a statement outside court. "My sentence initially should have ended this past October.

"This is not the first time my life has been held in suspension. I am going to continue to fight this injustice and thankfully we have an actual court system that has actual rules and laws."

"This is not the first time my life has been held in suspension. I am going to continue to fight this injustice and thankfully we have an actual court system that has actual rules and laws." Omar Khadr

Khadr spent years in U.S. detention at Guantanamo Bay after he was caught at age 15 and accused of tossing a grenade that killed special forces soldier Christopher Speer at a militant compound in Afghanistan in 2002.

His lawyer, Nathan Whitling, told Court of Queen's Bench Justice June Ross that his client has been a "model of compliance" and should have his bail conditions loosened. He said Khadr's appeal in the U.S. hasn't "moved a single inch" while his client has obeyed all the conditions of his release.

Omar Khadr walks out the front door of his lawyer Dennis Edney's home to speak the media in Edmonton, Thursday, May 7, 2015. Former Guantanamo Bay detainee Omar Khadr is back in court today to seek changes to bail conditions imposed while he appeals war crime convictions by a U.S. military commission. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

"There is still no end in sight," he told Ross. "Mr. Khadr has now been out on bail so long and has an impeccable record.

"My goodness, when is this going to end?"

Khadr wants to perform the Hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. It is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims once in their lifetime.

"There's no good reason why he shouldn't be able to do that," Whitling said.

Khadr would also like to be able to speak on the phone or over Skype to his sister Zaynab Khadr. She has spoken in favour of al-Qaida in the past and was investigated in Canada more than a decade ago for helping the terrorist network, but was never charged.

The rules of Khadr's bail allow him to meet with her but only in the presence of his bail supervisor or one of his lawyers.

Whitling said it's preposterous Khadr could speak to his sister and develop any extremist views.

Khadr also needs permission to travel outside Alberta, and has made several trips to Toronto to visit his family and to deal with a civil lawsuit there seeking to enforce a multimillion-dollar judgment against him in Utah in favour of Speer's widow.

Omar Khadr speaks outside court in Edmonton on Thursday, December 13, 2018. Khadr is seeking a Canadian passport to travel to Saudi Arabia and wants permission to speak to his sister. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Both provincial and federal Crown prosecutors argued the conditions are appropriate considering Khadr pleaded guilty to serious crimes and "he stands convicted."

Doreen Mueller, a lawyer for the province, argued Khadr is not prevented from talking to his sister.

Federal prosecutor Bruce Hughson added that Khadr can speak to his sister as long as someone else is in the room, which could be his wife if that's approved by a supervisor.

Whitling also asked the judge for an order that would allow Khadr to apply for parole even though he's not serving a sentence  an unusual move that would put an end on Khadr's conditions.

Ross reserved her decision until Dec. 21.

"There's enough unprecedented aspects to this application that I'm going to take some time to think about it," she said.

Khadr's case has ignited sharp and divisive debate since the summer of 2017 when it was revealed the federal government had settled a lawsuit filed by him for a reported $10.5 million. The payout followed a 2010 ruling by Canada's Supreme Court that Khadr's charter rights were violated at Guantanamo and Canadian officials contributed to that violation.

Federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said he hopes the court doesn't grant Khadr's request.

"I don't think it's a good idea that someone who has this track record has more access to members of his family who continue to speak out celebrating acts of terrorism, glorifying acts of violence," he said in Ottawa. "I think that's just despicable."
His canvases are painted from first-hand observation by a brush wielded in the outdoors and glow with the colours of the Canadian wilderness.

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This article was published 13/12/2018 (1082 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Kevan Yeats swims after his cat Momo to safety in High River, Alta. on June 20, 2013. Mental health researchers around the world are beginning to take notice of what people feel when the world they've always known changes gradually or suddenly from the effects of a shifting climate. Some call it environmental grief, some call it solastalgia - a word coined for the feeling of homesicknesses when home changes around you. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jordan Verlage

His canvases are painted from first-hand observation by a brush wielded in the outdoors and glow with the colours of the Canadian wilderness.

But British Columbia artist Dominik Modlinski doesn't take his paints into the woods much anymore.

"I felt I can't go on my painting trips because everything is covered in smoke," he said. "I can't go to some areas I love to go because you can't see anything.

"I feel somebody is controlling my life and I can't do anything about it. It does affect my mood."

Mental-health researchers around the world are taking notice of what people feel when the world they've always known changes gradually or suddenly from climate change. Some call it environmental grief, some call it solastalgia  a word coined for a feeling of homesickness when home changes around you.

The American Psychological Association has released a lengthy report into solastalgia. So has the British medical journal The Lancet. Australian farmers report rising levels of depression as their drought-stricken lands blow away. An international group of climate scientists maintain a website entitled Is This How You Feel?

House of Commons committees have discussed it. Health Canada is exploring the topic.

"It is gaining more traction," said researcher Katie Hayes from the University of Toronto.

In Canada, Memorial University professor Ashlee Cunsolo released a paper in 2013 on Inuit in the tiny Labrador community of Rigolet. People spoke of the sorrow they felt about being cut off from places they'd visited for generations because of vanishing sea ice.

"People talked about deep sadness," Cunsolo said. "People talked about anxiety. A lot of different words for pain. A lot of trembling in the voice. There were definitely tears. People were feeling displaced in their homes."

Sometimes it happens slowly, sometimes all at once. Hayes has been looking into the effects of the 2013 flood in High River, Alta., the sort of catastrophic event that is expected to occur more and more.

"There are still lingering effects from the flood," she said. "There's anxiety when it rains, on the anniversary, as (people) cross the bridge to go into High River."

Kids crawl into bed with mom and dad when the clouds open. People thinking about that box of Christmas decorations in the basement catch themselves when they realize it's gone.

"People would talk about the smell of musty moldiness or the sound of a generator coming on. It gets them welled up. It gets them nervous. It gets them recalling the flood, everything that they lost."

A University of Alberta study found similar effects 18 months after the wildfire in Fort McMurray, Alta., that destroyed one-tenth of the city. A survey of visitors to health-care facilities found high levels of post-traumatic stress and anxiety disorders as well as substance abuse.

"We're looking at broader psycho-social impacts, things like weakened social ties or increased addictions or even increased aggression in relation to domestic violence," said Peter Berry, science adviser at Health Canada. "Some of the impacts can take place right away or take months or even years."

Nor are disasters the only way weather related to climate change can cause stress.

"Volatility," said Ron Bonnett of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. "What we're seeing is a lot more variation than we did in the past."

Farmers can endure months without rain, then see their fields submerged in a cloudburst. More than just a business, farms are a home and a tradition and that can raise the mental stakes, Bonnett said.

"There's almost a mental block: 'What do I do next? How do I make a decision?' You're just paralyzed. All you can see is that crop lying out there that you can't get off."

The words "paralyzed" and "powerless" come up often when solastalgia is discussed. Feeling there's nothing you can do is doubly corrosive, said Julia Payson of the Canadian Mental Health Association in B.C.'s Okanagan region, where fires and evacuations have been a constant feature of recent summers.

"Powerlessness tells you you can't fix this and you're not going to stop feeling bad. There's no point in reaching out, in gathering with community and seeing what you can do."

In fact, she said reaching out is one of the best ways of coping.

"Powerlessness breeds a feeling of isolation and when we can break that down by building community, it makes a huge difference.

"We acknowledge our feelings. We know it's important to have them. We look for people to support us, we look for actions we can take to take back a feeling of control."

Great advice, said Thomas Doherty, who has a mental-health practice in Portland, Ore., that helps people feeling environmental grief.

People can feel like a "climate hostage" trapped by avalanches of information with little action from their leaders. Doherty suggests finding a way to get involved and do something.

He has another prescription: get outside.

"It is part of the coping. It gets you in touch with life, with things that are larger than you."

But until things change, get used to solastalgia, said Modlinski.

"As an artist who paints the Canadian North, I have witnessed the slow, creeping climate change that is happening. The emotional environmental grief I feel will be a widespread anxiety. It's going to happen.

"I don't think our health system is even prepared to deal with it."

 Follow Bob Weber on Twitter at @row1960
OTTAWA - Quebecers living by the Canada-United States border where thousands of migrants have crossed irregularly into the country since 2017 will be eligible for payments of up to $25,000, the federal government announced Wednesday.

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A family from Haiti approach a tent in Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Quebec, stationed by Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as they haul their luggage down Roxham Road in Champlain, N.Y., Monday, Aug. 7, 2017. Quebecers living by the Canada-United States border where thousands of migrants have crossed irregularly into the country since 2017 will be eligible for payments of up to $25,000, the federal government announced Wednesday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Charles Krupa

OTTAWA - Quebecers living by the Canada-United States border where thousands of migrants have crossed irregularly into the country since 2017 will be eligible for payments of up to $25,000, the federal government announced Wednesday.

Life along the previously sleepy Roxham Road  the main entry point for migrants entering the country on foot  has been disturbed, and residents deserve to be compensated, Border Security Minister Bill Blair said.

"I've been there. I've spoken to the residents. I've seen the level of activity of the RCMP, the (Canada Border Services Agency) and other officials that has impacted what is otherwise a quiet, rural road," Blair told reporters.

Roughly 96 per cent of all migrants who have crossed illegally into Canada since 2017 have done so at Roxham Road.

The federal Immigration Department says 16,000 people crossed the Canada-U.S. border illegally into Quebec through the end of October this year, and about 19,000 did last year.

Bureaucrats divided the Roxham Road area into three zones based on proximity to the border. People living in the closest zone are eligible to receive up to $25,000, those in the next closest $10,000, and those in the third zone $2,500.

A spokesperson for Blair could not say Wednesday how much the compensation will cost Ottawa.

Conservative party Leader Andrew Scheer said in the House of Commons he worries irregular crossings will become a permanent problem.

"The prime minister needs to stop asking others to pay for his failures," Scheer said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded by stating Ottawa is investing $173 million to improve border security as well as to decrease the time it takes to process asylum seekers claims.
OTTAWA - The dilemma Canada finds itself in over its arrest of top Chinese business executive Meng Wanzhou is a result of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's "naive approach" to China, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer insisted Thursday.

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Leader of the Opposition Andrew Scheer holds an end of session news conference in the Foyer of the House of Commons in Ottawa, Thursday December 13, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA - The dilemma Canada finds itself in over its arrest of top Chinese business executive Meng Wanzhou is a result of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's "naive approach" to China, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer insisted Thursday.

Canadian entrepreneur Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig were detained this week in Beijing on suspicion of "engaging in activities that endanger the national security" of China.

The men were taken into custody only days after Canada arrested Meng on a request from American authorities who want her extradited to the United States on suspicion of bank fraud, related to an alleged attempt to circumvent U.S. sanctions on Iran. Meng is the chief financial officer of technology giant Huawei and the daughter of its founder.

"We now find ourselves in a situation where we have Canadian citizens on foreign soil detained and a government that has pursued a policy of appeasement, putting us in a position where we don't have the leverage that we might otherwise have," Scheer said in Ottawa. "I believe that this situation demonstrates that Justin Trudeau's naive approach to relations with China isn't working."

Scheer called on the Trudeau government to quickly send a "very high-level message" to China and to "unequivocally denounce" any type of repercussions on Canadians abroad.

Canada's mishandling of China, in Scheer's view, includes Trudeau's indecision on whether Huawei should be permitted to supply technology for Canada's next generation 5G networks. The U.S. alleges Huawei is an organ of Chinese intelligence and should be banned.

Scheer's criticisms come with Ottawa snagged in a delicate and deepening diplomatic crisis with an outraged superpower, which also happens to be Canada's second-largest trading partner.

Since taking office in late 2015, the federal Liberals have worked hard to broaden Canada's economic relationship with China while also seeking commitments from Beijing on issues related to the environment as well as labour and gender rights.

Following Meng's Dec. 1 arrest, Beijing warned Ottawa of severe consequences and loudly demanded she be released. Trudeau has explained Meng's arrest was part of an independent legal process, separate from politics.

This week, Chinese authorities rounded up Kovrig, a Canadian diplomat who is on a leave from his job, and Spavor, who runs a non-governmental organization that facilitates sports, cultural, tourism and business exchanges with North Korea.

Canada had still not been granted consular access Thursday to the detained Canadians, said a government source, speaking on the condition of anonymity citing the sensitivity of the case. Experts say the men are likely facing harsh conditions and are under significant pressure to confess to the allegations against them.

With Ottawa weighing its options, there have been other wrinkles  including comments by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Questions about the legitimacy of the Meng case surfaced earlier this week when Trump mused that he would be willing to intervene on her behalf if it would help him strike a trade deal with China.

Meng's extradition process is before Canadian courts, but the final decision on whether to send her to the U.S. lies with federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould.

Technically, Wilson-Raybould could take the extraordinary step of preventing Meng's extradition, a move that could anger the U.S. In doing so, the Canadian government could choose to defend the move by highlighting Trump's remark as evidence the case against Meng is politically motivated.

It's also likely China will make offers to Ottawa that it will release Kovrig and Spavor in exchange for Meng's freedom, according to a former Canadian ambassador in Beijing.

Guy Saint-Jacques, who served as top envoy in China from 2012 to 2016, said he was closely involved in a somewhat similar case a few years ago.

In 2014, Canada arrested Chinese businessman Su Bin, a Chinese national who had permanent residency in Canada, following an extradition request by the U.S.

He was eventually extradited to the U.S., where he pleaded guilty in 2016 to a criminal conspiracy to steal U.S. military secrets. Su was sentenced to 46 months in prison.

A month after Su's arrest in Canada, Chinese authorities detained Canadians Julia and Kevin Garratt and accused them of spying and stealing military secrets.

The Garratts had spent three decades living in China, where they ran a coffee shop and did Christian aid work. China eventually released the Garratts after a two-year ordeal.

"It was clear  and I was involved directly in the discussions  the Chinese wanted to make a swap between the Garratts and Su Bin," Saint-Jacques said. "We met many times. I repeated that there was nothing we could do, we were bound by the extradition treaty between Canada and the U.S. All this to no avail  they would not listen, they just kept putting pressure."
BEIJNG, China - Two Canadian men have been detained in China on suspicion of "endangering national security," the country's foreign ministry said Thursday.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/12/2018 (1082 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In this image made from video taken on March 2, 2017, Michael Spavor, director of Paektu Cultural Exchange, talks during a Skype interview in Yangi, China. A second Canadian man is feared detained in China in what appears to be retaliation for Canada's arrest of a top executive of telecommunications giant Huawei. The possible arrest raises the stakes in an international dispute that threatens relations. Canada's Global Affairs department on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018, said Spavor, an entrepreneur who is one of the only Westerners to have met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, had gone missing in China. Spavor's disappearance follows China's detention of a former Canadian diplomat in Beijing earlier this week. (AP Photo)

BEIJNG, China - Two Canadian men have been detained in China on suspicion of "endangering national security," the country's foreign ministry said Thursday.

Spokesman Lu Kang confirmed that entrepreneur Michael Spavor and former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig were taken into custody on Monday and that they are being handled separately.

Canada has been informed of the detentions, Lu said, but declined to say whether the men have been provided with lawyers.

The two cases ratchet up pressure on Canada, which is holding an executive of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei.

China has demanded the immediate release of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's CFO and the daughter of its founder.

Meng was arrested in Canada earlier this month at the request of the United States, which is hoping to have her extradited over allegations she tried to bypass American trade sanctions on Iran and lied to U.S. banks about her actions.

Asked if the Canadian men's detentions were related to Meng's arrest, Lu said they were being handled according to Chinese law.

The Chinese official's comments come hours after Global Affairs Canada confirmed that Spavor, the founder of a non-profit that organizes cultural-exchange trips to North Korea, was the second Canadian to be detained in China.

"We are working very hard to ascertain his whereabouts and we continue to raise this with the Chinese government," Global Affairs spokesman Guillaume Berube confirmed in an email Wednesday night.

Earlier in the day, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters the government has been unable to make contact with Spavor  whom she did not identify at the time  since he raised concerns about being questioned by Chinese authorities.

Freeland added that Ottawa has been touch with his family, but declined to say anything more about his situation.

"It's a situation that's, perhaps, delicate," she said in French. "And I want to respect this individual and his family."

The website for Paektu Cultural Exchange, the organization Spavor founded, says it is "dedicated to facilitating sustainable co-operation, cross-cultural exchanges, tourism, trade, and economic exchanges between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and international organizations, businesses, and individuals."

The website says Spavor is originally from Calgary, although he has spent more than 20 years living in both North and South Korea. It says he speaks Korean and French fluently and is learning Chinese.

"In 2013 and 2014, he organized the Dennis Rodman visits, and the basketball match between the DPRK and former NBA players, where he also became friends with the country's leader Marshal Kim Jong Un," the website states.

Meanwhile, a senior government official said China confirmed to Canada very early Wednesday that the Beijing Bureau of State Security had detained Kovrig. Ottawa, however, doesn't know what the allegations against him are nor does it know where he is, the official said.

A former Canadian ambassador to Beijing, who was Kovrig's boss in China, said he would have been under the close watch of Chinese authorities years ago as he travelled the country and talked to dissidents on behalf of Canada's government.

Kovrig took on political-reporting assignments on highly sensitive subjects, Guy Saint-Jacques said in an interview with The Canadian Press on Wednesday.

Saint-Jacques said Kovrig tried to "get the pulse" of many groups, such as displaced Tibetans scattered around China and Muslim minorities in the northwestern region of Xinjiang, where Beijing has been accused by the international community  including Canada  of mass detentions.

"He went to remote locations trying to meet with people from these communities to try and understand what they were going through, in terms of the challenges they faced, protecting their cultures," Saint-Jacques said in an interview. "So, all of this, obviously, would have attracted the attention of security people."

The former ambassador added that Chinese authorities have extensive files on all diplomats in China, especially those, like Kovrig, who speak fluent Mandarin.

Kovrig gave up diplomatic immunity when he took an unpaid leave of absence from Global Affairs Canada in late 2016 at the end of his posting. A senior government official, briefing reporters Wednesday on condition of anonymity before Freeland spoke, said he remains a federal government employee.

Saint-Jacques said Kovrig, who served under him in China between 2014 and 2016, loved the country and chose to stay.

In February 2017, Kovrig continued reporting on some of the touchiest subjects involving China after he joined the International Crisis Group as an adviser. His work for the non-governmental organization has covered a range of subjects, including the North Korean nuclear crisis, China's relationship with the U.S. and its expanding presence in Africa.

Chinese officials said Wednesday that the International Crisis Group is not registered in China and alleged its activities in the country are illegal.

 With files from The Canadian Press
Union members hold signs during a rally outside of San Francisco City Hall, on February 26, 2018, after the Supreme Court begins hearing arguments in Janus v. AFSCME. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Theres no question that the U.S. Supreme Courts June ruling in Janus v. AFSCME (American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees) hurt organized labor. The courts 5-to-4 opinion found that public-sector unions violated the First Amendment by collecting agency fees from workers who arent union members. Unions call those payments fair share fees because union officials are still legally required to bargain on behalf of all workers in a shop, whether those workers are union members or not. After Janus, unions still have to represent nonmembers, but must do so with fewer financial resources. Not only did Janus threaten union finances, it threatened membership rates, too; if workers could benefit from union work without paying fees, theyd likely choose to do so, or so labor advocates worried. The long-term future of public sector unions looked murky at best.

But on Monday, Governing magazine reported that post-Janus, membership in public-sector unions isnt dropping as expected. Some unions have even added members. The president of AFSCME, Lee Saunders, told the magazine that workers are choosing to join AFSCME at a much higher rate than those who drop, despite the unions titular role in Junes ruling. According to Governing, membership increases in unions representing state employees in Pennsylvania, Oregon, and California, have all outnumbered dropouts.

The news isnt universally good for unions. They are indeed losing money, even if they arent losing as many members as theyd feared. The Albany Times-Union reported on December 3 that after Janus, the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) saw a 6 percent drop in the number of educators who either pay dues for union membership or pay fair-share fees as nonmembers who benefit from union representation. That translates to a loss of around $8.5 million, according to one analysis produced by the conservative Empire Center. NYSUT told the Times-Union that its actually only lost around 200 of the 600,000 individuals it represents, suggesting the drop could partly be attributed to new hires who had yet to join the union. Both sides agreed the decrease largely reflects a decline in agency fee payers, but of course they werent union members prior to the Janus ruling.

Governing suggests that union membership-drives and proactive Democratic state legislators have helped prevent a more precipitous drop in membership rates. The states of New Jersey, New York, California, and Washington, all passed legislation that makes it more difficult for workers to leave public-sector unions. In one case highlighted by Governing, New York banned state agencies from releasing employees personal data that could be used by union-busting groups to persuade members to pull out. While its certainly true that measures like New Yorks protect public-sector unions from right-to-work groups that seek to shrink organized labors rank-and-file, there may also be other explanations for Januss seemingly small impact on union membership.

Union membership as a share of the American population has been on the decline for years. Thats partly because heavily unionized industries, like manufacturing, have begun to shrink, as the Washington Post explained in January. Most union members, however, belong to public-sector unions, like teachers unions. And while public-sector unions have fared better than many of their private-sector counterparts, they werent entirely immune from danger, even before Janus. Membership in teachers unions has gradually declined too, Edweek reported in October 2017. During the 20152016 academic year, 70 percent of teachers belonged to unions, down from 74 percent in 20112012. Union density was highest in urban and suburban schools.

Despite that decline, however, teachers unions remain relatively well-organized and proactive entities, as demonstrated by this years wave of walkouts and strikes. More actions are scheduled for 2019. Virginia educators plan to march on January 28 to demand full funding for public schools. Teachers in Californias Los Angeles, and Oakland, school districts are preparing for possible strikes in January. Educators are still organized, still aware of their rights, and still ready to defend those rights when they deem it necessary.

Though teachers unions arguably garnered most national labor coverage this year, unions regularly negotiate contracts for their members with little external fanfare. Strikes, too, are launched and concluded all the time, often without much public notice. But teacher organizing might be the best-known example of another likely reason for stable public-sector union membership. Americans tend to like unions. In August 2018, 62 percent of respondents told Gallup that they approve of unions overall. Only 30 percent said they disapprove. In similar fashion, Missouri voters emphatically refused to pass a right-to-work law by public referendum in August. That law, had voters passed it, would have prohibited private-sector unions from collecting fair-share fees from nonmembers  Janus, in other words, but for communications workers and health-care workers.

Americans have good reason to like unions. Union membership correlates to higher wages, and thats not a new trend, as a longitudinal survey produced by Princeton University researchers Henry Farber and Ilyana Kuziemko reinforced in June. Unionized workers have made 10 to 20 percent more than nonunionized workers for the past eight decades. The gains teachers won on picket lines this year just reinforce the reasons for organized labors popularity. West Virginia teachers earned a pay raise. Kentucky teachers defended their pension plan. In Chicago, unionized educators at the Acero network of charter schools won concessions on some of their most significant demands, like reduced class-sizes and sanctuary-school policies, after a four-day strike.

Janus may have weakened unions by depriving them of cash, but it did not eliminate the incentives for union membership. Organizing still works, and as long as that holds true, people will continue to join unions.
A barman rolling a cigarette at the end of a nights work was headbutted in the face by a customer and has since stopped working in pubs as a result of the attack.

Alex McSweeney, 23, of 50 Cherry Lawn, Church Road, Blackrock, Cork, pleaded guilty to the charge of assault on Ciaran McCartain.

Inspector Finbarr OSullivan said the young man was finishing a nights work in the Pigalle Bar on Barrack Street, Cork, and went out to the smoking area where there was a group of people around a table.

Inspector OSullivan said there was a bag of tobacco on the table and the barman asked if he could roll a cigarette. One of the men handed him the pouch.

However, Alex McSweeney was also in this group and he muttered something to the barman and then head-butted him, striking him on the nose.

Friends of the defendant grabbed him and took him from the pub.

A victim impact statement was handed in to the court. Judge Mary Dorgan said it was important that the victim statement would be read out in court so that the accused man would be aware of the effect of his actions.

The incident on the night in quest had a traumatic effect on me. Being attacked while at work is deeply unsettling. It led me to feel very vulnerable in so far as the perpetrator of the attack then knew where I worked and where to find me if he was of a mind to attack me again or intimidate me. The anxiety the attacked resulted in me leaving the job in Pigalle a short time later.

This change of occupation, the associated stresses of money problems, security and personal safety, are all attributed to the attack, the injured party said.

McSweeney had 65 previous convictions including counts for assault and public order offences.

Diarmuid Kelleher said the defendant was doing well now, having come off alcohol, signed up for an educational programme and returned to live in the family home. Mr Kelleher said the young man had a very bad history of abusing alcohol from the age of 13 or 14.

The solicitor said the 23-year-old was now doing much better.

Judge Dorgan said, The difficulty is that there is a victim here and the victim has suffered greatly. It is good to hear the defendant has tried to turn his life around but the victim has to be compensated before I deal with the matter.

The judge put sentencing back until April 11, 2019 for the accused to gather 1,500 in compensation.
A former toxic dump is set to open as a public park in the heart of Cork Harbour next year following one of the largest environmental clean-ups in the State's history.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, will visit Haulbowline Island this morning with County Mayor, Cllr Patrick Gerard Murphy, and Cork County Council chief executive, Tim Lucey, to mark the substantial completion of the near 60m remediation project on the islands East Tip to deal with the toxic legacy of more than 40-years of steel production at the former Irish Steel plant.

Since 2017, tens of thousands of tonnes of rock armour have been installed around the eastern end of the island, and hundreds of thousands of tonnes of topsoil transported on site, contoured and landscaped.

The before and after shots of the East Tip site on Haulbowline Island, in East Cork. It is hoped the new public park will open next May.

More than 200 trees and wildflowers have been planted, a new playing pitch built, and walkways, cycleways and several seating areas have been installed.

Some minor road works have yet to be completed but it is hoped the park will open to the public next May.

Friends of the Irish Environment, which has followed the saga closely since the Irish Examiner exposed over a decade ago the scale and extent of hazardous material dumped onsite, welcomed the news.

It is a great achievement and its fantastic that this area has finally been dealt with, spokesman Tony Lowes said.

But there are a further 11-hectares around the site of the former steelworks buildings themselves, which showed higher contamination levels. I raised this when EU officials visited the site in 2011 and it led to the government agreeing to an all-island approach to the cleanup. But that seems to have dropped off agenda. The Minister needs to clarify the plans for the rest of the site.

The Irish Steel plant, which later became Ispat, operated on the island, alongside the Irish Naval Service headquarters, from 1939 until its closure in 2001.

In 2008, the Irish Examiner reported how clean-up contractors accused the then government of trying to cover up the scale of the problem by ordering the 'capping' of lagoons containing the waste rather than remove the estimated 500,000 tonnes of potentially lethal material. Subsequent reports found some of the toxins, such as chromium, in and around the dump site were not at levels considered dangerous to humans, and therefore posed no identifiable threat to local residents.

The Government approved a clean-up in 2011, before the then Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney, chaired a task-force which saw Cork County Council acting as agents for the supervision and execution of the remediation works.
A garda charged with causing the death of a pedestrian by driving dangerously told a Garda Ombudsman investigator that the fatal collision could have been avoided if the woman had not sped up her walking.

Warren Farrell (35), a garda serving in Clondalkin, Co Dublin, was on duty as the driver of a marked patrol car that was responding to a panic button call at a Topaz garage, when the car struck Elizabeth Core.

Mr Farrell has pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of Mrs Core at Fonthill Road South, Dublin, on August 28, 2014.

On day four of the trial, James Butler, an investigations officer with the Garda Ombudsman, told the court that he received a statement from the defendant on September 30, 2014.

Garda Farrell stated that the patrol car siren was deactivated for only a few seconds when he and his passenger Garda Declan Bambrick requested information about the incident over the car radio. He said the siren was reactivated.

Gda Farrell said that he saw Mrs Core beginning to cross the road on the other side. He said that he assessed the situation and was satisfied that she would be alerted by the patrol car's flashing blue lights and sirens.

He said she continued to walk across and he was surprised. He said that she was not reacting as expected and did not seem to be reacting to the car's flashing blue lights or sirens.

He said in an effort to avoid her he entered bus lane but she began walking even faster, he stated.

I attempted to try to mount the footpath. In trying to do so, the front near side left tyre burst, he said. The front right of the car hit Mrs Core and she was thrown onto the front windscreen.

He said he is satisfied that if Mrs Core had stopped as he had anticipated the collision would not have occurred and if she had not sped up her walking, a collision could have been avoided.

He said, Elizabeth Core's actions were completely unexpected and I cannot explain them.

The trial continues.
Update January 7, 2019 Ryan Ndede has been located safe and well.

Gardai have thanked the public for there assistance.

December 13, 2019: Gardai appeal for help finding missing Meath teenager

Gardai are looking for help in finding a missing 17-year-old boy from Navan, Co. Meath.

Ryan Ndede was last seen on the November 28.

He's described as 5 foot 8", of medium build with tight black hair.

When last seen, he was wearing a red puffy jacket, black tracksuit bottoms and black Adidas runners.

He is believed to be in the Drogheda or Balbriggan area.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Navan Garda Station on 046 9036100.
Update 4:57pm: Rachel ODonoghue has been found safe and well.

Original story (11:27am): Gardai appeal for help in finding woman, 23, missing from Limerick

Gardai are appealing to the public for assistance in tracing the whereabouts of 23-year-old Rachel ODonoghue from Hyde Road, Prospect, Limerick.

Rachel was last seen at home at 11.55pm on Tuesday, December 11.

She is described as 5' 5'' tall, with black hair and green eyes.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Roxboro Road Garda Station on 061 214340 or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111.
The Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan has said any threats against any member of An Garda Siochana are "utterly unacceptable".

Senior Garda sources have confirmed that they are investigating information that a threat has been made to kill two gardai who are investigating the ongoing feud between criminal gangs in Drogheda, County Louth.

The Minister for Justice visited Drogheda Garda Station this morning and asked about the threats, the details of which were allegedly conveyed in a phone call, he said, "any threats against any member of An Garda Siochana are utterly unacceptable".

He also said, I am very keen to ensure that every resource is available to An Garda Siochana in order to bring those responsible to justice.

The Minister met with senior gardai before going onto meet with residents in the Moneymore housing estate - where some of the criminal activity related to the feud has taken place.

Speaking outside the garda station the Minister said he was visiting at the invitation of Louth Fine Gael deputy Fergus ODowd and he acknowledged, There is a particular challenge here in terms of criminal activity and I am very keen to get a full briefing and to ensure as Minister for Justice that every effort is being made in order to ensure that particular challenge can be resolved.

I want to acknowledge the great work on the part of An Garda Siochana in recent times that has led to a number of arrests, he said.

The Minister took the opportunity to appeal to people to help the gardai with their investigations.

I would appeal to the community here in Drogheda, a law-abiding well-established community in parts of the town here, to assist the gardai in their ongoing enquiries to ensure that any and every information is forthcoming and that every effort is made to ensure that those who are unwilling to abide by the law are brought to justice and brought before the courts at the earliest opportunity.

The Minister also said he had an in-depth briefing with Chief Superintendent Christy Mangan local superintendent Andy Watters and every effort will be made in order to ensure that a very small but lethal group of people here in Drogheda, who are unprepared to accept the law, that every effort will be made to bring them to justice and put them out of business.

Chief Superintendent Mangan said, "we had a frank and positive meeting as regards policing issues in the Louth Garda division. We will be continuing with Garda operations in the Drogheda in order to combat criminal activity."

In relation to Brexit and a hard border, the Minister said, I accept what Prime Minister Theresa May continues to maintain and that is that there will be no hard border on the island of Ireland, it is vitally important from an economic point of view but also the priority of maintaining in its entirety all aspects of the historic Good Friday Agreement."

Asked about contingency plans in light of concerns that a hard border would require a larger Garda presence, he said, I discussed matters with Superintendent Mangan here in county Louth, I am satisfied that policing resources in the border area are satisfactory and there is no contingency planning for a return of the hard border because it isnt going to happen.
A Dublin man who died after a fight with his lover's boyfriend died from a single stab wound to the heart, a pathologist has told a murder trial.

Deputy State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan told the trial of Keith Connorton that the deceased suffered three other stab wounds which could have contributed to his death and about 40 other scratches and bruises.

Mr Connorton (40) of Deerpark Avenue, Tallaght has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Graham McKeever (32) at the accused man's home on February 18, 2017. He is on trial at the Central Criminal Court.

Dr Mulligan told prosecution counsel Brendan Grehan SC that she attended the scene and found the deceased in the living area of the apartment, lying on his back on the ground with two obvious stab wounds to his chest. He was wearing only boxer shorts and socks and his body and the area around him was heavily blood-stained. On the floor about two metres from his body was a knife with a serrated blade.

The fatal wound entered the front of the left side of the chest between the second and third ribs and tracked to a depth of 11cm. It penetrated the two chambers of the right side of the heart causing damage to the ventricular wall and bleeding around the heart and into the lungs. This wound, she said, and the bleeding that resulted from it, was the cause of death.

A second wound to the chest went to a depth of four centimetres but did not penetrate past the ribs. Another stab wound near the armpit and a fourth to the back did not penetrate the chest cavity. Although those wounds were not fatal she said they would have caused blood loss and may have contributed to death. The fatal wound, she said, was not survivable and although death would not have been immediate it would have been rapid, within minutes.

She found bruises and scratches on his head, neck, arms legs and torso.

The deceased's blood and urine were tested for drugs, revealing that he had taken benzodiazepines, methadone, alcohol and cocaine in the hours before his death. The fatal injury was consistent with the use of a tapering knife while two injuries on his back may have been caused by a serrated knife. Ten injuries were consistent with scratches from the tip of a knife.

The trial continues tomorrow in front of Justice Tony Hunt and a jury of nine men and three women.
A man in his 50s has died after an alleged assault in Portlaw, Co Waterford.

Emergency services were called to a house at 2.45pm this afternoon, where the man was found and taken by ambulance to University Hospital Waterford.
A County Laois resident has been jailed for two years for stealing over 19,000 from a widow who had let him stay at her home.

William Butler (52) told gardai that temptation had gotten the better of him after Kathleen Carroll, a family friend, had allowed him stay at her home when he was in need.

He admitted obtaining her banking details and stealing 19,380 out of her late husband's pension fund over three months, to spend on gambling. None of the money has been repaid.

Butler, of Ballinakill Road, Abbeyleix, Co. Laois, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to five sample charges of stealing money from Bank of Ireland, Ballyfermot, Dublin, on dates between November 2013 and January 2014. He has no previous convictions.

Judge Karen O'Connor noted that Mrs Carroll's husband had died just months before. She said the injured party was a vulnerable person who was being preyed on by Butler taking sums of money out of her account on a regular basis in those three months.

She further noted that Butler had worked as a bus driver in the time since and had promised to provide some redress.

Brian Storan BL, defending, submitted to Judge O'Connor that his client had been going through a bad time and had been gambling daily on horse racing. Counsel said Butler had since lost family support and has not seen his daughter or grandchild in a while.

Mr Storan said any punishment met by going through prison doors would have a profound effect on his client.

Judge O'Connor took into account that Butler had made full admissions, had significant difficulties in his own life and that his offending had had an impact on his family and his reputation.

She said she had no choice but to impose three years custody on Butler.

Judge O'Connor suspended the final 12 months of the sentence for that period and ordered that he undergo treatment programmes for gambling and alcohol if required.

The judge commended Mrs Carroll for the dignified manner in which she and her family attended court and wished them well in future.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has admitted she does not expect "an immediate breakthrough" in her bid to win "legal and political" Brexit backstop assurances.

Speaking to reporters as she arrived for the EU summit in Brussels, Ms May said while she will underline her parliament's concerns over the existing deal, no changes are immediately apparent.

Saying she has "heard loud and clear the concerns of those unable to support me" in Westminster, Ms May said she will use the criticism to urge the EU to give her the "legal and political assurances we believe we need".

However, asked by a British reporter if she is "wasting" her time as the EU has made it clear the deal itself will not change, the British Prime Minister admitted: "I don't expect an immediate breakthrough".

Ms May separately said she understands why "the EU is planning for a no deal", saying her own government "is also discussing no deal planning".

Asked about confirmation yesterday she will step down as British prime minister and Conservatives party leader before the 2022 British election, saying while "in my heart I would love to be able to lead the Conservatives into the next election" she accepts "a new leader" is needed.

Ms May had earlier held a one-to-one meeting with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Brussels before planned further talks with European Council president Donald Tusk and others later today.

A spokesperson for Mr Varadkar confirmed the one-to-one meeting this morning just hours after Ms May survived a Conservatives party confidence motion by 200 votes to 117.

The bilateral meeting took place on the outskirts of the EU summit, and is believed to be crucial to finding any potential breakthrough in the Brexit stand-off.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar meets British PM Theresa May to discuss the Irish backstop ahead of the European Council in Brussels. pic.twitter.com/7wGtrMVWVv  Tony Connelly (@tconnellyRTE) December 13, 2018

Both Mr Varadkar and Ms May are understood to have focussed on the prime minister's confidence vote survival on Wednesday night and the ongoing attempts to resolve the Brexit impasse.

The meeting of the two leaders was originally scheduled for Government Buildings in Dublin on Wednesday evening before being cancelled due to the Conservatives party confidence vote.
Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei, holds the Mate 10 Pro smartphone while speaking during the companys keynote event at CES. Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Every iPhone has it: the small etching reading Designed by Apple in California, Assembled in China. And while China still assembles phones for Apple, in mid-2018, Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei surpassed Apple to become the second-largest manufacturer of smartphones on the planet, second only to Samsung. China  the single largest market for smartphones in the world  isnt just where smartphones are put together for foreign companies anymore.

While the smartphone market may not be the rocket ship it once was, a new class of Chinese smartphone manufacturers are quickly coming into their own, many posting double-digit sales growth and finding profitable niches in markets across the globe, whether thats continental Europe, India, Latin America, or Africa. As companies like LG or HTC eye exiting the smartphone space altogether, and Samsung attempts to realign its brand around mid-tier phones, hyperaggressive Chinese companies stand uniquely well-positioned to take advantage.

One place you wont find many of these brands? U.S. store shelves, due to pushback from a U.S. government that sees Chinese manufacturers as both a security and business threat. U.S. carriers have therefore been leery to sell phones from Chinese manufacturers. But governments change, and so do attitudes. Your next phone may not come from a Chinese company, but the phone you buy after that may very well. With some help from Gartner analyst Anshul Gupta, here are the Chinese smartphone makers that will be shaping the face of the mobile industry over the next decade.

Huawei

Smartphones Sold in 2017: 150 million

Flagship Model: Huawei P20 Pro

Ideal User: Anyone in the global upper-middle class

Huawei (pronounced, per Huawei itself, wah-way) popped up on many Americans radars after its CFO Meng Wanzhou was arrested by Canadian police for potentially violating American sanctions against Iran. While its unclear how that case will play out, the company itself has quickly become a major global presence on the smartphone market, becoming the second-largest manufacturer of smartphones in mid-2018, surpassing Apple and second only to Samsung. A shift away from low-end handsets has worked out for Huawei, where its high-end phones have been enthusiastically received in Europe, the Middle East, and China itself. Its a global player with strong distribution, brand, and a broad portfolio, says Gupta. It did well even during a downturn in the Chinese consumer market, and spent much of 2017 and 2018 on an acquisition spree. It wouldnt be surprising for Huawei to eventually snap up some of the other brands on this list for itself.

Oppo

Smartphones Sold in 2017: 112.4 million

Flagship Model: Oppo Find X

Ideal User: Someone who wants a phone that turns heads

Oppo phones have done exceptionally well in the still-developing markets of India and Southeast Asia, where it shoved aside the former leader Samsung with low-cost, high-quality phones that look much more expensive than they are. It managed to get global attention in mid-2018 with the Oppo Find X, one of the first phones to have no bezel whatsoever, even hiding the front-facing camera behind the screen  an ambitious design that other companies will only be catching up to in 2019, showing that Oppo is serious about competing for the European and U.K. market. Oppo has a strong brand, distribution, and premium positioning, says Gupta.

Vivo

Smartphones Sold in 2017: 99.7 million

Flagship Model: Vivo Nex

Ideal User: Mid-market customers who still want something shiny

Vivo was one of the first Chinese manufacturers to move into India, where it sold low-cost handsets when Indian consumers were first beginning to buy. It turned heads when it released what was then the worlds thinnest smartphone, the X1, in 2012, and has continued to do so with clever engineering. The Vivo Nex, a mid-budget phone with an all-screen design, solves the problem of where to put the front-facing camera by having the camera pop out of the phone in a very R2-D2-esque manner when you want to take a selfie.

Xiaomi

Smartphones Sold in 2017: 89 million

Flagship Model: Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro

Ideal User: Apple lovers who dont love Apple prices

Beijing-based Xiaomi knows what its users want: phones that look like iPhones, but dont cost as much as an iPhone. Catch a glimpse of a Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro from across the room, and youd be hard-pressed to say whether it was or wasnt an iPhone X. Its a strategy particularly well-suited for the Chinese market, where Xiaomi remains the top-selling brand, as Chinese users use WeChat, a messaging app thats essentially an operating system unto itself, allowing users to do everything from send a photo to pay their rent to apply for college  and WeChat works equally well on Android or iOS. Its also found success in other markets where consumers like the aesthetics of the iPhone, but dont much care about actually using iOS or being in Apples ecosytem.

ZTE

Smartphones Sold in 2017: 50.5 million

Flagship Phone: ZTE Axon 9

Ideal User: Prepaid-phone-plan buyers or anyone looking for a phone on the cheap

ZTE was, until very recently, one of the more popular brands in the U.S., thanks to often being packaged in deals with prepaid cell phone plans from carriers like MetroPCS. The U.S. Commerce Department abruptly banned the phone maker from working with American manufacturers, which would have crippled the company, after ZTE admitted to shipping parts to Iran and North Korea. After paying over $1 billion in fines, ZTE is recovering, and continues to carve out a spot for itself in the affordable market segment.

Lenovo

Smartphones Sold in 2017: 47.5 million

Flagship Model: Motorola G6 Plus

Ideal User: Savvy North American phone shoppers who love a good deal

After Google stripped Motorola for patents and parts, it sold the former American phone manufacturer to Chinese firm Lenovo in 2014, where Lenovo has had success using Motorolas brand recognition to sell very well-built and reasonably priced phones, successfully establishing a comfortable niche as the budget smartphone of choice for savvy North American phone shoppers. Motorola has also been happy to experiment phones have played around with ideas like modular phones, shatterproof screens, batteries users can pop in and out, or rolling out the first phones with insanely fast 5G data connections, but its bread and butter remains things like the Motorola G6 Plus, a $250 phone that you could easily pass off as a $500 phone to the unsuspecting.

Alcatel

Smartphones Sold in 2017: 41.3 million

Flagship Model: Alcatel 5

Ideal User: Users on a budget who still want high-end specs

Alcatel is French brand owned by Finnish firm Nokia and licensed for cheap by Chinese television manufacturer TCL, but its seen success selling phones in developing markets in Latin America. Its strategy is made plain in the Alcatel 5, released in February of 2018, which features a massive screen, facial recognition, and dual-lens front-facing cameras for portrait-mode selfies, and a price point under $200.

Tecno

Smartphones Sold in 2017: 11 million

Flagship Phone: Tecno Spark 2

Ideal User: One of Africas growing middle class

Trannsion, the holding company of Tecno and a host of other brands, has effectively staked out a dominant position in Africa, where it produces three of the continents top-ten-selling phones. Its also Chinas largest exporter of phones, shipping out over 150 million phones in 2017, but that number includes feature phones (i.e., flip phones and non-touchscreen phones) that are still popular in Africa, where weeklong battery life and ruggedness remain major selling points. The smartphone market, meanwhile, is still ripe for growth, and the Tecno Spark 2 is the type of phone youd see on the streets of Lagos or Nairobi, where the continents rapidly growing middle class has already transitioned from feature phones to smartphones, and the Spark 2s price point of $100 hits the sweet spot of features and price.

OnePlus

Smartphones Sold in 2017: Unknown

Flagship: OnePlus 6T

Ideal User: Anyone who takes pride in both saving money and their phones Geekbench score

If youre an American, the one manufacturer on this list that youre most likely to have considered is OnePlus, which gained a ton interest from the American gadget media by making its first phone, the OnePlus One, invitation only. OnePlus has since established a nice solid position turning out phones that stuff the highest-end specs possible into the lowest-cost phone possible. Consistently well-reviewed by the tech press, if you want to feel superior about how little you paid for your phone while watching someone play with their iPhone or Galaxy on the subway, the OnePlus is for you.
A man accused of murdering dissident republican Peter Butterly has been acquitted on related firearm charges by direction of judges at the Special Criminal Court.

Kevin Braney (44), of Glenshane Crescent, Tallaght, Dublin 24 has pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Butterly nearly six years ago. The father-of-two was chased and shot dead outside The Huntsman Inn in Gormanston in view of students waiting for their school bus on the afternoon of March 6, 2013.

Mr Braney also denied possession of a 9mm Beretta semi-automatic pistol with intent to commit murder and possession of seven rounds of 9mm ammunition on March 5, 2013 at Blackthorn Apartments, Brackenwood Avenue, Balbriggan, Co. Dublin.

The defence had applied for a direction to acquit the accused on firearm and ammunition charges following the close of the prosecutions case earlier this week but the non-jury court refused this application yesterday.

Prosecution counsel Alex Owens SC informed the three-judge court this morning that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had decided not to proceed with the firearm and ammunition charges against Mr Braney and they could be withdrawn.

Defence counsel Bernard Condon SC, for Mr Braney, submitted that the court should be invited to revise its direction and acquit the accused on the firearm and ammunition charges saying: I made an application which has obviously now been accepted.

Mr Owens said the DPP can enter a nolle prosequi (not to proceed with the prosecution) at any stage before a case closes and this trial had not concluded yet.

Mr Condon indicated to the court that he was not so sure these charges could not be revisited.

Mr Justice Paul Coffey, presiding, sitting with Judge Martin Nolan and Judge James Faughnan, said the application had come too late and it would direct an acquittal in relation to the relevant counts.

Closing the defence case today, Mr Condon told the court that the ultimate question is whether it can be accepted that former murder accused-turned States witness David Cullen had told the truth when he gave evidence. He submitted that Cullen does not "come close" to the required standard of reliability and credibility in the assessment of evidence.

The eleven-week trial heard from Cullen who described his role in the shooting of Mr Butterly. Cullen was originally charged with Mr Butterlys murder but he subsequently pleaded guilty to the unlawful possession of a semi-automatic pistol at the Huntsman Inn on the day of the shooting. His plea was accepted by the DPP, he turned State's witness and this murder charge was dropped.

Mr Condon submitted that Cullen was the most benefited person to have come before an Irish court. He is right up there with Charles Boden and Russell Warren, he remarked.

Bowden and Warren are part of the States Witness Protection Programme and gave evidence that certain criminal associates took part in Veronica Guerins murder at the Naas Road, Clondalkin on June 26, 1996.

The defence barrister further submitted to the court that it could not reject Cullens evidence and then convict his client of murder.

He noted that Cullens evidence was totally unreliable and "inconsistent" with elements of fantasy to it. Mr Condon called him a spoofer" and "a liar as well as a person who was incapable of telling the truth.

Counsel stated that it could not be accepted that Mr Braney had said to Cullen on March 5, just make sure this gets done right and make sure he (Butterly) doesnt get away. Mr Condon said the court must find that this verbal was said beyond a reasonable doubt and if it did not it must acquit his client.

The problems with Cullen are so significant and enormous that despite whatever other evidence there may be, Mr Condon said, it could never lift this witness into the category of beyond a reasonable doubt.

Furthermore, the lawyer asked the court to take into account the absence of any forensic or DNA links to his client in the case. There is also not a single iota of evidence that links Kevin Braney to phones, he added.

Paul OHiggins SC, prosecuting, opened the trial, telling the judges that it was an unusual case because gardai were already keeping an eye on movements in the area that day as a result of certain suspicions. He said that Mr Butterly had driven into the carpark of the Huntsman Inn around 1.55pm. He had parked and remained in his car.

He said that a black Peugeot 206 then drove into the carpark and parked for a few minutes. It left shortly after 2pm and was followed by an unmarked garda car.

It was around this time that a stolen Toyota Corolla was driven into the car park, he said.

The car (Toyota) then stops in front of Mr Butterlys car and two shots are fired, one through the windscreen and one through the bonnet, said Mr OHiggins. Mr Butterly, who's on his own in the car, runs..., but he doesnt get very far.

Mr OHiggins explained that two witnesses, who were waiting for their school buses, had stated that he was chased across the carpark and shot three times as he ran. The court heard that he fell and died almost immediately.

Mr Justice Coffey said the court will deliver judgment on the case early in the new year.

Mr Braney was remanded in custody until January 18 when the case is listed for mention.
Developer Michael O'Flynn, his brother John, and the O'Flynn Group, have received an apology in the High Court from NAMA over the unlawful dissemination of their personal and business information.

The O'Flynns are also to receive a substantial contribution for the costs of having had to bring a case against NAMA over the matter.

The O'Flynns and their firm sued over the leaking of the information by former NAMA officer, Enda Farrell.

Mr Farrell was given a two-year suspended jail sentence in May 2016 for unlawfully disseminating confidential NAMA information. Mr Farrell has also apologised to the O'Flynns.

In July 2016, NAMA confirmed to the O'Flynns that information about them had been leaked by Mr Farrell. However, NAMA refused to provide documentation to them after saying it was seeking guidance from the gardai.

The O'Flynns sued claiming the leaks had a material impact on the prices achieved by both them and NAMA in the disposal of the assets from 2010 and 2013 and on a significant loan sale in 2014.

The case was against NAMA, its company, National Asset Loan Management, and Mr Farrell.

The case came before Mr Justice Robert Haughton today when Michael Cush SC, for the O'Flynn side, said he was pleased to say it had been resolved on confidential terms and statements would be read to court on behalf of the defendants.

In the statement read by Paul Coughlan SC, for the NAMA defendants, it said they wanted to "unreservedly apologise to the O'Flynns that they were compelled to take these High Court proceedings before the information requested was provided to them.

"In recognition of the foregoing, NAMA has agreed to pay a substantial contribution towards the legal costs incurred by the O'Flynns related to these proceedings".

The statement also said that in 2012, Mr Farrell "unlawfully disseminated" the information of the bothers and the O'Flynn group. "It is NAMA's position that Mr Farrell acted on his own, unlawfully and without authorisation, and NAMA does not bear any legal liability for the said dissemination.

"Notwithstanding this, NAMA wishes to express its sincere regret to the O'Flynns that this should have happened."

The statement also said when it became aware of the dissemination of the information, it investigated immediately and reported it to gardai.

NAMA acknowledged the O'Flynns made "repeated requests" for the information but did not provide it until they took High Court proceedings and "deeply regrets" and apologises for that, it said.

NAMA acquired the O'Flynn loans from February 2010 onwards and acknowledged the "full co-operation of the O'Flynns since that time and during the major restructuring of their loans and subsequent sale to Carbon Finance Ltd in May 2014".

NAMA also expressed its appreciation for their agreement to resolve the proceedings on this basis.

In an apology read by Robert Dore, solicitor for Mr Farrell, he stated that in the past he "knowingly circulated" NAMA information and materials of a confidential and commercially sensitive nature in relation to the O'Flynns and their group of companies.

"I accept the said dissemination was unlawful", he said.

He apologised "earnestly and unreservedly" for this and "for all the consequences of my actions".

On the basis of that, Mr Justice Haughton struck out the case.
British Conservative MP Phillip Lee says there is no other option but to have a second referendum on Brexit.

He told RTEs Morning Ireland that he had voted in support of Prime Minister Theresa May in last nights no-confidence vote, but with the caveat that she put the issue to the country for another vote.
A pedestrian is in hospital after being hit by a van in Co Limerick.

Gardai in Bruff, Co Limerick are investigating the collision in Hospital which happened today.
Schools will be supported in planning for the use of special teachers to meet the requirements of pupils with special educational needs, Education Minister Joe McHugh says.

It follows criticism that extra special teachers will not be provided by his department next year to match rising school enrolments.

As reported by the Irish Examiner this week, the minister's officials told him in October that maintaining special teacher numbers at 13,300 will be a challenge when their hours are being distributed among the countrys 4,000 primary and second-level schools for September 2019.

When a new way of deciding each schools special teacher numbers was introduced in 2017, extra posts were created and schools were told they would not lose their initial allocation for at least two years.

An ongoing assessment of schools needs, based on a range of factors that include numbers of pupils with complex needs, social and gender background, will see some schools given extra posts next September. But at the same time, others will lose them if their overall need is deemed less than provided for two years ago.

The Special Needs Parents Association said it would be unacceptable to spread the same number of special teachers around a growing school population when the department now has data about the prevalence of pupils with varying levels of special educational needs.

A spokesperson for Mr McHugh said decisions on allocations of special education teaching hours will be made early next year.

The department is in consultation with stakeholders regarding the approach to be taken and will continue to ensure schools are supported and advised in planning for the needs of students."
The sister of Barry George, who spent eight years in prison after being wrongly convicted of the murder of TV presenter, Jill Dando, has written a book in which she thanks Irish people for their support during her campaign to have her brother freed.

BBC Crimewatch presenter Jill Dando, 37, was shot dead outside her home in Fulham, London on April 26, 1999.

Barry George was convicted and imprisoned for her murder in 2001 but was later acquitted after an appeal and retrial. The case remains unsolved.

Michelle Diskin Bates, who lived in Ballincollig, Co Cork for 40 years, conducted a lengthy campaign to have her brother Barry released from prison.

Jill Dando.

She told The Opinion Line on Cork's 96FM that she first heard her brother was a suspect in the case after she turned on the radio prior to leaving her house.

"I was getting ready to go to a ladies bible study being held in Ballincollig. I thought, 'I will turn the radio on and just have a few minutes of a listen and I will go.' And the news came on and they said that somebody had been arrested for Jill Dando's murder.

My initial thought was 'thank goodness for that. That poor family.' The next sentence was his name. That instant my life took a total change and it has never been the same since.

Michelle called her mother who told her to pray for her brother. Those words she said heralded in years of turmoil and pain.

Ms Diskin said that Jill Dando was a "one-off" broadcaster of immense talent and that police were naturally keen to solve her murder.

"A whole year after her death they didn't have anybody. They had a phonecall from a local disability centre. Barry had gone to one of those that morning.

"He was anxious and he wanted to be seen and he thought he would be seen immediately. That got him agitated. Barry has Asperger's syndrome which is a type of autism. He wasn't acting outside what was normal for him.

"The disability centre probably wouldn't have taken any notice at all only Jill Dando was killed that day. They reported their misgivings about his behaviour and a year later the police decided to check him out. There was no evidence against Barry."

She insists her strong faith in God was the only thing that got her through the tough times. She said Paddy Hill of the Bermingham Six and the Miscarriage of Justice Association helped her to fight the case.

Michelle said she looked at the evidence as dispassionately as she could and setting all emotion aside she knew that there wasn't a chance that her brother was guilty.

Barry had been one of those people who had slipped through all the cracks. When they brought on a forensic medical team that was when he was diagnosed with as many disabilities as he has.

"They said this was a clean getaway crime. If he had done it he probably would have fallen down in shock from an epileptic fit. He couldn't have walked calmly away."

She said she could never have got through the dark times without the support of her children, her faith, and the help of friends and family in Cork.

Ms Diskin Bates said she decided to write a book to provide solace to other families who are facing miscarriage of justice cases.

Barry George has not received any financial compensation for his wrongful incarceration.

Michelle now resides in the UK but Barry is still based in Cork.

Michelle says he has made friends in the city and that people have been good to him.

"Stand Against Injustice" is available in Veritas bookshops. It can also be purchased online.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will hold a bilateral meeting with British prime minister Theresa May before today's EU summit in Brussels amid growing fears of a no deal Brexit.

A spokesperson for Mr Varadkar confirmed the one-to-one meeting this morning just hours after Ms May survived a Conservatives party confidence motion by 200 votes to 117.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has been warned a second "emergency budget" will be needed next year if a Brexit breakthrough fails to materialise amid growing fears a no deal crisis could cost the State 3.6bn.

Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin warned that "emergency measures will have to be taken quickly" in a worst-case no-deal Brexit and that "all bets are off" on what could happen next.

Speaking on the outskirts of the EU summit in Brussels before an ALDE European political umbrella group meeting, Mr Martin said the escalating crisis means serious questions are arising "on a number of fronts".

Noting an ESRI report which warned a no-deal Brexit will leave a 3.6bn black hole in the Irish economy next year, Mr Martin said a second emergency budget will be needed in 2019 to cope with the fallout.

"In the event of a no-deal Brexit all bets are off in terms of budgetary matters, in terms of emergency legislation, so clearly emergency measures would have to be taken on the Irish side quite quickly.

"I would think so [that an emergency second budget would be needed], quite definitely, you're looking at a hole in the budget in our exchequer figures if the review that was published is accurate, there would be very serious issues to arise. Hopefully we won't get to that, but we don't know," he said.

While the Government did not immediately respond to the emergency second budget demand last night, the call underlines the growing fears over the impact of a no-deal Brexit on State finances and businesses throughout the country.

At a recent Oireachtas budget oversight committee meeting, Irish Fiscal Advisory Council official Martina Lawless said while Brexit is likely to cut Ireland's GDP levels by 4%, a crash-out Brexit could see the downturn double to 8%.

The same issue was raised in the Dail yesterday, with Fianna Fail again calling on the Government to publish its Brexit worst-case scenario preparedness plans.

Speaking during leaders questions, Fianna Fail deputy leader Dara Calleary said "the protracted internal politics in the UK means a no deal Brexit is moving closer every day".

Tanaiste Simon Coveney responded by saying a significant amount of work is taking place in the background to cope with all Brexit contingencies.

However, describing the lack of transparency as "pathetic" compared to the 70 plans published by the European Commission and 100 by the British government, Mr Calleary hit back.
Tesco says its Sligo store will remain open during a strike by workers there tomorrow.

Members of Mandate have downed tools as they say the company's refused to engage with workers on pay and conditions.

They've also announced two more stoppages, planned for next Friday and Saturday.

Workers from Tesco in Carrick-on-Shannon will also strike next Saturday.

Our members do not want to be on strike. No worker does, said Mandate General Secretary John Douglas.

But when a major multinational and highly profitable retailer is constantly undermining your working conditions and your right to be represented by your trade union, you are not left with many options.

You can either roll over and take it, or you can fight back and I commend the Sligo and Carrick-on-Shannon workers for choosing to fight back.

Tesco Ireland said in response: "The only organisation in this dispute not following process is Mandate.

"We would like to assure our customers that our store in Sligo will remain open tomorrow despite another unwarranted one-day strike by the trade union Mandate.

"The store will be fully open from 8am until 10pm and will continue to offer all of Tescos range of products.

"Despite the disruption, we hope customers will come to the store in the very significant numbers as they did last week when another unwelcome one-day disruption was inflicted on Sligo, its businesses and their employees. We regret this action by Mandate for our customers in the run up to Christmas.

"Tesco condemns this further unnecessary one-day strike by Mandate and its plan to run additional two-day stoppages next week in Sligo and a one-day stoppage in Carrick-on-Shannon. This strike action by Mandate is outside the company and unions agreed procedures and it is reckless by Mandate to unnecessarily disrupt these stores and these two towns when they should be benefitting from peak Christmas trade. This unwarranted strike action at this busy time in a very competitive market place will detrimentally impact our customers and therefore the stores and our colleagues in the long term.

"Mandate is making unjustified strikes out of local disputes about local issues. We call on Mandate to follow procedures which are to refer disputes to the Workplace Relations Commission. Mandate should take up the offer from the WRC for a conciliation conference on Sligo which was scheduled for October 24th but was rejected by Mandate. In Carrick-on-Shannon, the local issues have not even yet been referred back to the WRC by Mandate and the union should do this and call off this unwarranted strike action. We have always respected and remain committed to the industrial relations processes of the State.

"Tesco continues to offer the best pay and benefits in retailing and unusually for retailers, recognises Mandate. Against a very challenging and competitive market place and retail price deflation, we awarded a 2% pay increase in April and between 2% and 5% bonus this year for in scope colleagues. This means that most colleagues have received a combined benefit of between 4% and 7% in 2018 alone. The 2% pay award is on top of a combined 6% pay increase already awarded to colleagues, which delivers a combined 8% pay increase since 2015. These pay increases and our overall terms of employment still remain better in many respects to those of our competitors in the market and in a difficult competitive environment.

"Along with offering our staff the best pay and benefits in our sector, we're really proud to continue to receive from our colleagues official accreditation as a Great Place to Work. We are the only retailer to give every colleague a banded hour contract guaranteeing them minimum hours each week across all of our stores and more than 50% of our colleagues work 30 hours or more every week. We are also the only retailer to give all colleagues their rosters four weeks in advance."

Mr Douglas said he had written to the company in an attempt to avoid these strikes with very clear and concise demands. He explained: We explained to Tesco management how this strike and further strikes can be prevented by asking them to answer three simple questions:

"1. In the case of Tesco Sligo and Tesco Carrick-on-Shannon, is Tesco agreeable to jointly referring issues in dispute to the WRC and onwards to the Labour Court if necessary?

"2. Pending the resolution of these issues, is Tesco prepared to revert to the status quo in regard to all issues in dispute?

"3. As previously requested, is Tesco prepared to fully adhere to all existing collective agreements and follow in good faith all existing procedures and dispute resolution both now and in the future?

"If Tesco answer in the affirmative to all three questions, this strike does not need to go ahead and the company will be giving real expression to the fact that they recognise their workers union, respect workers and their voice at work, and is truly a great place to work.

"If they refuse to answer or say no, it should become clear to all that Tescos real agenda is about de-recognising their workers right to be represented by a trade union and undermining their working conditions.
Tom Cotton, the junior United States senator from Arkansas. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call,Inc.

The First Step Act will get a Senate vote before the end of 2018, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced on Tuesday. At the request of the president and following improvements to the legislation that have been secured by several members, the Senate will take up the revised criminal justice bill this month, the Kentucky Republican said. Hailed as a rare bipartisan effort, the bill is the brainchild of Illinois Democrat Dick Durbin and Republican Chuck Grassley of Iowa. Among its provisions are a softening of federal mandatory-minimum sentencing requirements, retroactive application of the 2010 Fair Sentencing Act  which sought to reduce disparities between crack and powder cocaine possession punishments  and an increase in credits inmates can earn to shorten their sentences. The bill is being co-sponsored by legislators as disparate ideologically as Utahs Mike Lee and New Yorks Kirsten Gillibrand. Ill be waiting with a pen, President Donald Trump said in November, signaling his intention to sign the bill into law. This is a big breakthrough for a lot of people  Theyve been talking about this for many, many years.

Tom Cotton, certainly, has been. The Arkansas Republican is the First Step Acts most vocal opponent in the Senate, and a key reason why McConnell was hesitant to take it up in the first place, fearing it would be too divisive within his party. Cotton opposed similar legislation when a related bill died under the Obama administration in 2016. If anything, we have an under-incarceration problem, the 41-year-old said during a speech at the Hudson Institute that year. Youre releasing thousands of serious, repeat, [and] in some cases violent offenders within weeks or months of this bill being passed, he told Fox News Tucker Carlson on Tuesday, criticizing the First Step Act. Its almost certain that theyre going to commit terrible crimes. The recidivism risk posed by shorter sentences has been Cottons main talking point, which he has repeated in TV spots, tweets, and op-eds. [The] First Step Act allows violent felons and sex offenders to be released early, he said in a statement on Tuesday. [It] is surprising to me that conservatives  have faith that government bureaucrats can judge the state of a felons soul and predict his future behavior, he wrote for the National Review.

As Ive written before, the lens of partisan division is wrong for understanding criminal-justice policy. Democrats and Republicans have spent decades united in their zeal for shuffling people in and out of prisons and jails, as evidenced by the steady growth  and racial asymmetry  of Americas incarcerated population, regardless of which party is in power. The First Step Act furthers that bipartisan cooperation, only this time by stemming some of the systems excesses and easing the torment of federal prison for many incarcerated people and their families. But it is almost comically incremental in the face of such a massive crisis. And much can be gleaned about the worldview of a senator who, facing the prospect of such minor changes and in defiance of many of his fellow conservatives, still insists that the problem is the opposite  that America does not lock up enough people, and that releasing them from prison poses a fundamental threat to public safety because they are likely to reoffend.

Though it is, of course, not possible to know what is in a persons soul, it is also not necessary to do so to estimate the risk that they will recidivate. Statistics can serve as a guide, as Cotton has indicated by deploying them liberally. The senator would have Americans believe that the First Step Act is going to accelerate the countrys recidivism problem, as he described it to Fox News  that, by shortening sentences and releasing prisoners earlier than expected, Americans risk the wiles of the [five] out of six prisoners [who] end up rearrested within nine years, as he wrote for the Wall Street Journal in August.

By using arrests as a metric, Cotton is ascribing criminality to people who have not been convicted of crimes, but even had he not, his statistics do not apply to the population the First Step Act addresses. The bill is federal legislation that would apply to federal prisons and jails  which, at 225,000 inmates, house about 10 percent of Americas roughly 2.2 million incarcerated people. This minority is distinct from those incarcerated locally or in state facilities, who Cottons statistics describe, in key ways. Among other distinguishing factors, the largest share of federally incarcerated people  46 percent  are locked up for drug offenses, and overwhelmingly, drug trafficking, compared to 16 percent in local jails and state prisons. According to a study from the United States Sentencing Commission that tracked recidivism over eight years for people released from federal prisons in 2005, about 26 percent of those set free were convicted of another crime within five years  the time span over which the vast majority of such convictions occurred. That rate was significantly higher for people in state prisons, at 44.9 percent.

Considering that Cotton cites statistics about state prisoners to stoke fear about federal prisoners  who, by and large, are convicted of different crimes and recidivate at lower rates  it should surprise no one that he also relies on his own dubious determinations around what constitutes a violent offense. It is naive to think that dealing cocaine and taking part in its import and distribution is nonviolent, Cotton spokeswoman Caroline Rabbitt told the Washington Post in 2016, explaining the senators opposition to past reforms. Thats a fantasy created by the bills supporters and no serious federal law enforcement expert would agree with it. Many Americans would probably disagree that selling cocaine amounts to a violent crime. But Cottons argument is most appealing where such terms are vague and malleable enough to place a dime-bag sale and decapitating your neighbor in the same rhetorical bucket. The endgame is fear either way. But broadly speaking, the logic fueling Cottons philosophy of incarceration  as it can be understood through his public statements  leaves ominously unanswered the question of how far he is willing to go to mitigate all public safety risks associated with recidivism.

Indeed, it is naive to claim that recidivism is rare, or overwhelmingly benign. People often leave federal or state prisons only to later be arrested, charged, or convicted of subsequent offenses  including many that fit a more widely accepted criteria of violence than Cottons. It is also misleading to say that harsher punishment is a reliable deterrent. The data supporting such arguments is inconclusive, at best, and in many cases demonstrates the impact of longer prison terms on recidivism is small, bordering on neutral. But that has not stopped Cotton from accepting the mandatory-minimums logic of crime reduction as self-evident. His opposition to the First Step Act rests on the notion that all incarcerated people are a recidivism risk, and said risk is sufficient grounds to justify keeping them in prison for as long as possible. He may have a point. Theoretically, one can eliminate crime entirely if one is willing to lock up everyone forever. One can accomplish a more modest version of this goal by incarcerating everyone convicted of crimes until they are at least 60 years old, at which point the likelihood of recidivism  which is determined by age more than practically any other metric  is at its lowest. But the truth is most incarcerated people are eventually released. The length of time they spend behind bars varies, but there is no proof it significantly alters the likelihood that they commit future crimes when they get out either way, as Cotton seems to believe. The only definitive solution to the problem Cotton identifies is to ensure that incarcerated people simply stay incarcerated. It is a seductive theory of risk elimination. But it is utterly incompatible with the free society the United States claims to be.
A man survived five hours submerged in icy water after crashing car into a river.

Emergency services were called at around 5.20am on Wednesday after a car was spotted submerged in California's Klamath River.

When officers from the California Highway Patrol and Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office arrived at the scene they found a red Ford Fusion in the water and began work to pull it out of the water with the help of a tow truck.

For nearly five hours, authorities say that 28-year-old Michael Finn survived in the freezing waters of the Klamath River following an early-morning crash that flipped his car upside-down into the rushing waters. https://t.co/LzV7PAQbmF  NewsWatch 12 (@KDRV) December 12, 2018

When the vehicle was removed just before 8am - more than two and a half hours after the emergency call - they found 28-year-old Michael Finn still alive inside.

Mr Finn told officers he believed he had crashed at around 3am - around five hours before the rescue.

He was able to survive by breathing from a pocket of air inside the car.

He was taken to a local medical centre and treated for exposure.
The Supreme Court in England has ruled that parts of a Brexit bill passed by the Scottish Government would be outside its legislative powers.

Seven justices unanimously held today that, although the Scottish Bill "as a whole" is not outside Holyrood's powers, the parts of it which would "modify" UK law would be.

The court's president Lady Hale said: "We wish to make it clear that it is no part of our function to determine or to influence the political questions which underlie this dispute.

"Our role is a purely legal one."

Lady Hale explained that the Scottish Bill "provides for the continued validity in Scots law of retained European Union law" and was passed in March, before the UK's EU exit bill.

Law officers were able to refer the bill to the court before it received Royal Assent, so the court could rule on whether it would be within the legislative powers granted to the Scottish Parliament by the Scotland Act.

The judge said Section 17 of the bill - which was successfully challenged by the law officers - had the effect of modifying part of the Scotland Act as it would "render the effect of laws made by the UK Parliament, conferring powers on UK ministers in relation to Scotland, conditional on the consent of the Scottish ministers.

She also said that the UK Parliament's European Union (Withdrawal) Act "changes the legal landscape" and is "protected from modification".

Lady Hale said this prevents the Scottish Bill from "amending, superseding, disapplying or repealing provisions of that Act", and said, therefore, parts of it would be "outside the legislative competence" of Holyrood.

In the ruling, the justices said: "Withdrawal from the EU will result in legislative powers, which are currently vested in EU institutions, being transferred to institutions within the UK.

"There has been and is a political debate as to which institutions within the UK should best exercise those powers in the public interest.

"It is not the role of this court to form or express any view on those questions of policy, which are the responsibility of our elected representatives and in which the wider civil society has an interest.

"Our role is simply to determine as a matter of law whether and to what extent the Scottish Bill would be within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament."
gaspr13/iStock(ALVIN, Texas) -- Authorities are saying a teen girl out for a jog "did everything right" as she managed to escape an alleged kidnapper.



The 15-year-old was out for a run in Alvin, Texas, an idyllic suburb south of Houston on the Gulf Coast, at 9:20 p.m. on Dec. 2 when a man repeatedly drove his truck past the teen, according to the Brazoria County Sheriff's Office. The man eventually pulled over and approached the girl and wrapped his arms around her.



"The victim reports that she began to scream for help and was able to fight the suspect off when they fell to the ground," according to the sheriff's office.



Three days after the attempted abduction, sheriff's investigators were in the area conducting interviews when they found a Chevrolet truck matching the description given by the girl, authorities said. The driver fled before being cut off by the sheriffs.



Steven Salazar, 22, was identified as the driver and arrested on a charge of reckless driving.



"Salazar fit the description given of the attempted abductor, however, he denied having any contact with the victim or any involvement with the incident," the Brazoria County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.



He was booked on the reckless driving charge on Dec. 6, but was released from custody.



After Salazar "gave several inconsistent stories about the incident," he was arrested for attempted kidnapping on Tuesday. Salazar has also been charged with evading arrest, according to jail records.



He is being held on $45,000 bond for the two charges.



"She did everything right to survive this," Brazoria County Sheriff's Lt. Varon Snelgrove told Houston ABC station KTRK.



The Brazoria County Sheriff's Office is still asking anyone who may have been approached in a similar manner to contact them at 1-800-460-2222.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Over the weekend, three deacons were ordained, including a Palestinian refugee in Jordan. For Fr Ibrahim, Patriarchate chancellor, there are still witnesses of faith and affiliation with Christ in a situation marked by conflict. Advent is a source of joy shared with Muslims. There is growing feeling of devotion among the young.

Jerusalem (AsiaNews)  The three diaconal ordinations celebrated over the weekend are "a sign of the vitality of the Church in the Holy Land," said Fr Ibrahim Shomali, chancellor of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, speaking to AsiaNews.

In a context still shaped "by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, there are still people who bear witness to the faith and affiliation to Christ in his homeland," added Fr Shomali, who, together with Mgr Pizzaballa, presided over one of the three celebrations.

"Of the three, the ordination of a Palestinian, a refugee in Jordan, was especially important, he explained. Through his own vocational choice, he placed himself at the service of the local Church. This is very important because places of worship without pastors and faithful are empty, dead."

Last Saturday, the day of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the first ordination took place, that of Br Marlon Trinidad Mendez Pavon, 38, who was ordained deacon at the Church of Saint Saviour in Jerusalem. Mgr Girelli together with the Custos of the Holy Land Fr Francesco Patton led the service.

Two months ago, the new Franciscan made his solemn vows, after moving from the Mount Nebo convent. The devotion to Our Lady is rooted in Fr Mendezs country of origin, Nicaragua, where every year, on 7 December, people celebrate "La Griteria" (Shouting) festival, a tradition that began in Leon and then spread across the country.

Ala 'Saleem Jissa B'air was ordained deacon by the Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Mgr Pierbattista Pizzaballa, in the Church of the Annunciation in Beit Jala, last Sunday. Fr Ibrahim Shomali and Fr Yacoub Rafidi, rector of the patriarchal seminary in Beit Jala, concelebrated the service.

The new deacon entered the Beit Jala seminary in 2007 and, after a discernment of almost 12 years, received his ordination.

"The vocations that are born and mature in the Holy Land confirm that we are a living reality, ready to serve those who live in this region, Fr Shomali explained. Br Ala 'Saleem was born here and has lived here; he is a child of this land.

However, the task of protecting the land and making it grow "falls on all Christians, even those who come from outside and whose vocational choice matures here. The whole world has a great responsibility towards the Church in the Holy Land."

After a difficult period, the situation "seems to be improving" for Christians, noted the Patriarchate chancellor. Pilgrimages, which are up this year, are going very well, confirmation" of this trend.

Although politically, "there are no hopes for a better future", unless "leaders mindset changes, we must continue to tend to peace and dialogue through faith. For us, Advent is a time of great joy and even Muslims seem to share in it."

In terms of celebrations, various initiatives are planned, from Masses to moments of prayer, from giving gifts to children to actions of solidarity.

In addition, there is a growing feeling of devotion that gives hope for the future, especially among the young and the new generations who are seeking more intensively the encounter with Christ."
A Green New Deal is the name of our desire. Photo: Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Frederick Douglass wasnt exaggerating: Power really does concede nothing without a demand  not even a plan to make a plan to prevent the powerfuls own grandkids from perishing in the end-times.

As of few weeks ago, congressional Democrats had no clear vision for how they intended to develop a clear vision for tackling climate change. The partys leading 2020 contenders had put forward ambitious policies on health care, housing, criminal justice, the racial wealth gap, child care, wage stagnation, corporate governance reform, and legal ganja  but virtually nothing on the small issue of how to ensure that human civilization outlives Barron Trump.

And then Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez arrived in Washington  and brought hundreds of activists from the Sunrise Movement and Justice Democrats along with her. One month and two occupations of Nancy Pelosis office later, the Green New Deal has become the hottest idea in Democratic politics. More than 20 members of Congress have called for a select committee dedicated to developing a draft bill of the Green New Deal. Chuck Schumer has informed Donald Trump that Democrats will not support any infrastructure bill, unless its a green, New Deal-esque infrastructure bill. And the political press is chock-full of headlines like, How Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezs Green New Deal Might Help Save the Planet, and Is the Green New Deal the Only Way Forward?

All of which has led the boldly naive to ask, What, exactly, is a Green New Deal?

The answer will depend on whom you ask.

To the median Democrat, a Green New Deal is just a fancy name for an infrastructure bill that includes significant investments in renewable energy, and climate resiliency. To the progressive think tank Data for Progress, its a comprehensive plan for America to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, through a combination of massive public investment in renewables, smart grids, battery technology, and resiliency; turbocharged environmental regulations; and policies that promote urbanization, reforestation, wetland restoration, and soil sustainability  all designed with an eye toward achieving full employment, and advancing racial justice.

But to the American lefts most utopian reformists, the Green New Deal is shorthand for an ambition even more sweeping. More precisely, it is a means of conveying their vision for radical change to a popular audience, by way of analogy.

Eighty years ago, the United States was faced with a malign force that threatened to eradicate the possibility of decent civilization. We responded by entrusting our elected government to reorganize our economy, and concentrate our nations resources on nullifying the Axis threat. In the process, America not only defeated fascism abroad, but consolidated a progressive transformation of its domestic political economy. The war effort affirmed the public sectors competence at directing economic activity, fostered unprecedented levels of social solidarity  and, in so doing, banished laissez-faire from the realm of respectable opinion. In the course of a decade, ideas from the far-left fringe of American thought became pillars of Establishment consensus: Very serious people suddenly agreed that it was legitimate for the state to enforce collective bargaining rights, impose steeply progressive income taxes, administer redistributive social programs, subsidize home ownership, and promote full employment. The New Deal ceased to be a single presidents ad hoc recovery program, and became a consensus economic model. An unprecedented contraction in economic inequality ensued; the most prosperous middle-class in human history was born.

Many contemporary leftists believe this history is worth repeating: Just as the fight against fascism facilitated a democratic transition from laissez-faire to Keynesian liberalism, so the fight for climate sustainability can shepard America out of neoliberalism, and into ecofriendly, intersectional, democratic socialism.

The last time we had a really major existential threat to this country was around World War II, and so weve been here before and we have a blueprint of doing this before Ocasio-Cortez told supporters in October. What we did was that we chose to mobilize our entire economy and industrialized our entire economy and we put hundreds of thousands if not millions of people to work  a mobilization that the congresswoman-elect sees as a potential path towards a more equitable economy with increased employment and widespread financial security for all.

The climate journalist Kate Aronoff offers this portrait of the future Green New Dealers want:

ITS THE SPRING of 2043, and Gina is graduating college with the rest of her class. She had a relatively stable childhood. Her parents availed themselves of some of the year of paid family leave they were entitled to, and after that she was dropped off at a free child care program.

Pre-K and K-12 were also free, of course, but so was her time at college, which she began after a year of public service, during which she spent six months restoring wetlands and another six volunteering at a day care much like the one she had gone to.

Now that shes graduated, its time to think about what to do with her life. Without student debt, the options are broad. She also wont have to worry about health insurance costs, since everyone is now eligible for Medicare. Like most people, she isnt extraordinarily wealthy, so she can live in public, rent-controlled housing  not in the underfunded, neglected units were accustomed to seeing in the United States, but in one of any number of buildings that the countrys top architects have competed for the privilege to design, featuring lush green spaces, child care centers, and even bars and restaurants.

.For work, she trained to become a high-level engineer at a solar panel manufacturer, though some of her friends are going into nursing and teaching. All are well-paid, unionized positions, and are considered an essential part of the transition away from fossil fuels, updates about which are broadcast over the nightly news.

This vision is compelling  and, on a substantive level, so is Ocasio-Cortezs historical analogy. In the long run, climate change surely poses as great a threat to the United States (and to liberal democratic governance) as the Nazis ever did. And a rational response to the climate threat quite clearly requires a drastic expansion of state-economic planning, and thus, an overhaul of the American political economy  so, while were renovating things, why not install that Nordic welfare state weve been eyeing, take down some of the hideous structures white supremacy built, and pare back that overgrown financial industry?

But when viewed through a strictly political lens, the analogy breaks down. The Axis powers posed an immediate threat to many American capitalists, and their overseas investments  while U.S. victory in the war promised corporate America a bonanza. This self-interest dampened corporate resistance to FDRs mobilization of the war economy, which itself massively increased the leverage of American labor. Securing global hegemony for American capital required victory, and victory required maintaining labor peace in a context of full employment. Unions could deliver the latter, and thus, were in a position to demand concessions. With that leverage, they secured maintenance of membership rules that allowed them to count all new employees at unionized plants as members, and immediately charge them dues; as a result, a record-high 35.5 percent of the nonagricultural labor force was unionized by 1945.

By contrast, climate change poses less of an immediate threat to Americas contemporary economic elites than the Green New Deal does. The Koch Network fears the euthanasia of the fossil fuel industry  and confiscatory top tax rates  a lot more than rising sea levels. Thus, corporate resistance to World War IIesque state-led mobilization to combat climate change (let alone, an avowedly socialist one) is certain to be immense. And given the conservative movements tightening grip over the federal judiciary, and red Americas increasingly disproportionate influence over state governments and the Senate, Green New Dealers would need to defeat near-unanimous corporate opposition on a playing field sharply tilted to their rivals advantage.

Further, replicating FDRs model will take more than just winning power. Consolidating the New Deal order required the Democratic Party to maintain continuous control of the White House for two decades. Considering the contemporary partisan alignment  and existence of presidential term limits  it seems unlikely that a pro-Green New Deal governing coalition would retain power long enough to turn core aspects of its radical agenda into pillars of a new bipartisan consensus.

None of this is to suggest that the Green New Deal isnt a worthwhile ideal. In an era replete with dystopias, and starved for futures to believe in, Aronoffs (modest) utopia is a welcome intervention. Rather, my intention is merely to spark discussion of the following question: If persuading a couple dozen Democrats to support a select committee to draft a Green New Deal (which many of them understand as a little more than a climate-centric infrastructure stimulus) took repeatedly occupying Nancy Pelosis office, what will it take to institutionalize 100 percent renewable social democracy atop the ruins of the fossil fuel industry?

In lieu of an answer to that daunting query, let me offer a take on (what I believe to be) a related one.

Earlier this week, Neera Tanden of the Center for American Progress asked (in so many words) why certain progressives were cheering the yellow vests protests in France.

I dont understand why any progressive is cheering French protesters who are amassing against a carbon tax.  Neera Tanden (@neeratanden) December 8, 2018

And on one level, Tandens bafflement was justified. Theres little doubt that significant portions of the French protest movement are deeply reactionary, on questions of both climate policy and immigration. And regardless of the Marcon regimes broader failings and provocations, the fact that an ambitious effort at carbon pricing was met with an insurrection is sure to weaken the hand of anyone pushing for similar policies in other countries.

And yet, the yellow vest protests didnt just demonstrate that carbon taxes can provoke popular backlash (at least, when paired with austerity and tax breaks for the rich)  they also served as a reminder that it is still possible for ordinary people to change political realities within their governing institutions, by practicing politics outside of them. Grassroots, social-media-powered political organizing can fuel reactionary movements and genocides; but it can also trigger teachers strikes.

Were going to need carbon taxes to get where Green New Dealers wish to take us. But well also need a dash of mass civil disobedience (or at least, a million millennial march or two).
Latest: A man suspected of being the gunman who killed three people near a Christmas market in Strasbourg died in a shootout with police on Thursday following a two-day manhunt.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said the dead man's identity has not been confirmed yet.

But Mr Castaner said the "individual corresponds to the description of the person sought since Tuesday night", 29-year-old Cherif Chekatt.

A top police official also said "everything indicates" the man was Chekatt.

Hooded police officers block the access in the Meinau district in Strasbourg, eastern France. AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias

Mr Castaner said the suspect opened fire on police when officials tried to arrest him.

"The moment they tried to arrest him, he turned around and opened fired. They replied," Mr Castaner said.

A local police official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the man who shot at police was armed with a pistol and a knife.

The shooting occurred in the Neudorf neighbourhood of Strasbourg, where police searched intensively earlier Thursday for Chekatt.

Chekatt is accused of killing three people and wounding 13 on Tuesday night.

Mr Castaner said earlier Thursday that three of the injured had been released from hospital and three others were fighting for their lives.

More than 700 officers were deployed to find Chekatt, who had a long criminal record and had been flagged for extremism, government spokesman, Benjamin Griveaux told CNews television.

Asked about the instructions they received, Mr Griveaux said the focus was catching Chekatt "as soon as possible", dead or alive, and to "put an end to the manhunt".

Security forces, including the elite Raid squad, spent two hours searching in Neudorf on Thursday based on "supposition only" that Chekatt could have been hiding in a building nearby two days after the attack, a French police official said.

Chekatt grew up in Neudorf.

Chekatt allegedly shouted "God is great!" in Arabic and sprayed gunfire from a security zone near the Christmas market Tuesday evening.

Authorities said he was wounded during an exchange of fire with security forces and a taxi driver dropped him off in Neudorf after he escaped.

Prosecutors opened a terror investigation.

So far, five people have been arrested and remanded in custody in connection with the investigation, including Chekatt's parents and two of his brothers.

The Paris prosecutor's office said the fifth, who was arrested Thursday at an undisclosed location, was a member of Chekatt's "entourage" but not a family member.

Police distributed a photo of Chekatt, with the warning: "Individual dangerous, above all do not intervene."

France has raised its three-stage threat index to the highest level since the attack and deployed 1,800 additional soldiers across the country to help patrol streets and secure crowded events.

French authorities said Chekatt, born in Strasbourg, appeared on a watch list of people flagged for extremist views.

They said he had 27 criminal convictions, receiving the first at the age of 13.

The people who died in the attack included a Thai tourist, 45-year-old Anupong Suebsamarn, according to the Thai Foreign Ministry.

Five of the wounded were in serious condition, the prefecture of the Strasbourg region said.

French President Emmanuel Macron was in Brussels on Thursday for a European Union summit.

EU leaders held a minute of silence for the latest victims of a mass shooting in France.

Hundreds of people gathered in Strasbourg's 500-year-old cathedral Thursday evening to mourn and seek comfort.

"Evil does not prevail," Archbishop Luc Ravel said.

"And the message of Christmas has not been contradicted but rather confirmed by Tuesday's dramatic night: Evil and good are both there, but in the end the good will have last word."

Strasbourg's usually busy streets were eerily empty on Thursday morning, with a heavy police and military presence.

Some lit candles and brought flowers to a makeshift memorial at the site of the attack.

"You can feel a very heavy atmosphere due all these events," said resident Lucille Romance.

"People are in a state of shock and are avoiding getting out of their house."

The Islamic State's Amaq news agency claimed the gunman was a "soldier" of the group.

Update 8:44pm: A suspect has been killed in a Strasbourg shootout with French police searching for the alleged gunman who killed three people near a Christmas market on Tuesday.

The shooting occurred in the Neudorf neighbourhood, where police conducted a search earlier for Cherif Chekatt, a 29-year-old born in Strasbourg who police had named as the suspect.

A man opened fire on police on Thursday night, and police responded, killing him, sources said.

Reuters news agency reports the suspected gunman who killed three people at a Christmas market in Strasbourg on Tuesday has been killed according to two police sources  Sky News Breaking (@SkyNewsBreak) December 13, 2018

A local police official said the man who opened fire was armed with a pistol and a knife.

Update 3.55pm: Dozens of officers have sealed off part of southern Strasbourg as they look for a suspected terrorist accused of shooting dead three people.

It is understood the neighbourhood is the last place 29-year-old Cherif Chekatt was seen.

One French police official said security forces, including the elite Raid squad, were taking action based on a "supposition only" that Chekkat could be hiding in a nearby building.

Asked about instructions given to police forces searching for Chekatt, government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said the focus was on catching the suspect "as soon as possible," no matter whether he was dead or alive, and "put an end to the manhunt".

The number of people killed in a shooting attack on Strasbourg's Christmas market has risen to three.

More than 700 police officers are still searching for the suspect.

Earlier: Strasbourg Christmas market gunman 'wanted dead or alive'

French security forces have said they are trying to catch the gunman suspected of attacking a Christmas market dead or alive.

The attack in Strasbourg left three people dead and wounded 13 others, including five who are in a serious condition.

More than 700 officers are involved in the manhunt for 29-year-old Cherif Chekatt, who had been flagged for extremism, government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said. Prosecutors have opened a terror investigation into Tuesday's attack.

Police have distributed a photo of Chekatt, who was wounded in an exchange of fire with security forces, with the warning: "Individual dangerous, above all do not intervene."

The government raised the terror alert level nationwide and deployed 1,800 additional soldiers across France to help patrol streets and secure crowded events.

Mr Griveaux also called on the "yellow vest" protesters not to take to the streets, as some members of the movement have planned a fifth round of demonstrations on Saturday across France to demand tax relief.

Strasbourg was in mourning, with candles lit and flowers left at the site of the attack. The Christmas market was closed at least again on Thursday.

On Wednesday evening, people prayed and sang in the nearby Protestant Church Saint-Pierre-le-Jeune.

Pastor Philippe Eber said this is a moment "to think of those who died in this city because of violence. We also are thinking about all of those who weep for them, the families".

Strasbourg resident Tassia Konstantinidis said "it's important to have a period of mourning and to remember the victims".

The dead included Thai tourist Anupong Suebsamarn, who was 45.

Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said one Italian was among the wounded, in critical condition. The Europhonica radio consortium said Antonio Megalizzi, 28, was in Strasbourg to follow the session of the European Parliament when he was shot.

French authorities said that the suspect, born in Strasbourg, had run-ins with police from the age of 10 and his first conviction was at 13.

Chekatt had been convicted 27 times, mostly in France but also in Switzerland and Germany, for crimes including armed robbery. He had been flagged for extremism and was on a watch list.

- PA
Photo: Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

In a July 2015 interview with Vox, Bernie Sanders  Americas most prominent democratic socialist  famously dismissed the idea of open borders as a Koch brothers proposal. Pressed by host Ezra Klein, who suggested that sharply increasing immigration to the United States would make a lot of the global poor richer, Sanders elaborated:

Thats a right-wing proposal that says essentially that there is no United States If you believe in a nation-state, in a country called the United States you have an obligation, in my view, to do everything we can to help poor people. What right-wing people in this country would love is an open-border policy. Bring in all kinds of people, work for $2 or $3 an hour. That would be great for them. I dont believe in that.

As a matter of practical politics, Sanders was only half-right. Its true that full-blown open-border advocates tend to be free-market libertarians. But under Trump, immigration restriction has become signature right-wing policy, while support among Democrats for more open immigration has skyrocketed. Thanks to the efforts of activist Sean McElwee, Abolish ICE has even become a rallying cry on the socialist left  one that Sanders embraced earlier this year, perhaps unaware of McElwees own view that socialism should strive for a radical flattening of the global income distribution.

Yet a new book by the conservative commentator and Atlantic columnist Reihan Salam says, in essence, that Bernie got it right the first time. In Melting Pot or Civil War?, Salam argues that although the United States embrace of large-scale, low-skill immigration over the past decades hasnt been a plot by libertarian billionaires to hoodwink liberals into helping them create a highly unequal society  one in which pampered urban professionals benefit from the cheap labor of an impoverished and politically quiescent immigrant workforce  it might as well have been, since thats where were headed. A labor-friendly reformicon, Salam argues that America desperately needs to shift toward a more skills-based immigration system while investing far more in helping immigrants and their children climb their way out of social marginalization and poverty. Without a new middle-class melting pot, he warns, we may soon find ourselves in a country where class politics fuse fully with color politics, looking back wistfully on the halcyon politics of the Trump years.

One obvious objection to a book subtitled A Son of Immigrants Makes the Case Against Open Borders (Salam is a second-generation Bangladeshi-American) is that no one is really making the case for open borders. Or at least, no one who matters. Reviewing the book in Foreign Affairs (where I work), Noah Smith argues that although open borders are a darling of intellectual libertarian circles, these libertarian intellectuals are a nonfactor in national politics. All that one does by decrying open borders is to rebut these libertarians  an exercise with little relevance to the wider political debate.

But the unpopularity of the libertarians is precisely Salams point. He divides advocates for increased immigration into two camps. On the one hand are the standard-issue immigration activists of the left. Domestically, these people support egalitarian policies, and while they dont necessarily advocate for the total abolition of national borders, they believe that the United States should be far more welcoming to foreigners, many more of whom deserve the opportunities that come with living in a rich, developed nation. On the other hand are the bullet-biters: the wonkier, more rigorous advocates of increased immigration  many of them the libertarians mentioned by Smith  who forthrightly acknowledge that open borders and domestic equality simply cant coexist. Salams argument is not really with the bullet-biters, who know perfectly well that mass low-skilled immigration comes with serious tradeoffs. Its with the liberal and leftist advocates of increased immigration who, seemingly having failed to think through the implications of their own position, are making common cause with the libertarians, who gleefully suggest that open borders could turn America into Elysium.

But why, exactly, is low-skill immigration a threat to domestic equality? Unlike most immigration skeptics, Salam more or less dismisses the idea that low-skill immigration drives down wages for native workers. It helps some natives and may hurt others, but the effect is small either way, and the biggest impact of immigration is on the earnings of immigrants themselves. Thats not to say theres no impact on the economy. Low-skill immigration changes how the structure of the economy develops over time. Given a plentiful supply of cheap labor, businesses will be relatively less inclined to invest in technology, skewing investment toward low-wage, low-productivity work. (Conversely, high-tech economies like Swedens struggle mightily to employ low-skill immigrants, which is why the bullet-biters tend to favor abolishing labor regulations and minimum-wage laws.) Why invest billions in self-driving cars if you have Uber drivers from Malawi happy to work for $3 an hour? For the bullet-biters, theres no reason to object: The drivers are happy to get out of Malawi, and we Americans get cheaper services. But do we really want to be waited on by a foreign service caste making sub-poverty wages?

Salams main concern is with these potential impacts on our social structure. He fears a future in which wealthy whites and Asians wall themselves off from the rest of society, and low-wage immigrants and their offspring constitute a new underclass. Immigration advocates often dismiss such concerns by pointing to Americas success in assimilating past waves of immigrants, as well as to contemporary success stories, like the immigrant co-founder of Google, Sergey Brin. Sure, it may be tough for the first-generation Uber drivers, but their kids will grow up speaking English, work their way into the middle class, and become part of the American mainstream. So why worry? Arent immigrants doing fine?

It depends what you mean by immigrant. As Salam argues, the immigrants who are doing well tend to be those who were already doing well before they got here. Indian immigrants, for instance, have little trouble entering the American middle class. But most Indians have been triple selected by the time they arrive  they enter via high-skill worker visas, which means theyve passed through Indias competitive higher education system, which in turn means theyre probably from a wealthier and more educated family. Low-skill immigrants, on the other hand, can easily get stuck on the bottom rungs of an American class system with punishingly few opportunities for the non-college educated. Somewhere between a third and half of noncitizens have incomes low enough to qualify either them or their dependents for means-tested programs, and this poverty can be transmitted intergenerationally: For immigrants who enter the country with 12 years of schooling or fewer, employment rates decrease from the first to the second generation and from the second generation to the third. A 2013 study from the National Academy of Sciences estimated the average immigrant without a high-school diploma could cost $115,000 in benefits paid out over a 75-year period. The bullet-biters propose to solve the cost problem by limiting immigrants access to welfare programs, or simply paring back the welfare state altogether. But for Salam, condemning these people to even more desperate poverty is not an attractive option.

Similarly, nearly all immigrants are assimilating in one way or another, but what they are assimilating to depends a lot on the skills and social capital they bring with them. Many point to rising whiteHispanic intermarriage rates and the related phenomenon of ethnic attrition  the tendency of mixed whiteHispanic kids to identify as white-only in later generations  as evidence that immigrantnative ethnic boundaries will eventually disappear. But according to Salam, current patterns of intermarriage could actually make ethnic distinctions between whites and Hispanics worsen over time. This is because there are major differences within the Hispanic ethnic group. Among native-born Hispanic women, the college educated are three times more likely to marry whites than are the non-college educated. As wealthier, more educated Hispanics marry outside their group and abandon their Hispanic identity, those who remain will tend to be poorer and more socially segregated from the American mainstream (a process Salam refers to as racialization), and Hispanic ethnicity will become more closely associated with disadvantage than it is today.

Salams point is that we cant simply assume that things will be fine. Assimilating the wave of European immigrants that peaked around 1900 didnt just happen by magic  those immigrants entered a rapidly expanding economy with a huge demand for low-skilled labor; immigration restriction in the 1920s broke up ethnic enclaves; and the post-WWII boom vaulted vast numbers of Irish, Italians, Jews, and Eastern Europeans into the newly minted white middle class. Its true that we can help poor immigrants and their kids enter the middle class, but we have to make a conscious decision to do so, or else were going to end up with more inequality, more racial and ethnic tension, and a more divided society.

Salam has a few suggestions for how to get out of this mess. As an immediate policy fix, he calls for a one-time amnesty for the undocumented population in order to bring them and their children more fully into American society. Second, he advocates for a more selective, skills-based immigration system similar to the Canadian one, which in addition to its fiscal benefits (high-skill immigrants pay more into the system than they take out), would help ensure that new arrivals are not entering the poorest reaches of American society and getting stuck there. And third, he wants to invest more into fighting the intergenerational transmission of poverty among poor immigrants and their U.S.-born children. His proposal here  a universal child credit of between $1,000 and $3,000  is somewhat wonky, and feels a little slight given the seemingly existential stakes laid out in the rest of the book. But the idea that America should be willing to spend a little to fight the formation of a racialized underclass seems fundamentally sound.

Something did occur to me while reading this book, however. Salam fears that more of the same on immigration could lead to a sort of dual radicalization: On the left, growing numbers of poor millenials of color will come to resent and reject a white power structure from which they feel fundamentally alienated, while on the right, whites  as well as the middle-class Asians and Hispanics with whom they intermarry  will come to fear members of the underclass who wish to confiscate and redistribute their wealth. By contrast, if more of our immigrants were highly skilled, they would comfortably blend into the post-white cultural mainstream and racial tensions would dissipate. But if you spend much time on the internet, youre likely to notice that the most inflammatory left-wing rhetoric on race isnt coming from the damnes de la terre but from well-off whites and the well-off children of immigrants who have already joined the cultural mainstream. As Salam himself pointed out in the case of Sarah Jeong, a Harvard-educated, Asian-American journalist briefly pilloried for her anti-white tweets, performative white-bashing isnt a mark of alienation from the power structure at all  its a display of insider status.

Salam may well be right that in the future, that sort of rhetoric could trickle down from the top and fuel a future wave of left-wing populism. And hes right to insist that we shouldnt blithely assume that immigration will turn out fine without our having to do anything about it. But theres reason to be skeptical that simply shifting the skills mix of immigrants will turn down the temperature of the cultural battles raging around immigration, race, and American identity. For that to happen, well need what Salam calls for in his conclusion: a critical mass of people, young and old, who are willing to meet others halfway, even if that means risking embarrassment, or alienating some of the members of your own cultural tribe. A new melting pot may help avert a civil war, but it will be a lost cause if enough of us dont first decide to chill the fuck out.
The nation's most powerful financial regulators worry some banks are being "overly cautious" in their lending decisions, after the royal commission ramped up pressure on banks to scrutinise new customers more closely.

Amid growing financial market concerns about the potential economic harm caused by tighter credit conditions, regulators also reaffirmed the importance of banks continuing to lend money as they change their processes in response to the royal commission into misconduct in finance.

RBA governor Philip Lowe chairs the Council of Financial Regulators. Credit:Louise Kennerley

Home loan growth has slowed over 2018, amid a slump in Sydney and Melbourne house prices, and the Council of Financial Regulators (CFR) on Thursday reaffirmed its view the tightening in bank lending standards over recent years had been "appropriate" and had "strengthened the resilience of the system".

Even so, it also signalled a concern about the risk of access to credit being reined in too far.
That episode reminded everyone that espionage and foreign interference continues to be a pervasive threat. Some believed since 9/11 that mission had been obscured by the fight against terrorism and so at their own pace each had concluded the greatest emerging threat was Chinas Communist Party. They also knew that to contend with this challenge there was no other group of nations that enjoyed such shared knowledge, cultural affinity and technical expertise. Not all agreed to speak publicly about China when they returned home, but all were determined to act. And the Five Eyes network would include allies like Japan and Germany in the conversation. This coming in from the cold was viewed as a countermeasure to China and its many proxies, who have long argued fears over its rising power and influence were a fiction, or worse still, signs of xenophobia.

Loading Since that July meeting there has been a series of rare public speeches by intelligence chiefs and a coordinated effort on banning Huawei from 5G networks. It began with one of Malcolm Turnbulls last acts as Prime Minister. The Sunday before he was deposed Turnbull rang the US President Donald Trump to tell him of Australias decision to exclude Huawei and Chinas second largest telecommunications equipment maker ZTE from the 5G rollout. Australias statement on the rules it would apply to building next-generation wireless networks was released on August 23 and largely lost in the leadership maelstrom. Huawei was not named but it ruled out equipment being supplied by vendors who are likely to be subject to extrajudicial directions from a foreign government.

Mike Burgess put Huawei back on the national agenda when on October 29 he became the first Director-General of the Australian Signals Directorate to make a public speech in the organisations 70 year history. Listening attentively from the head table that night was the Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Duncan Lewis and his counterpart at the Australian Secret Intelligence Service, Paul Symon. All three men were at the meetings in Canada. Again, Burgess never named Huawei or ZTE but said the stakes with 5G could not be higher as it will underpin the communications that Australians rely on every day. The man who runs an agency that unlocks electronic secrets had a poachers view of the threat: Offence informs defence and defence informs offence. Or to put it another way, to catch a thief, you will need to think like one (or perhaps, be one). Since then he has given a TV interview and opened a Twitter account with a lively first post; Hi internet, ASD here. Long time listener, first time caller.

Burgess has even dabbled in some light trolling of Huawei. On November 21 when a Huawei executive boasted of successfully separating the core and access parts of a 5G network in New Zealand he tagged the ASD boss on his post. To the surprise of most Burgess replied; Thanks for sharing. In my business Ive never seen anything fully isolated.... Seven days later New Zealand banned Huawei from supplying 5G equipment to mobile phone company Spark. Then on December 6, the head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, David Vigneault, who had hosted the annual Five Eyes gathering, used his first ever public speech to warn of an emerging threat.

CSIS has seen a trend of state-sponsored espionage in fields that are crucial to Canadas ability to build and sustain a prosperous, knowledge-based economy, he said. Im talking about areas such as AI [artificial intelligence], quantum technology, 5G, biopharma and clean tech. In other words, the foundation of Canadas future growth. No one was in any doubt he was talking about China. A formal ban on Huawei and ZTE from Ottawa is expected within weeks. A day after the Canadian spy boss spoke, the head of MI6 was on his feet at his old Scottish university, St Andrews. In a speech described as rare he warned that much of the evolving state threat is about our opponents increasingly innovative exploitation of modern technology.

Loading The United Kingdom posed a particular problem for the Five Eyes as, 15 years earlier, British Telecom had struck a partnership with Huawei and that example was routinely used to counter arguments it posed a threat. In answer to a question Younger took direct aim at Britains Huawei problem. We need to decide the extent to which we are going to be comfortable with Chinese ownership of these technologies and these platforms in an environment where some of our allies have taken a very definite position, he said. On the same day the BT Group announced it was stripping Huawei's equipment out of the core of its existing 3G and 4G mobile operations and would not use its technology in the 5G network.

But no country has been more aggressive than the United States, represented at the Canadian meetings by Gina Haspel. The newly appointed director of the Central Intelligence Agency was battle hardened by a life spent in the shadows. She shed some light on that in a bruising Senate confirmation hearing in May saying she had excelled in finding and acquiring secret information that I obtained in brush passes, dead drops, or in meetings in dusty alleys of third world capitals. Well before her arrival at the helm of the CIA, the US has been focused on Beijing and the proceedings against Huaweis Meng are just one front in its efforts to bring China to heel. CIA director Gina Haspel. Credit:AP Washingtons sharp focus on Beijing plays into Trumps obsession with trade wars but it would be wrong to think its solely driven by the President. Over the past two years Republicans and Democrats in Congress and the Departments of Defence, State and the security agencies have come to the conclusion China is a strategic threat.

US prosecutors have filed charges against Chinese hackers and, in an audacious sting in April, American agents lured Chinese Ministry of State Security deputy director Yanjun Xu to Belgium, where he was arrested for orchestrating the theft of military secrets. There is also speculation further indictments are imminent over a concerted Chinese hacking campaign known as Operation Cloud Hopper, which is believed to have penetrated networks across the globe, including Australia. In addition the White House used its bi-annual report on China, last month to say Beijing had "fundamentally" failed to change its behaviour around cyber espionage giving it unfair access to intellectual property, trade secrets, negotiating positions and the internal communications of business. The report added weight to revelations in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald the same week that China had diverted internet traffic heading to Sydney and its peak security agency had overseen a surge in attacks on Australian companies. This industrial scale cyber theft is just part of a form guide which convinced the Five Eyes intelligence chiefs that Beijing would not hesitate to recruit Huawei to its cause and the company would have no choice but to comply.
Ethan Tan, 15, says it is "extra special" to have achieved the highest possible ATAR of 99.95 at such a young age.

Ethan Tan, 15, has achieved the highest possible ATAR of 99.95. Credit:Ethan Tan

"It's a little bit surreal and a little bit scary wondering what's next but I'm really excited too," said Ethan, who went to Cranbrook School and is currently in Japan.

"I'm really happy about it especially as I put so much time and effort into my studies and worked so hard. It makes it extra special to be so young and achieve this result."

Ethan skipped year 7 and 10 and was further accelerated in science and maths, after finishing all his compulsory maths study by year 9 when he was 13 years old.

He finished his physics HSC last year with a mark of 95 and won a gold medal in the international maths olympiad earlier this year.

Ethan wants to study maths or science at Cambridge or MIT next year.

"Long-term, what I want to do is invent something really cool that will help a lot of people," Ethan said.

"I'm looking at a lot of options at university both here and overseas, but the challenge is there isn't a very clearly defined pathway for people who want to achieve what I want to achieve."

Ethan is one of three students at the school who got an ATAR of 99.95.

Three Cranbrook students came back to school on Friday having gotten the highest possible ATAR of 99.95. Credit:Cranbrook

Fionn Parker, who also got 99.95, said he had to refresh the page on Friday morning to make sure he hadn't read his score incorrectly.

"I couldn't believe it when I clicked on my result," Fionn said.

"I had to refresh the page just to be absolutely sure. I am feeling so overwhelmed and completely exhilarated."

Fionn said he wasn't expecting the result at all and has had to re-evaluate his choices.

"It has given me so many more options. I'm looking to study an arts law double degree at either Sydney or Melbourne University or the Australian National University."

Josh Turner, who also got the top mark, also said his result was a shock.

"I don't think anyone ever expects to get that result even though you know you should get a high grade from your results up to that point, so it was a bit of a shock but in the best possible way," Josh said.

Josh is hoping to study law next year.

Year 12 students at Cranbrook returned to the school on Friday to celebrate their results.

"It was a pleasure to welcome our year 12 students back to campus for the last time to learn of and celebrate their exceptional HSC results," the school's headmaster Nicholas Sampson said.

"To boys who have not achieved the results they'd hoped for, I remind them that HSC scores and ATARs are just one of a number of measures of success.

"A student can still achieve their career goal even if it means taking a path which wasn't originally planned."
Twins Lauren and Emily McKnight spend most of their time together. They studied the same subjects at the same school, work part-time in the same shop, and have the same plans for their gap year. It was fitting, then, that their HSC results were almost the same, too.

They both received four band sixes and one band five. Lauren got an E3 to Emily's E4 in extension one maths, but they were only a hair's breadth apart. In fact, throughout all their subjects they were only separated by a maximum of three marks.

When they saw their results on Thursday morning, they were not surprised. "We sort of expected it," Lauren said. "We've always been similar in what we can achieve."

Twins Emily and Lauren McKnight received almost the same marks in their HSC. Credit:Jessica Hromas

For the rest of the state there was a mixture of joy, disappointment and, perhaps some indifference in the hearts of almost 77,000 students as the class of 2018 opened their HSC results.
Cancer campaigners want the NSW government to ban tobacco vending machines, slap a licensing regime on cigarette sellers and strengthen smoke-free environment laws in a bid to save lives.

As the Berejiklian government and the Labor opposition enter election campaign mode, Cancer Council NSW has released a list of policy priorities it says must be adopted to accelerate the decline in smoking rates.

Australia is a world leader in tobacco control but can do better. Credit:Quentin Jones

The call comes amid new Australian Bureau of Statistics figures that show while the proportion of the population who are daily smokers plummeted from 23.8 per cent in 1995 to 13.8 per cent in 2017-18, in recent years the rate of decline has slowed.

The daily smoking rate has dropped less than a percentage point in the past three years.
The Australian National University will overhaul its sexual violence policies after an independent review found students were unhappy with how incidents were handled and student leaders were struggling under the high demands of offering pastoral care to peers living on campus.

The audit into ANU student halls, which was released late on Thursday, did note a positive culture within many residences with overall high levels of satisfaction among those surveyed as new policies and training around sexual violence were rolled out across the Canberra university.

In August, a year on from a landmark report into sexual violence on campus, survivors and students called on ANU to do more. Credit:Elesa Kurtz

It also found little evidence of hazing despite earlier incidents revealed in the media, backing sexual violence prevention strategies put in place by the university since the release of a landmark survey of the sector in August 2017.

But survivors who reported their experiences to the university told a different story. Only 32 per cent of residents who had disclosed sexual violence said they felt listened to and had their needs met, and a further 42 per cent said they were not satisfied with how residential staff had responded.
Miracle on 34th Street Canberra. Written and directed by Kirsty Budding, inspired by the 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street. Budding Theatre. The Courtyard Studio, Canberra Theatre Centre. December 15 and 19 at 10am, noon and 2pm. canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 62752700.

Cliff White, centre, as the self-proclaimed Santa Claus in Miracle on 34th Street Canberra. Credit:Greg Gould

A classic Christmas story has been localised by Canberra playwright, director and producer Kirsty Budding.

The 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street won three Oscars: for best original story (Valentine Davies), best original screenplay (George Seaton) and best supporting actor for Edmund Gwenn, who plays Kris Kringle, a man who declares he is the one and only Santa Claus.

Budding, inspired by that film, has written her own version of the story for her company Budding Theatre. This telling takes place in Canberra in 2018.
When Georgia Wilson joins graduands on Friday at the Australian National University, she will walk across the stage to receive her master's degree in museum and heritage studies.

But, unlike most people who will be awarded degrees at the ceremony, Ms Wilson had to learn to walk again first.

Australian National University graduand Georgia Wilson, pictured at the university on Thursday, had to learn how to walk again after a brain injury in May. Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong

When Ms Wilson felt unwell in May, she put it down to tiredness. A natural procrastinator, Ms Wilson blamed late nights spent working on essays when she felt tired and dizzy each morning.

Soon, though, Ms Wilson was admitted to hospital, where it was revealed brain inflammation was causing signals from her brain not to communicate properly with her legs. She was unable to walk.
Imagine if you had to pick one item that summed up your life. What would you choose? A piece of clothing, a book, a treasured heirloom? Not an easy question for any of us.

Now imagine if you had actually done something with your life. That youre one of the cave divers who rescued the boys in Thailand, or Australias greatest Paralympic wheelchair athlete, or a journalist passionate about womens rights and gender equality, or an Australian Football legend and outspoken opponent of racism, or a scientist dedicated to treating river blindness in Africa, or a man responsible for investigating online child exploitation and abuse, or a woman whos an advocate for teenage parents after having her own son at 16.

Mark Sullivan founded Medicines Development for Global Health, a not-for-profit biopharmaceutical company that develops affordable medicines and vaccines for those who need them most. Credit:Karleen Minney

What would you choose then?

A new exhibition, Australian of the Year, at the National Museum of Australia showcases eight personal items selected by this years state and territory recipients.
Air travel is statistically the safest method of transport, but aircrafts still have an orange-coloured apparatus called the black box. In the event of an air crash, this black box provides the information as to why the accident came to pass, and insight into steps required to prevent such incidences in the future. Going by the same principle, the Indian Railways has decided to introduce a device similar to the airplanes' black box into its trains.

These devices will be used to record the activity in the driver's compartment of a train which will help identify the reasons behind a train accident and ascertain the operational issues and element of human error, a statement by the Ministry of Railways said. The ministry has already started installing the system in diesel and electric locomotive cabs.

"Similar to Black Box, Indian Railway has started installing Loco cab audio video recording system (LCAVR)/ Crew Voice/Video Recording System (CVVRS) in Diesel and Electric locomotives. This system provides invaluable data to investigators which will help them in understanding the sequence of events leading up to an accident and for identifying operational issues and human factors," Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain told the Lok Sabha today.

ALSO READ:PM Modi urges political parties to use Winter Session for public interest

So far, 23 diesel locomotives and 3 electric ones have been installed with LCAVRs/CVVRSs. A total of 3,500 trains are to be fitted with their black box for a budget of Rs 100.40 crore during this fiscal, Gohain said before the Parliament.

Train accidents have been a longstanding concern for the largest transportation network in the country. Back in October this year, around 60 people were mowed down by a train in Amritsar as a crowd watching a burning Raavan effigy spilled onto the railway tracks. Initially, the blame was laid on the driver for not warning the people standing on the tracks. Later probe by the Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety said that the incident occurred due to the carelessness of the people.
Several bills were addressed to houses on Mr Streep's street and other nearby homes. ActewAGL told Mr Steep on Thursday morning it had sent people out to collect the bills at 6.45pm on Wednesday, which was right after Mr Steep and his wife had gone out for a walk. He was told that they arrived in the evening to collect the bills because the ActewAGL representatives had other things to do first. Another bundle of ActewAGL bills sent to an employee of The Canberra Times on Wednesday. Credit:The Canberra Times An ActewAGL staff member also told Mr Steep that the utility provider was unlikely to send anyone to retrieve the bills on Thursday due to safety concerns about driving in the rain and on wet roads.

"I'm stunned. It suddenly becomes my problem. It's not funny any more," Mr Steep said. Mr Steep said ActewAGL had told him on Thursday evening the bills would be collected on Friday morning. Mr Steep first contacted ActewAGL about the mistaken delivery just before midday on Wednesday. "I didn't want to look like I was sitting on it," he said. Mr Steep was initially told at 1.20pm on Wednesday that two representatives from the utility provider would collect the cache of bills within about an hour.

"I'm just cranky that I've wasted a day on this," Mr Steep said. Belconnen resident Samantha Simms received a box containing more than 500 ActewAGL electricity bills addressed to houses in the 2617 postcode sometime between 5.30 and 7pm on Wednesday. "It was really concerning. I was glad my bill was the one in the envelope [attached to the box]," she said. A resident in Chisholm was sent a box containing between 200 and 300 outstanding gas bills addressed to customers in Chisholm and Calwell. They had not been collected by Thursday night. 2CC program director Peter Davidson received a bundle of about 150 Icon Water bills on Wednesday, addressed to homes in Gungahlin and Belconnen.

Mr Davidson rang Icon Water at 4.30pm on Wednesday and was told to return the bills to sender. At 10am on Thursday, he contacted the water provider again and was told someone would be sent out to collect them but no collection time had been arranged. "The guy on the other end was pretty blase about the whole thing," Mr Davidson said. Palmerston resident Larry Appley received 21 electricity bills, addressed to houses in Nicholls, Ngunnawal and Charnwood. "Being a major breach of privacy as it is, I expected someone would ring me back in 15 minutes. But I heard nothing," he said. An ActewAGL staff member contacted Mr Appley after he posted a picture of the bills to the company's Facebook page on Thursday evening.

A bundle of about 20 bills addressed to ActewAGL customers in Kingston was also delivered to an employee of The Canberra Times on Wednesday, but was not found until Thursday morning. A Chisholm resident received a box, pictured, of outstanding ActewAGL bills on Wednesday. An envelope containing 19 electricity bills was sent to a post box at the Canberra general post office, which included bills addressed to post office boxes in Braddon, the city and Belconnen. A Calwell resident also received an envelope that contained 13 Icon Water bills on Thursday. The resident was told the envelope would be collected on Thursday morning. Jacquelyn Lamont of Wanniassa received an A4 envelope with seven electricity bills on Wednesday, including her own. ActewAGL told her they would send someone over to collect them, but the bills remained uncollected on Thursday evening.

The six other bills in the envelope were all addressed to houses within the 2903 postcode. "They didn't seem too concerned," Ms Lamont said. "I'm so annoyed with them." The large bundles had the recipients' bills in an envelope taped to the outside of the larger package. The bills contained names and addresses of ActewAGL customers, unique reference numbers and show how much gas the customer were using. In some cases, it could have been possible to determine from the bill if a person was receiving a pension. ActewAGL supplies gas to about150,000 customers in the ACT.

A Calwell resident received an envelope of 13 outstanding Icon Water bills, pictured, on Wednesday. Credit:Jasper Lindell A spokeswoman for ActewAGL said the company was investigating the mail out error. "[This] has resulted in invoices that we prepare for ActewAGL and Icon Water customers being received in sealed envelopes by someone other than the intended recipient," she said. ActewAGL said it had put on hold mail being handled by an external provider after it was notified of the mistake. "We are investigating the matter in accordance with our internal procedures, which reflect the guidelines publicly issued by the Privacy Commissioners office," the spokeswoman said.

The company confirmed on Thursday that it had begun contacting affected customers and would extend bill payment times. The utility provider said it had also alerted the Privacy Commissioner's office. Agencies subject to the Privacy Act, which include ActewAGL, must take reasonable steps to prevent misuse, interference or loss of any personal information they hold. "We apologise for any inconvenience or concern caused," a company spokeswoman said. Icon Water said ActewAGL managed billing processes for the water provider and that it was aware of the issue and working closely with ActewAGL to investigate the mail out error. "Our customers privacy is of the utmost importance. Distribution of bills was suspended as soon as the issue was identified," the company said in a statement.
If you're looking for joy, humour or love of mankind at this time of year, tap into Facebook and watch the kids of The Woden School knock it out of the park with a music video celebrating and embracing their differences.

Their inspirational self-penned and self-produced song Labels Don't Define Us was posted about a week ago and has already had more than 60,000 views.

A group of mostly years 9 and 10 students at the school - which caters to students with disabilities - wrote the lyrics, produced the track and starred in and edited the video as part of celebrations for the United Nations' International Day of People with Disability. It was also the students' final English project for the year.

The powerful, uplifting rap-based song has a stirring chorus:
The cold-blooded killer of Sydney father John Gasovski has been sentenced to 32 years in jail, after shooting the victim execution-style and abandoning his body like "a dead animal".

Glen Roland Dunstall, 50, was handed down the sentence with a non-parole period of 24 years by Justice Richard Button, who said the killing was of the "utmost heartless brutality".

The courtroom was filled with friends and family of John Gasovski as his killer was sentenced. Credit:Facebook

Dunstall committed the murder after promising a high-level drug dealer a substantial return on a $45,000 investment into a large marijuana crop he had sourced in Canberra.

When pressure mounted on Dunstall to deliver the drugs to the dealer, which were, in fact, non-existent, Dunstall decided to enlist the services of 48-year-old Mr Gasovski.
A 44-year-old delivery man has been charged after allegedly indecently assaulting a 13-year-old girl while he was delivering a package to a home on Sydney's upper north shore.

Police will allege in court the man indecently assaulted the girl, who was not known to him, after delivering a package on Tuesday last week.

Following inquiries, detectives from the State Crime Command's child abuse and sex crimes squad arrested the man in Wetherill Park on Wednesday.

He was taken to Fairfield police station and charged with intentionally sexually touching a child and aggravated entering a dwelling with intent.

The man appeared at Fairfield Local Court on Wednesday. He was formally refused bail and will appear at the same court again on Thursday.
College carnage

Protesters, police and Victorias Minister for Education, predicted further violence at the Richmond Secondary College site after a clash yesterday in which both protesters and police were injured. Police arrested five as protesters tried to stop workers from entering the site. Teachers and parents are trying to stop the co-ed school from being turned into a girls school without the government guaranteeing another co-ed school would open in the area.

Qantas trims rule

Despite a Qantas rule that none of its flight attendants grows a beard, passengers on some of its services may still be getting their dinner and drinks from bewhiskered cabin crew. The Herald understands that, under a compromise put forward by the Industrial Commission, certain types of beard will be allowed on the airlines domestic flights. The airline says manufacturers of oxygen masks advise that beards do not allow the masks to form a seal.

Wrong results
The Fortnite gamer who inadvertently live-streamed himself allegedly hitting his pregnant partner while playing the online video game has previously been convicted of violent offences, court documents reveal.

Luke Munday, 26, who came to worldwide attention after the live-streamed incident, appeared briefly before Camden Local Court on Thursday morning.

Following the alleged assault on Sunday night, police imposed an apprehended violence order on Mr Munday, 26, that dictated he could not go within 100 metres of his partners workplace, where she lives, or the family home.

The court heard that he had applied to change that condition of the AVO.
A bus driver has been punched and headbutted by a man following an argument on a bus in Brisbane's north, police allege.

Police said the male bus driver demanded the passenger get off the bus on Barrett Street in Bracken Ridge during an argument on Thursday afternoon.

A new code of conduct is part of a five-point safety package being announced to tackle violence on Brisbane buses. Credit:Glenn Hunt

The driver was then allegedly assaulted and suffered facial injuries.

"Members of the public who witnessed the incident came to the assistance of the bus driver and restrained the man until police arrived," a Queensland Police Service spokesman said.
Anyone who believes our banks have learnt from the public drubbing delivered by royal commissioner Kenneth Haynes should think again.

And if you need proof, it was delivered in spectacular technicolour by Westpac chair Lindsay Maxsted this week.

In the wake of a protest vote against the banks executive remuneration plans, Mr Maxsted said there was a difference of opinion between the bank and its shareholders over the extent of bonus cuts to top executives.

He defended the bonus structure (which saw, for example, the CEOs pay-packet fall from $5.46 million to a paltry $4.94 million), and reminded us all that the royal commission evidence did not represent the culture of the industry or the bank.
Two squirrels have been seized at Brisbane airport, allegedly smuggled in by an Australian man returning from Bali two weeks ago. Both squirrels were euthanised due to biosecurity concerns. An Australian allegedly smuggled in two squirrels from Bali. Credit:Australian Border Force The man had his bags searched after a member of the public tipped off border security on December 4. Department of Agriculture Biosecurity Operations chief Nico Padovan said the passenger's alleged actions had put the nations health at risk.

The fact that this passenger would intentionally breach our biosecurity conditions and put our country at risk is unbelievable, Mr Padovan said. Squirrels can carry rabies - which is present in Bali - and if this disease was to arrive here the toll on human and animal health would be huge. "Every year more than 60,000 people worldwide die from rabies. Biosecurity is no joke and the passenger is now subject to an investigation and could face a range of serious penalties, including criminal prosecution." Australian Border Force's Queensland commander Terry Price said smuggling of wildlife is not only illegal but also very cruel and inhumane.
A woman and a teenager have died within hours of each other in separate car crashes in the state's north.

About 10.30am on Thursday, emergency services were called to a crash in Fredericksfield, roughly halfway between Bowen and Townsville, after a woman's car and a freight train collided.

A woman was in critical condition after a car and train crash in Queensland. Credit:Ben Downie

A rescue helicopter flew to the Fredricksfield Road crash site to treat the woman for critical injuries but she could not be saved.

A Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman said she was trapped in the vehicle before firefighters could free her.
After months of pursuance, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has finally managed to extract a Red Corner Notice (RCN) from the Interpol for fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi. The CBI was trying to get the RCN against Choksi for his role in the Rs 13,000-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud. The bureau had been trying for 6 months to get the RCN issued before it was finally issued on Thursday.

Interpol had earlier issued RCN against the other accused in the PNB scam including kingpin Nirav Modi, Neeshal Modi, Mihir Bhansali and Subhash Parab.

For the uninitiated, a Red Notice is a request to locate and provisionally arrest an individual pending extradition. It is issued by the General Secretariat at the request of a member country or an international tribunal based on a valid national arrest warrant.

Top government sources told India Today that the Commission for the Control of Files (CCF) had raised India's concerns about the non-issuance of RCN against Choksi during the Interpol meeting in October. The CCF is an independent, impartial body that is officially responsible for ensuring that the processing of personal data by the Interpol General Secretariat conforms to the applicable Interpol rules.

CBI sources told India Today that they clarified all the queries of Interpol with regards to Mehul Choksi and that now the RCN has been issued, Choksi would be detained at the airport in case he tries to flee.

The issuance of RCN is also likely to mount pressure on Antigua to extradite him to India. An extradition request from the Government of India is already pending with the Antiguan government. Choksi was granted Antiguan citizenship in November last year - before news of the PNB scam broke through.
Most of the recommendations of an independent review into the states suppression orders will be fully implemented in this term of government, Premier Daniel Andrews says.

A year-long review of Victorias 2013 Open Courts Act by retired judge Frank Vincent called into question the function and efficacy of suppression orders in an internet age. So far, none of the 18 recommendations has been implemented.

Retired Supreme Court judge Frank Vincent oversaw an inquiry into the Open Courts Act. Credit:Joe Armao

This [report] was commissioned by us, it will be delivered by us, but it will take some time, Mr Andrews said.

No one should underestimate our absolute resolve to deliver on the findings of the recommendations that were made by former Justice Vincent, accepted by our government, work began in the last term, and it will be completed in this term.
Thieves are booking Airbnb accommodation in Melbourne CBD high-rise buildings in order to rob other apartments.

Last Sunday, residents in a city apartment complex were woken by knocking on their doors and a man checking door handles. Two apartments on two different floors were broken into while the occupants were sleeping inside.

Police wish to speak to these men following aggravated burglaries in a Spencer Street apartment complex. Credit:Victoria Police

Its believed up to three men staying in a short-term rental in the Spencer Street complex were behind the home invasions.

Acting Assistant Commissioner Tim Hansen said aggravated burglaries linked to short-stay apartments were an emerging crime trend.
He said the benefit of hindsight will determine whether the ends justified the means. "When this matter eventually finishes, with a royal commission and court cases, people will look back and they'll say, with the benefit of hindsight, whether the ends justified the means," he said. "When you're trying to manage that sort of risk and police at the time would've been trying to do that, they don't know what those ends look like at that time." Mr Ashton was at the Office of Police Integrity, which was replaced by the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission in 2013, when Informer 3838 was used.

He was on two steering committees that had oversight of two investigations that involved police corruption where Informer 3838 was used or were they tried to use her. Mr Ashton said he was bound by the OPI's secrecy provisions and he could not talk about investigations he conducted in his official duties at the OPI without authorisation. "But I will be able to tell the royal commission," he said. "I'm confident my actions in that I didn't do anything wrong and I'd like to be able to talk about it and I will be able to talk about it if the royal commission invites me to." Mr Ashton left the OPI and joined Victoria Police in 2009. In 2011, he said he instigated an internal review into the use of Informer 3838.

By then, the lawyer  who has also been dubbed Lawyer X  had been deregistered as an informer so she could become a key witness against suspected corrupt police officer Paul Dale in a court case in 2010. Mr Dale, who denies involvement, was being investigated over the 2004 murders of police informer Terence Hodson and his wife Christine. Former drug squad detective Paul Dale at Melbourne Magistrates Court in 2010 for proceedings over the murder of police informer Terence Hodson. Credit:Craig Abraham The case collapsed after serial murderer and drug dealer Carl Williams was killed in prison in April 2010 after he too became a witness against Mr Dale. Soon after, Informer 3838 sued Victoria Police, claiming they breached their duty of care while she was a protected witness.

Loading Mr Ashton said the internal review of her use was kicked off primarily because of the risk to her safety in a second case against Mr Dale. Mr Dale was accused of lying to the Australian Crime Commission, but he was acquitted in 2013. "What I was hearing in those briefings was enough to give me concern that we needed to make sure everything was OK," Mr Ashton said. When asked why he didn't initiate a similar review if he had those same concerns about her safety when he was at the OPI, Mr Ashton said his role was very different at the integrity body than the role he would go on to have in the force. "I was in the area doing police oversight of, and the extent police corruption was involved in, investigations," he said.

Murray Kellam QC at IBAC conducted another investigation into the matter, stopping short of a criminal finding, but said the informer's use had the potential to adversely affect the administration of justice. "I don't believe anything illegal was done, certainly not by me, but I think overall I don't think anything illegal was done," Mr Ashton said. "I drew some comfort from the Kellam review." The High Court decision was a result of an appeal by Mr Ashton and the force. Victoria Police launched legal action against the Office of Public Prosecutions in 2016 to stop them notifying former clients of Informer 3838 that the lawyer was an informer at the time she acted for them. They argued the information would result in the murder of the lawyer, something that should outweigh other considerations.
Lets acknowledge her terrible grief. But lets also acknowledge the long-term impacts on women of domestic and family violence. Sarah Wendt, professor in social work at Flinders University, has just co-authored Sexual Politics of Gendered Violence and Womens Citizenship after years of research. She says the results are quite clear. The long-term impacts are physical, mental, social, material. Domestic violence is not an individual catastrophe. The lasting impact happens in real bodily ways. If you can imagine living in a climate of fear your whole life, that erodes your mental health. It doesn't just stop after the incident. And Wendt reminds us, if we still want to ask why it is that women dont leave, that the most dangerous time for a woman is just after she leaves her violent partner.

We must recognise that this is a social problem, a result of how we understand masculinity and femininity. And let us also acknowledge the role of the Family Court, about to undergo another major upheaval. Edwards told Batty about the impact the Family Court had on her and her family. Attorney-General Christian Porter. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen In June this year Attorney-General Christian Porter announced the Family Court would be folded into the Federal Circuit Court. That announcement surprised anyone who knew the Australian Law Reform Commission had been asked to review family law system late last year.

There was no serious consultation with those who know anything about how the court works. It is a pragmatic dismantling of the Family Court and its appeals process, run by the best judges in the land. Some describe those judges as the cream of the crop and the best legal minds in the country. Now all that expertise will be hearing cases in the Federal Court, not consistently bringing their intellect and analysis to the kinds of cases that break our hearts. Its new chief justice has already acknowledged how tough this transformation will be. Christian Porters decision to close the Family Court will put further women and children in Australia at risk. As Alastair Nicholson, former chief justice of the Family Court, pointed out to me earlier this year, the Liberal Party has never been a great supporter of the Family Court. [John] Howard started this destruction . . . this insidious process. It shows a complete lack of respect for the importance of family law and there will be long-term harms for Australian families. It is not comforting to me to hear another banal announcement from COAG as we heard yesterday. Weve now had promises through three successive prime ministers that there would be increased support for victims of family violence. We can be grateful to Rosie Batty for her single-minded advocacy which restored some of the funding to community legal centres. We must have proper funding for the work of those who will now oversee the family law cases.

Batty had to step back because advocating for the safety of women and children in Australia is too much for one woman  and she never really had time to emerge from Lukes death. Olga Edwards was never able to emerge. After the death of the Family Court, I fear the cases of families at their most vulnerable will be presided over by those who know little about parenting orders. Little about child assault, about child sexual assault. And those who know even less about family violence. Loading There will be pretend expertise and I predict that will worsen the situation for these families. I fear they will come before judges who know nothing more than maritime law or tax law. They will make decisions that will cost more lives.
Police have told members of the public not to approach a man wanted for questioning over a number of offences alleged to have been committed in Perth last month.

Police want to speak to Andre Jerome Kerhart, 39, in relation to an investigation into a series of burglaries and thefts in November and December.

Andre Jerome Kerhart. Credit:WA Police

He has an olive complexion, and is about 187cm tall with a medium build. He has short brown hair and hazel eyes.

Police have warned anyone who sees Mr Kerhart not to approach him, and to call police immediately on 131 444.
When it comes to Google and Facebook, you are the commodity.

That's what ACCC chair Rod Sims said of the Australian inquiry into the tech behemoths.

"Their business system is about gathering data about you and they do that in many more ways than you think," Mr Sims said.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's 374-page report released this week has angered the tech giants, and pricked the ears of international leaders. It's the first of its kind and its recommendations are broad and sweeping.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr will use the national Labor conference to try and change the party's platform on allowing gay men to donate blood.

In Australia men are not allowed to donate blood if they have had sex with another man in the 12 months before, a measure designed to reduce the risk of blood infected with HIV being donated.

AIDS Action Council board member, Wayne Herbert, who says he has tried to donate blood but hasn't been allowed. Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong

The gap in time between a person contracting HIV and it being able to be detected has dropped to an estimated 22 days, and other countries have reduced the periods of time gay men must wait to donate blood. In Britain last year the deferral period was reduced from 12 months to three months.

Mr Barr wants Labor's party platform amended to say, "The current 12-month deferral period for men who have sex with men is excessive and beyond what is required to maintain a safe blood supply.
Both sides of politics have backed new laws to ban discrimination on the grounds of religion, but plans to protect gay students from being turned away from religious schools have been delayed beyond the next federal election.

The Morrison government unveiled its long-awaited response to Philip Ruddock's religious freedom review on Thursday, pledging to create a Religious Discrimination Act and install a Freedom of Religion Commissioner.

Both sides of politics support the principle of a Religious Discrimination Act. Credit:Fairfax Media

But Prime Minister Scott Morrison has dumped plans to strip religious schools of their right to expel gay, lesbian and transgender students, instead referring the issue - along with that of LGBTI teachers - to a review by the Australian Law Reform Commission, which will not be completed until the second half of 2019.

In a frenzied day of announcements, Mr Morrison also established a new review into how refugees integrate into Australia, including their job prospects and financial independence. The snap review will be led by former top public servant Peter Shergold, and will report in February.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has sparked a policy row over the powers needed to stamp out corruption among politicians and bureaucrats, as critics urge him to strengthen the Commonwealth integrity commission he vows to set up next year.

Mr Morrison is facing calls to expand his proposal within a day of it being announced, amid warnings it could be a "toothless tiger" because it would not hold public hearings into political corruption.

Former Victorian appeals court judge Stephen Charles called for the commission to have far more scope to investigate wrongdoing, while former NSW anti-corruption commissioner Ian Temby said it must hold public hearings to ensure justice.

"The public is entitled to know what the courts are doing, and how they are doing it. That is why the courts conduct public hearings. So it must be with any anti-corruption body," Mr Temby wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
The Morrison government has been told Australias $13 billion-a-year system for supporting military veterans is broken and should face overhaul, including abolition of the mammoth Department of Veterans' Affairs.

Calling for "bold" reform to avoid further failure, a new report by the Productivity Commission has found the veterans affairs system should operate more like a modern worker's compensation scheme, with Defence taking more responsibility for ex-service men and women's lifetime care, including better preparing them for post-military life.

Commissioner Robert Fitzgerald said there had been a litany of reviews in recent years but none had produced enough change to make the system fit to meet veterans needs.

"The time for tinkering is over, and bold reform is needed," Mr Fitzgerald said. Its not that there hasnt been progress, its just not sufficient to get us where we need to be.

"The commission is absolutely clear that unless there are bold reforms  it will not be a system that is able to meet the needs of future veterans."
State-owned telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has invited applications for 300 posts of management trainees, of which 150 posts will be filled from outside candidates, and the rest from internal candidates. "Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL, proposes to fill up 300 posts of Management Trainee (MT) (Telecom Operations). Out of these 300 posts, 150 posts will be filled up from open market (External candidates)," BSNL said in a statement.

Important dates

The online registration for these jobs will start on December 26, which will go on till January 26, 2019. The online assessment of the forms will be held on March 17, 2019.

Age

The age of the candidates applying for these posts should not exceed 30 years as of August 2019. However, the upper age limit in case of SC/ST candidates has been relaxed by 5 years; OBC category candidates by 3 years; PWD (person with a disability) general candidates by 10 years; PWD SC/ST candidates by 15 years; and PWD OBC candidates by 13 years. Ex-servicemen and residents of Jammu and Kashmir will also get relaxation as per the Central government rules.

Reservation, mode of payment

Of the total 150 posts that will be filled by the external candidates, a total of 76 are for general posts; 23 for SC category posts; 11 for ST candidates; and 40 for OBC candidates. The online application fee for general, as well as OBC candidates, is Rs 2,200, whereas SC/ST candidates will have to pay Rs 1,100. There's no offline mode of payment. The candidates can pay application fee through credit or debit card or net banking.

How to apply

Go to externalexam.bsnl.co.in and click on the 'Click here to Continue' button.

The online link to apply for the management trainee post will appear after December 26 on the tab that opens next, following which you can fill in all the required details.

Salary

The management trainee will be appointed in the pay scale of Rs 24,900-50,500 with an annual increment of 3 per cent of basic pay, besides other benefits like HRA, medical benefits, etc.

Essential qualification

Bachelor of Engineering or Bachelor of Technology degree or equivalent engineering degree in telecommunications, electronics, computer/IT and electrical with minimum 60 per cent marks (55 per cent for SC/ST candidates). The candidates should have completed the course on a regular full-time basis. Those with regular MBA or MTech degree will be given preference.
Mr Porter said on Thursday the new body, to be called the Commonwealth Integrity Commission, would not have retrospective powers, saying this was to be avoided in criminal law, and he said the "detailed drafting" would look at protection for whistleblowers. The Integrity Commission will have two divisions, one focused on law enforcement and the second on public administration including the conduct of politicians. The law enforcement division will have jurisdiction over agencies such as the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, the Australian Federal Police, the Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre and some parts of the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources. These agencies are currently overseen to the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity, which will be absorbed into the new Integrity Commission. The jurisdiction of this division will be expanded beyond the existing ACLEI to include the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the Australian Taxation Office.

Loading The public sector division of the Integrity Commission will have jurisdiction over public service departments and agencies, Commonwealth companies and corporations, parliamentarians and their staff. This division will also have jurisdiction over Commonwealth service providers and any subcontractors they engage. The discussion paper for the plan says the law enforcement division will have the power to compel the production of documents, question people, hold public and private hearings, arrest suspects, enter and search premises, seize evidence, undertake controlled operations and assumed identities, and undertake integrity testing. A significant difference with the public sector division, which includes oversight of politicians and their staff, is that it will not be able to hold public hearings.

The public sector division would have the power to compel the production of documents, question people, hold private hearings, and enter and search premises. The discussion paper also says the public sector division would not be able to make findings of corruption, criminal conduct or misconduct at large. It would instead refer matters for prosecution. It would be up to government agencies including departments and various authorities, such as the parliamentary authority that oversees expenses, to refer matters to the CIC. "The CIC will not investigate direct complaints about ministers, members of Parliament or their staff received from the public at large," the discussion paper states.

Mr Morrison announced the plan on Thursday morning after weeks of fending off demands from Labor to set up the new authority. When challenged by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten on a national integrity commission in Parliament on November 25, Mr Morrison had said: "While the Leader of the Opposition is off on some sort of fringe issue, what we are focused on is the strength of our economy." Loading Mr Shorten has promised to set up a national integrity commission within 12 months of the election of a Labor government, saying it will be an independent statutory body. The Labor proposal is to appoint one commissioner and two deputy commissioners with fixed terms and broad jurisdiction, acting as a "standing royal commission" with the power to compel witnesses and carry out its own investigations.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison will move to protect religious Australians from discrimination with new laws to be introduced before the election, while delaying efforts to strip religious schools of the right to expel LGBTI students.

Unveiling the government's long-awaited response to Philip Ruddock's religious freedom review on Thursday, Mr Morrison also promised a new "Freedom of Religion Commissioner", despite Mr Ruddock recommending against such an office.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Attorney-General Christian Porter announce anti discrimination laws on Thursday. Credit:Nick Moir

The Prime Minister pivoted his message toward Australia's booming multicultural communities, stressing new arrivals tended to have strong religious beliefs and wanted those beliefs protected from harassment or intimidation.

"If you support a multicultural Australia, you'll be a supporter of religious freedoms. You'll understand that religious faith is synonymous with so many different ethnic cultures in Australia," Mr Morrison said.
There are many ways to judge a political party on border control but only one measure really counts. The numbers matter more than political rhetoric, or a new set of uniforms, when the time comes to decide if a government is managing a problem.

That means there are problems for both major parties as they get ready for an election fight on border protection. Labor is vulnerable on its offshore detention policy. The Coalition is exposed to warnings about the huge strain on the immigration system.

Illustration: Andrew Dyson Credit:

The numbers were lethal for Labor when Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard softened government policy on asylum seekers. The arguments about pull factors and push factors became entirely meaningless when arrivals by boat increased from 161 asylum seekers in 2008 to 20,587 in 2013.

The numbers were so dire that Labors words lost all their value.
Maureen Steele has been in the methadone program for 25 years and considers herself lucky.

Im pretty stable. I have a job, I have a mortgage, a long-term relationship, all that sort of stuff, she says.

Maureen Steele is a former heroin user who now works for St Vincent's as a consumer advocate. Credit:Louise Kennerley

But in her job as a consumer advocate for drug treatment at St Vincents Hospital, she sees first-hand the crush on drug and alcohol services, and the consequences of the failure to get treatment. Sometimes the consequence is death.

Often people are in crisis by the time they are ready to go into treatment and there are long waiting lists, she says.
The president of Queensland's Liberal National Party is expected to step down after falling foul of the state's electoral laws.

Gary Spence, who is chairman of engineering consultancy PeakUrban, is likely to tender his resignation at a Friday meeting of the party executive, News Corp reports.

LNP Queensland President Gary Spence. Credit:LNP Queensland

Recent Queensland laws banning developer donations to political parties are believed to be behind Mr Spence's pending decision, following legal advice sought by the LNP.

AAP
A 2000-year-old statue of Buddha has been returned to the government of Pakistan by an Australian family who had kept it in their home for half a century.

Romy Dingle's father was an Australian diplomat in Islamabad. The family would go on road trips through the countryside and one day her mother bought artefacts at a roadside stall.

Romy Dingle looks at the Buddha who has been part of her life, together with the two other ancient objects from Pakistan which she returned. Credit:Elesa Kurtz.

When the diplomatic posting ended, they brought the objects, including the ancient Buddha, back to Canberra. The sacred relic has remained in the family home ever since. They - and "he" as she calls the statue - lived in the Dingle House, one of the iconic Canberra houses designed by the architect, Enrico Taglietti. It accompanied her mother and Roma and her sister to a new home in Sydney.

Now, the daughter has given it and two other objects back. They are in the Pakistani High Commission in Canberra - back home in a sense.
Jerusalem: A baby born prematurely after his Israeli mother was critically wounded in a shooting at a bus stop outside a West Bank settlement earlier this week has died.

Jerusalem's Shaare Zedek Hospital said the mother remained hospital in intensive care.

People attend the funeral of a baby who died after being prematurely delivered after her mother Shira Ish-Ran was wounded in attach in the West Bank. Credit:AP

The baby was delivered by a caesarean section on Sunday night, shortly after assailants in a Palestinian vehicle opened fire at a bus stop outside a West Bank settlement, wounding seven people before speeding away.
Ottawa: Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said her government was contacted by a second citizen who had been questioned by Chinese authorities, after the detention of a former diplomat this week, and has since been unable to contact them.

Chrystia Freeland, Canada's minister of foreign affairs. Credit:Bloomberg

"We are working very hard to ascertain his whereabouts and we have also raised this case with Chinese authorities," Freeland said on Wednesday in Ottawa. Canadian officials have been in touch with his family, Freeland said, without releasing the person's name.

Freeland disclosed the second case when asked about it at a press conference, where she was discussing how Canada was dealing with the detention of Michael Kovrig.

State security officers seized Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat on leave from the foreign service, in Beijing on Monday, reportedly in relation to a national security investigation.
Littleton, Colorado: Students at Columbine High School and nearby suburban Denver schools are being kept inside because of a threat against Columbine that has drawn a large police response.

A spokesman for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department, Mike Taplin, said that a person called on Thursday morning, claiming to have placed explosive devices in the school and to be hiding outside with a gun.

Taplin says nothing to validate the threat was found at the school, where 12 students and a teacher were killed by two students in 1999.

He says the school receives many threats annually and that the police response was appropriate.

The school district says all doors are locked at the schools but that classes are continuing normally.
The Bandhan Bank stock rose in early trade after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allowed the lender to open new branches. The bank would add another 40 branches by December 31, taking the total number to 978, the Kolkata-based lender's founder and CEO Chandra Shekhar Ghosh said on Wednesday.

The bank opened five new branches yesterday.

The stock has been gaining for the last two days and has risen 7.58% during the period. It opened with a gain of 3.48% today and touched an intra day high of 514.20, up 8.63% compared to its previous close of 473.35 on the BSE.

The stock has gained 16.80% during the last one month.

The Reserve Bank of India had earlier imposed restrictions on Bandhan Bank's branch expansion, after it failed to pare promoters' stake to 40 percent from close to 82 percent, within the stipulated three-year time frame.

As per RBI's licensing norms, the promoters of the bank were supposed to cut their holding to 40 per cent within three years of starting operations.

Bandhan Bank, which started operations in August 2015, should have ideally brought down the promoter holding by August 2018.

But the bank, which floated an IPO in March 2018, could not have seen promoters bringing their stake to 40% due to market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI's) mandate of a one-year lock-in on shares held by the promoter post an issue.

However in October, the bank said SEBI has exempted it from rules governing the post-listing lock-in period for promoter shareholdings in companies.

"In continuation to our intimation dated September 28, 2018, it is hereby informed that the Bank has received an exemption from the Securities and Exchange Board of India with respect to (i) lock-in of one year on the equity shares held by the promoter; and (ii) eligibility condition of one year from listing; as required under regulations 36(b) and 82(b) of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Issue of Capital and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations 2009, respectively, in order to comply with the requirements of RBI Licensing Guidelines for Private Sector Banks issued on February 22, 2013," Bandhan Bank said in a notification to the stock exchanges.

Bandhan Financial Holding is the promoter of Bandhan Bank.

The lender commenced operations on August 23, 2015.

In September, banking regulator Reserve Bank of India (RBI) stopped Bandhan Bank from opening new branches as it was not able to bring down the shareholding of Non Operative Financial Holding Company (NOFHC) to 40 per cent as required under RBI's licensing condition.

The central bank also ordered freezing of Bandhan Bank CEO Chandra Shekhar Ghosh's salary over failure to stick to shareholding rules. The promoter stake in Bandhan Bank is currently at around 82.28 per cent.

The Kolkata-headquartered Bandhan Bank was incorporated on December 23, 2014 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Bandhan Financial Holdings Limited.

Edited by Aseem Thapliyal
Google says it didn't know it was breaking a name suppression order when it sent an email identifying the man accused of murdering British backpacker Grace Millane in New Zealand.

The search engine sent out an email to subscribers of its Google Trends service naming the accused in the subject line on Tuesday morning, it was reported on The Spinoff website.

Grace Millane was last seen on December 1. Her body was found in bushland outside Auckland a week later. Credit:Stuff

Since his court appearance, there had been more than 100,000 searches of the man's name on the global search engine, Google analytics showed.

That was despite the man's name being suppressed.
Latest News Millennials are "sidestepping" needs in favour of exciting purchases It's a consensus  obtaining new technology is much better than paying electricity bills

Revealed: Australia's fastest growing brokerages Who won the inaugural Fast Brokerages awards?

Banks and insurance groups have been called out on their cross-selling and pushing of products during the Royal Commission. But one insurance provider is calling on brokers not to let that get in the way of informing customers of products they might really need in the future.

ALI Group offers loan and mortgage protection, which it said is different to many of the products which were mentioned in the hearings.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) also released a review earlier this year which suggested people were being sold policies they did not want or understand, with data showing high cancellation rates and poor claim outcomes.

Listening to the hearings, CEO of ALI, Huy Truong, said he was angry and disappointed at what came out of them for both the reputation of the industry but also the individual customers affected.

He said, Im listening to this and Im thinking a lot of our brokers are watching thinking, are the products ALIs providing falling into the same category?

Truong said it was important to remember the difference between aggressive sales to reach KPIs and informing customers about their options.

He said that while ALI does provide commission, it is not the brokers main source of income and there are no targets to meet.

Truong also discussed other insurance group cultures where employees might be rewarded when fewer claims are paid out.

He said, We want to make sure a genuine claim is paid. We dont have a culture where people get paid bonuses if you pay less claims.

Because thats the wrong thing to do and if you dont pay claims then the very reason, the thing that theyre proposing to provide to customers is not happening.

If our payout ratio is below 40% we start to get nervous. We want our payout ratio to be in line with the fully underwritten life products offered by financial planners. So called junk insurance products reported in the media have a payout ratio far below ours.

While some brokers may now be concerned about where the line is between pushing a product and informing a customer about the product, Truong said it was important to discuss it.

He said, Not saying anything at all would be the wrong thing to do, because most of the clients who come and deal with brokers dont have any other person talking to them about this risk or product, particularly first home buyers and those earning under $100k a year.

The broker is the only person, professional finance person, in their lives willing to.

So the first thing we say is make sure you continue to have the conversation, because no insurance for many people would be the worst outcome at all if they needed to make a claim.

The brokers role is largely there to inform and educate. Talk to them about what their plan B is. Theyre taking out a loan that goes for 30 years.

A lot can happen in 30 years. We all know people impacted by an illness or an accident. So its about asking caring questions, asking genuine questions.

Im arranging this loan for you for 30 years, say you lose your income for six months, how will you service your loan? For me thats a responsible question to ask.

Truong said many customers might think they are already covered, maybe by superannuation or their employer paying for insurance.

But he said that might not be enough, If the customer says thanks for taking me through that but Im fine, I have got a plan, that in my mind would be a cursory education.

Theyre not making an informed decision because in almost all cases most people in superannuation would have death cover, but no trauma or illness cover and certainly no unemployment cover.

So if youre the broker, you say Im glad you have got the superannuation cover but do you really know what it covers? Let me grab the superannuation statement you supplied for your home loan application and you can check what cover it provides you.

Its not a hard sell or pushing, its just as your broker I really care about you and I want to make sure you make an informed decision. You might still not decide to take the product and thats fine, but Id hate for you to think youre covered when youre not.
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A Brooklyn mother whom police violently arrested last week after ripping her baby from her arms inside a Boerum Hill social-services office walked out of jail free on Tuesday, after Kings Countys top prosecutor dismissed all charges against her.

The attorney representing Bedford-Stuyvesant resident Jazmine Headley, 23, cheered District Attorney Eric Gonzalezs decision, which came after activists from around the city held several protests demanding the moms release.

We are very happy to have a critical step towards justice, said Lisa Schreibersdorf, who heads do-good group Brooklyn Defender Services, which offers no-cost legal aid to the boroughs most vulnerable.

Video footage that Facebook user Monae Sinclair took and posted of the Dec. 7 incident  which has since gone viral, garnering nearly 14,000 shares by Wednesday afternoon  showed a group of cops attempting to grab Headleys 1-year-old son from her arms, after private security officials and police reportedly demanded she leave the Fort Greene Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs Bergen Street office because she was sitting on the floor due to a lack of open chairs.

The more than two-minute video captured Headley shouting, Theyre hurting my son, theyre hurting my son, no less than eight times, but her pleas did not stop authorities from yanking the boy away and cuffing her  horrific and unnecessary actions that only traumatized the mom and her child, according to Gonzalez.

Like everyone who watched the arrest of Jazmine Headley, I was horrified by the violence depicted in the video and immediately opened an investigation into this case. It is clear to me that this incident should have been handled differently, he said. The consequences this young and desperate mother has already suffered as a result of this arrest far outweigh any conduct that may have led to it. She and her baby have been traumatized.

Law-enforcement officials initially slapped Headley with charges including resisting arrest, endangering a child, obstructing governmental administration, and trespassing, according to a New York Times report, and shipped her off to the notoriously brutal jails on Rikers Island, many of which the mayor is trying to close.

But days later  following a Monday protest that Borough President Adams led outside the social-services office, and other rallies  Gonzalez dropped the charges after Headley spent four nights behind bars without her son.

Still, some activists soldiered on with a Tuesday protest outside City Hall planned before the district attorney dropped Headleys charges, sending a loud and clear message that police and all officials must treat New York City dwellers of all backgrounds with respect  especially vulnerable residents like Headley, according to a Fort Greene pol, who last year gave birth to her own baby boy, and choked back tears while discussing the ordeal.

To be a black woman in New York City, in America  we are the most vulnerable, we are most antagonized, we are the most neglected, we are the most disrespected in this entire country. I have a 16-month-old son and I cant imagine because I would have fought just as hard she did to hold onto my son if that had happened to me, said Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo, who joined more than a dozen other pols and activists at the protest, including Public Advocate Letitia Tish James and Boerum Hill Councilman Stephen Levin.
Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus has said it will launch its first 5G phone by May 2019. According to company's CEO Pete Lau, OnePlus is working on a 5G phone, which will be $200- $300 costlier than its 4G smartphones. The company has already said it will be launching the phone in the UK in partnership with EE. OnePlus also said the new 5G phone won't be a OnePlus 7 or any similar iteration of its budget line of phones but the company will spin a new line of 5G phones with a distinct branding.

As per the CNET, Lau said, "The 5G product is not expected to equate to huge sales. It's still early stage. But by 2020 it could already be very different." Experts say the sole aim of OnePlus at the moment is to be the first to launch a 5G phone, which will give it an early start so that the company could later focus on designing premium 5G phones without compromising on the user experience and design. OnePlus also expects its user base to switch to future-proof 5G devices as a way to stay ahead of the technology curve. But, the 5G roll-out is expected to be slower, at the moment every carrier is building up the infrastructure to support 5G network.

Also Read: OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition Vs OnePlus 6T: How do these phones differ

OnePlus' new 5G device will be powered by Snapdragon's 855 SoC. The unique feature of the Snapdragon 855 is the X50 5G modem. The X50 modem will allow phones to connect to 5G wireless data networks with 'multi-gigabit' mobile data speeds. The 5G speeds are going to be nearly 50 or 100 times faster and will soon replace the existing 4G LTE data speeds, suggest reports. However, in the beginning, 5G phones will be limited to high-end devices only. Also, it took 2-3 years for 4G LTE to garner 15-20% market share; therefore don't expect 5G phones to be everywhere anytime soon.

Earlier this week, OnePlus released its high-end version of the OnePlus 6T Mclaren Edition. The phone packed in a massive 10 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage. The new 5G phones might also come with similar RAM specifications and won't just have faster internet speeds but will also provide smooth user experience.

Edited By: Udit Verma
The Story of the Reserve Bank of India Rahul Bajoria Rupa 308 pages; Rs 695 How far can the government of the day put pressure on the governor of the Reserve Bank of India? What is this Section 7 of the RBI Act that was never used, and when was it introduced? How many times has the governor resigned? What was the opinion of the RBI when high-value currency notes were demonetised in the past? If we were to ask the questions that are cropping up today, we have answers for all those questions in the past.

Rahul Bajorias book, The Story of the Reserve Bank of ...
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US-based New York Life on Thursday picked up around 2 per cent stake in (MFS) for about Rs 2.15 billion, signalling its renewed interest in the life insurance business of its former partner in India.

According to bulk deal data available with the NSE, New York Life acquired 49,99,130 shares, or about 2 per cent stake, of MFS from Max Ventures Investment Holdings, a promoter group holding company, at Rs 429.50 per share.

After the transaction, the promoter holding in MFS has come down to 28.42 per cent from 30.29 per cent earlier.

ALSO READ: Analjit Singh appointed as chairman of Max Financial Services Ltd

is the holding company of Max Life, a non-bank, private life insurance firm.

Over the past couple of days, New York Life had also acquired shares of MFS from the open market.

The development comes six years after New York Life exited from Max New York Life, a joint venture it had formed in 2001 with Analjit Singh-led

In 2012, the US insurance major sold its 26 per cent stake in the JV to Japan's Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance and The move followed New York Life's then decision to pare back its international footprint, including China and Thailand.

ALSO READ: Why you should know the exclusions in your travel insurance policy

According to a source, "The latest development is a sign of revival of New York Life's interest in the life insurance business of its erstwhile partner."



In January last year, New York Life Insurance had picked up 22.51 per cent stake for Rs 1.21 billion in Max Ventures and Industries, the holding company of Max Speciality Films which is into speciality packaging films business.
The board of Reliance Jio, which cleared a proposal to spin off its tower and fibre undertakings into separate companies, is looking at alternatives for monetisation, according to sources close to the company. The first option is to lease its assets to competing telcos at a rental rather than only use them for captive consumption.

Secondly, it is looking to bring in an international tower operator, especially in towers, as a partner, which will operate the assets either for a fee or by taking a minority equity stake. The third option is to go for an IPO. Sources say Jio is open ...
Samsung's 10th anniversary Galaxy S10 has been subject to several rumours and leaks for over a year now. However, the latest series of leaks have revealed not just the design choices that Samsung has made but also the launch date and pricing. As per Gizmodo, a design and technology website, a 'major tech retailer' has spilled most of the beans regarding the phone. Gizmodo has said that a 'major tech retailer' approached them and spoke about the S10's launch date, storage sizes, screen sizes, variants and even the UK price points.

Samsung S10 will be unveiled at a Samsung Unpacked event before Mobile World Congress 2019, on February 20. The phone will be available for pre-order from that date and will be released on March 8.

As far as the specifications are concerned, Samsung S10 will come in three basic options. There will be a 'Lite S10' with a flat screen and the usual S10 & S10 Plus. The latter two models will feature the new Infinity-O display (a punch-hole design) and an ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint reader. There isn't any news on Iris scanner or the facial recognition system.

Also Read: Xiaomi reduces prices of all Redmi 6A variants

As per the leaks, the Galaxy S10 will have a 6.1-inch screen. The S10 Plus will have a 6.4-inch screen, while the cheaper 'Lite' version of the phone will be 5.8 inches.

The UK pricing of the anniversary Galaxy S phones have also been leaked. The flat, 5.8-inch version of the S10 will have 128GB of storage and retail at 669 pound (approx. Rs 60,506). The regular, curved version of the S10 with its 6.1-inch screen will come in a choice of 128GB or 512GB of storage at 799 pound (Rs 72,260) and 999 Pound (approx. Rs 90,350) respectively. The 128GB version of S10 Plus will cost 899 pound (approx. Rs 81,308), a 512GB version is priced at 1099 pound (approx. Rs 99,396), and a one terabyte Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus is 1,399 Pound (approx. Rs 1,26,529).

Edited By: Udit Verma
A total of 181 pilots of scheduled and non-scheduled operators tested positive for alcohol during 2015-2018, the Ministry informed Parliament on Thursday.

Replying to a query in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for said that in 2015, as many as 43 pilots tested positive for alcohol, followed by 44 in 2016.

In 2017, the number stood at 45 and 49 such cases have come to the fore till November 2018, he said.

In November this year, Air India Captain Arvind Kathpalia, in charge of Director Operations, was sacked a day after the Directorate General of suspended his license for three years for failing the breath analyser test.
The government has dropped its plan to install 12GW of solar capacity out of total 15 GW envisaged through state-owned as solar tariff dipped recently, Parliament was informed Thursday.

Earlier, the government had planned to install 15 GW of capacity through NTPC, which was to be bundled with thermal power supply to specific states. The power company has already completed auction of 3GW capacity out which 2.75GW is installed and 0.25GW is under construction.

"Since the solar power price has fallen recently, it is not proposed to take up Tranche II (5GW) and III (7GW)," said Power and New & Minister R K Singh in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

Ministry of New & had issued the guidelines for selection of 3,000 MW of Solar PV Capacity (i e identified quantum of Tranche-I) in March 2015. Under the scheme, it was envisaged that the then costlier solar power will be bundled with cheaper thermal power, so as to supply combined power at an affordable price.

The minister told the house that the entire capacity of 3GW Tranche-I (of the NTPC) has been awarded and the capacity of 2.75 GW has already been commissioned and remaining 0.25 GW capacity is under construction.

He further said that the government had launched the state specific bundling scheme for implementing 15,000 MW of grid-connected solar PV power plants under National Solar Mission (NSM) in a span of 5 years from 2014-15 to 2018-19 in three tranches, with as the implementing agency.

Under Tranche I, had implemented 3GW during 2014-15 to 2016-17. Under Tranche II, the proposed solar capacity was 5GW during 2015-16 to 2017-18. It was also envisaged to implement 7GW through the NTPC under Tranche III during 2016-17 to 2018-19.



An industry experts said that the scheme was planned when solar tariff was high and the government proposed to bundle expensive with cheaper thermal power to make the clean source a viable business proposition.

They further said that now there is no need to do such bundling because solar power tariff has already touched all time low of Rs 2.44 per unit and remains below Rs 3 per unit mark in most of the auctions these days.

According to the NTPC's records, its average tariff was Rs 3.42 per unit during first half of this fiscal, which is mostly coal based thermal power.

In a separate reply to the house, the minister said: "A total of 37.83 GW of capacity has been added in the country during the last four years and the current year (up to October 2018), with an estimated investment of about Rs 1.96 lakh crore".



The renewable energy sector has received foreign direct investment of $3833.38 million, with Mauritius topping the chart with $966.10 million followed by Singapore at USD 741.36 million and Netherlands at $617.31 million.

He also informed that a total investment of Rs 5,11,614.48 crore is required to have 175GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022, which includes Rs 3,78,437.10 crore for solar energy, Rs 1,25,068.25 crore for wind energy , Rs 3,178.63 crore for biomass and Rs 4,930.50 crore for small hydro (up to 25 MW).

The government has set a target for installing 175 GW of Renewable Energy capacity by the year 2022, which includes 100 GW from solar, 60 GW from wind, 10 GW from Biomass and 5 GW from Small Hydro power, he added.

"A cumulative renewable energy capacity of 73.35 GW has been installed in the country up to October 2018. To achieve the balance target of 101.65 GW, an investment of about Rs 5.12 lakh crore has been estimated as per average current capital cost," he said in the reply.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitleys persuasive skills will be tested at the next Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council meeting, scheduled for December 22, in which three new state finance ministers from the Congress will replace Bharatiya Janata Party leaders. For the first time since the inception of the GST, there seems a possibility of the blocking of a resolution in the GST Council as the Opposition vote has crossed the numbers required for it.

So far, all decisions have been taken by consensus, and voting has never been resorted to. The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ...
The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked forensic auditors to examine the trail of around Rs 3,000 crore, the home-buyers' money allegedly spent by the Amrapali Group on buying shares of its sister companies and asset creation.

Amrapali Group CMD Anil Sharma, directors Shiv Priya and Ajay Kumar returned to the court a total amount of Rs 1.55 crore of home buyers money "lying" with them.

The top court grilled several accountants of the group as to how they have prepared the accounts statements which were submitted in the court and on what basis they created the accounts this year for financial years 2015-16, 2016-2017 and 2017-2018.

It directed the forensic auditors to ascertain the numbers of flats which were 'benami' property, double-booked or booked on a nominal value by Amrapali Group.

A bench of Justices Arun Mishra and U U Lalit directed Debt Recovery Tribunal, Delhi to conduct the valuation of Amrapali's five-star hotel Tech Park in Greater Noida and sell it by January end.

It also questioned Sharma about the sub-leases granted to the family members of Amrapali directors and where the Rs 3,000 crore of home-buyers' money has gone.

The bench after failing to get a satisfactory reply asked the two forensic auditors Pawan Kumar Aggarwal and Ravi Bhatia to examine the trail of around Rs 3000 crore.

"More than Rs 2,990 crores were taken out from nine companies of Amrapali Group in the name of assets creation and purchase of shares of sister companies. You should examine the trail of the money as to how and where did it go, and the assets created by the fund", the bench told the forensic auditors.

The court asked the company to file the details of the assets it created with Rs 2,990 crore and the board resolutions which allowed Rs 1,100 crore to be spent for purchasing share capital.

It directed the forensic auditors also to examine whether any syphoning of funds was done by granting sub-leases or any favours were doled out in such transactions.

The top court noted that pursuant to its last order in which one last window was given to the directors and other officials of the company to return home buyers money, Sharma and two directors Shiv Priya and Ajay Kumar returned Rs 1.25 crore, Rs 20 lakh and Rs 10 lakh respectively.

The court sought an affidavit from Sharma and the two directors to declare that they do not have any more money off home buyers lying with them.

The bench directed Amrapali CFO Chandra Wadhwa and statutory auditor Anil Mittal to deposit Rs 9.69 crores and Rs 27 lakh of home buyers money lying with them by January 2.

It allowed the 86 luxury cars and SUVs, which were earlier attached by the court to be brought to the corporate offices of Amrapali Group where the car dealers can hold a physical inspection and later sell them.

When Sharma was questioned by the bench about the sub-leases the company granted, he replied that firm has received over Rs 66 crore by granting sub-leases and denied any wrongdoing.

"The Forensic auditors should examine the sub-leases granted by Amrapali Group by next date of hearing," the bench said, adding that the real estate firm should comply with all the requests made by the forensic auditors in 24-hours.

The court posted the matter for further hearing on January 16.

The apex court had on December 5, ordered attachment and sale of the realty firm's five-star hotel, cinema hall, malls and factories across India, calling it "the worst kind of cheater" and "a perfect liar" for not complying with the court's direction.

The top court had also ordered attachment of four swanky corporate offices of Amrapali Group situated in Noida and Greater Noida and asked the Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT), Delhi to auction them.

The top court gave a window to the firm's directors and their family members to return home-buyers' money, if they have it, by December 10.

It had sought a response from Amrapali Group CMD Anil Sharma and its directors, Chief Financial officer and statutory auditor Anil Mittal, asking them why a criminal case for breach of trust should not be lodged against them.

In a comprehensive affidavit placed before the apex court, Anil Sharma has admitted diversion of Rs 2,996 crore to other group companies but claimed that money had not gone outside the company as it was used for the purchase of share and assets creation.

On November 13, in a massive crackdown on Amrapali Group for "willful disobedience" of its orders, the apex court had attached the company's 100-bed multi-speciality hospital, bank accounts, the building which houses its office, certain firms and a "benami" Villa in Goa.

The apex court had earlier initiated contempt proceedings against Sharma and its directors for prima facie violating court's order and thwarting the course of justice.

The court is seized of a batch of petitions filed by home buyers who are seeking possession of around 42,000 flats booked in projects of the Amrapali Group.
Two days after it suffered defeat in three Hindi heartland states, the (BJP) on Monday announced a number of party meetings, including its national executive, in the run-up to the 2019 general elections.

Addressing a press conference here, BJP national General Secretary Bhupender Yadav said the national executive will be held on January 11-12 in the national capital and will be attended by party's office-bearers from across the country.

"As part of preparation for 2019, seven wings of the BJP are active to take party's agenda to different sections of the society," Yadav said.

A series of meetings are scheduled to start with a workshop of the BJP Yuva Morcha in Delhi on December 15-16, followed by the convention of party's Mahila Morcha in Ahmedabad on December 21-22, which will be addressed by Prime Minister

"On January 19-20, a convention of Scheduled Castes Morcha of the party will be held in Nagpur, in which BJP President Amit Shah, Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Thawarchand Gehlot would be the main speakers," Yadav said.

The BJP Minority Cell will also hold a two-day national convention in New delhi on January 31-February 1.

On February 2-3, a national convention of the Scheduled Tribes arm of the party would be held in Bhubaneswar and that of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) would be organised in Patna on February 15-16.

Besides, Modi will address a rally of party's Kisan Morcha that will be held in Uttar Pradesh on February 21-22. The city is, however, yet to be decided.
Amid hectic deliberations and lobbying for selection of chief ministers in Rajasthan, and Chattisgarh, said Thursday that the party was taking inputs from MLAs and workers and the names will be declared soon.

Gandhi held hectic deliberations with workers earlier at his residence ahead of selecting the party's chief ministers for the three states.

"You will see chief ministers soon. We are taking inputs from MLAs, party workers and others," he told reporters.

Meanwhile, the potential chief minister candidates in and arrived in the city Thursday for a meeting with the who will take a final call on the top post in the states.

While is considered top contender for the post in Madhya Pradesh, leads the race in Rajasthan, but Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Sachin is not giving up his claim and is putting up stiff resistance.

The contenders for the top post in -- Gehlot and -- and in -- Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia -- arrived early morning in the national capital.

The Congress will first meet party observers A K Antony for Madhya Pradesh and K C Venugopal for before meeting those in the race.

The observers had already held discussions with the newly-elected party MLAs in and Wednesday and would give their inputs to Gandhi on who the legislators want to be as their chief ministers.

Over the last 24 hours, an audio message from Gandhi has gone to 7.3 lakh party workers across the three states in which they have been asked to name their chief ministerial choice.

In the audio message, he is heard congratulating the leaders for the party's victory in the assembly in the three heartland states.

"Now I want to ask you a vital question: Who should be the chief minister? Please mention just one name.

I'm the only person who would know whom you are naming. No one in the party will know. Please speak after the beep".
The potential chief minister candidates in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday for a meeting with Congress president who will take a final call on the top post in the states.

The contenders for the top post in Rajasthan  Ashok Gehlot and Sachin and in Madhya Pradesh  and Jyotiraditya  arrived early morning in the national capital and will be meeting Gandhi soon.

The Congress president will first meet the party observers for Madhya Pradesh and K C Venugopal for Rajasthan before meeting those in the race.

The observers had already held discussions with newly-elected party MLAs in Jaipur and Bhopal Wednesday and would give their inputs to Gandhi on who the legislators want to be as their chief ministers.

Using an internal messaging platform for the party workers, Gandhi sent out to party workers a pre-recorded audio message seeking their feedback for selection of the chief minister in their respective states.



Sources said that the decision would be taken Thursday itself after the state legislature party had authorised the Congress president to take a final call on the chief ministers.

Congress observer for Chattisgarh Mallikarjun Kharge will also be handing over his report to Gandhi following which he is likely to meet the contenders.



(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The new governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Shaktikanta Das received the backing of S Gurumurthy, the RSS ideologue and RBI board member, for his first comment about the government-RBI relation. Das, in his first press interaction, said that there needs to be a discussion between the government and RBI.

He stated that the government is not just a stakeholder, but it runs the country, economy and manages the policies. Gurumurthy, who did not respond to messages and calls for a comment on Das's appointment, tweeted an article on Thursday, which quoted the RBI Governor ...
When the new Re 1 banknote was issued by the Ministry of Finance in May 2017, the joke that made its way through North Block was that senior bureaucrat Shaktikanta Das, who had already missed out on the job once, would eventually become the next governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

This was because the Re 1 notes carried his signature  traditionally, it is the RBI chief who is a signatory to any new currency note that is printed. Because of the Re 1 notes unique history  it is printed by the finance ministry and not the central bank  all those ...
Expressing strong concern over the massive Chinese espionage activities in the United States, top American Senators on Wednesday urged the Trump Administration to initiate steps to address this major threat to the country's national security.

"I am increasingly concerned that is gaining access to American secrets, using non-traditional all-of-nation approaches, to conduct espionage against our allies," Senator Ted Cruz said during a Congressional hearing on Chinese espionage activities.

During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Cruz said he had spoken a number of times to the leadership of a major research institute in Texas that was facing the ongoing challenges of Chinese espionage activities.

In particular, Chinese nationals being paid by the Chinese government and working at that institution were working on sensitive research projects, he said, adding that they suddenly discovered projects that they were in the midst of working, companies out of were filing US patent applications and seeking to get US intellectual property in the midst of the research.

"How widespread is this problem, is the threat of industrial espionage -- theft of intellectual property by Chinese nationals -- working here in the United States? And what are we doing about it? What should we be doing about it?," Cruz asked senior government officials testifying before the committee.

Senator Chuck Grassley said was believed to be responsible for 50 to 80 per cent of the cross-border intellectual property theft worldwide and over 90 per cent of cyber-enabled economic espionage in the US.

Reports issued this year by the Office of Trade and Manufacturing, the US trade representative and by ODNI detailed the findings on China's role as a prime cyber attacker and thief of American intellectual property and technology.

When it comes to espionage, FBI Director Christopher Wray has said earlier, "there's no country that is even close" to the People's Republic of China. General Keith Alexander called China's estimated gains from economic espionage of up to USD 600 billion "the greatest transfer of wealth in history".

According to Grassley, Russia has distracted attention from an arguably greater, more existential threat, and that happens to be China's efforts to overtake the US as a world preeminent superpower in all phases of society and economy.

"Transfer and theft of American intellectual property by the Chinese government is today the most pressing economic and national security challenge facing our country and I believe China as well," Senator Diana Feinstein said, alleging that cyber espionage and theft remained a lucrative practice for the Chinese government.

China, she said had adopted non-traditional espionage tactics.

From placing Chinese scientists, including those associated with the Chinese military, at top US universities, research institutions and national laboratories, to acquiring small, promising US technology companies, to luring top US academics with lucrative contracts to institutions located in China, to forced joint ventures and dubious inspections requiring US firms to turn over source codes and other confidential information if they wanted to access Chinese markets and patents, the Chinese government, she alleged, had deliberately and purposefully created a system of maximum information extraction at nearly every level in every sector of the US economy.

Perhaps the most concerning aspect of the Chinese government's non-traditional espionage efforts was its scale, Feinstein said.

According to the Defense Innovation Unit, in 2015, Chinese investors participated in 271 early-stage investments in US tech firms with a total value of $11.5 billion, which was 16 per cent of all technology deals that year.

Near the end of 2017, Chinese investors participated in 69 deals worth $1.2 billion in US-based artificial intelligence technologies alone. In 2016, 328,000 Chinese foreign nationals studied at US colleges and universities and Chinese foreign nationals comprised 25 per cent of all US graduate students in stem fields, she said.

Senator Ben Sasse said China wanted to win a fight before it started by leveraging every tool at Chairman Xi's disposal -- sometimes that meant using the state and sometimes using Chinese citizens and businesses.

"We cannot sleep on this threat. The Assistant Director for Counterintelligence at the FBI gets this and is trying to bring urgency to the challenge," she said.

Observing that China was an economic juggernaut with no respect for the rule of law, Senator John Cornyn said the country was coercive and that state-driven industrial policies distorted and undermined the free market.

"It is engaged in aggressive military modernisation and intends to dominate not only its own region, but potentially beyond," he added.

"China is not just exploiting the freedom and openness of our society and our markets and our institutions, it is also eroding our national security advantage before our very eyes. What might this mean for our national security? We would potentially have an advisory that can dominate the cyber realm, defeat our weapons systems and control the skies as well or better than we can," Cornyn said.

One of the tools that China used was investment in the US, which was weaponised in order to vacuum up US industrial capabilities and emerging technologies, he added.
Canada should distance itself from US "hegemonism" and grant unconditional freedom to Meng Wanzhou, a Chinese executive detained in Vancouver on Washington's request, the state-owned tabloid Global Times said in a Thursday editorial. Meng, the chief financial officer of China's Huawei Technologies , has been accused by US prosecutors of misleading banks about transactions linked to Iran, putting the banks at risk of violating sanctions. She was arrested on Dec. 1 and released on bail on Tuesday. She will be set free if the United States fails to submit a formal ...
Last month, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani had announced that his company is working on creating the world's largest online-to-offline new commerce platform that would integrate the power of Reliance Retail's physical marketplace with Jio's infrastructure and services. In order to boost this ecommerce venture's last-mile connectivity, Ambani plans to utilise the telco's 5,100-plus smaller Jio Point stores in more than 5,000 cities and towns, The Economic Times reported.

Reliance Retail would set up ecommerce kiosks in the Jio Point stores from where store executives will help consumers place orders, senior executives aware of the development told the daily. The company will undertake assisted sales of everything from daily provisions like sugar, pulses, soaps and biscuits to apparel from these stores leveraging the telco's distribution network, which already reaches these stores to supply SIM cards, mobile handsets and accessories. They added that the ecommerce venture is likely to take off by April next year.

"Potentially, they can sell anything using this network which has a shelf life and doesn't require installation service. The customer can pick up the product from the Jio Point or store executives can deliver it to them [at their doorsteps]," said a source. The idea is to reach out to 95% of India's population directly - including consumers without Internet access, as well as those who have never shopped online - which will only be possible through the omnichannel route.

Also Read: Why Reliance Jio's tariff war that has singed Airtel, Vodafone, Idea refuses to end

Jio Point stores already account for 10% of Reliance Retail's overall consumer electronics sales, so the company now reportedly plans to extend the same model to grocery, personal care, apparel and shoes. "The company wants to have a retail presence through ecommerce in towns with population over 10,000, which would mean a presence across 95-98% of India's consumer base," the source added.

Moreover, given the rapidly mushrooming Jio Points, Reliance Retail is looking at a huge distribution network. According to the daily, Reliance adds over 500 new such stores every quarter and is targetting 50,000 Jio Point stores across India, which will operate as customer sales and service touch points for Jio.

Reliance Retail's plans to tap the Tier 2 and beyond markets is understandable given the market's potential. According EY India's latest report, the rural market for e-commerce in India is likely to be a $10-12 billion opportunity in the next four years. The report further estimated that total ecommerce sales in the country are likely to grow at 32% CAGR between 2017 and 2021.

But Ambani will have a stiff fight on his hands, with biggies like Amazon India and Walmart-backed Flipkart also aggressively participating in the omnichannel battle. Amazon, for instance, launched Project Udaan in 2015. This is the etailer's assisted shopping programme for rural and semi-urban areas that has reached out to more than 12,000 mom-and-pop stores. Then there's the 'I Have Space' programme under which Amazon India partners with local store owners to provide last mile pick-up and delivery services to customers.

Also Read: Airtel to team up with Vodafone Idea to co-own fibre network to take on Reliance Jio

Also Read: JioSaavn offers 90 days free premium service to Reliance Jio users
Oil prices rose on Thursday, buoyed by a drawdown in US crude inventories and signs that China is taking more concrete steps to put a trade war truce with Washington into action. Crude oil prices have also been supported by OPEC-led supply curbs announced last week, although gains were capped after the producer group lowered its 2019 demand forecast. International Brent crude oil futures were at $60.46 per barrel at 0213 GMT, up 31 cents, or 0.52 per cent, from their last close. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $51.40 per barrel, up 25 cents or, 0.49 per ...
Sri Lanka's top court is expected to deliver on Thursday its crucial verdict on whether broke the law by dissolving Parliament that plunged the country into unprecedented political turmoil.

is going through a major political crisis since October 26 when Sirisena, in a controversial move, removed Prime Minister and installed ex-strongman in his place.

Sirisena, after sacking Wickremesinghe, dissolved Parliament and called for a snap election on January 5.

As many as 13 petitions have been filed against Sirisena's November 9 order sacking the 225-member Parliament, almost 20 months before its term was to end.

The on November 13 had issued an interim order ruling Sirisena's gazette notification as temporarily illegal and halted the preparations for snap polls.

A 3-member bench is examining the petitions against and for the move. On December 7, they reserved the judgement for this week.

If the ruling goes against Sirisena it would put the in a difficult situation given his public statement that he would not restore the pre-October 26 position by reappointing Wickremesinghe.

Sirisena sacked Parliament when it appeared that Rajapaksa would not be able to muster the support of 113 MPs. Wickremesinghe on the other hand commands a majority.

Analysts said the ruling would be the first step in the resolution of the ongoing political crisis, the likes of which has never been witnessed in the island nation's history.

Sirisena has said he will accept the Supreme Court's ruling on the petitions filed against his gazette notification dissolving Parliament.

Sirisena ran the national unity government with Wickremesinghe's United National Party (UNP) since 2015. The partnership ended on October 26 when Sirisena fired Wickremesinghe, triggering the political standoff.

Since ousting Wickremesinghe, Sirisena has highlighted the "shortcomings" of the ex- in a bid to justify his sacking and dissuade his reinstatement.

Both Wickremesinghe and Rajapaksa claim to be the rightful prime minister. Wickremesinghe says his dismissal is invalid because he still commands a majority in Parliament.

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya has officially conveyed that the House does not recognise Rajapaksa as the legal prime minister until he proves his majority.

The United National Front (UNF) coalition led by Wickeremesinghe has moved three no-trust motions against Rajapaksa.

The motions came to be adopted after the speaker summoned Parliament, in a direct confrontation with Sirisena.

Rajapaksa has, so far, failed to prove his majority in Parliament, however he has refused to step down. Wickeremesinghe has the backing of 106 parliamentarians, while the Rajapaksa-Sirisena combine has the support of 95.
The French government is seeking candidates to replace Renault's embattled boss Carlos Ghosn, sources told Reuters, as board members began to voice doubts about keeping him in office following his indictment in Japan for suspected misconduct. At a meeting on Thursday, Renault directors were briefed on an investigation by alliance partner Nissan that led to Ghosn's arrest last month. He was charged this week over the company's failure to declare $43 million in deferred income he had arranged to receive. Nissan fired Ghosn as chairman three days after his detention, ...
Qualcomm Inc. persuaded a US trade agency to consider banning imports of Apple Inc. iPhones that use Intel Corp. chips, though the agency appeared to be grappling with ways to forge a compromise that would protect Americas dominance in the next generation of phone technology.

The US International Trade Commission said Wednesday it would take a closer look at a recommendation by a judge in September that an import ban would hurt Americas competitive edge in the development of the next generation of mobile technology, known as 5G. It also will look at the judges ...
Welcoming the Congressional passage of the Reciprocal Access To Act, a top American Senator on Wednesday said the legislation represented a strong, bipartisan step toward addressing that decades-long injustice.

Passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the Reciprocal Access To Act now heads to the White House for US President to sign into law. Among other things, the Act seeks to impose a visa ban on Chinese officials who deny American citizens, government officials and journalists access to the Tibetan areas.

Passing this legislation "represents a strong, bipartisan step toward addressing that decades-long injustice", US Senator Patrick Leahy said on the Senate floor.

Stating that the Chinese government arbitrarily required a special permit for a foreign diplomat, reporter or tourist to visit -- a requirement China did not impose for travel to any other provincial-level jurisdiction, even Xinjiang -- he alleged that it frequently denied requests for these permits to Tibet.

"And even when it does grant permits, it generally requires foreigners to be accompanied at all times by a government-designated guide. This arbitrary system not only makes it exceptionally difficult to report on the situation in Tibet, but also gives the Chinese government a significant leverage -- which it reportedly exploits in various ways -- over persons who hope to obtain a permit," Leahy said.

ALSO READ: US midterms: Indian-Tibetan descent Aftab Pureval draws national attention



He added that in a 2015 white paper, the Chinese government had claimed that under Chinese rule, "Tibet has been transformed from a poor and backward society to one that is advanced in both economy and culture".

Setting aside this statement would look perfectly at home among the discredited justifications for 19th-Century colonialism and if it were true, then one would expect China to welcome the world to witness its rule in Tibet, he said.

"Yet in 2016, The Washington Post reported that Tibet 'is harder to visit as a journalist than North Korea'. media cannot even enter Tibet except on infrequent, tightly-controlled tours organised by the Chinese government. The situation is much the same for US diplomats," Leahy said.

And it was not just journalists and officials whose freedom of movement was restricted, he noted, adding that Tibetan-Americans attempting to visit their homeland reported undergoing a discriminatory Chinese visa process, different from what was typically required for American citizens, and often found their requests arbitrarily denied.

"I have heard about this problem directly from my Tibetan-American constituents in Vermont. I have spoken about it with the leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile," Leahy said, adding, "With this legislation, we are now a step closer to the day when all American tourists, journalists and diplomats can make such a trip without undue restrictions."



"This legislation will also make it more difficult for China to hide its atrocious human rights record in Tibet behind a cloak of isolation. It will make it easier for Tibetans inside Tibet to interact with the outside world and more likely for the world to realise that Tibetans are a distinct people who deserve their right to self-determination," the Senator said.
Huawei's Number 2 pays US$ 7.5 million to be released on bail. She will have to stay in Vancouver wearing a GPS bracelet until her trial. Michael Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat, is being held in China but nothing else is known of his fate. The trade war goes beyond Beijing and Washington and could cause serious harm, WTO warns.

Vancouver (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Cheers and tears followed a ruling by a Vancouver judge this morning to release on bail of Sabrina Meng Wanzhou, Huaweis number 2, who was arrested on 1st December on charges of dealings with Iran circumventing the US embargo. Although free, she could still be extradited to the United States to stand trial.

Judge William Ehrcke set bail at C$ 10 million (US$ 7.5 million) and ordered that Meng wear a GPS ankle bracelet, which notifies police of the wearers movements. She was told not to approach the citys airport.

Mengs husband Liu Xiaozong pumped his fist in victory even if their home was put up as bail collateral. Many of Mengs Chinese supporters offered money or real estate to secure her release. The judge set an extradition hearing for 6 February 2019.

Beijing called on both Ottawa and Washington to immediately explain the reasons for Meng's detention, whilst the Chinese Embassy in Canada said in a statement that "such kind of actions [. . .] seriously harmed the human rights" of the person in question.

A few hours before the hearing, a former Canadian diplomat, Michael Kovrig, who is now a consultant for the International Crisis Group in China, went missing in Beijing.

Michael was detained on Monday night in Beijing by the Beijing Bureau of Chinese State Security, the group said in a statement.

Coming nine days after Sabrina Meng's arrest, Kovrigs detention seems to be Chinas tough response to the arrest of the Chinese businesswoman in Canada.

This tit-for-tat could widen the rift between China and the United States and Canada, which are partly on side on economic sanctions against Chinese products.

Meanwhile, the ongoing trade war worries World Trade Organisation (WTO), which warned that its members have applied 137 new trade-restrictive measures during the year that ended in October, up from 108.

These trade-restrictive measures amount to US$ 588 billion, more than seven times larger than a year ago.

This proliferation of trade restrictive measures and the uncertainty created by such actions could place economic recovery in jeopardy, said WTO director general Roberto Azevedo.
After a week of humiliating setbacks in her pursuit of Brexit, Theresa May, the UK prime minister, was spared the indignity of being voted out of office by her own MPs. Her victory in the Conservative leadership confidence ballot by 200 votes to 117 was seized on by allies as evidence that she retains the support of her party.

To do so, May had to concede that she would not seek to lead the Conservatives into the scheduled 2022 election. Although reports differ as to how firmly she committed to stepping aside, it may have been sufficient to swing some extra votes her way. Her opponents, ...
Senior Congress leader and Rajasthan observer KC Venugopal, who met Congress party president Rahul Gandhi late on Thursday evening, said that there would be a final decision on who would assume the office of chief minister in Rajasthan on Friday morning.

"Rahul Gandhi needs some more time for deliberations and a final decision. No meeting (has been scheduled) for tomorrow. In the morning there will be a decision," Venugopal told reporters in the capital after meeting the Congress chief.

In addition to Venugopal, Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot, who are considered as the front-runners for the post of chief minister, and Congress leader Avinash Pandey, were also present in the meeting.

Earlier on Thursday, supporters of Pilot, who is perceived to be the one who slogged in the trenches for five years to elevate the Congress from a 21-seat winning party in 2013 to 99 this time around, demonstrated in Rajasthan's Karauli district, blocking traffic and raising slogans for Pilot's appointment as the chief minister.

In the recently-concluded Assembly elections in Rajasthan, the Congress bagged 99 seats out of 199, while their key opponent- the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)- managed to secure 73.

Among the remaining seats, six went to Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) while 21 went to independent candidates.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi High Court on Thursday asked Delhi Police to file its response by December 20 on an anticipatory bail plea filed by suspended Air India pilot Captain Arvind Kathpalia.

Kathpalia had moved bail plea in a case pertaining to January 2017, when he had refused to go through mandatory pre-flight breath analyser (BA) test for a Bangalore-Delhi-Bangalore flight. Upon landing too, he refused to go through the BA test following which he was suspended for three months by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). He was also removed from the post of Executive Director (Operations) at that time.

However, the pilot approached Delhi HC on Thursday after the trial court (Patiala House Court) dismissed his anticipatory bail application earlier this month. He was represented by Senior Advocate Ramesh Gupta in the High Court.

Kathpalia was suspended once again last month - this time for three years by the Ministry of Civil Aviation - after he failed BA test for alcohol consumption before his flight to New Delhi to London on November 11. A departmental inquiry against Kathpalia is going on though he has been relieved from the post of Director (Operations).

Captain Kathpalia, a senior pilot and Director (Operations) is facing prosecution under Sections 201, 204, 465, 471, 506, 202, 217, 279, 280 and 120B of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and Section 11 of the Aircraft Act,1934, after a complaint was filed by the Indian Commercial Pilots Association following the November 11 incident.

Section 11 of the Aircraft Act deals with the penalty for flying any aircraft in such a manner as to cause danger to any person or property on land or water or in the air.

Kathpalia's petition stated that he is entitled to presumption of innocence and not compromising liberty is one such manifestation of that innocence. The petition further claimed that the Commercial Pilots Association is pursuing "personal vendetta" and is "being vindictive" against him by "putting undue pressure on the police to arrest and humiliate" him.

As per recent reports, Kathpalia was found 'too drunk' to fly before piloting flight AI 111 to London from Delhi last month as well. The Airlines had to call for another pilot to replace Kathpalia at the last moment. The incident attracted a lot of media attention for causing inconvenience to the passengers. The flight finally took off after a delay of almost an hour.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Akbar, who had resigned as the Minister of State for External Affairs in October, has been suspended until the defamation case he filed against Ramani is concluded.

"Office-bearers of the Guild discussed the EC's comments and took the decision on the matter. It has concurred with the majority view that Akbar should be suspended from the Guild till such time that the court case he has filed is concluded," a statement issued by the media body read.

The Guild has also suspended one of its past presidents and former Editor-in-Chief of Tehelka Tarun Tejpal over allegations of sexual misconduct.

"The Guild had sought the views of its Executive Committee (EC) on what action should be taken against MJ Akbar, a dormant member at present and one of its past president, Tarun Tejpal and Gautam Adhikari (senior journalist) in light of the charges of sexual misconduct levelled against them by several women journalist. . A majority of the EC members suggested that the membership of Akbar should be suspended. There was also consensus that Tejpal be suspended too, until the conclusion of his trial and the Guild should write to Adhikari to seek his response.," reads the statement.

However, the Guild has decided to seek a formal response from Adhikari against charges levelled against him.

These three names were cropped up after the MeToo movement gained momentum in India.

While Akbar came under fire after 20 women journalists levelled sexual misconduct charges against him, Tejpal has been serving jail term in a rape case.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Focussing on last-mile delivery and simplifying systems and procedures are key to improving India's 'Ease of Doing Business,' Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday.

"Emphasised on the need to focus on last mile delivery, simplifying systems and procedures, which will improve both 'Ease of Doing Business' and 'Ease of Living.' We are devoting all possible efforts to further improve our 'Ease of Doing Business' rankings," the Prime Minister told officials at a meeting held to review steps being taken to enhance India's Ease of Doing Business rankings.

Discussions were also held regarding construction, power, resolving insolvency and other areas that will make business easier in the times to come, the Prime Minister tweeted after the meeting was held.

Earlier in the year, India leapfrogged 23 places to the 77th spot on the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business index. Furthermore, the country saw a 53-place jump in the last two years, making it the largest improvement by any country since 2011.

India was also recognised as one of the top ten improvers for the second time in a row.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress chief ministerial hopefuls for Rajasthan Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot have left for New Delhi to meet Congress president Rahul Gandhi. The meeting is likely to take place at 10 am.

After the meeting, Rahul Gandhi is expected to take a call on the next chief minister of Rajasthan where the Congress won a whopping 99 of 199 Assembly seats, dethroning Vasundhara Raje-led Bharatiya Janata Party.

Pilot on Wednesday had informed that the decision on the chief ministership would be taken on Thursday by the party president Rahul Gandhi and other leaders of the party.

"Whatever the MLAs have to say they will say in the meeting and the final decision is left to the Congress president and other party leaders. We will take a call on Thursday," Pilot had said.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala on Wednesday had confirmed that the process of appointing chief ministers for the state of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh was underway.

Speaking to ANI, Surjewala said, "The process of electing the chief ministers of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan is presently underway. The Congress party believes in the democratic process of knowing the viewpoint of each elected legislator.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Thursday said that he is the son of India, both physically and mentally.

Speaking at 'Silver Lecture Series' function of Mumbai's Guru Nanak College of Arts, Science and Commerce, the Dalai Lama said: "Media from China and America asked what makes me a son of India. I answered that my brain is filled with thoughts of Nalanda and this physical body survived on India's dal, chapati and dosa. So both physically and mentally I am from this country, that's how I'm a son of India."

He said that according to Tibetan religion, all human beings are created by God. "Today, we have created a lot of problems on our own including greed and exploitation," he added.

The 83-year-old also asserted that everyone's rights and desires should be respected.

The Tibetan spiritual leader, who is on a three-day visit to the city, is expected to address students on December 14 during the 22nd TechFest 2018 at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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LOS REVOLUCIONARIOS NO TOMAN CACA-COLA No se trata solamente de un capricho, sino de una sana actitud en todos los sentidos. Desde la solidaridad con el pueblo colombiano donde la empresa Caca-Cola ha cometido los mas grandes abusos contra sus trabajadores incluyendo el presunto secuestro y asesinato de los dirigentes del sindicato, hasta la proteccion de la salud de nuestros hijos, enviciados por ese jarabe de cola y azucar, que les produce obesidad prematura. Pensemos tambien los revolucionarios, que ese dinero que gastamos en los refrescos es utilizado por esas empresas para financiar el terrorismo en nuestro pais. Es cierto, no se trata solo de la Caca-Cola, sino tambien de la cerveza, de los cigarrillos y todos esos articulos innecesarios y mas que eso, daninos para nuestra salud. Podriamos incluso pensar en un dia de parada para cada uno de ellos. Es cuestion de irnos organizando. Pero para empezar, que tal si dejamos de comprar Caca-Cola y sus similares?



























Cuando lo extraordinario se vuelve cotidiano...



Discurso del Acto de Grado en Barinas en 12 de Febrero del 2005 Queridos Graduandos:



Mas que un discurso, quiero dirigirles algunas palabras que escribi anoche, despues de visitar en las clinicas, a los estudiantes heridos, a consecuencia de los enfrentamientos con la policia de hace apenas dos dias.



Me ha tocado por razones del destino, ser la persona que les otorgue el titulo que bien merecieron con sus estudios. Y me siento sumamente orgulloso de serlo. Me consta que la Universidad de Los Llanos Occidentales Ezequiel Zamora, a pesar de lo dicho por los enemigos de esta universidad, es una universidad de primera.



No tendremos la mejor planta fisica, en los salones hace calor. En el comedor hace calor. Pero no es en lo material que las cosas deben valorarse. El mayor capital es el ser humano. Y en eso, nuestra UNELLEZ, lo digo con conocimiento de causa, esta sobrada. Los llaneros venezolanos son nobles, valientes, de coraje.



En la UNELLEZ hacen vida, en este momento, aproximadamente 67000 personas. El 97% de ellas son estudiantes. Jovenes que, como Ustedes hasta el dia de hoy, buscan ese titulo, que constata los anos de dedicacion y de estudio.



Los jovenes son el rio de la vida, ustedes graduados deben ser los capitanes de esos barcos que naveguen por el rio de la vida.



Nuestra Patria atraviesa momentos muy dificiles porque decidio dejar de ser esa matrona de edad vetusta y complaciente, para ser joven, rebelde y altanera. Nuestra imagen ya no es la de una acaudalada ricachona mayamera. En nuestro rostro brilla ahora la sonrisa del Che Guevara, con su diente delantero torcido, su pelo largo y su boina con la estrella.



Entender esto, a mi me ha tomado practicamente toda la vida. Tengo 53 anos, y ya perdi mi oportunidad de derramar sangre joven a causa de un ideal.



Ustedes son jovenes, estan en la flor de la vida. No cometan por favor el error de renunciar a su instinto de rebelion. El Che Guevara fue Ministro de a Economia en Cuba. Los billetes y las monedas se adornaban con su rostro. Nada de eso le importo. Primero fue a Angola donde paso un penoso ano de combate. Despues se fue a Bolivia, donde encontro la muerte. El Che era el ultimo que comia, el que cargaba la mochila mas pesada. Siempre se sacrificaba por los demas en un estoicismo que mas parecia fervor religioso que ideologia marxista.



Si quieren un modelo de vida. Ahi lo tienen.



Dije hace unos momentos que el 97% de la poblacion de la UNELLEZ es estudiante. Se imaginan Ustedes la Universidad que podriamos tener si todos los estudiantes tuvieran la abnegacion, la combatividad del Che?



Los momentos que se avecinan van a requerir de una gran unidad del pueblo venezolano. La alternativa de continuar siendo libres o regresar a la pobreza se nos planteara en los proximos dias de forma enmascarada, o quizas peor, desenmascarada, vestida con uniforme de soldado del Imperio.



Por nuestra parte podemos esperar lo mejor. La macroeconomia no podria ir mejor, la justicia social ha mejorado notablemente. Las misiones ocupan un papel muy importante en el pago de dicha justicia social. Aqui en Barinas ya hemos cumplido con dos de las misiones, la mision Robinson y la mision Sucre. No hay analfabetismo y no hay exclusion en la educacion superior, en estas tierras de Zamora.



Pero ay malhaya! Son precisamente estos exitos los que nos hacen mas antipaticos al Imperio. Para ellos, somos inclusive un mal ejemplo que se esta contagiando al resto del continente y cuidado sino al resto del mundo.



Nunca venceremos al Imperio. Estara siempre ahi, acechando. Por lo menos hasta que el mismo no se autodestruya. Porque, sepanlo senores, el neoliberalismo es canibal. Cuando le ataque el hambre, se devorara a si mismo.



Ustedes, queridos graduandos, a partir de hoy pasan a conformar la elite profesional que debe sostener este pais en los proximos cuarenta o cincuenta anos. Anos decisivos para el logro de nuestra libertad y del rescate de nuestra Soberania.



No se dejen comprar. No se dejen corromper. No se dejen gritar. No se dejen pisar. Que nadie les diga que comer, o que vestirse, o que leer. Sean siempre autenticos, rebeldes, contestatarios. Pero eso si, profundamente patriotas, dignos de ser hijos de Bolivar.



Muchas gracias y que Dios los bendiga.





Alguna duda?



Medio siglo de Holocausto Palestino



Oscar Zanartu Nacio en Caracas en 1960. Ha realizado exposiciones individuales en las galerias Minotauro, Clave y San Francisco, y en salas de Coro, estado Falcon, y Puerto Ordaz, estado Bolivar. En Paris su obra ha sido exhibida en el Centro Cultural Tanagra, en la Exposicion Cite Internationale des Arts, en las galerias De Mars y Arver Space, al igual que en la Galeria Municipal Levallois, en Levallois Perret (Francia). En muestras colectivas, su obra se ha expuesto en Belgica, Francia, Estados Unidos y Venezuela; en Caracas intervino en la exposicion "Del genesis a la memoria", 1995, organizada por la Fundacion La Previsora. En 1982 obtuvo el Premio Nacional Critven y en 1990 la Mencion de Honor Jose Antonio Paez, en la Embajada de Venezuela en Paris. En 1991 se le concedio el primer premio de Pintura Itinerante, en Levallois Perret, Francia.



OZ1



OZ2



OZ3



OZ4



Homenaje a Jason Galarraga



La Victoria de Samotracia



Odalisca



Mas fotos de la nevada del pasado agosto 2008



























La Sierra Nevada de Merida



Nuestro precioso Churum Meru



Homenaje a Picasso



Autoretrato



Sabes lo que bebes en una Coca-Cola?

La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.

Mi profesion?

Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.

Sal en la Coca Cola?

A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.

De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:

Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gusto

Acido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)

azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)

Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantas

Mucha Cafeina

Conservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o Potasio

Dioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebe

Sal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracion

El uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.

Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.

Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.

En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).

Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.

La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.

Bebidas Light?

Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el

Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.



Publicado por loretahur



En realidad, la formula secreta de la Coca-Cola se puede detallar en 18 segundos en cualquier espectrometro optico, y basicamente la conocen hasta los perros. Lo que ocurre es que no se puede fabricar igual, a no ser que uno disponga de unos cuantos millones de dolares para ganarle la demanda que te metera la Coca-Cola ante la justicia (ellos no perderian).La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gustoAcido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantasMucha CafeinaConservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o PotasioDioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebeSal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracionEl uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el aspartamo , despues de tres semanas mojado, pasa a tener gusto de trapo viejo sucio.Para evitar eso, se agregan una infinidad de otros productos quimicos, uno para alargar la vida del aspartamo, otro para neutralizar el color, otro para mantener el tercer quimico en suspension porque sino el fondo de la gaseosa quedaria oscuro, otro para evitar la cristalizacion del aspartamo, otro para realzar el sabor, dar mas intensidad al acido citrico o fosforito que perderia su sabor por el efecto de los cuatro productos quimicos iniciales... y asi sucesivamente.Un consejo final !!Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.Publicado por loretahur

MARGARINA o MANTEQUILLA La margarina fue producida originalmente para engordar a los pavos; cuandolo que hizo en realidad fue matarlos.Las personas que habian puesto el dinero para la investigacion quisieronrecobrarlo asi que empezaron a pensar en una forma de hacerlo.Tenian una sustancia blanca, que no tenia ningun atractivo como comestible,asi que le anadieron el color amarillo, para venderselo a lagente en lugar de la mantequilla.Que tal esa?... Ahora han sacado algunos nuevos sabores para vender mas alos incautos como usted y yo.CONOCE USTED la diferencia entre la margarina y la mantequilla?Siga leyendo hasta el final... porque se pone bastante interesante!Comparacion entre mantequilla y margarina:

1.- Ambas tienen la misma cantidad de calorias.

2.- La mantequilla es ligeramente mas alta en grasas saturadas: 8 gramos,comparada con los 5 gramos que tiene la margarina.

3.- Comer margarina en vez de mantequilla puede aumentar en 53% el riesgo deenfermedades coronarias en las mujeres, de acuerdo con un estudiomedico reciente de la Universidad de Harvard.

4.- Comer mantequilla aumenta la absorcion de gran cantidad de nutrientesque se encuentran en otros alimentos.

5.- La mantequilla provee beneficios nutricionales propios mientras lamargarina tiene solo los que le hayan sido anadidos al fabricarla.

6.- La mantequilla sabe mucho mejor que la margarina y mejora el sabor deotros alimentos.7.- La mantequilla ha existido durante siglos mientras que la margarinatiene menos de 100 anos.

Ahora... sobre la margarina:

1.- Es muy alta en acidos grasos trans. (Si, esos que recien ahora loscientificos descubrieron que son malisimos y los gobiernoscomenzaron a prohibirlos) .

2.- Triple riesgo de enfermedades coronarias.

3.- Aumenta el colesterol total y el LDL (el colesterol malo) y disminuye elHDL (el colesterol bueno).

4.- Aumenta en cinco veces el riesgo de cancer.

5.- Disminuye la calidad de la leche materna.

6.- Disminuye la reaccion inmunologica del organismo.

7.- Disminuye la reaccion a la insulina.

Y he aqui el factor mas inquietante (AQUI ESTA LA PARTE MAS INTERESANTE! ):A la margarina le falta UNA MOLECULA para ser PLASTICO...!!Solo este hecho es suficiente para evitar el uso de la margarina de porvida, y de cualquier otra cosa que sea hidrogenada (esto significaque se le anade hidrogeno, lo cual cambia la estructura molecular de lassubstancias).Usted puede ensayar lo siguiente:Compre un poco de margarina y dejela en el garaje o en un sitio sombreado.Dentro de unos dias notara dos cosas:

* No habra moscas; ni siquiera esos molestos bichos se le acercaran (esto yale debe decir a usted algo).

* No se pudre ni huele mal o diferente porque no tiene valor nutritivo; nadacrece en ella. Ni siquiera los diminutos microorganismos puedencrecer en ella.Por que? Porque es casi plastico!!



No a la guerra, Si a la Paz



Misterios de la ciencia...



Los costos de la guerra



medicos y capitalismo...



Capitalismo...



medicos (2)



Quien educa a nuestros hijos?



Los Medios...



Sin Palabras...



Chistes feministas

- Cual es el problema, Eva?

- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz...

- Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.

- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...

- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.

- Que es un hombre?

- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.

- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.

- Cual es el truco?.

- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.

- Cual?

- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.





Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas?  Porque todos son unos cerdos

Un dia, en el Paraiso, Eva llamo a Dios: Tengo un problema.- Cual es el problema, Eva?- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz... - Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.- Que es un hombre?- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.- Cual es el truco?.- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.- Cual?- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas?  Porque todos son unos cerdos

Ellas...



Ellas (2)...



Tres venganzas femeninas VENGANZA NUMERO 1

Hoy mi hija cumple 21 anos y estoy muy contento porque es el ultimo pago de pension alimenticia que le doy, asi que llame a mi hijita para que viniera a mi casa y cuando llego le dije:

-Hijita, quiero que lleves este cheque a casa de tu mama y que le digas que: Este es el ultimo maldito cheque que va recibir de mi en todo lo que le queda de su puta vida!!! Quiero que me digas la expresion que pone en su rostro.

Asi que mi hija fue a entregar el cheque. Yo estaba ansioso por saber lo que la bruja tenia que decir y que cara pondria.

Cuando mi hijita entro, le pregunte inmediatamente: -Que fue lo que te dijo tu madre?

-Me dijo que justamente estaba esperando este dia para decirte que no eres mi papa!



VENGANZA NUMERO 2

Un hombre que siempre molestaba a su mujer, paso un dia por la casa de unos amigos para que lo acompanaran al aeropuerto a dejar a su esposa que viajaba a Paris.

A la salida de inmigracion, frente a todo el mundo, el le desea buen viaje y en tono burlon le grita:

- Amor, no te olvides de traerme una hermosa francesita Ja ja ja!!

Ella bajo la cabeza y se embarco muy molesta.

La mujer paso quince dias en Francia.

El marido otra vez pidio a sus amigos que lo acompanasen al aeropuerto a recibirla.

Al verla llegar, lo primero que le grita a toda voz es:

- Y amor me trajiste mi francesita??

- Hice todo lo posible, - contesta ella - ahora solo tenemos que rezar para que nazca nina.



VENGANZA NUMERO 3

El marido, en su lecho de muerte, llama a su mujer. Con voz ronca y ya debil, le dice: - Muy bien, llego mi hora, pero antes quiero hacerte una confesion.

- No, no, tranquilo, tu no debes hacer ningun esfuerzo.

- Pero, mujer, es preciso - insiste el marido - Es preciso morir en paz.

Te quiero confesar algo.

- Esta bien, esta bien. Habla!

- He tenido relaciones con tu hermana, tu mama y tu mejor amiga.

- Lo se, lo se Por eso te envenene, hijo de puta!!!



machismo y cibernetica



Chiste machista La NASA ha enviado al espacio una mision experimental tripulada por dos monos y una mujer.Apenas abandona la atmosfera, se establece comunicacion con Houston.

-Atencion, simio 1, verifique sistemas hidraulicos, controle adecuada presion de los propulsores de arranque. A 60.000 pies disminuya un 25% la velocidad.

El simio hace la sena de OK.

-Atencion, simio 2, nivele al cruzar la estratosfera y active sistemas anticongelantes. No olvide monitorear sistemas de comunicacion e indicadores de presion. Comprendido?.

El simio hace la sena de OK.

-Atencion, Houston llamando a mujer: no se olvide.

-Mujer: Si, si, ya se! -interrumpe enojada- que no me olvide darles de comer a estos monos de mierda y que no se me vaya a ocurrir tocar nada!.



.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti.

Un abogado mantiene un romance con su secretaria.Al poco tiempo, esta queda embarazada y el abogado, que no quiere que su esposa se entere, le da a la secretaria una buena suma de dinero y le pide que se vaya a parir a Italia.Esta pregunta: Y como voy a hacerte saber cuando nazca el bebe ? El abogado responde: Para que mi mujer no se entere, tan solo enviame una postal y escribe por detras: Spaghetti. Y no te preocupes mas, que yo me encargare de todos los gastos.

Pasan los meses y una manana la esposa del abogado lo llama al bufete, algo exaltada: Querido, acabo de recibir el correo y hay una postal muy extrana viene desde Italia. La verdad, no entiendo que significa.El abogado, tratando de ocultar sus nervios, contesta:Espera a que llegue a casa, a ver si yo entiendoCuando el hombre llega a casa y lee la postal, cae al suelo fulminado por un infarto.Llega una ambulancia y se lo lleva. Ya en el hospital, el jefe de cardiologia se queda consolando a la esposa y le pregunta cual ha sido el evento que precipito tan masivo ataque cardiaco.

Entonces la esposa saca la postal y se la muestra diciendole: No me explico, doctor; el solamente leyo esta postal. Vea usted mismo lo que trae escrito.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti."Tres con salchicha y albondigas y dos con almejas



Gol !!!!



Chistes de Borrachos Entra un borracho a su casa todo manchado con lapiz labial por todos lados hecho un desastre, y la mujer le pregunta:-Hombre que te paso?Y el borracho le responde:-No me vas a creer, me pelee con un payaso!



Este es un borracho que entra en un bar y le dice al camarero:-Me da cinco copas de whisky?Al rato:-Me da cuatro?Al rato:-Me da tres copas?Despues:-Me da dos copas?Luego le dice:-Me da una copa?Y le dice al camarero:-Ves? Cuanto menos bebo, mas borracho estoy!


The Russian Federation Aerospace Force (RFASF) has commenced flying operations with the Indian Air Force (IAF) crew under joint Air-Force exercise Ex-AviaIndra-2018 on Thursday in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

The Indian Air Force officially took to Twitter saying, "#AviaIndra2018 : Air Marshal HS Arora, AOC-in-C, SWAC, visits AFS Jodhpur, 13 Dec 18. During his visit AOC-in-C welcomed & interacted with the participants of IAF & RFASF. The RFASF aircrew has commenced flying operations alongside IAF crew in Su-30MKI, Mi-17V5 & AN-32 aircraft."

Earlier in the day, the Indian Air Force also tweeted that the IAF and RFASF participants are gaining invaluable insights into the training philosophy, piloting skills and operating procedures, which will further enhance understanding and co-operation between the two Air Forces.

The second leg of the joint exercise commenced from December 10 and is scheduled to continue till December 21.

The contingent is being led by Lieutenant General Lurii Sushkov, who said, "I am happy & excited to be part of this exercise & we are looking forward to great learning."

The first phase was held in at Lipetsk, Russia from September 17 to 28.

The exercise focused on anti-terrorist operations in a bi-lateral scenario and enhanced the co-operation and understanding each other's Concept of Operations, said an official statement of the Ministry of Defence.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India's Minister of Defense Nirmala Sitharaman met with Russian Federation General Sergei Shoigu here on Thursday, marking the 18th meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC).

The Defence Ministry took to its official Twitter account saying, "Raksha Mantri Smt @nsitharaman with Minister of Defence of Russian Federation Gen @SShoiguRussia signing protocol of 18th meeting and agreement on establishing Indian-Russian Intergovernmental Commission on Military and Military-Technical Cooperation (IRIGC- MTC) on 13 Dec 2018."

In the framework of the bilateral Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership, the IRIGC-MTC meeting discussed a wide range of issues relating to defense equipment, industry and technological engagement between India and Russia as well as after sales support/upgradation of military equipment of Russian origin.

The Ministers expressed satisfaction at the dynamism and progress in bilateral defense cooperation. Intensive discussions were held on joint manufacturing projects, including the Kamov-226T helicopters, naval frigates and projects related to land systems. The two sides also agreed to take forward inter-governmental arrangements for facilitating joint manufacturing of spares for Russian origin equipment in India, under the 'Make in India' initiative.

With a view to enhancing military-to-military engagement and rationalising the functioning of the Commission, a revised Inter-Governmental Agreement on restructuring the existing IRIGC-MTC to the IRIGC on Military and Military Technical Cooperation was also signed by the two Ministers. An additional institutional Working Group headed by Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman COSE (CISC) and Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of General Staff of Armed Forces of Russian Federation would be set up under the expanded Commission.

The Ministers expressed satisfaction progress in structured engagement between their armed forces, including joint exercises, resumption of training exchanges and other interactions in the framework of the Bilateral Road Map on Defence Cooperation signed in June 2017.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As many as 2,60,124 Indian tourists have visited Nepal in the last ten months, taking the number of tourists visiting the neighbouring country to a whopping one million.

As per the data released by the Nepal Tourism Board on Thursday, a total of 10,01,930 tourists arrived Nepal in the period from January to November. Out of them, a total of 2,60,124 Indian tourists visited Nepal via air travel, making them the highest number of international tourists arriving in Nepal.

The number of the Indian tourist arrivals in Nepal this year as compared to last year has increased by a hundred thousand - In 2017, the number of Indian tourists stood at 1,60, 832 followed by Chinese tourists with 1,04, 664 persons arriving in Nepal.

This year too, China stood second on the list, with 1,34,362 tourist arrivals in the mountainous nation. The number of American Tourists, which stood at 73,650 in 2017, surged to 82,870 in 2018. Tourists from the UK increased to 57,555 from 50,652 in 2017, while German tourists visiting Nepal also grew to 34,479 from 28,702 in 2017.

Nepal, which is home to nine out of the top ten highest peaks in the world, relies heavily on tourism as one of its sources for foreign currency.

The increasing number of international tourists to the nation spells well for Nepal which is observing 2020 as the year for tourism. Last year, the travel and tourism sector alone contributed about 7.8 per cent to Nepal's gross domestic product (GDP).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Industrybuying has turned its SME ecommerce profitable after changing its strategy to focus on Private Brands in the industrial and Ecommerce space.

The company is doubling in revenue every year, and has grown 8X over 3 years to 240 cr. It has limited competition in the space, with other competitors either being focused on large enterprises, or not being unit economics positive.

"Our focus is very profitably oriented, and consequently we target doubling every year, and at least 2% improvement in EBITDA per month. We wanted to first build a profitable SME ecommerce model and then hyper grow it, instead of the other way around. We have largely succeeded, and expect to be EBITDA profitable in the next quarter" said Swati Gupta, co-founder.

"Our large catalog of over 700,000 industrial and products is unique. 80% of our sales come from products that are not available anywhere else online. Now with private brands, the catalog and price points become even stronger", she continued.

The company launched its private brands across 6 major categories a year ago. Since then, Private brands have quickly risen to form over a third of the company's revenue. Solar, Tools, Office furniture, Agri equipment and core MRO categories are proving to be hot sellers for the company.

"We spend a lot of time talking to customers, dealers identifying the right specifications and price points and obsessively analyzing our own ecommerce data, before finalizing products in any category. Consequently, we are seeing very attractive unit economics and are making money after covering marketing, freight and other costs of operations. Globally, margins of over 30-35% exist in industrial Private brands, we hope to replicate this in India," said Rahul Gupta, co-founder.

"We intend to expand our private brand portfolio to address 12 of the 19 major business categories we participate in, over next 2 quarters. In addition to ecommerce, we are also selling Private brands to our dealer network all over India through the platform and app. We are likely the only cross-category, private brand player with nation wide distribution in this sector both online and offline," he added.

"Customers have benefited from buying high quality branded products online. Anand Tomar, a farmer in Haryana, bought an Earth Auger from AgriPro, the company's Agri brand. I will now try their pesticide sprayer, and mini tiller. The price was cheap, product quality excellent, and I got door-delivery," said Anand.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A United States Congressman was left red-faced after asking a question to Google CEO Sundar Pichai pertaining to an iPhone issue during a Senate hearing.

During the hearing in the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, Iowa Republican Steve King asked Pichai that why his 7-year-old granddaughter's iPhone was spammed with images of him, while she was playing a game.

"I have a seven-year-old granddaughter who picked up her phone during the election, and she's playing a little game, the kind of game a kid would play. And up on there pops a picture of her grandfather. And I'm not going to say into the record what kind of language was used around that picture of her grandfather, but I'd ask you: how does that show up on a seven-year-old's iPhone, who's playing a kid's game?" King was quoted by The Verge as saying.

To this, Pichal replied, "Congressman, the iPhone is made by a different company. And so, you know, I mean..." before King interrupted him saying, "It might have been an Android. It's just, it was a hand-me-down of some kind."

Unperturbed, the Indian-born appeared to put the ball on King's court, saying, "You know, I'm happy to follow up when I understand the specifics. There may be an application which was being used which had a notification. But I'm happy to understand it better and clarify it for you."

King's faux pas has left Twitter users amused and tizzy at the same time, with most of them wondering that how could the US Congressman did not know that iPhone is made by Apple and not by Google.

"Real Savage ?????? Sundar Pichai's Answer About Ads on 'iPhone' Lightens Up Senate Hearing https://app.beebom.com/sundar-pichais-answer-ads-iphone-lightens-senate-hearing .," A Twitter user wrote.

Another user took a jibe at King saying, "Maybe learn what an iPhone is before you claim to be the superior race."

A person also shared his thoughts and wrote on the micro-blogging site: "So if the hearing taught us anything, it's that old ass, out of touch politicians are out of touch with how Google works too. ...Dude REALLY whined about his iPhone to Sundar Pichai tho. pic.twitter.com/faPGhB8K5g"

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president K Chandrasekhar Rao took oath as the Chief Minister of Telangana on Thursday. It will be his second inning as the state chief minister.

Governor ESL Narasimhan administered him the oath of office and secrecy at the Raj Bhavan.

Rao is likely to set up his Council of Ministers in a day or two.

TRS emerged victorious in the Telangana Assembly elections on Tuesday, bagging 88 seats in the state assembly of 119-member.

Rao, commonly known as KCR won from Gajewal constituency by over 50,000 votes while TRS candidate Talasani Srinivas Yadav, a minister in Rao's last government won from Sanath Nagar constituency by 30,217 votes.

Prajakutami, an alliance of the Congress and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) won 21 seats while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bagged only one seat. All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) won 7 seats.

On December 7, single-phase elections were held in Telangana, wherein 73.2 per cent voter turnout was recorded.

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Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Wednesday accused BJP of a smear campaign against Kamal Nath, a contender for chief ministership in Madhya Pradesh, in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.

Singh asserted that there is no FIR or case against Nath in the case. Despite Singh not being an accused, according to Singh, the campaign is being run by the rival BJP.

"The incident is 35 years old. There is no FIR against him, no charge sheet or a case against him; he is not an accused in the case. Whenever his name comes up, BJP people run such kind of campaign. Kamal Nath was a minister from '85 to '90 as well as between '91 and '96. He was also a minister from 2004 to 2014. At these times no one objected. Most or as much as 100 per cent Sikhs of Chhindwara are his supporters and he has also done service at the local Gurudwara. No one has a problem with him," Singh told ANI in an exclusive conversation.

He, however, asserted that he has no information as to who would be announced as the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh. An announcement in this regard is expected to be made this evening.

On being asked about the sloganeering by supporters of Jyotiraditya Scindia and Kamal Nath, Singh raised suspicion whether it is the rivals who stage managed it. He said, "People are excited and we do not know which party they belong to. It needs to be seen how many of them are Congress members or which party they are from".

With both Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief Kamal Nath and party's campaign committee in-charge Jyotiraditya Scindia being in the race for the top post in the state, the Congress is treading very thin ice as the appointment of either of the two may lead to internal rifts ahead of the crucial 2019 General elections.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) legislators on Thursday boycotted Question Hour in the Kerala Assembly to protest against the restrictions on women's entry into Sabarimala temple and lack of basic amenities.

The opposition also demanded the suspension of Question Hour in order to take up the adjournment motion.

On Monday also, the Kerala Assembly was adjourned, following a protest by the members of the opposition over their demand for the withdrawal of Section 144 from Sabarimala temple.

On December 8, the Pathanamthitta district administration extended prohibitory orders issued under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) imposed in and around Sabarimala temple areas till the midnight of December 12.

Section 144 prohibits the assembly of more than four people in an area. As per the decision of the Pathanamthitta District Administration, Sabarimala, Elavungal, Nilakkal, Pamba, and Sannidhanam will be under the purview of the police control for four more days.

Earlier, the police had submitted a report to the district collector, seeking to extend the prohibitory orders until January 14. The police arrested BJP leaders including its state unit vice-president N Shivarajan for breaching prohibitory orders at Nilakkal.

Around 69 people were arrested in November after they allegedly violated Section 144imposed in the vicinity of the temple.

A string of protests has been witnessed in the state after the Supreme Court's verdict of allowing women of all age groups to enter the Lord Ayappa shrine.

Till to date, no woman in the 10-50 age group has succeeded in offering prayers at the shrine as various people have been protesting against the apex court's decision.

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Seems like American rapper Kanye West wants to collaborate with the famed guitarist Bob Dylan for his next album.

Taking to his official Twitter handle, the 'Ye' star reached out to the artist, where he tweeted, "Calling out to Bob Dylan Let's get together."

Unfortunately, Dylan does not have a Twitter. So it is unclear if he got the message.

Kanye's straightforward reach to famous people has become a hallmark of his Twitter as earlier this year, he said he would like to meet Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, because he 'had some ideas.'

On the work front, Kanye, who has previously collaborated with Paul McCartney, is prepping for his upcoming album-Yandhi.

The 41-year-old was recently in Paris with wife Kim Kardashian West. They returned to Paris two years after being robbed here.

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A 49-year-old man allegedly in an inebriated state set himself on fire outside Kerala government Secretariat in Palayam area of the city during Thursday wee hours.

The victim, identified as Venugopalan Nair, doused himself in some flammable liquid and then lit his clothing outside the Secretariat, the local police said. He was immediately rushed to the nearby Trivandrum Medical College Hospital for the treatment.

Nair is said to be in a critical state and is under observation in the Intense Care Unit. The incident took place at around 1:30 am in the morning near the BJP's venue of protest against restrictions on women's entry into Sabarimala temple. Police are yet to ascertain the reason behind the victim's extreme step.

BJP, however, alleges that Nair was Lord Ayyappa's devotee and was upset because of the ongoing row over the ban on women of a particular age entering Sabarimala temple.

BJP's state unit president, P Sreedharan Pillai had on Friday had announced a protest outside Kerala Secretariat over Sabarimala temple issue. The protest which will continue for 14 days is expected to see the party members from each of 14 districts coming to Thiruvananthapuram to protest each day.

Some of the demands of the BJP include lifting the ban on the restrictions over the movement of female devotees in Sabarimala temple and stringent action against the police officials for allegedly filing a false case against K Surendran, the party's general secretary.

A string of protests has been witnessed in the state after the Supreme Court's verdict of allowing women of all age groups to enter the Lord Ayappa shrine. Female devotees in the age bracket of 10 to 50 years have not yet succeeded in offering prayer at the shrine even after the Apex Court's decision.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Constitution Classes Resume for the

First Three Weeks of December,

then we take a break the week before

Christmas and the week after Christmas.
Amid calls for scrapping the plan to launch a censored version of Google in China, CEO of the search engine, Sundar Pichai has said that the company has "no plans" to launch the search product for the Chinese market "right now".

Pichai's statement came after the US legislators, during his testimony in front of the House Judiciary Committee, raised concerns over the reports about the censored search engine for China called "Project Dragonfly".

"Right now, there are no plans for us to launch a search product in China," Pichai told Republican Pennsylvania, Tom Marino, while replying to his questions about the company's expansion plans, The Verge reported.

Pichai added that the tech giant currently has no "plans" to launch the product but it hasn't halted work completely.

When Marino asked that will Google go ahead with a censored search project if Chinese government asks the company to share information, Pichai responded saying, "Any time we look to operate in a country, we would look at what the conditions are to operate. There are times in the past we have debated the conditions to operate and we explore a wide range of possibilities. Currently, it is an effort only internally for us. We are not doing this in China."

Pichai revealed that Google has not stopped its work on the project fully and internally, adding that the efforts to launch a search product in the Asian country was "limited".

Since 2010, Google's search engine has been blocked in China after a standoff with Beijing over its online freedom and reports of alleged intrusion by hackers into the company's servers. The tech giant's decision to shift its search service to Hong Kong also left China infuriated.

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Researchers at the MIT have built a new artificial intelligence system that is capable of spotting objects in near-total darkness.

The system uses deep neural network to look for transparent patterns in dark images. The team trained the AI by feeding it 10,000 purposefully dark, grainy, out-of-focus pictures which gave the system an idea of what to expect and highlight hidden transparent objects, Engadget reported.

After the training, the system could find and reproduce hidden objects in extremely low-light settings. The system demonstrates future capabilities and applications such as nighttime photography, astronomy, or medicine where details in biological material could be captured without light and radiation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress leaders Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot on Thursday called for the party workers to maintain peace amid a prolonged wait for the appointment of the chief minister for the three newly-elected Congress governments in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

Speaking to ANI, Gehlot, a former Rajasthan Chief Minister, said, "The decision will be taken soon, there is nothing to worry about. The decision has to be taken for chief ministers of three states so naturally, it takes time. The party president will take a call, whatever decisions will be taken will be binding on all. Rahul ji is talking to and consulting all leaders".

"Sometimes party workers become over-excited; I appeal to the workers to maintain peace. A process is underway, they should not indulge in anything that raises questions on the party. Also, in times like these, people other than party workers join in the commotion, so it projects an image that Congress workers are doing this (quarrelling with each other), whereas Congress workers are united in Rajasthan and across India," Gehlot added.

In reply to questions pertaining to comments from BJP leaders questioning them over the delay in appointing a chief minister, Gehlot said, "What right do they have? They could not appoint a Rajasthan-unit president for 76 days. First Gajendra Shekhawat was made the president, and then someone else was appointed in his stead. So they can't question us, these things take time."

Echoing similar thoughts, Sachin Pilot said, "I appeal to party workers to maintain peace and decorum. I have full faith in the leadership; we will welcome whatever Rahul Gandhi ji and Sonia Gandhi ji's decide. It is our responsibility to uphold the honour of the party; we are dedicated to the party."

He also appealed to the media to not run "news based on rumours and only rely on confirmed news".

Gehlot and Pilot are the two front-runners for the post of Rajasthan chief minister, and supporters of both camps have been vehemently demanding their leader to be selected for the top post.

Earlier today, supporters of Pilot, who is perceived to be the one who slogged in the trenches for five years to elevate the Congress from a 21-seat winning party in 2013 to 99 this time around, demonstrated in Rajasthan's Karauli district, blocking traffic and raising slogans for Pilot's appointment as the chief minister.

Gehlot's supporters have also indulged in such activities, thronging the party headquarters in Jaipur and sloganeering in the former chief minister's favour.

A similar deadlock situation also prevails in Madhya Pradesh, where supporters have been divided into two camps, one in favour of state campaign committee in-charge Jyotiraditya Scindia and the other supporting MPCC chief Kamal Nath.

The Rahul Gandhi-led party has to ensure that selection of any of the four leaders as the chief minister for their respective states does not lead to internal rifts, months ahead of the crucial General Elections next year.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday congratulated Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president K Chandrashekhar Rao on taking charge of the state as the chief minister.

On Tuesday, TRS emerged victorious in the Telangana Assembly elections, bagging 88 seats out in the 119-member assembly. Second in the race was Congress which achieved 19 seats, followed by Asaduddin Owaisi's All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) which won seven seats and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which could manage to retain only one seat.

Prime Minister took to Twitter to congratulate Rao. He wrote, "Congratulations to KCR Garu on taking oath as the CM of Telangana. Best wishes for his tenure ahead."

KCR took oath earlier today. It will be his second inning as the state's chief minister. Governor ESL Narasimhan administered him the oath of office and secrecy at the Raj Bhavan.

Rao is likely to set up his Council of Ministers in a day or two.

He won from Gajewal constituency by over 50,000 votes.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid floral tributes to the 14 security persons who lost their lives in the terrorist attack on Parliament on December 13, 2001.

On the 17th anniversary of the attack, Prime Minister Modi had tweeted, "We salute the valour of those who were martyred during the dastardly attack on our Parliament on this day in 2001. Their courage and heroism inspire every Indian."

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, BJP chief Amit Shah, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad were among others who paid homage to those killed in the attack.

On December 13, 2001, in a horrific incident, five heavily-armed terrorists belonging to terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), stormed the Parliament complex in New Delhi and opened fire indiscriminately.

Around 14 people, mostly security forces and one civilian, were killed in this incident.

The incident took place around 40 minutes after Parliament was adjourned and about 100 members were present in the building.

Extensive investigations had revealed the involvement of four accused, namely, Afzal Guru, Shaukat Hussain, SAR Geelani and Navjot Sandhu in carrying out the attack on the Indian Parliament.

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President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated 'Enterprise India' exhibition here on Thursday, bringing in the best of Indian products, services, innovation and know-how to business partners, start-ups, incubators and customers in Myanmar.

This exhibition has been set up by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), including about 45-50 Indian companies ranging from very large companies to small enterprises, to showcase Indian manufacturing capabilities and industrial technology.

The official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs tweeted, "Harnessing Complementaries! While addressing the Fifth Enterprise India Show jointly organised by CII and Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce in #Yangon, #PresidentKovind asked companies from both countries to leverage each other competencies! @FollowCII"

President Kovind said that India is focusing on fostering micro and small enterprises, driving financial inclusion and imparting skills. India's micro-credit scheme MUDRA has so far disbursed 128 million loans worth over USD 90 billion to start small businesses. This has unleashed entrepreneurship, self-employment and growth of micro-enterprises, President Kovind noted.

"We, indeed, have important lessons to share with Myanmar in this regard, for both our countries face similar socio-economic challenges and have similar objectives to meet. I am, therefore, particularly happy that this Show is accompanied by a full-day conference on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises sector," President Kovind said in his statement.

Providing further details into the business model of the country, President Kovind reiterated that India is not only a source of goods and services but also technology, finance, best business practices, innovation and smart solutions. The country has undertaken steps to transform its economy through ambitious infrastructure projects, smart-city programmes, high-speed train corridors, green-field airports, port-led industrial development and digital connectivity i-ways.

In addition to this, manufacturing and investment projects in the country, such as Make in India, Digital India, Skill India and Start-up India flagship programmes are creating new business values and ushering in trans-formational socio-economic empowerment and progress. These signature projects and the businesses that they are growing in India present many opportunities for Myanmar, the Indian President added.

Noting a rise in India's position to 65th place in the Bank's Ease of Doing Business ranking over a span of the last four years, President Kovind assured that Indian companies and their capacities could offer Myanmar the best of infrastructure, cutting-edge products and services and digitally driven choices, from financial-technology to biotech and more. He also added that Myanmar companies, if they decide to 'look west', are sure to find many avenues for cooperation with their Indian counterparts.

Similarly, if Indian businesses study the immense possibilities and prospects in the Myanmar market, they will succeed in bringing up new projects and proposals, especially in renewable energy, power, light engineering, agro-products and machinery, IT, pharmaceuticals, healthcare and education sectors, the President added.

As both India and Myanmar are looking forward to diversifying trade and investment relations, the Enterprise exhibition focused on new ideas and options to expand the narrow bilateral trade and investment basket between the two South Asian countries.

India is also keen to forge new partnerships with Myanmar in the fields of digital economy, e-commerce, sustainable products and green solutions. And along with that, President Kovind noted that India must also focus on expanding its business networks from Yangon to Mumbai and from Mandalay to Manipur.

"We eagerly look forward to welcoming the Chief Minister of Yangon in Mumbai soon to connect our commercial capitals and to deepen business and banking partnerships," the President added.

India has a multi-pronged approach to strengthen its economic and commercial relations with Myanmar. Through the infrastructure projects, India is enhancing connectivity between the two South Asian countries. And through Understandings and Agreements, India is facilitating land-border crossing for enhancing trade and tourism, President Kovind said.

The Indian President complemented both the countries for the on-going efforts to enhance trade and connectivity, especially after the signing of the Motor Vehicles Agreement. He once again assured that the agreement will open new possibilities for progress and prosperity for people living along the border. While the agreement would be a good source to seek goods and services more efficiently and economically for Myanmar, India, on the other hand, would exchange eco-friendly products made from bamboo, water hyacinth and other natural vegetation.

The Rashtrapati Bhavan here tweeted, "Motor Vehicles Agreement will open possibilities for people living along the border, for Myanmar to source goods and services more efficiently, and for us to exchange eco-friendly products made from bamboo, water hyacinth and other natural vegetation #PresidentKovind"

"I am happy that during my visit the Myanmar government has decided to extend visa-on-arrival-facility to Indian tourists arriving at Nay Pyi Taw, Yangon and Mandalay airports. This would give a major boost to our people-to-people exchanges and business ties," the President noted.

President Kovind said that India understands the constraints faced by Myanmar in its process of nation-building. Myanmar is a country rich in human and natural resources. If the right regulatory environment is put into place, especially in the fields of energy, telecom, banking, insurance and healthcare, there is every reason for investment to flow into Myanmar and help it develop, grow and gallop, he added in his statement.

"I am glad that Myanmar is already reforming its policies to attract business and capital. The creation of a separate Ministry of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations is a welcome step. I hope it will be able to increase the attractiveness of Myanmar as an investment destination," President Kovind said.

Speaking on capacity building and skills development, the Indian President reiterated that India is privileged to share its expertise and experience with Myanmar.

"Yesterday, I had the honour to dedicate the Advanced Centre for Agricultural Research and Education and the Rice Bio-park built with Indian assistance to the people of Myanmar. These facilities are geared to up-skill people to enhance their livelihood and farming choices. On similar lines, our businesses can engage with each other and open the of the knowledge economy to the youth in this country," President Kovind mentioned in his statement.

Earlier in the day, President Kovind along with wife Savita Kovind and granddaughter paid a visit to the mausoleum of the Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last emperor of Mughal dynasty. They also visited the Shri Kali temple in Yangon which is managed by a trust represented by the people who came to Myanmar from different regions of India.

The President, along with his ministerial delegation is scheduled to depart for India on the morning of December 14.

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In line with the party's narrative regarding the prolonged wait for the announcement of the chief minister in the recently-elected state governments, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday quoted Russian author Leo Tolstoy to advocate the virtues of patience.

Taking to his Twitter handle, the Congress president posted a picture of the two chief ministerial candidates from Madhya Pradesh, Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia, along with the caption, "The two most powerful warriors are patience and time. - Leo Tolstoy".

Downplaying the tensions within the party, Madhya Pradesh campaign committee in-charge Jyotiraditya Scindia said that he and MPCC chief Kamal Nath are not "in a race".

"It is not a race, it is not about the kursi (the chief minister's office). We are here to serve the people of Madhya Pradesh. I am leaving for Bhopal and you will get to know the decision today," Scindia told the media after leaving Rahul's New Delhi residence.

Meanwhile, Kamal Nath told the media that they will hold a meeting with all MLAs in Bhopal and announce the decision shortly after. "We (Scindia and Kamal Nath) had a very cordial discussion here (with Rahul). We are going to Bhopal, where we will hold a meeting with the MLAs and announce the decision shortly. Whatever the MLAs decide will prevail. It is not a matter of anyone's victory or loss".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The chief minister of Rajasthan will be announced shortly, said senior Congress leader from the state Ashok Gehlot who is considered front-runner in the race for the top post.

"An announcement will be made shortly," said Gehlot to ANI when asked whether any decision has been taken on chief ministership.

"We have left the decision to the Congress president," he added.

Gehlot's comments came after he met Congress president Rahul Gandhi and other leaders here.

Asked to comment on violence witnessed in some places allegedly by supporters of PCC president Sachin Pilot, he said: "I appeal to workers to maintain calm, they have worked very hard, whatever decisions will be taken will be binding on all. Rahul ji is talking to and consulting all leaders."

While Gehlot is being seen as the front-runner for the chief ministership, supporters of Sachin Pilot allegedly indulged in violence and arson at some places in Rajasthan, apparently unhappy that their leader may not make it.

"This is a democracy; no one should behave in such a way that people might have problem. However, mostly these are not people from the party," Gehlot said.

Pilot also appealed for peace.

"I appeal to party workers to maintain peace and decorum. I have full faith in the leadership, we will welcome whatever Rahul Gandhi ji and Sonia Gandhi ji decide. It is our responsibility to uphold the honour of the party. We are dedicated to the party, " he tweeted.

Meanwhile, a Congress leader from the state said that preparations at the Raj Bhavan in Jaipur and the swearing-in is likely to take place tomorrow.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The court on Friday will give its decision on the pleas seeking a court-monitored probe into the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets.

The apex court on November 14 had reserved its judgment in the case. The three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, Justice S. K. Kaul and K. M. Joseph of the apex court heard petitioners and the government lawyers before reserving the verdict in the case.

During the arguments, the top court was informed by former union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie and senior advocate Prashant Bhushan that the decision making process for acquisition of 36 Rafale aircrafts and the consequent increase in price and grant of offsets to Reliance was "not bonafide" and "requires investigation by the CBI."

Representing the government, Attorney General of India, K.K. Venugopal had said: "There is no sovereign guarantee from the French Government on the delivery of 36 Rafale jets but there is a Letter of Comfort from the French Prime Minister."

Venugopal had also informed the court that the government had no role in selecting offset partners for Dassault in the Rafale deal and the selection of Reliance as an offset partner was a commercial decision taken by Dassault Aviation.

When the Court asked the Centre about the change in offset guidelines in 2015, Additional Secretary of Defence Ministry had explained that as per defence offset guidelines, the offset contract runs concurrently with the main contract. Venugopal also informed the Court that Dassault has not yet submitted details of offset partner to government.

On October 31, the government had contended before the Supreme Court that details of the pricing cannot be brought in the public domain on account of the secrecy agreement between India and France of 2008.

Making his submissions in the case, AG K.K. Venugopal told the Supreme Court that secrecy was not on the price of aircraft but on weaponry and avionics. He also informed the court that he also has not seen the sealed cover and may not be able to assist on price.

Bhushan, however during the hearing, countered this by saying that the government being unaware of the offset partner in the deal is contrary to the procedure laid down, as the norm requires the defence minister to approve the partnership.

During an earlier hearing, Air vice Marshal T. Chalapathi appeared before the Supreme Court along with other senior officials - Air Marshal V.R. Chaudhari, Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Anil Khosla. CJI Gogoi had asked them about the recent induction in the country's air defence system and also the latest ones being manufactured in India.

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Speculations are high that Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would win third consecutive term in Parliament in the elections on December 30 this year.

London-based Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) said in a report that Awami League would return to power with majority of parliamentary seats in the upcoming parliamentary election principally due to the fact that it has overseen solid economic growth.

"We expect real GDP to grow at 7.7% on an annual average basis in 2019-23, propelled by robust growth in private consumption and fixed investment", said EIU in its report by adding that the country's impressive record of economic growth and socio-economic development under the Awami League administration, coupled with a lack of an effective opposition election campaign, will be enough to fend off any challenge posed by BNP or Jatiya Oikya Front more broadly.

It states that Sheikh Hasina remains the most popular candidate, according to numerous local opinion polls.

The report adds that a win for Awami League will be important in sustaining foreign investment, and will also support the administration's drive to expand and deepen private sector participation in the economy.

Following such a win, Bangladesh is expected to continue to exploit its strategically important location on the Bay of Bengal to extract concessions and economic assistance from India, China and Japan, said the report.

Khaleda Zia, the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party's leader, remains in jail on corruption charges, further reducing the party's chances of gaining a significant share of the vote in the national polls, said EIU.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
About Me Scott Because prophetic scriptures are found throughout the bible, it is obvious that a comprehensive, systematic approach would be useful, if not necessary, for the understanding of prophecy. Past prophecies have been fulfilled in a literal manner, as confirmed by the dating of these writings and historical records of confirmation. These past prophecies also serve as a model of how to interpret future prophecies. A literal view of prophecy clearly indicates a certain sequence of events will occur within a single generation, concluding with the Tribulation and Second Advent and these events will be obvious. The prophetic signs appear to be present in this generation and we believe these signs are revealed in the news from around the world. View my complete profile
Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday dismissed the prospect of being included in the Union Cabinet, saying he is emotionally attached with the people of his state and therefore will never leave them.

Following a nerve wrecking election battle in the state, which eventually resulted in BJP's defeat, rumours of Chouhan joining the Union Cabinet ahead of the crucial General Elections next year started doing the rounds.

"I will live for them and die for them," he said while addressing the media here, adding, "That is why I can't leave Madhya Pradesh; I can't leave the seven and a half crore people of the state. They love me and I love them, until my last breath, I will serve them in any way I can".

"If the public wants me to serve as the opposition, I will serve them in that capacity. I will not retire, I will not stop. Madhya Pradesh is everything for me, I will not go anywhere else," he added.

Further, replying to questions about the 'aabhar yatra' (thanksgiving journey) Chouhan is slated to hold in the state, the BJP leader said, "We are discussing the same. The public showered their love upon us, the BJP polled 41 per cent of the total vote in the state. I have to be among my people".

On his comments that he will serve the people as a 'chokidar' (guard), Chouhan dismissed the notion that he wanted to add extra scrutiny on the Congress government, saying, "I have already wished them well, I have pledged my cooperation to them, if there is a problem, then it is my responsibility to guard the interests of the people of the state, but if the new government needs me to stand with them for something, I will not hesitate, my state is my priority".

The Congress which won 114 seats, garnered the numbers needed to form the government, after roping in seven legislators from several parties.

However, the party is now in a dilemma over appointing a chief minister. MPCC chief Kamal Nath and the state's campaign committee in-charge Jyotiraditya Scindia are the two front-runners for the top post.

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The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka here on Thursday said that the decision of President Maithripala Sirisena to dissolve the country's Parliament was unconstitutional and illegal.

According to Daily Mirror, a seven-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Nalin Perera passed a unanimous verdict over-ruling the President's decision and noting that a resolution needs to be passed by a two-thirds majority if the President Siresena wants to dissolve the Parliament before completing a term of four and half years.

In its verdict, the top court of the island nation also termed the Sirisena's decision to call for snap polls in January next year as "illegal", Al Jazeera reported.

The Court's verdict came as a blow to President Sirisena. It was much anticipated by the people of the country, especially after Sirisena sacked Ranil Wickremesinghe from his Prime Ministerial duties and replaced him with former President Mahinda Rajapaksa on October 26.

The verdict also reinstates the possibility that the next Parliamentary elections in the country would be held after February 2020.

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Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Members of Parliament on Thursday staged a protest outside the Parliament House, demanding 'special category status' for Andhra Pradesh.

As a part of the protest, scores of TDP leaders were seen walking with placards and festoons through the streets displaying various reasons and factors as to why Andhra should be given a special status.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led NDA government at the Centre and the TDP have been at loggerheads for the past couple of months over the issue.

The demand to bring Andhra Pradesh under the Special Category gained momentum after the region split into two states. Telangana, which is India's youngest state, was carved out of Andhra in 2014. Andhra Pradesh's capital Hyderabad, also a rising IT hub with the majority of jobs, was also shifted to Telangana.

At present, as many as 11 states-Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Tripura, Uttarakhand and Mizoram-have been granted financial aid under this category as a majority of these regions have hilly-terrain and have a considerable tribal population.

The responsibility of allocating the funds to special and general category states which is based on Madhav Gadgil-Pranab Mukherjee (1969) formula is on the shoulders of the Central government.

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US President Donald Trump has privately admitted to his aides that Michael Cohen was a "liar", hours after the former lawyer of US President was sentenced to three years of prison over federal crimes.

While Trump did not respond to a barrage of questions asked by reporters over the sentencing at a public event, he privately told his administration officials that Cohen was a "liar", CNN reported.

During the hearing at a New York court, Cohen, although, admitted to the crimes he committed, he continued his tirade against Trump, saying he was living in a "personal and mental" prison since he started working for him and acknowledged that he was doing his duty to cover up the "dirty deeds" of the US President.

"Recently the President tweeted a statement calling me weak and it was correct but for a much different reason than he was implying. It was because time and time again I felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds," Cohen said.

"This may seem hard to believe, but today is one of the most meaningful days of my life. I have been living in a personal and mental incarceration ever since the day that I accepted the offer to work for a real estate mogul whose business acumen that I deeply admired," Cohen added.

Former Attorney admitted to lying to Congress, violating campaign finance laws and tax evasion. He was ordered to pay US $1.39 million in restitution, forfeit US $ 500,000 and cough up an additional US $ 50,000 fine by the US District Judge William Pauley.

The judge also ordered Cohen to surrender himself to the authorities by March 6 next year.

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In a good news for the Indian tourists visiting Myanmar, India's Ambassador to Myanmar Vikram Misri has announced that the visa-on-arrival facility for the Indian nationals will begin effectively from Thursday.

Speaking to reporters here, Misri said: "The process has already started. So effectively from tomorrow (Thursday), when any Indian tourists arrive at any of the three international airports here (Nay Pyi Taw, Yangon and Mandalay), they would be able to secure a visa on arrival."

The announcement comes in the midst of President Ram Nath Kovind's current five-day visit to Myanmar.

Echoing similar sentiments, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said: "One of the important outcomes of this visit is that the visa on arrival will be given for Indians arriving by air. This will increase tourism and people to people exchange between the two countries."

Highlighting the importance of the visit, Gokhale underlined that President Kovind had excellent meetings with his Myanmarese counterpart U Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.

He said that the President's visit to Myanmar is to maintain a very positive and forward-looking trajectory and build upon the strong historical ties and also the cordial ties currently shared between the two nations.

"The State Counsellor referred to India as a 'friend', which takes a fair and balanced position on all issues related to Myanmar. The President of Myanmar said that relations with India are already at a high point and will go higher more. We reiterated our strong support for Myanmar's unity and territorial integrity," the Foreign Secretary elaborated.

He expressed hope that the bus services from Imphal to Moreh and from Mandalay to Tamu would be operational soon.

Gokhale further informed that the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project is reaching the final stages of completion. A port operator for the Sittwe Port would be announced soon.

Stressing that India considers Myanmar as a land and sea link between New Delhi and ASEAN as part of the 'Act East' Policy, the Foreign Secretary said: "We have cross-border links with North East India and Myanmar. Our objective is to fulfill certain key goals including connecting India with South East Asia, building stronger defence, security and economic relations with Myanmar and ensuring our security in the Bay of Bengal."

Talking about the President's visit to Myanmar, Gokhale said that President Kovind visited Rice Bio-Park and Advanced Centre for Agricultural Research and Education Nay Pyi Taw, which are two flagship development projects, supported by India.

"In both the places, the President saw first hand how India is helping in capacity building and research in areas where Myanmar requires assistance," he said.

The President also met nine surviving veterans of the Indian National Army in Yangon on Wednesday. During the meeting, President Kovind exchanged warm sentiments to them and said that the country is honoured that these people were a part of the freedom struggle, the Foreign Secretary noted.

"The President recalled Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's contribution and other great leaders of our freedom struggle. He honoured them with a scarf and spent some time. They appreciated it. It has been a successful visit so far," Gokhale said.

Talking about President Kovind's commitment of development of North Eastern states, Ashok Malik, Press Secretary to the President, said: "He reiterated his commitment several times during this visit. He mentioned in public engagements about the complimentaries between North East India and the northern and western regions of Myanmar and how connectivity will help both the regions."

On Thursday, President Kovind and First Lady Savita Kovind will visit the Shri Kali Temple and the Mazaar of last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar.

The President will then inaugurate 'Enterprise India' exhibition, which is being set up by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) of about 45-50 Indian companies ranging from very large Indian companies to small enterprises to showcase Indian manufacturing capabilities and industrial technology. After this, the President and the First Lady will visit the Dhamma Joti-Vipassana Meditation Centre.

On Friday morning, President Kovind and First Lady will depart for New Delhi after completing their engagements in Myanmar.

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Chief Minister-elect of Madhya Pradesh, Kamal Nath, is slated to meet Governor Anandiben Patel on Friday at 10.30 am to discuss his oath-taking ceremony, among other things.

"I will meet Governor at 10.30 am tomorrow for deciding about the oath," Nath told reporters outside the Congress' Bhopal office.

Nath, who was announced as the new chief minister of Madhya Pradesh late on Thursday, also thanked the people of the state for reposing trust on the Congress Party. "This is the beginning of a new history. I want to assure that the future of Madhya Pradesh will remain safe in the hands of Congress," he added.

The 72-year-old leader will take over as chief minister for the first time in a distinguished career in

A nine-time MP from Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara constituency, Nath served as the pro-tem Speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha (elected in 2014). He led the party from the front in the just-concluded Assembly elections and underlined the importance of unity for changing the fortunes of a divided Congress.

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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath should disclose the caste of other deities too, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has said, while referring to Yogi's 'Hanuman-Dalit' remark.

"He is telling the caste of deities which is a good thing. As of now he has disclosed the caste of a few deities only, but he should tell the caste of all other deities, which will make us understand which deity is of our caste so that we may ask for blessings from the God of our caste only," said Yadav.

During campaigning for recently concluded Assembly elections in Rajasthan, Chief Minister Adityanath in a poll rally at Alwar had said that Lord Hanuman was a Dalit. "Hanuman was a forest dweller, deprived and a Dalit. Bajrang Bali worked to connect all Indian communities together, from north to south and east to west," he had said.

Yadav said that the Samajwadi Party does the politics of development and the real issues are of farmers as they are committing suicide under stress.

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YSR Congress Party general secretary V. Vijaysai Reddy on Thursday appealed to External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj to ensure that the Pakistan government expedites the release of 20 fishermen from Andhra Pradesh who were recently apprehended by the Pakistan coastal guard.

In a letter to the EAM, Reddy said that 20 fishermen from the Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts of Andhra Pradesh were employed as crew members for fishing operations in coastal waters off the coast of Gujarat. Out of the 20 fishermen, 15 are residents of Srikakulam district and rest hail from Vizianagaram district, the YSR Congress general secretary added.

"It is said that on 28.11.2018, the 20 fishermen in three boats had involuntarily and accidentally entered into the Pakistan territorial Marine waters, as a result of the non-functioning of GPS system. The Pakistan Coast Guards have seized three boats and apprehended 20 fishermen," Reddy said in the letter.

He further stated that two more persons have been reported missing, however, it needs to be cross-checked with the total number of people the Pakistan coastal guard has apprehended.

"I, therefore, request the Hon'ble Minister for External Affairs, Government of India to deal and correspond with the Government of Pakistan for safe release of the 20 apprehended fishermen belonging to Andhra Pradesh, as per the law of international territorial waters of the sea, between the countries," Reddy added in the letter.

He also requested Swaraj to meet a few family members of the fishermen who have "expressed their desire to meet the Hon'ble Minister and explain the details of the incident and seek help for early release from Pakistan".

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Bharat Financial Inclusion Ltd is quoting at Rs 1027.6, up 3.19% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The stock is up 3.9% in last one year as compared to a 5.33% gain in NIFTY and a 10.43% gain in the Nifty Financial Services index.

Bharat Financial Inclusion Ltd is up for a third straight session in a row. The stock is quoting at Rs 1027.6, up 3.19% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.57% on the day, quoting at 10798.45. The Sensex is at 35966.65, up 0.52%. Bharat Financial Inclusion Ltd has added around 9.07% in last one month.

Meanwhile, Nifty Financial Services index of which Bharat Financial Inclusion Ltd is a constituent, has added around 4.12% in last one month and is currently quoting at 11279.75, up 0.94% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 6.61 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 9.89 lakh shares in last one month.

The benchmark December futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 1027.25, up 2.69% on the day. Bharat Financial Inclusion Ltd is up 3.9% in last one year as compared to a 5.33% gain in NIFTY and a 10.43% gain in the Nifty Financial Services index.

The PE of the stock is 18.46 based on TTM earnings ending September 18.

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Lupin announced that the General Court of the European Union has delivered its judgment concerning Lupin's and other companies appeal against the European Commission's (EC) 2014 decision in the Perindopril litigation.

The General Court upheld the EC's decision holding Lupin liable to pay a fine of EUR 40 million. Lupin will study the General Court's judgment and evaluate further course of action.

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As per the latest data compiled by Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA OF India), the import of vegetable oils during November 2018 is reported at 1,133,893 tons compared to 1,256,433 tons in October 2018 and 1,248,810 tons in November, 2017, i.e. down by 9%.

India had signed a comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (MICECA) with Malaysia on 27th October, 2010. As per provisions of MICECA Agreement Between India and Malaysia for MFN tariff, import duty on CPO and refined Palm Oil and others will gradually reduce from base rate for the period 1.1.2012 to 31.12.2019 and the upper limit of the tariff was fixed. Currently, under MICECA India has imposed highest import duty on CPO at 44% and RPO 54% w.e.f. 14th June, 2018. According to MICECA, the CPO & RPO upper limit of duty to be revised downward to maximum 40% to 45% respectively latest by 31st December, 2018.

In anticipation of likely reduction of import duty by Indian Government on palm oil by 31st Dec.,2018, shipment has slow down time being, which likely to pick up from January'19 and onwards. Also palm oil prices are historical low of last 10 years and spread between palm and soft oil has increased, which has made palm oil more attractive to import by India.

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Infosys Ltd is quoting at Rs 686, up 1.11% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The stock is up 35.43% in last one year as compared to a 5.33% jump in NIFTY and a 30.77% jump in the Nifty IT index.

Infosys Ltd is up for a third straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 686, up 1.11% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.57% on the day, quoting at 10798.45. The Sensex is at 35966.65, up 0.52%. Infosys Ltd has gained around 5.02% in last one month.

Meanwhile, Nifty IT index of which Infosys Ltd is a constituent, has gained around 2.84% in last one month and is currently quoting at 14738.55, up 0.04% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 31.35 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 88.38 lakh shares in last one month.

The benchmark December futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 688.4, up 0.98% on the day. Infosys Ltd is up 35.43% in last one year as compared to a 5.33% jump in NIFTY and a 30.77% jump in the Nifty IT index.

The PE of the stock is 17.97 based on TTM earnings ending September 18.

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Lupin announced that the General Court of the European Union has delivered its judgment concerning Lupin's and other companies appeal against the European Commission's (EC) 2014 decision in the Perindopril litigation. The General Court upheld the EC's decision holding Lupin liable to pay a fine of EUR 40 million. Lupin will study the General Court's judgment and evaluate further course of action. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 12 December 2018.

DLF said that the company's board of directors has considered and approved offering upto 17.30 crore equity shares in one or more tranches by way of private placement, including Qualified Institutions Placement (QIP). The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 12 December 2018.

Indian Oil Corporation's board meets today to consider and approve buyback of equity shares and interim dividend.

Strides Pharma Science (Strides) announced that its step-down wholly owned subsidiary, Strides Pharma Global Pte. Limited, Singapore, has received approval for Lidocaine Ointment USP 5% from the United States Food & Drug Administration (US FDA). Lidocaine Ointment is a generic version of Xylocaine Ointment of AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 12 December 2018.

Infibeam Incorporation said that the meeting of the board of directors of the company is scheduled on 17 December 2018 to consider and approve examine and evaluate the feasibility of and options for strategic growth opportunities of the business verticals and subsidiaries of the company. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 12 December 2018.

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Strides Pharma Science rose 1.53% to Rs 470.40 at 09:45 IST on BSE after the company's subsidiary received approval for Lidocaine Ointment USP 5% from the USFDA.

The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 12 December 2018.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 222.32 points, or 0.62% to 36,001.39

On the BSE, 32,000 shares were traded in the counter so far compared with average daily volumes of 1.49 lakh shares in the past two weeks. The stock had hit a high of Rs 478 and a low of Rs 466.30 so far during the day. The stock hit a 52-week high of Rs 875.72 on 27 December 2017. The stock hit a 52-week low of Rs 334.10 on 8 June 2018.

Strides Pharma Science (Strides) announced that its step-down wholly owned subsidiary, Strides Pharma Global Pte., Singapore, has received approval for Lidocaine Ointment USP 5% from the United States Food & Drug Administration (USFDA). Lidocaine Ointment is a generic version of Xylocaine Ointment of AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP.

Lidocaine Ointment contains a local anesthetic agent which is administered topically to numb and relieve pain from minor burns, skin abrasions, and other painful conditions affecting mucous membranes. Lidocaine Ointment is also used to numb the skin before certain medical procedures.

According to IQVIA MAT data, the US market for Lidocaine Ointment USP 5% is approximately US$50 million. The product will be marketed by Strides Pharma Inc. in the US Market and will be launched immediately. The company has 80 cumulative ANDA filings with USFDA of which 54 ANDAs have been approved as of date and 26 are pending approval.

On a consolidated basis, Strides Pharma Science reported net loss of Rs 8.70 crore in Q2 September 2018 as against net profit of Rs 11.73 crore in Q2 September 2017. Net sales declined 4.69% to Rs 732.63 crore in Q2 September 2018 over Q2 September 2017.

Strides Pharma Science is global pharmaceutical company headquartered in Bangalore.

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Strides Pharma Science announced that its stepdown wholly owned subsidiary, Strides Pharma Global, Singapore, has received approval for Lidocaine Ointment USP 5% from the United States Food & Drug Administration (US FDA).

Lidocaine Ointment is a generic version of Xylocaine Ointment of AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP.

According to IQVIA MAT data, the US market for Lidocaine Ointment USP 5% is approximately US$ 50 Mn. The product will be marketed by Strides Pharma Inc. in the US Market and will be launched immediately.

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Tata Motors Ltd is quoting at Rs 167.25, up 1.92% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The stock is down 58.44% in last one year as compared to a 5.33% jump in NIFTY and a 17.91% jump in the Nifty Auto index.

Tata Motors Ltd is up for a third straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 167.25, up 1.92% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is up around 0.57% on the day, quoting at 10798.45. The Sensex is at 35966.65, up 0.52%. Tata Motors Ltd has slipped around 5.4% in last one month.

Meanwhile, Nifty Auto index of which Tata Motors Ltd is a constituent, has slipped around 2.44% in last one month and is currently quoting at 9166.15, up 1.16% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 69.77 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 140.14 lakh shares in last one month.

The benchmark December futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 167.75, up 2.07% on the day. Tata Motors Ltd is down 58.44% in last one year as compared to a 5.33% jump in NIFTY and a 17.91% jump in the Nifty Auto index.

The PE of the stock is 23.58 based on TTM earnings ending September 18.

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Technology today has become a new way of living and is entrenched in every facet of modern human life. The internet, mobile phones, computers and various other tools of information management have completely changed the way how people live, learn, interact and work.

Youngsters today are already exposed to various digital tools and are driving innovation in the technology sector. This has resulted in a mindshift of sorts in the sector, with more and more institutions around the world realising the importance of adopting technology in the classroom. In the last five years digital literacy has risen beyond just being a buzzword, emerging as one of most important concepts in modern

Here's a checklist of what's essential:

* Terminology

Without the ability to understand the relevant terminology, digital literacy can be a daunting endeavor. When students understand the various terms related to technology, using it becomes far more easier. It will also help them understand how various apps, websites and information tools work

* Using the internet

The staggering vastness of the World Wide Web can be both confusing and stifling for some students. So, it is important to teach students how to navigate the enormous landscape of the Internet efficiently and find the information they seek. The right set of digital skills will help students to use of technology responsibly

* Coding

The ability to apply computational thinking to solve problems forms the basic premise of coding. It encompasses functions like understanding structures, variables, sequential planning, learning the functions of various objects and harnessing different methods to complete tasks. Learning coding also helps develop a deeper understanding of concepts of science, maths and linguistics

* Creating multimedia projects

The main objective of using multimedia is to communicate ideas more creatively. Understanding and learning skills like graphic designing, and audio and video editing . help students become creators, instead of just being passive receivers of information. Teaching and learning is slowly shifting to digital platforms since the last few years. So, multimedia skills are of crucial importance for students

* Content creation and curation

Using technological skills like creating documents, spreadsheets, PPTs and infographics; and video and audio editing, have become an important feature of modern classrooms. Students should be able to analyse, collect, collate and assess various types of content using technology as it is one of the most important elements of digital literacy

* Social media readiness

It is an undisputed fact that social media has thoroughly transformed how we communicate and interact with the world. The emergence of various social media platforms has contributed to a seamless flow of information between content creators and consumers. It is helping students to connect with peers from across the world and share knowledge

* Collaborative skills

The digital environment requires a collaborative approach for tasks like project management. Skills like collaboration and communication across multiple platforms, are key to thrive in this scenario. Learning to utilise various technology tools allows students to experiment and collaborate

* Blogging

The advantages of learning to blog are manifold. Blogging doesn't just help in improving articulation and writing skills but also helps in developing creative thinking. In the context of education, it helps in creative expression of academic concepts

* Understanding hardware

In view of the our growing dependence on gadgets and various other technology tools, it is important for every student to understand the basics of hardware and troubleshooting related to these gadgets and tools. This requires an in-depth understanding of the components of WiFi networks, computers, processors and the like

* Understanding copyright

Students are often encouraged these days by their educators to use the internet for doing their background research for projects and other tasks that are part of their curriculum. This exposes young learners to a vast pool of online resources from where they can borrow information and ideas. So educators need to guide students to prevent f plagiarism, educating them on copyright and the implication of its violation.

(Beas Dev Ralhan is Co-founder and CEO Next India Pvt Ltd; Divya Jain is Founder & CEO, Safeducate. The views expressed are personal. They can be contacted at prathisthaj@nexteducation.in & divya.jain@safeducate.com)

--IANS

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Thirteen miners were trapped inside a coal pit filled with gallons of water in Meghalayas East Jaintia Hills district on Thursday, police said. Officials said their chances of survival were bleak.

The accident inside the coal pit is significant as the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had ordered an interim ban on "rat-hole" coal mining in Meghalaya from April 17, 2014.

A rescue operation was on to get the trapped miners alive.

"As per verbal information received, 13 miners including three locals of Lumthari area were trapped inside the coal pit," Sylvester Nongtnger, the district police chief of East Jaintia Hills, told IANS.

"It appeared the miners resumed mining coal three to four days ago. Our first step is to rescue those people trapped inside the pit. We are pumping the water out of the pit with the help of generators but the water level has not receded," the police official said.

However, Nongtnger said that the chances of survival of the miners were very bleak.

"Efforts are on to identify the coal mine owner. We have already registered a case against the owner," he said.

Coal mine accidents are common in the mountainous state because of unscientific mining commonly known "rat hole mining".

--IANS

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Two Israelis were killed and two others were wounded by a Palestinian in a gun attack in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, the Israeli Army reported.

"A Palestinian opened fire at a bus stop killing two Israelis... and injuring others at Asaf Junction, north of Jerusalem," the military tweeted, adding that the search for the suspect was underway.

The incident took place near the Ofra settlement, where a separate shooting on Sunday by a Palestinian led to the death of an Israeli newborn baby boy, the BBC reported.

Earlier in the day, Israel said that it had found and shot dead two suspected Palestinian attackers -- one who they said carried out Sunday's shooting, and the other suspected of killing two Israelis in an attack on a factory in a West Bank settlement in October.

During the Thursday attack, the attacker stepped out of a car and shot at soldiers and civilians at a bus stop near Ramallah before fleeing towards the city, an Israel Defence Forces spokesperson said.

"There was massive fire, bullet after bullet, but not in bursts," an eyewitness told Israel's Haaretz newspaper.

A seriously injured man and woman were both taken to hospitals in Jerusalem for treatment.

The Israeli Army said it had closed all entrances and exits to Ramallah city in an attempt to find the attacker.

--IANS

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A person who was injured during a shooting at a Christmas market in French city of Strasbourg has died, raising the death toll to three, authorities said on Thursday.

Thirteen people remained injured following the Tuesday evening attack, five of them seriously including a man described as brain dead, the Prefecture said in a statement cited by Efe news.

The French police appealed for help in finding 29-year-old Cherif Chekatt who opened fire in Strasbourg before making a getaway and going on the run. Hundreds of security personnel were searching for him on both sides of the Franco-German border.

He has a gunshot wound to the elbow, but remains armed and on the run 36 hours after the attack.

The suspect has a string of criminal convictions and became a radical Islamist while in prison, the police said, adding that he was highly dangerous and should not be approached.

Chekatt had been in jail in Germany as well as France, and according to German reports he may have received a call from Germany shortly before the Strasbourg attack.

He did not answer the call, but investigators were trying to establish who was behind it, reports said.

--IANS

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A seven-year-old Indian boy, who was kidnapped from Bihar last week, has been rescued from Nepal and three people, including a political leader here, have been arrested in connection with his abduction, the police said.

Mahafuj Alam was rescued by the police from a hotel in Nepal's Damak area on Tuesday, the Kathmandu Post reported on Thursday. The abductors had demanded Rs 1.5 million for Alam's safe release.

The detained people were identified on Wednesday as Badri Yadav, 47, Shree Prasad Mukhiya, 31 and his wife Anju Devi Mukhiya, 27. Yadav, a leader of the Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum-Nepal party, had contested the 2017 Parliament elections.

Alam was kidnapped on December 6 from his maternal uncle's house in Bihar and the kidnappers took him to Nepal's Gaurgunj, where he was handed over to Yadav and the Mukhiya couple, the police said.

The arrested trio kept the boy in Gaurgunj for two days after which he was held hostage at Deurali Hotel in Damak.

They later telephoned the boy's family and demanded the ransom money for his release and threatened to murder him if the ransom was not provided, said police officials.

The Nepal Police and Indian Police were jointly investigating the case. The trio were presented at the district court where they were remanded into custody for five days.

--IANS

soni/sed

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Russian citizen Maria Butina pleaded guilty in a US federal court here on Thursday to an espionage charge that carries a potential sentence of five years in prison.

Butina, 30, admitted her guilt to the crime of conspiring against the US and agreed to cooperate with US authorities. She acknowledged her actions, in coordination with unnamed Russian officials, to weave a network of influence in US politics.

Wearing a green prison jumpsuit and with her long red hair in a braid, Butina entered the courtroom to admit her responsibility in the acts of espionage, Efe reported.

"Guilty," she said before Judge Tanya Chutkan after on Monday her defence team filed a petition in which they requested a hearing so that she could change her plea.

During the hearing on Thursday, which lasted more than an hour, the confessed Russian agent confirmed that she was aware that after serving her sentence she could be deported or remain on parole in the US.

According to the Attorney General's Office, the presumed Russian spy set up a network of influential contacts in the US to benefit the Kremlin in an operating launched in March 2015 and which continued into July 2018, ending only when she was arrested.

Butina -- according to the list of facts she admitted to on Thursday -- entered into a relationship with an American man, using the Google Translate service to hold conversations in English and present to him a "project proposal" before the 2016 elections.

She began her mission in Russia but in August 2016 she moved to Washington with a student visa.

The contacts Butina established in the US ultimately led her to the National Rifle Association, to which she presented herself as a Russian activist defending the right to bear arms.

Butina posed for photographs with NRA officials and with members of President Donald Trump's Republican Party, with whom she sought to establish informal communications channels with an eye toward the 2016 presidential elections, according to the accusations against her.

--IANS

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Opposing the move by the Congress to name former union Minister Kamal Nath as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, the Shiromani Akali Dal said on Thursday that the Congress was "rewarding the perpetrators of genocide against the Sikhs".

"The Congress promotes and rewards the perpetrators of genocide against the Sikhs by proposing the name of Kamal Nath as Chief Minister," Akali Dal leader Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal said in a statement here.

"Apparently, the Gandhi family still rewards the leaders of Congress who were directly involved in the genocide in 1984, a period of shame for humanity as rioting against the innocent Sikhs was perpetrated by the leaders of Congress," Grewal said.

He alleged that Kamal Nath led a mob against the Sikhs in the Raqab Ganj gurdwara area in which young innocent boys were to death while he stood there.

The Congress is set to form the government in Madhya Pradesh. Kamal Nath was removed as the Congress in-charge for Punjab in 2016 following objections from Congress leaders in the Sikh-majority state.

--IANS

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Film: "Aquaman"; Director: James Wan; Cast: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Nicole Kidman, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Temuera Morrison; Rating: ****

"Life like the sea, have a different way of bringing people together," narrates Aquaman as he gives us an insight into his origin story.

At the Amnesty Bay in Maine, Tom Curry the lighthouse keeper, rescues Atlanna, the princess of the underwater nation of Atlantis. They fall in love and have a son, Arthur, who is born with the power to communicate with the marine lifeforms.

"Aquaman" is a visually stunning, superhero film, whose story seems to have been adapted on the lines of the legendary King Arthur of medieval Britain, whose fundamental story element has been told a countless times over centuries.

Here, our Arthur - the Aquaman, is entrusted to Vulko, Atlanna's most trusted and loyal advisor who trains him to become a skilled warrior. But unfortunately, despite being the true heir of the throne of Atlantis, he is rejected by the Atlanteans for being a half-breed.

So in order to claim his birth right, he has to dethrone his half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson), who seeks to unite the seven aquatic kingdoms in a war against the surface. Of course, Arthur's path is not as simple as walking, or in this case swimming, towards the throne and claiming it. Also, here instead of the fabled sword, Aquaman has to retrieve a trident to prove his claim.

While the story may sound jaded, the storytelling style of the hero's journey along with the settings create a truly epic adventure that is fascinating and enthralling. In almost two and a half hours of the screen time, there is no shortage of melodrama which includes, "mommy issues", humour, impressive action sequences, gladiatorial fights, war of the thrones and an unexpected but welcome environmental comment that falls as a ring to the finger.

With a superbly chiselled physique and a devil-may-care attitude, Jason Momoa holds centre screen easily. He transcends the source material and perfectly embodies Arthur Curry, who is caught between two distinct identities, cultures and pressures of life. He particularly shines towards the final third of the film.

Alongside Momoa, Amber Heard plays a powerful warrior in Mera who is an equal match for Aquaman throughout the film. Nicole Kidman as his mother is impressive, but wasted in an insignificant role. The villains in the film; Patrick Wilson as Orm and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, are larger than life and they widen the scope of the narrative.

Mounted with brilliant visual effects and astounding score, each moment feels stunning, larger than life and simply beautiful. A little bit of editing of the action sequences could have made the film a bit more-taut.

Nevertheless, the fluidity on screen is simply impeccable and a joy to watch. It is easily one of the best from the Marvel's Cinematic Universe.

--IANS

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will hold a two-day national council meeting -- the largest body of the party -- on January 11-12 here to chalk out its strategy for 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

BJP General Secretary Bhupendra Yadav announced the party's programme here at a press conference after a meeting of BJP office-bearers and state party chiefs with party President Amit Shah.

The meeting, to be held at the Indira Gandhi National Indoor Stadium here, is likely to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shah, party veteran L.K. Advani, several union ministers and members of the party's national council.

The meeting will take stock of the current political situation and would finalise its programmes for reaching out to the electorate ahead of the crucial 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

"As part of preparation for 2019, seven wings of the BJP are active to take party's agenda to different sections of the society," Yadav said.

Besidees, a series of other meetings are also scheduled to start with a workshop of the BJP Yuva Morcha in Delhi on December 15-16, followed by the convention of party's Mahila Morcha in Ahmedabad on December 21-22, which will be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"On January 19-20, a convention of Scheduled Castes Morcha of the party will be held in Nagpur, in which BJP President Amit Shah, Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Thawarchand Gehlot would be the main speakers," Yadav said.

The BJP Minority Cell will also hold a two-day national convention in New delhi on January 31-February 1.

On February 2-3, a national convention of the Scheduled Tribes arm of the party would be held in Bhubaneswar and that of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) would be organised in Patna on February 15-16.

Besides, Modi will address a rally of party's Kisan Morcha that will be held in Uttar Pradesh on February 21-22. The city for the rally is, however, yet to be decided.

--IANS

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The BJP Parliamentary Party met here on Thursday and paid tributes to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and former Union Minister Ananth Kumar.

The meeting, attended among others by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah and party veteran L.K. Advani, decided to celebrate Vajpayee's anniversary on December 25 on a large scale.

BJP sources said no discussion was held on the outcome of the Assembly polls in five states.

The BJP is holding a review meeting at its headquarters here over the election results. Modi, Shah, several union Ministers, party office bearers, state Presidents and those in-charge of the five states would attend.

In the recently concluded Assembly polls in five states, the BJP was ousted from power in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

--IANS

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The Congress on Thursday announced that his party will boycott the Silver Jubilee celebration of the Delhi Legislative Assembly on December 15.

Addressing a press conference, Delhi Congress Chief Ajay Maken told reporters: "Congress has decided to boycott the Silver Jubilee -- the 25th year of the first sitting of the Delhi Legislative Assembly -- as unfortunately, as always in the last four years in Delhi, has prevailed over institution building and decency."

Maken said that winning thrice in a row before moving to Parliament, he was one its youngest MLAs in 1993. "I also became its Cabinet Minister and Speaker (youngest in the country then)," Maken said.

He said that such historic and democratic celebrations are always "apolitical".

The former Union Minister said that a Celebration Committee, constituting representatives of all political parties, which have been a part of its 25-year history, should have been constituted.

According to Congress sources, Maken did not get invitation for the event.

"Sheila Dikshitji, who was Chief Minister of Delhi for 15 out of 25 years in the same Assembly, should have been called respectfully by the present Chief Minister (Arvind Kejriwal) or by Speaker Ram Niwas Goel at least over phone, if not personally. The same should have been followed for all former Speakers and CMs," he said.

He said that the decision to boycott the celebration was taken after discussing with senior leaders, including Dikshit and former Speakers from the Congress.

On Wednesday, Bharatiya Janata Party veteran L.K. Advani, who was invited by the Delhi Assembly Speaker as the chief guest to the function, had declined the request due to personal reasons.

--IANS

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The Delhi Police has arrested four criminals, including two shooters of dreaded gangster Neeraj Bawana here, for committing robbery in a Domino's Pizza outlet to celebrate the upcoming new year in style, an officer said on Thursday.

"Sachin, Sumit, Sonu and Banty, residents of west Delhi's Nangloi were arrested on Tuesday and Wednesday in separate raids on hideouts in west Delhi. They had on Monday committed robbery of over 1 lakh in Domino's Pizza outlet in Nangloi of Delhi," Deputy Commissioner of Police Seju P. Kuruvila said.

During investigation, the police came to know that the accused had made a normal entry into the outlet.

"This led to a suspicion that some employee of the outlet might have tipped off the criminals and the police started interrogating the staff members. During the interrogation, a sweeper -- identified as Sonu -- was found to be changing his statement frequently," Kuruvila said.

"On sustained interrogation, Sonu gave in and confessed to his involvement in the robbery, along with the other three accomplices. On the information of Sonu, police later raided the hideouts of other accused persons," the DCP said.

"Since Sonu and Banty did not have any crime experience, the latter roped in two of his friends -- Sachin and Sumit -- who are shooters of gangster Neeraj Bawana. Sachin and Sumit were involved in many extortion and couple of murder cases in Najafgarh," the officer added.

The accused disclosed that they had planned to celebrate this new year in Manali and executed the robbery to get money for the same. A country-made pistol and two cartridges were recovered from Sumit's possession, the DCP added.

--IANS

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The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked Delhi Police to install CCTV cameras in various police stations in accordance with the time frame set by them.

Lawyers Rahul Mehra and Rajesh Mahajan, representing the police, told a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and A.J. Bhambani that in 91 police stations, CCTVs had been installed and were functional.

The cameras would be installed in 54 police station by December 15 while in the remaining police stations this work would be completed by January 15r, the police informed the court.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Government submitted a time frame on filing vacant posts in the forensic science laboratory in the national capital.

The court was hearing a public interest litigation initiated after the December 2012 gangrape with social activist Ajay Gautam seeking installation of CCTV cameras at police stations to ensure transparency.

--IANS

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With the four senior leaders- Madhav Kumar Nepal, Jhala Nath Khanal, Bamdev Gautam and Narayan Kaji Shrestha- skipped the scheduled Secretariat meeting of the ruling head Nepal Communist Party (NCP), the internal rift of the party is believed to have rocketed. Though the decision to boycott the meeting is reasoned to have not convened in time without any valid reason, it is crystal clear that the senior leaders had boycotted the Secretariat meeting to protest the working style of the party leadership, particularly the partys co-chairman and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. The widening factional war of the NCP has not only triggered a fear of vertical split of the party but likely to jeopardize the dreamt of Nepali people to have a stable government.





The recent statements made by the Prime Minister Oli indicate that conspiracy is being hatched to change the guard of the government though his saying was targeted to the main opposition party Nepali Congress (NC). Prime Minister Olis veiled threats on the intellectual during a televised show would be taken as of an indication that the government has lost serenity even to digest the constructive comments and criticism poured from his partys leaders. As Prime Minister Oli issued a threat to the intellectuals for making uncivilized and cheap comments against him and his administration even challenging them to expose, it is being feared that the government would adopt a path of totalitarianism to make free the government from the fear of dissolution and criticism. Prime Minster Oli had promised for wind energy, gas pipeline linkage in every kitchen, east-west railway link including monorail service in capital, Nepals own ship service, drastic reform in the administration with the promises of zero tolerance on corruption, which the people are still waiting to achieve.





The incumbent government has completed about one year; but the people have got nothing than laugh from the comedian like commitment in the pretext of development and prosperity. The critics used to comment that Happy Nepali, Prosperous Nepal slogan of the incumbent government is partially achieved as our hardly funny Prime Minister used to make us laugh. As the government, particularly the Prime Minister Oli, has rudely begun to present against of the media and intellectuals aiming to stop any constructive comments and criticism against of him and his administration, the people seem moan rather than laugh in their face. In some extends, it seems that the government has forgotten the constitutionally guaranteed provisions like freedom of speech, assembly, religion and of the press.





As the incumbent government exercise two-third majority strength in the federal parliament and other provincial governments including local units too, it should not have indulged on the petty partisan interests even losing the endurance to digest the constructive comments and criticism from the oppositions. The government, particularly the prime minister should have acted like the guardian of whole the nation rather than a faction of his party. This is indeed a shame for the nation that state-run media are instructed to stop publishing stories about those who are crying in the streets demanding justice.




Admitting to differences with Urjit Patel, who quit as RBI Governor, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday said the government is the sovereign body for managing the economy and RBI Governors have exited if differences were not settled.

"If you look at the history of the RBI, you had several incidents in the past where governments have had a different view from what the RBI has had and then those differences either get settled or the Governors have made way," he said at a conclave here.

Addressing the India Economic Conclave 2018 via satellite link, Jaitley said the government had a particular opinion on two or three major issues relating to credit and liquidity in the market but was failing to communicate with the RBI and getting them addressed.

"Every person involved in some kind of a business activity, whether its financial, manufacturing or services sector or the MSME sector or even in agriculture, will tell you that they were facing difficulties as far as credit and liquidity is concerned," the Minister said.

Jaitley said the RBI has the responsibility as far as credit and liquidity is concerned and it is not an issue of confrontation if the "sovereign accountable government" forces the issue for a discussion and redressal by the RBI. Else, the government would fail in its responsibility.

"We are the sovereign government and most important stakeholder as far as management of the economy is concerned and therefore a discussion with an important institution... to tell it that it's a part of your functions which you must seriously look at, how is it destruction of the institution," he said replying to a query on the charge that the government was destroying institutions.

Quoting India's first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's letter to the then RBI Governor, he said, "The economic policy of the country is determined by the elected government. The RBI monetary policy functions are autonomous and independent but other policies of the RBI certainly must be in tandem with the economic policy of the country."

He said if the government policy is to encourage the MSME sector, the credit policy of India cannot be, "No, we will not give credit to the MSMEs". In live democracies, concerns of the market and the economy have to be communicated and addressed , he added.

Taking a dig at former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, who wrote the book "I Do What I Do", Jaitley said, "It will be a dialogue of the deaf because you won't be then giving the concerns to each other and not listening to each other."

--IANS

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Veteran Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Thursday emerged as Congress President Rahul Gandhi's pick as the Chief Minister in Rajasthan, with state Congress President Sachin Pilot apparently giving up after putting up a spirited claim for the post.

The picture became clear in the evening with Pilot, who stayed put in Delhi, appealing to party workers to maintain peace and saying that he would "welcome" any decision that will be taken by the party.

Pilot issued the appeal on Twitter as reports emerged that senior leader Ashok Gehlot has been picked by the party leadership to lead the government and that his (Pilot's) supporters were protesting on the streets demanding that Pilot should be made the Chief Minister.

The name of 67-year-old Gehlot, a two-time Chief Minister, is expected to be announced by the party.

Gehlot and Pilot met Rahul Gandhi at his residence in Delhi where he was joined by his mother and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Sonia Gandhi is understood to have counselled Rahul Gandhi over relying on "experience" as it was a verdict with a narrow margin of victory and a seasoned leader would be better equipped to deal with a situation in which the party would need the backing of MLAs belonging to BSP and Independents, who won 13 seats. Most of them are Congress rebels.

The party won 99 seats and with its pre-poll alliance partner it managed to touch the halfway mark in the 200-member Assembly.

Pilot reportedly put up a strong claim to the post on the ground that he had galvanised the party after the defeat in 2013, when he was appointed the state party chief.

Gehlot, who was planning to leave for Jaipur but was asked to stay back in Delhi, also appealed to workers to maintain peace and said any decision taken by the leadership will be acceptable to all.

He said sometimes party activists get over excited and sometimes those who are not party workers also exploit the opportunity in such a situation.

Asked by the media why he returned from the airport, he said he could leave at night or on Friday accompanied by central party observer K.C. Venugopal and Avinash Pande, who is the party in charge in the state.

About the delay in announcing a decision, Gehlot said: "Such decisions take time because three states are involved. It is good that the leadership has decided to consult various leaders and workers."

Replying to another question, he said, "What right BJP has to question us on the decisions? A signal has gone from the elections to the country that those who created an atmosphere of hate have been wiped out from the Hindi heartland. And this is what will happen in the Lok Sabha elections too."

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the central Congress observers met the newly elected MLAs in a bid to find out who they would prefer as Chief Minister.

The MLAs authorised Gandhi to take the call on the Chief Minister's name.

Both Gehlot and Pilot had also called on Governor Kalyan Singh on Wednesday evening and staked claim to form the government. Both contested the Assembly elections and won their seats.

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi told reporters that they were taking inputs from the different people in the party and would announce a decision soon.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Veteran Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Thursday emerged Rahul Gandhi's pick as the Chief Minister in Rajasthan, but suspense continued the with state party chief Sachin Pilot putting up his claim strongly as the two leaders had late night meetings with the Congress President.

Both Pilot and Gehlot had separate meetings with Gandhi, unlike in Madhya Pradesh where the two aspirants -- Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia -- had met him together.

Party observer for Rajasthan K. C. Venugopal, who was also at the meetings, told the media later that taking decision on leadership was not easy but it will be announced on Friday.

"Taking decision on CM is not an easy job. The final decision will be taken tomorrow in a meeting to be held here around 10 a.m.," he said.

Pilot, who had a meeting with Gandhi earlier in the day, reached Gandhi's residence at 10.30 p.m on Thursday.

The meeting came hours after the leadership issue was settled in Madhya Pradesh, with Gandhi tweeting his picture with Kamal Nath and Scindia, who were both chief ministerial aspirants. The smiling picture carried the line "The two most powerful warriors are patience and time - Leo Tolstoy."

Kamal Nath was chosen as the new Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and both he and Scindia flew down to Bhopal to announce the decision.

Party sources said Gandhi is keen to give a similar message for Rajasthan as well.

Both in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the Congress missed the majority mark by two seats and is now dependent on some external support.

Pilot, who stayed put in Delhi, appealed to party workers to maintain peace and saying that he would "welcome" any decision that will be taken by the party.

He issued the appeal on Twitter as reports emerged that Gehlot has been picked by the party leadership to lead the government and that his (Pilot's) supporters were protesting on the streets demanding that Pilot should be made the Chief Minister.

The name of 67-year-old Gehlot, a two-time Chief Minister, is expected to be announced by the party on Friday.

Earlier, Gehlot and Pilot met Rahul Gandhi. UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi is understood to have counselled Rahul Gandhi over relying on "experience" as it was a verdict with a narrow margin of victory and a seasoned leader would be better equipped to deal with a situation in which the party would need the backing of MLAs belonging to BSP and Independents, who won 13 seats. Most of them are Congress rebels.

The party won 99 seats and with its pre-poll alliance partner it managed to touch the halfway mark in the 200-member Assembly.

Pilot reportedly put up a strong claim to the post on the ground that he had galvanised the party after the defeat in 2013, when he was appointed the state party chief.

Gehlot, who was planning to leave for Jaipur but was asked to stay back in Delhi, also appealed to workers to maintain peace and said any decision taken by the leadership will be acceptable to all.

Asked by the media why he returned from the airport, he said he could leave at night or on Friday accompanied by central party observer K.C. Venugopal and Avinash Pande, who is the party in charge in the state.

About the delay in announcing a decision, Gehlot said: "Such decisions take time because three states are involved. It is good that the leadership has decided to consult various leaders and workers."

Replying to another question, he said, "What right BJP has to question us on the decisions? A signal has gone from the elections to the country that those who created an atmosphere of hate have been wiped out from the Hindi heartland. And this is what will happen in the Lok Sabha elections too."

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the central Congress observers met the newly elected MLAs in a bid to find out who they would prefer as Chief Minister.

The MLAs authorised Gandhi to take the call on the Chief Minister's name.

Both Gehlot and Pilot had also called on Governor Kalyan Singh on Wednesday evening and staked claim to form the government. Both contested the Assembly elections and won their seats.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and state Congress chief Sachin Pilot reached New Delhi on Thursday to meet party President Rahul Gandhi, who will finalise the name of the new Chief Minister.

With Gehlot and Pilot strong contenders for the post, Gandhi would take the final call, Congress leaders said.

Congress observer K.C. Venugopal and state-in-charge Avinash Pandey were here on Wednesday to attend a Congress Legislature Party meeting of the newly-elected MLAs, who were to give their views on their choice of Chief Minister.

The meeting continued for around eight hours but no consensus could be reached.

Eventually, it was decided that Gandhi would take the final call.

--IANS

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Staring at the pulsating Northern Lights in the Alaska night sky is what inspired Malaysian architect-turned-artist Red Hong Yi's unique art installation titled "Aurora".

Made of 2,000 glass-backs from Honor smartphones -- in blue, purple and green -- the "Aurora" artwork was unveiled at Chinese smartphone brand Honor's "Artology: Explore Art and Technology with You(th)" event here earlier this week.

Structured in the shape of a ribbon, the artwork has hundreds of phone glass-backs and stainless steel mirrors fixed at different rotational angles.

Red, as she is popularly called, is known for "painting without a paintbrush" and creating art out of conventionally found material like tea bags, chopsticks, socks and straws.

This time, it was the turn of smartphone glass-backs that change colour when rotated.

"My inspiration came from what I saw in Alaska last year. The structure of the installation itself is in the shape of a ribbon. It's like aurora borealis (or Northern Lights) but that's kind of flat; I wanted this to be more 3D," Red told this visiting IANS correspondent.

While Alaska's sky lights may have felt like a spiritual experience, their "magic" didn't end there for Red.

When asked why she chose the dynamic glass-backs, the artist, dubbed as one of the 11 leading art world entrepreneurs by Sotheby's Institute of Art, recounted Honor contacting her a year back to ask if she wanted to work with the "beautiful glass back material they had".

"I asked them to send a couple samples over. When I looked at them, what captured me immediately was the rotation.

"When I rotated these phones, they went from blue to purple. In this installation, I've given them different rotational angles, there are 15 of them. When I shone light on it, it bounced off onto other surfaces around it," informed Red, a former University of Melbourne student.

The installation, however, also has a literal flip side. Behind each coloured glass-back is a shiny, reflective surface.

"One side of the installation is all glass-back; the other side is stainless steel mirror. When you look at it, you see yourself reflected in it. This is a commentary as to how we are living in a digital age right now. It's a reflection back to us of our society going completely digital," the 32-year-old artist explained.

The overall effect? Hues changing as light shines through the pieces and as people move along it, to the extent that no two viewing angles of "Aurora" are alike.

The dynamism, reflecting a larger shift in a society going digital, also reflects today's artists' changing engagement with their viewers.

Using material that captures the imagination of today's youth -- Honor's target for its smartphones -- the art installation commissioned by the company welcomes them to enter "an intimate, contemplative space".

Red, who wants viewers to move along the piece to observe reflections, said the use of polished stainless steel highlights "tech-savvy millennials" who "become the model, the director and publisher of the clearly-reflected image".

The artwork is on display at Hong Kong's architectural icon H Queen's till December 23.

(Siddhi Jain was in Hong Kong on an invitation from Honor. She can be contacted at siddhi.j@ians.in)

--IANS

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Deputy Speaker, Goa Legislative Assembly and BJP MLA Michael Lobo on Thursday said if he is given the opportunity to become the Chief Minister, he would take all stakeholders into confidence before taking decisions which impact state economy, unlike incumbent Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.

Lobo also told reporters here that Parrikar, who is currently ailing with advanced pancreatic cancer, had taken a unilateral decision to suspend mining leases in 2012 which led to a prolonged impasse in the sector and two Supreme Court bans on all ore excavation and transportation in the coastal state.

"If I am given an opportunity in the near future to become Chief Minister, I will ensure that major decisions will be made after taking stakeholders into confidence. In 2012, when Parrikar suspended mining, none of us knew such a decision would be taken and see what damage it has caused to Goa," Lobo said.

His comment comes at a time when a group of mining dependents are protesting at Delhi's Ramlila grounds, demanding resumption of mining which was banned -- for the second time in the last six years -- by the Supreme Court in February, while singling out the state government for irregularities in renewal of mining leases.

Lobo's criticism of Parrikar comes on the ailing Chief Minister's 63rd birthday, which is being celebrated by the state BJP in the absence of the former Defence Minister, who has not moved out of his private residence for official chores since October 14.

Lobo also said that while Parrikar is his "political guru", the BJP leader as a Chief Minister has failed to sufficiently address key issues like employment, lack of which he said was creating a crisis of sorts among the youth of Goa.

This is not the first time that a ruling legislator has criticised the functioning of the chief minister and his reluctance to quit the chief ministerial post on account of his prolonged illness.

State president of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party Deepak Dhavalikar, whose outfit is a part of the ruling BJP-led coalition, has demanded that Parrikar step down and hand over charge to a senior minister because his absence from office has "brought state administration to a halt".

Parrikar is suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer and has been in and out of hospitals in Goa, Mumbai, New York and Delhi for nearly nine months.

He returned from New Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences on October 14 and since then has not moved out of his private residence for any official event.

The Opposition and ruling coalition allies have been demanding for the resignation of the Chief Minister, claiming that the administration has come to a standstill due to Parrikar's absence.

Parrikar has been MLA of Panaji since 1994. In 2014, he vacated the seat after he was elevated as Defence Minister. He won the seat again after he returned to state in 2017.

--IANS

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The 18th meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC) was on Thursday co-chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her Russian counterpart General Sergei Shoigu.

In the framework of the bilateral Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership, the IRIGC-MTC meeting discussed a wide range of issues relating to defence equipment, industry and technological engagement between India and Russia as well as after sales support/ upgradation of military equipment of Russian origin, officials said.

"The Ministers expressed satisfaction at the dynamism and progress in bilateral defence cooperation. Intensive discussions were held on joint manufacturing projects, including the Kamov-226T helicopters, naval frigates and projects related to land systems," an official statement said.

The two sides also agreed to take forward inter-governmental arrangements for facilitating joint manufacturing of spares for Russian origin equipment in India, under the "Make in India" initiative, it said.

With a view to enhancing military-to-military engagement and rationalising the functioning of the Commission, a revised Inter-Governmental Agreement on restructuring the existing IRIGC-MTC to the IRIGC on Military and Military Technical Cooperation was also signed by the two Ministers.

An additional institutional Working Group headed by Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee and Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of General Staff of Armed Forces of Russian Federation would be set up under the expanded Commission.

The inaugural meeting of the IRIGC-MTC is proposed to be held in Russia next year.

--IANS

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India's tea export to neighbouring China is expected to touch 15 million kg (mkg) by the end of next calendar year, an official said on Thursday.

India exported 7.76 million kg of tea to China, valued at around Rs 135 crore during January-October period as compared to 6.5 million kg in the year-ago period.

"China imports close to 30 million kg of tea annually, a major share of which comes from Sri Lanka. This is because they keep organising frequent trade delegations. If we can be more active and take concerted efforts then we should be able to export close to 15 million kgs of tea to China by December 2019," Indian Tea Association (ITA) Chairman Vivek Goenka said.

Indian experters could take advantage of changing consumption pattern in China, with a rising preference for CTC, he said after signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China Tea Marketing Association (CTMA), an apex tea association on Thursday.

The tie-up is to collaborate towards ensuring sustainability of tea industry globally and promoting black and green teas in international markets.

India exported close to 240 million kgs of tea in 2017. Russia, UAE, UK and Iran are some of the major markets for imports of Indian teas.

Orthodox and Darjeeling tea account for a major share of total exports to China while CTC is also gaining share in a big way.

India produces mostly CTC, with orthodox accounting for close to 10 per cent of the country's total production of around 1,278.83 million kg in 2017.

The partnership would also explore possibilities of technological innovation in tea manufacturing and retail, he said.

"Through this partnership, we are looking to promote black and green teas globally by organising joint events and present before consumers the tea culture by giving them an understanding of quality and varieties of tea," Goenka said.

By introducing several value added products, the neighbouring country did a lot of 'interesting work' in tea retailing, he said, adding that they went for mechanisation not just in factory but also on field.

"We are looking at the mechanisation to help bring down costs but we have to be careful not to compromise on quality," he said.

ITA is hopeful that the MoU would be useful in removing trade hindrances between two countries.

--IANS

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The Interpol has issued a red corner notice (RCN) against fugitive Indian diamentaire Mehul Choksi after a request from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), an official said on Thursday.

Choksi, the Chairman of the Gitanjali Group who has taken refuge in Antigua, was one of the prime accused in the Rs 13,500-crore Punjab National Bank fraud along with his nephew Nirav Modi.

"The Interpol issued the RCN on Wednesday," an official said.

According to officials, with the RCN, Choksi could be arrested by any of the 192 member countries of the Interpol after which extradition or deportation proceedings can begin.

In February, a blue corner notice was issued against Nirav Modi and Choksi in connection with the PNB fraud case.

In July, the Interpol issued an RCN against Nirav Modi on the basis of money laundering charges levelled by the Enforcement Directorate.

The ED in October had attached both their assets in India and abroad worth Rs 218 crore.

Both left India in the first week of January, weeks before the scam was reported to the CBI.

Choksi was last traced to Antigua, where he has been granted citizenship.

The Antiguan government is believed to have cleared his application for citizenship in November 2017, for which he may have paid around Rs 1.3 crore.

He had taken oath of allegiance as a citizen of Antigua on January 15. Days later, on January 29, the CBI filed a case and started investigating Choksi and Nirav Modi.

--IANS

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Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan is making a return to "Supernatural" to help celebrate the show's milestone of 300 episodes, 12 seasons since he was last seen on the series.

John Winchester (Morgan), the father of Sam (played by actor Jared Padalecki) and Dean (played by actor Jensen Ackles) was killed back in season two, saving Dean's life in the process.

While Morgan's voice was heard in season three, he hasn't appeared on the series in all the years since, and now he is finally coming back, reports eonline.com.

"We're incredibly excited to have Jeffrey back for this milestone episode, and think fans will love what we have planned for his character...and a few other surprise guest stars," said executive producer Andrew Dabb.

The episode, called "Lebanon", explores the Kansas town where the bunker is located, and reveals what the town's residents think of the two weirdos who live in that bunker.

According to the show's executive producers, it won't be anything like the show's 200th episode, which followed a high school production of a musical based on the Winchesters.

--IANS

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Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath, who is expected to be the next Chief Minister of the state, left for Bhopal on Thursday evening afer meeting party President Rahul Gandhi here.

"I am leaving for Bhopal. A meeting of MLAs will be held and you will get to know the decision after that," Kamal Nath told reporters outside Gandhi's residence.

Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, the other contender for the post who also met Gandhi, said the decision will be announced on Thursday night.

"It is not a race, it is not about kursi. We are here to serve the people of Madhya Pradesh. I am leaving for Bhopal and you will get to know the decision today," he said.

After the meeting, Gandhi posted his picture with Kamal Nath and Scindia.

"The two most powerful warriors are patience and time: Leo Tolstoy," Gandhi said in the accompanying tweet.

--IANS

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Congress leader Kamal Nath was on Thursday chosen as the new Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, heralding Congress rule in the state after 15 years.

Kamal Nath, who flew in here late in the evening, was formally chosen leader of the state Congress legislature party after party President Rahul Gandhi decided on his name over the other aspirant Jyotiraditya Scindia.

"Rahul Gandhi has chosen Kamal Nath as the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister," party observer A.K. Antony said at the legislature party meeting.

Kamal Nath told the gathering that he would fulfil all the promises made in the party's manifesto.

"I assure every voter of Madhya Pradesh that we will fulfil our promises. The people have stood with the truth," he said.

He thanked the party workers for effectively taking the message to people in the Assembly elections.

Later, talking to reporters, Kamal Nath said he would meet the state Governor Anandiben Patel on Friday morning to decide on the day and time of his swearing in.

"I shall strive to be true to the trust that the people of Madhya Pradesh have reposed in me," he said.

Kamal Nath was accompanied at the meeting by Scindia. Both Kamal Nath and Scindia flew to Bhopal late in the evening after four-hour-long consultations with Gandhi.

An apparent reason for Congress President Rahul Gandhi choosing Kamal Nath over Scindia as Chief Minster is the nature of verdict in the state where the party is short of majority by two seats.

The Congress won 114 seats, two seats short of majority in a tight contest, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) finished a close second with 109 seats in the 230-member House.

The party is dependent on the Independents to cross the half-way mark even as the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party have extended the support of their three MLAs. Kamal Nath is seen as someone who can deftly manage allies and supporting parties.

The decision came two days after the election results were declared in Madhya Pradesh.

Kamal Nath, a former Union Minister, was appointed Madhya Pradesh Congress chief only seven months back and immersed himself in preparations for the Assembly polls in the state where the BJP had been in power for 15 years.

He is the senior-most member of the Lok Sabha, having won nine elections.

Although the Congress is also poised to form governments in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, no decision has yet been taken on the Chief Ministers in the two states.

--IANS

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A Kuki rebel was gunned down inside a hotel at Saikul in Kangpokpi district of Manipur on Thursday evening, police said. He died instantly.

The body was brought to Imphal for post-mortem. The deceased was identified as Hekhothang Misao aka Jonathan (31). He was the self-styled Information Officer of the Kuki Revolutionary Army.

The police said Misao was having tea in the hotel when two unidentified persons entered and reportedly shot at him from close range.

--IANS

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The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day on Thursday after two brief adjournments during Question Hour amid unrelenting protests by the opposition, which raised the Rafale deal among other issues, while NDA ally Shiv Sena demanded an ordinance to pave the way for the construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya at the earliest.

Soon after the House resumed its proceedings at noon following two adjournments, Congress, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Shiv Sena members raised slogans in support of their demands and came near the Speaker's podium.

The Congress members were keen on a discussion on the Rafale fighter jet deal under rules that entail voting; DMK raised the Cauvery water distribution issue between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and TDP members sought special category status for Andhra Pradesh.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan allowed the Shiv Sena members to raise their issue during zero hour.

Shiv Sena's Anand Rao Adsul demanded that the government bring an ordinance before the next general elections for the construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Adsul also reminded the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of its promise on the construction of the Ram temple made in its 2014 election manifesto.

"The government should take initiative to bring an ordinance and pave the way for construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya before the next general elections," Adsul said.

He said former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee could not take the initiative for the construction of the temple as he was running a coalition government of 25 political parties.

"But here is a government which has absolute majority. They had mentioned it in their manifesto, too.

"Four-and-a-half years of this government has already passed but nothing has happened. Our alliance with the BJP is based on Hindutva but it seems the BJP has forgotten it," he said.

Adsul also said the results of the five state assembly elections were an indication and the government should get the message.

TDP member Venkateshwara Rao sought to put a poster over the mike installed near the Speaker's podium but was reprimanded by the Speaker who said she will be forced to name him. Once a member is named, he or she has to leave the House.

As soon as Adsul concluded his speech, Mahajan adjourned the House for the day as sloganeering continued.

Shiv Sena members had also protested in the Parliament complex in support of their demand.

BJP MP B.Y. Raghavendra, who won the by-poll from Shimoga, earlier took oath as a new member of the House.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Lok Sabha on Thursday witnessed two brief adjournments during the question hour as the opposition created ruckus over several issues, including the Rafale deal and demand for special status to Andhra Pradesh.

Soon after the House met at 11.20 a.m. after the first adjournment, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan urged the members to raise their issues according to rules and assured them of discussion.

"Every party has thier own issues. Parliament is a forum for discussion. Raise your issues according to rules, I will allow discussion," she said.

But the opposition members were on their feet. They trooped near the Speaker's podium and started sloganeering.

Amid the din, Mahajan again adjourned the House till 12 noon.

Earlier, the House was adjourned briefly for around 10 minutes.

Soon after the question hour began, opposition members from the Congress and Telugu Desam Party trooped near the Speaker's podium shouting anti-government slogans.

Mahajan urged them to raise their issues in the Zero Hour but they did not relent.

She even warned a TDP member by name but the party members continued with their protests demanding special status for Andhra Pradesh.

"I am warning you. Go to your seats. A full discussion has taken place on your demands. No Confidence Motion was there in the last session."

But the TDP members continued sloganeering with placards in their hands "we want justice".

Congress members were heard raising slogans demanding inquiry into the Rafale fighter jet deal. As the din continued, Mahajan adjourned the House till 11.20 a.m.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The newly elected Congress MLAs in Madhya Pradesh will meet at 4 p.m. in the Pradesh Congress Committee office on Thursday to choose their Legislature Party leader, party officials said.

State party chief Kamal Nath and Guna MP Jyotiraditya Scindia, who headed the party's poll committee during the just concluded Assembly polls, are expected to be present. Both are front-runners for the Chief Minister's post.

Central party observer and former Defence Minister A.K. Antony was on Wednesday in Bhopal to meet the new legislators after the Congress in a nail-biting finish defeated the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party by securing 114 seats but fell two seats short of a majority in the 230-member House.

The meeting was expected to reach a consensus on the Chief Minister's name, however, that did not happen.

Rebel MLAs, who won as Independent candidates in the November 28 polls, were also part of the CLP meet. Antony met every one individually.

--IANS

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Union Cabinet Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi on Thursday inaugurated an art exhibition at the Triveni Kala Sangam here.

Titled "Meandering journeys: Traversing life", the group exhibition showcases artworks by painter-sculptor Renuka Sondhi-Gulati and architect-photographer Kaushik Amruthur.

On view are Gulati's canvases and sculptures, which are often hailed as a celebration of the living spirit embodied in the one who creates life -- the woman, who endures pain and suffering, yet becomes the bridge to a liberating future, she said.

"Her canvases are explorations of the new-age woman in a new-age world netted or nestled in the discourses of her gender and human form," a note on the exhibition said.

Falling in line with the same spirit of life that one finds throughout the exhibition, are Amruthur's black and white photographs, captured in nine shades of grey.

"A glimpse at a Kaushik Amruthur photograph is an entry into his two-toned world. Be it people, places, or things, in Kaushik's lens the subject is simplified visually, closeted and defined through viewpoints that imbued a dramatization to the picture.

"Architecture features as a prominent subject in Kaushik's oeuvre, so do landscapes and portraits," the note said.

The photographer has captured indigenous tribes living in the red-sand desert region on the Arizona-Utah border.

Many of them depict trees in a desolate space, in an attempt to highlight the landscape and the survival instincts they have developed in the region.

The exhibition is open for public viewing till December 23.

--IANS

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UK Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday survived a vote of no-confidence triggered by members of her own ruling Conservative Party over her handling of the country exiting the European Union (EU).

After winning 200 votes to 117 or 63 per cent of the total ballots on Wednesday night, May is now immune from a leadership challenge for a year.

The result was met with cheers from MPs as it was announced by Graham Brady, an MP who leads the 1922 Committee which represents Conservative Party backbench lawmakers in the House of Commons, reports CNN.

Following the vote, the Prime Minister addressed the media outside Downing Street, saying that it had been a "long and challenging day".

May said while she was "grateful" for the support, she also acknowledged that a "significant" number of number of MPs from her party voted against her.

"I have listened to what they said... We now need to get on with the job of delivering Brexit."

The Prime Minister said that she now had a "renewed mission -- delivering the Brexit that people voted for, bringing the country back together and building a country that truly works for everyone".

Voting by secret ballot began at 6 p.m. on Wednesday after May made her final pitch to lawmakers promising them that she wouldn't fight the next general election in 2022.

A pro-May MP told CNN that the Prime Minister "got a real grilling, but overall solid support" as she made her case to MPs.

Shortly after the announcement early Thursday morning, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt tweeted: "Huge congrats to Theresa May whose stamina, resilience and decency has again won the day and given her the chance to deliver Brexit for our country."

Chancellor Philip Hammond also tweeted and saidthe result was "the right one".

"Now is the the time to focus on the future," he said. "Her deal means we will honour the referendum result while safeguarding jobs and maintaining business confidence."

However, while May did win a majority, it does reveal that more than a third of Conservative MP's voted against her as PM.

Jacob Rees-Mogg -- who rallied against May -- said the result was a "terrible" outcome for the Prime Minister.

He added that "she ought to go and see the Queen urgently and resign".

Conservative MP Stephen Crabb said May must now win over MPs who voted against her, which will be "hugely challenging".

Opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "Her government is in chaos."

The biggest challenge that May faces now is that she is stuck between a UK Parliament that will not vote through her Brexit deal and the EU, which will not reopen negotiations on that deal.

The confidence vote coincided with May's whistle-stop tour of Europe where she met key EU leaders, asking them for help passing her Brexit deal through Parliament.

May was forced to postpone a vote on the deal on Monday when it became clear her bill would face a humiliating defeat.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Multiple institutions across the US on Thursday received emails and phone calls threatening bomb attacks, which caused evacuations and law enforcement actions.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a statement its staff were aware of the recent bomb threats made in cities around the country. "We remain in touch with our law enforcement partners to provide assistance," Xinhua news agency reported.

The New York Police Department tweeted that it was monitoring "multiple bomb threats," and that "these threats are also being reported to other locations nationwide and are NOT considered credible at this time."

The CNN reported that it was not yet clear whether these threats, which had been received at locations including San Francisco, the University of Washington in Seattle, Penn State University in Pennsylvania, were connected.

--IANS

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Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu adjourned the House for the day shortly after members from Tamil Nadu protested, waving placards and shouting slogans, on the Cauvery issue. Parliament sources said Naidu was not in favour of protracted disruptions and repeated adjournments on a day that marked the 17th anniversary of the Parliament terror attack.

Nine security personnel were killed by terrorists on December 13, 2001.

The sources also said Naidu shared his concern with leaders at a meeting after the adjournment.

--IANS

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Real estate firm Omaxe Group's second-largest promoter, Sunil Goel, on Thursday said that the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) Delhi has issued a contempt of court notice to Rohtas Goel and other directors of Buildwell Builders Pvt Ltd in a malpractices and financial mismanagment case.

The Court has also directed that the financial statements, bank details, any important resolutions by the Omaxe board, minute books and attendance register effective from April 1, 2015 onwards be placed on record and kept in court custody.

The court has fixed the matter for hearing on January 14, 2019.

Sunil has filed a legal petition against elder brother and Omaxe CMD Rohtas alleging malpractices and financial mismanagement at the real estate company.

Rohtas is the largest promoter and shareholder of the company, while Sunil is the second largest promoter with 20 per cent shareholding in it.

As per an earlier statement from Sunil, he was ousted from the company in 2017 when he acted as a whistle-blower raising objections about a financial fraud.

In the last one year, Omaxe Group has increased its loan exposure from Rs 1,300 crore to Rs 1,800 crore.

Sunil has also sought reinstatement as director of the company and 'status quo' on assets.

--IANS

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Brazil's Atletico Paranaense won their first Copa Sudamericana title after beating Colombia's Junior 4-3 in a penalty shoot-out.

Paranaense midfielder Thiago Heleno converted the final penalty to secure the title at the Baixada Arena here on Wednesday, after Junior's Gabriel Fuentes and Teofilo Gutierrez failed to convert their shots, reports Efe.

The teams had remained tied 1-1 in regular time in the second leg of the final, repeating the scoreline of the first leg, played in Colombia's Barranquilla.

The hosts were put ahead in the 27th minute by Pablo Teixeira but eased up afterwards, and Junior's Gutierrez equalized with a close-range header on a corner in the 57th minute.

The visitors lost the chance to win in extra time when Jarlan Barrera missed a penalty in the 110th minute.

This is the first international title for Atletico Paranaense, a club which shot to fame for the first time in 2005 when it finished runners-up in the Copa Libertadores, losing to compatriots Sao Paulo in the final.

Paranaense dominated the Copa Sudamericana from the beginning this year, beating Fluminense, Bahia, Caracas, Penarol and Newel's Old Boys en route to the title.

--IANS

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Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot, an aspirant to the post of Chief Minister, met party President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday night for the second time in a day amid indications that party leader Ashok Gehlot would be leader of the legislature party in the state.

Pilot, who had a meeting with Gandhi earlier in the day, reached Gandhi's residence at 10.30 p.m.

The meeting came hours after the leadership issue was settled in Madhya Pradesh, with Gandhi tweeting his picture with state party chief Kamal Nath and party MP Jyotiraditya Scindia, who were both chief ministerial aspirants. The smiling picture carried the line "The two most powerful warriors are patience and time - Leo Tolstoy."

Kamal Nath was chosen as the new Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and both he and Scindia flew down to Bhopal to announce the decision.

Party sources said Gandhi is keen to give a similar message for Rajasthan as well.

Both in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the Congress missed the majority mark by two seats and is now dependent on some external support.

Earlier, Pilot, who stayed put in Delhi and decided to shelve his plan to return to Jaipur, appealed to party workers to maintain peace, saying he would "welcome" any decision that will be taken by the party.

Gehlot, who was planning to leave for Jaipur, was also asked to stay back in Delhi.

Pilot reportedly put up a strong claim to the post on the ground that he had galvanised the party after the defeat in 2013, when he was appointed the state party chief.

In the ealrier meeting, Gehlot and Pilot met Rahul Gandhi at his residence in Delhi where he was joined by his mother and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Sonia Gandhi is understood to have counselled Rahul Gandhi over relying on "experience" as it was a verdict with a narrow margin of victory and a seasoned leader would be better equipped to deal with a situation in which the party would need the backing of MLAs belonging to the Bahujan Samaj Party and Independents, who won 13 seats. Most of them are Congress rebels.

The party won 99 seats and with its pre-poll alliance partner it managed to touch the halfway mark in the 200-member Assembly.

--IANS

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Pope Francis has removed two cardinals from his small council of advisors who were the subject of allegations relating to sexual abuse or covering it up, the Vatican said in a statement.

Cardinal George Pell, 77, of Australia and Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz, 85, of Chile were removed from the council that Francis established in 2013, shortly after ascending to the papacy, CNN quoted the statement as saying on Wednesday.

A third, Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, 79, of the Democratic Republic of Congo, was also removed but due to his advanced age.

Pell was charged in his home country with multiple historical sexual assault offences in June.

He is the most senior member of the Catholic Church in Australia but was placed on leave from the Vatican while the allegations were being investigated.

Pell has said that he was innocent and maintains that the charges, related to claims of sexual abuse spanning three decades, were false.

Errazuriz is being investigated by Chilean prosecutors on allegations that he did not act on reports of clergy abuse while he was archbishop of Santiago.

He has also denied the allegations, CNN reported.

Errazuriz announced in November that he was leaving the council. At the time, he said that his term on the council had ended.

Pell and Errazuriz were original members of Francis' council, which first included eight cardinals and convened to explore ways to reform the Catholic Church.

--IANS

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A probiotic supplement may help reduce inflammation of the gut, which is known to exacerbate bipolar disorder as well as other psychiatric mood disorders, say researchers.

Bipolar disorder is a psychiatric condition characterised by dramatic shifts in mood from depression to mania.

According to the study, by Faith Dickerson from Sheppard Pratt Health System in Maryland, US, the probiotic supplement is aimed at reducing inflammation caused by microbial imbalances in the gut.

Probiotic organisms are non-pathogenic bacteria that, when present in the gut flora, are known to improve the overall health of the host.

The team showed that participants in the study who received the probiotic supplement, on average, did not return to the hospital as quickly and required less in-patient treatment time compared to the placebo group.

In addition, the beneficial effects were most pronounced in those patients who exhibited abnormally high levels of inflammation at the beginning of the study.

These results were presented at the annual meeting of American College of Neuropsychophamacology in Florida.

Currently, the standard treatment for the disease includes a combination of psychotherapy and prescription medications such as mood stabilisers and antipsychotics.

"The changes in intestinal inflammation can alter the trajectory of psychiatric mood disorders and that modulating the intestinal microbiota may be a new avenue of treatment for patients suffering from these diseases," researchers noted.

For the study, the team studied a group of patients hospitalised for mania participated in a six-month study to track the effects of probiotic treatment on both their mood and the status of their immune system.

The patients were randomly selected to receive either the probiotic supplement or a placebo in addition to their usual medications.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Union Minister P. Chidambaram on Thursday said that he "regretted" not acting on the Jammu and interlocutors report as the then Union Home Minister in 2011.

"I deeply regret the way interlocutors' report was handled. We should have acted on the report," Chidambaram said in response to a query by former Jammu and Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah at an event here.

Following the massive unrest in the Valley in 2010, the Manmohan Singh government appointed a group of interlocutors comprising veteran journalist Dileep Padgaonkar, former Information Commissioner M.M. Ansari and social activist Radha Kumar.

After a year of deliberations and discussions with all stakeholders, the group submitted its report to then Home Minister Chidambaram in October 2011 and made several recommendations. None of these were eventually acted upon by the Central government.

Speaking at the event, Chidambaram said the "muscular, macho" approach adopted by the Narendra Modi government is bound to fail.

He advocated diluting the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), if not repealing it, in Jammu and and said it would go a long way in bringing normalcy back to the Valley.

"Pakistan constantly keeps backing terrorists. What is under our control is to reach out to people and to stakeholders. And that is where this government has failed," he said.

Speaking earlier, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that situation was getting better and perhaps conducive for the Kashmiri Pandits' return to the Valley but after 2014 it has been "on a slide".

"The Centre should hold elections in Jammu and Kashmir as soon as possible and whoever is elected, let that government work," he said, speaking at the Lokmat Conclave.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Model-actress Ruby Rose was rushed to a hospital after a silicon earplug got stuck in her ear.

The 32-year-old, who is filming on location in Hungary, took to Instagram on Wednesday to tell fans about it, reports dailymail.co.uk.

She wrote: "I've had a couple co-stars end up in hospital because of ear plugs from films with gunfire and other loud noises (that) ended up being lodged in their ear canals. I always made fun of them... I will never make fun of them again!"

Rose also shared footage of herself walking into the hospital, which she captioned: "I have a silicon ear plug inside my damn brain and I think this is the scariest hospital I've ever seen."

She later posted a photograph of herself in the empty emergency room, alongside which she wrote: "If you never see me again... I hope my organs went to wonderful people."

The Australian star continued to pass time by sharing another image of a rather eerie-looking bathroom and an empty hospital bed.

It was then time for Rose to see the doctor, and she uploaded yet another short clip of herself waiting patiently in the office.

Finally, the ear plug was successfully removed and she was able to leave hospital.

She explained after the ordeal: "It took over an hour, three doctors and a lot of screaming, crying and fainting to remove what had become glue around my ear drum - but they did it!"

"Now, to fix my TV... it doesn't seem to have sound working," she added, jokingly.

--IANS

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Accusing the Congress government of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh of making a mockery of democracy by reducing the winter session of Punjab Assembly to a single sitting, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Thursday said the "non-performing government" was shying away from the session.

SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal said: "The Congress has played a cruel joke on the people and made a mockery of democracy by recommending the winter session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha be reduced to a single sitting, something which had happened for the first time in the state."

In a statement here, the SAD President said Congress legislators, who formed a majority in the business advisory committee, had recommended the winter session be curtailed from two days to a single day.

"This is unprecedented and has taken democratic norms to a new low. It also amounts to cheating the people as well as muzzling their voice. The Congress legislators should tell the people why they became party to this anti-people decision," Badal stated.

He said it was shocking that the Congress government was running away from discussion on people's issues by curtailing the winter session.

"As only obituary references were made today, one day is too less to take up people's issues as well as pass bills as scheduled," Badal said.

The Assembly session officially began on Thursday with the sitting ending after obituary references.

"We will take up this issue with the Speaker and demand that the session be extended appropriately," he added.

Badal said: "The government does not want any discussion on farmer issues or promises made to the youth, discrimination being meted out to Dalits and government employees or destruction of peace and communal harmony in Punjab."

The Punjab assembly on Thursday paid homage to 58 people who died in the Amritsar train tragedy on October 19. Tributes were also paid to three people killed in a bomb blast at the Nirankari Bhawan in village Adliwal in Amritsar last month.

--IANS

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The Supreme Court on Thursday said that senior citizens should get a meaningful pension to live with dignity, and not just the equivalent of Rs 92 at current value.

The apex court said the State was "obligated to ensure" that the right to live with dignity that includes reasonable shelter, health care, clothing and meaningful pension for elderly people without any means was "not only protected but are enforced and made available to all citizens".

Noting that in real terms the value of Rs 200 being given as pension to elderly people since 2007 today stands at about Rs 92, the bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta in their judgement said the provision for basic necessities which includes, nutrition, clothing and shelter can be made only if the elderly are provided with some pension which is meaningful and not pension which is equivalent to Rs 92 per month.

If the current value of the rupee is taken into consideration, the amount of Rs 200 in real terms actually works out to about 92 per month on the lower scale.

The court directed the Centre and states to revisit the grant of pension to the elderly so that it is more "realistic".

It said the schemes which are "comparatively dated" should be re-looked and overhauled to bring about convergence and avoid multiplicity.

The court said this as it issued a number of directions for the enforcement of pension for the elderly, shelter, geriatric care and medical facilities and the effective implementation of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007.

Addressing the question of the limited capacity of the State in meeting the expenses of the welfare measures for the elderly people, the court said: "The consideration of 'economic budgeting' by the Centre and states must have been taken into account while enacting the legislation."

Speaking for the bench, Justice Lokur said "there cannot be any excuse of lack of finances" either by the Central or state governments in "strictly implementing the provisions of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007".

In short, the court said, if not the constitutional then at least the statutory rights of elderly persons must be recognised and implemented.

The court also directed that the Central government should obtain necessary information from all states and union territories on the number of old age homes in each district.

The Central government, the court said, would also obtain information on the medical facilities and geriatric care facilities that are available to senior citizens in each district.

Referring to the provisions of the MWP Act, the court directed the Centre to exercise its power and issue appropriate directions to the States for the effective implementation of the provisions of the MWP Act and monitor its execution.

As the court has decided to monitor the implementation of its directions, the Centre was directed to file a status report by January 31, 2019.

--IANS

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Actress Sonakshi Sinha ordered a pair of headphones online and wasn't impressed as she ended up getting junk instead.

"Hey Amazon India! Look what I got instead of the Bose headphones I ordered! Properly packed and unopened box, looked legit... but only on the outside. Oh and your customer service doesn't even want to help, that's what makes it even worse," Sonakshi posted on social media.

She even posted a photograph of the box.

"Anybody want to buy a brand new shiny piece of junk for 18,000 bucks? (Yup, its a steal). Don't worry, I'm selling, not Amazon, so you'll get exactly what you're ordering," Sonakshi added with sarcasm.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Sri Lankan Supreme Court on Thursday ruled as "unconstitutional" President Maithripala Sirisena's decision to dissolve Parliament and conduct a snap parliamentary election in early January.

Sri Lanka plunged into political turmoil when Sirisena surprisingly sacked Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in late October and replaced him with former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. When Sirisena's decision was contested, he dissolved Parliament and called for a snap parliamentary election in January.

The ruling can see Wickremesinghe return to office, the BBC reported.

A seven-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Nalin Perera, said that the President could not dissolve Parliament till it was four-and-a-half years through its five-year term and that if he wanted to dissolve Parliament, there must be a resolution with a two thirds majority.

Local media reports said that the top court's verdict meant that the parliamentary elections will be held as scheduled after February 2020, following its four and a half years of term.

Following the ruling, Wickremesinghe in a statement on his Twitter account urged Sirisena to respect the judgement while his United National Party said they hope to meet the President later on Thursday to discuss the court's ruling.

The Supreme Court's verdict came a day after Parliament passed a vote of confidence in Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister.

Namal Rajapaksa, a lawmaker from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, a party loyal to challenged Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, said his party respected the court's decision but they would continue their call for a parliamentary election in order to end the ongoing political struggle, Xinhua news agency reported.

There was no immediate comment from Sirisena.

The election, which was announced by the President one and a half years ahead of schedule, was challenged in the Supreme Court by opposition lawmakers who said Sirisena did not have the powers to call an early poll.

The crisis -- which provoked brawls in Parliament and sparked large protests -- has hurt tourism, which makes up about 5 per cent of the country's economy.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) on Thursday dismissed the telecom regulator's order dated February 16, 2018 on predatory pricing due to lack of "transparency".

The tribunal's order comes as a respite to Vodafone Idea -- erstwhile Vodafone India and Idea Cellular -- and Airtel who had challenged the TRAI order in March.

"To allow freedom from requirement of non-predation till acquisition of 30 per cent of total activity in a given market prima facie appears to be an extreme step and unnecessary abdication of its regulatory powers by TRAI in the context of tariff conditions and their enforcement," the TDSAT order said.

As per the TRAI rule, a tariff could be predatory only if an operator with over 30 per cent market share offers tariffs lower than the average variable cost. With Thursday's order, the TDSAT has struck down this rule.

"If a new entrant needs to be protected from the rigors of non-predation, it can be done through precision like 'Welcome Offer' and Promotional Scheme as availed recently by Reliance Jio. These can be formalised as just exceptions," it said.

The order noted that the "impugned Tariff Amendment Order is set aside in so far as it changes the concept of SMP (Significant Market Power), non-predation and the related provision".

It ordered TRAI to reconsider the provisions within six months.

"TRAI shall keep all the relevant fact in mind while dealing with the matter in the light of this order of remand of the issues relating to non-predation and SMP (Significant Market Player)," it added.

The tribunal in its 41-page order said that the yardsticks must be objective and known to all the service providers or the task must be left to be dealt with by a complete code such as the Competition Laws so that the competent authority can decide a complaint alleging predation.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Outgoing US Ambassador to the UN has said that President Donald Trump's unpredictability and mercurial nature was often an asset in UN diplomacy.

"If I need to pick up the phone and say this is what I'm gonna to do, are you good with this? We kind of partnered in that," she said in an interview on Wednesday.

"And so he would like ratchet up the rhetoric and then I would go back to the ambassadors and say, 'You know he is pretty upset. I can't promise you what he is going to do. I'll tell you, if we do these sanctions, it will keep him from going too far'," Politico quoted Haley as saying.

By harnessing Trump's unpredictability to her advantage in diplomatic negotiations, Haley said she was just "trying to get the job done... by being truthful but also by letting him be unpredictable and not showing our cards".

Haley denied on Wednesday that she was leaving after two years on the job because she had higher political ambitions or because of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, telling in the interview that her life had been a series of "fun surprises" and that she looked forward to "sleeping in".

The former Governor of South Carolina also defended Trump's nominee to succeed her, current State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert, who has been criticised by some for her relative lack of foreign policy experience.

Haley noted that she faced similar criticism when she first accepted her position with the Trump administration.
Convinced that the All India Chess Federation (AICF) has deliberately not complied with its July 2018 order, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has ordered the issuance of a notice to the chess body as to why punitive action should not be taken under Section 42 of the Competition Act, said a chess player.

"The CCI has ordered issuance of notice to AICF in a contempt petition filed by three of us," Karun Duggal told IANS on Thursday.

The three chess players who filed the petition in the CCI against the AICF are Duggal, Gurpreet Pal Singh and Devendra Bajpai.

As per Section 42 of Competition Act, a person failing to comply with the orders of the Commission can be punished with a fine of up to Rs.1 lakh per day during which such non-compliance occurs, subject to a maximum of Rs.10 crore.

Further, if a person fails to comply with the order or fails to pay the fine he shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years or with a fine which may extend to Rs.25 crore or both.

On July 12, 2018, the CCI held that the undertaking prescribed by the AICF for players regarding non-participation in events not authorised by it amounts to restraints that are in the nature of exclusive distribution and refusal to deal as defined in Section 3(f) and 3(4)(d) of the Competition Act 2002.

The CCI said the non-compliance of such undertaking will result in banning of players and removal of their Elo rating, create entry barriers, foreclose competition and restrict opportunities available to chess players.

"The said restrictions are likely to have appreciable adverse effect on competition in terms of factors contained in Section 19 (3) of the Act. The Commission is thus, of the view that AICF has contravened Sections 3(4)(c) and 3(4)(d) of the Act read with Section 3(1) of the Act," the order said.

The CCI also imposed a penalty of Rs.692,350 on the AICF for infringing the provisions of Section 4 of the Act and directed the chess body to deposit the penalty within 60 days and file a compliance report.

The complaint against the AICF was filed by four chess players viz Hemant Sharma, Devendra Bajpai, Gurpreet Pal Singh and Karun Duggal alleging contravention of the provisions of Sections 3 and 4 of the Act.

The players had complained to the CCI that their Elo rating points were removed by the AICF without giving any prior notice due to their participation in the chess tournament sponsored by the Chess Association of India (CAI) in 2010 which was not authorised by the AICF.

As per the CCI order, the complainants alleged that the AICF also removed the ratings of 151 chess players on that ground.

According to the CCI order, the investigation has revealed that there were other instances of the AICF restricting players who had participated in events not recognised by the AICF.

In its order the CCI directed the AICF to lay down the process and parameters governing authorisation/sanctioning of chess tournaments. In doing so, the AICF will ensure that they are necessary to serve the interest of the sport and shall be applied in a fair, transparent and equitable manner.

Besides, the AICF shall take all possible measure(s) to ensure that competition is not impeded while preserving the objective of the development of chess in the country.

According to the order, the AICF shall establish the prejudice caused by a chess player before taking any disciplinary action against him. Needless to say, the disciplinary actions taken shall be proportional, fair and transparent.

The disciplinary actions against the four players and other similar players shall be reviewed by the AICF on these lines, the CCI ordered.

On October 4, 2018, the AICF got a stay order from the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) against the Rs. 692,350 penalty imposed by the CCI vide its July 2018 order.

The CCI in its latest order on the petition filed by the three chess players said there is no stay on directions it had issued to the AICF vide its July 2018 order.

"AICF clearly knew about the requirement of complying with the specific directions of the Commission and that no stay has been granted by Hon'ble NCLAT with respect to the said directions. Thus the onus was on AICF to comply with the aforesaid directions and file a compliance report. However, till date, AICF has not filed a compliance report to this effect," the CCI said in its order of 30.11.2018.

"Thus, the Commission is convinced that AICF deserved to be subjected to proceedings under Section 42 of the Act," the CCI said and ordered notice to show cause to the AICF as to why action should not be taken under the said section.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indian travellers are showing interest in exploring newer destinations like Eastern Europe, South America, Spain and others, said a senior group official of the multinational The Travel Corporation (TTC).

He also said the other interesting trend is that a lot of solo women are travelling overseas from India.

"There is good interest among Indian travellers to explore Eastern Europe, Canada, Spain, Portugal, Egypt, Peru, Costa Rica, Ireland, Italy, South America and others," Anthony Lim, Managing Director, Asia told IANS on Wednesday here.

"Lot more female professionals including young mothers now prefer to travel solo out of India. This is a new trend we see," Lim added.

The $2 billion multinational travel and tour group TTC will soon launch its luxury travel product Luxury Gold in India, targeting high net worth Indian tourists for overseas destinations as it sees good market potential, Lim said.

He also said the company is in talks with Middle East and European airlines for travel tie-up out of India.

According to him, the initial response for 2019 is good from Indian travellers.

Lim said while TTC's other service offering Insight Vacations is a premium travel product, the new Luxury Gold would offer exclusive VIP experience for the guests.

"For instance, the travelling group will have exclusive access to iconic sites when they are closed for public. The guests can also meet prominent local citizens, members of royal families," Lim said.

He said food is not an issue nowadays for most Indian travellers overseas as vegetarian food is also available.

"We take our guests to reputed or Michelin rated restaurants where genuine vegetarian food is also available. We also make necessary arrangements upfront," Lim said.

He said the company is open to have a celebrity brand ambassador for its new product in India.

Queried about the competition from online travel agencies, Lim said: "Online agencies are growing. But they offer only the basic services like ticket or hotel bookings. Whereas offline agencies go a step further and assist in planning the trip and even visa formalities."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
After superstar Amitabh Bachchan sent a panic tweet on Thursday about his Samsung smartphone going kaput for a while, Xiaomi India Managing Director Manu Kumar Jain joined the conversation, offering Big B to switch over to a Xiaomi device.

Bachchan, who endorses rival brand OnePlus in India, tweeted in the wee hours asking for help to revive his Samsung Galaxy S9 device.

"HELP !! Samsung S9 not functioning .. Samsung logo is on front screen, and is blinking again and again .. nothing else happens .. changed it .. let it be .. tried to close it does not close either .. HELP ... someone please guide me as to what I should de..," the actor tweeted.

Samsung officials got in touch with the actor immediately and resolved his concern. Bachchan later tweeted that the issue was dealt with and his Samsung device was up and running.

However, the tweet went viral, and Xioami's India head joined the thread.

"Dear Amit Ji. It's time to switch phones. You can maybe try the most loved technology brand in India. Happy to send a flagship phone to you, if you want," Jain tweeted.

Meanwhile, Twitterati took to the conversation thread to troll Xiaomi for several issues like advertisements being pushed into the MIUI -- the company's custom user interface -- being the most-talked about.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
NDA ally Shiv Sena on Thursday raised the controversial Ram temple issue in the Lok Sabha and demanded that the government bring an ordinance to pave the way for its construction in Ayodhya.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Shiv Sena's Anand Rao Adsul also reminded the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) about its promise on Ram temple made in the 2014 election manifesto.

"The government should take initiative to bring an ordinance and pave the way for construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya before the next general elections," he said.

Soon after the House met after two brief adjournments during Question Hour, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan allowed the Shiv Sena leader to raise the issue.

Shiv Sena members are aggressive on Ram temple issues. They protested inside and outside the against the government over the issue.

Adsul said former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee could not take the initiative for the construction of Ram temple as he was running a coalition government of 25 political parties.

"But here is a government which has absolute majority. They have mentioned in their manifesto too. Four-and-a-half years of this government has already passed but nothing has happened.

"Our alliance with is based on Hindutva but it seems the has forgotten it," he said.

Adsul also said the results of the five states are an indication and the government should understand it.
Congress president has written to the party's chief ministers, urging them to implement the recommendations of the NSUI's 'Behtar Bharat' agenda that includes equal educational opportunities and a system of fair play for students and young people.

Gandhi wrote to Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, saying that in order to convert the country's demographic dividend to democratic dividend, it was important to give confidence to the young people that their concerns were being prioritised.

He urged them to implement the recommendations of the Students' Union of India's (NSUI) 'Behtar Bharat' agenda that includes equal educational opportunities, a system of fair play for students and young people, and a progressive nation-building identity.

The Congress president had earlier written to students promising his party's complete support to meet their aspirations.
Two suspected drug smugglers were nabbed and four kg heroin and a pistol were recovered from them, police said Thursday



Based on a tip- off, a police team intercepted the motorcycle-borne men near the Attari border on Wednesday evening, Punjab Police Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Amarjit Singh told reporters here.

While they were being frisked, one of the accused opened fire and attempted to run away, but was overpowered by the team, he said.

The police found four kilogram heroin, a 9 mm pistol and a phone with a Pakistani SIM card, he added.

The accused, identified as Basant Singh and Manjinder Singh, residents of Rajasansi area of Amritsar, are being interrogated, the police officer said.

A case was registered under relevant provisions of law.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two minor sisters were killed and a boy was injured in a landmine explosion in northwest Pakistan on Thursday, police said.

The incident happened at Meshta village in South Waziristan tribal district when a landmine suddenly exploded in a field where the three children were playing, they said.

The injured boy was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital.

In another incident at Kohat district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, two sisters aged 7 and 5 died due to suffocation on Wednesday night after gas from a generator accumulated in a room where they were sleeping, police said.

A marriage ceremony was going on in the house when the incident took place, they said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Publishing house Editrice Missionaria Italiana has just released a book by Gerolamo Fazzini on 50 years of PIME history in the Philippines with stories and testimonies of the Institutes service to the local Church, including the three priests who gave their lives as martyrs: Tullio Favali (1985), Salvatore Carzedda (1992) and Fausto Tentorio (2011).

Verona (AsiaNews)  In the Philippines, PIME Fathers are "famous for their missionary zeal, but even more for their martyrs, says Luis Antonio G. Tagle, archbishop of Manila, cited in a new book that traces the 50-year presence of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions in Asias most populous Catholic nation.

Titled Una fedelta a caro prezzo I primi 50 anni del Pime nelle Filippine: una storia di missione e martirio (Loyalty at a high price PIMES first 50 years in the Philippines: A story of mission and martyrdom), the tome (picture 2) presents stories and testimonies of PIMEs service to the local Church.

The author, journalist and essayist Gerolamo Fazzini, takes a close look at the paths followed by the missionaries as they stood alongside the people of the Philippines and the countrys Catholic community.

It all began on 8 December 1968 with the arrival of the first priests. Four years later, President Ferdinand Marcos imposed martial law and his dictatorial rule on the country.

The mission brought PIME Fathers to the poor residents of Tondo, one of Manilas underprivileged neighbourhoods, but also to the southern island of Mindanao, where the Institute built up an enduring closeness with the local population.

Here, after decades of fighting and uprisings, PIME set up parishes taking care of poor and marginalised residents. Despite dangers, the missionaries also defended tribal rights, upheld the dignity of migrant workers and engaged in dialogue with the Muslims.

In half a century, PIME clergymen paid a hefty price to bear witness to the mission. Three of them died a martyrs death: Tullio Favali (1985), Salvatore Carzedda (1992) and Fausto Tentorio (2011). Two other missionaries, Fathers Peter Geremia and Luciano Ghezzi, ended up in jail and several confreres have had to endure threats.

Three priests  Fathers Francesco Alessi, Gigi Cocquio and Albert Booms  were expelled from the country as persona non grata, whilst two more were abducted and eventually released: Fr Luciano Benedetti, in 1998, and Fr Giancarlo Bossi, in 2007.
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Three teachers were killed and another was injured Thursday when their car rammed into the rear of a truck in Rajasthan's Alwar district, police said.

The driver of the car apparently lost control over the vehicle and it crashed into the truck on the Alwar-Kishangarh Bas highway, Station House Officer (SHO) Kishangarh Bas, Rajesh Meena said.

Mohit Sharma (21), Supreet Nagpal (24) and Rohit Agarwal (25) died on the spot while Hitesh Saini (24) got critically injured and was taken to a hospital, he said.

The four men were teachers at a private school, the officer said, adding that the bodies were handed over to the family members.

No case in connection with the accident has been registered yet, the SHO said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Three Trinamool Congress activists were shot dead by South 24-Parganas district on Thursday evening when gunmen attacked the vehicle of a party MLA, police said.

Motorbike borne assailants attacked the three persons when they, including the driver, were in a petrol pump at Joynagar shortly after Biswanath Das, the MLA, disembarked from the vehicle at a party office nearby.

The police started an investigation into the killing detained a few people for questioning.

Das alleged that CPI(M) goons were behind the incident, but the left party leader Sujan Chakraborty claimed that the shootout was the result of internal feud of the ruling Trinamool Congress.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Three labourers were killed and two others critically injured in a blast at a steel factory near Silvassa in the wee hours of Thursday, police said.

The mishap took place around 3 am in a furnace at the Shree Krishna Steel Products factory located in Kanadi-Naroli village near Silvassa, about 54 km from the Union Territory of Daman and Diu, police inspector K B Mahajan said.

"Three labourers working near the furnace died on the spot, while two others who received severe burn injuries have been admitted to a hospital. Both of them are still critical," Mahajan said.

The deceased were identified as - Rajkumar Bhunkar (26), Tilakram Yadav (18) and Vijay Bhunkar(20).

A probe was on to find out the cause of the mishap, the police official said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Seven online lottery centres in central Mumbai were raided and 11 persons were arrested for alleged evasion of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) by issuing hand-written lottery tickets instead of the printed ones, an official said.

Teams of the city police's crime branch carried out the raids in Shivaji Park, Byculla, Kalachowki and Agripada areas, the official added.

This is the first such action against the lottery centre owners, who were duping state GST for a long time by issuing hand written tickets.

"During the raids, police have recovered 11 computers, hard disks, CPUs, five mobile phones and cash worth over Rs 1 lakh," he said.

"The owners of the online lottery centres used to give hand-written tickets, of the various online lotteries, including Goa's authorised lottery 'Lucky Four', instead of the printed tickets," he said.

Through this, the lottery centre owners had been earning profits and duping the state government by not paying the GST, which lottery centres have to pay for every tickets, he said.

An offence was registered under IPC sections 294 A for running an unauthorised lottery centre. The accused were also booked under IPC sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 465 (forgery), 468 (Forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document).

They were also booked under sections 4(A), 7(3) of the Lotteries (Regulation) Act, the official said.

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The Delhi High Court on Thursday told the AAP government and the police to abide by the respective timeline given by them for filling up the vacant posts in FSLs and installing CCTV cameras in police stations.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and A J Bhambani refused to accept the initial schedule indicated by the Delhi government for filling up the posts in the forensic science labs (FSLs) and subsequently, it came back with a revised timeline which the court accepted.

Under the new timeline, additional or new 405 posts in FSLs would be sanctioned by January 31, 2019 and filled up on contractual basis by March 1.

Around 32 vacant posts are to be filled up on contractual basis by January 15, the court said, adding that it will ensure quick clearance of backlog of samples for testing.

It further said that for the new posts, within 30 days of being approved, the Delhi government should send a request to the Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB) to start the process for regular recruitment and the DSSSB has to complete the selection within eight months.

Directions were also issued to the Delhi Police to adhere to the timeline it has given for installing CCTV cameras at police stations and posts.

The police, represented by Delhi government senior standing counsel Rahul Mehra and additional standing counsel (criminal) Rajesh Mahajan, told the court that cameras have been installed and are functional in 91 of its stations.

In 54 police stations, CCTVs would be installed by December 15 while in the remaining 57 police stations and 53 police posts the work would be completed by January 15, the court was told.

The bench, thereafter, asked the Delhi Police Commissioner to ensure the timelines indicated are adhered to and listed the matter for further hearing on December 20.

Police also told the court that the work of installing CCTV cameras in vulnerable areas in the national capital would be carried out by it and the timeline for it would be placed before the bench on the next date of hearing.

Mehra also told the court that the work related to installing 1.4 lakh CCTV cameras in entire Delhi for safety and security of the citizens, especially women, children and the elderly, would be completed in a year's time.

The submissions were made before the bench in a PIL initiated by it in 2012 after the infamous December 16, 2012 gang rape of a young woman in a moving bus. The woman later succumbed to the injuries.

Apart from that, the court was also hearing a plea by social activist Ajay Gautam alleging that there have been several deaths inside police stations in the city this year and the presence of functional CCTVs could act as a deterrent.

In both the matters, the court has been from time to time issuing directions with regard to increasing the number of police officers in the city, installation of CCTV cameras in police stations as well as vulnerable or crime prone areas, reducing delay in testing of samples in FSLs and ensuring speedy disbursal of compensation to victims of sexual assault.

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A murder convict who had jumped parole two years ago has been arrested by the Mumbai Crime Branch, a police official said.

Sujit alias Pappu Kurhade (35) was arrested Wednesday by unit 7 of the crime branch from Bhosari near Pune when he was attending a relative's wedding, the official said.

Kurhade and two others were serving life sentence after being convicted for the murder of a Republican Party of India activist at Kisan Nagar in neighbouring Thane in 2011.

He was released on parole on October 2016 for a period of month, but did not return to Kolhapur Central Prison, said Deputy Commissioner of Police Akbar Pathan.

Kurhade then moved to Bhosari and lived there under a false identity, he said.

During his stay in the area he allegedly raped a minor girl after kidnapping her and fled, following which another offence was registered against him, the official said.

After receiving a tip-off that he would be attending a wedding in Bhosari, crime branch sleuths in plainclothes kept a watch at the venue and nabbed him as he arrived, DCP Pathan said.

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Nine people were killed and nearly 50 injured after a high-speed train crashed into a locomotive in the Turkish capital on Thursday, officials said.

Transport Minister Cahit Turhan told reporters in televised remarks that three of those killed were operators of the train.

One of the victims died in hospital, he added.

Turhan added that 47 people were injured and were in hospital for treatment. The fast train had been on its way from Ankara's main station to the central province of Konya and according to Hurriyet daily, there were 206 passengers on board.

Earlier, the Ankara governor's office said three out of a total of 46 people had been seriously injured.

The death toll was rising fast. Ankara governor Vasip Sahin said earlier on Thursday morning that four people had been killed.

"This morning there was an accident after the 6.30 high-speed train to Konya hit a locomotive tasked with checking rails on the same route," Sahin told reporters in televised remarks.

Turhan said the accident took place six minutes after the train left Ankara as it entered the Marsandiz station.

The governor said search and rescue efforts continued as "technical investigations" were underway to find out exactly what caused the crash in Yenimahalle district.

He said information about the cause of the crash would be shared with the public when it is known.

Images published by Turkish media showed some wagons had derailed and debris from the train scattered on the rail track, which was covered in snow.

The windows of one wagon were completely broken while another wagon had been smashed after hitting the footbridge, which also collapsed, an AFP correspondent at the scene said.

The Ankara public prosecutor launched an investigation into the crash, state news agency Anadolu reported.

The Ankara to Konya high-speed route was launched in 2011 and was followed in 2014 with a high-speed link between Ankara and Istanbul.

The accident comes after another rail disaster in July this year when 24 people were killed and hundreds more injured after a train derailed in Tekirdag province, northwest Turkey, due to ground erosion following heavy rains.

Turkey's rail network has been hit by several fatal accidents in recent years.

In March 2014, a commuter train smashed into a minibus on a railway track in the southern Turkish province of Mersin, which left 10 dead.

In January 2008, nine people were killed when a train derailed in the Kutahya region south of Istanbul because of faulty tracks.

Turkey's worst rail disaster in recent history was in July 2004 when 41 people were killed and 80 injured after a high-speed train derailed in the northwestern province of Sakarya.
Asian markets enjoyed more gains Thursday as investors are cheered by the more conciliatory noises from China and the US on trade, while uncertainty over Brexit continued to weigh on the pound.

While the tariffs row between Beijing and Washington is far from being resolved, there is a lot more optimism on trading floors this week that the world's top two economies can make headway in talks over the next three months.

The latest buying queues came from a report that Beijing is considering replacing its "Made in China 2025" programme that aims to boost its technology sector, a key point in anger for Washington.

The Wall Street Journal said authorities were looking at putting back the scheme's timetable by a decade to concentrate on improving standards.

That followed China had agreed to resume importing soybeans -- a major boost for US farmers -- as well as remove a levy on US autos imposed earlier this year in response to Donald Trump's initial tariffs.

China's technology concession "is far more relevant than China agreeing to restart purchases of American soybeans, or even reducing the tariff on US car imports", said National Australia Bank strategist Ray Attrill.

Canada's release on bail of a top executive at Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, whose arrest had sparked fears of an adverse impact on the trade talks, also soothed worries.

Asian markets extended Wednesday's gains, which helped reverse some of the huge losses suffered last week.

Tokyo ended one per cent higher and Hong Kong was 1.3 per cent up. Shanghai surged 1.2 per cent on hopes China will unveil monetary easing measures to coincide with the 40th anniversary of its economic awakening next week.

Sydney edged 0.1 per cent higher and Seoul was up 0.6 per cent, while Singapore and Taipei each rose 0.4 per cent. Wellington, Manila and Jakarta were also well in positive territory.

In early European trade, London, Paris and Frankfurt each rose 0.4 per cent.

The upbeat mood provided another lift to higher-yielding, riskier currencies, with the South African rand 1.6 per cent up, while the Chinese yuan bounced 0.3 per cent.

Sterling was stuck around 20-month lows but held on to Wednesday's gains of more than one per cent that came in reaction to Prime Minister Theresa May winning a no-confidence vote by her ruling Conservative party.

Investors welcomed she had seen off the challenge, which secures her leadership for the next 12 months, but she had to concede to stepping aside before the 2022 election, while the vote showed that more than a third of her own colleagues wanted her gone now.

It also highlights the uphill struggle she faces in pushing through a controversial Brexit deal that has been slammed from all sides. She had already called off a vote Tuesday on the agreement, knowing it would fail.

May is now hoping EU leaders will compromise to help her pass the legislation but with little hope of concessions from Brussels, the chances Britain will leave the bloc with no deal are growing, which analysts have said could be economically calamitous.

"The result neither guaranteed the pound's stability nor paves the way for a successful Brexit deal," said Masakazu Satou, senior analyst at Gaiame Online.

"Pound-selling sentiment could revive at any time.

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Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia Thursday urged the students to be job providers and not job seekers.

He was speaking at the fifth convocation of the Delhi Technological University here during which a total of 2099 degrees were conferred. Two Chancellors medals and 43 Vice Chancellor medals were also awarded at the event.

"The nation expects you to be job providers, that's the greatest need of the country today," Sisodia said, while addressing the students here.

He stressed that top brass institutes like IITs, DTUs should take a resolution that the students passing out will majorly be job providers, not job seekers.

DTU's vice chancellor Yogesh Singh urged the students to always remember their responsibilities towards the nation and to never indulge in any activity which is not in the interest of the country.

Delhi LG Anil Baijal, the Chancellor of DTU emphasised on preparing individuals for contributing to social issues, like healthcare, environment, cyber security and artificial intelligence.

"Your mind is a powerhouse of energy and unrealised potential. With your skills, knowledge and creative energies, you must offer a part of your life for changing other lives. If each one of you is able to bring a positive change in one person's life, imagine the high surge of overall accomplishment that you shall bring to yourself, your family members, friends and your university," he said.

He advised the university to keep revising its syllabus in order to cope with the demands of highly competitive industry.

UGC chairman Prof D P Singh said the Higher Institutions should come up with solutions to combat pollution and provide environmental sustainability.

"Excellence does not come by accidents rather it is a process of striving to better oneself," he said.

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The Bihar government on Thursday sanctioned a sum of Rs 70 crore for setting up 28 "fortified" police stations in naxal-infested districts of the state.

The decision was made at a state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Altogether 28 such police stations each costing Rs 2.50 crore would be built, Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat Department, Upendra Pandey, told reporters after the meeting.

The nod was also given for setting up "visitors' room" at 660 police stations across the state for which Rs 34.17 crore would be released, Pandey said.

Replacement of discarded police vehicles with new ones at a cost of Rs 58.73 crore was also decided.

Another decision made at the meeting was appointment of Justice Jyoti Saran of Patna High Court as the Executive Chairman of the Bihar State Legal Services Authority, Pandey said.

The post was previously held by Justice Ravi Ranjan who was transferred to the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

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Several BJP leaders in Maharashtra are ready to switch loyalty to the Congress or NCP in the aftermath of the results of Assembly elections in three Hindi heartland states, opposition leaders claimed Thursday.

The Congress dislodged the BJP from power in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh in the recently held Assembly polls.

"The atmosphere in the country is changing after the BJP's defeat in three states. The BJP is not going to win the 2019 (Lok Sabha) polls," NCP chief spokesperson Nawab Malik said.

"In the last few days, several MPs and MLAs who had joined the BJP after quitting NCP or other parties (ahead of 2014 elections) are willing to join our party," Malik claimed.

Another NCP leader said the seat-sharing talks between the Sharad Pawar-led party and the Congress and others are yet to be concluded, and those ready to defect from the BJP might bag some such tickets.

"There are some seats where consensus has not been reached between the Congress and NCP. In case a suitable potential candidate crosses over to NCP from the BJP, we may field him/her from such a seat," the leader added.

There are at least eight Lok Sabha constituencies where talks are inconclusive, he said.

A Congress leader claimed that those who had defected to the BJP are now sensing that the coming elections would pose a tough challenge for the ruling party.

Many of these leaders, who are now willing to join opposition parties, are disgruntled as their ambitions have remained unfulfilled and their voice is not heard in the BJP, he said.

Maharashtra BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye dismissed the claim that some party leaders may be on their way out.

"Nobody is leaving the party after the poll results. The party has broadened its base in Maharashtra and elsewhere over the past four years," Upadhye said.

"Those who have joined the BJP have done so believing in our ideology," he added.

On December 7, Prashant Hiray and Apurva Hiray, a former Maharashtra minister and member of Legislative Council from Nashik, respectively, joined the NCP after bidding adieu to the saffron party.

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The BJP national council, the party's largest organisational body, will meet here on January 11-12, while its key wings will hold meetings across the country in the coming weeks as it steps up its campaign for the Lok Sabha polls in 2019.

The dates were finalised at a meeting, which was chaired by BJP president Amit Shah, of the party's office bearers and key leaders from states but there was no discussion on its defeat in the five state polls, party general secretary Bhupendra Yadav told a press conference.

The state poll results were not on the agenda, he said.

The BJP suffered a big blow in the polls as it lost power in three states, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, ruled by it.

Party sources said there could be an informal discussion on the matter during the meetings between Shah and chiefs of the state units concerned.

Yadav said the meeting was scheduled long in advance and preparations for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls were its agenda.

Dates of the meeting of the seven 'morchas', party's key wings focussed on different demographic groups, were also finalised.

The youth, women, scheduled castes, and minorities wings will be meeting respectively on December 15-16, December 21-22, January 19-20 and January 31-February 1 in Delhi, Ahmedabad, Nagpur and Delhi.

The scheduled tribes, other backward communities and farmers wings will hold their respective meetings on February 2-3, February 15-16 and February 21-22 in Bhubaneswar, Patna and Uttar Pradesh, Yadav said.

Top party leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari besides Shah, will be addressing these meetings.

The party sources said Shah also took stock of work on various tasks assigned to state party units to build dedicated teams of youths, women and people belonging to weaker sections of societies, groups the party has been wooing.

The meetings of different party wings highlight the BJP's efforts to reach out to different sections of society ahead of the Lok Sabha polls as it works to retain power at the Centre.

The opposition's growing challenge to its reign was reaffirmed following the Congress' win in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, which has been bastions for over 15 years, and Rajasthan.

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CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said Thursday the Bharatiya Janata Party's defeat in three state assembly polls was a clear indication of the people's discontent and anger at the policies of the Narendra Modi government.

"The basic issues in the states that went to elections were rural distress and attacks on Dalits. This was the main reason behind the defeat of the BJP. The lesson from this elections is that people want alternative pro-people policies," Yechury said, while addressing a session of the All India Forward Bloc's (AIFB's) 18th Party Congress here.

The defeat in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan to the Congress in the just-concluded assembly polls is a clear indication of the people's discontent and anger at the policies followed by the Modi government, the CPI(M) leader said.

Yechury said the BJP-led central government needed to be defeated in the 2019 general election and an alternative secular government established "in order to save the country".

To achieve these objectives, Yechury said the Left parties' strategy should be such that there is a maximum pooling of anti-BJP votes in the country and, in West Bengal, maximum pooling of anti-BJP and anti-TMC votes.

The Left leader cited three-fold objectives to oust the BJP-led government at the Centre.

"First, we have to work towards defeating the BJP and its allies. Second, to strengthen the presence of the Left parties in Parliament. And third, to work for the establishment of an alternative secular government at the Centre," he said.

"In order to save the country, we (Left parties) must defeat this (Modi) government, and in order to change India, we should strengthen Left unity and make alternative pro-people policies our main agenda," he said.

Yechury accused the Centre of trying to divert people's attention to issues aimed at sharpening communal polarisation.

Commenting on Urjit Patel's resignation, he said it was a fallout of a rift between the RBI governor and the Centre.

The government is eyeing Rs 3.5-lakh crore from RBI's reserves to contain fiscal deficit and waive off corporate loans. It wants to do it by undermining the autonomy of the central bank, he added.

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In the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP will hold several meetings of the party's various wings across the country, including its two-day national council meeting on January 11-12 here, the party announced on Thursday.

Addressing a press conference at the party office here, BJP general secretary Bhupender Yadav shared details of various meetings to be held across the country. These include the two-day 'Scheduled Caste morcha' meeting, to be attended by its chief Amit Shahs, on January 19-20 in Nagpur.

The 'Scheduled Tribe morcha' meeting will be held on February 2-3 in Bhubaneswar and the 'OBC morcha' on February 15-16 in Patna, Yadav told reporters after a meeting of the party's office bearers.

The party's national council will be held on January 11-12 in the national capital, he said.

The party's defeat in the assembly elections was not discussed in the meeting, Yadav said, adding that it was not on the agenda.

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The Shiv Sena Thursday continued its tirade against senior ally BJP, saying its rout in the just held state polls was the "defeat of injustice and lies".

It said along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, throats of even their party workers had turned hoarse while calling for a "Congress-free" country and condolences were being offered everyday to the nation's oldest party.

"However, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has beaten them in their own turf. This is the defeat of injustice and lies. Pride has been captured and ego crushed," the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

"Our culture is that along with one's loss, a win should also be accepted humbly, however, this culture was destroyed after the Lok Sabha election of 2014," it said in sarcastic remarks.

The BJP lost its governments to Congress in the Hindi heartland states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and in the just concluded polls.

"Those who built the party, were ousted. Friends, who did not give up in bad times, were termed enemies. People, who lifted you up from dust, themselves are in ruins today. They (BJP)could not register a win in a single state because the country doesn't need industrialists," the Sena said.

In a vitriolic attack on Modi, it said the prime minister held dozens of rallies in every (poll-bound) state and mercilessly attacked Rahul Gandhi, not taking care about the "lows" one could go to while holding the constitutional post.

There is ego even in Modi's "humble" acceptance of defeat as he did not congratulate Gandhi over the win, and the BJP's loss should be attributed to him as his entire Council of Ministers was roped-in for campaigning, said the Sena, an ally of the BJP at the Centre and in Maharashtra.

It said Rahul Gandhi has humbly accepted his win and acknowledged the contribution of BJP chief ministers. However, Modi is not willing to accept the contribution of (former prime ministers and late Congress leaders) Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi or Rajiv Gandhi in building the nation.

ALSO READ: Bring ordinance, pave way for Ram temple construction in Ayodhya: Shiv Sena

"He is not even willing to accept that (veteran leader) L K Advani has built the BJP," the Sena said.

"Why did Rahul Gandhi survive this storm? Why did democracy survive despite so many bruises? The answer lies in humbleness. The election results are a lesson. But, is there a will to learn lessons?" the Sena asked.

The Sena had Wednesday also taken a swipe at the BJP over its poll drubbing, saying people have brought "those flying in the air back to the ground".

Uddhav Thackeray had on Tuesday said voters rejected those they did not want and lauded their "courage" for showing the way forward to the country.
The BJP Thursday said it will stick to its 'rath yatra' programme in West Bengal but will launch it only after hearing from the state government on the new dates.

The BJP held a meeting with Chief Secretary Malay Dey, Home Secretary Atri Bhattacharya and state Director General of Police Virendra during the day as directed by the Calcutta High Court.

After the meeting at the Lalbazar police headquarters here, state BJP president Dilip Ghosh said, "We informed the state government that we want to organise our programme the way it was scheduled. Only the dates will be changed."



The 'rath yatra', touted as a "save democracy" programme, was scheduled to start on December 7 from Coochbehar but could not as the state government denied permission on grounds that it might cause communal tension.

"The programme will start the day the state government give us permission. The government representatives listened to us and said they will inform us at an appropriate time," Ghosh said.

Apart from Ghosh, BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya and senior leader Mukul Roy were also present at the meeting.

The 'rath yatra' in Coochbehar was slated to be the first of three by the BJP before the Lok Sabha polls next year. The other two were scheduled to be held on December 9 from Kakdwip in South 24 Parganas district and on December 14, from the Tarapith temple in Birbhum district.

The 'rath yatras' were supposed to cover all the 42 Lok Sabha constituencies of the state.

A Calcutta High Court division bench of justices Biswanath Somadder and A Mukherjee disposed of an appeal by the BJP against a single bench order on December 6 that refused permission for its 'rath yatra' and directed the state to hold the meeting by Wednesday.

The bench had directed the chief secretary, home secretary and the director general of police to hold a meeting with three representatives of the BJP by December 12 and take a decision on the matter by December 14.

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NITI Aayog chief executive Amitabh Kant Thursday said that India's exports need to increase significantly if the country has to become a USD 5-trillion economy by 2025.

Kant also noted that the private sector will play a major role in pushing the country's economy towards the ambitious USD 5-trillion target.

"In the last four years, we (Centre) have taken a series of measures to improve our rankings in ease of doing business, along with many structural reforms like Rera, GST and IBC. These measures will make India extremely efficient in the long run," Kant said at the India Economic Conclave organised by the Times Network here.

He, however, noted that to address the real challenge of growing the GDP at 9-10 per cent over the next three decades, India will have to increase its exports.

"No country has grown without exports. Take the example of Japan, Korea and China, which have grown on the back of exports. So, India needs to push for exports, which would require size and scale of manufacturing and penetrating global markets," he said.

Kant further noted that to achieve this, it is necessary to create 100 champion companies like Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), with proper support from the government.

Speaking at the event, LIC chairman VK Sharma said a robust insurance sector can add 1 per cent to the GDP over the next five years if it grows at an annualised rate of 15 per cent or more.

Collectively, the general and life insurance penetration has grown beyond 2 per cent, he said. It can be noted this is still below the global average where the penetration is at 3 per cent or more.

Sharma further said that it was necessary to take the insurance industry global to achieve the target.

TCS chief executive officer and managing director Rajesh Gopinathan said that along with the challenges, there are several opportunities as well.

"We should not be afraid of having big aspirations and achieving large targets, like becoming a USD 100 billion company," he said.

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A critical parliamentary vote on Brexit, which had been postponed this week, will now take place in January, according to the parlimentary schedule released on Thursday, a day after Prime Minister Theresa May survived an attempted coup by her MPs to topple her.

The confirmation came as May reached Brussels to seek further assurances from European Union (EU) leaders on the controversy-hit Brexit deal.

May who won a vote of confidence in her leadership after her party MPs voted 200 to 117 in her favour on Wednesday night, will be seeking legally binding pledges from the EU leaders at the European Council summit in Brussels on the controversial Irish "backstop" clause the plan to avoid a return to a manned border post-Brexit between UK territory Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland.

Meanwhile, it became clear that the Withdrawal Agreement, which has divided all sides of the House of Commons, will only come up for a parliamentary vote in January after Commons leader Andrea Leadsom released next week's parliamentary business on Thursday.

As the vote is not listed for next week and the UK Parliament goes into its Christmas recess after that, the Commons vote can only take place next month now when MPs return from their holiday.

This will give May some breathing space to try and table a further bolstered version of the deal, though EU leaders have made it clear that there can be no re-drafting of the agreement.

Speaking outside Downing Street minutes after the result of the confidence vote was announced, May vowed to deliver the Brexit "people voted for" but said she had heard the concerns of MPs who voted against her and will be seeking further assurances from the EU.

At Thursday's summit, May will have an opportunity to spell out face-to-face the problems to leaders of the other 27 member states. The EU leaders will then consider her representations, without May herself being present in the room.

While the British prime minister has emerged victorious after a failed coup by the Brexit wing of her party, her position has been considerably weakened. She has the comfort of knowing that under Conservative Party rules she cannot be made to face a similar leadership challenge until at least another 12 months, but she faces an uphill task of getting a Brexit bill through the Commons where many of her own MPs are waiting to vote against her.

In an attempt to hang on to her post, she has also announced a major concession that she would not be leading the Tories into the General Election, scheduled for 2022.

This is likely to kick-start plotting and planning by all potential leadership candidates within the party, keen to succeed her at the helm.

"We are still back with the problem that the government has a proposal that we can't get through Parliament and we have got to try and break that gridlock," said Vince Cable, the leader of the Liberal Democrats which is firmly opposed to Brexit.

He called on Opposition Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to "come off the fence" and back another public vote on Brexit, a so-called People's Vote, to give the British public another say on the issue with much having changed since the vote in favour of Brexit in the June 2016 referendum.

The Labour Party has threatened that it will table a no-confidence motion in Theresa May's government in the Commons, but only when they felt they had a chance of winning it and forcing a General Election. However, the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which props up the Theresa May led Conservative government, has ruled out support for such a motion at this stage.

Having won the confidence vote with a majority of 83 63 per cent of Conservative MPs backing her and 37 per cent voting against her Theresa May has urged all sides of the House to come together for a Brexit that brings the country back together, rather than entrenching division.

"That must start here in Westminster with politicians on all sides coming together and acting in the national interest," she said.

But the no-confidence vote in her leadership has exposed the deep divisions within her own Conservative Party over the issue of Brexit. Britain is scheduled to leave the EU on Brexit Day March 29, 2019 and the clock is ticking on making that exit as orderly as possible by having an agreement cleared by the UK Parliament in place. But the prospect of a chaotic no-deal exit continues to loom with just weeks to go before the deadline.

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UN chief Antonio Guterres announced Thursday a series of breakthroughs in talks with rivals in the Yemen conflict, including a ceasefire for a vital port.

In a highly symbolic gesture on the seventh and final day of the UN-brokered peace talks in Sweden, Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani and rebel negotiator Mohammed Abdelsalam shook hands to loud applause.

However, a number of issues remain unresolved and a new round of talks with take place at the end of January, Guterres said.

The conflict has triggered what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with 14 million Yemenis now at the brink of mass starvation.

Guterres, who flew into Sweden late Wednesday, announced that the government and Huthi rebels had agreed on a ceasefire in the port of Hodeida, the main entry point for imported food and aid.

"There is a ceasefire declared for the whole governorate of Hodeida in the agreement and there will be both from the city and the harbour a withdrawal of all forces," he told reporters.

UN special envoy Martin Griffiths, who is due to brief the Security Council on Yemen on Friday, said the pullout should take place "within days".

Guterres said the United Nations would play a "leading role" in monitoring the Red Sea port, which is currently controlled by the rebels, and facilitate aid access to the civilian population.

In addition, the rivals have reached a "mutual understanding" on Yemen's third city of Taiz, the scene of some of the most intense battles in the conflict.

But no deal has been reached on the future of the airport in the capital Sanaa or on economic measures that are vital to help the country's population.

The January talks will focus on a framework for negotiations on a political process, which Guterres said was the only solution to the conflict.

International pressure has been mounting to halt the fighting between the Iran-linked Huthis and the government of Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, backed by Saudi Arabia and its military allies, with the US Senate, Saudi Arabia and the UAE honing in on the fragile talks.

The warring parties have been in the rural Swedish village of Rimbo for a week to try to hammer out agreement on a number of key issues.

The rebels control both Hodeida and the capital Sanaa while the Saudi led-military coalition controls Yemen's maritime borders and airspace.

Sanaa airport has been closed to commercial flights for nearly three years and Griffiths said its fate would be discussed at the next round.

"It's clear and it's public knowledge that starting point is opening up to commercial flights, maybe domestic at first, and eventually (international)," he added.

The foreign ministers of Britain, the UAE and Saudi Arabia were in Rimbo for the last day of negotiations.

Britain's Jeremy Hunt notably met with both the government and rebels at the talks.

Anger at the human cost of the war, as well as outrage over the killing of US-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, have prompted a harder line in the international community over the Yemen war, and particularly the role of the Saudi-led coalition.

The US Senate on Wednesday voted to advance a resolution that ends US backing for the Saudi-led intervention by 60 votes to 39, with 11 Republicans joining Democrats to back the measure.

The final vote is expected to take place on Thursday. However, if the upper house approves the resolution, it is likely to run aground in the lower House of Representatives where Republicans hold the majority until January 3.

Both the rebels and government alliance stand accused of failing to protect civilians.

The UN last year blacklisted the Saudi-led coalition for the killing and maiming of children in air raids.

The Sweden talks mark the first meeting in two years between the northern Huthi rebels and the Hadi government that has been backed since 2015 by the Saudi-led coalition.

The last round of talks, hosted by Kuwait in 2016, collapsed after more than three months of negotiations with no breakthrough.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Despite getting a seat in the Mizoram Assembly for the first time, the state BJP has charged its central leadership with "covertly helping" the MNF, claiming that its candidates would have fared better otherwise.

The MNF, however, denied the claim and maintained that the party won the elections without any support.

The saffron party's state unit chief, John V Hluna, said Thursday that a nexus between his party's central leadership and the Mizo National Front (MNF) might have spoiled the state BJP's chances and paved way for the regional party's victory.

"The BJP central leadership might have covertly helped the MNF. No concerted efforts were made by the party's central leaders to help the state unit. The poll results fell far short of our expectations," he said.

The state BJP chief contended that the campaigns by the central leaders were only restricted to the interstate border areas.

"I had requested the central leaders to campaign in various constituencies of the state for the Assembly polls but they concentrated only in areas bordering Bangladesh and Tripura," Hluna, who is in Delhi, told PTI over phone.

The Mizoram National Front (MNF) is a constituent of the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) and the NDA. It won 26 seats in the 40-member Assembly, followed by the Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) at eight and the Congress at five.

Hluna said the BJP cadre were shocked to see the dismal performance of their party as they had predicted win in "at least five seats".

"We had high hopes that Hiphei, who resigned as the Assembly speaker and contested from his home turf Palak seat in Siaha district, would win," he said.

The party was also confident of winning Mamit, Hachhek and Dampa seats in Mamit district, which has a sizeable number of minorities, Hluna said.

The BJP leader also attributed the loss of his party to the low voter turnout in 15 temporary polling stations at Kanhmun village, where Bru voters from the six relief camps in Tripura had exercised their franchise.

The voter turnout at Kanhmun polling stations was 56.46 per cent while the total voter turnout in the November 28 Assembly polls was over 81 per cent.

Hluna asserted that the central leadership of the BJP did not have confidence in the state unit to capture power in the state.

The main aim of the BJP leaders in Delhi was to kick out the Congress, he said, adding the saffron party should be a part of the new government in the state as the MNF is a constituent of the NEDA.

MNF president and chief minister-designate Zoramthanga had said before the polls that his party would not forge any alliance in the state.

Rubbishing Hluna's allegations, MNF vice president R Tlanghmingthanga said his party did not receive any support from national parties.

"The BJP did not help the MNF as suspected by Hluna. NEDA is not an electoral alliance, but a forum to keep the Congress out of the northeast," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Statistics showed that despite the long-time establishment of the diplomatic relations and the two governments have been actively supporting each other at regional and international multilateral forums, however, the trade relations of the two countries still remained modest and has not optimized the potential cooperation.In 2017, the two- way trade turnover reached over US$ 300 million. Vietnam not only is becoming an attractive destination for foreign investors, including Greece but also has export advantage of agricultural products, textiles and footwear, etc.Meanwhile, Greece had a developed manufacturing industry, especially its shipping industry in the top of the world.In recent years, Vietnam has actively renovated the economy, improving the business investment environment as well as the legal system to attract foreign investors.In the coming times, the approval of European Union -Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) will contribute to setting the legal corridor and creating opportunities to promote trade relations between the two countries.Currently, textile and garment are Vietnam's key export items to Greece.

BY HA VAN  Translated by Huyen Huong
The Centre has constituted a tribunal to adjudicate matters related to extension of ban imposed on eight insurgent groups in Manipur for five more years over continued involvement in unlawful and violent activities.

In a notification, the Home Ministry said the tribunal was set up under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 and will be headed by Delhi High Court judge Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal.

The tribunal will adjudicate whether or not there is sufficient cause for declaring the Meitei extremist organisations of Manipur as "Unlawful Associations", the notification said.

The organisations which were banned last month include Peoples' Liberation Army generally known as PLA and its political wing, Revolutionary Peoples' Front (RPF), United National Liberation Front (UNLF) and its armed wing Manipur Peoples' Army (MPA), Peoples' Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) and its armed wing 'Red Army'.

The others are Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) and its armed wing, also called Red Army; Kanglei Yaol Kanba Lup (KYKL); the Coordination Committee (CorCom) and Alliance for Socialist Unity Kangleipak (ASUK).

The home ministry said the eight Meitei extremist organisations of Manipur were involved in 756 violent incidents in the past five years from January 1, 2013 to July 31, 2018 during which they killed 86 people, including 35 security personnel.

The groups have been indulging in acts of intimidation, extortion and looting of civilian population for collection of funds, making contacts with sources abroad for influencing public opinion and securing assistance by way of arms and training for the purpose of achieving their secessionist objective, the ministry said.

They are also indulging in such activities for maintaining camps in neighbouring countries for the purpose of sanctuaries, training and clandestine procurement of arms and ammunition, it had said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan Thursday asked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to come clean on all the criminal cases pending against him.

In a statement, Chavan said Fadnavis should make public all the criminal cases against him, including the two he had reportedly not declared in his 2014 election affidavit.

"There are 22 criminal cases, of which charges have been framed in one case. Fadnavis has reportedly not declared two cases against him in the affidavit. He should give information about all these cases to the people of the state," Chavan demanded.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court sought response of the chief minister on an appeal filed against a Bombay High Court order.

The high court had dismissed the plea of Satish Ukey seeking annulment of Fadnavis's election to the Maharashtra Assembly on the ground of alleged non-disclosure of all pending criminal cases against him in his nomination papers



"The apex court has admitted a petition against Fadnavis and sent him a notice for alleged non-disclosure of certain cases filed against him," Chavan said.

"Making public all the ongoing cases against him will help in ensuring transparent administration," the former chief minister added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Union Minister P Chidambaram said the victories in the closely contested Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan Assembly polls were "tremendous achievements" of the Congress, since it was done in spite of the BJP being in power in the two states and "out-spending" his party by a hundred to one.

Addressing the Lokmat National Conclave, he said after the non-BJP combination wins a majority in Parliament in the Lok Sabha elections, a decision on who would be the prime minister will be taken.

Asked about the issue surrounding Navjot Singh Sidhu and his visit to Pakistan against the backdrop of differences between him and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, Chidambaram said the Congress has a place for both of them -- one who is "experienced and wise" and other who is "brash and enthusiastic".

"We have welcomed the Kartarpur corridor opening and complimented both the governments. We want it to be built very quickly. These are small differences between a chief minister and one of his ministers. One is experienced and wise and other is brash and enthusiastic. Both have a place in our party," he said.

About the Congress' victories in the Assembly polls, Chidambaram said, "None in the Congress thought it would be an easy walkover either in Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh. The party has pulled level with the BJP in terms of vote share, number of votes, given the small variations in the number of seats contested by various parties."



"We have done that in two states, Chhattisgarh can be kept out. We have done it in two states where the BJP was in office and were out-spending the Congress by 100 to one and they had a much better organisation built over in the last five to 10 years."



"What is very inspirational and encouraging for Congress workers, is that despite the handicaps, the party has pulled level with the BJP. That is a tremendous achievement given the fact that even a year ago none of you were given us an outside chance," the senior Congress leader said.

Congress got a majority in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and is all set to form governments.

He said, "The BJP's bluff has been called by different sections of the society -- farmers, youth, self-employed people, traders, Dalits, minorities among others."



"In the next 100 days, the BJP will fight back. Lets not keep any illusion about that to remain in the race. The momentum is with the Congress. It has to redouble its efforts, we need to and we will put more boots on the ground.

"We will have more booth committees and have more people in them. And our Shakti programme - connecting the leadership with workers, will be stronger," Chidambaram said.

Asked if corporate India will look at the Congress differently after these results, he said, "Not under the present opaque electoral bond system."



"This (electoral bond system) is designed only to benefit the ruling party. The only one to know who gave what to who is the ruling party or its agents. Under this system it is very difficult," he said.

Hopefully, corporate India will see the writing on the wall and decide that in the interest of all it is good to have a strong two-party system in the country and they must contribute to both the parties, Chidambaram said.

Asserting that the Congress is a party with the largest national footprint among non-BJP parties, he said, "Therefore, when a discussion begins state-wise or nationally, the Congress will figure prominently."



"It is the DMK which will lead the alliance in Tamil Nadu. It is the RJD which will lead the alliance in Bihar. It will be the SP and BSP in Uttar Pradesh. In about 10 to 15 states, the Congress will lead the non-BJP combination. In the remaining states, it will be different parties."



"Every leader -- Mamata Banerjee, Chandrababu Naidu, Rahul Gandhi -- has made it clear that who will be prime minister will be decided post election after the non-BJP combination wins a majority in parliament," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The sun glistens on waves lapping against wooden fishing boats as their sails ripple in the breeze coming off the Indian Ocean.

Nearby a young man with a diving mask bobs below the water's surface armed with a stick to lure his catch into a net while also trying to snare fish on a nylon line.

In Anakao, a traditional fishing community in southwest Madagascar, the community known as Vezo -- which means "rowing strength" -- has fished for generations.

But the arrival last year of six fishing trawlers off the coast, and a subsequent deal between a local private body that promotes Madagascan businesses and Chinese investors, have stirred anger in recent months, at a time when the country is going to the polls in presidential elections.

"If this carries on, we'll be eating sand," warned Fulgence, a fisherman in Anakao.

He does not dare venture out when the six Chinese vessels are at sea, claiming that a number of his nets have been cut.

"The Chinese take everything and chuck the little dead fish back into the sea," complained Marco Randrianjaka, echoing the grievances of many of his fellow seafarers.

"Without the small ones, they won't be able to reproduce down the line."



But China's Mapro South, the company responsible for the six new vessels, denies the claims.

Their nets' mesh is large enough to allow the smaller fish to escape, said Lifujun Li, a company manager in Toliara, a port town one hour away from Anakao by boat.

Against the backdrop of an already tense situation both locally and nationally due to the presidential poll, a new fisheries deal with Chinese investors has provoked an outcry on the island where malnutrition is widespread.

The deal, which was not publicised, is understood to go much further than the six Chinese-funded trawlers already in operation.

The USD 2.7-billion (2.4-billion-euro) agreement includes, among other things, 330 modern, refrigerated vessels of up to 14 metres long (up to 46 feet) being delivered to Madagascan fishermen.

They will "replace the traditional wooden boats", according to Madagascar's Development and Business Promotion Agency (AMDP), which negotiated the deal with China's Taihe consortium.

The ships, supplied to local fishermen free of charge, will help them "increase their production capacity", according to an AMDP official, who declined to be named.

A proportion of fish caught by those participating in the scheme will be sold locally.

The Chinese will buy the "surplus" at a favourable but undisclosed price, said the AMDP official.

According to him, the deal will promote "local development" in Madagascar -- one of the world's poorest countries, which is also blighted by corruption.

The official blamed the outcry on the fishing community "pre-judging" the project -- something they deny.

The 330 new boats will eventually produce 130,000 tonnes of fish annually, according to the AMDP -- roughly the equivalent of the country's entire production in 2016.

"But we already face over-fishing in some regions," said Rijasoa Fanazava, a fisheries expert at the World Wildlife Fund in Madagascar.

Fanazava believes that tens of thousands of fishermen risk losing their livelihoods if stocks are diminished.

"How will they live?" he said.

A recent round table that brought together the AMDP and 30 affected organisations failed to allay their fears.

"The only impact assessments given by the AMDP have been economic in nature, we haven't had anything on the environmental and social impacts of the project," said not-for-profit groups in a joint statement.

The AMDP stresses that the deal provides for an environmental initiative to protect the sustainability of marine life off Madagascar's coasts.

Campaign groups are "unconvinced" that the deal will truly create economic opportunities for local fishermen and reiterated their opposition to the scheme.

Even Fishing Minister Augustin Andriamananoro has his doubts.

He claims he was not even briefed on the deal.

It was signed on the sidelines of a China-Africa cooperation summit in Beijing in September attended by Hery Rajaonarimampianina, just days before his resignation as president to contest the polls.

He was knocked out in the first-round vote last month.

"(The AMDP) can't sell treasures which aren't even theirs," said Andriamananoro.

"The deal isn't at all legal" and shouldn't be executed, added the minister, an ally of Andry Rajoelina, who will stand in the December 19 second-round vote against Marc Ravalomanana.

But the AMDP, though reluctant to comment publicly, is adamant the project will go ahead.

"(The deal) is between two private companies from the two countries -- it's not an agreement between states," insisted the anonymous AMDP official.

The first Chinese-made trawlers are due to be delivered within a year.

But in Anakao, the fishing community fears "unfair competition".

"We're already catching less and less," said Mananaina. "Before, it was more than 20 kilogrammes (44 pounds) a day -- now just 10."



"There's simply not enough fish to feed everyone," added Fulgence.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Diplomats from around the world, assembled at the UN Climate talks here, stepped up their efforts on Thursday to finalise a deal on a rulebook for full implementation of the Paris pact post-2020 even as civil society organisations raised apprehensions over the lack of consensus on key issues.

With less than 24-hours before the UN Climate conference (CoP 24) is due to conclude, key issues including elements of finance remained unresolved so far.

CoP watchers say that the standoff between the developed nations and developing countries on a host of issues including flow of finance could delay the outcome of the conference.

A coalition of African environmental Civil Society Organisations under the umbrella of Pan Africa Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) said they were "greatly disappointed with the negotiation progress and lack of ambitious outcomes on the climate finance".

There is still no clear roadmap to fulfill pre-2020 commitments, climate finance commitment and no conclusion on discussion of the robust climate finance communication and reporting framework for developed countries, they alleged.

The PACJA, in a statement, also conveyed their discomfort with the emerging trend where developed country parties want to shift their climate finance obligation to private companies.

India has already said the Paris climate agreement was "non-negotiable" and there could be no compromise on the basic principles such as equity and Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDRRC).

"We all agree that the Paris Agreement is non-negotiable. Therefore, the delicate balance reached between developed and developing countries must be retained, and the principles such as equity and Common but Differentiated Responsibility and Respective Capabilities must be given its due," India said at the ministerial session of the UN Climate Conference Wednesday evening.

Meanwhile, the World Bank, Canada and the UK, Thursday announced financial, technical and advisory support for developing nations that have decided to transition away from coal and accelerate the uptake of cleaner source of energy.

The Canadian government pledged up to 275 million Canadian dollars to fund the World Bank's energy transition and Coal- Phase out programme.

The funding will help developing countries in Asia to slow coal production, while scaling up energy efficiency and low-carbon energy alternatives, a World Bank Group statement said here.

At the same time, the UK government pledged 20 million pound to the World Bank's Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme (ESMAP), a global knowledge and technical assistance programme administered by the World Bank to help low-and middle-income countries implement environmentally sustainable energy solutions.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
/ -- CognitiveScale, the leader in Augmented Intelligence software and Responsible AI, has expanded its investment in innovation by partnering with the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIIT Hyderabad), a leading university in India, to further advance research and development efforts in artificial intelligence, specifically Responsible AI. This follows the inception of CognitiveScale's Innovation Lab in July 2018, which is focused on incubating solutions globally in forward-looking technology areas.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/600789/IIIT_Hyderabad_Logo.jpg )



"India has been an integral part of CognitiveScale's growth journey over the past five years," said Pankaj Vaish, General Manager for CognitiveScale India. "Teaming up with IIIT Hyderabad is a key initiative of the Innovation Lab we formed earlier this year. Not only will this partnership provide a platform for us to engage with a leading academic institution, but it will also allow us to harness advanced research to help inform our offerings and further build functionality around Responsible AI. We recently announced our commitment to bring AI to at least one billion people by 2020 through products and partnerships built on a Responsible AI framework, and this initiative is another step in that direction."



Cognitive and AI spending is expected to grow to $52.2 billion in 2021, according to IDC. While AI-based automated decision-making systems have accelerated their influence on a global scale, companies face several challenges as they pursue the transformative benefits of enterprise AI. It is crucial to increase efforts toward the creation of transparent, secure and ethical AI systems. Industry-academia collaborations, in particular, are essential for AI to fully thrive. By sharing resources and talent, industry and academia can work together to fuel innovation at scale in this field.

During the one-year engagement, two IIIT Hyderabad faculty members and two students will work independently on problems defined by CognitiveScale to perform research on machine learning and AI. This will involve developing robust Al solutions that will include key components like detecting adversarial data or responses, deep learning-specific solutions for natural language processing (NLP) and computer vision, and explainable Al approaches to adversarial machine learning (ML).

"The Machine Learning Lab and the Kohli Centre on Intelligence Systems at IIIT Hyderabad are excited to collaborate with CognitiveScale to gain deeper insights on adversarial machine learning and AI," said Dr. P.J. Narayanan, Director for IIIT Hyderabad. "IIIT Hyderabad is proud to have established various joint collaboration and co-innovation models involving significant national and multinational companies across the industry that are working on social impact of AI. We look forward to deepening our association with CognitiveScale and plan to scale up our research in AI-related areas as well."



About CognitiveScale



CognitiveScale's Augmented Intelligence software helps businesses apply Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain technology to solve complex business problems at scale for financial services, healthcare, and digital commerce markets. The company's award-winning software is being used by global leaders such as USAA, Morgan Stanley, NBC, JPMorgan Chase, ExxonMobil, and MD Anderson to increase user engagement, improve decision-making, and deploy self-learning and self-assuring business processes.

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, CognitiveScale has offices in New York, London and Hyderabad, India, and is funded by Norwest Venture Partners, Intel Capital, IBM Watson, M12, and USAA among others. For more information on the company, please visit us at cognitivescale.com and follow @cognitivescale on Twitter.

About the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad



IIIT Hyderabad, founded in 1998, is an autonomous university that provides research and innovation focused on broad areas like data science and analytics, machine learning, visual information technology, natural language processing and speech processing. With 1,800 students and 80 faculty, the institute is a leader in offering research programs in advanced applied technology for industry and society.

The International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIIT Hyderabad) is an autonomous research university founded in 1998 that focuses on the core areas of Information Technology, such as Computer Science, Electronics and Communications, and their applications in other domains through interdisciplinary research that has a greater social impact. It has established itself as a research institute enabled by strong undergraduate and graduate programs. The institute has large research centers in language technologies, visual technologies, data engineering, security and algorithms.

For more information, please visit http://www.iiit.ac.in.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With among the frontrunners for the chief minister's post in Madhya Pradesh, Arvind Kejriwal's AAP said Rahul Gandhi's party was rubbing salt into the wounds of 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims.

AAP alleged that Kamal Nath's name figured prominently for leading a group to attack Sikhs in 1984following the assassination of Indira Gandhi.

Congress has rubbed salt into the wounds of anti-Sikh riot victims instead of providing justice, Punjab AAP lawmaker and Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Harpal Singh Cheema said.

ALSO READ: How Congress resurgence in Hindi heartland changes dynamics of GST Council

He asked Gandhi to not make Nath the chief minister, saying it has caused a widespread resentment among Sikhs.

Cheema also demanded the Centre to initiate a time-bound inquiry against Nath for his alleged role in the riot.

He reminded Congress that how the party had to rollback the decision of appointing Nath as in-charge of its Punjab unit in 2016.

However, Punjab minister Vijay Inder Singla hit out at the opposition, saying they should leave the decision on who will be Madhya Pradesh's chief minister to the Congress.

"They are no authority to tell our party high-command what it should do," Singla told reporters when asked to comment on Shiromani Akali Dal's Manjinder Singh Sirsa accusing the Congress leadership of "protecting the perpetrators" of the riot.

Singla said rather the SAD leadership should tell people of Punjab for what "mistakes" they have sought atonement for. The SAD leadership, led by party patron Parkash Singh Badal, had offered prayers at Akal Takht last week, the supreme temporal body of Sikhs, to seek atonement for the "mistakes" it committed "inadvertently" in the past.
The Mumbai Congress will launch a mass contact campaign to collect funds which will be used for the people of the metropolis, party's city unit president Sanjay Nirupam said Thursday.

He said an aggressive election campaign mounted by Congress president Rahul Gandhi had propelled the party to power in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Speaking about 'Jan Sampark Abhiyaan', Nirupam said, "Every booth across the city has been given 22,000 coupons in the form of Rs 100, Rs 500 and Rs 1,000.

"Congress workers will undertakedoor-to-door campaign to raise funds for the party. We request Mumbaikars to help the party raise maximum funds which will be in turn used for the people of the city in the long run."



Nirupam credited Gandhi's leadership for the party's victory in the just held assembly polls in three Hindi heartland states.

"The Congress has been elected in Rajasthan, MP and Chhattisgarh because Rahul Gandhi campaigned aggressively in these states. Only the Congress party has the potential to overthrow the BJP," he said.

The former Member of Parliament said Gandhi is striving to improve the lives of the poor, farmers and other sections of the society.

"The poor are being oppressed under the BJP rule. But Rahul Gandhi wishes for a dawn wherein every farmer lives a respectable life, every poor and oppressed is uplifted.

"Congress party workers will work towards achieving these goals," Nirupam said.

Nirupam alsolaunched the 'Samvidhaan Gaurav Yatra', which he said, is aimed at creating awareness among Mumbaikars about the work done by the Congress in the past 70 years.

Speaking about the yatra, Nirupam said, "The BJP is trying to undo the work done by the Congress party in the past 70 years, but they won't succeed."



"The BJP cannot get away by simply raising questions on work done by the Congress party. We are putting forth facts and figures for the people of Mumbai. We will reach out to every household in Mumbai in the next 3-4 months".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Delhi court has granted bail to a man accused of conspiring an attempted robbery of a vehicle carrying Rs 4.2 crore cash in east-Delhi area in October, noting that the allegations against him were merely based on disclosure statements of others accused.

A 50-year-old security guard of the cash van was killed after the accused allegedly opened fire at the vehicle in an attempt to rob it near the DND toll plaza in Mayur Vihar area.

Special Judge Pulastya Pramachala granted relief to the accused -- Parvesh -- on a personal bond of Rs 30,000 while imposing various conditions on him.

The court said the accused will not leave the country without its prior permission, or intimate in case of emergency, and that he will not try to influence the witnesses in the case.

The court took note of the submissions made by advocate Vijay Aggarwal, appearing for the accused, that Delhi police lacked evidence against his client.

"In the present case, I find that allegations against the applicant are merely based on disclosure statements of either applicant or co-accused persons...

"Applicant is alleged to be one of the conspirators and such allegations require strict test of trial. Call detail records (CDR) in themselves cannot be sufficient evidence to say that applicant was conspirator," the judge said in the December 11 order.

According to the FIR, on October 8, the accused had tried to rob a cash van in Mayur Vihar area of East Delhi using arms.

Later, the police arrested some of the accused persons in the case and on their disclosure statement, Parvesh was arrested.

The van belonged to a security agency and the victim guard was accompanied by the custodian of the firm along with the driver.

Accused had told the court that he was innocent and falsely implicated in the present case and that the case was mere based on the disclosure statement and call detail records.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court Thursday said death-row convicts should be entitled to meet family members, lawyers and mental health professionals so that their rights are adequately protected at all stages.

A bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur said this while dealing with an application which had said that prisoners sentenced to death by any court have a right to be treated at par with other convicted prisoners and should be provided all similar facilities as are provided to others in jail.

The application had also sought a direction that solitary confinement of death row convicts or their separate and cellular confinement be struck down as unconstitutional.

The bench requested the Justice (retd) Amitava Roy committee, constituted by the apex court to look into aspects of jail reforms across India, to look into the issues raised in the application in "greater depth".

The bench, which also comprised Justices S Abdul Nazeer and Deepak Gupta, observed that the issue as to when a convict should be considered as a "death row prisoner" must be dealt with in a "humanitarian and compassionate manner".

Referring to an earlier verdict of the apex court, the bench said the law laid down in this regard was quite clear that a prisoner under sentence of death can only mean a prisoner whose capital punishment has become final, conclusive and indefeasible and which cannot be annulled and voided by any judicial or constitutional procedure.

"In other words, a prisoner can be said to be a prisoner on death row when his sentence is beyond judicial scrutiny and would be operative without any intervention from any other authority. Till then, such a prisoner cannot be said to be under a sentence of death in the context of Section 30 of the Prisons Act, 1894," the bench noted in its order.

"In our opinion, the decisions of this court have quite clearly defined when a prisoner could be said to be on death row and have also taken care of the rights of prisoners on death row as well as those who are a security risk. No further elucidation is necessary," the court said.

The bench said rights of prisoners, as enunciated by the apex court, should be available in all the states and union territory administrations and they must modify the prison manuals, regulations and rules accordingly.

"With regard to the entitlement of a prisoner on death row to have meetings and interviews with his lawyers or members of his immediate family or even mental health professionals, we are of opinion that such meetings and interviews should be permitted," the bench said.

It referred to earlier verdicts delivered by the top court and noted that a death-row convict was entitled to move within the confines of prison like any other convict undergoing rigorous imprisonment.

"However, certain restrictions may be necessary for security reasons, but even then, it would be necessary to comply with natural justice provisions with an entitlement to file an appeal," the bench noted in its order.

On September 25, the apex court had constituted a three-member committee, headed by Justice (retd) Roy, to look into the aspect of jail reforms across India and make recommendations on aspects, including overcrowding in prisons.

The court had said the committee would also comprise Inspector General of Police of Bureau of Police Research and Development and Director General (Prisons) of Delhi's Tihar Jail.

The court had passed the order while hearing a matter relating to inhuman conditions in 1,382 prisons across India.

It had earlier taken strong exception to overcrowding of jails across the country and said prisoners also have human rights and cannot be kept like "animals".

The court had earlier passed a slew of directions over unnatural deaths in jails and on prison reforms across India.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The event was held by the Vietnamese Office for Seeking Missing Persons and the US Department Defences Prisoner of War/MIA Accounting Agency.



Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Vietnam Caryn McClelland thanked the Vietnamese Government and people for supporting the search for MIAs over the three decades.



She affirmed that her country wants to continue cooperating with Vietnam in this activity, as well as others addressing war consequences in the Southeast Asian nation.



Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son said no other bilateral cooperation fields have achieved the level, scale, scope and duration as the seeking of MIA soldiers.



The search has helped bring peace to many families in the US and enhanced the two peoples understanding of each others goodwill, he added.



For his part, Deputy Minister of Defence Sen. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh emphasised that searching activities over the last 30 years have helped not only settle war consequences but also opened the door for relations between Vietnam and the US.



The officer thanked the governments, people, localities and agencies of the two countries for assisting in this activity. He also noted his respect for the US and Vietnamese people who lost their lives in the MIA search.



At the ceremony, the US Embassy and the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented insignias to Vietnamese and American individuals, agencies and localities who have greatly contributed to the work.
The Delhi BJP announced Thursday it would hold 'Mahila Hunkar Rally' at the Ramlila Groud in the city on December 16, the sixth anniversary of the 'Nirbhaya' gang rape case.

Addressing a press conference here, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari hit out at the Aam Aadmi Party government, alleging that it has failed to provide protection to the women.

The North East Delhi MP said that party's women workers will raise their strong collective voice in the rally to be held at the Ramlila Ground on Sunday.

"The Arvind Kejriwal-led government has not fulfilled any of the promises made during the elections. The CM had promised that marshals will be deputed on the buses for the security of women, and CCTVs will be installed, but these remained mere promises ..." Tiwari told reporters.

The 23-year-old paramedical student was gang-raped on December 16, 2012 in a moving bus in Delhi, and later died in hospital.

The incident triggered outrage and protests across the country, and she subsequently came to be known as 'Nirbhaya', the fearless.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi High Court on Thursday sought a response from the police on Air India pilot Captain Arvind Kathpalia's anticipatory bail plea in a case of alleged violation of aircraft rules and tampering with evidence.

Justice Mukta Gupta issued notice to Delhi Police on the plea of Kathpalia, who was executive director (operations) of Air India and listed the matter for further hearing on December 20.

According to the police, Kathpalia operated a flight from New Delhi to Bengaluru without undergoing the mandatory pre-flight breath analyser test.

Delhi Police opposed his plea saying it was not a normal case of forgery and the consequences were grave.

A trial court earlier directed the police to lodge an FIR for alleged violation of aircraft rules, tampering with evidence and intimidating a doctor working with Air India in January 2017.

According to the complaint filed by the Indian Pilots Association, on January 19, 2017, Kathpalia was scheduled to operate a flight from New Delhi to Bengaluru and he proceeded to operate the flight without undergoing the mandatory Pre-Flight Breath and Analyser Test.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi units of Congress and BJP Thursday decided to boycott the silver jubilee function of AAP-dominated Delhi Assembly, close on the heels of BJP veteran L K Advani expressing inability to attend the event.

The Delhi Assembly is holding the function to mark the 25th anniversary of its first sitting on December 14, 1993.

The party will boycott the function to be held on December 15, Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken said, adding that an all-party "celebration committee" should have been constituted to hold the function.

The BJP, which has four MLAs in the Delhi Assembly, will also boycott the function, said Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Vijender Gupta.

Maken, who was the youngest MLA of the Delhi Assembly in 1993 and also the youngest Speaker of the House, alleged that has prevailed over institution-building and decency in the past four years in Delhi.

Party sources claimed that Maken did not get any invite for the event.

"Sheila Dikshit ji, who was chief minister for 15 out of 25 years as member of the Delhi Assembly, should have been called respectfully by the present chief minister or Speaker at least over the phone, if not personally. The same should have been followed for all former Speakers and chief ministers," Maken said.

Gupta said the BJP MLAs in a meeting decided to boycott the function over "disrespect" to democratic values and the Constitution.

"A resolution was passed at the meeting saying that the Kejriwal government, which threw democratic values, Constitution and Delhi Assembly rules to winds during the last four years, has no moral right to celebrate silver jubilee of the legislative body," he said.

Advani has already turned down invitation to be the chief guest at the function, citing personal reasons.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda Thursday extended his support to mining dependents from Goa who are protesting in New Delhi and said if necessary, he will try to take up their issues in Parliament and also with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Deve Gowda met protesters at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi where the Goa Mining People's Front (GMPF), an umbrella organisation of mining dependents, presented him a memorandum of their demands.

Mining, which used to be one of the two major sources of revenue in Goa, the other being tourism, came to a halt in March this year after the Supreme Court quashed renewal of 88 mining leases.

Around a thousand people under the banner of GMPF have been protesting in Delhi since Tuesday, demanding an amendment to the mining law during the ongoing winter session of Parliament to enable resumption of mining activity.

Deve Gowda assured the protesters that he will go through the memorandum.

"If necessary, I will take up the issue in Parliament in the form of a Calling Attention motion or a special discussion, I will try to do my best. I hope the government will respond to your demand," he said.

"I hope that other friends also co-operate with me in Parliament. Injustice has been meted out to you people, and it must be corrected by the state and the central governments and for your cause I will take up the issue and do my best," the JD(S) chief assured.

"I will have to see that this type of issue is taken up in Parliament. If I am not able to do it in the current session, then I am going to meet the prime minister," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A new Egyptian novel, entitled "Ways of the Lord," explores the lives of Egyptian Christians, dealing with discrimination but also a church aligned with a state seeking to control them.

The author, Shady Lewis Botros, says it can be viewed as an attempt to explain what it is like to be a Christian in Egypt.

The answer is given in stories narrated by the book's chief character.

It's giving your children neutral names that don't identify them as Christians, facing baseless but dangerous charges of spying for Israel, or a family huddling in one room to escape the attention of a Muslim mob outside.

But beyond discrimination, it also explores what Botros says is the victimisation of Egypt's Christians by a "politically engineered harmony" between the state and their church.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Drug firm Unichem Laboratories Thursday said a Europe court has upheld the decision to impose a fine of EUR 13.96 million (approx Rs 113.50 crore) on the company and its subsidiary by the European Commission (EC) in a litigation over blood pressure lowering drug Perindopril.

"General Court of the European Union has on December 12, 2018, rejected the appeals... and has confirmed the fine of EUR 13.96 million," Unichem Laboratories said in a regulatory filing.

The company said "it is disappointed and is currently reviewing the detailed judgment. It will take appropriate legal advice on further action, including the possibility of filing of an appeal before the Court of Justice of the European Union".

In 2014, Lupin and Unichem Laboratories were among six global drug makers on which the the European Commission had imposed a collective fine of EUR 427.7 million for striking deals to prevent entry of cheaper version of blood pressure drug Perindopril in the EU.

European Commission had imposed a fine of EUR 13.96 million on Unichem Laboratories and its subsidiary.

Niche Generics and Unichem then appealed the decision of the European Commission before the General Court of the European Union on September 22, 2014.

Niche is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Unichem Laboratories.

The court also upheld a fine of EUR 40 million (over Rs 325 crore) on Lupin.

Shares of Unichem Laboratories were trading 0.55 per cent lower at Rs 191.60 apiece on BSE.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The European Union (EU) and five other foreign missions in Islamabad Thursday expressed "deep concern" over Pakistan's move to terminate the operation of the 18 international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) in the country.

According to the media reports, the interior ministry in October ordered them to cease their operations and leave the country within two months.

Among the 18 INGOs, nine have association with the US, three with the UK and two with the Netherlands. Others have connections with Italy, Switzerland, Denmark and Ireland.

"We fully respect the Government's right to maintain an INGO registration policy but we share a deep concern over the way in which it has been implemented...," said a joint statement issued by the EU Delegation, Heads of Mission of EU member states in Pakistan, and Heads of Mission of Australia, Canada, Japan, Norway and Switzerland.

They said that the group strongly believed that a vibrant civil society is indispensable for good governance and inclusive development, issues that Prime Minister Imran Khan's government promotes and which are at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals.

"We urge that, in the interest of the population of Pakistan, not least its most vulnerable citizens, a solution be found as soon as possible to avoid the closing down of further INGOs' activities," the group said.

Pakistan government introduced a new policy for registration of all INGOs and NGOs after relations with the foreign charities deteriorated following reports that the CIA used a Pakistan doctor, Shakil Afridi, to start a fake vaccination campaign to confirm presence of al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad where he was killed in 2011.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday about the drought situation in the state and sought assistance from the Centre.

The two also discussed a pending railway-land issue for the Dharavi redevelopment plan.

"Had a very good meeting with Hon PM Narendra Modi ji in New Delhi. Briefed him on drought situation and measures taken by Maharashtra Govt for mitigation & requested for speedy assistance from GoI to Maharashtra. Also discussed on railway land issue for Dharavi redevelopment," Fadnavis tweeted.

"Thank you Hon Modi ji for your continuous & strong support for the people of Maharashtra!" Fadnavis added.

With an unfavourable monsoon over several parts of the state, many areas are facing a drought-like situation. The state government has sought Central assistance of Rs 7,900 crore to deal with the exigency.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 39-year-old farmer, who was on hunger strike for crop loan, died Thursday in Maharashtra's Parbhani district, police said.

Tukaram Vaijanath Kale, resident of Mardajgaon in Pathri tehsil, had sat on a hunger strike in front of State Bank of India's Pathri branch alongwith some other farmers since Wednesday.

Their demand was that the bank should grant them crop loan speedily, said inspector Vidyasagar Shrimanvar of Pathri police station.

Kale's condition deteriorated Thursday afternoon and he was shifted to a government hospital at Manvat where he died during treatment, the police official said.

As the of his death came, there was a commotion at the venue of the hunger strike at Pathri, he said.

His relatives took the body from the hospital and placed it at the agitation site.

A crowd gathered at the spot but the situation was under control, the inspector said.

The exact cause of Kale's death was yet to be ascertained, he said.

An accidental death report has been registered and further investigation is underway, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dozens of French police, including members of the elite RAID force, cordoned off an area of southern Strasbourg on Thursday where a gunman who attacked the city's Christmas market was last seen, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

There was no confirmation that the operation was linked to the shooting on Tuesday night in the eastern French city that left three people dead and 13 injured, according to the latest toll.

Police blocked several streets in the Neudorf district, a short drive from the Strasbourg city centre, where suspected gunman Cherif Chekatt exchanged fire with officers on Tuesday night after getting out of a taxi.

More than 700 French security forces have been trying to trace Chekatt since the bloodshed on Tuesday, when he is suspected of shooting and stabbing shoppers at the city's popular annual market.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
[December 12, 2018] SeoSamba Listed as Top Business Supplier in the Franchise Industry by 1851 Franchise CAMDEN, Del., Dec. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- SeoSamba, leading franchise marketing and sales automation software provider, was just acknowledged as one of the top Business Services Suppliers in the franchise industry by 1851 Franchise. The November List Issue from 1851 Franchise compiles the very best franchise services providers for franchise marketing, development, consulting and other services. "In just over two years, SeoSamba has gained a foothold as one of the most recognized franchise marketing providers, reaping several digital marketing awards, and accolades from the franchise industry," said SeoSamba CEO, Michel Leconte. "Being featured by 1851 Franchise, a leading digital outlet singling out franchise industry's best players, is a great honor as well as an acknowledgment of how cost-effective SeoSamba's mix of powerful digital marketing and sales automation software SambaSaaS, coupled with lead generation and customer-centric services, has been for our ever-growing client base," Mr. Leconte added. This recognition comes on the heels of another recent distinction, SeoSamba being named Top Franchise Marketing provider by Entrepreneur. "Being included in 1851 Franchise's List Issue means SeoSamba has done a lot to influence the industry over the last year," said 1851 Publisher Nick Powills. "The world of franchising is changing fast, and the companies like SeoSamba contribute valuably to the wave of growth and innovation the franchise industry is experiencing." To determine the emerging and established franchise brands in each of the 22 different segments, 1851 assessed unit count, development efforts, marketing campaigns, consumer engagement, brand advancements and more. SeoSamba's inclusion on the list demonstrates the quality and competitiveness of its service offering and business model in its segment and the idustry at large.

SambaSaaS not only lets franchise brands take control of all aspects of online marketing, social planning, and content management, but it also empowers them with a set of highly integrated lead generation tools blending email marketing, local SEO, and call tracking, to name just a few. SeoSamba's latest addition to its software offering - SeoToaster CRM Ultimate Edition - further expands the ability of both emerging and established franchise brands to take control of their network-wide online and offline marketing campaigns. SeoToaster CRM Ultimate Edition also empowers franchisees to transcend the brand at their local level in every aspect of digital marketing and enables them to track all results, from a centralized, easy to use marketing platform. SambaSaaS, SeoToaster CRM Ultimate Edition, and other valuable franchise marketing tools from SeoSamba are available for free trial at https://www.seosamba.com. Press Contact: Michel Leconte, CEO

michel@seosamba.com

+415 796 0998 About SeoSamba SeoSamba's Hub & Spoke technology amplifies marketing effectiveness as franchises scale their brand's footprint. They enjoy mechanical incremental benefits in one's franchise recruitment efforts from participating franchisees while generating more leads in local markets. SeoSamba offers turnkey franchise development and franchise brand marketing for local lead generation packages. SeoSamba also lets users connect, then centrally market and SEO WordPress websites with a free or premium plugin. SeoSamba serves thousands of small businesses around the world with service centers in the United States and Europe. Its software is private labeled by solutions providers & media companies and available in 14 languages. For more information about SeoSamba, visit www.seosamba.com or contact info@seosamba.com, and in the US: + (1) 877.450-9894 or in Europe at + (33) 644-600-678 About 1851 Franchise 1851 Franchise's mantra is simple  don't write anything we wouldn't read ourselves. Whether you are in business, want to start a business or have an appetite for business news  1851 is your digital destination. As a leading small business and franchise magazine, 1851 Franchise pulls stories from real-life experiences and lean on our vast knowledge of business's inner-workings to bring you stories both relevant and meaningful. By challenging our readers to think smarter about themselves and the world of business, we aim to fuel passionate discussion on every article we publish. To learn more, visit https://1851franchise.com. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/seosamba-listed-as-top-business-supplier-in-the-franchise-industry-by-1851-franchise-300764578.html SOURCE SeoSamba

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Congress president Rahul Gandhi Thursday held one-on-one meetings with Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot, the two chief ministerial aspirants in Rajasthan, before taking a final call on who would head government in the desert state.

Gandhi also held deliberations with the party's central observer K C Venugopal and party in-charge of Rajasthan Avinash Pande and took inputs from them to ascertain the views of the Congress' newly elected legislators on the matter, sources said.

The Congress president gave separate hearings to both Pilot and Gehlot, one representing the young face of the party and the other, the old guard.

The individual meetings lasted around 10-15 minutes each and neither Gehlot nor Pilot talked to the media after the meeting.

There has been hectic lobbying for the top post and both leaders have staked their claims for the post of chief minister, sources said.

Pilot's supporters raised slogans outside Gandhi's office. They vociferously voiced their demand on Wednesday evening too when state legislators were meeting in the Rajasthan capital.

Gandhi sought the views of party workers through an internal messaging system with a pre-recorded message asking them to send their views directly to him through the application.

A decision on the post of chief minister will be taken by this evening to enable the oath-taking soon. The Congress has already staked its claim for government formation in Rajasthan, even though it fell slightly short of the simple majority mark.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An apparent tussle between the old and the young guard in the Congress seems to have delayed the announcement of chief ministers for Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, as the party leadership carried out hours-long hectic deliberations before deciding on names.

Parleys were also continuing on Thursday among top party leaders for deciding the chief minister for Chhattisgarh, where Congress has got a clearer mandate than the other two states but multiple contenders are in fray for the top post.

The chief minister aspirants in Rajasthan (Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot) and Madhya Pradesh (Kamal Nath and Jyotidaridya Scindia) met Rahul Gandhi and staked their claims even as senior leaders huddled at the residence of party chief Rahul Gandhi, where UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also participated in the deliberations.

While Rahul Gandhi met the party's central observers who gave him inputs on the views of newly-elected legislators in the three states, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi also came to her son's residence at Tughlaq Lane here to participate in the discussions.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was also at brother Rahul's residence and is said to have taken part in the discussions on who should be the chief minister in the three states, party sources said.

Rahul Gandhi also separately met Gehlot and Pilot at his residence earlier in the day. The two spent around 15 minutes each with the Congress president and left without talking to the waiting media outside. Later also, they did not take calls from the media.

The Gandhis are learnt to have later held discussions with Scindia at Rahul's residence, as he is said to be putting a stiff fight for his claim to the chief minister's post.

Sources said there was hectic lobbying for the top post in the three states, with a clear division between the old and young guard.

While senior Congress leader Kamal Nath is considered ahead in the race for chief minister in Madhya Pradesh, he is being is challenged by Scindia for the top slot. In Rajasthan, party veteran Gehlot was said to be leading the race, even as Pilot is staking his own claim strongly.

Amid hectic lobbying for the top post, Gandhi met the central observers K C Venugopal for Rajasthan and A K Antony for Madhya Pradesh early morning along with the state unit in-charges and later met the contenders.

"Yes, you will see a chief minister soon...," Gandhi said when asked about when the decision will be taken.

"We are checking, taking inputs from different people in the party. We are taking inputs from MLAs and workers. We are getting a comprehensive answer to what the Congress party and others feel," he told reporters outside Parliament amid mounting suspense over the chief ministerial faces of the three states.

Gandhi also held deliberations with Antony and AICC general secretary in-charge Deepak Babariya and took inputs from them. Antony had held discussions with newly-elected party MLAs in Madhya Pradesh during his visit to Bhopal on Wednesday.

The Congress chief also met central observer for Rajasthan K C Venugopal and AICC in-charge of party affairs in the state Avinash Pande who briefed him about the developments. There were two meetings with Venugopal during the day, one with Rahul and again when all the three Gandhis were present.

"We have given a detailed report on the views of party MLAs to the Congress president, who will take a final call on chief ministers. The decision will be announced at the legislature party meeting in Jaipur," Pande told PTI.

Sources said the chief minister for Chhattisgarh would be decided after the central observer for the state, Mallikarjun Kharge, briefs Gandhi on the basis of the view of the state's party MLAs.

As deliberations continued inside, supporters of each contenders were heard raising slogans and flashing banners in support of their respective leaders -- out the party offices in the three states as also outside the house of top leaders.

Pilot's supporters raised slogans outside Gandhi's office also.

Gandhi had also sought views of party workers through an internal messaging system with a pre-recorded message asking them to send their views directly to him through the application.

The potential chief ministers in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh were earlier called in from Jaipur and Bhopal for last minute discussions with the party president before a final call is taken on who will be the chief ministers.

The state legislature parties of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh had on Wednesday passed one-line resolutions authorising the party president to take the final decision on chief ministers.

With the young leaders in the party -- Scindia and Pilot staking their claim for the top post too, the sources added that the Congress was also toying with a formula to have deputy chief ministers in two states.

Gandhi was also likely to meet the top contenders in Chhattisgarh -- state Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel, CLP leader T S Singh Deo, OBC leader Tamradhwaj Sahu and party veteran Charan Das Mahant.

Facing his first test within the Congress, Gandhi started hectic deliberations with senior party leaders early Thursday morning and a final decision was expected by the evening to enable the oath-taking ceremonies at the earliest.

The party has already staked its claim for forming governments in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government is considering additional capital infusion of up to Rs 300 billion in as they have been unable to raise required funds from the markets, sources said.

As part of the capital infusion plan announced by the in October 2017, the government envisaged that (PSBs) would raise Rs 580 billion from the stock markets by March 2019 to meet

However, due to subdued market conditions, banks have been unable to raise enough funds from the markets so far.

In addition, non-performing assets of many banks have seen a spurt in the first two-quarters of this fiscal, putting stress on their bottomlines.

ALSO READ: PSU banks extend gains ahead of their meeting with RBI governor

However, the banks have got a breather in respect of Capital Conservation Buffer (CCB), a part of The RBI, at its last board meeting, deferred the requirement to meet the CCB target by one year, leaving about Rs 370 billion in the hands of banks.

Despite this relaxation, PSBs need more funds to meet global capital norms called Basel III as the RBI has retained the capital to risk weighted assets ratio (CRAR) at 9 per cent, sources said, adding, the shortfall could be around Rs 300 trillion.

However, sources said the matter is being considered by the government and the final decision is expected in the next few weeks.

The government had decided to take a massive step to capitalise PSBs in a front-loaded manner, with a view to support credit growth. This entailed mobilisation of capital to the tune of about Rs 2.11 trillion over the next two years -- through budgetary provisions of Rs 181 billion, recapitalisation bonds of Rs 1.35 trillion, and the balance through raising of capital by banks from the market while diluting government equity estimated at Rs 580 billion.

As per this plan, the remaining capital infusion is about Rs 420 billion.

Earlier this year, the government pumped in Rs 113.36 billion into five PSBs -- PNB, Allahabad Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank -- to improve their financial health.

ALSO READ: Turnaround in bad loans not in sight yet for PSU banks

PNB, hit by the Nirav Modi scam, got the highest amount of Rs 28.16 billion, while received Rs 17.90 billion. Andhra Bank got capital support of Rs 20.19 billion, Rs 21.57 billion and Corporation Bank Rs 25.55 billion.

Subsequently, board approved capital infusion of Rs 5,431 cto meet the capital requirement.
West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi Thursday expressed grief over the death of Deputy Speaker Haider Aziz Safwi and extended his condolence to his family members friends.

"I convey my heart-felt condolence to members of his family, friends and followers," Tripathi said in a message.

Safwi died Wednesday due to age related ailments.

A former IPS officer, he was elected from Uluberia (East) assembly seat on Trinamool Congress (TMC) ticket in 2011 and 2016.

He held the portfolios of inland water transport and correctional administration under the TMC regime.

Safwi was appointed as the deputy speaker of the House on June 23, 2016.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indian-American Nikki Haley, the outgoing US ambassador to the UN, has said she used President Donald Trump's "rhetoric" and "unpredictable" nature to get the job done at the world body.

In October, Haley announced that she was leaving the post by the end of the year. Haley has served nearly two years in the post.

Although some have speculated that Haley, 46, may challenge Trump in the 2020 presidential election, but she has said that she will support the president.

"He (Trump) would ratchet up the rhetoric, and then I'd go back to the ambassadors and say: 'You know, he's pretty upset. I can't promise you what he's going to do or not, but I can tell you if we do these sanctions, it will keep him from going too far,'" Haley told NBC.

"I know all of it," she said in response to a question about the president's bombastic statements in public and on Twitter.

"But I'm disciplined enough to know not to get into the drama," she said.

At the United Nations, "I was trying to get the job done," she said. "And I got the job done by being truthful, but also by letting him be unpredictable and not showing our cards."



Haley said that she was aware that some people believe that she and Trump are not always on the same page, but she said that's only because "our styles are very different."



"And, you know, I've always found that funny," she said. "But the truth at the end of the day is I may be harder on some things or I may be tougher in some ways, but I've never strayed from where the president was or never strayed from where his policy wants to go."As for Heather Nauert, the State Department spokeswoman whom Trump has said he will nominate to succeed Haley at the US, Haley said that while "I want her to be successful," only time will tell whether her appointment was a good one.

Haley also made it clear that she blamed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Saudi government for dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death in October, even as the president has repeatedly said that the US has reached no final conclusion about the prince's involvement.

Trump downplays intelligence that Saudi crown prince ordered Khashoggi's murder.

"It was the Saudi government, and MBS is the head of the Saudi government," Haley said Tuesday, referring to the prince by his initials. "So they are all responsible, and they don't get a pass, not an individual, not the government they don't get a pass.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Madras High Court on Thursday quashed a Tamil Nadu government order directing the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) to probe alleged irregularities in construction of a new secretariat complex during the DMK rule.

Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana, who allowed the petitions by DMK president M K Stalin and Treasurer Duraimurugan challenging the September 24 GO and a subsequent letter to the DVAC asking it to take over the probe, held that the government order was passed in "a hasty manner"



While the GO had directed the Secretary to the now defunct Ragupathy Commission of Inquiry, appointed to look into the allegations, to handover all records, including evidence collected, to the DVAC, the September 28 letter asked the the agency to conduct a detailed inquiry.

The inquiry panel, set up by the then AIADMK government in 2011, was wound up based on an order by Justice S M Subramaniam.

Stalin and Duraimuragan had contended that the state government issued the GO and the letter without applying its mind as Justice Subramaniam had directed the government to scrutinise the documents to be received from the commission and initiate criminal prosecution if there was a prima facie case.

Justice Sathyanarayana, in his order issued on Thursday, said, "A reading of the impugned Government Order in its entirety would go to show that the government has not even cared to receive the files from the Commission, much less, to read and make out a prima facie case for referring the matter to the DVAC."



When the mission of the commission was incomplete and there was no report based on which the government can proceed further, the impugned GO was issued without jurisdiction and it was liable to be quashed, the Justice Sathyanarayana said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tata group's hospitality arm Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) Thursday said it has signed a new Taj branded hotel in Lucknow, in partnership with Luxus Hospitality.

IHCL at present has two hotels in the city Taj Mahal Lucknow and Ginger Gomti Nagar.

The Taj branded hotel will be located at Vibhuti Khand, New Gomti Nagar Centre, with close proximity to key corporate parks, institutions and recreational facilities, it said in a statement.

The hotel will comprise 185 guest rooms, an all-day diner, a specialty restaurant, a bar, a wellness area and banqueting facilities, it added.

The greenfield project is slated to open in 2022.

"We are delighted to partner with Luxus Hospitality. The company is very optimistic about Lucknow as it is an important centre of governance, business, culture and tourism," IHCL managing director and chief executive officer Puneet Chhatwal said.

He said this signing is aligned to the company's five-year strategy - Aspiration 2022 - with focus on aggressive domestic growth.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India is committed to support Myanmar in its efforts to develop its human resources and build infrastructure, including a transport project on the Indian border.

President Ram Nath Kovind made the pledge during his ongoing visit to Myanmar as part of India's efforts to step up bilateral engagements under the rubric of the 'Act East' and the 'Neighbourhood First' policies.

"India reiterated its commitment to support Myanmar in its efforts to build infrastructure and develop its human resources. Myanmar expressed its appreciation for India's assistance in its endeavour for socio-economic development," according to a joint statement issued at the end of President Kovind's official engagements in the country on Thursday.

During his visit, President Kovind held extensive talks with his counterpart U Win Myint and State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

An MoU was also signed on 'the Kaladan Multi Modal Transit Transport Project' for appointing a port operator, which would enable the Sittwe Port and Paletwa IWT infrastructure to be used commercially for the development of the surrounding areas, it said.

The project -- the road from Paletwa to Zorinpui on the Indian border -- was underway and both sides agreed to facilitate movement of project personnel, construction material and equipment across the border through Zorinpui and from Paletwa, the statement said.

During the talks, Kovind appreciated the Myanmar's decision to grant tourist visa on arrival to Indian citizens who intend to visit the country. The initiative, implemented from December 1, will promote people to people ties and increase the flow of tourists, the statement said.

India also informed Myanmar as a preparatory step to relocate its Embassy in Yangon to the new capital Nay Pyi Taw, it plans to set up an Interim Liaison Office here as soon as discussions on the formalities of opening the office and leasing property were completed with the Myanmar authorities.

The two sides also welcomed the landmark agreement of May 2018 on land border crossing, which has had a positive impact in promoting smooth movement of people between the two countries.

The two leaders also expressed their willingness to operate a coordinated bus service between Mandalay and Imphal (Transit at Tamu/ Moreh Border) to enhance and facilitate the contact of the people between Myanmar and India across the border.

The Indian side also informed Myanmar that a detailed project report has been prepared by the Airports Authority of India for the redevelopment of the Kalay Airport. The report would soon be forwarded to the Government of Myanmar for its comments, after which financing arrangements could be decided.

Both the sides welcomed the progress of work being executed by the Indian agencies on different segments of the Trilateral Highway in Myanmar.

The two sides noted the progress made in executing a pilot housing project in northern Rakhine State and the assistance extended by India for agricultural development and IT education in the State.

Myanmar expressed appreciation to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for completing projects to preserve and restore stone inscriptions and temples of King Mindon and King Bagyidaw of Myanmar in Bodh Gaya, the development seen as an important symbol of the shared heritage of the two civilisations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India signed the Bilateral Annual Haj 2019 Agreement with Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage next year at Jeddah on Thursday.

Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Saudi Arabia's Haj and Umrah Minister Mohammad Saleh bin Taher Benten signed the agreement.

At the event, Naqvi said the Saudi government has always played an active and effective role to ensure safety and better facilities to Indian Haj pilgrims, which strengthened bilateral relations.

India-Saudi Arabia relations have achieved newer heights under the leadership and guidance of Saudi Arabia's King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he was quoted as saying by a statement from his office.

Both the countries share strong cultural, historical, economic and political relations, the Union minister said, and thanked King Salman for his guidance and active support to making Haj, 2018, successful.

He said the Indian government, in coordination with its Saudi counterpart, the Indian consulate in Jeddah and that countries various agencies concerned are working to ensure safety and better facilities for next year's Haj pilgrims.

Naqvi said a large number of Muslim women are likely to go to Haj without 'Mehram' (male companion) next year.

More than 2,100 women had applied to go for Haj without 'Mehram' this year.

The Centre had, for the first time, lifted ban on women going for Haj without Mehram in 2018. Following this decision, around 1,300 Indian women went for the pilgrimage without any male companion. They had been exempted from the lottery system.

The Haj Committee of India has received more than 2.47 lakh applications for Haj next year of which around 1.36 lakh were online, Naqvi said, adding of the total number of applicants, 47 per cent are women.

The Union minister said for the first time since Independence, a record number of Muslims -- 1,75,000 -- from India performed Haj this year and that too without any subsidy.

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An Indian-American woman lawyer on Thursday was appointed to a top post in a US organisation, which advocates religious freedom.

Anurima Bhargava, a civil rights lawyer, has been appointed as a Commissioner to the US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the US Congress to monitor, analyse and report on threats to religious freedom abroad.

Born and raised in Chicago, Bhargava is currently the founder and president of the Anthem of Us, which describes itself as "a strategic advisory firm that works with educational institutions and corporations to promote dignity and justice for all".

She has an extensive experience in various roles advocating for members of under-represented communities, including at the US Department of Justice and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF).

The USCIRF is currently headed by Tibetan-American Tenzin Dorjee.

Dorjee commended House Leader Nancy Pelosi for appointing Bhargava as a USCIRF Commissioner.

"With an impressive background and a demonstrated commitment to advocating for members of minority communities in the United States and abroad, Anurima Bhargava brings an important new perspective that will enhance the work of the Commission, especially on democratic India, with whom the United States has a long and proud relationship," he said.

In addition to her work at the Department of Justice and the LDF, Bhargava served as a fellow at the Open Society Foundations and at the Harvard University.

Before attending law school, Bhargava worked in India assisting women elected to local government. She has been a member of the Truman National Security Project and the Council on Foreign Relations.

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The gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless.



The left's appeasement and pandering to evil is nothing new. What makes their utopian delusions so infuriating and unpardonable is that it is not only they who will have to pay the consequences, and deservedly, so, they are thwarting and undermining our best efforts at resistance and are thus dragging us down in the process as well.







By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism.
Insurance sector regulator IRDAI was in the process of tweaking the capital requirements norms for insurance companies, an official said Thursday.

"In India the capital requirement at present is Rs 100 crore, which is quite high as compared to advanced nations", Nilesh Sathe, Member (Life), Insurance Regulatory Development Authority of India (IRDAI) said.

By 2021 or 2022, this amount would be changed so that many aspirants could join the insurance sector, he told reporters on the sidelines of MCCI seminar here on Thursday.

These firms also did not need to offer a plethora of products but could stick to select ones, he viewed.

Sathe also said he was in line with the banking sector requirements to bring down promoters' capital leading to listing of the insurance firms.

According to him, term policies in India were driven by the private sector unlike the LIC, adding India still provided big scope for insurance penetration and increase in density of insured persons.

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The Delhi High Court was informed on Thursday that "irregularities" were found in the AAP government's proposal to procure and install CCTV cameras in the entire national capital, including schools run by it.

The submission was made before a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao during hearing of a PIL opposing the Delhi government's plan to install closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras in its schools.

Urging the court to put on hold the process of installing cameras in classrooms, advocate Jai Dehadrai, appearing for the petitioner, said that the Principal Secretary of the Public Works Department (PWD) had noted in the file related to the matter that there was "serious irregularity" in the procurement process.

Dehadrai said he wants to place the note before the bench and sought that the Delhi government be urged not to go ahead with its project.

The court, however, declined to pass any interim orders, saying it wants to see the note first.

The Principal Secretary, PWD, has noted that floating of a tender to procure the cameras before the project received administrative approval and expenditure sanction was a "serious irregularity" and proposed re-tendering.

He has also said in his note, which is with PTI, that the specifications for the CCTV cameras appeared to be hasty and the IT department and not PWD should be the nodal agency for carrying out the project.

The bench was hearing a PIL by Daniel George, who claims to be involved in the field of education awareness, against the Delhi government's proposal to install over 1.4 lakh CCTV cameras inside classrooms of its schools.

The court had earlier said there was nothing wrong with having CCTV cameras inside classrooms and had rubbished the claims that children's right to privacy would be affected.

The Delhi government had earlier told the court that feed from the cameras would be password protected and accessible to parents and not any strangers.

It had also said that a standard operating procedure (SOP) for using the cameras will be formulated and the petitioner can give his suggestions as well.

The petition has contended that installing cameras without there being any regulatory mechanism on access to its footage could lead to incidents of stalking and molestation.

It has also sought a feasibility test be held amongst the target population of students and teachers to understand the issues they face when it comes to surveillance.

The plea further states that even the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) proposes to install 4,348 CCTV cameras in 344 schools run by it.

It has sought quashing of the proposals of both the Delhi government and SDMC as well as framing of guidelines for effective regulation on access to the CCTV footage.

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Jharkhand has been selected for "Krishi Karman" award in the rice category from the Union Ministry of Agriculture, an official release said here Thursday.

The award to be given away in February next year carries a cash prize of Rs 2 crore and a citation, it said.

"...as a gesture of appreciation to farmers of your state for achieving the milestone, two progressive farmers, i.e. one male and one female, would also be given 'Agriculture Minister's Krishi Karman Award," Union Agriculture Commissioner Dr S K Malhotra said in a letter to Jharkhand Agriculture Secretary Puja Singhal.

Each farmer would be given a cash award of Rs 2 lakh along with citation.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das congratulated the state agriculture department and the farmers for the award, the release said.

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The Jawaharlal Nehru University accused some students of forcibly entering the library with personal books, which, according to the varsity, is against the rules, even as the students' union maintained that they peacefully reclaimed the library.

The Jawaharlal Nehru Students' Union had protested on Wednesday against the library fund cuts and closing of one of the reading halls of the library.

The executive council meeting was held on November 20 and it took a decision to temporarily close one reading room in Dr BR Ambedkar Central Library in view of the potential safety and security hazards, JNU registrar Pramod Kumar said.

"This decision was taken on the basis of the information that this room has only one door for entry and exit which is very narrow and no more than one person can enter/exit at a time.

"When this room was temporarily closed due to safety concerns to the library users, some students began a misinformation campaign stating that the university has withdrawn reading room facility to the students which is a blatant lie," he said.

Another "canard" that has been in circulation is that the JNU Library budget has been drastically cut by the administration, but no decision has been taken to curtail the annual budget of the library, he added.

"Some students in the afternoon of December 13, manhandled the security personnel at the library gate and forcibly entered the library with personal books. This is not only violation of rules, but also this incident may have led to loss/damage of library property," Kumar alleged.

Manhandling of security guards who were diligently performing their duties is highly condemnable, he said, adding an inquiry will be constituted and appropriate action will be taken against such students as per university rules.

"Closing of one room is only a temporary measure and all other facilities, including the reading rooms, are available for the use of JNU students and research scholars. The JNU administration has taken the step keeping in mind the utmost need to provide safety and security to the library users," he added.

Meanwhile, the JNUSU alleged that the JNU Security placed guards in numbers to stop students wanting to read and take their personal books in library hall.

"JNUSU along with JNU students requested security not to hamper aspirations of students to learn and study as JNU like universities are for everyone to read. JNUSU likes to salute the spirit of each and every student who peacefully reclaimed the library from this fascist ideology and read the book, 'The Resistible Rise of Adolf Hitler: A View from Modi's India', by Arindam Sen in central hall of B R Ambedkar," the JNUSU added.

JNUSU condemned the administration's "lies" and demanded that the vice-chancellor to come clean on library finances and why the JNU administration is afraid to allow personal books inside library which were allowed previously, they said.

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K Chandrasekhar Rao, who steered his party TRS to a thumping victory in Telangana, took over the reins of the country's newest state for a second straight term Thursday.

KCR, as Rao is popularly called, was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor E S L Narasimhan at a low-key ceremony on the lawns of Raj Bhavan in Hyderabad.

TRS MLC Mohammed Mehmood Ali, who served as deputy chief minister in the previous government, also took oath as a minister.

Rao later allocated the Home portfolio to Ali, who had handled the Revenue portfolio in the previous government.

KCR had Wednesday said he would go for expansion of the cabinet after five to six days.

In September, the 64-year-old had dissolved the assembly and decided to go for early polls in a bid to de-link it from the national elections, a gamble which paid off well. His party wrested 88 seats, a two-third of the 119-member Assembly.

The Congress, which formed a mega alliance of four opposition parties, was decimated to 19 seats. Chandrababu Naidu's TDP, which was part of the alliance named 'Praja Kutami', was reduced to just two. The Telangana Jana Samiti and the CPI couldn't even open their accounts.

In run up to the elections, KCR, who championed the statehood movement, invoked 'Telangana pride' to counter Naidu. His party termed the Andhra chief minister as an outsider, a pitch that resonated well with the common men.

The BJP, which deployed star campaigners like Yogi Adityanath, won just a single seat.

The effective strength of the TRS has further gone up after support from L Ramulu Naik, a Congress rebel who won from Wyra, and TRS rebel Korukanti Chander, who won from Ramagundem on a Forward Block ticket.

A sidelined KCR left the NTR-founded TDP and formed the TRS in 2001 to fight for separate Telangana, which came into existence on June 2, 2014.

Observers credit the massive election success to KCR's populist schemes such as "Rythu Bandhu", a social security pension scheme and a life insurance plan for farmers.

With the state polls over, KCR would now focus on the next year's general elections, as he has said, the victory would enable the TRS to play a crucial role in national

He has been active in the national arena over the past few months, trying to stitch a non-Congress and non-BJP front. He has held meetings with several key opposition leaders, just like his arch-rival Naidu, and even flew to Kolkata once to meet Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee.

"...Congress-mukt Bharat..BJP-mukt Bharat...that is needed..," Rao had told a press conference after his victory lap on Tuesday.

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President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday visited a temple of goddess Kali which is managed by a trust represented by people who came to Myanmar from different regions of India.

Kovind is in Myanmar to continue India's high level bilateral engagements under the rubric of the 'Act East' and the 'Neighbourhood First' policies.

Popular among Hindu devotees, the Shri Kali Temple was built by Tamil immigrants in 1871. It is famous for its colourful exteriors. It is richly decorated with sculptures and carvings featuring scenes from Hindu mythology.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted a picture of the president offering prayers in the temple.

"President Kovind and First Lady (Savita) visit Shri Kali temple in Yangon, Myanmar which is managed by a trust represented by people who came to Myanmar from different regions of India," Kumar said.

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Seventy-five vehicle owners were issued notices on Thursday to hand over their driving licences for jumping red lights over 10 times in recent months in Gautam Buddh Nagar, failing which the erring vehicles could be seized, officials said.

The Transport Department, on recommendation by the Traffic Police, has asked violators to submit driving licence of the erring driver for suspension by December 20, the officials said.

As many as 638 vehicles were issued challans during July and August for jumping red lights at different locations and there were 75 such vehicles among these which jumped the red light on more than 10 occasions, ARTO (Enforcement) Himesh Tiwari said.

"Today, we have released the list of these vehicle owners who have been asked to submit the driving license of the erring driver to the department. In case somebody else was driving the vehicles, then their license be handed over to the department. Failure to hand over the license within the due time may result in seizure of the vehicles," Tiwari said.

The Traffic Police had last week shared details of 638 erring vehicles and made a recommendation to the Transport Department reporting violation under the guidelines of the Supreme Court committee on road safety.

"Their actions are a violence under Section 119/177 of the Motor Vehicles Act. It is a violation if the guidelines of the Supreme Court Committee of Road Safety," Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Anil Kumar Jha had said in a letter, recommending suspension of the erring drivers' license for three months.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 35-year-old man was suspected to have been mauled to death by lions on the outskirts of a village in Bhavnagar district of Gujarat, said officials Thursday.

The victim was identified as Ramabhai Chudasama, a resident of Gujarda, a coastal village in Mahuva taluka, around 175km from Ahmedabad, they said.

The matter came to light this morning when residents of Gujarda spotted the half-eaten body of Chudasama on the village's outskirts and informed forest staff, said Deputy Conservator of Forest (Bhavnagar) Sandeep Kumar.

Though no one saw Chudasama being attacked by lions during night, officials believe three lions, who are among the 10-odd big cats living in a forest patch near the village, may be the culprits, he told PTI.

Lion trackers, deployed by the forest department to keep an eye on the king of beasts, had spotted a lion, a lioness and a cub on Gujarda's outskirts Wednesday evening, the official said.

"The coastal village is close to a 100-hectare forest patch, which is home to around 10 lions. On Wednesday evening, when Chudasama was roaming on the outskirts of village, trackers asked him not to go any further due to the presence of lions," said Kumar.

"Though he went back to the village, his half-eaten dead body was found from the same location today morning. It is possible he might have come back during night for some work and eventually got killed by those three lions," the senior officer added.

Forest staff has started a search for these three lions to catch them for further probe, said Kumar.

"Even today, these lions were located just 500 meters away from the spot where Chudasama's body was found. We are now trying to catch these lions so that we can examine their scat.

"If we find any human remains, it will be established that the man was killed by these lions," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has arrested a person here and seized 1 kg of heroin valued at around Rs 1 crore in the international market from his possession, an official said Thursday.

Acting on a tip off, agency sleuths intercepted the man near Bombay Hospital Square Wednesday night and seized the drug, NCB's Indore unit Zonal Director B R Meena said.

He was identified as one Jahoor Khan, a resident of Ashta town in Sehore district of Madhya Pradesh, the officer said.

The 50-year-old had come to Indore to hand over the drug consignment, valued at about Rs 1 crore in the global market, to a person in the city, Meena said.

He said Khan had been caught in the past in drug trafficking cases in several states.

Further investigation is underway to know about his contacts and also source of the seized narcotic substance, the NCB officer said.

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Unlike Lincoln, who immediately takes shotgun in the old, red, Mercedes convertible, Jeremy always jumped into the back of my red Opel station wagon. Perhaps, had it been a Mercedes, the Irish Setter, that I had given to a previous boyfriend for Christmas, would have wanted to ride up front too.

Maybe he stayed in the back of the Opel because it was easier for me to feed him there, mostly White Castle burgers and fries. Id get a dozen burgers, and split them with him, the same way I give Lincoln Dairy Queen vanilla soft serve now. One spoonful for you. One spoonful for me.

Jeremy made the pilgrimage with me from Detroits chapter of Dignity to Boston, where the national office was located. I was semi-famous enough for Ray to know who I was. In 1974, I went on a hunger strike to protest the sins of the Catholic Church against gay people. When that ended, the Church fired me as a columnist and reporter, so I became a columnist and reporter in the gay press.

That notoriety might have scared many gay people from being seen with me in public, but not Ray. Its not all that uncommon, you know, for closeted gay people not wanting to be seen with gay activists. When I was one of the only openly gay people in Boston City Hall in 1982, it was only a brave two Guys who would have lunch with me. When Ray had a rainbow flag on his desk at Lehman Brothers, only one young woman identified herself to him, this despite him being a managing director of the firm. I used to laugh when I watched closeted gay friends run from the produce section when they saw me heading in for a hug.

The Irish Setter didnt know gay. He barked at Ray when my new roommate, and now husband of 43 years, climbed into the front seat of the red Opel. But then the dog stopped, which told me that there was something in the vibrations of this handsome strawberry blond man that appealed to both the dog and to me. Jeremy and I both counted on the kindness of this stranger to find our new home in Brookline, just over the Boston line, for the next eight years of our lives.

Poor Jeremy was our first dog, and as such, had the most strict, and clueless parents of any of the three dogs in our history. Oldest children will relate. Weve learned in raising Lincoln, the spoiled Labradoodle, that any mistake the puppy makes is our fault, and not that of the dog. If the dog peed and pooped inside, we should have taken him out. If he chewed the table leg, we should have watched his behavior, and given him something else to chew. But, there was no such modern parenting methods with Jeremy. Whatever bad happened was always his fault. If he tipped over the kitchen garbage can while we were away, he was a bad boy. If he locked himself in the bathroom, it was his doing. He was loved deeply by us, but we had no dog owner training as twenty-year-olds, even having had dogs as children. I wish we could have a do-over with him. And, yet, we were perfect for each other, and the three of us were a tight family.

Jeremy had an opinion on everything, and readily gave it to everyone, whether they wanted to hear it or not, including to Elaine Noble, Lily Tomlin, Lisa Myers, Gerry Studds, Barney Frank, Neil Miller, Sr. Jeannine Gramick, Fr. Paul Stanley, Tomie dePaola, Stephen McCauley, and Gregory Maguire, among others. They all visited our third floor Brookline apartment, or our home in Gloucester, and all became aware of the Irish Setters voice. They also all loved him.

It was clear that Jeremy was my dog, although he and Ray had a love affair. But I was the alpha, and I made the rules, or lack thereof. While Lincoln gets no human food (except soft serve), Jeremy got whatever he wanted. It got to the point that he wouldnt eat his dinner without decent scraps, and I never was able to finish a whole bowl of ice cream without him pawing his way into my heart and dessert.

Our three dogs, Jeremy, Brit, and Lincoln, have collectively ridden in a large assortment of cars, and like children, have encountered us in various stages of canine awareness and maturity, as we drove the backroads of their lives. All three have been linked through the various ups and downs, and episodes of our lives  passion, separation, experimentation, addiction, recovery, addiction, suicide, recovery, gay politics, transgender awareness, wealth, lean years, notoriety, tears, screams, laughter, therapy, prayer, Catholicism, atheism, Buddhism, agnosticism, Taoism, visiting parents, dead parents, visiting young nephews and nieces, visits by the children of those nephews and nieces, 42 Valentines Day, birthdays, Halloweens Thanksgivings, Christmases, and Easters, hundreds of presents, dozens of temporary best friends, and not once did any of them complain. Well, thats not completely true. Jeremy barked, Brit walked away and curled up, and Lincoln sighs deeply.

If Jeremy or Brit were alive today, they would recognize our scent, but not our appearance. Lincoln knows that Ray walks with a cane, and that we both have gray hair. Hes never seen us wrestle, or dance fast in the living room. Time passes. Dogs age and die, and so will we, but what a time we all have had together.

Brian McNaught has been a leading educator on LGBTQ issues globally since 1974. He has made his many books and DVDs available for free at Brian-McNaught.com. The New York Times named him The Godfather of gay diversity training.

This is the first part of a series, to read part 2 click here
A POCSO court here has convicted a man for raping an 11-year-old girl and sentenced him to seven years in prison.

The judge also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on the accused, Vedpal, after finding him guilty under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 376 (rape) and sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

According to special government lawyer Dinesh Sharma and as mentioned in the FIR filed by victim's father, on May 25, 2015, the girl was alone in her house when Vedpal took her to his residence in Jalalpur village and raped her there.

The accused had been in jail from the day he was arrested in this regard.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 55-year-old man, said to be an Ayyappa devotee, died after setting himself afire near the venue of the BJP's protest over the Sabarimala issue here Thursday.

Calling a state-wide hartal on Friday over the death, BJP claimed the man immolated himself protesting the "adamant" stand of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government in Kerala over the issue of continuing prohibitory orders and restrictions at the Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala.

Venugopalan Nair of Muttada near here, who suffered 90 per cent burns, succumbed at the Government Medical College Hospital in the evening, police said.

Chanting 'Swamiye saranam Ayyappa' mantra, Nair set himself afire after dousing him with petrol near the venue in front of the state secretariat in the early hours.

He tried to run toward the makeshift tent where BJP leader C K Padmanabhan is on an indefinite fast demanding lifting of prohibitory orders in force in and around Sabarimala hill shrine, police said.

Party activists and police personnel, who were present near the venue, in front of the Kerala secretariat, doused the fire using drinking water and rushed him to the hospital, where he died without responding to treatment.

Quoting his relatives, police said Nair was an Ayyappa devotee.

BJP announced a dawn-to-dusk hartal across the state Friday as a mark of respect to Nair.

A BJP release claimed that Nair took the extreme step due to the "adamant" stand of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government on the Sabarimala issue.

The party has been protesting against the state government over its decision to implement the Supreme Court order allowing women of all age groups to offer prayers at the temple and also demanding lifting of the ban orders and restrictions.

The state government has said it was constitutionally bound to implement the September 28 Supreme Court.

After a large number of devotees came out against the apex court order, the BJP and main opposition Congress have backed their stand.

The BJP is opposing any move to allow women in the 10-50 age group to trek the holy hill for 'darshan' at the Ayyappa temple.

When the temple was opened for monthly and special pujas in October and November, there were massive protests by devotees, following which severe restrictions, including prohibitory orders, were imposed by the state government.

However, so far no women in the previously banned age group had been able to enter the temple.

Since the two-month long pilgrim season began on November 16, this is the second state-wide hartal called by the BJP on the Sabarimala issue.

Earlier, it had observed a hartal to protest the detention of K P Sasikala, President of the Hindu Aikya Vedi.

Meanwhile, officials said examinations scheduled to be held by various universities, including Mahatma Gandhi and Kerala varsities, Friday have been postponed.

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French league giants Marseille will miss a second consecutive league encounter after their weekend fixture with Bordeaux was postponed by league chiefs Thursday.

Marseille's league match with Saint-Etienne was postponed last week due to security concerns linked to the France-wide 'yellow vests' movement.

Authorities are expecting more anti-government demonstrations this weekend, which, combined with other "demands for police and security services elsewhere", according to the French Professional League (LFP), has left a shortfall in the numbers of available officers for league encounters.

Three other league games: Nice v Saint-Etienne, Nantes v Montpellier and Caen v Toulouse have been postponed for similar reasons.

Last week six league encounters were postponed amid mass 'yellow vest' demonstrations in France aimed at the government of President Emmanuel Macron. They were all rescheduled, to be played on January 15/16.

Although more protests are expected this weekend, France is also on tenterhooks following a shooting in Strasbourg in which three people died. The 29-year-old suspect on France's terror watchlist is still at large The victims will be honoured by a minute's silence at all remaining league fixtures this weekend.

The LFP said "a minute's silence" will be held before all kick-offs this weekend "to honour and show our solidarity with the victims of the shooting in Strasbourg."



Marseille are in action later Thursday when they host Apollon Limassol in the group stages of the Europa League.

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The editor of a leading daily in Meghalaya was censured by the high court on Thursday for publishing an article about a court order seeking perks and facilities for retired judges and their families.

Shillong Times Editor Patricia Mukhim and publisher Shoba Chaudhuri, who appeared in person before Justice S R Sen, were asked to turn up before Chief Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir next week, even after they apologised for the article.

"I was censured in the open court today and my qualifications were called into account. Justice S R Sen said I am not fit to be an editor," Mukhim told PTI.

In her article titled 'When judges judge for themselves', published earlier this week, Mukhim alleged that Justice Sen, who is retiring in March, wanted several provisions for retired chief justices and judges and their spouses and children from the state government, including guest houses, domestic help, mobile and internet expenses.

The article also said that Justice Sen's order is a reminiscent of an order of two judges - Chief Justice Umanath Singh and TNK Singh - demanding Z-category and Y-category security respectively.

Both Mukhim and Chaudhuri were issued a showcause notice by Justice Sen on Wednesday, seeking explanation as to why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against the newspaper for publishing the article.

He also asserted that "media is not to dictate to the court what the court should do".

"It is really shocking that the publisher and editor of the said newspaper without knowing the law or background of the case are making comments which are definitely derogatory to a judge who is handling the case as well as the entire fraternity of the judges," Justice Sen said, adding that the media had no business to comment on a matter pending in court.

Mukhim, on her part, said she apologised before the court and gave details of her qualifications.

"I apologised for what seems to be a mistake and told him of my qualifications but we were asked to appear before Chief Justice this Monday," she said.

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Bollywood star Ranveer Singh said Thursday the #MeToo movement has been very impactful in India and he hopes there is a change in the patriarchal thinking of Indian men.

"The #MeToo movement was historic, revolutionary. It has made guys take stock and think and, that itself, is a big thing. It has been hugely impactful and significant," Ranveer said at the Times Network India Economic Conclave 2018.

Ranveer said what happened in the last two months was a revolution. "It was happening all too fast, quickly. It was a revolution. You had perpetrators who aren't working anymore. It made a huge impact from where I stand. In my perception, what the movement should have done, I think it has. It has changed to a large extent the way men think.

"Every man thinks twice, they are afraid. They think if they do something wrong, it is going to be called out. It had made a huge impact at the ground level."



When asked about his idea of consent, the 'Padmavaat' actor said the thinking of men needs to change.

"We have, for the longest time, lived in a patriarchal society. Men feel very entitled in their species, in my surroundings at least. Fortunately, I have had an upbringing, my father has always been out, so I was raised by four women, mother, sister, grandmother and great grandmother, so I have a different way of looking at it.

"I also studied in America where gender dynamics are very different, the outlook and view on sex is very different. I have had that kind of exposure. I have seen guys who have a sense of entitlement that is deeply ingrained in them and they laugh at you if you tell them otherwise."



The actor said he would like to lead by example in his life. "I am hoping as a thought leader to contribute towards some positive change, by just leading in example, I am hoping I make some change. It's too slow moving," he said.

Ranveer, however, thinks India needs educational training in understanding the true meaning of consent. "These things have to start from foundational, fundamental level. Parents need to pass on to kids and schools to students. What you understand of the world and the interactions while growing up," he said.

The #MeToo movement hit India when Tanushree Dutta accused Nana Patekar of sexual misconduct while they were shooting for song for their 2008 film 'Horn Ok Pleassss'.

A number of high-profile men such as M J Akbar, Vikas Bahl, Alok Nath, Sajid Khan, Justin Das and, most recently, artist Subodh Gupta have been outed in India's #MeToo movement.

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Tech giant Microsoft Thursday said more than 1,000 organisations in India across sectors, like government, banking and financial services, are now using its productivity app 'Kaizala'.

In July last year, the US-based company had launched Kaizala, a productivity app, designed for the Indian market to enable large group communications and work management.

Since then, the product has been made commercially available across 28 markets in Asia, Middle East, Africa and South America.

Besides, Microsoft will expand the reach of Kaizala to Office 365 commercial plans worldwide.

Microsoft Kaizala is a chat-based communication and data management tool, Microsoft Corporate vice president Rajiv Kumar said.

"It is an enterprise ready, compliant and secure chat app. It offers organisations easy and simple way to share data for insightful decision making and gives employees an easy-to-use solution for efficient collaboration and improved productivity," he added.

Kumar highlighted that Microsoft Kaizala provides controlled user access and data security in accordance with an organisation's policies and is compliant with data protection legislations such as GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) and HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act).

"Microsoft Kaizala, with cloud scale & enterprise security, is enabling organisations to achieve more by empowering employees, engaging customers and enhancing workplace productivity. We are delighted with the rapid adoption in just over a year," Microsoft India President Anant Maheshwari told reporters here.

He added that organisations using Kaizala range from BFSI to manufacturing to retail.

Some of the clients include YES Bank, UPL, Alembic, Shopper's Stop and Eureka Forbes.

Kaizala is now available in 18 languages including Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Gujarati and Telugu.

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The lowest winning margin in the just-concluded Mizoram Assembly election was only three votes while the highest was 2,720.

Lalchhandama Ralte of the Mizoram National Front (MNF) won the Tuival seat with a victory margin of only three votes.

Ralte had secured 5,207 votes while his nearest rival, sitting Congress legislator R L Pianmawia bagged 5,204 votes.

Pianmawia had demanded a recounting of votes which was accepted by the Election Commission of India. But the recounting also found that the winning margin was only three votes.

Election to 40-member Mizoram Assembly was held on November 28 and counting of votes took place on December 11.

The highest winning margin in the state Assembly election was 2,720 votes. Sitting MNF legislator Lalruatkima retained his Aizawl West-II seat defeating his nearest Congress rival Lalmalsawma Nghaka by a margin of 2,720 votes.

Lalruatkima had secured 7,626 while Nghaka scored 4,906 votes.

Mizoram Chief Minister and Congress candidate Lal Thanhawla lost his Serchip seat to his Independent rival Lalduhoma by 410 votes. Lal Thanhawla got 5071 votes while Lalduhoma bagged 5481 votes.

Lal Thanhawla also lost the Champhai South seat to his MNF rival T J Lalnuntluanga by 1,049 votes. Lalnuntluanga got 5,212 votes while Lal Thanhawla received 4,163 votes.

MNF president and chief minister designate Zoramthanga won his Aizawl East-I seat by a margin of 2504 votes. Zoramthanga got 8358 votes while his nearest Independent rival secured 5854 votes.

BJP candidate Buddha Dhan Chakma, who was the only candidate of the saffron party to win in the Mizoram Assembly election defeated his nearest Mizo National Front rival Rasik Mohan Chaka by a margin of 1,594 votes from the Tuichawng seat.

The MNF secured 26 seats in the 40-member House while the Congress managed to bag only five seats.

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The BJP Thursday rejected the NCPs demand for the resignation of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, whose election in 2014 has been challenged in the Supreme Court, and said it shows the opposition party's "intellectual bankruptcy".

Earlier in the day, the apex court issued notice to Fadnavis on a plea seeking annulment of his election to the state assembly for alleged non-disclosure of pending criminal cases against him in his nomination papers.

The NCP quickly moved to demand the resignation of Fadnavis, elected to the assembly from Nagpur South West constituency.

"He has lost the moral right to stay on the chief minister's post. We demand he immediately step down from his post," NCP spokesman Nawab Malik said.

However, Maharashtra BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye rejected the demand of the Sharad Pawar-led party.

"The proposed litigation in the Supreme Court is at primary stage and based on some technical points. The NCP, however, has still made a demand of resignation (of Fadnavis), which demonstrates its intellectual bankruptcy," he said.

He said in the past a similar plea against the chief minister was dismissed by the Bombay High Court after Fadnavis' lawyers filed satisfactory replies.

"The HC had also initiated process of treating the litigation as a contempt of court. The Bombay High Court had called such a litigation mischievous," Upadhye said.

"When the same litigators approached the Supreme Court, todays process was of whether or not to accept such litigation in the top court of the country," he said.

Fadnavis, at the time of filing his affidavit ahead of the assembly elections in October 2014, had given a detailed information of cases pending against him, Upadhye said.

The BJP spokesperson said, "The NCP had not removed one of its state ministers till arrest warrants were issued against him. Such a party is capitalising on a basic court notice and engaging in theatrics."



Some NCP ministers had continued to stay in the cabinet despite court issuing strictures against them on several occasions, Upadhye said.

The NCP was part of the Congress-led governments in Maharashtra from 1999 to 2014.

"A party where (having a) criminal record is considered as a qualification is now seeking resignation. It is nothing but ridiculous," he said.

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Netflix is adding another true-crime series to its roster and the streaming giant will be focusing on serial killer Ted Bundy this time.

Netflix will premiere "Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes" on January 24.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the date is exactly 30 years after Bundy was executed for the 1978 murder of Kimberly Leach.

The four-part series from Emmy winner Joe Berlinger, will feature previously unheard audio of interviews with Bundy while he was on death row in Florida.

It will also detail Bundy's killings, he was convicted of murdering more than 30 women in the 1970s, and the media frenzy around his trials.

The series is inspired by a book of the same name by journalists Stephen G Michaud and Hugh Aynesworth.

The show derives from more than 100 hours of recordings Michaud and Aynesworth made of Bundy while he was on death row, giving a rare perspective of the killer analysing his own life and motives.

Berlinger also directed "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile", a narrative feature about the killer, starring Zac Efron as Bundy.

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The National Green Tribunal Thursday directed the Ministry of and Forest to form an action plan on the basis of the revised Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI) to bring down pollution levels in various industrial clusters across the country.

The tribunal took note of a media report which said that the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had started a process to rank 88 industrial clusters across the country based on their pollution levels.

The report said that the CPCB has recently completed the analysis of the levels based on air and water quality and hazardous waste generated by these clusters.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson A K Goel also asked the ministry to include in the action plan how the expansion could be made in the existing industries.

The ministry has been asked to submit a report before the tribunal by May 31, next year.

The bench directed all state pollution control boards and pollution control committees in the Union Territories to upload on their websites the status of pollution in the industrial corridors.

It also asked all chief secretaries to regularly review environmental issues, including pollution, in their states and submit a report before the tribunal.

After completion of the process of ranking industrial clusters for pollution levels, the central government will form a comprehensive action plan to bring down pollution in these areas.

According to the media report, the state pollution control committees and the CPCB had conducted surveys in 2009-10 to check pollution levels in the 88 notified industrial clusters.

Thereafter, the CPCB had ranked these clusters under 'critical' and 'serious' categories.

Eighty-eight industrial clusters in 16 states having CEPI of 70 and above were identified as critically polluted areas.

These clusters included Sonbadhr Singrauli and Ghaziabad in UP, Kobra in MP, Angultalchuer in Odisha, Bhadrabhati in Karnataka, Chandrapur and Chambur in Maharashtra, Dhanbad in Jharkhand, Durgapur in West Bengal and Pali in Rajasthan.

Thirty-two industrial clusters with CEPI score between 60 and 70 were categorised as seriously polluted areas.

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Gay wrestler Dave Marshall is making homemade porn to fight LGBT suicides Gay Star News reported.

Stats on LGBT in this area are quite scary Marshall told Gay Star News. So I hope I can in some way, give back to my community. Positivity is everything.

From Perth, Australia, 63 Marshall is a personal trainer and openly gay wrestler. He started his wrestling career in 2015, at the age of 26, when he was working in sales.

Marshall wrestles for Perth-based wrestling company Southern Hemisphere Wrestling Alliance. For almost 10 years now theyve held monthly shows all across Western Australias capital city.

Upon the encouragement of his boyfriend at the time, the gay wrestler created an account on Onlyfans, a subscription-based platform that allows users to access X-rated content from someone, with a small monthly fee.



After some thought, I did start it up with part [of the] proceeds going to Beyond Blue  a suicide prevention charity, he told Gay Star News.

Within the first 24 hours of having an OnlyFans account, Marshall said he raised a few hundred dollars for Beyond Blue and its work fighting suicide prevention for men, Hornet reported.

The reason the money I raise from my OnlyFans goes towards Beyond Blue is seeing everyday how big depression and anxiety has become in society and almost overlooked, Marshall revealed in an Instagram post.

[Its my] first time saying this but my father took his life last year, Marshall went on to say.

So far, Marshall has raised $3,617 for the suicide prevention charity.

Porn Pulse is a weekly column featuring news and tidbits on the gay porn industry. Have a tip? Send Hunter Houston an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .


A Meghalaya High Court judge has said the NRC is "defective" as many foreigners "became Indians" due to the exercise and nobody should try to make India an Islamic country.

Justice S R Sen, in a judgement passed on Monday while disposing of a petition of a man who was denied domicile certificate by Meghalaya , also observed that he was confident that only this government under Narendra Modi will understand the gravity.

He said that like Pakistan which declared itself an Islamic country after Independence, India "should have also been declared a Hindu country but it remained as a secular country".

At the same time, he urged the Centre to bring a law to allow Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhist, Parsis, Christians and Khasis, Jaintias and Garos tribals who are presently residing in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan to live in this country peacefully and with full dignity, without making any cut-off year.

"The NRC is defective as many foreigners became Indian and original Indians are left out," Justice Sen said, referring to the updating of National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam.

"Nobody should try to make India another Islamic country otherwise it will be a doomsday...," Justice Sen said. The judge was, however, quick to add that he was not against "my Muslim brothers and sisters" who are residing in India for generations and abiding Indian laws. "They should also be allowed to live peacefully".

The judge said, "I am confident that only this government under Narendra Modi Ji will understand the gravity, and will do the needful as requested above and our Chief Minister Mamata ji will support the national interest in all respects".

Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhist, Parsis, Christians and Khasis, Jaintias and Garos tribals who are presently residing in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan should be given citizenship without any question or production of any 21 documents, he ruled and directed that the order be delivered to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his colleagues besides to the office of Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy and Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma.

The court said these communities may be allowed to come at any point of time to settle in India and government may provide rehabilitation properly and declare them citizens of India.

Similar principle to be adopted for those Hindus and Sikhs who are of Indian origin and presently residing abroad to come to India at any time as they like and they may be considered automatically as Indian citizens, he said in his 37-page order.

The court also said that it expects the Government of India to take a conscious decision to protect the innocent Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhist, Parsis, Christians, Khasis, Jaintias and Garos who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and who are yet to come from abroad as they have the same rights to come to India as Indian citizens.

Although the Centre's Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 also seeks to make Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from the three countries eligible for Indian citizenship after a stay of six years, there was no mention of the bill in the court order.

The judge was also critical of the Boundary Commission appointed at the time of partition which drew an "imaginary line" to divide India into two pieces.

"A burning example is that if we visit the border, it is difficult to understand which land falls within India (in Meghalaya) and which is in Bangladesh as somebody's kitchen is in India and their bedroom is in Bangladesh," he said.

Terming it "highly illogical, illegal and against the principle of natural justice", Justice Sen said Hindus who entered India during partition are still considered foreigners.

Appealing to the Hindu people of both Barak valley as well as the Assam valley to come together to find an amicable solution, Justice Sen said, "Our culture, traditions and religions are the same. We should not hate each other just on the basis of language".

The influential Khasi Students Union(KSU) responding to the judgement said it completely disagrees with any move to give these groups refuge in India "without taking into account all aspects including the demographic structure of the north eastern states of India".

Its general secretary D V Thabah cited the instance of the Indo-Nepal Friendship Treaty, 1950, which, he said had a detrimental impact on the indigenous Khasi populace in Meghalaya although Nepal does not share a common border with the state.

"If the (Citizenship) Bill is passed then it is apparent that Meghalaya will be severely affected owing to its long and porous border with Bangladesh," the KSU leader said in a statement.

AIMIM leader and MP Asaduddin Owaisi reacted sharply to the court order. "This is a wrong judgment. We do not accept it. You cannot give such a judgement... India is and will remain a plural, secular country. What kind of judgement is this.. will the government take note," the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen Party leader said at a public meeting.

"No one, least of all Justice Sen, can change the pluralism of my country. It has always been a bouquet of diverse traditions & it always will be. It is not by the mercy' of the majority that India is diverse, it's because of Babasaheb's Constitution," Owaisi said on Twitter.

However, Union Minister Giriraj Singh welcomed the judge's order saying his observations are in line with public sentiments.

"What he has said is also the voice of crores of people of India," the BJP leader said.

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The Organization of American States on Wednesday expressed concerns about the deployment of Russian aircraft to Venezuela to carry out military exercises.

A statement from the body's General Secretariat said it noted from Caracas of "the possibility that aircraft capable of using nuclear weapons from Russia are in its territory" with the "greatest concern."



Russia sent about 100 pilots and other personnel along with two Tupolev-160 bombers and two other aircraft to Caracas -- generating tensions with the US and Colombia, countries Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro regularly accuses of plotting to assassinate him.

The secretariat branded the mission as "harmful to Venezuelan sovereignty," adding it violated the crisis-hit South American country's constitution because it had not been authorized by its National Assembly.

"Likewise, this action may also be in violation of fundamental norms of international law," it said.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo this week condemned the exercises, drawing ire from the Kremlim which branded his response "undiplomatic.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Odisha government on Thursday asked district collectors to take steps to protect paddy from unseasonal rain.

The government diktat came following a forecast by the IMD that rain and thundershowers are likely to occur over some places in the state, on December 16 and 17, due to depression formed over southeast of Bay of Bengal.

"Necessary measures should be taken to protect the paddy in mandis, if any against rain," Joint Relief Commissioner Pravat Ranjan Mohapatra said in a letter to the district collectors.

Mohapatra in the letter said the farmers may be advised to take necessary steps to protect their paddy and other crops from the possible rain.

Quoting a release of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the special relief commissioner's (SRC) office said that the well-marked low pressure area formed over the southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining equatorial Indian Ocean on Wednesday has concentrated into a depression on Thursday morning and lay centred about 830 km east-southeast of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka), 1,150 km southeast of Chennai and 1,330 km south-southeast of Machhilipatnam.

"It is very likely to intensify further into a deep depression in the next 12 hours and subsequently into a cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours, and very likely to move in the northwest direction towards Andhra Pradesh and adjoining north Tamil Nadu coasts during the next 72 hours," the IMD said in its release.

The IMD also forecast that under the influence of the depression most parts of south Odisha will receive moderate rainfall.

Besides, strong wind will blow across the south coastal areas during that period, the IMD release said.

Apart from south Odisha, there will be light to moderate rainfall in several places in the state on December 16 and 17, the release added.

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The government has deferred by one month the auction of 25 oil and gas fields that hold resources worth an estimated Rs 1 lakh crore, upstream regulator DGH said.

The second round of Discovered Small Fields (DSF) auction opened in August and December 18 was the last date for submission of bids.

"Due to consistent demand of investors, the last date for submission of bids for India DSF Bid Round-II is now extended till 1200 hrs January 18, 2019," the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) said in a tweet.

Bids will be opened on the same day, it added.

In 2016, the government brought in a new DSF policy wherein 'idle' small discovered fields of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) and Oil India Ltd (OIL) were taken away from the companies and auctioned to private players on liberalised terms including marketing and pricing freedom and lower taxes.

ONGC and OIL say they have not been able to develop the fields due to their small size and current capped prices making their development unviable. Private companies will, however, get full pricing and marketing freedom.

When the DSF-II bid round was launched in August this year, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the fields hold resources worth Rs 1 lakh crore. Some of these resources would translate into higher revenue for the government by way of increased royalty paid on production, taxes and profit petroleum.

Pradhan had said that the government is expecting as much as Rs 45,000 crore in royalty, taxes and profit petroleum over the life of the fields.

In DSF-II, 59 discoveries have been clubbed into 25 contract areas spread over 3,042 square km and eight sedimentary basins.

In the DSF-I round, Rs 34,600 crore of resources were bid out. A total of 134 bids were received for 34 blocks out of 46 on offer.

The government is expecting a revenue of Rs 9,000 crore from fields bid out in DSF-I, with first oil expected in 2020.

The government had planned to offer 60 discoveries clubbed into 26 contract areas spread over 3,100 sq km in DSF-II but curtailed the offer to 25 areas comprising 59 discoveries due to some unexplained technical difficulty.

The fields are being offered in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Kutch & Cambay shallow waters, Mumbai offshore, Assam and Tripura, Mahanadi shallow water, Andhra Pradesh onland and KG offshore.

DGH officials said the main features of DSF-II include a single licence for exploitation of both conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon, prior technical experience not a pre-qualification criterion, no upfront signature bonus and full pricing and marketing freedom. Royalty rates have been reduced to 7.5 per cent from 10 per cent for offshore blocks.

In DSF-II, the fields on offer hold 190 million tonne or 1.39 billion barrels of oil and oil equivalent in place gas reserves. On offer are 15 onland fields and 10 shallow water areas. Of the 60 fields that were identified for DSF-II, 22 belong to ONGC, five to OIL and 12 are relinquished discovered fields from the New Exploration and Licensing Policy (NELP) blocks.

In DSF-I, 46 contract areas consisting of 67 discovered fields spread across nine sedimentary basins were put on auction.

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Canada's foreign ministry confirmed Thursday that China has detained a second Canadian for what Beijing has said was suspicion of threatening its national security.

"We can confirm that a Canadian citizen, Michael Spavor, has been detained in China," Canada's Global Affairs said in a statement.

"We have raised this case directly with the Chinese authorities. The Canadian government is seized of this case and will continue to speak with the Chinese government."



The ministry previously said former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig was arrested in Beijing on Monday.

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A top court in Pakistan Thursday gave one month deadline to the federal government to complete formalities to deport Indian prisoner Hamid Nihal Ansari, whose three-year jail term will end on December 15.

Ansari, a 33-year-old Mumbai resident, is currently lodged in the Peshawar Central Jail after being sentenced by a military court to three years' imprisonment for possessing a fake Pakistani identity card on December 15, 2015.

He was arrested in Pakistan in 2012 for illegally entering the country from Afghanistan, reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online.

A two-judge Peshawar High Court bench, comprising Justice Roohul Amin and Justice Qalandar Ali Khan, Thursday heard an appeal filed by Ansari through a senior lawyer. The petition said that the federal government hasn't taken any steps for his release.

Ansari's lawyer, Qazi Muhammad Anwar, said that his client's prison term will end on December 15 and he should be released on the morning of December 16.

Anwar informed the bench that the sentence of Indian national would complete after two days and both the Ministery of Interior and authorities of prison, where he was lodged, were completely silent about his release and deportation to India.

After hearing this, Justice Khan asked the Additional Attorney General to explain how would they keep the prisoner in jail after completion of his term.

"I wonder that after two days the jail term of the prisoner would be completed and the government did not complete requirements for releasing and deportation of the prisoner," the judge observed after additional attorney general informed the court that documents for release and deportation of the prisoner were not ready.

An officer, representing the interior ministry, informed the court that a prisoner could be kept for one month while the legal documents were being prepared.

After knowing the legal position, the court directed the ministry to make all the arrangements within a month for releasing and deportation of the prisoner.

On previous hearing, deputy attorney general recorded his statement on behalf of the interior ministry and said Ansari would be handed over to Indian authorities at Wagah border after completion of his term.

Ansari had gone missing after he was taken into custody by Pakistani intelligence agencies and local police in Kohat in 2012 and finally in reply to a habeas corpus petition filed by his mother, Fauzia Ansari, the high court was informed that he was in custody of the Pakistan Army and was being tried by a military court.

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A panel probing the circumstances leading to former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's death Thursday said it has summoned Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam to appear before it on December 20.

Panneerselvam, who had held the portfolios of late Jayalalithaa during her hospitalisation in 2016, will appear after Health Minister C Vijayabaskar who has been directed to be present on December 18 before the Justice A Arumughaswamy Commission of Inquiry.

Senior AIADMK leader C Ponnaiyan and police officer Sudhakar, who was part of Jayalalithaa's security team, have also been summoned to appear on December 18 and 20 respectively, commission sources told PTI.

Panneerselvam had demanded a probe into the circumstances surrounding Jayalalithaa's death after he revolted last year against V K Sasikala, confidante of Jayalalithaa.

Sasikala is now serving a prison sentence in a Bengaluru jail in the disproportionate assets case.

In his first public comments on February 8 last year on Jayalalithaa's hospitalisation, Panneerselvam, then Chief Minister, had said he could not meet her even once during her 75-day hospitalisation.

In September 2017, the state government constituted the panel under the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952.

The panel's terms of reference was to inquire into the circumstances leading to Jayalalithaa's hospitalisation on September 22, 2016, and treatment provided till her death on December 5, 2016.

Following Jayalalithaa's death, suspicion on the circumstances leading to her death was raised by several people, including Panneerselvam and his followers.

After unification of the factions led by Chief Minister K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam in August 2017, the government notified constituting the panel.

The probe was a key precondition put forth by Panneerselvam for the merger.

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India Wednesday said the Paris climate agreement was "non-negotiable" and there could be no compromise on the basic principles such as equity and Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDRRC).

"We all agree that the Paris Agreement is non-negotiable. Therefore, the delicate balance reached between developed and developing countries must be retained, and the principles such as equity and Common but Differentiated Responsibility and Respective Capabilities must be given its due," India said at the ministerial session of the UN Climate Conference here.

It said the outcome at Katowice should be inclusive, consensus based and an integrated package, including all the components of the Paris Agreement Work Programme, to reflect the global consensus reached three years ago on this very day while adopting the Paris Agreement.

"Most importantly, we must stand with the poor, marginalised and vulnerable communities who would be most impacted by climate change to show that 'WE CARE'," India said in a statement.

It added that it was time we focussed on finding common grounds and supporting each other, based on the principles of equity and climate justice, so that "no one is left behind".

"It is important to ensure equitable access to global commons for all. The Paris Agreement signifies progress towards enhanced implementation of the Convention. While we do so, we have to maintain continuity in action by fulfilling pre-2020 commitments.

"While we continue to take stock of pre-2020 action and ambition next year as well, we expect that developed countries shall honour their pre-2020 commitments so that no undue burden is shifted to the post-2020 period. We also look forward to see the Doha Amendment coming into force as soon as possible," said the statement made on behalf of Minister Harsh Vardhan.

The statement on behalf of Vardhan was made by A K Mehta, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, late Wednesday night.

The statement came amid a move by the developed countries, led by the US and the EU, to dilute CBDR-RC, a principle within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that acknowledges the different capabilities and differing responsibilities of individual countries in addressing climate change.

India and the other developing countries strongly resisted their move, citing the historical responsibility of the developed nations in emitting carbon dioxide, contributing to global warming.

India welcomed the recent IPCC Special Report, which says human activities are estimated to have caused approximately one degree celsius of global warming above the pre-industrial levels and is currently increasing at 0.2 degree celsius per decade.

"The vulnerable populations are the worst hit by extreme weather events due to a lack of resources to cope with them. The report enjoins upon us to collectively address the issues of climate change with the urgency that it deserves," India said, days after the UN scientific report was blocked by countries, including the US, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kuwait, at the ongoing climate conference here.

Earlier, India, along with three other nations, had said the UN scientific report should be taken into account in the climate negotiations.

The BASIC group of nations comprising Brazil, South Africa, India and China had made its stand clear on the UN report on limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above the pre-industrial levels at a joint-press conference held on the sidelines of the UN climate talks here.

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The Punjab Assembly, on the first day of Assembly session here, paid homage to those who were killed in the Amritsar train accident and died in a grenade blast at Adliwal village in that district.

At the outset of sixth session of 15th Punjab Vidhan Sabha, the members of the House also observed a two-minute silence.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh did not attend the opening day of the session on Thursday.

The members of the House paid homage to 58 people killed in a tragic train accident that had occurred on Dussehra day in Amritsar. The homage was also paid to three people who were killed in a grenade blast at Adliwal village near Amritsar's Rajasansi in November this year.

The House also remembered those who were martyred in the 2001 Parliament attack.

Besides, rich tributes were paid to Brigadier Kuldip Singh Chandpuri (retd), who is known as the hero of the historic 1971 battle of Longewala, and Maharani Deepinder Kaur, who was the daughter of Maharaja Harinder Singh, the last ruler of the erstwhile princely state of Faridkot.

The House paid tributes to former MLAs Bishamber Das and Ram Rattan Chaudhri, and freedom fighters.

SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia sought obituary references for farmers who committed suicides and soldiers who sacrificed their lives at the India-Pakistan border.

AAP MLA and Leader of Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema also sought that names of farmers who committed suicide be included in obituary references.

The Speaker agreed to the request of opposition benches.

Majithia also demanded from the Speaker to correct the death toll in Amritsar train accident. He said 62 people, instead of 58, lost their lives in the tragic incident.

The House was adjourned for the day after making the obituary references. It will meet again on Friday.

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India has said that peace and stability in Myanmar are in its own interest as the two countries stressed on the need to maintain security and stability along their borders and vowed not to allow insurgent groups to use their soil for hostile activities against each other side.

In a joint statement issued at the end of President Ram Nath Kovind's official engagements in Myanmar on Thursday, the two countries also called on the world community to end selective and partial approaches to combating terrorism.

During his visit, President Kovind held extensive talks with Myanmar leaders - President U Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.

"The leaders agreed that terrorism constitutes a significant threat to peace and stability in the region and should be confronted in all its forms and manifestations." the statement said, adding that they also called for the expeditious finalisation and adoption of a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism by the UN General Assembly.

President Kovind "underlined that peace and stability in Myanmar are equally in India's own interest, and that India stands committed to help Myanmar strengthen democratic institutions and emerge as a democratic federal union," the statement said.

The two sides also stressed on the need to maintain security and stability along the India-Myanmar borders, which is essential for the socio-economic development of the populations living in the border areas, it said.

"Both sides underlined their mutual respect for each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and reaffirmed their shared commitment to fight insurgent activity and the scourge of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations," it said.

They "reiterated that their commitment to not allow insurgent groups to use their soil for hostile activities against the other side is essential for the stability of the border regions and the prosperity of the people residing along the border," it added.

Myanmar is one of India's strategic neighbours and shares a 1,640-km-long border with a number of northeastern states including militancy-hit Nagaland and Manipur.

President Kovind appreciated Myanmar's ongoing efforts toward achieving peace and national reconciliation in the country.

"He expressed full support of the Government of India to the on-going peace process being pursued with various ethnic armed organisations," the statement said, without referring to the Rohingya crisis.

Over 720,000 of Myanmar's stateless Muslim minority - Rohingyas - have fled villages in the troubled Rakhine state following a military crackdown in August last year, taking shelter in refugee camps in Bangladesh.

India also handed over the first 50 units of prefabricated houses built in the Rakhine State under the Rakhine State Development Programme funded by it.

India has expressed its support for the agreements reached between Myanmar and Bangladesh for the repatriation of the verified displaced persons from Rakhine State and underlined its readiness to continue to assist in addressing the issue.

During the talks, the two sides reaffirmed their common aspiration for peace, collective prosperity and development of the region and beyond. The leaders agreed to continue exploring new opportunities to expand bilateral relations for the mutual benefit of the peoples of both countries, the statement said.

Both sides welcomed the signing of the MoU on appointing a port operator, which would enable the Sittwe Port and Paletwa IWT infrastructure to be used commercially for the development of the surrounding areas. They agreed to expedite the process for the appointment of an operator for this purpose, it said.

The Sittwe port in Myanmar will connect India's landlocked north-east region to the Bay of Bengal through Mizoram. It will also provide an alternate route to Kolkata.

Both sides reiterated their mutual respect for the already demarcated boundary between the two countries and emphasized the need to resolve amicably outstanding boundary demarcation issues at the earliest, through existing bilateral mechanisms, the statement said.

The two sides also exchanged views on the regional and international situation including the need for enhancing closer bilateral cooperation in various spheres in the broader Indo-Pacific region, with an emphasis on maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, transnational crimes and mutually-beneficial development cooperation.

They noted the current level of bilateral trade and investment and agreed that, while robust, it had immense potential for growth in a variety of sectors.

Both sides agreed that there was mutual benefit in promoting greater integration of power and energy supply networks between Myanmar and India, and reviewed ongoing public and private sector initiatives. Myanmar welcomed India's participation in its energy sector and India expressed its interest in participating in future opportunities for exploration and production in the hydrocarbon sector.

The two sides reiterated the importance of reform within the structures of the United Nations. Myanmar reiterated its support for India's efforts to become a permanent member of an expanded and reformed UN Security Council.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A reception will be held Tuesday, Dec. 18. Eighteen nonprofit LGBT organizations will soon receive early Christmas gifts, courtesy of Our Fund, South Floridas LGBT community foundation.

In all, the Foundation will disperse more than $120,000 through Our Funds Community Grant Program to fuel proposed ideas, projects and programs advancing LGBT issues in South Florida.

The gala will be held Tuesday, Dec. 18 at the New River Fine Art Gallery on Las Olas Blvd., recognizing a diverse group of organizations benefitting the LGBT community. According to Our Fund President and CEO David Jobin, the goal for awarding these grants is to inclusively unite individuals, institutions and resources from throughout the region to fulfill our mission of making South Florida the most livable community in the country for LGBT people.

Awards will be given out in eight categories: youth, seniors, womens issues, transgender issues, HIV/AIDS, arts and culture, advocacy and pets.

More than 60 organizations submitted grant applications--tripling the number of requests of just a few years agoa result of the Foundations expansion into Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.

Since its inception in 2011, Our Fund has rapidly grown into the nations third largest LGBT Community Foundation with an endowment of $10 million, behind only San Francisco and Seattle for size of endowment.

The 18 organizations received grants ranging from $5,000 to $10,000. Agencies can receive grants once in a 12-month period and must go through a rigorous vetting process, including interviews with the Foundations Grant Committee, consisting of community volunteers and a Foundation board member. The process is repeated twice each year.

Jobin said the process takes a couple of months to complete. We interview each applicant and then rate and score the project. We usually come up with 15-20 organizations that are strong enough and their program is so vital.

But thats just the beginning.

The really difficult process begins when we go out and solicit these programs to match up with our donor base. We try to find intersections where an agencys programming and our donors priorities are aligned, Jobin said. It takes time to figure out how to spend $250,000.

Tickets to the event are free. For more information on Our Fund Foundation visit Our-Fund.org or call 954-565-1090.

WHO: Our Fund Community Foundation

WHAT: 2018 Fall Community Grant Program Annual Reception

WHEN: Tuesday, December 18 at 6 p.m

WHERE: New River Fine Art Gallery, 822 E. Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale.
Sachin Pilot supporters tried to block roads and held demonstrations in Rajasthan on Thursday, demanding his appointment as the next chief minister.

As the Congress leadership in Delhi deliberated over the chief minister's post, police dispersed groups of people trying to stop traffic at places in Dausa, Ajmer and Karauli districts, police said.

In many cases, the protesters were from Pilot's Gujjar community.

The protests prompted Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee president Sachin Pilot to issue an appeal on social media, seeking calm.

Pilot and two-time chief minister Ashok Gehlot are vying for the top post in Rajasthan, following the party's victory in the assembly polls.

Bharatpur Inspector General of Police Malini Agrawal said people had initially gathered at Hindaun and nearby areas in Karauli district, but were dispersed by police.

We want Sachin Pilot as the next chief minister of Rajasthan. The party high command should declare his name as soon as possible, Sugar Singh, state secretary of Akhil Bhartiya Yuva Gurjar Mahasabha, said.

Our members were peaceful at the demonstrations, which were held in Gurjar dominated areas in eastern Rajasthan, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Political parties disrupt Parliament as part of an agenda and they must develop a code of conduct for their members to ensure that people's trust in the institution is not affected, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu said Thursday.

Addressing a gathering at the Lokmat Parliamentary Awards here, he suggested that the government and the opposition should not treat each other as enemies but as rivals and must maintain the decorum of Parliament rather than obstructing its business.

"The government and opposition are rivals not enemies and must treat each other like that atleast inside Parliament. There are very high expectations from Indian Parliament both inside and outside the country. It is observed that political parties disrupt Parliament as part of an agenda.

"They must evolve a code of conduct for its members. This will ensure that the stature of parliamentarians and Parliament is enhanced. This will reinforce people's trust in this sacred institution," Naidu said.

"Every word you utter, every decision you make, every vote you cast, resonates deeply within the hearts of your people who have great expectations from you. It is important to reassure them, to reaffirm their confidence in you," he added.

Invoking India's last governor general C Rajagopalachari and former president Pranab Mukherjee, Naidu said there should be healthy debates but not obstruction of business in Parliament.

"C Rajgopalachari had once said if you are not well on the facts go to well of the house. Pranab Mukherjee had also mentioned that once in Parliament debate, discuss and decide but not disrupt. Today the entire focus is on disruption rather than a smooth functioning," he said.

Naidu also appealed to the media to play an object role and not sensationalise.

"A vibrant, independent and truthful media of unquestionable integrity is crucial to empower the common man and to ensure the accountability of the government. The media should serve as any democracy's moral compass.

"Media should never lose sight of its Dharma, the original mission of informing, educating and empowering people. Media should also be sensitive to the plight of those who have been wronged and brave enough to expose the wrongdoers," he said.

Among those awarded at the ceremony were former Union minister and Lok Sabha MP Murli Manohar Joshi, former Union minister and Rajya Sabha MP Sharad Pawar, Lok Sabha MPs Nishikant Dubey, Rama Devi and Hema Malini and Rajya Sabha MPs Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kanimozhi and Chhaya Verma.

Sharad Pawar stated that Parliament should function and the decorum be maintained.

"I have been a parliamentarian for over five decades and not even once I have been in well nor obstructed the business. That does not mean I have not made a point and my point has not been acknowledged," the former agriculture minister said.

Former HRD and science and technology minister Murli Manohar Joshi said, "I have been in Parliament for long but the concept has changed today. The functioning, the language, the communication pattern, the behaviour, all of it has changed and in a negative way which is a matter of concern".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Amid hectic lobbying in the Congress for the top posts in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, party president Rahul Gandhi Thursday held deliberations with central observers and MLAs at his residence and said the names of the chief ministers would be declared soon.

Gandhi met the party's observers -- K C Venugopal for Rajasthan and A K Antony for Madhya Pradesh early morning along with the state unit in-charges and later met the contenders.

"Yes, you will see a chief minister soon...," he said when asked about when the decision will be taken.

"We are checking, taking inputs from different people in the party, we are taking inputs from MLAs, workers. We are getting a comprehensive answer to what the Congress party and others feel," he told reporters outside Parliament as the race for the top post in the three states hots up within the party.

The potential chief ministers in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh were earlier called in from Jaipur and Bhopal for last minute discussions with the party president before a final call is taken on who will be the chief ministers.

The party observers gave their inputs to Gandhi after talking to the newly-elected MLAs in the states. The state legislature parties of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh earlier passed a one-line resolution authorising the party president to take the final decision on chief ministers.

The contenders for the top post in Rajasthan -- Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot -- and in Madhya Pradesh -- Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia -- arrived early morning in the national capital and are slated to hold meetings with Gandhi.

Sources said while Nath is the front runner in Madhya Pradesh for the post of chief minister, Gehlot leads the race in Rajasthan, while state party chief Pilot is fighting his case and is putting up a stiff resistance.

With the young leaders in the party -- Jyotiraditya Scindia and Pilot staking their claim for the top post too, the sources added that the Congress is working on a formula to have deputy chief ministers in two states and discussions on it are underway.

Gandhi had also sought the views of party workers in the three states through an internal messaging platform after he sent out a pre-recorded audio message to them seeking their feedback on their choice of chief ministerial candidate in their respective states.

The sources said that the decision would be taken Thursday itself.

Congress observer for Chattisgarh Mallikarjun Kharge will also be handing over his report to the Congress president after he met the newly-elected legislators in Chhattisgarh as also the top contenders.

Gandhi is likely to meet the top contenders in Chhattisgarh -- state Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel, CLP leader T S Singh Deo, OBC leader Tamradhwaj Sahu and party veteran Charan Das Mahant.

Facing his first test within the Congress, Gandhi started hectic deliberations with senior party leaders since early morning Thursday.

The sources said Priyanka Gandhi was also present at Rahul Gandhi's Tughlaq Lane residence before a final call on the chief ministers is taken.

Top party leaders, including Rajasthan in-charge Avinash Pande and Madhya Pradesh in-charge Deepak Babariya, were also present during the meeting.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu will hold bilateral discussions on trade issues with US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on February 14 here, an official said.

Both the ministers would meet as part of the bilateral commercial dialogue.

The talks assumes significance as officials of both the sides are negotiating a trade package to boost bilateral commerce.

India is pressing for exemption from high duty imposed by the US on certain steel and aluminium products, resumption of export benefits to some domestic goods under their Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) as well as greater market access for its products from sectors like agriculture, automobile, auto components and engineering.

On the other hand, the US is demanding greater market access through cut in import duties for its agriculture goods, dairy products, medical devices, IT and communication items, the official added.

However, the commerce ministry is not in favour of cutting or eliminating customs duties on seven categories of ICT products, including high-end mobile phones and smart watches, as demanded by the US, citing revenue loss and adverse impact on Make in India initiative.

India's exports to the US in 2017-18 stood at USD 47.9 billion, while imports were USD 26.7 billion. The trade balance is in favour of India.

In Washington, Ross had Wednesday said: "I am happy to report that I'm scheduled to visit India this coming February. I'll be co-chairing the US-India Commercial Dialogue and the US- India CEO forum with my Indian counterpart, (commerce and industry) minister (Suresh) Prabhu".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President Ram Nath Kovind will be in Gujarat on December 15 to pay visit to the Statue of Unity in Narmada district.

He will also lay the foundation stone for a railway station at Kevadiya village in the vicinity of which the 182-meter tall statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel stands, an official release said Thursday.

Local tribal leaders are opposing the railway station and have sought a meeting with the president over the issue.

As December 15 is the death anniversary of Sardar Patel, the country's first home minister, Kovind will also attend a prayer meet in the statue complex.

The statue was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October this year.

From there, Kovind would proceed to Kevadiya village, 5 km away, to lay the foundation stone for a railway station, said the release.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal will also attend the event.

The railway station, to be built at a cost of Rs 20 crore, will provide direct rail connectivity to the tourists visiting the Statue of Unity.

To connect Kevadiya with main broad-gauge line, Railways has sanctioned the work to convert 18-km Dabhoi-Chandod narrow-gauge line into broad-gauge and build a new 32-km line from Chandod to Kevadiya, said an official of Western Railways.

Leaders of local tribal communities have sought to meet the president during his visit.

In a memorandum submitted to the district authorities Thursday, tribal leader Praful Vasava appealed Kovind not to attend the event at Kevadiya, claiming that the Kevadiya gram sabha (village body) has passed a resolution against the railway station.

"Many villagers lost their land due to the dam as well as due to the statue. Now our land will be taken for this railway station," Vasava told PTI.

The resolution passed by the gram sabha under the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA) is binding on all authorities, he claimed.

"The gram sabha ruled that villagers are against the railway station. We hope that Kovind will honour Constitutional provisions and cancel his visit. If he comes, we request him to listen to our plight first. We may take to the path of agitation if we are not heard," said Vasava.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The 79th session of the Indian History Congress (IHC), which was scheduled to be held at the Savitribai Phule Pune University here from December 28, has been postponed, drawing criticism from the research body which dubbed the decision as "unilateral".

A university official cited shortage of funds and accommodation-related issues as the reasons for postponing the mega history meet.

A brief note on the varsity's website on Wednesday said, "The scheduled 79th session of the Indian History Congress, December 28-30, 2018, at Savitribai Phule Pune University, is postponed until further notice."



IHC secretaryProf Mahalakshmi Ramakrishnan said they were "shocked and deeply disappointed" by the university's decision.

The secretary said they had a written offer from the university's vice chancellor for holding the 79th session of the IHC at the varsity.

"We received an email from an anonymous "Team IHC" on December 11, which appeared to be emanating from the office of the local secretary in Pune, that due to financial difficulties and lack of arrangements for accommodation of delegates, they have at the last moment taken this unilateral decision," Ramakrishnan said in a note on IHC's website.

On December 12, the website of SPPU carried the announcement of the postponement of IHC, "without the approval of IHC's executive committee", the official noted.

"We have written to the vice chancellor of SPPU expressing our deep anguish and asking him toensure that the local delegate fee is returned immediately to members," Ramakrishnan said.

"We regret that our members are being put to great inconvenience at this late hour but assure themthat we will hold the 79th session at a future date, the dates and venue of which will be conveyedby email to members and on the Indian History Congress website," the note added.

Noted historian S Irfan Habib expressed surprise at the sudden decision of the university to postpone the event.

"Shocking to know that Savitri Bai Phule University in Pune suddenly decided not to host the 79th Indian History Congress session. IHC session was supposed to be held by the end of this month. Law and order issues are cited as one major reason by the university hosts," Habib said in a tweet.

IHC is the largest professional and academic body of Indian historians. It promotes and encourages scientific study of Indian history, according to the IHC's website.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A key meeting of the Indian History Congress (IHC), slated to be hosted by the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) from December 28, has been put off and not cancelled, the varsity said Thursday even as the historians' body dubbed the decision as "unilateral".

The 79th session of the IHC, a professional body of historians, was to be held at the SPPU from December 28-30.

As the issue created a row, the SPPU this evening issued a statement, saying the three-day event has not been cancelled but only postponed.

"We have given them proposal to hold the event in February, March or May next year," said Radhika Sadhan, Professor, Department of History, SPPU, in the statement.

Another varsity official said the decision to postpone the conference was taken due to the shortage of funds and non- availability of adequate accommodation facilities for the delegates.

A brief note posted on the varsity's website Wednesday said, "The scheduled 79th session of the Indian History Congress, December 28-30, 2018, at Savitribai Phule Pune University, is postponed until further notice."



IHC secretary Prof Mahalakshmi Ramakrishnan said they were "shocked and deeply disappointed" by the university's decision.

The secretary said they had a written offer from the university's vice chancellor for holding the 79th session of the IHC at the varsity.

"We received an email from an anonymous "Team IHC" on December 11, which appeared to be emanating from the office of the local secretary in Pune, that due to financial difficulties and lack of arrangements for accommodation of delegates, they have at the last moment taken this unilateral decision," Ramakrishnan said in a note on IHC's website.

On December 12, the website of SPPU carried the announcement of the postponement of IHC, "without the approval of IHC's executive committee", the official noted.

"We have written to the vice chancellor of SPPU expressing our deep anguish and asking him tonsure that the local delegate fee is returned immediately to members," Ramakrishnan said.

"We regret that our members are being put to great inconvenience at this late hour but assure them that we will hold the 79th session at a future date, the dates and venue of which will be conveyed by email to members and on the Indian History Congress website," the note added.

Noted historian S Irfan Habib expressed surprise at the "sudden" decision of the university to postpone the event.

"Shocking to know that Savitri Bai Phule University in Pune suddenly decided not to host the 79th Indian History Congress session.

"IHC session was supposed to be held by the end of this month. Law and order issues are cited as one major reason by the university hosts," Habib said in a tweet.

The IHC is the largest professional and academic body of Indian historians. The organisation promotes and encourages scientific study of Indian history, according to the IHC's website.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress president Rahul Gandhi has deferred the decisions on chief ministers of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh for Friday as he wants to hold further discussions with party leaders, Congress sources said.

Gandhi held discussions with party leaders in Chhattisgarh Thursday to decide on the new chief minister for the state, the party sources said, but postponed the decision to Friday for holding wider discussions with the contenders.

The Congress chief had earlier held a series of meetings with CM aspirants in Rajasthan -- Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot -- but no consensus emerged between the two and Pilot asserted his right for the top post.

Pilot's supporters also shouted slogans in his favour outside Gandhi's residence here.

While Gehlot is learnt to be leading the race for chief minister's post, Pilot is also putting up stiff resistance and is staking his claim.

Gandhi held a late evening meeting with party's central observer Mallikarjun Kharge, who said that further deliberations will take place tomorrow with state leaders before arriving at a final decision on chief minister.

AICC in-charge of party affairs in Chhattisgarh P L Punia was also present during the meeting with Gandhi.

"The meeting has been postponed for tomorrow. There will be a meeting again tomorrow," Kharge told reporters after meeting Gandhi.

The sources said T S Singh Deo and Bhupesh Baghel have also been called to the national capital from Raipur for discussions with top party leaders.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The recent assembly poll results have demonstrated that the BJP is not invincible as there is "anger" among people over several of the Centre's policies, including on agriculture, rising fuel prices and demonetisation, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said Thursday.

Abdullah said the results made it clear that there is anger and a feeling of alienation among the people and the Centre has been unwilling to accept this reality. He also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he should listen more and talk less.

"Modi ji talks a great deal, which is not wrong, but people who talk more, listen less.

"The prime minister does not listen as much as he should. Otherwise, the mass anger due to agrarian distress, demonetisation or rising fuel prices among others will not have led to humiliation for the BJP in the assembly polls," Abdullah said at an event here.

The BJP lost the assembly elections in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

"The general notion that the PM is a powerful speaker and party president Amit Shah is a master strategist and both have a magic wand and will always lead the BJP to victory, has been dispelled by the poll results. We know now that (Congress chief) Rahul Gandhi can lead the Congress to victory," he said.

"We now know that it is not impossible to beat the BJP. Everything they were known for, from Shah's great management, money power and Modi's capability to galvanise masses has come a cropper," he said at a national conclave organised by 'Lokmat'.

The National Conference leader said the political mood in the country had already changed and it will not be easy for the BJP to arrest it very soon and take it into its command.

"The winds of change have begun, the atmosphere has altered. And it is not in the BJP's favour anymore," he said.

Abdullah said Gandhi should get the credit for his party's success as he is the man who faced the flak for the Congress' poor performance in the past elections.

He said the regional parties will play a key role in the upcoming general election, highlighting the results of Telangana and Mizoram.

He said his party decided to support the rival PDP recently to "save the state" of Jammu and Kashmir.

"We are all worried about the situation in the state. We are also concerned that the special status of Jammu and Kashmir granted under articles 370 and 35A needs to be defended in the Supreme Court. The next hearing is in January and we wanted an assurance from Government of India that it will be defended in a right manner, but haven't got it so far," he said.

Abdullah, however, lauded Modi for reaching out to Pakistan initially to normalise ties between the two countries.

"The prime minister made sincere efforts initially. He invited former (Pakistani) Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to his swearing-in ceremony at a time when nobody would have imagined and then paid a surprise visit to Lahore, but Pakistan hasn't acted on our concerns...The perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai attack have not been brought to book and are roaming freely in Pakistan," he said.

"Imran Khan has to walk the talk and dispel the apprehension here in our country that he has been installed by the Army and is Army's man," he said.

Abdullah said Pakistan would have to do something to win India's confidence so that New Delhi can forget the past experiences and trust Islamabad again.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Biden Foundations As You Are awareness campaign released its first set of collected personal stories Tuesday morning

in map format.

With more than 500 stories spread across the northern continent (with a few in Mexico), its clear most stories came from the coastal U.S. Small pink dots notate the location of a storys author (optionally anonymous), likely determined by the zip code entrants are forced to submit.

The Midwest show some stories, mostly bunched together around cities like Denver, Colorado, and Salt Lake City, Utah. Notably, while the map lists names of cities after several zooms into it, it doesnt show state names. It does, however, show the names of Native American reservations.

Along with the map comes a video interviewwith the parents of Rio, whose last name and age arent provided and who transitioned while her dad Steve Bennet was away on a rugby trip.

When she was exhibiting what he considered female-like behaviors, Bennet tells us he tried to persuade her to dress like a boy, behave like a boy. A former rugby player, he wanted to have a rugby playing son." Rios mother Robin Bacsfalvi says that despite telling her the two supported her, I think she didnt necessarily trust that in her dad, and she waited until he was away to actually transition.It was time to change my attitude, Bennet concludes. Were all just learning as we go."

Watch the full video below:

Despite excluding names, state borders are clear. We compiled all 11 Florida As You Are stories below, listed by the nearest municipality to the storys geotag (the only exception is two entries we left undefinedconsidering privacy concerns for their underage-identifying authors). The entries themselves have not been edited at all.

Fort Lauderdale

Randall, 60, He/his

I came out to my family at the age of 32. I was living overseas and had my first same-sex lover who I wanted to share my life with. I could not see doing that without my family being part of it. There was no internet or email back then so I wrote them a letter explaining to them who I am and how happy I was. When I got home for my next visit all of my family expressed strong support for me and understanding. They welcomed my partner as a member of the family. My family is very religious and spiritual and each proved to me that their beliefs were as God meant "all inclusive."

Davie

Justin, 28, He, him, his

In 2015, at the age of 25, I decided to make the decision to come out to my mom. For years, I knew that I was different and that my difference was dangerous to those who did not understand it. My decision to come out was and still is met with a harsh reality that being who you are and living your authentic self is not always supported, understood, and loved. As a black gay man, I have to not only combat the homophobia within the black community, but the racism that exists amongst the gay community. All while trying to exist in a world dominated by what it means to be a man based on societal expectations. However, the rejection I have experienced from my family has strengthened me to continue to support and help others become the best versions of themselves. Its the light that shines within me that has enabled others to find their own light and ignite the fire of their being.

Pinecrest

Jennifer, 46, she/her

I am a parent to four amazing children ranging from 24 years old to 7 years old. My oldest daughter came out as gay in her Senior year of high school and we just celebrated her marriage to her wife this past January. My youngest child is a fabulous gender non-conforming boy who loves ballet and the RuPaul Drag Race show At age 7 he is a powerful advocate for himself and other children just like him. Weve traveled to Washington to march in protest along with various Pride parades to celebrate love.

The Hammocks (Miami-Dade)

Jaime, She/her

My youngest child is six and has been gender nonconforming since being able to articulate at 18 months old. [My child] was born biologically male and initially indicated that he was "a boy who liked all girl things." This past year, [she] has socially transitioned and now prefers the pronouns she/her and will be starting first grade soon as her authentic self. As Miami is deeply religious and conservative, my husband and I have been loud and proud advocates in our community and our school district. We are active members of PFLAG and offer our support and resources to other LGBTQ parents in their journey. We believe that visibility is key to show others that there is absolutely nothing wrong with LGBTQ youth and that the elementary school system needs to be not only inclusive, they must be affirming as well.

You can share your own story with the foundation here.

Hours before the foundation released the map and video, former Vice President Joe Biden told a Montana crowd hes the "most qualified person" to be president. As CNN reported: I'll be as straight with you as I can. I think I'm the most qualified person in the country to be president, Biden said to applause at the University of Montana. The issues that we face as a country today are the issues that have been in my wheelhouse, that I've worked on my whole life. The As You Are map shows two entries. While sparse compared to nearby California and Washington, those two are more than Montanas blank states show on the map.

Launched in August, the goal of the As You Are campaign is to showcase what a familys acceptance means to LGBT youth directly through first-hand accounts. The foundation encouraged people to submit stories online. After asking about preferred pronouns and five words you feel describe you, the campaign has two main questions:

Tell us about an experience youve had with family and community acceptance and/or rejection. How has this experience impacted your life?

Why is family and community acceptance important to you?

Below are the rest of the Florida based stories.

[Undefined]

Anonymous, 14, they/them

I havent officially come out to my parents as non-binary, but their opinions have told me enough to know that they would not accept me. The subject of non-binary genders came on a political talk show, and my dad expressed a "disliking" to them, for lack of a better word. He didnt think that non-binary genders were real, following the "only two genders" belief, with my mom agreeing. This single interaction has led me to a constant need for independence, along with a damaged relationship with my parents. I have already mentally prepared myself for the comments like "thats not a real thing" or "its not a phase," and even making plans of what I would do if I ever got kicked out for my identity (or worse: conversion therapy, which is legal in my state.)

Venice

Vanessa, 41, she/her

Im a parent of a 9-year-old transgender son. I always considered myself an accepting, liberal person, even an ally to the LGBTQ community. But when my son was age 4 and began expressing that he felt like a boy, I did struggle.  I allowed him to express himself with his preferred clothing choices, and even a haircut, but I misstepped on allowing him to socially transition at a young age. Because I wanted an easy path for him. So, I mistakenly stifled him, dismissed him. And by 8 age, he was self-harming A few months into therapy with a wonderful woman who specializes in gender identity, my son socially transitioned. And has never been more confident, healthy, and happy. Had I not have listened, had I continued to stifle him, not embraced his authentic identity, I am certain he would be a greater statistic, possibly even suicide. I cannot fathom.

St. Petersburg

TJ, 43, he/his

I will try to keep this short. I still carry the pain and trauma of coming out to my parents. I was 18 and was openly gay to all of my friends. I came out to my father during an argument  When I finally got around to saying "Im gay" he gave me the most hateful look I can ever remember getting from him and said "do you think I dont know that? Do you think I ever had any hope of seeing a grandchild with my name?" Then he gave me a choice: I could either "live the right way" or get out of his house. The way I saw it, there was no choice. I packed everything I could carry on me. When I told him I was leaving he made sure that I left my house key  I stayed at my best friends house (who was gay and whose parents were accepting when he came out to them) for two days before my mother convinced me to come back home. Needless to say things with my parents were consistently uncomfortable. I moved away to Florida two years later.

Immediately after moving I met the man who has now been my partner for 22 years. My parents came to visit me for the first time a little more than a year after I moved and met my partner. To say it was difficult and awkward would be an understatement. They saw our apartment and got a glimpse of our lifestyle. They both came to realize that what they envisioned as the "gay lifestyle" wasnt true at all. They realized that we (gay people) could be people of ethics and integrity who worked hard and lived a healthy lifestyle just as much as any heterosexual people. My partner became as much a part of the family as any of my sisters husbands.

Palm Harbor

Denise, 59, She/Her

Im a retired LEO and 18-year military veteran. I discovered who I really was after the Internet was launched and I learned the word transgender, in my late 30s. After what I call my "Decade of Denial" I realized I only had two options: Eat a bullet and end my misery or finally accept who and what I am. I transitioned and embraced the new and improved me, Denise, a WOMAN, at the age of 49/50. I have lost many friends, some family (my dad has pretty much disinherited me and refuses to acknowledge my existence). My two kids and now my grandkids have stood by me the entire time. It was hard for all involved, but we made it. Since I came out, in 2010, I have been to culinary school, radiology school and still cannot get a job that doesnt involve asking if you want your order supersized. Im currently "this close" to being one of the homeless statistics lovely. Another homeless vet. Today, Ive created my own J.O.B. becoming an activist fighting for acceptance of all, embracing the diversity of our country, educating, advocating in my local community.

[Undefined]

Anonymous, 15, he/him/they/them

My first taste of acceptance was from my friend group. I had only had my eyes opened to the LGBTQIA+ community when I had moved, and along the road I had met many different members of the community. When I realized I was non-binary, my friends and my boyfriend accepted me with open arms. To this day there are people who I know still see me as the gender I was assigned at birth, but Ive never faced rejection in the face from those I care about. Family acceptance is so vital to people like me. To know that you can be yourself and be seen as what you really are with your family must be so incredible and freeing. Being closeted is disheartening to many people (including myself). And, since this community is about acceptance, exclusive speech can be damaging and hurtful. Its the least we can all do, to make people feel welcome and accepted in this community.

Orlando

Antonio, 21, He/his

I am extremely grateful to have been accepted by my family. Growing up, I did not have a father figure in my life. It was my mother doing it all alone and I can say she did a fantastic job. Coming out is not easy. Telling my friends was easy but the family part was a task that I was hesitant on doing. I had a strong feeling my mom would be accepting and happy with it but there was still that part of me that was unsure of how to do it, when to do it. She was the one who actually asked me if I was gay as we were shopping for an outfit for me to attend New York City Pride. I told her, "Yes. I wanted to tell you after the parade with all of my new rainbow gear." She started to laugh and assured me that this changed nothing whatsoever.  She will attend marches or events in my honor and support me to no end. Knowing that my one and only parental support system is that wonderful makes me so unbelievably happy. Between her confronting opposers or happily discussing my life with others, this display of acceptance is one that has made my life happy and less worrisome. The conversation of my coming out will be something I will never forget and her actions and love following it have positively impacted me.

St. Augustine

Anonymous, 17, he/his

I came out as transgender at the end of my 8th grade year. When I started high school, I had socially transitioned For six weeks, I used the mens room at school without a problem, but then someone anonymously complained about it, and I was called out of class and into the Guidance Office and told that I had to use one of the few gender-neutral restrooms on campus. That was confusing and humiliating for me.  [My mom and I] filed a complaint with the Department of Educations Office of Civil Rights, and they conducted an investigation over months, but just as that was wrapping up, the current administration was elected and we couldnt reach our OCR investigator anymore. We still dont know the status of that complaint.

Finally, losing hope, we contacted Lambda Legal, which helped us file a federal lawsuit against the school district. We filed in June 2017 and went to trial December 2017. It was the first transgender student bathroom case to go to trial, and it was exhausting. I was a junior in high school at that time, and on top of homework, clubs, volunteering and sports, I had to also make time for meetings and calls with lawyers, deposition and trial prep, and the trial itself, during which I took the stand to speak in defense of trans-inclusive bathroom policies.

The judge ruled on July 26, 2018, that the district policy was unconstitutional under both Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause, which was wonderful. I felt so validated and so valued at last, and as a senior, I now have the right to use the mens room at school. But the process of having to sue the district definitely changed me.  Im a leader of my schools GSA and have been working to build the club into the strongest it can be. I dont back down from a challenge as easily as I used to, and I am a lot more confident in standing up for whats right.
Former Union Minister P Chidambaram on Thursday said he "deeply regrets" not acting on the report submitted by three interlocutors on Kashmir following a massive unrest in the valley in 2010 and asserted that talks are the "only way forward" to resolve Kashmir's problems.

Speaking at Lokmat National Conclave, Chidambaram noted that bringing an amendment to Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and removing "inhumane" provisions will send a very powerful signal in Jammu and Kashmir. He termed the "muscular military" approach to Kashmir as the "biggest mistake" of the government and claimed it has only driven more youths towards militancy.

Three Kashmir interlocutors, M.M. Ansari, Radha Kumar and Dileep Padgaonkar, were appointed by the Centre as part of its eight-point package for the state following the massive unrest in the valley in the summer of 2010



The report was submitted to the Union Home Ministry in 2011, when Chidambaram was the Home Minister.

"I deeply regret the way the report was handled. They (interlocutors) did a fantastic job. We should have acted. It remains one of my regrets," the Congress leader said, while replying to a question by former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Farooq Abdullah.

He said his party and now many others including the Army are of the view that the only way forward is talks.

"The military and police is not the answer to Kashmir's problems. It drives more young men and sometimes women to embrace militancy. More and more people are joining the ranks of militancy and that is because of intensified army police action," he said.

On a question, he said, "This government adopted from day one a muscular military macho approach to Kashmir and that is the price which the state has paid".

"This approach was bound to fail. The biggest mistake was adopting this approach. From time to time there has to be police action but immediately it must withdraw and allow the civil administration to engage. Here the civil administration is not engaging the people at all," he said.

"It is only the military and police which are calling the shots. They are also posting that they have broken the back of militancy. Had they done that...they have admitted that a large number of young men had joined the ranks of militants in November," he claimed.

He said a completely fresh thinking has to be brought.

"Allow the civil administration to engage the people. Use interlocutors if political leaders have lost credibility. Talk to all stakeholders. I think, even if you amend ASFPA and remove those inhumane provisions, it will send a very powerful signal in Jammu and Kashmir," he added.

AFSPA gives special powers to the security forces in disturbed areas.

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The board of the French automaker Renault said Thursday that it was keeping Carlos Ghosn as its chief executive, after an internal review of his pay package found that it conformed with French law.

Ghosn has been held under arrest in Japan since November 19 on charges of financial misconduct and under-reporting his pay as head of Renault's partner Nissan, which has since sacked him as chairman.

He has also been dismissed as chairman of Mitsubishi, another partner in the Renault-Nissan alliance.

Renault kept Ghosn on as CEO after his arrest in Tokyo, but launched an enquiry into his pay package and named a deputy CEO, Thierry Bollore, to ensure day-to-day management.

"The compensation of the chairman and chief executive officer of Renault and the conditions under which such compensation was approved were in compliance with applicable law," the automaker said after a board meeting Thursday.

The board said this referred to compensation for the years 2015 to 2018, adding that it had asked its lawyers to continue their review in liaison with Nissan's lawyers.

Renault's lawyers also provided the board with a report on a presentation made by Nissan's lawyers, the statement said.

At this stage, the board "does not have information concerning Carlos Ghosn's defence," it added.

Both Ghosn and a key aide Greg Kelly, who is also being held in Japan in connection with the charges, have reportedly denied the claims.

The 64-year-old Franco-Lebanese-Brazilian executive was formally charged Monday in Japan of under-declaring his income by some five billion yen (USD 44 million) between 2010 and 2015.

At the same time, prosecutors served him with a new warrant alleging that he also under-reported his income over the past three years.

Under Japanese law, suspects can be re-arrested several times for different allegations, allowing prosecutors to question them for prolonged periods -- a system that has drawn criticism internationally.

In addition to charges against Ghosn and Kelly, prosecutors have also indicted Nissan itself, as the company submitted the official documents that under-reported the income.

Ghosn, a towering figure in the global auto industry who had nonetheless prompted grumblings over a perceived lavish lifestyle, has reportedly told embassy visitors he is being treated well, but has complained of the cold in his cell and of the rice-based food.

If found guilty, he could face a 10-year prison sentence.

Shortly after Ghosn's indictment, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reiterated the need to maintain the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, calling it "a symbol of Japan-France industrial cooperation".

This did not prevent reports of tension between the three companies, which outsold every rival group last year, even though executives have said they remain "fully committed" to the alliance.

In addition to under-reporting his salary, Ghosn is suspected of deferring part of his compensation to avoid criticism from staff and shareholders that his salary was too generous.

His arrest sparked incredulity at Renault, which now owns 43 percent of Nissan, which in turns has a 15 percent stake in its French partner.

Ghosn is celebrated for saving Nissan from the brink of bankruptcy and rebuilding it as a money-making subsidiary of Renault.

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Statutory rights of over 10 crore elderly persons in India must be recognised and implemented, the Supreme Court said Thursday, directing the Centre to obtain information from all states and Union Territories about the number of old age homes in each district.

It also suggested a relook at the pension for the elderly so as to make it is more realistic.

Emphasising the social justice aspect, the apex court said that state is obligated to ensure that right to live with dignity, shelter and health of citizens, including the elderly, are not only protected but also enforced.

A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta directed the Centre to obtain information from all the states about the medical facilities and geriatric care available to senior citizens in each districts.

It said based on the information gathered by the Centre, a plan of action should be prepared for giving publicity to provisions of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 to make the elderly aware about their constitutional and statutory rights.

The court said status reports be filed by the Centre on these issues by January 31.

It said the Centre must exercise its power and issue appropriate directions to the states for effective implementation of the provisions of the 2007 Act and also conduct a review for the purposes of monitoring its progress.

Referring to the ongoing schemes of the government which are meant for elderly, the bench said, "It is high time that the Government of India has a re-look at these schemes and perhaps overhaul them with a view to bring about convergence and avoid multiplicity".

"In particular, the Government of India and the state governments must revisit the grant of pension to the elderly so that it is more realistic. Of course, this would depend upon the availability of finances and the economic capacity of the Government of India and the state governments," the bench said.

It said there is a need to continuously monitor progress in the implementation of rights of the elderly, the only available solution is a "continuing mandamus" (writ issued as a command) to ensure that rights of people are enforced.

The bench referred to the speech delivered by President Ram Nath Kovind on Constitution day on November 26 and said he had "emphasised that social justice remains a touchstone of our nation building".

"Social justice in the Preamble of our Constitution has been given pride of place and for good reason since it is perhaps the most important and significant form of justice," it said.

The bench said "fortunately", the Constitution of India is "organic" and the Supreme Court is "forward looking" and this combination has resulted in path-breaking developments in law, particularly in the sphere of social justice.

The bench said this in its judgement delivered on the pleas by former union minister and senior advocate Ashwini Kumar and one Sanjeeb Panigrahi who both have raised the issues concerning the elderly.

The bench noted in its order that the Centre had in 2007 fixed monthly pension of Rs 200 for persons between the age of 60-79 years and Rs 500 for those aged above 80.

It referred to several verdicts of the apex court and said right to live with dignity is a part of the right to life as postulated in Article 21 of the Constitution.

It noted that the Centre had informed the court about National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), which was introduced in 1995 and deals with pensions for elderly and other issues.

The bench said the Centre, state governments and union territory administrations must work "in tandem" if they want to make the scheme workable and meaningful.

It said about two-decades ago, the court had recognised right to shelter or right to reasonable accommodation as one of the basic needs of any human being but unfortunately, attention was not paid to the needs of elderly who require special care and attention.

"No blanket order can be prayed for by the petitioner or even argued for overlooking the financial capacity of the state," the bench said.

"No doubt, at some stage the petitioner did contend that in matters of fundamental rights, financial issues take a back seat but it must be remembered at the same time that the resources of the country are not unlimited and when it comes to the court directing the state to expend amounts," it said.

It noted that number of elderly has increased from 1.98 crore in 1951 to 7.6 crore in 2001 and 10.38 crore in 2011, and it is projected that the number of senior citizens in India would increase to 14.3 crore in 2021 and 17.3 crore in 2026.

The bench said it is the time to recognise that there was a large number of elderly persons who are rendered 'homeless' due to migration of their families to other parts of country and even outside India.

"In the absence of a suitable number of old age homes, and homes as per their status, they are left to fend for themselves making them vulnerable to mishaps and other unforeseen events," it said.

"Therefore, there cannot be any excuse of lack of finances either by the Government of India or by the state governments in strictly implementing the provisions the MWP (Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens) Act. In short, if not the constitutional then at least the statutory rights of elderly persons must be recognised and implemented," the court said.

It made it clear that the court was not at all critical of the efforts made by the Centre or states on the issue concerning elderly.

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South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha is slated to visit India next week, during which she will hold talks with her counterpart Sushma Swaraj on the progress in multifaceted cooperation between the two countries, the MEA said Thursday.

On an invitation by External Affairs Minister Swaraj, Kang will visit India on December 18-19, the ministry said in a statement.

"During the visit, External Affairs Minister and the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea (ROK) will co-chair the ninth meeting of the India-ROK Joint Commission," it said.

"They will review the progress in multifaceted cooperation under the Special Strategic Partnership between the two countries, including follow-up action on decisions taken during the visit of ROK President Moon Jae-in to India in July 2018, and will explore new areas of cooperation," the MEA statement said.

They will also exchange views on regional and global issues of common interest, it added.

President Moon, accompanied by a Korean delegation, had visited India during July 8-11. During his visit, he had held wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, attended a forum of top business leaders from both the countries and visited the Akshardham temple in Delhi.

The South Korean president's visit "has opened new vistas of cooperation" in bilateral ties and the relationship between the two countries are "more vibrant", its envoy in New Delhi, Shin Bong-Kil had said in October.

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The Supreme Court Thursday refused to entertain an Axis Bank plea opposing the release of Rs 9.39 crore, which is part of Rs 3,500 crore awarded by a Singapore tribunal to Daiichi Sankyo in its case against former Ranbaxy promoters Malvinder and Shivinder Singh.

Axis Bank, which lent money to Ranbaxy and has secured an order for attachment of properties from the Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT), had recently moved the Delhi High Court saying that the Japanese pharma major not be allowed to realise the part payment of the award "unless a proportionate amount of money is kept back" for it.

The high court, which is hearing a plea of Daiichi seeking execution of the Rs 3,500 crore Singapore tribunal arbitral award against former Ranbaxy promoters, had rejected the plea of Axis Bank. The private bank challenged it in the apex court.

Senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, appearing for Axis Bank, told a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi that the lending bank was armed with an attachment order from the DRT in its favour and if the Japanese firm is allowed to realise the entire arbitral award sum, then nothing would remain for it.

"Heard the counsel for the petitioner and perused the relevant material...We are not inclined to interfere. The Special Leave Petition is accordingly dismissed," said the bench, also comprising justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph.

Daiichi had bought Ranbaxy in 2008. Later, it had moved the Singapore arbitration tribunal accusing that the Singh brothers had concealed information that the Indian company was facing probe by the US Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Justice, while selling its shares.

Daiichi had to enter into a settlement agreement with the US Department of Justice, agreeing to pay USD 500 million penalty to resolve potential, civil and criminal liability. The company had then sold its stake in Ranbaxy to Sun Pharmaceuticals for Rs 22,679 crore in 2015.

Earlier, the High Court, while hearing the plea of the Japnese firm for execution of arbitral award, had asked Malvinder and Shivinder Singh to maintain status quo with regard to their assets, disclosed by them during the arbitral proceedings,



Later, the high court directed Singh brothers to deposit with it 3.5 million Singapore dollars, which they had obtained by selling the shares in a company in violation of court's direction.

The order had come after the high court was informed by the counsel for Malvinder that his 45 lakh equity shares in Religare Healthcare Trust were sold in Singapore in April.

The court had also directed the brothers and 12 others, including their family members and companies, to come up with a plan on how they seek to deposit the amount of Rs 3,500 crore.

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The Supreme Court is scheduled Friday to pronounce verdict on pleas seeking court-monitored probe into India's multi-billion dollar Rafale fighter jet deal with France.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had reserved its verdict on a batch of pleas on November 14.

Advocate M L Sharma was the first petitioner in the case. Later, another lawyer Vineet Dhanda had moved the apex court with the plea for court-monitored probe into the deal.

AAP leader Sanjay Singh has also filed a petition against the fighter jet deal.

After the three petitions were filed, former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie alongwith activist advocate Prashant Bhushan had moved the apex court with a plea for a direction to the CBI to register FIR for alleged irregularities in the deal.

The Centre has defended the multi-billion deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets and opposed public disclosure of the pricing details.

India signed an agreement with France for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft in a fly-away condition as part of the upgrading process of Indian Air Force equipment. The estimated cost of the deal is Rs 58,000 crore.

The Rafale fighter is a twin-engine Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) manufactured by French aerospace company Dassault Aviation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court is scheduled Friday to pronounce verdict on pleas seeking court-monitored probe in the multi-billion dollar Rafale fighter jet deal with France.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had reserved its verdict on a batch of pleas on November 14.

Advocate M L Sharma was the first petitioner in the case. Later, another lawyer Vineet Dhanda had moved the apex court with the plea for court-monitored probe into the deal.

AAP leader Sanjay Singh has also filed a petition against the fighter jet deal.

After the three petitions were filed, former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie alongwith activist advocate Prashant Bhushan had moved the apex court with a plea for a direction to the CBI to register FIR for alleged irregularities in the deal.

The Centre has defended the deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets and opposed public disclosure of the pricing details.

India signed an agreement with France for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft in a fly-away condition as part of the upgrading process of Indian Air Force equipment. The deal is estimated to be about Rs 58,000 crore (about USD 8 billion).

The Rafale fighter is a twin-engine Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) manufactured by French aerospace company Dassault Aviation.

While reserving the verdict, the apex court had said that the pricing details of Rafale jets could only be discussed after it decides on whether to make it public.

The observation by an apex court bench had came after the government refused to publicly divulge pricing details of the deal, saying it would give advantage to India's enemies.

While hearing a bunch of pleas alleging criminality in Rafale deal and seeking court-monitored probe into it, the apex court had asked wide-ranging questions from the government on issues including lack of sovereign guarantee from the French government, selection of Indian offset partner by the Dassault Aviation and need of entering into Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) with France.

The court had taken note of submissions and counter arguments on pricing of the fighter jets with the petitioners alleging that the government has been giving "bogus arguments" and "hiding behind the secrecy clause".

Vehemently defending non-disclosure of price publicly, Attorney General K K Venugopal, appearing for Centre had said that the cost of a bare Rafale jet as per 2016 exchange rate was Rs 670 crore and the disclosure of price of a "fully loaded" aircraft would give an "advantage to the adversaries".

Bhushan had claimed that the Union Law Ministry had red-flagged two issues -- absence of sovereign guarantee by France and international arbitration clause in IGA as per which the arbitration seat would be at Geneva -- but the government went ahead with the deal.

Venugopal had admitted that there was no sovereign guarantee, but said that France has given a 'letter of comfort' which would be good enough as a governmental guarantee.

The court during the hearing on the bunch of pleas had also interacted senior Indian Air Force (IAF) officers and enquired about the requirements of the force.

The IAF officers had emphasised in the apex court the need for induction of 'four plus or fifth' generation fighter aircraft like Rafale, which have niche stealth technology and enhanced electronic warfare capabilities.

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In the run-up to the next month's Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, the Science City in Ahmedabad would host exhibitions on future technologies and space exploration, said officials here Thursday.

While the exhibition on 'Futuristic Technologies' will be held between January 17-20, the exhibition showcasing achievements in space exploration will be kept open till May 11 following its inauguration on January 17, said Dhananjay Dwivedi, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology.

"Science City in Ahmedabad will hold an exhibition on futuristic technologies that have real world commercial applications.

"It will provide a glimpse of the advanced technologies that were once considered as science fiction," the IAS officer told reporters.

The exhibition will showcase cutting edge technologies such as augmented reality, robotics and indigenously built space suit among other exhibits, he added.

Another exhibition will be on space explorations. It will have different sections such as solar system theatre, returning to the moon, exploring asteroids, voyaging to mars, reaching to outer solar system and beyond our solar system, said Dwivedi.

The 9th edition of Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit will be held from January 18-20 at Mahatma Mandir in the state capital.

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The stranger showed up at the girl's door one night with a tantalizing job offer: Give up your world, and I will give you a future.

It was a chance for 16-year-old Marselina Neonbota to leave her isolated village in one of the poorest parts of Indonesia for neighboring Malaysia, where some migrant workers can earn more in a few years than in a lifetime at home.

A way out for a girl so hungry for a life beyond subsistence farming that she walked 22 kilometers (14 miles) every day to the schoolhouse and back.

She grabbed the opportunity and disappeared.

The cheerful child known to her family as Lina joined the army of Indonesians who migrate every year to wealthier countries in Asia and the Middle East for work. Thousands come home in coffins, or vanish. Among them, possibly hundreds of trafficked girls have quietly disappeared from the impoverished western half of Timor island and elsewhere in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province.

The National Agency for Placement and Protection of Indonesian Workers has counted more than 2,600 cases of dead or missing Indonesian migrants since 2014. And even those numbers mostly leave out people like Lina who are recruited illegally -- an estimated 30 percent of Indonesia's 6.2 million migrant workers.

On that night in 2010, Lina didn't seem to sense the danger posed by the stranger named Sarah. But Lina's great-aunt and great-uncle, who had raised her, were hesitant.

Sarah insisted they could trust her; she was related to the village chief. And Lina would only be gone two years.

Lina's aunt, Teresia Tasoin, knew a Malaysian salary could support the whole family. Her husband fighting both a teenager's excitement and a crushing headache doubted he could stop Lina from going.

Still, the couple wanted to hold a Catholic prayer service for Lina before she left. Sarah promised she would only take Lina to the provincial capital of Kupang for one night to organize her paperwork, then bring her back the next day. It was a lie.

Less than one hour after Sarah walked into their home, she walked back out with Lina. And just like that, their girl was gone.

Looking back on it now, Tasoin crumbles under the weight of what-ifs. "I regret it," she says through tears.

"I regret letting her go."



When it comes to tracking the fate of migrants, Asia is the blackest of black holes.

It has more migrants than any region on earth, with millions traveling within Asia and to the Mideast for work. Yet it has the least data on those who vanish. In an exclusive tally, The Associated Press found more than 8,000 cases of dead and missing migrants in Asia and the Mideast since 2014, in addition to the 2,700 listed by the U.N.'s International Organization for Migration. More than 2,000 unearthed by the AP were from the Philippines alone. And countless other cases are never reported.

These workers reflect part of the hidden toll of global migration. An AP investigation documented at least 61,135 migrants dead or missing worldwide over the same period, a tally that keeps rising . That's more than double the number found by the IOM, the only group that has tried to count them.

While it's not clear how many left for jobs, in general workers make up about two-thirds of international migrants, according to the International Labor Organization; the rest are fleeing everything from drug violence to war and famine. Migrants may die on perilous journeys through deserts or at sea, while many others like Lina disappear into networks that traffic in people.

In deeply Christian East Nusa Tenggara, the church has become one of the few advocates for the dead and disappeared. With the impoverished province home to the highest number of trafficking cases in the country, nuns and priests have transformed themselves into counter-trafficking crusaders.

Inside a little church across from Lina's house, Sister Laurentina is praying before a riveted crowd. Slight and soft-spoken, the nun who like many Indonesians goes by only one name is nonetheless a giant presence before the parishioners. There is danger in trusting illegal recruiters, she warns. There is death.

Her words are not hyperbole. She waits at the airport for the arrival of nearly every migrant worker's corpse that is flown back to Kupang, a ritual that has earned her the nickname "Sister Cargo."



One day after her warning to parishioners, she will be back at the airport, praying over the 89th coffin this year that has returned from Malaysia with the remains of a local migrant. Some die from accidents or illness, she says. Others from neglect and abuse.

Laurentina is one of the few people in West Timor even trying to track the missing. Since 2012, she has traveled across the island to educate villagers on the dangers of traffickers. She has held at least 20 meetings this year alone.

Laurentina asks each audience if anyone has lost contact with a relative who migrated for work. And at every meeting, for six years, at least one or two people have told her: Yes, my child is missing. Most are girls.

The remoteness of West Timor and a lack of education mean many people just don't understand the danger. But even for those who do, a trip through the drought-punished region makes clear why they risk their lives to leave.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An alumni group from various government fine arts colleges in Tamil Nadu is in the process of etching in stone portrait statues of unsung dalit activists who fought for the rights of the downtrodden.

Activists like Veerammal, Vanjinagaram Kandan and Cuddalore Pandian had fought for the rights of the oppressed at different periods of time from 1890 to 1990.

"I have compiled a list of 26 such activists for making their statues," Dalit historian Stalin Rajangam told PTI.

In the 1950s, Veerammal, belonging to Tiruchirapalli, constructed a school for dalit girls.

Hailing from Madurai, Vanjinagaram Kandan, during the 1980s, fought for the rights of dalits to access water.

While Tirunelveli's Ponnusamy fought for temple entry, Pandian sought the right to refuse to play the Parai (drum) when demanded by dominant castes, Rajangam said.

"Kandan, Ponnusamy and Pandian - all were murdered for fighting for the cause. There are a lot of others who contributed during the century, but these 26 names had enough documents and photographs available," Rajangam said.

Former Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai, Principal, G Chandrasekaran, who is leading the team of sculptors said Mahatma Gandhi is an icon. However, there were also a lot of people who worked on the ground but were not as recognised as him, he said.

"This is an attempt to appreciate the contributions made by such unsung heroes," Chandrasekaran said.

An initiative of director Pa Ranjith's 'Neelam Panbaattu Maiam' (Neelam Cultural Centre), the 26 statues would be displayed at a three-day event - Vaanam Arts Festival - to be held in Chennai from December 29 to 31.

Neelam Cultural Centre coordinator Udaya said the festival would display various dalit art forms.

Rajangam said while 25 of them were natives of Tamil Nadu, a foreigner who made it to the list is James H A Tremenheere.

Tremenheere was the Chengalpattu collector in the 1890s. He assigned 12 lakh acres to the oppressed classes of the Madras Presidency, Rajangam said.

The sculptors are from Government College of Architecture and Sculpture, Mahabalipuram and Government College of Fine Arts at Kumbakonam, Puducherry and Chennai.

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by Fady Noun

Sister Marie Melhem, 81, participated in person at the beatification ceremony of Msgr. Pierre Claverie. The bishop of Oran was a frequent visitor to the Land of the Cedars. The meeting with the religious and the Lebanese model of Islamic-Christian coexistence. The pain for involvement of Christians in the slaughter of Sabra and Chatila.

Beirut (AsiaNews) - Lebanon was part of the beatification mass of the 19 martyrs of Algeria, celebrated last December 8 in Oran (Algeria), above all for the close bonds between the bishop of Oran Pierre Claverie, and the Lebanese congregation of the Sacred Heart, stretching back to the 1990s. The only religious still alive and witness of that era, Sister Marie Melhem - one of the Arab professors in Algiers of the murdered bishop  participated in prayer during the Eucharistic ceremony.

The life of this bishop that Sister Marie Melhem, 81 years old, describes as "a man totally devoted to others, intelligent, with a childlike and humble heart ", should be told above all what brought him to know the Lebanese religious. Born in 1938 in the popular district of Bab-el-Oued in Algiers, Pierre Claverie comes from a family of black feet, as the "French of Algeria" are still called today.

During his studies in France, he discovered that the French presence in Algeria "is not unanimous" and that it has grown in the context of the "colonial bubble" that has enveloped much of his country. In adulthood he chose religious life, and joined the Dominican order. And it is from there that he witnessed the last years of the war of independence of Algeria and decided to return to Algeria in 1967, to be with what he considered - despite everything  the people of his homeland.

He learned Arabic and became an excellent connoisseur of Islam, before being appointed bishop of Oran in 1981. But since 1992, when the civil war broke out in Algeria unleashed by Islamic extremists, in circumstances that would be too long to evoke, the Catholic Church of Algeria, made up largely of aid workers and foreign workers, was under threat.

In Europe, people repeatedly advised him to leave the country. But Pierre Claverie firmly opposed the idea; although he was never able to obtain Algerian citizenship, to all intents and purposes he felt himself a native of the country and refused to abandon a people he was profoundly part of. On May 26, 1996, the assassination of the Tibhirine monks took place.

Pierre Claverie knew he was under threat. On the first of August of 1996 his fears became reality: he was murdered together with his friend and driver Mohamed Bouchikhi: a bomb destroyed the entrance of the bishopric when he was entering, just before midnight.

Religious Arabs and Christians!

On his return to Algeria, he had close ties with Lebanon and with the religious of the Sacred Heart (of Jesus and Mary) under the pretext of learning Arabic. At that time, this congregation founded in Bickfaya (Metn-Lebanon), in the mid-nineteenth by the Jesuits, owned three houses in Algeria: in Algiers, Oran and Constantine. For Pierre Claverie, who was about to enroll in an Arabic language summer internship, it was a sort of love "at first sight", as reported by his biographer Jean Jacques Perennes.

"They are quite surprising - Pierre Claverie writes in a letter in July 1967 - and unique. I assure you, in civilian clothes and very polite tones! They are animated by an amazing missionary spirit. They are welcomed by the Arabs with an admiration without boundaries; they are welcomed by Arabs, Christians, religious and sit with them ... There is no proselytism in their way of doing, but from a love and a spirit of disinterested service to the people to whom they are sent".

Thanks to these strong bonds with the religious of the Sacred Hearts, Pierre Claverie spent several stays in Lebanon and held spiritual retreats in Bickfaya, Ainab and the Dominicans of Araya. He learned to love "the faith of the simple" souls who are the wealth and treasure of Lebanon. And he slept several times in Knat (in northern Lebanon), with the family of Sister Marie Melhem, where he was as if "struck by lightning " seeing this model of interreligious relations that he was able to experience in the Land of the Cedars.

Sadly and tragically, while he was in Lebanon in 1982, at the time of the Israeli invasion, he was an indirect and horrified witness to the massacre of Sabra and Chatila (September 1982), and was "disgusted" - Sister Marie Melhem points out - on learning that the Christian militias had also taken part. That was his last stay in Lebanon. She herself and the nuns who knew him shed "all the tears in our body" on hearing of his murder.
Several dozen civilians have been shot dead by gunmen who raided homes in northeastern Mali near the border with Niger, local officials and a Touareg self-defence group told AFP Thursday.

"Gunmen riding on motorbikes raided many areas in the southern part of the Menaka region and executed civilians from the (Touareg) Idaksahak community," said a statement from the Movement for the Salvation of Azawad (MSA), which spoke of 47 people killed.

Local officials, who confirmed early Wednesday's attack, put the number of dead at several dozen.

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Several dozen civilians have been shot dead by gunmen who raided an area in northeastern Mali near the border with Niger, local officials and a Touareg self-defence group told AFP Thursday.

The attack, which took place early Wednesday, occurred in an area which has been badly hit by jihadist violence that has claimed several hundred lives this year, most of them civilians of Touareg or Peul ethnicity.

"Gunmen riding on motorbikes raided many areas in the southern part of the Menaka region and executed civilians from the (Touareg) Idaksahak community," said the Movement for the Salvation of Azawad (MSA), which spoke of 47 people killed.

Local officials, who confirmed the attack, put the number of dead at several dozen but said they couldn't.

The MSA, part of a Touareg rebellion movement in the north, said the assailants headed for the Niger border after first setting a bushfire.

A Menaka official who wished to remain anonymous said he could not give an exact death toll as "by the time the Malian army arrived, MSA fighters had already buried the bodies".

Another local official said he had been able to speak with one person hurt in the attack and transferred to Menaka and accused the assailants of "firing on civilians".

The regional governor's office was not immediately available for comment on the attack.

MINUSMA, the UN mission to Mali, did not give a figure for casualties but deplored the attack on Twitter, urging the Malian authorities to investigate and bring those responsible to justice.

It also said it was deploying a human rights team to investigate what had happened.

In August, a panel of experts said in a report to the UN Security Council that inter-communal conflicts in the region were exacerbating existing tensions resulting from clashes between jihadists groups and international and Malian forces.

France helped Malian forces stave off a jihadist insurgency that took control of large parts of the troubled north in 2012, but large swathes of the country remain out of the government's control, despite a 2015 peace accord designed to isolate the Islamists.

Since then, attacks have extended to central and southern regions of Mali and over the borders into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.

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Six members of a wedding procession, including the parents of the groom, were killed Thursday when a jeep carrying them collided with a bus in western Nepal, police said.

The driver of the jeep and another passenger were also seriously injured in the accident, which took place at Lamahi area in Dang district, they said.

The jeep was en route to Shamshergunj from Gitanagar when it collided with the passenger bus, which was heading towards Kathmandu from Lamahi, police said.

Six people, all members of a marriage procession, travelling in the jeep were killed in the accident, they said, adding that the deceased included the groom's parents and their five-year-old grandson.

The bride and groom escaped the mishap as they were travelling in another vehicle, police said.

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Private steel major Tata Steel Limited on Thursday said it has been declared as the winner of the Prime Minister's Trophy for the 'Best Performing Integrated Steel Plant' in the country for 2016-17.

It was the fourth consecutive year when the company was honoured with this award, a Tata Steel release said here.

Since the inception of this award in 1992-93, Tata Steel has been recognized as the best integrated steel plant 13 times, having won the PM's Trophy 11 times and received the Certificate for Excellence twice, the release said.

Instituted to recognize outstanding performance of integrated steel plants, the award is intended to spur steel plants to achieve international standards of efficiency, quality and economy in their operations.

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A teenage gunman killed himself Thursday at a school in Indiana, after being confronted by police officers who were alerted in advance of an armed suspect heading to campus.

Police were tipped off at around 8:00am (1300 GMT) of potential violence at Dennis Intermediate School in the city of Richmond, according to the Indiana State Police.

"Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the school, which had already been placed on lockdown," the agency said in a statement.

Officers confronted a teenage suspect outside the school, who then reportedly shot out the glass of a locked entry door and ran inside.

Officers chased him and exchanged gunfire with the teen, but police said they did not yet know if the suspect had been wounded by police.

"The teenage suspect is deceased, the result of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound," the state police said.

It was not immediately known if the teenager was a student at the school.

No other students or staff were harmed, authorities said. Students were evacuated to another school campus where they were reunited with their parents.

"Due to the result of advance notification... the school had initiated their lockdown procedure which clearly prevented injury to students and faculty," the state police said.

Eyewitnesses reported hearing several gunshots and saw a heavy police presence as the school day was commencing.

Peggy Lewis, who lives across the street from the school campus, told local television station RTV6 that she saw police rushing into the school building.

"I heard, I want to say like three gunshots, and I look out my door, and the police were shooting at the door," Lewis told the TV station.

The Richmond school district said classes at all schools other than Dennis Intermediate would resume on a regular schedule.

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Tension gripped Pokhran in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer district Thursday when a man, injured in a clash on the polling day in the state, succumbed to his injuries here.

The administration has suspended internet services in the region as a precautionary measure.

The man died Wednesday night and as the of the death spread Thursday, angry villagers shut down markets demanding immediate arrest of the accused.

Local BJP candidate Pratap Puri and party former MLA Shaitan Singh joined the agitating villagers who staged a dharna with the victim's body at the Pokhran sub-division office.

"Considering the seriousness of the matter, we have deployed a heavy police force in the area and suspended internet services in order to avoid flaring up of the issue," IGP (Jodhpur) S K Narjari said.

Jugtaram (70), who was returning after casting his vote on December 7, had suffered serious injuries when two groups clashed in Lathi village.

"The victim was rushed to Jodhpur where he was undergoing treatment in MDM Hospital. But he succumbed to injuries on Wednesday night," the officer said.

A case was registered against over a dozen named accused and nearly 11 of them have so far been arrested, the IGP said, adding that the officers from the administration and the police have been talking to the demonstrators to resolve the standoff.

Some vehicles were damaged and set ablaze in the clashes while some persons were injured in stone pelting.

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British Prime Minister Theresa May won a crucial vote of confidence in her leadership on Wednesday, with 200 votes cast in favour of her and 117 against out of a total of 317 of her Conservative Party MPs.

The vote had been triggered earlier in the day after the required 48 MPs from her Tory party filed letters of no-confidence with the influential 1922 Committee.

"Whilst I am grateful for the support, a significant number of my colleagues did cast a vote against me and I have listened to what they have said," May said in a statement outside Downing Street soon after the results were declared.

"Following this ballot, we now need to get on with the job of delivering the Brexit for the British people and building a better future for this country. A Brexit that delivers on the vote of the people," she said, adding that she intended to carry on negotiating with the European Union (EU) over controversial aspects of her Brexit deal when she heads to Brussels for a pre-scheduled European Council meeting on Thursday.

The verdict of the confidence vote was formally announced by Graham Brady, Chair of the 1922 Committee made up of Tory backbenchers, who revealed that the Parliamentary Party "does have confidence in Theresa May as leader of the Conservative Party". Under the party's rules, May's leadership cannot be challenged for at least a year now.

The MPs, unhappy with the Brexit deal May has struck with the EU, began voting on her future Wednesday evening. A majority of the MPs had publicly said they would be voting for the PM but as it was a secret ballot, there was uncertainty over the result.

May was reportedly greeted with applause, and the traditional banging of desks as she went into a House of Commons Committee Room reserved for the vote to address her MPs before they began casting their ballots.

In her impassioned plea to the 1922 Committee, she told her colleagues that she had listened to all their criticism and confirmed that she would only hang on to Downing Street to see Brexit through before stepping down. This would mean she would not lead the party into the next General Election, scheduled for 2022.

"She was very clear that she won't be taking the General Election in 2022," said UK work and pensions secretary Amber Rudd.

The plea seemed to have paid off in the end as she survived the vote, turning the attention back to securing a Brexit deal that is acceptable to all sides of her deeply divided party as well as a fractured Parliament.

"I will contest that vote with everything I have got," May had said in a statement at Downing Street, warning that the leadership challenge will delay or even cancel Brexit.

May needed to convince a majority of her party MPs and a minimum of 159 votes to win the contest.

Had she lost, the party would have had to elect a new leader who would then go on to become the next British prime minister. May would not have been able to stand for such a leadership contest but would have to remain in Downing Street as caretaker PM while the process to select a new leader was conducted.

Some possible frontrunners named in the UK media included former UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson, current foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt, home secretary Sajid Javid and Rudd. But there did not seem to be a candidate with consensus across the pro and anti Brexit wings within the Tory party.

In her defiant statement on the steps of Downing Street soon after the no-confidence vote was announced on Wednesday morning, May said changing the Conservative Party leader would "put our country's future at risk and create uncertainty when we can least afford it".

She said: "A leadership election would not change the fundamentals of the negotiation or the Parliamentary arithmetic.

"Weeks spent tearing ourselves apart will only create more division just as we should be standing together to serve our country. None of that would be in the national interest."



She said she was making progress in her talks with EU leaders and vowed to "deliver on the referendum vote and seize the opportunities that lie ahead". The Conservatives had to build a "country that works for everyone" and deliver "the Brexit people voted for".

"I have devoted myself unsparingly to these tasks ever since I became prime minister and I stand ready to finish the job," she said.

The leadership challenge came as May was desperately trying to rescue her Brexit deal as she tried to convince EU leaders to offer some concessions to convince Britain's MPs to vote for it on Tuesday, a day after she postponed a crucial parliamentary vote scheduled for this week over the Withdrawal Agreement struck with the EU.

She was due to travel to Dublin on Wednesday but remained in London to contest the no-confidence vote.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who held talks with the British PM in Brussels on Tuesday, said the EU would not "renegotiate" the deal but there was room for "further clarifications".

"The deal that we have achieved is the best deal possible, it is the only deal possible," he reiterated.

Britain's MPs have to give the go-ahead for May's deal if it is to come into effect when the UK leaves the EU on Brexit Day -- March 29, 2019. But deep divisions remain on all sides of the House of Commons over the so-called "backstop", a temporary customs arrangement designed to prevent the need for checkpoints at the Irish border if a long-term solution between the UK and EU cannot be agreed post-Brexit.

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The former No 2 leader of Somalia's al-Shabab extremist group, who is now a top candidate in a regional election next week, was arrested on Thursday, prompting violent protests in which four people were killed, officials said.

Mukhtar Robow, once al-Shabab's spokesman, was arrested by Ethiopian troops that are part of the African Union peacekeeping forces supporting Somalia's federal government, Nur Ahmed, an electoral official in Southwest state, told The Associated Press.

The arrest could re-ignite old tensions between Somalia and neighbouring Ethiopia.

Robow was flown from Baidoa to the capital, Mogadishu, said a Somali intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

In a statement, Somalia's security ministry confirmed Robow's arrest, citing the federal government's earlier ban on his candidacy and alleging that he had failed to renounce extremist ideology.

The statement also accused Robow of mobilising armed forces to threaten the security of Baidoa.

There was no immediate comment from Ethiopia or the AU force, AMISOM.

Robow made a high-profile defection last year from al-Shabab, Africa's most active extremist group, and is now running to be regional president of Southwest state in elections scheduled for December 19.

His defection was welcomed by Somalia's government, but not his candidacy, which appeared to take some officials by surprise.

The Ethiopian soldiers arrested Robow at the regional president's residence in Baidoa, according to witnesses.

The regional candidates had been summoned for a meeting there. Somali police accompanied Ethiopian soldiers in the arrest, officials said.

Gunfire erupted in Baidoa as Robow's supporters protested his arrest. Armed militias thought to be linked to Robow were seen on the streets, said police Col Ahmed Abdi.

At least four people were killed, including an Ethiopian soldier, in the clashes between troops and armed men thought to be Robow's supporters, Abdi said.

The Ethiopian army deployed tanks and hundreds of soldiers in Baidoa following the fighting, he said.

The lanky, bearded Robow last year had a USD 5 million bounty on his head, offered by the US government, but the reward was dropped before he defected from al-Shabab.

Although he is blamed for directing much of the rebels' violence, he is generally popular in the Southwest region.

Robow's controversial campaign exposed the rift between Somalia's federal government based in Mogadishu and the regional government.

Worried about Robow's popularity, the federal government had sent at least one high-level official to try to persuade him to step aside.

"I was asked to relinquish my candidacy but I'm telling you that ... I will be running for president," Robow told supporters in October.

"With the help of God, we will win and peace will win."



The US military's Africa command, which carried out operations against al-Shabab alongside Somali and AU forces, said it was aware of the reports of Robow's arrest.

The arrest was criticised by Rashid Abdi, an analyst with the International Crisis Group.

"A thoroughly daft move on part of the Ethiopians," said Abdi in a tweet.

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Donald Trump tried to shield himself from rising legal heat Thursday with tweets insisting that he never ordered his former lawyer Michael Cohen to break the law.

The US president enters his third year in office facing an increasingly perilous situation as federal prosecutors and the special probe into alleged collusion with Russia close in on him and his inner circle.

But he was as combative as ever on Twitter when he sought to distance himself from his longtime former attorney, saying: "I never directed Michael Cohen to break the law".

Cohen was sentenced Wednesday in New York federal court to three years behind bars for crimes, including illegal hush money payments to a porn actress and a Playboy model who allegedly had slept with the married Trump.

Trump has denied having sexual relations with either of the women.

But according to Cohen, the payments -- which violated campaign finance laws -- were designed to bury potential scandal at the height of the 2016 presidential campaign in which Trump surprised many by defeating his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.

Cohen, who pleaded guilty to all the charges against him, told the court that he had felt it was his "duty to cover up ... (Trump's) dirty deeds".

In his first public reaction since the sentencing, Trump said that he was the victim of the attorney's malpractice.

"He was a lawyer and he is supposed to know the law," Trump tweeted. "It is called 'advice of counsel,' and a lawyer has great liability if a mistake is made. That is why they get paid."



Trump's tweets Thursday offered another layer of defense: that he had done "nothing wrong with respect to campaign finance laws, if they even apply, because this was not campaign finance".

In other words, Trump argued that even if money was paid out, it had nothing to do with his campaign. That would mean that not only did he not commit a crime, but neither probably did Cohen -- despite his guilty pleas.

"Cohen was guilty on many charges unrelated to me, but he plead to two campaign charges which were not criminal and of which he probably was not guilty even on a civil basis," Trump said.

According to Trump, Cohen pleaded guilty to unfounded charges "to embarrass the president and get a much reduced prison sentence, which he did."



However, prosecutors paint a very different picture, tying the hush payments to the campaign and implicating the president in Cohen's crimes.

The affairs allegedly happened years before, so the timing of the hush payments right before an election immediately raised questions.

In the case of the Playboy model, Karen McDougal, her story was deliberately buried by the publishers of the National Enquirer tabloid newspaper, which is cooperating with prosecutors.

American Media Inc publishers said in their cooperation deal that they were paid to "catch and kill," meaning they'd buy rights to embarrassing stories about Trump and then not publish.

Trump, who is also trying to fend off a huge probe of his election campaign's contacts with numerous Russian officials, describes the mounting legal assault as a "witch hunt".

Experts mostly agree that a sitting president cannot be indicted for alleged crimes, while Republican control of the Senate currently means that an impeachment trial would also be unlikely to take place.

In theory, Trump could be liable to prosecution once he leaves office.

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When it comes to sports, and in life in general, people love to see the underdog prevail. After his experience with Isitfridayyet, Leonard Rosene couldnt agree more.

As a recent article by the Hamilton Spectator explains, Leonards brother, Bill, made an astute observation about Isitfridayyet back in February  and that observation has paid off in spades

Isitfridayyet is a gelded son of No Pan Intended that sold for $5,500 as a yearling in 2014. He had been racing at the $15,000 claiming level at Flamboro Downs earlier this year  that was before trainer Colin Johnson claimed him and raced him back at Woodbine Racetrack just over a week later.

Isitfridayyet would go on to draw off on his rivals in that claiming/conditioned tilt at the suburban Toronto oval. That evening, prior to the race, Bill Rosene had noticed that Johnson had already entered Isitfridayyet to race again in three days time. The Rosene brothers discussed the situation. They settled on the conclusion that Johnson appeared to have confidence in the geldings current form. In the Rosenes eyes, the situation justified a claim. They couldnt have been more right.

Eighteen races, nine wins, and roughly $122,000 in purse earnings later, its safe to say that the Rosenes hunch has paid off, and then some.

After the claim from Johnson, Leonard Rosene moved Isitfridayyet to the barn of OBrien Award-winning trainer Richard Moreau, where the gelding has turned into one of the better stories at Woodbine Mohawk Park, if not all of Ontario, this calendar year.

"The night Colin claimed the horse, Isitfridayyet won, Leonard told the Hamilton Spectator, and then I saw he had the horse entered to race at Woodbine, but also to start just three days after that in a race there. That told me he had confidence in the horse and was out to make some quick money."

"So, we thought, 'here is an opportunity,' and we claimed him for $20,000, which he won. Then we raced him back three days later like Colin intended and he won five in a row for us paying for himself in no time. Credit goes to Colin for turning the horse around, because we just raced him more or less how we got him."

As the article explains, the connections opted to take a bit of a hiatus with Isitfridayyet through the summer months. He returned to the track in early October and has won a handful of races since  three of his last four, to be precise. The bay has been doing it while climbing the class ladder, as well  something that makes the run all the more sweeter for the connections.

Isitfridayyet reached the Preferred in early December at Woodbine Mohawk Park, where he came from off the pace in the $34,000 tilt and mowed down the leaders for a well-measured win over an off track (the replay of the race appears above).

"He won the Preferred without realizing he is really not a regular Preferred horse," said Moreau, in what has been one of the better quotes of the year.

Isitfridayyets followers can catch him again this Saturday at the Campbellville, Ont. oval, as he has drawn Post 8 for the $34,000 Preferred, which has been carded as Race 7 (9:15 p.m.) on the 10-dash program. First-race post time for Mohawks Saturday card will be at 7:10 p.m.

To view the harness racing entries for Saturday at Mohawk, click the following link: Saturday Entries  Woodbine Mohawk Park.

(With files from the Hamilton Spectator)
North and South Korea agreed Thursday to hold a ceremonial groundbreaking later this month for a project to reconnect railways and roads across the divided peninsula, despite concerns of possible sanctions violations.

But the event on December 26 will not herald the start of actual work on the plans, which even if they go ahead will not see the border opened to unrestricted travel.

The South's President Moon Jae-in has been pushing engagement with the nuclear-armed North to try to persuade it to give up its weapons, but talks between Pyongyang and Washington have stalled with the US demanding it make further moves before any sanctions relief is offered.

Connecting up the rail systems on either side of the Demilitarised Zone and refurbishing the North's dilapidated tracks -- a marked contrast to the South's KTX high-speed lines -- was one of the steps agreed by Moon and the North's leader Kim Jong Un earlier year.

But the project has been delayed amid concerns it could violate UN sanctions imposed on the North over its nuclear and missile programmes.

Following talks with the North on Thursday, Seoul's unification ministry said in a statement that the ceremony will be held on December 26 at Panmun Station -- the first North Korean terminal across the border -- in Kaesong.

Around 100 people from each side will attend and the "North and South will continue discussions on detailed issues", it added.

Earlier this month, South Korean officials and engineers belatedly began a joint study of the North's tracks after the UN Security Council granted an exemption.

Seoul said the survey was purely aimed at gathering information on the current state of the North's rail system and pledged that actual restoration works would come only after consent from the UN.

It is unclear whether the South needs to seek another UN exemption for the ceremony.

Before the Koreas were divided in 1948 there were two railway lines running down either side of the peninsula.

As a gesture towards reconciliation, the two reconnected the western line in 2007 and limited numbers of freight trains transported materials and goods to and from the Seoul-invested Kaesong industrial zone in the North for about a year.

But they went no further, and re-establishing the lines would be unlikely to enable Northerners to leave for the South, as Pyongyang imposes tight restrictions on freedom of movement for its citizens.

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Two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants were killed in an overnight encounter with security forces in Sopore area of Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, police said Thursday.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Brath Kalan area of Sopore on Wednesday evening following information about presence of militants there, a police official said.

He said the operation turned into an encounter after militants opened fire on security forces.

Two militants, identified as Owais Ahmad Bhat alias Abu Bakar and Tariq Ahmad Dar alias Abu Abdullah, both affiliated to the terror outfit LeT, were killed in the gunfight, the official said.

"Both the terrorists were wanted for complicity in terror crimes including attack on security establishments and civilian atrocities," he said.

A huge quantity of arms and ammunition, including rifles, were recovered from the encounter site, the official said.

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British Prime Minister Theresa May won a crucial vote of confidence in her leadership of the ruling Conservative Party over the controversial Brexit deal, after she placated rebel lawmakers by agreeing that she would step down before the 2022 general election.

Though she won the backing of her party to stay on as prime minister, more than a third of Conservative MPs voted against her, underscoring the uphill battle she faces in getting her Brexit deal through Parliament.

In the secret vote held Wednesday night, May secured 63 per cent votes with 200 in favour of her and 117 against, out of a total of 317 of her Conservative Party MPs.

May, who has been prime minister since the UK voted to leave the 28-member European Union (EU) in June, 2016, is now immune from a leadership challenge for at least a year.

The vote of confidence was triggered by 48 of her MPs angry at her Brexit policy, which they say betrays the 2016 referendum result.

"Whilst I am grateful for the support, a significant number of my colleagues did cast a vote against me and I have listened to what they have said," May said in a statement outside Downing Street soon after the results were declared.

"Following this ballot, we now need to get on with the job of delivering the Brexit for the British people and building a better future for this country. A Brexit that delivers on the vote of the people," the 62-year-old leader said.

The verdict of the confidence vote was formally announced by Graham Brady, Chair of the 1922 Committee made up of Tory backbenchers, who revealed that the Parliamentary Party "does have confidence in Theresa May as leader of the Conservative Party".

May, in her address to MPs before they began voting, said that she had listened to all their criticism and confirmed that she would only hang on to Downing Street to see Brexit through before stepping down. This would mean she would not lead the party into the next General Election, scheduled for 2022.

"She was very clear that she won't be taking the General Election in 2022," said UK work and pensions secretary Amber Rudd.

The plea seemed to have paid off in the end as she survived the vote, turning the attention back to securing a Brexit deal that is acceptable to all sides of her deeply divided party as well as a fractured Parliament.

Later in Brussels, Prime Minister May confirmed she would step down before the 2022 general election.

"I don't expect an immediate breakthrough (in talks with the EU) but what I do hope is that we can start to work as quickly as possible on the assurances that are necessary," she said as she arrived for talks with the 27 other EU leaders to try to find a way to make the Brexit deal agreeable to the British MPs.

Earlier, a defiant May had said, "I will contest that vote with everything I have got."



May needed to convince a majority of her party MPs and a minimum of 159 votes to win the no confidence contest.

Had she lost, the party would have had to elect a new leader who would then go on to become the next British prime minister. May would not have been able to stand for such a leadership contest but would have to remain in Downing Street as caretaker premier while the process to select a new leader was conducted.

Some possible frontrunners named in the UK media included former UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson, current foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt, home secretary Sajid Javid and Rudd. But there did not seem to be a candidate with consensus across the pro and anti Brexit wings within the Tory party.

In her defiant statement on the steps of Downing Street soon after the no-confidence vote was announced, May said changing the Conservative Party leader would "put our country's future at risk and create uncertainty when we can least afford it".

"Weeks spent tearing ourselves apart will only create more division just as we should be standing together to serve our country. None of that would be in the national interest."



She said she was making progress in her talks with EU leaders and vowed to "deliver on the referendum vote and seize the opportunities that lie ahead". The Conservatives had to build a "country that works for everyone" and deliver "the Brexit people voted for".

"I have devoted myself unsparingly to these tasks ever since I became prime minister and I stand ready to finish the job," she said.

The leadership challenge came as May was desperately trying to rescue her Brexit deal as she tried to convince EU leaders to offer some concessions to convince Britain's MPs to vote for it on Tuesday, a day after she postponed a crucial parliamentary vote scheduled for this week over the Withdrawal Agreement struck with the EU.

Britain's MPs have to give the go-ahead for May's deal if it is to come into effect when the UK leaves the EU on Brexit Day -- March 29, 2019.

But deep divisions remain on all sides of the House of Commons over the so-called "backstop", a temporary customs arrangement designed to prevent the need for checkpoints at the Irish border if a long-term solution between the UK and EU cannot be agreed post-Brexit.

Critics of the arrangement are unhappy that under the terms of the legally binding Withdrawal Agreement, the UK cannot exit the backstop without the EU agreeing to it, which could effectively leave the UK bound by EU customs laws beyond Brexit.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
UN chief Antonio Guterres led his mediators Thursday in a last-minute push for a truce in the Yemen war as rebels and the government wrangled over a key port and airport.

International pressure is mounting to halt the fighting between the Iran-linked Huthis and the government of Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, backed by Saudi Arabia and its military allies.

The conflict has triggered what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with 14 million Yemenis now at the brink of mass starvation.

The warring parties have been in the rural Swedish village of Rimbo for UN-brokered talks, now in their seventh day, working for an agreement on key issues including a cessation of hostilities in Hodeida port, the main entry point for imported food and aid.

A source inside the talks said mediators remained "positive" although there was "disagreement on the points of the proposals".

Sources in both delegations said no agreement had been reached Thursday morning on both Hodeida and Sanaa airport, which has been closed to commercial flights for nearly three years, and traded mutual accusations of non-cooperation.

The four sources requested anonymity as they were not authorized to brief the press.

The rebels control both the Red Sea Hodeida port and the capital Sanaa.

The Saudi led-military coalition controls Yemen's maritime borders and airspace.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres flew into Sweden late Wednesday to attend the closing session, pushed back two hours from its announced time on Thursday.

UN special envoy Martin Griffiths, who brokered the talks, was expected to brief the Security Council on Yemen on Friday.

Anger at the human cost of the war, as well as outrage over the killing of US-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, have prompted a harder line in the international community over the Yemen war, and particularly the role of the Saudi-led coalition.

The US Senate on Wednesday greenlighted a vote that could end US military support for Riyadh's war in Yemen.

The Senate voted to advance the resolution that ends US backing for the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen by 60 votes to 39, with 11 Republicans joining Democrats to back the measure.

The final vote is expected to take place on Thursday.

However, if the upper house approves the resolution, it is likely to run aground in the lower House of



Representatives where Republicans hold the majority until January 3.

The Sweden talks mark the first meeting in two years between the northern Huthi rebels and the Hadi government that has been backed since 2015 by the Saudi-led coalition.

The last round of talks, hosted by Kuwait in 2016, collapsed after more than three months of negotiations with no breakthrough.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Federal prosecutors in Detroit are seeking 130 months imprisonment for an Indian national, who is in US on H-1B visa, for committing one of the "most brazen airplane sexual assaults".

Prabhu Ramamoorthy, who was arrested following the alleged incident in flight from Las Vegas to Detroit in January, is slated to be produced before a Detroit court Thursday afternoon. A federal jury has already convicted him of sexual assault.

While seated next to his wife, Ramamoorthy took advantage of a 22-year-old woman traveling alone, federal prosecutors said in a sentencing memo ahead of his appearance before the court.

"As she slept on a late-night flight, he untied her shirt, unzipped her pants, and shoved his fingers inside of her with such force that it woke her up," the prosecutors said.

"It was only then that he stopped, turned the other way, and pretended to sleep on his wife. When confronted by law enforcement, he claimed that he had been in a deep sleep and insisted that he did not intentionally touch her," they said.

Hours later, after relaying multiple different versions of the event, he finally admitted to touching her intentionally.

"Then at trial, he violated her even further by accusing her of imagining the whole thing. He refused to take responsibility for his actions and instead deflected blame onto her," the federal prosecutors said.

Ramamoorthy is from Tamil Nadu. Son of a farmer, he came to the US in July 2015 after his graduation to work as an IT professional.

During his trial, he presented himself before the court as a confused man stranded in America without English language skills despite his sophisticated technological job, the prosecutors said.

"His lack of empathy and remorse should not go unnoticed by this court," they argued, seeking nearly 11 years of imprisonment for him.

The prosecutor urged the court that Ramamoorthy should not be deported to India before completing his jail sentence.

"Individuals who come to America and commit sexual assaults should not simply be permitted to return to their home countries without fair punishment," the federal prosecutors said.

Ramamoorthy's lawyers urged the court for a minimum incarceration period, arguing that he has no criminal history and led a normal crime-free life.

His life is "effectively over", Ramamoorthy's lawyer told the court, adding, "As a result of this case, he will have been incarcerated, assaulted in custody, and eventually will be released to a life of shaming and great difficulties".

In recent years, a number of Indian nationals have been arrested or charged with sexual assaults inside a plane. The FBI says airplane sexual assault is a serious offense that is on the rise. FBI statistics indicate that investigations of mid-air sexual assaults increased by 66 per cent from 2014 to 2017.

That is in part due to increasingly "cramped, confined spaces; alcohol and drugs; fewer flight attendants; and dark cabins on night flights" - factors that "likely embolden offenders", the FBI said in a recent report.

The cramped style of airplane seating can exacerbate trauma for victims.

According to mental health professionals, victims who are violated in confined spaces feel even more helpless, vulnerable, and powerless.

Victims may also feel intimidated by the person sitting next to them since the seating arrangement means that the perpetrator is effectively blocking the victim from getting up, according to the FBI.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The US is making all efforts to ensure that any IMF bailout to Pakistan is not used to repay its Chinese debts, a senior Trump administration official has told lawmakers.

Cash-strapped Pakistan is seeking USD 8 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to bail itself out from a severe balance-of-payments crisis that threatens to cripple the country's economy.

A recent meeting between the IMF and Pakistan ended in a stalemate.

The US feels that the huge Chinese debt was responsible for the economic challenges in Pakistan.

"We are working and making clear within the IMF that if it were going to supply any funding to Pakistan that it would not be used to repay Chinese loans," David Malpass, Under Secretary of Treasury for International Affairs, told lawmakers during a Congressional hearing on Wednesday.

There are concerns among American lawmakers that the IMF money could be used to repay Chinese debt.

Malpass said that the US is also trying to make sure that Pakistan changes its economic programme so that it's not a failure in the future.

During the House Financial Services Committee hearing on 'Evaluating the Effectiveness of the International Financial Institutions' Congressman Ed Royce said Pakistan is currently seeking a multibillion-dollar IMF bailout.

"In July, Secretary (of State, Mike) Pompeo said there's no rationale for IMF tax dollars and those associated with American dollars that are part of IMF funding for those to go to bailout Chinese bond holders or China itself," he said.

"We will make strong efforts, and I believe successful efforts, to make sure that what you describe doesn't happen, meaning a payoff of Beijing via Islamabad," Malpass said.

Malpass said that IMF loans tend to be shorter maturity loans and China's loans to Pakistan have been longer maturity loans.

"So from the standpoint of that money being used, we will look for was that that roundtripping does not happen the way you described," he said.

"But important in this, is the structural reforms in Pakistan that are necessary for it to stop being such a poor country," Malpass said.

China is making huge infrastructure investments as part of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The BRI's flagship project is the USD 60 billion ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that is planned to run from northwest China's Xinjiang province to Gwadar port in Pakistan's Balochistan province.

There are concerns that given Pakistan's growing Chinese debt, the same could happen to the Gwadar port and other major CPEC-linked projects in Pakistan.

But China has rejected criticism that the CPEC projects have saddled Pakistan with expensive debt.

"The CPEC has not inflicted a debt burden on Pakistan, rather when these projects get completed and enter into operation, they will unleash huge economic benefits... and these will create considerable returns to the Pakistani economy," China's State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Islamabad in September.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Vehicle sharing marketplace Drivezy Thursday said it has added 10,000 bikes on the platform, and plans to launch them across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mysore, Mangalore and Manipal.

Founded in 2015, Bengaluru-based Drivezy offers car, motorcycle and scooter sharing services across nine cities in the country.

The company recently announced a USD 20 million Series B funding and a USD 100 million asset financing deal with Anypay, under which it will induct over 50,000 vehicles.

"The induction of new fleet will bolster the company's position as market leader in the growing Indian vehicle sharing segment," Drivezy said in a statement.

Over the last one year, the company has enlisted more than 4,000 two-wheelers in a bid to expand footprint across the nation.

With the addition of the new fleet, the company now plans to launch a one-way two-wheeler rental service that will allow customers to rent a scooter or a motorcycle from a location and drop it at any other company location as per their convenience, it said.

"The beauty of one-way two-wheeler rentals is that scooters and bikes can whisk you across congested urban roads for a few rupees," Drivezy CEO Ashwarya Singh said.

Having partnered with over 2,000 vehicle owners, Drivezy has over 7,000 operational cars, motorcycles and scooters on its platform, which are rented by over 37,000 customers every month, the company said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chinese handset maker Thursday said it will set up a new manufacturing facility in Uttar Pradesh, investing Rs 40 billion over a period of four years.

The company, which competes with the likes of Samsung and Xiaomi in the Indian market, has acquired 169-acre land in the Yamuna Expressway region, a statement said.

The new land has been acquired near the existing 50-acre manufacturing facility and will help expand Vivo's manufacturing capabilities and support Vivo's growth in India, it added.

entered India in 2014 with a commitment to bring product innovation, focus and value to our consumers. India is a key market for us, and today we have reiterated our commitment by entering the next phase of growth in India," India Director-Brand Strategy Nipun Marya said.

He added that the new plant will offer a major benefit to the surrounding area through high-quality job creation and training opportunities.

All Vivo smartphones sold in the country are manufactured at the Greater Noida facility, which is one of Vivo's four manufacturing facilities globally.

The existing manufacturing set-up, which saw an investment of Rs 3 billion, already functions at a capacity of 2 million units per month with more than 5,000 workforce.

Vivo expects to generate 5,000 additional jobs in the first phase of expansion, the statement said.

During this phase, Vivo also plans to double the current production capacity to 50 million units per annum, it added.
Sri Lanka's ousted prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe Thursday expressed hope that President Maithripala Sirisena would honour the verdict of the Supreme Court, which ruled that the dissolution of Parliament was "illegal".

"We trust that the president will promptly respect the judgment," he told his supporters after a 7-member apex court bench unanimously ruled that the President cannot dissolve Parliament till it completes its 4 1/2 year term.

"The legislature, judiciary, and the executive are equally important pillars of a democracy and the checks and balances that they provide are crucial to ensuring the sovereignty of its citizens," he tweeted.

Wickremesinghe was sacked as prime minister on October 26 by President Sirisena, who installed Mahinda Rajapaksa in his place. Later, Sirisena also dissolved the 225-member Parliament and called for a snap election on January 5.

Sirisena sacked the Parliament when it appeared that Rajapaksa would not be able to muster the support of 113 MPs to gain a simple majority. Wickremesinghe on the other hand commands a majority in the House.

As many as 13 petitions were filed in the Supreme Court against Sirisena's November 9 order sacking the Parliament, almost 20 months before its term was to end.

The President has said that due to sharp personal differences with Wickremesinghe, he would not reappoint him as the Prime Minister.

Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, a legislator of Sirisena's party, said the President was still undecided about reappointing Wickremesinghe.

The court's ruling was a major setback to both Sirisena and Rajapaksa.

The court has effectively said that Sirisena had violated the Constitution, a position held firmly by Wickremesinghe.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A woman photo journalist was arrested Thursday for clicking pictures of a protest in front of the President's residence here.

The journalist, Barsha Shah, who was in police custody for three hours was later released in the afternoon.

Shah was arrested while she was taking picture of the agitators who had gone to the Rashtrapati Bhawan to hand over a car model to President Bidya Devi Bhandari in a symbolic protest against the government's decision to purchase a Rs 180-million worth bullet-proof vehicle for her.

The government's decision has drawn sharp criticism from the public.

The Photojournalist Club Nepal, an umbrella organisation of photojournalists, condemned the arrest of Shah, a photojournalist associated with online portal Deshsanchar.com, terming it as an attack on press freedom and democracy.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Religious Liberty Legal Scholar and Professor Christopher C. Lund Joins Law Firm of Dalton & Tomich, PLC

Berman Prize winner and Wayne State University Law School Professor of the Year will help the Dalton & Tomich, PLC team guide religious organizations through denominational property disputes, land use and zoning cases



Contact: Daniel P. Dalton, Founder, Dalton & Tomich, PLC, 313-859-6000, ddalton@daltontomich.com; daltontomich.com



DETROIT, Dec. 13, 2018 /Standard Newswire/ -- Award-winning scholar, author and professor Christopher C. Lund has joined the Detroit office of the law firm Dalton & Tomich, PLC. Lund will focus his practice on helping churches and other religious entities navigate property disputes resulting from denominational departures and defending religious freedoms in land use and zoning cases, particularly those involving violations of the Religious Land Use & Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).



Lund is one of the nation's premier thought leaders and writers on law and religion. He is co-author of the casebook, "Religion and the Constitution," which is a core text studied at leading law schools across the country. His academic work has been published in student-edited law reviews, peer-reviewed legal journals and peer-reviewed interdisciplinary journals.



In 2017, the Law and Religion Section of the American Association of Law Schools recognized Lund with its Berman Prize for Excellence in Scholarship for his piece, Religion is Special Enough. Lund's work has been cited in various articles, books and judicial opinions, and he is regularly called upon to share insight with media outlets, civil rights organizations and religious groups.



A professor of law at Wayne State University Law School, Lund has been voted Professor of the Year six times. He is a past chair of the Law and Religion Section of the Association of American Law Schools, as well as past chair of the Section on New Law Professors. He sits on the lawyers' committee of the ACLU of Michigan.



Lund earned his law degree with high honors from the University of Texas School of Law and his bachelor of arts from Rice University, summa cum laude, with majors in mathematics and psychology.



About Dalton & Tomich, PLC

Located in the heart of the City of Detroit's Financial District, and with a new office in Illinois to serve the Chicago area, the law firm of Dalton & Tomich, PLC features specialized practices for religious land use and zoning law and church property disputes resulting from denominational departures. The firm supports churches, mosques and other religious institutions across the country. For more information, or to request a consultation, visit daltontomich.com or call 313.859.6000.


A 21-year-old woman medical student was allegedly strangled to death by an unidentified person in a college hostel here in Maharashtra, police said.

Akanksha Anil Deshmukh, hailing from Beed district, was found unconscious in her room by a warden of the hostel at the Mahatma Gandhi Mission Medical College on Wednesday, Deputy Commissioner of Police Rahul Khade said.

She was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared her dead, he said.

The autopsy at the city-based Government Medical College and Hospital revealed that she died of strangulation, Khade said.

A case under IPC section 302 (murder) was registered by the city police, he said.

No arrest was made so far in this connection, police said, adding that a search was on for the culprit.

The woman was pursuing a physiotherapy course at the college, police added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 26-year-old woman was allegedly stabbed to death in Ghaziabad's Loni, police said Thursday, suspecting the role of her second husband in the case who was living with her till the last week.

The woman's body was spotted by locals Thursday morning who then informed the police.

The body was sent for post-mortem after a police team reached the spot.

Officiating Senior Superintendent of Police Shlok Kumar said that the body was found lying in a pit near an overhead water tank in Loni's Daulatpur colony.

Her mobile, which was lying nearby, has also been seized, he said, adding that the call details will also be verified.

The body carried injury marks by some sharp-edged weapon, police said.

The deceased, identified as Kavita, was living in Pavi village with her second husband Sonu till last week.

She had started living alone at a rented accomodation in Daulatpur colony.

She was separated from her first husband around six month ago.

Police said the woman's second husband, Sonu, is absconding from his residence in Pavi, adding that they are raiding his possible hideouts.

In a separate incident, an auto driver allegedly committed suicide Wednesday night by shooting himself in Tronica City here.

Monu, 23, a native of Muzaffarnagar district, allegedly shot himself dead in the Khush Hal park colony.

A few months ago, his wife died and he was living with their 8-year-old daughter.

He was rushed to the GTB Hospital in Delhi, where doctors declared him brought dead, the police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India's Sameer Verma dished out a dominating performance to outclass Indonesia's Tommy Sugiarto in straight games to keep his hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage alive at the BWF World Tour Finals here Thursday.

World No 14 Sameer, who qualified for the tournament at the last moment after defending his title at the Syed Modi International last month, looked at ease against the 10th ranked Sugiarto, defeating him 21-16 21-7 in a 40-minute Group B clash.

The 24-year-old Indian, who had lost the opening match against world no 1 and world champion Kento Momota, will face Thailand's Kantaphon Wangcharoen next on Friday. He had defeated Wangcharoen en route to his Swiss Open title but lost at the Thailand Open this year.

Sameer had come into the tournament with a 1-1 head-to-head record against the Indonesian and he looked comfortable as his sharp game made life difficult for his opponent.

The Indian lagged 1-3 and 5-6 initially but he soon wrested the lead with four straight points before entering the break at 11-7.

Sugiarto stried to stage a comeback and narrowed the deficit to 16-17 but Sameer reeled off the remaining four points to earn the bragging rights.

In the second game, Sugiarto again took a slender 5-3 advantage early on but the Indian soon stamped his authority to move from 7-6 to 16-6 with a nine-point burst and then slammed the door on his rival with another five straight points.

Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu will take on World No 1 Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei in a Group A women's singles match later in the day.

The top two players from each group will qualify for the semifinals, after which a knockout draw will be conducted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Yemen's warring parties on Thursday agreed to a ceasefire on a vital port in a series of breakthroughs in UN-brokered peace talks that could mark a major turning point after four years of devastating conflict.

If implemented, the deal on the Hodeida port, a key gateway for aid and food imports, could bring relief to a country where 14 million people stand on the brink of famine.

In a highly symbolic gesture on the seventh and final day of the peace talks in Sweden, Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani and rebel negotiator Mohammed Abdelsalam shook hands to loud applause -- although both later voiced scepticism.

The two leaders gave contradictory readings of the Hodeida deal shortly after the announcement by UN chief Antonio Guterres.

The weeklong talks left a number of key issues unresolved. A new round of talks is scheduled for the end of January, with analysts predicting the US will continue to up the pressure on ally Saudi Arabia, a key backer of the Yemen government, to end the conflict.

Impoverished Yemen has been mired in fighting between Iran-backed Huthi rebels and troops loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi since 2014. But the war escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition stepped in on the government's side.

Under the Hodeida agreement, released Thursday evening, an "immediate ceasefire" should come into effect in Hodeida and its three ports upon signing, followed by a "mutual redeployment of forces ... to agreed upon locations outside the city and the ports".

The UN will play a "leading role" in management and inspections at the ports, for four years under rebel control. The port will eventually be under the control of "local security forces" -- a term the rival parties disagree on.

Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani, who agreed to the deal in Sweden, declined to specify whether the forces would be solely state security forces but told AFP they would report to the "central authority" -- the government.

But the head rebel negotiator told AFP the phrase referred to the "security forces currently present in Hodeida" -- the rebels.

Saudi Arabia and its allies accuse the rebels of arms smuggling from Iran through Hodeida and the capital Sanaa, charges Iran has denied. The Saudi led-military coalition currently controls Yemen's maritime borders and airspace.

UN chief Guterres said the rivals had also reached a "mutual understanding" on Yemen's third city of Taiz, the scene of some of the most intense battles in the conflict, to facilitate the delivery of aid. No further details were given.

No deal has been reached on the future of the airport in the capital Sanaa or on economic measures needed to spare the population from further hunger.

Sanaa airport has been closed to commercial flights for nearly three years. The airport will be discussed at the next round of talks, UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths said.

Foreign Minister Yamani said the deal was the biggest step forward since the outbreak of the war but remained "hypothetical". "We will wait and see," he told AFP.

The rebels' Abdelsalam told AFP his group was "bound by an agreement". Analysts said the Rimbo talks progressed better than anticipated, two years after the last negotiations hosted by Kuwait in 2016 collapsed with no breakthrough after three months.

"The Sweden talks have achieved more than anyone expected," the International Crisis Group told AFP.

"We have heard a different tone from the government of Yemen in these talks, and US pressure has clearly focused minds in the Gulf."



The case of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, along with the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, were the turning point for the US.

The US, Britain and France are still the biggest arms sellers to Saudi Arabia. Both the rebels and government alliance are accused of failing to protect civilians. The UN last year blacklisted the Saudi-led coalition for the killing and maiming of children in air raids.

The US Senate on Wednesday voted to advance a resolution that ends backing for the Saudi-led intervention by 60 votes to 39, with 11 Republicans joining Democrats to back the measure.

If the upper house approves the resolution, it is likely to run aground in the final vote Thursday in the lower House of Representatives, where Republicans hold the majority until January 3. US President Donald Trump has veto right.

The Yemen ambassadors of core players in the conflict, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE, were in Rimbo for the last day of negotiations. British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt also met with both the government and rebels Thursday.

Saudi Arabia and its Arab coalition partners "strongly support" the agreement reached on Yemen, Riyadh's US ambassador Khalid bin Salman said.

"The agreement announced today will help bring back security to the region including the security of the Red Sea, a vital water way for international trade," the envoy, who is the brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said on his Twitter account.

"The agreement is a major step towards alleviating the humanitarian crisis and reaching a political solution.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Chen Aizhu and Roslan KhasawnehZHOUSHAN, China/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - China's port city of Zhoushan is planning to challenge Singapore's dominance of the multi-billion dollar shipping fuel industry, relying on proximity to some of the world's biggest ports and Beijing's support to give it an edge. It will be steep going. The port facilities in the cluster of islands around Zhoushan have annual marine fuel sales of 3.6 million tonnes, less than a tenth of the record 50.6 million tonnes of shipping or bunker fuel Singapore sold in 2017. Zhoushan, though, was ranked fourth in global container ...
(Reuters) - (The story corrects the date of Doug Oberhelman's retirement in fourth paragraph)Caterpillar Inc said on Thursday Chief Executive Officer Jim Umpleby would take on the additional role of chairman, effective immediately.Umpleby, a member of the board and CEO since Jan. 1, 2017, is widely credited for pulling the company out of its longest downturn - from 2012 to 2016 - when sales dropped more than 40 percent.Deerfield, Illinois-based Caterpillar, which boosted its full-year profit outlook twice in 2018, announced the closure of two facilities earlier this year and was also ...
By Michael Shields and Simon JessopZURICH/LONDON (Reuters) - GAM Holding AG said it would cut 10 percent of its staff and ditch its dividend as it warned it would slide to a net loss this year, sending shares in the Swiss asset manager down 30 percent.GAM has had a torrid year after being forced to write down the value of its $217 million acquisition of UK hedge fund Cantab and close several funds after a top money manager was suspended for alleged breaches of its rules.The company said on Thursday it expected a 2018 net loss of around 925 million Swiss francs ($931 million) as assets under ...
By Karl PlumeCHICAGO (Reuters) - China on Wednesday made its first major purchases of U.S. soybeans since President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping struck a trade war truce earlier this month, providing some relief to U.S. farmers who have struggled to find buyers for their record-large harvest.Trump told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday the Chinese were already buying a "tremendous amount" of U.S. soybeans and would also soon cut tariffs on U.S. autos.The purchase of over 1.5 million tonnes of beans is the most concrete evidence yet that China is making good on pledges ...
India's monthly oil imports from Iran plunged to their lowest in a year in November with Tehran dropping two places to become only the sixth biggest supplier after New Delhi cut purchases due to the impact of US sanctions, according to ship-tracking data and industry sources. Last month, the United States introduced tough sanctions aimed at crippling Iran's oil revenue-dependent economy. Washington did, though, give a six-month waiver from sanctions to eight nations, including India, and allowed them to import some Iranian oil. India is restricted to buying 1.25 million ...
By Christopher JohnsonLONDON (Reuters) - The oil price fell below $60 a barrel on Thursday, under pressure from high global inventories and a smaller-than-expected drawdown in U.S. crude stockpiles."The energy complex is drifting lower as sellers continue to bask in the bearish afterglow of yesterday's (U.S.) stats," PVM Oil analyst Stephen Brennock said.Benchmark North Sea Brent crude oil was down 60 cents at $59.55 per barrel by 1210 GMT. U.S. light crude was 60 cents lower at $50.55.Global oil supply has outstripped demand over the last six months, inflating inventories and pushing crude ...
Heartbeat Bill Passes Ohio Senate

Bill to Keep Hearts Beating Heads to Governor Kasich's Desk



Contact: Janet Porter, 202-241-2ACT (2228)



COLUMBUS, Ohio, Dec. 12, 2018 /Standard Newswire/ -- Following today's victory of the pro-life Heartbeat Bill in the Ohio Senate, Heartbeat Bill author and Faith2Action President Janet Porter stated, "All the glory for this victory goes to Jesus Christ alone."



Porter restated Psalm 102:18, which she declared at a Heartbeat Bill rally in the Ohio Statehouse Atrium in September, 2011: "Let this be recorded for future generations, so that a people not yet born will praise the Lord."



On November 15, the House passed the Heartbeat Bill with a bi-partisan veto-proof margin, which means H.B. 258 now heads to the desk of Governor John Kasich, who vetoed the bill in 2016, prior to the appointments of Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.



"I call on Governor John Kasich to return to his pro-life roots and sign the bill to protect the children in our state whose hearts beat like an SOS cry for protection," said Porter who initiated the first Heartbeat Bill in Ohio in February, 2011. Heartbeat Bills have since been introduced in states across the country and have passed in Arkansas (2013), North Dakota (2013) and Iowa (2018).



Porter pointed out, "With the confirmation of Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, the Ohio Heartbeat Law will be upheld as Constitutional by a Supreme Court that will welcome it."



Porter also addressed the Governor's excuse of "saving taxpayer money" as a reason to veto the bill, stating, "Mat Staver, of Liberty Counsel, former dean of Liberty University School of Law, offered to defend the Ohio Heartbeat Law for FREE, as he did in Arkansas and North Dakota. Every excuse for a veto is gone."



Porter also spearheaded the federal Heartbeat Bill, HR 490, sponsored by Congressman Steve King (R, IA) which has 174 co-sponsors--more than any pro-life bill in Congress.



"I call on Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R,VA), to fulfill his destiny and bring the federal Heartbeat Bill out of the U.S. Judiciary Committee now, and give babies with beating hearts a chance at life," stated Porter.



"I also call upon Speaker Paul Ryan (R, WI) and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R, CA) to bring the common-sense Heartbeat Bill to an immediate floor vote in Congress--before the power to do so is gone," added Porter.



Porter stated, "To deny a human heartbeat is to deny science. To ignore it is heartless."



Calls to Governor Kasich can be made at: 614-466-3555



Calls to Chairman Bob Goodlatte can be made at: 202-225-5431


By Christopher JohnsonLONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices steadied on Thursday, under pressure from high inventories but buoyed by a drawdown in U.S. crude stockpiles and indications that the trade war between the United States and China may be easing. Global oil supply has outstripped demand over the last six months, inflating inventories and pushing crude oil to its lowest in more than a year at the end of November.But the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other big producers, including Russia, agreed last week to reduce supply to try to trim the surplus.Benchmark Brent crude ...
By David Shepardson and Lisa LambertWASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Thursday said General Motors Co's decision to shift much of its focus to electric vehicles will not succeed, and he asserted a new trade deal will make it harder for the company to move work to other countries.GM last year said it planned to launch 20 new electric vehicles by 2023 as it faces rising regulatory requirements for zero-emission vehicles in China and elsewhere.The largest U.S. automaker has come under enormous criticism in Washington after it announced on Nov. 26 plans to close four plants in the ...
By Jan WolfeWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) said on Wednesday it would review a ruling that a ban on imports of some iPhones into the United States was not in the public interest, even if Apple Inc infringed a Qualcomm patent.Apple and Qualcomm are locked in a wide-ranging legal dispute in which Apple has accused Qualcomm of unfair patent licensing practices. Qualcomm has in turn accused Apple of patent infringement.Qualcomm initiated the ITC case against Apple in July 2017, alleging that iPhones containing Intel chips infringed six patents describing ...
By Tracy Rucinski CHICAGO (Reuters) - With many rival airlines scaling back plans to add travel routes and seats in a bid to protect margins, Oscar Munoz is taking United Airlines in a different direction.The No. 3 U.S. air carrier is forging ahead with a strategy to boost its flight network by another 4 percent to 6 percent next year after an estimated 5 percent network growth in 2018, Munoz, CEO of United Airlines since 2015, said on Wednesday. The growth plan has allowed United to claw back market share in a competitive U.S. airline sector and boost its profitability. Traditionally ...
An avocado at Whole Foods costs $1.25. Columbia University handed out 724 graduate degrees in computer science over the past three years. And 10 potential land parcels in Long Island City are zoned M1-4, for light manufacturing. New York provided all of these data points, and thousands more, to Amazon as part of its successful bid to woo the tech giant to town. On Monday, New York City posted online the 253-page proposal it submitted, along with New York State, to Amazon in March. The city quickly took the file down, saying it should have checked with its partners before posting it, ...
Tata Trusts, which holds 66% of the equity capital of Tata Sons, yesterday announced the appointment of TVS Group Chairman Venu Srinivasan and former defence secretary Vijay Singh as vice chairmen of the seven public charitable bodies under its fold. Tata Sons is the investment holding company of the $103-billion conglomerate that is India's largest.

These elevations not only indicate that the duo will manage the affairs of the Trusts in the absence of Chairman Ratan Tata, but also signal a step towards succession planning, The Times of India reported. This is perhaps the first time that non-Tata, non-Parsi members have been given leadership roles at the Trusts, which contribute Rs 1,200 crore each year to philanthropic activities in sectors, including healthcare, nutrition, education, rural upliftment and the arts.

Their appointments were unanimously approved by the trustees of Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (SDTT), Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT), JRD Tata Trust, RD Tata Trust, Tata Education Trust, Tata Social Welfare Trust and Sarvajanik Seva Trust in a meeting earlier on December 12, Tata Trusts said in a statement.

Among these trusts, SDTT and SRTT are the two biggest philanthropic arms, collectively owning nearly 52% of Tata Sons. Singh, a former defence secretary, was inducted as a trustee of SDTT and SRTT three months ago, but Srinivasan, chairman of TVS Motor, was brought on the board of SDTT in 2016. The other common trustees on SDTT and SRTT are old Tata hands, Noshir Soonawala, R.K. Krishna Kumar and R. Venkataramanan.

Singh and Srinivasan are now the two most powerful men in Tata Trusts, which, according to the holding company's Articles of Association, can nominate one-third of the directors on Tata Sons' board. To understand the clout wielded by the Trusts one only need look at its role in Cyrus Mistry's ouster in October 2016.

Before joining the Trusts, both the newly-appointed vice-chairmen have served on the board of Tata Sons. While Singh stepped down from the director's position at Tata Sons on reaching the retirement age of 70 years, Srinivasan continues in the post.

The buzz earlier was that Wednesday's meeting of the board of trustees would see Ratan Tata's stepbrother Noel Tata, chairman of group company Trent, as well as his son Neville finding a seat on the board, but post the latest changes, the matter remains unaddressed.

According to the daily, the post of vice-chairman has been revived after several years post a restructuring of roles at the Trusts following Bain Capital MD Amit Chandra's decision to step down from the board of SRTT. The late Jamshed Bhabha, former director of Tata Sons and chairman of National Centre for the Performing Arts, was the last vice chairman of SDTT back in 2007. Although Chandra continues to represent the Trusts on the board of Tata Sons, he reportedly plans to give up that seat, too, in the near future.

Seventy-year-old Singh and 66-year-old Srinivasan have been handed a three-year term at the Trusts, but they could reportedly be reappointed for successive terms without age restrictions. Group patriarch Ratan Tata, who will turn 81 in a couple of weeks, is expected to follow in the heels of JRD Tata to hold the chairman's position at the Trusts for life.

Edited by Sushmita Choudhury Agarwal
The Assembly elections in Rajasthan are over but the uncertainty over the next chief minister isn't. Rahul Gandhi-led Congress party is trying everything not to make it look like an open war within the state Congress members. But the supporters of both Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot, the most probable choices for the top job, are making it tough for the central Congress leadership to zero in on one candidate. Amid rumours of infighting between the two factions led by Pilot and Gehlot, the Congress has maintained the consultations are on, and the final name could be announced anytime during the day.

"We are getting inputs from MLAs, we are getting inputs from workers, we are getting comprehensive answers, and you will see the chief minister soon," said Rahul Gandhi, after holding hectic deliberations with Congress workers earlier at his residence. The potential CM candidates in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, including Ashok Gehlot, Sachin Pilot, Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Kamal Nath, also arrived in Delhi to meet Rahul Gandhi at his residence to apprise him about the whole situation.

Also read: All you need to know about Rajasthan assembly election results

Kamal Nath is reportedly considered the top contender for the CM post in Madhya Pradesh. For Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot seems to be ahead in the race, considering his political acumen, administrative experience, and his acceptability among the Congress alliance partners. The faction supporting Sachin Pilot has also put a brave face and is refusing to back down till the final decision is made. They argue that it was Sachin Pilot who as the Rajasthan Congress chief led the party to a major victory in Rajasthan.

The final decision on the CMs will be made after Rahul Gandhi's meeting with the party's observers AK Antony and KC Venugopal for Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, respectively. These observers had gone to Rajasthan and MP to understand the point of view of the newly-elected party MLAs about their favourite candidates for the CM post.

Also read: Rajasthan Election Results 2018: Here are top winners and losers

Rahul Gandhi had also sent an audio message to the Congress party workers in three states, asking them to choose their CM candidates. "Now I want to ask you a vital question: Who should be the chief minister? Please mention just one name. I'm the only person who would know whom you are naming. No one in the party will know. Please speak after the beep". The audio message has reportedly reached over 7.3 lakh workers across the three states. Meanwhile, Gehlot and Pilot have left from Rahul Gandhi's residence, and the suspense could be over soon.
Bollywood actor Sonakshi Sinha has been a new addition to the list of people receiving random worthless things instead of genuine products ordered on online portals. In a Twitter post, the actor posted pictures of the "shiny piece of junk" she received from Amazon instead of the Bose headphones she ordered for over Rs 18,000 on the e-tailer platform.

The actor said the piece of iron was packed in an unopened box that bore the Bose logo and looked genuine. She complained the customer care at Amazon India was of little help, which ultimately forced her to raise the issue on the social networking platform.

Pouring her outburst, Sonakshi Sinha wrote on Twitter: "Hey @amazonIN! Look what I got instead of the @bose headphones I ordered! Properly packed and unopened box, looked legit... but only on the outside. Oh and your customer service doesn't even want to help, that's what makes it even worse."

Hey @amazonIN! Look what i got instead of the @bose headphones i ordered! Properly packed and unopened box, looked legit... but only on the outside. Oh and your customer service doesnt even want to help, thats what makes it even worse. pic.twitter.com/sA1TwRNwGl - Sonakshi Sinha (@sonakshisinha) December 11, 2018

Taking a dig at the e-com giant's poor customer services, Sonakshi asked her 13.9 million fans on Twitter if anyone wanted a "brand new shiny piece of junk for (Rs) 18,000 bucks".

"Anybody want to buy a brand new shiny piece of junk for 18,000 bucks? (Yup, it's a steal) Don't worry, I'm selling, not @amazonIN, so u'll get exactly what you're ordering," she wrote on Twitter.

Anybody want to buy a brand new shiny piece of junk for 18,000 bucks? (Yup, its a steal) Dont worry, im selling, not @amazonIN, so ull get exactly what you're ordering. pic.twitter.com/3W891TA7yd - Sonakshi Sinha (@sonakshisinha) December 11, 2018

The post soon went viral and the e-commerce company had to apologise, and request the actor to share the details of the order to address the issue at the earliest.

"Uh-oh! This is unacceptable! Apologies for the recent ordering experience and the subsequent correspondence with our support team. Please share your details here: https://amzn.to/2N5ik8p, we'll get in touch with you directly ^JC," a tweet from Amazon Help said.

The cases of people receiving random things from online companies are not new. In February, a software engineer from Mumbai received a detergent bar instead of Apple's iPhone 8 he ordered and paid for on Flipkart.

The customer, Tabrej Mehaboob Nagrali, 26, had bought the smartphone for Rs 55,000 and paid the full amount. When the soap bar arrived instead, he approached the Byculla police in central Mumbai. Flipkart later said it was aware of the matter and was looking into it.

Edited by Manoj Sharma
Extending rally for the third straight session, the Indian benchmarks ended higher on Thursday, led by gains in index heavyweights such as, Infosys, Wipro, Maruti Suzuki India, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Tata Motors. The market sentiment also got lift from strong macro numbers and positive global cues.

The BSE SENSEX closed 150.57 points, or 0.42 per cent, higher at 35,929.64, and the NSE Nifty ended at 10,791.55, up by 53.95 points, or by 0.50 per cent. During the day's trade, the BSE Sensex touched an intra-day high and low of 36095.56 and 35794.51, while the NSE Nifty touched high and low 10838.6 and low of 10749.5.

In line with the benchmark indices, the broader market ended higher, with MidCap and SmallCap indices rising as much as 0.82 per cent and 0.65 per cent, respectively.

On the sectoral front, all the indices settled in positive terrain, barring metal stocks, while consumer durables and capital goods index emerging as top gainers, gaining as much as 1.4 per cent and 1.27 per cent, respectively.

The Market breadth, indicating the overall strength of the market, was positive. Out of 2847 shares traded, 1561 advanced, 1131 shares declined, and 155 remained unchanged.

Among the individual stocks, Yes Bank tumbled over 6 per cent, paring early gains over 4 per cent, after the bank said it is yet to finalise the name of MD & CEO. "The Bank's Nomination & Remuneration Corrunittee (N&RC) and Board of Directors have finalised the recommendation for Non-Executive Part-Time Chairman position and shall be promptly seeking requisite approvals from the Reserve Bank of India," YES Bank said in filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange. The next board meeting will be held on January 9, the private lender informed the exchange.

Also Read: YES Bank board meeting ends; stock closes lower, top loser on Sensex, Nifty

Sun Pharmaceutical dipped 2 per cent after markets regulator Sebi said it is examining the whistleblower complaint against the drug maker. Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. (Rs. 1980.00, -1.92%), Tata Steel Ltd. (Rs. 511.00,-1.81%), Coal India Ltd. (Rs. 244.40,-1.07%), were among losers.

Also Read: Pricol and Israel's Pointer Telocation to form JV for telematics solution; shares zoom 20%

According to analysts, investor sentiment on Dalal Street was positive amid easing trade tension between the US and China coupled with fall in crude prices and strong macro data. Retail inflation eased to a 17-month low of 2.3 per cent in October and industrial output growth rose to an 11-month high of 8.1 per cent during the month, raising hopes of an interest rate cut that would strengthen economic growth. The trades also expect that new RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das would work more closely with the government.

Overseas, Asian stocks ended higher on Thursday following a strong overnight finish on Wall Street amid hope of easing tensions between the US and China. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 surged 0.99 percent to close at 21,816.19 points, Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended 1.29 percent higher at 26,524.35 points and the China's Shanghai SE Composite Index settled 1.23 percent higher at 2,634.05 points.

Stocks in Europe were trading lower in opening session as investors weighed persistent concerns over global relations after Trump administration officials on Wednesday indicated that Beijing will have to do more to end the tariff war.

Edited by Chitranjan Kumar
For a couple of months, before Urjit Patel finally resigned, there was a whisper campaign about how the Reserve Bank of India governor was obstinately creating a lot of misery for everyone from Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) to the troubled power sector to the SME sector and proving a real hurdle to the government's efforts to further accelerate the economy. Now that Shaktikanta Das has taken charge as the new governor of the RBI, will all those problems get sorted quickly? It would be tempting for many people to think so, but it is unlikely.

The problems with the SMEs, the troubled power companies, and the NBFCs among others have hardly been created by the RBI. And while the government would love to believe that a more reasonable (or pliable) central bank will solve all the problems, this is not going to happen. Even if the RBI agrees with everything in the finance ministry's wishlist, the problems will still persist. That is because the problems with all these sectors have to solved by well-thought-out policy decisions, and not by the RBI opening the money tap a bit more wide.

Let's take the case of the SMEs first. Much as the government likes to deny it, I am sure they know the real issue why these businesses have been hit so badly. Demonetisation was a serious body blow to the entire group of small and medium industries but it was really the hiccups and the imperfections of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) that dealt the knockout punch to many small and medium sized firms. When they initially complained about the faulty GST implementation, I remember one senior finance ministry official laughing and telling me: "If their (SMEs) only business strategy is to evade taxes, they deserve to go out of business." It is nobody's case that a lot of SMEs do try to avoid or minimise tax (and even evade them). But that was not the problem with the GST. The core problem was the working capital and liquidity problem that cropped up for all companies because of the complexities of the GST filing and refunds. It is an issue that has, even now after one year of the GST implementation, been only partially sorted out.

Will opening the liquidity tap, allowing public sector banks currently under the RBIs' prompt corrective action (PCA) and initiating a loan mela for the SMEs, help the sector? I doubt, because the core problem needs to be addressed. Loans may be temporary relief but if cash flows don't improve, the SMEs are unlikely to get out of trouble. On the other hand, they may have trouble repaying the loan itself. And that would create the next wave of NPAs. In fact, periodic loan melas have always ended badly with banks having to write off large chunks of their loan portfolios.

This is not just true for loan melas (or anything you want to name it) to farmers or small entrepreneurs -- it equally holds true for big companies if the business horizon itself is not stable. Just like the UPA-2 found out when they exhorted PSBs not to be too strict and to give loans on demand to everyone from steel barons expanding to unsustainable to loss making airlines.

Ditto for the problems of the power producers who are stuck with big debts and unsustainable business models. Their problems stem from a number of factors - gas-based plants that were promised gas did not get them, coal-based plants that banked on regular coal supplies found themselves with irregular or no coal supplies. And sometimes those who had based their business models on coal mines they owned in other countries found themselves in a spot because of regulatory changes in those countries.

There were still many who got into trouble because of mounting receivables from sick public sector distribution companies of several states. The RBI under Urjit Patel wanted these troubled power assets to be treated much like the other big troubled assets like steel and others. The only problem, as the government realises, is that while there are plenty of buyers for stressed steel assets, there wasn't too much interest in sick power producers until all the other problems got sorted out.

Forcing the RBI to have a different set of rules for power producers compared to other NPAs might seem like a good solution to the government but it will only lead to more headaches for the government. For example, there is nothing to prevent the promoters of companies under NBC to go to courts and ask why no other sector was given the same sort of consideration as the power sector?

Then there is the case of NBFCs. In a way it is linked to the SME problem and the infrastructure financing problem, which we will come to in a bit. Some time ago, banks turned cautious about taking on what they perceived as higher risks. The infra and SME loans were the first ones affected. Private sector banks have always been cautious about lending to SMEs, and infrastructure projects expect to blue chip companies such as L&T.

The public sector banks were more accommodative - but even they did not want to take too much risk. So they preferred lending to NBFCs, which in turn gave out these loans. The problem was the IL&FS defaults have shaken the confidence in the NBFCs. That is because several of them had a severe asset liability mismatch - they gave loans on long-term basis, for example, for infrastructure projects or SMEs trying to increase capacity. But their own funds were short-term borrowings. So the willingness to give loans to NBFCs suddenly came down. The other NBFCs - which primarily built businesses around short-term loans - say working capital loans to SMEs or consumer durable or auto loans of shorter duration - were not seriously affected.

This is again something the RBI can't do much about. It can improve liquidity further - but banks still are not willing to lend because they consider these projects to be too risky. Forcing banks to lend for such projects can only lead to an even greater NPA problem. Finally, of course, there is the demand of the government that the RBI hands over a third of its reserves to the government to spend and make sure the fiscal deficit remains under control. That again is a moral hazard - once the government starts dipping its fingers in the central bank reserves, it will never be able to stop itself. And when the RBI needs to use those reserves, it will be in a bit of spot.

The government needs to realise that fixing the economy is its problem. The RBI can at most help a bit. But eventually, the central bank can't really fix all the issues. The government is the one that needs to think of the policy solutions.
The strange sounds and mysterious booms are increasing again Or let say they have never stopped. Within the last two weeks, several rumblings and creepy noises were recorded around the world. Here a compilation:

strange sounds and mysterious booms dec 2018 videos

Strange Sounds in Perak, Malaysia; November 20, 2018

Crazy sounds Delaware County, Pennsylvania, USA; December 2, 2018

Two commenters  one in New Jersey and the other in Pittsburgh  reported they heard the same sounds twice in the last two weeks.

Weird sound in Malmo, Sweden; December 7, 2018

Mysterious booms rattle residents of Elgin, Illinois, USA; June 2018

Mysterious boom rattle residents of Elgin. The booms are so loud, they even shake homes in the northwest suburb. The noises are heard at various hours of the day, but particularly overnight.

The irritating booms are ongoing since last June and nobody knows why!

Creepy sound in the sky of Ohio, USA; November 27, 2018

Powerful boom rattles Coventry, UK; December 5, 2018

The cause of an enormous bang that shook houses across Coventry remains a mystery. It comes as defence chiefs denied the incident was caused by fighter jets flying at supersonic speed.

The loud boom incident on Sunday night sparked a major 999 operation as police and fire crews searched for the source of the explosion which appeared to be centred in Longford. It was so loud it was heard as far away as Willenhall, Walsgrave and Bedworth, and caused windows to rattle and plaster to fall from ceilings.

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[Coventry Telegraph, NBC Chicago]
The Yes Bank Board did not name a replacement for its outgoing Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Rana Kapoor yet again after its board of directors met on Thursday. The private sector lender, however, assured that it is on track to appoint the new MD and CEO within the deadline set by the Reserve Bank of India.

In a regulatory filing after the board meeting, Yes Bank said its Search and Selection Committee (SSC) has discussed and deliberated on the final shortlisted external and internal candidates "post their comprehensive interviews and assessment". A decision on the next MD and CEO of Yes Bank will be taken at the next meeting of the bank's board.

"The final recommendation will be submitted to the Reserve Bank of India by the Board of Directors post their next meeting scheduled on January 9, 2019," the statement further said.

ALSO READ: Urjit Patel resignation: Fresh hope for Uday Kotak, Rana Kapoor from dictat! Here are the changes new governor could ring in at RBI

The hunt for a new chief executive began after the RBI refused another term to the incumbent Rana Kapoor citing "serious lapses" in governance and a "poor compliance culture" at the bank. The central bank had asked Yes Bank to appoint a successor to Kapoor by February 1, 2019. In a BSE filing on September 19, the lender had said it has been intimated by the RBI on September 17 that Kapoor might continue as the MD and CEO till January 31, 2019, but did not disclose any further details on the RBI's communication.

Meanwhile, the Yes Bank finalised the recommendation for the position of the Non-Executive Part-Time today. The bank, however, did not disclose the names suggested by its Nomination & Remuneration Committee (NR&C). The recommendation will be forwarded to the RBI for requisite approvals, Yes Bank said.

Additionally, two new additional directors on the Yes Bank board - TS Vijayan and Uttam Prakash - attended their first meeting. The board now has eight members, and one vacancy.

"The N&RC has also evaluated profiles for Additional Directors especially with Information Technology Expertise, to lead the Bank's IT Strategy Committee. The N&RC will finalise the same shortly, after requisite due diligence," Yes Bank added.

ALSO READ: Investors bet on Yes Bank shares ahead of board meeting; stock zooms 15% in 3 days
Cyrus Mistry camp on Wednesday urged the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) to amend the section 121 of the Article of Association (AoA) of Tata Sons, which gives trust nominees on its board powers of 'affirmative vote'.

Senior advocate C A Sundaram appearing on behalf of the Cyrus Mistry camp submitted before the NCLAT that through section 121 of AoA of Tata Sons, nominee directors have the full power of the board to conclude any decision.

According to him, this undermines the role and authority of the board and needs an intervention.

Section 121 of the AoA of Tata Sons mandates that important matter of Tata Sons can only be decided with the affirmative vote of trust nominee directors.

Sundaram appeared on behalf of Cyrus Mistry and two investment firms.

The Tata side was represented by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi and others during the hearing.

A two-member bench headed by NCLAT Chairman Justice S J Mukhopadhaya would continue its hearing tomorrow also.

The Mistry camp had challenged the July 9 order of the Mumbai bench of the NCLT which dismissed the pleas against his removal as Tata Sons chairman, as also the allegations of rampant misconduct on the part of Ratan Tata and the company's board.

A special bench of the tribunal had held that the board of directors at Tata Sons was "competent" to remove the executive chairperson of the company. The NCLT bench had also said that Mistry was ousted as chairman because the Tata Sons' Board and its majority shareholders had "lost confidence in him".

Under the Companies Act 2013, an order of NCLT can be challenged before the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT). Mistry, who was the sixth chairman of Tata Sons, was ousted from the position in October 2016. He had taken over as the chairman in 2012 after Ratan Tata announced his retirement.

Two months after his removal, Mistry's family-run firms Cyrus Investments Pvt Ltd and Sterling Investments Corp approached the NCLT as minority shareholders, against Tata Sons, Ratan Tata, and some other board members.

Mistry in his pleas primarily argued that his removal was not in accordance with the Companies Act and that there was rampant mismanagement of affairs across Tata Sons.

He also alleged that Tata Trust chairperson Ratan Tata and trustee N Soonawala interfered with the day-to-day operations of the group companies, they acted as shadow directors, and all of the above caused massive revenue loss for the group.
UrbanVolt has been announced as the winner of Googles Adopt A Startup Autumn programme after an intense dragons den style finale at Google EMEA headquarters in Dublin on Tuesday.



The Irish Startup works with some of the worlds most innovative companies to help them reduce their global energy footprint and accelerate their transition to sustainability through a move to LED lighting which helps organisations save up to 75% on their energy bills.

UrbanVolt will receive 10,000 in Google Ads credit and will become eligible for the Google Cloud Platform for startups which come with $100,000 Google Cloud Credit. The seven runner-ups will also be eligible for the programme, along with $20,000 Google Cloud Credits.

To date, over 200 companies have taken part in Googles Adopt A Startup programme which forms part of Googles commitment to the startup community in Ireland. These companies have gone on to expand and grow their employee numbers and raise significant capital funding.



Winner of the Adopt A Startup programme, Marketing Manager at UrbanVolt, Anne James said, "Were delighted to be named the winner of Googles Adopt A Startup programme as it's a wonderful recognition of the work our team put into the programme over the past twelve weeks. At the outset, we identified a number of OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), the achievement of which has transformed our business. Our Google mentors shared their expertise in automating business processes and scaling, and we're excited to put our learnings to the test in the US market."



Head of Google Irelands startup programme, Paddy Flynn added, "UrbanVolt was chosen by the judges because of the significant progress they made over the twelve week mentoring programme. Working with their Google team they identified a series of objectives which they explained to the judges along with the impressive results they achieved. It wasnt an easy decision for the judges, given the richness of talent and the achievements of our finalists over the past twelve weeks. All our Adopt A Startup companies have shown real promise throughout the programme and I expect well be hearing a lot more from them over the coming years."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Los Angeles Unified School District will host a drive-thru event from 9 a.m. to noon at the San Pedro Science Center, 2201 Barrywood Ave. That campus allows motorists to easily enter and exit the parking lot, and drop off new...
Helo announced that it has partnered with Alt News, a leading non-partisan fact-checking partner authority, as part of its ongoing fight against fake news.

This partnership involves a series of training sessions conducted by Alt News to equip Helos local content moderation team with their proprietary tools and methodology to identify and mitigate the threat of content from unverified sources. The first training session was held earlier this week at the Helo headquarters in Delhi NCR and was conducted by Alt News Co-Founder, Pratik Sinha.

This strategic partnership is in line with Helos commitment to create a safe environment for the exchange of perspectives and information, given the personalized, localized vernacular content on its platform. Available in 14 vernaculars including Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and more, Helo bridges the information gap for Indians nationwide, narrowing the digital divide for the larger population communicating in their mother tongues.

At Helo, we take issues such as misinformation and fake news very seriously. This is why were honoured to partner with Alt News, a renowned fact-checking authority, to ensure that our platform continues to be a safe and viable source of the latest news and trending topics, said Shayamanga Barooah, Head of Content Operations, Helo.

We are committed to integrating Alt News tools and methodology into our world-class content moderation system, which is powered by our advanced machine learning algorithms and supported by a local content moderation team covering the 14 languages that we have on our platform, he added.

Were looking forward to working with Helo in ensuring that Indians nationwide can easily access information through credible sources that also allow them to better express themselves in their native language, said Pratik Sinha, Co-Founder, Alt News. Our training sessions and knowledge exchange underscore our commitment to transparency and our high editorial standards when it comes to addressing incorrect or dubious information.

Apart from its sophisticated content moderation policies, Helo offers a variety of privacy features to protect content on the platform, ensuring the safety and security of all its users. Helo users can choose whether others can comment on or share their content, reducing risks of content infringement and ensuring that content remains only for personal consumption.

With over 25 million monthly active users nationwide, Helos AI-powered, visual platform is specifically designed for Indian mobile users. It enables users to easily create content with easy-to-use tools, and encourages interaction through features to make new friends, and share the latest and top trending jokes, memes, status updates, wishes, quotes, shayari and Bollywood news.

Helo crossed more than 1 million downloads within the very first month of its India launch in June 2018, and has been consistently ranked among the top free apps on the Google Play Store.

@Technuter.com News Service
news, latest-news

A major privacy breach has engulfed ActewAGL and Icon Water, after more than 1000 personally addressed utility bills were sent in bundles to at least nine separate households. ActewAGL estimates about 6000 customers across the ACT and NSW have been caught up in the breach. The bills appear to have been bundled by postcode and then, for reasons that remain unclear, were sent in boxes and envelopes addressed to specific customers. Customers have had their personal information sent to addresses in Belconnen, Gungahlin, Chisholm, Calwell, Kingston, Palmerston and Wanniassa, as well as a city post box. The Canberra Times is aware of nine separate incidents, including bills being sent to Belconnen resident John Steep, who received an envelope containing hundreds of them on Wednesday. On Thursday, eight more people came forward with similar stories. The utility provider has told recipients of the bundles to wait for them to be collected by ActewAGL representatives, but one recipient has returned the bundle to an ActewAGL shopfront. Mr Steep, who contacted ActewAGL to return the bundle of documents he received at his Belconnen home on Wednesday, said the almost half-ream of outstanding bills had not been collected as of Thursday afternoon. The bills in Mr Steep's bundle were addressed to ActewAGL customers in the 2617 postcode, which covers the suburbs of Belconnen, Kaleen, Giralang, Evatt, McKellar, Bruce and Lawson. Several bills were addressed to houses on Mr Streep's street and other nearby homes. ActewAGL told Mr Steep on Thursday morning it had sent people out to collect the bills at 6.45pm on Wednesday, which was right after Mr Steep and his wife had gone out for a walk. He was told that they arrived in the evening to collect the bills because the ActewAGL representatives had other things to do first. An ActewAGL staff member also told Mr Steep that the utility provider was unlikely to send anyone to retrieve the bills on Thursday due to safety concerns about driving in the rain and on wet roads. "I'm stunned. It suddenly becomes my problem. It's not funny any more," Mr Steep said. Mr Steep said ActewAGL had told him on Thursday evening the bills would be collected on Friday morning. Mr Steep first contacted ActewAGL about the mistaken delivery just before midday on Wednesday. "I didn't want to look like I was sitting on it," he said. Mr Steep was initially told at 1.20pm on Wednesday that two representatives from the utility provider would collect the cache of bills within about an hour. "I'm just cranky that I've wasted a day on this," Mr Steep said. Belconnen resident Samantha Simms received a box containing more than 500 ActewAGL electricity bills addressed to houses in the 2617 postcode sometime between 5.30 and 7pm on Wednesday. "It was really concerning. I was glad my bill was the one in the envelope [attached to the box]," she said. A resident in Chisholm was sent a box containing between 200 and 300 outstanding gas bills addressed to customers in Chisholm and Calwell. They had not been collected by Thursday night. 2CC program director Peter Davidson received a bundle of about 150 Icon Water bills on Wednesday, addressed to homes in Gungahlin and Belconnen. Mr Davidson rang Icon Water at 4.30pm on Wednesday and was told to return the bills to sender. At 10am on Thursday, he contacted the water provider again and was told someone would be sent out to collect them but no collection time had been arranged. "The guy on the other end was pretty blase about the whole thing," Mr Davidson said. Palmerston resident Larry Appley received 21 electricity bills, addressed to houses in Nicholls, Ngunnawal and Charnwood. "Being a major breach of privacy as it is, I expected someone would ring me back in 15 minutes. But I heard nothing," he said. An ActewAGL staff member contacted Mr Appley after he posted a picture of the bills to the company's Facebook page on Thursday evening. A bundle of about 20 bills addressed to ActewAGL customers in Kingston was also delivered to an employee of The Canberra Times on Wednesday, but was not found until Thursday morning. An envelope containing 19 electricity bills was sent to a post box at the Canberra general post office, which included bills addressed to post office boxes in Braddon, the city and Belconnen. A Calwell resident also received an envelope that contained 13 Icon Water bills on Thursday. The resident was told the envelope would be collected on Thursday morning. Jacquelyn Lamont of Wanniassa received an A4 envelope with seven electricity bills on Wednesday, including her own. ActewAGL told her they would send someone over to collect them, but the bills remained uncollected on Thursday evening. The six other bills in the envelope were all addressed to houses within the 2903 postcode. "They didn't seem too concerned," Ms Lamont said. "I'm so annoyed with them." The large bundles had the recipients' bills in an envelope taped to the outside of the larger package. The bills contained names and addresses of ActewAGL customers, unique reference numbers and show how much gas the customer were using. In some cases, it could have been possible to determine from the bill if a person was receiving a pension. ActewAGL supplies gas to about150,000 customers in the ACT. A spokeswoman for ActewAGL said the company was investigating the mail out error. "[This] has resulted in invoices that we prepare for ActewAGL and Icon Water customers being received in sealed envelopes by someone other than the intended recipient," she said. ActewAGL said it had put on hold mail being handled by an external provider after it was notified of the mistake. "We are investigating the matter in accordance with our internal procedures, which reflect the guidelines publicly issued by the Privacy Commissioners office," the spokeswoman said. The company confirmed on Thursday that it had begun contacting affected customers and would extend bill payment times. The utility provider said it had also alerted the Privacy Commissioner's office. Agencies subject to the Privacy Act, which include ActewAGL, must take reasonable steps to prevent misuse, interference or loss of any personal information they hold. "We apologise for any inconvenience or concern caused," a company spokeswoman said. Icon Water said ActewAGL managed billing processes for the water provider and that it was aware of the issue and working closely with ActewAGL to investigate the mail out error. "Our customers privacy is of the utmost importance. Distribution of bills was suspended as soon as the issue was identified," the company said in a statement. "ActewAGL has begun contacting known affected customers and collecting misdirected mail," the company said on Thursday. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's Scamwatch website advises people to lock their mailboxes and destroy any documents containing personal information before disposing of them. Scammers can use private information obtained through discarded personal documents, including utility bills, to commit identity theft.

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news, crime

Three former members of the Royal Australian Navy defrauded the Commonwealth of some $120,000 worth of entitlements after hiding their marriage breakdowns, a court has heard. Maria Mathews had split with her husband Philip Mathews and began a new relationship with Malcolm Woods, a man she met while working on the HMAS Manoora and who had also split with his wife. But the trio failed to tell the Defence Force about the breakdowns of their marriages and continued receiving entitlements connected to the now finished relationships, such as rent assistance and food allowance, for more than two years. Between 2010 and 2012, Maria Mathews dishonestly claimed, for example, more than $22,000 for an apartment in Pyrmont, Sydney, and Woods more than $27,000 for an apartment in Kings Cross, Sydney. Theres a real story behind all this, a barrister for the trio, Jack Pappas, said at a sentence hearing in the ACT Supreme Court on Thursday. What started as a little lie grew over time, he added. They began by claiming legitimate entitlements. Maria Mathews and Philip Mathews married in January 1999. Maria was a cook in the navy, and her husband worked as a clearance diver. In 2007, the couple, both holding the rank of Leading Seaman, were posted to Royal Australian Navy units in Darwin. Two years later, Maria Mathews was posted to HMAS Manoora in Sydney. Mr Pappas described their marriage as in a state of flux and argued it was not necessarily clear cut as to when they were legally obliged to alert the authorities. While posted to Sydney, Maria Mathews started a new relationship with a senior officer, Woods, who was directly above her in the chain of command. Woods' marriage had also recently ended. But while they had started by claiming legitimate entitlements, all three failed to tell the defence force about their marital breakdowns. Maria Mathews and Malcolm Woods also made denials when questioned about the existence of an inappropriate relationship between them, court documents said. Largely, the money they had claimed was for rent assistance, but also included remote location and reunion travel and food allowances. The three, who remain friends, have pleaded guilty to a single charge each of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception. Mr Pappas told the court all three had been well regarded and were high achievers during their service to the country. Woods, 49, was a talented cook and had achieved the senior rank of Chief Petty Officer, Mr Pappas said, and had worked as the personal chef to the head of the navy. He had served in the navy for some 25 years. He was now working 16-hour days in the kitchen he ran in a local cafe with Maria Mathews in a remote region of Western Australia. Mr Pappas said Woods and Maria Mathews, 53, now worked within the local Indigenous community and intended to live out their days in the remote location. He told the court Maria Mathews had served a tour of duty in a Middle East war zone, and had received citations for outstanding service in the navy. She was painfully aware that her achievements had been greatly diminished by her subsequent behaviour, Mr Pappas said. Philip Mathews, 54, was now living with his new partner in the Northern Territory and working as a fly-in fly-out machine operator on Groote Eylandt, the court heard. He had served in the defence force for 23 years, and received several service medals and a humanitarian medal for his work in Sumatra. Mr Pappas said the trio had since repaid what they had defrauded. He noted it had been four years between when the investigation started and when it was referred to prosecutors. The trio were not driven by greed, the barrister said, the money was not for the purchase of luxuries. He accepted that a sentence of imprisonment was called for, but invited the judge to wholly suspend it. Federal prosecutors said only immediate full-time imprisonment was warranted in the circumstances. It had not been an active fraud, they said, but they had hidden from authorities the change in their circumstances. Justice Chrissa Loukas-Karlsson said she would sentence them in February.

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comment, editorial

Canberrans love their dogs and, according to the experts, there could be more than 120,000 currently in residence. That is roughly one for every three people in the territory. With Canberra's human and canine populations increasing at roughly the same rates an ever increasing number of dogs and dog owners are turning up to share the same, already well used, recreational spaces including walking tracks, parks and reserves and designated off-leash areas. We also see dogs, many of whom are now accorded the status of privileged family members, on our footpaths, in our hotel beer gardens, at chic sidewalk cafes and outside shops and supermarkets on a daily basis. None of this would present a problem if every dog owner kept their animals under control at all times as required by the law. Unfortunately, and sometimes tragically, this does not happen. This paper has reported on dozens of incidents in recent years in which fatal, or near fatal, attacks have been committed on other animals and even humans. The most recent case to make the headlines involved an Alaskan malamute which broke into the yard next door and seriously mauled a much loved shih tzu. The owners of the malamute have been ordered to pay the owners of the shih tzu an estimated $14,000 by the ACT Civil and Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Another report, published in the same issue of The Canberra Times, highlighted the tensions that can erupt when dogs and humans are brought into close proximity. The owners of Ruby, a dachshund labrador cross, noticed their pet was limping. The examining vet discovered she had been shot and that there was still a bullet lodged in her leg. While Ruby barked only rarely she had obviously incurred someone's extreme displeasure. Other dog shootings and even poisonings with baited meat had been reported in the same area before. Actions such as these can never be accepted or justified; people who are willing to inflict cruelty on animals often go on to do the same to other people. While the ACT government has passed numerous rules and regulations governing the ways in which dogs and humans can interact, including new fines of up to $3200 for acts of neglect or cruelty, these are not a solution in themselves. A prerequisite for harmonious relations is for dog owners to wake up to the fact that while they may regard their pet as "furry family" the creature is an animal and, as such, cannot be held responsible for its actions. Legal liability rests entirely with the owner or the person responsible for the animal from day to day. Dog ownership is a major commitment that should never be taken lightly given the ability of any pet pooch, regardless of size or age, to inflict harm on a person or another animal. If you own a dog you must have it under control at all times, whether that be secured in its own backyard, on a walk down the street or in a designated off-leash dog park. If dog owners don't heed this message, which has been repeated time and time again, they will only have themselves to blame when regulations are enforced more rigorously and fines and penalties are increased.

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Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact.

Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here.

Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing.

You are our people. You Care. We Care2.
Banaras Hindu University (BHU) has released an employment notification calling out aspirants to apply for the posts of Assistant Professor, Clinical Instructor and Demonstrator. Those interested can check out the eligibility, salary scale, how to apply and the complete details of the government job here. Selected candidates can earn up to INR 57,700 per month. The selection process is through a walk-in interview scheduled on Dec 27, 2018.

OPSC Recruitment 2018 For Ayurvedic Medical Officer

BHU Recruitment 2018 Vacancy Details

CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts Assistant Professor, Clinical Instructor and Demonstrator Organisation Banaras Hindu University Educational Qualification Graduate or post graduate degree in relevant field Experience Desirable Skills Required Technical skills Job Location Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh Salary Scale INR 22,500 to INR 57,700 per month Industry Education Application Start Date December 10, 2018 Application End Date December 27, 2018

East Central Railway Recruitment 2018 For 2234 Apprentices

How To Apply For BHU Recruitment 2018

In order to apply for BHU Recruitment 2018, follow these steps:

Step 1: Log on to the BHU official website.

Step 2: Hover over the Recruitments tab.

Step 3: Select Recruitments.

Step 4: Click the link that reads, Advt. No. 05/2018-2019 (Contractual) for Walk-in-Interview for teaching and Non-teaching (Group-A) Posts.

Step 5: The detailed advertisement will open. Read the details carefully.

Step 6: Prepare your application form.

Step 7: Carry it to the venue.

Venue

Office of the Dy Registrar, Recruitment & Assessment Cell, Holkar House, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi-221005.

Time

8 am

Follow the link - http://www.bhu.ac.in/rac/racuploads/1/20181212101818.pdf to read the detailed official notification.
Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) has released an employment notification calling out aspirants to apply for the post of District Educational Officer. Those interested can check out the eligibility, salary scale, how to apply and the complete details of the government job here. Selected candidates can earn up to INR 1,80,500 per month.

The application fee and registration fee cost INR 150 respectively. The last date to apply for this government job is Jan 9, 2019.

TNPSC Recruitment 2018 For Cost Assistant: Earn Up To INR 1,15,700

TNPSC Recruitment 2018 Vacancy Details

CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts District Educational Officer Organisation Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission Educational Qualification Master's degree in relevant field and BEd Experience 12 years Skills Required Teaching skills Job Location Tamil Nadu Salary Scale INR 56,900 to INR 1,80,500 per month Industry Civil services Application Start Date December 10, 2018 Application End Date January 9, 2019

Maximum Age Limit: 40 years

Also Read: TNPSC Recruitment 2018 For Engineers: Apply Before Dec 24

How To Apply For TNPSC Recruitment 2018

In order to apply for TNPSC Recruitment 2018, follow these steps:

Step 1: Log on to the TNPSC official website.

Step 2: Click on the One-Time Registration link on the home page.

Step 3: On the next page, again click on the link for one time registration.

Step 4: Click on the option for new user if you want to register as a new user.

Step 5: The registration form will open. Enter your details in the fields provided.

Step 6: Read the declaration and click on the checkbox to agree to it.

Step 7: Enter the security code.

Step 8: Click Save & Continue and follow the subsequent pages to complete the registration process.

Step 9:Go back to the home page and click the application link against the post you want to apply for.

Step 10:You will be directed to a login screen. Enter your credentials in the fields provided.

Step 11:Enter the captcha code and click Submit.

Step 12:Follow the subsequent pages to complete the application process.

Follow the link - http://www.tnpsc.gov.in/notifications/2018_37_notyfn_DEO.pdf to read the detailed official notification.
The wait to release information about the three men who robbed a Brazoria bank Friday diminished the opportunity to get the public's help in finding the culprits.
Discussion

Few data, beyond anecdotal clinician reports, exist on tropical splenomegaly, and patients anticipated clinical course is still largely unknown, particularly after relocation to nontropical environments. In contrast to what has been reported previously (3,4), many of the patients in this report had persistent splenomegaly long after arrival, despite receipt of a short course of malaria treatment and removal from an area with endemic malaria, indicating that the clinical course of tropical splenomegaly is still poorly understood. Malaria might still be the predominant underlying etiology, particularly given the presence of species including P. vivax and P. ovale, which can cause relapsing disease, in some refugees. The original recommendation (2) remains unchanged: all refugees of Congolese origin with splenomegaly should receive presumptive treatment with primaquine after arrival in the United States. Despite this recommendation, two thirds of refugees identified with splenomegaly in this investigation did not receive primaquine. Lack of awareness among domestic physicians, need for repeated visits for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase testing, a long (14-day) course, safety concerns, and availability of primaquine might have contributed to inconsistent administration.

The majority of patients with persistent splenomegaly had some combination of hematologic abnormalities, potentially caused by splenic sequestration. Many patients also had elevated liver transaminases, suggesting a need to monitor hepatic complications in this population. In light of the high proportion of patients with evidence of prior Schistosoma infection (47%) or eosinophilia (22%), it is important for physicians to consider further screening and diagnostic evaluation through stool and urine examination for ova or urinalysis for red blood cells. Among patients with persistent splenomegaly and clinical indicators of Schistosoma infection, such as eosinophilia without any other known cause, clinicians should consider repeating antischistosomal therapy with praziquantel. In addition, because etiology might be multifactorial or patient-specific, clinicians also need to consider further diagnostic testing in cases of persistent splenomegaly for Epstein-Barr virus, autoimmune disorders, or oncologic/hematologic etiologies.

The findings in this report are subject to at least four limitations. First, because data were obtained from clinic visits that occurred at irregular intervals, these findings likely underestimate the duration of splenomegaly in this population. Second, because of loss to follow-up, this investigation cannot estimate the actual proportion of patients whose condition resolved after their initial screening exam. Third, data quality varied widely across clinics, and diagnostic information from U.S.-based clinics (particularly more sensitive molecular diagnostics) was unavailable in most instances. Finally, considering the 21 cases of splenomegaly identified after U.S. arrival, the condition was likely underdiagnosed. Increased awareness and emphasis on careful spleen examination might improve sensitivity of predeparture detection.

Despite published reports suggesting that resolution would follow malaria treatment and removal from an area with endemic malaria (3,4), this analysis found that splenomegaly persisted after arrival in many Congolese refugees, in some cases beyond 2 years. Associated pathologic conditions, such as anemia and thrombocytopenia, also were prevalent. Clinicians caring for such patients both predeparture and postarrival need to be aware of the high prevalence of splenomegaly in this population. Given familial clustering and additional cases identified through proactive family screening, both overseas and domestic clinicians could consider screening family members of Congolese refugees with splenomegaly. Congolese refugees found to have splenomegaly should be treated with primaquine, if eligible; counseled on the condition and precautions (e.g., avoidance of contact sports); followed closely; and referred for specialty care if they fail to respond to treatment. Multiple etiologies are possible, but there is likely a predominant underlying infection and immune response. Future investigations might further reveal associated pathologies and etiologies of tropical splenomegaly in this population.
Holcim Philippines contracts Huaxin for US$245m project

13 December 2018

Chinas Huaxin Cement has announced that it has been contracted to build and renovate cement production lines and supporting facilities for Holcim Philippines.



The US$245m engineering, procurement and construction contract is expected to be fulfilled over a two-year period. It will see Huaxin build a 6000tpd production line, renovate an existing 3000tpd line and erect a 7MW waste heat power generation project.



Huaxin will design, provide equipment, build civil works, install and debug equipment, and finally test both product performance and the project upon completion.

Published under
CTP Team wins Malaysian ESP to baghouse conversion project

13 December 2018

Italy-based CTP Team has been awarded a turnkey project for air pollution control in Malaysia for the conversion of an existing PL1 raw mill electrostatic precipitator (ESP) into a fabric filter as well as the upgrade of an existing exhaust fan.



CTP Team has signed a turnkey contract with YTL Cement, for the conversion to bag filter of an ESP of Perak-Hanjoong Simen's cement plant in Pedang Rengas, Malaysia. The project consists of a full turnkey solution for the conversion into a more efficient bag filter of the existing ESP, a 740,000m3/h unit installed downstream kiln and raw mills of Line 1. The conversion will abide to the current footprint on foundations with the minimum impact on steel structures, ducting and dust transport system, says CTP Team. The new filter will reduce the emission limits below 10mg/Nm3 by June 2019.



The filter will be equipped with SWAP technology  CTP's advanced cleaning system with low pressure air. The system reduces pressure drop of bags with minimum consumption of compressed air, with further benefit to operating expenses for the operator.



Local agent Shinco Industrial Equipment Sdn Bhd is assisting CTP Team to shorten project execution time.

Published under
APO Cement resumes operation of kiln lines

13 December 2018

APO Cement (Cemex) has resumed operation of its two kilns at its cement plant in the Philippines, two weeks after they were closed due to the unavailability of raw materials. The manufacturer will therefore reinstate the employees who were temporarily suspended, according to BusinessWorld.



In addition, the company will no longer close its terminal in Davao City.

Published under
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Great Wall Motor (GWM) plans to build a new complete vehicle plant in Pinghu, a city in northern Zhejiang, with RMB2 billion to be invested, according to an official document issued by Zhejiang Provincial Development and Reform Commission.

The new plant, with a planned annual capacity of 100,000 vehicles, is designed to produce the ORA and the Haval F Series models.

The Baoding-based automaker possesses such brands as Haval (including the H and F Series), WEY, ORA, Wingle and Spotlight, which is jointly developed with BMW Group. The demand on production capacity has been further rising along with the gradual improvement of product lineup and elevation of market needs.

Before the Pinghu base, GWM has already had several vehicle plants across China, including the Rizhao base tailored for the production of WEY branded vehicles, the Tianjin plant that supports Haval brand, the Yongchuan base specializing in manufacturing pickups and Haval SUVs as well as the vehicle plant located in Zhangjiagang that is designed for the GWM-BMW joint program Spotlight Automotive.

ORA, the GWM's new energy vehicle business arm, saw the deliveries of its first model ORA iQ jumped 46.9% over the previous month to 1,043 units in November and has already launched the presale of the second model ORA R1. After the Haval F7 hit the market, the sales of Haval F Series climbed up to 13,132 units last month, among which 7,065 units were Haval F5s and 6,067 units came from the Haval F7.
Lebron Terrell Brown has been charged in a shooting that left an eight year-old boy in critical condition.

Brown, 30, 2605 E. 19th St., was charged with attempted first-degree murder, felony reckless endangerment, aggravated assault, possessing a firearm during the commission of a crime and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The incident happened June 8, 2017.

Police responded to Parkridge Hospital after the victim was taken there by personal vehicle. He was transferred on to Erlanger because his injuries were so serious.

The victim's mother said someone was driving her white van and she was in the front passenger seat. She said her son was in the back seat.

The were driving on Windsor Street approaching Dodson Avenue when they slowed for a child playing in the street. Then a black male appeared near their vehicle.

She said when gunfire erupted they drove off at a high rate of speed.

The mother said her son was hit during a barrage of gunfire.

A witness told police of observing Brown brandishing a gun and opening fire on the van

Police said various pieces of evidence backed up the witness's statement.
Congress for passed a measure that would designate as wilderness roughly 20,000 acres of public land in Tennessees Cherokee National Forest. The measure, included in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (H.R. 2), commonly called the farm bill, was originally introduced in April 2017 as the Tennessee Wilderness Act. It would protect important watersheds and wildlife habitats in one of the worlds most biologically diverse regions.

The Tennessee Wilderness Act (S. 973/H.R. 2218), sponsored by Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker and Representative Phil Roe, all Tennessee Republicans, would create the Upper Bald River Wilderness Area and expand five existing wilderness areas. It also would preserve all but 200 acres of the headwaters of the Bald River, ensuring clean water for communities found in five downstream watersheds, and protect valuable habitat for numerous species, from bobcats to wild turkeys to the eastern hellbender, North Americas largest salamander.

John Gilroy, director of Pews U.S. public lands program, issued this statement:

We applaud Congress for voting to protect these natural treasures for future generations to enjoy. Once President Trump signs the measure designating this land as wildernessthe strongest protection available for public landsthe law will help conserve critical wildlife habitat and corridors, support local cities and towns that rely on the outdoor recreation economy, and ensure that hunting, hiking, camping, and fishing will continue in the region.

Pew has worked with the Tennessee congressional delegation, local partners, and communities for nearly a decade to safeguard these special places. Preserving public lands continues to be one of our countrys most democratic processes, involving input from concerned citizens, local elected officials and governments, and Congress and the executive branch. This Tennessee wilderness, the result of legislation sponsored by Tennessee lawmakers, reflects Americas common ground.

Eight other significant conservation proposals are now advancing through Congress, including legislation to protect winding sandstone canyons in Utah, critical wildlife habitat in northern New Mexico, and fisheries in Oregon. These wild places merit protection as well, and we hope lawmakers will act on them before adjourning.
On Friday at Hamilton Place Mall, WDEF News 12 Now, WRCB-TV 3 and WTVC News Channel 9 will battle it out to see who can collect the most money in their iconic Red Salvation Army Kettle. Each station will be at a different main mall door entrance with the goal to raise the most money so The Salvation Army can serve those in need this holiday season and throughout the new year."We appreciate the participation and support of our local television stations with Battle of the Bells, said Major Mark Smith, area commander for The Salvation Army.They are so supportive though all year long. It takes all of us coming together to 'Do the Most Good' and meet the needs of our community and we couldnt do it with them.At Hamilton Place Mall from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. you will find WDEF News 12 Now at the Massage Envy entrance, WTVC News Channel 9 at the Jos A Bank entrance and last years Battle of the Bell winners, WRCB-TV3, at the Food Court entrance.
Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will introduce on Thursday a Senate joint resolution holding Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a former Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post. The resolution condemns Khashoggis killing and insists on accountability for those involved in his death.

Cosponsors of the resolution include Senators Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Marco Rubio (R-Fl.), Joni Ernst (R-Ia.), John Boozman (R-Ar.), Mike Crapo (R-Id.), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Cory Gardner (R-Co.), and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.). The resolution is expected to be considered by the full Senate.

Text of the resolution is below.

Title: Supporting a Diplomatic Solution in Yemen and Condemning the Murder of Jamal Khashoggi.

Whereas the ongoing civil war in Yemen has exacerbated that countrys humanitarian crisis, in which nearly 12,000,000 people are suffering from severe hunger, according to the United Nations World Food Programme;



Whereas there is no military solution to the conflict;



Whereas the United States-Saudi Arabia relationship is important to United States national security and economic interests;



Whereas the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has, in recent years, engaged in concerning behavior, including its conduct in the civil war in Yemen, apparent detention of the Prime Minister of Lebanon, undermining the unity of the Gulf Cooperation Council, expulsion of the Canadian ambassador, suppression of dissent within the Kingdom, and the murder of Jamal Khashoggi;



Whereas misleading statements by the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regarding the murder of Jamal Khashoggi have undermined trust and confidence in the longstanding friendship between the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; and



Whereas such erratic actions place unnecessary strain on the United States-Saudi Arabia relationship, which is an essential element of regional stability: Now, therefore, be it



Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Senate

(1) believes Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi;



(2) acknowledges the United States Government has sanctioned 17 Saudi individuals under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (subtitle F of title XII of Public Law 114328; 22 U.S.C. 2656 note) for their roles in the murder;



(3) calls for the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to ensure appropriate accountability for all those responsible for Jamal Khashoggis murder;



(4) calls on the Government of Saudi Arabia to release Raif Badawi, Samar Badawi, and the Saudi womens rights activists who were arrested as political prisoners in 2018;



(5) encourages the Government of Saudi Arabia to redouble its efforts to enact economic and social reforms;



(6) calls on the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to respect the rights of its citizens and moderate its increasingly erratic foreign policy;



(7) warns that the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabias increasing purchases of military equipment from, and cooperation with, the Russian Federation and the Peoples Republic of China, challenges the strength and integrity of the long-standing military-to-military relationship between the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and may introduce significant national security and economic risks to both parties;



(8) demands that all parties seek an immediate cease-fire and negotiated political solution to the Yemen conflict and increased humanitarian assistance to the victims of the conflict;



(9) condemns the Government of Irans provision of advanced lethal weapons to Houthi rebels, which have perpetuated the conflict and have been used indiscriminately against civilian targets in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the Bab al Mandeb waterway;



(10) condemns Houthi rebels for egregious human rights abuses, including torture, use of human shields, and interference with, and diversion of, humanitarian aid shipments;



(11) demands that the Saudi-led coalition and all parties to the Yemen conflict seek to minimize civilian casualties at all times;



(12) supports the peace negotiations currently being managed by United Nations Special Envoy Martin Griffiths and encourages the United States Government to provide all possible support to these diplomatic efforts;



(13) declares that there is no statutory authorization for United States involvement in hostilities in the Yemen civil war; and



(14) supports the end of air-to-air refueling of Saudi-led coalition aircraft operating in Yemen.
Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard, the second couple to be married out of the Duggar familys 19 kids, have been married for quite a while. But recently, Derick Dillard has made some questionable moves. Now, fans think its evident Jill and Derick dont have a happy marriage. Heres why.

Jill and Derick tied the knot back in 2014 on 19 Kids and Counting

19 Kids and Counting highlighted two major Duggar weddings during its run (the show was canceled in 2015 after Josh Duggars teenage sexual abuse scandal was uncovered), and Jill Duggars wedding was one of them. Jill and Derick met through Jills father, Jim Bob Duggar, who served as a prayer partner of Dericks while he did missionary work in Nepal. The two didnt formally meet until 2013, and it took a while for them to be in a place where they could see each other frequently. The couple eventually began courting and finally wed in 2014.

The couple later starred in Counting On

After the Josh Duggar scandal had settled, a new TLC show highlighting the daughters lives, Counting On, premiered. Jill and Dericks new life was at the forefront. The couple had one son, Israel, shortly after their marriage, and welcomed a second son, Samuel, in 2017. Jill and Derick began to do missionary work in South America and eventually launched their own nonprofit to bring the Lords teachings to South American countries. However, things began to slowly unravel for the couple. Since Derick was not an ordained missionary, donors began wondering where their money was going. While there is no evidence of wrongdoing, it was enough to get people to stop donating to the charity. Eventually, the charity folded, and things went south for the couple in late 2017.

Derick made some controversial comments and was allegedly fired from the show in 2017, which sources say put a strain on his relationship with Jill

Derick took to social media in 2017 to condemn TLCs acceptance of transgender television star Jazz Jennings. In August, Dillard tweeted that transgender is a myth, and TLC was attempting to make reality out of a non-reality. He also added that gender is not fluid; its ordained by God. He also made negative comments about two other TLC stars, husbands Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent and their family. His harsh comments led TLC to allegedly fire him, although Derick suggests he was not fired from the show at all. He said he and his family left the show voluntarily; he thought it was best for them. The couple is not featured in the newest season of Counting On.

Dericks controversial comments reportedly did not go over well with Jills parents. While the family is very conservative, they also believe in accepting all people, as God would want, and did not see eye to eye with what Derick said. Sources said this caused tension between Derick and Jill.

Derick has recently missed several events, prompting further questions about marriage issues

Derick is studying to become a lawyer, so there may be times when he needs to miss out on fun happenings to get his studying in. However, Derick has recently been absent from several major family events, which has only raised the idea of marriage troubles even more. Derick did not accompany Jill to her younger brothers recent wedding. Also, he was a no-show at the Duggar familys recent annual Christmas party. Jill and Derick have not commented on the rumors about divorce (and the Duggars have been known to quickly shut down rumors), which only adds to the speculation.

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Students walk out to protest firing of Christian teacher for opposing transgender pronoun use rules Christian Post Contributor | 13 December, 2018 by Leah MarieAnn Klett

Students at a public high school have demonstrated their support for a Christian teacher fired from his position because he refused to refer to a trans-identified student by their preferred pronoun.

Less than 24 hours after the West Point, Virginia school board unanimously voted to terminate high school French instructor Peter Vlaming, a large group of students walked out of their classes to protest the decision.

"He's an amazing man," student Wyatt Pedersen told WWBT News. "I think he really was going with what he believed was right and it's really unfair that he's being punished for that, especially in such a dramatic way."

"I feel like everyone should have the freedom of speech and the freedom of religion as well," said Junior Zachary Gonzalez.

Forrest Rohde, the West Point High School junior who organized the walkout, emphasized that the protest was not about the transgender student. Rather, he said students took issue with the school board "trying to force the teacher to conform to their ideologies with the threat of removal from the school."

"The child is going through a lot," Rohde said. "We shouldn't be directing this towards her, we should be directing this towards the school board."

Following a brief suspension, Vlaming was fired after the school board accused him of engaging in "discrimination" and contributing to a "hostile learning environment."

The teacher explained that while he agreed to use the student's chosen name, he drew the line at pronouns, as doing so violated his conscience.

"I won't use male pronouns with a female student that now identifies as a male though I did agree to use the new masculine name but avoid female pronouns," said Vlaming in response to the suspension.

"Administration is requiring that I use masculine pronouns in any and every context at school. I was informed that any further instances of using female pronouns would be grounds for termination."

Meanwhile, a GoFundMe page set up to help Vlaming cover legal fees and provide for his family has raised over $20,000 as of Wednesday afternoon. With four children under the age of 10, Vlaming, who had taught at West Point for seven years, was the only source of income for his family, the page notes.

Wrote one supporter: "Our prayers are with you and your family. Thank you for standing up for your beliefs; God will have the victory!"

"A teacher that has the support of his students deserves to be supported by everyone," added another.

Vlaming's attorney, Shawn Voyles, maintained that the school system was not respecting the constitutional rights of his client, but praised West Point for permitting students to participate in the walkout.

Read more about "Students walk out to protest firing of Christian teacher for opposing transgender pronoun use rules" on The Christian Post.
An evangelical team has won the right to distribute Christian literature and share their faith at an Alaskan fair after being banned from the 2017 event.

The father-daughter tandem of David Grisham and Tina Watson reached a settlement with the city of Anchorage that permits them to pass out literature at the public park used by the Forest Fair in Girdwood, Alaska. When they tried handing out literature in 2017, they were surrounded by volunteers and threatened with arrest, according to KTUU-TV.

On July 8, 2017, my dad, my nephew Airric, and I drove to the park to share the Gospel with Fair attendees, intending to pass out tracts and visit with people, Watson said in a sworn statement. We didnt bring any signs, and I didnt plan to preach.

The Center for Religious Expression represented Grisham and Watson in a lawsuit against the city.

Virtually any other topic could be discussed in the public park, but Grishams and Watsons evangelism was considered a crime, the Center said in a news release.

The city agreed to a settlement on Dec. 3. A judge then approved it.

The court order ensures that Grisham and Watson maintain their right to share their faith at events free and open to the public, said Center for Religious Expression chief counsel Nate Kellum. Finally, Grisham and Watson have freedom at the Girdwood Forest Fair.

Grisham told KTUU he plans on returning to the fair in 2019.

Michael Foust is a freelance writer. Visit his blog, MichaelFoust.com.

Photo courtesy: Ben White/Unsplash
'Breakthrough' movie trailer breaks record with 30 million views in 48 hours

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20th Century Fox and Devon Franklin released the first trailer for the upcoming film "Breakthrough" last week and garnered nearly 40 million views in just days.

In just 48 hours the trailer had already reached 30 million views on Facebook. Pastor Samuel Rodriquez, executive producer of the film, took to social media to celebrate its instant success.

When a movie trailer receives over 30 million views in 48 hours and breaks the record for a film in its genre, three words best capture our collective sentiment: Glory to God!, he wrote on Instagram.

"Breakthrough" tells the miraculous real-life account of Joyce and John Smith, a mother and son who reveal the power of prayer and the Holy Spirit during one of life's most tragic moments.

"When Joyce Smith's adopted son John falls through an icy Missouri lake, all hope looks lost. Even though John lies lifeless for more than an hour, his mother refuses to lose faith and prays for a miracle. To the astonishment of everyone present, her prayers are answered as John's heart suddenly begins to beat again, defying every expert, every case history, and every scientific prediction. Mere days after the accident, he walks out of the hospital under his own power, completely healed," the movie's synopsis reads.

[I]ts not about breaking a record, Rodriguez added. "Its about changing lives. This movie will literally change lives; prayer, hope, grace, truth, and love coming together make the impossible possible, resulting in one inevitable outcome: BREAKTHROUGH! I am honored to be part of this. Your breakthrough is on the way!

Franklin also celebrated the movie trailer's success, revealing that the record-breaking trailer received millions of views without the company spending marketing money.

When you see this post, I want it to be evidence to you that God can and will do the Impossible in your life! This is the biggest trailer launch of a movie in this genre ever!! And we didnt spend a dime! Please hear me: God will never leave you or forsake you! Please keep believing and keep doing! Franklin said on Instagram.

One scene in the trailer shows a conversation between Joyce and her sons doctor where she tells the physician, Be the best for John, let God do the rest. The first responder who saved John, played by Mike Colter ("Luke Cage), is also seen wrestling with his faith because, as he describes it, it was a voice that told him where to find John in the ice covered lake after several minutes of searching with no success.

Hillsongs Oceans closes out the trailer, leaving viewers with a sense of hope as the story tells the power of faith.

Actress Chrissy Metz (This Is Us) plays the role of Joyce. Marcel Ruiz portrays her son, John, (One Day at a Time) who fights for his life in a hospital bed.

Joining Metz in the cast is Topher Grace, who's best known for his role in the comedy series "That '70s Show." He plays Pastor Jason Noble who helps the grieving family through the ordeal. The cast also includes Josh Lucas and hip-hop artist Lecrae.

The Christian Post attended a set visit in Canada earlier this year where they shot "Breakthrough" under the direction of veteran TV director Roxann Dawson ("House of Cards," "Scandal," "The Americans," and "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.). Franklin ("Miracles from Heaven") produced the film and was determined to retell the Smiths' story just as it happened.

The 20th Century Fox movie is based on Joyce Smith's book The Impossible and was adapted for the screen by Grant Nieporte ("Seven Pounds").

Franklin first heard of Smith's story while sitting in the green room at TBN studios. Rodriguez was interviewing Joyce, John, and their Pastor Jason Noble who shared their story. After the show, the Smith's and Noble talked with Franklin in the green room who connected them with a literary agent to help develop the book proposal. Smith's story first made national headlines in 2015, shortly after a bidding war began for the book proposal that was eventually won by Hachette books, and was used as the basis for the film.

After this sentence "The 20th Century Fox movie is based on Joyce Smith's book The Impossible and was adapted for the screen by Grant Nieporte

Smith's story first made national headlines in 2015, shortly after a bidding war began for the book proposal that was eventually won by Hachette books. Franklin was so moved by the story that he connected the family with a literary agent to help develop the book proposal, which was used as the basis for the film.

"Breakthrough" will be released in April 2019.
6 Christian organizations win legal battle against Obamacare birth control mandate

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Six Christian organizations have won their years-long legal battles against an Obama-era federal mandate ordering the provision of contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs in their employee health care plans.

U.S. District Court Judge Phillip Brimmer in Colorado issued an order granting the organizations an injunction against the Department of Health and Human Services Affordable Care Act contraception mandate that they felt required them to violate their organizations deeply-held religious beliefs about the sanctity of human life or be forced to pay millions in crippling fines.

Those organizations include three Christian higher-education institutions  Taylor University in Indiana, Indiana Wesleyan University and Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky  and the Colorado Springs-based Association of Christian Schools International, an accreditation agency for evangelical primary and secondary schools worldwide.

Also included were the Christian health care sharing ministry Samaritan Ministries International and the nonprofit legal group Alliance Defending Freedom, which regularly takes on high profile First Amendment cases.

These faith-based organizations no longer have to fear being forced to pay fines for simply abiding by the Christian beliefs that they teach and espouse, and they are no longer required to fill out forms authorizing coverage for abortion-inducing drugs, contraception, and sterilization, ADF Senior Counsel Gregory Baylor said in a statement following the order. The government has many other ways to ensure access to these items without forcing people of faith to violate their deepest convictions.

The court order comes as the Trump administration has stopped defending the Obamacare birth control mandate in federal court. According to the order, HHS has conceded that the mandate requires employers with sincerely held religious objections to abide by the mandate.

Additionally, the HHS conceded that the Obama administrations accommodation process allowing the groups to opt-out but still forces them to allow insurers to provide their employees with contraceptive coverage directly was insufficient and violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

It is declared that the requirements of [the mandate], as those requirements relate to the provision of sterilization or contraceptive drugs, devices, procedures, and related education and counseling to which plaintiffs have sincerely-held religious objections, violate plaintiffs rights under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the court order declares.

The six Christian organizations are among others who have been granted court victories in their claims against the Obamacare mandate this year as federal courts in other districts have issued orders in favor of Christian organizations and institutions across the nation.

Those rulings have come after the U.S. Supreme Court vacated a lower court ruling against the Little Sisters of the Poor (a Catholic order of nuns caring for the elderly) in 2016 and remanded their case and that of other Christian groups with objections to the mandate back to lower courts.

Last year, the Trump administration issued new rules that effectively expanded the religious exemption of the Obamacare contraception mandate that was available to churches to also be available to non-profit and for-profit organizations who claim religious and moral objections.

Roger Severino, the current head of the HHS Office of Civil Rights, spoke this week at a Washington, D.C. lunch gathering for social conservatives and assured that the HHS was doing everything it could to respect human dignity.

Severino, who previously served as the director of the DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society at the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation, criticized the Obama HHS for its treatment of the Little Sisters of the Poor and other Christian groups.

[The Little Sisters of the Poor were] dedicated to being there for the elderly in their last days, literally, so they do not die alone so that they know that they are loved, so their life has dignity and worth, Severino explained in his remarks at the American Principles Project Foundations State Lunch at the Mayflower Hotel. Instead of supporting this incredible organization, the HHS went after them, threatening to shut them down with millions in fines because they would not assist in the provision of contraceptives to their fellow nuns.

I dont know how we got to this place but it is a very topsy-turvy world where that was the official position of the federal government and the Department of Justice for years until very recently when we undid the contraceptive mandate through regulatory rulemaking, he added.
Anne Graham Lotz warns her cancer could be sign Israel is in danger of fatal attack

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Anne Graham Lotz has suggested there might be a deep significance attached to her battle against breast cancer, as it could be a warning sign that Israel is in danger of suffering a fatal attack.

Lotz reasoned on her website Wednesday that she has long thought of herself and the modern state of Israel as entwined, given that both are 70 years old, with the latter having been established in 1948.

The evangelist and author said she's questioning whether there is more to my cancer at the age of 70 than just a random coincidence.

In the Bible, God often had His spokespersons live out the message He gave them before they delivered the message to the people, she said.

Hosea was instructed to marry a woman who then became unfaithful to him as he lived out in a very personal way the broken heart of God over unfaithful Israel, Lotz said of one of her examples.

Jeremiah was told to purchase a linen belt, wear it, bury it, then dig it up when it was ruined and useless to live out a demonstration that God had bound Jerusalem to Himself, but she would not listen to Him so He would ruin her and render her useless.

Lotz noted that she was born not only in the same year, but one week to the day of Israels establishment in May 1948.

Could it be that God has given me a message for her that I am living out in my own experience? she wondered.

Just as my cancer is a potentially fatal disease, is Israel also in danger of being attacked in a potentially fatal way? Just as my cancer struck suddenly and unexpectedly through no fault of my own, will Israel also be struck by her enemies suddenly and unexpectedly through no fault of her own?

She continued: Just as I have not been immediately and quickly delivered from cancer, will Israel also not be quickly delivered from her enemies as she was in the 1967 war? Just as I am having to fight the cancer with chemotherapy cell by cell, will Israel also have to fight her enemies region by region, village by village, street by street, house by house?

The daughter of late North Carolina evangelist Billy Graham explained that she feels the warning deep within, that Israel is in danger of a surprise attack in this, her 70th year.

She asked supporters to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, something which Lotz has done throughout her ministry.

In the past, Lotz hasn't been afraid to make big biblical predictions, and in 2015 told CBN News that she believes Jesus Christ will return to Earth in her lifetime.

"I believe with deep conviction that is my generation," Lotz said at the time.

"I was born just a week apart from the time when Israel was reborn as a nation [1948]. We are the same age. And I believe that if I live out my lifetime, a natural lifetime, I believe I will live to see the return of Jesus in the Rapture when He comes back to take us to be with Himself, which means preceding that there are going to be some signs. There are going to be some warnings."

Lotz's brother, Franklin Graham, meanwhile asked for prayers for his sister back in November, noting that she has been experiencing severe side effects from chemotherapy treatment.

Graham admitted at the time that the side effects "may jeopardize whether she can continue" with chemotherapy.
Chinese pastor leaves letter before being detained with 100 Christians

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A letter written by a Chinese pastor who was detained alongside 100 other members of his congregation has been released, speaking of disgust at the Communist Party.

Wang Yi, pastor of Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, Sichuan, apparently wrote the letter in the event that he would be taken by Chinese Communist authorities, which happened during a raid on Sunday.

In the letter, published and translated on social media on Wednesday by Brent Pinkall and Amy Cheung, Wang says that he is filled with anger and disgust at the persecution of the church by this Communist regime, at the wickedness of their depriving people of the freedoms of religion and of conscience.

But changing social and political institutions is not the mission I have been called to, and it is not the goal for which God has given his people the Gospel, he said, explaining that his role is to lead people to Jesus Christ.

He said that following the Bible, he accepts and respects the fact that this Communist regime has been allowed by God to rule temporarily.

As the Lords servant John Calvin said, wicked rulers are the judgment of God on a wicked people, the goal being to urge Gods people to repent and turn again toward Him. For this reason, I am joyfully willing to submit myself to their enforcement of the law as though submitting to the discipline and training of the Lord, he continued.

At the same time, I believe that this Communist regimes persecution against the church is a greatly wicked, unlawful action. As a pastor of a Christian church, I must denounce this wickedness openly and severely, the pastor wrote.

The calling that I have received requires me to use non-violent methods to disobey those human laws that disobey the Bible and God. My Savior Christ also requires me to joyfully bear all costs for disobeying wicked laws.

As South China Morning Post reported, the church leader is under criminal detention for allegedly inciting subversion of state power.

Chen Yaxue, Wangs 73-year-old mother, noted that it is not known where Wangs wife, Jiang Rong, was taken.

Those arrested on Sunday included other church leaders and seminary students, with Communist officials detaining other Christians in Chengdu hiding in their homes as well.

Police officials say that they are cracking down on illegal gatherings. Persecution watchdog groups, including ChinaAid, have said the actions are "a major escalation of religious persecution in China," targeting innocent religious believers.

Chen revealed that she and her 11-year-old grandson are under constant surveillance by guards working with the atheistic government.

They follow us whenever and wherever we go, the elderly woman said. The surveillance has taken a huge toll on my grandson. He is emotionally shocked with [his parents taken away]. He has not slept for two nights.

Wang clarified in his lengthy letter that he has not been trying to change any institutions or laws in China, and that the only thing he cares about is the disruption of mans sinful nature by this faithful disobedience and the testimony it bears for the cross of Christ.

Im not even interested in the question of when the Communist regimes policies persecuting the church will change. Regardless of which regime I live under now or in the future, as long as the secular government continues to persecute the church, violating human consciences that belong to God alone, I will continue my faithful disobedience, he wrote.

For the entire commission God has given me is to let more Chinese people know through my actions that the hope of humanity and society is only in the redemption of Christ, in the supernatural, gracious sovereignty of God.

He shared his hopes that God will use the persecution of Chinese Christians to help more Chinese people to despair of their futures, to lead them through a wilderness of spiritual disillusionment and through this to make them know Jesus.

He said that the persecution of believers and followers of Christ is the most wicked and the most horrendous evil of Chinese society.

This is not only a sin against Christians. It is also a sin against all non-Christians. For the government is brutally and ruthlessly threatening them and hindering them from coming to Jesus. There is no greater wickedness in the world than this, he argued.

If this regime is one day overthrown by God, it will be for no other reason than Gods righteous punishment and revenge for this evil. For on earth, there has only ever been a thousand-year church. There has never been a thousand-year government. There is only eternal faith. There is no eternal power, the pastor declared.
Family groups pressure Congress to legalize VidAngel media filter service after Hollywood lawsuit

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The nations lead family television watchdog is concerned that Congress may squander an opportunity to give parents more control over the media their children consume at home as Hollywood interests stand in the way of bipartisan, evangelical-backed legislation to give them the ability to do so.

The Parents Television Council, a nonpartisan nonprofit devoted to protecting families from graphic sex, violence and profanity in the media, is pressuring Congress to vote on the Family Movie Act Clarification Act before the current session comes to an end in the coming weeks.

The next three weeks, the watchdog believes, will be the last true opportunity to pass the legislation that would allow parents to use technologies such as VidAngel or ClearPlay to filter graphic and sexual scenes and language from movies and television shows streamed through services like Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime.

Although the Family Movie Act of 2005 legalizes such technology for movies and videos played on DVD players, a group of Hollywood movie studios sued in Hollywood-friendly courts in Southern California to get a ban on filtering technology from being used on programs streamed over the internet.

Hollywood studios are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to kill it. They have spent maybe millions of dollars in legal fees by bankrupting companies with legal threats of piracy, PTC President Tim Winter told The Christian Post on Wednesday. They claim this is copywriting infringement but they made those same claims with the DVDs and lost there.

H.R.6816 was introduced by Florida Republican Rep. Mia Love in September following a Ninth Circuit Court ruling in August against an appeal filed by filtering company VidAngel, which shut down in 2016 due to the legal pressure applied by Disney and other studios.

The latest legislation would simply update the 2005 legislation to legalize filtering services on streaming platforms in addition to DVDs. According to Winter, the bill would bring the Family Movie Act into the 21st Century.

We are hoping that Congress, just like they did in 2005 with a bipartisan passing of the bill signed into law by [George W.] Bush 43, we hope there will be bipartisanship here, Winter said. We also know that the clock is ticking on this lame-duck session. I am told that Disney and other studios spent huge lobbying trying to kill this bill before it was introduced.

The bill is strongly supported by the Protect Family Rights Coalition, which is headed by the former CEO of ClearPlay. According to the coalition, H.R. 6816 was introduced by Love after a plea from prominent faith-based leaders, including Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council and James Dobson of Family Talk radio.

Other notable supporters of the bill include Maryland pastor Harry Jackson, former San Diego megachurch pastor Jim Garlow, Ted Baehr of the Christian Film and Television Commission, and former Ohio Congressman Bob McEwen.

The proposed update defends the rights of families to filter when using authorized streaming services, like Netflix and Amazon, and without sacrificing studio revenue or violating the Copyright Act, the coalitions executive director, William J. Aho, wrote in a June 2017 letter, which was endorsed by the other leaders, to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. We are asking the House to pass legislation that simply clarifies that families have the right to filter streamed movies, for private viewing, without interference.

Winter told CP that claims that filtering services are engaging in some form of piracy or copyright infringement are ludicrous.

There is no derivative work that is being edited and resold to anybody else, Winter said. It is only when it streams and plays back on my device. So there is no derivative work that is being pirated or resold. The [studios] are actually gaining money.

Winter said that studios should appreciate the fact that filtering services will enable more families to watch their programs when they wouldnt otherwise.

The only thing we can figure for why Hollywood would try to kill technology that would bring in more revenue and more viewers and customers is that their agenda of pushing graphic content is even more important than the cash flow, Winter opined.

With the current Congress coming to a close at the end of the year, Winter is not optimistic that the bill could get passed in the next Congress.

We fear that if it doesnt pass in this session, it is unlikely to pass or even be introduced in the future, he contended. There is a lot of financial lobbying pressure. The new Congress in January is going to have to pick and choose what they are going to move forward on. I dont see that Congress moving forward with this. I am hopeful that those who felt the scorn of Hollywood in the campaign in this last election might take this moment to do something for families.

"It seems like a no-brainer and the simplicity of it makes it possible before they adjourn for the year."
Judge Hatchetts son praises God, Congress for maternal health bill, 2 years after wifes death

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Two years after tragically losing his wife Kira shortly after she gave birth to their second child, Charles Johnson IV, son of TV judge Glenda Hatchett, praised God on Tuesday when Congress unanimously approved a bill to investigate Americas growing maternal mortality rate.

The bill, H.R. 1318 also known as the Preventing Maternal Deaths Act, is expected to help states improve how they track and investigate deaths of expectant and new mothers.

Johnson, who along with his celebrity mother has powerfully advocated for the bill through his wifes unfortunate experience with treatment at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where she died after a scheduled C-section despite going in with no prior medical issues.

Congress, H.R.1318 The preventing maternal deaths act passed Congress. Thank you God. Thank you Kira. Thank you @herrerabeutler & @repdianadegette for your courageous leadership. Thank you to everyone for all your love and support, Johnson wrote on Facebook Tuesday after the bill was approved.

This is a huge day for families all over the country. Im so grateful for all your support. This is just a testament to what it looks like when people come together and apply pressure. I just thank all you all who were just so relentless in your support in continuing to ask, reach out to Congress and to hold them accountable and make sure this was a priority, make sure this bill got passed, make sure they didnt send us over to the next Congress, he added in a video message.

Advocacy from Johnson and his mother on the issue helped to make Kiras story go viral on social media which may have helped to move Congress towards the landmark decision on maternal mortality.

Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Wash., one of the original sponsors of H.R. 1318, dedicated the bill to the mothers who we have lost such as Johnsons wife who lost her life just hours after giving birth to a healthy baby boy.

I will never forget hearing from Kiras husband Charles who has been a tireless advocate on this issue. Who is a single father of two boys, now lives by the motto wake up, make mommy proud. Repeat. Stories like Kiras have struck at the hearts of many of us and have compelled us to action today. Today we honor the lives of these moms and the loved ones who remember them, Beutler said.

I stand in strong support of the Preventing Maternal Deaths Act  a bill to save mothers lives and prevent more parents, husbands, grandparents and children from the profound loss of their mother. Today in 21st Century United States of America, she said in support of the bill.

Beutler explained that the U.S. is ranked 47th globally for maternal mortality, and has a record on the issue that is worse than Irans. She also pointed out that black women and women living in rural America are disproportionately affected by the problem.

Many are shocked to learn that the U.S. has not only the worst maternal mortality rate in the entire developed world but that these rates are on the rise. Seriously folks, were worse than Iran, she said.

Every year between 700 and 900 maternal deaths occur in the United States and Ive seen tears brought to the eyes of many a colleague when they learn that over 60 percent of these deaths could have been prevented, according to the CDC, she continued.

She urged Congress to make combatting maternal mortality a national priority and called the bill the biggest step taken by Congress to date on the issue.

The bill will enable states to establish and strengthen maternal mortality review committees which bring together experts in public health, maternal health and infant health to investigate pregnancy related deaths and highlight best practices on how to save the lives of future mothers.

Currently the available data is woefully inadequate which hinders our ability to understand why moms are dying and why certain women are more at risk. Right now, African-American women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy related causes and women living in rural areas are also facing higher risk, she said. This bill will not only improve data collection but it will also empower states to participate in national information sharing, increased collaboration and to develop best practices.
Meet the celebrity trainer who found God  and now hes transforming lives

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Celebrity trainer and fitness enthusiast Alec Penix is on a mission to inspire people to think deeper about physical  and spiritual  health. Penix, who trains some well-known names in Hollywood, is a Christian whose faith informs his work, as he helps people reach their hopes, dreams and personal fitness goals.

Were much more than physical. We are body, mind and spirit, he recently told The Billy Hallowell Podcast. And by strengthening all three aspects, that is really how we become the best versions of ourselves.

Read Also: Online Series to Help Get You in Shape

Penix addresses this reality in his new devotional titled, Seven Sundays: A Faith, Fitness, and Food Plan for Lasting Spiritual and Physical Change, a book that promises to offer a Biblically grounded, six-week plan to lead you on the path toward losing weight and getting healthier by focusing on the connections between spiritual and physical health.

Listen to Penix share his own incredible journey toward God and spiritual health:

Penix shared his journey to faith, noting that he found God at one of the darkest moments in his life. He was in Mexico for a wedding and woke up feeling pain, despair and lostness.

I woke up not feeling the greatest. I was laying in bed, he said.  This was the first time Ive ever prayed out loud  I just cried out and said, God I need your help.

Thats when Penix heard a voice that changed everything: Alec, It is time to become the man Ive called you to be. That experience transformed the trainer.

From that point on I really just fell in love with God, he said, noting that he turned to church and the Bible. Because of that I started to see my life change. I wasnt spiritually malnourished anymore  I started seeing my enthusiasm start and carry over onto other people.

Penix realized that his life was transforming, and that he could help others through a combined focus on faith and fitness.

Now, hes hoping to encourage fans and readers to go on a similar journey.

Having goals, having purpose is extremely important to push us out of our box into see that we really are created in Gods image and that we have unlimited potential, Penix said.

Read Also: Christian Fasting for Beginners

The celebrity trainer is hoping that Seven Sundays helps people recognize that human beings are far more than mere physical beings, while also encouraging them to build stronger relationships with those around them.

I really believe that this book is also about how it allows you to share and connect more with the people around you, he said.

Find out more about Seven Sundays here. And if youre looking for fitness videos and tips for building a healthy life, look no further than PureFlix.com.

This article was originally published on Pure Flix Insider. Visit Pure Flix for access to thousands of faith and family-friendly movies and TV shows. You can get a free, one-month trial here.

Billy Hallowell, author of "The Armageddon Code," has contributed to TheBlaze, the Washington Post, Human Events, the Daily Caller, Mediaite, and the Huffington Post, among other news sites. Through journalism, media, public speaking appearances, and the blogosphere, Hallowell has worked as a journalist and commentator for more than a decade.
NAE and CCCU boards back LGBT compromise for religious freedom exemptions

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Two prominent Christian groups are backing the addition of sexual orientation and gender identity as categories to federal nondiscrimination law in exchange for religious exemptions, a move that is dividing Christians.

The boards of the National Association of Evangelicals and the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities have both recently approved motions as part of a long-term effort to preserve religious freedom, World magazine reported Wednesday.

In October, the NAE passed a motion called "Fairness for All" which asks Congress to consider laws that regard human beings as made in God's image and that sexual relations be reserved for the marriage of a man and a woman; that long-standing civil rights laws and First Amendment protections guaranteeing the free exercise of religion be supported; and that no one should be discriminated against, face harassment or violence because of their sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

The Council of Christian Colleges and Universities also voted on a similar motion. CCCU President Shirley Hoogstra told member presidents in August that the board would vote on the motion, but did not make that announcement public.

As Christian higher educators, we are increasingly persuaded that the most viable political strategy is for comprehensive religious freedom protections to be combined with explicit support for basic human rights for members of the LGBT community, wrote Houghton College President Shirley Mullen, who serves on both the CCCU and NAE board, in a position paper provided to NAE board members.

Greta Hays, director of Communications & Public Affairs, noted to CP that "the CCCU has been and remains on the record as exploring a Fairness for All approach."

Seventy-five Christian leaders have publicly rejected the "Fairness for All" measure, signing an opposition statement titled "Preserve Freedom, Reject Coercion," among them Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, the only NAE board member to do so. Seventeen other signers of the opposition statement are linked with CCCU institutions.

Denny Burk, a professor of theology at Boyce College, called the motions "a disaster."

"Two major evangelical organizations have decided to endorse legislation that would force Americans to embrace  and live out  certain beliefs about human sexuality. I will do everything I can to oppose NAE and CCCU in this," Burk said on Twitter, encouraging constituents and members of the groups to use whatever influence they have to get them to reverse course.

"Far from 'Fairness for All,' these laws are not about protecting the freedom of people to live as LGBT but about coercing everyone else to support, facilitate, and endorse such actions," he said, quoting the summary of an article from Heritage Foundation scholar Ryan Anderson.

Anderson, who is also the author of the book When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment, commented that something "has gone seriously wrong when the president of a Christian college thinks sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) policies are 'basic human rights,' and is willing to trade protection for a real human right (religious liberty) for SOGIs," referring to Mullen's words.

Critics argue that the NAE's and CCCU's efforts are ill-timed given that the Trump administration and the Supreme Court are friendlier toward religious liberty concerns.

Mullen, in an email to World, insisted that time is of the essence.

The fact that these basic human rights for the LGBT community are already secured for nearly 60 percent of the country at either the state or local level suggests that the window for this exchange of protections at the national level is narrow, she said.

There is an opportunity in this moment that is not likely to last.

Johnnie Moore, president of the KAIROS Company and an NAE board member who serves on President Donald Trump's evangelical advisory board, is supporting the motion "because it puts down markers in an important conversation," he told World.

I havent found any board member that Ive interacted with that was willing to give an inch on religious freedom protections, he said.

It would be myopic to say because members of the board are willing to have this conversation they are slipping away from orthodoxy.

The NAE reportedly met Wednesday to discuss the "Fairness for All" measure for the third time in the past three weeks.
Trump signs bill to aid ISIS genocide victims; Iraqi Christians beginning to see a difference

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Religious leaders and human rights activists are rejoicing after President Donald Trump signed a bill that supporters say will boost efforts to help Christians and other religious minorities victimized by the Islamic States genocide in Iraq and Syria.

Surrounded by religious leaders and respected religious freedom advocates, Trump signed on Tuesday the Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act, bipartisan legislation that has taken nearly two years to pass in order to ensure support for religious minorities displaced in Iraq and Syria and accountability for IS terrorists responsible for the genocide.

We hope that this will mean that we will now begin a time of sustained and clear help to our struggling minorities and also that we will see a focus on true justice and accountability for what has happened, Bashar Warda, the Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Erbil, Iraq, whose archdiocese is responsible for aiding thousands of Christians displaced in Kurdistan, told The Christian Post.

The act authorizes the government to fund nonprofits, charities and NGOs  including faith-based groups  who are on the ground in Iraq and Syria directly involved in providing humanitarian and recovery aid to Christians and other religious minorities targeted by the terrorist group.

The act will also direct the U.S. government to address humanitarian needs that could drive the persecuted communities out of their homelands despite the fact that IS strongholds have been liberated. Additionally, the State Department will assist entities and NGOs that are looking to hold IS terrorists accountable through criminal investigations and the perseverance of evidence.

The bills signing comes as concerns had been raised earlier this year that Christian communities in Iraq were still struggling to receive aid from the U.S. government despite vows from Vice President Mike Pence to deliver much-needed aid to these communities.

Warda was among the many religious leaders invited to the Oval Office for the signing ceremony. He stood directly to the right of Trump in the Oval Office when the bill was signed and was given the pen Trump used to sign the bill.

I have to say I found him very easygoing and approachable, Warda wrote in response to email questions. I said to him Mr. President, we need to implement this bill as soon as possible and I know you can do it because you are a man who gets things done. He answered me directly We will.

The bill was reintroduced in the House by New Jersey Republican Chris Smith, an outspoken advocate for international religious liberty, in January 2017 after it failed to pass in the previous Congress.

It passed unanimously through the Senate in October and unanimously through the House in late November.

While the Trump administration has been working to address the needs of those targeted by ISIS's genocidal campaign, this new law will give another boost to relief groups, including faith-based groups, conservative evangelical activist Tony Perkins, who also sits on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, said in a statement. Until recently, relief groups have been operating almost entirely on private donations. In winter, when diseases run rampant, even basic necessities like food, blankets, and medicine are rare.

One of those relief groups that has aided in Iraq has been the U.S.-based Catholic fraternal organization Knights of Columbus, which has provided over $20 million to aid Christians and religious minorities in Iraq and Syria since 2014, including $2 million to help rebuild the Christian town of Karamdes.

The legislation signed today again reminds us of Americas earlier efforts to aid victims of genocide  Christian communities targeted by Ottomans a century ago and Jewish survivors of Shoah, Knights of Columbus CEO Carl Anderson said in a statement.

Ever since hundreds of thousands of Christians were pushed out of their homelands because of the emergence of the Islamic State in 2014, there have been complaints that the U.S. government wasnt doing enough to provide direct assistance to the churches and others responsible for providing aid to these displaced minority communities.

Although Pence vowed last fall that U.S. policy would be changed so that U.S. humanitarian assistance for Iraq wouldnt run through the United Nations and would go directly to faith-based organizations, Warda voiced concern in June that aid still wasnt reaching the persecuted Christians in Iraq.

He suggested that Christians in Erbil were worse off now than we were two years ago and that the only support for the displaced Christians was coming from the church. On Wednesday, Warda told CP that things have improved.

There has been a noticeable change since August with the arrival of the special envoy from the vice president to oversee the aid program in Northern Iraq, Warda said. Aid has begun to move into the affected towns and people are beginning to see a difference. We are still waiting for some of the most important projects which we put forward but I understand that we will begin to see funding for these programs before Christmas from the joint program of USAID and the Knights of Columbus.

In October, the U.S. Agency International Development agreed to work with Knights of Columbus to "facilitate partnerships to help communities in the Middle East recover from genocide and persecution and connect the agency with local faith and community leaders.

As it has been about 18 months since Mosul and the surrounding Nineveh Plains were completely liberated, Warda said that much progress has been made in restoring power and water to most of the towns thanks to the help of private aid agencies. He added that while some progress has been made in restoring homes, there is still a very long ways to go.

All of the towns still have many destroyed homes that need to be cleared, and many burned homes to be restored, Warda explained. Also, now that the road has just been opened to Batnaya and the people there can finally begin to return, we need to be working there because very little work has been done on homes so far and the town was very heavily damaged.

Warda said that he and other leaders met with members of Congress in the past week to discuss ways to address affected religious minorities in a holistic way, not just based on geographic location. For the Christians, this means we cannot forget about our populations outside of Nineveh, such as Baghdad and Erbil, because many of the displaced people are in these communities and they need our help as well, he stated. Also, a sustainable and vibrant presence for Christians in Iraq needs these important communities to survive.

As has been widely reported, the Christian population in Iraq has dwindled from 1.5 million in 2003 to just about 200,000 today.

Although many Iraqi Christians have returned to their home villages, many remain displaced in Erbil and other areas in the Kurdish north as their homes have been destroyed. Other Christians from Mosul remain displaced, Warda said, because they are afraid to return to their homes out of fear that another jihadi group could repeat what the Islamic State did.

The Archdiocese of Erbil, which once provided shelter for thousands of displaced Christians, is no longer doing so as its funds to provide shelter have run out. Warda detailed that the archdiocese has put nearly all of its funds into the effort to return people to their home villages.

The archdiocese does still provide medical and food assistance. Additionally, it is caring for a growing number of Christian refugees from Syria who have come to Erbil.

This number is now growing every day and so far we are not receiving any aid to help with the needs of these people, Warda stated, as he also stressed the need for jobs.

Many of the displaced people have not really worked in four years, he said. Especially for our young people, if we are going to keep them in Iraq, this is very critical.
UMC bishops launch site in support of plan to alter Church's stance on homosexuality

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A group of United Methodist Church bishops have launched a website dedicated to promoting a plan meant to change the denominations official biblical position on homosexuality, stating that it is a sin.

In February 2019, the UMC will hold a special session of General Conference meant to resolve the yearslong debate over the denominations stance on LGBT issues.

A proposal known as the One Church Plan would remove the Churchs biblically-based opposition to homosexuality, allowing instead for regional bodies to determine their stance on the issue.

The site includes content by bishops who support the One Church Plan, including Bishop Kenneth H. Carter Jr., president of the UMC Council of Bishops.

A statement posted to the website by Bishops Carter, Cynthia Fierro Harvey and Sue Haupert-Johnson explained the site is meant to serve as an informational and resource point.

The bishops maintain their commitment to their consecration vows to guard the faith and the unity of the church, the bishops said.

They continue to focus their leadership borrowing the words from the Vision, Mission, and Scope that has guided their work through these two years: To multiply the United Methodist witness in as many places in the world as possibly while maintaining as much unity as possible.

Carter told the United Methodist News Service in an interview published Tuesday that he hopes the site will prevent the debate over the One Church Plan from being hijacked by critics.

If we have affirmed the One Church Plan but do not interpret or define it, it will be defined by those who do not support it  on the right and the left, Carter said in his interview with the UMNS.

In May, a majority of the Council of Bishops endorsed the One Church Plan, saying in a statement that the plan allows for contextualization of language about human sexuality in support of the mission; and allows for central conferences, especially those in Africa, to retain their disciplinary authority to adapt the Book of Discipline and continue to include traditional language and values while fulfilling the vision of a global and multicultural church.

This plan also encourages a generous unity by giving United Methodists the ability to address different missional contexts in ways that reflect their theological convictions, added the Council.

Groups like the theologically conservative Good News Magazine have been critical of the One Church Plan, arguing in part that it will fail to promote unity by alienating many in the denomination.

In a column published earlier this week, GNM Vice President Thomas Lambrecht wrote that many members and congregations have told his organization that they plan to leave the UMC if the plan is approved.

In a poll this year in North Georgia, fully one-fourth of the annual conference members said that they would leave the church if the OCP is adopted, wrote Lambrecht.

I estimate that the U.S. part of our church could lose anywhere from 10 to 25 percent of its membership in this scenario, and it is possible that up to a half-dozen annual conferences might seek to withdraw.

Lambrecht also warned that the One Church Plan does not have a provision for allowing congregations to leave the denomination with their property.

If General Conference provides no exit path, it is likely that much money will be spent on court battles over local church property. Money that could have gone to mission and ministry will instead go to pay lawyers, continued Lambrecht.

In addition to the One Church Plan, delegates for the 2019 special session of General Conference will also consider two other proposals, the Traditional Plan and the Connectional Conference Plan.

The Traditional Plan would maintain the current standards of the UMC regarding sexual ethics while giving a gracious exit option for churches and clergy who cannot accept those standards.

The Connectional Conference Plan would establish three loosely connected conferences, each with a different position on the debate, with local bodies getting to choose which conference to join.
Evangelical group derides Trump admin.'s immigration rule proposal as 'deeply troubling'

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Leaders of an evangelical immigration group are voicing their concerns with the Trump administrations proposal to change an immigration regulation that could give the Department of Homeland Security more discretion in denying visas and green cards to immigrants who would rely too heavily on public assistance.

Leading Southern Baptist ethicist Russell Moore joined five of his colleagues on the Evangelical Immigration Table in issuing a statement condemning the U.S. Department of Homeland Securitys proposal to alter the public charge rule.

The proposal was published on Oct. 10 in the Federal Register and would change how the federal government determines whether an applying immigrant is likely to need government benefits like Medicaid or food stamps and whether they would become a public charge under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Under the current rule, only cash assistance programs are considered to determine if an immigrant is a public charge. The new proposal would allow for things such as food stamps, housing assistance and Medicaid to be taken into account.

Monday marked the last day of the proposals 60-day public comment period.

In a statement of concern issued Monday, the evangelical leaders argued that the proposed policy would keep families separated and make it more difficult for immigrants to obtain visas and green cards.

The leaders asserted that the new regulation wouldn't change policies that already restrict family-sponsored migrants from accessing most means-tested public benefits and does not change a requirement for U.S.-based sponsors to make legally-binding commitment to be financially responsible for their immigrant family members.

Instead the proposal gives broad new discretion to government employees to deny applications for family reunification and other lawful immigrant visas based on the suspicion that an individual might someday apply for public benefits, taking into account considerations such as current income, family size, credit history and education level, the statement reads.

The evangelical leaders added that the policy change could lead to a significant reduction in immigration to the U.S., especially for those applying on the basis of marriage or family ties.

By one estimate, as many as 200,000 married couples annually could be denied immigrant visas, forcing the couple (and in many cases, their children) to either live separately or to live abroad, the statement reads. This is a deeply troubling shift in policy.

Such a program, the evangelical leaders say, would disadvantage immigrants with multiple children, single-income families, immigrants with medical issues or special needs. They also believe it will lead to an increase in illegal immigration.

Along with Moore, the statement was signed by Leith Anderson, president of the National Association of Evangelicals; Scott Arbeiter, president of the evangelical refugee resettlement agency World Relief; Shirley Hoogstra, president of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities; Jo Anne Lyon, general superintendent emerita of The Wesleyan Church; and Hyepin Im, president of Faith and Empowerment (Korean Churches for Community Development).

Over the past several years, thousands of evangelical pastors and ministry leaders have joined a call for an immigration policy that prioritizes the unity of the immediate family, the statement explains. Evangelicals believe that marriage is an institution created by God and that the family is the most foundational building block of society. While Christians may disagree at points on the exact role of government in caring for the poor through public benefit programs, we are unified in our commitment to maintaining the unity of the family whenever possible.

According to Vox, the proposal would define a public charge as a person who receives one or more public benefits including Medicaid, food stamps, or financial housing benefits.

The proposal received over 210,000 public comments.

I came to this country as a child from China through an open door policy that permitted those who served in World War II to bring their families. If it had not been for this policy honoring those who risked their lives for America, none of us could have escaped the peril of our situation, M Chung wrote on his public comment. It angers, distresses, and saddens me to see the U.S. turning away from this virtuous position to one that ignores the desperation of those seeking asylum in favor the financially privileged. It is the opposite of the words of hope held by the statue of liberty.

The proposal came before the Trump administration announced new rules last month in which immigrants who illegally cross the southern border between ports of entry into the United States would be automatically denied asylum. However, a federal judge in California blocked the rule from going into effect.

While critics of the proposal call it cruel and unusual, proponents of the Trump administrations proposal say it's consistent with our nation's goal to prioritize self-reliant immigrants, and to reserve welfare benefits for refugees and others who have arrived specifically for humanitarian reasons.

In my opinion, the proposed rule is a significant improvement over the status quo, but it does not go far enough. Many ordinary immigrants will still consume welfare under the new rule, Jason Richwine, an independent public policy analyst based in Washington, D.C., wrote in his public comment.

Data from the Census Survey of Income and Program Participation analyzed by the conservative think tank Center for Immigration Studies found that 51 percent of immigrant-headed households reported using at least one welfare program in 2012. By comparison, 30 percent of native households said the same. However, those numbers seem to have increased.

Last week, the CIS released an analysis from 2014 Census data showing that 63 percent of households headed by a noncitizens are using a welfare program, while 35 percent of native-households said the same. That number grows to 70 percent of households headed by non-citizens who have been here for 10 years or more.

Welfare use rises to 63 percent for households headed by noncitizen immigrants, and to a remarkable 80 percent for noncitizen households with children, Richwine wrote. Clearly, immigrants not only consume welfare but do so at high rates.

There is no indication yet on when the Trump administration plans to finalize the proposal.
Planned Parenthood case shows Kavanaugh supports abortion rights, pro-choice senator says

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A pro-choice Republican senator who believes Justice Brett Kavanaugh will uphold abortion rights feels vindicated after the Court declined a Planned Parenthood funding case Tuesday.

Senator Susan Collins of Maine, who was a key vote in favor of Kavanaugh's confirmation, reportedly told Bloomberg's Steven Dennis upon learning of the Supreme Court rejection of the appeal that "vindicated" ... "is the right word" to describe how she felt.

In an order released Monday, the high court declined to hear an appeal in the cases of Andersen v. Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri and Gee v. Planned Parenthood of Gulf Coast. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Kavanaugh were part of the six-judge majority.

Senator Collins had voted to confirm Kavanaugh earlier this year, explaining in a lengthy speech on the Senate floor that she believed Kavanaugh would not overturn the landmark Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade or otherwise work to curb abortion access.

"Justice Kavanaugh clearly demonstrated his independence and his respect for precedent and I am very pleased with the ruling and it demonstrates that the analysis that I presented was correct," Collins told Dennis on Tuesday.

When Dennis asked whether the case indicated that Kavanaugh would not vote to overturn Roe, Collins replied, "I have always felt that way. Yes."

Kavanaughs joining the majority led many pro-life conservatives to express disappointment. However, conservatives like attorney and Dobson Policy Center Director Jenna Ellis have defended the newest member of the high court, arguing that the cases rejected were not truly about abortion.

The bottom line is that this is NOT an abortion series of cases; its a Medicaid issue, tweeted Ellis on Monday. Though there was a diversity of opinion as to @Scotus taking up the matter for review, this does not signal Kavanaughs position on Roe v. Wade.

Philip Klein of the Washington Examiner posted an update to a piece on Kavanaughs decision, quoting a Supreme Court watcher who said the first vote for granting a hearing would have taken place before Kavanaugh's appointment.

I assume Kavanaugh did not want to be the late-arriving fourth vote for cert, and that's a reasonable call for a brand-new justice to make, read the update.

Less defensible is Roberts apparent concern about the atmospherics of taking a case with 'Planned Parenthood' in the title.

The National Sentinel also took issue with the claim that Kavanaugh was guilty of abandoning conservative constitutionalists over the issue of abortion.

At some point Kavanaugh may issue a ruling or take a side that conservative constitutionalists will dislike  its bound to happen. But this case isnt one of those occasions, stated the conservative website.

After the mans bitter confirmation hearings which involved heaps of Democrat chicanery and death threats to his family, were fully prepared to cut the man some slack. Hes not yet been a justice for three months.

Pro-life activists, including Americans United for Life President Catherine Glenn Foster, said in a statement that the good news is that there are other similar cases pending in lower courts, which may give the Supreme Court another opportunity to decide this important issue.

In the meantime, AUL will continue to fight to protect states from being forced to use their limited public funds to subsidize abortion businesses, continued Foster.

Justice Clarence Thomas, joined by Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch, authored a dissent in which he claimed the Court was avoiding the case due to Planned Parenthood being highly controversial.

So what explains the Courts refusal to do its job here? I suspect it has something to do with the fact that some respondents in these cases are named Planned Parenthood, Thomas wrote.

Later he added, "Some tenuous connection to a politically fraught issue does not justify abdicating our judicial duty. If anything, neutrally applying the law is all the more important when political issues are in the background."
Former Baylor frat president accused of raping virgin to serve no jail time

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A former Baylor University fraternity president accused of raping a 19-year-old student who said she was a virgin at the time was given a plea deal by a Waco district judge Monday, which outraged many who signed on to a petition urging prosecutors to withdraw the deal.

Jacob Walter Anderson, 23, a Garland resident and former president of Baylors Phi Delta Theta fraternity, was indicted on charges he sexually assaulted a sophomore at an off-campus fraternity party in February 2016, when she was 19, the Waco Tribune-Herald said.

The report said 19th State District Judge Ralph Strother accepted the deal prosecutors offered to Anderson in October, which allowed him to plead no contest to the third-degree felony charge of unlawful restraint, and receive deferred probation. Prosecutors also agreed to dismiss four counts of sexual assault against Anderson under the terms of the deal, which include him paying a $400 fine and receiving counseling.

A petition that had attracted nearly 90,000 signatures as of Tuesday morning is already calling for the deal to be rejected.

We, the undersigned, respectfully request that the authorities carefully consider the evidence in this case and give this young sexual assault victim her day in court and reject this plea bargain, the signers said.

In February 2016, a young woman was handed a glass of punch at a Baylor University fraternity party, and according to arrest affidavits, she became disoriented. Jacob Anderson took her to a secluded part of the grounds behind a tent so she could get some air, the affidavit states. Once they were away from the crowd, he sexually assaulted her, according to the documents, the petition claimed. The young woman did all the right things. She was taken to a local hospital. She contacted police. She spoke with prosecutors. But the man charged with her rape has now agreed to a plea deal that would reduce the rape charges to third-degree felony charge of unlawful restraint, it continued.

In a victim impact statement on Monday, the alleged victim, who is also no longer at Baylor, expressed to the judge how his decision devastated her. She also spoke out against prosecutor Hilary LaBorde, who struck the deal with the former fraternity president and McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna for not attending the hearing, the Tribune Herald reported.

If I had the courage to come back to Waco and face my rapist and testify, you could at least have had enough respect for me to show up today, she said. You both will have to live with this decision to let a rapist run free in society without any warning to future victims. I wonder if you will have nightmares every night watching Jacob rape me over and over again?

She also lashed out at Anderson, who is expected to graduate from the University of Texas at Dallas, for stealing her virginity and other things from her.

Jacob Walter Anderson. It must be horrible to be you, she said. To know what you did to me. To know you are a rapist. To know that you almost killed me. To know that you ruined my life, stole my virginity and stole many other things from me.

She continued: When I was completely unconscious, he dumped me face down in the dirt and left me there to die. He had taken what he wanted, had proven his power over my body. He then walked home and went to bed without a second thought to the ravaged, half-dead woman he had left behind.

Prosecutors in the case reportedly agreed to the plea deal because they were worried that Anderson would have been acquitted at trial. Strother also noted that most of the people speaking out against the deal were: not fully informed, misinformed or totally uninformed.
'Town deserves Jesus in it': Dozens of Christians protest in Ohio to bring back Nativity

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Dozens of Christians have been protesting in a town in Ohio against the citys decision to follow an atheist demand and not allow a Nativity scene this Christmas at the courthouse.

Another Ohio town has pushed back against the same demand and said that it will continue displaying its Nativity, however.

The Record-Courier reported that between 40 to 50 Christians protested outside of the Ravenna Courthouse Lawn on Saturday, urging Mayor Frank Seman to allow a Nativity scene to be displayed there.

The Freedom from Religion Foundation, an atheist group which has been filing lawsuits around the country concerning separation of church and state cases, had written a letter last year warning Seman over the Christian display.

Seman told community volunteers the day after Thanksgiving that there will be no Nativity this year at the courthouse, explaining that he had to uphold the Constitution and make sure the city does not get sued.

The Christians protesting on Saturday said that the town should have a Nativity, however.

We would like to have the Nativity scene come back on the courthouse lawn, said David Ballert, pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in Ravenna. Im here with my people because we care very much about the Lord Jesus Christ ... I believe Ravenna is a great town. I believe that a town deserves to have Jesus Christ in it.

Ballert revealed that the church members protested on Dec. 1 and are planning to return to protest on Dec. 22 as well.

The pastor said that believers sang carols and hymns and received friendly responses from cars passing by.

Everybody driving by seems to be saying hello to us and Merry Christmas ... I have no doubt the people are behind what were doing here, he noted.

Streetsboro Mayor Glenn Broska, meanwhile, said that he will continue allowing a Nativity display at the city square, despite receiving a similar letter by the FFRF years ago.

I posed the question to the law director how we should respond, the mayor said. As long as its part of a much wider-ranging display, which ours is, were OK. We didnt use any municipal funding for it.

Broska clarified that he would accept holiday religious displays from any faith group that asks for one.

We have a menorah now, and if there are other religions out there that would like to have something displayed, as long as they purchase it, we would be glad to put it up, he said.

Yet another Ohio town, Dover, was forced to remove its Nativity scene and a Ten Commandments display earlier in December after the FFRF threatened to sue. FFRF said that it has recorded 750 complaints in the state since 2015.

"We have freedom of religion and they're saying that we're endorsing one religion," Mayor Richard Homrighausen told Fox 8 at the time.

The Christian displays in Dover had to be moved to private, instead of public, property.
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Certain segments of the alt-right are targeting evangelical Christians, according to Religious Left scholars who spoke at a recent conference at Georgetown University. But they dont target Christians for persecution, as evangelicals are quick to suppose. No, they believe they can convert evangelicals to their racist way of thinking.

While its difficult to pin down a one-size-fits-all definition of the alt-right, it usually refers to the groups that gathered at Charlottesville, and not to right-wing conservatives in general. The conference speakers generally followed this convention, and used the term for fringe groups seeking to turn America into a whites-only ethnically-pure nation-state. The alt-rights various groups rarely agree on anything else, but communicate privately over the internet.

The conference speakers noted that many alt-right groups were strictly secular, disapproving of religion in any form. Other groups embraced pre-Christian paganism, such as worship of the Norse god, Odin. I was surprised to learn that these groups are rehashing the same arguments that Augustine refuted over 1600 years ago (that Christianity was weak because it came out of Judaism, and that it destroyed the virility of Western civilization). Both of these types of groups see Christianity as the enemy.

However, another brand of alt-right is more politically-savvy. They recognize their goals require majority approval and that the majority of Americans are, at least nominally, Christian. Therefore, they are willing to put aside their hatred of Christianity to achieve their policy goals. Several conference speakers agreed that the politically-savvy alt-right activists specifically targeted white evangelicals that voted for Trump as likely converts.

At first blush, this danger seems far-fetched and impotent. After all, as speakers noted, many evangelical leadersparticularly Southern Baptists, the largest evangelical group in Americahave condemned the alt-right. Additionally, the racism of the alt-right does not square with evangelical teachings about the value of all human life, the equality of all people in the eyes of God, and the unity of all races in Christ.

However, there are a couple of warning signs. One dangerous trend noted at the conference is that politics has become upstream from religion for many Americans. This means we increasingly change our religious beliefs to match our politics, not the other way around. If alt-right actors form coalitions with evangelicals on some issues, they might convince evangelicals to embrace their alt-right beliefs on other issues.

Another concern the speakers highlighted is the blending of religious ideascommonly called syncretism. Dr. Melanie McAlister, an expert on evangelicals, pointed out that most religious believers live out a contradictory mix of official dogma, common sense, and personal preference. The danger, then, is that alt-right ideas may be perceived as common sense or personal preference and adopted alongside their official evangelical beliefs. This would damage both the nation and the message of the Gospel.

Like many evangelicals, I am instinctively skeptical of leftist academics when they criticize Christianity. We tend to discount the ramblings of professors holding forth from their ivory tower, acting as if tenure gave them a license for sloppy reasoning and ignorance. Our ears tune out the tired slogan from last century that anyone who votes for so-and-so is racist. Sometimes that instinct is correct.

And while the Georgetown conference did feature left-leaning academics, I believe this time it is important that conservative evangelicals heed their warnings. Let me share several reasons.

First, the panels featured multiple serious scholars engaged in serious, firsthand research that was aimed at figuring out the truth, not in scoring political points. In addition to Dr. McAlister, who I mentioned earlier, I was also impressed by Dr. Damon Berry, an expert on the alt-right, and Dr. George Hawley, an expert on the relationship between religious Americans and the alt-right. They reasoned with a level of nuance to which I cannot do justice in this short piece.

Secondly, and related to the first reason, these scholars presented original conclusions, discovered through research by themselves or othersnot like the partisan talking points you might hear on the 6 o-clock news.

Third, they respected complexity; they were able to identify diversity among both the alt-right and Christianity and recognize that patterns in one part were not necessarily true of the whole.

Fourth, they demonstrated a genuine effort to understand the perspectives of others. Particularly Dr. McAlister, who herself is not an evangelical, displayed respect for evangelicals by her ability to accurately articulate evangelical arguments in terms they themselves would use.

Its worth noting that, while the alt-right poses a danger to evangelicalism, its threat is only partial. Both evangelicalism and the alt-right are fragmented in both structure and objectives. However, its good to be conscious of the danger, and stay focused on Christ.

Originally posted at juicyecumenism.com

Joshua Arnold is an intern for the Institute on Religion and Democracy. He recently earned his Master's degree in public policy from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. He completed his undergraduate studies in government at Patrick Henry College.
100 Christians arrested; 3 tortured in heinous evil raid by Chinese police: church

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Close to 100 Christian leaders and students were arrested on Sunday at a church in Chengdu, China, with a prayer letter claiming that three believers were tortured.

Persecution watchdog group ChinaAid said that among the arrested at Early Rain Covenant Church were Pastor Wang Yi and his wife, Jiang Rong, as well as Guo Hai and his wife, who were forced to leave their child unnattended at home when they were taken into custody.

Another church elder, Qin Defu, was forced to the ground by security officials as his residence was inspected.

A translation of a prayer letter released by the church claimed that three Christians taken by police, and then freed, were tortured.

"Three brothers and sisters who have been released told us that they were [tortured] by police at the police station today and even stepped on their feet. One of the brothers was tied to his hands and feet at a late night and was detained all day, and the leg was tortured in multiple ways, and the body was injured with multiple injuries. These evils are heinous," the letter read in part.

"A brother said the police didn't give him a sip of rice in 24 hours, didn't drink a sip, was deprived of rest time and was tied to the chair all night for only two or three hours," it added.

The Communist Party officials had police surround the entrance of the church with vehicles before they broke in on Sunday, and began arresting Christians without providing a detailed explanation.

"We are enforcing laws. Our process is to summon litigants and require them to cooperate with the investigation. you all should follow our process ... What else am I supposed to tell you? You are not supposed to know some details, so you can never know. It is us rather than you who enforce laws," one of the officers reportedly explained.

The crackdown on Christians in Chengdu continued into Tuesday, when believers from the church who went into hiding were tracked down and arrested.

Chinese Christian Fellowship of Righteousness released a video on Sunday showing one of the confrontations when a Christian was taken from his home, and his wife questioned by police.

One parishioner told AFP on condition of anonymity on Monday that at least 80 people from the unofficial Protestant church remain missing.

"Most church members were taken from their homes, and some were grabbed off the street," the churchgoer said. "Some were found via their smartphone's location and were taken away."

"The police had the whole neighborhood under control, as well as the surrounding area," he added. "They didn't let anyone get close."

Bob Fu, ChinaAid's founder and president, said that the arrests represent "a major escalation of religious persecution in China."

"Ironically this largest scale of arrests and clamp down on the international Human Rights Day shows Xis regime deliberately making itself the enemy of universal values, such as religious freedom for all. ChinaAid calls upon the international community to condemn these arbitrary arrests of innocent religious believers and urges the Chinese regime for their immediate release," Fu added.

The massive crackdown on underground churches, but also some registered Catholic churches, continues in China ever since controversial revised religious regulations took effect in February, issued by President Xi Jinping.

An unprecedented letter signed by nearly 350 Chinese church leaders in September declared that churches will never accept to be controlled by the government or forced to register against their will.

"We also will not accept any 'ban' or 'fine' imposed on our churches due to our faith. For the sake of the Gospel, we are prepared to bear all losses  even the loss of our freedom and our lives," the church leaders wrote at the time.

Speaking of the latest mass arrests, International Christian Concern Regional Manager Gina Goh said: "Chinese authorities seek to intimidate the house church leaders and members by persistently threatening, harassing, and detaining them. They have the mindset that by doing so, Christianity in China will submit to the governments control."

"What they dont know is that Christians often grow stronger and more united after they experience persecution. Beijings scheme will never prevail, and its distorted view of religious freedom and human rights will continue to be condemned by the international community," Goh added.
Pastor Andrew Brunson calls for US-protected Islamic cleric Fetullah Gulen be extradited to Turkey

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Freed U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson has sided with Turkey in its request to have controversial Islamic cleric Fetullah Gulen, who resides in Pennsylvania, to be extradited.

If it was up to me, send him to Turkey, Brunson told the Hurriyet newspaper on Monday.

Brunson was imprisoned for two years in Turkey on terrorism charges, before finally being released in October. The pastor and his wife had served a Protestant congregation in Izmir for nearly 25 years before the arrest.

Brunson denied charges throughout his trial that he assisted anti-government groups behind a failed coup in the summer of 2016 in Turkey, and insisted he was being punished for his faith in Jesus Christ.

Gulen, the Islamic cleric in question, has been protected by the U.S. government since 1990. He has been being accused by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of staging the failed coup, a charge that he denies.

Erdogan had pressed the U.S. to extradite Gulen during discussions over the potential release of Brunson.

President Donald Trump refused to hand over the cleric, however, and punished Turkey with economic sanctions.

Brunson conveyed a message with the Hurriyet he received by South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham while in prison, informing him that the U.S. does not plan on handing over Gulen.

We want to get you back to America, but we have to go the right way. No barter for you. If we do something like this, it would be a bad precedent and Americans around the world would be at risk. Any regime can refer to this method to get us done, Brunson quoted Graham as saying.

The question of Gulen's extradition continues to be debated. Some, such as New York pastor William Devlin of Infinity Bible Church, who attended Brunson's court hearings in Izmir, have argued that the U.S. should hand him over to Turkey.

The Gulen Movement or 'Hizmet' (its Turkish name) is connected to two organizations that the U.S. government has deemed as terrorist organizations: the PKK or Kurdistan Workers Party and its Syrian affiliate, the YPG or The People's Defense Unit. Both of these organizations are driven by Marxist ideology and, along with the Gulen Movement, have been involved with kidnappings, murders and narcotics trafficking, Devlin wrote in an op-ed for The Christian Post earlier this year.

Gulen, one of Turkey's most wanted criminals, is currently facing multiple charges in his native Turkey including treason-and Turkey has submitted an extradition request to the U.S. government, he added, positioning that the U.S. should agree to the request.

American Center for Law and Justice Senior Counsel CeCe Heil told CP in an interview back in July that the U.S. has extradition laws in place, however.

"I think the State Department has been very clear with Turkey that if they want Gulen to be extradited, then they need to provide evidence to support that. So that's really a matter between the State Department and Turkey," she said.

Heil further warned that had Brunson been released in exchange of Gulen, then that would make "every U.S. citizen traveling abroad a target. Countries start to think, 'all we need to do is just nab one of these citizens, and we can trade for what we want.' Basically [it would create] political hostages, just like what pastor Brunson has become."

Despite all he has been through, Brunson said he is not regretful of his time in Turkey.

To me, God will use my pain in favor of Turkey, [and] for Turkeys blessing. I want God [to] use President Erdogan. He is Turkeys leader, even if some like him or not, he said, adding that he hopes God will use him to bless Turkey, bring wisdom and justice.
8-year-old stopped from talking about the Bible during class show and tell

An 8-year-old boy was shut down by his school teacher when he tried to talk about the Bible during his class show and tell, says his parent.

John Ellis, a church elder in Arlington, Virginia, claims his son was hushed up by the teacher at the unnamed school when he tried to tell his classmates about the story of Daniel from the Bible.

In a column on PJ Media, Ellis says he did not know that his son, who is in the second grade, had taken his Bible to school for the show and tell until after the event.

When he asked his son how it went, he says his son told him: 'The teacher stopped me from speaking and went on to the next person. I didn't get to tell them about Daniel.'

He said his son had been left confused by the teacher's actions.

'You see, my son had been reading the book of Daniel and wanted to tell his friends about it. It was important to him. What he didn't realize is that the Bible, no matter how important to his identity, is verboten in the brave new world of progressive tolerance,' wrote Ellis.

'The Bible and those who take God's Word seriously are not allowed a platform in leftist America. My son learned that the hard way last Tuesday. His disappointment is only eclipsed by his confusion as to why his teacher wouldn't let him finish.'

Ellis questioned why trans beliefs are being accommodated by the Virginia school system but not Bible stories and Christian beliefs after a French teacher at West Point High School was fired for not using a trans male student's preferred pronouns.

Peter Vlaming said he continued to use the feminine pronouns because it would go against his conscience to refer to the student, who was born female, as a male.

He was fired last week in a unanimous decision by the school board on the grounds of discrimination.

Superintendent Laura Abel said in a statement, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, 'That discrimination then leads to creating a hostile learning environment. And the student had expressed that. The parent had expressed that.'

Vlaming's attorney, Shawn Voyles, told the newspaper that the policy had gone against the constitutional rights of his client.

'One of those rights that is not curtailed is to be free from being compelled to speak something that violates your conscience,' said Voyles.

Ellis criticised the inconsistency in the school system when it comes to how children's identities are accommodated.

'It's stunning to consider the contrast between the hyperbolic language and extreme actions taken to ensure that one child's identity is catered to and how my son was swiftly shut down when he wanted to briefly talk about a part of his identity that's important to him. It's also frightening,' he said.

Students at the high school responded to Vlaming's sacking by staging a walk out in protest.

The protest was organised by West Point High junior Forrest Rohde, who said it was not about the transgender student but the actions of the school board in 'trying to force the teacher to conform to their ideologies with the threat of removal from the school'.

'The child is going through a lot,' Rohde said, according to NBC12. 'We shouldn't be directing this towards her, we should be directing this towards the school board.'

Fellow junior Zachary Gonzalez, who took part in the protest said: 'I feel like everyone should have the freedom of speech and the freedom of religion as well.'
Breitbart accuses Google of blocking its ad revenue

Google employees considered blocking Breitbart on 'moral grounds', the right-wing news outlet alleged.

Breitbart claims to have received leaked emails going back to February 2017 - one month after Donald Trump entered the White House - in which staff at the tech company voice concerns about 'hate speech' and 'fake news' on the site.

The website alleges that the emails encouraged others at the company to block Breitbart from Google's lucrative Adsense advertising platform.

Google began 'plotting the downfall of this website shortly after the 2016 election', Breitbart claimed.

In one of the alleged emails, a staff member wrote that it would be 'really difficult' to prove hate speech as writers were 'artful' at demeaning others in non-explicit ways.

Another email claimed that '818' companies had taken steps to stop their ads showing on the website and that there was a 'moral argument to be made as well as a business case'.

The claim came as Google's chief executive Sundar Pichai answered questions about bias during a congressional hearing on Monday.

He said that enabling bias would go against Google's 'core principles'.

'I lead this company without political bias and work to ensure that our products continue to operate that way. To do otherwise would go against our core principles and our business interests,' he said.

'We are a company that provides platforms for diverse perspectives and opinions  and we have no shortage of them among our own employees.'

Facebook has faced similar accusations. CEO Mark Zuckerberg denied being biased against conservatives and Trump supporters during his appearance before Congress in August.

'There is absolutely no directive in any of the changes that we make to have a bias in anything that we do,' Zuckerberg said . 'To the contrary, our goal is to be a platform for all ideas.'
NHS hopes new faith declaration will eradicate barriers to organ donation

The NHS is hoping that a new beliefs declaration will encourage more people of faith to become organ donors.

A new faith and beliefs declaration has been added to the organ donor register to add clarity around what different religions believe about organ donation.

The update to the register has been made at the behest of the Government as it tries to increase the number of organ donors. The Government is currently considering whether to change the law so that people are automatically registered for organ donation unless they opt out.

Research by NHS Blood and Transplant found that religious beliefs continue to be a significant barrier to organ donation among ethnic minority communities.

In a survey of over 1,000 adults from black and Asian backgrounds in May this year, 27 per cent said they thought organ donation was against their culture or religion.

Last year, only 42 per cent of black and Asian families agreed to donate their relative's organs, far lower than the overall population (66 per cent).

But according to NHS figures, over a third of patients waiting for a kidney transplant are from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities and last year, members of these communities accounted for one in five people who died while on the transplant waiting list.

Despite the low uptake, the NHS said the best chance of a match was typically found in individuals of the same ethnic background.

In August, the Government released the results of a consultation into organ donation among religious communities which found a desire for more recognition of the role faith plays in deciding whether to proceed with donation.

The addition of the faith declaration means that when people sign up to become organ donors, they will now be asked an additional question about whether they want their faith or beliefs to be discussed with their family or another person close to them, such as a faith leader.

It does not ask the individual to specify their faith or beliefs and this information will instead be gathered through conversations between a specialist nurse and their family.

Jackie Doyle-Price, Minister for Inequalities, said the update to the register would give people the confidence that their beliefs will always be considered.

'Organ donation is a priceless gift  but thousands of people are still waiting for a transplant and we must do all we can to remove the barriers that prevent people from signing up as a donor,' she said.

Sally Johnson, interim chief executive for NHS Blood and Transplant, said it was important to continue working with faith leaders, chaplains and pastoral carers to breakdown the 'misconceptions' about the organ donation process within black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

'Organ donation is supported by all the major religions and belief systems in the UK, but we understand that a person's faith or beliefs can play a role in their decision whether or not to donate their organs,' she said.

'We hope this declaration will provide additional reassurance to those who need it and we will see an increase in numbers of people from a wide variety of faiths and cultural backgrounds joining the NHS Organ Donor Register.'
The top two U.S. energy players, Exxon Mobil and Chevron, made diverging news on major international gas projects.

Irving-based Exxon Mobil said it decided to develop Australia's West Barracuda gas field off Victoria to supply the domestic Australian market. The project represents an expansion of Exxon Mobil's ongoing activity in what's known as the Gippsland Basin dating back to 1965.

Exxon Mobil operates there in a joint venture with Australia's BHP Billiton.

On the other hand, California-based Chevron lost on on two major bids to continue developing gas fields off Thailand, where Chevron is a major player.

RELATED: Chevron boosts spending 9% with focus on Permian, Kazakhstan

ONLY FOR SUBSCRIBERS: Why a struggling Houston company is threatened with being delisted at HoustonChronicle.com

Instead, Thailand awarded the bids to its national energy company, PTT Exploration and Production, or PTTEP, which partnered with the United Arab Emirates' Mubadala Petroleum. Chevron's bids were with Tokyo-based Mitsui Oil.

This defeat for Chevron comes months after it lost out on an oil project in Indonesia to another state-owned energy company, Pertamina. In both cases, the Southeast Asian national governments spurned the American Big Oil company for domestic players, possibly indicating a developing trend in the region.

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Vox Lux is a film very much of its time, and yet fiercely in opposition to its time  utterly modern yet evincing utter repulsion at modernity. Through the story of a teenage girl who is wounded in a school shooting and grows up to be a Lady Gaga-like popstar, the film aspires to tell the moral history of the 21st century. And it does.

Yes, this is the movie our century deserves, with its mood that is never quite despairing because you cant have despair if youve never had hope. Rather, the feeling of Vox Lux is one of numb horror.

Its set in the year 2000, and the first thing we see is a disturbed young man walking down a street at night, looking as if the whole coming century is rattling inside his head and screaming in a thousand voices. From there, we cut to the next morning, a high school music class in the New Brighton section of Staten Island. The teacher (Maria Dizzia) is taking care of business and greeting her students back from a break. And because director Brady Corbet keeps the camera trained entirely on the teacher, we believe that she is going to be a major character in the movie. But, a moment later the young man from the first scene walks in with a machine gun and kills the teacher and most of the students in the classroom.

Vox Lux is disturbing but in a way that isnt visceral. Its eerie and mental. From the beginning, Corbet, who also wrote the screenplay, invites the audience to witness the action from a slight remove. He uses a narrator  the voice of Willem Dafoe  to tell us the story of Celeste, who was in that classroom. Were told that Celeste is going to become an important figure in 21st-century culture, and the distinct implication is that this will not be a good thing, that despite her apparent innocence in the early going, she will be a vessel for emptiness and negation.

Surviving violence inspires Celeste (Raffey Cassidy) to write a pop song about her experience, and the first part of the movie shows her moving toward a career, with the help of an industry pro (a hard-bitten, New Yorky Jude Law) and a shy older sister (Stacy Martin). In the second part of the film, its 2017, and Celeste, now played by Natalie Portman, is a coarse megastar with an alcohol and drug problem.

Though the movie is only 110 minutes long, Corbet creates a feeling of expanse by letting scenes breathe. He manages time well, using narration to blast through exposition, and then settling in for long scenes that can exemplify the moment and advance his themes. Without overselling it, without preaching it, Corbet presents the 21st centurys problem as essentially a moral one. And being only 30 years old, Corbet is in a good position to critique the century. Its what he knows. His vision of modern America is untinged by anything like a middle-aged persons nostalgia for the era of his youth. Rather, this is a young adult saying, Look at the world you dropped me into.

In Vox Lux, we watch the characters working through their various crises, but the points and messages of the movie dont come through those actions but are rather communicated through remarks, casually dropped in conversation. The adult Celeste tells her daughter that everything old is now considered ugly, and everything new is horrible, but people love it anyway. She tells her sister that they live in a world without moral consequence. She tells her fans that if they want something to believe in, instead of God, they can believe in her.

Watch Portman closely. What might seem like an exaggerated performance is actually a strong portrait of someone functioning from inside a sense of entrapment and torment, someone distorted by a dim awareness of being a vehicle for something dark thats coming through her. This is not a flattering commentary on pop music, to be sure, but Corbets problem is not with pop music alone, its with a cultural that devalues life and individuality and promotes emptiness and ugliness.

Vox Lux Rated R: for language, some strong violence, and drug content Running time: 110 minutes 5 stars See More Collapse

At one point, he devotes a good 12 or 13 minutes to showing Celeste in concert. She sings entire songs, none of which weve ever heard, none of which are terrible but all of which are mediocre and entirely meaningless. He replicates the harsh mix of a live show, so the effect is like walking into a concert by a performer you dont know and dont like. There are dancers and synchronized choreography and the spectacle of Natalie Portman in a jumpsuit, and all of it is kind of lousy, but not much worse than Lady Gagas concert scenes in the last half of A Star is Born.

Except this time, we notice.

With Vox Lux, Corbet has made an insidious little masterpiece, one that uses modern techniques and a modern visual lexicon to show you everything thats dead within modernity.

mlasalle@sfchronicle.com
The year is quickly coming to a close and several Houston area homicides remain unsolved.

Crime Stoppers offers rewards to members of the public who help local law enforcement agencies solve cases. Sixteen homicide cases that took place around the Greater Houston area in 2018 are unsolved and Crime Stopper's is seeking the public's help in identifying potential suspects.

One case is the shooting death of convenience store employee Jose Gomez, who died while defending the store from two robbers.

Two suspects entered the store located in the 7000 block of McHard Road and before a store clerk could comply with one of the suspect's demands, Gomez allegedly confronted the gunman. The suspect and Gomez exchanged fire and Gomez died at the scene after being struck in the head.

Another notable case includes Zuleyma Hernandez, who was shot and killed outside an apartment complex after a group of suspected gang members asked her boyfriend his nationality.

CAUGHT: Houstonians behind bars for murder in 2018

The suspected gang members opened fire after Hernandez' boyfriend stated he was Salvadoran. Hernandez' boyfriend was shot several times and her father sustained a gunshot wound.

Click through the photos above to see what Houston area homicides from 2018 went unsolved...

Anyone with information on these crimes or missing persons may contact Crime Stoppers to report tips anonymously.

Crime Stoppers Houston: 713-222-TIPS

Crime Stoppers Montgomery County: 1-800-392-7867

Crime Stoppers Galveston County: 409-763-TIPS

Crime Stoppers Fort Bend County: 281-342-TIPS

Crime Stoppers Brazoria County: 1-800-460-2222

Baytown Crime Stoppers: 281-427-8477

Rebecca Hennes covers community news. Read her on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | rebecca.hennes@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message


Every so often a homeless family comes to the Southeast Church of Christ in Friendswood. There the group is offered a hot meal and a comfortable place to sleep for the duration of their stay.

Shirley Bazzy coordinates the stay for the churchs guests, all the while helped out by volunteers from her congregation.

We give them a safe, loving environment, she said.

Bazzys church is a partner with Family Promise of Clear Creek, an organization dedicated to assisting families with children whove found themselves without a permanent place to live  usually the result of the loss of a job or a health situation that has left them without income.

Bazzy said working with these families  who hail from the Clear Creek, Alvin, Dickinson, Pearland and Friendswood school districts  has opened her eyes and those of her fellow congregants to the sobering realities of homelessness in the region.

Just one missed paycheck away

Ive heard many people say theyre just one missed paycheck away from being in this situation, she said. These are just normal, hardworking families who have befallen a hardship, and it could happen to anybody.

Unfortunately, shes right, according to Gayle Nelson, executive director of the Family Promise, 1101 S. Egret Bay Blvd., League City, which is run independently but is part of a nationwide network of same-named organizations across 43 states. The first group was founded in 1988 in New Jersey by Karen Olson.

The Clear Creek group is operated completely from private funding. It seeks to offer career counseling, financial management training, food and shelter.

This isnt a hand out, its a hand up, said Nelson, who came on with the organization in November 2017. Were not an emergency shelter; were a self-sufficiency program for children and their families. We want to empower people.

Family Promise puts its guests through a five-step program which aims to help them secure a job, housing and possibly a car, all while teaching them how to better manage money. Most families stay in the program from three to six months. When they graduate, they are provided with a move-in assistance fund and, if needed, furniture from community partners. However, while working with the organization, guests have to save 80 percent of their income, no exceptions, and they must attend weekly meetings with their case manager to set and to monitor their goals.

As long as youre working the program, you can stay in the program, Nelson said.

The organization also commits to continuing to help program graduates even after they no longer need the services, to ensure they stay on track.

We want to help you, to make sure youre better off when you leave us so you dont ever have to come back or go to another shelter, Nelson said.

Family Promise works only with homeless people who have at least one child. A pregnant woman would also qualify as a family. The program participants must commit to becoming self-sufficient and independent, have to pass a criminal background check and, in some cases, a drug test. Also they cannot be registered sex offenders.

However, Nelson said she and her team of volunteers will not turn away anyone who needs help, even if theyve had a few scrapes with the law. In those instances, the Family Promise team will interview the person and make a decision on whether to admit them to the program on a case-by-case basis.

Nelson said being open to whom she accepts is crucial to the organizations mission.

We have to strengthen our communities and keep them strong, she said.

700 volunteers

With 19 church partners and approximately 700 volunteers to assist, Family Promise is able to serve four families at a time. The group operates a day center where parents can work on their resume, search for jobs and store their belongings while receiving support and keeping their families intact.

Nelson said separating families is not an option.

We feel strongly that the family unit is stronger together, she said. We will not separate mom and dad from their kids, and this makes us different from other shelters.

At night the families are fed and housed at one of the partner churches, like Bazzys.

One of our elders brought this to us because we were looking for an outreach program, Bazzy said. Family Promise is an amazing organization and was a perfect fit for us. We asked for volunteers (from our congregation) and they came out in droves.

More than 70 people offered to assist, agreeing to cook hot meals and help shelter families overnight at the church.

Nelson said getting her guests to work once theyre set up with food and boarding is a top priority. To that end, Family Promise worked with a corporate trainer to write the Fast Forward program aimed at landing a job as soon as possible. The strategy is working.

All of our guest families are working right now, Nelson said.

Another important element is the Ride to Success part of the program. Nelson said she and her team partnered with businesses and community members to receive donations of vehicles that homeless guests can use to get to and from work. Sometimes the cars are permanently donated to people once theyve completed their five steps and are independent again.

Its a double blessing because we use the car as a donor vehicle and once they graduate if they need a car then we sell it to them for a ridiculously low amount of money, Nelson said. We are just thrilled to be able to offer that.

Understandably, homelessness is a major source of stress for families.

When people come to us theyre like a deer in the headlights. They have stress beyond measure, Nelson said. But I gotta tell you, its a fantastic feeling when you realize you can help someone in that situation to help themselves.

For more information about Family Promise of Clear Creek or details on how to donate time or money, visit www.ccfamilypromise.org.
Siobhan Gracely and her husband A.J. returned to their West University Place home on Sunday, Dec. 2, and were crushed to discover that someone had stolen their infant sons ashes.

The couple and their three children left Houston the day before. Walking back into the house on the 2700 block of Robinhood Street, they realized the back door was wide open. When they saw some paneling had been ripped off the frame, they knew someone had broken in.

As A.J. ran upstairs to the master bedroom, he prayed that anything else in the house had been taken but the small white plastic box with a silver teddy bear on top that contained the ashes of their three-month-old son Julien, who passed away in 2016 after an accident. But the box was gone.

I was shattered, absolutely shattered, Gracely said. I had to remain calm because I have three other little kids that were right there with us, and I could not fall apart.

Gracely tried to console herself, repeating in her mind, Julien is in heaven. Julien is in heaven.

According to motion sensors, the burglary took place on Saturday, Dec. 1, at around 6:45 p.m. The Gracelys reported it to the West University Place Police Department, who investigated through canvassing the neighborhood and asking for security footage from neighbors.

VIDEO: Man caught on camera before breaking into home with teens inside

The Gracelys also have reached out to Crime Stoppers of Houston to hopefully get a reward for information leading to the boxs return.

While the reasons the burglar took the urn are uncertain, Gracely believes the burglar was probably in a hurry and may have thought the box had more jewelry in it because it had been near the stolen watches and rings.

Gracely said she and her husband just want the box back. She hopes someone will come across it, maybe see the press coverage on the incident and return it.

You just wish that at some point they would open it and find that its not [valuable to anyone else], Gracely said.

She urged anyone with information of the whereabouts of the urn to call the West University Place Police Department at 713-668-0330 or to drop off the box itself at any fire or police station.

Julien was our son, and he belonged to us. We lost him in tragic circumstances, absolutely horrific circumstances, and those ashes belong to us. And they are really, other than his memories  it is all we have left of that little boy, was what was contained in that little urn, Gracely said. They belong to us. They serve no purpose to anybody else except to his mother and father, and we want them back.

tracy.maness@hcnonline.com
United Airlines flight attendants will picket near Bush Intercontinental Airport on Thursday to protest staffing cuts on international flights.

Starting Feb. 1, United will have its catering employees plate business-class meals prior to flight. This is designed to speed up in-flight meal service, and it will eliminate the need for a mid-galley flight attendant on certain international flights, John Slater, United's senior vice president of in-flight services, said previously in a note to flight attendants.

But the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA argues that one less flight attendant means fewer trained crew members to respond to emergencies, a slower boarding process and reduced customer service.

United chief: IAH flights bouncing back with energy recovery

"Catering on the ground is not a substitute for first responders in the sky," Ken Diaz, president of the union's United Master Executive Council, said in a news release. "When United is making record profits, it should not be cutting back on the people who are on the front lines of safeguarding and serving passengers. A profitable major airline should not be rushing to reduce customer service."

United said the decision was made based on customer feedback and analyzing competitors' staffing levels. On the Boeing 787-8 and 787-9, American Airlines operates with one fewer flight attendant than United. Similarly, Delta Air Lines has one fewer flight attendant on some of its Boeing 777 and 767-400 flights.

United said it will be matching their staffing level on these aircraft, along with removing one flight attendant in the economy cabin on international Boeing 757 routes.

ONLY FOR SUBSCRIBERS: In-depth news and analysis you need to live and do business in Houston only on HoustonChronicle.com.

"Change is difficult," United CEO Oscar Munoz said during a call with media on Wednesday to discuss new international routes from San Francisco. "We've been staffed higher than all other of our major competitors on those flights."

Oct. 1 marked the first time that legacy Continental Airlines flight attendants and legacy United Airlines flight attendants could work side-by-side on a plane. The two airlines merged in 2010, and flight attendants continued to worked under separate contracts.

They ratified a joint contract in 2016, integrating their systems in October of this year.

And next year, Munoz said United will be hiring more than 2,100 flight attendants.

Flight attendant training in Houston: After 6 weeks of training, freshly minted flight attendants soar

"It is not about taking people out of the system," he said.

But the union said cutting a flight attendant from international flights will have a domino affect, hurting those who just barely have the seniority to work international flights. They likely won't be able to continue flying those international routes, which pay better than domestic flights.

As for the food's presentation, the union questions how an entree would look if it's plated on the ground, transported by truck, heated up in an oven and then served to a passenger -- rather than having a flight attendant plate and perfect its presentation right before serving. And that mid-galley flight attendant does more than just plate food.

In his note to flight attendants, United's Slater said: "Based on the conversations I've had with many of you who regularly bid the international premium cabin, I know this is difficult news. However, this is a necessary step for us to stay competitive and continue growing. Ultimately, our inflight team will be one of the biggest beneficiaries of that growth  in fact, we're in the process of hiring more than 2,000 additional flight attendants to meet our needs in 2019."

The protest at Bush Intercontinental Airport will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the intersection of John F. Kennedy Boulevard and Greens Road. Other protests are occurring around the world.

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 historic first shipment of liquefied natural gas from Texas is headed to a new market for U.S. producers in Europe.

An LNG tanker named Maria Energy left Cheniere Energy's Port of Corpus Christi facility on Tuesday and is headed for Greece, the U.S. Embassy in Athens confirmed.

The shipment is headed to the Revithousa LNG terminal about 25 miles west of Athens, Greece's state-owned National Natural Gas System Operator said in a statement.

Known as DEFSA, the Greek gas grid operator reported that the spot cargo shipment is expected to arrive at the Revithousa LNG terminal on Dec. 29.

"Natural gas is required to play a transitional role in securing Greece's energy security," DEFSA officials said in a statement.

Historic Moment: Texas now an exporter of LNG

The shipment marks the first U.S. shipment of LNG to Greece. It also marks the first shipment for Cheniere to the southeastern European nation.

Since it first began export operations in Feb. 2016, Cheniere has shipped more than 475 cargoes of LNG to 29 nations across the globe. Greece marks the 30th nation for the Houston-based company.

Cheniere's shipment from the Port of Corpus Christi is the first LNG export shipment from the Lone Star State. Corpus Christi LNG's long-term contract customers include utility company customers in Spain, Portugal, France, Australia and Indonesia but the facility can also sell spot shipments to other customers around the world.

"This first cargo of LNG from Texas is yet another key inflection point in the nation's historic emergence as the largest energy producer in the world," Port of Corpus Christi CEO Sean Strawbridge said in a statement. "Cheniere is a great partner for the Port of Corpus Christi and we are committed to helping them optimize their significant capital investment by ensuring all the necessary supporting infrastructure is in place and ready when their additional trains come online."

Moving Forward: NextDecade lands state permit for Rio Grande LNG project
The solar energy market in Texas is small, generating less than 1 percent of the state's energy needs, but it's growing.

Over the next five years, Texas is expected to install 4,266 megawatts of solar power, tripling the state's current installed solar capacity, and making Texas the third fastest-growing solar energy producer behind California and Florida, according to a report by the research group Wood Mackenzie and the Solar Energy Industries Association. One megawatt can power about 200 homes in Texas on a hot summer day.
Mildred's Umbrella

A Houston theater company is responding to issues of consent, boundaries and relationships raised in the era of #MeToo.

"Consenting Bodies," a three-play reading series, will tackle what exactly it means to give consent to another, as well as the gray areas that exist in such a discussion.
303 Memorial City Way; memorialcity.com

The Santa Clause

When a man inadvertently kills Santa on Christmas Eve, he finds himself magically recruited to take his place. 7 p.m. Friday

CENTRAL GREEN PARK

23501 Cinco Ranch, Katy; drafthouse.com

Arthur Christmas

Santas clumsy son Arthur sets out on a mission with St. Nicks father to give out a present they misplaced. Dusk Friday

MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, HOUSTON

1001 Bissonnet; mfah.org

Monrovia, Indiana

Filmmaker Frederick Wiseman documents the day-to-day experiences of living and working in the farming community of Monrovia. 1 p.m. Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday

Fire Over England

A naval officer goes under cover in the Spanish court and learns about the plans for the invasion of his native England. His feats earn him the love of a Spanish noblewoman, an English courtesan and Queen Elizabeth herself as he takes the British fleet into battle. 2 p.m. Sunday

ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE CINEMA

2707 Commercial Center, Katy; drafthouse.com/houston

The Sentinel

A fashion model moves into a cheap Brooklyn Heights apartment, where weird occurrences become a much more frightening turn of events. 10 p.m. Friday

Love Actually

Nine intertwined stories that examine the complexities of love. 11 a.m. Saturday, 6 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday

A Christmas Story

A young boy attempts to convince his parents, his teacher and Santa that a Red Ryder BB gun is the perfect Christmas gift. 7:30 p.m. Saturday

The Holiday

Two women troubled with guy problems swap homes in each others countries, where they each meet a local guy and fall in love. 11 a.m. Sunday

HOUSTON MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCE

5555 Hermann Park Drive; hmns.org

Pandas 3D

In Sichuan, China, a researcher forms a bond with a panda that is about to experience nature for the first time. Multiple screenings daily.

Volcanoes: The Fires of Creation

Exploration of the contribution of volcanoes to the wildlife ecosystems, their impact on humans and the world we live in. Multiple screenings daily.

Oceans: Our Blue Planet 3D

A journey of discovery transports the audience to the mysterious world of Earths oceans. Multiple screenings daily.

RIVER OAKS THEATRE

2009 W. Gray; landmarktheatres.com

Elf

A man raised as an elf at the North Pole is sent to New York in search of his true identity. Midnight Friday and Saturday

AMC STUDIO 30

2949 Dunvale; screwedupchristmas.eventbrite.com

Screwed Up Christmas

Two estranged sons come together to save their fathers church in time for Christmas. 7:30 p.m. Sunday

MARKET SQUARE

301 Milam; marketsquarepark.com

National Lampoons Christmas Vacation

The Griswold familys plans for a big family Christmas predictably turn into a big disaster. 7 p.m. Tuesday

ROOFTOP CINEMA

1700 Post Oak; rooftopcinemaclub.com/houston

The Muppet Christmas Carol

The Muppet characters tell their version of the classic tale of an old and bitter misers redemption on Christmas Eve. 6:30 Thursday

DISCOVERY GREEN

1500 McKinney; discoverygreen.com

The Polar Express
A Friendswood man was in Harris County Jail last week following his Dec. 3 arrest at a Houston motel, authorities said.

Gabriel Rodriguez Barcenas, 30, was wanted for failure to identify and evading arrest after he fled from a Friendswood officer during a traffic stop Nov. 16 near the intersection of FM 2351 and Beamer Road, police said.

Officers ended that pursuit when Barcenas reached a speed of more than 80 mph within seconds, according to the report.

Barcenas was reportedly found in possession of methamphetamine at the hotel and charged by Houston police. Additionally, he was wanted in Harris County for a parole violation on an aggravated robbery.

Arrest after rabbit dispute

Police took a Friendswood woman, 40, into custody for assault by threat and possession of drug paraphernalia after a disagreement over a missing rabbit Dec. 8 in the 1000 block of Lost River Drive.

The woman allegedly accused her wife of hiding the rabbit and threatened to hit her.

While interviewing the women, an officer noticed a clear glass jar containing marijuana in plain view, police said.

The victim also surrendered a box containing marijuana pipes, bags of residue, scales and partially smoked marijuana cigarettes, according to the report.

Found property

Three wet Amazon packages were found Dec. 8 on North Friendswood Drive near Chelsea Lane, police said. The recipients address had been removed, and two of the packages contained trash, according to the report. The third package, however, contained purchased items and was submitted into evidence for safekeeping, police said.

Burglary

Police investigated a motor vehicle burglary Dec. 4 at Gimme a Bark, 103 Shadwell Lane. The victim reportedly arrived at 2:09 p.m. to pick up her dogs and returned to her vehicle to find the back passenger-side window shattered and her purse missing.

The suspect was described as a tall black man with a medium build, wearing a black, long-sleeved shirt, black pants with a white stripe down the side, white shoes, white gloves and a white ball cap, police said. The suspect vehicle was described as a new, possibly gray Ford Explorer, according to the report.

A purse was stolen from a vehicle Dec. 5 in the 1200 block of Arbre Lane, police said. The victim parked at 8 a.m. and returned at noon to find the front passenger-side window shattered, according to the report.

Two vehicle burglaries were reported Dec. 6 in the 100 block of Tower Drive, police said. Snap cutters, an extension cord, jumper cables, a backpack and a sink machine were stolen from one vehicle, according to the report. The suspect allegedly used bolt cutters to gain access to the sink machine. Nothing was stolen from the second vehicle, police said.

Nine televisions were stolen during an overnight burglary at Rancho Mexican Restaurant, 2131 W. Parkwood Ave., according to a Dec. 7 police report. The cash register also was emptied, police said.

A home burglary was reported Dec. 7 in the 1000 block of High Ridge Drive, police said. The burglar entered through an unlocked window and ransacked a room, according to the report. No valuables appeared to be missing, police said.

Theft

A tailgate was stolen off a 2015 black Ford F-250 Platinum Edition truck Dec. 3 in the 700 block of Hidden Creek Lane, police said. The victim told police the theft may have occurred at a hotel in Houston, according to the report.

Two male suspects smashed display glass and grabbed three iPhones Dec. 8 at Verizon, 331 W. Parkwood Ave., police said. The suspects used wire cutters during the theft and were seen running toward H-E-B, where they got into a late-model two-door silver Pontiac, possibly a Grand Prix, with dark tinted windows and tinted taillights, according to the report. One of the suspects wore a white or gray Hollister hoodie, black pants and black shoes, police said, while the other wore a Nike hoodie, red pants and black shoes.

Narcotics

A 60-year-old Pearland man was charged with possession of a controlled substance after a traffic stop for an equipment violation Dec. 3 in the 1100 block of West Parkwood Avenue, police said. The man, a passenger, was found in possession of methamphetamine, and his bond was set at $20,000, according to the report.

Police charged a Danbury man, 37, with possession of a controlled substance after a traffic stop for unreadable paper tags and defective tail lamps Dec. 6 in the 500 block of East Parkwood Avenue. As the man exited his vehicle, the officer noticed a blue pill on the drivers floorboard, according to the report. During a search, the officer found four bags of methamphetamine, three-and-a-half doses of Xanax and two more blue pills, later identified as Viagra, police said. The methamphetamine reportedly weighed 5.2 grams. Bond was set at $40,000.

A Dickinson man, 35, was charged with possession of marijuana in a drug-free zone after a traffic stop for defective brake lights Dec. 6 in the 2500 block of West Parkwood Avenue, police said. During a vehicle search, the officer found two grinders, marijuana, three vaping pens, rolling papers and butane lighters inside a book bag belonging to the man, a passenger, according to the report. The substance inside the vaping pens reportedly was THC oil. Bond was set at $1,500.

Police charged a League City man, 28, with possession of drug paraphernalia after a witness reported a reckless driver Dec. 8 in the 2200 block of West Parkwood Avenue. An officer stopped the vehicle in the 1100 block of Briar Creek Drive and noticed marijuana residue on the center console, police said. The officer also found a glass marijuana pipe during a vehicle search, according to the report.

Police charged an Alvin woman, 19, and a Pearland woman, 18, with possession of drug paraphernalia after a traffic stop for a missing front license plate Dec. 8 in the 2900 block of West Bay Area Boulevard. The Pearland woman, who was driving three passengers, had a suspended drivers license, police said. A vehicle search reportedly yielded a THC oil vaping cartridge, marijuana residue and scales on top of the Alvin womans purse. The officer also found a bag of marijuana inside the purse, according to the report.

An Alvin man, 25, was charged with marijuana possession after a traffic stop for expired registration and expired insurance Dec. 9 in the 1300 block of West Parkwood Avenue, police said. The officer found two bags of marijuana residue during a vehicle search, and as the man was being placed in the back of the police unit, he admitted to having marijuana hidden in his shoe, according to the report. Bond was set at $1,000.

Driving while intoxicated

A Friendswood man, 32, was charged with DWI after a traffic stop Dec. 3 in the 800 block of South Friendswood Drive, police said. The vehicle reportedly had been speeding, swerving and following cars too closely. The driver failed a field sobriety test and refused a breath or blood test, according to the report.

Police charged a Pearland man, 41, with DWI after he reportedly ran a stop sign Dec. 9 at the intersection of North Friendswood Drive and Brandywyne Drive. He failed a field sobriety test and refused a breath or blood test, and bond was set at $1,000, police said. His passenger, a 40-year-old Pearland woman, was charged with public intoxication, according to the report.

Police charged a Houston man, 39, with DWI and possession of a controlled substance after an intoxicated driver was reported stopped in the roadway Dec. 9 near West Boulevard and South Friendswood Drive. The man failed a field sobriety test and refused a breath and blood test, police said. He also had bottles of beer in his vehicle and a bag of cocaine, according to the report.

Alcohol

Police charged a La Porte woman, 20, with minor consumption of alcohol after a traffic stop Dec. 8 in the 3700 block of Friendswood Link Road. The officer found marijuana shake on the seats and floorboard as well as empty and half-full beer bottles during a vehicle search, according to the report. The woman allegedly provided a false name and was taken to jail. The driver and two other passengers received citations and were released.

Public intoxication

Police charged an Alvin woman, 33, with public intoxication after she allegedly created a disturbance at her ex-husbands home Dec. 10 in the 300 block of Gleneagles Drive. She banged on a window so hard it broke, police said.

Protective order violation

A Texas City man, 27, was jailed for violation of protective order and terroristic threat Dec. 7 after he reportedly harassed his ex-girlfriend, a 24-year-old Friendswood woman, by calls and texts. He allegedly called her 14 times and sent threatening texts shortly after his release from the Galveston County jail Dec. 6. Bond was set at $3,000.
After shuttering it's popular Washington location back in 2017, Houston Tex-Mex staple Molina's Cantina announced plans for a new restaurant, its third, in west Houston

The family owned and operated restaurant will open a new location at 6300 FM 1463 in the Fulshear/Katy area at the Shoppes at Cross Creek by late 2019, according to a release from the company.
National Weather Service

The National Weather Service is warning of a cold front heading in to the greater Houston area today, which dropped heavy rain overnight in some areas and gusty winds.

"The coldest temperatures associated with this front are expected on Friday with lows in the 40s and wind chill into the 30s," the Weather Service reported.
Pacific Poke is bringing its brand of Hawaiian cuisine to the Houston area with a scheduled Dec. 17 opening in the Galleria area.

According to a news release,  Pacific Poke will serve the current trend-setting poke bowls, along with a variety of cooked Hawaiian items.

Poke, pronounced POH-keh, comes from the Hawaiian word poke, which means to slice or cut. Beginning as a snack prepared by fisherman, the concept has boomed in popularity over the past year. Poke is a simple meal, traditionally made with raw fish, green onion, limu seaweed, soy sauce, salt and sometimes kukui nut meat.

Poke is similar to sushi.

Although Hawaii is part of the states, it differs in culture substantially, said Pacific Poke owner Andre Mercado. My goal with Pacific Poke is to bridge that cultural gap.

Pacific Poke will offer cubed tuna, salmon and yellowtail, along with a variety of toppings for customers to make their own unique creations.

The restaurant also plans to serve other traditional Hawaiian cuisine, such as huli-huli chicken skewers, a Hawaiian burger complete with grilled pineapple and spicy aioli, maui shrimp, mochi ice cream and more.

Pacific Poke is located at the corner of Richmond Avenue and Chimney Rock, at 5549 Richmond Ave.

It will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Instagrammers are urged to stop in front of the restaurants Hawaiian-themed selfie wall, painted by Leah Hereford (Mural Mule) of Houston.
Paula Ross views technology literacy as an integral component of students future success.

Technology is becoming more ubiquitous in todays world and students need to be proficient in communicating, collaborating, critical thinking and using creativity to solve real-world problems, she said.

Cy-Fair ISD announced Paula Ross as their new chief technology officer in a Dec. 4 press release. She will take over the duties of CTO Frankie Jackson, who is scheduled to retire this month.

During her nearly 10 years with CFISD, Ross contributed to a variety of technology advancements, such as a district-wide redesign of CFISDs technology network. In total, she helped bring $90 million of technology-related projects to fruition.

Ross has a degree in computer engineering from Lamar University. She has served as CFISD network engineer server support, manager of server infrastructure, and as director of network infrastructure and communitications. Now, she said, she is glad to accept her new position as CFISD CTO.

CFISD has committed to creating a transformative learning environment for our students and I am honored to be a part of that commitment, Ross said.

chevall.pryce@chron.com
The Harris County Sheriff's Office deputy who was shot Tuesday while serving an arrest warrant in the Mount Houston area is scheduled to undergo surgery today for his injured right hand, according to officials.

RELATED: Officers shot while serving warrant in Mount Houston area, suspect found dead

Sgt. James R. Smejkal, a 28-year veteran assigned to the criminal warrants division, was in good spirits at the hospital, sheriff's office spokesman Jason Spencer said, adding that he's not expected to lose any digits on the injured hand.

Smejkal was serving the warrant around 12:50 p.m. Tuesday with another Harris County investigator and five agents from the Texas Attorney General's Office at a home in 5000 block of Hartwick Road.

Their target, Daniel Trevino, had been wanted for more than a week after violating a protective order from his girlfriend, officials said. He was previously accused of hitting her legs with a handgun.

At the home, Trevino met the officers with gunfire, striking Smejkal and two attorney general agents, Capt. Wes Hensley and Sgt. Mark Rychen.

None of their injuries were life threatening, authorities said.

After the shooting, a five-hour standoff ensued with Trevino until 6:15 p.m., when police found him dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside the home.

Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message
Construction has begun on the mega $65 million expansion of Houston's River Oaks Baptist School, the Christian private school announced via a press release last week.

The record amount, raised by the educational institution earlier this fall, is one of the largest fundraisers in the U.S. for a school ending in eighth grade, according to the National Association of Independent Schools.

Ranked: The best private high schools in Houston for 2019

Several prominent Houstonians made generous donations to the campaign, including Elizabeth and Gary Petersen and Mindy and Jeff Hildebrand, who gave $5 million each, as well as Alice and Keith Mosing who donated $10 million.

School leaders broke ground on the 18-month building project in early December. It will include a new middle school building, underground parking garage, and leadership center.

The Mosing's are the namesakes of the new four-story Keith and Alice Mosing Middle School, which features an advanced robotics lab and maker space, dedicated music rooms for instrumental and choral groups, visual arts studios, and science labs.

What's more, the middle school will have a state-of-the-art performance space with retractable seating called the Blue Box Theater. Underneath the structure, a 150-space parking garage is designed to improve traffic flow and maximize green space.

Named in recognition of Susan and Fayez Sarofim, The Sarofim Leadership Center will become the new main entrance to the school and administrative wing. Fayez Sarofim was No. 1,290 on Forbes 2017 ranking of the world's billionaires with a net worth of $1.6 billion.

See who made the list: 13 Houstonians earn spot on Forbes billionaires list

"We believe children become stronger thinkers when they are active learners. The new building will be a mecca of active learning space where our kids can build robots, get messy in a workshop, problem-solve in group settings, or rehearse for a performance," head of school Leanne Reynolds said via the release.

In 2015, River Oaks Baptist School acquired an adjacent property (formerly occupied by a Walgreens store) for the expansion. The project will ultimately allow the school to increase its student population by about 10 students per grade level and decrease the student-teacher ratio in classrooms.

The $65 million expansion is expected to be completed in time for the 2020-2021 school year.

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
Sticky-fingered bandits were busy last week in Pearland, according to numerous police reports filed detailing the pilfering of such items as condoms, a license plate and identities.

Theft

A Pearland man, 36, received a citation for stealing condoms from a convenience store Dec. 4 in the 2500 block of Main Street, police said.

Theft of motor vehicle parts was reported Dec. 5 in the 1500 block of Broadway Street, police said.

Police filed a theft report Dec. 4 in the 11400 block of Easton Springs Drive.

Police arrested a Houston woman, 34, for shoplifting Dec. 5 in the 2800 block of Business Center Drive.

Theft occurred Dec. 5 in the 2000 block of Sleepy Hollow Drive, police said.

Shoplifting was reported Dec. 5 in the 1700 block of Broadway Street, police said.

Police filed six shoplifting reports Dec. 6 for incidents that occurred between Nov. 2 and Nov. 20 in the 15800 block of Texas 288.

Shoplifting was reported Dec. 6 in the 8200 block of Broadway Street, police said.

Theft occurred Dec. 4 in the 9500 block of Broadway Street, according to a Dec. 7 police report.

Attempted theft of merchandise was reported Dec. 7 at a department store in the 1900 block of Main Street, police said.

Theft occurred between Dec. 5 and Dec. 7 in the 4000 block of Lee Lane, according to a Dec. 7 police report.

A woman claimed she was scammed out of $5,000, according to a police report filed Dec. 7 in the 2100 block of Rose Street.

Police arrested two 17-year-old Pearland women for shoplifting Dec. 7 in the 1900 block of Main Street.

Police arrested a Houston man, 44, for shoplifting, failure to identify as a fugitive and a parole violation Dec. 8 in the 10100 block of Broadway Street.

Police filed a report for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle Dec. 8 in the 9700 block of Broadway Street.

A unknown suspect stole a license plate from a truck Dec. 9 in the 3500 block of Business Center Drive, police said.

Police conducted a theft investigation Dec. 9 in the 11200 block of Broadway Street.

A Pearland man, 52, was arrested for shoplifting Dec. 9 in the 1900 block of Main Street, police said.

Burglary

Police filed a report for burglary of a building Dec. 3 in the 3400 block of East Circle Drive.

Burglary of a habitation occurred between Nov. 22 and Nov. 29, according to a police report filed Dec. 3 in the 11200 block of Broadway Street.

A vehicle was burglarized Dec. 4 in the 2100 block of Kingsley Drive, police said.

Burglary of a building was reported Dec. 4 in the 13900 block of Texas 288, police said.

Motor vehicle burglary occurred Dec. 5 in the 1700 block of Broadway Street, police said.

Police filed a motor vehicle burglary report Dec. 5 in the 1500 block of Broadway Street.

Motor vehicle burglary was reported Dec. 5 in the 2700 block of YMCA Drive, police said.

Police filed two motor vehicle burglary reports Dec. 6 in the 8700 block of Broadway Street.

Motor vehicle burglary was reported Dec. 6 in the 9500 block of Broadway Street, police said.

Police filed a motor vehicle burglary report Dec. 7 in the 1700 block of Kirby Drive.

Motor vehicle burglary was reported Dec. 7 in the 11200 block of Broadway Street, police said.

An unknown offender removed items from a vehicle without consent Dec. 7 or Dec. 8 in the 3700 block of Eaglet Trail, police said.

Burglary of a habitation was reported Dec. 9 in the 1300 block of Broadway Street, police said.

Police filed a motor vehicle burglary report Dec. 9 in the 2600 block of Ravenlake Court.

An unknown suspect or suspects burglarized a vehicle Dec. 8 or Dec. 9 in the 2400 block of Ridgebrook Lane, police said.

Motor vehicle burglary occurred Dec. 8 or Dec. 9 in the 13300 block of Quiet Lake Lane, police said.

Robbery

Police completed a robbery report Dec. 3 in the 11200 block of Broadway Street.

Assault

A male student kicked a principal and assistant principal Dec. 3 in the 2200 block of North Galveston Avenue, police said.

Police arrested a Pearland man, 37, for assault, family violence Dec. 3 in the 5800 block of Vineyard Hill Drive.

A male complainant reported a possible sexual assault Dec. 4 in the 1800 block of High Falls Lane, police said.

Police arrested a Pearland man, 28, for assault by threat Dec. 5 in the 11400 block of Rashell Way.

Police filed a disorderly conduct report Dec. 5 in the 9800 block of King Authors Court.

A 46-year-old Excelsior, Minnesota, man was taken into custody for assault Dec. 5 in the 11200 block of Broadway Street, police said.

Family violence was reported Dec. 6 in the 3400 block of Stoneriver Court, police said.

A physical altercation between two people occurred Dec. 6 in the 2700 block of Pearland Parkway, police said.

A Pearland woman, 34, was arrested for assault, family violence Dec. 7 in the 2500 block of Business Center Drive, police said.

A verbal disturbance was reported Dec. 8 in the 2100 block of Sailwind Drive, police said.

A Pearland man, 44, was taken into custody for assault, family violence Dec. 9 in the 9200 block of Sunshadow Court, police said.

A Pearland woman, 43, and man, 20, received citations for assault family violence Dec. 9 in the 3700 block of Oak Bent Drive, police said.

Police arrested a Pearland man, 34, for assault family violence Dec. 9 in the 6300 block of Ozark Trail.

Fraud, forgery

Police filed a forgery report Dec. 3 in the 5300 block of Woodville Lane.

A complainant told police someone created a fraudulent account in her name and purchased items, according to a report filed Dec. 4 in the 2400 block of Dry Bank Lane.

Police filed a report for unlawful use of a criminal instrumenta credit card skimmerDec. 5 in the 2100 block of Main Street.

Police filed two credit or debit card abuse reports Dec. 5 in the 1100 block of East Mariposa Avenue.

Credit card abuse was reported Dec. 5 in the 700 block of Landwehr Road, police said.

Police filed a forgery report Dec. 6 in the 2300 block of Main Street.

Credit or debit card abuse was reported Dec. 6 in the 3600 block of Chatwood Drive, police said.

Police filed a forgery report Dec. 6 in the 2700 block of Pearland Parkway.

An unknown suspect passed a counterfeit $100 bill Dec. 5 or Dec. 6 at Popbar, 11200 W. Broadway St., according to a Dec. 7 police report.

Forgery occurred Dec. 7 in the 2700 block of Pearland Parkway, according to a Dec. 8 police report.

Police filed a forgery report Dec. 9 in the 9700 block of Camelots Court.

Driving while intoxicated

Police arrested a 22-year-old Pearland man for DWI Dec. 3 in the 1300 block of Main Street.

A Pearland man, 29, was taken into custody for DWI Dec. 7 in the 8400 block of Broadway Street, police said.

Police arrested a Houston man, 23, for DWI Dec. 9 in the 2900 block of Pearland Parkway. A 20-year-old Pearland man also was arrested for public intoxication in the 3100 block of John Lizer Road, police said.

Narcotics

Police arrested a Brazoria woman, 36, for possession of a controlled substance Dec. 3 in the 3900 block of Broadway Street. A 44-year-old Brazoria woman was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia, police said.

Police arrested a 23-year-old Pearland woman for possession of drug paraphernalia Dec. 4 in the 14100 block of Texas 288.

A Pearland man, 34, was arrested for marijuana possession Dec. 4 in the 11500 block of Broadway Street.

Police took a Pearland man, 34, into custody for possession of a controlled substance Dec. 4 in the 6500 block of Broadway Street.

A Manvel woman, 28, was taken into custody for possession of marijuana and a prohibited weapon Dec. 6 in the 6700 block of Broadway Street, police said.

A Houston man, 24, was arrested for marijuana possession Dec. 6 in the 7200 block of Broadway Street, police said.

Police arrested a 22-year-old Houston man for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia as well as a Harris County Sheriffs Office warrant Dec. 7 in the 2200 block of Main Street.

A Houston man, 27, was arrested for marijuana possession and unlawfully carrying a weapon Dec. 7 in the 3000 block of Business Center Drive, police said.

A Pearland man, 20, was taken into custody for possession of a controlled substance and criminal trespass after he attempted to gain entry into a home he incorrectly believed was his Dec. 9 in the 1600 block of Forelle Drive, police said.

A Houston man, 29, was taken into custody for possession of drug paraphernalia and a warrant Dec. 9 in the 6100 block of Broadway Street, police said.

Public intoxication

Police arrested a Houston woman, 39, for public intoxication after a suspicious person investigation Dec. 7 in the 11100 block of Shadow Creek Parkway.

Threats, harassment

Police filed a harassment report Dec. 3 in the 2900 block of Concord Knoll Drive.

Threats made over the telephone were reported Dec. 3 in the 2500 block of Pearland Parkway, police said.

Harassment was reported Dec. 6 in the 2100 block of Kingsley Drive, police said.

Traffic

A Houston woman was arrested for displaying a fictitious license plate Dec. 3 in the 2100 block of Business Center Drive, police said.

Police arrested a Pearland man, 43, for driving while license invalid Dec. 3 in the 3300 block of Veterans Drive.

A Pearland man, 25, was taken into custody for driving while license invalid Dec. 6 in the 1900 block of Cullen Parkway, police said.

Police arrested a Fresno man, 36, for violation of an occupational drivers license and an Oak Ridge North Police Department warrant Dec. 6 in the 11200 block of Broadway Street.

A Houston man, 44, was arrested for driving while license invalid Dec. 6 in the 11100 block of Broadway Street, police said.

Police arrested a La Porte man, 60, for driving while license invalid Dec. 6 in the 2100 block of Main Street.

A Pearland man, 52, was arrested for no drivers license Dec. 7 in the 2700 block of Pearland Parkway, police said.

Evading arrest

Police took a 22-year-old Houston man into custody for fleeing or attempting to elude officers Dec. 4 in the 2500 block of Business Center Drive.

False alarm

An unknown individual contacted a complainant via phone, claiming to have the complainants daughter, and demanded money, according to a police report filed Dec. 4 in the 6400 block of Sage Court.

Failure to identify

Police arrested a Pearland man, 43, for failure to identify as a fugitive and a Harris County Sheriffs Office warrant Dec. 6 in the 10000 block of Broadway Street.

Child custody

A parent reportedly left the state with a child between Aug. 22 and Dec. 7, preventing the parent with primary custody from seeing the child, according to a police report filed Dec. 7 in the 3400 block of Dorsey Lane.

Criminal mischief

An unidentified male suspect left graffiti on the walls of a restaurant Dec. 8 in the 1600 block of Broadway Street, police said.

An unknown offender pushed a radar trailer into a ditch Dec. 9 in the 4500 block of Wells Drive, police said.
A West Texas ranch that's roughly the size Abilene is on the market.

The Lely Ranch, advertised as the largest ranch currently for sale in Texas, sits in Presidio County and spans about 70,000 acres. The price is still being determined as the broker gauges interest and determines the value of the ranch's natural resources, according to Dallas-based international broker Icon Global's Owner Bernard Uechtritz.

"This property hasn't been on the market ever since it was bought by this foreign investor in the 1960s, and that alone makes it a very unique piece of property," Uechtritz said. "Then there's the size. There's very few pieces of large, western-style frontier lands out there in the size."

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A third appeal to the property is its location, adjacent to the Big Bend State Park, bordering the Cibolo Creek Ranch and only about 45 miles from Marfa. The property is also contiguous with the Presidio Lely International Airport, an old weather service airport that's just 100 feet from the edge of the Lely Ranch, Uechtritz said.

The land itself contains a modest foreman's home but is otherwise "wide open spaces," Uechtritz said. It contains eight named creeks, 11 solar wells for wildlife and cattle, a mountainous terrain with a 4,286-foot Cerro Tren Peak, arroyos, underground water and several species of wild animals.

"It's highly speculative mineral country. This ranch has never been developed or really explored properly for minerals or underground water. There really hasn't been anything going on in this ranch since the '60s, or even before that," Uechtritz said. "No one's occupied it. No one's lived here. It hasn't been a recreational or a hunting or a cattle ranch. It's just been a big ranch that's been sitting there through decades and decades and decades."

RELATED: West Texas ghost town for sale for $1.75 million

Icon Global is still preparing an electronic data room of information on the property, according to Uechtritz. Because of the ranch's size and significance, he put it on the market last week, but the data room and showings won't be available until about March, he said.

His properties typically only take between nine and 15 months to sell, he said, which means the ranch could have a new owner come 2020.

"Truly the last frontier and a chance to buy your own Big Bend," a press release from Icon Global said. "Cowboys and Indians lived and worked here. Come explore the last frontier."

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
Missouri City homicide detectives are investigating after the body of a murdered Houston teen was recently found in Buffalo Run Park near Marshall High School.

Police officials say it is the third time in two years detectives have been called to the serene park known for its running paths and picturesque lake to investigate a murder scene.

On Saturday, Dec. 8, Missouri City Police Department were called to investigate reports of a disturbance at Buffalo Run Park but were unable to locate the source of the disturbance. Police continued to investigate and on Tuesday officers discovered the body of 16-year-old Eduardo Eguia of Houston. The victims family reportedly told detectives the teen had been missing since Saturday. Preliminary autopsy results indicate the victim died of a single gunshot wound.

Last September, 19-year-old Michael Lee Johnson of Houston was also found dead in the park. Missouri City police are still searching for suspects in the case.

RELATED: Second missing teen's body found at Missouri City park

Police suspect the two murders are linked to a June 2016 murder when the body of 16-year-old Estuar Quinonez was found in Buffalo Run Park. The Houston teen had been shot several times.

Police said the man charged in his murder, Douglas Alexander Herrera-Hernandez, was known as Terror and is an alleged MS-13 gang member. Herrera-Hernandez and four other alleged gang members allegedly lured the teen to Buffalo Run Park in Missouri City and shot him in the head.

According to Missouri City Police Capt. Paul Poulton, all of the park murder victims and those allegedly involved dont live in Missouri City.

The question is: why are these people drawn to our park? Thats what we dont know, Poulton said.

Poulton said detectives discovered one possible link between the murders is that it appears all three victims and the alleged gang members involved in the 2016 murder have ties to Elsik High School in Houston, an Alief ISD school roughly 10 miles from Buffalo Run Park. They did not explain what those ties entailed.

Eguia attended Elsik before being placed at an alternative campus in November and was withdrawn from that campus the first week of December. None of the others attended the school, according to district spokesman Craig Eichhorn.

Police officials are asking anyone with information regarding this case to call the Missouri City Police Department at 281-403-8700 or Fort Bend County Crime Stoppers at 281-342-TIPS (8477).

knix@hcnonline.com
Wharton County Junior College students enrolled in an Allied Health program will receive some financial assistance this spring, thanks to the M.G. and Lillie A. Johnson Foundation.

Both current and newly enrolled Pre-Allied Health program majors can apply for the scholarships, which will be available for the Spring 2019 semester. Current WCJC students who have declared a major in a Pre-Allied Health program pathway may apply for a $1,000 scholarship, while students who are enrolling at WCJC for the first time in Spring 2019 and who have declared a Pre-Allied Health program major may qualify for a $2,000 scholarship. The $2,000 scholarship will be awarded in two installments: $1,400 for the Spring 2019 semester and $600 for Summer 2019.
The driver accused of causing a deadly head-on crash Wednesday along the Grand Parkway is also accused in a more sadistic crime in 2017, according to court records.

Charles Glaze, 54, was westbound on the Grand Parkway near FM 2920 around 2:30 p.m. when he allegedly crossed the grassy median, slammed into a car and went airborne before crashing into several other vehicles, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

The crash left two people dead, a car split in half and a 50-yard debris field in what authorities described as one of the most horrific crashes in decades.

DEADLY DAY: Five dead in crashes throughout Harris County on Wednesday

HCSO identified one of the dead victims as Michael Brown. Investigators are still working to positively identify the woman who also died in the wreck.

Glaze, along with several others, was rushed to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He told detectives that he did not know what happened right before the crash, but that he does have a history of seizures.

Officials told Chron.com that Glaze was wearing an ankle monitor when he was pulled from the wreck  a reminder of charges currently lodged against him in Montgomery County.

He's accused of attacking a grieving mother inside a Magnolia cemetery in June 2017.

ORIGINAL STORY: Glaze allegedly terrorized grieving mother in Magnolia cemetery

The attack reportedly happened inside the Klein Memorial Park Cemetery in the 32500 block of Texas 249. A woman told investigators that she had been attacked as she was visiting a loved one late that day.

The man, later identified as Glaze, allegedly used a stun gun on her, and pointed a gun at her head before she was bound and gagged with zip ties and a men's necktie, according to court documents.

She was eventually able to escape after the suspect became too tired from her fighting, detectives said. She ran to nearby Magnolia Volunteer Fire Department Station 184 on Decker Prairie Road and got help.

Days later, Klein Memorial Cemetery employees told deputies investigating the attack that they noted a vehicle that day similar to one involved in another incident earlier that year on Mother's Day.

A second would-be victim reported that she felt uneasy during a conversation with the man, as she too was visiting a late loved one at Klein Memorial Park on FM 2090 in downtown Tomball.

In both incidents, the suspect showed the same MO: he would start up a conversation and proceed to get more aggressive. The earlier victim was able to shy away from the conversation before it became too dire, instead snatching a photo of the suspect's red four-door Ford F-150 as he drove away.

In Wednesday's crash, Glaze was driving red four-door Ford F-150. It is unclear if they are the same vehicle.

Glaze posted a $250,000 bond days after his June 2017 arrest, and has been on the streets ever since.

Authorities said no charges or citations have been filed against Glaze for the crash.

He's facing up to life in prison on a first-degree felony aggravated kidnapping charge, if convicted.

He's set for trial in April 2019, although it is unclear if that date will be pushed back in light of Wednesday's crash.

Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message
Houstonians looking for a unique way to relieve their pain are in luck. Ojas CBD, Houston's newest cannabidiol store, is officially open and offers products that aim to help address a variety of medical ailments.

Owner Billy Franklin told the Chronicle CBD is one of the chemical compounds found in cannabis, or marijuana. CBD can also be derived from the plant hemp. While it may be confused with THC, CBD does not provide the same "high" effect that regular marijuana does.

There is no medical proof that CBD actually relieves pain, Franklin told the Chronicle, but it can help with different medical issues. Franklin said his business is fully legal and only sells non-THC products.

"There is nobody around (Houston) really doing CBD except a few places. You can go into almost any vape shop and find 'CBD' products, but it is usually a junk product," Franklin told the Chronicle. Franklin said law enforcement agencies have raided stores for selling synthetic CBD products.

Montgomery County sheriff's Lt. Scott Spencer told the Chronicle that sheriff's office narcotics officials are "continuing to do investigations on CBD shops under the presumption that it may be illegal."

"I would say that there are some (CBD) oils, depending upon the manufacturer, may be found to be legal or illegal," Spencer explained to the Chronicle. "Keep in mind that there is no real oversight in the manufacture of this oils, so anyone purchasing is assuming that the product may be legal and non-harmful. We believe otherwise."

Franklin said he has worked with local law enforcement well as the state to ensure his business is legal by filling out proper tax forms ensured his business is licensed and registered through the Montgomery County Clerk.

FREE THE WEED: Conroe event pushes for marijuana legalization in Texas

The CBD products Franklin's store sells range from mouth sprays and edibles to bath bombs and lotions.

"We are getting (hemp-based) CBD mainly from Colorado and Washington," Franklin told the Chronicle. "It is all hemp-based with zero THC. I am able to produce a product that you can trace all the way back to the source, legitimate growers in Colorado and Washington. We will ensure all product labels will comply with (FDA) regulations."

Those wanting to try out a new pain reliever can find Franklin's store at 1902 Rayford Road in Spring.

Click through the photos above to get a look at some of the unique products being offered at Houston's newest CBD store...

Read more about CBD and the legalization of recreational cannabis at our premium, ad-free experience at HoustonChronicle.com.



Rebecca Hennes covers community news. Read her on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | rebecca.hennes@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message


A long-awaited project at Trinity Episcopal Church is just inches away from the finish line.

The church along South Panther Creek Drive will use their newly minted Childrens Ministry building for the first time this coming Sunday as they received its temporary occupancy permit last week along with a blessing from their bishop.

The 8,400 square foot brick building project that makes use of open spaces and natural light has been more than a decade in the making.

The Rev. Gerry Sevick said that while the building will help fit their ministry needs, hes hoping the new building also communicates that Trinity is dedicated to childrens ministry.

This building says we are investing in child formation and faith formation, Sevick said.

With five classrooms rooms built for specific groups from infants to preschool-age children, a storage room, multipurpose room, chapel and nursery, itll house the churchs Kids Corner day care facility throughout the week and provide programming space for Sunday morning activities.

The day care facility, which is a nonlicensed faith-based program open to the community multiple days a week, is run by Amanda Boling.

Well be able to double our program size and expand to take more kids. Were thrilled we finally get to move in, Boling said.

The childrens ministry building is just the first in a multiphase project to update other buildings on campus, though. With more than 1,400 parishioners, the churchs leadership doesnt plan to stop renovating.

When Sevick came to the church at the end of 2007, he realized shortly after that the many wooden buildings on campus were eating up maintenance budgets in upgrades and repairs.

With help from a long-range planning committee and to input from parishioners and architects, they created a master plan and launched a capital campaign in 2014.

Their goal was to build this childrens ministry facility with no mortgageand the churchs parishioners have pledged $2.9 million in total, so theyre well on their way. As previously reported in The Villager, the building cost was estimated between $2.2 and $2.6 million.

We still have 10 months left in the pledge cycle, so its hard to know where well end up. But this parish has been extremely generous, Sevick said.

Part of that generosity includes parishioners sponsoring all of the new classrooms, outfitting them with furniture so Trinity didnt have to bear that cost.

Moving forward, phases two and three of the master plan include updating the other buildings on campus that house administrative offices, a fellowship hall and other childrens facilities, as well as enlarging the worship spaces foyer.

Success creates success. This (childrens ministry) building will create more energy in terms of embracing the future, Sevick said.

jane.stueckemann@chron.com
A Harris County man was sentenced to 25 years in prison Wednesday for murdering a man washing his car  a case that earlier resulted in two mistrials, officials said.

Ryan Whitaker, 48, was convicted of stabbing a stranger to death as he was washing his car outside his Humble home. The victim, Anthony Kincaid, was stabbed 140 times during the April 2015 attack, according to a Harris County District Attorneys Office news release.

This was a true stranger on stranger attack, Assistant District Attorney Napoleon Stewart said.

Whitaker said he did not know the victim and stabbed him out of anger. Deputies found him straddling Kincaid with a knife-in-hand, prosecutors said.

All but 10 of the stab wounds were found in Kincaids head and neck, the news release stated.

Whitaker told investigators he tried giving the victim a Colombian necktie, the post-mortem slashing of a throat.

The case was tried a third time to give the victims family closure and justice, another prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Keaton Forcht said.

Dorian Cotlar, who represented Whitaker briefly after his arrest, said he was surprised by this weeks conviction. He described the case as self-defense.

"The state's very lucky that they get to keep trying as many times as they want," Cotlar said.

Whitaker was trying to walk home after his truck broke down and was confronted by Kincaid when he entered his neighborhood, Cotlar said, citing evidence he reviewed at the time.

During one of the trials, in 2016, the jury reported that it was deadlocked after five hours of deliberation.

nicole.hensley@chron.com

@nkhensley
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- BAIC BluePark New Energy Technology Co.,Ltd (BAIC Bluepark) announced on December 13 that its board of directors agreed an application to build a new vehicle plant featuring intelligent manufacturing technologies at Beijing Economic Technological Development Area.

According to the announcement, the Beijing-based new plant has a planned yearly capacity of 120,000 vehicles in total, of which the first phase, involving an investment of RMB2.5 billion, will be allocated with annual capacity of 50,000 vehicles.

The company regards the NEV as a future strategic direction for global automotive industries. For the first 11 months, China all-electric PV outputs and sales reached 806,600 units and 790,900 units, surging 50.3% and 55.66% respectively from the previous year, according to the data released by China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).

During such fast-growing period, BAIC BluePark said it plans to roll out premium products to improve its brand value and competitiveness. Thus it is ready to construct the new plant armed with high-end technologies and manufacturing abilities to brace its premium product ambition.

BAIC BJEV, operated as BAIC Bluepark's subsidiary, currently has four production bases in China. The base located in Beijing's Caiyu Town is used for trial production. The other three bases in Laixi (a county-level city of Qingdao sub-provincial city, Shandong Province), Huanghua (a county-level city of Hebei Province) and Changshu of Jiangsu Province are designed to produce budget new energy PVs, affordable BEVs and medium-high level new energy PVs.

The data announced by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) show that BAIC BJEV's wholesale volume amounted to 18,315 units in November. By the end of November, it has sold around 128,400 vehicles this year with a year-on-year leap of 54%.
The last time NASA astronaut Nick Hague tried to launch into orbit in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, things did not go well.

A rocket booster malfunction shook the spacecraft violently from side to side. The g-force thrusted him back against his seat. His vision became blurry and he felt a perceived tumbling sensation in his head from the acceleration and deceleration.

And yet, when Hague was asked Wednesday what one task he most looks forward to accomplishing in his next launch in February, he didnt miss a beat.

For me, its getting to orbit, Hague said at a news a conference at Johnson Space Center, to hearty audience laughter.

Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin were scheduled to join the space stations Expedition 57 crew this past Oct. 11, but they were forced to abort their mission when the Soyuz spacecraft transporting them to the space station experienced a rocket booster malfunction shortly after launch.

It was unclear for some time when, if ever, Hague would get another chance to fly. But after NASA astronaut Anne McClain and her crew mates made it to the space station safely on Dec. 3  the first manned mission since the aborted launch  the space agency announced that Hague and Ovchinin would get another shot on Feb. 28.

Ovchinin and Hague will be joined by NASA astronaut Christina Hammock Koch aboard the Russian Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft. The trio will join the stations Expedition 59 crew and return to Earth in October 2019 as members of Expedition 60. Hague and Koch will serve as flight engineers for Expeditions 59 and 60. Ovchinin will serve as a flight engineer on Expedition 59 and the commander of Expedition 60.

For Koch, who will be making her first space flight, the opportunity to take part in research investigations and technology demonstrations not possible on Earth is as exciting as doing her first spacewalk. The goal of that research will be to advance scientific knowledge of Earth, space, physical and biological sciences that will enable future long-duration exploration (human and robotic) on missions to the moon and Mars.

What Im looking forward to most in the mission would just be carrying out the science, Koch said.

Koch, who was selected as an astronaut in 2013, has some experience working in remote locales, having spent an entire winter at the South Pole as a research associate with the United States Antarctic Program, as well as sessions as a field engineer in the Arctic and as station chief with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in American Samoa. She will draw on that experience as she prepares to spend eight months in the space station with Ovhinin and Hague.

I learned a lot of skills about observation, maintenance, troubleshooting, being able to communicate when maybe things are going wrong, some suggestive ways that you can fix that situation and also dealing with communication lag or lack of communication at times, Koch said. She noted that in the South Pole, she was only able to communicate with the outside world when a satellite breached the horizon, which was about 8 hours a day.

Despite the harrowing aborted launch, Hague said he had the utmost confidence in the Russian space program to transport their crew to the space station safely. The abort was preceded by the discovery of an air leak-causing hole in a different Soyuz docked to the space station in late August.

On Tuesday, two Russian cosmonauts spent nearly eight hours working to solve the mystery of who or what poked a hole in the Soyuz spacecraft. They cut a 10-inch chunk out of the International Space Station that will be brought back to Earth and investigated for clues as to what caused the hole on the Soyuz capsule.

Hague said he didnt have a chance to watch the Russian cosmonauts entire spacewalk, but was pleased that the hole had been patched. He said the abort experience gave him confidence that the safety nets that the space program has in place are working.

Thats something that I, my family, everyone is extremely thankful to the engineers that put the effort into designing that system and for the rescue forces that are out there every launch and every landing that are there prepared for the unexpected - the unplanned for event, Hague said.

Russian officials announced in November that the failed October launch  the first of its kind in 35 years  was the result of a malfunctioning sensor, which caused the first and second stages of the rocket launching the Soyuz to crash into each other, breaking the second stage and forcing an emergency landing.

The sensor was damaged, Russian officials said, during the rocket's assembly at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, where the Soyuz is launched.

NASA has relied on the Russians to transport its astronauts to the space station since 2011, when the space shuttle program was ended. Commercial vehicles being built by SpaceX and Boeing are meant to alleviate that reliance, but those programs are behind schedule.

Hague said one of the positives to come out of his abort experience was that he could share his perspective with SpaceX and Boeing as they develop their shuttles.

Its not just the phenomenal experiences that are important, its everybodys experiences because you may only fly in space once or twice and you want to get as much information about those that have gone before you so that you can just pick up from where they left off and move the ball down the field a little bit further.

Alex Stuckey contributed to this report.

nick.powell@chron.com
Local authorities are investigating seemingly connected bomb threats mirroring a nationwide panic Thursday.

Police officials in Rosenburg, Houston and the Harris County Sheriff's Office all stated they have received notification of several threats to area businesses.

The suspect in each threat alerted the business and demanded payment through Bitcoin.

Law enforcement found no credible threats at each of the businesses, officials said.

Other areas affected by the hoax bomb threats across the country include New York City, Atlanta, Boise and Palm Beach County, Florida, according to the Associated Press.

Authorities urge residents to be vigilant.

Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message
WASHINGTON  Less than a year after Corpus Christi Republican Blake Farenthold left Congress behind with an $84,000 settlement for sexual harassment, the House and Senate have agreed to make lawmakers pay their own misconduct judgments.

The legislation, which the House and Senate each passed unanimously on Thursday, caps a year of acrimonious debate over how to handle sexual harassment claims on Capitol Hill.

Under the terms of a bipartisan deal reached this week, members of the House and Senate would assume financial liability for settlements and judgments stemming from sexual harassment complaints. Historically, taxpayers have picked up the tab.

The issue came to a head last April when Farenthold, a four-term congressman, resigned amid an Ethics Committee investigation into allegations of improper conduct by at least three former staffers. That followed revelations that Congress had already covered an $84,000 settlement reached in a 2014 harassment suit brought by Lauren Greene, his former communications director.

The payment came to light last December only after House administrators, under pressure in the early months of the #MeToo era, agreed to release summary data on payouts involving Capitol Hill offices.

Farenthold became one of a half-dozen members of Congress to step down in the past year amid allegations of sexual misconduct or harassment.

While denying any personal wrongdoing in the case, Farenthold initially vowed to repay taxpayers. He later reneged, however, on the "advice of counsel."

He also refused a request by Gov. Greg Abbott to help defray the estimated $200,000 in expenses for the special election prompted by his early departure. Victoria Republican Mike Cloud was elected to replace him.

Farenthold later took a job lobbying for the Calhoun Port Authority, a move that sparked further controversy because of his involvement as a member of Congress in trying to steer a contract to Randy Boyd, the port's chairman.

Campaign finance reports also showed that Farenthold, who had a net worth in the millions, spent more than $100,000 from his campaign account on legal bills before and after the Ethics probe.

The legislation passed Thursday, now headed for President Donald Trump's signature, extends to members who leave office but is not retroactive, meaning it will not require Farenthold to make good on his promised reimbursement.

But it is expected to lay down a marker for the next session of Congress that begins in January.

"Everybody will understand their personal liability and their personal responsibility, and that will be a good thing," said Missouri Republican Roy Blunt, chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, speaking to reporters.

Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan and Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi issued a joint statement calling the change "a strong step towards creating a new standard in Congress."

Besides holding lawmakers financially accountable, the legislation streamlines the dispute resolution process to protect Hill staffers. It would eliminate a mandatory 30-day counseling period, 30-day mediation period and another 30-day "cooling off" period a staffer would have to wait through before making an official complaint.

Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar, one of the Senate negotiators and a potential 2020 presidential candidate, called the present system of handling cases "byzantine."

"The time has come to stop protecting politicians and to start supporting victims," Klobuchar said. "All men and women deserve a workplace free from harassment."

The new rules would allow a victim to immediately pursue an administrative hearing or file a civil action.

The rules also would set up a new electronic system for reporting wrongdoing and make public the names of any lawmakers found personally liable for harassment or retaliation.

Other types of claims, however, are not covered to the same extent as sexual harassment and retaliation. Lawmakers could still potentially escape personal liability for settlements or judgments stemming from cases gender or other types of discrimination.

Greene's suit against Farenthold accused him of gender discrimination, though she also alleged that he created a hostile work environment and improperly fired her after she complained. She claimed another Farenthold aide told her the lawmaker said he had "sexual fantasies" and "wet dreams" about her.

The lawsuit led to a private out-of-court settlement in late 2015. Its terms remained confidential until last December, when it was first reported that it involved a taxpayer-funded payment of $84,000.

At the same time, at least two other former Farenthold staffers also went public with complaints about his congressional office. One, Elizabeth Peace, told the Ethics Committee she was pressured to do campaign work. Another aide, Michael Rekola, alleged that the congressman was verbally abusive and sexually demeaning.

Farenthold initially agreed not to run for reelection, but then resigned in the face of a mounting Ethics Committee probe.

In a video posted on his Facebook page, he acknowledged that his office "accommodated destructive gossip, off-hand comments, off-color jokes and behavior, in general, that was less than professional."
AUSTIN  The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday dumped Texass odd attempt to prove in court the constitutionality of a 2017 anti-sanctuary cities law before it went into effect, ruling Attorney General Ken Paxtons case was unconvincing.

Paxton filed the lawsuit hours after Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 4 in an attempt to keep critics of the controversial law at bay. Not only did passage of the law draw protests to the state capitol, but Paxton anticipated officials in Austin and San Antonio and other opponents would sue the state, which they later did. A district court found portions of the law unconstitutional, although the 5th Circuit later upheld most of the law on appeal.
Before he officially takes office in January, U.S. Rep-elect Dan Crenshaw is in Israel to get a firsthand look at the key U.S. ally.

Crenshaw, R-Spring, has been posting regular updates on social media since Tuesday as he tours sites like the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Western Wall. Crenshaw also did an aerial tour of Israel and explored tunnels in Gaza that he said Hamas is using to commit terrorist acts.

Crenshaw is part of a group of 6 new members of Congress touring Israel as part of a trip paid for by the American Israel Education Foundation, a nonprofit affiliate of the politically powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee..

His travels to Israel come as other newly elected members of Congress have said they are not planning to travel to Israel through AIPAC. Congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., will not join other new members of congress on an AIPAC-affiliated trip to Israel later this year, and does not have plans to go on any other trips to the region, a spokesperson for the Democrat to The Forward.

Crenshaw, 34, is no stranger to the Middle East. The retired Navy SEAL fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. And he said last year he spent 10 days touring Israel on an educational trek led by Jewish and Israeli students at Harvard University, where he received his master's degree.

As a long-time supporter of Israel, I will ensure that our alliance does not waver, and that America continues to support Israeli security, advocate for her on the international stage, and contain the threat from Iran and terrorism across the region, Crenshaw said during the campaign.

Crenshaw will represent the 2nd Congressional District in Houston and is replacing the retiring U.S. Rep. Ted Poe, R-Atascocita.

Besides Crenshaw, members on the trip to Israel this week include Republicans Denver Riggleman, R-Va.; Tim Burchett, R-Tenn.; David Trone, D-Md.; Susie Lee, D-Ohio; and Elaine Luria, D-Va.

jeremy.wallace@chron.com
Its great news that Apple is spending $1 billion to build a new campus in Austin. Up to 5,000 more tech-related jobs in a city thats already going strong? Count me in. Thats good for Apple, good for Austin and good for Texas. And a stronger Texas means a more prosperous Houston, too.

But I hope Im not the only one here left wondering, what about us?

Houstons economy dwarfs the capital citys. Were bigger, more diverse and  to this admittedly biased newcomer  a far more exciting place to live. So why has the Bayou City been pushed to the banks by first Amazon and now Apple while these tech titans consider where to invest their silicon-spawned billions?

Its not a bias against Texas, plainly. Dallas was a finalist in the scrum seeking to woo Amazons HQ2. Austin just landed the Armys enormous Futures Command.

I wonder if our deep connections to the energy industry is in part responsible for tech firms lukewarm interest in Houston. We have lots of high-paying jobs here that dont require a college degree - a plus by any measure, as the Federal Reserve of Dallas noted in a report Wednesday on Texas largest cities.

But a drawback is that we trail both Austin and Dallas-Fort Worth in the share of residents with bachelors degrees. Tech jobs are requiring more education  a weakness here in Houston  and perhaps that helps explain why median incomes are so much lower in the Houston area than in Austin or even Dallas.

Amazons Jeff Bezos was adamant that access to an educated workforce was table stakes in the HQ2 competition, and we ought to think about that as one more reason why our struggling Houston ISD  with its outrageous lack of leadership  is a problem in urgent need of a fix.

Our ties to energy, dating back to the 1901 Spindletop oil find, are among the strongest assets Houston has had as it boomed its way into the status as Americas fourth-largest city. But we ought to get busy diversifying our economy even as we celebrate our status as the nations energy capital.

The Dallas Feds report notes that were likely to do well as the energy economy continues to recover, recent price dips notwithstanding. But it also says that our economy is especially dependent on the economic benefits of immigration and trade  two items high on the Trump administrations hit list.

To withstand those pressures, and to reckon with the gathering headwinds against fossil fuels, Houston ought to learn to love energy and look for a new partner at the same time. The Apple news out of Austin is another reminder of the costs if we dont.

Lindenberger is deputy opinion editor for enterprise at the Houston Chronicle and a member of the editorial board.
Theres new attention on the issue of fare evasion. That isnt because journalists, politicians, or even regular people developed a particular interest in the issue; its simply because the Metropolitan Transportation Authority wants to talk about it again. But that conversation is a distraction from the MTAs real problems and the needed solutions.

Given the New York City Transit Authoritys catastrophic financial situation, declining service and ridership numbers, they could use a smokescreen to blur the publics perception  and theyve found one in Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, who in September stopped prosecuting most fare beating cases. It started in November when MTA board member Larry Schwartz said turnstile jumpers was one reason the authority was planning to hike fares again. The problem is people are not paying, Schwartz said. And that is not fair to the people that are paying.

Last week, following up on Schwartz, the MTA delivered a much anticipated report on this supposed problem. According to the MTA, $215 million in revenue has been lost to fare evasion this year, double the amount lost in 2015.

As Signal Problems Aaron Gordon pointed out, the short PowerPoint presentation never made clear how the MTA arrived at such a figure. We dont know how the MTA can know everyone caught entering a gate without paying is a fare evader and we dont know how many of those who fail to pay on buses, where fare evasion is a bigger problem, are not simply there on a free transfer or waved along by a bus driver.

According to Eric Goldwyn, a research scholar at New York Universitys Marron Institute, the MTA could collect more accurate data if it chose to, as every subway turnstile has a camera monitoring it. Its also worth noting that, while arrests for fare beating are way down from last year, summonses are actually up.

Goldwyn argues that the number of people paying for rides is probably down because the number of riders is down, rather than that theyre all just skipping out on paying now that they can assume theyll only get a fine instead of being hauled off to jail. Fewer people will use subways and buses year-over-year if there are no subway connections on the 2/3 trains between Manhattan and Brooklyn every weekend for a year, or if traffic becomes so congested that the bus travels at 3.5 miles per hour, as the B41 does on Tillary Street, said Goldwyn, referring to some of the service disruptions and shortcomings that are likely to blame for the ridership slump. The literature on bus ridership is very clear that only captive bus passengers, meaning those with no other transportation options, will wait more than 15 minutes for a bus and that ridership declines as service is cut or becomes unpredictable.

Vance took direct issue with Byfords groundless assertion that such criminal justice practices were costing the MTA money. A spokesman for Vance said the MTA is running out of people to blame for its monumental failures.

More importantly, if we are to take the MTAs numbers at face value, what is to be done? Surely Andy Byford, the transit whiz who runs the NYCTA, understands $215 million is 1.2 percent of the MTAs proposed 2019 budget.

Its rare the MTA has fretted so much over such an infinitesimal amount of money. A transit authority that spends a billion dollars to replace tiles and add USB charging ports to a select number of stations in the system cant truly call a loss of $215 million a major problem.

Should police be posted at every single turnstile and bus? Should district attorneys start cracking down on the primarily poor people who actually dont pay to ride the bus and rails?

Why should we even discuss these questions right now? Fare evasion has nothing to do with the MTAs catastrophic budget woes or its poor spending practices.

Thats the real trouble of Byford and Schwartz even hammering the issue in the first place, and driving news reports about a supposed problem the MTA confronts today. Since fare evasionif the MTAs thinly-sourced numbers are to be taken at face valueis not a serious threat to the transit authoritys finances, regular New Yorkers who dont have time to sift through spin are left to grapple with misinformation and false impressions.

As with Gov. Andrew Cuomos campaign to mislead New Yorkers into thinking he isnt responsible for the state-controlled MTA, this latest attempt to underscore fare evasion is a pernicious distraction. Not only does it lend credence to the view that poverty should be criminalized, it allows the MTA and politicians to avoid hard truths.

The MTA may be the most inefficient transportation agency in the world. It cost $2.5 billion to build out a mile of subway track for the Second Avenue Subway. In other countries, it costs a fraction of that. The contracting process for transit construction projects is quasi-corrupt, bloated by a lack of competition, incestuous back-scratching, and archaic work rules.

Ridership may be down from years of declining service, or the proliferation of for-hire vehicle apps like Uber. A budget gap of $634 million looms for the MTA, even if fare hikes were to take effect, according to a recent report from the state Comptrollers office. The report blames rising health insurance costs for employees and retirees, rising borrowing costs for capital projects, and declining ridership. Fare evasion is never mentioned. Tom DiNapoli, the state comptroller, said the MTA is facing its greatest challenge in decades.

Given these unsolved problems and the coming fare increases, perhaps its not so surprising Byford and Schwartz want to cry out about a few riders not paying. Its an easy talking point to digest and it obscures a terrifying reality: if the MTA doesnt cut costs and the state doesnt create new revenue streams to pay for service improvements  the city itself, which wholly relies on a functioning transit system  will really go off the rails.

At that point, the talk wont be about evading fares. It will be about people evading New York City altogether.
In May, the law firm Jones Day hosted a conference in its Manhattan office focused on labor and employment law in the news media industry. It was an invitation-only affair, bringing together Jones Day attorneys and media executives, in-house lawyers, and senior human resources personnelin other words, anyone who might find themselves on the opposite side of a bargaining table from journalists trying to unionize.

The agenda for the event has the air of a support group, or a military planning sessionlike-minded protagonists defending against the hordes, or preparing to attack. In breakout sessions, attendees discussed the major unions seeking to organize media businesses today; practical considerations for employers faced with complaints of harassment; and approaches for reducing costs and minimizing liabilities pertaining to employee benefits and pension plans.

Attendance was good: media outlets in the room included The New York Times, The Washington Post, Slate, Univision, and Atlantic Media, among others (some of whom are represented by Jones Day). One of the moderators leading the conference was Patricia Dunn, a longtime partner in Jones Days Washington, DC office, and a former in-house counsel for the Post.

The law firm, with Dunn often at the helm, has in recent years become a go-to for media executives facing union drives. At a time when uncertain market forces have driven more and more newsrooms to organize, Jones Day has become notorious for aggressive anti-union tactics that journalists and union leaders say have helped downgrade media union contracts and carve employee benefits to the bone. Jones Days portfolio of media outlets includes, among many others, Slate, whose union members voted Tuesday to authorize a strike amid pushback from management on their demands.

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Negotiations where Jones Day is at the table are uglier than anything else we see, says Robert Struckman, president of the Washington-Baltimore News Guild, under which multiple publications are organized, including the Post. Negotiations are always hard, but theyre not always ugly. Jones Day makes the process ugly.

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With more than 2,500 lawyers on staff, offices in 18 US cities, and 25 more offices internationally, Jones Day is one of the largest law firms in the world. Of late, the firm has raised eyebrows in legal circles for its outsized ties with the Trump administration; Jones Day received nearly $2 million in fees from the Trump campaign in the first three quarters of 2018, and there appears to be a large revolving door between the firm and the White Houseunusual, relative to other administrations, a former solicitor general under George W. Bush told Bloomberg.

Jones Days reputation rankled Slate staffers, when management retained the firms counsel after their vote to unionize under the Writers Guild of America, East earlier this yearas did hardline stances taken by the Jones Day attorneys at the bargaining table.

The road to organization at Slate has been rocky since the beginning. Site management and the parent company, Graham Holdings (former owners of the Post), initially declined to recognize a union when employees first signed cards in March 2017resistance which took some at Slate off-guard, given the sites reliably liberal slant. After much back-and-forth, staffers finally voted to unionize this January under the Writers Guild of America, East. They were surprised again when contract negotiations began in April and Jones Day lawyers told the bargaining committee that a closed shop union security agreement was a non-starter.

Closed shop unions, which pro-labor groups support, automatically enroll non-management employees and require that they pay dues to the union. Thats as opposed to open shop unions, in which membership is optional, but the union is nevertheless compelled to provide services to non-union employees. Labor groups deride open shopsthe desired outcome of conservative right-to-work policiesfor draining union finances, hobbling their effectiveness, and sowing discord between union and non-union members, who are often accused of freeriding.

An open shop union would make Slate unique among media unions represented by the Writers Guild of America, East; according to Guild spokesperson Jason Gordon, Gizmodo Media Group, HuffPost, Vice Media, and others all have closed shops. None are represented by Jones Day. Foreign Policy, which like Slate is owned by Graham Holdings but whose employees unionized under the Washington-Baltimore News Guild, lost its battle for a closed shop. Management there is represented by Jones Day.

Its appalling that management has not only taken this position but hired a notorious union-busting law firm to enforce it in the face of opposition from every single person on staff, says Mark Joseph Stern, a legal writer for Slate and member of the union bargaining committee. Particularly galling, he adds, is the fact that editorial content at Slate is categorically opposed to right-to-work laws. (In a piece early this year, for example, Stern and a colleague, Sean McElwee, called the logic underpinning right-to-work laughably spurious. In 2015, Slates chief political correspondent, Jamelle Bouie, described the thinking behind a national right-to-work proposal unfounded.) Slates legal coverage has a clear, consistent viewpoint with regard to unions and union security, Stern says.

Slate management has not budged as the bargaining process has worn on in recent months. But the Slate Union also intends to hold the line, particularly on the crucial issue of right-to-work. Sources at Slate tell CJR they were warned: Dont let happen here what happened at The Washington Post.

The Post first unionized in the 1930s. Union members lost their closed shop following a series of union-led strikes in the mid-1970s, which failed against aggressive union-busting by then-Publisher Katharine Graham. The strength of the union never fully recovered, according to Fredrick Kunkle, an 18-year Post reporter and co-chair of the Post Guild bargaining committee. Having an open shop is like having a slowly tightening rope around the unions neck, Kunkle says. You never get it off, and you can never breathe free.

Today, Kunkle says, only about 45 percent of Post employees are union members. Ironically, he adds, new hires often decline to join the union because they perceive it as weak. In recent years, Post staffers have seen cuts in retirement benefits. The papers pay and family leave policies have also lagged significantly behind those of its main competitor, The New York Times, which has a closed shop union and is represented by the law firm Proskauer Rose, according to an internal Post Guild memo obtained by CJR, dated June 2018. The Post, for example, has refused to increase family leave from four weeks, the memo notes, whereas the Times offers 16 weeks of paid maternity leave. (The Post did not respond to a request for comment.)

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Jones Day has represented the Post for decades, though Kunkle says it can be difficult to tease apart the bargaining tactics of Jones Day from those of the companys in-house counsel. No surprise, perhaps: according to her company profile, Dunn practiced at Jones Day for 14 years before joining the Post as in-house counsel in 1997. When she departed in 2008, she was replaced in her position by Jay Kennedy, who also came to the paper from Jones Day. Today, Kunkle says, Dunn and Kennedy work side-by-side during union contract negotiations, as outside and in-house counsel respectively.

Kunkle, who has served in union leadership at the Post since 2008, says he has noticed a discernibly harsher management stance since 2013, when the paper was acquired by Jeff Bezos, who is also no friend to unions. But some bargaining table tactics are clear tells of Jones Days enduring influence. In the most recent contract negotiation, for example, which concluded in July, the Post Guild bargaining committee was presented at the outset with a choice: agree quickly to an undesirable contract wherein the harshest stipulations have been removed, or refuse and begin negotiations against an even less desirable contract wherein those harshest stipulations are included. In other words: negotiate at your own peril. It was a strategy that Kunkle had never seen before something that Jones Day had employed earlier at Bloomberg BNA, a Bloomberg L.P. subsidiary that offers a variety of products and journalism oriented towards business professionals. (Bloomberg BNAs union, like the Posts, is represented by the Washington-Baltimore News Guild. Struckman, the guilds president, says he is also unfamiliar with other law firms using this tactic.)

Post union members chose to negotiate, but over 14 months of testy negotiations they won few victories. The Post is a great example of whats happening in a lot of the media world right now, Kunkle says. Yes, the industry has gone through flux. But even as media organizations are hitting their stride, the life you can lead as a journalist is much less.

To Struckman, who was a journalist himself for 12 years before moving on to union work in 2010, Jones Day is a central actor behind an unfortunate trend in the media industry in which companies are emulating one another in devaluing their journalists. This is a fad, he explains. Its a dumb one, its a destructive one, and its serving journalism badly. As a result, he says, at many companies pay structures remain largely unequal, benefits are on the decline, and the hope for a liveable retirement is becoming a thing of the past.

Jones Days approach often goes beyond serving the pragmatic needs of client companies, he adds, to the point that it seems ideologically anti-union. With each new contract negotiation, the firms lawyers seem to be pushing the ball forward for their own sake, he says. If a specific stipulation brings benefits to a new low at one company, it is likely that Jones Day lawyers will portray them in subsequent negotiations with other companies as the new industry standard.

This was the case in 2017 at National Public Radio, when contract negotiations became so contentious that workers nearly went out on strike. According to Sonari Glinton, who at the time served in union leadership at NPR, the negotiations echoed a bargaining process at Chicago Public Mediaowner of WBEZ and producer of the popular shows This American Life and Wait WaitDont Tell Me!that left journalists in tears. The minute we saw who the lawyers were, we knew, Oh, this is real, Glinton says.

Dunn was among the outside counsel present in both negotiations. According to a Jones Day release, the contract she helped negotiate at Chicago Public Media assured the company, among other things, the right to change insurance plans without bargaining and to implement merit-based pay. Chicago Public Media is an NPR affiliate, but the companies do not share management structures. Nevertheless, parts of the contract NPR union members were presented by management were word-for-word and comma-for-comma the same as WBEZs contract, Glinton says. The contract included an elimination of overtime, a requirement that employees use vacation time to conduct union business, and an overall decline in benefits. It was such a gut punch, says Glinton, who after over a decade of employment with NPR left this summer to produce podcasts independentlya decision that was informed in part by the tenor of those negotiations. It was a really raw time. A lot of people, especially some veteran employees, felt wounded.

All of this belies traditional federal labor policy, Struckman says, which is rooted in the idea that its healthy for workers to negotiate with employers over the terms and conditions of employment. It seems to me that Jones Day pushes employers toward negotiations which are good faith in name only, he explains. This should be a wake-up call to journalists interested in upholding the standards of their profession, he adds, because in the long-run this may have the effect of turning journalism from a career profession to a junk job, something that is too meager by way of pay and benefits to remain competitive or sustainable for workers.

Others, however, suggest it is simply the nature of white-shoe law firms to drive as hard of a bargain as they can; in this view, Jones Day and lawyers like Dunn are simply taking advantage of their clients leverage, at a time when American labor happens to be very weak.

Only 10.7 percent of all wage and salary workers nationwide belonged to a union in 2017, a near all-time low, according to the Pew Research Center. Public sector unions have fared somewhat better, but this is unlikely to last after the Supreme Court ruled mandatory dues collection in public sector unions unconstitutional this summer. (Jones Day notably filed an amicus brief in Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees that ultimately proved onside with the courts decision.) Things are likely to get worse for private sector unions, as well, with right-to-work laws being implemented in more and more states, even those with historically strong labor traditions, says Steven Greenhouse, a former labor reporter for the Times and author of the upcoming Beaten Down, Worked Up: The Past, Present, and Future of American Labor.

Law firms like Jones Day might be known for playing rough with unions, but Greenhouse says it is a mistake to characterize them as unilateral antagonists; media companies, he says, have just as much responsibility for the state of unions in journalism. The client is supposed to call the shots in negotiations, Greenhouse says. If the client chooses to hire a hardball law firm, its still the client who is to blame for what happens.

On a Friday in November, Slate Union members staged a lunchtime walk-out to signal their continued displeasure with management over the issues of union security and demands which had gone unheeded thus far, including fair pay and newsroom diversity initiatives. We feel these asks are essential to the wellbeing of our workplace, the union posted in a series of messages on Twitter. For one hour, employees left their desks and refused to respond to messages on Slack, the sites primary means of work-related communication. For the Brooklyn office, the Writers Guild of America, East ordered pizzas. In DC, Slate employees gathered in a conference room, with employees who work from home teleconferencing in. It was an admittedly small gesture, staffers say, but one they hoped would get managements attention.

In a follow-on round of negotiations, however, management was not swayed. This led the union to authorize a strike, should future rounds also fail to yield results. Our unit continues to be outraged by managements inclusion of a right-to-work clause, a technique designed to degrade the legitimacy of our union, the group posted on Twitter. It would be the first incidence of a full-on strike among the many digital newsrooms which have unionized in recent years, according to a Writers Guild of America, East spokesperson. But this is not an ideological stand by Slate staffers, says Susan Matthews, a science editor and member of the bargaining committee; a functioning union is essential to workplace stability and nothing to compromise on in an industry in which journalists too often shoulder the burden of economic change.

The bargaining committee and our unit continue to believe we can come to an agreement both parties will be happy with, and we look forward to doing that at the table, Matthews says, adding of management: I think theyve realized were serious now.

Slate management and editorial leaders declined requests for outreach from CJR, and the Jones Day attorney representing Slate as outside counsel did not respond to multiple inquiries. The Jones Day offices in New York, Washington, DC, and Cleveland (the firms international headquarters) also did not respond to outreach from CJR.

Such contentious negotiations shouldnt be necessary, in Struckmans view. Journalists understand the media industry is in a state of flux, and would understand the need for prudent business decisions. At the end of the day, we want to see journalism organizations thrive, he says. But crucial to organizations success is quality journalism, which can only be done by journalists secure in their profession. Hiring needlessly punitive and harsh firms like Jones Day undermines this mutually supportive relationship, Struckman says: I dont believe it serves the interest of a media company to deprive its employees of fair pay, benefits, and a secure retirement. It might yield a few bucks in the short term, but it downgrades the professionalism that undergirds the companys core value.

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Andrew McCormick is an independent journalist and former CJR Delacorte Fellow. His work has appeared in the New York Times, The Atlantic, the South China Morning Post, and more. Follow him on Twitter @AndrewMcCormck.
Much like the latter seasons of House of Cards, British politics is a melodramatic mess. Yesterdaycontinuing a tiresome week in which a member of the opposition was expelled from Parliament for picking up a ceremonial maceConservative lawmakers voted on whether or not to retain confidence in Prime Minister Theresa May, after she canceled a key vote on her Brexit plan when it became clear it would not pass. May survived the confidence vote and now, under Conservative Party rules, cannot be challenged as leader for a year. Her winning margin, however, was finer than many expected, further eroding her brittle authority.

It has become almost impossible for reporters to move the Brexit story forward because it is stuck at an impassethe road forward is paved with thousands of slightly different permutations, but none of them currently seems feasible, let alone most likely. BBC Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg described the confidence vote outcome as purgatory; Ian Dunt, the editor of a national politics website, wrote that it was the worst of all worlds: May is ruined but immune. Dramatic days, like yesterday, at least fill copy with color. But they dont fundamentally change anything. This morning, May is still prime minister, her Brexit deal still cannot get through Parliament, and its still true that something has to give before Britain crashes out of the European Union on March 29th, unless it doesnt leave on that date after all.

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May, herself, is a contradiction for journalists. Some coverage paints her as a bumbling laughing stock (a video of her failing to get out of a locked car earlier this week did not do her any favors), while other examples show her as a paragon of fighting spirit and stiff-upper-lip British resolve. Shes frequently called dogged and determinedusing both those words, Financial Times Political Editor George Parker told NPR that although the Brexit deal shes negotiated seems to upset just about everyone, she herself has actually gone up in the public estimation over the last few weeks as she stares down repeated onslaughts. In Parliament, these come mostly from men, as Parker notes.

The past several weeks have been particularly hard to parse for US news outlets whose audiences are interested in Brexit, yet baffled by British politics. Reporters must avoid getting snagged in a tangle of arcane technicalities, including the minutiae of Mays Brexit plan, complicated Parliamentary arithmetic and procedure, and political parties internal leadership rules. Yesterdays confidence vote was a party affair, not a Parliamentary one. If May had lost, she could still have carried on as prime minister and even decided to run in a subsequent leadership election; the fact she won, meanwhile, does not make her safe for 12 months. And while May did, as many reported, promise Conservative lawmakers that she would step down before the next scheduled general election, in 2022, its not totally clear that shed resign if the election were to be held in the near future, instead.

Given these difficulties, its impressive that most US outlets kept a handle on yesterdays developmentsmost reporting on the confidence vote communicated that it was not a triumph for May, and was accurate and (relatively) easy to understand. In doing so, they conveyed a better understanding to American readers. But the root subject matter remains unavoidably messy. Earlier this week, the model Chrissy Teigen tweeted, I read and read and try and learn [about UK politics] but my brain cannot grasp it. As The Washington Posts Jennifer Hassan replied, Chrissy, its a hot mess.

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Below, more on Theresa May and Brexit:



Other notable stories:

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Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, and The Nation, among other outlets. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop.
Its not often that The Blade in Toledo, Ohio, takes an all-hands-on-deck approach to a national story rooted in a city nearly 550 miles away. But it happened this week.

A large rally of white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia, turned deadly on Saturday, when a man in a Dodge Challenger drove into a crowd of counter-protesters. One woman was killed, and at least 19 others were injured. Back at the historic Blade building in Toledo, a sharp-eyed copyeditor named Tommy Gallagher, who also helps out on the photo desk, was looking at early images from Charlottesville and readying them for publication. What he saw stopped him short. Not only did the car that drove through the crowd in Virginia have an Ohio license plate, but, Gallagher noticed after blowing up the image, the registration tag bore the number 48. That meant it was registered in Lucas County, where Toledo is the county seat.

Gallagher alerted the Web desk. There werent many staffers in the newsroomit was a sleepy weekend shiftbut reporters were pulled in for overtime, including one who left an out-of-town bachelors party to make an abrupt road trip to Virginia. The Blade soon had original coverage not only from Toledo, where it scored a much-cited interview with the drivers mother, but also from Charlottesville, Bowling Green, Ohio, and Florence, Kentucky, where the driver grew up. Local reporting proved essential to the burgeoning national narrative, and the Blade was also able to bring a big, multi-faceted story to local readers.

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But first, they had to figure out who the driver was. I put three reporters on it immediately, and they were searching everywhere, says Dave Murray, the Blades managing editor. Through voter and vehicle registration records, he says, the Blade found that the car was registered in the name of James Fields, Jr., with an address in Maumee, a southern suburb of Toledo.

Hours before police announced Fieldss arrest and released his mugshot, Lauren Lindstrom, ordinarily a health reporter, was in Maumee to knock on doors. She felt cautious about misidentifying the driverthere had already been at least one social media-fed misidentification, and she was alert to the fact that the vehicle being registered in Fieldss name didnt necessarily mean that hed driven it. She wondered if there would be a police presence around Fieldss address, but there wasnt. But her questions to neighbors on the small cul-de-sac where the car was registered didnt bring much clarity.

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Lindstrom was ready return to the newsroom when she saw the garage door open at the address she believed was Fieldss. Alongside reporters from the Associated Press and Advance Digital, Inc., she hurried over to a woman who was getting out of a car. The woman turned out to be Fieldss mother, returning home from dinner. It quickly became clear that she hadnt heard about the events in Charlottesville.

Its very weird, Lindstrom says. For anyone whos covered victims families, tragedy victims, or [people connected to] perpetrators, youre almost [never] the first person to get to them. It puts you in a very unusual position.

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The tearful interview was brief, but revealing. Besides confirming Fieldss presence in Charlottesville, it also provided critical details: that he and his mother had moved to Maumee from northern Kentucky, that Fields had recently moved to his own apartment nearby, and that the police had not yet contacted Fieldss mother. This is also the only interview on record with Fieldss mother, who quickly excused herself and subsequently stopped talking with media altogether. A sheriffs deputy is now stationed outside her house to keep all visitors at a distance, Lindstrom says.

The Blade interview has been widely cited by national news outlets, bolstered by video Lindstrom captured on her cell phone. It gave a human face to the accuseds side of a grim breaking news story. I think it shows the benefit of local news, Lindstrom says. Were the hometown paper, and we were the ones on the ground. We were able to get there quickly.

The Toledo team didnt leave it at that. Before midnight, a senior editor and I talked by phone and I said, I want someone in Charlottesville, Murray says. After learning from Fieldss mother that they had only lived in Ohio for a year, he also wanted to send someone to Fieldss hometown in Kentucky.

That led to a second revealing interview by crime reporter Allison Reamer, which has also been widely credited in the national press. Reamer spoke to Fieldss high school social studies teacher, who described how Fields developed Nazi sympathies as a student. It was never aggressive, it was never a threatening situation, the teacher told Reamer in an interview that was also captured on video. As much as I could, I tried to counter his views. I tried to relate historical situations to the current world that we live in. When he learned of the charges against Fields, his first feeling, he told Reamer, was I failed, we failed.

On Monday, Reamer also reported that Fieldss mother had repeatedly called Kentucky law enforcement for help with her sons violent episodes. In one instance, she locked herself in the bathroom to get away from him.

Ryan Dunn, the Blade crime reporter who went to Charlottesville, heard about the breaking news while at a weekend-long bachelors party near Athens, Ohio. Dunn got a call at about 10:30 pm Saturday, asking if he could drive to Virginia early the next morning. He said yes. It was just clear. I was more taken by surprise, pleasantly so, that we were going to be so involved in covering this. Dunns friends laid out a makeshift bed of pillows for him on the floor of a side room, where he tried to catch some sleep before making the long drive.

By early the next day, he was in Charlottesville, doing spot interviews, and collecting photo and video. Leaving from Athens, rather than Toledo, cut about three hours off his traveling time, Murray says. We got a couple lucky breaks.

Figuring that much of the granular aftermath of the incident would be well covered by other reporters in Charlottesville, Dunn felt free to take a more feature-oriented approach, and to fill his Twitter feed with what he was seeing and hearing on the ground.

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I suppose it just reinforces to me that there is a strong local angle to pretty much every national story, Dunn says. I was really happy see datelines in the Blade and know that they are not just a rewritten brief or wire story, but that they represent reporters who were [actually] there.

Locally, the Blade spread out. It usually has one reporter in the newsroom on Sundays; this Sunday, it had four, with the city editor coordinating coverage. One reporter, Nolan Rosenkrans, reported from a nearby rally in support of Charlottesville. Another, Jennifer Feehan, wrote about the FBI interviewing Fieldss mother and how the Toledo area [is] no stranger to KKK, Nazi rallies. Murray was checking in, as was Editor in Chief and Publisher John Block, who was on his way back from a vacation in Nantucket. There were more local dispatches on Monday, including news that Fields, who had been living in a Toledo apartment complex since April, had been fired from his job as a private security guard in the wake of the Charlottesville charges. The Blades editorial page also weighed in, reflecting on what made James Fields possible?

We are a newspaper known for our local and breaking news coverage, and were ready to jump on a big story if theres a local angle, Murray says, adding with a laugh: I hope theres no big police news in Toledo right now because both our police reporters are gone, in Charlottesville and Kentucky.

Lindstrom and Murray both credited the Blades track record of fine breaking news coverage to a team that works well together. Editors and reporters were in communication almost constantly, Lindstrom says. Did you see this? and Can I help you file a FOIA remotely because youre on a phone and I have a laptop? and Can I relay something to an editor?

Its probably harder to do this now than 10 years ago, because the paper has a smaller staff, she adds. But when we suddenly realized this would be a national story with wall-to-wall coverage, we were able to have a piece of that and take ownership over it.

Murray echoes that. This just reconfirms for me that if news happens, we have to jump on it and jump on it quick. Dont hold back, and if it takes us out of the area, go. Go where the news is. Theres no reason we cant get in a car and cover a big story that has an impact on readers here.

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Anna Clark is a journalist in Detroit. Her writing has appeared in ELLE Magazine, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Next City, and other publications. Anna edited A Detroit Anthology, a Michigan Notable Book, and she was a 2017 Knight-Wallace journalism fellow at the University of Michigan. She is the author of The Poisoned City: Flints Water and the American Urban Tragedy, published by Metropolitan Books, an imprint of Henry Holt. She is online at www.annaclark.net and on Twitter @annaleighclark.
Natural gas companies in Massachusetts are compromising safety by increasingly turning to outside contractors for pipeline work while cutting back on staff that would oversee these projects, state lawmakers said Tuesday at a hearing following Septembers natural gas explosions in the Merrimack Valley.

There are fewer full-time employees in many of your operations than was the case five to ten years ago at a time when youre undertaking accelerated construction activity, state Sen. Michael Barrett, a Lexington Democrat, said to utility company executives testifying at Tuesdays State House hearing.

I really dont understand how you can square fewer employees overseeing more (subcontractors) and still solemnly claim to be concerned about safety, said Barrett, who co-chairs the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy that held the hearing.

Executives from five local utility companies pushed back, saying their staffing levels have either remained stagnant or increased in recent years.

Federal investigators have said that Columbia Gas, the utility company responsible for the Sept. 13 disaster, did not have staff on site as contractors conducted routine pipeline replacement work in Lawrence that triggered the explosions.

The National Transportation Safety Board says the company also did not have a professional engineer review the project plan before work started, a requirement that Republican Gov. Charlie Baker is now proposing to make state law.

State lawmakers Tuesday also turned a critical eye to state oversight agencies, questioning the independence of the consulting company Bakers administration has hired to evaluate natural gas safety statewide.

Dynamic Risk Assessment Systems was picked to review the safety and integrity of the states aged natural gas system in the wake of the September disaster.

But on its website, the firm, which has offices in Canada and Texas, touts that its clients operate more than 40 percent of the energy pipelines in the nation.

Im not immediately calling into question the integrity of their work, but they seem to be part and parcel of the industry, Barrett said. They seem to be part of the status quo.

Matthew Beaton, Bakers Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, said Dynamic Risk was selected because it had the required technical expertise and didnt have any existing relationships or contracts with local utilities.

State lawmakers also took issue with the number of inspectors the state Department of Public Utilities has on staff, as well as the relatively low salaries that make it hard to retain the workers.

A federal oversight agency found Massachusetts had only two public utility inspectors available to do field inspections during a recent review.

The public utilities agency has averaged about ten inspectors in recent years and is currently ramping up to 14, Beaton said Tuesday.

He added that no amount of additional inspectors would have averted the September disaster, a statement that Barrett pushed back at. That defies logic, he retorted.

Tuesdays testimony frequently veered to the events surrounding Sept. 13, but the hearing was ostensibly focused on broader natural gas system issues.

A U.S. Senate committee last month specifically examined the disaster and its aftermath, and state lawmakers are planning to hold a similar inquiry later.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Scientists are seeing surprising melting in Earths polar regions at times they dont expect, like winter, and in places they dont expect, like eastern Antarctica.

New studies and reports issued this week at a major Earth sciences conference paint one of the bleakest pictures yet of dramatic warming in the Arctic and Antarctica. Alaskan scientists described to The Associated Press Tuesday never-before-seen melting and odd winter problems, including permafrost that never refroze this past winter and wildlife die-offs.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Tuesday released its annual Arctic report card, detailing the second warmest year on record in the Arctic and problems, including record low winter sea ice in parts of the region, increased toxic algal blooms, which are normally a warm water phenomenon, and weather changes in the rest of the country attributable to whats happening in the far North.

The Arctic is experiencing the most unprecedented transition in human history, report lead author Emily Osborne, chief of Arctic research for NOAA, said Tuesday.

Whats happening is a big deal, said University of Colorado environmental science program director Waleed Abdalati, NASAs former chief scientist who was not part of the NOAA report.

Its a new Arctic. Weve gone from white to blue, said Abdalati, adding that he normally wouldnt use the word scary but it applies.

And that means other problems.

Continued warming of the Arctic atmosphere and ocean are driving broad change in the environmental system in predicted, and, also, unexpected ways, the NOAA report said.

One of the most noticeable problems was a record low sea ice in winter in the Bering Sea in 2017 and 2018, scientists said.

In February the Bering Sea lost an area of ice the area of Idaho, said Dartmouth College engineering professor Donald Perovich, a report card co-author.

This is a problem because the oldest and thickest sea ice is down 95 percent from 30 years ago. In 1985, about one-sixth of Arctic sea ice was thick multi-year ice, now it is maybe one-hundredth, Perovich said.

University of Alaska Fairbanks marine mammal biologist Gay Sheffield not only studies the record low ice, but she lives it daily in Nome, far north on the Bering Sea.

I left Nome and we had open water in December, Sheffield said at the American Geophysical Union conference in Washington. Its very much impacting us.

Having this area ice free is having this massive environmental change, Sheffield said, adding theres been a multi-species die off of ocean life. She said that includes the first spring mass die off of seals along the Bering Strait.

Ornithologist George Divoky who has been studying the black guillemots of Cooper Island for 45 years noticed something different this year. In the past, 225 nesting pairs of the seabirds would arrive at his island. This past winter it was down to 85 pairs but only 50 laid eggs and only 25 had successful hatches. He blamed the lack of winter sea ice.

It looked like a ghost town, Divoky said.

With overall melting, especially in the summer, herds of caribou and wild reindeer have dropped about 55 percent  from 4.7 million to 2.1 million animals  because of the warming and the flies and parasites it brings, said report card co-author Howard Epstein of the University of Virginia.

University of Alaska Fairbanks researcher Vladimir Romanovsky said he was alarmed by what happened to the permafrost  ground that stays frozen years on end. This past year, Romanovsky found 25 spots that used to freeze in January, then February, but never froze this year.

Because of warming, the Arctic is seeing concentrations of algal toxins moving northward infecting birds, mammals and shellfish to become a public health and economic problem, said report card co-author Karen Frey.

And the warmer Arctic and melting sea ice has been connected to shifts in the jet stream that have brought extreme winter storms in the East in the past year, Osborne said.

But its not just the Arctic. NASAs newest space-based radar, Icesat 2, in its first couple of months has already found that the Dotson ice shelf in Antarctica has lost more than 390 feet (120 meters) in thickness since 2003, said radar scientist Ben Smith of the University of Washington.

Another study released Monday by NASA found unusual melting in parts of East Antarctica, which scientists had generally thought was stable.

Four glaciers at Vincennes Bay lost nine feet of ice thickness since 2008, said NASA scientists Catherine Walker and Alex Gardner.

Loss of ice sheets in Antarctica could lead to massive rise in sea level.

Were starting to see change thats related to the ocean, Gardner said. Believe it or not this is the first time were seeing it in this place.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Johnson & Johnson has begun settling consumers claims that it sold artificial hips knowing they were defective, marking the first settlements in the seven-year-old litigation.

A federal judge in Texas overseeing the cases said about 3,300 of 10,000 have settled or are in the process of settling, according to a Dec. 9 court filing. Terms of the accords werent made public.

J&J is set to face a trial Jan. 14 in Dallas where five recipients of the Pinnacle hip will press claims that the worlds largest healthcare products company failed to warn customers about the devices risks. A similar 2016 case produced a $1 billion verdict for multiple plaintiffs.

Mindy Tinsley, a spokeswoman for J&Js DePuy medical device unit, which made the hips, declined to comment on the settlements. Mike Papantonio, a lawyer representing hip patients, didnt return a call seeking comment. Mark Lanier, another attorney for hip plaintiffs, declined to comment.

Over the last two years, juries in federal court in Dallas have ordered the company to pay at least $1.7 billion in damages over the hips. Several awards, including the one for $1 billion, were later reduced or thrown out on appeal.

The hip recipients argued DePuy officials rushed the Pinnacle hips to market with little testing and misled doctors about the devices safety profile, assuring them there was little risk of metal poisoning or tissue damage. J&J has denied these claims and said it developed and marketed the hips responsibly.

The Pinnacle devices arent covered by New Brunswick, New Jersey-based J&Js $2.5 billion settlement of claims over its ASR line of artificial hips. J&J recalled 93,000 of those implants worldwide in August 2010, saying 12 percent failed within five years.

The Pinnacle lawsuits have been consolidated before U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade. Kinkeade, who has been overseeing the cases since 2011 and will preside over the Jan. 14 trial, said that instead of negotiating a global settlement, J&J is settling individual lawyers inventories of Pinnacle cases. The company is using the same tactic to resolve lawsuits over its vaginal mesh inserts.

Defendants domino confidential settlements have left the court without necessary information about the total or projected value of settlement, the judge wrote.

The information on the settlements came in an order by Kinkeade granting a request by plaintiffs to increase the amount of money reserved in all Pinnacle accords to cover the fees and expenses of lawyers who have been guiding the consolidated cases. The judge increased those holdbacks to 25 percent of each settlement to insure sufficient funds are available for those purposes.

The Pinnacle case is In Re DePuy Orthopaedics Inc. Pinnacle Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation, 11-md-2244, U.S District Court, Northern District of Texas (Dallas).

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland Cavaliers fans welcomed Matthew Dellavedova back to Cleveland with open arms on Wednesday night.

In his return to Quicken Loans Arena as a member of the Cavs, Dellavedova checked in for rookie Collin Sexton at the 4:14 mark of the first quarter. Dellavedova, a longtime fan favorite, received a boisterous ovation, as some even rose to their feet and showered him with an ovation usually received for a star.

Moments later, Dellavedova drained a 3-pointer. Then he buried another one, causing the crowd to erupt once again. Delly scored nine points in his first nine minutes.

"I appreciate the love from everyone," Dellavedova said recently. "Definitely makes me feel very welcome."
CLEVELAND, Ohio  City Council may need to hold hearings on a security breach at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport so the public can find out exactly what happened, according to Council President Keven Kelley.

Contacted by cleveland.com, Kelley said council needs to follow up on the breach by two high-ranking city officials given the lack of information made public by Mayor Frank Jacksons administration.

The public should get an accounting, Kelley said.

What was the security issue?

The security breach occurred Oct. 25 and, according to cleveland.com sources, involved Fred Szabo, who at the time was the assistant airport director, and Darnell Brown, Jacksons chief of operations.

The city has declined to reveal exactly what happened. It has only acknowledged that Brown and Szabo were involved in a security incident.

Sources have told cleveland.com that Brown cleared security screening on his way to catch his flight, but then returned to his car to retrieve a forgotten electronic device.

Szabo then helped Brown bypass TSA to return more quickly to his flight area. As a result, Brown wasnt rescreened and boarded the plane with the unscreened device.

Federal regulations bar airport personnel from escorting travelers past security.

What was the citys response?

After the incident, Cleveland suspended Brown and Szabo with pay, pending further investigation.

In the meantime, TSA requested Cleveland provide information on the incident and its ramifications, if any, on Hopkins security plans.

Cleveland announced Nov. 28 it was suspending Szabo without pay for two weeks. Brown was suspended for a week without pay.

On Tuesday, the city publicly disclosed that Szabo had been reassigned, effective Wednesday, as interim director of the citys Emergency Operations Center in the Department of Public Safety. The Jackson administration revealed Wednesday that his pay was cut from $150,000 to $120,000.

TSA, though, has been critical of the citys handling of the incident. Its director of security for Ohio told cleveland.com on Thursday that Cleveland waited 20 hours to report the incident, preventing immediate corrective action.

And as of last Thursday, TSA had not received the citys report on the incident, a report typically required within 30 days. The city has since provided the requested materials, TSA confirmed on Tuesday.

What has the public been told?

At this point, Jacksons administration has not provided a detailed explanation of Szabos and Browns actions.

Last week, city spokesman Dan Williams said TSA had advised the city that the information in its report contained sensitive security information that needed to be kept secret from the public.

A TSA spokesman later stated that the agency had given no such advice. Spokesman Mark Howell said TSA would need to review the contents of the citys report before reaching such a conclusion.

Edward Rybka, Jacksons chief of regional development, repeated the citys contention Tuesday to cleveland.com that the citys report to TSA must be kept secret.

And the citys public records website on Wednesday still argues that position.

The response that the city of Cleveland provided to the TSA is considered Security Sensitive Information. The city of Cleveland has disclosed the information about the discipline of the two city employees; however, the remainder of the response remains Security Sensitive Information.

What happens next?

If City Council were to convene a hearing, it would not happen until after the new year, Kelley said. Council recessed for 2018 on Dec. 3. Bringing the body back together over the holiday weeks would be difficult, he said.

Clevelands charter gives City Council the authority to hold informational hearings, investigate when necessary and subpoena witnesses and documents.

In the meantime, though, Kelley said he intends to make inquiries.

My general approach would be to do some research before we have a hearing, Kelley said. Its something council intends to follow up on.

MORE FROM CLEVELAND CITY HALL
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Law enforcement responded Thursday to reports of bomb threats across the country - including in Northeast Ohio - that appear to be part of a widespread hoax.

Cleveland police responded to seven calls about bomb threats received via email at Cleveland City Hall, University Hospitals, Key Bank at Public Square and Imagine Bella Academy of Excellence, among others.

No credible threats were identified, police said.

At least five businesses in Geauga County, as well as the county auditors office, received threatening emails Thursday demanding money, Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand said.

They tell people theres a bomb in their business unless they send $20,000 in Bitcoin, Hildenbrand said.

Chagrin Falls Exempted Village Schools received an emailed bomb threat that was not credible, Superintendent Robert W. Hunt said in a message to parents.

Several businesses in Stark County also received emails around 2 p.m. Thursday, Sheriff George Maier said in a press release.

The emails appear to be sent from outside the United States, Maier and Hildenbrand said.

Police responded to similar threats across the country, including New York City, San Francisco and Seattle, according to CNN.

The FBI is aware of the threats and encouraging the public to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activities.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  A Cleveland man is accused of fatally shooting another man outside a home in the citys Collinwood-Nottingham neighborhood.

Devon Peyton, 27, is charged with aggravated murder in the Sept. 17 killing of Gerald Hays, according to court records.

Peyton is not in custody but a warrant was issued Wednesday for his arrest, court records say.

Hays, 29, was shot in the back as he talked with another man outside a home on East 146th Street near St. Clair Avenue, police said.

The two men were talking in the driveway when a white car pulled up. A man got out of the car and shot Hays, police said.

The shooter then got back into the car and drove away, police said.

Hays was pronounced dead at the scene.

Court records do not offer a motive for the shooting, or say how investigators identified Peyton as a suspect in the homicide.

Peytons criminal history includes prior convictions for burglary, drug trafficking and having weapons under disability, Cuyahoga County court records say.

In 2012, he pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and was sentenced to six months at the Lorain Correctional Institution, court records say.

To comment on this story, visit Thursdays crime and courts comments page.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish personally demanded the ousting of jail medical supervisor Gary Brack after Brack publicly accused the jail director at the time of creating an unsafe environment at the jail, according to three sources with knowledge of the matter.

When he made the allegations to a County Council committee, Brack was an employee of MetroHealth, which oversees medical care at the jail, and was serving as its interim director of ambulatory care.

Brack told the committee on May 22 that then-Jail Director Ken Mills meddled in health care at the jail, obstructed the hiring of nurses, and made the jails medical unit unsafe by scaling back security.

Budish went to MetroHealth CEO Dr. Akram Boutros the next day and demanded Bracks removal from his position at the jail, the three sources said. The sources agreed to talk to cleveland.com only if they were not named because of the sensitive nature of the information and fear of reprisal.

A spokeswoman for Budish confirmed Thursday that the county executive had asked that Brack be relieved of his duties at the jail.

Armond did have a meeting at Metro. It was clear that Mr. Brack and the jail director, Ken Mills, didnt work well together, and we asked that he not be returned to his position at the jail. But hes a Metro employee, and its up to Metro to determine his placement, county spokeswoman Mary Louise Madigan said.

MetroHealth did remove Brack from the jail, and he is no longer employed by MetroHealth. Last week, Brack was called to testify before a grand jury. Prosecutors have not spoken publicly about the scope of the investigation, but Bracks subpoena came at the same time as an ongoing probe into possible corruption in county government.

A MetroHealth spokeswoman declined comment on Thursday when contacted by cleveland.com.

The county on Thursday provided cleveland.com with a MetroHealth document that is dated June 4, and signed by Brack and other MetroHealth employees. The document states that Brack violated hospital policy during the May 22 committee meeting when he spoke against Mills personally.

Mr. Bracks unprofessional and personally offensive conduct caused immediate damage to MetroHealths relationship with Cuyahoga County, the document says.

Bracks testimony prompted the county to immediately request Brack be removed from his position at the jail, according to the document.

Being a contracted service provider to the county, which controls county corrections property and operations, MetroHealth was required to comply with the countys demand, the document says.

Bracks testimony to council was one of the first public indications that problems existed with the way inmates received health care in the jail.

MetroHealth Chief of Staff Jane Platten also testified, corroborating Brack's accusations about Mills interfering in the nurse hiring process, and stating that the hospital system had a paper trail to back up those accusations.

Brack told council that he and MetroHealth enjoyed a healthy working relationship with Cuyahoga County Sheriff Cliff Pinkney. But when working with Mills, MetroHealth was "constantly left out of the planning" around medical issues at the jail.

Council members responded to Bracks comments by calling health care at the jail a life and death issue. Public Safety and Justice Committee Chairman Michael Gallagher later told cleveland.com that he believed Brack was being truthful in his testimony about the jail and Mills.

Less than three weeks after Bracks council appearance and subsequent removal from his position at the jail, an inmate died, the first of seven inmate deaths in four months.

The deaths eventually led to Budish asking the U.S. Marshals Service to review jail operations. Mills resigned shortly before the marshals released a report identifying inhumane conditions at the jail, including a lack of proper medical care.
WASHINGTON, D.C.  Anxiety over foreign trade agreements in the industrial Midwest helped President Donald Trump win the White House two years ago. Now the anxious Washington political establishment is trying to figure out why middle class voters in places like Ohio were peeved.

In an effort to help the nations policymakers grasp outside-the-beltway views on foreign policy, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace unveiled a report on Thursday that examines how U.S. foreign policy has affected Ohios economy. The organization will also release state specific reports on Colorado and Nebraska, but decided to do Ohios first because of its status as a bellwether state, and its economic and political diversity.

The report found that while the Ohios economy is growing and unemployment is falling, prosperity is uneven as smaller cities and towns struggle after major employers depart. Many of the available well-paid middle class jobs require education and skills the unemployed dont have.

No more than a third of the 750,000 well-paid manufacturing jobs that Ohio lost between 1969 and 2009 disappeared because of trade, the report found, with factors like automation and competition with other states also playing a role.

More of the trade-related job losses were due to Chinese imports than the North American Free Trade Agreement, which was recently renegotiated by the Trump administration. Those affected by Chinese trade said they back Trumps imposition of tariffs on Chinese imported goods, saying at least hes doing something about imbalances created by Chinas model of state capitalism.

President Trump has recognized that whats on the mind of a lot of Americans is, as usual, their own economic security, George W. Bushs White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten said at a panel event to mark the reports release. But that economic security has been substantially undermined in recent decades by whats going on outside our borders.

Bolten noted that Trumps election happened after he and unsuccessful Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton tried to outdo one another in opposing the Trans Pacific Partnership pact that Trump rejected upon his election. He said longtime open trade backers like himself need to understand what is going on and not try to preach the gospel of the beltway to the uninitiated. Instead, he said policy makers should try to understand the interests of the uninitiated.

Another former White House chief of staff who participated in the panel to unveil the report  the Obama administrations Denis McDonough  said the United States does fewer labor market interventions , such as wage supports and assistance with child care, than other economically developed countries.

Not investing in programs and projects to mitigate fallout from larger trends like automation and artificial intelligence will make matters worse for the middle class, he said.

The study, which was performed in conjunction with Ohio State Universitys John Glenn College of Public Affairs, included speaking with a bipartisan array of former senior policy makers in Ohio and workers and business operators in Cleveland, Coshocton, Dayton, Lima and Marion.

In Cleveland, it found that employment in education and health services have supplanted manufacturing as the areas dominant sector. While health care jobs arent likely to move overseas, the study observed that many of the fastest growing jobs in that sector  like home health aides - dont pay enough money to be gateway jobs to the middle class.

A Cleveland-area business representative said he was surprised and baffled" by Trumps tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, which he believed made no sense in an area like Northeast Ohio where product supply chains are intertwined with Canada.

Members of the citys African-American and Hispanic communities told the researchers that they believe people are ambivalent about immigration because of economic security, saying the government should invest in those who are already in the United States and expressing worry about the pie shrinking instead of figuring out ways to expand the pie.

A former top executive at a global firm said a Chinese competitor selling a copy of one of his companys parts at a price well below its raw materials costs forced his company to close the division making the disputed part because it had lost all its customers by the time the Federal Trade Commission ruled on its complaint.

Several Ohioans who attended the unveiling discussed developments in their communities, with Coshocton Port Authority Executive Director Tiffany Swigert saying its hard for communities like hers to get economic development grants, and expressing hope that a stalled highway between Columbus and Pittsburgh will be completed.

Dave Claborn, director of Development and Community Relations at Ohio States Marion campus, said foreign tariffs help some businesses in his community and hurt others. He asked whether the tariffs will hurt foreign direct investments that have helped communities like Marion.

Is there a balancing act, or is finesse not a word that works anymore in Washington? asked Claborn.

This administration has been bad at the finesse game, to say the least, but it seems to be not impossible that they or a successor administration can arrive at a place where we are restoring ourselves to a leadership role in opening up the national trading system while confronting the Chinese on the policies that are threatening that system, Bolten replied.
COLUMBUS, Ohio  The General Assembly on Thursday sent to Gov. John Kasich two bills prohibiting abortions in Ohio.

Senate Bill 145, which bans the dilation and evacuation or D&E procedure, passed in the House 62 to 27, largely along party lines Thursday. Hours later in the Senate, lawmakers adopted a change made in the House and passed the bill also on party lines, 23 to 9.

House Bill 258 would prohibit abortions when a fetal heartbeat is detected. It passed the House 53 to 32, largely on party lines, after 1:15 a.m. Several lawmakers were missing. Friday. It passed the Senate on Wednesday 18 to 13, largely on party lines as well.

The Thursday session that stretched into early Friday is the last regular voting session for the House. In the Senate, lawmakers will likely return Wednesday for concurrence votes on bills amended in the House. And lawmakers may return to Columbus to vote to override any potential vetoes by Kasich.

D&E ban

The D&E method is typically used from 13 to 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Under SB 145, physicians who perform D&Es would be charged with a fourth-degree felony and spend up to 18 months behind bars.

The bill has exceptions, such as allowing the procedure if the life of the mother is at risk or if there could be a substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function.

Fetal heartbeat

Kasich, a Republican like most in the Ohio General Assembly, vetoed a heartbeat bill in 2016.

But this year, the lawmakers amended the bill to potentially offer women more time to get an abortion by allowing abdominal ultrasounds and other technologies that dont generally detect heartbeats as soon as transvaginal ultrasounds.

However, abortion rights supporters and opponents by Thursday were both saying that the bill wasnt substantially changed, since pregnancies and ultrasounds vary by pregnancy for when a heartbeat is detected. It could be as soon as six weeks for some transvaginal ultrasounds.

Veto override process

After receiving one or both abortion bans, Kasich would get up to 10 days  except Sundays  to sign, veto or allow the bill to go into law without his signature. Kasich could let the clock run until the very last minute before vetoing, which could be Christmas Day.

Then it would be a scramble to get lawmakers back to Columbus in the days between Christmas and New Years Eve to override the veto. Many people travel outside Ohio for the holidays, and three-fifths of each chamber is necessary for an override.

In the Senate, thats 20 votes. The fetal heartbeat bill passed with 18 votes Wednesday, but two Republicans did not vote.

In the House, 60 votes are needed. With the D&E ban, House Republicans cleared the threshold Thursday with 62 votes and several lawmakers were not present to vote.

Some lawmakers who support legislation will vote against a veto override, believing on principle it should be used sparingly.

The 132nd Ohio General Assembly, which spanned two years, officially adjourns ends Dec. 31.
COLUMBUS, Ohio  The Ohio Senate passed a bill that would require the state to verify each quarter whether recipients of Medicaid and food aid are eligible for the benefits they receive.

The state verifies eligibility just yearly right now.

House Bill 119 is among a slate of bills that up for vote in the final days of the 132nd Ohio General Assembly, which officially adjourns Dec. 31 but could likely be finished with its two-year session sooner.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is a federal program that the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services administers. In August, federal figures showed 1.4 million Ohioans in 706,000 households received food from SNAP, said Lisa Hamler-Fugitt of the Ohio Association of Food Banks, who was critical of the bill because she believes people will get kicked off the program.

The state determines eligibility and verifies data of people applying for or receiving SNAP and Ohio Medicaid.

However, HB 119 goes further, requiring information such as citizenship or alien status, Medical bills and whether anyone on the programs is disabled.

Itll preserve the programs for people who actually need it, said Sen. Rob McColley, a Henry County Republican.

But Sen. Charleta Tavares, a Columbus Democrat, said the bill will cost the state and local job and family services agencies money.

Were trying to paint this picture that simply because someone needs food the amount of fraud is higher, she said. Its ludicrous.
COLUMBUS, Ohio  State medical marijuana regulators announced Thursday they plan to inspect two testing labs next week  including one in Northeast Ohio - which could result in certificates of operations.

The inspections are scheduled at North Coast Testing Laboratories in Streetsboro in Portage County and Hocking College in Nelsonville in Athens County.

Joe Moorhead of North Coast said its inspection is Wednesday.

Were comfortable that itll go smoothly and well be issued a license on the 20th, he said.

With the holidays, testing should start in the early weeks of January, Moorhead said.

North Coast has visited virtually all the medical marijuana cultivators in the state, and Moorhead said growers are waiting for North Coast because they have product they want to get on shelves.

The company has been doing environmental testing for about 25 years. In fact, many cultivators have hired North Coast for environmental testing of soil and water.

North Coast will visit cultivators in armored vehicles. Employees will transport samples back to the lab. At the lab, employees will randomly test samples from 15-pound batches of marijuana plants.

The state requires it to test for pesticides, toxins, microbials, heavy metals, cannabinoid levels, water and moister content. There must also be a visual inspection of the plants, Moorhead said.

The company will also test concentrates of medical marijuana  including edibles, oils, tinctures and the other forms of medical marijuana allowed in state law.

The company has 16 employees, including scientists with doctorate degrees in organic chemistry and mass mass spectrometry, he said.
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The global rules of engagement for cyberspace have unraveled in recent years as rogue nations took advantage of their ability to hack companies like Sony Pictures, FireEye CEO Kevin Mandia told CNBC on Wednesday.

"What I've seen over the last three years is the rules of engagement have broken," Mandia, whose firm is partnered with more than 60 governments, told Jim Cramer in an exclusive "Mad Money" interview. "I'm not sure what's going to happen next for many nations with a modern capability."

The FireEye chief broke down how these unofficial rules have been eroded: in 2014, North Korean actors scrubbed the data at Sony Pictures after the studio released the controversial film "The Interview." In 2015, Russian hackers broke into the Pentagon's computers. In 2016, documents leaked by foreign hackers were center to a presidential election. In 2017, Iranian actors performed more cyber-intrusions on U.S. systems than ever before.

"In 2018, we're all figuring out: where's the boundaries? Where does it end? How do we have rules?" Mandia said.

Now, foreign governments are hiring professional cyber-actors to either mount cyberattacks on U.S. companies or scour their systems for information, adding another layer of complexity to the job of security firms like FireEye, the CEO continued.

"You can't really expect every company to withstand a cyber-military attack. That's probably not the bar you want to set as a nation," he told Cramer, adding that these days, state-sponsored hackers are "people, probably in uniform, badging into a building" somewhere abroad.

Mandia said that, eventually, the question that governments around the world will have to answer is what constitutes "fair game" for espionage. Many countries already have rules around traditional espionage, but cyber-spying is a new playing field that nations will collectively have to tackle.

And, unfortunately, no one company will ever perfect incident detection, the CEO argued.

"Outside looking in, a lot of people may have the response, 'I can't believe they lost this information.' Don't forget: there are professionals on the other side," Mandia said. "You're not going to pitch a perfect game in security every day. You're just not. And you're up against some of the best hackers in the world."
Nestled in the meatpacking district between Chelsea Market and Google's New York offices is ' latest Roastery. Set to open on Friday, the nearly 23,000-square-foot space is far from the typical Starbucks store. Bathed in warm light and teeming with copper features, the Roastery is a cozy haven for coffee fanatics looking to not only get their caffeine fix, but get an up close and personal experience with Starbucks' roasters, baristas and craft mixologists. "It was five years ago, in a Starbucks board meeting that Howard Schultz, our chairman emeritus, and Liz Muller, our chief design officer, shared a vision they had for a new concept," Kevin Johnson, CEO of Starbucks, told reporters Tuesday. "A new concept of a Starbucks, a new concept of a customer experience that is the ultimate in all things coffee." It is Starbucks' hope that the Roastery locations will become destinations for coffee drinkers rather than just another cafe to stop at while you're at the mall. "We wanted to do something unique, never been seen, never to be repeated, immersive, inspirational," Muller told reporters.

A look inside Starbucks New York Roastery

Starbucks

Starbucks' flagship Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room opened in its home market of Seattle in 2014. The company has said it could open as many as 20 to 30 Roastery stores around the world. The New York location is just one of six Roasteries expected to be open before 2020. So far, Starbucks has locations in Seattle, Shanghai and Milan. Roasteries in Chicago and Tokyo are slated to open in 2019. Each Roastery features unique art made just for the location. At the New York location, Brooklyn artist Max Steiner created a 10-foot, 2,000-pound copper two-tailed siren that appears to be emerging from water, echoing Starbucks' logo. "Every Roastery has to have her, and this siren is very unique, and very New York," Muller said. "She's the overarching beacon of our brand."

The centerpiece

The centerpiece of the New York Roastery is a 30-foot copper cask. This roasting plant is the largest of its kind in Manhattan and will roast more than 1.5 million pounds of coffee each year. These beans will be used in-store and will be shipped to other Starbucks locations to be used in beverages.

The influence of the meatpacking district

Starbucks tailors the design of each Roastery to the city that it is built within. As a nod to the historic meatpacking district, bags of green coffee beans will make their way from the cellar below via hooks on a conveyor belt on the ceiling, mimicking how a butchery would have operated in the area. "The meatpacking district has become this incredible place of food and taste," Muller said. "We wanted an experience that meets and adds inspiration to this fantastic neighborhood. Something for people to do as they're coming out of the subway or off the High Line or out of the Chelsea Market. Something to make people say, 'wow.'"

Coffee experience bars

There are several different bars throughout the Roastery that feature different types of brewing techniques including pour-over coffee in a Chemex coffee maker, siphon and cold brew. At the experience bar located on the lower level, customers can watch as their barista craft items not found in other Starbucks cafes, like a Cardamon Latte or Nitro Apricot Cold Brew. This bar also allows customers to try out fights of espresso and compare how different brewing methods affect the taste of the coffee. There are even several different ice cream beverages that diners can enjoy.

Mixology
At least 251 journalists were jailed for their work in 2018, a report published on Thursday has claimed.

China, Turkey and Egypt imprisoned the highest number of journalists according to the Committee to Protect Journalists' (CPJ) annual report.

The past three years recorded the highest number of jailed reporters since the CPJ report began.

Turkey incarcerated the highest number of journalists this year, with 68 behind bars despite the nation's outcry over the murder of columnist Jamal Khashoggi. For the third consecutive year, every journalist imprisoned in Turkey was facing anti-state charges, the CPJ report said.

Of those jailed, 70 percent were facing anti-state charges or stood accused of aiding groups considered by authorities to be terrorist organisations. False news charges were also on the rise, with 28 reporters held on such charges across Egypt, Cameroon, Rwanda, Morocco and China. The CPJ argued that global rhetoric on "fake news" was being exacerbated by Donald Trump.

China had put a total of 47 journalists behind bars by December 1, at least 10 of whom were being detained without charge, according to the CPJ. This was linked to the reported persecution of the Uighur ethnic minority in the Xinjiang region, where Beijing has been accused of holding up to one million people without trial and operating "re-education centres."

The report showed that at least 25 journalists were being held in Egypt, where authorities were conducting mass trials of reporters. Mohamed Ibrahim, a blogger known as "Mohamed Oxygen" who was imprisoned following his coverage of Egypt's elections, was one of more than 40 defendants in a case where charges included false news.

Saudi Arabia also came under fire in the report for imprisoning 16 journalists, including four women who wrote about women's rights in the kingdom.

With 16 journalists behind bars, Eritrea rounded out the five countries with the most journalists in prison. According to the report, Eritrea imprisoned more journalists than any country in sub-Saharan Africa.

The CPJ report showed that 98 percent of jailed journalists were locals imprisoned by their own governments.

"The terrible global assault on journalists that has intensified in the past few years shows no sign of abating. It is unacceptable that 251 journalists are in jail around the world just for covering the news," CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon said in a press release Thursday.

"The broader cost is being borne by all those who care about the flow of news and information. The tyrants who use imprisonment to impose censorship cannot be allowed to get away with it."
A significant share of Americans still believe that women's and men's household roles should be different  even if they also believe their roles should be equal at work.

A new study, based on national survey data from 1977 to 2016, suggests that despite women's advances in work and education, attitudes about gender equality at home have stalled.

Sixty-five percent of Americans say women should have equal roles at work and at home. But the study also revealed a more complicated view of gender equality: Nearly 25 percent of Americans believe that while women should have the same opportunities as men to work or participate in politics, they should still take on a bigger role in the household.

A smaller share of people believe that men and women should be unequal in both spheres  5 percent of millennials and 7 percent of those born from 1946 to 1980.

This means a solid portion of Americans believe woman should do more child-rearing and typical household chores like laundry and washing the dishes, and spend less time outside the home.

"The primary pillar of gender inequality in today's society is in the family," William Scarborough, a sociology doctoral candidate at University of Illinois at Chicago and an author of the paper, told CNBC Make It. "People's attitudes toward gender in the family have remained more traditional, with the persistent feeling that women are better suited for childcare than men and should take on more household labor."

The study surveyed 27,000 people over four decades, and included questions like whether men are better suited emotionally for politics than women; if children suffer when their mothers work; if a working mother can establish the same sort of relationship with her children as a mother who does not work; and whether it's better when a man is the breadwinner and the woman stays at home.
The more pressing crisis facing higher education in America is not the $1.5 trillion in student debt but the dismal graduation rates, Arizona State University President Michael Crow told CNBC on Thursday.

"It's a completion crisis, not a debt crisis," Crow said in a "Squawk Box" interview.

"If you finish with a little debt, you're fine. You'll be able to manage your way through that in most cases," he said. "If you have debt and don't finish, you have a huge problem."

Crow said that more than half the students who have gone to college in the U.S. since 1980 never graduated.

"People don't finish because the system is so narrow. There's not enough tolerance for the complete variability in our society," he said, meaning life gets in the way and schools are not flexible enough.

Those degree completion rates were a bit higher when the time frame was compressed, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse. Of the students who started four-year and two-year degrees in the fall of 2011, 56.9 percent finished in six years.
Maria Butina appears in a police booking photograph released by the Alexandria Sheriff's Office in Alexandria, Virginia, U.S. August 18, 2018.

Prosecutors dropped a second count against Butina of acting as an unregistered foreign agent as part of the deal, according to The Washington Post.

Clad in a green prison jumpsuit, Butina told a judge that she acted "under direction of" a Russian official, according to CNN .

Butina's admission on the single conspiracy charge in U.S. District Court reportedly marks the first time a Russian national has been convicted of attempting to impact American politics around the time of the 2016 presidential election.

Russian citizen Maria Butina pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to conspiring to influence U.S. politics through her connections to the National Rifle Association.

Multiple outlets have reported that Butina's plea deal includes an agreement to cooperate with investigators. CNN reported Wednesday, citing a person familiar with the case, that Butina has already offered information to investigators about an American she allegedly conspired with, as well as a Russian official alleged to have directed her U.S. activities.

Her violation carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. A hearing was planned for February to discuss a date for sentencing.

Read Butina's plea deal with federal prosecutors here.

Butina was first charged by U.S. prosecutors in July. They alleged that she infiltrated U.S. organizations and cultivated relationships to advance a Russian agenda without registering as a foreign agent.

The 30-year-old purported gun rights activist came to the U.S. on a student visa in 2016, and allegedly worked to develop and "exploit" relationships with politically influential figures and organizations, including the NRA.

Butina had originally pleaded not guilty to prosecutors' charges. But her lawyers and federal prosecutors on Monday asked U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan for a hearing to change Butina's plea.

She has been in a northern Virginia jail since July, when prosecutors argued that she posed an "extreme risk of flight" because the charges against her also implicated "the activities of a senior Russian Federation official" who is believed to be Alexander Torshin, a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The case is not directly linked to special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as possible obstruction of justice and potential collusion between Trump campaign-related figures and the Kremlin.

Court documents show Butina lived with a U.S. man in his 50s who has been identified as Paul Erickson, a Republican activist and NRA member. The Daily Beast reported last week that a lawyer for Erickson was sent a "target letter" informing him that prosecutors were considering charging Erickson with secretly acting as an agent for a foreign government. The letter also reportedly said prosecutors were weighing whether to charge him with conspiracy.

A spokeswoman for Russia's Foreign Ministry told CNN that Butina struck the plea deal "to survive," and suggested the arrest was politically motivated.

The Foreign Ministry had reacted to Butina's charges with outrage, launching a "Free Maria Butina" social media campaign and posting a photo of the alleged agent's face to the ministry's official Twitter account.

But Putin on Tuesday said that "nobody" at his country's spy agencies knows a thing about her.

"She risks 15 years in jail. For what?" Putin asked. "I asked all the heads of our intelligence services what is going on. Nobody knows anything about her."

Read the full plea deal below:
Spavor, meanwhile, is being investigated in China on suspicion of harming China's national security, a Chinese government news site said on Thursday. The Dandong city state security bureau has been investigating Spavor since Dec. 10, an official news site of the Liaoning province government said. It did not give further details.

His disappearance follows the detention in Beijing on Monday of former diplomat Michael Kovrig, who works for the International Crisis Group. State media in China has reported Kovrig is being investigated "on suspicion of engaging in activities that harm China's state security."

Canadian businessman Michael Spavor, who worked with North Korea, is missing in China , a Canadian official said, days after Chinese authorities detained a former Canadian diplomat amid an escalating diplomatic row.

China has reacted angrily to Canada's arrest on Dec. 1 of Chinese executive Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of China's Huawei Technologies, and Spavor's disappearance is likely to further escalate the diplomatic row.

Meng's arrest was made at Washington's request. She has been accused by U.S. prosecutors of misleading banks about transactions linked to Iran, putting the banks at risk of violating sanctions.

Canada has been unable to contact Spavor since he notified the Canadian government that he was being questioned by Chinese authorities, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guillaume Berube said in statement issued in Canada late on Wednesday.

Canada was working hard to ascertain Spavor's whereabouts and would continue to raise the issue with the Chinese government, Berube said.

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland earlier told reporters that a second Canadian citizen could be in trouble in China.

Phone calls, messages and emails to Spavor went unanswered on Thursday.

Friends of Spavor told Reuters he was due to fly out of Dalian on a Korean Air flight to South Korea at 2:05 p.m. (0605 GMT) on Monday but had not arrived.

Spavor, who is based in the northern Chinese city of Dandong, on the border with North Korea, is the head of Paektu Cultural Exchange, a China- and UK-based non-profit social enterprise.

The group says on its website it is "dedicated to facilitating sustainable cooperation, cross-cultural exchanges, activities, trade, and investment" with North Korea.

It also says the organisation maintains an "array of contacts" within North Korea and is "nonpolitical."

Spavor has acted as a translator and facilitator for former U.S. National Basketball Association star Dennis Rodman on trips to North Korea and shared Long Island Iced Teas with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on board one of his private boats after they went jet-skiing in 2013.

More recently he has been trying to facilitate investment in North Korea in anticipation of sanctions being lifted, often hosting both North Korean officials and potential investors at his office in Dadong as well as on trips inside North Korea, Spavor told Reuters in previous interviews.

 CNBC contributed to this report.
A photo taken on March 18, 2018, shows a Yemeni child looking out at buildings that were damaged in an airstrike in the southern Yemeni city of Taez.

In a rare break with President Donald Trump, the Senate voted on Wednesday to move ahead with a resolution to end U.S. military support for the Saudi Arabian-led coalition in the war in Yemen and lawmakers vowed to push for sanctions against the kingdom in the new year.

Eleven of Trump's fellow Republicans joined Democrats to provide the 60 votes needed to advance the war powers resolution in the Republican-led chamber. The vote paved the way for debate and a vote on U.S. involvement in a conflict that has led to the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians, many of them young children and left millions more at risk of starvation and death by disease.

The nearly unprecedented break the 11 Republicans made from Trump was largely symbolic because the House of Representatives is not expected to take the matter up this year. Trump has threatened a veto.

But backers of the resolution said it sent an important message that lawmakers are unhappy with the humanitarian disaster in Yemen, and angry about the lack of a strong U.S. response to the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers also vowed to keep pushing after the new Congress take office in January for further tough action against Saudi Arabia, including legislation to impose human rights sanctions and opposition to weapons sales.

"If you want to buy our weapons, there are certain things you have to accept. How you use them matters," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told a news conference.

"The individual, the crown prince, is so toxic, so tainted, so flawed, that I can't ever see myself doing business with Saudi Arabia unless there's a change there," said Graham, generally a close Trump ally in the Senate.
A Zipline drone delivers blood to a remote hospital in Rwanda. Cyril Ndegeya | AFP | Getty Images

Ghana's government has signed a deal with a U.S. firm that will see unmanned drones delivering blood and other medical supplies to hospitals and clinics. U.S. tech company Zipline signed an agreement to lead the four-year project earlier this week. During the four-year term, Zipline will earn more than $12 million, according to the BBC. Ghana's government has insisted the deal will see critical medical supplies reaching disconnected areas and improve the nation's overall medical supply chain. Politicians approved the scheme in parliament on Tuesday, a Ghanaian media outlet reported. When fully deployed, Ghana will become the first country in West Africa  and the largest in the world  to implement a delivery system of this kind. A date for the launch of the project is yet to be specified.

However, the scheme has faced criticism from some of Ghana's lawmakers and medical professionals, who have argued that it is costly and has had insufficient consideration. The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) called for the suspension of the drone delivery rollout, saying in a statement on Tuesday that the scheme focused too heavily on expensive technology when funding for medical professionals should be a higher priority. According to a BBC report, Ghana's population of 29 million has only 55 working ambulances. "The proposed services to be provided by the drones do not conform to the existing primary healthcare policy in Ghana," the GMA said. "The use of drones without the necessary improvement in the human resource capacity will not (contribute) to the benefit of the country in its quest to improve healthcare delivery." Meanwhile, opposition politician Cassiel Ato Forson slammed the deal as "inflated and misplaced" in a statement on Tuesday. "(Vice president Mahamadu Bawumia) has failed to own up and explain the many inflated cost items inherent in the contract," he said, claiming that public funds would pay for the scheme which included 20 percent late payment fees. "This Zipline deal is an extremely bad one for the country and it unfortunate that the Vice President would champion it with the zeal that he has deployed," he added.

'Life saving' technology

Ghanaian lawmaker Tina Mensah told the media earlier this week that the drone scheme would be rolled out to remote areas "very soon." "Instead of transporting essential healthcare products by vehicle which would take a lot more time, the drones can deliver within the shortest possible time so lives could be saved," she said. Dr Anthony Nsiah Asare, director general of the Ghana Health Service, added that the government should deploy the technology as quickly as possible, noting that a similar service in Rwanda had improved healthcare delivery. The Ghana Civil Aviation Authority will create an air corridor for the drones to prevent collisions with larger aircraft.

Gaining traction
European stocks were slightly lower on average Thursday as the European Central Bank formally brought its 2.6 trillion euro ($3 tn) QE program to a close. The pan-European Stoxx 600 was little changed from the previous session, provisionally slipping 0.16 percent.

The ECB is to end to its crisis-era bond-buying program this December after nearly four years. European lenders have generally been critical of the central bank's QE program, arguing it has a negative impact on their net interest income. Unicredit was among those leading the gains, up 1.4 percent on the prospect of the ECB ending its contentious stimulus program. Meanwhile, Germany's Metro slumped to the bottom of the index after the company reported persistently challenging business conditions in Russia. Shares of the wholesale tumbled more than 7 percent on the news. Looking at other stocks on the move, Britain's Antofagasta surged toward the top of the European benchmark in morning trade before giving up most of its gains to finish around 0.7 percent higher. Overall Basic Resources were the best performing sector.

President Donald Trump (L) shakes hand with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the end of a press conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on November 9, 2017. Fred Dufour | AFP | Getty Images
In this photo illustration of the ripple cryptocurrency 'altcoin' sits arranged for a photograph on April 25, 2018 in London, England.

United Arab Emirates-based UAE Exchange and U.S. startup Ripple plan to launch cross-border remittances to Asia via blockchain by the first quarter of 2019, UAE Exchange's group CEO said in an interview.

Asia was one of the biggest recipients of the roughly $613 billion in remittances sent globally last year, with a large swathe coming from expatriate workers in the Middle East, where UAE Exchange, part of payments and foreign exchange company Finablr, is one of the main players.

Most funds are currently sent through foreign exchange branches but a growing chunk is being transferred via websites and apps, with the use of blockchain technology expected to ramp up in the next few years - a transition that UAE Exchange and San Francisco-based Ripple are aiming to capture.

"Blockchain holds tremendous promise for the industry but there is progress to be made before we see it go fully mainstream," said Promoth Manghat, also executive director and chief executive at Finablr.

"We expect to go live with Ripple by Q1, 2019 with one or two Asian banks. This is for remittances to start with, from across the globe into Asia."

In February, UAE Exchange and Ripple announced a partnership to process cross-border payments, making the UAE-based company the largest payments firm in the Middle East to use Ripple's blockchain technology for processing payments.

RippleNet, which includes more than 100 member banks and financial institutions, enables messaging, clearing and settlement of transactions.

Middle East lenders National Bank of Ras Al Khaimah and Kuwait Finance House have also joined RippleNet, alongside global banks such as Standard Chartered.

"We are also looking at how Ripple can enhance our business-to-business solutions at Finablr," Manghat said. Finablr, which houses Travelex Holdings, Xpress Money and other businesses, has hired JPMorgan and Barclays as global coordinators for its listing in the first half of 2019 on the London Stock Exchange, Reuters reported last month.

UAE Exchange set a target in 2016 to spend between $250 million and $300 million on acquisitions to build its global market share.

The company had consumed a large portion of that amount and had a "strong pipeline" of further acquisition opportunities, Manghat said.

"Blockchain is one aspect we are looking at. We want to become the partner of choice for banks and technology companies and are looking at potential bolt-ons," he said. UAE Exchange aims to increase its share in the global remittance industry to more than 10 percent by 2020, Manghat had told Reuters last year.



WATCH: This is how blockchain can give 'invisible' people an ID
Despite a tricky few months, Walmart is sticking by its $16 billion bet to help it win the online retail war.

The U.S. retail giant bought India's largest online retailer Flipkart in May 2018, looking to take advantage of both its technical expertise in e-commerce and the burgeoning Indian middle class.

But when news of the deal broke back in May, the American retailer's shares immediately tumbled 4 percent. Investors expressed concern that, outside India, Flipkart was struggling to compete with Amazon's dominance and had a long way to go before becoming profitable.

The cash outflow from Flipkart's business also ate into Walmart's profits for the end of 2018 as well as dampening ts earnings outlook for 2019. Year-to-date, Walmart stock has slipped almost 5 percent in value.

Bad news surrounding the financials was compounded in November when Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal resigned after an accusation of sexual assault led to an internal investigation into "serious personal misconduct."

But amid the controversy surrounding Bansal's resignation, Walmart quietly increased its stake from 77% to 81.3%, offering another sign of its conviction that India's online retail market is primed for growth.

The Indian e-commerce market as a whole is forecast in a Indian government report to quadruple to $200 billion dollars in the next eight years, and by 2034 it's predicted to surpass the U.S. as the second largest e-commerce market in the world.

Last week Walmart CEO Doug McMillon told CNBC that acquisitions such as Flipkart were crucial to the continuing health of his company and its global ambitions.

"You see the rise and fall of Sears and others," McMillon said. "It's just a reminder that this can happen to us too."
The sextoy market is growing quite rapidly in India right now.

Although it is not a big trend, it is a hot topic on the internet as it is secretly expanding its market.

In this article, we will focus on sextoy and introduce recommended sextoy for Indian beginners of sextoy by gender.

India, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, is very strict about sex.

Also, premarital sex is basically not allowed. Therefore, there are many people who are sexually restricted.

But what happens when you continue to be sexually restricted?

Frustration may build up and you may end up taking your sexual stress out on your partner.

If you are able to adopt sextoy in a timely manner, you can get rid of those problems.

I want to have more exciting sex than Im having now.

I want more variation in masturbation

I want to get even stronger pleasure than I do on my own.

If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end.

What is sex toys for Indian?

Sextoy, as the name implies, is a toy used during sex and masturbation.

It is a generic term for vibrators, Egg-vibrators, Electric massagers, dildo, handcuffs and condoms.

They are used to make regular sex more exciting or to make masturbation more pleasurable.

Because sextoy is very stimulating, it can help you to get rid of the problems and frustrations of being in a rut of sex with your partner for a long time, or if you are unhappy with the lack of pleasure in sex with your partner.

The ability to satisfy your desires with movement, texture, and size, which cannot be done by a normal human being, can help you to be satisfied with sex and, as a result, improve your relationship with your partner.

It is also said to help improve sexual dysfunction (inability to get an erection or ejaculate) and difficulty in feeling during sex (insensitivity), which is attracting more attention than in the past.

In recent years, the demand for sextoy has increased due to the spread of smartphones and the Internet and the increasing number of people using online shopping.

Even those who are concerned about the appearance of sextoy (and find it difficult to purchase) can now easily obtain it by using mail order.

In the case of online shopping, most of the stores have taken steps to ensure that the contents of the products delivered to you are not revealed, so you can purchase them without your family members knowing.

Until a while ago, you had to go to the store where the adult goods were sold to buy them, so it was quite a hurdle to overcome.

Also, many people may have an image that sextoy is somehow embarrassing to own.

But nowadays, some of them are so stylish and cute that you cant believe they are sextoy at a glance.

More and more people are using them for travel and outdoor use because they are not too bulky and are suitable for carrying around.

Sextoy situation in India

Before introducing the recommended sextoy for Indians, lets talk about one of the sextoy situations in India in recent years.

In India, due to the high concentration of population, the following six cities have particularly high sales of sextoy in India.

Mumbai

Kolkata

Bangalore

Delhi

Chennai

Hyderabad

These cities account for roughly 70 percent of sextoy sales in India.

In the future, the percentage of sextoy use will gradually increase in other cities in India as well.

If you never talk about sextoy publicly, that girl in your neighborhood might be a sextoy user too.

If you are interested in sextoy, you dont have to suppress your desire for it.

What are Sextoys for beginner?

Among all sextoys, sextoy for beginners are vibrators, dildo, masturbators, Sex Lubricants, and condoms.

Sex Lubricants and condoms, which are familiar to people who have had sex, are also a great beginners sextoy.

I will explain the details of each toy later, but there are many sextoy products that are painful to use and can only be used after some anal expansion.

I assume that the Indian readers of this article are people who have not had much experience with sextoy.

If such people use professional sextoy suddenly, they are at risk of injury or trauma.

Therefore, to introduce sextoy, you need to start with a beginners version and gradually become familiar with it.

Advantages of using sextoy for Indians

There are three advantages of using sextoy for Indians

You can masturbate in a wide variety of ways.

Can have stimulating sex

Can develop new sexual zones

If you try to masturbate with your own fingers or hands, it tends to be a pattern.

However, with sextoy, you can easily masturbate in a variety of ways.

You will definitely be fascinated by the attraction of new stimulation.

Also, your daily sex life will be more exciting than ever.

There are many things in sextoy that are visually stimulating and give you a strong and intense feeling of pleasure.

This allows you to see your partners promiscuity in a way that you wouldnt normally see it.

When you are in a relationship, sex with your partner may become a pattern, but it can also eliminate these problems.

It can also lead to the development of new sexual zones (which is the training of sexual stimulation to allow you to feel orgasms).

For more information on the development of new sexual zones, see the following articles

[Women's Erogenous Zone]How to find and develop, 7 hidden sexual zones !![In India] In this issue, we will dissect the female erogenous zone! ..." Many of you may be like that. Men, in particular, shou...

Thus, the use of sextoy can only be a good thing for the men and women of India.

Sextoy for beginner men in India

So, lets continue with the recommended goods for Indian sextoy beginners.

For ease of understanding, we will introduce them by gender. Lets start with the men!

The following five goods are recommended for novice Indian sextoy men

Masturbator

Cock rings

Love Doll

Sex Lubricants

Toys for the prostate

Lets check each one in detail.

Masturbator

The masturbator is a sextoy for men that elaborately reproduces a womans vagina, mouth, and anus, and is one of the most popular sextoy products.

It is used by men to masturbate, and it is popular because it provides stronger stimulation and pleasure more easily than using hands.

Most are made of good quality silicone, and their softness is something that cannot be achieved with ones own hands.

They can provide stronger pleasure than a real womans vagina, so be careful not to overuse them. (You wont be able to have an orgasm in a womans vagina anymore.)

Again Male masturbators are a wonderful toy. I do not need any favourite timing, bothersome bargaining. You do not have to worry too much.

Revolutionize your masturbation time! ! !

Made in Japan is a wonderful kinky toy.#sextoysindia #SexToyIndia #Japanhttps://t.co/4k70QGzoTP pic.twitter.com/tRVdxTKPpa   SEXToys India PR  (@SextoysIndia) November 12, 2018

Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood.

If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here

Really pleasant male masturbation and how to do it Are you in a rut with your daily masturbation routine? I'm going to show you five ways men masturbate that you might ...

[For Beginners] How to choose and use a male masturbator without fail Gentlemen.Have you ever used a masturbator? The person who sees this article is probably the one who has not experien...

Cock Ring

A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis.

It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow.

It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber.

In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection.

Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction.

It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it.

Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time.

Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function.

Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy.

You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect.

[Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat...

Love Doll

Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex.

There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women.

Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price.

The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true.

You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste.

There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice.

You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls.

If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here

Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to...

Sex lubricants

Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules.

It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution.

Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse.

There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent.

Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent.

If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here.

What is sex lubricant?Explain the difference and usage of each ingredient The word "sex toy" may seem like a hurdle to overcome, but lotion is actually one of the most familiar sex toys. Many...

Toys for the Prostate

Another sextoy for men is prostate toys.

The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line.

Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men.

Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men.

What is the prostate?

The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm.

You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus.

By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms.

Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.)

The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation.

Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure.

sextoy for beinner women in India

The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy.

The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy.

Vibrator.

Dildo

Electric Masserger

Lets check out what each one is in detail.

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Vibrators

A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator.

Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy.

It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy.

Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women.

For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators.

Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex.

Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself.

This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual.

Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men.

When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons.

Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most...

Dildo

A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis.

It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass.

A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it.

They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well.

It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device.

A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo.

Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands.

For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis.

This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one.

To learn more about dildo, please click here.

What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th...

Electric Masserger

A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores.

It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low.

Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels.

Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation.

It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure.

For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm.

It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out.

If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager?

To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here.

What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th...

How to choose a sextoy for Indian

Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one.

Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points:  Does the size fit you (the partner)?

Does the size fit you (your partner)?

Is the environment able to produce sound without problems?

Price range

First of all, the choice of size is quite important.

Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women.

For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage.

Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems.

Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise.

If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level.

Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it.

Finally, there is the price range.

The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest.

Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy.

Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy?

I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance.

For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics.

If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out.

How to buy sextoys in India

The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping.

For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below.

Sextoy is one of them.

Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping.

SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India.

They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry.

Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card.

To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy.

ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal.

Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on.

Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture.

Cautions for Indians using sextoy

When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind

Keep sex toys clean

Watch out for electrical leakage

Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy

As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone.

Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there.

It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case.

In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness.

Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful.

If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it.

You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly.

Summary

What did you think?

In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India.

The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future.

As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values.

However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health.

If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try?

Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women.

I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it.
A tramway car captured with blurred motion rushes through the Paradeplatz (Parade square) in the heart of Switzerland banking industry in Zurich at night.

Swiss asset manager GAM Holding AG will cut staff by a tenth and omit a 2018 dividend, it said on Thursday, forecasting a 2018 net loss of around 925 million Swiss francs ($931 million) as it shakes up its embattled business.

Assets under management continued to fall, dropping to 139.1 billion francs as of end-November from 146.1 billion at the end of September, mainly driven by net outflows of 4.2 billion in Investment Management, it said in a statement.

GAM, with currently more than 900 employees, said its expected 2018 net loss under IFRS accounting standards reflected a goodwill impairment charge of around 885 million francs, an impairment charge of around 62 million francs in the second half related to the British hedge fund Cantab it bought in 2016, and a one-off charge of around 30 million linked to a revamp of its absolute return/unconstrained fixed income (ABRF) strategy.

It forecast its underlying profit before tax for 2018 would fall to around 125 million francs from 172.5 million in 2017.

"Given the significantly lower levels of (assets under management) and the phasing of the cost reduction programme, GAM expects its 2019 financial results to be materially below those of 2018," it added, referring to underlying figures.

GAM had a 2017 IFRS net profit of 123.2 million francs.

GAM intends to cut costs by at least 40 million francs by the end of next year, and said it could intensify efficiency measures over the period of restructuring that would show full benefits in 2020 results.

The group revised its dividend policy for 2019 and beyond to target a minimum payout of half of underlying net profits.

GAM assets had suffered a 17.7 billion franc hit in the third quarter due to slumping markets. The suspension of absolute return bond fund (ARBF) director Tim Haywood during a misconduct investigation may also have prompted some investors to withdraw funds.

Amid its missteps, GAM under new Chief Executive David Jacob has become a potential prey, with media reporting it rebuffed an offer from Schroders SDR.L for its hedge fund unit.

On a call with reporters, Jacobs reiterated that GAM's board was open to all options but management was focused on running the business as is.
Retiring GOP Sen. Jeff Flake, in a farewell speech to the Senate, warned on Thursday of the dangers facing democracies.

"Let us recognize from this place here today that the shadow of tyranny is once again enveloping parts of the globe," the Arizona Republican said. "And let us recognize as authoritarianism reasserts itself in country after country that we are by no means immune."

The embattled lawmaker announced his retirement last year after polling showed he faced long odds to re-election. The senator's frequent comments denouncing President Donald Trump soured his reputation among the Republican base but did not earn him many fans among centrists or the left.

Flake on Thursday returned to the themes he emphasized in 2017 when he announced he would not seek another term. Again, Flake seemed to criticize Trump without mentioning him directly by name.

"My colleagues, to say that our politics is not healthy is something of an understatement," Flake said. "I believe that we all know well that this is not a normal time, that the threats to our democracy from within and without are real, and none of us can say with confidence how the situation that we now find ourselves in will turn out."

Flake said his thoughts recently had turned to democracy, "where it comes from, and how, if the circumstances were right, it might slip away."

He recalled his former work for the Foundation for Democracy in the 1990s, when he was a monitor of Namibia's burgeoning independence process. He said he was reminded of the speech that Vaclav Havel, the playwright and last president of Czechoslovakia, had delivered before the U.S. Congress in February 1990.

"Havel's awed appreciation for the values that too many of us might take for granted bought home to me, an American in my mid-20s sitting there in Africa, the power of the American example to the whole world," Flake said.

He said that Havel "called out to the whole world from Washington that day" in a graceful rebuke of the "mistaken prophecy" that liberal democracy had triumphed permanently.

"Civilization and the victories of freedom  history itself  are not a matter of once achieved, always safe," Flake said. "Vaclav Havel lived this."

Flake said he could not help but look back on the first speech he gave from the Senate floor six years ago.

"I noted then and echo today that serious challenges lie ahead, but any honest reckoning of our history and our prospects will note that we have confronted and survived more daunting challenges than we now face," Flake said.

"Ours is a durable, resilient system of government, designed to withstand the foibles of those who from time to time occupy this place, including yours truly."
Enel has started operations at the 185-megawatt HillTopper wind farm in Illinois via its U.S. renewable business Enel Green Power North America.



Through power purchase agreements the facility, in Logan County, will sell power to Bloomberg LP, General Motors and Constellation, an Exelon business.



Investment in the project's construction, which will generate roughly 570 gigawatt hours per year, is around $325 million, Enel said Wednesday.



Power produced from a 17-megawatt (MW) section of the site will be sold to Bloomberg. Energy from a 100 MW section will be bought by General Motors. This will provide its manufacturing facilities in Indiana and Ohio with 100 percent renewable electricity, according to Enel.



"Through this first project in Illinois, we are helping our customers meet their clean energy goals with competitive solutions that adapt to their power needs and business objectives," Antonio Cammisecra, the CEO of Enel Green Power, said in a statement.



The wind industry added over 52 gigawatts (GW) of wind power in 2017, according to the Global Wind Energy Council.



China maintained its position as a wind energy powerhouse, installing 19.7 GW, while the European Union added 15.6 GW of capacity. The U.S. installed a little over 7 GW of capacity.

WATCH: Here's what drives the price of oil
Famed short-seller Jim Chanos is going after American casino operators Las Vegas Sands and Wynn Resorts as the U.S.-China trade war continues.

"One area I'm scratching my head about is the Macau casino guys," Chanos told CNBC's Sara Eisen on Thursday. "We're basically short the U.S. guys ... Wynn and Las Vegas Sands, particularly their Hong Kong-listed Asian operations. In our hedge fund, we're actually long the Chinese operators."

"Whatever your views are on Macau, the U.S. operators trade at a premium to the Chinese operators. While that has always been the case, I think in light of the trade tensions, that doesn't make a lot of sense right now," he said. "At the very least, the U.S. operation should trade at a discount."

Shares of both companies fell to their lows of the day on Chanos' comments, aired on CNBC. Las Vegas Sands closed 0.6 percent lower, and Wynn declined 1.2 percent.
Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich's chief political strategist has a message for President Donald Trump: "Be careful what you wish for."

Earlier, a Fox News interviewer asked the president about the possibility of Kasich or retiring Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., running against him in 2020, and Trump responded, "I hope so."

John Weaver, the Kasich strategist, responded to the remark with a warning.

"Be careful what you wish for," Weaver said in a message to CNBC.

Kasich ran in the 2016 Republican presidential primary, which Trump won.
U.S. President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping leave a business leaders event at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on November 9, 2017.

The Marriott breach would have crossed right through that timeline. If it can indeed be attributed to China, it would give the Trump administration more leverage for its position that China has not been acting in good faith on cybersecurity.

But back in 2015, the Obama administration struck a data-theft deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping, agreeing that neither country would steal personal information of the other's citizens.

The data breach lasted four years, and the intruders stole information about 500 million customers. On Tuesday, The New York Times reported that investigators had traced the hack back to the Chinese government, calling it part of a broader intelligence-gathering operation. Reuters had previously reported Chinese involvement.

The massive Marriott hacking that the hotel chain revealed this month could become part of the trade negotiations between the U.S. and China.

"The agreement was struck very quickly at a time when the U.S. was threatening retaliation over IP theft, and President Xi Jinping was traveling to D.C. for a summit with President Obama," recalled Robert Silvers, who helped sign the deal in his prior role as assistant secretary for cyber policy at the Department of Homeland Security.

"There was leverage there, and we capitalized on that leverage."

The deal was informal and didn't impose significant consequences on either party for not complying. It called for more communication and cooperation over investigating cybercrimes between the two countries, in addition to prohibiting either side from stealing intellectual property or trade secrets from the other.

After the deal, Silvers said DHS received confirmation from government sources and third-party companies that monitored Chinese IP theft that those attacks had dropped "significantly."

"But we entered a different era now. It looks like China has taken the gloves back off," said Silvers, who now serves as a litigation partner with law firm Paul Hastings LLP.

Joseph Campbell, former assistant director of the criminal investigative division for the FBI, recalled that around the same time in 2015, he met with Chinese authorities alongside then-FBI director James Comey. They, too, sought to halt "widespread intellectual property and trade secret theft," he said.

Campbell said those conversations in large part focused on the hack of the federal Office of Personnel Management, announced in June 2015. The agency processes security clearances, and information on 21.5 million government workers was stolen.

The FBI also had hope the concerted and targeted attacks from China would abate after the agreement, Campbell said.

"But we know that regardless [of the deal], there was still a significant effort to penetrate sensitive U.S. companies and obtain information this way," said Campbell, who is now director of global investigations and compliance for consulting firm Navigant.

Silvers said that whatever happens with trade talks, he expects any IP theft agreement forged with China to be tougher.

"We're in a much more contested environment now. The focus will be on making the consequences of launching these attacks more painful," he said. "They have to feel like they could be put in handcuffs."
An employee walks between rows of storage racks at one of Amazon.com's fulfillment centers in Rugeley, U.K. Simon Dawson Bloomberg | Getty Images

There's a good chance that the $100 printer, the $300 wide-screen monitor, or the $170 router you recently bought from Amazon weren't supplied to the e-commerce giant by their original manufacturers. In fact, the order may have been fulfilled by someone like Casey Parris, who resells items that customers previously returned to retailers. Based in Florida, Parris spends about five hours each day visiting thrift stores and scanning auction and liquidation websites for interesting items, he told CNBC. Sometimes he finds auto parts, other times it's a pair of sneakers, and occasionally he purchases printer cartridges  all with the goal of reselling them. Walter Blake, who lives in Michigan, does the same. For years, he's been selling electronic items on Amazon that he acquires from a network of places. Blake and Parris are part of a growing cottage industry where dealers acquire discarded items at very low prices, only to resell some of them back on Amazon and eBay at a premium. Retailers don't mind that  that's because retrieving returned items can sometimes cost more than reselling them earns.

Returned goods offer little returns

While these costs can vary widely based on a number of factors ... there is no doubt that the expense will eat into profit margins. David Egan CBRE

Returns are costly to retailers in two ways, explained David Egan, global head of industrial and logistics research at CBRE. "First are the shipping and handling costs. The process of reversing an online order has many steps and includes the cost of the delivery as well as the many touches  each of which comes with a labor cost  that move the item back into inventory," he told CNBC. "While these costs can vary widely based on a number of factors  the size of the retailer, the size of the item, the shipping origin and destination, etc.  there is no doubt that the expense will eat into profit margins," said Egan. The second type of cost is more difficult to quantify but every bit as meaningful, he added: "The longer an item stays out of circulation and is unable to be sold, the less value it has."

Shoppers arrive at The Trafford Centre, and wait for the shops to open in the hope of a "Black Friday" bargain on November 27, 2015 in Manchester, United Kingdom. Christopher Furlong | Getty Images

Additionally, with some items  especially those that have a number of parts such as car seats or strollers  liability becomes a big issue for retailers, Zachary Rogers, assistant professor of supply chain management at Colorado State University, told CNBC. "Amazon's returns workers can't verify that all of the parts are there or that there hasn't been damage," said Rogers, who previously worked as a returns manager at an Amazon facility.

Journey of returned items

To offset those costs, retailers work with resellers to handle return and excess items. B-Stock, for instance, is a business-to-business marketplace for return and excess merchandise. The nine-year-old company, which was founded by eBay alum Howard Rosenberg, works with nine of the top 10 U.S. retailers. The company told CNBC that it is on track to sell 70 million returns or excess items this year  up 20 percent compared to last year. Headquartered in Washington D.C., Optoro is another firm that offers a range of services to retailers to help them recoup the losses on returns. "Our technology uses machine learning and data algorithms to determine the highest value channel for each returned item, including return to stock, return to vendor, list on a secondary marketplace, refurbish, or donate," Carly Llewellyn, senior director of marketing at Optoro, told CNBC. Optoro also operates Blinq.com, a secondary marketplace, through which the company sells returned items directly to consumers; and Bulq.com, a similar channel for business-to-business transactions. At one point, several used Apple computers were listed on Blinq.com at about 86 percent below their original price.
U.K. financial technology firm Revolut secured a big victory on Thursday in its quest to shake up European banking.

Revolut announced it was granted a banking license by the European Central Bank (ECB) that it will start to implement next year across key markets including the U.K., France, Germany and Poland.

The license will allow the fintech company to offer services typically provided by traditional banks, including full current accounts, consumer and business lending and overdrafts. Customers will also be able to deposit their salaries directly into Revolut accounts, with up to 100,000 covered under the European Deposit Insurance Scheme.

This is the first banking license Revolut has secured. It will take between three to six months to begin implementing the license, which was obtained through the Bank of Lithuania, across Europe, the company said.

Revolut founder and CEO Nik Storonsky told CNBC earlier this week the European banking license will be "one of many," adding it is a "good feeling" to receive the first one. Storonsky said the firm plans to apply for a U.K. banking license as well, in part because of uncertainty around Brexit.

"If we feel a 'hard Brexit' happens, we'll definitely need to have a license here," he said.

Revolut is among a growing list of digital banks that have secured banking licenses as fintech start-ups take on incumbents in the financial services sector. The U.K.'s Monzo and Starling have both secured banking licenses in the U.K., while Germany's N26 received its European license in 2016.
President Donald Trump speaks while participating in a tour of U.S.-Mexico border wall prototypes near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in San Diego, California, March 13, 2018. Kevin Lamarque | Reuters

Even as he threatens to shut down the government unless Congress funds his proposed border wall, President Donald Trump revived his claim that Mexico would pay for the barrier. In a tweet Thursday, the president contended that his stance on America's southern neighbor funding the wall "has never changed." He claimed his replacement of the North American Free Trade Agreement would cause Mexico to pay the barrier "just by the money we save." It is unclear how the new trade deal would fund the wall, which carries a price tag of up to $25 billion. Trump tweet With just over a week until funding for parts of the government lapses, Democratic leaders aimed to turn the president's statement against him. Two days after an on-camera spat where Trump said he would be "proud" to shut down the government, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he would not approve any additional money for the border wall. "Well, Mr. President, if you say Mexico is going to pay for the wall through NAFTA, which it certainly won't, then I guess we don't have to. Let's fund the government," the New York Democrat said Thursday on the Senate floor.

"Honestly, if the president really believed what he tweeted this morning that his new NAFTA would pay for the wall, he wouldn't be threatening to shut down the government unless American taxpayers fund his wall. You can't have it both ways," Schumer continued. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi also questioned what the president meant by his tweet. "The money the businesses make? What money is he talking about that's going to go pay for the wall? It just doesn't measure up," she told reporters Thursday. Pelosi added that "the American people are still paying the price" if benefits from the trade deal went to the wall. WATCH: A history of controversial walls

Trump's tweet Thursday morning further muddles his messaging on the need for congressional funding for his wall. It could give him less leverage as he pushes Democrats to yield and approve money for the barrier. His claim that Mexico will pay for the wall followed comments this week that also raised questions about why he needed taxpayer funding. Trump repeatedly contended the barrier was already being constructed  even though Congress has only approved money to build new or replace existing fencing. The president also suggested the military could construct the wall, though the Pentagon said it has no plans yet to do so. Trump needs nine Senate Democrats to support a funding bill to reach the 60 votes needed to pass one. Schumer has committed to approve $1.6 billion for border fencing and technology, but not the wall as the president has proposed. Trump wants $5 billion in taxpayer money for his wall. Pelosi, who will likely become House speaker next month when Democrats take control of the chamber, has flatly said her caucus will not approve wall funding. House Republicans, who support Trump's push for wall money, can pass a spending bill without Democrats in the current session of Congress.
Senators have voted to recommend that the U.S. stop supporting the Saudi-led war in Yemen, directly challenging both Saudi Arabia and President Donald Trump in the wake of journalist Jamal Khashoggi's slaying.

The bipartisan vote Thursday comes two months after the Saudi journalist's killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and after Trump has equivocated over who is to blame. U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman must have at least known of the plot, but Trump has repeatedly praised the kingdom.

It's unlikely the House will consider the resolution.

Earlier Thursday, Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair Bob Corker, R-Tenn., introduced a resolution saying Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman "is responsible for the murder" of Khashoggi.

The resolution also condemns the kingdom's conduct in Yemen, highlighting Saudi Arabia's "concerning behavior."

"There is no military solution to the conflict," the resolution asserts.

Corker, who has been a critic of Trump, is retiring from the Senate at the end of his current term. But the document's nine other GOP co-sponsors, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, are pushing a position that directly challenges the view from Trump's senior advisors that there was no "smoking gun" that incriminates bin Salman.

That view, held by Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, was derided by some Republican lawmakers.

"There's not a smoking gun, ," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said after a closed-door briefing on Khashoggi's death led by CIA Director Gina Haspel last week.

Corker expects the resolution to be considered by the full Senate.

After initially claiming that Khashoggi left the consulate freely, a Saudi spokesman eventually admitted Khashoggi's death, calling it an "unfortunate accident." The kingdom has maintained that the crown prince was not involved.

Corker's resolution calls out the Saudi government for "misleading statements ... regarding the murder of" Khashoggi, which have "undermined trust and confidence in the longstanding friendship" between the U.S. and the kingdom.

It also lays Khashoggi's death squarely at the feet of the crown prince. The resolution, if passed, would have the Senate affirm that it "believes Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi."

Trump has defended the crown prince against the calls for condemnation from U.S. politicians. In an exclamation-point-filled statement last month, the president said his "America First" policy required siding with Saudi Arabia.

As to whether the crown prince knew about the journalist's killing, Trump contradicted the CIA's reported conclusions, saying: "Maybe he did and he didn't!"

--CNBC's Kevin Breuninger contributed to this report.
French special police forces secure an area during a police operation in the Meinau district after the deadly shooting in Strasbourg, France, December 13, 2018.

The suspected gunman, who killed three people at a Christmas market in Strasbourg, has been killed, two police sources said on Thursday, ending his 48-hours on the run.

Cherif Chekatt was killed in the Neudorf/Meinau area of the city after a police operation was launched around 9 p.m. local time on Thursday about 2 kilometers from where he launched his attack on Tuesday.

Chekatt was killed after firing on police officers, who returned fire, one of the sources said.

Reuters reporters near the scene heard three to four gunshots after a huge police operation with armed forces from the BRI and RAID units. A police helicopter had been circling overhead.

The death toll from Tuesday's attack rose to three as police on Thursday combed the city in the east of France for a second day and manned checkpoints on the German border.

Police issued a wanted poster in multiple languages for Chekatt, who was the main suspect in the attack and who had been on a watchlist as a potential security threat.
Starbucks lowered its long-term earnings forecast Thursday and outlined to investors some of its growth strategies, including a new delivery partnership with Uber Eats in the U.S. and doubling its presence in China.

The comments came during an investor meeting in New York, a first for CEO Kevin Johnson since he took over from Howard Schultz last year.

Starbucks shares closed 1 percent higher Thursday but are down nearly 3 percent in after-hours trading. The stock, which is valued at nearly $83 billion, has gained 16 percent since the start of the year.

The company reaffirmed its financial targets for fiscal year 2019. However, it now expects its earnings per share on an adjusted basis to rise at least 10 percent a year over the longer term. Previously, the company predicted 12 percent growth on this basis.

Starbucks said long-term consolidated revenue growth will be between 7 and 9 percent.

Starbucks' new chief financial officer, Pat Grismer, also said its coffee alliance with Nestle will add to its adjusted earnings per share in fiscal years 2020 and 2021, helping to boost its growth to at least 13 percent in those two years.

In May, Nestle agreed to pay Starbucks $7.15 billion in cash for the exclusive rights to sell its packaged coffees and teas around the world.

On Thursday, Starbucks said it would partner with Uber Eats to bring its lattes to customers' doors.

"In locations where drive-thru isn't feasible we are testing platforms like delivery," Roz Brewer, chief operating officer, said during meeting.

Starbucks already has a delivery program in China, which caters to 2,000 stores across 30 cities. Through Uber Eats, the company expects to bring Starbucks Delivery to about a quarter of its U.S.-based, company-owned stores by the end of the second quarter.

Starbucks has been struggling to get diners to frequent its cafes at a higher rate. Although sales have been positive, foot traffic continues to stagnate. Part of the issue is the more than 14,000 U.S. locations that the brand operates. Having so many locations can cannibalize sales and lead to fewer transactions at individual stores.

The company has also faced issues connecting with its diners, who have recently balked at some of Starbucks' limited time offerings.

Delivery is yet another lever that Starbucks can pull in order to lure diners to spend more money at its cafes. Digital and mobile orders tend to bring in a higher check for restaurants, and delivery orders tend to be placed predominantly through these channels.

Other quick-service chains McDonald's and Yum Brands  which owns Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut  have also jumped into the delivery game, partnering with Uber Eats and Grubhub, respectively.

The pilot program began in Miami, Johnson told CNBC ahead of the meeting. Starbucks saw the transaction volume was there and that people wanted the service, he said.

However, Johnson said, not all drinks will be available for delivery, as they may not travel well. He cited a cappuccino with a lot of foam as an example of a drink that might be suitable for delivery.

"We were very thoughtful about this," Johnson said.

Brewer told CNBC the company wants its delivery business to be profitable because it will cost the company more to deliver its products. One thing that can help is if customers make larger orders when they get delivery.

"We're seeing an expanded ticket. And that average ticket is what we need to see happen as we approach delivery," Brewer said. "So we're encouraged right now, but we are monitoring that very carefully."

In China, Starbucks has created spill-proof lids for both hot and cold beverages, tamper-proof packaging and delivery containers that keep hot items hot and cold items cold, said John Culver, president of international channel development and global coffee and tea.

Johnson said his focus is on "doing what Starbucks does best, and creating big strategic partnerships that complement what we do best, from Alibaba to Nestle with the Global Coffee Alliance and now Uber Eats."

Starbucks teamed up with Alibaba earlier this year to deliver food and coffee in China. Starbucks plans to double its presence in China, its fastest-growing market, over the next four years. This would boost its store footprint to 6,000 stores across 230 cities, up from 3,600 stores in 150 cities.

 CNBC's Michelle Fox contributed to this report.

WATCH: There are basically no Starbucks on this continent. Here's what went wrong
British Prime Minister Theresa May arrives at a European Union leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium December 13, 2018. Francois Lenoir | Reuters

Fresh from winning a leadership vote that allows her to stay in power, British Prime Minister Theresa May will now attempt to seek concessions on the current Brexit deal from European lawmakers on Thursday. May is due to attend the European Council meeting, where she is expected to seek changes to a policy known as the Irish backstop. A clause in the U.K's withdrawal agreement, the backstop ensures an open border between the E.U's Republic of Ireland and the U.K.'s Northern Ireland. It essentially means Northern Ireland will remain in a European-wide customs union until a comprehensive trade pact is finalized. May, under pressure from pro-Brexit supporters worried about the backstop tying their country to European laws, is now anticipated to make an 11th-hour effort to gain what she's described as "further assurances" from the E.U.

The Irish border issue has been around since Brexit talks first started 18 months ago, but it's only recently emerged as a widely recognized crucial element of negotiations. Still, the E.U. is unlikely to change its stance on the matter. "We know that the E.U. will not renegotiate but they may offer some clarifications or addendums or some kind of promise of a future comprehensive trade and political agreement  but they will not really reopen the deal that London signed only three weeks ago," Adriano Bosoni, senior Europe analyst at geopolitical intelligence firm Stratfor, told CNBC. European Council President Donald Tusk has already made clear that the current Brexit agreement, which was approved by E.U. leaders in late November, is the only option on the table. Donald Tusk tweet. At the Brussels gathering, "the EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, will explain to the EU's 27 leaders why the demands the U.K. Government is making would contradict the backstop, and so can't be delivered," Mujtaba Rahman, managing director for Europe at consultancy Eurasia Group, said in a Thursday note. "We can perhaps repeat what it can and cannot do in a different format, but the negotiation on the backstop is done," a senior European negotiator reportedly told Rahman. The situation, however, isn't entirely bleak for May.
President Donald Trump on Thursday again asserted that he bears no responsibility for the campaign finance violations committed by his former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen.

"They put that on to embarrass me. They put those two charges on to embarrass me. They're not criminal charges. What happened is either Cohen or the prosecutors, in order to embarrass me, said: 'Listen, I'm making this deal for reduced time and everything else. Do me a favor and put these two charges on,'" Trump claimed in an interview with Fox News.

Trump made the comments one day after Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison for crimes that included tax evasion, lying to Congress, and setting up illegal hush-money payments to women who claimed they had had affairs with Trump. The president's remarks expanded on an accusation he had made earlier in the day.

Cohen has acknowledged that the hush-money payments were made in order to protect Trump from damaging allegations during the 2016 presidential election. Given that their purpose was to aid Trump's candidacy, the payments constituted contributions to Trump's presidential campaign. By not declaring them, Cohen violated campaign finance laws.

Cohen's transformation from loyal foot soldier for Trump into witness for the prosecution and asset to the special counsel's investigation has been one of the most dramatic story lines of the entire Mueller probe.

During his sentencing on Wednesday, Cohen told the judge that during his decade of working as Trump's attorney, he felt a sense of "duty to cover up [Trump's] dirty deeds."

The president, meanwhile, has publicly railed against his former consigliere ever since Cohen agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. On Thursday, Trump tweeted a defense of himself that appeared to have been carefully scripted, perhaps with the help of one of the president's current lawyers.

"I never directed Michael Cohen to break the law. He was a lawyer and he is supposed to know the law. It is called "advice of counsel," and a lawyer has great liability if a mistake is made. That is why they get paid. Despite that many campaign finance lawyers have strongly stated that I did nothing wrong with respect to campaign finance laws, if they even apply, because this was not campaign finance," Trump tweeted.

"Cohen was guilty on many charges unrelated to me, but he plead to two campaign charges which were not criminal and of which he probably was not guilty even on a civil basis. Those charges were just agreed to by him in order to embarrass the president and get a much reduced prison sentence, which he did-including the fact that his family was temporarily let off the hook. As a lawyer, Michael has great liability to me!"
Manhattan-based federal prosecutors are investigating whether some of the $107 million in donations to then President-elect Donald Trump's inaugural committee were misspent, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

The Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, said the investigation arose in part from the slew of materials seized in April raids on Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, by federal prosecutors. Cohen on Wednesday was sentenced to three years in prison on charges that came in part from those April raids on his office and residence.

The criminal probe is also looking into whether some of the committee's top spenders traded money for access to the incoming Trump administration, as well as "policy concessions or to influence official administration positions," sources told the Journal.

"Giving money in exchange for political favors could run afoul of federal corruption laws," the newspaper explained. "Diverting funds from the organization, which was registered as a nonprofit, could also violate federal law."

Federal prosecutors have reportedly also questioned Richard Gates  the ex-partner of onetime Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort  who pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy and lying charges lodged by special counsel Robert Mueller.

Gates, who has cooperated with investigators in Mueller's probe of Russian interference during the 2016 U.S. election, served as deputy chairman of Trump's inaugural committee.

The White House had no immediate comment on the report. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan declined CNBC's request for comment.

Read the full report from The Wall Street Journal.

WATCH: Trump's White House has been a money-making machine
President Donald Trump insisted Thursday that he "never directed" Michael Cohen "to break the law."

In three tweets a day after his former attorney was sentenced to three years in prison, Trump said Cohen pleaded guilty in order to "embarrass the president and get a much reduced prison sentence."

Trump tweet

Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison for his guilty pleas to charges including his central role in paying hush money to two women who claimed they had had affairs with Trump. The charges were brought by federal prosecutors in New York and special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating potential coordination between Russia and Trump campaign-related figures.

Cohen's crimes included a range of financial violations, as well as lying to Congress. The hush money, paid in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, constituted violations of campaign-finance law. Prosecutors have said the payments, which went to porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal, were made "in coordination with and at the direction of" Trump. Cohen and prosecutors said the money was paid in order to "influence" the election.

The White House has denied Trump had sex with either woman.

U.S. District Court Judge William Pauley said at Cohen's sentencing that each of the crimes on their own "warrant considerable punishment."
By Trend





According to secondary sources, total OPEC-15 preliminary crude oil production averaged 32.97 million barrels per day (mb/d) in November, a decrease of 11,000 b/d over the previous month, the cartel said in its Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR).

Crude oil output increased mostly in Saudi Arabia, UAE and Kuwait, while production declined in I.R. Iran, Venezuela, Nigeria and Iraq, according to the report.

OPEC said the share of its crude oil in total global production declined by 0.2 percent to 32.8 percent in November compared with the previous month.

Estimates are based on preliminary data from direct communication for non-OPEC supply, OPEC natural gas liquids (NGLs) and non-conventional oil, while estimates for OPEC crude production are based on secondary sources, according to the report.

OPEC NGLs and non-conventional liquids for 2018 were revised down by 0.02 mb/d and are expected to grow by 0.10 mb/d to average 6.34 mb/d, said the cartel.

For 2019, they are likely to grow by 0.11 mb/d to average 6.45 mb/d, unchanged from last months assessment. Preliminary production data in October and November 2018 shows output at 6.44 mb/d, higher by 0.22 mb/d year-on-year, and 6.43 mb/d, higher by 0.23 mb/d, year-on-year, respectively, the report reads.

OPEC and non-OPEC producers reached an agreement in December 2016 to curtail oil output jointly and ease a global glut after more than two years of low prices. OPEC agreed to slash the output by 1.2 million barrels per day from January 1.

Non-OPEC oil producers such as Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Equatorial Guinea, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Russia, Sudan, and South Sudan agreed to reduce output by 558,000 barrels per day starting from January 1, 2017.

OPEC and its partners decided to extend its production cuts till the end of 2018 in Vienna on November 30, as the oil cartel and its allies step up their attempt to end a three-year supply glut that has savaged crude prices and the global energy industry.

The 5th OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting was held in Vienna, Austria, on December 7, 2018.

The meeting participants decided to adjust the overall production by 1.2 million barrels per day, effective as of January 2019 for an initial period of six months. The contributions from OPEC and the voluntary contributions from non-OPEC participating countries of the Declaration of Cooperation will correspond to 0.8 million barrels per day (2.5 percent), and 0.4 million barrels per day (2 percent), respectively.
A worker on a an oil drill near New Town, North Dakota. Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Images

The U.S. might have been left out from the big summit between OPEC and non-OPEC producers in Vienna last week but the country's influence over global oil markets is only going to get stronger, the International Energy Agency (IEA) stated in its latest report. "While the U.S. was not present in Vienna, nobody could ignore its growing influence," the IEA said in its December report, published Thursday. "Last week's meeting reminded us that the Big Three of oil  Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United States  whose total liquids production now comprises about 40 percent of the global total, are the dominant

players," the IEA said. When OPEC and non-OPEC producers met last week in Vienna to hammer out a deal to cut their oil production there was an uninvited, but unavoidable, presence at the summit: The U.S. President Trump has repeatedly criticized OPEC for its dominance over oil prices, at times asking (usually via Twitter) it to produce more oil and then telling the cartel to leave its production well alone. Iran joked last week that the U.S. wanted to join OPEC as it appeared keen to influence the meeting's outcome. The U.S. has become a dominant competitor in oil markets in its own right, however, and has taken a place among the world's largest oil producers, thanks to its shale oil revolution.

Non-playing member

On the day OPEC ministers sat down to talk in Vienna last Thursday, the IEA noted that an important piece of data was published, noting that "according to the (U.S.) Energy Information Administration, in the week to 30 November the U.S. was a net exporter of crude and products for the first time since at least 1991." In 2018 to date, U.S. net imports have averaged 3.1 million barrels a day (mb/d). Ten years ago, just ahead of the shale revolution, the figure was 11.1 mb/d., the IEA said. "As production grows inexorably, so will net imports decline and rising U.S. exports will provide competition in many markets, including to some of the countries meeting in Vienna last week." The IEA noted that while cooperation between Russia and Saudi Arabia is now "the basis of production management" with these two countries having a large capacity to swing output one way or the other, the U.S. is the third, "non-playing member" of what it called the Big Three. "The United States  is now the world's biggest crude oil producer (it) is also the world's biggest consumer and lower prices are welcome, although its producers will want to see them stay high enough to encourage further investment."

Time will tell
Virgin Galactic completed its longest rocket-powered flight ever on Thursday, taking a step ahead in the nascent business of space tourism.

The two pilots on board Virgin Galactic's spacecraft Unity became the company's first astronauts. Virgin Group founder Richard Branson was on hand to watch the historic moment.

"Many of you will know how important the dream of space travel is to me personally. Ever since I watched the moon landings as a child I have looked up to the skies with wonder," Branson said after the flight. "This is a momentous day and I could not be more proud of our teams who together have opened a new chapter of space exploration."

Tweet first video

Virgin Galactic said the test flight reached an altitude of 51.4 miles, or nearly 83 kilometers. The U.S. military and NASA consider pilots who have flown above 80 kilometers to be astronauts. The Federal Aviation Administration announced on Thursday that pilots Mark Stucky and C.J Sturckow would receive commercial astronaut wings at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. early next year.

Lifted by the jet-powered mothership Eve, the spacecraft Unity took off from the Mojave Air and Space Port in the California desert. Upon reaching an altitude above 40,000 feet, the carrier aircraft released Unity. The two-member crew then piloted the spacecraft in a roaring burn which lasted 60 seconds. The flight pushed Unity to a speed of Mach 2.9, nearly three times the speed of sound, as it screamed into a climb toward the edge of space.

After performing a slow backflip in microgravity, Unity turned and glided back to land at Mojave. This was the company's fourth rocket-powered flight of its test program.

@virgingalactic: SpaceShipTwo returns from space

Unity is the name of the spacecraft built by The Spaceship Company, which Branson also owns. This rocket design is officially known as SpaceShipTwo (SS2).

Unity also carried four NASA-funded payloads on this mission. The agency said the four technology experiments "will collect valuable data needed to mature the technologies for use on future missions."
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By Trend





The delegation of Azerbaijani entrepreneurs left for Saudi Arabia to establish cooperation, the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) told Trend on Dec. 13.

The Azerbaijani delegation includes 29 companies engaged in the production of building materials, textiles, canned products, juices, as well as travel agencies, etc., AZPROMO said. The negotiations will continue until December 14.

"In 2018, AZPROMO sent 10 delegations to various countries up till now," the message said.

According to the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee, trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia amounted to $15.476 million in January-October 2018, which is 5.7 percent more than in the same period of 2017.

During the reporting period, Azerbaijan exported products worth $727,000 to Saudi Arabia, while $14.749 million accounted for the import.
The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form
By Azertac





President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, president of the National Olympic Committee Ilham Aliyev has attended a ceremony dedicated to sporting results of 2018 at the National Olympic Committee.

The head of state made a speech at the ceremony.

Speech of President Ilham Aliyev

- Dear friends, year 2018 is coming to an end. Every year at a meeting with athletes, we discuss sporting results of the year and talk about plans for the future. 2018 was a very successful year for our country. Our country achieved great success in all areas, including the field of sports.

As you know, many dangerous processes were taking place in the world in 2018. It is possible to say that the international situation became even more aggravated. The bloody clashes, wars, protests and other events reflect the entire panorama of 2018.

In Azerbaijan, however, stability and security were ensured. Azerbaijan successfully goes its own way and meets all of its objectives. Of course, we monitor the processes occurring in the world and cannot remain indifferent to them because the developments unfolding in Europe, in our region and in the Middle East are causing concern.

As you know, very serious changes took place in Armenia this year. The regime of the criminal junta, which had illegally usurped power for 20 years, fell, and the Armenian people today confirm what we have been saying. The criminal and corrupt regime had exploited its people for 20 years, and the ignominious end of this regime is quite logical. I have to also say that our consistent and focused policy has played a role in the fall of the regime of the criminal junta. Our policy remains unchanged. As long as our lands are under occupation, we will use all the possibilities to keep Armenia in isolation, and we have achieved this.

The global energy and transport projects implemented on our initiative bypass Armenia. As a result of our policy, Armenia is experiencing a demographic crisis. People are leaving the country en masse. There is no basis for economic development. There is no foreign investment. Their access to international markets has become much more complicated. We have been able to prove in the international arena that we are the right side in the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In other words, all these and other factors, including, of course, our military might, have put Armenia in such a difficult position.

The liberation of parts of our occupied lands from invaders two years ago and the raising of the Azerbaijani flag on these lands were a crushing blow to the criminal regime. Since that time, the already precarious foundations of this country have become even more shaky and collapsed. In other words, these events happened next door to us. Of course, I think that there is a more favorable situation for the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict today. This is evidenced by many factors. First of all, it is evidenced by our growing strength, potential, economic, military and political power, international positions. We will continue to pursue a consistent policy in this direction.

At the same time, Azerbaijan is known worldwide as a country worthy of very great respect today. Our international authority is growing. I have repeatedly said this, and these are not just words. International organizations have adopted numerous decisions and resolutions reflecting our position on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In bilateral agreements, this issue reflects our position. The signing of a document on partnership priorities with the European Union was a very significant event. This document expresses support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and the inviolability of the borders of Azerbaijan. The NATO summit stressed a very important issue regarding our territorial integrity. Our position is always reflected in bilateral documents signed. This is what I mean by saying that our international authority is growing. At the same time, the Azerbaijani people are well aware that our position prevails even in the organizations Armenia is a member of and we are not, and this causes hysteria in Armenia.

A regular meeting of the top military leaders of Russia and NATO took place in Baku yesterday. This was not the first meeting. Prior to that, a meeting of the chiefs of the general staffs of the United States and Russia was held in Baku. Meetings of the military leaders of NATO and Russia are also regularly held in Azerbaijan. This is a very significant event. There are about 200 UN member-states in the world, but this meeting was held specifically in Azerbaijan. There are about 50 countries in Europe, but this meeting was specifically held in Azerbaijan. Why? There are several reasons for that. First of all, we enjoy trust. Azerbaijan is a very reliable partner, our words are complemented by our deeds, we fulfill all our promises and stand behind our words. On the other hand, there is respect for us. The policy we are pursuing today has earned us tremendous respect. Azerbaijan is treated with great sympathy. By pursuing an independent policy, we have been able to assert ourselves as an independent country in the true sense of the word. I believe that this is the second reason. The third reason is that we have close ties with both Russia and NATO. Our ties of strategic partnership with Russia are strengthening with every passing day. We work with NATO on the basis of numerous programs, provide great support and assistance to Afghanistan in the peacekeeping operation. Other factors have also played a role here. However, I want to once again draw the attention of the Azerbaijani public to this issue: this meeting was held specifically in Azerbaijan and it is of great importance for the world.

Azerbaijan is successfully meeting all its objectives in the economic sphere. Our economy is growing. Social issues are being addressed. Many important infrastructure projects were successfully implemented in 2018. Historic successes were achieved in the transport and oil and gas sectors. We have done it all ourselves. We have achieved it thanks to the great support of the Azerbaijani people.

Thus, if we sum up the results of the year, we can say that it has been a very successful year, including the field of sports. Our athletes make us feel happy every year. Our society has already got used to this. This year, our athletes have won about 800 medals in world, European and other international competitions, including 263 gold. This is a great result and a tremendous victory. I congratulate the athletes on this victory.

This is not just a sporting victory, however. Every grand victory enhances the patriotic spirit of our society, presents Azerbaijan in the world as a strong sporting nation and promotes its reputation. These victories encourage young people to do sports and enhance the popularity of sport. In other words, sporting victories, the successes of our athletes carry a great meaning. We are grateful for that. At the same time, I should note with a sense of deep satisfaction that the absolute majority of our athletes set an excellent example in life and in everyday life, an example of patriotism and dignity. Of course, respect for athletes in society is at a very high level. Children and teenagers want to be like our champions. And this is natural. I am sure that the athletes will continue to please us and our people.

A wonderful young generation is growing up. We are showing excellent results in international competitions among youth as well. We are achieving this success because our younger generation is growing up. At the Rio Olympics, we won 18 medals. These medals were won by young people who had participated in youth competitions five or six years earlier. For the number of medals, we finished in 14th place in Rio. This is a historic achievement. It will be very difficult to emulate this result. I should also note that preparations for the next summer Olympic Games will enter the crucial stage next year. Of course, we should train hard to represent our country at the Olympics properly.

You are aware of the great successes we have achieved in building the sports infrastructure. Forty-four Olympic sports centers have been built and are functioning in the regions alone. One center has been built this year and there are plans to build three Olympic sports centers next year. Thus, their number will reach 47.

Our country traditionally hosts major international sports competitions. Of course, we remember the European Games and the Games of Islamic Solidarity. This year, our country hosted world and European championships. For three years now, a Formula 1 event have been held in Baku, Azerbaijan. According to the general opinion and opinion of public organizations dealing with this issue, the Baku F1 events were the best both this and last year. This is also a wonderful event, because it shows that every decision we make is correct and produces excellent results.

As you know, the influx of tourists to our country continues. The number of tourists increased by 22 per cent in 2016, by 20 per cent in 2017 and by more than 6 per cent in 11 months of this year. It is true that growth compared to previous years is somewhat lower, but we must know that the basis is growing. In other words, it will be increasingly difficult to achieve high growth with every passing year. However, very serious work is being done in this direction. I can say that Formula 1 competitions held in the city center have played a special role in attracting tourists.

Azerbaijans successes in the field of sports are being acknowledged by international sports organizations. Both the International Olympic Committee and the European Olympic Committee appreciate our activities. Next year, the European Youth Olympic Festival will be held in Baku. This is a type of European youth games. We are very serious about preparations for this competition. The experience we have accumulated suggests that these competitions will be held at a high level.

Next year, for the first time in history, the Europa League Final will be held in Baku. It was not at all easy to win the right to host this match in Baku. Many cities were in competition. The overall development of our country, the existing infrastructure, sports facilities, the wonderful Olympic Stadium, excellent hotels, security, the hospitality of our people and other factors have played a role in the adoption of this decision.

In other words, we are confidently moving forward. Sport is an integral part of our society. Athletes are always valued highly and enjoy attention. As president of the National Olympic Committee of Azerbaijan for 21 years, I have always tried to show attention and care for the athletes, address their problems and create conditions for their excellent performance. Of course, every result and every success must be properly evaluated. We traditionally present athletes with state awards, cash bonuses and apartments at the end of the year. These awards are also being presented this year. This includes 25 apartments that will be provided to our prominent sports representatives.

Once again, I congratulate Azerbaijani athletes on their success. Dear athletes, I wish you continued victories and success. Thank you!

***

The event then featured an awards ceremony on 2018 sporting results.












Employment growth in Singapore more than doubled in 2018Q3: Labour report

Singapore's labour market showed further signs of improvement in the third quarter of 2018, with more than doubling of total employment growth and lower retrenchments.

While resident and citizen unemployment rates held steady over the quarter, resident long-term unemployment rate has declined, Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said a press release on December 13.

The ratio of job vacancies to unemployed persons dipped, suggesting some easing in the tightening of the labour market. Nonetheless, there continues to be more vacancies than job seekers for the third consecutive quarter.

Photo: Connected to India

Total employment  excluding Foreign Domestic Workers (FDW)  grew by 16,7001 in 3Q 2018, compared with growth of 6,500 in the previous quarter. In the same quarter, fewer workers (2,860) were retrenched compared to the previous quarter (3,030) and a year ago (3,400).

MOM predicted that going forward, hiring momentum may moderate against a backdrop of external trade tensions and slowing growth in Singapores key final demand markets.

However, job opportunities continue to be available in sectors such as Information & Communications, Financial & Insurance Services, Healthcare, Professional Services, Wholesale Trade, and Built Environment.
Jonathan Clark was a Fellow of Peterhouse; at Oxford, he was a Fellow of All Souls College; latterly he has been Visiting Professor at the Committee on Social Thought at Chicago, and Hall Distinguished Professor of British History at the University of Kansas. His latest book is a study of Thomas Paine.

The British have, typically, little interest in constitutional law. Unlike the French, who regularly rewrite their constitution in revolutions or attempts to prevent revolutions, the British tend to assume that little changes and that all is well. Alas, the constitutional problems accumulate nevertheless. Dominic Grieve was right in a recent Commons debate to say that there are areas of the British constitution that need clearer definition. But what exactly are they? Why is the Brexit question so difficult to resolve through the familiar Westminster machinery?

The big issues of constitutional conflict are so fraught because they happen in legal grey areas, in which agreement and definition have never emerged. Today there are two such major areas, though many minor ones.

The first is the question of sovereignty: where does ultimate authority reside? It is many centuries since any significant number of people claimed that it resided with the person of the monarch alone. But the decline of that image was followed by the growing popularity of another, the Crown in Parliament, that is, the monarch, the Lords and the Commons acting together. This image never went away, but was upstaged by the doctrine of the lawyer A. V. Dicey (1835-1922) that Parliament (meaning, increasingly, the House of Commons) was sovereign. Yet from the Reform Bill of 1832 into the 20th century, successive rounds of franchise extension strengthened another old idea, that the ultimate authority lay with the People, however defined.

From 1973, when the UK joined the EEC, it slowly became evident that the answer was none of the above: ultimate authority lay with Brussels. Parliament rubber-stamped increasing amounts of secondary legislation from an evolving super-state. In 2019, departure from the EU would remove that layer of command. This prospect inevitably reopens an old debate, which had never really been settled: was Parliament or the People finally supreme? Its re-emergence reminds us that Diceys doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty was the opinion of one commentator only. That opinion partly corresponded to contemporary practice, partly not.

Today, the tide is everywhere running in the opposite direction. Deference and duty daily fade; the key word everywhere is choice, and this means the choices of the many, not just the few. The transformation of communications places steadily more power in the hands of a steadily more educated, better informed People. But this trend has been matched by another, seen across the West in recent decades and at all levels: in increasingly complex societies, the executive has everywhere grown more powerful vis-a-vis the legislature. Political scientists have largely ignored this tide, but it has swept forwards nevertheless. It means that two powerful social forces now collide. Across western democracies, ordinary people find means of complaining that they are ignored by elites who just dont get it; elites decry populism and exalt the opinion of experts, expressed to within one decimal point in forecasts of outcomes 15 years hence.

This collision reopens a second, equally old, question. What is a Member of Parliament: a delegate, or a representative? Edmund Burke famously outlined the case for the second: MPs, once elected, represent the nation as a whole; they owe the nation their best judgment; they are in nobodys pocket. But another idea is just as old, and equally honourable: MPs are sent to Westminster by their electors to redress the electors grievances, and are accountable to them. Against Burke, we can set another intellectual, Andrew Marvell, MP for Hull in 1659-78, who was paid by his constituents and regularly reported back to them. Understandably, Burkes high-sounding doctrine proved the more popular among MPs. But after he framed it, his constituents in Bristol threw him out for favouring Irish commercial interests over theirs, and he represented thereafter only his patrons pocket borough.

Both ideas in their pure form are unacceptable. But how the balance between the two is to be struck can never be quantified or defined, and a crisis like the present makes the impossibility of a definition clear. The People voted by 52 to 48 for Leave, and a larger percentage now says just get on with it; but about five-sixths of the House of Commons are for Remain.

Among Conservative MPs, something under 100 are evidently for Leave; of the other 200 or so, over half are on the Government payroll in one capacity or another, and more would like to be. So profound a dissociation between elite and popular opinion is rare. Worse still, public opinion polls and the growing practice of referenda quantify the problem as never before; the issue is easily expressed in binary terms (Leave or Remain); and the arguments have been fully rehearsed. Other countries show similar problems of relations between the many and the few, but in the UK these are brought to a focus. Since the constitution has failed to resolve them, public debate is full of expressions of elite contempt for the ignorant, prejudiced, xenophobic, racialist populace on the one hand; of popular contempt for the self-serving, condescending, out-of-touch Establishment on the other.

Before 1914, Conservative peers making technical points over a budget were manoeuvred by Lloyd George into a constitutional confrontation that could be memorably summed up as Peers versus the People. In this clash, the peers could only lose. Now, the Remainers have been manoeuvred into a constitutional confrontation that, if it goes much further, will be labelled Parliament versus the People. In such a conflict it can only be Parliament that will lose. In that event, the damage would be considerable.

These great questions of constitutional definition are seldom solved; rather, the issues are defused by building next to them a new practice. The present challenge is to accommodate that new arrival in the political arena, the referendum, and to turn it into a clearly specified, moderate, and constructive institution, as it is in Switzerland. Those concerned about daily policy should think again about a subject, once salient in university History departments but now everywhere disparaged: constitutional history.
The editors of this site spare no effort on our readers behalf.

Why, we have even offered you exact figures from todays confidence ballot. 200 votes for Theresa May and 117 against her, we wrote this afternoon, would be a Problematic Win: once the opposition to May climbs above a third of the electorate, it becomes harder to assert legitimacy.

So it has proved. A third of the 317 Conservative MPs is 106. So 117 is a bit north of that  37 per cent, close on two of them in five. Furthermore, one must take the payroll vote into account. Either 62 per cent of the non-payroll voted against her, an indisputable majority. Or one must let that percentage fallbut raise the proportion of the payroll that opposed her, pari passu.

All in all, this result isnt bad enough to spur her Cabinet into removing her, as Margaret Thatchers did to the then Prime Minister in 1990 (Were its members less timid and had the Tories a majority, matters might be different, especially were the Government not embroiled in the most important negotiation of modern times.)

But nor is it good enough to free Theresa May from the ERG, their allies and the DUP  or from the Conservative Norwegians and second referendum campaigners, for that matter. And since her vote is a bit lower than expected and the opposition a bit higher, the ERG whips can take a modest bow. Having apparently predicted the result to within three votes, they have salvaged their reputation for numeracy.

The ERG claims 80 members  a total about which weve always been a bit sniffy. But the lower the number really is, the more support theyve put on today  in the wake of a rushed ballot, the timing of which caught the group on the hop; of a co-ordinated Twitter blitz on the Prime Ministers behalf, and of a carefully-crafted appearance by her outside Downing Street, in which she pushed claims about the contest that were, shall we say, debatable.

You will say reply May scooped 63 per cent of the vote, and that her leadership cant now be challenged for a year. Quite so. However, those facts simply open up a new range of problems. She will have wanted to win by a margin large enough to justify bringing her Brexit deal back to the Commons. It is very hard to see how this drab result can be treated as a springboard to that effect.

But if it cant be used to threaten the Commons with No Deal (as in: my deal or no deal), it can scarcely be used to threaten the Commons with no Brexit either (my deal or no Brexit). These numbers dont give her a platform solid enough on which to pivot to postponing Article 50, or a Second Referendum, or Norway Plus.

The Queen is the most powerful piece on the chess board. And the Prime Minister is the most powerful member of the Government, usual rules permitting. May retains the title, but cannot move except by putting her side into check. Her internal opponents cant no confidence her for the next twelve months. But she cant win votes or get legislation through without their help.

Across the board this evening, she and the pawns and knights of the ERG glower and frown at each other. We have stalemate.

And all the while, Labour watch and wait for the day when they can take on the Queen and her allies themselves  if shes still in place then.
When the new iPhone 12 hits the streets on October 23, it will be met with a throng of consumers wanting to take one home.

According to WalletHubs new 2020 iPhone Survey, 44 percent more Americans are planning to buy a new iPhone compared to 2019 -- and 73 percent more think the new iPhone is worth going into debt for.

Finding the perfect plan for each and every consumers pocketbook can be a maddening experience. But the personal finance website found that consumers who spend a little time researching all the plan variations can actually save $933 (or $2,280 over two years), simply by picking the right one.

The best plans

Using its own cell phone calculator, WalletHub did a fair amount of number crunching on what special plans and bonuses providers are dangling in front of a consumer. Here are two of the more impressive differentiators:

The best way to get the new iPhone : WalletHub found that the no-contract individual plan from Visible is the best way to get the new iPhone, beating plans from all three major carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile/Sprint, Verizon).

Bonus savings: For even more savings, WalletHubs advice is to keep your old phone. Individuals can save up to $1,690 and families can save up to $2,663.

Words of caution

WalletHub asked technology watchers about some of the pitfalls that consumers should take into consideration when buying a new phone. Here are two that ConsumerAffairs found to be particularly interesting:

How much cheaper must a 2-year agreement be for a cell phone user to sacrifice the flexibility of not having a contract?

With a 2-year plan, the consumer loses flexibility, for example, in terms of cell phone service plans. The contract may dictate a plan which they wouldn't otherwise choose, said Qihong Liu, Ph.D., a professor of Economics at the University of Oklahoma.

Liu went on to say that the benefits will likely vary from consumer to consumer.

Some choose the contract because they get to have the latest phone without paying the whole cost right away. Others like the contract because it is cheaper, Liu said.

To what extent does the secondary market for cell phones (e.g. eBay) alter the price comparison for no-contract plans?

When that question was put to Hemant Bhargava, Ph.D., a professor of Technology Management at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, he had this to say: Contract plans that provide (or force) a smartphone usually have a price premium to cover the sellers risk of giving you the phone upfront. So, youre better off if you can bring your own phone - even if you buy from a secondary source like eBay.

Rather than worrying about the authenticity and quality of the phone, Bhargava suggests that consumers look for a reliable seller with a high rating history and good reputation.

Alternately, there are very high-quality budget phones that cost the same as a used flagship phone and will be just fine for most buyers, he concluded.
The UAE National Pavilion is participating in the International Defence Exhibition 2018 (Edex 2018), taking place in Cairo, Egypt from December 3 to 5, a media report said.



The participating delegation under the UAE National Pavilion included officials and members from Tawazun Economic Council and the Emirates Defence Companies Council (EDCC), reported Emirates news agency Wam.



Sultan Abdullah Al Samahi, acting general manager of the Emirates Defence Companies Council stated that the nation-wide participation from the UAE Pavilion reflects the deep and fraternal relations between the UAE and Egypt, under the wise leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt.



Al Samahi explained that Edex 2018 represents a substantial opportunity for national defence companies to promote their products and services that have become comparable to their international counterparts in terms of quality and prices. Al Samahi additionally stated Tawazun goal of enabling the development of the industrial defence and security sector which in turn, contributes to the development of a suitable economy for the United Arab Emirates.



The National Pavilion of the United Arab Emirates welcomed 17 UAE-based companies specialising in the defence and technology industries, defence and security.



The national companies include: ADASI, one of the UAE's leading companies in the field of unmanned systems Barij Munitions, Barij Dynamics, Advanced Pyrotechnics (ATP), AMROC, Abu Dhabi Aviation, Maximus Aviation, Emirates Advanced Research & Technology Holding (EARTH), Calidus, Al Fattan Ship Industry, Siham Alkhaleej Technologies, International Golden Group (IGG), Rabdan Academy, Tawazun Industrial Park (TIP), National Shield Magazine, International Golden Group (IGG), Al Rumaithi Corporation, Ramah International Group and other national companies.



The Emirates Defence Companies Council is a notable initiative established by Tawazun Economic Council in support of their strategic partners, the Ministry of Defence and the GHQ of the UAE Armed Forces.



The EDCC aims to provide national defence companies an appropriate environment to develop their products and capabilities to an international standard which effectively contributes to the development of the industrial sector and the diversification of the UAEs economy.
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At the origin of the Internet links were basically a signal of "likes". In a way, so likes, tweets and shares have now the natural explicit meaning of links. CoolSocial is an analyzer you can use to improve your site social media impact. You can also check for your competitors.
CORNWALL, Ontario  Taylor Bergeron, 28, of Cornwall was arrested on Dec. 5, 2018 and charged with the following:

Assault with a weapon

Robbery

Unauthorized possession of a weapon

Administer noxious substance

Breach of prohibition order

Intimidation of a justice system participant

It is alleged on Sept. 5, 2018, Taylor Bergeron attended a Montreal Rd. business where he demanded money from a clerk and assaulted her using bear spray. Police were contacted and an investigation ensued. On Dec. 5, 2018, a member of the Cornwall Police Service attended the Cornwall Courthouse as the man was in custody on an unrelated matter (see media release for Dec. 5, 2018). It is alleged during the court proceeding, the man caused a disturbance. He was charged accordingly and remained in custody.
Saudi Arabia-based Advanced Electronics Company (AEC), a Saudi Economic Offset Program Company, has signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with Honeywell for collaborating on business development activities for smart and connected buildings, smart cities and critical infrastructure protection (CIP) in the kingdom.



The MoA was signed during the ongoing Saudi Arabian Smart Grid Conference (SASG 2018), being held at The Ritz Carlton, Jeddah.



Under this agreement, AEC and Honeywell will be working to develop long-term, strategic co-operation plans to jointly develop new business opportunities that will enable smart buildings and cities in Saudi Arabia, said a statement from the company.



This will support the goals and objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, which has placed significant emphasis on sustainable development and economic diversification, it said.



Engineer Majed Al Refae, vice president of energy, AEC, said: This agreement reaffirms and demonstrates yet another example of the high quality of work performed by our employees, the majority of whom are Saudis.



By working with technology leaders like Honeywell, AEC can expand its manufacturing and technology base and provide more meaningful employment opportunities to qualified Saudis, he said.



Meziane Ghaoui, regional general manager, Honeywell Building Solutions, Saudi Arabia, said: We are proud to strengthen our partnership with AEC, which is an important step forward in supporting the development of smart buildings and cities in Saudi Arabia.



This MoA will support the objectives of the countrys long-term vision of creating greater energy efficiency and sustainability, he added.



AEC is the leading company in the region capable of providing sophisticated systems exceeding the most demanding standards.



AEC is involved in a number of important national defence, telecom and industrial and energy projects. Currently more than 78 per cent of AEC employees are Saudi nationals working in a variety of challenging technical and professional positions. AEC Charter includes the full value chain of services for advanced Electronic Products and Systems for a variety of customers.



Honeywell has been operating in Saudi Arabia for more than 50 years. Headquartered in Riyadh, the company has offices across the kingdom that supply cutting-edge technology to key industries, it stated.  TradeArabia News Service
The Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism has approved a recommendation presented by Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) on the utilisation of the Arab tourism data and statistics.

The council invited the technical committee to discuss the implementation of the solutions mentioned, a BTEA statement said.

BTEA chief executive officer Shaikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa headed Bahrains delegation at the 21st session of the council, which took place at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport Headquarters in Alexandria, Egypt.

The meeting discussed 13 topics relating to land, maritime and air transport including the preparation for the joint meeting between ministers of tourism and culture in the region which aims to build effective partnerships among Arab countries in the field of cultural tourism.

The meeting also discussed the possibility of increasing the aid granted to the occupied State of Palestine, moreover dedicating a share of its programs for the implementation of rescue and development projects aimed at mitigating the aftermath of the Israeli attacks, rebuilding the stricken areas and providing support to overcome the financial crisis.

The heads of delegations also reviewed the latest tourism data and statistics with the aim of reinforcing the Arab Tourism and Sustainable Development Strategy 2030 in the field of tourism within the region and enhancing the quality of services provided by travel and tourism agencies.  TradeArabia News Service
The 2018 worst password fails, by that Dashlane means worst offenders this year, are:

1. Kanye West for unlocking his iPhone on TV in the White House with 000000.

2. The Pentagon for protecting weapon systems with default passwords, as well have having such pitiful admin passwords that the GAO audit team could guess them in nine seconds.

3. Cryptocurrency owners for failing to remember their passwords to their digital wallets in order to cash out while cryptocurrencies were at record-level highs.

4. Nutella for telling Twitter followers to use Nutella as a password  advice sent out on World Password Day.

5. U.K. law firms, 500 of them, for their 1 million corporate email and password combinations, stored in plaintext, which were discovered by researchers on the dark web.

6. The state of Texas for exposing over 14 million voter records thanks to a server that didn't have password protection.

7. White House staff for a member writing down his email login and password and then leaving the White House stationery document at a Washington, D.C., bus stop.

8. Google for leaving a Google admin page with a blank username and password combo, allowing an engineering student to get access to a TV broadcast satellite.

9. The United Nations for its staff failing to password-protect collaboration projects using Trello, Jira, and Google Docs. Anyone with the right link could access secret plans, international communications and plaintext passwords.

10. University of Cambridge for leaving a password in plaintext on GitHub, allowing anyone to access the data of millions of people  data that had been extracted from the Facebook quiz app myPersonality.

Other cybersecurity news:

December 2018 Patch Tuesday

Microsoft fixed 39 vulnerabilities, nine of which are rated critical, and a zero-day being exploited in the wild. The zero-day elevation-of-privilege (EoP) flaw is in the Windows kernel. Microsoft also patched another publicly disclosed vulnerability in .Net Framework which could allow denial of service in .Net Framework web apps. Out of nine browser and scripting engine flaws that were patched, six can be exploited via browsers, making them a priority according to Qualys.

It may not be surprising that PowerPoint had a remote code execution vulnerability, but is a bit odd to see a remote code execution flaw in Microsofts text-to-speech.

The Adobe Flash zero-day fix, which got an out-of-band fix by Adobe last week, was part of the patches rolled out by Microsoft. In all, Adobe patched 87 vulnerabilities, six rated as critical and three rated as important.

Update security by Check for Updates makes you a tester of unstable Windows 10 updates

As for the Windows 10 October Update that Microsoft yanked and then re-released, you may still want to hold off, as various other issues keep popping up even after Microsoft fixed the problem with the update eating users files.

Microsoft reportedly admitted that Windows users who click on the Check for Updates button will be put in the seeker category and be given C and D non-security preview updates for which the users will act in a tester category for those unstable updates. In Microsofts words:

We also release optional updates in the third and fourth weeks of the month, respectively known as C and D releases. These are preview releases, primarily for commercial customers and advanced users seeking updates. These updates have only non-security fixes. The intent of these releases is to provide visibility into, and enable testing of, the non-security fixes that will be included in the next Update Tuesday release. Advanced users can access the C and D releases by navigating to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and clicking the Check for updates box. The D release has proven popular for those seeking to validate the non-security content of the next B release.

Update to Notepad in the newest, albeit boring, Windows Insider build 18298

One of the biggest updates coming out in the newest Windows Insider build, which was a Fast, not Slow ring release, is for Notepad. The Register kindly warned users not to get too excited about the 18298 build, as it is about as exciting as new socks.

New nation-state campaign targeting critical infrastructure has ties to Lazarus Group

The McAfee Advanced Threat Research team revealed a new nation-state campaign dubbed Operation Sharpshooter that has targeted 87 organizations in government, defense, nuclear, energy, and financial sectors. It is interesting to note that Operation Sharpshooter has numerous technical links to the Lazarus Group. The Rising Sun implant being used in this campaign uses source code from the Lazarus Groups 2015 backdoor Trojan Duuzer in a new framework to infiltrate these key industries.
NEW BRITAIN  State utility regulators have given final approval to a settlement agreement reached in September by the Connecticut Office of Consumer Counsel and Eversource Energys Yankee Gas division.

Wednesdays approval of the agreement by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority comes two weeks after commissioners with the state agency tentatively approved the settlement, which was announced Sept. 5. Under the terms of the settlement, next years distribution rate increase will be just 0.3 percent, followed by a 2.9 percent hike the following year and 2.3 percent in the final year.

Officials with Eversource Energy and the Office of Consumer Counsel provided differing information on what the settlement agreement will do to customers monthly bills.

Rich Sobolewski, supervisor of OCCs Technical Analysis unit, said a Yankee Gas customer who uses 100 cubic feet of the fuel each month will see their bill increase by 84 cents from $143.02 to $143.86. Starting Jan. 1 2020, that same customer would see a $4.85 increase to $148.71

In the third year, that customer would see their bill increase by $3.61 cents per month to $152.32.

Eversource officials say customers bill would increase by $1.87 per month in the first full year, with increases in the second and third years to be determined. Mitch Gross, an Eversource spokesman, said he could not explain why the companys calculations on the rate increase and those from OCC were different.

The settlement agreement, according to PURA Commissioner Michael Caron, strikes a delicate balance between guaranteeing the continued safety of Yankee Gas natural gas distribution network and keeping in mind what it will cost ratepayers.

No one likes higher rates, Caron said in a statement. But we also want to ensure that the integrity of the gas distribution system is maintained, that it is well managed, that older pipes are being replaced and that rates are reasonable.

PURA commissioners reached their decision after holding a pair of hearings to get comments from the public. There were 53 people at the two hearings .

Among key provisions of the settlement agreement are:

Customers will receive credits for the full tax savings the company got from the Federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Those credits are retroactive to Jan. 1 of this year.

Maintaining the program for replacing all of the Yankee Gas leak-prone cast iron pipes within 11 years.

Implementing a fee-free program for credit or debit card payments.

The company serves approximately 232,000 gas customers in 73 communities in its Connecticut service territory.

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com
Dollar, one of the fastest growing car rental companies in the region, has announced the opening of a new branch at Dubai International Airport Terminal 1.



The new counter features seating area for passengers, a new concept introduced to other counters currently found inside Terminal 1. The new concept will provide a relaxing and comfortable atmosphere to a significant number of arriving and departing passengers who are waiting for their rented cars or those returning the vehicles.



Marwan Al Mulla, general manager of Dollars UAE and Oman branches, said: The demand on car rental at the Dubai International Airport has significantly increased especially that we are in the tourism and festive seasons. Our short-term goal by opening a new counter at Terminal 1 is to attend to this demand while our long-term goal is to enhance the experience of our customers, ensuring comfort, convenience and personalised service. Car rental counters at the airport are one of the first destinations that visitors encounter when they enter UAE, so we have to offer them the best car renting experience by offering innovative solutions and quick response.



Dollar covers UAE with branches in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Al Ain and Sharjah. Dubai alone has 16 branches, three of them serving round the clock at Dubai International Airport Terminals 1,2 and 3. - TradeArabia News Service


WASHINGTON  Connecticut Gov.-elect Ned Lamont declined an invitation tendered to all the nations new governors to meet with President Donald Trump Thursday to discuss how the federal government could help their states.

Thirteen governors-elect, both Democrats and Republicans, attended the roundtable, including Democrat J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, Republican Kristi Noem of South Dakota and Democrat Tony Evers of Wisconsin.
By Mariya Salim for TwoCircles.net

What happens when a young Muslim Woman Human Rights Defender questions the structural issues that are plaguing the development sector that she is a part of? She is forced to return to her ghetto, unable to pay her bills after struggling for ten years to come out of the same.

It has been three months since I publicly wrote about the discrimination and human rights violations at Amnesty International India, only partly exposing the system. Each day of these three months has taught me something new, even as it takes a lot of energy from me while giving me humbling experiences. There have been efforts to vilify me but at the same time there have been voices that have stood up for and by me, and many others who have been anonymous well wishers. But have I been able to do what I set out to do, putting my career and my livelihood at risk? Have those in the system questioned their privilege and taken a stand against the injustice, the discrimination and the hollowness of mere words and tweets as opposed to actions on human rights violations?

Support TwoCircles



Radhika Vemula, the mother of late Rohith Vemula withdrew her support from Amnesty in light of the discrimination against Muslims and Dalits and their causes at Amnesty India. Did they reach out to her directly and apologise to her for disappointing her? No. Chandrashekhar Azad, Bahujan leader and founder of Bhim Army for whom Amnesty was running a campaign (given the huge following he has and Amnesty Indians target to collect as many phone numbers as possible as part of its number targets) withdrew support and asked Amnesty to stop campaigning for him for their personal targets. He chose to be on the side of the oppressed and asked Amnesty openly in his withdrawal message the percentage of Muslims and Dalits in the higher ranks, when Amnesty Campaigners proudly shared overall diversity numbers with him.

Is it not true that the enquiry committee that Amnesty is talking about setting up to look into the discrimination complaints has past and present Amnesty Board Members? I am aware that nearly 33 organisations have written to the international office asking for an enquiry into the allegations raised, constituted of members who have nothing to do with Amnesty instead. This is the same as that, the person against whom the allegations have been raised are deciding their own case, he asked when he wrote to the organisation. He also demanded that till an external committee is set up by the organisation with a member from the Bhim Army to look into the allegations raised, being made part of it, and appropriate action taken against the cast-iest management, he withdraws his support from the organisation.

A Dalit cartoonist made a series of cartoons on the management, based on my article. My ex-junior colleagues from Amnesty messaged me, who are part of the fundraising team, and told me that they are all rooting for me but are not courageous enough to say it in the open.

I wrote a follow up mail to Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General of Amnesty International, appealing to his conscience, knowing how active he has been in movements, telling him details about how the management heads have used unparliamentary language in their daily interactions with the staff. Words like fucking appalling were used in emails while sharing an article on RTI activists being detained, and a late night inappropriate phone call was made by a member of the top management to a celebrated female journalist when she was unable to compere a report release. Or for that matter an intimidating phone call made to me by the programs director when I questioned due process in selection of friends for international conferences, and their impunity never questioned.

He wrote back to me, but did he act like he expects governments of the world to act when he writes to them addressing injustice? May be he should answer that question for me.

Over thirty concerned civil society organisations and activists from across the country wrote to Kumi Naidoo, demanding the following among others:

The international Secretariat should establish an external enquiry independent of AII board and management, into the allegations of discrimination raised. The inquiry should undertake a review of salary scales and promotion assessment criteria and processes, and note, if any, reasons for absence of Dalits and Muslims at higher grade scales and in senior leadership position as well the high attrition rate of such staff. Transparency on partnership: AII needs to officially make public, their policy on campaign membership/numbers. ..organisations that amnesty partners with need to be told that one of their mandates is to get more phone numbers and email addresses as representative of getting more members on board. AII is also using campaigns such as its ready to report campaign to raise funds. This campaign was closed in 2017 however is still used by fund raising teams to mobilise funds. This unethical use of womens rights work to raise funds needs to be addressed and immediately stopped.

The result? I received an email from the Amnesty India board informing me of a committee being set up, members of which despite my request and the demand above, constituted of present and past Amnesty India Board among others. Why does that affect me? Because three weeks back one of those who withdrew support from Amnesty India called me and told me how he was approached by a staff member of one of the AI board members organisation, acting as a liaison and asking him to mend relations with amnesty because Mariya is not even a Dalit among other arguments. I wrote to the board saying I refuse to be part of any enquiry committee which has members associated with Amnesty India, in the interest of a fair process. Am I wrong in doing this?

How are those who support me from within the organisation paying the price? Well, under the garb of downsizing, the only Dalit woman at Amnesty programs team, my PhD friend Ashwini KP, who has been part of my struggle throughout, has been asked to resign because the organisation has a fund crunch. Others with much less experience and academic qualification, retained. I wrote to the organisation last week, as a media request, the justification for throwing Ashwini out and retaining others , the reply I received read: For reasons of privacy and confidentiality, we do not publicly share information related to employment decisions about specific staff members. Both Ashwini, who had raised a caste-based discrimination complaint against the programs director at Amnesty India, and I, know that raising questions has its consequences. December will be her last working month, if not January. My young Savarna feminist colleagues, who toe the line of the management and have been retained by it, are busy posting videos on Facebook about how human rights are Universal and they hate the word selective while my comments on these videos questioning their privilege have been deleted by the organisation, which otherwise fights governments on the right of activists and others to dissent.

At a staff meeting held to discuss my allegations the Executive Director told a room full of staff that my Blog was not to be taken too seriously because he hardly had any media house running after him, calling him names. I want to tell him, that, that did not happen because I repeatedly refused to give bytes and comments to a number of media houses with humongous TRPs happy to rip amnesty apart. My intention was, and still, remains to question and change how many international NGOs function in the country today because they are plagued by upper-caste , BMW-owning entitled men like him who refuse to acknowledge and address the discrimination they perpetuate by surrounding themselves with their likes and taking the mic and the platform away from those they supposedly represent. The ED raid at Amnesty and the freezing of funds is condemnable, but so is their using this as an opportunity to get rid of those staff like Ashwini who do not shy away from questioning privilege and discrimination within the organisation. The top management may have taken pay cuts or decided to work without any for a while, but they must also remember that their salaries for years have been ten or perhaps twenty times more that the Dalit women who have been cleaning after them at the organisation. Women who continue wearing uniforms so that one can easily identify that they are housekeeping staff, at an organisation which claims to work towards ending discrimination.

On Human Rights day this year, while I was taking photos of my home appliances that I will need to sell before I move back to Calcutta, to my family home in Zakaria street, my ghetto and a food haven for the elite who take heritage walks around here, all I hoped was that I have been able to make some people uncomfortable and question the privilege that they enjoy. I hope I have been able to at least make an inroad into questioning those for whom Human Rights is more about funding than about those under whose names these funds are raised.

The author is a researcher and Womens rights activist. She was a senior campaigner at Amnesty India and resigned from the organisation because of workplace harassment and discrimination in September this year.
In a new lawsuit, the NCUA claimed U.S. Bank and Bank of America unlawfully withdrew money from residential mortgage-backed securities trust funds to pay for their legal costs from court cases following the subprime mortgage debacle that triggered the 2008 financial crisis and led to the demise of several corporate credit unions.

The NCUA filed a 68-page lawsuit and 15 supporting documents on Dec. 5 in U.S. District Court in New York City, which is seeking a court order that would force the banks to pay back all of the investment funds from the trusts that held billions in the subprime residential mortgage-back securities, RMBS. The banks allegedly used these RMBS funds to pay for their legal costs from other investor lawsuits that claimed U.S. Bank and BOA allegedly failed in their duties in managing the RMBS investments. And because the banks allegedly did not fulfill their contractual obligations, the NCUA argued that U.S. Bank and BOA were not entitled to withdraw funds from the trust funds to pay their legal fees.

The corporate credit unions - U.S. Central Federal Credit Union, Western Corporate Federal Credit Union, Members United Corporate Federal Credit Union, Southwest Corporate Credit Union and other investors - invested $4.8 billion in the RMBS. The NCUA is the designated liquidating agent of the corporate credit unions.
New businesses, opportunities arising in Confluence because of the GAP

news
Uprooted Palestinians are at the heart of the conflict in the M.E Palestinians uprooted by force of arms. Yet faced immense difficulties have survived, kept alive their history and culture, passed keys of family homes in occupied Palestine from one generation to the next.
Recently, I went to Mumbai, to take part in the literary festival there. Like most authors, I am happy to travel any distance on the off-chance of a ripple of applause.

Another author, far more prominent than I, was disappointed by the scattering of people who had turned out to hear him interviewed.

There are a billion people in India, he said. Youd have thought a million of them would have shown up by mistake.

By contrast, I had a pretty good turn-out, and everyone laughed in the right places. Small wonder, then, that I was feeling rather cocky as they led me outside for a book-signing.

I sat behind a desk, pen at the ready, but no one came forward with a book for me to sign. I did my best not to look deflated. I am, after all, quite used to the pitfalls of the personal appearance.

A few years ago, I was booked to give an hour-long talk at Waterstones in Ipswich. I arrived in good time, and was led to an area with lots of chairs laid out in rows.

Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) building in Mumbai, India

At the time my talk was due to begin, the audience numbered exactly one  an elderly lady, who had chosen to sit close to the back.

The traffics very busy tonight, said the organiser, sympathetically. We might just give it another few minutes. We gave it five, ten, 15 minutes, but no one else showed up.

Eventually, I went up to my elderly fan at the back and said I hoped she wouldnt mind if I crept away. It turned out that she did mind  she wanted me to deliver my hour-long talk on a one-to-one basis  but I made my apologies and left.

Most authors have a story of signing books alongside someone more popular. In his marvellous diaries, the playwright Simon Gray recalls sitting next to the novelist David Lodge at a book-signing in Toronto.

No one was queuing for Grays autograph, whereas Lodge had a queue that seemed to stretch right out of the lobby on to the pavement, and beyond that possibly all the way to the airport, where planes containing David Lodge fans were even now stacking . . . The literary life promises adulation but, more often than not, delivers humiliation.

The late William Trevor, probably the greatest short story writer of his day, was once booked to give a public reading at a village hall in Devon.

Though it was an hour away, he treated himself to a taxi. An amiable, inquisitive man, he chatted to the taxi driver while they made their way there.

When he arrived, the village hall was empty, with no one there at all. The taxi driver said that he would be very happy to listen to one of Trevors stories, if hed like to read one.

Appreciating this friendly gesture, Trevor sat in the village hall and read his taxi driver one of his beautiful short stories. Only when William Trevor returned to the taxi did he realise that, throughout the reading, the driver had kept his meter ticking.

Back to Mumbai. After a few minutes, I told the organisers that we might as well call it a day, as there was clearly no one who needed a book signed.

But at that very moment, a young man came up and handed me a thin, shiny book, which I took to be an autograph album, open on its first blank page.

Would you mind signing this? he said.

Not at all, I said, and merrily scrawled my name over it.

He said: Thank you so much. Then he showed me the books cover. It turned out to be a childrens book called In The Spring by Craig Brown.

I took a closer look. The duck had ducklings, the cat had kittens, read a passage.

I have a poor memory for my own writing, but this didnt ring a bell. I told the young man that it must have been written by someone else, also called Craig Brown. I apologised for having messed up his book with a faulty autograph.

Oddly enough, it didnt seem to bother him. It seems that, for the dedicated autograph-hunter, one Craig Brown is much the same as any other.
Brexit ultra

Jacob Rees-Mogg

With his double-breasted pinstripe suits and impeccable manners, the 49-year-old has been ridiculed as the honourable member for the 18th century.

Chairman of the European Research Group, a cabal of ultra-Brexiteer Tories who have botched their attempts to unseat Mrs May. And his increasingly personal attacks on her have damaged his standing among fellow Tory MPs and activists.

The son of a former editor of The Times, he divides his time with his wife and their six children between a 4.5 million house in Westminster and a 400-year-old mansion at the foot of the Mendip Hills.

He used to top polls of party activists when they were asked who they wanted as next Tory leader. But his recent disloyalty to Mrs May has seen his ratings plummet.

Always says he doesnt want the top job  which is just as well. After Mays comfortable victory, theres now more chance of Tony Blair coming back as Labour leader than Rees-Mogg assuming the Tory crown.

Brexiteers who stalked out

Dominic Raab

Cerebral lawyer whos the son of a Czech-born Jewish father who came to Britain in 1938 aged six as a refugee from the Nazis.

Appointed Brexit Secretary after fellow Brexiteer David Davis walked out  but quit himself last month.

I cannot support an indefinite backstop arrangement, where the EU holds a veto over our ability to exit, he said. Ubiquitous on TV and radio, but not everyone is impressed. Dominic is his own biggest fan, says one Tory MP. Hes just a bit too clever.

A black belt at karate, the 44-year-old could form a joint leadership ticket with David Davis.

Boris Johnson

Clearly on manoeuvres  the 54-year-old having just cropped his signature tousled hair and lost 12lb.

The most passionate frontline Tory advocate of Brexit  describing the PMs deal as diabolical and a legal lobster pot. As ever, he is long on bombast, short on content. Long on grandiosity, short on self-awareness.

As one of the most hardline Brexiteers, he is hamstrung by a lack of support among fellow Tory MPs, which means hell struggle to make it to the final two of any contest. But a restless soul, backbench life will not suit Johnson.

David Davies

A long-term Leave advocate brought back into government by May (before he quit in a huff) having first served as Europe minister in the Major government. The victim of a whispering campaign about his time as Brexit Secretary when the 69-year-old was accused of being lazy, having held only five hours of meetings in Brussels in 2018.

Significantly jockeyed for position yesterday by proposing a new Brexit solution  scrapping the Irish backstop.

A serious contender, but his best hope is as a stop-gap leader before handing over to a younger deputy.

Esther McVey

A Barnardos child whose father was variously a scrap metal merchant and an ice cream van driver. Before politics, the Liverpudlian was a breakfast TV presenter.

Resigned as Work and Pensions Secretary in protest at Mays EU withdrawal document.

Asked on Sunday if shed run, Mrs McVey, 51, said she would if people asked.

Though she might have to wait a long time before anyone asks her, as she has yet to prove she has any intellectual depth.

Her political mentor is Eurosceptic Iain Duncan Smith, and Mrs McVey has been the MP for the Tatton, Cheshire seat  vacated by Europhile George Osborne  since 2017.

The die-hard remainers

Gavin Williamson

Has enjoyed a rapid rise over recent years  thanks to his naked ambition, matinee idol good looks and a penchant for theatrical power play.

As Mays Chief Whip, he was rewarded for running her leadership campaign with the job of Defence Secretary.

Best known for having kept a tarantula in a glass box on his Commons desk, seemingly to intimidate Tory MPs who stepped out of line.

Tried to soften his image by saying: I dont very much believe in the stick, but its amazing what can be achieved with a sharpened carrot.

His time at the defence ministry has been fraught  being dubbed Private Pike, after the hapless youth in Dads Army, by some service chiefs who see the 42-year-old as a lightweight.

Early this year he confessed to having had a long-ago office romance with a colleague around the time his first son was born, admitting he nearly destroyed two marriages.

A rank outsider  with critics saying only he thinks he has leadership qualities.

Amber Rudd

Broke ranks with Mrs May at the weekend when she conceded the possible need for a second referendum. But generally an ally of the countrys second woman PM, complaining that men at Westminster seem to flounce out quite a lot.

Brought back into the Cabinet recently after being forced to resign as Home Secretary over the Windrush scandal in April. The 55-year-olds Achilles heel is the fact that she has a majority of only 346 in her Hastings and Rye constituency.

An alumna of Cheltenham Ladies College, she was aristocracy coordinator for the film Four Weddings And A Funeral and was previously married to the late restaurant critic A. A. Gill.

Her millionaire PR guru brother Roland was a leading figure in the Remain campaign and is now noisily calling for a second referendum.

Now Welfare and Pensions Secretary, Rudd is considered an unlikely successor to Mrs May because of her steadfast support for the EU  something not appreciated by the Eurosceptic Tory grassroots.

Brexit Loyalists

Andrea Leadsom

A leading figure in the Leave campaign and, expecting Boris Johnson to run for leader afterwards, asked him to make her Chancellor if she supported him.

The 55-year-olds own bid for the leadership foundered after allegations shed exaggerated her City career. She then withdrew from the 2016 leadership race after apologising to Theresa May for suggesting being a mother made her a better candidate.

Environment Secretary in Mays first Cabinet, but was out of her depth.

Not even worth an outside bet.

Michael Gove

Despite being a die-hard Brexiteer, the Environment Secretary has taken a high-wire stance of staying in Mrs Mays Cabinet.

Has toured TV and radio to defend the PMs Brexit plan, which he says is not ideal but is better than a calamitous no deal.

The 51-year-old will run if enough senior party figures urge him to.

Joked this week that he might if Boris Johnson nominated me and Philip Hammond seconded. More likely to back another candidate rather than stand.

Converts to Brexit

Sajid Javid

The Home Secretary was always regarded as a Brexiteer until he came out for Remain in the referendum.

Javid, 49, now describes himself as an enthusiastic Brexit convert, but is viewed with suspicion by hardliners.

He is also a boring speaker and is regarded as dull and unimaginative by many fellow Tory MPs, with little to offer politically.

Jeremy Hunt

A former Remainer whose reputation has been boosted by his strong six-year record as Health Secretary, which ended when he replaced Boris Johnson as Foreign Secretary.

Affable and quietly authoritative, the 52-year-old has built a loyal following on the backbenches. A convert to Brexit, but vehemently opposed to leaving with no deal.

Penny Mordaunt

Daughter of a former Para and named after frigate HMS Penelope.

The 45-year-old has been MP for Portsmouth North since 2010 and first came to prominence wearing a swimsuit to appear on ITVs celebrity diving show Splash!

A naval reservist, she was first female Armed Forces minister before being promoted to Cabinet as International Development Secretary.

Was the most outspoken critic at the Chequers summit on the Brexit plan, but decided not to resign.

Not sure shes clever enough to go to the top, said one former Cabinet minister last night.
Every Commons day, in every way, Speaker Bercow becomes nastier and nastier. We had two more instances of this yesterday, both quite unnecessary.

Andrea Leadsom, Leader of the House, opened her business statement with 'Christmas cheer': an announcement that the next edition of Erskine May, a parliamentary procedure guide, will be publicly available on the parliamentary website.

This was sufficiently newsworthy to earn hurrahs from a few nerdy MPs. But not Speaker Bercow. His lip twitched.

Bercow hates Leadsom. It may be because she is a Tory and a Brexiteer. Equally, it may be because this 'stupid woman', as he has called her, has pushed back against his bullying bateyness.

Speaker of the House John Bercow inside parliament today. Quentin Letts writes each day Speaker Bercow becomes nastier and nastier

On the wireless this week she signalled, with skill but little camouflage, that she thought him biased. Few at Westminster would disagree.

Anyway, Mrs Leadsom  a decent, unaffected sort who is liked across the House  had made her remark about Erskine May. And, as I say, Bercow's lip twitched.

At the next opportunity he sprang to his feet, having smeared to his face a smile of greasy insincerity.

He said this: 'It is very useful to have the fact of the prospective publication on the Parliament website of Erskine May advertised more widely but there is nothing by way of news about it: I agreed to it, in consultation with clerks, several months ago.

'It is very good that it is happening but there is absolutely nothing new about the fact of it.'

Though it may look innocuous in print, the tone was unmistakeable. Erskine May is MY fetish. It is I, SPEAKER BERCOW, who must be given any publicity biscuits for this.

Having spat out his insecure little piece, the Squeaker jumped back on his well-sprung throne. Boiiing! He did so with such assertion that the stitchings of the green leather upholstery must have been tested and a phhhhht of wind must have emanated from its moorings.

Leader of the House of Commons Andrea Leadsom, pictured today, has pushed back against Bercow's bullying bateyness

For the next minute  I was watching closely  his right foot tapped up and down and swivelled and he kept nodding to himself, lips pursed, while he held in his hand an Order Paper on which he had deleted the completed items of business with such vigour that it looked as though his ballpoint pen had torn the paper.

Hell yeah, I'm tough. I showed da b**ch. No one messes with me! Deranged. Mrs Leadsom is to be congratulated not so much for her announcement on Erskine May's online democratisation as for getting under the thin pelt of her enemy.

A few minutes earlier we had had Attorney General Geoffrey Cox at the despatch box. This was when the other Bercow moment occurred.

Mr Cox is that deep-voiced chap who, unfairly, took the brunt of criticism last week when the Government resisted publishing his legal advice on the Irish backstop.

Yesterday, in a question about 'the effectiveness of contempt of court proceedings', Labour's Lyn Brown asked Mr Cox if he felt ashamed of the Government being found in contempt of Parliament. This was crafty  I nearly said uncharacteristically crafty  of Miss Brown, who is not generally regarded as one of the House's leading intellectuals. She's more a type for Callard & Bowser than Erskine May, is our Lyn.

Solicitor General Robert Buckland, on the front bench, muttered something about Miss Brown's question being off the subject. Bercow was on his feet in a trice, snapping at Mr Buckland to shaddup and to be assured that it was in order.

Strictly speaking, it was, because Parliament is a 'high court'. Not that a plodder like Lyn Brown would normally work that out unless she had been prompted by, ahem, someone else.

Bercow has got his Y-fronts in a tangle over Brexit and about Mrs May not treating his Commons with courtesy.

Children of Albion, ye shall reap as ye sow. If you yourself demean the Commons, don't be surprised if the Government does likewise. I doubt No 10 will treat Parliament with respect until Bercow goes.
Families everywhere have decorated their homes for the festive season, placing the wreath on the door and the star atop the Christmas tree.

But it is likely they will pale in comparison to the breathtaking displays on offer at stately homes across the UK.

From Blenheim Palace to Highclere Castle, the grand properties have pulled out all the stops for their visitors - adorning them in metres of twinkling fairy lights and eye-catching garlands.

Many of the houses adopted whimsical themes, with classic fairytales proving a popular choice for many.

Here, FEMAIL rounds up some of the best examples in case you don't get a chance to visit...

HAREWOOD HOUSE, WEST YORKSHIRE

A very white Christmas! Fake snow appears to tumble through the window of Harewood House. bringing with it debris including a child's rocking horse, a shovel and a pair of skates

Festive flair: A pair of silk slippers are put on display in a glass place in one of the grand rooms

HADDON HALL, DERBYSHIRE

Haddon Hall has been transformed into a real-life fairytale wonderland, with each room given a different story to tell. Pictured, Sleeping Beauty rests beneath flowers in The Long Gallery

Little helpers: The Elves and the Shoemaker have been hard at work in The Orange Chamber

Tread carefully: Little Red Riding Hood has made the trip to Grandmas House in Haddons Parlour but beware! Is the Wolf there already?

BLENHEIM PALACE, OXFORDSHIRE

More is more! Blenheim Palace is staging its biggest ever Christmas celebrations this year. The elaborate designs take the theme of Cinderella, with her carriage proudly on display

Good enough to eat! Optimistic mice try to climb on top of the sumptuous dining table

HIGHCLERE CASTLE, HAMPSHIRE

TV fame: Highclere Castle, the location for hit show Downton Abbey, boasts a 24ft Christmas tree taken from the estate. Pictured, a pretty afternoon tea is set up in a wood-paneled room

Festive touches: A sumptuous wreath hangs on the door to the impressive library

Stunning: The castle stands proud in the snowy grounds on a chilly winter's day

CHATSWORTH HOUSE, DERBYSHIRE

Impressive: The Sculpture Gallery festooned with lights and decorations at Chatsworth House

Full of festive cheer: Details from the Christmas tree inside the beautiful Great Dining Room

CASTLE HOWARD, NORTH YORKSHIRE

Time for a feast! Taking inspiration from the 12 Days of Christmas song, seven swans adorn the glass-topped table - as if they are swimming on perfectly still water
If you're looking to fly in serious style for your next holiday it pays to know which airline carriers are the best for your budget.

Whether you're tossing up between our homegrown hero Qantas or international carriers like Etihad, each one has their own perks in first class, business class and premium economy.

Australian reward point website Point Hacks surveyed 1,686 frequent flyers and asked them which carrier has their vote for the most comfortable and decadent.

And it was the Dubai-based Emirates fleet that saw 37 per cent of respondents give it a big thumbs up for first class, chiefly due to the privacy doors, fully flat bed, shower spa and fine dining.

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If you're looking to splurge on your next airfare than it might be best to book a seat in Emirates first class, with the airline coming out on top in the luxury stakes

They also highly rated the technology, including the temperature controls, mood lighting, virtual windows and leather seats.

Second in line was Singapore Airlines with 29 per cent of the vote, then Etihad with 13 per cent, Qatar Airways with 10 per cent and Qantas with just five per cent.

In terms of business class, it was Singapore Airlines that held the resounding lead, with 29 per cent of passengers saying they would fly with them over any other commercial flyer.

It was the Dubai-based Emirates fleet that saw 37 per cent of respondents give it a big thumbs up, pointing to the privacy doors, fully flat bed, shower spa and fine dining food as major positives

Which are the best airlines to fly first class? 1. Emirates (37 per cent) 2. Singapore Airlines (29 per cent) 3. Etihad (13 per cent) 4. Qatar Airways (10 per cent) 5. Qantas (five per cent) 6. Cathay Pacific (three per cent) 7. British Airlines and Japan Airlines (both at one per cent) Advertisement

Passengers flying business class with them are treated to chef-prepared meals and a personalised Book the Cook option that allows them to reserve their main course for dinner before they fly, with lobster thermidor and rib-eye steak some of the coveted options.

Closely followed was Emirates with 21 per cent of the vote, Qatar with 14 per cent, Qantas with 12 per cent and Cathay Pacific and Etihad equal fifth with six per cent.

Even Virgin Australia got a look in with five per cent of the vote, beating Japan Airlines, China Southern, Air New Zealand and Lufthansa.

In terms of business class, it was Singapore Airlines that held the resounding lead, with 29 per cent of passengers saying they would fly with them over any other commercial flyer

Which are the best airlines to fly business class? 1. Singapore Airlines (29 per cent) 2. Emirates (21 per cent) 3. Qatar (14 per cent) 4. Qantas (12 per cent) 5. Cathay Pacific and Etihad (six per cent) 6. Virgin Australia (five per cent) Advertisement

But for those who 'still call Australia home' it's Qantas who was ranked first for premium economy - a division that allows for extra legroom, wider seats and a smaller cabin.

Inflight dining is designed by renowned chef Neil Perry and passengers can be guided through the extensive wine list by Qantas' Sommeliers in the Sky cabin crew.

Airlines that also ranked in the top five for premium economy seats included Singapore Airlines (chosen by 24 per cent), Air New Zealand (chosen by 12 per cent), Virgin Australia (chosen by nine per cent), and Cathay Pacific (by eight per cent).
A 37-year-old woman has shared her joy at giving birth to triplets after suffering a devastating miscarriage and then being told she was unable to conceive again naturally.

Stay at home mom, Roxanne White, 37, from Illinois, feared she might never become a mother after the miscarriage in 2015, which happened just nine weeks into her first pregnancy.

Roxanne married her childhood love, Hank, back in July 2015 and they began trying to expand their family soon after.

Lucky number three! Roxanne White, 37, (pictured) from Illinois suffered a miscarriage in 2015

Second try: Roxanne and her husband Hank began looking into fertility treatments when she was diagnosed with secondary infertility, and subsequently fell pregnant with triplets

After a year of trying to conceive again naturally, Roxanne was diagnosed with secondary infertility, meaning the miscarriage rendered any future attempt to conceive impossible.

So, they began looking into fertility treatments, and in May 2017 were overjoyed to discover that their insemination has been a success and Roxanne was pregnant.

In May 2017 the couple found out that the insemination had been a success and Roxanne was pregnant.

However, blood tests revealed high hormone levels, leading Roxanne to believe she could be carrying twins, though she was shocked to find out she was in fact growing three babies.

The triplets, Haven, Spencer and Riley were born via C-section on 28 November, 2017. Haven and Spencer were brought home on December 21 but unfortunately Riley had to stay in the NICU until January.

Now, Roxanne, who often shares photos of her triplets to her 25,000 Instagram followers, is finally able to make her own family traditions over the Christmas period as this will be the familys first Christmas at home all together.

Roxanne said: 'Hank and I married on July 25, 2015 and we knew we wanted to start a family right away.

'I got pregnant within a few months, but I had a miscarriage during my ninth week. After another year of trying we had no luck and we sought out fertility treatment.

A special year: The couple are looking forward to spending this Christmas with their three children, who were born in November 2017

Say cheese! After they were born, Haven (middle) and Spencer (right) were brought home a couple of weeks later, but Riley (left) had to stay in a neonatal intensive care unit until January

'I was then diagnosed with secondary infertility which is the inability to get pregnant after managing to do so once before.

Roxanne, who said this was 'such a sad and lonely time', said she cried a lot during that period of her life, but she ultimately kept it to herself and didn't let many people know.

She added: 'We found out we were expecting again in May 2017 and we were told it was triplets on May 22, 2017 during our six-week ultrasound.

'My husband and mom were with me during the ultrasound and I had a pretty high beta HCG test, so we assumed it was going to be multiples. My first blood test was 312 at just 12 days post ovulation, and anything over 25 is considered positive.

'The fertility clinic guessed twins, but my mom had a hunch it was triplets. We were in complete shock and during the ultrasound I had so many good and bad thoughts running through my head.

'In the beginning it felt unreal and I had no idea how my 114lb body could carry three babies. We were even given the option of selective reduction, but we knew right away that we could never take that route.'

Roxanne said her pregnancy went very smoothly, and that she had no health complications.

She gained a total of 22kg, but admits that she never had any signs of gestational diabetes, and her blood pressure remained normal.

'At around 31 weeks I started having cord flow issues with baby C (Riley) and I was given steroid shots. Baby C was then diagnosed with intrauterine growth restriction.

A monumental day: Roxanne (pictured with Hank) gave birth to the triplets on 28 November 2017 via C-section

Motherly-love: Roxanne pictured with her three newborn babies shortly after they were born

Christmas wish: The three newborn babies received a visit from Santa while they were in hospital last November

'I ended up delivering at 33 weeks and three days because it was better off for baby C to be outside than on the inside any longer.

'I had a C-section and the delivery went smooth  I didnt even need a blood transfusion and thankfully I had no post-op complications. I did have a lot of pain after my C-section though and my husband had to wheel me around for a week,' she added.

The triplets were born 28 November 2017, with Baby A, Haven, weighing four pounds and 10 ounces, Baby B, Spencer, weighing four pounds and 11 ounces and Baby C, Riley, weighing three pounds and eight ounces.

Haven and Spencer stayed in hospital for just over three weeks, whereas Riley was in hospital care for over a month. Last year the triplets were separated over Christmas and the family couldnt all celebrate together at home.

This year, Roxanne plans to spend Christmas day at home with her husband and the triplets, so they can start their own family traditions.

'Haven and Spencer stayed in NICU for 23 days, but Riley stayed for 36 days,' Roxanne said.

'All three of my babies were considered feeders and growers while in NICU and they didnt have any major issues.'

She added that she and Hank took two of the babies home on 21 December 2017, and admitted that at first, she felt overwhelmed.

However, the mother-of-three said that after developing a routine, things got easier.

Roxanne said that after finally bringing Riley home at the beginning of January, she had the same feeling of being overwhelmed, 'but we just tried to get him on the same routine and that saved us. We still have all three on a strict routine and it works out very well.

Happy birthday! The triplets (pictured above) turned one last month and celebrated their first year in an adorable photo shoot that saw the trio holding up letters that spelled out 'one'

Yum! Riley, Haven and Spener tucked into individual birthday cakes as they celebrated their very 1st birthday

Adorable! Spencer (left) and Haven (right) posed in baskets on their birthday last month

'This year we plan on staying home for Christmas because my husband and I decided we wanted to make it a tradition to stay at home on Christmas Day and have the children open their presents, and then spend the day feeling cozy at home.

'Thats what we did as children and travelling to different family members houses doesnt sound appealing on Christmas Day.

Cute as a button: Riley, who had to stay in hospital last Christmas, pictured in a basket of hay on the triplets first birthday

'This year will be the first Christmas that all three babies are home for Christmas because Riley was still in the hospital last year.

'We werent allowed to bring the babies back into hospital after they were discharged because of the germs. So, I went and visited Riley on Christmas Eve and Hank went up on Christmas Day as only one of us could go at a time so the other could watch the other two.

'I tried not to think about it too much because if I did it made me sad. Right now, if I think about that moment I get teary-eyed, but I knew he was being well taken care of.'

Roxanne also spoke about not wanting any more children after spending years wanting children and then having three at once.

'We definitely wont be having any more children. As much as I would love to experience a pregnancy with one baby, that wont be happening,' she said.

'I always dreamed of having two children, so having three is a huge blessing for us. I also feel like I am getting up there in age because more of my friends children are a lot older, some are even in secondary school now.'

The 36-year-old mother admits that despite giving birth to three babies, she has lost her baby weight and looks just like she did before falling pregnant.

Transformation! Roxanne (pictured before and after giving birth to triplets) admits that she is back to her pre-baby shape after gaining 22kg during her pregnancy

Stand-out: The mother-of-three says that people often stare at and talk to her when she brings the triplets out in public in their long triple push-chair

Happy family: Roxanne and Hank pictured with their three children Riley, Haven and Spencer

Happily ever after: Roxanne said that she had always dreaming of having two children, so to have three babies is a 'blessing' to herself and Hank

She added: 'Most people are in complete shock when I tell them I had triplets.

'Some people say they dont know how I do it or they call me a "super mom", but I dont think I am a "super mom". Im just doing my mom duties and they would do the same if they also had multiples.

'The hardest part of having triplets is trying to go out and do normal daily activities. Getting all three little ones in a car seat and bringing them places can be exhausting, and to be honest I dont go out alone with them.

'Car seats get so heavy, so I think when theyre older and they can walk it will be easier to go places.

Roxanne added: 'We do get a lot of attention if we go out and use our long triple pushchair. I hear comments all the time and so many people like to talk to us. This is just part of our lives now.'
Online dating can be a minefield, with hundreds of different apps to try in search of potential partners to sweep you off your feet.

And while its rocketing popularity has made us all familiar with terms like swiping, ghosting and catfishing, 2019 is set to add even more new phrases to romantic hopefuls' vocabulary.

According to the experts at matchmaking website Plenty of Fish, emerging dating trends on the rise include Instagrandstanding, Scrooging and Banksying.

The biggest trends were identified following a survey of 800 British singletons using the site, and here FEMAIL breaks down the terms you need to add to your dating lexicon...

Looking for love online? Then it's time to familiarise yourself with the dating trends you're bound to encounter in 2019

1. Grande-ing

Ariana Grande has inspired a new dating trend following the release of her song thank u, next (pictured) in which she focussed on celebrating herself

Grande-ing involves practising gratefulness at the end of a relationship and rejecting negativity and bitterness as you move forward with your life.

Ariana Grande popularised the idea following her high-profile split from Pete Davidson by choosing to focus on celebrating herself.

The pop sensation channelled these feelings into her latest song Thank U, Next, and showed the world how to deal with a breakup with class.

2. Instagrandstanding

Although this phrase is quite a mouthful, the idea behind it is simple.

This involves curating your Instagram feed with one person in mind, and specifically posting pictures that will appeal to your crush.

More than half of those surveyed admitted they tailored their feed - as well as 69 per cent of 22 to 25 year olds.

Stingy Brits are reducing the number of Christmas presents they have to buy by channelling their inner Scrooge (pictured, Michael Caine in The Muppet Christmas Carol) dumping their partners ahead of the festive season

3. Scrooging

Christmas is undoubtedly one of the most expensive times of year - and some daters are going to extremes to cut costs.

Nearly a quarter of Brits have admitted to ditching a partner before the festive season just to avoid buying them a present.

Bah humbug!

4. Banksying

When Banksy shredded his famous Girl with Balloon artwork during an auction at Sotheby's, it shocked the art world.

But the elusive artist had planned the stunt years before - and now daters are taking inspiration from him, planning their breakups far in advance.

As many as 48 per cent of Brits think they've been the victim of a calculated - and carefully timed - breakup in the past.

Forty eight per cent of Brits think they've been a victim of Banksying (pictured, Girl with Balloon after being shredded by the elusive artist) - where the dumper plans the break up far up in advance

5. Throning

Throning is dating someone just to boost your personal profile or reputation, a la Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.

Although very few Brits admit to throning with someone - just seven per cent of singletons - men are slightly more likely to than women, at 10 per cent of males versus just three per cent of women.

6. Cohabi-dating

As the housing crisis grows, millennials are getting more and more creative with their solutions.

Instead of rejecting a tiny Zone 1 room in London in favour of moving back home, desperate Brits are now shacking up with their new partner in a hurry just to help with their finances.

Although it's a risky game as many won't be ready yet, at least you have the extra cash to save up for a deposit on a house with your new roommate.

Forty per cent of singles have admitted to cohabidating in the past - but sadly there's no statistics on how many couples actually stuck together after this.

Throning is dating someone just to boost your personal profile or reputation, a la Kim Kardashian and Kanye West

7. You-Turning

We all have that one friend who says they're in love five minutes after meeting someone, before breaking up with them three days later.

Now the phenomenon has a catchy name - You-Turning - that perfectly captures the idea of falling head over heels in love with someone before suddenly changing your mind for one reason or another.

8. Vulturing

Conjuring up images of vultures swirling around a pile of dead bodies, this dating trend was never going to be pretty - or romantic.

Vulturing is when someone becomes much more romantically interested in someone when they sense their current relationship is about to breakup, then swooping in to pick up the pieces.
A fashion brand has launched a clothing line with a campaign centered around rescue dogs available for adoption.

Monse, a New York City-based label that launched in 2016, decided to design its pre-fall campaign pictures around rescue dogs after the brand teamed up with six animal shelters.

The idea was first hatched back in January when designers Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia decided they wanted to include French Bulldogs and Chihuahuas into their upcoming lookbook.

FURocious: Monse, a New York City-based fashion label, released its pre-fall 2019 campaign

Happy animals: The pictures included more than 30 rescue dogs also wearing clothes and accessories from the new line

Squad goals: All proceeds from the dog clothing and accessories will go towards six animal shelters of the brands choosing

Fierce: Designers Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia decided they wanted to include dogs in their most recent campaign in January

The company partnered with Animal Haven, Best Friends Animal Society, Bideawee, Rescue City, Rescue Dogs Rock, and Social Tees Animal Rescue for its latest campaign.

For the photo shoot, models posed in billowed pants, varsity jackets, asymmetrical skirts and tops, and turtleneck sweaters.

All of the pictures have a model with at least one rescue dog to encourage people to adopt and help animal shelters in their area.

To further push their charitable mission, the designers chose models who supported animal causes when they were picking people for the campaign shoot.

And the models were not the only ones serving looks during the outdoor photo shoot.

For the campaign, 35 rescue dogs were featured who were seeking permanent homes. The species ranged from Chihuahuas to French Bulldogs to Rottweilers, and not all of them were wearing just their fur for the photo shoot.

In order for the dogs to fit in with the photo shoot, the designers decided to create a line of dog sweaters and accessories that would be modeled in the new campaign.

All proceeds from the dog line will go directly towards the animal shelters.

Poised: The company partnered with Animal Haven, Best Friends Animal Society, Bideawee, Rescue City, Rescue Dogs Rock, and Social Tees Animal Rescue

Ruff life! The models were also chosen based on their commitment to helping animal causes

Adorable: All the clothes will officially launch in May 2019, but 10 dog and human items are currently available for purchase

Cute: The company also teamed up with Disney to feature its most famous dog, Pluto, in some of the designs for the collection

If that wasn't enough, Monse also recruited Disney to join in on their new campaign by seeking inspiration from the company's most famous dog, Pluto.

Select pieces were designed with Pluto in mind where the proceeds will also go towards the animal shelters.

In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, designers Laura and Fernando explained why they choose to include animals in their most recent campaign.

'Dogs are family at Monse, and are often seen running around the office,' Laura and Fernando said.

'We knew we wanted our pre-fall collection to benefit this cause, so this was the perfect opportunity to highlight Pluto, who is a lovable dog just like many of the ones featured in our campaign.'

While the collection is not set to launch until May 2019, there are currently 10 pieces available for purchase for both humans and dogs.
Frances Loch (nee Abbott) has spoken candidly about her insecurities after spontaneously shaving off all her long blonde hair.

The daughter of former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott was met with compliments after she proudly unveiled her buzz cut in October.

But the 26-year-old has admitted she went through with the bold decision after getting over hesitancy based on 'looking like a boy'.

And since shaving off her hair, the yoga instructor - who recently moved to the US with her bodybuilder husband Sam Loch - said the change has been harder to adapt to than she thought.

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Frances Loch (nee Abbott) has spoken candidly about her insecurities after spontaneously shaving off all her luscious blonde hair

The 26-year-old yoga instructor has admitted she initially cast doubt before going through with the bold decision amid fears of looking like a boy

'Before I shaved my head I was a bit concerned that I would look like a boy. But I realised that I don't care if I look like a boy,' she said in her latest Instagram post.

'There is nothing wrong with looking like a boy. I am all for looking like a boy, if myself or anyone wants to look like a boy. But there was, and sometimes still lingers, this funny feeling about looking like a boy.

'There are moments where I catch my reflection and think: "Girl, you definitely look like a boy today" and that is followed with "buy some eyeliner! Put some earrings on! Start wearing more colour!"

'But then I remind myself that I don't care if I look like a boy and really, I really don't want to do any of those eyeliner or earrings things.

'So I don't and I think "f*** it" and I move on.'

Despite loving her fresh cut, Frances said there's still a lingering 'feeling that you're not good enough'

Frances Loch (Nee Abbott) recently moved to the US with her bodybuilder husband Sam

The drastic change follows a series of lifestyle alterations for the 26-year-old who has carved out a budding career in fitness since her father's time at the country's helm

Frances said she was bombarded with questions about 'why' she shaved her head.

'There are lots of reasons why I did, but what I think is more important is what I have learnt since I did,' she explained.

'What I know now is that fear of looking like a boy, really is actually the fear of not being enough. Not being cool enough to rock the look, not looking or being feminine enough, not being pretty enough to show this much of my face...

'And it's all bulls***. All fear I have created in my own mind... But somehow it's still there. And I write this because if I feel it, you probably might feel it too.'

Despite loving her fresh cut, Frances said there's still a lingering 'feeling that you're not enough. This feeling that can feel pretty s***.

'And I write this to say that I don't know how to make it go away but I do know if it's something I want to go away, I have to do for myself,' she said.

'If it's something I feel, if it's something in my mind, if it's something that I am feeling insecure about, then "fixing" it is in my hands. That I have to do the work to heal it. (Sounds obvious right?

'P.S I really love having a shaved head... Can't you tell.'

Her latest post comes just weeks after she was captured on camera giggling as her bodybuilding husband Sam Loch used an electric razor on her scalp.

The yoga instructor - who recently packed up and moved to the US with her husband - uploaded the short clip on her 'Story' of the buzz cut, which appeared to be taken in the comfort of their home.

'THE BEST. No washing. No drying. No brushing. Just having the best time,' Frances said in one of her Instagram posts.

The drastic change follows a series of lifestyle alterations for the 26-year-old who has carved out a budding career in fitness since her father's time at the country's helm.

The daughter of former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott was giggling as she let her husband Sam Loch use an electric razor to give her a fresh trim

This interest later led to Frances taking full advantage of her newly-ripped physique by competing in several body building competitions across the country.

And the latest switch-up was met with applause from Instagram followers who labelled the move 'amazing' and 'empowered'.

'You're a great great woman,' wrote one user.

'Rocking it,' said another.

Another person commented: 'Beautiful woman.'

The bold haircut comes just days after Frances celebrated one year since meeting her now-husband, power-lifter and Olympic rower Sam.

Earlier this year, the pair exchanged their vows for the second time in an intimate beach ceremony.

The couple were legally married at a registry on Valentine's Day but waited to celebrate with their nearest and dearest, including the former prime minister Tony Abbott, at Sydney's exclusive Palm Beach in April.

Standing barefoot on the sand, the bride looked chic in a white two-piece floral outfit while her 34-year-old groom rocked a Hawaiian shirt for the special occasion.

Keeping their big day more casual than traditionally formal, the pair proudly tied the knot in slides before they shared a loving kiss at the alter.

The couple were engaged just two weeks after meeting in October last year.

Frances' latest look switch-up was met with applause from Instagram followers who labelled the move 'amazing' and 'empowered'

'Two weeks was all it took to know that forever with you was a mighty fine idea,' the fitness devotee said of her shock engagement to lock last year

Previously speaking to Stellar Magazine, Frances said Loch was welcomed into the family despite concerns the young couple were moving too fast.

Frances first announced the whirlwind romance and subsequent engagement via Instagram with a series of couple snaps taken in a photobooth.

'Two weeks was all it took to know that forever with you was a mighty fine idea,' the fitness devotee said.

Her other half also confirmed the exciting news with a selfie of the pair captioned: 'With the soon to be Mrs Loch'.

Taking to Twitter at the time, former Prime Minister of Australia Tony Abbott congratulated the couple: 'Really thrilled at the news of Francie and Sam's engagement.

'We are very proud of her and the Abbotts are looking forward to welcoming Sam into the family.'
Do you know a woman who deserves recognition for her extraordinary strength, bravery or perseverance? Nominate her for our Inspirational Women of the Year Awards, in association with Swarovski. She could be from any walk of life  an exceptional carer, teacher or community champion. Finalists will attend an awards gala next February, in support of YoungMinds, a charity working to improve the mental health of young people. It is part of Heads Together, co-ordinated by The Royal Foundation.

On a grey July day in 1939, a five-year-old girl and her young sister stumbled from a train at Londons Liverpool Street station into a strange new life.

Clutching a small suitcase and wearing a coat still with a yellow star on the lapel, Vera Buchthal and Renate, nine, had just completed a rail journey across Europe.

The pair  who had to leave behind their parents in Austria  were among the last Jewish children rescued by Kindertransport trains that saved thousands of Jewish children from the Nazis.

As she wept on the platform for her doll lost on the journey, no one could have imagined that little Vera would become a successful businesswoman.

Dame Stephanie Shirley, 85, (pictured) stepped off a train in London 1939 after being rescued from the Nazis and by the Eighties built a multi-billion-pound computer consultancy

Now known as Dame Stephanie Shirley, she would, over eight decades, build a global software empire, make a 150 million fortune  and give most of it away.

Perhaps due to the sexism she has battled all her life, Dame Stephanie is not well known outside her own industry  but that is set to change, as her 2012 memoirs, Let It Go, are to become a film.

Her pioneering rise is all the more remarkable as she combined it with caring for her severely autistic son, Giles, whose illness not only drove her marriage to the brink of collapse, but led her and her husband to consider a suicide pact to end all three lives.

Today, at 85, she still works a six-hour day. Unsurprisingly, after all she has overcome, she thinks working women today dont know how easy they have it. She does qualify those words, however. Its right and proper that it is easier for women now than it was for me. Our daughters should have it better.

But I think a lot of women are not prepared for the responsibility of leadership  the fact that it does consume you and work has to take first place. They want the fun of success without paying the cost. It is not all about gender, it is just tough at the top.

Vera and Renate were raised by wonderful foster parents, Guy and Ruby Smith, in the West Midlands. Discovering a talent for maths as a schoolgirl, Vera had to study the subject at a boys school, which was horrible, but toughened me up and prepared me for the road ahead. As a young woman, she began using her middle name, Stephanie.

By then, she had been reunited with her parents, whod survived the war, but their closeness was weakened by years spent apart.

She says: My relationship with my foster parents was wonderful. I am their child in all but birth.

I reconnected with my birth parents and we were doubly fortunate that we all survived. But, after a long gap like that, as often happens in broken families, I never really bonded with them again and that is a tragedy.

Dame Stephanie (pictured with her son Giles in 1971) revealed at one point the strain on her marriage from caring for her severely autistic son Giles, made her consider suicide

I was a loving, dutiful daughter, but mainly dutiful. In 1962, she set up her own firm, a couple of years after marrying a former colleague, Derek Shirley.

The couple met while working at the Post Office research station in Dollis Hill, North London. She was a scientific officer, building computers and writing code  a job she felt obliged to quit on marriage, as was usual then.

But Stephanie felt a burning need to be independent, so she set up her firm designing and selling computer software. Her idea was to employ only women, with sharp brains and a need for flexible work they could combine with a family, working from home. I felt blocked in the male world, I felt sick and tired of it and I wanted to set up my own company as the sort of place I and other women wanted to work.

Her business, called Freelance Programmers, attracted big-name clients. Early projects included programming Concordes black box flight recorder. But attitudes then were so antediluvian, she had to pretend to be a man to win customers, signing Steve instead of Stephanie on sales letters.

Ironically, she was forced to give up her female-only hiring policy when the Sex Discrimination Act came into force in the Seventies, but the company continued to employ many senior women.

By the Eighties, it was a multi-billion-pound computer consultancy known as FI Group.

Dame Stephanie (pictured in 2008) who describes herself as a workaholic, says she's proud to be out of the rich lists after giving away 69 million

Derek, meanwhile, had changed his job to work closer to home, later taking early retirement.

Dame Stephanie sold her controlling interest in the firm in the Nineties, making 150 million from the sale and its 1996 float on the Stock Exchange. Her career was stellar and she won honour after honour, including a damehood in 2000.

But, behind the facade, she and Derek were struggling to bring up Giles, born in 1963, in a battle that nearly led her to suicide.

We are talking in the light-filled sitting room of her unassuming flat in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. When I say I had expected a gin palace on the river, she laughs. I dont need a big house or a boat. Money has given me choices, I choose to spend money on art. I am a workaholic, I choose to spend my time working.

I was in the rich lists, but now I am proud to be out of them, as I have given away 69 million. That was about 15 million to information technology, 50 million-plus to autism charities and the rest on artwork for hospitals.

The latter are causes dear to her heart because of her son Giles. How did she manage to look after him and the firm?

For a long time, I thought work and looking after my son balanced each other, she says. The only time I forgot Giles was when I was working and the only time I forgot work was when I was with Giles.

Giles (pictured left with Stephanie) spent 11 years in a locked hospital ward after Stephanie lost the ability to function

But, as he grew into a teenager prone to seizures and violent rages, coping was difficult.

Aged 43, smoking 60 cigarettes a day, she finally snapped in 1976, when Giles was 13.

I lost the ability to function. We both ended up in hospital. Me because I couldnt function and Giles as I was his carer. I came out after about a month. But Giles stayed in one of the old-style subnormality hospitals for 11 years in a locked ward.

At one point, she considered suicide for herself and Derek, having first taken Giless life.

I miss Giles tremendously, I miss his need of me, but Ive survived

It was Derek who stopped me, she says. He pointed out that it wouldnt be suicide for Giles. Eventually, Giles lived a dignified, quiet life in the community. He was happy.

Dealing with Giles had put an intolerable strain on her marriage. By 1998, she and Derek had decided to separate. But, that autumn, their son died in his sleep aged just 35.

Compared with the enormity of his death, the couples differences paled into insignificance. In 2019, they will celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary. Derek, she says, was one of the few men who allowed me to be myself. How does a parent deal with the death of a child? You have to build a carapace. I am a survivor. My husband has never really recovered; he went into a depression. The big worry for every parent of a vulnerable child is what will happen when they are left on their own and that at least no longer applies. So his death was bittersweet.

Stephanie (pictured) advises women to stand with a 'power stance' and claims those who sit quietly won't get very far

I miss Giles tremendously, I miss his need of me, but Ive survived, she says. His death inspired her to set up three autism charities.

What advice would she give to her younger self? Have confidence. It was a long time before I did  in my mid-50s.

Do women still hold themselves back in business? Oh, yes. If you sit very quietly, you are not going to get very far  you need to stand like this, the power stance, she says, leaping to her feet, planting her legs firmly apart and throwing her shoulders back, head high. As a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, one of her missions is to encourage more women to become engineers.

Regardless of her success, Dame Stephanie still feels like a refugee at heart. She is concerned about Brexit and the current climate, which she sees as divisive. I try to be an example of how refugees can give back to the country as I am a patriot. I love this country with a passion that perhaps only someone who has lost their human rights can feel.

The impact of arriving as part of the Kindertransport was that I was left with the need to make mine a life that was worth saving. I want to justify my existence and that is as strong today as ever.

NOMINATE YOUR INSPIRATIONAL WOMAN

To make your nomination, simply send an email to inspirationalwomen@dailymail.co.uk. Tell us your contact details, and the name and contact details of the woman you want to nominate. Then, in no more than 400 words, tell us why you think your candidate should win.

Alternatively, you can print off the form below and send it to us by post, along with a separate sheet explaining, in no more than 400 words, why your candidate should win. Send your nomination to: Inspirational Women Awards c/o Femail, Daily Mail, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT.
Getting arrested isn't something anyone wants to face.

But according to these cheeky Australians, they wouldn't mind running in with the law.

Three young female police officers on patrol are getting a lot of attention on social media - not for their heroic deeds but how attractive they are.

The trio were all smiles as they posed for a picture to be taken for their Queensland Police Facebook page, with the caption: 'On Wednesdays we wear blue'.

Three young Queensland police officers are getting a lot of attention on social media - not for their heroic deeds but how attractive they are

Thousands of people were quick to 'like' the photograph while many left suggestive comments complimenting their appearance

And thousands of people were quick to 'like' the photograph while many left suggestive comments complimenting their appearance.

'Wow where can I go to get arrested today?' one said.

'Crime rate doubles in Queensland over night,' another commented.

One wrote: 'Hello, I have committed all the crimes.'

Another posted: 'On Wednesdays, I'd like to get arrested please.'

One person commented: 'Soooo... Any of them single? Asking for a friend.

And another said: 'When did police officers get so good looking? I gotta start breaking the law.'

And it wasn't just the ladies getting the attention online.

Two male police officers were promoting the food rescue organisation Food Bank

The male police officers, from Queensland, became a talking point for their 'good looks'

Last month, two male police officers, from Queensland, became a talking point for their 'good looks' after promoting the food rescue organisation Food Bank.

'Wonder where officer hot cop on the right is stationed? These guys are getting more attention than the shirtless firies in the calendar,' one said.

Another wrote: Craving some Nutri-grain for some reason.'

One posted: 'You can arrest me officer.'

Another said: 'Hello officer! Please send help, I've locked my keys outside the car.'

And another commented: 'Annnnd I just broke all the laws.'
The Duchess of Cambridge has had a busy time of royal engagements, including a visit to Cyprus last week, but she found time in her schedule to pay a visit to Buckingham Palace yesterday.

Kate, 36, was seen driving herself through the gates in her Range Rover and waved to crowds who were delighted to catch an unexpected glimpse of the royal.

The mother-of-three was wearing a cream jacket and appeared to be alone, although it's possible one of her children was strapped into a car seat in the back.

The footage was shared to Instagram by melissagrflx who commented: 'When you're so lucky and get a shot of Kate Middleton right when she gets to the Palace.'

It was also shared on Instagram by royal fan account duchesscambridge who wrote: 'Catherine comes to Buckingham Palace. I wonder why she came. Perhaps a tea session with the Queen.'

The visit comes after her sister-in-law Meghan was urged to turn to the Queen for advice amid their rumoured feud.

Kate, pictured with the Queen on a visit to Leicester in 2012, may well have been visiting Her Majesty at Buckingham Palace during the solo outing

Earlier this month rumours started circling that Meghan is 'difficult' and demanding of staff, and doesn't get on with her sister-in-law Kate.

The Duchess of Cambridge was reportedly left in tears after a tense bridesmaids dress fitting for Princess Charlotte ahead of Harry and Meghan's wedding in May.

But according to royal insiders, the Queen is open to lending her support to pregnant Meghan.

'Her Majesty has seen it all and could offer the duchess some helpful advice at the moment,' an insider told The Sunday Times.

The Duchess of Cambridge, 36, was seen driving herself through the gates of Buckingham Palace in her Range Rover and waved to crowds who were delighted to catch an unexpected glimpse of the royal

Kate and William will be spending Christmas with the Queen at Sandringham this year, along with Harry and Meghan (above at church on Christmas Day at Sandringham last year)

Kate's Christmas will be an 'ordeal', royal biographer Christopher Wilson has claimed. He said that she will be wanting to get away to her own family in Bucklebury (above, Kate, William, George and Charlotte, going to church in Berkshire on Christmas Day in 2016)

'Meghan would do well to nurture that relationship and pop over for the occasional cup of tea with the Queen. That is what Sophie Wessex has quietly done so well.'

Meanwhile, a royal biographer claims that Christmas is set to be something of an 'ordeal' for the Duchess of Cambridge because of the rift with Meghan.

Christopher Wilson - who has written biographies on Charles and Camilla - suggested Kate, 36, will be wanting to get away to her own family in Bucklebury, following Christmas at Sandringham with the Queen and other royals.

He added that the recent suggestions of tensions between the Cambridges and the Sussexes 'won't make things any easier between the girls'.

Kate (above during an engagement in London this week) 'loves being with her own immediate family at Christmas', which is 'off-duty and relaxed', the biographer says

Kate and William, along with children George, Charlotte and Louis, will be at the Queen's Norfolk residence for Christmas this year, despite previous reports that they would be spending the day in Bucklebury with the Middletons.

Speaking to new!, Christopher said: 'Kate's a homebody and loves being with her own immediate family at Christmas - off-duty and relaxed.

'Sandringham Christmases can be an ordeal, even for those born royal - and generally those who've married into the family often can't wait to get away.

'As with many seasonal family gatherings, there can be undercurrents and the publicity over the Meghan clash won't make things any easier between the girls.'

Prince Harry, 34, and Meghan, 37 - who are expecting their first child together in the Spring - are expected to stay at Kate and William's Norfolk home, Anmer Hall, this Christmas, as they did last year.
The Duchess of Sussex was centre of attention when she made a surprise appearance at the British Fashion Awards earlier this week, but baby Sussex seemed determined not to let her take all the limelight.

Eagle-eyed royal fan Pamela spotted the moment Meghan appeared to be surprised by a kick from her baby as she listened to Givenchy designer Clare Waight-Keller's speech.

The Duchess, 37, was resting both hands just under her bump, but quickly moved one to the top and closed her eyes as she apparently felt the impact of a strong kick.

Sharing the footage to Twitter, Pamela wrote: 'She felt that kick. Now everyone can calm down about her holding her bump.'

'Sooooo cute....baby Sussex was not about to let mommy take all the shine,' another wrote.

The footage comes after Meghan received cruel comments from trolls who said she was 'irritating' for continuously cradling her bump with both hands during Monday night's outing.

Royal fans were delighted when Meghan apparently felt a kick, joking that her unborn baby wanted to ensure a share of the spotlight

The royal made a surprise appearance at the glitzy ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall - where she presented her wedding dress designer Clare Waight Keller with the British womenswear designer of the year award.

However the response was not solely positive; with some on Twitter criticising the pregnant Duchess for 'touching her stomach too much', branding it 'smug'.

But an expert told FEMAIL that Meghan's tendency to keep a protective arm or two draped over her expanding stomach could positively impact her unborn child.

Katherine Graves, founder of KG Hypnobirthing, told FEMAIL that when mothers-to-be put their hands on their bumps in hypnobirthing classes, the 'baby responds every time'.

Meghan was seen holding both hands across her stomach as she listened to Givenchy designer Clare Waight-Keller's speech at the British Fashion Awards at London's Royal Albert Hall. The royal then clutched her bump with both hands and closed her eyes as she apparently felt a kick

Even if the gesture is solely a comforting gesture for Meghan herself, that will 'have a profound effect on her baby', said Katherine, who helps train midwives working at the Lindo Wing, where the Duchess of Cambridge gave birth

She added that 'it's a positive thing for both mum and baby to touch and reassure'.

For Monday night's outing, the Duchess wore a stunning black one-shoulder dress that is believed designed by the very woman she was there to honour.

Meghan made a surprise appearance at the British Fashion Awards on Monday night, wearing a black one-shoulder dress for her on-stage moment, which saw her carefully cradling her baby bump as she addressed the crowds

Ms Waight Keller, 48, won the prestigious British Womenswear Designer of the Year award and thanked Meghan personally in her speech at the star-studded awards ceremony at the historic venue in Kensington, London.

The designer said: 'This woman is so amazing. I got to know Meghan on such a personal level.

'To have someone like that trust you on such a personal moment in their life... I can't thank you enough because it was the most beautiful moment.'

Celebration: Meghan was presenting the British Designer of the Year Womenswear Award to Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy

Mother-to-be: The 37-year-old Duchess of Sussex kept her hair swept back in a low bun, and wore minimal makeup at the event, which took place at the Royal Albert Hall

Addressing the assembled fashionistas at the Royal Albert Hall, the Duchess said: 'It's such a pleasure to be here, celebrating British fashion and British designers, in my new home in the UK.'

She said of fashion, that 'we have a deep connection to what we wear. Sometimes it's deeply personal, sometimes it's emotional.'

Meghan added that, for her, it was 'really in being able to understand that it's about supporting and empowering each other, especially as women.'
The Duchess of Sussex sparked speculation that she could soon be handed her first patronage after she reportedly met with the artistic director of the National Theatre.

Meghan, 37, is said to have spoken to director Rufus Norris, 53, in a private engagement yesterday.

News of the meeting, reported on Twitter royal correspondent Omid Scobie, led some to question whether she might soon take over from the Queen as the theatre's patron.

New appointment? The Duchess of Sussex sparked speculation that she could soon be handed her first patronage after she reportedly met with the artistic director of the National Theatre. Pictured, Meghan at the British Fashion Awards in London on Monday night

Private meeting: Meghan, 37, is said to have spoken to director Rufus Norris, 53, pictured, in an unannounced engagement yesterday. Norris has been artistic director since 2015

Speculation: News of the meeting, reported on Twitter royal correspondent Omid Scobie, led some to question whether she might soon take over from the Queen as the theatre's patron

The duchess, who is expecting her first child with Prince Harry next spring, has carried out in a number of unannounced engagements in recent weeks, including a surprise appearance at the British Fashion Awards on Monday.

It is not known where her meeting with Norris took place but it is thought to be somewhere in London.

The Queen is the long-time patron of the National Theatre, a publicly funded institution, but has started to handover her appointments to other family members in recent years.

Royal supporters noted Meghan would be a fitting replacement with her background in acting.

Perfect match: Royal supporters noted Meghan would be a fitting replacement with her background in acting

And, as Mr Scobie noted, Norris has been 'determined to promote cultural diversity and inclusivity at the playhouse' since taking up the post of artistic director three years ago.

One royal fan tweeted: 'Can I smell the future patronage here?'

Another added: 'National Theater, Royal Variety Charity...hmmm I do get a feeling one of these will be her Patronage soon.'

The Duchess of Sussex has demonstrated her firm support for the arts since joining the Royal Family.

Support: The Duchess of Sussex has demonstrated her firm support for the arts since joining the Royal Family. She chose the opening of an exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts as her first official solo engagement in September, pictured

She chose the opening of an exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts as her first official solo engagement in September and has joined Prince Harry at a gala performance of Hamilton.

Norris, who took over as artistic director following the departure of Sir Nicholas Hytner, came to prominence in 2001 with his production of Afore Night Came at the Young Vic.

He subsequently moved into film with his debut feature, Broken, opening at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012. It won Best Film at the British Independent Film Awards.

MailOnline has contacted Kensington Palace for comment.
A lucky little girl was plucked out of the crowd to become a princess for the day - and present a bouquet to the Queen.

Evie Hayden, four, from Kent, waited for an hour today to present her posy to the monarch on her last public engagement before Christmas, despite temperatures hovering just above freezing.

And she was rewarded by being plucked out of the crowd to meet the sovereign personally.

The Queen was seen smiling as she accepted the flowers after arriving at the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn in London on Thursday.

The royal, 92, put on a vibrant display in a coordinated fuchsia ensemble, smiling as she greeted members of the society of barristers.

Prince Andrew, 58, was seen arriving alongside his mother as they made their way along the red carpet to the large estate of historic buildings in central London, which houses the society.

The Queen looked in good spirits as she arrived at the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn in London on Thursday, wearing a coordinating fuchsia pink hat, coat and dress ensemble

Queen Elizabeth II receives flowers whilst departing from the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn

Little Evie, who was accompanied by her mother, Michelle, 34, had missed nursery to travel up to London and executed her task beautifully.

But she said afterwards that all she could think about was how freezing she was in her pretty pink coat and dress.

I was sooooo cold, she said, her teeth chattering.

We almost didnt make it as there were missed trains and a bit of a fall- theres mud on her tights - but what an incredible experience, Michelle, whose husband Steven works nearby, said.

The Queen, accompanied by her son, the Duke of York, was visiting The Honourable Society of Lincolns Inn in London to officially open its new 20 million Ashworth Centre, built underneath the historic institution.

The Inn, which holds the earliest records of any of the four Inns of Court dating from 1422, houses a number of barristers chambers and solicitors offices, mainly specialising in chancery.

Prince Andrew put on a dapper display in a dark suit, crisp white shirt and salmon-coloured tie as he joined the Queen on her engagement

Evie Hayden, four, from Kent, waited for an hour today to present her posy to the monarch on her last public engagement before Christmas, despite temperatures hovering just above freezing

Prince Andrew, 58, was seen arriving alongside his mother as they made their way along the red carpet to the large estate of historic buildings in central London, which houses the society (seen behind the Queen)

The Queen, who last visited in 1951, arrived with her son who holds the honorary position of a Royal Bencher at the Inn.

She was wearing a Stewart Parvin magenta coat and magenta fuchsia dress its a hat by Rachel Trevor Morgan. Her brooch was a ruby gold diamond spray.

The Queen was seen with her trademark handbag, a patent design by Launer, and has a range of bags by the brand.

The structured bags cost between 1,200 and 2,100, and the Queen is estimated to own around 200 Launer pieces in an understated black leather or patent.

Known for its iconic 'twisted rope' emblem, Launer (launer.com) was established in 1941 and awarded a Royal Warrant after supplying with Queen with leather good since 1968.

A top seller in Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason and a favourite among society ladies, the company recorded a sale increase of over 400 per cent in the past four years on its website.

Working her signature style, the Queen looked stylish in a deep pink coat embellished with gold buttons and adorned with a brooch

Coordinating the look, the royal teamed the look with a matching hat adorned with red feathers, and a dress that reached just below the knees

The Queen viewed the stunning new underground teaching facility for students and newly qualified barristers attached to the Inn.

Its amazing, she told the Treasurer, The Right Honourable Lord Justice Patten, who was guiding her around.

After meeting people involved in the buildings construction, as well as students, scholars and staff from the Education department, the Queen unveiled an inscription to mark the official opening of the new facility.

The Royal Party then moved to the historic Great Hall to dedicate it after an extensive refurbishment.

On her way the Queen viewed a painting of Queen Victoria opening the Great Hall (or New Hall) as it was then known ) in 1845, as well as a modern portrait of her sister, Princess Margaret, herself a former Royal Bencher, painted by Bryan Organ in 1970, which she looked slightly bemused at.

The ensemble was completed with a pearl necklace and earrings, and acccessorised with globes and her favourite Lautner handbag

Queen Elizabeth II, looks at a portrait of Princess Margaret, during her visit to The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn in London to officially open its new teaching facility

The Queen looked around the grounds and was present to open its new teaching facility, the Ashworth Centre and relaunch its recently renovated Great Hall

In the Great Hall, the Queen and her son met members of the Inn and its staff before she unveiled her second plaque of the day, smiling as she noted that her great-great grandmothers name was printed alongside hers on it.

She also signed The Golden Book, whose first royal signatures were King Charles II and the future King James II when they visited in 1672, as well as Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

Built in 1845, the Great Hall is the physical and symbolic centrepiece of the Inn.

Prince Andrew first visited in 2012 when introduced as a Royal Bencher.

Meanwhile Prince Andrew put on a dapper display in a navy suit, crisp white shirt and salmon-coloured tie as he joined the Queen on her engagement.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by Prince Andrew (seen behind the royal), visits The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn

The Queen looked in good spirits as she attended the opening ceremony surrounded by members of the society

Queen Elizabeth II, visits The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn in London and takes a look around the buildings

This year has been a happy one for the Queen and Prince Philip, who became great grand-parents for the sixth and seventh time following the births of Prince William and Kate Middletons third child Prince Louis in April, and Zara Tindalls second child Lena in June.

They also witnessed the weddings of two of their grandchildren at Windsor Castle, with Prince Harry marrying Meghan Markle in May, and Princess Eugenie marrying Jack Brooksbank in October.

The weddings were followed by the announcement that Meghan was pregnant, with the baby due in Spring 2019.

Prince Andrew looked dapper in a dark suit and salmon-coloured pink tie as he accompanied the Queen on the engagement
It is less than a fortnight until the big day and it seems that Princess Charlene of Monaco was full of good cheer as she attended a gift giving event on Thursday.

The mother-of-two, 40, joined husband Prince Albert, 60, for the Christmas gifts ceremony at the Red Cross headquarters in Monaco.

But it wasn't just presents that the royal couple were giving out with each of the guests also presented with a Christmas card featuring Monaco's royal twins.

The unseen snap of Jacques and Gabriella was featured on the front of the greetings card and sees the four-year-olds posing in festive dress in front of the Christmas tree with 'Joyeux Noel' (Merry Christmas) printed alongside it.

Proud parents Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco presented Christmas cards featuring their twins Jacques and Gabriella on the front

The unseen snap sees the four-year-olds posing in festive dress in front of the Christmas tree with 'Joyeux Noel' (Merry Christmas) printed alongside it

Proud parents Charlene and Albert beamed as they presented the image to people receiving the charity gifts today.

Former Olympic swimmer Charlene looked typically chic in an oversize grey wool coat for her engagement today.

She kept out the December chill with a festive tartan scarf and opted for a pair of smart black pleated trousers.

Albert, meanwhile, looked dapper in a two piece navy suit and in the holiday spirit opted for a tie printed with images of Santa Claus.

The royal couple appeared to be full of festive cheer at the gift-giving event at the Red Cross headquarters on Thursday

The couple spent time meeting those benefiting from the charity's work and presenting them with gifts on behalf of the royal family

The couple spent time meeting those benefiting from the charity's work and presenting them with gifts on behalf of the royal family.

The Red Cross is a charity clearly close to the royal's hearts, with the couple hosting a gala ball in aid of the charity each July.

It seems that proud mother Charlene has been eager to show off her two children this week sharing sweet snaps of the twins celebrating their 4th birthday with a lavish party on Wednesday.

Charlene posted pictures of her children enjoying a visit from Spider-Man, as well as firefighters - with the youngsters even taking a ride on board the firetruck crane.

Former Olympic swimmer Charlene looked typically chic in an oversize grey wool coat for her engagement today

Albert, meanwhile, looked dapper in a two piece navy suit and in the holiday spirit opted for a tie printed with images of Santa Claus

Jacques and Gabriella were joined by friends at a superhero-themed party at the Prince's Palace of Monaco, with many dressing up for the occasion.

Young Gabriella wore a pretty white dress printed with stars for the birthday bash, while Jacques wore a Spider-Man hoodie.

Sharing the pictures on Instagram, proud mother Charlene wrote: 'Such fun at our party! Thank you to our firemen for the surprise visit! Our True Heroes.

'Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella turn 4 today.'

Princess Charlene of Monaco shared sweet snaps of twins Jacques and Gabriella at their , which saw them playing with balloon models (above) on Wednesday

Charlene, 40, posted pictures of her children enjoying a visit from Spider-Man at the Prince's Palace of Monaco (above)
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With the party season in full swing, chances are you've enjoyed a few night out on the tiles recently that have left your feet aching after squeezing into glamorous sandals.

Ros Miller, Foot and Ankle Surgeon at King Edward VIIs Hospital, has revealed the exact shoes you should wear this party season to avoid sore feet

But now an expert has revealed how you can dance the night away in comfort and avoid painful feet the morning simply by choosing the right type of shoe for your particular foot complaint.

Ros Miller is a Foot and Ankle Surgeon at King Edward VIIs Hospital in London explained that there are three 'rockers' behind the biomechanics of your gait when you walk.

The first is the heel strike, body weight behind the foot and ankle; the second is the mid-stance, and the third is toe off- body weight in front of the foot and ankle.

'When you put your feet into shoes, depending on the shape of the shoe, and the height and type of heel, the biomechanics is altered,' she explained.

'If you currently have issues with your feet, then the type of shoe that you choose to wear, will impact on the level of discomfort that you may experience. Here are some of the considerations for different types of foot problems.'

COMPLAINT: BUNIONS AND BUNIONETTES

THE SHOE: ROUND TOE WITH STURDY HEEL

Toe Type

A rounder toe shoe which has more space for toes is better than a pointed one. Pick a softer material to allow the foot to swell, rather than a stiff leather or plastic, which will cause rubbing. Or choose a strappy, open toe sandal, as the straps may go around instead of directly over the bump and therefore not put any pressure on the toe.

Sole Type

A sole with cushioning in the ball of the foot can help to ease the pain.

Heel Type

The higher and narrower the heel, the more the weight of the body is forced forward onto the front of the foot, this will cause more pressure and therefore more pain on the bunion. The narrow, stilletoe type heel significantly changes the biomechanics of gait, in that you are unable to walk in the correct heel to toe but instead effectively are teetering on tip-toe. This puts the maximum force possible through the big toe and bunion.

The J.Crew Celia Ankle Strap Block Heel Court Shoe with a sturdy heel and round toe is a good choice if you suffer from bunions. Or an open toe style such as this pair from & Other Stories can help as there's nothing touching the toe and adding pressure

COMPLAINT: BIG TOE ARTHRITIS

THE SHOE: PLATFORM WITH THICK HEEL

If you have wear of the cartilage in the big toe, this can range from early wear and tear to full blown arthritis. The body cant make new cartilage, but can lay down extra bone at the top of the toe to increase the area that the forces across the joint are dispersed. This means that the joint loses some movement and becomes stiffer, particularly when toeing-off at the 3rd rocker of gait.

Toe Type

A rounder toe with a wider fit will help. Try to get a softer material and also think about where the edge of the shoe meets the foot. It is better to have nothing covering the joint, or for the joint to be completely covered, rather than having a ridge or seam over the joint.

Sole of Shoe

A stiff soled shoe stops movement of the big toe and therefore reduces the pain. A platform heel can help, particularly one that has a curved sole, as this then creates the 3rd rocker for the foot in the shoe, instead of through the big toe.

Heel Type

Anything that forces the weight of the body forward onto the toe will increase the pain. A thicker, lower type heel is better to distribute the weight of the body evenly across the foot.

The nude FLYNN shoes by Kurt Keiger has a platform sole and sturdy block heels that's ideal if you suffer from arthritis in the big toe

COMPLAINT: FOOT PAIN

THE SHOE: CORK WEDGE WITH OPEN TOE

Ball of foot pain (Metatarsalgia), Toe problems (Hammer toes, Claw Toes), Nerve pain (Mortons Neuromas), Swelling of capsule of foot (Bursitis) - all these conditions are exacerbated by squeezing your forefoot into a tight small space.

When you go through your third rocker, your forefoot actually spreads to create a greater area to spread the force of your body weight.

Womens shoes tend to be made on a very narrow last, or template for the shoe.

If you pick a toe type is also narrow, e.g. a pointed type toe, this means that your foot cannot spread out naturally as you walk. This results in your toes getting rubbed or pinched. More pressure is put on the metatarsal heads (the knuckles in the ball of your foot).

This causes pain and swelling of the soft tissues (bursitis). It can also cause irritation of the nerves between the small toes of the foot, Mortons neuroma, which can feel as if you have a pebble or stone in your shoe.

Toe Type

A round, wider fit shoe will definitely help. A softer material, or open toe, will help to releave pressure and therefore rubbing on the top of the toes.

Sole of Shoe

A cushioned sole will be much more comfortable. Very thin leather sole will be much more painful. If you have a rocker sole (as some platform shoes do) this will be easier.

Heel Type

A high narrow heel is very problematic for this problem. A low heel is much easier. If you do want to wear a high heel, a wedge heel, preferable with an open toe and sole make of cork is the ideal shoe, so that there is less pressure on the toes, the ball of the foot is cushioned as you walk (as the cork absorbs some of the force) and the wedge allows the pressure to be spread across the whole of the foot.

Dune Caydence Peep Toe Wedge Heel Sandals have a cork wedge that will be more comfortable for issues such as nerve pain and claw toes. If you prefer something more strappy, the Dune London Karlotta shoes will also help stave off foot pain

THE COMPLAINT: FLAT FEET

THE SHOE: ROUND TOE WEDGE

There are two types of flat feet, flexible and rigid. Flexible feet are because the tendons and ligaments on the inside of the foot are not working properly. Rigid flat feet are because there is arthritis in the foot. Rigid flat feet are very difficult to get into anything other than a low heel.

A wedge heel is a good option for support if you suffer from flat feet

Flexible flat feet actually do reasonably well in a high heel  actually this may help to strengthen the muscles and ligaments that have become lax.

Toe Type

People with flat feet also tend to be fairly mobile and therefore have a tendency to develop bunions. Therefore pointed shoes are problematic and a round toed shoe is better.

Sole Type

A cushioned sole will help. Some shoes have a padded or raised arch (Think Birkenstocks) to help support the arch of the foot.

Heel Type

A block heel or wedge heel will help to support the arch of the foot.

COMPLAINT: UNSTABLE ANKLES

THE SHOE: LACE UP BOOT

If you have wobbly ankles or a tendency to roll your ankles, this is usually due to the fact that you have weak or torn ligaments on the outside of the ankle. This can cause pain, or repeatedly going over on the ankle. Long term this can cause you to develop wear and tear of the ankle joint and in some cases ankle arthritis.

For this problem the key is having and ankle strap or lace up boots. The key to the strap is that it needs to be reasonably thick, so that it can essentially mimic the ligament of the ankle. A boot with laces will help considerably.

Heel Type

A block heel or a broader wedge will help you to balance better so that you are not forcing the weight forward onto the ball of your foot and teetering on your tip-toes. If you have problems with your balance this may be due to weakness in your ankles. As you force yourself onto your tiptoes, this means that the ligaments have to work much harder to stabilise your ankle. A broad heel helps you to take the weight back onto the back of your foot and let the tendons and ligaments around the ankle work more effectively.

A lace up boot such as the Kurt Geiger Vivian is an ideal option if you battle with unstable ankles

COMPLAINT: ACHILLES TENDON AND HEEL PAIN

THE SHOE: CHUNKY HEEL

Tight Achilles can be very painful if you develop an Achilles tendonopathy (Painful achilles) or inflammation of the plantar fasciia (Plantar faciitis), which cause heel pain. Both of these structures are related to each other and are the soft tissues that come from the calf muscle to attach to the heel  Achilles tendon, which then goes around the heel to attach to the base of the toes  Plantar fascia. When they become tight, sudden stretching can cause microtears and inflammation, which is painful.

Sole Type

A cushioned sole, particularly of the heel will help to absorb some of the forces and take the pressure of the sore point, particularly in plantar fasciitis.

Heel Type

This is the one time when wearing heels really does help. Again, a broader or block heel is better as this helps you to spread the load of the forces across the foot.

One of the most important things to remember to do is to make sure that you stretch regularly your calves and the sole of your foot, particularly the morning after you have worn high heels so that these structures stretch out to the correct length.
She saw smash hit musical Hamilton with close pal Priyanka Chopra in her acting days - and again with new husband Prince Harry at a charity performance in London over the summer.

And now the show's creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, who sat next to the royal couple for the gala performance at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London in August, has revealed just how big a fan of it the Duchess really is.

Speaking to Hello! Magazine, Miranda, 38, said that Meghan knew every word to the to the hip hop songs he penned as he watched her singing along.

The creative called the experience 'surreal' and joked that it reminded him to 'brush up' on the lyrics to his musical - which tells the story of US founding father Alexander Hamilton - himself.

Meghan Markle, 37, (middle) and Prince Harry, 34, (left) watched the musical Hamilton at the Victoria Palace Theatre, London. According to the show's creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, 38, (right) she mouthed along to the words

Meghan and Harry, 34, attended the show at the Victoria Palace Theatre, London, and were introduced to Miranda and his wife Vanessa Nadal before posing for pictures with the cast,

Miranda said: 'It was pretty wild. It was pretty surreal to see that the Duchess knows the lyrics a little better than I do! She was sitting next to me and mouthing along.'

He said the couple were a 'joy' to be around and called them 'wonderful'.

At the event Harry showed that he too had picked up some of the lyrics, bursting into song himself with a rendition of You'll Be Back - sung by the character of his ancestor George III in the musical.

The creative joked that the Duchess of Sussex (middle, with Prince Harry, left) knew the words better than he did, despite writing them himself

Miranda (pictured) called the experience 'surreal' and joked that it reminded him to 'brush up' on the lyrics himself

Meghan was the picture of sophistication in her monochrome outfit that night, balancing the short hemline of her dress with long sleeves and a powerful tuxedo neckline.

The royal kept her accessories simple, donning a pair of elegant pointed pumps and completely the ensemble with a rectangular black clutch with glitter detailing.

She wore her brown hair swept back in her signature bun and accentuated her brown eyes with a soft, smoky make-up look.

After retiring from acting ahead of her wedding to Prince Harry, it has been speculated that Meghan's first royal patronage will be in the arts.

After the show Meghan, who looked chic in a short tuxedo style dress, and Harry met and shook hands with the cast (pictured)

While on stage Harry burst into song with a rendition of You'll Be Back (pictured) but stopped after he'd

She was said to have spoken to the artistic director of the National Theatre Rufus Norris, 53, in a private engagement yesterday.

News of the meeting, reported on Twitter by royal correspondent Omid Scobie, led some to question whether she might soon take over from the Queen as the theatre's patron.

The duchess, who is expecting her first child with Prince Harry next spring, has carried out in a number of unannounced engagements in recent weeks, including a surprise appearance at the British Fashion Awards on Monday.

Support: The Duchess of Sussex has demonstrated her firm support for the arts since joining the Royal Family. She chose the opening of an exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts as her first official solo engagement in September, pictured

It is not known where her meeting with Norris took place but it is thought to be somewhere in London.

The Queen is the long-time patron of the National Theatre, a publicly funded institution, but has started to handover her appointments to other family members in recent years.

Royal supporters noted Meghan would be a fitting replacement with her background in acting.
There may still be a fortnight to go until Christmas but in Sweden they are already in the festive spirit.

December 13 sees the nation celebrate St Lucia Day with festivities held across the country including the royal palace.

Crown Princess Victoria snapped two adorable photos of her two children Princess Estelle, six, and Prince Oscar, two dressed up to celebrate the occasion.

The annual event involves a candlelit Lucia procession in which girls and boys clad in white full-length gowns sing songs together.

Princess Estelle of Sweden and her brother Prince Oscar have dressed in traditional costume to celebrate St Lucia Day

A young girl is selected to play St Lucia, wearing a crown of candles on her head to light the way during the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, with Estelle taking the role of the saint.

As has come custom in recent years Victoria chose to decorate Estelle's crown with electric candles rather than wax ones and completed her daughter's outfit with a white dress and red sash as is tradition.

Meanwhile Prince Oscar took on the role of a Stjaerngossen or 'star boy' which saw the toddler dressed in a white gown and pointed hat while wielding a wand.

The two adorable snaps were shared on the Swedish Instagram account Kungahuset with the caption: 'Ett litet luciatag pa Haga i morse (A little Lucia Day in Haga this morning).

Estelle took on the role of Lucia wearing crown of candles on her head and carrying a basket of Luciaboller while Oscar was a Stjaerngossen or 'star boy'

In the photo Estelle can also be seen carrying a basket of Luciaboller or saffron buns, traditionally enjoyed as part of the celebration.

According to tradition Lucia Night was the longest of the year and legend has it that it was a dangerous one when supernatural beings were present and animals became possessed and could speak.

It is said that young people used to dress up as Lucia figures that night and wander from house to house singing songs and scrounging for food and schnapps.

St Lucia Day comes ahead of the royal family selecting a Christmas tree for the palace.

It comes ahead of the family choosing their Christmas tree whereby students from the master's program at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences present them with a selection of firs. Pictured: Victoria, Estelle and Oscar at last year's choosing

The tradition sees the Swedish royal family welcome students from the master's program at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU).

The students present the royals with a selection of Christmas trees which they will then choose from to have displayed in the royal palace in Stockholm.

Much like the Queen's Christmas Day speech, the Swedish royal family release a Christmas message a few days ahead of the big day where they reflect on the year that's gone and the one ahead.

On 23rd the family celebrate the birthday of Queen Silvia, who will turn 74 on Saturday, with a German fruit cake served in a nod towards her heritage.
Restaurant chains serve meals that are more calorie-packed than those sold by fast-food companies, say researchers.

They found that the average meal in a 'full-service' diner contained an astonishing 1,033 calories, while dishes from takeaway chains had an average of 751.

The researchers from the University of Liverpool said their 'shocking' findings probably underestimated the number of calories consumed because they did not include drinks, starters, desserts or side orders.

A study found that only one of 27 chain restaurants in the UK sells meals with an average meal calorie count of 600 or less - Public Health England's recommended limit. It also found KFC and McDonalds have lower average calorie counts for their meals than most chains

Experts said food outlets were helping fuel Britain's obesity crisis by serving 'excessive' meals.

Out of the 27 chains assessed, only one  Leon  sells food with an average of less than the 600-calorie maximum recommended by Public Health England.

Hungry Horse, which runs 284 pub-restaurants across Britain, has the most calorie-packed food of those surveyed, with an average meal containing 1,358.

For those with a hefty appetite, it serves meals such as the 3,505-calorie rack of St Louis ribs, or the 3,318-calorie Smokin' Jack Burger.

Each of those contains well over an entire day's recommended calorie intake, which stands at 2,500 for men and 2,000 for women.

A further ten restaurant chains each recorded averages of more than 1,000 calories per meal.

Among the fast-food chains, an average KFC meal comes in at 987 calories, Subway 763, McDonald's 726 and Wimpy 721.

Of all the meals assessed, 89 per cent at full-service restaurants and 83 per cent at fast food chains breached the 600-calorie limit for a single meal.

Britain is in the midst of a major public health crisis, with the third highest rates of obesity in Europe.

HOW THE GOVERNMENT IS TRYING TO STOP OBESITY Proposed plans to restrict the number of calories in pizzas, pies and ready meals were last year revealed as part of drastic Government moves to try and cut down on obesity. A tax on added sugar in drinks came into force in April, requiring companies to hand over more of the money they make from drinks which contain more than 5g of sugar per 100ml of liquid. As a result, many soft drinks have had their recipes changed in order to avoid paying the tax and putting prices up. Sugary drinks are the biggest single source of sugar for children and teenagers. The Government is also considering making it compulsory for all restaurants and fast food outlets to display the number of calories in each meal on their menu. Some food outlets already do this but there can be unexpected numbers of calories in popular dishes, and the Government is consulting on the plans before a decision is due in spring. In March this year, Public Health England warned Brits to crack down on the number of calories they're eating, advising people to consume no more than 1,600 per day. The watchdog says adults shouldn't eat any more than 400 calories for breakfast, 600 for lunch and 600 for dinner  this would allow for some snacks, experts said. Examples of 600-calorie meals include a tuna pasta salad and a small cereal bar, a chicken salad sandwich and a pack of crisps, or half a pepperoni pizza with a quarter of a garlic baguette and a banana. Advertisement

A recent report by the World Health Organisation revealed that 28 per cent of British adults are obese, compared to a European average of 23 per cent.

The researchers, writing in the British Medical Journal, said the increasing habit of eating out at restaurants is playing a major role.

'The energy content of a large number of main meals in major UK restaurant chains is excessive, and only a minority meet public health recommendations,' they say.

'Although the poor nutritional quality of fast-food meals has been well documented, the energy content of full-service restaurant meals in the UK tends to be higher and is a cause for concern.'

They said 39 per cent of people in Britain eat out at least once a week, up from 25 per cent a decade ago. 'Several studies suggest that people who eat out of the home more often are at increased risk of weight gain and obesity,' the researchers said.

'Meals provided to consumers that are high in energy promote excess energy intake and are problematic for public health.'

Study leader Dr Eric Robinson said: 'It's clear what the industry needs to do  they need to act more responsibly and reduce the number of calories that they're serving.'

Kate Nicholls of UK Hospitality, which represents the restaurant trade, said firms were already offering healthier dishes for customers.

'Freedom of choice must remain key and it is reasonable for people to treat themselves when dining out, while still controlling their calorific intake,' she said.

Her comments were reiterated by a spokesman for Hungry Horse, who pointed to its new Live Well range with dishes under 600 calories.
A pensioner addicted to penis fillers has spent 12,000 on injections to make his manhood thicker and will soon have had the maximum amount allowed.

Eric Bell, 70, will have his fifth set of injections in January, which will increase his penis to around six inches in girth when erect.

From Keighley in West Yorkshire, Mr Bell said the 3,000-a-time fillers have boosted his confidence and kept his dating life exciting.

He claims to now be dating 'much younger women' who tell him they like his large penis, which is now a whole two inches thicker than it used to be.

After a life of feeling embarrassed about his member, the former nurse said the injections are the way forward and he'd tell other men to 'go for it'.

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Eric Bell, 70, will have his fifth penis enlargement on Monday December 17, bringing him to maximum which is allowed after he says he became addicted to the procedure four years ago

'I used to look down and instantly feel depressed that my penis was too small,' said Mr Bell, who has the injections at Moorgate Andrology in Doncaster.

He said his opinion of his penis had, in the past, negatively affected his dating life and even a Viagra prescription didn't help.

Before the first procedure in September 2016, in which he had his penis both lengthened and widened, Mr Bell measured 5.5inches long by four inches in circumference.

Doctors snipped a ligament at the top of his penis to release his 'hidden length', increasing his manhood to 6.5inches long.

After having the first injection two years ago, Mr Bell has had regular top-ups to keep his girth at the level he wants it.

Following the recent fillers, his penis is approximately the same circumference as a bottle of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce.

Mr Bell said: 'I haven't been in a serious relationship before but now I'm dating much younger women and feel like my confidence is sky-high.

'Now I have a successful dating life and I'm happy.

'I was a nurse and wanted a non-invasive treatment that would work well.

'That's exactly what it's done, the women I've had sex with since say they love my large penis.'

The procedure works by injecting hyaluronic acid, the same substance used for many lip fillers, directly into the penis to make it larger.

Mr Bell has had four injections of hyaluronic acid into his penis to increase its width and claims the procedures have improved his confidence and he has a successful dating life

The fillers leave single Mr Bell with a girth of up to six inches  the UK average is 4.3 inches  by widening the penis with a substance used in lip fillers, which stays in the body for up to around 18 months

Enlarging the penis in this way aims only to increase the thickness of it, not the length, and is only temporary, lasting until the filler breaks down in the body.

Penis fillers are becoming increasingly popular and some clinics say they have seen a 70 per cent rise in the number of men wanting one in the past three years.

There is a risk of infection, scarring or bleeding which comes with the treatment, but Mr Bell said he isn't too worried about complications.

'I know the risks  I could be left scarred or with uncomfortable lumps, even sometimes bleeding or infection, but it's worth it,' he said.

And he will soon have to stop having the injections because he's had so many since he started in 2014.

When interviewing another man who had penis fillers last month, Phillip Schofield demonstrated the size of a penis 5.9 inches thick  the bottle on the right is 5.9 inches, whereas the pepper shaker is 4.9ins

David Mills, managing director of Moorgate Andrology where Mr Bell has the procedures, said: 'There is a limit and Eric has to be fit and well.

'It is treatment that is injected, and it has to be done by a qualified doctor.

'As long as the expectations are realistic, and clients stick to the aftercare procedure, it can work well.

'There's no sex for a month afterwards, and lumps and bumps can always appear. But Eric knows his own mind and is reasonable and a compliant patient.'
Crowded underground stations are more likely to be infested with flu-like illnesses, scientists have said.

People who use stations with fewer transport links - which are busier - are the most vulnerable, a study found.

Residents of Islington, who often change lines at King's Cross St Pancras, had rates of flu nearly three times higher than commuters from Kensington, who mostly take direct trains because there are lots of stations in the borough.

Crowded underground stations are more likely to be infested with flu-like illnesses, scientists led by the University of Bristol have said

Up to five million people pass through the London underground a day, with 543 trains running at peak time.

For the study, the researchers compared Oyster card route information and Public Health England data on flu-like illnesses over six months in 2013/14.

The team, led by experts at the University of Bristol, found higher rates of infections in Londoners with more complicated journeys.

'Higher rates [of influenza-like cases] can be observed in boroughs served by a small number of underground lines,' said lead author Dr Lara Gosce.

HOW MANY FLU-LIKE ILLNESSES WERE THERE PER 100,000 IN YOUR LONDON BOROUGH? Barking Barnet Bexley Brent Bromley Camden Croydon Ealing Enfield Greenwich Hackney Hammersmith and Fulham Haringey Harrow Havering Hillingdon Hounslow Islington Kensington and Chelsea Kingston upon Thames Lambeth Lewisham Merton Newham Redbridge Richmond upon Thames Southwark Sutton Tower Hamlets Waltham Forest Wandsworth Westminster 13.65 10.35 5 15.18 5.96 12 9.64 7.72 10.81 17.23 13.16 1.98 7.73 16.98 1.02 9.87 1 15.37 5.5 4.9 12.84 11.75 8.41 15.67 5.54 2.3 16.83 8.4 16.66 10.35 11.04 6.96 Advertisement

'Passengers starting their journey in these boroughs usually have to change lines once or more in crowded junctions... in order to reach their final destination.'

These people, therefore, come into contact with more people.

Greenwich in south-east London had the highest flu-like influenza cases, with 17.32 infections per 100,000 people.

The borough is served by the Jubilee line and the DLR, but commuters generally have to change line at least once to reach their end destination.

At the other end of the table was Hounslow, on the outskirts of West London - close to Heathrow. Its rate of flu-like illnesses was just one per 100,000 people.

'Lower influenza-like rates are found in boroughs where either the population do not use public transport as the main form of transport to commute,' said Dr Gosce.

But she said it may also be because the boroughs are served by more underground lines, 'which guarantee faster trips with less stops and contacts with fewer people'.

For example, central Richmond upon Thames, Westminster and Hounslow all had lower rates of infections.

Other boroughs on London's outskirts, such as Barking, Brent, Harrow and Tower Hamlets, also had higher infection rates.

This may be because commuters must pass through stations such as Waterloo - the busiest underground in London, serving 100.3million passengers every year.

The team hope that their findings, published in the Environmental Health journal, will inform Government on how to reduce illness.

Dr Gosce said: 'Policy makers, in particular, should address the role potentially played by public transport and crowded events and avoid encouraging the attendance of such environments during epidemics.'

Maps which show the transmission of illnesses in urban environments could be drawn by looking at infection rates in schools, too, she said.

Previous studies have found a link between public transport use and catching acute respiratory infections (ARI), such as a sore throat or runny nose.

University of Nottingham researchers found around seven years ago a statistically significant association between ARI and bus or tram use.
A former nursery worker battled permanent brain freeze after a condition caused her brain tissue to slip into her spinal cord.

Alison Stiles Johnson, 44, of Newcastle, was diagnosed with chiari malformation in December 2016 after initially dismissing her crippling headaches as a side effect of the flu jab.

Chiari malformation occurs when part of the skull presses on the brain, forcing its tissue into the spinal canal.

Ms Stiles Johnson, who had recently got engaged when the ordeal started, likened the pain to 'an ice cream headache that wouldn't leave'.

She underwent an operation in March last year to remove a section of her skull. This gave her brain more room and stopped it pressing on her backbone.

Although she still suffers occasional pain, as well as memory loss and speech problems, Ms Stiles Johnson refuses to let her condition hold her back and married her now-husband Michael Pearson, 38, in Italy last July.

Alison Stiles Johnson battled permanent brainfreeze after a condition caused her brain tissue to slip into her spinal cord. She is pictured with her husband Michael Pearson on their wedding day in Italy in July last year - four months after she had surgery to remove part of her skull

Ms Stiles Johnson went under the knife in March last year with surgeons removing part of the bone at the back of her skull. This created more space for her brain and relieved the pressure it was applying to her spinal cord. Pictured is the scar after the procedure

Ms Stile Johnson was diagnosed with chiari malformation in December 2016. This occurs when part of the skull is abnormally small or misshapen, which causes it to press on the brain and push it downwards. The X-ray, taken before surgery, shows her brain pressing on her spine

The Brain & Spine Foundation in the UK and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in the US both estimate one in every 1,000 people are born with chiari malformation.

The disorder may actually be more common due to not all sufferers developing symptoms.

Speaking of her ordeal, Ms Stiles Johnson said: 'I initially thought it was the after-effects of my flu jab. But there was a pressure behind my right eye, and my vision was becoming blurred.

'The pain was like an ice cream headache that just wouldn't leave. My speech was awful, I was unable to finish a sentence and it felt like I was permanently drunk.

'Little did I know that my brain was actually crushing my spine.'

Ms Stiles Johnson went under the knife four months after she was diagnosed.

'During the op, doctors had to cut away part of my skull at the back of my neck, taking out some of the muscle,' she said. 'It was an attempt at decompression, to stop my brain crushing my spine and to prevent the condition from progressing.'

Refusing to let her disorder define her, Mrs Stiles Johnson only took one month off to recover while she was studying a Masters degree in tourism and events at the University of Sunderland.

The graduate even went ahead with her wedding plans just four months after the surgery, despite the flight causing her even more pain.

'My husband had proposed before diagnosis and he'd stuck by me, even through all the pain,' she said. 'So even though I was still in so much pain, we took both sets of parents and jetted off to Italy.

'I don't give up, and even though the high pressure of flying hurt me more, I was determined.

'I completed my Masters and got married. Not everyone would have been able to do that.'

Ms Stiles Johnson is in too much pain to work but hopes to one day pursue a career in tourism and events.

Ms Stiles Johnson continued to suffer pain after the surgery. Despite her discomfort, she was determined to go ahead with her wedding after her then fiance (pictured together right) stuck by her through everything. She is pictured left with her father Colin Stiles on the big day

Despite her optimism, the surgery was not a permanent cure with only 20 per cent of patients going on to have no symptoms. Many even suffer changes to their personalities as a result of the procedure.

'I surprised myself,' Mrs Stiles Johnson said. 'I was the same person, but I don't fully understand the damage that's been done. I felt like the diagnosis was never fully explained to me and I just wanted a way to escape the pain.

'Now, I take daily medication but it feels like my neck can't hold my head up. It's felt like an out of body experience, but I've refused to give up.'

Mrs Stiles Johnson is speaking out to raise awareness of the poorly understood condition.

'I feel like it was never fully explained to me,' she said. 'I'm still searching for a way to live comfortably with the condition.'

Ms Stiles Johnson refuses to let her condition define her and is proud that she persevered with her wedding despite her ordeal. She is pictured left with her mother Kath Stiles on the big day and right with her now husband. She described her suffering as an 'out of body experience'
Many of the half a million women believed to have been caught up in a breast cancer screening blunder were worried without reason, a report revealed today.

Earlier this year 450,000 women were warned they may have missed important routine mammograms but the true figure has turned out to be just 67,000.

Some 85 per cent of them were caught up in an unnecessary scare because officials didn't fully understand what was happening when they told the public, the report said.

And early warning signs of the blunder first cropped up in 2016, up to two years before former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt was told and revealed it in Parliament.

Even when Mr Hunt was able to make the announcement he had been given unreliable information and wrongly blamed a 'computer algorithm failure'.

Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt was wrong when he blamed a 'computer algorithm failure' for causing women to miss out on breast cancer screening invites, an independent review has found

Mr Hunt had been wrongly informed, the independent report said, when he publicly blamed the issue on a 'computer algorithm failure'.

Instead, a 'misunderstanding' between official policy and the local NHS groups doing the real-world screening was the cause of the scare, which dated back to 2009.

And the first signs of problems surfaced in 2016, before a screening centre in Walsall, West Midlands, realised something was definitely wrong in March 2017.

In 2016 Public Health England noticed an issue with the way its computer algorithm calculated the dates women were next due for a mammogram.

Some women weren't invited when they were 50, meaning they wouldn't be screened until the age of 53  three years after testing is supposed to start.

So PHE decommissioned what it believed were the nine faulty IT systems and nothing else was done until March 2017, today's report said.

The following March, staff at the Walsall unit realised the algorithm was using only the year of women's birth, not the month.

TIMELINE SHOWS THE PROBLEM COULD HAVE BEEN SPOTTED TWO YEARS EARLIER 2016: Public Health England noticed an issue with how patients' due dates for screening were being calculated, noticing some may not have been picked up by the system until they turned 53. PHE decomissioned what it believed were the nine problematic units. March 2017: Staff at a breast screening unit in Walsall, West Midlands, noticed patients' ages were being calculated using only the year, not the month. Some women were invited before their 50th birthday, when screening starts, and others stopped being included before they turned 71. Electronics firm Hitachi investigated and confirmed the algorithm had been wrongly set up. December 2017: Public Health England requested the NHS's data from the nine units decommissioned in 2016. It confirmed 'various anomalies' with the way appointments were being made. January 2018: Data from a system-wide sweep confirmed there was a problem with how women's ages were being determined. In a meeting officials discussed the possibility of 200,000 women missing out on cancer tests. January 2018: Letters went to and fro between senior Public Health England and NHS managers, discussing what was now a 'serious incident'. January 2018: A 'strategic response group' was formed and the Government's Chief Medical Officer was informed while PHE and the NHS continued to investigate behind the scenes. March 2018: A government meeting took place with public health minister Steve Brine and other senior members of PHE and the NHS and the two organisation's communications teams. April 2018: Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt took part in his first meeting about the fiasco with senior staff from PHE, NHS and the Department of Health. May 2018: Mr Hunt publicly announced the problem in Parliament, when he said a 'computer algorithm failure' was to blame. Up to 450,000 women were believed to have been affected. May 2018: Public Health England contacted 195,565 women who were believed to have been affected by the incident. Advertisement

So some were sent letters inviting them to screening before they turned 50  when routine testing starts  and some stopped getting them before 71, when it ends.

One expert who led the investigation said the level of confusion caused by whole fiasco has been 'unacceptable'.

The NHS assured investigators there were a maximum of 67,000 women who could have missed screening appointments  15 per cent of what was originally feared.

And it said they have all been contacted and invited for follow-up tests since the blunder was revealed seven months ago.

The screening scandal, unveiled in May this year, meant nearly half a million women aged between 68 and 71 were led to believe they were never invited to their final routine mammogram.

But the review, commissioned by Mr Hunt, found that his announcement was made following advice based on an incomplete understanding of what had happened.

Despite an issue first being noticed in March 2017, Public Health England and NHS England continued their own investigations behind closed doors before finally telling the Government in March this year  12 months later.

The error was said to have potentially led to hundreds of lives being cut short when it emerged.

Then-Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt told the Commons a 'computer algorithm failure' dating to 2009 meant many women aged 68 to 71 were not invited to screenings.

But an independent review, published today, found there was no computer algorithm failure, and that the IT systems used  although described as 'dated and unwieldy'  had broadly operated as they were designed to.

Instead, it found the misunderstanding was because of a specification document written in 2013.

This said women should be invited for screening  which saves 1,300 lives a year  'within 36 months of their previous screening, until they reach the age of 71'.

However, this document was based on a misunderstanding of how the programme was being delivered in practice.

Local screening units continued instead to understand the upper age limit as 70, and to tell women this in their invitation letters.

This meant women screened after their 67th birthday may not have been invited again because clinics only tested women every three years up to the age of 70.

Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief Executive at Breast Cancer Now said: 'After months of uncertainty, it is totally unacceptable  and extremely concerning  to learn that hundreds of thousands of women have been unnecessarily caused such significant distress.

'This has been nothing short of a system failure, precipitated by a lack of clear ownership and strong leadership of a world-leading programme.

'It highlights a continued inability, amid structural confusion, to monitor what is happening in the screening service.

Lee Towsey, left, said earlier this year he believes his mother was a victim of the screening invites scandal because she hadn't been for a scan in the years leading up to her death at the age of 70. He said in May when the scandal broke: 'I know my mother and I know she would have gone along if she had been invited for a scan. But she just did not receive one.'

Rowena Herniman, a 70-year-old from Surbiton, said in May she had never received a letter for routine screening, and was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016

'We are incredibly fortunate to have such a dedicated workforce, who at crisis capacity themselves have stepped up so impressively to support those affected  including in diagnosing some breast cancers earlier through catch-up screening.

'But major lessons must now be learned, and it is clear that responsibility for the Screening Programme is too divided between different bodies.

'We simply cannot let bureaucracy or a lack of leadership stall our progress on breast cancer, whether in adopting research advances or in ensuring a world-class early detection programme.'

The report said no one person, or body, was to blame for the confusion, but in the rush to announce and correct the issue, incorrect assumptions were made about how it had happened.

The report recommended clarifying the age when women should stop receiving invites and updating public information so women know what to expect.

It also said IT systems should be make easier to use and there should be a review of how all national cancer screening programmes are run.

HOW WAS THE BREAST SCREENING SCANDAL DISCOVERED? The breast cancer screening scandal was only discovered thanks to an Oxford University trial into extra breast cancer screening for women. The AgeX trial was set up in 2009 to find out whether cancers could be diagnosed with extra screenings without undue harm in those aged 47 to 49 and 71 to 73. Around 65 breast cancer units across the country then recruited women from these age groups with the computer programme supposed to select half at random to be given the extra screening. But a computer glitch that was in the system from the start of the trial meant a large number of the older group had scans cancelled without ever knowing they were going to be arranged. Once the Oxford researchers discovered the error, it soon emerged that the same mistake had affected women in the entire screening programme. Advertisement

These recommendations will inform the recently-announced review of national cancer screening programmes led by Sir Mike Richards.

The review team visited 10 breast screening units, where they said they found staff were skilled, experienced and worked hard to make sure women in their care received the best possible service.

The review was co-chaired by Lynda Thomas, chief executive of Macmillan Cancer Support.

Ms Thomas said: 'We know that the announcement in May of a breast screening incident caused anxiety for thousands of women, sometimes unnecessarily, and it was of critical importance that their voices and concerns were heard as part of this independent review.

'It is completely unacceptable that there was confusion about what the breast screening programme should have been delivering.

'There needs to be clarity, and importantly women need clear information about what they should be able to expect.'

The review was commissioned by Mr Hunt in May.

Co-chairman Professor Martin Gore, of Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, said: 'The NHS breast screening programme is one of the best in the world, and the staff who deliver it work exceptionally hard to give women the best care.

'However, the supporting systems and governance processes need to be updated.

'It is essential that Public Health England as a matter of urgency works with the women they contacted and have been diagnosed with breast cancer, their families and their healthcare professionals, to find out whether they were harmed by any errors in the breast screening programme, and are given the support they need.'
A woman who used cupping therapy to treat her injured shoulder fell asleep and woke up with large, painful blisters.

The unnamed woman, from California, tried the alternative method of pain relief in her own home using a hand-held pump.

But she fell asleep for half an hour, resulting in the uncomfortable blisters to form in a circle on her shoulder.

A Californian woman in her 60s who used cupping therapy to for her injured shoulder fell asleep and woke up with large, painful blisters, a report in the journal JAMA Dermatology said

Cupping comes from ancient Chinese medicine, and involves putting cups, sometimes hot, on the skin to create a vacuum.

Some believe it helps with pain relief by increasing blood flow to the area, with celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Joshua having used it.

Despite common side effects including bruising, cupping therapy is generally believed to be safe if done by a therapist.

However, the unfortunate story of this woman in her 60s, told in a report in the journal JAMA Dermatology, reveals it can be quite dangerous.

The collection of blisters formed in a circle under the area where the cup was applied, doctors at the University of California, San Francisco, revealed.

The suction, which the woman hoped would relieve her of her shoulder pain, damaged her skin, explained the team of doctors, led by Dr Maria Wei.

'The vacuum was strong enough to split the skin, separating the normal two [top and bottom] layers of skin,' the case report read.

Celebrity fans of this form of acupuncture include Gwyneth Paltrow - who arrived at a New York premiere in 2004 showing off the tell-tale circular bruises

Athletes have been known to use the ancient Chinese method to relieve pain by improving blood flow. Michael Phelps appeared with red circles caused by the therapy all over his shoulder in the 4x100m freestyle relay in the 2016 Olympics at Rio de Janeiro

IS CUPPING SAFE? MAN'S LUNG 'DISAPPEARS' AFTER WIFE GIVES HIM A CUPPING SESSION AT HOME Doctors in China were shocked to discover an elderly man's lung had seemed to disappear in an X-ray scan. The patient was apparently feeling unwell and had to be taken to the hospital after having cupping therapy. Doctors later claimed that the patient's right lung had collapsed and he had to undergo surgery. According to Kan Kan News, the patient, Mr Wu, has had bronchitis for over 10 years. It's reported that his wife gave him a cupping session at home in Wuhan, Hubei Province on November 7. He believed that the therapy could cure his cold. However, he appeared pale after the session and had to be taken to the Wuhan Central Hospital. Dr Xu Di, a specialist of cardiothoracic surgery, said 70 per cent of Mr Wu's right lung had been compressed. Advertisement

The painful blisters were drained and the 'blister roof was left to serve as a natural dressing', before petroleum jelly was applied under a sterile dressing.

Cupping has proven popular among celebrities and athletes over the years.

Fans of this form of acupuncture including Geri Haliwell, Paris Hilton and Gwyneth Paltrow - who arrived at a New York premiere in 2004 showing off the tell-tale circular bruises, caused by small blood vessels bursting.

Interest in cupping soared when Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps appeared with the red circles all over his shoulder in the 4x100m freestyle relay in Rio de Janeiro, August 2016.

Recently, Strictly Come Dancing star Gorka Marquez, 28, shared his experiences of cupping, which he gets for neck and lower back injuries, on Instagram.

British heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua also shared a clip of him receiving 'fire cupping' last year in preperation for a clinch fight with Wladimir Klitschko.

He was laden with suction cups which were lit in turn before being placed on his back and arms, creating the 'healing' vacuum on the skin.

If properly performed with guidance, in as little as five minutes and no longer than 15 minutes, cupping therapy should not cause blisters, Dr Wei told Live Science.

Cupping involves creating suction through a vacuum on the skin

WHAT IS CUPPING? Origin: The earliest evidence is a medical texbook from Egypt, 1550 BC. Procedure: Usually run in conjunction with acupuncture, cupping involved creating suction through a vacuum on the skin. Results: The practice is supposed to help blood flow, reduce inflammation and treat respiratory problems. Advertisement

But in this case, the device was left unsupervised, causing 'too strong of a vacuum' and damaging the skin.

Dr Wei said: 'This case illustrates the need for supervision while performing cupping with a mechanical device [such as a pump]. If properly monitored, it shouldn't be a problem.'

Although many people say they've experienced benefits from the therapy, there is little scientific evidence to back its use.

Critics have said the method is nothing other than a celebrity fad, and that it works for no reason other than the placebo effect.
Wilderness survival instructor Jeremy White had climbed America's highest mountain peaks, led scuba diving tours in Hawaii and even swam with sharks.

But a routine knee surgery in June 2015 revealed he was in the final stages of congestive heart failure.

Doctors tried to keep White, from Spokane, Washington, alive through medications and treatments but, when those failed and no heart donor was available, he was told his only option was a rechargeable mechanical heart.

White, now 35, had the pump implanted one month later and is currently on the list for a heart transplant and says he hopes to inspire others to remain positive in the face of their own adversities.

Jeremy White, 35, of Spokane, Washington, was a wilderness survival instructor who constantly traveled. He didn't know that he was slowly experiencing congestive heart failure. Pictured: White hiking mountains in Seattle before his surgery, left, and his scars and the cord that leads to his heart, right

At age 31, White, who had just returned from racing camels in Egypt (pictured), underwent minor knee surgery in June 2015 to rid him of his arthritis.

During his time in college, White took several study abroad trips to fuel his love of travel and even tried winter survival courses.

'My favorite adventure is hard to pick but scuba diving is one for sure,' he said.

'I also loved hiking, snowshoeing and airport roulette - it's where to you go to an airport and you don't know which flight you're getting on until you board it.'

In his twenties, White climbed some of the highest mountain peaks in the nation including Mount Rainier, the highest point in Washington, and Mount Whitney, the highest point in the continental US.

'Every chance I got to go on adventures I would, from studying abroad in Spain to winter survival courses and international business trips,' he said.

At age 31, White, who had just returned from racing camels in Egypt, underwent minor knee surgery in June 2015 to rid him of his arthritis.

However, shortly after waking up from the procedure, he began experiencing chest pains and had difficulty breathing.

'[Doctors] ran tests to detect foreign viruses since I'd been traveling so much but nothing showed,' he said.

'The doctors were so perplexed by my symptoms as they couldn't determine why a young, healthy guy was experiencing these problems.'

After three days of running tests, doctors determined White was in end-stage heart failure.

After the procedure, White experienced chest pains and had difficulty breathing for three days. Doctors finally determined White was in end-stage heart failure. Pictured: White in the hospital in July 2015

After numerous medications and treatments failed and with no donor heart available, doctors told White his only option was to have have a mechanical heart known as a left ventricle assist device (LVAD) implanted. Pictured: White in the hospital in July 2015

An LVAD is surgically implanted right under the heart. Blood flows from the heart into the pump and, once the pump is full, the blood passes into the aorta. Pictured: An X-ray showing White's LVAD

White said doctors believe a virus damaged his heart and that he'd been living with heart failure for up to three months prior to the knee surgery.

'I was very fit and healthy, so my body was compensating for the weakness in my heart,' he said.

'Then I had the knee surgery, which added stress on my body and it was the tipping point for my heart condition to become symptomatic.'

After numerous medications and treatments failed and with no donor heart available, doctors told White his only option was to have have a mechanical heart known as a left ventricle assist device (LVAD) implanted.

LVADs are only used in patients who have reached-end stage heart failure.

They either have the pump implanted while waiting for a heart transplant or, if they are not eligible, use it as long-term treatment.

An LVAD is surgically implanted right under the heart. One end is attached to the left ventricle - which pumps oxygenated blood to body tissue - and the other end is attached to the aorta - the body's main artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body.

Blood flows from the heart into the pump and, once the pump is full, the blood passes into the aorta.

Meanwhile, an external controller, a power pack and a reserve power pack remain outside the body.

White spent nearly a month in the hospital before he was fitted with his LVAD during a nine-hour surgery in July 2015.

White carries his battery pack with him in a bag. His pump has a battery life of 10 hours, which he plugs into the wall at night. Pictured: White in the hospital after surgery.

He is currently on blood-thinning medication, which sometimes causes bruises and bleeding in his eyes (pictured). He is currently on a waiting list for a heart transplant

'The day after surgery I felt the immense pain and I felt like I'd been hit by a car when I woke up,' he said.

'As I lay in the hospital bed with incisions and tubes all over me, I began to think: "Is this worth it?" I just wanted the pain to end.'

However, White said his condition began to improve after a few days and - after a total of 42 days in the hospital - he was discharged.

White carries his battery pack with him in a bag. His pump has a battery life of 10 hours, which he plugs into the wall at night.

He is also required to take a blood-thinning medication to decrease his chance of getting a blood clot.

White said this new change of pace was difficult for him to accept, and he even admitted he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after losing his previous lifestyle.

'Instead of focusing on what I can't do, I focus on what I can do. It's hard because I once climbed mountains but now climbing a flight of stairs gets me out of breath,' he said.

'I have to take medication to thin my blood as required for an LVAD, so it can cause bruising and blood in my eyes. It's usually nothing serious but it looks bad and I'm learning to deal with it.'

Despite the recent changes in his life, White says he tries to remain positive and look ahead to the future.

'Bad things happen in the world and we can't change that. However, we can change how we react and respond to them,' he said.

'When going through hard times it teaches you what you can make it through when you're pushed to your limit. A huge part of not losing hope is to find something bigger than yourself to live for.'
US regulators have warns Americans (again) to stop vaping Viagra.

Last month, the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning letter to China-based HelloCig Electronic Tech Company for selling two e-liquids that contain erectile dysfunction drugs.

Now they are appealing directly to consumers, who have been buying the products online.

No prescription drug is approved to be inhaled partly because no studies have been conducted on the risks, officials say, making this operation illegal.

They warn users that the active ingredients tadalafil and sildenafil can turbocharge hypertension medications, driving down blood pressure dangerously low.

The US Food and Drug Administration issued a warning letter to HelloCig Electronic Tech Company on Thursday for selling two e-liquids that contain the erectile dysfunction drug

'These FDA-approved prescription drugs are not approved for inclusion in e-liquid products sold over the counter and are therefore being sold illegally,' the appeal said.

'These undeclared ingredients may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs such as nitroglycerin and may lower blood pressure to dangerous levels.'

Dr Premal Patel, a urologist at the University of Miami, warns that is a major concern because heart medications are common among men with erectile dysfunction problems.

'We are learning more and more than erectile dysfunction could be a harboring of cardiac problems in the future,' Dr Patel told DailyMail.com.

'The same blood vessels providing blood to the heart [provide blood to] the penis.'

As a urologist, he says, it's part of the job to check patients' heart health too, and to be aware that drugs like Cialis or Viagra 'have side effects if you take them with medication.'

'So putting them in a vape... especially if it's not declared, it's risky,' he says.

One of the marketed liquids, E-Cialis HelloCig E-Liquid, contains both tadalafil and sildenafil. Another one, E-Rimonabant, contains sildenafil and is marketed with a picture of an anti-obesity drug that is not legal in the US.

When it comes to the actual impact of vaping tadalafil and sildenafil, it's uncharted territory.

They work by dilating blood vessels to improve blood flow to the penis; they can also be prescribed to lower blood pressure in the lungs. But the drugs were designed to be swallowed.

There was one trial in the early 2000s for an erectile dysfunction drug delivered via nasal spray, produced by a New Jersey pharmaceutical company. It would have become the first erectile dysfunction drug to act on the central nervous system. However, they didn't make it past early experiments.

Fifteen years later, pills are the only approved form for ED drugs.

'All the studies ever done on [these drugs] are from an oral perspective so we don't know what it would do to inhale them,' Dr Patel explains.

Another concern is that e-cigarettes allow users to ingest high concentrations of substances - be it nicotine or vitamins - very quickly.

One of the marketed liquids, E-Cialis HelloCig E-Liquid, contains both tadalafil and sildenafil

The second drug, E-Rimonabant, contains sildenafil and is marketed with a picture of Acomplia, an anti-obesity drug that is not legal in the US

The warning against HelloCig came hours after a report by the California Department of Food and Agriculture revealed hundreds of over-the-counter supplements contain active drugs - such as Viagra.

The report said that the FDA is aware of these rule-breakers but, for unclear reasons, isn't cracking down.

When it comes to e-cigarettes, however, the agency misses no opportunity.

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, declared war on Juul, issuing a surprise raid on the company's headquarters earlier this month to seize information on how they market their product to children.

They warn the product, which are promoted as ways for smokers to quit, is luring people into smoking, particularly teenagers, with attractive e-liquid flavorings like cinnamon and candy floss.

Viagra, however, is a whole other issue they hadn't confronted, which could have mortal ramifications - and they are trying to nip in the bud.

'There are no e-liquid products approved to contain prescription drugs or any other medications that require a doctor's supervision,' said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD.

'Prescription drugs are carefully evaluated and labeled to reflect the risks of the medications and their potential interactions with other medicines, and vaping active drug ingredients is an ineffective route of delivery and can be dangerous.

'There are no e-liquids that contain prescription drugs that have been proven safe or effective through this route of administration.

'This action is part of FDA's broader effort to regulate the safety of vaping products, and crack down on misleading claims and illegal and dangerous e-liquids that may entice youth or put consumers at risk.'
A now-banned type of blood transfusion which was used globally until the 1980s may have given people Alzheimer's, a new study claims.

Between 1958 and 1985, abnormally short children in the US and the UK were given hormones harvested from cadavers to help spur their growth.

But in the early 1980s, there was a global outbreak of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), a fatal neurological disorder - and it was traced back to the blood transfusions.

The technique was banned in 1985, replaced with synthetic hormones, and researchers have been monitoring the survivors for other side effects ever since.

Now, a paper published today in the journal Springer presents new evidence for a popular theory that the technique created build-ups of amyloid protein in survivors' brains - paving the way to Alzheimer's.

The research team gave the hormones to mice, and the rodents developed signs of the disease within a year.

Alzheimer's has been linked to blood transfusions after scientists discovered the disease may have been transferred between patients in a now-banned procedure (stock)

The study, published in Nature, was carried out by University College London and led by Dr John Collinge, a professor of neurology at the UCL Institute of Prion Diseases.

Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia and affects more than 520,000 people in the UK, according to the Alzheimer's Society. The disease has around 5.7 million patients in the US, Alzheimer's Association statistics show.

It occurs when connections between the brain's billions of nerve cells get lost due to a build-up of amyloid and tau proteins that form abnormal plaques and tangles.

Over time, different areas of the vital organ shrink, with the region responsible for memories usually being affected first. There is no cure with treatments focusing on slowing the disease's progression and managing symptoms.

The researchers drew one of their 2015 studies, which analysed the autopsied brains of eight people who died young from CJD.

The disease is thought to occur when high levels of prions - known as 'amyloid seeds' - cause irreversible damage to nerve cells. More than 200 people worldwide died of CJD as a result of hormone transfusions.

All of the patients had been treated as children in the 1980s with a human growth hormone taken from cadavers. This procedure was first carried out in the UK in 1958, and in the US in 1963.

Although none of them developed the 'full picture' of dementia, six of them had worrying amounts of the naturally-occurring amyloid proteins in their brains.

In an Alzheimer's patient's brain, abnormal levels of amyloids clump together to form plaques that collect between nerve cells and disrupt their function.

Six of the brains also had some degree of of cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), which occurs when amyloids build in the brain's blood vessels and can cause bleeding. CAA is seen to some extent in nearly all Alzheimer's patients.

To build on this research, the scientists tracked down some of the batches of the human growth hormone that the deceased had been treated with.

Testing these samples revealed that some contained significant levels of both amyloid and tau proteins. Tau has been shown to form tangles in the area of the brain associated with memory loss in Alzheimer's sufferers.

The samples were then injected into mice who were genetically at-risk of developing the amyloid clumps seen in Alzheimer's. Other rodents were injected with brain tissue from known dementia patients.

The mice that were injected with the now-banned growth hormones showed clear signs of amyloid clumping along blood vessels in their brains and developed CAA within a year.

This occurred to a greater extent among the rodents who were injected with tissue from Alzheimer's patients.

The study therefore suggests that human-growth hormone batches that have been stored for decades can still cause worrying amyloid clumps in mice.

'We have now provided experimental evidence to support our hypothesis that amyloid pathology can be transmitted to people from contaminated materials,' Professor Collinge said.

'We cannot yet confirm whether medical or surgical procedures have ever caused Alzheimers disease itself in people, or how common it might be to acquire amyloid pathology in this way.'

'It will be important to review risks of transmission of amyloid pathology by other medical procedures still done today, including instruments used in brain surgery, drawing on other research and what we already know about accidental CJD transmission.'

Dr Rob Buckle, chief science officer at the Medical Research Council, which helped fund the study, stressed that the experiments were carried out on mice that were genetically at-risk of developing amyloid clumps.

Dr Tibor Hortobagyi, a reader in old age psychiatry at Kings College London, argued that normal mice do not have the capacity to develop human-like Alzheimer's and therefore genetically-modified rodents had to be used.

He did stress, however, that the hormones were injected directly into the animal's brains, which does not occur in existing medical procedures or the now-banned blood transfusion.

The researchers said the samples were injected into the mice's brains 'in order to optimise the chance of detecting seeds in this scarce material'.

Dr Hortobagyi added the study only provides evidence that amyloids can be transferred to mice - not tau or Alzheimer's disease itself.

'It is important to stress that there is no indication that Alzheimers disease is a contagious disease or is transmissible via blood transfusion,' he said.

'This study did not look at surgical instruments at all, so we cant make any conclusions about that and any suggested implications about that are speculation beyond the scope of this work.'

The Royal College of Surgeons and the Society of British Neurological Surgeons welcomed the study but added more, larger trials are needed.

A spokesperson said: 'The risks of developing one of these degenerative diseases as a consequence of neurosurgery seems substantially smaller than the everyday risks of the procedures themselves and the diseases they are used to treat'.

Professor Bart De Strooper, director of the UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, referenced a 2016 Scandinavian study that analysed almost 1.5million people's health records and found no evidence blood transfusions can cause Alzheimer's.

Dr James Pickett, head of research at Alzheimer's Society, concluded: 'There remains absolutely no evidence that Alzheimers disease is contagious.'
Britain's GP crisis has been laid bare by new figures showing practice list sizes have risen by almost 50 per cent since 2004.

NHS data shows 59.6million patients were registered with a GP surgery in December 2018 - across 7,017 practices.

This made the average practice list size 8,490 in December 2018. By contrast, the average number was 5,891 in 2004, the figures showed.

The soaring rates are concerning, as GP practices in England are reaching 'breaking point' because of chronic staff shortages.

Waiting times for GP appointments have soared as hundreds of surgeries are closing or merging because of dwindling numbers of family doctors.

Patients signed up to GP practices has increased by almost half since 2004, data showed

It comes after experts calculated last month more than 2.5million patients across England could see their GP surgeries close in the next five years.

GPonline conducted an analysis of NHS Digital data, released yesterday, to discover how practice list sizes have soared.

The average practice list size in December 2018 was 8,490. By contrast, the average number was 5,891 in 2004, the figures showed.

The data also revealed that seven GP practices in England are now listed as having more than 50,000 patients.

Slightly more than 50 GP practices in England now have more than 30,000 patients, and 2,214 have more than 10,000 patients.

The largest practice, the Princess Street Group Practice in south-east London, has a staggering patient list of 73,525.

Dr Richard Vautrey, British Medical Association GP committee chair, told MailOnline: 'Practices are gradually getting bigger as both the general population grows but also as some practices close or merge, leading to an expanded list size in those that remain.'

Figures from the Royal College of General Practitioners have revealed 762 GP practices across the UK are at risk of closing in the next five years because there aren't enough new doctors being recruited

In one year, from April 2017 to April 2018, 254 GP practices had closed - but GPonline said smaller practices are facing the brunt.

Family Doctor Association (FDA) chair Dr Peter Swinyard told GPonline that the figures confirmed the 'continuing demise of smaller practices'.

'It is terribly sad,' Dr Swinyard said. 'You can't recreate these things once they are gone. The current trend to dragoon us into larger practices is having this effect.'

The stark rise in the number of patients registered to practices comes the year new framework was put in place intended to improve staff shortages.

The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF), a pay-for-performance scheme for general practice, was introduced in April 2004.

In an effort to help staff shortages, QOF promised GPs, who could sign up voluntarily, substantial investment in return for delivering a good quality of care.

However, concerns have been raised over standard of care considering the increase of people signed up to practices.

Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chair of the Royal College of GPs, a union that represents GPs, said: 'GPs and our teams are making more consultations than ever before.

'More than one million across the country every day  but the share of the NHS budget that general practice receives is less than it was a decade ago.

'Whilst the number of patients we are delivering care to is growing, we actually have fewer GPs than we did two years ago.'

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) fears 762 practices across the UK will disappear by 2023, displacing up to 2.5million patients across England.

WHERE ARE THE MOST GP SURGERIES AT RISK OF CLOSING? Southend, Essex (37%) Havering, London (33%) Medway, Kent (31%) West Lancashire (28%) North East Lincolnshire (26%) Castle Point and Rochford (25%) Sandwell and West B'ham (24%) Chorley and South Ribble (23%) Barnet, London (22%) Wigan Borough (21%) Source: Royal College of GPs Advertisement

WHERE WILL THE MOST PATIENTS BE AFFECTED? Sandwell and West B'ham (85,105) Medway, Kent (52,330) Havering, London (49,761) Ealing, London (46,909) Wigan Borough (43,640) Barnet, London (39,013) Southend, Essex (38,989) Newham, London (38,886) Brent, London (38,817) Stoke-on-Trent (37,760) Source: Royal College of GPs Advertisement

The RCGP wants 2.5billion of extra investment in local surgeries to try and combat the crisis.

Professor Stokes-Lampard said: 'The College is calling for general practice to receive 11 per cent of the NHS budget as part of the forthcoming ten-year plan for the NHS, so that we can continue to deliver the care our patients need and deserve.'

Appointment waiting times could get even longer, workloads would grow and more people could end up queueing at A&E for minor illnesses, it says.

As it stands, millions of patients are waiting weeks to see their family GP.

A fifth of patients trying to make an appointment with their family GP are left waiting two weeks or more, NHS figures revealed last week.

The growing waiting times will pile even more pressure on the NHS to fix its worsening GP shortage.

Despite an NHS a 2.4billion plan to recruit 5,000 extra GPs by 2021 and cut a staff shortage, numbers of family doctors are falling.

Fewer young doctors are choosing to specialise as GPs, and are opting for more macho career paths as surgeons or specialists.

Pressures faced by doctors also include a rising number of patients, some with multiple complex health conditions.

This has led to concerns that the average consultation time of ten minutes in the UK  thought to be the shortest in the developed world - is simply not enough.

Thousands of doctors are on the brink of leaving the profession and taking an early retirement due to work pressures, stress, or an early retirement.

Three quarters of GPs are close to retirement and the same proportion of practices rely on doctors aged 55 or older  the age they can claim their pensions.

Dr Vautrey said said: 'As practices increase in size it is vital that they remain embedded in local communities, maintaining the continuity of care that is so valued by patients.'
The family of an 11-year-old with an inoperable brain tumour are preparing for their last Christmas together after he was given just six months to live.

Reece Probert seemed perfectly healthy just last month until his mother took him to the GP when he suddenly developed a limp, followed by a slur.

Scans carried out two weeks ago revealed the 'brave little soldier' has an aggressive tumour on his brain, which kills most victims between six and 12 months after they are diagnosed.

His devastated family, from Wombourne, south Staffordshire, are rallying around the schoolboy to help make his last Christmas the best ever.

Reece Probert seemed perfectly healthy just last month, until his mother Jenna Probert, 31, took him to his GP when he developed a limp and then a slur (pictured together in hospital)

Reece's mother Jenna Probert, 31, said: 'It will be our last Christmas together and we want to make sure it's nice and comfortable and cosy for Reece.

'I want to make him feel like a king. He should feel like the most important person in the world. It will be emotional because it will be his last Christmas.

'We will decorate the whole house and make it look like Santa's grotto. It will be the most memorable Christmas ever.

'Reece knows he has cancer but doesn't know the reality of it. I can't face telling him. I just need him to be happy.

'Christmas will be a family day and we will give him anything he wants. We will just cherish it together as a family.'

Scans two weeks ago revealed he had a rare aggressive tumour on his brain, which kills most victims between six and 12 months after they are diagnosed (pictured in hospital)

Just six weeks ago, Reece was fit and healthy. But after returning from a trip to see his grandparents in Northern Ireland in November, his mother noticed some unusual symptoms.

The youngster developed a limp and a sore hand, which prompted his GP to send him to A&E for an X-ray, as well as tests on his tendons.

With the results coming back clear, Ms Probert, a personal trainer, really began to worry when Reece began slurring his words just two weeks ago.

A neighbour - who had been diagnosed with a benign brain tumour - noticed Reece was struggling to speak and feared the worst, having suffered similar symptoms in the past.

Ms Probert phoned 111 and was advised to take Reece to Russell's Hall Hospital, in Dudley, where doctors initially thought he had suffered a stroke.

A later CT scan carried out on December 1 at Birmingham Children's Hospital found an 'abnormality' on his brain.

Pictured left and right before the diagnosis, Reece was fit and healthy just last month but his mother noticed some unusual symptoms after he returned from visiting relatives in Northern Ireland. X-rays carried out in hospital to uncover his limp initially came back clear

Two days later, Ms Probert was told her son had diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma - an aggressive cancer typically found in children.

'I collapsed when I was told that,' she said. 'I felt like my heart had been ripped out. It was a horrible feeling. It was bad enough being told he had a stroke. I was just praying they had got it all wrong.

'I just started screaming "no, no, no". I couldn't breathe. It's the worst thing any mum can be told. Even the oncologist had tears in her eyes whilst she was telling me.'

The family then received another blow when medics confessed there was little they could do.

'We were taken into the family room and told that chemotherapy won't work and radiotherapy will only shrink the tumour,' Ms Probert said.

'But it will come back and will eventually end his life. Most children die between six and 12 months from diagnosis.'

Reece is due to start his first round of radiotherapy to reduce his tumour and give him more time.

Pictured left and right before the diagnosis, Reece is aware he has cancer but his family are shielding him from the devastating news of his prognosis. He is due to celebrate the most 'amazing Christmas' with his mother, her partner and his sister Trinity Alcock (pictured right)

Ms Probert is focusing on making sure Reece has the most 'amazing Christmas', spent with her, her partner Robert Perry, 27, and his six-year-old sister Trinity Alcock.

'I've had to put the reality of it to the back of my mind,' she said. 'I'm just focused on enjoying him whilst we still have him. We want to make memories with him and just want to make sure he is happy and comfortable.

'Reece has been fantastic. He has taken it all in his stride and has been amazing. I couldn't be more proud of him.

'He is known as the class clown and his friends have been to visit him. For us the next year is all about making him feel extra special.'

Loved ones have launched fundraising campaigns and arranged charity events in a bid to raise money to ensure Reece has a Christmas to remember.

His mother's friend wrote on the family's GoFundMe page: 'No time of year is a good time to receive this kind of news but this close to Christmas really is the worst!

'We all know the financial struggle at this time of year so I am trying to raise as much money as possible here to give to Reeces family, to make any dreams or wishes of his come true & to give him the most magical Christmas ever.

'Please dig deep & try to make this possible, no matter how big or small every penny adds up.'

Ms Probert wants to decorate her whole house like a grotto and create a magical home for the family to spend an emotional Christmas in. Just over 5,000 of the 6,00 goal has been raised so far.

Visit the GoFundMe page here.
Another seven people have contacted E. coli after eating romaine lettuce, the CDC has revealed.

That brings the total sickened by the current outbreak to 59, including 23 people that have been hospitalized - two of whom have developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).

In a media call on Thursday afternoon, the CDC said it has identified one of the farms where the outbreak came from: the Adam Brothers farm in Santa Barbara, California.

But they warned that is likely not the only source, and officials are warning the public not to buy, sell or eat romaine lettuce from three California counties: Monterey, San Benito and Santa Barbara.

In the current outbreak, 59 have been sickened, including 23 people hospitalized - two of whom have developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome

Illnesses related to the current outbreak began on October 5 with the most recent occurring on November 11.

The states where cases have been identified include: California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Wisconsin.

There have been no deaths, but 23 hospitalizations including two for HUS.

This is a condition in which there is an abnormal destruction of blood platelets and red blood cells.

According to the Mayo Clinic, the damaged blood cells can clog the kidney's filtering system, resulting in life-threatening kidney failure.

'The investigation remains quite active and recently identified additional cases,' said Dr Stephen Ostroff, senior advisor to the FDA Commissioner, on the media call.

'It is premature to say the outbreak is over but we believe the likely-contaminated product is well off the market at this point.'

Health officials only identified one farm that has been traced back to the outbreak, the Adam Brothers farm, which specifically grows produce.

The CDC and the FDA confirmed the romaine lettuce grown on the farm came into contact with an agricultural reservoir that was found to have the bacteria in it.

'We still have to assess how the reservoir became contaminated,' said Dr Ian Williams, chief of the Outbreak Response and Prevention Branch at the CDC.

'But it can from domesticated animals, from wild animals, things being used on the farm like fertilizer. These are just potential ways it could happen.'

He added that there are likely multiple distributors and processors and farms responsible for the outbreak.

Romaine harvesting recently began shifting from California's Central Coast to winter growing areas, primarily Arizona, Florida, Mexico and California's Imperial Valley.

Those winter regions weren't yet shipping when the illnesses began.

The labeling arrangement was worked out as the produce industry called on the FDA to quickly narrow the scope of its warning so it wouldn't have to waste freshly harvested romaine.

An industry group noted the labels are voluntary, and that it will monitor whether to expand the measure to other leafy greens and produce.

The FDA said the industry committed to making the labeling standard for romaine and to consider longer-term labeling options for other leafy greens.

Robert Whitaker, chief science officer of the Produce Marketing Association, said labeling for romaine could help limit the scope of future alerts and rebuild public trust after other outbreaks.

'Romaine as a category has had a year that's been unfortunate,' Whitaker said.

Even though romaine from the Yuma, Arizona, region is not implicated in the current outbreak, it was blamed for an E. coli outbreak this spring that sickened more than 200 people and killed five.

Contaminated irrigation water near a cattle lot was later identified as the likely source.

Leafy greens were also blamed for an E. coli outbreak last year. US investigators never specified which salad green might be to blame for those illnesses, which happened around the same time of year as the current outbreak.

But officials in Canada identified romaine as a common source of illnesses there.

The produce industry is aware the problem is recurring, said Jennifer McEntire of the United Fresh Produce Association.

'To have something repeat in this way, there simply must be some environmental source that persisted,' she said. 'The question now is, can we find it?'

Growers and handlers in the region tightened food safety measures after the outbreak this spring, the industry says. Steps include expanding buffer zones between cattle lots and produce fields.

The Adam Brothers farm (pictured) in Santa Barbara, California, was named as one of the culprits after its romaine lettuce came into contact with agricultural reservoir that had E. coli

But McEntire said it's not known for sure how the romaine became contaminated in the Yuma outbreak. Another possibility, she said, is that winds blew dust from the cattle lot onto produce.

McEntire said the industry is considering multiple theories, including whether there is something about romaine that makes it more susceptible to contamination.

Compared with iceberg lettuce, she noted its leaves are more open, thus exposing more surface area.

Since romaine has a shelf life of about 21 days, health officials said last week they believed contaminated romaine could still be on the market or in people's homes.

Food poisoning outbreaks from leafy greens are not unusual. But after a 2006 outbreak linked to spinach, the produce industry took steps it believed would limit large scale outbreaks, said Timothy Lytton, a Georgia State University law professor.

The outbreak linked to romaine earlier this year cast doubt on how effective the measures have been, he said.

But Lytton also noted the inherent risk of produce, which is grown in open fields and eaten raw.
NORMAL PEOPLE by Sally Rooney (Faber 14.99, 288 pp)

LITERARY

NORMAL PEOPLE

by Sally Rooney (Faber 14.99, 288 pp)

This follow-up to Rooneys first novel, Conversations With Friends, is about the fluctuating and evolving sexual relationship between two school friends from different economic backgrounds at Trinity College Dublin.

Its very different in tone to Rooneys debut, but conveys her seemingly effortless ability to track the intensely experienced, minute-by-minute shifts in thought and feeling within a relationship and to make each and every shift matter.

I suspect the talented Rooney will go on to write a more ambitious novel than this, but I very much doubt it will be more enjoyable. CLAIRE ALLFREE

MILKMAN by Anna Burns (Faber 8.99, 368 pp)

MILKMAN

by Anna Burns (Faber 8.99, 368 pp)

It is surely the literary story of the year that this tricksy novel, which won the 2018 Man Booker Prize, should have now sold upwards of 300,000 copies.

It is not a straightforward read. Set in a Troubles-riven Belfast in the Seventies, its a high-voltage stream of unhinged, raconteur lyricism that centres on the predatory attentions of the titular Milkman from the point of view of an 18-year-old known only as Middle Sister.

But it also offers a sideways  and all the more devastating  account of the psychological legacy of Irelands violent 20th-century history.

At the same time, it manages to be bleakly funny. CA

MELMOTH by Sarah Perry (Serpents Tail 16.99, 288 pp)

MELMOTH

by Sarah Perry (Serpents Tail 16.99, 288 pp)

Perrys follow-up to her hit The Essex Serpent is an altogether darker creature, which, from its opening scenes in snowy, jackdaw-haunted Prague to its terrible, triumphant conclusion, keeps you racing towards the very revelations you fear.

Melmoth herself is an unforgettable creation  barefoot and black-cloaked, a witchy, eternally wandering witness to the darkest chapters in mankinds history.

But Perrys other central character, fortysomething translator Helen, gets under the skin, too. Just what has cast such a shadow over her life? For what awful crime is she seeking to atone?

This is a top-notch Gothic of unmistakably serious intent.

STEPHANIE CROSS

CRUDO by Olivia Laing (Picador 12.99, 176 pp)

CRUDO

by Olivia Laing (Picador 12.99, 176 pp)

Olivia Laings blistering debut novel is a full-throttle, caution-to-the-winds delight.

Spanning a handful of months in the summer of 2017, it is narrated by Kathy, a permanently itchy-footed author. She is modelled partly on Laing and partly on the late American novelist and punk poet Kathy Acker.

The plot is minimal: we simply follow Kathy as she adjusts to life as the wife of a much older man, sells her flat, dreams of her ex, attends arty events and compulsively checks Twitter. But what might sound humdrum is, in fact, electric  a blow-by-blow, appalled/amused account of the way we live now. SC

THE SILENCE OF THE GIRLS by Pat Barker (Hamish Hamilton 18.99, 336 pp)

THE SILENCE OF THE GIRLS

by Pat Barker (Hamish Hamilton 18.99, 336 pp)

This brings the grit and gristle of Pat Barkers wartime fiction to the Bronze Age, revisiting Homers Iliad through the eyes of Briseis, a Trojan queen squabbled over by the Greek captors who sack her city.

As Briseis struggles to retain her dignity in the face of savage handling, Barker makes brutally explicit what the original poem left implicit.

The brazenly modern dialogue makes it clear that scholarly exactitude is hardly the main point of this lesson in the value of reading between the lines.

The stunning simplicity of Barkers concept, and the vigour of her execution, will ensure that this novel is read for generations to come.

ANTHONY CUMMINGS

PERFIDIOUS ALBION by Sam Byers (Faber 15.99, 400 pp)

PERFIDIOUS ALBION

by Sam Byers (Faber 15.99, 400 pp)

While Jonathan Coes Middle England has been tipped as the novel for our fractious political times, Sam Byerss satirical post-Brexit dystopia  centred on the proposed bulldozing of an East Anglian housing estate  is, for my money, by far the better bet.

It involves a tech company scheming to rig out the revamped estate with sinister gadgetry intended to make life harder for the poor.

But the project hits the skids when a resident refuses to leave, finding himself in the eye of an internet storm.

The hounds of Fleet Street 2.0 seize upon him as a symbol of a left-behind white working-class.

One key thread involves two journalists who, beginning at opposite ends of the political spectrum, converge in a race for clicks.

Its sharply observed and full of startling reversals  Im still wondering exactly what happens at the end. . .AC

CRIME AND THRILLERS

Geoffrey Wansell & Christena Appleyard

THE TATTOO THIEF by Alison Belsham (Trapeze 13.99, 384 pp)

THE TATTOO THIEF

by Alison Belsham (Trapeze 13.99, 384 pp)

This is one of the creepiest debut crime novels I have read this year.

A serial killer who slices tattoos from their victims skin  while they are alive  is stalking the bohemian streets of Brighton.

The first body is discovered by a female tattoo artist who was married to another tattooist for 15 years.

Newly promoted DI Francis Sullivans fellow officers are willing him to fail, as they are all convinced he is over-promoted. Gradually, Sullivan realises that the murderer is trying to become the finest collector and preserver of tattooed skin on the planet. But why? GW

IN BLOOM by C. J. Skuse (HQ 7.99, 384 pp)

IN BLOOM

by C. J. Skuse (HQ 7.99, 384 pp)

Although this is brimming with bad language and driven by the outrageously politically incorrect insights of a young pregnant serial killer, it succeeds in being one of the funniest and best written thrillers published this year.

Our bonkers heroine frames her former lover for a string of murders she has committed. Her unborn baby, who she refers to as Heil Foetus, has her own bossy voice.

The book is punctuated with the murderers imaginary kill lists  which include everyone from the people who hold up supermarket queues to dawdling groups of tourists who clog up pavements. CA

IN THE DARK by Cara Hunter (Penguin 7.99, 448 pp)

IN THE DARK

by Cara Hunter (Penguin 7.99, 448 pp)

Alfred Hitchcock would have made a great movie out of this scary story, focusing on the accidental discovery of a young woman and a small boy in a locked basement in Oxford.

The woman cannot speak and the child is traumatised. The elderly and eccentric academic who owns the house insists he did not know they were there and claims that he had nothing to do with their abduction.

DI Adam Fawley is not convinced, but has to gain the womans trust before he can learn her version of events. Was she raped? Is it her child? Like the opening of a delicate flower, the truth emerges, with twist following twist. GW

OUR HOUSE by Louise Candlish (S&S 12.99, 448 pp)

OUR HOUSE

by Louise Candlish (S&S 12.99, 448 pp)

This is both a mischievous take on the property-obsessed London middle classes and a good thriller. Candlish asks: Do some women care more about their house than their husband? Rather than lose her house, Fiona Lawson opts for the trendy birds nest solution, whereby she and husband Bram take it in turns to spend half the week with their children in the house.

Suddenly, Bram disappears  and he has also sold the house. A gripping take on modern marriage. CA

CHICK LIT

Sara Lawrence

I INVITED HER IN by Adele Parks (HQ 7.99, 478 pp)

I INVITED HER IN

by Adele Parks (HQ 7.99, 478 pp)

Not only is this beautifully written, dark, twisty tale of revenge and retribution filled with unexpected plot twists, its the perfect antidote to Christmas schmaltz.

When Mel receives a surprise email from Abi, an old university friend to whom she hasnt spoken for almost 20 years, long-buried memories come flooding back.

Abis life is a mess and Mel immediately asks her to stay in the family home, hoping to right some past wrongs.

An unexpected benefit is that Mel begins to feel like her younger self again: the way she was before she left university early, pregnant and alone. Mels husband, however, has reservations about their guest  but Mel refuses to listen.

THE PLUS ONE

THE PLUS ONE by Sophia Money-Coutts (HQ 12.99, 384 pp)

by Sophia Money-Coutts (HQ 12.99, 384 pp)

This debut is by a former features director at Tatler. Polly is nearly 30, single and frustrated by her job as a writer at Posh!  a high-society magazine that churns out interviews with handsome aristocrats.

When her best friend gets engaged, Polly has to find a plus one to take to the wedding. She interviews Jasper, Marquess of Milton, a charming playboy, and cant believe her luck when he starts pursuing her.

Flattered when he introduces her to all his friends, she starts to relax, but sudden bombshell revelations force a quick rethink.

Its fast and furious, funny and fresh, and Polly is highly appealing.

POPULAR

Wendy Holden

THE WINTERS by Lisa Gabriele (Harvill Secker 12.99, 336 pp)

THE WINTERS

by Lisa Gabriele (Harvill Secker 12.99, 336 pp)

An update of Daphne du Mauriers Rebecca moves it to the U.S. East Coast.

Maxim de Winter has become Max Winter, a charismatic, deceptively charming, silver-fox senator; magnificent Manderley has turned into extravagant Asherley; and the narrator, nameless as ever, is a penniless boat girl from Grand Cayman set to marry Max.

Best of all is Dani, Maxs teenage daughter from hell. She makes her stepmothers life a misery, to an extent that might have shocked Mrs Danvers. It doesnt stick entirely to the story, but the new twists are all wonderful and the old creepy atmosphere is brilliantly recreated with Long Islands swirling mists. Loved it!

THE ADULTS

THE ADULTS by Caroline Hulse (Orion 7.99, 416 pp)

by Caroline Hulse (Orion 7.99, 416 pp)

Few Christmases can be worse than the one in this novel. Two ill-matched couples, a small child and the childs imaginary friend are spending the festive period together in a Center Parcsstyle wooden chalet.

The adults are mercilessly observed, contemporary archetypes: a laidback, jaunty dad, an uptight alpha male and the control-freak minx to whom the jaunty dad used to be married. Its a dreadful warning of the dangers of shared holidays. Tensions, sexual and otherwise, simmer and then explode. Quite literally  someone ends up shot. Its a brilliantly original modern comedy of manners starring, as the best character, a vast, trouble-making, invisible purple rabbit. A literary first, surely.

DEBUTS

Fanny Blake

THE WATER CURE

THE WATER CURE by Sophie Mackintosh (Hamish Hamilton 12.99, 256 pp)

by Sophie Mackintosh (Hamish Hamilton 12.99, 256 pp)

Three sisters live with their father, King, and mother in a dilapidated house on an island far removed from the toxins and influences of the world. When King disappears, the women are left to fend for themselves.

Their mother ensures that Grace, Lia and Sky continue with the violent cleansing therapies designed to strengthen the bonds between them and prepare them for the brutalities of men by learning to hold their feelings at bay.

When two shipwrecked men and a boy wash up on the beach, the sisters are both repelled and attracted to them  especially Lia, who dares to forge a more personal connection. The arrival sets off a chain of events that allows the girls their chance of freedom. The dynamics between the sisters are skilfully conveyed, along with asense of atmosphere and place. I cant forget it.

MEET ME AT THE MUSEUM by Anne Youngson (Doubleday 12.99, 224 pp)

MEET ME AT THE MUSEUM

by Anne Youngson (Doubleday 12.99, 224 pp)

Recently shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, 70-year-old Anne Youngson proves that its never too late to succeed at something new.

Tina Hopgood, a grandmother and farmers wife living in Bury St Edmunds, writes to Professor Glob, at the Silkeborg Museum in Denmark, who once dedicated a book to her and her classmates.

But the professor has died and so a reply comes from the new curator, Professor Anders Larsen.

The two lonely people tentatively begin a correspondence that becomes a lifeline for them both. An intriguing and tender read about friendship and hope.

HISTORICAL

Elizabeth Buchan

WASHINGTON BLACK by Esi Edugyan (Serpents Tail 14.99, 432 pp)

WASHINGTON BLACK

by Esi Edugyan (Serpents Tail 14.99, 432 pp)

Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2018, this searing tale begins on a Barbados sugar plantation. There could be no belonging for a creature such as myself . . . a disfigured black boy with a scientific turn of mind, says slave Washington Black.

He has been taken under the wing of Titch, the brother of Washingtons cruel owner. Inventor and adventurer, Titch has seen Washingtons potential and, after an unexplained death in which Washington is implicated, rescues him.

Slavery  its abominations and cruelties  lies at the heart of the novel. Yet it is also about adventure, science, friendship and the inner journey of an individual. I loved it for its daring and originality.

WRECKER by Noel OReilly (HQ 12.99, 384 pp)

WRECKER

by Noel OReilly (HQ 12.99, 384 pp)

Debut author Noel OReilly conjures the spectacle of disintegrating ships and the gruesome business of scavengers picking at corpses washed ashore in this story about smugglers and wreckers in a Cornish fishing village.

So far, so Daphne du Maurier.

However, OReilly is also exploring the toxic combination of poverty, religious superstition and harsh social hierarchy that governed these 19th-century communities.

Feisty, defiant Mary Blight saves Gideon Stone, a Methodist minister, from drowning, and brings him home to nurse him  setting in train a vicious whispering campaign against her.
They may be starkly different investments, but both the Baillie Gifford America fund and Lindsell Train investment trust navigated a particularly choppy year to emerge as the best performers.

The former hunts for the 30 to 50 best companies in America, while the latter invests in shares, bonds and other assets three-quarters of which are listed in the UK, but a big chunk of that is a 46.6 per cent holding in fund management firm Lindsell Train Limited.

Baillie Gifford American tops the list of investment funds, according to DIY investing platform AJ Bell, delivering a return of 26 per cent to 7 December that would have turned 1,000 invested into 1,260.

Meanwhile, Lindsell Train is this year's best performing investment trust and was up 45 per cent over the period, turning 1,000 invested into 1,450.

Before you pile into any of the best performing funds, it important remember there's no guarantee that their performance will remain on the upwards trajectory.

Investment funds and trusts both pool investors money together to buy a basket of assets, such as shares, bonds and property, but are structured in different ways.

Funds are the names given to open-ended investments, which can expand or contract as investors put money in or take it out. In contrast, investment trusts are closed-ended, so have a limited number of shares and their price can therefore rise above or below the value of the investments held, known as net asset value.

While many investors use a mix of both, the fund industry is much larger than the investment trust one.

With the help of AJ Bell, we reveal the top performing funds and trusts below.

But before you are tempted to pile in, remember there's no guarantee that they will remain on an upward trajectory.

TOP PERFORMING FUNDS OF 2018 Fund Fund size (million) Performance (%) Baillie Gifford American 1,895 26.31 Polar Capital Healthcare Opportunities 1,787 21.78 Neptune Global Technology 43 19.65 T. Rowe Price US Large Cap Growth Equity 1,877 17.33 T. Rowe Price US Blue Chip Equity 641 16.51 ComgestGrowth America 138 16.06 Polar Capital Global Technology 2,734 15.96 LF Blue Whale Growth 83 15.65 Baillie Gifford Global Discovery 657 15.53 Artemis US Smaller Companies 498 15.44 Fidelity Global Health Care 742 15.39 GAM Star Technology 262 15.36 Lindsell Train Global Equity 5,389 14.99 Schroder Global Healthcare 232 14.65 Pictet Health 583 14.39 Source: FE/AJ Bell (Data to 7 December 2018)

Top performing funds

The top performing funds in 2018 were dominated by those investing in the US and high-growth sectors, such as healthcare, biotechnology and broader technology.

Laura Suter, personal finance analyst at AJ Bell, said: Many US-focused funds performed well this year, boosted by the sugar rush that American markets are riding following Donald Trumps tax cuts earlier this year.

Cherry-picking the best of the US market provided rich returns for the Baillie Gifford American fund, which returned 26 per cent, something that looks particularly impressive compared to the wider US stock market, the S&P 500, which was down 2.3 per cent over the same period.

Behind Baillie Gifford American in second place was Polar Capital Healthcare Opportunities which returned 22 per cent turning a 1,000 investment into 1,218, followed by Neptune Global Opportunities which was up 20 per cent.

TOP PERFORMING INVESTMENT TRUSTS OF 2018 Investment trust Fund size (million) Performance (%) Lindsell Train Investment Trust 239 44.78 Syncona 1,742 32.11 EJF Investments 108 22.6 Brevan Howard Macro 388 22.19 Doric Nimrod Air One 48 20.69 LXI REIT 419 20.03 Gulf Investment Fund 74 19.74 3I Infrastructure 2,041 19.05 BB Healthcare Trust 426 17.19 SQN Asset Finance Income 474 16.03 Doric Nimrod Air Three 215 15.54 Dunedin Enterprise IT 71 15.12 Ranger Direct Lending 171 14.24 BBGI SICAV S.A. 885 13.36 Doric Nimrod Air Two 371 13.05 Source: FE/AJ Bell (Data to 7 December 2018)

Top performing investment trusts

The structure of investment trusts makes them a popular way to hold unusual assets which can be harder to buy or sell - and are known as illiquid.

This is because unlike funds which must sell assets to allow investors to take out money, trusts have a set number of shares and so can hold tight and not become forced sellers.

The list of top performing investment trusts can therefore feature some offbeat names.

Fittingly, the 10 best-performing investment trusts came from a wide range of sectors with biotechnology and healthcare the only sector to appear more than once.

Top was Lindsell Train investment trust, which both invests in other companies but also holds shares in the highly-rated asset management firm run by Michael Lindsell and Nick Train.

Completing the top three are healthcare specialists Syncona and EJF Investments, which holds shares in the financial services sector, boasting returns of 32 per cent and 23 per cent respectively.

Why did the top funds and trusts outperform?

Baillie Gifford American's outperformance is of stark contrast to that of its benchmark S&P 500 which was down 2 per cent this year.

Much of the fund's performance is linked to its stake in major tech players including Amazon, Netflix, Google's Alphabet and Facebook - all of which are among its top ten holdings.

The fund has lost 11 per cent in the past three months, as it suffers a dip linked to the big hit taken by the share prices recently of the aforementioned US tech companies. Nonetheless, their rise earlier in 2018 boosted Baillie Gifford American.

Suter said: 'While these stocks have had a torrid time in the second half of the year, they boomed in the first half of the year and some are still up on the year (Amazon was up 38 per cent since 1 January, Netflix was up 34 per cent).

What are investment trust? Investment trusts are listed companies with shares that trade on the stockmarket. Trusts invest in the shares of other companies and are known as closed end, meaning the number of shares or units the trust's portfolio is divided into is limited. Investors can buy or sell these units to join or leave, but new money outside this pool cannot be raised without formally issuing new shares. Investment trusts can be riskier than unit trusts because their shares can trade at a premium or discount to the value of the assets they hold, known as the net asset value.

The success enjoyed by Lindsell Train IT is a different story.

The trust is trading at 45 per cent premium to net asset value, having started the year at nearer the 13 per cent the time of writing

It's share price has risen by 45 per cent, but the actual value of the trust's holdings have risen by a more modest 10 per cent.

Investors could be forgiven for asking what on earth is going on here?

The reason behind the trust's valuation goes beyond the skills of its manager Nick Train - although he has had a good year. Funds managed by him grew by 19 per cent on average in 2018 so far, according to investment research tool FE Analytics,

A better explanation is that investors believe the trust's long-term investment in its parent Lindsell Train Limited is conservatively valued.

Some 47 per cent of the trust is invested in the private asset management company, so the trust stands to gain a significant amount if it emerges as significantly undervalued, perhaps if the firm was subject to a big money takeover bid - which isn't inconceivable.

However, members of the trust's board have openly voiced concerns on the trust's premium level in the past - including Nick Train and Michael Lindsell themselves.

Michael Lindsell, joint founder of Lindsell Train Limited said: 'Shareholders have been warned for some time that this level of premium is unlikely to be sustainable and is particularly vulnerable to the performance of LTL which, like any fund management company, is exposed to the vagaries of markets.'

It may sound counter-intuitive that many investors would choose to buy investment trusts when they cost more than the sum of their parts, and in many cases it is.

But scratch below the surface and there may be a reason why a trust could potentially hold hidden value, which if unlocked, would make those shares worth much more.

Whatever the reason, it better be a good one to pay over the odds, because you could lose a lot of money without the value of those assets falling if the share price moves in the opposite direction.

For more information on trusts trading at a hefty premium, click here.

The funds that have done the worst

FUNDS WITH THE WORST PERFORMANCE IN 2018 Fund Fund size (million) Performance (%) Jupiter India Select 211 -28.86 Quilter Investors UK Equity Income II 131 -26.5 Jupiter India 848 -25.1 AB Emerging Markets Growth Portfolio 670 -25.03 Comgest Growth Gem Promising Companies 252 -24.82 HC Charteris Gold & Precious Metals 21 -24.45 L&G UK Alpha Trust 131 -23.14 Mirae Asset Asia Sector Leader Equity 339 -22.93 Waverton Asia Pacific 89 -22.47 Quilter Investors Equity 95 -21.82 Merian Europe (Ex UK) Smaller Companies 262 -21.82 New Capital China Equity 92 -21.4 Janus Henderson Horizon China 137 -21.38 Quilter Investors Europe (ex UK) Small/MidCap Equity 23 -21.33 M&G Pan European Select Smaller Companies 178 -20.93 Source: FE/AJ Bell (Data to 7 December 2018)

Not every investor will have been lucky enough to back 2018's winners and some may be holding funds nursing big losses.

The worst performer was Jupiter India Select, which delivered a 29 per cent loss this year, wiping 290 off a 1,000 initial investment - considerably outstripping the 4 per cent loss recorded by the benchmark MSCI India index.

The Quilter Investors UK Equity Income II fund, run by celebrity fund manager Neil Woodford, was down 27 per cent this year, making it the second worst performing fund overall and the worst performing UK Equity fund.

The fund is broadly similar to Woodford's main Equity Income fund, but can differ slightly. It explains: 'Whilst the underlying fund may be substantially similar to the LF Woodford Equity Income fund, it will not be identical in terms of the assets held, for instance, the fund may have different exposure to unlisted securities.'

The worst performing funds lists are dominated by those investing in emerging markets which have endured a troubled year, down around 13 per cent in the year.

Suter said: 'Fears of the impact of the China/US trade war, worries about China growth slowing, and economic meltdowns in Argentina and Turkey have all hurt the region, while the buoyant US economy and a rising Dollar has also hit growth.

Some UK funds have also been regulated to the doldrums as Brexit uncertainty soured investors' appetite to invest in the region.

On the investment trust side, at the foot of the performance table is CATCo Reinsurance Opportunities which generated a 79 per cent loss followed by INTU Properties which was down 52 per cent.

A number of other UK commercial property investments, or Real Estate Investment Trusts as they are known, made up the bottom worst performers. Some emerging market and Asia-focussed trusts were also in there.
Bonmarche sent shock waves through the retail industry today after it became the first firm to formally admit that sales were 'extremely poor' in the vital pre-Christmas shopping period.

The cut price fashion firm, which has 300 UK stores, lost half of its value in early trading as its shares sunk 50 per cent to 40.4p on the news. It later pared its losses to trade around 35 per cent lower.

It blamed ongoing Brexit uncertainty for weak sales over Black Friday and beyond and claimed that conditions on the High Street are 'significantly worse even than during the recession of 2008/2009'.

Brexit blues: Bonmarche said: 'We believe that uncertainty surrounding Brexit is a significant factor affecting demand.'

It now expects to make a full-year loss, rather than the 5.5million profit it forecast last month.

Bonmarche's unprecedented pre-Christmas profit warning, along with weaker sales from Primark and John Lewis, does not bode well for retailers hoping for a seasonal boost.

After what has been a torrid year for the retail industry, a disappointing festive period may force some of its weaker players to the brink.



'For firms in the process of transformation plans it could not come at a worse time,' said Neil Wilson, chief market analyst at Markets.com.

'Despite selling off heavily already, the likes of Marks & Spencer, Debenhams and others are yet vulnerable to a slushy Christmas trading period.'

Bonmarche chief executive Helen Connolly insisted that the firm is 'prepared to battle the storm'.

She said: 'I hope that in the fullness of time, our cut to the forecast may prove to have been overdone, but in the current market, this seems the appropriate stance to adopt.

'I believe that Bonmarche is well prepared to weather the storm, and that we can look forward to some recovery in FY20.'

Last month, the group posted a 45 per cent drop in half-year profits. Online sales were up 28.9 per cent but store sales fell 4 per cent.

Bonmarche had been hoping for a pick up in demand during and after Black Friday, assuming shoppers were delaying purchases until the November discounts.

But the bounce-back never materialised and Bonmarche said consumer behaviour is not following last year's pattern, 'nor the pattern of any year we have experienced previously'.
Pernod Ricard boss Alexandre Ricard said the family-backed company will stick by its plans to invest in its international operations

The boss of drinks titan Pernod Ricard has defended his firm as it comes under attack from a notorious vulture fund.

Alexandre Ricard said that the family-backed company will stick by its plans to invest in its international operations.

Pernod, which owns Absolut vodka, Beefeater gin and Glenlivet whisky, is being targeted by feared hedge fund Elliott Management, which has built up a 2.5 per cent stake and wants sweeping changes which could include selling some of its most prized brands.

Ricard, 46, a grandson of the French company's founder Paul Ricard, said: 'Now is not the time to reduce investment. Pernod Ricard is a beautiful success story based on very strong family values.'

In the last three years, Ricard said, the company has created more than 9.8billion of value and shares have risen 38 per cent.

The claims are unlikely to be enough to satisfy Elliott, which has warned Pernod is lagging behind other drinks firms and needs radical improvement.

It sets the fund up for a clash with the Ricard family, which still owns a 14.2 per cent stake worth 5billion.
The Nigerian authorities have filed an 868million lawsuit against Royal Dutch Shell and Italian group Eni over a 2011 oil deal.

Lawyers representing the government said they are taking High Court action over allegations of fraud and corruption relating to Shell and Eni's purchase of an offshore oil field.

They claim money from the purchase, which was meant to go to the government, was instead paid to a company controlled by Dan Etete, the former petroleum minister.

Lawyers representing the Nigerian government said they are taking High Court action over allegations of fraud and corruption relating to Shell and Eni's purchase of an offshore oil field

Ministers are trying to recoup the 868million, saying it belongs to the Nigerian people.

Shell and Eni have denied wrongdoing. Shell said: 'The 2011 settlement of long-standing legal disputes was a fully legal transaction with Eni and the federal government of Nigeria.

'We do not believe there is a case to answer.'

Eni said it rejected 'any allegation of impropriety or irregularity in connection with this transaction'.
The protests and riots in France are part of an Islamic awakening foreseen by Irans supreme leader, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declared the head of the Islamic Republic Judiciary. The judiciary chief, Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani, noted Khamenei had predicted years ago that an Islamic awakening would go beyond Muslim countries and reach Europe, the Iranian Mizan news agency, according to Radio Farda.

WorldNetDaily reports in its article IRAN: FRENCH RIOTS SIGNAL 'ISLAMIC AWAKENING' that Larijani did not explain how the protests are related to Islam. But working-class young people among Frances Muslim minority have engaged in numerous violent protests over the past decade. And in Egypt, media affiliated with the regime of Egyptian President Abd Al-Fattah Al-Sisi are claiming the Muslim Brotherhood is involved in the French protests.

Reports in Egyptian newspapers and on television assert covert Muslim Brotherhood activists have infiltrated the ranks of the French protesters, fanning violence, looting and vandalism across the country, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute. The Egyptian media is comparing the Brotherhoods alleged participation in French protests to its part in the 2011 protests in Egypt that ultimately brought down the regime of President Hosni Mubarak. The Brotherhood has denied all involvement in the French protests, accusing the Egyptian regime of trying to damage its reputation and inciting the West against it

Iran urges restraint

Irans foreign ministry spokesman told reporters on Dec. 3. that France should show restraint in dealing with protesters. France later responded that Iran should not interfere in its internal affairs. On Sunday, former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also tweeted that France should listen to the protesters.

Isnt the main goal of a government to satisfy the demands of citizens? Ahmadinejad asked. These protesters are the same citizens. Listen to their demands, and fulfill them in the best way possible. Certainly no power has the ability to stand against the people.

Radio Farda noted that Irans mullah-led regime has used overwhelming force on many occasions to suppress protests. In 2009, dozens of protesters were killed and hundreds imprisoned, where several died. Freed prisoners claimed torture and other inhumane treatment. In nationwide protests one year ago, at least 25 people were killed and about 5,000 were arrested.

Macron responded Tuesday to protesters with a promise to increase the minimum wage and eliminate taxes on overtime pay. Also, retirees earning less than 2,000 euros a month, about $2,270, will be exempt from a recent increase in social security taxes.

The trigger of the protests, the tax increase on diesel fuel, already has been rescinded. But on Tuesday, the leaders of the Yellow Vest protest movement indicated the presidents offers were not enough. Hundreds of students demonstrated their solidarity with the Yellow Vests, staging a Black Tuesday of protests over Macrons education policies.
A top Huawei executive has pledged to do whatever it takes to restore the Chinese firm's reputation, as it fights back against claims of spying.

Vincent Peng, the firm's president for Western Europe, made the promise after democracies around the world moved to block its equipment from new mobile networks.

Huawei has insisted that its equipment cannot be used for spying. And, amid a review of rules that could see the company's activities curbed in the UK, Peng tried to soothe concerns.

Spy row: Huawei's president for Western Europe Vincent Peng has pledged to do whatever it takes to restore the Chinese firm's reputation

He said: 'Anything needed to do this transformation we are committed to do this.

'We try everything, try all the best efforts, to try to prove we are a good company.'

Peng's comments came as a dispute over the arrest of Huawei's finance chief in Canada escalated, with China detaining two Canadian men in an apparent act of retaliation.

The move ratcheted up pressure on Canada after the country took action against Huawei finance chief Meng Wanzhou.

But Peng's reassurances were questioned by security experts. Ollie Whitehouse, the technology chief of top British cyber security firm NCC Group, told the Mail: 'The UK has been very prudent to ban Huawei equipment from the core of the telecoms network.

'China is an aggressive state. So do you allow them to provide the core technology to the communications systems of your country?'

'As a risk professional, if there is someone I know has been aggressive towards me and wants to steal information from me as a state, it would be prudent to manage where that equipment comes from.'
In the best and worst of Budget traditions there is often one change tucked away in the small print which might go unnoticed until it's too late.

This year proved no exception with a change to the rules on capital gains tax on property.

The Chancellor Philip Hammond revealed he would half the relief awarded to accidental landlords selling up a property that had previously been their permanent private residence - or their home, in other words.

This will hit those who struggle to sell and those who need to move for work or family reasons and decide to let their own home rather than sell up and buy elsewhere.

But how badly will it sting? We explain below.

Changes to capital gains tax rules on property could unwittingly affect divorcing couples

At the moment, individuals who move out of their home but don't sell it immediately have a window of 18 months during which time, the entire proceeds from a sale are exempt from capital gains tax.

From April 2020, this window will half, leaving those who struggle to sell their previous home after they move out just nine months to exit before having to stump up capital gains tax to the Treasury.

While it has been pitched as a further crackdown on landlords, the new rule is also likely to affect divorcing couples.

We asked Emily Kozien-Colyer, a solicitor at Goodman Derrick, to explain what the options are for divorcing couples who may find themselves hit by the changes.

Emily Kozien-Colyer of Goodman Derrick

As of April 2020, individuals will have only a nine-month window within which to sell their main residence, after they have moved out, before they potentially become liable for capital gains tax.

This contrasts with the current window of 18 months.

This relief period was initially put in place as recognition of the fact that selling a home is often fraught with difficulties and that it is not unusual for property owners to become accidental landlords when a sale falls through.

It has also provided divorcing couples with some breathing space, particularly if, as is very common after separation, they live apart but continue to own the family home jointly.

Under the new proposals if a husband or wife moves out of the family home because of a relationship breakdown, a capital gains charge may be generated unless the property is sold or transferred within a nine-month timeframe.

Special rules apply if the family home is sold or transferred between spouses, even after they have separated, provided that they have lived together within the tax year that the sale or transfer takes place.

The new nine-month timeframe may not be enough for warring spouses to agree upon the key financial and practical issues of a divorce, as well as to sort out the legalities.

Can we avoid being hit by the new rules?

For most separating couples, the family home is likely to be their most valuable asset. The decision of what to do with the house will therefore be crucial. So, what are the options?

One option is that one spouse gets to keep the house - in London and the South East, it is not unusual for a family home to be worth around 2million, and can often be considerably more.

The high level of stamp duty on this type of property means that it is often difficult for couples to sell up and buy two cheaper properties. Provided that the family's financial circumstances allow for it, it is therefore not unusual for the house to be transferred into the sole name of one spouse.

The other spouse is likely to be the higher earner and able to buy another property with the help of a mortgage.

For most separating couples, the family home is likely to be their most valuable asset

There's also the option of the Mesher Order. In this situation, the court will rule that in the interests of the children, the parent who is primarily responsible for their care can remain in the family home until the youngest child reaches the age of 18 or finishes education.

At this point, the property must be sold and the net sale proceeds distributed between the parties.

The house can also be divided into two  in theory this might be able to work if a family has a large property. In reality, divorcing couples are unlikely to wish to face the complexities involved in agreeing and managing a building project.

One other option is what is known as a 'birds nest' arrangement. This option provides that the children remain in the family home and the parents rotate between this and a much smaller property.

Such 'birds nest' co-parenting arrangements have become popular in the US. But although in theory a birds nest co-parenting arrangement could provide the children with consistency and minimal disruption it is likely to be very difficult to work in practice.

Divorcing couples have a range of options to consider when deciding what to do with the family home. As well as being mindful of the financial implications, considerable thought needs to be given to the practicalities.
Take a simple test and discover the key to living a healthier life or your family history. That's the plug used for the latest trend.

For under 100, you could order a genetic testing kit to your front door and find out which vitamins you are lacking or your risk of developing certain illnesses by spitting into a tube or swabbing the inside of your cheek or your may discover long lost relatives.

Many may be tempted to order a testing kit for a loved one this Christmas as a 'bit of fun.'

While the benefits to science could be great, what are the financial implications that could last the rest of your life? This is Money investigates...

Testing times: The number of do it at home tests to unlock family and health secrets is on the increase

Marketed as a simple test

'You can change,' declares Atlas Biomed, while Vitl promises that their offer of personalised nutrition can, 'help you feel 100 per cent more often'.

Services such as Ancestry and 23andMe not only help you discover your family's story, but enable you to find and connect with relatives who share DNA with you by joining a database of other users - you could, after all, be related to royalty.

Even the National Geographic is among the companies promising to unlock the secret of your genomes.

Information that used to only be available to doctors and researchers can now be yours for as little as 69 on websites including Amazon.

Ahead of Christmas, a number of adverts have popped up stating that these testing kits make a perfect gift.

Some will indicate your risk of developing serious conditions such as dementia, multiple sclerosis and certain cancers, including the presence of the BRCA1/BRCA2 gene that prompted actress Angelina Jolie to have a preventative double mastectomy in 2013.

The Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, recently announced his intention to sequence 5million genomes in the UK over the next five years.

The aim, to 'have tailor-made treatments and tailor-made drugs that are the best fit for a patient, not a best guess', he said.

Indeed, so important is this area of scientific research deemed to be that the Government recently updated the code on the use of genetic testing, preventing insurers from asking customers about predictive genetic test results when applying for insurance (in most cases).

But one expert told This is Money, that with millions having access to this sort of detailed information about their own health, it will only be a matter of time before insurers are demanding it too.

Along with the financial implications, there are privacy and ethical issues to consider.

Many are blindly taking these tests as a 'bit of fun' especially with the prices of these kits dropping  but should we be concerned?

Secrets: The tests can reveal a slew of information about your genetic build-up

What are these tests?

Katherine was bought a 23&me test two years ago as a Christmas present by her husband Tim Dallman for around 120.

'We thought it would be interesting, mostly for the ancestry part', Katherine told This is Money.

'My family don't have much information about where we come from and I found out that I'm part Jewish. It starts interesting conversations. We even had a family get together where we discussed the results.'

While Katherine had a positive experience and says she would recommend the test, she does think that there are important things to consider.

'I admit, I didn't really give much thought around the health side and potential diagnoses. To be honest, I don't remember the kit saying exactly what it was testing for.

'We were thinking of starting a family at the time, so I don't know what we'd have done if we had both tested as carriers for a certain illness. I'm just glad now, that did not happen.'

Her husband, Tim, is also happy with taking the test, but says it's largely because he knows how to interpret the results.

'I'm a scientist, with an interest in genetics', he told This is Money. 'One of the reasons that I was comfortable taking the test is because I am aware of the uncertainty of getting any positive genetic matches.'

He said that many results are not causative, meaning certain diseases have been associated more with people who have certain mutations than not, but experts don't know it has a definite cause in making the disease.

'I do accept there are people that won't be able to interpret their results and consumers need to be protected with the testing companies offering support and counselling.'

Family portrait: Tim Dallman and his wife Katherine took one of the tests - and he says that some people may need support or counselling, depending on the results

Shock at dementia risk verdict

Kelly - who doesn't wish for her full name to be published - knows how difficult it can be to get an unexpected result.

'I was recently suffering from stomach problems and had been looking up my symptoms on the internet - suddenly I was being bombarded by adverts for gut microbiome testing kits.

'I thought, why not? It would be quicker than going to my GP, I was in pain and curious.'

Most companies will offer a discount if you buy more than one product, so Kelly also bought both a DNA kit along with the microbiome test for 230 from Atlas Biomed.

The tests were simple, says Kelly. 'They arrive in the post, you provide a stool sample and spit into a tube for the DNA, send it back freepost, and a few weeks later you get your results.'

The stool sample came first.

'I was pretty underwhelmed. I was eating most of the food the test suggested anyway. I think the most entertaining thing was being told I have the gut of a village peasant. It certainly didn't offer anything that would help with my stomach problems.'

But then came the DNA results.

'I was shocked and really upset. The result came back that I have a much higher than normal risk of dementia  a condition I can do nothing about.'

Alzheimer's UK have expressed caution and believe it is vital that anyone considering taking these tests should be offered full genetic counselling to ensure it is the right decision for them and explain what the results mean.

A spokesman said: 'At present, the relationship between genetics and dementia is not fully understood and the results of the most common type of testing have a low predictive value.

'Genetic testing can be difficult emotionally, not provide conclusive results and cause practical difficulties.'

The accuracy is also of concern and could be causing people to make wrong even dangerous health choices for themselves, based on what could be inaccurate information.

Privacy: Is it possible that results could be passed onto insurers in the future? (Stock image)

How tests are undertaken  and privacy problem

Beyond the concern over moral and accuracy concerns, is the issue of privacy.

Kelly adds: 'I am really worried now about how this information will be used in the future.

Changes in the US Some large genetic testing companies announced in the summer that they had agreed to a mutual set of guidelines to better protect the privacy of users who submit their DNA for testing. The new voluntary policies call for requiring separate consent from users before sharing 'individual-level information' with other businesses and more transparency about the number of requests for data received by, and fulfilled for, law enforcement. Users who had already submitted DNA to 23&Me and opted in to sharing their data for research purchases may have already had their data shared with GlaxoSmithKline, which is headquartered in London. 23andMe entered into a partnership with GSK which was announced on July 25, and aims to develop new prescription drugs and identify and recruit patients for clinical studies. There are currently over five million users in the 23andMe database, the company says.

'I always considered myself pretty savvy when it comes to privacy and security when shopping and banking online, but I have given over my most intimate information to an unknown company online without checking who they are and what they will do with it.

'It's a scary thought'.

In America, DNA testing has already been used to crack murder trials though its widespread use by law enforcement officials has yet to be tested in court.

Atlas Biomed told us: 'We may use anonymised and aggregate raw data to identify disease patterns and for other interpretive purposes.

'It has been stripped of your name and other contact information so that you cannot reasonably be identified.'

But they cannot guarantee that any of your data sent to their site will remain safe because of the inherent problems of the internet.

'Although we will do our best to protect your personal data; any transmission is at your own risk.'

As to what these companies do with your data, Atlas Biomed told us: 'We store the samples for one year, although we retain the right to store the samples for an indefinite period.'

This is Money called Ancestry, one of the biggest DNA kit suppliers, who told us: 'We don't share your data with anyone and take website security and privacy seriously.

'You will be asked if you want to join a database for research once you have got your results but you can say no and request for your data to be deleted immediately.

'Ancestry has some research programmes that use anonymised data to show how DNA has changed and how to read it but we will never sell your information to another company.'

Stocking filler: Many may be tempted to 'gift' one of these tests for Christmas

Could insurers use it in the future?

It also raises the question on whether insurers could be interested in your data to then raise, or potentially lower your premiums accordingly.

The Government and Association of British Insurers recently launched an updated Code on the use of genetic testing in the insurance market  previously called the Concordat and Moratorium on Genetics and Insurance.

Launched in 2001, the code sets out how insurers are able to use genetic information, with insurers again agreeing not to probe customers about the results of any tests when they apply for cover.

More than you bargained for? Have you taken a DNA or genetic testing kit after seeing them advertised, and got more than you bargained for? Get in touch: lee.boyce@thisismoney.co.uk

But the code has no end date.

The previous version expired every three years, now it is to be reviewed every three years but remains open-ended.

Malcom Tarling at the Association of British Insurers, said: 'Insurers do not want to act or seen to be acting in a way to hinder genetic testing and genetic science, which is still in its infancy.

'Who knows what will happen in the future.'

Toby Bainbridge, head of protection solutions at Royal London said: 'Individuals considering taking a predictive genetic test should be reassured that the information cannot be used unfavourably when applying for insurance.'

Dr Penny O'Nions, a medical insurance expert, believes that as more people seek to discover more about their own genetic make-up it could have a knock-on effect.

She said: 'Certain employers may want this sort of information about potential recruits, particularly if that person is of value.

'There is a possibility that if these tests become more widespread why would employers and insurers not use this as standard.'

Good for science  bad for consumers?

The upshot is that all this extra genetic information may be great for science - if the information is shared and not kept in the private companies for research - but bad news for people who show up markers for conditions and then try to get life/health/protection cover without paying an arm and a leg.

It may get to a stage where if you have ever taken one of these tests, like smoking or a pre-existing condition, you will have to declare it to your insurer.

If people take a test to get a lower premium  which is not available presently  they would have to also accept the possibility the test could turn up a higher risk of life-threatening conditions, such as cancer and dementia.

This would then mean they could pay significantly more or may even be refused cover.

Dr O'Nions adds: 'As we become more advanced and sophisticated with the tests that we have available and we become more interested  those companies that can profit will latch on to them, which includes insurance companies but also employers.

'You could find that there are people who are completely declined or their insurance premiums are unaffordable.

'Insurance companies will be the highest beneficiaries from these tests. The potential repercussions are phenomenal.

'The more people that buy the tests, the cheaper and more reliable they become. We may be 20 years from a situation where employers and insurers are demanding them, but it's our children's future we need to think about.'

'It's a slippery slope.'
Britain's biggest contractors have a combined 562million black hole in their pension schemes  putting workers' nest eggs at risk as fears grow for the industry.

The funding gap means that if any outsourcers with a pension deficit go bust, the retirement benefits of their workers will be in jeopardy.

It will force them to pump millions of pounds into the schemes to close the gaps at a time when it is harder than ever to make money.

Pensions panic: Britain's five major listed contractors - Interserve, G4S, Serco, Mitie Group and Serco - have a combined shortfall of more than half a billion pounds

There is speculation over the future of government contractors after Carillion failed this year, with fears mounting that rival Interserve could be the next to fold.

Mail analysis reveals that Britain's five major listed contractors  Interserve, G4S, Serco, Mitie Group and Capita  have a combined shortfall of more than half a billion pounds.

At last count Mitie Group had a defined benefit pension scheme deficit of 47.5million, while Capita and G4S had deficits of 185million and 382million respectively.

Serco's pension scheme has a surplus of 20million, while Interserve's scheme had a surplus of 32.1million at the end of June, up from a deficit of 48million at the end of 2017 due to a change in how future pension increases are calculated. In all, the five firms have a deficit of 562.4million.

Mitie is paying 58million into its pension scheme up to 2025 to plug the gap, while Capita will hand over 176million by 2021.

Only 7 per cent of G4S's business in the UK and Australia is generated from government contracts. It was due to pay 41million into its pension scheme this year.

The spotlight has returned to the industry since Interserve lost more than half its value on Monday after it announced plans for a major refinancing to tackle its crippling debt pile of more than 600million.

Interserve pension scheme trustees and bosses are in crunch talks with The Pensions Regulator.

Unions warned Interserve was at risk of becoming 'Carillion mark two' and could follow the same path as its rival, which fell into administration with 7billion of debts.

Frank Field, chairman of the House of Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee, said: 'Carillion was only the latest signal that we do not have a system of regulators capable of protecting ordinary workers, pension savers, or small business suppliers.

'If the Government wants to continue to play this high-stakes game of finding partners to provide public services, it must steeply upgrade our system of corporate governance so they actually serve the public.'

Thinktank Institute for Government's figures this week suggest the state spends 284billion a year on goods and services from external suppliers. Data group Tussell found Interserve won contracts worth 938million in 2017.
The step-granddaughter of screen legend Julie Andrews has confessed to bedding actor Dax Shepard behind Kristen Bell's back.

Former model Kayti Edwards says she rekindled her romance with Dax in late 2009 - two years into his relationship with now wife Kristen - at a private party in Hollywood.

In a set of graphic pictures - taken in a photo booth at the party that night and shared with DailyMailTV - Kayti and Dax are seen passionately making out.

And the brunette claims that shortly afterwards she and Parenthood star Dax left the party and went back to a friend's place in Hollywood where she was house-sitting.

'We went back and made love, we had sex twice and he stayed until the next morning,' Kayti recalls.

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Former model Kayti Edwards says she rekindled her romance with Dax in late 2009 - two years into his relationship with now wife Kristen - at a private party

Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell pose up locking lips at the Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa last January. Says Kayti, 'I didn't know he had a girlfriend at the time, he didn't seem to care.'

In the photos obtained by DailyMailTV the pair can be seen locking lips as they make-out while the flash goes off. Katy, who had blonde hair back then, grips Dax's face as their tongues explore

'I didn't know he had a girlfriend at the time, he didn't seem to care.'

Kayti, 41, and Dax, 43 first met in 2005 through mutual friends.

Kayti recalls liking the actor because he was 'goofy' and 'funny' and made her laugh.

'He makes you feel comfortable and he's not one of those, you know, standoffish celebrity guys,' she recalls.

'He's just a normal person, but he's funny. I was attracted to his confidence.'

Kayti said they went on a few dates but nothing serious blossomed.

'It was just a brief thing, we would hook up here and there, but we had a little friendship when we saw each other,' she said.

The casual relationship eventually fizzled out when Kayti left LA to live in Hawaii.

'I left the Hollywood scene and was on an island somewhere,' she says. 'But I always kept in touch with the people that we were mutual friends with.'

She said she came back to LA to visit at the end of 2009/beginning of 2010.

'I was house-sitting for a girlfriend of mine in Hollywood and there was this party,' she recalls. 'I think it might have been someone's birthday party or some kind of big event, a lot of celebrities were there, it was at a nightclub in Hollywood.'

Kayti says Dax grabbed the photos and handed them to her saying, 'I can't take these home, you better hang onto them.' Kayti says it wasn't until around six months to a year after they hooked up that she realized Dax's girlfriend was actress Kristen Bell

And Kayti says it was there she bumped into Dax.

'I saw him and we hadn't seen each other in a few years. So it was like a very friendly, 'Oh my gosh, I haven't seen you in forever. Nice to see you.'

The two instantly hit it off again and were flirting like crazy.

'There was a photo booth and I remember people were standing in line for this photo booth.

'And Dax grabbed me and was like 'let's pick up where we left off' and he threw me into this photo booth with him.

'And it was kind of like this make out session in this photo booth that we were being overly dramatic.'

In the photos obtained by DailyMailTV the pair can be seen locking lips as they make-out while the flash goes off. Katy, who had blonde hair back then, grips Dax's face as their tongues explore.

But Kayti recalls Dax, who was wearing a hat that night, getting a shock when they came out of the booth.

'He realized that there was a screen on the outside, so everybody standing in line had just seen us making out in a photo booth and we quickly waited for the pictures and he grabbed them and we scurried off.'

It was then that Kayti suspected that Dax might have a girlfriend.

She says he grabbed the photos and handed them to her saying, 'I can't take these home, you better hang onto them.'

'I did not have any knowledge of who he was dating or even if he had a girlfriend,' she said.

'But he seemed too scared about it. He just kind of was like 'Oh crap why didn't I realize that there was a screen'.

Dax quickly overcame his concern though and he and Kayti left the party together around 2am.

Kayti - the child of Jennifer Edwards, The Sound of Music superstar Julie Andrews' husband Blake Edwards' daughter from his first marriage - has hit the headlines in the past over her relationships with stars

Kayti with her step-grandma Julie, who lives on the east coast

'I came forward with this to get ahead of the story. I posted a photo on Facebook of me and Dax from that night as a joke,' she says. Kayti decided to tell the real story to DailyMailTV

They went back to the place Kayti was house-sitting in Hollywood.

'We had had a nice time and we spent the night together. We slept together and he left in the morning.

Kayti said the sex was 'passionate' but the former glamor model doesn't recall Dax using protection.

She jokes that the star might struggle to wear a condom anyhow - because he's so well-endowed.

'It's like a horse, it's scary,' she said with a smile.

She said they had sex twice that night, once when they got back to the house and once the next morning.

After Dax left Kayti says they exchanged a few text messages but didn't see each other until around a year later.

They ran into each other on the street in Santa Monica and went to grab a coffee to catch up. That was the last time she saw him.

Kayti says it wasn't until around six months to a year after they hooked up that she realized Dax's girlfriend at the time was actress Kristen Bell, the voice of Princess Anna in hit 2013 kid's movie Frozen.

The couple met in 2007 and married in 2013. They have two daughters together, Lincoln, five, and Delta, three.

'I don't really keep up with Hollywood stuff so I didn't even know who she was until Frozen came out,' recalls Kayti.

She puts Dax's transgression down to rumors she'd heard that his and Kristen's relationship was 'rocky' at the beginning.

The couple met in 2007 and married in 2013. They have two daughters together, Lincoln, five, and Delta, three

Kristen Bell, who starred as Veronica Mars in the TV series and film, is also known as the voice of Princess Anna in hit 2013 kid's movie Frozen

'I don't know if that was part of the rocky start. I don't know if she even knows that he had done that,' she explained. 'Maybe they were on a break, I don't know.'

But heavily tattooed Kayti, a former stripper who is married and lives in Lake Arrowhead, California, knows she's 'no threat' to Dax and Kristen's marriage.

'I came forward with this to get ahead of the story. I posted a photo on Facebook of me and Dax from that night as a joke and recently a few media outlets have contacted me about it.

'In my experience I am tired of other people telling my story. And I would rather tell the true story than have this picture floating around and people running with it.

'I just wanted to set the story straight before someone else said something that wasn't true.'

Earlier this year she gave an interview about her relationship with Matthew Perry and exposed the troubled actor's drug hell.

She added: 'I don't want anything to do with Dax. I wish him well. I wish them to be happy. I hope that they're happily married. I mean they have children. So my wish is that they're happy and stable for the kids.'

DailyMailTV reached out to a rep for Dax Shepard and received a 'no comment' reply.

Earlier this year she gave an interview about her relationship with Matthew Perry and exposed the troubled actor's drug hell.

She was also in the press after being spotted with Jack Osborne and another report in February blamed her for trouble between Kid Rock and fiancee Audrey Berry, suggesting she had been the rock star's mistress for ten years.

But Kayti says those stories are nonsense.

'Jack Osbourne has been a friend of mine since I was 20 he was16, maybe younger,' she explains.

'I was not the cause of his marriage fail. We just simply had lunch. And it turned into maybe I was the reason (for his split), which we have only been friends.

'Tabloids have painted me out to be this Holly home-wrecker, you know the mistress, but they don't know the back story, they don't know the truth. The same with Kid Rock, Kid Rock and I dated before he was with this woman and before I was married, we dated and remained friends.

'So it's a big stretch to say that I was his mistress for ten years when I only saw him a couple of times.'
The onscreen friendship among the hosts of Warner Bros' The Real may not be as 'real' as it seems, DailyMail.com has learned.

An insider at the daytime talk show has revealed tensions have flared among Tamera Mowry-Housley, Adrienne Bailon, Jeannie Mai, and Loni Love over the Sister, Sister star's high-paying salary.

Mowry-Housley, 40, is reported to be raking in the most cash on the show with Loni being the second-best paid, while Adrienne and Jeannie are only being paid a third of the other women's salaries.

But Battle lines were drawn earlier this year when Mowry-Housley and Loni refused to help Adrienne and Jeannie get a raise, leading to threats of a staged walkout, a source close to the show told DailyMail.com.

Further heightening tensions is the belief that Mowry-Housley 'isn't keeping it real' with viewers because she refuses to acknowledge her Republican views and skirts around her support Donald Trump in the 2016 election on air.

Real drama: The Real's Tamera Mowry-Housley, 40, is the highest paid of the show's four co-hosts, a source tells DailyMail.com. Loni Love (second from right) has the second highest salary, while Adrienne (far left) and Jeannie Mai (far right) are making significantly less

Further heightening tensions is the feeling Mowry-Housley 'isn't keeping it real' with viewers because she refuses to acknowledge her Republican beliefs and that she and her husband supported Donald Trump in the 2016 election

Life on set had been going smoothly after producers gave controversial host Tamar Braxton the boot in 2016, but working relationships started to deteriorate in April following the show's Emmy win.

An insider told DailyMail.com: 'Once they won the Emmy, Jeannie and Adrienne started complaining about how they knew they weren't being compensated the same as their fellow co-hosts Loni and Tamera. They were even talking about staging a walk out.

'Initially, they wanted both Tamera and Loni to support them in their quest to get better deals on the show, but when both ladies declined that definitely meant that lines were drawn.'

Jeannie and Adrienne have even started referring to their co-hosts as 'The Have and The Have Nots' - a play off the name of the Tyler Perry TV drama on the OWN Network, the source claims.

'That's the term they'd use to address the pay discrepancy between them.'

A spokesperson for The Real declined to comment.

The backstage tension over salaries is reportedly why Tamera and Jeannie had an uncharacteristically heated blow-up on camera in September during a discussion over the sexuality of Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie.

'That argument had nothing to do with whether two puppets were in a same sex relationship and had everything to do with the drama going on behind the scenes,' the source explained.

Tamera suffered a personal loss when her 18-year-old niece by marriage Alaina Housley was gunned down in the Borderline Bar and Grill shooting in Thousand Oaks, California, in November. She took two weeks off for bereavement leave.

An insider told DailyMail.com: 'Once they won the Emmy, Jeannie and Adrienne started complaining about how they knew they weren't being compensated the same as their fellow co-hosts Loni and Tamera. They were even talking about staging a walk out'

Jeannie and Adrienne were quick to notice that ratings for the show improved by 13 per cent the week the Sister, Sister star was gone and the show saw its highest growth in more than a year.

The source said: 'Of the four hosts, Tamera has the highest salary. And while she was gone from the show, the ratings jumped.

'Both girls kept saying, "How's she making the most money and the show is doing better without her being here?" That gave them the leverage they needed to justify their ask for more money.'

The three co-hosts were also upset that during Tamera's absence, her husband Adam Housley gave an exclusive interview to CBS News about his niece's death, instead of appearing on his wife's show.

'So while they had to read a text message that Tamera sent them on air, her husband is off talking to news cameras about what went down. He couldn't find the time to come talk to the show that employs his wife?

'Especially since he's out of work and she's the only one working these days. It was a smack in the face of The Real and just added to the tension among the ladies,' the source disclosed.

It doesn't help that Tamera's husband has previously been accused of being racist, forcing Tamera to use her show earlier this season to shoot down the claims.

Blogs had uncovered past controversial social media posts made by Housley, a former Fox News reporter, in which he denied race was the reason George Zimmerman murdered the African-American teenager Trayvon Martin; as well as him condemning protesters in the cities where Mike Brown and Freddie Gray were killed.

The backstage tension over salaries is reportedly why Tamera and Jeannie had an unusual blow up on camera in September over Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie (pictured)

Co-hosts were also upset that during Tamera's absence, her husband Adam Housley (together left) gave an exclusive interview to CBS News about his niece Alaina Housley's (right) death, who died in the Borderline Bar shooing in November, instead of appearing on his wife's show

Tamera said on The Real: 'There are some people who think that my husband is racist because he worked for a certain channel, I'm gonna look in that camera right there and let everybody know my husband is not a racist.'

Her co-hosts have not commented on the speculation on Housley, however, they apparently do feel she 'isn't keeping it real' with the viewers because she doesn't want to acknowledge her Republican beliefs.

During The Real's 2016 special evening election show, Loni, Adrienne and Jeannie were in utter shock about Trump being elected while Tamera was in the corner cheering off camera.

'There's a reason when the show does do the rare political topic or something regarding the POTUS, she sits in her seat with her lips zipped hoping nobody asks her to chime in,' offered the source.

Tamera's adamant resistance to share her politics is even a topic of contention for Loni, whom she's the closest with.

Loni is regularly complaining to producers that she hates the show topics and feels the conversation is too immature and she is always begging to do more politics and social issues, according to the insider.

'While Loni wants to do more serious topics like The View, the other three co-hosts make snide remarks about her wanting to turn the show into Meet The Press and how they don't want this to be AARP TV,' shared the source.

'Overall, the ladies of The Real don't speak behind the scenes until they hit the stage door to come out. They play girlfriends on TV, but in real life, their relationship is strained to say the least.

'Regardless, it's clear that Jeannie and Adrienne are lobbying for bigger paydays and their co-hosts aren't interested in helping them achieve that.'

The Real has been renewed through 2020 and only time will tell if the current hosts are there for the next year and a half.
Police investigating the murder of British backpacker Grace Millane in New Zealand have found a missing shovel linked to the killing.

Officers said earlier this week that they were hunting for the tool in connection with the death of 22-year-old Grace, who was from Wickford, Essex.

They announced the find on Thursday, three days after 26-year-old Jesse Kempson appeared in court charged with her murder.

Police investigating the murder of Grace Millane, 22, have found a long-handled shovel they were hunting for in connection with the killing (image released by police of an identical shovel)

Father David (far left) said that while daughter Grace (far right) was only in New Zealand for a few weeks, in some small way 'she will forever be a Kiwi'

Detective Inspector Scott Beard told the New Zealand Herald that the shovel was found on Thursday in the central west Auckland area.

Beard said the shovel was located after 'continued examination of CCTV footage.'

Officers have not said exactly how they believe the shovel was involved in the killing.

It was initially feared that somebody may have picked up the shovel after it was dumped somewhere between where Grace's body was found and central Auckland.

Police did not say exactly where it was eventually located. They have also not revealed exactly what they believe happened to the backpacker, saying they are still piecing together a timeline of events.

Jesse Kempson, 26, has been arrested and charged with Grace's murder but has not yet entered a plea

The find comes a day after more than 1,000 turned out for vigils held in Grace's memory in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland.

David Millane, who traveled to New Zealand last week after his daughter vanished, said in a statement that although Ms Millane had only been in New Zealand a few weeks, in some small way 'she will forever be a Kiwi.'

The statement said: 'Grace went off to travel the world in mid-October and arrived in New Zealand on the 20th November.

'By the amount of pictures and messages we received, she clearly loved this country, its people and the lifestyle.

'We all hope that what has happened to Grace will not deter even one person from venturing out into the world and discovering their own OE (overseas experience).'

Calling the crime 'heinous', the family also paid tribute to investigating officers for completing a 'concise, stringent and thorough investigation'.

They added: 'We would like to thank the people of New Zealand for their outpouring of love, numerous messages, tributes and compassion.

'Grace was not born here and only managed to stay a few weeks, but you have taken her to your hearts and in some small way she will forever be a Kiwi.'

Vigils were held in Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington in memory of Grace on Thursday, as 1,000 people turned out to pay tributes

New Zealand has reacted with shock and upset at news of the killing, in a country which is a popular destination for young backpackers

On Tuesday, dozens of people who knew Ms Millane, led by a friend of one of her brothers, gathered in Queenstown, New Zealand.

Josh Lewis, a friend of Declan Millane, laid out a birthday cake for Ms Millane, who disappeared the night before her 22nd birthday.

Mr Lewis said he had flown out to New Zealand hoping to catch up with his close friend's younger sister, but he never got the chance.

'She might not have got one for her birthday,' Mr Lewis told Stuff.nz. 'I know she was here on her own. She probably wouldn't have got a cake. I obviously wasn't in Auckland at the time so this way she has one.'

Grace went missing from a hostel in Auckland on December 1, the day before her 22nd birthday, while on a round-the-world backpacking holiday.

A woman weeps during a candlelight vigil for Grace held in Auckland, where she was staying when she was killed

People gather to honour Grace in Auckland on Wednesday

When relatives failed to hear from her the following day they contacted police, and the search was officially launched on December 5.

The last confirmed sighting of Grace was at the CityLife Hotel in Auckland when she was with a 'male companion.'

On December 8 police found Grace's body dumped on a roadside, launched a murder investigation, and arrested Kempson.

He appeared in court for the first time two days later, where he looked glum and didn't speak a word. No plea was entered on his behalf.

As he was led from the gallery, someone shouted 'scumbag' at him.

Grace's body was formally identified on Wednesday, and father David has said the family now intend to take her home this weekend ahead of a burial.
An adorable three-year-old kung fu master has risen to fame in China after videos of his hardcore training regime have gone viral.

The boy, surnamed Qi and nicknamed Little Stone, has been learning martial arts at the renowned Shaolin Temple in central China's Henan Province since April this year.

The little Shaolin monk, who now has 180,000 followers on popular short video site Kuaishou, wakes up every morning at 5am to train for at least five hours in hopes of becoming a legendary master one day.

The boy, surnamed Qi and nicknamed Little Stone, has been learning martial arts at the renowned Shaolin Temple in central China's Henan Province since April this year

Badass: The little Shaolin monk has 180,000 followers on popular short video site Kuaishou

His master, Abbot Yanbo (pictured), who films the videos for Little Stone, said the boy used to cry all the time when he first arrived at the Shaolin Temple in Henan province, China

His master, Abbot Yanbo, who films the videos for Little Stone, said the youngster used to cry all the time when he first arrived at the temple.

'But after a month or so, he got used to the training and turned out to be a very smart and hardworking student,' Abbot Yanbo told MailOnline.

'Little Stone still cries from time to time when he thinks about his mother, but he's learned to wipe away his tears and carry on training,' he said, adding that the child could only see his family every two months.

The child is seen throwing punches, kicking and blocking in perfect form in front of onlookers

'Little Stone still cries from time to time when he thinks about his mother, but he's learned to wipe away his tears and carry on training,' his master, Abbot Yanbo (pictured) said

Little Stone (centre) is the youngest in his class and has to wake up every morning at 5am to train for at least five hours in hopes of becoming a legendary master

The viral video clips show Little Stone - the youngest student in his class - showing off a wide repertoire of martial arts techniques, thanks to his hard training.

The adorable child is seen throwing punches, kicking and blocking in perfect form in front of impressed onlookers while another clip shows him mastering a staff that's almost twice his height.

However, in one of the videos, the three-year-old is seen frowning in pain and on the verge of tears while doing a split at the command of his master - a demonstration of how tough his every day training is.

The videos melted the hearts of net users, who said the child was 'too cute to handle'.

However, in one of the videos, the three-year-old is seen frowning in pain and on the verge of tears while doing a split at the command of his master - showing how tough his training is

The viral video clips show Little Stone - the youngest student in his class - showing off a wide repertoire of martial arts techniques, thanks to his hard training

Little Stone's videos melted the hearts of net users, who said the child was 'too cute to handle'

'Such touch training on such a young kid,' one user commented, 'But he will grow into a well-disciplined adult.'

'So adorable! This is a very good environment for a child to grow up in,' another user commented. 'I don't think I can last two days at the Temple!'

The ancient yet powerful Shaolin kung fu combines kicks, blocks and punches to stop attackers, achieved through rigorous mental and physical training.

The discipline also stresses on 'hard' and 'soft' striking techniques, making it an aesthetically pleasing fighting style.
California regulators are considering a plan to charge a fee for text messaging on mobile phones to help support programs that make phone service accessible to the poor, according to a newspaper report Wednesday.

The proposal is scheduled for a vote next month by the state Public Utilities Commission, the Mercury News reported.

The wireless industry and business groups have been working to defeat the plan.

'It's a dumb idea,' said Jim Wunderman, president of the Bay Area Council business-sponsored advocacy group.

California regulators are considering a plan to charge a fee for text messaging on mobile phones to help support programs that make phone service accessible to the poor

'This is how conversations take place in this day and age, and it's almost like saying there should be a tax on the conversations we have.'

It's unclear how much money individual consumers would be asked to pay their wireless carrier for texting services under the proposal, the newspaper said.

But it is likely would be billed as a flat surcharge - not a fee per text.

Wunderman said he's unaware of any other local, state or federal program that taxes texting.

And the wireless industry has argued the state commission lacks legal grounds for doing so.

The proposal is scheduled for a vote next month by the state Public Utilities Commission (whose headquarters is seen above in San Francisco)

Business groups calculated the new charges for wireless consumers could total about $44.5million a year.

They said that under the regulators' proposal the charge could be applied retroactively for five years - and could amount to a bill of more than $220million for California consumers.

A CPUC report proposing the texting surcharge says the Public Purpose Program budget has climbed from $670million in 2011 to $998million last year.

But the telecommunications industry revenues that fund the program fell from $16.5billion in 2011 to $11.3billion in 2017, it said.

'This is unsustainable over time,' the report says, arguing that adding surcharges on text messaging will increase the revenue base that funds programs that help low-income Californians afford phone service.

'From a consumer's point of view, surcharges may be a wash, because if more surcharge revenues come from texting services, less would be needed from voice services,' CPUC spokeswoman Constance Gordon said in a statement.
A woman was left stunned after a seal pup mysteriously turned up on her door step, just yards away from a busy road.

The cute seal pup had weaved its body through plants outside the woman's home and seemed to have managed to climb onto a large plant pot.

It managed to get itself onto the patio were it was later found by the owner of the property.

The young pup was eventually returned to safe waters after the woman called Northumbria Police

The seal pup curled itself round a plant pot outside of the property before sloping to the floor

The woman promptly sought assistance from the police in Northumbria on Tuesday morning, who tried to return the young seal to safe waters.

The nearest water is Seaton Sluice, which is a small marina/harbour in the area.

The village of Seaton Sluice is divided by a bridge and it lies on the coast of the mouth of the Seaton Burn, midway between Whitley Burn and Blyth.

The cute seal pup (pictured right) was found outside the property in Northumbria. The map on the left shows how the seal managed to arrive at the property

The harbour area in Seaton Sluice, which is the closest part of water to the property

The officers attending the property said they were 'baffled' when they arrived at the property

Police said the seal pup had arrived outside the woman's property in the morning of Tuesday 12 December.

Paul Moorhead, a community support officer with Northumbria Police, added: 'When the sergeant asks you to go to a job like this you tend to think he's pulling your leg.

'So when we turned up at the property it was a bit of a shock for us to find the seal pup lounging on some plant pots and having a bit of a sun bath.

'I'll be honest, we didn't really know what to do with it and I was half thinking of putting it in the back of my patrol car.'

Despite initially being baffled by the sight of the pup, Mr Moorhead and his colleague, Beverley Keenleyside, called out the British Divers Marine Life Rescue, who attended with the RSPCA.

Eventually the dehydrated seal was provided with fluids, before being moved closer to the sea, Northumbria Police said.

Mr Moorhead added: 'It was a happy ending all round and the seal pup was able to return to the rest of his family who were swimming nearby.'
Several Sunni blocs in Iraq said Tuesday they accept to back the nomination of a Shiite military leader for the Defense portfolio. Asharq Al-Awsat reports in its article Iraqi Sunnis Accept Nomination of Shiite to Defense Ministry that Iraqi parliament's Speaker, Mohamed al-Halbousi sent letters to several leaders from the Counter-Terrorism Service to nominate one of them for the post of defense minister, without being restricted by the fact that the post is usually allotted to Sunnis.



Head of the "Anbar Is Our Identity" alliance, Abdullah Al-Kharbeet told Asharq Al-Awsat on Tuesday: We believe that the matter is linked to a national merit that requires appointing the most efficient candidate, rather than being linked to the share of that party or the other based on sectarian and ethnic quotas. We want to break down this 'Muhassasa' system that greatly ruined Iraq.



A Muhassasa system allows leaders of different ethnic backgrounds to take various roles in the government, including some key ministries.



A leading Iraqi political figure told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Sunni stance on the Defense Ministry post has greatly embarrassed Shiite political blocs, particularly Al Binaa bloc, which not only insist on the system of Muhassasa but also on a sole candidate to the Ministry of Interior: Falih al-Fayadh.



Meanwhile, US Energy Secretary Rick Perry arrived in Baghdad on a trade mission Tuesday and he met with President Barham Salih and Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi to discuss the US sanctions on Iran.



The US official urged Iraq to reduce its energy dependence on Iran and open its own energy sector to American investment. "The time has come for Iraq to break its dependence ... on less reliable nations seeking domination and control," he said, in an apparent reference to Iran.



Asked whether Iraqis demanded that Baghdad be exempted from the US sanctions on Iraq, an Iraqi official told Asharq Al-Awsat: Baghdad had repeatedly asked Washington to be excluded from those sanctions but never received an answer.
A mother and her female partner have faced court after they were charged over the alleged drugging of their four-year-old son.

The couple appeared before Port Kembla Local Court, south of Sydney, on Wednesday, after the toddler was allegedly given temazepam, a sleeping pill, and Amitriptyline, an anti-depressant.

The boy was allegedly given the drugs over two days in October.

Doctors claimed the four-year-old was falling in and out of consciousness and slurring his words after being rushed to the hospital - prompting a police investigation.

The boy was allegedly given temazepam, a sleeping pill, and Amitriptyline, an anti-depressant, in October

Police raided the couple's home in the New South Wales Illawarra region on October 12 and seized prescription medications, among other items.

Doctors allegedly told police the boy had a restricted drug in his system, had previous upper limb fractures - and was severely underweight for his age.

Detectives were also allegedly told it was not the first time the child had been admitted to hospital with similar symptoms.

One woman was charged with using poison so as to endanger life, and failing to provide for child causing danger of serious injury.

A female couple faced court on Wednesday, charged over the drugging of their four-year-old son

Her partner was charged with failure to provide for child cause danger of serious injury.

The young boy had been taken into the care of the Department of Family and Community Services and police had taken out an apprehended violence order against both women.

The couple did not enter pleas when they appeared before the court.

They were granted bail to appear in court next year.
A high school teacher who was arrested for forcibly cutting a student's hair in class said she did it because another student was 'acting like a ding dong'.

Video posted on social media showed Margaret Gieszinger cutting off chunks of a student's hair at University Preparatory High School in Visalia, California.

College of the Sequoias police responded last week after a receiving a report of child endangerment involving a teacher and a 'pair of scissors', police chief Kevin Mizner said.

Gieszinger was arrested last week on suspicion of corporal injury to a child

Gieszinger, 52, from Exeter in the UK, was later arrested on suspicion of corporal injury to a child with her bail set at $100,000.

In the video, she can be seen forcibly cutting a male student's hair while loudly singing the national anthem.

When the student tried to get up and walk back to his desk, Gieszinger said to him: 'You're not done.'

She then grabs another female student's hair with scissors raised in the air.

ABC7 reported that reported that Gieszinger told police she had intended to give a haircut to a foreign exchange student in the class, who was also living at her home.

'She said that she had to do it for (the foreign exchange student) who had been acting like 'a ding dong,' a police report states.

'She said that she was sorry that (the other student's) hair got cut, but that it was already done'.

Gieszinger also denied that what she did was over the top, and told police she got tired of the 'ridiculous behavior'.

After the incident, the school's principal said Gieszinger told him she was having a 'haircut' day because there had been issues with cellphones.

Videos posted on social media showed Margaret Gieszinger cutting off chunks of a student's hair in class

She is also seen approaching a female student and appearing to grab a chunk of hair to cut

Other students in the class scream and run out of the room as Gieszinger continues singing

He sent Gieszinger home, took statements from students who were in the class, and also answered police questions.

After the incident, the school's principal said Gieszinger told him she was having a 'haircut day' as there had been issues in the classroom with cellphones.

He sent Gieszinger home, took statements from students who were in the class, and also answered police questions.

'He advised that he had received some complaints on Monday from students and a parent about her actions toward getting students to not use their cell phones in class,' College of the Sequoias Police Chief Kevin Mizner wrote in a report.

Gieszinger appeared in court last week and charged with six misdemeanors, including cruelty to a child and false imprisonment

The student who had his hair cut has since hired a Fresno lawyer to look into the case

'(The principal) spoke to her on Monday afternoon and again on Weds morning before class.

He said that she appeared a bit anxious that morning, but nothing that caused him any concern'.

The student who had his hair cut has since hired a Fresno lawyer to look into the case, who says his client has not returned to school, ABC7 reported.

The police report also found that items Exeter Police collected from Gieszinger's home that day included apurse with hair in the front pocket, two pairs of scissors.

She used one of the scissors during the incident and some hair found in a bathroom drawer.

Gieszinger has been charged with six misdemeanors, including cruelty to a child and false imprisonment.

She's out of custody now but is due back in court next week.

The Tulare County Office of Education says she will not return to her classroom at University Preparatory High School (UPHS).
Employees at a psychiatric hospital in Honolulu have been cleared of blame in the November 2017 escape of psychopathic killer Randall Saito, 60, (pictured), according to a report from the Hawaii attorney general released Wednesday

An investigation by the Hawaii attorney general has found that no single employee was directly responsible for the escape of killer Randall Saito, who walked out of a psychiatric hospital and flew to California last year.

In November 2017, 60-year-old Saito escaped the Hawaii State Hospital where he had been held for 38 years after he slaughtered a woman and was found not guilty by reason of insanity in 1981.

Saito then chartered a plane to Maui before flying to California, where he was captured in Stockton three days later.

Following Wednesday's release of the attorney general's official report, four of the six hospital employees who were placed on leave after the incident will be reinstated. The other two have since retired.

The year-long investigation cleared the employees but placed partial blame on the Hawaii State Hospital's inability to adjust to handling a population involved with the justice system.

Increased security measures were put into place immediately after Saito's escape.

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In November 2017, Saito walked out of the Hawaii State Hospital (above) where he'd been held for 38 years after he murdered a woman and was found not guilty by reason of insanity in 1981

Three days after his escape, Saito was arrested at a gas station in Stockton, California

The state's investigation was aimed at determining how Saito pulled off the seemingly effortless jailbreak on the morning of November 12, 2017.

The then-59-year-old strolled out of the Honolulu hospital and made his way to Kaneohe Community Park, where he picked up a backpack containing a fake passport under the name Bill, a cellphone and thousands of dollars of cash.

A taxi brought Saito to Honolulu International Airport where a a private charter plane was waiting to take him to Maui.

From there, he boarded a Hawaiian Airlines Flight to San Jose, California.

He had already been in California for two hours by the time hospital staff finally reported him missing at 7.30pm that night.

Investigators initially questioned whether a hospital employee had helped Saito hatch the escape plan.

Surveillance footage shows Saito in a cab that took him to the Honolulu International Airport after he walked out of the Hawaii State Hospital on the morning of November 12, 2017

The FBI launched a manhunt for Saito, who was described as a dangerous and violent psychopath who lacks empathy for his victims and a sexual sadist.

He had been in the psychiatric hospital for shooting and stabbing a woman named Sandra Yamashiro multiple times before leaving her body in her car in a mall parking lot in 1979.

Stockton sheriff's deputies tracked Saito down on November 15 after receiving a tip about his whereabouts from a local taxi driver.

Saito was charged with second-degree escape and four counts of first-degree identity theft.

He has pleaded not guilty to all counts and is being held at a Honolulu jail until his trial begins March 11, 2019.

Saito is pictured after being arrested for shooting and stabbing a woman named Sandra Yamashiro multiple times before leaving her body in her car in a mall parking lot in 1979
Cheryl Williams, the mother of slain Mike Williams, took the stand on Wednesday in day two of the trial of Denise Williams, who was his wife when he died, over his killing. Denise is pictured at trial on Tuesday

The mother of the Florida man who was killed in an alleged murderous plot for insurance money by his then-wife and childhood best friend, who later married, took the stand on Wednesday in day two of the trial over his killing.

Cheryl Williams testified briefly on Wednesday before a judge in Tallahassee, sharing that Denise Williams, who has been charged with the murder of her son, Mike Williams, threatened to keep her grandchild away from her if she didn't stop looking for her son, WTXL reported.

Additional testimony alleged that Brian Winchester, who married Denise after Mike's death in 2000 and confessed to murdering him last year, was the person who helped Mike fill out forms for a $1million life insurance policy, and also helped Denise apply for the funds after he was killed.

Prosecutors have argued that Williams, with the help of Winchester, planned Mike's slaying when he vanished while duck hunting on a lake near Tallahassee 18 years ago so they could be together.

Initially it was believed that he had fallen from his boat and that his body had been devoured by alligators. It was revealed years later that Williams had died from a shotgun blast to the head and his body was found buried near a lake.

Winchester's confession in 2017 resulted in Denise's arrest in May on murder, fraud, conspiracy and accessory after the fact charges.

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Cheryl Williams testified briefly on Wednesday before a judge in Tallahassee, sharing that Denise Williams, who has been charged with the murder of her son, Mike Williams, threatened to keep her grandchild away from her if she didn't stop looking for her son. Cheryl is shown here in a Crime Watch Daily interview

Local meteorologist Jennifer Meyers for WTXL provided updates from inside the courtroom on Wednesday, relaying Cheryl's testimony

Brian Winchester tearfully testified on Tuesday about his long-running affair with Denise Williams who he later married after her husband Mike Williams died in 2000, only to divorce him in 2016

In day two of Denise's trial on Wednesday, the last person to take the stand was Mike's mother, Cheryl.

Before Cheryl took the stand, her other son, Nick Williams, testified about her efforts to find Mike after he went missing, and to pressure authorities to keep the investigation open.

Beginning in January of 2015, Cheryl wrote a total of 240 letters to Governor Rick Scott asking for him to personally step in and properly handle her son's murder case, only to learn that none of those letters reached him, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.

That was after fighting for three years to even get law enforcement to consider reopening the case of her dead son.

Beginning in January of 2015, Cheryl wrote a total of 240 letters to Governor Rick Scott asking for him to personally step in and properly handle her son's murder case, only to learn that none of those letters reached him

Courtesy of WTXL

To start the day, the judge began asking questions of Mike's confessed killer, Winchester, that came from the jury, including whether there was a discussion about what to do with insurance money from Mike's death, WTXL reported.

The judge asked if there was a plan for him to access insurance funds individually or any discussion about a plan? Winchester said not to both.

'We wanted to be together, but the money was just icing on the cake,' he said.

Photos were also presented of Denise and the ex-wife of Winchester, named Kathy, which were said to have been of a sexual nature but were not shown to those present in the court.

On cross-examination, Denise's attorney pointed asked Winchester if he was a murdered and a liar, and Winchester said, 'Yes, sir,' to both.

During the first day of the trial, Winchester detailed how he and Williams allegedly plotted Mike's murder during a three-year affair.

Winchester told the court that his friend Mike told him Denise had stopped having sex with him and that he was growing suspicious about her activities.

He said the growing suspicion and the fact that one of Mike's insurance policies was about to lapse led him and Denise to kill him.

'We knew our window of opportunity was closing,' Winchester testified.

At the time of his death Mike had three life insurance policies worth $1.75 million, which Winchester reportedly helped him write.

Winchester then tearfully described the plot to kill Mike.

He had invited Mike duck hunting on a cold December morning and Winchester said he had intended to drown him by pushing him from his canoe. But he said he panicked when he saw Williams struggling in the water to get out of his jacket and duck waders and shot him.

Florida prosecutors contended on Tuesday that Denise Williams planned the 2000 slaying of her husband Mike Williams so she could get a $1.75 million insurance payout

Denise, now 48, was arrested back in May and charged with murder, fraud, conspiracy, and accessory after the fact in the relation to Mike's death. He disappeared in December 2000 while duck hunting near Tallahassee

'He started to yell and I didn't know how to get out of that situation. I had my gun in the boat, and so I loaded my gun and I just made one or two circles around and I ended up circling closer towards him and he was in the water, and as I passed by, I shot him,' he said.

Denise's attorney, Philip Padovano, told jurors on Tuesday there is no evidence his client was having an affair with Winchester or that she helped plot the killing

He said he dragged Williams' body back to shore, put him in his truck and buried him hours later.

'When I shot him, it was dark and there was a bright flash,' Winchester testified, adding later, 'I had to make it happen, I had no choice.'

He also described helping the rescue crews search for his friend's body.

'I think (my father and I) were the last ones. My dad didn't want to give up... He loved Mike.'

The first day of the trial ended before attorneys for Denise had a chance to cross-examine Winchester.

Denise eventually went on to marry Winchester five years after her husband's death but their relationship soured and they later divorced.

Mike's body wasn't found until last year after prosecutors offered Winchester immunity in the murder case while he was being sentenced to 20 years in prison for kidnapping Denise at gunpoint.

Denise had filed for divorce from Winchester in 2015, and Winchester feared she would tell authorities about his involvement in Mike's murder.

Mike married his high school sweetheart Denise in 1994 and welcomed a daughter with her five years later. The child was 18 months old when her father vanished and is now aged 18

Denise, pictured with her daughter in a photo shared to Instagram by Mike's mother, is currently on trial for her first husband's 2000 murder

Winchester kidnapped her in August 2016 and made her promise not to reveal their alleged secret. After she was released by Winchester, Denise went to authorities and reported the kidnapping.

When Winchester was arrested, prosecutors offered Winchester immunity from any charges related to Mike's death if he confessed the details of the murder plot.

Authorities found Mike's body and Denise was arrested five months later.

Denise's attorney, Philip Padovano, told jurors on Tuesday there is no evidence his client was having an affair with Winchester or that she helped plot the killing.

'There's no tangible evidence or physical evidence to connect Denise Williams to this crime,' Padovano said. 'No confession, no admission, nothing.'

The lawyer told them that Winchester has been given immunity from murder charges in exchange for his testimony and that he was given a lighter sentence in his kidnapping case. In order to find Denise guilty, Padovano told the jury that 'you will have to rely on the word of a murderer and a convicted felon.'

Mike and Denise were high school sweethearts and married in 1994 before welcoming a daughter five years later. The child was 18 months old when her father vanished, and she is now aged 18.

Mike disappeared on what would have been the couple's sixth wedding anniversary.

Authorities launched an exhaustive 44 day search for Mike's body after he vanished in 2000.

Six months after his disappearance, waders believed to belong to Mike were found floating in perfect condition in the search area. They reportedly showed no signs of an alligator attack.

Without a body, Denise petitioned to have her husband declared dead due to accidental drowning and she collected his death benefits.

Other witnesses called on Wednesday included Sargent Richard Wooten who worked as an undercover officer with the Florida Department of law enforcement to make to make contact with Denise, and Timothy Langland, an insurance compliance specialist, who explained the application for insurance that Mike applied for and listed Denise as sole beneficiary.

Winchester helped Mike apply for a $1 million policy in April of 2000, at a time when Mike also already had a $250,000 policy. It's believed Mike also had other policies to total the $1.75 million amount.

Dr. Lisa Flannagan, a medical examiner, examined Mike's body when it was found at Carr Lake. She observed skull fractures and birdshot pellets within the skull, ruling the cause of death as a shotgun shot to the head and/or facial area.

A former colleague of Mike's, named Angela Stafford, testified that Denise and Winchester were 'very friendly' toward each other in front of Mike and others at a concert at place called Floyd's in 1997.

A friend of Mike's named Howard Drew also testified, saying that he taught Mike what to do if water got into his waders, which is relevant to the claim made by Denise that Mike had likely drowned, in order to pronounce him dead after had been missing for give years and collect on his insurance money.

Dr. Stephen Mnookin was also called, who testified that Winchester had told him that the best way to talk to Denise was to kidnap her, and that he worried she would talk to police about his role in Mike's murder.

Denise married Winchester in December 2005 before they divorced in 2016.
The magistrate who backed a police application to withhold details about the alleged abduction and sexual assault of a seven-year-old girl once applauded the left-wing activists he was sentencing.

Sterling Free, 26, allegedly lured the girl from Kmart at a shopping centre north of Brisbane and took her to bushland to sexually assault her, but the case was heard in a closed court for a second-straight day on Wednesday.

When police again applied to close the court, Pine Rivers magistrate Trevor Morgan obliged in the 'very significant' interest of the victim and fears of 'public or social media lynching' of the alleged attacker.

The move sparked a furious backlash from parents, many of whom wanted to know how the girl was lured from the shopping centre so they could better protect their own children.

A number of media organisations came together and hired a lawyer to fight the the court order, The Courier Mail reported.

Sterling Free (pictured), 26, allegedly lured the girl from Kmart at a shopping centre north of Brisbane and took her to bushland to sexually assault her

Free's case was heard in a closed court for a second-straight day on Wednesday. Pictured: The scene of the alleged abduction

Hetty Johnston, founder of child protection organisation Bravehearts, told Daily Mail Australia it seemed the system was protecting alleged offenders rather than victims.

'I don't understand the reasons [for the judge's decision] - and I don't pretend to. But if this is about protecting the alleged offender - that's not good,' she said.

'At the end of the day, if the courts want the community to have faith and confidence in them - and I do too - they need to be transparent about what's going on.'

Mr Morgan, who in making the order cited a provision from the Justices Act - first drafted more than 100 years ago - was no stranger to controversy.

The seven-year-old girl was allegedly snatched from a Kmart store at Westfield North Lakes, north of Brisbane (pictured)

The magistrate who backed a police application to withhold details about the alleged abduction and sexual assault previously applauded protesters who climbed on to the roof of Peter Dutton's office

In 2016, he was slammed by Queensland's Chief Magistrate after applauding protesters who climbed on to the roof of Peter Dutton's office, unfurling a banner labelling the then Immigration Minister an 'international criminal'.

'Despite the fact that many people might disagree with your protest, you have a valuable right in our community to protest,' he said when fining the three protesters, the ABC reported at the time.

'And if one of my daughters was caught doing like you did, I'd probably be very proud of her.'

In 2014, Mr Morgan used profanities when sentencing a man who threatened to bomb a job agency after his welfare benefits were rejected, saying the man had no right to 'scare the s*** out of everybody'.

Hetty Johnston (pictured), founder of child protection organisation Bravehearts, said it seemed the system was protecting alleged offenders rather than victims

Free (pictured), a father of twins, did not appear before Pine Rivers Magistrates Court on Thursday and was remanded in custody and his matter adjourned until February

'Everyone has been made a little more hysterical by stupid newspaper reports about increased risks of violence. Nevertheless, everybody's terrified,' the magistrate said, according to The Courier Mail.

Earlier this year, Mr Morgan's decision to fine a millionaire businessman over a traffic infringement was overturned because the magistrate 'relied on his own judicial experience in riding motorcycles' to find the man guilty, the paper reported.

Free did not appear before Pine Rivers Magistrates Court on Thursday and was remanded in custody and his matter adjourned until February.
Pell pictured in Melbourne last week ahead of the verdict today

The third most powerful man in the Catholic Church has been found guilty of sexually abusing two boys in the late 1990s.

Cardinal George Pell was unanimously convicted by an Australian jury on Tuesday of sexually abusing two choir boys in the country while serving as Archbishop of Melbourne.

The 77-year-old, who is often referred to as the Vatican's treasurer, was reportedly found guilty of four counts of indecent assault and one count of rape after three days of deliberations.

Pell became the highest Vatican official ever to stand trial for sex abuse as he took the stand for the case, which was conducted under a gag order preventing him from being named in Australia.

Pope Francis on Wednesday announced the Cardinal would be removed from his cabinet following the announcement of the verdict.

The Vatican made no mention of the accusations against Pell in explaining his departures, and said for now he would not be replaced from the 'C-9 group'.

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Pell faced trial for two historical counts of sexual abuse which allegedly took place while he was Archbishop of Melbourne in the 1990s

Pell has reportedly been removed from the Pope's inner circle today, although the Vatican failed to say whether it was related to the conviction

The Cardinal, who was granted a leave of absence from his role last year as the trial got underway, reportedly abused the boys while they were singing in the choir at St. Patrick's cathedral in a room within the confines of the church.

Sources also claimed the abuse took place after Pell introduced a compensation scheme for clerical sexual abuse victims known in Australia as the 'Melbourne Response', which he established in 1996.

The trial, dubbed the 'Cathedral trial' by The Daily Beast, which first reported the conviction, was declared a mistrial earlier this year after a hung jury, but was immediately rescheduled.

Tuesday's verdict in the County Court of Victoria was a retrial of the original case - and resulted in his conviction.

A second trial into Pell's alleged abuse known as 'the swimmers trial' is due to get underway early next year.

Pell walks with a heavy Police guard to the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on July 26, 2017 last year as the initial trial got underway

That trial is expected to hear evidence that Pell 'sexually offended' two men when they were boys playing games in a swimming pool in Ballarat, Victoria in the 1970s.

A court in Victoria heard in March that Pell, who has denied all of the allegations, would stay in the pool after swimming laps and play with children.

Pell had repeatedly and vehemently denied the accusations against him and Pope Francis had granted him a leave of absence to return to Australia to defend himself.

The judge who heard Pell's case has continued a gag order on details of the cardinal's trial and guilty verdicts being published in his homeland.

That order, which was applied for by prosecutors, was granted to 'prevent a real and substantial risk of prejudice to the proper administration of justice.'

Pell has served as the Vatican's treasurer since being appointed to the role in 2014 by Pope Francis

Pell has surrendered his passport as part of his bail conditions and is not permitted to leave Australia.

The cardinal was named the Vatican's Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy in 2014, making him the third highest-ranking cleric in Rome.

Before being called to the Vatican, Pell served as Archbishop of Sydney from 2001 to 2014 and was Archbishop of Melbourne from 1996 to 2001.

He was ordained in 1966 and made a cardinal in 2003.

Victorian police charged Pell with the sexual assault offences in June last year when he was in Rome.

Pell, who was represented by attorney Robert Richter, QC, stated at a press conference at the time he would return to Australia to answer the charges and he was 'looking forward, finally, to having my day in court'.

'I'm innocent of those charges,' he said at the time. 'They are false.'

Pope Benedict XVI attends his weekly audience with archbishop of Sydney Cardinal George Pell in Saint Peter's Square in 2006
A Florida professor killed his three-year-old daughter then himself in a gruesome murder-suicide case as he was in the middle of a bitter custody battle over the child with his estranged wife, police say.

Heartbroken mother Laurel Friedman, 38, said she was having custody problems with her estranged husband Ayhan Aytes, 48 over their three-year-old daughter Ela.

The couple filed for divorce in January and decided to share custody of Ela, but Friedman grew increasingly worried he would take the child to his native country of Turkey after he failed to bring her back after his scheduled visits, according to her divorce filings.

Florida communications professor Ayhan Aytes, 48, (left) is suspected of killing his three-year-old daughter Ela then himself in a gruesome murder-suicide case. He was in the middle of a bitter custody battle over Ela with his estranged wife Laurel Friedman, 38 (right with Ela)

Their bodies were discovered in his Temple Terrace home (above) on Monday by police conducting a welfare check

On Monday she asked police to visit his condominium in Temple Terrace in Hillsborough County after being unable to reach them for several days.

It was there officers made the shocking discovery of the father dead along with his young daughter at 4.11pm.

Police believe Aytes killed his daughter then took his own life.

The cause of death will be determined by the Hillsborough County Medical Examiners Office.

Tensions between Aytes and Friedman escalated over the past couple of weeks in regards to Ela.

Last Wednesday when Aytes didn't return the little girl to Friedman after his scheduled visiting day, she filed an emergency motion in court asking a judge to issue an order to allow her to pick up the girl immediately.

'The Father is only refusing to return the minor child for a warped sense of satisfaction that he has disrupted the Mothers life,' the motion said, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

The couple filed for divorce in January and decided to share custody of Ela, but Friedman grew increasingly worried Aytes would take the child to his native country of Turkey after he failed to bring her back after his scheduled visits, according to divorce filings

Aytes was a media and communication scholar who worked as an assistant visiting professor at the University of South Florida. His estranged wife was also a communications instructor there

'Fathers mental health is declining, and his behavior is becoming increasingly unpredictable and erratic,' the filing said.

But Judge Wesley Tibbals instead issued a directive demanding Aytes abide by the parenting plan.

The suspected murder-suicide took place just five days later.

Police records show that officers responded to his address eight times in the past couple of years.

'The system failed Ela in the most tragic of ways, even as my lawyer and I did everything in our power to ensure her safety,' Friedman said to the Florida paper.

Her family released a statement on Monday afternoon to local news media following the gruesome discovery.

'Our family is devastated at the loss of our beloved Ela. At this point we need time to grieve together and we ask for privacy. We hope to have a statement as we begin to comprehend this horrific event. Thank you for your consideration,' the statement said.

Cops made the horrific discovery of the father and daughter's dead bodies at his Temple Terrace home on Monday at 4.11pm

The Friedman family released a statement in light of the deaths saying: 'Our family is devastated at the loss of our beloved Ela. At this point we need time to grieve together and we ask for privacy.' Friedman's father Barry pictured above with baby Ela

'Anytime a child is involved in a crime, its heartbreaking,' police spokeswoman Laurie Hayes said to WFLA.

Aytes, who was born in Turkey, married Friedman in 2012. They both previously studied at the University of California San Diego.

Friedman is a photographer and an instructor at the University of South Florida's School of Communication.

Aytes was a media and communication scholar working as an assistant visiting professor at the University of Florida. His last contract with the school expired in May, according to USF officials.

The two previously lived in Istanbul but moved to Tampa Bay following a failed coup detat in Turkey, according to Friedman's father Barry Friedman.

'Laurel was able to find them both employment through some contacts she had at USF. We were glad they got back to the states,' he said to The Ledger.

The couple filed for divorce in January.

Anyone with information was asked to contact the Temple Terrace Police Department at (813) 989-7110.
A man 'trying to rob' an abandoned Chinese restaurant has been rescued from the grease vent, where officials say he had been trapped for two days.

The Alameda County sheriff's office said deputies and firefighters were called to the vacant building in San Lorenzo on Wednesday after someone heard cries for help.

The Alameda County Fire Department said: 'The response was upgraded to a rescue.

'An adult male was extricated from the vent system within 30 minutes of firefighters arriving at the scene.'

This photo provided by the Alameda County Sheriff's Office shows a man who was possibly trying to burglarize an abandoned Chinese restaurant in San Lorenzo, Calif., trapped in a grease vent before he was rescued on December 12, 2018

Officials say he had been trapped for two days. Deputies and firefighters were called to the vacant building on Wednesday after someone heard cries for help

The police department said that when officials arrived they found the grease-covered man stuck inside the metal vent.

Sgt. Ray Kelly told the San Francisco Chronicle the man was in generally good condition despite being exposed to the elements.

Kelly says the unidentified man was taken to a hospital, and deputies will decide later whether to book him into jail or issue a citation.

The Alameda County Fire Department said: 'The response was upgraded to a rescue'

The man was in generally good condition despite being exposed to the elements
The fiance of a missing Colorado mother who vanished on Thanksgiving refused to say a single word to a reporter who confronted him outside his lawyer's office Tuesday afternoon.

Kelsey Berreth, 29, has not been seen since November 22 when she was recorded on surveillance cameras in a grocery store in Woodland Park, Colorado, with her baby girl.

Her fiance, Patrick Frazee, told police Berreth dropped their baby off afterwards at his home but he has not seen her since. The couple have never lived together despite being engaged and sharing a daughter.

Frazee was confronted by a reporter from KRDO outside the Law Office of Jeremy Loew on Tuesday.

In a video, Frazee, who was seen holding his daughter, quickly gets inside his red truck to avoid talking to reporters.

He then secures the baby girl into her car seat as the reporter continues to ask him questions about Berreth.

Refusing to leave, the reporter asks Frazee why he hasn't commented on his fiancee's disappearance.

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Patrick Frazee, the fiance of missing Colorado mother, Kelsey Berreth, 29, who vanished on Thanksgiving refused to speak to reporters outside his lawyer's office Tuesday afternoon

In a video, Frazee, who was seen holding his daughter (both pictured), quickly gets inside his red truck to avoid talking to reporters

He then secures the baby girl into her car seat as the reporter (right) continues to ask him questions about Berreth

Refusing to leave, the reporter ask Frazee why he hasn't commented on his fiancee's disappearance. Frazee is then seen turning on his red truck and backing out of a parking space outside the law office

WATCH: Exclusive video shows Kelsey Berreth's fiance being questioned Exclusive video captured by ABC News shows Kelsey Berreth's fiance, Patrick Frazee, leaving a law firm in Colorado Springs while being questioned in her disappearance. https://www.krdo.com/news/missing-woodland-park-mother-requested-time-off-work/917304896 Posted by KRDO NewsChannel 13 / KRDO.com on Tuesday, December 11, 2018

'Patrick, people want to know why you haven't spoken out about your fiancee. Can you give us your side of the story please?' the reporter says.

Frazee is then seen turning on his red truck and backing out of a parking space outside the law office.

Before the encounter at the law office, the same reporter tried to speak with Frazee at his home.

Frazee wasn't willing to comment about his missing fiancee then either, but he did tell the reporter: 'This is private property. This is a private road.'

Earlier on Wednesday, Frazee handed over his phone and gave DNA swabs to police.

Authorities said Frazee has been cooperating with the investigation.

Berreth's colleagues received a text from her phone on November 25 saying that she would not be coming into work for the week.

Police said Frazee also received a message from Berreth that same day but it is not clear what the text said.

It was the same day that Berreth's phone signal pinged in Gooding, Idaho - about 700 miles away from where she was last seen.

Police searched her home on December 2 after her mother reported her missing.

Before the encounter at the law office, the same reporter tried to speak with Frazee at his home

Frazee wasn't willing to comment about his missing fiancee then either, but he did tell the reporter: 'This is private property. This is a private road'

Berreth, 29, has not been seen since November 22 when she was recorded on surveillance cameras in a grocery store in Woodland Park, Colorado, with her baby girl. Frazee is believed to be the last person who saw Berreth (pictured with Frazee and their daughter) alive

Missing Colorado mom mystery; spotted on surveillance camera on Thanksgiving, the last day she was seen before vanishing. @Clayton_Sandell has the latest. pic.twitter.com/uhxWtzcxJ6  Good Morning America (@GMA) December 12, 2018

Her mother and police held a press conference on Monday to appeal for information about the mother-of-one's disappearance.

Frazee was not present at the conference and has since faced public scrutiny for not speaking publicly about his missing fiance.

His lawyer issued a statement on Wednesday insisting that Frazee was cooperating with police and that he would have appeared at the press conference but claims he wasn't given any notice.

'Mr Frazee's cooperation includes interviews with law enforcement, voluntarily releasing his phone to be searched by law enforcement, buccal swabs, and photographs,' the lawyer said.

'Much has been said over the news and social media about Mr Frazee's absence at the local new conference recently held by the Woodland Park Police Department on December 10, 2018.

'Mr Frazee was first notified of the press conference approximately an hour prior to its commencement. Had he been given more advance notice, he would have participated.

'Mr Frazee hopes and prays for Ms Berreth's return.'

Authorities have released surveillance footage of Berreth shopping with her baby girl at a Safeway grocery store in Woodland Park just before she disappeared on Thanksgiving Day

Her mother and police held a press conference on Monday to appeal for information about the mother-of-one's disappearance. Frazee was not present at the conference and has since faced public scrutiny for not speaking publicly about his missing fiance

The lawyer said Frazee would continue to cooperate with police and care for the couple's child.

He added that Frazee will not be speaking publicly because he doesn't want to impede the police investigation.

His absence at the press conference was glaring and Woodland Park Police Chief Miles De Young gave a frosty answer when asked why he wasn't present.

'You'd have to ask him,' he responded.

He gave the same answer when another reporter asked him why Frazee did not report Berreth missing.

Later, he refused to name him as a suspect, saying: 'At this point, he is the father of Kelsey's daughter.'

Police are yet to officially rule her disappearance suspicious and say they have no evidence to indicate anything other than she is a missing person.

Authorities have since released surveillance video that shows Berreth entering the Safeway grocery store with her daughter before she went missing.

Her mother Sheryl spoke at the press conference to say her daughter's disappearance was out of character.

'She's not the kind that runs off. This is completely out of character. She's reliable, considerate and honest,' Sheryl said.

'She doesn't run off and someone knows where she's at. Kelsey we just want you home. Call us if you can and we won't quit looking.'

Berreth, mother to a one-year-old child, is described as 5ft3in tall and weighing 110 pounds

Sheryl confirmed that she lives in Idaho - the same state where Kelsey's phone was last tracked to.

On Wednesday, Sheryl also said that she was one of the last people to speak with her daughter.

'We talked just Thanksgiving morning,' she said. 'No big Thanksgiving meal at her home or anything like that.'

Sheryl told CBS News that her daughter sounded normal and 'happy'.

Kelsey Berreth's brother Clint Berreth had earlier revealed he went to her home shortly after realizing she was missing and is adamant she didn't pack to go anywhere.

He said the only thing missing from the home was her purse. Her luggage and makeup remained untouched, and her two vehicles were still at her home.

Clint said his sister had made cinnamon rolls for Thanksgiving breakfast and the remainder were still on top of her stove days after she vanished.

Kelsey is described as 5ft3in tall and weighing 110 pounds.

She was last seen wearing a white shirt, gray sweater, blue pants, and white shoes while carrying a brown purse.

A vigil will be held at Memorial Park in Woodland Park, Colorado, at 6pm Thursday evening. Those attending have been asked to gather at the parks flagpole.

'We will begin with a brief message followed by candle lighting and a prayer ring,' the city of Woodland Park said on its Facebook page.

If you have any information on Kelsey Berreth's whereabouts, contact the Woodland Park Police Department at (719)-687-9262.
Mass incarceration in the United States is so prevalent that almost half of all American adults know a close relative who was either in jail or in prison at some point in their lives, a new study has found.

FWD.us, a criminal justice reform advocacy group, and Cornell University co-wrote a report which found that 113 million adults in the U.S. - or 45 per cent of the adult population - have had an immediate family member locked up behind bars for at least one night.

The statistics show that minority communities are disproportionately affected.

African-Americans are 50 per cent more likely than whites to have a family members incarcerated, according to the report.

In total, nearly 6.5 million adults have a family member who is currently either in jail or prison.

The report also found that almost 54 per cent of incarcerated parents were the primary wage earners in their household.

A California corrections officer watches over prisoners at San Quentin in this undated file photo. Mass incarceration in the United States is so prevalent that almost half of all American adults know a close relative who was either in jail or in prison at some point in their lives

An immediate family member is defined in the report as a parents, child, sibling, partner, or spouse.

The emotional toll that it takes on families, the financial toll, it's devastating and it's causing families to lose much of their income, said Carlton Miller of FWD.us.

The report found that the system of cash bail imposes hardships on families who must scrounge together money that is scarce - or, for those who cant afford it, watch helplessly as their loved ones are in jail before they are tried.

The U.S. prison population currently stands at approximately 2.1 million, according to the Prison Policy Initiative.

That doesnt include about 3.7 million on probation and 840,000 on parole.

In total, the American criminal justice system has control of the lives of nearly 7 million people.

Just under half a million - 456,000 people - are held for nonviolent drug offenses, including possession and trafficking.

The U.S. has more people in pre-trial detention - 465,000 in local jails - than most countries have in their jails and prisons combined.

The country with the second largest prison population in the world is China, which has 1.65 million people behind bars, according to World Prison Brief.

But Chinas overall population is nearly 1.4 billion, while the U.S. is 325 million.

That means for every 100,000 people, the U.S. jails 655.

China imprisons just 118 people for every 100,000.

Russia is almost as prolific a jailer as the U.S. It imprisons 615 people per a population of 100,000.

Look across our country, you'd see a trending pattern that lock up too many folks for non-violent offenses, said Miller.

We are sending folks back to jail for technical violations, on parole, on probation, and as a result, those individuals are sent back to prison and they're being sent to prison for longer sentences.
As Nikol Pashinians bloc My Step convincingly won early parliamentary elections, the acting Prime Minister of Armenia decided to deal with major domestic problems right up front. On December 12th, Pashinian arrived in Charentsavan with a working visit to figure the situation of 3rd school out personally. The acting Premier was accompanied by the acting Education and Science Minister Araik Arutyunyan, the governor of the Kotayk Province Romanos Petrosyan, and other officials.

Such a powerful delegation makes us think that a very difficult situation emerged in the school, which probably threatened stability of the republic and the revolutionary idea and demanded immediate Premiers intervention. The developments in the school are pretty concerning: some parents and teachers are protesting against electing a new principal of the school Anna Balyan and demanding extension of the term of the previous principal Lusine Karapetyans office. It should be noted that according to the acting Education and Science Minister Arutyunyan, principals of Armenian schools should be either wives or girlfriends of officials. It may happen that the countrys leaders pay high attention to the conflict between two principals due to that fact.

As it was expected the well-timed visit by the acting Premier to the emerging hotspot helped to clarify the situation. We talked to the sides, discussed, and concluded that the elections of the new principal were legitimate. There is no ground to hold their results invalid. As for bullying, law enforcement officials will deal with that. If they reveal facts of bullying, the elections will be found invalid. Moreover, Mrs. Karapetyan can appeal though the courts against results of the elections. Later this day, the governor will appoint the elected principal as there is no other legal option, Nikol Pashinian said. Moreover, the acting Premier ordered pupils of the school to be back to usual studying: Guys you have to restore usual studying tomorrow. A school is not a principal just like a country is not a Premier or a province is not a governor. I give you a telephone number of my assistant. Dont call him during a week but start going to school with your friends. In a week, you can call him if you dont like something. Give the new principal a chance. Lets see whether she is good or not, Pashinian told one of pupils.

Thus, Nikol Pashinian showed himself a firm and strong leader who can settle Armenias problems right now. He proved to be a peoples Premier who is ready to take part in coping with problems of common citizens. According to our sources, soon Pashinain plans to visit a teacher-parent meeting in 69th school to discuss misbehavior of pupil Armen Simonyan and bad academic progress of his classmate Ara Mamikonyan.
Education Secretary Damian Hinds says there is no reason children from poor towns can't go to university

Universities must recruit more white working-class students or face sanctions, the Education Secretary warned yesterday.

Damian Hinds said vice chancellors were not doing enough to admit disadvantaged groups  often those in poor white regional towns.

He said there was no reason why children in places such as Sunderland or Somerset should have less of a chance of gaining a degree.

Official figures show that disadvantaged white pupils are the least likely group to attend university, particularly at leading institutions.

Mr Hinds said: Whilst potential and talent is evenly spread, the opportunities to make the most of it sometimes arent. Its simply unacceptable for universities not to act to increase their efforts to reach out to potential talent across the country.

I have a simple message to universities: look at your own admissions policies and work out what you can do to ensure that your university is open to everyone who has the potential, no matter their background or where they are from.

I see no reason why race or background should be a factor in whether a student can access and benefit from the opportunities that higher education provides.

We must all share a collective endeavour to tear down these barriers where they exist.

He said he wanted to see material progress in closing the access gap in the next few years, with failure leading to action by the Office for Students. The regulator can impose sanctions such as fines or, as a last resort, deregistration, which would effectively mean closure.

Mr Hinds also wants to see universities doing more to support black students during their studies, as they are more likely to drop out after their first year than any other group.

University vice chancellor with 433,000 salary spends 30 days a year doing OTHER paid jobs He called on vice chancellors to do more. Alice Gast (above) is the vice chancellor at Imperial College London A vice chancellor with a salary of almost half a million pounds spends up to 30 days a year doing other jobs. Professor Alice Gast is paid 433,000 as vice chancellor of Imperial College in London, making her one of the highest-earning university chiefs. She also has use of an official residence, with an estimated market rent of 120,000 a year. She earns a second income as a director of the energy multinational Chevron. New annual accounts reveal she earned 297,000 for this role in the year ending December 2017 and 7,900 for her work with the Singapore Ministry of Educations academic research council. The details were released yesterday by Imperial in an attempt at transparency. Professor Gast said she spent around 30 days a year on external work. These roles strengthen our relationships and broaden my perspective on international collaboration and best practice in corporate governance, she said. I am proud of the way our external activities enhance Imperials international reputation. Advertisement

His comments come as the OfS publishes plans to crack down on universities that admit a disproportionate number of wealthy students.

It aims to eliminate the gaps in access and student success at all universities within 20 years.

As part of a raft of measures, the OfS will begin to publish data showing the makeup of student bodies at each university. It means those who admit too few disadvantaged students will be named and shamed.

In addition, it will assess universities on whether their plans to improve access are credible and achieve outcomes.

The OfS also hopes to eliminate the gap in entry rates at the most selective universities between advantaged and disadvantaged students.

Another target is to close the gap between black and white students getting top marks, and a similar gap between disabled and non-disabled students.

Mr Hinds added: We know university is a key determinant of future success so I want to see the access and successful participation plans that universities are beginning to produce next year take significant action. Access and participation plans should emphasise successful participation that is completion of the full course, followed by quality employment.

Sarah Stevens, head of policy at the Russell Group of elite universities, said: Our universities will continue to play our part in delivering this agenda.

Our universities currently spend an average 1,100 per student per year on programmes to widen participation.

In order to achieve these new targets, universities efforts need to be part of a wider programme to address the complex causes of inequality throughout the whole education system right from the early years.

Meanwhile, figures from admissions body UCAS show that four in five students who applied for university with only three D grades managed to get a place this year.

A total of 4,845 youngsters with these low exam results started courses in higher education this autumn  81 per cent of the 5,981 who applied.

The number of students with DDD accepted on to courses has increased by 29 per cent since 2013, when only 3,763 got places.

A glut of places has been produced by a dip in the population of 18-year-olds an
Democrats are pointing to a series of unfolding cooperation deals among witnesses with deep knowledge and ties to President Trump  with an indictment or impeachment of the president both possible outcomes.

Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat who is a favorite target of Trump's, said Wednesday the most meaningful development was the unsealed cooperation deal with American Media Inc. Federal prosecutors revealed the publisher of the National Enquirer had a immunity deal related to its $150,000 payment to Playboy model Karen McDougal, who claims she had an affair with Trump.

That revelation came after a federal judge in New York sentenced longtime Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to three years in prison for campaign finance, tax violations, and lying to Congress.

President Trump has called the Mueller probe a 'witch hunt,' and has blasted Cohen as 'weak' for cooperating to seek a lighter sentence

'I think the more significant development in the case today than the sentence that Michael Cohen received was the fact that there is this non-prosecution agreement with AMI, the parent of the National Enquirer,' Schiff told CNN.

'Because what that means is, this is not simply Michael Cohens word against Donald Trumps, it is now Donald Trumps word against everyone else,' he added.

'That there are witnesses at AMI who will testify that these payments were made for the express purpose of influencing the election, by depriving voters of knowledge of these stories of women coming forward to say they had affairs with a candidate running for the president.

'This is not simply Michael Cohens word against Donald Trumps, it is now Donald Trumps word against everyone else,' said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.

Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen is among a host of officials cooperating with prosecutors

Prosecutors in New York have reached a cooperation agreement with American Media Inc. Here CEO David Pecker and Daniel E. Harris attend the 'Shape France' Magazine cocktail launch at Hotel Talleyrand on January 19, 2012 in Paris, France

Prosecutors also have revealed that former Trump national security advisor Mike Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, has spent dozens of hours meeting with prosecutors. Trump Organization exec Allen Weisselberg also reportedly has an immunity deal.

Taken together, some of the people who know Trump and his business and campaign best are now cooperating with the government, although former campaign chair Paul Manafort's deal blew up over his alleged 'lies' to investigators.

Flynn also noted that the letter from prosecutors revealed that Pecker met with Cohen and 'at least one other member of the campaign' in 2015 during Trump's run for the White House.

'That is powerful corroboration. there is apparently another witness within the Trump organization that also corroborates what Michael Cohen has to say,' he said.

Democratic leaders have tried to refrain from impeachment talk. But on Sunday incoming House Judiciary Committee chairman Jerold Nadler of New York said if Trump directed Cohen to commit a felony, it would be an impeachable offense.

Whether they are important enough to justify an impeachment is a different question,' he told CNN's 'State of the Union.

A Justice Department memorandum states essentially that a sitting president can't be indicted. But some experts are arguing that special counsel Robert Mueller may need to indict just to get information before Congress. A statute of limitations on any campaign violation would run out if Trump wins reelection and isn't charged until he leaves office.

'I think the Justice Department needs to reexamine that [Office of Legal Counsel] opinion... that you cannot indict a sitting president, under circumstances in which the failure to do so may mean that person escapes justice,' said Schiff.

'If it were the case that it was now or never ... that ought to create certainly an exception to that OLC rule if not mean revisiting and revising the rule altogether.' He added: 'A president merely by being in office can be above the law ... by essentially waiting out the law, waiting out the statute of limitations.'

Former Acting Solicitor General under President Obama Neal Katyal wrote Wednesday on Twitter that existing special counsel regulations 'put thumb on scale of Mueller asking Acting AG to indict, as that is the one way Mueller can be sure info he has uncovered in his investigation is provided to Congress. EVEN if Mueller thinks AG would say no, he may need to ask.'
Professor Alice Gast is one of the highest-earning university chiefs

A vice chancellor with a salary of almost half a million pounds spends up to 30 days a year doing other jobs.

Professor Alice Gast is paid 433,000 as vice chancellor of Imperial College in London, making her one of the highest-earning university chiefs.

She also has use of an official residence, with an estimated market rent of 120,000 a year.

She earns a second income as a director of the energy multinational Chevron.

New annual accounts reveal she earned 297,000 for this role in the year ending December 2017 and 7,900 for her work with the Singapore Ministry of Educations academic research council.

The details were released yesterday by Imperial in an attempt at transparency.

Professor Gast said she spent around 30 days a year on external work.

These roles strengthen our relationships and broaden my perspective on international collaboration and best practice in corporate governance, she said.

I am proud of the way our external activities enhance Imperials international reputation.
An IT whizkid accused of livestreaming himself assaulting his pregnant girlfriend when she asked him to end a video game binge will skip his next court appearance to avoid the public eye.

Luke Munday fronted Camden Local Court in Sydney on Thursday morning - four days after a video of the 26-year-old playing Fortnite while allegedly bashing his partner was beamed around the globe.

Wearing a pale white shirt and grey trousers, with no tie or belt, Munday made his way through the media scrum to front a magistrate, charged with common assault.

Magistrate Ian Cheetham granted a request from Munday's lawyer for a four-week adjournment so the father can seek 'adequate legal advice'.

'There's a lot of a attention on this case, my client, and the alleged victim,' Steven Mercael told the court.

Luke Munday, 26, appeared at Camden Local Court in Sydney on Thursday morning

Wearing a pale white shirt and grey trousers, with no tie or belt, Munday (pictured) made his way through the media scrum to front a magistrate

Munday (pictured) is accused by police if livestreaming himself allegedly assaulting his pregnant girlfriend when she asked him to stop playing Fortnite

While police prosecutors didn't object to the adjournment application, they did protest when Mr Mercael applied to remove a bail condition that Munday not approach the family home.

The court was told Munday's partner and alleged victim had written a letter asking that her partner be allowed to return home.

But the magistrate said he wouldn't deal with it on Thursday and also adjourned the matter to January 10.

Mr Mercael successfully petitioned for his client to be excused from that mention.

Munday was mobbed my media and members of the public as he left the courthouse, but offered no comment.

'This is not the time or the place,' Mr Mercael said when asked if his client had anything to say.

Someone yelled 'you dog' as Munday walked outside but did not confront him.

In the video, filmed at his home in Oran Park, western Sydney, Munday was seen walking off camera before a commotion was heard, at which point the woman is alleged to have screamed in agony.

Munday (pictured) was mobbed my media and members of the public as he left the courthouse, but offered no comment

Munday (pictured) allegedly assaulted his girlfriend after she asked him to stop playing Fortnite

Someone yelled 'you dog' as Munday walked outside court but did not confront him

'You're all judging the video, you don't see what happens, you haven't read the police report, you don't actually know what happened off camera,' Munday told The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday.

On Sunday night, as Munday's game was broadcast live on the Twitch e-sports video stream, the woman could be heard asking him to stop playing the online game.

In response to her request, Munday, who had been the poster boy for tech giant Cisco said: 'Can you not? I said I'll be out soon'.

'No computer, I'm sick of this s**t,' she responded.

Munday was taken to Narellan Police station and charged with assault at 11.30pm on Sunday

Children could be heard crying in the background of the video as the pair continued to argue.

Eventually, Munday allegedly snapped again, screaming: 'F*** off you dog, you don't pay the bills.'

Munday was taken to Narellan Police station and charged with assault at 11.30pm on Sunday, as the stream of his alleged assault went viral on Twitter.

Munday's alleged attack comes after one year after he spoke of his desire to create financial security for his family after his father walked out on him as a toddler.

Munday, 26, was charged on Sunday night after fans watching a live stream of him playing the popular video game called police when they allegedly heard him assault his partner

The 26-year-old would reportedly play Fortnite for up to eight hours in a single sitting (stock)

'When my partner fell pregnant with our first child, a lot changes and your responsibilities go through the roof,' he said.

'I had that philosophy I wouldn't let that happen to my own kids.'

The budding IT genius was the top ranking Australian at last years' Cisco Networking Academy NetRiders Competition, leading him to being offered a job with Telstra.

But in the wake of charges, the telecommunications giant confirmed they had suspended Munday while police carry out their investigation.

Police arrested Munday inside a home in Sydney's west on Sunday night. His computer desk is pictured

On Sunday night, Munday's game was broadcast live on the Twitch e-sports video stream (stock)

In a statement, Telstra General Media Manager Steve Carey condemned the alleged domestic violence attack.

'This behaviour goes against what we stand for as an organisation and the work we have done to assist women impacted by domestic violence,' Mr Carey said.

'We have suspended Luke's employment pending a full investigation and will co-operate with any police investigation.

'Domestic violence has no place in our community. It is totally unacceptable and needs to be eradicated.'
The price of seafood has soared in the lead-up to Christmas due to shortages brought on by bad weather.

Prawns and crabs had shot up by $5 a kilogram on the Gold Coast, with seafood markets forced to buy interstate imports to make up for local shortfalls.

Gold Coast trawlers were struggling to find crustaceans as waters were cooler than normal due to strong southerly winds, the Gold Coast Bulletin reported.

The cost of prawns has increased by $5 a kilogram on the Gold Coast in the lead-up to Christmas (stock image)

Gold Coast seafood markets are expected to bring in seafood from other areas of Queensland and interstate for Christmas (stock image)

The trawlers were only expected to be out on the water another three times before Christmas.

Donna King, a Gold Coast trawler for 10 years, told the publication she had only caught 500 kilograms of seafood since November, significantly down on past years.

'Usually, I would catch up to about two tonnes of prawns from November to Christmas but I haven't caught a tonne yet,' she said.

Ms King said she was 'looking to lose about 10 or 20 grand this month'.

Mick McRae, who had moved down to the Gold Coast from Morayfield in Queensland's Moreton Bay region hoping for a bigger haul, had been left disappointed.

He said he has lost about $10,000 since making the move in August.

Seafood will still be in abundance on the Gold Coast for Christmas despite the shortage of local product (stock image)

'I've only worked two nights in a week-and-a-half. If I don't have work, I don't get paid,' Mr McRae said.

Snapper crab trawler Richard Hamilton said bad weather conditions meant it was 'going to be a real struggle to try and get crabs this year'.

Worse could be to come as the Gold Coast was expected to be on the receiving end of Cyclone Owen on Saturday.

Seafood will still be in abundance on the Gold Coast for Christmas, with seafood markets turning to other Queensland areas and places such as Western Australia and Tasmania for their catch.

Woolworths had Australian large ocean-caught thawed Tiger Prawns for sale on its online store for $31 a kilo.

Coles has Thawed Extra Large Black Tiger Prawns, which retail for $29kg.
A fearless Australian who woke up next to a giant snake in her bed believes the reptile was sizing her up for a meal.

After feeling something 'super cold' press against her back, Katjana Shoyer awoke to discover a four metre snake slithering next to her in the sheets.

The 25-year-old from Port Douglas, Queensland, said her 'heart stopped' when she jumped up and saw the mammoth carpet python stretched out on her bed just centimetres from where she slept.

But while most would be quick to call a snake catcher, Ms Shoyer took matters into her own hands by grabbing a nearby fishing spear and plying the reptile into an empty rubbish bin.

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After feeling something 'super cold' press against her back, Katjana Shoyer (pictured) awoke to discover a four metre (13ft) snake slithering next to her in the sheets

'I managed to get it into the bin and put it outside with the lid on. It was so heavy, probably more than 20 kilograms,' she said.

'After that I just went back to bed. It didn't worry me too much.'

'I just needed it to be out of my room, so I could get some sleep.'

The chef added that the python was probably sizing her up for a meal due to the way it was stretched out next to her  but said her nearly 6ft frame might have been 'too big for a snack'.

The next morning, Ms Shoyer went down to nearby bushland to release the snake back into the wild.

Ms Shoyer took matters into her own hands by grabbing a nearby fishing spear and plying the serpent into an empty rubbish bin

The chef added that the python was probably sizing her up for a meal due to the way it was stretched out next to her

Ms Shoyer said it was not the first time she had seen pythons of that size around her town  and said many residents have had similar experiences, although never such a close encounter.

While non-venomous, pythons kill their prey by wrapping themselves around and crushing them to death.

She said: 'We get a lot of different snakes up here, and they can get really big.

'I know this woman who actually found a python trying to wrap itself around her baby. So it's actually pretty common.'

'It may have got in by the back door or maybe the window. But I'm not really sure how long it had been in my room before I discovered it.'

'But so far it hasn't returned, so hopefully I won't be seeing it in my bed again.'
A Princeton graduate who interviews the Ivy League school's applicants says he's quitting the job because the university upholds unfair admission policies that favor the rich and connected.

Bryan Walsh, a science writer for the Time, says that over his years of interviewing dozens of eager Princeton applicants in Brooklyn, he's learned the only way to have a foot in the door of an Ivy League school is to be a legacy - the child of an alumni.

'What if I told you there was a way to increase your chances of getting into Harvard by five times? Youd be interested. Theres just one catch  you cant do anything to earn these advantages. You have to be born with them,' he writes in his Medium op-ed.

Princeton graduate Bryan Walsh is rallying for Ivy League schools like his Alma mater to stop the unfair admission policy of preferring legacy students - the children of alumni.

Between 2010 and 2015, 33.6 per cent of legacy applicants gained admission to Harvard, as opposed to the 5.9 per cent who had no familial connection to the school.

At Princeton, Walsh's Alma mater, legacies over the past five years were four times more likely to be admitted than applicants in general.

Thomas Espenshade, a researcher from Princeton, says data shows that legacy status provided a boost to a prospective students application equivalent to a 160-point increase in SAT scores.

And Walsh adds that legacy students often have one look - white and rich.

Arguments and lawsuits against the consideration of race in school admissions have long been a hot-button issue in the United States.

A recent lawsuit by the Students for Fair Admission (SFFA) is suing Harvard saying the school unfairly discriminates against Asians and puts an artificial cap on numbers.

But Harvard argues that is has a 'holistic' admissions process which takes into account academics, personality, and leadership in prospective students.

However, the numbers that show Harvard and its elite school sisters tend to prefer students with a legacy and a fortune.

Schools tend to choose legacy students to continually grow their alumni-donation funded million-dollar endowments. Electing legacy students is a promise of continued cash flow into the university's pockets.

Prospective students with families that make generous donations to schools are also another way in.

Harvard formerly had a Deans Interest List of Applicants related to prominent people, who Walsh called mostly white and wealthy, that was complied by the colleges fundraising department.

In the 2006 book The Price of Admission, author Daniel Golden writes that Jared Kushner benefited from such a practice.

He was a mediocre student but, according to Golden, was accepted into the school after his father, a real estate developer in New Jersey, pledged a $2.5million gift to Harvard in 1998 shortly before Jared applied.

At Princeton (above), Walsh's Alma mater, legacies over the past five years were four times more likely to be admitted than applicants in general.

The conflict Ivy League schools experience of cultivating a diverse student body while assuring the institution receives proper funding is a difficult one.

Atlantic writer Caitlin Flanagan says 'elite universities like Princeton or Harvard are serving two masters.'

'One is the god of rich things, who demands a reactionary embrace of wealth and privilege,' and the other seeks to make schools 'an egalitarian gathering of young people of all backgrounds.'

Now students across the nation are revolting against the preference of pedigree.

In a 2016 Gallup poll more than half of Americans surveyed said colleges should not consider whether an applicant's parents are alumni.

Last year student groups at 13 elite colleges representing first-generation and low-income students rallied against legacy preferences.

In March, students at Brown University voted to establish a committee to investigate legacy preference.

Between 2010 and 2015, 33.6 per cent of legacy applicants gained admission to Harvard (above), as opposed to the 5.9 per cent who had no familial connection to the school

Walsh stresses that now is the time to stop the practice of legacy preference more than ever because Ivy League school graduates often go on to form the American elite.

All Supreme Court justices for example have attended Ivy Leagues or Stanford. Presidents and prominent politicians also all hail Ivy League Alma maters.

Walsh says he has stopped interviewing applicants because he no longer wants to be part of the biased process.

'I dont want to be part of it any longer. I wont be serving as an alumni interviewer this year or for the foreseeable future  not as long as legacy preferences remain in place. I know an Ivy League education can be life changing. It was for me. So its incumbent upon the masters of the college race to make every effort to eliminate unfairness in the admissions process,' he writes.

'Justice in college applications may be impossible, but universities can start by publicly abolishing a policy that advantages the advantaged. In doing so, perhaps they will loosen the grip that these schools have on the United States. And that might be the fairest outcome of all,' he adds.
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The seven-year-old girl who was allegedly kidnapped from Kmart and sexually assaulted in bushland is still unable to describe her horrific ordeal to investigators.

The little girl, who was allegedly led away from the toy aisle and taken to remote bushland where she was subjected to horrific abuse on Saturday afternoon, has barely been able to utter a word to police since.

Specialist officers had been trying to speak to the traumatised child, who is undergoing physical and mental treatment.

Sterling Mervyn Free, 26, was alleged to have kidnapped the girl from the Kmart store at Westfield North Lakes, north of Brisbane. CCTV footage allegedly showed the girl following Free out of the store.

Sterling Marvyn Free (left, with his baby twins), 26, is alleged to have kidnapped a seven-year-old girl from Kmart and sexually assaulted her. His long-term partner Angie Hodgson (right) has broken her silence, claiming the ordeal has been 'tough on her family'

Police allege Free lured the young girl from the store and took her to nearby bushland where he is accused of sexually assaulting her. Pictured above is an eerie stretch of land near where the alleged assault is believed to have taken place

The seven-year-old girl was snatched from the toy aisle of a Kmart store at Westfield North Lakes, north of Brisbane. Daily Mail Australia visited the store on Wednesday (pictured above) and spoke to rattled staff who witnessed the alleged abduction

The alleged attack inside the Kmart store occurred at a time when it was packed with shoppers buying Christmas gifts for loved ones.

Free allegedly watched the young girl from a distance as she picked out presents with her mum, before luring the youngster over and grabbing her when the woman momentarily looked away.

The father-of-two allegedly then drove the girl to a nearby bush area at Pumicestone Passage and sexually assaulted her.

CCTV cameras inside the Westfield complex allegedly captured Free leaving with and then returning the girl to the Kmart store, where her panicked mother had reported her missing to staff.

The child was then taken for medical treatment.

Staff inside the popular department store confirmed the mother had been hysterical when she was unable to find her daughter.

'It happened in one of the toy aisles just here where there were heaps of kids,' an employee said.

'You could hear the mother yelling out for her daughter, but kids lose their parents all the time  you never imagine something like this will happen.'

Free (pictured above wearing chains and necklaces with flat-brim caps) had allegedly watched the young girl from a distance as she picked out presents with her mum

The terrifying alleged abduction has sent shockwaves across the nation, with mothers banding together to support each other (pictured above is the Westfield store where the young girl was snatched)

Free was arrested by police on Monday, more than two days after the alleged sexual assault.

He was charged with taking a child for immoral purposes, one count of deprivation of liberty and another count of indecent treatment of a child under 12.

Free's long-term partner and the mother of his baby twins was not at Pine Rivers Magistrates Court on Thursday where he did not appear before the court, but was remanded in custody and his matter adjourned until February.

Talking from inside the home where her husband was reportedly arrested in front of her and her children, Angie Hodgson admitted she was shocked by his alleged attack.

'It's been tough on me and my family,' Ms Hodgson said.

'We've had media at our door and I don't know what else to say.'

Neighbours said they were shocked by the way police swooped in to arrest him.

'It's a quiet street and so when I saw all these cars I stuck my head outside, and there was an army of police going in and out of the house,' one neighbour said.

'I couldn't believe what I was seeing and then they brought him out in handcuffs and sat him on the front lawn.'

Another neighbour said she had met Free only once, when he spent more than an hour helping to find her dog after it escaped from her backyard.

Other homeowners in the street  some with young children of their own - were totally unaware the alleged sex predator they had heard about on the news lived just a few doors away.

Since the news broke, there had been regular police patrols in the street after a flurry of threats of vigilante violence were made on social media.

Neighbours told how much to their shock an 'army' of officers had converged on the quiet street and raided the couple's family home. Pictured above is a stretch of bushland near where it's believed Free allegedly sexually abused the girl

Outside the court, a man said he was there in support of the child victim. He wore a t-shirt with 'paedophile execution squad' written across the back of it

A flurry of threats of vigilante violence were made on social media (above) after Free's name was released to the public

Prior to his arrest Free had worked at a local Fantastic Furniture store, where staff remained tight lipped on Wednesday.

Before that he had spent a number of months working as a FIFO contractor in the Western Australia mines.

Free's name and details about his family had been suppressed by the courts until Wednesday, despite being widely circulated on social media.

For the second consecutive day Magistrate Trevor Morgan booted media from the courtroom for the hearing of Free's matter.

The bow-tie wearing magistrate said he did not want Free 'to be lynched' on social media and in the court of public opinion.

'I entirely support the position taken by the police in not disclosing more information. Less information would have been more helpful,' Mr Morgan said.

'What I need to bear in mind is the public's behaviour,' he said.

Daily Mail Australia earlier revealed Free was known to child protection services in Queensland and had previously been investigated by police for alleged attacks involving children.

Free did not appear in court and his duty lawyer did not apply for bail on his behalf, and it was formally refused. He will remain in custody until his next court date in February next year.

Detectives allege the man - who was previously seen in a photograph wearing a T-shirt reading 'only God will judge me' - approached the girl at the shopping centre on Saturday
Residents at a Gold Coast high-rise have been forced to take down their Christmas decorations or face legal action from the block's Grinch property managers.

Long-term residents at The Phoenician Resort at Broadbeach were told last week they were in breach of body corporate laws and ordered to remove Christmas lights.

The building's management, Strata Sphere, notified residents by mail, but residents said this was the first time the rule has been enforced, The Gold Coast Bulletin reported.

Long-term residents at The Phoenician Resort (pictured) at Broadbeach were told last week they were in breach of body corporate laws and ordered to remove the decorations

According to the strata bylaws, the hanging of any item, including washing, towels and Christmas lights, from balconies negatively affects the appearance of the building

According to the city's bylaws, the hanging of any item, including washing, towels and Christmas lights, from balconies affected the appearance of the building.

Only 10 per cent of apartments in the high rise were long term residents and many tenants believed the enforcement arose from a recent complaint from one couple.

Resident Nigel McDowall said the order was disappointing given that he and his daughter had hung Christmas lights on their balcony for the past four years.

'It's a festive time of year and we do as much as we can to brighten up each other's lives,' Mr McDowall said.

The hospitality manager said Christmas lights were just a small part of celebrating the festive season and being forced to remove them 'because of a by-law is madness'.

Mr Stevens said there are loopholes to stop Grinch-like managers from making tenants forego hanging Christmas decorations

'It goes against everything this time of year is all about. It makes it hard to get excited,' he said.

Director and solicitor at MKW Legal Matt Williams said while Strata Sphere was within its rights to enforce the bylaws, there were times where leniency was often given.

Mr William said it was customary for tenants to seek approval through the usual channels, but most body corporates were lenient to align with community spirit.

Unit Owners Association of Queensland President Wayne Stevens said 'hanging' bylaws were commonplace, but usually did not include Christmas lights.

'It's not as if the lights are going to be there forever, though having said that, the body corporate can exercise its prerogative and if those are the rules in the building then that's it,' he said.

Mr Stevens said for anyone experiencing a particularly Grinch-like manager, there were loopholes that can prevent them from having to forego festive decorations.

He said the best way was to approach property managers ahead of time to seek their approval.

Daily Mail Australia reached out to Strata Sphere for comment.
A delivery man has been charged after a girl was allegedly indecently assaulted at a home on Sydney's Upper North Shore.

Dinakar Tayi, 44, was arrested from Wetherill Park on Wednesday following reports a 13-year-old girl was indecently assaulted by a man not known to her.

Detectives from the State Crime Command's Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad took the man to Fairfield police station where he was charged with intentionally sexually touching a child, and aggravated enter dwelling with intent.

Police will allege in court that the man was delivering a package to a home on Sydney's Upper North Shore when he indecently assaulted the girl on Tuesday 4 December 2018.

A young teenager was allegedly sexually assaulted by a delivery man who was unknown to her

The man was refused bail and appeared at Fairfield Local Court on Wednesday where he was formally refused bail to appear before the same court on Thursday.

The Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad is comprised of detectives who are specially trained to investigate matters against children and adults, including sexual assault, serious physical abuse, and extreme cases of neglect.

Police urge anybody with concerns about suspected child abuse or exploitation to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

More to come.
British Prime Minister Theresa May faces a leadership challenge from within her own party after dozens of Conservative members of Parliament submitted letters of no confidence in the embattled leader, according to the BBC. Newsweek reports in its article WILL THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT COLLAPSE? PRIME MINISTER FORCED INTO LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE BY PARTY CIVIL WAR that rumors of an internal party coup have been swirling for weeks as May struggled to sell her contentious Brexit deal to Parliament and the country. Her deal was due to be voted on by Parliament Tuesday, but May canceled the vote after it became clear the blueprint would be voted down.

For an internal no-confidence vote to be formally triggered, at least 48 Conservative Party MPs needed to submit letters of no confidence in the prime minister to Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committeethe parliamentary group of the Conservatives.

In a letter sent Wednesday morning, Brady confirmed the threshold had been reached. The no-confidence vote will be held between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. local time Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters outside 10 Downing Street, May vowed to "contest that vote with everything I've got." She warned that a change of leadership at such a sensitive time in the Brexit process "would put our country's future at risk" and explained that any new leader would not have time to push through the required Brexit legislation by the end of March.

In a threat to the same Brexiteers who have driven the challenge against her, May said the tight deadline may force a new leader to delay or even cancel Brexit. May vowed she stood "ready to finish the job."

To survive the challenge, May will need to secure the votes of a simple majority of 158 Tory MPs. However, as The Independent explained, if more than 100 party members vote against her, Mays authority could be irrevocably damaged and she may face pressure from Cabinet ministers to step down regardless. If she does survive the vote, May will be immune from any new leadership challenge for one year.

Brady told the BBC he had spoken to the prime minister and noted she was "keen that matters be resolved as quickly as is reasonably possible." He explained that if May loses Wednesday evening's vote, she will remain prime minister while the Conservatives select their new leader. Though he refused to be led on when this could be, Brady stressed that such a vote would be arranged as soon as possible.

Since taking office in the aftermath of the Brexit referendum in July 2016, May has struggled to steer a fractured nation and parliament through the process of leaving the European Union.

Nonetheless, the 62-year-old has proved to be a stubborn political survivor, hanging on to power amid fierce internal and external opposition, and despite a disastrous general election in June 2017.

Recent internal opposition to the prime minister has largely come from the right wing of the party, populated by those who wish to see the U.K. leave the EU regardless of whether or not a deal is reached with the bloc.

The Brexiteer challenge has been largely coordinated by the European Research Group. The vehemently eurosceptic group tried to prompt a vote of no confidence in the prime minister last month when she revealed the details of her draft Brexit agreement with the EU but was unable to corral enough supporters. If May is toppled, the ERG will prove a potent force in selecting the party's next leader.

The ERG and its allies believe Mays deal is insufficient and leaves the U.K. too closely tethered to the EU. In the absence of an agreement more beneficial to the U.K., its members argue, Britain should simply crash out of the bloc on March 29, 2019, in what has become known as a hard or no-deal Brexit.
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Theresa May will head to Brussels today in a bid to battle for an improved Brexit deal having seen off a dramatic coup attempt from her own Eurosceptic rebel MPs.

The Prime Minister will restart negotiations with European leaders after winning the intense 15-hour fight to keep her own job, with a vote of no-confidence announced early yesterday and concluded by 9pm.

But her hopes for concessions from the EU appear to have been dashed amid reports she will be given just 10 minutes to plead her case to leaders.

Standing on Downing Street last night, Mrs May pleaded to be allowed to 'get on with the job' of delivering Brexit - by rivals both within and outside of her party.

But her hopes of harmony may be short-lived. Jeremy Corbyn insisted her 'dismal' deal be put to Parliament next week, while Labour MPs branded her a 'lame duck' after she vowed she would not lead the Tories into the next general election.

On her backbenches rebel chief Jacob Rees-Mogg said because a third of her MPs hadn't backed her: 'She ought to go and see the Queen urgently and resign'.

And in another blow Brussels sources insisted there are no plans to offer her the 'legally binding' solution to the backstop issue that she is believed to be seeking, and suggested no such offer can be made.

Theresa May put a brave face on her situation as she reacted to the outcome of the Tory no-confidence ballot

There were cheers as 1922 committee chairman Graham Brady announced the result in the Commons on Wednesday night

Instead, the EU is only likely to offer 'clarifications' that the EU does not want to use the backstop and it should be a last resort. However, it may also include a pledge to consider ways of giving further assurances that, while not binding, carry more legal weight.

In an astonishing day of political drama, Conservative MPs voted by 200 to 117 for her to stay on as Tory leader and Prime Minister. Despite months of sabre-rattling by her hardline opponents, and deadlock over Brexit, almost two thirds of Tory MPs backed her.

Cabinet ministers immediately demanded that her opponents give her the breathing space and support to secure an 'orderly exit' from the EU. But Mrs May's victory, which means she cannot be challenged again for at least 12 months, came at a price. She was forced to promise she will quit before the next general election, scheduled for 2022.

Eurosceptics and Labour said the numbers were 'shocking' and a 'disaster', while Cabinet ministers queued up to talk up the positives. Jeremy Hunt yesterday said her 'stamina, resilience and decency' had 'again won the day', while Treasury minister Liz Truss said it was 'convincing'.

And the scale of yesterday's revolt  more than a third of her MPs want her gone  will raise questions about how long she can stay in charge.

Draft conclusions to be considered by EU leaders, seen by the Mail, say: 'The union stands ready to examine whether any further assurance can be provided.'

However, it adds: 'Such assurance will not change or contradict the Withdrawal Agreement.'

One paragraph in the draft summit conclusions that could help Mrs May says the backstop were to be triggered 'it would apply only temporarily unless and until it is superseded by a subsequent agreement'. The text adds: 'In such a case, the union would use its best endeavours to negotiate a subsequent agreement that would replace the backstop, so that it would only be in place for a short period and only as long as strictly necessary.'

Mrs May is seeking assurances that Britain could never become 'trapped' indefinitely in the customs backstop, which will come into effect if no trade deal is struck to avoid a border emerging between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Some MPs fear the agreement could lead to Britain being tied to the bloc's customs regime indefinitely  opposition that led to Mrs May shelving a scheduled Commons vote on the deal.

Liz Truss (pictured above) said Theresa May's win was 'convincing' after the Prime Minister vowed to fight

EU sources appeared to rule out the idea of any further assurances being legally binding. One senior diplomat said yesterday: 'The Withdrawal Agreement and political declaration are set. We don't think a legal instrument is possible here.'

Another senior official added: 'What is not feasible is renegotiations of the Withdrawal Agreement of the deal which was reached. This is not on the table and whatever reassurance will be given they cannot contradict the deal which was agreed on November 25. I don't know what's possible, but what I know is impossible is to renegotiate the deal  that's impossible.'

Another senior EU source suggested a solution could be to beef-up language in the political declaration on the future relationship  the part of the deal that is not legally binding.

EU Council chief Donald Tusk wrote to EU leaders yesterday pledging to listen to Mrs May before making any 'conclusions'.

Mrs May welcomed the result on Tuesday night while acknowledging that 'a significant number of colleagues did cast their votes against me'.

She said she would now pursue a 'renewed mission  delivering the Brexit that people voted for, bringing the country back together, and building a country that truly works for everyone'. She said the situation called for 'politicians on all sides coming together and acting in the national interest'  an apparent plea for help from Labour.

Theresa May is said to have left some politicians in tears as she told the gathering in a Commons committee room (pictured) that she would bow out gracefully once that task is complete

Speaking in Downing Street afterwards, a clearly shaken Mrs May admitted that she needed to get an improved deal from the EU with 'legally binding' assurances on the Irish border backstop.

'I am pleased to have received the backing of my colleagues in tonight's ballot,' she said yesterday evening.

'Whilst I'm grateful for that support, significant number of colleagues did cast their vote against me and I have listened to what they have said.

'We now need to get on with the job of delivering for the British people and building a better future for this country.'

Some observers posted photographs of the corridor outside the dramatic Tory 1922 committee meeting last night

Mrs May added: 'That must start here in Westminster with politicians on all sides coming together to act in the national interest.

'I have heard what the House of Commons said about the Northern Ireland backstop. I go to the European Council tomorrow and I will be seeking legal and political guarantees that will assuage those concerns.'

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling described the result as a 'strong vote of support' for the PM.

Justice Secretary David Gauke said: 'This was a very comfortable victory for Theresa May. Removing her would have been self-indulgent and irresponsible. I'm glad that a large majority agreed.'

Some MPs tweeted images of the ballot papers as the no confidence vote took place at Westminster tonight

But Jacob Rees-Mogg, chairman of the hardline European Research Group which forced the vote, said the PM had suffered a 'terrible result' in which the 'overwhelming majority of her backbenchers have voted against her'.

'Of course I accept this result, but Theresa May must realise that under all constitutional norms she ought to go and see the Queen urgently and resign,' he said.

Mrs May appealed to Tory MPs not to sack her at an emotionally-charged Commons meeting just minutes before the ballot opened last night.

She pledged she would not call a snap election, and said the party's greatest duty was to prevent Jeremy Corbyn entering Downing Street.

Eurosceptic Jacob Rees-Mogg told Sky News he still believed 'someone else' should try to secure a good Brexit

One source at the meeting said she told MPs: 'In my heart I would have loved to have led us into the next election, but I realise that we will need a new leader with new objectives for the 2022 election.'

Some ministers were said to be close to tears as the PM acknowledged that some in her own party want her gone rather than risk a repeat of last year's disastrous election campaign.

On a day of high political drama:

Mrs May said she would demand fresh 'legal and political' assurances on the Irish backstop when she travels to a Brussels summit on Brexit today;

A Cabinet source said Mrs May was planning a snap reshuffle to stamp her authority on the Government;

Tory whips sparked anger by reinstating suspended MPs Andrew Griffiths and Charlie Elphicke so that they could vote;

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith, who was ousted in a similar confidence vote in 2003, revealed he had voted against the Prime Minister;

Liam Fox said Mrs May's Brexit agreement could be abandoned unless the EU offers concessions;

Chancellor Philip Hammond said the vote would 'flush out the extremists' on the party's Eurosceptic wing;

Business leaders voiced dismay at the decision to stage a leadership contest at the height of the Brexit negotiations;

European Research Group members vowed to continue a campaign of 'guerilla warfare' against the Government.

The vote came after Tory shop steward Sir Graham Brady announced that at least 48 MPs had written letters of no confidence in Mrs May, sparking a vote under the party's leadership rules.

After the announcement yesterday morning, Mrs May pledged to fight the coup attempt with 'everything I've got'.

She ducked questions about the exact date of her departure.

But the concession that she will not fight the next election will weaken her authority and spark a race to succeed. Sajid Javid, Jeremy Hunt and Amber Rudd will jostle for position against Eurosceptic former Cabinet colleagues Boris Johnson, David Davis and Dominic Raab.

Crispin Blunt, who wrote a letter of no confidence in Mrs May, urged rebels to back her, but said he still considered her Brexit plan a 'bad deal'. He said: 'The leadership question is now behind us for a year and we must get behind Theresa May in delivering Brexit.'

Nadine Dorries, another critic of the PM, said: 'It's not the way I voted, however, I will fully respect the result.'

Allies had previously insisted that Mrs May would fight on even if she only won by a single vote.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove had urged Tory MPs not to trigger the no confidence vote in the Prime Minister

Ministers were eager to move on from the bitter struggle, even though many are known to harbour misgivings about Mrs May's Brexit deal.

International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt posted on Twitter: 'Prime Minister wins confidence motion with 63% of the vote. Now let's crack on with getting the changes we need to the deal on offer and press on with no deal preparations. We are leaving the EU in 15 weeks.'

Jacob Rees-Mogg told Sky News last night that he still believed 'someone else' should try to secure a good Brexit.

'It's a very bad result for the Prime Minister, 163 Tory MPs are on the payrolland therefore of the backbenchers the Prime Minster lost very heavilyClearly the Prime Minister has lost the support of the backbenches of the Conservative Party, and that is not a good position for her to be in,' he said.

Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom (pictured) also spoke out for Mrs May despite concerns about the progress in negotiations with the EU

'Having failed in her main plank of policy, it would be constitutional normal for her to retire from the fray.'

He added: 'Someone else ought to try to deliver Brexit.'

Other Brexiteers were keen to make clear they accepted the result even if they did not like it. Steve Double said: 'The PM has won the confidence vote 200-117. We are a democratic party and I accept the result. However the margin should send a clear message to the leadership that over 1/3 of MPs have serious concerns and need to be addressed.'

Crispin Blunt said: 'The leadership question is now behind us for a year and we must get behind Theresa May in delivering Brexit.

'The realities remain. Her proposed withdrawal deal is a bad deal. She was clear today we leave on 29 March 2019. Nothing to fear but fear itself! Get it done!'

The ballot boxes used in the confidence vote tonight (pictured left). David Davis (right) hinted he might vote against Mrs May

The contest was held after hardliners finally secured the 48 letters from MPs needed to trigger the process.

More than 180 MPs had publicly declared that they would back her, indicating that she was on course to survive.

However, as it was a secret ballot there was no way of telling if they were being truthful. One senior MP privately admitted their colleagues are the 'most duplicitous electorate in the history of humankind'.

As MPs sweltered in the stifling heat of committee room 14 last nigth, Mrs May was said to have told them in her 'heart' she would like to carry on but she recognised that was not the 'will' of the party.

Home Office minister Victoria Atkins was one of those nearly overcome by the emotion of the moment. Asked for her reaction as she emerged from the room, she welled up and clutched her chest.

Chancellor Philip Hammond launched a furious assault on Brexit 'extremists' trying to undermine the government

Tory MP Alec Shelbrooke said that some Tory MPs had tears in their eyes when the PM told the room she would not lead the party into the next election.

He said : 'She basically said it is not her intention to lead the party into the 2022 election.

'I think she's at a stage where she is 100 per cent committed to delivering Brexit. That's where her focus is.

'And her opening remarks were: 'I am not going to call a snap election. There is an impasse and we will get through it but I'm not going to call a snap election.'

Asked what the feeling was like in the room when she said she would not lead the party into the 2022 election, he said: 'Shock. There were a couple of tears in some colleagues' eyes.'

Former Brexit Secretary David Davis, who had hinted he was voting against the PM last night, left the committee room before the end of Mrs May's appearance.
Slime, the sticky child's toy predicted to be a Christmas best-seller, has been identified as a health risk.

Nearly half  or six out of 13  products offered by stores were found to contain potentially harmful levels of boron, according to the consumer watchdog Which?

Over-exposure to the chemical can cause skin irritation, diarrhoea, vomiting and cramps. It is found in borax  a common ingredient in slime that helps create its stickiness.

Slime, the sticky child's toy predicted to be a Christmas best-seller, has been identified as a health risk. Stock picture

Slime, which is also sold as putty or fun foam, is sold as a safe and creative toy that helps develop young children's motor skills and enhance eye-hand co-ordination as they mould them into shapes.

The EU safety limit for boron in slime toys is 300mg/kg but a higher 1,200mg/kg for those classified as a putty, a distinction determined by the maker.

Which? was concerned some slimes are making it on to the market because they are being marketed as putty, which is allowed to have a higher level of boron.

Levels as high as 1,400mg/kg were found in a slime 'kit' available on Amazon. Another product offered through the website of Hamley's was recorded at 1200mg/kg  although the manufacturer said it should be classified as a putty, rather than a slime, and therefore passed the EU standard. Both retailers have now removed the products.

Which? said manufacturers should not be allowed to self-certify the safety of their products and is calling for an independent regulator.
An actor is suing American Airlines and its regional SkyWest after his pinky finger became lodged in the hole of armrest during a flight, resulting in his humiliation and physical pain.

Stephen Keys, who has appeared in films 'Soul Plane' and 'Remarkable Power' as well as TV shows 'How I Met Your Mother' and 'Ugly Betty,' said the incident happened during a September flight from Reno, Nevada to Los Angeles, California.

In the suit filed last Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Keys claims the airline experience turned into a nightmare when he attempted to put the armrest of his seat up.

Stephen Keys, pictured right in 'Ugly Betty,' claims he was left humiliated and physically pained after his pinky finger became lodged in an armrest hole during a September flight

Keys, shown in an episode of 'How I Met Your Mother,' is now suing American Airlines and its regional SkyWest

The actor, seen right in 'Big Time Rush,' claims his finger was stuck the entire flight

His pinky finger became stuck in a small hole and he was unable to remove it. He claims he suffered injuries and extreme embarrassment as fellow passengers watched him struggle.

The suit states: 'The spring mechanism embedded inside of this hole in the armrest applied intense pressure to plaintiffs finger, immediately inflicting injury, swelling and pain.

'Dozens of passengers became aware of Mr. Keys' perilous condition, causing his dire situation to become a humiliating public spectacle.

His finger was allegedly jammed in the gap for the remainder of the flight.

Keys claims his finger was jammed in the gap for the remainder of the flight. A Skywest mechanic was forced to disassemble the armrest (stock photo)

'By the end of it all, he remained entrapped in this nightmarish condition, suffering for nearly an hour,' the suit further said.

Airline employees were unable to resolve the issue. A Skywest mechanic ultimately was forced to disassemble the armrest.

A representative for SkyWest released a statement on the matter Tuesday afternoon.

'The comfort and safety of our passengers is our first priority,' the statement said.

'We worked with our partner American to reach out to Mr. Keys regarding his bruised finger and look forward to swiftly resolving this matter... due to the ongoing litigation, we cannot comment further.'
A wild brawl which unfolded in the middle of one of Australia's busiest roads has been caught on camera.

The footage showed two men square off as traffic came to a standstill on the Homebush stretch of Sydney's Parramatta Road this week.

Brutal punches were thrown before one of the men, wearing a high-vis shirt, was forced to the ground by his road rage rival.

A wild brawl which unfolded in the middle of one of Australia's busiest roads has been caught on camera

The man in the white shirt appeared to land at least three blows to the other's face as he lay on the asphalt.

Another high-vis clad man then appeared and chased the man, who retreated to his car.

A New South Wales Police told Daily Mail Australia the footage was being reviewed, but no report had been made.

Anyone who witnessed the incident is urged to come forward.
Scott Morrison has buckled to pressure from crossbench MPs and announced Australia will be getting a federal anti-corruption commission with 'real teeth' - a fortnight after describing it as a 'fringe issue'.

The Prime Minister's announcement of a new Commonwealth Integrity Commission came a fortnight after independent MPs voted with Labor and the Greens to set it up.

Mr Morrison, who leads a minority government and is beholden to the crossbench, on Thursday announced the federal equivalent of an independent commission against corruption, just 17 days after describing it as 'some sort of fringe issue' in Parliament.

Critics have labelled it as pointless and slammed the idea of a government-funded body holding secret hearings into alleged public sector wrongdoing.

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Scott Morrison (pictured) has buckled to pressure from crossbench MPs and announced Australia would be getting a federal anti-corruption commission with 'real teeth'

'This is a real proposal, with real resources, real teeth,' Mr Morrison told reporters in Sydney on Thursday.

'These are sensible changes we're outlining today. They learn the lessons from many of the failed experiments we've seen at a state jurisdiction level.

'I have no interest in establishing kangaroo courts.'

On November 26, the Prime Minister described the idea of a national integrity commission as 'some sort of fringe issue' after Opposition Leader Bill Shorten asked him Question Time if the government would support a bill introducing it.

Former Australian Council of Trade Unions assistant secretary Tim Lyons, now a research fellow with the Per Capita think tank, describing private hearings as 'pointless'

Cairns man Bill Gregson joked it would snare too many politicians for corruption

The establishment of a federal ICAC is a major backflip for the Liberal Party, which opposed the idea in 2015 when Tony Abbott was prime minister.

Mr Abbott opposed the idea again earlier this year during a joint Coalition party room meeting.

There were also critics of the idea from the left of politics with former Australian Council of Trade Unions assistant secretary Tim Lyons, now a research fellow with the Per Capita think tank, slamming the idea of private hearings into alleged public sector wrongdoing.

'What an utterly pointless thing this Commonwealth Integrity Commission would be: no hearings, no reported findings,' he tweeted.

Cairns man Bill Gregson joked it would snare too many politicians.

'Funny, will be no members of parliament left,' he tweeted.

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull (left with Scott Morrison in August when he was treasurer) started work in January to set up a national integrity commission

How will it work? * The Commonwealth Integrity Commission will be a single, specialist peak body to investigate criminal corruption in the public sector. * The commission will investigate situations referred to it by the existing anti-corruption agencies. * It will have serious investigative powers to build briefs against people, which will then be handed to the Director of Public Prosecutions. * The law enforcement division will be able to hold both public and private hearings. The public sector division will only be able to hold private hearings. * It won't be retrospective. Source: Australian Associated Press Advertisement

Mr Shorten in January promised a Labor government would establish a federal integrity commission were it to win next year's election.

During that same month, former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull's government started work behind the scenes on setting one up.

The Coalition, however, had stopped short of committing to creating a new body.

Coalition MPs had no choice but to vote with independents, Labor and the Greens in late November to set a federal integrity commission to avoid a humiliating defeat on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Independent Cathy McGowan had moved a private member's bill.

Last month, Liberal Attorney-General Christian Porter raised concerns about her idea, arguing an ABC journalist could be regarded as 'corrupt' for fronting a biased report.

On Thursday, Mr Morrison said Australia led the world in public administration integrity, and a new anti-corruption body will continue that work.

In late November, Coalition MPs voted with independents MP Kerryn Phelps (pictured), Labor and the Greens to set it up a federal integrity commission to avoid defeat in Parliament

'We're about having a robust, resourced, real system to protect the integrity of Commonwealth public administration,' he said.

The Commonwealth Integrity Commission's establishment in 2019 will be occurring 30 years after a Coalition government in New South Wales, led by Liberal premier Nick Greiner, established an Independent Commission Against Corruption.

The idea was later copied in Queensland under Labor's Wayne Goss, following the Fitzgerald inquiry into corrupt ministers under the rule of former National Party premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen.

A new Commonwealth Integrity Commission will be a bigger version of an existing anti-corruption agency, the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity, which monitors the Australian Federal Police, financial intel authority AUSTRAC, the Department of Home Affairs and some parts of the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources.

The public sector division of this commission will only be allowed to hold private hearings.
Hospital discharge times can be improved by using volunteers to collect medications, a trust has found.

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust launched its bleep volunteering programme in March after noticing long waits for discharge medications were causing delays.

The hold-ups meant patients well enough to be discharged were stuck in hospital, blocking beds needed elsewhere. But since the London hospital asked volunteers to take over deliveries, more than 100 hours have been saved.

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust found long waits for discharge medications (pictured stock image) were causing delays

Volunteers: The number of readers who've signed up to the Mail's new NHS campaign has hit more than 21,500

Desiree Benson, a volunteer co-ordinator for the charity Helpforce, said analysis showed the system saved staff 12 minutes per prescription, ensuring doctors and nurses can concentrate on clinical care.

She said: Prescriptions for patients who were ready to be discharged were dependent on staff having the time to collect those from the pharmacy. In some cases, discharges could be delayed as a result of not receiving the take-out prescription. Patients can be sat waiting for hours, because theres no-one to get it.

Bleep volunteering is one of the many roles readers could be assigned after pledging to join the Daily Mails NHS recruitment drive with Helpforce.

Around 22,000 generous readers have pledged their time to help staff and patients within the NHS.

Patients commonly need their medications altered in line with their treatment before they can go home.

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

These are issued from the hospital pharmacy, which relies on a staff member or relative to collect it.

During the pilot project, volunteers using walkie-talkies would be bleeped by staff to respond to where they are most needed. Tasks carried out included escorting patients between appointments, directing lost patients or visitors, rounding up wheelchairs and returning them to reception, as well as collecting discharge medication.

The team have delivered an average of 70 take-out prescriptions a day, saving staff a total of 116 hours in around six months.

Rising waiting lists and hospital admissions has made reducing bed blocking or delayed discharges of care a priority. Health professionals have hailed bleep volunteers a success, with other hospitals expected to roll out the scheme next year.

Aju Chacko, 40, who works at a cinema but volunteers at the Chelsea hospital on days off, said it was a rewarding role. He said: The best bit is I can spend quality time with the patients. Sometimes they are really lonely so its nice to cheer them up.

Nurses cant spend much time chatting to them but I can. It makes a real difference to people.

Its really good fun and can be really busy. When its really busy were running around delivering medicines, transporting patients to different wards.
A toddler who was crushed by a taxi while his parents were on holiday has been pictured for the first time.

Dimitri Samai, from the Sovereign Islands on the Gold Coast, had been running towards his aunt when he fell under the wheels of the taxi.

His aunt paid for the taxi and the driver started to pull away, unaware that he was about to crush the 13-month-old.

Dimitri suffered critical head injuries and died at the scene as his inconsolable aunt held him in her arms.

Dimitri Samai was tragically crushed to death by a taxi while his parents were on holiday

The boy's aunt and the taxi driver went into shock over the death and had to be taken to hospital.

The toddler's parents, Melinda and Dickson, desperately rushed home from Papua New Guinea following the tragedy, The Courier Mail reported.

Dane Axsel, who lives next door to the family, told reporters it was extremely horrific accident.

'I'm still in shock  this is something you can't unsee. The cab was just rolling forward really slowly  he wouldn't have seen the child, he couldn't have.'

Dimitri's family have shared online the heartbreak they are suffering over the loss of a 'special' little boy.

Dimitri Samai had been running towards his aunt when he fell under the wheels of the taxi outside his home in the Gold Coast's Sovereign Islands last week

'Feeling broken  just lost someone special in my life,' one person said.

'Dimi oh baby, why so soon,' another person said.

The toddler's funeral will be held on Sunday, a funeral notice said.

Police said charges were unlikely as Dimitri's death was a result of what appeared to be a terrible accident.

A report is being prepared for the coroner.

Gold Coast Cabs boss Benjamin Lee expressed his condolences to the boy's family, and said they will continue to work with police in their investigation while supporting the driver involved.
A group of tourists on a day trip off the coast of Hawaii were stunned to find the miracle pilot who had survived a military plane crash floating in the sea next to their boat.

Dramatic footage shows seriously injured airman Matt Pothier bobbing in the water just before his rescue yesterday.

He is seen clinging to debris surrounded by the wreckage of his aircraft - a British-made Hawker Hunter plane.

The day-trippers looking over the edge of the boat call out 'Are you okay?' to Pothier and 'Don't get tangled up in anything' to the rescuer who has swum out to reach him.

The jet crashed into the ocean around 2.25pm local time on Wednesday after taking off from the Honolulu airport. It is unclear what caused the crash.

The moment both aircraft and pilot plunged into the sea a few miles south of Oahu near Honolulu's Sand Island was also captured on camera.

Webcam footage from Surfline.com, which monitors surfing conditions, shows the jet hurtling rapidly toward the ocean.

Pothier can be seen ejecting and deploying his parachute seconds before the plane enters the water with a huge white splash.

The 47-year-old appears to have suffered traumatic injuries after ejecting safely from the plane, and has been hospitalized in a serious condition according to a statement from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. After his initial rescue by a private sailboat he was transferred to the US Coast Guard.

Last night Pothier's wife said he was in good spirits and recovering, Hawaii News Now reported.

She added that other pilots stopped by Pothiers hospital room to give him their best wishes, and that they are grateful his injuries are not life-threatening.

A 47-year-old military pilot whose plane crashed off the coast of Honolulu during an exercise with the Hawaii National Guard on Wednesday has been hospitalized with serious injuries. A US Coast Guard vessel and other rescue boats are pictured responding to the crash

Surf Cam Crash Video #BreakingNews: The Surfline Waikiki camera captured the entire crash. You can see the jet flying low. The pilot ejects, then the aircraft enters the water with a huge splash. The camera moves away from the scene almost immediately after the crash. Posted by Keahi Tucker on Wednesday, December 12, 2018

The US Coast Guard said the civilian contractor for the Hawaii Air National Guard was participating in a military exercise called Sentry Aloha.

The exercise was temporarily suspended after the crash and will resume Thursday morning.

Flights departing from the Honolulu airport were held on the ground for about 20 minutes after the plane went down as a precaution, according to a state Department of Transportation spokesman.
Theresa May's Brexit deal could be abandoned unless the Prime Minister secures meaningful concessions from the EU, Liam Fox warned last night.

In an ominous assessment, the International Trade Secretary suggested the Cabinet would block the deal unless the PM secured solid reassurances that the Irish backstop can only be temporary.

Today, the Prime Minister will travel to Brussels to urge EU leaders to give her the guarantees she believes she needs to get the deal through the Commons. She will address a summit of EU leaders, despite their warnings that the agreement is 'not open for renegotiation'.

Liam Fox (pictured in Downing Street) said Brexit deal could be abandoned unless the Prime Minister secures meaningful concessions from the EU

Dr Fox said the deal may never be put to a Parliamentary vote. 'It is very difficult to support the deal if we don't get changes to the backstop,' he said.

'I am not even sure the Cabinet will agree for it to be put to the House of Commons.'

He told the BBC: 'If there is no movement on the backstop then it is very likely either one of two things happens.

'Either [we] remain in the EU without a referendum, which I think would be a democratic affront which brings a whole range of consequences, or, perhaps more likely, we have to up our preparations for no deal and leave the EU without an agreed deal.'

The backstop is designed to prevent the emergence of a hard border in Ireland if trade talks falter.
The chief financial officer of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei celebrated her first day out on bail in Canada on Wednesday with well-wishing guests and boxes of Domino's Pizza.

Accused of sanctions busting and forced to abide by a curfew and wear an ankle bracelet as she awaits possible extradition to the United States, China's 'Princess of Huawei', Meng Wanzhou, could be said to have fallen spectacularly from grace.

But Meng, heiress to her billionaire father's global tech conglomerate, is managing to surround herself with a few home comforts.

Huawei's CFO was arrested on December 1 on a U.S. warrant for alleged sanctions-breaking dealings with Iran, while changing planes in Vancouver.

She faces more than 30 years in jail if convicted, but was freed on $10 million Canadian ($7.5million U.S.) bail Tuesday night pending the outcome of an extradition hearing, which could take months, or even years, if appeals are made in the case.

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Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou is seen outside a parole office in Vancouver on Wednesday

A security guard is seen above escorting Meng to the parole office a day after she was granted bail by a British Columbia judge

A pizza delivery man arrives at Meng's residence in Vancouver on Wednesday

An unidentified man receives the boxes of pizza from the Domino's delivery man at Meng's home in Vancouver on Wednesday

The following morning, Meng was spotted by AFP answering the front door of her Vancouver house to three visitors bringing flowers who arrived in a sedan with diplomatic plates.

Outside, a handful of local residents walked their dogs past a group of journalists while a security guard watched from a car down the block.

Later, Meng stepped out to offer reporters slices of pizza that she had ordered in (they politely declined).

In 2009 Meng's husband Liu Xiaozong bought the six-bedroom house where she must stay in Vancouver's Dunbar neighborhood - a leafy quiet enclave of single-family homes a few blocks from an urban forest.

Although valued at a hefty $5.6million Canadian ($4.2million U.S.), the house - on a large corner lot with a view of the Pacific coast city's majestic north shore mountains - does not stand out as particularly ostentatious.

Meng's husband Liu Xiaozong bought the six-bedroom house where she must stay in Vancouver's Dunbar neighborhood in 2009

Individuals with flowers exiting from a vehicle with consular plates also arrived at the residence

Later, Meng stepped out to offer reporters slices of pizza that she had ordered in (they politely declined)

The man, who are likely Chinese diplomats, are seen handing flowers to Meng upon arriving at the residence on Wednesday

The Meng case has generated enormous media interest due to the global ramifications. Reporters are seen above outside her home in Vancouver

Colleen McGuinness, who lives in the neighborhood, said the reaction to the executive's arrival has been muted.

'I don't think I'll see her at the grocery store,' McGuinness told AFP.

'She's obviously been here before, she's just another person in the neighborhood, but with a bit of an entourage.'

Meng's husband Liu resided at the 28th Avenue home up until 2012 while working on a Masters degree, and the couple's young son attended a local pre-school.

Meng's in-laws have also spent several summers at the house, and her mother and eldest son visited too.

'While my work obligations have typically required that I travel extensively, I always try to spend at least two to three weeks in Vancouver every summer,' she said in court documents.

The couple bought a second home in the tony Shaughnessy neighborhood worth an estimated $16.3million Canadian ($12.2million U.S.). It is currently being renovated.

Meng's case has divided the Pacific coast city's large Chinese-Canadian community.

'I was surprised at the amount of vitriol I'd gotten from supporters of Meng, saying she should be released,' Justin Fung, whose parents immigrated from Hong Kong in the 1970s, said on Twitter.

Meng is seen above on the right waving goodbye to her visitors after their stay at her home in Vancouver on Wednesday

'I felt this is about the rule of law, and I was surprised at how some of these folks were speaking about human rights issues.'

Speaking to AFP, Fung said the controversy, however, is not likely to affect Meng directly: 'We're a pretty low key city, we routinely get Hollywood stars come through and people are not badgering them.'

While on bail, Meng is required to wear an electronic anklet and a security team paid by her has been assigned to monitor her movements in Vancouver.

She also has an 11pm to 7am curfew.

Speaking through her lawyer, Meng sought to put a brave face on her situation - saying she looked forward to spending time in Vancouver with her family, and maybe applying for a doctorate program at the University of British Columbia while the extradition case plays out.

Family photos submitted to the court showed her smiling and striking poses at tourist spots around the city, including Stanley Park with the Lions Gate bridge in the background, and on a boat in False Creek.

Her lawyer, David Martin, argued that she was not a flight risk because it would otherwise 'embarrass China itself.'

Meng also cited health reasons for requesting bail.

'I have been working hard for 25 years and if I were to be ordered released my only simple goal is to be with my husband and my daughter,' she said.

'I haven't read a novel in years.'

As CBC News commented, 'she may have time to finish War and Peace, Anna Karenina and the complete works of Marcel Proust before her extradition odyssey is done.'
December 12 marks the Day of Remembrance for the architect and creator of a modern independent Azerbaijani state, a global political figure, national leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev. A dozen years have passed since the day of his death, but his memory has been honored in Russia to this day. The people who personally knew Heydar Aliyev - his friends and associates, creative community, political and public figures - attended the memory evening at the Azerbaijani Embassy in Moscow.

Deputy Chairman of the Commission for UNESCO, vice-president of the Russian Council on International Affairs Alexander Dzasokhov shared his memories of Heydar Aliyev's visit to Syria: "In the second half of the 1980s, one of the key Soviet Union leaders left for Damascus, for this ancient city, a crossroads civilization as a member of the Politburo and First Deputy Chairman of the government. Whatever position a man of this scale had, he still kept his roots against the background of enormous tasks. In Damascus he held a separate meeting with the country's leader Hafez al-Assad. Heydar Alev said: "Great Nasimi is buried in Syria, and the people I represent dream of him being on the land of his ancestors." Two outstanding figures of the 20th century agreed that philosopher and first poet number of ancient Azerbaijan Nasimi belongs to the Azerbaijani culture and people, but is the son of many nations."

According to Alexander Dzasokhov, "the Azerbaijani people has a special place of honor in the vast array of spiritual and religious Muslim nations. Heydar Aliyevich had many features characteristic of great people, and one of his main qualities is dignity. 15 years have passed, there have been many books and films, but interest in Heydar Aliyev is only growing. Many years will pass, but the next generations will remember him with gratitude. Heydar Aliyevich was an outstanding figure in foreign policy matters, first of all, in the Soviet Union, and then in the Azerbaijan Republic. He traveled to countries which were at the forefront of the postcolonial world back then. He was a man of such high status, but decided to go to Angola together with his colleagues. Heydar Aliyevich is at the highest point in the history of international relations. This is his special service to our huge country and to the people of Azerbaijan."

President of the Union of Oil and Gas Producers of Russia, Gennady Schmal, said that he knew Heydar Aliyev as a very competent and professional manager: "He was rather tough. The entire economy of the country at that time was managed by the Commission for Operational Issues, which was headed by Heydar Aliyev for many years. He dealt with the most acute problems - transport, issues of industrial development, although he also supervised such spheres as culture, health care, and many others. In our understanding, Baku has always been a standard of well-being. Heydar Aliyevich said: "Azerbaijan's oil and gas, given to us by the Lord, is the national wealth that should serve the people." I would like to conclude my speech with such an epitaph: "Mortals rejoice that there has existed such and so great an ornament of the human race."

Chairperson of the Interstate Aviation Council Tatyana Anodina has known Heydar Aliyev for ten years. "For me he was a person who personifies not only the past, but also the wonderful present of Azerbaijan, as well as the future which he was creating. I remember Heydar Alievich at different times. When there was a single country and flourishing Azerbaijan, of which he was proud, he always tried to engage people to do something for Azerbaijan. Engage is the word, not to force or oblige. I did not hold high positions back then, but I had the opportunity to help develop the civil aviation of Azerbaijan, which he loved so much. I told him: "Heydar Aliyevich, it is because you have wings yourself, you are airborne," Tatiana Anodina remembers.

"Though aviators are superstitious, we believe in fate, we believe that life always wins. I remember Heydar Aliyevich to be like this. He was infinitely simple and humane. When he made the decision to return to Azerbaijan, I told him: "Heydar Aliyev, I am afraid. Maybe you will stay? It's so dangerous to be there." And then he told me: "Why do you think that I should be afraid of something in my homeland?" It sounded so bravely, so humanly," Anodina said.

The chairperson of the Interstate Aviation Council said that she often visit the second headquarters of the committee in Baku. "The name of Heydar Aliyev symbolizes a lot in Azerbaijan, in every home, in the face of every person, in every gesture of people, even those who did not know him," Tatiana Adonina said.
Melania Trump brushed off criticism from the public and the media and said she always strives to do what she believes to be the 'right' thing in an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Wednesday night.

The first lady sat down with the primetime Fox News host aboard the USS George H.W. Bush after a day of visiting with troops at Joint Base Langley in Hampton, Virginia.

The cordial interview covered a number of different topics from Melania's impression of the massive boat named for H.W., who was laid to rest last week, to how she deals with criticism of her husband and her family.

While most of her answers were confident and composed, Melania pulled back when asked about her husband pursuing a second term in the Oval Office.

Instead of the simple 'yes' that would have been expected, she responded: 'I think my husband is doing an incredible job' and said 'I want the country to continue to do well.'

Hannity steered clear of more hard-hitting topics that have dominated the news cycle, the most notable being the sentencing of President Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen earlier in the day.

Speaking to the court before being sentenced to three years in prison, Cohen denounced the president and said: 'I felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds' - referencing payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.

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Melania Trump brushed off criticism from the public and the media and said she always strives to do what she believes is the 'right' thing during a Wednesday night interview Sean Hannity

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The interview took place aboard the USS George H.W. Bush after Melania spent the day visiting with troops at Joint Base Langley in Hampton, Virginia

The first lady also spoke about the daily difficulties she has encountered in the White House during the Hannity interview, which was previewed by FoxNews.com earlier on Wednesday.

Melania said the hardest part of her role was dealing with 'opportunists...using my name or my family name to advance themselves'.

She identified those opportunists as 'comedians, journalists, performers and book writers'.

Hannity followed up by asking her: 'Does it hurt?'

Melania defiantly replied: 'It doesnt hurt. The problem is theyre writing history and its not correct.'

She said she wishes the media would focus on 'the substance and not the gossip'.

Hannity also mentioned how Melania has made an effort to step out of her husband's shadow in recent months by amping up her Be Best bullying campaign and going on a solo trip to four African countries.

When he asked her to explain her frequent use of the phrase 'stay true to myself', she replied: 'I do what I think is right. I know I will get the criticism  from the public or from the media  but I will do what is right and what I feel is right for the country and for the people.

'Thats why I say I want to stay true to myself and listen to myself and what to do and what is right, what is wrong and live a meaningful life every day.'

Melania said of her path to where she is now: 'It's incredible, especially when you think about your life and where you were born, and all the steps you took.

'It's not like you just end up here, you learn a lot on the way here. In my business, and fashion business, it's a tough business as well.

'Here, the politics, it's a tough business. You need to have very thick skin.'

Melania said being in politics requires a 'tough skin' as she reflected on her time as first lady

Hannity (pictured) avoided asking about more difficult topics such as the sentencing of President Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen earlier in the day

Hannity asked several questions about Melania's relationship with Donald as she described the pair's instant chemistry when they met in 1998.

She also spoke about how she knew he would win the 2016 presidential race, saying: 'I saw how he connects with the people and that's why I said, I know if you run, you will win.'

Melania said that she does her best to keep up with the news despite her busy schedule.

'I follow what's going on, and I give my husband advice and my honest opinion. Sometimes he listens and sometimes he doesn't,' she said.

'I don't agree with his tone sometimes and I tell him that.'

When questioned about what she wishes the media would portray about her husband, Melania replied: 'That he is fighting for the American people every day.

'He wants to guide them the right way and it's tough because sometimes the media wants to bash and focus on negativity.'

The first lady spoke fondly of her instant chemistry with Donald (together with son Barron last month) and recounted telling him that she was sure he would win the election in 2016

Melania expressed the importance of showing support to the troops in the interview, which came a day after she attended a Toys for Tots event for military families on Tuesday (above)

Speaking about her recent visits with the troops, Melania said: 'It's very important that we support them. Holidays are coming and not many of them will be with their families, so for me, it's very important to show them that the president and I and the country, we are behind them.'

She called the USS George H.W. Bush 'incredible' and praised the 3,000 military members currently on board the massive carrier that's as long as the Empire State Building is tall.

Melania noted that as she greeted the troops upon arrival they thanked her for 'what I do for them.

'They see what I am doing and that I'm here for them and to support them,' she said.

The second half of Melania's interview with Hannity is set to air on Fox News tomorrow night.

The first lady posted photos of herself touring Joint Base Langley to Twitter on Wednesday
Mass-produced supermarket water bottles should not be reused because small plastics can erode into the liquid overtime, one Australian scientist has recommended.

Professor Anas Ghadouani said that drinking water from reusable plastic water bottles is safe but these should be disposed of after a year.

He sad that food-grade stainless steel bottles were the safest option, but they can be pricey.

'High quality grade metal that is food-grade, which is usually stainless steel is expensive,' he told PerthNow.

Mass-produced plastic water bottles sold on the supermarket should not be reused, one scientist recommended

'If you walk into a shop and buy a bottle that is metal for $4 or $5, I don't know where that metal comes from.'

Prof Ghadouani, who heads the University of Western Australia's water and environmental engineering team, also warned against buying metal bottles that were lined with plastic.

He explained that these could shed particles over time and would contaminate water.

He warned that a number of Australian tapas and pipes were made from dodgy alloys are being sold in Australia, which is contaminating water fountains.

Professor Ghadouani said glass and staineless steel were the safest options for drink bottles

'If something is intended for people to put in their mouth, it should be food grade,' he said.

Glass and stainless steel were the safest options for drink bottles.

Glass bottles were rated as the best choice by Prof Ghadouani as they don't develop film and can be cleaned easily.

But they are not always the most sensible choice for schools or sports.
Economic uncertainty caused by Brexit has pushed the UK property market to its weakest level in more than six years, a study has found.

More than half of respondents to a major survey by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) attributed low demand from both buyers and sellers down to 'Brexit uncertainty'.

Rics' chief economist Simon Rubinsohn said: 'I can't recall a previous survey when a single issue has been highlighted by quite so many contributors'.

Sales are down as Brexit causes the UK housing market to stagnate, experts have revealed

In Rics' November 2018 market analysis, the number of people looking for a new home fell again.

The net balance of -21 per cent, down from -15 per cent in October, was the lowest since September 2017.

Weaker demand dragged down property prices. The price balance slipped to -11 per cent in November from -10 per cent in October, which is the lowest reading since September 2012.

House prices have been falling in London, the south-east and East Anglia, while in the south-west, east Midlands and north-east they have been broadly flat.

There were price rises in Northern Ireland, Scotland, West Midlands, Wales, Yorkshire and Humber and the north-west.

The number of people looking for a new home fell in November, with a net balance of 21 per cent of surveyors reporting house hunter numbers falling rather than rising

Mr Rubinsohn added: 'It is evident from the feedback to the latest RICS survey that the ongoing uncertainties surrounding how the Brexit process plays out is taking its toll on the housing market.

Remortgaging levels jump to decade high amid Brexit uncertainty Remortgaging has reached its highest level in nearly a decade as experts say Brexit uncertainty and cheap loan rates are encouraging borrowers to lock into new deals. Remortgage loans worth 9.2billion were handed out to home owners in October, according to trade association UK Finance. This was a 22.7 per cent jump on a year earlier and the highest figure since November 2008. In total, 50,500 new home owner remortgage loans were completed in October, 23.2 per cent more than in the same month a year earlier. Advertisement

'Caution is visible among both buyers and vendors and where deals are being done, they are taking longer to get over the line.

'Significantly the forward-looking indicators reflect the suspicion that the political machinations are unlikely to be resolved anytime soon.

'The bigger risk is that this now spills over into development plans making it even harder to secure the uplift in the building pipeline to address the housing crisis.'

The number of new properties being listed for sale fell for the fifth consecutive report, and the net balance of -24 per cent was the fastest pace of decline in supply recorded in more than two years.

This lack of new stock is impacting estate agents' stock levels with agents now only having, on average, 42.1 homes for sale.

The number of new appraisals by property valuers is also down in comparison to a year earlier.

Forecasts for the next quarter are now bleaker than at any time since the EU Referendum result, falling from minus six per cent to -23 per cent - the most substantial decline in this number since June 2016.

House prices have been falling in London, the south-east and East Anglia, while in the south-west, east Midlands and north-east they have been broadly flat. There were price rises in Northern Ireland, Scotland, West Midlands, Wales, Yorkshire and Humber and the north-west

In the rental market, demand from tenants was holding steady, while the flow of rental homes on to the market continued to slow, Rics said.

The current style of politics and continuing level of political uncertainty is significantly impacting the housing market and built environment Hew Edgar, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors head of policy

This is expected to result in modest rent rises over the next 12 months, it added.

Hew Edgar, RICS head of policy, said: 'RICS shares the resounding sentiment of frustration from our professionals operating in the UK's residential sector; and we are not surprised by this month's outcome.

'Brexit was always going to be a very politically charged debate, but the current style of politics and continuing level of political uncertainty is significantly impacting the housing market and built environment.'

He said before the referendum experts believed Brexit would only affect high-end properties but not even those at the lower end of the market were 'putting off decisions until there is more certainty'.
The White House sent President Donald Trumps former lawyer Michael Cohen to Capitol Hill to lie to members of Congress, an attorney for the onetime Trump fixer alleged on Wednesday.

Speaking after Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison by a federal judge on Wednesday, Lanny Davis, his lawyer and spokesperson, vowed that his client would have more to say after Special Counsel Robert Mueller ends the Russia investigation.

There will come a time after Mr. Mueller is done with his work that Michael Cohen will be sitting in front of a microphone before a congressional committee and what he has to say about the truth will be judged by the members of Congress listening and then will be up to people to decide whether he has got the facts or not, Davis told Bloomberg.

Davis said Cohen expects to give testimony to Congress at some point in the future.

He told Bloomberg that the White House and President Trump knew that Cohen would give false testimony to Congress.

Cohen was also sentenced to two months in prison, which will be served concurrently, for lying to Congress.

The White House sent President Donald Trumps former lawyer Michael Cohen (seen above in New York City on Wednesday after he was sentenced to three years in prison) to Capitol Hill to lie to members of Congress, an attorney for the onetime Trump fixer alleged on Wednesday

Mr. Trump and the White House knew that Michael Cohen would be testifying falsely to Congress and did not tell him not to, Davis said.

Davis would not specify what Cohen would tell lawmakers about his former boss, Trump, and alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 elections after the Mueller probe.

Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison on Wednesday for crimes including orchestrating hush payments to women in violation of campaign laws before the 2016 election, and he promised to keep cooperating with the U.S. government against his former boss.

Cohen had said in a guilty plea in August that he was directed by Trump to arrange a payment to Playboy model Karen McDougal, and personally pay adult-film star Stormy Daniels.

Lanny Davis, Michael Cohen's spokesperson and attorney, said his client would continue to cooperate with the U.S. government by telling it what he knows about the dealings of his former boss, President Donald Trump (seen above Wednesday at the White House)

Prosecutors in New York confirmed last week in a court filing that they believed the president ordered the payments to protect his campaign.

Trump has denied the affairs and argues the payments to the two women were not campaign contributions.

If it were, its only civil, and even if its only civil, there was no violation based on what we did, Trump said in an interview on Tuesday.

U.S. District Judge William Pauley sentenced Cohen to three years for the payments, and unrelated crimes of tax evasion and misleading banks.

He gave Cohen two months for lying to Congress about a proposed Trump Tower project in Russia.

The judge said the two terms would run simultaneously and he set March 6 for Cohens surrender.

In the Manhattan courtroom, Cohen told Pauley that blind loyalty led him to cover up for Trump. Cohen said he was ready to provide as much information as I truthfully possess on the president.

I am committed to proving my integrity and ensuring that history will not remember me as the villain of his story, Cohen said, choking up at times while giving his statement.

Cohen will testify before Congress after Special Counsel Robert Mueller (seen above in June 2017) completes his investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 elections

I am truly sorry and I promise I will be better.

While the sentence was a modest reduction from the four to five years recommended under federal guidelines, Pauley described Cohens crimes as a smorgasbord of fraudulent conduct marked by deception and motivated by personal greed.

He ordered Cohen to forfeit $500,000 and pay restitution of nearly $1.4 million.

Cohen, 52, walked into court with his wife, son and daughter amid a crowd of photographers and reporters.

His 23-year-old daughter, Samantha, and 19-year-old son, Jake, both wept silently in the courtroom, the son wiping his eyes with his jacket sleeve.
A Sydney teenager has been airlifted to hospital after seriously burning himself while setting fire to his HSC notes.

The 18-year-old was left with multiple burns to his upper and lower body after torching piles of school study notes at a property in Arcadia, a semi-rural suburb in Sydney's northwest, on Thursday morning.

CareFlight's rapid response rescue helicopter was rushed to the scene at 9am.

A Sydney teenager has had to be airlifted to hospital (pictured) after seriously burning himself while setting fire to his HSC notes

'The patient was treated at the scene by CareFlights specialist doctor and critical care paramedic for multiple burns to his upper and lower body,' a CareFlight statement read.

Police and firefighters from the Rural Fire Service were also present on the scene as paramedics treated the teenager.

He was airlifted to Royal North Shore Hospital in a stable condition.
Three teenage girls have been charged over the stabbing of a 38-year-old man in Melbourne.

The man was found drenched in his own blood by Protective Services Officers at Sunshine train station about 9.45pm on Saturday night.

He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for non-life threatening head injuries and stab wounds.

The 38-year-old man was found drenched in his own blood by Protective Services Officers at Sunshine train station about 9.45pm on Saturday night

Police alleged the man was attacked at the corner of Harvester and Devonshire roads before he was eventually found by officers at the train station.

Detectives have since arrested and charged three teenage girls.

A 14-year-old girl from Braybrook and 17-year-old girl from Albion have been charged with intentionally causing injury, unlawful assault, and assault with a weapon.

Another 14-year-old Sunshine girl has also been charged with intentionally causing injury, recklessly causing injury, unlawful assault, assault with a weapon and assault by kicking.

All three girls have been bailed and are set to appear at a children's court at a later date

All three girls were taken into custody after police carried out a number of warrants and have since been bailed.

The trio are set to appear at a children's court at a later date.
A magistrate has slammed a Fijian mother for using a tribal stick (stock pictured) to inflict 'corporal punishment from the dark ages' on her daughter in a bid to stop her drinking and taking drugs

A magistrate has slammed a Fijian mother for using a tribal stick to inflict 'corporal punishment from the dark ages' on her daughter in a bid to stop her drinking and taking drugs.

The 39-year-old, from Coogee, a beachside suburb of Sydney, pleaded guilty to two counts of domestic violence related common assault at Waverley Local Court on Wednesday.

The mother attacked two of her children, aged 14 and 17, after she discovered a text on one of their phones in which a friend suggested they should meet to drink and take 'acid', court documents seen by The Australian allege.

In a fit of rage, she repeatedly punched the older child before grabbing her by the hair and attempting to beat her with a guitar, the documents state.

After kicking and punching her, the mother pushed a Fijian tribal stick into her daughter's chest as she cowered in fear.

The 39-year-old, from Coogee, a beachside suburb of Sydney, pleaded guilty to two counts of domestic violence related common assault at Waverley Local Court (pictured) on Wednesday

She then turned on her younger daughter, punching her in the face and pulling her by her ponytail, according to agreed facts.

'Goodness me. Talk about tribal. If I did that to my children, Family and Community Services would take them away,' Magistrate Michael Barko said, according to The Daily Telegraph.

'This is not the way mothers treat their children it's from the dark ages.'

The woman was released on bail and police issued her with an apprehended violence order, banning her from assaulting or threatening her children.

The case be will heard in court on January 30 for a sentencing assessment.
A mother-of-two has been hit with two charges after she allegedly lied about finding a needle in a strawberry.

Jaydean Temperley, 28, called police on Monday morning at 9am claiming she had found the needle in a strawberry from Pak 'n Store in Timaru, New Zealand.

She has now been charged over making a false complaint to police and with causing loss by deception.

Ms Temperley said she had been cutting up the fruit for her 15-month-old daughter when she found the needle.

Jaydean Temperley, 28, has been hit with two charges after falsely claiming to have found a needle in a punnet of strawberries from a Pak 'n Store in Timaru, New Zealand (pictured)

Police took Ms Temperley's strawberries as evidence, and all strawberries were consequently removed from shelves at the Pak 'n Save store.

Speaking to Stuff on Tuesday, prior to her arrest, Ms Temperley maintained she had 'no idea' how the needle got in there and denied putting it there herself.

On Wednesday an investigation by New Zealand Food Safety found there 'were no risks in the supply chain or the food safety system'.

On Wednesday an investigation by New Zealand Food Safety found there 'were no risks in the supply chain or the food safety system' (stock image)

'There is no reason that strawberries shouldn't go back on the shelves,' a NZFS spokesperson said.

Detective Inspector Corrie Parnell said it was 'disappointing' they'd had to arrest Ms Temperley.

'But this demonstrates that Police and MPI's New Zealand Food Safety take these matters seriously,' she said.

'It also shows that, where appropriate, anyone making false reports in matters like this will be held to account.'

Ms Temperley's charge of causing loss by deception reflects the shortfall of stock Pak 'n Save have suffered as a result of her actions.

Ms Temperley will face both charges in the Timaru District Court (pictured) on January 29

'This is in connection with the significant quantity of strawberries that were destroyed as a result of this incident, reflecting the seriousness of the offending,' Detective Senior Sergeant Richard Quested said.

Pak 'n Save's parent company, Foodstuffs NZ were 'frustrated' by the incident, but happy with the response and action by police.

'Malicious events like these have serious consequences for our customers, suppliers and stores,' said spokeswoman Antoinette Laird.

'We are hopeful this will send a message that tampering with any product is unacceptable.'

Ms Temperley will face both charges in the Timaru District Court on January 29.
Australian shoppers are set to splurge a record $50 billion on retail sales this festive season with almost $18 billion of it at bricks and mortar stores in the lead up to Christmas Day.

The expected overall figure would be five per cent jump on last year, with shoppers increasingly buying online and closer to Christmas Day, the National Retail Association says.

'There's been a 35 per cent increase in spending online and that's all about convenience,' chief executive Dominique Lamb told reporters in Brisbane on Thursday.

Technology products like drones and fitness related products are selling well

Australian shoppers are expected to spend $50 billion during the festive season

'People are working longer hours, they're certainly busier this time of year and it's all about making sure they get the right gift for the right price.'

Despite the growth in online sales, Ms Lamb says $17.8 billion will be spent at physical stores in the 10 days before Christmas Day as shoppers take advantage of longer trading hours.

'Retailers are certainly reporting their figures have been great this year and we are seeing more and more foot traffic come into our centres,' she said.

Ms Lamb says technology products, such as drones, were selling well, as are fitness related products.

'They're (also) spending on nostalgic items such as Mickey and Minnie's 90th anniversary, we know they're looking for personalisation and leather emboss goods,' she said.

Despite the growth in online sales, Ms Lamb says $17.8 billion will be spent at physical stores in the 10 days before Christmas Day as shoppers take advantage of longer trading hours

Ms Lamb says the boost in sales was welcomed by traditional bricks and mortar retailers, who have increasingly adjusted their business model to include an online offering.

'Regardless of what's happening in our economy, we know that people still come out
A Midwest car repair and maintenance company has been exclusively licensed to rebuild the classic model of the Ford Bronco.

Gateway Bronco, based in Hamel, Illinois has signed a deal with Ford Motor Company and is now legally authorized to assemble the original 1966-1977 version of the vehicle and sell under the admission of the Low Volume Vehicle Manufacturer Act of 2015.

CEO and President Seth Burgett said his team is ecstatic about the opportunity, which has led to massive growth in business and consumer relationships.

'Our proprietary, exclusive solutions to re-condition and manufacture the first-generation Ford Bronco has led to incredible growth of our company,' Burgett said.

'Deepening our relationship with Ford will help us better serve our customers who want the ultimate classic for Bronco with modern performance.'

Gateway Bronco is now selling new original versions of the Ford Bronco. Above shows the 1973 Gateway Bronco Coyote Edition

The above photo shows the 1969 Gateway Bronco Restomod Fuelie

The 1974 Gateway Bronco Modern Day Warrior is pictured

The Low Volume Vehicle Manufacturer Act bill allows 'low volume motor vehicle manufacturers to produce a limited number of vehicles annually within a regulatory system that addresses the unique safety and financial issues associated with limited production.'

The bill further states that the Environmental Protection Agency will 'allow low volume motor vehicle manufacturers to install engines from vehicles that have been issued certificates of conformity.'

Motorauthority.com, a luxury car news and review website, said the company won't be constructing the exact replica of the original Bronco.

The website states: 'Gateway Bronco builds the cars to their factory spec using modern components...the company offers three "trim levels" which include 'the Fuelie, Coyote Edition and the Modern Day Warrior.'

Gateway Bronco CEO Seth Burgett (above) CEO said his team is ecstatic about the opportunity, which has led to massive growth in business and consumer relationships

The Fuelie is priced at $120,000, the Coyote Edition, $150,000, and the Modern Day Warrior, $180,000.

'The Fuelie receives a fuel-injected 347-cubic inch stroker V-8 paired with either a 4-speed automatic or 5-speed manual transmission.

'The interior is built to original specifications with leather upholstery and modern chassis components and suspension turn the classic car into something livable for everyday driving.

'The Coyote Edition plops Ford's modern 5.0-liter V-8 under the hood, while the Modern Day Warrior also receives the same powerplant.'

The new and advanced version of the Bronco nameplate will be available in 2020, Ford confirmed in March.

President Jim Farley said in a statement: 'Ford helped start the off-road phenomenon and has majored in off-road capability for decades  from the Bronco to the Raptor.

'Now, were ready to reclaim our rightful place as the off-road vehicle leader.'

The new generation truck will resemble the original but will offer the latest smart technology, the company said.

Ford Motor Company's Executive Vice President and president, Global Markets Jim Farley is seen in March in New York City. The company confirmed in March the new and advanced version of the Bronco nameplate will be available in 2020
On December 14, Moscow will host the 'Russia into the Future!' forum, which will bring together young leaders from the Orthodox, Muslim and Jewish communities. Each community holds contests for young leaders.

The chairman of the Council for Youth Affairs under Patriarch, Inal Ardzinba, explained that the forum provides a platform for young leaders, because the community can be a serious social elevator: "A huge number of young leaders should be able to grow and work at a more responsible level. The contests have started a month ago - expert councils of each community chose young people. As a result of these contests, 15 people (five from each of the three communities) will form a personnel reserve, and we will support these guys by launching a mentoring program. Mentoring is an important social phenomenon which gives certain results. We will pick up mentors for the guys. On Friday, winners of competitions, mentors, as well as the action program of the children will be presented at the forum 'Russia - into the future!"

A spokesman for the Chief Rabbi of Russia, Gershon Kogan, said that "the idea of mentoring is an organic part of the Jewish tradition, the Jewish worldview. The values which are embedded in the Oral Torah are passed down through the generations, from the older to the younger. Everything which will be discussed at the forum is consistent with the spirit of Jewish tradition."

The mufti of the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia, Albir Krganov, noted that "there have been attempts to tear young people away from their roots in the whole world - both in Europe and in the Arab countries. Which is not good, because when a person forgets his history, national and religious roots, traditions, he loses his core. It is important for us living in this large, multiethnic, multi-religious country like Russia to take this factor into account. We have lived for centuries, maintaining our individuality, but respecting each other. Our strength is unity of diversity."

The acting deputy head of the Synodal Department for Youth Affairs, monk Kyprianos (Burkov) recalled that "there are moral rules at the heart of each religion aimed at making us live in peace and harmony. with young people to live in peace, friendship, harmony. The cooperation planned withing this project is aimed at working together with young people to live in peace, friendship and harmony. It is important that our young people have, as they say in a secular environment, a social elevator in order to realize their talents."
One of Australia's worst performing suburbs when it comes to house prices has been touted as a good place to invest by a real estate boss.

Baulkham Hills, in Sydney's north-west, has suffered an 11.3 per cent plunge in property values during the past year, with CoreLogic data showing it be the third worst suburban housing market nationally.

Despite this, Starr Partners chief executive Douglas Driscoll said the suburb's proximity to the upcoming Sydney Metro North West rail link stations of Castle Hill and Norwest made it a great long-term investment, even if was 27 kilometres from the city centre.

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Baulkham Hills, one of Australia's worst performing suburbs in terms of house prices, has been touted as a good place to invest

Starr Partners chief executive Douglas Driscoll said its proximity to the upcoming Sydney Metro North West rail link (artist's impression pictured) made it a great long-term investment

'It's all pretty commonsense. When I look at suburbs, I look at major-scale infrastructure projects,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Thursday.

'It's one of those areas where people looking around, they're looking for value for money.

'They're going to look at Baulkham Hills and they're going to see an area where they go, 'You know what, it's not salubrious but you get so much more bang for your buck'.'

Mr Driscoll, whose property group operates in Sydney, Newcastle and the central coast, also recommended an outer-western suburb near Blacktown, even though prices there dived by 8.1 per cent in the year to November.

Despite being almost 50km from the city centre, Riverstone was recommended because it is getting a new town centre and is next to a major employment hub

Top 10 Sydney suburbs for growth 1. Baulkham Hills, north-west 2. Riverstone, outer north-west 3. Auburn, west 4. Brookvale, northern beaches 5. Maroubra, south-east 6. Eveleigh, inner-south 7. Waterloo, inner-south 8. Millers Point, city centre 9. Castle Cove, lower north shore 10. Breakfast Point, inner-west Source: Starr Partners Advertisement

Despite that, he said a new town centre at Riverstone, 48km from the city, made this outer suburb a great buy.

'I actually expected Riverstone to take off sooner than it actually has,' he said.

Riverstone is one suburb away from one of Australia's biggest industrial and commercial areas at Marsden Park.

'In its own right, become like an employment hub in many ways,' Mr Driscoll said, adding its distance from Sydney's central business district was no longer an obstacle.

Auburn, 24km west of the city, was the New South Wales murder capital in 2014.

Despite the stigma of being a crime hot spot Mr Driscoll said the railway station suburb, where 43 per cent of residents are Muslim, was becoming more cosmopolitan.

Auburn, 24km west of the city, was on the list for being an increasingly cosmopolitan suburb with quiet streets

'I've seen it become more and more popular,' Mr Driscoll said.

Suburbs with the biggest drop in median house prices Ryde, northern Sydney, down 12.1% Melbourne inner east, down 11.7% Baulkham Hills, north-west Sydney, down 11.3% Sutherland, southern Sydney, down 10.9% Parramatta, western Sydney, down 10.3% Melbourne inner south, down 9.4% Sydney inner south west, down 8.5% Hornsby, northern Sydney, down 8.3% Blacktown, Sydney's west, down 8.1% Sydney inner west, down 8% Source: CoreLogic median house and apartment values, year to November 30 Advertisement

'Multiculturalism, up until fairly recently, was kind of frowned upon whereas now it's seen as a positive thing.

'Auburn, in many ways, is becoming a microcosm of Australia as a nation, really.

'Auburn's got a lot going for it: nice quiet streets, the town centre's a hive of activity, you've got a number of different eateries.'

While Sydney's northern beaches is home to upmarket suburbs like Manly, nearby Brookvale has often been forgotten, despite being the home of the Sea Eagles rugby league team.

Average house prices here are also $150,000 to $180,000 cheaper than neighbouring Dee Why and Allambie Heights and there are plans to turn the light industrial area into a restaurant and cafe precinct.

A new bus line to the city and the newly-opened Northern Beaches Hospital at Frenchs Forest were also touted as value adders.

Brookvale, near Manly, is a forgotten part of the northern beaches that is set to get a new restaurant and cafe precinct

Maroubra, south of the more famous Coogee and Bondi beaches, was also on the Starr Partners list along with the inner-south suburbs of Waterloo and Eveleigh, near upmarket Surry Hills.

Mr Driscoll said it was worth considering areas near more glamorous suburbs that had the potential to gentrify.

'Slowly but surely, Sydney is becoming more cosmopolitan. It's slowly but surely becoming an international city and with that does come gentrification,' he said.
The trial of a woman who allegedly planned her husband's murder has revealed a disturbing web of affairs, threesomes and saucy spring break snaps between the couple and the accused's ex-lover.

Denise Williams, 48, who has been charged with the murder of her first husband, Mike Williams, appeared in court Wednesday for the second day of her trial.

Prosecutors have argued that Denise, with the help of Mike's best friend, Brian Winchester, planned his death when he vanished while duck hunting on a lake near Tallahassee 18 years ago so they could be together.

Additional testimony alleged that Winchester, who married Denise after Mike's death in 2000 and confessed to murdering him last year, was the person who helped Mike fill out forms for a $1million life insurance policy, and also helped Denise apply for the funds after he was killed.

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The trial of Denise Williams (pictured in court Wednesday), who allegedly planned the murder of her first husband, Mike Williams, has revealed a web of affairs and threesomes between the couple and the accused's ex-lover, Brian Winchester

On Wednesday, more disturbing details were revealed as the court heard about the close friendships of Mike, Denise, Winchester (pictured) and Winchester's ex-wife, Kathy Thomas

Mike, Denise, Winchester and Winchester's ex-wife, Kathy Thomas, were all close friends and attended North Florida Christian School together. Mike, Denise, Winchester are seen in their yearbook photos

On Wednesday, more disturbing details were revealed as the court heard about the close friendships of Mike, Denise, Winchester and Winchester's ex-wife, Kathy Thomas.

According to the New York Post, all four were close friends and attended North Florida Christian School together.

The couples were high school sweethearts and would go on double-dates, but their relationships actually went much further.

Photos were presented of Denise and Thomas, which were said to have been of a sexual nature but were not shown to those present in the court. The photos showed the two women kissing during a spring break trip to Panama City Beach after Mike's death.

During Winchester's testimony he reportedly told the court: 'They are photographs of Denise with my first wife Kathy of a sexual nature.'

But according to the Post, Kathy told authorities that she, Denise and Winchester had a threesome on a trip before Mike disappeared in 2000.

Photos were presented of Denise and Thomas, which showed them kissing during a spring break trip to Panama City after Mike's death. During Winchester's testimony he reportedly told the court: 'They are photographs of Denise with my first wife Kathy of a sexual nature'

Mike's mother, Cheryl Williams, also took the stand on Wednesday.

Cheryl testified before a judge in Tallahassee, sharing that Denise threatened to keep her grandchild away from her if she didn't stop looking for her son, according to WTXL.

Initially it was believed that he had fallen from his boat and that his body had been devoured by alligators. But it was revealed years later that Mike had died from a shotgun blast to the head and his body was found buried near a lake.

Winchester's confession in 2017 resulted in Denise's arrest in May on murder, fraud, conspiracy and accessory after the fact charges.

Mike's mother, Cheryl Williams (pictured), also testified briefly on Wednesday before a judge in Tallahassee, sharing that Denise threatened to keep her grandchild away from her if she didn't stop looking for her son. Cheryl is shown here in a Crime Watch Daily interview

Local meteorologist Jennifer Meyers for WTXL provided updates from inside the courtroom on Wednesday, relaying Cheryl's testimony

Before Cheryl took the stand, her other son, Nick Williams, testified about her efforts to find Mike after he went missing, and to pressure authorities to keep the investigation open.

Beginning in January of 2015, Cheryl wrote a total of 240 letters to Governor Rick Scott asking for him to personally step in and properly handle her son's murder case, only to learn that none of those letters reached him, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.

That was after fighting for three years to even get law enforcement to consider reopening the case of her dead son.

Beginning in January of 2015, Cheryl wrote a total of 240 letters to Governor Rick Scott asking for him to personally step in and properly handle her son's murder case, only to learn that none of those letters reached him

Courtesy of WTXL

To start the day, the judge began asking questions of Mike's confessed killer, Winchester, that came from the jury, including whether there was a discussion about what to do with insurance money from Mike's death, WTXL reported.

The judge asked if there was a plan for him to access insurance funds individually or any discussion about a plan? Winchester said not to both.

'We wanted to be together, but the money was just icing on the cake,' he said.

On cross-examination, Denise's attorney pointed at and asked Winchester if he was a murderer and a liar, and Winchester said, 'Yes, sir,' to both.

During the first day of the trial, Winchester detailed how he and Williams allegedly plotted Mike's murder during their three-year affair.

Winchester told the court that his friend Mike told him Denise had stopped having sex with him and that he was growing suspicious about her activities.

He said the growing suspicion and the fact that one of Mike's insurance policies was about to lapse led him and Denise to kill him.

'We knew our window of opportunity was closing,' Winchester testified.

At the time of his death Mike had three life insurance policies worth $1.75million, which Winchester reportedly helped him write.

Winchester then tearfully described the plot to kill Mike.

He had invited Mike duck hunting on a cold December morning and Winchester said he had intended to drown him by pushing him from his canoe.

But he said he panicked when he saw Williams struggling in the water to get out of his jacket and duck waders and shot him.

Florida prosecutors contended on Tuesday that Denise planned the 2000 slaying of her husband Mike (both pictured) so she could get a $1.75million insurance payout

Denise, now 48, was arrested back in May and charged with murder, fraud, conspiracy, and accessory after the fact in the relation to Mike's death. He disappeared in December 2000 while duck hunting near Tallahassee

'He started to yell and I didn't know how to get out of that situation. I had my gun in the boat, and so I loaded my gun and I just made one or two circles around and I ended up circling closer towards him and he was in the water, and as I passed by, I shot him,' he said.

He said he dragged Williams' body back to shore, put him in his truck and buried him hours later.

'When I shot him, it was dark and there was a bright flash,' Winchester testified, adding later, 'I had to make it happen, I had no choice.'

He also described helping the rescue crews search for his friend's body.

'I think (my father and I) were the last ones. My dad didn't want to give up... He loved Mike.'

Denise's attorney, Philip Padovano, told jurors on Tuesday there is no evidence his client was having an affair with Winchester or that she helped plot the killing

Denise eventually went on to marry Winchester five years after her husband's death but their relationship soured and they later divorced.

Mike's body wasn't found until last year after prosecutors offered Winchester immunity in the murder case while he was being sentenced to 20 years in prison for kidnapping Denise at gunpoint.

Denise had filed for divorce from Winchester in 2015, and Winchester feared she would tell authorities about his involvement in Mike's murder.

Winchester kidnapped her in August 2016 and made her promise not to reveal their alleged secret. After she was released by Winchester, Denise went to authorities and reported the kidnapping.

When Winchester was arrested, prosecutors offered Winchester immunity from any charges related to Mike's death if he confessed the details of the murder plot.

Authorities found Mike's body and Denise was arrested five months later.

Denise's attorney, Philip Padovano, told jurors on Tuesday there is no evidence his client was having an affair with Winchester or that she helped plot the killing.

'There's no tangible evidence or physical evidence to connect Denise Williams to this crime,' Padovano said. 'No confession, no admission, nothing.'

The lawyer told them that Winchester has been given immunity from murder charges in exchange for his testimony and that he was given a lighter sentence in his kidnapping case.

In order to find Denise guilty, Padovano told the jury that 'you will have to rely on the word of a murderer and a convicted felon'.

Mike and Denise were high school sweethearts and married in 1994 before welcoming a daughter five years later. The child was 18 months old when her father vanished, and she is now aged 18.

Mike married his high school sweetheart Denise in 1994 and welcomed a daughter with her five years later. The child was 18 months old when her father vanished and is now aged 18

Denise (pictured with her daughter in a photo shared to Instagram by Mike's mother), is currently on trial for her first husband's 2000 murder

Mike disappeared on what would have been the couple's sixth wedding anniversary.

Authorities launched an exhaustive 44-day search for Mike's body after he vanished in 2000.

Six months after his disappearance, waders believed to belong to Mike were found floating in perfect condition in the search area. They reportedly showed no signs of an alligator attack.

Without a body, Denise petitioned to have her husband declared dead due to accidental drowning and she collected his death benefits.

Other witnesses called on Wednesday included Sargent Richard Wooten who worked as an undercover officer with the Florida Department of law enforcement to make to make contact with Denise, and Timothy Langland, an insurance compliance specialist, who explained the application for insurance that Mike applied for and listed Denise as sole beneficiary.

Winchester helped Mike apply for a $1million policy in April of 2000, at a time when Mike also already had a $250,000 policy. It's believed Mike also had other policies to total the $1.75million amount.

Dr Lisa Flannagan, a medical examiner, examined Mike's body when it was found at Carr Lake.

She observed skull fractures and birdshot pellets within the skull, ruling the cause of death as a shotgun shot to the head and/or facial area.

A former colleague of Mike's, named Angela Stafford, testified that Denise and Winchester were 'very friendly' toward each other in front of Mike and others at a concert at a place called Floyd's in 1997.

Howard Drew, a friend of Mike's, also testified that he taught Mike what to do if water got into his waders, which is relevant to the claim made by Denise that Mike had likely drowned, in order to pronounce him dead after he had been missing for five years and collect on his insurance money.

Dr Stephen Mnookin was also called to the stand and testified that Winchester had told him that the best way to talk to Denise was to kidnap her, and that he worried she would talk to police about his role in Mike's murder.

Denise married Winchester in December 2005 before they divorced in 2016.
A prominent church pastor is being held by the Chinese authorities on suspicion of inciting subversion, according to a human rights group.

The news came as Beijing carries out a campaign to clamp down on religion unapproved by the state.

Protestant pastor Wang Yi of the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu as well as dozens of churchgoers were said to be detained by police and state security officials on Sunday night.

Other leaders of the church were reportedly detained too.

Members of the Early Rain Church in south-west China's Chengdu have been unable to contact pastor Wang Yi, the church's founder, or his wife (both pictured) after the incident on Sunday

Protestant pastor Wang Yi of the Early Rain Covenant Church (pictured) as well as dozens of churchgoers were said to be detained by police and state security officials on Sunday night

Earlier reports said the officials had gone to the homes of the religious leaders and churchgoers and detained them, according to church announcements sent to members and passed to Reuters by churchgoers and activists.

Early Rain Covenant Church is one of the better-known unregistered Protestant 'house' churches in China.

Head pastor Wang Yi was detained and held on suspicion of 'inciting subversion of state power', New York-based organisation Human Rights Watch said in a statement today, citing an official document sent to Wang's mother.

The authorities have also searched homes, offices, a seminary, a kindergarten and a bible college related to the church, Human Rights Watch said. Reuters confirmed the group's account with activists and churchgoers who had spoken with Wang's mother.

China's constitution guarantees religious freedom, but since President Xi Jinping took office six years ago, the government has tightened restrictions on religions seen as a challenge to the authority of the ruling Communist Party.

China's constitution guarantees religious freedom, but since President Xi Jinping took office six years ago, the government has tightened restrictions on religions seen as a challenge to the authority of the ruling Communist Party

'The shutdown of a Protestant church in Chengdu epitomises the Xi Jinping government's relentless assault on religious freedom in China,' said Wang Yaqiu, a researcher at Human Rights Watch in the statement.

'It makes a mockery of the governments claim that it respects religious beliefs.'

Human Rights Watch urged for an immediate release of pastor Wang and other congregants.

China's Public Security Ministry did not respond to faxed requests for comment. A Chengdu government official declined to comment when reached by Reuters by phone.

Chinese law requires that all places of worship register and submit to government oversight, but some churches have declined to register, for various reasons.

Late on Tuesday, members of the congregation published a statement from Wang that he had given to them for release in the event that he was held for over 48 hours.

Chinese law requires all places of worship register and submit to government oversight, but some churches have declined to register, such as the Early Rain Covenant Church (file photo)

'I am filled with anger and disgust at the persecution of the church by this Communist regime, at the wickedness of their depriving people of the freedoms of religion and of conscience,' Wang wrote, according to the statement.

Wang also wrote that he did not consider it his mission to change the institutions that ruled China: 'I accept and respect the fact that this Communist regime has been allowed by God to rule temporarily.'

'Regardless of what crime the government charges me with, whatever filth they fling at me... I categorically deny it,' he wrote.

Churches across China have more pressure to register since a new set of regulations to govern religious affairs came into effect in February and increased punishments on unofficial churches.

A demolished house church is seen in the city of Zhengzhou in central China's Henan province

Underground churches, especially larger establishments like the Early Rain Covenant, which has at least 500 church members, have faced increasing pressure.

In September, Beijing officials shut down Zion Church, one of China's largest unofficial Protestant churches, for operating without a licence - before ordering it to pay back 1.2 million yuan (137,000) in rent and removal costs.

In November, a bishop in eastern China belonging to the Vatican-aligned unofficial church went missing, despite a historic accord on the appointment of bishops reached in September between Beijing and the Holy See, which broke off diplomatic ties in 1951.
A New Zealand man who paid an underage teen $20 to have sex in a public toilet while wearing her school uniform has been jailed for three years and two months.

Robert Alfie Mahy, 40, appeared at Dunedin District Court on Wednesday, where he pleaded guilty to having sex with the teen on two consecutive days in September.

The court heard Mahy approached the 14-year-old girl at Dunedin City Library in Otago and asked her to help him set up a Facebook page, NZ Herald reported.

Robert Alfie Mahy, 40, appeared at Dunedin District Court (pictured) on Wednesday, where he pleaded guilty to having sex with the teen on two consecutive days in September

He briefly talked to the girl, who was wearing her school uniform, before propositioning her to have sex at a nearby toilet in the same building for a $20 fee.

After having unprotected sex, the man agreed to meet with the girl the following day, after she told him he could have 'a free one' because it was her birthday.

The next day, they met at the same public toilet at the library and had unprotected sex, after which Mahy gave the girl $20, the court heard.

Crown prosecutor Craig Power told the court on Wednesday the very nature of the offending was particularly 'brazen' given that it took place in a public place.

The prosecution also described how the girl was particularly vulnerable when the offending took place.

The fact that she suffered from a disorder characterised by 'markedly disturbed and inappropriate ways of relating socially in most contexts' made her especially vulnerable, the court heard.

Mr Power said it was also concerning that during a psychological assessment, Mahy had been seen as impulsive and shown no respect for the girl's wellbeing.

His defence lawyer, Cate Andersen argued her client misunderstood the questions being asked of him, saying he didn't see himself as 'predatory'.

Mahy, who paid an underage teen $20 to have sex in a public toilet at Dunedin City Library (pictured) in Otago, has been jailed for three years and two months

The court heard Mahy approached the 14-year-old girl at Dunedin City Library and asked her to help him set up a Facebook page

Ms Anderson labeled the acts as 'opportunistic' and said since providing clarification to Mahy, he was now willing to take part in sex offending programs while in prison.

But when handing down his verdict, Judge Michael Crosbie rejected the defence's characterisation of Mahy given that he met with the girl on two separate occasions.

Judge Crosbie said since the incident the girl's family had noticed a significant change in her behaviour, which included self-harming and running away from home.

He said, while hard working, Mahy had a history of alcohol abuse and had been sentenced to community work less than a week prior to the incident.

The 14-year-old also had a mental age of a nine-year-old, the court heard.

Mahy was sentenced to three years and two months jail and his name will be added to the New Zealand Child Sex Offenders' Register.
The father of Gavin Newsom, California's Governor-Elect, has passed away at the age of 84 after a long illness, it was announced on Wednesday.

Newsom's transition team released a statement announcing the death of retired Justice William Alfred Newsom III.

'The Newsom family is deeply saddened to announce that the Governor-Elect's father - avid environmentalist and retired Justice William Alfred Newsom III - passed away peacefully this morning at 9.59am at his home in San Francisco.

'Justice Newsom was a proud, lifelong Californian, a public servant of profound accomplishment and a powerful voice for individual rights and environmental protection.'

Retired Justice William Alfred Newsom III, a former appointee to California's State Court of Appeals, died at the age of 84 after a long illness, it was announced on Wednesday

His son, Gavin Newsom, is Governor-Elect of California. Gavin Newsom is seen left with his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, in Sacramento last week

His death comes less than a month before his son is set to officially succeed Jerry Brown as the 40th Governor of California.

Gavin Newsom, the former lieutenant governor and onetime Mayor of San Francisco, assumes the top office in the state on January 7.

'He may not have gotten to see Gavin sworn in. But he saw Gavin elected governor of this state, which was a great source of pride for Billy,' said John Burton, a close friend of William Newsom's and former member of Congress from California.

Brown appointed Newsom to the Placer County Superior Court in 1975, during Brown's first term as governor, and later put Newsom on the state Court of Appeals in 1978. He retired in 1995.

He was a staunch advocate for environmental protection, serving on the board of the Sierra Club Foundation, the group's charitable arm, and of the Environmental Defense Fund.

Occasionally Newsom was restricted in how much environmental advocacy he could do while serving as a judge, former Sierra Club executive director Carl Pope said.

His death comes less than a month before his son is set to officially succeed Jerry Brown as the 40th Governor of California. Gavin Newsom is seen right shaking hands with his father after he was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor in Sacramento on January 10, 2011

He and Newsom were close friends, with Newsom serving as the best man in Pope's wedding.

In addition to Gavin, Newsom is survived by a daughter, Hilary.

He and their mother, Tessa Menzies, divorced when Gavin Newsom, 51, was young.

William Newsom made a home in the community of Dutch Flat in the Sierra Nevada foothills and fell in love with the landscape and nature there, Pope said.

It inspired him to help form the Mountain Lion Foundation and lead a 1990 ballot measure to ban mountain lion hunting.

'That was his country,' Pope said.

During his gubernatorial run, Gavin Newsom said his favorite memories with his father were spent camping and backpacking along California's rivers.

His father once had a river otter as a pet, he said. His father also helped shape his views on drug policy and racial justice.

'He had an amazing life. He was an amazing influence on me,' Newsom said.

On the court of appeals, Newsom ruled on a diverse array of cases from the right of privacy for HIV-positive health care patients to the liability of the San Francisco 49ers over a player's crippling knee injury.

In one prominent case, he ruled the prestigious Bohemian Club, a men's club north of San Francisco that counted Ronald Reagan as a member, could not enforce a ban on hiring women.

In a statement, Brown said Newsom was 'a longtime friend, a champion of the environment and someone whom I was proud to appoint to the superior court and court of appeal.'

Gavin Newsom also served as Mayor of San Francisco. At the time, he was married to Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former prosecutor in San Francisco and Los Angeles. They would eventually divorce. Guilfoyle is best known as a Fox News co-host. The ex-couple is seen above in 2004

Newsom was a close friend of Gordon Getty, the son of oil magnate J. Paul Getty, and managed his personal finances. During Gavin Newsom's gubernatorial run, critics painted him as a son of wealth and privilege because of his connections to the Getty family.

Gordon Getty helped finance Newsom's first wine shop in 1992, which later grew into a successful business line.

William Newsom's friends said he was thoughtful, witty and well read.

Pope, his longtime friend, recalled that Newsom even looked for ways to stave off boredom during his frequent drives from the foothills to San Francisco for court sessions.

On occasion, he'd place a book of poetry on the steering wheel to read while driving.

After learning that, Pope joked, he never wanted to share the highway with Newsom again.

'He had a very, very active mind,' Pope said.
A father charged with sexually assaulting a little girl he allegedly abducted from a Kmart store has previously been convicted of drink-driving and graffiti offences.

Sterling Mervyn Free, 26, is accused of luring a seven-year-old girl from the toy aisle of Kmart at Westfield North Lakes, north of Brisbane, on Saturday afternoon.

Free was arrested on Monday and charged with indecent assault, taking a child for immoral purposes and deprivation of liberty.

Just 18 months earlier, Free was caught drink-driving while on his P-plate licence.

Court documents seen by Daily Mail Australia revealed how Free pulled into a random breath test in his home suburb of Morayfield at 3.52am on February 27 last year.

Sterling Mervyn Free, 26, is accused of luring a seven-year-old girl from the toy aisle of Kmart at Westfield North Lakes, north of Brisbane

After blowing into the breath test he returned a positive reading of 0.028.

Because he was on his provisional licence, Free was not permitted to have any alcohol in is system while driving.

Free pleaded guilty to the offence in the Caboolture Magistrates Court and was convicted.

He was fined $300 and had his driver's licence suspended for three months.

In 2011, Free was charged with of a graffiting offence and fined for his actions.

Free will spend Christmas in custody after he was refused bail when he faced Pine Rivers Magistrates court on Wednesday over the alleged attack on a child.

Free, a father of 18-month-old twin daughters, will spend Christmas in jail after being charged with taking a child for immoral purposes

At the family home in suburban Morayfield, Free's partner Angie Hodgson said she was shocked by the allegations levelled at her long-time lover.

'It's been tough on me and my family,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'We've had media at our door and I don't know what else to say.'

The alleged attack inside the Kmart store occurred at a time when it was packed with shoppers buying Christmas gifts for loved ones.

Free had allegedly watched the young girl from a distance as she picked out presents with her mum, before luring the youngster over and grabbing her when the woman looked away for a split second.

The father-of-two allegedly then drove the girl to a nearby bush area at Pumicestone Passage and sexually assaulted her.

Free's partner Angie Hodgson said she was 'shocked' by his charges and the allegations levelled at him

Free, 26, allegedly lured a girl, 7, away from her mother while she was looking at Christmas present ideas in the toy section of Kmart at North Lakes, near Brisbane

CCTV cameras inside the Westfield complex allegedly capture Free leaving with and then returning the girl to the Kmart store, where her panicked mother had reported her missing to staff.

On social media, shoppers criticised the Westfield centre for not doing more immediately after the child was reported missing.

'Westfield should have several steps for lockdown - the store (Kmart) then the centre (Westfield) then the paid carpark,' a woman wrote.

Another said person commented that the centre 'needs more security on weekends and during the Christmas shopping period'.

Westfield North Lakes has been contacted for comment.

A girl, 7, was allegedly abducted from Kmart at North Lakes, near Brisbane, on Saturday

The girl, 7, was looking at Christmas present ideas when she was allegedly coaxed away by Sterling Free

A Go Fund Me account was set up on Thursday for the alleged victim's ongoing medical expenses and needs.

'The best way I could think to support the family was to start a fundraiser to create a trust fund for the family medical and mental health expenses,' the organiser wrote.

It is understood detectives have still not been able to get a full statement from the alleged victim, who is reportedly still too traumatised..

Neighbours said they were shocked when an 'army' of officers converged on their quiet street and raided Free's home on Monday afternoon.

His computer and mobile phone were seized.

'It's a quiet street and so when I saw all these cars I stuck my head outside, and there was an army of police going in and out of the house,' one neighbour said.

'I couldn't believe what I was seeing and then they brought him out in handcuffs and sat him on the front lawn.'

Another neighbour said she had met Free only once, but on that occasion he spent more than an hour helping to find her dog after it escaped her backyard.

Other homeowners in the street  some with young children of their own - were totally unaware the alleged sex predator they had heard about on the news lived just a few doors away.

At the time of his drink driving offence last year, Free listed his occupation as an insulation installer.

More recently he had worked at a Fantastic Furniture store, following a stint in the Western Australia mines.
A South Carolina teen who aspired to be the most prolific school shooter in American history could face life in prison after he pleaded guilty to murdering his father and a six-year-old boy on Wednesday.

Jesse Osborne was 14 when he confessed to shooting his father Jeffrey in the head three times at their home in Townville on September 28, 2016.

He then left the house in his dad's pickup truck and drove three miles to a local elementary school, where he opened fire on a group of children outside for recess. Three people were wounded and the youngest, six-year-old Jacob Hall, died from a bullet to the leg three days later.

The now-16-year-old entered a guilty plea on two counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder in Anderson County court on Wednesday with no deal on the table.

Solicitor David Wagner told the court Osborne deserved to die behind bars for his actions.

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Jesse Osborne, 16, could face life in prison after he pleaded guilty Wednesday (above) to the September 2016 murders of his father and a six-year-old boy in Townville, South Carolina

Osborne was 14 when he confessed to shooting his father Jeffrey (together above) in the head three times at their home in Anderson County before driving to a local elementary school and opening fire on a group of children outside for recess, leaving three wounded

Osborne will face a minimum of 30 years in prison but could receive a life sentence as the Supreme Court allows life without parole for juvenile murder suspects in especially heinous cases.

An extensive sentencing hearing will be held next year, at which point a judge will take into consideration the teen's age, his family life and the details of the crime.

During his confession, Osborne told investigators that he was angry at his father because he would get belligerently drunk and try to fight the boy and his mother.

Jeffery Osborne had convictions for domestic abuse and possessing marijuana and had declared bankruptcy.

The teen also said in his confession that he was bullied and had been nicknamed 'Little Jesse' because of his small stature.

In the wake of his crimes, Osborne wanted to be tried as a minor, even researching symptoms related to autism and mental illness.

He even talked about hallucinations - however, psychiatric evaluators determined that he was lying.

Prosecutors argued that Osborne's obsession with violence never went away, and the evaluators agreed.

'My observations of him in this courtroom over the last few days have been that he is still 100 percent in that mind-set,' psychiatrist James Ballenger testified, saying he'd seen Osborne crack a smile in court when his acts were brought up. 'He's very comfortable.'

Prosecutors say Osborne (pictured) expressed his desire to kill dozens of people on social media in the days before the shooting

The teen told police he was angry at his father for trying to fight him and his mother (pictured)

In the days leading up to the shooting, Osborne discussed desires to kill large numbers of people on social media.

'I HAVE TO BEAT ADAM LANZA', the eighth-grader wrote in an Instagram group chat just nine days prior, referring to the Sandy Hook shooter.

'I think ill probably most likely kill around 50 or 60. If I get lucky maybe 150.'

Osborne was believed to have been motivated by his suspension from West Oak Middle School for bringing a hatchet and machete to campus the year before.

Six days before the shooting he told the group chat: 'The middle school has tons of cops. The elementary school doesn't.'

An extensive sentencing hearing will be held next year, at which point Judge Lawton McIntosh (above) will take into consideration the teen's age, his family life and the details of the crime

Six-year-old Jacob Hall (pictured) died three days after being shot in the leg by Osborne
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Terrifying dashcam footage has emerged of the moment a B-double truck veered onto the wrong side of the road and onto the pavement in a Sydney suburb, injuring five and killing a woman.

Filmed from a car driving in the opposite direction, the footage shows the enormous truck swerving into oncoming traffic at around 7.45 am in Alexandria, in the city's inner south.

The driver of the car moves quickly to get out of the way and narrowly avoids the collision.

As the car passes the truck, a flash can be seen from behind as the accident sends debris flying.

A 44-year-old woman died and two of the five injured are fighting for their lives in hospital.

Terrifying dashcam footage has emerged of the moment a B-double truck veered onto the wrong side of the road and onto the pavement in a Sydney suburb, injuring five and killing a woman

Filmed from a car driving in the opposite direction, the footage shows the enormous truck swerving into oncoming traffic at around 7.45 am in Alexandria, in the city's inner south

One person has died and five others have been injured after a truck plowed into pedestrians in Sydney's Alexandria on Wednesday morning, before hitting a power pole

The horrific scene unfolded about 7.45am on Wednesday on Botany Road in Alexandria when the truck veered onto the wrong side of the road

The truck hit pedestrians, a power pole, a bus stop and a building after veering onto the wrong side of the road, New South Wales Police said in a statement

The B-double truck was travelling south on Botany Road when it veered into northbound lanes, the police statement said

A pedestrian who was hit by the truck is rushed to hospital by paramedics (pictured)

Five pedestrians who were at a bus stop waiting for a bus were injured after being hit by the truck

'Police have been told a B-double travelling south on Botany Road veered into northbound lanes, before hitting pedestrians, a power pole, a bus stop and a building,' a New South Wales Police statement said.

A 44-year-old female pedestrian died at the scene. Another female pedestrian, 21, was rushed to hospital in a critical condition.

Two male pedestrians and a female pedestrian, 26, were also taken to hospital, while another women did not require hospital treatment.

Police Superintendent Andrew Holland said the 38-year-old male driver, who was taken to hospital in a critical condition, may have suffered a medical episode.

'He believes he may have undertaken a medical episode but that is yet to be confirmed,' Supt. Holland said.

He earlier said the accident scene 'couldn't be much worse'.

Paramedics were confronted with 'an absolutely horrific scene' when they arrived, with the pedestrians 'spread over some distance', believed to be about 50 metres.

'The first paramedics on scene arrived to find an absolutely horrific scene. They were able to identify a truck driver who was trapped in his vehicle, multiple people laying around on the footpath and two other people still sitting in vehicles,' an Ambulance New South Wales spokesperson said.

Witness Natalie described the accident scene as a 'huge disaster'.

'I walked past a couple of people that were lying on the ground and they had medics around them attending to them,' Natalie told Radio 2GB.

Another witness, Eurice Chalice, told the Daily Telegraph: 'We heard people screaming and ran over to help'.

'You hear about these things but when you see it, it's a bit of a shock,' Mr Chalice said.

He also told reporters: 'We didn't know what it was [at first]. It was like an explosion it was that loud'.

Bourke Street is expected to be closed for several hours while the scene is cleared and police carry out their initial investigation

Power supply to the surrounding area was cut off after the truck took out the power pole

Multiple crews of police, paramedics and firefighters were called to the scene, which was described by one witness as a 'huge disaster'

Emergency services were confronted with a 'horrific scene' when they arrived at the Botany Road crash site

Emergency services rushed to the scene in Alexandria, Sydney's inner south, about 7.45am on Wednesday

The crash shut down Botany Road in both directions between Bourke Street and Epsom Road during the morning commute

Emergency services, including 12 ambulance crews, an ambulance helicopter and three Fire and Rescue New South Wales crews were called to the scene, where they were faced with difficult conditions surrounded by fallen power lines.

The crash has shut down Botany Road in both directions between Bourke Street and Epsom Road, causing chaos for drivers heading into the city on the morning commute.

Drivers are being told to avoid the area and use alternative routes instead, with the road expected to be closed for several hours.

Motorists are warned there are 'heavy traffic conditions' and 'significant delays'.

Southbound traffic is being diverted into O'Riordan Street and northbound traffic into Collins Street, a tweet from Live Traffic New South Wales said.

Buses which normally travel through the area are experiencing delays of more than one hour, with the 370 route skipping 11 stops and other services being diverted.

Power supply to the surrounding area was cut off after the truck took out the power pole.

The building partially collapsed after it was hit by the truck.

The Crash Investigation Unit is investigating the fatal crash and are calling for witnesses to come forward.
The California judge who was removed from the bench by voters angry over his lenient sentence to a convicted rapist is asking supporters to help pay off his legal bills.

In June, Aaron Persky became the first California judge to lose his position on the bench in a judicial recall in almost 90 years.

Now he says that the campaign to challenge the recall, which he eventually lost, has forced him into debt, according to San Jose Inside.

I am writing to thank you for your support during the recall campaign, and to ask you to contribute to defray $135,000 in court-ordered attorney fees arising from the recall, Persky wrote in an email he sent to supporters on Tuesday.

In June, Aaron Persky became the first California judge to lose his position on the bench in a judicial recall in almost 90 years. Persky is seen above in San Jose on May 30, 2018 - days before he would lose the recall

On June 5, 2018, I was recalled by voters after a well-funded, misleading, and extremely negative campaign by recall proponents.

My campaign, which stressed the vital importance of an independent judiciary, received broad support from the legal community in Santa Clara County and beyond.

Persky, 56, said he has until the end of December to pay off all of his debts.

He lost the recall campaign, with more than 60 per cent of Santa Clara County voters supporting his removal.

Persky, who was on the bench for 15 years, lost his $186,000-a-year salary.

He managed to raise $840,000 for the recall campaign, which he was unable to block in court.

Persky says his legal debts were the result of a lawsuit he filed asking the California Secretary of State to preside over the recall. But a lower court rejected his claim.

The former Santa Clara County Superior Court judge became the object of scorn across the nation in early June 2016.

Persky sentenced Brock Turner, a swimmer at Stanford University, to six months in a local jail and three years probation after he was convicted of sexual assault charges.

Turner was arrested in January 2015 after he was found behind a dumpster on the Stanford campus sexually assaulting an unconscious woman.

While prosecutors recommended a six-year prison sentence, probation officials in Santa Clara County believed a moderate county jail sentence was appropriate given Turners lack of a criminal record, youth, and expression of remorse.

Persky agreed with the probation officials and handed down the more lenient sentence, sparking outrage.

Michele Dauber, a Stanford professor who knew Turner's victim, launched a public campaign that eventually ended in the judge's recall.

Dauber was quoted as saying on Tuesday that she had no sympathy for Persky's financial predicament.

'Judge Persky made the bad decision to repeatedly file frivolous lawsuits and appeals with the goal of stalling and causing expense,' she wrote in an email to San Jose Inside.

'The court has concluded that he should be required to pay for that decision, and we are happy that our lawyer will be getting paid for his outstanding work in defending our constitutional rights, and those of the voters of Santa Clara County.'

The Santa Clara County Superior Court judge became the object of scorn across the nation in early June 2016. Persky sentenced Brock Turner (above), a swimmer at Stanford, to six months in a local jail and three years probation after he was convicted of sexual assault charges

The case ignited a national debate over the criminal justice system's treatment of sexual assault victims and racial inequities in court.

Persky is white and holds undergraduate degrees from Stanford and a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

Many complained Persky showed too much deference to Turner, a white Stanford scholarship athlete whose parents could afford a private attorney.

Activists pointed to numerous other cases in which minorities faced much harsher sentences for less egregious crimes.

The victim, who came to be known as Emily Doe, testified she was passed out behind a trash can when two men saw Turner on top of her.

The two men, Swedish graduate students, yelled at Turner to stop and then chased him and held him down for police when tried to flee.

Persky said he took the victim's experience into account when sentencing Turner.

But the judge said the publicity of Turner's arrest and trial and the young man's loss of a swimming scholarship also factored into his sentence.

Turner is also required to register for life as a sex offender.

Persky cited numerous letters of support friends, former teachers and employers wrote on behalf of Turner.

'I think you have to take the whole picture in terms of what impact imprisonment has on a specific individual's life,' Persky said during the sentencing hearing.
Sterling Mervyn Free, 26, is accused of kidnapping a girl, 7, from a Brisbane Kmart and sexually assaulting her in nearby bush

The father-of-two accused of kidnapping a seven-year-old girl from a Kmart and sexually assaulting her in bushland will have a target on his back that will stay with him while in custody.

Sterling Mervyn Free has been refused bail on charges of kidnapping and indecent treatment of a child under 12 and every inmate he encounters will know exactly what he has allegedly done.

Former prison governor John Heffernan told Daily Mail Australia that Free would have entered custody with a reputation which put him among the 'lowest of the low'.

'What he's allegedly done is about as low as it gets,' Mr Heffernan said.

'Any child molestation or anything like that, you've got a target on your back, straight away. As soon as you go into jail you've got a very big target on your back.

'And you're very, very lucky if you can get through your time without somebody trying to make a name for themselves or trying to square up and initiate inmate justice.

'Inmate justice can be swift and very cruel and very efficient.'

Sterling Free (left and right) was arrested on Monday and charged with taking a child for immoral purposes, deprivation of liberty and indecent treatment of a child under 12

Free allegedly kidnapped the seven-year-old girl from this Kmart store north of Brisbane

Police allege Free took the girl to nearby bushland where he is accused of sexually assaulting her. Pictured is a stretch of land near where the alleged assault is believed to have occurred

Free, 26, is alleged to have kidnapped the seven-year-old while she shopped with her mother at a Kmart store in Westfield North Lakes, north of Brisbane, on Saturday afternoon.

He is accused of driving the girl to bushland at nearby Pumicestone Passage and sexually assaulting her before returning her to the store.

Free was arrested on Monday and charged with taking a child for immoral purposes, deprivation of liberty and indecent treatment of a child under 12. He has been in custody at the Pine Rivers watch house.

Mr Heffernan, author of books including The Last Governor Diaries, said Free would be immediately segregated in prison but might not be safe from other inmates on protection.

'What they call "rock spiders" - child molesters - are despised among the protection prisoners themselves,' he said.

'They can put him on strict protection, which essentially means 23 hours is spent in your cells with one hour of exercise if you're lucky.'

The seven-year-old girl was allegedly snatched from the toy aisle of a Kmart store at Westfield North Lakes, north of Brisbane. Daily Mail Australia visited the store on Wednesday (pictured)

Authorities may later reconsider Free's circumstances 'and the mood of the other crims in the unit' and agree to let him associate with his fellow prisoners on protection.

'But it doesn't always work, as in the Brett Cowan situation,' Mr Heffernan said.

Cowan is the despised paedophile who kidnapped and murdered 13-year-old Daniel Morcombe on Queensland's Sunshine Coast in 2003.

Former prison governor John Heffernan says Sterling Free will be targeted inside jail

Since being in custody Cowan has been the subject of inmate attacks including having boiling water poured over his body.

Mr Heffernan said a similar fate could await an inmate such as Free.

'Somebody takes a complete dislike to him and throws a bucket of hot water over him or something like that,' he said.

'Sometimes that contains sugar which means it sticks to the skin. Sometimes they'll do that.'

'Rock spiders really are despised among all prisoners, even amongst the protection prisoners.'

Mr Heffernan said all maximum security prisons had a hierarchy among inmates.

'Usually at the top of the pecking order are the lifers,' he said. 'Murderers, armed robbers are looked up to in the system essentially because they've got nothing to lose.

'They can assault another inmate and so what if they get extra time. They're at the top of the pecking order.

'Below that are just the ones that are out to do their time.

Brett Cowan has been attacked in jail since he was imprisoned for the murder of Daniel Morcombe. On one occasion he had a bucket of boiling water poured over his body

An artist's representation of how Brett Cowan looked after being doused with boiling water in jail in an attack that left him with gruesome burns

'At the bottom of the pecking order are usually the druggies and those that have drug-related offences.

'They're the group that aren't particularly liked by the lifers or those higher in the pecking order.

'They're looked down on because they spend most of their time trying to find drugs and they bring attention to everybody in doing that. So they're pretty low on the order.

'Below that is the protections. They're the lowest of the low if you like. They're the ones that are despised by pretty much everyone.

'But amongst them are those that are in for child-related offences who are even shunned by the protections themselves.'

That is where Free fits in the system and every other inmate will know who he is.

'The inmate grapevine works very quickly and quite efficiently,' Mr Heffernan said.

'When an inmate comes into jail, a high-profile inmate who's been in the news, they're instantly recognised and they receive the treatment they so deserve.

'So life is never easy and nor should it be.'

Mr Heffernan said publicity about a crime might die down but the attention never disappeared.

'Maybe the jail feels comfortable in letting them back into the main protection area or the main population and a news outlet might do a story on them and away it goes again.

'So they're never free of it. It's always something they've got to live with. And so be it.'
Armenia will participate in a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), which will be held in Baku on December 14, Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Anna Nagdalyan said.

"The director of the Armenian Foreign Ministry's department for multilateral and bilateral economic cooperation, Ashot Kocharyan, will be present at the session," Interfax cited her as saying.

The 52nd plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC) took place in Yerevan on November 26, where the chairmanship was transferred from Armenia to Azerbaijan.
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Three friends who spent four days in an abandoned West Virginia coal mine after becoming trapped were dramatically rescued on Wednesday and reunited with their families before being taken to hospital.

With dirty faces and wet clothes, Kayla Williams, 25, Erica Treadyway, 31, and Cody Beverly, 21, emerged from the Rock House Powellton mine on Wednesday. They got trapped in the mine on Friday along with Kayla's cousin Eddie Williams, 43.

Eddie Williams, who sheriffs say previously worked in a coal mine in the area, became separated from the group and escaped on his own on Monday.

He told authorities where the other younger members of the group were roughly, but it took search teams two days to locate them in the enormous mine.

They battled depleted oxygen levels during their search and used fans to circulate fresh air through the network of tunnels, all the while unsure if the trio was still alive.

It remains unclear where they found them but, on Wednesday, they were rescued and brought back to a community meeting point where dozens of people had gathered waiting for news.

Beverly later told how they survived by drinking water from a stream in the mine and praying that it was not contaminated.

The group had some snacks when they ventured into the mine to look for copper on Friday but their supplies quickly ran out.

'We drank mine water. We had no food. We just found a stream in the mine, just started drinking and hoping and praying to God that it was not contaminated,' told WVVA.

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Cody Beverly, 21, Kayla Williams, 25, and Erica Treadway, 31, were rescued from the Rock House Powellton in West Virginia on Wednesday night after being trapped in its labyrinth of tunnels since Friday night

As they were brought back to a meeting point where their terrified families and friends had gathered on Wednesday, there were cheers and cries of 'Praise the Lord'. Some people burst into an impromptu rendition of Amazing Grace

'It's a considerably large mine. There are tunnels that go thousands of feet into the mountains... sometimes people who go in are never found' Raleigh County Sheriff's Department Lt. M. McCray

Speaking at the meeting point on Wednesday night, Beverly sobbed as he buckled under his grandfather's arm.

'It was terrible!' he cried, clutching a can of Coca Cola to replenish him.

Treadway lost her shoes in the mine and was seen being placed on a gurney with soaking feet and trousers.

Kayla was cradled by a relative as she walked into an ambulance. She did not appear to have serious injuries.

As the paramedics waited to close the door to take her away, she yelled: 'Love y'all!' to the crowd.

The trio cried during the brief reunion and spoke to reporters to say they were grateful for the search efforts before being taken to the hospital.

'Anybody who was involved in searching for us, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

'This is the biggest lesson I have ever learned in my life,' Beverly said, placing one arm around Kayla.

Among those who waited at the meeting point for news on Wednesday night was the Governor, Jim Justice.

He was cheerful after the group returned safely, saying in an interview: 'We didn't quit and we found them!'

When the trio emerged from a Fire Department Truck at the meeting point where their families were gathered, there was roaring applause and cheers. Some people started singing 'Amazing Grace' as others labeled their return a 'Christmas miracle'

Beverly sobbed as he reunited with his grandfather and screamed 'it was terrible' when someone asked him how the last four days had been. They were reunited briefly at a meeting point where dozens of others gathered in anticipation of news

Kayla cried as she was held by a relative at the meeting point on Thursday before being taken to the hospital

Treadway lost her shoes in the mine. She complained that she could not keep her feet warm as she was helped onto a gurney in her soaking trousers

Cody and Kayla (left) spoke briefly to reporters before being taken to the hospital with Erica (right). All three of them were discharged on Thursday morning and they are now awaiting criminal charges

The dozens of people who had gathered to wait for news were emotional and elated on Wednesday night after the trio returned safely

There were emotional scenes at the meeting point on Wednesday night where the trio's families were gathered to wait for news

Dozens of people gathered at the meeting point, the Salamy Memorial Center, to await news of the rescue effort. They are pictured on Wednesday, before the trio were brought to safety

Relatives and friends waited for days in the meeting point for news of the rescue. They told on Wednesday night that it was a 'Christmas miracle' they had been found

Among those who waited for news was West Virginia Governor Jim Justice who on Wednesday night declared: 'We didn't quit!

DailyMail.com can reveal that all three of them were discharged on Thursday morning and are now at home awaiting charges.

Lt. M. McCray of the Raleigh County Sheriff's Department shared some of the details of how they survived on Thursday.

'They may have had a few snacks but no water or, a small amount.

'They did not expect to be down there for so long,' he said. The mine was closed two years ago after functioning as a coal mine for decades.

The mine spans thousands of feet under the mountains and straddles two local counties.

'At one point, the search teams went 11,000ft in and at another, they went in 4,000ft.

'It's a considerably large mine. There are tunnels that go thousands of feet into the mountains,' McCray told DailyMail.com.

He said it was not the first time people have had to be rescued from one of the several abandoned mines in his jurisdiction and that the group was lucky to be alive.

'Sometimes they are never found,' he said morbidly.

The mine was closed two years ago. Its labyrinth of tunnels spans thousands of feet in the mountains, with sporadic entrance points

The mine is tucked under the mountains where temperatures have hovered between 40F and 50F over the last several days

The mine is located in the mountains near Clear Creek which is around 50 miles southeast of Charleston

Where the group's ATV was found was known as a 'punch-out' - a point in the mine where, for either ventilation purposes or through accident, there is a point of access.

It is not where workers would have started their shifts and unless they stumbled upon it during a trek through the area, something the cop said was plausible, they would have had to have known about it to get there.

'The people in this area, they go into the woods, hunting and fishing and they discover these things. They could accidentally run across it,' he said.

They were searching for copper wire to sell, according to Kayla's father Randall who said they were desperate and unemployed. '[They] whatever they can do to make money if they ain't got a job,' he told CBS on Wednesday night.

He said it was 'typical' for people to illegally enter the mines to steal copper wire and sell it but that it remains to be seen whether that was what the group planned.
An alleged sex offender accused of raping a teenager in the front yard of his home has walked free on bail for a third time.

IT expert Moud Ul Hasan Nuri, 40, appeared at Blacktown Court in Sydney's west on Thursday morning.

His matter was adjourned and he left the courthouse without saying a word, according to news.com.au.

The 40-year-old has been charged with sexual intercourse without consent, after he allegedly approached a 13-year-old boy outside his family home in Doonside in Sydney's west on September 28.

The pair had met on same-sex dating app, Grindr.

Moud Nuri (pictured) has been charged with sexual intercourse without consent, after he allegedly approached a 13-year-old boy outside his family home in Doonside on September 28

Even though Nuri (pictured) and the boy had agreed to meet, police allege the boy changed his mind and deleted the app

Even though Nuri and the boy had agreed to meet, police allege the boy changed his mind and deleted the app.

A persistent Nuri went to the teenager's family home regardless.

Police documents allege Nuri pushed the boy to the ground and 'had sexual intercourse without consent  knowing that (the boy) had not consented'.

The attack came to an end after the victim's mother ran to her child's aid, and Nuri allegedly ran back to his car to make his getaway.

Despite the severe nature of the alleged attack, Nuri was granted strict bail conditions and allowed to walk free.

As part of the conditions, Nuri has had to hand over his passport, update authorities about mobile phones in his possession, regularly report to police and stay 500m away from the boy's home and not to try to contact the alleged victim or any witnesses.

Even though Nuri's movements are greatly restricted, police have made it clear the bail does not sit well with them.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said the accused should not 'be walking the streets' following Nuri's first court appearance in October.

'This is a high level, horrendous offence, against a 13-year-old boy,' he told 2GB at the time.'

A custody agent did refuse Nuri's bail at the beginning.

Even though Nuri's (pictured) movements are greatly restricted, police have made it clear the bail does not sit well with them

That changed after the matter was taken to Parramatta Bail Court on October 1, and no objection was made and Nuri was given strict conditional bail.

Had police unsuccessfully opposed bail during that hearing, it is understood they would have lost the right to recommend strict bail conditions.

Nuri appeared at Penrith Court a few days later, and managed to walk free because of the bail.

Mr Fuller conceded during the interview on 2GB there had been a stuff up. He openly admitted the Nuri's bail could put the community at risk.

'There was so much good police work to capture this fellow and good work by the custody sergeant,' he said.

'These sorts of people shouldn't be walking the streets.'

Nuri will face Penrith Local Court on February 8.
Barack Obama was all smiles as he was honored with the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award in New York on Wednesday evening.

The former president, 57, was honored with the special award that celebrates leaders who demonstrate 'commitment to social change'.

Past recipients of the award include Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, Bono, George Clooney and Robert De Niro.

Barack Obama grinned ear to ear as he accepted the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award in New York on Wednesday evening

Obama accepted the award presented by Kerry Kennedy onstage at the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Awards gala on Wednesday in New York

The former president grinned ear to ear as he accepted the award, a bronze bust of Bobby Kennedy's likeness, by the organization's president Kerry Kennedy.

In his acceptance remarks Obama urged the audience to be hopeful towards the future.

'Hope is the insistence that no matter how tough our circumstances, there are better days ahead. If we persist...together we can overcome,' he said.

'The story of the last 50 years is the story of a more just and peaceful world. I have seen it. I have lived it. You have too,' he added.

He also reminded the audience 'it's easy to succumb to cynicism' adding 'Bobby Kennedy's life reminds us to reject such cynicism.'

'Im not sure if you heard, but Ive been on this hope kick for quite awhile,' he joked, citing the central theme of hope in his previous campaign trail speeches.

In his speech he focused on the hope of the future saying: 'Hope is the insistence that no matter how tough our circumstances, there are better days ahead'

'Im not sure if you heard, but Ive been on this hope kick for quite awhile,' he joked, citing the central theme of hope in his previous campaign trail speeches

After accepting his prized award he smiled for pictures with celebrities at the star-studded event including Dorothea Bon Jovi and Jon Bon Jovi

The president also took to Twitter to reiterate his speech, reminding the public on the achievements of Bobby Kennedy, who the award is modeled after.

'As Bobby Kennedy taught us, the thing about hope is that it travels through space *and* time, first splashing against the rocks, but eventually breaking down the walls of cruelty and injustice. And if we do our best with the time were given, others will take hope in our example,' Obama wrote.

Also being honored were New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, Discovery President and CEO David Zaslav and Humana CEO Bruce Broussard.

Also in attendance were Jon Bon Jovi, Alec and Hilaria Baldwin, actress Cheryl Hines and actor Keegan-Michael Key.

This year also marks the 50 anniversary of Robert F. Kennedys campaign for the White House.
A woman who once bragged about supplying thousands of people with steroids in a 'criminal enterprise' alongside her boyfriend could be avoiding jail time.

Glamorous topless waitress Nateesha Barlin, 24, and her boyfriend Dylan Shaw, 25, were found with 3.7 kilograms of steroids and human growth hormone in their Central Coast home in 2016.

The pair were due to be sentenced on Thursday, but Shaw had his bail revoked as the prosecutor made a push to re-open the Crown's case, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Glamorous topless waitress Nateesha Barlin (pictured), 24, and her boyfriend Dylan Shaw, 25, were found with 3.7 kilograms of steroids and human growth hormone

The Australian Border Force raided the notorious couple's rented granny flat in November 2016.

Between October 2014 and October 2016, ABF officers managed to intercept 13,672 tablets, 11.2 litres of testosterone, 600ml of anabolic steroids and other illegal drugs.

They were receiving the parcels in the mail to their home address or to their parents' houses.

The couple were originally supposed to be sentenced in August, but Shaw was arrested in July outside a Belmore restaurant after police allegedly found $179,000 in his car.

The 25-year-old was then charged with conspiracy to supply drugs and goods while in custody.

Two other men were also arrested on the same night after police found another car filled with cocaine.

Officers searched Shaw's home and say they found ice, vials, tablets and powder thought to be steroids, drug paraphernalia and a further $27,400 in cash.

The pair (pictured) were due to be sentenced on Thursday, but Shaw had his bail revoked as the prosecutor made the decision to re-open the Crown's case

On Thurday, the Crown prosecutor said a letter Shaw submitted to court detailing how he had 'turned over a new leaf' was no longer valid as he showed no remorse by committing further crime.

She also said the money allegedly found in his car made it clear he was not 'of limited means' as he had claimed in the letter.

The court also heard that earlier this year, the 25-year-old had also been caught with a prohibited drug, weapon and $9,000 in cash, leading him to be sentenced to good behaviour bonds.

Barlin has been successful in having her bail varied so she could move residences, while her boyfriend faces more jail

Between October 2014 and October 2016, ABF officers managed to intercept 13,672 tablets, 11.2 litres of testosterone, 600ml of anabolic steroids and other illegal drugs

Shaw's barrister fought this by saying the most recent charges remained 'allegations', therefore should not be considered by the judge.

He has been remanded in custody since the July arrest, but had his bail revoked in relation to the steroid charges.

However, Barlin was successful in having her bail varied so she can move houses.
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Theresa May's hopes of renegotiating her Brexit deal were dealt a fatal blow on Thursday evening as European Council President Donald Tusk declared the agreement was 'not open for renegotiation'.

EU leaders gave Theresa May assurances this evening that they would try to agree on Brexit by 2021  so that the contentious backstop is never triggered.

However, on the Prime Minister's Withdrawal Agreement, the 27 national leaders were firm, saying: It is not open for renegotiation.

Tusk also called for heightened preparedness at all levels for all possible outcomes - including a 'no deal' scenario.

That deal was struck last month but she has since gone back to Brussels for more assurances so that she can get it past her own MPs.

Speaking in Brussels on Thursday, Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, said the EU underlines that the backstop is an insurance policy to prevent a hard border in Ireland.

Tusk said: 'Prime Minister May informed the leaders about the difficulties with ratifying the deal in London and asked for further assurances that would at least in her view unlock the ratification process in the House of Commons.

He added that after a meeting of the EU27, they agreed to reaffirm the conclusions made in the previous gathering at the end of last month in which they 'endorsed the withdrawal agreement and the political declaration'.

'The Union stands by this agreement and intends to proceed with its ratification. It is not open for renegotiation,' Tusk concluded.

Mrs May had been trying to secure a start date for the future relationship between the EU27 rather than nailing down an end date for the backstop, sources told Sky News. Mrs May said that there should not be a an expiry date on the backstop but a target date for the free trade agreement that she wants to negotiate.

European Council President Donald Tusk said at a press conference late on Thursday that the deal agreed earlier this year was 'not up for renegotiation'

Donald Tusk (left) and European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker appeared in a joint press conference on Thursday evening

Theresa May was effusively greeted by Jean-Claude Juncker as proceedings got under way in the Belgian capital today

French President Emmanuel Macron also had a warm greeting for the Prime Minister as she arrived in Brussels for today's summit (pictured)

Theresa May publicly conceded that although in her 'heart' she wants to fight on, her time in power is coming to an end as she arrived in Brussels for a crunch summit

She said: 'We have to change the perception that the backstop could be a trap from which the UK could not escape. Until we do the deal  our deal  is at risk.'

Mrs May said a package of assurances could 'change the dynamic' in Parliament.

JUNCKER'S TIE WITH THE IRISH Jean-Claude Juncker gave Theresa May a warm welcome in Brussels yesterday  but his outfit revealed his true colours. The EU Commission president wore a green tie for the Prime Ministers speech on the Irish backstop. Sources confirmed that he chose it to show solidarity with the people of Ireland. The Irish border has become the most toxic part of the Brexit deal unveiled by Mrs May last month. Opposition to the backstop forced her to pull a Commons vote on the plan earlier this week. Mrs May has now called on EU leaders to provide extra legal and political assurances to make sure Britain cannot be trapped in the customs backstop indefinitely. Advertisement

'There is a majority in my Parliament who want to leave with a deal so with the right assurances this deal can be passed,' she said. 'Indeed it is the only deal capable of getting through my Parliament.

'I am in no doubt that the best result for all of us is to get the deal done in an orderly way. It is in none of our interests to allow an accidental no-deal and all the disruption that would bring.

'Let's work together intensively to get this deal over the line in the best interests of all our people.'

There was said to have been sympathy for Mrs May inside the leaders dinner after her ordeal yesterday, but sources inside the dinner said it was made clear that not much would be expected from today's talks.

The 27 leaders are expected to issue a statement tonight amid hopes they will offer 'legal and political assurances' Mrs May says she needed.

The PM went to Brussels insisting she needed help from the EU to get the negotiated divorce past fractious MPs - more than 100 of whom on her own side say they will not vote for it.

As the summit began, leaders including Angela Merkel and Holland's Mark Rutte held out an olive branch by speaking of their 'admiration' for the PM as they gathered for a summit in Brussels with Brexit high on the agenda.

In a glimmer of hope for Mrs May, draft conclusions emphasised that the Irish border backstop is an 'insurance policy' and only intended to be 'temporary' if it comes into force.

And former Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso appealed for EU leaders to help Mrs May - warning a Brexit had to be concluded without 'resentment'.

Dutch PM Mark Rutte fist-bumped other leaders as the summit in Brussels got under way today, with Theresa May (centre) seeking help from counterparts including Angela Merkel (second right) and Emmanuel Macron (right)

Mrs May was swiftly locked in conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Dutch PM Mark Rutte after surviving the attempted coup and making it to Brussels

Mrs Merkel (pictured right) and Mr Macron both again played down the prospect of any changes to the legal Brexit text

But as they arrived at the summit most of the EU27 stuck to a tough line by insisting that the legal text of the Withdrawal Agreement cannot be reopened - despite Mrs May urging concessions that can help her get the package 'over the line'.

Mrs Merkel said Mrs May's victory in the confidence vote was 'pleasing', but added: 'I do not see that this Withdrawal Agreement can be changed.'

While acclaiming Mrs May in English as he spoke to reporters in Brussels today, Mr Rutte was less helpful when he addressed Dutch journalists in his own language.

'If anyone in the Netherlands thinks Nexit is a good idea, look at England and see the enormous damage it does,' he said.

May admits she will NOT get a new Brexit deal and reschedule showdown vote before Christmas Theresa May abandoned hopes of holding a showdown vote on her Brexit deal before Christmas today. The Prime Minister played down the chances of an 'immediate breakthrough' in this week's summit. The Commons vote on the Brexit deal was supposed to happen on Tuesday but was shelved after Mrs May accepted she would be defeated. Arriving in Brussels for an EU summit, Mrs May acknowledged she needed fresh assurances from EU leaders regarding the operation of the Northern Ireland backstop if the agreement was to get through the Commons. A Downing Street spokeswoman confirmed that it was the Government's aim to hold the vote in the Commons 'as soon as possible in January'. Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who currently holds the rotating EU presidency, suggested there could be a special Brexit summit in January. The idea is to agree 'additional assurances' which could be attached to the Political Declaration on the UK's future relationship with the EU. Advertisement

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz suggested another summit could be convened in January to try and sign off more assurances, but said it was hard to know what the EU should give to May because 'not all the arguments of Brexit supporters are rational'.

And Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite put it more bluntly. 'Brexit Christmas wish: finally decide what you really want and Santa will deliver,' she said on Twitter in posting a picture of a chocolate Christmas tree.

As she arrived at the summit, Mrs May publicly conceded for the first time that the Brexit crisis will cut short her stay in Downing Street, saying although in her 'heart' she wants to fight on, she will need to quit before the next general election.

'I think it is right that the party feels that it would prefer to go into that election with a new leader,' she said.

Mrs May has acknowledged she must get 'legally binding' concessions from the bloc in the wake of the extraordinary Tory coup attempt yesterday which saw more than a third of her own MPs vote against her.

But Mrs Merkel today again flatly dismissed the prospect of renegotiating the Withdrawal Agreement, while the Finnish PM warned the best she can hope for is 'political' assurances.

'We can discuss whether there should be additional assurances, but here the 27 member states will act very much in common and make their interests very clear.

'This is always in the spirit that we will have very, very good relations with the UK after it has departed from the European Union.'

French president Emmanuel Macron said there could be a 'political discussion' but added ominously: 'One cannot reopen a legal agreement.'

Mr Rutte was effusive in his praise of Mrs May's 'tenacity'. 'I feel respect. She is an able leader. I admire her tenacity and resilience. She's a great leader. And if you saw the Labour people laughing at her when she said 'I listened', I felt this was not very British,' he said.

'She stood there and kept her composure and won this fight within her party. I have the highest admiration for her.'

Finnish PM Juha Sipila warned: 'Legally binding will be a little bit difficult.

'But we all want to help her first of all, and then our goal is that the new relationship will be before the backstop.

'So I think, at the political level, we can (offer assurances). That's our primary goal. And let's see if we can find something from the legal side also, but it's open still.'

And the hopes of any imminent progress receded further today as Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom confirmed that the crunch Brexit vote in parliament will not happen before Christmas.

Mrs May met EU council president Donald Tusk (left) and Irish PM Leo Varadkar (right) at the summit in Brussels today

England legends Gary Lineker and Peter Shilton clash over Brexit Gary Lineker called out his 'hero' Peter Shilton over Brexit last night when he praised Jacob Rees-Mogg Gary Lineker called out his 'hero' Peter Shilton over Brexit last night after the former England goalkeeper praised Jacob Rees-Mogg. The Match of the Day host, 58, also told former teammate Chris Waddle to 'stick to football' when he said it would be best if Theresa May left the EU with no deal. Last month Mr Lineker, an outspoken Remainer, appeared at a 'People's Vote' rally calling for a second referendum and has said stopping 'frightfully boring' Theresa May's Brexit is more important to him than football. As Mrs May survived her no confidence vote last night the former Spurs and Barcelona striker poured scorn on Peter Shilton's praise for Tory Brexiteer Rees-Mogg. Mr Shilton, who played for Mr Lineker's beloved Leicester City, tweeted: 'Have been so impressed with @Jacob_Rees_Mogg in the last few days. He really knows what he is talking about and puts it across in a calm and calculated manner!' Gary Lineker responded to him and said: 'What's that old saying? You should never see a tweet from your heroes?'. Advertisement

Mrs May also played down hopes of any shift soon, saying: 'I don't expect an immediate breakthrough, but what I do hope is that we can start to work as quickly as possible on the assurances that are necessary.'

After scraping through a Conservative no-confidence vote last night, an exhausted-looking Mrs May was given an encouraging farewell by husband Philip as she set off from Downing Street.

She held talks with Irish PM Leo Varadkar and EU council president Donald Tusk this morning, as frantic efforts continue to find a breakthrough that can satisfy Parliament.

Cabinet ministers have warned they will kill off her fledgling deal unless there are 'legally binding' guarantees that the UK cannot get stuck in the Irish border backstop.

The PM will lay out her problem to the heads of the 27 member states this evening, hoping that they can help.

But they have now decided to take her off the invite list for dinner. She will have to leave the room so they can privately discuss their approach to Brexit.

Yesterday she was forced to concede she will not lead the Tories into the 2022 general election in a bid to buy off a rebellion - but still suffered a bloody nose as 117 MPs joined the bid to get her out.

Philip cheered his wife on at PMQs yesterday, and the pair are understood to have toasted her political survival with a glass of wine and some crisps last night.

Former ally Iain Duncan-Smith, who voted against the PM last night, said today that Mrs May should tell EU leaders: 'If you want a deal you'd better damn well step up to the plate' and warn them Britain's 39billion Brexit bill is 'fully at risk' unless they remove the backstop.

The victory last night was far less emphatic than allies had hoped, and a clearly shaken Mrs May acknowledged in a speech outside No10 that 'a significant number of colleagues cast their votes against me'.

She said she would 'listen' and pursue a 'renewed mission  delivering the Brexit that people voted for, bringing the country back together, and building a country that truly works for everyone'.

Yesterday the Prime Minister was backed by Tory MPs by 200 to 117 in a confidence after conceding she will not lead the party into the 2022 general election. However the number of rebels to vote against her is far greater than expected and leaves her politically wounded

Waving her off: Philip May waves off the Prime Minister this morning after she won a Party vote of no confidence last night. She is heading to Brussels for an EU summit where she will try and win more concessions on the Irish border backstop

The Prime Minister held talks with Irish counterpart Leo Varadkar before the EU summit formally kicked off today

A Commons vote on the PM's Brexit deal was pulled at the last moment this week to avoid a catastrophic defeat.

Trade Secretary Liam Fox put down a clear marker yesterday by warning it may never be put to a Parliamentary vote unless changes are made.

'It is very difficult to support the deal if we don't get changes to the backstop,' he said. 'I am not even sure the Cabinet will agree for it to be put to the House of Commons.'

He told the BBC: 'If there is no movement on the backstop then it is very likely either one of two things happens. Either [we] remain in the EU without a referendum, which I think would be a democratic affront which brings a whole range of consequences, or, perhaps more likely, we have to up our preparations for no deal and leave the EU without an agreed deal.'

In a sign of the simmering divisions, other ministers including Philip Hammond, Amber Rudd, David Gauke and Greg Clark are urging an early vote on the package - and then if it is defeated a series of Commons votes on different options for how to move forward.

Mrs May's fate is now effectively in the hands of EU leaders who have repeatedly said they will not re-open negotiations.

Theresa May put a brave face on her situation as she reacted to the outcome of the Tory no-confidence ballot

There were cheers as 1922 committee chairman Graham Brady announced the result in the Commons last night

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz insisted there would only be a 'better interpretation' of the Brexit deal.

'I think there will be some readiness from our side to maybe find some better explanation about the future relationship,' he said.

'There is also some room to have a better interpretation of what we agreed on. But there will be no new deal about the Withdrawal Agreement.'

The Prime Minister will restart negotiations with European leaders after winning the intense 15-hour fight to keep her own job, with a vote of no-confidence announced early yesterday and concluded by 9pm.

Standing on Downing Street last night, Mrs May pleaded to be allowed to 'get on with the job' of delivering Brexit - by rivals both within and outside of her party.

How the Brexiteer 'lemmings' sparked a coup - and how it collapsed Theresa May has been dogged by rumours of a coup by angry Brexiteers since the snap election surrendered the Tory majority - but the plot exploded when her deal emerged. November 13: A draft deal is struck in Brussels and begins to leak. Brexiteers react with horror at the state of the Irish border backstop. November 14: May secures agreement for the deal after a marathon and fractious Cabinet meeting. November 15: Dominic Raab and Esther McVey resign from Cabinet over the deal, branding it a surrender to Brussels. Jacob Rees-Mogg goes public with a move against May, calling on Tory MPs to submit letters of No Confidence. November 22: EU officials sign off the deal after resolving last minute hitches. Brexiteer plotters insist they still want to remove the PM but admit they do not have the necessary 48 letters. November 25: At a special EU summit, the divorce deal is rubber stamped. December 4: May opens a five day debate on her Brexit deal ahead of a planned vote. Opposition is mounting rapidly, with dozens of Tory MPs pledged against it. Tory MPs rebel to help Labour hold the Government in contempt of Parliament amid three humiliating Commons defeats for May in 63 minutes. December 10: May calls off the vote, admitting there is 'significant' opposition to the deal. December 11: Rumours spread rapidly that letters of no confidence are finally mounting up as MPs lose patience with May's insistence she can salvage her deal. December 12: A vote of no confidence is finally called - and is held within hours as May vows to fight on. Support for the Brexiteers falls flat, leaving May safe from party procedure for a year and free to keep shoring up her deal despite rage in her party. Advertisement

But her hopes of harmony may be short-lived. Jeremy Corbyn insisted her 'dismal' deal be put to Parliament next week, while Labour MPs branded her a 'lame duck' after she vowed she would not lead the Tories into the next general election.

Rebel chief Jacob Rees-Mogg said because a third of her MPs hadn't backed her: 'She ought to go and see the Queen urgently and resign' - Chancellor Philip Hammond hit back and called Mr Rees-Mogg and his supporters 'extremists'.

Instead, the EU is only likely to offer 'clarifications' that the EU does not want to use the backstop and it should be a last resort.

However, it may also include a pledge to consider ways of giving further assurances that, while not binding, carry more legal weight.

In an astonishing day of political drama, Conservative MPs voted by 200 to 117 for her to stay on as Tory leader and Prime Minister.

Despite months of sabre-rattling by her hardline opponents, and deadlock over Brexit, almost two thirds of Tory MPs backed her.

Cabinet ministers immediately demanded that her opponents give her the breathing space and support to secure an 'orderly exit' from the

EU. But Mrs May's victory, which means she cannot be challenged again for at least 12 months, came at a price.

She was forced to promise she will quit before the next general election, scheduled for 2022.

Eurosceptics and Labour said the numbers were 'shocking' and a 'disaster', while Cabinet ministers queued up to talk up the positives.

Jeremy Hunt yesterday said her 'stamina, resilience and decency' had 'again won the day', while Treasury minister Liz Truss said it was 'convincing'.

And the scale of yesterday's revolt  more than a third of her MPs want her gone  will raise questions about how long she can stay in charge.

Draft conclusions to be considered by EU leaders say: 'The union stands ready to examine whether any further assurance can be provided.'

However, it adds: 'Such assurance will not change or contradict the Withdrawal Agreement.'

One paragraph in the draft summit conclusions that could help Mrs May says the backstop were to be triggered 'it would apply only temporarily unless and until it is superseded by a subsequent agreement'.

The text adds: 'In such a case, the union would use its best endeavours to negotiate a subsequent agreement that would replace the backstop, so that it would only be in place for a short period and only as long as strictly necessary.'

Mrs May is seeking assurances that Britain could never become 'trapped' indefinitely in the customs backstop, which will come into effect if no trade deal is struck to avoid a border emerging between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Some MPs fear the agreement could lead to Britain being tied to the bloc's customs regime indefinitely  opposition that led to Mrs May shelving a scheduled Commons vote on the deal.

Tory MPs wait for the result of last night's confidence vote that Theresa May won but 117 of her own party voted against her

Earlier Mrs May left some politicians in tears as she told the gathering in a Commons committee room (pictured) that she would bow out gracefully once that task is complete

Some MPs tweeted images of the ballot papers as the no confidence vote took place at Westminster last night where 200 people declared they did have confidence in the PM including Sarah Wollaston, who pictured her own vote

EU sources appeared to rule out the idea of any further assurances being legally binding. One senior diplomat said yesterday: 'The Withdrawal Agreement and political declaration are set. We don't think a legal instrument is possible here.'

Another senior official added: 'What is not feasible is renegotiations of the Withdrawal Agreement of the deal which was reached. This is not on the table and whatever reassurance will be given they cannot contradict the deal which was agreed on November 25. I don't know what's possible, but what I know is impossible is to renegotiate the deal  that's impossible.'

Another senior EU source suggested a solution could be to beef-up language in the political declaration on the future relationship  the part of the deal that is not legally binding.

EU Council chief Donald Tusk wrote to EU leaders yesterday pledging to listen to Mrs May before making any 'conclusions'.

Eurosceptic Jacob Rees-Mogg said last night still believed 'someone else' should try to secure a good Brexit and called on the PM to resign

Mrs May welcomed the result on Tuesday night while acknowledging that 'a significant number of colleagues did cast their votes against me'.

She said she would now pursue a 'renewed mission  delivering the Brexit that people voted for, bringing the country back together, and building a country that truly works for everyone'. She said the situation called for 'politicians on all sides coming together and acting in the national interest'  an apparent plea for help from Labour.

Speaking in Downing Street afterwards, a clearly shaken Mrs May admitted that she needed to get an improved deal from the EU with 'legally binding' assurances on the Irish border backstop.

'I am pleased to have received the backing of my colleagues in tonight's ballot,' she said yesterday evening.

'Whilst I'm grateful for that support, significant number of colleagues did cast their vote against me and I have listened to what they have said.

'We now need to get on with the job of delivering for the British people and building a better future for this country.'

Mrs May added: 'That must start here in Westminster with politicians on all sides coming together to act in the national interest.

'I have heard what the House of Commons said about the Northern Ireland backstop. I go to the European Council tomorrow and I will be seeking legal and political guarantees that will assuage those concerns.'

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling described the result as a 'strong vote of support' for the PM.

Justice Secretary David Gauke said: 'This was a very comfortable victory for Theresa May. Removing her would have been self-indulgent and irresponsible. I'm glad that a large majority agreed.'

But Jacob Rees-Mogg, chairman of the hardline European Research Group which forced the vote, said the PM had suffered a 'terrible result' in which the 'overwhelming majority of her backbenchers have voted against her'.

'Of course I accept this result, but Theresa May must realise that under all constitutional norms she ought to go and see the Queen urgently and resign,' he said.

Mrs May appealed to Tory MPs not to sack her at an emotionally-charged Commons meeting just minutes before the ballot opened last night.

She pledged she would not call a snap election, and said the party's greatest duty was to prevent Jeremy Corbyn entering Downing Street.

One source at the meeting said she told MPs: 'In my heart I would have loved to have led us into the next election, but I realise that we will need a new leader with new objectives for the 2022 election.'

Some ministers were said to be close to tears as the PM acknowledged that some in her own party want her gone rather than risk a repeat of last year's disastrous election campaign.

The vote came after Tory shop steward Sir Graham Brady announced that at least 48 MPs had written letters of no confidence in Mrs May, sparking a vote under the party's leadership rules.

After the announcement yesterday morning, Mrs May pledged to fight the coup attempt with 'everything I've got'.

She ducked questions about the exact date of her departure.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove had urged Tory MPs not to trigger the no confidence vote in the Prime Minister while Home Secretary Sajid Javid called the challenge 'self indulgent' (both pictured last night)

Teflon Theresa and her ever-present 'rock': PM's husband's unwavering support has seen her through the storm again

Philip May waved his beloved wife - and Prime Minister - goodbye this morning as she embarked on the latest grueling test - another EU summit where she will plead for key changes to the Brexit deal.

Mr May, 61, has carved himself out a successful career in the City of London as an investment manager.

But it his role as Theresa May's husband, confidante and 'rock' that is perhaps his biggest contribution to the country.

Mr May's devotion to his wife was on display once again yesterday as she was forced to face her Tory rebels and a baying Labour opposition at PMQs.

Mrs May, 62, was fighting for her political life as Tory MPs had called a vote of confidence which could have seen her unceremoniously toppled by the end of the day.

As she entered the Commons Chamber, where plotting Tory rebels were sat slumped on the green benches to her back, while Labour MPs jeered and barracked her straight ahead, she glanced up and saw her husband staring loving down at her.

Theresa May and Philip (pictured together in 1980 - the year they married) have been sweethearts since their days as undergraduates and bonded over their shared love of cricket

Theresa May (pictured with Philip in 1977) has told how her husband is her 'rock' who has supported her throughout the many political upheavals she has faced

He allowed himself a brief smile as the couple locked eyes, and Mrs May went on to defiantly defend herself in the onslaught of attacks hurled her way.

The couple have been together for around 40 years - meeting as undergraduates at Oxford University and marrying in 1980s.

They were introduced at a student disco - known as a 'bop' - by mutual friend Benazir Bhutto - later prime minister of Pakistan.

And while neither Philip nor Theresa particularly enjoy or seek the spotlight, they have sweetly told how it was love at first sight for them in a rare joint TV appearance.

Speaking to the BBC's One Show during the election campaign last year, they gave the country insight into their relationship - and how its strength keeps Mrs May going during her darkest moments.

Asked about how their romance blossomed, Mr May said: 'It was love at first sight, absolutely.'

And asked for his first impressions of the woman who would become his wife, he said: 'What a lovely girl!' And he gallantly added: 'And she still is.'

Who could replace Theresa May? As the PM admits she will have to quit soon, these are some of the leading contenders to take over Theresa May won her Tory confidence vote after promising not to lead the party into the 2022 general election. These are some of the leading contenders to replace her: Boris Johnson - 7/2 How did they vote on Brexit? Led the Vote Leave campaign alongside Michael Gove. What is their view now? Hard line Brexiteer demanding a clean break from Brussels. The former foreign secretary is violently opposed to Theresa May's Chequers plan and a leading voice demanding a Canada-style trade deal. What are their chances? Mr Johnson's biggest challenge could be navigating the Tory leadership rules. He may be confident of winning a run-off among Tory members but must first be selected as one of the top two candidates by Conservative MPs. Now rated as favourite by the bookies, Boris Johnson's (pictured leaving parliament last night) biggest challenge will be navigating the Tory leadership rules Dominic Raab - 9/2 How did they vote on Brexit? Leave, with a second tier role campaigning for Vote Leave. What is their view now? Mr Raab was installed as Brexit Secretary to deliver the Chequers plan but sensationally resigned last month saying the deal was not good enough. What are their chances? His resignation from the Cabinet put rocket boosters under Mr Raab's chances, fuelling his popularity among the hardline Brexiteers. May struggle to overcome bigger beasts and better known figures. Newly installed as Brexit Secretary, Dominic Raab (pictured on Tuesday) is trying to negotiate Theresa May's Brexit deal Sajid Javid - 5/1 How did they vote on Brexit? Remain but kept a low profile in the referendum. What is their view now? Pro delivering Brexit and sceptical of the soft Brexit options. What are their chances? Probably the leading candidate from inside the Cabinet after his dramatic promotion to Home Secretary. Mr Javid has set himself apart from Mrs May on a series of policies, notably immigration. Sajid Javid (pictured leaving the Houses of Parliament this evening) is probably the leading candidate from inside the Cabinet after his dramatic promotion to Home Secretary Michael Gove - 7/1 How did they vote on Brexit? Leave What is their view now? He has said Theresa May's Chequers blueprint for Brexit is the 'right one for now'. But he recently suggested a future prime minister could alter the UK-EU relationship if they desired. What are their chances? He came third in the first round of voting in 2016, trailing behind ultimate winner Theresa May and Andrea Leadsom. Mr Gove has said it is 'extremely unlikely' that he would stand again. But he popular in the party and is seen as an ideas man and a reformer by many, and he could change his mind if Theresa May is shown the door. Michael Gove appeared to rule himself out of the race in recent days, but he ran last time and is popular among many in the party. He is pictured outside the Houses of Parliament today Jeremy Hunt - 7/1 How did they vote on Brexit? Remain. What is their view now? The Foreign Secretary claims the EU Commission's 'arrogance' has made him a Brexiteer. What are their chances? Another top contender inside Cabinet, Mr Hunt's stock rose during his record-breaking stint at the Department of Health and won a major promotion to the Foreign Office after Mr Johnson's resignation. Widely seen as a safe pair of hands which could be an advantage if the contest comes suddenly. Jeremy Hunt's stock rose during his record-breaking stint at the Department of Health and won a major promotion to the Foreign Office after Mr Johnson's resignation David Davis - 10/1 How did they vote on Brexit? Leave. What is their view now? Leave and a supporter of scrapping Mrs May's plan and pursuing a Canada-style trade deal with the EU. What are their chances? The favoured choice of many hard Brexiteers. Seen as a safer pair of hands than Mr Johnson and across the detail of the current negotiation after two years as Brexit Secretary. He could be promoted a caretaker to see through Brexit before standing down. Unlikely to be the choice of Remain supporters inside the Tory Party - and has been rejected by the Tory membership before, in the 2005 race against David Cameron. David Davis (pictured outside the Houses of Parliament today) is seen as a safer pair of hands than Mr Johnson and across the detail of the current negotiation after two years as Brexit Secretary Amber Rudd - 14/1 How did they vote on Brexit? Remain. Represented Britain Stronger in Europe in the TV debates. What is their view now? Strongly remain and supportive of a second referendum - particularly given a choice between that and no deal. What are their chances? Popular among Conservative MPs as the voice of Cameron-style Toryism, Ms Rudd is still seen as a contender despite resigning amid the Windrush scandal - and she was boosted further by her return to Cabinet as Work and Pensions Secretary on Friday night. She is badly hampered by having a tiny majority in her Hastings constituency and would not be able to unite the Tory party in a sudden contest over the Brexit negotiation. Popular among Conservative MPs as the voice of Cameron-style Toryism, Amber Rudd (pictured leaving parliament this evening) is still seen as a contender despite resigning amid the Windrush scandal Jacob Rees-Mogg - 14/1 How did they vote on Brexit? Leave. What is their view now? Leave and recently branded Theresa May's Brexit U-turn a 'humiliation' which has left her deal 'defeated'. What are their chances? As chair of the European Research Group (ERG) bloc of Tory Eurosceptics he has been urging MPs to replace Mrs May for weeks. Pro-Brexit supporter, Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, walks through members of the media and anit-brexit demonstrators as he walks near to the Houses of Parliament in London yesterday Penny Mordaunt - 14/1 How did they vote on Brexit? Leave. What is their view now? Leave and subject of persistent rumour she could be the next to quit Cabinet over Mrs May's Brexit deal. What are their chances? Possible dark horse in the contest, Ms Mordaunt is not well known to the public but is seen as a contender in Westminster. Known to harbour deep concerns about Mrs May's Brexit deal, but has stopped short of resigning from Cabinet. Possible dark horse in the contest, Penny Mordaunt (pictured in Downing Street) is not well known to the public but is seen as a contender in Westminster Andrea Leadsom - 16/1 How did they vote on Brexit? Leave. What is their view now? Ms Leadsom said in late November that she was backing the withdrawal agreement struck with Brussels because it 'delivered' on the referendum result. What are their chances? Leader of the Commons since June, Andrea Leadsom found herself at the centre of controversy in the 2016 leadership campaign when comments she made were interpreted as a claim that she would be a better PM than Mrs May because she was a mother. Asked recently whether Mrs May was the right person to be leading the country, she said she is 'at the moment'. Andrea Leadsom, Leader of the House of Commons, arrives at Downing Street on Thursday last week Gavin Williamson - 33/1 How did they vote on Brexit? Remain. What is their view now? Mr Williamson tweeted today: 'The Prime Minister has my full support. She works relentlessly hard for our country and is the best person to make sure we leave the EU on 29 March and continue to deliver our domestic agenda.' What are their chances? He backed Remain in the referendum and pledged his support for Mrs May in the 2016 leadership contest but has since been mentioned as a potential future Tory leader. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson is a 33/1 outsider according to the best odds by bookies this evening Advertisement

But the concession that she will not fight the next election will weaken her authority and spark a race to succeed. Sajid Javid, Jeremy Hunt and Amber Rudd will jostle for position against Eurosceptic former Cabinet colleagues Boris Johnson, David Davis and Dominic Raab.

Crispin Blunt, who wrote a letter of no confidence in Mrs May, urged rebels to back her, but said he still considered her Brexit plan a 'bad deal'. He said: 'The leadership question is now behind us for a year and we must get behind Theresa May in delivering Brexit.'

Nadine Dorries, another critic of the PM, said: 'It's not the way I voted, however, I will fully respect the result.'

Allies had previously insisted that Mrs May would fight on even if she only won by a single vote.

Ministers were eager to move on from the bitter struggle, even though many are known to harbour misgivings about Mrs May's Brexit deal.

International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt posted on Twitter: 'Prime Minister wins confidence motion with 63% of the vote. Now let's crack on with getting the changes we need to the deal on offer and press on with no deal preparations. We are leaving the EU in 15 weeks.'

Jacob Rees-Mogg told Sky News last night that he still believed 'someone else' should try to secure a good Brexit.

'It's a very bad result for the Prime Minister, 163 Tory MPs are on the payrolland therefore of the backbenchers the Prime Minster lost very heavilyClearly the Prime Minister has lost the support of the backbenches of the Conservative Party, and that is not a good position for her to be in,' he said.

Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom (pictured) also spoke out for Mrs May despite concerns about the progress in negotiations with the EU

'Having failed in her main plank of policy, it would be constitutional normal for her to retire from the fray.'

Chancellor Philip Hammond launched a furious assault on Brexit 'extremists' trying to undermine the government

He added: 'Someone else ought to try to deliver Brexit.'

Other Brexiteers were keen to make clear they accepted the result even if they did not like it. Steve Double said: 'The PM has won the confidence vote 200-117. We are a democratic party and I accept the result. However the margin should send a clear message to the leadership that over 1/3 of MPs have serious concerns and need to be addressed.'

Crispin Blunt said: 'The leadership question is now behind us for a year and we must get behind Theresa May in delivering Brexit.

'The realities remain. Her proposed withdrawal deal is a bad deal. She was clear today we leave on 29 March 2019. Nothing to fear but fear itself! Get it done!'

The contest was held after hardliners finally secured the 48 letters from MPs needed to trigger the process.

More than 180 MPs had publicly declared that they would back her, indicating that she was on course to survive.

However, as it was a secret ballot there was no way of telling if they were being truthful. One senior MP privately admitted their colleagues are the 'most duplicitous electorate in the history of humankind'.

As MPs sweltered in the stifling heat of committee room 14 last nigth, Mrs May was said to have told them in her 'heart' she would like to carry on but she recognised that was not the 'will' of the party.

Home Office minister Victoria Atkins was one of those nearly overcome by the emotion of the moment. Asked for her reaction as she emerged from the room, she welled up and clutched her chest.

Tory MP Alec Shelbrooke said that some Tory MPs had tears in their eyes when the PM told the room she would not lead the party into the next election.

He said : 'She basically said it is not her intention to lead the party into the 2022 election.

'I think she's at a stage where she is 100 per cent committed to delivering Brexit. That's where her focus is.

'And her opening remarks were: 'I am not going to call a snap election. There is an impasse and we will get through it but I'm not going to call a snap election.'

Asked what the feeling was like in the room when she said she would not lead the party into the 2022 election, he said: 'Shock. There were a couple of tears in some colleagues' eyes.'

Former Brexit Secretary David Davis, who had hinted he was voting against the PM last night, left the committee room before the end of Mrs May's appearance.

Sajid Javid is grass root Tories' favourite to replace May after she vows to step down by 2022

Home Secretary Sajid Javid is favourite with the Tory faithful to succeed Theresa May, with Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt in second place  and Boris Johnson well down the field.

According to the survey of Conservative councillors, Home Secretary Mr Javid is the Party's first choice to replace Mrs May.

He is followed by Mr Hunt and former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab.

Surprisingly, Mr Johnson, Mrs May's most prominent critic, trails in seventh place.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid is favourite with the Tory faithful to succeed Theresa May

A poll for the Mail found Sajid Javid is favourite to succeed Theresa May

By contrast, Environment Michael Gove, who sabotaged fellow Brexiteer Johnson's 2016 leadership challenge in 2016, but has stayed loyal to Mrs May, is one place ahead of Johnson.

The 753 Conservative councillors who took part in the poll were asked to pick from 11 leadership contenders, listing them in order of preference.

The more top picks they received, the higher they were ranked and vice versa.

The Survation poll is a key guide to the possible outcome of a Tory leadership contest.

MPs whittle the candidates down the final two, but the winner is decided by a vote of the Party's 100,000 plus members, which includes its 9,000 councillors.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt is second place favourite to succeed Theresa May

Nearly six in ten of those who took part in the survey voted in favour of Brexit in the referendum; four of ten voted Remain.

In spite of the respondents' pro Brexit views, outspoken Remainer, Work and Pensions Secretary Ms Rudd, restored to the Cabinet after losing her Home Office job over the Windrush immigration fiasco earlier this year, pipped both Johnson and Gove.

The number one ranking for Javid comes after a series of reports that he is gearing up for a challenge if Mrs May falls.

The Home Secretary, who campaigned for Remain but has since said he supports Brexit, is followed by fellow convert Hunt in second place, Raab third, David Davis, Amber Rudd, Gove, Johnson, Penny Mordaunt, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Andrea Leadsom and Esther McVey.

Nearly seven in ten Tory councillors said Conservative MPs were wrong to try to oust Mrs May

Johnson's low position is at odds with other recent polls of Tory supporters  as opposed to Tory members  which have put him in first place.

Damian Lyons-Lowe, head of Survation, said: 'It seems Conservative councillors disapprove more strongly of a fellow politician who rocks the party boat to members of the public.

They are more sympathetic to Cabinet loyalists like Sajid and Hunt. Boris' supporters will be dismayed that he is behind both Gove and Rudd in popularity terms in the Party.'

Nearly seven in ten Tory councillors said Conservative MPs were wrong to try to oust Mrs May; one in three said they were right to do so.

A total of 67 per cent said MPs should vote to keep Mrs May against 31 per cent who said they should sack her.

Johnson's low position of seventh is at odds with other recent polls of Tory supporters  as opposed to Tory members  which have put him in first place

Tory Party anger with MPs who tried to topple Mrs May is reflected in some of the comments posted by councillors who took part in the poll.

They included: 'What a mess, no deal should not even be considered, the economy is the priority'; 'We should support the PM, stabbing her in the back has undermined her all the way'; 'Conservative MPs are acting like children'; 'I am ashamed of MPs who did this.'

But some were critical of the Prime Minister. One said: 'We need a leader with real charisma.' Another observed: 'She has made a real hash of the negotiations.'

Survation interviewed 753 Conservative councillors online today.

When Theresa May promised to bow out after Brexit she fired the starting gun on the Tory leadership race. With Raab in front and Javid and Johnson behind him, ANDREW PIERCE asks who will replace her as PM?

By Andrew Pierce for The Daily Mail

Brexit Ultra

Jacob Rees-Mogg

With his double-breasted pinstripe suits and impeccable manners, the 49-year-old has been ridiculed as 'the honourable member for the 18th century'.

Chairman of the European Research Group, a cabal of ultra-Brexiteer Tories who have botched their attempts to unseat Mrs May. And his increasingly personal attacks on her have damaged his standing among fellow Tory MPs and activists.

The son of a former editor of The Times, he divides his time with his wife and their six children between a 4.5 million house in Westminster and a 400-year-old mansion at the foot of the Mendip Hills.

He used to top polls of party activists when they were asked who they wanted as next Tory leader. But his recent disloyalty to Mrs May has seen his ratings plummet.

Always says he doesn't want the top job  which is just as well. After May's comfortable victory, there's now more chance of Tony Blair coming back as Labour leader than Rees-Mogg assuming the Tory crown.

With his double-breasted pinstripe suits and impeccable manners, 49-year-old Jacob Rees-Mogg (pictured) has been ridiculed as 'the honourable member for the 18th century'

Brexiteers who stalked out

Dominic Raab

Cerebral lawyer who's the son of a Czech-born Jewish father who came to Britain in 1938 aged six as a refugee from the Nazis.

Appointed Brexit Secretary after fellow Brexiteer David Davis walked out  but quit himself last month.

'I cannot support an indefinite backstop arrangement, where the EU holds a veto over our ability to exit,' he said.

Ubiquitous on TV and radio, but not everyone is impressed. 'Dominic is his own biggest fan,' says one Tory MP. 'He's just a bit too clever.'

A black belt at karate, the 44-year-old could form a joint leadership ticket with David Davis.

Dominic Raab (pictured) is a cerebral lawyer who's the son of a Czech-born Jewish father who came to Britain in 1938 aged six as a refugee from the Nazis

Boris Johnson

Clearly on manoeuvres  the 54-year-old having just cropped his signature tousled hair and lost 12lb.

The most passionate frontline Tory advocate of Brexit  describing the PM's deal as 'diabolical' and a 'legal lobster pot'. As ever, he is long on bombast, short on content. Long on grandiosity, short on self-awareness.

As one of the most hardline Brexiteers, he is hamstrung by a lack of support among fellow Tory MPs, which means he'll struggle to make it to the final two of any contest. But a restless soul, backbench life will not suit Johnson.

Clearly on manoeuvres  54-year-old Boris Johnson (pictured) having just cropped his signature tousled hair and lost 12lb

David Davies

A long-term Leave advocate brought back into government by May (before he quit in a huff) having first served as Europe minister in the Major government.

The victim of a whispering campaign about his time as Brexit Secretary when the 69-year-old was accused of being lazy, having held only five hours of meetings in Brussels in 2018.

Significantly jockeyed for position yesterday by proposing a new Brexit solution  scrapping the Irish backstop.

A serious contender, but his best hope is as a stop-gap leader before handing over to a younger deputy.

David Davis (pictured) is a long-term Leave advocate brought back into government by May (before he quit in a huff) having first served as Europe minister in the Major government

Esther McVey

A Barnardo's child whose father was variously a scrap metal merchant and an ice cream van driver. Before politics, the Liverpudlian was a breakfast TV presenter.

Resigned as Work and Pensions Secretary in protest at May's EU withdrawal document.

Asked on Sunday if she'd run, Mrs McVey, 51, said she would 'if people asked'.

Though she might have to wait a long time before anyone asks her, as she has yet to prove she has any intellectual depth.

Her political mentor is Eurosceptic Iain Duncan Smith, and Mrs McVey has been the MP for the Tatton, Cheshire seat  vacated by Europhile George Osborne  since 2017.

Esther Mcvey is a Barnardo's child whose father was variously a scrap metal merchant and an ice cream van driver. Before politics, the Liverpudlian was a breakfast TV presenter

The die-hard remainers

Gavin Williamson

Has enjoyed a rapid rise over recent years  thanks to his naked ambition, matinee idol good looks and a penchant for theatrical power play.

As May's Chief Whip, he was rewarded for running her leadership campaign with the job of Defence Secretary.

Best known for having kept a tarantula in a glass box on his Commons desk, seemingly to intimidate Tory MPs who stepped out of line.

Tried to soften his image by saying: 'I don't very much believe in the stick, but it's amazing what can be achieved with a sharpened carrot.'

His time at the defence ministry has been fraught  being dubbed Private Pike, after the hapless youth in Dad's Army, by some service chiefs who see the 42-year-old as a lightweight.

Early this year he confessed to having had a long-ago office romance with a colleague around the time his first son was born, admitting he 'nearly destroyed two marriages'.

A rank outsider  with critics saying only he thinks he has leadership qualities.

As May's Chief Whip, Gavin Williamson (pictured) was rewarded for running her leadership campaign with the job of Defence Secretary

Amber Rudd

Broke ranks with Mrs May at the weekend when she conceded the possible need for a second referendum. But generally an ally of the country's second woman PM, complaining that men at Westminster 'seem to flounce out quite a lot'.

Brought back into the Cabinet recently after being forced to resign as Home Secretary over the Windrush scandal in April. The 55-year-old's Achilles heel is the fact that she has a majority of only 346 in her Hastings and Rye constituency.

An alumna of Cheltenham Ladies' College, she was 'aristocracy coordinator' for the film Four Weddings And A Funeral and was previously married to the late restaurant critic A. A. Gill.

Her millionaire PR guru brother Roland was a leading figure in the Remain campaign and is now noisily calling for a second referendum.

Now Welfare and Pensions Secretary, Rudd is considered an unlikely successor to Mrs May because of her steadfast support for the EU  something not appreciated by the Eurosceptic Tory grassroots.

Amber Rudd (pictured) is generally an ally of the country's second woman PM, complaining that men at Westminster 'seem to flounce out quite a lot'

Brexit Loyalists

Andrea Leadsom

A leading figure in the Leave campaign and, expecting Boris Johnson to run for leader afterwards, asked him to make her Chancellor if she supported him.

The 55-year-old's own bid for the leadership foundered after allegations she'd exaggerated her City career.

She then withdrew from the 2016 leadership race after apologising to Theresa May for suggesting being a mother made her a better candidate.

Environment Secretary in May's first Cabinet, but was out of her depth.

Not even worth an outside bet.

55-year-old Andrea Leadsom's own bid for the leadership foundered after allegations she'd exaggerated her City career

Michael Gove

Despite being a die-hard Brexiteer, the Environment Secretary has taken a high-wire stance of staying in Mrs May's Cabinet.

Has toured TV and radio to defend the PM's Brexit plan, which he says is not ideal but is better than a 'calamitous' no deal.

The 51-year-old will run if enough senior party figures urge him to.

Joked this week that he might 'if Boris Johnson nominated me and Philip Hammond seconded'. More likely to back another candidate rather than stand

Despite being a die-hard Brexiteer, the Environment Secretary (pictured) has taken a high-wire stance of staying in Mrs May's Cabinet

Penny Mordaunt

Daughter of a former Para and named after frigate HMS Penelope.

The 45-year-old has been MP for Portsmouth North since 2010 and first came to prominence wearing a swimsuit to appear on ITV's celebrity diving show Splash!

A naval reservist, she was first female Armed Forces minister before being promoted to Cabinet as International Development Secretary.

Was the most outspoken critic at the Chequers summit on the Brexit plan, but decided not to resign.

'Not sure she's clever enough to go to the top,' said one former Cabinet minister last night.

Daughter of a former Para, Penny Mourdaunt (pictured) was named after frigate HMS Penelope

Converts

Sajid Javid

The Home Secretary was always regarded as a Brexiteer until he came out for Remain in the referendum.

Javid, 49, now describes himself as an enthusiastic Brexit convert, but is viewed with suspicion by hardliners.

He is also a boring speaker and is regarded as dull and unimaginative by many fellow Tory MPs, with little to offer politically.

The Home Secretary (pictured) was always regarded as a Brexiteer until he came out for Remain in the referendum

Jeremy Hunt

A former Remainer whose reputation has been boosted by his strong six-year record as Health Secretary, which ended when he replaced Boris Johnson as Foreign Secretary.

Affable and quietly authoritative, the 52-year-old has built a loyal following on the backbenches. A convert to Brexit, but vehemently opposed to leaving with no deal.

From allies flooding TV and Twitter to husband Philip watching over her at PMQs, JACK DOYLE looks back at an extraordinary 24 hours in Westminster for Theresa May

The Downing Street switchboard logged the call at 10.35pm on Tuesday. It was Sir Graham Brady for the Prime Minister. It was bad news.

The chairman of the 1922 committee confirmed what the Westminster rumour mill had suggested hours earlier  that 48 MPs had lodged letters of no confidence in the PM and that she would therefore face a vote by the Parliamentary party. If a majority voted against her, she was out.

Mrs May told Sir Graham she was 'keen to get on with it and settle the matter'.

Theresa May (pictured above) was backed by a margin of 200 to 117 in a no-confidence ballot

It was a brutal end to a gruelling day. The PM had arrived back at RAF Northolt at 9pm after visiting the Hague, where she met Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Berlin for a meeting with Chancellor Merkel and then Brussels to meet EU Council President Donald Tusk and Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker  as she tried to gain assurances over the Northern Ireland backstop that might persuade Tory rebels to back the Government's Withdrawal Agreement.

The whistlestop tour came after she had pulled the vote on the Brexit deal on Monday, knowing that she faced a heavy defeat. Now she was fighting for her political life.

No 10 strikes back

Yesterday the first meeting in No.10 began at 7am  an hour earlier than usual. At 7.40am Sir Graham issued a press release confirming the no confidence vote would be held.

An hour later Mrs May stood in Downing Street and vowed to fight 'with everything I've got'.

She set out several arguments to convince wavering MPs. Firstly, she warned, no new leader could be in place before January 21, the date by which the 'meaningful vote' on the Withdrawal Agreement is due to take place.

This would mean handing control of negotiations to opposition MPs  who could force an even softer Brexit, or a second referendum.

Mrs May also warned it could result in Britain's departure date under Article 50 being either delayed or put off indefinitely.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid (pictured above) was driven out the Houses of Parliament following no confidence vote to Prime Minister Theresa May

And she said a leadership contest would see the party spend 'weeks tearing ourselves apart just as we should be standing together to serve our country.' She added: 'The only people whose interests would be served are Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell.'

No time to lose

The realisation that she would face a vote of no confidence was a blow, but it was not wholly unexpected. In mid-November Jacob Rees-Mogg, the chairman of the European Research Group (ERG) of hardline Brexiteers publicly called for Mrs May to go.

That coup attempt failed miserably, but by signalling his intent he handed Downing Street one crucial advantage: time to prepare.

Aides began planning how to manage a no confidence vote.

By contrast, the rebels appeared disorganised. At least one member of the ERG was reported to be 'furious' at the speed with which the vote was called  they had expected it to be next Monday, giving more time to prepare.

The rules of the 1922 committee say a vote should be held soon as practically possible, so Sir Graham was well within his rights to go quickly.

The quick vote also suited No 10. Senior aides who discussed timing on Tuesday concluded it would have been impossible to go to the EU Council on Thursday to try and extract concessions from EU leaders with the vote 'hanging over our heads'.

Michael Gove (pictured above) leaving the Houses of Parliament in Westminster

Loyalists rally

The Downing Street machine went into overdrive. Loyalist MPs took to TV and radio stations to hammer home the PM's message, following the lead of Justice Secretary David Gauke, who appeared on the all-important 8.10am interview slot on Radio 4's Today programme. No 10 hammered MPs with polling data.

It showed two-thirds of Tory councillors wanted Mrs May to stay and three-quarters of Tory voters want her to see through Brexit.

The public don't believe rivals would get a better deal, by three to one. Internal party polling also revealed three-quarters of Tory voters say it is the 'wrong time to change Prime Minister' and that Mrs May is the most popular leader among Tory voters of all potential candidates.

British Secretary for International Development Penny Mordaunt (pictured above)

Twitter takes off

On social media, the Cabinet swung in behind Mrs May and other ministers followed. Within minutes of Sir Graham announcing the vote, party chairman Brandon Lewis tweeted his support for Mrs May, saying the party had a 'duty to deliver for our country'.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Home Secretary Sajid Javid and Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd  all seen as potential leadership candidates  followed with supportive tweets within the next 20 minutes.

Business Secretary Greg Clark tweeted to say he admired Mrs May's 'grit and determination' and Michael Gove said he was backing her '100 per cent'.

Jeremy Hunt (pictured above) had a glum expression on his face when leaving Parliament

At 10am Julian Smith, the chief whip, also tweeted his support. The only ministers not to tweet, including Transport Secretary Chris Grayling and Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright, do not have personal Twitter accounts.

One of last to declare his support was Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson, who was in No 10 and did not have his phone.

Meanwhile, the battle was being fought in the corridors of the House of Commons.

The whips, charged with enforcing discipline , were arm-twisting and cajoling potential rebels and also went to work on their 'flocks' of MPs, feeding back the voting numbers to Smith

There was a notable absence of new opponents declaring they would not vote for May.

Former Environment Secretary Owen Paterson announced his intention to do so on Tuesday night, and Sir Bernard Jenkin on Wednesday morning, but neither declaration was a big surprise. More worrying for No 10 were those MPs said to be 'making up their minds'.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Amber Rudd (pictured above) leaves parliament on December 12

Xmas cancelled

Some MPs pointed to one factor in play other than high principle: Christmas. One loyalist said, voice dripping with sarcasm: 'Obviously in many ways I'd rather have a hugely acrimonious leadership contest over Christmas. But also in many ways not.'

Some interventions by ministers were unhelpful. Chancellor Philip Hammond said the vote would 'flush out the extremists' behind an agenda for Brexit which would damage Britain  a comment Mrs May later contradicted.

Plymouth MP Johnny Mercer  a critic of the Government but not a Brexiteer  called it 'woefully misjudged'.

Sir Graham Brady (centre), chairman of the 1922 Committee, and flanked by Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (left), Bob Blackman, and Cheryl Gillian (right), announced that Theresa May survived an attempt by Tory MPs to oust her as party leader with a motion of no confidence at the Houses of Parliament in London

The same Cabinet ministers who were publicly eviscerating their colleagues for not supporting the PM were, at the same time, phoning MPs to gather support for their own leadership bids, he claimed.

Arch-Remainer Anna Soubry accused Boris Johnson of being a 'great charlatan' and of 'cruising around the tea rooms' to gather support. Meanwhile, Labour MPs could barely keep the smiles off their faces.

'We're going to have a lunch then come back and put our feet up. Merry Christmas,' one Labour aide said.

'A win is a win'

The Prime Minister (left) had met with Mark Rutte (right) on Tuesday to discuss the Brexit deal

Just after lunch, the number of MPs who had publicly declared in Mrs May's favour was up to 172.

This gave officials hope, although they were not counting their chickens. One senior Tory said: 'This is a sophisticated electorate  some may be lying.'

There was also an elaborate game of 'managing expectations'. One senior Tory critic of Mrs May said she would have to go if 80 MPs rebelled because she had lost a majority of backbench MPs.

By contrast, one Cabinet minister said she could lose by 100 and still continue as leader. Others insisted 'a win is a win'  and she would press on regardless even if she won by one vote.

Facing PMQs

Mrs May arrived at the Commons in her ministerial car at 11.10am. Her husband, Philip, there for Prime Minister's Questions, and told the Mail he was 'very confident' of victory. Mrs May sailed through PMQs  Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn sounded angry and failed to land a blow.

Then in the post-PMQs briefing of lobby journalists a No 10 aide dropped a bombshell.

He said Mrs May 'doesn't believe the vote today is about who leads the party to the next election.

It's about whether it's sensible to change leader at this point in the negotiations'.

This was a major signal to MPs that the PM would not seek to fight the next election, due in 2022. It was seen by some as a sign that No 10 was not confident about the vote.

Rebuff from DUP

Just after 1pm, Mrs May met with DUP leader Arlene Foster and deputy leader Nigel Dodds in the PM's Commons office in an attempt to try to rebuild relations.

The Northern Irish party has all but abandoned its support for the Government over the Northern Irish backstop.

Jacob Rees Mogg (pictured above) said he 'accepted the confidence vote' but said the PM should resign anyway

After the meeting, Mrs Foster demanded 'fundamental changes' to the legal text of the agreement.

Several Tory MPs intending to vote against the PM pointed to the collapse of the DUP deal to support the Government  and the loss of its majority in the Commons  being key to their decision.

Shock and tears

Just after 5pm Mrs May made the earlier hint explicit, as she addressed the crunch meeting of Tory MPs in Committee Room 14  the room where, shortly afterwards, they would vote to decide her fate.

She told them: 'In my heart I would have loved to have led us into the next election, but I realise that we will need a new leader with new objectives for the 2022 election.' Sources said the mood in the room was 'sombre' and there was 'shock and a few tears in the eyes' when she said it.

Cabinet minister Chris Grayling (pictured above) immediately insisted Mrs May would now go to Brussels to try and renegotiate the deal

One Tory MP described it as a 'powerful and moving moment' and the PM had 'listened, heard and respects' the will of the party.

When pressed, Mrs May refused to set a clear date for her departure as Tony Blair was forced to following the 'Curry House plot' in 2006.

She also slapped down Mr Hammond for his earlier 'extremists' jibe, saying 'there are no extremists in this party'.

The result

Shortly before 9pm, Sir Graham entered Committee Room 14  which was packed withMPs, minister and journalists, to announce Mrs May had won.

The announcement was greeted with the loud banging of desks by loyalists.

Then Sir Graham announced the result  200 for and 117 against, meaning more than a third of the party voted against the PM.

Cabinet minister Chris Grayling immediately insisted Mrs May would now go to Brussels to try and renegotiate the deal.

Allies also pointed out the PM had won more votes than she did in the first round of the leadership contest in 2016. Rees Mogg said he 'accepted the confidence vote' but said the PM should resign anyway.

Half an hour later outside No 10, a chastened Mrs May accepted it had been a 'long and challenging day'.
The most outlandish and bizarre nanny-state reforms of the year have been named and shamed by a think tank - and the award recipients are just as hilarious and over-the-top as you would expect.

The Centre for Independent Studies, an Australian libertarian think tank, held their annual nanny state awards on Thursday night and the Bunnings sausage controversy shared the main prize.

Professor Steven Schwartz, Senior Fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies, told Daily Mail Australia a panel of judges were appointed to assess the 'most intrusive and farcical' regulations or campaigns of 2018.

The Centre for Independent Studies, an Australian libertarian think tank, held their annual nanny state awards on Thursday night and sausages were at the centre of the controversy - particularly if you like your onions on top of your meat (stock)

Bunnings Warehouse controversially ruled that the fried onions on their sausage sandwiches be placed under the meat to avoid hazards posed by dropped garnishes (stock image)

First place was awarded jointly to health experts campaigning for the salt content of sausages to be cut in half, and Bunnings' decision to change the rules surrounding their famous sausage sizzles.

In November the hardware giant controversially ruled that fried onions must be placed underneath the sausage in their sandwiches rather than on top in to avoid safety problems posed by dropped garnishes.

'Considering the Australian BBQ sausage is a part of the country's culture, this one in particular brought out the judges' ire,' Professor Schwartz said.

Second place was awarded to Blue Mountains City Council, which tried to limit fencing around park playgrounds over concerns it would make kids feel 'caged' and reduce their creativity (stock image)

Second place was awarded to Blue Mountains City Council, which tried to limit fencing around park playgrounds due to concerns it would make kids feel 'caged' and affect their creativity.

Environmental educator Arwen Birch claimed third place after he proposed a ban on car advertising earlier this year because of its 'poor health outcomes'.

Mr Birch argued smoking and car use have comparable health costs, yet while there are strict laws in place around tobacco ads, there are none for cars.

Also included on the Nanny Awards 2018 list was the Greens' proposal to ban petrol cars from roads by 2030.

On the shortlist for the satirical awards was a supermarket shopping bag ban, mandatory window latches for NSW apartments, a call for mandatory alcohol warnings and plans to ban plastic straws.

Also up there on the Nanny Awards 2018 list was the Greens' proposal to ban petrol cars from roads by 2030 (stock image)

A ban on plastic straws is currently close to becoming a reality in Europe, as the European Union this year voted in favour of a ban on single-use plastics across the bloc which could come into effect as early as 2021.

On a more serious note, spokeswoman for the ThinkTank Carla Pincott told Daily Mail Australia that in reality, intrusive 'nanny state' laws are no laughing matter.

'While we make fun of the government and other bodies intervening like this, we do consider the nanny state a serious matter and a continuing intrusion into people's lives,' she said.
An Arizona newspaper owner who claimed last year in ads in his own publication that someone tried to kill him with rat poison has blamed his ex-wife who he is locked in a bitter battle with over his prenuptial agreement.

Felice Soldwedel, 63, was cleared of poisoning her former husband Joseph Soldwedel, 66, by police who believed he was trying to get out of the agreement to pay $900,000.

But that didn't stop him from publicly accusing her of trying to kill him by allegedly lacing his food with thallium in 2016.

Last December, he ran ads in his newspaper, The Prescott Daily Courier, which said he had been poisoned but did not name the alleged culprit despite him claiming to know who it was.

Tellingly, he said it was neither of his children from a previous marriage or his sister but said nothing of his wife.

He reported his case to the police, pointing the finger firmly at Felice, but she was never arrested. Officers searched her computer and phone records but said the found no evidence she was behind the apparent attack.

Joseph Soldwedel, 66, has accused of his 63-year-old estrange wife Felice of trying to kill him by poisoning him with thallium. He made the bizarre claims after she filed for divorce and he was convicted of stalking and harassing her. Now, he is trying to get out their prenuptial agreement by having their marriage annulled. He hopes the rat poison claims will get that done

This is the ad Joseph ran in his newspaper in June after Felice had been cleared by police and after they found no traces of thallium in his system but found methamphetamine in his hair. He says he believes the police investigation was not finished and that it was done improperly

They did find evidence which suggested Soldwedel, who was convicted of stalking and harassing his wife after she filed for divorce, had ingested methamphetamine.

Unsatisfied with their conclusion, Soldwedel filed a lawsuit in June against his wife seeking $18million in damages.

After she was named in the court documents, he ran another newspaper ad, this time naming and picturing her, which claimed she had an accomplice. He offered a $10,000 reward to anyone who could identify the accomplice, saying they were responsible for 90 percent of the attack.

Felice has always denied poisoning him. She said she was horrified when the second ad which named and pictured her was printed in the local newspaper without any of its journalists ever calling her for her side of the story.

The pair were married for eight years before she filed for a divorce in April 2017.

It was the third marriage for both of them and they signed a prenuptial agreement in 2010 before tying the knot which clearly stated that if they divorced, Felice would be given $900,000 and if her husband died, she would get $1million. The rest of his money would go to his children from previous relationships.

This was the first, less accusatory ad, that was run in the newspaper in December 2017 without naming anyone. Joseph believes that because he did not name his wife until she was named in his lawsuit, his practices have been ethical

Now, Soldwedel is trying to have their marriage annulled so that he does not have to honor their agreement.

Around the same time as she filed for divorce, Felice reported her husband to police for stalking and harassing her. He was convicted for it and is on probation.

In December 2017, Soldwedel made the first of the rat poisoning claims. He said he had started feeling ill, had shortness of breath, headaches and the flu.

He claimed the symptoms began in 2016 but it was not until September 2017, five months after Felice filed for divorce, that he suspected he had been poisoned.

He sent hair samples to a private laboratory in Colorado and was later told that high levels of thallium were found in his hair, a story that was corroborated by independent toxicologist he hired.

His lawyer urged him to take his story to police but when they tested his hair in October that year, they found no trace of thallium.

They did find traces of methamphetamine. He tried to explain that away by accusing Felice of putting the drug in his shampoo. Thallium can sometimes be found in illegal drugs such as methamphetamine.

Felice was cleared and the case was dropped but Joseph was determined to continue his crusade and used his own newspaper to spread his claims.

The Courier is one of 13 that belongs to Western News, the chain he owns and he inherited it from his father when he was 23.

In the past, the Courier's journalists won awards for their investigations into local police and law enforcement, something that started when Soldwedel claimed they entered his home under illegal pretenses.

Joseph inherited Western News from his father when he was 23. He said that while not everyone at the newspaper was happy with his crusade, they went along with it because he has 'ultimate authority'

Felice was an advertising executive for the newspaper group and had worked there since 1999.

Despite her being named in ads by the newspaper, she said none of its journalists ever contacted her to ask for her side of the story.

Joseph does not deny it, saying that he believed it was safer not to because he did not want to breach the terms of his probation by contacting her.

He believes his actions were ethical because he did not publicly accuse her of poisoning him until doing so in court documents.

He admits that while the journalists at the newspaper were hesitant to carry out his will, they went along with it because he has 'ultimate authority'.

'Everybody wasn't on board 100 percent but said, "OK." I do have ultimate authority,' he said.

The newspaper never ran stories about the fact that Felice had been cleared by police nor did it report on the owner's stalking and harassment conviction.

Joseph told The Associated Press that he did not believe the case was over and that the police did not properly investigate it.

'I'm hoping to get her into court and to get it into trial and bring up enough evidence to the surface that police could not ignore it.'

Felice said she was tempted to move after estranged husband publicly accused her of trying to kill him.

'I've had people call me, text me, "Felice, is that you in the paper? Oh my god."

Felice was an advertising sales executive for the newspaper group before she and her husband got married in 2010. She said that the first she learned of his allegations was when someone mysteriously dropped off a copy of the newspaper, despite her not subscribing to it, in December 2017 which contained the first ad. She has since said she felt like she had to leave town

'It almost makes you feel like you want to leave town. He made me look like this horrible person,' she said.

She first learned of the claims when a copy of the newspaper which contained the ad was left on her doorstep in December 2017 despite her not subscribing to it.

Soldwedel has come under scrutiny from industry experts for trying to use his newspaper to wage war against his wife.

'It's highly problematic for a publisher to be using the editorial resources of the paper to pursue a personal vendetta.

'The whole thing is pretty bizarre because someone who is not the publisher would not get that kind of attention, absent law enforcement taking it seriously,' Edward Wasserman, dean of the graduate journalism school at the University of California, Berkeley, said.

The divorce case will be tried in February, and Joseph Soldwedel's attorney is expected to raise the poisoning allegations to try to nullify the prenuptial agreement, said John Mull, the lawyer representing Felice Soldwedel.

Neither Joseph or Felice responded to DailyMail.com's inquiries on Thursday morning.

It remains unclear why he believes his wife is fit to pay the $18million in damages he is seeking from her, or who her alleged culprit - whose face was obscured by a disguise in the ad - is.
A swimwear and activewear model has pleaded guilty to high-range drink driving after she dodged a random police breath test site.

According to police facts, Jamaya Markey admitted to officers she had downed five vodka shots on October 13 before getting behind the wheel.

'The driver was observed having a pale face, glazed eyes, sluggish movement, swaying, and (acting) irritable,' the agreed facts stated.

Swimwear and activewear model Jamaya Markey (pictured) pleaded guilty to high-range drink driving after she tried to dodge a random police breath test site

According to police facts, Jamaya Markey (pictured) admitted to officers she had downed five vodka shots on October 13 before getting behind the wheel

After Markey left the boozy party with friends, the 21-year-old was pulled over on Holland Street near Cronulla in Sydney's south at 9.25pm, St George Shire Standard reported.

The 21-year-old stopped her car metres from the random breath test site after she failed to follow police directions to pull over.

She said she was dropping friends home and had only had a few drinks.

'The accused informed police she had her first drink at 5pm and finished her last drink at 8.20pm,' the agreed facts stated.

Police recorded a blood alcohol reading of 0.162.

The former dancer has since had her licence suspended.

She will be sentenced at Sutherland Local Court on December 20.

Markey works as a dance teacher and pilates instructor at Caringbah.

After Markey (pictured) left the boozy party with friends, the 21-year-old was pulled over on Holland Street near Cronulla, south of Sydney at 9.25pm
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The Strasbourg Christmas market gunman was killed by police last night - two days after he murdered three and injured 12.

Three policemen found Cherif Chekatt walking in a street in the Neudorf area of central Strasbourg at 9pm. They tried to stop him but he opened fire and they shot him dead outside a warehouse.

Crowds gathered at the police cordon where Chekatt was shot. Some applauded while others shouted 'bravo'.

More than 720 officers had been hunting the 29-year-old since he walked through a Christmas market shooting and stabbing pedestrians on Tuesday night before escaping wounded in a hijacked taxi.

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The Strasbourg Christmas market gunman was killed by police on Thursday night. Pictured: Police surround the man's body

Neutralised: Three policemen found Cherif Chekatt (pictured is his corpse) walking in a street in the Neudorf area of central Strasbourg at 9pm. They tried to stop him but he opened fire and they shot him dead outside a warehouse

Cherif Chekatt (pictured is his corpse) opened fire on anti-terror police who tried to stop him outside a warehouse - but was shot dead in the street

Chekatt then hid out in a warehouse a few hundred yards from his parents' house where he grew up in the northeastern French city.

A woman spotted a man fitting his description with an injured arm on Thursday afternoon and alerted authorities.

Police sealed off the area and used a helicopter with thermal cameras to hunt for the terrorist - but couldn't find him until the evening.

Checkatt, 29, had criminal convictions in France and Germany and was radicalised in jail. After his death, ISIS propaganda news agency Amaq claimed he was a 'soldier' of Daesh.

Police found weapons and jihadist propaganda in his flat and have arrested his parents, two brothers and a fifth person in connection with the attack.

A French police officer running during an operation in the Plaine des Bouchers area of Strasbourg near the Neudorf neighbourhood where the suspected ISIS terrorist was gunned down in a shoot-out with cops

French police officers raided a warehouse in Plaine des Bouchers area of Strasbourg near the Neudorf neighbourhood where terrorist Cherif Chekatt was gunned down

French special police forces secured an area during a police operation where the suspected gunman, Cherif Chekatt, was killed tonight

Chekatt was killed after firing on police officers, who returned fire, as a police helicopter had been circling overhead

Police thanked people who spotted him for helping track him down tweeting: 'Thank you for your reports that helped to find the wanted individual.'

Police officer Emmanuel Georg told BFM TV station that three police officers patrolling the neighbourhood tried to intercept a suspect corresponding to Chekatt's description as he was about to enter a building.

The officer said: 'He opened fired, they responded and managed to shoot him down.'

A witness said he heard shots and rushed to the window to see what was happening and closed the shutters when he spotted the cornered suspect across the street.

Cem Akcakaya said: 'I was very afraid for my children, I told them to go away, and I went to the side.'

After it was over, he said he saw the man motionless on his back on the pavement, his left arm askew.

The police operation was launched around 8.30pm around just over a mile from where he launched his deadly attack on festive shoppers.

More than 720 French security forces had been hunting for the 29-year-old terrorist since the bloodshed at a Christmas market in the city on Tuesday night

French special police forces secure an area during a police operation in Neudorf in the Meinau district after the deadly shooting in Strasbourg, France

Investigators working on the street during a police operation in which the suspected gunman, Cherif Chekatt, who killed three people at a Christmas market in Strasbourg, was killed this evening

Heavily armed police swooped on the Neudorf neighbourhood of Strasbourg today amid a massive manhunt for the Christmas market shooter

Forensic and armed officers working at the scene where Chekatt was killed in a shoot-out today

Islamic State's self-styled news agency said that Chekatt was 'an Islamic State soldier' who 'carried out the operation in response to calls for targeting citizens of coalition countries' fighting militants in Syria and Iraq.

In a post on social media, the IS Amaq news agency said: 'Amaq identifies Strasbourg gunman as an IS "soldier".'

Strasbourg Mayor Roland Ries told reporters after news that Chekatt had been killed: 'I think it will help to get back to a life that I would describe as normal. With the death of this terrorist... citizens, like me, are relieved.'

Police issued a wanted poster in multiple languages for Chekatt, who had been on a watchlist as a potential security threat.

Neighbours on the housing estate where Chekatt family's lived described the suspect as a typical young man who dressed in jogging pants and trainers rather than traditional Islamic robes.

A leader of a community group said outside Chekkat's apartment building in Strasbourg: 'He was a little gangster, but I didn't see any signs of him being radicalised.'

The Paris prosecutor's office said Chekatt's parents and two brothers were being held in custody, while two of his sisters in Paris were also questioned today and one of their homes was being searched.

French President Emmanuel Macron expressed 'the solidarity of the whole country' towards the victims as he arrived for a European summit in Brussels last night.

'It is not only France that has been hit... but a great European city as well,' he added, referring to the seat of the European parliament in the eastern French city that lies on the border with Germany.

Rescue workers walked past hooded police officers standing guard in Strasbourg, eastern France tonight, where Chekatt was shot and killed

Hooded police officers block the access in the Meinau district in Strasbourg, eastern France, as the manhunt for the terrorist continued as night fell

Police cars at the scene of the shooting in the Neudorf neighbourhood of Strasbourg this evening as officers in body armour and carrying rifles hunted for Chekatt throughout the day

The Paris prosecutor's office said Chekatt's parents and two brothers were being held in custody, while two of his sisters in Paris were also questioned today and one of their homes was searched

A hooded police officer holding his gun in Strasbourg, eastern France, as armed officers combed the Neudorf neighbourhood of Strasbourg in search for the gunman

Residents of Strasbourg's Neudorf neighborhood expressed relief, such as Pierre Plasse, who said: 'Everybody's quite happy that the killer has been finally shot. I think now, the city and life can keep going on in Strasbourg.'

Earlier today elite RAID police officers were scouring the French-German border for a car belonging to the mother of Chekatt amid fears he has fled eastwards in her vehicle.

A custody image of Cherif Chekatt released by police

Officers were searching across three locations in the late afternoon, including the area where Chekatt was last seen.

He had a history of arrests in Germany and police searches were spread across the border.

The German newspaper Bild reported that police were on guard across the German border for a French numberplate on a Ford belonging to Chekatt's mother, in which he could have fled the country.

Swiss police are also said to have increased their security amid fears he was fleeing across Europe.

Heavily armed police swooped on the Neudorf neighbourhood of Strasbourg on Thursday amid a massive manhunt for Christmas market shooter, Chekatt.

Police cars blocked a street as officers carrying rifles and dressed in body armour gathered in the neighbourhood where Chekatt was dropped off by a taxi driver following his bloody rampage on Tuesday.

As officers searched for the killer it emerged that they had found jihadist literature at his apartment, as well as a grenade, a loaded rifle and four knives.

On Thursday Le Parisien also revealed that, during a prison stay in 2008, Chekatt hung a picture of 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden on his wall.

Chekatt killed three people and wounded 12 during an attack on the city's Christmas Market before fleeing when he was shot through the shoulder.

Heavily armed French police descended on a street in the Neudorf neighbourhood of Strasbourg on Thursday amid a manhunt for Christmas market shooter Cherif Chekatt

Officers blocked a street in the east of the French city, though it was not immediately clear whether they had tracked Chekatt down

The raid comes two days after Chekatt killed three and wounded 12 after opening fire at the city's Christmas market before fleeing when he was shot in the shoulder

Officers sweep the streets in Neudorf, the neighbourhood where Chekatt was dropped off by a taxi driver after his rampage

Officers have been searching for two days for any sign of shooter Cherif Chekatt, amid fears he might strike a second time

French special police forces were also spotted in the Meinau neighbourhood, close to Neudorf, while heavily armed

One French police official said security forces, including the elite Raid squad, were taking action on Thursday based on a 'supposition only' that Chekatt, a serial criminal, could be hiding in a nearby building.

This evening police ended their search in Neudorf without finding the killer, but as darkness fell officers continued to scour the nearby Meinau neighbourhood and the Plaine des Bouchers area.

Police also arrested a member of Chekatt's 'entourage' today, believed to be a friend who had served time with him in prison, after the killer's parents and two brothers were earlier taken into custody.

Cherif Chekatt, 29, is being hunted by French police after opening fire at a Christmas market in Strasbourg this week, killing three

In the search this afternoon raid officers fanned out along one street, some with their guns trained on the houses in front of them, as television cameras watched on, while other officers extended a security perimeter in the neighbourhood.

Children at a nearby school were placed in lock down while the operation took place, with parents told not to come and pick them up.

Police found writings calling for jihad at the attacker's home, as well as a grenade, a rifle and four knives, of which two were hunting knives, regional newspaper DNA reported.

Five people have been detained, believed to be Chekatt's parents, two of his brothers and another person taken into custody on Thursday.

The fifth person is reported to be a 39-year-old friend of the killer who once shared a prison with him.

Chekatt is said to have stayed with the friend in Lingolsheim on the night before the attack.

Police also raided the home of Chekatt's sister in Paris, although they did not arrest her, according to Le Point.

Officers apparently became suspicious over the sister's links to a doctor who may have helped treat Chekatt after he was shot in the arm.

Some 720 police and gendarmes have been scouring a huge section of eastern France using helicopter sweeps, roadside checks, border surveillance and house searches, but thus far have uncovered no trace of Chekatt.

Another 500 troops have been sent to guard public places including Christmas markets amid fears Chekatt will attack again, with 1,300 more due to join soon.

A government spokesman confirmed authorities have been told to capture Chekatt 'dead or alive', and that the most important thing is that he is found quickly.

Officers have warned that Chekatt, who has been convicted 27 times starting when he was just 13, should be considered dangerous and not to approach him.

Chekatt was put under observation by anti-terror police and was still being watched at the time he committed his attack, but didn't show 'any obvious signs'.

French special police forces secure an area during a police operation in the Meinau district

Meanwhile Interior minister Christophe Castaner was dispatched to Strasbourg to handle the crisis while Emmanuel Macron is in Brussels at an EU summit.

The attack came just as President Emmanuel Macron sought to take back control of the nation after a month of anti-government protests that have spread violence across the country.

Speaking before his arrival, Castaner said: 'This [operation] is a question of suspicion, as there have been several over the last 36 hours. This is not a confirmation and it does not announce anything, the investigation continues.'

Earlier today the death toll from the attack rose to three as a victim who had already been declared brain-dead finally succumbed to his wounds.

The man, an Afghan national who worked as a car mechanic in Strasbourg, died of his injuries today after he was reportedly shot in the head in Tuesday's rampage.

It was also revealed that 45-year-old Anupong Suebsamarn, who was shot dead at the market, had not intended to be in Strasbourg at the time.

Suebsamarn had been planning to go to Paris with his wife, but had changed plans at the last minute because of the Yellow Vest protests, which have seen some of the city's busiest landmarks paralysed by rioting.

The third victim is reported to be a Frenchman, a 61-year-old Strasbourg resident and a former employee of Credit Agricole, who was shot in the head, according to France 3.

Police officers secure a street in Neudorf, a neighbourhood in the east of Strasbourg

A French special police captain gives orders to one of his men amid the armed operation

A police source said officers acted on a 'supposition' that Chekatt was hiding in a house somewhere in the neighbourhood

Officers including those from the elite RAID unit were taking part in the operation in Strasbourg's eastern region

One Italian, 28-year-old Antonio Megalizzi, was reported to be in critical condition. Italian daily La Repubblica reported he was in Strasbourg to follow the session of the European Parliament.

Leaders of the mosque he attended initially said he had died after falling into a coma, but this was never confirmed by authorities.

Meanwhile L'Est Republicain reported that two people from eastern France were injured in the attack, one of whom was shot in the back of the neck and was in intensive care.

The other is an 18-year-old woman who has been operated on and is now recovering.

Strasbourg-based art collective Mimir told Les Dernieres Nouvelles d'Alsace that two of their members, both musicians, were injured near the Savons d'Helene cafe where they were performing.

One of them, a percussionist, was shot in the neck and is in a coma. The second, a guitarist, was also injured, but less severely.

A third man, also with links to Mimir is seriously wounded in the head.

French police have appealed for members of the public to look for Chekatt and to contact them if they have information, but not to approach him

In total 720 police and gendarmes had been searching for Chekatt across a vast swathe of eastern France, using helicopters, roadside searches and border surveillance

Hundreds of troops were also drafted in to guard public places, including Christmas markets, amid fears Chekatt will attack again

Anupong Suebsamarn, 45, who was shot dead at the market had not initially planned to be there and was supposed to be in Paris, but changed his plans at the last minute

Police warned that Chekatt should be considered dangerous and that members of the public should inform authorities and not approach him

Yellow Vests urged to stay off the streets The French government has urged Yellow Vest protesters to hold off another round of demonstrations scheduled to take place in Paris this weekend. Spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said ministers decided against banning the marches outright, but asked people to be 'reasonable' amid a massive manhunt for Strasbourg shooter Cherif Chekatt. It comes after conspiracy theorists accused the government of staging the terror attack in order to quash the Yellow Vest movement. Writing in online forums, one protester said: 'You'll see next week there won't be a single yellow vest. Well played, Macron.' President Emmanuel Macron has already offered the marchers a 9billion package of concessions including pay rises and tax cuts. But many complained that the measures were too little, too late, and vowed to continue with weeks of protests, which have often turned violent. 'Our security forces have been deployed extensively these past few weeks,' Griveaux said, while insisting that 'it's not up to us to say if the movement should be called off or not.' In the wake of the Strasbourg attack, 'it would be better if everyone could go about their business calmly on Saturday, before the year-end celebrations with their families, instead of demonstrating and putting our security forces to work once again.' Last Saturday nearly 90,000 police were mobilised across the country for the protests, with 8,000 officers and a dozen armoured vehicles deployed in the capital where scores of stores, museums and monuments were closed. Advertisement

Le Parisien also reported that a house painter, married with two children, was seriously injured.

Amid the hunt for Chekatt, France raised its three-stage threat index to the highest level and bolstered troops around France.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said that the French native, born in Strasbourg, had run-ins with police starting at age 10.

Chekatt was mostly convicted in France but also in Switzerland and Germany, for crimes including armed robbery.

He had been flagged for extremism and was on a watch list, but the interior minister said 'the signs were weak'.

'It's a large zone and the search is difficult,' senior Interior Ministry official Laurent Nunez said on France-Inter radio.

Strasbourg is on the border with Germany, where the suspect was convicted in 2016 of breaking into a dental practice and a pharmacy in two towns.

German lawyer Thomas Roder, who served as Chekatt's public defender, told Bild that he was a very religious man, but otherwise did not seem radicalised.

He said: 'The only thing that attracted attention was his very religious attitude. He made a point of never taking alcohol or illegal drugs.

'It was also important to him that he did not have to eat pork in the prison. My client was actually a very sociable type, often joking.'

Prosecutor Remy Heitz said the man attacked with a handgun and a knife about 8pm local time on Tuesday, and was shot in the arm during an exchange of fire with soldiers during his rampage.

He then took a taxi to another part of the city, boasting of the attack to the driver, and later exchanged more gunfire with police and disappeared, Mr Heitz said.

Witnesses described shots and screams after the gunman opened fire and yelled 'God is great!' in Arabic, the prosecutor added. Swaths of the city were under lockdown for hours.

The attack in the heart of old Strasbourg, near its famous cathedral and within the Christmas market that draws many tourists, unsettled the border city that also is home to the European Parliament.

The German government said it had stepped up controls on the border with France but did not change its threat level.

'All terrorist attacks touch all of France, and it's plain to see each of the attacks have hit a highly symbolic point or moment,' Mr Philippe told parliament.

He listed violence since 2015 that killed more than 200: at the Charlie Hebdo satiric newspaper, a Kosher store, restaurants, bars and a concert hall in Paris; along the famed seaside promenade in Nice; and even inside a church in a quiet suburb of the northern city of Rouen, among others.

Strasbourg's Christmas market 'is a family and brotherly celebration that speaks about hope and what unites us. It's this celebration that was hit yesterday by a terrorist act,' he said.

The city was in mourning, with candles lit at the site of the attack, and the Christmas market was closed at least through Thursday, according to regional prefect Jean-Luc Marx.

The Strasbourg suspect, who lived in a rundown apartment block a short drive from the city centre, was flagged by French security forces in 2015 as a possible Islamic extremist.

France has been hit by a wave of attacks from gunmen claiming allegiance to Al Qaeda or the Islamic State group since 2015, which have claimed the lives of 246 people before Tuesday's attack.

The Christmas market, a hugely popular attraction in historic Strasbourg, will reopen on Friday, Castaner said.

People began returning to the area on Thursday with many marking their respects for the victims by leaving candles in the main Kleber square.

Candlelit vigils were held in Strasbourg for the victims of the shooting on Wednesday. Three people died, one was left brain-dead, and 12 more were wounded

People lay candles and flowers in tribute to those who died in Place Kleber, in Strasbourg

There are fears that Chekatt could have fled across the border to Germany, where he has link and has been arrested at least once

It came only 24 hours after he broke a long public silence and appealed for calm amid the mushrooming 'yellow vest' protest movement that seeks a better standard of living for ordinary citizens.

He offered a package of measures, but it was not clear if that would halt the weekend protests.

'The terrorist threat is still at the core of our nation's life,' government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux quoted Mr Macron as saying at the weekly Cabinet meeting.

Interior Ministry official Mr Nunez said Chekatt had been radicalised in prison and had been monitored by French intelligence services since his release in late 2015, because of his suspected religious extremism.

Mr Nunez told France-Inter that police went to his apartment in an outer neighbourhood of Strasbourg on Tuesday morning. Authorities said he was not there, although five other people were detained.

Police seized a grenade, a rifle and knives in the operation, Mr Heitz said.
A cleaner accused of stealing jewellery from clients and selling them at a pawn shop has been caught trying to offload the items on video.

Leanne Bloomfield , 52, was seen selling jewellery including a gold and sapphire ring, which allegedly belonged to one of her clients at a Penrith shop in Sydney's west, CCTV camera footage shows.

Bloomfield was even seen signing a document declaring the items had belonged to her.

CCTV footage shows Bloomfield selling jewellery including a gold and sapphire ring

Police allege the jewellery belonged to two elderly women who employed Bloomfield as their home cleaner.

One of the employers, an 81-year-old St Clair grandmother, noticed her jewellery was missing last Thursday.

'You trusted the person and I never would have through that could happen to her,' she told 9News.

'Very sentimental to me.

'I am scared. I won't let anyone come in again,' she said.

Bloomfield had sold jewellery at the same pawn shop in September last year, according to records

The Hebersham woman was arrested at her home where officers found another 50 pieces of jewellery, which they allege were stolen from clients over the past two years.

Bloomfield had sold jewellery at the same pawn shop in September last year, according to records.
Baku will host the exhibition devoted to the 90th anniversary of the Peoples Artist of the USSR, Vice President of the Russian Academy of Arts Tahir Salahov.

It will be opened at Baku Expo Center at 18:30 local time on December 14 and will run until December 24, Trend reported.

The event is organized by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Culture.
Producers of the BBC's new star-studded adaptation of Les Miserables chose to give a northern accent to one of the main characters to highlight class differences.

The lavish series, based on Victor Hugo's novel, remains set in France but bosses were concerned viewers would be unable to distinguish between the well-off and the workers based on regional French accents.

Director Tom Shankland said the decision was made because the British 'perceive class divisions on the basis of accents'.

The BBC version of Les Miserables will feature characters from poor backgrounds speaking in northern accents to highlight class divisions. Dominic West is using his native Sheffield accent for his character Jean Valjean, who goes from criminal, left, to respectable mayor, right

The show features a range of characters from across class divides but producers were concerned this would not be reflected by regional French accents for a British audience. Pictured are West as Valjean, left, Lily Collins as Fantine, centre, and David Oyelowo as Javert, right

Valjean, pictured early on in the show when a prisoner, is the central character and the series follows his efforts to make a better life for himself

Olivia Colman also stars as the nefarious Madame Thenardier, pictured, an innkeeper who tries to swindle people out of money

He told the Times: 'I think you are missing a trick if you don't speak to that audience in the language that they understand.'

Shankland added: 'The simplest rule that we found was really to nod towards those rules that we have in our own divided society, but without ever leaning into them very heavily.'

Therefore Bafta winning actor Dominic West, who plays central character Jean Valjean, a former criminal who rises to become mayor of a small town, adopts his native Sheffield accent.

Meanwhile his policeman nemesis Javert is played by David Oyelowo using a typical 'London' accent.

Both are familiar with changing their voice, with West well known for portraying an American detective on The Wire and Oyelowo portraying civil rights leader Martin Luther King in Selma in 2014.

West, who was educated at Eton and Trinity College Dublin, said his softened Yorkshire accent helped him understand the role better.

West and Oyelowo, pictured, whose characters are locked in a cat and mouse chase throughout the story, said they came to understand them better when they used a Sheffield and London accent respectively

Lily Collins plays Fantine, a factory worker who struggles to look after her illegitimate daughter after being abandoned by her lover

Fantine, centre, eventually turns to prostitution and Collins said the character resonated with her as a mother willing to do whatever it takes to support her child even at her lowest moment. Also pictured are Ayoola Smart as Zephine, left, and Charlotte Dylan as Favorite, right

He told the Yorkshire Post: 'We had a bit of trouble at first, thinking, "What's Javert's problem? Why is he so obsessed with this dude?"

'But it all became easier when David [Oyelowo] starting doing Javert in a London accent, and I started doing Jean Valjean in a Yorkshire accent!'

Shankland added he did not want to 'go to far' with the accents but said he was 'free to make any call' because the original text is in French.

Meanwhile Oyelowo, who is of Nigerian ancestry, said he was 'really proud' to be involved in a 'colour-blind' period drama so it could be more 'relevant'.

The BBC version, which starts on December 30 on BBCOne, will not include any songs made famous by the stage show and the 2012 film version starring Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe.

Ellie Bamber, who is dating Bodyguard star Richard Madden, plays the grown up version of Fantine's daughter Cosette, pictured

Josh O'Connor, who has been cast as Prince Charles in The Crown, also appears as rich student Marius, pictured

The show is written by Andrew Davies, who adapted War and Peace for the BBC two years ago and Pride and Prejudice in 1995, it has been filmed in Belgium and northern France.

Davies said the story had 'contemporary relevance' because we still live in a society split into the rich and poor.

He added there are also 'homosexual undertones' to the story of Valjean and Javert and that the policeman 'may be in love' with the criminal, explaining his devotion to capturing him.

The production also featured Bafta-winning actress Olivia Colman, Lily Collins, Ellie Bamber and Josh O'Connor.
A Briton could face the death penalty for drug trafficking in Bali after he and four others were arrested on the holiday island.

The unnamed British designer, 45, is said to have received a package from Thailand with 31 grams of liquid marijuana poured into essential oil bottles.

He is one of five people accused by Indonesian police of smuggling, along with a Malaysian, a Peruvian, a German and a Chinese man.

They were arrested separately over the past two weeks, Bali police said, and could face execution if convicted under Indonesia's strict drug laws.

Five accused smugglers: Jorge Rafael Albornoz Gammara of Peru, Frank Zeidler of Germany, Cui Bao Lin of China, the unnamed British man, and Hamdi Izham Hakimi of Malaysia

Peruvian Jorge Rafael Gammara, left, and German national Frank Zeidler, right, are two of the five people accused of smuggling in Bali over the last two weeks by Indonesian police

Bali police said today they had arrested 44-year-old Peruvian Jorge Rafael Albornoz Gammara after he arrived at Ngurah Rai international airport from Dubai last week.

'Officers found 4.08 kilograms of cocaine that he was hiding inside the interior of his luggage,' immigration official Untung Basuki said.

German Frank Zeidler, 56, en route from Bangkok, was later arrested after officers said they found 2.1 kilos of hashish inside his luggage - an amount that could also make it a death penalty case.

On Saturday, 29-year-old Chinese national Cui Bao Lin was arrested at the airport with more than 200 ecstasy pills and over 160 grams of ketamine found in his bag, police said.

Malaysian Hamdi Izham Hakimi was also arrested the same day with a bag containing nearly 15 grams of marijuana and 11 ecstasy pills, according to authorities.

The arrests come less than a month after the first member of the Bali Nine heroin-trafficking gang was released from a prison on the holiday island after serving 13 years.

Gammara, left, and Zeidler, right, are accused of smuggling drugs into Indonesia, which has very strict laws against such trafficking which could see them face the death penalty

The Australian gang's accused ringleaders - Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan - were executed by firing squad in 2015, sparking a diplomatic row between Australia and Indonesia, which has some of the world's stiffest drug laws.

Foreigners are regularly caught trying to bring drugs into Bali, which draws millions of visitors annually.

There are dozens of traffickers on death row in Indonesia, including a cocaine-smuggling British grandmother, an American caught with crystal methamphetamine, and several west African inmates sentenced to death for drug crimes.

High-profile cases like that of Australian Schapelle Corby, who spent more than nine years behind bars for smuggling marijuana into Bali, have stoked concern that Indonesia is becoming a destination for trafficked drugs.

Corby was deported in 2017 after several years of parole.
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Moderate Tories pleaded with Brexit hardliners to end their war against Theresa May and called for 'all sides to come together' and focus on the 'national interest'.

Despite the Prime Minister winning the support of around two-thirds of her MPs, critics resumed their attacks. Dominic Raab, the former Brexit secretary who is thought to be plotting a possible future leadership bid, led the opposition to Mrs May by publicly calling for her to go. Mr Raab said it was hard to see how she could remain as he confirmed that he had not supported her in the vote.

Boris Johnson, another leadership hopeful, is also thought to have opposed Mrs May remaining in charge but has so far refused to comment publicly.

And Jacob Rees-Mogg, the chairman of the European Research Group, continued to call for her to quit yesterday, claiming she had been critically undermined.

Dominic Raab (pictured above), the former Brexit secretary who is thought to be plotting a possible future leadership bid, led the opposition to Mrs May

Moderate Tories pleaded with Brexit hardliners to end their war against Theresa May (pictured above)

This is while Brexit supporter Robert Courts - who succeeded David Cameron in Witney - said Mrs May's critics had failed in their putsch.

He said those questioning Mrs May's leadership 'had their answer' while those who demanded stability 'had it'.

The intervention came as loyalists lost patience with Brexiteer rebels today saying they 'never, ever stop' and if the Apocalypse comes 'all that will be left will be ants and Tory MPs complaining about Europe'.

Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt hit out at the hardline Eurosceptics who vowed to keep up the fight against Theresa May despite her dramatic confidence vote victory last night.

Jacob Rees-Mogg (pictured above), the chairman of the European Research Group, has called for the Prime Minister to quit

Iain Duncan Smith (left) confirmed that he was among 117 MPs who voted against the PM. Dominic Raab (right) confirmed today that he voted against Mrs May in the no confidence ballot

Boris Johnson (left and right), another leadership hopeful, is also thought to have opposed Mrs May remaining in charge but has so far refused to comment publicly

His warning came as the smoke cleared after the extraordinary coup bid with Dominic Raab and Iain Duncan Smith confirming they were among 117 MPs who voted against the PM.

Mr Duncan Smith said the revolt by more than a third of the Parliamentary party, which used his office as a base, had 'sent a message' that Mrs May needs to change tack.

The pro-EU Conservative wing hit back furiously demanding that the hardliners accept they had lost the ballot - or leave the party altogether.

Mrs May is heading for Brussels today as she tried to wring out more concessions from the EU over the Brexit deal

Meanwhile, ministers and Tory moderates pleaded with the hardline Brexiteers to end their attacks on the Prime Minister, warning that they risked catastrophe for the party and for Brexit. Some even warned that the rancour could split the party.

Tory deputy chairman James Cleverly said: Some colleagues, perhaps out of frustration (are) saying foolish things about other Conservatives. Now would be a good time to stop. Respect the results of the two referendums  52 per cent to leave the EU and 63 per cent to support Theresa May.

Mr Raab, who quit the Cabinet in protest at Mrs Mays Brexit deal, appeared to attempt to position himself as her successor by openly sympathising with her opponents.

He said: We will have to back her as best we can, but the problem is that both in relation to Brexit and the wider sustainability of the Government, given the likelihood of any changes to the deal, given the likely scale of opposition, it looks very difficult to see how this Prime Minister can lead us forward.

My biggest fear now is that if she continues there is a greater risk of a Jeremy Corbyn government  so very much in sorrow, not in anger, I didnt vote for her last night.

Mr Rees-Mogg continued to call for Mrs May to quit yesterday, telling Radio 4s Today show: You may remember that Margaret Thatcher... said, We fight on, we fight to win. Nobody was tougher than Mrs Thatcher, and the next day she resigned. So its not impossible.

However, other Eurosceptic Tories suggested it was time to end the sniping. Crispin Blunt, who wrote a letter of no confidence in Mrs May, and Nadine Dorries, another outspoken critic, said it was time to respect the result of the confidence vote.

A string of Conservative MPs urged the rebels to help unify the party. Sir Nicholas Soames, the Tory MP for Mid Sussex, called on Mr Rees-Mogg to reflect on the dismal failure of his efforts to unship Theresa May and the trouble he has fomented.

A period of quiet and a good dose of humility now required. Enough now, shut up, he added.

Foreign minister Alistair Burt tweeted: After the apocalypse, all that will be left will be ants and Tory MPs complaining about Europe and their leader.

Michael Fabricant, the MP for Lichfield, said: [The] Tories must now unify and avoid the self-destructiveness of Major years.

Meanwhile, former minister Nicky Morgan suggested that a split in the Conservatives may be looming, with hardline Eurosceptics leaving the party. She told the BBC: I think theres an inevitability that some of these people - the hardest Brexiteers - are going to walk.

There may be some sort of reconfiguration of parties on the right of the UK political spectrum and that may be something we are going to have to accept in order to get a Brexit deal through the Commons.

May admits she will NOT get a new Brexit deal and reschedule showdown vote before Christmas Theresa May abandoned hopes of holding a showdown vote on her Brexit deal before Christmas today. The Prime Minister played down the chances of an 'immediate breakthrough' in this week's summit. The Commons vote on the Brexit deal was supposed to happen on Tuesday but was shelved after Mrs May accepted she would be defeated. Arriving in Brussels for an EU summit, Mrs May acknowledged she needed fresh assurances from EU leaders regarding the operation of the Northern Ireland backstop if the agreement was to get through the Commons. A Downing Street spokeswoman confirmed that it was the Government's aim to hold the vote in the Commons 'as soon as possible in January'. Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who currently holds the rotating EU presidency, suggested there could be a special Brexit summit in January. The idea is to agree 'additional assurances' which could be attached to the Political Declaration on the UK's future relationship with the EU. Advertisement

The Prime Minister had publicly conceded that although in her 'heart' she wants to fight on, her time in power is coming to an end as she arrived in Brussels for a crunch summit.

And she urged EU counterparts to make concessions on the Irish border backstop that can get the package 'over the line'.

Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt said the Tories were now 'dancing on the precipice' of a split.

'They never, ever stop. Votes against them, letters going in late - nothing matters to ERG,' he said.

'After the apocalypse, all that will be left will be ants and Tory MPs complaining about Europe and their leader.'



Former minister Nicky Morgan told the BBC: 'I think there's an inevitability that some of these people - the hardest Brexiteers - are going to walk.

'There may be some sort of reconfiguration of parties on the right of the UK political spectrum and that may be something we are going to have to accept in order to get a Brexit deal through the House of Commons.'

There have been claims that Brexiteers might even be willing to join Labour voting no confidence in the government to get Mrs May out. But asked about the likelihood of the prospect today, senior Eurosceptic Sir Bill Cash replied: 'None at all.'

Mr Courts waded into the civil war on Twitter.

He said: 'Reflecting on another dramatic day in Westminster, it is clear that the Conservative Party has confidence in the Prime Ministers leadership. Those who were questioning the leadership now have their answers. Those concerned with stability now have it.

'It is now time for all sides to come together & provide the country with the unity it is crying out for. My concerns have always been about policy not personality. Policy disagreements are an inescapable part of serious politics  and I am sure there are robust debates ahead.

'But it is now time for colleagues to stop talking about leadership, focus on the task at hand, and move forward in the national interest.

'The PM has my full support in finding an acceptable, legally-binding solution to the backstop and delivering the good, compromise Brexit agreement that I believe to be within our grasp.'

Brexit supporter Robert Courts - who succeeded David Cameron in Witney - said Mrs May's critics had failed in their putsch and should move on

As the battle rages at home, Mrs May headed to Brussels today seeking fresh concessions for her Brexit deal.

After a day of drama in Westminster, she will travel to the EU summit with another seemingly impossible task to get movement on the Irish border backstop.

Speaking in Downing Street after scraping home in the no-confidence ballot last night, Mrs May acknowledged that a 'significant' number of her MPs had voted against her and said: 'I have listened to what they said.'

She pledged to seek 'legal and political assurances' on the Brexit backstop to allay MPs' concerns about her Withdrawal Agreement when she attends a European Council summit in Brussels on Thursday.

And she said she and her administration had a 'renewed mission', saying: 'Following this ballot, we now need to get on with the job of delivering Brexit for the British people and building a better future for this country.'

She said this must involve 'politicians of all sides coming together and acting in the national interest'.

But she had earlier sowed the seeds for her eventual departure by telling Tory MPs at a meeting of the backbench 1922 committee that she would not lead the party into the next general election, expected in 2022.

According to MPs present at the meeting, she also promised to find a 'legally binding solution' to ensuring that the UK does not get permanently trapped in a backstop arrangement to keep the Irish border open after Brexit.

The scale of this task was highlighted by Irish premier Leo Varadkar and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, who insisted in a phone call as MPs voted that the UK's Withdrawal Agreement 'cannot be reopened or contradicted'.

DUP leader Arlene Foster, who met Mrs May shortly before the ballot, insisted that 'tinkering around the edges' of the agreement would not be enough to win her party's support for the deal.

Boris Johnson (pictured left) is thought to have been one of those who went against the premier, although he refused to confirm which way he voted. David Davis (right) also hinted that he would rebel

1922 committee chair Sir Graham Brady announced the dramatic result of the no-confidence vote at the Commons last night

Michael Gove (pictured left last night) urged people to support the PM. Jacob Rees-Mogg (right) said the result showed Theresa May should quit

Mrs Foster, whose 10 MPs prop up the minority Conservative administration, said she told the PM that 'we were not seeking assurances or promises, we wanted fundamental legal text changes'.

England legends Gary Lineker and Peter Shilton clash over Brexit Gary Lineker called out his 'hero' Peter Shilton over Brexit last night when he praised Jacob Rees-Mogg Gary Lineker called out his 'hero' Peter Shilton over Brexit last night after the former England goalkeeper praised Jacob Rees-Mogg. The Match of the Day host, 58, also told former teammate Chris Waddle to 'stick to football' when he said it would be best if Theresa May left the EU with no deal. Last month Mr Lineker, an outspoken Remainer, appeared at a 'People's Vote' rally calling for a second referendum and has said stopping 'frightfully boring' Theresa May's Brexit is more important to him than football. As Mrs May survived her no confidence vote last night the former Spurs and Barcelona striker poured scorn on Peter Shilton's praise for Tory Brexiteer Rees-Mogg. Mr Shilton, who played for Mr Lineker's beloved Leicester City, tweeted: 'Have been so impressed with @Jacob_Rees_Mogg in the last few days. He really knows what he is talking about and puts it across in a calm and calculated manner!' Gary Lineker responded to him and said: 'What's that old saying? You should never see a tweet from your heroes?'. Advertisement

Arch-Brexiteer and European Research Group leader Jacob Rees-Mogg led calls for Theresa May to step down after the vote, pointing out that she had lost the confidence of more than a third of her MPs and a majority of her backbenchers.

Mr Duncan Smith this morning called on Theresa May to 'engage' with her hard Brexit critics and 'resolve' their concerns over the backstop by threatening to withhold the UK's 39billion divorce payment to the EU.

'We cannot go on just with the idea that a fiddle here and a fiddle there is what the problem is,' Mr Duncan Smith told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

'A compromise is there but it's the backstop which has to be resolved.'

Mr Duncan Smith called on Philip Hammond to 'moderate your language' after the Chancellor suggested that Wednesday's confidence vote was a way to 'flush out the extremists' in the Conservative Party.

The former work and pensions secretary said many Tory MPs felt 'frustration over the idea that Downing Street has failed to listen'. He added: 'I have one simple message for the Chancellor: When you start turning on your own party and making accusations about them, that's the beginning of the end for your party.

'You need to moderate your language and recognise that a party is a coalition and we need to get this thing through the line. I do not want to see the party where it is at the moment.'

Another Brexiteer, David Jones, pointed out that leadership campaigns were already under way.

'I've no doubt that there will have been people in the room there who applauded the Prime Minister but are part of one campaign or another,' he said.

Simon Hart, who founded the Brexit Delivery Group of Tory backbenchers and is supportive of the Prime Minister, said: 'I've had potential leadership candidates approaching me. I've had people I haven't spoken to in nine years since I was first elected in 2010 using this opportunity to sell their own credentials and engage in a private beauty parade.'

Mrs Morgan suggested that a split in the Conservatives may be looming, with hardline Eurosceptics leaving the party.

She told the BBC: 'I think there's an inevitability that some of these people - the hardest Brexiteers - are going to walk.

'There may be some sort of reconfiguration of parties on the right of the UK political spectrum and that may be something we are going to have to accept in order to get a Brexit deal through the House of Commons.'

Teflon Theresa and her ever-present 'rock': PM's husband's unwavering support has seen her through the storm again

Philip May waved his beloved wife - and Prime Minister - goodbye this morning as she embarked on the latest grueling test - another EU summit where she will plead for key changes to the Brexit deal.

Mr May, 61, has carved himself out a successful career in the City of London as an investment manager.

But it his role as Theresa May's husband, confidante and 'rock' that is perhaps his biggest contribution to the country.

Mr May's devotion to his wife was on display once again yesterday as she was forced to face her Tory rebels and a baying Labour opposition at PMQs.

Mrs May, 62, was fighting for her political life as Tory MPs had called a vote of confidence which could have seen her unceremoniously toppled by the end of the day.

As she entered the Commons Chamber, where plotting Tory rebels were sat slumped on the green benches to her back, while Labour MPs jeered and barracked her straight ahead, she glanced up and saw her husband staring loving down at her.

Theresa May and Philip (pictured together in 1980 - the year they married) have been sweethearts since their days as undergraduates and bonded over their shared love of cricket

Theresa May (pictured with Philip in 1977) has told how her husband is her 'rock' who has supported her throughout the many political upheavals she has faced

He allowed himself a brief smile as the couple locked eyes, and Mrs May went on to defiantly defend herself in the onslaught of attacks hurled her way.

The couple have been together for around 40 years - meeting as undergraduates at Oxford University and marrying in 1980s.

They were introduced at a student disco - known as a 'bop' - by mutual friend Benazir Bhutto - later prime minister of Pakistan.

And while neither Philip nor Theresa particularly enjoy or seek the spotlight, they have sweetly told how it was love at first sight for them in a rare joint TV appearance.

Speaking to the BBC's One Show during the election campaign last year, they gave the country insight into their relationship - and how its strength keeps Mrs May going during her darkest moments.

Asked about how their romance blossomed, Mr May said: 'It was love at first sight, absolutely.'

And asked for his first impressions of the woman who would become his wife, he said: 'What a lovely girl!' And he gallantly added: 'And she still is.'

Who could replace Theresa May? As the PM admits she will have to quit soon, these are some of the leading contenders to take over Theresa May won her Tory confidence vote after promising not to lead the party into the 2022 general election. These are some of the leading contenders to replace her: Boris Johnson - 7/2 How did they vote on Brexit? Led the Vote Leave campaign alongside Michael Gove. What is their view now? Hard line Brexiteer demanding a clean break from Brussels. The former foreign secretary is violently opposed to Theresa May's Chequers plan and a leading voice demanding a Canada-style trade deal. What are their chances? Mr Johnson's biggest challenge could be navigating the Tory leadership rules. He may be confident of winning a run-off among Tory members but must first be selected as one of the top two candidates by Conservative MPs. Now rated as favourite by the bookies, Boris Johnson's (pictured leaving parliament last night) biggest challenge will be navigating the Tory leadership rules Dominic Raab - 9/2 How did they vote on Brexit? Leave, with a second tier role campaigning for Vote Leave. What is their view now? Mr Raab was installed as Brexit Secretary to deliver the Chequers plan but sensationally resigned last month saying the deal was not good enough. What are their chances? His resignation from the Cabinet put rocket boosters under Mr Raab's chances, fuelling his popularity among the hardline Brexiteers. May struggle to overcome bigger beasts and better known figures. Newly installed as Brexit Secretary, Dominic Raab (pictured on Tuesday) is trying to negotiate Theresa May's Brexit deal Sajid Javid - 5/1 How did they vote on Brexit? Remain but kept a low profile in the referendum. What is their view now? Pro delivering Brexit and sceptical of the soft Brexit options. What are their chances? Probably the leading candidate from inside the Cabinet after his dramatic promotion to Home Secretary. Mr Javid has set himself apart from Mrs May on a series of policies, notably immigration. Sajid Javid (pictured leaving the Houses of Parliament this evening) is probably the leading candidate from inside the Cabinet after his dramatic promotion to Home Secretary Michael Gove - 7/1 How did they vote on Brexit? Leave What is their view now? He has said Theresa May's Chequers blueprint for Brexit is the 'right one for now'. But he recently suggested a future prime minister could alter the UK-EU relationship if they desired. What are their chances? He came third in the first round of voting in 2016, trailing behind ultimate winner Theresa May and Andrea Leadsom. Mr Gove has said it is 'extremely unlikely' that he would stand again. But he popular in the party and is seen as an ideas man and a reformer by many, and he could change his mind if Theresa May is shown the door. Michael Gove appeared to rule himself out of the race in recent days, but he ran last time and is popular among many in the party. He is pictured outside the Houses of Parliament today Jeremy Hunt - 7/1 How did they vote on Brexit? Remain. What is their view now? The Foreign Secretary claims the EU Commission's 'arrogance' has made him a Brexiteer. What are their chances? Another top contender inside Cabinet, Mr Hunt's stock rose during his record-breaking stint at the Department of Health and won a major promotion to the Foreign Office after Mr Johnson's resignation. Widely seen as a safe pair of hands which could be an advantage if the contest comes suddenly. Jeremy Hunt's stock rose during his record-breaking stint at the Department of Health and won a major promotion to the Foreign Office after Mr Johnson's resignation David Davis - 10/1 How did they vote on Brexit? Leave. What is their view now? Leave and a supporter of scrapping Mrs May's plan and pursuing a Canada-style trade deal with the EU. What are their chances? The favoured choice of many hard Brexiteers. Seen as a safer pair of hands than Mr Johnson and across the detail of the current negotiation after two years as Brexit Secretary. He could be promoted a caretaker to see through Brexit before standing down. Unlikely to be the choice of Remain supporters inside the Tory Party - and has been rejected by the Tory membership before, in the 2005 race against David Cameron. David Davis (pictured outside the Houses of Parliament today) is seen as a safer pair of hands than Mr Johnson and across the detail of the current negotiation after two years as Brexit Secretary Amber Rudd - 14/1 How did they vote on Brexit? Remain. Represented Britain Stronger in Europe in the TV debates. What is their view now? Strongly remain and supportive of a second referendum - particularly given a choice between that and no deal. What are their chances? Popular among Conservative MPs as the voice of Cameron-style Toryism, Ms Rudd is still seen as a contender despite resigning amid the Windrush scandal - and she was boosted further by her return to Cabinet as Work and Pensions Secretary on Friday night. She is badly hampered by having a tiny majority in her Hastings constituency and would not be able to unite the Tory party in a sudden contest over the Brexit negotiation. Popular among Conservative MPs as the voice of Cameron-style Toryism, Amber Rudd (pictured leaving parliament this evening) is still seen as a contender despite resigning amid the Windrush scandal Jacob Rees-Mogg - 14/1 How did they vote on Brexit? Leave. What is their view now? Leave and recently branded Theresa May's Brexit U-turn a 'humiliation' which has left her deal 'defeated'. What are their chances? As chair of the European Research Group (ERG) bloc of Tory Eurosceptics he has been urging MPs to replace Mrs May for weeks. Pro-Brexit supporter, Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, walks through members of the media and anit-brexit demonstrators as he walks near to the Houses of Parliament in London yesterday Penny Mordaunt - 14/1 How did they vote on Brexit? Leave. What is their view now? Leave and subject of persistent rumour she could be the next to quit Cabinet over Mrs May's Brexit deal. What are their chances? Possible dark horse in the contest, Ms Mordaunt is not well known to the public but is seen as a contender in Westminster. Known to harbour deep concerns about Mrs May's Brexit deal, but has stopped short of resigning from Cabinet. Possible dark horse in the contest, Penny Mordaunt (pictured in Downing Street) is not well known to the public but is seen as a contender in Westminster Andrea Leadsom - 16/1 How did they vote on Brexit? Leave. What is their view now? Ms Leadsom said in late November that she was backing the withdrawal agreement struck with Brussels because it 'delivered' on the referendum result. What are their chances? Leader of the Commons since June, Andrea Leadsom found herself at the centre of controversy in the 2016 leadership campaign when comments she made were interpreted as a claim that she would be a better PM than Mrs May because she was a mother. Asked recently whether Mrs May was the right person to be leading the country, she said she is 'at the moment'. Andrea Leadsom, Leader of the House of Commons, arrives at Downing Street on Thursday last week Gavin Williamson - 33/1 How did they vote on Brexit? Remain. What is their view now? Mr Williamson tweeted today: 'The Prime Minister has my full support. She works relentlessly hard for our country and is the best person to make sure we leave the EU on 29 March and continue to deliver our domestic agenda.' What are their chances? He backed Remain in the referendum and pledged his support for Mrs May in the 2016 leadership contest but has since been mentioned as a potential future Tory leader. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson is a 33/1 outsider according to the best odds by bookies this evening Advertisement
Liana Tyson, 34, (pictured outside court) has been ordered to pay 77-year old Brian Viner damages worth just four weeks of the allowance she gets from her partner

A wealthy businessman's girlfriend mowed down an old man with her Range Rover and left him bedbound in hospital for five months.

Liana Tyson, 34, from Altringham, Greater Manchester, has been ordered to pay 77-year old Brian Viner damages worth just four weeks of the allowance she gets from her partner.

A court heard she receives 12,000 a year from her partner - but was told to pay just 1,000 compensation to Mr Viner after she ploughed into him while she was leaving a Sainsbury's supermarket.

Mr Viner suffered a broken hip and fractures to his ribs plus cuts to the back of his head and has been left immobile since the accident last July 15 in which was propelled up to 25 metres by the force of the impact.

He underwent a tracheotomy resulting in him having to fed through a tube and he is still being treated in Manchester Royal Infirmary today.

Tyson, who has a 300,000 flat in a luxury apartment complex in Altrincham, Greater Manchester initially claimed Mr Viner crossed the road without looking and she didn't see him crossing, the court heard.

But she changed her statement after being shown CCTV of the incident which showed the right hand side of her three year old Range Rover Sport worth an estimated 41,500 hitting Mr Viner.

Witnesses said the car appeared to be in a rush and swerved round a corner before hitting Mr Viner. The OAP said he recalled checking left and right and thought it was safe to cross.

At Manchester magistrates court, Tyson, who doesn't work but gets a 1,000 a month allowance from her unnamed partner, admitted careless driving and was also fined 166 and ordered to pay costs of 85.

A court heard she receives 12,000 a year from her partner - but was told to pay just 1,000 compensation to Mr Viner after she ploughed into him while she was leaving a Sainsbury's

She also had her licence endorsed with six points meaning she will not be banned from the roads. Tyson admitted seeing Mr Viner but said she was unable to avoid him.

Prosecutor Holly Holden said the 2.30pm incident occurred as Mr Viner was crossing a road towards Sainsburys in Altrincham. Miss Holden said: 'He recalled checking left and right and thought it was safe to cross.

'The next thing he heard as he was crossing the road causing him to stop was screeching from a car and a possible car horn, before something hit him to the left side of his body, he didn't know what hit him.

'The next thing he remembers was waking up in hospital where he has remained there since the accident. He said he couldn't begin to imagine an accident would have affected his life still, he has been receiving treatment for quite some time.

'He has been moved to a different ward and a a result of the accident he has numerous fractured ribs and a fractured left hip. He has become immobile since the accident. He was sedated and ventilated for a short period of time and has since had a tracheotomy and he is unable to eat and is fed through a tube twice a day. He is still being treated to this day.

'Due to the tracheotomy he lost his voice for a while, but that is slowly coming back. There were civilian witnesses at the scene who said out of the corner of their eye, they saw a car swerving round the corner and it seemed like it was in a rush.

'The couple believed it travelling at 30mph and it seemed an excessive speed to take a corner. It was difficult to describe as they didn't see the car for a long period before the collision but they described the pedestrian walking across a red coloured pavement, he was halfway across when they heard a black car come out quickly.

'They heard the car hit the gentleman with a thud and he was thrown into the air as the car appeared to shunt him five or six metres down the road. But it was also said he travelled 25 metres. They didn't hear the sound of brakes applied.

'The defendant stopped upon impact and was arrested and interviewed. She told police she was the driver of the vehicle and said the victim was hit in the left side of her car. She said the victim crossed the road without looking and she didn't see him crossing.

'But once the CCTV was showed to her, it revealed that Mr Viner was on her right hand side and she did not apply her brakes and her brake lights were not activated. She then stated she hit the gentleman on the right side and answered no comment to the rest of the questions asked of her.

'The Crown say she wasn't looking into the junction for hazards and not looking for pedestrians. She didn't give way, and she was travelling at excessive speed.'

In mitigation defence lawyer Peter Grogan said: 'She makes it clear then and she makes it clear now that she is really sorry that he was injured though she is glad to hear he is recovering.

'She said earlier in the day she was travelling at a normal speed and then suddenly became aware of a pedestrian who had stopped in the road without warning. She said as soon as she saw him she was unable to avoid him.

'She believed he had not looked before stepping into the road and this could be a contributory element. But she accepts in the cold light of day that in her peripheral vision, she should have been looking out for hazards.

'She has accepted this was her responsibility for what was a very unfortunate incident. She has been driving for half her life and her license is currently clean and she has no points.

'She has a long term partner who is a businessman. She doesn't work, she's in receipt of money for allowance and housekeeping from her partner of 1,000 per month. She does pay for some outgoings. She accepts her responsibility for her part in the accident.'

In a statement Tyson said: 'I am really sorry he was injured. I hope everything goes well with his recovery. I braked as soon as I saw him. I believe he stepped into the road when the red light was clearly showing.'
A boy has been killed by celebratory gunfire at a wedding in India - with the groom accused of being among four responsible for his death.

The 14-year-old, identified as Gaurav, died on the spot when he was hit by a bullet fired by a member of the groom's party, according to police reports.

The boy's father, Jagdish, filed a police complaint naming the groom among the four people responsible for his son's death at the wedding function in Uttar Pradesh's Noida.

A boy has been killed by celebratory gunfire at a wedding in India - with the groom accused of being among four responsible for his death (file picture)

Police official Ramsen Singh said: 'A complaint has been filed and we are gathering video and other evidences based on which action will be taken.'

The incident happened on the same day a Surat woman was killed by celebratory gunfire while watching a wedding procession from her balcony.

Savitriben Vadgujar, 47, was hit during a ceremony in the Varachha area of Surat and declared dead before she arrived at a government hospital.

Police officials said: 'She was watching the marriage procession passing by when some unidentified persons, who were part of the procession fired in celebration.

'A randomly-fired bullet hit Vadgujar on her face. She was seriously injured in the incident and rushed to the government hospital where she was declared brought dead,' the official said.

Police are still investigating how many bullet rounds were fired by the procession.

Celebratory firings are a common occurrence in South Asia, with similar deaths reported in other countries in recent years

In February this year, a bridegroom in New Delhi was killed by a stray bullet after someone from his wedding party opened fire and struck him as he led the party to his bride's home.

In 2016 a groom in India was accidentally shot in the head by one of his wedding guests, but miraculously survived.

Celebratory firings, known as 'ghudchadhi', are a common occurrence in countries across South Asia despite being banned.
The Boy Scouts of America may file for bankruptcy due to the cost of mounting sexual abuse lawsuits and dwindling membership numbers.

The club has been attempting to fight lawsuits from former members including a group who dubbed the organization a 'pedophile magnet'.

These four former scouts alleged that they were sexually abused by their scoutmaster Waldron Ackerman over a period of two years from 1974 to 1976.

Over the last year the Boy Scouts have paid $7.6 million to law firm Ogletree Deakins to assist them with their lawsuits.

The Boy Scouts of America may file for bankruptcy due to the cost of mounting sexual abuse lawsuits and dwindling membership numbers (pictured a group of Boy Scouts taking part in a Veterans Day parade in November)

Following the increasing number of cases filed against the organization, they have hired a Chicago law firm to consider filing for bankruptcy, insiders told the Wall Street Journal.

The club are looking to file under Chapter 11, which can be implemented when a business is unable to pay back its debts or creditors.

The club has been attempting to fight lawsuits from former members including a group who dubbed the organization a 'pedophile magnet'

However according to a statement acquired by the Journal they plan to 'explore all options available to ensure that the local and national programming of the Boy Scouts of America continues uninterrupted'.

Another reason the scouts have had to consider insolvency is due to reportedly losing two thirds of its membership since the 1970s.

It is thought that there are now four million less scouts in the organization than there were 50 years ago.

This includes the Mormon Church, where it was once considered a rite of passage, however they have removed 610,000 young boys from the club in the last two years.

The group also faces an ongoing lawsuit from the Girl Scouts, who are suing them for trademark infringement after the Boy Scouts decided to drop the 'boy' from its name.

More than 110 million youngsters have taken part in educational programs with the group since it's inception in 1910, making it one of America's biggest organizations for children.

If they were to file for bankruptcy it would allow them to halt litigation and allow them to negotiate with anyone currently suing them.
Miss Universe Australia has become embroiled in an ugly bullying scandal after a fellow contestant mocked an Asian beauty queen for not speaking English.

Eurasian model Francesca Hung, who is representing Australia in the international beauty pageant, appeared alongside contestants from USA and Colombia in a livestream on Instagram ahead of the final day of rehearsals in Bangkok, Thailand.

The trio were accused of being 'racist' and 'bigoted' after appearing to make fun of fellow contenders from Cambodia and Vietnam for speaking poor English.

'Miss Cambodia is here and doesn't speak any English and not a single other person speaks her language,' Miss USA Sarah Rose Summers said in the livestream.

Scroll down for video

Miss Australia Francesca Hung (left) appeared alongside Miss USA (right) and Miss Colombia in an Instagram livestream on the final day of rehearsals, in Bangkok, Thailand

Miss Colombia, Valeria Morales, agreed with the claims.

'Could you imagine? Like Francesca said, that would be so isolating and I said yes, and I mean, just confusing all the time,' Miss USA continued.

Miss Australia added: 'It would be really hard'.

The remarks continued in another part of the livestream when the contestants discussed Miss Vietnam's limited English.

'Miss Vietnam... she's so cute, and she pretends to know so much English and then you ask her a question after having a whole conversation with her and she goes (nods),' Miss USA said.

Miss Australia laughed with Miss USA after the controversial comments.

The trio have been accused of being 'racist' after Miss USA said the contestants from Cambodia and Vietnam spoke poor English (pictured: Miss USA, left, and Miss Cambodia, right)

'Miss Cambodia is here and doesn't speak any English and not a single other person speaks her language,' Miss USA Sarah Rose Summers said in the livestream (pictured)

Miss USA addressed Miss Colombia (pictured) and said she spoke 'great English' and was able to communicate with other contestants who speak Spanish

The contestants have been accused of racism and bullying with some arguing they should be booted from the competition.

'Absolutely enraged that Miss USA, Miss Australia and Miss Colombia made fun of Miss Cambodia and Miss Vietnam for not being able to speak fluent English, TRASH,' one person tweeted.

'@MissUniverse i wonder if you will still allow Miss USA, Columbia, and Australia to continue in the competition after their racist/ bigoted remarks toward fellow contestant Miss Cambodia,' wrote another.

'I can't believe these ladies will be representing their countries!'

Furious social media users called for the trio to be booted from the international beauty pageant

One Twitter user referred to the trio as Mean Girls amid the backlash (pictured)

Some were disappointed Miss Australia involved herself in the 'Mean Girls' behaviour.

'I'm so disappointed with Miss Australia though!' one woman tweeted.

'I'm not even surprised with SRS (Sarah Rose Summers) but Francesca???? Girl, you just lost yourself a crown. You were literally a shoo-in until now. UGH. #MissUniverse2018'

Some were disappointed Miss Australia involved herself in the 'Mean Girls' behaviour

Director of Pink Tank Events Troy Barbagallo, who run the Miss Universe Australia Pageant, said Miss Australia (left) was 'far from a bully'

Director of Pink Tank Events Troy Barbagallo, who run the Miss Universe Australia Pageant, said Miss Australia was 'far from a bully'.

'She is publicly against (bullying), she grew up in Australia as half-Chinese, achieved great things and has since been using her new role as an advocate for acceptance of cultural diversity,' Barbagallo told 9Honey.

'Regarding the incident, we have spoken the girls involved and MUO management. The bullying accusations are unfounded and almost bullying against the accused.'

Mr Barbagallo said he believed the comments had been taken out of context.

'The comments were taken completely out of context with the girls merely chatting sympathetically re the difficulty facing Miss Cambodia as the only participant who has no one else in the competition who speaks her language,' he said.

A video shared online showed a teary and smiley Miss Cambodia (centre) hug Miss Australia (right) and Miss USA (left) - indicating the contestants had worked through the comments

There appears to be no hard feelings between Miss Cambodia Rern Sinat and the other contestants as they have since appeared in photographs together.

A video shared online showed Miss Cambodia hugging Miss Australia and Miss USA - indicating the contestants had worked through the comments.

The preliminary competition airs in Australia on Thursday at 11pm AEST.

There are contestants competing from 94 countries this year and the 67th Miss Universe will be crowned on December 16.
Jeremy Corbyn is still refusing to call a no confidence vote in Theresa May's Government - despite the Tory Brexit civil war rocking Parliament.

Labour is facing mounting calls to push their own vote to try to oust the PM after she survived - but was left deeply wounded - by yesterday's Tory bid to topple her.

In a day of high drama, Mrs May survived the coup only after promising her backbenchers she would quit as leader before the the next General Election in 2022.

But over a third of her own MPs voted against her and Tory rebel ringleader Jacob Rees-Mogg said she has been left mortally wounded and must quit.

Amid the turmoil, Mr Corbyn is facing a growing clamour from his own MPs and politicians in the SNP and Lib Dems to table his own no confidence vote.

The parties have pledged to back Labour if they table the vote, while Westminster is awash with rumours that a hardcore group of Tory Brexiteers would also vote against the PM if the ballot was held.

But Mr Corbyn has so far snubbed the demands, and his key lieutenant shadow chancellor John McDonnell, said they will not decide until at least next week.

Speaking on ITV's Peston Show last night, he said: 'We will judge it then we will judge it day by day.'

Labour's shadow chancellor John McDonnell (pictured on ITV's Peston Show last night) said Labour still has no immediate plans to table a confidence vote despite the turmoil rocking the Tory party

With her authority heavily dented by yesterday's bid to oust her, Mrs May is today travelling to Brussels where she will plead with EU leaders for more concessions on her Brexit deal.

And Mr McDonnell said Labour will wait to see what she comes back with before deciding whether to mount their own bid to oust her.

He said: 'In some ways we have been giving her every opportunity to get a deal that works for the country and she hasn't done that.

'She can get a deal which she can get through her own party she can't get one through Parliament and we will have to see what she comes back with on Sunday night Monday morning and see what her statement is to the House of Commons on Monday and take a proper judgement then.'

Mrs May clung on as leader yesterday after a Tory Brexit plot to oust her failed by 117 votes to 200.

But the PM's authority was dealt a major blow by the sheer scale of the revolt against her, and many of the leading rebels warned that she cannot survive much longer having lost the confidence of so many of her MPs.

Mr Rees-Mogg had earlier told Sky News: 'There comes a point when everybody recognizes they are simply not carrying people's confidence.

Theresa May (pictured in Downing Street last night) put a brave face on her situation as she reacted to the outcome of the Tory no-confidence ballot

'Either she behaves like Margaret Thatcher and realizes that is the case, or she behaves like John Major and leads the party to a terrible defeat.

'I hope the men in grey suits will apply the clothes brush, put them on and head into Downing Street shortly.'

The PM only survived after promising to go before the next election, and by securing 'legally binding' changes to her controversial Brexit deal to ensure the hated Irish backstop is 'temporary'.

As she desperately tried to peel off opposition among her mutinous MPs yesterday, , she promised to get the DUP back on side and not to come back without a deal they will back.

And in Brussels today she will make a fresh appeal to leaders for more Brexit concessions to help her get a deal over the line.
China will continue prohibiting rhino horns and tiger bones to be used in medicine, according to a government spokesperson.

The news came after Beijing proposed to reverse a 25-year-old law in October to legalise the use of the two materials for medical and other purposes.

The Chinese authorities have decided to postpone the implementation of the new law, according to Huang Caiyi, the spokesperson of China's National Forestry Bureau.

A government spokesperson today said China would continue prohibiting the usage of rhino horns and tiger bones in medicine following an outcry over the ease of the ban (file photo)

Rhino horn is made primary from keratin - a protein found in fingernails and hair - and is believed to be able to help treat everything from cancer to hangovers (file photo)

The implementation of the revised regulations had already been postponed once when a senior Chinese government official said last month that Beijing was having a second thought on easing the ban.

According to Huang, who spoke during a press conference today, China will also continue blocking the import and export of rhinos and tigers as well as their byproducts.

In addition, people are not allowed to sell, buy, transport, carry or post rhinos and tigers and their byproducts.

Huang said the authorities had decided to postpone lifting the trade ban proposed two month earlier, as reported by Xinhua News Agency. But he did not give a reason or explain if the decision would be permanent.

He also said that a crackdown on the illegal trade of rhinos and tigers as well as their byproducts had been going on across the nation since November 13 and would last until December 31.

'Our country is a signatory country to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. We have spared no efforts in cracking down on the smuggling and illegal trading of wild animals,' Huang said.

In response to Huang's speech today, animal rights advocators urge Beijing to ban the use of tiger and rhino products once and for all.

Gilbert M. Sape from World Animal Protection said: 'China has a unique opportunity to show true leadership on how committed they are to wildlife conservation and welfare right now.'

Iris Ho from Humane Society International said: 'China must fully reinstate the 1993 ban on the sale, import and export of rhino horn and tiger bone to prevent further loss of rhinos and tigers to poaching and trafficking. We cannot afford any missteps when the species survival is at stake.'

Conservation groups around the world previously criticised China for considering to ease the ban, some of whom called the new regulations a 'death warrant' for the animals (file photo)

On October 29, the State Council of China issued a circular replacing a 1993 ban on the trade of tiger bones and rhino horn, opening up exceptions under 'special circumstances', including medical 'research'.

According to the circular, horns of rhinos or bones of tigers that are bred in captivity could be used 'for medical research or clinical treatment of critical illnesses'.

Rhinos and tigers are already under critical pressure from a black market supplying the traditional medicine trade.

Rhino horn is made primary from keratin - a protein found in fingernails and hair - and is believed to be able to help treat everything from cancer to hangovers when consumed.

On the other hand, tiger bone, which is crushed and made into a paste, has been said to be usable to treat a variety of ailments, including rheumatism and back pain.

There are no proven medicinal benefits in humans from either product, according to the National Geographic.

China banned trade in tiger bones and rhino horns 25 years ago as part of global efforts to save the animals.

Commercial tiger farms are legal in China, and though using tiger bones in medicine was banned, tiger parts from farms often end up in tonics or other medicines, animal rights groups say.
Children should also be shown images of same-sex parents in educational materials

The guidance from the Care Inspectorate (CI) also cautions against telling stories about Mr Squirrel to break down masculine stereotypes

New guidelines urge childcare providers to introduce 'gender-equal play' so that boys are encouraged to play girls' games, and vice versa

Nursery staff have been told not to call children boys and girls  or tell them stories about male characters  in an attempt to stamp out gender discrimination.

New guidelines urge childcare providers to introduce gender-equal play so that boys are encouraged to play girls games, and vice versa.

But the guidance from the Care Inspectorate (CI) also cautions against telling stories about Mr Squirrel to break down masculine stereotypes  or even using the word mankind instead of humanity.

New guidelines urge childcare providers to introduce gender-equal play so that boys are encouraged to play girls games, and vice versa

Children should also be shown images of same-sex parents in educational materials, while posters displaying male ballet dancers are encouraged to break down gender divisions.

The Rev David Robertson, former Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland, criticised the CI last night, saying: Have they gone nuts? Theyve lost a degree of sanity and moved out of touch with the real world  they are living in a parallel universe.

The Care Inspectorate are no longer about inspecting care standards, theyre about inspecting doctrine.

The taxpayer-funded body, which inspects registered childcare providers, said the initiative has been brought in because childhood and play is becoming more gendered and polarised between girls and boys.

It has joined forces with campaigners at Zero Tolerance  which works to eradicate male violence against women  to produce the guide, which aims to promote the benefits of children of both sexes playing with a range of toys.

Guidelines advise that nursery staff should try greeting children with hello everyone or children instead of hello boys and girls.

The guidance from the Care Inspectorate (CI) also cautions against telling stories about Mr Squirrel (pictured) to break down masculine stereotypes

They should also use more inclusive pronouns such as they or them or theirs, instead of she or him or hers, while girls should be complimented because they have achieved something and not because of their appearance.

Man-made becomes synthetic, manufactured or machine-made, while the common man becomes the average person or ordinary people  and Mr Squirrel in stories told to children should be referred to as squirrel.

Scottish Tory early years spokesman Alison Harris said: This seems like political correctness gone mad. These recommendations appear to be patronising in the extreme.

Many parents will be concerned that this political correctness is replacing common sense.

Richard Lucas of the Scottish Family Party said: Pushing this sort of feminist extremism is an attempt at social engineering and indoctrination, starting with the very youngest.

Why cant they just accept that boys and girls are different?

Gordon Weir, interim chief executive of the Care Inspectorate, said: The role that early learning and childcare can have in promoting gender equality cant be overstated. Thats why weve produced this resource with our partners.

This is about asking everyone to think about how they approach gender equality in play and early learning, and how we can support and promote it.
Nine people were killed and 48 injured after a high-speed train crashed into a locomotive in Ankara, Turkish Transport Minister Cahit Turhan said, adding that three of those killed were operators of the train.

Turhan said that 47 people were injured and were in hospital for treatment. The official added that one of the victims died in hospital, AFP reported.

The fast train had been on its way from Ankara's main station to the central province of Konya and according to Hurriyet daily, there were 206 passengers on board.

Ankara governor Vasip Sahin said this morning that four people had been killed and 43 injured.The Ankara public prosecutor launched an investigation into the crash.
Residents face being kicked out of their homes after an appeal against the demolition of a development was rejected.

A planning inspector upheld a ruling that Lakeview Park near Romford  built by 'Gipsy King' millionaire Alfie Best  breached planning permission.

Father-of-two Alfie, 47, who was born on a Leicester roadside in a caravan to a poor Romany gipsy family, is now worth around 250million and made his cash from a luxury trailer business which has sites all over the UK.

The businessman's firm Wyldecrest Parks built the 132-home development, where homes are sold for 225,000, but the council says eight of the properties were erected on land outside the caravan park's approved boundary.

Eight mobile homes built at Lakeview Park near Romford, pictured, by Wyldecrest Parks were put up illegally and have been ordered demolished after a planning inspector supported Havering Council's decision

The firm is owned by millionaire Alfie Best, pictured with his helicopter on his 12million Hertfordshire estate

The dispute has been going on since 2011, when Havering Council refused Wyldecrest permission to build further homes on greenbelt land (shown in blue) outside the existing park boundary (shown in red). The developer, owned by millionaire Alfie Best, says their understanding is the park is all one site

It means families fear being made homeless, including Ann Hughes, who paid 120,000 for the house she shares with her partner.

She told the Mirror: 'Where are we going to go? What's going to happen?'

The site is on greenbelt land and the council refused Wyldecrest permission to change the use of land east of the park boundary to residential use in 2011.

A planning inspector said concrete bases for 12 more homes had been laid down in the area at the time of her visit and there was no hedge or fence between the two sites.

Upholding the decision, she gave Wyldecrest a year to demolish the properties to give residents sufficient time to find other homes.

But Wyldecrest have argued the homes are all part of the same site and thus every unit has planning permission.

Mr Best has previously claimed the council has an agenda against him 'because he is gipsy'.

David Sunderland, estates director of Wyldecrest, said they would fight the inspector's ruling.

He told the Mirror: 'Despite this decision, both our residents and ourselves maintain that we have not breached planning controls and will be working with our legal team and the local council to lodge a further appeal as a matter of urgency.

'The welfare of Wyldecrest's residents is and remains our number one priority.'

It means residents have a year to leave their homes causing them stress and confusion. Ann Hughes, pictured, who paid 120,000 for her home with her partner said they did not know where to go

The current site, pictured in planning form, comprises of 132 homes and is one of dozens run around 42 counties in the UK by Mr Best

Mr Best, pictured as a child, left, with his parents, was 'born on the side of a road in a caravan' and said he is 'proud to be a gipsy' whatever the rest of the world thinks

Damian White, Conservative leader of Havering Council, slammed Wydlecrest for 'ignoring planning laws'.

He said: 'The council is shocked and appalled at the way this company has targeted and exploited unsuspecting residents who bought these mobile homes in good faith.

'The owners of the site flagrantly flouted planning laws by extending their current site onto greenbelt land then selling mobile homes without planning permission or without thought to the welfare of residents investing their hard earned money.

Mr Best, pictured, said he 'almost went bust at 20' and 'slept in his car for three months' before rebounding and building a mobile phone shop business

'We can't sit back and let rogue businesses encroach on our greenbelt. The council will always do everything in its power to protect Havering's environment so the borough stays a special place for everyone to enjoy.

'We are on the side of our residents and we will be on hand to offer housing advice and support. But we urge the owners of the land to do the right thing and work out a resolution with their customers as quickly as possible.'

Meanwhile the Labour group leader on the council, Keith Darvill, called the firm 'irresponsible' and said residents had been living in 'deplorable' conditions.

Mr Best, a former boxer, has previously spoken of how he initially hid his heritage from business associates because he feared it would hold him back, but he has since embraced it.

Property remains his focus and he recently spent 6million converting five flats in north London into a single townhouse now worth around 8million.

It includes a 180,000 custom-built 'triple kitchen' by luxury interior designer Clive Christians, which was previously an entire flat.

It is just the latest addition to his property empire that also includes a sprawling 12million Hertfordshire estate with its own a helicopter pad, a luxury flat in Mayfair, and a farm in Potters Bar.

The 47-year-old is now thought to be worth around 250million and property remains his focus

He has been the subject of several documentaries, including one presented by Anne Robinson, centre, while his son, left, also called Alfie, is one of the stars of new reality show Absolutely Ascot

His numerous garages are home to several cars - a Mercedes G-Wagon valued at 165,000, a Bentley worth 290,000, and a Ferrari at 185,000.

He started out in business as a car dealer but almost fell on hard times in the 1990s aged 20, and said he slept in his car for three months.

Mr Best then got a job working in a mobile communications store for 70 a week, and within 18 months he had 13 mobile phone shops across London after taking a loan from the bank, before moving into commercial property.

He decided to embark on a business in the motor home industry, returning somewhat to his roots, buying his first one in 2001 for 1.7million.

That business gradually expanded and now Wyldecrest Parks has sites in 42 counties across the UK.

Speaking last year on Channel 4, he said: 'I was born on the side of a road in a caravan. But to me I didn't think we were poor. We weren't starving, I didn't know any different.

'I am proud of the fact that I am a gipsy. It's only the rest of the world that has a problem with it.

'Who better to start a caravan park than someone who grew up in caravan and mobile homes all their life? It's in my blood.'
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This home may look like an ordinary residence from outside, but the interior is much more special.

With mint green tiles, pink velvet wallpaper and retro furniture, it's like a time capsule for the kind of home Hollywood starlets like Marilyn Monroe or Elizabeth Taylor might have lived in.

It's not in California, however, but Colorado - and its unique features have attracted a great deal of interest since it was recently listed for sale.

The Englewood property, which was built in 1952 and has three bedrooms, two full bathrooms and five partial bathrooms, is on the market for $1.3 million.

A 50s-style home with three bedrooms gone on the market for $1.3million in Englewood, Colorado. Pictured, the living room

The retro residence has remained virtually unchanged since it was built in 1952 - with the listing agent describing it as a 'time capsule'

With mint green tiles and vintage features, the home looks like it could have belonged to a Hollywood movie star in the 1950s. Pictured, one of the bathrooms

Other elements that add to its vintage party pad appeal include a swimming pool, which listing agent Jackie Stratton says is tough to come by in the state.

Stratton, of Keller Williams Realty, said the ideal buyer for such a property would be someone who is attracted the mid-century modern architecture.

She also says the property is a great investment opportunity as someone with a few hundred thousand to put into the property could easily turn it into one worth around $2million.

The original owner of the home had it built in 1952 and lived in the same location until she died in February. She worked as a flight attendant and was a world traveler.

The original owner of the home had it built in 1952 and lived in the same location until she died in February

Stratton, of Keller Williams Realty, said the ideal buyer for such a property would be someone who is attracted the mid-century modern architecture

The three bedroom property, which has two full bathrooms and five partial bathrooms, also has spacious living areas

'I call this my time capsule listing. The property is the epitome of mid-century modern glamour - it reminds me of a Hollywood movie star's home,' Stratton said.

'It felt like I was going back in time, to an era I've never personally experienced, but have always been fascinated by.

'The pink velvet wall papered bathroom, along with the awesome den and are my favorite spaces in the home. I hope they stay in the home for years to come - timeless style.'

Jackie Stratton, of Keller Williams Realty, said the property would be a great investment opportunity for a prospective buyer

The kitchen of the Cherry Hills Heights property, lovingly cared for by its former owner, also has a very retro feel

Pink velvet wallpaper is another retro touch in one of the property's bathrooms. This one also features some ornate mirrors

Mint green tiles adorn the area around the pink bathtub in one of the Englewood property's bathrooms

Another bathroom features a chocolate colored bathtub and a purple sink and is decorated with baby pink tiles
Natalie Rivers, 35, pretended to have genuine feelings for the 58-year-old after spending the night with her last December

A serial conwoman who met a victim on the dating website Plenty of Fish stole his life saving and then claimed he raped her.

Natalie Rivers, 35, pretended to have feelings for the 58-year-old after spending the night with him last December.

The next morning she stole his savings worth 3,040 after he left her in his home the following morning, Norwich Crown Court heard.

Rivers was arrested on suspicion of theft and told police she was being paid 150 an hour to be with the victim.

But as her story fell apart, she falsely claimed she was raped, prosecutor John Morgans said.

The male victim was brought in for questioning and had to wait four months to find out his name had been cleared.

In a statement, the victim said he felt depressed and physically sick after being accused of rape.

Rivers, of Norfolk, admitted theft and was jailed for 20 months.

During her hearing, the court heard she had a string of previous convictions which involved her befriending people and stealing from them.

Mr Morgans, prosecuting, said Rivers found the victim's money and stole it the next day after he went to an appointment. When he returned, Rivers had left with his money.

He added: 'He tried to contact her but she had already blocked him which indicated what a sham her professions of love were.

'There is quite a pattern of offending when it comes to her crimes.'

Judge Maureen Bacon said Rivers had used herself as 'bait' on a dating website and set out to exploit her victim's interest in her.

She told her: 'You have operated in this way in the past. You have previous convictions for the exact same sort of offence.

'Your modus operandi is theft from people that you have befriended and you steal money and goods while in their property.'

Speaking of her false rape claim, the judge added: 'Such a malicious complaint you made undermines all those making genuine allegations.'

Rivers, who has used other aliases including Natalie Collins and Natalie Chamberlain, had stolen bank cards and cheques from another man in 2013, the court heard.

With the money she wrongfully obtainted, she tried to buy a husky puppy.

A 77-year-old pensioner and also a charity worker were also among some her of victims.

Rivers has a history of conning men out of their money, including a 77-year-old pensioner and a charity worker

Rivers was also convicted of impersonating a police officer in 2016, when she spoke to the employer of the man who she wrongfully claimed was being investigated for a sex offence.

Judge Bacon added: 'You had made a wholly malicious claim to an employer that a man whom you had some contact with was in custody for a scandalous offence.

'You made this allegation because you didn't like him. That shows the extreme to which you will go.'

Rivers was given a 24 week suspended jail sentence for her earlier offending, but breached it when she was convicted of stealing cheques from a house last April.

She subsequently had her sentence activated and was due for release on New Year's Eve, but will now serve an extra 20 months.

Rivers' lawyer, David Stewart, said she deserved credit for her guilty plea.

And a man who described himself as one of Rivers' loyal friends' said she was 'a lovely person.'

The man who asked not to be named said he met her last year and was in regular contact with her.

He added: 'Some people don't like me being her friend, but I don't care what my friends say. Hopefully he will move on from this.'
Commuters travelling into London faced a torrid journey this morning as high speed trains were cancelled after a crack was found on a track crossing.

Services from Kent faced severe delays after the damage was found just outside St Pancras International on the Southeastern High Speed railway line.

The issues found during routine track inspections resulted in a speed restriction that disrupted services between St Pancras and Stratford International.

Services from Kent faced severe delays after the damage was found just outside St Pancras International (file picture) on the Southeastern High Speed railway line

Some services were terminated early at either Ebbsfleet or Stratford, while commuters packed platforms at Ashford in an attempt to get on a train.

Among the angry commuters was Martin Keeys, who lives near Ashford and tweeted: 'Another day ruined thanks to your inability to run trains on time.'

Ally McCartney, of Sittingbourne, added: 'First train cancelled and second delayed, half hour late for work and were sat outside St Pancras going nowhere. Cheers then!'

And Peter Cobrin, from Folkestone, said: 'So today's 7.24 from Folkestone to London is accounced as terminating at Stratford and literally as we enter Stratford are told it's continuing nonstop to St Pancras. People are so fed up!'

Southeastern advised customers to use main line services instead, or take the Docklands Light Railway or London Underground to get to work.

Passengers were also advised to use Thameslink services between London Bridge and St Pancras at no extra cost to help complete their journeys.

Separately, trains passing through the Lewisham area of South East London were delayed due to an 'earlier investigation into an issue on a train'.

It comes after services to and from London Waterloo have been hit by problems in recent months. On Tuesday a signal failure at Woking caused more delays.
Apple will build a $1billion second campus in Austin, Texas, break ground on smaller locations in Seattle, San Diego and Culver City, California, and over the next three years will expand in Pittsburgh, New York and Colorado.

The tech giant said Thursday that the new 133-acre facility in Austin, less than a mile from its existing campus in the city, will open with 5,000 jobs in engineering, research and development, operations, finance, sales and customer support.

The site, according to Apple, will have the capacity to accommodate 15,000 employees.

Bigger Apple: Apple will build a $1billion campus in Austin, Texas, break ground on smaller locations in Seattle, San Diego and Culver City, California, and over the next three years will expand in Pittsburgh, New York and Colorado

The new 133-acre facility will be located less than a mile from Apple's existing campus in Austin (pictured), which employees 6,000 people

'Their decision to expand operations in our state is a testament to the high-quality workforce and unmatched economic environment that Texas offers,' Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement. 'I thank Apple for this tremendous investment in Texas, and I look forward to building upon our strong partnership to create an even brighter future for the Lone Star State.'

The three other new locations in Washington state and California will have more than 1,000 employees each.

Early this year, the iPhone maker said that it would invest more than $30billion in the US over the next five years, taking advantage of President Donald Trump's tax reforms. That, the company said in January, would create more than 20,000 new jobs at existing and new campuses that Apple planned to build.

There are already 6,000 Apple employees in Austin, its largest operation outside of the futuristic new company headquarters in Cupertino, California, where 37,000 people are employed.

'Apple has been a vital part of the Austin community for a quarter century, and we are thrilled that they are deepening their investment in our people and the city we love,' said Austin Mayor Steve Adler in a prepared statement Thursday.

Apple said nearly a year ago that it would begin canvassing the US for another campus.

Cities offered incentives to lure the company, but CEO Tim Cook avoided a high-profile competition that pitted them against one another as Amazon did over the last year-and-a-half.

Apple's new headquarters in Cupertino, California, employees 37,000 workers

Amazon announced in November after a 14-month search it had selected Long Island City, Queens, and Arlington, Virginia, as the joint winners. Each site will employ around 25,000 people.

Cities are eager to bring in more tech employers because companies like Apple and Amazon ladle out six-figure salaries to engineers and other skilled workers.

The infusion of thousands of new and highly paid residents can ripple through an economy, with those employees filling restaurants, theaters, buying property and paying taxes.

Annual pay will vary at the new locations, but Apple workers in Cupertino have an average annual salary of about $125,000, according to a report the company submitted to the city.
California State University, Northridge is holding its final exams off-campus after receiving two mass-shooting threats in a week.

A second warning came after a racist message was discovered in one of the university's bathrooms threatening a mass killing on the first day of finals.

The discovered graffiti at Sierra Hall read 'mass shooting in Sierra Hall 12/12/18', accompanied by a swastika underneath.

After a handwritten note was found in the school by a student, university bosses told lecturers to offer off-campus alternatives to exams, which are due to start today.

California State University, Northridge is holding its final exams off-campus after receiving two mass-shooting threats in a week (pictured Sierra Hall which was threatened in one of the warnings)

Northridge academy High School, which neighbors the university, was also threatened in the violent note.

The potential mass-shooter said that they intend to kill as many people as possible before they are stopped.

Students who do not feel comfortable coming to campus will be able to seek alternative arrangements including online exams.

After a handwritten note was found in the school by a student, university bosses told lecturers to offer off-campus alternatives to exams, which are due to start today

University President Dianne Harrison said in a statement: 'While law enforcement does not believe there is an imminent threat to campus, I recognize the extreme stress and anxiety the recent threats of violence have caused our community.

'CSUN Police and partner law enforcement agencies continue to investigate the threats and maintain their increased patrols across campus.'

Harrison advised that any students who request to take their finals off campus will not be subject to any imposed penalty.

The discovered graffiti at Sierra Hall read 'mass shooting in Sierra Hall 12/12/18', accompanied by a swastika underneath

Despite the threat the campus will remain open and if staff members have concerns about the warning then they are to contact their supervisor, the statement advised.

'Hate has no place on this campus, and we are working to bring any perpetrators of these cowardly acts to justice,' Harrison said.

'We are resolute in our duty to not allow these threats to derail our students' education.'

It is yet to be announced whether the two separate threats are connected.

According to a freshman on campus Denise King the university has been left feeling on edge, he told ABC Los Angeles station KABC.

She said: 'Every threat should be credible and taken into consideration and investigated.

'I can't believe this is still continuing. They haven't found the source of where it's coming from.'
A British professor has become an online sensation in China after he shared a series of fun chemistry videos that went viral.

According to local media, Professor David G. Evans started to post footage of him conducting entertaining live experiments in front of open-mouthed youths about nine months ago.

And the Beijing-based professor admitted he was stunned when his videos quickly attracted millions of views and thousands of comments.

Professor David Evans, pictured, has amassed a massive online following after he films his chemistry lessons in Beijing and posts them on the internet where they have 15 million viewers

Prof Evans has been teaching Chemistry in China for the past 22 years

Prof Evans said he wants to make science as accessible as possible to pupils across China

Reports said that some of the British scientists videos have been seen over 15 million times. Professor Evans graduated from the University of Oxford with a degree in medicine, according to local media.

He currently teaches chemistry at a university in the north-eastern Chinese capital Beijing.

The 60-year-old scientist also teaches at primary and middle schools where he dazzles youngsters with his fun chemistry tricks.

He told Global Times: 'My friend's assistant suggested that I livestream my experiments. I keep them short - around one minute each.'

Prof Evans said children often miss out on witnessing experiments claiming teachers 'often stress theory, because there are just too many kids in a class'.

According to reports, he has been teaching in China for over 22 years. Professor Evans believes in making science subjects entertaining for students and encourages them to experiment and learn in a safe environment.

The popularity of his videos has made him a star in China and a hit with school students

Prof Evans said being around so many enthusiastic students makes him feel energetic

Prof Evans said he wants his students to experiment with science in a safe environment

He wants to make science popular and vows to continue educating others even after retiring.

His classes are so loved they are said to be jam-packed with eager students who consider the British professor as somewhat of a Brian Cox character, the famous science presenter.

Professor Evans said that being around students makes him feel energetic, and that he still has a passion for teaching and wowing followers with his cool chemistry tricks.
A deep sea diver was left with arms and a chest like Popeye after a fishing accident off the coast of Pisco, in southern Peru.

Alejandro 'Willy' Ramos, 57, was deep sea diving for shellfish four years ago with a colleague and his son when a huge cargo ship cut across his vital air hose.

This was Willy's only source of compressed air and though he was able to swim to the surface, the change in pressure caused irreparable damage to his chest and arms and added 30 kilos to his frame.

Willy Ramos, 57, gained 30kg after the fishing accident left him with swollen arms and a swollen chest

The father-of-two was forced to surface rapidly as the propeller of a huge commercial vessel severed his compressed air supply

He swam up from 100 ft below and it is thought that nitrogen caused the damage to his pectorals and arms.

According to El Nacional, when diver's bodies experience pressure under the sea nitrogen becomes compressed and is deposited in fatty tissue.

Deep sea diver Willy Ramos wearing the white suit, attending communion, before his horrifying swelling occurred

But when they swim back to the surface, the nitrogen expands back into its gaseous form and the bubbles can block the blood, known as decompression syndrome.

Because Willy needed air he did not have time to climb up slowly as divers must do to prevent damage.

The newspaper reported that before the Naval Medical Centre looked at his special case, Willy had been embarrassed to leave his home.

The bulky frame he had acquired made him feel uncomfortable in public and lack of funds meant he was unable to seek much treatment.

The father-of-two had to endure aching bones and his chest hissing when he breathed, the Venezuelan daily said.

Willy followed his father into the fishing business at the age of 30 and said that back then divers only had to go down about half the distance that he dove to on the day of the accident.

But shellfish had receded to the deeper waters due to over-fishing and that made things more dangerous.

Willy at his home in Pisco, Peru where he shows how his condition has caused massive bloating to his upper body

Alejandro Ramos, from Pisco in Peru, having his ballooned bicep measured by Dr Raul Aguado

He found his condition deeply embarrassing at first and could not bear to leave the house for fear of being ridiculed

Willy says that his condition caused depression as he was unable to work and doctors could not provide him with effective treatment

Willy said he gets depressed about his deformity but thanks God that he is alive.

He said: 'I became very depressed, I was close to killing myself. One day I bought rat poison and my son said "Dad would you like to die like a rat?", After all I've been through?'

Willy's sister, Mary, added: 'People ask question, kids too. They come up when he is sat down and touch him when he is sat down and grab his swollen shoulders. They laugh and say "look it's Popeye."

'The way he's now, he shouldn't be alive. But at least have the satisfaction that he's here with me.'

Willy Ramos standing on a rocky beach by the South Pacific Ocean in Pisco, Peru, where he still enjoys remembering his days as a fisherman

The colossal swelling to his arm is believed to have been caused by the fast decompression of nitrogen into the blood stream after he swam to air

Bulky Willy Ramos looks like a body-builder as his pullover is tightly held to his huge arms and chest, after the accident saw him gain 30kg

Willy Ramos enjoying a meal at his home in Pisco, Peru; although he might look like Popeye, he is not eating spinach

Recently the diver travelled to Naval Hospital in Lima to meet with Dr Raul Aguado, a specialist in Hyperbaric and underwater medicine.

After examining Willy's blood and tissue, Dr Aguado confirmed that Willy does have nitrogen bubbles lodged in his fatty tissue.

Now that he has the answer he has waited four years for, he can undergo a serious of treatments including reconstructive and aesthetic surgeries to cut off the tissue.

Willy said: 'There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe one day Ill go diving again and see the islands.'

Body Bizarre is on Saturdays at 10pm on TLC UK
A Hells Angel bikie has been found guilty of threatening witnesses after his friend allegedly punched a policeman in a vicious attack which robbed him of his sense of smell.

Bradley Newman, 28, threatened four people after his friend Nathan Bass allegedly punched the officer in a seemingly unprovoked attack at Cronulla Mall in March 2018.

The alleged punch was so forceful the officer hit his head on the pavement and was left with a reduced sense of smell and taste in a condition known as asmosia, the St George Shire Standard reported.

Bradley Newman, 28, threatened four people after his friend Nathan Bass allegedly punched the officer in a seemingly unprovoked attack at Cronulla Mall (pictured) in March 2018

Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting Bass is affiliated with outlaw motorcycle gangs.

The fight reportedly broke out after Bass bumped a friend of the officer's on the shoulder at 12.30am, resulting in a verbal disagreement which resulted in the vicious alleged punch.

The officer was allegedly immediately knocked unconscious when his head hit the pavement.

Newman threatened passers-by who witnessed the alleged attack, saying: 'If you c***s wanna get your heads pumped, keep going, otherwise just leave it.'

Newman, Bass and other friends then proceeded to 2230 Restaurant and Bar after the attack, before police were alerted to the incident.

A witness told police the alleged punch was a 'perfect, clean hit' and it 'made a loud crack'.

'There was no provocation, and no warning that a punch was going to be thrown,' the witness said.

Newman was found guilty of affray and sentenced to a three-year community corrections order and 400 hours of community service.

Bass will face court on January 10, charged with assault causing grievous bodily harm.
Harrowing diaries revealed the horror that an explorer experienced when he found the frozen body of Captain Scott.

Robert Scott was discovered 'yellow and transparent' in the Antarctic on November 12 1912, following his second expedition to the South Pole.

Tryggve Gran - who Scott enlisted as his team's ski instructor - documented the 'horrible, ugly fate', after he found the intrepid Scott - nicknamed The Owner - and two fellow explorers dead.

'I will never forget it so long I live  a horrible nightmare could not have shown more horror than this,' he wrote, according to the Guardian.

Pictured: 'The Tent of Death' as it was dubbed in the press after Captain Scott was found frozen inside on the bleak landscape

Gran (fifth from left) detailed in his diary the horror he felt when he discovered the body of Captain Scott (sixth from left)

'The frost had made the skin yellow & transparent & Ive never seen anything worse in my life.

'The Owner seems to have struggled hard in the moment of death, while the two others seem to have gone off in a kind of sleep.'

Tryggve Gran (pictured) was tasked with finding Captain Robert Scott and wrote of his horror at discovering him dead

Before he died, Scott wrote in his own journal: 'There is no more hope and so God look after our people.'

Tryggve Gran's two diaries have now sold for 150,000 and details how an 11-strong search and rescue team was deployed from Cape Evans to find Scott and his team on October 29 1912.

The Owner had started his second expedition in June 1910, heading for the South Pole in October of the following year and arriving there on January 17 1912.

But when he got there he found that his team had beaten to the site by Roald Amundsen, a Norwegian who arrived a month earlier.

Scott's companion Edgar Evans perished on February 17 as bad weather and a lack of food and fuel plagued their return journey.

The next month a frostbitten Lawrence Oates left the team's tent, telling them: 'I am just going outside and may be some time.'

His death left EA Wilson, HR Bowers and Scott stuck in a tent 11 miles from their destination while a blizzrd raged outside.

Scott's final diary entry on March 29 1912 said his team would 'stick it out to the end' but admitted they were getting 'weaker' and that he was struggling to write.

The diaries (pictured) have sold for 150,000 and tell the harrowing tale of how Gran came across the legendary explorer's body during the rescue mission

Captain Scott (pictured, centre, next to the flag) was found yellow and transparent according to harrowing diary entries from a member of the team that found him

Captain Scott and two of his expedition members died in the Antarctic on the return journey from his second successful journey to the South Pole (pictured, three members of the team at the expedition's outset in 1911)

Their corpses would be found when Gran found their tent all but buried under snow. Gran made a cross from his skis to commemorate the explorers.

His journal reveals that he then took Scott's skis, so that they could finish the return journey they had set out on.

After the diary sold at Christie's, the auctioneer's manuscripts and archives specialist, Sophie Hopkins, described the entries as 'terrible moving'.

The journal even documents the burial, at which the 11 rescue team members removed their head gear and stood bareheaded out of respect despite the bracing winds.

And Gran even says that he envies the dead, who perished having completed a great task after Scott led a successful expedition to the Antarctic during his first attempt from 1901 to 1904.

The author would go on the win the Polar medal for his own Antarctic explorations and was the first man to fly a 'heavier than air' plane over the North Sea in 1914.

This picture shows Scott's first expedition group returning after successfully reaching the South Pole in 1910, before their disastrous second attempt to get home

He joined the Royal Flying Corps using the name Teddy Grant and posed as a Canadian to circumvent Norway's neutrality and fight in World War One. He died aged 91 in 1980.

It was his son, Herman, who put the diaries up for sale. The first collection covers the period from November 7 1911 to February 25 1912 and its writings have never been published.

They reveal a tender side to Gran, whose writings detail worries about his ponies and the sadness he felt at having to put down his dogs.

He also writes about the conflict he felt over Amundsen, who was also Norwegian, beating Scott to the South Pole.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan unveiled the second 100-day action plan of Turkey's new presidential Cabinet at the presidential palace in Ankara.

'Turkey has completed 340 of the 400 projects from the first 100-day action plan which was announced on August 3," Yeni Safak cited the Turkish leader as saying.

Erdogan stressed that the second 100-day plan will particularly focus on environmental and urban planning projects.

He said a 'Financial Stability and Development Committee' will be established to strengthen financial stability and develop the finance sector as well as a 'Development Fund' to boost private capital investments and generate alternative funding for high technology investments.

The Turkish President added that over 450 projects worth nearly $4.49 billion will be completed as part of a second 100-day action plan, after 340 of 400 projects from the first 100-day action plan unveiled on August 3.
A U.S. District Judge has demanded that Special Counsel Robert Mueller turn over all the secret documents related to the questioning of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

Flynn alleged in a court filling on Tuesday that the FBI pushed him toward having no lawyer present for his January 2017 interview. Flynn he later admitted lying to federal authorities investigating possible Russian interference in the 2016 election during the conversation.

Flynn's attorneys point the finger at then-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe - claiming he pushed Flynn not to have an attorney present for the questioning.

Judge Emmet Sullivan ordered both lawyers for special counsel Robert Mueller (right) andformer national security adviser Michael Flynn (left) to submit their documents on Flynn's interview in January 2017 at which he has admitted lying to agents investigating possible Russian interference in Donald Trump's election

Lawyers for President Donald Trump's former National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn (seen above in July), asked a judge Tuesday to spare him prison time

They even go as far as to say the FBI threatened to take the matter to the Justice Department if Flynn were to seek counsel before sitting down with its agents.

'I explained that I thought the quickest way to get this done was to have a conversation between [Flynn] and the agents only,' McCabe wrote in a memorandum reported by Fox News.

'I further stated that if LTG Flynn wished to include anyone else in the meeting, like the White House Counsel for instance, that I would need to involve the Department of Justice. [General Flynn] stated that this would not be necessary and agreed to meet with the agents without any additional participants.'

United States District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan has demanded all sides turn over their documents relating to the interview by Friday

Following the allegations, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan yesterday ordered that both the Mueller investigation and the Flynn team turn over all documents relating to the fateful interview, including all contemporaneous notes, before 3pm Friday.

The FBI was not obliged to make clear to Flynn that he had the right of attorney, because he was not in custody.

However, Sullivan will be trying to determine whether or not agents used coercion to obstruct Flynn's constitutional right.

Theoretically, if provided with convincing evidence that agents acted coercively, Sullivan could throw out the charges against Flynn on those grounds. However, he has no indicated that he plans to do so, according to Fox News.

Trump's former National Security Adviser is due to be sentenced on Tuesday, but Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office, last week said that Flynn's cooperation - including 19 meetings with investigators - was so extensive that he was entitled to avoid prison when he is sentenced next week.

Flynn's lawyers for also asked a judge Tuesday to spare him prison, saying he had devoted his career to his country and taken responsibility for an 'uncharacteristic error in judgment.'

Flynn was fired by President Trump in February 2017 for misleading the White House about his secret business meetings with senior Russian officials.

He later pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about conversations during the presidential transition period with the then-Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak.

Asked about the contents of these conversations during the interview at his office in the White House in the days following Trumps inauguration, Flynn told agents he did not discuss sanctions with Kislyak.

However an audio recording of the December 29, 2016 phone call, which was tapped by US intelligence officials, proved he had.

Flynn will become the first White House official punished in the Special Counsel's ongoing probe into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia during the 2016 presidential election.

In court papers Tuesday, he requested probation and community service for his false statements.

The filing comes as lawyers for former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort said they were still deciding whether to dispute allegations that he lied to investigators and breached his plea agreement.

A judge gave Manafort until Jan. 7 to respond to prosecutors' claims that he misled them about his interactions with an associate who they say has ties to Russian intelligence and with Trump administration officials.

The defendants, their fortunes sliding in opposite directions, represent starkly different paths in Mueller's investigation - a model cooperator on one end and, prosecutors say, a dishonest and resistant witness on the other.

Even as prosecutors recommend no prison time for Flynn, they've left open the possibility they may seek additional charges against Manafort, who is already facing years in prison.

Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI over statements he made about meeting the then-ambassador of Russia during the Trump transition. Trump is seen above in Oval Office on Tuesday

Given both men's extensive conversations with prosecutors, and their involvement in key episodes under scrutiny, the pair could pose a threat to Trump, who in addition to Mueller's investigation is entangled in a separate probe by prosecutors in New York into hush-money payments paid during the campaign to two women who say they had affairs with the president.

Since his guilty plea a year ago, Flynn has stayed largely out of the public eye and refrained from discussing the Russia investigation despite encouragement from his supporters to take an aggressive stance.

Flynn, a retired Army lieutenant general, spent three decades in the military, including five years in combat.

In a public statement after his plea, Flynn has said he cooperated with prosecutors because it was in 'the best interests of my family and our country.'

Flynn will become the first White House official punished in the Special Counsel's ongoing probe into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia during the 2016 presidential election. The Special Counsel, Robert Mueller, is seen in the above photo

In Manafort's case, prosecutors have accused him of repeatedly lying to them even after he agreed to cooperate.

They say Manafort lied about his interactions with a longtime associate they say has ties to Russian intelligence, his contacts with Trump administration officials and other matters under investigation by the Justice Department.

Manafort pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in Washington in September and faces sentencing in a separate case in Virginia, where he was convicted of eight felony counts related to his efforts to hide millions of dollars he earned from Ukrainian political consulting from the IRS.
Mr Prance (pictured) is accused of fraud after Richard Elliot said that cash was dishonestly taken from his father's account when he died

A rugby fan is facing jail after being found guilty of stealing the life savings of his dying friend in a series of frauds.

Graeme Prance, 53, helped himself to 60,000 after widower Ken Elliott gave him Power of Attorney over his financial affairs.

Retired businessman Mr Elliott was unaware what was going on when he changed his will on his death bed to leave his family home to Prance.

Mr Elliott's son Richard, 54, is contesting the will in the civil courts claiming he was robbed of his inheritance.

A fraud trial heard Prance and Mr Elliott had been friends for 35 years through their shared love of rugby, especially watching Wales and Cardiff.

Prance claimed he was 'like a son' to Mr Elliott, visiting him daily at his detached bungalow in Cyncoed, a left suburb of the Welsh capital.

In return his friend showered him with gifts including a 15,000 van for Prance's kitchen and bathroom fitting business.

He also gave him 1,500 cash and paid for Prance to take his Thai wife on a sunshine holiday.

But the prosecution heard there was a 'rash' of withdrawals from Mr Elliott's bank accounts immediately after Prance was given Power of Attorney.

Prosecutor Nick Gedge said: 'Prance could only use his Power of Attorney by acting in the best interests of Mr Elliott.

Mr Elliott is said to have changed his will in secret in order to hand over the family home to Mr Prance (pictured)

'But the expenditure on Mr Elliott's bank accounts changed dramatically - prior to that, withdrawals had been relatively modest.

'He dishonestly helped himself to Mr Elliott's money to pay for goods and services.'

The court heard 14,575 was dishonestly taken from the pensioner's Post Office account, 25,469 from his current account and 9,550 from a Nat West account along with 10,000 cash in a shoebox.

When Mr Elliott died aged 85, his only child Richard expected to inherit the family home in the leafy Cardiff suburb of Cyncoed.

But a jury heard his father had secretly changed his will and signed the property over to struggling businessman Prance.

Through a video link Mr Elliott sobbed as he told the jury: 'On the day my dad died Graeme said to me: 'Did you realise your dad left me the bungalow?'

Mr Prance (pictured) formed a friendship with Mr Elliott over their mutual love of rugby

'He said I was not to worry because I could carry on living there rent free and he would not kick me out on the street.'

Mr Elliott said he 'knew for a fact' his father had left the bungalow to him in his earlier will.

He told the court: 'That has unfortunately been taken off me - it breaks my heart.

'The bungalow was stolen from me, it was my inheritance. My mum left it to my dad to be passed on to me when he died.'

Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard his father called a solicitor to his hospital bedside to change his will before he died in May 2016 leaving the 212,000 property to Prance.

Prance told the court how his close friend signed over his family home while being treated for Stage 4 kidney failure.

He said: 'I had a phone call from Ken in hospital asking to see me. I went in and he had a massive smile on his face. He said: 'That's for you, I've done it'. It was his will.'

Prance agreed it was a 'secret' arrangement and that Mr Elliott's 54-year-old son Richard was not made aware of the change in is father's wishes.

He told the jury he was 'happy' togged the house and his friend and benefactor had made provisions for his son who was due to inherit 250,000.

But the court heard Mr Elliott's son has launched civil proceedings challenging his father's will and claiming he didn't make adequate provisions for him.

The jury took two hours to find Prance, of Llandaff, Cardiff, guilty of four charges of fraud.

Judge Patrick Curran told him all sentencing options were open when he is sentenced next month. Prance declined to comment as he left the court.
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A new storm system is forecast to bring heavy rain, snow and severe thunderstorms to parts of the Midwest, South, and Mid-Atlantic on Thursday and Friday.

There is a risk of flooding because it comes so soon after another storm which has left the ground wet and streams running high.

The storm will move east, bringing severe weather from the upper Texas coast to Louisiana, southern Mississippi and the Alabama and Florida panhandles on Thursday night.

Harsh conditions: A motorist checks his phone after sliding off the road in the snow in Charlotte, North Carolina this week

The storm will move east, bringing severe weather from the upper Texas coast to Louisiana, southern Mississippi and the Alabama and Florida panhandles on Thursday night

Forecasters are warning of 'strong damaging wind gusts' of up to 80mph and 'isolated tornadoes' combined with heavy downpours which will slow motorists.

'This storm is likely to pull cold air down from aloft as it moves by,' said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Bernie Rayno.

'If this action is strong enough and occurs fast enough, rain may change over to wet snow on the tail end of the storm on its western and northern flank,' he added.

Mr Rayno said the US may see 'wet snow at the tail end as far to the east as central and southern Arkansas, northern Louisiana and part of northern Mississippi by Saturday morning.'

Drivers pass an abandoned car along Silas Creek Parkway in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on Tuesday. Officials warned that temperatures in many areas plunged below freezing again Tuesday night, refreezing the melting snow

A driver slowly passes plows clearing Silas Creek Parkway in Winston-Salem on Tuesday. Much of the state remains under a winter weather advisory through late Wednesday morning

Forecasters are warning of 'strong damaging wind gusts' of up to 80mph and 'isolated tornadoes' combined with heavy downpours which will slow motorists

The US may see 'wet snow at the tail end as far to the east as central and southern Arkansas, northern Louisiana and part of northern Mississippi by Saturday morning'

Forecasters advised people to make sure their Christmas decorations don't blow away amid a risk of minor property damage.

It comes after a wintry snowstorm walloped several states this week, causing drivers in parts of the South to face dangerous road conditions and black ice.

While sunny skies helped North Carolina thaw on Tuesday, temperatures dropped again overnight, putting a winter weather advisory in effect for western parts of the state through late Wednesday morning.

Meanwhile, the grim search continued on Wednesday for a missing truck driver whose tractor-trailer plunged into the Neuse River in eastern North Carolina, near Kinston.

A car travels down a snow covered street in a neighborhood in Greensboro, North Carolina on Tuesday

A weather satellite view of the South is seen at 11.40am on Wednesday. A new storm threatens to bring heavy rains

Temperatures dropped again overnight, putting a winter weather advisory in effect for western parts of the state through late Wednesday morning. The map above shows North Carolina counties under an advisory on Wednesday

At around 4am on Sunday, the truck driven by a postal service contractor broke through a bridge guard rail on westbound U.S. 70 and went into the river.

Dive crews were able to reach the cab of the truck on Sunday, but did not find a body. North Carolina Department of Transportation officials used a large boat to help engineers inspect the bridge.

On Monday, as the storm passed, crews were able to remove the truck from the river and reopen the highway to drivers.

Searchers using sonar and diving equipment have continued to search the river.

A truck driven by a postal service contractor broke through a bridge guard rail on westbound U.S. 70 and went into the Neuse River on Sunday. The truck is seen being recovered on Monday and the driver is still missing

Rescue crews have searched the river near Kinston, North Carolina for several days but have not found the trucker's body

Searchers using sonar-equipped boats and diving gear are seen searching the Neuse River for the trucker

A new storm system is forecast to bring heavy rain and strong to severe thunderstorms on Thursday and Friday. The map above shows predicted precipitation through Monday morning in North Carolina

In addition to the missing trucker, the storm is blamed for at least three deaths in North Carolina and one in Tennessee.

The snow blanketed much of North Carolina with snow, and some areas saw accumulations of more than two feet - as much snow in a day as those areas usually get in a year.

North Carolina's Highway Patrol had responded to 2,300 crashes as of Tuesday.

Governor Cooper also warned runoff from snowmelt could combine with an expected rainstorm this week to increase the flooding threat along some rivers.
These are the haunting portraits of children taken at an 'imbecile asylum' by their doctor after they were rejected for being 'mentally-disabled'.

The photographs show the young inmates of the Imbecile Asylum in Burlington, New Jersey who would have been resigned to the care of the institution for the rest of their lives.

Dr Joseph Parrish specialized in the treatment of 'nervous patients', as they were referred to at the time, and took the images during his care of the youngsters.

Parrish, who set up the hospital in 1875, decided to photograph the children under his supervision as a way of recording his patients and understanding their ailments, it is believed.

Asylyms such as this were the first attempts in nineteenth-century society to care and treat mentally disabled or 'nervous' children.

Being admitted to an institution like Parish's was typically a life sentence for children, as they did not consider it possible to recover from idiocy.

Haunting images depict the children who were taken to an 'imbecile asylum' because of their suspected mental disability

It is thought that the children would have been discarded by their families for being mentally unwell

The portraits were taken by the children's doctor, Dr Joseph Parish, who is thought to have monitored their conditions

The photographs show the young inmates of the Imbecile Asylum in Burlington, New Jersey

These children are likely to have spent their entire lives inside the institution after being shunned

Dr Parrish specialized in the treatment of 'nervous patients', as they were referred to at the time

He is believed to have recorded his patients through photographs taken on or against a wooden chair

Dr Parish set up the asylum which housed 'mentally ill children' in 1875

He decided to photograph the children under his supervision as a way of recording his patients and understanding their ailments

Most of these photographs are thought to have been taken around 1886

Asylyms such as this were the first attempts in nineteenth-century society to care and treat mentally disabled or 'nervous' children

Being admitted to an institution like Parish's was typically a life sentence for children

Unlike insanity, society at the time did not believe that it was possible to recover from 'idiocy'

The children were all pictured in period dress typical of the era

It appears that all of Dr Parish's photographs were taken in the same room

These harrowing nameless portraits serve as a reminder of these forgotten children

Many of the images show two children together who are assumed to be silbings

No notes accompany the portraits of these boys and girls to explain what they had been diagnosed with

These asylums consisted of children who had different ways of learning or simply seemed 'slow' and lacking intelligence
Luxury clothing retailer Canada Goose has become the first Canadian brand to bear the brunt of China's consumer outrage following the arrest of a high-ranking Huawei executive, Chinese state media said.

Calls for a boycott of the Toronto-based apparel brand in China spread quickly on social media platform Weibo and were echoed by experts cited by state-run Global Times.

Stocks of the retailer, popular for its trendy parkas and high-end winter jackets, tumbled nearly 20 per cent over the past four days since Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou's arrest in Vancouver on December 1. She was granted bail on Tuesday evening following three hearings.

Canada Goose parkas, which retails up to 995 apiece, have quickly become a style icon in China since the brand launched in the country last year. The company's first flagship store in Beijing is scheduled to open on Saturday following the launch of the first one in Hong Kong in October.

Calls for a boycott of the Toronto-based apparel brand in China spread quickly on social media platform Weibo and were echoed by experts cited by state-run Global Times. Pictured above is one of the brand's boutique store at a shopping mall in Shanghai

Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, arrives at a parole office with a security guard in Vancouver after she was released on bail on Tuesday evening

'Boycott Canada Goose! Release Ms Meng!' One typical comment posted onto the company's official Weibo account read.

'Leave China!' another user commented.

'I was going to purchase one of your jackets, but after everything that Canada has done, I will never buy a jacket from your brand. I'm not boycotting your company, it's just that I would feel embarrassed wearing your products!' another user said.

The hashtag, 'Canada Goose shares plummet', has gathered more than 220 million views as Chinese consumers called for the ban in the world's largest luxury market.

MailOnline has reached out to Canada Goose for comment.

Canada Goose parkas, which retails up to 995 apiece, have quickly become a style icon in China since the brand launched in the country last year

Supporters hold signs and Chinese flags outside British Columbia Supreme Court during the third day of a bail hearing for Meng Wanzhou. She was released on bail for C$10 million

Business activities are always affected by changes in politics and the economy, Liu Ying, a research fellow at Renmin University of China, told Global Times, adding that Canada, as a sovereign state, should not have intervened in the matters surrounding Meng.

Meng was detained in Vancouver on December 1 at the request of the U.S., which accuses Huawei of using a Hong Kong shell company to sell equipment to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions.

She is the also vice chairman of Huawei, the second-largest smartphone creator in the world and the daughter of the company's founder, Ren Zhengfei.

After three days of hearings, Meng was released on bail of C$10million (US$7.4million) on Tuesday evening - on the condition she surrender her two passports and agree to wear an ankle bracelet. She will have to stay in Vancouver and its suburbs and confine herself to one of her two Vancouver homes from 11pm to 6am.

In apparent retaliation of Meng's arrest, an ex-Canadian diplomat, Michael Kovrig (pictured), has been detained in China since Monday and is facing accusations of harming state security

A second Canadian, Michael Spavor (pictured), a businessman with deep ties to the North Korean government, has been detained for 'activities that endanger China's national security'

Her case has set off a diplomatic furore among the three countries and complicated high-stakes U.S.-China trade talks.

In apparent retaliation, China has detained a former Canadian diplomat, Michael Kovrig, since Monday. Kovrig is facing accusations of harming state security.

A second Canadian, Michael Spavor, a businessman with deep ties to the North Korean government, has been detained also for 'activities that endanger China's national security', Beijing confirmed on Thursday.

Following the arrest of Meng, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau maintains that Canada's involvement in the case is not politically motivated and that the incident is for Canada's courts to decide.

Canadian Foreign Ministry spokesman Guillaume Berube said in a statement that the authorities are working hard to ascertain Spavors whereabouts and would continue to raise the issue with the Chinese government.
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.
Scott Hildebrand definitely has the Christmas spirit.

For almost ten years, he's put up an extravagant Christmas display in his yard in Moline, Illinois.

He's named it Henry's Christmas Yard after his beloved dog.

It's gotten so popular that Hildebrand estimates that thousands of people come to visit it every year, he told WQAD.

Scott Hildebrand puts up an extravagant Christmas display in his yard in Illinois every year

The festive display gets bigger every year as well  earlier this month, Hildebrand unveiled 2018's showcase with a staggered 145 decorations.

The piece de resistance is, of course, the incredible inflatable Santa that's taller than his house at almost 33ft.

He decided to add it to the display about five years ago.

And it's stabilized with six 40lb sandbags in each foot as well as six stakes driven into the ground.

Even so, the Santa is so big that it can allow be up if the weather permits it. If winds blow at more than 13mph, it has to be taken down.

The display, which features a giant inflatable Santa (left) is named it Henry's Christmas Yard after his beloved dog (right, with Santa)

Hildebrand decided to add the incredible inflatable Santa that's taller than his house at almost 33ft to the display about five years ago

Under Santa's watchful eye are numerous decorations in the yard, displayed in themed areas: superheroes, dogs, angels, movies and more.

And because of its popularity, a couple of years ago, Hildebrand thought of a way to make the display for a good cause as well.

He's set up a food drive box for visitors to donate food which is then given to the nearby Tabernacle Baptist Church.

An inflatable dinosaur is seen with the other decorations in the yard, which are arranged by theme

Each year, it has collected about 2,200 canned goods thanks to Hildebrand's efforts.

The decorations stay up around the clock, but the Santa is only up from 5pm until 10pm, weather permitting.

And Hildebrand estimates that it costs around $12 a day to keep the display running  as lights go on at 5pm.

But he told WQAD: 'When you see the enjoyment, it's worth it.'
An alleged Russian spy was tortured in US custody, the Russian government has claimed without providing any evidence.

Maria Butina is in jail accused of acting as a Russian agent to infiltrate the National Rifle Association and influence US policy toward Moscow.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova yesterday claimed she has been subjected to a 'medieval inquisition'.

Maria Butina was able to infiltrate the National Rifle Association, prosecutors say

Maria Butina, a gun-rights activist poses for a photo at a shooting range in Moscow, Russia. Russian woman Maria Butina has been jailed in the U.S. on charges that she tried to infiltrate U.S. political organizations as a covert Russian agent

She told CNN: 'It's not about justice, it's not justice. It's just inquisition. It's medieval inquisition. Because she is intimidated, she was tortured and was not treated like a human being, not like a woman.

'I think she was treated and is still treated probably as a terrorist or something like that,' she added.

Zakharova claimed Butina is a political prisoner and is innocent.

She said: 'She did nothing wrong, she is not a criminal, not a terrorist ... We have no idea why she was treated like that.' The US attorney's office declined to comment.

Butina is expected to plead guilty in federal court today in a deal that could help prosecutors gain insight into Russian efforts to meddle in American politics.

Alleged Russian agent Maria Butina appears in an undated photo from her Twitter account obtained July 19, 2018

The Russian former graduate student at American University in Washington who has publicly advocated for gun rights, is slated to change her plea from not guilty to guilty in a hearing before Judge Tanya Chutkan in U.S. District Court in Washington.

Butina was charged in July with acting as an agent of Russia's government and conspiracy to take actions on behalf of Moscow.

As part of the plea agreement, she is expected to cooperate with prosecutors during an ongoing investigation, according to U.S. media reports. The hearing, which the judge had delayed by a day, is set to begin at 10.30am.

Maria Butina in booking photo

Prosecutors have accused Butina, who was jailed awaiting trial, of working with a Russian official and two U.S. citizens to try to infiltrate the NRA, a group closely aligned with Republican politicians including President Donald Trump, and sway Washington's policy toward Moscow.

Butina's lawyers previously identified the Russian official as Alexander Torshin, a deputy governor of Russia's central bank who was targeted with U.S. Treasury Department sanctions in April.

One of the two Americans cited in the prosecution's criminal complaint was Paul Erickson, a conservative U.S. political activist who was dating Butina. Neither Erickson nor Torshin has been accused by prosecutors of wrongdoing.

Moscow has labeled the case against Butina 'fabricated' and called for her release.

The prosecutors in the Butina case are not from the office of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russia's role in the 2016 U.S. election and whether Trump's campaign conspired with Moscow to help him win.

The prosecution's complaint against Butina did not explicitly mention Trump's campaign. Reuters previously reported that Butina was a Trump supporter who bragged at Washington parties that she could use her political connections to help people get jobs in his administration.

Trump has denied any collusion with Moscow. Russia has denied interfering in American politics.
Rioters trampled a 75-year-old doyenne of the London fashion scene during yellow vest protests.

Virginia Bates's head was sliced open and she almost lost an eye when she was kicked and beaten in the Paris riots.

She almost shattered her shoulder and was left lying helpless with blood pumping from her head as a thief dragged her along the floor while trying to steal her handbag.

Just days before the harrowing attack, Mrs Bates (pictured, right, after the trampling) was pictured with Paloma Faith at a Vogue party (left)

Mrs Bates told The Times that as cars burned and exploded around her, she also had to contend with tear gas, describing the city as 'a war zone'.

With past customers that include Helena Christensen, Donna Karan and John Galliano, Mrs Bates ran her emporium from 1971 to 2013.

Just two days after being pictured at a Vogue party with Paloma Faith, she arrived in the French capital on December 1 during the third weekend of fuel price protests but Eurostar passengers were given no warning.

It was only when her taxi could not reach her hotel and she was forced to walk that she realised demonstrations had descended into riots.

'I had never seen this kind of anger, this hunger for violence - they were picking anything up and just smashing anything up, ripping up those beautiful railings that go around trees and throwing them at cars, setting cars alight,' she told the paper.

Just two days before she nearly lost her eye, Mrs Bates (pictured at the Serpentine Gallery's Annual Summer Parties) had been pictured with Paloma Faith

As she stood in 'total disbelief', she says water cannon and tear gas sent the rioters into a frenzy.

The only woman in sight, she was swamped with men carrying poles and throwing cobbles at shops.

After she was trampled, paramedics arrived to take her to a street medical station by ambulance.

She described seeing nurses running down corridors spattered with blood as she passed out due to shoulder pain.

Mrs Bates was attacked during the third weekend of protests as activists demonstrate against fuel prices (pictured, the Yellow Vests on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on November 24)

Mrs Bates required 10 stitches above her eye and had to endure them without anaesthetic, discharged with just two paracetamol.

When she got back to London the next day, doctors were alarmed to see her infected head wound and shattered shoulder, which required complex surgery.

Though she says the incident has not destroyed her 'love' of Paris, she admits the thought of going back makes her 'a little bit anxious'.
Egypt's President has told his people they should not expect the West to 'open their doors' to migrants who refuse to integrate.

Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said that 'every country has the right to protect its people and their interests.'

Speaking at a World Youth Forum in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt, the country's leader told guests they had to 'completely abide by the laws, customs, traditions and culture' of a country they moved to.

His comments came last month but have only now been reported by U.S.-based research institute MEMRI.

The Egyptian President told the audience that the West could not be expected to allow in people from countries who 'fight amongst ourselves'.

He said: 'Every country has the right to protect its people and their interests. It must generally respect human rights in a framework that preserves its national interests.

'Instead of asking me why countries [in the West] close their gates to us, you should ask yourself why the people of Afghanistan don't take better care of their own country.

'Why have they been killing one another for 40 years?

Egyptian President Al-Sisi: People in Undeveloped Countries Should Not Expect the West to Welcome Them; They Should Solve Their Own Countries' Problems Instead pic.twitter.com/ZN5hK203Zl  MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) December 13, 2018

This happens in other countries as well  in Pakistan, in Egypt, in Syria, in Libya, in Iraq, in Yemen, and in Somalia.

'We fight amongst ourselves in our own countries, and then we expect countries that work day and night to achieve progress to protect their people and to maintain a certain standard of living for them  we demand that they let us in so we can have part of their [success].'

Sisi, 64, told the audience that the leaders of 'Germany, England, Italy or any other European country' would protect their borders 'in order to protect the achievements of many long years'.

He said: 'Do you expect them to open their doors so that we can go there demanding to keep our own culture?

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, pictured, said migrants should abide by laws and traditions in the country they moved to and should not expect the West to 'open its doors'

'We demand to keep our culture, which could be very different from the work ethic in those countries.

'You demand to go there with your culture which you consider to be non-negotiable. You say, "this is how we are and you must accept us [because of] human rights". No.

'By the way, if you go to another country as a guest, you must completely abide by its laws, customs, traditions and culture. You must abide by them completely. If you are not willing to do this, don't go.

'Don't expect them to open the door for you so you can go into their country and cause trouble. No.'

Sisi took power in 2014, after helping to remove the Muslim Brotherhood-backed president Mohamed Morsi the previous year.

He has previously held talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel as Europe bids to resolve the migrant crisis.

In October this year the two leaders met in Berlin at a summit designed to help reduce unemployment in Africa, in an effort to make migration less necessary.
One person was injured after an explosion at a compressed natural gas station in Yerevan yesterday evening, the Armenian Ministry of Emergency Situations reported.

At 859pm local time, the 911 emergency hotline received a report that there was an explosion at a compressed natural gas station on the Ashtarak Highway, as a result of which one person was injured.

A fire and rescue squad was dispatched to the scene, News.am reported.

The injured person (born in 1953) was taken to the Yerevan hospital, according to doctors, the patient was in moderate condition.
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A stunning California ranch which comes complete with its own town is on the market for a cool $1.495 million giving its new owner chance to live like a cowboy on the Wild West-Coast.

The Old West-style town which includes a jail, saloon and a House of Negotiable Affection - also known as a brothel - is situated in nine acres of land in the Mojave Desert.

The property, which was previously marketed as a stargazing retreat and rented for $2,600 a weekend on Airbnb, is now looking for a new owner to reside in its luxurious surroundings.

A stunning California ranch which comes complete with its own town is on the market for a cool $1.495 million giving its new owner chance to live like a cowboy on the Wild West-Coast

The Old West-style town which includes a jail, saloon and a House of Negotiable Affection - also known as a brothel - is situated in nine acres of land in the Mojave Desert

Its new owner, who is likely to have a taste for Old Westerns, will live a stones throw away from Joshua Tree National Park and Pioneertown, which housed more than 100 of the genre's movies

Its new owner, who is likely to have a taste for Old Westerns, will live a stones throw away from Joshua Tree National Park and Pioneertown, which housed more than 100 of the genre's movies.

Inside the sprawling 3,000 sq ft property are four bedrooms which are all uniquely decorated in accordance with the properties western theme, featuring four-poster beds and sliding wooden doors.

In order to accommodate for its residents, the home - which is marketed with The Mls - also boasts four bathrooms with stylish subway-style tiles and a lavish roll top bath to soak in as you peer out at the expansive landscape.

However if the incredible landscape and luxury property isn't enough to draw a buyer to the ranch, the small town inspired by a Western movie location surely will

Another room featuring views of the desert vista is the living room extension, complete with vaulted ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows in order to make the most of the setting

Although he added the chapel to the site the construction was not built to the same scale that he had previously crafted years earlier

All of the pictured furnishings come with the property, including a replica statue of Frederic Remington's The Cowboy, which stands proudly outside the ranch

Another room featuring views of the desert vista is the living room extension, complete with vaulted ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows in order to make the most of the setting.

All of the pictured furnishings come with the property, including a replica statue of Frederic Remington's The Cowboy, which stands proudly outside the ranch.

However if the incredible landscape and luxury property, isn't enough to draw a buyer to the ranch, the small town inspired by a Western movie location surely will.

The set design was constructed by the property's previous owner Joe Udo and his son, who created it to look like Pioneertown, which was established following financial backing from Dick Curtis, Roy Rogers and Russell Hayden in the 1940s.

Inside the sprawling 3,000 sq ft property are four bedrooms which are all uniquely decorated in accordance with the properties western theme, featuring four-poster beds and sliding wooden doors

All of the pictured furnishings come with the property, including a replica statue of Frederic Remington's The Cowboy, which stands proudly outside the ranch

During the restoration a train caboose was transformed into another guest room and there is also a fully renovated saloon which can host 80 guests on its patio area

The town had to be rebuilt by Udo after the Sawtooth Complex Fire in 2005 burnt it to the ground.

Although he added the chapel to the site the construction was not built to the same scale that he had previously crafted years earlier.

It's current owner saw Udo's vision and doubled the size of the property as well as renovating inside and extending the town rebuilt by Udo.

It's current owner saw Udo's vision and doubled the size of the property as well as renovating inside and extending the town rebuilt by Udo

In order to accommodate for its residents, the home also boasts four bathrooms with stylish subway-style tiles and a lavish roll top bath to soak in as you peer out at the expansive landscape

Included in the extensive town is a barbershop, a hotel, a church, a general store, a blacksmith as well as a stable with room for eight horses and three riding rings to ride them in.

During the restoration a train caboose was transformed into another guest room and there is also a fully renovated saloon which can host 80 guests on its patio area.

Adding to the Old West feel is a a 25,000 acre land preserve which nobody can ever build on, adding to the illusion that you are in the midst of a John Wayne film.

However if the incredible landscape and luxury property, isn't enough to draw a buyer to the ranch, the small town inspired by a Western movie location surely will

Adding to the Old West feel is a a 25,000 acre land preserve which nobody can ever build on, adding to the illusion that you are in the midst of a John Wayne film
A Cheshire Police constable who was given a job despite being named in three sex probes has been jailed for 25 years for 37 offences including the rape and sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl.

Ian Naude, would send sickening messages to his victims, including one to a 13-year-old victim, where he said: 'You're old enough baby. Girls are having sex when they're 10 and 11 these days.'

The 30-year-old also met a child during a domestic incident at her house and began grooming her by exchanging sexual images and messages. He then took her away in his car, drove her to a secluded spot, and attacked her in the back seat.

Dressed in a light grey suit, white shirt and burgundy tie, the former soldier sat totally focused on his case file until ordered to pay attention by Judge Clement Goldstone QC as he delivered the sentence at Liverpool Crown Court this morning.

Paedophile policeman Ian Naude posted a selfie (left) of himself driving a car in October 2017 after he had used it to pick up his 13-year-old victim from her home before taking the child to a secluded spot and raping her. He had a Facebook account under the name Bruce Ian Wayne, an apparent reference to superhero Batman

'You're pretty and interesting': Sickening sexual messages Naude sent to girls Naude sent sickening sexual messages to his victims under the fake profile of 15-year-old 'Jake Green'. He told one 14-year-old girl she was 'pretty and interesting' before asking 'Soooo what's the most you've ever done with a boy?'. In messages to another victim, Naude became aggressive when she told him she couldn't send photos as her camera had broken. He replied 'If you want to lie to me then you're going to pay the price' before threatening to 'mail all her friends'. In another disturbing exchange, his victim threatens to commit suicide as he heaps on the pressure to send over pictures. And finally, he tells a 13-year-old girl she is 'sexy' before adding: 'You're old enough baby. Girls are having sex when they're 10 and 11 these days.' Advertisement

The father-of-one, of Market Drayton, Shropshire, will serve at least two thirds of his 25-year jail term before being considered for release. Judge Goldstone also imposed a five year licence period and an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Under the fake online profile of 15-year-old 'Jake Green', he told one 14-year-old girl she was 'pretty and interesting' before asking 'Soooo what's the most you've ever done with a boy?'.

In other he sent messages to another victim, Naude became aggressive when she told him she couldn't send photos as her camera had broken.

He replied 'If you want to lie to me then you're going to pay the price' before threatening to 'mail all her friends'.

In another disturbing exchange, his victim threatens to commit suicide as he heaps on the pressure to send over pictures.

And finally, he tells a 13-year-old girl she is 'sexy' before adding: 'You're old enough baby. Girls are having sex when they're 10 and 11 these days.'

Naude, who was said to have an 'insatiable appetite' for young girls, started working for the police as a student officer in April 2017. This was despite him being named in connection with two child grooming cases in neighbouring force areas and the rape of a woman.

While grooming this victim, Naude asks how old she is before calling her 'sexy' and 'baby'

His trial also revealed another extraordinary official bungle, which saw Naude copied into a police email detailing plans to arrest him after the rape was reported.

This gave him time to delete 756 images from his phone.

The court had been told that Naude, who police believe may have more victims who have yet to come forward, had been acting on an 'ever increasing interest in young girls' over the past six or seven years.

Naude posted as a 15-year-old boy called 'Jake Green' while grooming his victims. Pictured is the first of four chat logs that have been released. It is not clear which victim he is speaking with in each of the messages

The paedophile tells a 14-year-old girl she 'looks pretty and interesting' as part of his sick attempt to groom her in this excerpt

Prosecutor Owen Edwards said on day one of his trial that he had joined the force 'to get the keys to the sweet shop'. Earlier a colleague told the court Naude had shown an interest in the force's public protection unit, which deals with vulnerable children.

He was still working as a student officer at the time of the rape in October 2017, and was described during the two-week trial as a 'selfish and cruel paedophile' who was obsessed with taking the virginity of teenage girls and joined the force with the intention of meeting vulnerable victims.

Sentencing, Judge Goldstone QC said: 'In order to impose your will on a young girl, three weeks past her 13th birthday, and to commit offences of rape and sexual assault against her, you used and abused your position as a Cheshire Police officer, thereby enabling you to satisfy your lust and perversion.'

Naude, who was working as a student officer for Cheshire Police at the time of the assault in October 2017, was described during the trial as a 'selfish and cruel paedophile'. Pictured in an undated mugshot

'Having seen and heard you during the trial, I am wholly persuaded that you do not, even now, have any inkling or appreciation of the extent of your perversion or of the psychological harm and damage you have caused.'

He said Naude was 'out of control' with an 'insatiable appetite' for young girls and described a selfie he took after raping his victim as showing his 'smug self satisfaction and total lack of shame'.

Naude, who was based at Crewe police station, had denied rape, telling the jury the sex was consensual.

In a statement read to the court, her mother said the victim would no longer leave the house without close family and friends.

She said: 'She will no longer walk past the local police station and hides when a police car drives past.'

Other parents said their daughters had gone on to self-harm after being groomed online by Naude, who would blackmail and threaten his victims, persuade them to send pictures of themselves undressed, tell them to call him 'daddy' and send them videos of himself masturbating.

In this chat log, Naude becomes threatening as the girl reveals she is on the brink of killing herself

He also had a Facebook account under the name Bruce Ian Wayne, an apparent reference to superhero Batman, and a Snapchat account named King Of The North - possibly aping a character in Game of Thrones.

He would persuade his victims to undress and sometimes perform sexual acts on camera before sending them pictures and video of himself masturbating, the court heard.

In some cases he then threatened to send the photos on to other people on their Facebook friends list and on one occasion told a victim he would harass her friends, including one who self-harmed, unless she sent him photos.

Naude's Snapchat account was named King Of The North - possibly a reference to a character in Game of Thrones

The court heard after the rape was reported Naude was accidentally copied into a police email revealing the plan to arrest him.

When his phone was seized 756 images had been deleted from it.

Other devices, including a laptop and another phone, were later discovered in a field in Market Drayton after he gave a hand-drawn map of their location to his cellmate.

An investigation by the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) into the vetting process and employment of Naude found there was no case to answer for misconduct for any individual officer.

Acting chief constable Janette McCormick, who has personally apologised to the family of the rape victim, said the case had prompted a lot of 'soul searching' among officers.

She said: 'In light of this case, the constabulary has looked long and hard at its own recruitment and screening programme for new recruits to see whether this type of incident can be avoided in the future.'

Ms McCormick said the force had changed its processes so if there was a delay in the recruitment process of more than three months further checks would be carried on national police systems.

Sick PC was allowed to join the force despite being named in THREE sex cases Ian Naude was named as a suspect in three cases before he was appointed to the force, it has emerged. The father-of-one, who groomed teenage girls online, had been due to join Cheshire Police as a student officer in January 2017. The force said the recruitment process was put on hold following an allegation he had raped a woman in Staffordshire. But, when no further action was taken in the case, a decision was made by the vetting department to allow the process to continue and Naude was appointed to the force in April that year. When police began to investigate Naude following his arrest, they found he had also been a named suspect in two child grooming allegations - reported to Staffordshire Police and West Mercia Police in January and February 2017. Those two reports became part of the Cheshire Police investigation into Naude, which saw him plead guilty to 30 charges, including inciting children to engage in sexual activity and making indecent photos of children, and found guilty of rape, sexual assault and five offences relating to arranging the commission of a child sexual offence. Acting chief constable Janette McCormick, who has apologised to the family of the rape victim, said the case had prompted a lot of 'soul searching'. She said: 'In light of this case, the constabulary has looked long and hard at its own recruitment and screening programme for new recruits to see whether this type of incident can be avoided in the future.' Advertisement

Checks on police systems and complaint records are also now undertaken for all officers completing the probation period of two years and training of new staff has been reviewed.

She said: 'He didn't join to be a police officer, he joined as a predator.'

Investigations into Naude, of Market Drayton in Shropshire, are ongoing and officers believe there may be more victims who have not yet come forward.

Detective Chief Superintendent Aaron Duggan said: 'We do know that he has committed this offending for a considerable length of time and there may well be other people out there, other victims, who think they have been subjected to offending by Naude, not just as a police officer but before he joined the force.'

Ms McCormick said officers had gone through records of all the contact Naude had with people as an officer and there were investigations continuing as a result.

She said colleagues in the force had been 'rocked and shocked' as details of Naude's offending had been revealed.

The senior officer added: 'I am disgusted, appalled, angry at the behaviour of Ian Naude, his predatory behaviour and how he groomed young girls.

'Thankfully, the bravery of that one girl to come forward meant that we arrested him the day after, we suspended him, we have disciplined him and removed him from the organisation.'

Saul Brody, defending, said there was 'very little mitigation' and conceded the defendant was a dangerous offender.

He added: 'It's unclear whether he entered the police force specifically to exploit vulnerable victims but he undoubtedly sought opportunities to do so once appointed.'

An NSPCC spokesperson said: 'Naude preyed on the vulnerability of this young girl, using his trusted position as a police officer to commit the most horrific acts of abuse.

'The fact he tried to defend his actions claiming it was consensual is despicable, as a police officer he would know a child under 16 cannot consent. Naude's actions will have a lasting impact on all his young victims and they should be given every support to move forward.

'At the NSPCC, our Letting the Future In service works with young people who have experienced sexual abuse to help them understand what has happened to them and receive support to help them recover.'
The family of a grandmother who vanished in Malaysia have spent a whole year travelling back to look for her and are now making one final desperate trip to find her.

Adelaide grandmother Annapuranee 'Anna' Jenkins, 66, was visiting Malaysia to check in with her sick 101-year-old mother on December 13 last year.

She was on her way back from a dentist appointment in an Uber, when she suddenly fled the car and vanished on the streets of Penang.

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Adelaide grandmother Annapuranee 'Anna' Jenkins (pictured), 66, was visiting Malaysia to check in with her sick 101-year-old mother on December 13 last year

The driver of the car said she left the car in a hurry and never saw her again. That was the last time anyone saw the beloved grandmother.

Now, her family are making their 13th and final trip in a desperate attempt to find their beloved mother and grandmother.

Together, Mrs Jenkins daughter Jen Bowen other family members will take to the streets of Penang and put up posters and talk to locals for the final time.

Over the multiple times they've travelled to Malaysia, Mrs Jenkins' family have put up 11,000 posters and spoken to hundreds of people.

The family have jumped into creeks, searched sewer lines and drains but have come up empty every trip.

While both Malaysian and Australian authorities have provided assistance, the family has felt it hasn't been enough and have hired private investigators.

Together, Mrs Jenkins daughter Jen Bowen (pictured) other family members will take to the streets of Penang and put up posters and talk to locals for the final time

'It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack, but we've got 100 haystacks,' Mrs Bowen told 7 News.

The family have set up a Facebook page to garner support for their cause, saying the past 365 days have been filled with an 'array of emotions'.

'The last 365 days have been filled with an array of emotions as the whole family struggle to come to terms with Mums disappearance,' a Facebook post reads.

'Ranee is a loving wife, mother and grandmother, a caring soul and selfless spirit.'

She was on her way back from a dentists appointment in an Uber, when she suddenly fled the car and vanished on the streets of Penang (pictured CCTV footage from the day she disappeared)

Mrs Bowen understands she can't search for her mother forever and hopes that soon they will find the answers they're looking for.

'After 365 days with minimal support from authorities, we have now had some relief with the Malaysian Police advising us once again, that Mums case is now assigned as a Priority,' she wrote on Facebook.

'Only time will tell if we receive the support promised however all we can do is hope and have faith that they will start to help with the search.'
Inventor Colin Furze is celebrating the festive season by putting a massive 26 foot Christmas tree in his semi-detached house.

The 38-year-old YouTuber cut down the huge Norway spruce fir tree and remarkably managed to squeeze it into his three-bedroom house - with the tip of the tree poking out of the roof.

Mr Furze, who is renowned for his inventions, including the world's fastest mobility scooter and longest motorbike, wrapped rope around the branches to bring it into the house without scratching the walls.

Colin Furze chopped down the Norwegian fir himself, separating it into three sections which have been strategically placed on different levels in his house to give the impression that the tree is bursting out the top of his property

The father-of-two says his children are thrilled with the tree, which is pictured here in his Lincolnshire living room after he chopped it in three

The tree even crops up in his bedroom, giving the appearance that it has burst through the entire house to poke through the roof

He then chopped the tree into three and put one section in his lounge, one in his bedroom and the top part coming out of the roof.

'I'd never seen anyone do anything like this before so I thought it would be a fun Christmas project,' said Colin, from Stamford, Lincs.

'My children, who are two and six, couldn't believe their eyes when they saw the huge tree and absolutely loved it.

'We managed to get it into the house relatively easily, but it was hard manoeuvering it up the stairs and over the bannisters.'

Mr Furze (pictured in his bedroom with the giant tree) says his two children are delighted with his over-the-top approach to Christmas

Colin had to move a sofa out of the lounge so he could fit the tree into the room, with the branches touching all the walls and obscuring the television.

He then squeezed the second part of the tree beside his bed but found it difficult to lie down on his bed as the branches took up so much space.

He secured the final eight feet of the tree on the roof and decorated the entire tree with fairy lights.

'The tree dropped needles everywhere, but the result was really impressive and worked very well,' he added.

Colin, who has 5.5 million YouTube fans, has previously built a homemade 360 degree swing, a jet bicycle, and a giant Star Wars AT-ACT.
A former rave organiser who was dubbed the 'King of Acid House' in the 1980s later turned to fraud - building this bizarre contraption to help him access victims' bank accounts.

Tony Muldowney-Colston was behind some of Britain's most infamous all-night raves three decades ago, before the scene was shutdown due to rampant drug use.

The self-styled 'anarcho-capitalist', who also uses the surname Colston-Hayter, then became a cyber fraudster, masterminding a 1.25m cyber bank heist which saw him jailed for five and half years in 2014.

But after his release from prison, the now-53-year-old soon returned to con artistry, this time creating a bizarre machine from a card reader and voice-altering equipment.

Detectives were astonished by the wacky-looking construction when they raided a property linked to the fraudster, and were even more surprised to discover that it worked.

A fraudster built this bizarre contraption to help him gain access to victims' bank accounts. Police were shocked to discover the machine actually worked. It altered MuldowneyColstons voice to match the age and gender of a genuine bank customer. It also had the capability of playing pre-recorded bank messages

Muldowney-Colston used the machine as part of a plot which saw him access 500,000 in victim's bank accounts, and for which he was packed off back to jail this week.

In his previous con, for which he was jailed in 2014, Muldowney-Colston led a gang who planted a hi-tech computer hacking device in a bank to empty high value accounts.

Tony Muldowney-Colston has now been sent back to jail for fraud-related offences

They used a keyboard video mouse (KVM) device - which costs as little as 10 and is popular with suspicious partners hoping to catch their cheating spouses - to take control of multiple computer systems and transmit information remotely.

Six high-worth accounts were emptied, with the University of Portsmouth and the London Metropolitan University among the victims.

After his release Muldowney-Colston was soon back to his old ways - but this time with his home-made machine.

It was used it to contact victims and convince them he was a member of staff at their bank.

Amazingly, experts from the Met's Digital Communications and Cyber Laboratory confirmed the device actually worked.

Officers also seized a hard drive containing details of passports and identity cards, 32 credit cards, and a spreadsheet containing names, addresses, e-mail addresses and phone numbers.

In his younger days, Muldowney-Colston handcuffed himself to Jonathan Ross on live TV in what he called at the time 'a protest on behalf of the freedom to dance campaign'

How did rave king's 'fraud machine' work? Police say the weird-looking device was used to alter MuldowneyColston's voice to match the age and gender of a genuine customer when he contacted banks. It also had the capability of playing pre-recorded bank messages. MuldowneyColston told detectives he created the machine to gain access to genuine customer accounts and spirit away cash. Scotland Yard's Digital Communications and Cyber Laboratory confirmed the machine did what MuldowneyColston said it did. Incredibly, MuldowneyColston used a similar system to fox police during his rave-organising days. Rave-goers would ring a phone number at which a recorded message on an answering machine would give them random locations around the M25. It would then be updated to reveal the final venue. Advertisement

Detective Inspector Philip McInerney from the Met Police's Cyber Crime Unit (MPCCU) said: 'The scam carried out by Muldowney-Colston affected hundreds of people across the UK, and had the potential to affect many more..

'He is an audacious criminal who only recently was released from prison for carrying out very similar offences.

'He shows no concern for the welfare of any individual or organisation, and has made it clear he will use a range of methods to achieve significant financial gain for himself.

Muldowney-Colston was once a a successful professional gambler, astounded teachers by passing a special O-level in fruit machine technology aged just 16. He once raked in 23,000 a day before he was banned from every casino in Britain.

Muldowney-Colston travelled to Hong Kong in 2003 where he set up an engineering company which produced a component for a Formula One car.

But when he moved back to Britain to marry and start a young family, police believe he became an accomplished fraudster.

Muldowney-Colston gained notoriety in the late 1980s for organising huge all-night raves

Jailing him for 20 months for his latest fraud, Judge Jeffrey Pegden QC said: 'You were released on licence from a five and a half year sentence for fraud.

'In July 2016 you then had a significant period where you complied with your licence but you then returned to fraudulent behavior.

'Over a period of months and with a very significant degree of planning you made a whole variety of items for use in fraud.'

Police said gained access to funds in excess of 500,000, but the judge said he did not manage to take any money before he was arrested.

Muldowney-Colston, of Brighton, admitted nine counts of possession of an article for use in fraud and two counts of making or supplying an article for use in fraud and was jailed for 20 months.
The British couple who lost their engagement ring when it fell into a grate in Times Square have been reunited with the item of jewelry found by two NYPD cops.

And, after all the drama of the last two weeks, John Drennan decided to get down on one knee and ask his fiance Daniella Anthony to be his wife again.

John, 36, and Daniella, 34, were talking about the heartbreaking moment they lost the ring during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

The pair made headlines earlier this month when they were captured on camera frantically searching for the ring in a grate after it slipped off Daniella's finger.

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John Drennan and Daniella Anthony, the British couple who lost their engagement ring after it fell down a grate in Times Square, have been reunited with the special jewelry

Ellen DeGeneres brought out the two NYPD officers who retrieved the ring from the grate for the Thursday episode of her show

John and Daniella made headlines earlier this month after they were seen on surveillance cameras frantically searching for the ring in Times Square

By the time the ring was found by the New York Police Department, the couple were already more than 3,000 miles away in their native Peterborough in the UK.

But they returned to the US for the show, and Ellen couldn't resist pulling a few heartwarming surprises for the newly engaged couple.

John reveals in Thursday's episode that he and Daniella had only found out the NYPD was desperately searching for them after he received a message from a friend asking 'Is this you guys?'

The couple hadn't told their family about losing the ring, not wanting to put a 'negative spin' on their engagement.

But when John saw the tweet from the NYPD, he was overjoyed.

Ellen flew the two NYPD cops out to her Burbank, California studio so that she could reunite the couple with the ring and let them thank the officers who found it

The officers handed the couple the ring as one joked 'I think you guys dropped something'

The NYPD later put a call out on social media asking for help locating the couple because officers had luckily managed to retrieve the engagement ring

'I was like, "Daniella, they found our ring, they found our ring!"' John recalls. 'I don't know anywhere in the world where a police department, or two police officers - they went back the next day.'

'And where is the ring now?' asks Ellen, whose show is shot in Burbank, California.

'Still with the New York Police Department,' John replies.

'That's right, they are,' she says, before adding 'Come on out!'

Then, as Beyonce's Single Ladies blasts in the background, the two NYPD officers who found the couple's ring walk onto the stage in full uniform.

'Oh my god!' Daniella exclaims, her hands covering her mouth in shock.

The couple get up to hug the police officers, who then join them on Ellen's couch.

John shows the ring to Daniella, who looks overjoyed as she's reunited with the special piece of jewelry

John then got down on one knee and proposed to Daniella again with the ring in an emotional moment on the episode

'I think you guys dropped something,' one of the officers tells John and Daniella as he takes out a box with the ring inside.

John takes the box and jokes, 'One moment, there's no grates or anything like that?'

He then opens the box and looks at the ring as one of the cops asks, 'That is the ring, right?'

John shows the ring to Daniella before he gets down on one knee right then and there on the stage.

'Will you be my wife?' he asks.

'Yes,' she says through her tears as he puts the ring on her finger once again.

The couple also opened up more about their first proposal, which happened in Manhattan's Central Park

Before the episode came to an end, Ellen presented the couple with a $10,000 check for an early wedding gift

Following the emotional moment, one of the cops reveals that they brought ring adjusters so that it wouldn't fall off Daniella's finger this time.

The couple also opened up more about their first proposal, which happened in Manhattan's Central Park, during their interview with Ellen.

John revealed he had been walking around New York for two days with the ring in his pocket, waiting for the perfect moment to pop the question.

'Central Park, one of the most beautiful places in New York, it just felt right,' he said.

After Daniella spent some time playing in the leaves, he dropped down on one knee.

They later went to a Broadway show and, before going out to wander Times Square, Daniella warned John that the ring might be too big for her finger.

'I actually said, "John, it's a little bit big, I really don't know if I want to wear the ring,"' she recalled. 'He insisted.'

'Daniella we just got engaged, 10 years we've been together, 10 years you've waited on this ring. Come on, it's staying on your finger, it'll be fine, let's go,' John remembered telling his new fiance.

Officers had posted these surveillance images of the couple and a photo of the engagement ring on Twitter as they tried to find Daniella and John, who had already returned to the UK

'So, your fault,' Ellen remarked as the audience laughed.

The couple then went out and walked around Times Square. At one point John went to grab Daniella's hand and the ring suddenly slipped off.

'In slow motion, I can still visualize this,' he said. 'It bounces once, it bounces twice, and then right into the grate.'

'It was every girl's nightmare,' Daniella added.

The couple said many people stopped on the street to console them, including a little girl who gave Daniella a hug and told her not to worry.

'I was sobbing,' John said. 'I never want to see Daniella that upset in my life again.'

'From joy and happiness to absolute devastation. And I'm trying to pull up at this grate, trying my best to pull this thing up - those things don't move!'

A friend of the couple saw the NYPD's tweets on Twitter and they soon learned of the happy news, which the NYPD shared in tweets

Daniella then called over an NYPD officer, who radioed for more help.

'They sealed off the place, they got the special equipment out, opened up the grate, down there - torches - having a look,' John recalled.

'After, it must have been an hour-and-a-half to two hours, they just said "Sorry."'

The couple were absolutely devastated, but little did they know two police officers had gone back to look for the ring again the next day.

Officers posted surveillance images of the couple and a photo of the engagement ring on Twitter as they asked for help locating Daniella and John.

The couple said they now plan to enjoy being engaged for a bit and are thinking of a June 2020 wedding.

But before they left, Ellen presented them with one final gift - a check for $10,000 to help with their wedding.

Now that's a second proposal the couple will be sure to never forget.
US Customs and Border Protection Officers (CBP) at JFK airport made a hair-raising discovery in one passenger's luggage on Saturday.

Travelling from Guyana in South America to New York, a man carrying a black duffel bag was subjected to a luggage search by border agents on December 8.

Hidden inside the bag officers discovered 70 live finches, each individually packed into orange and green hair rollers.

Officers discovered 70 live birds stuffed into hair rollers (above)

Finches are popular among Caribbean immigrants and regularly used in bird 'singing contests' (Pictured: A finch in CBP custody on December 8)

The birds are considered to be very popular pets among Caribbean immigrants, and are often used in 'singing contests', and a winning finch can sell for up to $10,000.

Previous attempts to smuggle finches into the US have resulted in multiple arrests, but the unnamed Guyanese citizen wasn't detained on this occasion.

Instead, he was denied entry to the US and returned to his home country.

Similar attempts at smuggling in the birds have resulted in arrest, but on this occasion the suspect wasn't detained. The birds were seized by border agents and quarantined amid concerns of potential disease

The birds were then transferred to the Department of Agriculture Veterinary Services for further examination and care

What are singing finches? A finch is a small perching bird, usually no larger than four inches long and weighing no more than one ounce. They're part of the Fringillidae family, making them a close relative of canaries and chaffinches. For more than a century, finches were used in coal mines across the US, UK and Canada to detect concentrations of carbon monoxide up until 1986. Finch singing contests are considered a cultural pastime in the Caribbean and South America - and for decades 'speed singing' competitions have been held in public parks across New York. In a singing contest, cages containing two competing birds are hung on a pole, and two Judges count the amount of 'songs' a bird sings. Each song is determined by a pause in between the next note, and the first bird to fifty songs is the winner. Finches are considered one of the world's most popular house birds because of their small size and quiet voice. Prized singing finches can sell for up to as much as $5,000. Advertisement

The birds were seized from the passenger, quarantined, and transferred to the Department of Agriculture Veterinary Services, amid concerns of potential disease.

In a statement on Tuesday, Troy Miller, the CBP Director of New York Field Operations, said: 'CBP Agriculture Specialists are the first line of defense to prevent the introduction of animal diseases that have the potential to cause significant damage to the Nations agricultural economy.'

The CBP cited the bird flu outbreak of 2015 as the cause for their concern.

Otherwise known as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, the epidemic is considered the worst in the US' history, with more than 50 million chickens and turkeys having to be destroyed across the country as a result.

The outbreak is also believed to have cost the government up to $850 million in damages.
A California lawmaker who was arrested on suspicion of child cruelty says the allegation stemmed from spanking his seven-year-old daughter.

Democratic Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula said he spanked his daughter on Sunday night because she was acting up.

Arambula said he believed his daughter went to school angry the following morning and told a teacher about what had happened.

He was arrested on Monday after officials at Dailey Elementary Charter School noticed an injury on the child and reported it to authorities.

Democratic Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula, who was arrested on suspicion of child cruelty, said he spanked his seven-year-old daughter (far left with her mother) on Sunday night because she was acting up

The girl told authorities that her dad had caused the injury.

Both Joaquin and his wife Elizabeth were interviewed by police and he was arrested on misdemeanor charges of willful injury to a child.

Arambula is a former emergency room doctor who was elected in 2016 to represents parts of Fresno County.

Joaquin Arambula was arrested on Monday after officials at Dailey Elementary Charter School noticed an injury on the child and reported it to authorities

He has three daughters, ages 3, 6 and 7, with his wife Elizabeth.

All three of their daughters were taken away by Child Protective Services for two days and stayed with his parents.

They were allowed to return to the family home on Wednesday.

Arambula said spanking was a punishment he rarely used but told abc30 his daughter had been 'acting up'.

'We have nights where we get overwhelmed and feel like we have work that we need to do with our kids. That night, was a night where she was acting out,' Arambula said.

'It's what parents have to be able to do, to have some ground rules to be good parents.'

His wife Elizabeth said: 'She was angry, she was really angry that he spanked her. She woke up angry, and she went to school angry, and wanted to be heard.'

Arambula said he has no plans to resign.

'Everyone who knows us in the community and has seen us in the community knows that I'm a loving father,' Arambula told the Fresno Bee.

Both Joaquin and his wife Elizabeth were interviewed by police and he was arrested on misdemeanor charges of willful injury to a child

Arambula The Arambula's say that child abuse charges came because their daughter was angry that she was spanked Sunday night. In an interview with Liz Harrison ABC30 Action News, they share what they learned from the experience. Full story: https://abc30.com/arambula-explains-what-led-to-child-abuse-charge/4887623/ Posted by ABC30 Action News on Wednesday, December 12, 2018

'I care about my daughters deeply and I'm just going through a process and trying the best I can to be a husband and father who's putting us back together again.'

He added that he wanted his daughter to know 'that she's loved and that her dad cares for her tremendously, that we both do, and that she has a wonderful place with us.'

He thanked the school, child protective services and police for doing their jobs.

Arambula was released shortly after his arrest and has not been formally charged.

'There's a process to be played out, and this process played out, and they determined that the kids should go back home,' Arambula said.

'I'm excited about that. But we have a job and a responsibility to continue to be good parents, and that's what I want to work on and will strive to do.'

Authorities will check in on the Arambulas in 30 days and suggested the family seek therapy, he said.

Arambula's arrest was for a misdemeanor not a felony because the injury did not require medical attention. Spanking a child is generally legal if it's in a fleshy area such as the buttocks but not if it's in a place likely to cause injury like the face.

Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon hasn't commented on the arrest.
A transgender belly dancer has relived the night she was raped by a sadistic monster.

Taliah Wolf, from Sydney, has spoken out about her night of terror in the hope it will help others who have gone through similar experiences.

The man who assaulted her, who can't be named for legal reasons, was found guilty in the NSW District Court of 13 counts of aggravated sexual assault against five women on September 13.

Ms Wolf, 28, is a Lebanese transgender beauty pageant queen who has claimed the title of Miss International Australia and Ms Mardi Gras International Queen.

The 28-year-old belly dancer from Sydney has willingly unmasked herself to speak out about her night of terror, in the hope it will help others who have gone through similar experiences

She could not have foreseen the night that would change her life forever

Ms Wolf is a Lebanese transgender beauty pageant queen who has claimed the title of Miss International Australia and Ms Mardi Gras International Queen

Ms Wolf met the man through social media and invited him to the apartment she was staying at in Parramatta in Sydney's west on May 7, 2016.

'Security let him up without him having to buzz,' Ms Wolf told Daily Mail Australia.

'He just barged in.'

Ms Wolf immediately suspected the man, who she described as a 'horrific monster', had taken some sort of drug due to his unusual behaviour.

She said that although she was a strong person, her strength was nothing compared to his 'extreme dominance', which left her 'frightened and scared'.

The man began showing Ms Wolf a sickening video of him engaged in a sexual act with another woman against her will, in which she was being 'slapped around'.

When she asked the man why he would do that to a woman, he calmly responded: 'I love seeing the fear in people's eyes.'

Ms Wolf met the man, who she described as a 'horrific monster', through social media and invited him over to the apartment where she was staying in Parramatta on May 7, 2016

She noticed he was paranoid and thought to herself: 'Work on his paranoia, kill or be killed.'

Ms Wolf said at this point she began to fear the worst.

The man proceeded to bite hard on her neck and wrist and 'rip off' her clothing without her consent before raping her.

The man, who was showing obvious signs of paranoia, then ordered Ms Wolf to join him on the balcony while he smoked a cigarette.

Ms Wolf told Daily Mail Australia she thought the man was capable of killing her.

He dragged her to the corner of the balcony and repeatedly asked her if she thought he was good looking.

He made her 'pinkie promise' to be his girlfriend.

'Two hours felt like a lifetime of hell,' she said.

The man dragged her with him to the bathroom, knowing that if he let her out of his sight she would run and get help.

She noticed he was paranoid and thought to herself: 'Work on his paranoia, kill or be killed'.

Ms Wolf, who lived on her own, could only pray for a distraction to escape her attacker.

A loud bang from outside rattled the man who was already on-edge and she managed to convince him there were people coming for him.

'If I were you I would get my clothes on and run,' Ms Wolf said, and her attacker finally left the apartment.

Ms Wolf's friend came over straight after and could immediately tell from the bruises and change in her usually bubbly demeanor that something was terribly wrong.

Over two years on, Ms Wolf has had time to reflect on her attack - an ordeal which no one should have to go through

She has set out clear guidelines for any woman planning to meet up with a man they met online

Now two years later, Ms Wolf has had time to reflect on her attack, an ordeal which she says no one should have to go through.

She has set out clear guidelines for any woman planning to meet up with a man they met online.

'Never ever ever meet someone in a private place,' she said.

'Always meet in a public place and make sure you are never alone with them.'

The serial rapist was arrested in June 2016 and charged with 13 counts of aggravated sexual assault and a string of other charges including assault occasioning actual bodily harm, according to news.com.au.

He will be sentenced next year.
President Donald Trump put forth his first defense since longtime lawyer Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in jail  saying it was Cohen's job to know campaign finance laws.

Cohen pleaded guilty to multiple charges, but the one that is most perilous for Trump is a campaign violation. Prosecutors say a figure identified as 'Individual-1'  Trump  'directed' Cohen to make a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, who claims she had an affair with Trump.

Trump initially denied any payment, but on Thursday put forward the defense that it was his lawyer's job to know the law.

'I never directed Michael Cohen to break the law,' Trump wrote. 'He was a lawyer and he is supposed to know the law. It is called advice of counsel, and a lawyer has great liability if a mistake is made,' Trump wrote.

President Donald Trump hit back at Michael Cohen Thursday after his former fixer was sentenced to three years in jail

Trump said he never 'directed' Cohen to break the law, although prosecutors said he did

Trump said the campaign finance charges Cohen pleaded to 'were not criminal'

The president Cohen agreed to plead guilty before a federal judge 'in order to embarrass the president and get a much reduced prison sentence,' after his former lawyer was sentenced to three years in jail

'That is why they get paid,' he added, before bringing up campaign finance laws in a series of tweets.

'Despite that many campaign finance lawyers have strongly ... stated that I did nothing wrong with respect to campaign finance laws, if they even apply, because this was not campaign finance. Cohen was guilty on many charges unrelated to me, but he plead to two campaign charges which were not criminal and of which he probably was not ....guilty even on a civil basis,' the president continued.

Then he claimed Cohen lied to a federal judge in order to shave time off his jail term, and appeared to dangle a hint that Cohen's family members will be facing prosecution in the future. Cohen was engaged in the taxi medallion business with his father-in-law.

'Those charges were just agreed to by him in order to embarrass the president and get a much reduced prison sentence, which he did-including the fact that his family was temporarily let off the hook. As a lawyer, Michael has great liability to me!' Trump concluded.

Cohen said in court he had been 'weak' for covering for Trump's 'dirty deeds,' hitting back at Trump for his attacks on his longtime lawyer and top confidant.

'Recently the president tweeted a statement calling me weak and it was correct, but for a much different reason than he was implying,' Cohen said as he pleaded for leniency. 'It was because time and time again I felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds.'

Trump said many campaign lawyers 'stated that I did nothing wrong with respect to campaign finance laws, if they even apply, because this was not campaign finance.' He was referencing a $130,000 payment to porn start Stormy Daniels, above

In the second bombshell development Wednesday, prosecutors revealed they have reached a cooperation deal with the publisher of the National Enquirer for its role in burying a story about a Playboy model Karen McDougal

'I blame myself for the conduct which has brought me here today and it was my own weakness and a blind loyalty to this man that led me to choose a path of darkness over light,' Cohen added.

Cohen's lawyer, Lanny Davis, appeared on CBS 'This Morning' and suggested his client still had more information to share. Davis quoted back a term used by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's sentencing memo, which argued that Cohen's help had been 'core' to his investigation.

'I really dont know the specifics, but I know that when Mr. Mueller uses the expressions "core." Mr. Mueller gave credit to the cooperation for 70 hours and meetings,' Davis added. 'But the core word is about the heart of Mr. Muellers assignment on collusion' between the Trump campaign and Russians.

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

Michael Cohen's weepy statements in court I stand before your honor humbly and painfully aware that we are here for one reason. I take full responsibility for each act that I pled guilty to: The personal ones to me and those involving the President of the United States of America. This may seem hard to believe, but today is one of the most meaningful days of my life. I have been living in personal and mental incarceration ever since the day that I accepted the offer to work for a real estate mogul whose business acumen that I deeply admired. In fact, I now know there is little to admire. Recently the president tweeted a statement calling me weak and it was correct, but for a much different reason than he was implying. It was because time and time again I felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds. I blame myself for the conduct which has brought me here today and it was my own weakness and a blind loyalty to this man that led me to choose a path of darkness over light. Seeing the unbearable pain that my associations and my actions have brought to my entire family  this is why I did not enter into a cooperation agreement. I do not need a cooperation agreement in place to do the right thing. I will continue to cooperate. I want to apologize to the people of the United States. You deserve to know the truth and lying to you was unjust. I am committed to proving my integrity and making sure history will not remember me as the villain in his story. I'm truly sorry and I promise I will be better. Advertisement

In the second bombshell development Wednesday, prosecutors revealed they have reached a cooperation deal with the publisher of the National Enquirer for its role in burying a story about a Playboy model who claims she had a months-long affair with Donald Trump - giving one of the president's former closest allies immunity in return for flipping.

Cohen was involved in discussions with AMI's CEO David Pecker - who had been one of Trump's closest friends - over the $150,000 payment that went to model Karen McDougal, who claims she had a 10-month affair with Trump before he took office.

According to a letter from prosecutors to AMI, the company entered an agreement to acquire 'limited life rights' with a model about her relationship with 'any then-married man' in exchange for $150,000.

The firm agreed to pay 'substantially more money than AMI otherwise would have paid to acquire the story' 'because of Cohen's assurances to Pecker that AMI would ultimately be reimbursed for the payment.'

It also describes a 2015 meeting where Pecker offered to help deal with 'negative stories' about a presidential candidate  Trump. The meeting included Pecker, Cohen, and 'at least one other member of the campaign.'

The development establishes that two sources, Cohen and AMI, are willing to paint a different picture of the payments to the porn star and model than the more innocuous narrative put forward by the president. If the third unidentified member of the campaign also is willing to testify that the purpose of the payments was to the help the campaign, as prosecutors allege, it could do further damage.

If it is established that Trump was in fact directing the commission of a felony crime, he could face indictment  though Justice Department Guidelines say a sitting president cannot be indicted.
Iran needs some 500 planes and would likely back buying the Sukhoi Superjet 100 if Russia is willing to sell them to its airlines, head of the Civil Aviation Organization Ali Abedzadeh said.



"If the Iranian airlines want to use this aircraft and the seller is willing to sell it to Iran, the Civil Aviation Organization is ready to issue its final comment on this aircraft," he said.



"But this aircraft has adhered to world standards and is flying currently, therefore there is no reason for us to reject it," the Fars news agency cited Iranian top civil aviation official as saying.



"The airlines have proposals for plane purchases and we are trying to devise regulations that will ease their aircraft imports. Considering Irans very large market, we need 500 planes now," Abedzadeh added.
A boy who made a dramatic leap from a burning second-floor apartment into the arms of police officers has reunited with one of the cops to thank him for saving his life.

Eight-year-old Kingston and his mother Keisha Sowel were trapped in their burning apartment on Monday in Balch Springs, Texas when police officers who were first on the scene saved them.

'If y'all wasn't there, I wouldn't be here,' Kingston told officer David Fields in a reunion that aired on Good Morning America on Thursday.

'I'm glad we could be there for you Kingston, and we'll always be there for you,' Fields replied. 'It took a lot of bravery, jumping out of that window like you did.'

'If y'all wasn't there, I wouldn't be here,' eight-year-old Kingston told officer David Fields, who rescued the boy from a burning building in north Texas on Monday

Officer Fields was one of three police officers who rushed to save Kingston and his mother

Sowel was tearful as she thanked Fields, along with officers Cory Jones and Tyler Gross, for the quick-thinking rescue

Sowel was tearful as she thanked Fields, along with officers Cory Jones and Tyler Gross, for the quick-thinking rescue.

'I'm just grateful, I'm thankful, he's all I have in this world you know. I just don't know, I don't know what I would have done,' the mother said.

Police bodycam footage from 6.25am on Monday shows the moment Officer Jones, 23, threw his baton through the window and yelled at Kingston to jump.

Along with Fields and Gross, the men can be heard in the video clip encouraging the terrified minor to trust their advice and kick the glass to get out.

But the youngster can be heard repeatedly telling the men he's scared.

'Jump! We got you, buddy, we got you,' one shouts before he eventually leaps and falls onto them with a thud.

Texas law enforcement helped save the life of a 10-year-old boy on Monday morning

They were not able to climb the stairs due to the level of flames obstructing the path

After the tumble, the youngster immediately thought of his mother who was still inside the property.

'I want my mom,' he can be heard crying.

Both residents of the Balch Springs suburb located outside Dallas were unable to open the window earlier because it was stuck.

The law enforcement officers were able to clear eight units in the Quail Apartments building that was raging with flames before they tackled the issue of two occupants stuck on the higher level.

Balch Springs Police Officers broke the window of a second-floor apartment to get to the child

During the video, cops can be heard encouraging the scared child to kick out glass from the broken window frame

They then had the difficult task of convincing the youngster to jump into their arms

They were unable to use the stairs after high flames blocked their path.

After Kingston jumped to safety, Sowel was pulled out of danger when the fire department arrived a few minutes later and used a ladder to reach her.

In the meantime, the police officers comforted the shaken up child by telling him he did a good job of jumping and asking how his leg was after the brave leap.

Everybody escaped uninjured but an image of the aftermath shows the fire destroyed three units in the building.

Jones said that he and his fellow officers didn't think twice before urging the boy to get out of harm's way as quickly as possible rather than waiting for fire crews to arrive.

Officers comforted the shaken up child by telling him he did a good job of jumping and asking how his leg was after the brave leap

The fire department pulled his mother out a few minutes later using a ladder to reach her

Everybody escaped uninjured from the scary inferno

He told WFAA: 'A family was stuck behind a door that was on fire, you know, there was no thinking. It was, what can we do to get that family out right now?

'It's what I believe any officer in this department would do. Not wait for Fire, not wait for anyone else. We're going to do what we can to help anyone that we can.'

Officer Fields amitted that he was 'scared to death' but looking into the faces of the frightened mother and child was the hardest part of the job.

'You know what fire does and how fast it moves,' he said about aiming to get them out safely.
A man in China has been sentenced to death in China for killing 15 people and injuring 43 others when he ploughed a car into a busy public square.

Yang Zanyun, 54, was found guilty of deliberately driving his red Land Rover into crowds before attacking pedestrians with a shovel and a dagger in the eastern city of Hengyang in Hunan province on September 12.

Police said the man had previously served time in prison for robbery, drug trafficking and arson and had wanted 'revenge on society' when he carried out the fatal plaza attack.

Yang Zanyun (centre), 54, was found guilty of deliberately driving his red Land Rover into crowds before attacking pedestrians with a shovel and a dagger in Hengyang, Hunan province

Yang admitted to his crime and was sentenced to death for endangering public safety by dangerous means on Wednesday, according to a statement by the Intermediate People's Court of Hengyang.

'The nature of Yang's crime is atrocious and the consequences of the crime are extremely serious, severely affecting society in a harmful way,' the court's on its website read.

Videos of the fatal incident carried by Chinese media showed a red SUV driving across the busy square at a high rate of speed, striking multiple people. Another clip showed several bodies on the ground as bystanders rushed to their aid.

A clip of the incident in September shows people fleeing from the scene at the plaza

Police have detained the driver of the car, who they say had a criminal record, according to the local government. The incident took place shortly before 8pm local time on a busy square

China has experienced violent attacks in public places in recent years, including bombings and arson of buses and buildings, sometimes by people trying to settle personal scores or grievances against society.

Chinese law restricts the sale and possession of firearms, and mass attacks are generally carried out with knives or homemade explosives.

Many of those incidents have occurred at schools, including several in 2010 in which nearly 20 children were killed, prompting a response from top government officials and leading many schools to beef up security.

However, in June, a man used a kitchen knife to attack three boys and a mother near a school in Shanghai, killing two of the children.

Last year, police said a man set off an explosion at the front gate of a kindergarten in eastern China, which struck as relatives gathered to pick up their children at the end of the day, killing eight people.
A man who molested a 22-year-old woman on a flight from Las Vegas to Detroit has been sentenced to 9 years in a US prison, a court ruled on Thursday.

Indian national, Prabhu Ramamoorthy, was residing in the states on a work visa when he sexually assaulted a young woman on an Spirit Airlines flight, on January 3.

The victim, who has not been named, awoke as the plane neared Detroit to find Ramamoorthy with his hand down her pants and her shirt unbuttoned.

The 22-year-old fled to the back on the plane and alerted flight attendants of the assault.

The 35-year-old tech worker from India was found guilty by a jury in August of sexually molesting a sleeping victim on an overnight flight from Las Vegas to Detroit

Ramamoorthy, 35, based in Rochester Hills, Michigan was in the middle seat, with his wife sat on the aisle and the victim in the window seat.

Prosecutors called the attack 'one of the most brazen airplane sexual assaults ever prosecuted'.

The Indian tech worker was convicted of sexual abuse by a grand jury in August.

He appeared before a federal court on Thursday afternoon, where Judge Terrence Berg sentenced him to nine years in prison.

'Everyone has the right to be secure and safe when they travel on airplanes. We will not tolerate the behavior of anyone who takes advantage of victims who are in a vulnerable position, and we are glad the jury agreed,' prosecutor Matthew Schneider said.

Ramamoorthy initially told investigators he had taken a pill and fallen into a deep sleep, so couldn't have knowingly assaulted the woman.

He said he could only recall later learning from his wife that the woman was sleeping on his knees.

'When he realized [the victim] was awake, the defendant turned and pretended to sleep on his wife's shoulder while his wife stared at [the victim]," wrote Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Jawad, in a sentencing memo, as reported by the Detroit Free Press.

Ramamoorthy and his wife later acknowledged the pill was just Tylenol, according to prosecutors, and gave conflicting reports of the events.

His wife apparently told investigators that she asked to switch seats because the woman kept falling asleep on her.

Attendants however told authorities no one other than the victim had asked to move.

The wife has not been named.

Ramamoorthy sat just inches away from his wife as he carried out the attack. He tried to claim he had taken a very strong sleeping pill and wouldn't have been able to knowingly carry out the attack. It was later proven to be regular Tylenol and he soon admitted his guilt to investigators

Crew aboard the Spirit Airlines flight were alerted immediately to the attack as the 22-year-old rushed to the back of the plane to safety. Pictured: A Spirit Airlines flight takes off from LaGuardia Airport in New York, in October 2017

In a later interview, Ramamoorthy told an FBI agent he 'might have' unhooked the womans bra and then unzipped her pants.

He said he tried to put his fingers inside the victim but told investigators he was unsuccessful.

Evidence presented by the prosecution later disproved Ramamoorthy statement, as the woman had been penetrated.

Sexual assaults on US airplanes saw a sharp rise in 2018, a report by the Washington Post revealed.

The 35-year-old will serve a 9 year sentence. He will be deported back to India once released

Officials say most cases either go unreported completely or victims take a significant amount of time to retrospectively alert authorities.

'If youre a victim of a crime on the ground, what do you do?' said Paul Hudson, President of Flyer's Rights. 'You call 911 and report it to a police officer.

'But if youre in an airplane, you cant do that. You have to report through a flight attendant, and they have to report it to the captain, and the captain has to report it to a ground supervisor for the airline... In many cases, too much time has passed.'

According to the Association of Flight Attendants, one in five flight attendants say they have 'witnessed a passenger being sexually assaulted or had an assault reported to them.'

And 'nearly 1 in 5 flight attendants themselves say they've been sexually assaulted, and 70 percent say they've been sexually harassed in the air.'

Prosecutor Matthew Schneider commended the 22-year-old for alerting the crew to Ramamoorthy as quickly as she did.

He said: 'We appreciate the victim in this case for her courage to speak out.'

Urging the Judge Berg to issue an 11-year sentence, Jawad wrote: 'Individuals who come to America and commit sexual assaults should not simply be permitted to return to their home countries without fair punishment.'

According to Jawad, the victim was so traumatized by Ramamoorthy's attack that she was not able to work afterwards.

'There are very few things than can demean a woman's sense of security and well-being more than vaginal penetration without consent,' Jawad continued.

'It is the ultimate violation. Especially where, as here, the victim is already isolated, confined and cut off from communication with the outside world.

'The trauma that the defendant inflicted on [the victim] will impact her for the rest of her life.'

Ramamoorthy was sentenced to nine years behind bars on December 13.

He plans to obtain a Master's degree or work as a technician when he's deported back to India, his attorney said.
A 20-year-old man has drowned in Ghana while being baptised in a river in a horrifying accident caught on video.

Yaw Kyeremeh was taking part in the Christian ceremony in the waters of the River Densu, near Ghana's capital of Accra, on Sunday when tragedy struck.

Distressing video shows the moment Yaw disappeared below the water as panicked worshippers struggled to rescue him.

Yaw Kyeremeh, 20, was taking part in a baptism ceremony in the River Densu in Ghana on Sunday when he slipped under the water and drowned

In the footage, captured from the bank on a mobile phone, Yaw can be seen getting into the river alongside a young pastor.

The pastor offers up a prayer as Yaw stands next to him, before bending him backwards and under the water's surface.

Yaw reemerges from the river moments later and tries to wipe water from his eyes before getting into trouble.

He can be seen drifting backwards into a deeper part of the river before panicking when he cannot reach the bottom.

The pastor, who was also not a proficient swimmer according to Pulse Ghana, can be seen trying to reach Yaw as he disappears under the surface.

Yaw throws out an arm to grab hold of the pastor, but only succeeds in pulling them both under as worshippers rush from the bank to try and help.

Video taken from the bank shows him being dunked under the surface (left) and coming up for air, before drifting into a deeper part of the river and falling under a second time (right)

The person holding the camera drops it to the floor but it continues recording, as the pastor and others can be heard shouting for help.

Tragically, nobody was able to rescue Yaw from the river, and he drowned.

Police were called to the scene and arrested the pastor, while officers were sent into the water to search for the young man's body, the BBC reports.

Evans Alexenest, Yaw's brother, said he was at church himself when he received a call around 4pm to say his relative was dead, Ghana Web reports.

He said he called his brother's phone but other members of the congregation answered, confirming the sad news.

Alexenest went to the morgue the following day to identify the body, and is now helping to arrange the funeral.

He said he does not hold the church accountable for Yaw's death, adding that his only duty now is to bury his brother and 'leave matters in Gods hands'.
A Wisconsin girl who investigators believe was kidnapped after her parents were killed two months ago is being honored in her hometown with a Christmas tree adorned with messages of hope for her safe return.

Hundreds of people attended a gathering on Wednesday evening in Barron to light a 'Tree of Hope' for 13-year-old Jayme Closs.

The middle school student hasn't been seen since before her parents, James and Denise Closs, were found fatally shot in their home on October 15.

'We just pray every day and we just hope for her safe return,' her uncle, Mike Closs said.

Detectives have pursued thousands of tips, watched dozens of surveillance videos and spent countless hours searching for Jayme, but their efforts haven't yielded any suspects. Investigators believe Jayme was abducted.

Hundreds of people in Barron, Wisconsin turned out to light a 'Tree of Hope' to show the community still believes missing Jayme Closs, 13 (pictured), is still alive, after going missing when her parents were killed

A 16-foot tree was erected at Riverview Middle School and decorated with messages such as 'Pray for Jayme' and 'Bring Jayme Home,' lit up blue for her favorite color and green for missing children awareness

'We just pray every day and we just hope for her safe return,' her uncle Mike Closs (shown) said

A 16-foot tree was erected at Riverview Middle School and decorated with messages such as 'Pray for Jayme' and 'Bring Jayme Home.'

The tree was lighted in blue, her favorite color, and green to symbolize missing child awareness.

The gathering included songs sung by a choir and speeches from family, officials and a religious leader from the area.

'May this "Tree of Hope" for Jayme, filled with shining lights, be a symbol to us, to our community, that the darker it gets, the brighter the light of hope shines,' Reverend Ron Matthews said.

Jayme's middle school classmates released lighted lanterns at the event, as a symbolic gesture to light the way home for their friend.

Barron native and 'The Voice' finalist Chris Kroeze also delivered a message to the crowd which circled the beautifully decorated tree.

'Bringing the community together is an awesome thing, and it's just encouraging to see everybody pull together like this,' Kroeze said.

There have been no new breaks in the case, but Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said that the Wednesday event lifted his spirits.

The gathering included songs sung by a choir (pictured) and speeches from family, officials and a religious leader from the area

Jayme's middle school classmates released lighted lanterns at the event on Wednesday

The Closs family and members of the community will gather at the 'Tree of Hope' on Saturday, shortly after noon, to release blue and green balloons carrying messages of hope for Jayme's safe return, as Saturday marks two months since she went missing and her parents were killed

'This is what we are running on right now is hope,' Fitzgerald said. 'We will bring Jayme home, and we will bring peace to this community.'

The event was coordinated by the school and by Hormel Foods and Jennie-O Turkey Store, which employed the Closs parents.

The Closs family and members of the community will gather at the 'Tree of Hope' on Saturday, shortly after noon, to release blue and green balloons carrying messages of hope for Jayme's safe return.

Saturday marks two months since James, 56, and Denise Closs, 46, of Barron, Wisconsin were shot dead and 13-year-old Jayme taken from their home.

Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald shared troubling information with DailyMailTV about the crime that took place on October 15 and has stunned the small town.

He has revealed the bizarrely ordered crime scene in which nothing was out of place despite the violence of the attack.

He has described the speed and lethal accuracy with which the killer executed his victims then vanished without trace. He has told of the one key piece of evidence for which investigators are searching.

And he has admitted that they may have already interviewed Jayme's captor and her parents' killer.

Fitzgerald said: 'The house wasn't disturbed at all from what we were able to tell. That's part of the confusing part of this case.

Cops responded to a 911 call at the Closs family home (pictured) on October 15 and found the door kicked in and James and Denise shot dead and their daughter no where in sight

The bodies of Denise, 46, and James Closs, 56, were found shot dead in their Wisconsin in October

'It doesn't appear that anything was taken, it doesn't appear that Jayme packed up any clothing.'

Law enforcement has not ruled out that Jayme unwittingly played a part in the crime. But searches of her social media, cell phone and computer have offered no evidence of a boyfriend or anyone she met anyone online who might have targeted her or her parents.

According to Fitzgerald the killer was in the Closs home for only four minutes during which they stepped just five feet into the open plan house, shot James and Denise and took Jayme.

Both Denise and James died 'instantly' of their wounds, he said.

And, despite an inaudible 911 call made from her mother's cell at 12.54am, when police arrived at 12.58am he revealed that there was no sign that Jayme resisted her abductor. There was nothing taken and nothing disturbed.

In fact there was no forensic evidence of any intruder at all.

Law enforcement has not ruled out that Jayme unwittingly played a part in the crime. But searches of her social media, cell phone and computer have offered no evidence of a boyfriend of anyone she met anyone online who might have targeted her or her parents

But despite the combined efforts of the FBI, State Police and Sheriff's Department and a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest or Jayme's discovery, investigators still have nothing more concrete than hope to suggest she's still alive

The sheriff said: 'That's the frustrating part of it. We've had four different lab teams look at the scene before we released it. We were very strategic. When we discovered it was a major crime we sealed it off immediately.

'But if I'm in your house for minutes and I only step five feet inside your home I'm probably not going to leave a big footprint.'

All that the shooter left behind was the bullet casings from the rounds fired. Fitzgerald would not say how many or what caliber of gun was used.

He said: 'Only the killer is going to know that and that's information we have to hold close to the case so that when we catch this person we can convict them. We are looking for that gun. We are looking for a firearm.'

When Jayme first went missing more than 200 law enforcement officers were tasked with tracking her down and finding the Closs' killer.

But despite the combined efforts of the FBI, State Police and Sheriff's Department and a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest or Jayme's discovery, investigators still have nothing more concrete than hope to suggest she's still alive.

It is a desperate hope shared by her family.

Speaking to DailyMailTV, Jayme's aunts Jennifer Smith, 47, and Suzy Allard, 50, were adamant that Jayme will be found and revealed their belief that she is being held locally.

Jennifer said: 'I feel that she is alive and she is close by. I just feel it. I do truly believe somebody out there knows something.

'I think someone in Barron is keeping a secret, yes, I do.'
A junior high school teacher in Illinois has been acquitted of a battery charge against a student after she was accused of yanking earbuds out of her ears and causing a laptop to hit her in the face.

SueEllen Patkunas was cleared of the misdemeanor battery charge on December 6 stemming from an incident that occurred at Winston Campus Junior High School in Palatine on January 22.

'I legally can't comment on the specifics but can say publicly that I am greatly relieved to have my name cleared and can't wait to return to my profession as the loving and fun teacher that I have always been known to be,' Patkunas said on Tuesday.

Illinois junior high school French teacher SueEllen Patkunas (pictured) has been acquitted of a battery against a student after yanking earbuds out of her ears and causing a laptop to hit her in the face

Patkunas was initially placed on paid leave following the incident and resigned from her teaching position with Palatine Township Elementary District 15 on February 21, the Daily Herald reported.

Patkunas' defense attorney James Doeer said he hopes his client can get back to doing what she loves, and is good at, following being cleared of the charge.

'She has had a stellar career with absolutely no blemishes on her teaching career whatsoever,' Doerr said of the long-time instructor.

'She's a fantastic French teacher, from what I've heard from the students.'

The altercation that led to her leaving the district happened with a junior high school student during a French class.

The student refused to remove earbuds during a lesson, leading to an argument between the student and Patkunas that escalated to the point where Patkunas pulled the chord attached to the earbuds to forcibly remove them from the student's ears, the police report said.

Officials said Patkunas then tossed a school-issued Chromebook, hitting the student in the face. Medical attention was not required.

Patkunas was cleared of the misdemeanor battery charge on December 6 stemming from the incident that occurred at Winston Campus Junior High School (shown) on January 22

Doerr said, however, 'There never was any Chromebook that was thrown at the student,' adding that the girl was listening to music on the Chromebook laptop instead of doing assigned classwork.

'Well, the young lady involved, she refused to listen,' Doerr said. 'And so the only thing that happened -- and anything battery-wise was by accident -- was the teacher was forced to remove these headphones from an unruly and disrespectful student. That's what happened.'

Judge Steven M. Wagner heard testimony on the case in October, and handed down the acquittal last week.

When Patkunas resigned the district provided her with a final compensation and severance package totaling $36,437.

According to her Twitter account, Patkunas has been passing her time as a background actor during her time off from teaching.
A former Baylor University President who was accused of repeatedly raping a student has been banned from the school campus.

Earlier this week Jacob Anderson agreed to a controversial plea deal following allegations that he raped a fellow student while president of a Baylor University fraternity in Waco, Texas 2016.

Monday's plea deal from prosecutors allowed Anderson to receive three years of deferred probation. The ex-Phi Delta Theta president agreed to seek counseling and pay a $400 fine.

He was was indicted on sexual assault charges and pleaded no contest to a lesser charge of unlawful restraint.

Former Baylor University fraternity president Jacob Anderson, 24, walks out of the courtroom Monday after a judge accepted a plea deal sparing the accused rapist jail time

A no contest plea means a defendant does not admit guilt, but will offer no defense.

He will not be forced to register as a sex offender, with the plea deal sparking outrage from the woman and her family.

The University of Texas in Dallas has now banned him from participating in commencement activities next week and has kicked him out of graduate school.

An online petition had been created to oppose the plea bargain, which the woman said more than 85,000 people have signed.

In response to the public outcry over Andersons case, University of Texas, Dallas President Richard C Benson issued a statement Wednesday, saying that nothing is more important to the school than the safety of students.

'Two years ago we admitted a student without knowing their legal history,' Benson said in the statement given to the Waco Tribune.

'Based on recent court action and other information over the last several days, that student will not participate in UTD (University of Texas in Dallas) commencement activities, will not attend UT Dallas graduate school and will not be present on campus as a student or a guest.

'I am grateful to the UT Dallas students, faculty and other community members who have shared their concerns, disappointment and outrage over this students presence on our campus'.

Anderson (pictured in court Monday, left), was given three years of deferred probation, ordered to seek counseling and pay a $400 fine

Tim Moore, Andersons attorney said Wednesday that Anderson had already started taking graduate classes at UT-Dallas and is upset at the most recent developments.

Anderson is set to graduate with a finance degree and works for a Dallas real estate development company.

Moore told the Waco Tribune: 'He is not real happy about being banned from the school.

'He is going to graduate, but not be in the ceremony. This all just came out of left field.

'He is very disappointed. He was happy at the school and doing well and looking forward to getting his graduate degree. Now that is put on hold. It is an absolutely overblown frenzy.

A lawsuit filed on the victim's behalf said that the fraternity failed to have adequate policies and procedures in place to monitor their guests' alcohol consumption

The unnamed former Baylor student who accused Anderson of violently and repeatedly raping her at a party in 2015 said she was 'devastated' by the plea deal and described the county's justice system as 'severely broken.'

She said Anderson raped her behind a tent in the back yard of the fraternity house, forced her to give him oral sex.

He also choked her and left her in the dirt after she blacked out. The woman went to the hospital that night and reported she had been sexually assaulted.

Fort Worth attorney Mark Daniel, who also represents Anderson, said that the womans victim-impact statement was 'riddled with distortions and misrepresentations'.

He told the Waco Tribune: 'What seems to have been left out of her representation was some passionate kissing, groping and grinding by this girl and Mr. Anderson that occurred in front of more than 100 people at this party.

University of Texas President Richard C Benson said he had to take into account the upset that had been caused by the case when deciding to ban Anderson from the college campus

Anderson will not participate in UTD commencement activities and will not attend UT Dallas graduate school

'Many witnesses saw them kissing passionately several times during the party.

'The womans claims that she was choked is 'absolutely contrary' to the physical evidence and her statements to police and medical personnel that night, he said.

They also disputed her claim that she was drugged, saying no drugs were found in her system.

Following the announcement of Anderson's plea deal on Monday, a Change.org petition calling for his being kicked out of UT-Dallas quickly garnered a lot of support.

By Wednesday morning, more than 20,000 people had signed the petition, leading to an acknowledgement from the school.

In a civil suit, the victim is also suing Anderson, five of his fraternity brothers, the national Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, Baylor's chapter of Phi Delta Theta and a woman who owned the home where she claimed the rape took place.

His victim said Anderson (left and right) repeatedly orally and vaginally raped her, gagged her with his penis and left her for dead in the dirt at a party in 2015

The lawsuit, obtained by KCEN Channel 6, said that the fraternity failed to have adequate policies and procedures in place to monitor their guests' alcohol consumption.

Phi Delta is also accused of 'knowingly and intentionally serving alcohol to minors' at the party. The suit also said it failed to properly, and in a timely fashion, report claims of sexual assault.

Phi Delta National owns, controls and maintains an all-male social fraternity, organized into chapters at various institutions of higher learning throughout the United States of America.

The lawsuit seeking damages of more than $1 million states that the defendant was negligent by providing alcohol to the plaintiff by proving her alcohol and permitting her to be drugged.

It also states that the defendants failed to adequately monitor guests to ensure they were not drugged and allowed the assailant to engage in 'improper sexual harassment, and to 'not only be within the leadership of Phi Delta but also to prey on the plaintiff'.
Bizarre video footage shows a masked gang carry out a heist on a card shop, stealing scented candles, soft toys - and balloon-inflating equipment.

The three men risked jail time and caused around 7,000-worth of damage to get their hands on the trinkets.

One astonished viewer of the clip joked: 'It's balloons stealing Christmas cards.'

The footage was captured on CCTV at a Hallmark shop in Glenrothes, Fife, where the trio struck shortly before 3am on Tuesday.

The clip opens with the gang using a crowbar to force open the front door.

One man is seen to kick open an interior door and there is a shower of glass in front of the camera.

The three men risked jail time and caused around 7,000-worth of damage for a paltry return

Gift bags from the shop are filled with scented candles, cards and other items during the rampage.

Bizarrely, a machine used to inflate balloons is also grabbed.

Deborah Devine, manageress of the store, said that it was the Yankee Candles that were of most interest to the thieves.

She said: 'They definitely came in for the candles. They are very popular at this time of the year and can be sold on much cheaper than you can buy them for.'

One man kicks open an interior door and there is a shower of glass in front of the camera

Deborah, 42, added: 'They also picked up soft toys and took some balloons and Christmas cards.

'They took balloon-inflating equipment, which is of no use to them because it is specialised for what we do here. I am livid. They are senseless. Absolutely senseless.'

The shop is family-run and only opened in September.

Before slipping back out of the store in Glenrothes, Fife, a man checks the coast is clear

The total cost of the raid is estimated at about 8,000, at least 7,000 of which is damage. As well as the good, the thieves took the 100 cash float from the till.

Online, Suze Purdie wrote: 'What the feck will they steal? Xmas cards and balloons. Wait a minute, it's balloons stealing Xmas cards!'

Police Scotland today confirmed they were investigating a break in to commercial premises in Glenrothes overnight on Monday into Tuesday.
Theresa May has another shot of getting her Brexit deal over the line after she survived an attempted coup yesteday.

The PM won the confidence vote by 200 to 117 votes in a contest which left her bruised but not beaten.

The result, which was read out to applause in Committee Room 14 of the Houses of Parliament shortly after 9pm last night, means she cannot face a Tory leadership contest for another 12 months.

She will stay on as Tory leader and Prime Minister to finish the Brexit talks and try to get a deal through a deeply divided Parliament.

But while Mrs May has survived as leader, Parliament remains in deadlock over Brexit and she faces the same challenge to convince EU leaders to axed the hated Irish backstop.

Why did Theresa May face a confidence vote?

The contest was triggered because at least 48 Tory MPs have sent letters of no confidence to Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee - the body which represents Tory MPs.

Sir Graham is obliged to call a vote if 15 per cent of Tory MPs write to him calling for one - currently 48 MPs.

While Theresa May has survived as Tory leader and PM, she faces the same titanic problems in getting her Brexit deal over the line in a deeply divided Parliament

What did Theresa May do to convince her MPs to back her?

The PM pleaded with her MPs to back her at an emotionally-charged meeting of the 1922 Committee of Tory MPs.

She promised them that she would not stay on to lead the party into the 2022 General Election - sparking accusations that she has become a 'lame duck' PM.

And she also said she would head back out to Brussels and persuade EU leaders to make 'legally binding' changes to the Irish backstop to ensure it is temporary.

While as she desperately tried to shore up her support, she promised to build bridges with the DUP - the Northern Irish party which has threatened to pull the plug on their deal to prop the Tories up in No10 in fury at the Brexit talks.

How did yesterday's vote take place?

The confidence vote was held between 6pm and 8pm. Tory MPs voted by casting their secret ballots in a box which was placed in Committee Room 14 in Parliament, and could only vote for those two hours.

What was the threshold for victory?

There were 315 Tory MPs eligible to vote, and the PM needed a simple majority to stay on as leader - meaning 158 was the magic number.

Sir Graham Brady (pictured in Westminster yesterday ) chairman of the 1922 Committee which represents Tory MPs, this morning announced that a confidence vote would be held which she won 200 votes to 117

What happens now she has won?

Theresa May cannot face a fresh challenge from within the Tory party for another 12 months - meaning that she can stay on and finish Brexit.

But leading Tory rebels Jacob Rees-Mogg and Steve Baker have stuck to their guns and repeated their demand for her to go - saying she has been left mortally wounded by the sheer scale of the revolt against her.

What would have happened if Theresa May had lost?

If Theresa May lost she would have had to resign as Conservative party leader and would have been barred from standing for the leadership contest.

She would have had to stay on as Prime Minister while Tory MPs decided who her successor would be.

Or she could have quit immediately and handed over to a caretaker leader - with her de facto deputy David Lidington tipped to be the man to fulfill this role.

What is next in the Brexit talks?

Theresa May has imeidately headed back out to brussels for an EU sumt where she pleading with leaders to make changes to the Brexit deal.

She is pressing them to make key changes that would see the controversial Irish backstop amended to make it clear that it is only temporary.

The change is a key demand of both Remainer and Brexiteer MPs, while the DUP have said they will pull the plug on their support for the Tories unless the backstop is scrapped.

Does the failed coup kill off no deal?

Tory Brexiteers failed in their bid to oust Theresa May - meaning they did not trigger a leadership contest and manage to install one of their own to the top job.

They had hoped that a Tory MP who was a 'true believer' in Brexit - such as Boris Johnson or Dominic Raab - would take a second referendum off the table altogether and instead steer through a 'managed no deal'.
A drug user sought assistance from an unlikely source after his dealer fooled him during a recent transaction.

A police officer on a routine patrol shift in Peru was approached by an addict over his failed attempt to purchase cocaine.

The dealer, who isn't seen in the viral cell phone video, allegedly deceived the buyer by handing over a plastic baggy filled with what was supposed to be cocaine.

When he went to snort it, the unnamed man noticed something wrong with the powder's texture and knew right away that he was actually in possession of flour.

A drug addict complains to cops in Peru after a dealer sold him flour instead of cocaine

'I am from La Porra, I came to get my drugs, boss,' the addict told the cop during the weird interaction.

'And I want to file a report because theyve given me flour, boss.'

According to Article 299 of the Peruvian Penal Code, it is legal in the South American country to possess up to two grams of cocaine or at least five grams of coca paste for personal use.

The drug abuser pleaded for more help from the cop, who then broke out into laughter before the amusing video was cut short.

'Help me out with that, boss, because one comes here to get his drugs and they give you flour.'

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy issued a November 2018 report that registered 20 percent increase in the production of cocaine 491 metric tons

Planting coca plants is legal in Peru and coca leaves are sold in markets.

It's use, as far as chewing of leaves and using it as an add on for tea, has been a longtime tradition among Peruvians.

The possession of up to two grams of cocaine for personal consumption is legal in Peru

Cocaine production hit record numbers for Peru in 2017, according to White House Office of National Drug Control Policy [ONDCP] report that was released in November.

Peru saw 491 metric tons of cocaine produced last year, a 20 percent increase, its largest spike in 25 years.

The Washington report also indicated a 13 percent rise in the cultivation of coca in 2017, a comparison 49,800 hectares to 44,000 across the Andean country.


Russian and Iranian Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov and Mohammad Javad Zarif discussed latest developments in Syria on phone yesterday evening, the Iranian foreign ministry said in a statement.

The diplomats reiterated settlement of the Syrian crisis through political means and explored avenues for enforcing it, IRNA reported.

U.S. President Donald Trumps decision to withdraw from the JCPOA and imposing sanctions on Iran and Russia brought the two countries closer to each other.
Diners at a crowded taco shop in Mexico City were left shaken after four masked men burst in and demanded they hand over their personal belongings at gunpoint.

Shocking video footage taken from the eatery's surveillance system captured the moment the men entered the restaurant, based in the northeastern neighborhood of Nezahualcoyotl, at 8:50pm local time on Saturday night.

It shows the men grabbing a male staff member who was outside and forcing him inside the restaurant.

Armed men went out every table inside a taco shop in Mexico City and forced everyone to give up their personal belongings before fleeing

A trio of armed men then went around each table inside the taco shop and ordered everyone to hand over their valuables, snatching anything from cash to jewelry to cell phones.

At one point a terrified young boy collapsed into a woman's arms, seeking a hug while he cried.

Another suspect, wearing a black hat, dark jacket and toting a gun, stood near the exit doors acting as a lookout.

At one point he aimed his gun at a cook who appeared to be walking to confront the thieves.

An employee is forced inside the eatery by a gunman while two of his accomplices are making customers hand over jewelry, money and cell phones

After beating a store employee during the brazen robbery, an armed robber returns to the taco shop and fired a shot towards a wall

Another employee was attacked when the lookout found him inside. He forced the worker inside and pistol whipped him, the last blow sending the defenseless employee stumbling to the ground.

The action was all over in a matter of minutes, and ended dramatically when the lookout fired what appeared to be a warning shot into the back wall.

Mexico City law enforcement authorities have not announced any arrests yet.
Video captured the disturbing moment a wife broke down in tears and cradled her husband's dead body moments after police shot him dead for trying to break into a car and aiming his gun at officers.

Eduardo Cardenas Mondragon, 20, was shot in the head and abdomen on Tuesday after he was confronted by police who caught him struggling with the owner of an SUV in the Mexican town of Alvaro Obregon.

Police say they ordered him to drop his weapon but opened fire after he aimed his .25 pistol at them, according to Mexican news outlet Sin Embargo.

WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES

Monica Arzaluz wraps her arms around her husband Eduardo Cardenas Mondragon, who was shot twice by a cop and died at the scene of a carjacking in Mexico City

He died at the scene. Meanwhile, his accomplice fled the scene on foot.

Video filmed at the scene captured the moment Mondragon's wife discovered he'd been killed.

Monica Arzaluz, 24, broke down in tears and clutched his lifeless body, as she screamed repeatedly: 'Lalo, stop playing with me'.

The widow told Pasala that she believed her husband was a simple painter.

A Mexico City is found laying on the street pavement after he died from gun shot wounds after he pointed his gun at a cop, who responded by shooting the carjacking suspect in the head and in the abdomen

A cop stands near the site of a foiled armed robbery Tuesday in Mexico City after an owner of an SUV was almost carjacked. The driver left the scene immediately after a patrol cop killed one of the suspects

Eduardo Cardenas Mondragon pointed a .25 pistol (pictured) at a cop and allegedly refused to stand down while other residents say he was about to turn himself in before the cop shot him dead

'What they tell me is that the truck was [going to be stolen] with another person. But if he had already surrendered, why he was killed,' Arzaluz told Pasala.

'That policeman already had it out for him. He had already told him on another occasion that he was going to kill him and he killed him.'

According to La Neta Noticias, Cardenas Mondragon had a lengthy crime sheet with four arrests for auto theft.

Area residents knew him for his string of store robberies and muggings of passers-by.
This is the moment a terrified girl screamed as a Russian priest forced her head underwater during an extreme baptism meant to remove Satan from inside her.

Ilia Semiletov will face a church court and could be struck off after he was seen pushing the naked child's head three times in the font in Yessentuki, south west Russia.

The girl screamed in terror but watching adults did not intervene and there was even laughter among those standing nearby.

Ilia Semiletov will face a church court and could be struck off after he was seen three times forcing the naked child's head in the font in Yessentuki, south west Russia

There were claims that the priest had twice struck the girl's head on the font during the extreme baptism but these were denied by the church and the girl's mother.

The mother admitted the girl 'cried because she was scared of the priest', although the parents did not register a complaint.

Indeed, the mother has said she was 'grateful' to the priest for baptising her daughter.

A worried parishioner Liliya Reznikova said the priest had told her that children - other than newborn babies - must be 'broken' during the baptism ritual because 'Satan is sitting inside them'.

She said: 'I remember how I was scared when he began to speak this nonsense.'

In the video, water gushed out of the font onto the floor as bearded Orthodox priest Semiletov three times forced the girl's head under water.

Nuns with mops are seen arriving afterwards to dry the puddles.

The Russian Orthodox church is planning to take action against the priest over the video which has gone viral in Russia this week - even though the baptism was two years ago.

Archpriest Mikhail Samokhin, of the Pyatigorsk and Circassian diocese, said: 'The priest acted too harshly.

'He has been suspended from officiating at services and he will he will be judged by the church court.'

The court has the power to remove his holy orders. Semiletov is a priest at St George's Convent in Yessentuki, in Russia's Stavropol region.

There were claims that the priest had twice struck the girl's head on the font during the extreme baptism but these were denied by the church and the girl's mother

The mother anonymously posted: 'My daughter was two then.

'She was crying because she was afraid of the priest. She was in church for the first time.

'We are very grateful to the priest that he agreed to baptise her.'

An online backlash has condemned the priest as 'sick' criticising the relatives 'who failed to stop this nightmare'.

One commenter asked: 'Does this maniac serve the church or the devil?'

Another asked: 'How could the parents calmly watch it?'

'This is a priest from hell,' said another. The cleric must be expelled, many demanded.

Samokhin said: 'Everything is fine with the girl. Her parents did not complain nor make any claims either against the priest or to the convent or the diocese.

'Rumours spread by some media outlets that the girl's head was hit against the font are not tru.

'There was no injury to the child, God forbid. The diocese stressed that the sacrament was formally performed according to all canons, with a three-time immersion in the font.

'All the necessary payers were pronounced.'

Despite this the priest had been suspended and will face a church court over the disturbing incident.
An elementary school teacher in New Jersey ground morphine pills into a powder and snorted it through a pen in front of pupils, prosecutors say.

Michael Palladino allegedly ingested the substance at his desk at Eagleswood Township Elementary School in front of students and another teacher on December 3, NJ.com reports.

The 43-year-old was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance and official misconduct later that day.

Michael Palladino (pictured) allegedly ingested the substance at his desk at Eagleswood Township Elementary School in front of students and another teacher

'Specifically, ingesting a controlled dangerous substance through his nostril, at his desk in a classroom during school hours in the presence of another teacher and students,' the Ocean Country Prosecutor's office complaint said, referring to the more serious second-degree official misconduct charge.

Three morphine tablets were found in a plastic bag on Palladino's desk as well as the Bic pen he used as a straw, the complaint said.

It adds that others saw Palladino snort the drug using the pen.

Three morphine tablets (above, file photo) were found in a plastic bag on Palladino's desk as well as the Bic pen he used as a straw

Palladino is a teacher at Eagleswood Township Elementary School (above, file photo) in Ocean County, New Jersey

The complaint didn't reveal any discipline the school had taken against Palladino or the grade he taught.

Eagleswood Township Elementary Scool has less than 300 students, from pre-Kindergarten through to sixth grade.

It is located in Ocean County, which along with neighboring Monmouth, has been called the epicenter of the state's opioid epidemic, according to NJ.com.

Morphine, an opioid, is a strong, addictive painkiller used to treat severe pain but is also abused for its euphoric affects.
Lying half naked on a sofa, this is the moment police officers burst in on a City banker accused of killing an escort after a drug and alcohol fuelled night of sex.

Women's underwear, blankets and drugs paraphernalia lie strewn around the flat in Crawley, West Sussex, where the blood-covered body of Christina Abbotts, 29, was found naked and battered on the bed in May this year.

When they entered the living room they discovered Zahid Naseem, 47, in his dressing gown lying immobile on the sofa with his eyes closed.

Initially they thought Naseem, 47, might also be dead - but a police officer notes that his eyes flicker when a torch is pointed at them.

Paramedic Stuart Plumbley quickly says Naseem may be 'feigning' his condition, shaking him repeatedly and saying loudly: 'Come on mate. Wakey wakey. I know you can hear me'.

This is the moment stormed a flat to find an escort dead and her alleged killer Zahid Naseem unconscious in his dressing gown on the sofa (pictured) surrounded by alcohol and drugs paraphernalia

Naseem remained out cold for more than two hours but medics believe he was faking it and was arrested on camera in hospital (pictured)

Inside the ambulance Naseem is pictured pretending to be unconscious, his trial was told

Police stormed the property and first found blood-covered body of Christina Abbotts, 29, lying naked and battered on the bed

His alleged act continued for two and a half hours.

Naseem later woke up in hospital and told police he couldn't remember the incident and added: 'I'm not some hyper high-functioning psychopath creating a story for you a la Silence of the Lambs.'

Today jury at Lewes Crown Court was shown the footage taken from a police body camera of the moment they discovered Naseem lying on the sofa in a short grey dressing gown.

Before showing the footage, Christopher Tehrani QC told them: 'This will give the good impression of how the defendant presented at different times.'

The 20-minute edited footage showed at least three officers using a battering ram to smash down the door of the flat and gain entry.

Miss Abbots (pictured left) was believed to have lived a secret life as a high-class escort but told her friends and family she worked in IT. Naseem is pictured right arriving in handcuffs at Lewes Crown Court earlier this week

One officer wearing a body camera moves towards the living room and says: 'There's someone else in here.'

The camera then shows the prone figure of Naseem lying on the sofa in a grey dressing gown.

Also visible on a coffee table are wine glasses, bottles of vodka and water and a bottle opener.

On the floor the camera picks up items of clothing and blankets strewn across the living room furniture.

Naseem is then moved to the floor and a police officer keeps his airways open while they await the arrival of paramedics.

After his arrival paramedic Mr Plumbley, believing him to be conscious, asks Naseem to open his eyes.

He says: 'Come on mate I know you can hear me, can open your eyes now. Can you move your fingers?'

Grainy CCTV footage allegedly shows Zahid Naseem kissing escort Christina Abbotts before she was found battered to death

The pair were in Asda in Crawley buying alcohol before the alleged attack, a court has heard

Ms Abbotts had been hit 13 times on the head with a pestle when she was found, a jury was told

Naseem is later shown inside an ambulance as paramedics fit cardiac monitors and an IV line as they prepare to take him to hospital.

After his arrival at the Redhill Hospital in Surrey the 250,000-a-year banker is clearly conscious and gives police his name and address.

Miss Abbotts' father said he was unaware of what she did for a living

He is then questioned briefly by police before being read his rights and arrested.

On Monday Naseem, a banker in the City of London, who denies murdering the 29-year-old on her birthday in May this year.

Lewes Crown Court heard the Christina Abbotts told friends and family she was working as an IT consultant in London but in reality she was a secretly earning 2,000 a time as a 'high-class escort'.

Using the pseudonym, Tilly Pexton, she advertised her sexual services online and clients could make contact with her through the website.

The pair had met several times before after Naseem, a father of two, had picked her out on the adult website after she described herself as a 'privately-educated' City girl.

He told friends she was 'more like a socialite than a sex worker' and claimed she was 'very posh.'

However the court heard Miss Abbotts was a university drop-out who had flitted between various jobs before being forced to move to Crawley due to the cost of living in London.

Fellow sex workers told the court she drank heavily and used a lot of cocaine and other drugs.

After a drug-fuelled night of Miss Abbotts, 29, was repeatedly beaten around the head with a kitchen pestle in a 'savage and brutal' attack in a flat.

During their search of the two-bedroom top-floor flat police found cocaine and the sex drug, amyl nitrate, as well as a blood-stained bottle of Courvoisier brandy.

Police found the body of Miss Abbotts in a flat where she was housesitting in Crawley

In a police interview played to the jury Naseem bursts into tears after being told they are there to speak about Christina Abbotts.

Wearing grey, police issue jogging top and trousers he tells officers he had known Christina, who he knew as Tilly, around a month and a half earlier and thought of her as 'more of a socialite' than an escort girl.

He tells officers that on the the night of the alleged murder he and Miss Abbotts had gone to the supermarket 'looking for a particular type of champagne that she likes.'

The trial continues.




A famous bear cub nicknamed Cinder who was found with her paws severely scorched in a massive 2014 Washington wildfire has been killed by a hunter.

Rich Beausoleil, with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, has confirmed that a team in September set out to find the den of the black bear because her radio transmitting collar stopped working 11 months prior.

Beausoleil said officials hoped the collar stopped sending signals in October 2017 because Cinder was holed up for the winter.

Scroll down for video

RIP, Cinder: The famous black bear cub named Cinder that was rescued after suffering horrific burns to her paws in a 2014 Washington state wildfire (pictured) was shot dead by a hunter in October 2017

Final photo: Cinder was last seen alive by wildlife officials in February 2017, when they immobilized her in her den to replace her GPS radio collar (pictured)

Instead, the team found the rescued bear's skeletal remains close to where she was set free in 2015 in the mountains outside Leavenworth, Washington, after a nearly year-long rehabilitation. Cinder was about five years old at the time of her death.

In July 2014, Cinder, then a 34-pound cub, was found by a landowner cowering under a horse trailer after the Carleton Complex fire, her paws so badly burned that she was pulling herself along by her elbows.

She completely healed after stints at a California wildlife center and the Idaho Black Bear Rehabilitation center, and in June 2015 was released with much fanfare back into the wild.

An orphaned cub named Kaulana that was released with Cinder was killed by a hunter five months later, reported Methow Valley News.

According to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, in early 2017 officials tracked down Cinder in her den - a hollowed-out tree at 5,000 feet elevation - and replaced her GPS radio collar.

Cinder is pictured as a cub with her paws bandaged up as a result of her injuries, which had her crawling on her elbows

Cinder the cub sustained third-degree burns to all four of her paws in the fire

During a year-long rehabilitation, Cinder had gone from an emaciated 34-pound cub to a healthy 125-pound young bear (pictured left with a watermelon in 2015)

The head of the Idaho Black Bear Rehabilitation center that cared for Cinder during the months leading up to her release described her as a calm and gentle bear

The bear appeared to be healthy the last time she was seen alive.

Cinder's collar stopped transmitting in October of that year, so a WDFW team was dispatched into the mountains in December 2017 to place cameras in the forest in the hopes of photographing Cinder in the wild.

Because of heavy snowfall in the spring, followed by a wildfire in the summer, WDFW officials were unable to return to the area to retrieve the cameras until September of this year, which is when they made the tragic discovery.

All that was left of the resilient black bear that clawed her way from the brink of death and inspired the residents of Washington state to rebuild after the devastating wildfire was her skull and spine.

According to Beausoleil, a bear expert with WDFW, it appears the unidentified hunter who killed Cinder cut off her collar, which is why it stopped sending signals in October 2017, and took all the meat and the bear's hide.

In June 2015, Cinder made national headlines when she was released back into the wild in the mountains of Washington state (pictured)

Run, Cinder, run! The rescued bear is seen sprinting into the woods outside Leavenworth, Washington, with a group of photographers documenting her release

In October 2017, a hunter shot and killed Cinder, then cut off her GPS radio collar (pictured during her release into the wild)

In Washington state, it is not against the law to kill a collared bear during a hunt.

Sally Maugan, with the Idaho Black Bear Rehabilitation center that cared for Cinder during the months leading up to her release, paid tribute to the slain bear on Facebook.

We will remember Cinder for the gentle, calm bear she was and for the pain and suffering and inspiration she became to so many humans, she wrote. She touched our hearts, filled our souls with compassion and the undeniable desire to help her heal. She did heal, bringing us humans along with her - those who suffer in fire and loose so much.

Her skeletal remains, including her skull and spine, were found in her den in September 2018 by wildlife officials

Our tribute to Cinder is to never forget her, to thank her for showing us how to heal in the worst of times, and for her courage and fight to survive to live free again.

Maugan noted that while some people believe that it would be best to send rescued bears like Cinder to an animal sanctuary or a zoo to live out their days in safety, in her 29 years rehabilitating bears, she has never met one that would trade five days of freedom for a lifetime of living in captivity.

Maugan said each of the 200 bears she has helped nurse to safety over the years had its own individual personality, and at some point during the rehabilitation process, the animal's desire to regain its freedom becomes overwhelming.

As wildlife rehabilitators, we all face the goal of recovery & release, she wrote. However, we also face the inevitable knowledge that once released the animals are in charge of their own lives and there is little we can do to impact that. We can be there should they need help again, but after release their lives belong to them.
European newspapers revealed how the continent has been left mystified by the political chaos in Westminster today.

Germany's Bild newspaper carried a report suggesting Breixiteers - the 'would-be captains' of the British state - appeared determined to drive the UK 'onto an iceberg of reality'.

It said yesterday's dramatic bid to oust the Theresa May was little more than 'political spectacle' because the PM's victory was 'predictable' from the outset.

In Spain, the El Espanol paper picked up on Ruth Davidson's claim Mrs May has 'balls of steel' to praise the PM for hanging on.

Theresa May's escape from a Brexiteer coup featured on front pages across the EU today, including on papers in France (left) and Portugal (right)

Mrs May's survival was also front page news in Germany where her victory speech last nigth made the splash of the Frankfurter Allgemeine

Columnist Alain Franchon used Le Monde to accuse the Brexiteer rebels of acting out of 'existential boredom' - deriding them as 'rich and over educated'.

He said Brexit voters did not even live on the 'same planet' as their political champions.

The 20 Minuten paper in Switzerland found little to celebrate in Mrs May's survival yesterday.

It warned the 117 Tory MPs voting against her was a 'disastrous' result for hopes of an orderly Brexit, underlining the threat to the negotiated divorce deal.

Similarly in Portugal, Expresso warned the result was a 'bitter, sweet symphony' for the Prime Minister.

It warned she needed a 'miracle' to pass her deal - or at the very least a 'dose of good faith mixed with lack of patience for more negotiations on the part of European leaders'.

In Poland, the Jyllands-Posten was more positive - praising Mrs May for avoiding an 'immediate disaster'.

The UK civil war continued today as Mrs May flew out of London for her second visit to Brussels this week.

As the smoke cleared after the extraordinary coup bid, Dominic Raab and Iain Duncan Smith confirmed they were among 117 MPs who voted against the PM.

The UK civil war continued today as Mrs May flew out of London for her second visit to Brussels this week (pictured)

Ex-Brexit Secretary Mr Raab said he feared Mrs May was incapable of securing an acceptable deal from the EU, and her clinging on made a Jeremy Corbyn government more likely.

Mr Duncan Smith said the revolt by more than a third of the Parliamentary party, which used his office as a base, had 'sent a message' that Mrs May needs to change tack.

Boris Johnson is also thought to have gone against the premier, although he refused to confirm which way he voted, and David Davis had hinted that he would rebel.

But the pro-EU Conservative wing hit back furiously demanding that the hardliners accept they had lost the ballot - or leave the party altogether.

The vicious infighting came as Mrs May confirmed she will not try to lead the party into the next general election.
Police in Everett, Washington, are searching for a thief who rummaged through an 85-year-old widow's van while the victim visited her deceased husband.

Patricia Fader was tending to the grave of her husband Harold Fader in Cypress Lawn cemetery in September when the suspect pilfered her wallet and a heirloom engagement ring from her vehicle parked only a few feet behind her, Q13 News reported.

'Everything was gone, just everything was gone,' said the horrified widow. 'I was angry, I'm still angry,' she said.

'While my back was turned this is when everything happened,' she told the news station. 'I saw nobody, no one around here, I didn't hear anything and that's why when I got into my van I did not notice at first my purse was gone.'

Patricia Fader was raking around her husband's grave site when someone entered her van and stole her purse while her back was turned

The suspected thief was caught on security cameras a short time later, using Fader's credit cards in stores near to the cemetery.

Along with the credit cards, the widow also told authorities that her engagement ring was stolen from the van as well.

'I'm not sure if the ring has been pawned or whether she's wearing or just what, but I really want my ring back,' she told Q13 News.

'All theft is bad but especially because she's at the cemetery visiting her deceased husband,' said Everett Police Detective Antonio Tararan. 'It's just such a vulnerable place at the time.'

The woman seen here allegedly used Patricia Fader's credit cards in this nearby store following the theft

Along with Patricia's wallet, the suspected thief would have stolen her engagement ring

Fader still returns to the graves of her husband, a Sgt. in the Air Force who was laid to rest almost a decade ago, along with other loved ones at Cypress Lawn,.

She takes care of resting places every Sunday, but she is still furious over the violation that took place months ago.

A $1,000 reward is being offered by Crime Stoppers for information leading to an arrest and conviction. Callers to 1-800-222-TIPS can remain anonymous.

Harold Fader seen in this photo served as a sergeant in the U.S. Air Force
The mother of a missing Colorado woman says her daughter has a close and loving bond with her fiance despite him refusing to speak publicly about her disappearance.

Kelsey Berreth, 29, has not been seen since Thanksgiving Day when she was recorded on surveillance cameras in a grocery store in Woodland Park, Colorado with her baby daughter.

Her fiance, Patrick Frazee, told police Berreth dropped their baby off afterwards at his home but he has not seen her since. He hasn't heard from her since she sent a text on November 25.

The couple have never lived together despite being engaged and sharing a daughter.

Frazee was not present at a police press conference on Monday and he has been scrutinized on social media for refusing to speak publicly about his missing fiance.

Despite the scrutiny, Berreth's mother Cheryl told NBC's Today on Thursday that the couple has a strong bond.

'The relationship has been good. They're loving,' she said.

It is the only public comment the family have made about Berreth's relationship with her fiance.

Kelsey Berreth's fiance Patrick Frazee is believed to be the last person who saw the mother alive. He claims she dropped off their daughter at his home in Woodland Park, Colorado on November 22 and he hasn't seen her since

Kelsey's mother, Cheryl Berreth, says her daughter has a close and loving bond with her fiance Patrick despite him refusing to speak publicly about her disappearance

Cheryl added that the speculation surrounding her daughter's disappearance wasn't helpful. The family or police have released very few details about the investigation.

Police are yet to officially rule her disappearance suspicious and said they have no evidence to indicate anything other than she is a missing person.

'I still know somebody knows where she's at. Somebody has seen her. There's more information out there. Somebody just needs to realize, recognize, say something,' her mother Cheryl said.

'In the back of mind, sure, there's a possibility something else could have happened... But it does me no good to go down that road and I don't think it does Kelsey any good either.'

It comes after Frazee dodged questions about Berreth's disappearance when he was confronted by a KRDO reporter outside his lawyer's office on Wednesday.

He was filmed carrying his daughter to his truck and refused to comment on why he has remained quiet about the case.

Frazee has been scrutinized on social media for refusing to speak publicly about his missing fiance. He refused to answer questions when approached near his home on Wednesday

Carrying the couple's daughter, Frazee dodged questions about Berreth's disappearance when he was confronted by a KRDO reporter outside his lawyer's office on Wednesday

WATCH: Exclusive video shows Kelsey Berreth's fiance being questioned Exclusive video captured by ABC News shows Kelsey Berreth's fiance, Patrick Frazee, leaving a law firm in Colorado Springs while being questioned in her disappearance. https://www.krdo.com/news/missing-woodland-park-mother-requested-time-off-work/917304896 Posted by KRDO NewsChannel 13 / KRDO.com on Tuesday, December 11, 2018

His lawyer issued a statement earlier on Wednesday insisting that Frazee was cooperating with police and that he would have appeared at the police press conference but claims he wasn't given any notice.

He also said Frazee had turned over his phone and given DNA swabs to police as part of their investigation.

'Mr Frazee's cooperation includes interviews with law enforcement, voluntarily releasing his phone to be searched by law enforcement, buccal swabs, and photographs,' the lawyer said.

'Much has been said over the news and social media about Mr Frazee's absence at the local new conference recently held by the Woodland Park Police Department on December 10, 2018.

'Mr Frazee was first notified of the press conference approximately an hour prior to its commencement. Had he been given more advance notice, he would have participated.

'Mr Frazee hopes and prays for Ms Berreth's return.'

Authorities have released surveillance footage of Berreth shopping with her baby daughter at a Safeway grocery store in Woodland Park just before she disappeared on Thanksgiving Day

Her mother and police held a press conference on Monday to appeal for information about the mother-of-one's disappearance. Frazee was not present at the conference and has since faced public scrutiny for not speaking publicly about his missing fiance

The lawyer said Frazee would continue to cooperate with police and care for the couple's child. He added that Frazee would not be speaking publicly because he doesn't want to impede with the police investigation.

Woodland Park Police Chief Miles De Young gave a frosty answer when asked why Frazee wasn't present at the press conference.

'You'd have to ask him,' he responded when asked about Frazee's absence.

He gave the same answer when another reporter asked him why Patrick did not report Kelsey missing.

Later, he refused to name him as a suspect, saying: 'At this point, he is the father of Kelsey's daughter.'

The lawyer told NBC's Today that he doesn't believe his client is a suspect in his fiance's disappearance.

It has now been three weeks since Berreth was spotted on surveillance video inside a Safeway grocery store with her daughter.

The video is the last public sighting on the mother before she vanished.

Her colleagues received a text from Kelsey's phone on November 25 saying that she would not be coming into work for the week. Police said Frazee also received a message from Berreth that same day but it is not clear what the text said.

Berreth, mother to a one-year-old child, is described as 5ft3in tall and weighing 110 pounds

It was the same day that Berreth's phone signal pinged in Gooding, Idaho - about 700 miles away from where she was last seen.

Police searched her home on December 2 after her mother reported her missing.

Her family insist the disappearance is out of character for the mother.

'She's not the kind that runs of. This is completely out of character. She's reliable, considerate and honest,' her mother Cheryl said.

'She doesn't run off and someone knows where she's at. Kelsey we just want you home. Call us if you can and we won't quit looking.'

Kelsey's brother Clint Berreth had earlier revealed he went to her home shortly after realizing she was missing and is adamant she didn't pack to go anywhere.

He said the only thing missing from the home was her purse. Her luggage and makeup remained untouched, and her two vehicles were still at her home.

Clint said his sister had made cinnamon rolls for Thanksgiving breakfast and the remainder were still on top of her stove days after she vanished.

Kelsey is described as 5ft3in tall and weighing 110 pounds.

She was last seen wearing a white shirt, gray sweater, blue pants, and white shoes while carrying a brown purse.

If you have any information on Kelsey Berreth's whereabouts, contact the Woodland Park Police Department at (719)-687-9262.
A hospital ward manager accused of faking his own death so his wife could claim 400,000 on his life insurance has denied fraud charges.

Bekezela Bhebhe, 52, faked his own death between June 2 and August 25 2017, it is alleged.

Zimbabwean-national Bhebhe denied one count of fraud by false representation against Aviva as he appeared at Inner London Crown Court.

Bekezela Bhebhe, 52, (left)allegedly faked his own death so his wife, Thulile Bhebhe, 49, (right) could claim his life insurance

His South African wife Thulile Bhebhe, 49, who was a health worker, admitted the same charge at an earlier hearing in the Magistrates Court.

He will face trial in June after appearing in the dock today next to his wife.

At an earlier hearing, Julian Pozimski, prosecuting, told magistrates: 'This is a case involving the provision of a life insurance policy of 397,153.'

Turning to his wife the judge added: 'Your sentence will take place after your co-defendant's trial.

'In so far as sentence is concerned you will be notified by your solicitors when you are required to attend.

Both were released on unconditional bail.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will visit Azerbaijan today to attend a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), which will be held in Baku tomorrow.

Azerbaijan assumed the BSEC chairmanship at the 38th meeting of the BSEC Council of Foreign Ministers, which was held on June 27.
Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff is calling for a rewrite of Justice Department guidelines that bar the indictment of a sitting president, after President Donald Trump was been connected to Michael Cohen's campaign finance crimes.

DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel determined during the Nixon Administration that a sitting president could not be indicted, although its position has not been tested in court.

Schiff, who is in line to chair the House Intelligence Committee, says the interpretation needs to change.

Although the founders included impeachment in the constitution as a political remedy, critics of the status quo have argued they never intended to give the executive a 'free pass' for crimes just by holding office, including alleged crimes that helped a president obtain the White House.

'I think the Justice Department needs to re-examine that OLC opinion, the Office of Legal Counsel opinion, that you cannot indict a sitting president under circumstances in which the failure to do so may mean that person escapes justice,' Schiff told CNN on Wednesday, hours after Donald Trump's longtime lawyer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to breaking campaign finance laws and other matters.

President Trump has called the Mueller probe a 'witch hunt,' and has blasted Cohen as 'weak' for cooperating to seek a lighter sentence

There are also statute of limitations issues. If Trump wins reelection, when he leaves office the statute would have expired on any campaign finance violations from his 2016 election.

'If it were the case that it was now or never ... that ought to create certainly an exception to that OLC rule if not mean revisiting and revising the rule altogether.' He added: 'A president merely by being in office can be above the law ... by essentially waiting out the law, waiting out the statute of limitations.'

Schiff added: 'I think the Justice Department needs to re-examine that OLC opinion, the Office of Legal Counsel opinion, that you cannot indict a sitting president under circumstances in which the failure to do so may mean that person escapes justice.'

DOJ's guidance states: 'The indictment or criminal prosecution of a sitting President would unconstitutionally undermine the capacity of the executive branch to perform its constitutionally assigned functions.'

If he were to be indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller's team, Trump would almost certainly fight it in the Supreme Court and make that argument.

'This is not simply Michael Cohen's word against Donald Trump's, it is now Donald Trump's word against everyone else,' said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.

Schiff, a critic who Trump once mocked in what may have been a typo as 'Adam Schitt,' spoke after a series of unfolding cooperation deals among witnesses with deep knowledge and ties to President Trump  with an indictment or impeachment of the president both possible outcomes.

Schiff, a California Democrat who is a favorite target of Trump's, said the most meaningful development was the unsealed cooperation deal with American Media Inc. Federal prosecutors revealed the publisher of the National Enquirer had a immunity deal related to its $150,000 payment to Playboy model Karen McDougal, who claims she had an affair with Trump.

That revelation came after a federal judge in New York sentenced longtime Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to three years in prison for campaign finance, tax violations, and lying to Congress.

'I think the more significant development in the case today than the sentence that Michael Cohen received was the fact that there is this non-prosecution agreement with AMI, the parent of the National Enquirer,' Schiff told CNN.

'Because what that means is, this is not simply Michael Cohen's word against Donald Trump's, it is now Donald Trump's word against everyone else,' he added.

'That there are witnesses at AMI who will testify that these payments were made for the express purpose of influencing the election, by depriving voters of knowledge of these stories of women coming forward to say they had affairs with a candidate running for the president.'

Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen is among a host of officials cooperating with prosecutors

Prosecutors in New York have reached a cooperation agreement with American Media Inc. Here CEO David Pecker and Daniel E. Harris attend the 'Shape France' Magazine cocktail launch at Hotel Talleyrand on January 19, 2012 in Paris, France

Prosecutors also have revealed that former Trump national security advisor Mike Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, has spent dozens of hours meeting with prosecutors. Trump Organization exec Allen Weisselberg also reportedly has an immunity deal.

Taken together, some of the people who know Trump and his business and campaign best are now cooperating with the government, although former campaign chair Paul Manafort's deal blew up over his alleged 'lies' to investigators.

Flynn also noted that the letter from prosecutors revealed that Pecker met with Cohen and 'at least one other member of the campaign' in 2015 during Trump's run for the White House.

'That is powerful corroboration. there is apparently another witness within the Trump organization that also corroborates what Michael Cohen has to say,' he said.

Democratic leaders have tried to refrain from impeachment talk. But on Sunday incoming House Judiciary Committee chairman Jerold Nadler of New York said if Trump directed Cohen to commit a felony, it would be an impeachable offense.

'Whether they are important enough to justify an impeachment is a different question,' he told CNN's 'State of the Union.

A Justice Department memorandum states essentially that a sitting president can't be indicted. But some experts are arguing that special counsel Robert Mueller may need to indict just to get information before Congress. A statute of limitations on any campaign violation would run out if Trump wins reelection and isn't charged until he leaves office.

'I think the Justice Department needs to reexamine that [Office of Legal Counsel] opinion... that you cannot indict a sitting president, under circumstances in which the failure to do so may mean that person escapes justice,' said Schiff.

Former Acting Solicitor General under President Obama Neal Katyal wrote Wednesday on Twitter that existing special counsel regulations 'put thumb on scale of Mueller asking Acting AG to indict, as that is the one way Mueller can be sure info he has uncovered in his investigation is provided to Congress. EVEN if Mueller thinks AG would say no, he may need to ask.'
The number of people being sent to flagged up to authorities over far-Right extremism has increased by a third, new figures reveal

More than 1,300 referrals the government's Prevent programme based on concerns over right wing terror fears, up from 968 the previous year.

Experts believe the increase in referrals could be down to increased sharing and posting of far-Right material online.

Islamist concerns accounted for a larger proportion of referrals, more than 3,197 in total, but that number fell by 14% year-on-year.

Members of the neo-Nazi group National Action in Newcastle in 2015. The number of referrals over right-wing extremism to the Government's anti-terror group has risen by a third

It comes after the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox by white supremacism Thomas Mair and the attack near Finsbury Park Mosque by Darren Osborne, who had been influenced by far-Right groups.

For the first time a similar number of individuals received Channel support for concerns relating to Islamist and right-wing extremism, the report said.

The government's 40m Prevent programme aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. Anyone concerned that someone they know might be at risk can refer them.

The Home Office figures also reveal that thousands of children and teenagers have been flagged over terror worries.

In the year to March, 2,009 under-15s were referred to the Government's Prevent programme, including 297 girls.

The number in the youngest age group increased by a fifth on the previous year, while over half of those reported for possible de-radicalisation interventions in 2017/18 were 20 or under.

Thomas Mair murdered Labour MP Jo Cox after becoming obsessed with far-Right material

The latest figures show that, of those referred to Prevent in 2017/18:

3,096 (42%) left the process requiring no further action.

2,902 (40%) left the process and were signposted to alternative services.

1,314 (18%) were deemed suitable, through preliminary assessment, to be discussed at a Channel panel.

In 2015, public bodies were placed under a statutory duty to stop people being drawn into terrorism.

The sectors accounting for the highest number of Prevent referrals in 2017/18 were education (2,462) and the police (2,364).

Regionally, nearly a quarter (23%) of those referred were from London, followed by the North East (17%).

While police and ministers say it forms a crucial plank of anti-terror efforts, Prevent has repeatedly come under fire, with critics labelling it heavy-handed and 'toxic'.

Mair's home in Birstall, West Yorkshire was filled with books and DVDs about the Nazis

Responding to the latest figures, shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said: 'Literally thousands of people are being referred to the programme but the overwhelming majority do not require any anti-terrorism procedures at all.'

Earlier this month, Home Secretary Sajid Javid issued a staunch defence of the scheme, insisting it plays a part in keeping Britain safe by helping stop young people being preyed on by extremists and turning around hundreds of lives.

Last year it emerged that in one case, a nine-year-old boy was helped by the programme after standing up in class and declaring that he supported Islamic State.

Fresh questions were raised about Prevent after a wave of terror attacks hit Britain last year.

Darren Osborne carried out the terror attack near Finsbury Park mosque after reading anti-Islamic material online

Last month the Intelligence and Security Committee said Manchester bomber Salman Abedi should have been considered for a Prevent referral after his closure as an MI5 'subject of interest' in 2014.

Parsons Green attacker Ahmed Hassan was discussed at nine Channel panels, the last of which took place 10 days before he planted a bomb on a Tube train.

Security minister Ben Wallace said: 'Prevent plays a vital role in stopping vulnerable people being drawn into all forms of terrorism and safeguarding is at the heart of it.

'The figures released today show Prevent is tackling the threat from radicalisation wherever it is found, including from the rise in the right-wing extremism.'
Julian Assange has undergone a series of medical exams as part of a new set of rules he has to follow to claim asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

The WikiLeaks founder was put through tests by doctors he 'trusted' out of respect for his privacy, the country's top attorney said.

Assange has been in London's Ecuador embassy since 2012, fearing extradition to the United States if he leaves.

But his relationship with the country has grown increasingly tense in recent weeks, with President Lenin Moreno saying he does not like his presence in the embassy.

Ecuador's president says the UK has provided sufficient guarantees for Julian Assange (pictured) to leave his government's embassy in London

The government in October imposed new rules requiring him to receive routine medical exams, following concerns he was not getting the medical attention he needed.

The rules also ordered Assange to pay his medical and phone bills and clean up after his pet cat.

Yesterday, Assange appeared via video conference in an Ecuadorian court to appeal a previous ruling that had upheld the new rules.

Assange is concerned that Ecuador is seeking to end his asylum and extradite him to the United States, but Ecuador has said the Britain told it he would not be extradited.

Assange's relationship with the country has grown increasingly tense in recent weeks, with President Lenin Moreno (pictured) saying he does not like his presence in the embassy

U.S officials have acknowledged that federal prosecutors have been conducting a lengthy criminal probe into Assange and Wikileaks.

Wikileaks published U.S diplomatic and military secrets when Assange ran the operation.

A lawyer for Assange said he did not know the results of the medical tests, and called on Ecuador to produce documentation proving that the UK would not extradite him to any country where his life was at risk.

His lawyer Carlos Poveda, said: 'We insist that they show us the letter from the United Kingdom.

'The protocol is meant to set the rules of his living situation, but it seems more like a penitentiary regime.'

Assange initially took asylum to avoid being extradited to Sweden, where authorities wanted to question him as part of a sexual assault investigation.

That investigation was later dropped.

Britain says he will be arrested for skipping bail if he leaves the embassy, but that his jail time will not exceed six months.
A suspected thief who looks the double of Prime Minister Theresa May is being hunted by police.

Officers are trying to track down the woman after money was stolen from a cash machine.

But after Hertfordshire Police put out an appeal - eagle eyed observers noticed her uncanny resemblance to the leader of the Conservative Party.

A woman withdrew money from an ATM outside the Tesco Express in Bushey Heath, Hertfordshire on November 27, but accidentally left it behind - which was quickly swiped by another woman.

Hertfordshire Constabulary put out a picture of a woman they believe could help them with their enquiries, who is the spitting image of the Prime Minister, according to social media observers.

Officers have released a CCTV image of a woman they would like to speak to following a theft in Bushey Heath

One said: 'I know it's not her at all, but the suspect really does look like Theresa May.

'I imagine she's probably got more on her plate than pinching money from a cash machine.'

Andy Turpie joked: 'Theresa May's 'walk of shame' home after last night's celebrations it looks like.'

Ang Rickard said: 'Think you'll find she Robbed the british public aswell.'

Another added: 'I thought this was going to be about Brexit.'

The suspect is a middle-aged lady with a greying bob-type haircut and a sharp nose.

She was spotted wearing a black, Puffa-style jacket and clutching a black handbag.

The crime is the latest in a strong of celebrity lookalike images going viral.

In late October Blackpool Police shared CCTV stills of a man with a striking resemblance to Friends character Ross Geller on Facebook in an appeal for help.

Schwimmer parodied the still of the suspect stealing a crate of beer from a Blackpool restaurant in late October with a hilarious video in a New York grocery shop.

The viral appeal led to the suspect's arrest on November 14.

Last month, the office of Sapphires Model Management in London was burgled by a man who looked like the survival specialist Bear Grylls, on November 29.
A Ryanair passenger jet came within just 50ft of hitting a drone as it came into land at Stansted Airport, it has been revealed.

The Boeing 737 which was carrying up to 200 passengers was approaching the airport in Essex when it narrowly missed the device.

A report by the UK Airprox Board which investigates near misses, said the pilot spotted the drone as they were approaching the runway on August 17 this year.

The first officer then looked up and saw a 'dark coloured square/ rectangle shaped object' pass very close to the right-hand side of the plane.

The Boeing 737 (file pic) which was carrying up to 200 passengers was approaching the airport in Essex when it narrowly missed the device

After the plane landed it was inspected for any evidence of suspected contact or damage, but none was found.

Air traffic controllers were immediately informed and UKAB report rated it as the highest possible Category A incident, meaning there was 'a serious risk of collision'.

It said: 'The drone was being flown above the maximum permitted height of 400ft such that it was endangering other aircraft at that location.

'The Board agreed that the incident was therefore best described as the drone was flown into conflict with the B737.

A UKAB report rated it as the highest possible Category A incident, meaning there was 'a serious risk of collision' with the drone (file pic)

'The Board considered that the pilot's overall account of the incident portrayed a situation where providence had played a major part in the incident and/or a definite risk of collision had existed.'

The number of near misses between aircraft and drones has soared in recent years as the devices have become more popular and experts fear there will one day be a catastrophic collision.

The report revealed there were another four Category A serious risk of collisions between passenger planes and drones in July and August this year.

An Airbus 319, carrying up to 160 passengers, came within 100ft of a drone as it was leaving London's Heathrow Airport on August 20.

The plane had reached 3000ft when the pilot spotted a drone about 200-300 metres ahead and 200ft above the jet.

He said the drone, believed to be a DJI Mavic Pro rectangular quadcopter, caught his attention because it was black and contrasted with the white overcast cloud.

He said it appeared to be hovering just to the right of the runway and as they climbed into the sky they passed about 100ft below it and 30 metres horizontally.

He said the jet was relatively heavy and ascended quite slowly, but if the plane had been lighter they would have passed much closer to the hovering drone and there would have been a 'very high' risk of a collision.

In another instance, a Boeing 747 'jet came within 50ft of a drone as it was coming into land at London's Heathrow Airport on July 17.

As the plane was descending at 5100ft the pilot spotted a red and black drone 'the size of a dustbin lid' a few hundred metres ahead and just above the plane.

The report also revealed that a E190 jet, carrying up to 124 passengers, came within ten to thirty metres of a drone as it was leaving London City Airport on July 15.

The plane was flying at around 3000ft when the pilot spotted the small drone and reported the incident to Thames Radar.

A Boeing 787 Dreamliner, American long-haul jet, also came within 100ft of a drone as it flew over Brookmans Park in Hertfordshire on July 25.

As the plane, which can carry up to 330 passengers, reached 6000ft the pilot saw a red and black drone through his side window.

There are fears that a collision with a drone could disable a jet engine or cause serious injury to pilots or passengers by smashing a jet's windscreen.

Drone operators are normally only permitted to fly below 400ft and within sight of their devices and are expected to stay well clear of airports and aircraft flight paths. Operators who endanger the safety of an aircraft can be jailed for five years.
This is the heartwarming moment a father films his young son watching a trailer to the new Lion King movie.

Kellan Carey from Wading River, New York was sitting on his father, Brendan's lap, who happened to be filming his son at the time, when the live-action feature started.

The 18-month-old toddler watched excitedly as he copied events on the screen.

The film, a remake of Disney's 1994 original, is due out in July 2019.

Kellan Carey from Wading River, New York was sitting on his father, Brendan's lap when he became excited by the new trailer to The Lion King

The 18-month-old toddler seemed happy to watch a teaser from Disney's new movie

The youngster started getting animated as he followed the action on screen

Kellan Carey from Wading River, New York was excited to see the Lion King trailer
This is the amazing moment a young girl starts a race in last place before finishing as winner.

The footage, shot in Simi Valley, California has recently gone viral and shows the blonde girl trailing a pack of six other girls.

She is well behind them as the 400m race gets underway, trailing in seventh place.

She remains behind them for a large part of the race but, keeping her steady form she manages to get back in contention.

A man can be heard shouting: 'Turn on the jets Alison, turn it on!'

The girl then takes over one fellow contestant as she begins to tire.

Footage, shot in Simi Valley, California shows blonde girl trailing a pack of six

The opponent can be seen flashing a look towards 'Alison' and trying to turn it up a gear herself, but she was no match for the determined girl's leggy strides.

She then sets about taking over the leading pack, which she does without breaking stride.

As she sets upon the runners in front of her the atmosphere intensifies with screams coming from the large crowd.

The talented runner then kicks it up a gear before bursting past the leader just in time to win the race to the surprise of onlookers.

One man can be heard asking in disbelief: 'Did she just win?'
Armed police stormed a Ryanair flight today after it was diverted back to Stansted following a fight between two passengers over a broken mobile phone.

Customers meant to be flying to Lisbon described the 'scary' moment the jet was turned back to Britain after just 15 minutes in the air.

Police with guns then entered the jet 'like something out of a movie' to remove the fighting men in an incident that left children in tears.

Armed police stormed a Ryanair flight today (file picture) after it was diverted back to Stansted following a fight between two passengers

The flight, FR1886, heading towards Lisbon, Portugal, from Stansted, departed at the scheduled time at 11.50am but then had to divert back to the airport.

A witness claims the plane was only in the air for approximately 15 minutes before the captain made an announcement.

The plane was 'above the clouds' before it had to be turned around when the brawl started over a broken phone.

One witness, said: 'There was a fight between two men. We were told the flight would be returning to Stansted, when arriving armed police came inside the aircraft and took one of the men.

'A lady then said to the police that they should take the other man too, after 15 minutes of waiting they removed the second man and told us all we have to board a new aircraft.'

He called the situation 'very intense and scary, kids crying, looked like something out of a movie.'

One passenger tweeted saying: 'My @Ryanair flight from stanstead to Lisbon has returned to stanstead because of a fight on the plane.'

One woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: 'We are on a flight from Stansted to Lisbon that was supposed to depart at 11:50am.

'I think we were 15 minutes into our flight when the captain warned us we would be returning to the airport.

'When we landed two military men came in and removed one of the passengers.

'A woman at the back of the plane, where I'm seated, got really angry because apparently she knew that man and that it was unfair for them to remove him but not the other man also involved in the fight.'

The witness, who is 20 years old, didn't see the alleged fight that took place.

She added: 'I didn't see the fight myself but it seems to have started because one of them broke the other's phone.'

A spokesman for Essex Police said: 'We were called to reports of a passenger being disruptive on a Ryanair flight from Stansted to Lisbon at around 12.45pm today (Thursday, December 13). The flight redirected back to Stansted Airport.

'We established there had been an argument between two passengers.

'After speaking to both individuals, one was removed from the flight and reported for a public order offence.'

The passenger has said that all the passengers are being moved onto another plane to continue their journey, but there is no indication of when the flight would be back in the air.

She said the situation was handed well by the crew but was confusing for flyers on what was going on.

A Ryanair spokesman said: 'This flight from London Stansted Airport to Lisbon returned to Stansted shortly after take-off after a number of passengers became disruptive inflight.

'The aircraft landed normally and was met by police upon arrival. The aircraft will depart to Lisbon shortly.

'We will not tolerate unruly or disruptive behaviour at any time and the safety and comfort of our customers, crew and aircraft is our number one priority. This is now a matter for local police.'

A spokesman for Stansted Airport confirmed the plane did return back to the airport at 12.45pm, but did not cause any disruption to the airport.
Republicans on Capitol Hill are questioning President Donald Trump's declaration that he would take responsibility if the government shuts down - a possibility he threatened if he doesn't get his $5 billion border wall fully funded.

'I don't understand the strategy, but maybe he's figured it out and he'll tell us in due course,' John Cornyn, the No. 2 Senate Republican, told The Washington Post of the president's hardline on his wall. 'But I don't understand it.'

Republicans are left holding the ball after the president's Oval Office shouting match with Democratic Leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi in which he dramatically declared: 'I will shut down the government. Absolutely' if his wall is not funded.

President Donald Trump 's negotiating session with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer spiraled wildly out of control on Tuesday and left Republicans on Capitol Hill holding the ball when it comes to funding the government

John Cornyn, the No. 2 Senate Republican, seen here with Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell said he doesn't understand the president's strategy

Republican Sen. John Kennedy told CNN he doesn't want the government to shut down but he also doesn't think the president is bluffing.

'I don't think the president's bluffing, as I said earlier today, if I were playing poker right now with the president, and I saw his facial expressions and his attitude across the table and I didn't have the cards, I'd fold them. Because I don't think he's bluffing,' he said.

'We're at an impasse at the moment,' Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby told The Washington Post, adding a shutdown is 'probably more than possible right now, probably getting toward probable - unless something happens.'

Trump's willingness to take responsibility should the government come to a stop - 'You want to put that on [me], I'll take it,' he told Schumer - shocked Republicans, who had been preparing to blame Schumer for a shut down should one occur.

The president's dramatics left GOP lawmakers dumbfounded, and they pressed Vice President Mike Pence at a Tuesday lunch for an explanation of Trump's off-script swerve, according to The Hill.

But Pence would only said that 'it was an interesting conversation.'

On the House side, the Republican leadership is at a stand still on what to do next. Even before Tuesday's Oval Office show down, they had not decided on how to fund the president's border wall.

The lower chamber leaves town on Thursday for the next five days with no vote on the schedule and Republicans no closer to bridging the gap between Trump's demand for full funding of his $5 billion wall and the $1.3 billion Democrats are willing to spend.

And the clock is kicking toward the Dec. 21 deadline.

An unexpected problem the GOP is facing: in the wake of the losses in the midterm election, many outgoing Republicans in the House are simply skipping votes.

Trump argued with Pelosi he has the numbers in the House to get his wall funded during their now infamous Oval Office show down.

Pelosi informed him it wouldn't pass in the lower chamber, where Republicans hold a majority of seats, if it came for a vote.

'The fact is you do not have the votes in the House,' she told him pointedly.

He shot back: 'We would get it passed very easily in the House. I'd have it passed in two seconds.'

Pelosi responded: 'Well, then go do it. Go do it.'

If a stopgap spending measure that fully funds his wall failed during a House vote, the president and his party would be humiliated.

And there are no guarantees it would pass.

Trump angrily told the expected speaker of the House that funding for his wall would pass in 'two seconds' in the lower chamber as Pelosi told him he doesn't have the votes

'I don't understand the strategy, but maybe he's figured it out and he'll tell us in due course,' Republican Sen. John Cornyn said of President Trump

Speaker Paul Ryan and House Majority Leader Republican Kevin McCarthy are among the GOP leadership struggling with how to get funding for the president's wall passed

This could be the president's last chance to fully fund his wall. Democrats take control of the House of Representatives on Jan. 3 and they are not likely to give Trump the money he needs to make his wall a reality.

There is a concern among House Republicans that many of their moderate members - who feel that their November losses hinged on Trump - will feel zero need to support his border wall, Politico reported.

A House GOP member who lost reelection told the news website that Trump's performance 'was unbelievable. I literally couldn't believe a president of the United States was acting that crazy.'

When asked why he didn't come out publicly with his criticism, the soon-to-be-ex-lawmaker replied: 'Hey, I gotta work, don't I?'

The GOP whipping operation - which has the ultimate responsibility for delivering a victory - hasn't even begun to take a count among the Republican caucus to see where members stand.

And the pressure is on.

Republican Rep. Mike Coffman, who lost on Election Day, said his party pretty much has to vote for a spending bill that includes $5 billion in wall money after the president's match with the Democrats.

'It's not my preference, but from a point of negotiation I think it's important for Republicans in the House to make that statement,' he told Politico. 'When Nancy Pelosi challenged the president by saying, 'You don't have the votes,' that put us in a situation to at least demonstrate from a negotiating standpoint that we do have the votes.'

Other House Republicans argue they have the votes - they're just not sure voting for the $5 billion in funding the wall is the wisest decision.

'Do we have the votes for a measure that includes $5 billion for the wall? Yes,' Rep. Patrick McHenry told The Post. 'The question of whether to do it is a question of wisdom and strategy and tactics, and it's highly debatable about whether that's the right move.'

Without a new spending bill, about 25 percent of the $1.2 trillion federal budget - including funds for the Department of Homeland Security - will expire after Dec. 21.

There are nine days to go as Republicans continue to strategize on their next move - and hope for the best.

'Magic things happen at Christmas. That's what I'm counting on,' Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday.
Jail: Maria Butina appeared in federal court Thursday from her prison cell. She is awaiting sentence

Russian agent Maria Butina pleaded guilty Thursday in court to joining a conspiracy on behalf of the Kremlin to cultivate sources inside the Republican party before the 2016 presidential election.

The 30-year-old pleaded guilty to one count of 'conspiracy against the United States' when she appeared at federal court in Washington D.C.

The case has already sparked fury from the Kremlin who accused the U.S. of 'torture' and comparing her ordeal to the 'medieval Inquisition.'

Butina said she acted at 'the direction' of a Russian official, who was not named in court, but previously been identified as Alexander Torshin, a Russian politician close to Vladimir Putin and who is now subject to U.S. sanctions as well as being an alleged mafia money-launderer.

Together they worked on what was called the 'Diplomacy Project' using her boyfriend, conservative political operative Paul Erickson, 56, to help her as she tried to use his ties with the NRA to set up the back channels.

She managed to meet Donald Trump Jr., ask his father a question at an NRA-linked event, pose for pictures with top Republicans including Rick Santorum and Scott Walker, and organized a Russian delegation to the national prayer breakfast in Washington D.C in 2017.

She emailed her boyfriend that they were 'coming to establish a back channel of communication' - and he emailed another unnamed person saying that 'reaction to the delegation's presence in America will be relayed DIRECTLY' to Vladimir Putin.

When she got senior members of the NRA to come to Moscow she emailed her handler: 'We should let them express their gratitude now, we will put pressure on them quietly later.'

The agent faces up to five years in prison and deportation from the U.S. although she will not be sentenced until well into 2019, with her next hearing scheduled for February.

The government dropped a second charge of failing to register while acting as a 'foreign agent' as part of its deal. It carried the higher sentence of up to 10 years.

She is the first Russian national convicted in connection with efforts to influence the 2016 elections.

Crucially, she has agreed to cooperate with all federal authorities, meaning that as well as telling the FBI and other intelligence agencies how her Kremlin spy operation worked, she could provide evidence to Robert Mueller's special counsel probe - although it was not mentioned in court.

Mueller has charged numerous Russians with hacking Democratic emails, and his probe has charged multiple officials who worked for Donald Trump with lying about their Russia contacts.

Admission: Maria Butin said 'absolutely as she stood, flanked by attorney Robert Driscoll, and was asked if she understood what she was pleading guilty to

Butina pleaded guilty to being part of a conspiracy to influence a political party  the GOP. Here she is with Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who was at one time a leading presidential candidate

Butina with former Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Rick Santorum, who is now a CNN commentator - an image she posted openly on her Instagram feed

What she pleaded guilty to: Maria Butina admitted to the plot

In this photo taken on Friday, Sept. 7, 2012, Maria Butina walks with Alexander Torshin then a member of the Russian upper house of parliament in Moscow, Russia. Prosecutors describe Torshin as her handler

'Butina sought to establish unofficial lines of communication with Americans having power and influence over US politics,' Judge Tanya Chutkan was told.

She faces up to five years in jail and a $250,000 fine, having already spent time in solitary confinement after her arrest.

Butina, who was a graduate student at American University studying in the U.S., built up an extensive resume, reaching out the National Rifle Association and Republicans, and even scored a meeting with the president's eldest son in the run-up to the presidential campaign.

PUTIN'S HENCHMAN CONTROLLED HONEYTRAP MARIA Alexander Torshin is the most high-profile Russian politician yet to be directly implicated in investigations into whether his country meddled in the 2016 election. His place controlling Maria Butina's 'diplomacy project' is unlikely to see him arrested or indicted as long as he stays in Russia. A lawyer, the 65-year-old has been at the top of Russian politics since the collapse of the Soviet Union and has help positions including being a senior executive at the Russian central bank in the 1990s and again since 2015, and for four months in 2011 was speaker of the upper house of the Russian parliament. In reality, his roles mean that he has had proximity to Vladimir Putin for years - and that anything he carried out would have been with the Kremlin boss's approval. Ultimate boss: Maria Butina named her handler as Alexander Torshin, a Russian politician who is close to Vladimir Putin Among the key appointments he has held one stands out - working on the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which brings together the Kremlin's spies, military commanders and the foreign, interior and defense ministers. At the start of this decade he became a gun rights campaigner and claimed to be setting up a Russian equivalent to the NRA. He has boasted on Twitter, NPR reported, about meeting every NRA president since 2012, and used his friendship with NRA leaders to become an international election observer in Tennessee during the 2012 election. Cultivating the gun lobby group worked; he is one of what he claims are only two Russian lifetime members of the NRA. The other is Butina, who acted as his assistant in political campaigning in Russia, then came to the U.S. to study at American University - apparently a cover story which he knew about all along. But Torshin is also accused of being a mafia boss who was involved in money-laundering. Spanish police planned to arrest him when he was due to come to Mallorca in 2013 for a party but he did not show up - with fears that he had been tipped off by his own government. And in 2017 he was scheduled to visit the White House but the meeting was cancelled when a national security aide realized that he was part of the Spanish authorities' continuing investigation, the New York Times reported. This year he was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury as one of a group of oligarchs and politicians who 'who benefit from the Putin regime and play a key role in advancing Russia's malign activities.'

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Clad in a green jumpsuit with her red hair pulled back in a long braid, Butina replied 'absolutely' when asked by Chutkan if her mind was clear as she prepared to enter her plea of guilty.

Although there are no sentencing guidelines for her specific crime, her lawyer, Robert Driscoll, estimated that under U.S. sentencing guidelines for similar crimes, she could face up to six months in prison.

In the statement of offense read aloud in court, one of the prosecutors said Butina had drafted a 'Diplomacy Project' that called for establishing unofficial back channels of communication between high-ranking American politicians to help benefit Russia.

As part of that plan, she acknowledged that she conspired with two Americans and a Russian official.

Butina's lawyers previously identified the Russian official as Torshin, a deputy governor of Russia's central bank who was targeted with U.S. Treasury Department sanctions in April.

Butina admitted that she 'sought to establish unofficial lines of communication with Americans having power and influence over U.S. politics.'

She said her boyfriend, Erickson, helped her as she tried to use his ties with the NRA to set up the back channels. Erickson, who is referred to as 'U.S. Person 1' in court papers, he has not been charged.

In their filings, prosecutors have said federal agents found Butina had contact information for people suspected of being employed by Russia's Federal Security Services, or FSB, the successor intelligence agency to the KGB. Inside her home, they found notes referring to a potential job offer from the FSB, according to the documents.

Investigators recovered several emails and Twitter direct message conversations in which Butina referred to the need to keep her work secret and, in one instance, said it should be 'incognito.'

Prosecutors said Butina had contact with Russian intelligence officials and that the FBI photographed her dining with a diplomat suspected of being a Russian intelligence agent.

Among those she had contact with were the president, who she asked a question of at an event linked to the NRA, and his eldest son Donald Trump Jr., who she met at an NRA dinner.

Her meeting with Don Jr. was one of a litany of contacts between Trump officials and Russians during the campaign.

A total of 16 people in Donald Trump's circle have been revealed to have met with Russians during the campaign.

According to papers filed earlier by federal prosecutors, Butina sent write-ups of events she attended to Torshin at his request.

She also helped coordinate Torshin's planned attendance at the National Prayer Breakfast, an influential event in Washington, and provided him with biographies on expected attendees.

During their email conversations, which investigators obtained from Butina's cell phone and devices, the alleged Russian agent discussed Torshin's 'serious mission  restoration of relations between [the U.S. and Russia].'

Torshin told Butina that their 'Russian-American project' had support from the Putin administration 'for building this back-channel.'

In 2015, Butina and Torshin attended a fundraising event with Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, who was considered at the time to be a frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination.

Butina later wrote in her online journal that her meeting with Walker 'will remain in my memory forever' because he seemed to show an affinity for Russia.

'I first met Scott Walker, who was introduced to me,' she wrote.

'And then something happened that I did not expect: the first words in many, many days in Russian, I heard from the future nominee in the US presidency from the Republican Party, who, having learned that I from Russia with a smile said 'Hello!', And during the conversation he remembered another word: 'Thank you!'.'

'Imagine my shock at the very moment ?!' she added. 'We talked about Russia, I did not hear any aggression towards our country, the president or my compatriots,' wrote Butina.

'How to know, maybe such meetings are the beginning of a new dialogue between Russia and the US and back from the Cold War to the peaceful existence of the two great powers?!'

Maria Butina was able to infiltrate the National Rifle Association. She admitted she was directed by a powerful Russian handler

Contacts: Maria Butina asked Donald Trump a question at an NRA-linked event and had social contact with Donald Trump Jr.

Question time: This was the moment Maria Butina questioned Donald Trump on relations with Russia at a 2015 'freedom forum' event linked to the NRA

She admitted meeting with members of the NRA and 'Political Party 1,' - the Republican Party - as well as meeting arranging a meeting between the NRA and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in December 2015.

In an incriminating email, she reported back to Torshin, 'We should let them express their gratitude now, we will put pressure on them quietly later.'

Prosecutors have charged that her work was directed by the former Russian lawmaker who was penalized by the Treasury Department for his alleged ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and is alleged to have links to the Russian mafia.

Her lawyer had argued that Butina was a student interested in American politics and better U.S.-Russian relations, but her changed plea means she has abandoned that claim.

The charges against Butina were brought by federal prosecutors in Washington, and her case was unrelated to special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

But her cooperation deal has no limits, meaning she could also be used by Mueller's probe as a source of evidence.

In Moscow, Vladimir Putin this week denied his spies knew her but on Wednesday Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova spoke about her, suggesting the Kremlin in quietly admitting she was one of their assets.

Zakharova claimed Butina has been subjected to a 'medieval inquisition'.

She told CNN: 'It's not about justice, it's not justice. It's just inquisition. It's medieval inquisition. Because she is intimidated, she was tortured and was not treated like a human being, not like a woman.

'I think she was treated and is still treated probably as a terrorist or something like that,' she added.

Zakharova claimed Butina is a political prisoner and is innocent.

She said: 'She did nothing wrong, she is not a criminal, not a terrorist ... We have no idea why she was treated like that.' The US attorney's office declined to comment.

Butina was charged in July with acting as an agent of Russia's government and conspiracy to take actions on behalf of Moscow.

Maria Butina, a gun-rights activist poses for a photo at a shooting range in Moscow, Russia. Russian woman Maria Butina has been jailed in the U.S. on charges that she tried to infiltrate U.S. political organizations as a covert Russian agent

One of the two Americans cited in the prosecution's criminal complaint was Paul Erickson, a conservative U.S. political activist who was dating Butina. Neither Erickson nor Torshin has been accused by prosecutors of wrongdoing.

The prosecutors in the Butina case are not from the office of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russia's role in the 2016 U.S. election and whether Trump's campaign conspired with Moscow to help him win.

The prosecution's complaint against Butina did not explicitly mention Trump's campaign.

Reuters previously reported that Butina was a Trump supporter who bragged at Washington parties that she could use her political connections to help people get jobs in his administration.

Trump has denied any collusion with Moscow. Russia has denied interfering in American politics
American first lady Melania Trump said she always gives her husband U.S. President Donald Trump advises.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Fox News, Melania explained that she does what she believes to be the right thing, despite any potential disapproval that may come her way. She also doesn't hold back when it comes to expressing her opinions to her husband, she said.

"I follow whats going on. And I give my husband advice and my honest opinion,. And sometimes he listens and sometimes he doesnt," the first lady noted, adding that she doesnt agree with his tone sometimes and she tells him that.

The first lady also discussed the difficulties she encountered while in the White House. One of the biggest challenges being those whom she branded as "opportunists"  journalists, comedians, and other creative professions who were "using my name or my family name to advance themselves."
The trial of a 94-year-old former Nazi concentration camp guard collapsed on Thursday due to serious heart and kidney problems.

Johann Rehbogen, a former SS guard at the Stutthof concentration camp, was hospitalised for issues with his vital organs, causing several recent hearings at the Muenster state court to be cancelled.

He is accused of serving as a guard and being complicit in the murders of hundreds of prisoners at the death camp, east of Danzig, today the Polish city of Gdansk, from June 1942 to about early September 1944.

Due to German legal regulations preventing overly long gaps in trials, the court had no choice but to end the proceedings, said court spokesman Steffen Vahlhaus.

Johann Rehbogen, 94, (pictured on November 6) is accused of complicity in the murders of several hundred Stutthof camp prisoners between 1942 and 1944 when he was aged between 18 and 20

Johann Rehbogen has had his trial put off until at least January while he receives treatment for heart and kidney problems

Stutthof concentration camp east of Danzig (pictured); 60,000 people were murdered at the death camp by the Nazis

Presiding Judge Rainer Brackhane ruled that a medical expert will re-examine Rehbogen in January to determine whether his condition has improved to the point where the trial can be restarted from the beginning, Vahlhaus said.

Rehbogen, however, appeared outwardly healthy when his trial opened on November 6, listening attentively to the proceedings and answering basic questions from the judges.

More than 60,000 people were killed in the camp and he faces hundreds of counts of accessory to murder on allegations that, as a guard, he aided in the process.

Last month his lawyer read a statement on his behalf: 'When I saw the detainees I knew that the SS was wrong, but I didn't have a choice.'

He denied knowledge of the sickening crimes which took place during his time there.

When Rehbogen was aged between 18 and 20 prosecutors allege he was an accessory to more than 100 Polish prisoners gassed in June 1944 and 'probably several hundred' Jews killed from August to December 1944.

'I knew nothing of the systematic killings, I knew nothing of the gas chambers as well as the crematoria,' his statement said.

The old man wept last month as he heard testimony read from the relatives of victims from Israel and the United States.

Johann Rehbogen, a 94-year-old former SS enlisted man, is wheeled through court in Muenster by a prison guard last month

Rehbogen's lawyer told the panel of judges in one session that while he served at Stutthof, he was 'not a Nazi.'

He suggested that he knew prisoners were being mistreated, but denied any knowledge of the camp's gas chamber or any participation in killing them.

'As a Christian it was hard for me to be part of all of it,' Rehbogen told the court. 'But I was too scared to protest.'

Rehbogen, a German from the western district of Borken, North Rhine-Westphalia state, is a retired landscape architect and divorced father-of-three, according to German media.
Jed Miller, 26, claimed he was assaulted and branded a 'tw*t' while being arrested at a Guy Fawkes Night protest outside Parliament in 2012. In his legal aid-funded case, Mr Miller - a well-known squatter and anarchist - claimed a few thousand pounds in damages from the Met Police

A judge blasted the 'scandalous waste' of almost 200,000 of taxpayer's money on a protestor's hopeless bid for a payout from police after he was arrested

Jed Miller, 26, claimed he was assaulted and branded a 'tw*t' while being arrested at a Guy Fawkes Night protest outside Parliament in 2012.

In his legal aid-funded case, Mr Miller - a well-known squatter and anarchist - claimed a few thousand pounds in damages from the Met Police.

His case was rejected by Judge Alan Saggerson who branding it 'utterly meritless' and a total 'waste' of legal aid money.

'The costs budget coming out of the legal aid fund was in excess of 90,000, which is a scandalous waste of public money in a case of this sort,' he said.

'I don't know how many nurses' salaries can be paid with an equivalent amount, but certainly it is more than two over a period of a year.

'Even if he had been successful across the board, his damages are most unlikely to have exceeded 10,000.'

He said those deciding to fund such claims should think harder about the potential costs, not just to the legal aid fund, but the police as well.

Mr Miller is liable to pay the Met's legal bills, but the judge said the force is unlikely to get its money back, as Mr Miller's ability to pay is probably 'non-existent'.

It brings the total estimated cost to the public purse to almost 200,000.

During a three-day jury trial at Central London County Court, a jury heard Mr Miller say he had been deeply affected by what happened.

He was amongst a group of protestors on the Anonymous group's 'Million Mask March' - which he described as an 'evening out' - when he was arrested.

'I was saying 'goodbye' to my friends and, the next thing I knew, six police officers burst through the police line, grabbed me and said I was under arrest,' he said.

'They grabbed me, dragged me through the police line and told me I was being arrested for assault. The PC called me a 'tw*t'.

'When I challenged him, he said: 'There's six of us and one of you. What are you going to do about it?'.'

The activist denied assaulting police or inciting the crowd to push against officers at the Anonymous demonstration last year (pictured, Parliament Square during the protest)

Judge Alan Saggerson branded the case which cost almost 30,000 'utterly meritless' and a total 'waste' of legal aid money

Mr Miller was held for 15 hours and charged with assault, but the CPS dropped the case against him in March 2013.

He sued Met Commissioner, Cressida Dick, on behalf of the force, for assault, false imprisonment and malicious prosecution, claiming his experiences made his fibromyalgia worse.

However, the police said Mr Miller was arrested because officers genuinely believed that he had assaulted a policeman.

He had shouted 'charge' in order to incite the crowd and twice pushed a police officer, they claimed.

The jury found that the arresting officer honestly suspected Mr Miller had committed an assault and honestly believed his arrest was necessary

They found that Mr Miller had not proved he was called a 'tw*t' by an officer or that police evidence was falsified to bring about prosecution.

Dismissing his claim, Judge Saggerson said the arresting officer's suspicion was 'honest and reasonable'.

It would be 'utterly ludicrous' to suggest that any police action, other than arrest, was appropriate, he added.

Mr Miller says he was grabbed and restrained by the arms before being put in handcuffs.

He was taken to Charing Cross Police Station, where he was held for 15 hours and charged with assault the following afternoon.

Mr Miller was unable to get his medication and, because of the stress and his medical conditions, he was left feeling 'very very anxious', he said.

Five months later, the prosecution was dropped after the CPS decided it was 'not necessary in the public interest'.

In the meantime, he suffered sleepless nights and had to increase his fibromyalgia medication because stress makes it worse, he said.
Surveillance footage has captured the moment armed men robbed a pawn shop in Houston earlier this month.

Police said the men entered the Cash America Pawn at 4521 Almeda Road on December 5 at around 7pm.

Two men, armed with rifles, forced employees to the ground while the other men, some armed with hammers, began to break glass cases and take jewelry.

Footage has shown the moment armed men robbed a pawn shop in Houston earlier this month

Police said the men appeared to be wearing heavy-duty gloves in order to avoid being cut while pulling things out of the broken cases.

Police said the men got away with several pieces of jewelry and a large sum of money. They left the scene in a black Cadillac SUV with a paper license plate.

Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the charging and/or arrest of the men in the case.

Information can be reported by calling 713-222-TIPS (8477) or submitted online. The robbers fled in a black Cadillac SUV with paper plates.

Last month officials announced that charges have been filed against four suspects believed to be responsible for a series of robberies in the Houston area.

Houston police Chief Art Acevedo was joined by robbery detectives and officials from the Harris County District Attorneys Office for a news conference about the case.

The men, two of whom were armed, are seen entering the pawn shop with masks on

They then go to the area where the cash register is and proceed to take cash and jewelry

They also forced staff to get on the ground while they carried out their robbery in Houston

The incident happened at the Cash America Pawn shop in Houston, Texas

According to Acevedo, the suspects, LaCharles Craige, 18, Trenton Jackson, 21, Cameron Lucas, 17, and Marquis Clark, 21, are charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon.

Craige is also charged with sexual assault, which police believe happened in at least two of the robberies.

They are believed to have broken into 20 homes and businesses in the Houston area over a two month period from June to August.
When Elon Musk announced the Model 3, a new electric sedan that would sell for just $35,000, he sent shock waves through Wall Street - and through America.

Thousands of people lined up for blocks across the country in 2016 to put down a $1,000 deposit for a Model 3 car before production had even begun.

In the first day alone 180,000 people had pre-ordered the Model 3. By the end of the week, that number went up to 325,000.

But a new WIRED expose has revealed that Musk's mission to mass produce the affordable electric sedan would lead to dozens of top executives fleeing the company as Musk's behavior only became more and more erratic.

'Everyone in Tesla is in an abusive relationship with Elon,' one former executive declared.

And those problems only to worsened as Tesla repeatedly failed to meet production goals and Musk split from Amber Heard.

A new WIRED expose has revealed how Elon Musk's mission to mass produce Tesla's Model 3 would lead to dozens of top executives fleeing the company as his behavior only became more and more erratic

Musk had never been the easiest of people to work with, but that wasn't unusual or surprising in a Silicon Valley that was built by eccentric - and erratic - leaders.

The PayPal and SpaceX founder, who is currently worth $22billion, initially took Tesla to new heights when he invested $6.3million in the company in 2004.

He became the firm's chairman and soon also was named its chief executive. Under his leadership, Tesla would go on to sell 50,000 Model S cars in 2015.

The company soon became worth $7billion and Musk's star continued to rise, landing him spots on The Simpsons and Big Bang Theory as he racked up five houses in Los Angeles' swanky Bel Air neighborhood - for a total of $72million.

Musk - who has five children with first wife Justine Wilson - also began dating celebrities, marrying actress Talulah Riley before later dating Heard.

'He went from nerd famous to Hollywood famous,' said one former longtime executive. 'It changes you when you suddenly become a celebrity.'

Executives revealed to WIRED that they began reading tabloids. If there were reports of trouble in Musk's relationship, they held off on telling him any bad news.

When Elon Musk announced the Model 3 (pictured), a new electric sedan that would sell for just $35,000, he sent shockwaves through Wall Street - and through America

But things were still going well in Tesla, thanks in part to the fact that Musk was surrounded by people who had been there for a while and knew 'how to push back on him', according to one former executive.

'He listened to us when we said he needed to dial it down,' they added. 'But then the Model 3 happened and everyone started leaving, and then everything started falling apart.'

The original plan for the Model 3 was already ambitious. Tesla had sold fewer than 150,000 cars total. Now it was planning to make 5,000 Model 3 cars a week.

'You are now working at a different company,' Doug Field, the company's senior vice president of engineering, told his staff. 'Everything has changed.'

Little did everyone know that Musk had been dreaming of far more changes - inspired by a literal dream.

He wanted a manufacturing plant that was fully automated, one in which robots built everything at high speed and conveyor belts delivered parts at exactly the right time.

Musk wanted his departments to completely rebuild their manufacturing plants for the Model 3, telling them: 'We're going to build the machine that builds the machine'.

The announcement completely shocked the company. Engineers began handing in their notices as executives tried to push back on Musk's plan.

But he wouldn't relent. Whenever someone raised an alarm, Musk would pull their manager aside - sometimes to reassign them, sometimes to fire them, it is claimed.

But Musk sent shockwaves through his own company when he declared he wanted the Model 3 manufacturing plant (pictured) to be fully automated, one in which robots built everything

'If you were the kind of person who was likely to push back, you got disinvited, because VPs didn't want anyone pissing off Elon,' said one former executive.

'People were scared that someone would question something.'

As the company started burning through an estimated $100million a week, Musk only became more and more frustrated.

In one meeting, Musk was so furious he broke a phone, it is claimed. In another, he angrily called an executive who hadn't attended because his wife had recently given birth. He reportedly once refused to interview a job candidate because they were wearing blue shoes.

'Everyone came to work each day wondering if it was going to be their last day,' one former executive said.

Another remembered Musk coming to work and declaring 'I've got to fire someone today'.

'I'd say, "No, you don't" and he'd say, "No, no. I just do. I've got to fire somebody,'" the executive recalled.

Fast-forward a year and the company was still severely struggling. And now customers were asking for their Model 3 deposits back.

As the company continued to struggle, Musk split from girlfriend Amber Heard and became more desolate as he told one Rolling Stone reporter he was in 'severe emotional pain'

Still Tesla tried to drum up some good press, presenting the first 30 Model 3 customers at a party at the company's Fremont factory.

But their leader was desolate. Musk, who had recently broken up with Heard, instead told the press that Tesla was about to embark on 'six months of manufacturing hell'.

'Sorry for being a little dry,' he added, 'got a lot on my mind right now.'

One former high-ranking executive said the event was a turning point - the beginning of a 'downward spiral'.

'[Musk] was always a mad genius, but he was about 95 percent genius and 5 percent mad,' the executive said.

'The ratio started to shift, and by the fall it was totally inverted.'

Musk's firings only accelerated, at one point becoming so bad that one manager forbade his staff from going near their leader's desk.

Many employees - even brand new ones - learned that one chance encounter could end their career.

Such was the case for one young employee at Gigafactory, Tesla's battery manufacturing plant in Nevada.

Musk's firings at Tesla began to accelerate, at one point becoming so bad that one manager forbade his staff from going near their leader's desk. Pictured is the Gigafactory 2 in New York

Musk had called on the employee over an issue with the production line, telling him simply 'This doesn't work!'

'Did you do this?' Musk then asked.

The employee had never met Musk before, and he had no idea what exactly Musk was talking about.

'You mean, program the robot? Or design the tool?' the engineer asked.

'Did you f*****g do this?' Musk reportedly asked again.

'I'm not sure what you're referring,' the engineer told him, an apology in his voice.

'You're a f*****g idiot,' Musk allegedly replied. 'Get the f**k out and don't come back!'

A few minutes later, the employee found out he had been officially fired.

'We called it the "idiot bit,'" one senior executive told WIRED. 'If you said something wrong or made one mistake or rubbed him the wrong way, he would decide you're an idiot and there was nothing that could change his mind.'

'It started to feel like every day you expected to be fired,' another added. 'There was this constant feeling of dread.'

One spokesman told WIRED that Musk only fired those who were 'underperforming'.

Then, in August, Musk sent out a tweet that would cost him $20million and his chairmanship of Tesla's board

The story only got weirder as rapper Azealia Banks claimed she had witnessed Musk breaking down to his girlfriend Grimes (pictured together) over the tweet. She even claimed he sent it while on acid

'Elon cares very deeply about the people who work at his companies,' they said in a statement.

'That is why, although it is painful, he sometimes takes the difficult step of firing people who are underperforming.'

'In order for Tesla to succeed, we must have extremely high standards and work harder and smarter than everyone else.'

'Sometimes, when we feel it's important to the success of our mission, that means people are let go.'

Eventually 700 people would be let go, and more than 36 Tesla vice presidents or higher-ranking staff would leave the company - including the company's chief information officer and vice presidents of manufacturing and engineering.

'It felt like the adults were leaving the building,' one senior employee said. 'There was really no one left would could push back on Elon anymore.'

Meanwhile, Musk's interviews were only getting more and more bizarre, even telling a Rolling Stone reporter that he was in 'severe emotional pain'.

'I will never be happy without having someone,' he added. 'Going to sleep alone kills me.'

By April, Musk finally admitted that 'excessive automation' was his mistake. Two months later, Tesla finally hit its goal of 5,000 Model 3 cars in one week.

Musk was over the moon, telling employees that Tesla had finally become a 'real car company'. And yet, he personally continued to spiral, it is claimed.

His tweeting became rampant that summer as he called one critic a 'sanctimonious idiot' and told a Buzzfeed reporter in an email that he was a 'f*****g a**hole'.

Musk called a cave diver who helped rescue the trapped Thailand boys that he was a pedophile, and told one Wall Street analyst he had asked a 'boneheaded question' during a company call about Tesla's latest earnings.

Musk only found himself making more headlines a month later, when he smoked marijuana during an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast

Then, in August, Musk sent out a tweet that would cost him $20million and his chairmanship of Tesla's board.

'Am considering taking Tesla private at $420,' he wrote. 'Funding secured.'

But no such funding was secured, and days the story only got weirder as rapper Azealia Banks claimed she had witnessed Musk breaking down over the tweet.

'I waited around all weekend while [girlfriend] Grimes coddled her boyfriend for being too stupid to know not to go on Twitter on acid,' Banks wrote, referring to Musk's girlfriend.

'I saw him in the kitchen tucking his tail in between his legs scrounging for investors to cover his a** after that tweet.'

Musk later revealed that he had chosen the $420 price because he had 'recently learned of the number's significance in marijuana culture' and thought Grimes 'would find it funny'.

The Securities and Exchange Commission sued Musk for fraud - which has since been settled - and the Department of Justice has opened a criminal fraud probe.

Musk only found himself making more headlines a month later, when he smoked marijuana during an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast.

Now NASA is also investigating Musk's SpaceX and Boeing companies to ensure they are adhering to the requirements for a 'drug-free environment'.

'For a long time, Elon would say or do something kind of wacky, and I would get up in front of my team and explain, this is why you shouldn't worry about it,' said one former executive.

'But eventually it got to where I couldn't apologize anymore.'

Ask some Tesla employees now, and they will say that the company has succeeded in spite of Musk - not because of him.

'When people were shielded from Elon, Tesla was amazing,' a high-ranking engineer executive said. 'We did incredible things.'
The first wife of a man who confessed to killing his mistress' husband has testified that she began to suspect the affair after having a threesome with him and his lover.

The third day of the love triangle murder trial got underway on Thursday where Denise Williams, 48, is accused of plotting the murder her high school sweetheart husband Mike Williams in Florida.

Prosecutors have argued that Denise, with the help of her married lover Brian Winchester, who was also Mike's best friend, planned her husband's death for the life insurance.

Mike vanished while duck hunting on a lake near Tallahassee in December 2000. Winchester confessed to shooting dead his friend last year.

Now Winchester's first wife Kathy Thomas has revealed how she suspected an affair between her husband and Denise, after Winchester suggested they have a threesome together.

After Mike's death, she acted as a police informant to bring down her husband's mistress.

The two couples had been close because they all attended North Florida Christian School together, but Thomas, also a longtime friend of Mike, testified on Thursday that Denise and Winchester's 'friendship' had begun to make her uncomfortable.

Kathy Thomas testified on Thursday about her husband Brian Winchester's affair with Denise Williams. Photo courtesy of WCTV

The third day of the love triangle murder trial got underway on Thursday where Denise Williams, 48, (left) is accused of plotting with Brian Winchester (right) to murder her high school sweetheart husband Mike Williams in Florida

Courtesy WTXL

Thomas confirmed that she went on a spring break trip to Panama City Beach with Denise and Winchester in 2001 after Mike's death. The court had earlier heard that photos were taken during the trip of the two women kissing at a strip club.

'Whenever it was just me with Brian and Denise it was uncomfortable,' Thomas said, speaking about her suspicions of an affair.

'I felt like the third wheel, I felt like I was on a date with the two of them.'

Thomas eventually split from Winchester and he then later married his friend Mike's widow five years after his death. Their relationship soured and they later divorced in 2015.

When Mike first disappeared, it was initially believed he had fall from his boat and that his body had been devoured by alligators.

Mike (pictured) disappeared in December 2000 while duck hunting near Tallahassee

It was revealed years later that Williams had died from a shotgun blast to the head and had been buried near a lake.

Winchester confessed last year to the cold case murder, which resulted in Denise's arrest in May on murder, fraud, conspiracy and accessory after the fact charges.

Mike's body wasn't found until last year after prosecutors offered him immunity in the murder case while he was being sentenced to 20 years in prison for kidnapping Williams at gunpoint.

He had kidnapped Denise and made her promise not to reveal their alleged secret.

Thomas testified on Thursday that a week after Winchester was arrested in 2016, Denise had contacted her and asked her to tell him that: 'I'm not talking'.

After Mike's body was discovered, Thomas said she began working as an informant to record phone conversations with Denise.

During one call, Thomas read from a script given to her by police where she asked Denise about the murder plot.

'Brian told me that ya'll planned it,' Thomas told Denise.

Denise responded: 'Planned what? Oh my God.'

Thomas later said: 'I know that you know something Denise'.

Her testimony on Thursday brought an end to the prosecution's case against Denise.

Florida prosecutors argue that Denise Williams planned the 2000 slaying of her husband Mike Williams (pictured together on their wedding day) so she could get a $1.75 million insurance payout

Mike, Denise, Winchester and Winchester's ex-wife, Kathy Thomas, were all close friends and attended North Florida Christian School together. Mike, Denise, Winchester are seen in their yearbook photos

Earlier in the trial, prosecutors argued that Winchester was the person who helped Mike fill out forms for a $1 million life insurance policy. He also helped Denise apply for $1.75 million in insurance funds following Mike's death.

Denise, now 48, was arrested back in May and charged with murder, fraud, conspiracy, and accessory after the fact in the relation to Mike's death

Winchester also took to the stand to detail how he and Denise allegedly plotted the murder during their three-year affair.

Winchester told the court that his friend Mike told him Williams had stopped having sex with him and that he was growing suspicious about her activities.

He said the growing suspicion and the fact that one of Mike's insurance policies was about to lapse led him and Denise to kill him.

'We knew our window of opportunity was closing,' Winchester testified.

Winchester then tearfully described the plot to kill Williams.

He had invited Mike duck hunting on a cold December morning and Winchester said he had intended to drown him by pushing him from his canoe. But he said he panicked when he saw Williams struggling in the water to get out of his jacket and duck waders and shot him.

'He started to yell and I didn't know how to get out of that situation. I had my gun in the boat, and so I loaded my gun and I just made one or two circles around and I ended up circling closer towards him and he was in the water, and as I passed by, I shot him,' he said.

Mike married his high school sweetheart Denise in 1994 and welcomed a daughter with her five years later. The child was 18 months old when her father vanished and is now aged 18

He said he dragged Williams' body back to shore, put him in his truck and buried him hours later.

'When I shot him, it was dark and there was a bright flash,' Winchester testified, adding later, 'I had to make it happen, I had no choice.'

He also described helping the rescue crews search for his friend's body.

'I think (my father and I) were the last ones. My dad didn't want to give up... He loved Mike.'

Denise's attorney, Philip Padovano, told jurors on Tuesday there was no evidence his client was having an affair with Winchester or that she helped plot the killing.

'There's no tangible evidence or physical evidence to connect Denise Williams to this crime,' Padovano said.

Denise's attorney, Philip Padovano, told jurors on Tuesday there is no evidence his client was having an affair with Winchester or that she helped plot the killing

'No confession, no admission, nothing.'

He told them that Winchester has been given immunity from murder charges in exchange for his testimony and that he was given a lighter sentence in his kidnapping case. In order to find Williams guilty, Padovano told the jury that 'you will have to rely on the word of a murderer and a convicted felon.'

On cross-examination, Denise's attorney asked Winchester if he was a murderer and a liar, to which Winchester said: 'Yes, sir'.

Mike and Denise were high school sweethearts and married in 1994 before welcoming a daughter five years later. The child was 18 months old when her father vanished and is now aged 18.

He disappeared on what would have been the couple's six wedding anniversary.

Authorities launches an exhaustive 44 day search for Mike's body after he vanished in 2000.

Six months after his disappearance, waders believed to belong to Mike were found floating in perfect condition in the search area. They reportedly showed no signs of an alligator attack.

Without a body, Denise petitioned to have her husband declared dead due to accidental drowning and she collected his death benefits.

She married Winchester in December 2005 before they divorced in 2016.
Donald Trump is standing by his former national security adviser, even though he cooperated extensively with federal prosecutors.

Trump claimed in an interview with Fox News on Thursday that the special counsel tried to scare Michael Flynn into lying, but he wouldn't budge, and so they agreed to keep him out of jail.

'The FBI said he didn't lie, but Mueller said he did lie, so they took a man who's a general and a respected person and a nice man, and I don't even know what he said about me,' Trump told 'Outnumbered Overtime' host Harris Faulkner, 'because maybe they scared him enough that he'll make up a story, but I have a feeling that maybe he didn't.'

'He's a tougher kind of a guy than Cohen,' Trump added.

The president was referring to his former attorney who was sentenced to three years of jail time this week after he cracked.

President Donald Trump claimed in an interview with Fox News on Thursday that the special counsel tried to scare Michael Flynn into lying, but he wouldn't budge, and so they agreed to keep him out of jail

Special Counsel Robert Mueller recommended no jail time for Flynn in court filings this month that claimed he offered 'substantial assistance' to the Justice Department.

A judge will be the ultimate decider, but Flynn is likely to stay out the slammer, unlike former Trump attorney Michael Cohen.

A court sentenced Cohen to three years in jail on Wednesday for a 'smorgasbord' of illegal activities, including illegal payments to two women the former Trump fixer says he made at the president's direction.

Trump tore Cohen apart in Thursday morning tweets that were followed by a gracious statement on Flynn.

'They gave General Flynn a great deal because they were embarrassed by the way he was treated - the FBI said he didnt lie and they overrode the FBI,' Trump asserted. 'They want to scare everybody into making up stories that are not true by catching them in the smallest of misstatements. Sad!'

Special Counsel Robert Mueller recommended no jail time for Michael Flynn in court filings this month. Trump called it a 'great deal' in a Thursday afternoon tweet

A judge will be the ultimate decider, but Flynn is likely to stay out the slammer, unlike former Trump attorney Michael Cohen

It was the first time that Trump had commented on Flynn's sentencing plea. He had been calling the Russia probe a 'witch hunt' for months

It was the first time that Trump had commented on Flynn's sentencing plea.

Flynn asked the court for leniency at a Wednesday hearing where he recommended 200 hours of community service and a year's probation for his illegal conduct.

He has admitted to lying to the FBI about the nature of his conversations with the Russian ambassador during the transition period between the 2016 election and Trump's inauguration.

His lies to the feds, and to the vice president, led to his firing from the White House in February of 2017.

Former FBI Director James Comey says that Trump pressured him to let Flynn off the hook in a subsequent meeting. Trump claims that isn't the case and Comey is liar.

President Trump fired Comey in May of 2017, a move that ultimately led to the deputy attorney general to appoint Mueller.

Trump claims that Mueller and his prosecutors are badgering witnesses and forcing them to lie or face serious jail time.

'They took a general that they said didn't lie, and they convinced him he did lie, and he made some kind of a deal, and now they're recommending no time,' Trump told Falkner of Flynn. 'You know why? Because they're embarrassed that he got caught,' he added, answering his own question.

President Trump also put forth his first defense since longtime lawyer Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in jail  saying it was Cohen's job to know campaign finance laws  in the interview that followed a series of tweets on the subject.

Cohen pleaded guilty to multiple charges, but the one that is most perilous for Trump is a campaign violation. Prosecutors say a figure identified as 'Individual-1'  Trump  'directed' Cohen to make a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, who claims she had an affair with Trump.

Trump initially denied any payment, but on Thursday put forward the defense that it was his lawyer's job to know the law.

'I never directed Michael Cohen to break the law,' Trump wrote. 'He was a lawyer and he is supposed to know the law. It is called advice of counsel, and a lawyer has great liability if a mistake is made,' Trump wrote.

Trump said he never 'directed' Cohen to break the law, although prosecutors said he did

Trump said the campaign finance charges Cohen pleaded to 'were not criminal'

The president Cohen agreed to plead guilty before a federal judge 'in order to embarrass the president and get a much reduced prison sentence,' after his former lawyer was sentenced to three years in jail

'That is why they get paid,' he added, before bringing up campaign finance laws in a series of tweets.

'Despite that many campaign finance lawyers have strongly ... stated that I did nothing wrong with respect to campaign finance laws, if they even apply, because this was not campaign finance. Cohen was guilty on many charges unrelated to me, but he plead to two campaign charges which were not criminal and of which he probably was not ....guilty even on a civil basis,' the president continued.

Then he claimed Cohen lied to a federal judge in order to shave time off his jail term, and appeared to dangle a hint that Cohen's family members will be facing prosecution in the future. Cohen was engaged in the taxi medallion business with his father-in-law.

'Those charges were just agreed to by him in order to embarrass the president and get a much reduced prison sentence, which he did-including the fact that his family was temporarily let off the hook. As a lawyer, Michael has great liability to me!' Trump concluded.

He admitted on Fox that he made a mistake in trusting Cohen, telling her, 'I hire usually good people.'

'I liked him and he was a lawyer,' he said. 'In retrospect I made a mistake.'

Cohen said in court he had been 'weak' for covering for Trump's 'dirty deeds,' hitting back at Trump for his attacks on his longtime lawyer and top confidant.

'Recently the president tweeted a statement calling me weak and it was correct, but for a much different reason than he was implying,' Cohen said as he pleaded for leniency. 'It was because time and time again I felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds.'

Trump said many campaign lawyers 'stated that I did nothing wrong with respect to campaign finance laws, if they even apply, because this was not campaign finance.' He was referencing a $130,000 payment to porn start Stormy Daniels, above

In the second bombshell development Wednesday, prosecutors revealed they have reached a cooperation deal with the publisher of the National Enquirer for its role in burying a story about a Playboy model Karen McDougal

'I blame myself for the conduct which has brought me here today and it was my own weakness and a blind loyalty to this man that led me to choose a path of darkness over light,' Cohen added.

Cohen's lawyer, Lanny Davis, appeared on CBS 'This Morning' and suggested his client still had more information to share. Davis quoted back a term used by Mueller's sentencing memo, which argued that Cohen's help had been 'core' to his investigation.

'I really dont know the specifics, but I know that when Mr. Mueller uses the expressions "core." Mr. Mueller gave credit to the cooperation for 70 hours and meetings,' Davis added. 'But the core word is about the heart of Mr. Muellers assignment on collusion' between the Trump campaign and Russians.

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

Michael Cohen's weepy statements in court I stand before your honor humbly and painfully aware that we are here for one reason. I take full responsibility for each act that I pled guilty to: The personal ones to me and those involving the President of the United States of America. This may seem hard to believe, but today is one of the most meaningful days of my life. I have been living in personal and mental incarceration ever since the day that I accepted the offer to work for a real estate mogul whose business acumen that I deeply admired. In fact, I now know there is little to admire. Recently the president tweeted a statement calling me weak and it was correct, but for a much different reason than he was implying. It was because time and time again I felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds. I blame myself for the conduct which has brought me here today and it was my own weakness and a blind loyalty to this man that led me to choose a path of darkness over light. Seeing the unbearable pain that my associations and my actions have brought to my entire family  this is why I did not enter into a cooperation agreement. I do not need a cooperation agreement in place to do the right thing. I will continue to cooperate. I want to apologize to the people of the United States. You deserve to know the truth and lying to you was unjust. I am committed to proving my integrity and making sure history will not remember me as the villain in his story. I'm truly sorry and I promise I will be better. Advertisement

In the second bombshell development Wednesday, prosecutors revealed they have reached a cooperation deal with the publisher of the National Enquirer for its role in burying a story about a Playboy model who claims she had a months-long affair with Donald Trump - giving one of the president's former closest allies immunity in return for flipping.

Cohen was involved in discussions with AMI's CEO David Pecker - who had been one of Trump's closest friends - over the $150,000 payment that went to model Karen McDougal, who claims she had a 10-month affair with Trump before he took office.

According to a letter from prosecutors to AMI, the company entered an agreement to acquire 'limited life rights' with a model about her relationship with 'any then-married man' in exchange for $150,000.

The firm agreed to pay 'substantially more money than AMI otherwise would have paid to acquire the story' 'because of Cohen's assurances to Pecker that AMI would ultimately be reimbursed for the payment.'

It also describes a 2015 meeting where Pecker offered to help deal with 'negative stories' about a presidential candidate  Trump. The meeting included Pecker, Cohen, and 'at least one other member of the campaign.'

The development establishes that two sources, Cohen and AMI, are willing to paint a different picture of the payments to the porn star and model than the more innocuous narrative put forward by the president. If the third unidentified member of the campaign also is willing to testify that the purpose of the payments was to the help the campaign, as prosecutors allege, it could do further damage.

If it is established that Trump was in fact directing the commission of a felony crime, he could face indictment  though Justice Department Guidelines say a sitting president cannot be indicted.
Laura Nixon-Corfield, pictured outside Manchester Crown Court, admitted possessing or distributing 821 indecent images and was given two years jail suspended for two years

An NHS administrator who led a secret double life as an online paedophile avoided jail today after she said her squalid behaviour occurred during an abusive romance with a former boyfriend.

Laura Nixon-Corfield, 33, swapped explicit pictures of youngsters with the man along with shocking messages including: 'I like seeing girls acting as w****s, it shows what they'll be as adults - start them young!'

Police were called in after Nixon-Corfield who works as a clinical administrator for the National Institute for Health Research attended a hospital near her home in Manchester complaining of suicidal thoughts and confessing she indecent images.

Officers raided her home in the city's Levenshulme area and found her laptop contained images of children aged between one to 12 with the majority of youngsters being aged between six and eight and who appeared to be in distress and pain.

Inquiries revealed there was an attempt to delete the images through a computer software programme.

In a statement Nixon-Corfield who also officiates at roller skating events and who previously worked at the Christie cancer hospital said: 'I fully admit to the offences alleged in the indictment on the full facts.

'I became involved in a relationship with someone which was of a controlling and abusive nature.

'The control fell far short of duress and I am still responsible for my actions, which were willing particularly with the offences.

'I accept full responsibility for my actions and do not seek to blame on somebody else for this course of offending.'

Officers raided Laura Nixon-Corfield's home in Manchester's Levenshulme area and found her laptop contained images of children aged between one to 12 with the majority of youngsters being aged between 6 and 8 and who appeared to be in distress and pain

At Manchester Crown Court, Nixon-Corfield wept as she admitted possessing or distributing 821 indecent images and was given two years jail suspended for two years.

She was also ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register for ten years and was made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The ex- boyfriend who is currently facing an investigation over the images cannot be named for legal reasons.

Prosecutor Miss Charlotte Crangle said: 'The offences came to light in June 10 2017 when the defendant attended the Manchester Royal Infirmary in the early hours of the morning, she was indicating having suicidal thoughts.

'When seen by the mental health nurse she disclosed that she had been invoked in a relationship with a male and she had been sending indecent images to him.

'She said she felt under pressure from him to do this and the nursing staff then informed the police. Officers attended at her home and her mobile phone was seized along with a Lenonvo Laptop.

'She gave a prepared statement indicating that she first met her boyfriend when she was and their relationship began to become sexual.

At Manchester Crown Court, Nixon-Corfield wept as she admitted possessing or distributing 821 indecent images and was given two years jail suspended for two years

'He began to bombard her with demands and she felt under pressure to comply, she felt she had to do exactly what he told her, including sending pictures of children.

'There was a large number of pornographic images which she sent to him involving adults and adults performing sexual acts.

'She said she felt controlled by him, he made her do and say things and the reason behind why she went to the hospital was to stop what was going on.

'She gave the prepared statement and answered 'no comment' to any further questions. She was released under investigation at that stage and her phone and computer was sent off for analysis.'

After police found the images, Nixon-Corfield was quizzed again and maintained she felt 'under pressure' from her ex-boyfriend 'to behave in this way.'

Miss Crangle added: 'She said she thought he was targeting her at a time when she was very low and depressed and down and was doing and saying what he told her to do to keep him happy.

'She said she knew what she was doing but said she never derived any sexual gratification from it.

'She had done it for him and she was prepared to support a prosecution against him. He was arrested and interviewed and is under investigation. It is clear from the chat logs that the defendant was willing and fully participated in the sexual behaviour.

'It appeared she did derive sexual gratification from the chats.

One of the comments said: 'I like seeing girls acting as w****s, it shows what they'll be as adults' and 'start them that young'.

'There were other various comments referring to sexual acts against children and other similar comments of that nature. The age of the children was a vulnerable age. The images were described to show them in distress and in pain.'

In mitigation defence lawyer Harriet Johnson said: 'It would take a hard heart not to be disgusted by the messages that exist in this case - and this also applies to Laura Nixon-Corfield.

'She does not wish any sort of blame upon somebody else, she accepts her actions were willingly undertaken. But there was pressure, which she maintains, and she was in an abusive relationship.

'She is adamant that she wishes no mercy or no excuse made on her behalf and she does not approve her behaviour and she became caught up in her own offences. Her good character has been destroyed as a result of her confession.

'The courts tragically see these offences on a regular basis but it is rare to see complete cooperation, admission and acceptance.

'She has brought a bag with her today and is under no illusion of what faces her. She lost her employment and has lost any shred of self respect she had.

'She has shown genuine remorse and understanding and on her behalf a suspended sentence is not as is often reported, as walking free.'

Sentencing Judge Hilary Manley told Nixon-Corfield: 'You embarked on a relationship with this man when you were on an extremely low ebb in your life.

'You have suffered and executed your own frailty and I find you were devastated during the course of his suggestion that you become involved in the possession and distribution of those vile images.

'However you are an intelligent thinking person. You did not have to do any of the things asked if you and you did not have a gun held to you head either literally or metaphorically - you were a willing participant.

'What was depicted from those messaged you sent to each other state that you were involved in this with some type of enthusiasm.

'You received genuine gratification from these indecent images. The phrase 'indecent images of children' does not express the child's sexual torture they suffer in the making of these images.

'When these images are downloaded this redirects the demand and adds to more sexual torture for the child. Distributing these images is peddling the restriction of the future of these children.

'These courts know the majority of their lives have long been devastated and damaged due to their sexual abuse.

'I find you genuinely became tormented by what you had been doing and as a result you felt you no longer wanted to hide it from yourself and that is a great example of remorse. You have taken steps to amend what you did.'
Theresa May won her Tory confidence vote after promising not to lead the party into the 2022 general election.

These are some of the leading contenders to replace her:

Boris Johnson - 7/2

How did they vote on Brexit?

Led the Vote Leave campaign alongside Michael Gove.

What is their view now?

Hard line Brexiteer demanding a clean break from Brussels. The former foreign secretary is violently opposed to Theresa May's Chequers plan and a leading voice demanding a Canada-style trade deal.

What are their chances?

Mr Johnson's biggest challenge could be navigating the Tory leadership rules.

He may be confident of winning a run-off among Tory members but must first be selected as one of the top two candidates by Conservative MPs.

Now rated as favourite by the bookies, Boris Johnson's (pictured leaving parliament last night) biggest challenge will be navigating the Tory leadership rules

Dominic Raab - 9/2

How did they vote on Brexit?

Leave, with a second tier role campaigning for Vote Leave.

What is their view now?

Mr Raab was installed as Brexit Secretary to deliver the Chequers plan but sensationally resigned last month saying the deal was not good enough.

What are their chances?

His resignation from the Cabinet put rocket boosters under Mr Raab's chances, fuelling his popularity among the hardline Brexiteers. May struggle to overcome bigger beasts and better known figures.

Newly installed as Brexit Secretary, Dominic Raab (pictured on Tuesday) is trying to negotiate Theresa May's Brexit deal

Sajid Javid - 5/1

How did they vote on Brexit?

Remain but kept a low profile in the referendum.

What is their view now?

Pro delivering Brexit and sceptical of the soft Brexit options.

What are their chances?

Probably the leading candidate from inside the Cabinet after his dramatic promotion to Home Secretary. Mr Javid has set himself apart from Mrs May on a series of policies, notably immigration.

Sajid Javid (pictured leaving the Houses of Parliament this evening) is probably the leading candidate from inside the Cabinet after his dramatic promotion to Home Secretary

Michael Gove - 7/1

How did they vote on Brexit?

Leave

What is their view now?

He has said Theresa May's Chequers blueprint for Brexit is the 'right one for now'. But he recently suggested a future prime minister could alter the UK-EU relationship if they desired.

What are their chances?

He came third in the first round of voting in 2016, trailing behind ultimate winner Theresa May and Andrea Leadsom. Mr Gove has said it is 'extremely unlikely' that he would stand again. But he popular in the party and is seen as an ideas man and a reformer by many, and he could change his mind if Theresa May is shown the door.

Michael Gove appeared to rule himself out of the race in recent days, but he ran last time and is popular among many in the party. He is pictured outside the Houses of Parliament today

Jeremy Hunt - 7/1

How did they vote on Brexit?

Remain.

What is their view now?

The Foreign Secretary claims the EU Commission's 'arrogance' has made him a Brexiteer.

What are their chances?

Another top contender inside Cabinet, Mr Hunt's stock rose during his record-breaking stint at the Department of Health and won a major promotion to the Foreign Office after Mr Johnson's resignation. Widely seen as a safe pair of hands which could be an advantage if the contest comes suddenly.

Jeremy Hunt's stock rose during his record-breaking stint at the Department of Health and won a major promotion to the Foreign Office after Mr Johnson's resignation

David Davis - 10/1

How did they vote on Brexit?

Leave.

What is their view now?

Leave and a supporter of scrapping Mrs May's plan and pursuing a Canada-style trade deal with the EU.

What are their chances?

The favoured choice of many hard Brexiteers. Seen as a safer pair of hands than Mr Johnson and across the detail of the current negotiation after two years as Brexit Secretary. He could be promoted a caretaker to see through Brexit before standing down.

Unlikely to be the choice of Remain supporters inside the Tory Party - and has been rejected by the Tory membership before, in the 2005 race against David Cameron.

David Davis (pictured outside the Houses of Parliament today) is seen as a safer pair of hands than Mr Johnson and across the detail of the current negotiation after two years as Brexit Secretary

Amber Rudd - 14/1

How did they vote on Brexit?

Remain. Represented Britain Stronger in Europe in the TV debates.

What is their view now?

Strongly remain and supportive of a second referendum - particularly given a choice between that and no deal.

What are their chances?

Popular among Conservative MPs as the voice of Cameron-style Toryism, Ms Rudd is still seen as a contender despite resigning amid the Windrush scandal - and she was boosted further by her return to Cabinet as Work and Pensions Secretary on Friday night. She is badly hampered by having a tiny majority in her Hastings constituency and would not be able to unite the Tory party in a sudden contest over the Brexit negotiation.

Popular among Conservative MPs as the voice of Cameron-style Toryism, Amber Rudd (pictured leaving parliament this evening) is still seen as a contender despite resigning amid the Windrush scandal

Jacob Rees-Mogg - 14/1

How did they vote on Brexit?

Leave.

What is their view now?

Leave and recently branded Theresa May's Brexit U-turn a 'humiliation' which has left her deal 'defeated'.

What are their chances?

As chair of the European Research Group (ERG) bloc of Tory Eurosceptics he has been urging MPs to replace Mrs May for weeks.

Pro-Brexit supporter, Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, walks through members of the media and anit-brexit demonstrators as he walks near to the Houses of Parliament in London yesterday

Penny Mordaunt - 14/1

How did they vote on Brexit?

Leave.

What is their view now?

Leave and subject of persistent rumour she could be the next to quit Cabinet over Mrs May's Brexit deal.

What are their chances?

Possible dark horse in the contest, Ms Mordaunt is not well known to the public but is seen as a contender in Westminster. Known to harbour deep concerns about Mrs May's Brexit deal, but has stopped short of resigning from Cabinet.

Possible dark horse in the contest, Penny Mordaunt (pictured in Downing Street) is not well known to the public but is seen as a contender in Westminster

Andrea Leadsom - 16/1

How did they vote on Brexit?

Leave.

What is their view now?

Ms Leadsom said in late November that she was backing the withdrawal agreement struck with Brussels because it 'delivered' on the referendum result.

What are their chances?

Leader of the Commons since June, Andrea Leadsom found herself at the centre of controversy in the 2016 leadership campaign when comments she made were interpreted as a claim that she would be a better PM than Mrs May because she was a mother. Asked recently whether Mrs May was the right person to be leading the country, she said she is 'at the moment'.

Andrea Leadsom, Leader of the House of Commons, arrives at Downing Street on Thursday last week

Gavin Williamson - 33/1

How did they vote on Brexit?

Remain.

What is their view now?

Mr Williamson tweeted today: 'The Prime Minister has my full support. She works relentlessly hard for our country and is the best person to make sure we leave the EU on 29 March and continue to deliver our domestic agenda.'

What are their chances?

He backed Remain in the referendum and pledged his support for Mrs May in the 2016 leadership contest but has since been mentioned as a potential future Tory leader.
Mr Justice Hayden (pictured) said evidence showed the little girl was suffering and that she should be allowed to die peacefully

A mother has described her torment as a judge ruled doctors should allow her very sick 11-month-old girl to die.

Mr Justice Hayden said doctors could stop providing 'futile' life-support treatment to the youngster.

As the mother, who cannot be identified, said 'I don't want to let her go' at a heartbreaking hearing at London's High Court.

The judge said the little girl had a progressive brain injury plus a very severe progressive lung disease and would not improve.

But he said evidence showed that she was suffering.

He ruled that life-support treatment could stop today after analysing the girl's case at a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London.

He said bosses at the Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust, who have responsibility for the little girl's care, had asked him to rule that she could be allowed to die.

Her parents said they understood what doctors were saying but could not make the decision to let her die and wanted a judge to take that responsibility.

'I have spent 11 months with my daughter - she is very attached to me,' the little girl's mother told Mr Justice Hayden.

'I don't want to let her go.'

But she added: 'I will respect your decision.'

The judge ruled that life-support treatment could stop today after analysing the girl's case at a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London (pictured)

Mr Justice Hayden praised the couple's devotion.

'Sadly, it was never possible for her to leave hospital but her parents have been there every day,' he said.

'They have worked with the hospital through one medical challenge after another.'

The judge told the court: 'The primary objective now is that she should die peacefully and with dignity in her parents' arms.'

He added: 'I have no doubt that the parents' decision is not only correct but a healthy parental instinct. Knowing when to let go of a child is part of the responsibility of being a parent.'

The judge said the little girl could not be identified.
A dozing night porter had a lucky escape after a grenade was thrown into a hotel entrance and he calmly picked it up and carried it away.

The bizarre incident took place in the Dutch capital of Amsterdam in the early hours of Sunday, 25th October, but police have only just released CCTV footage.

In the footage a suspect is seen approaching the hotel on his scooter before walking towards the entrance of the Parkview Hotel while holding a hand grenade.

A man parks his scooter and walks towards the hotel in Amsterdam holding a hand grenade

He then pulls the pin and throws the grenade towards the hotel door, where it bounces off the wall and lands on the red carpet in front of the entrance.

Expecting the hand grenade to explode, the suspect runs away from the scene, gets on his scooter and rides off.

The hotel's night porter, who was reportedly sleeping at the time, then walks towards the entrance with his hands in his pockets and picks up the grenade.

He then nonchalantly walks across the street with it and puts it on the pavement, away from the hotel.

When he walks back to the entrance, he picks up what could be the grenade's pin and puts it in a plant box outside.

The porter is next seen with a police man and the pair inspect the grenade while the hotel worker holds a torch.

The night porter inspects the hand grenade with his hands in his pockets before picking it up

He then calmly walks it to the other side of the road before calling the police

According to local media, they immediately then called an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) squad to diffuse the grenade.

A police spokesman said: 'The pin was removed and judging by the way the perpetrator quickly fled the scene he expected the device to explode.'

Police said the hand grenade was faulty and therefore did not detonate.

The police decided to share the footage as they have not identified the perpetrator or his motive.

Meanwhile, the female hotel owner said that she is unaware of anyone who would want to make her or the hotel a target.

According to the police, the suspect worked with an accomplice as a CCTV camera filmed him with another man on the scooter shortly before he targeted the hotel.
The OSCE mission has conducted a monitoring on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops today in the direction of Azerbaijans Gazakh district.

The monitoring held under the mandate of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Personal Representative ended without incidents, Azerbaijans Defense Ministry said.
Two white high school students are facing hate crimes charges after they were caught in a private online chat discussing killing a black teacher and using racist language.

The male and female student, both 16, were caught sending the instant messages to each other using school-issued computers on Monday at Flagler Palm Coast High School in northeast Florida.

Looking over a student's shoulder, a teacher at the school saw the message 'WERE GONNA GET AWAY WITH MURDUR [sic] TONIGHT'.

The teacher alerted the school's IT administrator, who was able to pull up a log of the two students' chat history, according to a police incident report obtained by the Palm Coast Observer.

The male and female student, both 16, were caught sending the instant messages to each other using school-issued computers on Monday at Flagler Palm Coast High School (above)

Administrators found that the students had discussed their supposed lack of legal jeopardy for killing the teacher, under the theory that 'n*****s don't have rights.'

'When are we killing her,' one asked. 'Tonight. I already know her address' the other said.

The female student went on to say: '[They] gonna give you a medal for killing a n****.'

The male student replied that the homicide would be 'doing the world an amazing thing'.

The two students, whose names are redacted in the police report, insisted to detectives that the conversation had merely been a joke.

The girl, who started the conversation, said that she was upset at the teacher for not letting her make up some missed school work and just joking about any violence.

The boy also told police the conversation was a joke, explaining that the way the two were talking 'is the way that students speak to each other' these days, the report says.

Chat transcript of racist threats against Florida high school teacher Female student: My n***** teacher is p**ing me off. ... Im in a bad mood already. I swear im gonna stomp on her f***ing face and smash her weave into the ground Male student: LMFAOOOOOO Im about to stomp out of this class, Like f***ing throw the desk at her and leave Female student: Kill her Male student: I will. I won't get in trouble, you know why? Female student: Cuz n*****s don't have rights. ... When are we killing her, lmfaooooo Male student: Tonight. I already know her address Female student: 1:35am? Male student: Okay okay good. We have a time set. ... WERE GONNA GET AWAY WITH MURDUR TONIGHT Female student: Thye gonna give you a medal for killing a n**** Male student: Well its not really murder. Were doing the world an amazing thing The students then continued on to tell racist jokes, according to police. Advertisement

Detectives spoke to the teacher, Kimberly Lee, who told them she was terrified to learn of the conversation and had bought a gun the same day to protect herself.

Lee said she wanted to press charges because she believes the students are capable of harming her.

On Wednesday, the Flager County Sheriff's Office forwarded misdemeanor charges of simple assault to the state attorney's office, requesting a hate crime enhancement.

Simple assault is defined in Florida law as: 'an intentional, unlawful threat by word or act to do violence to the person of another, coupled with an apparent ability to do so, and doing some act which creates a well-founded fear in such other person that such violence is imminent'.

Because the charge is a misdemeanor, the students were not arrested.

Flagler County Schools spokesman Jason Wheeler told the Daytona Beach News-Journal that the district enforces a zero-tolerance policy on threats on campus.

'It's like yelling fire in a crowded movie theater,' he said. 'You can't say these things. Words matter. And when someone says this, even when they think it's a joking manner, we can't take that as a joke. We have to investigate these things.'

Police said that the student's conversation did not meet the legal threshold for more serious charges, such as written threats to kill.

'More serious felony charges were explored but the facts of this case did not meet the required elements for a felony charge,' said Chief Steve Brandt, Chief of Investigative Services for FCSO, in a statement.

'I was appalled at the language these students were using and the threats made toward this teacher', said Sheriff Rick Staly. 'These racial tones have no place in our community.'
Queer Eye star Tan France has claimed the Transportation Security Administration is pulling him out of security lines at the airport because of his race.

The British fashion designer, who is of Pakistani descent, revealed on social media that he was put through extra security checks three separate times while flying this week.

'I was just told by a TSA agent it's because my name is on a list,' France, one of the few openly gay Muslim men on television, tweeted on Wednesday.

'WTF? I'm brown but that does NOT mean I'm a damn security risk!'

Scroll down for video

Queer Eye star Tan France has claimed the Transportation Security Administration is pulling him out of security lines at the airport because of his race

The British fashion designer, who is of Pakistani descent, took to social media and revealed he was put through extra security checks three separate times while flying this week

France also spoke about the incidents on his Instagram story after getting on the plane, telling his 2.1 million followers that he was 'f*****g fuming'.

'I've just gone through security at the airport, it took me over two hours,' he said. 'And this is now the third time this week.'

France said he normally gets through customs in '15 to 20 minutes' because he has TSA Precheck, which offers five years of expedited screening for $85.

'But apparently my name is on a list of concern,' France continued. 'And that was told to me by a TSA Precheck person.'

France then revealed what has happened each time he has been pulled out of the Precheck line.

'So here's how this goes down, and it's gone down three times this week,' he tells his followers.

TSA quickly responded to France's tweet and said 'we're sorry to hear this' and directed him to contact the Department of Homeland Security's Traveler Redress Inquiry Program

France, who is a member of Queer Eye's 'Fab Five', told his followers that he was 'f*****g fuming' after this week's many incidents

'What happens is when you're checking in, they tell you that you can't use your Precheck because there's a security issue.'

France said he was then sent to the regular security line, where he was singled out again.

'At that point they take you out of line, and then they search you, and they give you a pat down - which is humiliating - where they check everything,' he said.

'And then they go through all your bags - and they take a good 45 minutes to go through your bag.'

When France finally got to the gate, the ticketing agents initially wouldn't let him on the plane because they didn't recognize the stamps TSA put on his boarding pass.

'So the reason why I wanted to post this is so I can tag TSA and hopefully they'll see this at some point and figure out why the f**k they're treating me like this,' he said.

France (pictured with his husband) is one of the few openly gay Muslim men currently on television

France (pictured with co-stars Antoni Porowski and Jonathan Van Ness) said being pulled out of security lines and given frequent pat downs is 'humiliating'

'Because I know the answer. I know why I'm being profiled.'

TSA quickly responded to France's tweet and said 'we're sorry to hear this'.

It directed him to contact the Department of Homeland Security's Traveler Redress Inquiry Program, saying it 'can provide resolution to travelers with difficulties getting through security and inspection at airport checkpoints'.

The program is the 'single point of contact' for those who have experienced difficulties with 'watch list issues, screen problems at port of entry, and situations where travelers believe they have been unfairly or incorrectly delayed or denied boarding or identified for additional screening'.

TSA also released a statement to The Hill, saying it screens all airline passengers 'regardless of race, gender, or religion'.

'TSA cannot comment on the security designation for specific individuals, and there are a number of reasons a passenger can be selected for additional screening, including by random designation,' the statement read.
HARRIS FAULKNER, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: The New York Times is saying that a tabloid publishers deal to hush money is now endangering Trump even more. Im paraphrasing a little bit. You know as you look at this, what do you want the nation to know about your former attorney being sentenced yesterday?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I dont think -- and I have to go check. I dont think they even paid any money to that tabloid. I dont think weve made a payment to that tabloid. I was asking the question last  I dont think we made a payment, and then you have the other situation and every lawyer  look Trump didnt violate campaign finance laws and neither did the president -- Trump (inaudible). So theyre saying that --

FAULKNER: Oh, wait. I interviewed him on my program the other day.

TRUMP: OK.

FAULKNER: Hans Von Spakovsky.

TRUMP: Hes another one. Michael Cohen plead guilty to something that isnt even a crime.

FAULKNER: So 

TRUMP: Wait a minute. These are campaigns. Nobody except for me would be looked at this like  nobody. What about Congress? Where they had a slush fund and millions and millions of dollars is paid out each year. They have a slush fund  millions they dont talk about campaign finance or anything  have you ever heard of campaign finance list?

Have they listed that on their campaign finance sheets? No.

FAULKNER: All the (ph) ones Ive covered 

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: Number one they say its not a campaign finance violation. Number two or its not even under campaign finance  number two if it was, its not even a violation. Number three its a civil matter. You know President Obama had a really big one from ten times more money  much more money and you know what? He paid a fine. Im the only one that this happens to.

FAULKNER: So Robert Ray, former Special Counsel for White Water 

TRUMP: Hes a good man.

FAULKNER: -- was telling me on the program yesterday what youre saying that if this happens he said he couldnt see grounds for impeachment over that. He couldnt see grounds for indictment over that. Thats his opinion, but its an 

TRUMP: Nobody can.

FAULKNER: -- informed opinion that Ive seen that theres not settled (ph) law in that anyway. But I --

TRUMP: These are the people that ran the FEC, Federal Elections Commission. These people writing stories that Trump did nothing wrong, I did nothing wrong.

FAULKNER: So Mr. President lets get into if we can  Michael Cohen. He was your attorney. Three years he was sentenced yesterday and it may seem like he got a break because it could have been twice as much but its still three years in federal prison, $500,000 in restitution. This was someone who surreptitiously recorded you.

TRUMP: Terrible.

FAULKNER: Is now known as a criminal liar, yet this is someone who was in your inner circle.

TRUMP: Yes, well it happens. I mean look, it happens. I hire usually good people but it just happens.

FAULKNER: Why did you hire Michael Cohen? He was known as a fixer (ph) --

TRUMP: Years ago, Ill tell you what first of all --

FAULKNER: That was his title. (Inaudible).

TRUMP: He did very low level work.

FAULKNER: Why did you need him?

TRUMP: He did more public relations than he did law. But he did -- so if you'd see him on television, he was OK on television, but years ago, many years, like 12, 13 years ago, he did me a favor. He was on a committee and he was so responsive and so good. And I said, he's a nice guy. I should --

FAULKNER: Wait a minute. Wait a minute. That was the favor?

TRUMP: Years ago.

FAULKNER: Because, people have been asking, well, what is the favor that he did the president? He was on a committee with you.

TRUMP: Oh no. He was on a committee, it was a condominium committee many years ago and he was a very big supporter of mine on that committee. I did a great job, Trump World Towers, a very tall building right opposite the United Nations, and when you build a building people always get together at the end and they make a settlement with the owner. They say the ceiling wasn't painted the right color or something. Sometimes serious stuff, but in my case it was a great building.

And he was on the committee, I think he was a great guy. I thought he was really a nice guy. He was very supportive. And I liked him and he was a lawyer, and because of that, I did it.

And you know what, in retrospect, I made a mistake. Because what he did was all unrelated to me except for the two campaign finance charges that are not criminal and shouldn't have been on there.

They put that on to embarrass me. They put those two charges on to embarrass me. They're not criminal charges, number one. Now, that's according -- Harris, that's according to the top people.

FAULKNER: And I've interviewed people who've told me this, that they're not criminal. So, you watch the program you know.

TRUMP: So what happened is either Cohen or the prosecutors, in order to embarrass me, said listen, I'm making this deal for reduced time and everything else, do me a favor, put these two charges on. They're not criminal charges.

FAULKNER: Right.

TRUMP: And they weren't for President Obama either.

FAULKNER: I want to move on. I have one last question. Michael Cohen says that he lied in order to protect you. What's your response to that?

TRUMP: Let me tell you, I never directed him to do anything wrong. Whatever he did, he did on his own. He's a lawyer. A lawyer who represents a client is supposed to do the right thing, that's why you pay them a lot of money, et cetera, et cetera. He is a lawyer, he represents a client. I never directed him to do any incorrect or wrong. And he understands that.

Look, he did some bad things, unrelated to me, maybe related to his other clients. I wasn't his only client, he had other clients. He did some bad things and -- income taxes evasion, I heard about taxi cab -- I heard about a lot of things. Now, I'm not reading about any of that stuff, because what he did is he made a deal to embarrass me.

In order to embarrass me they cut his term down. Pretty terrible stuff. Let me tell you the other thing, his father-in-law is a very rich guy, I hear. His father-in-law, I thought, was the guy that was the primary focus. Well, what did he do? Did he make a deal to keep his father-in-law out? Did he make a deal to keep his wife, who supposedly, maybe I'm wrong, but you can check it, did he make keep -- make a deal to keep his wife out of trouble?

Now, how many people, when they say, Listen, if you embarrass the President of the United States we'll give you a deal, your father-in-law, your wife, we'll cut you a deal. That's all it is. It's a terrible system we have. It's going on right now with General Flynn. The FBI said he didn't lie.

FAULKNER: I saw you tweet on that about --

TRUMP: But Mueller said he did lie, so they took a man who's a General and a respected person and a nice man -- and I don't even know what he said about me, because maybe they scared him enough that he'll make up a story, but I have a feeling that maybe he's a tougher kind of guy than Cohen, but they took a General that they said didn't lie and they convinced him he did lie and he made some kind of a deal. And now they're recommending no time. You know why? Because they're embarrassed that they got caught.

FAULKNER: All right, lets move on. So you mentioned Ohio, so Im going to bring up John Kasich and Im going to bring up Arizona Senator Jeff Flake, because they say they may run against you in 2020.

TRUMP: I hope so.

FAULKNER: But look at the new Fox polling today which has your -- your approval rating at 46 percent, which is just a couple tics off of your highest point in 17 --

TRUMP: It was higher than Obama.

FAULKNER: -- What -- what is your --

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: You know it was higher than Obama.

FAULKNER: -- what is your reaction today to getting that number? Its still below 50, but 46 percent approval.

TRUMP: Well, I think its amazing because I only get bad news. I only get bad stories. You look at the paper, its all nonsense. Its campaign contributions that if it were -- even the campaign contribution is totally legal. You look at stories one after another, theyre all legal. The great lawyers that do that stuff are saying theres nothing illegal.

FAULKNER: All right, well get to that in a second --

TRUMP: No. No, but wait a minute. I mean, I get such bad news. So when you tell me Im at 48 -- like Rasmussen, I was at 50 in Rasmussen -- when you tell me Im at 50 percent, I say how can I possibly be at 50 percent? When I open up China, like Im doing right now, nobody reports it. Now, the Wall Street Journal --

FAULKNER: Well, were talking about it.

TRUMP: Yes -- well, thats because, you know, Im here and were talking about it.

(LAUGHTER)

TRUMP: But, no, its on the front page now of The Wall Street Journal --

FAULKNER: Yes.

TRUMP: -- because theres never -- nobodys ever seen anything like this. But it wont be a big story on NBC, or ABC, or CBS and CNN wont even cover it -- you know, thats total fake news.

FAULKNER: What do you say to these men who think they have a shot in 2020 and youre sitting at 46, and it really hasnt moved all that much and lets be honest, theres been some bumpy trails along the way and weathering that with this type of approval rating, what do you say to --

TRUMP: I think I have the greatest face in the history of politics. I have people that I love and that love me, frankly, that includes a lot of women. Ive got a tremendous percentage of women last time, remember? I wasnt going to get women (ph). I wasnt going --

FAULKNER: I interviewed some of the women for Trump, yes.

TRUMP: Yes. I got women that  theyre the greatest, and I have tremendous women support, but if you remember the last election I was worried I wouldnt get one women in the Untied States to run -- and I got tremendous  I mean Hillary wish she had my numbers, OK. Hillary got traps (ph) with women. And Ill tell you something, the news and the polls are really fake, but I have the greatest face in history because the 46 and 48 percent, those people they never wavered (ph). In fact it was your poll, and frankly Fox is always giving me a bad poll (ph), I dont know why that is but --

FAULKNER: Really?

TRUMP: I think theyve treated me fairer than most, but the polls have always been lousy.

FAULKNER: But theres positive news in this though (ph).

TRUMP: No -- well the economy was really positive. I just saw the poll, the economy was very  look Ive done a good job on the economy, but Ive done a very good job in foreign relations. Were respected again as a nation.

PART 2

FAULKNER: I had the pleasure of meeting your Chief of Staff this morning, General Kelly, and I know you're getting ready to make a position change there. Youve said some glowing things about him this week. What are you looking for in the next chief of staff?

TRUMP: Well, I want somebody that's strong, but I want somebody that thinks like I do. It's my vision -- it is my vision after all. At the same time, I'm open to ideas.

We've had an incredible run. Nobody's done what I've done, and what this Administration has done in the first two years, and we're not even that close to two years. We have a ways to go.

And something interesting, I just see this in the front page of "The Wall Street Journal" which just came out. China opened -- it's going to open its policy, a big policy shift. They're going to open the whole country, that they want to please President Trump, that they want to do things that they have to do and that people should have been after China for years, I mean frankly.

And I've established a fantastic relationship with President Xi, who's the head of China, the absolute head of China, and I think we're going to work a fantastic deal for both countries, but a fantastic deal for us. Were going to get China to open up.

FAULKNER: So, lets spend just a moment talking about the economy right now, because this goes along with the reporting that there has been a little bit of movement during this 90 day ceasefire. How are things going with what you have with China and the tariffs and all of that?

TRUMP: So, we had a tremendous meeting. It lasted for four hours. It was in Argentina during the G20. I met with President Xi at the end. And we had a fantastic meeting. It was just a great meting.

FAULKNER: What makes it fantastic?

TRUMP: The relationship that I have (ph) 

FAULKNER: I mean what does that conversation like--

TRUMP: But what really makes it fantastic, is that we have placed tremendous tariffs on China that when China sends things in to America now, theyre paying 25 percent interest on everything they send in. And weve only gone to a certain charge, $250 billion. Its 25 on the first $50 billion, and then its 10 on the rest.

But it goes to 25 on January 1st. But I relieved them of that temporarily until the end of the 90 days to see whether or not we can make a deal. But just one thing, after that, I have an additional $267 billion worth of taxes essentially to put on China.

And they dont want that. That would be devastating for China. And they have now agreed to go and buy soybeans, tremendous amounts of soybeans. You see that already happening.

FAULKNER: So, that helps take the pressure off the American economy a little bit in terms of how it --

TRUMP: Well, I dont think there is any pressure. Everyones doing so well. I mean theres not a lot of pressure. If you look at unemployment numbers the best in 50 years. If you look at African American unemployment --

FAULKNER: Yes.

TRUMP: Hispanic unemployment, Asian unemployment--

FAULKNER: Lots of bright spots that youre talking about--

TRUMP: Best numbers ever. Best numbers ever.

FAULKNER: So, the Dow Jones though, and the S&Ps and the markets, its been said well, if you take credit for when theyre soaring, you have to take credit for fixing--

TRUMP: Sure.

FAULKNER: -- them when theyre not. So, were at a point where we have lost the gains on the Dow for 2018. But in your presidency, were up nearly 25 percent--

TRUMP: Yes, 33 percent even--

FAULKNER: -- in that. So, do you feel -- or what is your strategy if you will, for bringing it back at this point?

TRUMP: Well, I have a very simple strategy. We were up almost 40 percent and we had lost a little of that because of trade. I mean, I am doing great trade deals.

FAULKNER: And youre willing to do that. Thats different. Is it busy (ph)?

TRUMP: Yes. Well, Id rather do it when were up 40 percent and now lets take a little bit off the table and fix it because we cannot continue to lose $500 billion a year to China. And I had a fantastic meeting with President Xi.

This was a four hour meeting where everything was agreed on. Now if we get it down in paper, thatll be another story. But I think we will--

FAULKNER: Yes.

TRUMP: We have great strength. Nobodys ever done what Ive done. I went in--

FAULKNER: So, thats--

TRUMP: I went in, Harris, and I said look, were going to tax all of your product. And by the way, you saw the study that just came out, America is paying for 4 percent and China is paying for 21 percent.

FAULKNER: Is their economy in trouble?

TRUMP: Its not even affecting -- its not even affecting us. You look at inflation, its very low. Hopefully the Fed wont be raising interest rates anymore, because if you compare us to, as an example President Obama, he had zero interest rates. Anybody can make money with zero interest rates.

I am almost at a normalized interest rate. And yet, our economy is soaring. Our jobs are soaring, our businesses are doing tremendously. Apple just announced theyre going to be investing billions of dollars in this country. That just happened.

FAULKNER: So, two follows -- two quick follows. Is Chinas economy in trouble? And have you kind of gotten in -- the timing is interesting. Like its been auspicious, youve kind of gotten in there when they would--

TRUMP: Well, China is--

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: No, its -- look, I have greater respect for President Xi. Hes not a capitulator. But I will tell you this, Chinas economy if its in trouble, its only in trouble because of me.

Thats the only reason its in trouble, because I have placed billions and billions -- we have taken in $11 billion worth of taxes that I taxed China -- $11 billion. We havent made any money with China, we lost money with China.

In the last four months, weve taken in almost $11 billion of taxes, nobodys ever heard of that. Nobody knows that people dont report on that, they only report on nonsense.

FAULKNER: I -- I love this. Because I hadnt planned to ask this but you were calling out companies and whatnot, and the nation got to see you as GM said, You know what? Were going to wipe away 15 percent of the workforce right before Christmas.

And you said I want to talk to Ms. Barra.

TRUMP: Yes. I told (ph) her I dont like what you did. I think its --

FAULKNER: Yes, the CEO Ms. Barra.

TRUMP: -- it was nasty. It doesnt really matter because Ohio is under my leadership from a national standpoint. Ohios going to replace those jobs like in two minutes. But I dont that General Motors does that. And theyre going down to Mexico to make cars.

Now, the new deal, the USMCA that I made really makes it very uncomfortable for people to go out of the country, and it will be very uncomfortable for them. I think shes making a big mistake. Theyve changed the whole model of General Motors. Theyre going to all electric. All electrics not going to work. I dont run a car company, but all electric is not going to work. Its wonderful to have it as a percentage of your cars but going into this model that shes going, I think, is a mistake.

But to tell me a couple of weeks before Christmas that shes going to close in Ohio and Michigan, not acceptable to me. And shes either going to open fast or somebody else is going to go in. But General Motors is not going to be treated well.

FAULKNER: All right. This is your wheelhouse, everybody knows this and we see the energy and the electricity as you talk about these issues. The economy though is big, so are there other areas -- and I want to move on to other things here -- but real quickly, are there other areas that you want to focus on as you go into 2019?

TRUMP: Well, Im focusing on everything. I mean, I think my strength thus far, even more than the economy -- and the economy, by the way, will get incredible when I make the deals with China, with Mexico and Canada, when they all kick-in -- but --

FAULKNER: Why are you so confident about that?

TRUMP: Because I know what Im doing. I mean, its business. Nobody even went to China and said, Listen, youre stealing our intellectual property. Youre doing all sorts of things that are wrong. Youre taking out of our country $500 billion a year, not trillion, not -- not million, youre taking away -- $500 billion away; you cant do it. You cant take $500 billion out of our country.

FAULKNER: So when they threaten to put more tariffs on us, youre not worried about that?

TRUMP: No, because whats happened is the disparity is so great. We do $525 billion with them, they do $100 billion with us. So they do five-times more, its really more than that. We charge them very little tax.

Let me tell you what just happened. They just lowered the tariff on their car from 40 percent to 15 percent, its not acceptable; 15 percent is still too high. We -- but its a (inaudible) move --

(CROSSTALK)

FAULKNER: But -- but better --

TRUMP: -- If they werent --

FAULKNER: -- yes.

TRUMP: -- you know that -- yesterday (ph). By the way, you know what we charged them? Two and a half. Now, you know what we charge them? Twenty-five percent.

FAULKNER: All right, I'm being told I have to wrap with you, and I wanted to do a few rapid fire. So, can I just do one?

TRUMP: Just one.

FAULKNER: What do you love about being president?

TRUMP: I love getting things done for the people. It's a nasty job because I get hit so hard, so unfairly by so many and I mean really unfairly. When you look at what we've done with with taxes, what we've done with regulations, what weve done with China and national defense and so many other things -- including the environment, did you see last year, we were the only country that had fewer emissions, despite the success of --

FAULKNER: Your critics would say things differently.

TRUMP: Oh no because  hey, the Paris Accord 

FAULKNER: So when you get up in the morning, and you say, I get to go do this, what you love?

TRUMP: Let me tell you, the Paris Accord s not working out too well for Paris. Take a look at what's happened over there.

FAULKNER: France is struggling on a whole (inaudible) --

TRUMP: Because of the Paris Accord, that whole country is burning down, OK? So -- and I was the one that kept us out of the Paris Accord. If I was in the Paris Accord, we would be paying trillions of dollars, trillions of dollars for nothing, and I wouldnt do that. And my people love the job I'm doing.

FAULKNER: Yes, you have such energy for this.

TRUMP: Do I have a choice?

FAULKNER: Well, yes you do, actually. You do, not every president would have worked six and seven out on a campaign trail --

TRUMP: You know I work hard, but --

FAULKNER: Some dont. Which you do.

TRUMP: You know what, I like to say I work hard, but hopefully I work smart, because I know a lot of people, they work -- you have to work smart too, and we're doing great. The country is doing great and we're respected again.

FAULKNER: All right, I'm being told we have to wrap, but I'm hoping to come back at some point.

TRUMP: I would love that.

FAULKNER: And you and I traded a lot of papers and it's been a good conversation, thank you, sir.

TRUMP: Thank you very much.

FAULKNER: In the oval office a few moments ago, very fun, I got to see a little bit of things here. So thank you, I appreciate it.

TRUMP: Thank you, great having you.

FAULKNER: God bless you and your family, Mr. President.

TRUMP: Thank you very much.
The mother of a nine-month-old girl who washed up dead on a Gold Coast beach after being sacrificed by her father has been charged over the infant's death.

Police claim the baby was thrown into the water at Jack Evans Boat Harbour in Tweed Heads, on the border of NSW and Queensland, on November 17.

The young girl was later found on the sad at Surfer's Paradise, 30 kilometres north, and declared dead at the scene.

Police interviewed both parents at the time, choosing to charge the father, 47, with murder while providing psychiatric care to the mother, 23.

The mother is understood to have been released from hospital late last month, and on Thursday, she was charged with failing to provide for her child and causing a danger of death.

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The mother of a nine-month-old baby girl found dead on a Gold Coast beach has been charged over her death. Left: The infant with her father, right: the couple's older child, pictured with both parents

She appeared in a closed hearing at Byron Bay Local Court via video link on Friday after being extradited from Queensland following a hearing in Southport Magistrate's Court.

Bail was refused on Friday and the case has been adjourned to Tweed Heads Local Court, where she will appear on Tuesday.

The family, consisting of the parents, a two-year-old boy, and the dead infant, had been living rough for some time.

Locals previously told Daily Mail Australia the group had been living in parks along the Gold Coast, and had been in possession of a black van shortly before the death of their daughter.

Documents filed in court against the child's father, who is Indigenous, said the man told the young mother he was going to hand their daughter to an elder, but allegedly killed her instead.

Multiple calls had been made to police and child services by concerned residents about the family's living arrangements but they say fell on deaf ears.

An investigation has also been launched into claims by police that the Department of Child Services repeatedly ignored urgent calls for help.

The mother-of-two attended a private school in Victoria as a child, before enrolling in university, where she studied psychology services.

The 23-year-old was sleeping rough with her middle aged boyfriend, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, and their oldest son, aged two, who is now in state care.

Investigations into the death are continuing.
The FBI kept a secret file on three climate change protesters who had taken part in a peaceful demonstration.

Jonas Magram, Thom Krystofiak and Inga Frick, who are all in their sixties and from Iowa, traveled Lake Michigan to participate in a series of protests at a BP plant in Indiana.

However it has emerged that the FBI kept a file on the activists to assess the danger posed by the climate change activist group 350.org in the run-up to protests that were part of the Break Free from Fossil Fuels campaign.

The FBI kept a file on Jonas Magram, Inga Frick and Thom Krystofiak who were arrested at a peaceful protest at a BP plant in Indiana in May 2016

The file (pictured) on the Iowa protesters was part of a larger effort by the FBI to assess the danger posed by the climate change activist group 350.org

One of the documents obtained by The Guardian states: '350.org are referenced in multiple investigations and assessments for their planned protests and disruptions'. The file also makes reference to the 350.org founder Bill McKibben.

He was the subject of both online death threats and said the FBIs apparent failure to distinguish between non-violent civil disobedience and domestic terrorism was contemptible.

He told the Guardian: 'Trying to deal with the greatest crisis humans have stumbled into shouldnt require being subjected to government surveillance.

'But when much of our government acts as a subsidiary of the fossil fuel industry, it may be par for the course.'

The Break Free campaign took place over the course of two weeks in May 2016 and included protests and acts of non-violent direct action on six continents.

Over 30,000 people participated and dozens were arrested for trespassing and blocking rail access to refineries.

The May 15, 2016, protest in Whiting, Indiana, (pictured) involved about a thousand protesters who marched to the BP refinery

An over-sized puppet of then Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sandesr stands above demonstrators at the March to Break Free from Fossil Fuels in May 2016 in Los Angeles

This was described by organizers as the largest coordinated act of civil disobedience in the fight against climate change.

The protest on May 15 in Whiting involved around one thousand protesters who marched to the BP refinery, which is one of the largest processors of crude oil in the country.

When they reached the entrance, 41 of the protesters gathered in a circle on BP property and sang a protest chant.

350.org founder Bill McKibben said peaceful protesters shouldn't be subjected to government surveillance

Magram, Krystofiak and Frick were arrested and they said they felt compelled to participate because of the urgency of addressing climate change.

Frick said of actions to address climate change: 'I think that by far the most important thing thats not happening in the world is not dealing with this.'

The file referencing the three Fairfield residents was drafted by the Omaha FBI field office, which oversees all of Nebraska and Iowa.

Though their names are redacted Magram, Krystofiak and Frick were the only Fairfield residents arrested in Whiting during the protest, according to Krystofiak.

Activists and ranchers tried to block construction of the Keystone XL pipeline amid fears it would damage the Ogallala aquifer, one of the largest underground freshwater sources in the world.

Magram claimed that he wasnt surprised to learn he had been swept up in an FBI file but still found the implications disturbing.

'It is very, very troubling that those of us who are committed to protecting life on our planet, through peaceful protest, would be regarded as suspected enemies of the state,' he said.
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First Lady Melania Trump brought some Christmas cheer to sick children at the Children's National Hospital in Washington D.C. on Thursday.

She read 'Oliver the Ornament' to about two dozen children who are spending their holiday in the hospital.

Dressed in a festive red and white coat over a white dress with her signature stiletto shoes in a red and white striped candy cane pattern, the first lady shook hands and posed for photos, squatting down to the talk to the two dozen children who gathered to hear the story.

Melania Trump sat beside Nathan Simm and Santa Clause while reading 'Oliver the Ornament' to sick kids at the Children's National Hospital

The first lady asked the kids what they wanted for Christmas

Her Manolo Blahnik were in a red and white candy-cane striped pattern

The first lady posed for photos with the children when she finished reading

Before she read to the kids, she met with families in the neonatal unit

Santa and the kids gave the first lady flowers when she finished reading the story

Oliver the Ornament - a touching anti-bullying tale that aligns with Melania's Be Best campaign Oliver the Ornament is the first of seven children books written by Todd Zimmerman. Oliver is a beloved ornament who has been with his owners, Mom and Dad, since they first started dating. With time he has become injured and bullied by the other ornaments. But when trouble arises, Oliver's love for Christmas leads him to forgive his fellow ornaments and help save the day. The other books in the series tells how each ornament came into Mom, Dad, Holly and Henry's family collection. The series has an anti-bullying message, teaching children to be kind and forgive others. Each book comes with an ornament of the book's main character to hang on a family's tree. The project was launched in 2015 after a kick-starter campaign raised $52,885 in just a few months. Advertisement

Her visit continues a tradition of 60 years, in which every first lady since Bess Truman visited the hospital.

Children's National live streamed the book reading to every room in the hospital so those who couldn't attend could still see and hear the first lady.

Before she read to the kids, Melania Trump stopped in the hospital's neonatal unit to visit three families whose children had graduated the program.

Four year old Grayson Hogsett, who was born at 24 weeks, was shy and hid behind the first lady. She turned to pat him on the back while he hid in a chair.

The first lady made small talk with the kids, asking them what they want for Christmas.

'How you feeling? Do you have any wishes for Santa? What do you ask him?' She inquired.

Seven-year-old Abigail said she wanted a dog. The first lady asked if Abigail had a name in mind. 'Peppermint,' Abigail responded.

The first lady then listened to Nikki Watkinson's story of her early delivery during a snow storm in her husband's truck.

Baby Grayson was delivered at 24 weeks and is now 16 months. 'Our miracle baby,' Nikki said. 'You have an incredible story to tell,' the first lady said.

Payton Doy, a six-year-old who was born at 24 weeks, sat down beside the first lady. 'What do you like to do? Do you like to dance?,' Melania Trump asked her. Payton nodded

After her visit with the families, the first lady arrived to read to the children.

She came in to a standing ovation and holding hands with Nathan Simm and Tearrianna Cooke-Starkey, who are patients at the hospital.

'It's nice to be here and I have a book here to read to you,' she told the kids.

She sat before a large decorated Christmas tree.

Copies of 'Oliver the Ornament' were stacked in wagons on either side.

Nathan and Tearrianna sat on either side of her as she read. At the ends of the row of seats, sat Santa Clause at one end and Todd Zimmermann, author of 'Oliver the Ornament,' at the other.

Melania read 'Oliver the Ornament' - a story about an ornament who is bullied

She greeted the kids while 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas' played in the background

The kids who listened to her ranged from toddlers to pre teens

Every child the audience got a copy of 'Oliver the Ornament,' which the first lady read to them

Four year old Grayson Hogsett, who was born at 24 weeks, was shy and hid behind the first lady. She turned to pat him on the back while he hid

The first lady heard Nikki Watkinson's story of her early delivery during a snow storm; Baby Grayson was delivered at 24 weeks and is now 16 months

About two dozen children who are currently patients at the hospital listened to the story.

The kids ranged in ages from toddlers to pre teen. Some sat on the floor. Others were in wheelchairs with IVs attached.

Every child in audience will get a copy of 'Oliver the Ornament.'

'Oliver the Ornament' is a heartwarming tale of one family's cherished Christmas ornaments, according to a summary on Zimmermann's website.

Oliver was also bullied by the other ornaments, as revealed by the first lady in her reading.

Nathan Simm and Tearrianna Cooke-Starkey escorted the first lady to her book reading

Santa Claus (right), author Todd Zimmermann (left), Tearrianna and Nathan joined the first lady for her reading

Tearrianna Cooke-Starkey applauded the first lady when the reading was done

Anti-bullying is part of FLOTUS' Be Best campaign.

'Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a happy healthy New Year,' the first lady told the children at the end of the reading.

Zimmermann thanked the first lady for reading his book and congratulated her on her Be Best campaign.

'I'd especially like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for including me in this tradition,' he said to her. 'I'd also like to thank you for everything you do to promote kindness as part of your Be Best campaign,' he added.

The first lady signed the book she read, which will stay at the hospital. Santa and the kids gave her a bouquet of red and white flowers after the reading.

Nathan and Tearrianna, who escorted the first lady, are patients at the hospital

Melania Trump reaches out to Tearrianna Cooke-Starkey when she finished reading

The first lady wore a festive red and white coat by Tomas Maier

The first lady asked Payton Doy, a six year old who was born at 24 weeks, if she liked to dance

The tradition fo first ladies visiting the hospital goes back 60 years to Bess Truman
Single women in America are increasingly surpassing single men in homeownership rates, according to a new report.

On average, single women own about 22 percent of owner-occupied homes in America's 50 largest metropolitan areas. Single men, on the other hand, own less than 13 percent.

Researchers at LendingTree, an online loan marketplace, analyzed 2017 U.S. Census data on owner-occupied homes to reach the findings.

In New York, single women own roughly 820,000 homes  nearly twice as many as the 435,000 owned by single men. Similarly, in Los Angeles, unmarried women own about 460,000 homes compared to the 260,000 homes owned by single men.

'Single women, for various reasons, value homeownership higher than single men  in terms of economics and also social terms,' LendingTree Economist Tendayi Kapfidze told DailyMail.com.

This map illustrates the top 10 metro areas across the U.S. where single women have the highest rates of home ownership

One reason for the disparity could be that younger generations are delaying marriage longer, he said.

'There's a lot of women in their late 20s or early 30s who are not married and are deciding to go ahead with an investment in a home rather than waiting for that life event of a marriage to buy a home with a partner,' Kapfidze said.

Older women are also increasingly buying homes by themselves, he added, which could be an indication that widows and divorced women are choosing to downsize or invest in their own home.

In addition, single women may place a higher value on community, and  given the much higher proportion of single mothers than single fathers that live in America  could be seeking out homeownership to provide that sense of community to their children, he said.

New Orleans was the city where single women owned the largest share (27 percent) of homes  nearly twice as many as the 15.5 percent owned by single men in that city.

Miami followed, with single women owning 26.8 percent of the homes compared to 14.2 percent of men.

Birmingham, Alabama ranked third among cities where single women were dominating the housing market by owning 25.4 percent of homes compared to 14.2 percent of men.

This map illustrates the top 10 metro areas across the U.S. where single men have the highest rates of home ownership

Oklahoma was the metropolitan area where single men owned the largest share of their own homes, but at 15.5 percent they were still dwarfed by single female owners, who owned nearly 24 percent of the houses in that city.

The trend continued in Las Vegas, where single women owned 21 percent of homes compared to 15.3 percent owned by men.

The biggest gaps in homeownership between single men and women were in Miami (12.6 percentage points), Richmond, Virginia (12.5 percentage points) and Birmingham, Alabama (11.7 percent percentage points).

Kapfidze noted that single men and women both tend to buy homes in lower-cost markets.

'We have no California cities in the top ten, either for men or for women,' he said. 'That really speaks to the fact that with a single income it's really hard to access home ownership, especially in high-priced metros.'
Veteran broadcaster David Dimbleby received a standing ovation at the end of recording his last-ever edition of Question Time last night.

Tributes poured in for the 80-year-old newsman, whose place hosting the BBC's flagship current affairs debate programme will be taken by Fiona Bruce for the first edition of the next series on January 10.

Politicians, former panellists, audience members, journalists and cameramen have praised Mr Dimbleby's professionalism, unflappability and courtesy during his quarter-century at the helm.

And fans took to Twitter following the show to praise him for being a 'legend' and 'titan of broadcasting', with one tweeting: 'You will be greatly missed - thank you!'

At the end of the programme last night, he said: 'After a quarter of a century I'm off to new pastures, or to look in search of new pastures.

An emotional David Dimbleby is hailed by studio guests and the audience as he bows out

The Question Time audience in Southwark came to their feet last night to mark David Dimbleby's last broadcast as chairman, after 25 years

Bowing out: David Dimbleby, who has chaired the BBC's flagship current affairs debate programme Question Time since 1994, presented his last broadcast last night

'But I didn't want to end without saying something about this programme which is, of all the programmes I have ever worked in for the BBC, a truly team effort and I did want to end by thanking the people who have made it possible over the last 25 years.'

Dimbleby ended the programme by adding: 'Above all, I wanted to thank you here tonight, this audience and you're joining over 100,000 people over the last 25 years who have been in the Question Time audience and you have exercised this, what I think is a really important democratic right, which is to put questions and to argue with each other as you have tonight.'

Piers Morgan reminisced on his 22 appearances in Mr Dimbleby's 25 years on the programme, tweeting that the pair had shared 'many a laugh, jibe, and heated debate' and calling the chairman a 'great broadcaster' and a 'great guy'.

Julia Hartley-Brewer tweeted her 'huge love and respect for the fabulous David Dimbleby' calling him 'a true pro' and 'a bloody hoot at the post-show dinner'.

Last week on the penultimate show, former Daily Telegraph editor Charles Moore said the 'only two things that really have continuity in this country' were 'Her Majesty the Queen and David Dimbleby'.

Telegraph journalist and Question Time panellist Tim Stanley said: 'He's got a journalist's eye: this isn't about choreographing events but observing and analysing them.

Journalists including Piers Morgan (tweet pictured left) and Julia Hartley-Brewer (tweet pictured right) praised Mr Dimbleby's stewardship of the programme

Press Association reporter Lewis McKenzie (tweet pictured left) and former Telegraph editor Charles Moore (pictured right on the show last week) paid tribute to Mr Dimbleby

'He is, as one distinguished TV veteran put it to me, perhaps the last connection to the golden age of Robin Day, Alastair Burnett or Brian Walden, of journalists with wide interests but a specific talent for spotting the pertinent question.'

A Radio Times listing from 1994 reveals Mr Dimbleby's first-ever panel included then-Chancellor Ken Clarke and Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown.

Radio broadcaster Iain Dale called Mr Dimbleby 'one of the greatest broadcasters of our age' and 'an institution', adding 'It's almost impossible to imagine anyone else presenting the programme'.

He praised the presenter's 'professionalism and courtesy'.

A Steadicam operator who had filmed editions of the programme, James Elias, spoke of his 'pleasure' at having worked with a 'broadcasting legend' and others on Twitter said the presenter would be 'sorely missed.

Mr Dimbleby's guests for last night's final broadcast were:

Nicky Morgan, Conservative MP, and supporter of Theresa May's Brexit deal

Angela Rayner, Labour MP and shadow Education Secretary

David Davis, Conservative MP and former Brexit Sectretary who resigned in protest at Mrs May's plans this summer

Caroline Lucas, Green Party MP and former party leader who is among the leaders of the campaign for a 'people's vote' on the terms of the Brexit deal

and comedian, and former psychiatric nurse, Jo Brand

After the recording Caroline Lucas told MailOnline: 'It's crucial that politicians are held to account and that people across the country get a chance to challenge them.

'For 25 years David has played a central role in political debate in this country - and always keeps us on our toes.

Mr Dimbleby, 80, has said he has no plans to retire but will return to his 'first love', reporting.

Mr Dimbleby wore a blue scorpion tie this evening (pictured right) - seemingly a reference to the scorpion tattoo his had done on his shoulder five years ago (pictured left) and his Scorpio star sign

The host received a standing ovation from his panelists

'I've seen the most experienced politicians trembling with nerves before coming on Question Time - and I certainly feel that way myself - because he has a knack of getting to the heart of the matter and - quite rightly - will let politicians get away with nothing.'

David Dimbleby's funniest moments on Question Time When told by John Prescott that he was called Dimblebot on Twitter, Dimbleby replied: 'I do know I'm called Dimblebot and I know there is a Dimbledance  and I can do it, too... but this is neither the time or the place.' After committed Remainer Terry Christian repeatedly talked over the host and other panellists, Dimbleby told him: 'OK, let's stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, please. It's getting boring, boring, boring. If we're going to have arguments conducted like this, I can see why people get bored.' Dimbleby first hosted the BBC's flagship politcal programme Question Time in 1994 When an audience member refused to stop talking while guests were trying to speak, Dimbleby said to rapturous applause: 'I think you ought to leave.' During a debate on the EU referendum a year before the vote, he tried to move on from the topic by saying: OK, let's leave the EU for the moment.' After much laughter, he added: 'Only for the moment.' In 2013, when Boris Johnson warned against 'an orgy of banker bashing', comedian Russell Brand joked: 'An orgy of any kind would be great, but one that focuses on banker bashing would be the best kind of orgy I could imagine.' When Dimbleby gently mocked Jacob Rees-Mogg for attending Eton, the Tory MP replied: I was at school with your son.' Speaking of politicians on the show, he said: 'What they most dislike is the question that catches them off guard and the humiliation of being publicly mocked.' Advertisement

Mr Dimbleby wore a blue tie decorated with scorpions for his final broadcast - seemingly a reference to the scorpion tattoo he got on his right shoulder at the age of 75.

He said of the inking: 'You are only old once. I have always wanted a tattoo. I thought I might as well have it done now. It's a dream come true for me.'

In an evening dominated by the Brexit debate, which included a dozen shouted interjections from members of the audience, at one point Mr Dimbleby took David Davis to task when the former Brexit Secretary seemed not to be addressing a question, saying, 'I'm chairing this.'

At the conclusion of the programme, having received a standing ovation from the audience and his panel, Mr Dimbleby said the programme 'marked the end of his tenure as the Chair', but said the show, more than any other he works on, was 'truly a team effort'.

He said: 'I did want to end by thanking the people who've made it possible over the last 25 years: the editors, the producers, the researchers, the directors, our technical backup.'

He finished by thanking the team who set up the studios and select audience members, calling them 'our engine room' and in a nod to criticism of perceived BBC bias he said the job was 'as we know, with the political pressures upon us, not easy'.

He signed off by thanking his studio audience and the 100,000 people who have made up Question Time audiences over the years, before plugging Fiona Bruce's first edition in the chair on January 10 and finishing: 'From me, a happy Christmas, and not goodbye, but goodnight.'

Among the outpouring of praise and respect on Twitter were occasional broadsides against 'bias' by Mr Dimbleby or the programme - from all points on the political spectrum.

Some online criticised the panel for including two Conservatives, others took aim at its complexion of four Remainers to one Leaver.

Mr Dimbleby's time chairing the programme - a tenure which has encompassed the collapse of the Major government, the Blair landslide, the Iraq war, the Parliamentary expenses scandal, the financial crisis, the Coalition government, and Brexit - has not been without controversy.

Mr Dimbleby (right) on his first Question Time in 1994 with Kenneth Clarke and Ann Robinson

David Dimbleby, son of broadcaster Richard Dimbleby, started at the BBC in the 1960s and anchored coverage of the 1979 election as well as the subsequent ten

In 2009 the BBC chose to invite British National Party leader Nick Griffin to take part in the debate, for a show which would become the most-watched of the show's entire run - which started in 1979 - with an audience of more than eight million.

How David Dimbleby signed off from Question Time 'After a quarter of a century I'm off to new pastures, or to look in search of new pastures. 'But I didn't want to end without saying something about this programme which is, of all the programmes I have ever worked in for the BBC, a truly team effort and I did want to end by thanking the people who have made it possible over the last 25 years. 'Above all, I wanted to thank you here tonight, this audience and you're joining over 100,000 people over the last 25 years who have been in the Question Time audience and you have exercised this, what I think is a really important democratic right, which is to put questions and to argue with each other as you have tonight.' Advertisement

Mr Dimbleby said that rather than 'no-platforming' the BNP he wanted to 'expose' their views to an audience.

He told BBC Radio 4's Front Row programme: 'The idea of exposing the BNP or, to put it more objectively or disinterestedly, allowing the BNP to face an audience and face questions from them seemed to me to be the right thing to do - as long as they were a substantial political party or a party big enough to be included.'

Other heated moment have included jeers and boos from the audience for Tory Chairman Eric Pickles at the height of the expenses scandal when he explained he had two homes because he required a property close to Westminster in order to attend meetings.

'Like a job in other words', said Mr Dimbleby, to a much warmer audience reaction.

He was also cheered for silencing former television host Terry Christian at the beginning of this year, saying: 'It's getting boring, you're getting boring,' after initially pleading with his guest to 'stop, stop, stop, stop, stop please.'

And when an audience member would not stop interrupting Remain activist Gina Miller last year, the presenter told him in no uncertain terms he 'ought to leave' - which he did.

David Dimbleby, whose father Richard was a revered BBC broadcaster and whose brother Jonathan hosts Question Time's radio equivalent, Any Questions, on Radio 4, joined the BBC as a reporter in Bristol in the 1960s.

He anchored the BBC's overnight coverage 1979 general election - a role he would retain for the next ten general elections - as well as coverage of the funerals of Princess Diana and Margaret Thatcher, the Queen's Golden Jubilee, and the leaders' debates in the run-up to the 2010 general election.

He has said he has no intention to retire but will return to his 'first love', reporting.

How David Dimbleby has presided over every election night since 1979 Dimbleby, pictured hosting Panorama in 1974, has been with the BBC for 57 years David Dimbleby, who at 75 had a scorpion tattooed on his back, began at the BBC 57 years ago as a news reporter in Bristol after leaving Oxford with a degree in politics, philosophy and economics. He led the BBC's coverage of the Common Market referendum in 1975, a role he repeated in 2016 when the UK voted for Brexit. Although best known now for election nights and Question Time, he led coverage of the funerals of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the Queen Mother. Dimbleby has presided over every BBC election night broadcast since 1979, as well as Budget Days and local, European and American elections. The 2015 election was set to be his last, with BBC News presenter Huw Edwards due to take over. Dimbleby laughs with the late prime minister Margaret Thatcher in London in 1990 But when Theresa May announced the snap election last year, a behind-the-scenes tussle resulted in a BBC announcement that Dimbleby would present it. The veteran, who is paid about 450,000 to present Question Time, has also presented the BBC's coverage of the annual Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph and other state occasions. Dimbleby, who took over on Question Time from Peter Sissons in January 1994, will sit in the chair for the final time on December 13. Dimbleby meets former Zimbabwe leader Robert Mugabe for an interview in May 2000 He is the longest serving presenter of the show, and beat rival Jeremy Paxman after each had to endure a gruelling audition for the role. The debate programme was previously hosted by Peter Sissons and its first host Sir Robin Day, who died in 2000. Dimbleby's name has also been mentioned as a possible director-general of the BBC. Dimbleby and Fiona Bruce, with Peter Snow in the background, at TV Centre in 2005 In 2014 he told how hard it would be to hand over the reins of the election coverage, saying: 'I don't have any instinct to make way gracefully. I shall be dragged kicking and screaming from my chair.' As for Question Time, Dimbleby said earlier this year that it had been 'exhilarating following the twists and turns of British politics', and a privilege to bring 'voters face to face with those in power'. BBC bosses described him as a 'titan in British broadcasting' who had been a 'brilliant champion of the public'. Advertisement

Fiona Bruce shows off her serious and silly sides during a long BBC career that now sees her earn 350,000 a year

Fiona Bruce, pictured in 2000, joined the BBC as a researcher on Panorama in 1989

Fiona Bruce's on-screen work as presenter and host has straddled the hard-hitting as well as the light-hearted.

The 54-year-old journalist joined the BBC as a researcher on Panorama in 1989 and over the next 14 years rose to become the first female newsreader on the BBC's flagship News At Ten.

Now, 15 years on, she is to replace David Dimbleby as presenter of Question Time.

Born to an English mother and Scottish father living as expats in Singapore, Bruce was educated between the UK and Italy, first at Gayton Primary School on the Wirral and then at the International School of Milan.

She returned to the UK at 14 to study at Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College in New Cross, south-east London, picking up a lucrative sideline modelling for the now defunct girls' magazine Jackie.

Studying at the University of Oxford, Bruce went punk, dyeing her hair blue for a week, joining a band and becoming involved in activism.

Bruce, who is a mother-of-two, is pictured hosting Crimewatch with Nick Ross in 2004

After a brief stint working as a management consultant, Bruce joined the BBC, eventually becoming secondary presenter on the Six O'Clock News.

In 2003, as part of a major BBC reshuffle, Bruce was offered the job of presenting the Ten O'Clock News. She accepted, becoming the first female presenter on the flagship bulletin.

Bruce has also presented some of the BBC's best-loved light entertainment programmes, such as Antiques Roadshow and Fake Or Fortune? and has become one of the BBC's best-paid stars, earning more than 350,000 a year.

Bruce presents the Antiques Roadshow 40th anniversary special from Castle Howard last year

In 1994, she married Nigel Sharrocks, a media chairman, in a ceremony in Islington, north London. They have two children, a 20-year-old son, Sam, and daughter Mia, born in November 2001.

Bruce has been vocal in her support for feminism and said in 2014 that she does not use social media because of the abuse and trolling directed at women in the public eye.

Her less serious side has been seen during the BBC's Children In Need telethons.

Bruce poses with for Sophie Raworth and Natasha Kaplinsky for the BBC's Children In Need telethon in 2004

In 2007 she emerged from behind a news desk for a song and dance segment.

Her rendition that night of All That Jazz from the musical Chicago so impressed the team behind its West End revival that they invited her on stage during its 10th anniversary special.

Bruce will first be seen on screen in her Question Time role on January 10.
An Illinois hunter may have brought down the largest buck in American history.

Keith Szableswki from Johnson City shot the male deer during a hunting party at the beginning of Illinois' shotgun season last month.

But was surprised to bag himself a 51-point buck on the scale, according to the scale used to measure antler score by hunters. The current record stands at 47 points, WSIL news reported.

Keith Szablewski of Johnson City, Illinois, shot what could be a record-setting buck during the first week of shotgun hunting season

'I was just sitting there and I heard the deer behind me,' he told WSIL. 'When I walked up to him, I looked at it and thought, 'What a blessing'.'

'The only window I had was a 12-by-12-square-foot opening that I could see clearly on his neck,' Szablewski told Farm Week Now radio about the 'beauty' of a deer he found. 'I could have shot through the leaves to hit his body, but I'm not going to do that.'

At first, the Johnson City man, who has been hunting deer for four years, called a good friend about the exciting trophy before alerting the conservation police with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

The buck is believed to be 7 to 9 years old, approximately 265 pounds alive and possessing up to 51 points according to the conservation officers that spoke to Szablewski.

Stephen Tucker of Gallatin, Tennessee, currently holds the record for the 47-point buck he shot back in 2016, the Tennessean reported.

Randy Stewart (left) a friend poses with his friend Keith Szablewski (right) and the trophy buck

Conservation 0fficers with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources believe the buck bagged by Szablewski could register 51 points, a record breaking antler score

The newly famous Szablewski says he plans on mounting his trophy buck, but he donated most of the meat to the needy after taking it to a processing plant

Basics of Scoring a Buck Deer antlers are measured attached to the skull plate for an official score. A flexible tape measure is needed to find measurements to the nearest 1/8 inch. A formula, such as that provided by the Boone and Crockett Club, a hunting and conservation organization, takes the raw numbers and produces a score. 1. Measure the length of the main beams of the antlers 2. Measure the inside spread between the main beams of the antlers 3. Measure the length of tines, or points, of the antler 4. Measure the circumference of the points 5. Measure abnormal points if present on the antler 6. Tabulate the measurements in a Boone and Crockett worksheet Advertisement

A panel of judges at the Deer and Turkey Classic trade show in Peoria, Illinois, this summer will officially judge the points to see if it sets the new record.

Meanwhile, Szablewski, a former law enforcement officer who had only scored a four-pointer, a six-pointer and an 11-pointer in previous hunts, is enjoying his newfound fame in hunting circles, according to Farm Week Now.

'When I go somewhere, people notice me,' he told the station. 'It's amazing.'

While Szablewski plans on pedestal mounting the buck as a trophy, he tells WSIL that first he donated most of the meat from his kill to people in need.
Philip May attending the Sun Military Awards on Thursday night

Philip May stepped into replace the Prime Minister on the red carpet at an awards ceremony on Thursday night, as she jetted off to Europe in an attempt to salvage her Brexit deal.

Mr May was pictured rubbing shoulders with the stars at the Sun Military Awards as he posed for photographs without wife Theresa.

The ceremony, known as 'The Millies', has previously been a fixture in the PM's busy calendar, but she was conspicuously absent from this year's do.

Despite his wife's no-show, Mr May appeared to be in good spirits as he smiled for the cameras at the event to celebrate the contribution of the armed forces on Thursday night.

Other attendees at the star-studded bash included I'm a Celebrity runner-up Emily Atack and TOWIE star James 'Arg' Argent.

Meanwhile across the Channel, Theresa May was pictured kissing French President Emmanuel Macron on the cheek as she met with the EU 27 at a crunch summit in Brussels.

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Mr May pictured on his own at this year's ceremony and with the Prime Minister (right) at last year's event

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker kisses Theresa May as she arrives to attend a European Summit aimed at discussing the Brexit deal on Thursday

After narrowly surviving a no-confidence vote this week, she has been forced to return to Europe to ask for vital concessions from the continent's leaders.

The PM went to Brussels insisting she needed help from the EU to get the negotiated divorce past fractious MPs - more than 100 of whom on her own side say they will not vote for it.

Mrs May is frantically attempting to reach a compromise to appease MPs, after she controversially postponed a Commons vote this week over fears her deal would be rejected.

As she arrived at the summit, Mrs May publicly conceded for the first time that the Brexit crisis will cut short her stay in Downing Street, saying although in her 'heart' she wants to fight on, she will need to quit before the next general election.

Mrs May has narrowly survived a no-confidence vote yesterday and has flown to Brussels in the hope of re-shaping her deal

'I think it is right that the party feels that it would prefer to go into that election with a new leader,' she said.

Mrs May has acknowledged she must get 'legally binding' concessions from the bloc in the wake of the extraordinary Tory coup attempt yesterday which saw more than a third of her own MPs vote against her.

But as they arrived at the summit most of the EU27 stuck to a tough line by insisting that the legal text of the Withdrawal Agreement cannot be reopened - despite Mrs May urging concessions that can help her get the package 'over the line'.

The crucial vote in the House of Commons is now due to take place in January.
Pentagon spokesman, Commander Sean Robertson said that any unilateral action into northeast Syria was of grave concern and "unacceptable," after Turkey announced that it would launch a new military operation in the region to target Kurdish militia fighters.

"Unilateral military action into northeast Syria by any party, particularly as U.S. personnel may be present or in the vicinity, is of grave concern. We would find any such actions unacceptable," Reuters cited the Pentagon spokesman as saying.

Robertson said that Washington was committed to Turkeys border security but that the fight against ISIS was not over and the Syrian Democratic Forces remained a "committed partner" against the militant group.
Chris Dawson is expected to apply for bail after he was charged with allegedly murdering his wife 40 years ago.

The 70-year-old former rugby league player intends to plead not guilty to the murder of the mother of two of his children, Lynette Dawson.

He faced Sydney Central Local Court via video link on December 6 charged with the murder of his wife on Sydney's northern beaches in early 1982.

His lawyer, Greg Walsh, said at the time he 'strenuously asserts his innocence' and that Dawson was 'anxious and stressed about the situation' and planned to plead not guilty.

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Chris Dawson is expected to apply for bail after he was charged with the historic alleged murder of his wife 40 years ago

Dawson is due to face the same court on Friday.

Ms Dawson was 33 when she disappeared in 1982, leaving behind two young daughters.

Her husband reported her missing almost six weeks later, and her body has never been found.

The case was the subject of The Australian newspaper's investigative podcast The Teacher's Pet, which brought the case back into the public eye due to its success.

Ms Dawson (right) was 33 when she disappeared in 1982, leaving behind two young daughters

NSW Police, which reopened the cold case in 2015, said fresh statements from at least two witnesses led to the arrest of the former Newtown rugby league player on the Gold Coast on December 5.

The accused killer, who lives at Coolum Beach, was extradited from Queensland on December 6.
Amazon executives had to face up to angry protesters in New York as they attended a meeting at City Hall to discuss plans to open a second headquarters in the city.

The Seattle, Washington company has come under scrutiny since it announced intentions to build a new home in the Long Island City neighborhood, with New York State and the city offering $2.8billion in tax breaks for the company that surpassed a $1trillion valuation in September.

Members of the public paraded signs and jeered while some New York City Council members showed fierce opposition by trying to block the Queens borough project on Wednesday.

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Amazon executives had to face up to angry protesters in New York as they attended a meeting at City Hall on Wednesday

Brian Huseman, Amazon's vice president for public policy (second left) and other executives, discussed controversial plans to open a second headquarters in the city

'We have a crumbling subway system, record homelessness, public housing that is in crisis, overcrowded schools, sick people without health insurance and an escalating affordable crisis,' Fox 5 reports City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, said. 'Is anyone asking if we should be giving nearly $3billion in public money to the world's richest company?'

However Amazon claims that the move will majorly help residents by injecting 'over $186 billion in positive economic impact' during the course of a quarter of a century.

It's something Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio agree with as it's that said by splitting HQ2 between Arlington, Virginia and the Big Apple, 25,000 jobs will be created in the latter location over a decade.

In 15 years it's estimated the company could hire 40,000 people in New York.

At the time of the announcement last month Cuomo said it was a 'big moneymaker' and that it 'costs us nothing'.

On Wednesday the president of the city's Economic Development Corporation CEO, James Patchett, said the plan is 'the single biggest job creation opportunity in New York's history'.

Members of the public paraded signs and jeered while some New York City Council members showed fierce opposition by trying to block the Queens borough project

They opposed New York State and the city offering $2.8billion in tax breaks for the company that surpassed a $1trillion valuation in September

But the City Council Speaker, Johnson, argued that the figures were biased because they were done by someone 'hired by the state of New York, not by neutral third party academics or companies that can provide that economic analysis'.

The Council is angry they weren't consulted about a project of this size and many believe that despite promises made by Amazon, they may not benefit the city which is set to rise in population by 131,000.

Amazon's executives retorted that if they don't fulfill the job creation agreement they won't be entitled to the tax cuts.

However the meeting wasn't so positive with even a City Councilman who previously supported the plan, expressed concern.

'This is bad for Long Island City, bad for Queens and bad for New York City,' said City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, said. 'The mayor and the governor caved to the richest man on Earth and then handed the bill to each and every New Yorker.'

Amazon CEO and Founder Jeff Bezos has an estimated net worth of $137.4billion.

Amazon claims they will create 25,000 jobs in 10 years and 40,000 in 15 years. James Patchett (left) said the plan is 'the single biggest job creation opportunity in New York's history'

City Council Speaker, Corey Johnson (right), argued the figures were biased because they were done by someone 'hired by the state of New York, not by neutral third party academics'

Flanked by John Schoettler (left), Vice President for Global Real Estate at Amazon, and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (right), New York Governor Andrew Cuomo spoke about Amazon's decision to bring a new corporate location to New York City, November 13

The Council members, many of them Democrats, broached topics including Amazon providing facial recognition technology to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Although he didn't admit they do, Brian Huseman, Amazon's vice president for public policy replied that the government should have access to the best technology.

The Democrats see it as support for President Donald Trump's controversial plan to aggressively crack down on immigration and increase deportation.

There was also concern about Amazon's treatment of employees and whether the tech giant uses customers' personal information in a negative way.

But Huseman denied it when Councilman Ben Kallos asked if the company had shared his wishlist on the shopping website with the media.
Dozens of bomb threats were emailed to news organizations, government institutions, schools and private businesses from coast to coast on Thursday sparking evacuations, in what is now believed to be a nationwide hoax.

The NYPD Counterterrorism Bureau said in a tweet that the agency is monitoring the bombs threats, but they are not considered credible.

The NYPD later tweeted that there was an email 'being circulated containing a bomb threat asking for bitcoin payment.'

Different versions of this awkwardly phrased email demanding Bitcoin were sent to insitutions and businesses from coast to coast Thursday

An emailed hoax bomb threat is pictured on a computer screen in Burlington, Massachusetts

The NYPD Counterterrorism Bureau confirmed in a tweet Thursday that dozens of bomb threats have been emails to locations in New York City and across the country

The awkwardly phrased letter, obtained by ABC Eyewitness News, appears to have been written by a non-native English speaker, possibly with the aid of a translation app, in a style reminiscent of the Nigerian prince email scam.

It reads in part: 'there is an explosive device (Tetryl) in the building where your company is conducted. My recruited person constructed the bomb according to my guide. It is small and it is hidden very carefully, it is not able to destroy the structure of the building, but if it detonates there will be many wounded people.

The unidentified author of the letter, who stresses that he or she is not part of a terrorist organization, goes on to say that the device will be detonated if police presence or panic is detected.

'I want to propose your a bargain,' the letter continues. 'You pay me $20'000 in Bitcoin and explosive will not detonate...You must pay me by the end of the working day. If you are late with the payment explosive will detonate.'

The thug then reassures the targeted business that the threat is 'nothing personal, if you don't send me the money and the bomb detonates, next time other commercial enterprises will transfer me a lot more, because it not not a one-time action.'

Bronx High School of Science in The Bronx was evacuated at 11am after someone called in a threat, claiming there was a pipe bomb on campus

Columbine High School in Colorado - the site of the notorious 1999 school shooting - was placed on lockdown Thursday because of a threat

According to police in New York City, the purpose of the threat was to cause a disruption and possibly obtain money.

Police said they have conducted searches at locations targeted by the threat but no devices have been found.

The FBI stated that federal agents are also aware of the unfolding situation in cities across the US, including New York, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Boston, Chicago and Detroit.

'As always, we encourage the public to remain vigilant and to promptly report suspicious activities which could represent a threat to public safety,' a tweet from the federal agency read.

One of the numerous locations in New York targeted by the threat was the prestigious Bronx Science High School, which was evacuated at 11am after receiving a bomb threat over the phone.

The caller claimed that a pipe bomb hidden on campus would explode in 20 minutes. The Emergency Service Unit later determined that there was no bomb at the school.

Te Boston Opera House received an email threatening to bomb the celebrated cultural institution

At least five locations in Manhattan were targeted and no fewer than 11 threats were made in Suffolk County on Long Island.

Columbine High School in Colorado was placed on lockdown this morning after someone called in claiming that there was a gunman outside the school and that multiple bombs had been planted inside the building, which was the site of the infamous 1999 shooting that claimed 13 lives.

Sheriff's spokesman Mike Taplin said there is nothing to validate the threat.

Two dozen other Colorado schools were also temporarily placed on lockout, meaning their doors were locked but classes continued normally, as the threat was investigated.

Authorities said a threat emailed to a school in Troy, Missouri, about 55 miles northeast of St. Louis, was sent from Russia.

The bomb threats also prompted evacuations at city hall in Aurora, Illinois, the offices of the News & Observer Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina, a courthouse outside Atlanta and businesses in Detroit.

'Organizations nationwide, both public and private, have reported receiving emailed bomb threats today,' Michigan State Police spokeswoman Shannon Banner said. 'They are not targeted toward any one specific sector.'

Penn State University notified students via a text alert about threats to a half-dozen buildings and an airport on its main campus in State College, Pennsylvania. In an update, the school said the threat appeared to be part of a 'national hoax.'

A police officer removes police tape outside a Jewish community center on California Street in San Francisco following a hoax bomb threat

A spokesman for the Oklahoma City Police Department revealed that around a dozen specific email bomb threats with addresses in and around Oklahoma City were sent out Thursday.

Some of the emails had the subject line: 'Think Twice.' Others opened with 'Better listen to me.'

The Palm Beach County, Florida sheriff's office and the Boise, Idaho police said they had no reason to believe that threats made to locations in those areas were credible.

Boston police said in a statement they had confirmed that the Boston Opera House had received an email threatening to bomb the celebrated cultural institution.

On the West Coast, two dozen threats were reported in Los Angeles, and in San Francisco a bank and a Jewish community center were evacuated as a precaution.

Several businesses in Vancouver, Canada, also received emailed threats, according to CNN, but none of them was evacuated.
An Australian mother facing the death penalty in the United States over the alleged murder of her seven-year-old stepdaughter is 'doing okay'.

Lisa Cunningham, who is believed to still be spending 23 hours a day locked in a cell in Arizona after allegedly killing young Sanaa in February 2017, made a brief appearance in court on Thursday.

The 43-year-old was seen entering the Maricopa Superior Court wearing handcuffs and a prison jumpsuit, Nine News reported.

She turned to family members sitting in the court room and mouthed: 'I'm doing okay' to them, a claim repeated by her defence attorney later that day.

Mother-of-four Lisa Cunningham (pictured) told family she was 'okay' when she appeared in court on Thursday

Mrs Cunningham could become the first Australian woman to face the death penalty in the US, and the second ever executed by the state of Arizona, after allegedly killing her stepdaughter

Eric Kessler told reporters Mrs Cunningham was 'doing well', and playing an active role in her own defence.

'She's reading documents, communicating with us and from a health standpoint she's fine,' he said.

Sanaa had been diagnosed with acute schizophrenia and other mental health problems, but her death was caused by complications from sepsis and acute bronchitis.

After her death, investigators found markings on her limbs that suggested she had been restrained with zip-ties and handcuffs.

Mrs Cunningham's stepdaughter Sanaa (pictured) was just seven-years-old when she died in February 2017

Police allege Sanaa, who had schizophrenia, was viciously abused, and had been restrained with a straitjacket and cable ties prior to her death

Police, who believe Sanaa suffered vicious abuse, also had a cut down to the bone on her foot, and was allegedly restrained with a straitjacket and cable ties before her death.

Mrs Cunningham's husband, former Phoenix detective Germayne, has also been charged over the alleged murder.

Police arrested and charged the two after investigating complaints they had neglected the young girl.

Both have pleaded not guilty and are expected to reappear in court on February 28.

Mrs Cunningham faces the death penalty if convicted, and would become only second woman to be executed by the state, the first being put to death in 1930.
A Brooklyn subway rider has made a citizen's arrest after witnessing a woman attack another rider and call her a racial slur.

Anna Lushchinskaya, 40, was charged with felony assault on Tuesday morning following the altercation on a northbound D train in the neighborhood of Sunset Park, the NYPD said.

Video from the bizarre incident, shot by podcaster Juan Ayala, does not show what led to the altercation at 7.50am on the crowded train during the morning commute.

Lushchinskaya is seen screaming 'f**k off, f**k off' at the woman standing beside her, who is silent and appears preoccupied with her phone.

Lushchinskaya is seen screaming 'f**k off, f**k off' at the woman standing beside her, and then takes her sunglasses off and pulls her hair back as if preparing for battle

The blonde aggressor then slaps at the other woman's hand, and appears to begin preparing for combat by taking her sunglasses and gloves off, pulling her hair back, and whipping out her umbrella.

After a minute of such agitated preparations, Lushchinskaya suddenly kicks the other woman, who kicks her back.

Other passengers intervene and try to break up the fight. 'Yo lady, just chill out ok?' one says, while another shouts 'please stop'.

'You're not letting me hit her back!' complains Lushchinskaya, who goes on to call a man who is trying to stop her a 'f**king retarded'.

Lushchinskaya wields her small umbrella as a cudgel and continues to try to kick the other passenger as others hold her back.

Lushchinskaya wields her small umbrella as a cudgel and continues to try to kick the other woman as other straphangers hold her back

Passengers hold Lushchinskaya back, before she shocks the crowded train by shouting 'f**king ch**k' at the other woman, who is Asian

The woman who is being attacked, who has been silent throughout, finally pipes up, saying: 'You come touch me, I will punch you right back. I dont care who the f**k you are.'

As Lushchinskaya continues trying to beat the woman with her umbrella in a rage, a man intervenes and grabs the umbrella from her.

'You're going to make us all late for work, b***h,' one man says.

Lushchinskaya spits on the floor and again screams 'f**k off' as she flicks off the woman she had been trying to fight, who is Asian.

'F**king ch**k,' Lushchinskaya then screamed at her foe, drawing gasps from the crowded train.

'What! What!' shouts Ayala, the man filming the video. 'Your white privilege ain't working over here, get the f**k out of here.'

'You already know she voted for Trump,' he continues.

Ayala, who hosts a podcast titled Juan & Nyle's Podcast, then swooped into action to make a citizen's arrest until police arrived.

'She tried me so I had to detain her until the cops showed up,' he said, posting a photo of himself holding her hands behind her back.

Juan Ayala, who filmed the video, detained the woman at the station until police arrived

Another photo shows police taking Lushchinskaya into custody.

New York state law permits any private person to use physical force, other than deadly physical force, to detain a person who commits a felony in their presence, and is in fact guilty of the felony.

Hours later, the victim, who did not want to be identified, described the terror in an interview with ABC 7.

'I'm lucky that she didn't have anything like weapons on her -- like knife, gun -- because it could have got a lot worse,' the victim said.

The woman said she believes she's 'lucky that people were on the train who were helping me, especially the first Asian guy who stood in front of me right away because he wasn't recording'.

'He just stood in front of me to help me, because I know other people were recording, but their recording didn't do anything until later on when it escalated,' she added.

According to ABC, the woman suffered lacerations to her face.

Another woman posted this image the day before Lushchinskaya's arrest. It appears to be of her getting into a separate altercation on a different train

It is apparently not the first time Lushchinskaya has gotten into altercations on the subway.

On Monday, one day before the D train arrest, a Twitter user posted a photo that appears to be Lushchinskaya, saying that on the R train 'this woman shoved me nearly on the the tracks with a [fist] full of keys then threaten to hit me w her umbrella'.

Court records also show that Lushchinskaya was arrested in June on charges of menacing, harassment, assault and criminal weapons possession.
The Senate passed a resolution on Thursday saying Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is responsible for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in what was seen as a rebuke of President Donald Trump.

Lawmakers unanimously passed the resolution, which states that the Senate 'believes Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi' and calls for the Saudi Arabian government to 'ensure appropriate accountability' for those responsible.

The passage came shortly after the Senate approved a different measure to end U.S. military support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen.

The double whammy of votes were seen as lawmakers' expression of anger and frustration with Trump's handling of U.S./Saudi relations.

The Senate passed a resolution saying Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is responsible for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashogg (above)

The resolution states that the Senate believes Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (above) 'is responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi'

The resolution was seen as the senators' disapproval of Trump's handling of U.S.-Saudi relations

It is unclear whether the House will consider the measure condemning MBS - the prince is known by his initials - for Khashoggi's death. The lower chamber would have to approve it before it can be sent to the White House for Trump's signature.

'I absolutely believe that if the crown prince came before a jury here in the United States of America, he would be convicted guilty in under 30 minutes,' Republican Sen. Bob Corker, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on the Senate floor. 'I absolutely believe he directed it. I believe he monitored it. And I believe he is responsible for it.'

The vote came as Trump has remained neutral on who is to blame for Khashoggi's death.

'He's the leader of Saudi Arabia. They've been a very good ally,' Trump told Reuters on Tuesday of the prince and said that, 'at this moment,' sticking with Saudi Arabia means standing by the crown prince.

Trump has also praised the Middle Eastern nation for the millions it spends in the United States.

His administration lobbied against the resolution.

Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo went to Capitol Hill to brief senators and privately urge them to oppose it.

But the bipartisan, unanimous vote in the Senate puts pressure on the House to follow suit.

U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that Prince bin Salman must have at least known of the plot.

Passage of the resolution came after senators passed a separate measure calling for the end of U.S. aid to the Saudi-led war in Yemen.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary James Mattis went to Capitol Hill to lobby the Senate

Senators voted 56-to-41 vote to end U.S. participation in the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen by invoking the War Powers Resolution - the first time a chamber of Congress has ever done so.

'Today we tell the despotic regime in Saudi Arabia that we will not be part of their military adventurism,' Sen. Bernie Sanders, a key sponsor of the resolution, said before the vote.

That resolution calls the war in Yemen a 'humanitarian crisis' and demands that all parties seek an immediate cease-fire. It also The requires the president to withdraw any troops in or 'affecting' Yemen within 30 days unless they are fighting al Qaeda.

The votes come two months after the journalist's killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and after Trump has equivocated over who is to blame.

Frustration with the crown prince and the White House prompted several Republicans to support the Yemen resolution, a rebuke to the longtime ally.

It's unlikely the House will consider the Yemen resolution, which means the legislation will die at the end of the year when the current congressional session ends.
Jerry Seinfeld has called Kevin Hart's decision to step down from hosting the Oscar's after homophobic tweets from 2009-2011 resurfaced a loss for the Academy.

Seinfeld made the comment while being interviewed by Willie Geist for his hour of the weekend Today Show, which will air in full on Sunday.

Geist asked him about the current culture where people are being held accountable for things they may have said and/or done years ago.

'Kevin is in a position because he's a brilliant comedian to kind of decide what he wants to do. He doesn't have to step down. But he can. And when you look at that situation, well, who got screwed in that deal? I think Kevin's gonna be fine,' he said.

'But... find another Kevin Hart? That's not so easy. He's a brilliant guy with a movie career, ya know.'

Seinfeld also told Willie Geist that comedians have always been required to be flexible to the ever-changing mores of society and today isn't any different

Jerry Seinfeld (left) has called Kevin Hart's decision to step down from hosting the Oscar's after homophobic tweets from 2009-2011 resurfaced a loss for the Academy in an interview to air on 'Sunday Today with Wilie Geist (right)' on NBC on December 16

When Hart has stepped down over the tweets, he said first he didn't believe he should have to apologize because he had already addressed the tweets from 2009-2011, but then he apologized anyway.

'I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year's Oscar's....this is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists,' the comedian tweeted on December 6, just two days after being named host. 'I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past.'

His apology, however, came only after he revealed earlier in an Instagram video that the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences had given him an ultimatum to either apologize for the comments or they would seek a new host.

Kevin Hart (pictured) Hart first refused to apologize for the tweets, saying he had already addressed it, but then said he sorry two hours later, after he had already given up his dream job

Hart responded to the ultimatum in the video asserting that he chose to 'pass on the apology' because he had 'addressed this several times'.

'I just got a call from the Academy and that call basically said, ''Kevin, apologize for your tweets of old or we're going to have to move on and find another host.'' I'm talking about the tweets from 2009 and 2010,'' the 39-year-old said in the Instagram video, which he recorded in Australia from a stop on The Kevin Hart Irresponsible Tour.

'I chose to pass on the apology. The reason why I passed is because I've addressed this several times. This is not the first time this has come up. I've addressed it. I've spoken on it. I've said where the rights and wrongs were.

'I've said who I am now versus who I was then. I've done it. I'm not going to continue to go back and tap into the days of old when I've moved on and I'm in a completely different place in my life.'

This came after tweets dated from 2009 to 2011 surfaced in which the comedian spewed blatant anti-gay rhetoric.

In 2011, he wrote in a since-deleted tweet: 'Yo if my son comes home & try's 2 play with my daughters doll house I'm going 2 break it over his head & say n my voice ''stop that's gay.'' '

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

A 2009 now-deleted tweet from Hart displays his anti-gay humor

Even though it was deleted, screen captures began circulating online, gaining widespread criticism.

Less than two hours after posting the Instagram video refusing to apologize, Hart changed his tune, issuing an apology to the LGBTQ community along with his resignation as Oscars host.

'I'm sorry that I hurt people. I am evolving and want to continue to do so. My goal is to bring people together not tear us apart. Much love & appreciation to the Academy. I hope we can meet again,' Hart tweeted on December 6.

The comedian announced he would step down and then apologized to the LGBTQ community for his 'insensitive words'

His apology came too late, however, since he had already rejected the Academy's ultimatum to apologize or be replaced

Hart had posted on December 4 about how hosting the Oscars was a lifelong goal of his

Seinfeld went to explain that comedians are required to be flexible to the ever-changing mores of society.

'Most of the time, comedians, we are expected to be the most agile in terms of how we think and construct our thoughts and what comes out of our mouth,' Seinfeld said.

'We have been navigating these slalom gates forever. Forever.'

Then the small screen and stand-up star shared examples from his career, as he was just trying to break into TV.

'Look, when I started out, ya know, there were dirty comedians,' he said.

"To go back to the Carson thing, "Well if you wanna get on the Tonight Show, if you wanna get on TV, you can't use any of those words. A'l those words are out,"' he said, quoting things he heard back in the day.

'And a lot of us went, "OK, I still wanna play. I'll play,"' he said.

Then he went on, quoting more instances of change.

'"Oh here's a new rule. This. We're cutting this out,"' Seinfeld said, repeating what he'd once been told, and then telling Geist comedians would simply say, '"OK. I'll get around that."'

Bringing the example to an end, Seinfeld shared that his view of his craft is simply one where these things happen all of the time.

'So that's our thing,' he said, before referencing an Olympic skier who has been argued to be the best in the world.

'It's like Lindsey Vonn. Wherever you put the gates, I'm gonna make 'em,' Seinfeld said. 'I'm gonna make the gates. That's the gig.'

The full interview will air on 'Sunday Today with Willie Geist' on December 16, which begins at 8am on NBC
Cervical cancer rates could spike if gender is eliminated from birth certificates, a senior federal government official warns.

Assistant Treasurer Stuart Robert said it would affect the way Australian data was collected and services provided.

Healthcare facilities in particular would suffer under the reforms that have already been considered in both Tasmania and the Northern Territory, he said

'This identity war now poses some pretty serious risks. I can't allow states to do it (remove gender),' Mr Robert told The Daily Telegraph.

Eliminating gender from birth certificates could result in a spike in numbers of cervical cancer victims, a senior government official warns (stock)

Mr Robert said cervical cancer vaccines, for example, were provided to women free of charge, but without precise data gathered from birth certificates, health providers had no way to measure how many would be required.

'Cervical cancer doesn't care about how you identify, it cares about whether you have a cervix,' he said.

Mr Robert said not having gender on birth certificates would mean the Australian Bureau of Statistics would also be unable to compile the correct data to determine where and why certain suburbs required certain facilities.

Assistant Treasurer Stuart Robert said removing gender from birth certificates would affect way Australian data is collected and services provided

Poll Should gender be removed from birth certificates? YES NO Should gender be removed from birth certificates? YES 3 votes

NO 175 votes Now share your opinion







In particular, maternity wards and fertility clinics may not be placed where they are most needed.

'This data is essential for sensible planning across Australia. Governments at all levels use it for planning including where hospitals and schools go. It's used by housing developers,' Mr Roberts said.

He added that genders will remain on birth certificates, despite Tasmania's apparent determination to change the law.

Mr Roberts promised the Federal Government would override state laws if need be to block what he calls a 'reckless' reform.

The decision comes after landmark reforms in Tasmania could make it a crime not to call a person by their preferred pronoun.

The proposed laws would also allow parents in Tasmania to decide whether their child's gender is recorded on birth certificates - and enable people aged 16 or older to legally change their gender.

The bill passed Tasmania's lower house last month and must now pass the state's 15-member upper house - nine of whom are independents - to become law.
A mother was left horrified after discovering a man had allegedly been filming up her young daughter's skirt while they were at a busy department store.

Gold Coast woman Natasha was with her daughter at a Big W department store when staff alerted her.

Workers told her they had seen the man filming up her daughter's skirt.

Gold Coast mother Natasha was with her daughter at the Big W department store in Robina when staff alerted her to the creepy incident by staff

'I felt sick. I felt that Id failed my daughter because I hadnt, you know, I hadnt stopped him,' Natasha told 7news.

'I wanted to kill him.'

A trolley blocked Natasha from seeing what was happening but staff could clearly see it.

Suspicious staff confronted the man, following him as he fled the store.

Security was called but the man got away.

Footage of the man fleeing the store was captured by staff and handed to police.

Natasha praised the action by the department store staff. She said they went above and beyond. She said she only hoped the man had been apprehended

The man can be seen trying to block his face, telling staff not to take his photo.

Natasha praised the action by the department store staff and said she hoped the man would be caught.

The incident comes after a young girl was allegedly abducted from a Kmart store and sexually assaulted in Brisbane last week.

The Big W store manager did not wish to comment when contacted by the Daily Mail.
An Australian woman holidaying in Bali has undergone eight hours of intensive surgery and slapped with a $62,000 medical bill after a scooter ride went horribly wrong.

Amethyst Chrystal, 19, was holidaying in Canggu, in Bali to escape the Australian winter with her friends in July.

Little did Ms Chrystal know an 'impulsive' scooter ride would leave her with five fractures to her face including a broken eye socket, a shattered kneecap and an exposed femur and torn ligaments, news.com reports.

Amethyst Chrystal, 19, was holidaying in Canggu, in Bali in July to escape the Australian winter with her friends when she encountered a horror scooter crash leaving her bedridden in hospital with severe facial injuries (pictured)

'I had to undergo eight hours of surgery to plate my facial fractures and to reattach my ligaments and tendons to my knee with a pin and stitch it up,' Amethyst told the publication.

Her jaw was so severely fractured she needed screws to hold it shut.

'Due to my mandible fracture I had my jaw wired shut with screws  two top and two bottom with elastics to hold it shut for 10 weeks[...],' she said.

'I had to undergo eight hours of surgery to plate my facial fractures and to reattach my ligaments and tendons to my knee with a pin and stitch it up,' Amethyst said

Amethyst, from Broome, suffered a shattered kneecap, exposed femur and torn ligaments in her leg (pictured)

In that time, she had to drink from a straw and wasn't able to talk.

She also suffered from nausea and vomited profusely which was very dangerous with her wired shut jaw increasing her risk of choking.

The 19-year-old from Broome had been riding pillion at the back of her friend's hired scooter in Canggu known as a resort village on the island's south coast.

A taxi had been pulling out on to the main road and the scooter crashed straight into its side.

While she said she was a little apprehensive riding her scooter in unfamiliar streets, she said she had a scooter licence in Australia so she didn't think it was 'risky.'

Amethyst was rushed to Bali's BIMC Hospital after the horror crash.

She said she was shocked when she received her bill at the end of her 1.5 weeks in hospital.

Amethyst (pictured left) now warns other young Australians travelling to Bali not to ride a scooter

Amethyst had to fork out a staggering $62,000 in total including her medical bills and flights.

Now, she warns other young Australians travelling to Bali not to ride a scooter.

'I do think hiring scooters is risky and I definitely wouldn't consider or recommend it after my experience,' she said.

'I do think hiring scooters is risky and I definitely wouldn't consider or recommend it after my experience,' she said (stock image)
The Turkey Space Agency was established in the country, the official gazette published a presidential decree signed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on December 13.

The agency will prepare and carry out the National Space Program in line with the policies determined by the president of Turkey.

According to the decree, the Turkey Space Agency will have financial and administrative autonomy, as well as a special budget.

In August, the country's Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank said a Turkish space agency would be founded this year, as it was set out in Turkey's 100-day action plan.

Work to form the Turkish space agency will be completed as soon as possible," Varank said, adding that the new agency will pave the way for the establishment of a competitive indigenous industry.

"We are forming the Turkish space agency in order to strengthen our aerospace industry, improve scientific infrastructure and human resources in the field of space technology and further boost our capacities and abilities," Hurriyet cited Varank as saying.

The agency will also pursue multilateral and bilateral cooperation with its international counterparts while protecting Turkey's rights at the United Nations.
May warned EU leaders last night that the prospect of a Brexit deal is at risk unless they give ground on the Irish border.

Addressing them at a summit in Brussels, Mrs May acknowledged that the agreement signed last month will never be approved by Parliament unless she receives clear assurances that the controversial Irish backstop can be only temporary.

Downing Street said the assurances sought by Mrs May would have to have legal force if they were to succeed in winning over Eurosceptic MPs and the DUP, who have otherwise threatened to scupper the deal.

On Wednesday, Mrs May faced vote of confidence from her own MPs following her decision to pull a Commons vote on the agreement. Last night, she warned the other 27 EU leaders they would have to budge to avoid a messy no-deal Brexit.

Mrs May won a no-confidence vote on Wednesday and jetted into Brussels to renegotiate her deal just 24 hours later

She said: We have to change the perception that the backstop could be a trap from which the UK could not escape. Until we do the deal  our deal  is at risk.

Mrs May said a package of assurances could change the dynamic in Parliament.

There is a majority in my Parliament who want to leave with a deal so with the right assurances this deal can be passed, she said. Indeed it is the only deal capable of getting through my Parliament.

I am in no doubt that the best result for all of us is to get the deal done in an orderly way. It is in none of our interests to allow an accidental no-deal and all the disruption that would bring.

Lets work together intensively to get this deal over the line in the best interests of all our people.

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May reacts as she meets Ireland's Prime Minister Leo Varadkar

Earlier Mrs May had gone public with her pledge to quit Downing Street before the next election in 2022. In other developments:

- Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom told MPs there would be no Brexit vote before Christmas;

- Former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab publicly called for Mrs May to quit;

- Ministers and Tory moderates pleaded with the hardline Brexiteers to end their attacks on the Prime Minister, warning they risked splitting the party.

EU leaders are growing increasingly anxious about the possibility of a no-deal Brexit and were expected to spend much of a private session last night discussing contingency plans.

EU leaders were at odds over whether they should grand May flexibility in getting her deal 'over the line'

Theresa May, pictured in a meeting with European Council President Donald Tusk, reportedly told European politicians there would need to be concessions on the Irish border issue

Belgian prime minister Charles Michel warned that 70,000 jobs in Belgium could be put at risk if there is no good agreement that protects our economic interests and our citizens.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said: No deal would not be good for the EU, but it would be even worse for the UK.

'In my heart I'd love to stay on': Says May Mrs May last night said she would love to fight the next general election  but accepts her MPs want her to go. She told reporters that she would step down before 2022, confirming the promise she made in private to Tory MPs on Wednesday before they voted on her future. Facing questions for the first time since surviving that vote of no confidence, the Prime Minister said: In my heart I would love to be able to lead the Conservative Party into the next general election, but I think it is right that the party feels that they would prefer to go into that election with another leader. She would not, however, say exactly when she plans to leave Downing Street. People try to talk about dates, she said. What Im clear about is the next general election is in 2022 and I think its right another party leader takes us into that general election. My focus now is on ensuring that I can get those assurances that we need to get this [Brexit] deal over the line. Sajid Javid, Jeremy Hunt, Amber Rudd and Michael Gove are all viewed as potential sucessors, as are former Cabinet colleagues Boris Johnson, David Davis and Dominic Raab. Advertisement

EU leaders clashed last night over how flexible they should be but EU diplomats say the most likely outcome is a declaration on the Irish backstop that would carry legal significance.

Britain wants a legal document which would compel the bloc to do its best to reach a future trade agreement before the need for the backstop emerges. Austria and Finland are said to be more open to the idea, while others such as France and Belgium are said to be more strongly opposed.

Yesterday Mr Kurz, who holds the EUs presidency, signalled the countrys support for Mrs May.

He suggested text could be added to the political declaration which sets out the framework for the future relationship or an additional provision could be agreed on by both sides. He did, however, rule out reopening the 585-page Withdrawal Agreement.

Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar, who met Mrs May before she addressed leaders, said: Some of the suggestions made sense, others I thought were difficult, but what I said unequivocally is that we want to be helpful, we want to help this deal over the line... are willing to talk about explanation, clarification, statements explaining what the deal means.

Luxembourg prime minister Xavier Bettel insisted the EU would not be able to make genuine changes and said he hopes Britain will still call a second referendum.

French president Emmanuel Macron said: Its important to avoid any ambiguity: we cannot reopen a legal agreement.
A Florida man was set to be executed on Thursday for the grisly 1992 beating and murder of an elderly woman.

However 55-year-old Jose Antonio Jimenez's execution was put on hold awaiting a final ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court following a last-minute appeal.

Jimenez was scheduled to be put to death at 6pm local time at Florida State Prison on Thursday.

He was said to be 'calm and in good spirits' on his final day and was visited by a spiritual adviser.

He enjoyed what he thought was to be his final meal of a Cuban sandwich, eggs, French fries and ice cream for dessert.

Florida man Jose Antonio Jimenez, 55, was set to be put to death by lethal injection at Florida State Prison at 6pm on Thursday for the 1992 killing of 63-year-old Phyllis Minas in her North Miami apartment. His execution was then put on hold as a result of a last-minute stay

In October 1992 Jimenez viciously beat and stabbed 63-year-old Phyllis Minas to death as he was burglarizing in her Miami-Dade County apartment.

According to trial transcripts, Minas' neighbors said they heard the woman screaming inside her second-floor apartment and tried to enter, but someone inside had locked the door.

The building's custodian said he saw Jimenez jump from the woman's second-floor balcony.

Prosecutors also argued that a fingerprint on the inside of the apartment's front door matched Jimenez's print. They also noted that he was a cocaine addict.

Investigators say that he fatally stabbed her eight times.

He was convicted in her death that same year after a week-long trial.

Also after his arrest he was convicted of a prior burglary and second-degree murder in the death of Marie Debas in Miami Beach in 1990.

Jimenez's defense still insists that he didn't commit the crime, according to the Sun-Sentinel.

Governor Rick Scott signed off on Jimenez's death warrant in July and he was scheduled to be executed on Thursday evening by lethal injection

He was burglarizing Minas' Miami home (above) when he brutally beat her to death

Jimenez has filed various appeals over the past couple of years.

He filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court just last week saying detectives who investigated the case gave 'false or, at best, misleading testimony' and that key police reports were lost, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Governor Rick Scott signed off on Jimenez's death warrant in July and scheduled the execution for August. But the Supreme Court issued a stay that was later lifted in October.

According to corrections officials, there have been 27 executions since Scott took office in 2011, and Jimenez's would be the 28th if carried out.

That's the most of any Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.

On Wednesday the Florida Supreme Court refused to halt his execution.
President Donald Trump has been revealed to be the third man who attended a 2015 meeting with Michael Cohen and National Enquirer boss David Pecker where they forged a plan to keep the president's alleged affairs out of the press.

The meeting, which was referenced in a letter federal prosecutors sent to National Enquirer publisher American Media Inc., included an offer by company CEO to 'help deal with negative stories about the presidential candidate's relationships with women.'

With Trump identified as having been there, it means he was present when a plan was developed that would ultimately lead to a felony crime that Cohen pleaded guilty to and in Pecker's case a cooperation agreement by AMI with prosecutors not to be prosecuted 'for any crimes' related to campaign finance law resulting from the meeting.

It comes amid a spike in talk in Washington about the possibility that the president could be charged with directing a federal crime, even if it is ultimately held that he is immune from such charges due to his office and the Justice Department's prior interpretation of the Constitution that sitting presidents cannot be indicted, only impeached.

After the bombshell development, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders suddenly turned up to brief reporters and claimed when asked if Trump was worried about Pecker flipping: 'Not at all.'

Sanders added: 'The president was clear that he directed no one to do anything wrong, particularly Michael Cohen. Hes been clear on this.'

But the revelation threatened to create more turmoil in the White House and for Trump's legal team.

The plan the three reached included an agreement to help the campaign 'identifying such stories so they could be purchased and their publication avoided.' At the meeting, 'Pecker agreed to keep Cohen apprised of any such negative stories,' according to the letter.

President Donald Trump has been revealed to be the third man who attended a 2015 meeting with Michael Cohen and David Pecker about burying negative stories about his alleged affairs

NBC confirmed Trump's attendance a day after prosecutors referenced it in the letter  which revealed that AMI, like Cohen, was cooperating with the government. The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Trump was involved in or briefed on 'nearly every step' of the agreements.

And so-called 'catch and kill' agreements did emerge over the course of the campaign.

Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign and banking violations after he created a shell company to transfer $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels, who claims she had an affair with Trump.

AMI gave $150,000 to Playboy model Karen McDougal, who says she had a 10-month affair with the president.

That could leave Trump as the odd man out if he continues his denials that he did nothing wrong and never 'directed' Cohen to break the law.

DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel determined during the Nixon Administration that a sitting president could not be indicted, although its position has not been tested in court.

Amid the swirling developments of the week, one powerful Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff of California, is calling for that interpretation to change.

Although the founders included impeachment in the constitution as a political remedy, critics of the status quo have argued they never intended to give the executive a 'free pass' for crimes just by holding office, including alleged crimes that helped a president obtain the White House.

'I think the Justice Department needs to re-examine that OLC opinion, the Office of Legal Counsel opinion, that you cannot indict a sitting president under circumstances in which the failure to do so may mean that person escapes justice,' Schiff told CNN on Wednesday, hours after Donald Trump's longtime lawyer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to breaking campaign finance laws and other matters.

Meanwhile, impeachment  a subject Democratic leaders sought to tamp down before the elections  continues to hover over the courtroom developments.

If it is determined that the Justice Department can't or won't charge Trump, even with a recommendation from Special Counsel Robert Mueller, it would then fall to House Democrats to begin the process that can result in the president's removal from office.

Adding to the pressure on Democrats will be the statute of limitations on potential campaign finance crimes. That could allow Trump to avoid facing charges by winning election to a second term  even as his subordinate Cohen cools his heels in jail well past the time Trump would again take the oath of office.

Former Acting Solicitor General under President Obama Neal Katyal wrote Wednesday on Twitter that existing special counsel regulations 'put thumb on scale of Mueller asking Acting AG to indict, as that is the one way Mueller can be sure info he has uncovered in his investigation is provided to Congress. EVEN if Mueller thinks AG would say no, he may need to ask.'

Despite the current regulations, Mueller could ask the Justice Department to allow for a waiver to indict, according to Katyal.

If the official overseeing the Russia probe refuses, Mueller would be required to report it to Congress  which would then have that information as it considered any impeachment proceedings.

It is not entirely clear who is even overseeing the probe who would make that call. Trump installed loyalist Matt Whitaker as Acting Attorney General, but Justice has refused media requests for information on whether Whitaker received an ethics review of any potential conflicts, following a slew of comments critical of the Mueller investigation.

If he weren't in an oversight role, it could be Deputy Attorney Gen. Rod Rosenstein who would make the call.

Trump 'and his Republican supporters do not appreciate what legal analysts do: that the president is in serious legal jeopardy and it is mounting,' wrote former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti in Politico.

Former Playboy model Karen McDougal got paid $150,000 in exchange for 'limited life rights' to her story

Trump distanced himself from the $150,000 payment Thursday in an interview with Fox News.

'Let me just tell you about that tabloid I don't think - and I have to go check - I don't think they even paid any money to that tabloid. Okay?' Trump told the network in an interview.

'I don't think we made a payment to that tabloid. I was asking the question  I don't think we made a payment,' Trump continued. Then you have the other situation, and every lawyer  look, "Trump didn't violate campaign finance laws, and neither did the president," he said, reading for a headline he had with him during the interview.

Prosecutors said 'at no time' did AMI intend to publish the story it was buying.

Cohen in August and Sept. 2016 called Pecker sand said he wanted to purchase the 'limited life rights' to the story, and Pecker agreed to provide the rights in exchange for $125,000. Pecker signed the agreement Sept. 30, 2016, but in October 2016  a month before the election  Pecker called Cohen and said the deal was off. He told Cohen to 'tear up the assignment agreement,' according to prosecutors.

The 'principal purpose' of the deal was 'to suppress the model's story so as to prevent it from influencing the election' according to a government 'Statement of Admitted Facts' included in the letter to AMI.

The confirmation of Trump's personal presence at the meeting comes a day after it was revealed that the publisher of the National Enquirer for its role in burying a story about a Playboy model who claims she had a months-long affair with Donald Trump - giving one of the president's former closest allies immunity in return for flipping.

Trump distanced himself from the $150,000 deal in an interview with Fox News on Thursday

U.S. attorneys in the Southern District of New York announced the deal with American Media Inc. shortly after a judge in Manhattan sentenced former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to three years in jail.

Cohen was involved in discussions with Pecker - who had been one of Trump's closest friends - over the $150,000 payment that went to McDougal.

The documents revealing the deal make clear that Pecker agreed to flip - and is still cooperating with federal authorities.

They do not say who he and his company flipped on, raising the possibility that he has handed over information on his former friend, Trump.

The 'principal purpose' of the deal was 'to suppress the model's story so as to prevent it from influencing the election' according to a government 'Statement of Admitted Facts'

Disgrace: The catch and kill deal was concocted between AMI and Michael Cohen. The firm got immunity and he will be jailed for three years in March

The deal outlined in the prosecution documents describe how AMI bought McDouglal's silence.

The Enquirer published guaranteed her appearances on publications' covers and gave her a fitness column in exchange for giving away the life rights to her story. It has been described as a type of 'catch-and-kill' arrangement and a way to keep a bad story out of the press.

According to a letter from prosecutors to AMI, the company entered an agreement to acquire 'limited life rights' with a model about her relationship with 'any then-married man' in exchange for $150,000.

The firm agreed to pay 'substantially more money than AMI otherwise would have paid to acquire the story' 'because of Cohen's assurances to Pecker that AMI would ultimately be reimbursed for the payment.'

But its 'principal purpose' in the deal was 'to suppress the model's story so as to prevent it from influencing the election.'

At no time during talks 'did AMI intend to publish the story or disseminate information about it publicly,' according to the letter.

As part of the deal, the National Enquirer publisher will avoid charges over its role in the hush money payments.

As part of the facts the company lawyers agreed and consented to, the letter stipulates that Pecker met with Cohen 'and at least one other member of the campaign.'

'At the meeting, Pecker offered to help deal with negative stories about that presidential candidate's relationships with women by, among other things, assisting the campaign in identifying such stories so they could be purchased and their publication avoided. Pecker agreed to keep Cohen apprised of any such negative stories.'

Former Playboy cover model Karen McDougal has said she had a months-long affair with U.S. President Donald Trump years before he took office, and that she sold her story for $150,000 to American Media Inc but it was never published.

Prosecutors revealed the immunity deal with the publisher of American Media Inc.

A statement of facts spelled out the $150,000 payment to a former Playboy model

AMI knew about federal campaign laws at the time it reached the deal, it agreed

The incident involved a practice known as 'catch and kill' to prevent a potentially damaging article from being published.

In a statement, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District said it agreed not to prosecute AMI after the company admitted 'that it made the $150,000 payment in concert with a candidate's presidential campaign, and in order to ensure that the woman did not publicize damaging allegations about the candidate before the 2016 presidential election.'

Prosecutors announced the agreement on the same day that Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, was sentenced to three years in prison in federal court in New York for orchestrating hush payments to McDougal and another woman, adult-film star Stormy Daniels, in violation of campaign laws before the election, as well as other crimes.

AMI's David Pecker, a longtime friend of Trump and Cohen, had met with prosecutors to describe their hush-money deals with McDougal and porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 U.S. election won by Trump, the Wall Street Journal reported in August.

Pecker and another AMI executive were granted immunity as part of prosecutors' probe, Vanity Fair also reported over the summer.

Representatives for AMI and Pecker could not be immediately reached for comment.
When a mysterious contract for a stand-up gig at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) popped into my inbox on Sunday, I didn't give it a second thought.

After all, I've been a stand-up comedian for three years now  I'm used to contracts  and the gig wasn't until January. What possible surprises could there be?

As it turned out, its contents were as depressing as they were alarming.

Scrolling through the small print, I found something plucked out of George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four called a 'behavioural agreement form', which prescribed an endless list of themes I couldn't make jokes about: 'Racism, sexism, classism, ageism, ableism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, xenophobia, Islamophobia or anti-religion or anti-atheism.' Phew!

Comedian Konstantin Kisin pulled out of a student charity event organised by Unicef On Campus society at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)

It also declared that all my material had to be 'respectful and kind'.

Come on, I'm a comedian.

In normal life I think I am a 'respectful and kind' person  I certainly try to be. But up on stage at a comedy club, with an inebriated and feisty audience in front of me?

Take it from me, 'respectful and kind' just doesn't cut it. There is a measure of cruelty at the heart of almost all comedy  even self-deprecating jokes have bite.

The irony was that I'd first been approached by a student who'd seen my normal set at Top Secret, one of London's best comedy clubs, and clearly enjoyed it. Would I be prepared to do an unpaid gig to raise money for the school's Unicef charity, he asked.

I was happy to help. And yet here, just a few weeks later, I was told what kind of jokes I was allowed to make.

Of course, the list itself is a laughable pastiche of today's politically correct times. But it is also deeply concerning  especially for someone like me, who was born in the Soviet Union, the home of Stalinist purges, the KGB, gulag prison camps and just about the last place on Earth you would readily associate with freedom of speech.

And yet here I was in London, the capital of a country still seen as the birthplace of democracy and as a bastion of tolerance and free speech, being told what I could and couldn't say at an event being hosted at a leading university. It's extraordinary.

Mr Kisin was sent a 'behavioural agreement form' which stopped him telling jokes which were not 'respectful and kind'

My family know all about political repression and the denial of free speech. I came to Britain to stay with my grandfather, who decades earlier had dared to speak out against the government.

Back then, saying 'the wrong thing' had serious repercussions. He was reported to the KGB and was forced into exile.

When he arrived in England, he was enthralled by the prospect of living in a land where citizens were free to speak their minds. It was the absence of 'behavioural agreement forms' that he celebrated.

Support for freedom of speech clearly runs in our family: my grandmother was born in a gulag prison camp, where her parents had been sent for  you guessed it  also saying 'the wrong thing'.

Decades later, with the Russian Federation now in place of the Soviet Union, the country is still a tough place for jokes.

Just this year, Armando Iannucci's brilliant political satire, The Death Of Stalin, was banned for being 'insulting' and containing aspects of 'ideological warfare'. Presumably, if it had been 'respectful and kind' about a despot responsible for possibly 20 million deaths, it would have been packing out Russian cinemas.

Here in my adopted homeland I co-host a podcast, TRIGGERnometry, in which myself and another comedian, Francis Foster, discuss controversial subjects with a range of guests. If I did that in Russia, our only listeners would be the KGB.

Ideological oppression is exactly what I hoped I had escaped by coming here. But as that 'behavioural agreement form' showed, I was wrong.

Not that I was particularly surprised. For as we have seen, Britain's conviction in freedom of expression is waning.

And its decline is most obvious at our universities, where barely a week goes by without news of someone being 'no-platformed'  having their invitation to speak suddenly withdrawn by outraged students frothing at the mouth about some perceived slight or other.

At Oxford University recently, students demonstrated their unrivalled capacity for feeling offended by demanding a college remove a portrait of alumna (and Prime Minister) Theresa May. Apparently, her views were too 'contentious' for Britain's best and brightest.

At Kent University at the start of this term, student officials proposed a ban on dressing up as cowboys and vicars because, rather than being a laugh, it was deemed beyond the pale. (For some reason I also have an invitation from Kent University sitting in my inbox ...)

Critics blame the over-sensitivity of molly-coddled millennials, the so-called snowflake generation, for all this. Others suggest it is simply political correctness gone mad. (Even the comedy legend John Cleese was kind enough yesterday to salute the stand I have taken.)

But I believe it is more sinister than that.

For decades, British universities have provided a safe and relatively well-paid haven for radical Left-wing intellectuals who are now passing on their wacky opinions to an increasingly spoon-fed generation. It's representatives of that generation who sent me the ridiculous behavioural agreement form.

When I went to Edinburgh University 15 years ago, I wanted to learn and, more importantly, how to think for myself.

A key part of that process is knowing that it is a good thing to have our opinions challenged from time to time by those who hold differing views. And that's where telling a joke is useful. For nothing is capable of challenging orthodoxy quite like humour.

My working life is comedy. I like making people laugh and would have loved to have done so at SOAS. After all, today's students are in desperate need of a good laugh.

A spokesman for SOAS student union (pictured) said it 'does not require external speakers to sign any form of contract or behavioural agreement'

But if comedians give in to the prescriptive whims of this minority of intolerant and humourless British student officials, they will become the intolerant and humourless opinion-formers of tomorrow  not just the speechwriters, advisers and politicians, but the police officers, judges and journalists, too.

There is a glimmer of a hope that this country's centuries-old commitment to free speech will prevail.

Soon after I went public with this ridiculous invitation, I was asked to perform at Comedy Unleashed, a new comedy club set up in London to discourage self-censorship and promote freedom of expression.

I read out the behavioural agreement form and got a few nice laughs. I then announced that I would be doing my normal set in the spirit of SOAS's rules to be 'respectful and kind'.

'Hello, my name is Konstantin Kisin,' I announced. 'Thank you very much  good night!'

And walked off the stage to huge cheers.
Jared Kushner was reported Thursday to have lobbied to become his father-in-law Donald Trump's chief of staff.

The first son-in-law, already an adviser to the president with an office next to the Oval Office, was reported by the Huffington Post to have pushed his own candidacy and been rewarded with a meeting Wednesday about the role.

He apparently claimed he could work with Democrats - a claim ridiculed by one of the sources for the report who said: 'I don't know why he thinks that, when the Democrats are mainly going to be coming after Trump.'

Kushner's potential candidacy emerged shortly after the president claimed he had five candidates who actually want the job fighting it out.

Trump did not say who the five are, although he is believed to be considering Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin for the powerful position.

'Five people. Really good ones. Terrific people. Mostly well known, but terrific people,' Trump told reporters on Thursday.

The claim was met with skepticism in wider Washington D.C. given that Trump pushed out John Kelly without a successor in place, then got turned down by his first choice.

President Trump claims he has narrowed his shortlist for chief of staff down to five 'terrific people' who seemingly want the job he's had trouble filling - but it is Jared Kushner who has lobbied for the job it emerged Thursday

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly attends a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and Governors-elects in the Cabinet Room at the White House on Thursday.

Kelly - seen at the door to the Cabinet Room Thursday - wanted to leave at the end of the year but will stay through the holidays, the White House has since said

A White House statement on Wednesday said that Trump ruled out North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows (left) for the top White House position. He has not ruled out Mick Mulvaney, the Office of Management and Budget director (right). The two men are seen on the left and right respectively

As for Kushner's apparent power play, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders seemed to be blindsided by it. 'I'm not aware that he's under consideration,' she said.

She quickly added: 'But as I think all of us here would recognize he will be great in any role the president chooses to put him in

'He has tremendous job on a number of front whether it was on trade or what we saw play out in the last week on criminal justice reform.'

Trump told the only Republican openly expressing interest in the job that he wants him to stay in Congress yesterday afternoon.

A White House statement on Wednesday said that Trump ruled out North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows for the top White House position.

'Congressman Mark Meadows is a great friend to President Trump and is doing an incredible job in Congress. The President told him we need him in Congress so he can continue the great work he is doing there,' White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said.

The announcement makes it anyone's guess as to who Trump will select to be his next chief of staff after suddenly announcing the job was coming available.

His plans were turned upside down when Trump's first pick for the position, Nick Ayes, unexpectedly turned the president's proposition down.

The White House subsequently said that Kelly would be staying on until early January 'at least' to the manage the West Wing while the president conducts his search for a replacement.

Politico reported on Monday that Meadows, a leading pro-Trump Republican congressman, was interested in the gig that nobody else seems to want.

'Serving as Chief of Staff would be an incredible honor. The President has a long list of qualified candidates and I know he'll make the best selection for his administration and for the country,' he told the publication.

The White House told the publication Wednesday that the president asked the congressman who had a double-digit victory in November to remain his position in the House. Meadows is the House Freedom Caucus chairman.

The president claimed Tuesday that more than 10 people were competing for the chief of staf job but none appears to be in the lead and it is unclear how much any of them actually wants to do it.

'We are in no rush. Over a period of a week or two or maybe less we'll announce who it's going to be, but we have a lot of people who want the position,' Trump said in a Oval Office meeting with Democratic leaders on Tuesday morning that Kelly attended.

He said, 'A lot of friends of mine want it. A lot of people that Chuck and Nancy know very well want it, I think people you'd like,' Trump said, talking up the post. 'We have a lot of people that want the job of chief of staff. So we'll be seeing what happens. We're in no rush.'

Kellyanne Conway told reporters this week that Kelly will stay on as chief of staff 'at least' through the beginning of the year

The reason, Trump said: 'Because we have a wonderful chief of staff right here.'

Trump confirmed what counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway slipped into an appearance on 'Fox & Friends' on Tuesday morning  just days after the White House said Kelly's tenure was nearly over.

'He will stay on the job through January 2nd at least, and I think there were will be a very peaceful and pragmatic transition to the next chief of staff,' Conway said. 'But the president has many people who want to serve here.'

Later in the day, the president held a bill signing in the Oval Office that Mulvaney and Meadows were a part of. The two men allegedly competing for the same job who worked closely together in Congress stood side by side as the president talked.

By Wednesday afternoon, the White House had announced that Meadows, at least, was out of the running.

The public unraveling of Trump's search is already provoking ridicule among Democrats.

Nick Ayers (L), chief of staff to U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, announced he is leaving the White House rather than succeeding White House Chief of Staff John Kelly

CONTENDERS FOR TRUMP CHIEF OF STAFF WHO AREN'T RELATED TO HIM Steven Mnuchin: Treasury secretary who has a previous relationship going back with Trump to when they were both businessmen in New York; Trump attended his wedding Mick Mulvaney: A former House member who joined Trump's administration to lead the budget office; he has pushed the president to the right fiscally Robert Lighthizer: As U.S. Trade Rep. Lighthizer has pushed Trump to talk tough on trade, particularly in recent negotiations with China Matt Whitaker: Trump named him acting attorney general after Jeff Session left the top job at Justice and is said to get on well with him Chris Christie: The former governor of New Jersey has had his name bandied about for a number of administration jobs, including attorney general David Bossie: He is the president of Citizens' United and co-wrote a book with Corey Lewandowski about working on Trump's campaign Advertisement

Ayers' departure stunned some White House aides, who thought he was a virtual shoo-in for the job.

A source told DailyMail.com in advance of Ayers' announcement that Trump had made no secret of his intent to give him the appointment.

But Ayers said no thanks as he told the world in tweet that he'd be departing the administration altogether. He has young children and he and his wife are said to be eager to return to his home state of Georgia.

Without a Plan B, Trump must now try to bring in top talent at a time when his administration is facing a still-active Russia probe, following court filings that for the first time implicate him in felony campaign finance crimes.

Bloomberg reports that acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker is said to be in consideration, as are former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and David Bossie, Trump's former deputy campaign manager.

Whitaker served as chief of staff for AG Jeff Sessions before he was forced out. His designation by Trump has drawn protests from Democrats who noted his past criticism of the Mueller probe as well as his role on the board of an invention promotion business that paid a $25 million settlement fine.

New York Yankees President Randy Levine was mentioned as a wild card pick but told Fox News: 'I have spoken to nobody about the chief of staff job. I have great respect for the President but am very happy being president of the Yankees.'

Lighthizer and Mnuchin have each indicated they are happy in their current roles.
Federal prosecutors in New York are examining whether President Donald Trump's 2017 inaugural committee misspent some of the $107 million it raised, it was revealed on Thursday.

The investigation is also looking into whether some of the top donors to Trump's crowning event gave money in exchange for access to his administration, policy concessions or to influence the administration, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Money in exchange for political favors could violate federal corruption laws. There could also be a violation of federal law if funds were diverted from the inaugural committee, which was registered as a nonprofit.

'That doesn't have anything to do with the president or the first lady,' White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said on Thursday night. 'The biggest thing the president did in his engagement for the inauguration was to come here and raise his hand and take the oath of office. The president was focused on the transition during that time and not on any of the planning.'

Federal prosecutors in New York are examining whether President Donald Trump 's 2017 inaugural committee misspent some of the $107 million it raised

Prosecutors are examining whether donors gave money for Trump's inaugural events in return for access to the administration

The investigation came partly out of materials seized in the federal probe of Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen's business dealings, the paper reported.

In April raids of Cohen's home, office and hotel room, federal agents obtained a recorded conversation between Cohen and Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former adviser to Melania Trump, who worked on the inaugural events.

Wolkoff, in their conversation, expressed concern about how the inaugural committee was spending its money.

Wolkoff, a former Vogue staffer who is one of the first lady's longtime friends, left the administration in February after reports her firm, WIS Media Partners, received $26 million in payments to help plan the inauguration.

She was an unpaid adviser to the first lady.

It's unknown when the conversation between Wolkoff and Cohen took place or why it was recorded.

According to the committee's tax filings, Wolkoff's WIS Media Partners was formed 45 days before the inauguration and got paid the most of any vendor for its work.

Trump's inaugural committee raised more than double what former President Barack Obama's first inaugural committee did.

Supporters said the president's inauguration was so costly because no one expected him to win so all the planning was done at the last minute.

Trump's funds came largely from wealthy donors and corporations who gave $1 million or more - including casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson, AT&T Inc. andBoeing Co. , according to Federal Election Commission filings examined by the Journal.

A lawyer close to the matter told the Journal that the inaugural committee has not been contacted by prosecutors.

'We are not aware of any evidence the investigation the Journal is reporting actually exists,' the lawyer told the newspaper.

Prosecutors have asked Richard Gates, a former campaign aide who served as the inaugural committee's deputy chairman, about the committee's spending and its donors.

Prosecutors were acting off a tip from a conversation found on a recording during a raid of Michael Cohen's home, office and hotel room

The call was between Cohen and Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former adviser to Melania Trump, who worked on the inaugural events

Supporters said the president's inauguration was so costly because no one expected him to win so all the planning was done at the last minute

Gates has met with prosecutors from the Manhattan U.S. attorney's office and the special counsel's office.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller has examined whether any foreign money came into the inaugural fund, which is prohibited from accepting foreign contributions. In August, the U.S. attorney's office in Washington, on a referral fromMueller, obtained a guilty plea from a D.C. consultant who admitted he used a U.S. citizen to serve as a 'straw purchaser' so that a 'prominent Ukraine oligarch' could attend the inauguration.

The names were never disclosed, the paper noted.

There have been other reports that prosecutors were interested in individuals with Russian ties attending Trump's inauguration.

The Washington Post reported in January that the FBI expressed concerns about several Russians connected to the Kremlin who were in Washington, D.C., that weekend, and ABC News reported in June that Mueller was looking into how several Russian oligarchs were given access to invitation-only parties.

Since pleading guilty to eight counts in August, Cohen has been cooperating with prosecutors in New York and the special counsel's office. On Wednesday, he was sentenced to three years in prison.
Earlier this year, London's murder rate overtook New York City's for the first time ever.

February marked the first month in history that London had more murders than the American city with a total of 15 homicides. Out of the 15 killed, nine were aged 30 or younger.

According to a report by the Sunday Times, New York City's murder statistics have decreased by 87 per cent since the 1990s.

Donald Trump has previously claimed knife crime in London is out of control and the capital is 'like a war zone'

Meanwhile, London's rate has grown by nearly 40 per cent in just three years, not including deaths caused by terrorist attacks.

But in July it was reported that in every other month of 2018, there has been more murders in New York than London, despite it having a smaller population.

With a population of around 10.6 million, London is considerably larger than the Big Apple, which has around 8.6 million residents.

Between January and June, there were 80 homicides in London, reports the BBC. But in the same six months, New York has had almost twice as many murder cases  141 so far.

The February statistics prompted Donald Trump to wade into the debate during a speech to the National Rifle Association in May, claiming there was blood all over the floors of a London hospital, although he failed to declare which one.

He added: They say its as bad as a military war zone hospital. Knives, knives, knives, knives.'

Although New York last year had nearly double the number of murders than London, experts are concerned the gap is steadily closing.
An ancient Incan city in Bolivia has been recreated from its remaining fragments using 3D printing.

The site of Tiwanaku is where the ancient civilisation believed the world was created and is considered to be sacred in the now-extinct culture.

Scientists say that the same technique could be used to rebuild the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria or the Angkor Wat temples in Cambodia.

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An ancient Incan city in Bolivia has been recreated from its remaining fragments using 3D printing

The site of Tiwanaku is where the ancient civilisation believed the world was created and is considered to be sacred in the now-extinct culture

The site, near Lake Titicaca, was first recorded in 1549 by Spanish conquistador Pedro Cieza de Leon while searching for the southern Inca capital of Qullasuyu.

Fragments of an ancient building have now been used to reconstruct the settlement using 3D models.

Researchers at University of California, Berkeley, created accurate miniature models to reconstruct the Pumapunku building in the Tiwanaku site.

It is considered to be an architectural wonder that was built around 500AD.

Pumapunku has been repeatedly pillaged over the last 500 years and is now in a stage where none of the original 150 blocks are in their proper location.

Study corresponding author Dr Alexei Vranich said: 'A major challenge here is that the majority of the stones of Pumapunku are too large to move and that field notes from previous research by others present us with complex and cumbersome data that is difficult to visualise.

'The intent of our project was to translate that data into something that both our hands and our minds could grasp.

'Printing miniature 3D models of the stones allowed us to quickly handle and refit the blocks to try and recreate the structure.

Scientists say that the same technique could be used to rebuild the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria or the Angkor Wat temples in Cambodia

Fragments of an ancient building have now been used to reconstruct the settlement using 3D models

The site, near Lake Titicaca, was first recorded in 1549 by Spanish conquistador Pedro Cieza de Leon while searching for the southern Inca capital of Qullasuyu

'It is possible that using 3D printed models of fragments could help the study of other historic sites that have fallen apart in time, such as Angkor Wat in Cambodia, or that have been the victim of recent destruction, such as Palmyra in Syria. '

He said the 3D reconstruction of Pumapunku not only shows possible configurations of what the site may have looked like, but also gives clues about the purpose of the building.

Dr Vranich said: 'One particularly interesting realisation was that smashed doorways of different sizes that lay scattered around the site were aligned in a manner that would create a 'mirror' effect; the impression of looking into infinity, when, in fact, the viewer was looking into a single room.

'This may relate to the Incans belief that this is the site where the world was created and could also suggest that the building was used as a ritual space.'

The research team printed 3D models of a total of 140 pieces of andesite and 17 slabs of sandstone.

Pumapunku has been repeatedly pillaged over the last 500 years and is now in a stage where none of the original 150 blocks are in their proper location

The authors made physical models via 3D printing and used computer models to accurately reconstruct the site. It was based on measurements from various scholars over the past 150 years of height, length and width of the blocks

It was based on measurements from various scholars over the past 150 years of height, length and width of the blocks.

The authors made physical models via 3D printing and used computer models to accurately reconstruct the site.

Dr Vranich added: 'This effort represents a technological step back from recent methods that used computer modelling to recreate structures on screen, but the human brain continues to be more efficient than a computer when it comes to manipulating and visualising irregular 3D forms.

'We attempted to capitalise on archaeologists' learned ability to visualise and mentally rotate irregular objects in space by providing them with 3D printed objects that they could physically manipulate.'

The findings were published in the journal Heritage Science.
Many of us are too old for it these days, but I suspect that, at some point over the traditional 12 days of Christmas, nostalgia will get the better of us and well watch Father Christmas And The Missing Reindeer.

Its a jolly little 1998 animation, with actor David Jason doing the ho-ho-hoing.

I dont wish to spoil it, but they find the nine missing reindeer and Christmas can happen after all.

This week, there came another story of missing reindeer  we have lost 2.6 million of them. Not lost as in temporarily mislaid, but lost as in dead. Weve managed to lose more than half the worlds reindeer since the mid-Nineties. The population is down from 4.7 million to 2.1 million  a 56 per cent fall.

Santa makes his way to deliver presents to outlying villages in Lapland from Finland's Santa Claus Village on the Arctic Circle (pictured). Reindeer have been domesticated to pull sleighs and provide food, clothing and shelter for traditional people: the Sami in Lapland, the Inuit in North America

We should be worried, for this is a species we dare not lose. Too much of the way we see the world and our place in it depends on the continued existence of reindeer, so sentimentally attached have we become to the legend of Rudolph. If we lose them, it will expose us as the careless custodians of our planet that we are.

We would understand reindeer better if we could look directly down on the North Pole.

They live in a great circle all the way round the top of the planet. They are Arctic beasts and have no interest in national boundaries. The same species spans Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia and northern Russia. The North Americans call them caribou, while we in Europe call them reindeer, but they are all the same thing: endearingly shaggy and with antlers colossal for their size.

In proportion to their bodies, reindeer are the most impressively attired deer of all and, unlike all other deer species, most females carry antlers as well.

They can be divided into different populations and sub-species, with different ranges and movements. But they are all the same animal and, if you were a scientist, youd call them Rangifer tarandus whether you saw them in Lapland or Manitoba.

The great problem in the reindeers life is the most obvious: cold. The Christmas story about them bringing us gifts from the frozen north might lead you to think a reindeers life in the freezer is straightforward. It is nothing of the kind: reindeer are very special animals and wouldnt survive for a moment if they werent.

Their crucial adaptation is a circulation system that keeps their blood warm with remarkably little expenditure of energy. Its a piece of stunning natural engineering and its contained in the nose in the form of a highly efficient counter-current heat exchange system. Reindeer noses contain a 25 per cent higher concentration of blood vessels than those of humans for this purpose, enabling them to warm the polar air as they breathe it in.

It is why they actually do have reddish noses.

If we want to live in a world with reindeer (pictured), we must make a series of decisions as individuals, as societies and as a species, writes Simon Barnes

They are also great travellers, moving north to exploit newly uncovered pastures in spring and returning south as the cold descends. Some populations routinely travel 3,000 miles in a year, making them the best-travelled of all terrestrial mammals, beating the more famous Serengeti wildebeest.

Their hooves are wide and crescent-shaped, which helps to spread their weight as they walk across snow in winter and swamps in the brief summer. Listen as they pass and you will hear a curious clicking, like knees cracking when you rise after sitting for too long.

Its the sound of clicking tendons and is usually reckoned to be a signal of a reindeers social status  the better the click, the more formidable a reindeer you are. But it may serve a dual function: you can hear your neighbour even if you cant see him when a herd is moving through a whiteout.

This is a truly crazy place to make a living and even the reindeers eyes are adapted for it. They can see deeper into the ultraviolet end of the spectrum than humans can, which means they can see much better in a white landscape.

They are pretty remarkable beasts. They need no tales of supernatural abilities to make them so. Real reindeer are every bit as wonderful as anything we humans can make up  shiny noses and flying skills and all.

They have been domesticated to pull sleighs and provide food, clothing and shelter for traditional people: the Sami in Lapland, the Inuit in North America.

Reindeer are also hunted for food by everyone else across their range: reindeer meat is claimed to be healthier and less fatty than beef or lamb. However, there are problems for reindeer and they seem to be worsening.

Its a fact that their populations do go up and down but, at the moment, they are going through a very big down. The figures come in a report put together by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a U.S. body. It covers the global reindeer population and its lead author, Don Russell, has been quoted as saying: Theyre at such low levels, you start to be concerned . . . if we return in ten years and [their numbers] have gone down further, that would be unprecedented.

As usual with such declines, there is a collection of possible reasons. Over-hunting is likely to be one. You think a resource is endless and then, too late, find it isnt: an old story that never improves in the retelling. There are also problems of disease and the possibility there is less food for reindeer to eat.

Probably, the principal issue comes down to climate change. Youd think that warmer summers would be good news, but they bring drought, more parasites and flies and heat stress that leaves an animal perfectly adapted to the cold vulnerable to disease.

There is a further problem that when rain falls instead of snow, it freezes into ice, making movement difficult and food harder to find.

Reindeer can dig through snow with their noses and antlers to forage on herbs, ferns, mosses, grasses, shoots, fungi, leaves and energy-packed lichens called reindeer moss.

But its far harder with ice, which is why, in 2013, 61,000 reindeer died of starvation in Russia because of excess ice.

It seems reindeer are one more victim of the way we humans choose to run the planet.

If we want to live in a world with reindeer, we must make a series of decisions as individuals, as societies and as a species.

These might seem to be decisions that run against our own interests, but they are nothing of the kind. We need to look after the planet a little better.

Whats good for reindeer would be good for everything else that lives on Earth, including our own great-grandchildren. So perhaps we should say thank you to the reindeer we have left  because they have brought us a Christmas message we all need to listen to.
Stonehenge may have been built with the assistance of cows who helped carry the enormous rocks across the British Isles.

It could help explain how the fabled bluestones managed to complete the journey from Wales to Wiltshire, where Stonehenge still sits today.

Previous research has claimed the movement of glaciers deposited the huge slabs of rock 160 miles away from their original location.

New research has found evidence of cattle being used by humans to pull and carry heavy loads for 8,000 years.

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Archaeologists at University College London discovered that the bones in the feet of Neolithic cattle demonstrated distinctive wear patterns, indicative of exploitation as 'animal engines' (pictured)

Archaeologists at University College London discovered that the bones in the feet of Neolithic cattle demonstrated distinctive wear patterns, indicative of exploitation as 'animal engines'.

Neolithic cattle in the Balkans were therefore being used for our purposes two millennia earlier than previously thought.

It is believed that the use of bovines stemmed from a need to create settlements from felled wood and move it to different locations.

The use of the animals during this period of neolithic history opens up the possibility they were used to transport Stonehenge's rocks, which was erected at around 5,000 BC.

Research has revealed that cattle were being used for traction  to pull loads  from the earliest Neolithic habitation sites in the Balkans.

Stonehenge may have been built with the assistance of cows who carried the enormous rocks. It could help explain how the fabled bluestones managed to complete the journey from Wales to Wiltshire, where Stonehenge still sits today (Stock)

STONEHENGE'S CONSTRUCTION REQUIRED GREAT INGENUITY Stonehenge was built thousands of years before machinery was invented. The heavy rocks weigh upwards of several tonnes each. Some of the stones are believed to have originated from a quarry in Wales, some 140 miles (225km) away from the Wiltshire monument. To do this would have required a high degree of ingenuity, and experts believe the ancient engineers used a pulley system over a shifting conveyor-belt of logs. Historians now think that the ring of stones was built in several different stages, with the first completed around 5,000 years ago by Neolithic Britons who used primitive tools, possibly made from deer antlers. Modern scientists now widely believe that Stonehenge was created by several different tribes over time. After the Neolithic Britons - likely natives of the British Isles - started the construction, it was continued centuries later by their descendants. Over time, the descendants developed a more communal way of life and better tools which helped in the erection of the stones. Bones, tools and other artefacts found on the site seem to support this hypothesis. Advertisement

'Traction was not an 'all-or-nothing' situation; we need instead to reconsider it as a more complex process, with animals used as engines in multiple ways,' Lead author Dr Jane Gaastra writes in the study.

'Our repeated identification of the exploitation of cattle for pulling heavy loads calls into question the current scope of the analysis and interpretation of the use of animals in prehistoric Europe.'

Experts say that if these practices can be found to have been used elsewhere it will have major ramifications on our understanding of animal use in the Neolithic.

Dr Gaastra writes: 'A firm understanding of the nature of early traction evidence in prehistoric Europe has significant implications for our knowledge of both management practices and the nature of labour and movement in prehistoric societies'
A high-speed train hit a railway engine and crashed into a pedestrian overpass at a station in the Turkish capital Ankara.

Governor of Istanbul Province Vasip Sahin said that at least four people have been killed and 43 injured in the accident.

Private NTV television says at least two cars derailed in the accident. Parts of the overpass collapsed onto the train.

The train was en route from Ankara to the central Turkish city of Konya, Associated Press reported.

Several ambulances and rescuers have been sent to the scene.
British residents have admitted to being 'clueless' about the GDPR legislation which came into force on May 25.

The landmark ruling from the EU has drastically altered the virtual landscape as it provides more protection to online data.

A poll of 1,000 small business owners in the UK has revealed half are confused by the do's and don'ts when it comes to data protection and privacy regulations.

Many of them have therefore fallen fowl of the strict rules and may be exposing themselves to severe fines that come with a breach.

Fines can cost up to several million pounds.

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Research found paper diaries are used by 26 per cent of businesses - which could contain private information or customer details and be easily misplaced. British residents have admitted to being 'clueless' about the GDPR legislation that came into force on May 25 (stock)

More than a quarter of those polled say staff are allowed to use their own computers, tablets and phones for work purposes which contravene rules as personal data could be stored unencrypted at home.

Ten per cent of people revealed they still use visitor books at their offices which allows people to see information of people who have been there previously.

Commissioned by Aon, the research also found paper diaries are used by 26 per cent of businesses - which could contain private information or customer details and be easily misplaced.

Ten per cent said the circulation of printed out sponsorship forms - which often contain names and addresses - is common at their place of work, which is another contravention of GDPR rules.

Chris Mallett, a cyber security specialist at Aon said: 'As the results show, many businesses could be in breach of GDPR - most likely without even realising it.

'Visitors books, allowing staff to use their own mobiles for work purposes and even seemingly minor things like distributing sponsorship forms around the office carry risk.

'Yet these sorts of things are commonplace among businesses big and small across the UK.'

Holding unencrypted CCTV footage where individuals are recognisable is a breach of GDPR and is listed as one of the top ten ways businesses are likely to break the rules (stock)

TOP 10 MOST COMMON WAYS SMALL BUSINESSES COULD BE BREAKING GDPR RULES 1. Allowing staff to use their own computers, tablets or phones for work purposes - if personal data isn't encrypted 2. Staff using papers diaries used for work purposes and containing personal information - major risk of them being misplaced or falling into the wrong hands 3. Using training materials which feature full details of real life case studies 4. Using images which feature customers to promote your business 5. Storing files which potentially contain personal data outside of a defined structure/naming system 6. Using images to promote your business which feature members of staff wearing nametags 7. Holding unencrypted CCTV footage where individuals are recognisable 8. Recording customer calls which capture customer card details 9. Visitors books where visitors can see other people's information when signing in - such as names, company they work for, their vehicle registration number etc 10. Staff members circulating sponsorship/charity donation sheets Advertisement

Sixteen per cent have used promotional images which include members of staff wearing their nametags - making them publicly identifiable.

More than half revealed they fail to dispose of paper customer records securely and confidentially.

The study also found four out of every ten didn't know the loss of paperwork can be considered as a data breach.

Thirty-six per cent weren't aware personal data posted, emailed or faxed to the wrong person could be a breach too.

Six in 10 have no idea the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) must be notified of data breaches where individuals' rights are affected.

And around half didn't know all those affected must be told as well.

Worryingly a third of owners said it would take their business a week or more to resolve a data breach.

And currently, almost 45 per cent have no insurance whatsoever in place to protect them against cyber or data risks.

Chris Mallett added: 'Such a significant proportion of businesses not having cyber insurance is a major worry.

'From talking to our customers we know that many simply can't guarantee they're able to successfully defend against a cyber attack and that's not necessarily their fault - even major corporations are vulnerable.

'How a breach is dealt with by a business is vital, though, and if it's not done in accordance with GDPR that business could receive a significant fine as well as damaging relationships with customers and losing out on revenue.

'Cyber insurance means those businesses who unfortunately experience a data breach can at the very least rest assured that they have access to specialist support, ensuring a breach will be dealt with in line with GDPR requirements.'
Sharks are disappearing from the Great Barrier Reef due to the expansion of nets to protect bathers, according to a new study.

The seas off Australia were once teeming with sharks but researchers found that numbers have declined by up to 92 per cent in 50 years.

The Queensland coastlines stretches some 4,000 miles (6,400km) and is home to the Great Barrier Reef.

However, since 1962 a programme of baited traps and nets have been rolled out that now span more than 1,000 miles (1,600km).

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Sharks are disappearing from the Great Barrier Reef due to the expansion of nets to protect bathers, according to a new study. Pictured is a hammerhead shark entangled in a Queensland Shark Control Program net

Dr George Roff from the University of Queensland, said: 'Explorers in the 19th Century once described Australian coastlines as being 'chock-full of sharks' - yet we don't have a clear idea of how many sharks there used to be on Queensland beaches.

Shark populations around the world have declined substantially in recent decades, with many species being listed as vulnerable and endangered.

'Throughout the 20th Century, increasing human-shark interactions in coastal ecosystems lead to the public perception that sharks are dangerous to people, resulting in near extirpation of some coastal shark species through hunting', said Dr Roff.

'Despite widespread evidence for historical exploitation of coastal sharks, historical baselines for population sizes are largely unknown.

'The absence of baselines is particularly problematic for conservation of endangered and threatened shark populations, and the extent to which targeting shark populations reduces interaction rates with humans in coastal ecosystems is contentious', he said.

Researchers reported on long-term changes in shark catches from the Queensland Shark Control Programme (QSCP) adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.

The QSCP has been operating since 1962 using a system of mesh nets and baited drumlines with an aim to 'minimise the threat of shark attack on humans'.

The team examined the number of sharks caught by the programme grouped into five broad categories; hammerhead sharks consisted of 23 per cent of total catch (stock image)

This has involved reducing the local populations of large sharks to minimise the probability of encounters between sharks and swimmers.

The team examined the number of sharks caught by the programme grouped into five broad categories; hammerhead sharks consisting of 23 per cent of total catch; tiger sharks (26 per cent); whaler sharks (45 per cent); white sharks (two per cent), and other sharks (four per cent).

It found that as the programme was rolled out, numbers caught also plummeted, suggesting populations were being wiped out.

Dr Roff said: 'What we found is that large apex sharks such as hammerheads, tigers and white sharks, have declined by 74 to 92 per cent along Queensland's coast.

'And the chance of zero catch - catching no sharks at any given beach per year - has increased by as much as seven-fold.'

The average size of sharks has also declined - tiger sharks and hammerhead sharks are getting smaller.

'We will never know the exact numbers of sharks in our oceans more than half a century ago, but the data points to radical changes in our coastal ecosystems since the 1960s', said Dr Roff.

'The data acts as a window into the past, revealing what was natural on our beaches, and provides important context for how we manage sharks.

'What may appear to be increases in shark numbers is in reality a fraction of past baselines, and the long-term trend shows ongoing declines.'

While often perceived as a danger to the public, sharks play important ecological roles in coastal ecosystems.

'Large apex sharks are able to prey on larger animals such as turtles, dolphins and dugongs, and their widespread movement patterns along the coastline connects coral reefs, seagrass beds and coastal ecosystems', said Dr Roff.

'Such losses of apex sharks is likely to have changed the structure of coastal food webs over the past half century.'

The findings were published in the journal Communications Biology.
A security expert has warned that smartphone users should switch off their location settings if they are worried about their privacy and how their data is shared.

Apps like Google Maps, City Mapper and Uber use your location to track where you are when you need directions, book a taxi or see when the next bus or train is.

But a number of companies can use your location data even when you aren't using these apps because your location tracking is still enabled.

Smartphone users must turn off all tracking of web and app activity, he warns, to ensure their privacy - but this may impact how the apps function.

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A security expert has warned that smartphone users should switch off their location settings if they are worried about how their data is shared. A security expert at Comparitech.com, says that companies could be selling your data to third parties (stock image)

Paul Bischoff, a privacy advocate at Comparitech.com, says that companies could be selling this location information to third parties.

His analysis showed that these companies collect location data, but do not necessarily reveal how the data will be used, a point often hidden in lengthy privacy policies.

Mr Bischoff warned people to disabled the tracking services when they are not in use to stop these companies harvesting your data.

He told Fox News: 'Companies use IP addresses, advertising IDs, and cookies to track users and store details about their online behaviours, browsing history, searches, purchases, viewing habits, and more.

'The resulting 'profiles' sold to third parties might not have names attached, but they can be so specific as to only belong to a single person or small group of people.'

'Remember that Google is a bit sneaky in this regard, as some apps collect location data even if your location history is disabled.

'You'll have to turn off all tracking of web and app activity, which may impact how other Google apps function.'

A report said that hundreds of popular apps are data to sell it to advertisers, retail firms and hedge funds to gain an insight into consumer behaviour. The data makes it easy to discern how long a person spends in one particular location, their typical day-to-day routine

At the beginning of the month, an investigation from the New York Times showed that apps like the Weather Channel, GasBuddy and WeatherBug inform users that they collect location data, but don't say how the data will be used

At the beginning of the month, an investigation from the New York Times showed that apps like the Weather Channel, GasBuddy and WeatherBug inform users that they collect location data, but don't say how the data will be used.

The report said that hundreds of popular apps sell our data to advertisers, retail firms and hedge funds to gain an insight into consumer behaviour.

The data makes it easy to discern how long a person spends in one particular location, their typical day-to-day routine and more information.

Many are hoping to tap into the lucrative location-targeted advertising market, which is expected to be worth some 16 billion ($21 bn) this year.

The findings raised both privacy and security concerns as advocates say many users are unaware how much they're being tracked.

More than 1,000 apps contain location-sharing code created by companies who share it with advertisers, according to the Times.
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Stunning footage captured by NASA's Juno probe has been released as it reaches the halfway point of its mission to explore Jupiter.

The incredible images show whirlpools of clouds above the planet as it completes its 16th pass of the gas giant.

Juno is in a highly-elliptical 53-day orbit around the planet and has given us our best glimpse yet of Jupiter's fascinating atmospheric processes.

The craft's science instruments probe beneath the planet's obscuring cloud cover and study Jupiter's aurora, helping us to understand the planet's origins, interior structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere.

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Stunning footage captured by NASA's Juno probe has been released as it reaches the halfway point of its mission to explore Jupiter. A long, brown oval known as a 'brown barge' in Jupiter's North North Equatorial Belt is captured in this colour-enhanced image from NASA's Juno spacecraft

'With our 16th science flyby, we will have complete global coverage of Jupiter, albeit at coarse resolution, with polar passes separated by 22.5 degrees of longitude,' said Jack Connerney, Juno deputy principal investigator from the Space Research Corporation in Annapolis, Maryland.

'Over the second half of our prime mission  science flybys 17 through 32  we will split the difference, flying exactly halfway between each previous orbit.

'This will provide coverage of the planet every 11.25 degrees of longitude, providing a more detailed picture of what makes the whole of Jupiter tick', he said.

The Juno probe reached Jupiter on July 4, 2016, after a five-year, 1.8 billion-mile (2.8bn km) journey from Earth.

Following a successful braking manoeuvre, it entered into a long polar orbit flying to within 3,100 miles (5,000 km) of the planet's swirling cloud tops.

Juno is in a highly-elliptical 53-day orbit around the planet and has given us our best glimpse yet of Jupiter's fascinating atmospheric processes. Detailed structure in the clouds of Jupiter's South Equatorial Belt brown barge is visible in this colour-enhanced image

The craft's science instruments probe beneath the planet's obscuring cloud cover and study Jupiter's aurora, helping us to understand the planet's origins, interior structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere. This mosaic combines colour-enhanced images taken over Jupiter's north pole when the lighting was excellent for detecting high bands of haze

A south tropical disturbance has just passed Jupiter's iconic Great Red Spot and is captured stealing threads of orange haze from the Great Red Spot in this series of colour-enhanced images from NASA's Juno spacecraft. From left to right, this sequence of images was taken between 2:57 a.m. and 3:36 a.m. PDT (5:57 a.m. and 6:36 a.m. EDT) on April 1, 2018

This Earth-based observation of Jupiter and the South Tropical Disturbance approaching the Great Red Spot was captured on January 26, 2018. The Juno probe reached Jupiter on July 4, 2016, after a five-year, 1.8 billion-mile (2.8bn km) journey

Pictured is a multitude of bright white 'pop-up' storms in this Jupiter cloudscape appear in this image from NASA's Juno spacecraft. No previous spacecraft has orbited so close to Jupiter, although two others have been sent plunging to their destruction through its atmosphere

'We have already rewritten the textbooks on how Jupiter's atmosphere works, and on the complexity and asymmetry of its magnetic field,' said Scott Bolton, principal investigator of Juno, from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio.

'The second half should provide the detail that we can use to refine our understanding of the depth of Jupiter's zonal winds, the generation of its magnetic field, and the structure and evolution of its interior.'

No previous spacecraft has orbited so close to Jupiter, although two others have been sent plunging to their destruction through its atmosphere.

To complete its risky mission Juno survived a circuit-frying radiation storm generated by Jupiter's powerful magnetic field.

The maelstrom of high energy particles travelling at nearly the speed of light is the harshest radiation environment in the Solar System.

The version of the image on the left side shows Jupiter in approximate true colour, while the same image on the right has been processed to bring out detail. To complete its risky mission Juno survived a circuit-frying radiation storm generated by Jupiter's powerful magnetic field

A 'brown barge' in Jupiter's South Equatorial Belt is captured in this colour-enhanced image from NASA's Juno spacecraft. This colour-enhanced image was taken at 10:28 p.m. PDT on July 15, 2018

Jupiter's northern circumpolar cyclones are captured in this image from NASA's Juno spacecraft. The maelstrom of high energy particles travelling at nearly the speed of light is the harshest radiation environment in the Solar System

According to the space agency, a photo released earlier this week was captured during its closest approach of the flyby, at about 2,100 miles (3,400 kilometers) above the cloud tops of Jupiter's North Equatorial Belt.

The image was taken just after 5:00 p.m. EDT on October 29th, during Juno's 16th flyby.

At the time, NASA says Juno was 'about as close to Jupiter as San Francisco is to Chicago.' This, the agency notes, 'is quite close when racing over a planet that's 11 times wider than Earth.'

The image was processed by citizen scientist Bjorn Jonsson, who used data from the craft's JunoCam to create the captivating color-enhanced view of the clouds.

Last week, NASA shared a look at another stunning feature spotted during Juno's 16th flyby - a huge cloud that takes on the appearance of a dolphin.

A stunning image captured by NASA's Juno spacecraft revealed a fresh look at the whirlpool of clouds high above Jupiter. The spacecraft completed its 16th close flyby of the giant planet this past October, revealing some of our best glimpses yet at its fascinating atmospheric processes

How NASA's Juno probe to Jupiter will reveal the secrets of the solar system's biggest planet The Juno probe reached Jupiter in 2016 after a five-year, 1.8 billion-mile journey from Earth The Juno probe reached Jupiter on July 4, 2016, after a five-year, 1.8 billion-mile (2.8bn km) journey from Earth. Following a successful braking manoeuvre, it entered into a long polar orbit flying to within 3,100 miles (5,000 km) of the planet's swirling cloud tops. The probe skimmed to within just 2,600 miles (4,200 km) of the planet's clouds once a fortnight - too close to provide global coverage in a single image. No previous spacecraft has orbited so close to Jupiter, although two others have been sent plunging to their destruction through its atmosphere. To complete its risky mission Juno survived a circuit-frying radiation storm generated by Jupiter's powerful magnetic field. The maelstrom of high energy particles travelling at nearly the speed of light is the harshest radiation environment in the Solar System. To cope with the conditions, the spacecraft was protected with special radiation-hardened wiring and sensor shielding. Its all-important 'brain' - the spacecraft's flight computer - was housed in an armoured vault made of titanium and weighing almost 400 pounds (172kg). The craft is expected to study the composition of the planet's atmosphere until 2025. Advertisement

The cloud was spotted amid bands of clouds spanning the planet's southern hemisphere back in October, when Juno came about 11,400 to 31,700 miles (18,400 to 51,000 kilometers) from the planet's cloud tops.

According to NASA, the images were taken between 5:26 p.m. and 5:46 p.m. ET on October 29.

They were later processed by citizen scientists Brian Swift and Sean Doran.

The image shows the 'changing cloud formations across Jupiter's southern hemisphere,' NASA explains.

A breathtaking new image series captured by NASA's Juno spacecraft has revealed a look at a dolphin-shaped cloud that appears to be jumping through Jupiter's atmosphere. It can be seen in the image above, just to the right of center

'A cloud in the shape of a dolphin appears to be swimming through the cloud bands along the South Temperate Belt.'

The Juno mission has been churning out stunning photos of the gas giant planet ever since it arrived to its orbit in 2016.

Last month, NASA shared another look at its swirling clouds, which take on dream-like appearance of an oil painting. The photo showed storms in Jupiter's dynamic North North Temperate Belt.

'Appearing in the scene are several bright-white 'pop-up' clouds as well as an anticyclonic storm, known as a white oval,' NASA said.

'A multitude of magnificent, swirling clouds in Jupiter's dynamic North North Temperate Belt are captured.'

It captures the intensity of the jets and vortices in Jupiter's North North Temperate Belt. The clouds are likely made of ammonia-ice crystals, or possibly a combination of ammonia ice and water, NASA says.
Count Google CEO Sundar Pichai as one of artificial intelligence's skeptics.

The Google boss acknowledged that concerns about the potential for AI to be misused are 'very legitimate' but that the tech industry is up to the challenge of regulating itself.

Pichai made the comments in a new interview with The Washington Post, where he touched on the implications of artificial intelligence.

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Google CEO Sundar Pichai (pictured) said concerns about the potential for AI to be misused are 'very legitimate' but that the tech industry is up to the challenge of regulating itself

THE THREAT OF AI: WHAT ARE THE RISKS? While many tech leaders push that AI will become invaluable to humanity, others argue it poses a threat to our species. In November, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said that efforts to make AI safe only have 'a five to 10 per cent chance of success.' Musk made his comments in a talk to employees at his firm Neuralink, which is working on ways to implant technology into our brains, according to Rolling Stone. He added that the employees should 'sleep well' after his warning, according to people close with the matter. The warning came shortly after Musk claimed that regulation of AI is drastically needed because it's a 'fundamental risk to the existence of human civilisation.' Advertisement

Tech companies building AI should factor in ethics early in the process to make certain artificial intelligence with 'agency of its own' doesn't hurt people, Pichai told the Washington Post.

'I think tech has to realize it just can't build it, and then fix it,' Pichai said. 'I think that doesn't work.'

The Mountain View, California-based internet giant is a leader in the development of AI, competing with other tech titans like Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, IBM and Facebook.

While fears about the harmful uses of AI are 'very legitimate,' Pichai believes the tech industry should be trusted to regulate its use.

'Regulating a technology in its early days is hard, but I do think companies should self-regulate,' he said.

'This is why we've tried hard to articulate a set of AI principles. We may not have gotten everything right, but we thought it was important to start a conversation.'

Pichai added that the conversations should involve more people than just the engineers and executives involved in creating these kinds of AI systems.

'Over time, as you make progress, I think it's important to have conversations around ethics (and) bias, and make simultaneous progress,' he told the Post.

'In some sense, you do want to develop ethical frameworks, engage noncomputer scientists in the field early on.

Google has rapidly become a leader in the development of artificial intelligence, competing with other tech titans like Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, IBM and Facebook

'You have to involve humanity in a more representative way, because the technology is going to affect humanity,' he added.

Pichai's comments come in contrast to what he said about AI in January.

In an interview earlier this year, he said that AI is 'one of the most important things that humanity is working on.'

He added that AI will prove to be 'more profound' than that of electricity or fire and said it could one day help to cure cancer or solve climate change.

But Google has also come under fire in the past for how its AI applications have been used.

Its controversial 'Project Maven' contract with the Department of Defense raised the ire of some human rights and privacy advocates.

It was revealed in March that Google was engaging in a mysterious drone program with the Pentagon, with participation from Nvidia and other tech firms and academic institutions. Work on the project began last April.

At the time, Google said its TensorFlow software would be used for 'non-offensive uses only,' namely assisting in object recognition on unclassified data.

Google has come under fire in the past for how its AI applications have been used, particularly its controversial drone contract with the Pentagon, referred to as 'Project Maven'

WHY ARE PEOPLE SO WORRIED ABOUT AI? It is an issue troubling some of the greatest minds in the world at the moment, from Bill Gates to Elon Musk. SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk described AI as our 'biggest existential threat' and likened its development as 'summoning the demon'. He believes super intelligent machines could use humans as pets. Professor Stephen Hawking said it is a 'near certainty' that a major technological disaster will threaten humanity in the next 1,000 to 10,000 years. They could steal jobs More than 60 percent of people fear that robots will lead to there being fewer jobs in the next ten years, according to a 2016 YouGov survey. And 27 percent predict that it will decrease the number of jobs 'a lot' with previous research suggesting admin and service sector workers will be the hardest hit. As well as posing a threat to our jobs, other experts believe AI could 'go rogue' and become too complex for scientists to understand. A quarter of the respondents predicted robots will become part of everyday life in just 11 to 20 years, with 18 percent predicting this will happen within the next decade. They could 'go rogue' Computer scientist Professor Michael Wooldridge said AI machines could become so intricate that engineers don't fully understand how they work. If experts don't understand how AI algorithms function, they won't be able to predict when they fail. This means driverless cars or intelligent robots could make unpredictable 'out of character' decisions during critical moments, which could put people in danger. For instance, the AI behind a driverless car could choose to swerve into pedestrians or crash into barriers instead of deciding to drive sensibly. They could wipe out humanity Some people believe AI will wipe out humans completely. 'Eventually, I think human extinction will probably occur, and technology will likely play a part in this,' DeepMind's Shane Legg said in a recent interview. He singled out artificial intelligence, or AI, as the 'number one risk for this century'. Musk warned that AI poses more of a threat to humanity than North Korea. 'If you're not concerned about AI safety, you should be. Vastly more risk than North Korea,' the 46-year-old wrote on Twitter. 'Nobody likes being regulated, but everything (cars, planes, food, drugs, etc) that's a danger to the public is regulated. AI should be too.' Musk has consistently advocated for governments and private institutions to apply regulations on AI technology. He has argued that controls are necessary in order protect machines from advancing out of human control Advertisement

However, leaked emails showed that Google's business development unit hoped to make as much as $250 million per year from the military drone project, according to documents obtained by the Intercept.

Google later announced that it wouldn't renew its contract with the Pentagon and released a set of internal AI principles.

The first of the principles noted that AI should be socially beneficial.

'We recognize that such powerful technology raises equally powerful questions about its use,' Pichai said in a memo posted with the principles.

'As a leader in AI, we feel a deep responsibility to get this right.'

Google vowed not to design or deploy AI for use in weapons, surveillance outside of international norms, or in technology aimed at violating human rights.

The company noted that it would continue to work with the military or governments in areas such as cybersecurity, training, recruitment, healthcare, and search-and-rescue.

AI is already used to recognize people in photos, filter unwanted content from online platforms, and enable cars to drive themselves.

The increasing capabilities of AI have triggered debate about whether computers that could think for themselves would help cure the world's ills or turn on humanity as has been depicted in science fiction works.
Finding a Lime scooter or bike in your city is now as easy as opening up Google Maps.

Google said on Thursday that it's teaming up with the scooter and bike service to include them as transportation options in the app.

Now, if you're close to your destination but it's still too far to walk, Google will give you the option to rent a Lime scooter or bike nearby.

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Finding a Lime scooter or bike in your city is now as easy as opening up Google Maps. Google is teaming up with the scooter and bike service to show them as transportation options

The new feature is rolling out to day in 13 cities, including Los Angeles, Austin, Auckland, New Zealand and Brisbane, Australia, among others.

Maps will now tell users where the nearest shared pedal bike, e-bike or scooter is and factor it into your travel time in the app.

'Simply navigate to your destination and tap on the transit icon to see your nearby options,' Google explained.

'If a Lime vehicle is available, youll see how long itll take to walk to the vehicle, an estimate of how much your ride could cost, and your total journey time and ETA.

The new feature is rolling out to day in 13 cities, including Los Angeles, Austin, Auckland, New Zealand and Brisbane

'Tapping on the Lime card will take you right to the Lime app, where you can see the exact location of the vehicle and easily unlock it,' the firm continued.

If users don't have the Lime app, it will direct them to Apple's App Store or Google's Play Store.

In addition to walking and driving, Google Maps also gives users estimates for Lyft and Uber rides.

It's not surprising that Google is working with Lime.

Back in July, Google parent company Alphabet joined a $300million funding round for the electric scooter start-up that already included Uber and Google Ventures.

Including Lime in Google Maps will most certainly give the company a leg up over competitors like e-scooter provider Bird.

Both companies had been in hot water over the summer.

Lime, along with rival startups Spin and Bird deployed their scooters in San Francisco, without permission, back in March of this year.

In May, San Francisco laid out requirements for companies seeking to obtain electric scooter permits.

The vehicles previously weren't regulated within the city, causing anger with some residents.

To access the feature, users enter their destination in the Maps app and then navigate to the transit icon. If a Lime vehicle is available, Maps will show a price and update their travel time

WHICH CITIES FEATURE LIME BIKES IN THE MAPS APP? Los Angeles

San Diego

Oakland

San Antonio

San Jose

Indianapolis

Scottsdale

Seattle

Austin

Baltimore

Dallas

Auckland, New Zealand

Brisbane, Australia Advertisement

Unlike bike-sharing systems, scooters don't need to be deposited within a dock and can instead just be left anywhere.

Many riders also aren't using helmets, causing safety concerns.

Lime was also forced to take some of its electric scooters off the streets of Los Angeles, San Diego and Tahoe after thousands were found to go up in smoke or flames.

The firm made the decision after it learned in August of an issue with the batteries in its scooters.

Lime said the issue originated from the batteries made by Ninebot, the parent company of Segway.
Britain is under threat from more than 66 alien plant and animal species headed our way, experts warn, including a monster seaweed and a killer catfish.

The codium parvulum seaweed was recorded creating a giant mass weighing 6,000 tons off the coast of Israel.

Now researchers warn it and other invasive animal and plant species - including a venomous catfish that has been known to kill humans - could be coming our way.

Other animals flagged up as posing a threat to native UK wildlife include the fox squirrel - the biggest squirrel in north America - which can bully and out-compete existing grey and red squirrels.

What to look out for? The different species of animals that could invade the UK

The monster codium parvulum seaweed (pictured above) is said to be heading to the UK

Another feared interlopers include the highly aggressive rusty crayfish which experts say could wipe out our domestic, endangered varieties of crayfish.

Topping the list is the Northern Snakehead - a Chinese fish that can even wriggle across mud - and is seen as a threat to domestic fish in the UK.

With its razorsharp teeth and highly aggressive behaviour it could easily decimate existing fish populations.

One of the fish was caught in 2008 on the River Witham in Lincolnshire (pictured above)

One of the fish was caught in 2008 on the River Witham in Lincolnshire - thought to have been illegally imported for an aquarium before being released.

Northern Snakehead are already infesting rivers in the US - in Florida and Washington DC.

The last time a similar exercise was carried out - in 2013 - the Quagga mussel was listed as the most likely invader to the UK.

The Northern Snakehead (pictured above) is a threat to UK fish

It was spotted in the UK within just 12 months.

Professor Helen Roy of the UKs Centre for Ecology & Hydrology Professor Juliet Brodie, Merit researcher at the Natural History Museum consulted with experts across Europe.

They identified 329 potential alien species that could pose a threat to the UK.

Professor Juliet Brodie, of the Natural History Museum, said We know the sorts of impacts invasive alien species can cause. The green seaweed Codium parvulum, for example, has been reported to produce massive drifts c. 10 km long by 3 km wide and 20 cm thick, weighing an approximate 6000 tons.

Among others include the striped eel catfish which has poisonous spines on its fins that are dangerous, and even fatal in rare cases according to anglers reference work Fishbase.

The creatures pose a threat to the entire EU, the researchers say.

A venomous catfish (pictured above) that has been known to kill humans - could be coming our way

A similar list produced in 2013, listing potential animal and plant invaders found that within two years of publications, seven of the species ranked within the top ten had been recorded in Great Britain.

Most notably, the quagga mussel, which was given the maximum scores for risk of arrival, establishment and impact and accordingly ranked in top position was reported in October 2014, the authors write.

The research has been published in the journal Global Change Biology.
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The stunning winners and shortlisted images from this year's Travel Photographer of the Year contest have been revealed - and theyre a glorious celebration of the beauty of the planet and its human and animal inhabitants.

Photographers from 142 countries submitted over 20,000 jaw-dropping pictures that were shot on everything from high-end professional cameras to mobile phones, in categories including 'faces, people, cultures'; the natural world and the beauty of light.

With a portfolio full of fascinating images showcasing life around the globe, semi-professional Italian photographer Stefano Pensotti scoops the top prize and title of Travel Photographer of the Year 2018.

Young Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 is 14-year-old Isabella Smith. The young American won over the international panel of judges with her colourful portfolio of photographs taken in Morocco.

Amazing pictures to be commended by the judges include a stunning image of two warbler birds feeding on crops in China, a fascinating photo of a seal and a penguin in a blizzard in Antarctica and a volcano spewing lava in Guatemala.

The winning images can be seen at the TPOTY exhibition, which is free, and will be on show at London Bridge City next Spring. MailOnline Travel was kindly granted permission to publish 30 of the 150 winning and shortlisted images. Scroll down to see our picks of the bunch...

The overall winner of the Travel Photographer of the Year contest is Italian photographer Stefano Pensotti. Pictured is one of his winning snaps, of camels on the salt pans of Lake Asale in Ethiopia. He said: 'They have loaded the salt from the Dankalia open-air salt mines at 50m below sea level. Their journey will lead them to Agula on the Ethiopian plateau at 2,400m high'

Fuyang Zhou from China captured this stunning image of two warbler birds in China. He said: 'The job of being a parent is a demanding one for this little warbler.' This image helped Fuyang claim runner-up spot in the natural world portfolio category

Andrew James from the UK was named joint runner-up in the 'hot/cold single image' category for his shot showing a penguin and a seal in Yankee Harbour in Antarctica. He said: 'This photo of an elephant seal and Gentoo penguin was taking in near-impossible shooting conditions. By the time I had finished I was more or less buried in the snow and absolutely frozen as I cant work a camera with gloves on so had removed them earlier'

French photographer Florent Mamelle won best single image in the natural world category for this stunning shot of the Fuego Volcano near Antigua City in Guatemala. He said: 'This picture of the Fuego volcano was taken from the summit of the Acatenango volcano. At 4,000m (13,100ft), the sky was extremely clear and the Milky Way was in the upper left corner'

American teenager Tevin Kim, who was runner-up in the young photographer of the year under-14 category captured this stunning image of Lake Louise in Canada. He said: 'Parts of this image were just not visible to my eyes, like the different layers of the bark or the small patterns of the wood. These tiny details are much more distinct when looked through a lens'

Matjaz Krivic won the prize for the travel portfolio of the year. The Slovenian photographer captured this interesting image in Diafarabe, Mali. He said: 'This boys only shoes were no longer wearable. With a sewing needle that I always carry with me and some dental floss, we patched them up'

Dutch photographer Marsel van Oosten, who was highly commended in the natural world category, shot this amazing image of two monkeys in China. He said: 'The Qinling golden snub-nosed monkey is listed as Endangered by the IUCN as only some 3,800 individuals still exist. Most people have never seen these creatures'

Roie Galitz won a special mention in the natural world category for his heartbreaking image of a mother polar bear and her two young cubs in Svalbard, Norway, who are migrating north amid sea ice that's melting quicker than previous years

Croatian photographer Petar Sabol won a special mention in the natural world single image category for this stunning picture of a kingfisher grabbing a fish underwater between Palovec and Mala Subotica in Croatia. He said: 'It took weeks and thousands of attempts to get this image'

The morning mist rises mystically from the valley towards the small Yemeni village of Shugruf in the Haraz mountains in an eerie shot captured by travel category winner Matjaz Krivic

Dutch photographer Marinka Masseus, who won the 'faces, people, cultures' portfolio prize, captured this image while in Tanzania. She said: 'Besides the superstitions, people with albinism in Tanzania face another threat. Their skin and eyes are without pigmentation, which means that they have no natural protection against the harsh African sun'

A young boy stands among Suri women wearing copper bracelets in Kibish Ethiopia. The image was taken by Danny Yen Sin Wong of Malaysia who won the title of best single image in the 'faces, people, cultures' category

Fardin Oyan won the title of Young Travel Photographer of the Year aged 15 to 18. He impressed judges with this sweet shot of children playing in the rain in Sadar, Bangladesh. He said: 'I covered my camera with a polythene bag. We danced, laughed and played in the rain'

Isabella Smith, from the US, was named young Travel Photographer of the Year. This shot of hers shows a boy playing in the street in Chefchaouen, Morocco. Isabella said: 'This really grabbed my attention! I thought this local boy using oranges as balls was the opposite of kids in my country playing with expensive toys'

Travel Photographer of the Year, Stefano Pensotti, captured this image in Budapest. He said: 'Szechenyi Baths, built in 1913, is the most popular among the inhabitants of Budapest, who come here to relax with friends'

A Sikh pilgrim performs his washing ritual in the lake in Amritsar, India, with the most famous place of worship for the Sikhs in the background. The picture was snapped by Matjaz Krivic, the travel portfolio winner

Chinese photographer He Jian captured this image, which won the 'hot/cold single image' category. It shows local people in Gannan, China, making a pilgrimage along a snowy road

UK-based Russell Moore was commended in the 'beauty of light' single image category for this atmospheric shot of a foggy sunrise at London's Canary Wharf

Children play on the main minaret of the Grand Mosque in Bani during Eid al-Fitr in Burkino Faso. The image was snapped by travel portfolio category winner Matjaz Krivic

Young boys Taj and Akash, who travel every day from station to station with their mother, beg to make a living in Gazipur, Bangladesh. The image was captured by commended Italian photographer Mauro de Bettio

Italian photographer Mauro de Bettio was commended for his travel portfolio. One of his snaps includes a man honey hunting on Himalayan cliffs, which is a tradition passed down through the generations in Dhaulagiri in western Nepal

Italian photographer Luca Venturi was highly commended in the new talent award. This black-and-white image was shot at a horse race in Siena, Italy. He said: 'The horses are selected and allocated by lot just three days before the race, riders must run bareback and there are only six trials before the main event. This image was taken during one of these trials from a balcony overlooking Piazza del Campo'

Jichang Liu captured this charming image of a swan and ducks swimming on a lake in China. The image landed him a highly commended honour in the 'tranquility single' category

British photographer Daniel Burton was named runner-up in the travel portfolio of the year category. One of his stunning pictures shows the peninsula of Le Morne in Mauritius and its unique natural phenomenon, an 'underwater' waterfall. The illusion can be seen on the right, with water seemingly pouring down towards the seabed

Photographer Marsel van Oosten won a special mention in the travel category. It shows the Grand Tsingy stone forest - a rare geological phenomena in Madagascar. He said: 'The rocks are razor sharp. I climbed up during the night to be able to photograph this climber in the early morning'

American photographer Edward Graham was commended in the single shot, beauty of light category for his photo of Lake Baikal in Russia. He said: 'To capture this image, I laid prone on the surface, aligning my camera with the ice block and setting sun in the distance. The ice block lit up with golden hues, emitting a visual warmth that belied the cold of this wonderful place'

Daniel Burton's stunning image of Rio Lagartos, Yucatan, in Mexico. He said: 'On the northern coast of Mexicos Yucatan peninsula are the magical pink lakes of Las Coloradas. The area is actually a private salt mine adjacent to the Rio Lagartos biosphere'

Stephen King from Hong Kong was commended in the hot/cold single image category for this captivating shot of lava from the Kilauea Volcano flowing into the ocean in Hawaii

Daniel Burton, who was named runner-up for the travel portfolio award, captured this birds-eye view of the approach to the Moremi Game Reserve in Botswanas Okavango Delta region
Gemma Collins, 36, has revealed she's allowing fate to decide when she has children with James Argent, 31, as they are not using contraception.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, the TOWIE star - who is currently fronting the Merrier Together Moonpig campaign - confessed that although they are not actively trying for a child at the moment, they are letting nature take its course.

'Arg said "let God decide"' revealed Gemma. 'We dont use contraception. As and when God decides for us, it will happen.'

In God's hands: Gemma Collins, 36, has revealed she's allowing fate to decide when she has children with James Argent, 31, as they are not using contraception

However, Gemma confessed that she wouldn't like to have children just this minute, as she's so busy with her career that it 'wouldn't be fair' to bring a child into the world.

The bubbly blonde left TOWIE viewers in tears last year when she visited a fertility clinic and was told she could have trouble falling pregnant, leading her to debate whether she should freeze her eggs.

Yet now the star is in no rush, as she has been inspired by Jennifer Aniston's attitude to motherhood.

Discussing her change of heart, Gemma revealed: 'I read an interview with Jennifer Aniston and she said "Do not define me as a woman because Ive no had children", and I thought, "hell yeah sister, you are so right."'

Taking their rime: The TOWIE star - who is fronting the Merrier Together Moonpig campaign - said they are not actively trying for a child at the moment, but are letting nature take its course

Revealing that she would want to spend all her time and give all her energy to a baby, she reasoned: 'My life is so hectic right now. Its been crazy. It's GC world, it wouldnt be fair to bring my child into the world right now.

'I want to dedicate my life to my child, so now wouldnt be fair. That child will be my life.'

Gemma is also in no rush to get engaged to her longterm beau, as she revealed everything needs to be just right in order for her to say yes.

Explaining the stipulations, the reality starlet revealed: 'I want a yellow diamond. So unless he can come up with the goods... I deserve the best. Ive put up with him for all this time! It will happen when it's ready.'

Slowing down: Gemma revealed she is in no rush to have children as she has been inspired by Jennifer Aniston's attitude that 'women should not be defined by whether they've had kids'

Pulling out all the stops: Gemma is also in no rush to get engaged to her longterm beau, as she revealed everything needs to be just right in order for her to say yes

However, despite not yet being engaged, the pair are already at loggerheads over how big their wedding should be, and exactly where it should be held.

'I want it to be a really private affair, Arg wants the big wedding', she confessed.

Reeling off Arg's suggestions for a destination extravaganza, she continued: 'Italy, Spain - even Brighton is on the list. Arg wants to put on the performance.

'I want a private wedding, but a huge party - it could go on for three days. If it was down to Arg we would have five weddings in five countries!'

High standards: Despite Gemma preferring a low-key affair, she hasn't lowered her standards, with the plus-size fashion designer confessing she wants to get married in Westminster Abbey

Despite Gemma preferring a low-key affair, she hasn't exactly lowered her standards, with the plus-size fashion designer confessing: 'Id like Westminster Abbey (The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's wedding venue) so we could fit everyone in, or maybe Windsor (The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's venue).'

And she's making plans for not just one, but two big days, as she revealed: 'I want a real wedding and a fake one. On my real wedding day I would want my family there, and want it all to be about love.

'The spotlight is on me all the time, it'd be nice to have a day where its about love.'

For now, wedding plans will have to take a backseat as she's hard at work training for Dancing On Ice - which launches next month.

One to watch: For now, wedding plans will have to take a backseat as she's hard at work training for Dancing On Ice - which launches next month (pictured with partner Matt Evers)

'Everyone is going to be shocked,' she revealed. 'It has been very hard. Very exhausting. Its been very entertaining.'

And with an impressive weight loss of a stone in just 10 days, Gemma admitted she could be swayed by the idea of releasing a fitness DVD, suggesting a working title of 'Skatercise with the GC'.

All the training will have to take a slight break for the Christmas period; but there's still no rest for Gemma as she is the face of Moonpig's new festive campaign.

Always working: All the training will have to take a slight break for the Christmas period; but there's still no rest for Gemma as she is the face of Moonpig's new festive campaign

This Christmas, Moonpig wants to engage their audience by encouraging customers to share their favourite Christmas stories using the hashtag #MerrierTogether.

Gemma will then transform into Santa Claus and read out the best submissions in a personalised film that will be released on the brand's social media channels next week.

Explaining why she's the perfect person for the campaign, Gemma reasoned: 'It's spreading festive cheer and there's no one more sparkly than me!'

Revealing her own shocking festive story, Gemma recalled one Christmas when her brother accidentally set his own hair on fire and moments later poured a vat of boiling hot fat down his leg, which has resulted in a life-long scar.

Gemma Collins is working with Moonpig for their #MerrierTogether Christmas campaign. Check out their Twitter feed @MoonpigUK for some of the UKs hilarious festive stories read by The GC herself!
She's known for her bohemian style and enviable wardrobe.

So it's hardly surprising Elsa Pataky fell in love with the stunning wardrobe made available to her while filming Netflix's Tidelands.

The Spanish actress, 42, told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday she she took her character's custom-made dresses home after filming wrapped.

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EXCLUSIVE: 'They're amazing dresses!' Elsa Pataky has revealed she 'kept all the custom-made gowns' she wore on Netflix show Tidelands

In the new Australian drama, Elsa plays Adrielle Cuthbert, the enigmatic leader of the Tidelanders - a group of half-human half-siren hybrids.

Adrielle's gowns were custom-made by Tidelands' costume designer Tess Schofield and her talented team.

'I kept all the dresses. I asked, "Can I keep them?"' Elsa said.

Simply stunning! Elsa's gowns were custom-made by Tidelands' costume designer Tess Schofield and her talented team

That's handy! Elsa explained, 'They actually made doubles. Because they have [the costumes] for the water scenes, they needed two of each dress. So I kept the doubles. I love them'

She added: 'They actually made doubles. Because they have them for the water scenes, they needed two of each dress. So I kept the doubles. I love them.'

Elsa joked that she was lucky to wear such 'amazing gowns' on the show, while her co-star Charlotte Best was just 'wearing jeans and shirts' for her role as Cal Mcteer.

Meanwhile, Elsa's husband Chris Hemsworth has himself admitted to stealing Thor's hammer for personal use.

Great minds think alike! Meanwhile, Elsa's husband Chris Hemsworth has himself admitted to stealing Thor's hammer for personal use. Pictured in Thor: the Dark World

Chris, who has played the Marvel superhero for seven years, claims to have five prop hammers in the couple's Byron Bay home.

He made the confession during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in January, adding that one even has pride of place in his bathroom.

Tidelands - the first Australian original series for Netflix - debuts on December 14
Russia's State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin commented on the European Parliaments resolution adopted against the construction of the Nord Stream pipeline. He said that it was adopted under the pressure of the United States, which is a manifestation of unfair competition.

The lower house speaker noted that calls for halting a project that is "economically viable for European countries and their citizens" are heard after "repeated sanctions threats from the side of the U.S. Congress against companies participating in the Nord Stream 2 construction."

"That is nothing more than unfair competition supported by politicians proclaiming democracy and free economic principles," TASS cited Volodin as saying.

The speaker considers it unacceptable to stand up for economic interests of particular countries through political pressure.
Millie Mackintosh claims she is owed thousands of pounds from Irish fashion designer Virginia Macari after she appeared in her swimwear collection launch campaign back in April.

The former Made In Chelsea star, 29, walked in the designer's runway show in Marbella weeks after her fashion brand, Cammac, collapsed in March.

And now Millie has been faced with another financial blow as she still yet to received the full payment for her work.

Settlement: Millie Mackintosh has claimed that she is owed thousands of pounds from Irish fashion designer Virginia Macari after appearing in her swimwear collection launch in April

Frustration: The former Made In Chelsea star, 29, walked in the designer's runway show in Marbella weeks after her fashion brand, Cammac, collapsed in March (Virginia is centre)

According to a statement obtained by MailOnline, Millie, Irish stylist Courtney Smith and public relations agency Hannah Saunders PR, claim they are owed over 24,000 for their services for promoting the swimwear launch in spring.

Style star Millie, who also promoted the brand on social media, says she has received only a minimum payment to date, much like her fellow creditors, and is set to pursue legal proceedings to get the rest of her fee.

All parties involved have said that there's been 'multiple attempts to make contact' with the Marbella-based designer to organise a payment plan, which have gone ignored.

Tricky: According to a document obtained by MailOnline, Millie alongside Irish stylist Courtney Smith (pictured left) and public relations agency Hannah Saunders PR, are apparently owed over 24,000 for their services for promoting the swimwear launch in Spring

The statement, which was issued by Dublin-based Newman Doyle Solicitors, also said that the designer has offered various excuses for non-payment, and has refused to deal with the matter directly.

She has instead appointed multiple spokespersons, who have said that the brand has 'insufficient funds' to pay them.

A spokesperson for Millie's management told MailOnline: 'Yes I can confirm all the information is correct and that there has been multiple attempts trying to resolve the situation but nothing has come of it. It's a real shame it's got to this place.'

Legal: Style star Millie, who also promoted the brand on social media, has received only a minimum payment to date, much like her fellow creditors, and is set to pursue legal proceedings to get the rest of her fee

MailOnline have contacted Virginia Macari for comment.

Virginia came to prominence in Ireland after appearing on 2012 reality show Dublin Housewives, which saw her launch her eponymous swimwear label.

Since her reality stint, the Irish-Italian designer swapped Ireland for Marbella, Spain, alongside her husband Kaste Dahl and son Thor to focus on her fashion brand, which sells bikinis, swimsuits and beachwear from 225.

Beginning: Virginia came to prominence in Ireland after appearing on reality show 2012 Dublin Housewives, which saw her launch her swimwear label

Move: Since her reality stint, the Irish-Italian designer swapped Ireland for Marbella, Spain alongside her husband Kaste Dahl and son Thor to focus on her fashion brand, which sells bikinis, swimsuits and beachwear from 225

Over the years, she has enlisted the help of a number of influential women such as Vogue Williams, Roxy Horner and former Miss World Rosanna Davidson to promote her brand online and at her annual showcase.

And according to the statement, the trio at the centre of the fiasco have also been made aware that other celebrity names in the fashion industry, who had worked on previous promotions for the brand, have too been 'left waiting for payment'.

In recent months, the swimwear label has remained radio silent on social media.

Helping hand: Over the years, she has enlisted the help of a number of influential women such as Vogue Williams to promote the brand

The last tweet sent from the brand's account was on April 11, two weeks prior to the April runway show at Puente Romano Hotel, while the latest Instagram post is dated in June 14.

Moreover, the last post on the brand's Facebook is dated May 11 featuring a story of Millie by MailOnline.

Her personal Instagram account until this week suggested that she was in Los Angeles.

The legal claim comes months after Millie's fashion brand sadly went bust.

Social media silence: The last tweet sent from the brand's account was on April 11, two weeks prior to the April showcase at Puente Romano Hotel, while the latest Instagram post is dated in June 14

Promotion: Also the last post on the brand's Facebook is dated May 11 featuring a story of Millie by MailOnline

She launched her label Cammac in 2014 exclusively on the fashion website ASOS and it instantly became a hit thanks to her large social media following.

According to the Evening Standard in March, the former E4 had to liquidate the business with a shortfall of 548,000, with herself losing 178,000 through the collapse.

She said at the time: 'Despite our efforts and being a top seller with a number of our stockists, the financial climate in the fashion industry has proved immensely challenging and the business is no longer sustainable.'
Karl Stefanovic, 44, previously said there was 'no media deal' in place for his wedding to shoe designer Jasmine Yarbrough.

But just five days after tying the knot at the One&Only Palmilla resort in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico on Saturday, 'exclusive' photos of the newlyweds were splashed across the cover of Who magazine.

While it's understood Who's editor Keshnee Kemp is a family friend of the Yarbroughs and was invited as a guest, the publication on Thursday nonetheless raised eyebrows following Karl's comments about trying to avoid publicity.

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Did Karl Stefanovic change his mind about a 'media deal' to cover his wedding? 'Exclusive photos' of Today show star's nuptials to Jasmine Yarbrough appear in Who magazine

During an interview with Channel Nine's TheFIX in February this year, Karl said of his then-upcoming wedding: 'There is no media deal. Don't believe everything you read.'

The wedding pictures were taken on the steps of the picturesque hilltop chapel at the One&Only. Other photos in the magazine showed Jasmine preparing for her wedding with her bridesmaids and walking down the aisle with her father Bob.

Daily Mail Australia understands there was no official 'media deal' and the couple were not paid by Who magazine for the images and accompanying quotes from Jasmine.

Hmm! During an interview with Channel Nine's TheFIX in February this year, Karl said of his then-upcoming wedding: 'There is no media deal. Dont believe everything you read'. Pictured with Jasmine on their wedding day

Rather, the Mara & Mine co-founder, 34, has enjoyed a close friendship with Who's editor, Keshnee, throughout most of her childhood and adult life.

Keshnee wrote about her bond with Jasmine in her editor's letter, discussing their shared experience of growing up in Queensland together.

Karl and Jasmine celebrated their nuptials over four days at the One&Only Palmilla resort, after legally marring in Australia several months ago.

No deal: Daily Mail Australia understands there was no official 'media deal' and the couple were not paid by Who magazine for the images and accompanying quotes from Jasmine

On Monday, the lovebirds flew to Los Angeles with a select group of wedding guests, where they stayed the night at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

After this, they jetted off to a ski resort in Aspen for a 'buddymoon' holiday.

After a few days of relaxing and hitting the slopes, the newlyweds will continue their honeymoon in Australia by visiting Port Douglas.
Skye Wheatley and Lachlan Waugh will welcome their first child together next week.

But that didn't stop the father-to-be, 29, from going on a bender on Wednesday night, with his girlfriend later sharing confronting footage of him passed out.

The former Big Brother star, 24, posted a video to Instagram of Lachlan sleeping in the car with his trousers undone and labelled him 'irresponsible'.

Ready for fatherhood? Ready for fatherhood? Pregnant Skye Wheatley filmed her drunk boyfriend with his pants undone while passed out in the car - days before she's expected to give birth to their child

Skye filmed the incident for her 492,000 Instagram followers, but had deleted the footage by 9am on Thursday morning.

In the video, Lachlan was shown looking worse for wear in the passenger seat of the couple's car after Skye went to pick him up after a night out.

She said in the clip: 'Picked [Lachlan] up on the side of the road. His pants are undone and he was just sitting there... I'm so confused as to why the pants are undone, but pretty sure he vomited everything up.'

Second thoughts? Skye (pictured) filmed the incident for her 492,000 Instagram followers, but had deleted the confronting footage by 9am on Thursday morning

Partying too hard? In the video, Lachlan was shown looking worse for wear in the passenger seat of the couple's car after Skye went to pick him up after a night out

Luckily for Lachlan, Skye had just received her driver's licence back earlier this week following a suspension and so was able to drive him home safely.

'At least you didn't get run over. Are you happy about that? I'm glad you're still with us,' Skye added, seemingly hinting she had found Lachlan in a dangerous position.

Skye later documented her efforts helping him Lachlan of the car, with his eyes growing wide with embarrassment upon realising he was being filmed.

'That's what you get for being irresponsible': Later in the footage, Skye could be heard giggling as her puppy licked Lachlan's face while he appeared to fall asleep hunched over a toilet bowl

Skye laughed as she assisted Lachlan with unclasping his seat belt as she urged him to head inside their Gold Coast home and go to bed.

Later in the footage, the Instagram model filmed him vomiting in the toilet bowl and could be heard giggling as her puppy licked Lachlan's face while he appeared to fall asleep hunched over.

'Honey, that's what you get for being irresponsible,' she said, before adding. 'I asked him one thing, to not come home and pass out - and what does he do?'

She's not impressed! Skye said in the footage, 'I asked him one thing, to not come home and pass out - and what does he do?'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Skye Wheatley for comment.

After first meeting on dating app Tinder, Skye and Lachlan announced they were officially dating in November 2017.

The lovebirds are expecting a baby boy on Tuesday, December 18.

Good timing! Luckily for Lachlan, Skye had just received her driver's licence back earlier this week following a suspension and so was able to drive him home safely
She tied the knot with longtime love Joshua Kushner in an intimate ceremony two months prior.

And on Wednesday, Karlie Kloss was pictured busy at work during a photo shoot in New York City.

The 26-year-old model flashed her legs in a sparkling black dress with a gray plaid coat during her outdoor shoot.

Mesmerizing: Karlie Kloss was pictured busy at work during a photo shoot in New York City on Wednesday afternoon

Looking good: The 26-year-old model flashed her legs in a sparkling black dress with a gray plaid coat during her outdoor shoot

Karlie flaunted her long legs in the thigh-grazing number, which featured a ribbon detail along her neckline.

The cat walker layered a plaid cover up with cut-out black heels; she rounded out her ensemble with a pink and black structured clutch.

Karlie was seen painting her pout a red hue during the shoot with rosy blush on her cheeks.

The stunner styled her medium-length blonde tresses in waves, opting for a deep side part.

Lovely: Karlie flaunted her long legs in the thigh-grazing number, which featured a ribbon detail along her neckline

Fancy: The cat walker layered a plaid cover up with cut-out black heels; she rounded out her ensemble with a pink and black structured clutch

Work time: Karlie was seen painting her pout a red hue during the shoot with rosy blush on her cheeks

One day earlier, Karlie posed in a cream colored dress for an event at the New York Public Library, which she shared to Instagram.

The six-foot-two model sported a long sleeved cream front with an asymmetrical hemline; she rocked pumps with a small clutch.

Karlie captioned the image: 'Renewing my library card... and celebrating @berggrueninst Prize recipient philosopher & feminst Martha Nussbaum.'

In the moment: The stunner styled her medium-length blonde tresses in waves, opting for a deep side part

What a beauty: She was seen stepping out of a car for the photo shoot

Karlie married beau Joshua Kushner, 33, in mid-October in an intimate wedding in upstate New York.

The lovebirds exchanged their I do's after six years together; they got engaged this past July.

Karlie donned a custom-made Dior gown for her nuptials; her close friend Taylor Swift did not attend.

Mesmerizing: One day earlier, Karlie posed in a cream colored dress for an event at the New York Public Library, which she shared to Instagram
Ruby Rose has been rushed to hospital for a medical emergency.

The 32-year-old actress, who is filming on location in Hungary, took to Instagram on Wednesday to tell fans that a silicon earplug had become stuck in her ear.

She wrote: 'I've had a couple co-stars end up in hospital because of ear plugs from films with gunfire and other loud noises [that] ended up being lodged in their ear canals. I always made fun of them... I will never make fun of them again!'

Medical emergency: Ruby Rose, who is filming on location in Hungary, took to Instagram on Wednesday to tell fans that a silicon earplug had become stuck in her ear

Ruby also shared footage of herself walking into the hospital, which she captioned: 'I have a silicon ear plug inside my damn brain and I think this is the scariest hospital I've ever seen.'

Fortunately, the Orange is the New Black star saw the funny side of the situation.

She later posted a photo of herself in the empty emergency room, alongside which she wrote: 'If you never see me again... I hope my organs went to wonderful people.'

'I will never make fun of them again!' Ruby explained that ear plugs getting stuck is quite a common problem on film sets, adding that she found it quite funny until it happened to her

Dark humour: Ruby shared footage of herself walking into the hospital, which she captioned: 'I have a silicon ear plug inside my brain and I think this is the scariest hospital I've ever seen'

The Australian star continued to pass the time by sharing another image of a rather eerie-looking bathroom and an empty hospital bed.

It was then time for Ruby to see the doctor, and she uploaded yet another short clip of herself waiting patiently in the office.

Finally, the ear plug was successfully removed and she was able to leave hospital.

'It took over an hour, three doctors and a lot of screaming, crying and fainting': Finally, the ear plug was successfully removed and Ruby was able to leave hospital

Ruby explained after the ordeal: 'It took over an hour, three doctors and a lot of screaming, crying and fainting to remove what had become glue around my ear drum - but they did it!'

'Now, to fix my TV... it doesn't seem to have sound working,' she added, jokingly.

Ruby appears to have been filming a project in Hungary since late November.
There's an old saying: 'the fastest way to a man's heart is through his stomach.'

And it turns out that was exactly the case for Ryan Seacrest and his girlfriend Shayna Taylor; food was the common denominator for the pair when they first met in 2013.

'It was the first time we were together, and she said, I make these amazing gluten-free pancakes,' The Live With Kelly And Ryan co-host revealed in an interview with People. 'And I said, what? Well, tell me everything!' Seacrest gushed. 'That is all it took for me to really fall.'

Foodie love: Ryan Seacrest, 43, revealed that he fell for girlfriend Shayna Taylor, 26, over their shared passion for food and cooking

For Taylor, who's a trained chef and a food blogger, she opened up and admitted that she thinks they have 'serious food chemistry.'

As she should know; the 26-year old runs a food website and Instagram account called Shayna's Kitchen, where she highlights her vegan and gluten free cooking.

The two have even been able to share their foodie love together on Live with Kelly and Ryan, where she has appeared several times now to give cooking lessons and tips.

The tasty details: The couple dated on-and-off beginning in 2013 but have since solidified the relationship and live together in New York City

Supportive: Taylor, who is a trained chef, has appeared on Live With Kelly And Ryan a number of times to give cooking lessons and tips

The pair had been dating on-and-off in Los Angeles beginning in 2013, but they both admitted they had to mature after a breakup in 2014. They have since solidified their relationship and moved to New York City together in 2017, when Seacrest landed the co-host gig alongside Kelly Ripa.

'Were very in sync,' gushed Seacrest, who called their move to the Big Apple an adventure theyve both embraced.

'Moving to a new city together was fun because we were also having a new chapter together,' the Corona, California beauty confessed.

Cross-country move: Seacrest and Taylor moved from Los Angeles to New York City when he was hired to join Kelly Ripa to co-host Live With Kelly And Ryan

Aside from the food, the couple also have a shared fitness passion, and even plan an hour a day to work out together, or just take a walk.

'For the last six months, we both wake up an hour earlier than we used to so we have time together,' the 43-year TV personality said.

The couple stopped short of mentioning whether wedding bells or a baby was in their future plans but they did both talk about the importance of family in their lives.

'Family is so important to me, and to Shayna as well, but Ive always tried to put life into a master schedule with deadlines, and I dont want to do that with Shayna.'
She's been embroiled in a bitter feud with her ex-boyfriend James Kennedy for several months.

And on Thursday, Kristen Doute fuelled cheating rumours surrounding James' relationship with new girlfriend, Raquel Leviss.

Kristen, 35, told OK! Australia that the Vanderpump Rules' villain was indeed unfaithful to Raquel after viewers this week watched as a woman claimed to have had a two-year affair with the reality-star-turned-DJ.

'Either she knows and doesn't care or she's really that dumb': Kristen Doute (left) insists that her ex-boyfriend James Kennedy DID cheat on girlfriend Raquel Leviss (together, right)

'She's not the sharpest tool in the shed,' Kristen said of Raquel, 24.

'Honestly, either she knows and deep down she doesn't care because she thinks he's that cool, or she's really that dumb. One or the other.'

James, 26, told DailyMail.com earlier this week that he and Raquel have worked through 'cheating' claims and are happier than ever.

Bad blood: Kristen and James have been at odds for months following their bitter split

'We're trying to remain positive with all of it,' he said.

'We've worked through what we needed to work through. We hope people will be on board with our relationship.'

On Monday, James denied cheating on Raquel on Vanderpump Rules after Kristen and Hope cornered Raquel in the bathrooms of SUR during a party.

Committed: James, 26, told DailyMail.com earlier this week that he and Raquel have worked through the 'cheating' claims and are happier than ever. Pictured on August 2, 2017 in LA

'Raquel, I have never cheated on you. I have never had sex with another girl, other than you, since I've been with you. They're f**king lying through their f**king teeth. It's so obvious,' he fumed.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted James for further comment.

Last month, Kristen made similar claims about James and Raquel to Daily Mail Australia.

'I don't know if she's as dumb as I think she is, or if she just doesn't care that James is a terribly lying cheating human who says horrible things to women,' she said.

'Or if she actually thinks he's that cool and believes him, their whole dynamic is just super odd to me.

'I just pray and I hope that viewers change their mind about him this season.'

'I don't know if she's as dumb as I think she is, or if she just doesn't care that James is a terribly lying cheating human': Kristen also took a swipe at James' current girlfriend, Raquel (far right)

Kristen suffered through a tumultuous relationship with James during the third and fourth seasons of Vanderpump Rules.

And while she has since moved on with photographer Brian Carter, she has no plans to bury the hatchet with her ex anytime soon.

'I love to take down the bad guy and I will stop at nothing, so sorry James Kennedy!' she said.

'He is my target and I will continue to make him my target until all is well in the world,' she continued. 'Until girls are no longer called fat and bad names.

'Just the way that he treats human beings in general, I just think that he's such garbage.'
Dakota Johnson took her pooch Zeppelin for a walk in Beverly Hills on Wednesday.

The 29-year-old beauty cut a casual figure in a knit sweater and baggy jeans for the balmy day out in the tony neighborhood of Los Angeles.

And the impromptu outing comes amid reports of the Fifty Shades of Grey actress will be 'engaged soon' to beau Chris Martin according to US Weekly.

Stunner: Dakota Johnson took her pooch Zeppelin for a walk in Beverly Hills on Wednesday

'Chris is head over heels,' the source continued.

According to the insider, Martin was waiting for his ex Gwyneth Paltrow to wed Brad Falchuk on September 29 before making any plans of a proposal.

'He wanted to make sure the kids didnt have too much change all at once. Hes a great dad,' the source added.

The loved up couple have been dating for more than a year.

Beauty: The beauty cut a casual figure in a knit sweater and baggy jeans for the balmy day out in the tony neighborhood of Los Angeles

And according to People magazine, Dakota Johnson spent Thanksgiving with the British rocker as well as his ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow and their two children Apple and Moses.

'They're a total modern family and had a great time celebrating together,' the source told the publication.

The Fifty Shades franchise star, 29, was first linked with Martin, 41, in October 2017.

Rumors: And the impromptu outing comes amid reports of the Fifty Shades of Grey actress will be 'engaged soon' to beau Chris Martin

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 Martin's praises.

'I adore him!' Griffith told PEOPLE. 'But she is very private about her life and I respect that.'

Waiting game: According to the insider, Martin was waiting for his ex Gwyneth Paltrow to wed Brad Falchuk on September 29 before making any plans of a proposal; (pictured September)

Martin was previously married to Paltrow, 46, for 10 years before they 'consciously uncoupled' in 2014. Their divorce was finalized two years later.

Martin and Paltrow have continued to co-parent Apple, 14, and Moses, 12, living in homes near each other in Malibu.

This past September, Paltrow tied the knot with producer Brad Falchuk.
Lions Models Stella Maxwell and Irina Shayk got extra close while attending The Kooples Christmas dinner in Paris while wearing leggy looks on Wednesday night.

The Russian 32-year-old and the 28-year-old Belgian-born Brit frequently work together and they share a lot in common, including romancing movie stars.

The brunette beauty covered up her plunging patterned romper with an Army-green trench coat and she accessorized with a tiny black bag and matching peep-toe platforms.

Intertwined: Lions Models Stella Maxwell (L) and Irina Shayk (R) got extra close while attending The Kooples Christmas dinner in Paris while wearing leggy looks on Wednesday night

Gal pals: The Russian 32-year-old and the 28-year-old Belgian-born Brit frequently work together and they share a lot in common, including romancing movie stars

And the blonde bombshell nearly suffered a wardrobe malfunction by going bra-less beneath a black bedazzled blazer, matching leather mini, and platform booties.

Shayk (born Shaykhlislamova) and Maxwell linked arms as they headed inside the posh party together.

Once seated side-by-side inside, Stella Insta-storied a video of their respective place settings on empty plates.

Greeting fans: The brunette beauty covered up her patterned romper with an Army-green trench coat and she accessorized with a tiny black bag and matching peep-toe platforms

Skinny Minnie! The blonde bombshell nearly suffered a wardrobe malfunction by going bra-less beneath a black bedazzled blazer, matching leather mini, and platform booties

Ladies night! Shayk (born Shaykhlislamova) and Maxwell linked arms as they headed inside the posh party together

Hungry? Once seated side-by-side inside, Stella Insta-storied a video of their respective place settings on empty plates

While in France, the Kooples Paris spokesmodels spent the afternoon together, even striking matching duck-lip poses for a car selfie.

Irina and Stella were joined for a Louis Vuitton shopping trip by Lions Model staffer Clayd Yila.

And back on December 2, the Victoria's Secret stunners both strutted their stuff in Donatella Versace's first-ever pre-fall 2019 presentation in Manhattan.

Pucker up! While in France, the Kooples Paris spokesmodels spent the afternoon together, even striking matching duck-lip poses for a car selfie

Repping: Irina and Stella were joined for a Louis Vuitton shopping trip by Lions Model staffer Clayd Yila (L)

Bring it to the runway! And back on December 2, the Victoria's Secret stunners both strutted their stuff in Donatella Versace's first-ever pre-fall 2019 presentation in Manhattan

On the personal front, the University of Otago grad has romanced Twilight alum Kristen Stewart and pop diva Miley Cyrus.

Meanwhile, Miss Chelyabinsk 2004 has a 20-month-old daughter Lea De Seine with her babydaddy, four-time Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper

The genetically-blessed couple are reportedly not engaged but they did celebrate their third anniversary of dating in April.

Sapphic: On the personal front, the University of Otago grad has romanced Twilight alum Kristen Stewart and pop diva Miley Cyrus
He's recently been in legal hot water following allegations of assault over a New York City parking spot.

But Alec Baldwin, 60, seemed like a man without a care in the world on Wednesday, as he joined wife Hilaria Baldwin, 34, at the Ripple Of Hope Awards dinner in New York City.

His yoga instructor bride turned heads in an off-the-shoulder, polka dot dress.

What, me worry? Alec Baldwin, 60, seemed like a man without a care in the world on Wednesday, as he joined wife Hilaria Baldwin, 34, at the Ripple Of Hope Awards dinner in New York City

The mother-of-four paired the elegant garment with a simple pair of black heels.

Her wavy, brunette tresses were worn loose and cascaded down the Spanish-born beauty's bare shoulders.

Hilaria accessorized with a simple pair of gold hoop earrings.

Going dotty: His yoga instructor bride turned heads in an off-the-shoulder, polka dot dress

Alec Baldwin looked dapper in a charcoal suit at the event, which honored humanitarian efforts.

2018 recipients of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights award were President Barack Obama, Discovery President and CEO David Zaslav, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Humana CEO Bruce D Broussard.

Last month, Baldwin was arraigned on assault and harassment charges in a New York court after being accused of striking a man in the face over a parking space.

The Saturday Night Live star was released on his own recognizance after appearing briefly at New York Supreme Court on the misdemeanor and violation-level charges.

The actor has said any assertion that he punched anyone over a parking spot is false.

Good hair day: Her wavy, brunette tresses were worn loose and cascaded down the Spanish-born beauty's bare shoulders

Well-heeled: The mother-of-four paired the elegant garment with a simple pair of black heels

Curb Your Enthusiasm star Cheryl Hines, 53, turned back the clock in a little black dress that showcased her scintillating form.

The wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wore her straight blonde tresses loose for her solo turn on the red carpet.

A pair of diamond teardrop earrings completed the elegant ensemble.

If I could turn back time: Curb Your Enthusiasm star Cheryl Hines, 53, turned back the clock in a little black dress that showcased her scintillating form

Political royalty: The wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wore her straight blonde tresses loose for her solo turn on the red carpet

Controversial comedy star T.J. Miller hit the red carpet with his wife Kate Miler.

The Silicon Valley actor wore a check suit with a black shirt and a steel grey bowtie.

Meanwhile his Memoirs Of A Teenage Amnesiac bride showed off her slim frame in a nigh neck black dress, which the auburn-haired beauty paired with dark stockings and royal blue heels.

Polarizing: Controversial comedy star T.J. Miller hit the red carpet with his wife Kate Miler

Newlyweds: Keegan-Michael Key poses with new wife Elisa Pugliese

Party of two: Actor Scott Wold poses with human rights activist Kerry Kennedy, daughter of Robert F. Kennedy

Back to black: The Good Wife star Julianna Marguiles looked radiant in an elegant black jacket and blouse combo

The Good Wife star Julianna Marguiles looked radiant in an elegant black jacket and blouse combo.

The 53-year-old actress' top boasted a deep plunging neckline that showcased her cleavage - and a low-hanging gold pendant.

The native New Yorker highlighted her features with a slash of bright red lip liner and a dab of smokey eye.

Taking the plunge: The 53-year-old actress' top boasted a deep plunging neckline that showcased her cleavage - and a low-hanging gold pendant

Beam her up! Star Trek: First Contact star Alfre Woodward kept it classy in a soft pink dress for the event

Shining stars: Singer-songwriter Aloe Blacc [L] and figure skater Sasha Cohen also attended the awards show

Cute couple: CEO Robert F. Smith attended with his wife of three years, Playboy Playmate Hope Dworaczyk

The prince's daughter: Jazmin Grace Grimaldi [L] is the daughter of Albert II, Prince of Monaco. Seen here with Ian Mellencamp

Something she said? Broadway actor Ben Vereen, 72, shares a laugh with Kerry Kennedy

His greatest hits: Alec cracks up Kerry Kennedy by reprising his Donald Trump impersonation

Speech: Baldwin took to the podium to make a speech at the event
After being the first civilian to buy a Humvee in 1992, Arnold Schwarzenegger was spotted driving the first electric Hummer in Santa Monica on Wednesday.

The 71-year-old actor was spotted smoking a cigar while driving the red Hummer, which was modeled after the much larger H1.

Schwarzenegger was also on hand last September at Kreisel Electric's new facility in Austria, where he helped unveil the first electric Hummer to the world.

Test drive: Arnold Schwarzenegger test drives the world's first electric Hummer while smoking a cigar in Santa Monica on Wednesday

The Terminator star was wearing a navy blue collared shirt under an Army-green coat, with dark blue pants and a black belt with a gold belt buckle.

The actor has long been a fan of the massive military vehicles, buying the first military Humvee in 1992 from manufacturer AM General.

He ultimately convinced the company to produce a modified, street-legal version for civilians, and he purchased the first two civilian Hummer H1 vehicles they rolled off the assembly line in 1992.

Arnold's stogie: The 71 year old actor was spotted smoking a cigar while driving the red Hummer, which was modeled after the much larger H1

When he was running in the California governor election, he announced he would convert one of his Hummers to burn hydrogen, a process that reportedly cost $21,000.

After winning the election, he signed an executive order to build hydrogen refueling plants, with the first hydrogen-fueled Hummer debuting in 2004.

Schwarzenegger revealed at the September 2017 launch event for the electric hummer that Kreisel Electric modified his Mercedes G-Class.

Electric Hummer: Schwarzenegger was also on hand last September at Kreisel Electric's new facility in Austria, where he helped unveil the first electric Hummer to the world

'Kreisel Electric electrified my G-class last winter,' the actor said at the event. 'And now a Hummer.'

'If Kreisel keeps it up at this pace, I will soon be able to fly here from LA in an electric airplane,' the actor joked.

The actor has long been an environmentalist, delivering the opening address at the COP24 summit on climate change in Poland last week.

Paying respects: He also was seen earlier this month paying his respects to President George H.W. Bush at his funeral in Houston last week

During his address, he called President Trump a, 'meshugge,' which is Yiddish for 'crazy' for pulling out of the Paris climate accord.

He also was seen earlier this month paying his respects to President George H.W. Bush at his funeral in Houston last week.

The actor will return to play The Terminator in a currently-untitled reboot from Paramount, which is slated for release on November 1, 2019.
Real Housewives of New Jersey star Melissa Gorga hit the red carpet at the Second Act premiere in New York, looking stunning alongside her husband and daughter.

The 39-year-old reality star posed for photographers at Regal Union Square Stadium 14 for the premiere, along with husband Joe, 39, and daughter Antonia, 13.

Just a day earlier, she was spotted at the DailyMail TV holiday party in New York.

Melissa on the red carpet: Melissa Gorga stuns in a plunging neckline dress on the red carpet at the Second Act premiere in New York City

The RHONJ star was spotted wearing a shimmer multi-colored striped dress with a plunging neckline.

She completed her lock with large gold hoop earrings, gold bracelets and heels, with her hair tied back in a pontytail.

Her husband Joe was wearing a black suit with no tie while daughter Antonia was wearing a pink mini-dress.

All that glitters: The RHONJ star was spotted wearing a shimmer multi-colored striped dress with a plunging neckline

Melissa and Joe, the brother of her Real Housewives of New Jersey cast mate Terese Guidice, have been married since 2004.

She was born in Toms River, New Jersey and currently lives in Montville, New Jersey with Joe and her kids Antonia, 13, Gino, 11 and Joey, 8.

She has appeared on Real Housewives of New Jersey since the show's second season in 2011, the same year she launched her music career.

Mother and daughter: Her husband Joe was wearing a black suit with no tie while daughter Antonia was wearing a pink mini-dress

In 2011, Gorga released her single On Display, and several other singles were featured in Season 4 of RHONJ.

She released three other singles in 2012, but revealed in 2016 that she wouldn't be continuing her music career, while leaving the door open to explore it further in the future.

Gorga launched her own jewelry line on HSN in 2014 and in 2015, she opened a clothing boutique called Envy by Melissa Gorga in Montclair, New Jersey.

Family fashion: She was born in Toms River, New Jersey and currently lives in Montville, New Jersey with Joe and her kids Antonia, 13, Gino, 11 and Joey, 8

Melissa and her family opened a restaurant in East Hanover, New Jersey called Gorga's Homemade Pasta and Pizza, with her co-star Teresa Guidice.

The restaurant opened in May 2017, but it was temporarily closed in January 2018, in search of a bigger venue.

She also released the book Love Italian Style: The Secrets of My Hot and Happy Marriage in 2013.

Party time: Just a day earlier, she was spotted at the DailyMail TV holiday party in New York
He has been living the single life since his divorce from Amber Heard in 2017.

And Johnny Depp drove fans wild as he shared a passionate kiss with a mystery blonde woman in a saucy Instagram snap, but all was not what it seemed.

The Edwards Scissorhands actor, 55, looked delighted as he locked lips with the woman, who turned out to be his close friend and auctioneer Letitia Frye.

PDA: Johnny Depp drove fans wild as he shared a passionate kiss with a mystery blonde woman in a saucy Instagram snap, but all was not what it seemed

The steamy smooch between the pals quickly sent fans wild on social media with one writing 'woowoow' while another added: 'This is sweet!'

Another follower wrote: 'I wouldn't survive' while another added 'omg who is she?'.

One fan added: 'Johnny kisses everyone I love it' while another wrote: 'His skin looks way better now. I'm glad to see that he looks healthier now and happy.'

Leititia herself even threw herself into the fan frenzy, writing: 'Rest easy, we are just friends. We were raising money for #alicecooperssolidrock. It's all about help the kids!' (sic)

Fan frenzy: The steamy smooch between the pals quickly sent fans wild on social media with one writing 'woowoow' while another added: 'This is sweet!'

Pals: Leititia herself even threw herself into the fan frenzy, writing: 'Rest easy, we are just friends. We were raising money for #alicecooperssolidrock. It's all about help the kids!' (sic)

Johnny had auctioned off one of his guitars at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona during the annual Christmas Pudding concert organised by Alice Cooper.

For 17 years, the Christmas Pudding concert has raised funds for the building and now operation of Cooper's non-profit the Rock Teen Center.

Depp performed as part of the Hollywood Vampires, a rock supergroup also featuring Aerosmith rocker Joe Perry and Cooper, although Joe missed the performance as he continues his recovery from pulmonary issues.

Depp and 32-year-old actress Amber Heard divorced in January 2017 after she applied for a temporary domestic violence restraining order the year before. This was later lifted.

Past love: Depp and 32-year-old actress Amber Heard divorced in January 2017

She claimed the couple had an explosive row and he threw an iPhone in her face, bruising her eye and cheek. Depp denied ever hurting her.

Depp's two children with French actress Vanessa Paradis - model Lily-Rose, 19, and John, 16 - both supported him in the face of Heard's allegations.

The pair reached an out-of-court settlement and Heard withdrew her claims.

They released a joint statement, saying: 'Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love. Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain. There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm.'

Explaining his side of the story for the first time, Depp told GQ: 'It hurts. The thing that hurt me is being presented as something that you're really as far away from as you could possibly get, you know? But to... To harm someone you love? As a kind of bully? No, it didn't, it couldn't even sound like me.'

Before this he was in a relationship with Vanessa from 1998-2012.
Danielle Staub turned into Bridezilla and raged against Margaret Josephs on Wednesday's episode of The Real Housewives Of New Jersey.

The 56-year-old bride-to-be called out Margaret for not paying enough attention to her during the episode titled Last Fling Before The Ring.

Danielle welcomed her wedding party of Margaret, Melissa Gorga and Teresa Guidice to her home just two weeks before her wedding.

Bridezilla moment: Danielle Staub was accused of being a Bridezilla on Wednesday's episode of The Real Housewives Of New Jersey

The episode opened with Margaret and Teresa buying sex toys for the bachelorette party.

Danielle told them she wanted the party to be 'perfect' with 'only dairy and gluten-free options'.

She also asked for 'really nice gifts' particularly from Hermes and Versace.

'It's time to kick it into gear. It's about being here for me,' Danielle said.

Took offense: Margaret Josephs took offense when Danielle criticized her for not being there

She then pointed to Margaret and chastised her for not answering when she clls.

Margaret protested that she's been busy organizing the bachelorette party and Melissa backed her up.

Danielle said that was 'great to hear', but then noted that she went for her wedding dress fitting and alterations alone.

Sticking up: Melissa Gorga pointed out that Margaret took the lead on party planning

All alone: Danielle said her friends had not been calling her and singled out Margaret

Margaret said they didn't know and Danielle said they should be calling her.

'I want people to pay attention to me. I want to feel like a bride instead of a dog,' Danielle complained.

Margaret then declared that Danielle was being 'disgusting'.

Not happy: Margaret told Danielle that her behavior was 'disgusting'

Danielle asked if she wasn't supposed to have a registry and Margaret said she should have gifts donated to charity.

'You have a house full of s***,' Margaret told her before labeling her a 'bridezilla and an 'a**hole'.

'I don't give a s***,' Margaret said.

Danielle chased after her and they both hugged and made up after crying.

Made up: Danielle and Margaret hugged and made up after crying

The bachelorette party featured a Roaring 20s theme and was attended by Danielle's gorgeous daughter Christine, 24.

Danielle told Melissa that her relationship with fiance Marty Caffrey was one of 'peaks and valleys'.

Male strippers entertained Danielle while she sat in a chair.

Bachelorette party: Danielle was the center of attention at her Roaring 20s party

Up close: A male stripper got up close and personal with Danielle

Good times: The women laughed as a dancer performed with Danielle

Teresa during the party enlisted Danielle's help in her new feud with show newcomer Jackie Goldschneider.

'Jackie needs to apologize or be done,' said Teresa who remained angry with Jackie for bringing up her jailed husband Joe while defending Melissa.

In other developments, Dolores Catania confronted her ex Frank Catania after she discovered being the last to learn of his legal disbarment.

RHONJ will return next week on Bravo.

Helping hand: Danielle agreed to have Teresa Giudice's back in her tiff with Jackie Goldschneider
She's no stranger to putting her curves on display.

And on Wednesday, Blanca Blanco showed off her voluptuous bottom in a skimpy, metallic gold swimsuit while lounging by a pool in Calabasas.

The 37-year-old actress recently returned from an exotic trip to Morocco.

Va-va-voom! On Wednesday, Blanca Blanco showed off her voluptuous bottom in a skimpy, metallic gold swimsuit while lounging by a pool in Calabasas

Blanca, who wore her hair in soft waves, posed in a cabana before taking a dip in the pool.

She had on a full face of makeup for the impromptu photoshoot that exemplified her toned figure.

The California native revealed to DailyMail.com earlier this week that her trip to the Marrakech International Film Festival helped take her mind off losing her home in the Woolsey Fire.

Lounging around: Blanca, who wore her hair in soft waves, posed in a cabana before taking a dip in the pool

Body goals: Blanco had on a full face of makeup for the impromptu photoshoot that exemplified her toned figure

'I have been heart broken about losing my home but I am recovering,' she said. 'What gave me comfort is knowing that what happened was beyond my control.'

Blanco added: 'I had to accept reality and decide to focus on the solution - the solution is in my control.

'Coming to Marrakesh was something I had planned for months, therefore, I wanted to follow through with my obligations and I knew great results would lead from this trip.'

Jetsetter: The 37-year-old actress recently returned from an exotic trip to Morocco

Bouncing back: The California native revealed to DailyMail.com earlier this week that her trip to the Marrakech International Film Festival helped take her mind off losing her Malibu home in the Woolsey Fire

Blanca shared her Malibu home with husband John Savage.

The Woolsey Fire burned more than 93,000 acres of land and destroyed more than 400 structures.

The couple were among several celebrities including Camille Grammer, Robin Thicke, and Miley Cyrus to lose their homes.
A month after Pedro Pascal and Gina Carano were cast in the live-action Star Wars TV series The Mandalorian, the cast is getting rounded out even further.

Nick Nolte, Carl Weathers, Giancarlo Esposito, Werner Herzog, Emily Swallow and Omid Abtahi have been confirmed to star in the series.

The Disney announcement confirms that Pedro Pascal will be playing the title character in the new series, and that production is currently under way.

New role: The Star Wars live-action TV series The Mandalorian adds Nick Nolte, Carl Weathers, Giancarlo Esposito, Werner Herzog and more

'Were having a great time working with this incredibly talented group and excited for everyone to see what were up to,' says Executive Producer Jon Favreau.

Favreau is creating the series, which takes place after the stories of Star Wars characters Jango Fett and his son, iconic bounty hunter Boba Fett.

The story is set between the fall of the Empire from the original Star Wars movie trilogy and before the rise of the First Order from the current trilogy that includes Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Star Wars universe: Carl Weathers has signed on for the Star Wars series The Mandalorian in an unspecified role

The series will follow Pascal's character, described as, 'a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic.'

No details have been given regarding the characters these new cast members are playing in the series.

Filming began in October, with creator/executive producer Jon Favreau sharing a first look photo of the title character.

Star Wars universe: The story is set between the fall of the Empire from the original Star Wars movie trilogy and before the rise of the First Order from the current trilogy that includes Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi

First look: Filming began in October, with creator/executive producer Jon Favreau sharing a first look photo of the title character

Favreau is writing and executive producing the series, with Dave Filoni directing the first episode and executive producing.

The eight-episode series will also have episodes directed by Deborah Chow (Jessica Jones), Rick Famuyiwa (Dope), Bryce Dallas Howard (Solemates), and Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok).

The series will debut on Disney+, the studio's exclusive streaming service which is slated to debut in late 2019.

Werner on the red carpet: Werner Herzog joins the Star Wars universe in the new live-action series The Mandalorian

Nolte most recently starred in The Padre, while Esposito reprised his Breaking Bad role as Gus Fring in Better Call Saul.

Weathers most recently appeared in episodes of Magnum P.I. and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, while Herzog recently debuted his new documentary Meeting Gorbachev.

Swallow most recently starred in the Netflix series Castlevania while Abtahi has appeared in the Starz series American Gods.

New star: Abtahi has appeared in the Starz series American Gods
They're both known for the incredible acting and dancing skills.

And Jenna Dewan and Rumer Willis, 30, found more common ground on Wednesday, both stepping out with cleavage baring ensembles when they attended the Love Actually Live Opening Night Reception in Los Angeles.

The duo were seen in satin material ensembles with the 38-year-old opting for an Adriana Iglesias jumpsuit and the daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis in a dress.

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Busting out! Jenna Dewan and Rumer Willis stepped out for the Love Actually Live Opening Reception night in Los Angeles on Wednesday, both putting on busty displays

Jenna's ensemble featured a cut-out around her mid-section before flaring into wide-legged pants.

The low v-neck dew attention to her ample cleavage and the ensemble was completed with long sleeves.

The Step Up star completed her look with strappy heels and accessorised with dainty earrings.

Stunner: Jenna's Adriana Iglesias ensemble featured a cut-out around her mid-section before flaring into wide-legged pants

Gorgeous: The Step Up star completed her look with strappy heels and accessorised with dainty earrings

Jenna's brunette tresses were styled out straight and sleek with her glam also kept simple with rosy cheeks, a cat-eye and bold red pout.

Musical star Rumer Wllis also put on a gorgeous display on Wednesday evening at The Wallis .

She wore a bronze colored dress that had a halter neck design and open stomach before hugging her curves down its length.

The Empire star styled her short brunette tresses behind her ear and her glam simple with a luminous and dewy complexion and nude lip.

Baring all: Musical star Rumer Wllis also put on a gorgeous display on Wednesday evening at The Wallis

Two roles: In the production Rumer plays both Keira Knightly's character Juliet as well as Heike Makatsch's Mia, the secretary

She makes it look easy! Speaking to E!'s Daily Pop on Tuesday, she said it was havoc backstage as she continues to change between scenes

Speaking to E!'s Daily Pop on Tuesday, she said it was havoc backstage as she continues to change between scenes.

'I wish we could almost do a reality show of whats going on backstage because Im literally running back and forth like a crazy person, changing my wig, changing my costume, trying to go back and forth. But its so fun.'

In the production Rumer plays both Keira Knightly's character Juliet as well as Heike Makatsch's Mia, the secretary.

Love Actually Live is currently playing at The Wallis in Los Angeles and will run until December 31, 2018.
Offset has cancelled his upcoming appearances in Australia alongside ex Cardi B.

The rapper was booked to appear at two festivals with group Migos over New Years, which his estranged wife is also scheduled to perform at, but he has now pulled out.

Representatives for both Perth's Origin Fields on December 30/31st and Sydney's Field Day 2019 on January 1st confirmed last week that Cardi will still attend.

Keeping his distance? Offset pulls out of Aussie festivals alongside Cardi B ...after admitting he 'misses' estranged wife following their shock split

Both festivals announced the line-up change on Monday, writing: 'In disappointing news, Migos have cancelled their AUS/NZ tour.'

Offset's cancellation comes after he admitted he 'misses' Cardi, both 26, on Sunday.

'F*** YALL I MISS CARDI,' he wrote on Twitter, one week after Cardi announced the end of their 15-month marriage.

The couple welcomed daughter Kulture together in July.

Cancelled: The rapper was booked to appear at two festivals with group Migos (pictured) over New Years, which his estranged wife is also scheduled to perform at, but he has now pulled out

Keeping fans happy! Representatives for both Perth's Origin Fields Festival on December 30/31st and Sydney's Field Day 2019 on January 1st confirmed last week Cardi will still attend

A video from Migos' previous Australian tour in October 2017 went viral last week.

Following Offset's split from Cardi, footage of Instagram model Sophia Alia flashing her breasts at the rapper in the back of a card in Sydney leaked on Twitter.

The clip has since amassed four million views, with a source close to Sophia telling Daily Mail Australia that her lawyers are desperately trying to take it down.

A friend of Sophia's also confirmed that 'nothing sexual' happened between her and Offset, who had married Cardi B one month earlier in September 2017.

Aussie party girl! Following Offset's (L) split from Cardi, footage of Instagram model Sophia Alia (R) flashing her breasts at the rapper in the back of a car in Sydney last year leaked online
Her ready-to-wear clothing line in partnership with Saks Off 5th goes on Sale Thursday.

And on Wednesday, Amy Schumer celebrated the launch of Le Cloud Apparel with some famous friends.

The pregnant comedienne, 37, was joined by model Emily Ratakowski and actors Justin Theroux and Armie Hammer for the photo call in New York.

New venture: Amy Schumer celebrated the launch of her new ready-to-wear Le Cloud Apparel with Emily Ratajkowski and some other famous friends in New York on Wednesday

Amy, who's expecting her first child with husband Chris Fischer, covered up her baby bump in an ankle-length black dress.

The classy number had half sleeves and a v-neckline and the Trainwreck star added heeled black boots.

Blurred Lines video vixen Emily, 27, showed off her figure in skinny blue jeans and a black sweater, and stepped out in red leather ankle boots with stiletto heels.

She donned a black coat to pose on a pair of white swings with Amy at the launch event.

Stylish: Amy, who's expecting her first child with husband Chris Fischer, covered up her baby bump in an ankle-length black dress. The classy number had half sleeves and a v-neckline

Photo call: Blurred Lines video vixen Emily, 27, showed off her figure in skinny blue jeans and a black sweater, and stepped out in red leather ankle boots with stiletto heels

Having a laugh: The model donned a black coat to pose on a pair of white swings with Amy at the launch event

Le Cloud was designed by Amy and celebrity stylist and costume designer Leesa Evans.

The line includes tops, pants, skirts, a jumpsuit and outerwear and comes in a wide range of sizes.

The products were designed with soft and 'light as a cloud' fabric and the aim is to make 'beautiful, comfortable and wearable clothing that is accessible to real women,' Amy has said.

Le Cloud will be available exclusively online and in-store at Saks Off 5ths 57th Street flagship in New York City and the Beverly Connection location in Los Angeles.

Famous pals: Actors Armie Hammer and Justin Theroux also showed up to lend their support to the Trainwreck star's new fashion venture

Collaboration: Le Cloud was designed by Amy and celebrity stylist Leesa Evans. The line includes tops, pants, skirts, a jumpsuit and outerwear and comes in a wide range of sizes

The Inside Amy Schumer comic has been struggling with severe morning sickness during her pregnancy and has been forced to cancel several dates on her current stand up tour.

And she's not sparing her Instagram followers from sharing in her misery.

On Saturday, she posted another video clip showing her being sick and told her fans: 'I thought it might be fun to see me throwing up in a public restroom.'

Amy married her chef hubby in February and their baby is due in the spring.

Siblings: On Tuesday Amy showed off her baby bump in a skintight burgundy dress as she posed with her sister Kim Caramele who wore some of her Le Cloud separates
She's a doting mom of two.

And on Wednesday, Hilary Duff shared an adorable post bath time photo with one-month-old daughter Banks.

The 31-year-old actress, who rocked wet hair, was seen holding her towel swaddled infant in a pink tiled bathroom.

Mom life: On Wednesday, Hilary Duff shared an adorable post bath time photo with one-month-old daughter Banks. The 31-year-old actress, who rocked wet hair, was seen holding her towel swaddled infant in a pink tiled bathroom

Just hours earlier, the Younger star tried to put her little one down for a nap.

'Evel Knievel is your spirit every night,' she could be heard singing in the background.

Duff later captioned the video: 'Sorry for the terrible song...I'm not around many adults these days.'

Mom duty: Just hours earlier, the Younger star tried to put her little one down for a nap. 'Evel Knievel is your spirit every night,' she could be heard singing in the background

On Tuesday, Younger co-star Sutton Foster and her daughter, Emily, swung by to meet baby Banks.

'Looks who came to play with us this afternoon,' Hilary captioned a selfie of the group.

Duff is also mom to son Luca, age six, whom she shares with ex-husband Mike Comrie.

Play date: On Tuesday, Younger co-star Sutton Foster and her daughter, Emily, swung by to meet baby Banks. 'Looks who came to play with us this afternoon,' Hilary captioned a selfie of the group

The Disney vet and boyfriend Matthew Koma welcomed Banks Violet into the world on October 25.

While chatting with Elliot Berlin on his Informed Pregnancy podcast, Hilary reminisced about meeting her daughter for the first time.

'They hand her to me and Im looking at herand she reaches up both of her arms and curls into mereaches up her arms right at my neck, as if to give me a hug,' she said.

'I couldnt believe how strong she was but it was so clearly a hug...it made me feel like she was like, "Good team, Mom, we did it."
He's set to star in the highly-anticipated blockbuster Once Upon A Time in Hollywood next year.

But it was the Mary Poppins Returns film premiere that brought Damien Lewis, 47, to the blue carpet as he arrived to the star-studded event with his children daughter Manon, 12, and son Gulliver, 11 at the Royal Albert Hall on Wednesday.

The Billions star wrapped up for the frosty weather, donning a grey coat paired with a black scarf and matching trousers.

Family affair: Damian Lewis, 47, arrived at the premiere of Mary Poppins Returns at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Wednesday with his children Manon, 12, (right) and Gulliver, 11, (left)

The actor topped off the look with a classic white shirt and black shoes.

Damian's children looked excited to see the film, which stars Emily Blunt as the eponymous main character, and smiled broadly on the red carpet.

He shares his two children with actress wife Helen McCrory, who appeared in the Harry Potter films and portrayed Cherie Blair in The Queen.

Manon wore a black blazer and a white top paired with black trousers while her younger brother donned a blue shirt with a navy blazer and black trousers.

Mary Poppins Returns also stars Lin-Manuel Miranda as Jack, a cockney lamplighter, while Meryl Streep portrays Topsy, Mary's eccentric cousin.

Style: The Billions star wrapped up the frosty weather, donning a grey coat paired with a black scarf and matching trousers

Family; Manon, (right) wore a black blazer and a white top paired with black trousers while her younger brother, (left) donned a blue shirt with a navy blazer and black trousers

Premiere: The film, directed by Rob Marshall, is set in 1930s London, two decades after the events of the original film

Dick Van Dyke, who memorably starred as Bert in the original 1964 film, returns for the sequel, playing Mr. Dawes Jr, the chairman of Fidelity Fiduciary Bank.

The film, directed by Rob Marshall, is set in 1930s London, two decades after the events of the original film, it sees Poppins, the former nanny of Jane and Michael Banks, returning after a family tragedy.

It has received positive reviews from critics, with Emily nominated for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy at the upcoming Golden Globes while the movie itself has also been nominated for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy.

Leading lady: Emily Blunt as the eponymous main character in the film alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda and Meryl Streep

In character: Mary Poppins Returns is released in UK cinemas on Friday December 21

Damian will star in Once Upon A Time in Hollywood next year, a crime film based on the infamous 'Manson family' murders in 1969.

Directed by Quentin Tarantino, it also stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate, the actress who was murdered by Charles Manson's followers.

Damian will portray Steve McQueen, an actor who was invited to Sharon's home the night the murders took place, but was unable to show up.

Luke Perry, Dakota Fanning and Al Pacino also have roles in the flick which wrapped up filming in September and is slated to be released next July.

Mary Poppins Returns is released in UK cinemas on Friday December 21.

Project: Damian will star in Once Upon A Time in Hollywood next year, a crime film based on the infamous 'Manson family' murders in 1969
Queens Of The Jungle 2016 and 2017, Scarlett Moffatt and Georgia Toffolo, are said to have fallen out.

According to sources, animosity started backstage last week while Toff, 24, was in Australia for I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! spin-off series Extra Camp, which is hosted by Scarlett, 28.

'She flew out to Australia for Extra Camp but she was upset while she was there because of Scarletts attitude towards her,' The Sun reports. 'There were major issues on set and theres a lot of bad blood between them.

Royal tiff? Queens Of The Jungle 2016 and 2017, Scarlett Moffatt and Georgia Toffolo, are said to have fallen out

'Toff doesnt know what sparked it but she was made to feel very unwelcome and was upset by the way Scarlett treated her.'

Meanwhile another source, close to Scarlett, rebutted the claims. They said: 'Scarlett loves Toff and they have never had a falling out. For someone who herself was bullied at school this is very upsetting.'

MailOnline have contacted reps for the girls for comment.

Two weeks ago, MailOnline revealed that last year's winner of the current season, Toff, wouldn't be crowning the champion of 2018 - which turned out to be Harry Redknapp.

Indeed, she didn't; and Scarlett joined former Jungle King Joe Swash to do the honours instead.

Bad blood? According to sources, animosity started back stage last week while Toff, 24, was in Australia for I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! spin-off series Extra Camp, which is hosted by Scarlett, 28

Just can't wait to be king! Two weeks ago, MailOnline revealed that last year's winner of the current season, Toff, wouldn't be crowning the champion of 2018 - which turned out to be Harry Redknapp [pictured]

It was the first time in six years that the reigning champ didn't personally crown the latest winner.

An I'm A Celeb... insider told MailOnline: 'Toff is due to fly out to Australia this week, for a stint on Extra Camp. But she'll be flying back after that, to the UK.

'This means she won't be there to personally crown whoever wins this current season.'

Meanwhile another source, close to Scarlett, rebutted the claims: 'Scarlett loves Toff and they have never had a falling out. For someone who herself was bullied at school this is very upsetting'

Confusion girls: 'Toff doesnt know what sparked it but she was made to feel very unwelcome and was upset by the way Scarlett treated her,' a source said

A show source said: 'Since the show began in 2002 it's never been part of the main show to have the previous winner specifically come back to Australia and hand over to new King/Queen.

'It only happened the past two years because Scarlett Moffatt and Vicky Pattison were there as ITV2 presenters.

'And it only happened the two years previous to that because Carl Fogerty and Charlie Brooks were there as ITV2 guests.

'ITV2 no longer have celebrity UK guests on its final few shows as they have the evicted celebs and friends and family on set instead - this has happened for quite a few years now.'

Passing the torch: The last time there was a break in this tradition was in 2012, when Dougie Poynter was not present to crown Charlie Brooks. Since then, Charlie returned to crown Kian Egan in 2013

And the winner is...: In 2014 Kian Egan came back to pass the torch to Carl 'Foggy' Fogarty

Congrats: Foggy was on hand to crown Vicky Pattison in 2015

Taking the throne: She then returned to crown Scarlett in 2016, who in turn crowned Toff last year

The last few years have seen the exiting victor on hand to pass over the jungle wreath that the new winner wears on their head when they win the show. As well as this, there's a totem-like staff that comes with the crown, also passed along by the ex-Jungle King or Queen.

The last time there was a break in this tradition was in 2012, when Dougie Poynter was not present to crown Charlie Brooks.

Since then, Charlie returned to crown Kian Egan, who came back to pass the torch to Carl 'Foggy' Fogarty, who was on hand to crown Vicky Pattison.

She then returned to crown Scarlett, who in turn crowned Toff last year.

This time, last year: Toff scooped the I'm A Celeb crown a year ago

Queens: Toff and Vicky have both served a reign as Queen Of The Jungle in 2017 and 2015 respectively

Thus far, there have been 11 Jungle Kings and seven Jungle Queens, with women scooping the coveted crown for the last three years running until Harry won last weekend.

Both Vicky and Scarlett have acted as hosts for sister show, I'm A Celebrity... Extra Camp, readily on hand to pass over their crowns.

But prior to that, the exiting Kings and Queens flew over to Australia especially to mark the occasion.

Toff, meanwhile, has been hosting an I'm A Celeb... news bulletin segment on This Morning.
She's unveiled a host of show-stopping ensembles on the promotional tour for Second Act.

And Jennifer Lopez pulled it out of the bag again as she attended the movie's afterparty in New York on Wednesday.

Joined by co-stars Vanessa Hudgens and Leah Remini, the 49-year-old performer looked sensational on the outing.

Terrific trio: Vanessa Hudgens, Leah Remini and Jennifer Lopez made for a fabulous trio as they attended the Second Act premiere afterparty in New York on Wednesday

Jennifer looked sensational on the outing as she donned a low-cut cream dress that showcased her ample cleavage and cinched in at her tiny waist.

The garment featured a racy thigh high split that offered a peek at her tanned and toned pins, which were boosted by a pair of glittering silver heels.

The mother-of-two finished off the look by styling her glossy chestnut locks in a topknot, whilst diamond chandelier earrings injected some further glitz.

A dream in cream: She's unveiled a host of show-stopping ensembles on the promotional tour for Second Act. And Jennifer, 49, pulled it out of the bag again for the bash

Glamorous: Jennifer looked sensational on the outing as she donned a low-cut cream dress that showcased her ample cleavage and cinched in at her tiny waist

Loving life: Jennifer seemed in high spirits as she goofed around with Bob Simonds

Also turning heads on the outing was Vanessa, 29, who looked phenomenal in a strapless blush dress with voluminous ruffles.

The thigh-skimming garment concealed her lithe frame but did showcase her sensational pins, which were elongated by a pair of barely-there heels.

Keeping her accessories simple so as not to overpower the stunning dress, Vanessa finished off the look with delicate silver earrings.

Stunning: Also turning heads on the outing was Vanessa, 29, who looked phenomenal in a strapless blush dress with voluminous ruffles

Stunning: The thigh-skimming garment concealed her lithe frame but did showcase her sensational pins, which were elongated by a pair of barely-there heels

Dazzling: Keeping her accessories simple so as not to overpower the stunning dress, Vanessa finished off the look with delicate silver earrings

Gorgeous: Rounding off the terrific trio was Leah, 48, who oozed old Hollywood glamour in her get-up of a champagne floor length gown

Glamorous: The anti-Scientology activist dazzled in a champagne satin gown with an elegant high neckline and column skirt

Snap happy: The ladies were seen beaming and posing for selfies from inside the party

Double celebrations: Jennifer was seen presenting her mother Guadalupe with a birthday cake

All together now: Melissa Gorga, Leah Remini, Vanessa Hudgens, Jennifer Lopez ans Antonia Gorga posed for pictures inside the glitzy event

Rounding off the terrific trio was Leah, 48, who oozed old Hollywood glamour in her get-up.

The anti-Scientology activist dazzled in a champagne satin gown with an elegant high neckline and column skirt.

A glittering silver belt aided in highlighting her tiny waist, and served to complement her glitzy earrings, whilst her glossy tresses were styled in retro waves.

Cute couple: Jennifer was joined by her boyfriend Alex Rodriguez as they made their way into the star-studded party

Smitten: The pair walked hand in hand as Alex helped J Lo get down from the car

Under wraps: Jennifer braved the chill in a grey fur coat but it still showed off her sensational gown beneath the gown

Leggy lady: The garment featured a racy thigh high split that offered a peek at her tanned and toned pins, which were boosted by a pair of glittering silver heels

Brunette beauty: The mother-of-two finished off the look by styling her glossy chestnut locks in a topknot, whilst diamond chandelier earrings injected some further glitz

In Second Act, Jennifer plays discount store manager Maya Vargas who gets a chance to fulfill her career dreams when a firm mistakes her for an accomplished consultant.

Leah plays her best friend Joan as the cast also includes Vanessa Hudgens, Milo Ventimiglia, and Charlyne Yi.

The film is directed by Peter Segal and written by Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and Justin Zackham.
She's been focusing on her music career of late and has just released her debut album.

And Megan McKenna was enjoying a night out with Charlotte Crosby as the girls attended the Bold Management Christmas Party at Alma De Cuba in Liverpool on Wednesday.

The former TOWIE star, 26, embraced a ladylike look in a dungaree dress and a white pussybow blouse.

Stepping out: Megan McKenna was enjoying a night out with Charlotte Crosby as the girls attended the Bold Management Christmas Party at Alma De Cuba in Liverpool on Wednesday

Megan made the most of her long, bronzed legs, adding some extra height to her frame thanks to some nude stilettos.

She carried her party essentials in a tiny red handbag and wore her locks down in loose waves.

The TV personality was joined by ex-Geordie Shore star Charlotte, who was casually clad in a green dress.

Party pals: The TV personality was joined by ex-Geordie Shore star Charlotte Crosby, who was casually clad in a green dress

The bubbly blonde also opted for bare legs and a pair of nude heels, while keeping covered up in a cosy cream coat.

Megan's outing comes after she was accused of spending the night with TOWIE's Adam Oukhellou weeks before her make or break holiday with ex Mike Thalassitis.

The star reportedly got close to him after they partied at London's Libertine nightclub with his sister Yazmin Oukhellou and her boyfriend James Lock in September.

The former TOWIE star, 26, embraced a ladylike look in a dungaree dress and a white pussybow blouse.

It's claimed their romantic tryst came as Megan's ex Mike was away filming for raucous reality TV series Ex On The Beach.

According to The Sun, the former Celebrity Big Brother star hopped across town to party with Adam and their pals shortly after attending a film premiere in the capital.

A source told the publication: 'They all decided to continue the night at Adams place which was where he got close to Megan.

Stylish: The bubbly blonde also opted for bare legs and a pair of nude heels, while keeping covered up in a cosy cream coat.z

'At the time Megan was single  and free to spend her days getting to know whoever she wanted.

'Pals close to Megan said she had fun that night and there was definite chemistry between her and Adam but nothing ended up developing between them.'

A representative for Megan has since denied the accusations, claiming that the pair partied together at Adam's house but did not become intimate.
Nick Knowles has revealed he has put those very revealing red 'budgie smuggler' pants he wore on I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! up for auction.

The TV presenter, 56, raised eyebrows when he wore the revealing garment during his stint in the jungle and later apologised for showing too much.

And the DIY: SOS star wants to give fans the opportunity to get their hands on the saucy number - all in the name of charity, of course.

Auction: Nick Knowles, 56, raised eyebrows when he wore the revealing garment during his stint in the jungle

Speaking on ITV's Lorraine on Thursday, he said: 'Weirdly I have been asked if people can take it to auction.

'Weve put them up for auction so they can make some money and put that towards one of the charities I support.'

Nick explained he wore the pants because he didn't realise the red clothing provided to celebrities on the show was dyed.

The first time he got his clothes wet, the dye soaked through to the pants he was wearing, leaving them ruined.

A good cause: The DIY:SOS star wants to give fans the opportunity to get their hand's on the pants - all in the name of charity

Excuse: Nick explained he wore the red pants because he didn't realise the red clothing provided to celebrity's on the show was dyed and it ruined his underwear

Jungle living: He said: 'First time my trousers got wet my pants looked like Id been in some kind of horror film so I couldnt wear any pants'

He said: 'The trousers and shorts they give you are dyed red  I made the mistake of taking white underpants in.

'First time my trousers got wet my pants looked like Id been in some kind of horror film so I couldnt wear any pants.'

He added: 'The only thing I could use as pants were these. I was like, Oh I dont care anymore. You get to a certain point where you dont care.'

Nick publicly apologised for wearing the pants on This Morning last Friday and said:

'Can I publicly apologise for the red budgie smugglers. It was literally all I had to wear!'

Not bothered: He said: 'The only thing I could use as pants were these. I was like, Oh I dont care anymore. You get to a certain point where you dont care'

The TV host also revealed that he went into the jungle with an injury, having torn two ligaments in his shoulder just days before the ITV reality series began.

However, Nick decided to keep the injury to himself in case people thought he was looking for the 'sympathy vote'.

He said: 'I had an injury before I went. About five days before I went in I basically compressed a couple of vertebrae in my neck and tore two ligaments in my shoulder.

'So I was in an MRI machine just two days before I went out and then when I got to Australia I had four cortisone injections in my shoulder. [The shows medic] Doctor Bob would come and check up on me.

'I didnt want the sympathy vote  just do it and get on with it and get through and out the other side.

Secret: Nick revealed that he went into the jungle with an injury, having torn two ligaments in his shoulder just days before the ITV reality series began

Kept it quiet: However, Nick decided to keep the injury to himself in case people thought he was looking for the 'sympathy vote'

'Thats why Id sit in that freezing cold pool because it would freeze my shoulder. I hate cold water as well.

'Itd go numb and Id get about an hours worth of relief off of it.'

Nick also spoke of his weight loss during his stay in the jungle, something many celebrities experience when they are cut off from everyday luxuries.

He said: 'I lost over 14 kilos in 20 days,' before joking: 'it certainly helps just before Christmas.'

Lorraine airs weekdays on ITV at 8:30am.
He returned to London on Wednesday, after spending weeks in Australia hosting hit reality show I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!.

And Declan Donnelly looked elated to be home on Thursday, when he was spotted enjoying a morning stroll with his wife Ali Astall and their three-month-old daughter Isla  both of whom joined him Down Under during his extended trip.

Wrapping up in a black pea coat with a black-and-white scarf, Dec, 43, shielded his eyes from the winter sunshine with a pair of stylish shades as he walked alongside his 41-year-old wife, who guided Isla's pram through the English capital's streets.

Family time: Declan Donnelly and his wife Ali Astall were spotted taking their daughter Isla for a stroll in London on Thursday morning

Also wearing sunglasses, blonde beauty Ali appeared to be in an equally upbeat mood as she chatted with her TV personality husband during their relaxed stroll.

She cut a stylish figure for the outing, sporting a light fluffy coat over a black top, which she teamed with grey skinny jeans and black boots.

Despite having just flown for 24 hours back to London, Ali appeared to be full of energy, as she was also seen going for an earlier morning stroll with Isla and a pal.

Just touched down in London town: The family returned to the UK on Wednesday, following weeks in Australia, where Dec had been hosting I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

Happy to be home: Dec looked happy to be home as he walked and chatted with his glam wife

Sunglasses: Wrapping up in a black pea coat with a black-and-white scarf, Dec shielded his eyes from the winter sunshine with a pair of stylish shades

Talent manager Ali looked fresh faced as she headed out for a walk with her friend.

Ali was dressed casually for her morning stroll, donning a navy parka jacket with a faux fur lined hood.

The mother-of-one paired her cosy coat with a pair of grey skinny jeans and black boots and carried a hot drink to keep warm in the frosty weather.

Ali wore her blonde locks tied up as she walked her dog alongside her pal. Her friend also wrapped up in a jacket and scarf and pushed Isla's pram as the pair caught up.

Stylish: Also wearing sunglasses, Ali cut a stylish figure for the outing, sporting a cream fluffy coat over a black top, which she teamed with grey skinny jeans and black boots

Beauty: Wearing her blonde locks in a ponytail, she highlighted her beauty with light makeup

Out and about: Earlier in the morning, Ali looked like she was settling back into London life as she went for an early morning stroll with a friend

Dec and Ali jetted off to Australia in late November with their newborn daughter as Dec hosted I'm A Celebrity alongside Holly Willoughby for the first time, taking his first ever step away from embattled presenting partner Ant McPartlin.

Dec and Ali welcomed baby daughter Isla in September, with the TV host announcing the news with a sweet snap of him holding hands with his daughter.

An accompanying caption read: 'Ali and I are thrilled to announce the arrival of our baby girl, Isla Elizabeth Anne, who was born just after 9 o'clock this morning. Mother and daughter both doing well, Dad is head over heels! D x'

Although they tied the knot shortly after becoming an item in 2014, Dec and Ali had actually known one another for almost a decade.

Back at home: Dec, 43 ,and Ali, 41, touched down in at Heathrow Airport on Wednesday after a record-breaking season that saw Harry Redknapp crowned King of the Jungle

Style: Ali was dressed casually for her morning stroll, donning a navy parka jacket with a faux-fur lined hood

Casual: She paired her cosy coat with a pair of grey skinny jeans and black boots and carried a hot drink to keep warm in the frosty weather

Ali first met the TV star back in 2005 when she was hired to be his talent manager along with on-screen partner Ant McPartlin.

Speaking previously to the Daily Express, Dec admitted the early days of their romance were a little odd as they had known each other as work colleagues for so long.

He said: 'We always hung out. When she was single and I was single we'd go out for dinner on Valentine's Day together. Last year we went out as a couple. It was a little strange because we've had a working relationship for so long.'

The coupled married in 2015 in an intimate ceremony in Newcastle with Ant serving as best man.

Two hundred guests watched them say 'I do', including Marvin and Rochelle Humes and Strictly Come Dancing host Tess Daly.

Relaxed: The mother-of-one wore her blonde locks tied up as she walked her dog alongside her pal

Romance: Ali first met Dec back in 2005 when she was hired to be his talent manager along with on-screen partner Ant McPartlin
Elizabeth Hurley showed off her stunning good looks wearing a knockout outfit when she headed out for dinner on Wednesday.

The 53-year-old actress, model and swimwear designer flashed a glimpse of her underwear beneath a semi-sheer patterned top.

She tucked it into a silver sequin skirt which had a sexy thigh-split running up one side as she headed to Scott's restaurant in London's Mayfair.

Wow: Elizabeth Hurley, 53, flashed a glimpse of her underwear beneath a semi-sheer top and thigh-split sequin skirt as she headed out to Scott's in Mayfair for dinner on Wednesday

Keeping out the cold, the mother-of-one wore a black cosy coat, which had a faux fur collar.

She added some inches to her height with a pair of killer court shoes.

Elizabeth's hair was styled into pretty curls and her make-up was done to perfection on her night out.

She's got it going on: Elizabeth's hair was styled into pretty curls and her make-up was done to perfection on her night out

The day before, Elizabeth hinted that she was craving some winter sun as she shared a throwback snap of herself wearing a blue bikini.

However, it hasn't been too long since her last sunshine break and only last month, she enjoyed a sunshine break to the Maldives.

She captioned the snap: 'Dreaming of a hot Christmas.... #maldives @milaidhoo @elizabethhurleybeach #takemeback #AntibesBikini #Beachshirt 20% off for all my followers at ElizabethHurley.com use code: XMAS.'

Incredible: Elizabeth set pulses racing earlier that day as she took to Instagram to share a gorgeous snap of herself clad in a pretty blue bikini and cover-up swimsuit

Meanwhile, Elizabeth recently opened up about her close bond with son Damian, 16, in an interview with the Daily Mail's You magazine.

She said: I rather think Ive simply been blessed with a child whose personality gels with mine.

Friends who have several children always admit, although they love them all equally, inevitably theres one whose personality mirrors their own and they get each other better. Its definitely nature not nurture.

Since he turned 16 in April, Damian has already followed her into showbusiness and now modelling - he has been signed to the same agency as her  Tess Model Management.

She continued: I took off the first eight years of his life from acting so I could be at home with Damian but it transpires that being on set is where hes happiest.'
She's just returned to England following a hugely successful run hosting I'm A Celebrity.

But Holly Willoughby managed to squeeze in one more fashion showcase before her stint Down Under came to a close, as she modelled an array of denim-themed looks in Sydney's inner-city suburb of King's Cross.

The 37-year-old presenter was looking effortlessly chic as she modelled an array of looks, though she still couldn't hide some of the downsides of presenting in a jungle, as bite and sting marks were prominent on her legs.

Sensational: Holly Willoughby managed to squeeze in one more style showcase before her stint Down Under came to a close, as she modelled an array of denim-themed looks in Sydney

Showing off her broad fashion range, Holly was seen posing up a storm at the fashion shoot, as she sported a casual denim shirt dress with pretty star trainers.

The mother-of-three had her blonde bobbed tresses styled into effortless waves as she finished off the first ensemble with an art-deco style cross-body bag.

Strolling through the picturesque suburb, Holly showed off her flawless beauty with gentle summer makeup.

Looking good: Showing off her broad fashion range, Holly was seen posing up a storm at the fashion shoot, as she sported a casual denim shirt dress with pretty star trainers

Sensational: The mother-of-three styled her blonde bobbed tresses into effortless, as she was seen strolling around the picturesque suburbs for the shoot

Ouch! One thing that could not be hidden were the large insect bits on the back of Holly's legs, have spent many hours in the jungle hosting I'm A Celebrity

Casual girl: Holly accessorised her first look with colour block leather handbag, as she carried some shopping bags as part of the shoot

Beaming: Holly managed to squeeze in one more photoshoot before flying back to the UK earlier this week

Need a helping hand? After the first part of the shoot, Holly got some help in perfecting her makeup

After rocking her first look, Holly then switched it up into a lighter denim midi shirt dress, which she teamed with chunky taupe suede boots.

The stunning This Morning presenter accentuated her curvaceous figure by cinching the dress in at the waist with a tan leather belt, and going for a matching tan handbag as she carried a beautiful bouquet of flowers for the snaps.

Holly managed to squeeze in one more photoshoot before flying back to the UK earlier this week, after winning many fans with her warm demeanour alongside friend and co-host Dec.

The blonde beauty stepped in to present the show after Ant McPartlin confirmed he would taking a break from presenting duties for the rest of 2018.

Quick change: After finishing the first round of the shoot, Holly changed in a midi lighter denim shirt dress, cinched in at the waist with a tan leather belt

Head-turning: The star was the picture of beauty as she posed outside a flower shop

Lovely: Carrying a matching tan bag, she had a bouquet of beautiful flowers to complete the look

Transformed: The star has already won an army of fans with an array of different looks in the jungle, as she presented the show alongside Declan Donnelly

Happy: Holly also added some height to the look with block-heeled boots made of classic tan suede

Getting glammed up: However Holly did need the help of a makeup artist to spruce up her hair in between snaps on the shoot

Holly's outing came after it was reported that splashed out a staggering 19,000 on one of the most expensive flights in the world to celebrate her success.

The presenter paid for a one-way ticket on Etihads 'penthouse in the sky' where she is served by her own butler and has a chef prepare her meals on the 25-hour flight home from Australia.

She also has the luxury of her own bathroom and shower as well as a separate living room to relax in during the long flight back to London.

A show insider said Holly decided to treat herself to the ultimate in luxury as a reward for her time in the jungle.

'This was Holly's present to herself. She is thrilled that the show has been such a success and she's had such great fun with Dec. She has loved presenting the show,'

Truth: Holly's outing came after it was reported that splashed out a staggering 19,000 on one of the most expensive flights in the world to celebrate her success

Jetting back: The presenter paid for a one-way ticket on Etihads 'penthouse in the sky' where she is served by her own butler and has a chef prepare her meals on the 25-hour flight home
Anne Hegerty has finally met the 11-year-old boy with autism who penned her a touching open letter about the condition while she was in the jungle.

Joseph Hughes appeared on This Morning to meet The Chase star, having been invited on two weeks earlier to discuss his letter, after it went viral.

Joseph presented Anne, 60, with a picture of The Thunderbirds he had drawn for her and said it was 'really good' to meet her, before the pair chatted about who the Thunderbirds characters are named after.

At last they meet: Anne Hegerty has finally met the 11-year-old boy with autism who penned her a touching open letter about the condition while she was in the jungle

They then looked over the book that the National Autistic Society created for Anne, filled with messges for her. This was first presented to her by Rita Simons while still in Australia, shown on Wednesday night's Coming Out show.

Joseph's letter had been printed at the front of the book.

Touching on appearing on the show with autism, Anne told Phillip Schofield and Rochelle Humes: 'My feeling was I didnt want to go in and say "listen folks I have this frightful autism" - but if people asked me to talk about it I was happy to talk about it.'

Anne joked that all of her belongings still smell of smoke, despite her cleaning everything thoroughly. She also noted that her jetlag isn't too bad.

Inspiration: Joseph Hughes appeared on This Morning to meet The Chase star, having been invited on two weeks earlier to discuss his letter, after it went viral

Cute: Joseph presented Anne, 60, with a picture of The Thunderbirds he had drawn for her and said it was 'really good' to meet her, before the pair chatted about who the Thunderbirds characters are named after

'I'm okay, I got back around noon yesterday and then had loads of sleep last night so I'm actually feeling a lot better,' she explained.

Anne lives in Manchester, leaving her home back in October to shoot The Chase in London, after which she flew to Australia for a month. Next she will be appearing in The Theatre Royal Windsor's production of Dick Whittington, meaning she won't see her home again until January.

'We were doing The Chase until the day before I flew out [to Australia],' she said. 'It's intense at the moment because when Bradley [Walsh, The Chase's host] was doing Doctor Who we basically had to film [The Chase] whenever we can, which was the back end of the year.'

Anne - who returns to her regular The Chase schedule next spring - spoke about how she chatted to her co-stars Mark Labbett and Paul Sinha about the decision to go on I'm A Celeb.

Tribute: They then looked over the book that the National Autistic Society created for Anne, filled with messages for her

Touching: This was first presented to her by Rita Simons while still in Australia, shown on Wednesday night's Coming Out show. Joseph's letter had been printed at the front of the book

'I discussed it with Mark and I originally said I'd never do the jungle, not for all the money in the world,' she admitted. '[The producers] took me for lunch and they were just absolutely delightful, and they said "we'll look after you it'll be okay". And I thought, you know what, I can imagine myself doing it.

'Mark said that I really needed to do this, and I told Paul too. Shaun Walsh and Jenny Ryan then figured it out.'

Of her first days in the jungle she said: 'It was kind of hilarious, but at the same time it was disconcerting. And then we're walking into camp, just walking and walking, just going down and down and my spirits were going down and down with us.

'I went from "I really want to win this" to "I hope I'm out first to I want to go now". It took me some time.'

Concerns: Touching on appearing on the show with autism, Anne told Phillip Schofield and Rochelle Humes, 'My feeling was I didnt want to go in and say "listen folks I have this frightful autism" - but if people asked me to talk about it I was happy to talk about it'

Back to normality... almost! Anne joked that all of her belongings still smell of smoke, despite her cleaning everything thoroughly. She also noted that her jetlag isn't too bad

Indeed, Anne broke down on their first night in camp and became upset, yet stuck it out until the final week, finishing in seventh place out of 11 contestants.

Of her campmates, she said: 'The people were by far the best thing, they were just so protective and reassuring. I do not expect to make friends that quickly - they are all just fantastic people.

'Rita's young enough to be my daughter but she was like my mum. And whenever you put Nick [Knowles] in a group of people he sees his role as taking care and looking out for them. Malique [Thompson-Dwyer] and James [McVey] became surrogate sons for him.'

Anne added that the effects of the jungle climes - and the gory tasks she had to go through - have returned to the UK with her.

'One of the first things they dropped on me was gunge. I still haven't quite washed the green gunk out of my bra!' she admitted.

Clean up operation: 'One of the first things they dropped on me was gunge. I still haven't quite washed the green gunk out of my bra!' she admitted

Honest: Anne, who was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome in 2007, candidly discussed her autism before entering the jungle and admitted producers were 'anxious' about her coping mechanisms on the show

Anne, who was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome in 2007, candidly discussed her autism before entering the jungle and admitted producers were 'anxious' about her coping mechanisms on the show.

Anne, who is known as The Governess on quiz show The Chase, was diagnosed with the form of Autism when she watched a TV programme and realised she had all of the symptoms.

She explained that Asperger's makes her unorganised, which has given her a 'cluttered' house that she won't let anyone visit, while she admitted she is 'faceblind', meaning that it could lead her to get 'some of the campmates mixed up.'

Clearly touched, the young boy penned the letter in which he gushed over the star and her entry into the jungle.

Sweet: Clearly having touched audiences, Georgia Toffollo shared an image of the letter sent by Joseph, who gushed over the TV star and admitted she was an inspiration to him thanks to her 'cool' job and bravery to enter the jungle

He wrote: 'To Anne, My name is Joseph Hughes and I am 11. I live in Preston Lancashire and I go to a specialist school. I was diagnosed with autism when I was 5. I like to watch you on The Chase...

'And now, I have been watching you in the jungle. I couldn't go in there because there are too many bugs. You are very clever...

'Sometimes people are mean to me because I am autistic but watching you makes me see that other people have autism too and maybe I can have a cool job like you when I am older. So you like Thunderbirds? I love them...

'My favourite is Thunderbird 2. I have drawn you a picture, I hope you like it. Good luck in the jungle, I hope you like it. Love from Joseph.'

Yay! Kate Jarvis filmed her son telling him his letter had gone viral and the team behind Thunderbirds had been in touch, offering to send Joseph a gift

Joseph's mother Kate filmed her son's reaction as she told him his letter had gone viral.

She also told the youngster that the team behind Thunderbirds had been in touch, offering to send Joseph a gift. Joseph, who was filmed sitting on the sofa in his uniform before school, said he was 'really excited'.

Speaking on Loose Women in September, Anne revealed she doesn't let anyone into her home or like to go on holiday as she prefers things to be quiet.

Anne said: 'People always say to me ''Where do you keep your autism?'' and I always says ''It's it's behind my front door and I'm not coming in.'''

Starring role: Anne, who is know as The Governess, was diagnosed with the form of Autism when she watched a TV programme and realised she had all of the symptoms

Candid: She explained that Asperger's makes her unorganised, which has given her a 'cluttered' house that she won't let anyone visit, while she admitted she is 'faceblind', meaning that it could lead her to get 'some of the campmates mixed up

She continued: 'I just need everything to go quiet, for people to stop bothering me and not thinking about when I'm going to get packed. I like to have my own kitchen so I can cook and a washing machine so I can do washing. The things you can't get in a hotel.'

Anne previously told how the condition had led to her misreading signals from potential love interests - but also believed it has helped her quiz knowledge.

She also revealed how the syndrome costed her a job in proof-reading as her inability to multi-task led to her under-performing.

The job loss left her on benefits and led to two bailiffs arriving within ten minutes of each other on New Year's Day 2008.

Anne later applied for The Chase with the help of a social worker. She has appeared on the show, which is presented by Bradley Walsh, since 2010.
They are some of the biggest names in Hollywood.

And on Thursday, Nicole Kidman, 51, Amber Heard, 32, and Jason Momoa, 39, were seen getting cosy on the red carpet while attending the Aquaman premiere in Los Angeles.

In one photo, the Australian beauty and the Hawaiian-born hunk couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces as they posed beside each other holding hands.

Hollywood's hottest friends! Nicole Kidman (right) gets cosy with co-stars Amber Heard and Jason Momoa (left) at the Aquaman premiere in Los Angeles

Another photo showed Nicole and Amber clutching each other's hands and sharing laughs while they were surrounded by eager fans and awaiting press.

Nicole had all eyes on her throughout the night, even posing beside the film's director 61-year-old Dolph Lundgren.

Academy Award winner Kidman dropped jaws in a champagne coloured, ruffled halterneck Giorgio Armani gown.

Best friends: Another photo showed Nicole and Amber clutching each other's hands and sharing laughs while they were surrounded by eager fans and awaiting press

The sleeveless dress made the most of the Australian star's bare, toned arms.

Her blonde tresses were pinned up at the back, while loose hair at the front framed Nicole's flawless features.

She completed the red carpet look with diamond, tear drop earrings.

Friends in high places: Nicole was definitely the leading lady of the night, with all eyes on her, and posed beside the film's director 61-year-old Dolph Lundgren (pictured)

Stunning: Nicole dropped jaws in a champagne coloured, ruffled halterneck Giorgio Armani gown, Amber meanwhile wowed in a mesh gown that gave plenty of glimpses of her flawless skin

Native Texan Amber meanwhile wowed in a mesh gown that gave plenty of glimpses of her flawless skin.

The ex-wife of Johnny Depp wore her wavy blonde tresses slicked back and the highlight of her impeccable makeup was a thick line of eyeliner around her piercing green eyes.

In the DC superhero film, Amber plays Mera, the love interest of Jason's Arthur Curry character.

Meanwhile Nicole plays Atlanna, The Queen of Atlantis and mother of Arthur.
Rapper, songwriter and producer, Ms Dynamite was awarded an MBE at Buckingham Palace on Thursday from Prince Charles for her services to music.

The 37-year-old beamed during the Investitures service, looking beautiful wearing a white skirt suit and matching heels with a monochrome scarf in her hair.

Ms Dynamite has spoken about her conflicted feelings when it came to accepting the honour, admitting she has deep, negative feelings about empire, establishment, and colonisation.

Miss Dynamit-MBE-tee-he: Ms Dynamite received an MBE for her services to music from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace on Thursday, but she has said she felt conflicted over accepting

Honest: The musician has spoken about her conflicted feelings when it came to accepting the honour, because she has deep, negative feelings about empire, establishment, and colonisation

Yet the artist, real name Niomi McLean-Daley, revealed she wanted to honour her Windrush grandparents by accepting, because of the sacrifices they made.

She told The Guardian: 'When I found out I was being offered an MBE in the Queens birthday honours, my initial reaction was  no way.

'I had long-held, deep, negative feelings about empire, establishment, colonisation, the suffering it caused and the suffering that continues today.

Special moment: The artist, real name Niomi McLean-Daley, decided her acceptance would honour her Windrush grandparents by accepting, because of the sacrifices they made

Ms Dynamite's grandmother Millie came to England in the late 1950s, as part of the Windrush generation and she said the Windrush scandal made her consider rejecting the honour.

Many people who had travelled to the UK from the Caribbean before 1973, as British subjects, were wrongly detained and others deported.

Many arrived on their parents' passports and were not formally naturalised as British citizens.

Iconic: Ms Dynamite shot to fame with hits such as Dy-Na-Mi-Tee and Put Him Out. She previously won two BRIT Awards and three MOBO Awards, (pictured in 2011)

But Ms Dynamite said that after mulling her decision over, she realised that her acceptance would be the perfect way to honour her grandparents.

She also told The Guardian: 'I would accept the MBE  not because I want to be part of the establishment, or had suddenly stopped caring about the damaging legacy of empire and colonialism, or that it was suddenly all OK, but because I wanted to honour my grandparents, and all of their generation, and the extraordinary sacrifices they made.'

Ms Dynamite shot to fame with hits such as Dy-Na-Mi-Tee and Put Him Out. She previously won two BRIT Awards and three MOBO Awards.

In 2006, she was spared a prison sentence for slapping a policewoman across the nose, outside a London nightclub, but was ordered to do 60 hours of community service.

Also receiving an award on the day was actress Keira Knightley who received an MBE for her services to charity and drama.

She was accompanied by her husband James Righton, as well as her mother and father.
The two veteran actors co-hosted the Oscars along with Goldie Hawn in 1987.

Now Australian icon Paul Hogan and American actor Chevy Chase have reunited.

On Thursday, the pair were photographed filming scenes for Dundee's comeback movie, The Very Excellent Mr Dundee in Brunswick, Melbourne.

Reunited! Paul Hogan spotted in Melbourne filming scenes for The Very Excellent Mr Dundee alongside Chevy Chase

Both Paul, 78, and Chevy, 75, were both seen smoking unhealthy cigarettes during their breaks on set.

It's rumoured Chase will play himself in the semi-fictional movie, which will be produced by Transmission Films and directed by Dean Murphy.

It's been more than 30 years since Paul first appeared in the iconic Crocodile Dundee movie in 1986.

Comedy icon: It's rumoured Chase will play himself in the semi-fictional movie, which will be produced by Transmission Films and directed by Dean Murphy

Paul has insisted the upcoming feature release will be a comedy, where he will play himself in the semi-fictional tale that documents the lead up to receiving a Knighthood for services to comedy.

While currently in Melbourne, Paul will also shoot in Vancouver and Los Angeles for the blockbuster.

Rumours of a possible fourth Crocodile Dundee film began swirling after Tourism Australia's hilarious faux movie trailer aired during the US Super Bowl earlier this year.

The advert, which cost $36 million, took the form of a fake movie trailer for a new Dundee film, and featured many of Australia's most famous exports.

The Very Excellent Mr Dundee is due for cinema release in 2019
On Wednesday night's penultimate episode of The Apprentice, Sian Gabbidon and Camilla Ainsworth found themselves in the final; Sian with her swimwear brand, Camilla with a nut milk drink.

And despite Camilla's insistence in the episode before, and then again in the boardroom with Lord Sugar, that she wants to 'shake off' the idea that she is 'too sexualised', the 22-year-old has been slammed on social media for the 'provocative' and 'shocking' branding she presented with her business plan.

In a chat with one of Lord Sugar's notoriously harsh aides Claudine Collins, Camilla was asked what the image in her branding - of a woman's lips covered in white liquid with a nut between her teeth - was supposed to represent.

Oh my! Despite Camilla Ainsworth's insistence that her branding is not 'sexual', she has been slammed by The Apprentice fans for her 'provocative' branding

'It says fun, sassy, sexy,' Camilla replied.

'No! It's highly sexualised and provocative!' Claudine snapped back. 'Do you think a supermarket is going to partner up with a brand that has this kind of imagery?'

This left Camilla speechless. But fans of the show had plenty to say.

Drawing on her past projects on the series, one person took to Twitter to post: 'Camilla's ideas: jet pop, slutty air hostess outfits, slutty elf chocolate, porn nut milk. If I was Lord Sugar I'd get a psychiatrist because I'd rather be associated with hangover relief than a candidate who reinforces sexist ideas at every chance.'

That's nuts! In a chat with one of Lord Sugar's notoriously harsh aides Claudine Collins, Camilla was asked what the image in her branding - of a woman's lips covered in white liquid with a nut between her teeth - was supposed to represent

Going nuts! This left Camilla speechless. But fans of the show had plenty to say

Bag it up! Camilla was seen prepping the product and saying, 'it must be a good sign going into the biggest meeting of your life covered in nut juice!'

Another posted: 'I like that Camilla has created something. But her branding puts me off!'

A third typed: 'Camilla's branding! What the hell is she thinking! That's more than provocative that's f**king raunchy!'

Someone else wrote, 'OMG!!! I am in stitches at Camilla's branding for her own product! WTF?!?!?!' while another echoed, 'WHAT PLANET IS CAMILLA ON WITH HER BRANDING??!'

'Why is Camilla absolutely obsessed with sexualised branding? You're selling milk, love. MILK,' came another outraged viewer's comment.

Not happy: Camilla - who has now made the final two of this year's season along with Sian Gabbidon - has hit back at claims that her product is 'all about sex'

Provocative: 'Why is Camilla absolutely obsessed with sexualised branding? You're selling milk, love. MILK,' came another outraged viewer's comment

Previously: In last week's task she produced a chocolate range titled Santa's Chocco Seduction, with a logo featuring a cartoon woman in a tiny Father Christmas outfit and knee-high boots

Drawing on her past projects on the series, one person took to Twitter to post: 'If I was Lord Sugar I'd get a psychiatrist because I'd rather be associated with hangover relief than a candidate who reinforces sexist ideas at every chance'

'Jesus Camilla, those lips on the branding!' followed someone else, as another penned: 'Im sorry but Camilla had the least experience out of all of them and the worst branding yet she still got into the final?????'

Someone else brought up Lord Sugar's aide Karren Brady, who is known for her strong views on women in business and empowerment.

'Do we know why @karren_brady doesn't get involved in the interview stage of the competition? I would have paid a lot of money to see her take on Camilla's sexualised branding!' they wrote.

Criticism: In recent weeks, Camilla has found herself accused of being 'overly sexualised' when it comes to branding her products

What would Karren do? Someone else brought up Lord Sugar's aide Karren Brady, who is known for her strong views on women in business and empowerment

Clarification: 'I really want to shake this overly sexualised thing,' she told MailOnline. 'My milk product is all about girl bosses. The whole thing has been misconstrued'

Just hours before The Apprentice aired on Wednesday evening, Camilla spoke to MailOnline about being accused of being 'overly sexualised' after last week's Santa's Chocco Seduction designs, for which she designed a logo featuring a cartoon woman in a tiny Father Christmas outfit and knee-high boots.

But Camilla hit back at this, saying: 'I really want to shake this overly sexualised thing. My milk product is all about girl bosses. The whole thing has been misconstrued.

'With this, and with the chocolate thing, I was trying to just show a cheeky side. And my nut milk's marketing, is kind of something that's lacking in the market  fun, cheeky, with a few nuts.'

The Apprentice finale airs on Sunday evening on BBC One.
His relationship with Dani Dyer has been under the spotlight over the past few days, after it was announced that they'd split  only for them to immediately reunite.

And Jack Fincham, 27, was seen getting some support from his Love Island co-star and pal Sam Bird, 25, on Thursday, when they stepped out for lunch together at Turkish eatery The Meze in Bexleyheath, Kent.

Sam caught up with his friend just a day after his ex Georgia Steel, 20, was spotted partying the night away with 22-year-old Dani at an exclusive event in London.

Fine dining: Sam Bird, left, joined his pal Jack Fincham, right, for lunch at The Meze in Bexleyheath, Kent, on Thursday afternoon

Casually dressed in running shoes, shell suit bottoms and a black graphic tee, over which he draped a green sweater, Jack looked a tad glum as he chatted away with his personal trainer pal as they dined together.

Later, as they emerged from the local popular popular eatery, Jack and Sam  who donned a grey Adidas tracksuit  were seen wearing matching flashy watches.

Their outing came a matter of hours after 'loyal' Georgia supported close friend Dani in her hour of need as she attended her co-star's InTheStyle Christmas party at Tonight Josephine in London's Hoxton Square.

Showing support: Sam caught up with his friend just a day after his ex Georgia Steel, left, was spotted partying the night away with Dani Dyer, right, at an exclusive event in London

Casually cool: Jack was casually dressed in running shoes, shell suit bottoms and a black graphic tee, over which he draped a green sweater

Mood: The reality star appeared somewhat downcast as he made his way through the streets

Back together: His outing came after it was confirmed that his romance with Dani was back on

The reality star turned heads in a white tweed strapless mini-dress with black trim and belt detailing as she helped Dani through a dramatic week of break-ups and make-ups with her boyfriend Jack.

Dani was seen for the first time since revealing all about dumping her reality star boyfriend of six months, as she headed to the bash.

Dani blamed dumping Jack on 'being in the public eye', as she also told fans she was 'just a normal girl trying to grow into a woman'.

It comes after Jack and Dani appeared to confirm their relationship was well and truly back on, as they were snapped looking happier than ever leaving his parents home on Tuesday night.

Grey: Personal trainer Sam also looked casually cool, stepping out in a grey Adidas tracksuit

Glum figure: Jack cut a glum figure as he sat inside the popular eatery with his former co-star

Nice timepieces: The reality stars emerged from their lunch sporting matching flashy watches

In her candid post she wrote: 'Just want to put all comments to bed. All I can say is Im still 22 trying to get my s*** together and grow into a woman but doing it in the public eye is sometimes hard and scary.

'But arguments are arguments and I love him. I can only please people who want to be pleased and I am having to learn that opinions are just opinions. Hope everyone can understand that I am just a normal girl.'

Jack and Dani recently appeared to confirm their romance was well and truly back on, as they were spotted driving away from his family home in good spirits.

Dani appeared a little sheepish as she sat in her denim jacket, while Jack was wearing a tweed style coat.

Sommer loving: Jack got together with Dani after they met on Love Island over the summer

Winning formula: The former stationery salesman and Dani went on to win Love Island, after becoming one of the show's most popular couples to date

Jack also seemed to show that him and Dani were back on happier terms, after he took to Instagram stories to post a video of a delicious stir fry he had cooked for her.

In the video, he can be heard saying: 'How's the dinner I made you?' leading Dani to reply: 'It's lovely, but I won't be buying Tesco chicken again!'

News broke last Thursday that the pair had called time on their relationship, as Dani shared a statement announcing their split via Instagram.

Dani and Jack initially fell for each other on the fourth series of ITV2 dating show Love Island that aired this summer.

They went on to win the show and had moved in together once filming wrapped and they were back on home soil.

Confusing: Jack and Dani won over the hearts of the nation with their witty banter and humour

More of a blip? Dani posted a statement confirming her split from boyfriend Jack on Instagram stories last Thursday
Kenya Moore posted a precious photo of her daughter Brooklyn to Instagram on Thursday.

In the picture, the one-month-old child is being held by her father, Marc Daly. The 47-year-old television personality captioned the image, 'Daddy's little girl.'

This comes a day after the beauty shared with People that she endured a complication while giving birth.

Sweet: On Thursday Kenya Moore shared a precious photo of her daughter Brooklyn with her dad Marc Daly to Instagram

Little Brooklyn donned a white onesie that even covered up her fingers and she stared off into the sky.

Her father had his back to the camera and seemed to be having just a normal day at home as he donned a white t-shirt.

Kenya just become a first time mother at the age of 47.

But says the journey was anything but easy, with the Real Housewives Of Atlanta star revealing just how tough things got.

After adding 17lbs in a week she was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia and was admitted to the hospital, giving birth via an emergency three-hour Cesarean section less than 12 hours later in early November.

Emergency procedure: Moore was cut horizontally and vertically in three-hour c-section... as she says 'everything that could have gone wrong did'

The operation was complicated by fibroids in Kenya's womb, and doctors ended up cutting the new mother both horizontally and vertically to safely remove her child.

'Everything that could have gone wrong did,' she admitted in an interview with People magazine.

'They couldnt get the baby out. There were all these complications and they knew if they cut into a fibroid, I could potentially bleed out and die. So they ended up cutting me vertically too, to just get the baby out and make sure I survived the surgery. They were so scared they were going to lose me.'

'Miracle baby': Kenya and Brooklyn; she says her c-section was complicated by fibroids, and doctors ended up cutting her both horizontally and vertically to safely deliver baby

But now both mother and daughter are thriving.

'Brooklyn's such a tough baby, so determined. Every step of the way she kept surviving and getting stronger. She's my miracle baby. There's no other way to describe it.'

Brooklyn Doris is the Bravo star's first child with husband Marc Daly and the couple conceived their 'miracle baby' through in vitro fertilization.

Kenya said they tried to conceive naturally, and she was 'disappointed' when that failed.

Even after the IVF procedure was successful, Kenya's pregnancy was high risk.

'There were so many scares along the wait. We held our breath every time we went [to the doctors],' she said.

Proud parents: The former RHOA star and her husband Daly, during her pregnancy

The former Miss USA turned reality star is now enjoying life with her daughter. But while she is happy to be a mother of one, she is already thinking about having another.

'I don't know if my body can do it,' she admitted, honestly. 'But we would love to have one more.'

And one other thing on her to do list - Kenya is ready to return to the Real Housewives Of Atlanta, on her terms of course.

'Never say never,' she said, adding that 'hopefully' things would work out. Kenya dropped out of the show after six years when contract negotiations broke down.
Sofia Vergara looked effortlessly stylish as she paid a visit to her favorite shopping district in Los Angeles.

The Colombian beauty was spotted out in Beverly Hills on Wednesday wearing a white sweater with some cropped drawstring pants.

Adding a sexy touch to the look Sofia, 46, strut her stuff in some clear vinyl mules with stiletto heel.

Well-heeled: Sofia Vergara looked great as she stepped out in Beverly Hills on Wednesday

The Modern Family star beamed a big smile as she left the Hermes store with a pal.

She wore some eye-catching chandelier earrings and a pop of berry lipstick.

On Thursday Sofia took to Instagram to share some flashback snaps of some of her favorite getaways.

'Im so busy during the holidays that theres nothing I love more than reconnecting with friends and family! Even though I love going to #CasaChipiChipi, here are some photos of my favorite trips over the years. Throwback!'

Effortless: The 46-year-old actress teamed some cropped drawstring pants with a white sweater and clear PVC stiletto heels

Throwback! On Thursday the actress shared some old photos of her favorite trips

Picture perfect: The star is seen in Rome at the Colosseum

The images show the star before she was famous visiting places like Egypt and Rome as well as snaps from when she was a teenager.

Meanwhile, it has long been believed that Season 10 will be the last for Modern Family, but there has been talk the show could be renewed once again.

Deadline reported in September that talks are ongoing between ABC and 20th Century Fox Television, which produces the show, for an 11th season.

Travelling the world: Sofia shared snaps of when she was a teenager being a tourist

While nothing has been set in stone yet, if a deal does happen, it will likely be for a shorter final season of 18 episodes, with the cast all reportedly willing to return.

Sofia has been nominated for four Emmys and four Golden Globes for her performance as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on ABC's Modern Family.

The actress is married to Magic Mike hunk Joe Manganiello, 41.
She graced the red carpet in a stunning sapphire silk gown for the Mary Poppins Returns premiere at the Royal Albert Hall on Wednesday.

And Emily Blunt celebrated the unveiling of the much-anticipated sequel with her co-star Emily Mortimer, 47, and comedian Jack Whitehall, 30, at a swanky Mayfair restaurant later in the evening.

The actress, 35, had changed out of her glamorous red carpet ensemble and into a cut-out pebble print dress for the festivities.

Fun: Emily Blunt celebrated the Mary Poppins Returns premiere with her co-star Emily Mortimer, 47, and comedian Jack Whitehall, 30, at a swanky Mayfair restaurant on Wednesday

Emily cut a sophisticated figure in the floor-length dress by A.L.C, which highlighted her svelte frame with its cut-out waist and cowl neckline.

The film's leading lady complemented the look with a steel blue Michelle Waugh cashmere coat and velour red clutch bag. She added a boost to her height with black strappy sandals.

Styling her blonde locks in soft sleek waves, Emily accentuated her fair complexion with a rosy make-up look, bronzed eye-shadow and raspberry-stained lip.

Chic: The actress, 35, had changed out of her red carpet ensemble and into a cut-out pebble print dress for the festivities, while Emily Mortimer wore her shimmering emerald sequin gown

Emily Mortimer, who plays a grown-up Jane Banks in Mary Poppins Returns, was still in her premiere ensemble- a shimmering emerald sequin gown.

The stunning gown featured glittering blocks of green, blue and silver sequins laid over a black lacy body. It featured dramatic flared sleeves and cinched in at her slender waist before cascading into an ankle-length skirt.

Her raven locks were pulled back into a sleek chignon while her pretty features were enhanced with smoky shadow and a scarlet lipstick.

Elegant: Emily cut a sophisticated figure in the floor-length dress, which highlighted her svelte frame with its cut-out waist. She complemented the look with a steel blue coat

The pair were joined by Emily's Jungle Cruise co-star Jack, who cut a dapper figure in a grey suit.

Emily will play Lily Houghton, a scientist searching for a trees magical cure in the Jungle Cruise film, while Jack is set to play her brother.

The English rose has reprised the iconic role 54 years after Julie Andrews first stepped into the character, however the actress said she refused to watch the original movie ahead of her performance.

Leading lights: Emily joined co-stars Emily Blunt, Colin Firth and Lin-Manuel Miranda at the premiere at the Royal Albert Hall

The original film received 13 Oscar nominations, winning five including Best Actress for Julie.

In the sequel, Mary Poppins (Emily) returns to the Banks family in their time of need along with the lamplighter Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda).

Mortimer stars as the adult Jane Banks, Wishaw as Michael Banks, with Julie Walters as Michael's housekeeper Ellen and Colin Firth as William Weatherall Wilkins, president of Fidelity Fiduciary Bank.

The all-star cast is rounded off by Meryl Streep as Mary's eccentric cousin Topsy, Dick Van Dyke as Mr. Dawes Jr. and Angela Lansbury as The Balloon Lady.

The story is set in 1930s London, the same time period used in the original novels by P.L. Travers.

It will be released in the UK on December 21.
Sarah Jessica Parker has not lost her red carpet magic.

The Sex And The City vet looked every inch a movie star as she slipped into a flatting velvet black dress for the Muse Awards in New York City on Thursday.

And proving that she still likes to take risks, the mother-of-three added an on-trend chain ring bracelet in a silver mesh tone.

Still easy on the eyes: Sarah Jessica Parker has not lost her red carpet magic. The Sex And The City vet looked every inch a movie star as she slipped into a flatting velvet black dress for the Muse Awards in New York City on Thursday

Snazzy: And proving that she still likes to take risks, the mother-of-three added a chain ring bracelet in a silver mesh tone

It sure stands out: The ring bracelet was silver in tone and seemed to have rhinestones on it

The bracelet is usually called a slave bracelet, which is a jarring term but an old one. It's associated with several cultures, most notably Indian.

It has also been called a belly dancer bracelet, harem bracelet, and hand flower.

The Divorce star looked slender as always in the designer dress.

The number came in at the waistline and went below her knees. The details were fun: she had large shoulders and pirate sleeves.

There was also a leopard print in the fabric.

And the wife of Matthew Broderick added pointy black pumps with stockings.

Flirty look: The Divorce star looked slender as always in the designer dress. The number came in at the waistline and went below her knees. The details were fun: she had large shoulders and pirate sleeves

Class act: There was also a leopard print in the fabric. And the wife of Matthew Broderick added pointy black pumps with stockings

A friend: Sarah Jessica also posed on the carpet with veteran actress Ellen Burstyn, 86, of The Last Picture Show fame

Her hair was worn in the middle and town with light curls.

Earlier, the blonde Vogue favorite was seen leaving her New York City home as she descended the stairs.

Parker had on a white coat with a black plaid pattern and big pockets on front. She added a crossbody purse for a sporty urban look.

Fun in the city: Earlier, the blonde Vogue favorite was seen leaving her New York City home as she descended the stairs

So NYC: Parker had on a white coat with a black plaid pattern and big pockets on front. She added a crossbody purse for a sporty urban look

And the Annie actress added large black sunglasses while holding the book Dawn: Stories.

She seems to have obtained an advance copy as the book does not come out until April 2019.

The Amazon synopsis reads: 'Written from behind bars, the unforgettable collection from one of Turkeys leading politicians and most powerful storytellers.

'In this essential collection, Selahattin Demirtass arresting stories capture the voices of ordinary people living through extraordinary times.

Fresh read: And the Annie actress added large black sunglasses while holding the book Dawn: Stories. She seems to have obtained an advance copy as the book does not come out until April 2019

'A cleaning lady is caught up in a violent demonstration on her way to work. A five-year-old girl attempts to escape war-torn Syria with her mother by boat.

'A suicide bombing shatters a neighborhood in Aleppo. And in the powerful story, Seher, a young factory worker is robbed of her dreams in an unimaginable act of violence.

'Written with Demirtass signature wit, warmth, and humor, and alive with the rhythms of everyday speech, Dawn paints a remarkable portrait of life behind the headlines in Turkey and the Middle East  in all its hardship and adversity, freedom and hope.'

Busy babe: Her last film was Here And Now with gal pal Renee Zellweger

The star currently has a new role: executive producer for the HBO series Divorce, which she stars in with Thomas Haden Church, 58. The two play a middle-aged divorcing couple navigating a post-marriage life.

Sarah was in talks last year to resume her iconic Carrie Bradshaw character in a third Sex And The City movie, but her co-star Kim Cattrall scuttled the plans after objecting to the story.

The two have feuded on and off since, most notably after Kim rejected Sarah's condolences following the death of her brother.

A third season of Divorce is currently in the works from HBO.
He briefly dated actress Nicole Kidman from 2003 until 2004, after having relationships with Lisa Bonet, Vanessa Paradis, and Adriana Lima.

And Lenny Kravitz revealed how he felt seeing his daughter Zoe Kravitz, 30, work with Nicole on the series Big Little Lies while he appeared on Watch What Happens Live Wednesday.

The 54-year-old rocker said: 'I thought it was interesting that they ended up on the same show.'

Real talk: Lenny Kravitz revealed how he felt seeing his daughter Zoe Kravitz, 30, work with Nicole on the series Big Little Lies while he appeared on Watch What Happens Live Wednesday

Lenny continued: 'Zoe hadn't seen Nicole since she was younger, and so it was beautiful that they got to know each other as adults and make this great show together,' adding 'and that's about it.'

On why it didn't work out with him and Nicole, the Grammy-award winning musician said: 'Some things just don't work, but the wonderful thing is that we're all friends.'

Lenny and Lisa eloped on November 16, 1987 and wed in a Las Vegas ceremony; they welcomed daughter Zoe Isabella Kravitz on December 1, 1988.

The rocker and Lisa, now 51, divorced in 1993 - although they remain close friends.

No hard feelings: The 54-year-old rocker said: 'I thought it was interesting that they ended up on the same show; Nicole and Zoe on January 7, 2018 at the Golden Globe Awards after party

Throwback: Lenny continued: 'Zoe hadn't seen Nicole since she was younger, and so it was beautiful that they got to know each other as adults and make this great show together,' adding 'and that's about it;' pictured with Nicole on October 11, 2003 in New York City

Friends: On why it didn't work out with him and Nicole, the Grammy award winning musician said: 'Some things just don't work, but the wonderful thing is that we're all friends;' Lenny with Nicole and her husband Keith Urban on June 5, 2013 in Nashville at the CMT Music Awards

He dated Vanessa Paradis until 1997 and was briefly engaged to Adriana Lima; he was in a relationship with Nicole from 2003 until the following year.

His daughter Zoe, who is also the front woman for the band Lolawolf, plays Bonnie Carlson on the hit HBO series Big Little Lies.

The show, which premiered in 2017, features Nicole as Celeste Wright with co-stars Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley and Laura Dern.

Family: Lenny and Lisa eloped on November 16, 1987 and wed in a Las Vegas ceremony; they welcomed daughter Zoe Isabella Kravitz on December 1, 1988; Lenny, Lisa and Zoe in 1989 in Lincoln Center in NYC

On great terms: The rocker and the actress, now 51, divorced in 1993 although they remain close friends; Lisa, Lenny and Zoe on February 25, 2010 in LA

Good genes: Zoe, who is also the front woman for the band Lolawolf, plays Bonnie Carlson on the hit HBO series Big Little Lies; Zoe and Lenny on September 28 in NYC

Also during Lenny's appearance on WWHL, he revealed he's never been more than just friends with pal Madonna.

During the Plead The Fifth segment, he said 'It never did. That's the truth,' when asked if he went to the next level with Madonna. He added: 'Always been really good friends.'

They worked together on the song Justify My Love in 1990.

Lenny won Best Male Rock Performance at the Grammy Awards four years in a row, beating Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, David Bowie and Bob Dylan.

Andy asked who did it feel the best to beat.

The rock star also said: 'I love them all. I can't disrespect any of those guys. I'm glad I won but I'm not happy.'

Lenny won the Best Male Rock Vocal Performance in 1998 with Fly Away, in 1999 with American Woman, in 2000 with Again and in 2001 with Dig In.

Real talk: Also during Lenny's appearance on WWHL, he revealed he's never been more than just friends with pal Madonna

The next question, where is the craziest place he's had sex, Lenny couldn't come up with anything that was crazy.

'The craziest place? I can't even remember,' he revealed.

Andy suggested the beach or backstage or a plane - all of which he said 'that's not crazy;' although he said he hasn't had sex in a commercial plane.

The host asked if he had sex at the White House, but Lenny said he hasn't done that.

'I want to answer your question but I don't know what's crazy,' the rocker explained.

Fellow guest Gayle King said 'Why don't you just tell us where you've had sex? Then'll we'll decide what's crazy' to which Lenny said with a smile: 'Oh, just about everywhere.'

Having fun: Lenny won Best Male Rock Performance at the Grammy Awards four years in a row, beating Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, David Bowie and Bob Dylan
She recently revealed she feels like a newlywed again after rekindling her relationship with husband Dan Osborne.

And Jacqueline Jossa opted for a solo outing as she attended The Sun Military Awards at Whitehall's Banqueting House in London on Thursday evening.

The former EastEnders actress, 26, who is mother to daughters Mia, four months, and three-year-old Ella, commanded attention as she slipped her incredible post-baby figure into a sophisticated strapless dress.

Working it! Jacqueline Jossa opted for a solo outing as she attended The Sun Military Awards at Whitehall's Banqueting House in London on Thursday evening

Ensuring she'd turn heads with her striking display, the soap star's ensemble was embellished with quirky feathered details.

Bexley native Jacqueline maintained her stylish display as she boosted her frame in a pair of bedazzled strappy heels.

The award-winning thespian upped the style ante with her accessories as she dazzled in sparkling drop earrings and toted a grey clutch.

With her honey-blonde tresses styled into a poker straight fashion, the mother-of-two stunned in the make-up department with her sultry smoky eye and nude lipstick.

Va-va-voom! The former EastEnders actress, 26, commanded attention as she slipped her incredible post-baby figure into a sophisticated strapless dress

Created by The Prince Of Wales, the 11th annual awards ceremony honours members of the British armed forces and civilians involved with the forces.

Jacqueline's busy schedule comes just weeks after her and beau Dan returned from the sunny paradise where they were staying in Dubai.

The CBB hunk, 27, stressed their relationship was flourishing after they rekindled the sparks of their romance since getting back together.

Dad-of-three Dan, who also raises four-year-old Teddy from a previous relationship, insisted they realised they missed each other when they were apart.

Beaming: Ensuring she'd turn heads with her striking display, the soap star's ensemble was embellished with quirky feathered details

A vision: With her honey-blonde tresses styled into a poker straight fashion, the mother-of-two stunned in the make-up department with her sultry smoky eye and nude lipstick

He told OK! magazine: Our relationship is better now than its ever been. Since getting back together, it feels like were stronger and we appreciate each other so much more.

'In a way we have a lot to thank CBB for, because the time apart made us realise what we were both missing.

'Things between us are really good right now, it feels like were newlyweds again!
Bindi Irwin was just eight years old when her father Steve tragically died.

The Australian conservationist, known around the world as 'the Crocodile Hunter', was fatally pierced in the chest by a stingray barb in September 2006.

And speaking to Yahoo Lifestyle on Thursday, the now 20-year-old Bindi said she feels 'so blessed' to follow in Steve's footsteps by protecting wildlife.

'We lost our superhero': Bindi Irwin, 20, reflected on the death of her father Steve in an interview with Yahoo Lifestyle on Thursday, saying she is 'blessed' to carry on in his footsteps

'It was devastating for us as a family to lose our superhero,' Bindi said, reflecting on Steve's death 12 years ago.

'We are so blessed to get to carry on his footsteps, and make sure that everything he loved carries on into the future,' she added.

Steve was 44 when he died, leaving behind a wife and two young children.

Loss: Bindi was just eight years old when her father Steve tragically died after being pierced in the chest by a stingray barb in September 2006

His widow, American-born Terri Irwin, was left to raise eight-year-old daughter Bindi and two-year-old son Robert as a single mother.

Terri, now 54, has previously admitted she still feels close to Steve, refusing to remarry or even go on date.

The couple first met in 1991 when Terri was visiting wildlife rehabilitation facilities in Australia.

They married within a year of being introduced, on June 4, 1992.

Legacy: 'We are so blessed to get to carry on his footsteps,' Bindi said. She is pictured with her mother Terri, 54, and brother Robert, 15, in London earlier this year

The couple took over Steve's crocodile park together, renaming it Australia Zoo and transforming it into a globally renowned destination.

Terri told People magazine in February that she wasn't looking for a new partner, explaining: 'I've already had my happily ever after.'

'I think it's wonderful when people who have lost someone find love again, but I'm not personally looking, and I haven't been on a date in 27 years,' she said.

Bindi previously told E!'s Daily Pop: 'My dad is still very much my mum's soulmate. And I think that no matter what, mum always says that they'll always be married.'
She recently defended quitting sexy calendar shoots as she insisted 'you need to know when to stop'.

But that didn't mean Ola Jordan has stopped putting on sultry displays as she attended The Sun Military Awards with her husband James at Whitehall's Banqueting House in London on Thursday evening.

The Strictly Come Dancing star, 36, turned up the heat as she slipped into a crimson red gown, complete with a racy thigh-high slit and plunging neckline.

Stunning couple: Ola Jordan put on a sultry display as she attended The Sun Military Awards with her husband James at London's Banqueting House on Thursday evening

Ensuring all eyes were on her, the dancing pro's ensemble flashed a hint of her perky cleavage and gym-honed legs, while its balloon sleeves added a touch of edgy chic.

The ballroom expert enhanced her petite frame in a pair of black pointed heels and a chain-strap handbag.

Ola appeared to borrow style inspiration from the 60s as she styled her tresses into pin-up curls and accentuated her beauty with peach-toned make-up.

Pulling up all the stops for the glitzy affair, choreographer James, 40, cut a suave figure in a classic tuxedo with a bow tie.

She's got it! The Strictly Come Dancing star, 36, turned up the heat as she slipped into a crimson red gown, complete with a racy thigh-high slit and plunging neckline

Dazzling: Ensuring all eyes were on her, the dancing pro's ensemble flashed a hint of her perky cleavage and gym-honed legs, while its balloon sleeves added a touch of edgy chic

Created by The Prince Of Wales, the 11th annual awards ceremony honours members of the British armed forces and civilians involved with the forces.

Ola's display comes after she revealed she won't be posing for any more sexy calendars, leaving many of her fans disappointed.

Explaining her decision to give up her annual sultry shoots, she exclusively told MailOnline that she feels her 'time is up' when it comes to stripping down for the camera.

All in the details: The ballroom expert enhanced her petite frame in a pair of black pointed heels and a chain-strap handbag

Stunning: Ola appeared to borrow style inspiration from the 60s as she styled her tresses into pin-up curls and accentuated her beauty with peach-toned make-up

The blonde feels her 'time is up' when it comes to stripping down for the camera, with insisted that you need to be aware of when to pull the plug on certain things, with her husband James agreeing and claiming she should leave it to 'younger stars' instead.

Ola made the admission at the start of November where she confessed she now feels 'too old' to release the annual stocking filler, which usually see her in an array of scantily-clad outfits and pulling provocative poses.

Speaking to MailOnline, she said: 'I suppose I feel that I've had my time. There's a lot of Love Island people who are young girls, I'm 36 now.'

Stepping out: The blonde recently defended quitting sexy calendar shoots as she insisted 'you need to know when to stop'

Dapper: Pulling up all the stops for the glitzy affair, choreographer James, 40, cut a suave figure in a classic tuxedo with a bow tie

The professional dancer revealed that her decision hasn't sat well with her fanbase, with many expressing their disappointment that they won't be able to get their hands on her calendar this year.

Ola continued: 'I've had loads of emails and tweets from people saying that they can't believe I'm not doing it anymore and wives saying their husbands are going to be so disappointed - which is lovely, but you need to know when it's your time to do certain things.'

Her husband James supports her decision and he agreed with Ola's reasons, as he added: 'You can't do it forever, can you?'

The dancing star likened it to the pair deciding when it was the right time to leave hit BBC series Strictly Come Dancing and suggested they are now faced with competition from younger stars, as he said: 'It's the same thing... leave it to the younger ones.'
She recently insisted that she was 'so glad' she wasn't heading back into the I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here jungle in Australia.

And Jorgie Porter made sure she remained in the spotlight as she attended the Military Awards held at Banqueting House, Whitehall, London on Thursday.

The Hollyoaks star, 30, looked stunning in a thigh-skimming plunging purple lace dress with a matching coloured skirt over the top, with daring slits at the front.

Gorgeous: Jorgie Porter made sure she remained in the spotlight as she attended the Military Awards held at Banqueting House, Whitehall, London on Thursday

Jorgie decided to ditch any accessories for her evening out and instead teamed the item of clothing with a pair of nude high heels.

The soap star styled her luscious blonde locks into a sleek blow-dried wavy hairdo, she added a slick of festive glamorous make-up.

Jorgie knew how to work her best angles as she put her best foot forward and posed up a storm on the star-studded red carpet.

Details: Jorgie decided to ditch any accessories for her latest evening out

Red carpet ready: The Hollyoaks star, 30, looked stunning in a thigh-skimming plunging purple lace dress with a matching coloured skirt over the top, with daring slits at the front

Since leaving Hollyoaks in 2016, after playing her character Theresa McQueen, the actress has gone on to do Dancing On Ice, I'm A Celebrity and Celebs Go Dating.

While more recently, Jorgie has been starring in Fame the Musical, which has been running in Manchester since the summer.

In May, prior to her start date, Jorgie enthused she was very excited to make her stage debut as Iris Kelly in Fame.

Glamorous: The soap star styled her luscious blonde locks into a sleek blow-dried wavy hairdo, she added a slick of festive glamorous make-up

She said: 'I am so excited to be making my stage debut playing Iris Kelly in Fame. The musical is one of my favourite ever films and I can't wait to open the show in Manchester, my home town.

'I've not had a chance to perform ballet for a long time, it's what I originally trained in so I'm looking forward to getting my ballet shoes on!'

The star joined a host of celebrities including Jacqueline Jossa, Helen Flanagan, Nick Knowles, Lorraine Kelly and Gareth Southgate at the awards.

The Sun Military Awards is an annual ceremony which honours members of the British armed forces and civilians involved with the forces. The awards were created by The Prince of Wales.
12 years after concluding their ABC spy drama Alias, Jennifer Garner will reunite with the creator J.J. Abrams on a 2019 limited series My Glory Was I Had Such Friends for streaming service, Apple TV.

The 46-year-old Camping actress produces and stars as a woman awaiting a second heart transplant, who's comforted by nine friends in the one-hour drama based on Amy Silverstein's 2017 memoir - according to THR.

The Texan-born, Virginia-raised mother-of-three first met the 52-year-old Star Wars director in 1998 when he was a writer for The WB's Felicity and she had a three-episode arc as Hannah Bibb.

Excited? 12 years after concluding their ABC spy drama Alias, Jennifer Garner will reunite with the creator J.J. Abrams on a 2019 limited series My Glory Was I Had Such Friends for streaming service, Apple TV (pictured in 2017)

Abrams famously fought with ABC to get Garner the role of CIA double agent Sydney Bristow on Alias since after five auditions an unnamed executive still questioned whether she was 'hot enough.'

The 46-year-old Camping actress produces and stars as a woman awaiting a second heart transplant in the one-hour drama based on Amy Silverstein's 2017 memoir

'She had actually been on Felicity and I knew her and my wife had said, "You've got to write something for her. She has got such a spark." And I wrote Alias thinking about her, but I didn't quite know,' J.J. told Chris Rock at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival.

'Then I finished it and she came in and was amazing. I remember someone at the network was like, "You know, I don't know, is she hot enough?"' So, anyway, all I will say is the executive is no longer there and now she is Jen Garner, so it worked out...

'It was incredible doing the pilot, which I directed. I remember watching her kind of find this strength in herself. It was just so cool to see and she just did a spectacular job and she's one of our dearest friends. She's the greatest.'

The butt-kicking, wigged-out role earned Jennifer her only Golden Globe Award and the spy series aired for five seasons (2001-2006) and introduced the world to four-time Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper.

'My wife had said, "You've got to write something for her!"' The Texan-born, Virginia-raised mother-of-three first met the 52-year-old Star Wars director in 1998 when he was a writer for The WB's Felicity and she had a three-episode arc as Hannah Bibb (pictured in 2002)

'All I will say is the executive is no longer there': Abrams famously fought with ABC to get Garner the role of CIA double agent Sydney Bristow on Alias since after five auditions an unnamed exec questioned whether she was 'hot enough'

J.J. told Chris Rock at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival: 'It was incredible doing the pilot, which I directed. I remember watching her kind of find this strength in herself. It was just so cool to see and she just did a spectacular job and she's one of our dearest friends. She's the greatest'

2001-2006: The butt-kicking, wigged-out role earned Jennifer her only Golden Globe and the spy series aired for five seasons and introduced the world to Bradley Cooper

The Peppermint action star will next host of the American Ballet Theatre's Holiday Benefit this Monday at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills - according to Look to the Stars.

Garner - who trains with former dancer Simone De La Rue - caught the eye of ABT due to her regular, passionate #TutuTuesday posts obsessed with all things ballet.

Tickets cost between $1,000-$5,000 and tables range between $10,000-$50,000 for the benefit which features performances from Stella Abrera, Isabella Boylston, Misty Copeland, Sarah Lane, Hee Seo, and more.

Happening Monday! The Peppermint action star will next host of the American Ballet Theatre's Holiday Benefit at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills
She's been showcasing her incredible two stone weight loss ever since she went teetotal.

And Susanna Reid continued to display her slimmer physique as she attended The Sun Military Awards at Whitehall's Banqueting House in London on Thursday evening.

The Good Morning Britain presenter, 48, was a vision as she rocked a sophisticated sapphire midi dress, embellished with trendy sheer sleeves and a low-cut neckline.

Wow-factor! Susanna Reid continued to display her two stone weight loss as she attended The Sun Military Awards at Whitehall's Banqueting House in London on Thursday evening

Adding a touch of pazzazz into her look, the TV host added to her height in a pair of metallic silver heels.

The former BBC star injected a striking contrast to her look with her accessories as she rocked a dainty gold necklace.

Susanna's raven tresses were curled to perfection while her youthful-looking visage was enhanced with gold eyeshadow, light strokes of blush and pink lipgloss.

Created by The Prince Of Wales, the 11th annual awards ceremony honours members of the British armed forces and civilians involved with the forces.

Slimmed down: The Good Morning Britain presenter, 48, was a vision as she rocked a sophisticated sapphire midi dress, embellished with trendy sheer sleeves and a low-cut neckline

Meanwhile, Susanna's stunning sighting comes after she confessed she has stopped going to the gym and 'doesn't do any exercise at all'.

The presenter credited her new figure to going teetotal, as she explained exercising makes her 'too hungry' so she has decided against it.

Happy with her efforts so far, Susanna revealed she has shed a stone and a half and is now content with her figure.

Standing tall: Adding a touch of pazzazz into her look, the TV host added to her height in a pair of metallic silver heels

She explained on Good Morning Britain earlier this week: 'I've levelled out. I've lost a stone and a half and that's enough.'

As her co-star Piers Morgan pressed Susanna on her new lifestyle choices, pointing out that she doesn't exercise and she doesn't drink, he asked the beauty what it is she does do, with Susanna hitting back: 'I have a great job and a good life, it's all good news.'

Susanna decided to ditch booze in a bid to shape up and has remained teetotal after doctors warned the star that she was nearing the top end of her BMI (Body Mass Index - 'a measure of body fat based on your weight in relation to your height').

Look at her glow! Susanna's raven tresses were curled to perfection while her youthful-looking visage was enhanced with gold eyeshadow, light strokes of blush and pink lipgloss

She previously insisted that cutting out alcohol was an 'easy way' to kickstart your weight loss journey and after going 'sober for September', Susanna has stuck to it and recently celebrated 100 days without falling off the wagon.

Celebrating her achievement, she tweeted: '100 days without a hangover! Believe me, you can still have fun without alcohol, despite what your co-workers might say.'

Although, Susanna has previously admitted she 'misses letting her hair down'. She confessed she is 'desperate' for a drink on a previous broadcast of Good Morning Britain while venting her frustration that her alternative, sparkling water, 'doesn't take the edge off things'.
Cassandra Thorburn allegedly told a photographer last Sunday that her ex-husband Karl Stefanovic once told her 'it is very hard' being the best journalist in the world.

And on Wednesday, Christian Wilkins - who was a guest at Karl's wedding to Jasmine Yarbrough in Mexico over the weekend - had a rather interesting response when asked about the reports.

As he stepped out of Sydney Airport alongside his father Richard Wilkins, Christian was asked: 'Is Karl the best journalist in Australia, if not the world?'

Cheeky! Richard Wilkins' son Christian (left) said Karl Stefanovic is 'of course' the best journalist in the world - after the Today host reportedly bragged about his career to ex-wife Cassandra Thorburn following their separation in 2016

Without missing a beat, the 23-year-old socialite responded: 'I mean, of course.'

Christian and Richard had just arrived in Australia after a flight from Mexico, and they were also joined by Richard's girlfriend Virginia Burmeister.

It comes after Cassandra reportedly accused Karl, 44, of boasting about his 'media influence' during another impromptu interview at Sydney Airport last Sunday.

Sassy! Christian (pictured) and his father Richard had just arrived in Australia after a flight from Mexico on Wednesday when the 23-year-old delivered the sassy response to a photographer

New Idea claimed the 47-year-old 'ranted' about Karl's sense of self-importance after spending the weekend in Melbourne to escape the media spotlight surrounding her ex-husband's wedding.

The mother-of-three allegedly told a paparrazo: 'After we separated he... said [to me]: "It is very, very hard to be the best journalist in Australia, quite possibly the world". That tells you who that man is and who he thinks he is.'

Cassandra then reportedly branded Karl a 'narcissist' and 'fake'.

'It is very hard to be the best journalist in Australia, quite possibly the world': It comes after Cassandra Thorburn (pictured) reportedly accused Karl of boasting about his 'media influence' during another impromptu interview at Sydney Airport last Sunday

Cassandra later denied New Idea's report, however, telling Daily Mail Australia in a statement on Monday: 'There was no interview or rant.'

But in an expected twist, The Daily Telegraph later claimed to have obtained 'irrefutable' proof the conversation did take place as originally reported.

While Karl tied the knot with Jasmine at the One&Only Palmilla resort in San Jose del Cabo last weekend, Cassandra was surrounded by supportive friends in Melbourne. It was upon her return to Sydney on December 8 that she reportedly made disparaging remarks about her ex-husband.

The three children she shares with Karl - Jackson, 19, Ava, 13, River, 12 - all travelled to Mexico for the wedding.
Sir Paul McCartney's 10million London home was burgled just days before his historic homecoming gig in Liverpool this week, it was revealed today.

The Met was called to the north-West London mansion last Friday where officers found 'signs of forced entry' - but the thieves had fled.

The Beatles star, 76, had played in Vienna the night before raiders broke into his British home, which is covered in CCTV cameras and is surrounded by high walls.

But determined not to let the burglary prevent him launching the UK leg of his Freshen Up tour, Sir Paul took to the stage in Liverpool on Wednesday and the crime only emerged last night.

His spokesman declined to reveal if Sir Paul or his third wife, Nancy Shevell, were in the London property when the intruders struck.

Paul McCartney rolled back the years to deliver a masterclass as he returned to Liverpool to launch his new UK tour - just days after his home was targeted by burglars in London

Thieves targeted Sir Paul's home in London on Friday night (right) with the Metropolitan Police telling the Daily Mail no arrests have been made and inquiries continue. The former Beatles singer (Sir Paul is pictured left last night) did not let the incident phase him as he took to the stage in Liverpool on Wednesday

Recalling the incident, a neighbour told the Daily Mail: 'There were blue flashing lights and police everywhere  four or five cars.

'All the lights were on in the house. The police were all over it.'

A Metropolitan Police spokesman confirms that officers responded to a break-in at 6.20pm last Friday. 'We attended and identified signs of forced entry,' he said.

Sir Paul, 76, had performed in Austrian capital Vienna the night before.

But the incident will inevitably be a cause for concern to McCartney, who, say locals, does his utmost to live a normal life in London.

'He walks around without a bodyguard, chats with people, walks in the park,' says one. 'But he does get people hanging around.

'The house has got cameras all over it, so I don't know how they got in. It must be worrying. After what happened to John Lennon, you've got to be pretty bloody careful.'

The Metropolitan Police say that no arrests have been made and their inquiries continue.

The former Beatles singer did not let the incident phase him as he took to the stage in Liverpool on Wednesday.

And delivered a full, 38-song package to launch the UK leg of his Freshen Up tour - scheduled to last until December 16 where he will perform at London's 02 Arena.

There was a cheer as he walked onstage - fist-bumping the air and shrugging in mock surprise - and an even louder one to greet the iconic opening chord of A Hard Day's Night.

He delivered a bold mix of hits with equally-deserving, if lesser-known, gems, and showed just how much joy he still gets from playing them.

Sir Paul has previously expressed concern over the possibility of thieves targeting his home in north London.

In 2009 his security team reportedly asked for the property to be removed from Google Street View after Sir Paul became 'unsettled' that people could see it online.

It came at a time when the search engine giant's service was under fire over its possible use by burglars to research targets.

His spokesman declines to say whether Sir Paul or his third wife, Nancy Shevell, (pictured together at Buckingham Palace in May) were in London at the time the intruders struck

The incident will inevitably be a cause for concern to McCartney, who, say locals, does his utmost to live a normal life in London. He is pictured here with wife Nancy

This latest burglary is certainly not the first time the home of a former Beatles member has been targeted.

George Harrison and his wife were victims of an attempted burglary in December 1999 by a knife-wielding intruder.

The then 54-year-old was stabbed several times during the break-in at his secluded mansion in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.

The attack only ended only when his wife knocked the intruder unconscious with an oil lamp.

The attacker was later found not guilty of attempted murder by reason of insanity, and was sent to a secure psychiatric hospital. He was released in 2002.

Razor wire fencing was erected around the sprawling mansion following the attack as a means of deterring any further trespassers.

Macca's security scare also comes around 38 years to the day that Lennon was murdered in New York.

The beloved Beatle died at the age of 40 on December 8, 1980 when he was gunned down by Mark David Chapman four times in the back at close range in the archway of the singer's New York home The Dakota.

George Harrison (pictured right with Ringo Starr in 2001) was stabbed several times during a break-in at his secluded mansion in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire in December 1999

Members of The Beatles, consisting of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison (left to right), have been targeted by thieves in the past

In March this year, the widow of fifth Beatle Sir George Martin was targeted by masked burglars - locking herself in the bathroom as they entered.

Judy Martin, 89, dialled 999 after discovering two intruders at her house in an Oxfordshire village. Uniformed officers arrived with sirens blaring within minutes, forcing the pair to flee empty-handed.

Lady Martin, once a secretary at Abbey Road music studios, married Sir George four years after he walked out on his first wife in 1962  the year he signed the Beatles.

Her husband went on to enjoy a remarkable career in which he produced more than 700 records and worked with some of the worlds greatest talents.

The 89-year-old widow of the 'fifth Beatle' Sir George Martin, Judy, locked herself in the bathroom in terror as masked burglars forced their way into her home

As well as the Fab Four, whose members he worked with over four decades, he helped produce music for Sting, Jose Carreras and Celine Dion.

Celebrities have been targeted by opportunistic thieves over the years for the valuables thought to be held in their homes.

Footballers including Steven Gerrard, Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard have all been targeted by thieves in the past.

In 2007 Gerrard became the sixth player from his then club Liverpool to be hit by thieves in 18 months.

The midfielder was targeted by a gang of raiders who stole thousands of pounds of jewellery and possessions from the house.

Many of the burglaries happened during matches and Liverpool FC pledged that they would consider beefing up security on players' homes during matches.

Just a few months ago, the home of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver was targeted by a burglar - who had apparently tried to break into several other lavish homes on the same street in north London.

The TV chef and restaurateur, 43, 'went absolutely mad' when he found out what was happening and pinned the burglar to the ground while neighbours called 999 on Tuesday night.

Other stars believed to live on the road include Kate Moss and Jude Law, with neighbours at the time calling the star chef a 'hero'.
The smartly dressed woman in the corner of the railway carriage seemed not to notice three young workmen who boarded the steam train at Polegate, near Eastbourne in East Sussex.

She wore a fur coat and hat, and had her luggage on the seat beside her. An open book lay on her lap.

The men, not wanting to intrude, didnt speak to her. But one, George Clout, stole a glance and realised with a jolt of horror that blood was trickling down her face from under her hat.

Her eyes were open. They were flickering, searching. The woman appeared to be conscious but she couldnt move.

Agatha & The Truth Of Murder, on Channel 5, sees Ruth Bradley as the writer, quizzing suspects and examining the evidence to solve the real-life crime. The whodunnit is on Channel 5 next Sunday night, above

As the train pulled into Bexhill station, the young man hurried away to alert someone. Rain lashed down on the dark platform: the only light came from the guards handheld lamp. George clutched his arm: That woman back there, he said, shes in a deplorable state.

The womans name was Florence Nightingale Shore. Her skull had been stoved in with a blunt instrument, with such force that shards of bone were driven into her brain.

As she slipped into a coma, her closest friend  a fellow nurse, who had served in field hospitals alongside her in two wars  rushed from London to be at her side.

Florence never regained consciousness and despite numerous clues and suspects, her killer was never caught.

Florence Nightingale Shore, left, is played by Stacha Hicks in Agatha And The Truth Of Murder, right. Can you solve the crime before Agatha Christie?

Now her murder is at the centre of an ingenious retelling that casts the queen of crime novelists in the role of detective.

Agatha & The Truth Of Murder, on Channel 5, sees Ruth Bradley as the writer, quizzing suspects and examining the evidence to solve the real-life crime.

But this is a complex case, and truth is always stranger than fiction.

One historian who has dissected the facts believes the real solution may lie hidden in the details of a news report published in the Daily Mail in January 1920  pointing to the murderer, yet overlooked for almost 100 years.

Here are the facts. Can you solve the crime before Agatha Christie?

THE VICTIM

Florence Nightingale Shore was 55 years old and had never married. Born into a monied, upper middle-class family in Lincolnshire in 1865, she was named after her godmother, the famous Lady With The Lamp who had been a pioneer nurse during the Crimean War and was a friend of Florence juniors parents.

When she was 16 years old, her philandering father was declared bankrupt and her parents divorced five years later. This had a traumatic effect on Florence, who vowed she would always be able to support herself without depending on any man.

In her early 20s she journeyed to China, where she worked as a governess for more than two years before returning to Britain and, inspired by her godmother, training to be a nurse.

The two Florences were related (technically, they were second cousins once removed).

Rosemary Cook discovered one despatch in the Daily Mail archives, filed by an unnamed correspondent who interviewed several passengers from the train. The 'Mr Smith' the reporters interviewed knew a little too much

The famous nurses father was baptised William Shore but changed his surname to Nightingale to fulfil the terms of a bequest from his wealthy great-uncle Peter Nightingale.

Academic and author Rosemary Cook, former director of the Queens Nursing Institute in London, has studied all the evidence surrounding Miss Shores murder in depth, and regards her as a pioneer.

For most of the 19th century, hospital nursing was the province of drunks and paupers, she says.

But by the time Florence began her training, her godmother had radically changed things.

'It was now one of the very few alternatives to marriage or spinsterhood for middle-class 19th-century women.

With exceptional courage, in 1900 Florence Junior set off to the Boer War in South Africa, nursing the wounded on both sides.

Although by 1914 she was in her late 40s, she signed up again at the outbreak of World War I, working with the French Red Cross to treat injured troops in casualty clearing stations and on ambulance trains along the Western Front.

She was an especial favourite among French African soldiers  Arabs and Senegalese fighting with the Allies  who adored her for her patient kindness. They called her the White Queen.

THE FRIEND

As a trainee in Edinburgh in 1894, Florence met the woman who would be her lifelong companion: another nurse, Mabel Rogers.

They ensured that wherever one was sent to work, the other would follow  and when Florence declared she was off to war, Mabel went with her both times.

But on the evening of Monday, January 12, 1920, Mabel was not travelling with her dearest friend.

She had a ticket for a London show, while Florence planned on paying a flying visit to some acquaintances in Hastings.

So that afternoon Mabel went with her friend to Victoria station, to help carry her luggage. Florence was travelling third-class, which meant finding a place in a six-seater compartment.

Florence wanted to be sure of a seat facing forwards, so she ignored the busier carriages and chose an empty compartment. As the women prepared to say goodbye, however, a young man entered the carriage.

He didnt speak to them but Mabel noticed his odd appearance: he was wearing a brown suit with no overcoat, even though it was a freezing winters day.

As she stepped off the train, Mabel turned to wave to her friend but the man was standing up, blocking her view.

That night, when she arrived back at the Hammersmith nursing home where both women lived, Mabel received a chilling message. Florence had been attacked and left for dead. She was in Hastings hospital and was not expected to survive.

Mabel drove through the night, reaching Hastings at 3am, and for the next four days sat by her friends bedside. Florence died on January 17.

THE CRIME SCENE

When guard Harry Duck hurried to the compartment, he made a gruesome discovery.

The middle-aged lady who sat in the corner, apparently reading a book, was in fact dying. The floor at her feet was spattered with blood. Her glasses had slipped off.

Harry asked her what had happened: all she could do was swivel her eyes and gaze at him in mute agony.

Now the murder of Florence is at the centre of an ingenious retelling that casts the queen of crime novelists in the role of detective

Appalled, the guard signalled for the train to hurry on to Hastings, the quickest way to transport her to hospital.

When ambulancemen lifted her on to a stretcher at the next station, Harry discovered more bloodstains on the seat cushions.

Police who examined the scene decided the killer must have stood over her, battered her until she collapsed, then arranged her semi-comatose body to avoid suspicion.

Blood under her petticoats suggested there might also have been an attempted sexual assault, a grim detail that was withheld from the public.

Harry Duck believed the attack probably took place an hour before he found the body. The likeliest scene was Merstham Tunnel  a mile-long, pitch-dark stretch of track outside Redhill in Surrey, where two previous murders had occurred.

Mabel Rogers confirmed to police that much of Florences jewellery was missing, including a gold necklace and a diamond ring as well as three 1 notes  all the money she was carrying, worth about 150 today.

One theory police would pursue was that, in her furs, with a diamond ring, the dedicated nurse might have looked like a wealthy woman to an opportunistic robber.

THE SUSPECTS

Mabel was the last person known to have seen Florence alive and was the major beneficiary of her will, though that bequest amounted to a mere 1,000. In a detective novel, this might be enough to make her a suspect  but not in reality.

In 1924 , Agatha Christie published a thriller which begins with a death on the London Underground called . . . The Man In The Brown Suit

Apart from anything else, the assailant used a weapon that left an H-shaped indentation at one place on the victims skull, through her thick fur hat.

In two other places it shattered the bone.

Florence must have been hit very hard with something heavy. All Mabel carried was an ivoryhandled umbrella.

The man in the brown suit is a much more probable killer.

He was described as around 27 years old, about 5ft 7in tall, and clean-shaven. He had brown, slightly bushy hair, a pale complexion, and wore a light cap slightly on one side.

But he was also of slim build, which prompted speculation in the days that followed that he would not have been strong enough to overpower such a determined, well-travelled woman, even if he attacked her in the darkness of the tunnel.

Afterwards, Harry Duck believed he had seen the killer hurrying from the train at the first stop beyond Merstham Tunnel, which was Lewes station in Sussex.

Harry told police it would be impossible for anyone, however desperate, to leap from a carriage anywhere between the tunnel and Lewes, because it would be travelling at full speed  30mph or more  for the whole distance.

But the platform at Lewes was short, and the train was 12 carriages long. One of Harrys jobs was to warn passengers to go to the front of the train if they wanted to alight.

That night, he spotted something unusual: a man leapt down from one of the rear carriages on to the track, a drop of about four feet.

The guard hailed him: Didnt they tell you at Victoria to go to the front of the train? But the man just hurried past him into the night. Later, Harry couldnt swear to it but he thought the man wore an old mackintosh, not a brown suit.

Another unexpected suspect then entered the frame. Army deserter Percy Toplis, nicknamed the Monocled Mutineer, was being hunted for murder while on the run from the military police.

Since he first fled there had been a sharp rise in violent robberies in England, and reporters had suggested they could all be the work of one man.

But Toplis was killed while resisting arrest in the north of England, and there is no evidence to connect him to Florences killing.

Sadly, after World War I, many traumatised and destitute soldiers turned to robbery, sometimes out of violent greed, sometimes simply to feed themselves.

THE BLOODY GUN

Sir Bernard Spilsbury, known as the father of forensic science, was called in to examine the evidence.

He believed the H-shaped wound could have been caused by the butt of an Army-issue Webley revolver, wielded by the barrel like a club.

Several days later a man was arrested in Eastbourne after robbing a group of women at gunpoint. His revolver had no bullets but a blood-smeared grip.

Dame Agatha would certainly have known about the mystery, which gripped the nation. Murders on trains, or seen from trains, are a frequent feature of her novels

Tests proved the blood was human. In 1920, however, there was no way to determine if it was Florences.

Police hoped witnesses would be able to identify him as a passenger on the Victoria train but when no one could, the robber was dropped from their enquiries.

ASK AGATHA

In the Christmas TV drama, Bodyguard actress Pippa Haywood plays Mabel Rogers. They had a very affectionate relationship, so Mabel was horrified that nobody was even charged over Florences murder, she says.

Mabel was at her wits end. The fictional twist of the show is that she goes to Agatha Christie to ask for her help, knowing her books and thinking she might solve the crime.

Dame Agatha would certainly have known about the mystery, which gripped the nation. Murders on trains, or seen from trains, are a frequent feature of her novels  such as Murder On The Orient Express and 4.50 From Paddington.

But the most telling connection is that in 1924 she published a thriller which begins with a death on the London Underground called . . . The Man In The Brown Suit.

A MYSTERY MAN

As the hunt for Florences killer gripped the nation, newspapers sent reporters to uncover every detail. Rosemary Cook discovered one despatch in the Daily Mail archives, filed by an unnamed correspondent who interviewed several passengers from the train.

One identified himself as John Smith, of Brighton  and claimed to have seen the body. He had looked into the compartment, he said, and saw a woman slumped in her seat with blood running down her face  all huddled up, in a semi-lying position.

Police do not appear to have followed up this report, perhaps because John Smith is such a common name . . . or such an obviously false one.

But the mysterious Mr Smith appeared to know details that had never been released to the Press. Florence was moving not just her eyes but her left hand, he said. The travelling bag beside her had been rifled through. There was blood on her undergarments. A bottle of smelling salts lay beside her.

How could he have known these things, unless he had examined the body? And if he did that, why didnt he summon help  unless, of course, he was the killer?

He could describe the scene in detail, says Cook. Yet no one else there remembered him, and he was never called to give evidence at the inquest.

'I think there are some searching questions to be asked of John Smith, from Brighton.

The Nightingale Shore Murder: Death of a World War I Heroine, by Rosemary Cook, is published by Matador, 8.99.

Agatha & The Truth Of Murder is on Channel 5, Sunday, December 23, 9pm.
When Pia Muehlenbeck and Kane Vato married in Byron Bay earlier this month, fans were left scratching their heads over the seemingly 'strict' dress code for the guests.

In photos from the ceremony, the attendees all wore 'light' and 'earthy' tones - reportedly after receiving a list of instructions from the bride and groom.

And Grazia magazine confirmed this week that there was a dress code of sorts, however the publication insisted Pia was no 'bridezilla' on her wedding day.

The bizarre story behind Pia Muehlenbeck's 'strict' wedding day dress code: The Instagram model provided guests with a 'mood board' so their outfits would match the bride and groom

According to Grazia, which employs Pia as its 'market editor' and contributor, the 'guests had been supplied a simple outfit mood board in the weeks beforehand so they matched the future Mr and Mrs'.

This was apparently 'a sweet way to make everyone present feel like they were a key part of the celebration too.'

Meanwhile, photos from Pia and Kane's nuptials showed that the guests exclusively wore white, tan, light pink and beige ensembles.

Neutral: Photos from Pia and Kane's nuptials showed that the guests - including Tim Robards and Anna Heinrich (picture) exclusively wore white, tan, light pink and beige ensembles

The Bachelor's Tim Robards and Anna Heinrich both wore outfits that complied with the couple's wishes.

Criminal lawyer Anna, 31, opted for a tan off-the-shoulder frock and accessorised with a cream-coloured handbag.

Meanwhile, her husband Tim, 35, kept things light and breezy in a white collared shirt and beige blazer.

Tegan Martin also got the style memo, arriving at the nuptials in a summery white dress, as did Instagram influencer Steph Claire Smith.

Internet famous: Pia is an Instagram sensation in Australia, with more than two million followers on the image-sharing website

Photos of guests waiting together at a bus stop showed that the majority of them didn't stray far from the pre-selected colour chart.

According to The Daily Telegraph last month, Pia and Kane issued the dress code request on a private website which was shared with all the guests who had RSVP'd.

'Everyone is requested to wear natural earth tones,' Pia reportedly wrote. 'We would love if everyone could adhere to this direction with their attire. Light, muted, earthy, natural tones.'
France helped Malian forces stave off a jihadist insurgency in 2012, but large swathes of the country remain out of the government's control

A four-man "terrorist cell" suspected of planning New Year's Eve attacks in Mali, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso has been dismantled by Malian intelligence services, a statement said on Wednesday.

The suspects, two from Burkina, one from Mali and one from Ivory Coast, who were arrested last week, earlier "took part in the double attack on March 2 in Ouagadougou" as well as the abduction of a Colombian nun in February 2017 in southern Mali, it said.

They were "apprehended as they were preparing to carry out attacks" on the Malian capital Bamako, the Burkina Faso capital Ouagadougou and the Ivory Coast capital Abidjan "during New Year's Eve celebrations", the statement said.

Eight soldiers were killed and scores injured in the twin attacks on Ouagadougou on March 2.

France helped Malian forces stave off a jihadist insurgency that took control of large parts of northern Mali in 2012, but swathes of the country remain out of the government's control.

The former colonial ruler has deployed the 4,500-member Barkhane force in the region to repel attacks and stem insurgency.

In Burkina Faso, bordering Mali and Niger, authorities have been battling jihadist attacks over the last three years.

Attacks initially began in the north of the country but have since spread to the east, near the border with Togo and Benin.

According to a report in late September, jihadist attacks have claimed 229 lives in the country since 2015.
Vijay Mallyas extradition is significant in more ways than one in an election season

It was bad enough that the poster boy of defaulters, Vijay Mallya, managed to sneak out of the country with all his now legendary number of suitcases after gobbling up Rs 9,000 crore worth of taxpayers money. Many more followed suit with the likes of Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi and Mehul Choksi winging out too in the face of a lax administration. But now that a UK judge has finally ruled that misappropriating taxpayer wealth of any country is a criminal offence fit for prison, howsoever dingy the confines may be, organised corruption may finally bear a dent on its till now robust journey.

It is another matter altogether that Indias prison system needs urgent reforms but Mallyas crime was too big to invoke the human rights angle sighting the rigours of the Indian prison as a means of escape, which in this case was a refurbished Barrack No 22 in the Arthur Road prison of Mumbai where the King of Good Times is now slated to spend many of his days. The extradition is significant in more ways than one. First, coming in the run-up to the General Election next year, and in the wake of a comprehensive drubbing in three State elections that the BJP has suffered, it is a good ploy for the Government to talk of being the singular backbone against those robbing taxpayers (read voters) hard-earned money. Already BJP president Amit Shah has signposted the extradition as Prime Ministers unrelenting pursuit of mega defaulters who grew in size during the UPA regime. Second, it will go a long way in lifting cynicism against economic offenders and their might to go scotfree. It is the turn of big game bank scamsters to now guard their backs in the face of Mallyas extradition, more so when India has managed to get only one offender extradited from the UK in 26 years despite having a wholesome treaty with Britain. The India will find you threat is finally a reality knocking the doors of present and future offenders which will serve as a consummate warning and deterrent.

Mallyas extradition comes close on the heels of axe on Christian Michel in the Agusta Westland case. It is also good to see that the Governments revamp of economic offences departments is finally bearing fruit. The Union Cabinet clearing the Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, which deals with defaulters fleeing abroad, is a step in the right direction. The Bankruptcy Code, 2016, is worth a mention here. Finally, and not the least at all, now that Mallya is less cocky and more deficient of a shield against malpractices, his former employees may finally smell the money that has been long due to them, what with the Government being in a position to make good use of the tycoons assets worth Rs 13,500 crore stashed away. Mallya now has just under a fortnight to appeal and going by history, it may take eons for him to finally be brought to India so overburdened UKs higher courts are but thats not the point. That chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot found prima facie evidence of large-scale fraud and money laundering by Mallya after a year-long trial, shows happy tidings that someone, somewhere opened her eyes to the fact that there is a case to answer. Economic offenders are not just about India, they are a global menace assailing the comity of nations and many of them are never brought to book mostly because of extradition treaty blues or the lack of will of Governments. An Indian Government can now well say it stands upright.
The Congress win warrants a fairer examination and greater recognition. One of the biggest obstacles the party faced in the run-up to the polls was a section of the media

In science and philosophy, there is a rule referred to as Occams Razor, which basically states that the simplest explanation is often the right one. In the week leading up to the elections, there was an article by Surjit Bhalla, where he claimed that the Congress and its allies would fail to even win one State despite exit polls and opinion polls indicating otherwise. His reasons were far from simple and contrary to noise on the ground. This lends credence to the belief that while the simplest answer is often the right one, a complicated explanation is the bellwether of a wrong one.

The past few days saw the Congress win the mandate of the people in three massive States namely, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Widely viewed (by most in the media, especially within the BJP) as the States being the stronghold of the BJP, there is no denying the fact that the Congress has dealt a major blow to the BJP in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha election. If you have, however, spoken to a supporter or had a chance to watch certain news channels, you would think that the Congress should actually feel sorry for itself for winning these three major States. The narrative that is being peddled, primarily by the BJP, is that these elections were fought on local factors and that anti-incumbency played a larger role in the victory than the work done by the Congress and its workers. Such an argument, unsurprisingly, betrays a lack of humility and hubris on behalf of the BJP.

In this weeks column, I aim to provide context to the Congresss victory in order to understand the obstacles that the party faced in the run-up to the elections. I will briefly talk about the simple factors that enabled the party to emerge victorious.

One of the biggest obstacles that the Congress faced in the run-up to the elections was the media. While it goes unsaid, I wish to clarify that my observations do not apply carte blanche to all media but is, instead, a commentary on certain sections of the media. You, the reader, would have seen it too. There are certain sections in the media that appear to be operating with a clear agenda of promoting even minor achievements of the BJP and takes pleasure in belittling any effort of the Congress.

While there is an argument to say that no media can be absolutely unbiased, one would expect them to fulfil the function of being a reporter of facts rather than mere fanboys or fangirls. Take the example of how the media treats the language used by the Prime Minister in contrast with the one used by Rahul Gandhi. In the case of Modi, there have been innumerable occasions where the Prime Minister has used disgraceful and disgusting language against members of the Gandhi family and the Congress in particular, which was recently evident by his comment of Congress ki Vidhwa. Barely any major news channel covered this.

Contrast this with any comment made by Rahul Gandhi and how it is equated with being disrespectful and arrogant. Similar was the manner in which even minor achievements or everyday governance is treated as a day of celebration. Even military action, such as surgical strikes, was not spared. In willful ignorance of the fact that such actions do not aid Indias Armed Forces and have repeatedly been done in the past by previous Governments, sections of the media provided loud horns for the BJP to repeatedly blow on.

Another factor that cannot be ignored is the influence of money and how the BJP and its big, wealthy donors armed the party with a huge war chest to fight the elections. As you may be aware, elections are extremely expensive propositions and can have a huge influence on the outcome. It is this influence of money that a modern democracy aims to check and regulate. The BJP has not earned the moniker of Suit Boot ki Sarkaar for nothing. It is reported to be the largest benefactor of donations compared to other political parties. As I have written previously, the introduction of electoral bonds and the corresponding amendments to the Companies Act, 2013 and the Income Tax Act among others by the BJP have made it easier than ever for money to have a greater influence on politics and skew the electoral process.

The Congress, in contrast, focused on raising smaller amounts from its supporters and remained largely uninfluenced by any particular industrialist. This enabled the party to not be ruled by the whims and fancies of any particular industrial interest but to fight on the ground on its own terms, and on issues raised by the public.

Similarly, the fact that the BJP was already in power in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh was another obstacle the Congress had to work against. While in power, the BJP was free to use the state machinery, besides SOPs and freebies like distribution of cellphones, to influence the electorate. Therefore, the victory of the Congress despite the above obstacles, warrants, in my opinion, a fairer examination and greater recognition.

While I have briefly discussed how the obstacles highlighted above indicate that the victory of the Congress in the State elections is a bigger victory than what many would like to admit, it would be amiss to not examine factors that enabled the Congress to emerge victorious in the elections as well.

The biggest factor that worked for the Congress in the elections was the contrasting approach in leadership between the BJP, led by Prime Minister Modi and the Congress, led by Rahul Gandhi. The BJP represents a loud, garish and an anti-intellectual approach to politics and public discourse. This is the most basic feature of the BJP in its current form and this has been visible throughout its entire tenure.

Whether it is the destruction of institutions by replacing experts in a particular field with mere yes-men or the inability of Prime Minister Modi to have a single debate or to hold a single Press conference and answer questions about unemployment, demonetisation agrarian discontent. Contrast this with the Congress and Rahul Gandhi who have repeatedly been amongst the people who have encouraged tough questions. People of these three States have wised up to this crucial difference. The people of the country have wised up to the fact that one leader has spent the past few years on the ground listening to the people while the other has spent a huge amount on his own public image, has dodged any hint of a difficult question by flying out of the country and can be seen hobnobbing with celebrities and industrialists at weddings.

Another factor that worked in favour of the Congress was the freedom granted to the State units. Speaking from my own experience, in Jharkhand, the Congress leadership has encouraged State units to build a closer bond with the public of the particular State by spending time in the State with the people and recognising specific issues of each State. This was evident from the difference in the issues raised and the campaign organised in Madhya Pradesh as opposed to Rajasthan. This kind of freedom allows the State units to contribute to the partys success and just as significantly feel as if they are participating to the partys success.

Contrast this with the BJP where chief campaigners like Prime Minister Modi, Yogi Adityanath and Amit Shah hijacked the State narrative and attempted to replace it with their own parochial narrative of division on religious grounds, changing the names of cities and insulting the Congress. This was another example of disconnect between the BJPs high command and the common man.

This week, I have attempted to provide some reasons as to why in my opinion, the Congress beat the odds to win the recent elections. I have attempted to back my arguments with reasons and rationale and I would appreciate any disagreement that is similarly backed by reason and debate. Whether certain supporters, however, will be persuaded by reason as opposed to rhetoric though is another matter altogether.

(The writer is Jharkhand PCC president, former MP and IPS officer. Views are personal)
Defence ministers of India and Russia held intensive talks Thursday on deepening defence ties and joint manufacturing projects, including the Kamov-226 helicopters, naval frigates and projects related to land systems, the Defence Ministry said.

In a meeting of the 18th India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC) held here, the two sides also agreed to take forward inter-governmental arrangements for facilitating joint manufacturing of spares for Russian origin equipment in India under the 'Make in India' initiative.

The meeting was co-chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her Russian counterpart General Sergei Shoigu.

In the framework of the bilateral Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership, the IRIGC-MTC meeting discussed a wide range of issues relating to defence equipment, industry and technological engagement between India and Russia as well as after-sales support, upgradation of military equipment of Russian origin, it said.

Shoigu's visit to India assumes significance as a deal was signed between India and Russia to buy Russian S-400 air defence missile system. The two countries have also signed a deal to build two frigates in Goa for the Indian Navy.

Russia's state-owned arms exporter, Rosoboronexport, has also emerged as the lowest bidder for India's USD 3 billion tenders to source short-range air defence missile systems.

India had gone ahead with the S-400 deal with Russia notwithstanding US sanctions on military transactions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

"The ministers expressed satisfaction at the dynamism and progress in bilateral defence cooperation. Intensive discussions were held on joint manufacturing projects, including the Kamov-226 helicopters, naval frigates and projects related to land systems," a statement by the ministry said.

With an aim to strengthen military-to-military engagement and rationalising the functioning of the commission, a revised Inter-Governmental Agreement on restructuring the existing IRIGC-MTC to the IRIGC on Military and Military Technical Cooperation was also signed by the two ministers.

An additional institutional Working Group headed by Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman COSE (CISC) and Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of General Staff of Armed Forces of Russian Federation would also be set up under the expanded commission.

The ministers expressed satisfaction over the progress in structured engagement between their armed forces, including joint exercises, resumption of training exchanges and other interactions in the framework of the bilateral road map on defence cooperation signed in June 2017.
By 2025, India's public health spending will be 2.5 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP), up from the present 1.15 per cent with women, children and the youth at the heart of every policy, programme and initiative of the Government.

Stating this at the 2018 Partners' Forum here, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said high out-of-pocket expenditure incurred by families to avail medical care in India worried his Government and to address the issue, it launched the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, which has a two-fold strategy.

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana provides cashless health insurance cover up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year, covering 500 million poor citizens.

This number is almost equal to the population of Canada, Mexico and the US taken together. We have already provided free treatment worth Rs 700 crore to 5 lakh families under this scheme within 10 weeks of its launch, Modi said.

The other arm of Ayushman Bharat, Modi said, is the provision of providing comprehensive primary care at a facility near the community, for which the Centre will start 1.5 lakh health and wellness centres by 2022.

The community will also be able to receive free screening and care for common diseases including hyper-tension, diabetes and three common cancers  of breast, cervix and oral.The patients will receive free medicines and diagnostic support close to their homes, he said.

At the event, Modi said the government is set to increase its spending on public health to 2.5 per cent of the GDP.

This will mean an actual increase of 345 per cent over the current share, in just eight years.We will continue to work for the betterment of people. Women, children and youth will continue to remain at the heart of every policy, programme or initiative, he said.

Modi informed that India's immunization programme, Mission Indradhanush, will be featured as a success story, among 12 others from all over the world, in the two-day forum.

Under the Mission Indradhanush, he said the government reached 32.8 million children and 8.4 million pregnant women over the last three years while the number of vaccines has been increased from 7 to 12.

He said India's story was one of hope. Hope that roadblocks can be overcome. Hope that behavioural change can be ensured. Hope that rapid progress can be achieved.

The PM said that India was one of the first countries, to advocate focused attention on adolescence and implement an extensive health promotion and prevention programme for adolescents.

Modi said when his government assumed office in 2014, India was losing more than 44,000 mothers. The Centre then launched the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan, as part of which doctors pledged one day of service per month to this campaign and 16 million ante-natal care check-ups were performed.

Modi said that to deal with the issue of malnutrition among children, the government has launched POSHAN Abhiyan and is also implementing Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram, which has provided 800 million health screening check-ups and free referral treatment to 20 million children in the last four years. He also talked about small deposit savings scheme for girls called 'Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana' and the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana which is expected to benefit more than 50 million pregnant women and lactating mothers.
Prompted understandably by upper caste disenchantment, the NOTA (None of the Above) votes crossed over 1.4 per cent of the total polling in Madhya Pradesh and felled four of the most powerful BJP Ministers and several other MLAs. In MP, many upper caste outfits had openly declared that they would waste their votes by opting for NOTA rather than voting for the BJP for passing a legislation in Parliament to retain the stringent SC/ST Act. The same NOTA story was also repeated in Rajasthan, though in some pockets the BJP also gained in both the States because of SC voters reacting against the upper caste aggressiveness.

The number of no-choice votes outnumbered victory margins in good 22 constituencies in Madhya Pradesh. While the gap between BJP and Congress vote share was only 0.1% (BJP being in the lead), NOTA share stood at 1.4 per cent of votes polled  over 5.4 lakh. The NOTA option gives the voter the choice to reject all candidates in the election fray.

A section of BJP leadership, however, point out that BJP did well in the Vindhya region of Madhya Pradesh as SC voted for it on account of passing the amended SC/ST Atrocities (Prevention) Bill in Parliament.

It is also being contended that NOTA factor could also have affected the victory margin of some of the Congress candidates had the disenchanted Upper caste voters not opted to waste their votes.

In MP, the BJP lost 12 seats where the NOTA margin was more than margin of loss. The trend was visible in Chambal region, where Thakur voters are believed to have not backed the BJP for backing the SC atrocity legislation.

Similarly, Bundelkhand and Malwa drew the highest number of NOTA votes and changed the poll outcomes. Nine upsets were in Bundelkhand and eight in Malwa tribal region.

NOTA played out in a way that the BJP failed to capture majority despite bagging .1% vote share more than the Congress which got 41% of the votes. On the contrary, Congress, with help from BSP, SP and Independents, crossed the majority mark of 116, while the BJP managed 109 seats.

In at least 11 seats where the Congress won, NOTA got more votes than the winning margin  Biaora, Damoh, Gunnor, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Jobat, Mandhata, Nepanagar, Rajnagar, Raipur and Suwasra. NOTA also polled more votes than the victory margin in Bina and Kolaras, where BJP candidates won. In seven of these 11 seats, the victory margin was less than 1,000 votes.

In the touch and go poll verdict, the BJP narrowly missed the bus even though it polled more votes.

In 2008, BJP collected 38% votes and won 143 seats but this time round ended up with 109 seats despite securing more than 40% votes.

NOTA got 1.4% of the total vote share even as Samajwadi Party got 1.01% while AAP got 0.7% votes.

NOTA may have again played a role in denting prospects of the losing side in Rajasthan with 1.3 per cent of voters going for it.

In Rajasthan, NOTA votes stood at 1.3% while SP and NCP got 0.2% votes. Communist Party of India (Marxist) has 1.2%.

In Rajasthan , at least 15 constituencies polled more NOTA votes than the victory margin of the wining candidates.

Health Minister Kalicharan Saraf in the outgoing Vasundhara Raje-led BJP Government won by 1,704 votes from Malviya Nagar constituency where NOTA was exercised by 2,371 voters. The lowest victory margin was witnessed in Asind constituency where BJPs Jabbar Singh Sankhala trounced Congresss Manish Mewara by only 154 votes while 2,943 voters opted for NOTA.

Similarly in Pilibanga, BJPs Dharmendra Kumar defeated Congresss Vinod Kumar by just 278 votes but 2441 NOTA votes were polled, as per the election commission data. While on Marwar Junction seat independent candidate Khushveer Singh defeated BJPs Kesaram Choudhary by 251 votes against 2719 NOTA. The other Assembly constituencies where NOTA votes were recorded more than victory margin include: Ghatol, Chohtan, Pachpadra, Bundi, Chomu, Pokaran, Khanpur, Khetri, Makrana, Dantaramgarh and Fatehpur.
Aiming safety of residents of Bhopal BMC commissioner Avinash Lavania issued orders of taking action against concern official and employee failing to report overflowing septic tank, septic management and maintenance of sewer network.

According to the orders issued by BMC Commissioner Lavania action would be taken under section 188 of the IPC and spot fine against those would fail to report open sewage and leakages in sewage network and line.

For the convenience of citizens BMC Commissioner issued orders for the formation of Sewage Cell in which cleaning of septic tank, desludging, s Staff Reporter n Bhopal

A folk musical group from Afghanistan will woo the city music lovers. The Awayee Band-e-Amir will perform in city at Madhya Pradesh State Tribal Museum on Thursday.

The programme of Awayee Band-e-Amir Cultural Group from Afghanistan is being organised at the 5th International International Folk Dance and Music Festival organized by Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) Regional Office, Bhopal.

This presentation is a part of the fifth International and Music Festival organized by the Council in Delhi. Apart from Afghanistan, cultural groups from Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, South Korea and Sri Lanka are participating in this festival. Today the Bhopal office has got the opportunity to host the Afghan cultural party.

It is noteworthy that earlier, Afghanistan was also a part of India. Gandhara Mahajanapada was in 700 BC East Zone. The name of Afghanistan started from the reign of Ahmad Shah Durrani. Inside Afghanistan, Bamiyan is a historical city that is situated in the valley of Hindukush mountain range. Where there were many Buddhist monasteries.

Besides, this group was established in 2015, whose aim is to spread the national folk culture and the international level. This team has established its unique identity internationally through various programs and presentations. This cultural group of Afghanistan (Bamiyan) will present the folk music and dance of Afghanistan which will be really interesting for the Bhopalites to watch. The artists will spread information about different folk songs and music and dance of Afghanistan in Bhopal.

This team will also make Bhopalites spread awareness about the culture and culture of Afghanistan There will be a total of 10 members in this cultural group of Afghanistan who will present the programme.eptic management and sewer network maintenance under the limits of BMC would be done and after receiving information of leakage and overflow of septic tank issue should be addressed immediately and solution would be provided and if the issued is neglected action would be taken.

The rate for cleaning of septic tank by sewage cleaning machine has not been revised. For a capacity of 2,000 liter septic tank the rate is Rs 300 while for capacity of 4,000 liter septic tank the rate is Rs 500.

The BMC has also implemented orders of state government of spot fine for dumping garbage in open, dumping fecal sludge in open spaces, nullah and vacant plots by any individual, institutions, shops and private desludging operators would be fined Rs 500 for the first time, for the second time the fine would be Rs 1,000 and if caught third time fine would be Rs 2,000.

In the same manner action under section 188 of the IPC would be imposed and strict action would be taken against offenders
Assembly election results of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhatisgarh has not only set the template for the Lok Sabha elections, which is expected to be announced in the first week of March next year but also clearly drawn the battle lines for what is expected to be one of the fiercest elections ever.

For the Congress the biggest take-away from the polls is undoubtedly the emergence of Rahul Gandhi as an unassuming leader who has shed his past baggage of indifference, political immaturity and dynasty and come on his own.

For BJP, the biggest setback undoubtedly has been the demolition of the myth and hype built around the invincibility of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah.

Till these three elections happened, BJP had become one big electoral juggernaut demolishing one political opponent after the other convincingly. Routine rout of the opposition in the elections had built an aura of invincibility around Modi-Shah duothe mass connect of Modi and the Chanakya like strategy of Shah had become a part of political punditry and had been instilled in the BJP-RSS workers.

On the contrary, repeated defeats had affected even the body language of the Congress leaders. They had got into the defeatist mode, occasionally without any fight like in Goa. Rahul Gandhi and Pappu had almost become synonymous, popularized as it was by the WhatsUp University of BJPs IT Cell. So much so, there was a time when even die-hard Congress workers started believing the falsehoods sent to them on a platter on their mobile phones like how ineffective a leader was Rahul Gandhi and how his stewardship was taking the party to peril.

December 11, 2018 changed this political narrative for all time to come. This comes barely three months before the announcement of the general elections, triggering a political tsunami and throwing open all sorts of possibilities. All of a sudden there is a spring in the steps of the Congress workers while in the BJP, an element of doubt has crept in.

Will Modi magic work or not? is the million dollar question BJP supporters are now asking. Even though the party spokespersons keep hammering and repeating that the Modi magic is intact and issues of Assembly and Lok Sabha polls would be entirely different, this is hardly convincing for the skeptics as well as supporters. They know well that Assembly elections in these very states five years ago in 2013 and victory in them had set the ball rolling for BJP and it built the momentum for the wave of May 2014.

Five years down the line, momentum is now with the Congress and it will go to the Lok Sabha polls with the winning momentum going for it. In fact, the momentum for Congress was building up from Gujarat assembly polls in December 2017 where for the first time, Modi had to campaign really hard and Shah had to use all his electoral arithmetic and punditry to romp home. A resurgent Congress had given BJP a run for its money in a state which for long has been considered a laboratory for Hindutva politics.

There was more to follow. Karnataka was widely billed to go the BJP way. This is what the spin doctors of the party had projected. Sulking Yeddyurappa was back with BJP, moneybags were with the party, Congress government was facing anti incumbency and what not. Everything was supposedly going for BJP and against Congress. But that was not to be. BJP failed to get a majority on its own and what made matters worse was the unprincipled way in which Yeddyurappa was sworn in as chief minister, raising several ethical questions.

Mukt Bharat was too arrogant a slogan, said a BJP leader, adding that this was a classic case of unrealistic politics, bereft of grassroots reality. He hoped that this slogan would never be raised now and if raised, it would instantly become a matter of ridicule. Similarly, targeting figures like Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi would hardly find a traction with the primarily young voters and so would be extolling the virtues of Sardar Patel and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Leave historical figures alone for history books and academic discussions, not for electoral rhetoric and as poll issue, summed up the leader.

In the run up to the Lok Sabha polls, obviously BJP would try to turn it into some sort of presidential election, pitching Modi versus Rahul and asking people will they vote for an untested, timid and unwilling leader or go for the qualities of time-tested, strong with muscular politics .

The second strategy of BJP would be to polarize the polls with a strong pitch for Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. But given the fact that the issue has already been milked to the hilt by BJP for the last over a quarter of a century and has yielded rich electoral dividends, a point has come where it has reached a saturation level.

It can no longer yield the same result and the law of diminishing return would automatically apply. This is what has happened in the three states.

So whats the way forward for BJP? Number one would be abandoning its Congress Mukt Bharat pitch. Then comes drawing a list of achievements of its major decisionsdemonetisation and GST and keep hammering it hard repeatedly and see how much traction it gets. Third, would be to boldly answer allegations on Rafael deal rather than be defensive about it. Fourth would be decentralization of power from the Modi-Shah duo to the state level and giving more power, support and autonomy to its MPs. At present, party MPs are treated more like booth level workers to whom directions are hurled and there is no process of consultation involved, a BJP MP told me after the poll results.

Last but not the least would be not to go for polarization through UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He will hardly attract new votes as assembly elections of Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhatisgarh has indicated where he campaigned extensively and at the same time, it would irretrievably damage the body politic of the country. Already banners have come up in Lucknow extolling the hardliner Yogi as PM material and where Modi has been painted as some sort of a liberal.

Similarly, whats the way forward for Congress? Right now it is the default opposition party in several states and is expecting to get the anti incumbency votes from those who expected too much from the first majority government of BJP in decades. This complacency has to end. First, it has to come out with an aggressive solution to the problems it has been highlighting.

It should spell out what would it do to solve farm distress beyond loan waiver. Secondly, if traders and small enterprises are distressed, what is your solution to their woes? You cannot simply abuse the incumbent government and not come out with any solution. Third offending slogans like Chowkidar Chor hai should be banned; it is similar to Congress Mukt Bharat and even worse. What would its policies be at the Centre which would be different from the ones followed by BJP government? It also has to spell out its plan for job creation and how will it go about it.

The days of slogans and sloganeering are over. The youth had a lot of expectations in 2014 and will have similar expectations in 2019 as well. Hollow and emotive slogans would no longer yield electoral dividends. Both parties should come with slogans and policies which are implementable and also give details how they will proceed with it. That would be the key to gain the trust of Indian electorate.

(The writer is Senior Editor, The Pioneer, Chandigarh)
Uttarakhand Finance Minister Prakash Pant has asked the banks to raise the Credit Deposit (CD) ratio in the hill districts.

He was addressing the 67th State-level bankers committee meeting on Thursday. He told bank officials that they should hold awareness campaign among the masses of the people on the banking processes.

He said that National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is providing a financial assistance worth Rs 2,000 for every literacy camp.

Pant said efforts should be made to organise maximum number of such campaigns with the financial assistance being provided by NABARD. These campaigns would help in increasing the CD ratio, he opined.

The Minister added efforts should be made under the financial literacy programme action plan in order to take the social security schemes to the common people across the State.

He said these schemes would help in dealing with the problem of unemployment and be instrumental in giving a boost to the economy of the State.

He said with the expansion of the local bodies, the new villages which have been added to the urban areas and the people living in these areas should be connected with the Government-run National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) for employment generation.

The Minister asked the bankers to sanction crop loan and term loan to the maximum number of beneficiaries so as to help meet the Prime Minister Narendra Modis target of doubling the income of the farmers by 2022.

He instructed the bank officials to conduct various activities in the tourism sector and instructed them to work according to the work plan and road map prepared.

Pant also exhorted the bankers for active contribution to help effective implementation of the Memoranda of Understandings signed during the Investors Summit.

The general manager, State Bank of India ( SBI), Ajit Singh Thakur, while thanking the officials present, assured the Finance Minister and the finance secretary that the banks and the officers of the Government departments would coordinate as per the work plan and raise CD ratio.

The number of beneficiaries of crop and term loan would also be increased, he assured.

Among others present included the chief general manager of State Bank of India Alok Kumar Chaudhary, State finance secretary Amit Singh Negi, chief general manager NABARD Avinash Chandra Srivastava, deputy general manager Reserve Bank of India Tarika Singh, deputy general manager of State Bank of India BL Saini, assistant general manager RK Pant and finance controller Kulanand Ghanshala.
A special court for CBI cases on Thursday rejected bail petition of Jharkhand Vikas Morcha vice president Bandhu Tirkey.

Tirkey who was arrested by CBI from his residence in Mandar in Ranchi district on Wednesday was produced before court and sent to jail on the same day.

The arrest was made in a disproportionate assets case registered by the investigating agency in 2010.

Lawyer Jitendra Kumar Verma, who represented Tirkey stated that during the argument on bail that took place before the court of Additional Judicial Commissioner AK Mishra, they submitted Income Tax details of Bandhu Tirkey in order to establish that a case of disproportionate assets does not arise against the Tirkey.

Giving details of Tirkey earnings, the lawyers claimed that his income as MLA was Rs 16 lakhs. They pointed out that in addition Tirkey also runs two schools and has assets from which he gets rent.

The lawyers admitted Tirkey committed a mistake by ignoring the summon issued by court. They pleaded that he has spent a night in jail as result of his act and that he should be granted bail. Tirkey would appeal to the High Court against the lower court judgement soon, his lawyer stated.
Monsoon may be months away but Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials to prepare a report on flood prone zones and regions so that an action plan could be drafted to avoid last minute hiccups.

Preparations to provide relief to flood-affected farmers should start at the right time. District magistrates and officials of Central Flood Commission should do the groundwork at the earliest so that relief could be extended to flood ravaged people, Yogi said in Lucknow on Thursday.
As many of our readers will know, the historic crew capsule which topped the Apollo 11 rocket for Neil Armstrong, Edwin Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins epic July 1969 journey to the moon has been on tour for the past year or so in the build up to the 50th anniversary celebrations of the first human visit to the lunar surface. Nicknamed Columbia, the capsules regular home for much of the past four decades has been with the Smithsonians National Air & Space Museum in Washington, DC. After roughly 20-week stints on loan at Space Center Houston in Houston, Texas, then the St.Louis Science Center in St.Louis, Missouri, Columbia is presently on show at the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Her next port of call will be with the Museum of Flight in Seattle Washington, where she will be resident for almost five months, starting in mid-April next year. Her time in Seattle will also include the July 20th golden anniversary of Armstrong and Aldrins historic first steps on the moon. The Museum of Flight recently revealed their plans for Columbia during the capsules time in Seattle, and we thought their press release below would be of great interest to many

The historic spacecraft that astronauts flew to the first Moon landing will be the centerpiece of the Museums signature 2019 exhibitDestination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission. The exhibition will be on view April 13-Sept. 2, and includes special programs and grand celebrations for Julys 50th anniversary of the giant leap for humanity. The exhibit also includes more than 20 one-of-a-kind artifacts, many flown on the historic mission, plus dozens of additions from the Museums renowned collection of NASA and Russian spaceflight treasures. The Museum is the final location for Destination Moon, capping a two-year tour to four museums by the National Air and Space Museum and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. This will be Destination Moons only West Coast venue, and the Museum will be a hub for international celebrations of the space mission that came in peace for all mankind.

Destination Moon celebrates the Apollo 11 Moon mission and explores the birth and development of the American space program and the Space Race. Through seeing original Apollo 11-flown objects, models, videos and interactives, visitors will learn about the historic journey of the Apollo 11 crewNeil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin. Destination Moon will include an interactive 3-D tour, created from high-resolution scans of Columbia performed at the Smithsonian in spring 2016. The interactives will allow visitors to explore the entire craft including its intricate interior, an interior that has been inaccessible to the public until now.

The Smithsonians Destination Moon will be enhanced by a reimagining of the Museums APOLLO exhibit that vividly recalls the Space Race with rare objects like a Sputnik that started it all, to the worlds only display of the remains of the rocket engines that boosted Apollo to the Moon. New to the exhibit will be a gallery detailing Seattles unique place in both the first space age and todays New Space industry. As todays New Space entrepreneurs plan for voyages to Mars, Destination Moon shows why the Moon landings 50th anniversary is worth celebrating.

New to Destination Moon at The Museum of Flight will be augmented reality Moon walks, and an indoor family playground called Tranquility Base, with a full-scale, hands-on command module and other spaceflight interactives.

The Destination Moon tour marks the first time the Apollo 11 command module Columbia has left the National Air and Space Museum since the museum opened to the public in 1976. Before entering the collection, the command module traveled on a 50-state tour throughout 1970 and 1971 covering more than 26,000 miles. It then went on display in the Smithsonians Arts and Industries Building before the current National Air and Space Museum was built on the National Mall.

Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission is made possible by the support of Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos, Joe Clark, Bruce R. McCaw Family Foundation, the Charles and Lisa Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences, John and Susann Norton, and Gregory D. and Jennifer Walston Johnson. Transportation services for Destination Moon are provided by FedEx.
Chas Municipal Corporation (CMC) is at work to settle down 760 urban homeless people under Prime Minister Aawas Yojna (Urban). With an investment of Rs 56 crore apartments would be constructed at Kalapathar and Kamaldih in next two years. We have planned to settle down 760 urban homeless people there, said JP Yadav Executive Engineer CMC.

Layout of apartments has been ready, houses would come-up on 4 acres of land at Kalapathar and one acre of land at Kamaldih where 540 and 220 homeless would be settled, added Yadav.

Each house will have a bedroom, dining room, kitchen and bathroom.

The beneficiaries have to apply fresh for this scheme either online or at CMC office along with voter ID (must), Aadhar card, three passport size photos, bank passbook and residential certificate issued by revenue official of their hometown.

This housing scheme will consider economically weaker BPL as well as APL categories only, and their annual income should not be exceeded than 3 lakhs rupees, he said.

The most important thing is that the beneficiary should not have a pucca house is his or her name, or in the name of any of his or her family in any part of India, added Yadav.

Notably, CMC is also on move to turn Bokaro Steel City into Slum Free City, given a requisition of 7 acres of land for the purpose to Bokaro Steel Plants (BSL) management.

On the directive of State headquarter we have taken initiation.

People residing in the slum or huts across the township area of BSL will be rehabilitated and settled in the permanent houses, said an official.

As the governments dream for hut-free city in Bokaro, we have started our move. Presently we have given a requisition of 7 acres of land in the township area to settle all slums, said Bholu Paswan Mayor CMC. There are more than 5000 huts in the township area of BSL, all of them (residing in the huts) will be shifted and settled into their permanent houses very soon, he added.

We have already identified 4 acres of land in the township area and the process is on for NOC from BSL, he said. Soon after getting the required lands from BSL, DPR will be prepared and then construction work will be started, said an official of CMC.

A Bangalore based firm has been given the responsibility to prepare the DPR, added the official. We are also working hard to turn Chas as a slum-free city. A detailed work plan is ready and we are planning to assume that by the end of 2022, he said.
In an impressive show the Congress won a majority of the seats in the Gwalior Chambal Division. The party raised its tally of 12 seats in the previous election to 27 while BJP was limited to 6 from its earlier tally of 20.

Significantly 4 BJP ministers out of the seven from the region too lost by huge margins. Anoop Mishra, the senior leader of the party and nephew of former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Bajpai also lost the election from the Bhitarwar constituency. In Gwalior, BJP could win in only 1 seat out of the 20 it contested.

This impressive show by the Congress is all the more significant as Modi and Amit Shah had held extensive rallies in the region to solicit support for the party candidates. Addressing a huge gathering in Gwalior on November 16 Modi had claimed that the Congress has been vaporized in air and that the BJP would win all the seats from the region. At that time he had paraded all the 20 BJP candidates from Gwalior on the stage asking people to elect them with huge margins.

BJP President Amit Shah too had ridiculed Rahul Gandhi for claiming that the Congress would win in Madhya Pradesh. During a meeting in Gwalior on November 26 he had claimed that the Congress party lacks leadership and policies and cannot defeat a stable government.

The BJP leaders had been going all out as they believed that the election results in Madhya Pradesh is a high stake affair as the party has been in power for 15 years.

With this impressive win by Congress in the region the question is being raised in many quarters whether the Modi magic has come to an end and whether Modi has lost his charm.

Despite the persistent efforts of the BJP leaders to erode the Scindia influence in the region the results reflect the peoples faith in Jyodiraditya Scindia.

The most noteworthy win for the Congress from the region is the win in Morena district. Last time the party did not have a single seat from this district. This time the party has won in all the six seats.

In a dramatic turnaround around midnight the Congress candidate from Gwalior South Praveen Pathak piqued the BJP candidate and former minister Narayan Singh Kushwaha to win by 121 votes, the narrowest recorded victory margin in the state.
Demanding clearance of their pending salaries, the staff members of Subharti Medical College boycotted work and held a protest meeting against the State Government on Thursday. Notably, on the order of the Supreme Court ( SC), the medical college had been taken over by the state medical education department on December 7.

The agitating employees are also demanding that the college should be returned to the Subharti management. The college which also includes nursing and pharmacy college has over 650 staffers. The employees claimed that they were far worse off now after the take-over. We used to receive salary before 10th of every month. But we are yet to receive salary this month. We are in deep crisis due to the non-clearance of salary, said an agitated employee. Another of them said that, given their financial distress, they are unable to pay their childrens school fees.

Interestingly, while the staffers were yelling anti- government slogans they raised their voice in favour of management of Subharati and wanted the college be returned to the old management.

Commenting on the matter, the director medical education Dr Ashutosh Sayana said that the college had been taken over on the SC order. He assured that salary of every employee of the college would be paid soon. We are taking all steps to ensure that the salary of the staffers is paid at the earliest, he assured.
The Agriculture Department in Dhamtari district has started educating farmers not to indulge in stubble burning and instead prepare vermicompost out of post harvest residue.

The Department has informed farmers that stubble burning leads to loss of favourable microbes in the soil while also causing environmental and health issues.

The National Green Tribunal has already announced fines on farmers in case they burn stubble.

The farmers were informed that mushrooms can be cultivated using farm residue.The stubble also helps retain moisture in the soil.

The State government has imposed ban on burning of post harvest farm residue to curb pollution.

Baloda-Bazar District Collector J P Pathak has already constituted different teams under guidance of Tehsildars for monitoring of farms where post harvest residue is being burnt.

The team includes senior Agriculture Expansion Officer, Rural Agriculture Expansion Officer and a Patwari.

The teams have been entrusted to visit the villages to find if any case of burning of post harvest residue in six teshils of the district have taken place.

The Collector has made an appeal to farmers not to burn the post harvest residue . In North India due to burning of post harvest residue, it is causing heavy pollution.

Bemetara District Collector Mahadev Kaware has also issued directives to the Agriculture Department officials to control the burning of post harvest residue.
Acting President of Mauritius, Paramasivum Pillay Vyapoory on Thursday announced that Mauritius will organise Gita Mohatsav in the month of February 2019 and a delegation from India has also been invited for the event.

Vyapoory was speaking at the inauguration of three-day International seminar on Making New India-Insight of Shrimad Bhagvad Gita being organized as part of International Gita Mahotsav at Kurukshetra. Mauritius is the partner country and Gujarat is the partner state in the International Gita Mahotsav  2018 being inaugurated at Kurukshetra on Thursday.

The Gita Mahotsav 2018 was formally inaugurated amidst chanting of Mantras and blowing of Shankh in front of Brahma Sarovar. Haryana Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya and Chief Minister Manohar Lal performed prayers at Brahma Sarovar by worshipping the holy scripture, Shrimad Bhagvad Gita.

Manohar Lal informed that BJP national president Amit Shah was scheduled to visit the holy city on Thursday to attend the Gita Mohatsav but he could make it due to health issues.

The Gita Mahotsav 2018 will be held from December 13 to December 18.

Speaking at the seminar, Paramasivum Pillay Vyapoory said that teaching of sacred Gita is as relevant today as it has been when Lord Krishna delivered celestial message of Gita to Lord Arjuna in the battlefield about 5300 years ago.

He said that it is very good to see that Haryana Government has decided to celebrate the International Gita Mohatsav to propagate the teachings of sacred Gita.

Majority of population in Mauritius is from India . We are very much Indian and also celebrates festivals like Diwali, Mahashivrati, Pongal, Ganesh Chaturthi, Ram Navmi and Krishan Jayanti, he said.

He said that the bond between India and Mauritius is very strong and there is feeling of brotherhood between people of both countries. He also thanked Chief Minister Manohar Lal for making Mauritius as partner country in International Gita Mohatsav and also inviting him to Kurukshetra to be a part of the event.

Speaking on this occasion, Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya described Kurukshetra as a centre of spiritual and religious education. It is the same land where Lord Krishna delivered celestial message of Bhagvad Gita to Arjuna, he said.

Giving special emphasis on imparting quality education to all especial to children belonging to weaker section of the society, he said that it is necessary in further strengthening the society and the country.

During his address, Manohar Lal said that the sacred book Srimad Bhagvad Gita is not confined only to spiritualism but has a practical relevance. The Holy Scripture of 700 shalokas has a message for people belonging to all sections of the society. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working towards building a new India through the message of Gita and taking new initiatives consistently for the welfare of people of different strata of the society, he added.

Throwing light on the significance of Srimad Bhagvad Gita, the Chief Minister said that the holy Scripture has something in it for every section of the society be it farmers, students, teachers, politicians, soldiers and traders.

He said that at the International Gita Mohatsav this year, Mauritius is the partner country and Gujarat is the partner state.

Mauritius is a small country with about 13 lakh population, majority of them are from India. Several countries have come forward to celebrate Gita Mohatsav at international level and Mauritius is first among such countries as it has decided to celebrate Gita Mohatsav in the month of February 2019, he said.

The country also has institute after the name of Father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi and also Rabindranath Tagore which reflects strong bonding between India and Mauritius, the Chief Minister said.

He also referred to the deep relations between Haryana and Gujarat saying that while Lord Krishna delivered celestial message of Bhagvad Gita to Arjuna at Kurukshetra, Dwarka in Gujarat has been his (Lord Krishna) Karmabhoomi.

He said that today, he has also visited Gita Sansthanam set up in Kurukshetra. Pictures associated with sacred Gita have been displayed in the Santhanatham giving the Holy Scripture recognition at international level.

Manohar Lal said to further spread the teachings of sacred Gita, programmes are also being organized at district and block level in Haryana. Apart from this, the government has also included Gita Shlokas in the school curriculum to inculcate moral values among the students from an early age, he added.

Earlier, the dignitaries released a coffee table book entitled 48 Kos Ek Sanskritik Yatra depicting the photographs of 134 religious sites falling within 48 Kos of Kurukshetra. Apart from this, a souvenir and a book on events organized during the International Gita Mahotsav last year were also released.
At a meeting held here to discuss in connection with preparations for Swachchh Sarvekshan 2019 under Swachchh Bharat Mission, Commissioner Higher Education Ajit Kumar said, Various activities will be organised in city colleges under Swachh Bharat Mission 2019.

During the discussion, Additional Commissioner Ranbir Kumar gave detailed information to the Principals of various colleges of Bhopal city through the Power Point presentation of the Parameters of Swachh Sarvekshan 2019.

In the meeting, discussions regarding the operation of publicity activities for awareness among the citizens were discussed in order to make the cleanliness of the area clean for the cleanliness of the city.

Commissioner of Higher Education Ajit Kumar and Commissioner of Municipal Corporation Avinash Lavania were present during the meeting,

Under the Swachh Bharat Mission 2019, the education commissioner, High Education, Ajit Kumar, told to the principals of the colleges to conduct cleanliness activities from December 26 to 29. These activities will be organized under public awareness campaigns for public awareness. He said that essay competition in colleges, singing competition debate competition, clean platform and organize competition on social media under cleanliness activities.

During the meeting, discussions regarding establishment of Smart Dustbin for garbage disposal were discussed in different Government Colleges of the city.

The colleges principals demanded setting up smart dustbin at their college campuses. Municipal Corporation Commissioner Avinash Lavania has ensured the establishment of Smart Dustbin in the College premises for better performance of waste from all the colleges.

At the meeting, Motilal Science College, Maharani Laxmi Bai College, Gitanjali Girls College, Raman Sanskrit College, SNAA College, PG College BHEL, Hamidia College, All Saints Arts and Commerce College, Government College

Narela, Institute for Excellence in Higher Education College, Old Benazir College, SPM Principal and higher education department and other municipal officials were present in the meeting.
Following the hue and cry over the Dhenkanal shelter home sexual abuse case, a team of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) arrived in the State on Wednesday for inspection of different children homes.

The NCPCR Registrar, in a letter to the State Chief Secretary, had informed that a team of the Commission would reach the State and inspect the CCIs in different phases.

During their two-day visit, the team will inspect 56 shelter homes in 19 districts. After completing the inspection, the team will hold a meeting with the State Government officials on Thursday.

Notably, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi on December 8 had directed the department Secretary to conduct a detailed probe into the sexual abuse of minor girls in the Dhenkanal shelter home and submit a report.

Besides, she had also directed NCPCR officials to inspect all the shelter homes in Odisha and submit a report about their functioning.

In a letter to the Chief Minister, Gandhi had said there are reports of sexual abuse and conversion of religion in the shelter homes run by the NGO Good News India.
Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh here on Wednesday accused BJP of launching a campaign against PCC chief Kamal Nath in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.

Despite Singh not being an accused, according to Singh, the campaign is being run by the rival BJP against him.

While talking to media persons here, Singh said the incident is 35 years old. There is no FIR against him, no charge-sheet or a case against him and he is not an accused in the case. Whenever his name crops up, BJP people run such kind of campaign.

Kamal Nath was a minister from 1985 to 1990 as well as between 1991 and 1996. He was also a minister from 2004 to 2014. At these times no one objected. Most or as much as 100 per cent Sikhs of Chhindwara are his supporters and he has also done service at the local Gurudwara. No one has a problem with him, he added.

He, however, asserted that he has no information as to who would be announced as the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh. An announcement in this regard is expected to be made this evening.

On being asked about the sloganeering by supporters of Jyotiraditya Scindia and Kamal Nath, Singh raised suspicion whether it is the rivals who stage managed it. He said, People are excited and we do not know which party they belong to. It needs to be seen how many of them are Congress members or which party they are from.
With Congress likely to declare senior leader Kamal Nath as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, the opposition parties in Punjab are targeting the ruling Congress over Naths alleged involvement in 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

While SAD had warned the Congress against naming Lok Sabha MP Nath as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister or be ready to face country-wide agitation; Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said that Congress is rubbing salt on wounds instead providing justice to 1984 victims.

SAD leader and Delhi lawmaker Manjinder Singh Sirsa pointed that a witness Mukhtiar Singh has identified Nath at the site of Sikh killings in 1984 and the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) had written to the SIT appointed by the Centre to lodge a case.

We have a witness and we have a case against Kamal Nath, said Sirsa asking Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to resign in case Nath elevated as Madhya Pradesh CM.

AAP MLA and the Leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha Harpal Singh Cheema said that after 1984 genocide, Naths name was figured prominently as accused of leading the groups attacking Sikhs.

In Nanawati Commissions report and two other enquiry reports, Nath's name was prominently figured in the list of accused persons but no action had been taken against him during the Congress rule at the Centre and during the NDA rule of 10 years in which SAD was a part, he said adding that instead Sikh victims were teased by awarding prominent posts in government and party level to the main accused Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler.

Chheema said that in spite of all proofs, the Congress continued awarding these accused leaders with plum posts and AAP will strongly oppose such decisions.

He demanded that Rahul Gandhi should immediately reverse his decision which had caused a widespread resentment among the entire Sikh community.

At the same time, he also appealed the Prime Minister to immediately reopen the cases against Kamal Nath and initiate a time bound inquiry, so that strict punishment can be given to the accused of Sikh genocide and justice to the victims.

Cheema also sought clarification from Capt Amarinder and state Congress president Sunil Jakhar on it and reminded that during 2016, the decision of appointing Nath as in-charge of Punjab had to withdrawn after a strong resentment from Punjab people.

AAP suspended MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira sought Capt Amarinders stand on Naths likely elevation in view of his serious involvement in 1984 Sikh genocide.

Naths presence outside Rakabganj Gurudwara near Parliament, during the massacre, was confirmed not only by the then Indian Express journalist Sanjay Suri but two very senior police officers  Commissioner Subhash Tandan, and Additional Commissioner Gautam Kaul. Even Nanawati Commission questioned him and termed his reply vague. There is enough evidence against him to be prosecuted but for all these years,, he was saved by Congress and then BJP also did little in this regard, said Khaira.

He asked if Capt Amarinder, who does not even blink when he maligns Sikh politicians of Canada on the directions of his bosses in Delhi, will now show the courage to speak on the issue. He should remember that evidence against Nath is much stronger than what Capt Amarinder had anything against Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan. Notably, till date, Captain has not presented even an iota of evidence against him, he said.

Khaira dared Capt Amarinder to ask the Congress chief Rahul Gandhi not to name Kamal Nath as Madhya Pradesh CM.
The Congress would waive all farm loans and extend financial assistance to farmers in the State for five years if the party comes to power in the 2019 elections, said Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik after attending the first meeting of the PCC Election Manifesto Committee here on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters, Patnaik said waiver of loans would not solve all the problems of farmers. Hence, the party has decided to provide solar pumps to help farmers with irrigation along with financial assistance for five years. "We will also extend financial support to the farmers continuously for five years. With irrigation facility round the year, farmers will be able to produce additional crops that would stabilise their financial position. They will not borrow loans further," said Patnaik.

The PCC Chief also said that the monthly old-age pension would be increased from Rs 300 to Rs 1,000 if the Congress is voted to power.

On the Mahanadi water issue, Patnaik said, "Unlike the BJD, we will present the grievances on behalf of the State before the Chhattisgarh Government and the Centre. A solution will surely come out after that."

The PCC chief also reacted over the statement of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on the election results in the BJP-ruled States that as the BJP had not implemented the report of the Swaminathan Committee on farmers' issues, it lost the polls. If so, the PCC president asked, "Why is Chief Minister Patnaik not implementing the Swaminathan Committee?"

Leader of Opposition in State Assembly Narasingha Mishra said, "People voted against the BJP. This is a victory of democracy and victory against injustice, atrocities, destruction of institutions, misuse of agencies, no work for poor people, farmers, youths, Dalits, SCs, STs, OBCs, minorities and general castes.

The semifinal poll battle proves that the BJP is virtually nowhere in all the States. This is a real democratic indication for the 2019 final match. Ultimately, voters are always the 'man of the match' of democracy."
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By The Associated Press

Dec. 12, 2018 | NEW YORK

By The Associated Press Dec. 12, 2018 | 02:28 PM | NEW YORK

Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's once-devoted lawyer and all-around fixer, was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison after telling a federal judge that his "blind loyalty" to his boss led him to cover up Trump's "dirty deeds."



Standing alone at the defense table, Cohen, 52, shook his head slightly and closed his eyes as the judge pronounced the sentence for crimes that included lying about his boss' business dealings in Russia and funneling hush money to two women who said they had sex with Trump  payments that both Cohen and federal prosecutors said were made at Trump's direction to fend off damage to his White House bid.



Cohen is the first and, so far, only member of Trump's circle during two years of investigations to go into open court and implicate the president in a crime, though whether a president can be prosecuted under the Constitution is an open question.



Separately, prosecutors announced Wednesday that they filled in another piece of the puzzle in the hush-money case: The parent company of the National Enquirer acknowledged making one of those payments "in concert" with the Trump campaign to protect him from a story that could have hurt his candidacy.



During an appearance at the White House shortly after the sentencing, Trump ignored reporters' questions about Cohen.



At the sentencing, U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley III said Cohen deserved modest credit for his decision over the summer to admit guilt and cooperate in the federal investigation of efforts by Russians to influence the 2016 presidential election, but his assistance "does not wipe the slate clean."



"Somewhere along the way Mr. Cohen appears to have lost his moral compass," the judge said. "As a lawyer, Mr. Cohen should have known better."



The judge also ordered Cohen to pay $1.39 million in restitution to the IRS, forfeit $500,000 and pay $100,000 in fines. He was ordered to report to prison March 6 and left court without comment.



The prison sentence was in line with what prosecutors asked for. Sentencing guidelines called for around four to five years, and the government asked in court papers that Cohen be given only a slight break.



"It was my own weakness and a blind loyalty to this man that led me to choose a path of darkness over light," Cohen, who once boasted he would "take a bullet" for Trump, told the judge before the sentence came down. "Time and time again, I thought it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds rather than listen to my voice."



Cohen got choked up near the end of his remarks and paused briefly to compose himself. His daughter, seated behind him, sobbed throughout. As he returned to his seat, he ran his hand across her cheek.



Cohen's lawyers had argued for leniency, saying he decided to cooperate with investigators rather than hold out for a possible pardon.



"He came forward to offer evidence against the most powerful person in our country," defense attorney Guy Petrillo told the judge.



Cohen pleaded guilty in August to evading $1.4 million in taxes related to his personal businesses. In the part of the case with political repercussions, he also admitted breaking campaign finance laws in arranging payments in the closing days of the 2016 election to porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal.



Last month, he also pleaded guilty to lying to Congress by concealing that he was negotiating a proposal to build a Trump skyscraper in Moscow deep into the presidential campaign season. He said he lied out of devotion to Trump, who had insisted during the campaign that he had no business ties whatsoever to Russia.



The sentence was the culmination of a spectacular rise and fast fall of a lawyer who attached himself to the fortunes of his biggest client, helped him get elected president, then turned on him, cooperating with two interconnected investigations: one run by federal prosecutors in New York, the other by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is leading the Russia investigation.



Beyond the guilty pleas, it is unclear exactly what Cohen has told prosecutors, and it remains to be seen how much damage Cohen's cooperation will do to Trump. Legal experts said Cohen could get his sentence reduced if he strikes a deal with prosecutors to tell them more.



Cohen said in court that he will continue cooperating. And his legal adviser Lanny Davis, who previously represented President Bill Clinton, said the former political fixer will tell publicly "all he knows" about Trump after Mueller completes his investigation, and that includes testifying before Congress.



"Mr. Trump's repeated lies cannot contradict stubborn facts," Davis said in a statement.



In the hush-money case, prosecutors said, Cohen arranged for the parent company of the National Enquirer to pay $150,000 to McDougal. He also paid $130,000 to Daniels and was reimbursed by Trump's business empire.



Prosecutors said the McDougal payment violated federal law against corporate campaign contributions, while the money that went to Daniels exceeded the $2,700 limit on campaign donations. Also, campaign contributions must be reported under law, and the two hush-money payments were not disclosed.



Shortly after Cohen's sentencing, federal authorities announced a deal not to prosecute the National Enquirer's parent, American Media Inc. As part of the deal, AMI admitted making the $150,000 payment to McDougal to buy her silence about the alleged affair and fend off damage to Trump's candidacy.



In a court filing last week, the prosecutors left no doubt that they believe Cohen arranged the hush-money payments at Trump's direction, saying the maneuver was part of an effort to "influence the election from the shadows."



Trump had denied any sexual relationship with the women and argued on Twitter earlier this week that the payments to the women were "a simple private transaction," not a campaign contribution. And if it was a prohibited contribution, Trump said, Cohen is the one who should be held responsible.



"Lawyer's liability if he made a mistake, not me," Trump wrote, adding, "Cohen just trying to get his sentence reduced. WITCH HUNT!"



An attorney for the Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment.



At the sentencing, a prosecutor in Mueller's office, Jeannie Rhee, said Cohen has "sought to tell us the truth and that is of the utmost value to us" and has "provided consistent and credible information about core Russia-related issues under investigation." She did not elaborate.



But the New York-based prosecutors who handled the case against Cohen had urged the judge to sentence him to a "substantial" prison term and said he failed to tell investigators everything he knows.



In addressing the judge, Cohen described the sentencing as "the day I am getting my freedom back." He said he had suffered from a "personal and mental incarceration" ever since agreeing in 2007 to work for Trump, a man he admired. "I now know there is little to be admired," Cohen said.



Daniels' lawyer, Michael Avenatti, who played a major role in exposing the hush-money discussions, said outside the courthouse: "We will not stop until the truth is known relating to the conduct of Donald Trump." But he added: "Let me be clear, Michael Cohen is neither a hero nor a patriot" and "he deserves every day of the 36-month sentence he will serve."
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Liz Weston: How to maximize your health span

Were living longer on average, but the number of years were healthy hasnt kept up. This lagging health span  translates into more time living with serious illness and disabilities at the end of our lives. This can have significant repercussions for our retirements.

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Covestro AG develops, produces, and markets polymer materials for various industries. The company operates in three segments: Polyurethanes; Polycarbonates; and Coatings, Adhesives, Specialties (CAS). The Polyurethanes segment develops, produces, and markets chemical precursors, such as diphenylmethane diisocyanate, toluene diisocyanate, and polyether polyol, which are used primarily in the furniture, construction, and automotive industries. The Polycarbonates segment provides high-performance plastic polycarbonates in the form of granules, composite materials, and semi-finished products for use in the automotive, construction, electrical and electronic, medical technology, and lighting industries. The CAS segment offers precursors for coatings, adhesives, and sealants, as well as specialties. This segment also provides polymer materials and aqueous dispersions for use in automotive and transportation, infrastructure and construction, wood processing, and furniture applications. The company markets its products through trading houses and distributors. It operates in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, the United States, Canada, and the People's Republic of China. The company was founded in 1863 and is headquartered in Leverkusen, Germany.

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Things had just started to settle down a bit, now that we had parked the RV in Tucson. We were making some new birding friends, learning the local hotspots etc. Well, thats just not really our style, so at the very last minute, we rented a high gas mileage car, thru a few things in a cooler, and our birding gear and headed for south Texas. I mean really, what 1200 miles (one way) if you might get another 30 birds or so? We left Tucson on Monday, and drove to Alpine, Texas for our first night. We made several stops along the way, hoping our eBird research would give us local hotspots that might turn up a few gems. There were a lot of nice birds but the only bird of real note was a small flock of Scaled Quail in the Alpine Cemetery, who all escaped without a single photo.

Next stop was a night in San Antonio, where I am afraid, after a mediocre meal at a BBQ join next to our hotel, I went straight to bed. This allowed me a good nights rest, and an early start towards Alamo Texas, where we had reserved a very cool little room with a kitchen. Alamo is, for what we could ascertain, just about dead center of a huge number of high quality birding hotspots. Once we were checked in, we headed straight out to begin our hunt. My wife Jeanne, was willing to make this trip, but not if we were going for just a few birds. There better be at least 30 was that number she threw out at me, as we were driving away from Tucson. Now the pressure was on. We had put together something of an itinerary for the week that we would be here, with the following areas as our main targets. Santa Ana NWR, Estero Llano Grande State Park & World Birding Center (WBC), Benson-Rio Grande State Park & WBC, Edinburg State Park & WBC, Frontera Audubon Society, and then down to the south Padre Island area to hit Laguna Atascosa NWR, The South Padre Island Convention Center Birding Boardwalk, and the South Padre Island WBC. Our first three days were spent bouncing around from area to area, looking to find the species on my wish list. What did find right off the bat, was an amazing group of people, all willing to help out in so many ways. Tom and Connie, and John Y. at Estero Llano were simply amazing and I cant possibly thank them enough for their help with the area, the birds and their friendship. Mark and Joanie at Santa Ana are truly amazing birders, who bent over backwards to help me track down a few birds, especially that damn Northern-beardless Tryannulet. It seemed like every spot we went to, these people, 90% of which are volunteers, could not have been more helpful. My last bird of the trip, at least while we are here in the Alamo area, was an Eastern Screech Owl, which I traveled over 5 miles around Estero Llano Grande NWR today, turned out to be right where I had walked several times, but when Rick, a volunteer there found out I was trying to track it down, walked me right over to the bird! That lovely little owl represented bird number 34 for the run thru Texas!

Here that Eastern Screech Owl.

I had hoped to track down the Altamira Oriole, the largest Oriole, and I did!

The classic Texas bird, the Green Jay is pretty common, but truly lovely.

Another local bird, the Golden-fronted Woodpecker was on my target list.

In looking thru eBird, I kept running across the Common Pauraque. I was never really thinking I would find this night bird, but guess what, I found several. This bird was sitting right out in the sun when I first found it. I met a couple of newer birders, that I took over to show the bird, and low and behold, sometime in the hour after I left it, another one joined it.

Here is that first bird..

.and here are the two together.

This is the Black-crested Titmouse.

While I found very few of them, this Long-billed Thrasher posed quite nicely for me.

Estero Llano Grande has a HUGE number of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, somewhere in the area of 3000-4000.

While traveling around the country side, going from hotspot to hotspot, we ran across a few nice birds, like this Merlin in a small country park.

And this White-tailed Hawk was hanging around a field, along Brushline Road.

This White-eyed Vireo was found at a small watering hole at Santa Ana NWR.

At the same water spot, there were several Nashville Warblers coming and going.

When we traveled over to South Padre Island, we had a great time at both the Atascosa NWR, and the South Padre Island WBC. At the WBC, we found this ultra-rare (for here) first winter Magnolia Warbler.

A few years ago down in Mexico, I got my first ever Clapper Rail. It was promptly take away from me when they split out the Clapper with the Ridgeways Rail. At the WBC, I got my Clapper Rail back! Clap on, Clap off!

There were a good bunch of Roseate Spoonbills in the South Padre Island.

I am ending this posting with a shot of the very common Spotted Sandpiper. It is the location that I found it in that make this photo so special, well, maybe not for the turtle.

With the addition of these new species, the Little Big Year numbers look like this:

Little Big Year species  1267

eBird Submissions  417

United States species  350

If you are interested, here are the 34 birds we got in Texas!!

Rosss Goose

Eastern Screech owl

Gold-crowned Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Green Jay

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Black-crested Titmouse

Plain Chachalaca

White-eyed Vireo

Blue-headed Vireo

Mottled Duck

Buff-bellied Hummingbird

Common Pauraque

Clapper Rail

Magnolia Warbler

Gray Catbird

Ruddy Turnstone

Olive Sparrow

Hook-billed Kite

White-tailed Hawk

Long-billed Thrasher

Scaled Quail

McCowns longspur

White-tailed Kite

Yellow-throated Warbler

Northern Beardless Tyrannulet

Great Scaup

Sedge Wren

Cassins Sparrow

Altamira Oriole

Aplomado Falcon

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Fulvous Whistling Duck

Green Kingfisher
Direct Line Insurance Group plc provides general insurance products and services in the United Kingdom. It operates through Motor, Home, Rescue and Other Personal Lines, and Commercial segments. The company offers motor, home, rescue, travel, creditor, and pet insurance products, as well as insurance for mid-to-high-net worth customers; and commercial insurance for small and medium-sized enterprises. It also provides management, motor vehicle repair, insurance intermediary, support and operational, legal, and breakdown recovery services. The company sells its insurance products directly through price comparison Websites and phone, as well as through partners and brokers under the Direct Line, Churchill, Green Flag, Direct Line for Business, DLG Partnerships, NIG, Privilege, Shotgun, DLG Legal Services, Darwin, and DLG Auto Services brands. The company was formerly known as RBS Insurance Group Limited and changed its name to Direct Line Insurance Group plc in February 2012. Direct Line Insurance Group plc was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Bromley, the United Kingdom.

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International Biotechnology Trust plc specializes in investments in development stage and late stage companies. The majority of the fund's assets are generally invested in smaller and mid-capitalization quoted companies, with a minority in larger capitalization quoted companies. It makes long only investments. It prefers to invest in quoted or unquoted biotechnology and life sciences companies focused on drug discovery and development and in related sectors such as microbiology, life sciences, pharmaceutical research and development, gene research and development, medical devices or healthcare services. The fund seeks to invest in companies engaged in development and/or commercialization of a product, device or enabling technology and also invests in the therapeutic sub-sector. The fund also prefers to invest in companies with strong growth potential from the development and/or commercialization of either a biotechnology drug candidate, medical device or other enabling technology for medical research. It may also invest in specialty pharmaceuticals and life science tools. These companies can range from small private companies with strong science and people that need development funding, to large, multi-billion dollar biotechnology and medical device companies which have portfolios of products, many of which are already used in hospitals, clinics and pharmacies around the world. It makes majority of its investments in smaller and mid-capitalization quoted companies and seeks to invest up to thirty percent of the Company's assets in unquoted companies, while allowing an exposure of up to forty percent in unquoted companies (at the time of investment and after allowing for valuation write-ups and further follow-on investments). The fund typically invests in the United States, but seeks the best investments worldwide and so may also invest in Western Europe, Australia, and Asia. It typically invests between $1 million and $4 million in its portfolio companies. It exits its unquoted investments through the sale of these companies to strategic buyers including major pharmaceutical companies or, in some cases, and through a flotation.

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Nevsun Resources Ltd. engages in the mining and development of mineral properties in Europe, Africa, and North America. It explores for gold, copper, zinc, and silver deposits. The company's principal assets include Timok project, a copper-gold development project in Serbia; and Bisha copper- zinc mine in Eritrea. It also holds exploration licenses and permits in Serbia and Macedonia, as well as in the Bisha mining district. The company was incorporated in 1965 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. As of January 7, 2019, Nevsun Resources Ltd. operates as a subsidiary of Zijin Mining Group Company Limited.

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Yana Paskova/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- A federal judge in Manhattan has sentenced Michael Cohen, President Donald Trumps former personal attorney and fixer, to three years in prison for various crimes including campaign finance violations, tax evasion, and lying to Congress.



Before leveling his sentence, Judge William Pauley said Cohen pled guilty to a veritable smorgasbord of fraudulent conduct" and lost his moral compass, adding that as a lawyer, Mr. Cohen should have known better.



In addition to his imprisonment, Cohen will have to pay $1.39 million in restitution plus $500,000 in forfeiture for the financial and campaign finance crimes. He will face an additional fine of $50,000 for lying to Congress.



For more than a decade, Cohen stood by Trumps side as a personal attorney, fixer and confidant, famously proclaiming that he would take a bullet for the president and never walk away. But over the past year, as investigators targeted his personal finances, Cohen flipped on his former boss and cooperated in multiple investigations, including Mueller's probe, targeting Trumps campaign and family business operations.



Prosecutors in the Justice Departments Southern District of New York charged Cohen with eight felony counts in August, including tax evasion, making false statements to a financial institution, and campaign finance violations. Special counsel Robert Mueller, tasked with investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, tacked on an additional count of lying to Congress last month. Cohen pleaded guilty to all nine counts and struck a deal to cooperate with ongoing investigations.



Before ruling was issued, Cohen had pleaded for leniency, accusing President Trump  his former boss  of causing him to follow a path of darkness rather than light and cover up his dirty deeds. Cohens attorney, Guy Petrillo, argued that Cohen came forward to offer evidence against the most powerful person in the country.



But while the special counsels office appeared to be willing to give Cohen credit for his cooperation, SDNY prosecutors took a tougher stance.



In court on Wednesday, Jeannie Rhee, a prosecutor with the Office of the Special Counsel, said Cohen had provided wide ranging and helpful information on matters related to the Russia probe while being careful not to inflate the value of that information.



Nicolas Roos, a prosecutor with the Southern District of New York, however, struck a different tone.



Cohen didnt come anywhere close to assisting this office in an investigation, Roos told the court, adding, the charges portray a pattern of deception, of brazenness and of greed.



With the pounding of his gavel on Wednesday morning, Judge Pauley marked the conclusion of Cohens improbable journey from Trumps legal counsel to perhaps the most potent vehicle for President Trumps legal exposure.



Federal prosecutors allege that Cohen violated campaign finance laws by paying off two women who allege to have had affairs with Donald Trump acting in coordination with and at the direction of the then-candidate. Trump has argued the payments amount to nothing more than a simple private transaction, and do not qualify as campaign finance violations.



Rep. Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat and vocal critic of the president, said he believes the Cohen sentence will send a powerful message.



Hopefully this signals to others that its time to come clean, Swalwell said.



Swalwell is one of several Democrats who are voicing interest in having Cohen return to Congress to testify in public, even if it means transporting him from prison to do so.



Cohen is one of the only individuals who lived in Donald Trumps personal, political and financial worlds, Swalwell said. I would like to see Michael Cohen come clean, wholly before Congress, about what the president knew and what he was doing politically and financially with the Russians. I would like to hear from him. Just for the countrys sake.

Cohen, who departed court on Wednesday without addressing the scrum of awaiting cameras, has been ordered to report to prison on March 6, 2019.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.


First EU merchant live on unified neobanking & payments plat

Nicosia, Dec 13, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - iSignthis Ltd ( ASX:ISX )( FRA:TA8 ) subsidiary, iSignthis eMoney Ltd, trading as ISXPay(R) ("the Company"), is pleased to announce its first merchant has gone live on its own integrated and unified neobanking platform comprising principal acquiring platform for Visa, Mastercard and JCB, with fund settlements being deposited to ISXPay issued ISEMCY22 International Bank Account Numbers (IBANs).Highlights- First Merchant now live and processed via ISXPay's own Principal member Tier 1 connections- Settlement of Merchant Funds to ISXPay issued IBAN based account- Funds held with zero credit risk under EU's "Eurosystem" Central Banking system- first ASX listed fully authorised EU neobank with deposit taking & payment capabilities- Australian ADI facilities to follow within months.John Karantzis, CEO of iSignthis Ltd, said "We have passed yet another milestone, where our first EU based merchant is using our unified transactional banking, deposit functions and bank to bank transfer functions.The Paydentity platform is performing the identity verification, ISXPay is performing the payment processing and settlement, and Probanx.com is performing the journaling of the settlement deposits from ISXPay, with ISXPay executing outbound transactions. Our merchants will have full visibility of their settlement flows, monies on deposit, fees and transactions by logging into their Probanx.com dashboard.Merchants can now electronically transfer funds within the SEPA banking network to make supplier, payroll, utilities, tax, pension and other payments direct from their ISXPay EMA business IBAN facilities. We will be making use of the last few weeks of 2018 to ensure that all of our systems operate as expected, and we will be driving services and revenues with our contracted merchants from 2019. We are also now pushing hard to deploy our Australian capabilities, for which we anticipate to be making significant progress in the near future.Our focus as a neobank is on delivering transactional banking with deposit taking facilities to regulated entities in the EU and Australia."The Company has been developing its merchant and business focused neo-banking capabilities since 2015, commencing initially with its patented identity verification service on the Paydentity(TM) platform, and then progressing to being an EU/EEA authorised eMoney Institution in early 2017, followed by principal licensing of Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners, Discover, China UnionPay and AMEX as payment capabilities, with Eurosystem central banking facilities and SEPA going live in the last two weeks.The Company has also applied for an Australian ADI license directly, bypassing the 'restricted ADI' step, with APRA authorisation anticipated early Q2 2019. The Company has already been granted Australian licensing under the Reserve Bank of Australia "Card Access Regime" by Mastercard, with Amex, Diners, Discover and China Unionpay also licensed. Application for Reserve Bank of Australia ESA accounts has also been submitted.About iSignthis Ltd

iSignthis Ltd (ASX:ISX) (FRA:TA8) is a hybrid monetary financial institution and also a RegTech leader in remote identity verification, payment authentication with deposit taking, transactional banking and payment processing capability. iSignthis provides an end-to-end on-boarding service for merchants, with a unified payment, electronic money and identity service via our Paydentity(TM) and ISXPay(R) solutions.

By converging payments and identity, iSignthis delivers regulatory compliance to an enhanced customer due diligence standard, offering global reach to any of the world's 4.2Bn 'bank verified' card or account holders, that can be remotely on-boarded to meet the Customer Due Diligence requirements of AML regulated merchants in as little as 3 to 5 minutes. Paydentity(TM) has now onboarded and verified more than 1.5m persons to an AML KYC standard.

iSignthis Paydentity(TM) service is the trusted back office solution for regulated entities, allowing merchants to stay ahead of the regulatory curve, and focus on growing their core business. iSignthis' subsidiary, iSignthis eMoney Ltd, trades as ISXPay(R), and is an EEA authorised eMoney Monetary Financial Institution, offering card acquiring in the EEA, and Australia.

ISXPay(R) is a principal member of Mastercard Inc, Diners, Discover, (China) Union Pay International and JCB International, an American Express aggregator, and provides merchants with access to payments via alternative methods including SEPA, Poli Payments, Sofort, PRZ24 and others.

Probanx Solutions Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of iSignthis Ltd, provides API based access to CORE Banking solutions, SEPA Core, SEPA Instant and SEPA business scheme, for neobanks, banks, credit unions and emoney institutions, and provides a bridge to the Eurosystem's Central Bank of Lithuania's CENTROLink service.
New Zealand Energy Corp., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration and production of oil and natural gas in New Zealand. The company holds interests in three petroleum mining licenses, one petroleum mining permit, and one petroleum exploration permit. It has interests in TWN Petroleum Mining Licenses comprising Waihapa/Ngaere, and Tariki; Copper Moki petroleum mining permit; and Eltham Petroleum exploration permit. It also operates midstream assets. As of December 31, 2020, the company had proved and probable reserves of 696,500 barrels of oil. New Zealand Energy Corp. was incorporated in 2010 and is based in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

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Rolls-Royce Holdings plc operates as an industrial technology company in the United Kingdom and internationally. The company operates in four segments: Civil Aerospace, Power Systems, Defence, and ITP Aero. The Civil Aerospace segment develops, manufactures, and sells aero engines for large commercial aircraft, regional jet, and business aviation markets, as well as provides aftermarket services. The Power Systems segment provides high-speed and medium-speed reciprocating engines, and propulsion and power generation systems for the marine, defense, power generation, and industrial markets. The Defence segment offers aero engines for military transport and patrol aircraft applications; and naval engines and submarine nuclear power plants, as well as aftermarket services. The ITP Aero segment engages in the design, research and development, manufacture and casting, assembly, and testing of aeronautical engines and gas turbines. It also provides maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for regional airlines, as well as business aviation, industrial, and defense applications. Rolls-Royce Holdings plc was founded in 1884 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

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Tailored Brands, Inc. (NYSE:TLRD) announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March, 18th. The company reported ($0.46) EPS for the quarter, beating the Zacks' consensus estimate of ($0.54) by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $690.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $708.46 million. Tailored Brands had a negative net margin of 14.39% and a negative trailing twelve-month return on equity of 138.49%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($0.28) EPS.

View Tailored Brands' earnings history.
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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Youanmi Vanadium Oxide Project Update

Perth, Dec 13, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Venus Metals Corporation Limited ( ASX:VMC )( FRA:EZL ) is pleased to announce the completion of a 6282m reverse circulation (RC) drilling programme at the Youanmi Vanadium Oxide Project, Western Australia.SUMMARY- CENTRAL YOUANMI OXIDE RESOURCE:A total of 139 holes for 5919m was carried out on the central Youanmi Oxide Resource where nineteen separate section lines were drilled covering a zone 300m to 400m wide and along some 2000m of strike (Figure 1) . The majority of the drilling was carried out on a 40m by 80m spacing and was designed to convert part of the JORC 2012 inferred mineral resource of 110.6 million tonnes @ 0.30% V2O5 (refer ASX release dated 6 February 2015) into a large measured and indicated oxide resource. Assays are in progress.DRILLING DETAILS- CENTRAL YOUANMI OXIDE RESOURCE:All drill holes were inclined at 60 Degrees north to 50m depth or until fresh rock was intersected (whichever came first). Drilling was very easy through the soft weathered oxide material, with extensive ferruginous oxide zones being intersected (Figure 1a) on all drill section lines. The results are consistent with previous geological drilling data. New RC drillhole locations together with historical drill hole locations are shown in Figure 1.Updated JORC 2012 resource calculations based on the combined geological logs, assays results and magnetic susceptibility readings are expected to be available in January.The RC drilling has delivered more than 100 tonnes of samples for further advanced metallurgical test work, to expand on the current metallurgical test work being conducted by METS.OTHER RECONNAISSANCE DRILLING:A further 10 RC holes for 363m on two separate lines 400m apart were drilled to test outcropping vanadiferous magnetite bands at the Kangaroo Kaves Prospect, 12 km southwest of the Central Vanadium Oxide Prospect. These holes, of a reconnaissance nature, were designed to test vanadium values in the exploration target area (combined oxide and fresh exploration target potential* for 14-15km strike length and 300m down dip of 1.0 to 1.3 Billion tonnes @ 0.25 to 0.30% V2O5 at a 0.1% V2O5 cut-off) (refer ASX release 6 February 2015).* "The exploration potential quantity and grade is conceptual in nature, that there has been insufficient exploration to estimate a Mineral Resource and that it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the estimation of a Mineral Resource."Drilling at Kangaroo Kaves was also rapid through the soft weathered oxide material, with extensive ferruginous oxide zones being intersected on both drill section lines. Assays are awaited.Mr Matthew Hogan, MD, Venus Metals commented "We are very pleased that the drilling was completed on time and on budget. The updated JORC 2012 resource calculation will enable us to progress the next phases of metallurgical testing and scoping studies with confidence".To view tables and figures, please visit:About Venus Metals Corporation Limited

Venus Metals Corporation Limited (ASX:VMC) is a West Australian based Company with a focus on gold and base metals exploration. The Company aims to increase shareholder value through targeted exploration success on its projects.

The Company's major gold project is the Youanmi Gold Mine, located 500km north east of Perth. The Youanmi Gold Mine is now jointly owned by Venus Metals (30%) and Rox Resources Limited (70%) (OYG JV); Indicated and Inferred Resources of the mine is 1.7 million ounces of gold.

Exciting new discoveries at the Youanmi Gold Mine have been made at the Grace prospect in footwall granites where very high grades of free milling gold have been intersected, including 25m @34.7g/t Au from 143m (RXRC 287) and 13m @60.49 g/t from 181m (RXRC 239). The Grace Prospect may substantially add to the Youanmi Gold Mine resources.
The following companies are subsidiares of Mohawk Industries: A&S Energie NV, A&U Energie NV, Aladdin Manufacturing Corporation, Aladdin Manufacturing Of New York LLC, Aladdin Manufacturing of Alabama LLC, Alsace Logistique S.A., Avelgem Green Power CVBA, Avon Pacific Holdings Ltd, B&M NV, BGE Mexico S. de R. L. de C.V., Berghoef GmbH, Berghoef-Hout B.V., Bienes Raices y Materiales del Centro S. de R.L. de C.V., C.F. Marazzi S.A., Canterbury Spinners Ltd, Carpet Foundation Ltd, Cevotrans BV, Ceramus Bahia S/A  Produtos Ceramicos, DT Mex Holdings LLC, DTM/CM Holdings LLC, Dal Italia LLC, Dal-Elit LLC, Dal-Tile Chile Comercial Limitada, Dal-Tile Colombia S.A.S., Dal-Tile Distribution Inc., Dal-Tile Group Inc., Dal-Tile I LLC, Dal-Tile Industrias S. de R.L. de C.V., Dal-Tile International Inc., Dal-Tile Mexico Comercial S. de R.L. de C.V., Dal-Tile Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Dal-Tile Operaciones Mexico S. De R.L. De C.V., Dal-Tile Peru SRL, Dal-Tile Puerto Rico Inc., Dal-Tile Services Inc., Dal-Tile Shared Services Inc., Dal-Tile Tennessee LLC, Dal-Tile of Canada ULC, Daltile, Daltile, Dekaply NV, Durkan, Dynea NV, Eliane Argentina Sociedad Anonima, Eliane S/A - Revestimentos Ceramicos, Emilceramica India Pvt Ltd., Emilceramica S.r.l, Emilgermany GmbH, Emilgroup Asia Ltd, Explorer S.r.l., F.I.L.S. Investments Unlimited Company, Feltex Carpets Ltd, Feltex Carpets Pty Ltd, Feltex New Zealand Ltd, Fibremakers Australia Pty Ltd, Flooring Foundation Ltd, Flooring Industries Limited S.a r.l., Flooring XL B.V., Floorscape Limited, Godfrey Hirst & Co Pty Ltd, Godfrey Hirst (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Godfrey Hirst Australia Pty Ltd, Godfrey Hirst Group, Godfrey Hirst NZ Ltd, Hytherm (Ireland) Limited, IVC BVBA, IVC Far-East Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., IVC France S.a r.l., IVC GROUP LIMITED, IVC Green Power NV, IVC Group, IVC Group GmbH, IVC Luxembourg S.a r.l., IVC Rus OOO, IVC US Inc., International Flooring Systems S.a r.l., International Vinyl Company - Vostok OOO, KAI Group, KAI Keramica Ltd, KAI Mining EOOD, KERAMA CENTER OOO, Kerama Baltics OOO, Kerama Export OOO, Kerama Marazzi OOO, Kerampromservis (LLC), Khan Asparuh - Transport EOOD, Khan Asparuh AD, Khan Omurtag AD, Koninklijke Peitsman B.V., Kraj Kerama OOO, MG China Trading Ltd., MI Finance SRL, MUD (Holding) Brazil Ltda., Management Co EAD, Marazzi Acquisition S.r.l., Marazzi Deutschland G.m.b.H., Marazzi France Trading S.A.S., Marazzi Group, Marazzi Group F.Z.E., Marazzi Group S.r.l., Marazzi Group Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Marazzi Iberia S.L.U., Marazzi Japan Co. Ltd., Marazzi Middle East FZ LLC, Marazzi Schweiz S.A.G.L., Marazzi UK Ltd., Mohawk Assurance Services Inc., Mohawk Australia Pty Ltd, Mohawk Canada Corporation, Mohawk Capital Finance S.A., Mohawk Capital Luxembourg SA, Mohawk Carpet Distribution Inc., Mohawk Carpet Foundation Inc., Mohawk Carpet LLC, Mohawk Carpet Transportation Of Georgia LLC, Mohawk Commercial Inc., Mohawk ESV Inc., Mohawk Europe BVBA, Mohawk Factoring II Inc., Mohawk Factoring LLC, Mohawk Finance S.a r.l., Mohawk Foreign Acquisitions S.a r.l., Mohawk Foreign Funding S.a.r.l, Mohawk Foreign Holdings S.a r.l., Mohawk Foreign Investments Inc., Mohawk Global Investments S.a r.l., Mohawk Holdings International B.V., Mohawk Industries Inc., Mohawk International (Europe) S.a r.l., Mohawk International (Hong Kong) Limited, Mohawk International Capital N.V., Mohawk International Financing S.a.r.l, Mohawk International Holdings (DE) LLC, Mohawk International Holdings S.a r.l., Mohawk International Luxembourg S.a r.l., Mohawk International Netherlands B.V., Mohawk International Services BVBA, Mohawk KAI Luxembourg Holding S.a r.l., Mohawk KAI Luxembourg S.a r.l., Mohawk Luxembourg Capital S.A., Mohawk Luxembourg Financing S.a r.l., Mohawk Luxembourg Holdings S.a r.l., Mohawk Luxembourg Investments S.a r.l., Mohawk Luxembourg Pacific S.a r.l., Mohawk Marazzi International BV, Mohawk Marazzi Russia BV, Mohawk New Zealand Limited, Mohawk Operaciones Mexicali S. de R.L. de C.V., Mohawk Operations Luxembourg S.a r.l., Mohawk Pacific Investments S.a r.l., Mohawk Resources LLC, Mohawk Servicing LLC, Mohawk Singapore Private Limited, Mohawk Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Mohawk Unilin Luxembourg S.a r.l., Mohawk United Finance B.V., Mohawk United International B.V., Mohawk Vinyl Financing S.a r.l., Molber Beheer B.V., Monarch Ceramic Tile Inc., P.F. Onroerend Goed B.V., PF Beheer B.V., Pergo, Pergo (Europe) AB, Pergo Holding BV, Pergo India Pvt Ltd, Polcolorit S.A., Premium Floors Australia Pty Limited, RR Apex LLC, Rata International Pty Ltd, Recubrimientos Interceramica S. de R.L. de C.V., Riverside Textiles Pty Ltd, S.C. KAI Ceramics SRL, Sibir Kerama OOO, SimpleSolutions USA LLC, Soft Step (Australia) Pty Ltd, Spano Group, Spano Invest BVBA, Spano NV, Stroyagromekhzapchast ChaO, Stroytrans OAO Orelstroy, Summit Wool Spinners Ltd, The Flooring Federation Ltd, Tiles Co OOD, Unilin (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Unilin ApS, Unilin Arauco Pisos Ltda., Unilin BVBA, Unilin Beheer BV, Unilin Distribution Ltd., Unilin Distribution Ukraine LLC, Unilin Finland OY, Unilin Flooring India Private Limited, Unilin Flooring SAS, Unilin GmbH, Unilin Holding BVBA, Unilin Insulation BV, Unilin Insulation SAS, Unilin Insulation Sury SAS, Unilin Italia S.R.L., Unilin North America LLC, Unilin Norway AS, Unilin OOO, Unilin Panels SAS, Unilin Poland Sp.Z.o.o., Unilin SAS, Unilin Spain SL, Unilin Swiss GmbH, Unilin s.r.o., World International Inc., Xtratherm, Xtratherm Limited, Xtratherm S.A., and Xtratherm UK Limited.
Africa Energy Corp. operates as an oil and gas exploration and production company in South Africa and Namibia. It holds a 90% interest in the Exploration Right for Block 2B offshore that covers an area of 3,062 square kilometers located in the west coast of South Africa; 43.85% interest in the Petroleum Exploration License 37 covering an area of 17,295 square kilometers located in the northern Namibian offshore region; and 49% interest in the Exploration Right for Block 11B/12B covering an area of approximately 19,000 square kilometers located in the Outeniqua Basin off the southern coast of South Africa. The company was formerly known as Horn Petroleum Corporation and changed its name to Africa Energy Corp. in March 2015. Africa Energy Corp. was incorporated in 2010 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Avery Dennison: ADC PHILIPPINES INC., ADESPAN S.R.L., ADHIPRESS BANGLADESH LTD., AVERY CORP., AVERY DE MEXICO SRL DE CV, AVERY DENNISON (ASIA) HOLDINGS LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON (CHANGZHOU) FILMS TECHNOLOGY CO. LTD, AVERY DENNISON (CHINA) COMPANY LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON (FUZHOU) CONVERTED PRODUCTS LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON (GUANGZHOU) CO. LTD., AVERY DENNISON (GUANGZHOU) CONVERTED PRODUCTS LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON (GUANGZHOU) INTELLIGENT LABELS CO. LTD., AVERY DENNISON (HONG KONG) LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON (INDIA) PRIVATE LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON (IRELAND) LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON (KENYA) PRIVATE LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON (KUNSHAN) COMPANY LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON (MALAYSIA) SDN. BHD., AVERY DENNISON (QINGDAO) CONVERTED PRODUCTS LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON (SUZHOU) CO. LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON (THAILAND) LTD., AVERY DENNISON (VIETNAM) LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON AUSTRALIA GROUP HOLDINGS PTY LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON AUSTRALIA INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS PTY LTD., AVERY DENNISON AUSTRALIA PTY LTD., AVERY DENNISON BELGIE BVBA, AVERY DENNISON BELGIUM MANAGEMENT SERVICES SPRL, AVERY DENNISON BENELUX BVBA, AVERY DENNISON BV, AVERY DENNISON C.A., AVERY DENNISON CANADA CORPORATION, AVERY DENNISON CENTRAL EUROPE GMBH, AVERY DENNISON CHILE S.A., AVERY DENNISON COLOMBIA S. A. S., AVERY DENNISON COMMERCIAL EL SALVADOR S.A. DE C.V., AVERY DENNISON CONVERTED PRODUCTS DE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., AVERY DENNISON CONVERTED PRODUCTS EL SALVADOR S. A. DE C. V., AVERY DENNISON DE ARGENTINA S.R.L., AVERY DENNISON DO BRASIL LTDA., AVERY DENNISON DOMINICAN REPUBLIC S.R.L., AVERY DENNISON EGYPT LLC, AVERY DENNISON ETIKET TICARET LIMITED SIRKETI, AVERY DENNISON EUROPE HOLDING (DEUTSCHLAND) GMBH & CO KG, AVERY DENNISON FINANCE GERMANY GMBH, AVERY DENNISON G HOLDINGS I LLC, AVERY DENNISON G HOLDINGS III LLC, AVERY DENNISON G INVESTMENTS III LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON G INVESTMENTS V LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON GROUP DANMARK APS, AVERY DENNISON GROUP SINGAPORE PTE LTD, AVERY DENNISON GULF FZCO, AVERY DENNISON HOLDING & FINANCE THE NETHERLANDS BV, AVERY DENNISON HOLDING FRANCE, AVERY DENNISON HOLDING GMBH, AVERY DENNISON HOLDING LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON HOLDING LUXEMBOURG S. A. R. L., AVERY DENNISON HOLDINGS LLC, AVERY DENNISON HONG KONG B.V., AVERY DENNISON HONG KONG HOLDING I B.V., AVERY DENNISON IBERICA S.A., AVERY DENNISON INNOVATIONS LLC, AVERY DENNISON INTELLIGENT HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS LLC, AVERY DENNISON INTELLIGENT LABELS EUROPE S.R.L., AVERY DENNISON INTELLIGENT LABELS HK LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON INVESTMENT LUXEMBOURG II SARL, AVERY DENNISON INVESTMENTS LUXEMBOURG III SARL, AVERY DENNISON INVESTMENTS LUXEMBOURG IV SARL, AVERY DENNISON ISRAEL LTD., AVERY DENNISON ITALIA S.R.L., AVERY DENNISON JAPAN KK, AVERY DENNISON JAPAN MATERIALS COMPANY LTD., AVERY DENNISON KOREA LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON LABEL LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON LANKA (PRIVATE) LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON LUXEMBOURG S.A.R.L., AVERY DENNISON LUXEMBOURG SALES SARL, AVERY DENNISON MANAGEMENT GMBH, AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS BELGIUM SPRL, AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS EUROPE B.V., AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS EUROPE GMBH, AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS FRANCE S.A.R.L., AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS GMBH, AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS IRELAND LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS NEDERLAND BV, AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS NEW ZEALAND LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS PTY LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS ROM SRL, AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS RUSSIA LLC, AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS SALES BELGIUM SPRL, AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS SALES FRANCE S. A. S., AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS SALES GERMANY GMBH, AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS SDN BHD, AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS U.K. LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON MATERIALS UKRAINE LLC, AVERY DENNISON MAURITIUS LTD., AVERY DENNISON MEDICAL LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON MOROCCO SARL, AVERY DENNISON NETHERLANDS INVESTMENT I BV, AVERY DENNISON NETHERLANDS INVESTMENT II B. V., AVERY DENNISON NETHERLANDS INVESTMENT III BV, AVERY DENNISON NETHERLANDS INVESTMENT VII B.V., AVERY DENNISON NETHERLANDS INVESTMENT VIII BV, AVERY DENNISON NETHERLANDS INVESTMENT X BV, AVERY DENNISON NETHERLANDS INVESTMENT XI COOPERATIEF U.A., AVERY DENNISON NETHERLANDS INVESTMENT XII BV, AVERY DENNISON NORDIC APS, AVERY DENNISON NTP A. S., AVERY DENNISON OFFICE PRODUCTS COMPANY, AVERY DENNISON OFFICE PRODUCTS HOLDINGS COMPANY, AVERY DENNISON OFFICE PRODUCTS MANUFACTURING U.K. LTD., AVERY DENNISON OVERSEAS CORPORATION, AVERY DENNISON PENSION TRUSTEE LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON PERU S. R. L., AVERY DENNISON POLSKA SP. Z O.O., AVERY DENNISON PRAHA SPOL. S R. O., AVERY DENNISON R.I.S. FRANCE S. A. S., AVERY DENNISON R.I.S. IBERIA S.L., AVERY DENNISON R.I.S. ITALIA S.R.L., AVERY DENNISON RBIS (CAMBODIA) CO. LTD, AVERY DENNISON RBIS (CAMBODIA) TRADING CO. LTD, AVERY DENNISON RBIS PTY LTD, AVERY DENNISON RETAIL INFORMATION SERVICES (PTY) LTD, AVERY DENNISON RETAIL INFORMATION SERVICES COLOMBIA S. A. S., AVERY DENNISON RETAIL INFORMATION SERVICES DE MEXICO S. A. DE C.V., AVERY DENNISON RETAIL INFORMATION SERVICES EL SALVADOR LTDA. DE C. V., AVERY DENNISON RETAIL INFORMATION SERVICES GUATEMALA S. A., AVERY DENNISON RETAIL INFORMATION SERVICES HONDURAS S. DE R.L., AVERY DENNISON RETAIL INFORMATION SERVICES LLC, AVERY DENNISON RETAIL INFORMATION SERVICES PERU SAC, AVERY DENNISON RETAIL INFORMATION SERVICES UK LTD., AVERY DENNISON RFID COMPANY, AVERY DENNISON RIS KOREA LTD., AVERY DENNISON RIS TAIWAN LTD., AVERY DENNISON RIS VIETNAM CO. LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON S.A. DE C.V., AVERY DENNISON S.R.L., AVERY DENNISON SCANDINAVIA AB, AVERY DENNISON SCANDINAVIA APS, AVERY DENNISON SECURITY PRINTING EUROPE APS, AVERY DENNISON SHARED SERVICES INC., AVERY DENNISON SINGAPORE (PTE) LTD., AVERY DENNISON SOUTH AFRICA (PROPRIETARY) LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON SUPPORT SERVICES, AVERY DENNISON SYSTEMES D'ETIQUETAGE FRANCE S.A.S., AVERY DENNISON TEKSTIL URUNLERI SANAYI VE TICARET LIMITED SIRKETI, AVERY DENNISON TRADING COMPANY LTD, AVERY DENNISON TREASURY MANAGEMENT BV, AVERY DENNISON U.K. II LIMITED, AVERY DENNISON U.K. LIMITED, AVERY GRAPHIC SYSTEMS INC., AVERY LLC, AVERY OFFICE PRODUCTS PUERTO RICO L.L.C., AVERY PACIFIC LLC, AVERY PROPERTIES PTY. LIMITED, AWESOME PROFITS LTD, BEST COURAGE INTERNATIONAL LIMITED, CHOICE CLEVER PROFITS LTD, CREATERO GMBH, DENNISON INTERNATIONAL COMPANY, DENNISON MANUFACTURING COMPANY, DM Label Group, Dunsirn Industries, EUSTON FINANCIAL LIMITED, EVERGREEN HOLDING SARL, EVERGREEN HOLDINGS V LLC, Finesse Medical, HANITA COATINGS (KUNSHAN) CO. LTD, HANITA COATINGS EUROPE B.V., HANITA COATINGS USA LLC, HANITA EUROPA GMBH, HEBEI YONGLE TAPE CO. LTD., Hanita Coatings, INK MILL LLC, JAC ASIA PACIFIC SDN BHD, JAC CARIBE C.S.Z., JAC DO BRASIL - LOCACAO DE EQUIPAMENTOS INDUSTRIAIS LTDA, JACKSTADT FRANCE S.N.C., JDC Solutions, JINTEX LIMITED, Jackstadt GmbH, L&E AMERICAS SERVICIOS S. A. DE C.V., L&E Packaging, MACTAC ASIA-PACIFIC SELF-ADHESIVE PRODUCTS PTE LTD, MACtac Europe S.A., MARKSTAR INTERNATIONAL LIMITED, MODERN MARK INTERNATIONAL LIMITED, NINGBO AVERY DENNISON SHENZHOU EMBELLISHMENT CO. LTD., P. T. PACIFIC LABEL INDONESIA, P. T. PAXAR INDONESIA, PAXAR (CHINA) LTD., PAXAR B.V., PAXAR BANGLADESH LIMITED, PAXAR CANADA CORPORATION, PAXAR CORPORATION, PAXAR DE EL SALVADOR S. A. DE C. V., PAXAR DE GUATEMALA S. A., PAXAR DE MEXICO S. A. DE C. V., PAXAR DO BRASIL LTDA, PAXAR FAR EAST LIMITED, PAXAR PACKAGING (GUANGZHOU) LTD., PAXAR PAKISTAN (PRIVATE) LIMITED, PLYMOUTH YONGLE TAPE (SHANGHAI) CO. LTD, PT AVERY DENNISON INDONESIA, PT AVERY DENNISON PACKAGING INDONESIA, RVL AMERICAS S DE R.L. DE C.V., RVL CENTRAL AMERICA S. A., RVL PACKAGING FAR EAST LIMITED, RVL Packaging Inc., RVL SERVICE S. DE R. L. DE C. V., Rinke Etiketten GmbH, SECURITY PRINTING DIVISION INC., SKILLFIELD INVESTMENTS LIMITED, Stimsonite Corp, TIGER EIGHT GROUP LIMITED, WORLDWIDE RISK INSURANCE INC., YONGLE TAPE LTD, and Yongle Tape Co.
Invesco Quality Municipal Income Trust is a closed-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 of the United States. The fund primarily invests in investment grade municipal securities which include municipal bonds, municipal notes, and municipal commercial paper. It employs fundamental analysis with bottom-up security selection approach to create its portfolio. The fund was previously known as Morgan Stanley Quality Municipal Income Trust. Invesco Quality Municipal Income Trust was formed on September 29, 1992 and is domiciled in the United States.

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Steven Cameron, Pensions Director at Aegon said:The latest Scottish Budget has confirmed that many of those living North of the border will be paying substantially more income tax than someone on equal earnings in the rest of the UK. In his October Budget, the UK Chancellor announced that from April, those earning up to 50k would not pay higher rate income tax. But as income tax bands and rates are devolved, this didnt apply to workers in Scotland. The Scottish Financial Secretary has now dashed hopes of an equivalent rise for Scots, leaving the higher rate tax threshold unchanged at 43,430, 6,570 lower than in the rest of the UK. This means people in Scotland start paying higher rate tax on earnings 6,570 sooner than their counterparts elsewhere in the UK. Many also pay income tax at higher percentage rates, which for those earning above 43,430 is 41%. Someone earning 50k in England, Wales or Northern Ireland would pay 7,500 in income tax from the 2019/20 tax year, while someone earning the same figure in Scotland would pay 9,044 which is 1,544 a year more or 128 a month extra. This is a significant sum and will increase pressure on the Scottish Government to demonstrate what extra services Scottish taxpayers are receiving for the difference. This is particularly relevant as the minority Scottish Government needs the backing of other Scottish parties to pass its Budget. To make matters worse, Scots face a double whammy because in line with the rest of the UK, they will pay National Insurance at a rate of 12% on earnings up to 50k, before this reduces to 2% on earnings above this level. So from next April, a Scottish resident earning 50k or above will pay an extra 340 per year in National Insurance. While this will also be the case across the UK, someone earning 50k in the rest of the UK, is saving 860 a year in income tax, giving them a boost to take-home pay of 520 a year from next April compared to currently. The one silver lining concerns pensions tax relief which is granted at the individuals highest marginal income tax rate. This means someone in Scotland earning 49,999 will be entitled to up to 41% tax relief on their pension contributions, whereas someone earning the same in the rest of the UK would be entitled to only 20% tax relief. For this individual in Scotland, a pension contribution of 6,570 would avoid them paying higher rate tax entirely. Some employers will also allow individuals to sacrifice part of their salary in return for this being paid as an employer contribution into their pension. This has the further benefit of meaning the individual doesnt pay NI on the amount sacrificed. Someone earning 49,999 paying pensions contributions through salary sacrifice could save not only 41% income tax but also 12% National Insurance.


Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA engages in the traditional banking businesses of retail banking, asset management, private banking, and wholesale banking. It operates through the following segments: Spain, the United States, Mexico, Turkey, South America, and Rest of Eurasia. The Spain segment includes mainly the banking and insurance business that the group carries out in Spain. The United States segment consists of the financial business activity of BBVA USA in the country and the activity of the branch of BBVA SA in New York. The Mexico segment refers to banking and insurance businesses in this country as well as the activity of its branch in Houston. The Turkey segment reports the activity of Garanti BBVA group that is mainly carried out in this country and, to a lesser extent, in Romania and the Netherlands. The South America segment comprises of operations in n Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The Rest of Eurasia segment includes the banking business activity carried out by the group in Europe and Asia, excluding Spain. The company was founded in 1857 and is headquartered in Madrid, Spain.

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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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 American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. All rights reserved.

326 E 8th St #105, Sioux Falls, SD 57103 | U.S. Based Support Team at [email protected]arketbeat.com | (844) 978-6257

MarketBeat does not provide personalized financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security.



Our Accessibility Statement | Terms of Service | Do Not Sell My Information



 2021 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research.
The following companies are subsidiares of BorgWarner: B80 Italia S.r.l., BERU AG, BW El Salto S.A. De C.V., BWA Receivables Corporation, BWA Turbo Systems Holding LLC, Borg Warner Europe Holdings (PDS) B. V., BorgWarner (China) Investment Co. Ltd., BorgWarner (Reman) Holdings L.L.C., BorgWarner (Thailand) Limited, BorgWarner Aftermarket Europe GmbH, BorgWarner Alternators Inc., BorgWarner Arden LLC, BorgWarner Arnstadt RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Asia Inc., BorgWarner Automotive Asia Limited, BorgWarner Automotive Components (Beijing) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Automotive Components (Jiangsu) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Automotive Components (Ningbo) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Automotive Components (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Automotive Components (Wuhan) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Brasil Ltda., BorgWarner Chungju Co. LLC, BorgWarner Comercial e Distribuidora de Pecas para Veiculos Automotores Ltda., BorgWarner Comercializadora PDS S. de R.L. de C.V., BorgWarner Componentes PDS S. de R.L. de C.V., BorgWarner Cooling Systems (India) Private Limited, BorgWarner Cooling Systems GmbH, BorgWarner Diversified Transmission Products Services Inc., BorgWarner Drivetrain Engineering GmbH, BorgWarner Drivetrain Management Services de Mexico S.A. de C.V., BorgWarner Drivetrain de Mexico S.A. de C.V., BorgWarner Electric Motors L.L.C., BorgWarner Emissions Systems (Ningbo) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Emissions Systems (Ningbo) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Emissions Systems Holding LLC, BorgWarner Emissions Systems India Private Limited, BorgWarner Emissions Systems LLC, BorgWarner Emissions Systems Portugal Unipessoal LDA, BorgWarner Emissions Systems Spain S.L.U., BorgWarner Emissions Systems of Michigan Inc., BorgWarner Emissions Talegaon Private Limited, BorgWarner Engineering Ketsch RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Engineering Kibo RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Esslingen GmbH, BorgWarner Europe GmbH, BorgWarner Europe Holding S.a. r. l., BorgWarner Gateshead Limited, BorgWarner Germany Holding GmbH, BorgWarner Germany Holding Services GmbH, BorgWarner Germany REH GmbH, BorgWarner Germany REM GmbH, BorgWarner Germany Verwaltungs GmbH, BorgWarner Global Holding S.a. r. l., BorgWarner Heidelberg I RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Heidelberg II RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Heidelberg REH GmbH, BorgWarner Heidelberg REM GmbH, BorgWarner Holding Inc., BorgWarner Holdings Limited, BorgWarner Hungary Kft., BorgWarner IT Services Europe GmbH, BorgWarner India Holdings Inc., BorgWarner Investment Holding Inc., BorgWarner Ithaca LLC, BorgWarner Ketsch Plant RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Ketsch REH GmbH, BorgWarner Ketsch REM GmbH, BorgWarner Kft., BorgWarner Kibo RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Korea Holdings (PDS) B.V., BorgWarner Korea Holdings LLC, BorgWarner Korea LLC, BorgWarner Limited, BorgWarner Ludwigsburg GmbH, BorgWarner Ludwigsburg RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Markdorf Plant RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner Markdorf REH GmbH, BorgWarner Markdorf REM GmbH, BorgWarner Massachusetts Inc., BorgWarner Mauritius Holdings Ltd., BorgWarner Mexico Holding BV, BorgWarner Mexico Holdings II LLC, BorgWarner Mexico Holdings LLC, BorgWarner Morse Systems India Private Limited, BorgWarner Morse Systems Italy S.r.l., BorgWarner Morse Systems Japan K.K., BorgWarner Morse Systems Mexico S.A. de C.V., BorgWarner Muggendorf RE GmbH & Co. KG, BorgWarner NW Inc., BorgWarner Netherlands Holdings (PDS) B.V., BorgWarner Oroszlany Kft., BorgWarner PDS (Anderson) L.L.C., BorgWarner PDS (Changnyeong) LLC, BorgWarner PDS (Indiana) Inc., BorgWarner PDS (Livonia) Inc., BorgWarner PDS (Ochang) LLC, BorgWarner PDS (Thailand) Limited, BorgWarner PDS (USA) Inc., BorgWarner PDS Brasil Produtos Automotivos Ltda., BorgWarner PDS Irapuato S. de R.L. de C.V., BorgWarner PDS Mexico Holdings S. de R.L. de C.V., BorgWarner PDS Technologies L.L.C., BorgWarner Poland Sp. z o.o., BorgWarner Pyongtaek LLC, BorgWarner Romeo Power LLC, BorgWarner Rzeszow Sp. z o.o., BorgWarner Shenglong (Ningbo) Co. Ltd., BorgWarner South Asia LLC, BorgWarner Southborough Inc., BorgWarner Spain Holding S.L.U, BorgWarner Sweden AB, BorgWarner Systems Lugo S.r.l., BorgWarner Thermal Systems Inc., BorgWarner Thermal Systems of Michigan Inc., BorgWarner TorqTransfer Systems Beijing Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Tralee Ltd., BorgWarner Transmission Products LLC, BorgWarner Transmission Systems Arnstadt GmbH, BorgWarner Transmission Systems GmbH, BorgWarner Transmission Systems Korea LLC, BorgWarner Transmission Systems Tulle S.A.S., BorgWarner Trustees Limited, BorgWarner Turbo & Emissions Systems France S.A.S., BorgWarner Turbo Systems Engineering GmbH, BorgWarner Turbo Systems GmbH, BorgWarner Turbo Systems LLC, BorgWarner Turbo Systems Worldwide Headquarters GmbH, BorgWarner Turbo Systems of Michigan Inc., BorgWarner Turbo and Emissions Systems de Mexico S.A. de C.V., BorgWarner UK Financing Ltd., BorgWarner UK Holding and Services Ltd., BorgWarner US Holding LLC, BorgWarner USA Industries L.L.C., BorgWarner United Transmission Systems Co. Ltd., BorgWarner Waterloo Inc., BorgWarner Wrexham Limited, Cascadia Motion LLC, Creon Insurance Agency Limited, Delphi Technologies, Dytech ENSA, Gustav Wahler GmbH u. Co. KG, Haldex, Kuhlman LLC, Kysor Europe Limited, M. & M. Knopf Auto Parts L.L.C., NSK-Warner (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., NSK-Warner K.K., NSK-Warner Mexico S.A. de C.V, NSK-Warner U.S.A. Inc., New PDS Corp., Old Remco Holdings L.L.C., Old Remco International Holdings L.L.C., Remy International, SeohanWarner Turbo Systems LLC, Sevcon, Sevcon New Energy Technology (Hubei) Company Limited, and Transmission Systems AutoForm LLC.
The survey shows this mid-career group of employees (35-49 years of age) are the least likely to think they will have enough savings when they retire. Additionally, debt remains a problem for many, and  maybe surprisingly - it is people who are in their mid-careers who seem to find it hardest to save, with around a third of people in this group thinking they could not come up with 1,000 in an emergency. While the introduction of more flexibility in the UK pensions market by the Government in 2015 means that employees now have more retirement options, other factors such as increases in property prices and debt levels are creating financial challenges. Sophia Singleton, partner and head of DC Consulting at Aon, said: "This years survey highlights that people mid-career are the least likely to rate their overall financial situation as good and are the most likely to have debts. They are also the least likely to be engaged with their company pension and are the ones who feel more squeezed and worried about their savings. They are concerned that they will have to work longer while still not knowing how they will be placed financially at retirement. We need to engage with the squeezed middle now - before it becomes too late. Disconnect between perception and reality

While 72% of all respondents said they feel confident about making financial decisions that affect their future, 59% do not feel they are saving enough for their long-term needs. Additionally, around half of the respondents say they cannot afford to save more, but 28% say nothing is preventing them from saving more. Sophia Singleton added: Employers and trustees have the potential to reach and support huge numbers of individuals, with economies of scale. They can offer services and tools aiming to improve current and future financial wellbeing and reduce workforce stress, which can have real business benefits. Retirement income and the importance of employer guidance

Most employees expect a main source of retirement income to come from their current or former employer scheme (59%). However, more than half of respondents did not know how much money they will need to save before they can fully retire  for those who are approaching retirement this figure remains high at 41%. Over half (57%) worry about running out of money in retirement and almost 60% worry they will not have the money to retire when they want to. Respondents also worry about their future quality of life. One in three members of Defined Contribution pension (DC) plans expect a decline in their living standards when they retire and 25% do not know what to expect in terms of retirement income. As far as contribution levels are concerned, 60% of those surveyed rely on their employer to set the amount they will be saving into their DC pot, with only 20% of the respondents taking advantage of the maximum matching levels. 20% of employees do not even know how much their employers contribute to their DC pension scheme. Steven Leigh, senior consultant at Aon said: "Aon's 2018 survey highlights the importance of the role of employers in designing pension savings for their workforce. Many employees rely on the set-up offered so the pension design needs appropriate contribution levels, considering long-term objectives for individuals and for the business. Trustees will be concerned at the number of DC members expecting a fall in living standards or that do not know what income to expect in retirement." Financial wellbeing

On-site, face to face, financial education is highly prized, with individuals in the early part of their careers the group that would most like their employer to provide some sort of support on managing day-to-day financial needs. When it comes to specific topics, support with saving for retirement is the most popular request from employees across all age ranges. Martin Parish, area director at Aon, said: Individuals often lack understanding when making financial decisions and managing their savings  and as such, they may not be taking action to meet any shortfalls or to cover risks. Employers have a key role to play in providing guidance and education on financial matters and wellbeing, in order to help employees avoid disappointments during their careers. Employees are expecting more support from their employers  46% of the respondents said they would appreciate more help from their employers. Individuals will have different priorities at different stages of their careers, so it is important that employers and trustees work together to consider a plan to support their employees on an ongoing basis. Retirement age new realism

The transition between work and retirement is becoming less distinct and people are planning to leave employment later in life - if at all. Less than a third of respondents say that they expect to fully retire at retirement age, while less than half expect to retire by age 67; 25% percent expect to still be working at the age of 70 and 14% expect to go on working forever. Sophia Singleton concluded: Expectations about retirement differ from individual to individual, with many likely to be working while drawing from their pension in the future. Therefore, for DC pension members, there is a real need to ensure they have the flexibility in their workplace pension arrangement to align with their retirement plans and that the right support is available to help them make appropriate choices. Other findings from the survey include:

 The desire for annuities continues to fall, down to 16% from 20% two years ago

 More DC pension members expect to choose flexible drawdown to take regular income from their pension scheme, 43% of the respondents compared to 38% in 2016

 55% of the respondents think their employer scheme is generous or good

 60% of respondents nearing retirement expect to rely on the state pension as one of their main sources of income at retirement, compared to 42% of those in their early or mid-career

 28% of the respondents think there is nothing stopping them from saving more The Aon DC and Financial Wellbeing Member Survey 2018 is based on a survey of over 1,000 full-time UK employees with access to DC plans through their employer, as well as real life experiences from participants in Aons DC pension and financial wellbeing focus groups. The research was conducted in summer 2018 in collaboration with Ipsos.


Our portfolio of high quality UK commercial property is focused on London Offices and Retail around the UK. We own or manage a portfolio valued at A13.7bn (British Land share: A10.3bn) as at 30 September 2020 making us one of Europe's largest listed real estate investment companies. Our strategy is to provide places which meet the needs of our customers and respond to changing lifestyles - Places People Prefer. We do this by creating great environments both inside and outside our buildings and use our scale and placemaking skills to enhance and enliven them. This expands their appeal to a broader range of occupiers, creating enduring demand and driving sustainable, long term performance. Our Offices portfolio comprises three office-led campuses in central London as well as high quality standalone buildings and accounts for 65% of our portfolio. Our Retail portfolio is focused on retail parks and shopping centres, and accounts for 31% of our portfolio. Increasingly our focus is on providing a mix of uses and this is most evident at Canada Water, our 53 acre redevelopment opportunity where we have plans to create a new neighbourhood for London. Sustainability is embedded throughout our business. Our places, which are designed to meet high sustainability standards, become part of local communities, provide opportunities for skills development and employment and promote wellbeing. In April 2016 British Land received the Queen's Award for Enterprise: Sustainable Development, the UK's highest accolade for business success for economic, social and environmental achievements over a period of five years.

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Cenovus Energy Inc., together with its subsidiaries, develops, produces, and markets crude oil, natural gas liquids, and natural gas in Canada, the United States and the Asia Pacific region. The company operates through Oil Sands, Conventional, and Refining and Marketing segments. The Oil Sands segment develops and produces bitumen in northeast Alberta. Its bitumen assets include Foster Creek, Christina Lake, and Narrows Lake, as well as other projects in the early stages of development. The Conventional segment holds assets primarily located in Elmworth-Wapiti, Kaybob-Edson, and Clearwater operating areas of British Columbia and Alberta, as well as various interests in natural gas processing facilities. The Refining and Marketing segment transports and sells crude oil, natural gas, and NGLs. This segment owns a 50% ownership in Wood River and Borger refineries located in the United States; and owns and operates a crude-by-rail terminal in Alberta. Cenovus Energy Inc. was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

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Command Security Corporation provides uniformed security officers and aviation security services in the United States. It operates through Security and Aviation Safeguards divisions. The Security division offers armed and unarmed uniformed security personnel for access control, loss prevention, mobile patrols, traffic control, security console/system operators, and fire safety directors, as well as personnel for reception, concierge, and front desk/doorman operations. This division serves governmental, quasi-governmental, and financial institutions; colleges and universities; healthcare facilities; residential communities; and commercial real estate, industrial, distribution, logistics, and retail customers. The Aviation Safeguards division provides various uniformed services for domestic and international air carriers, including security for airlines, aircraft, passengers, and cargo; and baggage screening, wheelchair escort, special escort, and skycap services. This division serves approximately 150 domestic and international airlines, airports, airport authorities, and the general aviation community at approximately 9 international airports. The company also offers labor and operations management services, such as scheduling, reporting, payroll, billing, and training management services. Command Security Corporation was founded in 1980 and is based in Herndon, Virginia.

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DowDuPont Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in agriculture, materials science, and specialty products businesses in the United States, Canada, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The company's Agriculture segment produces, and sells hybrid corn seed and soybean seed varieties; sunflowers, wheat, alfalfa, canola, cotton, rice, and sorghum; silage inoculants; and crop protection products that include weed control, disease control, and insect control. Its Performance Materials & Coatings segment manufactures and sells architectural paints and coatings, and industrial coatings; performance monomers and silicones; standalone silicones; and home and personal care solutions. The company's Industrial Intermediates & Infrastructure segment offers ethylene oxides, propylene oxide derivatives, cellulose ethers, redispersible latex powders, and acrylic emulsions; sustainable solutions; and chlorine and caustic soda. Its Packaging & Specialty Plastics segment provides ethylene, and propylene and aromatic products; and polyolefin elastomers and ethylene propylene diene monomer rubbers. The company's Electronics & Imaging segment offers materials and systems for mobile devices, television monitors, personal computers, and electronics. Its Nutrition & Biosciences segment provides specialty ingredients, as well as cellulosic- and alginates-based pharma excipients; and enzymes, biomaterials, biocides, and antimicrobial solutions and process technologies. The company's Transportation & Advanced Polymers segment offers engineering resins, adhesives, lubricants, and parts for transportation, electronics, healthcare, industrial, and consumer end-markets. Its Safety & Construction segment provides engineered products and integrated systems for construction, worker safety, energy, oil and gas, transportation, medical device, and water purification and separation industries. The company was founded in 1897 and is headquartered in Midland, Michigan.

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Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Limited, an investment holding company, manufactures and sells BMW vehicles and automotive components in the People's Republic of China and internationally. The company offers minibuses under the JinBei, Renault, Haise, Grand Haise, and Granse brands, as well as multi-purpose vehicles under the Huasong brand. Its automotive components include moldings, seats, axles, safety and airbag systems, and interior decoration products, as well as engines for minibuses, sedans, sport utility vehicles, light duty trucks, etc. The company also provides BMW sport activity vehicles. In addition, it offers auto-financing services to customers and dealers. Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Limited has strategic partnerships and alliances with BMW, Toyota, Magna, Bosch, Continental, Delphi, TI Automotive, and Johnson Controls. The company was incorporated in 1992 and is headquartered in Central, Hong Kong.

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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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Tailored Brands, Inc. (NYSE:TLRD) released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March, 18th. The company reported ($0.46) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the Zacks' consensus estimate of ($0.54) by $0.08. The firm earned $690.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $708.46 million. Tailored Brands had a negative trailing twelve-month return on equity of 138.49% and a negative net margin of 14.39%. The business's revenue was down 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.28) EPS.

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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 Dover: Accelerated Production Systems, Acme Elevator, Advansor A/S, Advansor Dover International (Poland) sp. z o.o, Advansor Germany GmbH, Alfred Fueling Systems Holdco Ltd., Alfred Fueling Systems Inc., Alfred Fueling Systems Intermediate Holdco Ltd., All-Flo Pump Company, Anman LLC, Anthony Equity Holdings Inc., Anthony Holdings Inc., Anthony Inc., Anthony International, Anthony International Foreign Sales Corp., Anthony International Holding Company, Anthony Mexico Holdings LLC, Anthony North Holdco Inc., Anthony Specialty Glass LLC, Anthony TemperBent GP LLC, Auto Glanz Solutions LLC, Automatik Grundstucksverwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG, Automatik Plastics Machinery (Taiwan) Ltd., BSC Filters Limited, Background2 Limited, Belanger, Belanger Inc., Belvac Middle East FZE, Belvac Production Machinery Inc., Blackmer, BlitzRotary GmbH, Butler Engineering and Marketing S.P.A., CDS Visual, CEP Liquidation LLC, CP Formation LLC, CPC Europe Inc., CPI Products Inc., Caldera, Canada Organization & Development LLC, Chief Automotive Technologies (Shanghai) Trading Company Ltd., Chippewa Square Captive Insurance Company, Colder Products Company, Colder Products Company GmbH, Colder Products Company LTD, Cook Compression BV, Cook Compression LLC, Cook Compression Limited, Cook-MFS Inc., DD1 Inc., DDI Properties Inc., DE-STA-CO Benelux B.V., DE-STA-CO FRANCE, DE-STA-CO Shanghai Co. Ltd., DESTACO UK Limited, DFH Corporation, DFS Netherlands B.V., DSR BZ Holdings LLC, Datamax International Corp, De Sta Co (Asia) Company Limited, De-Sta-Co Cylinders Inc., DeStaCo Europe GmbH, Delaware Capital Formation Inc., Delaware Capital Holdings Inc., Dover (China) Investment Co. Ltd., Dover (Schweiz) Holding GmbH, Dover (Shanghai) Industrial Co. Ltd., Dover (Shenzhen) Industrial Equipment Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Dover (Suzhou) Industrial Equipment Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Dover Asia Trading Private Ltd., Dover Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Dover Business Services EMEA Limited, Dover Business Services LLC, Dover Business Services Philippines Corporation, Dover CLP Formation Limited Partnership, Dover CR spol s r.o., Dover Canada Holdings ULC, Dover Canada Operations ULC, Dover Corporation Regional Headquarters, Dover DEI Services Inc., Dover Denmark Holdings ApS, Dover EMEA FZCO, Dover Energy UK Ltd, Dover Engineered Products Segment Inc., Dover Europe Inc., Dover Europe Sarl, Dover Fluids UK Ltd, Dover France Holdings, Dover France Participations, Dover France Technologies, Dover Fueling Solutions Segment Inc., Dover Fueling Solutions UK Limited, Dover Germany GmbH, Dover Global Holdings LLC, Dover Holdings de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Dover Imaging & Identification Segment Inc., Dover India Pvt. Ltd., Dover Intercompany Services UK Limited, Dover International B.V., Dover International Operations Inc., Dover International Ventures Inc., Dover International Ventures Tunisia S.a.r.l., Dover International ithalat ihracat ve Pazarlama Limited Sirketi, Dover Italy Holdings S.r.l., Dover Luxembourg Finance Sarl, Dover Luxembourg Participations Sarl, Dover Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Dover Luxembourg Services Sarl, Dover Operations South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Dover Overseas Ventures Inc., Dover Pumps & Process Solutions Segment Inc., Dover Refrigeration & Food Equipment Segment Inc., Dover Refrigeration & Food Equipment UK Ltd, Dover Resources International de Mexico S. de R.L. C.V., Dover Solutions Colombia SAS, Dover Southeast Asia (Thailand) Ltd., Dover Spain Holdings S.L., Dover UK Pensions Limited, Dover WSCR Holding LLC, Dover WSCR LLC, Dover do Brasil Ltda., Dow-Key Microwave Corporation, Dresser Wayne Data Technology (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Dresser Wayne Fuel Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., EOA Systems Inc., Ebs-Ray Holdings Pty Ltd, Ebs-Ray Industries Pty. Ltd., Ebs-Ray Pumps Pty. Ltd., Em-tec, Espy, Ettlinger, Ettlinger Kunststoffmaschinen GmbH, Fairbanks Environmental Limited, Fibrelite Composites Limited, Fibresec Holdings Limited, Fibresec Limited, Finder, GAL LLC, GIIER LLC, Gala Industries, Gala Kunststoff-und Kautschukmaschinen GmbH, Guangdong Tokheim LIYUAN Oil Industry Technology Limited Company, Highland Park Insurance Company, Hill PHOENIX Inc., Hill PHOENIX WIC LLC, Hill Phoenix Costa Rica Sociedad De Responsabilidad Limitada, Hill Phoenix El Salvador Limitada de Capital Variable, Hill Phoenix Guatemala Sociedad Anonima, Hill Phoenix Honduras Sociedad Anonima, Hill Phoenix Nicaragua Sociedad Anonima, Hill Phoenix de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Hiltap Fittings Ltd., Hydro Systems Company, Hydro Systems Europe Ltd., Hydronova Australia-NZ Pty Ltd, Industrial Motion Control LLC, Innovative Control Systems, Innovative Control Systems Inc., Inpro/Seal LLC, JK Group, JK Group S.P.A., JK Group USA Inc., K S Boca Inc., K&L Microwave DR Inc., K&L Microwave Inc., KPS (Beijing) Petroleum Equipment Trading Co Ltd., KPS Fueling Solutions Sdn. Bhd., KPS Hong Kong Holding Limited, KPS UK Limited, KS Formation Inc., KS Liquidation Inc., KSLP Liquidation L.P., Kiian Digital (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Knappco LLC, Knowles Electronics, LIQAL, Liquip, Liquip International Pty Limited, MAAG, MARKEM FZ SA, MARKEM-IMAJE Corporation, MIP Holdings Inc., MS Printing Solutions, MS Printing Solutions S.R.L., Maag Automatik GmbH, Maag Automatik Plastics Machinery (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Maag Gala Inc., Maag Italy S.R.L., Maag Pump Systems, Maag Pump Systems (US) Inc., Maag Pump Systems AG, Maag Reduction Inc., Maag Service (Malaysia) Sdn. Bdn., Maag Systems (Thailand) Limited, Marathon Equipment Company (Delaware), Markem Imaje Center of Competencies Spain S.L.U., Markem-Imaje, Markem-Imaje (China) Co. Limited, Markem-Imaje - Unipessoal Lda, Markem-Imaje A/S, Markem-Imaje AB, Markem-Imaje AG, Markem-Imaje AS, Markem-Imaje B.V., Markem-Imaje CSAT GmbH, Markem-Imaje Co. Ltd., Markem-Imaje GmbH, Markem-Imaje Holding, Markem-Imaje Identificacao de Produtos Ltda., Markem-Imaje Inc., Markem-Imaje India Private Limited, Markem-Imaje Industries, Markem-Imaje Industries Limited, Markem-Imaje KK, Markem-Imaje LLC, Markem-Imaje Limited, Markem-Imaje Limited, Markem-Imaje Ltd., Markem-Imaje N.V., Markem-Imaje Oy, Markem-Imaje Philippines Corporation, Markem-Imaje Pty Ltd, Markem-Imaje S.A., Markem-Imaje S.A. de C.V., Markem-Imaje S.r.l., Markem-Imaje SAS, Markem-Imaje Sdn Bhd, Markem-Imaje Singapore Pte. Ltd., Markem-Imaje Spain S.A.U, Markpoint Holding AB, Midland Manufacturing LLC, Mouvex, Northern Lights (Nevada) Inc., Northern Lights Funding LP, Northern Lights Investments LLC, Nova Controls Inc., OK International, OK International (UK) Ltd., OK International Holdings Inc., OK International Inc., OPW Engineered Systems Inc., OPW Fluid Transfer Group Europe B.V., OPW Fluid Transfer Solutions (Jiang Su) Co. Ltd., OPW Fluids Group Inc., OPW France, OPW Fuel Management Systems Inc., OPW Fueling Components (SuZhou) Co. Ltd., OPW Fueling Components LLC, OPW Iberia Sociedad Limitada, OPW Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., OPW Slovakia s.r.o., OPW Sweden AB, Officine Meccaniche Sirio S.R.L., PDQ Manufacturing, PDQ Manufacturing Inc., PISCES by OPW Inc., PSD Codax Holdings Limited, PSD Codax Limited, PSG (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, PSG (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., PSG California LLC, PSG Germany GmbH, Petro Vend Sp. z o.o., Pike Machine Products Inc., Pole/Zero Acquisition Inc., Precision Brasil Equipamentos E Servicos Para Postos De Combustiveis Ltda., Precision Service - Servicos De Manutencao E Instalacao De Postos De Abastecimento De Combustivel Ltda., Production Control Services, Pump Management Services Co. LLC, RAV Equipos Espana S.L., RAV France, Ravaglioli Deutschland GmbH, Ravaglioli S.P.A., Reduction Engineering GmbH, Revod Corporation, Revod Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Revod SAS, Revod Singapore Holdings Pte. Ltd, Revod Sweden AB, Robohand Inc., Rosario, Rosario Handel B.V., Rotary Lift Consolidated (Haimen) Co. Ltd, SE Liquidation LLC, SWEP Germany GmbH, SWEP Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., SWEP North America Inc., SWEP Slovakia s.r.o., SWEP Technology (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Seabiscuit Motorsports Inc., Simmons Sirvey Corporation, So. Cal. Soft-Pak, So. Cal. Soft-Pak Incorporated, Solaris Laser, Solaris Laser S.A., Somero Enterprises, Sound Solutions, Space S.R.L., Spirit, Start Italiana Petrol Cihazlari Sanayi Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Start Italiana S.R.L., Swep Energy Oy, Swep International A.B., Swep Japan K.K., Sys-Tech Solutions, Sys-Tech Solutions Inc., Systech GB Limited, Systech Shanghai Consulting Company Limited, TQC Quantium Quality S.A. de C.V., TTSI III Inc., TWG Canada Consolidated Inc., TXHI LLC, Tartan Textile Services Inc., The Heil Co., Tokheim Belgium, Tokheim China Company Limited, Tokheim GmbH, Tokheim Group, Tokheim Hengshan Technologies (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd., Tokheim Holding B.V., Tokheim India Private Limited, Tokheim Sofitam Applications, Trans - Logistic Group S.R.L., Triton Systems, Tulsa Winch Inc., UPCO Inc., US Synthetic, Unattended Payment Solutions LLC, Unified Brands, Unified Brands Inc., Val TemperBent Glass L.P., Vectron Frequency Devices (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Vehicle Service Group LLC, Vehicle Service Group UK Limited, Vos Food Store Equipment Ltd., WSCR Corp., Warn Automotive LLC, Warn Industries, Waukesha Bearings, Waukesha Bearings Corporation, Waukesha Bearings Limited, Waukesha Bearings Russia LLC, Wayne Fuel Management UK Ltd., Wayne Fueling Systems, Wayne Fueling Systems (Rus) Limited Liability Company, Wayne Fueling Systems Australia Pty Ltd, Wayne Fueling Systems Canada ULC, Wayne Fueling Systems Deutschland GmbH, Wayne Fueling Systems Italia S.R.L., Wayne Fueling Systems LLC, Wayne Fueling Systems Ltd., Wayne Fueling Systems Sweden AB, Wayne Fueling Systems UK Holdco Ltd., Wayne Industria e Comercio Ltda., WellMark, XanTec Steuerungs- und EDV-Technik GmbH, and em-tec GmbH.
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.
The following companies are subsidiares of General Dynamics: 42SIX LLC, ARMA Global Corporation, Advanced Technical Products, Aeromil (Australia) Pty Ltd, Aeromil Aircraft Engineering Pty Ltd, Aeromil Aviation Services Pty Ltd, Aeromil IT Services Pty Ltd, Aeromil Marine Pty Ltd, Aeromil Pacific Pty Ltd, American Overseas Marine Company LLC, Anteon International Corporation, Applied Physical Sciences, Applied Physical Sciences Corp., Ascend Intelligence, Australian Avionics Pty Ltd, Autonomic Resources LLC, Avion Logistics Limited, Avjet Corporation, AxleTech International, Axsys, BATH IRON WORKS CORPORATION, BP-HP Pte Limited, Bath Iron Works, Bath Iron Works Australia Corporation, Bath Iron Works Canada LLC, Bluefin Robotics Corporation, Blueprint Technologies Inc., Braintree I Maritime Corp., Braintree II Maritime Corp., Braintree III Maritime Corp., Braintree IV Maritime Corp., Braintree V Maritime Corp., Buccaneer Computer Systems & Service Inc., CSC Computer Sciences Venezuela S.A., CSRA, CSRA (Costa Rica) S.A., CSRA (Guyana) Inc., CSRA (Middle East) LLC, CSRA Argentina S.R.L., CSRA BH d.o.o., CSRA Bahamas Limited, CSRA Bahrain S.P.C., CSRA Belgium SPRL, CSRA Bolivia S.R.L., CSRA Brazil Servicos de Tecnologia Ltda., CSRA Canada Inc., CSRA Caribbean Inc., CSRA Chile SpA, CSRA Colombia SAS, CSRA Commerce 2010 LLC, CSRA Consular Services Holding Company LLC, CSRA Consular Services Inc., CSRA France SARL, CSRA Guatemala Solutions Sociedad Anonima, CSRA Honduras Sociedad Anonima, CSRA Inc., CSRA Information Systems LLC, CSRA Information Technology Spain SL, CSRA Ireland Limited, CSRA Italy S.R.L, CSRA Kosovo L.L.C., CSRA LATAM LLC, CSRA LLC, CSRA Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., CSRA Netherlands B.V., CSRA Nicaragua Sociedad Anonima, CSRA Panama Inc., CSRA Peru S.R.L., CSRA Senegal SARL, CSRA South Africa (Pty) Ltd, CSRA State and Local Solutions LLC, CSRA Systems & Solutions LLC, CSRA Trinidad & Tobago Limited, CSRA Turkey Bilisim Teknolojileri Limited Sirketi, CSRA Uruguay S.R.L, CSRA Visa Services Israel Ltd., CSRAIT - Information Services Portugal Unipessoal LDA, Centauri Solutions LLC, Command System, Computing Devices International, Concord I Maritime Corporation, Concord II Maritime Corporation, Concord III Maritime Corporation, Concord IV Maritime Corporation, Concord V Maritime Corporation, Convair Aircraft Corporation, Convair Corporation, Creative Technology, Customer Services Ecuador CSRA S.A., Devcor, Diamond Fortress Technologies, DynPort Vaccine Company LLC, EB Groton Engineering Inc., EBV Explosives Environmental, ELCS-CZ s.r.o., Eagle Enterprise Inc., Earl Industries - Ship Repair and Coatings Division, Ebv Explosives Environmental Company, Electric Boat - Australia LLC, Electric Boat - UK LLC, Electric Boat Canada LLC, Electric Boat Corporation, Electric Boat France LLC, Electrocom Inc., Engineering Technology, Expro Finance Inc., FBD Fahrzeug und Bremsendienst GmbH, FC Business Systems, Fidelis Cybersecurity, Force Protection, Force Protection Europe Limited, Force Protection Inc., ForeSight Technology Services LLC, Freeman United Coal Mining Company LLC, GD Brazil Holdings LLC, GD European Land Systems - Steyr GmbH, GD European Land Systems Holding GmbH, GDOTS Services Corporation, GM GDLS Defense Group L.L.C., GPS Source Inc., GTE Government Systems, GWA-Datatrac FAST LLC, Galaxy Aerospace Company, Gayston Corporation - Defense Operations, General Dynamics - OTS (Global) Inc., General Dynamics AIS Australia Pty Ltd, General Dynamics Canadian Finance Inc., General Dynamics Canadian Holdings Inc., General Dynamics Commercial Cyber Services LLC, General Dynamics European Finance Limited, General Dynamics European Land Systems - Austria GmbH, General Dynamics European Land Systems - Bridge Systems GmbH, General Dynamics European Land Systems - Czech s.r.o., General Dynamics European Land Systems - Denmark ApS, General Dynamics European Land Systems - Deutschland GmbH, General Dynamics European Land Systems - FWW GmbH, General Dynamics European Land Systems - Mowag GmbH, General Dynamics European Land Systems Romania S.R.L., General Dynamics European Land Systems S.L., General Dynamics Global Force LLC, General Dynamics Global Holdings Limited, General Dynamics Global Imaging Technologies Inc., General Dynamics Government Satellite Services LLC, General Dynamics Government Systems Corporation, General Dynamics Government Systems Overseas Corporation, General Dynamics Information Technology Canada Limited, General Dynamics Information Technology Inc., General Dynamics Information Technology Limited, General Dynamics Installation Services LLC, General Dynamics International Corporation, General Dynamics Itronix LLC, General Dynamics Land Systems - Australia Pty. Ltd., General Dynamics Land Systems - Canada Corporation, General Dynamics Land Systems - Canada Services Inc., General Dynamics Land Systems - Canadian Services Limited, General Dynamics Land Systems - Force Protection Inc., General Dynamics Land Systems Customer Service & Support Company, General Dynamics Land Systems Inc., General Dynamics Limited, General Dynamics Marine Systems Inc., General Dynamics Mission Systems Inc., General Dynamics Mission Systems International Limited, General Dynamics Mission Systems Overseas Company LLC, General Dynamics Motion Control LLC, General Dynamics OTS (Aerospace) Inc., General Dynamics OTS (California) Inc., General Dynamics OTS (DRI) Inc., General Dynamics OTS (Niceville) Inc., General Dynamics OTS (Pennsylvania) Inc., General Dynamics One Source LLC, General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems - Canada Inc., General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems - Canada Valleyfield Inc., General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems - Simunition Operations Inc., General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems Inc., General Dynamics Overseas Systems and Services Corporation, General Dynamics Properties Inc., General Dynamics Robotic Systems Inc., General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies Inc., General Dynamics Satcom Technologies Asia Private Limited, General Dynamics Satellite Communication Services LLC, General Dynamics Saudi Holdings S.L., General Dynamics Shared Resources LLC, General Dynamics Support Services Company, General Dynamics Swiss Financial Management Limited, General Dynamics United Kingdom Limited, General Dynamics Worldwide Holdings Inc., General Dynamics-OTS Inc., General Motors Defense, Gulfstream 100 Holdings LLC, Gulfstream Aerospace, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (CA), Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (DE), Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (GA), Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (OK), Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation of Texas, Gulfstream Aerospace Hong Kong Limited, Gulfstream Aerospace LLC, Gulfstream Aerospace LP, Gulfstream Aerospace Ltd., Gulfstream Aerospace Services Corporation, Gulfstream Aerospace Sociedad de Responssabilidad Limitada de CapitalVariable (S. de R.L. de C.V.), Gulfstream Do Brasil Servicos De Suporte E Manutencao A Aeronaves Ltda., Gulfstream International Corporation, Gulfstream Leasing LLC, Gulfstream Product Support Corporation, Gulfstream Services Corporation, Gulfstream Tennessee Corporation, Gulfstream-California Inc., Hawker Pacific (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Hawker Pacific Aircraft Management Pte Ltd, Hawker Pacific Airservices Limited, Hawker Pacific Airservices Pvt Ltd, Hawker Pacific Asia Holdings Pte Ltd, Hawker Pacific Asia Pte Ltd, Hawker Pacific Australia Pty Ltd, Hawker Pacific Aviation Services Pty Ltd, Hawker Pacific NZ Limited, Hawker Pacific Pty Ltd, IPWireless, IPWireless PTE. Limited, Information Services Consulting Limited, Interiores Aereos S.A. de C.V., International Manufacturing Technologies Inc., Itronix, Janteq Australia PTY Limited, Janteq Corp., Jet Aviation, Jet Aviation (Asia Pacific) Pte. Ltd., Jet Aviation (Bermuda) Ltd., Jet Aviation (Hong Kong) Ltd., Jet Aviation (Malaysia) SDN BHD, Jet Aviation 125 Services LLC, Jet Aviation AG, Jet Aviation Brazil Holdings Inc., Jet Aviation Business Jets (Hong Kong) Limited, Jet Aviation Business Jets AG, Jet Aviation Business Jets FZCO, Jet Aviation California LLC, Jet Aviation Dulles LLC, Jet Aviation Flight Services Inc., Jet Aviation France SAS, Jet Aviation Holding GmbH, Jet Aviation Holdings USA Inc., Jet Aviation Houston Inc., Jet Aviation International Inc., Jet Aviation Malaga SA, Jet Aviation Management AG, Jet Aviation Netherlands B.V., Jet Aviation Savannah Holding LLC, Jet Aviation Services GmbH, Jet Aviation St. Louis Inc., Jet Aviation Teterboro LP, Jet Aviation Texas Inc., Jet Aviation of America Inc., Jet Aviation/Palm Beach Inc., Jet Professionals LLC, Kylmar, Longreach Energy LLC, MAYA Viz, Maricom Systems Incorporated, Material Service Resources Company LLC, Matthews Land Company, Mediaware International, Mediaware International Pty Ltd, Metro Machine, Metro Machine co, Midwest Properties Sales LLC, NASSCO, NASSCO Holdings Incorporated, NES Associates LLC, National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, Network Connectivity Solutions Corp., Newberry Holdings LLC, OOO Jet Aviation Vnukovo, Open Kernel Labs, Page Europa Srl, Patriot I Shipping Corp., Patriot II Shipping Corp., Patriot IV Shipping Corp., Plane 79 LLC, Praxis Engineering Technologies LLC, PrimeX Technologies, Prodelin India Private Limited, Proyectos Prohumane Mexico S.A. de C.V., Quincy Maritime Corporation III, Raven Acquisitions LLC, SENTECH INC., SRA International Inc., Saco Defense, Santa Barbara Sistemas S.A., Savannah Air Center LLC, Signal Solutions LLC, Southern Illinois Recovery Inc., Spectrum Astro, St. Marks Powder Inc., Stabilo Pty Ltd, Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeug AG & Co KG, Sydney Jet Charter Pty Ltd, Tadpole Computer, Tecnologias Internacionales de Manufactura S.A. de C.V., Tenacity Solutions Incorporated, The Depth of Ideas for General Trading LLC, TriPoint Global Communications, Vangent, Vangent Servicios de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Veridian, Vertex Antennentechnik GmbH, ViPS, Vulnerability Research Labs LLC, and Weco LLC.
SEACOR Marine Holdings, Inc. engages in the provision of offshore marine business. It offers global marine and support transportation services to offshore oil & gas exploration, development, and production facilities. It operates its fleet in five principal geographic regions: the United States, primarily in the Gulf of Mexico; Africa, primarily in West Africa; the Middle East and Asia; Latin America, primarily in Mexico, Brazil and Guyana; and Europe, primarily in the North Sea. The company involves in the operation of support and specialty vessels for and among independent oil, gas exploration, production, and emerging independent companies. It operates through the following segments: Time Charter and Bareboat Charters. The Time Charter segment offers vessels to customers based upon daily rates of hire. The Bareboat Charter segment is the support of vessels among customers where the customer assumes responsibility for all operating expenses and all risk of operation. The company was founded on December 15, 2014 and is headquartered in Houston, TX.

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iShares China Large-Cap ETF's stock was trading at $38.80 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus (COVID-19) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, FXI stock has decreased by 0.8% and is now trading at $38.50.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.
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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The following companies are subsidiares of Travelers Companies: 10762962 Canada Inc., 350 Market Street LLC, 8527512 Canada Inc., Aetna Life and Casualty Co, American Equity Insurance Company, American Equity Specialty Insurance Company, Aprilgrange Limited, Arch Street North LLC, Auto Hartford Investments LLC, Bayhill Restaurant II Associates, Camperdown Corporation, Constitution State Services LLC, Discover Property & Casualty Insurance Company, Discover Specialty Insurance Company, F&G UK Underwriters Limited, Farmington Casualty Company, Fidelity and Guaranty Insurance Company, Fidelity and Guaranty Insurance Underwriters Inc., First Floridian Auto and Home Insurance Company, Gulf Underwriters Insurance Company, IHP Capital Partners Fund VIII L.P., Northbrook Holdings Inc., Northfield Insurance Company, Northland Casualty Company, Northland Insurance Company, Phoenix UK Investments LLC, SPC Insurance Agency Inc., Select Insurance Company, Simply Business Holdings Inc., Simply Business Inc., St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company, St. Paul Guardian Insurance Company, St. Paul Mercury Insurance Company, St. Paul Protective Insurance Company, St. Paul Surplus Lines Insurance Company, Standard Fire Properties LLC, Standard Fire UK Investments LLC, TCI Global Services Inc., TPC Investments Inc., TPC U.K. Investments LLC, The Automobile Insurance Company of Hartford Connecticut, The Charter Oak Fire Insurance Company, The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company, The Family Business Institute LLC, The Phoenix Insurance Company, The St. Paul Companies Inc., The Standard Fire Insurance Company, The Travelers Casualty Company, The Travelers Home and Marine Insurance Company, The Travelers Indemnity Company, The Travelers Indemnity Company of America, The Travelers Indemnity Company of Connecticut, The Travelers Lloyds Insurance Company, TravCo Insurance Company, Travelers (Bermuda) Limited, Travelers Brazil Acquisition LLC, Travelers Brazil Holding LLC, Travelers Casualty Company of Connecticut, Travelers Casualty Insurance Company of America, Travelers Casualty UK Investments LLC, Travelers Casualty and Surety Company, Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America, Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of Europe Limited, Travelers Commercial Casualty Company, Travelers Commercial Insurance Company, Travelers Constitution State Insurance Company, Travelers Distribution Alliance Inc., Travelers Excess and Surplus Lines Company, Travelers Global Inc., Travelers Indemnity U.K. Investments LLC, Travelers Insurance Company Limited, Travelers Insurance Company of Canada, Travelers Insurance Designated Activity Company, Travelers Insurance Group Holdings Inc., Travelers Lloyds of Texas Insurance Company, Travelers London Limited, Travelers MGA Inc., Travelers Management Limited, Travelers Marine LLC, Travelers Participacoes em Seguros Brasil S.A., Travelers Personal Insurance Company, Travelers Personal Security Insurance Company, Travelers Property Casualty Company of America, Travelers Property Casualty Corp., Travelers Property Casualty Insurance Company, Travelers Seguros Brasil S.A., Travelers Syndicate Management Limited, Travelers Texas MGA Inc., Travelers Underwriting Agency Limited, Ultramar Travel Management, United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company, Xbridge Limited, Zensurance Brokers Inc., and Zensurance Inc..
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 2021 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research.
Lazard Global Total Return and Income Fund, Inc. is a closed ended balanced mutual fund launched and managed by Lazard Asset Management LLC. It invests in public equity and fixed income markets across the globe. The fund primarily invests in stocks of companies with market capitalization over $5 billion. It makes its fixed income investments in short duration market forward currency contracts and other market debt instruments. The fund typically employs fundamental analysis with a bottom-up stock picking approach using its global equity strategy and emerging income strategy to create its portfolio. It considers factors like financial condition, cash flows, strong balance sheets, sustainability of returns, quality of management, competitive position, sensitivity to economic and market cycles, margin and sales trends, brand name strength, geographical breakdown, and macro environment for selecting individual securities. The fund benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the MSCI World Index. Lazard Global Total Return and Income Fund, Inc. was formed on January 27, 2004 and is domiciled in the United States.

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CA, Inc., doing business as CA technologies, develops, markets, delivers, and licenses software products and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Mainframe Solutions, Enterprise Solutions, and Services. The Mainframe Solutions segment offers solutions for the IBM z Systems platform, which runs various mission critical business applications. Its mainframe solutions enable customers enhance economics by increasing throughput and lowering cost per transaction; increasing business agility through DevOps tooling and processes; increasing reliability and availability of operations through machine intelligence and automation solutions; and protecting enterprise data with security and compliance. The Enterprise Solutions segment provides a range of software planning, development, and management tools for mobile, cloud, and distributed computing environments. It primarily provides customers secure application development, infrastructure management, automation, and identity-centric security solutions. The Services segment offers various services, such as consulting, implementation, application management, education, and support services to commercial and government customers for implementation and adoption of its software solutions. The company serves banks, insurance companies, other financial services providers, government agencies, information technology service providers, telecommunication providers, transportation companies, manufacturers, technology companies, retailers, educational organizations, and health care institutions. It sells its products through direct sales force, as well as through various partner channels comprising resellers, service providers, system integrators, managed service providers, and technology partners. The company was formerly known as Computer Associates International, Inc. and changed its name to CA, Inc. in 2006. CA, Inc. was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

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NovaGold Resources Inc. explores for and develops gold mineral properties in the United States. It primarily owns 50% interest in the Donlin Gold project consisting of 493 mining claims covering an area of 71,420 acres located in the Kuskokwim region of southwestern Alaska. The company was formerly known as NovaCan Mining Resources (1985) Limited and changed its name to NovaGold Resources Inc. in March 1987. NovaGold Resources Inc. was founded in 1984 and is based in Vancouver, Canada.

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iShares MSCI Hong Kong ETF's stock was trading at $21.67 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, EWH stock has increased by 9.7% and is now trading at $23.77.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.
Zomedica Corp., a veterinary health company, focuses on the unmet needs of clinical veterinarians by developing products for companion animals. The company engages in the development and commercialization of TRUFORMA, a diagnostic biosensor platform for the detection of thyroid disorders in dogs and cats, and adrenal disorders in dogs. It has collaboration agreements with Celsee, Inc. for the development and commercialization of liquid biopsy assays and related consumables for the detection of cancer in companion animals; and Seraph Biosciences, Inc. for development and commercialization of novel pathogen detection system. The company was formerly known as Zomedica Pharmaceuticals Corp. and changed its name to Zomedica Corp. in October 2020. Zomedica Corp. was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

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The following companies are subsidiares of SK Telecom Co.,Ltd: ADT CAPS Co. Ltd., ADT Caps, Atlas Investment, CAPSTEC Co. Ltd., Cyworld, DongGuan Iriver Electronics Co. Ltd., Dreamus Company, Eleven Street Co. Ltd., FSK L&S (Hungary) Co. Ltd., FSK L&S (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., FSK L&S Co. Ltd., FSK L&S Vietnam Company Limited, Hana Card, Hanaro Telecom, Happy Hanool Co. Ltd., Home & Service Co. Ltd., ID Quantique, Id Quantique LLC, Incross Co. Ltd., Infra Communications Co. Ltd., Iriver China Co. Ltd., Iriver Enterprise Ltd., K-net Culture and Contents Venture Fund, Korea Thrunet, LG HelloVision, Life & Security Holdings Co. Ltd., Life Design Company Inc., Mindknock Co. Ltd., Onestore Co. Ltd., PS&Marketing Co. Ltd., Panasia Semiconductor Materials LLC, Quantum Innovation Fund I, SK Broadband, SK Broadband Co. Ltd., SK Communications Co. Ltd., SK Global Healthcare Business Group Ltd., SK Infosec Co. Ltd., SK M&Service Co. Ltd., SK O&S Co. Ltd., SK Planet Co. Ltd., SK Planet Global Holdings Pte. Ltd., SK Planet Japan K. K., SK Telecom China Fund I L.P., SK Telecom China Holdings Co. Ltd., SK Telecom Innovation Fund L.P., SK Telecom TMT Investment Corp., SK Telink Co. Ltd., SK stoa Co. Ltd., SK telecom Japan Inc., SKP America LLC, SKT Americas Inc., SKinfosec Information Technology (wuxi) Co. Ltd., Service Ace Co. Ltd., Service Top Co. Ltd., Shopkick, Tbroad Nowon Broadcasting Co. Ltd., YTK Investment Ltd., iRiver Ltd, and id Quantique Ltd..
The following companies are subsidiares of Bristol-Myers Squibb: 1096271 B.C. ULC, 345 Park LLC, A.G. Medical Services P.A., AHI Investment LLC, AbVitro LLC, Abraxis BioScience Australia Pty Ltd., Abraxis BioScience Inc., Abraxis BioScience International Holding Company Inc., Abraxis BioScience LLC, Abraxis BioScience Puerto Rico LLC, Acetylon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Adnexus, Adnexus a Bristol-Myers Squibb R&D Company, Allard Labs Acquisition G.P., Amira Pharmaceuticals, Amira Pharmaceuticals Inc., Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Apothecon LLC, B-MS Generx Unlimited Company, BMS Benelux Holdings B.V., BMS Bermuda Nominees L.L.C., BMS Data Acquisition Company LLC, BMS Forex Company, BMS Holdings Sarl, BMS Holdings Spain S.L., BMS International Insurance Designated Activity Company, BMS Investco SAS, BMS Korea Holdings L.L.C., BMS Latin American Nominees L.L.C., BMS Luxembourg Partners L.L.C., BMS Omega Bermuda Holdings Finance Ltd., BMS Pharmaceutical Korea Limited, BMS Pharmaceuticals Germany Holdings B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals International Holdings Netherlands B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals Korea Holdings B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals Mexico Holdings B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals Netherlands Holdings B.V., BMS Real Estate LLC, BMS Spain Investments LLC, BMS Strategic Portfolio Investments Holdings Inc., Blisa Acquisition G.P., Bristol (Iran) S.A., Bristol Iran Private Company Limited, Bristol Laboratories Inc., Bristol Laboratories International S.A., Bristol Laboratories Medical Information Systems Inc., Bristol-Myers (Andes) L.L.C., Bristol-Myers (Private) Limited, Bristol-Myers Middle East S.A.L., Bristol-Myers Overseas Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb (China) Investment Co. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (China) Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (Israel) Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (NZ) Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb (Proprietary) Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (Singapore) Pte. Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb (Taiwan) Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (West Indies) Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb A.E., Bristol-Myers Squibb Aktiebolag, Bristol-Myers Squibb Argentina S. R. L., Bristol-Myers Squibb Australia Pty. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Axia Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb B.V., Bristol-Myers Squibb Belgium S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb Business Services Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada Co., Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada International Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Delta Company Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Denmark Filial of Bristol-Myers Squibb AB, Bristol-Myers Squibb EMEA Sarl, Bristol-Myers Squibb Egypt LLC, Bristol-Myers Squibb Epsilon Holdings Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Farmaceutica Ltda., Bristol-Myers Squibb Farmaceutica Portuguesa S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb GesmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb GmbH & Co. KGaA, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holding Germany GmbH & Co. KG, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings 2002 Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Germany Verwaltungs GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Ireland Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Pharma Ltd. Liability Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Ilaclari Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb India Pvt. Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb International Company Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb International Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb Investco L.L.C., Bristol-Myers Squibb K.K., Bristol-Myers Squibb Kft., Bristol-Myers Squibb Luxembourg International S.C.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Bristol-Myers Squibb MEA GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb Manufacturing Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Marketing Services S.R.L., Bristol-Myers Squibb Middle East & Africa FZ-LLC, Bristol-Myers Squibb Norway Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Nutricionales de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Bristol-Myers Squibb Peru S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma (HK) Ltd, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma (Thailand) Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma EEIG, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma Holding Company LLC, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma Ventures Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Polska Sp. z o.o., Bristol-Myers Squibb Products SA, Bristol-Myers Squibb Puerto Rico Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Puerto Rico/Sanofi Pharmaceutical Partnership Puerto Rico, Bristol-Myers Squibb Romania S.R.L., Bristol-Myers Squibb S.A.U., Bristol-Myers Squibb S.r.l., Bristol-Myers Squibb SA, Bristol-Myers Squibb Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Holding Partnership, Bristol-Myers Squibb Sarl, Bristol-Myers Squibb Service Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Services Sp. z o.o., Bristol-Myers Squibb Spol. s r.o., Bristol-Myers Squibb Theta Finance Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Trustees Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Verwaltungs GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb de Colombia S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb de Costa Rica Sociedad Anonima, Bristol-Myers Squibb de Guatemala S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Bristol-Myers Squibb/Astrazeneca EEIG, Bristol-Myers Squibb/Pfizer EEIG, Bristol-Myers Squibb/Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Partnership, Bristol-Myers de Venezuela S.C.A., CHT I LLC, CHT II LLC, CHT III LLC, CHT IV LLC, CR Finance Company LLC, Cardioxyl Pharmaceuticals, Cardioxyl Pharmaceuticals Inc., Celem LLC, Celem Ltd., Celgene, Celgene A.B., Celgene AS, Celgene Ab (Finland), Celgene Alpine Investment Co. II LLC, Celgene Alpine Investment Co. III LLC, Celgene Alpine Investment Co. LLC, Celgene ApS, Celgene B.V., Celgene BVBA, Celgene Brasil Produtos Farmaceuticos Ltda., Celgene CAR LLC, Celgene CAR Ltd., Celgene Chemicals Sarl, Celgene China Holdings LLC, Celgene Co., Celgene Corporation, Celgene Distribution B.V., Celgene EngMab GmbH, Celgene Europe B.V., Celgene Europe Limited, Celgene European Investment Company LLC, Celgene Financing Company LLC, Celgene Global Holdings Sarl, Celgene GmbH [Austria], Celgene GmbH [Germany], Celgene GmbH [Switzerland], Celgene Holdings East Corporation, Celgene Holdings II Sarl, Celgene Holdings III Sarl, Celgene Ilac Pazarlama ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Celgene Inc., Celgene International Holdings Corporation, Celgene International II Sarl, Celgene International III Sarl, Celgene International Inc., Celgene International Sarl, Celgene K.K., Celgene Kft., Celgene Limited [Hong Kong], Celgene Limited [Ireland], Celgene Limited [New Zealand], Celgene Limited [Taiwan], Celgene Limited [UK], Celgene Logistics Sarl, Celgene Ltd, Celgene Luxembourg Sarl, Celgene Management Sarl, Celgene NJ Investment Co, Celgene Netherlands B.V., Celgene Netherlands Investment B.V., Celgene Pharmaceutical (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Celgene Pte. Ltd., Celgene Pty Ltd, Celgene Puerto Rico Distribution LLC, Celgene Quanticel Research Inc, Celgene R&D Sarl, Celgene RIVOT LLC, Celgene RIVOT Ltd., Celgene RIVOT SRL, Celgene Receptos Limited, Celgene Receptos Sarl, Celgene Research Incubator At Summit West LLC, Celgene Research S.L.U., Celgene Research and Development Company LLC, Celgene Research and Development I ULC, Celgene Research and Development II LLC, Celgene Research and Investment Company II LLC, Celgene S. de R.L. de C.V., Celgene S.L.U., Celgene S.R.L., Celgene SAS, Celgene Sarl AU, Celgene Sdn Bhd, Celgene Services Sarl, Celgene Sociedade Unipessoal Lda, Celgene Sp. Z.o.o., Celgene Sro [Czech Republic], Celgene Summit Investment Co, Celgene Switzerland Holding Sarl, Celgene Switzerland II LLC, Celgene Switzerland Investment Sarl, Celgene Switzerland LLC, Celgene Switzerland Sarl, Celgene Tri A Holdings Ltd., Celgene Tri Sarl, Celgene UK Distribution Limited, Celgene UK Holdings Limited, Celgene UK Manufacturing II Limited, Celgene UK Manufacturing III Limited, Celgene UK Manufacturing Limited, Celgene d.o.o., Celgene sro [Slovakia], Celmed LLC, Celmed Ltd., ConvaTec Divestiture, Cormorant Pharmaceuticals, Cormorant Pharmaceuticals AB, Crosp Ltd., Delinia Inc., Deuteria Pharmaceuticals Inc., DuPont Pharmaceuticals, E. R. Squibb & Sons Inter-American Corporation, E. R. Squibb & Sons L.L.C., E. R. Squibb & Sons Limited, EWI Corporation, EngMab Sarl, F-star Alpha, FermaVir Pharmaceuticals L.L.C., FermaVir Research L.L.C., Flexus Biosciences, Flexus Biosciences Inc., Forbius, Galecto Biotech, GenPharm International L.L.C., Gloucester Pharmaceuticals LLC, Grove Insurance Company Ltd., Heyden Farmaceutica Portuguesa Limitada, IFM Therapeutics, Impact Biomedicines Inc., Inhibitex, Inhibitex L.L.C., Innate Tumor Immunity Inc., JuMP Holdings LLC, Juno Therapeutics GmbH, Juno Therapeutics Inc., Kosan Biosciences, Kosan Biosciences Incorporated, Linson Investments Limited, Mead Johnson (Manufacturing) Jamaica Limited, Mead Johnson Jamaica Ltd., Medarex, Morris Avenue Investment II LLC, Morris Avenue Investment LLC, MyoKardia, O.o.o. Bristol-Myers Squibb, Oy Bristol-Myers Squibb (Finland) AB, Padlock Therapeutics, Padlock Therapeutics Inc., Pharmion LLC, Princeton Pharmaceutical Products Inc., Receptos LLC, Receptos Services LLC, RedoxTherapies Inc., Route 22 Real Estate Holding Corporation, SPV A Holdings ULC, Seamair Insurance DAC, Signal Pharmaceuticals LLC, Sino-American Shanghai Squibb Pharmaceuticals Limited, Societe Francaise de Complements Alimentaires(S.O.F.C.A.), Squibb Middle East S.A., Summit West Celgene LLC, Swords Laboratories, VentiRx Pharmaceuticals Inc., Westwood-Intrafin SA, Westwood-Squibb Pharmaceuticals Inc., X-Body Inc., ZymoGenetics, ZymoGenetics Inc., ZymoGenetics LLC, ZymoGenetics Paymaster LLC, iPierian, and iPierian Inc..
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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The following companies are subsidiares of WESCO International: 1502218 Alberta Ltd., ALLNET Technologies Pty. Ltd., AXE Distribution Solutions Trinidad Ltd., Accu-Tech Corporation, Anixter (Barbados) SRL, Anixter (CIS) LLC, Anixter (Switzerland) Sarl, Anixter (U.K.) Limited, Anixter Argentina S.A., Anixter Asia Holdings Limited, Anixter Australia Pty. Ltd., Anixter Austria GmbH, Anixter Bahamas Limited, Anixter Belgium B.V.B.A., Anixter Cables y Manufacturas S.A. de C.V., Anixter Canada Inc., Anixter Canadian Holdings ULC, Anixter Chile S.A., Anixter Colombia S.A.S., Anixter Communications (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Anixter Communications (Shanghai) Co. Limited, Anixter Costa Rica S.A., Anixter Czech a.s., Anixter Danmark A/S, Anixter Deutschland GmbH, Anixter Distribuidor de Soluciones Empresariales e Industriales S.A., Anixter Distribution Ireland Limited, Anixter Dominicana SRL, Anixter Egypt LLC, Anixter Espana S.L., Anixter Eurotwo Holdings B.V., Anixter Fasteners Deutschland GmbH, Anixter Financial Inc., Anixter France SARL, Anixter Guatemala y Compania Limitada, Anixter Holdings Inc., Anixter Holdings Mexico LLC, Anixter Hong Kong Limited, Anixter Iletisim Sistemleri Pazarlama ve Ticaret A.S., Anixter Inc., Anixter India Private Limited, Anixter Information Systems LLC, Anixter International, Anixter Italia S.r.l., Anixter Jamaica Limited, Anixter Japan KK, Anixter Jorvex S.A.C., Anixter Limited, Anixter Logistica do Brasil LTDA, Anixter Logistica y Servicios S.A. de C.V., Anixter Magyarorszag Elektronikus Halozati Rendszer Kereskedelmi es Szolgaltato Kft, Anixter Mid Holdings B.V., Anixter Middle East FZE, Anixter Morocco SARL AU, Anixter Nederland B.V., Anixter New Zealand Limited, Anixter Norge A.N.S., Anixter Operaciones y Logistica s De RL De CV, Anixter Panama S.A., Anixter Pension Scheme Trustees Limited, Anixter Pension Trustees Limited, Anixter Peru S.A.C., Anixter Philippines Inc., Anixter Poland Sp.z.o.o., Anixter Portugal S.A., Anixter Power Solutions Canada Inc., Anixter Power Solutions Inc., Anixter Procurement Corporation, Anixter Puerto Rico Inc., Anixter Real-Estate LLC, Anixter Receivables Corporation, Anixter Saudi Arabia Limited, Anixter Singapore Pte. Ltd., Anixter Slovakia s.r.o., Anixter Sub Holdings B.V, Anixter Sverige AB, Anixter Thailand Inc., Anixter U.S. LLC, Anixter Venezuela Inc., Anixter de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Anixter do Brasil Ltda, Atlanta Electrical Distributors, Atlanta Electrical Distributors LLC, Atlas Gentech (NZ) Limited, Avon Electrical Supplies, B.E.L. Corporation, Brews Supply, Brown Wholesale Electric, Bruckner Supply, CBC LP Holdings LLC, CDW Holdco LLC, Calvert Wire & Cable Corporation, Carlton-Bates Company, Carlton-Bates Company (CBC), Carlton-Bates Company de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Carlton-Bates Company of Texas GP Inc, Central Security Distribution Pty. Ltd, Communication Cables LLC, Communications Supply Corporation, Communications Supply Corporation, Conney Investment Holdings LLC, Conney Safety Products, Conney Safety Products LLC, Distribuidora Materiales Electricos E-Supply Limitada, EECOL Electric, EECOL Electric Bolivia Ltda, EECOL Electric Corp., EECOL Electric Peru S.A.C, EECOL Industrial Electric (SudAmerica) Limitada, EECOL Industrial Electric Ecuador Limitada, EECOL Industrial Electric Limitada, EECOL Power S.A., EECOL Properties Corp, Eurinvest B.V., Eurinvest Cooperatief U.A., Fastec Industrial, HMH Pension Trustees Limited, Hazmasters, Hazmasters Inc., Herning Underground Supply, Hi-Line Utility Supply, Hi-Line Utility Supply Company LLC, Hill Country Electric Supply, Hill Country Electric Supply L.P., ICV GP Inc., Infast Group Limited, Inner Range Pty. Ltd, Itel Container Ventures Inc., Itel Corporation, Itel Rail Holdings Corporation, J-Mark Inc., LaPrairie, Liberty Wire & Cable Inc., Monti Electric Supply, Needham Electric Supply, Needham Electric Supply LLC, Obras Y Servicios Sunpark S.A.C., PT Anixter Indonesia, Potelcom Supply, Pro Canadian Holdings I ULC, RECO LLC, RS Electronics, Reily Electrical Supply, SASK Alta Holdings S.A., Services Voice Video and Data Distribution de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Servicios Anixter S.A. de C.V., Signal Capital Corporation, Signal Capital Projects Inc., Stone Eagle Electrical Supply GP Inc., Stone Eagle Electrical Supply Limited Partnership, TVC Communications, TVC Communications L.L.C., TVC Espana Distribucion y Venta De Equipos S.L., TVC International Holding L.L.C., TVC UK Holdings Limited, Tri-Ed Puerto Rico Ltd. Inc., Trydor Industries, Voice Video and Data Distribution de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., WDC Holding Inc., WDCH LP, WDCH US LP, WDI USVI LLC, WDI-Angola LDA, WDINESCO B.V., WDINESCO II B.V., WDINESCO III B.V., WEAS Company S. de R.L., WESCO (Suzhou) Trading Co. Ltd., WESCO Australia Pty Ltd, WESCO Canada GP Inc., WESCO Canada I LP, WESCO DC Holding I LP, WESCO DC Holding II LP, WESCO DC Holding III LP, WESCO DC Holding IV LP, WESCO Distribution Canada Co., WESCO Distribution Canada LP, WESCO Distribution HK Limited, WESCO Distribution II ULC, WESCO Distribution III ULC, WESCO Distribution IV Inc., WESCO Distribution Inc., WESCO Distribution Ireland Limited, WESCO Distribution NL B.V., WESCO Distribution Pte. Ltd., WESCO Distribution de Mexico S. de R.L., WESCO Distribution-International Limited, WESCO Enterprises Inc., WESCO Equity Corporation, WESCO Holdings LLC, WESCO Integrated Supply Inc., WESCO Integrated Supply Polska Spolka z o.o., WESCO Netherlands B.V., WESCO Nevada Ltd., WESCO Nigeria Inc., WESCO Procurement Canada ULC, WESCO Real Estate I LLC, WESCO Real Estate II LLC, WESCO Real Estate III LLC, WESCO Real Estate IV LLC, WESCO Receivables Corp., WESCO Services LLC, WESCO TLD Holdings Co. Ltd., WND Nigeria Limited, WireXpress Ltd., Xpress Connect Supply Hong Kong Limited, XpressConnect Holdings B.V., XpressConnect International B.V., XpressConnect Supply B.V.B.A., XpressConnect Supply Colombia S.A.S., XpressConnect Supply Inc., XpressConnect Supply Mexico S.A. de C.V., and XpressConnect Supply do Brasil Ltda.
Xcel Energy, Inc. operates as a holding company, which engages in the generation, purchase, transmission, distribution and sale of electricity. It operates through the following three segments: Regulated Electric Utility, Regulated Natural Gas Utility and All Others. The Regulated Electric Utility segment generates, transmits and distributes electricity primarily in portions of generates, transmits and distributes electricity in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, Texas and New Mexico. In addition, this segment includes sales for resale and provides wholesale transmission service to various entities in the United States. It also includes commodity trading operations. The Regulated Natural Gas Utility segment transports, stores, and distributes natural gas primarily in portions of Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Michigan and Colorado. The All Others segment engages in steam, appliance repair services, nonutility real estate activities, processing solid waste into refuse-derived fuel and investments in rental housing projects that qualify for low-income housing tax credits. The company was founded in 1909 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN.

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Nabors Industries Ltd. engages in the provision of platform work over and drilling rigs. It operates through the following segments: U.S. Drilling, Canada Drilling, International Drilling, Drilling Solutions, and Rig Technologies. The U.S. Drilling segment includes land drilling activities in the lower 48 states and Alaska, as well as offshore operations in the Gulf of Mexico. The Canada segment consists of land-based drilling rigs in Canada. The International segment focuses in maintaining a footprint in the oil and gas market, most notably in Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Argentina, Colombia, Kazakhstan, and Venezuela. The Drilling Solutions segment offers drilling technologies, such as patented steering systems and rig instrumentation software systems that enhance drilling performance and wellbore placement. The Rig Technologies segment comprises Canrig, which manufactures and sells top drives, catwalks, wrenches, drawworks, and drilling related equipment, such as robotic systems and downhole tools. The company was founded by Clair Nabors in 1952 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda.

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Zalando SE operates as an online fashion and lifestyle retailer. It offers a range of products, including shoes, apparel, accessories, and beauty products for women, men, and children, as well as free delivery and returns services. The company also sells its products through its Zalando Lounge; and brick-and-mortar stores in Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne, Leipzig, Hamburg, Hanover, MAnster, Stuttgart, Mannheim, and Ulm. It serves in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The company has a strategic partnership with Sephora SAS to create the online prestige beauty destination. Zalando SE was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Berlin, Germany.

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"One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy..." So goes the traditional British rhyme. The poor magpie has been accused of all sorts of supernatural qualities. Just seeing one is thought to be bad luck; seeing a group can predict the future. We all know of the bird's predilection for shiny objects. The black-and-white bird is the subject of myths and stories, andin the case of La Gazza Ladra (The Thieving Magpie)he even stars in his own opera, written by the Italian composer Gioachino Rossini.



In the story, the little mischief-maker creates havoc, propelling a poor servant girl into serious jeopardy. The opera's popular overture opens the program. You can almost picture the wily bird up to his tricks.



The program then jumps to the Netherlands in 1777, where we find wealthy surgeon and amateur flutist Ferdinand De Jean engaging 21-year-old composer W. A. Mozart to write a range of flute music for his own diversion. While Mozart reportedly was no great fan of the flute, he did enjoy the idea of 200 gulden in his pocket.



Mozart's Flute Concerto No. 1 in G major, completed as part of the commission, finds the composer in a very breezy, lighthearted mood. But don't be fooled; this is truly one of the major works for flute and orchestra. It is sure to shine brightly under the loving care of our guest soloist, the masterful Andrea Griminelli. He is preceded by an impressive resume. His sensitive interpretations and astonishing technique have earned accolades and awards from every corner of the musical world, including the Grammy, the Prix de Paris and even an Italian Knighthood. Mr. Griminelli has performed at La Scala and Carnegie Hall and with such luminaries as Carl-Maria Giulini, Zubin Mehta, Sir Roger Norrington, and Luciano Pavarotti. If this combination of composition and virtuoso doesn't put a smile on your face, nothing will!



After intermission, it is Neal and the Orchestra's turn to shine.



Many fine European composers found themselves immigrating to the U.S. during World War II. Hungarian-born Bela Bartok and his wife arrived in New York in 1940. Beset by precarious finances and homesickness, he never felt fully home in his new country. His body failing from the onset of leukemia, he nonetheless produced a final set of masterpiecesincluding the brilliant Concerto for Orchestra commissioned by Serge Koussevitzky.



Bartok wrote in the program notes for the Boston premiere: "The title of this symphony-like orchestral work is explained by its tendency to treat the single instruments or instrument groups in a 'concertante' or soloistic manner." The artful use of this virtuosic variety does not, however, detract from its central thrust of deep feeling and sheer musical invention. With your great orchestra on the stage in your great hall, Maestro Gittleman will deliver this musical experience with all the skill and joy Bartok put into it.
Palisade is Hyundais flagship offering.

The eight-seat SUV is bigger than Santa Fe.

Its now available with both petrol and diesel engines.

It could be the first Hyundai car in India to be priced over Rs 40 lakh.

Hyundai has introduced a 2.2-litre diesel engine in the Palisade for the South Korean car market, which is also where the huge seven-/eight-seat SUV is being manufactured. The carmaker had earlier revealed the Palisade for the US, with sales in the States scheduled to begin from mid-2019. Hyundai has now announced the prices for the South Korean market, which start at 36.22 million Won (Rs 23.1 lakh approx.) for the base diesel version.

The 2.2-litre diesel engine produces a maximum power of 202PS and peak torque of 441Nm. The Palisade is also available with a 3.8-litre petrol engine that is tuned to produce 295PS of maximum power and 355Nm of peak torque on the South Korea-spec SUV. In South Korea, both the engines are paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission.

Hyundai had previously revealed that it plans to launch six cars including SUVs and crossovers in India by 2022. The carmaker plans to launch the Carlino sub-4m SUV to rival the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza in April 2019. In the second half, it will launch the Kona Electric SUV. Other products to come later until 2021 could include the new Santa Fe, an entry-level SUV below the Carlino and the new-gen Creta. And now, we can confirm that there are chances of the Palisade being the sixth SUV that Hyundai plans to launch.

Weve learnt from a Hyundai official that the carmaker is open to introducing the Palisade in India. In fact, there is practically no segment, as far as SUVs and crossovers are concerned, that is ruled out completely.

If the Palisade comes to India, it will be positioned above the Santa Fe, a nameplate that Hyundai is likely to re-introduce in India. The new Santa Fe was revealed earlier in 2018 and might be launched in India in 2020. It is a monocoque SUV and will go up against the likes of the Skoda Kodiaq and Honda CR-V if launched in India. Body-on-frame SUVs like the Toyota Fortuner and the Ford Endeavour also compete in the same price bracket.

Being positioned over the Santa Fe would mean that the Palisade would touch the Rs 40 lakh mark in India. In order to justify its price against compact luxury SUVs like the Audi Q3, BMW X1, Mercedes-Benz GLA and the Volvo XC40 (which have variants in the same price range), the Palisade will offer a relatively larger cabin with seats for eight people and many features. The highlight of the package could be the dual sunroof, seven airbags, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot assist, lane following assist and a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Read in detail about the Palisade here.

Disclaimer: This article has not been edited by Deccan Chronicle and is taken from a syndicated feed. Photos: CarDekho.
Indian citizen is still not confident about safety of packaged or cooked food.

New Delhi: Food regulator FSSAI will launch "rigorous" inspections on food companies to ensure that best standards are followed as part of its effort to build trust among people about the safety and quality of cooked or packaged products, its CEO Pawan Kumar Agarwal said on Thursday.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will also conduct surveys on many food products being sold in the market to check quality, he said, adding a survey on milk and dairy products has recently been done.

"Our mandate is to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption. We have taken initiative in last few years to create demand for such foods. Businesses will make it available only if consumer demands,"

Agarwal said at a CII conference on Food Safety, Quality and Regulatory summit here. However, he said an average, Indian citizen is still not confident about safety of packaged or cooked food.

"We need to do something to bring trust among people".

Agarwal highlighted various initiatives being taken to create visibility of FSSAI, develop new ecosystem for training/audit of food safety officers, strengthen testing labs and energise state enforcing agencies.

Now, he said the FSSAI would focus on creating a "culture of self-compliances" for food businesses as well as for labs and audit agencies. "Food businesses now have to be geared up for rigorous inspection regime," Agarwal said, adding that regulator through this inspection would verify whether food companies are complying with standards laid by it.

"We will also conduct surveys and huge surveillance to find out risk. We need to find problem area and make efforts to fix it, then only people's trust can be build," he said.

The surveys and surveillance effort would help in generating robust data for the regulator.

Agarwal informed that the government has recently permitted creation of about 800 posts in the authority, but still the strength would be lower than many other countries.

Therefore, he said, the FSSAI is making efforts to create network of partnerships with scientific, research and academic institutions to fulfil its mandate.
The current FDI policy permits overseas players to hold 51 per cent stake in an Indian multi-brand retail company.

New Delhi: The government has no proposal to change the existing foreign direct investment (FDI) policy in the multi-brand retail trading sector, a top official said on Thursday.

"You know the multi-brand retail policy that exists today. There is no proposal for change," Secretary in the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) Ramesh Abhishek said here.

He was replying to a question whether the government is looking at increasing FDI cap to 100 per cent in the sector, a politically sensitive segment.

Although the current FDI policy permits overseas players to hold 51 per cent stake in an Indian multi-brand retail company, the BJP in its election manifesto had opposed overseas investment in the retail segment.

So far, only one foreign player, Tesco, has received approval for opening stores under the multi-brand retail policy. The previous UPA government had cleared the proposal.

The statement assumes significance as industry body CII in its recent report suggested the government to permit 100 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail trade.

Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has strongly opposed this suggestion. Abhishek said the USD 650 billion retail sector is growing fast and that it holds huge potential for businesses.

"Organised retail is only 10 per cent (of this figure) and out of that e-commerce is only 3 per cent. I think there is a tremendous scope for growth in e-commerce and organised retail," he said.

Abhishek said with growing middle class and increasing incomes, the retail sector is set for a massive revolution.

"So there is a plenty of scope to make money and do well," he said here at CII's conference on 'MNCs and India: Creating Mutual Value'.

Further, the secretary asked the industry to provide convincing arguments and detailed analysis while recommending some policy changes.

On reducing corporate tax, Abhishek said his department too favours cut in this tax rate and "we definitely hope that a more competitive environment will be made for tax rates".

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had lowered corporate tax rate to 25 per cent for businesses with turnover up to Rs 250 crore.
While the inimitable Irrfan Khan is recuperating in London from a serious ailment, his latest Hollywood release, titled Puzzle, has opened to rave reviews.

The intense and heart-touching drama about a relationship between a bored American housewife Agnes (Kelly MacDonald) and her partner Robert, is set in the backdrop of a jigsaw-puzzle tournament, and is directed by Marc Turtletaub.

Irrfan has received thumping reviews for his performance. Roger Ebert.com, writes, He (the male protagonist Robert) is played by the great Irrfan Khan, who immediately changes the tone and energy of Puzzle simply through his charismatic presence.

A wealthy inventor living alone in an ornate Manhattan brownstone, Robert has a playful, low-key sense of humour, which he uses to draw Agnes out of her shell. Macdonald and Khan have an enjoyably prickly chemistry with each other off the top, which steadily evolves into a bond thats unexpectedly deeper.

The New York Times says, Agnes is introduced to the world of competitive puzzling by Robert (the marvelous Irrfan Khan), a wealthy Indian inventor, his rumpled cosmopolitan glamour and dark-eyed wisdom seem the stuff of fairy tales.

Irrfan couldnt be more pleased as he replies, I always wanted to do a Hollywood love story. So I am glad it happened with Puzzle.
Major portions of the film will be shot in Chennai and Tirunelveli and stunt master duo Anbariv have been roped in to choreograph a special action sequence.

Karthi, who is game for experimental films, is at it again. The actor is on board for a film tentatively titled Karthi 18, which is directed by Lokesh Kanakaraj who gave the blockbuster film Maanagaram. The specialty of the film is that it has no lead heroine to romance Karthi.

The script of action thriller did not demand a pair to Karthi's character and hence we are not opting for one. Others featured in it are Anjathey fame Naren, Ramana and George Mariyaan. Talks are going on with few more actors and actresses for prominent roles, Lokesh said.

Major portions of the film will be shot in Chennai and Tirunelveli and stunt master duo Anbariv have been roped in to choreograph a special action sequence. Bankrolled by Dream Warrior and Vivekanandha Pictures, the film has Sam CS as the music composer.
The TFPC has once again failed to streamline Tamil film releases. Felling his patience might be misconstrued as weakness, Vishnu has gone one step ahead to put an end to his problems by bringing biggie Udhayanidhi Stalins Red Giant banner to release SS throughout Tamil Nadu.

Intimidated for the second time by the Tamil Film Producers Councils Regulation Committee with regard to the release of his upcoming flick Silukkuvarpatti Singam, actor and producer Vishnu Vishal has slammed the council saying vested interests were sabotaging its reputation.

The TFPC has once again failed to streamline Tamil film releases. Felling his patience might be misconstrued as weakness, Vishnu has gone one step ahead to put an end to his problems by bringing biggie Udhayanidhi Stalins Red Giant banner to release SS throughout Tamil Nadu. This will obviously fetch him far more theatres and screens. The actor also lashed out at the Producers Council in a series of tweets.

Vishnu Vishal speaks to DC. This happened to me when my earlier film Raatchasan was to hit the marquee on October 5. Gnanavelraja sirs Nota came in at the last minute. Again, the Release Regulation Committee of TFPC gave me the first approval letter for Silukkuvarpatti Singam release on December 21. All of a sudden more than five films are in the fray on the same day. How will we get enough theatres then? Why would there be any committee? We can as well follow the old method. I am not blaming TFPC head Vishal for the situation, but people are not allowing him to discharge his duties. Ego has been created which has resulted in a rift among producers. I was confident that my patience would pay off! Yes, today Red Giant is in the loop and impressed with the content after watching the film, Udhayanidhi sir has come into the picture and will be releasing it through his banner, the actor quips.

He adds quickly, Atharvaas Boomerang went out of race. I spoke up for them also. If you ask the other producers who are releasing their movies on December 21, everyone including the makers of Maari 2, Adanga Maru, etc. has their own stories to narrate. The only way to sort this issue out is to follow the rules strictly.

On Silukkuvarpatti Singam, which is set against the backdrop of Dindigul, he says, It is a pucca family entertainer with Regina Cassandra essaying as my pair. Oviya appears in an extended cameo. Directed by debutant Chella Ayyavu, I play a happy-go-lucky constable Sathyamoorthy who loves his doing petty jobs like fetching tea and snacks for others. How he gets involved with a big case and catches the dreaded rowdy forms the crux.

On handling humour, thought to be a tough area for him, Vishnu says, Yes, thats why I dont want to experiment in the comedy genre in other producers films. I do it only in my own production ventures. People who have seen sneak peek of SS said that my comic timing and sense were perfect in the film. I have also sported six different looks in the movie.

The Mundasupatty actor says he realised his strength after portraying a serious role in Raatchasan.  I want to do four films with strong content and one light hearted film after that.

The actor has solid films in his kitty, including Prabhu Solomons Tamil, Telugu and Hindi trilingual forest film on elephants where he plays a mahout, Jagajala Killadi with Ezhil and long pending Seenu Ramasamys Idam Porul Yaeval and a few sequels to his earlier hits.
Director Harish Shankar is planning the remake of Tamil film Jigarthanda in Telugu and has roped in Varun Tej to play one of the leads. While Siddharth and Bobby Simha have acted in the Tamil film, VarunTej is enacting Bobby Simhas role in the Telugu version. Varun Tej has agreed to do the negative role and now, the director is looking for other actor to play Siddharths role, says a source. Harish is believed to be looking at Raj Tarun and Naga Shaurya to play the other actors role. Rashmika Mandanna has already been roped in for the female lead.

Harish, who considered other options for his next venture, finalised on this remake since he found the script interesting and appealing to the Telugu audience.

Producers, Ram and Gopi Achanta are planning to start the shoot shortly.
The participants were invited to have a snack of chips and salsa with their partners. (Photo: Pixabay)

Washington: Planning a business negotiation? Choose an Indian or Chinese restaurant, say scientists who have found that sharing plates during a meal -- a custom in both cultures -- can help people collaborate better.

Researchers from University of Chicago in the US said that since sharing plates -- customary in Indian and Chinese cultures -- require people to coordinate their physical actions, it might in turn prompt them to coordinate their negotiations.

To find out, they asked study participants, all strangers to one another, to pair off in a lab experiment that involved negotiating.

The participants were invited to have a snack of chips and salsa with their partners. Half of the pairs received one bowl of chips and one bowl of salsa to share, while the others each had their own bowls.

Next came the negotiation scenario, in which one person in each pair was randomly assigned to act as management and the other as a union representative.

Their goal was to arrive at an acceptable wage for the union within 22 rounds of negotiation, with each round representing one day of negotiations, and with a costly union strike scheduled to start on the third round.

The costs of the strike accrued quickly for both sides, giving the parties an impetus to reach a mutually agreeable deal quickly. Teams with shared bowls took nine strike days, on average, to reach a deal, four fewer than pairs that had eaten from separate bowls.

This difference translated into significant dollar values, saving both parties a combined, if hypothetical, USD 1.5 million in losses, according to the study pubished in the journal Psychological Science.

This phenomenon was unrelated to how two people in a negotiating team felt about each other. Rather, what mattered was how well they coordinated their eating. While technology allows people to conduct meetings remotely, there is value in getting together over a meal. The same is true outside of business negotiations.
KCR was sworn in as the chief minister of the state for the second time after his party, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), won 88 of 119 Assembly seats in the December 7 election. (Photo: ANI)

Hyderabad: K Chandrashekar Rao was sworn in as the chief minister of Telangana on Thursday.

Rao, commonly known as KCR, was administered oath by Governor E S L Narasimhan at 1:25 pm on Thursday at Raj Bhavan in Hyderabad.

KCR was sworn in as the chief minister of the state for the second time after his party, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), won 88 of 119 Assembly seats in the December 7 election. The Congress-TDP alliance bagged 19 while only 1 seat went into BJP's kitty.

Along with Rao, party MLC Mohammed Mehmood Ali, who was deputy chief minister in the previous TRS government, took oath as a minister.

In the December 7 polls, KCR contested from his home turf Gajwel and retained the seat. He has a track record of never losing an election since 1985.

The welfare schemes implemented during the KCR's last tenure appear to have helped him lead TRS to a resounding victory in India's youngest state.

KCR's party TRS which began with just 63 seats in 2014 saw people of Telangana giving him a clear mandate in December 7 polls.

Launch of various welfare schemes targeting different sections of the society during his last tenure, helped KCR strengthened his vote base in the state.

The results of the election were announced on December 11.
On Monday also, the Kerala Assembly was adjourned, following a protest by the members of the opposition over their demand for the withdrawal of Section 144 from Sabarimala temple. (Photo: ANI)

Trivandrum: The opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) legislators on Thursday boycotted Question Hour in the Kerala Assembly to protest against the restrictions on women's entry into Sabarimala temple and lack of basic amenities.

The opposition also demanded the suspension of Question Hour in order to take up the adjournment motion.

On Monday also, the Kerala Assembly was adjourned, following a protest by the members of the opposition over their demand for the withdrawal of Section 144 from Sabarimala temple.

On December 8, the Pathanamthitta district administration extended prohibitory orders issued under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) imposed in and around Sabarimala temple areas till the midnight of December 12.

Section 144 prohibits the assembly of more than four people in an area. As per the decision of the Pathanamthitta District Administration, Sabarimala, Elavungal, Nilakkal, Pamba, and Sannidhanam will be under the purview of the police control for four more days.

Earlier, the police had submitted a report to the district collector, seeking to extend the prohibitory orders until January 14. The police arrested BJP leaders including its state unit vice-president N Shivarajan for breaching prohibitory orders at Nilakkal.

Around 69 people were arrested in November after they allegedly violated Section 144 imposed in the vicinity of the temple.

A string of protests has been witnessed in the state after the Supreme Court's verdict of allowing women of all age groups to enter the Lord Ayappa shrine.

Till to date, no woman in the 10-50 age group has succeeded in offering prayers at the shrine as various people have been protesting against the apex court's decision.
A division bench of Justices Ramachandra Menon and N Anil Kumar said its earlier order that there should not be any protest in Sabarimala stands intact. (Photo: File)

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday directed police to remove barricades at prime spots in the temple complex of the Lord Ayyappa hill shrine at Sabarimala.

It also directed police to lift restrictions like blocking pilgrims at Sharankutti, en route to the 'sannidhanam' or temple complex, after 11.30 pm.

A division bench of Justices Ramachandra Menon and N Anil Kumar said its earlier order that there should not be any protest in Sabarimala stands intact.

The bench also approved the report of the three-member monitoring commission appointed by it on November 28 to oversee the pilgrimage at Sabarimala temple.

The court had appointed the three-member panel to oversee the pilgrimage at Sabarimala temple and said there should not be any more protests at the shrine, which witnessed a series of violent incidents after the September 28 Supreme Court verdict, allowing women of all ages into the shrine.

It had, while hearing a bunch of petitions questioning restrictions at the temple, said the three observers would monitor the pilgrimage and report to the court.

The court on Wednesday said that depending on the intensity of the crowd, police can take appropriate measures to manage the crowd and inflow without causing inconvenience to pilgrims.

Restrictions can be requisite or to the optimum extent, but not beyond that, the court held.

It also was of the view that police were at liberty to maintain law and order in the hill shrine complex.

Meanwhile, Crime Brance IG S Sreejith has been given the charge of security of the Pamba and Sannidhanam areas from December 15 to 30, DGP Lok Nath Behra said on Wednesday.

Intelligence DIG S Surendran would be in charge of Nilackal, Vadasserikkara and Erumeli, the DGP said in a release.

Kozhikode Rural Police chief G Jayadev, Crime Branch SP P B Rajiv have been appointed as police controllers at the Sannidhanam.
Vijayan said the government would soon implement a project to prevent recurrence of such flooding. (Photo: File)

Kochi: Kerala government would soon implement a project to prevent flooding of the Kochi airport and nearby areas as witnessed during the August flood, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Wednesday.

The airport, one of the busiest in the country, was rendered non-functional for two weeks from August 14 due to the unprecedented flooding triggered by torrential rains.

While making it clear that the inundation of Kochi airport area had nothing to do with the airport construction, Vijayan said the government would soon implement a project to prevent recurrence of such flooding.

"The project is designed based on the studies jointly carried out by the state Irrigation department and Kitco, a premier technical consultancy firm. Dutch Engineering experts too were consulted before giving shape to the plan of action which the government will implement on a war-footing," the chief minister said, inaugurating the renovated heritage terminal of the Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL).

Earlier, there were charges from certain quarters that the region was flooded due to construction of the airport, Vijayan said.

"It's not true. All low-lying areas in the district got inundated, and not just the airport region, after the water level in Periyar rose suddenly following intermittent rains. The whole of the state was affected by the floods," the chief minister added.
The veteran politician was speaking to reporters after meeting scores of party workers who had gathered here to greet him on his 78th birthday. (Photo: File)

Mumbai: A day after the BJP's poll debacle in three Hindi heartland states, NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said the Ram temple issue might not work in favour of the BJP again, unlike in the past, if it is raised ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

He alleged that the BJP may try to create a communal divide on the temple issue which is a "matter of concern".

The BJP is under pressure from its ideological mentor RSS, alliance partner Shiv Sena and Hindutva organisations which are demanding a parliamentary law or an ordinance for construction of Ram temple.

Sena MPs on Wednesday staged a protest in the Lok Sabha demanding immediate construction of the temple.

"The issue of Ram temple was used once in the past and the BJP stood benefited by it. In case they (the BJP) raise the issue again, people do not accept an issue twice... So, I don't think it (Ram temple) will benefit them (the BJP)," Pawar said.

The veteran politician was speaking to reporters after meeting scores of party workers who had gathered here to greet him on his 78th birthday.

The BJP, which was in power in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh since the last 15 years, lost to the Congress in the assembly polls, results for which were announced Tuesday. The Congress also looks set to form government in Rajasthan, ruled by the BJP until now.

Stating that people do not accept the same issue twice, Pawar referred to the general elections held post Emergency and the assembly polls held in Maharashtra over the issue of 'Samyukta (joint) Maharashtra' in 1950s and 1960s.

He said Indira Gandhi-led Congress had to taste defeat in the 1977 Lok Sabha polls which was held after imposition of Emergency.

The Janata alliance of parties, opposed to the ruling Congress party, had won that elections riding on the anti-Congress wave.

"But that issue (Emergency) did not appeal to the people when the (Lok Sabha) elections were held again (in 1980)," he noted.

Pawar also recalled the Congress was defeated in Maharashtra in 1955-56 Assembly polls over the issue of the Samyukta Maharashtra.

"But in the 1962 Assembly polls, the Congress came back to power as people did not accept the Samyukta Maharashtra issue," he added.

In his annual Vijaya Dashmi rally held in Nagpur this October, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had demanded a law to pave the way for construction of the temple on the disputed site in Ayodhya.

Many Hindu organisations have been demanding construction of the temple, as promised by the BJP before coming to power in 2014.

The BJP has been saying that it was committed to the construction of the temple, but is silent on bringing an ordinance in Parliament for the purpose.

The matter of Ayodhya title suits is currently pending in the Supreme Court.
Jaipur: Amid reports of Congress naming Ashok Gehlot as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan and delay in naming of the new chief minister, supporters of Rajasthan Congress Chief Sachin Pilot blocked roads in Karauli.

Minutes after reports of road blocking by Pilot supporters surfaced, the state Congress chief appealed party workers to maintain peace and decorum.

I appeal to party workers to maintain peace and decorum. I have full faith in the leadership, we will welcome whatever Rahul Gandhi ji and Sonia Gandhi ji decide. It is our responsibility to uphold the honour of the party, we are dedicated to the party.

Ashok Gehlot said the decision will be taken soon."There is nothing to worry. Just wait, the decision has to be taken on CMs of three states so naturally, it takes time. Party president will take a call," he added.

"I appeal to workers to maintain calm, they have worked very hard, whatever decisions will be taken will be binding on all. Rahul ji is talking to and consulting all leaders," Gehlot said.

Congress is expected to clear the airs and announce the name of Rajasthan Chief Minister shortly.

Earlier on Thursday, the Congress president met Pilot and Gehlot at his Tuglaq Road residence in New Delhi.

Pilot refused to back down in the race for the top post in Rajasthan.

If the party names Gehlot the CM, he would hold the post for the third time.

Congress won the majority of votes in Rajasthan but was two seats short of the halfway mark.

Congress won 99 of 199 Assembly seats and staked claim to form the government in the state.
'Stress jeopardises decision-making relevance and cognitive functioning which is fatal to flight safety,' the ICPA said in the letter. (Representational Image)

Mumbai: Air India's union representing narrow body pilots on Wednesday alleged a majority of its members were defaulting on bank EMIs due to the salary delays which was also putting them under a lot of "stress".

In a letter to AI chairman and managing director Pradeep Singh Kharola, the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) also claimed the loss-making carrier had only partially paid the pilots for October as they were yet to receive the flying allowance, which constitutes 80 per cent of their total monthly salary.

Notably, the flying allowance to the pilots at state- run airline is disbursed after 60 days.

"There is already a backlog of one month flying allowance. This unspecified delay has impaired our financial planning, especially (pilots are) defaulting on loan EMI... majority of us have defaulted on bank loans and credit card payments while the rest had to arrange funds by taking further loans," ICPA said in the letter.

Air India spokesperson was, however, not available for comments on the issue.

Stating that despite several requests in the past not to bifurcate salary and flying allowance for pilots, the ICPA said, "It (our request) is being ignored. We are awaiting flying Allowance for the work done in the month of October."

This financial problem has made it extremely difficult for the pilots to work "stress free", it added.

"Stress jeopardises decision-making relevance and cognitive functioning which is fatal to flight safety," the ICPA said in the letter.
Rescue work in progress at a warehouse in Whitefield where iron racks collapsed and killed three workers on Thursday DC

Bengaluru: Panic prevailed at Seegehalli in Whitefield when iron racks installed inside a warehouse collapsed and killed three workers on Thursday afternoon.

Police said the rescue operation was ongoing and five workers were rescued. They arrested site owner Amanullah and the business head of the warehouse, identified as Ajay, and cases have been registered against them for negligence.

The incident took place at Holisol Warehouse Logistic Pvt Ltd and the deceased have been identified as Farooq, a resident of Koralur near Kadugodi, Subhash and Janan Darshan both hailing from Odisha. The fire and emergency department officials rescued five workers, identified as Kuladeep, Janakiram, Narayanaswamy, and two others have been shifted to hospital. According to the police, the accident happened around 12.30 pm when the iron racks tilted and loaded crates fell on the workers below.

Soon panic gripped the area as the workers loud cries alerted the neighbourhood. A fire official said after getting an alert they reached the spot at about 2 pm, along with NDRF team. Farooq, Subhash, Janan Darshan and Ramakanth remained stuck under the racks for hours, only Ramakanth was found alive, when the rescue teams reached them. The first body (Farooq) was found at around 5:30pm.

Another official from NDRF told this newspaper that rescue operation has been going on for eight hours and more than 100 personnel were have been deployed. The warehouse is spread across 1,200 square feet.

At the time of the incident over 50 workers were present. One of the bolts which was supporting the iron racks got loose and this led to the collapse of heavy iron racks, the official added.

Local residents claimed they heard a loud noise inside the warehouse and rushed to check.

A warehouse worker said had a providential escape as he had stepped out to have tea, when the tragedy befell. He said nearly 25 workers had gone to have tea outside the warehouse premises.

While we were sipping tea, we heard a loud noise and commotion. Upon checking, we were shocked to see that more than 200 vertically installed racks had collapsed, with many workers stuck under them, he added.

Kadugodi police, fire officials and NDRF team are carrying out rescue operation as one more worker is reportedly trapped under the debris.

The warehouse began functioning in July, 2017.
New Delhi: With the just concluded assembly polls results of five states giving a major jolt to the BJP and putting a question mark on its organisational strength, the party will hold national conventions in different states to garner support and volunteers for the 2019 electoral battle.

Also, the two day long meet of BJPs national council will be held from January 11 in the national capital, first major meeting of the partys central and state leadership after the recent polls rout.

The decision to hold national conventions of partys morchas was taken during a meeting of partys office bearers and was headed by party president Amit Shah.

The meeting, was also attended by state unit chiefs and organisational secretaries of the states teams and continued till late evening.

When asked whether the party leaders discussed about the recent poll routs in Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Rajasthan, partys national general secretary Bhupendra Yadav said that the meeting was scheduled earlier and was to discuss only organisational matters.

While Prime Minister will address the national conventions of the mahila morcha and the kisan morcha, party president Amit Shah and other senior leaders, including Union ministers Rajn-ath Singh, Nitin Gadk-ari among others will address the meets.
Hyderabad: Pointing to the government officials ignoring a promise made in an affidavit, the Hyderabad High Court pulled up the roads and buildings department engineer-in-chief and Nalgonda divisional forest officer and ordered them to be present before it on December 15.

Do not try to trap the judiciary like trapping cattle. If so, you will have to face the music from the judiciary, a bench comprising Chief Justice Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan and Justice S.V. Bhatt said.

The court heard a taken-up matter relating to the officials allowing trees to be cut along the Ibrahimpatnam-Nagarjunasagar state highway in Ranga Reddy and Nalgonda districts for road widening works.

Advocate T. Rajnikanth Reddy had sent a telegram to the High Court about the fully grown trees being cut down and said it was contrary to the Water Land and Trees Act, 2002.

Based on the telegram, the court agreed to take up the matter and asked the R&B and forest departments to respond in 2016.

The officials had replied to the court by way of an affidavit that they would plant trees in the ratio of five trees to every one cut down within two months.

The High Court pulled up the officials for failing to plant trees even after two years. It warned the Executive and questioned the officials about the factual position based on the sworn affidavit. It summoned the two officials to explain facts.
Bhopal: Veteran Congress leader Kamal Nath is set to be the 18th Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. The Congress Legislature Party was scheduled to meet late in the evening on Thursday for the second time in 24 hours, to elect Mr Nath as its leader.

In Jaipur, senior leader Ashok Gehlot was extended the Chief Ministers security, apparently sealing the deal. This sent party leader Sachin Pilot, whose supporters have resorted to violence, rushing to the residence of Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

In Raipur, Mr T.S. Singh Deo and Mr Bhupesh Baghel had been called to the Capital for discussions with top party leaders. There were scuffles in front of Mr Baghels house. A decision on the two states is expected by Friday.

In Bhopal, the race had intensified after Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia staked claim, saying that he was instrumental in securing 27 out of 34 seats in Gwalior-Chambal region, considered his pocket borough. Following this, the first CLP meeting held on Wednesday ended inconclusively, and members left it to Mr Rahul Gandhi.

Mr Gandhi apparently brokered peace bet-ween Mr Nath and Mr Scindia after a mara-thon meeting in Delhi. Mr Scindia accepted the decision to make Mr Nath the Chief Minister, sources said.

There was no race. There were no differences, Mr Nath later told reporters. He was scheduled to take oath on Friday.

Nine-time MP from Chhindwara, Mr Nath, 72, led the Congress to victory in the polls and ended the 15-year-rule of the BJP. He was made state Congress president in May.

The Congress, which secured 114 seats, was forming government with two BSP MLAs, one SP legislator and four independents.
Around 160 films from around the world were screened at the festival. The 24th edition of the IFFK will be held here from December 6 to 13, 2019.

Thiruvananthapuram: The week-long movie extravaganza came to a colourful end here on Thursday with Iranian filmmaker Rouhallah Hejazi winning the Golden Crow Pheasant Award for the best film for his movie Dark Room. Lijo Jose Pellissery received the Silver Crow Pheasant for best director for EE.Maa.Yove and the NETPA Award for best Asian film in the competition.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who inaugurated the closing ceremony of the 23rd International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) at Nisagandhi Auditorium, said that the unity among all sections, including organisers and art lovers, displayed in the film festival will be a boost for rebuilding Kerala after the damage suffered by the state in the August floods.

He said that as in the flood-hit days, active free volunteering especially from youths helped the successful conduct of a large event like the film festival. He added that the state places its hope on this generation while engaging in rebuilding after the floods. Mr Vijayan appreciated the effort of the youngsters who provided free food for delegates during the hartal day. He also presented the awards to the winners.

Iranian filmmaker Rouhallah Hejazi after winning the Golden Crow Pheasant Award at the International Film Festival of Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday. (A.V. MUZAFAR)

Anamika Haksar received the Silver Crow Pheasant for best debut director for Taking the Horse to Eat Jalebis and a special jury mention for its cinematographer Saumyanand Sahi. Beatriz Seigner received a special jury mention for The Silence.

Ee.Maa.Yove also won the audience poll as it garnered the most number of votes from the delegates.

Around 160 films from around the world were screened at the festival. The 24th edition of the IFFK will be held here from December 6 to 13, 2019.

Filmmakers Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Kumar Shahani at the 23rd International Film Festival of Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday.(A.V. MUZAFAR)

I avoid bad Sinhala, good Tamil binary: Sumathy Sivamohan

When a Sri Lankan filmmaker says that she consciously avoids the bad Sinhala, good Tamil binary in her films, one is bound to look up her identity. IFFK International Jury member Sumathy Sivamohan, who said this during 23rd IFFKs final In Conversation segment, is a Tamil-speaking Sri Lankan.

Until 2017, she has made movies in Tamil. Sons and Fathers, released in 2017, is her only Sinhalese movie. Why then criticise films which put Tamil and Sinhala people in black and white? She said she chose the nuanced narrative to the easier one, purposely.

There are many films, which show Tamil people to be all about suffering. It is boring for me. It does not offer hope to the Tamil community. It does not talk about hope, she said.

Filmmaker Sudha K. F. and Sumathy Sivamohan

However, historically, when a minority community is involved in a conflict, they are the oppressed. There, naturally, emerges a binary, with the larger side as the oppressor.

DC has pointed out that media has chosen to side with the oppressed, in international conflicts. She said, LTTE was the dominant faction among Tamils, but there was a lot of criticism from the Tamil community against LTTE which was not picked up by the media. Tamils did suffer, but their suffering was very complex. If we dont deal with that complexity, we wont have answers. LTTE had evicted Muslims from North Sri Lanka. Im from the north. If you are talking about a minority community, why was this issue not covered at all?

Her interviewer on the dais, filmmaker Sudha K. F., mentioned about a scene from her film in which a woman changes her style of wearing a sari from Sinhala to Tamil. Sudha said how this might have been included because Sumathy Sivamohan was a woman too. She replied, I used the sari to show that you can change ethnicity by changing your sari. Theres nothing essential in your blood about being Sinhala or Tamil.

There might be one aspect of her identity, which she didnt mention in the session, but must have shaped her in many ways. She was the sister of Dr Rajani Thiranagama, a Sri Lankan human rights activist allegedly gunned down by LTTE. The doctor, who used to take care of wounded LTTE soldiers grew disillusioned and after years, started speaking against them.
Jammu: Saqib Bilal and another boy, a Class 9 student from Hajin Bandipora, were killed along with a Pakistani Lashkar-e-Taiba militant in an 18-hour gun battle with security forces in Mujgund on the outskirts of Srinagar on December 9.

Both the boys had left their homes on August 31 and Bilals family is at a loss to understand why he joined militancy. They looked everywhere and his mother even brought an amulet from a faith healer for her sons safety.

For more than a month, we went to places to find them. Ultimately, we realised the unthinkable, Asim Aijaz, Bilals maternal uncle, said.

He had an interest in engineering. We could never understand why he joined. In fact, he left home on the day to buy some groceries. People had seen the two boys riding behind a third person on a bike, Aijaz said.

Bilal had cleared his Class 10 with a distinction and was studying physics, chemistry and maths in Class 11. Bilals family said he had an interest in acting and had done a small role in Vishal Bhardwajs movie Haider.

He was in his sixth class when he appeared for two brief shots in Haider which have appeared in the film. In one of the shots he appeared as a chocolate boy and in another, he acted of surviving a violent incident in a bus, Aijaz said.
Bengaluru: As the students of Government Lower Primary School (GLPS) Ravindranagar sang their prayer at the morning assembly on Thursday, the young faces were euphoric to see a total makeover of their once dilapidated school building and campus.

Along with the refurbished schools inauguration on Thursday, a nationwide government school rejuvenation programme by The Akshaya Patra Foundation (TAPF) was also launched by the scion of Mysuru royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar.

Titled School and Student Transformation  A Model School Initiative, the project aims to build 100 model schools pan India in the first phase and scale up to 500 in the second phase.

Elaborating on the project, TAPF CEO Shridhar Venkat said like GLPS Ravindranagar other schools will also be equipped with colouful and innovative compound walls, safe food storage facility, hand wash stations, zero maintenance bio-toilets and play area.

The model school initiative at GLPS Ravindranagar has been supported by Shyamala Prabhu and Kavita Shastry from the Institute of Indian Interior Designers and organisations such as Lets Endorse, Smile Charitable Trust, and The Aravani Art Project.

In a special interaction with Deccan Chronicle, Yaduveer said that infrastructural development of government schools was essential to help students benefit better from the system. Excerpts:

Experts point out offering better opportunities for students in government schools as well keeping the system of public education alive. How can this be done?

Going forward from initiatives like the School and Student Transformation model put forth by TAPF, encouraging children to grow up in a sustainable environment and ensuring they get access to experiential learning platforms is important. A transformation towards getting better in all ways  in terms of education, infrastructure and advanced learning prospects is essential for government schools to be more appealing to students and parents.

Do you believe beginning English medium classes or schools in the public education sector would improve government school enrolments and thereby quality of education offered as well?

Merely changing the medium to English would not improve the system at a larger scale. Even though learning English would help students get recognised as a global citizen, one cannot neglect the local language and culture and hence learning in Kannada is equally important. Knowledge in more languages right from the formative years is always good as it helps better brain development. However, a system to offer both Kannada and English mediums and either of them as a second language should be in place. The final call should be left open to each student/parent catering to their individual needs.

Will you prefer sending your son to a government school for education?

That will be a matter of practicality and well take a call depending on what is right for him at that point of time. Hes just one year old now. Ive seen several government schools that are very good and way better than their private counterparts with an enabled and progressive outlook. Good things take time and hopefully with such initiatives, government schools will retain its past glory. To be very honest, we havent given this much thought as to how we should have already.
Ooty: Green activists here want a change-over to organic agriculture practices in the hills here to sustain good soil health to support the rich bio-diversity of the hills of the Nilgiris.

Stating that the Nilgiris was declared as the first ever bio-sphere reserve of the country three decades ago to conserve its rich bio-diversity that includes many an endangered and endemic fauna and flora, V. Sivadass, managing trustee of the Nilgiris Environment and Socio-cultural Trust, said that conserving soil health is vital to sustain bio-diversity.

"Over the decades, application of chemical fertilisers, and especially, chemical pesticides has become a common practice in fields in the hills. This may give immediate dividends and returns. But in the course of time, it damages soil health and soil micro-organisms that in turn, will play havoc with the ecological equilibrium. Besides this, pesticide residues in the runoff water enters the jungle fringes and slowly destroys the jungle ecology," he pointed out.

To combat the effects of pesticides and chemical fertilizers that tend to enter the human and animal food chain and eventually cause various health ailments, including cancer, impetus should be given in a big way for practice of organic agriculture in the hills. This is the only natural way to restore and sustain soil health and thereby to conserve bio-diversity, he added.
Chennai: Two thieves who used Google maps and looted houses in Chennai early this month were brought to Chennai for a crime scene enactment on Thursday. They were arrested in Hyderabad after a long search operation by the police on December 3. The incident was brought to light after a Nungambakkam-based doctor working in Apollo hospitals in Chennai was robbed.

The theft occurred last month and the thief was cunning enough to not leave any obvious trails. Police couldnt identify the thief as there was no evidence left for them to investigate by the robber who covered his tracks well. However, similar incidents happened in various posh localities of Chennai like Teynampet, Nungambakkam, Mambalam where a lot of affluent people live and left the police confused about the culprit.

Meanwhile, Sathish alias Sathya Reddy (34) and Narendhra(24) of Hyderabad were arrested by the Hyderabad police during a robbery attempt and subsequently produced in court.

During interrogation by the Hyderabad police, it was found that the duo had carried out a series of robberies in Chennai. Upon further investigation, they were shocked to hear his modus operandi.

The robber first searched for posh areas in Chennai using Google maps. Then, he took a flight to Chennai and visited the targeted area in an auto. He then zeroed in on houses either locked or where the residents spent more time at work.

After this, they would execute the plan and robbed the selected targets. After a successful robbery, they would go back with the goods to their native place.

Following their arrest, a team of Chennai police went to Hyderabad and recovered 120 sovereigns of gold from them.

Meanwhile, on Thursday morning the two culprits were brought to Chennai so that they could enact how they broke into the houses without leaving any clue to police.
Thiruvananthapuram: The 'indefinite' satyagraha which was being observed by three opposition MLAs-- V.S. Sivakumar, N. Jayaraj and Parakkal Abdul-at the portal of the Assembly for 11 days was withdrawn as the House was adjourned sine dine on Thursday.

Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala said the protest by the MLAs against the prohibitory orders at Sabarimala was a success.

However, the government had not yet lifted the restrictions at Sabarimala even after the High Court passed adverse comments. The government dealt with the strike undemocratically, Mr Chennithala added.The Opposition earlier stayed away from the question hour protesting against the government's stubborn stand on the satyagraha.

Opposition members raised slogans demanding withdrawal of the prohibitory orders and other regulations at Sabaarimala when the House convened in the morning.

Mr Chennithala announced that the Opposition would boycott the question hour as the government was taking a hostile stand on the satyagraha.

He later told reporters that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, during his speech in the Assembly, had ignored the contributions of Muslim and Christian communities in the renaissance movement in the state. Earlier, while raising the issue of the women's wall, Mr M.K. Munner of the IUML also pointed out that it was not the Hindus alone who took part in the movement.

"Christians and Muslims also were part of it and we wish to ask you what wall are you now going to build without Christians and Muslims," he asked the ruling party.
State Congress chief Sachin Pilot and former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot are contending for the post of Chief Minister. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi/Jaipur: Amid the suspense of announcing the name of the next Rajasthan chief minister, Ashok Gehlot leads the race while the state party Chief Sachin Pilot is fighting his case and is putting stiff resistance, sources said.

State Congress chief Sachin Pilot and former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot are contending for the post of Chief Minister and met party president Rahul Gandhi at his residence in Delhi on Thursday.

Rahul Gandhi met both Pilot and Gehlot seperately for 10-15 minutes, one representing the young face of the party and the other, the old guard.

Neither Gehlot nor Pilot talked to the media after the meeting with the party chief.

The Congress bagged 99 seats while the BJP won 73 seats in December 7 assembly election.

Sources also added that the Congress is working on a formula to have deputy chief minister for Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and discussions were underway.

Earlier on Thursday, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said that he is seeking feedback from MLAs and party workers for their choice of chief ministerial candidate in their respective states.

A decision on the post of the chief minister will be taken by Thursday evening to enable the oath-taking soon.

On Wednesday, the Congress staked claim to form the government in Rajasthan, even though it fell slightly short of the simple majority mark.

(With PTI inputs)
The Congress leaders are also blaming the police saying that the cops have distributed money on behalf of the TRS leaders.

Hyderabad: Even after the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) Chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) sworn in as the Chief Minister, the Congress leaders are still continuing their allegations over the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM).

The Congress leaders continue to say that the people have voted them, but the EVMs have voted to the TRS.

Speaking to mediapersons Mr Mallu Ravi said, The people of Telangana have voted for the Congress, but the EVMs have declared the TRS as winners. We are shocked that the TRS won the elections despite the publics verdict. Though the experts said that the EVMs can be tampered, the Election Commission has refused to count the Voter Verified Printed Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips. The Congress has not lost the elections, but it is the democracy that was defeated. The people have rejected the campaigning of the many TRS ministers and shockingly they won with huge majorities.

Congress leader Sampath Kumar said, The response that was witnessed during the campaigning is not reflected in the voting. There is no comparison for the voting and the result. In the past Mr KCR himself admitted that the EVMs can easily be tampered. The CBI, and forensic experts should verify the phones of KCR and KT Rama Rao from the time of dissolving the assembly. KTR can dare for a lie detector test.

The Congress leaders are also blaming the police saying that the security personnel have distributed money on behalf of TRS leaders.

The police have distributed money of TRS candidates. The Election Commission worked under the directions of the TRS. The remote of Election Commission was in the hands of KCR, alleged a Congress leader.

The leaders who were driven away by the people during the campaigning have now won with huge majorities.


Nizamabad MP and TRS leader K. Kavitha receives bouquet from her well-wishers on Thursday after her partys victory in Telangana Assembly elections.

Hyderabad: After Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, three more TRS leaders had a busy day with dozens of admirers queuing up to meet them.

While every MLA wanted to meet Mr Chandrasekhar Rao ahead of Cabinet formation, they also queued up to meet party leaders T. Harish Rao, K.T. Rama Rao and K. Kavitha. Every MLA after meeting the Chief Minister went to the residences of the three leaders to thank them for campaigning in their constituencies.

Several officials also met Mr Chandrasekhar Rao and the three TRS leaders. The MLAs were in the city for the TRS Legislature Party meeting on Wednesday and the oath taking ceremony of Mr Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday. Many of the MLAs also quitely lobbied for plum posts.

Apart from other MLAs, Nizamabad district legislators met Ms Kavitha and congratulated and thanked her for campaigning in their constituencies.

Child prodigy Nehal of Khammam districts Pandillapally, who campaigned for irrigation projects, met Mr Harish Rao along with his parents to congratulate him for winning over one lakh votes from Siddipet. Nehal requested Mr Harish Rao to visit his village, and he agreed.
Following the fourth consecutive weekend of widespread and occasionally violent mass protests across France, President Emmanuel Macron was uncharacteristically contrite in an address to the nation on Monday, acknowledging that the anger on the streets was deep and in many ways legitimate.

He admitted there were people whose status in society had not been sufficiently recognised, adding, in a cowardly way we had got used to it, and everything seemed to suggest that we had forgotten them. Accepting some responsibility for his role in the situation, he noted, I may have given you the feeling I have other concerns and priorities. I know some of you have been hurt by my words. Arrogance is a characteristic common to every Fifth Republic President, beginning with Charles de Gaulle, which means self-criticism is a rarity. In his speech, the incumbent also vowed to use all means to restore calm, complained that the protesters threatened French liberty, and insisted there would be no U-turns.

The last of these claims is decidedly untruthful. There was clearly a U-turn last week when the government first temporarily postponed and then more or less indefinitely suspended the planned increase in fuel tax that provided the spark for last months gilets jaunes (yellow vests) mobilisations. That measure predictably failed to mollify the revolting multitudes, whose anger had long since morphed from a specific grievance into a more generalised rage against growing inequality.

On Monday, Macron announced another reversal by cancelling a planned tax increase for low-income pensioners, alongside a 100 euro increase in the monthly minimum wage from next month, plus a tax-free end-of-year bonus for all employees. At the same time, he declared that he would not reinstate a wealth tax that was rescinded some three decades after Francois Mitterrand introduced it.

He may change his mind on that, too, if the coming weekend brings more protests. Though the number of protesters has diminished somewhat since mid-November, the level of arrests, many of them pre-emptive, has spiralled upwards  and includes high school students complaining about curriculum changes. More significantly, the level of popular support for the protesters and their demands remains high at 66 per cent, although it has dwindled by a few percentage points more recently.

Macrons popularity, meanwhile, has been in the low 20s, and one recent poll has it down to 18 per cent. In fact, it declined precipitously very soon after Macron was elected 18 months ago. He comfortably defeated his far right rival Marine Le Pen in the second round of last years presidential election, but only after attracting only about a quarter of the popular vote in the first round.

Macron offered himself as a refreshing alternative to the traditional parties of the left and right, but his agenda incorporated the same old neoliberal mantra of the mainstream parties dressed up in fancy new clothes and sprinkled, for good measure, with political inexperience. His triumph against Le Pen was reassuring, but there was never any serious prospect of this ex-banker addressing the key concerns behind the French electorates disenchantment with the traditional conservative and supposedly socialist parties. It didnt take long for his reputation as a President for the rich to crystallise.

A supposedly green agenda has formed part of Macrons aspirations to European and broader international leadership, and the fuel tax hike was hyped up as an environmental measure. But it threatened to disproportionately hurt those who live outside the main cities and rely on their vehicles to earn their living. All too many of them struggle to make ends meet, and cannot afford to switch to electric cars. Nor can they rely on public transport.

Not surprisingly, climate change denialists such as Donald Trump have latched on to Frances unrest as an example of why its futile to act against carbon pollution. They are gravely mistaken, and will no doubt continue to contribute towards making the world unliveable for future generations.

Where the Macron government has clearly erred is in assuming that a regressive tax that punishes the economically vulnerable segments of society is an acceptable means of mitigating global warming. As one of the protesters told Le Monde, The elites are talking about the end of the world while were talking about the end of the month.

The gilets jaunes have resisted the temptation to ally themselves with any party, and reports suggest that elements from both the far right and the far left were instrumental, on the fringes of the protests, in lighting fires and smashing shop fronts. But the momentum could go either way, and its far from clear exactly what lessons Macron has imbibed from this ongoing challenge to his misrule.

By arrangement with Dawn
The comments drew critical comments from human rights observers and users of Twitter.

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey on Wednesday said he was aware of the human rights atrocities and suffering in Myanmar, responding to criticism over his tweets about his meditation retreat in the country that did not mention the plight of Rohingya Muslims.

More than 730,000 Rohingya fled a sweeping army crackdown in Myanmars Rakhine state in 2017, the United Nations and aid agencies say. The crackdown was launched in response to insurgent Rohingya attacks on security forces.

U.N.-mandated investigators have accused Myanmars army of genocidal intent. Myanmar has denied the accusations, saying its forces engaged in a counter-insurgency operation against terrorists.

On Wednesday, Dorsey said his visit was purely personal and he did not intend to diminish by not raising the issue, but could have acknowledged that I dont know enough and need to learn more.

In his initial messages on the social network, Dorsey said, Myanmar is an absolutely beautiful country. The people are full of joy and the food is amazing.

They included pictures of the barren monastery room in which he stayed during the retreat, as well as an analysis of his heart rate while meditating. There was no reference to the Rohingya.

The comments drew critical comments from human rights observers and users of Twitter.

In August, Reuters described how hate speech spread on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook at the peak of Myanmars military crackdown.

Dorsey said Twitter was a way for people to share news and information about events in Myanmar, as well as bear witness to the plight of the Rohingya and other peoples and communities.

He added, Were actively working to address emerging issues. This includes violent extremism and hateful conduct.

Last month, Dorsey triggered a social media storm in India after a picture of him with a placard reading Smash Brahminical patriarchy, referring to the highest Hindu caste, went viral.

Twitter later apologised for the photo.

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Meng was arrested on Dec. 1 and released on bail on Tuesday. She will be set free if the United States fails to submit a formal demand for her extradition within 60 days of her arrest.

Canada should distance itself from US hegemonism and grant unconditional freedom to Meng Wanzhou, a Chinese executive detained in Vancouver on Washingtons request, the state-owned tabloid Global Times said in a Thursday editorial.

Meng, the chief financial officer of Chinas Huawei Technologies HWT.UL, has been accused by US prosecutors of misleading banks about transactions linked to Iran, putting the banks at risk of violating sanctions.

She was arrested on Dec. 1 and released on bail on Tuesday. She will be set free if the United States fails to submit a formal demand for her extradition within 60 days of her arrest.

Meng has no criminal record anywhere in the world and her arrest violates a US-Canada extradition agreement, the Global Times said, adding that Canada could end the crisis immediately by freeing Meng unconditionally, rather than acting as the 51st state of the United States.

Canada should distance itself from US hegemonism and fulfill its obligations to help maintain international order and protect human rights, it said.

Authorities in China are holding former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig on suspicion of engaging in activities that harm Chinas national security. He was detained on Monday.

The Global Times said there was no evidence that the arrest of Kovrig was in any way connected to the case, but said the assumption is because Canada has gone too far and people naturally believe China will retaliate.

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland warned the United States on Wednesday not to politicize extradition cases, a day after President Trump said he would intervene in the case if it served national security interests.

In another editorial on Thursday, the official China Daily newspaper accused the United States of manufacturing the diplomatic incident in order to serve political ends.

Washington is mistaken if it thinks it can take Meng hostage and ransom her for concessions in the upcoming trade talks, it said.

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Pichai went to Washington later in September to mend fences. (Photo: AP)

Google CEO Sundar Pichai  and other tech executives who may be watching  got hints Tuesday of what issues they can expect to face as Democrats take control of the House in three weeks.

While Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee grilled Pichai on what they perceive as bias against conservatives, top committee Democrat Jerrold Nadler said lawmakers should instead examine issues such as the spread of misinformation online and Russians efforts to influence US elections online.

The issue of user privacy also came up over and over. Looming over the tech industry is the possibility of government regulation intended to protect peoples data and a deeper look into whether gigantic companies like Google, Amazon and Facebook need to be broken up.

Pichais first appearance ever before Congress comes after he angered members of a Senate panel in September by declining their invitation to testify about election manipulation. Pichais no-show at that hearing was marked by an empty chair for Google alongside the Facebook and Twitter executives who did appear. Lawmakers declined Googles offer to send lower-level executives.

Pichai went to Washington later in September to mend fences, meeting with some two dozen Republicans and indicating he also planned to meet with Democrats. He took part in last weeks White House meeting with other tech executives on getting government and businesses working more closely on accelerating emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.

Pichai reiterated Googles position that it has no plans right now to re-enter China with a search engine generating censored results to comply with the demands of that countrys Communist government. If that changes, Pichai promised to be fully transparent about the move. Pichai has said that he wants Google to be in China serving Chinese users.

The CEO also insisted that Googles search engine is not biased against any political viewpoint.

President Donald Trump has accused Google of rigging search results to suppress conservative viewpoints and highlight coverage from media that he says distribute fake news. The company has denied any such bias, and while the question has dogged tech companies for years, theres no evidence of an anti-conservative or any other political tilt.

Nadler called the notion of bias a delusion and a right-wing conspiracy theory. The New York Democrat said Tuesdays hearing was the committees fourth to address the topic  and he suggested hed move on to other topics as Democrats take control.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., kicked off the hearing by noting a widening gap of distrust between tech companies and the American people.

Asked for yes-or-no answers on what information the company collects, Pichai demurred and attempted to convey that things are more complicated, with varying degrees of success.

Momentum is building in Congress for legislation to put stricter limits and privacy protections around the big tech companies collection of data.

Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, tried to pin down Pichai concretely on privacy. Ive got an iPhone, Poe said, waving his device. Can Google track me when I move? If he moved to the left toward his Democratic colleagues on the panel, would Google know?

Not by default, Pichai answered. Poe demanded a yes or no answer, but Pichai indicated it was complicated.

Trump and some lawmakers have raised the possibility of asking regulators to investigate whether Google which handles nearly two of every three online searches in the US has abused its clout as a major gateway to the internet to stifle competition.

Responding to a question about Googles search dominance, Pichai pointed to Amazons dominance in online shopping.

Pichai, a former engineer, took the helm of Google in 2015 in a major restructuring that made Google a division of conglomerate Alphabet Inc.  whose businesses include Waymo, a self-driving technology development company. Bolstering the dominance of its search engine, Googles Android operating system runs most of the worlds smartphones, and its other services  including Gmail, YouTube, online ads and the Chrome web browser  are widely used.

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Apple and Qualcomm are locked in a wide-ranging legal dispute in which Apple has accused Qualcomm of unfair patent licensing practices. Qualcomm has in turn accused Apple of patent infringement.

The US International Trade Commission (ITC) said on Wednesday it would review a ruling that a ban on imports of some iPhones into the United States was not in the public interest, even if Apple Inc infringed a Qualcomm patent.

Apple and Qualcomm are locked in a wide-ranging legal dispute in which Apple has accused Qualcomm of unfair patent licensing practices. Qualcomm has in turn accused Apple of patent infringement.

Qualcomm initiated the ITC case against Apple in July 2017, alleging that iPhones containing Intel chips infringed six patents describing technology that helps smartphones perform well without draining the battery.

Qualcomm did not allege that Intel chips violate its patents, but that the way Apple implemented them in the iPhone does. It later dropped three of the six patents from the case.

Administrative law judge Thomas Pender, a now-retired member of the ITC tribunal that hears patent infringement cases, ruled in September that Apple infringed one of the patents, but cleared the company of infringing the other two.

Pender recommended the agency not grant Qualcomm the relief the San Diego, California-based chipmaker had sought, saying it was not in the US interest.

The ITC said on Wednesday it would review whether the one patent was indeed infringed and also whether it was right to not grant Qualcomm relief. Penders decision on the other two patents would not be reviewed, it said.

The agency would also consider how long it would take Apple to design around Qualcomms patented battery-saving technology, what national security concerns would be implicated by an sales ban and whether a limited import ban could be adopted, it said.

We are pleased that the Commission is going to review the Administrative Law Judges recommendation that no ITC remedy should result from a finding of infringement, Don Rosenberg, Qualcomms executive vice president and general counsel, said in a statement after the announcement.

Apple declined to comment.

A final ruling is due before February 19, the ITC said.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
Among the charges against Cohen was making 'hush money' payments to two women who had threatened to go public during the 2016 presidential election campaign with claims they had affairs with Trump. (Photo: File)

New York: US President Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen delivered a blistering attack on his former boss as he was sentenced to three years in prison on Wednesday for multiple crimes.

"It was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds," Cohen said as he pleaded for leniency before US District Judge William H. Pauley III.

Cohen, 52, said he was taking responsibility for his crimes "including those implicating the President of the United States of America."

Cohen's lawyers had asked for no jail time after he pleaded guilty to tax evasion, making false statements to a financial institution, illegal campaign contributions, and making false statements to Congress.

But Judge Pauley sentenced Cohen to three years in jail.

Among the charges against Cohen was making "hush money" payments to two women who had threatened to go public during the 2016 presidential election campaign with claims they had affairs with Trump.

Trump this week sought to minimize the importance of the payments saying they were a "simple private transaction" and that they were "wrongly" being called campaign contributions.
CHESTER  Council presented city native Tiffany Gosa-Flamer with its Chester Makes Chester award in recognition of being named Miss Ashley Stewart 2018 in September. Educated in the Chester Upland School District and a currently a teacher at Chester Charter School for the Arts, Gosa-Flamer bested 20,000 contestants nationwide to be the face of the womens clothing chain.

Its an awesome experience to have this platform, Gosa-Flamer said to the audience in council chambers. Me a little girl from Chester, Pennsylvania, is going to be the face of a global plus-size clothing brand, and youll be able see my face in every Ashley Stewart store around the nation soon.

Gosa-Flamer said she will use the opportunity to continue to inspire other young girls  that they are beautiful, no matter their size, no matter their shape. She recounted the months-long process of winning the Finding Ashley Stewart contest, starting with encouragement to enter from management at the chains Eddystone location.

After being named one of two finalists at the tours Philadelphia stop, she then needed support in the public voting round.

I had all of Chester voting for me and it was an amazing thing, she said. Then I went from Phillys top two to the top 20 semi-finalists.

Gosa-Flamer then competed as one of eight finalists in a September ceremony in New York City.

I want to be the best role model that I can be, she said. And let other girls know there are great women that come out of the city of Chester and that we can do awesome things.
TINICUM  The Tinicum community is mourning the death of longtime board of commissioners President Thomas Giancristoforo Jr., who died Tuesday following a long illness, at the Crozer Keystone Hospice Residence at Taylor Hospital.

Giancristoforo, 64, a lifelong resident of the Essington section of the township, served on the Tinicum Township Board of Commissioners for 25 years; including the past 12 years as president of the board.

Fellow Commissioner Lisa Edmiston, the first female commissioner in Tinicum Township history, said she will miss Giancristoforo as both a friend and mentor. She said it was Giancristoforo who encouraged her to run for the board of commissioners, and took her under his wing.

We are going to miss him so much, said Edmiston. Tom did so much for our town and would help anybody who asked. He was a wonderful person and a great asset to our community.

Giancristoforo also served as president of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Commissioners from 2006-2007; was executive director of Community Transit of Delaware County; a member of the airport advisory board; and longtime Tinicum Township Republican leader.

He enjoyed a special relationship with both the township police and fire departments. At the time of his death, he was president of the Tinicum Fire Company, and throughout his life, beginning as a young boy, served in practically every capacity within the fire company, including as chief and assistant chief.

It is a tremendous loss for us, said fire company Treasurer Ray Lonabaugh. I have no brothers and sisters and Tommy was the brother I did not have. I will miss him very much.

One of his greatest dreams was the renovation of the Lazaretto building, which is nearing completion and will serve as the new home of the Tinicum Township municipal offices.

It was a decades-long mission of Toms to see this project through, Edmiston said. He worked very hard on acquiring the funding and I just wish he would have been here to see it completed.

Prior to his death, members of the police and fire departments along with numerous personal friends made their way to the hospice to show their love and respect and bid Giancristoforo farewell.

His longtime friend Bob Boland remembered him as a great friend who was always willing to help anyone in need.

Tommy was totally dedicated to Tinicum and whatever he did was for the betterment of his town, Boland said. He respected everyone and fully understood that all people had a right to their opinions. His life was based on loyalty and respect.

The Community Transit administration employees are also mourning his death.

Tom was a larger than life figure who was dedicated to serving his community and his gregarious spirit will surely be missed, reads their website. We at Community Transit will honor Toms legacy of service by dedicating ourselves to continuing to serve the community he loved so much.

And, one resident summed it up on social media by writing, I will miss him very much. He was Mr. Tinicum.
SALT LAKE CITY  Disney Parks Tuesday that new attractions based around The Avengers and Marvel superheroes will be added to the three different Disneyland parks across the world, including Disneyland Paris, Disneyland Resort in California, and Hong Kong Disneyland.

The new parks will include rides, attractions and experiences that center around heroes such as Spider-Man, Iron Man, The Wasp and Ant-Man, among many others.

The superhero-themed locations will be open to guests starting in 2020. They will include a live show and a completely immersive Super Hero universe, which will include the Guardians of the Galaxy  Mission: BREAKOUT! attraction, Variety reported.

In California, the park will be built in the space currently occupied by the A Bugs Land attraction, next to the Guardians of the Galaxy attraction. Its Tough to Be a Bug closed on March 19 to make room for the new area. The area will shut down for the summer to build the new attraction.

Disneyland Paris will host a Marvel Summer of Super Heroes event from June 10 to Sept. 20, where heroes will take the stage for a brand new, live-action super-production featuring cutting-edge special effects and spectacular projections, according to a press release.

Disneyland Hong Kong will receive an Iron Man Experience attraction, where visitors can also team up with Ant-Man and The Wasp on a specific mission, according to Mashable.

Disney representatives released a short flyover drone video earlier in March showing the construction of the new Star Wars land at Disneyland. That park will be built at the Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort locations.

Disney also plans to build a new Toy Story Land in the near future.
We spent a year reporting on teen anxiety. Heres what we learned  and why you're part of the solution

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The Deseret News is exploring why teens are more anxious than ever and how families and communities can help. This is the final in a multi-part series.

SALT LAKE CITY 

Owen feels compelled to make himself tiny, standing small in the corner with his arms folded while the family watches a movie.

And he apologizes  a lot.

This summer, as the 12-year old and his little brother Craig, 10, were gathering fallen apples near their home in the Salt Lake suburb, Craig decided to count: Owen said Im sorry 266 times.

Owen has battled disruptive levels of anxiety since he was 9, but it got worse this past summer. Now the possibility of hurting people or things  even apples  has been added to his already-long list of worries.

"Adolescence is a critical period for the onset of mental health disorders," according to the latest report from New York-based Child Mind Institute, which says more than 17 million American youths have or had a serious mental health impairment before age 18. And nearly one-third of adolescents "will meet criteria" for an anxiety disorder diagnosis by age 18. So Owens in good company.

Alone or coexisting with other mental health conditions like depression or obsessive-compulsive behavior, which Owen started exhibiting in 2015, anxiety impacts 1 in 4 teens severely enough to be life-altering.

For a year, the Deseret News has explored how anxiety is increasingly taking a debilitating toll on teens, a research journey that drew us into families living rooms, doctors offices, therapy sessions, school programs, college quads and community meetings. Weve talked with dozens of teens and young adults across the country, their parents and families, teachers, friends and the experts who counsel them.

Weve shared findings about why anxiety is on the rise, what to expect with medication, how boysand girls react differently to stressors, why anxious college students flourish or falter and how anxiety interacts with faith.

Yet as we wrote about unprecedented rates of anxiety among youths, we also found reasons to be hopeful and ways to be helpful.

Helping teens overcome anxiety takes place in three distinct but overlapping arenas: At home, in schools and through community resources like churches, doctors and therapists. Each uses techniques that can be learned and shared so teens who struggle with anxiety feel heard, supported and, in time, flourish.

I think back 20 years ago, and I was here to teach  everything else was the responsibility of the community, parents, churches, says Larry Madden, principal of Bryant Middle School in Salt Lake City. Really, its all of our jobs; its all of us.

While Owen has the diagnosis, his family  dad Matt, mom Lorraine, Craig and sisters Ella, 17, and Clara, 15  are all impacted, too. Conquering his highly anxious behavior is a family affair and each one is part cheerleader, part therapist, guiding him through what counselors call exposure therapy, which means doing the very thing that ratchets up his anxiety, and is one type of cognitive behavioral therapy, which is the industry's gold standard.

The it takes a village approach has helped Owen. Hes been reading through workbooks at home with his mom and dad and recently completed an outpatient stint at The OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center in Bountiful. Schools structure helps, too.

Small Owen is slowly expanding, his laugh returning in unexpected bursts that delight the entire clan.

Not too long ago, Owen asked his dad if hed always be anxious. I think so, Matt said. But well get better at managing it.

At home

Anxiety doesnt just affect a teen  it affects the entire family, from parents who aren't sure how to react or where to get help, to siblings who may find themselves drifting out of focus as the suffering childs needs take center stage.

Many parents feel overwhelmed by the depth of emotion and stress exploding in their home.

Grid View Owen, 12, gets ready for a backyard game called kubb with his family at his home in the Salt Lake area on Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. Owen was diagnosed with anxiety, and his family has learned how to help and support him as he copes with his anxious tendencies. Qiling Wang, Deseret News

Bryant Middle School students Andres Hurtado and Arefa Salih participate in a team-building exercise in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. (My partner) learned when I gave him instructions  he has to listen," Hurtado said. The social-emotional exercises served as icebreakers and get-to-know you activities at the beginning of the school year, but also an introduction to bigger topics like communication, emotional wellness and well-being. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Nikolette, 17, Samantha, 20, Shari, and Arianna, 14, talk during their morning routine at the Layton home on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Each morning they gather in the living room to read scripture, write in their journals and breathe deeply to clear their minds, which are often clouded with anxious thoughts. Laura Seitz, Deseret News

Owen, 12, scratches his head after a pitch during a game of kubb at his home in the Salt Lake area on Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. Qiling Wang, Deseret News

Arianna, 14, highlights passages in the Book of Mormon as her mother, Shari, reads scripture during their morning routine at their Layton home on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Each morning they meet in the living room to read scripture, write in their journals and breathe deeply to clear their minds. Laura Seitz, Deseret News

Owen's family has dinner together at their house in Salt Lake City on Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. Owen, 12, was diagnosed with anxiety at age 9, and his family has learned how to help and support him as he copes with his anxious tendencies. Qiling Wang, Deseret News

Nikolette, 17, Samantha, 20, Shari, and Arianna, 14, meditate during their morning routine at the Layton home on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Each morning they gather in the living room to read scripture, write in their journals and breathe deeply to clear their minds, which are often clouded with anxious thoughts. Laura Seitz, Deseret News

Bryant Middle School students Alexis Page and Tea Ross participate in a team-building exercise in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. The goal was to get to the end of the obstacle course blindfolded without touching any of the frisbees, cones or jump ropes  while highlighting the importance of clear, descriptive communication. The social-emotional exercises served as icebreakers and get-to-know you activities at the beginning of the school year, but also an introduction to the bigger topic of emotional wellness and well-being. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

James Mason Centers for Recovery founder Trisa McBride holds a photo of her son James in Taylorsville on Wednesday, May 16, 2018. McBride lost her son after his anxiety and depression spiraled into drug use, which eventually led to a fatal overdose. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Arianna, 14, left, Nikolette, 17, and Samantha, 20, gather with their mother during their morning routine at their Layton home on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Each morning they meet in the living room to read scripture, write in their journals and breathe deeply to clear their minds. Laura Seitz, Deseret News

Nikolette, 17, stretches after performing deep breathing exercises with her mother and sisters during their daily routine at their Layton home on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Each morning at 6:30, they gather in the living room to read scripture, write in their journals and breathe deeply to clear their minds, which are often clouded with anxious thoughts. Laura Seitz, Deseret News

Shari takes notes of her daughters' thoughts while discussing scripture during their morning routine at their Layton home on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Each morning Shari and her three daughters meet in the living room to read scripture, write in their journals and breathe deeply to clear their minds. Laura Seitz, Deseret News

Nikolette, 17, prays with her mother and sisters during their daily routine at their Layton home on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Each morning at 6:30, they gather in the living room to read scripture, write in their journals and breathe deeply to clear their minds, which are often clouded with anxious thoughts. Laura Seitz, Deseret News

Arianna, 14, highlights passages in the Book of Mormon as her mother reads scripture during their morning routine at their Layton home on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Each morning they meet in the living room to read scripture, write in their journals and breathe deeply to clear their minds. Laura Seitz, Deseret News

Nikolette, 17, lower left, Samantha, 20, Shari, and Arianna, 14, pray during their morning routine at their Layton home on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Each morning they gather in the living room to read scripture, write in their journals and breathe deeply to clear their minds, which are often clouded with anxious thoughts. Laura Seitz, Deseret News

Arianna, 14, left, Nikolette, 17, and Samantha, 20, gather with their mother, Shari, during their morning routine at their Layton home on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Each morning they meet in the living room to read scripture, write in their journals and breathe deeply to clear their minds. Laura Seitz, Deseret News

Bryant Middle School students Tobias Barnette and London Christensen participate in a team-building exercise in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. The goal was to get to the end of the obstacle course blindfolded without touching any of the frisbees, cones or jump ropes  while highlighting the importance of clear, descriptive communication. The social-emotional exercises served as icebreakers and get-to-know you activities at the beginning of the school year, but also an introduction to the bigger topic of emotional wellness and well-being. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Craig, 10, left, and Owen, 12, help their mother Lorraine peel carrots for dinner at their home in Salt Lake City on Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. Qiling Wang, Deseret News

Owen watches his mother and sister throwing the wooden batons during a game of kubb at their home in the Salt Lake area on Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. Qiling Wang, Deseret News

Owen, 12, watches his father Matt throwing a baton at the blocks during a game of kubb at their home in the Salt Lake area on Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. Owen was diagnosed with anxiety, and his family has learned how to help and support him as he copes with his anxious tendencies. Qiling Wang, Deseret News

Owen, 12, gets ready for his pitch during a game of kubb with his family at their house in the Salt Lake area on Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. Qiling Wang, Deseret News

Owen, 12, left, Clara, 15, and Ella, 17, have dinner together at their house in Salt Lake City on Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. Owen was diagnosed with anxiety at age 9 and his family has learned how to support him as he copes with his anxious tendencies. Qiling Wang, Deseret News

Owen, 12, listens to his mother while having dinner at his home in the Salt Lake area on Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. Qiling Wang, Deseret News

Lorraine, left, Clara, and Ella, exclaim over their pitches during a game of kubb at their home in Salt Lake City on Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. Qiling Wang, Deseret News

Owen, 12, cheers for his pitch during a game of kubb at his home in the Salt Lake area on Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. Qiling Wang, Deseret News

Owen, 12, left, watches his brother Craig, 10, throwing his baton at the blocks during a game of kubb at their home in the Salt Lake area on Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. Qiling Wang, Deseret News

Owen, 12, and his father Matt get ready to play the kubb game at their home in the Salt Lake area on Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. Qiling Wang, Deseret News

Bryant Middle School student Deisi Bahena participates in a team-building exercise in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. The goal was to get to the end of the obstacle course blindfolded without touching any of the frisbees, cones or jump ropes  while highlighting the importance of clear, descriptive communication. The social-emotional exercises served as icebreakers and get-to-know you activities at the beginning of the school year, but also an introduction to the bigger topic of emotional wellness and well-being. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Bryant Middle School students participate in a team-building exercise in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. The goal was to get to the end of the obstacle course blindfolded without touching any of the frisbees, cones or jump ropes  while highlighting the importance of clear, descriptive communication. The social-emotional exercises served as icebreakers and get-to-know you activities at the beginning of the school year, but also an introduction to the bigger topic of emotional wellness and well-being. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

I wasnt prepared for how physically draining it is for him and for our whole family, says Molly, a mother of three children who struggle to varying degrees with anxiety, though its most severe for her oldest son, Luke, 18, who also has OCD. When Luke is anxious then everybody feels it.

Wading through the familys anxiety is so rough some mornings that by the time Molly gets the kids off to school in Murray, Utah by 7:15  an epic battle  she sits down and cries. Other days, she feels calm and capable as she cares for her kids, and still has energy for yoga or book club to relieve stress.

She checks in frequently with supportive family members and friends who will listen and love, and tell her its OK that shes feeling stressed, angry or anxious herself.

Some of the mightiest work of parenting is emotional self-awareness so you can teach emotional self-regulation, says John Duffy, a clinical psychologist near Chicago and author of The Available Parent.

The ability to acknowledge emotions, name them and then deal with them positively are among the most important ways parents support their anxious teens  not to mention their anxious selves.

Yet, many parents believe their role is to always be perceivably stable, says Jenny Howe, a therapist with practices in Utah and California. And that does a disservice to our children. Theyre watching that, and in their eyes, they think, I have to be stable, too. This is what mom and dad do; I better do this as well.

That doesnt mean stable parents arent important, Howe says, but it means parents need to embrace the idea that its OK to feel emotions, its OK to talk about them and its OK to not always be OK.

Read more: How anxiety stalks teens in Utah and across the nation

When kids understand that their parents can handle tough emotions and yet be resilient, it gives them permission to do the same thing. It also breaks down the idea that anything other than happy is unacceptable, says Duffy.

Parents can demonstrate through direct conversations like: Today at work I felt frustrated, so I did some deep breathing and watched a YouTube clip, or I felt disappointed, so I took a walk to refocus.

Other times, it may mean apologizing to a child for mismanaged emotions or even just silently modeling healthy coping, because kids are always watching, Duffy says.

Shari and her three daughters have learned to embrace their emotions by meditating together.

Each morning at 6:30, they gather in the living room to read scripture, write in their journals and breathe deeply to clear their minds, which are often clouded with anxious thoughts.

When were meditating, when everyone knows were taking care of ourselves, its easier to want to take care of other people.  Nikolette

The daily exercise has brought them closer and given them permission to have and express big feelings.

Its also removed the should from the equation, says oldest daughter Samantha, 20, meaning theres no expectations that they feel or not feel a certain way. Rather, meditation allows everybody to work out their own emotions in a way that they feel is best, she says.

Its made a noticeable difference. They fight less, listen more.

Instead of peppering her daughters with questions about their day or homework load, Shari asks them instead, What have you done today for self-care?

When were meditating, says 17-year-old Nikolette, when everyone knows were taking care of ourselves, its easier to want to take care of other people.

At school

The ability to be mindful about emotions isnt limited to in-home meditation.

A growing number of schools are weaving social-emotional learning and mental wellness practices into their classrooms, recognizing that next to the home, kids spend the most time at school  and they always bring their anxiety with them.

When Katy Stinchfield, a senior program manager at School-Based Health Alliance in Washington, D.C., worked with Teach for America in New Mexico early in her career, she quickly realized her high expectations needed adjustment.

Read more: Technology, dating, college, career: Heres why todays teens are the most anxious ever

My kids (had) so much other stuff going on, they couldnt even do math or reading, she says. If you want kids to be successful, you have to meet these basic needs.

Instead of jumping into the curriculum each morning, shed start with an informal check-in and ask the kids how they were feeling  have them name their emotions. Some kids were fine, others reported serious concerns.

Over time, the kids began to feel both safe and heard in her classroom and could then focus on learning.

At Albion Middle School in Sandy, Utah, mindfulness is official and schoolwide. Students spend the first 10 minutes of second period at their desks with their eyes closed. They listen to a guided meditation that focuses on breathing, and perhaps a body scan, head to toe, noting physical feelings, but not reacting to them. Then each days exercise veers gently into a different social-emotional learning focus.

To have at least one person on their side, listening, monitoring and helping boost their development, it changes everything.  Pamela A. Cornejo, a doctoral candidate in counseling psychology who manages the individual therapy at Bryant Middle School

Teachers even use the meditation as a reset when kids are rowdy, says Albion school counselor Cathy Nelson of the pilot project Canyons School District is testing there and at Corner Canyon High School.

When students feel mentally healthier, theyre more ready to learn and more likely to enjoy school.

Stanford Senior Lecturer Denise Pope has heard from teens who excitedly tell her shes the reason they now have time for breakfast or the reason they practice meditation.

Her program, Challenge Success, encourages primary and secondary schools to reduce the pressures on kids by adjusting schedules and expectations  encouraging overall well-being through later start times, project-based learning, mindfulness practices in the classroom, changes in grading and parent buy-in.

As rates of anxiety and depression, bullying and teen suicide rise, the nonprofit  which has worked with over 450 schools all across the country though none in Utah, yet  now has a wait list.

Bryant principal Madden knows a students frame of mind at school dramatically affects their learning, he says. The safer a kid feels in school, the better they do academically. If you want to raise test scores, make sure everyone feels safe at school.

To that end, hes invited University of Utah assistant professor of school psychology Aaron J. Fischer and his Well-Being Team of inexpensive, but devoted psychology grad students to offer mental health counseling inside the school.

Each week, teachers present a brief lesson on a social-emotional concept  like values and friendships, emotions or goals  to benefit every teen, anxious or not.

Students who need more support are invited to join graduate-student-led groups to talk about concerns, including anxiety, depression or self-harm.

If their need is greater, they can talk one-on-one with a counselor  all during school hours, with parental consent, for no cost and only if the student chooses.

Read more: Will pills cure your teen's anxiety? What to know before putting your child on anxiety drugs

Historically students were expected to behave and absorb, says Pamela A. Cornejo, a doctoral candidate in counseling psychology who manages the individual therapy at Bryant. But unaddressed mental health issues can prevent that and manifest as truancy, fighting, underperformance or even shyness.

The Well-Being Team is helping Bryant teachers recognize what is typical for adolescents versus red flags that need intervention, Cornejo says.

And just feeling noticed means a lot to a teen.

Cornejo says students sometimes cry when she tells them someone was worried about them.

Students will tell her theyve experienced suicidal thoughts, or that theyre tired of adults not hearing them. Their depth of feelings tells her that intervention at this age is crucial and makes a difference.

To have at least one person on their side, listening, monitoring and helping boost their development, she says, it changes everything.

In the community

After she lost her son James to an overdose when he was 23, Trisa McBride vowed she would do all she could to help other anxious teens and parents avoid the same heartache.

She started an anxiety clinic in his name, the James Mason Centers for Recovery in Taylorsville, Utah, where anxious teens learn skills to prevent their anxiety from running rampant and leading them to drugs to numb their pain  as it did for James.

Through therapeutic crafts, schoolwork, games and ropes courses, students learn they can do hard things. And through family therapy sessions, parents and teens work through mental health struggles and family conflict.

Its tough to be a parent because as much as we love our kids ... we seem to have less influence on them because of the nature of the teen (years), McBride says. The gift is having other adults that can guide and assist a teen, because theyll listen to someone else.

Teaching folks in the community how to provide that guidance is the goal of the Everyday Strong program out of United Way of Utah County.

Its built on the notion that beside basics like food, sleep and shelter, humans, especially teens, need to feel safe and secure. They must feel a strong sense of belonging and believe in their own value  and responsive adults can help them develop those feelings.

Read more: 'You'll never be good enough'  how anxiety lies to our girls and what you can do about it

The program offers a free, educational downloadable booklet on resilience and provides speakers for schools, community groups and others on request.

Before adults fully buy in, though, they must accept anxiety as a problem in their own community. In Utah County alone, the number of highly anxious kids has gone from 17 percent in 2013 to 25 percent in 2017.

Its not a matter of how researchers asked the question, either. The wording in the SHARP survey is clear: During the past 12 months, did you ever feel so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row that you stopped doing some usual activities?

Kids today just arent building that thick skin as they constantly choose easier modes of communication like texting.  Joe Newman, director of business development at Life Launch Centers

"Everyday Strong" hopes to curb anxiety before it becomes so rooted it derails young lives. Kids are experiencing something really hard, says Michaelann Bradley of United Way of Utah County. We want to stop it.

Ultimately, anxiety is fear of the unknown, says Luke Henke, a clinical psychologist at the University of Michigan who sees a lot of anxious students every year. Those who would tame anxiety have two basic choices. Reduce the fear piece, or reduce the unknown piece. But stop avoiding what makes you anxious.

At St. George, Utah-based Life Launch Centers, kids tackle their anxieties by speaking to each other face-to-face during group therapy about the stuff that really matters, like how anxiety affects them, says Joe Newman, director of business development.

Instead of texting side-by-side, theyre learning to look someone in the eye and communicate, which builds resilience, he says.

There is more risk of rejection in face-to-face interactions, says Newman. Kids today just arent building that thick skin as they constantly choose easier modes of communication like texting.

The Centers teach kids distress-tolerance tools like self-affirming touch or how to use box breathing (see interactive graphic for more.) The point is to develop self-management rather than having a teacher say, You need to calm down. Which, by the way, he adds, usually just makes things worse.

Counseling sessions, day-treatment or even in-patient treatment can be lifesavers for some teens and families, yet finding a therapist whos available, affordable AND compatible isnt always easy.

Too few therapists work with those who are highly anxious, especially teens, and even with insurance, wait times can be long, says Bradley.

Read more: Here's why anxiety in boys can look like anger, and how some famous role models can help them get through it

Knowing that, her organization has partnered with relevant community groups: Intermountain Healthcare, Wasatch Mental Health, Family Support and Treatment Center, Utah Valley University and Brigham Young University all bring unique expertise to the programs advisory board.

It's crucial that churches know about their community mental health resources because struggling families will likely turn to their pastor before they turn to their psychiatrist, says Stephen Grcevich, a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Northeast Ohio Medical University and president and founder of Key Ministry, which promotes connection between churches and families of children with hidden disabilities  like mental illness, trauma or developmental disabilities.

Studies from Child Trends and Harvard are among many finding religion is a protective factor, shielding people from mental illness, as well as providing support for those who struggle. But that finding is only true for those who attend church and participate in related activities  which may be exceptionally hard for someone with anxiety.

Imagine whats going through someones anxious mind as they think about going to church: Will they be dressed appropriately or will they stand out? Will they be asked to pray? Sing? Comment? Introduce themselves in front of a large group of people? What if no one sits by them? What if someone sits by them?

Yet, because mental illness is so often hidden, it may be difficult to know whether attempts to fellowship and befriend are appreciated gestures or triggers to panic.

Grcevichs recent book Mental Health and the Church: A Ministry Handbook for Including Children and Adults with ADHD, Anxiety, Mood Disorders, and Other Common Mental Health Conditions explains that supporting fellow worshippers is more a mindset than a program.

It requires learning about mental illness and how it may interfere with church attendance, then practicing inclusion strategies that can benefit everyone  like talking about mental health from the pulpit, going with a friend to church, and taking casseroles to families whose kids have mental health disorders, not just families whose kids have cancer.

When you look at the explosion of ... common mental health conditions in the U.S., particularly anxiety and ADHD, theres a role for everybody to play, Grcevich says.

Back in Utah, Owens dad Matt says learning ways to help his son has helped him deal with his own quirks and emotions. The shared effort to help one has helped them all, in fact, and drawn the family closer.

So when Owen starts tiptoeing across the carpet, Matt gently steers him back to the starting point. Do it again, Owen, he says.

MORE INFORMATION:

For parents

https://adaa.org/living-with-anxiety/children

https://screening.mentalhealthamerica.net/screening-tools

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/teen/Pages/Mental-Health-and-Teens-Watch-for-Danger-Signs.aspx

https://childmind.org/

https://www.ffcmh.org/resources-parentsandcaregivers

http://www.challengesuccess.org/parents/parenting-tips/

https://parentandteen.com/

http://www.worrywisekids.org/

https://www.myteam.org/

http://ymhproject.org/

http://www.ifred.org/

https://www.adolescenthealth.org/Resources/Clinical-Care-Resources/Mental-Health/Mental-Health-Resources-For-Adolesc.aspx

https://angstmovie.com/resources-helpful-websites/

https://familyninjas.com/category/children-and-parenting-tips/

To find apps:

https://adaa.org/resources-professionals/mobile-apps-review

https://psyberguide.org/apps/

https://screening.mentalhealthamerica.net/content/what-are-best-apps-depression

https://www.psycom.net/25-best-mental-health-apps

For teens

http://www.yourlifeyourvoice.org/Pages/home.aspx

https://screening.mentalhealthamerica.net/screening-tools

http://teenmentalhealth.org/

http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/conditions/depression-teens

https://www.ffcmh.org/resources-youth

https://www.nami.org/Find-Support/Teens-and-Young-Adults

https://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety-guide

https://www.adolescenthealth.org/Resources/Clinical-Care-Resources/Mental-Health/Mental-Health-Resources-For-Adolesc.aspx

Nonfiction films

Unstuck

Angst

Eighth Grade
SALT LAKE CITY  Despite all the controversy, Baby, Its Cold Outside is climbing the charts once again.

Whats going on: Billboard reports that the holiday song saw a surge in sales and streaming through the last week, according to data from Nielsen Music.

Sales: The song appeared three times on Billboards Holiday Digital Song Sales Chart, which is the most for any title. In fact, the songs recent climb represents the surveys largest jump.

Dean Martins version jumped from No. 23 to No. 2 on the Holiday Digital Song Sales Chart, which is the songs highest rank in seven years.

Idina Menzels 2014 version with Michael Buble entered the Holiday Digital Song Sales Chart at No. 29.

Leon Redbone and Zooey Deschanel's version heard in Elf jumped to No. 41.

Streaming: Martins version of the song jumped from No. 33 to No. 25 on the streaming version of the chart. Buble and Menzel's version jumped 42 percent, and Brett Eldredge and Meghan Trainor's version was up 36 percent in streams.

"As in sales, the three versions' streaming gains are higher than the average for all holiday tracks (in on-demand streaming) in the tracking week: 32 percent," according to Billboard.

Controversy: Baby, Its Cold Outside has been under the microscope this season as critics say the song doesnt work well in the era of #MeToo. This led a radio station in Ohio  as well as some others in the U.S. and Canada  to ban the song.

More recently, listeners of a California radio station, which had banned the song, voted in a poll to end the ban on the tune.

Read more: Deana Martin tells Fox News that 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' backlash is 'insane,' says shell continue to sing the song

Also: 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' composer's daughter speaks out on new controversy and scandal
SALT LAKE CITY  Odyssey Dance Theatre will kick off the sixth year of its annual holiday show Redux Nut-Cracker at Kingsbury Hall Wednesday night, but unlike years past, this years show experienced an unexpected controversy.

A few weeks ago, Odyssey Dance Theatre appeared on a local television show where a selection of dancers, after performing part of the Chinese dance from ODT's show, struck series of stereotypical Chinese poses, prompting a social media backlash and, eventually, a chance for the dance company to come together with local Asian American leaders.

We werent trying to be offensive, but it came off very offensive, Derryl Yeager, Odyssey Dance Theatre founder and artistic director, told the Deseret News.

The piece aired on KSL's morning news show, and KSL responded to the backlash on social media, stating that they "certainly did not intend to offend and sincerely regret any hurt this segment caused."

The controversy, which quickly spread across social media, became an opportunity for Odyssey Dance to meet with various representatives from the Asian-American community, inviting them to visit Odysseys rehearsal to watch the dance and give imput where they saw need.

One of the groups who responded to the segment and who Odyssey Dance invited to its rehearsal was the Chinese Railroad Workers Descendants Association. For them, offering insights on the dance was an opportunity to give greater depth and clarity to how the dance represents Chinese men and women.

Regardless of their intent, reinforcing these stereotypes dehumanizes people and reduces them to exaggerated caricatures instead of three-dimensional people," they wrote in a statement on their website. "Our shared history is replete of examples of very real harm when we don't see each other as people and single out a group for ridicule and shame. We hope that with creativity, we can find a way to enhance this performance, not censor it.

According to Yeager, the rehearsal allowed the Asian-American representatives to view the dance and instruct the dancers on Chinese customs and clothing, which the company opted to change after the meeting, and give Odyssey Dance the opportunity to explain their intentions.

We were able to present our side of the story  (that) we werent trying to be offensive or racial, it was just something that happened," Yeager said. "I think if anything, were guilty of being less informed and being less cognizant of what is offensive.

In addition to the changes Odyssey Dance made to the Chinese dance, they have also included the following statement in their performance program from Michael Kwan, president of the Chinese Railroad Workers Descendants Association.

We are pleased that ODTs company and management has made a sincere apology and sought our input to avoid further unfortunate missteps. As a result of our input, portions of the program have been reworked. Keep in mind that the sequence you will see represents a fantasy world and is not an attempt to portray our Asian-American community. While this, and every ODT performance, is a work in progress, we are pleased that our collaboration has led to a better understanding and a new relationship between the company and our community."

The Chinese dance  known in "The Nutcracker" world as the Chinese Tea segment  has been a part of various forms of "The Nutcracker" since the ballet's first performance in 1892, but recently, many dance companies, including Ballet West, have made changes to their dances to make them more culturally sensitive, the New York Times recently reported. The recent changes that Odyssey Dance Theatre has made include a Chinese dragon that the company purchased from China and a set of Chinese fans.

"We have a brand new Chinese dance that we dont feel is offensive in any way shape or form and celebrates their culture," Yeager said. "The feedback we have (received from the Asian-American community) at this point has been very positive."

Odyssey's "Nutcracker" performance is unique in that it strays from the traditional storyline of The Nutcracker, taking instead a more modern angle  like Clara receiving an iPhone for Christmas instead of a nutcracker. Additionally, audience members won't see dancing buffoons but rather a host of Nintendo's Marios and Luigis, while Barbie and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle appear onstage instead of the traditional dancing doll and bear. The performance, colored with remixes of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's original score, is imbued with a meaningful lesson about how technology shouldnt take precedence over family.

It's been a season of lessons for Yeager but he plans on doing his best to ensure that he's learned some of the most difficult.

(Weve learned that) if we are doing anything thats representing a culture, we have to be careful how we present it and be more thoughtful in those situations," he said. " Were trying to let people know were not what they said we were and  (we want to) come away with a big positive.

If you go ...

What: Odyssey Dance Theatre's "Redux Nut-Cracker"

When: Dec. 12-22, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Kingsbury Hall, 1395 Presidents Circle

How much: $25-$40

Web: tickets.utah.edu
UTAH STATE PRISON  A man sentenced to prison nearly 25 years ago for killing his former girlfriend and wounding another man apparently doesn't want to talk about his crime anymore.

"I really don't have anything to say," Clifford Crawford told Utah Board of Pardons and Parole member Denise Porter in a recording of the Dec. 4 hearing.

"You don't want to have a conversation?" Porter asked.

"No. Not really. Do what you're going to do," Crawford replied. "I've got nothing to say."

Talking about the crime that got an inmate sentenced to prison is routine for any parole hearing. When Porter asked Crawford why he didn't want to talk about the day he shot and killed Sherry Preator, 31, and wounded Jesse Espinoza, 28, he simply said it wouldn't change the board's decision.

"I don't feel it will accomplish anything. What I did, I did. And I deserve whatever punishment they decide to give me. If I have to spend the rest of my life, so be it. I ain't asking for any forgiveness or anything. What I did was really wrong and I have to live with that," he said.

Crawford lived with Preator for five years. But Preator's three children, who are now adults, said he had a violent temper during that time and abused their mother and all of their siblings. He moved out when Preator and Crawford separated, but only to a house nearby. He continued to have contact with Preator and on Sept. 23, 1993, when he found Espinoza in the house with Preator, he shot both of them.

Crawford, now 69, was sentenced to eight years to life in prison. On Dec. 4, he went before the parole board seeking another chance of being released.

Two of Preator's children and Espinoza attended the hearing to encourage the board to keep Crawford in prison for the rest of his life.

"Twenty-five years is just not enough for the damage he's done," Espinoza said.

Espinoza had never met Crawford prior to being shot by him, and had only recently met Preator. But from what he learned after talking to family members, he said Crawford is a "very, very mean person, very evil."

Preator's two daughters are still scared of Crawford, to the point that they requested he not be in the room when they addressed the parole board.

"Having our mom taken from us damaged our lives beyond repair," said Preator's daughter, Jill.

She referred to Crawford as a "monster" and "that evil thing" when speaking to the board.

"We lived in fear all the time," she said.

Today, Preator has 10 grandchildren that she never met. Her children told the board that after their mother's death, they were "shuffled around" between foster homes and different relatives. Their mother, Jill said, was their stability. Since her death, she said they have struggled.

"I wake up with nightmares of him coming after me and hurting me or my family," she said. "We feel numb due to the selfish act of that monster."

Trinity Barbarino, who became pregnant at 15 after her mother was killed, told Porter "our childhood was ruined" because of Crawford.

"He ruined our lives and there's nothing that can replace it. We miss her every day like it was the first day. It doesn't go away. It stays there. We have suffered so much.  He is not a good person for society. I just beg you please don't let him free. We're scared for our safety and our children as well," she said.

After listening to audio of the testimony, Crawford said in response, "I'm sorry for everything that happened. Nothing I can do about the past. I was wrong. Whatever. I'm sorry."

Crawford has had significant health problems in recent years, including quadruple bypass surgery last year, he said at the hearing. He has not been a discipline problem while in prison, Porter noted. Crawford said he keeps to himself and spends most of his time reading and watching TV.

The full five-member board will make its decision in about three weeks.
SALT LAKE CITY  The Bureau of Land Management will hold a meeting of the Utah Resource Advisory Council and the Recreation Resource Advisory Council on Thursday, Jan. 10, and Friday, Jan. 11.

The councils are sounding boards for BLM initiatives, regulatory proposals and policy changes.

The public is welcome to attend the meetings at the BLM office, 440 W. 200 South, Suite 500. The meetings will be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Jan. 10, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Jan. 11.

Planned agenda items include an update from the state BLM director, planning efforts for the Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears national monuments, issues in Washington County, recreation fee proposals and other updates.

A half-hour public comment period will begin at 1 p.m. on Jan. 11. Depending on the number of people wishing to comment and time available, the amount of time for individual oral comments may be limited.
MILLCREEK  A naked man was found dead near a popular trail on Wednesday.

But as of Wednesday evening, police had not identified the man nor determined how he died.

The body was discovered about 7:30 a.m. by a man walking his dog near Big Cottonwood Regional Park, said Unified Police Sgt. Melody Gray. The man's dog went a short distance off the trail into some trees near 1590 E. 4250 South. That's where the man's body was found, she said.

Investigators believe the man was between 50 to 70 years old, but had not been able to identify him as of Wednesday. Police searched the surrounding area where the body was found, but did not find any clothes or identification or any other artifacts that may have belonged to the man, Gray said.

As of Wednesday, there had been no reports of a missing person who matched the man's description, she said.

Later Wednesday, Unified police released a statement saying investigators had "exhausted all leads into finding his identity." The department released a photo of a ring the man was wearing and asked anyone who may know him to call 801-743-7000.

There were no obvious signs of trauma on the man or anything that would indicate how he died, Gray said. The body was taken to the Utah State Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy.

The death is considered suspicious and being treated as a homicide investigation until detectives can find evidence that suggests he died by other means, she said.
The editorial had a forceful, decisive tone:

The people of Salt Lake City have made up their minds to eliminate smoke, it said. Were going to have soon a carefully prepared smoke elimination law with plenty of teeth in it. Were going to have a smoke elimination department with enough men to really enforce the law. Were going to have  already have to a considerable extent  much voluntary cooperation in complying with that law.

I cite this not just to illustrate how the Book of Ecclesiastes applies to Utah when it says, there is no new thing under the sun, but to show that the annual winter struggle to see the sun is nothing new.

The editorial was from the long-defunct Salt Lake Telegram, published in 1941. It was written in praise of then-judge Frank E. Moss, who apparently had decided to throw the metaphorical book at some poor smoke ordinance violator.

Moss went on to serve in the U.S. Senate, eventually to be defeated by a young Orrin Hatch, who delivered his farewell address on Wednesday  just to illustrate how close the distant past can seem.

The cycles of the past can seem familiar, too, and this subject definitely has a predictable schedule to it. Like swallows returning to Capistrano, the smoke, or smog, that crawls in on diseased cats feet tends to vex us with alarming regularity. As I look back on columns Ive written on the subject, the first ones of each season all seem to date roughly to mid-December.

Thats when high-pressure systems begin trapping cold air, and all the pollution people create, in the valleys  hence, the smoke from that 1941 editorial. You may have noticed it recently.

But this year a couple of news stories put this annual event in a different perspective.

The first is that Gov. Gary Herbert wants to set aside $100 million in the state budget to help the air, much of which would bolster economic incentives for people to convert their wood burning stoves to natural gas.

He also cites statistics showing that things are getting better. He told the combined KSL/Deseret News editorial board that emissions statewide fell by 38 percent overall between 2002 and 2017, despite a 34 percent increase in the states population.

In 1941, many people still heated their homes with coal and wood. Given the population growth since then, its easy to imagine how bad inversions might be if we didnt have tougher emissions standards on homes, cars and industries, a clean mass-transit system and rules against burning wood on the worst days.

But when the air is as thick as gray paste and your asthma acts up, telling you things have gotten better over the years is like telling someone whose house is on fire that they should be happy because the arson rate is down.

Utahs problem comes in thick, sickening spurts, intermingled with long stretches of clean air. But those spurts are enough to threaten tourism, economic development and, most of all, health.

Which brings me to the other story. Researchers at the University of Utah analyzed data on women here who miscarried between 2007 and 2015 and concluded that pollution led to a 16 percent increase in the chances of losing a fetus during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy.

As Newsweek reported it, the researchers said their study had limitations, but the results ought to make pregnant women talk with their doctors and avoid exercising on inversion days. It also said a separate paper found a link between air pollution and the onset of dementia.

And so, 77 years after the Salt Lake Telegram announced we had made up our minds to eliminate smoke, here we are. We know a lot more about the bad things that come from it, but we still cant seem to get rid of it.

The American Lung Association ranks the Salt Lake area eighth worst in the nation for 24-hour particle pollution and 18th for high ozone days.

That doesnt mean we shouldnt keep trying to make things better. Government solutions can do some good, especially as they force cars and industries to burn cleaner.

But economic incentives are more likely to change personal behavior. An aggressive congestion-pricing plan for major roadways, where tolls rise and fall according to traffic flows, may be one way to force people into driving during non-peak times, or to take mass transit.

Its worth a try, especially if it could make dreary winter days a little more breathable.
West Valley City woman Susan Cox Powell was last seen alive on Dec. 6, 2009. Susan has never been found; West Valley police announced that they considered her disappearance a cold case in 2013.

Her husband, Josh Powell, was considered a person of interest in Susan's disappearance. He was never arrested or charged, but police did search Josh's minivan on Dec. 7 and Dec. 8, 2009.

Following is a list of items found in the vehicle during those searches.

Items observed in Josh Powells minivan when searched by West Valley City police on Dec. 7, 2009:

Yamaha E-F 2000 i-S portable inverter/generator

Blitz 5-gallon plastic gas can (full)

Electric space heaters (2)

Blue plastic toboggan

Blue plastic tarp

Metal shovel

Metal rake

Yellow-bristled broom

Orange heavy-duty extension cord (2)

Skilsaw 2.3 horsepower corded circular saw

Folding hack saw

Razor box cutter

Bread knife with broken tip

Metal crowbar

Humidifier

Water pitcher

Box of disposable nitrile exam gloves

Plastic tubing

Green plastic bucket lid

Green plastic bucket lid wrench

Slik U6600 camera tripod

Camera bag

Queen-size floral print comforter

Blankets (2)

Red Scooby-Doo childs onesie

Childs shoes

Clothing (various items)

Collapsible window shade/reflectors (2)

Honey Maid graham crackers (box)

Hot dog with single slice of bread in baggie

Pink Motorola cell phone (Susans)

Tote containing various camping supplies

Items in the tote (contained in packaging, unless otherwise noted):

Rain poncho (2)

Mylar emergency blanket (5)

REI towel (2)

Toothbrush

Toothbrush covers

Toilet paper roll (2)

Stansport tea candle lantern

LED tent light

LED keychain light

Coleman mess kit

Coleman spoon/knife/fork set (2)

Coleman salt and pepper shaker

Coleman keychain thermometer

Coleman vinyl tablecloth

Coleman extendable cooking fork (used?)

Table cloth clamps

Stansport folding pack grill

Insulated drink container

Atwater Carey first-aid kit

Whistle (2)

Anti-bacterial soap bottle

Pocket knife

Multi-tool (used)

Leather/suede gloves (used)

Tent stakes (6)

Tent whisk and dustpan

Nylon rope/cord (6, various brands)

Folding hand trowel

Marshmallow roasters (2)

Fire starter sticks (opened)

Grill lighter

These items were photographed in the Powells' garage on Dec. 8, 2009, in a pile with items that had been in the van on Dec. 7, 2009:
Even at my age, it seems a bit magical that I can flip a switch and a room is filled with light. Or touch a thermostat, and a home gets warmer. Or press a button and smartphones and computers boot up.

Electricity has transformed our lives, our businesses and our economy. Still, we mostly take it for granted. We assume electrical energy will always be there, and we keep finding new things to do with it  like the coming electrification of cars and trucks.

But things are changing in the electrical energy industry. While the demand for electricity is growing rapidly worldwide, concern about climate change is applying pressure for cleaner, carbon-free energy that is still affordable.

One of the remarkable providers of electrical services in Utah and five other Western states is the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems, or UAMPS. I recently became better acquainted with UAMPS when I met with Douglas Hunter, CEO and general manager. I had earlier visited the Idaho National Laboratory near Idaho Falls, where UAMPS and INL are working together on a transformative power project.

UAMPS is a consortium of mostly municipal power agencies providing wholesale electric services to its 46 members in Utah, California, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico and Wyoming. Among its members in Utah are Lehi, Bountiful, Murray, Logan, St. George and many more.

Demand for electricity is growing rapidly in many UAMPS member communities as population increases. The challenge is to meet that demand, even while working toward a clean, carbon-free future.

Traditionally, most electrical energy in Utah has been generated from coal plants. But with rapid advancements in renewable and nuclear energy technologies, UAMPS has embraced a progressive approach to electrical generation that reduces pollution and carbon emissions.

First, UAMPS encourages conservation and efficiency and provides energy-saving programs for its members, emphasizing that the cheapest and cleanest energy, is energy that is not generated.

Second, UAMPS has embraced all forms of renewable energy, including rooftop solar and micro-energy projects. UAMPS owns a wind farm, a waste heat project, and members for many decades have produced electricity from hydro projects. Businesses and homeowners in member communities can install solar and become energy producers themselves with sensible rate structures.

Third, UAMPS is planning to build a small modular nuclear reactor project at Idaho National Laboratory. This would be the first small modular reactor, or SMR, project in the United States, ushering in a new generation of nuclear energy that is small, clean, safe, affordable, flexible and carbon-free.

A key purpose of this project is to provide stability to UAMPS electrical grid system as more renewable energy is added to the supply. The SMR project, consisting of 12 small, 60-megawatt reactors, would nicely complement and supplement intermittent renewable energy like wind and solar. The small reactors would provide steady electricity when the sun doesnt shine and the wind doesnt blow.

This SMR project is being closely watched by the global energy industry. It has been strongly supported by the U.S. Department of Energy in both the Obama and Trump administrations.

Many government organizations and conservation groups are extremely concerned about climate change and the carbon emissions produced by coal plants. But these group do not believe that renewable energy and batteries alone can supply all of the nations and worlds growing energy needs.

And because large traditional nuclear plants are enormously expensive and take decades to plan and build, a shift to smaller, affordable, next-generation nuclear energy makes sense to supplement renewable energy.

The UAMPS project at INL is expected to become operational in 2026, just in time to retire coal plants that are at the end of their productive lives.

INL is the ideal place to host the plant because INL is the nations leading nuclear research and innovation center. It has housed more than 50 reactors and has the expertise, workforce and community support for this innovative project.

The world will be watching as UAMPS and INL usher in a new era of clean, carbon-free energy that will keep the lights on indefinitely.
California lawmakers are working on a new plan that would ask mobile phone users to pay a fee for texting, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

Whats going on: The plan would specifically ask text messaging users to pay taxes that would fund programs intended to help low-income residents afford cellphone access.

The California Public Utilities Commission will vote on the proposal next month.

The plan might also retroactively charge people for texts they sent in the last five years, Fox News reports.

Reactions: Critics have slammed the idea.

Its a dumb idea, Jim Wunderman, president of the Bay Area Council business group, told the San Jose Mercury News. This is how conversations take place in this day and age, and its almost like saying there should be a tax on the conversations we have.

Rufus Jeffress, vice president of the Bay Area Council, told the San Francisco Bay Area's KNTV-TV the bill would cost the public $220 million total for text taxes.

Other business groups say the charges could cost wireless phone users $44 million a year, FOX11 Los Angeles reports.

These groups worry that carriers would be at a disadvantage since people would just use apps like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp so they wont be charged fees, according to Fox News.

Bigger picture: The California Public Utilities Commission report said the Public Purpose Program budget has risen more than $300 million from 2011 to 2017, even though revenue from telecommunications has dropped about $5 million.

The report said adding the texting surcharge will increase revenue, which would allow the programs budget to rise and help low-income Americans buy phone service.

From a consumers point of view, surcharges may be a wash, because if more surcharge revenues come from texting services, less would be needed from voice services, said CPUC spokeswoman Constance Gordon in a statement, according to the Mercury News. Generally, those consumers who create greater texting revenues may pay a bit more, whereas consumers using more voice services may pay less.
SALT LAKE CITY  While Utah already exports billions of dollars annually in goods and services to countries around the world, a U.S. trade official notes the state, and many others as well, still need a little help finding a match for their businesses.

Along that line, the U.S. Commercial Service, the export promotion arm of the U.S. Department of Commerce, hosted a national conference in Salt Lake City this week in an effort to help American businesses increase aerospace, defense and cybersecurity exports to the Indo-Pacific.

"We have representatives from 15 Indo-Pacific markets and they do (hundreds of) one-on-one appointments with our U.S. small- and medium-sized companies," Thomas McGinty, acting deputy undersecretary for international trade, said. "It's kind of commercial speed dating to start a dialogue about whether they are a good prospect for whatever they make or their service in that market."

Companies from 37 states and the District of Columbia participated.

The primary goal of the event was to connect U.S. companies with potential business partners on a global scale. The concept of Discover Global Market is to bring the assets of the International Trade Administration "directly to communities like Salt Lake City and Utah," McGinty said.

He said having such a conference is a time and money-saving solution for small-and medium-sized firms that allows them to develop relationships they might otherwise miss out on.

The conference connected American suppliers and manufacturers, U.S. commercial diplomats and international executives from more than 15 markets, including Myanmar, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Among the agencies and firms speaking at the conference were Boeing, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.

The conference included numerous components aimed at preparing U.S. firms to succeed internationally, McGinty explained.

"It's all about jobs. Our mission is about jobs," he said. "If what we do ultimately doesn't lead companies to increase their revenue, increase the markets they export to and ultimately hire people, then we're not doing our jobs."

Last year, the U.S. exported more than $480 billion in goods to Asia with many nations in the region announcing plans or budgeting funds to expand aviation facilities as well as pursue defense and other security-related projects, he said.

During the conference, U.S. Commercial Service officers and specialists based in more than a dozen Indo-Pacific markets counseled U.S. companies on developing effective strategies for selling products in their countries, he noted. Key decisionmakers from public and private-sector organizations also attended the event to meet U.S. suppliers of aerospace, defense and cybersecurity products and services, he said.

Additionally, original equipment manufacturers connected with smaller U.S. companies that can support their supply chains, he said.

Gary Olsen, vice president of business development for VPI Technology Group in Draper, said his company was able to benefit from the conference by meeting with various prospective clients from across the globe. VPI is an engineering design firm, specializing in electronic design services, prototyping, certification and testing services, as well as electronics manufacturing.

"If we just come away with one new client or some connections and opportunities with customers that can lead to work for us supporting another company to design new products or manufacture new products, that's success for us," Olsen said. "Even just one client."

The conference was part of the Trump administrations Indo-Pacific Strategy, which aims to accelerate U.S. private sector involvement in the region and support export growth.

The U.S. Commercial Service is part the U.S. Department of Commerces International Trade Administration with personnel in over 100 U.S. cities and in more than 75 countries available to help U.S. companies get started in exporting or increasing sales to global markets, explained Suzette Alles, chief operating officer of World Trade Center Utah. She said approximately 350 American companies participated in the conference, which provided foreign investors a prime view of all that Utah has to contribute economically.

"We want to make sure (international companies) know that Utah has a lot to offer as far as a great talent pool, great companies with a lot of innovation taking place at a lower cost (of doing business)," Alles said.
SALT LAKE CITY  As the deadline approaches for Utahns to sign up for coverage through the federal health exchange, those who already have a plan are being cautioned to carefully consider their best options for 2019 rather than passively re-enrolling.

Each insurance plan's benefits and premium rates are subject to adjustments from year to year, and which plan is best may also vary over time depending on an enrollee's expected medical needs, explained Heidi Castaneda, director of small employer and individual plans for SelectHealth.

Saturday is the last day to buy a plan on the exchange as part of open enrollment.

"You want make sure you're going back and making sure what you had last year is what you're going to have the next year and really look into those details. But also, your circumstances can change as a consumer," Castaneda said.

For example, she said, "maybe you're planning on having a baby next year," which could make a different plan a better option.

"It's a really good idea to proactively take a second look at the health plan you're enrolled in and just make sure it's the right one."

There are also significantly more insurance plans available for Utahns to choose from for 2019  38, as compared to 26 options in 2018  according to Jeff Hinson, regional administrator for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.

"It's time to act and see what's available," said Hinson, who oversees the federal government's Medicaid and Medicare programs in Utah and nine other states.

Hinson said plans offered in Utah for next year include 22 options in the bronze tier, 11 silver plans, and five gold plans. Gold plans generally have more thorough benefits and higher premium costs, with bronze plans on the opposite end of that spectrum.

SelectHealth and University of Utah Health Plans are each offering insurance on the exchange to Utahns in all 29 counties. Molina Healthcare, which exited the federal health exchange in Utah in 2018, has re-entered the market and is selling 2019 plans in 10 of the state's 11 most populous counties.

State officials also say premiums on the exchange are set to increase just 1.6 percent on average in 2019, compared to a jump of 39 percent between 2017 and 2018.

The increased options and steady premiums tell Hinson that the exchange is working as intended in Utah, he said.

"As these programs mature and stabilize, it becomes routine. People get comfortable with how it works," Hinson told the Deseret News. "From where I sit, it's nice to see these programs mature."

Despite the generally rosier outlook in the Beehive State compared to a year earlier, though, enrollment numbers on the exchange are trending somewhat behind 2017.

Updated federal data released Wednesday showed 97,931 Utahns had been enrolled in a plan between Nov. 1, when the sign-up period started, and Dec. 8. That is about 6.7 percent lower than the 104,942 who had been signed up through Dec. 9 last year.

The slight discrepancy between those timeframes exists because Centers for Medicare and Medicaid always releases new data on a Wednesday, which falls one day later on the calendar this year.

Hinson said he isn't worried by Utah's slightly lower enrollment figures, and he believes they won't stay that way when the sign-up deadline has come and gone.

"The numbers are a little bit behind but  they're not far behind," he said. "We're real close, and the folks that we've been talking to on the ground think we're going to be at or above where we were last year."

Nationally, numbers are not tracking as closely to last year as they are in Utah. Just over 4.13 million have so far signed up according to the latest data release, while that number was just under 4.68 million at approximately the same time in 2017.

Health insurance experts generally view a large enrollment base as one important indicator of the sustainability of the federal health exchange, saying it signals that relatively healthy people are among those signing up, helping insurers keep premium rates reasonable.

Subsidies and tax credits are available for most enrollees to help manage the cost of their plans. Still, Castaneda said, many who are interested in signing up are unaware that such resources are accessible to them.

"We try to get the word out and remind people that even up to 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Level there are subsidies available," she told the Deseret News.

Castaneda said there are significant resources on healthcare.gov to help people figure out what kind of help they qualify for.

Castaneda added some SelectHealth professionals, in addition to health insurance navigators with the Take Care Utah network of nonprofits, can answer people's questions about their coverage options.

She said she hopes Utahns ambivalent about getting insured will sign up for a plan primarily because those with coverage are "much more likely to take advantage of  preventive care" and stay healthy. She also said it is the wisest move a person can make financially.

"We want you to live your life without worry  so if something does happen, you know you are not going to bankrupt your family or cause major financial stress," Castaneda said.

Considering the importance of the purchase, it is a bad idea to leave put off enrolling for too long and risk missing the Saturday deadline, Hinson warned.

"Don't wait until the last moment. The last moment is upon us," he said.
HERRIMAN  Herriman Mayor David Watts faced the ire of the city council Wednesday evening as he attempted to defend himself against allegations of misspending city money.

After the council discussed the issue for more than two hours during a public meeting, Councilwoman Nicole Martin read a letter of reprimand asking for Watts' "immediate resignation."

"Should you choose not to resign, we will formally remove you from all of your assigned board and committee positions," she said.

After the announcement, which was met by applause from residents, Watts apologized for his part in the "situation."

"I've been accused of a lot of things. I've been accused of lying. I've been accused of intentionally trying to get gain from our city," Watts said in response. "Do I take responsibility for some of this situation? Yes, I do. My intent has always been to repay the appropriate charges."

He said that he will not resign but agreed to repay the city.

In a controversy that's been brewing for nearly six months, Watts has been under fire for allegations that he misspent nearly $1,000 of city funds on travel expenses. In November, prosecutors with the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office declined to file criminal charges against him, expressing doubt that the evidence would prove any criminal intent at trial.

For more than two hours Wednesday during a tense work meeting and a public meeting soon after, both of which were streamed live on social media, members of the council vented their frustrations with the mayor.

During the work meeting, Watts passed out a bound booklet explaining items he purchased earlier this year with the city credit card. But city council members said the gesture was six months too late and didn't vindicate him of violating city policy.

Councilman Clint Smith expressed his annoyance that Watts had used city supplies to print out the books, explaining the gesture was emblematic of Watts' attitude in his role of mayor.

"This is completely distractive from the city business.  And again, six months later, we get a bound book  printed on city paper and bound with city supplies," Smith said.

"The issue is much deeper than just a disregard for city policy and a disregard for our taxpayer dollars and an attitude that, as the mayor, that you can make those decisions on your own without consulting with staff, at the very least, who has to control our city's budget," Smith added.

According to a list of Watts' alleged violations read by the city's director of finance Alan Rae, Watts did not provide proper documentation for expenses, including describing who was present and what was purchased during meals. Several items were also documented with missing receipt forms rather than original receipts.

In a letter read to community members at the public meeting, Watts said he believes "each question charge was directly related to my service as your mayor."

"I look forward to repairing my working relationship with the City Council and with our staff. As your mayor, my commitment to you is complete honesty and transparency," Watts said. "I believe that time and my continued service to you will reflect my integrity."

However, several residents in attendance at the meeting didn't accept the mayor's apology and asked for his resignation when the meeting was opened for public comment.

As the meeting continued late into the evening, nearly 300 people watched the livestream on Facebook and commented on the length of it as council members continued to express their frustration.

"I think they are trying to make the mayor give up out of boredom," one viewer wrote.
SALT LAKE CITY  Heres a look at the news for Dec. 13.

We spent a year reporting on teen anxiety. Heres what we learned  and why youre part of the solution.

Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch gave his final Senate speech. Watch it here.

Kristin Chenoweth finally stars in Tabernacle Choirs sold-out Christmas show. Read more.

Ex-Utah church leader charged with sex abuse and lewdness involving boys. Read more.

BYU womens volleyball team braces for toughest challenge of the year. Read more.

A look at why Utahns are being urged to review their options on the federal health exchange as the enrollment deadline approaches. Read more.

Read stories from our featured voices:

A look at our most-read stories:

A look at national headlines:
The real test of a nation is what it does when it doesnt have to do anything. A country that is facing famine, dealing with epidemic diseases or confronting a large population stuck in intergenerational poverty can focus on little else. The success of the United States of America has it positioned with both the opportunity and capacity to tackle many significant challenges. Yet, we often choose to ignore them  because we can. This is absolutely un-American.

When a country becomes so adept at solving problems and maximizing opportunities, the question of whether it can or cannot achieve something evaporates. A quick sample of Americas ability to get things done: Man on moon? Check. Cures for countless diseases? Check. Transcontinental railroad and interstate highway system? Check, check. Two world wars and a cold war? Check, check and check. The list goes on.

It is hard to think of anything a united America couldnt get done. And therein lies the danger of every advanced civilization  the ability to ignore problems. The luxury to ignore leads to the atrophying of the problem-solving muscle that built the nation.

Sharon Lee, wife of Utah Sen. Mike Lee, accompanied him to the recent inauguration of the new Mexican president. She shared with me some of the challenges the incoming administration would face. There are countless questions about what the Mexican government can or cannot accomplish. There are legitimate question about capacity, but no question about the issues they have to address immediately.

America doesnt have a capability problem, but it should be acutely aware that the capacity of a nation is often lost in the luxury of a never-ending debate about what should and should not be done.

Many of our nations problems are simple to solve. Simple, but not easy. Sadly, we dont even make a good attempt at addressing them anymore. Few countries on earth have the luxury of debating or considering the pros and cons of building a border wall, reforming the criminal justice system, cutting or raising taxes, addressing health care costs, protecting the environment, reforming entitlement programs or reinventing an education system. It isnt because there is a question about whether America can or cannot deal with any of these issues. Our problem is that we have become comfortable mired in the political minutia of debating if we should or should not address them.

America doesnt have a capability problem, but it should be acutely aware that the capacity of a nation is often lost in the luxury of a never-ending debate about what should and should not be done.

Mrs. Lee said, The should and the should not exists only because we live in a nation that has already overcome and accomplished so much. While such a debate drones on, the muscle that shaped and forged the most prosperous nation in history lies dormant and deteriorating.

This isnt to say it is bad to have the should or should not debate. We should  so long as we dont get comfortable or lulled into thinking that that debate is doing anything to move the country closer to solving the issue at hand. Eventually infrastructure will break down. Schools will become ill-equipped to meet new demands. A global crisis will threaten freedom and security.

When the moment of great challenge arrives in the life of a nation, the capacity to act swiftly, decisively, unitedly and effectively will be tested immediately. The time for preparation will have passed. The luxury of warming up or re-engaging gradually will not be an option. If a nation has gone soft or allowed its problem-solving to fall by the wayside, it will be unable to rise to meet the critical challenges of its day.

Contending with great difficulties sharpens and strengthens the capacity of the nation. As Abigail Adams wrote, Great necessities call out great virtues.

The American people will respond with unrivaled capacity and commitment when a leader with vision invites them to be part of a cause  not a caustic debate.

Politicians simply calling for Twitter battles and social media wars are not calling upon citizens to do some great thing. It may merely be a fundraising ploy to make Americans feel like they are part of a great battle when in fact it is only an exercise in the kind of should or should not, frustration-inducing routine that continues to fray the fabric of the nation.

The harder causes are those that can be put off for another day or postponed for future consideration without immediate consequence. No nation has more capacity and capability to solve problems than the United States. We are a can-do country. The discipline to deal with the difficult without delay will define Americas future.

We no longer have the luxury of procrastinating our pressing problems. Leaders should call on citizens and citizens must call on leaders to exercise the most American of all attributes  our ability to tackle big issues, solve great problems and create a better future.
SALT LAKE CITY  A Salt Lake City firefighter escaped injury early Thursday after falling through the floor of a business.

Late Wednesday night, fire crews were called to Will's Automotive, 945 S. 300 West, on a report of smoke coming from the doors and windows, said Salt Lake Fire Capt. Adam Archuleta. Within minutes of arriving, firefighters called for additional crews because of the volume of smoke, he said.

The fire was brought under control within 15 minutes, Archuleta said. Early Thursday, firefighters went inside the building to look for hot spots, which includes tearing into the ceilings and walls.

While Justin Batty was doing overhaul on the second floor of the building above an office area, the floor collapsed, he said Thursday afternoon.

"As we crossed from one room into the other, I noticed the floor was really soft," Batty said. "I felt the floor start to give under me."

Batty was able to catch himself briefly with his arms and elbows as he fell through the floor, he said.

"In that split second, I felt the floor give again, and then went all the way down to the first level," he recalled.

Batty was not injured and was back on duty Thursday going about "business as usual," he said.

His fellow firefighters helped him to get up and out of the building quickly, he said.

"When it actually happened, I wasn't ready for it. But at no point did I feel like I was helpless or hopeless. I knew my guys were right behind me and that they would do whatever it took to get out," he said.

Batty said the department had gone through firefighter rescue training the week before.

"It seems like these things always happen immediately after you have that training," he laughed.

"We train for these events, and you hope you never have to experience one, you hope you're never involved in one. But preparedness is always key," he said. "We go into these structures knowing that they're a hazardous environment and that we're putting ourselves at risk."

Investigators determined the fire was set "intentionally" but were not going as far as declaring it arson on Thursday, Archuleta said. Authorities were seeking a person of interest, he said.

Damage to the business was estimated initially at $100,000.
SALT LAKE CITY  Law enforcement agencies across the country responded to numerous bomb threats on Thursday, including several in Utah.

As of Thursday afternoon, all of the threats were determined to be hoaxes and no one was injured.

In Utah, bomb threats were sent, many by email, to Dixie State University, the Park Record newspaper in Park City, as well as threats in Draper, Price, Cache County, West Valley City, Murray and South Jordan.

"Please be aware of a bomb threat hoax that is making the rounds throughout the state of Utah, as well as nationwide. At the time of this posting, (12:45 p.m.) there have been approximately 50 of these in Utah, with at least one occurring in Price," the Price Police Department said in a prepared statement.

"The threat is typically communicated via email, written in broken English, and demanding bitcoin payment to prevent detonation of a device," the statement continued. "There is no indication that these are credible threats at this time, but we also don't want to take any chances."

The FBI's Salt Lake City headquarters also issued a statement regarding the threats.

"We are aware of the recent bomb threats made in cities around the country, and we remain in touch with our law enforcement partners to provide assistance. As always, we encourage the public to remain vigilant and to promptly report suspicious activities which could represent a threat to public safety.

The threats forced Park City High School's Kearns Campus to temporarily be placed on lockdown, and forced Dixie State's testing center to be evacuated. Park City responded to threats there starting about 11:20 a.m.

"There have been multiple reports of similar bomb threats made throughout Utah and in other states. At this time, none of the threats have been substantiated. Park City police encourage area residents to preserve and forward any suspicious emails they have received that may contain a similar threat to detective Jackie Bittner (Jackie.bittner@parkcity.org)," the department said in a statement.

Bomb threats were also received across the country Thursday in cities such as New York, Detroit, Oklahoma City, Boise, San Francisco and Chicago.

This story will be updated as additional information becomes available.
UTAH STATE PRISON  Throughout his trial, Joshua Jay Harding maintained his innocence.

In 2015, Harding pleaded no contest to child abuse, a third-degree felony, and negligent homicide, a class A misdemeanor, for the 2012 death of 3-month-old Paxton Stokes. Harding consistently denied harming the boy, but acknowledged in the plea agreement that he could not dispute at trial that he was alone with the infant before he died.

Paramedics found Paxton limp and not breathing when called to the home of Harding and Brianna Brown. Brown was Paxton's mother but Harding was not the father.

Paxton was pronounced dead upon arrival at Utah Valley Hospital. In addition to the "nonaccidental closed head injuries" that killed Paxton, an autopsy indicated the boy had a number of injuries that a child his age could not have sustained on his own, such as bruising, abrasions around his neck, injuries to his genitalia and possible broken bones in the process of healing.

As part of the plea deal, prosecutors recommended Harding only be sentenced to probation. But 4th District Judge Derek Pullan felt Harding deserved a harsher penalty and sentenced him to up to five years in the Utah State Prison for the child abuse charge, with an additional year for the negligent homicide. He ordered the sentences to run concurrently.

On Dec. 4, Harding had his first parole hearing, during which he again maintained his innocence.

"Ive always been sweet to babies. Ive always taken the best care I can of all children, Harding, now 35, told Utah Board of Pardons and Parole member Chyleen Richey in a recording of the hearing.

When Richey asked why he took the plea deal if he didn't do anything wrong, Harding said after discussing the case with his attorney, he felt the cards were stacked against him because the case was in Utah County, a dead baby was involved, and there was no real explanation of how the baby died.

"He just told me that if I wanted to go to war, that we can and we have very good chances. But he also told me to be aware that if we lost, Id probably be facing 25 years, he said.

Harding did not make a statement at his sentencing, with his attorney explaining to the judge that he was too emotional. During his parole hearing, Harding was still reluctant to talk about Paxton's death.

"Could we just continue on elsewhere please? he asked Richey.

"Thats, unfortunately what were here to do," she replied. "I kind of need to hear about what happened."

Harding again said he did not harm the infant.

Brown was also charged and convicted of three counts of endangerment of a child, a third-degree felony, and sentenced to 90 days in jail.

Harding told the parole board that until Paxton's death, he and Brown never had any issues.

"We never had one argument before all of this. Everything was great, he said.

It wasn't until the story of Paxton's death was reported by the media and the case dragged on for two more years that Harding said Brown's attitude seemed to change.

"At first no. But then, at the end, I dont know, we stopped communicating. But yes, it seemed like she did, Harding replied when asked if he believed Brown blamed him for Paxton's death.

Richey noted during the hearing that Harding's risk assessment has been determined to be "low" in every category the board keeps track of. Harding has had no write-ups since being incarcerated and is currently being housed in the Box Elder County Jail. If he were to serve his full sentence, he would be released in 2020. But Richey noted that based on state sentencing guidelines, he has already served more time than recommended.

The full five-member board will now decide whether to grant Harding parole or set a date for another hearing.
Odiyan Cast Mohanlal To Relax In Bhutan Before Starting Odiyan

Mohanlal needs no introduction down the South and is one of the highest paid actors of Mollywood. Even after completing more than 35 years in the film industry, the actor has his kitty full with film offers. He was last seen in 1971: Beyond Borders and is now geared up for his next which is Lal Jose's Vellipadinte Pusthakam.





After Vellipadinte Pusthakam, the actor will soon join the sets of VA Shrikumar's Odiyan. However, he is in no hurry to start shooting for Odiyan. If reports are to be believed, the actor will take a break before joining the sets of Odiyan in Varanasi. Mohanlal will fly to Bhutan for a week-long break.





As per a source, "He will be there for a week with his family and then fly to Varanasi, where Odiyan will kick off. He will have a different getup for the movie as well". On a related note, the actor will be occupied with a film by Shaji Kailas, after Odiyan.





Check movie and reviews for Odiyan
Apple is reportedly developing a cellular modem for its future iPhones and may launch these phones in 2021, a report has claimed. Apple develops its own processors for iPhones and iPads but it will be first time that the Cupertino-based company will develop its own cellular modem. Currently, Apple depends on Intel or Qualcomm for these modems but given the sour relationship with Qualcomm and Intel facing problem of heat dissipation caused by the 8060 modem chip, Apple may have had no option to take matter in its own hands.

Recently, Apple had posted a job listing for a cellular modem systems architect. According to The Information, a source briefed on Apples plans confirmed that the company is actively working on a cellular modem. Analysts claim that it could take as long as three years for an indigenously developed cellular modem to ship in an iPhone. This could mean that, if everything goes according to Apples plans, an iPhone with an in-house developed cellular modem (an of course processor) will release in 2021.

The news comes a day after a Chinese court banned the import as well as the sale of some older iPhone models in China. The Fuzhou Intermediate Peoples Court in China found Apple infringed two patents held by the chipmaker and ordered an immediate ban on sales of older iPhone models. Qualcomm had also claimed that Apple has used its access to Qualcomms proprietary software to help Intel.

Intel had countered Qualcomm by saying that the companys track record is clear and it has been one of the worlds leading technology innovators for more than 50 years. It (Qualcomm) has publicly disparaged Intels products  products created by the innovation and hard work of dedicated teams of scientists and engineers at Intel.. It is easy to say things. We are proud of our engineers and employees who bring the worlds best technology solutions to market through hard work, sweat, risk-taking and great ideas, Steven R Rodgers, Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Intel Corporation, said.
If youve been on Google today, you must have noticed the curious Doodle depicting the Geminid Meteor Shower. The celestial show brightens up the night sky every year in December, bringing streaks of yellow across the darkness and India is slated to get one of the best views of the light show in the wee hours spanning between December 13 and 14, when the meteor showers peaks. The best time to watch the Geminid Meteor Shower in India would be somewhere around 2AM on December 14, however if viewed from a hill station, one could possibly sight the sky show as early as 9PM or 10PM on December 13.

Origins of the Geminid Meteor Shower

The Geminid Meteor Shower gets its name from the constellation Gemini, because the meteors seem like they are emerging from the constellation. First observed in the 1800s, the meteor shower originates from an object called Phaethon, named after Greek god Apollos son. The 3200 Pantheon is either a near-Earth asteroid or an extinct comet and is closer to the sun than Mercury. Once a year in December, Earth passes through the debris cloud left behind by the object as it orbits the Sun. When Earth crosses paths with the said debris, small meteors vaporise in Earths atmosphere, resulting in 120160 visible meteors per hour.

How to Watch Geminid Meteor Shower in India

Nasa recommends that those interested in viewing the Meteor Shower should head out around 10:30 p.m. and let their eyes adjust to the darkness for about 30 minutes. It is recommended that you try and get away from the city to view the show in clear skies. Heading to the mountains would also be a good idea to view the Geminids. Avoid looking at your cell phone as it will mess up your night vision. Lie flat on your back and look straight up, taking in as much sky as possible. You will soon start to see Geminid meteors. As the night progresses, the Geminid rate will increase, hitting a theoretical maximum of about 100 per hour around 2 a.m., Nasa explained in a post.

NASA expects more than 1 Geminid per minute to appear for those looking at the night sky in the countryside or from hill stations, and 30 to 40 per hour for those in the suburbs. Cities like Delhi and Mumbai could blot out the meteor shower altogether given the bright lights and polluted skies.
After Strasbourg: Cherif Chekatt is a Moroccan, an Algerian and a Frenchman in Syria

A gunman shot three people dead and injured 12 others at Strasbourgs Christmas market. The Guardian says gunman is a 29-year-old born in Strasbourg. And that is all. Any idea why he did it? One day on and the paper tells us the wanted man is what the French call gangster-jihadists. His name is Cherif Chekatt. He is from a family with Moroccan roots. He moved into Islamic extremism. What else do we know?

Disappointing to see BBC and Sky News lead with Allahu Akbar in their headline on the awful shooting in #Strasbourg vs. ITV and Al Jazeera who are being far more responsible. This matters and its wrong. pic.twitter.com/62rEDMVbdq  Miqdaad Versi (@miqdaad) December 12, 2018

At what point do you report that the suspect is an Islamist?

The Express makes it plain on its page 2, the headline reads: Massive hunt for Islamist who shot three dead. Hes a career criminal (paragraph 1) and radical Islamist (paragraph 2). He is of Algerian descent. Not Moroccan? Or is it all the same  British, Irish, German  all much of a muchness? Another report tells us Islamic State terrorists target shoppers, including those in Britain.

The Mirror features the story on page 11. The headline tells of the gunman who killed two. He is an Islamic terrorist (paragraph 1). He screamed Allahu Akbar before opening fire (paragraph 3). Again we read of the fear that Islamic State supporters will attack shoppers in the UK. The threat is ranked as severe. what he said and why he said it appears to be relevant.

The Sun calls Chekatt a French terror fiend He is a butcher. We read that he yelled Alluahu Akbar in paragraph 5. He is of Algerian decent. Hes been jailed in Free, Germany and Switzerland.

The Daily Mail calls him the Xmas killer. In paragraph 5 we learn that Allah Akbar man god is great in Arabic. Only the Mail mentions the victims. One is a Thai tourist called Anupong Suebsamarn. Were told Chekatt was radicalised in a French jail. But we dont know that to be true. The Mail then adds a touch of Brexit, noting, Free movement rules mean he would not have to show a passport if he closed the border into Germany. The paper says Cherkatts parents are Algerian. At no point does the Mail use the words Islam, Muslim or Islamist or Islamism. Chekatts religion is not mentioned.

In Strasbourg shooting: What we know so far, the BBC refers to Chekatt as a gunman. It is only in paragraph 7 we get a possible motive: Along the way he opened fire several times and also used a knife to seriously wound and kill people, Mr Heitz added, saying the suspect yelled Allahu Akbar (God is greatest in Arabic) during the rampage. His religion is not mentioned.

The Telegraph finds space to add: Investigators are trying to establish whether Mr Chekatt travelled to Syria or Iraq to join an Islamist group, or whether he was radicalised entirely in France, according to sources close to the case.

Such are the facts.

Anorak

Posted: 13th, December 2018 | In: Broadsheets, Key Posts, News, Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
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LACEY (AP)  The Washington Department of Ecology has fined a scuba gear company $197,000 for illegally dumping hazardous waste containing lead and arsenic down the toilet, into a storm drain and onto the ground.

Ecology officials announced the fine Tuesday against Seasoft Scuba Gear Inc. in Lacey.





. . .
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BOISE, Idaho (AP)  State lawmakers lent their support to a potentially historic request to transfer water from the Treasure Valley to Elmore County on the final day of public testimony.

If the application is approved, Elmore County could draw water from Anderson Ranch Dam on the South Fork Boise River, the Idaho Press-Tribune reported .





. . .
US House grills Sundar Pichai on `idiot'-Trump link in Google search

Google CEO Sundar Pichai had a difficult time explaining the algorithm that brings up images of President Donald Trumps pictures while googling for idiot. During a three-and-a-half hour questioning by the House Judiciary Committee, legislators, mostly Republican, posed questions why the search for the word idiot on Google apparently saw a jump after it was found throwing up images of President Donald Trump.

Lawmakers were suspicious as the search for the word idiot on Google apparently saw a jump after it was found a few months ago that it threw up images of US President Donald Trump.

On Tuesday, lawmakers attempted to understand how Google search algorithms worked and asked the tech companys CEO Sundar Pichai about this particular case.

Replying to a question by Republican congresswoman Zoe Lofgren during the grilling, Pichai said the search results are based on ranks that take into account over 200 factors, including relevance and popularity, to find the best results for a query.

We take the keyword and match it against their pages and rank them based on over 200 signals. Things like relevance, freshness, popularity, how other people are using it. Based on that, at any given time, we try to rank and find the best search results for that query, said Pichai.

The questioning came after Trumps multiple tweets accusing Googles search engine of promoting negative news articles about him, implying political bias as well.

The Google chief was also asked if it was an example of political bias in algorithms, which he denied. Still, some Republican lawmakers on the panel refused to believe an individual or a group of people at Google could not change the algorithms and manipulate the search results arbitrarily.

Pichai also faced a few bizarre, irrelevant questions from US Senators, like an Apple iPhone showing up inappropriate notification with bad language.

Pichai was asked by Iowa congressman (Republican) Steve King, as to why a notification popped up on his seven-year-old grand-daughters iPhone showing a picture of her grandfather (King) before an election, with inappropriate language around it.

To which, Pichai had to explain that the iPhone is made by a different company, drawing peals of laughter from the democrats bench.

Republican Ted Poe wanted to know about Googles location tracking services. He asked Pichai if Google will track where he was sitting through his iPhone!

If I stand up from where Im sitting and if I walk over to the corner, does someone in Google know that I have moved that distance?

To which Pichai explained thats not how location tracking works, when the senator interrupts him.

Look, its not a tough question! You make $100 million a year. You can tell me whether or not if I go to the corner of the room, somebody at Google knows it! Does Google know, through this phone, that I am moving over there and sitting next to Mr. Johnson?

For the record, thats not how Googles location tracking works, although at most times it is fairly accurate down to 5 metres in open spaces, depending on the satellite lock the phone gets.

Pichais reply was a simple: I wont be able to answer that without looking at the iPhone.

A few months ago Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg faced a similar grilling, as did Facebooks Sheryl Sandberg and Twitters Jack Dorsey, obviously to get a better grip on how technology works.
May wins Conservative support ahead of crucial no trust vote

British Prime Minister Theresa May, who delayed a parliament vote on her Brexit deal, rallied support for the controversial deal through a confidence vote, ahead of a crucial no confidence vote, securing a temporary reprieve as majority of party MPs backed her in the secret vote.

Conservative MPs backed her by a majority of 83 in a secret ballot on Wednesday night, after hard Brexiters triggered a no-confidence vote in her leadership. MPs voted 200 for and 117 against to give Prime Minister May enough strength to face the no confidence vote.

Last nights vote means she cannot be challenged in another party no-confidence vote for the next year. But todays no-confidence vote is crucial as opponents of the current Brexit deal, including those in her own Conservative Party, have warned that they would seek new leadership to attempt to extract a new deal from the EU leaders.

May welcomed the party mandate and promised to garner legal and political assurances to assuage concerns of her parliamentary colleagues at the EU Council meeting she is attending on Thursday.

It may be noted that the large number of MPs who voted against her last night does not include the Labour Party opponents arrayed against her leadership and her Brexit deal. The real challenge to her leadership will come from the House of Commons where MPs who are not part of the government will vote in a majority against the deal.

The Labour Party, the official opposition, said the Conservatives themselves are split on Theresa Mays policies and renewed call for a new general election. In fact, Labour could sponsor a separate parliamentary motion of no confidence, if it chooses.

After 40 years tearing itself apart over Europe, tonights vote shows the Tory party is finally and irrevocably split in two. It is incapable of agreeing a Brexit deal and unfit to govern, said Labours deputy leader Tom Watson.

May has firm support from cabinet members such as Home Secretary Sajid Javid, and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt as well as former Prime Minister David Cameron. But the right-wing European Research Group of MPs such as Jacob Rees-Mogg has openly called for a new leader. They believe a no-deal Brexit is more likely to extract concessions from EU leaders than the present deal.

Several MPs, both from the right and the left, believe that the terms of the Brexit withdrawal agreement agreed with the EU arent in the nations best interests. Hard Brexiteers want May to renegotiate the backstop, a policy to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland, which would (under the current deal) involve Northern Ireland entering the EU customs union with no unilateral exit option for the UK if the backstop kicks in.

Some others want her to call a second referendum. With both ruling and opposition MPs opposing the deal, May could face real threat to her leadership at the no-confidence vote.
China's Vivo plans new Rs4,000-cr facility in India

Chinese handset maker Vivo today announced plans to invest Rs4,000 crore to set up a new manufacturing facility in India. Vivo said it has acquired 169 acres of land in Uttar Pradesh and the investment will be made over a period of four years.

Vivo, which competes with the likes of Samsung and Xiaomi in the Indian market, already has a 50-acre manufacturing facility and the planned facility nearby will help expand its manufacturing capabilities and support Vivo's growth in India, it added.

Vivo entered India in 2014 with a commitment to bring product innovation, focus and value to our consumers. India is a key market for us, and today we have reiterated our commitment by entering the next phase of growth in India," Vivo India director-Brand Strategy, Nipun Marya, said.

The new plant will offer a major benefit to the surrounding area through high-quality job creation and training opportunities, he added.

All Vivo smartphones sold in the country are manufactured at the Greater Noida facility, which is one of Vivo's four manufacturing facilities globally.

The existing manufacturing set-up, which saw an investment of Rs300 crore, already functions at a capacity of 2 million units per month with more than 5,000 workforce.

Vivo expects to generate 5,000 additional jobs in the first phase of expansion, the statement said.

India, the worlds fastest growing major mobile phone market, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keen to make the country a hub for smartphone manufacturing.

Vivos move comes after Samsung, which set up one of the worlds largest cell phone in Noida, recently announced closure of its China facility, shifting its production to India.
(ANSA) - Rome, December 13 - Environment Minister Sergio Costa said Thursday that Italy is bidding to host the 2020 UN Climate Summit - COP26.

"It's official: Italy is running to host COP26," Costa, who is in Katowice for COP24, said via Twitter. "Together with Premier Giuseppe Conte we decided to make the bid official a few minutes ago".


Japan Post to acquire 7-8% stake in US insurer Aflac for $2.6 billion: Nikkei

Japan Post Holdings is set to acquire a 7-8 per cent stake in US insurer Aflac for about 300 billion yen ($2.6 billion), to seek expansion outside postal services and to markets outside as the domestic market shrinks, the Nikkei Shimbun daily reported today.

Japan Post Holdings plans to make Aflac an affiliate after four years, as part of the strategy, Nikkei reported.

Japan Post, the former state postal service, will carry out the purchase through a trust bank and make Aflac an equity affiliate, whereby its earnings will be accounted for on Japan Post Holdings' books in proportion to the percentage stake, according to Nikkei.

Japan Post Holdings remains majority state-owned and hence the use of a trust bank.

Aflac Life Insurance Japan, the company's local operation, sells cancer insurance.

Japan Post Holdings hopes to approve the plan by the end of the month and complete the share purchase by the end of next year.

The two companies will remain separately managed entities without any transfers of executives to each other.

US law also prohibits foreign governments from influencing life insurers. Shareholding in Aflac means that the voting rights of the holder increase to a maximum of 20 per cent after its stake is held for a specified period.

Japan Post Holdings aims to take advantage of this rule to become the de facto largest shareholder when roughly four years on from the purchase and make the insurer a member of its group.

After making the investment, the holding company plans to expand Aflac's cancer insurance products sold at post office counters, jointly develop new products and collaborate in asset management with the insurer. Another idea being considered is to make joint investments in Japan and overseas in areas where the two companies can create synergies.

Japan Post Holdings has set the goal of making business acquisitions worth hundreds of billions of yen over the next three years ending March 2021. In the meantime, the company will also sell its holdings in Japan Post Bank and Japan Post Insurance as called for in the Postal Service Privatisation Act. The holding company expects the postal service's long-term profitability to deteriorate.
Indian tourists to get visa on arrival in Myanmar

Myanmar has extended the visa-on-arrival facility to Indian nationals visiting the country from today, which will allow any Indian tourist arriving at any of the three international airports in Myanmar - Nay Pyi Taw, Yangon and Mandalay - to secure a visa on arrival.

Speaking to reporters at a function on Wednesday during President Ram Nath Kovind's five-day visit to Myanmar, India's ambassador to Myanmar Vikram Misri said, "The process has already started and it will be effective from Thursday.

"One of the important outcomes of this visit is that the visa on arrival will be given for Indians arriving by air. This will increase tourism and people to people exchange between the two countries," foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale said.

Highlighting the importance of the visit, Gokhale underlined that President Kovind had excellent meetings with his Myanmarese counterpart U Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. He said that the President's visit to Myanmar is to maintain a very positive and forward-looking trajectory and build upon the strong historical ties and also the cordial ties currently shared between the two nations.

"The State Counsellor referred to India as a 'friend', which takes a fair and balanced position on all issues related to Myanmar. The President of Myanmar said that relations with India are already at a high point and will go higher. We reiterated our strong support for Myanmar's unity and territorial integrity," the foreign secretary elaborated.

He expressed hope that bus services from Imphal to Moreh and from Mandalay to Tamu would be operational soon. Gokhale further informed that the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project is reaching the final stages of completion. A port operator for the Sittwe Port would be announced soon.

Stressing that India considers Myanmar as a land and sea link between New Delhi and ASEAN as part of the 'Act East' Policy, the Foreign Secretary said: "We have cross-border links with North East India and Myanmar. Our objective is to fulfill certain key goals including connecting India with South East Asia, building stronger defence, security and economic relations with Myanmar and ensuring our security in the Bay of Bengal."

President Kovind visited Rice Bio-Park and Advanced Centre for Agricultural Research and Education Nay Pyi Taw, which are two flagship development projects, supported by India.

The President also met nine surviving veterans of the Indian National Army in Yangon on Wednesday. During the meeting, President Kovind exchanged warm sentiments to them and said that the country is honoured that these people were a part of the freedom struggle, the foreign secretary noted.
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Yellow vests: similar movement in Croatia, protests Saturday Demonstrations announced in Zagreb, Pula, Rijeka

(ANSAmed) - ZAGREB, DECEMBER 13 - A movement inspired by the French Yellow Vests appears to be emerging in Croatia where a group of activists, connected to a small party without parliamentary representatives, has announced a first demonstration in a number of cities across the country next Saturday.



The group 'Yellow Vests - Croatia', which includes some 10,000 people on Facebook, has urged Croatians who are not satisfied and frustrated by the social and economic condition of the country to take to the streets Saturday in Zagreb, Pula and Rijeka.



Organizers belong to the populist and anti-European Free Croatia party, so far unknown in the country's political scenario. (ANSAmed).




A new range of contemporary souvenirs highlighting the landmarks of County Louth go on sale this month in the county.

Louths rich architectural heritage can been seen all around the entire county from National Monuments to railway signal boxes and post boxes.

The souvenirs are screen printed by hand in the Creative Spark Print Studio from original drawings by Grainne Murphy. Grainne is a printmaker and image maker from Dundalk.

She is a graduate of Limerick School of Art and Design, where she received a BA Honours degree in Printmaking. Her work explores the human figure and often includes recurring images of entomology.

The souvenirs will be on sale at The Dundalk Christmas Market Friday December 14 & Saturday December 15 and then in An Tain Arts Centre Dundalk and Highlanes Gallery Drogheda.

The range of souvenirs includes Organic Tote Bags and Shopper Bags (Westford Mill), Sketch Books (Kraft Brown) and Colour Prints (on Fabriano paper).

The landmarks featured so far are St Laurences Gate, Drogheda; The Signal Box Clarke Station, Dundalk; The Proleek Dolmen, Ballymascanlon; Carlingford Tholsel and Bridges of the Boyne.

This collaborative project between the Conservation Office of Louth County Council and Creative Spark Print Studio is funded by Creative Ireland.




Gerry OConnor and his musical family from Dundalk are organising a special Christmas Homecoming in aid of CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) Ireland, the charity that supports families who have lost a child to Sudden Cardiac Death or Sudden Adult Death Syndrome.

The gig is planned for Friday December 28th at An Tain Theatre at 8.00pm.

The OConnors, who played a lead role in the 2018 All Ireland Fleadh Cheoil in Drogheda, have offered their help to the Charitys efforts to raise 585,000 for their new All Island Cardiac Risk in the Young Centre, due to open in 2019.

Bardic Award winner Gerry is joined by family members celebrating the fiddle music learned from his mother, Rose, and the songs created and sung by the late Eithne Ni Uallachain, mother of Donal, Siubhan, Feilimi and Finnian.

Eilish O'Connor, Peter O'Connor Grainne Smith and Sile O'Connor complete the line-up to play this O'Connor Family Homecoming Christmas Concerts. Dont be surprised to see some very special guests jump up on stage to join in the festive fun! This is one not to be missed.

Gerry explained his familys support for CRY (Ireland), I have known Tommy Fegan, Chairman of CRY (Ireland) since the 70s, meeting first at sessions in the famous Dundalk's Mark's Bar and we have worked together in the Thomas D'Arcy Magee Foundation. I was shocked and saddened at the sudden death of his son, Kevin, in 2010. Tommy asked me to play Ur Chnoic Cein Mhic Cainte at Kevins funeral. So, when he initiated a campaign to raise awareness and funds for CRY, my family readily agreed to dedicate the traditional Homecoming Christmas concert to this great charity.

The Homecoming concerts affords the opportunity to returning exiles from Louth, Monaghan, Down and Armagh and other border communities to meet up with old friends in a musical, convivial setting between Christmas and the New Year

CRY are always conscious that many families have an empty chair of a deceased relative at Christmas, so this year we dedicate the concert and session to those families where a young person has died suddenly through Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS).
VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis said Thursday that the international community has a "moral responsibility" to receive migrants. "In this year the international community has celebrated the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights," the pope said as he received 10 new ambassadors to the Holy See. "This foundational document continues to guide the efforts of global diplomacy to secure peace in our world and to promote the integral development of each individual and all peoples. The two goals are in fact inseparable. "In its very first words, the Declaration states that, 'recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family, is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world'.

"In these times of sweeping social and political change, there can be no lessening of the commitment to this principle on the part of governments and peoples. "It is essential that respect for human dignity and human rights inspire and direct every effort to address the grave situations of war and armed conflict, crushing poverty, discrimination and inequality that afflict our world, and in recent years have issued in the present crisis of mass migration. "No effective humanitarian solution to that pressing global issue (of mass migration) can ignore our moral responsibility, with due regard for the common good, to welcome, protect, promote and integrate those who knock at our doors in search of a secure future for themselves and their children."
Yemen: U.S. ambassador - 'tension, lack of confidence' Meeting with delegations at Rimbo castle

(ANSAmed) - ROME, DECEMBER 13 - There is still tension and lack of confidence between the sides involved in ongoing peace talks for Yemen in Sweden, according to the US embassador to Yemen since 2014, Matthew Toller, quoted by Arab News.



The news outlet quoted the ambassador, who is currently in Sweden, as saying that there is still clear tension, which is mainly due to the ''lack of confidence'' between the two Yemeni sides.



When the talks in Sweden will end, he was also reported as saying, everybody will go back and will start putting into practice what was agreed. Toller said he hoped the two sides would be able to make progress in the near future.



Toller, who met with representatives of the two delegations at the castle of Rimbo, 60 km north of Stockholm, praised the organization that enabled participants to meet unofficially in order to connect in unofficial meetings. (ANSAmed).




First the good news. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll out Thursday found that 57 percent of U.S. adults think climate change is caused by "human activity" or "mostly human activity"a stance held by 97 percent or more of actively publishing climate scientists. That's up from the 47 percent in 2012.

The bad news? That implies 43 percent of U.S. adults still have doubts about the global phenomenon, similar to President Donald Trump.

The survey of 4,660 American adults was conducted shortly after the U.S. government released a damning climate report last month warning that human-caused global warming could have dire consequences for American lives and livelihoods.

"Earth's climate is now changing faster than at any point in the history of modern civilization, primarily as a result of human activities," the report compiled by 300 top scientists and 13 federal agencies begins. "The impacts of global climate change are already being felt in the United States and are projected to intensify in the futurebut the severity of future impacts will depend largely on actions taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the changes that will occur."

The reason the climate has changed so rapidly in the past half century is due to increases in heat-trapping greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels.

Trump, who has rolled back climate protections to push for fossil fuels, rejected his own government report and notoriously said, "I don't believe it."

The Reuters/Ipsos poll, taken from Nov. 29 to Dec. 10, also comes after a year of record-breaking and climate-fueled wildfires, hurricanes, floods and toxic algal blooms that devastated many parts of the country.

But according to the poll results, only 35 percent of U.S. adults view climate change as an "imminent" threat driven mainly by human activity (up slightly from 32 percent in 2017 and 24 percent in 2015).

Scientists have determined that 2018 is "almost guaranteed" to be the fourth warmest year in the record. The only years hotter? 2016, 2015, 2017, respectively. Meanwhile, 2018 greenhouse gas emissions are on pace to hit a "record high" and 2019 could be another unusually hot year due to a possible El Nino.

El Ninos, which have a major effect on global weather patterns, including spikes in temperatures, are not caused by climate change. However, researchers have previously suggested that we could experience extreme El Ninos more frequently as our planet continues to warm.

Interestingly, the new poll found that the majority of Americans69 percentwant the U.S. government to work with other countries to combat global warming. That number included 64 percent of Republicans and 80 percent of Democrats.

The poll comes as representatives from around the world meet at the COP24 talks in Katowice, Poland to hammer out a rulebook to implement the 2015 Paris agreement of limiting global temperature increase.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday that the climate summit, now in its last days, is "our last best chance to stop runaway climate change."

Failure to reach an agreement, he added, "would not only be immoral, it would be suicidal."
It would appear that the resurgence of fracking in the UK is on very shaky ground. A company called Cuadrilla restarted the controversial technique at a site in Lancashire, in Northwest England, just two months ago after a seven year hiatus. But it spent a month of that time doing tests with smaller volumes of water after a series of small earthquakes in October, The Guardian reported.

When it restarted full operations Monday, it didn't have to wait long before triggering the area's biggest earthquake yet. A 1.5 magnitude tremor was recorded at around 11:20 a.m. on Tuesday, an order of magnitude strong enough that five people told the British Geological Survey that they had felt the quake.

"Within a day of Cuadrilla restarting fracking in Lancashire, there has already been another earthquake which means they've had to down tools, " Friends of the Earth campaigner Tony Bosworth told The Guardian.

According to the "traffic light system" put in place by the Oil and Gas Authority, Cuadrilla must pause operations for 18 hours after any red level earthquake measuring 0.5 or above.



"Cuadrilla will pause and continue to monitor micro seismicity for at least the next 18 hours, in line with the traffic light system regulations. Well integrity has been checked and verified," a company spokesperson told The Lancashire Evening Post.

The spokesperson referenced a University of Liverpool study that said the impact of the quake "would be like dropping a melon," but Cath Middleton, who lives 1.6 miles from the fracking site and felt the quake, cast doubt on that comparison. She told BBC News that she heard a "very loud bang."

"To compare this to dropping a melon is ridiculous," she said. "My neighbour's chair shook."

The 1.5 magnitude quake was also the last of nine recorded in a 90 minute time span Tuesday, the most recorded on the site within a single day, The Lancashire Evening Post reported.



"It appears that they cannot frack without triggering tremors. And instead of acknowledging that fracking needs to end, Cuadrilla are instead urging for regulations around earthquakes to be relaxed," Bosworth further told The Lancashire Evening Post. "We've always said that fracking poses risks for our climate and environment. After today's quake, and with the effects of climate breakdown already happening around us, isn't it time to put a stop to fracking once and for all?"

Fracking was originally stopped in the area in 2011 after two quakes, one registering 2.3 and one registering 1.5, were felt by people outside the nearby city of Blackpool, The Guardian reported . Since operations restarted this October, a total of 47 minor earthquakes have been recorded.
The rollout of states redesigned school accountability systems in recent weeks has reignited tensions between policymakers, practitioners, and parents over how best to define and incentivize school success.

Virtually every state, after the passing of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015, redesigned their school accountability systems, an arduous, combative, and yearslong process that led to the resignation of several state education chiefs.

Those new systems are now being presented to the public for the first time on sleek new websites that allow visitors to compare among schools and dive into test scores and several new data points, including chronic absenteeism, teacher quality, and student preparation for colleges and careers.

But how state departments then used those data points to rank schools has riled many district superintendents in recent weeks who, in editorials and school board meetings, have accused state officials of being overly simplistic and still too reliant on test scores to determine the winners and losers.

It doesnt really tell the whole story of the effectiveness of any school or any district, said Felecia Gomez-Walker, the superintendent of St. Charles Parish school district in Louisiana, whose letter grade dropped from an A to a B under the states new system. Gomez-Walker said she appreciates Louisianas redesigned report card for its detailed breakdown of academic outputs but is frustrated with the states use of letter grades.

States accountability systems determine where tens of millions of federal and state school improvement dollars flow, and for a variety of reasons in many states, districts and schools havent been ranked in several years. So there has inevitably been a lot of angst among district leaders and advocacy groups over the accuracy and reliability of new report cards.

Several states, including Missouri and South Carolina, had technical, logistical, and design glitches that delayed the release of schools scores.

Tennessee, for example, redesigned for the second time its entire accountability system over the summer after some schools test scores were reported inaccurately and the legislature told its department not to issue letter grades to schools this year.

Defining School Success

In many states, there is still a sharp divide between what policymakers, practitioners, and parents think should define school success and what state departments have the capacity to measure accurately. Those battles will likely spill into next years legislative session.

Officials in Indiana, Wyoming, and New Mexico have already indicated that they will make significant changes to their ESSA plans in the coming months.

States accountability systems offer an opportunity for federal and state officials to communicate to those on the front lines where they should prioritize their work, said Chris Domaleski, the associate director for the Center for Assessment who helps states design accountability systems.

Its important for accountability systems to provide accurate information about how schools are achieving, given that communities make substantial investments in public schools, Domaleski said.

Rhode Islands education commissioner, Ken Wagner, appearing on a television show, jokingly threw a chair across the room last week to exhibit how frustrated he was that the states test scores lagged behind Massachusetts.

Its not true that our kids cant do it. They can do it! he said.

See Also: Approved ESSA Plans: Explainer and Key Takeaways From Each State

In other states, the timing of the states report card turned into a political message on its own.

Oregons Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, was accused by Republican opponent Knute Buehler of delaying the release of the states new report card until after the election to avoid political backlash over perceived stagnant results.

It shouldnt take the threat of the governor losing her election for her to do the right thing, Buehler said on Twitter. Oregonians, and especially our students and parents, deserve better than this. Help is on the way in 13 days.

Brown ultimately won the election.

California officials were lambasted by advocates and parents for their redesigned dashboard. The Los Angeles Times editorial board called it a color in the blank chart.

The state invested another $300,000 this year in order to redesign the report card yet again, a preview of which was provided for reporters last week.

ESSA requires states to collect and report to the public plenty more data about the goings on in their schools. But with layoffs in recent years of so many of the technicians in state departments and districts who are responsible for processing data, there were bound to be technical glitches.

In South Carolina, the state department collected more than 11 million data points for its new accountability system, a process that required the state to purchase a new data-collection system for $1 million.

But the state outsourced to AdvancED for $1.3 million the task of measuring how engaged students were at their schools, a process that requires students to fill out electronic surveys and would amount to more than 10 percent of districts scores.

AdvancED didnt at first properly match the scores with the students responses, delaying for several weeks the rollout of the entire states accountability system. (AdvancED said in a statement to local media it was remedying the problem.)

We havent issued a rating in quite some time, said Ryan Brown, a spokesman for South Carolinas department of education. We want to show to the public what the expectations are at the state and federal level so its important that people buy into it. We have some who are accepting it and some who are still skeptical.

With all the new indicators states are factoring into districts scores, many state officials scrambled in recent weeks to discourage reporters and the public from comparing their scores to prior rankings.

Outrage in Texas

Texas for the first time gave its schools a letter grade, a system that outraged many district superintendents, many of whom told parents in local newspapers to dismiss the rankings outright.

The grades were what the news stories were all about, said Dax Gonzalez, a spokesman for the Texas Association of School Boards. Reporters were going to seize on the letter grade and determine what it meant when we really still dont know what it means. There could be just one indicator thats in there that knocked a district down to a C.

In other states, including Utah, Florida, and Indiana, state officials werent able to figure out in time how to merge their state accountability system with federal requirements under ESSA and they ended up this year releasing two sets of assessments of schools.

Tom Edington, the superintendent of Wawasee Schools in Syracuse, Ind., said hes gotten so irritated with the states waffling over what its accountability system should look like that he and the board created their own accountability system, complete with its own standardized test indicators, and letter grade. That means the districts schools will this year be given federal, state, and local grades.

We know ours is an unchanging standard and has remained stable enough for us to be able to adequately and fairly measure our students, he said. We started six years ago doing this and we havent looked back.
Mexico City, Dec 13 (epa-efe).- Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador had a "friendly and respectful" telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump in which he said that the Mexican plan to solve the migratory phenomenon will cost $5 billion.

"The conversation was very good, friendly and respectful. And we talked about the migration issue and the possibility of reaching an investment agreement to support productive projects," said the leftist leader during his morning press conference on Thursday.

The Mexican leader said that this production plan, which is already contemplated in the 2019 budget, should create jobs in Central America and Mexico so that people do not have "the need to migrate."

"I mentioned (to Trump) that we have this $5 billion plan that is already contemplated in the budget, which is going to be delivered (to Congress) this Saturday," said the leader of the Morena party.

He said that he and Trump agreed "on good terms" to hold talks between themselves - as their countries' leaders - and also between their teams, the ultimate goal of which would be "to sign a joint investment agreement."

It would be "a joint investment agreement, which would include companies, and of course the governments," the president said.

On Thursday, Trump said on Twitter that Mexico will be the one to pay for building his much-promised border wall with the money that "we save" under the new US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, despite the fact that he has repeatedly asked the US Congress for funds to finance it.

"I often stated, 'One way or the other, Mexico is going to pay for the Wall.' This has never changed. Our new deal with Mexico (and Canada), the USMCA, is so much better than the old, very costly & anti-USA NAFTA deal, that just by the money we save, MEXICO IS PAYING FOR THE WALL!" Trump had tweeted.

When asked if they talked about the wall in their most recent telephone conversation, which was reported on Wednesday, Lopez Obrador said that "this issue has not been addressed in any conversation."

Since mid-October, thousands of Central Americans, especially from Honduras and El Salvador, have formed themselves into several migrant caravans with the aim of reaching the southern US border hoping to apply for US asylum.
Deadly high-speed train crash in Turkish capital Ankara

A Turkish high-speed train collided with another locomotive and crashed into an overpass at a train station in Ankara on Thursday, killing 9 people and injuring 47.

Multiple people were injured when a high-speed train crashed into an overpass in the Turkish capital early Thursday.

The accident occurred around 6.30 am (0330 GMT) as the train was traveling between Ankara and the central Turkish province of Konya, the broadcaster said. The Marsandiz station is around 8 km (5 miles) from the main Ankara train station.

Governor Vasip Sahin told reporters the crash was caused by the high-speed train hitting a locomotive which carries out track inspections.

"The train collided with a shunting locomotive that should not have been on that rail track. A total of four people were killed and 43 others were injured. These figures will be defined more precisely later. All the rescue teams are operating and investigation into the incident is underway", Ankara Governor Vasip Sahin said.

Deadly high-speech train crash in Turkish capital Ankara WATCH

Rescue workers evacuate injured passengers WATCH

Video footage showed emergency workers at the scene, working to rescue people from carriages trapped beneath the mangled metal wreckage of an overpass at the Marsandiz train station, to the west of Ankara.

The train was en route to Konya in central Turkey.

Rescue work is still ongoing. Some of the injured were taken to the hospital.

Details to follow
FETO wanted to buy British daily: Court records

Probe into terror group shows members were interested in buying The Independent.

The group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), wanted to buy leading British daily The Independent, according to court records.

Encrypted messages of the ByLock mobile application, used by FETO members, accessed as part of a probe into the terror group reveal this motive. The group's so-called West Europe imam Suleyman Tiftik exchanged a series of text messages with another member who was using the ID number 214359 in February 2016.

APPOINTMENT TO INQUIRE FOR THE PRICE

The unidentified FETO member told Tiftik that The Independent's sales had gone down but they wanted to carry on digitally -- so the owners were open to offers. "It is understood they are unable to find a client so they wanted to carry on digitally. They are open for sale if there would be a good offer in this period," said one of the messages. "Hi brother, can we make an appointment with the owners of Independent to inquire for the price? Cordially," said another message.

This unidentified member also organized an interview for FETO fugitive Hamdi Akin Ipek in The Times newspaper in the U.K.

"Adem Yavuz Arslan from Washington talked to Akin Ipek about the interview and Akin leaned towards it. Adem Yavuz Arslan texted me upon this and asked 'Can we arrange an interview?' and I arranged an interview with The Times, the best selling newspaper in the U.K. But Akin changed his mind with worries like 'If I talk to a British newspaper, they will increase pressures against my family and hizmet movement in Turkey'," a message said.

The Hizmet or Cemaat movement is another name for Gulens movement.

Arslan is a journalist considered a key FETO fugitive living abroad.

A separate chat of Tiftik and Ismail Cingoz, head of FETO-affiliated charity Kimse Yokmu Association, on Jan 9. 2017 revealed a residence permit in Belgium for another FETO fugitive Seref Ali Tekalan, president of the North American University in Texas.
UK to establish military base in Kuwait

Local media say the British military base will be used for training the Kuwaiti army.

The United Kingdom and Kuwait have reached an agreement to establish a British military base in the Gulf state, local Kuwaiti media reported Thursday.

The private Alrai newspaper said the two countries concluded a deal to establish the British military base in Kuwait.

The daily, citing diplomatic sources, said officials from both countries will meet on Thursday to discuss aspects of cooperation between the two sides. The newspaper also quoted Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Khaled al-Jarallah while denying any link between the British base and a border dispute between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Our dispute with our brothers in Saudi Arabia is brotherly, he said. I can term it as a misunderstanding.





The private al-Qabas newspaper also said Thursdays meeting between Kuwaiti and British officials will discuss the establishment of a British military base to train the Kuwaiti army. The newspaper, citing unnamed sources, said the U.K. base will be limited and will be opened soon.

There was no comment from Kuwaiti or British authorities on the report.

The British ambassador to Kuwait Michael Davenport earlier said in an interview with Forces Network that London was considering a permanent military presence in Kuwait. Were looking at all the possibilities. Were not talking about a major deployment I dont think, but were looking at what might work for both the United Kingdom and for Kuwait. As I say, its at a very early stage, he said.
US training of terrorists not acceptable to Turkey, says DM

The US training of YPG/PKK terrorists is not acceptable to Ankara, Turkeys defense minister Hulusi Akar said on Wednesday.

Speaking at an event in the capital Ankara marking Bosnia and Herzegovinas Armed Forces Day, Hulusi Akar said Turkey is determined to protect its rights in land, seas and air.

Turkey has long criticized US cooperation with its reliable allies the PKK/YPG against Daesh, pointing out that the YPG is the Syrian branch of the PKK, a group recognized as terrorist by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU.

"TURKEY HAS MAJOR FIGHTS AGAINST TERROR ORGANIZATIONS"

"Turkey will not let any terror corridor in country's south and Syria's north, including east of Euphrates river. So far Turkey has performed major fights against all terror organizations, PKK, YPG, Daesh, especially FETO, for peace in Turkey and the region and we will go on with our fight and operations with the same determination until the last terrorist is neutralized," Akar said.

Akar also criticized the West for not extending necessary contributions to cope up with the human tragedies in Syria and Iraq. "Now we see that the world public opinion, which was deaf to the tragedy in Srebrenica, is now deaf to several similar tragic cases in Syria," he said and added that Turkey respects all its neighbors' territorial integrities, especially that of Syria and Iraq.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.
US: Turkey's planned Syria operation 'grave concern'

Coordination between US, Turkey is 'the only approach to address issues of security concern in this area,' says Pentagon.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier that an offensive east of the Euphrates River is imminent and Turkey will launch it "within a matter of days" to clear the region of the terrorist group.

Turkey has long criticized U.S. cooperation with the YPG/PKK against Daesh, pointing out that the YPG is the Syrian branch of the PKK.

"TURKEY-US COORDINATION IS THE ONLY APPROACH"

The United States voiced grave concern Wednesday over an operation planned by Turkey in northeastern Syria against the YPG/PKK terror organization. "Unilateral military action into northeast Syria by any party, particularly as U.S. personnel may be present or in the vicinity, is of grave concern," said Pentagon Spokesman Cmdr. Sean Robertson. "We would find any such actions unacceptable," he said. "Coordination and consultation between the U.S. and Turkey is the only approach to address issues of security concern in this area."





The U.S. military is committed to working closely with the Turkish military to boost cooperation and coordination, said Robertson, adding "uncoordinated military operations" will undermine that shared interest. The commander praised Turkey as a "NATO ally" for more than six decades and "a key partner" in the international fight against Daesh. "We have solemn obligations to one another's security. We are fully committed to Turkey's border security," he said.

A possible mission east of the Euphrates, which Turkeys leadership has been suggesting for months, would follow two successful cross-border Turkish operations into Syria since 2016  Operation Euphrates Shield and Operation Olive Branch  both meant to eradicate the presence of YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorists near Turkeys borders.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.
The Godavari Mega Aqua Food Park, which is expected to come up in Tundurru village in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, is being resisted by the local residents. This resistance stems out of the local populaces concerns regarding the pollution that would be caused by the upcoming factory, and its adverse effects on the health, natural resources and livelihoods of the people. The use of violent repressive measures by the government to quell the protests against the project posits the upcoming industry as a product of the statecorporate nexus, with no concern for the health, well-being or prosperity of the people it claims to serve.

The case of the Godavari Mega Aqua Food Park (GMAFP), in Tundurru village of Bhimavaram mandal, located in the West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, is yet another typical example of state and corporate nexus, which is explicitly evident in the nature of events that have occurred/are occurring. This case has multiple stakeholders and different interest groups, the most important of them being the management of the GMAFP, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-ruled Government of Andhra Pradesh, and the central government, other opposition political parties, civil society groups and local residents near the project site. In the following sections, the characteristics of each of these actors and a detailed analysis of their

actions is provided. The methodology employed is qualitative, with methods such as in-depth interviews and content analysis of policy documents and other classified documents from the state and its institutions. Documents pertaining to the resistance against the project in question were also analysed.
Sexual activity gives both sexes a boost, but intercourse is more important for older men

A new study published in the journal Sexual Medicine indicates that sexual activity is associated with improved wellbeing amongst older adults, measured through higher enjoyment of life scores.

Led by Dr Lee Smith from Anglia Ruskin University and Dr Sarah Jackson from UCL, the study involved analysing survey data from 6,879 older adults, with an average age of 65, living in England.

It found that older men and women who reported any type of sexual activity in the previous 12 months had a higher life enjoyment score than those who were not sexually active.

For older women, a greater frequency of kissing, petting, and fondling was associated with a higher enjoyment of life, as was feeling emotionally close to their partner during sex. However, there was not a significant association with sexual intercourse and enjoyment of life amongst older women.

Amongst older men, however, satisfaction with their sex life and frequency of sexual intercourse was associated with greater enjoyment of life. The results from the study indicate that sexual intercourse may be more important for older men than women in terms of promoting wellbeing, with women's enjoyment more closely linked to other sexual activities.

Dr Smith, Reader in Exercise Medicine at Anglia Ruskin University, said: "Previous research has suggested that frequent sexual intercourse is associated with a range of benefits for psychological and physiological wellbeing, such as improved quality of life and mental health, and lower risk of certain cancers and fatal coronary events.

"Health professionals should acknowledge that older adults are not asexual and that a frequent and problem-free sex life in this population is related to better wellbeing. However, encouragement to try new positions and explore different types of sexual activities is not regularly given to ageing populations.

"The findings of our study suggest that it may be beneficial for physicians to query geriatric patients about their sexual activity and offer help for sexual difficulties, such as problems with erections, as sexual activity helps older people live more fulfilling lives."

Dr Jackson, UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, added: "Promoting wellbeing in later life is a public health priority. We know that psychological wellbeing is intricately linked with physical health, and as the population continues to age, the burden on health services increases. If encouraging and supporting people to continue to enjoy a healthy sex life in old age could help to boost wellbeing, there may be benefits both for the individual and for the sustainability of health services."

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The data used in the study was collated from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) and the findings are published in the open access journal Sexual Medicine.
In the simplest chemical reaction in nature, the H + H2 reaction, a well-known conical intersection exists between the ground and first excited state. Therefore, the H + H2 reaction and its isotopic variants have long been the benchmark system in the study of the geometric phase (GP) effect in chemical reactions.

Previously, efforts were made to observe and understand the GP effect in the H+H2 reaction. However, no convincing experimental evidence of the GP effect in any chemical reaction has been detected until now.

Recently, researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China and the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences carried out a combined experimental and theoretical investigation of the H+HD to H2+D reaction.

The experimental team, which was led by Prof. WANG Xingan and Prof. YANG Xueming, performed a crossed molecular beams study using the high-resolution velocity map ion imaging technique. Rapid forward-scattering oscillations of H2 (v', j') products were observed in differential cross sections at a collision energy in the vicinity of the H3 conical intersection.

Prof. SUN Zhigang developed a unique quantum theoretical approach for considering the GP effect in a chemical reaction. Based upon a newly developed accurate potential energy surface by Prof. ZHANG Donghui, the researchers found that the experimentally observed oscillation structures in the forward scatterings could only be reproduced by theoretical calculations including the geometric phase effect.

Through this study, a new reaction mechanism has also been discovered for this benchmark reaction at high collision. This investigation clearly answered a long- standing question in chemical reaction dynamics, i.e., how the GP effect profoundly influences chemical reactivity. The study certainly has important implications for dynamics studies of molecular systems with conical intersections in general.

This research, entitled "Observation of the geometric phase effect in the H+HD to H2+D reaction," was published in Science.

The Born-Oppenheimer approximation (BOA) is the foundation for understanding the quantum nature of molecular systems and leads to the development of important concepts such as electronic states and molecular orbits. In a molecule, non-adiabatic interactions between electronic states are ubiquitous. However, because of the complicated nature of non-adiabatic couplings, molecular systems are often treated without considering non-adiabatic couplings and the effect of excited states.

However, in the presence of conical interactions in molecular systems, such approximations could break down. Half a century ago, scientists found that by introducing a geometric phase, one could properly treat these systems quantum mechanically. Introducing a GP effect, however, could have a profound effect on the quantum systems. For example, one of the quantum Hall effects results from an electronic geometric phase effect. Therefore, the effect of the geometric phase is a fundamental question in both physics and chemistry.

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The research work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Invasive animals and plants are likely to arrive in the next decade

Scientists have identified 66 alien plant and animal species, not yet established in the European Union, that pose the greatest potential threat to biodiversity and ecosystems in the region.

From an initial working list of 329 alien species considered to pose threats to biodiversity recently published by the EU, scientists have derived and agreed a list of eight species considered to be very high risk, 40 considered to be high risk, and 18 considered to be medium risk.

The research, led by Professor Helen Roy of the UK's Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and involving 43 people from across Europe and funded by the European Commission, is published in the journal Global Change Biology.

The authors developed a horizon-scanning approach in order to derive a ranked list of potential invasive alien species (IAS). Using this procedure, they worked collaboratively to reach consensus about the alien species most likely to arrive, establish, spread and have an impact on biodiversity in the region over the next decade.

The approach is unique in the continental scale examined, the breadth of taxonomic groups and environments considered, and the methods and data sources used. Species considered included plants, terrestrial invertebrates, marine species, freshwater invertebrates and vertebrates.

The eight species that pose the highest risk are:

1. Channa argus. The northern snakehead is a species of fish native to southern and eastern China but now also widely distributed in Japan within shallow, marshy ponds and wetlands, where it preys on native fish species. 2. Limnoperna fortunei. The golden mussel is native to China and south-eastern Asia but became established in Hong Kong in 1965, and Japan and Taiwan in the 1990s. Subsequently, it invaded the United States and South America. It alters native fauna with an impact on the freshwater food web. 3. Orconectes rusticus. The rusty crayfish, native to the United States but now found in Canada, is a large and aggressive species of freshwater crayfish, which is more successful in deterring attack from predators than other crayfish and therefore outcompetes native species. 4. Plotosus lineatus. The striped eel catfish is native to the Indian Ocean but was first recorded in the Mediterranean in 2002 and subsequently spread rapidly along the entire Israeli coast. This venomous catfish now inhabits all sandy and muddy substrates contributing to species declines through competition and displacement. 5. Codium parvulum. This green seaweed native to the Indo-Pacific Ocean and subsequently described from the Red Sea, has since been recorded off the northern shores of Israel in the Mediterranean and along the Lebanese coast. It is considered an ecosystem engineer, altering the structure and functionality of ecosystems. 6. Crepidula onyx. The onyx slipper snail is native to the southern coast of California and northern Pacific coast of Mexico. It is now widespread and considered highly invasive in Asia where it has been reported from Korea, Japan and Hong Kong. Slipper snails are sedentary filter-feeders and change native ecosystems. 7. Mytilopsis sallei. The black striped mussel described from the Pacific coast of Panama is a brackish species that invaded the Indo-Pacific Ocean during the 1900s and has reached Fiji, India, Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan, and Australia. In some of these coastal areas the species completely dominates since it can survive extreme environmental conditions. 8. Sciurus niger. The fox squirrel native to eastern and central North America, competes for resources with the native western gray (S. griseus) and Douglas squirrels (Tamiasciurus douglasii).

Other key findings include:

The highest proportion of the species identified originate in Asia, North America and South America.

Aquatic species are most likely to arrive via shipping, while terrestrial invertebrates are most likely to arrive along with goods such as plants.

The Mediterranean, Continental, Macaronesian and Atlantic biogeographic regions are predicted to be the most threatened across all taxonomic groups, while the Baltic, Black Sea and Boreal regions are least at risk. The Alpine region appears not to be under threat by any species.

The research provides a basis for full risk assessments that can comprehensively evaluate the threat posed by these species to EU biodiversity.

Professor Helen Roy of the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology said: "Preventing the arrival of invasive alien species is the most effective way of managing invasions. Predicting which species are likely to arrive and survive in new regions involves considering many interacting ecological and socio-economic factors including climate but also patterns of trade.

"Our collaborative approach involving experts spanning many disciplines has been critical to achieve the ranked list of alien species that pose the greatest threat to European biodiversity."

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Notes for editors

Paper details

H.E.Roy, S. Bacher et al. (2018). Developing a list of invasive alien species likely to threaten biodiversity and ecosystems in the European Union. Global Change Biology. DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14527

https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14527

Funding

The authors are grateful to the European Commission for funding the study (Invasive alien species - framework for the identification of invasive alien species of EU concern ENV.B.2/ETU/2013/0026) on which this publication is based.

About invasive alien species (IAS)

There are currently more than 14000 alien species recorded in Europe with more than half originating from outside EU territories, while the remainder have originated within parts of the EU and subsequently invaded others. Their numbers are rapidly increasing and for some groups so is their rate of spread. A number of alien species cause serious problems for the environment and society and these are termed invasive alien species (IAS).

About Professor Helen Roy

Professor Helen Roy combined research with teaching for 10 years before taking up a research position with the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, where she works extensively with national zoological schemes and societies. Her research focuses on the effects of environmental change on insect populations and communities, and she is particularly interested in the dynamics of invasive species and their effects on native biodiversity.

About the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

The Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) is the UK's Centre of Excellence for integrated research into land and freshwater ecosystems and their interaction with the atmosphere. CEH is part of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and employs more than 450 people at four major sites in England, Scotland and Wales. CEH tackles complex environmental challenges to deliver practicable solutions so that future generations can benefit from a rich and healthy environment.

http://www.ceh.ac.uk

Further information

For interview requests, further information or images, please contact Simon Williams, Media Relations Officer, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, on +44 (0)7920 295384 or simwi@ceh.ac.uk
A distinctive feature of modern humans is our round (globular) skulls and brains. On December 13, in the journal Current Biology, researchers report that present-day humans who carry particular Neandertal DNA fragments have heads that are slightly less rounded, revealing genetic clues to the evolution of modern brain shape and function.

"We captured subtle variations in endocranial shape that likely reflect changes in the volume and connectivity of certain brain areas," says Philipp Gunz, a paleoanthropologist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, who co-led the study with Amanda Tilot of the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics.

"Our aim was to identify potential candidate genes and biological pathways that are related to brain globularity," says Amanda Tilot.

To tightly focus their search, they took advantage of the fact that living humans with European ancestry carry rare fragments of Neandertal DNA buried in their genomes, as a result of interbreeding between Neandertals and the ancestors of modern Europeans. Different people carry different fragments, which are scattered through the genome.

Gunz, Tilot, and colleagues analyzed cranial shape and identified stretches of Neandertal DNA in a large sample of modern humans, relying on MRI brain scans and genetic information for about 4,500 people. Based on computed tomographic scans, they computed the endocranial shape differences between Neandertal fossils and modern human skulls. They used this contrast to assess endocranial shape in thousands of MRI brain scans of living people.

They used information from sequenced genomes of ancient Neandertal DNA to identify Neandertal DNA fragments in living humans on chromosomes 1 and 18 that correlated with reduced cranial roundness. These fragments contained two genes already linked to brain development: UBR4, involved in the generation of neurons, and PHLPP1, involved in the development of myelin insulation around nerve cell projections.

"We know from other studies that completely disrupting UBR4 or PHLPP1 can have major consequences for brain development," says senior author Simon Fisher (@ProfSimonFisher), a geneticist at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics. "Here we found that, in carriers of the relevant Neandertal fragment, UBR4 is slightly down-regulated in the putamen. For carriers of the Neandertal PHLPP1 fragment, gene expression is slightly higher in the cerebellum, which would be predicted to have a dampening effect on cerebellar myelination."

The putamen--part of a network of brain structures called the basal ganglia--and the cerebellum are thought to be important in movement.

"Both brain regions receive direct input from the motor cortex and are involved in the preparation, learning, and sensorimotor coordination of movements," says Gunz. "The basal ganglia also contribute to diverse cognitive functions, in memory, attention, planning, skill learning, and potentially speech and language evolution."

The researchers stress that the effects of carrying these rare Neandertal fragments are subtle and only detectable in a very large sample size.

"The Neandertal variants lead to small changes in gene activity and only push people slightly towards a less globular brain shape," says Fisher. "This is just our first glimpse of the molecular underpinnings of this phenotype, which is likely to involve many other genes."

The researchers are preparing to scale up their approach and apply it to tens of thousands of people. That will enable them to carry out a fully genome-wide screen to reveal additional genes associated with cranial roundness and other biological characteristics.

"The interdisciplinary approach that we developed for this study could be applied more broadly to unresolved questions about human brain evolution," says Fisher.

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This research was supported by the Max Planck Society, Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Medical Centre, BBMRI-NL, Hersenstichting-Nederland, NWO, European Union FP7, NIH, BMBF Germany, Federal State, Ministry of Cultural Affairs & Social Ministry of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Siemens Healthineers, InterSystems (Cache-Campus), German Research Foundation, Nomis Foundation.

Current Biology, Gunz et al.: "Neandertal introgression sheds light on modern human endocranial globularity" https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(18)31470-2

Current Biology (@CurrentBiology), published by Cell Press, is a bimonthly journal that features papers across all areas of biology. Current Biology strives to foster communication across fields of biology, both by publishing important findings of general interest and through highly accessible front matter for non-specialists. Visit: http://www.cell.com/current-biology. To receive Cell Press media alerts, contact press@cell.com.
Geneva, Switzerland, 13 December 2018 - First line immunotherapy with durvalumab or the combination of durvalumab and tremelimumab does not improve overall survival in unselected patients with lung cancer, according to late breaking results from the MYSTIC trial presented at the ESMO Immuno-Oncology Congress. (1)

The combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors and chemotherapy has been successfully tested in different trials as first line therapy for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) while the use of two immunotherapy drugs without chemotherapy has been addressed in very few studies. Commenting on behalf of ESMO, Dr Pilar Garrido said: "Some patients are worried about the side effects of chemotherapy and prefer to delay it. Avoiding the use of chemotherapy in the first line setting also leaves an effective rescue option when immunotherapy fails."

The MYSTIC trial enrolled 1,118 patients with metastatic NSCLC who were randomly allocated to durvalumab alone, durvalumab plus tremelimumab, or chemotherapy. The primary endpoints were overall survival for durvalumab versus chemotherapy, and overall survival and progression free survival for durvalumab plus tremelimumab versus chemotherapy in patients with 25% or greater PD-L1 expression in tumour cells.

A total of 488 patients (44%) had PD-L1 expression of 25% or greater. Durvalumab alone or with tremelimumab did not improve overall survival or progression free survival compared to chemotherapy. Study author Dr Naiyer Rizvi, director of thoracic oncology and immunotherapeutics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, US, said: "While not reaching statistical significance, durvalumab monotherapy gave a clinically meaningful median overall survival improvement of 16.3 months compared to 12.9 months with chemotherapy in patients with 25% or greater PD-L1 expression."

An exploratory analysis examined survival according to high or low tumour mutational burden (TMB) in the blood - 16 or more mutations per megabase was defined as "high" and less than 16 as "low". (2) TMB evaluation was performed in more than 70% of patients, of whom 40% had high TMB.

In patients with high TMB, overall survival was 16.5 months with durvalumab plus tremelimumab versus 10.5 months with chemotherapy, with a hazard ratio of 0.64. Overall survival with durvalumab alone was 11 months. The proportion of high TMB patients alive at two years was 39% with durvalumab plus tremelimumab, 30% with durvalumab, and 18% with chemotherapy. In those with low TMB, overall survival was 8.5 months with durvalumab plus tremelimumab, 12.2 months with durvalumab, and 11.6 months with chemotherapy.

Rizvi said: "The results of the exploratory analysis need to be validated in a future trial. TMB is measured with a simple blood test and might be an easy way to select patients for this treatment. The CheckMate 227 trial previously showed that first line immunotherapy combinations work best in advanced NSCLC patients with high TMB." (3)

Safety data were consistent with previous studies. The incidence of grade 3/4 treatment-related adverse events was 14.6%, 22.1% and 33.8% with durvalumab, durvalumab plus tremelimumab, and chemotherapy, respectively.

"Immunotherapy has rapidly become a first line treatment option in NSCLC, as shown in the 2018 ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for metastatic disease," said Garrido, head of the Thoracic Tumour Section, Medical Oncology Department, Ramon y Cajal University Hospital, Madrid, Spain. (4) "The ESMO Immuno-Oncology Congress showcases cutting edge developments in this fast moving field, such as the highly anticipated MYSTIC trial. The analysis shows that appropriate biomarkers are needed to select the patients most likely to benefit from combination immunotherapy in first line. The challenge now is to prospectively validate them prior to implementation in clinical practice."

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Notes to Editors

Please make sure to use the official name of the meeting in your reports: ESMO Immuno-Oncology Congress Official Congress Hashtag: #ESMOImmuno18

Disclaimer

This press release contains information provided by the authors of the highlighted abstracts and reflects the content of those abstracts. It does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of ESMO who cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the data. Commentators quoted in the press release are required to comply with the ESMO Declaration of Interests policy and the ESMO Code of Conduct.

References

1 Abstract LBA6 'Durvalumab with or without tremelimumab vs platinum-based chemotherapy as first-line treatment for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer: MYSTIC ' will be presented by N. A. Rizvi during Proffered Paper session I on Thursday, 13 December, 18:15 to 19:00 (CET) in Room A. Annals of Oncology, Volume 29, 2018 Supplement 10. doi:10.1093/annonc/mdy493

2 The tumour mutational burden cut off of 16 mutations per megabase in the blood is equivalent to the cut off used in the CheckMate 227 trial of ten mutations per megabase in the tumour.

3 Hellmann MD, Ciuleanu TE, Pluzanski A, et al. Nivolumab plus Ipilimumab in Lung Cancer with a High Tumor Mutational Burden. N Engl J Med. 2018.;378:2093-2104. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1801946.

4 Planchard D, Popat S, Kerr K, et al. Metastatic non-small cell lung cancer: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Ann Oncol. 2018;29(Supplement 4):iv192-iv237. doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdy275.

About the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)

ESMO is the leading professional organisation for medical oncology. With more than 20,000 members representing oncology professionals from over 150 countries worldwide, ESMO is the society of reference for oncology education and information. ESMO is committed to offer the best care to people with cancer, through fostering integrated cancer care, supporting oncologists in their professional development, and advocating for sustainable cancer care worldwide.Visit http://www.esmo.org

LBA6 - Durvalumab with or without tremelimumab vs platinum-based chemotherapy as first-line treatment for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer: MYSTIC

N.A. Rizvi1, B. Chul Cho2, N. Reinmuth3, K.H. Lee4, M-J. Ahn5, A. Luft6, M. van den Heuvel7, M. Cobo8, A. Smolin9, D. Vicente10, V. Moiseyenko11, S.J. Antonia12, S. Le Moulec13, G. Robinet14, R. Natale15, K. Nakagawa16, L. Zhao17, P.K. Stockman18, V. Chand17, S. Peters19

1Division of Hematology/Oncology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA, 2Yonsei Cancer Center, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 3Thoracic Oncology, Asklepios Lung Clinic, Munich-Gauting, Germany, 4Medical Oncology, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Seowon-gu, Republic of Korea, 5Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 6Oncology Department, Leningrad Regional Clinical Hospital, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation, 7Medical Oncology, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Nederlands Kanker Instituut, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 8Oncologia Medica, H.R.U. Carlos Haya, Malaga, Spain, 9Medical Oncology, Main Military Hospital, Moscow, Russian Federation, 10Clinical Oncology Department, Hosp Univ Virgen Macarena, Seville, Spain, 11Cancer Centre, Clinical Research Center, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation, 12Thoracic Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA, 13Service d'Oncologie Medicale, Institut Bergonnie, Bordeaux, France, 14Institut de Cancerologie et d'Hematologie, CHRU de Brest - Hopital du Morvan, Brest, France, 15Medical Oncology, Cedars-Sinai Comp Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA, 16Department of Internal Medicine, Kindai University Hospital, Osaka, Japan, 17Immuno-Oncology, Global Medicines Development, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USA, 18Immuno-Oncology, Global Medicines Development, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK, 19Multidisciplinary Oncology Center, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland

Background: Durvalumab (D), a human IgG1 mAb against PD-1 and CD80, has shown clinical activity in patients (pts) with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Tremelimumab (T) is a human IgG2 mAb against CTLA-4. D+T has previously also shown durable responses in metastatic NSCLC (mNSCLC). MYSTIC (NCT02453282) was an open-label, Phase 3 trial of first-line treatment with D vs platinum-based doublet chemotherapy (CT) and D+T vs CT in mNSCLC.

Methods: Eligible pts had mNSCLC; were immunotherapy/chemotherapy-naive; and had no EGFR sensitising mutation or ALK rearrangement. Tumour cell (TC) PD-L1 expression (greater than or equal to 25% vs <25%) and histology were stratification factors. Patients were randomised (1:1:1) to D (20 mg/kg i.v. q4w); D+T (D: 20 mg/kg i.v. q4w; T: 1 mg/kg i.v. q4w [up to 4 doses]); or CT (intended up to 6 cycles; pemetrexed maintenance permitted in eligible pts) until disease progression. Primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) for D vs CT and OS and progression free survival (PFS; blinded independent central review [RECIST v1.1]) for D+T vs CT in pts with PD-L1 TC expression greater than or equal to 25%, defined by the VENTANA PD-L1 (SP263) assay. Data cutoffs were 4 Oct 2018 (OS and safety) and 1 Jun 2017 (PFS).

Results: 1118 pts were randomised. Baseline characteristics were balanced. Efficacy findings are presented for the 488 pts with PD-L1 TC greater than or equal to 25%. Median OS was 16.3 vs 12.9 months for D vs CT (HR 0.76 [97.54% CI, 0.564, 1.019]; p1/4 0.036) and 11.9 vs 12.9 months for D+T vs CT (HR 0.85 [98.77% CI, 0.611, 1.173]; p1/4 0.202). Median PFS was 3.9 vs 5.4 months for D+T vs CT (HR 1.05 [99.5% CI, 0.722, 1.534]; p1/4 0.705). 39.5% pts in the CT arm received subsequent immunotherapy after treatment discontinuation vs 6.1%and 3.1% pts in the D and D+T arms. Incidence of Grade 3/4 treatment-related AEs was 14.6%, 22.1% and 33.8% with D, D+T and CT, respectively. Efficacy based on additional PD-L1 cutoffs will be presented.

Conclusions: In pts with mNSCLC, while statistical significance was not achieved for primary OS and PFS endpoints, first-line D demonstrated clinically meaningful improvement in OS vs CT (PD-L1 TC greater than or equal to 25%). Safety data were consistent with the known safety profiles of D+/-T. Further analyses are ongoing.

Editorial acknowledgement: Medical writing support, which was in accordance with Good Publication Practice (GPP3) guidelines, was provided by Rebecca Douglas, PhD, of Cirrus Communications (Macclesfield, UK), an Ashfield company, and was funded by AstraZeneca.

Clinical trial identification: NCT02453282 (release date: May 25, 2015).

Legal entity responsible for the study: AstraZeneca plc.

Funding: AstraZeneca.

Disclosure: N.A. Rizvi: Advisory boards: Abbvie, AZ, BMS, EMD Serono, Genentech, GSK, Janssen, Lilly, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Regeneron, Neogenomics, Oncomed, Gritstone, Bellicum; Equity: Oncomed, Gritstone, Bellicum, ARMO; Royalties: PGDX. B. Chul Cho: Research funding: Novartis, Bayer, AstraZeneca,MOGAM Institute, Dong-A ST, Champions Oncology, Janssen, Yuhan, Ono, Dizal Pharma, MSD Consultancy: Novartis, AZ, BI, Roche, BMS, Ono, Yuhan, Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Takeda, MSD; Stock: TheraCanVac, Inc. N. Reinmuth: Personal fees: AstraZeneca, Roche, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Takeda, MSD, BMS, Novartis, Pfizer, Merck. A. Smolin: Grants: AstraZeneca; Grants and personal fees: AstraZeneca, Roche, MSD, BMS; Personal fees: BIOCAD, Boehringer-Ingelheim. S.J. Antonia: Advisory board/contracted research: BMS, Novartis, Merck, CBMG, Boehringer-Ingelheim, AstraZeneca/ MedImmune, Memgen, FLX Bio, Nektar, Venn. G. Robinet: Grants and personal fees: AstraZeneca; Grants and personal fees: MSD; Personal fees: Boehringer-Ingelheim. R.Natale: Spouse: Employee (Medical Science Liaison) of AZ (salary/compensation completely unrelated to the contracted research work performed at my institution that is the subject of the submitted abstract). L. Zhao: Full time employment: AstraZeneca. P.K. Stockman: Full-time employee, stock ownership: AstraZeneca. V. Chand: Fulltime employment: AstraZeneca; stock ownership: BMS. S. Peters: Personal fees: Abbvie, Amgen, AZ, Bayer, Biocartis, BI, BMS, Clovis, Daiichi Sankyo, Debiopharm, Eli Lilly, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Foundation Medicine, Illumina, Janssen, MSD, Merck Serono, Merrimack, Novartis, Pharma Mar, Pfizer, Regeneron, Sanofi, Seattle Genetics, Takeda; Non-financial support: Amgen, AZ, BI, BMS, Clovis, F. Hoffmann- La Roche, Illumina, MSD, Merck Serono, Novartis, Pfizer. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.
Boulder, Colo., USA: Our understanding of when the very first animals started living on land is helped by identifying trace fossils--the tracks and trails left by ancient animals--in sedimentary rocks that were deposited on the continents.

Geoscientists Anthony P. Shillito and Neil S. Davies of the University of Cambridge studied the site of what has widely been accepted as the earliest set of non-marine trackways, in Ordovician (ca. 455 million-year-old) strata from the Lake District, England.

What they discovered is that the trackways occur within volcanic ash that settled under water, and not within freshwater lake and sub-aerial sands (as previously thought). This means that the site is not the oldest evidence for animal communities on land, but instead "is actually a remarkable example of a 'prehistoric Pompeii'," says Shillito--a suite of rocks that preserve trails made by distressed and dying millipede-like arthropods as they were overcome by ash from volcanic events.

Shillito and Davies directed their research at this site in particular because it seemed unusual--at every other known trackway site in the world the evidence for when animals came onto land dates to the latest Silurian (ca. 420 million years ago), so something about the Borrowdale site didn't seem right. Further investigation proved that this was the case. In the course of their study, they found 121 new millipede trackways, all within volcanic ash with evidence for underwater or shoreline deposition.

Volcanic ash is known to cause mass death in some modern arthropod communities, particularly in water, because ash is so tiny it can get inside arthropod exoskeletons and stick to their breathing and digestive apparatus. Shilllito and Davies noticed that most of the trails were extremely tightly looping--a feature which is commonly associated with "death dances" in modern and ancient arthropods.

This study, published in Geology, overturns what is known about the earliest life on land and casts new light onto one of the key evolutionary events in the history of life on Earth. Shillito notes, "It reveals how even surprising events can be preserved in the ancient rock record, but--by removing the 'earliest' outlier of evidence--suggests that the invasion of the continents happened globally at the same time."

Understanding how life engineered major evolutionary advances within environments, and the rate and impact of these advances on the functioning of the Earth system, provides vital context for understanding global change at the present day, and underlines the inseparable relationship between life and the planet.

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FEATURED ARTICLE

Death near the shoreline, not life on land: Ordovician arthropod trackways in the Borrowdale Volcanic Group, UK

Anthony P. Shillito and Neil S. Davies, University of Cambridge. Contact: as2195@cam.ac.uk. Geology, https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article/567352/death-near-the-shoreline-not-life-on-land.

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The elderly suffer more serious complications from infections and benefit less from vaccination than the general population. Scientists have long known that a weakened immune system is to blame but the exact mechanisms behind this lagging immunity have remained largely unknown.

Now research led by investigators at Harvard Medical School suggests that weakened metabolism of immune T cells may be partly to blame.

The findings, published Dec. 10 in PNAS and based on experiments in mouse immune cells, pinpoint a specific metabolic pathway called one-carbon metabolism that is deficient in the aged T cells of rodents. The work also suggests possible ways to restore weakened immune function with the use of small-molecule compounds that boost T cell performance.

"We believe our findings may help explain the basic malfunction that drives loss of immune defenses with age," said senior study author Marcia Haigis, professor of cell biology in the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School. "If affirmed in further studies, we hope that our findings can set the stage for the development of therapies to improve immune function."

The role of T cells in the immune system is twofold: attacking illness-causing cells like bacteria, viruses and cancer and "remembering" past invaders--the body's way of ensuring that it can spot a threat and mount a rapid defense during subsequent encounters with the same pathogens. In a healthy person, T cells circulate in the blood and quietly scan the body for threats using proteins on the cell's surface. If a T cell encounters another cell it deems dangerous, the T cell undergoes activation, a molecular cascade in which it switches from surveillance mode to attack mode. The activated cells then rapidly replicate to build an army and destroy the enemy.

First, the researchers looked for overall differences between old and young T cells. They isolated T cells from the spleens of young and old mice and noticed that, in general, older mice had fewer T cells. Next, to gauge the cells' immune fitness, the researchers activated the T cells by mimicking signals normally turned on by pathogens during infection. The older T cells showed diminished activation and overall function in response to these alarm signals. Specifically, they grew more slowly, secreted fewer immune-signaling molecules and died at a much faster rate than young T cells. The researchers also observed that aged T cells had lower metabolism, consumed less oxygen and broke down sugars less efficiently. They also had smaller than normal mitochondria, the cells' power-generators that keep them alive.

It was as if these older immune cells had lost their "appetite" and their ability to process fuel into energy, Haigis and her colleagues observed.

To pinpoint the metabolic pathways behind this malfunction, the scientists analyzed all the different proteins in the cells, including those that might be important for coaxing a T cell from dormancy into a fighting state. The team found that the levels of some 150 proteins were lower-than-normal upon activation of the aged T cells, compared with young T cells. About 40 proteins showed higher than normal levels in aged versus young T cells. Many of these proteins have unknown functions, but the researchers found that proteins involved a specific type of metabolism, called one-carbon metabolism, were reduced by nearly 35 percent in aged T cells.

One-carbon metabolism comprises a set of chemical reactions that take place in the cell's mitochondria and the cell cytosol to produce amino acids and nucleotides, the building blocks of proteins and DNA. This process is critical for cellular replication because it supplies the biologic material for building new cells.

The team's previous work had shown that one-carbon metabolism plays a central role in supplying essential biological building blocks for the growing army of T cells during infection. So, the scientists wondered, could adding the products of this pathway to weakened T cells restore their fitness and function?

To test this hypothesis, the team added two molecules--formate and glycine, the main products of one-carbon metabolism--whose levels were markedly reduced in aged T cells. Indeed, adding the molecules boosted T cell proliferation and reduced cell death to normal levels.

The researchers caution that while encouraging, the effects were observed solely in mouse cells in lab dishes rather than in animals and must be confirmed in further experiments.

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Additional authors on the study included Noga Ron-Harel, Giulia Notarangelo, Jonathan Ghergurovich, Joao Paulo, Peter Sage, Daniel Santos, F. Kyle Satterstrom, Steven Gygi, Joshua Rabinowitz and Arlene Sharpe.

This work was supported by grants from F. Hoffmann-La Roche, the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health (grant R01CA213062), a postdoctoral fellowship from the EMBO (European Molecular Biology Organization) and by the Israeli National Postdoctoral Award Program for Advancing Women In Science.

About Harvard Medical School

Harvard Medical School has more than 11,000 faculty working in the 11 basic and social science departments comprising the Blavatnik Institute and at the 15 Harvard-affiliated teaching hospitals and research institutes: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Cambridge Health Alliance, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Hebrew SeniorLife, Joslin Diabetes Center, Judge Baker Children's Center, Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Schepens Eye Research Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, McLean Hospital, Mount Auburn Hospital, Spaulding Rehabilitation Network and VA Boston Healthcare System.
Dr. Israel E. Wachs, the G. Whitney Snyder Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Lehigh University's P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science has been elected as a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).

The NAI describes the honor as "the highest professional distinction accorded to academic inventors who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society."

The 2018 class of NAI Fellows comprises 148 academic inventors from 125 research universities. When added to fellows elected in previous years, Wachs joins Dr. Arup K. SenGupta, Dr. Nelson Tansu, and Dr. Mooi Choo Chuah as the fourth Rossin College faculty member to achieve this distinction.

The rigorous selection process begins with peer nominations and includes evaluation by a selection committee, which this year encompassed NAI Fellows; US National Medal recipients; AAAS-Lemelson Invention Ambassadors; senior officials from the USPTO, Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM), and the Smithsonian Lemelson Center; National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees and board members; and members of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine.

Says Wachs: "I am humbled to have been recognized by this honor that positively reflects on my academic career and the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, the Rossin College, and Lehigh University."

Acclaimed Advancements in Catalysis

Letters supporting Wachs' nomination placed him among the top five influential inventors worldwide in the field of catalysis. Catalysts are materials that both speed up chemical reactions and minimize wasteful byproducts by directing them to desired products.

Catalysis has wide-ranging industrial applications--e.g., fuels, chemicals, food supply, pharmaceuticals--and plays a key role in reducing environmental pollution, not only by removing contaminants but also by conserving energy. The global catalyst market is expected to exceed $34 billion by 2024, according to a recent analysis, and the products produced by catalysts are estimated to be worth approximately 100 times that amount.

Wachs has made seminal contributions to both fundamentals and applications of catalysis: His work in developing more-efficient catalysts has led to reductions in toxic emissions of undesirable greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur-containing hydrocarbons, as well as improvements in the efficiency and economics of chemical processes.

Wachs has earned worldwide recognition for his heterogeneous catalysis research and for his modern approach to establishing fundamental relationships between surface structure and kinetic activity for metal oxides catalysts. He is also well-known for his pioneering work on mixed oxide catalysis, having established a world-class catalysis research laboratory at Lehigh in the practice of operando molecular spectroscopy--the characterization of catalysts under reaction conditions with simultaneous real-time online analysis of reaction products that allow for establishment of structure-property relationships that guide the rational design of novel and improved catalysts.

As an inventor, Wachs holds 38 US patents in the fields of pulp and paper and chemical industries, 19 of which have been licensed, and has developed innovative catalytic technology for treatment of waste streams from paper mills.

Over his extensive academic career, Wachs has helped promote a culture of excellence in research and innovation at Lehigh, serving as a role model and mentoring the next generation of researchers and scholars from undergraduate students to young faculty. He shares his expertise in critical thinking, patents, and technical communication skills through Opportunities for Student Innovations, a successful undergraduate senior capstone course that provides experiential learning opportunities centered on developing solutions to real-world industrial engineering problems.

In April, the 2019 NAI Fellows will be inducted as part of the Eighth NAI Annual Meeting in Houston, featuring Andrew Hirshfeld, USPTO Commissioner for Patents, as keynote speaker. The Fellows will also be highlighted with a full-page announcement in the 25 Jan. 2019 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education, as well as in upcoming issues of Technology & Innovation.

Wachs, who is currently on sabbatical at Technion - Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel, on a Fulbright Senior Scholar Fellowship, will not be able to attend the induction ceremony in 2019 and will attend the induction ceremony in 2020.

A Golden Achievement

Wachs' impact on the field of catalysis continues to grow as reflected by the impact of his research publications: According to data compiled by Webometrics, he recently surpassed a landmark in publication citations, achieving an h-index of over 100, based on his Google Scholar citations. That places him among the top 2800 researchers worldwide in all disciplines of all times (from approximately 1900 to the present).

The h-index is used by researchers across disciplines to evaluate productivity and the influence of published works.

The current list of about 3200 researchers with an h-index above 100 includes household names such as Sigmund Freud and Albert Einstein along with distinguished researchers ranging from Nobel Laureates to leading engineers and scientists in every discipline.

The h-index was originally suggested by a physicist, Jorge E. Hirsch, in 2005, as a measure of productivity and citation impact of the publications of a researcher, according to Dr. Mayuresh Kothare, chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Rossin College. Wachs' h-index of 106 means that he has published 106 papers, each of which has been cited in other papers at least 106 times.

"The h-index is widely used as one of several metrics to gauge impact of the scholarly publications of a researcher," says Kothare. "In a way, it is the academic and scholarly version of counting your Twitter followers--the more followers you have, the more your tweets are being read by others. Reaching an h-index of 100 is an astonishing scholarly accomplishment that reflects the influence that Dr. Wachs' research has had in the fields of heterogeneous catalysis and chemical engineering."

About Israel E. Wachs

In an academic career spanning three decades, Israel E. Wachs has earned international renown for research of heterogeneous catalysis. Wachs has made innovative contributions to fundamental catalysis that have been applied in the manufacture of chemicals and air pollution control. He has also held many leadership positions.

His research focuses on the catalysis science of mixed metal oxides (supported metal oxides, bulk metal oxides, polyoxometalates, zeolites, and molecular sieves) for numerous catalytic applications (selective oxidation for manufacture of value-added chemicals, environmental catalysis (selective catalytic reduction of NOx and sulfur emissions), hydrocarbon conversion by solid acid catalysts for increased fuel energy content, olefin metathesis for on demand production of scarce propylene, olefin polymerization for plastics, conversion of methane to liquid aromatic fuels, biomass pyrolysis for fuels, environmentally friendly water-gas shift for production of hydrogen, and photocatalytic splitting of water to clean hydrogen fuel.

The research aims to identify the catalytic active sites present on the heterogeneous catalyst surface, sites responsible for the reactions, to allow establishment of fundamental structure-activity/selectivity relationships that will guide the rational design of advanced catalysts. The research approach taken by the Wachs group is to simultaneously monitor the surface of the catalyst with molecular spectroscopy under reaction conditions and reactant conversion and product selectivity with online GC/mass spectrometer analysis. This new and cutting-edge research methodology has been termed operando spectroscopy and is allowing for the unprecedented development of molecular level structure-activity/selectivity relationships for catalysts. The spectroscopic techniques employed by the Wachs group for determination of the catalytic active sites and surface reaction intermediates are Raman, infrared (IR), ultra violet-visible (UV-vis), X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XANES/EXAFS), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR), and Temperature Programmed Surface Reaction (TPSR). Isotopic labeling of molecules with Deuterium (Hydrogen-2), Oxygen-18, and Carbon-13 is also used to aid in tracking reaction pathways, determine rate-determining-steps, and distinguish between spectator species and actual surface reaction intermediates.

Wachs is the recipient of EPA Clean Air Excellence Award (2001), ACS Industrial Innovation Award-SER (2003), AIChE Catalysis and Reaction Engineering Division Practice Award (2003), ACS Langmuir Lecture Award (2004), Fulbright Fellowship-Argentina (2005), Herman Pines Catalysis Award, Catalysis Club of Chicago (2005), Catalysis Award of the Year, Philadelphia Catalysis Club (2005), Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences, Foreign Member (2005-Present), ACS Olah Award in Petroleum or Hydrocarbon Chemistry (2008), ACS Fellow (2011), Germany's Alexander von Humboldt Award (2012), International Vanadium Chemistry Society Vanadis Award (2012), Chinese Academy of Sciences Lee Hsun Research Award (2015), AIChE Wilhelm Award in Chemical Reaction Engineering (2016), and Fulbright Fellowship-Israel (2018-2019). He holds 38 US patents and 85 foreign patents that have been licensed to industry. He has published ~350 peer-reviewed articles/book chapters and two books, and he served(s) as editorial board member and guest editor for ACS Catalysis, Catalysis Today, Catalysis Letters, and Chemical Reaction Intermediates.

Additional details about the Wachs group activities (publications, presentations, awards, etc.) can be found on the group site at lehigh.edu/operando.

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Related Links:
It's not quite the Ant-Man suit, but the system produces 3D structures one thousandth the size of the originals

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- MIT researchers have invented a way to fabricate nanoscale 3-D objects of nearly any shape. They can also pattern the objects with a variety of useful materials, including metals, quantum dots, and DNA.

"It's a way of putting nearly any kind of material into a 3-D pattern with nanoscale precision," says Edward Boyden, an associate professor of biological engineering and of brain and cognitive sciences at MIT.

Using the new technique, the researchers can create any shape and structure they want by patterning a polymer scaffold with a laser. After attaching other useful materials to the scaffold, they shrink it, generating structures one thousandth the volume of the original.

These tiny structures could have applications in many fields, from optics to medicine to robotics, the researchers say. The technique uses equipment that many biology and materials science labs already have, making it widely accessible for researchers who want to try it.

Boyden, who is also a member of MIT's Media Lab, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, and Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, is one of the senior authors of the paper, which appears in the Dec. 13 issue of Science. The other senior author is Adam Marblestone, a Media Lab research affiliate, and the paper's lead authors are graduate students Daniel Oran and Samuel Rodriques.

Implosion fabrication

Existing techniques for creating nanostructures are limited in what they can accomplish. Etching patterns onto a surface with light can produce 2-D nanostructures but doesn't work for 3-D structures. It is possible to make 3-D nanostructures by gradually adding layers on top of each other, but this process is slow and challenging. And, while methods exist that can directly 3-D print nanoscale objects, they are restricted to specialized materials like polymers and plastics, which lack the functional properties necessary for many applications. Furthermore, they can only generate self-supporting structures. (The technique can yield a solid pyramid, for example, but not a linked chain or a hollow sphere.)

To overcome these limitations, Boyden and his students decided to adapt a technique that his lab developed a few years ago for high-resolution imaging of brain tissue. This technique, known as expansion microscopy, involves embedding tissue into a hydrogel and then expanding it, allowing for high resolution imaging with a regular microscope. Hundreds of research groups in biology and medicine are now using expansion microscopy, since it enables 3-D visualization of cells and tissues with ordinary hardware.

By reversing this process, the researchers found that they could create large-scale objects embedded in expanded hydrogels and then shrink them to the nanoscale, an approach that they call "implosion fabrication."

As they did for expansion microscopy, the researchers used a very absorbent material made of polyacrylate, commonly found in diapers, as the scaffold for their nanofabrication process. The scaffold is bathed in a solution that contains molecules of fluorescein, which attach to the scaffold when they are activated by laser light.

Using two-photon microscopy, which allows for precise targeting of points deep within a structure, the researchers attach fluorescein molecules to specific locations within the gel. The fluorescein molecules act as anchors that can bind to other types of molecules that the researchers add.

"You attach the anchors where you want with light, and later you can attach whatever you want to the anchors," Boyden says. "It could be a quantum dot, it could be a piece of DNA, it could be a gold nanoparticle."

"It's a bit like film photography -- a latent image is formed by exposing a sensitive material in a gel to light. Then, you can develop that latent image into a real image by attaching another material, silver, afterwards. In this way implosion fabrication can create all sorts of structures, including gradients, unconnected structures, and multimaterial patterns," Oran says.

Once the desired molecules are attached in the right locations, the researchers shrink the entire structure by adding an acid. The acid blocks the negative charges in the polyacrylate gel so that they no longer repel each other, causing the gel to contract. Using this technique, the researchers can shrink the objects 10-fold in each dimension (for an overall 1,000-fold reduction in volume). This ability to shrink not only allows for increased resolution, but also makes it possible to assemble materials in a low-density scaffold. This enables easy access for modification, and later the material becomes a dense solid when it is shrunk.

"People have been trying to invent better equipment to make smaller nanomaterials for years, but we realized that if you just use existing systems and embed your materials in this gel, you can shrink them down to the nanoscale, without distorting the patterns," Rodriques says.

Currently, the researchers can create objects that are around 1 cubic millimeter, patterned with a resolution of 50 nanometers. There is a tradeoff between size and resolution: If the researchers want to make larger objects, about 1 cubic centimeter, they can achieve a resolution of about 500 nanometers. However, that resolution could be improved with further refinement of the process, the researchers say.

Better optics

The MIT team is now exploring potential applications for this technology, and they anticipate that some of the earliest applications might be in optics -- for example, making specialized lenses that could be used to study the fundamental properties of light. This technique might also allow for the fabrication of smaller, better lenses for applications such as cell phone cameras, microscopes, or endoscopes, the researchers say. Farther in the future, the researchers say that this approach could be used to build nanoscale electronics or robots.

"There are all kinds of things you can do with this," Boyden says. "Democratizing nanofabrication could open up frontiers we can't yet imagine."

Many research labs are already stocked with the equipment required for this kind of fabrication. "With a laser you can already find in many biology labs, you can scan a pattern, then deposit metals, semiconductors, or DNA, and then shrink it down," Boyden says.

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The research was funded by the Kavli Dream Team Program, the HHMI-Simons Faculty Scholars Program, the Open Philanthropy Project, John Doerr, the Office of Naval Research, the National Institutes of Health, the New York Stem Cell Foundation-Robertson Award, the U.S. Army Research Office, and the MIT Media Lab.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is partnering with other federal agencies in support of NSF INCLUDES National Network, a program dedicated to making a lasting impact on diversifying the STEM workforce of the future. Partners include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

These partnerships are announced as the White House released its five-year strategic plan for STEM education, Charting a Course for Success: A Federal Strategy for STEM Education. The plan lays out the federal government's role in furthering STEM education by working with state and local stakeholders, the education community and American employers. Its goals include building a STEM-competent citizenry, creating a STEM-ready workforce and removing barriers to STEM careers, especially for women and underrepresented groups.

NSF INCLUDES seeks to enhance U.S. STEM leadership through nationwide networks focused on solutions to broadening participation in the sciences. The initiative, launched in FY 2016 and named as one of the foundation's 10 Big Ideas for Future NSF Investment, addresses the new White House report's goals of maintaining the country's innovation capacity by increasing diversity and inclusion through broader access to STEM.

"There are populations in the United States who are missing from the STEM ecosystem," said NSF Director France Cordova. "The nation will be stronger when these people are given access to STEM education and encouraged to become innovators. Our STEM enterprise will never reach its full potential until that happens. I'm proud to be part of this effort. We will find new ways to inspire all our nation's young people, support them and encourage more of them to pursue amazing careers in STEM."

"STEM education is vital to everything we do at NASA. In recognition of this, I am proud to announce a new permanent STEM committee that will provide guidance to the NASA Advisory Council on how NASA can promote STEM-learning initiatives, " said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "We are committed to - and dependent upon - inspiring future generations of STEM leaders who will bring diversity of thought and perspective to NASA. Current and future STEM students will take us to the Moon, Mars, and beyond as we continue to explore our universe."

In support of the White House strategy, NSF is also announcing a $10 million commitment to its newly launched Data Science Corps, which will provide basic training in data science to existing workforces at the local, state and national levels, teaching new skills and offering new experiences.

NSF also expects to fund 200 internships of up to $55,000 for graduate students in fiscal years 2019 and 2020. The NSF INTERN program provides opportunities for graduate students currently supported by other NSF awards to gain experiences in industry and other non-academic settings, preparing them for their careers.

NASA is pleased to announce a new collaboration in support of the NSF INCLUDES network. Over the coming months, NASA will work with the NSF INCLUDES community to better understand how NASA's unique assets can support the partners in the NSF INCLUDES network as they seek to broaden participation in STEM careers. In recognition of the importance of STEM education to the NASA community, the NASA Advisory Council Ad Hoc Task Force on STEM education will be elevated to the status of a permanent, standing committee. While the Ad Hoc Task Force has supported NASA's STEM education efforts for many years, this move ensures that the STEM education community has a voice on the NASA Advisory Council for years to come.

To learn more about NSF INCLUDES, visit NSF's 10 Big Ideas Special Report.

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Fishermen would be puzzled if they netted only big and little fish, but few medium-sized fish. Astronomers likewise have been perplexed in conducting a census of star-hugging extrasolar planets. They have found hot Jupiter-sized planets and hot super-Earths (planets no more than 1.5 times Earth's diameter). These planets are scorching hot because they orbit very close to their star. But so-called "hot Neptunes," whose atmospheres are heated to more than 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit, have been much harder to find. In fact, only about a handful of hot Neptunes have been found so far.

In fact, most of the known Neptune-sized exoplanets are merely "warm," because they orbit farther away from their star than those in the region where astronomers would expect to find hot Neptunes. The mysterious hot-Neptune deficit suggests that such alien worlds are rare, or, they were plentiful at one time, but have since disappeared.

A few years ago astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope found that one of the warmest known Neptunes (GJ 436b) is losing its atmosphere. The planet isn't expected to evaporate away, but hotter Neptunes might not have been so lucky.

Now, astronomers have used Hubble to nab a second "very warm" Neptune (GJ 3470b) that is losing its atmosphere at a rate 100 times faster than that of GJ 436b. Both planets reside about 3.7 million miles from their star. That's one-tenth the distance between our solar system's innermost planet, Mercury, and the Sun.

"I think this is the first case where this is so dramatic in terms of planetary evolution," said lead researcher Vincent Bourrier of the University of Geneva in Sauverny, Switzerland. "It's one of the most extreme examples of a planet undergoing a major mass-loss over its lifetime. This sizable mass loss has major consequences for its evolution, and it impacts our understanding of the origin and fate of the population of exoplanets close to their stars."

As with the previously discovered evaporating planets, the star's intense radiation heats the atmosphere to a point where it escapes the planet's gravitational pull like an untethered hot air balloon. The escaping gas forms a giant cloud around the planet that dissipates into space. One reason why GJ 3470b may be evaporating faster than GJ 436b is that it is not as dense, so it is less able to gravitationally hang on to the heated atmosphere.

What's more, the star hosting GJ 3470b is only 2 billion years old, compared to the 4-billion- to 8-billion-year-old star that planet GJ 436b orbits. The younger star is more energetic, so it bombards the planet with more blistering radiation than GJ 436b receives. Both are red dwarf stars, which are smaller and longer-lived than our Sun.

Uncovering two evaporating warm Neptunes reinforces the idea that the hotter version of these distant worlds may be a class of transitory planet whose ultimate fate is to shrink down to the most common type of known exoplanet, mini-Neptunes--planets with heavy, hydrogen-dominated atmospheres that are larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune. Eventually, these planets may downsize even further to become super-Earths, more massive, rocky versions of Earth.

"The question has been, where have the hot Neptunes gone?" said Bourrier. "If we plot planetary size and distance from the star, there's a desert, a hole, in that distribution. That's been a puzzle. We don't really know how much the evaporation of the atmospheres played in forming this desert. But our Hubble observations, which show a large amount of mass loss from a warm Neptune at the edge of the desert, is a direct confirmation that atmospheric escape plays a major role in forming this desert."

The researchers used Hubble's Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph to detect the ultraviolet-light signature of hydrogen in a huge cocoon surrounding the planet as it passed in front of its star. The intervening cocoon of hydrogen filters out some of the starlight. These results are interpreted as evidence of the planet's atmosphere bleeding off into space.

The team estimates that the planet has lost as much as 35 percent of its material over its lifetime, because it was probably losing mass at a faster rate when its red-dwarf star was younger and emitting even more radiation. If the planet continues to rapidly lose material, it will shrink down to a mini-Neptune in a few billion years.

Hydrogen probably isn't the only element evaporating away: it may be a tracer for other material streaming off into space. The researchers plan to use Hubble to hunt for elements heavier than hydrogen and helium that have hitched a ride with the hydrogen gas to escape the planet. "We think that the hydrogen gas could be dragging heavy elements such as carbon, which reside deeper in the atmosphere, upward and out into space," Bourrier said.

The observations are part of the Panchromatic Comparative Exoplanet Treasury (PanCET) survey, a Hubble program to look at 20 exoplanets, mostly hot Jupiters, in the first large-scale ultraviolet, visible and infrared comparative study of distant worlds.

Observing the evaporation of these two warm Neptunes is encouraging, but team members know they need to study more of them to confirm predictions. Unfortunately, there may be no other planets of this class residing close enough to Earth to observe. The problem is that hydrogen gas cannot be detected in warm Neptunes farther away than 150 light-years from Earth because it is obscured by interstellar gas. GJ 3470b resides 97 light-years away.

However, helium is another tracer for material escaping a warm Neptune's atmosphere. Astronomers could use Hubble and the upcoming NASA James Webb Space Telescope to search in infrared light for helium, because it is not blocked by interstellar material in space.

"Looking for helium could expand our survey range," Bourrier said. "Webb will have incredible sensitivity, so we would be able to detect helium escaping from smaller planets, such as mini-Neptunes."

The researcher's paper will appear in the Dec. 13 issue of Astronomy and Astrophysics.

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The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy in Washington, D.C.

Science paper by V. Bourrier et al.: https://media.stsci.edu/preview/file/science_paper/file_attachment/360/article_GJ3470b.pdf

For NASA's Hubble website, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/hubble

Donna Weaver / Ray Villard

Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Maryland

410-338-4493 / 410-338-4514

dweaver@stsci.edu / villard@stsci.edu

Vincent Bourrier

University of Geneva, Sauverny, Switzerland

011-41-22-379-2449

vincent.bourrier@unige.ch


Researchers studying ancient corncobs found at a Native American archeological site have recovered a 1,000-year-old virus, the oldest plant virus ever reported.

Only a few RNA viruses had been discovered previously from archaeological samples, the oldest dating from about 750 years ago. The new discovery came as the research team examined ancient plant material from Antelope House, an Ancestral Puebloan ruin located at Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona.

The Ancestral Puebloans who lived in the canyon planted crops such as maize, beans and squash. During the excavation of Antelope House by the National Park Service in the 1970s, more than two tons of plant refuse, in highly recognizable form, were recovered.

"It's clear from these remains that maize was a major food source for the inhabitants," said lead researcher Marilyn Roossinck, professor of plant pathology and environmental microbiology, College of Agricultural Sciences, Penn State. "The maize remnants recovered at Antelope House consisted of cobs, ears with kernels, individual kernels, husks, leaves, shanks, stem portions and tassels."

Using carbon 14 dating, researchers confirmed that the age of the ancient samples was about 1,000 years old. While analyzing cobs, the scientists isolated three nearly complete genomes of a previously unknown virus of the family Chrysoviridae, which infect plants and fungi.

The researchers, who report their findings in the current issue of the Journal of Virology, noted that chrysoviruses are persistent plant viruses that are transmitted from generation to generation through seeds and can remain in their hosts for very long time periods. Persistent viruses typically do not cause disease and rarely are detected. This is the first chrysovirus described from maize, Roossinck noted.

"When we analyzed modern corn samples, we found the same chrysovirus with only about 3 percent divergence from the ancient samples," she said. "Most RNA viruses, with short generation times and error-prone replication, evolve rapidly. However, persistent viruses have very stable genomes."

Roossinck said the most interesting aspect of the findings for the team is that the virus has been maintained in corn for so long.

"That implies that the virus might confer some potential benefit to the plant, but we haven't shown that yet," she said.

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Other members of the research team were Mahtab Peyambaria and Nicholas Stoler, Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Penn State; and Sylvia Warner and Drew Rainer, Noble Research Institute, Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Ardmore, Oklahoma.

The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Penn State, supported this work.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The more objects we make "smart," from watches to entire buildings, the greater the need for these devices to store and retrieve massive amounts of data quickly without consuming too much power.

Millions of new memory cells could be part of a computer chip and provide that speed and energy savings, thanks to the discovery of a previously unobserved functionality in a material called molybdenum ditelluride.

The two-dimensional material stacks into multiple layers to build a memory cell. Researchers at Purdue University engineered this device in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Theiss Research Inc. Their work appears in an advance online issue of Nature Materials.

Chip-maker companies have long called for better memory technologies to enable a growing network of smart devices. One of these next-generation possibilities is resistive random access memory, or RRAM for short.

In RRAM, an electrical current is typically driven through a memory cell made up of stacked materials, creating a change in resistance that records data as 0s and 1s in memory. The sequence of 0s and 1s among memory cells identifies pieces of information that a computer reads to perform a function and then store into memory again.

A material would need to be robust enough for storing and retrieving data at least trillions of times, but materials currently used have been too unreliable. So RRAM hasn't been available yet for widescale use on computer chips.

Molybdenum ditelluride could potentially last through all those cycles.

"We haven't yet explored system fatigue using this new material, but our hope is that it is both faster and more reliable than other approaches due to the unique switching mechanism we've observed," Joerg Appenzeller, Purdue University's Barry M. and Patricia L. Epstein Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the scientific director of nanoelectronics at the Birck Nanotechnology Center.

Molybdenum ditelluride allows a system to switch more quickly between 0 and 1, potentially increasing the rate of storing and retrieving information. This is because when an electric field is applied to the cell, atoms are displaced by a tiny distance, resulting in a state of high resistance, noted as 0, or a state of low resistance, noted as 1, which can occur much faster than switching in conventional RRAM devices.

"Because less power is needed for these resistive states to change, a battery could last longer," Appenzeller said.

In a computer chip, each memory cell would be located at the intersection of wires, forming a memory array called cross-point RRAM.

Appenzeller's lab wants to explore building a stacked memory cell that also incorporates the other main components of a computer chip: "logic," which processes data, and "interconnects," wires that transfer electrical signals, by utilizing a library of novel electronic materials fabricated at NIST.

"Logic and interconnects drain battery too, so the advantage of an entirely two-dimensional architecture is more functionality within a small space and better communication between memory and logic," Appenzeller said.

Two U.S. patent applications have been filed for this technology through the Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization.

###

The work received financial support from the Semiconductor Research Corporation through the NEW LIMITS Center (led by Purdue University), NIST, the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Material Genome Initiative.

ABSTRACT

Electric field induced structural transition in vertical MoTe2 and Mo1-xWxTe2 based resistive memories

Feng Zhang1, Huairuo Zhang2,3, Sergiy Krylyuk2,3, Cory A. Milligan1, Yuqi Zhu1, Dmitry Y. Zemlyanov1, Leonid A. Bendersky3, Benjamin P. Burton3, Albert V. Davydov2 and Joerg Appenzeller1

1Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA

2Theiss Research Inc., La Jolla, CA, USA

3National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA

doi: 10.1038/s41563-018-0234-y

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted attention as potential building blocks for various electronic applications due to their atomically thin nature and polymorphism. Here, we report an electric field induced structural transition from a 2H semiconducting to a distorted transient structure (2Hd) and orthorhombic Td conducting phase in vertical 2H-MoTe2 and Mo1-xWxTe2 based resistive random access memory (RRAM) devices. RRAM programming voltages are tunable by the TMD thickness and show a distinctive trend of requiring lower electric fields for Mo1-xWxTe2 alloys vs. MoTe2 compounds. Devices showed reproducible resistive switching within 10 ns between a high-resistant state (HRS) and low-resistant state (LRS). Moreover, using an Al2O3/MoTe2 stack, On/Off-current ratios of 106 with programming currents lower than 1 mA were achieved in a selectorless RRAM architecture. The sum of these findings demonstrates that controlled electrical state switching in two-dimensional materials is achievable and highlights the potential of TMDs for memory applications.
Slimy, hard-to-clean bacterial mats called biofilms cause problems ranging from medical infections to clogged drains and fouled industrial equipment. Now, researchers at Princeton have found a way to cleanly and completely peel off these notorious sludges.

By looking at the films from a mechanical engineering perspective, as well as a biological one, the researchers showed that water penetrating the junction between biofilms and surfaces, coupled with gentle peeling, can result in immaculate removals. That outcome contrasts with traditionally ineffective methods of scraping or mechanically dislodging biofilms, which sometimes leave behind still-adhered patches that regrow and re-contaminate.

The new removal method should help in thwarting harmful biofilms, as well as controlling the beneficial biofilms increasingly relied on for wastewater treatment, microbial fuel cells and other applications.

"We have discovered an easy and effective way to remove nasty biofilms from a variety of surfaces," said Jing Yan, an associate research scholar working jointly in the Princeton labs of Howard Stone, the Donald R. Dixon '69 and Elizabeth W. Dixon Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; and Bonnie Bassler, the Squibb Professor of Molecular Biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator.

The work, bridging molecular biology, materials science and mechanical engineering, took advantage of the collaborative research communities between molecular biology and engineering.

Yan is the co-lead author of the paper describing the results, published Oct. 8 in Advanced Materials, along with Alexis Moreau, who was a visiting student in Stone's lab and is now back at the University of Montpellier in France.

"By investigating and defining the material properties of bacterial biofilms, rather than their biological properties, we have invented a new method for detaching entire biofilms," said study coauthor Bassler.

Other authors of the study are Ned Wingreen, the Howard A. Prior Professor of the Life Sciences; Andrej Kosmrlj, an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering; Sepideh Khodaparast, a former research scholar in Stone's lab now at Imperial College London; associate research scholar Sampriti Mukherjee; postdoctoral researchers Jie Feng, Sheng Mao and Antonio Perazzo; and graduate student Chenyi Fei.

For their investigation, the Princeton researchers turned to the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, which forms biofilms in seawater and fresh water and in the human intestine. Measurements revealed that the biofilms it produces exhibit mechanical behaviors very similar to hydrogels, which are materials extensively studied in Stone's lab.

Well-characterized, manipulatable hydrogels have many applications, especially in biomedicine, including wound dressing, drug delivery and tissue engineering. Both biofilms and hydrogels are largely made of water (about 90 percent). They possess defined structural networks that make them soft, viscous and elastic. Their stretchiness has a limit, however. If disturbed too vigorously, biofilms and hydrogels will break into pieces. This fragility poses a challenge for biofilm removal. It also hinders the intentional transfer of beneficial films between surfaces, for instance in industrial settings, and when running experiments in the lab to better understand biofilms in the first place.

To learn how to avoid such fragmentation, the Princeton team examined the attachment of the V. cholerae biofilms to a variety of surface types. The researchers saw that the edges of the biofilms were water repellant, while surfaces they adhered to were sometimes water-attractive. Based on this insight, the researchers sought to drive a wedge between the biofilm and attached surface by driving water into the space at which the materials meet. This technique, known as capillary peeling, successfully created a lengthening crack that culminated in full separation of the biofilm from the surface. The water-assisted peeling must go slowly to prevent biofilm tears -- akin to carefully removing a sticker -- but the results showed that the extra time was well worth it. "Our capillary peeling method worked astonishingly well," said Yan.

One obstacle for deploying the method outside the lab is that many biofilms exist in already-aqueous environments, where capillary peeling would appear to be a non-starter. For those cases, Yan and colleagues have proposed two potential solutions to explore in future research. For biofilms initially grown underwater, the film and its adhered-to object could be removed from solution and dried out before removal attempts. Alternatively, introducing bubbles to the biofilm-substrate interface might deliver the same sort of capillary force.

Overall, the new study illustrates the value of a multidisciplinary approach, bridging different fields to make key new insights.

Biological systems must obey the laws of physics and in many cases also employ physics to achieve their ends, said Shmuel Rubinstein, an associate professor of applied physics at Harvard University who was not involved in the research. "The interdisciplinary team on this study that combines engineering, theory and biology is indeed perfect for the complex problem of biofilms."

Princeton's Stone echoes Rubinstein's observation that the study's results and promise of real-world applications spring from a nexus of disciplines.

"Led by Jing, the students and postdocs did amazing work in developing a detailed understanding of the link between the biological components and the macroscopic mechanical properties of biofilms," said Stone. "Our demonstration that biofilms can be peeled -- intact -- may prove useful in a multitude of ways going forward."

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The work was supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the National Science Foundation, and the Max Planck Society-Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
Ecology and technology have combined to give nature a helping hand, using a robot to deliver heat-tolerant coral larvae directly onto Australia's Great Barrier Reef in the first small-scale pilot of a new technique to help restore and recover coral reefs.

In a world-first, an undersea robot has dispersed microscopic baby corals (coral larvae) to help scientists working to repopulate parts of the Great Barrier Reef during this year's mass coral spawning event.

Six weeks after winning the Great Barrier Reef Foundation's $300,000 Out of the Blue Box Reef Innovation Challenge, Southern Cross University's Professor Peter Harrison and Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Professor Matthew Dunbabin trialled the ground-breaking initiative on Vlasoff Reef, near Cairns in north Queensland.

Professor Dunbabin engineered QUT's reef protector RangerBot into LarvalBot specifically for the coral restoration project led by Professor Harrison.

The project builds on Professor Harrison's successful larval reseeding technique piloted on the southern Great Barrier Reef in 2016 and 2017 in collaboration with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) and Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service (QPWS), following successful small-scale trials in the Philippines funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research.

"This year represents a big step up for our larval restoration research and the first time we've been able to capture coral spawn on a bigger scale using large floating spawn catchers then rearing them into tiny coral larvae in our specially constructed larval pools and settling them on damaged reef areas," Professor Harrison said.

"Winning the GBRF's Reef Innovation Challenge meant that we could increase the scale of the work planned for this year using mega-sized spawn catchers and fast track an initial trial of LarvalBot as a novel method of dispersing the coral larvae out on to the Reef.

"With further research and refinement, this technique has enormous potential to operate across large areas of reef and multiple sites in a way that hasn't previously been possible.

"We'll be closely monitoring the progress of settled baby corals over coming months and working to refine both the technology and the technique to scale up further in 2019."

This research and the larval production process was also directly supported by the recent successful SBIR 2018 Coral larval restoration research project on Vlasoff Reef led by Professor Harrison with Katie Chartrand (James Cook University) and Associate Professor David Suggett (University of Technology Sydney), in collaboration with Aroona Boat Charters, the GBRMPA and QPWS.

With a current capacity to carry around 100,000 coral larvae per mission and plans to scale up to millions of larvae, the robot gently releases the larvae onto damaged reef areas allowing it to settle, and over time develop into coral polyps or baby corals.

Professor Dunbabin said LarvalBot could be compared to 'an underwater crop duster' operating very safely to ensure existing coral wasn't disturbed.

"During this year's trial, the robot was tethered so it could be monitored precisely but future missions will see it operate alone and on a much larger scale," Professor Dunbabin said.

"Using an iPad to program the mission, a signal is sent to deliver the larvae and it is gently pushed out by LarvalBot. It's like spreading fertiliser on your lawn.

"The robot is very smart, and as it glides along we target where the larvae need to be distributed so new colonies can form and new coral communities can develop.

"We have plans to do this again in Australia and elsewhere and I'm looking forward to working with Professor Harrison and Southern Cross University, the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and other collaborators to help tackle an important problem."

This project builds on the work by Professor Dunbabin, who developed RangerBot to help control the coral-killing crown-of-thorns starfish, which is responsible for 40 per cent of the reef's decline in coral cover.

Great Barrier Reef Foundation Managing Director Anna Marsden said: "It's exciting to see this project progress from concept to implementation in a matter of weeks, not years. The recent IPCC report highlights that we have a very short window in which to act for the long-term future of the Reef, underscoring the importance of seeking every opportunity to give our reefs a fighting chance.

"This project is testament to the power of collaboration between science, business and philanthropy. With the support of the Tiffany & Co. Foundation, whose longstanding support for coral reef conservation globally spans almost two decades, our international call for innovations to help the Reef has uncovered a solution that holds enormous promise for restoring coral reefs at scales never before possible."

Following the success of this initial trial in 2018, the researchers plan to fully implement their challenge-winning proposal in 2019, building even larger mega spawn-catchers and solar powered floating larval incubation pools designed to rear hundreds of millions of genetically diverse, heat-tolerant coral larvae to be settled on damaged reefs through a combination of larval clouds and LarvalBots.

###

NOTE: The 2018 Larval Restoration Project (an Advance Queensland Small Business Innovation Research initiative funded by the Queensland and Australian Governments) is a large scale collaboration involving researchers Peter Harrison (Southern Cross University), Katie Chartrand (James Cook University) and David Suggett (University of Technology Sydney), the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service, Aroona Boat Charters, Argo Expeditions, Biopixel, Reef Magic, Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef, Yirrganydji Land and Sea Rangers, Gunggandji Land and Sea Rangers, Cairns Marine, QUT and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.

Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef are following the progress of the project and the annual spawning event (@citizensGBR) on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and the project microsite: https://citizensgbr.org/p/larval-restoration-project

Media contacts:

QUT Media: Debra Nowland +61 7 3138 1150 media@qut.edu.au AND after hours: Rose Trapnell, +61 407 585 901

Great Barrier Reef Foundation: Sarah Henderson + 61 429 890 087, shenderson@barrierreef.org

Southern Cross University: Jessica Nelson +61 417288794, jessica.nelson@scu.edu.au
Smithsonian scientists and collaborators are revising the history of one of the world's most important crops. Drawing on genetic and archaeological evidence, researchers have found that a predecessor of today's corn plants still bearing many features of its wild ancestor was likely brought to South America from Mexico more than 6,500 years ago. Farmers in Mexico and the southwestern Amazon continued to improve the crop over thousands of years until it was fully domesticated in each region.

The findings, reported Dec. 13 in the journal Science, come from a multidisciplinary, international collaboration between scientists at 14 institutions. Their account deepens researchers' understanding of the long, shared history between humans and maize, which is critical for managing our fragile relationships with the plants that feed us, said Logan Kistler, curator of archaeogenomics and archaeobotany at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History and lead author of the study. "It's the long-term evolutionary history of domesticated plants that makes them fit for the human environment today," he said. "Understanding that history gives us tools for assessing the future of corn as we continue to drastically reshape our global environment and increase our agricultural demands on land around the globe."

The history of maize begins with its wild ancestor, teosinte. Teosinte bears little resemblance to the corn eaten today: Its cobs are tiny and its few kernels are protected by a nearly impenetrable outer casing. In fact, Kistler said, it's not clear why people bothered with it all. Over time, however, as early farmers selected for desirable traits, the descendants of the wild plant developed larger cobs and more tender, plentiful kernels, eventually becoming the staple crop that maize is today.

For years, geneticists and archaeologists have deduced that teosinte's transformation into maize began in the tropical lowlands of what is now southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago. The teosinte that grows wild in this region today is more genetically similar to maize than teosinte elsewhere in Mexico and Central America--though all remain separated from the domesticated crop by hundreds of genes.

In the southwest Amazon and coastal Peru, microscopic pollen and other resilient plant remains found in ancient sediments indicate a history of fully domesticated maize use by around 6,500 years ago, and researchers initially reasoned that the fully domesticated plant must have been carried there from the north as people migrated south and across the Americas.

"As far as we could tell before conducting our study, it looked like there was a single domestication event in Mexico and that people then spread it further south after domestication had taken place," Kistler said.

But a few years ago, when geneticists sequenced the DNA of 5,000-year-old maize found in Mexico, the story got more complicated. The genetic results showed that what they had found was a proto-corn--its genes were a mixture of those found in teosinte and those of the domesticated plant. According to the ancient DNA, that plant lacked teosinte's tough kernel casings, but this proto-corn had not yet acquired other traits that eventually made maize into a practical food crop.

"But you've got continuous cultivation of maize in the southwest Amazon from 6,500 years ago all the way up through European colonization," Kistler said. "How can you have this flourishing, fully domesticated maize complex in the southwest Amazon, and meanwhile, near the domestication center in Mexico the domestication process is still ongoing?"

In an effort to try to solve this mystery, Kistler's team reconstructed the plant's evolutionary history by undertaking a genetic comparison of more than 100 varieties of modern maize that grow throughout the Americas, including 40 newly sequenced varieties--many from the eastern lowlands of South America, which had been underrepresented in previous studies. Many of these varieties were collected in collaboration with indigenous and traditional farmers over the past 60 years and are curated in the genebank at Embrapa, the Brazilian government's agriculture enterprise. Fabio Freitas, an ethnobotanist and farm conservationist at Embrapa, said that his work conserving traditional cultivated plants with indigenous groups from the South border of the Amazon forest helped guide the discussion of how maize diffusion may have played out in the past. The genomes of 11 ancient plants, including nine newly sequenced archaeological samples, were also part of the analysis. The team mapped out the genetic relationships between the plants and discovered several distinct lineages, each with its own degree of similarity to their shared ancestor, teosinte. In other words, Kistler explained, the final stages of maize's domestication happened more than once in more than one place.

"This work fundamentally changes our understanding of maize origins," said study co-author Robin Allaby from the School of Life Sciences at the University of Warwick. "It shows that maize did not have a simple origin story, that it did not really form the crop as we know it until it left its homeland."

At first, Kistler said, the genetic evidence was puzzling. But as he and his collaborators began to integrate what each had learned about the history of South America, a picture of how maize may have spread across the continent emerged.

A proto-corn in the midst of becoming domesticated appears to have reached South America at least twice, Kistler said. By 6,500 years ago, the partially domesticated plant had arrived in a region of the southwest Amazon that was already a domestication hotspot, where people were growing rice, cassava and other crops. The plant was likely adopted as part of the local agriculture and continued to evolve under human influence until, thousands of years later, it became a fully domesticated crop. From there, domesticated maize moved eastward as part of an overall expansion and intensification of agriculture that archaeologists have noted in the region. By around 4,000 years ago, Kistler said, maize had spread widely through the South American lowlands. Genetic and archaeological evidence also align to suggest that maize cultivation expanded eastward a second time, from the foothills of the Andes toward the Atlantic, about 1,000 years ago. Today, traces of that history exist in the Macro-Je languages spoken near the Atlantic coast, which use an Amazonian word for maize.

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Funding for this research was provided by the Natural Environment Research Council.
A new study published ahead-of-print by SLAS Discovery describes an evaluation of microplate-based high-throughput cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA HT) performed at AstraZeneca to assess its suitability and reliability for application to early drug discovery campaigns.

The CETSA is a technology that measures intracellular compound target engagement by quantifying changes in the thermal stability of the target protein in live cells. The technology has a number of advantages over alternative methods including the ability to detect binding to the intended target in cellular models without requiring any overexpression or tagging of the target protein, or any chemical modifications or probe compounds.

Novel CETSA HT assays are described for two important oncology targets, B-Raf and PARP1, and applied to both primary screening for hit identification and SAR screening for lead optimization. Comparisons are performed with conventional drug discovery assay technologies including a biochemical probe-displacement binding assay and a cellular imaging assay.

The findings demonstrate that CETSA HT shows good correlations to other assay formats, but can also highlight different compound responses that allow for a more thorough understanding of cellular effects. CETSA HT can be reliably applied throughout various stages of early drug discovery to quantify intracellular binding to the desired target, providing a better understanding of the action of small molecules which may help advance novel therapeutic drugs.

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"Positioning High-Throughput CETSA in Early Drug Discovery through Screening against B-Raf and PARP1" can be accessed for free at https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2472555218813332. For more information about SLAS and its journals, visit http://www.slas.org/journals.

A PDF of this article is available to credentialed media outlets upon request. Contact jhronek@slas.org.

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SLAS (Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening) is an international community of nearly 20,000 professionals and students dedicated to life sciences discovery and technology. The SLAS mission is to bring together researchers in academia, industry and government to advance life sciences discovery and technology via education, knowledge exchange and global community building.

SLAS DISCOVERY: 2016 Impact Factor 2.355. Editor-in-Chief Robert M. Campbell, Ph.D., Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN (USA). SLAS Discovery (Advancing Life Sciences R&D) was previously published (1996-2016) as the Journal of Biomolecular Screening (JBS).

SLAS TECHNOLOGY: 2016 Impact Factor 2.632. Editor-in-Chief Edward Kai-Hua Chow, Ph.D., National University of Singapore (Singapore). SLAS Technology (Translating Life Sciences Innovation) was previously published (1996-2016) as the Journal of Laboratory Automation (JALA).

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As more and more parents travel overseas to find a surrogate, a new study published in Human Fertility is the first to compare the experiences of those who carry out surrogacy in the UK with those who go abroad. The research highlights important problems faced by parents, which could influence UK surrogacy law.

A new study is the first to compare the experiences of people who have carried out surrogacy in the UK with those who go overseas, for example, to countries such as USA, India and Georgia. The research, led by Dr Vasanti Jadva at the Centre for Family Research, University of Cambridge, in collaboration with NGA Law and Brilliant Beginnings, surveyed over 200 people who had either already had a child through a surrogate, were in the process, or were planning a surrogacy arrangement.

Almost half (42%) of parents who chose to find a surrogate in the UK did so to foster a closer relationship with the surrogate, while almost all (97%) of those opting to go to the US did so to access a better legal framework, which includes being recognised as the legal parents of the child from birth. In addition, although the laws surrounding surrogacy vary by state in the US, many states allow commercial surrogacy and it is generally easier to find a surrogate than it is in the UK.

Although the US offers a more secure legal framework, it comes with a hefty price tag, and the study found that going to the US simply wasn't affordable for many parents who considered it.

Those who found a surrogate in other, more affordable countries - such as India, Thailand or Ukraine - experienced greater delays and difficulties in obtaining the necessary legal documents on their return to the UK. One couple returning from India reported a delay of 6 months in getting a passport for their child.

The UK has a notoriously challenging legal landscape for those seeking surrogacy arrangements. Profit-making surrogacy agencies are illegal in the UK and surrogacy arrangements are not legally enforceable, which means the surrogate remains the legal mother of the child until a Parental Order is made, often many months after the birth.

Estimates suggest that the number of children being born through surrogacy in the UK has tripled in the past few years. But until now, very little has been known about why people go to these countries or their experiences of the process.

The findings of this new study highlight the stress and anxiety that parents can face when travelling abroad for surrogacy, particularly in trying to obtain legal parenthood when back in the UK, but also caused by the lack of legal security in the UK.

"UK surrogacy law is outdated and struggling to cope with the strain of modern surrogacy experience both in the UK and globally," said co-author Natalie Gamble.

The Law Commission (the independent body responsible for reviewing the law in England and Wales) has started a project to substantively review surrogacy law. As lead author and Senior Research Associate at the University of Cambridge, Dr Vasanti Jadva, added: "We hope our findings will feed into the Law Commission's review of surrogacy law as they highlight how people's experiences can differ depending on the country in which they conduct their surrogacy arrangement. "

As reform of UK surrogacy law is considered, the authors recommend that future iterations are clearer, more secure, and designed to reduce delays in recognizing parents as the legal guardians of the child.

###

Further information

To arrange an interview, please contact:

Dr Vasanti Jadva, Senior Research Associate, Centre for Family Research, University of Cambridge

Email: vj227@cam.ac.uk

Tel.: + 44 (0)1223 (7)67848

Dr Vasanti Jadva is a psychologist whose research examines the impact of surrogacy on surrogates, parents and the child.

Natalie Gamble, NGA Law, London UK

Email: Natalie@ngalaw.co.uk

Tel: 020 3701 5915

Natalie Gamble is a Lawyer and together with Helen Prosser she is co-owner of the UK's first fertility law firm, NGA Law and UK non-profit surrogacy agency Brilliant Beginnings which supports families carrying out surrogacy in the UK, USA and Canada.

Helen Prosser, Brilliant Beginnings, London UK

Email: Helen@brilliantbeginnings.co.uk

Tel: 020 3701 5915

Helen Prosser is co-owner of the UK's first fertility law firm, NGA Law and UK non-profit surrogacy agency Brilliant Beginnings which supports families carrying out surrogacy in the UK, USA and Canada. .

For a copy of the study, please contact:

Jodie Bell, Press & Media Relations Manager

Email: newsroom@taylorandfrancis.com

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Follow us on Twitter: @tandfnewsroom

The article will be freely available once the embargo has lifted via the following link: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14647273.2018.1540801

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Researchers say that changing the legal drink-driving limit without enhancing enforcement and sufficiently publicising the change does not reduce road traffic accidents.

Reducing the blood alcohol concentration limit for driving was not associated with a reduction in road traffic accidents in Scotland, according to an observational study published in The Lancet comparing road traffic accident rates in Scotland and in England and Wales before and after the new limit was introduced.

The reduced limit was introduced in Scotland on 5 December 2014. The researchers found that whilst there was substantial initial Scottish Government investment in materials and campaigns to build public awareness of the limit change, this was not maintained in 2015 and 2016.

The study measured rates of all road traffic accidents, not just alcohol-related accidents.

"Our negative findings for road traffic accidents are unexpected given that previous evidence generally demonstrates a reduction in accidents after reducing blood alcohol limits for drivers. The most plausible explanation of our finding is that the new blood alcohol limit was insufficiently enforced, publicised, or both," says Professor Jim Lewsey, University of Glasgow, UK. [1]

He adds: "Previous research supports an association between increased enforcement and decreased road traffic accidents. To properly enforce drink-drive legislation, frequent and systematic random breath testing, public education, publicity, and awareness campaigns are needed." [1]

Road traffic accidents are a major public health problem, with 1.25 million road traffic deaths globally in 2013.

In the UK, there have been large reductions in road traffic accidents over recent decades. However, there were still 170,993 casualties from road traffic accidents reported in 2017. In 2016 in the UK, there were at least 6,070 road traffic accidents involving a driver who had been drinking.

Driving under the influence of alcohol is a major risk factor for road traffic accidents, and a dose-response relation is observed between blood alcohol concentration and accidents. In addition, previous studies in a number of countries (including Australia, France, Austria and Serbia) have shown that reducing blood alcohol concentration limits in general is effective in reducing road traffic accidents.

In Europe, only England, Wales, and Malta have a 0.08 g/dL blood alcohol limit for drivers. This limit is the norm in many other regions, including many states in the USA despite longstanding calls for reductions in the blood alcohol limit for drivers.

On 5 December 2014, Scotland introduced new legislation reducing the blood alcohol concentration for drivers from 0.08 grams of alcohol per decilitre of blood (g/dL) to 0.05 g/dL.

England and Wales have maintained a level of 0.08g/dL, but are considering the change alongside many other countries worldwide, and it has previously been estimated that reducing limits to 0.05 g/dL in England could save about 25 lives and prevent 100 serious traffic injuries per year [2].

The new study compared weekly rates of all road traffic accidents in Scotland and in England and Wales from police accident records between January 2013 to December 2016 - before and after the new blood alcohol concentration limit was introduced in Scotland. The authors controlled for season, underlying trends in accident rates, and driver age, gender and socioeconomic status.

The study also included alcohol sales from bars and restaurants (on-trade sales) and supermarkets and convenience stores (off-trade sales) to determine whether the new limits reduced alcohol drinking.

The authors found that there was no significant change in total road traffic accident rates in Scotland after the new limit was introduced, compared with before it was introduced.

There was also no effect on serious, fatal or single vehicle night-time road traffic accidents.

Compared to England and Wales, they found a found a 7% increase in weekly road traffic accident rates in Scotland after the reduced blood alcohol limit for drivers was introduced.

Explaining why the results were not what they had expected, the authors note that people who ignored the previous blood alcohol limit may be continuing to ignore the new limit, especially if they think their risk of being caught has not changed.

They note that large changes have been seen historically with reduced blood alcohol limits, and that similar reductions may be more difficult to achieve as road safety improves, and drink-driving is increasingly seen as socially unacceptable.

The change in legislation in Scotland was associated with no significant change in per-capita off-trade sales, but a 0.7% decrease in per-capita on-trade sales.

The authors note some limitations, including that it was not possible to specifically look at alcohol-related road traffic accidents as drivers' blood alcohol concentrations are often unavailable or unreliable. This is because drivers are often not breath tested at the scene of an accident and there can be a delay between when the accident occurred and when the blood alcohol concentration is recorded.

They also note that not all road traffic accidents are registered with the police, so their study may miss some cases.

Writing in a linked Comment, Professor Etienne Blais, Universite de Montreal, Canada, says: "Inadequate enforcement and publicity might explain the failure of the law in Scotland seen in Haghpanahan and colleagues' study, but information on such activities is not provided in the Article. A parallel study is underway to explore Scotland's blood alcohol concentration limit change from the perspective of the public, police, and alcohol retailers. This upcoming study will also examine the magnitude of enforcement efforts (eg, indicators on sobriety checkpoints, arrests, and drivers tested) and public campaigning to better understand these results... The best evidence indicates that new blood alcohol concentration laws prevent road traffic accidents when they are effectively enforced (meaning that resources are required to conduct highly visible enforcement activities) and are supported by public communication campaigns. Other legal initiatives (eg, random breath testing) and public education initiatives generally enhance the safety effects of blood alcohol concentration laws. The Scottish experiment, however, shows that additional research is needed to identify essential components of effective blood alcohol concentration laws according to different contexts."

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Peer-reviewed / Observational study / People

NOTES TO EDITORS

This study was funded by the National Institute for Health Research Public Health Research Programme. It was conducted by researchers from University of Glasgow, University of East Anglia, University of Stirling, and Public Health Observatory, NHS Health Scotland.

The labels have been added to this press release as part of a project run by the Academy of Medical Sciences seeking to improve the communication of evidence. For more information, please see: http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/AMS-press-release-labelling-system-GUIDANCE.pdf if you have any questions or feedback, please contact The Lancet press office pressoffice@lancet.com

[1] Quote direct from author and cannot be found in the text of the Article.

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The work of several Mount Sinai researchers who analyze brain genomics data as part of the PsychENCODE Consortium, a collective established in 2015 by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will be highlighted in four scientific papers to be published online December 13 in the journal Science as part of a special issue focused on big data.

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) is one of the lead sites associated with the PsychENCODE Consortium, a collaboration among NIH grantees that aims to accelerate discovery of non-coding functional genomic elements (components of an organism's DNA that do not encode protein sequences) and epigenetic modifications (reversible modifications on a cell's DNA or histones that affect gene expression without altering the DNA sequence) as they relate to gene expression patterns in the human brain and to understand the molecular pathophysiology of mental illness, particularly autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.

Having analyzed more than 2,000 normal and disease-affected brains to date, the Consortium is publishing some of its initial findings in the December issue of Science, with multiple collaborative contributions by investigators from ISMMS, including laboratories from The Friedman Brain Institute and the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment.

Below are descriptions of the studies that, with significant contributions by researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, will be published in the journal:

Study Title: Neuron-specific signatures in the chromosomal connectome associated with schizophrenia risk

Schahram Akbarian, MD, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience

Kristen Brennand, PhD, Professor of Neuroscience, Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Psychiatry

Through genome-wide chromosomal mappings in neural precursor cells and differentiating neurons and glial cells, the researchers discovered that early development is associated with major changes in chromosomal conformations inside the nuclei of brain cells. These '3D genome' changes in young neurons disproportionately affect common DNA variants that are associated with schizophrenia heritability, highlighting cell type-specific vulnerabilities in spatial genome organization and expanding the genomic risk space associated with psychiatric disease. For this study, the Mount Sinai investigators joined forces with scientists from the New York Genome Center and the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Study Title: Comprehensive functional genomic resource and integrative model for the human brain

Schahram Akbarian, MD, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience

Panos Roussos, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, and Psychiatry

Next-generation sequencing datasets were used to integrate information on gene expression, chromatin structure and function, and genome sequence information to provide an unprecedented resource on genome organization and function in the adult male brain. The dataset is fed into a computer-based deep learning mechanism which will improve disease risk prediction several-fold when compared to conventional genomic approaches.

Study Title: Transcriptome-wide isoform-level dysregulation in ASD, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder

Dalila Pinto, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, and Genetics and Genomic Sciences

By integrating RNA sequencing and genetic data to refine the shared and distinct molecular pathology of autism spectrum disorders, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, the multisite research team, co-led by Dr. Pinto and colleagues from the University of California-Los Angeles, the University of California-San Diego, and SUNY Upstate Medical University provided a quantitative, genome-wide resource for mechanistic insight and therapeutic development and an interactive website (http://resource.psychencode.org/) to permit further biological exploration of gene/isoform co-expression networks. These data revealed shared and disorder-specific molecular pathways and cell types involved, emphasized the importance of local splicing and isoform-level gene regulatory mechanisms in defining cell type and disease specificity, and, after further integrating genome-wide association studies, led to the discovery of new candidate risk genes.

Study Title: Genome-wide de novo risk score implicates promoter variation in autism spectrum disorder

Joseph D. Buxbaum, PhD, Director of the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment and Professor of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Genetics and Genomic Sciences

Whole genome sequencing (WGS) has facilitated the first large-scale genome-wide evaluations of the contribution of de novo noncoding mutations to complex disorders. Using WGS, a multisite research team, led by Harvard University, the University of California-San Francisco, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Pittsburgh, assessed genetic variation from 7,609 samples in 1,902 autism spectrum disorder (ASD) families, identifying 255,106 de novo mutations--rare, spontaneous mutations that may exert strong effects. In contrast to coding mutations, no noncoding functional annotation category, analyzed in isolation, is significantly associated with ASD. Casting noncoding variation in the context of a risk score across multiple annotation categories, however, does demonstrate association with mutations localized to promoter regions, regions of DNA that initiate transcription of a particular gene. The strongest driver of this promoter signal emanates from evolutionary conserved transcription factor binding sites distal to the transcription start site. These data suggest that de novo mutations in promoter regions, characterized by evolutionary and functional signatures, contribute to ASD risk.

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About the Mount Sinai Health System

The Mount Sinai Health System is New York City's largest integrated delivery system encompassing (with the addition of South Nassau Communities Hospital) eight hospital campuses, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. Mount Sinai's vision is to produce the safest care, the highest quality, the highest satisfaction, the best access and the best value of any health system in the nation. The Health System includes approximately 7,480 primary and specialty care physicians; 11 joint-venture ambulatory surgery centers; more than 410 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and 31 affiliated community health centers. The Icahn School of Medicine is one of three medical schools that have earned distinction by multiple indicators: ranked in the top 20 by U.S. News & World Report's "Best Medical Schools", aligned with a U.S. News & World Report's "Honor Roll" Hospital, No. 12 in the nation for National Institutes of Health funding, and among the top 10 most innovative research institutions as ranked by the journal Nature in its Nature Innovation Index. This reflects a special level of excellence in education, clinical practice, and research. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 18 on U.S. News & World Report's "Honor Roll" of top U.S. hospitals; it is one of the nation's top 20 hospitals in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Geriatrics, Nephrology, and Neurology/Neurosurgery, and in the top 50 in six other specialties in the 2018-2019 "Best Hospitals" issue. Mount Sinai's Kravis Children's Hospital also is ranked nationally in five out of ten pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report. The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked 11th nationally for Ophthalmology and 44th for Ear, Nose, and Throat. Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai St. Luke's, Mount Sinai West, and South Nassau Communities Hospital are ranked regionally.

For more information, visit http://www.mountsinai.org/, or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
A UCL-led study has confirmed that some vials of a hormone used in discontinued medical treatments contained seeds of a protein implicated in Alzheimer's disease, and are able to seed amyloid pathology in mice.

The research, published in Nature, follows on from the team's 2015 study that found evidence of amyloid pathology in people who had developed Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) following treatments with human growth hormone extracted from large pools of pituitary glands removed from deceased individuals at autopsy.

Amyloid pathology involves a build-up of brain proteins known to cause Alzheimer's disease.

This new research confirms that certain batches of this hormone did indeed contain seeds of the amyloid beta protein and found, in a new experimental study, that the hormone batches transmitted amyloid pathology to laboratory mice.

The findings support the team's hypothesis that amyloid beta was accidentally transmitted to patients via this long since discontinued medical treatment.

"Our earlier study found that some individuals who developed CJD many years after treatment as children with cadaver-derived human pituitary growth hormone also had deposits in the brain of a type of aberrant protein characteristic of Alzheimer's disease," said the study's lead author, Professor John Collinge (MRC Prion Unit and UCL Institute of Prion Diseases).

"We suggested that the human growth hormone - which prior to 1985 was prepared from human tissue - may have been contaminated with seeds of this material as well as the prions causing CJD. Our latest findings now confirm that some archived batches of this hormone did indeed contain seeds of the amyloid beta protein found in Alzheimer's disease.

"It is most important to emphasise that there is no suggestion in our work that you can catch Alzheimer's disease (or indeed CJD) by contact with a person with the disease. Our findings highlight the need to do further research in this area."

The 2015 findings linked childhood growth hormone injections transfusions to amyloid pathology in adults, by studying autopsied brains from eight people who had died from CJD.

All eight people whose cases were described in the 2015 paper had previously been treated with cadaveric pituitary-derived human growth hormone (c-hGH), which up until 1985 had been used to treat various causes of short stature before concerns were raised about transmission of the prions (seeds of misshapen prion protein) that cause CJD. The use of cadaveric c-hGH was then discontinued and replaced with synthetic hormone that did not carry the risk of transmitting CJD.

Six of the people who died were found to have amyloid pathology in brain tissue, four of whom also had some degree of cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), a disease involving the build-up of amyloid beta in blood vessels in the brain (which can cause bleeding in the brain). CAA is also seen to some degree in most patients with Alzheimer's disease. None of these CJD patients had developed the full picture of Alzheimer's disease at the time of their death from CJD.

For the current study, the research team tracked down some of the batches of c-hGH that the patients had been treated with and tested them, finding that some of the samples did in fact have significant levels of amyloid beta proteins (implicated in both CAA and Alzheimer's) and tau proteins (implicated in Alzheimer's disease).

A diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease requires detection of both aberrant proteins, amyloid beta and tau.

The researchers then tested whether this material was capable of seeding pathology by injecting samples from the hormone vials into laboratory mice that had been genetically modified to be prone to the amyloid beta pathology seen in Alzheimer's disease (the mice used in the study were not prone to tau).

The mice that had been inoculated with the contaminated growth hormone samples showed clear seeding of amyloid pathology in their brains and developed CAA within less than a year, just like mice that had been injected with tissue from patients with typical Alzheimer's disease in another part of this study. Groups of the same mice that had been injected with synthetic growth hormone or normal brain tissue as controls showed no such patterns.

The findings demonstrate that the original c-hGH batches contained amyloid beta proteins that can seed amyloid pathology in mice, even after decades of storage.

"We have now provided experimental evidence to support our hypothesis that amyloid beta pathology can be transmitted to people from contaminated materials," said Professor Collinge.

"We cannot yet confirm whether medical or surgical procedures have ever caused Alzheimer's disease itself in people, or how common it might be to acquire amyloid pathology in this way."

"It will be important to review risks of transmission of amyloid pathology by other medical procedures still done today, including instruments used in brain surgery, drawing on other research and what we already know about accidental CJD transmission," he added.

"While we are concerned about what this could mean about how amyloid pathology might be transmitted, we also aim to understand more about the cause and consequences of amyloid beta deposition in the brain and its relationship to tau aggregation, the other hallmark for Alzheimer's disease," said co-author Dr Silvia Purro (UCL Institute of Prion Diseases).

Dr Rob Buckle, Chief Science Officer at the Medical Research Council, which funded the study, said: "This study provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the role of amyloid in Alzheimer's disease. However, these experiments were in mice predisposed to develop Alzheimer's disease pathology and there is currently no evidence that AD can be transmitted between people."

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The study was principally funded by the Medical Research Council with support from the National Institute for Health Research, and involved researchers at the MRC Prion Unit at UCL, UCL Institute of Prion Diseases; Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School; and RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Japan.
This year's Nobel Prize in Physics, awarded for discoveries in laser physics, recognizes optical tweezers. Now researchers from the University of Gothenburg have developed a method that greatly simplifies and improves the use of optical tweezers.

"The idea came to me during a visit to the National Autonomous University of Mexico last year. It turned out that the lab there already had all the data needed to prove that this new method worked," says Giovanni Volpe, a senior lecturer at the Department of Physics, University of Gothenburg.

Optical tweezers were discovered in the late 1980s. They can be described as light beam fingers that can take hold of particles, atoms, molecules and even bacteria and other living cells. The technique consists of an optical laser with the ability to hold onto a single cell, for example, without damaging it. This makes it possible to make very precise measurements.

Improving methods of measurement

The challenge in using optical tweezers has been the need to calibrate the optical laser exactly. Researchers using optical tweezers need to know exactly what they want to look at, and in what way, to make the precise settings required before the measurements begin.

With the new discovery currently being published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature Communications, the technique will now be considerably easier to use.

"We have managed to develop a method of measurement that is more accurate, but that uses 10 times less data and is 100 times faster than the methods currently available," says Giovanni Volpe. "The method is completely automated and does not require any pre-set parameters to work."

Can be used in the pharmaceutical industry

With this method, optical tweezers can now be moved out of the physics laboratory and be used in pharmaceutical research.

"Personally, what I find most exciting about the new method is the possibility of studying systems that are not in equilibrium, systems that are in flux," says Volpe. "We will be able to measure phenomena we knew about before but have not been able to see."

According to the researchers, optical tweezers can now be used in biological applications to measure extremely small forces. The method also makes it possible to analyse what are known as extended force fields.

Laura Perez Garcia, who is listed as the lead author in the Nature Communications article, has now joined the Department of Physics at the University of Gothenburg as a doctoral student.

"I am proud to announce this discovery. The results are due to good international cooperation, which has also led me to move to Gothenburg and become part of Giovanni Volpe's research team," says Perez Garcia.

Facts: optical tweezers

The tool was invented by Arthur Ashkin and represents a realisation of his science fiction dream - to use the force field of light to move physical objects. When Arthur Ashkin successfully used laser light to push small particles towards the midpoint of the beam and keep them there, optical tweezers were born. A major breakthrough came in 1987, when Ashkin captured live bacteria with the tweezers without damaging them. He immediately began using the tweezers to study biological systems. Today optical tweezers are widely used within the research community.

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Contact: Giovanni Volpe, Department of Physics at the University of Gothenburg, telephone: +46 (0)31-786 91 37, mobile: +46 (0)70 996 61 81, e-mail: giovanni.volpe@physics.gu.se

Name of the article: High-Performance Reconstruction of Microscopic Force Fields from Brownian Trajectories

Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-07437-x
Population data for European mountain birds have been for the first time combined in a recent study, with worrying results: the abundances of mountain-specialist birds has declined by as much as 10% in the 2000s.

Ecological communities in mountain areas include species not found in any other habitats. These species are also very susceptible to climate change, as global warming is reducing their liveable habitats. In principle, species may relocate further up the mountains, but closer to the top their habitat inevitably shrinks.

According to the new article, the abundance of European mountain birds has in fact declined in line with climate change projections.

The recently released study examined the population trends of 44 bird species in the 2000s in the mountain and fell regions of Fennoscandia, Great Britain, the Alps and the Iberian Peninsula. A decline was seen in 14 of the observed species, while eight of them saw significant increase.

"On average, population decline among the species studied was 7% over the 13-year research period, making the situation of mountain birds distinctly worse compared to, for example, European forest birds, whose numbers did not change during the same period," explains Aleksi Lehikoinen, an Academy of Finland research fellow at the Finnish Museum of Natural History Luomus (part of the University of Helsinki), who headed the study.

The situation is the direst for species that only inhabit mountain regions and are unable to live in other European environments. For these species, known as mountain specialists, the numbers dwindled by as much as 10% during the monitoring period.

Changes in land use also threaten mountain birds

Regional differences were noted in the population trends of mountain birds, their numbers significantly dropping in Finland, Sweden and Norway, as well as on the Iberian Peninsula. In Great Britain and the Alps, the numbers remained more stable.

"In addition to climate change, an abundance of mountain birds are affected by human land use. For example, on the Iberian Peninsula the reduction of grazing on mountain fields may result in afforestation, which in turn will lead to a decline among mountain species inhabiting open terrain," notes Paivi Sirkia, a research coordinator at Luomus.

Indeed, the researchers emphasise the importance of carrying on the monitoring and research to determine regional causes of the trend. Monitoring mountain birds is more challenging than that of birds living in low-lying areas.

"The bird count target species often live far from human settlements, which is why we are particularly appreciative of the contribution made by volunteer bird-watchers," Sirkia notes.

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The study was carried out in collaboration between 12 countries as part of a Europe-wide bird monitoring network. The results were published in the esteemed international journal Global Change Biology.
Using miniature sensors strapped to bats, researchers tracked the animals' locations and calls to determine whether they searched for food alone or with others

Humans aren't the only species that have dinner parties. Scientists have observed many animals, including bats, eating in groups. However, little was known about whether bats actively help each other find food, a process known as social foraging.

With the help of novel miniature sensors, an international group of biologists that included University of Maryland Biology Professor Gerald Wilkinson found that bat species foraged socially if their food sources were in unpredictable locations, such as insect swarms or fish schools. In contrast, bats with food sources at fixed locations foraged on their own and did not communicate with one another while foraging or eating. The results of the study were published in the November 19, 2018 issue of the journal Current Biology.

"We were able to show that bats who can't predict where their food will be are the ones that cooperate with each other to forage," Wilkinson said. "And I don't think they are unique--I think that if more studies are done, we will find that other bat species do similar things."

The researchers selected five bat species from around the world for the study--two species with unpredictable food sources and three with predictable food sources. They fit each bat with a small, lightweight sensor that operated for up to three nights. Because the sensor only weighed approximately 4 grams, it did not hinder the bat's movements. The sensor recorded GPS data to log each bat's flight path and audio in ultrasonic frequencies to document bat calls. The researchers recaptured each bat to download the data. In all, the researchers tracked 94 bats in this study.

Edward Hurme, a UMD biological sciences graduate student in Wilkinson's laboratory and a co-lead author of the paper, tracked one of the bat species--the Mexican fish-eating bat, which lives on a remote Mexican island.

"We took a fishing boat to an uninhabited island where these bats live and camped there for a month at a time," Hurme said. "Field work can be challenging. One time, a hurricane came and all we could do was hide in the tent. Fortunately, we survived and so did our data."

After collecting data on all five bat species, the researchers charted the bats' flight paths and analyzed the audio recordings. They listened for the distinctive, species-specific calls the bats make during normal flight and when trying to capture prey. The research team used this information to map where and when the bats found and ate food and whether other bats were nearby.

The results showed that the three species of bats that eat predictable food sources, such as fruits, foraged on their own. When they found food, they also ate alone. This makes sense, according to Wilkinson, because they didn't need any help finding food. In fact, having other bats around could create harmful competition for food.

In contrast, the two species of bats with unpredictable food sources often flew together with other members of their species. Moreover, when a tracked bat found prey, other individuals nearby also began to forage. The findings suggest that these bats forage cooperatively and socially within their own species.

The researchers also found that socially foraging bats may eavesdrop on one another by staying close enough to hear each other's feeding calls.

"We tested this hypothesis by playing recordings of white noise, normal calls and feeding calls for these bats to hear," Hurme said. "We found that bats who heard normal calls became more attracted to the speakers than those who heard white noise. And when we played feeding calls, bats dive-dombed the speakers."

The next step for this research is to investigate what strategies bats use in social foraging. In particular, Hurme hopes to discover whether these bats pay attention to the identity of their fellow foragers.

"We would like to know if socially foraging bats will follow any member of their own species or if they prefer specific individuals who are the most successful at finding food," Hurme said. "There is some evidence that bats can recognize each other by voice, so we are working on ways to identify individuals by their calls."

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The research paper, "Resource Ephemerality Drives Social Foraging in Bats," Katya Egert-Berg, Edward R. Hurme, Stefan Greif, Aya Goldstein, Lee Harten, Luis Gerardo Herrera M., Jose Juan Flores-Martinez, Andrea T. Valdes, Dave S. Johnston, Ofri Eitan, Ivo Borissov, Jeremy Ryan Shipley, Rodrigo A. Medellin, Gerald S. Wilkinson, Holger R. Goerlitz and Yossi Yovel, was published in the journal Current Biology on November 19, 2018.

This work was supported by the European Research Council (ERC) (Award No. ERC-2015-StG - 679186_GPS-Bat), the Office of Naval Research (Award No. N62909-16-1-2133), Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (National Council of Science and Technology) (Award No. 237774), the National Geographic Society (Award No. 9705-15), The Explorers Club Exploration Fund--Mamont Scholars Program, the Animal Behavior Society, the Tower Foundation (Award No. 034-1500-0508), the German Research Foundation (Award No. GO2091/2-1) and the Minerva Foundation. The content of this article does not necessarily reflect the views of these organizations.

Media Relations Contact: Irene Ying, 301-405-5204, zying@umd.edu

University of Maryland

College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences

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http://www.cmns.umd.edu

@UMDscience

About the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences

The College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences at the University of Maryland educates more than 9,000 future scientific leaders in its undergraduate and graduate programs each year. The college's 10 departments and more than a dozen interdisciplinary research centers foster scientific discovery with annual sponsored research funding exceeding $175 million.
The first PhD student to graduate from the University of Otago's Centre for International Health (CIH) has been named the most influential woman in the education and training sector of business and government in part of Africa.

Dr Onalenna Seitio-Kgokgwe, who is now the Country Director in the Institute of Development Management (IDM) in Botswana, studied at the University of Otago between 2008 and 2012.

She received the award of 2018-2019 country winner for the South African Development Community, North, from the South-African based company CEO Global.

Strongly committed to improving the health systems and other sectors in her country, Dr Seitio-Kgokgwe provides strategic leadership and direction to the IDM campus in Botswana in the areas of training, research and consulting.

She says the award recognises the leadership role of women and their contribution to society and the economies of their countries have been undermined, undervalued, unnoticed and unreported.

The award opens up opportunities to a whole new world of collaborations and networks for her and will inspire others, she says.

A registered nurse, midwife and nurse practioner, Dr Seitio-Kgokgwe graduated with a PhD in Public Health through the CIH in the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine at the Dunedin School of Medicine.

Her thesis examined the organisational structure of the Botswana Ministry of Health and she says the qualification from Otago has contributed tremendously in her career.

"Firstly, the breadth of my PhD thesis opened my horizon in life. I emerged from this study with a broad understanding of issues not only in public health which was my area of study but rather in a broader economic context," Dr Seitio-Kgokgwe says.

"The skills I acquired for my PhD in public health are transferable; self management and leadership, analysis and problem solving, thought leadership, networking, research and information skills, interpersonal and team working," she says.

"I have used these skills to broaden my sphere of influence, moving from a purely public health environment to a diverse environment that contributes to socio-economic development in a much broader sense".

Dr Seitio-Kgokgwe was co-supervised by Professors Robin Gauld and Philip Hill , both of whom remember her as a hard-working, organised and dedicated student, with clear leadership abilities.

Professor Hill says she was an outstanding student. "It has also been a privilege for both of us to keep in touch with her since she returned home and to follow her ongoing development. She has published well from her PhD and has continued to be active in research, while developing into a substantial public health leader".

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Since graduating, Dr Seitio-Kgokgwe has been back to the University of Otago to attend a Global Health Institute conference.

For more information, contact:

Professor Robin Gauld

Dean and Pro Vice Chancellor, School of Business

University of Otago

mailto:robin.gauld@otago.ac.nz

DDI: +64 3 479 8632

Mobile: +64 29 777 3131

Professor Philip Hill

Co-Director, Centre for International Health

Department of Preventive and Social Medicine

University of Otago

DDI: +64 3 479 9462

Mobile: +64 21 279 7214

philip.hill@otago.ac.nz

Maureen Lloyd

Communications adviser (Health Sciences)

University of Otago

DDI: +64 3 479 4144

Mobile: +64 21 279 4144

maureen.lloyd@otago.ac.nz
Quantum biology, a young and increasingly popular science genre, isn't as new as many believe, with a complicated and somewhat dark history, explain the founders of the world's first quantum biology doctoral training centre.

In a paper published by the Royal Society journal, Proceedings A, Professors Johnjoe McFadden and Jim Al-Khalili from the University of Surrey trace the origins of quantum biology as far back as the late 1920s when the Danish physicist, Niels Bohr, delivered an influential lecture on whether the then new 'atomic theory' could help solve the mystery of life.

In their paper, The origins of quantum biology, McFadden and Al-Khalili examine nearly 100 years of pioneering and improbable questions about the relationship between the fuzzy and almost magical world of quantum physics and the rigid and organised field of biology.

Quantum biology seeks to understand whether quantum mechanics plays a role in biological processes. Recent research has already shown phenomena such as photosynthesis, respiration, bird navigation and even the way we think are all influenced by quantum mechanics.

Earlier this year, Professors McFadden and Al-Khalili opened the doors to their new Doctoral Training Centre for Quantum Biology. The centre, which is supported by the Leverhulme Trust, trains a new generation of scientists who can operate across the boundaries of biology, chemistry and quantum physics to pioneer research in quantum biology.

Johnjoe McFadden, Professor of Molecular Genetics and Co-Director of the Centre for Quantum Biology at the University of Surrey, said: "Quantum biology is wrongly regarded as a very new scientific discipline, when it actually began before the Second World War. Back then, a few quantum physicists tried to understand what was special about life itself and whether quantum mechanics might shed any light on the matter. In this paper we tell the story of how it all began and why it is only now making a comeback."

Jim Al-Khalili, Professor of Physics and Co-Director of the Centre for Quantum Biology at the University of Surrey, said: "With the University of Surrey now hosting the world's first doctoral training centre in quantum biology and training PhD students in this interdisciplinary field, we felt it was a good time tell the world something about its origins.

"We had wanted to lay out the history of quantum biology as far back as 2015, when Johnjoe and I wrote our popular science book, Life on the Edge, which has already been translated into 16 languages and was shortlisted for the Royal Society Winton Book Prize."

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"The UCL-Lancet Commission on Migration and Health: the health of a world on the move" refutes groundless narratives about migrants, including:

The myth that "migrants are disease-carriers that pose a risk to resident populations"

The myth that "migrants are a burden on health services"

The myth that "migrants have too many children"

The myth that "high-income countries are being over-whelmed by migrants"

The myth that "migrants damage economies".

The protection of public health and cost-savings are often cited as reasons to deny migrants entry, restrict access to healthcare, or detain people unlawfully. Yet, as the report lays out (with new international data and analysis), the available evidence does not support the most common myths about migration and health. Furthermore, these myths ignore the important contribution of migration to global economies.

Scroll down to read a fact sheet entitled. "Myths about migration and health not supported by the available evidence".

The Commission strongly advocates that migration urgently be treated as a core determinant of health and well-being and that it be addressed as a global health priority of the 21st century. Migration and global health are both defining issues of our time, according to the Commission. How the world addresses human mobility will determine public health and social cohesion for decades to come.

The Commission is the result of a two-year project led by 20 experts from 13 countries - including South Africa - and represents the most comprehensive review of the available evidence to date.

The report, including its recommendations to improve the public health response to migration, was launched on 8 December at the UN Intergovernmental Conference to adopt the Global Compact for safe, orderly and regular migration, in Marrakech.

MIGRATION AND HEALTH IN AFRICA

Wits University Professor Steve Tollman, director and co-founder of the MRC/Wits Agincourt Unit, serves as a commissioner. He is one of just two African country commissioners along with Dr Nyovani Madise, Director of Research and Development Policy and Head of the Malawi Office of the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP).

"The report is a systematic assessment of evidence and understanding about migration, based on already published work," says Tollman, who co-authored a paper in the report, "Global patterns of mortality in international migrants: a systematic review and meta-analysis".

The South African launch of the UCL-Lancet report is scheduled for March 2019.

"In the South African context, we have a massive gap in understanding internal migration. There are profound data gaps in an area where opinion, perception, and political advantage tend to take precedence," says Tollman.

"Through the Lancet process, we seek to bring data and evidence to bear, to both counter prevailing myths and highlight the need to strengthen our understanding - which, in the South African and regional arena, relates directly to internal, often labour, migrants."

The critical question is how labour migrants access good public healthcare wherever they are. This is consistent with South Africa's move towards the National Health Insurance and the promotion of public health.

"Clearly, we want to take care of our citizens but clearly, we want to take care of others who cared for us pre-1990s. Resources are finite but the answer is simply not to reject those who are not 'us'. Universal health coverage does not mean, 'but not if you're not one of us'," says Tollman.

FACT SHEET: MYTHS ABOUT MIGRANTS AND HEALTH NOT SUPPORTED BY THE AVAILABLE EVIDENCE

Are high-income countries being overwhelmed by migrants? Discussions about migration often focus on rising numbers of people crossing international borders and overwhelming high-income countries, but changes in migration are more complex. Although international migration receives the most political and public attention, most movement globally is internal migration. A quarter of all migrants (an estimated 258 million people) are international migrants. In the past four decades, the percentage of the world's population that is considered an international migrant has changed very little - from 2.9% in 1990 to 3.4% in 2017 globally. Most international migrants are labour migrants (approximately 65%) - and a much smaller proportion are refugees and asylum seekers. While high-income countries have seen a greater rise in the percentage of international migrants (from 7.6% in 1990 to 13.4% in 2017), they are more likely to be students who pay for their education or labour migrants who are net contributors to the economy. Refugees make up a larger proportion of the total population in low-income countries compared to high-income countries (0.7% vs 0.2%). Are migrants damaging economies? An overwhelming consensus of evidence exists on the positive economic benefits of migration, which is insufficiently acknowledged. In advanced economies, each 1% increase in migrants in the adult population increases the gross domestic product per person by up to 2%. Additionally, migration contributes to global wealth distribution. Migrants sent an estimated US$613 billion to their families at origin in 2017. Approximately three quarters of these remittances are to low- and middle-income countries - an amount three times larger than official development assistance. Are migrants a burden on health services? Migrants constitute a substantial proportion of the health care workforce in many high-income countries. Rather than being a burden, migrants are more likely to bolster services by providing medical care, teaching children, caring for older people, and supporting understaffed services. In the UK, 37% of doctors received their medical qualification in another country. A new, comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis concludes that international migrants in high-income countries have lower rates of mortality compared to general populations across the majority of disease categories. This study used mortality estimates on more than 15.2 million migrants from 92 countries and found that international migrants had lower rates of deaths for cardiovascular, digestive, endocrine, neoplasms, nervous and respiratory diseases, mental and behavioural disorders and injuries than people in the general population in the receiving country. There was no evidence of a difference for blood, genitourinary, or musculoskeletal disorders. The only two exceptions were for infections such as viral hepatitis, tuberculosis, and HIV, and external causes, such as assault, where migrants had increased rates of mortality. However, as the report also highlights, several studies (e.g., on tuberculosis) have shown that the risk of transmission of infections is elevated only within migrant communities, and is negligible in host populations. The findings are most likely to apply to international migrants in high income countries who are studying, working, or have joined family members in these countries. Vulnerable groups, such as refugees, asylum seekers, and undocumented migrants, may have different health needs, but, as the authors note, rather than form policies based on exceptions, evidence about the health benefits of migration should be at the forefront of decisions. Are migrants disease carriers that pose risks to resident populations? The stereotype of migrants as disease carriers is perhaps one of the most prevalent, and the most harmful. However, there is no systematic association between migration and importation of infectious diseases, and the evidence shows that the risk of transmission from migrating populations to host populations is generally low. Studies on tuberculosis suggest that the risk of transmission is elevated within migrant households and communities, but not in host populations. Migrants may come from regions with higher disease burden, especially if they come from regions of conflict, with weak public health systems. However, illness and infection can also be acquired or during transit - for example, air travel can facilitate the rapid spread of infection. Indeed, mainly international travel, tourism, and the movement of livestock, rather than migration drove recent examples of spread of resistant pathogens. Strong public health systems are needed to prevent outbreaks of disease, whether associated with migration or not. Do migrants have higher fertility rates than among host populations? Populist rhetoric often claims that migrants have many more children than host populations. The Commission collates data from several long-term studies that suggest the birth rates among migrants are barely at the level of population replacement (2.1 births per woman) and often falling. A study of six European countries found that fertility rates among migrant women were, in general, lower than host populations. Studies in India and Ethiopia, for example, have shown that internal migrants are more likely to use contraception than host populations. Ensuring access to services is key to ensuring the sexual and reproductive healthcare of migrant women and girls.

UNFOUNDED MYTHS ARE HARMFUL TO INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY

Unfounded myths about migration have wide-ranging impacts on how migrants are treated within society. Despite evidence that migrants have positive health benefit to societies, many men and women who migrate are subjected to laws, restrictions, and discrimination that put them at risk of ill health. Protection of the public is often invoked as a reason for the denial of entry, detention or deportation, but too often, these policies leave migrants facing worse health situations.

The Commission calls for governments to improve migrants' access to services, strengthen migrants' right to health and tackle the wider determinants of migrant health, including taking a zero-tolerance approach to racism and discrimination.

Restricting entry based on health status is increasingly common. In Australia, permanent residency application can be rejected because the applicant has a health condition - the five most common reasons were intellectual or functional impairment, HIV, cancer and renal disease. Thirty-five countries have imposed some form of travel ban on people with HIV. Too often, policies are not based on the overall contribution of migrants to host societies, but only in terms of costs to the state. Restrictions on entry or deportation for diseases with low risk of casual transmission are impermissible on both public health and human rights grounds.

Linking health status to migration enforcement also reinforces distrust in the health profession, and Iimits migrants' ability to access health care on a non-discriminatory basis. The fear of deportation can mean migrants will not seek health care or assistance when needed, hindering individual and public health. In practice, health-related enforcement regimes can pressure health workers to act as immigration control agents. The Commission points to a growing trend of states limiting access to health care for migrants, despite commitments to provide "health for all."

States are increasingly treating unauthorised border crossings as a criminal offence, leading to detention, at times indefinitely. Indefinite offshore detention of migrants on Nauru Island was introduced as an immigration policy in Australia in 2013, and the USA recently announced a zero-tolerance policy, resulting in migrants arrested or jailed and children separated from their parents. Detention poses clear violations of international law, and findings from a systematic review of 38 studies shows that detention is associated with negative health outcomes, especially mental health.

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Unlike the more common Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia tends to afflict young people. It accounts for an estimated 20 percent of all cases of early-onset dementia. Patients with the illness typically begin to suffer memory loss by their early 60s, but it can affect some people as young as their 40s, and there are no effective treatments.

In an effort to better understand the condition, an international team of researchers, led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has found that a lone mutation in a single gene that causes an inherited form of frontotemporal dementia makes it harder for neurons in the brain to communicate with one another, leading to neurodegeneration.

The new findings zero in on the MAPT gene. That gene makes a protein called tau, which also has been associated with cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease. Identifying the downstream effects of the mutation could help identify new treatment targets for frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer's disease and other tau-related illnesses, including Parkinson's disease.

The study is published Dec. 13 in the journal Translational Psychiatry.

"We have demonstrated that we can capture changes in human cells cultured in a dish that also are appearing in the brains of individuals suffering with frontotemporal dementia," said Celeste M. Karch, PhD, an assistant professor of psychiatry and one of the study's senior authors. "Importantly, the approach we are using allows us to zero in on genes and pathways that are altered in cells and in patient brains that may be influenced by compounds already approved by the FDA. We want to evaluate whether any of these compounds could prevent memory loss, or even restore memory, in people with frontotemporal dementia by improving the function of these pathways that have been disrupted."

Karch, with co-senior author Carlos Cruchaga, PhD, an associate professor of psychiatry, and the other co-senior author, Oscar Harari, PhD, an assistant professor of psychiatry, gathered skin samples from patients with frontotemporal dementia who were known to have a specific mutation in the MAPT gene.

The researchers then converted the patients' skin cells into induced pluripotent stem cells, which have the ability to grow and develop into any cell type in the body. The researchers treated these stem cells with compounds that coaxed them to grow and develop into neurons, which also had the MAPT mutation. Then, using gene-editing technology called CRISPR, the researchers eliminated the mutation in some neurons but not others and observed what happened.

"We found differences in genes and pathways related to cellular communication, suggesting the mutation alters neurons' ability to communicate," said Cruchaga. "The initial mutation in MAPT is the key change that starts the disease, and it is a potential target for therapy, but there are other genes downstream from the MAPT gene that also are good targets that may be used to treat the disease."

In neurons with the mutation, the researchers found alterations in 61 genes, including genes that make GABA receptors on brain neurons. GABA receptors are the major inhibitory receptors in the brain, and they are key to several types of communication between brain cells.

The researchers identified similar disruptions in genes that make GABA receptors when they did experiments in animal models and analyzed brain tissue from patients who had died with frontotemporal dementia. They also looked at findings from a genomewide association study of more than 2,000 patients with frontotemporal dementia and more than 4,000 without the disorder. That analysis also pointed to GABA-related genes as potential targets.

"Using our stem cell-derived neurons, we have the opportunity, in human tissue, to target some of those GABA genes in advance of the neurodegeneration we see in the postmortem tissue we study," said Harari. "So, at least in cell cultures, we can learn whether potential therapies prevent the damage caused by inherited forms of frontotemporal dementia."

And by studying rare, inherited forms of brain diseases, the researchers believe they will learn a great deal about how to treat the more common forms of those disorders.

"Genetic forms of frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease are caused by rare mutations," Cruchaga said. "But they have much in common with the more typical cases of those diseases. If we understand these cases caused by inherited mutations, we also should better understand the common forms of these diseases."

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Jiang S, et al. Integrative system biology analyses of CRISPR-edited iPSC-derived neurons and human brains reveal deficiencies of presynaptic signaling in FTLD and PSP. Translational Psychiatry, published online Dec. 13, 2018.

This work was supported by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Grant numbers K01 AG046374, R01 AG056923, R01 AG044546, P01 AG003991, RF1 AG053303, R01 AG052501, U01 AG05241102, U01AG058922, P50 AGB05681, P01 AG03991and P01 AG026276, and the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer's Network, DIAN UF1AG032438. Additional funding from the Tau Consortium, the Alzheimer Association, the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Raul Carrea Institute for Neurological Research, the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, AMED, and the Korea Health Technology R&D project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute.

Washington University School of Medicine's 1,500 faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's hospitals. The School of Medicine is a leader in medical research, teaching and patient care, ranking among the top 10 medical schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.
Tight Range Forecast to Give Way to Upside Break for EUR/USD

While a lot of investors focus has been held by on-going Brexit turmoil and US-China high stakes trade talks in terms of mid to long-term market implications, key developments in Europe and today's ECB policy statement could open the door to Euro-to-dollar exchange rate gains says Saxo Banks head of FX strategy, John Hardy.

The ECB is widely expected to maintain both the main refinancing rate and the overnight rate at 0.0% and -0.4% respectively in todays rate statement. A confirmation of the end to QE is also expected alongside clarification on future accommodative monetary policies. Overall, President of the European Central bank is expected to strike an extremely dovish tone to allay concerns over tightening policies just when the Eurozones economy seems to be slowing down.

Hardy comments, The ECB today looks a non-event, with political developments in the drivers seat across Europe now.

While Italian budgetary concerns remain, negotiations are striking an increasingly conciliatory tone as the Italian government try to avoid the implementation of excessive deficit procedures. The latest revised budget proposes running a deficit of 2.05% of GDP versus the initial proposition of 2.4%.

However, as one source of tension eases others form, with the French budget now coming under scrutiny over the proposition to target growth beyond the EUs growth and stability pact threshold of 3.0%.

With rising populism across Europe, Hardy outlines Saxo Banks Euro outlook, We are increasingly open-minded on positive euro developments, if not fully on board.

One development Hardy expects in the coming weeks is a Euro US Dollar (EURUSD) rally, prompted by a combination of factors which could lead to reasonable rally in EURUSD toward 1.2000, or at least into the 1.1700-1.1800 range in the coming weeks to couple of months

Such a rally is however contingent on a combination the following circumstances with the upper four holding the most weight.

Stable or lower Italian BTP YieldsA continuing alleviation of US-China trade tensions, softening the US DollarA below 25 bps Fed rate hike or no hike at allA spike in risk appetite in response to a Fed shift towards neutral monetary policyTrump shuts down the government over the border wall funding spatDelays in the Brexit or an increasing likelihood of a second referendum

Taking a look at the technical set up, Hardy comments, Something has to give here as weve traded in a very tight range for over a month and spent the overwhelming majority of the last seven months in the 1.1300-1.1800 range

Above: Euro US Dollar (EURUSD) Exchange Rate

He does however concede that downside risks may also present themselves in the event the above circumstances fail to come to fruition or even head in the opposite direction, namely an ugly turn in US-China negotiations, higher EU existential risks and an ugly deterioration in risk appetite could prompt a break to the downside.
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David Jacobson is a professional speaker on leadership, team building, humor and health and overcoming trauma. He is the former Chief of Social Work of the Phoenix VA where he assisted in improving their mental health system. He also is the former Social Work Manager at University Medical Center who worked with the patients and families of trauma's including the tragic shooting event in Tucson that happened at his hospital January 8th, 2011. For over 30 years David, has provided his expertise on leadership, humor and health related topics to audiences around the country and served on the Board of Directors of the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor. He has been featured internationally by various media outlets, including magazines, journals and television from London to Seoul, Korea. He is the award winning author of "The 7  Habits of Highly Humorous People."

David Jacobson suffered many losses early in his life including a diagnosis with a severe form of arthritis at 22 in 1980. Since then, he has become a living example that you can accomplish anything if you truly believe in yourself. Through his years of struggling with chronic pain, he developed humor techniques that got him through the hard times. He now teaches these skills to audiences around the country in his keynotes and workshops which as entertaining as they are educational.

His many honors include a "President's Award" from Flashnet Marketing, Inc. , A Lifetime Achievement Award and a "National Hero Overcoming Arthritis" award by the Arthritis Foundation National Office for completing a 50 mile unicycle ride at a fund raising event and the Wayne Washburn Memorial Award which reads as follows "We all need someone or something to inspire us to bring out our best. You are that someone"

For the past twenty years, Mr. Jacobson has worked as a hospital administrator in addition to his writing, speaking career. He is currently the Director of Behavioral Health Case Management at Banner University Medical Center in Tucson.

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Thursday, December 13, 2018

The Boston Globe in 2002 published a cover story highlighting widespread sexual abuse of young children by Catholic priests in the Boston area and the subsequent cover-up. The 2015 movie Spotlight." brought into focus the pushback faced by the Globe from the Church itself! The system was standing up to thwart any moves that could weaken its foundation and impact its credibility.

Fast forward to 2014 and several women come forward accusing comedian Bill Cosby of sexual misconduct and assault, during their interactions with him several years ago. The accusations had to wait one full year to gain credibility and they did when the New York Mag published a cover story interviewing 35 women who had been assaulted by Cosby. NY Mag Story

October 2017 signaled the start of the #MeToo movement when several women used social media and other channels to share stories of sexual misconduct by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstien. And when Time magazine put this picture on its front cover in December, 2017, a clear message was sent to the world  the voices had finally been heard and the end of use of power for harassment and abuse, was nigh.

Over the course of the last one year, several bigwigs like CBS Chairman, Les Moonves, CBS host Charlie Rose, NBCs Matt Lauer, actor Kevin Spacey and Androids founder Andy Rubin have had to step down from their positions when sexual harassment claims surfaced against them. In cases like Bill Cosby and US Gymnastics doctor, Larry Nassar, criminal proceedings have led to jail time.

Why did sexual harassment and sexual assault continue unchecked for so long? Why was the journey towards justice so long and arduous?

There seem to be two key reasons behind this:

1. Protection of the establishment : The Boston Catholic Priests abuse and the US Gymnastics scandal were covered up to protect an establishment. The establishment supposedly was lot bigger than the crime of sexual assault. In case of the Boston Church, the priests were transferred with the hope that the damage could be contained. But in case of Larry Nassar, a single individual  the entire establishment came to his aid to protect the reputation of the institution. The only piece that can be inferred here is that the establishment looked upon this as a scar on its reputation. The reputation was considered to be more important than the crime. And this is the prime reason why abuse continued for so long  the establishment has the ability to use its muscle to bully an individual plaintiff into submission. The individual plaintiff doesnt stand a chance before the financial and legal might of the establishment. The establishment fights before net income and taxes with a legal team thats already on its payroll. The individual fights after net income and taxes with a legal team that they can hardly afford. In both the Larry Nassar and the Catholic priests cases, the system forgot about its accountability towards the safety of the victims.

Protecting the genius/revenue generator : The cases of Matt Lauer, Charlie Rose and Android founder Andy Rubin are cases of the system being rendered helpless before a major revenue generator. Former Uber engineer Susan Fowler opened up earlier this year in a blog post about the toxic culture of workplace harassment at the company, alleging that she was sexually harassed by a male manager at Uber whose actions were brought to the attention of HR. Upper management told me that he was a high performer (i.e. had stellar performance reviews from his superiors) and they wouldnt feel comfortable punishing him for what was probably just an innocent mistake on his part, wrote Fowler. In the battle between performance and behavior, performance seems to win. And once this message is sent across, the high performers ego touches the roof and they are accorded the cloak of invincibility. A harassed individual becomes a mere mortal in front of the invincible high-performer. And every time a harassed individual is ignored, the harasser becomes bolder. This is evident from Charlie Roses audacity to walk naked in front of some of his women colleagues. Read: the Charlie Rose scandal.

However, more fascinating was Charlie Roses response to the allegations against him  All of us, including me, are coming to a newer and deeper recognition of the pain caused by conduct in the past, and have come to a profound new respect for women and their lives.." So is this an acknowledgement that before this, he didnt think women and their lives deserved respect?

The abuse and harassment would have continued unabated but for a single new variable in the equation  social media. In the past, an ordinary citizen did not have easy and unbiased access to mass media. And the victims did not have the ability to come together and communicate via a single platform. Now, you are just 280 characters away from sending a mass message on twitter!

But even after the accusations became public on social media, the establishments first response was no different than before  ignore or deny. Only when it sparked an outrage and consumers threatened to boycott the business itself, did the establishment swing into action to protect its own turf. The establishment hasnt changed yet, but the consequences to inaction have.

However, sexual harassment goes beyond women and men  it is essentially an abuse of power  either by a group of priests who have been accorded unbridled power by the institution they serve or by a prominent media anchor, who has been deemed above the law because of his ability to generate revenue for the organization.

Addressing the key issues : There are two issues that our society needs to address  respect for women in the workplace and safeguards against abuse of power.

For the first, you have to start early  very, very early.

Growing up, our parents were very particular about sending us to a co-educational school  a school where both boys and girls studied under the same roof. The aim was to ensure that when we joined the professional world, we knew how to engage and interact with our women colleagues. At school, we interacted, we debated and we realized that there was no difference in intellect and abilities across the two sexes  in short, we respected the female students in the same vein as we did the male students. Our teachers also ensured that equality was ingrained in our heads, by encouraging interaction and participation from both boys and girls. Parents and teachers have the accountability here  to ensure students graduate high school with equality and respect, ingrained in their psyche

The second issue is a systemic one  safeguards against abuse of power. Both men and women are equally likely to abuse power. This is evident from the case of California Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, recently accused of sexual harassment by her male subordinates Read: Assemblywoman accused of sexual misconduct

The core issue here is checks and balances or a lack thereof. When the accused is part of the power elite of an organization  like Android founder Andy Rubin, it is difficult to find an equally powerful neutral ally to listen to you and bring the accused to the book. The HR department in every organization is one such potential candidate, but HR ultimately reports up to the CEO  so the garb of neutrality gets thrown right out of the window by the organizational structure itself.

To prevent the problem itself, sexual harassment training is a good tool for starters. However, currently only in 4 states  New York, California, Connecticut, and Maine, are employers required to conduct sexual harassment training. So, a lack of awareness is the first issue to be addressed right away. The power elite in an organization have to be made aware that consent." loses much of its meaning when one person holds power over another.

The second, more effective way, is peer pressure. The harassment behavior of comedian Bill Cosby and CBS host Charlie Rose seemed to have been an open secret in their respective circles. If their peers had intervened and chastised them for the behavior, then possibly some victims might have been spared. Especially now, with greater awareness, it is important that the peer circle keeps everyone honest and holds itself accountable for the safety and well-being of the employees and staff. Harassment and abuse is perpetrated when the system ignores the behavior. Peers are a key element of the system and if they become an active part of the resistance, harassment and abuse in the workplace can be nipped in the bud.

Its time to send the message  if boys will be boys.", then the law will be the law." too.
Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Why Michael Cohen's 36 Month Sentence Is a Hoax

By

Larry Jay Levine

Michael Cohen Esq., Donald Trump's former lawyer and personal fixer was just handed a 36 month federal prison sentence for 9 crimes essentially consisting of "Money Laundering and Lying to Congress" by U.S. District Judge William Pauley inside a packed New York Federal Courtroom.

While to some, 36 months may seem like a "Substantial Sentence", but in the big scheme of Federal Sentencing, it's really not! As a matter of fact, if circumstances warrant, Trump's former mouthpiece can be back out on the street eating real food in around 18 months or less, and that's if he ever even goes in. Here are a couple of scenarios that need to be considered:

First off, the Feds could, and probably will, delay his reporting date to the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), as more and more people are potentially charged and ensnarled into the web of Trump related alleged crimes. The Feds have a "Snitch Tool" they use for inmates after sentencing called a Rule 35, more formerly codified as a Rule 35 under the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.

While a sentence reduction for cooperation prior to sentencing is called a 5.K1 filing, its cousin the Rule 35 lets a sentenced defendant sing like a bird after they've been sentenced and allows the judge to drop their sentence even more: To maybe even to no prison time! The Rule 35 Statute reads as follows:

Rule 35. Correcting or Reducing a Sentence

(a) Correcting Clear Error. Within 14 days after sentencing, the court may correct a sentence that resulted from arithmetical, technical, or other clear error.

(b) Reducing a Sentence for Substantial Assistance.

(1) In General. Upon the government's motion made within one year of sentencing, the court may reduce a sentence if the defendant, after sentencing, provided substantial assistance in investigating or prosecuting another person.

(2) Later Motion. Upon the government's motion made more than one year after sentencing, the court may reduce a sentence if the defendant's substantial assistance involved:

(A) information not known to the defendant until one year or more after sentencing;

(B) information provided by the defendant to the government within one year of sentencing, but which did not become useful to the government until more than one year after sentencing; or

(C) information the usefulness of which could not reasonably have been anticipated by the defendant until more than one year after sentencing and which was promptly provided to the government after its usefulness was reasonably apparent to the defendant.

Essentially, the Feds could use Cohen for years to help build cases and testify and provide substantial assistance and information on other people, and delaying his reporting the entire time. When the Feds are done charging new people and Cohen's done running his mouth and snitching on them, all the prosecutors have to do is get him back in front of Judge Pauley who can then modify his sentence to straight probation.

But let's suppose Cohen turns into a stand-up guy and decides not to rat on anyone, and he just goes inside come March 6 and does his sentence like a man. On a 36 month sentence, Cohen will owe the BOP 1,095 days of custody. If you factor in 141 days of "Goodtime" and another 180 days of "Community Custody" in a Halfway House along with home confinement, that shaves off 10 and half months of physical custody leaving about 27 months on the inside to go.

And If Cohen's lawyers were on their toes, they may have given him advice about claiming he had a drug or alcohol problem and entering the Federal Bureau of Prison's (RDAP) Residential Drug Abuse Program, which could allow him to get released up to an additional 9 months early on top of everything else. So now his 3 years of prison time have been whittled down to 18 months of custody.

With his future now securely in the hands of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, it's up to a paper pushing bureaucrat BOP designator at Federal Bureau of Prison DSCC in Grand Prairie Texas to decide as to what type of prison to send him to, and where to house him.

In order to figure all this out, the BOP designator is going to use something called a form BP-338 to score him and decide what his Custody and Level will be.

The BP-338 looks at a defendant's: Surrender Status, Criminal History, Severity of their Current Offense, Outstanding Warrants and Detainers, Months to release, Age and Education as well as if the Defendant has any Substance Abuse Issues.

In all likelihood as with most non-violent Federal Inmates who have no public safety factors, and received a light sentence, Cohen should be sent to a so called minimum security "Club Fed" Federal Prison Camp instead of being designated "behind the wire" as they say, to a low security (FCI) Federal Correctional Institution.

The differences between a minimum security camp and low security FCI for an inmate can be drastic.

Camps have no perimeter fences or armed security.

FCI's have two secure barbed wire fences with roving security patrols armed with Machine Guns.

Camp housing unit doors are never locked.

FCI inmates are locked in their housing units at night.

Camps generally house non-violent white-collar offenders.

FCI's can house bank robbers, drug dealers and those convicted of sex crimes

Camps house inmate serving up to 10 years or less.

FCI's house inmates serving 10 to 20 years.

Camps have relatively few correctional workers.

FCI's have a high ratio of staff to inmates.

Camps have few incidents of inmate on inmate violence.

FCI's are known to have stabbings, inmate on inmate violence and occasional riots.

For a man who once was once paid millions, Cohen's employment compensation will now take a step down and be valued in pennies, as the BOP only pays it inmates from 12 to 40 centers per hour. If he can manage to keep his smart mouth and arrogant attitude in check, he might just make it through his sentence without having an angry inmate knock out a few of his teeth.

Larry Levine is director and founder of Wall Street Prison Consultants. He served a ten year federal sentence at 11 Federal Correctional Facilities after being convicted of charges related to Securities Fraud, Narcotics Trafficking, Racketeering, Obstruction of Justice and Machine Guns. He has a working knowledge on how inmates with Cohen's type of crime are treated and where they are sent.

Larry Levine can be reached at 213-219-9033
San Antonio has given away more than $100 million worth of incentives to developers to build center-city housing since 2012 in the hopes that employers, retailers and residents would follow the rooftops and revitalize downtown.

Thousands of pricey apartments and condos sprung up  as intended  but not so many affordable housing units.

A year ago, Mayor Ron Nirenberg and City Council members put the brakes on the program, questioning whether the city still needed to subsidize housing downtown  and whether it should shift its focus to stimulating affordable housing.

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City staffers Wednesday gave Nirenberg and the rest of council their answer: the incentives for inner-city housing still are necessary. But they also outlined changes to a pair of programs they said would encourage the construction of more affordable housing  or housing for families making 80 percent of the areas median income or lower.

City officials cant return to running the housing incentives programs as they did before the yearlong moratorium, Nirenberg said, calling that option simply unacceptable.

These programs will probably be the most monitored and hawked programs that the city has ever undertaken just because of their high-profile nature  and the priority weve placed on affordability, but also economic development and revitalization, Nirenberg said.

The two programs spun out of then-Mayor Julian Castros push for a Decade of Downtown  an effort to attract residents, companies and new retail to the city center, long dominated by hotels and the local tourism industry.

The Inner City Reinvestment and Infill Policy, or ICRIP, waives SAWS and city fees for developers who build in low-income and undeveloped neighborhoods.

Under the Center City Housing and Incentive Policy, known as CCHIP, developers receive property tax rebates and construction loans, forgivable under certain conditions, to build housing in the urban core.

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Over the past six years, the programs have attracted at least $4.4 billion worth of investments, and the construction of at least 10,000 housing units, 230,000 square feet of retail space and 28,000 square feet of office space, according to the city. CCHIP has doled out nearly $102 million to developers since 2012.

Nearly 60 percent of all city housing development incentives, or $80.7 million, has funded market-rate housing projects in downtown San Antonio, the Pearl, the Broadway corridor and River North areas, a 2017 San Antonio Express-News analysis shows.

Among those projects was the upscale Cellars at Pearl apartment complex, where the average rent was $3.14 a square foot when it opened last year. San Antonios average rent sat at $1.16 a square foot, according to a recent report from rental-housing research firm Austin Investor Interests. The Cellars project received $3.7 million in incentives through CCHIP.

A proposed rules package presented to council members Wednesday would, among other things, limit the rent and purchase price developers could charge residents and still obtain city incentives.

Housing units for sale at $360,000 or more or apartment complexes with average rents of $2.75 a square foot or higher would not be eligible for incentives under the new proposals, Assistant City Manager Lori Houston told council members during a briefing.

If a project exceeds those figures within the first 10 years they receive incentives or tax rebates, Houston said, the city can recoup those funds from the developers, known as a claw-back provision.

But those prices still seemed high to District 4 Councilman Rey Saldana.

We shouldnt be incentivizing $200,000 a unit, Saldana said. Were not. Were going to do more than that. Were green-lighting $360,000, potentially.

Houston said the $360,000 figure is tied to the maximum loan insured by the Federal Housing Administration and is meant to give homeownership opportunities to families that want to live downtown.

We need more families (living downtown), and we need affordable product for families, and most of the condos in downtown are $500,000 or above, she said.

Under the proposal, the city would rename ICRIP to the City of San Antonio Fee Waiver Program and waive up to $250,000 in fees for affordable housing projects and up to $150,000 for owner-occupied rehabilitation, historic rehabilitation and business development projects.

OnExpressNews.com: San Antonio's Acelity may go public again

CCHIP would keep its name but undergo a substantial face-lift.

The program would be renewed for two years and adopt a three-tiered system tailoring incentives for areas in and around downtown as well as 13 regional centers included in the SA Tomorrow plan, setting density requirements and requiring a certain percentage of affordable housing units for each project.

A quarter of developers property tax bills would go toward a fund to support affordable housing projects.

District 6 Councilman Greg Brockhouse said he planned to vote for the package today, noting the citys 250,000 housing unit shortage.

In the past, Brockhouse has been a vocal critic of the citys housing incentive programs, particularly how they have continued to subsidize development around the Pearl and downtown even though developers have been building there for several years already.

We dont need to cut downtown, Brockhouse said Wednesday. We need to expand and think about how were going to build these units across the city.

Local developer David Adelman  whose downtown projects have included the renovation of the Maverick and Burns buildings on Houston Street  said he supported CCHIP in its previous form. But he acknowledged the program no longer had the political support to continue operating as before.

It really helped change some of the trends, Adelman said. It really incentivized building in the urban core, and actually worked.

Adelman, a big proponent of downtown development, said he thinks the proposed changes will lead to greater density across the city, not more suburban sprawl.

City officials have moved in recent months to combat the areas affordable housing shortage. City Manager Sheryl Sculley set aside $25 million for affordable housing programs in the citys current budget. In August, Nirenbergs Housing Policy Task Force laid out five strategies to tackle the problem, including increasing the citys investment in housing.

Community organizers with the nonpartisan grassroots coalition COPS/Metro Alliance called on council members to delay todays vote, blasting CCHIP as a piggy bank for developers that produces little affordable housing.

Developers will reap the benefits of these incentives, Linda Davila of COPS/Metro Alliance said at a news conference outside the Municipal Plaza Building. But where are the protections and incentives for homeowners and businesses in the communities impacted by the new development?

The city Neighborhood and Housing Services Department is scheduled to present a strategy to council members early next year to help residents and businesses displaced by developments that have received city incentives, changing neighborhoods, eviction and homelessness.

Joshua Fechter is a San Antonio-based staff writer covering retail and tourism. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | jfechter@express-news.net | Twitter: @JFreports
Its tough to keep penguin bellies clean.

Lucian Hernandez, who created the penguin puppets for Magik Theatres staging of Mr. Poppers Penguins, found that out the hard way. Director Carolyn Dellinger had wanted the penguins  transplanted from their native habitat in the South Pole to the humble Minnesota home of Mr. and Mrs. Popper  to slide across the floor at one point in the show.

It was a cool idea  It looked great, he said  so Hernandez tried to figure out how to make it work while also keeping the puppets tummies white.

Long story short: He couldnt.

I tried different stain guards, but this kind of material picks up any dirt, he said.

And so, in the scene, the puppeteers dip the penguins so they kind of skim the stage without touching it.

The play is based on Richard and Florence Atwaters 1938 childrens book about a man fascinated by the South Pole. His fan letter to an admiral leading a mission results in the explorer sending him a penguin in a large box labeled Keep Cold. Later, when he and his wife seek a zoos advice on how to care for their house guest, the director decides to send the couple the zoos own seemingly lonely penguin. Eventually, the birds produce a little flock of their own.

Its a sweet story, well-told by a gifted a cast. But the big buzz elements are the puppets. The little jolt that shoots through the theater when the penguin emerges from the packing crate and when the baby puppets make their first appearance delight Hernandez, the theaters props master.

On ExpressNews.com: Two San Antonio-area youngsters will be in Waitress

He warned the actors about a potential side issue from working with the adult penguin puppets, which weight around 6 pounds and are about the height of a toddler: Youre going to have big Popeye forearms when you use these puppets, but theyre going to be cool.

Hernandez, 25, has been knocking around on the theater scene for a few years, building a solid reputation for well-crafted props, costume pieces and other design elements that add visual zing.

He has sometimes chipped in on projects at the Overtime Theater. He helped create some of the visual elements for writer/director Scott McDowells serial Retired, in which a superhero longing for a new life is reluctantly drawn back into fighting crime. Hernandez also contributed some scenic elements to the most recent installment of McDowells sci-fi/comedy series The Adventures of Captain Cortez and the Tri-Lambda Brigade.

He is an absolute genius and a wizard with what he does, McDowell said via email. For both shows he created and painted set pieces and accessories and the occasional costume piece to help at the superhero flavor to the world.

Hernandezs cosplay creations, beginning with a 70-pound Mad Max-inspired ensemble he built for himself, earned him some renown, as well. They also resulted in him being tabbed to create the armor for Heroes Must Die, the video game/stage play hybrid cooked up by Rick Stemm for its 2016 premiere at Northwest Vista College.

For the show, Stemm wanted armor that had the exaggerated qualities found in video games. He had an important caveat: They still need to be able to to sword fight, Stemm recalled. He said, No problem. And he created costume pieces that looked great and didnt restrict the movement of the actors. The fact that he had the aesthetics and this understanding of the practical needs  to be able to move and tumble and swing a five-foot sword  was really cool. It was an extra layer to his work.

The practicality of his Heroes Must Die pieces also can be found in his penguin puppets.

I think Lucians done such a wonderful job of making it easy to work with them, said Ginger Gamble Martel, who plays Mrs. Popper in the show. They kind of have their own personality.

On ExpressNews.com: Phantom of the Opera returns to the Majestic

Martel also worked with the puppet creation that Hernandez is proudest of: Rajah, a tiger puppet that he built for Magiks staging of Aladdin earlier this year. He pushed for a life-sized puppet rather than portraying the character with a head piece or with some other method, partly because he was looking to challenge himself and partly because he had noticed that audiences get excited when a show goes big.

He had gone in that direction for Knuffle Bunny, a musical for which his creations included an oversized costume depicting the title character, a beloved stuffed rabbit whose disappearance sparks a crisis.

When the curtains open, and you have that giant Knuffle Bunny, you get all the kids aaaahing in the audience, he said. I want to get that again with the tiger.

The fact that he had only built one other puppet  the small blue pigeon in Knuffle Bunny  didnt deter him. He kept pushing the design team  which initially had said no to the idea  and eventually, he got the go-ahead.

Which meant he had to figure out how to do it.

He worked with Katrin Blucker on the piece, inspired by a Julie Taymor design. It took a while, but he pulled it off. And he was right  audiences responded in a big way to the tiger.

It was really fun to hear the kids - Mom, look at the tiger!, said Martel, who played the role. Rajah was definitely a really cool experience.

I personally feel like Lucian is one of the most talented people Ive ever met, she said. I have so much respect for the way that he can draw something on a piece of paper and build it in a three-dimensional way that looks great and makes it easy for us to work with.

He kept the tiger puppet. It perches high over his work space, gazing down at him with fierce yellow eyes. He held onto it because hes proud of it and also because, if he ever has to make a similar puppet, hell be able to take it apart to remind himself of how he did it the first time.

Figuring out how to do things is, well, his thing. For example, everything he knows about how to build puppets, he learned on his own, studying YouTube videos and building on skills he started picking up working on construction projects as a kid with his dad.

I like to tell people I like to collect skills because I do welding and carpentry, and I do all my own sewing and draping, he said. This is the one job where I can use all of them. So its kind of perfect.

Mr. Poppers Penguins can be seen through Dec. 23 at Magik Theatre, 420 S. Alamo St. Performance times vary. Tickets range from $10 to $15 and can be purchased at magiktheatre.org and by calling 210-227-2751.

dlmartin@express-news.net | Twitter: @DeborahMartinEN
Whats going on in France?

For the past two months, a protest movement known as Gilets Jaunes (the Yellow Vests) has rocked France. The French government has considered imposing a state of emergency to prevent a recurrence of some of the worst civil unrest in more than a decade.

What are the Gilets Jaunes protesting?

The protests were started to oppose a green tax increase on gasoline and diesel fuel. The taxes are part of an environmental measure to encourage reduction in the use of fossil fuels. The protesters are demanding a freeze on these taxes because they disproportionately hurt the working class.

However, the protests have expanded to include other economic and social issues, including an increase in the minimum wage, more generous pensions, lower taxes, and easier university entry requirements.

How much was the increase in fuel taxes?

Taxes on diesel fuel have recently gone up 7 euro cents (nearly 8 U.S. cents) and 4 euro cents on gasoline (about 5 U.S. cents).

The price of diesel, the most commonly used fuel in French cars, has risen by around 23 percent over the past 12 months to an average of 1.51 euros ($1.71) per liter ($6.47 per gallon). Gasoline currently costs about 1.64 euros a liter in Paris ($7.06 per gallon).

In January France was scheduled to boost a carbon tax another 3 euro cents per liter of gas and 6 euro cents per liter on diesel.

Why are they wearing yellow vests?

For the past decade, French law has required all motorists to have a high-visibility upper-body garment within arms reach in case the driver needs to get out of an immobilized vehicle. The protestors adopted them because the are widely available and their distinctive color helps to serve as an identifying marker for the fuel protests.

How many people have participated in the protests?

According to the Interior Ministry, the number of protesters peaked last month at 282,000.

How many people have been injured, killed, and arrested?

To date, the protests have resulted in the death of six people. Approximately 1,648 others have been injured, including 552 police officers. More than 1,600 people have been taken in for questioning and 2,300 arrested.

How has the French government responded?

Frances President Emmanuel Macron has promised several concessions. He agreed to raise minimum wage by 100 euro per month starting in 2019 (a 7 percent increase), canceled a planned tax increase for low-income retirees, removed a tax on overtime pay, and said that employers would be encouraged to pay a tax-free end of year bonus to employees.

Macron refused to reintroduce the solidarity tax on wealth, though, saying this would weaken us, we need to create jobs. That solidarity tax was an annual direct wealth tax on those in France having assets in excess of 1,300,000 euros ($1.47 million).

The estimated cost of the measures is likely to be between 8-10 billion euros.

Why is France suffering from such dire economic problems?

As Samuel Gregg, the research director for the Acton Institute, explains:
Bottoms up, yall! The San Antonio Cocktail Conference is right around the corner, and weve got the hot take on everything you need to know about this years event.

These events sell out quick, and if you hope to get a sip before that sexy bottle of Japanese whiskey or fruity tiki drink runs dry, we suggest you snatch up your tickets now. The events schedule currently includes more than 80 panel discussions, tasting events, hands-on classes, grand galas and more during its Jan. 13 through Jan 20 run.

Weve scoured over the itinerary, and here are the events that at the top of our list.

One newcomer to the lineup called Women Shaking it Up: The Art of Being Awesome looks like a winner. The event is a celebration of the impact women have had in the cocktail industry in addition to business, sports, civic leadership and other roles with hands-on art activities. The party will be held from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Jan. 16 at Say Si!, with tickets at $65.

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The conference has several big signature gala-type tasting events held at night. A new one, Come and Taste It!, will be a Texas-themed party with period music and drinks for $85. It will be 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Jan. 17 inside the Battle for Texas museum at the Rivercenter.

The annual Waldorf on the Prairie event will be from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Jan. 18 at The St. Anthony hotel. Its a superb gala with all the finery and free-flowing spirits youd expect in a setting that grand, and its expanded to take over the entire first floor of the hotel this year. Tickets to that cost $100.

Lastly, dont miss a chance to sip your favorite libations at Cocktails in the Enchanted Forest from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Jan. 19 at the Villita Assembly Building, which will be decked out as an enchanted forest with even more drinks, music and revelry for $85.

As for the panels and classes, theres a ton to look forward to.

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Its another nod to the ladies with a discussion called Women in Mezcal, which will examine the many contributions women have made to mezcal production and smuggling during Mexicos prohibition. (10:30 a.m. Jan. 17, The St. Anthony hotel, $40)

Music fans will definitely want to catch beverage educator Tanisha Townsends presentation called When Cultures Collide: The Influence of Hip Hop on Wine & Spirits. The discussion will cover everything from references to specific brands in song lyrics to industry moguls penning deals with large beverage producers. (3 p.m. Jan. 18, The St. Anthony hotel, $40).

For the nerds in the room, dont miss Vacuum Chambers & Immersion Circulators. The class will get into some high-flying science technology and apply that to the bar for next-level results. (12:30 p.m. Jan. 17, The St. Anthony hotel, $40).

If its the tropics youre craving, there are a pair of discussions to get your fix. The history and evolution of Puerto Ricos bar scene will be the subject of one, Puerto Rican Bar Scene History (11 a.m. Jan. 18, St. Anthony Hotel, $40), and the classic South Pacific-inspired tiki drinks will star at another called Tiki Talk: An Exotic Afternoon of Cocktail History (2:30 p.m. Jan. 18, Gunter Hotel, $40).

And thats just scratching the surface. Find the complete schedule and ticketing information at sanantoniococktailconference.com.

Paul Stephen is a staff writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | pstephen@express-news.net | Twitter: @pjbites | Instagram: @pjstephen
For decades, two women found slain in League City have had no identity, connected only by a gruesome thread  their decomposed bodies were dumped in the same swampy field off of Interstate 45 as several other women who were found brutally murdered there some 30 years ago.

But a breakthrough in forensic DNA analysis may help League City detectives identify the skeletal remains of the two female victims, who died in 1986 and 1991 in the area off Calder Road known as the "Texas Killing Fields." They are relying on strikingly detailed composite sketches developed from DNA drawn from the two victims' bones, hoping to get the public's help in tracking down relatives of the deceased.

The advances in DNA technology have brought cautious optimism about solving two cases that have confounded local investigators for decades and yielded few suspects. League City investigators, working with Parabon NanoLabs, a DNA technology company in Virginia, have sought to piece together the physical appearance and ancestry of the two unidentified women using a new method of analysis called DNA "phenotyping."

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DNA forensics and ancestry databases were used to great effect earlier this year, when California authorities were able to locate the infamous "Golden State Killer" suspect, accused of committing more than 50 rapes and 12 murders. Authorities in that case used DNA from an old crime scene to find distant relatives with matching genetic profiles.

The "Texas Killing Fields" is a boggy, 25-acre stretch of land along I-45 where four female victims were found between 1983 and 1991, including the two unidentified women. No one has ever been convicted in connection with the four deaths.

"We think it's huge, the ability to use (phenotyping) as a tool," said League City police spokesman Kelly Williamson. "As most people know, the longer a case goes on from the date of an event, the harder it is to solve it. So our mindset is, 'Yeah this is an awesome tool but we can't jump ahead of ourselves.' Our ultimate goal right now is to find out who these people are and give closure to anybody we can."

Identifying the two female victims could lead to a suspect in the killings, Williamson said.

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Four victims, no convictions

The first of the four victims whom League City investigators are focusing on  Heide Villareal Fye, a 25-year-old waitress and bartender  left her parents' house in League City on Oct. 7, 1983, to hitch a ride to Houston to see her boyfriend. The following April, her remains were found in the clearing.

Another victim, 16-year-old Laura Lynn Miller, disappeared after using a pay phone at a nearby convenience store. Her body was found in the same clearing in February 1986. Laura Miller's father, Tim Miller, is the founder of Texas Equusearch, a search and rescue organization dedicated to searching for missing persons. He could not be reached for comment Tuesday. The remains of one of the other two female victims were found next to Laura Miler's body.

League City police have worked with Parabon to develop sophisticated renderings in hopes of solving that mystery and that of the fourth unidentified female victim.

League City investigators learned of Parabon phenotyping software two years ago, and immediately worked with them to analyze the unidentified women's DNA and make "predictions" about the color of their eyes, hair and skin, as well as freckling and the shape of their faces. These predictions were combined with a forensic facial reconstruction to create the composite Snapshot images of the victims.

The woman whose body was found next to that of Laura Miller in 1986, a Jane Doe, most likely had fair to very fair skin, blue or green eyes, blond/brown hair, few or no freckles, and a likely family origin of Tennessee, according to the DNA analysis.

Coroners estimate the woman was 22 to 30 years old and 5-foot-5 to 5-foot-8, and that she died six weeks to six months prior to being found. The woman had a small caliber gunshot wound to the back. She also had old, healed injuries that were unrelated to her death. Her left fifth and fourth ribs showed healed fractures that were likely the result of a singular event. She also had a noticeable gap in the upper portion of her front teeth.

The woman whose body was found in 1991, given the name Janet Doe, most likely had fair skin, hazel eyes, brown hair, and few or no freckles.

It is believed the woman's relatives were of Louisiana Acadian descent. Special areas of interest in Louisiana where the victim's extended family may have originated include Broussard, Lafayette Parish, New Iberia, Abbeville, Breaux Bridge, and St. Martin Parish. It is also possible she had family from Vermillion Parish, St. Landry Parish, and Assumption Parish.

Coroners estimate that that female victim was 24 to 34 years old, 5 feet to 5-foot-3 and weighed 100 to 130 pounds. She died six weeks to several months prior to being found. The woman also had numerous old, healed injuries that were unrelated to her death. Her right first and second ribs showed healed fractures at the spine; the victim had a compression injury to her upper spine in three places; her lower spine showed signs of an old, poorly healed compression injury.

Authorities believe these injuries and her poor dental condition may have been the result of a singular injury that occurred sometime prior to her killing, and that she may have had problems with her head or spinal movements as a result.

'Persons of interest'

No one has ever been convicted in connection with the deaths of the four women found in the Calder Road field, though Williamson said there are "persons of interest" in the slayings that investigators have not been able to eliminate.

The "Texas Killing Fields" became a catch-all reference for the 22 women  many teenagers  who died mysteriously in several small towns bordering I-45. The murders began in June 1971, when 13-year-old Colette Wilson went missing after getting off at a bus stop after school. She was found near Addicks Reservoir some five months later, dead from a gunshot wound to the head. All of the other victims were strangled, shot, or savagely beaten. Six of the victims were killed in pairs.

To this day, there has been only one conviction tied to the Killing Fields deaths. Kevin Edison Smith, 45, was given life in prison without parole for the 1986 murder of 13-year-old Krystal Jean Baker. Smith was linked to the crime after he was arrested in Louisiana for an unrelated incident in 2010. Smith was identified as the killer after a DNA test performed on him matched samples taken from Baker's underwear and dress.

Suspects have emerged in connection with other murders in this area over the years.

Mark Roland Stallings, who is serving two life sentences for a series of unrelated crimes, told author Kathryn Casey that he killed "Janet Doe" in 1991. Stallings said the woman was a teenage prostitute whom he strangled and dumped in the clearing off of Calder Road. Stallings remains a prime suspect in the 1991 murder and two other slayings in Fort Bend County.

Stallings has claimed at different times to different people that he picked up the girl from one of several low-budget hotels on Telephone Road just south of I-45 and took her to the Calder Road property.

In one of many rambling letters in December 2013 addressed to Jim Carroll, an ex-con who exchanged letters with Stallings for more than two years, Stallings described the female victim as "dirty blond about 5'2" or 5'3" about 115 pounds The clothes she had on (were) big because she was on crack."

Stallings worked for a man who owned the Calder Road property owner at one time  a former NASA engineer named Robert Able, who is now deceased. Stallings told KHOU-TV in a 2016 interview that after he and the young woman left the hotel, they went for a drive and he eventually strangled her with a seat belt.

Casey, who published the 2015 book "Deliver Us: Three Decades of Murder and Redemption in the Infamous I-45/Texas Killing Fields," said she took Stallings' admission to a forensic pathologist, who said it was "highly possible" that the 1991 victim died in the manner that Stallings described.

"Maybe if we can find out who the girl is, that will lead to more of an investigation into her life and find out if Mark Stallings is telling the truth when he says that he killed her," Casey said.

Another man, Clyde Edwin Hedrick  who was sentenced in 2014 to 20 years in prison after he was convicted of manslaughter in the death of Ellen Beason  was linked to the deaths of Heidi Fye and Laura Miller during his trial, but he was never charged.

A third man, William Reece, currently serving a 60-year sentence in Oklahoma for kidnapping a woman, was indicted for murder in Texas in 2017 in connection with two homicides loosely connected to the Texas Killing Fields victims. Reece was charged in the 1997 slayings of 17-year-old Jessica Cain of Tiki Island and of 12-year old Laura Smither, whose body was found near a Pasadena pond 17 days after she was abducted after leaving her home to go jogging. Reece is a suspected serial killer linked to attacks on at least seven different women across Texas. He is scheduled to be tried next year in Oklahoma on a murder charge for the 1997 killing of a young woman.

The League City Police Department is asking anyone with information that may help the investigation to call Lt. Michael Buffington at (281) 338 8220.

"These girls deserve their names back, they deserve their faces, their families deserve to know what happened to them, they deserve a grave with a stone on top of it, with a real name on top of it  a place their families can go to visit them," Casey said.

Staff writer Lise Olsen contributed to this report.

Nick Powell covers Galveston County for the Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter and send him tips at nick.powell@chron.com
Opponents of East Central Independent School Districts proposal to train volunteer teachers and staff to carry firearms as a security precaution said say they are unsatisfied with the districts attempts to provide information and avenues of input about it.

At a tense meeting that featured skeptical public feedback, the districts board last month postponed a vote on a version of the Guardian Plan, one of two state-approved options for arming school employees that lets school districts set their training standards.

Some parents and teachers were flat-out against the plan. Others said the district needed to solicit more community input. Some said a survey of 184 community members conducted before the Nov. 13 meeting  which found 80 percent in support of the plan  was inadequate for a district that enrolls more than 10,000 students.

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Superintendent Roland Toscano has since distributed a letter and set of answers to frequently asked questions about the Guardian Plan, and the district posted an online survey on its website that will be available until midnight Thursday, district spokeswoman Ashley Chohlis said.

The district sent automated phone calls to parents alerting them to the online survey, which also was posted to a district app available to parents and on its social media pages, she said.

Some parents, however, said they never got the call. Keith Keilmann, who has two children in East Central schools and opposes the plan, said he received a link to the survey texted by a friend. He sent it to two friends who favor the plan  and found they hadnt received calls about it either, he said.

A three-day survey doesnt seem like enough time for a word-of-mouth campaign, Keilmann said.

Michelle Rodriguez, who has two seventh-graders at Legacy Middle School, said she was concerned that the survey is open for anyone, whether affiliated with the district or not, to fill out as many times as they want.

You can sign that form a hundred times if you wanted, she said.

Rodriguez had been uneasy about the plan and went to the November meeting open-minded, she said, but remains opposed.

The district might extend the survey if the number of responses isnt adequate after three days, Chohlis said. She said the district limited the time to try to keep responses to district residents only but made it easily accessible, knowing there was a chance for a small percentage of responses from outside the district.

East Central is conducting a separate survey of staff, Chohlis said.

Nothing has been decided. The board of trustees asked the superintendent to study the options and determine what a plan could possibly look like in the district, she said.

East Central district leaders plan to host a panel discussion Jan. 7 with national experts on improving school safety. Trustees could schedule a vote on the plan for their Jan. 17 meeting.

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School districts have revisited ways to enhance security this year in the wake of the Santa Fe High School shooting near Houston in May and the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, in February.

A new safety plan at Santa Fe ISD does not include arming employees, noted Priscilla Garcia, a gifted and talented facilitator at East Central who is against the proposal.

We have a school district in this state that has already experienced this tragedy, and theyre not responding this way, she said.

Alamo Heights ISD surveyed parents and junior high and high school students via email and held three community meetings this fall. The survey, kept open for eight days, drew opposition to arming employees and the district is not considering it.

East Central is a far larger district, a mix of rural and suburban areas in eastern Bexar County, many of whose residents are comfortable with gun ownership, observers said.

Joe Ochoa, whose three children attend district schools, believes a majority of parents support the plan but dont want to invite backlash for defending it and are a little more apprehensive to speak because the media shames people and others (shame people) on social media.

Ochoa said he is a first responder but did not want to give his job title or where he works out of the same concern about backlash.

He said he and his neighbors favor the plan for a variety of reasons. Law enforcement response times in the sprawling district suggest a need for an on-campus readiness to confront a dangerous intruder, and employees approved under the plan would have to undergo mental health and criminal background checks as well as rigorous training, Ochoa said.

There have been too many instances of mayhem committed by someone who shouldnt have been able to buy or own a gun, like Devin Kelley in last years mass shooting in nearby Sutherland Springs.

The benefit is massive compared to not doing it, Ochoa said of the proposal. I dont want our children to be sitting ducks.

On ExpressNews.com: A school districts response to student trauma now is model for S.A.

Garcia and another East Central educator, Daryl Anderson, who teaches fine arts at Tradition Elementary School, said they would feel uneasy sharing a work space with someone who might be armed. Under the plan, the identities of armed employees would be kept confidential.

Garcia said she would 100 percent take her own children out of district schools and look for a job elsewhere if the proposal is approved, and began to cry as she spoke of her belief that trustees have made up their minds to do so.

I have to be honest, I just feel like this is said and done, and theyre doing damage control, Garcia said. It really makes me feel that my beliefs and values no longer align with the place where I work.

The district police departments average three-minute response time was calculated over fewer than 1,000 incidents between September 2017 and August 2018, Police Chief George Dranowsky Jr. said.

His nine full-time officers and four part-time officers patrol 11 campuses spread over 268 square miles. Dranowsky said he requires them to undergo more annual training than the state mandates.

This year, the district partnered with the Bexar County Sheriffs Office to have deputies help patrol the perimeters of campuses. Hours and locations vary, based on deputies availability, Dranowsky said.

About 280 school districts in Texas allow teachers and staff to be armed, said Joy Baskin, director of legal services for the Texas Association of School Boards. The association does not identify them but Baskin said they generally are smaller districts, in rural settings and without their own police departments.

Most districts considering the Guardian Plan indicate that response time is their main motivation, she said. Baskin has talked to officials at districts whose law enforcement has a response time of up to 30 minutes or as short as seven minutes.

Even in districts that have their own police, it is not typical to have an officer assigned full time to an elementary or middle school.Dranowsky would only say an officer is assigned full-time to East Centrals one high school but declined to specify the coverage at other schools.

Krista Torralva covers several school districts and public universities in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | Krista.Torralva@express-news.net | Twitter: @KMTorralva
San Antonio could have its next city manager by Feb. 1, the result of a whirlwind process of selecting the citys next top executive, widely expected to come from within the municipalitys executive staff.

Mayor Ron Nirenberg said late Wednesday that the council had put into place a process for the selection and the city would post the position on Thursday. The city will accept applications from qualified candidates through Jan. 3, he said.

If the timeline bears out, we should be appointing our next city manager in the early part of the year, likely by the end of January, he said. Ive said before  worldwide searches for the next city manager will come right back to San Antonio. I believe that will be true in this case.

Though the city will accept applications from whomever submits one, the process is clearly designed to benefit those executives who are already working at City Hall, including Erik Walsh and Peter Zanoni, the two deputy city managers.

There are great people I have in mind that I would like to see as part of the applicant pool, and so well see how that works out, Nirenberg said.

On ExpressNews.com: Choosing Sculleys successor sparks debate

Qualified candidates, the mayor said, will have experience managing multiple departments in a large city, (have) their requisite education and skillset and also someone who will have creativity and be able to innovate at the speed that cities require, someone who also has the skillset and expectation to lead this organization in a compassionate manner.

City Manager Sheryl Sculley announced in late November that she was retiring and would remain on long enough for an appropriate transition, but no later than June 30.

Nirenberg said the process of replacing her would be open and transparent, heeding calls from the public to ensure residents have a say in the matter. Ultimately, though, the decision will be made by a super-majority of the council  a requirement under Proposition B, the charter amendment approved by voters on Nov. 6 that also limits the tenure and salary of future city managers.

The council would abide by the spirit of the amendment, Nirenberg said.

No one is wanting to or is going to flout the spirit of Prop B, he said.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio voters approve Props B and C

Nirenberg also said that once the application period closes, the city would post the names of all candidates whove applied and would hold a public symposium, giving the public access to the finalist before a contract is inked.

Councilman Greg Brockhouse, widely expected to challenge Nirenberg for the mayors seat, blasted the agreed-upon process.

The discussion should have been public and on the record. In my opinion, the process decision is not attorney-client privilege, he said. But it was, and that cuts the community and media out after a clear public mandate to change the pay and power of the city manager position.

Brockhouse has long lambasted the mayor and council for what they discuss in private meetings. The Texas Open Meetings Act allows for certain topics to be discussed in executive session, though no votes may be made behind closed doors.

The councilman refuses to attend executive sessions.

Josh Baugh is a staff writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | jbaugh@express-news.net | Twitter: @jbaugh
Youd think Bexar County Democrats would collectively rejoice after this years midterm elections. After all, a blue wave actually materialized here, sweeping all contested judicial races and lifting every Democrat who ran to victory.

Instead, a month later, members of the Bexar County Democratic Party are at each others throats. At a meeting of party officials Tuesday night at Lubys on North Main Ave., security removed one particularly uncouth precinct chair, and police were called after he allegedly threatened other officials while being booted.

The most momentous clash, though, is between party chair Monica Alcantara and party secretary Garrett Mormando, the latter a so-called Manuelista who remains loyal to former chair Manuel Medina.

OnExpressNews.com: Council settles on San Antonio city manager search process

Both Alcantara and Mormando have accused the other of absconding from BCDP headquarters with sensitive documents over the weekend. On Saturday, Alcantara began relocating to a new headquarters, and she hired a locksmith to gain entry into the locked offices of Mormando and party treasurer Stephanie Carrillo to collect party documents.

Both Mormando and Carrillo have refused to allow Alcantara access to bank statements, lease agreements, tax filings and other records, she said. Inside their offices, Alcantara found these documents missing.

In the treasurers office, she found an empty safe.

When we got there, the key was in (the safe) and it was open, Alcantara said. Whatever was in there was gone.

The same could be said of the party itself.

This week, the party had just $763 in the bank yet owed nearly $3,000 to various utility companies. Bowing to this reality, Alcantara has opted not to renew the partys lease on its North Side headquarters.

For the past five months, she has asked Mormando and Carrillo for a copy of the lease. They have not obliged. So last week, Alcantara went to the Broadway office of Jackson Property Management to get a copy of it and notify the company of her intent to vacate the building.

A video captured on cell phone shows a man exiting the property management office, then briskly walking away as Alcantara tries to talk to him  very suspicious behavior from a landlord who we owe money to, she later wrote to party officials. On Wednesday, I dropped by Jackson Property Management, but the office was locked. A phone number listed online for the company was not in service.

OnExpressNews.com: Medina's 2017 mayoral coalition resurfaced in charter-amendment fight

While Alcantara was trying to deal with the partys lease last week, she received a call that Carrillo and a precinct chair  a Manuelista  had absconded from the headquarters with party documents.

At Tuesdays meeting, I asked Mormando about the bizarre allegations.

She broke into the office this weekend, he said of Alcantara. She drilled holes.  They broke our locks like Watergate.

Thats an amusing analogy, considering the 1972 Watergate scandal involved a break-in at the office of the Democratic National Committee by associates of former Republican President Richard M. Nixon.

By contrast, Alcantara is merely the chair of a local Democratic party trying to gain access to documents to which shes entitled and that reside within her own partys headquarters  at least, until they vanished last week.

Mormando acknowledged he kept some documents in his locked office for processing.

By the bylaws, the chair has total access to all the records in the record room, he told me. Anything thats in my office or in (Carrillos office) are being processed.

Among the records being processed by the secretary and treasurer: minutes of the partys meetings; committee reports; election returns; checkbooks; bank statements; accounting reports; wage reports; IRS filings; lease agreements; and all passwords to computer programs used by the party.

In a letter to Mormando and Carrillo this week, Alcantara demanded they produce these records.

As Party Chair, I will no longer allow business as usual and will enforce the rights of my position, in order to retrieve these vital documents, she wrote.

OnExpressNews.com: Sculley will earn base salary until she leaves, but gets no special retirement package

For Alcantara, this is a new show of strength, one that she kept up at Tuesdays meeting.

For about two hours, she forcefully brought the room to order, calmly absorbed the hostility of the Manuelistas and somehow kept everything moving at a brisk pace. By the end  after Mormando and Carrillo had stormed out in protest  30 new precinct chairs were sworn in, none of them loyalists of Medina: an ominous sign for Alcantaras enemies.

At one point, the party chair ordered security guards to remove Adrian Flores, a hulking Manuelista known to stalk the room and threaten his enemies.

Youre chicken! Flores yelled as he was being forced outside.

Im not a chicken, Alcantara said from the podium.

Finally, shes proving it.
An Iraqi War veteran pleaded guilty Wednesday to making a threat to blow up the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Kerrville and kill its employees.

Walter Steven Crosley, 46, of Lakehills served in the Army for 13 years, including deployments to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Since being discharged in October 2008 with 100 percent disability, he has posted videos regularly on his YouTube channel.

The FBI was alerted after one posted on Aug. 28, 2017, that lasted more than seven minutes. Crosleys plea agreement said the posting referenced a discussion with a VA doctor. It was titled, This Is What Ecito-neurotoxicity or Excitooxicity Looks Like!

OnExpressNews.com: Army vet accused of threatening to blow up VA

In it, he said he told the doctor, in part, that he was gonna blow up the VA, and Im not killing myself. Im not going down alone. Im gonna (expletive) kill others.

He also said, Im going off the deep end.

After his arrest, Crosley had mental health examinations, and professionals determined he was competent to assist in his own defense. Crosley agreed to plead guilty to the threat charge. He could be sentenced to the time hes already spent in jail awaiting trial when U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez sentences him March 13.

Crosley asked the judge for consideration and feared losing his military benefits because its my livelihood.

He said he was hit by an explosive device while on duty, and the examination determined he suffered in part from post traumatic stress disorder.

I wasnt myself at the time, sir, Crosley said about the time he posted the threat.

The judge told Crosley that he would not recommend that Crosley lose his benefits, but couldnt guarantee that changes in the law in the future might affect them.

Guillermo Contreras covers federal court and immigration news in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | gcontreras@express-news.net | Twitter: @gmaninfedland
AUSTIN  Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday state lawmakers will ultimately decide how to fund his plan to limit how much local school districts can raise each year in property taxes. But Abbott suggested oil and gas tax revenue could help cover the projected loss of over $3 billion in school tax money by 2023.

There have been dozens of funding strategies already identified, Abbott said at a chamber of commerce event in Austin, though he didnt name any others. Because theres going to be different pieces of the puzzle that fit together, I think its best left to the House and Senate and their members.

Abbott made property tax reform a centerpiece of his re-election campaign, first floating the 2.5 percent tax cap in January. It would restrict how much local school districts can raise in property taxes each year to pay for daily operation costs such as teacher salaries and school supplies.

OnExpressNews.com: Meet Bexar County's new Texas House representatives

More Information Long-promised property tax reform Texas has the 6th highest property tax rate in the nation, according to a 2016 analysis by the Texas Foundation, an independent nonprofit group. Legislative leaders have pledged to reform property taxes and school funding when they convene in January. Lawmakers will have 140 days to agree on a plan, which will undoubtedly leave some school districts winners and others losers. Property taxes and school finance are inextricably linked. The state's share of education has dropped from nearly 50 percent in 2008 to roughly 38 percent now, and as that funding has dwindled, school districts have made up the difference by raising property taxes for maintenance and operations, records from the Legislative Budget Board show. Yet lawmakers have struggled to pass meaningful reform in past years. Legislation to tamp down local property tax increases, and to boost state funding for schools, failed in 2017. Gov. Greg Abbott's plan for addressing both property tax escalation and school funding has drawn support from top Texas officials since he announced it nearly a year ago. See More Collapse

According to his plan, the state would fill the hole, which is projected to start at nearly $1.3 billion in 2020 and reach $3.7 billion by 2023, according to an analysis released this week by the Texas Commission on Public School Finance.

Details, however, have been scarce about where the money will come from. And school administrators have been skeptical, worrying theres too much focus on tax reform and not enough on improving public education.

It sounds to me like we could spend a tremendous amount of money and it not really effect education all that much, said Rep. Diego Bernal, D-San Antonio, at a meeting of the states school finance commission Tuesday. Im not opposed to property tax relief at all... but I dont know that it should be the one non-negotiable centerpiece of all the work we do.

Public education is funded through a mix of local property taxes, state aid and federal funds. The states share, however, has dropped from nearly 50 percent in 2008 to roughly 38 percent now.

School finance and property tax reform are poised to be top issues for state lawmakers in 2019, after they failed to make meaningful changes last session.

Abbotts plan is one of several under consideration. It would prevent school districts from collecting more than 2.5 percent in property tax revenue from the year before. In addition, property-wealthy school districts such as Houston ISD would hand over less money in recapture payments, which are sent to districts that bring in less property tax revenue.

The plan would also require cities and counties that want to raise property taxes more than 2.5 percent to hold an election. Counties and cities can now raise their property tax levies by up to 8 percent per year without an election.

OnExpressNews.com: The high cost of low Texas taxes

To make up for lost property tax revenue for schools, Abbott suggested the state can tap a range of sources, since funds raised through taxes on oil and gas production alone arent enough, he said. The state collected roughly $4.8 billion on oil and gas taxes last fiscal year, which is split between the state highway fund, the states rainy day fund and public education.

A 13-member school finance commission  put together to study the issue  identified several possible funding proposals in its draft report, including raising gas taxes or expanding the state sales tax.

Those ideas may not gain much traction in the Republican-controlled Legislature, typically averse to upping taxes or fees. The commission will present final recommendations next week.
President Donald Trump was up early Monday morning, tweeting falsely that investigators have found No Smocking Gun that proves he did anything wrong. He meant smoking, of course. His vision must be clouded by the haze.

In a sentencing memorandum for the presidents one-time personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, federal prosecutors in Manhattan wrote Friday that Cohen violated campaign finance laws in coordination with and at the direction of Trump. In laymans terms, Trumps own Justice Department has accused him of instructing his attorney to commit two felonies.

These crimes, which Cohen confesses, involve six-figure payments of hush money to Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels  women whose silence about alleged sexual encounters with Trump was expensively purchased in the weeks before the 2016 election.

On Twitter, the president called all of this a simple private transaction. Im tempted to ask what hes been smocking.

According to Cohen  and common sense  the purpose of paying $150,000 to McDougal (via American Media Inc. chairman David Pecker) and $130,000 to Daniels was to keep their accounts of their alleged relationships with Trump from being made public before the election. That means the payments have to be considered illegal, unreported campaign contributions.

Trump suggests these were mere technical violations of the kind that every campaign inadvertently commits and is fined for. That is a lie. Permit me to quote the prosecutors memo at length on this point:

Cohens commission of two campaign finance crimes on the eve of the 2016 election for president of the United States struck a blow to one of the core goals of the federal campaign finance laws: transparency. 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. He did so by orchestrating secret and illegal payments to silence two women who otherwise would have made public their alleged extramarital affairs with (Trump). In the process, Cohen deceived the voting public by hiding alleged facts that he believed would have had a substantial effect on the election. It is this type of harm that Congress sought to prevent when it imposed limits on individual contributions to candidates.

And Cohen committed these crimes, prosecutors say, on Trumps orders. Trump has not credibly denied the allegation  and, indeed, Cohen made a recording of at least one conversation in which he discussed the payments with Trump.

NO COLLUSION, Trump claimed once again in his Monday tweets. He has spent months trying to convince the nation of two false premises: that special counsel Robert Muellers witch hunt has found no evidence of a conspiracy between his campaign and the Russian government to tilt the 2016 election in his favor, and that any other alleged crimes that investigators might come across are somehow irrelevant.

Wrong on both counts.

There was, of course, the infamous Trump Tower meeting arranged so that Trumps son, son-in-law and campaign chairman could receive damaging information about Hillary Clinton from an emissary of the Kremlin. But investigators have also learned of more than a dozen additional contacts between the campaign and well-connected Russians.

A memo filed Friday by Mueller reveals a previously unknown approach by a Russian national who claimed to be a trusted person in the Russian Federation and who offered the campaign synergy on a government level. The filing also states that Cohen helpfully provided useful information regarding certain discrete Russia-related matters that was obtained through regular contact with Trump Organization executives.

None of this is normal. When Trump says this sort of thing is common practice, he is lying.

We know that Mueller is looking into the Trump Organizations business dealings with Russians who have close links to the Kremlin. We know he is looking into potential obstruction of justice by the president.

And now we know, for the first time, that prosecutors have directly implicated Trump in a federal crime. It may be a bit premature to start chanting, Lock him up! But stay tuned.

eugenerobinson@washpost.com
In the Rio Grande Valley, where I was born and raised, a 30-foot-high concrete border wall is slated for construction this February. If built, this new wall would rip through the beautiful and biologically diverse Lower Rio Grande Valley Wildlife Corridor, bulldozing some of the best recreational areas and wildlife habitat in the region. It would also cut off public access to the river and lead to more deaths along the border.

The government has already begun seizing land and awarded a construction contract.

Despite the fact that border communities have crime rates substantially lower than the national average, media outlets and politicians describe our communities as war zones rife with crime.

This false rhetoric is helpful for President Donald Trump, who is demanding $5 billion in border wall funding and threatening to shut down the government to get it. Its also helpful for Democrats like Chuck Schumer, who have thrown border communities under the bus by offering Trump $1.6 billion for border walls right out of the gate.

To the 15 million people who live in the borderlands, the border wall isnt just a talking point or a symbol, it is a tangible mass of concrete  one that well have to live with for generations.

We know the damage border walls inflict. Were stuck with hundreds of miles of walls from the Bush era. Last spring, Congress approved more than a $1 billion for 33 miles of new border walls in the Rio Grande Valley. These walls will destroy beloved nature areas like the National Butterfly Center, Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park and the historic La Lomita Chapel.

If Congress approves funding for more border walls, all of the Rio Grande Valley will be walled off from the river. My community will lose access to the Rio Grande, our lifeblood, and families will lose their land. Our economy will suffer the loss of important ecotourism dollars as wildlife refuges and famed nature areas will be forced to close.

Reports from the Government Accountability Office show that border walls have never been proven to deter people from crossing the border, their ostensible purpose.

Almost every city and three counties in Rio Grande Valley have passed formal resolutions against the border wall, many unanimously, and polls show that 72 percent of border residents oppose border wall construction. Just last month, hundreds of community members gathered outside Border Patrol headquarters in McAllen to protest border wall construction and decry the agencys lack of transparency and public engagement.

Congress should focus on crafting compassionate, solution-based immigration reform. Processing the backlog of asylum claims and ending deportations, which separate thousands of people from their families each year, would be a good start.

When Congress votes on border wall funding, I hope it will think about those of us who will have our lands seized, nature areas bulldozed and neighborhoods divided by these disastrous walls.

Jonathan Salinas was born and raised the Rio Grande Valley.
Re: Sold for sex, front page, Sunday:

I was spellbound by these articles! Your investigative reporting and writing style are one of the few reasons left for me to read this newspaper. I would venture to say most people dont know (or care) about this sordid underbelly of society where its common to use young minors who have lost their way for prostitution or worse.

It is gut-wrenching. Do we teach about this in schools or homes, or about how wrong it is to sexually abuse a family member or other innocent? I personally believe the definitives, yes and no, have been blurred into gray by parents and society. We must change this!

Donna Howington

Cartoon demeaning

The cartoon by Michael Smith in Sundays paper showing the Statue of Liberty with a tear gas gun was designed to demean Donald Trump. The irony is that the statue was made in France, where riot police are using tear gas and water cannons to put down rioters. At least, the rioters are not using women and children as shields.

Most would be embarrassed by such hypocrisy. Such a cartoon should never have been published.

Donald West, M.D.

Baby, its crazy

Re: Now, baby, its #MeToo outside, Other Views, by Maria Anglin, Sunday:

This illustrates our sad state of affairs. Were stopping Baby, Its Cold Outside from being played on the radio! What about I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus? Surely little children will be scarred for life at Mommys seeming infidelity! And every other love song should be closely examined for hidden meanings. Just look at your other recent articles  More thoughts on that simple hug, #MeToos unintended consequences, the article about the 6-year-old boy near Dallas whose mom wants him to be a girl and Dad wants him to stay a boy.

Im sorry, but I would bet that the majority of people would agree that were losing our sanity! Where do we go next?

Randy James
Re: Act on DACA, Your Turn, Tuesday:

The letter writer expecting Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn to go against Donald Trump on DACA is having an impossible dream! Cornyn is a Trump zombie, blindly agreeing to support Trump policies 99 percent of the time.

Cruz is not much better, agreeing to Trump policies 95 percent of the time. You would think being born in Canada and with parents from Cuba he would have empathy for the DACA recipients wanting to become U.S. citizens!

Have a heart, Ted!

Lloyd Mathews, Rockport

Not hiring the best

Adlai Stevenson was U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in 1961 during the Cuban missile crisis. He had to use his skills to convince the world of Russian aggression. He was a former governor of Illinois, a veteran of the State and Navy departments for over 15 years. Journalist David Halberstan described him as gifted with elegant, well-crafted language that was also thoughtful and calming.

Trump nominated Heather Nauert, a former Fox News host and commentator. Her tenure at the State Department started just last year. Contrast this with the experience of Stevenson and Nikki Haley, who is departing as U.N. ambassador. This nomination involves the least experienced person for a vital position when we are losing allies every week. The country needs knowledge and experience. This is not hiring the best.

Adam Castillo

Walk, dont scoot

My wife and I recently stayed overnight in downtown San Antonio to see the lights and dine out. Our impression of the scooters is that they litter the street corners and simply make downtown look trashy.

They are obviously a safety issue, and with more scooters it will get worse. Seems to me as I look around at folks in the city, the need for walking is greater then riding scooters.

Michael Proctor

Mills stepping up

Patty Mills has always been one of my favorite Spurs. He has stepped up and will continue to do so as a leader to fill the void of the Big Three.

Way to go, Patty

C.K. Blackman, Helotes
BRIDGEPORT  One person was hospitalized Wednesday evening after a small explosion in a home on Beechwood Avenue, officials said.

Around 6:30 p.m., fire units were sent to the 100 block of Beechwood Avenue, between Norman Street and Wood Avenue, for a reported medical incident.
Pande said Mr Gandhi will be briefed about the deliberations by the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in Jaipur over the chief ministers post.

Congress leader Sachin Pilot and senior leader Ashok Gehlot during a meeting with the newly-elected MLAs at the party office in Jaipur. (Photo: PTI)

Jaipur: After discussions that lasted hours, the Congress Wednesday failed to bring about a consensus in its ranks in Rajasthan on who should be the chief minister even as it staked its claim to form the government.

The decision on the chief minister will be taken Thursday by party president Rahul Gandhi, All India Congress Committee general secretary Avinash Pande told reporters after a party delegation met governor Kalyan Singh to seek an invitation to form the government.

Mr Pande said Mr Gandhi will be briefed about the deliberations by the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in Jaipur over the chief ministers post.

Pradesh Congress Committee president Sachin Pilot and former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, both MLAs, are the front runners for the post and were part of the delegation that met Kalyan Singh.

Earlier in the day, the CLP held a scheduled meeting at the party office, where it passed a one-line resolution in which the newly elected MLAs authorised Mr Gandhi to decide on the chief ministers post.

After the resolution was passed, K C Venugopal, the AICC observer sent by the party to Jaipur, held discussions with individual MLAs, seeking their opinion.

The exercise went on for several hours but there was no consensus and the CLP then left the decision on Mr Gandhi.

We will hand over our report to the party president tomorrow, Mr Pande said.

Apart from AICC general secretaries Venugopal and Pande, the party had also sent four AICC secretaries to Jaipur.

They are all expected to meet Mr Gandhi in Delhi. Both Mr Pilot and Mr Gehlot would remain in Jaipur, party leaders said.

A delegation of the party met the governor. We have the majority and will form the government, Mr Pande said.

Leader of Opposition Rameshwar Dudi, who lost election on Nokha seat, was also part of the delegation.

The party observer held discussions with the MLAs and the name of the chief minister will be decided at the level of the party president Rahul Gandhi by tomorrow evening, Mr Dudi told reporters outside Raj Bhawan.

Congress won 99 out of the 199 seats that went to the polls on December 7. Its alliance partner Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) also bagged a seat, taking the combined tally to 100 needed to form the government.

The party is also looking for support from independent candidates and non-BJP parties.

Mr Pande said several other MLAs have also extended support to the Congress in writing and the final list will be handed over to the governor later. The Bharatiya Janata Party won 73 seats.
GREENWICH  Longtime Greenwich teacher Brenda Macri was always meticulous when she prepared her lesson plans. So when she began arranging her funeral with her husband, she made sure it would be held on a Saturday so teachers and students would not miss school.

She was something special for sure, and will be sorely missed by everyone who knew her, said David Rabin, who has known the Macris for 30 years and will deliver a eulogy for her Celebration of Life service this Saturday at St. Catherine of Siena Church.

Macri died on Dec. 8 after a four-year battle with colon cancer, with her husband, John Jr., and her sons Christopher and James by her side. She was 57. She was born on Feb. 3, 1961, in Denville, N.J., to Deborah Sheldon Purdy and Theodore L. Purdy.

She began her teaching career in the Greenwich Public Schools after graduating from Kean University in 1983. She started as a special education teacher at Eastern Middle School, then switched to kindergarten and first grade at Hamilton Avenue. In 1987, she moved to Cos Cob School, where she taught first, second and third grades. After 12 years at Cos Cob, she moved to International School at Dundee, where she taught second and third grade until two weeks before she succumbed to cancer.

For the past 15 years, she served as a model teacher and was highly regarded by both the staff and the entire ISD community, administrators said in a statement on the school website. Prior to joining us, she taught various grade levels at Cos Cob School and Hamilton Avenue School, where she started her professional career in Greenwich. During this time, she was recognized for being a Distinguished Teacher, an honor she was truly deserving of.

Kids asked to be in her class, said Rabin, CEO of the Greenwich United Way.

Macri received many accolades for her teaching, including the Connecticut State Celebration of Excellence in Education award twice, in 1997 and 1999. In 1998, Macri won a Fulbright scholarship, which allowed her to travel to Japan with fellow educators and students. She immersed herself in Japanese culture, and brought her experiences back home and into her classroom.

Sheila Babyak, the Cos Cob School administrative assistant for almost 34 years, said she has fond memories of working with Macri.

I especially remember her second grade Japanese unit and her dressing up in a beautiful kimono, Babyak said in an email. She was loved and respected by all of her students parents and colleagues and was one of the most dedicated teachers I have had the pleasure of working with.

Greenwich Public Schools also recognized her dedication to students and selected Macri as a distinguished teacher.

She was a stalwart, Rabin said. Her accolades speak for themselves, but it was always others first, especially her children.

The Macri family is a Byram institution, Rabin said. Multiple family members have lived in Greenwich most of their lives and worked in town as teachers, nurses and public servants, he said. Her husband, John Jr., who taught in Greenwich and Darien, was born and raised in Byram, he said.

Brenda Macri married into this legacy but left her own mark by touching the lives of thousands of children in her 35 years of teaching.

Before she died, Macri asked that memorial donations be sent to the Greenwich United Way Reading Champions or the Early Childhood Achievement Gap Solutions programs, in lieu of flowers. She felt it was right to leave something behind for children who come after her, said Rabin.

Her devotion to education, and to the children, is really unparalleled, he said. In life and now in passing, she can leave a legacy for hopefully many more children to come.

In addition to her parents, Macri is survived by her fathers wife Barbara, as well as her three sisters, Deborah Ann Troast and husband Jeff, Robin Purdy Murray, and Dawn Kuipers and husband Bill; and her brother Ted and wife Susan.

She is also survived by her father- and mother-in-law, John Sr. and Antoinette (Petie) Macri; as well as Macri family members Paulette Macri Bodson; Dean and wife Marisa Macri; Meg Macri and husband James Doyle; Nick Macri and wife Sherri Hutchinson; Amy Jo and husband Joe Grant. She also leaves 20 nieces and nephews across the country.

All are welcome to the Celebration of Life Memorial at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 15, at St. Catherine of Siena Church in Riverside. Memorial donations may be made to to the Greenwich United Ways Reading Champions Program, or their Early Childhood Achievement Gap Solutions Program by contacting Jeremy Nappi, Greenwich United Way, 500 W. Putnam Ave., Suite 415, Greenwich, CT 06830.

jo.kroeker@hearstmediact.com
FAIRFIELD  A companys proposal to build a multiple-unit condominium project at 766 and 780 Old Post Road was met with opposition and scattered support at a packed Planning and Zoning Commission meeting Tuesday night.

Old Post Village LLC submitted an application weeks ago asking the town body to change the two parcels it is interested in to a designed residence district. This zoning change is required before the land regulation body can approve the six-unit development.

780 Old Post Road is a landlocked property located between businesses on the Post Road and 766 Old Post Road. The property is adjacent to a number of neighboring houses on West Morgan Avenue.

Over 10 residents expressed their opinions on the proposed project, with many advocating that the commission should not make changes to the zoning areas. There also was a number of residents who supported the development.

John Fallon, the attorney representing Old Post Village LLC, said the company had decreased the original eight single-family units proposal to six, a change that was submitted to the town in a letter dated Dec. 3.

This modification reducing the overall number of single-family residential townhomes by 25 percent is made by the applicant in an effort to address constructively comments and concerns raised by members of the public at the public hearing on Oct. 23, read the letter, signed by Fallon.

The meeting, at parts, turned contentious with a back-and-forth occurring between speakers and the audience.

Opponents of the development said a six-unit condominium would still alter the historical character of the neighborhood and increase traffic in the area.

Charles Abercrombie, a Penfield Road resident since 1997, was in opposition.

With respects to the recent changes, the fact that it has been changed from eight to six units is immaterial, Abercrombie said. What I would ask you to look at is the impact on the neighborhood and the deleterious effect on the character of the neighborhood by a project that fundamentally looks like a Marriott Motor Inn.

Others in favor of the project said it would help the towns real estate values.

Alden Stevens, an Old Post Road resident of over 30 years, said he supported the project.

Ive seen the plans and I think the luxury townhomes fit in quite nicely with other portions of the town and with regards to the traffic, I think all the traffic problems exist regardless of whether these six units are put on the street, Stevens said. I think these units will create a dramatic increase in real estate taxes paid to the town.

The owners of the current 766 and 788 Old Post Road properties, John Curran and James Stirling, were also at the meeting.

My father owned this property back in the 1960s, Curran said, who has owned the landlocked property since 2009 and has previously proposed giving it to the town for affordable housing units, an unsuccessful effort. I have the duty as the trustee to maximize the value of the land ... I think (the condominiums) would be a real improvement.

The public hearing section of the application concluded Tuesday night; the Planning and Zoning Commission will revisit the matter at its Jan. 8 meeting.

humberto.juarez@hearstmediact.com
FAIRFIELD  The last time the South Benson Marina Channel was dredged was in 2013, a year after Superstorm Sandy hit.

But that was an isolated section at the pinch point across from St. Marys in Bridgeport, according to Public Works Director Joe Michelangelo, and for some boat owners, its time for the channel to be dredged again.

Big sailboats can run aground here, Mike Herrington, a boat owner and Fairfield resident, said on a late November tour of the marina. At low tide, if a boat comes in and theres not that much current, you can run aground, stop dead, and the only way out is to back up and a sailboat cant do that.

Doug Chavenello, a fellow boat owner, agreed.

Were very lucky there hasnt been anything, said Chavenello, a former fire chief. The whole issue is that the town wants more money without putting it back into the marina.

Town officials at a Marina Sub-Committee meeting Tuesday gave an update on the channel dredging. If the application process ran smoothly, dredge work would begin by next winter.

The marina needs to be dredged from time to time, its something that happens regularly, Parks and Recreation Chairman Scott Walker said prior to the meeting. It was dredged in 2013 the last time and thats really weather-dependent.

Walker said one of the reasons it was not done sooner was because of the 2017 spending freeze that affected local government capital expenditures.

We looked at 2018 and there was a problem with the permits for this year, so that work is getting postponed until next winter, Walker said. It takes time to get approvals in place and go through the agencies.

Permit applications to changes made at the marina must go through the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection as the channel is part of Long Island Sound and under state jurisdiction.

Michelangelo said he was confident about the process going forward and into next year.

DEEP has indicated to us through pre-application correspondence and submittals that the work is eligible for approval under the Certificate of Permission process, the DPW director said. This is a much simpler process than a full structures, dredging and fill application which is more involved.

Michelangelo said funding for the channel dredging is in place, part of a $700,000 capital appropriation made last year.

The Army Corps of Engineers position on this is that it is eligible under their CT General Permit, so we dont have to go through their individual permit process, Michelangelo added.

He said the town understood the boaters concerns.

The width of the channel bottom to be excavated is 100 feet wide, Michelangelo said Wednesday morning. The channel depth is set to allow a boat with a six-foot beam  basically our largest sailboats in the marina  to pass at a normal low tide.

Walker invited those with questions to attend future meetings of the Parks and Recreation Commission  next one set for Dec. 19  and the Marina Sub-Committee.

I know the process is ongoing and its not being ignored, the Parks & Rec. chairman said.

humberto.juarez@hearstmediact.com
FAIRFIELD  Fairfield University sophomore Chloe Riven has always known she was meant to volunteer.

Her life itself is a testament to that. Originally from South Korea, Riven was adopted when she was three months old, moving to Maryland and then Vermont. Growing up, her family instilled in her a desire to volunteer and help others in the community.

I showed interest in volunteering starting in my younger years, the 19-year-old sophomore said. I had always heard of amazing stories about the Peace Corps and everything related to it, so I started asking more questions about the experience. It sounded amazing because I love tying travel and helping others together.

Now, Riven will get a chance to try out the Peace Corps before she even graduates.

The recently started Peace Corp Prep program at Fairfield U. helps guide prospective volunteers through four key components: experience in a work sector, foreign language skills, intercultural competence and professional and leadership development.

Our goal was to sign up four students by the end of the year and now were at 13, said Anita Deeg-Carling, the associate director of the international studies program and head of the new program. Our first student graduates this December and weve already certified somebody.

If students fulfill the requirements that include a specific number of courses in the four core subjects and 50 hours of hands-on experience, according to the program student application, they will be certified by the prep program.

Deeg-Carling is a former Peace Corps volunteer herself. Her experiences took her to Madagascar from 1997 to 2001 as an environmental volunteer, something, she admits, that has become her raison detre.

It was very interesting that the common thread was that we got to our country thinking that we were going to save the world and we got there realizing that were gaining everything, Deeg-Carling said about her Peace Corp days. Now were reorienting the way we think; we have to sit back and think about our motivations for doing this.

More Information To learn more about the Peace Corps, visit: https://www.peacecorps.gov/ To learn more about the Peace Corps Pep Program at Fairfield University, visit: https://www.fairfield.edu/undergraduate/academics/resources/scholarships-and-fellowships-offices/peace-corps-prep-program/ See More Collapse

Eunsun Hong, a senior who also goes by Sunny, has volunteered in Gambia for the past two summer and is convinced her future is going to take her back to the west African country.

Since I was in middle school Ive had friends from Congo and Nigeria, which is when I was first exposed to different cultures and I wanted to know more about it, Hong said.

Hong is currently applying to the Peace Corps and hopes to find out about her acceptance in June.

The Peace Corps Prep program is for anyone who wants to work abroad or research even locally. The program makes you take courses you wouldnt think about, Hong said. If you dont end up having certification, taking these courses can also be very helpful.

Cassie Harlow, a junior at the university, is looking to apply to the Peace Corps after she graduates and the new Fairfield U. program is helping her prepare for the upcoming process.

The new Peace Corps Prep program at Fairfield makes me feel more confident going into the application process next year and ensure that I have the background that would make me an ideal candidate for the position, she said.

As the program goes through its first stages, Deeg-Carling hopes students can find a group where they can discuss future plans and ideas about their volunteer experiences.

We really want to create a community because we all have similar interests, Deeg-Carling said. Diversity is also very, very important. We want to have a community that is very supportive of each other.

humberto.juarez@hearstmediact.com
by CD Hill | Thu, Dec 13th 7:02am EST

In Wednesday's 111-84 win over Miami, Kyle Korver scored 16 points (6-for-9 from the field and 4-for-5 from three-point range), grabbed two boards and dished out one assist in 16 minutes of action.
Hello from Hazard!

We knew it! We just knew somewhere out there in F&D land, one of our readers would know what Item No. 119 was. And we were right. In fact, more than one of you knew exactly what it was: a mold, of press, for making mock chicken legs, or city chicken.

We first heard from Randy Winland, of Prospect, Ohio, who says hes even used the one he has in his collection.

And Tim Schmidt, of Massillon, Ohio, used one of these when he first started as a meat cutter. We would grind different types of meat and then this was used as a mold to form mock chicken legs. We would stick a wooden skewer into the hole in the end. Then we would take it out of the mold and roll it in any type of bread crumbs to finish it off.

R. Bruce Killian, of Carrollton, Ohio, also worked in a neighborhood market years ago in Akron and used a little tool like this to make city chicken legs.

They sold well, he adds!

Dean Kashella, Luthersburg, Pennsylvania, writes that his father had one years ago for making mock chicken legs. He even did a quick online search and found a photo of our tool in use, accompanied with an old and new recipe.

(By the way, our curiosity got the best of us and we had to look up where Luthersburg, Pa., is located. Its in Clearfield County, between Brookville and Clearfield, if youre curious, too.)

Thanks to Randy, Tim, Bruce and Dean, our mystery is solved for Karen Barron, of Pullman, Washington.

Item No. 1120: John Parks, of Steubenville, Ohio, bought this item at an auction, but has no clue how it is used. (Here we go again! Can you guys go 2-for-2?)

If you know how this was used, please email us at editorial@farmanddairy.com; or respond by mail to: Hazard a Guess, c/o Farm and Dairy, P.O. Box 38, Salem, OH 44460.
WASHINGTON  The National Cattlemens Beef Association and the Public Lands Councils government affairs office in Washington, D.C., is accepting internship applications for the Fall 2019 semester.

Positions for the Fall semester (Sept. 3, 2019 through Dec. 13, 2019) include a public policy intern and law clerk. The deadline to submit an application for either position is March 15, 2019. The internships give college students the opportunity to work alongside staff on a range of issues that impact U.S. cattlemen and cattlewomen.

The interns will work closely with the lobbying team on Capitol Hill and assist with NCBA and PLCs regulatory efforts, providing college students a one-of-a-kind view into the policy-making process. Public Policy Intern

The public policy internship will give students an opportunity to learn about career options and provide practical experience. From tax and trade to environmental and food safety regulations, interns will work on a variety of issues and have the opportunity to work specifically in the area of their interest. College juniors, seniors and graduate students are encouraged to apply.

The law clerk will provide support to NCBAs Environmental Counsel on issues relating to environmental legislation and regulations that impact beef producers. The position will also work closely with the Executive Director of the Public Lands Council on issues relating to Federal lands management, grazing, and the Endangered Species Act.

To apply for the law clerk position, students must currently be enrolled in an ABA-accredited law school. Applications for the full-time internship and law clerk positions will remain open until March 15. Visit http://www.beefusa.org/opportunitiesforstudents.aspx.
Congress received a boost in MP and Rajasthan after BSP chief Mayawati pledged her partys support to it.

Congress leaders Sachin Pilot (above) waves at the crowd while going to attend the Congress Legislature Party meeting at the party office in Jaipur. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: With the Congress poised to form governments in the Hindi heartland states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the race for chief minister in the three states got fierce on Wednesday.

After the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meetings of newly-elected MLAs in their respective states could not reach a consensus, it was left to party president Rahul Gandhi to pick a name from the contenders.

The decision about who becomes chief minister is likely on Thursday. The CLP meetings of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh went on till take Wednesday night, but could not reach a decision.

The All-India Congress Committees observer Mallikarjun Kharge, AICC in-charge for the state P.L. Punia and other senior leaders were present at the meeting, state party units general secretary Shailesh Nitin Trivedi told the media.

On Wednesday, the Congress with 114 seats, two short of the magic number, managed to seal MP with the support of the BSP and the Samajwadi Party. With the support of its allies and one Independent candidate, the Congress tally stood at 118.

In this crucial state the race for chief ministership is between state unit chief Kamal Nath and senior party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia. Sources revealed that Mr Kamal Nath could be the partys choice for the top post.

In Rajasthan, the Congress with 99 seats, one short of simple majority, yet again crossed the halfway mark with the support one RLD and six BSP MLAs. While Sachin Pilot, the state unit chief, was being viewed as a strong contender for the chief ministership, senior party leader and former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot was leading the race.

In Chhattisgarh, while state unit chief Bhupesh Baghel has emerged as the frontrunner, party MP Tamradhwaj Sahu could be the dark horse. The other party leader in the ring is T.S. Singhdeo.

The Congress received a boost in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan after BSP chief Mayawati pledged her partys support to it. Speaking early on Wednesday, the BSP chief said that it has decided to support the Congress. Results show that people in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and MP were totally against the BJP and its anti-people policies and as a result chose Congress due to lack of other alternatives, she said.

In MP, three-time CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan tendered his resignation to governor Anandiben Patel, who then met a Congress delegation  led by Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia  at noon after party leaders staked claim to form the government.
SALEM, Ohio  Cattle producers who want to sell beef in 2019 and beyond should consider getting their Beef Quality Assurance certificate.

Beginning Jan. 1, major U.S. buyers, including Wendys and Tyson, will require the farmers they purchase from to be BQA certified, and the expectation is that other buyers will follow.

The BQA program covers the basic aspects of animal production, care and handling, and is another way for meat buyers and producers to assure their customers of a quality product.

The consumer drives the marketplace and this is something that our consumers are looking for, said Stephanie Sindel, the Beef Quality Assurance Coordinator with the Ohio Cattlemens Association. You have to stay competitive in your marketplace, and this the new industry standard.

Existing program

Sindel said it should be a relief to producers to know that the new standard is based on a program that has been nationally accepted for many years. The training lasts about two hours and covers critical issues involved with the production of quality beef, including feedstuffs, medications and injection sites, herd health and cattle handling.

There is no cost to complete the training in Ohio, thanks in part to Ohios beef checkoff funding, and partnerships with Ohio State University Extension. The training can be completed in-person or online, and a certificate is issued to the producer after completion. The online training is available to producers in all states.

Although the material is likely something farmers are already doing, Sindel said it provides them a good measuring stick and a way of promoting the quality of their operation.

Were very optimistic and positive that its not a separate program  it was something that was pre-existing to the industry, she said.

Related: See a list of upcoming trainings in your area.

According to the state database, just over 4,200 producers are certified, but its estimated there are about 17,000 beef farms in the state, meaning there is some catching up to do.

Industry trend

Farmers do not necessarily need the certificate, if they do direct marketing or sell to a buyer who does not require BQA certification, but because of where the industry is heading, many say it makes more sense just to get certified.

It all started with Wendys and Tyson  eventually all of the packers are going to follow their lead, said Denny Ruff, who manages the Muskingum Livestock Auction in Zanesville. Im just telling everybody to do it  its not that big of a deal.

Pennsylvania auction barns are seeing a similar trend, and say that overall, the certification is not difficult and is probably a good way of preparing for the future.

It is what it is. Whats going to happen is theyre all going to require it, one day or another, said Justin Loomis, auctioneer at Mercer Livestock Auction, in Mercer, Pennsylvania. Its going to happen at some point.

Training events

The Muskingum auction has held the training on-site in the past, and is planning another training Dec. 18, at 7 p.m. at the auction barn. The training will also be held the same day, at 6 p.m., at Erv-N-Del Farm, in Louisville, Ohio. For that meeting, pre-register with Lisa Parker at 330-832-9856, ext. 3465.

Six additional training sessions in Ohio are scheduled at the beginning of 2019. Visit http://u.osu.edu/beefteam/events-programs/ for dates and locations.

Producers can also schedule a training in their area, if necessary.

(The following are some answers to frequently asked questions, as developed by beef experts with Ohio State University. Learn more about the program at http://u.osu.edu/beefteam/bqa/)

Q. What is BQA?

A. Beef Quality Assurance is a nationally coordinated, state implemented program that provides information to U.S. beef producers and beef consumers of how common sense husbandry techniques can be coupled with scientific knowledge, to raise cattle under optimum management and environmental conditions.

Q. Ive never been BQA certified, why do it now?

A. By 2019, Wendys has committed to sourcing beef from only BQA certified producers and Tyson has pledged to follow suit, also by Jan. 1. Beef experts expect other retailers and packers will do the same. Being BQA certified will be a producers ticket to market access, much like the pork industry.

Q. Who needs to be BQA certified?

A. Anyone selling beef animals to be harvested for meat. This includes producers of fed beef, dairy beef, cull cows and bulls including dairy cull cows.

Q. What do I need to do to become BQA certified?

A. Attend a training session hosted by OSU Extension. Training dates and times are posted under EVENTS/PROGRAMS at beef.osu.edu. 2) Complete online BQA training at BQA.org. Either format will require a couple of hours time.

Q. How long is my certification good for?

A. Three years.

Q. How will the cattle buyer know I am BQA certified.

A. Upon completion of BQA, you will receive a confirmation that you completed the certification. It is up to you to share that information with your local stockyards to relay to the cattle buyer or you can share with the buyer when in a direct marketing scenario.

Q. Where can I check my certification status?

A. A database with all certified producers will be housed at the state beef council and maintained by the state BQA coordinators.
COLUMBUS  Three Ohio recipients will receive U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Community Facilities program investments totaling more than $65 million: Heidelberg University, the Bascom Joint Fire District and Berkshire School District.

Heidelberg University will use its $36.5 million investment to construct a student and community welcome center, as well as to build or renovate student housing and classrooms.

The Berkshire Local School District will use its $28 million investment to construct a 168,000-square-foot building to house nearly 1,000 pre-Kindergarten through grade 12 students.

The new building will feature career tech spaces for diesel mechanics and nursing education and a 650-seat auditorium.

The Bascom Joint Fire District will use its $710,000 investment to help finance the construction of an 11,500-square-foot building, which will provide first responder services to residents of the Village of Bascom, and several other townships.
ELLSWORTH, Ohio  The Western Reserve Rangers 4-H Club will meet Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. at the Ellsworth Fire Hall for the first meeting of the new year. Youth interested in joining the Rangers 4-H Club are welcome to attend, meet the members and advisers, and learn about 4-H.

Youth who are 8 years old and in the third grade or between the ages of 9 and 18 are eligible for membership. Contact Jan and Kathleen Moser at 330-547-7422 for more information.

Ranger members recently honored veterans by joining other 4-H members in laying wreaths on many veterans graves in Ellsworth and Berlin Cemeteries on Dec. 1.

William Reph played Taps at both cemeteries. Micky Salovich hung a wreath on her great-grandfathers John and D. Karl Van Auker graves, and Ivan Huber got to honor his relative, John Lower. Others also placed many wreaths.

  

HANOVERTON, Ohio  The Hicks and Hayseeds 4-H group elected officers for the 2018-2019 year. They are: president, Hayden Casto; vice president, Cole Ellyson; secretary, Logan Casto; treasurer, Emma Vonfeldt; news reporter, Alexis Timmons; health and safety officer, Sidney Casto; recreation leaders, Trent Ellyson and Colton Casto.

Members discussed getting new club T-shirts this year.

Members were reminded the food giveaway is on Dec. 13 at 9:15 at the Bethesda church, and the club will be cooking for the homeless again this year.

Enrollments for 4-H must be completed online unless you are a new member
Alan Titchmarsh has urged the British public to support farmers this Christmas or risk losing them forever.

In a new video for the Prince's Countryside Fund, the TV Presenter highlights that the British countryside is idyllic, but the realities faced by those living and working in it can be harsh.

Titchmarsh, who is an ambassador for the Princes Countryside Fund, says some farmers make less than 10,000 per year.

It is vital that we ensure our rural communities and family farms have a secure future, and the Princes Countryside Fund works tirelessly to do exactly that, helping to lift the weight off the shoulders of farmers across the UK, he says.

He also speaks to Edward Richardson from regional charity FarmCornwall to find out more about how the Fund supports farming families across the UK.

Mr Richardson says FarmCornwall is witnessing an increase in cases of farmers contemplating suicide due to financial uncertainty and pressure.

More than one agricultural worker commits suicide a week, according to Farm Safety Foundation, which aims to highlight mental health awareness in the industry.

Farmers have also urged the British public to keep their Christmas shopping local to show support for rural and farming businesses.
A 15 million project to substantially upgrade Scotlands largest fresh milk dairy and secure 265 jobs has been completed.

The project by Muller represents the largest single investment in Scottish dairy processing for more than a decade.

It gives Bellshill dairy the capacity to process more than 370 million litres of fresh milk and cream each year, with milk provided by 230 dairy farmers.

The project includes a new filling hall to make cream products, two additional milk production lines, energy efficient cooling systems and an extended chill space to increase capacity for finished products.

Bellshill is the only Scottish dairy with the ability to manufacture milk bottles on site which are 100% light-weighted and recyclable.

It also makes products using recyclable Tetra Pak cartons made with paperboard, a renewable raw material.

The on-site bottle manufacturing capability cuts down unnecessary movements of vehicles and gives Muller the means to further accelerate a reduction in the use of plastic and increase the use of recycled plastic in its bottles to a target of 50% by 2020.

The opening of Bellshill followed the closure of dairies in Aberdeen and East Kilbride.
2020 was a year marked by hardships and challenges, but the Fauquier community has proven resilient. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you for your continued support, wed like to offer all our subscribers -- new or returning --

4 WEEKS FREE DIGITAL AND PRINT ACCESS.

We understand the importance of working to keep our community strong and connected. As we move forward together into 2021, it will take commitment, communication, creativity, and a strong connection with those who are most affected by the stories we cover.

We are dedicated to providing the reliable, local journalism you have come to expect. We are committed to serving you with renewed energy and growing resources. Let the Fauquier Times be your community companion throughout 2021, and for many years to come.
The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike.

We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve.
I'm Fascinated That Rani Lakshmi Bai Used Swords Against The Rifles, Says Kangana Ranaut

"Rifles were new for people at that time, and only a few used them. While the British army used Enfield rifles, Rani Lakshmi Bai preferred swords. I was fascinated with those 150-year-old authentic weapons we used in the film," she said to the Indian Express.

I Wear A Shield Of 5 Kg!

"The action sequences were quite intense but that did not deter anyone from giving their best. The shield I used weighed around 5 kgs," she said.

We Could Shoot Only 2 Shots A Day

"The entire team started getting ready at 3 AM, set up would take 6-7 hours so we would shoot only about 1 or 2 shots a day."

Kangana Ranaut Used Real Weapons From 1857

Also, Kangana Ranaut used two types of real weapons that were reportedly used in the year 1857 which are caplock pistols (one shot pistols) and cavalry brown bess (muzzle loading rifles).

Over 1000 Fighters Were Auditioned For The Film

It is reported that the film-makers auditioned over 1000 fighters for the movie and trained them in warfare. Even the horses were trained for the action sequences.

Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi

Kangana Ranaut starrer Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi is scheduled to hit the theatres on January 25, 2018. Reports state that there might be a delay in release as the film has not been completed yet and they're re-shooting several scenes, which proved to be costly and time consuming.
The one-line resolution passed in the CLP meet, authorising Gandhi to announce the states next chief minister, did not suggest any name for the post.

Congress Madhya Pradesh president Kamal Nath, party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia and other leaders outside the Raj Bhavan in Bhopal on Wednesday after a meeting with governor Anandiben Patel to stake claim to form the government.(Photo: PTI)

Bhopal: Rivalry at the top in Congress surfaced again in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday when the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), which had met to take a decision, threw up its hands and passed a resolution authorising AICC president Rahul Gandhi to take a call regarding who will be the states chief minister.

All the MLAs have unanimously decided that a decision on the chief minister will be taken by Rahul Gandhi, party spokesperson Shobha Ojha told reporters after the CLP meeting.

The one-line resolution passed in the CLP meet, authorising Mr Gandhi to announce the states next chief minister, did not suggest any name for the post.

In a pre-poll announcement, the Congress had said that either MP Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Kamal Nath or party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia would be the chief minister if the party returned to power in the state.

And on Wednesday, after the party seemed set to form the government, the tug-of-war resumed, with the contenders pulling hard at the chief ministers chair.

The trio of Mr Nath, Mr Scindia and Digvijaya Singh on Wednesday morning went together to governor Anandiben Patel and staked claim to form the next government in Madhya Pradesh. They came out and flashed victory signs.

While Mr Scindia made it clear that he would like to be the chief minister, many MLAs were backing Mr Nath.

Speaking with a news channel on Wednesday, Mr Scindia, 47, made it clear that he was ready for chief ministership if his party were to give it to him. Absolutely...It would be an honour to serve as chief minister, Mr Scindia said.

I am a servant of the people, have always been and will always be. What form that will take, be it through Madhya Pradesh or as minister of central government or chief whip, it is for my party to decide, he added.

But Congress circles were rife with speculation that Congress MLA Arif Aqeel had proposed Mr Naths name for the coveted post of chief minister, which was seconded by three other party MLAs in the CLP meet.

Veteran leader Digvijay Singh, reports suggested, is backing nine-time MP from Chhindwara Mr Nath to be chief minister.

AICC general secretary A.K. Antony attended the CLP meeting as a central observer. Mr Nath, Mr Scindia and Digvijay Singh were present at the meeting.

Mr Scindia has, since Tuesday, repeatedly underscored that the Congress won magnificently in the Gwalior-Chambal region, which is his stronghold. The strike rate there was almost 80 per cent, he said.

Of the 34 seats in the region, the party won by a landslide in 23 in the Gwalior-Chambal region. It is evident and clear where we performed, said the former royal of Gwalior.

Almost 25 per cent of the total votes that the Congress won are from the Gwalior-Chambal region, he said again, adding that he wanted to thank the people of Gwalior-Chambal for voting Congress.
Isha Ambani Wedding: Priyanka Chopra looks beautiful in Golden Lehenga | FilmiBeat

After taking vows in Christian wedding and then, exchanging garlands in a big fat Punjabi wedding, Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas are all set to host a wedding reception in Mumbai on December 20, 2018 for their industry friends. The couple held a reception in Delhi on December 4, which witnessed PM Narendra Modi in attendance. The Mumbai reception will take place at the ballroom of Taj Lands' End.

For her Christian wedding, Priyanka had woen a custom-made Ralph Lauren gown, which had a 75-foot-long veil. Priyanka and Nick exchanged wedding vows on December 1 at Jodhpur's majestic Umaid Bhawan Palace in a Catholic ceremony officiated by the groom's father Kevin Jonas Sr. It was followed by an equally grand wedding as per Hindu traditions on December 2.

Breaking away from the tradition of walking down the aisle with a male family member, the bride was escorted by her mother Madhu Chopra. The actor's father Ashok Chopra passed away in 2013. Priyanka looked resplendent in the white wedding gown. She became the first actor to be dressed by Lauren on her wedding as prior to this he has created bridal gowns only for close family members including his daughter, daughter-in-law and niece.

While the first ceremony was all about subtle whites and pastels, the couple switched to bold red and gold for the traditional Hindu wedding. Priyanka made for a stunning bride in a custom red Sabyasachi lehenga.
Saif Feels Sara Made A Better Debut Than Him

The actor told Pinkvilla, "The thought behind her shot is clear. It's amazing. Way better than what I was."

Saif Loved Her Performance In Kedarnath

"I'm so happy for her. This was her choice all the way. She chose this and made it happen. And I thought she was brilliant. A thinking actress who is expressive and inventive in every shot. I see a fantastic future for her."

Saif Thanked The Audience For Accepting Sara

He further added, "She is used to being good at what she loves, but I thank the people for welcoming her and giving her the acceptance that an actor needs."

This Is How Amrita Singh Reacted To Sara's Debut

Earlier, Sara had shared, "I was promoting the film in Delhi, but she (Amrita) was constantly messaging me and sending me screenshots of all the reviews that had my name in them. Seeing all the love that I am getting from the audience, she is ecstatically happy."

'I Think My Father Is Feeling Proud', Says Sara

"I think my father is feeling proud, because a lot of people are messaging him good things about my performance. In spite of all the nepotism debates, if media and audience are finding my performance good, it makes it even more special."
Rumours have been rife that Shahrukh Khan is in talks with Sanjay Leela Bhansali for the latter's upcoming project. It was also reported that the film will also cast Salman Khan in the lead role. Shahrukh, who's currently busy with the promotion of his forthcoming film, Zero, spoke to Mumbai Mirror and cleared the air around the same!

He was quoted as saying, "I talk about my film when I'm making one, if I haven't made it yet, there is no point in speaking about it as it only misleads. Apart from these two you mentioned, there are six other films that I have heard, some really exciting stuff. But it's only after I've finished Zero, that I can take a call on my next as only then can dates and casting can be locked."

"For the moment I just want to stay with this film and have requested everyone else to give me some time. Sare Jahan Se Achcha I've heard, it's beautiful, I'd love to do it and I will, eventually. But the timing has not been decided and it is nice to announce a film with the whole cast and crew."

Speaking of Bhansali film, he said, "Sanjay and I have been talking about a film for the last two years but not specifically about this one. I'd love to work with him again but since nothing is specified yet, it obviously means Sanjay is not ready yet and it will take us some more time."

Inside Pics From Isha Ambani's Wedding!

"I've spoken to Aanand about another film, but he's not even done with Zero yet, how will he start a new film. There is another idea that I've really liked which someone narrated to me.

Some friends wanted to announce a film eight-nine months ago, but I convinced them to hang on as I wanted to give Zero all my time for now. So, at this point I don't have another film to talk about."

Zero is all set to hit the theatres on December 21, 2018.
Shahrukh Khan's upcoming film Zero is touted to be one of the most anticipated films of 2018. It has the superstar moving out of his comfort zone and playing the role of a vertically-challenged man named Buaa Singh. There is a great level of curiosity surrounding his co-stars Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif's roles as well.

But one of the biggest reasons to watch this film is Sridevi's last onscreen appearance before her demise. The actress' untimely passing away in Dubai in February had left the entire nation in grief. Of late, there were various speculations doing the rounds about the legendary diva's cameo in Zero. There were reports that she will be featuring in a song in the film. However, director Anand L. Rai had rubbished those news reports.

Finally, Shahrukh Khan spilled the beans about Sridevi's role in the film and here's what he said-

SRK Has A Small Scene With Sridevi In The Film The actor told Times Now, "That sequence is actually not a long sequence. It's not in any which way...it's not an "Item" - presence, honestly." The Loss Is Irreplacable "It's wrong to even kind of feel, "Oh, it's a privilege to have had her in the film", because, you know, just the loss is so great. And I hope wherever she is, she makes the world happy like she's done." 'I Wish She Hadn't Passed Away' SRK said, "I kind of started my career when I came and did Army (1996) with her and then she's no more and I have a little scene with her, so it's heartening that way. Though, obviously, having said that, I wish she hadn't passed way. None of us wishes, we wish she was alive and it would've been nicer." SRK Would Have Shown Zero First To Sridevi He further added, "And now that you have mentioned it, I am just thinking, if we have a trial for the film, she would've been the first person, I would've called. So, it's sad. I really wish her children, her husband and whole family very well."

Speaking about how Zero is a small examination of love and imperfection, Shahrukh had earlier shared, "We spend most of our lives thinking, 'I wish I were happier' or 'I wish I were like this...' We don't realise that nobody's perfect - except, I joke, Katrina Kaif.

I think nobody's perfect either emotionally, mentally or physically. We need to accept that fast, so that we don't waste time wanting to be someone else while life passes us by. Instead of thinking of our imperfection as incompletion, we need to think of it as our uniqueness."

Katrina Kaif's Hilarious Reply When Asked About Kissing SRK Onscreen: He Is The Lucky One, Not Me
For A Song In The Film

According to a recent report by 123Telugu.com, the makers of the film were in search for the right actress to feature along with Ram Charan in a song from the movie.

Esha Gupta Roped In For The Song

The report also adds that the makers have now seemingly finalised the actress and Bollywood a ctressEsha Gupta has been roped in to feature in this special song in the film along with Ram Charan.

The shoot Of The Song

According to the report, the shoot of the song will commence on December 14, 2018 and it will go on for 3 days. Reportedly, a set of a club has been erected in Annapurna Studios for the shoot of this particular song. Reports suggest that this song will be in the lines of a party number.

The Other Songs Of Vinaya Vidheya Rama

According to the report, one more song has to be shot, which would begin after the commencement of this party number. The songs of the film have been set to tune by Devi Sri Prasad. The song Thandaane Thandaane has already hit the online circuits and gained good acceptance of the audiences.
Strengthens Portfolio Within Strategic Energy Metals Sector

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 13, 2018) - DELREY METALS CORP. (CSE: DLRY) (FSE: 1OZ) ("Delrey" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has entered into and closed a share purchase agreement dated December 12, 2018 (the "Share Purchase Agreement") with WEM Western Energy Metals Ltd., a private arm's length corporation ("WEM"), to acquire all the issued and outstanding share capital of WEM. Pursuant to the terms of the Share Purchase Agreement, the Company issued 4,250,000 common shares of the Company (each, a "Share"). All securities issued pursuant to the Share Purchase Agreement will be subject to a four month statutory hold period.

WEM owns a 100 percent undivided, unencumbered legal and beneficial interest in both the Peneece and the Blackie Vanadium properties (the "Properties"), located in British Columbia. The Properties cover a total area of 2,714 hectares and host vanadium mineralization within large bodies of titaniferous magnetite. Both properties are strategically located on tidewater, near to the small coastal cities of Port Hardy (Peneece - 68km) and Prince Rupert (Blackie - 96km).

About the Peneece and Blackie Vanadium Projects:

The Properties are comprised of large-scale ultramafic complexes which are intruded by gabbroic bodies hosting iron-titanium-vanadium (Fe-Ti-V) mineralization within massive titaniferous magnetite. Two of the gabbro bodies mapped on surface display lateral extents of 4.8km x 0.8km (Peneece) and 1.2km x 0.4km (Blackie).

Highlights:

Historic samples collected from the gabbro on the Blackie assay up to 2.14% V 2 0 5 . 1

The Blackie property is located in a historic mining district. The adjacent past-producing Yellow Giant Mine, located less than 10km from the property and operated by Banks Island Gold as recently as 2015 initially boasted a 414% IRR, showing the economic potential that exists on Banks Island 2 .

McDougall (1984), commented that, "an unusually strong and extensive magnetic anomaly exists over the [Peneece Property]. It was, and still remains the largest flux gate magnetic anomaly noted by the writer during many years of work on the West Coast. The size and overall magnetic intensity of the anomaly were only exceeded at the multi-billion ton "Klukwan pyroxenite-amphibolite" deposit in S.E. Alaska."

Magnetic concentrate from limited float samples collected distal to the magnetic anomaly on the Peneece Property assayed up to 0.59% V 2 0 5 . 1

Both properties are easily accessible by boat or helicopter and workable year round. Historic barge-logging was completed within and near to the project areas, which has created a network of logging roads and allows for low cost exploration and development.

An initial work program including a high-resolution airborne magnetic survey is planned in the near term on both Properties.

Morgan Good, President and CEO of Delrey commented: "Delrey continues to rapidly grow its portfolio of quality projects prospective for metals relative to the energy metals sector. Our team has been evaluating properties, specifically vanadium rich properties, for quite some time now. While the notable increase in the price of vanadium is still specific to steel alloys, we're anticipating the demand to continue growing and the prevalence of vanadium redox flow batteries is clearly on the rise. The world continues to move more and more toward renewable energy sources where the need for large capacity, inexpensive and long-lasting energy storage is an absolute necessity."

About Delrey

Delrey Metals Corp. is a mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral resource properties, specifically in the strategic energy minerals space. The Company has an option agreement to purchase a 100% interest in the highly prospective Sunset property situated in the Vancouver Mining Division and located near Pemberton, British Columbia. In addition to its acquisition of the Star, Porcher, Blackie, and Peneece Vanadium properties in BC, Delrey intends to review and acquire projects showing potential for materials used in the energy storage and electric vehicle markets. Delrey is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and is listed on the CSE under the symbol "DLRY" and on the FSE under the symbol "1OZ".

About Vanadium

Vanadium is one of the largest percentage gainers among the battery metals group (Li, Co, Ni, Cu) since early 2017 climbing from under $5/lb to over $29/lb where it currently trades. This ductile, malleable and corrosion resistant transition metal has a wide range of use cases and can be found in automobiles, pipelines, jet engines, redox flow batteries and as an alloy in steel production, among others. Currently 90% of global vanadium production is used as an alloy in the manufacturing of steel, with the grade of the steel proportional to its vanadium content. New regulations recently emplaced by the Standardization Administration of China (SAC) have eliminated Grade 2 steel rebar production in China, replacing it with Grades 3, 4, and 5, which each consume progressively more vanadium. Global industrial growth and increased building standards in earthquake prone areas are forecasted to keep demand for vanadium strong.

The emerging market for Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries ("VRBs") is showing tremendous potential. VRBs are non-flammable, reusable over semi-infinite cycles and are shown to not degrade for more than 20 years, which make them an efficient alternative to traditional lithium-ion batteries for grid power storage. The energy generated by renewable sources such as wind and solar is not constant over time and presents an excellent use case for VRBs to store excess power generated during peak production periods, which can be utilized during seasons with low wind or sun exposure. While the battery technology is in its early stages, the recent commissioning of the world's largest ever battery, a 200MW/800MWh vanadium flow battery in Dalian, China, is proof that the fledgling technology is progressing at a fast rate. Currently VRBs account for only 2% of global vanadium demand, while many estimates are forecasting the market share for VRB's to increase substantially as the emerging VRB space continues to grow.

Qualified person

Scott Dorion, P.Geo., is the designated Qualified Person of the Company as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this release.

Cautionary Notes

Note that these estimations precede National Instrument 43-101, are repeated for historical reference only, and are not to be relied upon. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimate as current mineral resources or reserves; and the issuer is not treating the historical estimate as current mineral resources or reserves. Nevertheless, the estimates were completed by competent individuals to the standard of the day, and are considered to be relevant to future exploration of the property.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF

DELREY METALS CORP.

"Morgan Good"

Morgan Good

President and Chief Executive Officer

For more information regarding this news release, please contact:

Morgan Good, CEO and Director

T: 604-620-8904

E: info@delreymetals.com

W: www.delreymetals.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this news release, constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is used in applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information is based on plans, expectations and estimates of management at the date the information is provided and is subject to certain factors and assumptions, including, but are not limited to, general business and economic uncertainties. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause the forward-looking information in this news release to change or to be inaccurate include, but are not limited to, the risk that any of the assumptions referred to prove not to be valid or reliable, which could result in delays, or cessation in planned work, that the Company's financial condition and development plans change, delays in regulatory approval, risks associated with the interpretation of data, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits, the possibility that results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, as well as the other risks and uncertainties applicable to mineral exploration and development activities and to the Company as set forth in the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis reports filed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. There can be no assurance that any forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader should not place any undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information or statements, other than as required by applicable law.

1Historical information contained in this news release cannot be relied upon as the Company's Qualified Person, as defined under NI 43-101 has not prepared nor verified the historical information.

2Adjacent Properties - This news release contains information about adjacent properties on which Delrey Metals does not have the right to explore or mine. Investors are cautioned that mineral deposits on adjacent properties are not indicative of mineral deposits on the Company's properties.

Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
FRANKFURT, Germany, Dec. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- FRA/sk - Frankfurt Airport welcomed around 5.24 million passengers in November 2018, a growth of 4.7 percent year-on-year. This development was driven by European traffic (up 6.1 percent) as well as intercontinental traffic (up 4.3 percent). The cumulative growth in passenger numbers for the first eleven months of the current year was 7.8 percent.

In a similar vein, aircraft movements in November increased by 5.3 percent to 41,192 takeoffs and landings. Accumulated maximum takeoff weights (MTOWs) rose by 3.3 percent to around 2.5 million metric tons. Only the cargo throughput (airfreight + airmail) declined in November, falling by 2.1 percent to around 196,537 million metric tons in response to the growing uncertainty in global trade.

The international airports in Fraport's portfolio also enjoyed largely positive development in November. While Ljubljana Airport (LJU) in Slovenia saw a slight decline of 3.3 percent to 117,554 passengers, the Brazilian airports in Fortaleza (FOR) and Porto Alegre (POA) reported significant growth of 10.8 percent to around 1.3 million passengers. The 14 regional airports in Greece saw an overall growth of 12.8 percent to 726,159 passengers. The three airports in the Greek portfolio with the most traffic were Thessaloniki (SKG) with 428,897 passengers (up 16.6 percent), Rhodes (RHO) with 68,041 passengers (minus 9.7 percent to) and Chania (CHQ) with 59,053 passengers (up 14.6 percent). Lima Airport (LIM) in Peru grew by 6.7 percent to about 1.8 million passengers. A total of 68,246 passengers used the Bulgarian Twin Star airports of Varna (VAR) and Burgas (BOJ), down 6.8 percent. Antalya Airport (AYT) again enjoyed substantial growth of 26.9 percent to around 1.2 million passengers. Growing passenger numbers were also reported at Pulkovo Airport (LED) in St. Petersburg with around 1.3 million passengers (up 18.1 percent) and Xi'an (XIY) in China with around 3.6 million passengers (up 4.8 percent).

Print-quality photos of Fraport AG and Frankfurt Airport are available for free downloading via the photo library on the Fraport Web site. For TV news and information broadcasting purposes only, we also offer free footage material for downloading. If you wish to meet a member of our Media Relations team when at Frankfurt Airport, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our contact details are available here.

For further information about Fraport AG please click here.

Fraport Traffic Figures















November 2018

























































Fraport Group Airports1

November 2018





Year to Date (YTD) 2018









Fraport Passengers Cargo* Movements Passengers Cargo Movements Fully-consolidated airports share (%) Month ? % Month ? % Month ? % YTD ? % YTD ? % YTD ? % FRA Frankfurt Germany 100.00 5,244,227 4.7 194,083 -1.8 41,192 5.3 64,585,101 7.8 1,995,243 -1.1 473,791 7.6 LJU Ljubljana Slovenia 100.00 117,554 -3.3 1,105 5.1 2,512 -6.3 1,703,352 8.3 11,324 1.1 33,084 3.4 Fraport Brasil 100.00 1,320,863 10.8 8,701 41.4 11,517 5.2 13,435,989 6.2 78,651 45.8 126,824 6.0 FOR Fortaleza Brazil 100.00 588,915 24.5 4,848 22.0 4,939 19.4 5,896,860 9.6 41,847 22.5 52,527 10.9 POA Porto Alegre Brazil 100.00 731,948 1.8 3,853 76.9 6,578 -3.4 7,539,129 3.6 36,804 85.9 74,297 2.8 Fraport Regional Airports of Greece A+B 73.40 726,159 12.8 676 59.9 7,507 14.8 29,165,684 8.7 7,489 21.2 236,934 7.9 Fraport Regional Airports of Greece A 73.40 526,251 14.7 540 77.1 4,830 12.5 16,071,030 7.5 5,637 18.8 126,133 6.2 CFU Kerkyra (Corfu) Greece 73.40 24,822 -2.7 7 n.a. 398 -14.4 3,340,537 15.3 167 > 100.0 25,912 17.5 CHQ Chania (Crete) Greece 73.40 59,053 14.6 29 -0.3 562 40.9 2,951,012 -1.5 421 -6.0 19,050 -0.7 EFL Kefalonia Greece 73.40 3,542 36.3 0 n.a. 108 24.1 758,261 20.9 1 -63.4 7,049 21.2 KVA Kavala Greece 73.40 6,105 -23.2 10 > 100.0 105 -42.3 399,781 29.9 86 -17.1 4,037 14.6 PVK Aktion/Preveza Greece 73.40 754 > 100.0 0 n.a. 58 -19.4 583,358 2.6 0 n.a. 5,338 2.4 SKG Thessaloniki Greece 73.40 428,897 16.6 493 80.5 3,499 18.0 6,239,432 5.9 4,956 18.2 51,681 1.9 ZTH Zakynthos Greece 73.40 3,078 5.5 1 n.a. 100 -18.7 1,798,649 8.5 6 > 100.0 13,066 6.6 Fraport Regional Airports of Greece B 73.40 199,908 8.1 136 15.3 2,677 19.2 13,094,654 10.2 1,852 28.9 110,801 9.8 JMK Mykonos Greece 73.40 11,378 > 100.0 3 n.a. 201 > 100.0 1,388,262 15.4 91 > 100.0 17,118 9.0 JSI Skiathos Greece 73.40 1,239 19.6 0 n.a. 50 13.6 436,833 3.3 0 n.a. 4,115 -2.5 JTR Santorini (Thira) Greece 73.40 57,374 17.2 14 n.a. 496 13.8 2,214,044 16.8 168 > 100.0 19,968 19.4 KGS Kos Greece 73.40 22,286 1.4 21 47.2 406 13.4 2,646,589 15.0 272 81.3 19,930 17.2 MJT Mytilene (Lesvos) Greece 73.40 27,641 16.3 31 -7.7 507 42.4 448,937 8.6 354 0.5 5,642 6.8 RHO Rhodes Greece 73.40 68,041 -9.7 47 4.3 701 -6.4 5,510,098 5.1 719 24.0 38,141 4.5 SMI Samos Greece 73.40 11,949 15.9 20 -20.0 316 32.8 449,891 12.5 249 -10.0 5,887 8.2 LIM Lima Peru 70.01 1,809,643 6.7 25,812 -3.8 15,621 -0.4 20,267,630 7.7 258,766 1.1 176,683 3.8 Fraport Twin Star 60.00 68,246 -6.8 859 25.5 802 -3.6 5,483,461 12.5 7,625 -43.7 40,210 10.1 BOJ Burgas Bulgaria 60.00 10,093 0.0 832 25.0 208 30.0 3,264,222 9.9 7,500 -43.7 23,061 8.4 VAR Varna Bulgaria 60.00 58,153 -7.9 27 41.7 594 -11.6 2,219,239 16.5 126 -43.1 17,149 12.4





























At equity consolidated airports

























AYT Antalya Turkey 51.00 1,217,351 26.9 n.a. n.a. 8,608 22.2 31,420,739 22.8 n.a. n.a. 181,970 20.3 LED St. Petersburg Russia 25.00 1,286,686 18.1 n.a. n.a. 12,562 12.5 16,849,580 12.0 n.a. n.a. 152,690 8.3 XIY Xi'an China 24.50 3,583,745 4.8 32,739 39.0 27,240 4.4 41,052,054 7.1 280,056 18.9 302,120 3.4

Frankfurt Airport2











November 2018 Month ? % YTD 2018 ? % Passengers 5,244,494 4.7 64,589,000 7.8 Cargo (freight & mail) 196,537 -2.1 2,030,213 -0.9 Aircraft movements 41,192 5.3 473,791 7.6 MTOW (in metric tons)3 2,534,283 3.3 29,170,574 5.0 PAX/PAX-flight4 136.9 -1.0 145.6 -0.1 Seat load factor (%) 75.7

79.6

Punctuality rate (%) 79.0

69.1











Frankfurt Airport PAX share ? %5 PAX share ? %5 Regional Split Month YTD Continental 63.7 5.0 64.6 10.9 Germany 12.6 0.6 11.0 4.4 Europe (excl. GER) 51.2 6.1 53.6 12.4 Western Europe 42.2 5.1 44.6 11.9 Eastern Europe 8.9 11.3 9.1 14.8 Intercontinental 36.3 4.3 35.4 2.4 Africa 4.9 11.3 4.3 11.4 Middle East 5.4 -3.5 5.2 0.4 North America 11.2 6.2 12.6 3.1 Central & South Amer. 3.9 3.9 3.3 1.5 Far East 10.9 3.6 10.1 -0.5 Australia 0.0 n.a. 0.0 n.a.

Definitions: 1 According to ACI definition: Passengers: commercial traffic only (arr+dep+transit counted once), Cargo: commercial and non-commercial traffic (arr+dep excluding transit, in metric tons), Movements: commercial and non-commercial traffic (arr+dep), preliminary figures; 2 Commercial and non-commercial traffic: Passengers (arr+dep+transit counted once, incl. general aviation), Cargo (arr+dep+transit counted once, in metric tons), Movements (arr+dep); 3 Inbound traffic only; 4 Scheduled and charter traffic; 5 absolute change vs. previous year in %; *Cargo = Freight + mail
GAM Holding AG / GAM Holding AG provides an estimate on its 2018 results and announces a comprehensive restructuring programme as well as a proposed suspension of the 2018 dividend . Processed and transmitted by West Corporation. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

13 December 2018

PRESS RELEASE

GAM Holding AG provides an estimate on its 2018 results and announces a comprehensive restructuring programme as well as a proposed suspension of the 2018 dividend

GAM Holding AG (GAM) today provides an update on its assets under management, an estimate of its 2018 results, and announces comprehensive measures to strengthen the core business and reduce costs to support profitability.

Group assets under management 1 (AuM) of CHF 139.1 billion at 30 November 2018, down from CHF 146.1 billion as at 30 September 2018, mainly driven by net outflows of CHF 4.2 billion in Investment Management

Group-wide restructuring programme launched to enhance efficiency, support profitability and simplify the organisation, while repositioning GAM for future growth with an expected reduction in fixed personnel and general expenses of at least CHF 40 million by end-2019 - the savings are expected to be fully reflected in the 2020 results

Underlying profit before taxes for 2018 expected to be approximately CHF 125 million (including approximately CHF 3 million of performance fees), compared with CHF 172.5 million (including CHF 44.1 million of performance fees) in 2017

Estimated IFRS net loss of approximately CHF 925 million for 2018, driven by: Expected goodwill impairment charge for the Group of approximately CHF 885 million Expected impairment charge of approximately CHF 62 million in second half 2018 related to Cantab investment management and client contracts These impairment charges will not impact the Group's tangible equity or cash position A non-recurring charge of approximately CHF 30 million is expected in relation to the implementation of the restructuring programme and the professional costs in connection with the absolute return/unconstrained fixed income strategy (ARBF)

Given the significantly lower levels of AuM and the phasing of the cost reduction programme, GAM expects its 2019 financial results to be materially below those of 2018

Recognising GAM's expected 2018 results and the profit outlook for 2019, the Board of Directors remains committed to rebuilding capital buffers and expects to propose to shareholders that no dividend be paid for 2018 in order to accelerate the capital rebuild programme, while revising the dividend policy for 2019 and beyond to target a minimum pay-out of 50% of underlying net profits

David Jacob, Group CEO, said: "With today's announcement we are seeking to give our shareholders and our clients the clearest assessment of our financial situation. We are taking decisive action to rebase costs and support profitability, whilst maintaining our focus on client service and control functions. We are determined to do everything it takes to rebuild the trust of our stakeholders. We are fortunate to have excellent talent across our business, the ability to continue to invest in areas of strength and an attractive product range to build upon as we reposition GAM for future sustainable growth."

Update on AuM

Assets under management movements (CHF bn) - Investment Management

Capability Opening AuM

30.09.2018 Net flows Market/FX movements Closing AuM

30.11.2018 Absolute return (excl. ARBF) 2.6 (0.5) (0.2) 1.9 Fixed income 35.3 (3.0) (0.1) 32.2 Equity 11.0 (0.4) (0.8) 9.8 Systematic 4.6 (0.1) (0.2) 4.3 Multi asset 8.6 (0.1) (0.3) 8.2 Alternatives 4.5 (0.1) - 4.4 Total excluding ARBF1 66.6 (4.2) (1.6) 60.8

At 30 November 2018, AuM for Investment Management stood at CHF 60.8 billion, down from CHF 66.6 billion as at 30 September 2018, mainly driven by net outflows of CHF 4.2 billion and negative market and foreign exchange movements of CHF 1.6 billion. While the net flow trend was improving in the first three weeks of October 2018, with net outflows diminishing, it worsened thereafter as the market environment remained challenging for the industry.

The absolute return capability recorded net outflows of CHF 0.5 billion, mainly driven by the GAM Star (Lux) - Merger Arbitrage and the GAM Absolute Return Europe Equity funds. In fixed income, net outflows totalled CHF 3.0 billion, which was mainly driven by the GAM Star Credit Opportunities and the GAM Local Emerging Bond funds. Net outflows of CHF 0.4 billion in equity was mainly driven by the GAM Star Continental European Equity fund, while the GAM Star Japan Equity and the GAM Emerging Markets Equity funds recorded net inflows. Systematic net outflows of CHF 0.1 billion were mainly related to the GAM Systematic Quant fund, while in alternatives, the main net outflows of CHF 0.1 billion came from the GAM Physical Gold fund. Multi-asset saw redemptions of CHF 0.1 billion, mainly driven from institutional mandates in Switzerland.

The liquidation of the ARBF is continuing, ensuring that all investors are treated fairly. As at 12 December 2018, between 89% and 92% of Luxembourg and Irish-domiciled funds, and 66% to 72% of the assets in the Cayman and Australian feeder funds have been returned to clients. GAM is currently working on a plan with a target to complete the liquidation process in the first quarter of 2019, subject to market conditions.

Assets under management movements (CHF bn) - Private Labelling

Fund domicile Opening AuM

30.09.2018 Net flows Market/FX movements Closing AuM

30.11.2018 Switzerland 34.3 1.0 (0.9) 34.4 Rest of Europe 45.0 0.0 (1.1) 43.9 Total 79.3 1.0 (2.0) 78.3

AuM in Private Labelling, which provides management company services for third parties, totalled CHF 78.3 billion as at 30 November 2018 compared to CHF 79.3 billion as at 30 September 2018. Net inflows amounted to CHF 1.0 billion, while foreign exchange and market movements led to a CHF 2.0 billion decrease in AuM.

Estimated 2018 results

The underlying profit before taxes for 2018 is expected to be approximately CHF 125 million, down from CHF 172.5 million reported for 2017. The expected decline is primarily driven by reduced levels of performance fees from CHF 44.1 million in 2017 to approximately CHF 3 million in 2018 and a decline in AuM in Investment Management from CHF 84.4 billion at 30 June 2018 to CHF 60.8 billion at 30 November 2018. These impacts are being partly offset by lower total expenses.

Due to lower levels of forecast AuM and profitability, GAM expects to recognise a goodwill impairment charge of approximately CHF 885 million for 2018. In addition, the Group expects to incur an impairment charge on investment management and client contracts of approximately CHF 62 million (net of taxes), in the second half of 2018. This is related to the original funds of Cantab Capital Partners acquired in October 2016, as a result of lower AuM and cash flows compared with those forecast previously. Despite this, we believe that our GAM Systematic platform is a key part of our future growth prospects, both in terms of our alternative risk premia offering and on-going systematic product launches.

These impairment charges will have no impact on GAM's underlying net profit, the Group's tangible equity or cash position.

At the same time GAM expects a related reduction in the Cantab deferred consideration liability, which represents the part of the purchase price that was deferred over multiple years, of approximately CHF 16 million in the second half of 2018. Overall, since the acquisition, the deferred liability has been reduced by approximately CHF 73 million.

A non-recurring charge of approximately CHF 30 million is expected in relation to the implementation of the Group's restructuring programme and the professional costs incurred in connection with the ARBF strategy.

As a result, GAM expects to recognise an IFRS net loss of approximately CHF 925 million for 2018, compared to a net profit of CHF 123.2 million in 2017.

Impact on 2019 results

Given the significantly lower average AuM and revenues expected for 2019 compared to 2018, and with the savings related to the restructuring programme only fully reflected in the 2020 results, GAM expects the financial results for the first half and the full year 2019 to be materially below those of the first half and the full year 2018.

Restructuring plan to reposition GAM for future growth

GAM has launched a comprehensive restructuring programme that will allow it to support profitability and shareholder value in the near term, while not affecting its ability to create value for clients. The measures will simplify the business and enhance efficiency. At the same time, GAM's resources will be focused on areas of strength and future growth, as well as on further enhancing its control environment.

The restructuring measures are expected to result in a reduction of the fixed staff costs and general expenses run rate of at least CHF 40 million by the end of 2019 compared to the annualised cost run rate at half-year 2018 of CHF 282.2 million. This involves approximately 10% of roles being eliminated across the Group during 2019, subject to legal and regulatory requirements. These reductions include the already announced changes to portfolio management teams. The company will continue to invest in its core business as well as the Group's compliance and risk capabilities.

Measures already launched or planned include the following areas:

Consolidating investment teams (as communicated in November 2018): To better deliver scalable products to clients worldwide, consolidation of the London, Zurich and New York capabilities in fixed income to focus on an enhanced emerging market bond platform; a broadened global credit capability; an amalgamated asset backed securities (ABS) and mortgage backed securities (MBS) team; and a global strategic bond offering evolving from the existing total return bond expertise. In equities, GAM has consolidated the European expertise into a single team, whilst maintaining existing strengths in non-European equities.

Optimising distribution footprint: Focus distribution resources on where near and mid-term growth potential resides.

Streamlining operations and support functions: Consolidation of functions to optimally support GAM's core investment management franchises of specialised fixed income, equities, multi-asset solutions and GAM Systematic.

Refining corporate structure: Reviewing GAM's corporate structure with the aim to reduce complexity and also optimise capital usage.

Re-prioritising projects: Review the sequencing of projects planned as part of the Group's change programme to ensure efficiencies are achieved whilst continuing to enhance GAM's risk, control and IT capabilities.

This programme will continue throughout 2019, with cost savings expected to be fully reflected in the 2020 financial results. Management will continue to examine opportunities for further cost savings over the course of the restructuring process.

Changes to the Group Management Board (GMB)

As GAM continues to simplify the business, the Board of Directors has decided to reduce the size of the GMB from nine to seven members. As a result, Larry Hatheway, Group Head of GAM Investment Solutions (GIS) and Chief Economist, and Tim Dana, Group Head of Corporate Development will step down as members of the GMB by the end of the year, but will retain their current functional roles and responsibilities and continue to form part of GAM's senior management team.

Update on 2018 dividend

Recognising GAM's expected 2018 results and the profit outlook for 2019, the Board of Directors remains focused on re-building capital buffers and expects to propose to shareholders that no dividend will be paid for 2018 to accelerate the Group's capital rebuild. For 2019 and beyond, GAM will target a minimum dividend pay-out of 50% of underlying net profit to shareholders. GAM will provide an update on its strategic priorities, group targets and further details of the restructuring programme with its definitive 2018 full year results on 21 February 2019.

Hugh Scott-Barrett, Chairman of the Board of Directors, said: "We have experienced a difficult year given our issues relating to ARBF, on top of a challenging market environment. We have taken the difficult decision to propose the suspension of the 2018 dividend in order to accelerate the pace of our capital rebuild programme. All the measures announced today allow us to move forward as a leaner business that is focused on those areas where we can add most value to our clients. I am convinced that this creates a base for the company to emerge stronger than it was before."

Excluding ARBF related assets in funds and mandates of CHF 2.3 billion (CHF 2.1 billion in liquidation) as at 30 September 2018 and CHF 1.7 billion (all in liquidation) as at 30 November 2018.

Forthcoming events:

21 February 2019 Full-year results 2018 17 April 2019 Interim management statement Q1 2019

For further information please contact:

Media Relations Investor Relations Marc Duckeck Patrick Zuppiger T +41 (0) 58 426 62 65 T +41 (0) 58 426 31 36 Fiona Kehily-Ives Jessica Grassi T +44 (0) 20 7393 8651 T +41 (0) 58 426 31 37

Brunswick Group:

Gill Ackers

T: +44 (0) 20 7396 5382

Brian Buckley

T: +44 (0) 20 7396 7483

Lemongrass:

Karin Rhomberg

T: +41 (0) 44 202 52 65

Andreas Hildenbrand

T: +41 (0) 44 202 52 38

Visit us at: www.gam.com (http://www.gam.com)

Follow us on: Twitter (https://twitter.com/gaminsights) and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/gam?trk=company_logo)

About GAM

GAM is a leading independent, pure-play asset manager. The company provides active investment solutions and products for institutions, financial intermediaries and private investors. The core investment business is complemented by private labelling services, which include management company and other support services to third-party asset managers. GAM employs over 900 people in 14 countries with investment centres in London, Cambridge, Zurich, Hong Kong, New York, Milan and Lugano. The investment managers are supported by an extensive global distribution network.

Headquartered in Zurich, GAM is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and is a component of the Swiss Market Index Mid (SMIM) with the symbol 'GAM'. Excluding ARBF-related strategies in liquidation, the Group has assets under management of CHF 139.1 billion (USD 139.2 billion) as at 30 November 2018.

Disclaimer regarding forward-looking statements

This press release by GAM Holding AG ('the Company') includes forward-looking statements that reflect the Company's intentions, beliefs or current expectations and projections about the Company's future results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, performance, prospects, strategies, opportunities and the industry in which it operates. Forward-looking statements involve all matters that are not historical facts. The Company has tried to identify those forward-looking statements by using words such as 'may', 'will', 'would', 'should', 'expect', 'intend', 'estimate', 'anticipate', 'project', 'believe', 'seek', 'plan', 'predict', 'continue' and similar expressions. Such statements are made on the basis of assumptions and expectations which, although the Company believes them to be reasonable at this time, may prove to be erroneous.

These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause the Company's actual results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, performance, prospects or opportunities, as well as those of the markets it serves or intends to serve, to differ materially from those expressed in, or suggested by, these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause those differences include, but are not limited to: changing business or other market conditions, legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments, general economic conditions, and the Company's ability to respond to trends in the financial services industry. Additional factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release any update of, or revisions to, any forward-looking statements in this press release and any change in the Company's expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which these forward-looking statements are based, except as required by applicable law or regulation.

English Press Release (http://hugin.info/142256/R/2228892/875462.pdf)


MANCHESTER, England, Dec. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- One Manchester-based company has banned Buble and said "no" to more Mariah this year, building an alternative playlist of Christmas songs. Their musical campaign aims to also raise 2,500 for a local cause.

Mobile technology company Apadmi has created a Spotify playlist dedicated to lesser-played seasonal songs. Garry Partington, CEO for Apadmi, explained: "As much as we all love Slade and The Pogues, there's only so much we can take. People listen to the same-old Christmas music being played on repeat from November - our playlist gives people's ears a break from the norm. But more importantly, it's a great way to raise some much-needed funds for a brilliant local charity."

For every share, follow and like across their Spotify playlist and social media, they'll donate 1 to Kidscan, with a goal of reaching 2,500 by Christmas.

Martin Keelager, Chair of Trustees for Kidscan, commented: "We're thrilled that Apadmi is putting their support behind us - and with such a unique initiative!"

"It's a scary fact that 1 in 500 children will be diagnosed with cancer before turning 14, but 60% of those who survive will also be left with devastating side effects caused by their treatment. Our work aims to discover new, safer ways of treating these illnesses, and we hope that everyone will get behind this campaign throughout December."

Kidscan is one of the only charities in the UK dedicated to funding research into safer cancer treatments for children - and it's a cause that the team at Apadmi feel passionately about.

Garry added: "Our goal of 2,500 can be used to fund 250 hours of vital research, buy 5,000 petri dishes for study or many other uses.

"The work that the Kidscan team do is incredibly important in improving the quality of life of thousands of children in the UK. We're proud to be supporting them, and hope that people will spend just a fraction of their social media time supporting us with a follow or a like. And an all important 'share'!

You can find the Apadmi Christmas Jukebox playlist on Spotify, or go to www.apadmi.com/christmas.

Notes to editors

For more information on Kidscan: https://kidscan.org.uk

For more information on Apadmi: https://www.apadmi.com



About the Apadmi Group

Apadmi is a mobile technology company. They work with clients of all sizes to understand how and where to use mobile in their organisation to improve their operations, and deliver the complete solutions needed to make it happen.

Apadmi are a team of thinkers, developers, designers, UX-ers and inventors who are continuously looking for ways to improve things. Their clients include Argos, AstraZeneca, AVIVA, BBC, Co-op, The Guardian, Lexus, NHS, Range Rover and Skyscanner.

About Apadmi Ventures

Apadmi Ventures, the investment arm of the Apadmi group, is a strategic technical partner and investor in highly-scalable start-ups, providing technology direction and delivery, as well as boardroom advice and support to accelerate growth.

About Apadmi Labs

Apadmi Labs is the research and development arm of the Apadmi group. They discover new technologies and methodologies to create new processes, services and products.
MediaZest Plc

("MediaZest", the "Company" or "Group"; AIM: MDZ)

Nominated Adviser Status

MediaZest, the AIM quoted creative audio-visual company, announces that the Directors have been advised by its current nominated adviser ("Nomad"), Northland Capital Partners Limited ("Northland"), of its proposed merger with SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP ("SP Angel"). Northland has voluntarily agreed to relinquish its Nomad status and will be removed from the register of Nomads with effect from 7am on 1 February 2019.

As a result, the Company has been working through alternative Nomad options including the possibility of a move to SP Angel. This process is ongoing and the Company expects to appoint a replacement Nomad well before 1 February 2019.

In the unlikely event the Company fails to appoint a replacement Nomad by 1 February 2019, the Exchange will suspend trading in the Company's AIM Securities in accordance with AIM Rule 1. In the unlikely event that the Company fails to appoint a replacement Nomad by 4 March 2019, the admission of its AIM Securities will be cancelled.

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation (EU)

Enquiries: Geoff Robertson

Chief Executive Officer

MediaZest Plc 0845 207 9378 David Hignell / Edward Hutton

Nominated Adviser

Northland Capital Partners Limited 020 3861 6625 Claire Noyce

Broker

Hybridan LLP 020 3764 2341

Notes to Editors:

About MediaZest

MediaZest is a creative audio-visual systems integrator that specialises in providing innovative marketing solutions to leading retailers, brand owners and corporations, but also works in the public sector in both the NHS and Education markets. The Group supplies an integrated service from content creation and system design to installation, technical support, and maintenance. MediaZest was admitted to the London Stock Exchange's AIM market in February 2005. For more information, please visit www.mediazest.com .
After seeking additional information from CBI, Interpol initiated proceedings against Choksi and now issued notice against him.

Mumbai: On request from Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Interpol on Thursday issued Red Corner Notice against Mehul Choksi, reported ANI.

Earlier, CBI secured an Interpol Red Corner Notice against Nirav Modi but the world police body had kept its decision pending on Choksi as he had challenged the issuance of notice against him.

After seeking additional information from the CBI, the Interpol had initiated proceedings against Choksi and has now issued a Red Notice against him.

Both Modi and Choksi left India in the first week of January and have not returned despite repeated summons from the investigation agencies and courts.

Choksi and his nephew, Nirav Modi are being sought by multiple investigative agencies after it was revealed that the duo extracted loans from various banks abroad on the basis of fake guarantees in the name of Punjab National Bank.

The two fled India in January and are wanted in the Rs 13,000-crore bank fraud case.
CAMBRIDGE, England, December 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

S-Connect, in Seoul , now fully qualified to build, test, support and maintain Blighter electronic scanning (e-scan) radars from its new, dedicated manufacturing facility at Jeongok

Blighter Surveillance Systems Ltd (www.blighter.com), a British designer and manufacturer of electronic-scanning (e-scan) radars and surveillance solutions, is targeting further expansion into Korea with the appointment of S-Connect, in Seoul, as its local manufacturing partner (www.s-connect.co.kr).

S-Connect is a leading manufacturer of precision assemblies and electronics for the mobile phone, tablet PC and medical devices markets. Following intense training in the UK and in Korea, S-Connect is now fully qualified to build, test, support and maintain Blighter e-scan radars. The partnership has also led to the establishment by S-Connect of a new, dedicated radar manufacturing and support facility at Jeongok, southwest of Seoul.

Blighter Surveillance Systems has been active in Korea since 2008 and has already sold more than 100 radar units into the country including to the Republic of Korea Army to monitor the highly sensitive de-militarised zone (DMZ), a buffer zone which runs 250 km across the Korean peninsula and separates North and South Korea.

Mark Radford, CEO, Blighter Surveillance Systems, said: "The strategic partnership with S-Connect demonstrates our commitment to the Korean market and our desire to enable localisation of our radars for current and future security surveillance programmes in Korea. Having an experienced and competent in-country partner will also enable faster support to our growing base of customers."

Mr. ByungSub Sim, director, S-Connect, said: "Blighter e-scan radars are recognised as best-in-class in Korea because of their successful deployment along the DMZ. We believe there is much potential for future sales into both commercial and military applications and that is why we have extended our partnership with Blighter and invested in a new dedicated radar manufacturing facility at Jeongok."

The Blighter range of maintenance-free solid-state micro Doppler passive electronically scanned array (PESA) radars are already deployed in 35 countries to deliver round the clock all-weather protection along borders, for coastal facilities, at military bases, and to guard critical national infrastructure such as airports, oil and gas facilities and palaces.

The radar products supported by S-Connect include the Blighter B400 series for ground surveillance, the Blighter C400 series for coastal security, and the Blighter Revolution 360 radar system for vehicle mounted solutions.

Blighter Surveillance Systems delivers an integrated multi-sensor package to system integrators comprising the Blighter radars plus cameras, thermal imagers, trackers and software solutions. Its ITAR-free systems are used worldwide in commercial, government and defence markets in area and asset protection for national border security, homeland security, critical infrastructure protection such as oil and gas facilities, coastal surveillance, and in military applications.

For more information about Blighter products, please visit www.blighter.com , telephone +44-1223-491122 or email enquiries@blighter.com.

Media photos:

1. Birdseye view of S-Connect's new, dedicated radar manufacturing and support facility at Jeongok, southwest of Seoul.

http://www.blighter.com/images/images/pr/2018/s-connect-new-dedicated-radar-manufacturing-facility-in-jeongok-near-seoul-high-res.jpg

2. The S-Connect engineering team is now fully qualified to build, test, support and maintain Blighter e-scan radars to support growing radar sales in Korea.

http://www.blighter.com/images/images/pr/2018/s-connect-engineers-are-now-qualified-to-build-test-support-and-maintain-blighter-e-scan-radars-high-res.jpg

3.The flagship Blighter B400 series radars are already operational in Korea along the de-militarised zone (DMZ), a buffer zone which runs 250 km across the Korean peninsula and separates North and South Korea.

http://www.blighter.com/images/images/pr/2018/the-flagship-blighter-b400-series-radars-are-already-operational-along-the-korean-dmz-high-res.jpg

About S-Connect (www.s-connect.co.kr)

S-Connect is a leading manufacturer of precision assemblies and electronics for the mobile phone, tablet PC and medical devices markets. Established in 1998, the company is headquartered in Seoul but also operates a dedicated radar manufacturing and support facility at Jeongok, south of Seoul.

About Blighter Surveillance Systems Ltd (www.blighter.com)

Blighter Surveillance Systems is a world leading designer and manufacturer of electronic-scanning radars and surveillance solutions. Its maintenance free solid-state micro Doppler radars are deployed in 35 countries to deliver round the clock all-weather protection along borders, for coastal facilities, at military bases, and to guard critical national infrastructure such as airports, oil and gas facilities and palaces. The radar products include the Blighter A400 series for air security/drone detection, the Blighter B400 series for ground surveillance, the Blighter C400 series for coastal security, the Blighter B202 Mk 2 man-portable radar system for rapid, mobile deployment and the Blighter Revolution 360 radar system for vehicle mounted solutions. Blighter Surveillance Systems Ltd. is based at Great Chesterford on the outskirts of Cambridge, England.
Pilot project from big data and fleet management specialist aimed at providing better overview of traffic at port for improved operational efficiency

Traxens, a company providing high-value data and services for the supply chain industry, today announces that it is collaborating with MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, a global leader in transportation and logistics, on a pilot IoT project in the Port of Valencia, Spain, aimed at improving the operational efficiency of the port. Specifically, Traxens co-operates on this project with MSC Terminal Valencia and the Port Authority at the Port of Valencia, and Fundacion Valenciaport (FVP). The trial started in September 2018.

As part of the pilot project, MSC Spain trucks have been equipped with Traxens' dedicated IoT devices, allowing for near real-time tracking of movement of vehicles. This can help port authorities to predict and manage potential congestions, as well as to anticipate truck arrivals at the gates. Overall operational efficiency is therefore expected to significantly improve due to easy monitoring of on-site road activity, improved fleet management as well as pre- and post-carriage management. Traxens has installed a gateway in the MSC Terminal to allow enhanced and secured connectivity. It will also provide access to its big data analytics platform, TraxensHub, via APIs, bringing enhanced analytics and reporting capabilities for port authorities.

"Our pilot project at the Port of Valencia is one of the first applications of an IoT system in a port environment and we are eagerly awaiting results," said Jacques Delort, managing director of Traxens. "We believe that big data is the future of the shipping industry. We are delighted that we could co-operate with the Port of Valencia, which has ValenciaportPCS, one of the best-in-class Port Community Systems, on such an important project."

"We have already used IoT devices by Traxens for tracking our containers and we believe that the functionality can really help port authorities in improving operations. This could bring benefits to all parties," said Jaime Lopez, Intermodal Project Leader, MSC Spain

"The Port of Valencia believes in the role of innovation and digitalization for the future of shipping ports, for example by using the PCS (Port Community Systems) integration platform. We are delighted to provide a trial site for Traxens, which could eventually result in the improvement of operations for the whole of the shipping industry," said Miguel Llop, Director of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), from the Fundacion Valenciaport.

Following a successful pilot trial, Traxens aims to extend its solution to other terminals within the Port of Valencia, by deploying additional gateways. The existing gateway will then be used for testing and improving processes related to all smart containers passing through the area.

About Traxens

Traxens delivers the world's most extensive, precise and timely information about containers in transit anywhere in the world using breakthrough technology and big data techniques. This information provides the opportunity for all stakeholders in multi-modal transport to improve costs, optimize investment and offer premium services.

www.traxens.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181213005044/en/

Contacts:

Press:

Geraldine Sauniere

Director of Communications

g.sauniere@traxens.com

Tel: +33 6 95 91 58 99
LONDON, Dec. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Arq, the UK-based energy technology company, today announces the appointment of Sir Mick Davis as a non-executive director on its Board.

Davis brings many years of mining and energy experience to the Arq Board. He was formerly Chief Executive of Xstrata, the Anglo-Swiss mining entity, until it merged with Glencore in 2013. He had previously held the role of Chief Financial Officer of Billiton plc. Since June 2017 he has been CEO and Treasurer of the UK's Conservative Party.

Davis' appointment follows hard on the heels of the appointments of Vitol's Mike Muller and former BP Chief Scientist Bernie Bulkin to the Arq Board in October, as Arq bolsters its impressive team of highly experienced non-executive directors.

Davis joins the Board as Arq prepares to rapidly scale its international business and to partner with coal and energy industry majors across the globe. Next year will also see the launch of the first Arq Technology plant in Corbin, Kentucky USA.

Sir Mick commented:

"I'm delighted to be joining Arq at an exciting time in its development as it prepares to launch its innovative energy products into the market. This break-through technology will help to provide an immediate solution for a number of key global energy issues."

Julian McIntyre, Chief Executive of Arq, said:

"I'm delighted that Sir Mick has agreed to join us as we gear up for our first plant launch in 2019. His experience, knowledge and contacts across the mining and energy industry will be invaluable to us as we move into the next stage of our development. Together with Bernie, Mike and our other directors we now have a formidable Board to drive Arq forward."

Notes for editors:

About Sir Mick Davis

Sir Mick Davis is a South African businessman and politician. He has extensive capital markets and transaction experience following a long career in the international mining industry. He started his career as an accountant before moving into the mining industry as an executive director of South African state- owned Eskom. He then moved to Gencor and Ingwe Coal Corporation prior to his appointment as Chief Financial Officer of Billiton plc in 1997. He was Chief Executive of Xstrata from 2001 to 2013, until it joined forces with Glencore. He has since formed the mining venture X2 Resources.

Sir Mick is married and lives in London with his wife and three children.

About Arq

Arq is a private technology-led energy group, headquartered in London, UK, with further operations in Lexington and Corbin, KY; Truro, UK; and Queensland, Australia.

Arq has developed and patented a unique technology to produce high value, pure hydrocarbonaceous material from coal and coal discard that can be blended directly into oil and oil products.

Arq's cost-effective process upgrades coal into oil products which represents a major breakthrough. It has been achieved by inventing a low-cost mechanical process for handling coal and coal discard as a micro-particle system.

Arq Technology crushes and mills coal and coal waste down to an average of 3 microns in size. A separation process using propriety flotation and chemistry enables the liberation of substantially all the valuable hydrocarbons, selectively separating and removing impurities. Arq will deploy this technology worldwide to provide an abundant new source of low-cost energy.

For further information visit www.arq.com

Enquiries:

Tom Tudor, Head of Brand & Communications Tel: +44 (0) 20-7016-5130
Native TensorFlow Integration Enables Seamless Deep Learning on Data in GridGain

FOSTER CITY, Calif., Dec. 13, 2018, provider of enterprise-grade in-memory computing solutions based on Apache Ignite, today announced the immediate availability of GridGain Professional Edition 2.7 , a fully supported version of Apache Ignite 2.7. GridGain Professional Edition 2.7 introduces TensorFlow integration for enhanced training of deep learning (DL) models. GridGain Professional Edition 2.7 also provides enhanced usability, including expanded support for thin clients, as well as Transparent Data Encryption at rest to improve security. Together, the features make it easier to use the GridGain In-Memory Computing Platform for more use cases, such as for achieving the speed and scalability required for implementing real-time continuous learning for digital transformation and omnichannel customer experience initiatives.



TensorFlow Integration for High Performance Deep Learning Model Training

TensorFlow, a popular open source deep learning framework, is a software library for high performance numerical computation. Its flexible architecture allows for easy deployment of computation across a variety of platforms (CPUs, GPUs, TPUs) and devices.

The GridGain integration with TensorFlow allows GridGain users to easily share data stored in GridGain with TensorFlow. Functioning as an in-memory data source for TensorFlow, GridGain allows users to leverage the TensorFlow deep learning framework for real-time deep learning model training without requiring a dedicated data store for TensorFlow.

GridGain Professional Edition 2.7 also includes new preprocessing APIs and additional machine learning (ML) algorithms. These algorithms make it easier for organizations to apply the power of GridGain in-memory computing capabilities to more ML use cases such as credit card fraud detection, mortgage approvals, or ecommerce product recommendations.

Expanded Programming Languages Support

GridGain Professional Edition 2.7 now offers expanded support for thin clients with support for new languages, including Python, Node.JS, PHP, C++, .NET and Java. Support for these thin clients makes it easier for users accustomed to programming in one of these languages to use their preferred language when coding for GridGain.

Transparent Data Encryption at Rest

GridGain Professional Edition 2.7 includes Transparent Data Encryption at rest. Encryption is applied to the data stored in the GridGain Persistent Store, so even if a cybercriminal were to breach a GridGain cluster, they could not see the data in plain text.

GridGain Quote

"The latest release of GridGain Professional Edition makes it easier to leverage deep learning via TensorFlow. GridGain is also now easier to implement and secure, allowing users to leverage in-memory computing for the high performance and massive scalability they need to deliver on their digital transformation and omnichannel customer experience initiatives," said Terry Erisman, Vice President of Marketing for GridGain Systems.

About GridGain Systems

GridGain Systems is revolutionizing real-time data access and processing by offering an in-memory computing platform built on Apache Ignite. GridGain solutions are used by global enterprises in financial, software, e-commerce, retail, online business services, healthcare, telecom and other major sectors, with a client list that includes ING, Sberbank, Finastra, IHS Markit, Workday, and Huawei. GridGain delivers unprecedented speed and massive scalability to both legacy and greenfield applications. Deployed on a distributed cluster of commodity servers, GridGain software can reside between the application and data layers (RDBMS, NoSQL and Apache Hadoop), requiring no rip-and-replace of the existing databases, or it can be deployed as an in-memory transactional SQL database. GridGain is the most comprehensive in-memory computing platform for high-volume ACID transactions, real-time analytics, web-scale applications, continuous learning and HTAP. For more information, visit gridgain.com.

CONTACT:

Terry Erisman

GridGain Systems

terisman@gridgain.com

(650) 241-2281

GridGain is a trademark or registered trademark of GridGain Systems, Inc. Apache, Apache Hadoop, Hadoop, Apache Ignite, Ignite, Apache Kafka, Kafka, Apache Spark, and Spark, are trademarks of The Apache Software Foundation. All other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their registered owners.
Regulatory News:

Total (Paris:FP) (LSE:TTA) (NYSE:TOT) has signed an agreement to divest a 4% interest in the Ichthys liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Australia to operating partner INPEX for an overall consideration of 1.6 billion USD. The transaction, which is subject to Australian regulatory approvals, reduces Total's interest in the asset to 26%.

"This transaction is part of our constant portfolio review to optimize our capital allocation. Ichthys is part of a wave of Australian LNG projects, which have unfortunately experienced major cost overruns and delays during their construction phase. The final CAPEX estimate provided by the Operator is around 45 B$ to be compared to an updated figure around 40 B$ in 2017. In line with our capital discipline policy, we have therefore decided to control our capital employed in Ichthys by monetizing a 4% stake after the project start-up and de-risking," commented Arnaud Breuillac, President, Exploration Production at Total. "We are of course committed to the Ichthys project with our remaining 26% interest contributing to our growth both in production and cash flow from 2019 and beyond. LNG is a core area for Total the world second-largest privately owned player with a strong pipeline of low breakeven pre-FID projects in our portfolio

At full capacity, the Ichthys offshore facilities and the two-train onshore liquefaction plant will supply 8.9 million tons per year (Mt/y) of LNG and 1.65 Mt/y of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), along with 100,000 barrels of condensate per day.

The first LNG cargo was exported on the October 22nd 2018, the first offshore condensate cargo was exported on October 1st 2018, and the first LPG cargo was exported on the November 16th 2018. The two LNG trains are now fully operational.

About Total

Total is a major energy player, which produces and markets fuels, natural gas and low-carbon electricity. Our 100,000 employees are committed to better energy that is safer, more affordable, cleaner and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in more than 130 countries, our ambition is to become the responsible energy major.

Cautionary note

This press release, from which no legal consequences may be drawn, is for information purposes only. The entities in which TOTAL S.A. directly or indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. TOTAL S.A. has no liability for their acts or omissions. In this document, the terms "Total" and "Total Group" are sometimes used for convenience where general references are made to TOTAL S.A. and/or its subsidiaries. Likewise, the words "we", "us" and "our" may also be used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them.

This document may contain forward-looking information and statements that are based on a number of economic data and assumptions made in a given economic, competitive and regulatory environment. They may prove to be inaccurate in the future and are subject to a number of risk factors. Neither TOTAL S.A. nor any of its subsidiaries assumes any obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information or statement, objectives or trends contained in this document whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181213005240/en/

Contacts:

Total

Media Relations: +33 1 47 44 46 99 l presse@total.com l @TotalPress

Investors Relations: +44 (0)207 719 7962 l ir@total.com
~New facility will house an experience center along with larger electrical and electronic lab for developing and testing new products~



PEORIA, Illinois, Dec. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Cyient, a global provider of engineering, manufacturing, geospatial, digital, network, and operations management solutions, announced that it has relocated to the Peoria Heights Executive Building in Peoria Heights. Cyient's Industrial, Energy & Natural Resources business Unit (I&ENR BU) occupies close to 10,000 square feet of space in the Peoria Solutions Center (PSC), where the company supports all areas of delivery, from product engineering of mechanical system design, electronics, digital, and the Internet of Things to physical product development. In addition, all required business functions are represented within the building, including finance, HR, recruiting, and sales.

The office expansion includes an experience center, which provides a full view of Cyient's global capabilities and solutions. It also houses a larger electrical and electronics lab, including electrostatic discharge safe workstations, a 3D printing machine, and a mechanical prototype development area, which provides the capability to develop and test new products. The new office is built around the theme of open culture and collaboration that encourages innovative thinking, strategic planning and solution building.

Explaining why the move was such an important one, Senior Vice President of Cyient's I&ENR BU, Katie Cook, said, "Our investment in the new office aligns well with the Industrial 4.0 trend towards the digital/IoT space and our corporate goal of driving industry leading solutions to our clients as a design-build-maintain partner. This office will support our continued growth in the industry and strengthen our local presence as an innovative solutions center."

Vice President/Director of Leasing for Cullinan Properties, Ltd., Kathleen Brill, added, "We are excited to have Cyient as part of this historical building, which has been home to many influential businesses. With Cyient's advanced engineering, analytic and manufacturing solution offerings, they are a perfect fit to join this innovative family."

Cyient is excited about the impact this critical move will have on its ability to grow its end-to-end product development offerings, including providing customers in North America with a local solution center.

About Cyient:

Cyient (Estd: 1991, NSE: CYIENT) provides engineering, manufacturing, geospatial, networks, digital and operations management solutions to global industry leaders. Cyient leverages the power of digital technology and advanced analytics capabilities, along with their domain knowledge and technical expertise, to help clients solve complex business problems. As a Design, Build, maintain partner that takes solution ownership across the value chain, Cyient empowers its clients to focus on their core, innovate, and stay ahead of the curve.

Relationships form the core of how Cyient works. With a client-centric approach and a workforce of more than 15,000 in 21 countries, Cyient combines global delivery with proximity to its clients to function as their extended team. Cyient's industry focus includes aerospace and defense, medical, telecommunications, rail transportation, semiconductor, utilities, industrial, energy and natural resources. For more information, please visit www.cyient.com Follow news about the company at @Cyient

Follow news about the company at @Cyient .

About the Peoria Heights Executive Building, Peoria Heights, IL

Built in 1895, the Peoria Heights Executive Building has been home to numerous historically significant businesses. Best known and commonly referred to as the Pabst Building, it once housed Pabst Blue Ribbon brewing operations. Current tenants include: OSF Foundation, Pettet Jewelry Designs, True North Insurance and The Kim Group.

For further media inquiries, please write to Nikita.Gupta@cyient.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/289359/cyient_logo.jpg
Developer of the PredictSURE IBD prognostic test awarded 100K from Innovate UK's 'Precision medicine technologies: shaping the future' fund to support feasibility study.

PredictImmune, developer of prognostic tools to guide treatment of patients with immune-mediated diseases, announced today that it has been awarded a grant of 100,000 by Innovate UK, the UK's innovation agency.

PredictImmune is focussed on the development of predictive tools to enable the delivery of personalised medicine for immune-mediated diseases. Whilst these common, debilitating diseases are highly heterogenous in both disease course and outcome, the lack of predictive tools means that all patients are treated with a "one size fits all" standard of care, resulting in sub-optimal treatment for many patients. PredictImmune's first product, PredictSURE IBD, which will launch in January 2019, will enable the stratification of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients at the point of diagnosis, based on their risk of relapse. The test will allow the use of more aggressive treatments to be focussed on those patients at the greatest risk of aggressive disease; focussing on the optimal use of existing treatments to improve patient outcomes.

The grant announced today, will be used to fund a feasibility study into the use of biomarkers to predict patient response to new and existing treatments. The success of this study could pave the way to biomarker stratified clinical trials and facilitate the discovery and development of more effective new treatments for immune-mediated diseases. These studies will be carried out in collaboration with leading pharma companies active in IBD and will form the foundation of future studies with other pharma partners for PredictImmune.

Paul Kinnon, CEO, PredictImmune commented: "We are delighted to receive support from Innovate UK in the form of this grant. The commercially driven feasibility studies, using our prognostic test for IBD, PredictSURE IBD, will identify which patients will benefit from the early use of more aggressive treatments and which treatment they will best respond to. The study takes us a step closer to achieving our goal of personalised medicine in IBD.

"Momentum within the company has increased exponentially over the last few weeks, with a number of notable achievements, including new patent grants and allowances across the UK, EU and Canada, the announcement of a joint study with the US Crohn's and Colitis Foundation to prove efficacy for PredictSURE IBD in the US market and, most recently, CE IVD certification for PredictSURE IBD. All these activities pave the way for further significant progress in the weeks ahead."

For more information please visit www.predictimmune.com

Ends

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181213005067/en/

Contacts:

Limewash, PR Agency

Sarah Brereton, Director

Tel: +44 (0)1223 813 560
Established Irish broker selects Applied Digital Broker solution to increase connectivity between employees and customers

Dublin, Ireland, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Applied Systems today announced that Goggin Insurance Brokers have selected Applied Digital Broker to digitally transform their business. As the first solution in the Irish market to deliver omnichannel servicing options, Goggin will integrate Applied CSR24 and Applied Mobile into their Applied Relay system, hosted in Applied Cloud, enabling the broker to provide a digital experience to customers.



"As technology and real-time connectivity have become commonplace in other industries, we decided our business needed software to provide 24/7, mobile access to information for our employees and our customers," said Barry Goggin, partner, Goggin Insurance. "Applied's Digital Broker solution will enable us to deliver the connected experience that our customers have come to expect."



As part of Goggin Insurance's digital strategy, the broker selected Applied Digital Broker which combines Applied Relay, Applied Cloud, Applied CSR24 and Applied Mobile to deliver a complete digital experience for employees and customers.

Applied Relay is a seamless back-office solution for brokers and underwriters to manage a successful business, facilitating all client and policy management, accounting document management, reporting and reconciliation needs. It is the product of choice for Ireland's general insurance brokers trading all personal and commercial lines business.

Applied Cloud is the leading purpose-built cloud platform and services designed for the insurance industry, providing reliable and secure delivery of software applications and anytime, anywhere access to business information. Applied's platform provides access to operations recovery, backup encryption, redundancy technology and active failover data centres. The dedicated team of Applied Cloud professionals manages and maintains all hardware upgrades, Applied software updates and system testing processes, increasing brokers' investment value by reducing time and expenses spent managing these processes whilst ensuring availability of the latest software capabilities. Today, more than 100,000 users across four countries rely on Applied Cloud to improve business performance, increase data security and deliver cost savings.

Applied CSR24 enables brokers to meet today's insurance consumer demand for anytime, anywhere access to information by providing 24/7 access to insurance policy information, renewals management, premium payments, and insurance documents through an online broker-branded client portal or mobile application. The online portal and app seamlessly integrates with the broker management system, reducing manual administrative tasks and allowing brokers to devote more time to serving customers and securing new business.

Applied Mobile is a purpose-built app that allows broker employees to access and manage client, prospect and insurance information from their management system anytime, anywhere via a mobile smartphone or tablet device. The native mobile app allows users to stay connected on the go with a direct link to information in their broker management system, providing access to view accounts, contact details and insurance policy information; add prospects; create and manage activities; and automate sales operations.

"Today's insurance consumers are looking for more than face-to-face advice - they are demanding self-service and mobile capabilities for times when they prefer to interact with their broker on their own time," said Adam Black, sales director, ASE Software Ireland. "Applied Digital Broker enables Goggin Insurance to deliver an omnichannel customer experience, driving increased customer retention and brokerage profitability."



About Applied Systems



Applied Systems is the leading global provider of cloud-based software that powers the business of insurance. Recognised as a pioneer in insurance automation and the innovation leader, Applied is the world's largest provider of broker management systems, serving customers throughout the United States, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, and the United Kingdom. By automating the insurance lifecycle, Applied's people and products enable millions of people around the world to safeguard and protect what matters most.



The Applied logos are trademarks of Applied Systems, Inc., registered in the U.S.
GUANGZHOU, China, Dec. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2019 International Signs and LED Exhibition (ISLE), one of the flagship events in the industry, will be held from March 3-6, 2019 in Area B of the Canton Fair Complex in Guangzhou, China, welcoming LED manufacturers, distributors, service vendors, and advertisement companies, as well as government departments and end users.

The annual exhibition, which attracted 230,000 visitors in 2018, will gather together large professional purchasing groups from 18 countries including the US, Germany, Russia, Japan and South Korea, as well as more than 18,000 exhibitor companies from across the world and international professional buyers from over a hundred countries next year. Exhibitor companies will include both premium domestic enterprises and well-known overseas brands such as Absen, Aoto,Yeard, Lightking, Liantronics, Yes Tech, Epson, HP, Suda, One Laser, Keundo and Ace.

Cutting-edge Oriented

ISLE 2019 will have three exhibit areas featuring products from LED display screens and lighting to 3D displays, Mini LED, COB, smart media and smart advertising signs, as well as cutting-edge LED equipment.

Sign & LED products are widely used for advertising, 4A, event planning, stage performances, audio-visual, security monitoring, education, business, department stores, hotels, conference systems, exhibition halls, stadiums, and more.

ISLE Onsite Conference

ISLE will include a four-day forum centering on hot industry topics. The full list of conferences is as follows:

Advertising Annual Conference China LED Industry (New Technology) Forum Seminar about Smart Cities and Smart Architects Seminar about 5G, IOT Eco-friendly Exhibition Construction Material Forum Sign Industry Forum Sign products and designs Awards Japan LED industry seminar O2O Purchase Pavilion New Products (LED Displays: Mini LEDs, COB technology) Release Conference

Special Offers

Large groups visiting ISLE will be eligible for substantial travel benefits:

More than 6 people: Complimentary hotel accommodation

More than 8 people: Receive an additional special gift

More than 12 people: Complimentary interpreter service during the event

Pre-register now at: http://en.isle.org.cn/en/envisitorapplication.html

Powerful Organizer

The 2019 ISLE, organized by Canton Fair Advertising Co., Ltd and the China Foreign Trade Guangzhou Exhibition General Corp. (CFTE), is a fully integrated LED industry chain solution platform for professional, charismatic and intelligent advertising signs.

Contact:

Ms. Suyi Bi +86-20-89268218 bishuyi@cantonfairad.com Ms. Sarah Li +86-20-89268248 lizefan@isle.org.cn Mr. Sparta Zhang +86-20-89268292 zhanghuilong@isle.org.cn

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/796633/INTERNATIONAL_SIGNS_LED_poster.jpg
The European MALE RPAS programme successfully passed the System Preliminary Design Review as final milestone of the Programme Definition Study

System Preliminary Design Review achieved following launch of the Tender for

Development, Production and the initial in Service Support phase

Airbus Defence and Space GmbH will coordinate the industrial response to the

Invitation to Tender (ITT)

The schedule expects a contract signature in 2019

Munich, 13 December 2018 - Another major milestone in the European Medium Altitude Long Endurance Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (MALE RPAS) programme was attained with the achievement of the System Preliminary Design Review on November 22nd. This highly significant accomplishment follows the European Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR) inviting Airbus Defence and Space on October 31st to submit a Tender for the Development, Production and initial in Service Support phase of the European MALE RPAS Programme. This milestone will allow the Participating States and Industry to start developing the System with aligned requirements and a clear picture of the overall system design.

As designated future prime contractor, Airbus Defence and Space will coordinate the industrial response to the Invitation to Tender (ITT) with the involvement of major Sub-Contractors: Airbus Defence & Space, Dassault Aviation SA and Leonardo.

The ITT gives testimony to the willingness of the Participating States (France, Germany, Italy and Spain) to continue with the programme after a highly successful requirement alignment phase and a convincing demonstration of the quality and fitness for purpose of the proposed design.

This successful achievement of the System Preliminary Design Review comes after a two-year definition study launched in September 2016 by the aforementioned Participating States. Three of these States had already signed a Declaration of Intent (DoI) to work together on a European MALE unmanned aerial system in May 2015, while Spain joined the programme in 2016.

Designed for flight in non-segregated airspace, its characteristics will include mission modularity for operational superiority in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, both wide area and in-theatre. The Participating States' agreed on the air vehicle configuration in mid-2017, selecting a twin-turboprop propulsion system.

By the middle of the next decade the MALE RPAS will be operated worldwide to perform Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions.

* * *

About Airbus

Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2017 it generated revenues of  59 billion restated for IFRS 15 and employed a workforce of around 129,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners from 100 to more than 600 seats. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as one of the world's leading space companies. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide.

About Dassault Aviation

With over 10,000 military and civil aircraft delivered in more than 90 countries over the last century, Dassault Aviation has built up expertise recognized worldwide in the design, development, sale and support of all types of aircraft, ranging from the Rafale fighter, to the high-end Falcon family of business jets and military drones. This unique experience has allowed Dassault Aviation to propose innovative operational solutions as well as a pragmatic and dynamic approach to cooperation. Thanks to a deep understanding of industrial partnerships, Dassault Aviation has established a wide network with other companies to optimize the success of today's programmes but also to contribute to the synergy of tomorrow's European defence Industry.

About Leonardo

Leonardo is among the top ten global players in Aerospace, Defence and Security and Italy's main industrial company. Organised into seven business divisions (Helicopters; Aircraft; Aero-structures; Airborne & Space Systems; Land & Naval Defence Electronics; Defence Systems; Security & Information Systems), Leonardo operates in the most competitive international markets by leveraging its areas of technology and product leadership. Listed on the Milan Stock Exchange (LDO), in 2017 Leonardo recorded consolidated restated revenues of 11.7 billion Euros and has a significant industrial presence in Italy, the UK, the U.S. and Poland.

Media contacts

Alain DUPIECH alain.dupiech@airbus.com +33 (0)7 86 2954 71

Florian TAITSCH florian.taitsch@airbus.com +49 (0)151 16831052

Nathalie BAKHOS nathalie-beatrice.bakhos@dassault-aviation.com + 33 (0)1 47 11 92 75

Stefano SOMMA stefano.somma@leonardocompany.com +39 335 7317483

This and other press releases and high resolution photos are available on: AirbusNewsroom (http://www.airbus.com/newsroom.html?cid=email__airbus__fr-fr__br__Media%20press__Launch%20metrics%20press%20release__TF)

Das europaische MALE-RPAS-Programm hat erfolgreich die vorlaufige Syst (http://hugin.info/143388/R/2228940/875488.pdf)

El programa europeo MALE RPAS ha superado con exito la revision prelim (http://hugin.info/143388/R/2228940/875489.pdf)

Le programme europeen MALE RPAS passe avec succes sa revue de concepti (http://hugin.info/143388/R/2228940/875487.pdf)

The European MALE RPAS programme successfully passed the System Prelim (http://hugin.info/143388/R/2228940/875482.pdf)



This announcement is distributed by West Corporation on behalf of West Corporation clients.

The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: Dassault Aviation via Globenewswire


Sachin Pilot appealed party workers to maintain peace and decorum.

Jaipur: Amid reports of Congress naming Ashok Gehlot as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan and delay in naming of the new chief minister, supporters of Rajasthan Congress Chief Sachin Pilot blocked roads in Karauli.

Minutes after reports of road blocking by Pilot supporters surfaced, the state Congress chief appealed party workers to maintain peace and decorum.

I appeal to party workers to maintain peace and decorum. I have full faith in the leadership, we will welcome whatever Rahul Gandhi ji and Sonia Gandhi ji decide. It is our responsibility to uphold the honour of the party, we are dedicated to the party.

Ashok Gehlot said the decision will be taken soon."There is nothing to worry. Just wait, the decision has to be taken on CMs of three states so naturally, it takes time. Party president will take a call," he added.

"I appeal to workers to maintain calm, they have worked very hard, whatever decisions will be taken will be binding on all. Rahul ji is talking to and consulting all leaders," Gehlot said.

Congress is expected to clear the airs and announce the name of Rajasthan Chief Minister shortly.

Earlier on Thursday, the Congress president met Pilot and Gehlot at his Tuglaq Road residence in New Delhi.

Pilot refused to back down in the race for the top post in Rajasthan.

If the party names Gehlot the CM, he would hold the post for the third time.

Congress won the majority of votes in Rajasthan but was two seats short of the halfway mark.

Congress won 99 of 199 Assembly seats and staked claim to form the government in the state.
ZURICH, December 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Sharaf DG and PointsPay announce an exciting new Exclusive partnership that allows loyalty program members to redeem points when shopping online. As such, Members of major loyalty programs like Etihad Guest and Smiles by Etisalat are now able to spend their miles or points at Sharaf DG.com by simply logging to their accounts and making payments in easy 3 steps process.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/682131/Loylogic_Logo.jpg )



PointsPay created by Loylogic is a payment button that offers registered merchants the opportunity to tap into the global pool of millions of loyalty points, enabling members of participating programs to redeem or collect points whilst shopping online. Driven by the incentive to engage their members, loyalty programs promote PointsPay merchants across their marketing channels, boosting website traffic for the merchants and driving new customer spend. The simple one-step integration of the PointsPay button into their webpage is helping Sharaf DG to acquire a completely new customer base of affluent loyalty members and drive incremental revenue.

Sharaf DG brand is currently no 1 specialty retailer and No 2 online player in the market. With over 25,000 electronic products and accessories to choose from reputed international brands supported by in-house authorized service center for major IT and mobility brands like Apple, Samsung, HP, Lenovo. Sharaf DG's distinctive style of enhancing customer lifestyle has left an indelible mark on the consumers mind. The company prides itself with their exemplary service and product knowledge at store level, coupled with the widest range of electronics available at the best value.

Dominic Hofer, Founder & CEO of Loylogic, shares his views on the collaboration: "We're excited to have launched PointsPay with Sharaf DG, one of the leading online brands in the Middle East and a powerful addition to the PointsPay network. Loyalty program members are always seeking new ways to use or collect more miles and points. PointsPay is completely re-defining how members can spend and collect online, directly with the brands they love and where they normally shop. This ultimately drives more engagement and satisfaction for all parties involved. Sharaf DG's compelling product offering and customer focus align perfectly with our strategy and hence made it a natural fit for PointsPay."

Nilesh Khalkho, the CEO of Sharaf DG said, "As UAE's leading electronics platform, a delightful customer experience stands as a prime value for Sharaf DG. We are excited to add more payment choices which are simple, safe and add to the convenience of our customers. With PointsPay, we expand the customer access along with all other online payment methods like credit or debit card/ cash on delivery etc."

About PointsPay

PointsPay is the powerful yet simple one-button solution which empowers loyalty program members to seamlessly shop with their points or miles directly at the participating merchant's online shop. It provides a unique triple checkout possibility, letting the loyalty program member collect or redeem their loyalty currency, or to pay using a combination of points and cash. Members then even earn points back on the cash component spent. PointsPay delivers value to all stakeholders in the ecosystem. It is a solution created by Switzerland-based Loylogic, the world's leading innovator and creator of points' experiences, insights, commerce and engagement. Loylogic caters to both present and future needs in delivering powerful solutions which amplify engagement and build loyalty.

About Sharaf DG

Sharaf DG is one of the leading powerhouse retailers and UAE's first ever big-box concept. The brand currently has 30 stores and operates in 4 major markets of GCC namely United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman & Egypt today and significant online presence.

Press contact | Richa Bakshi | Email- Richa.bakshi@loylogic.com
PARIS, December 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

SKEMA Business School to launch a global augmented intelligence laboratory, the SKEMA AI Global Lab.

The aim of SKEMA Business School, which is devoting an initial budget of over 3 million euros to this project, is to make the laboratory a cutting-edge augmented reality centre within the next 5 years. The laboratory will develop data science and artificial intelligence algorithms, and will specialise in predictive modelling devoted to the new issued being faced by companies and modern society.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/798085/SKEMA_Logo.jpg )

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/796262/SKEMA_Business_School.jpg )

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/796263/SKEMA_Business_School.jpg )



It will act as a catalyst for research and the digital transformation of teaching on all SKEMA campuses, via a state-of-the-art platform. Other private sources of financing and a major technological partner are expected to join SKEMA AI Global Lab soon and make it a research laboratory of global calibre.

A Professor of Data Science for International Business and the creator of a technological platform dedicated to researching data science and artificial intelligence, Professor Thierry Warin is to join SKEMA in January 2019 and will be founding and leading the laboratory. The DNA of this laboratory is to be an "un-disciplined lab", in that it will be genuinely multidisciplinary, fundamentally exploratory and often anti-conformist. One of the academic editors of PLOS One, Thierry Warin, had been a full professor at HEC Montreal since 2013 and was a visiting scholar at Harvard University on several occasions for almost 10 years. He carried out research with the Weatherhead Center for International Business in Harvard and with CIRANO in Montreal, where he established an international data visualisation platform (Mondo International) and the Social Science Data Lab. The creation of the SKEMA global Augmented Intelligence lab is concomitant with the hiring of 6 researchers, who will be plugging their research work in Professor Warin's platform, with the 2-year objective of accompanying companies in all the locations in which SKEMA is present: China, the USA, Brazil and France.

The SKEMA AI Global Lab will be based in Raleigh, North Carolina, at the heart of the American research "triangle", one of the largest innovation hubs in the United States. Right from the beginning, the SKEMA AI Global Lab will set up branches in 2 other innovation hubs in which SKEMA operates: Paris and Sophia Antipolis.

Press contact for SKEMA Business School: Christine.Cassabois@skema.edu
ROCKVILLE, Maryland, December 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The CHPTAC market is anticipated to witness sluggish growth, with global demand likely to surpass 117 kilo tons in 2018, according to a latest report by Fact.MR. Wide application of 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyltrimethyl ammonium chloride (CHPTAC) in paper and textile industry continues to offset some of the sluggishness, however, regulations and availability of less potent alternatives is impeding demand.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/713666/FactMR_Logo.jpg )

The demand for CHPTAC from end-use industries such as paper and textile continues to be steady. The use of paper in the packaging industry is increasing consistently in recent years, especially in North America and Europe. However, as the paper industry in North America is moving towards eco-friendly paper production CHPTAC is losing favor among end-users.

High toxicity in inorganic compounds and chemicals used in paper industry is leading to the legal restrictions on consumption. Moreover, the introduction of stringent greenhouse gas emission regulation and rise in environmental awareness is creating impediments to demand. However, increasing crude oil prices and rise in oil & gas exploring activities in the US can create few opportunities for stakeholders.

Request For Sample Report-https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=2444

In addition to the US, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ) is another lucrative region in the CHPTAC market. The demand for CHPTAC is also growing in textile and water-treatment industries in APEJ.

In the oil & gas industry, CHPTAC is widely used in cationisation of guar gum, which is used as a key raw material in fracking sands. Moreover, rise in gaur cultivation in India has resulted in increasing exports of gaur from India to the United States.

Paper Industry to Account for Largest Share in CHPTAC Market

Fact.MR expects the paper industry to emerge as one of the largest users of CHPTAC in papermaking process. The demand is expected to surpass 70 kilo tons by 2018 end. Paper-based packaging is gaining popularity owing to its versatility and cost-efficiency. The packaging industry is using paper on a large scale to develop various types of packaging such as paperboard, containerboard, shipping sacks, and paper bags.

Traditionally, paper manufacturers worldwide used high quantity of retention agents, especially cationic substances. In recent years, the addition of these substances in paper manufacturing has triggered economic and environmental issues with the rise in contamination of effluents. In the last few years, semisynthetic compounds produced from natural polymers have found large application in paper industry.

Browse Full Report on CHPTAC Market with TOC-https://www.factmr.com/report/2444/chptac-market

Modification of natural polymers to develop new materials with specific properties have been the key focus area of manufacturers. This is driving the demand for 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyltrimethyl ammonium chloride for cationic modification of cellulose.

Modified natural polysaccharides made using CHPTAC are emerging as a sustainable alternative to non-biodegradable and synthetic polysaccharides, thus supporting the development of new processes and products in paper industry.

Cationic Starch to Witness HugeDemand in Paper and Textile Industry

Fact.MR study estimates that CHPTAC is likely to find wide application in cationisation of starch, with demand expected to reach nearly 100 kilo tons in 2018. Cationic starch is witnessing growing demand as the wet-end additives in the paper industry as it helps in improving mechanical strength, reduces wastewater pollution, and enables faster drainage.

Cationic starch is also witnessing increasing demand in salt-free dying of cotton fiber. Chemical cationization is allowing cotton fibers to be dyed without using salt. Moreover, cotton fabric cationized using CHPTAC has resulted in significantly higher color strength. It also enhanced dye uptake properties, resulting in better dyeing without using or adding salt.

Request For Methodology of this Report-https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=RM&rep_id=2444

The demand for CHPTAC is also likely to increase in the oil & gas industry owing to the improving market condition for crude oil and rise in exploring activities. Moreover, the US is likely to witness an increase in rig count, resulting in the US emerging as one of the largest oil producer behind Saudi Arabia and Russia.

The Fact.MR report tracks the CHPTAC market for the period 2018-2027. According to the report, the CHPTAC market is expected to reach CAGR of 2.4% in terms of volume during the forecast period.

To Buy CHPTAC Market Report, Check-https://www.factmr.com/checkout/2444/S

About Fact.MR

Fact.MR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports.

Contact Us

Rohit Bhisey

Fact.MR

11140 Rockville Pike

Suite 400

Rockville, MD 20852

United States

Email: sales@factmr.com



Web: https://www.factmr.com/

Read Industry News at - https://www.industrynewsanalysis.com/
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Dec. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Aviation and air traffic management (ATM) professionals from around the globe will gather on 12-14 March 2019, in Madrid, Spain, for World ATM Congress 2019 - the world's largest international ATM exhibition and conference. Members of the global aviation community are invited to register today.

World ATM Congress 2019 combines a large-scale exhibition, world-class conference and educational presentations, and exclusive networking opportunities, plus the chance to learn the latest trends and developments in the ATM industry - all under one roof.

Expected to draw more than 8,500 attendees from 130+ countries and territories, World ATM Congress 2019 will welcome over 80 air navigation service providers (ANSPs), alongside aviation industry partners and stakeholders and more than 230 exhibitors highlighting cutting-edge technology, including remote tower solutions, space-based ADS-B, artificial intelligence and autonomy, cybersecurity, and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) traffic management (UTM). As a testament to the popularity of the show, the 2019 exhibition footprint is larger than ever, already exceeding last year's floorplan by nearly 800 square metres.

The Conference Programme theme is "Tackling the Big Issues in ATM - Capacity, UTM Integration, People." It will focus on industry's most pressing challenges, such as integrating and managing drones, attracting and retaining the next generation of ATM professionals, increasing diversity in the workforce, and the best way to expand ATM capacity. Information on keynote speeches, presentations and panel sessions by renowned aviation industry leaders will be announced soon.

World ATM Congress 2019 features six education theatres in its world-class Exhibition Hall and IFEMA's conference centre. The theatres will provide nearly 150 hours of programming, including product launches and demonstrations, panel discussions, research findings, and more.

Registration is now open, with discounted early registration rates available until 1 February 2019.

About World ATM Congress

World ATM Congress (www.worldatmcongress.org) is the world's largest international air traffic management (ATM) exhibition and conference attracting over 8,500 people each year.

A Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) partnership with the Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA), World ATM Congress brings together the world's leading product developers, experts, stakeholders, and ANSPs. Aviation thought-leaders gather for three days of conference sessions, product demonstrations and launches, contract closures, and educational and networking opportunities in Madrid, Spain.

Contact Abigail Glenn-Chase Telephone 1.703.299.2430 Email Abigail.GlennChase@worldatmcongress.org

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/797553/World_ATM_Congress.jpg
Artprice: Artprice100's "blue-chip artists" index shows a 4.3% increase in a fragile economic context

Since the beginning of 2018, the S&P 500 index has been oscillating without really finding a stable growth path. Over the first 11 months of the year, the American benchmark index has posted an increase of just +2.4%, a gain that could well diminish over the next few days.

According to thierry Ehrmann, founder and chairman of Artprice: "Compared with this performance, the Art Market is continuing its momentum as an increasingly attractive alternative investment. The Artprice100 index has posted +4.3% since 1 January 2018. Unsurprisingly, its progression is better than the Art Market as a whole, which remains a safe asset in the long term but shows a -1.9% decline for the year 2018. Buyers appear to be more demanding - in terms of quality - than ever before. While happy to pay big money for rare and high-quality works with irreproachable provenance, they often "pass' on other works. This new and highly selective behavior is generally profitable for the market's major signatures where the supply is now clearly focused".

Artprice100 and Artprice Global compared with S&P 500

https://imgpublic.artprice.com/img/wp/sites/11/2018/12/2018-artprice100.png

Principle

Collecting works by the Art Market's most successful artists is a simple and systematic investment strategy that aims to capture the returns from investing in the high-end Art Market while limiting the financial risk. Based on this principle, the Artprice100 has been conceived as a portfolio dedicated to the Art Market's "blue chip' artists; in other words, a portfolio representing major artists whose works are widely circulated. Although such a portfolio may be difficult to achieve in practice, it has obvious theoretical qualities. The Artprice100 is therefore a tool that compares well with other benchmark indices: the S&P 500, the FTSE 100, the CAC 40, the DAX and the NIKKEI 225, etc.

The composition of Artprice100 is set on 1 January of each year and reflects the gradual evolution of the Art Market's high end. It brings together the art auction market's top one hundred financial performers over the past five years, artists who must also satisfy a strict liquidity criterion of at least ten "homogeneous' works sold each year. So, despite an auction turnover of $450 million last year, Leonardo da Vinci cannot be included in this index in 2018 because his works are too rare in private hands. However, this liquidity criterion does not in any way "diminish' the domination of the artists counted in our index. On their own, the top 100 artists in our Artprice100 index account for no less than 73% of global Fine Art auction turnover so far this year.

The Artprice100 index benefits from the alliance between Artprice and Artron, its strong Chinese partner which allows it the best possible coverage of China.

Composition

Six changes were made versus 2018, two more than a year earlier. This relatively large turnover (6% of the composition) reflects rapid adjustments in today's Art Market. The rarity of certain artists' works (or lack of liquidity) may explain some of the entries and exits, but there can be no doubt that underlying changes in collector preferences also contribute to these changes. The growing popularity of Tsuguharu Foujita and Gunther Uecher with collectors around the world suggests a lasting place for these two signatures in the composition of the Artprice100.

Entries Exits Joseph Albers Francis Bacon Max Beckmann Lu Yanshao Giorgio De Chirico Agnes Martin Tsuguharu Foujita Piet Mondrian Paul Klee Pan Tianshou Gunther Uecker Yu Fei'an

Three Chinese artists (all three active during the first half of the 20th century) have left the portfolio this year. However, there are still 17 in 2018 among the one hundred most successful artists on the market. In addition, Zao Wou-Ki's importance (3rd in the provisional ranking of artists by turnover for 2018 - all periods combined) is continuing to grow on the international art market.

Picasso remains the heaviest weight in the composition (7.4%), followed by Andy Warhol (6.7%), Zhang Daqian (4.7%), Qi Baishi (4.1%). In the long term, the composition of the Artprice100 also reveals a constantly growing number of living artists: 17 this year, versus 12 in 2000. Of these, Gerhard Richter has the heaviest weight in the portfolio (3.3%).

The prices of works by Georg Baselitz have posted a particularly impressive increase, starting with his drawings, which this year were included in prestige day sales in London and New York. For example, his Untitled (Lovers) (2001) sold at Phillips in London on 9 March 2018 for $112,500. In November 2016, the same work was acquired for just $32,500 at Veritas in Lisbon. The value of this drawing has more than tripled in less than two years after enjoying substantially improved visibility.

Composition of the Artprice100 in 2018

 Artprice.com

Ranking - Artist - Weighting

1 - Pablo PICASSO - 7.4%

2 - Andy WARHOL - 6.7%

3 - ZHANG Daqian - 4.7%

4 - QI Baishi - 4.1%

5 - Claude MONET - 3.7%

6 - Jean-Michel BASQUIAT - 3.6%

7 - Gerhard RICHTER - 3.3%

8 - Alberto GIACOMETTI - 2.4%

9 - FU Baoshi - 2.3%

10 - Cy TWOMBLY - 2.3%

11 - Roy LICHTENSTEIN - 2.2%

12 - ZAO Wou-Ki - 2.1%

13 - Amedeo MODIGLIANI - 2.0%

14 - WU Guanzhong - 1.9%

15 - Lucio FONTANA - 1.7%

16 - LI Keran - 1.7%

17 - Marc CHAGALL - 1.6%

18 - HUANG Binhong - 1.6%

19 - XU Beihong - 1.6%

20 - Alexander CALDER - 1.6%

Discover all of the Art Market's 100 "blue-chip" artists for the year 2018 on www.artprice.com

About Artprice:

Founded by thierry Ehrmann (see Who's who certified Biography ) (c) https://imgpublic.artprice.com/img/wp/sites/11/2018/10/bio-2019-whos-who-thierry-ehrmann.pdf ).

Artprice is listed on the Eurolist by Euronext Paris, SRD long only and Euroclear: 7478 - Bloomberg: PRC - Reuters: ARTF.

Dicover Artprice in video: https://www.artprice.com/video

Artprice is the global leader in art price and art index databanks. It has over 30 million indices and auction results covering more than 700,000 artists. Artprice Images gives unlimited access to the largest Art Market resource in the world: a library of 126 million images or prints of artworks from the year 1700 to the present day, along with comments by Artprice's art historians.

12 Oct. 2018: Artprice and Artron have just created an "Art Media Mogul":

Video: https://vimeo.com/296010836

Artprice permanently enriches its databanks with information from 6,300 auctioneers and it publishes a constant flow of art market trends for the world's principal news agencies and approximately 7,200 international press publications. For its 4,500,000 members, Artprice gives access to the world's leading Standardised Marketplace for buying and selling art. Artprice is preparing its blockchain for the Art Market. It is BPI-labelled (scientific national French label)Artprice's Global Art Market Annual Report for 2017 published last March 2018: https://www.artprice.com/artprice-reports/the-art-market-in-2017

Artprice's Contemporary Art Market Annual Report for 2017 - free access at: https://www.artprice.com/artprice-reports/the-contemporary-art-market-report-2017

Artprice's press releases:

http://serveur.serveur.com/Press_Release/pressreleaseen.htm

https://twitter.com/artpricedotcom

Artmarket News:

https://twitter.com/artpricedotcom & https://twitter.com/artmarketdotcom

https://www.facebook.com/artpricedotcom (3.4 million subscribers)

& https://plus.google.com/+artpricedotcom/posts

http://artmarketinsight.wordpress.com/

Discover the Alchemy and the universe of Artprice http://web.artprice.com/video , which headquarters are the famous Museum of Contemporary Art, the Abode of Chaos:

http://goo.gl/zJssd

https://vimeo.com/124643720

The Contemporary Art Museum The Abode of Chaos on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/la.demeure.du.chaos.theabodeofchaos999

(3.5 million subscribers)

Contact: ir@artprice.com

------------------------



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Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-56299-artprice100_en.pdf
8 . 2 Metres @ 3,193 gpt ageq

5.6 metres @ 1,442 gpt ageq

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 13, 2018) -SilverCrest Metals Inc. (TSXV: SIL) (NYSE American: SILV) ("SilverCrest" or the "Company") is pleased to announce further Phase III in-fill drill results for the Las Chispas Property (the "Property") located in Sonora, Mexico. The current drill program is designed to increase resources through expansion drilling and improve confidence in the resource with closely spaced in-fill drilling in the Babicanora Vein, including the high-grade Area 51 zone. All 12 newly reported in-fill core holes in this release were targeting mineralization in the Area 51 zone. In addition to the seven in-fill drill results previously reported on November 1, 2018, these 12 in-fill core holes show further encouraging results. The weighted average (true width, uncut, undiluted) of today's in-fill holes is 3.4 metres grading 12.39 gpt gold (or "Au") and 795.7 gpt silver (or "Ag"), or 1,725 gpt silver equivalent ("AgEq", based on assumptions defined in table below). For comparison, in the September 13, 2018 resource estimate, Area 51 had an estimated weighted average true width of 2.7 metres, grading 7.13 gpt gold and 614 gpt silver or 1,148 gpt AgEq.

N. Eric Fier, CPG, P.Eng, and CEO, remarked, "With further positive results from closely spaced in-fill drilling, we continue to confirm the continuity of high-grade mineralization in the Babicanora Vein, including the Area 51 zone. These additional drill holes are indicating wider mineralized thicknesses in several areas than previously modelled and are starting to identify discrete multi-kilograms per tonne mineralized shoots. In addition, Holes BA18-101, 105, and 106 show better grades in areas of previously modelled lower grade mineralization. Hole BA18-108 shows expanded high-grade mineralization towards the surface exposure of the vein. These additional holes are critical to the potential expansion of resources. All 19 in-fill drill results reported to date have intercepted grades above the Company's cut-off of 150 gpt AgEq. With 9 surface drill rigs operating, SilverCrest will continue with both its in-fill and expansion drill program focused on further de-risking the current resources and finding new discoveries in the Babicanora area. In conjunction with the ongoing drill campaign, we are aggressively working on the third resource estimate and a Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA")."

The most significant result for this release is Hole BA18-100 intersected 8.2 metres (estimated true width) grading 27.70 gpt Au and 1,115.6 gpt Ag, or 3,193 gpt AgEq. Also noteworthy are holes BA18-105, at 5.6 metres grading 9.41 gpt Au and 736.5 gpt Ag, or 1,442 gpt AgEq, and BA18-102 at 2.5 metres grading 15.97 gpt Au and 1,743.1 gpt Ag, or 2,941 gpt AgEq. The following table summarizes the most significant drill intercepts for all 12 in-fill drill holes to this news release (uncut, undiluted).

Babicanora Vein (Area 51) In-Fill Drill Intercepts:

Hole No. From (m) To (m) Drilled Intercept

(m) Est. True Width

(m) Au gpt Ag gpt AgEq*

gpt BA18-98 174.6 178.0 1.5 1.0 0.36 129.9 157 BA18-99 312.0 313.6 1.6 1.4 1.99 317.6 467 BA18-100 197.3 209.0 11.7 8.2 27.70 1,115.6 3,193 incl. 199.0 199.9 0.9 0.6 18.55 642.0 2,033 incl. 202.0 204.4 2.4 1.7 127.50 3,044.7 12,607 incl. 203.9 204.4 0.5 0.4 343.00 8,630.0 34,355 BA18-101 329.4 331.5 2.1 1.7 7.01 1,348.0 1,873 incl. 330.5 331.0 0.5 0.4 23.20 4,840.0 6,580 BA18-102 159.1 162.6 3.5 2.5 15.97 1,743.1 2,941 incl. 160.5 162.6 2.1 1.5 25.16 2,400.7 4,288 BA18-103 269.7 272.7 3.0 2.3 4.53 747.6 1,087 incl. 272.2 272.7 0.5 0.4 14.20 882.0 1,947 BA18-104 249.6 252.3 2.7 2.0 0.84 177.4 240 BA18-105 281.3 288.8 7.5 5.6 9.41 736.5 1,442 incl. 284.3 284.9 0.6 0.4 41.20 447.0 3,537 incl. 287.3 288.1 0.8 0.6 43.70 3,070.0 6,348 BA18-106 337.3 339.4 2.1 1.7 4.40 452.7 783 incl. 337.8 338.4 0.6 0.5 8.86 816.0 1,480 BA18-107 152.5 160.5 8.0 6.4 6.41 657.5 1,138 incl. 154.6 156.6 2.0 1.6 25.87 2,222.0 4,162 BA18-108 170.8 174.5 3.7 3.5 16.45 354.6 1,588 incl. 172.0 173.5 1.5 1.4 37.70 676.0 3,504 BA18-109 223.6 229.6 6.0 4.5 9.25 672.6 1,367 incl. 226.7 228.1 1.4 1.1 20.25 2,114.6 3,633 Weighted Average 4.5 3.4 12.39 795.7 1,725

Note: all numbers are rounded.

* AgEq based on 75 (Ag):1 (Au) calculated using long-term silver and gold prices of US$18.50 per ounce silver and US$1,225 per ounce gold, with average metallurgical recoveries of 86.6% silver and 98.9% gold.

All assays were completed by ALS Chemex in Hermosillo, Mexico, and North Vancouver, BC, Canada.

In-fill drilling along with original drill intercepts is starting to define discrete high-grade shoots within the Babicanora Vein. With success of closely-spaced drilling around Hole BA17-51 (discovery hole for Area 51 zone), the Company has identified a multi-kilograms per tonne AgEq mineralized shoot ("Shoot 51") consisting of eight (8) core hole intercepts with a spacing of 25 to 35 metres apart (see Shoot 51 in attached Figures). Mineralization in Shoot 51 is structurally and lithologically-controlled with coarse argentite, electrum, native silver and gold. Weighted average intercept grade and true width of this area (approx. 100 metres by 75 metres) is 5.3 metres at 15.89 gpt Au and 1,471.5 gpt Ag, or 2,663 gpt AgEq. Also, a second discrete mineralized shoot consisting of six (6) core hole intercepts is being defined around Hole BA17-43 ("Shoot 43") with a weighted average intercept grade and true width of this area (approx. 100 metre by 75 metres) being 4.1 metres at 11.55 gpt Au and 1,269.1, or 2,135 gpt AgEq.





Figure 1: Long Section (Inclined) of Babicanora Vein Las Chispas Property, Looking Southwest



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1467/41643_silvercrest2.jpg





Figure 2: Long Section (Inclined) of Babicanora Vein Area 51, Looking Southwest (Insert)



To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1467/41643_silvercrest4.jpg





Figure 3: Las Chispas District with Babicanora Plan Map, December 2018



To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1467/41643_silvercrest6.jpg

The Company continues its Phase III exploration program with nine drills operating on site. Drills are focused on expanding mineralization for inclusion in the next updated resource estimate anticipated in Q1, 2019 and in-fill drilling (estimated 25 metre spacing) to reclassify Inferred Resources to Measured and Indicated. An additional 10,000 to 15,000 metres of drilling are planned for inclusion in the next updated resource. Other ongoing site work includes PEA work, ground breaking for the Area 51 decline, an extensive metallurgical test program, drilling large diameter wells for site water, and permitting for various additional work.

The Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects for this news release is N. Eric Fier, CPG, P.Eng, and CEO for SilverCrest, who has reviewed and approved its contents.

ABOUT SILVERCREST METALS INC.

SilverCrest is a Canadian precious metals exploration company headquartered in Vancouver, BC, that is focused on new discoveries, value-added acquisitions and targeting production in Mexico's historic precious metal districts. The Company's current focus is on the high-grade, historic Las Chispas mining district in Sonora, Mexico. SilverCrest is the first company to successfully drill-test the historic Las Chispas Project resulting in numerous discoveries. The Company is led by a proven management team in all aspects of the precious metal mining sector, including taking projects through discovery, finance, on time and on budget construction, and production.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. These include, without limitation, statements with respect to: the strategic plans, timing and expectations for the Company's exploration, rehabilitation and drilling programs of the Las Chispas Property, including drilling test water wells, permitting for various work, and optimizing and updating the Company's resource model; information with respect to high grade areas and size of veins projected from underground sampling results and drilling results; and the accessibility of future mining at the Las Chispas Property. Such forward-looking statements or information are based on a number of assumptions, which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things: the conditions in general economic and financial markets; availability of skilled labour; timing and amount of expenditures related to rehabilitation and drilling programs; and effects of regulation by governmental agencies. The actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of risk factors including: the timing and content of work programs; results of exploration activities; the interpretation of drilling results and other geological data; receipt, maintenance and security of permits and mineral property titles; environmental and other regulatory risks; project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses; and general market and industry conditions. Forward-looking statements are based on the expectations and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. The assumptions used in the preparation of such statements, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statements were made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this news release if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as otherwise required by applicable law.

N. Eric Fier, CPG, P.Eng

Chief Executive Officer

SilverCrest Metals Inc.

For Further Information:

SilverCrest Metals Inc.

Contact: Fred Cooper, Investor Relations

Telephone: +1 (604) 694-1730

Fax: +1 (604) 357-1313

Toll Free: 1-866-691-1730 (Canada & USA)

Email: info@silvercrestmetals.com

Website: www.silvercrestmetals.com

570 Granville Street, Suite 501

Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 3P1

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release

.
Dunnedin to Host a Webinar on Monday December 17th @ 11:00am PST/2:00pm EST

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 13, 2018) - Dunnedin Ventures Inc. (TSXV: DVI) (the "Company" or "Dunnedin") today announced diamond recovery results from kimberlite pipe KH10-11 and plans to advance its diamond assets at its 100% owned Kahuna Diamond Project in Nunavut, Canada ("Kahuna").

Highlights include:

Kimberlite pipe KH10-11 is confirmed to be diamondiferous but low grade

Dunnedin's advisor Dr. Chuck Fipke recommends focussing pipe exploration efforts on the Josephine Target Area ("JTA") during 2019 and is prioritizing targets for drilling

The Company reports significant extensions to the strike length of its high-grade diamond dikes

Industry-leading kimberlite dike experts have been retained to advise on the expansion of the existing high-grade diamond resources and the advancement of other proven diamondiferous dikes

K10-11 Kimberlite Pipe & Focus of Future Kimberlite Pipe Exploration

Kimberlite pipe KH10-11 was identified during a geophysical data review in early 2018 and drilled during the summer program using rotary air-blast ("RAB") drilling. A representative 152.8-kilogram composite from hole 18-RAB-032 was selected between 12.2 and 109.7 metres depth and sent to CF Mineral Research Ltd. ("CFM") in Kelowna, British Columbia for analysis. Processing returned one diamond in the 0.212 - 0.300 mm sieve fraction. Results confirm the pipe is diamondiferous but likely low grade and further sample processing is not warranted at this time. Details of the drilling at KH10-11 and a map are in the Company's news release dated July 19, 2018.

The indicator mineral population recovered from KH10-11 differs from the abundant high-quality diamond indicator minerals ("DIM") present in the JTA. Superior DIM chemistry and dispersion at the JTA continue to highlight this as the most prospective area on the Kahuna property to host significantly diamondiferous pipes with the potential to host large diamonds.

Dr. Charles (Chuck) Fipke, Dunnedin's advisor and discoverer of Canada's first diamond mine at Ekati commented, "The abundance and quality of diamond indicator minerals in the Josephine Target Area is exceptional and we have also observed rare indicator mineral chemistry that is associated with large diamonds at producing diamond mines. The source of these indicator minerals is as yet undiscovered and this bodes well for a potential discovery. I will continue assisting the Dunnedin team with the exploration and target identification."

The Company is currently processing 109 high priority till samples collected this fall under Dr. Fipke's direction in the JTA. Dunnedin's maiden drill program in 2018 tested only a small number of targets in this high-priority area. Once an up-ice "cut-off" for DIM counts in the JTA is determined, further targets consistent with kimberlite pipes will be drilled.

Kimberlite Dike Extensions

As part of the 2018 exploration at Kahuna, Dunnedin carried out several ground geophysical surveys over known diamond-bearing dikes. Approximately 173-line kilometres in eight grids were surveyed using a combination of Very Low Frequency ("VLF") electromagnetics, OhmMapper capacitive-coupled resistivity and magnetic methods. The VLF and OhmMapper surveys were very successful at imaging and extending the strike extent of the kimberlite dikes targeted (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: Ground Geophysical Extensions at KD-24 and PST Dikes





To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3803/41640_82548fd6f4890b5c_002full.jpg

Drilling at KD-24 in April 2018 extended the strike length of this dike to 225 metres. A subsequent VLF survey at KD-24 suggests a strike length of at least one kilometer, and that KD-24 may represent an offset southern extension of the Notch kimberlite, which is included in Dunnedin's maiden inferred resource. At PST, drilling in 2018 extended the strike of this dike to 350 metres. Similarly, an OhmMapper survey and previous mag surveys at PST infer a geophysical response of at least 500 metres. Both the KD-24 and PST dikes remain open along strike and down dip. Both of these highly diamondiferous kimberlites present upside over and above Dunnedin's inferred resources and are compelling targets for further drilling. Other known diamondiferous dikes include KD-13, KD-14, KD-16, Killiq and Jigsaw (see Figure 2). In total approximately 20 kilometres of kimberlite dikes have been defined at Kahuna through drilling and geophysics to date. These occur within a property-wide network of linear structures that may contain additional kimberlite occurrences but remains largely untested.

SRK Kimberlite Dike Study

Dunnedin has engaged SRK Consulting to develop options for expanding and progressing the existing inferred diamond resource on the Kahuna and Notch dikes, as well as incorporating the numerous other proven diamondiferous dikes on the Kahuna property. SRK will initiate the process by completing a high-level assessment of the geology, mineral resource model and conceptual mining methods of the diamond-bearing kimberlite dikes on the Kahuna Property.

Casey Hetman, P.Geo., Corporate Consultant at SRK said, "SRK has been providing industry-leading expertise in diamond geology, resource development and mining solutions to companies around the world. Our involvement in kimberlite dike hosted deposits globally and throughout Africa give us unique insight into what it takes to develop these into successful mines. Dunnedin has an opportunity to expand on its maiden resource and their project has all the right initial hallmarks to indicate that further staged evaluation work is warranted. We are looking forward to assisting Dunnedin to unlock the full potential of the diamond-bearing dikes at the Kahuna Project."

Figure 2: Diamond Bearing Dikes (labelled) on the Kahuna Property





To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3803/41640_82548fd6f4890b5c_003full.jpg



Webinar

Dunnedin will host a webinar to discuss the Company's recent news and future exploration plans. The webinar will take place on Monday, December 17th at 11:00am PST/2:00pm EST. Management will be available to answer questions following the presentation. Online access and dial-in numbers are as follows:

Readytalk Platform (access at the time of event):

* http://www.readytalk.com/join

* Access code: 5147677

Dial-In Numbers:

* Canada: +1-647-722-6839

* United States: +1-303-248-0285

* Access Code: 5147677

A replay of the webinar will be posted on Dunnedin's website at https://dunnedinventures.com/media/ the following day.

Technical Data - QA/QC

Diamond results reported herein are from RAB holes drilled during the summer of 2018. RAB samples were shipped to the CF Mineral Research Ltd. ("CFM") laboratory in Kelowna, BC for processing and caustic fusion analysis. The material was treated through an autogenous mill-fusion circuit with a lower size cut-off of 0.106 mm. Unlike other microdiamond recovery methods, the circuit can recover nearly all diamonds present in a kimberlite to a predetermined cut-off size, along with associated indicator minerals. Quality assurance protocols include industry standard chain of custody and security procedures during sampling and transport. CFM operates using reference standards, internal quality assurance protocols, security and operating procedures for processing, recovery and reporting of diamond results. The CFM laboratory is accredited and audited for international quality standards through the International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) 17025:2005, which includes ISO 9001:2015 specifications.

Jeff Ward, P.Geo, Vice President Exploration and a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this release.

For further information please contact Mr. Knox Henderson, Investor Relations, at 604-551-2360 or khenderson@dunnedinventures.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Dunnedin Ventures Inc.

Chris Taylor

Chief Executive Officer

Claudia Tornquist

President

About Dunnedin Ventures Inc.

Dunnedin Ventures Inc. (TSXV: DVI) is focused on its 100% owned, advanced-stage Kahuna Diamond Project in Nunavut which hosts a high-grade, near surface inferred diamond resource and numerous kimberlite pipe targets. The Company holds diamond interests in 1,664 km2 of mineral tenure located 26 kilometres northeast of Rankin Inlet and adjacent to Agnico Eagle's Meliadine gold mine. The Kahuna Diamond Project has an Inferred Resource Estimate of 3,987,000 tonnes at an average grade of 1.01 carats per tonne, totalling over 4 million carats of diamonds (+0.85 mm) (see news release dated March 31, 2015). Dunnedin's drilling is aimed at the discovery of diamondiferous kimberlite pipes, and the Company is working with advisor and largest shareholder Dr. Chuck Fipke to define and prioritize drill targets based on an extensive historic data set, and diamonds and indicator minerals recovered from a series of kimberlite and till samples over four seasons of field work. Dunnedin also holds a 100% interest in the Trapper Porphyry Project in the northern "Golden Triangle" region of British Columbia, and the MPD Project in south-central British Columbia near Princeton. The Trapper and MPD Projects are interpreted to overlie gold-rich copper porphyry systems having surface geochemical, geophysical and regional alteration signatures of considerable size. Based in Vancouver, Dunnedin is backed by a world-renowned team of exploration experts with decades of combined exploration experience and significant capital market strength.

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.

Statements included in this announcement, including statements concerning our plans, intentions and expectations, which are not historical in nature are intended to be, and are hereby identified as, "forward-looking statements".Forward-looking statements may be identified by words including "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "expects" and similar expressions. The Company cautions readers that forward-looking statements, including without limitation those relating to the Company's future operations and business prospects, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable securities laws.
DV expands its partnership with YouTube to identify off-brand content, enabling measurement of Authentic Impression? delivery

NEW YORK, Dec. 13, 2018("DV"), the leading independent provider of marketing measurement software and analytics, today announced an expanded partnership with YouTube to deliver brand safety and suitability measurement for campaigns run on the platform. The partnership drives greater campaign transparency and unlocks potential performance for advertisers wishing to avoid unsuitable content or categories of lesser relevance to the brand.

"We are excited to enter a new phase of partnership with YouTube," said Wayne Gattinella, CEO of DoubleVerify. "Today, brand suitability is a core advertiser expectation - across all media types and buying platforms. With our expanded partnership, DoubleVerify is ensuring brand suitability on the world's leading online video platform."

YouTube advertisers will now benefit from DV's best-in-class Brand Safety and Suitability coverage, providing a consistent, third-party verification methodology aligned with their broader media measurement efforts. Advertisers will receive detailed insights into the appropriateness of the media on which their video campaigns are running, creating a continuous feedback loop that improves campaign targeting.

Specifically, Brand Safety and Suitability controls give advertisers access to DV monitoring against 11 categories that can severely challenge brand safety, such as violence, hate speech and pornography.

Also, advertisers can opt into 10 additional Brand Targeting categories, such as pets, automotive and travel - based on relevance to the brand.

"We are giving advertisers comprehensive intelligence and actionable insights to help them avoid off-brand media," added Gattinella. "Whether content is damaging to brand equity or simply irrelevant, we are helping advertisers maximize campaign success on YouTube."

DoubleVerify's best-in-class content classification system extends across devices - mobile, desktop and CTV - and 20 different languages. Brand Safety and Suitability controls are available via DoubleVerify's flagship service and performance platform, DV Pinnacle - for YouTube Auction and YouTube Reserve inventory, including TrueView, Bumper Ads and Google Preferred.

In October 2016, DoubleVerify and YouTube partnered for viewability and fraud measurement across the platform. The addition of brand safety and suitability lets DV measure delivery of the DV Authentic Impression - a proprietary, MRC-accredited metric of media quality and effectiveness - on YouTube. To be counted as Authentic, an impression must be fully viewed, by a real person, in a brand-suitable environment.

For more information on how to incorporate DoubleVerify with YouTube on digital ad campaigns please contact sales@doubleverify.com .

About DoubleVerify

DoubleVerify is the leading independent provider of marketing measurement software, data and analytics that authenticates the quality and effectiveness of digital media for the world's largest brands and media platforms. DV provides media transparency and accountability to deliver the highest level of impression quality for maximum advertising performance. Since 2008, DV has helped hundreds of Fortune 500 companies gain the most from their media spend by delivering best in class solutions across the digital ecosystem, helping to build a better industry. Learn more at doubleverify.com.

PR Contact:

Chris Harihar of Crenshaw Communications, on behalf of DoubleVerify

chris@crenshawcomm.com

212.367.9748
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 13, 2018) - MediaValet Inc. (TSXV: MVP) ("MediaValet", "the Company"), a leading provider of cloud-based enterprise digital asset management (DAM) software, is proud to announce that it was selected by one of the world's largest telecommunication providers ("the Telco") to provide a highly customized AI driven DAM solution valued at approximately US$150,000 in annual revenue. The Telco selected MediaValet based on the scalability and ease of use of the core DAM platform, and the advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities built into the Company's recently released Advanced Search module.





Figure 1: MediaValet Wins with AI & Machine Learning; Landing One of the World's Largest Telecommunication Providers



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3817/41644_7206f63934f1aac4_001full.jpg

Announced in May 2018, MediaValet's innovative new Advanced Search module established new industry benchmarks for overall access and response performance, and discoverability of assets. AI and machine learning play a large role in Advanced Search, which solidified the Company as a top tier enterprise DAM solution. MediaValet's core DAM platform delivers the speed, accessibility, global reach, organization and divisional support, and the flexibility that enterprise organizations require. Combined with the AI and machine learning components of Advanced Search, few organizations can compete with MediaValet's enterprise DAM offering.

"Our core enterprise DAM solution is among the best on the market today," stated David MacLaren, Founder and CEO of MediaValet. "With advanced AI and machine learning built into our new V4 platform and Advanced Search module, we've improved both asset ingestion and discoverability by a factor of ten - materially increasing the productivity of marketing and creative teams beyond previous levels. We're now able to automatically identify common objects, number of people, colours, and spoken and written words across all popular media types, including 4K video and Adobe files. More importantly for our enterprise customers, we're also able to create new cognitive models to identify and name objects unique to their businesses. For example, we can automatically identify and tag specific cell phone brands and models in user-generated content and then direct the content to the necessary team, campaigns and systems."

AI and machine learning are components of MediaValet's Cognitive Services which are sold separately from the core DAM and in packages based on an organizations' specific needs. Packages include customization services and automated analysis of a specified number of images and minutes of video.

IO Integration ("IOI"), one of MediaValet's top reselling partners, introduced the Company in late October as the Telco was about to sign a deal with a major competitor. Through IOI's established and trusted advisory role, they were able to secure an opportunity for MediaValet to submit a bid late in the purchasing process. Less than 45 days later, the Telco awarded the deal, valued at approximately US$150,000, to MediaValet. The customer will utilize MediaValet's Cognitive Services to extensively change how it manages, works with, and distributes digital assets throughout its 100 billion dollar organization.

Continued Mr. MacLaren, "This win is important to us on many levels: It illustrates the role that our channel partners are having in our growing success; It validates our product strategy and ongoing investment in R&D; And, it reinforces our position in the market as being the most innovative global Cloud DAM."

About MediaValet Inc.

MediaValet stands at the forefront of the enterprise, cloud-based, digital asset management industry. Built exclusively on Microsoft Azure and available within 140 countries, across 54 Microsoft data center regions around the world, MediaValet delivers unparalleled enterprise class security, reliability, redundancy and scalability while offering the largest global footprint of any DAM solution. In addition to providing all core DAM capabilities and local desktop-to-cloud support for creative teams, MediaValet offers industry leading integrations into Slack, Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office 365, Oracle Marketing Cloud (Eloqua), Drupal 8, WordPress, Hootsuite and many other best-in-class 3rd party applications.

Follow MediaValet: Blog, Twitter and LinkedIn

Surf: www.mediavalet.com

For further information, please contact:

David MacLaren

Tel: (604) 688-2321

david.maclaren@mediavalet.com

Babak Pedram

Tel: (416) 644-5081

babak.pedram@mediavalet.com

"Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release."
PALM BEACH, Florida, December 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Financialnewsmedia.com News Commentary

Vanadium has made a huge comeback in 2018. Vanadium's price rise in 2018 has been nothing short of spectacular rising dramatically from USD $20/lb to above USD $33/lb in October 2018. Prices in China have more than tripled over the course of 2018 as a result of Chinese construction laws requiring vanadium to be used in steel rebar. Vanadium and Energy storage is also a very important disruptive trend resulting in a growing demand for vanadium redox flow batteries which involves storing energy that can later be harnessed for electricity to power our homes, our cars - our future. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) states Batteries for energy storage could reach 250GW by 2030 as demand for Energy Efficient Batteries is generating new levels of growth. Active mining companies in the markets this week include Delrey Metals Corp. (CSE:DLRY) (FSE:1OZ), Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB), Largo Resources Ltd. (TSX:LGO) (OTC:LGORF), Katanga Mining Limited (TSX:KAT) (OTC:KATFF), First Vanadium Corp. (TSX-V:FVAN) (OTC:FVANF).

Delrey Metals Corp. (CNX:DLRY) (FSE:1OZ) BREAKING NEWS: Delrey Metals Corp is pleased to announce it has entered into and closed a share purchase agreement dated December 12, 2018 (the "Share Purchase Agreement") with WEM Western Energy Metals Ltd., a private arm's length corporation ("WEM"), to acquire all the issued and outstanding share capital of WEM. Pursuant to the terms of the Share Purchase Agreement, the Company issued 4,250,000 common shares of the Company (each, a "Share"). All securities issued pursuant to the Share Purchase Agreement will be subject to a four month statutory hold period.

WEM owns a 100 percent undivided, unencumbered legal and beneficial interest in both the Peneece and the Blackie Vanadium properties (the "Properties"), located in British Columbia. The Properties cover a total area of 2,714 hectares and host vanadium mineralization within large bodies of titaniferous magnetite. Both properties are strategically located on tidewater, near to the small coastal cities of Port Hardy (Peneece - 68km) and Prince Rupert (Blackie - 96km).

About the Peneece and Blackie Vanadium Projects:

The Properties are comprised of large-scale ultramafic complexes which are intruded by gabbroic bodies hosting iron-titanium-vanadium (Fe-Ti-V) mineralization within massive titaniferous magnetite. Two of the gabbro bodies mapped on surface display lateral extents of 4.8km x 0.8km (Peneece) and 1.2km x 0.4km (Blackie).

Highlights:

Historic samples collected from the gabbro on the Blackie assay up to 2.14% V 2 0 5 .

assay up to 2.14% V 0 . The Blackie property is located in a historic mining district. The adjacent past-producing Yellow Giant Mine, located less than 10km from the property and operated by Banks Island Gold as recently as 2015 initially boasted a 414% IRR, showing the economic potential that exists on Banks Island.

property is located in a historic mining district. The adjacent past-producing Yellow Giant Mine, located less than 10km from the property and operated by Banks Island Gold as recently as 2015 initially boasted a 414% IRR, showing the economic potential that exists on Banks Island. McDougall (1984), commented that, "An unusually strong and extensive magnetic anomaly exists over the [Peneece Property]. It was, and still remains the largest flux gate magnetic anomaly noted by the writer during many years of work on the West Coast. The size and overall magnetic intensity of the anomaly were only exceeded at the multi-billion ton 'Klukwan pyroxenite-amphibolite' deposit in S.E. Alaska ."

." Magnetic concentrate from limited float samples collected distal to the magnetic anomaly on the Peneece Property assayed up to 0.59% V 2 0 5 .

0 . Both properties are easily accessible by boat or helicopter and workable year round. Historic barge-logging was completed within and near to the project areas, which has created a network of logging roads and allows for low cost exploration and development.

An initial work program including a high-resolution airborne magnetic survey is planned in the near term on both Properties. Read this and more news forDelrey Metals Corp athttps://www.financialnewsmedia.com/news-dlry

Other recent developments in the miningindustry include:

Largo Resources Ltd. (TSX:LGO.TO) (OTCQX:LGORF) recently announced record cash provided before non-cash working capital items of $127.5 million and basic earnings per share of $0.14 on record revenues of $149.5 million during the third quarter 2018. Production at the Maracas Menchen Mine for the quarter was 2,563 tonnes of V2O5, representing a new quarterly production record and the Company's strongest quarter of production to date. Mark Smith, Chief Executive Officer for Largo, stated "Largo delivered robust financial performance as a result of record operational output from the Maracas Menchen Mine in the third quarter. The Company also reported the highest ever revenues and operating cash flows to date of $149.5 million and $113.4 million , respectively, and continues to strengthen its balance sheet every quarter. Production at the Maracas Menchen Mine continued to be strong delivering its best quarter of the year with record production of 2,563 tonnes of V2O5. We continue to advance the expansion project at the Maracas Menchen Mine and the Company remains on track to achieve its increased production guidance for 2018."

Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) recently announced it has signed an Exclusivity Agreement (Agreement) with Mineral Resources Limited (MIN.AX) in relation to the potential creation of a 50/50 joint venture (JV) to own and operate the Wodgina hard rock lithium mine and ultimately develop an integrated lithium hydroxide operation at the resource site. Wodgina, located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, is a world-class hard rock lithium deposit, with an estimated mine life of over 30 years. The proposed JV, which remains subject to negotiation of definitive documents, would combine Albemarle's world-class lithium production and marketing expertise with Mineral Resources Limited's (MRL) leading regional presence and mining capabilities. Under the terms of the Agreement, Albemarle would manage the marketing and sales of lithium hydroxide produced by the JV via Albemarle'slong term agreement strategy.

First Vanadium Corp. (TSX-V:FVAN.V) (OTCQX:FVANF) recently announced that it has negotiated the purchase of a 1.5% NSR attached to its Carlin Vanadium property in consideration for which it will issue 1,300,000 common shares of the Company to the owner of the NSR. The shares, when issued, will be subject to a hold period expiring four months plus a day after the date of their issuances in compliance with Canadian securities laws. The completion of this purchase is subject to TSX Venture Exchange acceptance. Paul Cowley, President of the Company, stated: "This is a unique opportunity for us at this time to extinguish a 1.5% NSR on the Carlin Vanadium Property and associated advanced royalty payments, all at a deep discount of roughly 67% to the original US$3 million buy-back price established for this NSR. This preserves and focuses our treasury on advancing the project. Upon completion of this transaction, only a 2% NSR will remain attached to the property, with the Company retaining the rights to purchase the remaining NSR for US$4 million."

Katanga Mining Limited (TSX:KAT.TO) (OTCPK:KATFF) recently announced that it has successfully completed the hot commissioning of Phase 2 of its whole ore leach ("WOL") processing facility at its 75% owned subsidiary Kamoto Copper Company's ("KCC") copper and cobalt mine in Lualaba Province, DRC. The commissioning of the pre-leach circuits is continuing as scheduled and is expected to be completed by the end of 2018. A progressive ramp-up of the facility is expected to follow with the objective of achieving full capacity of the WOL plant by the end of Q1 2019. Johnny Blizzard , Chief Executive Officer of Katanga, commented: "We are very pleased to have entered into the final phase of the commissioning of the WOL processing plant project after three years of hard work. Following the commissioning of Phase 1 last year, and the commissioning of Phase 2, we are already seeing the benefits of improved recoveries, more predictable plant performance and looking forward to increasing production."

DISCLAIMER: FN Media Group LLC (FNM), which owns and operates Financialnewsmedia.com and MarketNewsUpdates.com, is a third party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated in any manner with any company mentioned herein. FNM and its affiliated companies are a news dissemination solutions provider and are NOT a registered broker/dealer/analyst/adviser, holds no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security. FNM's market updates, news alerts and corporate profiles are NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities. The material in this release is intended to be strictly informational and is NEVER to be construed or interpreted as research material. All readers are strongly urged to perform research and due diligence on their own and consult a licensed financial professional before considering any level of investing in stocks. All material included herein is republished content and details which were previously disseminated by the companies mentioned in this release. FNM is not liable for any investment decisions by its readers or subscribers. Investors are cautioned that they may lose all or a portion of their investment when investing in stocks. For current services performed FNM has been compensated twenty six hundred dollars for news coverage of the current press releases issued by Delrey Metals Corp. by the company. FNM HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE.

This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. "Forward-looking statements" describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as "may", "future", "plan" or "planned", "will" or "should", "expected," "anticipates", "draft", "eventually" or "projected". You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company's annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and FNM undertakes no obligation to update such statements.

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Political analysts see Mr Manjhi's constant demand for early seat-sharing as his tactics to put pressure on the grand secular alliance.

Patna: Former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi on Wednesday said that talks are underway to resolve the issue of seat-sharing within Mahagathbandhan by forming a coordination committee in Bihar.

Mr Manjhi has been demanding a respectable seat share for his party Hindustani Awam Morcha (secular). Sources said Mr Manjhi wants at least four seats in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Our partys demand to resolve the issue of seat-sharing by forming a coordination committee has been accepted. We now hope that seats among Mahagathbandhan allies will be distributed within a week without any hassle. We have also identified constituencies where our party would be fielding candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, HAM spokesperson Danish Rizwan told this newspaper.

Mr Manjhi who is considered one of the strong Mahadalit leaders in Bihar is the only MLA from his party. According to sources, his entry into Mahagathbandhan was scripted by Mr Tejashwi Yadav who has been trying to expand grand secular alliance and also strengthen RJD's base in Bihar.

Political analysts see Mr Manjhi's constant demand for early seat-sharing as his tactics to put pressure on the grand secular alliance.

There is also a buzz that after massive victory in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the Congress may raise its demand to contest on an equal number of seats with RJD which is the largest party in Bihar Assembly.

"It is quite clear that our party will lead the Opposition in the Lok Sabha elections and we expect seat-sharing to be done accordingly," Congress working president Kaukab Quadri said.

Sources said that as per the seat-sharing plans, RJD being the largest party in Bihar Assembly may keep a maximum share for itself, Congress may get 10 to 12 seats while coalition partners like HAM and left parties (both CPI and CPI (ML) may get the remaining number of seats for the 2019 general elections.

"Agenda behind the formation of Mahagathbandhan is to stop BJP from returning to power in 2019. Seat-sharing issues will be resolved without any hassle at the earliest but before taking decisions, both RJD and Congress want RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha to officially announce his entry into the Opposition camp," RJD sources said.
LOS ANGELES, BEIJING, LONDON and PUNE, India, December 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

QY Research has announced the release of a new report on the global color cosmetics market. Bearing the title "Global Color Cosmetics Market Professional Survey Report 2018," the report offers encyclopedic knowledge about critical market dynamics and other aspects such as market competition.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/719476/QY_Research_Logo.jpg )

Expected to post a 7.7% CAGR during the forecast period 2017-2023, the global color cosmetics market could reach a valuation of US$ 62.5 Bn by the end of 2023. In 2017, the global color cosmetics market was valued at a US$ 40.0 Bn.

Global Color Cosmetics Market: Current Status

With hundreds of players operating across the world, the global color cosmetics market is not a highly concentrated one. The market witnesses the supply of high-end products mainly from Western Europe and the U.S. The consumption rate of color cosmetics could show a smooth curve as the market continues to lean toward maturity.

Global Color Cosmetics Market: Drivers and Restraints

The global color cosmetics market is envisaged to obtain support from improving living standards of people in developing economies. Increasing disposable income and economic recovery are other factors pushing the growth of the global color cosmetics market. Quick economic growth and rising population in emerging countries are also expected to create opportunities in the global color cosmetics market.

Growing awareness about fashion trends, high demand for beauty care, and increasing consciousness about appearance could provide a fillip to the global sales of color cosmetics.

However, the presence of counterfeit and fake products and side effects associated with the use of some color cosmetics are prophesied to loom over the market as a threat to its growth.

Global Color Cosmetics Market: Forecast by Application and Product

On the basis of application, the global color cosmetics market is bifurcated into online and offline. Both these segments of the global color cosmetics market are studied in great detail in the research study.

By type of product, the global color cosmetics market is categorized into nail cosmetics, eye makeup, lip products, facial makeup, and others including brush sets. All of these products are deeply evaluated for their growth in the global color cosmetics market.

Global Color Cosmetics Market: Forecast by Region

Developed economies are observed to see high consumption of color cosmetics. The EU and the U.S. are the two key markets that witness heavy presence of leading color cosmetics manufacturers. The consumption of color cosmetics is anticipated to gather pace in Asia Pacific, especially in China. The country could register a faster CAGR of 9.2% during the forecast period.

In terms of market share, Europe is prognosticated to rank higher in the global color cosmetics market. It collects a strong 28.0% share of the global color cosmetics market. North America closely follows Europe as it attracts a 26.0% share.

Request Sample Report and Full Report TOC: https://www.qyresearch.com/sample-form/form/660759/global-color-cosmetics-market

Global Color Cosmetics Market: Competitive Analysis by Geography

The characteristics of marketing channels are projected to differ from one company to another and also from region to region. Chinese players are well aware of the disadvantage of marketing channels in the country and are focusing on finding a way around. For instance, makeup tools are generally sold on a separate counter in China as opposed to Korea, Japan, the EU, and North America where they are offered along with makeup and personal care products. As a result, China could witness lower market penetration compared to developed economies.

Global Color Cosmetics Market: Vendor Landscape

Companies are showing preference for investment in underdeveloped markets since the downstream consumption of color cosmetics generally follows with economies exhibiting aggressive growth such as BRICS.

High stakes in top-end markets collected by leading companies could be attributed to their exemplary after-sales service, superior technical performance, and abundance and wide variety of products. Product performance is an important factor influencing the global color cosmetics market, besides price. This is the reason why small companies see applications narrowed down because of their low product diversity and poor manufacturing process, even though they enjoy the price advantage.

Major players of the global color cosmetics market are Amore Pacific, Shiseido, Estee Lauder, Unilever, and L'Oreal. Vendors may take to inter-company's cooperation and merger and acquisition for growth and development in the global color cosmetics market.

Other Players: Avon, Chanel, LVMH, Coty, Clarins, Natura Cosmeticos, Revlon, Mary Kay, Kose, Kryolan, Carslan, Mariedalgar, Lansur, Maogeping.

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Related Reports:

Nutricosmetics Market: https://www.qyresearch.com/index/detail/130930/global-nutricosmetics-market

Global Halal Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Market: https://www.qyresearch.com/index/detail/133158/global-halal-cosmetics-and-personal-care-products-sales-market

https://www.qyresearch.com/index/detail/133158/global-halal-cosmetics-and-personal-care-products-sales-market Women ' s Cosmetics Market: https://www.qyresearch.com/index/detail/87492/global-women%E2%80%99s-cosmetics-industry-market

https://www.qyresearch.com/index/detail/87492/global-women%E2%80%99s-cosmetics-industry-market Global Cosmetics Packaging Market: https://www.qyresearch.com/index/detail/94922/global-cosmetics-packaging-market

https://www.qyresearch.com/index/detail/94922/global-cosmetics-packaging-market Baby Cosmetics Market: https://www.qyresearch.com/index/detail/98056/global-baby-cosmetics-market

https://www.qyresearch.com/index/detail/98056/global-baby-cosmetics-market Anti-Acne Cosmetics Market: https://www.qyresearch.com/index/detail/742150/global-anti-acne-cosmetics-market

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 13, 2018) - Ridgestone Mining Inc. (TSXV: RMI) (OTCQB: RIGMF) ("Ridgestone Mining") announces that it has received partial results from a recently completed 12 hole, 1,430 meter diamond drill program at its Rebeico gold-copper project located within the prolific Sierra Madre gold belt, Sonora, Mexico

The program was designed to test for gold and copper mineralization beneath historical underground workings located along a 500 meter portion of the "Alaska" vein which can be traced at surface for approximately 1.2 kilometers in a north-south direction.

Drill holes 18REB1 and 18REB2 were collared at the same location and drilled at angles of -50 and -65 degrees respectively. Hole 18REB1 intersected old workings, presumably where the vein had been previously mined out, and was halted at 121.7 meters.

Drill holes 18REB3 and 18REB4 were both collared about 415 meters south of holes 18REB1 & 2, and were drilled at angles of -50 and -60 degrees respectively. Hole 18REB3 encountered an intensely fractured fault zone and was abandoned before reaching the targeted depth.

Highlights of the assay results are summarized below:

Hole ID From

(m) To

(m) Interval

(m) Au

g/t Cu

% 18REB1 116.03 116.65 0.62 1.02 0.96 120.90 121.70 0.80 2.95 1.41 18REB2 127.0 128.0 1.00 7.87 1.87 128.0 129.0 1.00 9.51 3.69 18REB4 73.8 75.2 1.40 3.25 trace 76.5 78.0 1.50 1.39 trace

Hole 18REB4 also contained elevated bismuth (>90 ppm) associated with the gold mineralization. This may be indicative of a high-temperature, intrusion-related style of mineralization potentially proximal to a copper-gold porphyry or iron-oxide copper-gold ("IOCG") system.

Although exploration at Rebeico is at a very early stage, the gold and copper values encountered in these first drill holes indicate that mineralization extends beneath the shallow historical workings and down-dip along the Alaska vein. The gold values received from hole 18REB4, drilled more than 400 meters south of holes 18REB1 & 2, also indicate that subsurface mineralization extends a significant distance along strike. Results from the remaining 8 drill holes will be released when assays have been received and evaluated.

The Rebeico drilling program was managed by Ridgestone's partner, YQ Gold S.A. de C.V. Drill core was transported by YQ Gold personnel from the drill sites to a secure logging and sample storage area on a daily basis. After logging by YQ Gold geologists, intervals selected for sampling were sawed in half lengthwise. The -core samples were placed in pre-numbered sample bags and weighed. Blank samples were inserted into the sample stream for Quality Assurance / Quality Control ("QA/QC") purposes. YQ Gold personnel transported the samples to the ALS Minerals ("ALS") preparation laboratory in Hermosillo, Sonora. After preparation, sample pulps were air-freighted by ALS to their assay laboratory in North Vancouver, British Columbia. Gold was determined by fire-assay fusion with an atomic absorption finish. Silver and 31 major, minor and trace elements were determined by ICP-AES following 4-acid digestion.

The technical information disclosed in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Steven I. Weiss, C.P.G., Ph.D., and consulting geologist for Ridgestone. Mr. Weiss is a Qualified Person under NI 43-101 and the author of the technical report filed on SEDAR titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Rebeico Gold-Copper Project; Central Sonora, Mexico".

About Ridgestone Mining Inc.

Ridgestone is a TSX Venture Exchange-listed junior mineral exploration company with offices in Taipei and Vancouver, B.C. The Company's focus is on precious metals and copper in Sonora, Mexico, and specifically the Rebeico Gold-Copper project.

For further information, please contact:

Ron Birch, Director

Ridgestone Mining Inc.

Telephone: 1-800-910-7711

This news release contains forward-looking statements or information (collectively referred to herein as "forward-looking statements"). Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements and are not guarantees of future performance of the Company. In this news release such statements include but are not limited to the preparation of a definitive agreement and the requirement of TSX Venture Exchange approval therefor. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. These forward-looking statements reflect management's current views and are based on certain expectations, estimates and assumptions which may prove to be incorrect. A number of risks and uncertainties could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including those described in the Company's Prospectus dated February 9, 2018 available on www.sedar.com. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of the Company's assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of risks, uncertainties and other factors is not exhaustive. Unpredictable or unknown factors not discussed could also have material adverse effects on forward-looking statements. The impact of any one factor on a particular forward-looking statement is not determinable with certainty as such factors are dependent on other factors, and the Company's course of action would depend on its assessment of the future considering all information then available. All forward-looking statements in this news release are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements should circumstances or management's estimates or opinions change.

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.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 13, 2018) - Nicola Mining Inc. (TSXV: NIM), (the "Company" or "Nicola") is pleased to announce positive field reconnaissance and grab sampling results ("Sampling Program") along with the completion and interpretation of an induced polarization survey ("IP survey"). The IP Survey and Sampling Program are part of the Company's 2018 Exploration Program at its wholly-owned New Craigmont project, as explained in its May 1, 2018 news release. The permitted mine project is located on the historic Craigmont Copper Mine, located approximately 15 km from Merritt, British Columbia.

The IP Survey totaled 8.55 line-kilometers over two areas of interest while the Sampling Program focused on historic showings exhibiting porphyritic characteristics within the northern portion of the property.

Marb Zone Field Sampling

Field reconnaissance and grab sampling focused on the historical MARB showing to review outcrop exposure and validate previously sampled outcrops. A total of 5 samples at the MARB Zone were collected with the results summarized in Table 1.

Table 1. 2018 Grab Samples with Assays

To view an enhanced version of Table 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4873/41630_10e80adc74252af8_001full.jpg

* Datum-NAD 83 UTM Zone 10N

** The Company is currently in the process of confirming ratios of magnetite and hematite as part of iron composition on the property. In addition to recovery ratios of the copper, magnetite and hematite, Nicola is reviewing the potential use of magnetic conveyor systems to upgrade material.

Key takeaways of the grab samples are the following:

The MARB showing has elevated copper grades within favourable intrusive host-rock for a porphyry system.

Sample ID 1446404 occurred within basalt lithology (extrusive) while the others were all diorite (intrusive).

Follow-up detailed outcrop mapping plus potential drilling and IP will be planned for 2019 to further explore the MARB showing.

Induced Polarization Survey

A ground IP survey, which captured chargeability, resistivity and magnetic data was designed in 2 parts: as a westward continuation of the 2017 lines over Craigmont West (Embayment and Titan Queen) testing an interpreted increase in chargeability to the west; and second, over a magnetic-high at North Promontory (MARB) that has outcrop exposure with visible surface mineralization and elevated copper assays.





Table 2. IP Survey Line Details



To view an enhanced version of Table 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4873/41630_10e80adc74252af8_002full.jpg

North Promontory

Three North-South lines, totalling 4950 meters were surveyed over an area of elevated magnetics, and where samples have been collected from surface (as recently as 2018) with assay values of up to 1.7% Copper.

The intent of the survey was to identify whether the magnetic anomaly and associated elevated copper grades in grab samples are related to an undiscovered porphyry system. An inversion of the data was completed by Dr. Jules Lajoie, P. Eng, who interpreted that although the chargeability values begin to increase to the east, the chargeability amplitudes are relatively low, approximately 8mV/V, likely representative of the Guichon diorite border phase, which correlates with mapped outcrop and magnetic data. In summary, there is no significant anomaly resulting from this portion of the survey.

Craigmont West

Two north-south lines, totalling 3600 meters were surveyed at Craigmont West as a westward step-out from the lines surveyed in 2017. The inversion plot identified a weak chargeability response at the south end of the lines, which was anticipated to increase toward the west in association with a mag-low in the area, however it was found to weaken on the westernmost line. There is however the potential to pick the chargeability response back up further to the south, which would require extending some of the existing lines further south. This will be considered a potential option for 2019.









Figure 1. 2018 IP lines and grab sample locations with 2017 IP lines and Total Magnetic Intensity



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4873/41630_10e80adc74252af8_003full.jpg

Scientific and Technical Information

All information of a scientific or technical nature contained in this document, including sampling, analytical and test data has been reviewed and approved by Kevin Wells, P. Geo., a consulting Geologist to Nicola Mining. Wells is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Sample Preparation, Analysis and Quality Assurance/Quality Control

Nicola Mining applies a thorough quality assurance/quality control program at the New Craigmont Project compliant with industry best practices. A qualified geoscientist has logged and sampled all core and samples have been delimited according to lithologic, alteration and mineralization characteristics. This includes systematic insertion of blank, duplicate and certified reference materials into the sample batches by Nicola's geological staff. Core is then halved, where the sample is placed in a labelled sample bag with sample tag and the other half of the core is retained on site as a physical record. Samples are placed in sealed bags and transported to Actlabs (ISO 17025 Certified) in Kamloops, British Columbia for analysis, following a Chain of Custody. Samples are crushed up to 80% passing 2mm, rifle split (250 g) and pulverized to 95% passing 105 m. Samples are analyzed using Aqua Regia-ICP-OES 38-element (1E3) packages. All samples greater than 10,000 ppm Copper are tested using over-limit mass spectrometry methods (8-AR). All results included in this release have passed the QA/QC procedures as described above and have been reviewed by Kevin Wells, P.Geo. There are no known factors that could materially affect the reliability of data collected and verified. No quality assurance/quality control issues have been identified to date.

About Nicola Mining

Nicola Mining Inc. is a junior mining company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange and is in the process of recommencing mill feed processing operations at its 100% owned state-of-the-art mill and tailings facility, located near Merritt, British Columbia. It has already signed four mill profit share agreements with high grade gold producers. The fully-permitted mill can process both gold and silver mill feed via gravity and flotation processes. The Company also owns 100% of Treasure Mountain, a high-grade silver property, and an active gravel pit that is located adjacent to its milling operations.

About New Craigmont

The New Craigmont Project (the "Property") is a wholly-owned copper property with an active mine permit (M-68), located within the world-class Highland Valley porphyry district. It benefits from excellent infrastructure. The Property is at the corner intersection of the Nicola and Guichon batholiths, of which the latter is the precursor to mineralization at Highland Valley. In November of 2015, Nicola became the first group in decades to consolidate ownership of the Property and has been actively conducting mineral exploration since.

There are currently no mineral resource estimates on the Property. Historical "non-NI 43-101" resource calculations are recorded in internal memos and geological reports for Placer Development. An internal memo written by J.F. Bristow on October 30, 1985 to Craigmont Mines Ltd. reported a zone known as Body No. 3 containing a historic estimate of 1,290,000 tons (1,170,268 metric tonnes) of copper grading 1.53% copper. This estimate assumes a 0.7% copper cut-off and a 20-foot mining width between drill sections 6565E and 8015E. The material in Body No. 3 contains mineralization primarily in silicate-rich rocks.

Additionally, J.F. Bristow reported in an internal memo on July 22, 1985 to Craigmont Mines Ltd., a rough calculation of 60,000,000 pounds (1.6 million short tons or 1.45 metric tonnes) of +1.5% copper from an original ore estimate of 27,754,000 short tons (25,178,005 metric tonnes) of copper grading 1.79% copper left behind in the sub-level cave. In addition, the Bristow report highlights a 50.0 million tonne halo grading greater than 0.4% surrounding the high-grade underground ore body.

It should be noted that these historical estimates do not meet the requirements needed to conform to National Instrument 43-101 standards. The Company notes that an independent Qualified Person has not done sufficient work to verify and classify the historical estimates as current mineral resources and is therefore not treating the historical estimates as current mineral resources or mineral reserves. For further details on the Property, see the technical report entitled "TECHNICAL REPORT on the THULE COPPER - IRONPROPERTY, Southern British Columbia, Canada", filed on May 8, 2013 on Sedar at www.sedar.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Peter Espig"

Peter Espig

CEO & Director

For additional information

Contact:

Peter Espig

Phone: (778) 385-1213

Email: info@nicolamining.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange or 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.

DISCLAIMER FOR FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

All statements in this release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, including statements that address future exploration and drilling plans, including with respect to the 2018 DD Program; the expected information to be derived therefrom; and potential mineralization. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "project", "predict", "potential", "targeting", "intends", "believe", "potential", and similar expressions, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "should", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievement of the Company to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. Such factors include, among others: changes in 2018 DD Program parameters as plans continue to be refined; risks related to the interpretation and actual results of historical exploration at the Property; reliance on technical information provided by third parties, including access to historical information on the Property; current exploration and development activities; current economic conditions; future prices of commodities; possible variations in grade or recovery rates; failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; the failure of contracted parties to perform; labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry; and delays in obtaining governmental approvals, financing or in the completion of exploration. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking information is provided as of the date hereof and accordingly is subject to change after such date. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information included in this news release, except as required by applicable securities laws.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 13, 2018) - Golden Share Resources Corporation (TSXV: GSH) ("Golden Share" or the "Company") is pleased to provide the results from its Annual and Special Shareholders' Meeting (the "AGM") held on December 12, 2018 in Markham, Ontario.

A total of 19.42 million common shares, representing approximately 50.44% of the Company's issued and outstanding common shares, were voted in connection with the AGM. Golden Share shareholders voted strongly in favour of each item of business put before the AGM, with over 99.81% of the votes being cast in favour of each of the appointment of Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton LLP as auditors, the approval of the Company's rolling stock option plan, the reduction of the stated capital on the Company's common shares, the approval of the Company's energy storage business spinout (the "Spinout"), the grant of a 1% royalty to Keystone Associates Inc. and the election of each of Zhen Huang, Wes Roberts, David Graham and Nick Zeng as directors for the ensuing year.

In accordance with the interim order from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice issued on October 22, 2018, the Spinout receive the required shareholder approvals, being 66 2/3% of the votes cast by the Golden Share shareholders who voted in person or by proxy at the AGM and a simple majority of the votes cast by "minority" Golden Share shareholders (excluding votes cast by any "non-arm's length party" to Golden Share).

Golden Share will make application to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice for a final order approving the spinout on December 14, 2018 and expects to complete the Spinout on or about January 7, 2019.

For more information on the Spinout, please see Golden Share's press release of October 15, 2018.

About Golden Share

Golden Share Resources Corporation is a junior natural resource company focusing on mineral exploration in the province of Ontario, Canada, a mineral rich and politically stable jurisdiction.

WARNING: Certain statements in this press release may be forward-looking, including those with respect to the date of the completion of the Spinout. Although the Company believes the expectations reflected in such statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurances that its expectations will be achieved. Such assumptions, which may prove incorrect, include that no legal, financial, technical or other obstacles will delay or prevent the completion of the Spinout. A description of other risks affecting the Company's business and activities appears on pages 16 to 18 of its 2017 annual management's discussion and analysis, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Additional risks relating to the Arrangement and to Harmony Energy Technologies Corporation's business are set forth in the management information circular sent to Golden Share shareholders in connection with the AGM. No assurance can be given that any events anticipated by the forward-looking information in this press release will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits the Company will derive therefrom. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements in order to account for any new information or any other event, except as required under applicable law. The reader is warned against undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

This press release does not constitute an offer of securities by Golden Share, Harmony Energy Technologies Corporation or any other party for sale in the United States, nor may any securities referred to herein be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration as provided in the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") and the rules and regulations thereunder. The securities referred to herein have not been registered pursuant to the Securities Act and there is no intention to register any of the securities in the United States or to conduct a public offering of securities in the United States.

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.

For more information, please visit www.goldenshare.ca or contact:

Golden Share Resources Corporation

Nick Zeng, President & CEO

Tel: (905) 968-1199

E-mail: info@goldenshare.ca

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES

OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES
LONDON, ENGLAND / ACCESSWIRE / December 13, 2018 / Gabriel Resources Ltd. ("Gabriel" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into definitive subscription agreements with certain existing securityholders in connection with a non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") of up to 106,425,846 units (the "Units") of the Company at a price of $0.2475 per Unit ("Purchase Price") for gross proceeds of up to US$20 million (approximately $26.3 million), subject to stock exchange and other approvals as applicable.

Each Unit will consist of one common share ("Common Share") of the Company ("New Shares") and one Common Share purchase warrant ("New Warrants"). The Purchase Price represents a 25% discount to the closing price of the Common Shares on the trading day immediately preceding this announcement of $0.33 ("Market Price"). Each New Warrant will entitle the holder to acquire one Common Share at an exercise price of $0.49, representing a premium of approximately 50% to the Market Price, at any time prior to the date that is five (5) years following the closing of the Private Placement.

The aggregate number of Common Shares to be issued pursuant to the Private Placement (assuming exercise of all of the New Warrants) is 212,851,692, representing approximately 55.4% of the Common Shares currently issued and outstanding on a non-diluted basis.

It is anticipated that insiders of the Company will subscribe for up to 55,213,059 Units for gross proceeds of US$10.37 million under the Private Placement. The issuance of Units to insiders pursuant to the Private Placement will constitute a "related party transaction" within the meaning of TSX Venture Exchange Policy 5.9 and Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101").

The Company intends to rely on the "financial hardship" exemption from the minority shareholder approval requirement available under Section 5.7(1)(e) of MI 61-101 in respect of such insider participation. Accordingly, "independent directors" of the Company, as defined in MI 61-101, have reviewed and approved the terms of the proposed Private Placement and, after careful consideration, determined that the Company is in serious financial difficulty, the Private Placement is designed to improve the financial position of the Company, and the terms of the Private Placement are reasonable in the circumstances of the Company.

The closing of the Private Placement is subject to certain conditions, including, but not limited to, the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange and the receipt of all other applicable approvals. Accordingly, there is no assurance that the Company will be successful in completing the Private Placement. On receipt of approvals it is anticipated that the Private Placement may close on or about December 31, 2018 or such earlier or later date as may be determined by the Company subject to satisfaction or waiver by the relevant party of the conditions of closing.

The securities being issued pursuant to the Private Placement will be subject to a hold period expiring four months and one day from the date of issuance in accordance with applicable Canadian securities law.

The Company is progressing with its arbitration case against Romania before the World Bank's International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes ("ICSID Arbitration") and intends to use the proceeds of the Private Placement to finance the costs of the ongoing ICSID Arbitration and for general working capital requirements.

The Company expects to file a material change report in respect of the related party transaction less than 21 days prior to the closing of the Private Placement, which the Company deems reasonable in the circumstances so as to be able to avail itself of the proceeds of the Private Placement in an expeditious manner.

The securities described herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and accordingly may not be offered or sold within the United States or to "U.S. persons", as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act ("U.S. Persons"), except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities requirements or pursuant to exemptions therefrom. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the Company's securities to, or for the account of benefit of, persons in the United States or U.S. Persons.

For information on this press release, please contact:

Dragos Tanase

President & CEO

Phone: +44 7799 469694 Richard Brown

Chief Commercial Officer

Phone: +44 7748 760276

richard.brown@gabrielresources.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Further Information

About Gabriel

Gabriel is a Canadian resource company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange. The Company's principal focus has been the exploration and development of the Ro?ia Montana gold and silver project in Romania ("Rosia Montana Project"). The Rosia Montana Project, one of the largest undeveloped gold deposits in Europe, is situated in the South Apuseni Mountains of Transylvania, Romania, an historic and prolific mining district that since pre-Roman times has been mined intermittently for over 2,000 years. The exploitation license ("License") for the Rosia Montana Project is held by Ro?ia Montana Gold Corporation S.A., a Romanian company in which Gabriel owns an 80.69% equity interest, with the 19.31% balance held by Minvest Ro?ia Montana S.A., a Romanian state-owned mining company. It is anticipated that the Rosia Montana Project would bring over US$24 billion (at US$1,200/oz gold) to Romania as potential direct and indirect contribution to GDP and generate thousands of employment opportunities.

Upon obtaining the License in June 1999, the Group (as defined below) focused substantially all of their management and financial resources on the exploration, feasibility and subsequent development of the Rosia Montana Project. Despite the Company's fulfilment of its legal obligations and its development of the Rosia Montana Project as a high-quality, sustainable and environmentally-responsible mining project, using best available techniques, Romania has blocked and prevented implementation of the Rosia Montana Project without due process and without compensation. Accordingly, the Company's current core focus is the ICSID Arbitration. For more information please visit the Company's website at www.gabrielresources.com.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking information" (also referred to as "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans and allowing investors and others to get a better understanding of the Company's operating environment. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements.

In this press release, forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company at this time, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies that may cause the Company's actual financial results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied herein. Some of the material factors or assumptions used to develop forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the uncertainties associated with: the ICSID Arbitration, actions by the Romanian Government, conditions or events impacting the Company's ability to fund its operations (including but not limited to the completion of further funding noted above) or service its debt, exploration, development and operation of mining properties and the overall impact of misjudgments made in good faith in the course of preparing forward-looking information.

Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors including those set out below, that may never materialize, prove incorrect or materialize other than as currently contemplated which could cause the Company's results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, identified by words or phrases such as "expects", "is expected", "is of the view", "anticipates", "believes", "plans", "projects", "estimates", "assumes", "intends", "strategy", "goals", "objectives", "potential", "possible" or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events, conditions or results "may", "could", "would", "should", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions) are not statements of fact and may be forward-looking statements.

Numerous factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, including without limitation:

delay or extension to the duration of the ICSID Arbitration;

required disclosure, costs, process and outcome of the ICSID Arbitration against Romania;

changes in the liquidity and capital resources of Gabriel, and the group of companies of which it is directly or indirectly parent ("Group");

access to funding to support the Group's continued ICSID Arbitration and/or operating activities in the future;

equity dilution resulting from the conversion or exercise of new or existing securities in part or in whole to Common Shares;

the ability of the Company to maintain a continued listing on the TSX Venture Exchange or any regulated public market for trading securities;

the impact on business strategy and its implementation in Romania of: unforeseen historic acts of corruption, uncertain fiscal investigations; uncertain legal enforcement both for and against the Group and political and social instability;

regulatory, political and economic risks associated with operating in a foreign jurisdiction including changes in laws, governments and legal regimes and interpretation of existing and future fiscal and other legislation;

volatility of currency exchange rates, metal prices and metal production;

the availability and continued participation in operational or other matters pertaining to the Group of certain key employees and consultants; and

risks normally incident to the exploration, development and operation of mining properties

This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements.

Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and investors should not infer that there has been no change in the Company's affairs since the date of this press release that would warrant any modification of any forward-looking statement made in this document, other documents periodically filed with or furnished to the relevant securities regulators or documents presented on the Company's website. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements or the foregoing list of assumptions or factors, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, subject to the Company's disclosure obligations under applicable Canadian securities regulations. Investors are urged to read the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulatory agencies which can be viewed online at www.sedar.com.

ENDS

SOURCE: Gabriel Resources Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/530480/US20-Million-Private-Placement
EDB Postgres 11 extends leading open source database management system with updated management, integration tools

BEDFORD, Massachusetts, Dec. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- EnterpriseDB announces the worldwide availability of EDB Postgres Platform 11 that includes Oracle database compatibility features, management and integration tools, providing organizations with high performance, enterprise-ready data management.

EDB Postgres 11 includes an updated version of EDB Postgres Advanced Server, which is built on and enhances the capabilities of open source PostgreSQL 11. PostgreSQL 11 comes with a number of new features and performance improvements that enable queries to run faster including partitioning, parallelism and just-in-time (JIT) compilation, along with finer-grained controls for specific permissions to users. Advanced Server 11 adds the following features providing enterprises with enhanced security, performance and reliability.

- Data redaction: Sensitive data, such as credit card information, can be concealed from designated users while privileged users can have access without restriction. This allows developers to secure information at the database level rather than in the application itself, making it easier to meet General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements and achieve greater levels of data privacy.

- Performance diagnostics: More detailed information about where time is being spent in the database server can be collected with minimal overhead. This information can then be searched to help diagnose bottlenecks and tune queries to optimize application performance.

- Autonomous transactions: A capability that allows independent transactions to be executed without interfering with the parent transaction. This makes migrations from Oracle easier.

"The work going into Postgres from all corners of the world has, more than ever, made it the data management system of choice for a wide variety of workloads. Our customers are increasingly using EDB Postgres for data warehouses in analytics and Big Data applications to deliver new insights faster and make their teams smarter," said Ed Boyajian, president and CEO of EnterpriseDB. "The new features in EDB Postgres 11 help customers expand their use of our technology platform even further."

EDB Postgres Advanced Server 11 is a free upgrade for existing subscription customers and supports 64-bit Linux and Windows server platforms with additional information about supported platforms is available at https://www.enterprisedb.com/services-support/edb-supported-products-and-platforms. For more information, go to https://www.enterprisedb.com/products/edb-postgres-platform.

EDB Management and Integration Tools

In addition to EDB Postgres Advanced Server , EnterpriseDB is making updates available to its management and integration tool suite that support PostgreSQL 11 and EDB Postgres Advanced Server 11, which include the following.

- EDB Postgres Enterprise Manager increases the number of databases into the hundreds that can be monitored from a single console and adds new accessibility enhancements consistent with guidelines of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the main international standards organization for the Internet.

- EDB Postgres Failover Manager adds pluggable support for Pgpool-II (used to create read-scalable Postgres clusters) and other load balancers.

- EDB Pgpool-II adds support for password-based SCRAM (Salted Challenge Response Authentication Mechanism) and certificate authentication for secure and scalable load balancing.

- EDB Postgres Backup and Recovery Tool (BART) now includes block-level incremental backup to support fast backup of multi-terabyte databases.

About EnterpriseDB Corporation

EnterpriseDB (EDB), the database platform company for digital business, delivers the premier open source-based data platform for new applications, cloud re-platforming, application modernization, and legacy migration. EnterpriseDB integrates with enterprise technologies and infrastructures for hybrid cloud management, data integration, and data warehousing. Our customers benefit from the highest performing, most reliable, flexible, open, and cost-effective data management platform available. EnterpriseDB is based in Bedford, Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.EnterpriseDB.com.

EnterpriseDB is a registered trademark of EnterpriseDB Corporation. EDB, EDB Postgres, EDB Postgres Enterprise Manager are trademarks of EnterpriseDB Corporation. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle, Inc. Other trademarks may be trademarks of their respective owners.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Glenn Rossman

914-623-8354

Glenn.Rossman@EnterpriseDB.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/319928/enterprisedb_corporation_logo.jpg
Offering includes 275 consultants, strategists and technologists across Isobar's global network

Global digital agency Isobar today announced the launch of 'Transformation Consulting', a Global Consultancy offering to help businesses to define digital transformation strategy and roadmaps to unlock exponential growth. It bolsters Isobar's strategic capability to deliver experience-led transformation, and ensures excellence in delivery in the end-to-end service offering for clients. The offering was developed as a response to the demand for customer-centric solutions to driving growth and builds upon Isobar's existing consulting capabilities.

Isobar has delivered consultancy projects in key markets including the US, China, and Australia, in recent years and bolstered its consulting capabilities through the acquisition and integration of leading Brazilian consultancy, Cosin Consulting in 2016. The launch of Isobar's 'Transformation Consulting' is a global offering that will provide an end-to-end solution from 'Consult' to 'Delivery', complementing Isobar's existing Marketing, Commerce, and Products Service Design offerings. The global offering will draw from existing resources and includes 275 consultants, strategists and technologists across Isobar's network in Americas, EMEA and APAC.

Jean Lin, Global CEO, Isobar, explained: "In today's digital economy, businesses need a new approach to embrace change. Our offering is different because it integrates consultancy with delivery. To be successful, businesses need to design meaningful customer experiences, and our approach is first to start with experience and work backwards through the different parts of the value chain to transform them. This a key part of Isobar's strategic plan to drive growth for our clients. Our expertise and best practice is based on the projects we have already delivered in key markets for a number of years, and today the time is right to launch a Global Transformation offering that will support clients that want to create agile roadmaps for growth."

The offering will utilise the specialism of the five global practices across Isobar's network: Marketing Intelligence, Business Brand Transformation, Commerce, Technology, and Innovation. Each practice is led by an Architect to evolve its tools, framework, and solutions- Eric Paquette for Marketing Intelligence, Sandipan Roy for Business Brand Transformation, Shawn Mishra for Omnichannel Commerce, Vikalp Tandon for Technology and Dave Meeker for Innovation. Abel Reis, CEO DAN Brazil and Isobar LATAM., who led the acquisition of Cosin Consulting, is appointed the Global Executive sponsor.

Isobar has a history of providing local and regional consulting programmes and digital transformation services for blue-chip brands. These engagements include the US team delivering the digital omnichannel strategy for adidas and Zwilling and in China Isobar developed the new online learning product/platform for WSE (Wall Street English). Cosin Consulting Linked By Isobar was the first business and technology consultancy brand acquired by a marketing company in Latin America. It has delivered more than 2,500 projects in the last decade and they have developed solutions to 75% of all biggest companies in Brazil, including all private banks and retail companies, improving their business performance in the market. Cosin has also created marketing solutions across industries such as CRM, Marketing ROI, ecommerce and media performance.

Isobar has developed a number of proprietary frameworks and tools through its global practices. In 2017 Isobar launched the Digital Strength Index, that linked a company's digital footprint momentum to revenue and shareholder value. In 2018 the agency extended MindSight, its proprietary applied neuroscience product across Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and the UK. With Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Belgium, Chile, China, Mexico and Russia set to launch in 2019.

Testament to Isobar's global Commerce expertise, Isobar was recently named a Leader in "The Forrester Wave: Commerce Specialist Service Providers, Q4 2018," and earlier this year Gartner, Inc. placed Isobar in the Leaders quadrant in its "Magic Quadrant for Global Digital Marketing Agencies" for the fourth consecutive time. The Innovation practice helped drive the Digital Craft Grand Prix win at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2018, and Isobar's technology teams secured the unparalleled partnerships including becoming Global Alliance Solution Partner for Adobe, a Salesforce Platinum Cloud Alliance Partner, a Sitecore Platinum Implementation partner, and an Enterprise Magento Partner, winning Regional and Global Commercial Partner of the year in 2018.

ENDS

About Isobar:

Isobar is a global digital agency of 6,500 people across 45 markets, united by our mission to transform businesses, brands and people's lives with the creative use of digital. We deliver experience-led transformation, solving complex business challenges through our marketing, ecosystems and products services offering. Isobar has won over 300 awards in 2017 including Asia-Pacific Digital Network of the Year. Key clients include Coca-Cola, adidas, Enterprise, P&G, Philips and Huawei. Isobar is part of the Dentsu Aegis Network, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dentsu Inc. www.isobar.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181213005402/en/

Contacts:

Hannah Ainsworth

Hannah.ainsworth@isobar.com

+44 7824 142 788
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 13, 2018) - CellCube Energy Storage Systems Inc. (CSE: CUBE) (OTCQB: CECBF) (FSE: 01X) ("CellCube" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary, V23 Resource Corp. ("V23 Resource"), has signed a non-binding letter of intent ("LOI") with Regency Gold Corp., a TSX Venture Exchange company (TSXV: RAU.H.X), for the purpose of a business combination that would result in V23 Resource becoming a publicly listed company.

The LOI contemplates that the two companies will enter into a combination by way of a reverse merger or acquisition that will lead to V23 Resource becoming the resulting issuer on the TSX Venture Exchange. The companies will continue to negotiate and conduct due diligence and expect to enter into a definitive binding agreement within 30 days.

Spin-out and Distribution to Shareholders of V23 Resource Corp.

CellCube has established a record date of January 4, 2019, for the spin-out of its 100-per-cent-owned Bisoni Mackay and Bisoni-Rio vanadium assets into the newly formed V23 Resource (see news release dated June 28, 2018). CellCube shareholders of record owning common shares of the Company on January 4, 2019, will be eligible to receive the distribution of one common share of V23 Resource for every two common shares of CellCube upon completion of the spinout arrangement. CellCube intends to retain a 19.9-per-cent interest in V23 Resource, in addition to certain off-take rights, and the transaction is expected to be completed by year end.

"The spin-out of our vanadium assets into a new publicly listed entity will greatly enhance shareholder value," stated Mike Neylan, CEO of CellCube. "With vanadium prices approaching unprecedented levels, this is a critical step to unlock the value of our resource business for the benefit of our current shareholders," further commented Mr. Neylan.

V23 Resource Corp.

V23 Resource Corp. is a vanadium exploration company wholly owned by CellCube, with two vanadium properties located in Nye County, Nevada. CellCube's Bisoni McKay and Bisoni-Rio properties represent a significant pure play vanadium projects in North America, totalling 4,115 acres contiguous to the Gibellini deposit held by Prophecy Development Corp.

Drilling of 52 drill holes and exploration to date have indicated that the Bisoni McKay is a pure play vanadium resource that does not possess any significant concentrations of any secondary metals. Of greater importance, only 12 per cent of the Bisoni McKay area has been drilled (and none of the Bisoni-Rio), which has already resulted in the estimation of a National Instrument 43-101 indicated resource of 11.9 million tons at an average grade of 0.39 per cent vanadium pentoxide ("V2O5"), and an inferred resource of 7.0 million tons at an average grade of 0.42 per cent V2O5 (see news release dated September 13, 2016). The indicated resource is contained in a zone approximately 300 metres in strike length, while the inferred resource covers approximately an additional 200 metres of strike length extending to the south. The mineralized zone appears to be open at depth and extends to the north into the Bisoni-Rio property. In 2017, CellCube staked 162 claims on the Bisoni-Rio property from the Bisoni McKay right up to and abutting the Gibellini vanadium property owned by Prophecy Development Corp. (see company news release dated June 28, 2018).

Chris M. Healey, P.Geo, geological consultant to CellCube, is the independent qualified person who has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical contents of this press release.

About CellCube Energy Storage Systems Inc.

CellCube is a Canadian public company listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange (symbol CUBE), the OTCBB (symbol CECBF), and the Frankfurt Exchange (Symbol 01X WKN A2JMGP) focused on the fast-growing energy storage industry which is driven by the large increase in demand for renewable energy.

CellCube supplies vertically integrated energy storage systems to the power industry and recently acquired the assets of Gildemeister Energy Storage GmbH, now Enerox GmbH the developer and manufacturer of CellCube energy storage systems. CellCube recently acquired EnerCube Switchgear Systems (formerly Jet Power and Controls Ltd.) and Power Haz Energy Mobile Solutions Inc. (formerly HillCroft Consulting Ltd.) and has also invested in an online renewable energy financing platform, Braggawatt Energy Inc.

CellCube develops, manufactures, and markets energy storage systems on the basis of vanadium redox flow technology and has over 130 project installations and a 10 year operational track record. Its highly integrated energy storage System solutions features 99% residual energy capacity after 11,000 cycles with the focus on larger scale containerized modules. Basic building blocks consist of a 250kW unit family with 4, 6 and 8 hours variation in energy capacity.

On Behalf of CellCube Energy Storage Systems Inc.,

Mike Neylan, CEO, Director

Glenda Kelly, Investor Communications

1 800 882-3213

Email: info@cellcubeenergystorage.com

www.cellcubeenergystorage.com

This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts which address events, results, outcomes or developments that the Company expects to occur; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "aims", "potential", "goal", "objective", "prospective", and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "can", "could" or "should" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Certain material assumptions regarding such forward-looking statements are discussed in this news release and the Company's annual and quarterly management's discussion and analysis filed at www.sedar.com. Except as required by the securities disclosure laws and regulations applicable to the Company, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
World-class Talent Enhances Grey's Creative Firepower

NEW YORK, Dec. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Michael Houston, Worldwide CEO of Grey Group, today announced that Adrian Rossi is joining Grey London as Creative Chairman, a new position. He will report to John Patroulis, Worldwide Chief Creative Officer of Grey.Vicki Maguire continues in her role as Chief Creative Officer of Grey London.

Rossi will oversee all creative development; help set and implement the creative vision; spearhead the recruitment of top talent and guide new business creative efforts working closely with Eduardo Maruri, President and CEO of Grey Europe.

"Adrian is making some of the most awarded and inspiring work in the world right now, and he pairs an impressive creative pedigree with a humanity that shines in both the work he makes and in the way he leads," John Patroulis said. "I think he'll be an amazing leader for Grey London, working with a great team already in place to help push where we're headed as an agency, and as an industry. We're lucky to have him."

Michael Houston said, "We are delighted to welcome Adrian to Grey London. He will become a key member of our Grey Global Creative Council. His work across every creative platform has expanded the boundaries of communications."

Adrian Rossi: Bio

Adrian Rossi has spent the last seven years at AMV BBDO London, becoming only the fourth person to take the Executive Creative Director title and oversee the creative department since 2013.

He has been recognized as the Number 1 creative director in the world at the Cannes Lions and the most awarded creative leader in the United Kingdom according to the Big Won.

Under his leadership, AMV BBDO has become the second most awarded agency in the world at Cannes, with a record of three Grand Prix and one Titanium. D&AD has named AMV BBDO "UK Creative Agency of the Year" three times. During that time, AMV BBDO has won every honor at every major national and international awards show, including over 20 Agency of the Year Awards. The work has crossed popular culture, being talked about in UK House of Commons and the United Nations and even forms part of the permanent exhibition at the Design Museum in London.

As a creative, Rossi has won every top international creative honor several times over, including Cannes Lions, D&AD Yellow Pencils, Clios, New York Festival, BTAA, Creative Circle and Kinsale.

He began his career as an Art Director at Saatchi & Saatchi in 1994, went on to become a Creative Director at BBH for over a decade and joined Glue Isobar, the digital agency in 2010.

Adrian Rossi's arrival in London follows the announcement of an expanded creative leadership team at Grey New York. Four new Executive Creative Directors joined last month from R/GA, McCann and DDB New York.



About Grey



Grey is the advertising network of Grey Group, which ranks among the largest global communications companies. Its parent company is WPP (NYSE: WPP). Under the banner of "Grey Famously Effective Since 1917" the agency serves a blue-chip roster of many of the world's best known companies: Procter & Gamble, GlaxoSmithKline, Kellogg's, Pfizer, Canon, Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Nestle, Walgreens, Applebee's, and T.J. Maxx. In recent years, Grey has been named Adweek's 'Global Agency of the Year" twice; Advertising Age's 'Agency of the Year' and Campaign magazine's 'Global Network of the Year' in recognition of its creative and business performance (www.grey.com)

Contact: Owen J. Dougherty

212-546-2551

owen.dougherty@grey.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/798209/Grey_Adrian_Rossi.jpg
'You will see CM soon. We are taking inputs from MLAs, party workers and others,' Gandhi said.

The Congress president will first meet party observers A K Antony for Madhya Pradesh and K C Venugopal for Rajasthan before meeting those in the race. (Photo: ANI | Twitter)

New Delhi: Amid hectic deliberations and lobbying for selection of chief ministers in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said Thursday that the party was taking inputs from MLAs and workers and the names will be declared soon.

Gandhi held hectic deliberations with Congress workers earlier at his residence ahead of selecting the party's chief ministers for the three states. "You will see chief ministers soon. We are taking inputs from MLAs, party workers and others," he told reporters.

#WATCH Congress President Rahul Gandhi: We are taking inputs from different people in the party. We are taking inputs from MLAs, from workers. You will see a Chief Minister soon pic.twitter.com/worICTzGqN  ANI (@ANI) December 13, 2018

Meanwhile, the potential chief minister candidates in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh arrived in the city Thursday for a meeting with the Congress president who will take a final call on the top post in the states.

While Kamal Nath is considered top contender for the post in Madhya Pradesh, Ashok Gehlot leads the race in Rajasthan, but Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Sachin Pilot is not giving up his claim and is putting up stiff resistance.

The contenders for the top post in Rajasthan -- Gehlot and Pilot -- and in Madhya Pradesh -- Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia -- arrived early morning in the national capital.

The Congress president will first meet party observers A K Antony for Madhya Pradesh and K C Venugopal for Rajasthan before meeting those in the race.

The observers had already held discussions with the newly-elected party MLAs in Jaipur and Bhopal Wednesday and would give their inputs to Gandhi on who the legislators want to be as their chief ministers. Over the last 24 hours, an audio message from Gandhi has gone to 7.3 lakh party workers across the three states in which they have been asked to name their chief ministerial choice.

In the audio message, he is heard congratulating the leaders for the party's victory in the assembly elections in the three heartland states. "Now I want to ask you a vital question: Who should be the chief minister? Please mention just one name. I'm the only person who would know whom you are naming. No one in the party will know. Please speak after the beep".
LONDON, Dec. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- A new discussion paper authored by Brattle economists reviews the risks to the success of Great Britain's smart metering programme, relying on data that has become available during the first seven years of experience with the programme. Based on this review, the Brattle paper identifies pragmatic options for mitigating persistent challenges and advancing the programme in a manner that will increase the likelihood of consumer benefits nationwide.

The Brattle discussion paper addresses several unanticipated and fundamental challenges that have emerged since the smart metering programme's introduction in 2011. Most notable is the challenge of achieving significant adoption rates when deploying smart meters on a voluntary basis. The authors' analysis revealed that voluntary uptake may feasibly only reach 60% of the population and that customer engagement in energy management is lagging behind expectations. Combined, they estimate that these effects could lead to a net increase in costs for consumers, rather than the 5 billion in net benefits originally estimated by the Department for Business, Energy, & Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

"Successful smart metering rollouts in other countries have demonstrated that significant benefits can be delivered to consumers," noted Ryan Hledik, a Brattle principal and co-author of the discussion paper. "Some straightforward refinements to Great Britain's current deployment strategy could significantly improve the overall value of the programme."

To mitigate the programme's current challenges, the authors present in detail two distinct paths forward:

The "Refocused Rollout" path concentrates the scope of the rollout on the most cost-effective customer segments, and reorients the programme toward deployment that is driven by customer demand. It maintains the programme's original focus on voluntary meter adoption.



The "Default Deployment" path transitions to a model utilized in most international jurisdictions, where smart meters are treated as essential energy infrastructure. The meters are rolled out in a manner more closely resembling mandatory deployment.

The Brattle economists recommend, as a next step, an analysis that quantifies the extent to which each path would accomplish BEIS's policy objectives, and the likely impact of each path on the smart metering business case. It would also be useful to assess how various stakeholders, such as suppliers, vulnerable customers, and meter manufacturers, would be impacted by the changes.

The discussion paper, "Two Paths for Advancing Great Britain's Smart Metering Programme," is authored by Brattle Principals Ryan Hledik and Pinar Bagci, and Saurab Chhachhi, a former Brattle research analyst and current Ph.D. student at Imperial College London. Is it available to view on brattle.com.

The Brattle Group analyzes complex economic, finance, and regulatory questions for corporations, law firms, and governments around the world. We are distinguished by the clarity of our insights and the credibility of our experts, which include leading international academics and industry specialists. For more information, please visit www.brattle.com.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/320171/the_brattle_group_logo.jpg
WHEATON, IL / ACCESSWIRE / December 13, 2018 / The Board of Directors of IDGlobal Corp., a Colorado corporation (OTC PINK: IDGC) ("IDGC"), is today pleased to provide a corporate update regarding its present and future operations.

Mr. DuFort stated, "My interest is and always has been to fully-develop IDGlobal to its maximum potential for the benefit of its shareholders. IDGC has weathered some tough times, but current management decided to change the Company's business model in late 2018 by focusing on the integration of established companies into a public company. This along with new highly experienced executives coming aboard, and the highly talented operational management already in place, we believe this will be a very effective formula for the future in any industry. Currently, the company has developed a comprehensive plan of operations that will best serve our shareholders and others having business with IDGC and its' respective subsidiaries."

IDGC and its subsidiaries and direct coventurers, respectively and collectively seek safe-harbor in accordance with the provisions of the Private Securities Reform Act of 1995 for certain forward-looking statements made by any of them in this announcement, as the same are defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. A forward-looking statement is defined as a statement that cannot sustain itself as merely a historical fact. A forward-looking statement predicts, projects, or uses future events as expectations or possibilities. These statements can often be misleading, as they can be mistaken for factual statements, while the issuers are, in fact, speculating. Title 15 Section 78u-5 of the United States Code defines a forward-looking statement as including overly optimistic views as to a company's future economic performance, such as revenues or income, plans for future operations, or use of a report written by an outside reviewer. Certain terms or phrases indicate the use by an issuer of forward-looking statements, such as any tense from present to future or similar inflection of words comparable to "believe,' "estimate,' "anticipate,' "plan,' "predict,' "may,' "hope,' "can,' "will,' "should,' "expect,' "intend,' "is designed to,' "with the intent,' "potential,' the negative of these words or such other variations thereon or comparable terminology, may indicate forward-looking statements; however, the absence of these terms or phrases does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking.

IDGC's Plan of Operations.

IDGC is an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act of 2012 and, as a diversified holding company, will focus on emerging and middle market international investment opportunities. IDGC is evaluating the acquisition of interests, joint ventures, and licensing agreements with qualified companies and personnel within the Real Estate, medical marijuana, consumer products development and distribution industries

IDGC's Board of Directors has established a plan of operations that includes IDGC's current, active, and ongoing business operations, together with the operations of certain existing joint ventures along with pending acquisitions. This plan of operations also includes the commerce of real estate, retail and distribution operations, for various consumer products in the CBD arena. The company is accomplishing this by aggressively bringing new talent on or in association with IDGC's joint-ventures along with Monochrome Corp.

IDGC's current operations include the conduct of existing respective operations through its totally-held subsidiary, Watershed Enterprises, Inc, Watershed Staffing, Inc., and Monochrome Corp. ("Monochrome") The updated www.idglobalcorp.com website is almost completed, a more detailed corporate update will be disseminated next week and projected revenues for 2019 are north of $5 million US.

About Watershed Enterprises

Team Watershed has been servicing Chicago area for over 20 years. We specialize in insurance adjusted roofing, ensuring that our clients receive the most value for each individual insurance claim in addition to providing home improvement services.

All national local building codes are met and exceeded on each project. We do not do roof-overs. We believe that a structure is designed for a particular load and exceeding that design load may damage the structure or cause architectural deformation.

We are a fully licensed, bonded and insured as a home improvement contractor and roofer.

Our motto is 'The Job is the Boss,' and we do everything possible to ensure that the job is done in the most excellent way possible. Team Watershed does not compromise when it comes to doing a complete and excellent job. We strive to provide our customers with the best customer service, highest quality, and providing the best value.

Watershed Staffing

The Staffing solutions and services segment will come in a variety of forms to meet specific client needs, from short assignments to full-time hires. Here are the definitions of the basic types of staffing services, as well as the occupational categories typically served by staffing firms:

*Placement brings together job seekers and potential employers for the purpose of establishing permanent employment relationship.

*Temporary staffing hires its own employees and assigns them to support or supplement a client's workforce in situations involving employee absences, temporary skill shortages, seasonal workloads, and special projects. Temporary jobs can also lead to permanent placements.

*Temporary-to-Hire employee works for a client during a trial period during which both the employee and the client consider establishing a permanent employment relationship.

*Long-Term Staffing supplies employees to work on long-term assignments. Employees are recruited, screened, and assigned by the agency.

The Company by combining the strengths and talents of Watershed Enterprises and Staffing along with our many joint venture partners in the real estate industry nationwide foresees unlimited opportunities in the development, cost reduction, increased sales potential and marketing resulting in long-term operational and financial stability. The combined companies are currently negotiating and look to participate in various FEMA projects in the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, Texas, and Puerto Rico. These projects historically last 5-7 years, thus exploiting our expertise in development, construction, and staffing.

About Monochrome.

Monochrome is unique and current in today's marketplace. Monochrome's business model incorporates two high-growth markets to create an exciting multi-channel business opportunity within IDGC's distribution network. This includes traditional brick-and-mortar channels as well as by Monochrome's utilization of e-commerce technologies and emerging pipelines to capitalize on the new developments in today's CBD market. Monochrome will leverage its relationship with Watershed Enterprises and Staffing's existing relationships with residential, commercial and industrial property owners as well as the local, state, and federal government agencies nationwide.

Monochrome's Board of Directors know that the CBD market is driven by health concerns and expanding product awareness. By combining the two under a single business model, Monochrome can expect to meet market demand by distributing a multitude of products. IDGC has targeted its own industry operational expert and their finalizing contract. The company has also attracted partners for a multitude of products in the hemp and CBD channels that will expand as Monochrome's product distribution increases. Monochrome's Board of Directors estimate that by the company's utilization of traditional and contemporary delivery methods (through its partners, such as beverage and food distributors), will best serve its development. Monochrome's use of non-traditional distribution and delivery channels (such as brokers who will drive business in health care, universities, and health awareness markets) would be equally impressive.

About TGS and Squad Leaders.

Ben Thompson, TGS' CEO, is a Marine and specializes as an integrator in technology solutions systems. Throughout his various tours as in the Marine Corp, he has implemented humanitarian group-up construction projects. Now a civilian, he continues his work by hiring members of our nation's military community. TGS is an SBA-Certified Veteran Owned Small Business that actually operates as a full-service enterprise IT Solution and construction management consulting provider. TGS focuses on Health IT, testing services, and global construction management services company. TGS has capabilities ranging from integration services to advisory systems to IT strategy services. TGS, through Mr. Thompson, established Squad Leaders (www.squadleaders.org), and IRS-qualified 501(c)(3) non-profit, which is dedicated to successfully transitioning American veterans from military life back into their communities by providing high-quality career and personal mentoring, engaging community programs, and energizing social activities.

Contact Information:

Sebastien C. DuFort, CEO

IDGlobal Corporation

Website: www.teamwatershed.com

Email: idglobalinfo@gmail.com

Phone: 630-532-3625

SOURCE: IDGlobal Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/530496/IDGlobal-Corp-Issues-Corporate-Update
HARLOW, England, December 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Haag-Streit UK (HS-UK), the leading manufacturer and distributor of gold-standard optometry and ophthalmic equipment, is pleased to announce the appointment of Michelle Riley in the role of Area Sales Manager. Based remotely, Michelle will be responsible for the South-West region of the UK.

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/798314/Haag_Streit.jpg )



Michelle joins HS-UK with more than 10 years optical experience. Having previously held roles at both Kodak and Vision Express, Michelle most recently worked as a Business Development Manager for leading lens manufacturer, Essilor.



Speaking about her appointment, Michelle said, "I am really excited to start my new role. Haag-Streit UK have an excellent reputation in the ophthalmic industry and I am looking forward to being a part of their dedicated team."

Grahame Wood, National Sales Manager, Haag-Streit UK said, "We are delighted to welcome Michelle to the Haag-Streit UK Sales Team. With her vast experience in the optical industry and her excellent track record of managing the sales process, she was the perfect candidate for the Area Sales Manager role."



Michelle will be replacing Martin Harborne, who will be retiring from the company after 19 years of service.
Regulatory News:

NOXXON Pharma N.V. (Paris:ALNOX) (Euronext Growth Paris: ALNOX), a biotechnology company focused on improving cancer treatments by targeting the tumor microenvironment (TME), announced its decision to suspend trading on Friday, December 14, 2018. The decision was made due to the release of clinical data during trading hours at 12.30 p.m. CET during the ESMO Immuno-Oncology Congress taking place in Geneva, Switzerland. Trading will resume on Monday, December 17, 2018. The presented poster will be made available on the NOXXON website after 12.30 p.m. CET.

About NOXXON

NOXXON's oncology-focused pipeline acts on the tumor microenvironment (TME) and the cancer immunity cycle by breaking the tumor protection barrier, blocking tumor repair and exposing hidden tumor cells. Through neutralizing chemokines in the tumor microenvironment, NOXXON's approach works in combination with other forms of treatment to weaken tumor defenses against the immune system and enable greater therapeutic impact. Building on extensive clinical experience and safety data, the lead program NOX-A12 will deliver top-line data from a Keytruda combination trial in metastatic colorectal and pancreatic cancer patients in 2018. The Company plans to initiate further studies with NOX-A12 in brain cancer in combination with radiotherapy, for which an orphan drug status has been granted in the US and EU. The Company's second asset, NOX-E36 is a Phase 2 TME asset targeting the innate immune system. NOXXON plans to test NOX-E36 in pancreatic cancer patients both as a monotherapy and in combination. Further information can be found at: www.noxxon.com

Keytruda is a registered trademark of Merck Sharp Dohme Corp.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/noxxon-pharma-ag

https://twitter.com/noxxon_pharma

Disclaimer

Certain statements in this communication contain formulations or terms referring to the future or future developments, as well as negations of such formulations or terms, or similar terminology. These are described as forward-looking statements. In addition, all information in this communication regarding planned or future results of business segments, financial indicators, developments of the financial situation or other financial or statistical data contains such forward-looking statements. The Company cautions prospective investors not to rely on such forward-looking statements as certain prognoses of actual future events and developments. The Company is neither responsible nor liable for updating such information, which only represents the state of affairs on the day of publication.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181213005713/en/

Contacts:

For more information, please contact:



NOXXON Pharma N.V.

Aram Mangasarian, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer

Tel. +49 (0) 30 726247 0

amangasarian@noxxon.com



MC Services AG

Raimund Gabriel, Managing Partner

Tel. +49 (0) 89 210228 0

noxxon@mc-services.eu



Trophic Communications

Gretchen Schweitzer or Joanne Tudorica

Tel. +49 (0) 89 2388 7730 or +49 176 2103 7191

schweitzer@trophic.eu



NewCap

Alexia Faure

Tel. +33 (0) 1 44 71 98 51

afaure@newcap.fr
The "Pet care retailers in Europe" newsletter has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This database contains ranking, profiles and all key information about Pet Care retail chains in Europe. The data includes data on turnover, number of outlets, number of employees, address information and information about the management.

All data on retailers are presented in the same style. In the ranking overview of the country you can click on the name of the retailers which opens the full retail profile with address, phone, fax, key management, company website, turnover development, banners, number of stores, shop-types and much other relevant information.

For multinational retailers the international head-office of the mother company is given with address etc. The focus is baby ware retailers in Europe but many other countries are also well covered.

Companies Featured

Agrifarma

Aveve

Fressnapf

Futterhaus

Jollyes

Kiwoko

Kolle Zoo

Maxi Zoo

Pets at Home

Qualipet

For more information about this newsletter visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/6sx4jt/pet_care?w=4

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181213005854/en/

Contacts:

ResearchAndMarkets.com

Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com

For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

Related Topics: Pet Care and Services
O'Neil Brings Five Attorneys and Significant Experience on High-value Litigation for Fortune 500 Clients in Pharmaceutical, Medical Device, Health and Life Science, Product Liability and Commercial Matters

BOSTON, MA and PHILADELPHIA, PA / ACCESSWIRE / December 13, 2018 / High-stakes litigation firm Campbell Campbell Edwards & Conroy, P.C. announced today the addition of veteran first-chair trial attorney Joe O'Neil and five other lawyers who will be based in the firm's Philadelphia office. The firm will be known as Campbell Conroy & O'Neil and will have 45 attorneys in the Northeast and Florida, where it recently opened its newest office.

"Joe and I have known and respected each other for decades," said firm president, Jim Campbell. "The firm now offers an even deeper bench of experienced trial attorneys. Joe's addition to the firm will enhance our 35-year history of providing the highest quality service to our clients."

"Joe is a premier trial lawyer and is a great addition to our firm," said Bill Conroy, who has been with the firm since 2001 and is a longtime friend of O'Neil.

O'Neil represents clients in pharmaceutical, medical device, health and life science, product liability, and commercial matters. He acts as lead trial counsel in state and federal courts nationwide, including in mass tort litigation. He is admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and various U.S. district and appeals courts. Along with Campbell and Conroy, O'Neil is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Like Campbell, O'Neil is a past president of the International Association of Defense Counsel ("IADC"), and a former board member of the Defense Research Institute ("DRI").

"I have admired and worked closely with Jim, Bill and other members of the firm for the past 30 years," O'Neil said. "The opportunity to come together as Campbell Conroy & O'Neil was one that I simply could not pass up."

The firm also announced that Jack O'Donnell and Andreas Ringstad are joining the firm as members and that Camille Easterbrook, Julia Rafferty and Alexander MacMullan are joining as associate lawyers. All five lawyers have worked with O'Neil for many years, and the firm is looking forward to integrating them into its practice.

ABOUT CAMPBELL CONROY & O'NEIL

Campbell Conroy & O'Neil handles high-value, complex litigation and trial work on behalf of corporations and insurers on a national, regional and local basis. The firm's lawyers have tried cases in state and federal courts across the United States. The firm is headquartered in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania with offices in Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey and now Florida.

For more information, visit campbell-trial-lawyers.com.

MEDIA CONTACT

Don Silver, BoardroomPR

donsil@boardroompr.com

954-370-8999 (office)

954-629-7523 (cell)

SOURCE: Campbell Campbell Edwards & Conroy, P.C.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/530515/Joe-ONeil-to-Join-Campbell-Campbell-Edwards-Conroy-on-January-1-2019-Firm-will-be-Known-as-Campbell-Conroy-ONeil
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 13, 2018) - Relay Medical Corp. (CSE: RELA) (OTCQB: RYMDF) (FSE: EIY2) ("Relay" or the "Company"), an engine of MedTech innovation, is pleased to announce the appointment of John Soloninka as Senior Vice-President of Acquisitions and Exits and Yoav Raiter as Director of Product Development. The appointments have been made in support of the Company's multi-project integrated accelerator model.

John Soloninka is a seasoned MedTech executive with over 25 years of experience in innovation, commercialization, health systems strategy consulting, business development and sales. As former CEO of an early stage venture debt fund and serial entrepreneur, John led diligence of over 300 companies, financed 40+ early-stage medical technology companies and raised venture and angel funds in Canada, the US and Europe. Along with business partners, John created, financed, operated, grew and divested companies in oncology, radiology, speciality pharma, SaaS EMR/clinical trials, pathology, diagnostics, and interventional radiology medical video education. John is experienced in driving clinical and technology research/product development and launch and managing complex long-close sales and strategic initiatives.

"John is an exceptional executive in the Medtech space with his breadth and depth of knowledge and his industry connections. His ability to build relationships, to dive deep in the heart of the matter, and to drive process is remarkable as is his ability to conduct creative innovation-conversations." said Lahav Gil, CEO, Relay Medical Corp.

Yoav Raiter is a product development and innovation management veteran with over 20 years of experience leading the development of large-scale software teams, and 5 years in medical device development management. Yoav formerly worked with Canada's largest contract medical devices development company StarFish Medical and prior to that led projects at Kangaroo Group for 3 years.

"Yoav's attention to technical details as well as to business outcomes makes him a remarkable professional to work with. He has a unique style of leadership, which emphasises accountability and empowers the team, and is highly regarded by the clini-commercial team and the medtech community." continued Lahav Gil, CEO, Relay Medical Corp.

Yoav and John's appointments are effective immediately and both executives report directly to the CEO.

About John Soloninka

John graduated from Queen's University in engineering physics in 1981 and worked several years in aerospace engineering before earning an MBA with distinction, from the University of London in England in 1986.

John has a deep understanding of health systems, reimbursement, health economics and regulatory processes. As a strategy consultant for IBM, Price Waterhouse and Accelerant Health Innovations, he led high impact health system transformation projects, consulted extensively to government and private sector clients and created and led large medical research coalitions in oncology, neuroscience and clinical trials. He understands the divergent needs of academic research, government and public institutions, start-ups, mid-sized private and public companies, including $100B globally-integrated companies with large R&D and patent portfolios.

As designated "Canadian Investment Champion", John led inter-government and inter-company missions to the EU, USA, Israel, Japan, Singapore, Qatar, Dubai and China, resulting in joint ventures for R&D, commercialization, and "soft landing" market access partnerships in the US, UK, China and Switzerland. John was privileged to be an Expert Witness on Health Innovation for the Canadian Government's House Standing Committee on Healthcare.

John has recently served on advisory boards and boards of directors for the Centre for Imaging Technology Commercialization (CIMTEC), the Ontario Brain Institute (OBI), HTX, MaRS EXCITE (Excellence in Clinical Innovation and Technology Evaluation), and Baycrest Centre/Rotman Research Institute. He was formerly Chair of the Rotman Research Institute's Research Advisory Committee (RAC).

About Yoav Raiter

Yoav's wide-spanning career has focused on developing innovative software and medical device products mainly for start-ups and fast-growing companies. Yoav developed processes to ensure delivery of clients needs at high quality, improved operations, and business strategy.

Prior to joining Relay Medical, Yoav was project manager for strategic accounts at StarFish Medical and Director of project management and business development at Kangaroo Group. Yoav has additionally held several prominent positions managing large scale ERP product development and implementation projects for broadcasters in Canada and the US for Pilat Media and SintecMedia.

Yoav was the co-founder and Co-CEO of Panta-Rhei, a software development and consulting firm. In this position Yoav lead the development of new products and has consulted and worked with a wide variety of companies as instructor for creative thinking methodologies where he helped organizations improve their processes and strategies.

Yoav received an MBA, Specialized in High Tech Innovation Strategy, from Haifa University in Israel and

B.Sc., Industrial Engineering, major: Project Management, Business Development and Information Systems from the Technion at Haifa, Israel.

The Company also announces that it has granted an aggregate of 2,733,000 options to purchase common shares of the Company exercisable at a price of $0.27 per share and expiring on December 13, 2023 to certain directors, officers and consultants of the Company.

About Relay Medical Corp.

Relay Medical is an evolving "Integrated MedTech Accelerator" headquartered in Toronto, Canada, acquiring early-stage technologies and inventions, advancing and preparing them for pre-commercial acquisitions in the HealthTech marketplace. By integrating the funding, development and exit process into one organization led and managed by one expert team, Relay Medical is building the capacity to accelerate and transact technologies with high efficiency and grow into a leading engine for MedTech innovation in the global HealthTech marketplace.

Website: www.relaymedical.com

Contact:

W. Clark Kent

President

Relay Medical Corp.

Office. 647-872-9982 ext. 2

TF. 1-844-247-6633 ext. 2

investor.relations@relaymedical.com

Bernhard Langer

EU Investor Relations

Office. +49 (0) 177 774 2314

Email: blanger@relaymedical.com

Forward-looking Information Cautionary Statement

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Under attack politically for creating circumstances that led to the resignation of Urjit Patel as the central bank's Governor, Arun Jaitley listed out a string of actions initiated by past governments including Congress PMs Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi asking RBI Governors to resign.

Mumbai: Finance minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday admitted there were two-three areas of differences with the Reserve Bank (RBI), but questioned how a mere discussion on its functioning could be considered "destruction" of an institution.

Under attack politically for creating circumstances that led to the resignation of Urjit Patel as the central bank's Governor, Jaitley listed out a string of actions initiated by past governments including Congress PMs Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi asking RBI Governors to resign.

Speaking at the Times Networks India Economic Conclave, Jaitley said the differences with RBI included credit flow in the economy and liquidity support, and added that the government had initiated a "discussion" to convey its concerns.

"A discussion with an important institution, which is independent and autonomous, to tell it that its a part of your (RBIs) functions and therefore this is an important area of an economy which you must look at, how is it the destruction of the institution?" he questioned.

According to reports, the government had initiated discussions under the never-used Section 7 of the RBI Act which provides for the central government forcing down decisions in public interest. It is this aspect, which led to the voicing of concerns across and also a strong speech by RBI Deputy Governor Viral Acharya to warn against compromising RBI autonomy. Jaitley did not elaborate on how the discussion were initiated.

"We are the sovereign government, we are the most important stakeholders as far as the management of an economy is concerned," Jaitley said, in reference to the discussions with RBI.

He reiterated that the RBI has the responsibility as far as credit and liquidity is concerned. "We are not taking over the function," he said, adding that the government was only initiating discussions using instruments which force a discussion.

"In some situations, the autonomous institutions also have to be informed that there is some difficulty arising in the system that requires to be corrected," he added.

Further, if the government is not able to convey the difficulties in the system, it would be failing its duty, he said.

The FM pointed out that the country's first prime minister Nehru had written to the RBI stating that the economic policies are determined by the elected government, while RBI has autonomy over the monetary policy.

The RBI's policies also need to be in sync with the economic policies, Jaitley stressed.

Patel resigned amid the protracted friction with the government on Monday, citing personal reasons. the government has immediately appointed retired bureaucrat Shaktikanta Das, who was at the helm of finance ministry during the controversial demonetisation exercise, as his successor.
In June this year, BYJU'S had said it has crossed Rs 100 crore in monthly revenue and had revised its revenue targets for this year to Rs 1,400 crore.

New Delhi: Online education start-up BYJU'S will close a $400 million (about Rs 2,879 crore) funding round led by South African media giant Naspers in the next few weeks, according to sources.

About $300 million of the amount has already come in, with the remaining expected to be closed in the next few weeks, sources close to the development said.

The new round of funding is expected to value the company -- which is backed by high-profile investors like Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), IFC (a World Bank Group member) and Tencent Holdings -- at about $3.6 billion (around Rs 25,800 crore), they added.

Private equity major General Atlantic is also participating in this round, one of the sources said.

When contacted, a BYJU'S spokesperson declined to comment.

In June this year, BYJU'S had said it has crossed Rs 100 crore in monthly revenue and had revised its revenue targets for this year to Rs 1,400 crore.

"Growing consistently at 100 per cent annually for the last three years, BYJU'S is one of the few Indian unicorns that has become profitable within a very short period of time, since the launch of its learning app in 2015," it had said.

The application has over 20 million registered students and 1.26 million annual paid subscribers.
Shaktikanta Das, a career bureaucrat, is a post-graduate in history from St Stephens College and the first non-economist to take charge of the central bank. However, he has pursued a financial management course from IIM Bangalore

Shaktikanta Das, the new governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), was lambasted by Jay Narayan Vyas, a member of the BJP, for his lack of an educational degree in economics.

Das, a career bureaucrat, is a post-graduate in history from St Stephens College and the first non-economist to take charge of the central bank. However, he has pursued a financial management course from IIM Bangalore.

BJP member Vyas, who was a minister in Narendra Modi's cabinet in Gujarat has questioned Shaktikanta Das's credentials to be governor of the RBI. He tweeted this tongue-in-cheek remark:

The New RBI Governor Das's educational qualification is MA (History ) . Hope and Pray he doesn't make RBI also a History .May God Bless the New Arrival !!  Jay Narayan Vyas (@JayNarayan_Vyas) December 12, 2018

He explained his tweet later. Talking exclusively with ANI, Vyas said, "To manage RBI you have to have a fair knowledge of the domestic and international economy. I respect IAS officers, but the issue is that he is exposed to a little of many things but the acceptance among the international community, which earlier Governors commanded (is not there)."

He said he 'sympathised' with Das, who has a Master's degree in history. "He will have to pull out a lot more at his age that is near retirement. He has to control and steer the RBI and answer issues like the use of RBI reserves," Vyas said to ANI.

Typically, the RBI governor tends to have a Ph.D. degree in economics. The previous five RBI governors, of which three were bureaucrats had a Ph.D. in some branch of economics. Das's predecessor Urjit Patel is a Ph.D. in economics from Yale University and a graduate of the University of London and Oxford. He has also worked with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Patel's predecessor Raghuram Rajan, a career economist, graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, and did his postgraduate diploma in Business Administration at Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. He holds a Ph.D. in management from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and was a chief economist and director of research at the IMF.

D Subbarao, a career bureaucrat like Das holds an M.SC degree from IIT, Masters degree in economics from the Ohio State University, United States and a Ph.D. in economics from Andhra University.

RBI governor has right credentials, says Arun Jaitley

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley termed Das as a person with "right credentials" for the RBI top job.

"Das has been a very senior and an experienced civil servant. He has almost his entire career in the management of finances and economic management of the country both, when he was in the state government of Tamil Nadu and also when he was in the Government of India in the Ministry of Finance," Jaitley said.

Jaitley said his appointment was necessitated by the resignation of Urjit Patel as Governor of the RBI on Monday.

"I think, he (Das) has the right credentials. He has been extremely professional, has worked under various governments and has excelled himself. I am sure, in meeting the challenges before India's economy as Governor of Reserve Bank, he will certainly act," the finance minister said, a PTI report said.

Das's appointment 'wrong'

Earlier, senior BJP member Subramanian Swamy told ANI that the appointment of Das was 'wrong'. His reasoning was that Das had worked closely in 'corrupt activities with P Chidambaram and even tried to save him in court cases'. Swamy said he had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about it.

P Chidambaram, senior Congress leader, too expressed his displeasure on Twitter on Das's appointment as the central bank governor.

Government has appointed two persons who vocally supported demonetisation to two key posts. What does it say about the Modi government? Is government telling the people of the country 'we don't care what you think, we will do exactly as we please'?  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) December 12, 2018

He also said he was not 'surprised' by Urjit Patel's decision to resign as governor of the RBI. Chidambaram tweeted that no self-respecting scholar or academic could work with the government.
FTII is an autonomous body under the ministry of I&B and is regarded as a centre of excellence across the world.

New Delhi: Union information and broadcasting ministry has cleared the name of producer-director B.P. Singh as the chairperson of the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. The clearance for Mr Singh comes after Mr Anupam Kher decided to step down from the post of the institute in October this year.

A notification regarding the Singhs appointment is expected soon, sources stated. Mr B.P. Singh is a former alumnus of the premier institute and the director and producer of one of the longest running and popular television series CID.

Mr Singh is a leading television producer and the creator and director-producer of the TV series CID which is reportedly the longest running TV series in India and horror series Aahat, which was aired between 1995 and 2015. Mr Singh originally belongs to Dehradun and studied at FTII Pune. He started his career working with public broadcaster Doordarshan in 1973 as a news cameraman and went on to handle the camera for another 10 years, before relocating to Mumbai.

The premier film institute of the country has been plagued by controversies after questions were raised about appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the chairman. After Mr Chauhans tenure ended, the I&B ministry appointed renowned actor Anupan Kher to the post. However, Mr Kher decided to vacate the position mid-tenure from the position of the chairman FTII due to international professional commitments.

Mr Chauhan had a controversial tenure as head of the Pune-based institute after his apointment as the chairman of FTII in June 2015. Students of the institute opposed this move claiming that he was not fit for the job and landed up getting the position for being a BJP leader. Students went on an indefinite strike to oppose his appointment and the agitation ended after 139 days.

During the long and politically charged agitation by students, several political leaders, including the then Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, had also visited FTII campus in Pune. Due to the long-drawn-out student turmoil and constant opposition, Mr Chauhan only visited the institute once and that too for assuming the charge. Due to the constant trouble faced by Mr Chauhan, it is understood that all governing council meetings during his tenure were conducted in Mumbai. In October 2017  months after ending of Mr Chauhans tenure  the I&B ministry chose Mr Khers name to head the FTII.

FTII is an autonomous body under the ministry of I&B and is regarded as a centre of excellence across the world.
Chinese handset maker Vivo on Thursday said it will set up a new manufacturing facility in Uttar Pradesh, investing Rs 4,000 crore over a period of four years

New Delhi: Chinese handset maker Vivo on Thursday said it will set up a new manufacturing facility in Uttar Pradesh, investing Rs 4,000 crore over a period of four years.

The company, which competes with the likes of Samsung and Xiaomi in the Indian market, has acquired 169 acre land in the Yamuna Expressway region, a statement said.

The new land has been acquired near the existing 50-acre manufacturing facility and will help expand Vivo's manufacturing capabilities and support Vivo's growth in India, it added.

Vivo entered India in 2014 with a commitment to bring product innovation, focus and value to our consumers. India is a key market for us, and today we have reiterated our commitment by entering the next phase of growth in India," Vivo India Director-Brand Strategy Nipun Marya said.

He added that the new plant will offer a major benefit to the surrounding area through high-quality job creation and training opportunities.

All Vivo smartphones sold in the country are manufactured at the Greater Noida facility, which is one of Vivo's four manufacturing facilities globally.

The existing manufacturing set-up, which saw an investment of Rs 300 crore, already functions at a capacity of 2 million units per month with more than 5,000 workforce.

Vivo expects to generate 5,000 additional jobs in the first phase of expansion, the statement said.

During this phase, Vivo also plans to double the current production capacity to 50 million units per annum, it added.
By Chen Aizhu SINGAPORE (Reuters) - China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) has suspended investment in Iran's South Pars natural gas project in response to U.S. pressure and to minimize tensions amid trade talks between Beijing and Washington, three Chinese state oil executives said. South Pars is the world's largest gas field and CNPC's investment freeze is a blow to Tehran's efforts to maintain financing for energy projects amid the re-imposition U.S.

By Chen Aizhu

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) has suspended investment in Iran's South Pars natural gas project in response to U.S. pressure and to minimize tensions amid trade talks between Beijing and Washington, three Chinese state oil executives said.

South Pars is the world's largest gas field and CNPC's investment freeze is a blow to Tehran's efforts to maintain financing for energy projects amid the re-imposition U.S. sanctions on its energy sector earlier this year.

Iran said on Nov. 25 that CNPC replaced Total as the operator of Phase 11 project at South Pars after the French company ended its participation rather than violate the sanctions.

The investment halt followed four rounds of talks in Beijing, including one as recently as October, with senior U.S. officials who urged CNPC to refrain from injecting fresh financing in Iran, said one of the sources, an executive with direct knowledge of the matter.

It was not clear if the Chinese government gave direct orders for the halt, but the sources said it is politically sensible amid the trade negotiations between China and the United States.

"China sees the relationship with the U.S. as paramount over anything else. As a state-owned entity CNPC will stay clear of bringing any unwanted trouble into this relationship as the U.S. China trade talks are under way," said a second source, an official familiar with CNPC's global strategy.

The sources requested anonymity as they are not authorized to speak to the media.

Total was the first global energy firm to return to Iran after earlier sanctions were lifted after the U.S., Russia, China, France, Germany, Britain, the European Union and Iran agreed to a pact limiting the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme in late 2015.

The U.S. quit the pact in May and re-imposed sanctions because it did not curb Iran's ballistic missile programme and to pressure the country to stop supporting proxies in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.

The first source said that Iran has 120 days to review CNPC's role in South Pars and decide whether to keep the Chinese firm as a dormant investor or cancel the deal.

CNPC did not respond to three requests for comment.

In Tehran, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh did not confirm that CNPC had withdrawn from the project, but said that a withdrawal would be a breach of contract.

"When Total left, the Chinese company (CNPC) was to take over according to the contract, and if it does not this would be a breach of contract and we'll deal with it according to our contractual rights," Zanganeh told state television.

Two Iranian oil ministry officials contacted by Reuters declined to comment.

While agreeing to halt its South Pars participation, CNPC did convince the U.S. that it needed to continue investing in the North Azadegan and Masjid-i-Suleiman (MIS) oilfields to recoup the billions of dollars spent under buy-back contracts signed years ago, said the first source and a third separate official with knowledge of CNPC's oil activities.

Without CNPC providing sub-contracting engineering work and supplying production equipments, the Iranian side will have difficulty maintaining the oil output, the sources said.

North Azadegan, in southwestern Khuzestan province, is estimated to be pumping close to 80,000 barrels per day of crude oil after production started in 2016, according to CNPC's website.

(Reporting by Chen Aizhu in Singapore; Additional reporting by Dubai newsroom and Parisa Hafezi in Dubai; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Kirsten Donovan)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Ashok Kumar Tyagi, the company's whole-time director, would be the new group chief financial officer, DLF said in a filing to the BSE

New Delhi: Realty major DLF on Wednesday said that its group CFO Saurabh Chawla has resigned from the company to explore new professional opportunities.

Ashok Kumar Tyagi, the company's whole-time director, would be the new group chief financial officer (CFO), DLF said in a filing to the BSE.

Chawla, who joined DLF in April 2006, became CFO in December last year. Tyagi was the group CFO before Chawla.

Both Tyagi and Chawla were instrumental in the big ticket deal where DLF promoters sold their 40 percent stake in rental arm DLF Cyber City Developers Ltd (DCCDL) for Rs 12,000 crore. Singapore's sovereign fund GIC had invested Rs 9000 crore in this deal for 33.34 per cent stake.

"Saurabh Chawla, group CFO, DLF Ltd, has expressed his wish to move on, in his desire for exploring new professional opportunities and tendered his resignation," it said, adding that the board has accepted the resignation.

"The board and audit committee also decided that Ashok Kumar Tyagi, whole-time director, who was the group CFO till December 2017, will assume responsibility and functions of the group CFO and will work with Saurabh Chawla to ensure a seamless transition," DLF said, adding that the transition should be complete by January 2019.

Chawla is a B Com (Hons) graduate from the University of Delhi and an MBA (Finance) from Pace University, New York. He has over 20 years of work experience in the field of corporate finance.

Prior to joining DLF, Chawla worked with Global Capital Management Group, First Capital, GE Capital, Intellistudent Services Pvt Ltd and Moser Baer India Ltd.

In the filing, DLF also sought fresh approval from its shareholders through postal ballot to launch its qualified institutional placement (QIP).

The board approved offering up to 17.30 crore equity shares of Rs 2 each in one or more tranches by way of private placement, including QIP, subject to the approval of the shareholders.

"It is clarified that the company is seeking the approval of the shareholders afresh, since the earlier approval granted by the shareholders for the aforementioned offer (vide special resolution passed at the extra-ordinary general meeting held on 27 December, 2017) is valid until 26 December, 2018...", the filing said.

DLF had earlier said it planned to raise more than Rs 4,000 crore through QIP. At current market price, the company would be able to raise Rs 3,000 crore.
Kerala chief Minister Pinararyi Vijayan stated this after inaugurating the renovated domestic Terminal (T-1) and also the enhanced solar power production capacity of Kochi airport.

Kochi: The Kerala government, which has opposed the Centre's plan to bring Thiruvananthapuram airport under the PPP mode, on Wednesday said it was prepared to take it over and run its operations on the model of the Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL).

Chief Minister Pinararyi Vijayan stated this after inaugurating the renovated domestic Terminal (T-1) and also the enhanced solar power production capacity of Kochi airport.

The terminal, which earlier handled international operations, was reconstructed as per global standards at a cost of Rs 240 crore to cater to the rise in footfalls of domestic travellers.

Renovation works were carried out on the lines of the state's traditional architectural style 'Ettukettu'.

Vijayan said the government has already conveyed its opposition against the centre's move to manage this airport, among six in the country, under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode.

The government had also made it clear that it was ready to take over Thiruvananthapuram airport if the Centre went ahead with its plan, he said.

Recently the union cabinet approved a proposal to manage Thiruvananthapuram, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Guwahati and Mangaluru airports under the PPP mode.

"Even while acquiring the land for the Thiruvananthapuram airport, there was a certain understanding between the Centre and the state over its operation.

The state government is now managing the Kannur airport and the Kochi airport is functioning well.

We're ready to form a Special Purpose Vehicle and take over the Thiruvananthapuram airport too," he said.

The chief minister said the operational efficiency of CIAL prompted the government to entrust it to Kovalom-Baikel (Thiruvananathapuram-Kasargod) Inland Waterways project.

"CIAL has turned into one of the most efficiently run institutions in the state", he said.

CIAL provided 25 percent dividend to nearly 19,000 investors for the last fiscal. The state government, a major investor with around Rs 100 crore, so far received Rs 230 crore as dividend, he said.

This year alone, the state got Rs 31 crore profit share from CIAL, he said.

While the domestic aviation market grew by 18 percent, CIAL has been experiencing 24 percent growth in this sector when it handled nearly five million passengers in 2017-18.

The renovated terminal can handle 4,000 passengers per hour (five times the earlier capacity) as the total terminal area has been increased to six lakh square feet from the earlier one lakh square feet.

There are 56 check-in counters, including four with self bag drop facility. A total of 2,600 cars can be parked in the parking yard of Terminal-1.

The renovation work was completed in 18 months when the domestic operations were carried out from Terminal-2.

The 'International' terminal-3, constructed at a cost of Rs 1,100 crore, was opened to passengers last year.

The solar production capacity has been enhanced to 40 MWp. Solar panels have been installed on the roof of the car park at Terminal-1.

The commissioning of the new carport for T-1 will make the airport the largest solar carport (5.1 MWp) in the world.

CIAL is the winner of the UN's Champion of Earth Award-2018, a release said.
In February this year, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley lowered corporate tax rate to 25 percent for businesses with turnover up to Rs 250 crore.

New Delhi: Ahead of the Union Budget, FMCG major Hindustan Unilever CMD Sanjiv Mehta on Thursday pitched for reducing corporate tax rate and redressal of technical glitches and procedural matters of the goods and services tax (GST).

He said that the taxation burden for multi-national corporations (MNCs) can be reduced by "bringing down their corporate tax rate at par with the rate applicable in neighbouring countries".

While GST has proven to be a game changer and is positively impacting taxation practices, "transitional issues need to be rectified fast, covering both technical glitches and procedural matters," he added.

He was speaking at CII's national conference on 'MNCs and India: Creating Mutual Value'.

In February this year, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley lowered corporate tax rate to 25 percent for businesses with turnover up to Rs 250 crore. However, for businesses with over Rs 250 crore turnover, 30 percent tax remains.

The minister will present the interim Budget for 2019-20 fiscal on 1 February, 2019.

Mehta, who is also chairman of CII National Committee on MNCs, said that restrictions on the royalties paid by Indian subsidiaries to their parent companies has been a major concern for MNCs in the recent times.

Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has reduced the royalty payment to 2 percent on listed companies, which is adversely affecting sentiments of Indian subsidiaries to list in the country's stock exchanges, he said.

"The distinction created between listed and unlisted companies can discourage participation by foreign companies in the country, thereby adversely affecting transfer of advanced technology, research and development in India by the foreign companies," he added.

Further, he also suggested the government to relax local sourcing norms under single-brand retailing.

"Certain restrictive clauses like sourcing norms have undermined the realisation of full benefits of the measure," Mehta said, adding that there was a need for harmonisation of Indian standards in line with the global standards when it comes to the regulatory and policy environment in the context of MNCs.

Talking about intellectual property rights (IPR), he said, issues are being faced in the form of inadequate effective enforcement mechanism of rules and limited resources are leading to rising application backlog.

He said that India remains high on the global business radar and it is the right time for India to leverage upon it through a stable and progressive business environment.

"India has the potential to be the engine of growth for the global economy for years to come. If we maintain the momentum, we could be a $6-7 trillion economy by 2030, and if we bend the curve we could be a $10 trillion economy by 2030," he added.
'There is a need for the new RBI Governor to rethink the regulatory framework for private bank ownership. None of us wants India homegrown banks to be allowed in the hands of foreign players.' RSS affiliate, Swadeshi Jagran Manch said

New Delhi: Days after new RBI governor Shaktikanta Das assumed charge, an RSS-affiliated outfit on Thursday said he should "rethink" about the regulatory framework for private bank ownership in the country, so that it remains in Indian hands.

The Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) on Thursday organised a discussion on 'Future of Banks in India', which was moderated by its co-convener Ashwani Mahajan.

After the discussion a paper was released, in which the SJM said, "There is a need for the new RBI Governor to rethink the regulatory framework for private bank ownership. None of us wants India homegrown banks to be allowed in the hands of foreign players."

These remarks come just two days after Das was appointed as the Central bank governor and a day ahead of RBI's central board meet in Mumbai.

The Sangh affiliate further suggested that the promoters cap should also be reexamined, adding "present guidelines for compulsory dilution of the equity appear unnatural" as it is helping more foreign funds to make way into the Indian markets.

"SJM is worried that the foreign funds are increasing their penetration among the public sector banks as well as taking control of various private banks. In absence of any agreements on this at multilaterals, including the World Trade Organisation (WTO). SJM believes that the ownership of banks in India should stay among Indians," the paper said.

It is worrisome, as India doesn't have mature funds with deeper pockets to take up equities in the banks, the forced equity dilution pushes the banks to go abroad, SJM said while underlining that the motive of bringing in private sector banks in 2001 was to bring in more competition in this space and improving the access to credit to more Indians.

Asserting that the country needs strong and healthy banks for inclusiveness in the society, the SJM said there are two main disruptors for banks, the implementation of International Financial Reporting System (IFRS) based accounting standards and BASEL-III norms.

Basel III capital regulations are a global capital to risk norms. As per the norms, banks have to maintain a minimum common equity ratio of 8 percent and total capital ratio of 11.5 percent.
The RBI board meeting will review the progress with respect of some of the decisions taken in the last meet on 19 November

New Delhi: The central board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) under new Governor Shaktikanta Das will meet today where the directors are likely to push for greater say in the decision making of the central bank.

The meeting will review the progress with respect of some of the decisions taken in the last meet on 19 November. Among other things, the crucial board meeting is expected to take a stock of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), which is under stress due to demonetisation and implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

This scheduled meeting comes in the backdrop of surprise resignation by Urjit Patel earlier this week citing personal reasons. However, the tussle between the Finance Ministry and RBI was attributed as the reason for the sudden exit of Patel, who would have completed his 3-year term in September 2019.

According to sources, one of the key agenda for the upcoming board meeting will be governance issue -- the role of central board in the decision making of the RBI.

Given the current structure, the central board plays advisory role but there is growing clamour to make it operational and have greater participation in key decisions of the central bank.

The government as one of important stakeholders also wants greater involvement in the RBI's decision making as it feels the current practice leaves it out on many critical issues like single-day default turning a loan into an NPA, sources said.

However, former governors and other experts have pitched for the independence and autonomy of the RBI and want the board to play advisory role with given composition.

The central board of the RBI is headed by the governor and includes two government nominee directors and 11 independent directors. Currently, the central board has 18 members, with the provision of going up to 21.

Soon after taking reins of the RBI, Das said, he will try to uphold the autonomy, credibility and the integrity of the "great institution" and take every stakeholder, including the government, along in a consultative manner.

The former Economic Affairs Secretary, who took over as the 25th Governor Wednesday said, he will take measures which the economy requires in a timely manner.

On the second day, he held consultation with heads of the Mumbai-based public sector bankers to discuss issues faced by them.

It is expected that relaxation of the Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework for weak banks would also come up for the discussion under the new the governor.

Of the 21 state-owned banks, 11 are under the PCA framework. These are Allahabad Bank, United Bank of India, Corporation Bank, IDBI Bank, UCO Bank, Bank of India, Central Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, Dena Bank and Bank of Maharashtra.

The PCA framework kicks in when banks breach any of the three key regulatory trigger points -- namely capital to risk-weighted assets ratio, net non-performing assets (NPA) and return on assets (RoA).

With regard to economic capital framework, the new governor said as decided in the board meeting an expert committee in consultation with the government will be constituted soon to examine the issue.
The content of the manifestos and promises are deliverable, however, not sufficient for economic development of the states.

Election manifestos lose significance once the results are out. Manifestos carry both realistic and unrealistic promises. There are cultural, religious and regional dimensions attached to it, but it is an economic promise offered to the voters. The winning party ignores its promises once it gets the reins of power and moves along with bureaucracy-driven projects-based governance.

The Assembly election in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram have posed challenges to the ruling BJP and its economic policies. The party failed to reach out to voters, especially in the rural areas. The BJP at the central level has no major programmes to reach out to rural areas. MGNREGA and Swachch Bharat Mission are the two options but the former still does not offer substantial economic benefits to rural India.

The boundaries of the Swachch Bharat Mission are limited. NITI Aayog has proposed a larger vision to achieve 10.4 percent annual growth rate and thus double farmers income by 2022.However, it neither puts in place any plan nor budget allocation to achieve this 10.4 percent growth rate.

The scrapping of the Planning Commission left a huge vacuum for the government to engage with the public. The corporatisation of developmental administration has never fetched votes for any political party in India. It gives economic benefits to political parties such as increasing corporate contribution to the party fund but does not connect the government with the public. This is an Indian reality.

The state assembly elections were crucial for the Congress Party to face the 2019 general elections. The most crucial promise made by the Congress party is farm loan waivers. In Madhya Pradesh, the Congress offered to write-off farm loans of up to Rs 2 lakh and also provide a salary grant for five years for those industries offering jobs to the youth. It also promised to offer minimum support price (MSP) based on the recommendations of the MS Swaminathan Committee report and also promised a pension of Rs 1,000 per month to farmers who crossed the age of 60 and hold less than 2.5 acres of land. Besides, it also promised a 50 percent subsidy on loans for agricultural equipment, reduced power bills and subsidies of Rs 5 per litre on milk procurement.

All the above looks attractive; however, these are the bare minimum. What the Congress should do is accept that Indian farmers are in a survival crisis with 67.10 percent farmers holding less than 1 hectare of land under operation and 17.91 percent holding between 1 to 2 hectacres.

Figure 1 (below) also explains declining output value of Indian agriculture. What needs to be done is to recapitalize agriculture lending and not the minimum support to farmers. No manifesto promises any effective macro level policy to address this burning rural issue.

The inclusion of the the M S Swaminathan commission report is the response towards farmers protest; however, the Commission proposes intensive and agribusiness-based farm reforms including participatory land acquired with the help of farmers. The Congress manifesto keeps a strategic silence on heavy capital investment and capital formation in the farm sector and instead depends on minimum populist measures.

In Rajasthan, the Congress party has promised farm loan waivers along with a monthly unemployment allowance of Rs 3,500 for youth and free education for women. In Chhattisgarh, the party has promised loan waivers within 10 days of coming to power. The MSP is also promised as per the recommendation of the Swaminathan Commission.

The most attractive promise which helped the party them to get votes is free and universal health care. However, it is a long process in Chhattisgarh since the state is far behind in public health provisions compared to the national-level. See table 1 (below)

Chhattisgarh governments public distribution system was considered as one of the most efficient in the state; however, this is the state where more than 50 percent of the population live below the poverty line even in districts which are economically better-off. The spatial inequality is high in the state. So what the Congress manifesto promises is not enough for the developmental mobility.

Congress won the mandate to change the state; however, the states success depends on how the party will change itself to accommodate the needs of the people. The verdict is not to repeat what the BJP government did.

For Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in Telangana, the party needs to explain what they have done. Unlike, Congress, TRS had a platform to build a governance mechanism. Their manifesto talks about the livelihood support project it implemented. It is also taking ownership of a routine developmental project initiated by the party while in power.

The TRS came up with 24 promises to deliver if they were voted to power again. The first three are about offering pensions and social (minimum) security, and investment support of Rs 10,000 per acre for agriculture from the existing Rs 8,000. There are no exceptional promises and the remaining are routine promises and activities.

In Mizoram, the Mizo National Fronts major promise is to conduct a proper citizenship assessment and push the non-Mizos out of the state. It is replication of National Citizenship Record of Assam. It is new politics of ethnic nationalism.

The Assembly elections are said to be the semi-finals for the 2019 general election. The manifesto of the winning parties promises huge hope for citizens. The content of the manifestos and promises are deliverable, however, not sufficient for economic development of the states. This politics of bare minimum should be scrapped and there must be responsive promises rather than those that just attract public imagination.

(The writer is Assistant Professor, Jamsetji Tata School of Disaster Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences)
The comments come days after the past RBI governor Urjit Patel suddenly resigned in protest following a host of issues with the government, including those on autonomy and its operational integrity

Mumbai: Saying the government has not "destroyed the Reserve Bank as an institution," Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday asserted the central bank is part and parcel of the government and therefore it has to support the economic vision of the government of the day.

The comments come days after the past governor Urjit Patel suddenly resigned in protest following a host of issues with the government, including those on autonomy and its operational integrity, and the appointment of ex-bureaucrat Shaktikanta Das as the new governor, who has been the pointsman of the Modi government during the controversial note-ban months, within a day of Patel calling it quits.

Gadkari asserted that the central bank continues to be by and large an independent body but it should also support the economic vision of the government of the day.

"Even if we accept RBI's autonomy, it is the responsibility of the central bank to support the vision of the government. We haven't destroyed it (RBI as an institution) in any way," he told an economic summit organised by the Times group.

Asserting that RBI is part and parcel of the government, he asked, "if the finance minister gives an economic vision for the country then isn't it binding on the RBI to support that vision?"

"Everywhere there are ups and downs and we have not destroyed any institutions. We've not politically interfered in it (in the functioning of RBI)," he said and underlined the need to ensure that we have to develop a transparent and corruption-free system that can fast-track decision-making process and a system in which key government decisions should be binding on every institution.

If RBI wants to be fully autonomous, then hold it responsible for the ills of the economy and not the finance ministry, he said.

"On one hand you are holding us responsible (for what goes wrong in the economy) and then if we make decisions then you are saying we are putting the autonomy of RBI in danger," the minister, who for long has been critical of the RBI, said.

Gadkari, who handles many key infra ministries, wondered if the government is held responsible for the economic situation, then how can RBI work autonomously.

"The Supreme Court can be an autonomous body. RBI is also an autonomous body, but does that mean that RBI will be taking 100 percent policy decisions on its own?" he asked.

Calling for a more considerate view towards NPA resolution resolve, he said in a business cycle there are ups and downs but when a company goes through a downward cycle, it has to be supported.

"There are risks in the business, be it banking or insurance, there are ups and downs. But, if the mistakes are bona fide, forgive him and give him another chance," he said.

He said long back Maharashtra government had given a loan to Vijay Mallya through the state PSU Sicom, and he used to repay the interest diligently for 40 years. But after entering aviation, Mallya started facing problems and could not repay loans.

"If a person who was repaying the debt for 40 years, and due to some issues he is not able to meet his debt obligations later, can you declare him a willful defaulter?" Gadkari asked.

"If Nirav Modi or Vijay Mallya have committed fraud then send them to jail, but if we label everyone who is in financial trouble as fraudsters, then the economy will not progress," he warned.

Indirectly blaming the bankers for the NPA mess, Gadkari said our banking system is such that it does not support sick companies.

"When someone is serious then we put him/her in an ICU, but our banking system first puts a sick company in the ICU and then ensures that it dies," he quipped.

Late last month, Gadkari had blamed RBI "complicating" project finance and said over 150 projects involving over Rs 2 trillion investments were struggling to get financial closure.

"Unfortunately, many times ...the circulars issued by the RBI are creating more complications and this is one of the reasons why I am facing problems as far as financial closure is concerned," Gadkari had told an awards function here on 17 November.
Sebi may reopen an insider trading case against Sun Pharma and as well as probe alleged lapses by some of its promoters and other entities in raising funds overseas..

Mumbai: Markets regulator Sebi Wednesday said it is examining the whistleblower complaint against Dilip Shanghvi-led Sun Pharmaceutical Industries.

A whistleblower had last month approached Sebi with a document alleging various irregularities by the company, its promoter Shanghvi and others.

"There is a whistleblower complaint which we are examining. I have nothing more to add," Sebi Chairman Ajay Tyagi told reporters after its board meeting.

"When somebody files consent, they give facts and details. On that basis it is decided. And if the facts are wrong then it can be reopened. The adjudication was a separate case. Sun Pharma settlement was a separate case. It was on their internal code of conduct," he added.

Shangvi, who is also the managing director of the pharma firm, earlier this month denied receiving any query so far from the markets regulator regarding the whistleblower complaint.

"We are following highest levels of corporate governance at Sun Pharma," Shanghvi had said.

Sources had told PTI last month that Sebi may reopen an insider trading case against Sun Pharma and as well as probe alleged lapses by some of its promoters and other entities in raising funds overseas.

In August 2017, Sun Pharmaceutical, Shanghvi and nine other entities settled an insider trading probe on payment of Rs 18 lakh towards settlement charges. However, reports have stated that the regulator is likely to reopen the case as it has powers to reopen cases of a settlement related to insider trading on various grounds.

The sources had said that alleged irregularities by the company's promoters and others in raising funds through Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds (FCCBs) are also likely to be investigated by the watchdog.

In August 2017, the regulator had not disclosed the details of the insider trading case.

However, it had appeared to be related to the acquisition of Ranbaxy by Sun Pharma from Japanese drugmaker Daiichi, as the settlement with the regulator has also been done by former Ranbaxy CEO Arun Sawhney, Daiichi's director Kazunori Hirokawa, its ex-Chairman Takashi Shoda and its former senior executive officer Tsutomu Une.

Shoda is said to have led Daiichi's acquisition of Ranbaxy in 2008, though the Japanese giant had to eventually sell its stake in the company to Sun Pharma in 2014.

Besides, the settlement was done by Ranbaxy's former secretary S K Patawari; Sun Pharma's directors Sudhir V Valia and Sailesh Desai; and its company secretary Sunil Ajmera.
An interesting perspective from which to study the history of the conservative movement is the relationship of conservatives to education. Every true conservative is, at some level, invested in tradition. Since Edmund Burke, modern Kirkean conservatives and classical liberals have held that historical experience is a primary guide to political life and that the survival of any society depends mostly on the transmission of this accumulated experience.

It should, therefore, be considered natural for conservatives to be at the forefront of defending traditional models of education, but this is not necessarily true.

Few conservative politicians have done nothing to prevent or reverse the process of destruction of education. While Margaret Thatcher was Secretary of State for Education hardly anything was done to stop the demolition of the grammar schools which had been a meritocratic path forward for people from the lower-middle and working classes like her. As prime minister, Thatcher did little to avert the advance of multiculturalism even after Roger Scrutons The Salisbury Review warned people what it entailed back in 1984.

Similarly, Ronald Reagan vowed to abolish Jimmy Carters Department of Education and destroy Washingtons influence over local schools administration. He did neither.

It seems that education is incompatible with the discourse and practices of politicians in modern democratic societies dominated by egalitarian ideas, including most who call themselves conservatives.

In order to be a conservative one must have something to conserve. Thus, to the extent that conservatives have abjured traditional education, they abandon the very meaning of conservatism.

By contrast, the left has long understood what conservatives did not. At least since the 1950s, education throughout most of the West has been converted into a powerful instrument of leftist social revolution. In his well-documented book Machiavelli Educator (1995), Pascal Bernardin exposed the liberal educational project, the purpose of which is social engineering to ensure conformity to the social, political and legal agenda of the left.

Whether in France, the United States, Mexico or Brazil, few schools are centers of transmission of knowledge, in which the experience and wisdom of centuries of teaching are imparted to young minds. On the contrary, todays schools have been converted into the vanguard of the grotesque, the morally objectionable, and the aesthetically repulsive. The teaching of grammar, fine arts, literature, and basic principles of the natural sciences has given place to a debate about whether boys should dress like girls and whether a child is mature enough to adopt sexual promiscuity as a lifestyle.

Beginning with John Dewey, the concept of education was immersed into the priorities of mass democracy, egalitarianism, and massification. Pedagogy assumed the role of social leveler while schools failed to pass on basic literacy skills.

Most of the practical effects of modern educational theories had been put into operation in Bolshevik Russia. From the transformation of schools into academies of communist indoctrination to sexual liberation, as historian Orlando Figes testifies in The Whisperers (2007), similar content has made its way into most Western schools.

All major pedagogy theorists of the 20th century were either Marxists or sympathizers of the cause. Figures such Dewey, Celestin Freinet, Pierre Bourdieu, Jean Piaget, Emilia Ferrero, Lev Vygotsky and, most importantly, the Brazilian Paulo Freire sought to transform the schools into centers of propaganda in favor of contemporary leftist ideologies.

Freire was the means through which Marxist ideas permeated a great deal of educational theory and practice. His book The Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1968) is considered to be a sort of Bible on educational affairs in wide swathes the academic world, and his method is still highly praised, especially at UNESCO.

In Brazil, Freires prominence and influence, underscored by successive left-wing governments, is the best explanation for the unfortunate state of the Brazilian public and private educational systems. His ideas can be understood as the complete absence of any intention to teach anything beyond ideological propaganda.

My father, for example, was educated in a public school where memorization was a fundamental part of the learning process. The natural hierarchy between student and teacher did not even have to be taught, as it was already understood. I, by contrast, was educated in a private school where constructivism was the philosophy in practice. Constructivism is the deconstructionism of Jacques Derrida applied to pedagogy. In schools which follow this idea, there is neither order nor priorities; everything follows the rules settled by children themselves.

It takes no genius to realize that everybody who comes out of such a school has in some ways been poorly educated.

The recent Brazilian presidential election involved the confrontation of two different visions about education. On the one hand, the conservative populist candidate Jair Bolsonaro defended a return of the old methods as the only way to pull the educational system out of the hole. On the other hand, the leftist candidate and former education minister Fernando Haddad, whose book In Defense of Socialism (1997) proposes the eroticization of family relations as a way to achieve a communist society, sought to radicalize Freires Marxist pedagogy further.

Bolsonaros electoral triumph can be explained to a large extent by his promise to reestablish order in the anarchic Brazilian system of education, reversing the seizure of schools by the left. The recent nomination of Ricardo Velez Rodriguez for the Ministry of Education is a clear signal that Bolsonaro intends to keep his campaign promises.

Velez Rodriguez is a Colombian intellectual who has been living in Brazil since the 1970s. A former Trotskyite who converted to Catholicism, he studied theology and defended his dissertation on Saint Thomas Aquinas in Latin. Velez Rodriguez has also published books on an eclectic range of subjects. To his intellectual curriculum, we can add a rather unusual fact: He was the first researcher to track down how the capture of educational institutions by the left happened during the right-wing military dictatorship (1964-1985).

Bolsonaro is thus placing at the head of the Ministry of Education an intellectual who understands the imperatives and strategies of cultural warfare. To give an idea of what this means, its as if President Donald Trump had appointed Roger Kimball to head the Department of Education.

The Brazilian right, which has come to power with Bolsonaro, understood that education should be a priority in the political confrontation with the left and is fundamental for the survival of conservatism in the long run. This lesson seems to have been overlooked by much of the U.S. conservative movement. The battle to save traditional education against neo-Marxism is perhaps the most fundamental if we want to preserve our civilization.

Homepage photo credit: Soviet Communism Threatens Education. U.S. Information Agency. (08/01/1953  03/27/1978) (Most Recent).Wiki Commons.
The PMs meeting coincided with BJP president Shahs deliberations on the partys loss in Assembly elections with state unit chiefs, sources said.

New Delhi: Two days after the ruling BJP suffered electoral losses in three crucial Hindi heartland states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday turned his focus on policies for common man and small business ahead of the forthcoming interim Budget where the government could announce sops for people with an eye on Lok Sabha polls. Simultaneously, BJP chief Amit Shah dissected the poll results with state unit chiefs and drew a blueprint for holding country-wide meets of partys specialised wings that work among farmers, women and dalits.

Mr Modis meeting with secretaries of several key Central ministries reviewed the state of the countrys economy, ease of doing business and ease of living, said an official statement.

The Prime Minister asked bureaucrats to improve last-mile delivery of services and focus on streamlining procedures that would benefit businesses and the common man.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, in a press conference after his party beat the BJP in three Hindi-speaking states, had attributed his partys victory to peoples disenchantment, especially of small traders, farmers and common man, with the ruling BJPs policies.

The Prime Ministers meeting coincided with BJP president Mr Shahs deliberations on the partys loss in Assembly elections with state unit chiefs, sources said.

Mr Shah also met organisational secretaries, along with leaders of partys specialised wings whose performance has come under the lens after the BJPs recent drubbing in the Hindi belt.

Mr Shahs meeting ended in a decision that the BJP national council, the partys largest organisational body, will meet in New Delhi on January 11-12, while its seven key wings will hold meetings across the country as the party steps up its campaign for Lok Sabha polls in 2019. Sources said the whole focus was on putting the Assembly poll debacle behind and preparing for parliamentary polls.

Amid concerns within the BJP and the Modi government over the feedback that there is growing unrest among the farming community, the BJP leadership decided that the kisan morchas two-day convention would be held on February 21 in Uttar Pradesh.

The leaders decided that the convention should be addressed by Mr Modi who can try to assure and convince farmers that the government is working diligently for their betterment.

Since Mr Modi has a major support base among women voters, it was decided that he could be asked to address the mahila morchas national convention planned in Ahmedabad on December 21-22.

The youth morchas national convention will take place on December 15-16 in the national capital. The SC morchas will hold its national convention on January 19-20 in Nagpur, which will be addressed by Mr Shah and Union minister Nitin Gadkari. The BJPs minority morcha will meet in Delhi on January 31 and February 1 and will be addressed by Mr Shah. Odisha capital Bhubaneshwar will be the venue for the ST morchas convention and will be addressed by Union minister Rajnath Singh.

In a related development, Union minister Prakash Javadekar hinted at the BJP dissecting the results of the Assembly polls for future success.

The BJPs biggest quality is that we are a thinking party even when we win. Winning and losing is a reality and introspection is a continuous process which we are doing, Mr Javadekar said at an event in Delhi.
By Koustav Samanta SINGAPORE (Reuters) - U.S. oil prices edged up on Thursday, buoyed by a drawdown in inventories and by signs of easing trade tensions between Washington and Beijing.

By Koustav Samanta

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - U.S. oil prices edged up on Thursday, buoyed by a drawdown in inventories and by signs of easing trade tensions between Washington and Beijing.

Oil prices have also been supported by OPEC-led supply curbs announced last week, although gains have been muted after the producer group lowered its 2019 demand forecast.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were at $51.27 per barrel at 0020 GMT, up 0.23 percent from their last settlement.

International Brent crude oil futures had yet to trade.

"Crude oil prices rose, helped by the easing trade tension, as well as a fall in inventories," ANZ bank said on Thursday.

"The news that China is looking to redraft its 'Made in China' 2025 plan boosted hopes that trade talks are progressing better than expected."

China appears to be easing its high-tech industrial development push, dubbed 'Made in China 2025', which has long irked the United States, amid talks between the two countries to reduce trade tensions, according to new guidance to local governments.

A drop in U.S. crude stockpiles, though less than expected, has helped boost sentiment, analysts said.

U.S. crude inventories fell by 1.2 million barrels in the week to Dec. 7, compared with market expectations for a decrease of 3 million barrels. [EIA/S]

Meanwhile, the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said 2019 demand for its crude would fall to 31.44 million barrels per day, 100,000 bpd less than predicted last month and 1.53 million less than it currently produces.

This adds to the concerns of several market watchers that the decision led by the group to cut production by 1.2 million bpd overall might not be enough to override a glut, especially on the back of soaring U.S. output.

"Oil markets have been concerned about the possibility of weaker macroeconomic and oil demand growth; when combined with booming U.S. shale output, this could keep markets oversupplied in 2019, even with the OPEC+ cut," Societe Generale analyst Michael Wittner said in a note.

"At this point, the OPEC+ cuts appear to have merely put a floor under prices."

The United States, where crude production has hit a record 11.7 million bpd, is set to end 2018 as the world's top oil producer, ahead of Russia and Saudi Arabia.

(Reporting by Koustav Samanta in Singapore; Editing by Joseph Radford)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
More attention to agriculture by way of higher investment and positive attitudinal changes, therefore, may actually bring about better economic dividends and put India into a higher development trajectory like other Asian nations. The sooner this is realised, the better it would be to revitalise agriculture and rural economy.

The first reaction of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government after the party's debacle in the Hindi heartland states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan seems to be to waive farm loans, which is a telling comment on the state of the agrarian distress in India and the need to pay immediate attention to the crisis. This was expected, too, since 90 percent of the rural constituencies in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and 70 percent in Rajasthan are agricultural, where the ruling party suffered a huge setback. Repeated farmers' protest marches may have evoked little response, but an electoral debacle will not be, particularly when the 2019 general elections are looming large.

But farm loan waiver is, at best, an emergency relief that will do little to address the distress in the agricultural economy. What is needed is revived interest and investment in this most crucial sector of India's economy, which provides employment to nearly 50 percent of the total work force and supports more than two-third of the country's population. Official data shows that public investment in agriculture has remained between 0.3 and 0.4 percent of the GDP (based on 2011-12 series at market price) between 2011-12 and 2016-17, which is grossly disproportionate to its significance in the economy. The total investment, both public and private, has also been declining steadily  from 3.1 percent of the GDP in 2011-12 to 2.2 percent in 2016-17. This trend needs to be reversed, but for that to happen, the general sentiment and economic discourse surrounding investment in agriculture first needs to change.

What it means is that referring to investment and relief to the farm sector as "subsidy"  something that is a burden on the economic and hence should be eliminated or reduced  should change and be replaced with something more positive like "fiscal stimulus", which was what the fiscal support to the industry was described as during the post-2008 economic crisis.

That there is a clear bias against agriculture is also reflected in the way policymakers and economists refer to loans being written off for farmers and industrialists. When it comes to farmers, writing off loans is called a "waiver"  giving up something at the cost of economic prudence and health. However, far larger loans to industries that are often written off are referred to as banks' non-performing assets (NPAs).

Now, NPAs are commonly understood as "bad loans" for the banks or financial system as a whole, and hence lenders were remonetised recently to restore their health and enable them to loan out more to boost economic growth. In such a framing, the defaulting industries disappear from public mind and are replaced with that of tottering NPA-riddled banks that need to be rescued as soon as possible.

Here, it is pertinent to provide a comparative picture of bad loans to farmers and industries to establish how such discrimination actually harms the economy. The latest data from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) shows that bad loans to the agriculture sector is minuscule in comparison to industry-related NPAs, and that waiving farm loans is not as harmful to the economy as it is made out to be. In fact, it is the NPAs of industries that should alarm policymakers and economists.

According to the RBI's 2017 report titled 'Operations and Performance of Commercial Banks', the agriculture sector's share in the total NPAs of banks was just 8.3 percent (or Rs 60,200 crore) at the end of March 2017, while that of the non-priority sector (industry and infrastructure) was a whopping 76.7 percent (or Rs 5,58,500 crore). The situation was not much different the previous year, as well, at the end of March 2016  agriculture's share was stood at a measly 8.6 percent (or Rs 48,800 crore), while that of the non-priority sector was 75.2 percent (or Rs 4,25,700 crore).

Once this bias against agriculture, the negative references in economic jargon, is done away with, the rest will be easier to deal with because then farmers will not be seen as a burden on the economy but as a major driver of growth.

A good example of this change in attitude is Telangana's "Rythu Bandhu", or farmers' investment support, scheme, under which farmers are given Rs 4,000 per acre per crop, or Rs 8,000 in a year for two crops. With the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) re-elected, this will be raised to Rs 5,000 per crop, or Rs 10,000 per year. The TRS registered a spectacular win in this round of Assembly elections, increasing its seat share from 63 in 2014 to 88, and a part of this credit is attributed to this Rythu Bandhu scheme, which is a stark contrast to farmers' anger against the BJP in the three Hindi heartland states it lost.

The impact of the Rythu Bandhu scheme may not have been assessed yet as it was launched in the 2018-19 Kharif season with a budget outlay of Rs 12,000 crore, which was about 7 percent of state's budget. But its huge popularity attracted unusual attention for obvious reasons.

Eminent agriculture expert Ashok Gulati, who is not exactly a champion of subsidy to the agriculture sector, is effusive in his praise of the scheme. In his latest article in The Indian Express, he advocates for this scheme to be adopted in the rest of the country. "In a nutshell, politicians need to move from price-support policies and loan waivers to income/investment support on a per acre basis," he writes.

It is well known that the high growth trajectory of China and most Asian economies was actually propelled by agriculture, unlike in India. A 2013 study by the Asian Development Bank titled 'Agriculture and Structural Transformation in Developing Asia: Review and Outlook', clearly brings this difference out.

"The most successful Asian economies have pursued an agricultural development-led industrialisation pathway... The newly industrialised economies in East Asia (Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Taipei, China) followed an agriculture development-led industrialisation pathway. The fast-growing transition economies (the People's Republic of China and Vietnam) seem to be traversing a similar one. Agricultural growth has also been a prominent feature in the rest of developing Asia, particularly in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. However, growth in agriculture has lagged in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and the Philippines; in these countries, the period of rapid sustainable growth came late or has yet to materialise," the report says.

More attention to agriculture by way of higher investment and positive attitudinal changes, therefore, may actually bring about better economic dividends and put India into a higher development trajectory like other Asian nations. The sooner this is realised, the better it would be to revitalise agriculture and rural economy.
The development comes after an application was submitted by the investigators before the Chief Judicial Magistrate court in Bulandshahr, arguing that the absconding accused were trying to influence the probe.

A non-bailable warrant has been issued against the accused in the Bulandshahr mob violence case, comprising Bajrang Dal convener Yogesh Raj, BJP Yuva Morcha, Bulandshahr city president Shikhar Agarwal, former pradhan of Mahav village, Raj Kumar, and 24 others.

According to a report from The Hindu, the development comes after an application was submitted by the investigators before the chief judicial magistrate court in Bulandshahr, arguing that the absconding accused were trying to influence the probe.The accused are trying to spoil communal harmony by making videos of the incident viral and attempting to influence evidence, the application said.

However, despite continued efforts by a SIT and the Uttar Pradesh Police to locate the accused in the case, Raj and the other key accused in the case are still absconding. According to CNN-News18, questions are being raised against the Uttar Pradesh Police's resolve to solve this case, as 10 days have passed since the incident where two people, including a police officer, lost their lives.

Meanwhile, 12 people have been arrested in the case so far, including Jeetu Fauji or Jitendra Malik, an army jawan who emerged as a key suspect in the murder of officer Subodh Singh.

Violence broke out in Bulandshahr on 3 December over the alleged illegal slaughter of cattle, leaving Subodh Singh and a youth dead, as a mob went on a rampage torching a police post and clashed with police, which opened fire to control the situation, officials said.

Singh, who was posted at the Siana Police Station, suffered a gunshot injury in addition to wounds from hard and blunt objects, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Anand Kumar said, citing a post-mortem report.

Inspector Singh was investigating officer in the Akhlaq lynching case of Dadri between 28 September, 2015 and 9 November, 2015, he said, replying to queries from reporters.

Police said Sumit (20) also died of gunshot injuries sustained during the violence.

The incident took place near the Chingrawathi crossing, where hundreds of people had gathered. The protesters entered into a scuffle with the local police and the crowd started pelting stones at them.
'The Gandhi family still rewards the Congress leaders who were directly involved in the 1984 Sikh genocide,' the Shiromani Akali Dal said on Kamal Nath's appointment as Madhya Pradesh chief minister.

Chandigarh: Opposing the move by the Congress to name former union Minister Kamal Nath as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, the Shiromani Akali Dal said on Thursday that the Congress was "rewarding the perpetrators of genocide against the Sikhs".

"The Congress promotes and rewards the perpetrators of genocide against the Sikhs by proposing the name of Kamal Nath as chief minister," Akali Dal leader Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal said in a statement in Chandigarh.

"Apparently, the Gandhi family still rewards the leaders of Congress who were directly involved in the genocide in 1984, a period of shame for humanity as rioting against innocent Sikhs was perpetrated by the leaders of Congress," Grewal said.

He alleged that Kamal Nath had led a mob against Sikhs in the Raqab Ganj Gurdwara area, where young innocent boys were burnt to death while he stood there.

The Congress is set to form the government in Madhya Pradesh. Kamal Nath was removed as the Congress in-charge for Punjab in 2016 after objections from Congress leaders in the Sikh-majority state.
Since the announcement of the Kartarpur Corridor, residents of villages in Gurdaspur district in Punjab have been expressing fears of security threats, radicalisation of youths and a rise in drug smuggling.

Editor's Note: With India and Pakistan agreeing to build a corridor connecting the holy Sikh shrine of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur in Pakistan's Punjab province with Dera Baba Nakak in India's Punjab, multi-faceted issues have cropped up in the region around the International Border. With the Punjab chief minister sounding an alert that the corridor is ISI's conspiracy to destabilise Punjab, security concerns have heightened. In a three-part series from the ground on the Indian side, we examine the fear among local residents about the corridor being used to smuggle drugs and as an entry point for Pakistan-trained militants, and also assess the eagerness among some who await to capitalise on the growth in the real estate and tourism sectors that this corridor promises.

***

Dera Baba Nanak (Gurdaspur): Wearing a blue turban, Narjinder Singh peers through the binoculars installed at a small post erected by the Border Security Force at some height. However, a blanket of thick fog obstructs his view of the holiest places in Sikhism. "The view becomes crystal clear in March when the fog subsides and the domes of the shrine can be seen," he says.

"Four kilometers becomes too long a distance for those of us who wish to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan  the place where Guru Nanak Dev, our first guru, spent the last years of his life," says the 24-year-old resident of Dera Baba Nanak, the last village on the Indian side of International Border in Punjab's Gurdaspur district.

The area has been in news ever since India and Pakistan announced the historic decision to build a visa-free corridor connecting Kartarpur to Dera Baba Nanak in India to allow easier access to Sikh pilgrims who wish to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib  one of the holiest places for Sikhs.

In November, India and Pakistan laid the foundation stones for the corridor on their sides of the border and promised to ensure that it is operational by 2019  before the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev  to facilitate easier access for Sikh pilgrims who face delays in getting visas and travel for several hours to cover a distance of only 4 kilometres. At Dera Baba Nanak, it is common to see a queue of people from across the country, awaiting their turn to see the shrine in Pakistan through binoculars.

Sidhu's hug did the magic?

Located in a maze of lanes, the Dera Baba Nanak Municipal Council had population of 6,394, according to the 2011 Census, of which 3,063 (47.9 percent) were female. Most of the villagers have farmlands where they grow sugarcane, wheat and paddy. While 55.51 percent of the population in Dera Baba Nanak is Hindu, Sikhs constitute 41.09 percent of the lot. The local residents here do not have "hatred" towards Pakistan and rather wish that relations between the two countries improve.

Actor-politician Vinod Khanna of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) represented the Gurdaspur parliamentary constituency till he passed away in 2017. In the Lok Sabha bypoll that followed, Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar won the seat.

Local residents say it was state cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu's hug with Pakistan Chief of Army Staff Qamar Javed Bajwa that made the revival of the corridor possible and made the town so popular that people from far off places have started visiting the area. They believe that the hug brought their town in national and international focus, thus opening doors for prosperity in future if the Kartarpur Corridor opens as per schedule.

However, Chief Minister of Punjab Amarinder Singh had said on Sunday that the Pakistan Army chief had told Sidhu about the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor even before Imran Khan was sworn in as prime minister. Amarinder claimed that the corridor was nothing but a conspiracy by the Pakistan Army to destabilise India's Punjab. He also maintained that he had advised Sidhu against visiting Pakistan for the ground-breaking ceremony of the corridor on 28 November, but the cabinet minister had gone anyway because of his personal friendship with Imran.

Other concerns: Terrorism, drug peddling

While the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor is a dream come true for most people of Punjab, some are sceptical about the development because of the terror attacks in the area and the existing drug problem.

Satnam Singh, a 64-year-old resident of Ghanike Bet village in Dera Baba Nanak tehsil, says that though the corridor was a long-pending demand of Sikhs, it should function without "importing" any disturbances in the region, and there should be proper checks to ensure that the corridor is not misused.

"Even after 1947, people used to cross over to the other side (to Kartarpur) without permission. But with the passage of time and strained relations with Pakistan, our people were not allowed to visit the shrine without a valid visa. A small distance became too big for us. And barbed fences between two nations made it impossible to visit the shrine from Dera Baba Nanak," he explains.

The fears over security in the region are not unfounded. In 2015, Dinanagar Police Station in Gurdaspur district was attacked allegedly by Pakistani extremists, leading to 11 causalities, including three terrorists. The very next year, a group of armed infiltrators, allegedly from across the border, had attacked the Pathankot airbase in the neighbouring district, killing two security personnel. Four terrorists were gunned down by Indian forces.

These incidents scarred the minds of the villagers who are now worried about the security threats that may arise because of the Kartarpur Corridor. However, very few in the area register it vocally due to fear.

'Police jobs to locals would help security'

Apprehensions over the corridor are not limited to the terror threat. According to the proposed plan for the corridor, authorities plan to build two bridges to complete the route  one over River Ravi in India and the other over a stream that runs parallel to the river in Pakistan.

United Sikh Mission, an NGO with members in India, Pakistan and Canada, among other countries, had submitted a detailed report on the route to the governments of India and Pakistan. Also, this route was the direct connection between two towns on both sides before 1947. This is because Ravi meanders in a zigzag pattern into India and Pakistan in many villages along the border. While the Indian territory needs to work on a 1-kilometre stretch for the corridor, Pakistan has to build a route nearly 3 kilometrs long on its side. The distance from the Indian side to the border is 1 kilometre.

However, people from nearby villages are distrustful of the lofty promises.

Basant Singh, a 68-year-old resident of Dharamkot-Pattan village who has to cross Ravi in the Indian territory every day to look after his crops, questions how the government can "connect two areas in two different countries" when they have not been able to construct a permanent bridge over the river for decades now.

Basant insists that the government should ensure that the work on the route starts soon since the announcement of the Kartarpur Corridor has raised the hopes of the Sikh community. "Villages in the areas through which the corridor will be built will also expect security arrangements to be strengthened," he says, adding that the government should provide more employment to the local youth in the police department and "deploy them here only".

The Border Security Force and the Indian Army guards the border area in this region. The Army is also building a permanent bridge to cross the river and officials present on the site said the bridge would be used by locals to cross the river throughout the year. However, they refused to divulge further details.

Radicalisation of youth

Another looming concern for people residing in and around Dera Baba Nanak is the alleged radicalisation of Sikh youth propagated by Pakistan. Many in the region have heard rumours that Pakistan could propagate separatist ideology at the shrine when Sikhs from India's Punjab visit it through the corridor. A group of pilgrims who visited the shrine recently on the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev was allegedly shown posters of separatist leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. India's Ministry of External Affairs had expressed its protest over the "hostile propaganda".

Furthermore, pro-Khalistan leader Gopal Singh Chawla was present at the ground-breaking ceremony of the corridor in Kartarpur. He was seen shaking hands with the Pakistan Army chief.

Gurdev Singh, a 67-year-old farmer who is waiting for the floating bridge to be repaired so he can visit his land on the other side of Ravi, says that the smuggling of drugs from across the border has become rampant in recent years. "At present, there is border fencing, but they (Pakistan) are still sending drugs into India. What if they misuse the corridor when it is opened," he asks.

A report by the Red Cross Drug De-Addiction Treatment-cum-Rehabilitation Centre says that growing drug addiction is assuming alarming proportions in Gurdaspur district, which shares a border with Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Its 96-kilometre boundary with Pakistan serves as a gateway to these two states.

"The geographic location of the district makes the area an important and the only passage for all drugs such as opium, smack, heroin, etc, from every direction across the international as well as inter-state borders," the report claims.

Also Read: Connecting Kartarpur: Real estate prices go north in town bordering Sikh shrine, hoteliers expect tourism boom

The author is a freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com
The Bill, which provides for the surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of specified dams for prevention of dam failure related disasters, was introduced by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal.

The government on Wednesday introduced the Dam Safety Bill 2018 in the Lok Sabha, a legislation that aims to provide a robust legal and institutional framework under Central and state governments for the safety of dams, which will help states and Union territories adopt uniform procedures to ensure safety of reservoirs.

The Bill, which provides for the surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of specified dams for prevention of dam failure related disasters, was introduced by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal.

The Bill was introduced amid protests by opposition parties including the Congress, TDP and AIADMK on various issues, especially the objection that the Bill would interfere with the rights of the state.

Meghwal said the Central government has the legislative competency to introduce the Bill. He said if two states agree, then the Centre has the legislative competency to introduce the Bill.

There are over 5,200 large dams in India and about 450 are under construction. In addition, there are thousands of medium and small dams.

Due to lack of legal and institutional safeguards, dam safety is an issue of concern in the country. The Bill also provides for an institutional mechanism to ensure their safe functioning. Once enacted, the Bill will apply to specified dams across all states.

According to a PIB release, India has had 36 dam failures in the past  11 in Rajasthan, 10 in Madhya Pradesh, 5 in Gujarat, 4 in Maharashtra, 2 in Andhra Pradesh and one each in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu and Odisha, establishing the importance of the bill.

According to The Hindustan Times, the Bill is too focused on the structural safety of dams, not so much on their operational safety.

The Bill also proposes the setting up of the following: National Committee on Dam Safety, State Committee on Dam Safety, National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) and State Dam Safety Authority (SDSA). Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) and State Dam Safety Authority (SDSA). Together, the four will ensure dam safety policies, surveillance, inspection, operation, maintenance and safe functioning of all specified dams. Furthermore, it also envisages the NDSA as a body that will implement policies, guidelines and standards for dam safety in the country.

Why Tamil Nadu opposes the bill

The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on 26 June had passed a resolution to oppose the Dam Safety Bill. The resolution moved by Chief Minister E Palaniswami in the state Assembly received the full support of the DMK-led opposition and said the bill had provisions that could affect Tamil Nadus rights as well as impact the operation and maintenance of dams located in other states.

The resolution said, That as the proposed draft Dam Safety Bill, 2018 contains clauses which violate the rights of Tamil Nadu especially with respect to the Dams constructed by the Government of Tamil Nadu in the neighbouring State, and would cause various problems in their maintenance and operation, this House urges the Central Government to take up the legislation on Dam Safety only after consulting the States and after arriving at a consensus and till then, keep in abeyance the process of legislating on Dam Safety.

On 15 June, Palaniswami had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that the Bill will interfere with the rights of states and had requested him to keep the bill in abeyance till a consensus was reached between the states on the issues affecting them.

Kerala Floods

The Bill comes into play three months after the Kerala Floods that hit killed over 350 people and caused losses worth nearly Rs 20,000 crore, as all 14 districts of the state have been placed under red alert before it was relaxed once water started receding.

One of the chief reasons for this was the fact that for the first time in history, 35 out of the state's 39 dams were thrown open including Mullaperiyar, Cheruthoni, part of Idukki reservoir and Idamalayar, which together wreaked havoc in the downstream areas. Kerala is home to 53 large dams with a collective capacity of nearly 7 trillion litres.

Himanshu Thakkar, coordinator of the South Asia Network for Dams, Rivers and People told Livemint that for dams to truly curb floods, experts say dam reservoirs need to be relatively empty before the onset of rains.

The Idukki dam was already near full capacity by July-end. When the rains arrived in August, the near full-capacity Idukki was forced to release water into already flooded areas. Thakkar believes that this worsened floods across the country.

These floods also point out the issues regarding inter-state dam management, for example, the Mullaperiyar Dam.

Mullaperiyar Dam and the tussle between Kerala and Tamil Nadu

The Bill might help resolve at least one of the long-pending contentious issues between Kerala and Tamil Nadu on the status of the Mullaperiyar Dam.

The over a century-old dam is located in Kerala's geographical territory. But as reported by Sify, it's operated by Tamil Nadu under an agreement it signed with the erstwhile British government for purposes of irrigation. The agreement granted full rights to Tamil Nadu, and the dam was built on the Periyar river on Kerala territory to divert water eastwards and feed the arid districts of Tamil Nadu.

Ironically, the late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa was opposed to the Dam Safety Bill over concerns that it would dilute Tamil Nadu's power over the Mullaperiyar Dam. The tussle between the two states regarding Mullaperiyar reached the Supreme Court in 2014 after Tamil Nadu sought to increase storage of the dam, while Kerala opposed it citing safety threats.

And this is not the only dam in Kerala territory that's controlled by Tamil Nadu. The Indian Express reported that Parambikulam, Thunakadavu and Peruvaripallam are all owned by Tamil Nadu.

Now that the Bill is passed and it becomes a law, there will be respective SDSAs in both Kerala and Tamil Nadu to monitor the tussle between the two states regarding the nature of the dams. And they will be overseen by an NDSA that will look into unresolved dam-related issues.
The Muzaffarpur shelter home building cannot be demolished by using JCB or other big machines and will have to be done manually, Municipal Corporation Commissioner Sanjay Dubey said.

Demolition of the infamous shelter home building in Bihar's Muzaffarpur began on Thursday under Magistrate's supervision. The development comes after Municipal Corporation Commissioner Sanjay Dubey announced the demolition on Wednesday.

Bihar: Process to destroy Muzaffarpur shelter home begins under Magistrate's supervision. Over 30 girls living in it were sexually abused according to an audit report by Tata Institute of Social Sciences. Main accused Brajesh Thakur is in jail in connection with the incident. pic.twitter.com/hIo8qaeTCr  ANI (@ANI) December 13, 2018

"A 5-member committee has been formed for the demolition. The committee will begin the procedure for demolishing the building from Thursday. No space has been left around the building and there is a dense population around it," he said, adding the demolition would be carried out manually.

"The building cannot be demolished by using JCB or other big machines. It will have to be done manually. It will take time. We will begin the demolition on Thursday," he added, saying that all preparations have been made to start the exercise.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) informed the Supreme Court to have prepared as many as 21 charge sheets against the accused in Muzaffarpur shelter home rape case. "We are in the process of filing 21 charge sheets for every girl who was subjected to abuse and rape," the Central investigating agency informed the apex court.

On 7 December, the CBI had examined the shelter home based in Muzaffarpur and collected all evidence from the premises. Brajesh Thakur, currently in the jail, is allegedly the mastermind of the shelter home rape case.

The exploitation of inmates was uncovered by the Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), after 11 employees, including Thakur, were arrested earlier this year.

With inputs from ANI
Singh, who also served as the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, had joined the Akali Dal with much fanfare ahead of the Punjab assembly elections in early 2017 and had unsuccessfully contested against Chief Minister Amarinder Singh from the Patiala assembly constituency.

New Delhi: In a big blow to the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), former Army Chief Gen JJ Singh resigned from the party on Wednesday over "disillusionment" with the party leadership.

Singh, who also served as the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, had joined the Akali Dal with much fanfare ahead of the Punjab assembly elections in early 2017 and had unsuccessfully contested against Chief Minister Amarinder Singh from the Patiala assembly constituency. While Singh cited personal reasons behind his resignation, he said he was unhappy with the actions of the Akali Dal leadership in the last few years, including those raised in the social media and TV channels.

"I have resigned with a heavy heart from the Shiromani Akali Dal on 11 December, 2018 and from the position of president of SAD Ex-Servicemen Wing. "I am unhappy with actions of the leadership of the SAD in the last few years, such as those raised in the social media and TV channels and various demonstrations, morchas and protest marches," he said in an open letter to Punjab.

The former Army chief, who was the first Sikh to hold the post, said he entered active politics with the aim of serving the people, after "very satisfying tenures" as the Army chief for almost three years and as the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh for 5.5 years, where he claimed was given the sobriquet of a "People's Governor".

"Today, I feel disillusioned particularly with what I have seen and experienced in Punjab since 2016. Further, my mission to serve the people will not be affected by this decision," he said in his open letter. In his resignation letter to SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, he said he was resigning from the party for personal reasons.

"I wish to inform you with a heavy heart that I have resigned from Shiromani Akali Dal and from the position of president of Shiromani Akali Dal, Ex-Servicemen wing with immediate effect due to personal reasons," he said in his letter. Asked about his future course, he said he wished to serve people and kept his political options open.

"I want to serve the people and the country," he told PTI. Gen (retd) Singh was the first Sikh officer to become the Army Chief. He fought the 1965 and 1971 wars, apart from being among the architects of defeating Pakistani intruders in Kargil. He served as the 22nd Chief of the Indian Army from 31 January, 2005, to 30 September, 2007.
The Goa Mining People's Front (GMPF), an umbrella organisation of mining dependents, said if any Union minister attends any event in the state, protests would be held outside the venue.

Panaji: People affected by the suspension of mining activity in Goa warned on Thursday of intensifying their agitation in the state to draw the Centre's attention to their demand of resumption of the industry.

The Goa Mining People's Front (GMPF), an umbrella organisation of mining dependents, said if any Union minister attends any event in the state, protests would be held outside the venue. The warning comes amid the industry stakeholders' ongoing protests in Delhi. The agitation in the national capital began on 11 December and continued at the Ramlila Maidan till Wednesday. However, the protest was shifted to Jantar Mantar on Thursday.

Various politicians from Goa, including ministers, MPs, MLAs and other party office-bearers met the protesters there over the last two days. "However, we have not got any firm assurance from the Union government or the BJP on our demand. When we return to Goa, we will be forced to intensify our agitation," GMPF president Puti Gaonkar told PTI over the phone from Delhi.

"Protests will be held outside the venues in Goa, wherever Union ministers participate...We want to send a clear message to Delhi that they can't play with the livelihood of the people," he said.

Gaonkar said the mining dependents will also try to get an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to tell him about the mining crisis.

The mining industry in the state came to a standstill on 16 March this year, over a month after the Supreme Court quashed the second renewal of iron ore mining leases given to 88 companies in 2015. The GMPF has been demanding that the Central government amend the mining law during the ongoing winter session of Parliament to enable resumption of mining activity, whose closure has affected the livelihoods of at least two lakh people in Goa.
Under the Governor's rule, the State Assembly is either kept in suspended animation or dissolved. If it is not possible to restore state machinery before the expiry of the six-month duration, the provision is extended.

New Delhi: In all states of India, failure of the state government results in the imposition of the President's rule. The process is slightly more nuanced in Jammu and Kashmir, where not the President's, but Governor's rule is imposed.

Under the provision of Section 92 of the Jammu and Kashmir Constitution, Governor's rule is imposed for six months, but only after the consent of the President of India.

The Constitution of India grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir among Indian states, and it is the only state to have a separate Constitution and regulations specific to it. The President's rule in other states of India is imposed under Article 356 of the Indian Constitution.

Under the Governor's rule, the State Assembly is either kept in suspended animation or dissolved. If it is not possible to restore state machinery before the expiry of the six-month duration, the provision of Article 356 of the Constitution is extended and the President's rule is imposed .

The Governor's rule was imposed on the state for the first time in March 1977, when the Congress withdrew support to National Conference (NC) government led by the late Sheikh Abdullah.

Article 370 of the Constitution of India states that the Parliament and the Union government's jurisdiction extends over limited matters with respect to Jammu and Kashmir. In all other matters, not specifically vested in federal governments, actions have to be supported by the state legislature.

Among notable differences with other states till 1965, the head of state in Jammu and Kashmir was called Sadr-e-Riyasat, whereas in other states the title was Governor. The head of government was also called Prime Minister in place of Chief Minister in other states.

The Government of India can declare emergency in Jammu and Kashmir and impose Governor's rule in certain conditions. Matters related to defence, foreign relations, communication and finance of Jammu and Kashmir are under the jurisdiction of the Indian Constitution.
Recently, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath proposed the idea of constructing a huge Lord Rama's statue in Ayodhya.

The Congress leader substantiated his point by saying that Sita deserved a respected place in Ayodhya because all her life even after being married to a Rama she did not get the deserved place in Ayodhya. (Photo: ANI)

Lucknow: Amidst growing demand for a Rama statue in Ayodhya, Congress leader Karan Singh has written to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister demanding a statue of Sita along Lord Rama.

In a letter, Karan Singh said, "If you have taken the decision to construct a magnificent idol of Lord Rama, then it is better to reduce the height of Rama statue to half and build a couple statue of both Rama and Sita instead."

Recently, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath proposed the idea of constructing a huge Lord Rama's statue in Ayodhya.

The Congress leader substantiated his point by saying that Sita deserved a respected place in Ayodhya because all her life even after being married to Rama she did not get the deserved place in Ayodhya.

"After her marriage, Sita came to Ayodhya but soon after had to go on 14-year exile and there she was kidnapped by Ravana, and even after being saved by Rama, she had to undergo the 'agni pariksha' and then she again had to go to exile to an ashram," wrote Singh in his letter.
Designed and supplied by James Fisher & Sons, UK, to meet the unique requirements of the Indian Navy, the most advanced DSRV is manned by three crew members and has a capacity to rescue 14 personnel at a time from a distressed submarine up to a depth of 650 metres.

Mumbai: India has joined an elite group of nations by inducting its first flyaway Deep Sea Submarine Rescue System, along with other associated equipment, in Mumbai on Wednesday.

Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba inducted the first of the two non-tethered Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) at the Naval Dockyard. "I hope we don't have to use it, but in case we need to use, the intention is to rescue each and every life," Admiral Lanba observed.

The induction of DSRV has catapulted India into a small league of navies globally that posses an integral submarine rescue capability, said Vice-Admiral Girish Luthra, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command.

Designed and supplied by James Fisher & Sons, UK, to meet the unique requirements of the Indian Navy, the most advanced DSRV is manned by three crew members and has a capacity to rescue 14 personnel at a time from a distressed submarine up to a depth of 650 metres.

While the first DSRV will be based in Mumbai, another one will be inducted in a few months and will be based in Vishakhapatnam, the Eastern Naval Command headquarters.

The latest on all fronts, the vessel has a Side San Sonar (SSS) for locating the position of a submarine in distress at sea, provide immediate relief by way of posting Emergency Life Support Containers with the help of Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) and then rescue the crew using the DSRV itself.

Captain Arun George, the Officer-in-Charge of the DSRV said that it has undergone extensive sea trials setting many records, dived twice up to 656 metres and 666 metres, the ROV dived up to 654 and 777 metres, and the SSS till 650 metres.

Live undersea matings with different types of submarines along with the safe transfer of personnel from the distressed submarine to the DSRV has also been successfully tested.

The Indian Navy currently operates five classes of submarines including the Sindhughosh, Shishumar and Kalvari classes, as well nuclear-powered submarines. The operating medium and the nature of operations the submarines undertake expose them to a high degree of inherent risk.

In times of distress, traditional methods of search and rescue at sea are ineffective and the non-tethered DSRV along with its associated equipment would fill the capability gap.
A section of Delhi BJP leaders had expressed reservations over Advani's reported acceptance of the invitation. Many leaders, on the condition of anonymity, said that Advani should abstain from the function.

New Delhi: BJP veteran LK Advani will not be able to attend an event to mark the silver jubilee celebrations of the Delhi Legislative Assembly on Saturday due to personal reasons, Speaker Ram Niwas Goel said.

The Delhi Assembly speaker had invited Advani as the chief guest to the function held to mark the 25th anniversary of its first sitting. "Advani ji's PA has told me that the leader will not be able to attend the event due to personal reasons," Goel told PTI late Wednesday.

A section of Delhi BJP leaders had expressed reservations over Advani's reported acceptance of the invitation. Many leaders, on the condition of anonymity, said that Advani should abstain from the function.

"The AAP leaders specially its chief Arvind Kejriwal are known to push their political agenda on almost any platform. Advani may inadvertently become their tool in this case," a senior Delhi BJP functionary said.

Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari had, however, overruled objections of party leaders in the matter saying, Advani should join the function as he may succeed in ending "negativity" of the AAP dispensation.

"I do not see any problems in Advani joining the function. I feel some people should go nearer to AAP leaders and Kejriwal so that their negativity could be removed," Tiwari told PTI.

The AAP and BJP share a bitter relation over a host of issues. The two sides traded barbs on many occasions most recently in case of inauguration of Signature Bridge and an attack on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at the Delhi Secretariat.

"Kejriwal's outlook is negative. I know, he has not invited Advani with a positive mindset but still he should go there," Tiwari said. Advani had been the first chairperson of the Delhi Metropolitan Council, the body that preceded the Assembly, from 1966 to 1970. The Delhi Assembly had its first sitting on 14 December, 1993. Besides Advani, other invitees to the function include former members of the Legislative Assembly.
After BJP's loss to Congress in Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, Rakesh Singh, the president of the Madhya Pradesh unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), tendered his resignation on Thursday. While giving his resignation, he took responsibility for the saffron party's defeat in the state Assembly polls.

After BJP's loss to Congress in Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, Rakesh Singh, the president of the Madhya Pradesh unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), tendered his resignation on Thursday. While giving his resignation, he took responsibility for the saffron party's defeat in the state Assembly polls.

However, ANI reported that BJP president Amit Shah did not accept his resignation and instead asked him to work harder.

This comes a day after Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan gave his resignation to Governor Anandiben Patel. Chouhan had also accepted 'complete responsibility' of the BJP's defeat in the state polls. "I have submitted my resignation. The complete responsibility of (BJP's) defeat (in MP) is only mine," Chouhan had told reporters outside Raj Bhavan.

Singh, after Chouhan's statement, had then tweeted, stating it the loss is the collective responsibility of BJP and not Chouhan alone. He also promised that they will perform better in the Lok Sabha elections.

Singh was appointed as the president of the Madhya Pradesh BJP unit in April, replacing Nandkumar Singh Chauhan.

The Congress emerged as the single largest party in the state by winning 114 seats, two short of a simple majority in the 230-member Assembly. The BJP, which ruled the state for 15 years, got 109 seats. However, it was ahead of the Congress in the vote share by a slender margin, bagging 41 percent of the votes polled,

while the Congress got 40.9 percent.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) bagged two seats, the Samajwadi Party (SP) got one and Independents got four seats. BSP supremo Mayawati and the Samajwadi Party on Wednesday announced their support to the Congress to form the government in Madhya Pradesh.
Replying to a question whether Modi had fulfilled his promises, Ramdev said that no one can raise doubts over Modi's leadership, as he has launched more than 100 huge nation-building projects.

Mumbai: Yoga guru Ramdev said on Wednesday that no one can raise doubts about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and policies. His comment comes a day after the reverses suffered by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan Assembly elections.

"Modi was not someone who indulges in vote-bank politics," Ramdev said at the India Economic Conclave organised by Times Network in Mumbai.

Replying to a question whether Modi had fulfilled his promises, Ramdev said, "I don't want to invite trouble by replying to such political questions, because you have to pay a price for it. Still, I would say no one can raise doubts over Modi's leadership, intentions and his policies. He has launched more than 100 huge nation-building projects and he has never engaged in vote-bank politics."

Asked whether black money had been wiped out from the country under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Ramdev, who had been vocal about the issue in the past, said after demonetisation, "all money is equal now", but the million dollar question was how this money should be used. "I think the money should be used in productive things like agriculture, health and education."

India can become a manufacturing hub if special areas were earmarked for manufacturing industries and necessary facilities were provided at affordable rates. Several industries are facing crisis and the banks should come forward to help them, he said.

"But the banks should, at the same time, be smart enough to identify and help only the genuine industries, not the Vijay Mallya types," he said, referring to the fugitive liquor baron.

The Patanjali group, promoted by him, aspires to leave behind major companies like Unilever by 2020 and become the world's largest FMCG company by 2025, he said. Asked whether the group has plans to get listed in the stock market, Ramdev said he would be able to share some "good news" related to this in a month's time.
India on Wednesday said the Paris climate agreement was 'non-negotiable' and there could be no compromise on the basic principles such as equity.

Katowice: India on Wednesday said the Paris climate agreement was "non-negotiable" and there could be no compromise on the basic principles such as equity and Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDRRC).

"We all agree that the Paris Agreement is non-negotiable. Therefore, the delicate balance reached between developed and developing countries must be retained, and the principles such as equity and Common but Differentiated Responsibility and Respective Capabilities must be given its due," India said at the ministerial session of the UN Climate Conference in Katowice.

It said the outcome at Katowice should be inclusive, consensus based and an integrated package, including all the components of the Paris Agreement Work Programme, to reflect the global consensus reached three years ago on this very day while adopting the Paris agreement.

"Most importantly, we must stand with the poor, marginalised and vulnerable communities who would be most impacted by climate change to show that 'WE CARE'," India said in a statement.

It added that it was time we focused on finding common grounds and supporting each other, based on the principles of equity and climate justice, so that "no one is left behind".

"It is important to ensure equitable access to global commons for all. The Paris agreement signifies progress towards enhanced implementation of the Convention. While we do so, we have to maintain continuity in action by fulfilling pre-2020 commitments."

"While we continue to take stock of pre-2020 action and ambition next year as well, we expect that developed countries shall honour their pre-2020 commitments so that no undue burden is shifted to the post-2020 period. We also look forward to see the Doha Amendment coming into force as soon as possible," said the statement made on behalf of Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan.

The statement on behalf of Vardhan was made by AK Mehta, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, late Wednesday night.

The statement came amid a move by the developed countries, led by the US and the EU, to dilute CBDR-RC, a principle within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that acknowledges the different capabilities and differing responsibilities of individual countries in addressing climate change.

India and the other developing countries strongly resisted their move, citing the historical responsibility of the developed nations in emitting carbon dioxide, contributing to global warming.

India welcomed the recent IPCC Special Report, which says human activities are estimated to have caused approximately one degree celsius of global warming above the pre-industrial levels and is currently increasing at 0.2 degree celsius per decade.

"The vulnerable populations are the worst hit by extreme weather events due to a lack of resources to cope with them. The report enjoins upon us to collectively address the issues of climate change with the urgency that it deserves," India said, days after the UN scientific report was blocked by countries, including the US, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kuwait, at the ongoing climate conference in Katowice.

Earlier, India, along with three other nations, had said the UN scientific report should be taken into account in the climate negotiations.

The BASIC group of nations comprising Brazil, South Africa, India and China had made its stand clear on the UN report on limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above the pre-industrial levels at a joint-press conference held on the sidelines of the UN climate talks in Katowice.
A parliamentary panel, headed by Murli Manohar Joshi, has recommended that government should mount diplomatic efforts to increase import of uranium.

New Delhi: A parliamentary panel, headed by veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi, has recommended that government should mount diplomatic efforts to increase import of uranium, and the equipment and technology to power the countrys nuclear energy sector.

In its report on the import of uranium for nuclear plants, the committee has expressed its concern that despite Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) with at least 15 countries, the import of uranium is limited to only few countries like Russia, Canada and Kazakhstan, sources aware of the content of the report of the committee on estimates told Firstpost.

Since no uranium is being imported from leading producers such as Uzbekistan and Namibia, the committee observed it is high time to have multiple sources of uranium supply to mitigate future uncertainties as Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) aims to maintain stock of 15,000 metric tonnes of uranium that would be sufficient for 22 reactors for the next 15 years. The report is likely to be tabled in the Parliament during the ongoing Winter Session.

The government has cleared at least ten more pressurised heavy water reactors, which will require about 1,250 metric tonnes of natural uranium dioxide fuel. Of the 22 reactors with a capacity of 6,780 MW in operation, 14 reactors with a capacity of 4,380 MW are under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards and are fueled by imported uranium. The other eight reactors with a total capacity of 2,400 MW are fueled by indigenous uranium. The government is making all efforts to augment indigenous uranium supply by opening new mines and processing facilities, parliamentary panel sources told Firstpost.

Jaduguda mines in Jharkhand are the largest producer of uranium, although they are quite old and require greatest depth  around 800 metres  mining. According to DAE, for extracting uranium from domestic mines, they need to go 500 metres below the ground. This adds to the cost and a comparison with import seems to be nonviable. Sources said the richness of domestically-mined uranium is also very low in comparison to countries like Australia and Canada.

Atomic Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD) has launched sustained multi-parametric exploration activities in six areas including Bhima basin of Karnataka, Mahadek basin of Meghalaya, Cuddapah in Andhra Pradesh, Singhbhum in Jharkhand, North Delhi fold belt in Rajasthan, Haryana and Dharmapuri Shear Zone in Tamil Nadu. Besides, AMD is also actively looking at Satpura Gondwana basin of Madhya Pradesh, Siwalik basin in Himachal Pradesh and Dongargarh belt of Chhattisgarh.

As far as delay in import of uranium from Uzbekistan is concerned, the DAE has cited that pick up and transportation was a major hurdle since it is a landlocked country. The DAE had signed a contract with Uzbek company Navoi Mining and Metallurgical Combinat State Company (NMMC) for import of 2,000 MT of uranium ore concentrate spreading over the years 2014-18. Due to transportation issue, the contract could not be executed, though DAE is willing to negotiate a fresh agreement with Uzbekistan.

On 15 April, 2015, an agreement was signed with Cameco Inc Canada for procurement of 3,000 metric tonnes of uranium ore concentrate spread over a period of six years, starting from 2015 to 2020. The Canadian firm has supplied 2,471 metric tonnes of uranium during 2015, 2016 and 2017. In Kazakhstan, a firm called Kazatomprom signed a contract on 8 July, 2015 to supply 5,000 metric tonnes uranium for a period of 5 years. The Kazakhstan firm has already supplied 3,413 metric tonnes in 2015, 2016 and 2017 and expected to transport another 1,500 metric tonnes by the end of this year.

Nuclear power reactors placed under the IAEA safeguards are eligible for uranium supplies from outside India, though the international market for uranium is relatively volatile. Despite opening up of international civil nuclear trade in fuel and technology, India is facing considerable constraints in accessing the worlds uranium. Bilateral agreement is being executed to ensure unhindered supply.

The panel has recommended adequate budgetary allocation for DAE so that expansion of nuclear power generation gains momentum. The DAE was allocated Rs 13,971 crore in 2018-19 in the budget, which is 5.7 percent more than the previous budget. The department is seeking continuous funding of at least Rs 15,000 crore per year to meet all the requirements. Since thorium reserves in the country are among the largest in the world, the DAE is working on a plan to use it as part of a long-term nuclear power programme.

The parliamentary panel finding is most concerned about the the shortage of manpower in Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), the nodal agency in the country for ensuring safety of all atomic power plants. The sanctioned staff strength was 459 against the total staff in position of 326, which is about 29 percent of its total strength. The panel has asked both DAE and AERB to immediately take urgent steps to fill the vacancies, committee sources told Firstpost.
The source in the apex court said the five-member collegium headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi is understood to have discussed the names of chief justices of high courts of Delhi and Rajasthan for bringing them to the top court as judges.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Collegium on Wednesday is understood to have deliberated on the issue of elevating chief justices of some of the high courts to the apex court, a source said.

The source in the apex court said the five-member collegium headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi is understood to have discussed the names of chief justices of high courts of Delhi and Rajasthan for bringing them to the top court as judges.

Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice Pradeep Nandrajog are the chief justices of Delhi and Rajasthan high courts respectively. The source said the decision would be officially announced very soon. Some of the senior-most judges of high courts were likely to be recommended for being appointed as chief justice.
India signed an agreement with France for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft in a fly-away condition as part of the upgrading process of Indian Air Force equipment. The deal is estimated to be about Rs 58,000 crore (about $8 billion).

New Delhi: The Supreme Court is scheduled to pronounce the verdict on pleas seeking court-monitored probe in the multi-billion dollar Rafale fighter jet deal with France on Friday. The verdict is likely to be pronounced at 10.30 am.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had reserved its verdict on a batch of pleas on 14 November. Advocate ML Sharma was the first petitioner in the case. Later, another lawyer Vineet Dhanda had moved the apex court with the plea for court-monitored probe into the deal.

AAP leader Sanjay Singh has also filed a petition against the fighter jet deal.

After the three petitions were filed, former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie along with activist advocate Prashant Bhushan had moved the apex court with a plea for a direction to the CBI to register FIR for alleged irregularities in the deal.

The Centre has defended the deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets and opposed public disclosure of the pricing details.

India signed an agreement with France for the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft in a fly-away condition as part of the upgrading process of Indian Air Force equipment. The deal is estimated to be about Rs 58,000 crore (about $8 billion).

The Rafale fighter is a twin-engine Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) manufactured by French aerospace company Dassault Aviation.

While reserving the verdict, the apex court had said that the pricing details of Rafale jets could only be discussed after it decides on whether to make it public.

The observation by an apex court bench had come after the government refused to publicly divulge pricing details of the deal, saying it would give an advantage to India's enemies.

While hearing a bunch of pleas alleging criminality in Rafale deal and seeking court-monitored probe into it, the apex court had asked wide-ranging questions from the government on issues including lack of sovereign guarantee from the French government, selection of Indian offset partner by the Dassault Aviation and need of entering into Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) with France.

The court had taken note of submissions and counter-arguments on the pricing of the fighter jets with the petitioners alleging that the government has been giving "bogus arguments" and "hiding behind the secrecy clause".

Vehemently defending non-disclosure of price publicly, Attorney General KK Venugopal, appearing for Centre had said that the cost of a bare Rafale jet as per 2016 exchange rate was Rs 670 crore and the disclosure of price of a "fully loaded" aircraft would give an "advantage to the adversaries".

Bhushan had claimed that the Union Law Ministry had red-flagged two issues  the absence of sovereign guarantee by France and the international arbitration clause in IGA as per which the arbitration seat would be at Geneva  but the government went ahead with the deal.

Venugopal had admitted that there was no sovereign guarantee, but said that France has given a 'letter of comfort' which would be good enough as a governmental guarantee.

The court during the hearing on the bunch of pleas had also interacted senior Indian Air Force (IAF) officers and enquired about the requirements of the force.

The IAF officers had emphasised in the apex court the need for induction of 'four plus or fifth' generation fighter aircraft like Rafale, which have niche stealth technology and enhanced electronic warfare capabilities.
Two militants were killed in an encounter that started between security forces and militants at Baratkalan-Gund Mohalla of Jammu and Kashmir's Sopore on Wednesday. The search operation is currently underway.

Two militants were killed in an encounter that started between security forces and militants at Brath Kalan-Gund Mohalla of Sopore in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district on Wednesday. The search operation is currently underway.

"The exchange of fire between militants and security forces has stopped," said the sources. The security forces have begun the search operation now.

Baramulla: Firing has stopped at Baratkalan-Gund Mohalla of Sopore where an encounter started between security forces & terrorists, yesterday. Search operation to start. #JammuAndKashmir (visuals deferred by unspecified time) pic.twitter.com/j2HIzQTN7Z  ANI (@ANI) December 13, 2018

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Brath Kalan area of Sopore on Wednesday evening following information about the presence of militants there, an army official said.

He said the operation turned into an encounter after militants opened fire on security forces. The troops of 179 Battalion of CRPF, Special Operation Group (SOG), 22 RR, CRPF Range Quick Action Team, Baramulla, carried out the encounter.

The identity and group affiliation of the militants are yet to be ascertained. Mobile internet services have been suspended in the area as a precautionary measure.

On Tuesday, four policemen, who were guarding a minority pocket in south Kashmir's Shopian district, were gunned down by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists, police said. A senior police official said that six terrorists of banned outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed were led by former special police officer Adil Bashir, who decamped eight weapons from a PDP legislator in October this year and deserted the police force.

In another encounter on Sunday, three Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants, including one of the youngest militants in Kashmir, were killed in an 18-hour gunfight with security forces on the outskirts of Srinagar on Sunday. A soldier and three civilians were also injured during the encounter, a police spokesperson said.

With inputs from agencies
At present, 16-18-year-olds are legally allowed to drive electric vehicles with an engine capacity of up to 50cc, but no such vehicles are available in India.

The government is seriously considering allowing youths aged between 16 and 18 to ride electric scooters with 100cc engine capacity, Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari said. At present, 16-18-year-olds are legally allowed to drive vehicles with an engine capacity of up to 50cc, but no such vehicles are available in India.

Sources told The Times of India that this move will create a market for electric two-wheelers, which is one of the governments thrust areas to push electric mobility.

Currently, India has about 1-1.5 lakh electric vehicles, a figure which is projected to grow to about 5 percent of the total vehicles in the next five years, an official told Business Today. Of the about 24 million vehicles sold in India in 2017-18, EVs accounted for barely about one percent, the official said.

Automobile giants have already joined the government in pushing for EVs. For instance, Mahindra Electric and SmartE, an electric vehicle fleet operator, on Wednesday announced plans to deploy 10,000 electric three-wheelers across the country by 2020.

Under the partnership, SmartE will introduce 1,000 Mahindra Treo and Treo Yaari electric three-wheelers in Delhi-NCR by March 2019 with an aim of transforming last mile connectivity.

In addition, Gadkari announced that the government is also planning to mandate taxi aggregators to have an incremental share of electric vehicles from 2020, The Indian Express reported. A similar mandate may be given to all public transport operators, the Business Today report added.

The transport minister also announced the government's decision to approve green licence plates for electric vehicles in the country. "The government has approved distinctive green licence plates for electric vehicles to encourage people to use electric vehicles. Such vehicles will be fitted with green licence plates bearing numbers in white fonts for private cars and yellow font for taxis," Business Today quoted him as saying.

A notification about this development will be issued in a week, he said.

Financial Express quoted Gadkari as saying that the implementation of green plates will allow electric vehicles to be easily identified, and will also grant benefits such as preferential treatment in parking lots, free entry in congested zones and reduced toll charges.

With inputs from PTI
To understand the test ahead there is first a need for a deep dive into the verdict from the states where the Congress wrested power.

In these troubled times it is tempting to view the Assembly election results as indication of the revival of the secular republic, the rejection of doctrinaire politics and governance, and evidence of mandate correction. However, by dwelling excessively on the change of government in the three states where the ruling BJP has been unseated by the Congress, the resurgent Grand Old Party and its supporters would lose sight of the graver challenges ahead. While the first of these is undoubtedly the Lok Sabha election, the rollback of majoritarianism is the long-term task.

To understand the test ahead there is first a need for a deep dive into the verdict from the states where the Congress wrested power. While everyone heaved a sigh of relief after the Congress tally rested at 114, just one short of the halfway mark, the figure which should worry the party and its backers is 47,827  the number of votes which the BJP polled more than the Congress in Madhya Pradesh. Although the Congress eventually edged out the BJP in a humdinger of a contest, the latter led the former by a whisker in terms of its voteshare  41 per cent for the BJP to 40.9 per cent for the Congress. It is due to the vagaries of the first-past-the-post electoral system that often legislative strength does not represent popular support. After all, even the BJPs Lok Sabha tally of 282 in 2014 was way beyond what its 31 per cent voteshare would have reflected. Or that the 37 per cent that the party got along with allies was way below their commanding presence in the Lok Sabha.

The Congress would seek solace in the fact that if the votes polled by four rebel Independents, who after becoming MLAs are back into the fold  although formal induction is still awaited  are added to its voteshare, the Congress would nose ahead of the BJP and actually become Party No. 1 in the state. Despite this, the two parties would remain at par, evidence that the Congress will face with a sterner test in the Lok Sabha elections and that this verdict has not automatically reopened the path of its electoral comeback at a national level.

In Rajasthan too, the Congress is dogged by its voteshare being discomfortingly close to the BJPs  39.3 per cent of the former to the latters 38.8 per cent. In terms of actual number of votes which separated the two, the figure was just 177,699. Party leaders, however, would argue that there is a need to factor in the votes polled by 13 Independent candidates, most of who are Congress rebels, and they would eventually either back the party from outside or make a homecoming. These Independents polled 9.5 per cent of the total votes cast, a whopping 33,72,206, and even if almost half of these were bagged by inconsequential candidates, it would still add up sufficiently to the Congress tally, providing it an element of comfort. But this notional lead over its rival has to be converted. This would, however, not be possible without taking steps that strike at the endemic problem within the party across states  rebels are encouraged and put up by faction leaders whenever they fail to secure nominations for their favourites. To counter this, the party high command has to deploy authority and cannot hide behind the argument of being more democratic because it should never become an excuse for indiscipline.

Paradoxically, of the three states, the Congress secured the most comfortable mandate in Chhattisgarh, a state expected to be the tightest for two reasons. First, almost its entire state leadership was wiped out in the terrorist attack in 2013, and second, the alliance between Ajit Jogi and the Bahujan Samaj Party had the potential to cut significantly into the anti-BJP vote. Yet it is here that the Congress secured a comfortable 10 per cent voteshare margin, and this is due to its weakness becoming its strength  the absence of strong faction leaders and the possibility of a split in the anti-BJP vote instilled fear that any internal division would finish whatever chances the party had.

In addition, the Congress benefited by the strong sentiment against the BJPs approach of centralising the entire issue of left-wing extremism, which the people in the state see as the result of the refusal of successive governments, especially under the watch of Raman Singh, to tackle the roots of the unrest. While the BJP at the national level progressively increased the use of the issue of Urban Naxals as another stick to beat liberal-radical India with, the epicentre of this discord became boggy for the party.

The lessons for the Congress and other Opposition parties are obvious. But even if one assumes that the Index of Opposition Unity will rise significantly in the states, and the most where it is most required, it cannot be ignored that the Narendra Modi factor was utilised only in Rajasthan. It was the Prime Ministers thrust towards the end of the campaign which had significantly reduced the Congress victory margin. That Mr Modi retains the ability to turn this election in his partys favour even when issues were chiefly local provides a hint of what confronts the Congress and other Opposition parties in 2019. There is no denying that the race has opened up, but the BJP cannot in any way be written off. It still remains the party most likely to emerge at the top of the tally next year.

To deny the BJP this position, the Congress has to stop being in reactive mode and set the agenda. Instead of awaiting the BJP to implode like in Chhattisgarh, the Congress must provide an alternate vision for India. It must stop being the B-Team of the BJP and return to its inclusive past. It will be tempting for the Congress to continue pursuing soft Hindutva, but the real cause for cheer will be when it sheds diffidence of articulating issues concerning the well-being of those on the margins of society, including the religious minorities.
The damage is twofold  the possibility of getting large Hilsa in the future is reduced, and it hampers the reproduction of the fish. However, in the near absence of government surveillance, juvenile Hilsa fishing goes on in full spate.

From the estuary of the Ganga to deep in the Bay of Bengal, an estimated 14,000 trawlers are hovering in the migratory path of the Hilsa as the fish approaches the river to spawn, and on its way out. In spite of the ban on nets with mesh holes less than 90 mm in diameter, such nets are used most of the time. Some nets are over a kilometre long. A very large number of juvenile Hilsa are caught.

As a result, the production of Hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha) in West Bengal is rapidly declining. Gourmands of West Bengal are now dependent on Bangladesh for large Hilsa.

There are laws but no implementation. The West Bengal government has notified a definite time period banning the fishing of juvenile Hilsa (jatka) to save the states favourite fish from extinction. But fishers do not obey the prohibition either in rivers or the sea.

In order to increase the yield and production of Hilsa and other fish, the State Fisheries Department issues notifications every year to control fishing. According to these, from 15 April to 31 May, fishing is prohibited in the sea and adjoining areas. Moreover, a special ban is imposed specifically for the preservation of the Hilsa. From 15 September to 24 October, before and after five days of the full moon, catching any type of Hilsa is prohibited. This system was initiated for the undisturbed breeding of Hilsa. Besides fishing, selling, transporting and hoarding of Hilsa, less than 23 cm long Hilsa is prohibited. Bottom trawling is prohibited up to 12 nautical miles from the coastline.

Accepting that the ban is not obeyed by some fishers, State Fisheries Minister Chandranath Sinha told thethirdpole.net, We try to teach about all kinds of fish under an awareness campaign for fishers. We hold seminars and open discussions with the marine and river fisher organisations. Most of the fishers obey the ban but some do not.

Sinha said the Panchayats of the villages on the banks of the Ganga have been helping implement the ban on catching juvenile Hilsa.

But fisherman Dipankar Roy narrates a different story. He fishes with a small boat round the year in the Ganga near Barrackpore (25 km upstream of Kolkata). In his words, I catch fish in the Ganga throughout the year. There are Hilsas also. Currently nets with very small mesh holes are used in large numbers. Some boats often hunt Hilsa weighing 8 to 10 grams, catching up to 6 kg in a day. Fishers know very well that the surveillance is inadequate. Some fishers use funnel-shaped nets (Binati Jal) to catch juvenile Hilsa and selling it in the name of Khoyra fish. In Digha estuary, this fishing of juvenile Hilsa is evident. If 500 kg of Hilsa is caught, 300 of that weighs 150 to 300 grams, all juvenile fish. A mature Hilsa weighs between 700 grams and a kilogramme.

Unapologetic trawler owners

In the Bay of Bengal, fishing goes on throughout the year, ignoring government restrictions. Almost admitting this, the secretary of the trawler owners organisation United Fishermens Association Shyamsundar Das told thethirdpole.net, Fish weighing below 300 grams may be hunted, but that does not matter. One Hilsa gives birth to some hundred thousand babies. However, we try to observe the prohibition on juvenile Hilsa.

Further charges against the big trawlers are that they bring up all types of fish through bottom trawling. Catches of juvenile Hilsa weighing less than 10 grams are thrown back into the sea. The fish is being destroyed in this way.

Das says, We have got the modern instruments and how is it possible that those will not be used? At the same time, he accepts the need for the ban, and even wants it extended to the coast off adjacent state Odisha as well as the markets there. Otherwise, nothing can be done. When sale of juvenile Hilsa is stopped at Digha market (in West Bengal), it goes to the Odisha markets. Then it reaches the markets of Kolkata.

Artisanal fishers suffer

Artisanal fishers have a different take than the trawler owners. The joint secretary of small fishers organisation South Bengal Fishermen Forum, Debashis Shyamal, told thethirdpole.net, Destructive fishing and trawl fishing hampers Hilsa in the state. Not only Hilsa, but all kinds of fish are declining due to uncontrolled fishing. We the small fishers try to obey the ban. But the big trawlers can break all the rules with the power of their political connections.

It has been a longstanding allegation in all coastal states of India that trawlers are owned by politicians and their kin, directly or anonymously.

Shyamal recommended that Bangladesh and India coordinate their Hilsa fishing ban periods and hold joint surveillance to ensure compliance.

Blocked path, dirty water

Apart from overfishing, a big problem for the migrating Hilsa is siltation at the mouth of the Ganga. This sea fish needs a clean and deep channel so that it can move upriver and spawn. But now there is no deep channel in the mouth of the Ganga except the one kept open by constant dredging, for the shipping to and from Kolkata port.

And not a single channel  deep or shallow  has any clean water. The pollution in the Lower Ganga is largely unchecked, and the bacterium E Coli (which causes diarrhoea or worse) has been counted at a million times the safe limit prescribed by the World Health Organisation.

That, and an overall lack of fresh water due to dams and barrages upstream in the Ganga basin, has a highly adverse effect on the reproduction of the Hilsa. The increasing salinity of the estuary is an added cause. The Hilsa looks for fresh water to spawn, but does not find any.

Changed life

Asimkumar Nath, a fisheries expert in Sidho Kanhu Birsa University of West Bengal, has found another effect of this forced change in the life cycle of the Hilsa. Due to siltation, many fish find their way back to the sea blocked. Studies that include tagging some Hilsa have shown that some have remained in the Ganga and its tributaries for the last several years. He said some such resident Hilsa have been found as far upstream as Farakka, over 350 km from the mouth of the Ganga. Nath is confident that even if 20 percent of the Hilsa living and breeding in the rivers can be saved from overfishing, there will be no shortage of the fish in West Bengal.

Protection plans

Though its current plans to protect the Hilsa are yielding limited results, the West Bengal government has new plans to protect the fish. Fisheries Minister Sinha said his department has identified three spawning areas that will be declared sanctuaries. Special monitoring will be arranged in Raichak-Godakhali, Tribeni-Balagarh and Lalbag-Farakka, he told thethirdpole.net. Hilsa lays eggs in those places. Hilsa Research centres will also be built there.
Two days after it suffered defeat in three Hindi heartland states, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday announced a number of party meetings, including its national executive, in the run-up to the 2019 general elections.

New Delhi: Two days after it suffered defeat in three Hindi heartland states, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday announced a number of party meetings, including its national executive, in the run-up to the 2019 general elections.

Addressing a press conference in Delhi, BJP national general secretary Bhupender Yadav said the national executive will be held on 11 and 12 January in the National Capital and will be attended by party's office-bearers from across the country.

"As part of preparation for 2019, seven wings of the BJP are active to take party's agenda to different sections of the society," Yadav said.

A series of meetings are scheduled to start with a workshop of the BJP Yuva Morcha in Delhi on 15 and 16 December, followed by the convention of the party's Mahila Morcha in Ahmedabad on 21 and 22 December, which will be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"On 19 and 20 January, a convention of the Scheduled Castes Morcha of the party will be held in Nagpur, at which BJP president Amit Shah and Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Thawarchand Gehlot will be the main speakers," Yadav said.

The BJP Minority Cell will also hold a two-day national convention in New delhi on 31 January and 1 February.

On 2 and 3 February, a national convention of the Scheduled Tribes arm of the BJP will be held in Bhubaneswar, and that of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) will be organised in Patna on 15 and 16 February.

Besides, Modi will address a rally of the party's Kisan Morcha, which will be held in Uttar Pradesh on 21 and 22 February. The city is, however, yet to be decided.
Congress in West Bengal on Wednesday said it would like to fight the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the state alone.

Kolkata: Buoyed by the party's win in three states, the Congress in West Bengal on Wednesday said it would like to fight the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the state alone. WBPCC president Somen Mitra said the state unit would convey the decision to the party's central leadership. "Our party high command has never asked us to go for an alliance. Rather it has asked us to strengthen our organisation in the state. We want to fight Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal," Mitra said at a party programme.

His comments came a day after the resurgent Congress won the assembly elections in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan defeating the BJP and emerged as the single largest party in Madhya Pradesh. Recently opposition parties including the Congress and the Trinamool Congress have met in Delhi to discuss ways to defeat the BJP led government at the centre.

The Trinamool Congress leadership in West Bengal has maintained that they want to contest in all the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
In Chhattisgarh, the constituencies with a high population of Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Scheduled Caste (SC) communities, have contributed hugely in steering Congress towards a thumping victory in the state.

Raipur: The constituencies with a high population of Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Scheduled Caste (SC) communities in Chhattisgarh, have contributed hugely in steering Congress towards a thumping victory in the state. The state has 29 seats- in the 90-member assembly-reserved for ST candidates, and the Congress won 25 of them, besides bagging seven of ten SC reserved seats. Both the leading parties- BJP and Congress had been focusing on the tribal region- Bastar (south) and Surguja (north)- ahead of the polls to woo tribal communities that comprise around 32 per cent of the state's population and said to have always influenced the outcome of the assembly polls.

Despite winning 18 of the 29 tribal- reserved seats in 2013 polls, Congress had failed to form a government in the state. However, this time it has improved its tally and won 25 of the total number of ST seats. The BJP, which had won 11 ST reserved seats in the previous polls, finished with just three this time. Former chief minister Ajit Jogi, who heads the Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J), has won Marwahi (ST) this time. In the previous poll, his son Amit Jogi had won this seat as a Congress candidate.

In the 2008 assembly election, the BJP had formed the government by winning 50 seats (out of 90) with the blessings of tribals as it had won 19 out of 29 ST reserved seats, while the Congress had won only 10 ST seats in 2008. Three ministers from the erstwhile Raman Singh government, who hail from a tribal community, have lost this time.

Forest minister Mahesh Gagda lost at the hands of Congress' Vikram Mandavi by 21,584 votes in Bijapur (ST) seat. School Education minister Kedar Kashyap was defeated by Congress' Chandan Kashyap by a margin of 2,647 votes in Narayanpur-ST. Home Minister and a prominent tribal leader Ramsevak Paikra was defeated by Congress' Premsai Singh Tekam by 44,105 votes in Pratappur seat. Similarly, SC vote bases shifted significantly to the Congress during this poll. The Congress has won seven out of ten SC reserved seats this time, which was just one in the 2013 polls.

SCs make up roughly about 12 percent of the state's population. They are largely settled in the plains. A majority of the SC population follow the Satnami sect. The BJP has managed to win only two SC seats, seven less than what it had won in the last polls. However, it has snatched Masturi (SC) seat from the incumbent Congress MLA this time. Bahujan Samaj Party's (BSP) woman candidates Indu Banjare has won one SC seat- Pamgarh this time.

Cooperative Minister Dayaldas Baghel was defeated by Congress' Gurudayal Singh Banjare by 33,200 votes in Navagarh (SC) seat. According to the political observers, anti-incumbency factor, coupled with promises made by the Congress in its manifesto- particularly for farmers, helped it in weaning away SCs and STs from the BJP in the recently concluded polls.

The Congress has registered a landslide victory in Chhattisgarh polls, winning 68 seats in 90-member House. The BJP was reduced to just 15 seats, while the Ajit Jogi led JCC(J) managed to win 5 seats. Jogi's ally BSP has won two seats. In the 2013 Assembly polls, the BJP had won 49 seats, the Congress 39, while one seat each was bagged by the BSP and an independent.
Sources said that the decision would be taken on Thursday itself after the state legislature party had authorised the Congress president to take a final call on the chief ministers.

New Delhi: The potential chief ministerial candidates in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh arrived in the National Capital on Wednesday for a meeting with Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who will take a final call on the top post in the states.

The contenders for the top post in Rajasthan  Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot  and in Madhya Pradesh  Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia  arrived early morning in New Delhi and will be meeting Rahul soon.

The Congress president will first meet the party observers AK Antony for Madhya Pradesh and KC Venugopal for Rajasthan before meeting those in the race.

The observers had already held discussions with newly-elected party MLAs in Jaipur and Bhopal on Wednesday and would give their inputs to Gandhi on who the legislators want to be as their chief ministers.

Using an internal messaging platform for the party workers, Rahul had sent out to party workers a pre-recorded audio message seeking their feedback for selection of the chief minister in their respective states.

Sources said that the decision would be taken on Thursday itself after the state legislature party had authorised the Congress president to take a final call on the chief ministers. Congress observer for Chattisgarh Mallikarjun Kharge will also be handing over his report to Gandhi following which he is likely to meet the contenders.
Bhagat was suspended by the disciplinary committee of the party over his alleged role in the abduction of an ex-serviceman's daughter, a charge he and the woman rejected. He said he is not against the BJP's national leadership.

Jammu: Days after his expulsion from the BJP's Jammu and Kashmir unit, Gagan Bhagat on Wednesday accused the state party leadership of being "anti-Dalit" and alleged he was victimised for being one.

He claimed that the party's debacle in the recently concluded assembly elections in five states was a result of its "anti-Dalit" ideology. Going against the party line, Bhagat had on 3 December moved the Supreme Court challenging the dissolution of state assembly. The apex court, however, dismissed his petition on Monday, saying there was no merit in the pleas filed by the former legislator.

He was expelled by the BJP on the same day with immediate effect for his "continued indiscipline, anti-party and anti-Jammu activities." "I am a Dalit and faced victimisation from the party which is 100 per cent anti-Dalit...I was always given the position where my caste fits," Bhagat told reporters. "I have always faced discrimination because of the anti-Dalit attitude of the party leadership. Scheduled Castes gave seven reserved seats to the party in the state but it gave no representation to the community in the previous government. No ministerial berth was given (to community members) nor any higher position in the party," he alleged.

He added that whenever someone highlights the truth, he is dubbed anti-party. Earlier in July, Bhagat was suspended by the disciplinary committee of the party over his alleged role in the abduction of an ex-serviceman's daughter, a charge he and the woman rejected. He said he is not against the BJP's national leadership.

Bhagat claimed that the party's state leadership was dictatorial and it would face a drubbing in the next assembly election as the people had seen its real face.

He alleged that the BJP had done nothing for the Jammu region despite being in power in the state and at the Centre.

"I know everything about the party and its functioning. I know how ministers were chosen when money changed hands. They have filled their coffers and have done nothing for the people, including those living along the International Border, who are direct targets of Pakistan's shelling," the doctor-turned-politician said.

Bhagat dared the BJP to announce its chief ministerial candidate ahead of the Assembly elections and said "the party would not do so because it knows its position". "It might push for delaying the polls given the mood of the people," he said.

The Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly was dissolved by Governor Satya Pal Malik on November 21. The Election Commission has to hold fresh assembly polls in the state within six months, by 21 May. On Article 35A, which guarantees special rights and privileges to permanent residents of the state, Bhagat said the party is toeing the line of national leadership and ignoring potential threat its revocation poses.

He alleged that the withdrawal of his security cover was one of the "pressure tactics" of the BJP to silence him. On his future plans, Bhagat said he was in touch with all other political parties. "I am in touch with all the parties...barring the BJP, every other party is for the unity of Jammu and Kashmir. Even the PDP has done more for Jammu than the BJP," he said.
The CPM had called for a workers convention in Kulgam, on Wednesday, three weeks after the state Assembly was dissolved and the BJP suffered losses in the recently held Assembly elections in the Hindi heartland of the country.

As it snowed outside, a hall at the government guest house in the restive south Kashmir township of Kulgam was packed with workers and sympathisers of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). More local residents kept pouring in till there was no room left to even take a peek inside. There were a few security personnel in sight and the attendees did not seem worried.

The CPM had called for a workers convention in Kulgam, on Wednesday, three weeks after the state Assembly was dissolved and the Bharatiya Janata Party suffered losses in the recently held Assembly elections in the Hindi heartland of the country. At the convention, the partys leaders impressed upon those gathered that India is not communal anymore.

Zahoor Ahmad, the partys area secretary, drew attention to the fact that more Indians had rallied in the farmers protests  worried about the quality of their lives rather than communal agendas  than the rallies in favour of the Ram Mandir. With the BJPs defeat, the old, secular India that we knew has come back, he said. India will become better. Kashmir, too, will become better.

That the BJPs losses had buoyed the confidence of the CPM leaders in Kashmir was evident as all speakers on the occasion invoked the failure of the BJPs invoking of issues such as the Ram Mandir during their election campaigns. They stressed on the rise of the secular voice in the country once again. Hamid Wani, the partys senior member, attempted to drive the message closer to home: Dont sell either Lal Ded or Ram and Krishna for power, he said.

The partys head and the sole communist legislator, Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami, spoke last. The Kulgam district that is otherwise the stronghold of the Jamaat-e-Islami and the jihadist insurgency is rather unique as it is also home to the constituency that has voted Tarigami to power in four consecutive elections since 1996.

As he began his speech with the customary Islamic greetings, the attendees sat in near silence. Tarigami, too, trained his guns on the BJP as he expressed his uncertainty of the future. Trust anyone but the pitiful, Jan-Sangh politics of the BJP, he warned the attendees. Tarigami not only took jibes at the communal politics of the prominent faces of the BJP  including the prime minister, the BJP party president Amit Shah and the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, Yogi Adityanath  but also the appointment of Sheikh Imran as the deputy mayor of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation. This is a government of thieves, he said.

Tarigami spoke of the various issues faced by the districts residents  issues of unemployment, farm loans, and development. Azadi aside, tomorrow if you dont have food to eat, will you be able to sleep? he asked. Some in the crowd responded in the negative. However, no gathering of the unionist parties is complete without the political rhetoric that is common to them  of the call for dialogue between India and Pakistan, expressing concerns over the arrest of youth suspected of anti-state activities, and the killing of civilians by any side. Unfortunately, it is a Kashmiri who is getting killed every day, he said.

The BJP must be stopped

As the convention concluded, Tarigami told reporters that he was hopeful of a secular government free of hate, temple, and cow politics to be in place that will give us peace and security. He also sought relief from the Governor Satya Pal Malik as several residents of the district had been detained or named in police reports.

Tarigamis statements, however, failed to reassure some of the attendees. As Tarigami proceeded towards the partys Kulgam office, he was surrounded by local residents seeking the release of their relatives detained by the counterinsurgency wing of the local police over suspected anti-state activities. A few women shouted slogans against the government and demanded an end to the government oppression. This government has been handed over to the STF (the state polices counterinsurgency wing), shouted one woman whose relative was detained.

Speaking to Firstpost, the former legislator said that certain policies of the government was to blame for the resentment in the Kashmiri society, where channels of dissent were choked. If the peoples expression seems harsh, I entirely believe that it is because of the weak responses [to local and political grievances] from Srinagar to New Delhi, he said. Its an expression of all the accumulated anger.

Without naming the Peoples Democratic Party, that ran its election campaign on the promise of scuttling the BJPs attempt to seize power in the state but eventually collaborated with it, Tarigami said that an unfavourable situation had developed as you have promised something done something different. You have aroused feelings and aspirations and denying what is due to the people. They are seen to be collaborating with those who are not seen as friends, he said.

Despite considering the BJPs losses in the Hindu heartland as an indicator for its uncertain prospects in the upcoming general elections, they still stood a chance in the Valley if a boycott of the elections persists. If people do not vote, naturally like it happened in the local body elections, the BJP won when otherwise they would not have, he said. Even the Kulgam municipal committee is now presided over by a BJP member. Tarigami also hinted at seeking coordination with other opposition parties to prevent the BJPs second attempt at taking power. I wish and hope our people are sensible and they will not be allowing such forces to emerge particularly in the Valley, Tarigami said.

However, the political discourse again in the Valley is again shifting to the whipping up of fears of the BJPs take over as it was during the previous elections. The eventual betrayal by the PDP  that had Kashmirs anti-BJP mandate  still on peoples mind, participation in the next elections remains uncertain. It is certainly difficult, said Tarigami, but its not something which cant be done.
The Congress won 114 seats in the Madhya Pradesh state polls, but was two short of the simple majority mark of 116 in the 230-member Assembly.

After much deliberation and several meetings, Congress announced on Thursday that Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief Kamal Nath the next Madhya Pradesh chief minister, according to several media reports.

Nath was late on Thursday announced as the chief minister of the newly-elected Congress government in the state. The party also tweeted wishing Nath over his election as the next chief minister of Madhya Pradesh.

Our best wishes to Shri @OfficeOfKNath for being elected CM of Madhya Pradesh. An era of change is upon MP with him at the helm. pic.twitter.com/iHJe43AB9v  Congress (@INCIndia) December 13, 2018

There will not be a deputy chief minister in Madhya Pradesh.

The announcement comes after a prolonged delay following the nail-biting drama which saw the Congress dethroning the former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led three-term BJP government in the state.

Earlier Thursday, a spate of news reports emerged that Nath's name had been finalised and that it was only a matter of time before the official announcement was made. Congress president Rahul Gandhi earlier held deliberations with central observers and MLAs at his residence over the top posts in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and said the names of the chief ministers would be declared soon.

The Congress won 114 seats in the Madhya Pradesh state polls but was two short of the simple majority mark of 116 in the 230-member Assembly.

Even as Nath emerged as the front-runner for the post, a Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader accused the Congress leadership of "protecting the perpetrators" of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The Akali Dal has accused Nath of a hand in the anti-Sikh riots that broke out in the national capital following the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984.

"Whenever the Gandhi family comes to power, it protects the perpetrators of the 1984 riots. Now Rahul Gandhi and the Gandhi family are rewarding Kamal Nath as chief minister of Madhya Pradesh...," Akali Dal leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said, according to PTI.

Rahul met party observers KC Venugopal for Rajasthan and AK Antony for Madhya Pradesh early morning along with the state unit in-charges and later met the contenders. "Yes, you will see a chief minister soon...," Rahul said when asked about when the decision will be taken. "We are checking, taking inputs from different people in the party, we are taking inputs from MLAs, workers. We are getting a comprehensive answer to what the Congress party and others feel," he told reporters outside Parliament as the race for the top post in the three states hots up within the party.

The potential chief ministers in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh were earlier called in from Jaipur and Bhopal for last-minute discussions with the party president. The party observers gave their inputs to Rahul after talking to the newly-elected MLAs in the states. The state legislature parties of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh earlier passed a one-line resolution authorising the party president to take the final decision on chief ministers.

The contenders for the top post in RajasthanAshok Gehlot and Sachin Pilotand in Madhya PradeshKamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindiaarrived early morning in the national capital. Rahul also sought the views of party workers in the three states through an internal messaging platform after he sent out a pre-recorded audio message to them seeking their feedback on their choice of chief ministerial candidate in their respective states.

Congress observer for Chattisgarh Mallikarjun Kharge will also be handing over his report to the Congress president after he met the newly-elected legislators in Chhattisgarh as also the top contenders. Facing his first test within the Congress, Rahul started hectic deliberations with senior party leaders since early morning Thursday. Sources said Priyanka Gandhi was also present at Rahul's Tughlaq Lane residence before a final call on the chief ministers was taken. Top party leaders, including Rajasthan in-charge Avinash Pande and Madhya Pradesh in-charge Deepak Babariya, were also present.

With inputs from PTI
Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan formally invited Zoramthanga on Wednesday to form the next government after receiving the signed notification of the result from Election Commission officials who arrived here late in the evening, Raj Bhavan sources said.

Aizawl: Mizo National Front (MNF) president Zoramthanga would be sworn-in as the chief minister of Mizoram at the Raj Bhavan here at 12 noon on Saturday, state protocol department officials said on Wednesday.

Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan formally invited Zoramthanga on Wednesday to form the next government after receiving the signed notification of the result from Election Commission officials who arrived here late in the evening, Raj Bhavan sources said.

The Governor also dissolved the seventh state legislative assembly during the day to pave the way for the constitution of the eighth assembly, the sources said.

The protocol department officials said it was not known whether all 12 members of the council of ministers would be sworn-in on 15 December.

The MNF returned to power in Mizoram by bagging 26 seats of the 40-member state legislature after a decade which saw the crumbling of the last Congress bastion in the north east.

This followed the newly-formed unregistered Zoram Peoples Movement securing eight seats, which is three more than the outgoing Congress. The BJP opened its account for the first time in the state by bagging a seat while the Congress managed to win five seats in the assembly polls held on 28 November.

Zoramthanga, who has been chief minister of Mizoram twice, was back with a bang on Tuesday after being in political wilderness for two assembly terms. The 74-year-old rebel-turned-politician was a former underground leader and a close aide of the legendary MNF leader Laldenga.
Operations in both Houses of Parliament were adjourned on Thursday without transacting much business due to protests by Opposition parties.

Operations in both Houses of Parliament were adjourned on Thursday without transacting much business due to protests by Opposition parties.

BJP held a parliamentary party meeting, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, Union Ministers Sushma Swaraj, Prakash Javadekar, Kiren Rijiju, Ravi Shankar Prasad, senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani, and other party leaders were present.

Delhi: #Visuals of BJP Parliamentary party meeting from Parliament library building. PM Narendra Modi, BJP Chief Amit Shah, Union Ministers Sushma Swaraj, Prakash Javadekar, Kiren Rijiju,Ravi Shankar Prasad,senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani, among others present in the meeting pic.twitter.com/eDqn1SVyha  ANI (@ANI) December 13, 2018

The third day of Parliament began with MPs paying tribute and also maintaining two minutes of silence for those killed in the 2001 terrorist attack on Parliament.

A notable sight during the day was TDP MP Naramalli Sivaprasad, who came to Parliament on Thursday, dressed up as a magician. He has previously pulled off other looks such as Adolf Hitler and Narad Muni. His party is reiterating demands for Andhra Pradesh.

Business began as usual in both Houses shortly after, but was soon hindered in the Upper House by AIADMK and DMK MPs, who began protesting in the Well over the Cauvery river issue. Despite Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu's warnings to adjourn the day's proceedings if members did not return to their seats, the Tamil Nadu parties continued sloganeering. The Rajya Sabha was then adjourned for the day.

Meanwhile, in the Lok Sabha, RJD MP JP Yadav moved an adjournment motion notice in Lok Sabha over Muzaffarpur shelter home case. In the Zero Hour, Shiv Sena leader Anandrao Adsul raised the Ram Temple issue and noted that the government has not made any efforts towards this in the last four-and-a-half years.

Meenakshi Lekhi of the BJP raised the issue of rape in the country, and said that victims of rape and sexual assault should be treated with sensitivity.

A din then ensued in the Lower House, with "Rafale ghotale ka kya hua (What happened about the Rafale scam)?" being the last slogan heard before Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the House for a short break.

"Every party has their say," she said as Lok Sabha session resumed. "But the Parliament is for discussion, according to the rules."

However, the Opposition parties continued their protests and creating a ruckus in the House, followed by which the session was adjourned until Friday.
The watershed moment was his 40 minute-long pointed speech in Parliament which he capped with a forced hug on a bewildered Modi (July 20)

When after a decade-long demand for him to take over the reins of the party, Rahul Gandhi eventually got elected as the 60th president of the Indian National Congress on December 16, 2017, the BJP was pleased. Its president, Amit Shah, and its spokespersons publicly claimed that Mr Gandhi was an asset to them for ensuring the victory of their party. One year is a long time in politics. After the results of the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, reflecting the mood of the people of these states, the Sangh Parivar might wish to revisit their assessment of the young Congress president and reset their strategy for the 2019 parliamentary elections.

Mr Gandhi has endured harsh criticism, ridicule, unflattering jibes, constant trolling on the social media and disdainful dismissal of his leadership qualities in the last 10 years. He has been called a shehzada who was a reluctant politician, a novice in cut-throat competitive politics, whose party has shrunken beyond recognition and earned the distinction of snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory. He has been riled as a Pappu who cant dance and has been catapulted as the president of the party solely on account his family. The party, which once ruled over the whole country, has been reduced to just one and a half state while he was doing his decade-long apprentice in politics. Though he wasnt the party chief, as its star campaigner he couldnt avoid a major share of responsibility for the defeats of his party in the parliamentary and Assembly elections.

Mr Gandhi carries the burden of resurrecting the 135-year-old, weather-beaten Congress Party whose cadre until the recent elections lacked motivation, enthusiasm and fire within to take the fight to the enemy camp. Over the years, it has become a lumbering, battle-shy, sycophantic, motley crowd of cheerleaders and hangers-on who have lost touch with the masses. He also seems weighed down by the responsibility of carrying forward the legacy of his family, which has given five generations of leaders but whose charisma and appeal has been on the wane.

Besides, in the form of the present Prime Minister, he has a formidable rival. Narendra Modi is a self-made, shrewd, battle-hardened, media and business-savvy successful chief minister who has risen to the top by outwitting and toppling the veterans of his own party and meticulously creating a widely-held perception, presenting a grand national vision with his oratorical and communication skills and announcements of hundreds of policies and public-oriented schemes solidly supported by a well-trained, well-indoctrinated and disciplined ground swell of the RSS cadre. With a slew of tantalising promises and an image of a 24x7 CEO-style Prime Minister bubbling with energy, confidence and ideas, he is able to convince millions of Indians, especially the Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and WhatsApp-hooked youth, that he alone could transform India for the better in the 21st century. He is heads and shoulders above his political rivals in use of the social media; it helps.

On the other hand, prior to December 2017, Mr Gandhis own conduct didnt generate a positive image. He criss-crossed the country to discover India a la his grandfather, slept at Kalavatis place in Amethi with the then British foreign secretary to reach out to dalits (Kalavati didnt vote for his party), disappeared from India for long spells several times leaving his party spokespersons fumble to explain his whereabouts, tore down the ordinance promulgated by his partys government while Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was still abroad, looked nervous and unsure in his interview with Arnab Goswami of Times Now and couldnt read two lines of a Urdu couplet in Parliament without looking at a written piece of paper. Going by his Hamlet-like confusing signals, the media went to the town to pronounce that he wasnt cut out for politics; he wasnt Prime Minister material!

Mr Gandhis trip to Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam (2015) and his successful lecture tour to the prestigious American universities, including the University of California at Berkley, seem to have done him a lot of good. He discovered self-belief that he could take on the seemingly invincible Narendra Modi and defeat him. He seems to have concluded that targeting the Prime Minister directly day after day will give him a new, bold avatar. He has borrowed several tricks of Mr Modi himself. He still rolls up his kurtas sleeves and enacts a Modi keeping his message simple and pointed: Bhaiyya, aapke bank ke khate mein 15 lakh rupaye aaye? Aapko naukari mili? Aapko apni fasal ki sahi keemat mili? Aapka loan maanf hua? Aapko OROP mili? Himself pronouncing a no, he adds: Kyon ki Modiji ke pass aapke liye paisa nahi hai parantu Anil Ambani ke liye hai, Adani ke liye hai! This oversimplified response resonates with millions of disgruntled voters today. After the biting suit-boot ki sarkar jibe, his chaukidar ban gaya chor allegation has rattled the BJP and the government. It dents Mr Modis famous line: Na khaunga na khane doonga. Irrespective of the facts and assertions to the contrary, Mr Gandhi has, emulating late V.P. Singh, uses the Rafale deal to create a perception, at least among the urban population, that daal mei kuch kala hai.

The watershed moment was his 40 minute-long pointed speech in Parliament which he capped with a forced hug on a bewildered Modi (July 20). In the last three months, he has emerged as a feisty, energetic, confident and competitive campaigner who tries to be wherever a problem crops up, flags the local issues and articulates them with empathy, thus connecting with the people which he wasnt able to do in the past. While the disenchantment with the NDA government and the mismatch between Mr Modis tall promises and actual delivery have helped as has the strong anti-incumbency feelings against the three BJP chief ministers, for the first time since Mr Gandhis coronation as president, voters have started looking at the Congress again, though results have been below expectations, as a serious alternative. Mr Gandhi seems to have overcome his personal fears and taken the plunge as a full-time politician, which should augur well for his party. He is using every trick to win support from innumerable visits to temples, to reaching out to jawans, kisans, students, dalits, Muslims and regional politicians. Going by his metamorphosis in just one year, the BJP will be committing a political harakiri by dismissing him as a Pappu. Now Pappu can not only dance, but make others dance too!
Although it was initially believed that selecting the Chhattisgarh chief minister would be a comparatively easy task for the Congress, unlike in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, it seems that it's going to be another tight-rope walk for Rahul Gandhi.

Confusing signals are emerging from Chhattisgarh for the post of chief minister. The Congress has not come up with a clear choice yet, even after the referendum party chief Rahul Gandhi had sought on Wednesday through an app called 'Shakti'. A unique experiment of sorts, more than three lakh party workers, including elected Congress candidates, received a pre-recorded call from Rahul seeking their choice for a chief ministerial candidate for Chhattisgarh.

After hectic parleys at Hotel Babylon in state capital Raipur on Wednesday, two names emerged on the basis of the referendum through 'Shakti' and a meeting of the Congress Legislative Party in the presence of central observer and senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge. According to party sources, between former Leader of Opposition in the Chhattisgarh Assembly TS Singh Deo and Chhattisgarh Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel, the former is the front-runner for the chief minister's post at present. However, the party hasn't announced the name and is waiting for Rahul to take the final call.

"At our end, we conveyed our decision regarding the chief ministerial candidate. Unlike Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, we don't have a national-level leader for the post, so there's no debate over selection. Now the final decision will be made in Delhi by the party president," a Chhattisgarh Congress party source told Firstpost.

Similar to Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, the supporters of the two contenders for the office of the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh have now got into clashes over the issue of "Kaun Banega Mukhyamantri" (who will be the chief minister).

Outside Baghel's house in Raipur, the Chhattisgarh Congress chief's supporters got into a brawl with Deo's backers on Thursday. Even in Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal, supporters of Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia gathered at Indira Bhawan  the Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters  with large cut-outs and posters, shouting slogans in Scindia's favour and demanding his appointment as the chief minister.

Chhattisgarh is the only state among the three that the Congress won where Rahul used the 'Shakti' app to know party workers' choice of chief minister. Project Shakti is an internal digital platform of the party that aims to link all Congress workers countrywide with party president.

So finally, who is likely to be the Chhattisgarh chief minister? Let's look at the choices.

Tribhuvaneshwar Saran Singh Deo, popularly known as "TS Baba" across the state, is the Leader of Opposition in the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly, representing the Ambikapur constituency. A scion of the famous Surguja princely state and son of former chief secretary of undivided Madhya Pradesh MS Singh Deo, the 66-year-old exercises strong influence and popularity in Surguja, which attests to the fact that of the eight Assembly seats in the district, the Congress had won seven in the last election.

Pros: TS Singh Deo is suave and articulate. According to sources, most Chhattisgarh Congress party workers favoured his candidature over Baghel's in both the Shakti referendum and at the Congress Legislative Party meeting. Deo was also the brain behind the Chhattisgarh Congress manifesto, which was considered unique among the five manifestos the party released ahead of the Assembly elections.

"During the making of this manifesto, TS Singh Deo extended his reach to beyond Congress workers. He met every section of the society across the state, discussed issues with them, took their feedback and incorporated them in the manifesto. This exercise helped him get connected with as many voters as possible in Chhattisgarh and made him popular simultaneously. This manifesto, which has been hailed as a unique experiment by Rahul Gandhi, proved to be a game-changer in this election," political commentator Parivesh Mishra told Firstpost.

Con: His business ties with a big business house can prove to be a handicap, as some party workers pointed out. "There can be conflict of interest with our party line," an elected member said on condition of anonymity.

Bhupesh Baghel, an MLA from Patan, was the deputy Leader of Opposition in the Chhattisgarh Assembly. A backward-class leader (Kurmi), the 57-year-old has served as minister in both Digvijaya Singh and Ajit Jogi's cabinets in undivided Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Active in social reform works, Baghel toured Chhattisgarh on foot before the elections and tried to revive the Congress at the organisational level.

Pros: Baghel virtually revived the party and gave shape to a new Congress after becoming Pradesh Congress Committee chief five years ago. He has strong organisational skills and is a more grassroots party worker in comparison. He actively campaigned across Chhattisgarh this election.

Con: According to insiders, Baghel's leadership style is not acceptable to many workers in the faction-ridden party in the state. His name had emerged in the alleged case of sleaze CDs involving a senior minister in the Raman Singh government ahead of the election. A special CBI court had sent him to 14-day judicial custody in the case.

Two other leaders, Tamradhwaj Sahu and Charandas Mahant, who were earlier in the fray for the Chhattisgarh chief minister's chair, are now apparently out of the race.

A 66-year-old Lok Sabha MP from Durg and a leader of the Sahu community, which has a sizeable presence in Chhattisgarh among Other Backward Classes, Sahu is now a fence-sitter. "In case the Congress top leadership disagrees on Deo and Baghel, Sahu may become the chief minister. But the chances are bleak," a party leader said.

While finalising the candidate for the Chhattisgarh chief minister's post, the party leadership also has to consider who can play a pivotal role in maximising the party's tally in Chhattisgarh and mobilise resources in the run-up to the 2019 general elections. Besides, the party also has to fulfil the promises it made to voters in the state ahead of the polls.

Although it was initially believed that selecting the Chhattisgarh chief minister would be a comparatively easy task for the Congress, unlike in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, it seems that it's going to be another tightrope walk for Rahul.
Mayawatis biggest setback has come in Chattisgarh where her gamble tying up with former Congress leader and chief minister Ajit Jogi has spectacularly failed.

The results of Assembly polls in three Hindi heartland states show that BSP supremo Mayawati may have blundered by not allying with the Congress. Had she been more accommodative and pruned her demand for a sizeable chunk of seats the Dalit leader could have claimed much of the credit for the momentous defeat of the mighty BJP in its bastions. A winning alliance in these elections with the Congress even if the BSP got a token number of seats would have given her a huge boost in national politics and considerably improved her negotiating credentials for the best deal possible in a seat-sharing arrangement for the coming Lok Sabha polls in 2019.

Mayawatis biggest setback has come in Chattisgarh where her gamble tying up with former Congress leader and chief minister Ajit Jogi has spectacularly failed. Many political pundits had predicted that this would either facilitate a comfortable BJP victory or lead to a badly Hung Assembly where the third front led by the BSP supremo and Jogi would emerge as the deciding factor. There was even speculation of a Karnataka like scenario where the duo could browbeat either of the two main parties to make Jogi the chief minister.

The comprehensive sweep by the Congress of this backward tribal state has not only crushed the BJP but also rendered the limited number of seats won by the Jogi led front completely inconsequential. The BSPs vote share has actually come down from 4.29 percent in 2013 to 3.9 percent although the party has increased its number of seats from one to two. For the Congress with a phenomenal 68 seats in an Assembly of 90 legislators the Jogi led front with just seven seats or the BJP reduced to a mere 15 seats hardly pose a challenge.

It is now quite clear that in her haste to grab as many seats as possible Mayawati had made a vital mistake in choosing Jogi as a partner. Although the Congress rebel gave her as many as 35 seats he actually triggered off a mass desertion from the BJP to the Congress by backward caste, the largest vote bank, who found the latter suddenly an attractive proposition since Jogi, a scheduled caste leader, was no longer associated with it. Lacking a significant mass base in the state Mayawati remained a helpless spectator as this backward versus scheduled caste power equation played out in favour of the Congress.

The BSP also performed poorly on its own in Madhya Pradesh where its number of seats came down from four in 2013 to two and vote share fell from 6.42 percent five years ago to 5 percent in the recently concluded polls. This underlined the steep decline in support at the ground level for the BSP in the state even in areas adjoining the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh where the party has been traditionally strong. However, there was some good news for Mayawati from Rajasthan where the BSP managed to double its seat tally from three in 2013 to six this time marginally increasing its vote share from 3.48 percent to 4 percent.

Fortunately for the BSP supremo, her political miscalculation may have only slightly dented her prospect for 2019 and not damaged it too much. The narrow victories of the Congress in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have provided her with the opportunity for a fresh post-poll alliance which she has swiftly seized offering support on the plea of keeping out the BJP.

Significantly although the Congress may not technically need the BSPs support it is understood to be keen to include the latter in the new government. So while in Madhya Pradesh all the four independent winning candidates and even a larger number in Rajasthan have already indicated their support for the Congress giving the party a comfortable majority in both states both Sonia and Rahul Gandhi are believed to have instructed the local leadership to try and incorporate the BSP in the ruling alliance as well.

It may be recalled that despite the collapse of a possible alliance between their parties for the state elections both Mayawati and the Gandhis were careful not to allow this to spoil their close personal rapport showcased on the public stage during the swearing-in ceremony of Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy several months ago. In fact, Mayawati while blaming the local Congress leadership in the three Hindi heartland states had kept the door open for a larger alliance with the central leaders for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Ironically the narrow victories of the Congress in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, as well as its dismal loss in Telengana and Mizoram to regional parties, have restrained any over the top exuberance or arrogance in the party leadership. Had the Congress won 5-0 or swept all the Hindi heartland states by comfortable margins this may well have been the case. However senior party leaders, particularly the Gandhis, realise that defeating the Modi juggernaut in 2019 remains a daunting task and would require the Congress to accommodate the aspirations of other regional parties on a pragmatic basis.

As for Mayawati, the setbacks suffered in these elections should be a lesson not to get too ambitious or greedy but systematically work out the best deal possible with the Congress in the run-up to the 2019 elections. She seems to have already worked out a deal with Akhilesh Yadav and possibly Ajit Singh as well to forge a formidable alliance in the politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh. It remains to be seen if she can be generous enough to accommodate a token presence of the Congress in this statewide alliance in return for a similar arrangement in favour of the BSP in key Hindi heartland states.

The BSP chief must remember that her personal brand is much higher than the strength of her party particularly outside Uttar Pradesh. If indeed a new ruling coalition replaces the BJP in New Delhi and she gets a key post, for example, the home ministers post it could be a huge leap forward in her already meteoric career and reverse what many believed was in permanent decline.
Assembly Election Results 2018: There is also no clear trend in the rise of the fortunes of the Congress under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, be it the victories in Punjab and Karnataka, the performance in Gujarat or the wins in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan this week

Rahul Gandhi assumed the vice-presidency of Congress party in January 2013. Since then there have been 39 Assembly elections. Out of which the Congress party has won 8, including the three, whose results were declared earlier this week.

As it is, the figures are not something to be proud of, for a party which is claimed as the grand old party of India and has held power for the maximum number of times.

Four of these nine wins came in the year 2013 itself, the year in which Rahul Gandhi became the second-in-command of Congress.

Between 2013 and 2017, the Congress won only Puducherry in 2016. After that Punjab in March 2017 was the single victory before the recent verdict. The role of the central leadership in the party's victory in Punjab is, as it is, very contestable.

This is in addition to the loss in Lok Sabha Polls in 2014, where the party was reduced to a mere 59 seats.

Instead, the BJP has been on a bull run since 2013. It won four elections in 2013, the year Rahul assumed the office of vice president of the party. Then in 2014, the BJP swept the Lok Sabha polls and won six Assembly elections the same year. In 2017, the BJP again won six Assembly elections.

Since 2013, the other parties have managed to assume power in eight elections. Out of which one in Karnataka is JDS and is in alliance with the Congress.

If these results were to be an indicator of the leadership record of any party, then surely Rahul has still to prove a lot in terms of his political acumen.

Also, the recent results do not form a part of any trend, whatsoever. The Karnataka elections earlier this year, didnt give a clear mandate to the Congress, where it was the ruling party and yet the BJP emerged as the single largest party and came very close to clinching power.

Thus, the Congress, in the time period concerned, was able to reap the benefits of anti-incumbency of another party like in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, and Punjab. In Gujarat too, the Congress was able to grow its vote share and the number of seats. However, the popular vote garnered by the incumbent BJP also increased, even when it lost a few seats, which it had previously held.

Alternatively, the Congress was not able to beat its own incumbency. This was evident in Rajasthan (2013), Delhi (2013), Assam (2016), Maharashtra (2016), Himachal Pradesh (2017), Mizoram (2018), Meghalaya (2018), etc. In all such elections, Congress was the incumbent and was beaten by another party.

It will be correct to read the recent Assembly verdicts in this light.

In Mizoram, Congress was the incumbent and lost the election. Much like the pattern of the partys electoral performances.

In Madhya Pradesh, the Congress did reap the dividend of a three-term incumbency of the BJP but couldnt perform as well as it should have been. The popular vote was still marginally won by the BJP and only with a little luck, the Congress could get more seats than the BJP, as the fight was reduced to few hundred votes in these seats.

Rajasthan, stuck to its traditional formula of changing the incumbent government each time. However, the BJP did manage to retain a lot of popular vote at around 38.8 percent. The Congress is marginally ahead at 39.3 percent. This is in sharp contrast to the verdict in 2013 where the BJP was at 45.17 percent and Congress at 33.07 percent.

Therefore, the current Assembly election has thrown up an unprecedented anti-incumbent blip in Rajasthan in terms of its marginal nature, and the victory of Congress is not anywhere near as decisive as its defeat in 2013.

In Chhattisgarh, again it is safe to say that the Congress cashed in on a 15-year anti-incumbency, where the BJP, even in the last election was just able to pull off a victory from the jaws of defeat.

In Telangana, the Congress has traditionally followed the poorest electoral policy any party could ever follow. The TRS in 2013 reaped off the complete benefits of the creation of the state when actually it was the doing of the Congress at the Centre, and the party was left to dry. There are very few political examples of such electoral embarrassment in the history of Indian politics.

This time too, the alliance with the TDP has proved to be a very bad electoral strategy, when quite evidently the sentiment was too strong in favor of the TRS.

Therefore, it can be conclusively said that the leadership of the Congress in the form of Rahul Gandhi has some hard questions to answer, even in the face of these three electoral victories. There doesnt seem to be any election strategy other than reaping off the anti-incumbency of another party.

There is also no clear trend in the rise of the fortunes of the Congress party. Be it the victories of Punjab and Karnataka, the performance in Gujarat or the three victories this week. To the contrary, they are explainable by the mathematics of incumbency and anti-incumbency.

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The hoardings with 'Yogi Lao Desh Bachao' written on it read 'Jumlebaazi ka naam Modi'on one side and 'Hindutva Ka Brand Yogi' (Yogi is a Hindutva Brand) on the other

Lucknow: A case was registered Wednesday against Uttar Pradesh Nav Nirman Sena, a fringe group batting for Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as the next prime minister, for putting up hoardings in Lucknow terming Prime Minister Narendra Modi as "jumlebaaz".

The hoardings were put up late Tuesday night after the BJP's defeat in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh. They were removed by officials as soon as they came to know about it.

"An FIR has been registered against UP Nav Nirman Sena under various sections of the IPC. We are probing the matter," Additional Superintendent of Police, East, Sarvesh Kumar Mishra told PTI.

The hoardings with "Yogi Lao Desh Bachao" (bring Yogi and save country) written on it read "Jumlebaazi ka naam Modi" (Name of fake promises is Modi) on one side and "Hindutva Ka Brand Yogi" (Yogi is a Hindutva Brand) on the other with #Yogi4PM on the top.

The fringe group's head Amit Jani also released a video in which he praised Yogi and batted for him for the next prime minister.

He said he will hold a "dharam sansad" or religious conclave on 10 February in the city to declare that Hindus will not vote for the BJP if Yogi was not made the prime ministerial candidate.

"Modi did nothing on Ram temple, Article 370 and other issues. Now 'jumla' will not work. Only Yogi is able to run the country and carry forward the Hindutva agenda," he said.

A BJP spokesman dismissed it as an attempt for "cheap publicity". "It's a conspiracy. It's an attempt to get cheap publicity," he said.

Jani had shot into limelight in 2012 when he allegedly damaged a statue of former Chief Minister Mayawati in Lucknow.

Last year, he was arrested for threatening to kill JNU students Kanahiya Kumar and Umar Khalid.
Vijay Mallya's tweet appeared amid the process of picking the chief ministers for Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan delayed infinitely.

Vijay Mallya on Thursday congratulated 'young' Congress leaders Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sachin Pilot on Twitter raising several eyebrows as to why he selected this time to wish the chief minister probables of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Meanwhile, uncertainty continued in the Congress party over the selection of chief minister candidates for Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. In Madhya Pradesh, two names came up: Party's state unit chief Kamal Nath and Scindia. In Rajasthan, the Congress is confused between senior party leader Ashok Gehlot and Pilot.

Mallya, who has been extradited by the Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on Monday, in a surprise offered his many congratulations to young champions Scindia and Pilot and tagged them as well, reported News 18. It led to speculation on whether he was privy to details on who the Congress high command would pick as the chief minister in these two states, the report said.

Mallya's tweet came amid the process of picking the new chief ministers for Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan continued on Thursday despite the Congress returning to power in these two states by defeating the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Earlier, speculations were rife before the Assembly elections and even after that Scindia, who is Lok Sabha member from Guna-Shivpuri, would be made the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh as he was spearheading the poll campaign in the state.

Kamal Nath, who was also leading the election campaign, had also made it clear before the election that he was not in the race for the chief minister's post and his sole purpose was to take the party to victory.

Scindia had in November sought to steer clear of reports about a rift among party leaders for the chief ministerial post and said he was not running for any chair and his sole aim was to ensure that his party formed the government.

Pilot, on the other hand, was expected to become the next chief minister of Rajasthan considering his age factor besides his rising popularity in several surveys though analysts did not rule out the chances of senior party leader Ashok Gehlot too.

Pilot, while clearing the speculations about his chances of becoming the chief minister, had said in October that the party kept a tradition in which, once it won an election, the newly-elected MLAs would meet and elect their leader.

 With inputs from agencies
Reports have said that Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief Kamal Nath is likely to made chief minister.

Even as Congress president Rahul Gandhi said on Thursday that he will announce the name of the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh after consulting his party workers and MLAs, news reports say that the name should be out by Thursday evening.

Reports have also said that while Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief Kamal Nath is likely to be made the chief minister, another popular party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia has said that he would be happy to accept the job of the chief minister.

As the party decides on the appointment of the Madhya Pradesh chief minister, here is a look at the pros and cons of the two contenders for the post:

Kamal Nath

Pros

1. MPCC president

It is natural that the credit for Congress' performance in the Madhya Pradesh polls should mainly go to the party's state unit chief, who is Kamal Nath.

Moreover, news reports are saying that Nath's name has almost been finalised as the chief minister. It is only a matter of time before the official announcement is made.

2. Support of the newly-elected MLAs

According to The Indian Express, a majority of the newly-elected MLAs in Madhya Pradesh prefer Nath over Scindia.

Nath also has the support of senior Congress leaders, like former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh, who had supported his selection as the party's state unit chief.

3. Experience

"An attitude of calling a spade a spade, astute political strategy skills, ability to take risks and loads of experience of handling tricky political situations are expected to help the Gandhi family loyalist bag the coveted prize of Madhya Pradesh CM," said this article in The Economic Times.

News18 further stated that Nath had also held key ministerial portfolios in the past.

Cons

1. The 1984 anti-Sikh riots blot

There is anger from a certain section of people online over the accusations against Nath over the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Is this man that led a mob during 1984 massacre going to be Congress's choice as MP CM?https://t.co/y2q2zfOxrE  Pratik Sinha (@free_thinker) December 12, 2018

Whn Rahul Gandhi appointed 1984 Sikh Massacre Murdrer Kamal nath as incharge of Punjab assembly election, @capt_amarinder protested till his removal. If RaGa still appoint Sikh Murderer Kamalnath as CM, Captain sahab should protest & Resign from Congress  Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga (@TajinderBagga) December 13, 2018

This will undoubtedly prove to be the biggest hurdle for Nath in the race for the post of chief minister.

2. The corporate tag

According to News18, Nath has always been known as a 'corporate man' who could not shed this tag despite his best efforts. Keeping in mind that farmers' discontent played a huge part in the outcome of the Madhya Pradesh polls, this could prove to be a big disadvantage for Nath.

Jyotiraditya Scindia

Pros

1. Mass appeal

The son of the last titular Maharaja of Gwalior and grandson of the last ruling king of Gwalior state before Independence, the greatest advantage which Scindia has is mass appeal.

Congress' performance in Scindia's stronghold is something Scindia himself has talked of when discussing whether he would be willing to take the chief minister's job. "Almost 25 percent of the total votes that the Congress won are from the Gwalior-Chambal region," NDTV quoted Scindia as saying.

2. Age and a proven track record

As Financial Express explains, Scindia has age on his side. This means that he may have control over state affairs for a longer time than Nath.

Moreover, Scindia has an excellent track record. He has been elected to the Lok Sabha four times and had run an aggressive campaign for bypolls in Mungaoli and Kolaras constituencies.

Cons

1. Lack of support from party leadership

Despite his mass appeal, Scindia cannot boast of support from a majority of the senior leadership in Madhya Pradesh Congress and the newly-elected MLAs, who prefer Nath.

Scindia's influence is spread over Gwalior, Guna and Ujjain. But he may not enjoy such massive support from other areas.

2. Noori Khan controversy

In July this year, Scindia had been hit with a controversy when, during a press conference, he had allegedly asked state Congress spokesperson Noori Khan to step down from the stage.

Khan had later said that she as well as her supporters from the community to which she belongs had felt insulted by this incident.
In Madhya Pradesh, women's representation in the Assembly has dropped 33%, but Chhattisgarh is the only bright spot in this context, with 12 women in the 90-member House.

On the eve of the election results from five states, Congress president Rahul Gandhi wrote to Congress/alliance governments in states, urging them to pass a resolution in their next Assembly session on one-third reservation of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and legislative assemblies. However, the party might find it hard to follow its own diktat considering that except for Chhattisgarh, all other states saw a fall in women's representation in the assemblies, and several powerful women leaders and former ministers bit the dust this time around.

In Rajasthan, 189 women candidates contested the elections, including 23 from the BJP and 27 from the Congress; 10 and 11 of them won. There are only 22 women in the Rajasthan Assembly, compared to the 28 in 2013. The BJP had fielded several sitting legislators who retained their seats, like former chief minister Vasundhara Raje, former state minister of women and child development Anita Bhadel, former education minister Kiran Maheshwari and Suryakanta Vyas, among others.

From the Opposition, sitting MLAs Shakuntala Rawat and Zahida Khan retained their seats and discus thrower and Commonwealth Games gold medalist Krishna Poonia clinched the Sadulpur seat. Some of the more unexpected defeats were that of former Union minister in the UPA government Girija Vyas in Udaipur and Krishnendra Kaur (Deepa), who hails from the erstwhile royal family and was the tourism minister in the BJP tenure, in Nadbai constituency.

No woman in Mizoram Assembly

A particularly disappointing case in Rajasthan is that of Congress candidate Shabnam Godara, who contested unsuccessfully for the second time from Sangaria constituency. A former sarpanch who has contested zila panchayat elections and been the party in-charge for her region, Godara is representative of the grassroots women politicians who are unable to replicate their success in the higher rungs of political power. Both times, she was given a Congress ticket from Sangaria on the merit of her good work, like raising the case of polluted canal waters from Punjab at the National Green Tribunal, she said.

Godara doesn't think her losses in the Assembly elections have anything do with the fact that she is a woman. In 2013, it was the BJP wave, and this time, her rival candidate, the saffron party's Gurdeep Singh, has a rather dubious reputation and matching strategies, she said, adding that people voted for him out of fear, and that it did not work that way in panchayats.

"That's my village and they are all my people," she said. Besides, Godara also expected a couple of strong candidates from other parties to eat into her BJP rival's votes, but the promising Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Balvir Singh, for example, was not able to make much of a dent, finishing with just 283 votes.

"It ultimately became a two-person race, which is more difficult to contest," she said.

Godara still believes she put up a good fight; she lost by barely 7,000-odd votes. "The 92,000 votes I got is no small number. And they were all 'clean' votes, for which not one rupee or one bottle of alcohol was distributed," she said, adding that she would contest the elections again for these 92,000 people.

Furthermore, of the 15 women candidates who contested in the Mizoram Assembly elections this time, none were able to secure a seat. Vanlalawmpuii Chawngthu from the Congress, who was the only woman in the state Assembly after winning from the Hrangturzo constituency in the May 2014 bypoll, lost the seat to Lalchamliana from the Mizo National Front (MNF). Chawngthu was the fourth woman ever to have been elected as an MLA in the Mizoram Assembly after Thanmawii in 1978, K Thansiami in 1984 and Lalhlimpuii Hmar in 1987. She was also the second ever woman to be a cabinet minister in the state.

Representation down 33% in Madhya Pradesh

The BJP, which campaigned aggressively to open an account in Mizoram, had nominated six women, the highest among all the political parties in the fray, but it had failed to succeed. The Zoram Peoples' Movement fielded two women, and the Nationalist Congress Party and Congress each fielded one. The rest contested independently. MNF, the party that won the mandate to form the Mizoram government, did not have any women candidates.

In Madhya Pradesh, the Congress fielded 28 women, while the BJP gave tickets to 24 women in the 230-member Assembly, in keeping with the trends from the previous elections. However, in the new Assembly, women's representation has fallen by over 33 percent, as compared to the 30 women who were elected as MLAs in 2013.

"Only 19 women reached the Madhya Pradesh Assembly this time, which will affect issues such as women's empowerment and gender inequality, in the state," said Bhopal-based social activist Rachna Dhingra.

Bhopal, which has seven Assembly constituencies, got its first woman MLA in BJP's Krishna Gaur, the daughter-in-law of former chief minister Babulal Gaur, who won from Govindpura. Another notable woman in the fray was Fatima Rasool Siddiqui, the sole Muslim on BJP's list. The daughter of veteran Congress leader and two-time MLA Rasool Ahmed Siddiqui, she was given a ticket from Bhopal North, a seat that was considered lost for the party. Arif Aqueel, the five-time MLA from the constituency, eventually won the seat for the Congress.

In Telangana, too, the number of women legislators has fallen from nine in 2014 to six this time. This, despite the fact that 136 women contested the polls, as opposed to 85 in 2014.

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) fielded a measly four women, three of whom won, including Telangana's first deputy speaker Padma Devender Reddy. While the Congress and its alliance partners fielded 14 women, only three Congress women eventually made it to the House this time, including former minister in undivided Andhra Pradesh, Sabitha Indra Reddy, and D Anasuya, who defeated a sitting minister from the TRS.

However, many important women leaders were defeated this time around in the pink sweep of the state. These include Konda Surekha, who has been in the Assembly for consecutive terms since 1999; J Gita Reddy, a prominent Congress leader in the south for the All India Professional Congress; Padmavathi Reddy, wife of Telangana Congress president Uttam Kumar Reddy; and DK Aruna, who had represented her constituency the past three terms.

Another celebrity woman candidate, Telugu Desam Party NT Rama Rao's granddaughter Nandamuri Suhasini, also lost in her political debut, despite concentrated campaigning by her uncle and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu.

Third gender candidate threatened

The Bahujan Left Front, which is a coalition of 28 smaller parties led by the CPM, fielded 10 women as well as one transgender candidate, Chandramukhi, from Goshamahal in Hyderabad. A week before the elections, Chandramukhi was reported missing by her team, who feared she had been harmed by rival candidates. She turned up a day later, saying she had been abducted, strapped to a possible explosive and forced to travel across the state in a bid to get her to withdraw her candidature. She refused to do so and was accorded police protection.

Although Chandramukhi lost the elections, the episode highlighted the lack of security for transgender candidates in the political arena even though they are often threatened and ridiculed out of the election fray.

The bright spot among all this gloom for women in politics is Chhattisgarh, which has recorded the highest representation for women in the history of the state. As many as 125 women were in the fray this time, of which 12 candidates made it to the 90-member Assembly, an improvement over the 10 women who won in 2013, 11 in 2008 and five in 2003.

Chhattisgarh Congress sent the maximum number of women to the Assembly, with nine of its women winning their seats. The BJP, BSP and Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC) has one woman legislator each. Notably, Congress leader Shakuntala Sahu, a 27-year-old candidate, defeated Chhattisgarh Assembly speaker Gaurishankar Agrawal in Kasdol constituency by a huge margin of 48,418 votes.

Both the Congress and the BJP had fielded women against their rival star candidates. Against former chief minister and JCC chief Ajit Jogi, the BJP had fielded Archana Porte, while the Congress fielded Atal Bihari Vajpayee's niece Karuna Shukla against former chief minister Raman Singh. Both the women lost.

Women have always been active in politics in Chhattisgarh, led by women from erstwhile royal families during the early days of undivided Madhya Pradesh. Since the first elections in 1951, when Chhattisgarh was part of Central Provinces and Berar and no women were in the fray, till the last elections in 2013 as a new state, 1,037 women fought it out in Assembly elections, of whom 174 succeeded in reaching the Vidhan Sabha.

In undivided Madhya Pradesh, too, most of the women legislators came from regions now in Chhattisgarh. Some constituencies, like Sarangarh, have never had a male MLA since the birth of the state. This time, too, Congress candidate Uttari Ganpat Jaangde won the seat by 52,389 votes.

With inputs from Vandana Agrawal, Ashish Tiwari and Rangoli Agrawal

The authors are freelance writers and members of 101Reporters.com
Reuters

Canada should distance itself from US hegemonism and grant unconditional freedom to Meng Wanzhou, a Chinese executive detained in Vancouver on Washingtons request, the state-owned tabloid Global Times said in a Thursday editorial.

Meng, the chief financial officer of Chinas Huawei Technologies, has been accused by U.S. prosecutors of misleading banks about transactions linked to Iran, putting the banks at risk of violating sanctions.

She was arrested on Dec. 1 and released on bail on Tuesday. She will be set free if the United States fails to submit a formal demand for her extradition within 60 days of her arrest.

Meng has no criminal record anywhere in the world and her arrest violates a U.S.-Canada extradition agreement, the Global Times said, adding that Canada could end the crisis immediately by freeing Meng unconditionally, rather than acting as the 51st state of the United States.

Canada should distance itself from U.S. hegemonism and fulfill its obligations to help maintain international order and protect human rights, it said.

Authorities in China are holding former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig on suspicion of engaging in activities that harm Chinas national security. He was detained on Monday.

The Global Times said there was no evidence that the arrest of Kovrig was in any way connected to the case, but said the assumption is because Canada has gone too far and people naturally believe China will retaliate.

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland warned the United States on Wednesday not to politicize extradition cases, a day after President Trump said he would intervene in the case if it served national security interests.

In another editorial on Thursday, the official China Daily newspaper accused the United States of manufacturing the diplomatic incident in order to serve political ends.

Washington is mistaken if it thinks it can take Meng hostage and ransom her for concessions in the upcoming trade talks, it said.
tech2 News Staff

In a doodle spread out in seven images, Google today is tracking the Phaethon asteroid, which brings the famous Geminid meteor shower to Earth each December. And with each passing year since the mid-1800s, the proliferation of yellowish streaks of light in the night-time sky has grown more intense.

This year, the Geminid Meteor Shower 2018 (which has turned somewhat into an event worldwide) is expected to sparkle the Earth's sky tonight, that is 13 December, at 9 pm IST. The shower, however, will peak after midnight with as many as 120 meteors per hour. There will be no need for a telescope or binoculars, the meteor shower will be visible pretty well with the naked eye.

However, for optimal viewing conditions, get as far away from city lights as possible, face South, and enjoy one of the greatest shows on earth.

The source of the meteor shower is the Phaethon asteroid, which may have crashed with another flying object, but theres little danger of any Geminids landing on earth as it normally disintegrates in the earths atmosphere.

But how does this meteor shower really happen? Google explains in its blog saying, " As Phaethons orbit leads it near the sun, the extreme heat causes it to fracture and leaves a trail of debris in its orbital path. Every December, Earths orbit leads us through the trail of 3200 Phaethon and its debris crashes into our atmosphere at 79,000 miles (127,000 km) per hour. Once through the Earths atmosphere, the Geminids radiant (or where it appears to originate) is the constellation Geminifrom which the meteor shower gets its name."
tech2 News Staff

Google is now introducing an option to make donations through the Play Store.

Google announced in a recent blog that this feature is currently being rolled out to Play Store users only in the US, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Great Britain, France, Spain, Italy, Taiwan and Indonesia. Users in these regions will start to see this feature over the next few days.

Google has set up a dedicated landing page for the feature, where you can donate to a bunch of non-profit organisations. For users in India, sadly, the feature isn't available yet.

Google has currently partnered with ten organisations to begin with. These include the American Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders USA, Girls Who Code, UNICEF, World Food Program USA, and Save the Children. Google plans to add more organisations to this list in the future and make the feature available to users in more countries.

If you are in any of the countries mentioned above, you can head here on your Android phone, and choose any organisation to learn more about them and donate to support its work. Google said that it wont take any cut from the payments, which means 100 percent of your donations will go to the charity of your choice.

Were inspired by the many ways that the Play community shares resources, supports each other and creates positive change. We hope this update offers a way to help other communities outside of our own in need, Maxim Mai, Business Development Manager, Google Play wrote in the blog.
Kaspersky Lab investigated Dark Web markets to find out how much personal data is worth.

Data stolen due to peoples lax security may have limited resale value, but can be put to many uses.

While many of us have heard of, or even fallen victim to, cybercrimes such as data and identity theft, it seems that relatively few know the value of the information stolen from us. A new study from Kaspersky Lab has revealed that while our identity may not be worth a lot in terms of dollars, it is a significant asset to criminals in other ways. The research uncovered an appetite among cybercriminals for data stolen from popular services - including via social media accounts and remote access to gaming websites. User confusion about what their data is worth could result in a haphazard approach to security, making it all too easy for thieves to steal data and commit crime.

Data stolen due to peoples lax security may have limited resale value, but can be put to many uses. This can cause huge problems for an individual victim, who may lose money and their reputation, find themselves being chased for debt that somebody else has incurred in their name, or even suspected of a crime that somebody else has committed using their identity as a cover.

Kaspersky Lab investigated Dark Web markets to find out how much personal data is worth, and how it is used by criminals. The companys researchers found that criminals can sell someones complete digital life for less than $50; including data from stolen social media accounts, banking details, remote access to servers or desktops, and even data from popular services like Uber, Netflix, and Spotify, as well as gaming websites, dating apps, and porn websites which might store credit card information. Meanwhile, researchers found that the price paid for a single hacked account is lower, with most selling for about $1 per account, and with criminals offering up discounts for bulk-buying.

The most common way criminals steal this sort of data in the first place is via spear phishing campaigns or by exploiting a web related security vulnerability in an application's software. After a successful attack, the criminal gets password dumps which contain a combination of emails and passwords for the hacked services. And, with many people using the same password for several accounts, attackers might be able to use this information to access accounts on other platforms too.

Interestingly, some criminals selling data even provide their buyers with a lifetime warranty, so if one account stops working, the buyer will receive a new account for free.

As David Jacoby, Senior Security Researcher at Kaspersky Lab, puts it, It is clear that data hacking is a major threat to us all, and this applies at both an individual and societal level, because stolen data funds many social evils. Fortunately, there are steps we can take to prevent it, including by using cybersecurity software, and being aware of how much data we are giving away for free  particularly on publicly available social media profiles, or to organizations.

People can avoid such risks by taking several easy security steps, which should become an integral part of any Internet users digital life:

-To stay safe from phishing, always check that the link address and the senders email are genuine before clicking anything. A robust security solution will also warn you if you attempt to visit a phishing web page.

-To avoid one data leak harming all your digital identities, never use the same password for several websites or services. To create strong, hack-proof passwords and remove the struggle of remembering them, use a specific password manager application, such as Kaspersky Password Manager.

-To find out who has your personal data, use services such as PrivacyAudit.me that automatically search for a users data across a large number of sources (The Beta version is available in the UK, with a wider roll out planned for 2019).
tech2 News Staff

Intel said on 12 December that it has developed a way to stack its computing circuits on top of one another in a bid to regain the lead in chip manufacturing technology that it has lost to rivals like Taiwan Semiconductor in recent years.

Intel, the worlds biggest maker of computing chips for personal computers and data centres, for decades followed Moores law, named for company co-founder Gordon Moore, by doubling the number of transistors on a chip every two years, thus roughly doubling their performance.

But as those transistors have shrunk to just a few nanometers apart, the company has fallen years behind schedule on its own plans. The company said in July that chips featuring its newest 10-nanometer manufacturing technology will not arrive until the holiday shopping season of 2019.

In the meantime, most of Intels biggest rivals such as Nvidia and Qualcomm long ago quit manufacturing chips and outsourced the work to firms like TSMC. The Taiwanese firm rolled out its newest generation of chipmaking technology this year and snatched away the companys title of making the tiniest chips.

Intel Foveros: What is it?

But Intel said it now has the technology to stack computing circuits on top of each other and wire them together with speedy connections, enabling it to pack more onto a single chip. Stacking has been used in memory chips before, with AMD's High Bandwidth Memory, but Intel would be the first company to successfully stack the so-called logic chips that handle computing tasks, Raja Koduri, Intels chief of chip architecture, told Reuters in an interview.

Weve been working on this packaging technology for nearly 20 years, Koduri said. Theres some real physics problems to solve in stacking logic on logic.

The stacking technology will be available in the second half of next year, Intel said. It will also let Intel break up its chip designs into smaller units called chiplets so that, for example, memory and computing chips can be stacked in different combinations.

The manufacturing technology, called Foveros, is expected to help Intel boost the performance of chips from processors to those used specifically for artificial intelligence (AI) tasks. In a way, Foveros helps Intel find a way around Moore's Law, which has been reaching its limits over the years. Intel rival TSMC has already moved on to the 7 nm manufacturing process and we are already seeing chipsets based on the 7 nm designs making their way into smartphones.

According to Intel, new insulation materials which dissipate heat faster and new power-delivery processes have helped it overcome the limitations that one would generally face when stacking processor cores on top of each other. Foveros tech not only helps boost processing power on chipsets but is also expected to make it easier to change transistors for specific use cases.

According to a report in Ars Technica, the first Foveros-based products would comprise a chip built on a 10nm process stacked atop a base die using Intel's 22FFL (FinFET low power) process. The 10nm part will house the high power Sunny Cove core and four low power Atom cores  analogous to the big.LITTLE architecture we see on ARM processors where a set of processors perform high-end tasks and another set performs low power tasks. This chip is expected to be targetted at ultra-mobile systems which the processor measuring 12 x 12 x 1 mm and with a standby power of 2mW

Intel Foveros: Challenges

The major challenge with making vertically stacked processor core sporting chips would be to manufacture them at scale and across power profiles. According to chip industry analyst Linley Gwennap, this approach should work well for low-power processors, but he's sceptical that this process would work for high-power chips for desktops and server processors.

Koduri said that will let Intel meet changing customer needs instead of selling monolithic chips.

But Jack Gold, an analyst with J Gold Associates, said the technology will also help Intel move faster against rivals like Advanced Micro Devices which are using TSMCs technology.

While computing chips get a speed boost after being shrunk, many other kinds of chips do not and can work well when made with older technology. Intel will be able to use those old elements with its newest computing circuits without having to redesign them, Gold said.

Theyre going to be able to stack new chips and old chips together to get to market faster, he said.

With inputs from Reuters
Indo-Asian News Service

Microsoft is working to introduce a consumer version of its Microsoft 365 bundle that would be the consumer-focused complement to its existing Microsoft 365 subscription bundle for business users.

Microsoft's 365 plan for businesses currently includes bundles for Windows 10, Office 365, and Azure for some plans. A job listing spotted by a Microsoft watcher named Mary Jo Foley confirmed the existence of a Microsoft 365 Consumer Subscription.

"One job posting for a Product Manager for the 'M365 Consumer Subscription' notes: The Subscription Product Marketing team is a new team being created to build and scale the Microsoft 365 Consumer Subscription," ZDNet reported on Wednesday.

The job post notes that the team behind Microsoft 365 Consumer oversees the Windows platform, the Microsoft Surface device portfolio, Office 365 consumer plans, Skype, Cortana, Bing search, as well as the Microsoft Education team, the report added.

Currently, the series of available Microsoft 365 bundles include Microsoft 365 Enterprise, Microsoft 365 Business, Microsoft 365 F1 for firstline workers, Microsoft 365 Education, Microsoft 365 Government and Microsoft 365 Nonprofit.
tech2 News Staff

Recently WhatsApp chief wrote to the Reserve Bank of India, seeking a formal nod to expand payments services to all its 200 million users in India.

The Reserve Bank of India has now reached out for opinion to the government and the National Payments Corporation of India (NCPI) on concerns which were raised by in the letter by WhatsApp chief Chris Daniels' questioning the delay in approving its payments business in India.

WhatsApp is currently piloting WhatsApp payments and is waiting for a formal approval to be granted.

According to a report by the Economic Times, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology confirmed that they had received a letter from the RBI.

MeitY has questioned whether WhatsApps payment service complies with the central banks stipulation to store data exclusively within the country. It is also worried that the messaging service does not have two-factor authentication.

NCPI, on the other hand, is waiting that WhatsApp be fully compliant with data localisation rules in the country.

The development comes at a time when competitors such as Google have forged ahead with their payments offerings.

The Facebook-owned company has also demanded a "level playing field" for all companies that offer payment services, including "a certain and transparent regulatory and operating environment".

WhatsApp's ambitious payment services' blueprint has been caught in a bind, over concerns around authentication and its data storage practices.

WhatsApp has been under tremendous pressure to put in place a mechanism to curb fake news on its messaging platform that incited mob fury in India.
Press Trust of India

Telecom tribunal TDSAT on Thursday set aside sector regulator TRAI's rule on predatory pricing for lack of transparency in the guidelines over determining market share and rates of services.

The move comes as a major relief to Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular (Now Vodafone-Idea Ltd) which had in March challenged the amendment made by TRAI in the Telecommunication Tariff order.

"The impugned tariff amendment order is set aside in so far as it changes the concept of SMP (significant market player), non-predation and the related provisions," TDSAT Bench comprising Justice SK Singh and member AK Bhargava said in an order dated 13 December 2018.

Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) ordered TRAI to rework the predatory pricing rule within six months.

TDSAT further held that segmented offers and discounts offered in the ordinary course of business to existing customers without any discrimination within the targeted segment do not amount to a tariff plan and therefore "need no reporting in the manner prescribed for regular tariff plans".

Moreover, instead of reporting of all such discounted offers not falling within the cap of 25 tariff plans, Trai may call for details of any segmented offer about which it may receive specific complaints.

In February 2018, Trai said it will impose financial disincentive of up to Rs 50 lakh per circle on operators if their service rates are found to be predatory in nature.

The amendment was issued after old telecom operators Airtel, Vodafone and Idea alleged that Reliance Jio is offering services at predatory rates. TRAI's rule considered a tariff predatory if in a "relevant market" a telecom operator with over 30 percent market share offers services at a price which is below the average "variable cost", with a view to reduce competition or eliminate the competitors.

Trai will arrive at "variable cost" after deducting fixed cost and share of fixed overheads borne by the company from total cost incurred by it for running a business during the period under review.

The regulator has also said that telcos will have to provide services to all subscribers availing the same tariff plan in a non-discriminatory manner.

"Since we have found that there was lack of required transparency in arriving at the concept of SMP, non-predation and average variable cost, it is not necessary to discuss other issues raised by the appellants and noted earlier," the order said.

It said that since concept of predation under the competition laws requires consideration of many issues based on enquiry report and evidence, it would not be proper to adopt a definition which provides "artificial protection to a telecom service provider who may have the capability and intent to destabilise the sector through predatory pricing before it attains the defined status of SMP."

TDSAT order said that powers and jurisdiction of a statutory authority like the Competition Commission should not be blocked or abridged by issuing order or directions like those impugned which do not have the flavour of a subordinate legislation such as regulations.

Telecom operators industry body COAI has indicated that the regulation favoured Reliance Jio and that the order has distorted the market, placing all other operators at a "serious disadvantage".

Both Trai and Reliance Jio had rejected the allegation.
Reuters

The US International Trade Commission (ITC) said on Wednesday it would review a ruling that a ban on imports of some iPhones into the United States was not in the public interest, even if Apple Inc infringed a Qualcomm patent.

Apple and Qualcomm are locked in a wide-ranging legal dispute in which Apple has accused Qualcomm of unfair patent licensing practices. Qualcomm has in turn accused Apple of patent infringement.

Qualcomm initiated the ITC case against Apple in July 2017, alleging that iPhones containing Intel chips infringed six patents describing technology that helps smartphones perform well without draining the battery.

Qualcomm did not allege that Intel chips violate its patents, but that the way Apple implemented them in the iPhone does. It later dropped three of the six patents from the case.

Administrative law judge Thomas Pender, a now-retired member of the ITC tribunal that hears patent infringement cases, ruled in September that Apple infringed one of the patents, but cleared the company of infringing the other two.

Pender recommended the agency not grant Qualcomm the relief the San Diego, California-based chipmaker had sought, saying it was not in the U.S. interest.

The ITC said on Wednesday it would review whether the one patent was indeed infringed and also whether it was right to not grant Qualcomm relief. Penders decision on the other two patents would not be reviewed, it said.

The agency would also consider how long it would take Apple to design around Qualcomms patented battery-saving technology, what national security concerns would be implicated by an sales ban and whether a limited import ban could be adopted, it said.

We are pleased that the Commission is going to review the Administrative Law Judges recommendation that no ITC remedy should result from a finding of infringement, Don Rosenberg, Qualcomms executive vice president and general counsel, said in a statement after the announcement.

Apple declined to comment. A final ruling is due before February 19, the ITC said.
IANS

As the crucial multilateral climate negotiations by 197 nations draw closer to a finale with the possibility of "weak" outcomes, UN chief Antonio Guterres on Wednesday flew back here in an attempt to convince participating countries for evolving a consensus on the Paris rulebook.

While Guterres will have no direct role in the negotiations, his presence was expected to help nudge the talks towards a positive conclusion, say negotiators.

"Returning to Katowice, I see that despite some progress in the negotiating texts much remains to be done," he said in his address at the closing of the high-level segment of the Talanoa Dialogue.

The Talanoa Dialogue was mandated by the parties to the UN Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) to take stock of the collective global efforts to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases, in line with the goals of the Paris agreement.

Calling for the political will to move forward, Guterres said, "Failing here would send a disastrous message to those who stand ready to shift to a green economy."

A day earlier, amid the presence of 100 ministers in Katowice to provide political guidance, UN's climate chief Patricia Espinosa made passionate pleas to governments to finish the work they set for themselves and conclude the summit with an effective outcome.

The main objective of the 24th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, known as COP24, is to finalise the implementation guidelines of the landmark 2015 Paris agreement on climate change in a rulebook named the Paris rulebook.

Making a compassionate speech, Guterres said that "the (COP) Presidency presented a new basis for negotiations... the key political issues remain unresolved. This is not surprising... but we are running out of time".

Climate negotiators told IANS that the UN Secretary-General plea came in the wake of sharp differences between the rich and poor countries over climate finance, transfer of technology, capacity building and mitigation.

"The developed countries have effectively taken a stand that the differentiation between the developed and developing countries can no longer be operationalised in the Paris rulebook," one negotiator said, adding levels of transparency also remain an issue.

With 2018 chosen by the parties themselves as the deadline for the adoption of implementation guidelines or a "work programme" to move forward with, the 197 parties of the UN Climate Chance Convention were gathered to agree on how they will achieve the Paris commitments collectively, build trust between nations and bring the 2015 agreement to life.

Guterres said, "We need to accelerate efforts to reach consensus if we want to follow-up on the commitments made in Paris. The Katowice package needs to deliver the Paris agreement work programme, progress on finance and a strong and solid basis for the revision of National Determined Contributions under the Talanoa Dialogue."

On provision of finance, he said, "Developed countries must scale up their contributions to jointly mobilise $100 billion annually by 2020. And we need to strengthen the Green Climate Fund."

Last week, the four big oil and gas producers  the US, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kuwait  faced off against every other country who wanted to formally "welcome" in the UN text the landmark 1.5 degrees Celsius IPCC report that focussed on urgency and also scaled up ambition by the world.

The US stood alone among the world's countries in refusing to endorse the findings of the report.

India-based independent public research and advocacy think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Tuesday said, "It is clear now that the talks are progressing towards a weak outcome".

Deputy Director General Chandra Bhushan of the CSE, one of the observers, told IANS that it was better to have no rulebook for the Paris agreement than a weak and incomplete rulebook.
Arriving at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, May said: 'I think it is right that another party leader takes us into that general election.'

London: British Prime Minister Theresa May has confirmed that she will step down before the country holds its next scheduled national election in 2022.

Arriving at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, May said: "I think it is right that another party leader takes us into that general election."

Late Wednesday, May survived a no-confidence vote among her Conservative Party lawmakers, triggered by unhappiness in the party at the way she is handling Brexit.

She secured victory by 200 votes to 117 after telling lawmakers at a private meeting that she would hand over power to another Conservative leader before the next election.

But May has not said what she will do if, as many expect, Britain faces an early national election triggered by divisions over Brexit.

British lawmakers won't be voting next week on Theresa May's deal with the European Union for leaving the bloc.

The leader of the House of Commons, Andrea Leadsom, published a list of government business for next week  and there was no mention of the so-called meaningful vote on the Brexit bill.

Earlier this week, May postponed the vote on the deal after realizing she was heading for a heavy defeat. The vote is now likely to be held next year, when Parliament returns from its Christmas break.

Britain is due to leave the EU on 29 March.

The German parliament has approved a motion stating that the Brexit deal can't be renegotiated, underlining the stance of the government and European Union allies.

The largely symbolic motion was approved hours before Chancellor Angela Merkel and the other 27 EU leaders gather in Brussels.
By Nichola Saminather and David Ljunggren TORONTO/OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian ex-diplomat Michael Kovrig, who was detained in Beijing earlier this week, is a fluent Mandarin speaker with a great love of China who has travelled to some of the most sensitive parts of the Asian country, people who have worked with him said. Kovrig is one of two Canadians being investigated on suspicion of harming China's security

By Nichola Saminather and David Ljunggren

TORONTO/OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian ex-diplomat Michael Kovrig, who was detained in Beijing earlier this week, is a fluent Mandarin speaker with a great love of China who has travelled to some of the most sensitive parts of the Asian country, people who have worked with him said.

Kovrig is one of two Canadians being investigated on suspicion of harming China's security. They were picked up shortly after Canada arrested a senior Chinese executive at the request of the United States.

Stationed at the Canadian embassy in Beijing from 2014 to 2016, Kovrig served under former ambassador Guy Saint-Jacques, who described him as an excellent political officer.

Kovrig has visited the western Xinjiang region, site of mass detentions and strict surveillance of the ethnic Uighur minority and other Muslim groups, and dealt with other sensitive issues, said Saint-Jacques.

"When you meet with dissidents, you get the attention of the Chinese security establishment," he told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

At the end of his two-year posting, Kovrig told the envoy he wanted to stay on because "he loves China so much." He joined the Hong Kong-based International Crisis Group, a think tank focused on conflict resolution.

"He really is passionate about China, its language and its culture," said Karim Lebhour, head of ICG's North American communications in Washington, who said he had met Kovrig a few months ago. "He struck me as very professional, very easy to engage with and a brilliant foreign policy mind."

One area Kovrig focused on was North Korea, where Michael Spavor - the other detained Canadian - was also active.

Kovrig is still technically employed by the Canadian foreign affairs department but because he took a leave of absence, he does not have diplomatic immunity.

"The fact that Mr. Kovrig is an employee of my department means a lot of us know him and that adds another layer to the concern," Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters on Wednesday.

Joanna Chiu, a reporter for the Toronto Star, wrote in the paper on Tuesday that she had met and befriended Kovrig while she was working in Beijing four years ago.

"Michael is emotionally very open. Many in his social circle knew that he struggled with his decision to take a leave of absence from work as a diplomat in 2016," she wrote.

"He chose to do so because he didn't want another posting somewhere else. He wanted to stay in China and keep learning more about the country."

Kovrig's most recent social media post was on Sunday. His family heard about his detention on Tuesday morning, his cousin Kate Kovrig said in a message on LinkedIn on Tuesday.

Kovrig began his diplomatic career in 2014 as the first secretary and vice-consul at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, following two years of Mandarin training, his LinkedIn profile showed.

Most of his Twitter posts are China-related, including several on Canada's arrest of Huawei's chief financial officer. Retweeting an FT opinion piece last week arguing that Huawei should be kept out of Britain's 5G networks for security reasons, he commented: "Sensible cautionary advice on Huawei."

(Reporting by David Ljunggren, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
The US, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Russia tried to downplay the landmark IPCC report

The world's biggest carbon emitter could have not found a more ironic location to promote coal. The US delegation held an event on the sidelines of the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP24) on Monday, which had speakers from coal and nuclear companies. This immediately drew criticism from several quarters, including activists, researchers, and United Nations officials.

A statement from the US state department said the event will "showcase ways to use fossil fuels as cleanly and efficiently as possible, as well as the use of emission-free nuclear energy". A few minutes in, over 100 indigenous youth and community leaders started chanting keep it in the ground", and blocked the panel from view.

Several researchers, civil society organisations and UN officials expressed their displeasure over the US trying to promote coal in an era of renewable energy. After refusing to believe its own scientific report on climate change, the Donald Trump administration continues to promote coal power at the UN climate summit. Whats next: ignoring all the science about tobacco and promoting it at a global cancer conference? asked UN Special Envoy for Climate Action Michael Bloomberg.

The anger at USs refusal to take a strong stance in fighting climate change worsened after its delegates at the COP24 refused to welcome the landmark Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on the importance of preventing the global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees centigrade. On Saturday, the US along with Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Russia tried to downplay the landmark IPCC report by suggesting that it would only be 'noted' and not 'welcomed' by the delegates at the COP24. To get consensus from all the delegates, especially with the wording acceptable to all countries, is a long and painful process.

The report was commissioned by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and was released in October. The report, while giving hope that it is still possible for the world to keep the temperature rise at 1.5 degrees centigrade, called for immediate action within the next decade. It gave the world 12 years to achieve this target to escape the catastrophic effects of climate change.

IPCC head of communications Jonathan Lynn maintained that his organisation was a scientific body, and not a political one. The report takes in to account the current realities of countries and the scientific literature that is available. Governments were given every opportunity to point out things that are missing for authors to look at, he said.

On Monday, the Union of Concerned Scientists responded to Trumps delegation at press conference at the COP24. We cannot blame the delegates. The problem starts right from the top. The president does not even acknowledge the findings of his own scientists, said Alden Meyer from the union.

Along with Australia, Indias silence on the recent developments was noted by many countries. Australias silence in the face of this attack shocked many countries and is widely seen as de facto support for the US, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kuwaits refusal to welcome the IPCC report, said the Climate Analytics managing director and a lead author of previous IPCC reports Dr Bill Hare, reported Guardian Australia.

Meyer expressed his concern over Indias silence. We certainly hope that India will speak out on this issue and will let the COP president know they want stronger language about the IPCC report and that they will also be supportive of strategies to help countries ramp up their domestic actions so that we avoid the worst impacts of climate change, he said.

Anand Kumar, secretary at the Union ministry of renewable energy, who is part of the Indian delegation at the COP, refused to comment. Another official speaking on the condition of anonymity said Indias stance on the IPCC report was in sync with like-minded developing countries (LMDCs). The LMDCs will ask developed countries as to how would they sync their pre-2020 actions in the context of the latest IPCC report, said Indias key climate negotiator Ravi Shankar Prasad, The Times of India reported in November.

Commenting on the US delegation side event promoting coal at COP24 on Monday, Joanna Flisowska from Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe said: By claiming that there is no conflict between burning coal and fighting climate change, the US delegation is swimming against the tide on coal. The time for coal is over. The majority of EU countries are either already coal-free or have coal phase-out dates set for 2030 the latest, others are discussing the coal phase-out date. Air pollution, climate change policies and rapidly falling renewables costs are pushing coal-fired power plants to the brink.

This story was supported by the 2018 Climate Change Media Partnership, a collaboration between Internews Earth Journalism Network and the Stanley Foundation.
It is a combination of 10GB RAM, 256GB storage and OnePlus new charging technology, WARP Charge 30.

At the OnePlus 5th Anniversary Celebration: Salute to Speed community event in Mumbai, OnePlus unveiled the new OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition. The McLaren Edition would retail at Rs 50,999 and would be OnePlus fastest handset yet with a combination of 10GB RAM, 256GB storage and OnePlus new charging technology, WARP Charge 30.

The McLaren edition is a combination of speed, technology, and beauty. The rear cover of the McLaren Edition will feature a U-shaped papaya orange design, a signature McLaren color inspired by the speed of light. The same 3700mAh battery that powers the OnePlus 6T is now topped with a new addition: Warp Charge 30. With Warp Charge 30, the handset will not slow down in charging while being used simultaneously, and can provide users with a full days charge in just 20 minutes. In addition, the device boasts a 10GB of RAM, making OnePlus the first company to release a global flagship smartphone with such a huge amount of memory on a smartphone.

The OnePlus 6T McLaren will be exclusively sold in a special sale on 13 December at the OnePlus Experience Store in Connaught Place, New Delhi. Open sale of the new device begins on 15 December, 2018. The device will be available for purchase online on Amazon.in and oneplus.in.

On occasion of the 5th anniversary celebrations, customers will be able to avail several offers between 15 to 24 December on the newly launched phone and OnePlus 6T variants. Rs 2,000 cashback on all EMI transactions on Axis Bank cards or Rs 1,500 cashback on all transactions made using Axis Bank credit or debit cards across all offline and online platforms. Upto 6 months no-cost EMI on Amazon.in, oneplus.in and all OnePlus exclusive offline stores. Additional Rs 3,000 off on exchange of any old OnePlus handset and Rs 2,000 off on exchange of other devices on Amazon.in, oneplus.in and all OnePlus exclusive offline stores.
(Reuters) - (The story corrects first name to Nelson, not Nestor, in paragraph 1) Venezuela's former oil minister, Nelson Martinez, who was arrested in 2017 as part of a sweeping graft probe, has died, three people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. Martinez, a chemist who also ran state oil company PDVSA, had been transferred to a military hospital from prison because of kidney problems, according to two of the sources. He was jailed after the country's top prosecutor said he allowed a poor refinancing deal for Venezuela's Citgo Petroleum Corp, a U.S.-based refiner he also used to lead, to go ahead without government approval

(Reuters) - (The story corrects first name to Nelson, not Nestor, in paragraph 1)

Venezuela's former oil minister, Nelson Martinez, who was arrested in 2017 as part of a sweeping graft probe, has died, three people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

Martinez, a chemist who also ran state oil company PDVSA, had been transferred to a military hospital from prison because of kidney problems, according to two of the sources.

He was jailed after the country's top prosecutor said he allowed a poor refinancing deal for Venezuela's Citgo Petroleum Corp, a U.S.-based refiner he also used to lead, to go ahead without government approval.

Neither the Information Ministry nor PDVSA responded to emails seeking comment.

(Reporting by Deisy Buitrago, Alexandra Ulmer and Marianna Parraga; Writing by Luc Cohen and Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Sandra Maler and Peter Cooney)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a rare break with President Donald Trump, the Senate voted on Wednesday to move ahead with a resolution to end U.S. military support for the Saudi Arabian-led coalition in the war in Yemen and lawmakers vowed to push for sanctions against the kingdom in the new year. Eleven of Trump's fellow Republicans joined Democrats to provide the 60 votes needed to advance the war powers resolution in the Republican-led chamber

By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a rare break with President Donald Trump, the Senate voted on Wednesday to move ahead with a resolution to end U.S. military support for the Saudi Arabian-led coalition in the war in Yemen and lawmakers vowed to push for sanctions against the kingdom in the new year.

Eleven of Trump's fellow Republicans joined Democrats to provide the 60 votes needed to advance the war powers resolution in the Republican-led chamber. The vote paved the way for debate and a vote on U.S. involvement in a conflict that has led to the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians, many of them young children and left millions more at risk of starvation and death by disease.

The nearly unprecedented break the 11 Republicans made from Trump was largely symbolic because the House of Representatives is not expected to take the matter up this year. Trump has threatened a veto.

But backers of the resolution said it sent an important message that lawmakers are unhappy with the humanitarian disaster in Yemen, and angry about the lack of a strong U.S. response to the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers also vowed to keep pushing after the new Congress take office in January for further tough action against Saudi Arabia, including legislation to impose human rights sanctions and opposition to weapons sales.

"If you want to buy our weapons, there are certain things you have to accept. How you use them matters," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told a news conference.

"The individual, the crown prince, is so toxic, so tainted, so flawed, that I can't ever see myself doing business with Saudi Arabia unless there's a change there," said Graham, generally a close Trump ally in the Senate.

Republicans will hold a slightly larger majority in the new Senate, but Democrats will take control of the House of Representatives, increasing the chances of sanctions legislation passing.

The Trump administration had urged Congress not to oppose U.S. fuelling, targeting help and other support for the Saudi-led coalition as it battles the Houthis, Shi'ite Muslim fighters viewed by Yemen's neighbours as agents of Iran.

Earlier on Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended the administration's handling of Khashoggi's killing.

Pompeo repeated his assertion there was no direct evidence linking Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the Oct. 2 killing of Khashoggi in Istanbul, despite a CIA assessment it was likely he ordered the killing.

Riyadh initially denied knowledge of Khashoggis disappearance, then offered contradictory explanations, including that he was killed in a rogue operation.

TRUMP STANDS BY CROWN PRINCE

Trump condemned the murder but has stood by the Saudi crown prince. "He's the leader of Saudi Arabia. They've been a very good ally," Trump told Reuters on Tuesday in an Oval Office interview.

Central Intelligence Agency Director Gina Haspel briefed leaders of the House of Representatives behind closed doors about the killing. After the classified meeting, House members said they had not heard anything to change their minds about Khashoggi's death.

Democratic Representative Eliot Engel, likely the next chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee when Democrats take control of the House in January, said he intended to hold hearings starting early next year on all aspects of Saudi behaviour and the U.S.-Saudi relationship.

"Saudi Arabia's an important ... partner, but I don't think we can simply look the other way when things happen and talk about business as usual," Engel said.

Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who held a separate briefing for the entire Senate, are due to discuss Saudi Arabia with the entire House on Thursday.

But several lawmakers have urged that Congress keep the Yemen conflict separate from anger over the killing of Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist.

They view Saudi Arabia as an essential counterweight in the Middle East to Iran, arch-enemy of close U.S. ally Israel. White House officials see Saudi support as a linchpin for an Israeli-Palestinian peace plan yet to be unveiled by the Trump administration.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters on Wednesday in Jerusalem that Saudi Arabia's role in the Middle East must be taken into account in responding to Khashoggi's "horrific" fate.

"If Saudi Arabia were to be destabilized, the world would be destabilized," Netanyahu told foreign reporters, speaking in English.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu in Washington and Dan Williams in Jerusalem; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Peter Cooney and Lisa Shumaker)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a rare break with President Donald Trump, the U.S. Senate voted on Wednesday to move ahead with a resolution that would end U.S. military support for the Saudi Arabian-led coalition in the war in Yemen.

By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a rare break with President Donald Trump, the U.S. Senate voted on Wednesday to move ahead with a resolution that would end U.S. military support for the Saudi Arabian-led coalition in the war in Yemen.

Eleven of Trump's fellow Republicans voted with Democrats to provide the 60 votes needed to move ahead with the war powers resolution.

The vote was largely symbolic because the House of Representatives is not expected to take the matter up this year, and Trump has threatened a veto. But backers of the resolution said it sent an important message that lawmakers are unhappy with the humanitarian disaster in Yemen, and angry about the lack of a strong U.S. response to the killing of prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey.

The Trump administration had urged lawmakers not to oppose U.S. fuelling and other support for the Saudi-led coalition as it battles the Houthis, Shi'ite Muslim fighters Yemen's neighbours view as agents of Iran.

Many Republicans also have urged that lawmakers keep the Yemen conflict separate from anger over the murder of Khashoggi, a U.S. resident who was a columnist for the Washington Post.

Earlier on Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended the Trump administration's handling of Khashoggi's killing, stressing Saudi Arabia's importance as a U.S. ally against Iran.

Pompeo repeated his assertion that there was no direct evidence linking Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the Oct. 2 murder of Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, despite a CIA assessment it was likely he ordered the killing.

Central Intelligence Agency Director Gina Haspel briefed leaders of the House of Representatives behind closed doors about the killing. After the classified briefing, House members declined to comment beyond saying they had not heard anything that had changed their minds about Khashoggi's death.

(Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu; editing by David Gregorio and Jonathan Oatis)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Sri Lanka plunged into political turmoil when President Maithipala Sirisena surprisingly sacked Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister in late October and replaced him with Mahinda Rajapaksa. When Sirisena's decision was contested, he dissolved Parliament and called for a snap parliamentary election in January.

Colombo: The Sri Lankan Supreme Court on Thursday ruled as "unconstitutional" President Maithripala Sirisena's decision to dissolve Parliament and conduct a snap parliamentary election in early January.

Sri Lanka plunged into political turmoil when Sirisena surprisingly sacked prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in late October and replaced him with former president Mahinda Rajapaksa. When Sirisena's decision was contested, he dissolved Parliament and called for a snap parliamentary election in January.

The ruling can see Wickremesinghe return to office, the BBC reported.

A seven-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Nalin Perera, said that the president could not dissolve Parliament till it was four-and-a-half years through its five-year term, and that if he wanted to dissolve Parliament, there must be a resolution with a two-thirds majority.

Local media reports said that the top court's verdict meant that the parliamentary elections will be held as scheduled after February 2020, following its four and a half years of term.

After the ruling, Wickremesinghe in a statement on his Twitter account urged Sirisena to respect the judgment while his United National Party said they hope to meet the president later on Thursday to discuss the court's ruling.

The Supreme Court's verdict came a day after Parliament passed a vote of confidence in Wickremesinghe as prime minister.

Namal Rajapaksa, a lawmaker from the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, a party loyal to challenged Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, said his party respected the court's decision, but they would continue their call for a parliamentary election to end the ongoing political struggle, Xinhua news agency reported.

There was no immediate comment from Sirisena.

The election, which was announced by the president one and a half years ahead of schedule, was challenged in the Supreme Court by Opposition lawmakers who said Sirisena did not have the powers to call an early poll.

The crisis, which provoked brawls in Parliament and sparked large protests, has hurt tourism, which makes up about 5 percent of the country's economy.
(Reuters) - Venezuelan former oil minister Nelson Martinez, who was arrested in 2017 as part of a sweeping graft probe at state-run oil company PDVSA, has died in state custody, five people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. Martinez, a chemist who also ran PDVSA and its U.S. subsidiary Citgo Petroleum, had been transferred to a military hospital from prison because of kidney problems, according to two of the sources.

(Reuters) - Venezuelan former oil minister Nelson Martinez, who was arrested in 2017 as part of a sweeping graft probe at state-run oil company PDVSA, has died in state custody, five people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

Martinez, a chemist who also ran PDVSA and its U.S. subsidiary Citgo Petroleum, had been transferred to a military hospital from prison because of kidney problems, according to two of the sources. He had a heart attack while receiving dialysis, they said.

Martinez was jailed after the country's top prosecutor said he allowed a poor refinancing deal for Citgo to go ahead without government approval. He was arrested alongside Eulogio del Pino, another former oil minister and PDVSA president, who remains jailed.

Martinez's death will likely fuel debate over the conditions of imprisoned former politicians and government officials, who in recent years have increasingly included former top leaders whom President Nicolas Maduro has accused of wrongdoing.

His death comes two months after a nationwide scandal over the death of a municipal legislator, Fernando Alban, who the government says committed suicide but who opposition leaders insist was murdered in prison.

"The death of Nelson Martinez is the responsibility of Nicolas Maduro, who...held him hostage for a year knowing he was ill," Rafael Ramirez, a fugitive oil minister and PDVSA president under late President Hugo Chavez who is wanted on corruption charges, wrote on Twitter.

The opposition to Maduro's socialist government, which has overseen a collapse of the OPEC nation's economy, dismisses the probe as an internal power struggle within Maduro's inner circle, noting that the industry has been under tight control of the ruling Socialist Party since early in Chavez's 14-year rule.

Neither the Information Ministry, the Oil Ministry nor PDVSA responded to emails seeking comment.

Chief Prosecutor Tarek Saab, who announced Martinez's arrest in a televised speech in November 2017, declined to comment when reached by telephone.

Martinez had yet to appear before a judge at the time of his death, and the date for his preliminary hearing was pushed back several times, two of the people said. His lawyers began asking authorities months ago for Martinez to be granted house arrest, citing his ill health, one of the people said.

Martinez started having health problems while leading Citgo, based in Houston. Maduro named him oil minister in January 2017, and he assumed the dual role of PDVSA president later that year, replacing del Pino.

He had joined PDVSA in 1980 and oversaw the company's offices in London, Argentina and Ecuador before being tapped to lead Citgo.

(Reporting by Deisy Buitrago, Alexandra Ulmer and Marianna Parraga; Writing by Luc Cohen and Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Peter Cooney and Leslie Adler)

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The European Union (EU) and five other foreign missions in Islamabad Thursday expressed 'deep concern' over Pakistan's move to terminate the operation of the 18 foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the country

Islamabad: The European Union (EU) and five other foreign missions in Islamabad Thursday expressed "deep concern" over Pakistan's move to terminate the operation of the 18 international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) in the country.

According to the media reports, the interior ministry in October ordered them to cease their operations and leave the country within two months.

Among the 18 INGOs, nine have an association with the US, three with the UK and two with the Netherlands. Others have connections with Italy, Switzerland, Denmark, and Ireland.

"We fully respect the Government's right to maintain an INGO registration policy but we share a deep concern over the way in which it has been implemented...," said a joint statement issued by the EU Delegation, Heads of Mission of EU member states in Pakistan, and Heads of Mission of Australia, Canada, Japan, Norway and Switzerland.

They said that the group strongly believed that a vibrant civil society is indispensable for good governance and inclusive development, issues that Prime Minister Imran Khan's government promotes and which are at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals.

"We urge that, in the interest of the population of Pakistan, not least its most vulnerable citizens, a solution be found as soon as possible to avoid the closing down of further INGOs' activities," the group said.

Pakistan government introduced a new policy for registration of all INGOs and NGOs after relations with the foreign charities deteriorated following reports that the CIA used a Pakistan doctor, Shakil Afridi, to start a fake vaccination campaign to confirm the presence of al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad where he was killed in 2011.
Any discussion with the Yellow Vest protesters, runs into a further problem. Who, if anyone, would be the chief interlocutor? The Yellow Vests are neither a party nor an organised movement but a structureless, sudden materialisation of groups mobilised through social media.

Will there be a fifth straight weekend of street protests in Paris, Marseille, Bordeaux, Lyon, Nantes, Dijon, Toulouse, and other French cities? No one knows but France cannot afford further shows of public anger by the gilets jaunes or yellow vests, a leaderless, faceless group united only by the colour of their vests and a propensity to  like Facebooks motto  move quickly and break things.

Already, there is consternation over a tourists widely quoted description of Paris as if it were the capital of war-torn Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria or Iraq. Security considerations, Portuguese tourist Elizabet Monteero told The Associated Press on 9 December, mean we dont go to dangerous zones like the Champs-Elysees.

Bruised and battered

That fearful reference to one of the worlds most fashionable and iconic streets underlines the perils facing France. The most visited country in the world, France prides itself on being a lifestyle superpower, where a crusty baguette and wedge of good cheese are civilisational markers.

But, after a month of the amorphous Yellow Vest protests, tourists are wary, the French retail sector has reported a revenue loss of roughly $1.1 billion, the countrys central bank has halved its fourth-quarter growth forecast and some of Europes largest fund managers are warning that domestic and international investors will be less keen on relocating to France in the context of Brexit. Finance minister Bruno Le Maire has lamented the economic catastrophe wrought by the street violence.

In political terms too, France seems weakened on the world stage. The Yellow Vests have diminished President Emmanuel Macron, who won election last year as a centrist saviour and bulwark against extremist forces.

US president Donald Trump has spitefully and untruthfully tweeted that French protestors were chanting we want Trump and dissed Macrons climate-friendly fuel tax, which triggered the demonstrations.

Europes illiberal politicians have seized on the protests to claim Macrons political moderation and belief in multilateralism is out of time.

Italys far-right deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini mendaciously called the Yellow Vests "the forgotten thousands who have been slaughtered by the French government". Geert Wilders of the Netherlands anti-Islam PVV party discerned burkas to be more acceptable in the Dutch parliament than a man wearing a yellow vest.

And, Trumps former White House strategist Steve Bannon told a Brussels conference organised by the Belgian right-wing populist party Vlaams Belang, "To run a country I would rather have 100 Yellow Vests than 100 Goldman Sachs officials."

Buying peace

Macron, the youngest French leader since Napoleon, has some of the legendary generals ambition, assertiveness, and pretensions to grandeur. But to forestall a fifth weekend of protests, he offered hand-outs to low-earners and pensioners, suggested a tax-exempt Christmas bonus from companies willing to play Santa, and somewhat cravenly promised to be less aloof and supercilious.

It was correctly read as a desperate capitulation, though some Yellow Vests protesters further parsed it as a disappointing con. But the reality of Macrons promise is not lost on economic analysts. For the moment, the French president has backed away from his radical agenda of economic reform and returned to the usual French style of deficit-financing.

The budget giveaways will cost an extra 10 billion euros, pushing Frances deficit to 3.4 percent, well beyond the Eurozones 3 percent limit. That will mean a tussle with European officials and undoubtedly, a loss-of-face for Macron as the good European and great reformer. His energy minister Francois de Rugy admits the priorities have changed, arguing that debt is a problem but the first priority is not to discuss this with Brussels, but with the French people.

Any discussion with the people, more specifically the Yellow Vests, runs into a further problem. Who, if anyone, would be the chief interlocutor? The Yellow Vests are neither a party nor an organised movement but a structureless, sudden materialisation of groups mobilised through social media. Their demands are just as out-of-focus  some want a higher minimum wage and lower taxes; others more direct democracy; still others military rule. Students have blockaded schools protesting against more selective university admission regulations. Even anti-immigration campaigners have joined the free-for-all.

This makes 2018 very different from the French riots of 2005. Reporting from the banlieues, the suburban Paris ghettos crammed with north Africans and Asians in 2005, it was easy to see why they were on fire for three weeks in October and November. The ghettos were segregated and racially alienated; poverty and unemployment rates matched the high levels of hopelessness and frustration.

In 2005, France knew the cause, who to blame, and theoretically how to fix the problem. In 2018, it doesnt really, which makes the Yellow Vests a problem without a defined cause  or a fix.

The author is an international affairs columnist based in London
By Nina Chestney KATOWICE, Poland (Reuters) - The Maldives will do all in its power to keep 'our heads above water', the head of its delegation at U.N. climate talks said on Thursday in an impassioned appeal for nations to overcome their divisions over how to tackle global warming. The low-lying Maldives is among countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change such as rising sea levels and coral reef deterioration.

By Nina Chestney

KATOWICE, Poland (Reuters) - The Maldives will do all in its power to keep "our heads above water", the head of its delegation at U.N. climate talks said on Thursday in an impassioned appeal for nations to overcome their divisions over how to tackle global warming.

The low-lying Maldives is among countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change such as rising sea levels and coral reef deterioration.

"We are not prepared to die. We are not going to become the first victims of the climate crisis. Instead, we are going to do everything in our power to keep our heads above water," Mohamed Nasheed told delegates at the talks in Katowice, Poland.

"Climate change is a national security issue for us. It is an existential threat," he said, adding that a rise in global temperatures could still be avoided but countries had to unite.

Nasheed was the Maldives' first democratically elected leader but was ousted in 2012 in a coup, imprisoned then granted asylum in Britain.

The Maldives' current president, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, invited Nasheed to head the country's negotiating delegation at the Katowice talks, which are aimed at agreeing rules for implementing the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.

With less than two days until the conference is formally scheduled to end, delegates are still grappling with many issues - not just how the accord will be implemeted - including finance, strengthening emissions cuts and monitoring action.

A draft, more concise text of the deal should be available later on Thursday but it is expected to still be laden with brackets for wording to be decided on and gaps.

Since last addressing a U.N. climate conference in 2009, Nasheed said he had been deposed in a coup, imprisoned and then forced into exile.

"But almost 10 years since I was last at these climate negotiations, I must say, nothing much seems to have changed. We are still using the same old, dinosaur language," he said.

"Carbon emissions are rising, rising and rising and all we seem to be doing is talking, talking and talking."

(Reporting by Nina Chestney and Bate Felix; Editing by Gareth Jones)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Idrees Ali and Ezgi Erkoyun WASHINGTON/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Wednesday that unilateral military action into northeast Syria by any party would be 'unacceptable,' after Turkey said it would launch a new military operation in the region within days to target Kurdish militia fighters. Ankara and Washington have long been at odds over Syria, where the United States has backed the YPG Kurdish militia in the fight against Islamic State insurgents. Turkey says the YPG is a terrorist organisation and an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged an insurgency against the state in southeastern Turkey for 34 years.

By Idrees Ali and Ezgi Erkoyun

WASHINGTON/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Wednesday that unilateral military action into northeast Syria by any party would be "unacceptable," after Turkey said it would launch a new military operation in the region within days to target Kurdish militia fighters.

Ankara and Washington have long been at odds over Syria, where the United States has backed the YPG Kurdish militia in the fight against Islamic State insurgents.

Turkey says the YPG is a terrorist organisation and an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged an insurgency against the state in southeastern Turkey for 34 years.

Within hours of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's announcement of the planned operation, the United States warned that any unilateral military action would undermine the shared interest of securing the border between Syria and Turkey in a sustainable way.

"Unilateral military action into northeast Syria by any party, particularly as U.S. personnel may be present or in the vicinity, is of grave concern," Commander Sean Robertson, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement.

"We would find any such actions unacceptable," he added.

Turkey has already intervened to sweep YPG fighters from territory west of the Euphrates in military campaigns over the past two years, but has not gone east of the river - partly to avoid direct confrontation with U.S. forces.

But Erdogan's patience with Washington over Syria - specifically a deal to clear the YPG from the town of Manbij, just west of the Euphrates - seems to have worn thin.

"We will start the operation to clear the east of the Euphrates from separatist terrorists in a few days. Our target is never U.S. soldiers," Erdogan said at a speech at a defence industry summit in Ankara.

"This step will allow for the path to a political solution to be opened and for healthier cooperation."

Turkey has repeatedly voiced frustration about what it says are delays in the implementation of the Manbij deal, saying last month that the agreement should be fully carried out by the end of this year.

The Pentagon said coordination and consultation between the United States and Turkey was the only way to address security concerns and that Washington was focused on working closely with Ankara.

"We believe this dialogue is the only way to secure the border area in a sustainable manner, and believe that uncoordinated military operations will undermine that shared interest," Robertson said.

He added that while the United States was fully committed to Turkey's border security, it also remained committed to working with the Syrian Democratic Forces, which includes Kurdish YPG fighters, to defeat Islamic State militants.

Turkish and U.S. troops began joint patrols near Manbij last month, but that cooperation has also been complicated as Turkey has shelled Kurdish fighters to the east of the Euphrates.

Earlier this year, the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) temporarily suspended an offensive against Islamic State after Turkish shelling of northern Syria.

OBSERVATION POSTS

The Pentagon says it has about 2,000 troops in Syria.

Last month, the United States said would establish observation posts on the border between Kurdish-held northern Syria and Turkey after Turkish cross-border shelling killed four Kurdish fighters.

Three observation posts have now been set up, a U.S. official told Reuters on Wednesday. The official said the positions were clearly marked and any force attacking them "would definitely know they are attacking the United States".

Turkish officials held talks in Ankara this week with the U.S. special representative for Syria, Jim Jeffrey. An SDF military source said Jeffrey met the SDF leadership in northern Syria on Wednesday.

Erdogan said Turkey was the victim of a "stalling tactic" over Manbij and that Islamic State no longer posed a threat in Syria.

"Now, it's time to realise our decision to disperse the circles of terror east of the Euphrates. The fact that we have deep differences in perception with the United States is no secret," he said.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali in Washington and Ezgi Erkoyun in Istanbul; Additional reporting by Sarah Dadouch in Istanbul and Ellen Francis in Beirut: Writing by David Dolan and Idrees Ali; Editing by Richard Balmforth and and Peter Cooney)

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By Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Roger Stone, a veteran Republican operative, said on Wednesday that he will not appear to answer questions before two U.S. Senate committees about his ties to and support of Donald Trump when he was running for president in 2016. A long-time Trump associate, Stone has been involved in inquiries into Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S

By Mark Hosenball

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Roger Stone, a veteran Republican operative, said on Wednesday that he will not appear to answer questions before two U.S. Senate committees about his ties to and support of Donald Trump when he was running for president in 2016.

A long-time Trump associate, Stone has been involved in inquiries into Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, any collusion between Moscow and the Trump campaign and possible obstruction of justice.

In declining to talk to the Senate panels, Stone invoked the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which gives witnesses the right to refuse to testify if they believe such testimony would incriminate them.

At this point, the Senate Judiciary and Intelligence Committees have not subpoenaed Stone. Both panels had asked him to produce documents and talk to committee investigators.

Stone, whose public explanation of his activities in 2016 has shifted over time, and his lawyer Grant Smith told Reuters that Stone has declined the committees' requests.

In September 2016, Stone did attend a private meeting of the Intelligence Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. Only his account of his testimony there has been made public.

Stone and his lawyer have said that they have not been approached by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is also investigating Russian political interference. Moscow has denied meddling in U.S. elections.

During the 2016 campaign, Stone issued tweets implying that he had inside knowledge of data in the possession of hackers that could embarrass Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, then Trump's rival, and other Democrats.

Stone's best-known tweet, of Aug. 21, 2016, said, "Trust me, it will soon the Podestas time in the barrel. #CrookedHillary.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, the senior Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, had asked Stone to turn over documents or communications on his attempts in 2016 to obtain data hacked from computers used by Clinton and other leading Democrats, including her senior campaign adviser John Podesta.

Feinstein also had asked for any communications between Stone and WikiLeaks, its founder Julian Assange and a hacker who called himself Guccifer 2.0, whom U.S. agencies have said was an operative for Russian military intelligence.

Stone now says he never had any advance access to hacked materials. In an email to Reuters, he said his testimony to the House panel was "entirely truthful and accurate.

He said in the email, "If any member of the house intelligence committee has evidence of Russian collusion or wiki leaks collaboration or can prove that I received anything whatsoever from WikiLeaks including allegedly stolen or allegedly hacked emails I challenge them to produce it, otherwise stop playing ridiculous word games."

(Reporting by Mark Hosenball; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Lisa Shumaker)

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Foreign Office said Pak does not need counsel on protection of rights of minorities.

Pakistan claims the Muslim-majority country is a multi-religious and pluralistic society where people of diverse faiths live together.

Islamabad: Pakistan on Wednesday rejected the United States' pronouncement about religious freedom in Pakistan as politically motivated.

In a statement, Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammed Faisal categorically stated Pakistan does not need counsel by any individual country how to protect the rights of its minorities.

He said besides the clear biases reflected from these designations, there are serious questions on the credentials and impartiality of the self-proclaimed jury involved in this unwarranted exercise.

The spokesperson said Pakistan was a multi-religious and pluralistic society where people of diverse faiths and denominations live together.

Around 4 percent of our total population comprises citizens belonging to Christian, Hindu, Buddhists and Sikh faiths.

He said ensuring equal treatment of minorities and their enjoyment of human rights without any discrimination is the cardinal principle of the constitution of Pakistan.

Special seats have been reserved for minorities in the Parliament to ensure their adequate representation and voice in the legislation process, he said.

Dr Faisal said a vibrant and independent National Commission on Human Rights was functioning to address concerns on violation of the rights of minorities.

Foreign Office spokesperson pointed out that successive governments have made it a priority that rights of citizens belonging to minority faiths are protected as guaranteed by the law and the Constitution.

The higher judiciary of the country has made several landmark decisions to protect the properties and places of worships of minorities.

He said Pakistan had devised legal and administrative mechanisms to safeguard the rights of its citizens.

The spokesperson regretted the proponents of human rights worldwide close their eyes on systematic persecution of minorities subjected to alien domination and foreign occupation such as in the Kashmir.

He said an honest self-introspection would also have been timely to know the causes of exponential rise in Islamophobia and anti-Semitism in the US.

The United States clarified on Wednesday that although Pakistan remains on the Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) list, there will be no additional sanctions other than those already placed on Pakistan owing to national interest.
Urging countries to make 'political compromises' and 'sacrifices', UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday made a passionate appeal to governments to find a common ground to tackle climate change as nations from across the globe continued deliberations at the UN climate talks here to finalise the implementation guidelines of the Paris accord.

Katowice: Urging countries to make "political compromises" and "sacrifices", UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday made a passionate appeal to governments to find a common ground to tackle climate change as nations from across the globe continued deliberations at the UN climate talks here to finalise the implementation guidelines of the Paris accord.

Acknowledging that tough political decisions are needed to be taken for the nations to reach an agreement, Guterres said, this is the time for consensus. "This is the time for political compromises to be reached. This means sacrifices, but it will benefit us all collectively. I challenge you to work together. I challenge you to accelerate and finish the job. And I challenge you to raise ambition on all fronts," he said.

Noting that the deadline to finalise the Paris Agreement Work Programme (PAWP) was a target the nations imposed upon themselves at the COP22 in Moroccan city Marrakech in 2016, Guterres said both the Convention and the Paris Agreement recognise that all countries have different realities, capacities and circumstances.

"We must find a formula that balances the responsibilities of all countries. This will allow us to have a regime that is fair and effective for all," he told the delegates at the 195-nation UN forum tasked with finding solution to global warming. The UN chief said meeting the deadline means the nations can immediately unleash the full potential of the Paris Agreement and its promise of a low-emissions climate-resilient future.

"Failing here in Katowice would send a disastrous message to those who stand ready to shift to a green economy. So, I urge you to find common ground that will allow us to show the world that we are listening, that we care," Guterres said at the closing of the high-level segment of the Talanoa Dialogue at the COP-24 here.

Amidst differences among nations on number of issues, including finance, the UN chief said the developed countries must scale up their contributions to jointly mobilise $100 billion annually by 2020. Guterres said he has appointed the French President and the Jamaican Prime Minister to lead the mobilisation of the international community, both public and private, to reach the target of $100 billion.

"We need to strengthen the Green Climate Fund," Guterres said, hailing Germany's pledge to double its contribution in the current replenishment process.

He said Germany's move is a very positive sign and he hope that it will inspire other nations to do the same.

The 2015 Paris Agreement vows to cap global warming at two degrees Celsius and funnel hundreds of billions of dollars to poor countries worse hit by deadly storms, heatwaves and droughts. "The eyes of the world are upon us...more than 32,000 people have come here to find solutions to climate change. They are inspired, engaged and they want us to deliver. They want us to finish the job," Guterres said.

"To waste this opportunity would compromise our last best chance to stop runaway climate change. It would not only be immoral, it would be suicidal," he added.

The UN chief also said the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, which called for capping Earth's rising temperature at 1.5 deg C to avoid the danger of runaway warming, cannot be ignored.

His comments came in the wake of several countries, including the US, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kuwait, blocking the efforts to endorse the report during the climate talks. "The IPCC special report is a stark acknowledgment of what the consequences of global warming beyond 1.5 degrees C will mean for billions of people around the world, especially those who call small island states home... we cannot afford to ignore it," he said.

Guterres said the IPCC report outlined a catastrophic future if no action was taken immediately. "It also clearly states that the window of opportunity is closing. We no longer have the luxury of time. That's why we need to have our work here in Katowice finalised  and finalised in less than three days," he said.
If she announced her candidature, Tulsi Gabbard would be the first Hindu ever to be running for the presidency in the United States. And if elected in 2020, she could be the youngest ever and the first woman to be elected as the US president.

Washington: Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu lawmaker in the US Congress, has said that she was "seriously" considering running for the White House in 2020. This is for the first time that the four-time Democratic lawmaker in the US house of Representatives from Hawaii has indicated that she may run for the presidency.

"I'm seriously considering it," Gabbard told MSNBC News on Wednesday in response to a question on her presidential aspirations.

If she announced her candidature, she would be the first Hindu ever to be running for the presidency in the United States. And if elected in 2020, she could be the youngest ever and the first woman to be elected as the US president.

"I'm concerned about the direction of our country. I'm thinking through it very carefully," she said in response to a question on her presidential run.

Before challenging President Donald Trump in the November 2020 elections, she would have to fight it against her own Democratic party colleagues in primary elections beginning early that year.

In the last few weeks, Gabbard has been talking to her party leaders and reaching out to Indian-Americans to get their feedback on the issue.

The 2020 presidential primary cycle is scheduled to kick off from the Iowa Caucuses on February 3, 2020, followed by the New Hampshire Primary on February 11, Nevada caucus of 15 February and South Carolina on 22 February.

President Donald Trump is all set to seek his re-election in 2020, none of the Democratic candidates have announced their bids yet. The Democratic race is expected to be crowded by the summer of 2019.

Among those Democrats speculated to run for the 2020 primaries include former vice president Joe Biden, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, Amy Klobuchar, Tim Kaine and Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris.
Welcoming the Congressional passage of the Reciprocal Access To Tibet Act, a top American Senator on Wednesday said the legislation represented a strong, bipartisan step toward addressing that decades-long injustice.

Washington: Welcoming the Congressional passage of the Reciprocal Access To Tibet Act, a top American Senator on Wednesday said the legislation represented a strong, bipartisan step toward addressing that decades-long injustice.

Passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the Reciprocal Access To Tibet Act now heads to the White House for US President Donald Trump to sign into law. Among other things, the Act seeks to impose a visa ban on Chinese officials who deny American citizens, government officials and journalists access to the Tibetan areas. Passing this legislation "represents a strong, bipartisan step toward addressing that decades-long injustice", US Senator Patrick Leahy said on the Senate floor.

Stating that the Chinese government arbitrarily required a special permit for a foreign diplomat, reporter or tourist to visit Tibet  a requirement China did not impose for travel to any other provincial-level jurisdiction, even Xinjiang  he alleged that it frequently denied requests for these permits to Tibet. "And even when it does grant permits, it generally requires foreigners to be accompanied at all times by a government-designated guide. This arbitrary system not only makes it exceptionally difficult to report on the situation in Tibet but also gives the Chinese government a significant leverage  which it reportedly exploits in various ways -- over persons who hope to obtain a permit," Leahy said.

He added that in a 2015 white paper, the Chinese government had claimed that under Chinese rule, "Tibet has been transformed from a poor and backward society to one that is advanced in both economy and culture". Setting aside this statement would look perfectly at home among the discredited justifications for 19th-Century colonialism and if it were true, then one would expect China to welcome the world to witness its rule in Tibet, he said. "Yet in 2016, The Washington Post reported that Tibet 'is harder to visit as a journalist than North Korea'. International media cannot even enter Tibet except on infrequent, tightly-controlled tours organised by the Chinese government. The situation is much the same for US diplomats," Leahy said.

And it was not just journalists and officials whose freedom of movement was restricted, he noted, adding that Tibetan-Americans attempting to visit their homeland reported undergoing a discriminatory Chinese visa process, different from what was typically required for American citizens, and often found their requests arbitrarily denied. "I have heard about this problem directly from my Tibetan-American constituents in Vermont. I have spoken about it with the leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile," Leahy said, adding, "With this legislation, we are now a step closer to the day when all American tourists, journalists and diplomats can make such a trip without undue restrictions."

"This legislation will also make it more difficult for China to hide its atrocious human rights record in Tibet behind a cloak of isolation. It will make it easier for Tibetans inside Tibet to interact with the outside world and more likely for the world to realise that Tibetans are a distinct people who deserve their right to self-determination," the Senator said.
Samsung Electronics announced that it will cease operations at one of its mobile phone manufacturing plants in China, owing to poor sales in China amid rising competition from lower-cost local rivals. Samsung has witnessed its shares in China shrink to 1 percent in the Q1 2018 of this year

The company is losing its share to home-grown brands like Huawei. According to Counterpoint market research firm, Samsungs share in China was around 15% at mid-2013. The factory currently employs about 2,600 people and is scheduled to be shut down by the end of this year.Samsung said that it would offer compensation packages to the employees and also provide opportunities to transfer to other Samsung facilities.

The company of late has been focusing on low-cost countries like Vietnam and India for production. The company would continue to operate another Chinese phone factory in Huizhou, in the southern province of Guangdong. Samsungs Tianjin plant produces 36 million mobile phones a year and the Huizhou plant makes 72 million units, while two of Samsungs factories in Vietnam combined make 240 million units a year.

Samsung in a statement said:

As part of ongoing efforts to enhance efficiency in our production facilities, Samsung Electronics has arrived at the difficult decision to cease operations of Tianjin Samsung Electronics Telecommunication. China remains an important market for Samsung and we are actively participating in Chinas economic policies by fostering growth in the components industry.
Vivo has announced to launch their second manufacturing facility in India. The company has acquired additional 169-acre of land in the Yamuna Expressway region in Uttar Pradesh with an estimated investment of Rs. 4000 crore. Honble Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Yogi Adityanath welcomed the initiative and congratulated Vivo for the upcoming facility.

The new land has been acquired near the existing 50-acre manufacturing facility. This will help Vivo expand its manufacturing capabilities and support Vivos continued growth in India. All Vivo smartphones sold in the country are manufactured at the Greater Noida facility.

The existing manufacturing set-up which was set up with an investment of Rs. 300 crore already functions at a capacity of 2 million units per month with more than 5,000 workforces. Vivo said that it will also contribute significantly to the socio-economic growth of the manufacturing ecosystem in India by creating additional jobs, wage growth, and skill development.

iI hopes to generate 5000 additional employment in the first phase of expansion. During this phase, Vivo also plans to double the current production capacity to 50 million units per annum.

Nipun Marya, Director-Brand Strategy, Vivo India said:
The salt content of plant-based meat products is unnecessarily high, with more than 75% of the products surveyed not meeting the UK governments salt... Read More
Around midyear, Boeing (NYSE:BA) and Embraer (NYSE:ERJ) reached a preliminary deal for the U.S. aerospace giant to acquire an 80% stake in Embraer's commercial aviation business. The deal is strategically important for Boeing, which wants to be able to provide end-to-end solutions for airlines' fleets. It is even more vital for Embraer, which is struggling to stay relevant in an industry dominated by Boeing and Airbus.

However, the two aerospace companies got a scare last week, after a federal judge in Brazil issued an order temporarily blocking Embraer from signing any deal with Boeing. Fortunately, that ruling was reversed on appeal on Monday, removing this obstacle to finalizing an agreement.

Negotiations have been ongoing

While it has been more than five months since Boeing and Embraer announced their plans for this strategic partnership, the two companies have continued to negotiate key terms of the agreement. Indeed, when the proposed deal was first announced, the amount of Embraer's debt that would be assumed by the new commercial aviation joint venture had not yet been settled.

Embraer's management indicated in late October that it would likely sign a binding agreement with Boeing in December. (It's possible that the timeline has shifted since then.) However, it did not expect to close the deal until the second half of 2019, due to the transaction's complexity and the number of antitrust approvals needed.

Dueling courts

A few days ago, it looked like the timeline could get stretched out even further. Last Thursday, a federal judge in Brazil blocked Embraer's board from signing a final joint venture agreement with Boeing, siding with four left-wing lawmakers who had filed a lawsuit to stop the deal.

The judge justified his decision as follows: "The reason is very simple, Boeing is not giving up anything" (via Reuters) -- while Embraer would lose control of its profitable commercial jet business. Embraer responded by noting that the decision did not block the company from continuing its ongoing negotiations with Boeing. Embraer also said it would appeal the ruling.

On Monday, this temporary roadblock was removed, after an appeals court overturned the lower court's decision. The Brazilian government sided with Embraer and argued for the injunction to be thrown out, saying that interfering in the negotiations between Boeing and Embraer violated the latter's freedom of enterprise.

Indeed, the original injunction seemed to have little justification other than the belief that Embraer should remain under Brazilian control. The contention that Boeing wasn't "giving up anything" conveniently ignored the $3.8 billion it will pay, which should put Embraer on a much more stable financial footing.

Embraer needs Boeing

Setting aside the substantial cash proceeds of the deal, Embraer also needs to join up with Boeing to remain competitive in the small-jet market.

While Embraer has had a fair amount of success with U.S. regional airlines, that's a limited market that can't come close to filling Embraer's production capacity. The Brazilian aerospace company has had more trouble breaking through with major airlines. Instead, Embraer has relied heavily on deals with smaller airlines -- mainly in developing countries -- to build up its order backlog for its new E2-series jets.

Unfortunately, many of these smaller airlines are not financially or operationally stable. Earlier this year, Embraer had to remove 50 E2-series jets from its backlog -- one of its largest firm orders -- after Indian airline start-up Air Costa folded. A recent firm order for 10 E195-E2s from Kuwait's Wataniya Airways is also in jeopardy after the Kuwaiti aviation authority revoked the airline's license due to its poor operational reliability.

Tapping into Boeing's massive customer base and its sales force is the best way for Embraer to land some significant orders from major airlines. Given that Embraer was down to just 132 firm orders for E2-series jets by the end of the third quarter, it wouldn't take much to move the needle.

Now that Boeing and Embraer have escaped this close call, hopefully they will move swiftly to finalize the details of their joint venture so they can go on the offensive in the small-jet market.
China-based Michael Spavor deals with tourism to North Korea. Former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig went missing shortly before him. Both cases appear to be Chinese retaliation for the arrest of Sabrina Meng Wanzhou, IT giant Huaweis second most important official.

Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Chinese authorities have detained a second Canadian citizen, Michael Spavor, in what appears to be a retaliatory act for the arrest of Sabrina Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver, BC.

Ms Meng, number 2 of IT giant Huawei, was released on bail yesterday on condition she remain in Canada until a hearing in February. She is accused of circumventing international sanctions against Iran and could be extradited to the United States.

The first Canadian to be detained is Michael Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat living in Beijing. The second is Michael Spavor.

We have not been able to make contact with him since he let us know about this, said Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland. We are working very hard to ascertain his whereabouts, she added.

At the same time, Canadian authorities continue to raise this with the Chinese government, said Canadas Global Affairs spokesman Guillaume Berube.

China-based Spavor (pictured with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un) runs an organisation that facilitates business, tourism and sport trips to North Korea.

He was taken into custody on Monday at Dandong airport, a city on the North Korean border, shortly before flying to Seoul for a conference of the Royal Asiatic Society, according to what he announced on social media.

As for possible links between the two cases, both Canadians seem to have at least one thing in common: North Korea.

The former diplomat, a senior Northeast Asia adviser for the International Crisis Group, is an expert on inter-Korean affairs as well as China and Japan.
Farmer Boys Nevada Restaurants Raise More Than $10,000 For UMC Childrens Hospital

Donations From The Inaugural Fundraiser Will Improve Patient Experience & Help Purchase Equipment

December 13, 2018 // Franchising.com // LAS VEGAS, Nev. -Farmer Boys, the popular fast casual concept that has built a reputation on their farm fresh cooked-to-order menu, comfortable restaurant atmosphere, and friendly staff, presented a check in the amount of $10,829 to UMC Childrens Hospital. Funds were collected during the inaugural fundraiser that took place Aug. 28  Oct. 8, 2018 at all Nevada restaurants.

The money, which was raised through in-store customer donations and team member fundraising efforts will be used to buy much needed learning materials, toys, and medical equipment.

The Farmer Boys brand continues to grow in Nevada, said Larry Rusinko, VP and Chief Marketing Officer of Farmer Boys. We are excited to expand our support for childrens health across state lines thanks to the generosity of our guests, restaurant owners, and team members. Since 2000, Farmer Boys has donated nearly $870,000 in support of childrens health in California. We look forward to the same long-lasting relationship with UMC Childrens Hospital. 

Vivian Acosta, Franchise Area Manager for Farmer Boys, presented the check to Mason VanHouweling, CEO of UMC, during a check presentation ceremony on December 11. Every dollar collected helps the states only designated pediatric trauma center continue to save and improve the lives of children in Nevada.

About Farmer Boys

Founded in 1981 and headquartered in Riverside, California, Farmer Boys is a fast casual restaurant chain serving award-winning burgers, specialty sandwiches, crisp salads, signature sides, and all day breakfast. Farmer Boys knows farm fresh food will never go out of style. Today, thanks to an ever-expanding franchise operation, the Farmer Boys family continues to grow. The chain continues to seek sites and franchisees in new and existing regions. Farmer Boys currently operates 92 restaurants in California and Nevada. For more information, visit www.farmerboys.com.

About UMC Childrens Hospital

UMC Childrens Hospital offers Nevadas highest level of pediatric care, providing a wide range of exclusive and highly specialized services to the communitys youngest patients. UMC Childrens Hospital is home to Nevadas only designated pediatric trauma center, in addition to the states only pediatric burn care and organ transplant services. UMC Childrens Hospital serves as the states only hospital to be recognized and accepted as an associate member of the Childrens Hospital Association. UMC Childrens Hospital is staffed around the clock by board-certified and fellowship-trained pediatric emergency medicine and pediatric critical care physicians to provide young patients with the high-quality, specialized care they deserve. For more information, please visit www.chnv.org.

Media Contact:

Kathryn Kelly

Ajenda Public Relations

kathryn@ajendapr.com

SOURCE Farmer Boys

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by Mathias Hariyadi

Threats and intimidation have not stopped the priest. For him, when you are involved in humanitarian issues, you have to be tough. My religious vocation has always spurred me to do this. Organised groups operate on the island. Most victims are teenage girls, mostly from East Nusa Tenggara.

Jakarta (AsiaNews)  Chrisanctus Paschalis Saturnus (pictured) is on a mission to fight human trafficking and ease the pain of its victims.

The clergyman works in the Diocese of Pangkal Pinang, capital of Bangka-Belitung Islands province. The late Bishop Hilarius Moa Nurak picked him in 2013 to head the diocesan Commission for Justice, Peace and Pastoral Outreach for Migrants.

Since then, one of the places where he has focused his attention is Batam Island, in the Riau archipelago, which is increasingly affected by human trafficking due to its proximity to Singapore. The city-state is only 20-to-30 minutes by ferry.

In 2014 alone, Fr Saturnus helped 24 people get justice. "We accompanied them during the entire legal process, he told AsiaNews. After successfully providing legal aid, the diocesan Commission decided to bring these people home, in the various sub-districts of Kupang, capital of East Nusa Tenggara province."

Despite threats and intimidations, Fr Saturnus intends to continue raising awareness about human trafficking. He knows "from personal experience that when you are involved in humanitarian issues, you have to be tough. My religious vocation has always spurred me to do this.

"My main concern is that some of the victims are not conscious of the problem. Most are teenage girls who do not even realise what happened to them and why they came to Batam or that they were about to leave for abroad. To my surprise, sometimes the victims strongly object to our mission and the legal aid we offer.

On 27 November, Fr Saturnus filed a complaint with the National Judicial Commission in Jakarta, asking for a team to be sent to Batam to oversee and monitor the legal proceedings involving human trafficking in the district court.

In particular, the priest is critical of the court in a case that involves a rich and powerful woman, Ms J. Rusna, who boasts ties with the security forces in Batam.

Local figures and associates from other parts of the country are also entangled in the islands human trafficking business.

"The ways in which they conduct business and treat migrant workers are like the mafia, the clergyman said. There is always a link and a mutual deal with the local police, government and courts. To fight this humanitarian problem, we have to face many challenges," he added.

Teenage boys and girls are "easy targets" because of their ignorance about the law and administrative matters. Most victims are migrant women, some of them even malnourished, coming mainly from East Nusa Tenggara. "Some of them are Catholic," he explained.

Fr Saturnus also works with migrants who return to Indonesia after years of working abroad. "Those who make it back alive bear many scars from being exploited. Others simply dont come back alive. In this case, our priority is to repatriate their bodies to their home towns."
Vahid Sayadi Nasiri was jailed on charges of insulting supreme leader Ali Khameni and propaganda against the state. He had already spent two and a half years in prison and had been the subject of abuse and harassment. He had not eaten for 60 days to protest against the lack of legal protection and against the prison regime.

Teheran (AsiaNews / Agencies) - An Iranian political activist, detained in Qom's maximum security prison, died yesterday in his cell after two months on hunger strike. Vahid Sayadi Nasiri was jailed on charges of insulting supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other serious charges.

According to his sister Elaheh Sayadi Nasiri, he refused food for 60 days to protest against the harsh prison regime and to request the transfer to Evin prison.

The activist was released last March, after spending the past two and a half years in prison on charges of "insulting the supreme leader" and "propaganda against the state". At the base of the sentence of eight years (later reduced), some posts posted on Facebook. During the detention period in Raja'i Shahr and Evin, he had suffered abuse and harassment.

After five months of freedom, in August, Sayadi Nasiri was arrested a second time with the same heads of indictment by the agents of the Qom intelligence unit. According to the activist group Iran Human Rights Monitor, in October he had started a hunger strike, in protest against the prison regime and the lack of legal assistance.

He also denounced the violation of the principle of separation of prisoners based on the nature of the crime committed. The prison authorities locked him up with common criminals and violent prisoners, who attacked and harassed him repeatedly.

In recent weeks, the activist had been transported to the hospital due to poor health conditions as a result of the hunger strike. The authorities contacted his sister yesterday, telling her to go to the Behesht-Masoumeh cemetery in Qom, to receive the corpse of her deceased brother without giving more details about his death.
Hundreds of people attended the public hearing at the Galveston Island Convention Center. The meeting was the first and only public hearing scheduled to be held on the island during the public comment period for the corps barrier plan.
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Although the justices reversed one conviction, the 50-year sentence imposed on Ocean Springs rapist Cameron D. May last year will stand, the Mississippi Court of Appeals ruled this week.

May was convicted in March 2017 of the Sept. 10, 2015 beating, sexual assault and kidnapping of Ocean Springs resident Barbi Jalanivich inside the apartment complex office where she worked.

A Jackson County Circuit Court jury took two hours last March to find May guilty of two counts of aggravated assault -- one for striking her causing serious bodily injury and one for strangling her -- along with one count of sexual assault and one count of kidnapping, as May held Jalanivich against her will inside the office.

Judge Dale Harkey sentenced May to 20 years for each count of aggravated assault, 30 years for sexual battery and 30 years for kidnapping. Harkey ruled that the sentences on the last three counts would run concurrent, leaving May with a total sentence of 50 years. He is not eligible for parole until he has served 40 years.

In his appeal, May claimed that double jeopardy should have prevented his conviction on two counts of aggravated assault. The appeals court agreed and overturned the second aggravated assault conviction, but since the 20-year sentence on that count was to run concurrent (simultaneously) to the first, the appeal court ruling did nothing to reduce May's sentence.

Read the entire Court of Appeal ruling

May, 27, also claimed there was insufficient evidence to support the guilty verdict for sexual battery, and that the circuit court was in error when it denied his motion to suppress his statement to police after his arrest in Florida in October 2015.

Those two elements of May's appeal were rejected. The court of appeals found that there was ample evidence for May's conviction on both sexual battery and kidnapping and that the circuit court had not erred in denying the motion to suppress May's statement.

May's final option would be to petition the Mississippi Supreme Court to review his case.

Ed. Note: The Mississippi Press does not typically identify the victims of sex crimes, but the Jalanivich family went public with the story shortly after the attack in September 2010.
It will remain in force until December 31, 2019. Banditry, piracy and armed rebellion (Islamist and communist) have tormented the poorest areas of the island for decades. According to the government, there is a risk that the terrorist groups behind the siege of Marawi will gather together. But critics denounce: already 155 cases of violations of human rights.

Manila (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Filipino Congress has approved a 12-month extension of martial law in the southern region of Mindanao: according to President Rodrigo Duterte, stringent security measures will prevent Islamic extremists from gathering their forces.

In yesterday's joint session, with 235 votes in favor and 28 against, the parliamentarians ruled that the provision will remain in force until December 31, 2019. Legislators have thus prolonged what is already the longest time lapse with martial law in the country , after the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.

The majority Islamic areas of the island, among the poorest in the nation, have been troubled for decades by banditry, piracy and armed rebellions of separatist and communist militias. The government has tried to manage them with agreements and decentralization.

However, last May, the most ferocious conflict since the Second World War exploded in Mindanao, when an alliance of extremists attempted to create an enclave of the Islamic State (IS) through the siege of Marawi. When government troops declared the victory over the jihadists, on October 23, the clashes had already caused the death of more than 1,000 militants, the destruction of a large part of the city and about 400 thousand displaced among the residents of the "Islamic city".

In a letter sent to Congress last week, Duterte said that the extremists, under the influence of IS, "continue to challenge the government by perpetrating hostile activities". According to security officials, under the martial law, 143 suspected terrorists were arrested. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said more than 2,400 are still at large. According to the government, lifting martial law would allow terrorist groups behind the siege of Marawi, such as Abu Sayyaf, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and Daulah Islamiyah, to regroup.

Lawmakers of a nationalist bloc claim that martial law has caused at least 155 cases of human rights violations in Mindanao. Even the Catholic Church has repeatedly expressed its opposition to the provision. Since the early hours of the Marawi crisis, the bishops have called the population to unity and solidarity, preparing initiatives for assistance to displaced persons and victims of the conflict.
Francis will travel to Bulgaria and visit the Macedonian capital of Skopje.

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  Pope Francis will visit Skopje, birthplace of Mother Teresa of Calcutta next May.

The visit, announced today by the Holy See Press Office, is part of a two-day trip to Bulgaria and Macedonia Pope Francis will undertake next year on the invitation of local civil authorities and Catholic Church.

"The Pope will visit the cities of Sofia and Rakovski during the visit to Bulgaria, which will take place on 5-7 May; and on 7 May he will travel to the city of Skopje in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, read the announcement. Further details of the program for the Apostolic Journey will be announced in due time."

John Paul II had visited Bulgaria in May 2002. On that occasion, he travelled to the capital Sofia as well as the Monastery of St John in Rila.

Anjeze Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, better known to the world as Mother Teresa, was born on 26 August 1910 in Skopje. The city, which is now the capital of Macedonia, was then part of the Ottoman Empire.

In her hometown, Mother Teresa  who is AsiaNewss patroness  attended Sacred Heart parish for 14 years.

The city is also where she decided to take her vows and where she gained her first knowledge of India through the letters of some missionaries.
Netsky has just dropped the EP we've all been waiting for for a really long time! 'Abbot Kinney' features 5 brand new poppy tracks for the summer months, and some definite hype tunes ahead of his NZ shows early next year.

With features including Toulouse, Stragte, KYLE & Jozzy, it's one fun sounding piece of work.

In an interview with George FM Breakfast, Netsky spoke about wanting to work on both pop tracks and drum and bass tracks, and releasing them as seperate pieces of work. Looks like everyone of his fans will be super pleased then!

We can't wait to hear what else he has in store for us, but for now, get stuck into this latest EP:
Interview with the co-founder of Kiwi Vegan Cafe  the first vegan place in Tbilisi - GeorgianJournal
Training farmers to rescue the organic hazelnut production in Georgia - GeorgianJournal
Famous Georgians invited at the Inauguration of Salome Zourabichvili - GeorgianJournal
"The lessons" learned from the two great world can "continue to convince the worlds people and their leaders of the futility of armed conflict and the need to resolve conflicts through patient dialogue and negotiation. ". No effective humanitarian solution to the mass migration crisis "can ignore our moral responsibility" to "welcome, protect, promote and integrate".

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Respect for the principle of equal dignity of all men is essential to resolving international tensions and also to tackle the "mass migration crisis" that also calls into question the moral duty to welcome and protect . This is what Pope Francis said in his speech today addressed to the ambassadors of Switzerland, Malta, the Bahamas, Cape Verde, Estonia, Iceland, Turkmenistan, Grenada, Qatar and Gambia, received for the presentation of Credentials.

First of all, Francis expressed the hope that "the lessons learned from the two great wars of the twentieth century" could "continue to convince the worlds people and their leaders of the futility of armed conflict and the need to resolve conflicts through patient dialogue and negotiation. . ".

At the same time the Pope recalled the "significant anniversary" of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of the United Nations on Human Rights which n its very first words, the Declaration states that, recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family, is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world (Preamble). In these times of sweeping social and political change, there can be no lessening of the commitment to this principle on the part of governments and peoples."

"It is essential that respect for human dignity and human rights inspire and direct every effort to address the grave situations of war and armed conflict, crushing poverty, discrimination and inequality that afflict our world, and in recent years have issued in the present crisis of mass migration. No effective humanitarian solution to that pressing global issue can ignore our moral responsibility, with due regard for the common good, to welcome, protect, promote and integrate those who knock at our doors in search of a secure future for themselves and their children (cf. Message for the 2018 World Day of Peace, No. 4). The Church, for her part, is committed to working with every responsible partner in a constructive dialogue aimed at proposing concrete solutions to this and other urgent humanitarian problems, with the goal of preserving human lives and dignity, alleviating suffering and advancing an authentic and integral development.
Gionee to bring two new smartphones in India, teases launch on Flipkart News oi-Sandeep Sarkar one of the upcoming Gionee smartphones will feature a full-view display design and will offer great camera' specifications for a budget price tag.

The Chinese smartphone manufacturer Gionee has been out of the picture for quite a while. It has been a few months since the company had introduced any new smartphone in the Indian market. One of the major reasons for the company's absence from the market is said to be the company's financial crisis in its hometown China. Some reports also suggest that the company might file for bankruptcy sometime in the future. Well, that's not it, it appears that the company is gearing up to bring its new products in the Indian market.

Gionee has recently teased two new smartphones which it is expected to bring for the Indian masses on the e-commerce giant Flipkart's platform. Out of the two smartphones that are teased on Flipkart, one of them will feature a full-view display design and will offer 'great camera' specifications for a budget price tag. On the other hand, the second device to be released in the country will sport a 'beautiful design', offer a solid performance and will have a battery unit which will last for long with one single charge.

Currently, the information related to upcoming Gionee smartphones is scarce and nothing specific is mentioned about them in the teaser. However, the teaser image does highlight a horizontally stacked dual-rear camera setup which is paced at the top left corner of the back panel of the device. There is also a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner placed at the upper center of the back panel. The fingerprint scanner will add to the security of the device.

Just to recall, the last Gionee smartphone in India was the S11 Lite which the company had launched back in April this year. The Gionee S11 Lite comes with a 5.7-inch IPS LCD display panel that has a screen resolution of 720 x 1440 pixels and has an aspect ratio of 18:9. The device draws its power from an entry-segment Snapdragon 430 chipset clubbed with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of inbuilt storage. The internal storage is further expandable up to 256GB via microSD card slot.

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Micromax teases notch display smartphone launch on December 18 News oi-Abhinaya Prabhu Micromax to jump on to the bandwagon of notch display smartphones.

Since the launch of the Apple iPhone X, the tenth-anniversary edition model with a notch on top of it, almost all the Android OEMs have started adapting the design trend. Now, the Indian manufacturer Micromax appears to be geared up to jump on to this bandwagon. Well, the company has shared media invites for an event to happen in India on December 18.

In addition to the invite, the teaser shared by the company on its social media handles hint that the company is in plans to launch a new notch display smartphone. The invite shows a wide notch at the top similar to what we saw on the iPhone X in late 2017. Notably, the recent Android offerings are launched with a small waterdrop notch on top of the display and this one deviates from the trend.

Upcoming Micromax notch display phone

Micromax has taken to Twitter to tease the device with the hashtag #AboveTheRest. It suggests that the new model can deliver a really competitive performance. And, the tagline reads, "Does the powerful excite you?"

As of now, there is no word regarding the alleged specifications and pricing of this upcoming Micromax smartphone. However, given the marketing material and the teasers, it looks like the company is all set to make a comeback into the competitive Indian market that is dominated by the Chinese manufacturers such as Oppo, Xiaomi and Vivo.

Micromax is not new to bringing a change in the market scenario. The homegrown manufacturer had once surpassed all the other brands and dominated the category. However, things changed with the entry of the Chinese brands in the Indian market.

Android Go smartphones

Recently, Micromax launched a couple of Android Go (Oreo Edition) smartphones. These are the Bharat 5 Infinity Edition and Bharat 4 Diwali. These smartphones are priced at Rs. 5,899 and Rs. 4,249 respectively. Of the duo, the Bharat 5 Infinity Edition is an advanced model with an 18:9 FullView display and Face Unlock feature as well.

Given that the company has teased that there will be a new smartphone coming on December 18, we need to wait for further information to be revealed by the company to know more about the impending device.

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Xiaomi Redmi 6A receive permanent price cut: Now available for Rs 5,999 News oi-Vivek Xiaomi Redmi 6A is the most affordable smartphone from Xiaomi in 2018

The Xiaomi Redmi 6A is the most affordable smartphone from the company with some of the interesting features like dual VoLTE support, 18:9 aspect ratio display and more. The company did increase the price of the Redmi 6A along with the Redmi 6 to commemorate the rupee vs dollar rate fluctuation.

Xiaomi India's head Manu Jain has now confirmed that the price of the Xiaomi Redmi 6A has been slashed permanently, where the smartphone is now available for Rs 5,999 and Rs 6,999 for the 2 GB RAM 16 GB storage, and 2 GB RAM 32 GB storage, respectively.

Mi fans! #Redmi6A is back at launch prices! Get it now for 5,999 (2+16GB) & 6,999 (2+32GB).



2018 has been an amazing year for all of us at @XiaomiIndia and the celebrations are only getting started!



We also have a surprise for all our Mi fans! Keep watching till the end! pic.twitter.com/gwqZhsU35H  Redmi India (@RedmiIndia) December 12, 2018

These prices will be effective from the 13th of December and will be applicable across the platform (Mi.com, Mi Home, and Amazon).

Xiaomi Redmi 6A specifications

The Xiaomi Redmi 6A comes with a 5.45-inch HD+ display with an 18:9 aspect ratio, protected by 2.5D curved tempered glass. This is one of the first smartphones from Xiaomi to run on the MediaTek Helio A22 quad-core chipset with 2 GB of LPDDR3 RAM and 16/32 GB of internal storage with a dedicated micro SD card slot for additional storage expansion.

The smartphone does offer dual SIM card slot with support for 4G LTE and VoLTE on both slots with other connectivity options like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The phone has a pseudo-metal unibody-like design, where the device is actually made from high-quality polycarbonate.

The Xiaomi Redmi 6A has a single 13 MP primary camera on the back with support for portrait mode and 1080p video recording with a 5 MP selfie camera with similar capability.

The smartphone is fueled by a 3000 mAh Li-ion battery with support for standard 10W charging via micro USB port with a dedicated 3.5mm headphone jack. The Redmi 6A ships with Android 8.1 Oreo with custom MIUI 10 skin on top.

If you are looking for a super budget smartphone, that offers a plethora of modern features, then the Redmi 6A could be the device you are looking for. At the price of Rs 5,999, the device does pack a punch, which differentiates it from the competition.

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Full specifications

6.3-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display

Snapdragon 660 Octa-core processor

6/8GB RAM

128GB storage (expandable up to 512GB)

Android 8.0 Oreo

24MP(f/1.7 aperture) Primary sensor;

10MP ( f/2.4 aperture )telephoto sensor;

8MP(f/2.4 aperture and 120 degrees ) ultra-wide sensor;

5MP (f/2.2 aperture) depth sensor

24MP selfie camera

3800mAh battery

Design and Display

The smartphone is build of glass & metal and comes in slim form factor making it easy to hold with one hand. But we would still put the device in the wide and tall category. It has three color variants - Classic Black, Bubblegum Pink, and Lemonade Blue. Honestly, the glass body makes it look really attractive, but also attracts fingerprints and smudges. While the device is pleasing aesthetically, the build quality seems pretty basic, unlike other Samsung smartphones. You can actually hear something rattling inside if you wiggle the device with your hands.

The front panel has a 6.3-inch display, an ambient light sensor, a selfie camera, and an earpiece. On the right side, there is the power key and the volume rockers, while the left holds a dedicated Bixby button (which the company still doesn't allow for launching other apps). At the bottom, you'll find the 3.5mm audio jack, Type-C charging port, microphone, and speaker grille. And the top side has the secondary microphone and the SIM card slot.

The rear panel houses the four cameras along with an LED flash. The camera setup is accompanied by a fingerprint sensor, which we checked is pretty fast.

Speaking of the display, the smartphone comes with a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED Infinity display with a resolution of 1080 x 2220 pixels and 392 PPI. The display is beautiful and the color looks vivid and vibrant. The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass and also has Always-On functionality allowing users to check time and notification without having to wake up the device.

Although the pixel density of the Galaxy A9 is less than its less costly Galaxy A7 (411ppi), it still makes for a great viewing experience. It has an aspect ratio of 18.5:9 ratio which is ideal for multimedia consumption. Unfortunately, the device lacks support for HD streaming or the Widewine L1 certification that allows for HD playback from all the video streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, among others.

Software

The new smartphone runs company's Experience 9 UI wrapped around Android 8 Oreo. This is somewhat disappointing given the fact Android 9 Pie has started rolling out for several devices.

Although Android 8 Oero isn't a bad choice, if the company is going head-to-head with other players in this segment, then Android 9 Pie would have been a great option. The software comes with a few bloatware apps, which takes away the native Android experience. Samsung might roll out the Android Pie update for the new phone, but making it available out-of-the-box would have been a different experience altogether.

Quad cameras

The four camera setup of the Galaxy A9 is without a doubt the biggest highlight of the smartphone. The array of cameras includes a primary 24 MP with f/1.7 aperture and PDAF, an 8MP ultra-wide lens with f/2.4 aperture, a 10MP telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom, and a 5MP with f/2.2 aperture.

The 24MP lens leverages the SuperPixel technology merging 4 pixels into one resulting in a clear picture. The 8MP sensor, on the other hand, lets you take ultra wide shots at 120-degree angles compared to the normal 78-degree angles seen on other smartphones. This sensor also works while taking videos. The 5MP sensor does what a DSLR camera does, but with the help of a software. It gives you the bokeh effect by blurring the background of the subject.

Speaking of the image quality, the camera qualifies as decent but not out worldly as it looks on the brochure. The images taken in good lighting conditions came out really good with an ample amount of detail and no signs of noise. The pictures offered good dynamic range and sharpness.

The wide angle shots, however, look a bit grainy while the ones taken with the telephoto lens are quite good. For low light photography, the Galaxy A9 wouldn't be a good option. The images lack details and sharpness which is a bit of a setback.

Overall, the quad camera sure offers a lot of options to play around with, but the software could have been more optimized. The camera also needs some tweaks in the low-light photography department as well.

For selfies, Samsung has added a 24MP shooter which also has support for AR Emoji and wide selfie mode. It captures good images with a good amount of details making it a good alternative for selfie enthusiasts.

Performance

The Samsung Galaxy A9 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor with 6/8GB of RAM. Well, the device is a good performer when it comes to day-to-day tasks. We barely noticed the phone getting sluggish or stuttering while navigating through the menu, playing games, or switching between the apps. The launch time for the apps was swift and multitasking worked like a charm.

The big screen is good for multimedia consumption and playing your favorite games. The audio output is pretty clear and makes up for a good listening experience. Although they lack stereo sound but are still good enough for playing your tunes.

The Galaxy A9 (2018) also supports Samsung pay that lets you make payments without reaching out for your wallets. But Samsung has only provided the mini version of the service, which means you won't be able to use your phones at PoS terminals.

As for the battery performance, the smartphone is juiced by a 3800mAh battery which claims to offer a full day of heavy usage. And, it's true. We were able to perform to use the phone for a whole day without reaching out for the charger. Our usage included playing a few high-end games, listening to music, browsing the internet. The overall battery performance is great which is complemented by the company's fast charging tech.

Verdict

Samsung has definitely made a mark by bringing the first quad camera phone to the table and coming with more aggressive strategies to get its throne back from other Chinese brands. If the company has planned on making the Galaxy A series more powerful, we can expect the S series to be something extraordinary.

That being said, we still feel that the company could have done a little extra apart from putting four camera sensors. They might have all the top-notch camera features but might not be the most desired camera phone for the users. But, the device is strong on the performance front and is aesthetically pleasing.

It all boils down to the pricing of the device. We would have looked beyond the flaws of the phone if the company priced it somewhere below 30,000. That would have made for a great value for money and gave other phones in the segment a run for their money. But, it seems like a missed opportunity as the device was launched to lock horns with the OnePlus 6T, but doesn't seem to be happening in Samsung's favour. If you are someone looking for a decent all-rounder from Samsung, the Galaxy A9 is a safe bet, but if you are open to other option, there are a lot of choices that could prove better.
Congresswoman asked Sundar Pichai why Trump show up when I Google 'Idiot'? News oi-Karan Sharma Google CEO Sundar Pichai explained Congress members the reason behind the search result of the world idiot.

Earlier it has been reported that Google is showing the picture of the US President Donald Trump when searching the term "idiot" in Google image search. On December 11, Google CEO Sundar Pichai explained the reason behind the search result to the members of Congress during a hearing in front of the House Judiciary Committee.

Zoe Lofgren told Pichai that we think there is "a little man sitting behind the curtain" who was responsible for the results against conservatives.

Pichai explained, "We provide search today for any time you type in a keyword. We, as Google, have gone out and crawled and stored copies of billions of their pages in our index, and we take the keyword and match it against the pages and rank them based on over 200 signals."

"Things like relevance, freshness, popularity, how other people are using it. And based on that, you know, at any given time, we try to find the best results for that query," he added.

In his explanation, Google CEO has cleared the point from his part and from Google's part. He made the congress members clear that there is no one sitting and manually doing anything with the keywords and search results.

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Google gets warning from Vladimir Putin, could be blocked in Russia News oi-Karan Sharma Russia government threatening Google to block in the country unless it complies with the state registry.

It seems Google is facing some issues in Russia. It has been reported that a Russian communications official is threatening Google to block in the country unless it complies with a law banning certain websites.

The Russian government keeps on pressuring internet companies to block harmful content from the web. Back in September Russia received a law demanding web search tools to coordinate to the state registry of restricted sites and exclude the prohibited content from the search results.

The registry contains websites which promotes hate speech and self-harm. It also includes a large number of websites which is blacklisted for explicitly political reasons. The Ukrainian news website is also a part of the list.

On Wednesday, deputy Communications Oversight Agency chief Vitaly Subbotin of Russian said, that authorities may push the amendments and if search engines like Google fail to comply with the Russian law, then the authorities will block the search engine from the country.

There are some reports which claimed that Google is preparing to launch a search engine in China from US lawmakers, and in fears, the country might also censor some of the searches.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has previously said that there are no plans to launch a search in China. He said, Right now, we have no plans to launch [a search product] in China, adding that getting access to information is an important human right, The Sun quoted Sundar Pichai as saying.

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By Mary Helland's recollection, for the first time in over at least 20 years a barber pole is spinning on Front Street and the first time in a few years an actual barber is again cutting hair and shaving faces in the Bonnie City. Shelbie Irvin, barber and owner of the newly minted Whistle Stop Barber Shop, has taken up residence in the old Stan's Saloon building on Front Street next to the Montana Bar.

Helland has undertaken the monumental task of renovating the more than century old Stan's Saloon and the addition of a barber shop has been a long-standing goal of hers in recent months. In the design of the historic building, Helland has taken to acquiring, renovating and repurposing pieces of Glasgow and Montana history. Aside from paneling, window decor and a chandelier from the Great Northern Railroad, Helland has restored a section of an old bar back from the original Stan's Saloon for use inside the barber shop.

Irvin, for her part, is a newly minted barber, having just graduated from a barber conversion course at the Montana Academy of Salons in Great Falls. Irvin has spent the better part of a decade as a stylist but found she was not enamored with the work.

"There is something about shaving a beard that I like," said Irvin, "maybe it's because I can't grow one, I don't know." Irvin said she made the switch from stylist to barber and so far is enjoying the work. Irvin moved to Glasgow from Seattle after meeting her boyfriend a Glasgow native. At first she had not set out to convert her Washington license to Montana, unsure if she wanted to continue the career. Eventually, she would learn how easy it was to renew her license in the state and learn barbering as a result.

A.J. Etherington / The Courier Shelbie Irvin shaves the head of local business owner Rocky Thompson at her newly minted barber shop on Front Street. Note the lion head bar that, according to Mary Helland, had stood behind the bar in the original Stan's Saloon. Much of the barber shop and Stan's Saloon contain remnants of historic buildings and things from Northeast Montana, especially Glasgow.

According to Irvin, because she had already been licensed as a stylist all she had to do was take a shortened course in barbering to earn her license. Then it was a matter of finding a space and opening up shop. Irvin hopes to keep at it for the long-haul with no plans to leave Glasgow any time soon.

Irvin has almost certainly hit a need within the community. As I arrived, before opening a couple of weeks back, excited to get a razor-close medium fade and to discuss the shop's opening, the place had sat a patron nonstop throughout the morning and when I left near noon there were still four men waiting to receive their cuts. If that Friday was any indication Irvin's business, prospects are looking postitive.

Helland also has big plans for the rest of the space and no intention of going anywhere anytime soon. Those plans include a commercial kitchen, retail space for novelties and an upscale gathering venue that restores the charm and elegance of the original Front Street.

"You know I really just want to bring it back to what it used to be," said Helland, discussing her motivation and vision for the renovation. At present there is still a lot of work to do, but with phase one complete and revenue coming in, the future is looking bright for downtown Glasgow.
By AusSMC

Australias Space Agency will touch down in Adelaide by mid-2019. It is hoped that it will help triple Australias space economy to $12 billion by 2030.

"I welcome the decision for the Australian Space Agency to be based in South Australia. The state has a long and successful history of previous space engineering endeavours, including the Europa 1 to 10 launches at Woomera by ELDO, the precursor to the European Space Agency.

Placing the Australian Space Agency in South Australia in a natural progression and it is an ideal place for all universities and industry to work together to develop the next exciting stage of Australias space industry."



"South Australia has seen successive State Governments, most notably now with Premier Steven Marshall, support space companies making Adelaide a hub for innovation in this area.

The Australian Space Agency HQ will further drive the developments of the South Australian economy but it will benefit all States and Territories. Each has a unique effort that can be leveraged to benefit the nation, regardless of where the organisation that brings this all together is based

The potential establishment of a national industry-university called SmartSatCRC, which is led by UniSA but brings together all major players across Australia and internationally, is a great example of how all are needed to make a success of space.

The technologies that are developed and the jobs created in both building and launching satellites, developing new sensors to observe Earth from space and generating insights for farms, fisheries and industries back in Australia."

"This is exciting news for South Australia. As well as the heritage of the Woomera rocket range, which launched the WRESAT 1 satellite in 1967 making Australia the fourth nation in space, South Australia has a flourishing space ecosystem. Space enterprises already located here include telecommunications and satellites, Internet of Things, defence science and technology, propulsion, and launch services. There is a strong space education focus with the International Space University's Southern Hemisphere program and the Hamilton Space School. There are significant research strengths in satellite systems, space law and space heritage.

The location of the Agency's headquarters in Adelaide does not mean that industry and research enterprises in other states are not going to play major roles in Australia's bid to grow its share of the global space market. But the announcement means that the Agency, still less than six months old, can really settle down and focus on its core business. At a national level, we're demonstrating that we're serious about space and Australia is ready to make its mark."

"After the euphoria of the agency's initial announcement last year and establishment this year, this decision will be a great disappointment to the many who worked so hard to establish the agency. Today's announcement was very parochial, with no mention of other states that make significant contributions to the space industry. One hopes that the agency will not continue in this vein, and acknowledge the great majority of Australia's space effort, which is made outside South Australia.

The model proposed where there is a headquarters somewhere sensible, like Canberra, with nodes in each state, that develop the individual strengths of those states, has similarly been ignored. The main beneficiary of this announcement may end up being Qantas, with the likely amount of travel which will be required between the agency and where the work is being done."

"Australia now joins the league of space nations. We are still a junior partner though, with a really tight budget compared with the big players, and so the nation would be well advised to consider inputs from a wide variety of stakeholders, partners and even competitors in drawing up a mature space program in years to come.

While Adelaide has won the competition to physically host the agency, there is much to be gained from close collaboration across the board, drawing on expertise from around the country and, indeed, the world. Such a collaborative approach will ultimately benefit us all, anywhere in the world."

"The location of the Space Agency in South Australia will enhance UniSAs contribution to the space industry through its leadership in a proposed Cooperative Research Centre in Intelligent Satellite systems (SmartSat) which it is currently co-leading with Nova Systems.

This CRC, if successful, will be a national collaboration of researchers and industry. The bid has already attracted more than 70 participants, who have committed nearly $200 million to develop game-changing technologies and help the Space Agency to build the Australian space industry and deliver wealth for the whole nation."
The Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) system was developed by Melvil Dewey in 1873 and published in 1876. Libraries either use the DDC or the Library of Congress Classification (LCC) system to organize materials. The DDC is a system that organizes assigned numbers to subjects. This makes it so that materials can be shelved with other items of similar topics, and found easily in a library.

The DDC is the most widely used system in the world, for public and small academic libraries, to organize and classify books by fields. There are 10 main fields based on the division of all knowledge, with each field assigned 100 numbers. Here are the 10 main fields: 000099, computer science, information & general works; 100199, philosophy and psychology; 200299, religion; 300399, social sciences; 400499, language; 500599, science and mathematics; 600699, technology; 700799, the arts and recreation; 800899, literature and rhetoric; and 900999, history, biography, and geography. These 10 main fields are further subdivided to provide specific subject groups.

The LCC system, mainly used in research and academic libraries, was developed by the Library of Congress in the 1800s. Consisting of 21 fields with each indicated by a letter of the alphabet.

Here at the Glasgow City-County Library, we use the DDC system to arrange our nonfiction materials. The nonfiction and fiction sections are both found in the adult, young adult and juvenile locations at our library. We also offer other additional nonfiction locations for ease of browsing our materials. These include a Montana section, a Reference section in the basement (sorry no check outs on reference materials) and an Oversized books section. Our books are arranged numerically, shorter numbers coming first. Books with the same numerical call number are shelved alphabetically by author then title. Because books are grouped by subject, other similar books can be found within the same locations. This technique is called shelf browsing, and one of my favorite things to do at the library. I find shelf browsing to be helpful in locating other books that are similar to a specific search.

If you are interested, any one of the friendly library staff at the Glasgow City-County Library would be happy to explain more about how the system works and/or show you around the library.
The Soroptomists annual fundraiser, organized by Denise Forbes Kegel, to purchase winter clothing and outerwear for area children raised a record setting amount of money for the second year in a row. The fundraiser, which gets volunteers to stand on downtown street corners, took place last Friday, Dec. 7, and the temperature was forecast not to rise above 34 degrees.

Despite the chilly day, Glasgow and the surrounding area brought in over $37,000, a record breaking total for the event. In 2017, the group raised $30,310.

On Saturday, area volunteers took over 115 families and 297 local Valley County children shopping, spending over $100 per child at area stores to purchase winter clothing and outerwear such as coats, boots, hats, mittens and other items needed to survive the Northeast Montana winters.

Over 36 club members and community members assisted the group with raising the funds and shopping for families. Event organizers told the Courier they wanted to, Give credit to this amazing community for collection volunteers, shopping volunteers and those who donated so generously.

According to LaWana Grewe, a Soroptomist Club member, the group took over the Block of Bucks fundraiser from the Jaycees a number of years back and feel the need in the community will continue going forward.

Grewe stated, The need is still there so we will continue to meet it.

The club looks forward to the continuing support from the community and volunteers.
Karissa Norheim and Jenn Calkin sort through clothes and children's items at Calkin's new studio in Glasgow on Dec. 10.

When people hear the name, "Jenn Calkin," immediately you think of her amazing talents behind the camera. She has captured many weddings, taken many first images of babies in the community, provided parents memories of their growing child and have...
The Glasgow Natural Resources Conservation Services District Conservationist Tracy Cumber and the Valley County Conservation District held a holiday open house at the United States Department of Agriculture Office in Glasgow on Dec. 10, to hear re...
The conference committee report on the 2018 Farm Bill has been released and could be headed for final votes in the House and Senate this week. The House could be voting on the bill Wednesday, Dec. 12, with the Senate potentially following with a v...
Back in October, I set out on a long-anticipated road trip. Years had passed since I last ventured out alone on an extended journey out of state. I was excited to travel and to see relatives after many years. Nestled into my new-to-me car, one tha...
Accused Russian agent to plead guilty, help prosecutors

Iran Press TV

Wed Dec 12, 2018 03:13AM

Maria Butina, who is charged and detained in the United States over conspiracy to act as a Russian government agent by developing ties with American citizens and infiltrating political groups, has reportedly agreed to plead guilty and cooperate with federal prosecutors.

Butina, suspected of trying to infiltrate the National Rifle Association (NRA) and influence US policy toward Russia, is expected to plead guilty this week following a deal between her lawyers and US prosecutors, according to court filings on Tuesday.

Documents obtained by US media outlets said Butina would admit she had conspired with an unidentified American to act at the direction of a Russian official "to establish unofficial lines of communication with Americans having power and influence over US politics ... for the benefit of the Russian Federation."

The same documents talked about Butina's efforts to build ties with a "gun rights organization," and "Political Party 1," which is the Republican Party.

The documents also confirmed that the 30-year-old had been involved in arranging a trip by NRA members to Moscow in late 2015.

Lawyers for Butina and the US Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors said a day earlier that they "resolved this matter" and she wanted to change her original plea of not guilty.

The plea deal stated that Butina "agreed and conspired, with a Russian government official ('Russian Official') and at least one other person, for Butina to act in the United States under the direction of Russian Official without prior notification to the Attorney General."

The charge carries a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison, but prosecutors estimated a sentence up to six months. Butina also faces deportation after her sentence ends.

The Russian gun rights activist was arrested in mid-July in the US and stands accused of working as a Russian agent of influence. She was residing in the country on a student visa while completing a master's degree in international relations at American University in Washington, DC.

Moscow has strongly criticized the US government for detaining Butina over the past several months, labeling the case against her "fabricated" and calling for her release.

Media reports said Butina's plea hearing  which was originally set for Wednesday  has been rescheduled to Thursday morning.

Butina not known to Russian spy agencies

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that it was unclear to him why Butina was arrested in the US, because the chiefs of Russia's intelligence agencies had informed him they did not know anything about her.

"She risks 15 years in jail. For what?" Putin asked, noting, "I asked all the heads of our intelligence services what is going on. Nobody knows anything about her."

Butina's arrest in mid-July came days after the DOJ charged 12 Russian intelligence officers with hacking Democratic officials in the US elections.

Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller, a former FBI director, has been running a high-profile investigation into allegations that Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election against Democratic rival Hillary Clinton partly because Moscow had rigged the election in his favor.

US intelligence agencies claim Russia-linked hackers provided WikiLeaks with damaging information -- in the form of thousands of hacked emails -- about Clinton to skew the presidential election in favor of Trump.

Trump has repeatedly denied allegations that his campaign colluded with Russians and has condemned the investigations.

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Court in Ecuador to Consider Appeal of WikiLeaks Founder Assange on Wednesday

Sputnik News

07:16 12.12.2018(updated 20:52 12.12.2018)

QUITO (Sputnik) - An Ecuadorian court will consider on Wednesday the appeal submitted by the defence of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange against the demand of the country's government to comply with a protocol containing rules specially developed for him, Assange's lawyer in Ecuador, Carlos Poveda, told Sputnik.

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 months, the Ecuadorian authorities have been putting various restrictions on the conditions of Assange's stay in the embassy, which the whistleblower's defence called the violation of human rights.

"We hope that the court will adequately analyze our petition and accept 15 facts of evidence that were requested in order to leave the protocol and restrictions on visits in place," Poveda said.

According to the lawyer, these arguments include letters from individuals and organizations that were not allowed access to Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

Earlier, the EFE agency reported citing sources familiar with the situation that Assange had refused to comply with this protocol. The regulation defines norms of behaviour and communication for Assange, regulates the order of visits, communication with the outside world and provision of medical care to him. The new order came into effect on October 13. In late October, the court has already refused to satisfy Assange's appeal.

 Sputnik

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Officials Detail Steps to Improve Navy, Marine Corps Readiness

Dec. 12, 2018

By David Vergun

Defense.gov

WASHINGTON -- The Navy and Marine Corps have some readiness challenges, but both services are taking steps to address them, Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer and a senior Government Accountability Office official told Senators today.

Spencer and John H. Pendleton, GAO's director of defense capabilities and management, testified at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee's sea power and readiness and management support subcommittees.

In sum, Pendleton said, the readiness issues were mostly related to a high operations tempo, budgetary shortfalls in previous years and an aging and shrinking fleet of ships, submarines and aircraft. His assessment, he told the senators, is based on numerous visits his team made to naval installations and to the fleet at sea.

Spencer detailed several corrective actions, including:

 Using commercial best practices to increase efficiency and flow in maintenance facilities to return ships, subs and planes back to the fleet as quickly as possible.

 Replacing aging systems by accelerated acquisitions for several key items, including the next-generation frigate, the MQ-25 unmanned aerial refueling system, Surface Navy Laser Weapons Systems and Standard Missile 6, Block 1B, while investing further in advanced tactical munitions including tactical Tomahawk missiles, long-range anti-ship missiles, rolling airframe missiles and heavyweight torpedoes.

 Significantly accelerating ship acquisition, procuring 22 battle force ships over fiscal years 2017 and 2018, while decommissioning nine ships.

 Increasing fleet readiness with $1.1 billion in additional funding executed for ship maintenance; an increase from $8.7 billion in fiscal 2017 to $9.8 billion in fiscal 2019, enabling ships to begin deployment training on time with improved materiel condition and modernized combat, communications and engineering systems.

 Partnering shipyards with the private sector to improve efficiency and reduce the maintenance backlog and increasing productivity. For example, he said, the Navy has put multiple subs in private shipyards to alleviate the capacity problems in the Navy's own shipyards. In the past three years, he added, the Navy has reduced lost days to maintenance in its own shipyards by 11 percent.

 Accelerating efforts to hire and train new public shipyard workers, bringing the total workforce at its shipyards from 34,918 in fiscal 2017 to 36,696 in fiscal 2018, meeting the fiscal 2020 goal of 36,100 full-time-equivalent workers one year earlier than originally planned.

Improving Marine Corps Readiness

 Making significant improvements and investments in Marine Corps aviation readiness. On average, Marine squadrons last year achieved readiness rates above service combat readiness standards for the first time in several years. Average flight hours per aircrew increased from 13.5 per month in fiscal 2016 to 17.9 in fiscal 2018, an increase of 32.6 percent.

 Increasing Marine Corps modernization investments over the last three fiscal years, including 82 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets and 16 CH-53K King Stallion helicopters, as well as making significant investments in the protected mobility of Marines at sea and ashore through acquisition of 56 new amphibious combat vehicles.

 Enhancing investments such as close combat lethality equipment for Marine infantry; High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems; advanced air defense systems; initial investments in a long-range, ground-based anti-ship missile system; and improved command and control systems aboard amphibious warships.

 Continuing to work aggressively to ensure the highest possible Marine Corps ground equipment readiness. Over the last three years, average readiness for mission-essential ground equipment has increased to 92 percent in the active component operating forces and 95 percent in the Maritime Prepositioned Force.

Strengthening Alliances and Partnerships

In addition to all of these steps to improve readiness and modernization, Spencer said, the Navy and Marine Corps are strengthening alliances and attracting new partners through combined and joint exercises such as Rim of the Pacific, Trident Juncture, Malabar and Bold Alligator, and increasing opportunities for personnel and their allied counterparts to study together, serve together and operate as a single unit.

The other area the Navy and Marine Corps are striving to improve, Spencer told the panel, is business reform. He called it a top priority that needs to "rapidly achieve effectiveness and efficiency at the speed of relevance."

For example, he said, the Navy has embraced lessons from commercial airline heavy-maintenance practices and their data-driven approach to improve naval aviation's maintenance processes, with a goal, of achieving an 80 percent mission-capable rate in all fleet strike fighter squadrons by the end of this fiscal year.

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Cal Guard's new helicopters make fire debut during Camp Fire

By Senior Airman Crystal Housman | California National Guard December 12, 2018

MATHER, Calif. -- Two of the Army's newest helicopters worked their first wildfire missions recently as the California National Guard supported state agencies battling the deadly Camp Fire in Northern California.

A pair of UH-60M Black Hawk medium-lift helicopters from the California Army National Guard's 1st Assault Helicopter Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment, deployed Nov. 11 from Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos, and headed north.

Poor visibility hampered aerial firefighting efforts early in the activation and kept most of the incident's aviation assets grounded, but after a couple days new opportunities opened up to attack the fire's northeastern edge.

Once there, the crews fought to keep the fire from crossing over containment lines in the Feather River Canyon. They also created a safety buffer to prevent the fire from burning toward hand crews cutting line below.

"We were keeping an area of the fire in check that had slopped over containment lines they had previously built with retardant," said Tim Rodriguez, a military helicopter manager with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), who embedded as part of the aircrew.

Rodriguez helped coordinate water drops in the canyon to assist ground crews who were attempting to cut fire lines, but were hampered by the advancing fire front. Overnight, spot fires and increased fire activity slowed their progress.

"During one of our missions, the plan was to start making drops near a hand crew's position and continue downhill to create a safe environment for them to work," Rodriguez said.

According to the Cal Guard's state aviation office, the two M-model helicopters combined to drop 109 buckets, or just over 70,000 gallons of water, on the fire as it burned through thick trees and mountainous terrain in Butte County. The M-models accounted for more than half of the Cal Guard's flight hours and bucket drops on the fire.

An older A+ model UH-60 and a CH-47 Chinook, from Cal Guard flight facilities in Fresno and Stockton, respectively, also flew water bucket missions over the fire, boosting the overall total to 192,206 gallons of water dropped by the four Cal Guard helicopters activated for the fire. The heavy-lift Chinook, which had fewer drops, released the largest single sum of water between the assets, thanks largely to its 2,000-gallon bucket.

CAL FIRE personnel touted changes to the M-model's radio system, which allow them to isolate audio feeds and keep their focus on fire-related radio channels to hear personnel in the air or on the ground.

"Having individual volumes in the back is a big plus for us," said Bob Innes, who, like Rodriguez, is a CAL FIRE military helicopter manager and embedded as part of the UH-60M aircrews.

Rodriguez agreed.

"For some of the stuff they (the military crew) have to listen to, we can just turn it down a little bit and for the stuff we need to listen to we turn it up," he said. "If not, we may be trying to listen to someone on the ground and could miss critical radio traffic that could become a safety issue."

The addition of two multi-band radios to the cockpit is the most beneficial single feature of the M-model, according to U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Doug Martine, the helicopter's pilot in command.

"It really inhibited us beforehand being restricted to just one frequency when inside the area we're operating in for the fire," he said. "There's multiple frequencies going on so that's huge for us."

Rodriguez, who has flown about 170 hours working fires in the older UH-60L-model, also noted the M-model's increased power.

He described the aircraft as having "plenty of power" and said they were able to fill the aircraft's 660-gallon water bucket every time, rather than letting some water out to create a lighter load as he sometimes experienced in the L-model.

Martine noted that the two models carry the same buckets, but the M-model's rotor system is capable of lifting more.

"It's a more efficient rotor system particularly at the low airspeeds that we're operating at with regard to fire fighting operations," Martine said. "The engines are a little bit more unleashed, so we get to get some more torque and lifting out of it."

The M-models fly smoother than the older UH-60L models, said Martine, who ferried the unit's first M-model helicopter to Southern California after picking it up from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey where it received post-manufacture modifications required by the U.S. Army.

"It's a much smoother ride," he said. "You're not getting the shutter, so it doesn't wear on you as much throughout the day.

Upgraded avionics and glass cockpit instruments in the M-model create safer flying conditions, he added. The aircraft's updated flight management system includes a full 26-letter keyboard which allows the pilots to drop points on a map and label them faster and with more characters.

The aircraft's graphic displays for the time and fuel it will take to travel between points add to the crew's situational awareness.

"We can stay more focused on the fire and run some quick calculations to determine how much fuel we need to get back to a refuel location safely and get back out to the fire quickly," Martine said.

While none of the M-model's new features are monumentally different than its predecessor, Martine says the small upgrades throughout the aircraft add up.

"It's just a little bit better with everything and you really notice it at those times when you're task saturated," Martine said.

Though crews touted the new helicopter's increased performance and communications capabilities over the fire, it's not a perfect replacement for the L-Model, said Sgt. Anthony Orduno, one of the UH-60M crew chiefs who activated for the Camp Fire.

The L-model has a power supply in the rear cabin, he noted, which enables crews to use a power fill accessory on the water bucket to pick up from shallow water. The current configuration of the M-model precludes that, Orduno said, though Martine noted a solution to add the required power for the accessory is currently being worked on.

The unit has a dozen M-models now, and is slated to have 20 by early 2019 as they continue converting from the older L models, said Maj. Algernon Clay, who commands the California Army National Guard's Los Alamitos Army Aviation Support Facility where the aircraft are housed and locally operated from.

In December 2017, Rep. Ken Calvert announced the California Army National Guard would be receiving upgraded helicopters.

Calvert, who is vice-chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, cited the Cal Guard's high utilization rates for both federal and state missions as justification for the upgrades.

The 1-140th's UH-60L helicopters were actively fighting the Thomas Fire in Ventura County at the time the announcement was made. The Thomas Fire became the state's largest fire at 281,893 acres, but was surpassed by this summer's Mendocino Complex Fire during which a pair of fires roared to over 450,000 acres in a single geographic area.

Calvert saw the Camp Fire's devastation first-hand when he toured the area with President Donald Trump on Nov. 17.

"The California National Guard has been critical in emergency response to the fires across the state and the new M-model UH-60 Blackhawks (sic) have demonstrated that increased capability in the air means critical life-saving response on land," Calvert said in a statement.

Calvert reaffirmed his commitment to ensure the Cal Guard has what it needs for domestic disaster response missions.

"I will continue to work with the CA Guard to ensure our Guardsmen have the tools they need to respond, recover and rebuild in the wake of recent wildfires," he said.

The Camp Fire started in Butte County the morning of Nov. 8, 2018, and churned through 153,336 acres of urban land, vegetation, forest and nearly 14,000 residences on its way to becoming the deadliest fire in state history. Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire, which killed at least 85 people. The Butte County Sheriff's Department lists three people as missing.

CAL FIRE reported the fire fully contained Nov. 25.

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Head of Yemeni delegation in Stokholm: Foreign forces presence in Yemen unjustifiable

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Dec 12, IRNA -- The presence of foreign forces in Yemen is inexcusable, the Yemeni media 'Al-Masirah' quoted head of Ansarullah delegation in Sweden peace talks as saying.

The foreign forces presence in Yemen is against Yemen's Constitution and the United Nations Security Council resolutions, Mohammad Abdul Salam said.

The Yemeni delegation has not become certain if there is real support for establishing peace in Yemen, he added.

He went on to say that the delegation will spare no efforts to realize any tangible measures for ending problems in Yemen.

He described as important prisoners swap, saying the list presented by Saudis on prisoners is not complete.

The agreement consists of releasing all prisoners of war and even those who are in UAE and Saudi Arabia prisons, Abdul Salam noted.

Commenting on UN offers as regard Al Hudaydah Province in western Yemen, he said the other side should be aware of the humanitarian aspects.

The intra-Yemeni talks which were earlier supposed to be held on September 6 postponed due to Saudis' sabotage.

The first round of the Yemeni peace talks were held in December 2015 in Geneva but the meeting produced no results.

Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched a devastating military campaign against Yemen in March 2015, with the aim of bringing the government of Mansour Hadi back to power and crushing the country's Ansarullah Movement.

Some 16,000 Yemenis have been killed and thousands more injured since the onset of the Saudi-led aggression.

The assaults of the Saudi-led coalition forces have failed to stop the Yemenis from resisting the aggression.

9376**1771

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Secretary General welcomes King of Jordan to NATO Headquarters

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

12 Dec. 2018

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan to NATO Headquarters on Wednesday (12 December 2018) for talks on the Alliance's partnership with Amman, as well as regional security challenges. His Majesty participated in a meeting of the North Atlantic Council, addressing security challenges facing the Middle East and North Africa, including the fight against terrorism. At the meeting, Mr. Stoltenberg praised Jordan's role in promoting regional security, and its active role in the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.

The Secretary General stressed that the visit is a sign of the priority both Jordan and NATO place on deepening the partnership. He welcomed that practical cooperation has reached unprecedented levels, with NATO and Jordanian forces having worked together very effectively from the Balkans to Afghanistan. Mr. Stoltenberg also thanked Jordan for hosting NATO training for Iraqi forces at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center in Amman.

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US Senate votes to end US support for Saudi war on Yemen

Iran Press TV

Wed Dec 12, 2018 09:27PM

The United State Senate has voted to end President Donald Trump's support for the Saudi war on Yemen.

The senators voted 60-39 Wednesday to advance a resolution for further debate and a later vote in the chamber.

Republican senators joined the Democrats to provide the 60 votes needed for the resolution to advance.

The 39 Republicans senators disagreeing with the move all cast no votes.

The resolution passed despite Majority leader Mitch McConnell's call on lawmakers to block the it, arguing it is too broad.

The senate fired the warning shot at Trump in the wake of his embarrassingly close ties with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman following the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The Saudi government is currently grappling with an international crisis over the murder of prominent dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

In March 2015, Saudi Arabia and a coalition of its regional allies started the war against the Muslim world's poorest country, Yemen.

Backed by the US, the Saudi-led military campaign has created a human crisis in the impoverished country, killing some 15,000 people and displacing thousands more.

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Maduro accuses US of hatching plot to invade Venezuela

Iran Press TV

Wed Dec 12, 2018 06:53PM

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has accused the United States of hatching a plot to invade the South American country, saying US national security adviser John Bolton was leading the plan.

"Mr John Bolton has been assigned, once again, as the chief of a plot to fill Venezuela with violence and to seek a foreign military intervention," Maduro said at a press conference in the capital, Caracas, on Wednesday.

He added that Bolton was coordinating the training of mercenaries in military posts in Colombia and the US.

US President Donald Trump said last year that he would not "rule out" military option for Venezuela to solve the ongoing crisis in the country.

Washington has also intensified unilateral sanctions on the socialist country, announcing bans on Maduro's wife and several of his top allies to further increase pressure on the government in early September.

Caracas has been facing a series of US embargoes targeting its economy and political authorities since 2014 under the pretext of alleged human rights abuses and threats to US national security.

In August, Maduro survived an assassination attempt during a military parade in Caracas. He was unharmed while seven Venezuelan soldiers sustained injuries in the incident.

Venezuela's president has repeatedly accused the US and Colombia, particularly Colombian ex-president Juan Manuel Santos, of having a role in the attack. The Colombian Foreign Ministry denied any involvement of Bogota in the assassination attempt on Maduro, according to a report by Sputnik news agency.

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Houthis, Saudi-backed groups agree to reopen Sana'a airport as talks continue

Iran Press TV

Wed Dec 12, 2018 05:05PM

Yemen's warring parties have reportedly agreed to reopen the airport in the capital Sana'a, which was shuttered last year after numerous attacks by Saudi Arabia.

The Houthi Ansarullah movement and the country's former Saudi-backed regime agreed Wednesday to resume domestic flights in the airport, sources familiar with ongoing UN-led peace talks in Sweden stated.

International flights would stop at one of the two government-held airports in Aden or Sayun for inspections before flying in or out of Sana'a.

Saudi Arabia had attacked the airport November last year, damaging its ground navigation tower and parts of its runway.

The international airport is in Houthi territory but has been rendered useless by an aerial blockade imposed by the Saudi-led military coalition, which has been pounding Yemen since March 2015.

The military aggression began months after Riyadh-friendly former President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi resigned amid a political conflict with the Houthi movement and fled to Saudi Arabia.

According to new figures released by The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), some 60,223 people had been killed in Yemen between January 2016 and the end of November 2018. The independent research group said that nearly half of those fatalities happened this year alone.

Saudi-led attacks have destroyed most of Yemen's infrastructure, leaving millions of Yemenis in dire need of food and medicines. Thousands of Yemenis have also lost their lives due to outbreaks of cholera and other deadly diseases.

The UN food agency said earlier this month that more than 15 million people in Yemen were in food "crisis" or "emergency," warning that the number could increase to 20 million without sustained food aid.

The new UN-led peace initiative aims for, as a first step, an end to the maritime and aerial blockades that Saudi Arabia maintains on the impoverished country.

Besides the Sana'a airport, Yemen relies heavily on the southwestern port of Hudaydah, a gateway for roughly 80 percent of food and aid imported to the country.

In June, after the prospects of defeating Houthis faded away and talks of a diplomatic solution gained traction, the Saudi-backed groups launched an operation to seize control of the strategic port city 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.

On Tuesday, the UN proposed that both parties to the conflict pull out of Hudaydah and form an interim entity to run it.

As a confidence-building step, the two sides have also agreed to a mass prisoner swap, exchanging lists of over 15,000 prisoners and detainees, including citizens of the United Arab Emirates, one of the key members of the Saudi-led coalition.

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US erects 'observation posts' on Syria-Turkey border despite Ankara's dissent

Iran Press TV

Wed Dec 12, 2018 08:05AM

The US military says it has established "observation posts" in northern Syria with the purported aim of preventing clashes between Turkish forces and US-backed Kurdish militants, despite Ankara's strong opposition to the plan.

"At the direction of Secretary (James) Mattis, the US established observation posts in the northeast Syria border region to address the security concerns of our NATO ally Turkey," Department of Defense spokesman Rob Manning said in a press release on Tuesday.

This is while Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar had, during a Friday meeting with US Special Envoy to Syria James Jeffrey in Ankara, called on Washington to lift the so-called observation posts in northern Syria, along parts of Turkey' border.

Akar also said earlier that Turkey had expressed its concerns about US plans to set up several observation posts in Syria, a move, which according to him, could lead to a perception that Washington is "somehow protecting terrorist YPG [Kurdish People's Protection Units] members."

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu this month lambasted as a "big mistake" the US support for the YPG militants in Syria, a thorny issue in ties between the two allies.

The YPG forms the backbone of the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an anti-Damascus alliance of predominantly Kurdish militants supported by the US.

Ankara views the YPG as a terrorist organization and the Syrian branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been fighting for an autonomous region inside Turkey since 1984.

The Pentagon's Tuesday release further said that the US military would coordinate with Turkey its security efforts in the border region.

"We take Turkish security concerns seriously and we are committed to coordinating our efforts with Turkey to bring stability to northeastern Syria," Manning said in the press release.

Washington infuriated Ankara by announcing a plan for the formation of a Kurdish militant force in Syria near the Turkish border.

The plan prompted Turkey to launch a cross-border military operation on January 20 inside the Arab country, code-named Operation Olive Branch, with the declared aim of eliminating the YPG militants from northern Syria, particularly the Afrin region.

Turkish troops captured Afrin in March, and threatened to take the battle to nearby Manbij. Ankara and Washington agreed a roadmap on Manbij, which would see the city cleansed of US-backed Kurdish militants.

Mattis said last month that Washington wanted the so-called observation posts to help minimize tensions between the Turks and US-backed SDF forces in the purported fight against the Daesh terrorist group.

The Syrian government has given a degree of authority to Kurdish regions to run their own affairs. The US, however, has used the power vacuum to establish a foothold in those regions with the help of militants.

Ankara, one of Washington's key allies in the region, has repeatedly questioned the US deployment of heavy weapons in Syria despite the defeat of Daesh in much of the Arab country.

Syria has strongly denounced the presence of both Turkish and US troops around Manbij.

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UN asks warring parties to leave Hudaydah, proposes interim entity to rule Yemeni port

Iran Press TV

Wed Dec 12, 2018 07:11AM

The United Nations has proposed that both parties to the Yemen conflict pull out of Hudaydah, and that an interim entity be set up to run the embattled port city, a lifeline for millions of people in the war-torn country.

The proposal was put forward on Tuesday, the sixth day of the UN-brokered peace talks in Sweden between delegations from Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement and the country's former Saudi-backed regime.

Three sources familiar with the discussions told Reuters that the initiative, which has been presented by UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths, envisions the formation of a "joint committee or independent entity" to manage Hudaydah after the withdrawal of the warring sides from the strategic Red Sea port.

Hudaydah is the entry point for most of Yemen's commercial goods and vital aid.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE launched an offensive against Hudaydah in June but they have hit a stiff brick wall in the face of a strong resistance put up by Yemeni armed forces  led by the Houthis -- and the city's residents.

The Saudi-led coalition claims that the Houthis are using the port city for weapons delivery, an allegation rejected by the Yemeni fighters.

So far in the peace talks, both parties have agreed to a UN role in Hudaydah.

However, the Houthis say the city must be declared a neutral zone, while the team of Yemen's former Saudi-backed president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi says it should be placed under the control of the self-proclaimed Interior Ministry.

Commenting on UN proposals on Hudaydah, Mohamed Abdulsalam, who heads the Houthi team, told Yemen's al-Masirah television that the Riyadh-sponsored party is "escalating its military aggression on Hudaydah."

"The presence of foreign forces in Yemen is contrary to the Yemeni constitution and the resolutions of the Security Council," he said, referring to the Saudi-led forces backing pro-Hadi militants on the battlefield against Yemeni armed forces.

"There is no excuse for the presence of foreign troops in Yemen as long as we are heading for a political solution," he added.

Mass prisoner swap expected

Additionally on Tuesday, Yemen's rival parties exchanged lists of over 15,000 prisoners and detainees, including UAE and Saudi nationals, for a swap agreed at the start of the peace talks.

Delegates said the swap would take place through the Houthi-held Sana'a airport and the militant-held Say'un airport in the south, with the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) overseeing the process.

"We have exchanged more than 7,000 names from each side, including some 200 high-ranking officers," said Ghaleb Mutlaq , a member of the Houthi delegation.

Abdul Qader al-Murtada, another Houthi official, also said the process would begin on January 20.

Askar Zouail, a member of the former government's delegation, said his side had submitted the names of 8,576 detainees to the UN, while the Houthis had given the names of some 7,487 people.

He also noted that his side had urged the Houthis to hand over the body of Ali Abdullah Saleh, the former Yemeni president who was killed last December.

One source told Doha-based Al Jazeera broadcaster that as part of a confidence-building measure, the Houthis were expected to release several high-ranking militant commanders as well as ex-defense minister General Mahmoud al-Subaihi and some relatives of Hadi.

UN chief to attend talks

In another development on Tuesday, the UN said in a statement that the world body's chief Antonio Guterres would attend the closing of the Yemeni peace talks on Thursday.

Guterres, the statement read, would "hold meetings with the two delegations and will address the closing session of this round of consultations."

Reports said that another round of peace talks could be held in early 2019.

Tehran welcomes Yemen agreements

Meanwhile, Iran has welcomed agreements between Yemen's warring parties and backed the continuation of the peace talks to achieve final accords.

In a post on his official Twitter account on Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called on foreign aggressors to stop their bombing campaign on Yemen.

Over 60k killed in Yemen since 2016

The Saudi regime and a coalition of its allies invaded Yemen in March 2015, months after Riyadh-friendly Hadi resigned as Yemen's president amid a political conflict with the Houthi movement and fled to the Saudi capital.

According to new figures released by an independent research group, some 60,223 people had been killed in Yemen between January 2016 and the end of November 2018.

The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) said that nearly half of those fatalities happened this year alone.

The death toll "is far higher than official estimates - and still underestimated," said ACLED's Executive Director Clionadh Raleigh.

"Fatality numbers are only one approximation of the abject tragedy and terror forced upon Yemenis from several sides. This cannot be overstated," Raleigh added.

The figure, however, does not include the deaths caused by disease, malnutrition or deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Yemen.

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Trump's Ex-Lawyer Jailed For Dealings Uncovered By Russia Probe

By RFE/RL December 12, 2018

U.S. President Donald Trump's longtime personal lawyer was sentenced to three years in prison on December 12 after pleading guilty to tax and bank fraud and campaign finance charges that potentially could implicate Trump himself.

In a related matter that further deepened Trump's legal problems, the publisher of a mass-market tabloid admitted it had cooperated with Trump's 2016 election campaign to prevent a woman from going public with her claim that she had an affair with Trump.

Michael Cohen's sentencing came after he admitted that lied to Congress about Trump's past business dealings in Russia, as well as his involvement in so-called "hush money" payments to women who claimed they had affairs with Trump.

U.S. District Judge William Pauley sentenced Cohen to 36 months for the payments, which violated campaign finance law, and to two months for making false statements to Congress. The two terms will run simultaneously.

Pauley set March 6 for Cohen's voluntary surrender.

Cohen, 52, worked for years as Trump's personal lawyer and "fixer," helping to resolve thorny business issues for the real estate tycoon, and he once said he would "take a bullet" for Trump.

Cohen's home and office were raided in March by investigators, who seized reams of documents, computer servers, and other files.

"It was my own weakness and a blind loyalty to this man that led me to choose a path of darkness over light," Cohen told the judge during the sentencing hearing.

U.S. prosecutors have said in earlier court filings that Cohen failed to fully cooperate with investigators, and they were seeking a "substantial" jail term.

Cohen's case focused on the work he did while employed by Trump's business organization.

The payments Cohen made occurred during the 2016 campaign, and allegedly were reimbursed by Trump, which means they could be considered campaign contributions. In court filings, prosecutors have alleged those contributions exceeded the legal limit and that they weren't reported publicly, something that could be considered a felony crime.

Just hours after Cohen's sentencing hearing, federal prosecutors announced they had granted immunity to the publisher of the National Enquirer, American Media Inc., known as AMI.

"As a part of the agreement, AMI admitted that it made the $150,000 payment in concert with a candidate's presidential campaign, and in order to ensure that the woman did not publicize damaging allegations about the candidate before the 2016 presidential election," the U.S. Attorney's Office for Manhattan said in a statement.

The case against Cohen grew out of the investigation being conducted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into interactions between Russian officials and Trump associates.

Trump has repeatedly denied any suggestions that his campaign coordinated with Russian officials during the 2016 election campaign. He has accused Mueller's team of pressuring his former aides to lie about him, his campaign, and his business dealings.

Neither Trump nor the White House responded to news of Cohen's plea, and Trump ignored questions from reporters a White House event.

In an interview on December 11, however, he said he was confident he was not in danger of being impeached by Congress.

"It's hard to impeach somebody who hasn't done anything wrong and who's created the greatest economy in the history of our country," Trump told Reuters in an Oval Office interview.

Russia has denied U.S. allegations of interfering in the election to help Trump.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, AFP, and BBC

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/trumps-ex-lawyer-cohen- jailed-for-three-years/29652680.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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India Killed Highest Number of Terrorists in J&K in 2018 - Home Ministry

Sputnik News

16:29 12.12.2018(updated 17:09 12.12.2018)

India's home ministry says 238 terrorists were eliminated in Jammu and Kashmir in the last 11 months, the highest killing of militants in recent history as compared to 200 in 2017. The number of terrorism linked offences also saw a steep rise during the period.

India has seen a sharp increase in terror activities as well as the number of terrorists killed in the last year. The state of Jammu and Kashmir alone recorded 587 incidents of terrorist violence since the beginning of 2018 to December 2 as compared to 329 such incidents during the previous year, according to Junior Home Minister Hansraj Gangaram Ahir.

"The State of Jammu and Kashmir has been affected by terrorist violence that is sponsored and supported from across the border. The level of terrorist violence in the hinterland of Jammu and Kashmir is linked to infiltration from across the border and action against terrorists. The number of incidents includes the violence committed by terrorists during anti-militancy operations", minister Hansraj Gangaram Ahir informed the Parliament on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Indian security forces eliminated 238 terrorists this year as compared to 200 in 2017. Those killed included top commanders of terror outfits active across the Kashmir valley. A total of 86 security personnel were martyred during anti-terror operations, according to the figures quoted by the minister.

 Sputnik

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Colombia Won't Succumb to Venezuelan Provocations - MoD on Tu-160 Arrival

Sputnik News

10:44 12.12.2018(updated 10:53 12.12.2018)

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) - Colombia will not let Venezuela make provocations with the assistance of Russia, which recently sent its aircraft to Caracas, Colombian Defence Minister Guillermo Botero said.

"Colombia is not a country-provocateur, it neither provokes its neighbours nor falls victim to provocations. [Colombia] does not let anyone intimidate itself," Botero told Columbia's W Radio.

The statement comes after Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez stated that the presence of the Russian aircraft in the country posed no threat to other countries, adding that the joint flights with Russian aircraft were aimed at training Venezuela to protect itself against any aggression.

The situation has sparked criticism of Russian government from US State Secretary Mike Pompeo, with the Russian Defence Ministry stressing that the flight had been carried out "in strict accordance with the international regulations on the use of airspace."

On December 10, two Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers carried out a flight from Russia to Venezuela, landing at the Simon Bolivar International Airport in the Venezuelan capital, flying a distance of over 10,000 kilometres (about 6,213 miles).

In addition, Russian An-124 military transport aircraft and Il-62 arrived at Caracas. It is expected that the Russian aircraft will conduct joint flights with the Venezuelan Air Force.

 Sputnik

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Bomb Attack on Afghan Security Convoy Kills 13

By Ayaz Gul December 12, 2018

Afghan officials say a suicide car bombing Tuesday hit a security forces' convoy in Kabul, killing at least 13 people and injuring nine others.

Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish confirmed the casualty count and told VOA that security personnel and civilians were both among the victims.

The convoy reportedly was transporting operatives of the National Directorate for Security (NDS), the main Afghan spy agency.

The Taliban quickly took responsibility, saying the suicide attack in a western district of the capital city was aimed at a joint convoy of American military trainers and their Afghan partners.

An insurgent spokesman claimed the powerful blast "killed and wounded 23 security personnel," though Taliban officials often issue inflated claims for such attacks.

Afghan peace efforts

The deadly violence came on a day when the Afghan government announced the formation of a so-called High Consultative Board for Peace Process.

The panel comprises senior government officials and prominent politicians, including former president, Hamid Karzai, as well as jihadi leaders outside of the government.

An official announcement explained the panel's meetings will be chaired by President Ashraf Ghani and its members will provide timely "constructive advice" on "critical issues to a 12-member government team of negotiators already set up for prospective peace talks with the Taliban.

'Roadmap'

The formation of the two bodies are part of President Ghani's "roadmap" for promoting peace in Afghanistan, which he announced at the recent conference of international donors in Geneva.

The president explained the government plans to proceed with "a five-phase approach, commencing with an intra-Afghan dialogue, followed by discussions with Pakistan and the United States, followed by participation of regional actors, the Arab-Islamic world, and finally, NATO and non-NATO countries."

The Taliban, for its part, has adamantly refused to engage with the Ghani government or in an intra-Afghan dialogue until the United States agrees on a date or timeframe for withdrawing all International forces from Afghanistan.

Washington has recently opened talks with representatives of the Taliban based in Qatar but little progress has been made in three publicly known meetings between the two sides since July.

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Former Trump Lawyer Gets 3 Years in Prison

By Ken Bredemeier December 12, 2018

Michael Cohen, the longtime personal attorney for U.S. President Donald Trump, was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison, after telling a New York judge that his "blind loyalty" to the U.S. leader led him to "cover up his dirty deeds."

U.S. Judge William Pauley imposed the sentence on Cohen for an array of crimes, including his role in arranging $280,000 in hush money payments to two women who alleged they had affairs with Trump, and for lying to Congress about Trump's efforts to build a skyscraper in Moscow.

The judge told the 52-year-old Cohen that somewhere along the way, he had "lost his moral compass."

Cohen, who worked for Trump for 12 years, once bragged that he would "take a bullet" to support Trump. More recently, however, Cohen had turned against Trump and said at his sentencing that working for Trump was a "personal and mental incarceration."

"My weakness could be characterized as a blind loyalty to Donald Trump," Cohen said.

Now, Cohen also holds the distinction of being the closest figure to Trump sentenced to prison in the wide-ranging criminal investigations of Trump's 2016 campaign, its links to Russia and whether, as president, Trump obstructed justice by trying to thwart the probes being conducted by federal prosecutors in New York and special counsel Robert Mueller in Washington.

Several other prominent figures in Trump's orbit, including his former campaign chairman and his first national security advisor, have yet to be sentenced for various offenses.

Cohen attorney Lanny Davis said that after Mueller completes his investigation, Cohen would cooperate with congressional committees as they consider possible wrongdoing by Trump and his aides. Some Democrats in the House of Representatives have called for Trump's impeachment when they assume control of the chamber next month.

"Mr. Trump's repeated lies cannot contradict stubborn facts," Davis said.

Cohen's lawyers asked that he serve no prison time, but Cohen took "full responsibility" for his crimes, "including those implicating the president of the United States. He said that his allegiance to Trump led him "to take a path of darkness instead of light."

Pauley rejected leniency for Cohen, saying, "This court firmly believes that a significant term of imprisonment is fully justified in this highly publicized case to send a message."

The judge ordered him to surrender March 6 for his prison term and also pay nearly $1.9 million in financial penalties.

Prosecutors said that Cohen, at Trump's direction, facilitated the payments  in violation of campaign finance laws  to porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal shortly before the 2016 election to buy their silence about alleged liaisons with the real estate mogul a decade before he ran for the presidency.

After Cohen was sentenced, the New York prosecutors announced they had reached a "non-prosecution agreement" with American Media Inc., which publishes the grocery store tabloid National Enquirer, to acknowledge that it paid McDougal $150,000 shortly before the 2016 election for her story about her claims that she had a months-long affair with Trump in 2006 and 2007 with the "principal purpose" of killing the information so it would not damage Trump's chances of winning the election.

Cohen's lawyers said he was in "close and regular contact with White House-based staff and legal counsel" when he prepared for congressional testimony last year falsely claiming that Trump had ended his efforts to build a Trump Tower in Moscow by early 2016, before Republican presidential nominating contests started.

Cohen more recently said that actually Trump had pursued the Moscow project through June 2016, the entirety of the Republican primary election calendar two years ago. Cohen said he briefed the then-candidate about his efforts to win approval for the Moscow project, although eventually it was abandoned.

Federal prosecutors in New York had called for a "substantial term of imprisonment," perhaps 3 1/2 years or more, because they say Cohen never fully cooperated with investigators about his crimes, which also include tax fraud and making false statements to a bank.

Trump and his lawyers have sought to downplay the payments to Daniels and McDougal, saying that at most, it was a civil, not criminal, violation of U.S. election laws.

On Twitter, Trump contended that Cohen was "just trying to get his sentence reduced" by making claims against him.

The U.S. leader, angered by Cohen's allegations, has said that the lawyer deserves a "full and complete" sentence.

There was no immediate White House comment about Cohen's sentence.

But Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani said, "This is the real criminal sentence. I have no idea if it's the right one or not, but I do know he's proven to be a consummate liar who has lied at all stages of his situation."

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US Senate Advances Resolution to Pull Support From Saudi Arabia in Yemen

Sputnik News

01:28 13.12.2018

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US Senate voted on Wednesday to start debate on a resolution that would end US involvement in the war in Yemen.

The Senate voted 60 to 39 in favour of starting debate over the Yemen War Powers Resolution.

"This joint resolution directs the President to remove US armed forces from hostilities in or affecting Yemen, except those engaged in operations directed at al Qaeda, within 30 days unless: (1) the President requests and Congress authorizes a later date, or (2) a declaration of war or specific authorization for the use of the Armed Forces has been enacted, according to a summary on the Senate website," the text of the legislation says.

Yemen has been gripped by a civil war with the government headed by Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi fighting the Houthi movement. The government is backed by the Saudi-led coalition, which has been carrying out airstrikes targeted at the areas controlled by the Houthis since March 2015.

 Sputnik

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Canada court frees China's Huawei CFO on bail

Iran Press TV

Wed Dec 12, 2018 08:32AM

A court in Canada has granted bail to a senior executive of China-based Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, 10 days after she was detained in Vancouver on a US arrest warrant, triggering a major diplomatic row.

In a Tuesday court hearing in the western province of British Columbia, Justice William Ehrcke ordered the release from jail of Huawei's Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Meng Wanzhou on a bail of 10 million Canadian dollars (7.5 million US dollars), prompting a loud applause in the courtroom as the decision was announced.

Meng also wept and hugged her lawyers after the reading of the ruling.

As part of the conditions for her bail, the 46-year-old Meng  who was arrested on December 1 at a Vancouver airport  must wear an ankle monitor and remain at her residence from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. The bail was provided by five of her friends who offered equity in their homes as well as other funds as guarantee that she will not flee.

"I am satisfied that on the particular facts of this case... the risk of her non-attendance in court can be reduced to an acceptable level by imposing bail conditions," said the judge, adding that he was also persuaded by the fact that Meng was a well-educated businesswoman with no criminal record.

She must stay in Canada and be accompanied by security officers when she leaves her residence. The judge also ordered Meng to reappear in court on February 6 to make plans for further appearances.

Huawei's CFO and the daughter of its founder faces US allegations that her company bypassed Washington's anti-Iran sanctions.

Canada's justice minister to decide on Meng's extradition

According to local press reports, Canada's justice minister will next have to decide on Meng's extradition to the US if a court judge rules the case against her is strong enough.

In case she is turned over to US authorities, Huawei's CFO would reportedly face charges of conspiracy to defraud multiple financial institutions, with a maximum 30-year jail term for each charge.

China has threatened consequences unless Canada releases Meng immediately. On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned against the "bullying" of Chinese citizens.

Trump vows to use Meng's case for China trade deal

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said in a Tuesday interview with Reuters that he would intervene in his Justice Department's case against Meng if it would serve American national security interests or help get a favorable trade deal with China.

In another twist in the case, Canada says Chinese authorities have detained a former Canadian diplomat.

China has not confirmed that assertion.

US, Canada may issue travel warnings

Meanwhile, the US State Department is reportedly considering issuing a travel warning for its citizens residing or traveling to China.

Unconfirmed reports by Canadian news outlets said that Ottawa, too, was considering issuing a similar warning.

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US Officials: China Tops List of Security Threats

By Jeff Seldin December 12, 2018

Top U.S. officials are sounding new alarms about China, warning that Beijing, more than Russia, poses the most serious long-term threat to the United States.

The officials, from the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department, say the Chinese are increasingly targeting U.S. vulnerabilities in cyberspace, as well as leveraging some members of the Chinese diaspora to steal secrets and threaten U.S. national security.

"This is the most severe counterintelligence threat facing our country today," Bill Priestap, assistant director of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division, told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

"We need an even broader response," he said, warning that U.S. actions to date have not been adequate. "What hangs in the balance is not just the future of the United States, but the future of the world."

Justice Department officials said that between 2011 and 2018, more than 90 percent of the department's nation-state espionage cases involved China, and that the pace of Chinese operations was increasing.

"The playbook is simple: Rob, replicate and replace," Assistant Attorney General John Demers told lawmakers. "Rob the American company of its intellectual property, replicate that technology, and replace the American company in the Chinese market and one day in the global market."

Previous warnings

Priestap and Demers were neither the first nor the most high-ranking U.S. officials to warn of the threat posed by China.

In September, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats cautioned that Beijing's "methodical" approach, combined with its prowess in cyberspace, was more dangerous to the U.S. than Russia's election-meddling efforts.

"China benefits from a relatively stable U.S.-China relationship and international system that is more predictable and less contentious," Coats said at the time.

But the latest warnings came as the U.S. is locked in a trade dispute with Beijing, and with tensions rising over the detention of a key Chinese communications executive.

Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou was picked up in Canada and is free on bail as she awaits possible extradition to the U.S. on charges of fraud involving U.S. sanctions against Iran.

China has demanded her release, and U.S. President Donald Trump told the Reuters news agency Tuesday that he would consider intervening if it would benefit U.S. national security or allow him to close a trade deal with Beijing.

'Not a tool of trade'

Pressed during Wednesday's Senate Judiciary hearing on whether Trump's comments could harm U.S. efforts to hold China accountable, Demers insisted there would be no impact on the Justice Department's actions.

"What we do at the Justice Department is law enforcement. We don't do trade," Demers said of Meng. "We are not a tool of trade when we bring the cases."

Regardless of the outcome of the case or U.S.-China trade negotiations, U.S. security and intelligence officials believe the threat from China will continue to grow.

"Our economy is built on a common fabric of cross-cutting systems. To our adversaries, including China, this is a vast web of interconnected targets," Chris Krebs, director of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, told lawmakers Wednesday.

Marriott hacking

One of the latest victims of Beijing's opportunism appears to have been Marriott, the U.S.-based international hotel chain, whose database, including personal and financial information and passport numbers, was hacked in September.

Reuters, The New York Times and other U.S. news outlets, citing government sources, have reported the breach carries the hallmarks of Chinese intelligence rather than criminal activity.

The reports said the hackers are suspected of working for China's Ministry of State Security, based on the similarity of their methods to those in previous Chinese incursions.

A spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the Times, "China firmly opposes all forms of cyberattack and cracks down on it in accordance with the law." He said if evidence was offered, Chinese officials would investigate.

However, the threat from China goes beyond hacking, cyberattacks and intrusions.

Officials said Beijing was also using some members of the Chinese diaspora, such as tech workers and students, to help target U.S. companies, universities and other research institutions.

"They think of them as simply an extension of their power," the FBI's Priestap said of the Chinese nationals in the U.S.

"Some, I think, are not knowledgeable in the least and are completely unwitting of doing anything in furtherance of their government's aims," he said. "Others, either through direct or other softly applied pressure, understand that they have an obligation to meet."

Marissa Melton contributed to this report.

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Trump Suggests Trade Deal as Chinese Tech Exec Released on Bail

By Bill Ide, Joyce Huang December 12, 2018

A court in Canada has released tech giant Huawei's chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou on bail as she awaits possible extradition to the United States over bank fraud allegations linked to Iran sanctions.

However, in a new twist to the case that has quickly mushroomed far beyond its initial scope, U.S. President Donald Trump has said that he might intervene.

"Whatever's good for the country, I would do," Trump told Reuters in an interview, shortly after the ruling. "If I think it's good for what will certainly be the largest trade deal ever made, which is a very important thing. What's good for national security, I would certainly intervene if I thought it was necessary."

The United States has 60 days from the day of Meng's arrest to issue a formal extradition request and provide Canadian courts with evidence. Meng, the daughter of Huawei's founder, was taken into custody on December 1 while transiting planes in Canada.

While her legal fate is worked out, Meng agreed to post $7.5 million in bail, hand over her passports and remain in British Columbia. She will also wear an ankle bracelet and be under 24-hour surveillance, barred from leaving a home she owns in Vancouver between 11 at night and six in the morning.

Huawei Technologies is one of the world's biggest manufacturers of mobile phones. The case against Meng is not only about violations of U.S. sanctions against Iran but deep suspicions about the company and its connections to Chinese authorities, allegations Huawei has both repeatedly denied.

Suspected intel links

National security experts have raised concerns that data on Huawei devices could be made available to China's intelligence services. The company is also a key global competitor in the ongoing race to roll out fifth generation or 5G mobile networks.

U.S. officials say Meng lied to banks about Huawei's control of Hong Kong-based Skycom  a company that allegedly sold U.S. goods to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions against Tehran.

If convicted in the United States, she could face up to 30 years in prison. Meng maintains she is innocent and some argue that U.S. authorities have a lot to prove in their case against Meng.

Zhao Zhanling, a researcher at the Intellectual Property Center of China University of Political Science and Law, argues that the United States cannot apply its local laws to a foreign company or one of its top executives.

And that is just one of many uncertainties in the case, Zhao said.

"This is a case that is politically complicated, that has diplomatic elements and is linked to the U.S.-China trade war," Zhao said. "And under those circumstances, whether the extradition is approved or whether the U.S. will press ahead with extradition remains to be seen."

Trump intervention

Zhao believes there's a good chance that Washington will give up the extradition request in exchange for a better trade deal with China.

At a regular briefing Wednesday, China Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Meng's arrest was a mistake from the "start," but welcomed Trump's remarks.

"Any person, especially if it is a leader of the United States or a high-level figure who is willing to make positive efforts to push this situation in the right direction, then that of course, deserves to be well received," Lu said.

Julian Ku, a professor of law at Hofstra University in New York, said that while President Trump can instruct the attorney general to withdraw an extradition request, "it doesn't sound like he has been fully briefed on the charges against Meng and its legal basis."

That or the "complexities of making these comments during an extradition proceeding," he adds.

For now, Ku said it is his impression that Trump does not have any plans to act one way or the other, just that he didn't want to rule anything out.

China has argued that the case against Meng is politically motivated and the president's comments will go a long way to bolstering that view. Some analysts also worry that it sets a dangerous precedent, putting Americans at risk and undercutting rule of law.

Beijing retaliation likely

China has already lashed out at both Canada and the United States over her arrest, warning Ottawa of severe consequences. There are already signs that both governments may be preparing to issue travel warnings to their citizens traveling to China.

And analysts have said retaliation from Beijing is likely.

Just prior to Meng's final day in court, Canada confirmed Chinese authorities have detained Canadian Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat who is currently a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group.

The Canadian government voiced its "deep concern" but said it sees no explicit connection between Kovrig's arrest and the Meng case.

Others disagree.

"We are doing everything possible to secure additional information on Michael's whereabouts as well as his prompt and safe release," the group said in an earlier statement.

On Wednesday, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang suggested Kovrig's employer is not properly registered as a non-governmental organization in China.

"If they are not registered and their workers are in China undertaking activities, then that's already outside of, and breaking, the law, revised just last year, on the management of overseas non-governmental organizations operating in China," Lu said.

ICG could not be reached for further comment.

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China: Canadian Diplomat Arrested on Charges of Endangering Security

By VOA News December 12, 2018

China said Wednesday a former Canadian diplomat to China who was arrested in Beijing Monday was detained on charges of jeopardizing China's national security.

Michael Kovrig was arrested on suspicions of "engaging in activities that endanger" the country's security, China's official news media reported without elaborating.

Previous reports said Kovrig was arrested for reasons that were unclear.

Kovrig was detained less than a week after Canada angered the Chinese government when it announced the arrest of Chinese telecom executive Meng Wanzhou.

U.S. President Donald Trump says he would intervene in the case against Chinese telecom executive Meng Wanzhou if it means reaching a trade deal with China.

"Whatever's good for the country, I would do," Trump told Reuters."If I think it's good for what will certainly be the largest trade deal ever made, which is a very important thing. What's good for national security, I would certainly intervene if I thought it was necessary."

Trump said while "my people" have spoken with China about the case, he has yet to discuss it with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Canadian police, acting on a U.S. warrant, arrested Meng at the Vancouver airport nearly two weeks ago on allegations of violating U.S. sanctions on Iran.

A judge freed her on bail late Tuesday while she awaits a hearing on extradition to the United States.

Judge William Ehrcke set bail at $7.5 million and imposed several conditions on Meng. They include that she remain in British Columbia, live in a house her husband owns, and not leave that house between 11 at night and six in the morning. Meng will also be under 24 hour-a-day surveillance.

Meng is chief financial officer of Chinese telecommunication giant, Huawei Technologies  a company founded by her father and one of the world's biggest manufacturers of mobile phones. Her family is worth billions of dollars.

U.S. officials say Meng lied to banks about Huawei's control of Hong Kong-based Skycom  a company that allegedly sold U.S. goods to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions against Tehran.

If convicted in the United States, Meng faces up to 30 years in prison.

Her arrest has infuriated China, calling it "extremely bad." China summoned the U.S. ambassador Sunday to lodge a formal protest.

Kovrig is currently the Northeast Asia senior adviser for the International Crisis Group, which researches peaceful solutions to global conflicts.

An International Crisis Group statement said, "We are doing everything possible to secure additional information on Kovrig's whereabouts as well as his prompt and safe release." Rob Malley, the head of the Brussels-based group, said Kovrig was not in China for any reason that would endanger Chinese national security.

Canadian Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said he was "deeply concerned" about Kovrig's detention, but said there is "no explicit indication at this moment" that his arrest is in reaction to the Meng case.

But Guy Saint-Jacques, Ottawa's former ambassador to Beijing, disputes that notion. "In China there is no coincidence," he told reporters. China had vowed that Canada would suffer serious consequences over Meng's arrest.

VOA Mandarin Service contributed to this report.

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India Negotiating Purchase of Russian Igla-S Missile System - Indian Def Min

Sputnik News

15:05 12.12.2018(updated 22:17 12.12.2018)

India's Minister of State for Defense Subhash Bhamre said in the parliament that the case of purchase of the missile system is at contract negotiation stage with Rosoboronexport of Russia, the L1 vendor, which has offered Igla-S missile system.

New Delhi (Sputnik): Indian defense ministry has stated that Russia's Igla-S is the winner of multi-billion tender for very short range air defense missiles (VSHORADS) on Wednesday.

The defense ministry has also added that it is aware of US financial sanctions for arms purchases from Russia under Countering America's Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) which may impact procurement.

"Defense procurement is carried out based on threat perception, operational and technological aspects to keep the Armed Forced in a state of readiness to meet the entire spectrum of security challenges," Subhash Bhamre replied to question of a lawmaker who asked whether the Government is aware that this deal is under the shadow of CAATSA.

The ministry also clarified that the Russian firm will provide major support to country's Make in India program through the transfer of technology (ToT) to state-owned Bharat Dynamic Limited (BDL) and Ordnance Factory Board (OFB).

Russia's Rosoboronexport was declared the winner of the tender which was floated in 2010 for the procurement of 5185 missiles and associated equipment under the Indian Army's VSHORAD program. Indian defense ministry had announced the winner after the bid amount submitted by Rosoboronexport for supplying Igla-S was found well below the "benchmark price" of $2 billion while Saab had bid $2.6 billion and the French firm, MBDA, quoted $3.7 billion.

 Sputnik

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Indian Navy Inducts Its First Submarine Rescue Vessel

Sputnik News

09:48 12.12.2018

Joining the elite club of nations, the Indian Navy has commissioned its first deep submergence rescue vehicle (DSRV) along with associated equipment- built by the UK's James Fisher & Sons.

New Delhi (Sputnik): The vessel was commissioned at the naval dockyard in Mumbai on Wednesday morning by the Indian Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba after the western naval command successfully concluded the maiden trials of the DSRV, which has ushered in a niche capability of submarine rescue into the Navy. The second DSRV will be inducted at Visakhapatnam, the Navy's other submarine base on the eastern seaboard, in 2019.

The DSRV is capable of diving over 666 meters, the Remote Operations Vehicle (ROV) dives to 750 meters and the side scan sonar dives to 650 meters. To ensure early mobilization, the system has been procured in a flyaway configuration which permits rapid transportation of the rescue system from the base to the exact location of the distressed submarine by transportation using air/land/sea vessels.

The Indian Navy which currently has 15 submarines, most of which are over two decades old, has been grappling with rudimentary submarine rescue capabilities comprising rescue "bells", which are containers that can be lowered to the submarine in distress up to a maximum of 150 metres and which the Navy can only operate from its diving support ship, the INS Nireekshak.

In 2013 and 2014, the Indian Navy lost two of its "Kilo" class submarine  INS Sindhurakshak and INS Sindhuratna with a large number of sailors on board. The accidents had prompted the then Navy Chief Admiral DK Joshi to relinquish his post.

 Sputnik

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Iranian army units ready for mission: Commander

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Dec 12, IRNA -- Deputy commander of the Iranian Army for coordination Rear Admiral Habibullah Sayyari said various units of the Army are ready to undertake the mission and defend the country and attend where it is needed.

Regarding the Army's mission to protect eastern borders of Iran, Sayyari said on Wednesday that Army's mission is to preserve the territorial integrity of the country and will deploy to protect the borders wherever it is necessary."

He pointed out that the army's forces on sea and land borders were ready and the Air Force's jets are in 24-hour readiness to protect the air, and air defense station is observing the country's airspace with vigilance.

The deputy commander of Iranian Army for coordination noted that the Army's high-quality combat power is for deterrence and as long as this authority exists, there is no enemy who thinks about aggression on Iran.

He stressed that for peace, security and independence we must be ready for war everyday, adding, 'The development of the country is achieved in the shadow of security and this security is only realized with the authority of the armed forces.'

9455**2050

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UN chief urges regional, int'l players to help preserve JCPOA

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New York, Dec 12, IRNA -- Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres once again described JCPOA as achievement of multilateral diplomacy, urging regional and international players to ensure continuance of the international accord.

In the sixth report on the implementation of Resolution 2231 of the Security Council, he said that the deal was approved by the resolution as a major multilateral diplomatic achievement.

Unlike his report six months ago where he expressed concern over US withdrawal from JCPOA, this time he spoke of JCPOA survival, stressing that the parties should help save the deal which constitutes the basis of regional and international peace and security.

He also maintained that irrelevant issues to JCPOA should be dealt within a separate atmosphere.

He also welcomed Iran's compliance with the deal, describing the US exit from the deal as the challenges faced by the deal.

Guterres also called for immediate enforcement of Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV).

8072**2050

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UN' Guterres stresses on continuance of JCPOA

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Wed / 12 December 2018 / 12:41

Tehran (ISNA) - Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres in the sixth report on the implementation of Resolution 2231 of the Security Council also urged regional and international players to ensure continuance of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Resolution 2231 was adopted by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in July 2015 to endorse the JCPOA.

US President Donald Tramp unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA on May 8, 2018, flagrantly violating Washington's commitments under the international agreement while announcing re-imposition of illegitimate sanctions against Iran.

The US withdrawal was met with worldwide criticism, particularly by other signatories to the international agreement. Britain, France, Russia, China, Germany and the European Union have stressed their compliance with the deal and their support for its proper implementation.

The Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres has described the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as "the achievement of multilateral diplomacy".

He said that the deal was approved by the resolution as a major multilateral diplomatic achievement, Iran Press reported.

Guterres stressed that the parties should help save the deal which constitutes the basis of regional and international peace and security.

Secretary General of the United Nations also called for immediate enforcement of Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV).

On Dec. 04, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the special purpose vehicle (SPV) that the European Union has developed to save the 2015 Iran nuclear deal will soon be in place.

Secretary General of the United Nations also maintained that irrelevant issues to JCPOA should be dealt within a separate atmosphere.

Guterres also welcomed Iran's compliance with the deal, describing the US exit from the deal as the challenge faced by the deal.

Here is the full text of the report:

Sixth report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of Security Council resolution 2231 (2015)

I.Introduction

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, endorsed by the Security Council in its resolution 2231 (2015), stands out as a demonstration of successful multilateralism. It is a major achievement in nuclear non-proliferation and in dialogue and diplomacy. The Plan and the resolution remain in effect. The participants in the Plan, the Council, all Member States and regional and other international actors must ensure the continuity of this agreement that is fundamental to regional and international peace and security. I remain of the view that issues not directly related to the Plan should be addressed without prejudice to preserving the agreement and its accomplishments.

I welcome the fact that the Islamic Republic of Iran continues the implementation of its nuclear-related commitments, as verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency, in the face of considerable challenges brought about by the withdrawal of the United States of America from the Join Comprehensive Plan of Action and its subsequent decisions to reimpose all its national sanctions that had been lifted or waived pursuant to the Plan. I regret these actions and firmly believe that they do not advance the goals set out in the Plan and resolution 2231 (2015), in which all Member States, regional organizations and international organizations were called upon to support the implementation of the Plan and to refrain from actions that undermine it. I note the concerns expressed in the letter dated 5 November 2018 addressed to me by the Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran (A/73/490-S/2018/988).

In this regard, I welcome the reaffirmation by participants in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, during the meeting of the Joint Commission held in Vienna on 6 July 2018 and during the ministerial meeting of the E3/EU+2 and the Islamic Republic of Iran held in New York on 24 September 2018, of their commitments to the full and effective implementation of the Plan. I welcome and am encouraged by their initiatives to protect the freedom of their economic operators to pursue legitimate business with the Islamic Republic of Iran, in full accordance with resolution 2231 (2015). It is essential that the Plan continue to work for all its participants, including by delivering tangible economic benefits to the Iranian people. It is critical that these initiatives be given full effect as soon as possible.

The continued implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and resolution 2231 (2015) also enjoys the full support of the broader international community. Statements in support of the Plan were made by numerous Member

States, including during the general debate of the seventy-third session of the General Assembly. These statements demonstrate the broad and deep support for multilateral and cooperative approaches to addressing threats to international peace and security. I call upon all Member States to work effectively with the participants in the Plan towards its preservation, including in creating the conditions necessary for their economic operators to engage in trade with the Islamic Republic of Iran, in accordance with the resolution.

I acknowledge the important contribution of the International Atomic Energy Agency in providing the international community with reports on its verification and monitoring in the Islamic Republic of Iran in the light of resolution 2231 (2015). Since January 2016, the Agency has reported 13 times to the Security Council. In its most recent reports (S/2018/835 and S/2018/1048), the Agency again reported that it continued to verify and monitor the implementation by the Islamic Republic of Iran of its nuclear-related commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The Agency also reported that it continued to verify the non-diversion of declared nuclear material and that its evaluations regarding the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities for the Islamic Republic of Iran remained ongoing. The Agency further reported that the Islamic Republic of Iran continued to provisionally apply the Additional Protocol to its Safeguards Agreement, pending its entry into force, and to apply the transparency measures contained in the Plan. In its most recent reports, the Agency also indicated that it had conducted complementary accesses under the Additional Protocol to all the sites and locations in the Islamic Republic of Iran that it needed to visit.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is only one part of resolution 2231 (2015). Staunch support for the Plan among the participants and Member States continues to be accompanied with concerns about Iranian activities in relation to the restrictive measures contained in annex B to the resolution. Therefore, I again encourage the Islamic Republic of Iran to carefully consider and address these concerns.

The present report provides an assessment of the implementation of the resolution, including findings and recommendations, since the issuance of my fifth report (S/2018/602), on 12 June 2018. Consistent with previous reports, the focus of the present report is on the provisions set forth in annex B to resolution 2231 (2015), which include restrictions applicable to nuclear-related transfers, ballistic missilerelated transfers and arms-related transfers to or from the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as asset freeze and travel ban provisions.

II.Key findings and recommendations

The procurement channel continues to be a vital transparency and confidencebuilding mechanism ensuring that transfers of certain goods, technology and/or related services to the Islamic Republic of Iran are consistent with resolution 2231 (2015) and the provisions and objectives of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Since 12 June 2018, five additional proposals have been submitted to the Security Council. The channel is operational and effective, and I encourage all States and the private sector to fully utilize and support this channel.

The Secretariat received further information on two shipments of dual-use items, previously brought to the attention of the Security Council. The authorities of two manufacturing States confirmed that, in their assessment, the items did not meet the criteria set out in INFCIRC/254/Rev.10/Part 2 and therefore did not require prior approval of the Council through the procurement channel.

During the reporting period, the Secretariat examined the debris of three additional ballistic missiles launched at the territory of Saudi Arabia on 25 March and 11 April 2018. The Secretariat observed design characteristics and component parts consistent with those of the missiles that it had examined previously. The debris of the three missiles had internal and external features consistent with those of the Scud-B missile and all its variants, as well as specific key design features consistent with those of the Iranian Qiam-1 short-range ballistic missile. However, the Secretariat has not been able to determine whether such missiles, parts thereof or related technology were transferred from the Islamic Republic of Iran after 16 January 2016, the day on which the restrictions set out in annex B to resolution 2231 (2015) came into force.[1]

The Secretariat also examined two container launch units for anti-tank guided missiles recovered by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. The Secretariat found that they had characteristics of Iranian manufacture and that their markings indicated production dates in 2016 and 2017. The Secretariat also examined a partly disassembled surface-to-air missile seized by the Saudi-led coalition and observed that its features appeared to be consistent with those of an Iranian missile. The Secretariat is still analysing the information available on this disassembled missile, and I intend to report back to the Security Council accordingly.

III.Implementation of nuclear-related provisions

Since 12 June 2018, 5 new proposals to participate in or permit the activities set forth in paragraph 2 of annex B to resolution 2231 (2015) have been submitted to the Security Council, bringing to 42 the total number of proposals submitted since Implementation Day (16 January 2016) for approval through the procurement channel. At the time of reporting, 28 proposals had been approved by the Council, 4 had not been approved, 9 had been withdrawn by the proposing States and 1 was currently under review. The Council also received five new notifications pursuant to the same provision for certain nuclear-related activities that only required a notification to the Council or to both the Council and the Joint Commission.

Since my previous report, the Secretariat received further information related to three of the four shipments of dual-use items seized by the United Arab Emirates in May 2016 and April 2017 while in transit to the Islamic Republic of Iran (see S/2018/602, para. 18). Contrary to the original assessment by the authorities of the United Arab Emirates, the authorities of two of the States of manufacture have confirmed that, in their assessment, the 40 cylindrical segments of tungsten and the 10 capacitors did not meet the criteria set out in INFCIRC/254/Rev.10/Part 2 and that their re-export to the Islamic Republic of Iran did not require prior approval of the Security Council.[2] The authorities of another State of manufacture informed the Secretariat that, in their assessment, the inductively coupled mass spectrometer met the criteria set out in the above-mentioned information circular, but that their internal review was ongoing. I intend to report thereon to the Council as more information becomes available on this shipment and on the shipment of one titanium rod.

14. In addition, on 30 October 2018, the United States provided the Secretariat with additional information on the transfer of two commodities that, in their assessment, would have required prior approval from the Security Council (see S/2018/602, para. 19). According to this information, at least 50 tonnes of aluminium alloys were shipped to the Islamic Republic of Iran in 2016 and 2017, and the carbon fibre was shipped in 2017. The Secretariat has sought clarification on that additional information from relevant Member States and will report to the Council in due course.

IV.Implementation of ballistic missile-related provisions

A. Restrictions on ballistic missile-related activities by the Islamic Republic of Iran

During the reporting period, I received information regarding ballistic missiles reportedly launched by the Islamic Republic of Iran on 30 September and 1 October 2018 at targets in the Syrian Arab Republic. In identical letters dated 19 October 2018 addressed to me and the President of the Security Council (S/2018/939), the Permanent Representative of Israel noted that, according to Iranian media outlets, at least five ballistic missiles with a range of 700 km were launched. He considered that those missiles "crossed the Annex B threshold" of resolution 2231 (2015) and called upon the Council to condemn the activity of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In a joint letter dated 20 November 2018 addressed to the President of the Security Council (S/2018/1062), the Permanent Representatives of France, Germany and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stressed that those ballistic missiles were category I systems under the Missile Technology Control Regime[3] and therefore inherently capable of delivering nuclear weapons. They concluded that the launches of those missiles constituted an "activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons" and "launches using such ballistic missile technology", which the Islamic Republic of Iran has been called upon not to undertake pursuant to paragraph 3 of annex B to the resolution. In the letter, they also stated that those launches were destabilizing and increased regional tensions.

I also received information regarding flight tests of ballistic missiles by the Islamic Republic of Iran. In identical letters dated 23 November 2018 addressed to me and the President of the Security Council (S/2018/1047), the Permanent Representative of Israel brought to my attention information regarding seven flight tests reportedly conducted in 2018, in addition to those of a Shahab-3 variant and a Scud variant in January 2018 (see S/2018/602, para. 22). According to the information provided, one Khorramshahr, two Shahab-3 variants, one Qiam and three Zolfaghar ballistic missiles were flight-tested between February and August 2018. The Permanent Representative stated that their test-firing was in violation of resolution 2231 (2015) because those ballistic missiles were all category I systems under the Missile Technology Control Regime and therefore inherently capable of carrying nuclear weapons.

In a letter dated 29 October 2018 addressed to me and the President of the Security Council (S/2018/967), the Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran recalled that "the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, acting in legitimate self-defence recognized by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, took limited and measured military action on 1 October 2018 in Syria, targeting terrorist elements that are also linked to the terrorist act in Ahvaz". However, in reference to the letter from the Permanent Representative of Israel dated 23 November, the Charge d'affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in a letter dated 29 November addressed to me and the President of the Council (S/2018/1073), stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran had "not launched any type of such missiles on any of the dates specified in the letter". The Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in his letter dated 29 October, also reiterated the view of the Islamic Republic of Iran that none of its missiles were "designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons", but rather, as the Charge d'affaires a.i. had indicated in a letter dated 28 November addressed to the President of the Council (S/2018/1061), "'designed' to be exclusively capable of delivering conventional warheads", and thus fell outside the purview of resolution 2231 (2015). The Charge d'affaires a.i., in his letter dated 28 November, also stressed that there was no implicit or explicit reference to the Missile Technology Control Regime in paragraph 3 of annex B to the resolution and concluded that none of its criteria were applicable to the paragraph.

In a letter dated 30 November 2018 addressed to me and the President of the Security Council, the Charge d'affaires a.i of the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation underscored that the Islamic Republic of Iran was not prohibited by resolution 2231 (2015) to develop missile and space programmes and that it had been respecting in good faith the call to refrain from activities related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of carrying nuclear weapons. He noted that there was no evidence that the Islamic Republic of Iran was developing or producing a nuclear weapon or means of its delivery. He underlined that the category I parameters of the Missile Technology Control Regime were never intended to be used in the context of the resolution to ascertain whether certain missiles are designed to be capable of carrying nuclear weapons. He further stated that missiles designed to be capable of carrying nuclear weapons included certain features and that no "evidence of the existence of such features on Iranian ballistic missiles or space launch vehicles" was presented to the Council.

On 4 December 2018, the Security Council discussed the reported test firing of a medium-range ballistic missile by the Islamic Republic of Iran on 1 December 2018.

B. Restrictions on ballistic missile-related transfers or activities with the Islamic Republic of Iran

20. In relation to the possible transfer of ballistic missiles, parts thereof or related technology by the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Houthis in Yemen, Saudi Arabia brought to the attention of the Secretariat two additional launches of ballistic missiles by the Houthis, aimed at the territory of Saudi Arabia, on 24 June 2018 (S/2018/636), which, in their assessment, were Iranian Qiam-1 missiles.[4] The Islamic Republic of Iran had previously stated that it "neither has a policy nor seeks to transfer arms or military equipment in Yemen or manufacture them therein" (S/2018/145). In September 2018, Saudi authorities invited the Secretariat to examine the debris that they stated was of three missiles reportedly launched at Riyadh on 25 March and 11 April 2018. The Secretariat conducted first-hand examinations of the physical debris presented by Saudi authorities and collected all other information and material available, including photographs and video of the debris in situ, to confirm that the debris seen in those images corresponded to the debris presented to the Secretariat.

The Secretariat observed that the debris of the three missiles had design characteristics and component parts consistent with all those that it had previously examined and reported thereon to the Security Council (see S/2018/602, paras. 28 to 30). The Secretariat is still working on establishing the production date range of guidance subcomponents with the assistance of the foreign manufacturers and will report back to the Council in due course.

21. In August 2018, media outlets reported that a shipment to the Islamic Republic of Iran of at least two items with potential missile-related applications had been halted at London Heathrow airport.[5] In response to a request for clarification, the Permanent Mission of the United Kingdom informed the Secretariat that several goods (seal kits, packing rings, packing sets and O-rings) had been seized by customs after having been presented for export to the Islamic Republic of Iran without a valid licence. However, the Permanent Mission added that the exporter later applied for, and was granted, an export licence.

V.Implementation of arms-related provisions

In a press conference on 26 March 2018, the Saudi-led coalition publicly displayed a partly disassembled missile that it indicated had been found in a consignment destined to the Houthis and seized earlier in March 2018. Saudi authorities alleged that it was an Iranian-made Sayyad 2C surface-to-air missile. While in Riyadh in September 2018, the Secretariat examined the partly disassembled missile, which was missing its forward guidance nose section and fins. The Secretariat observed that its length and other external features (e.g., mounting for the rear fins, mounting notches and brackets for the long mid-section fins) appeared consistent with those of the Iranian Sayyad-2C visible in video and photographs published by Iranian media outlets. The Secretariat further observed that the paint, serial numbering and other markings also appeared to be consistent with those of the Sayyad-2C. The Secretariat also observed that markings on the missile airframe and quality control labels on internal components were in Farsi. The Secretariat continues to analyse the information available on this missile, and I will report back to the Security Council, as appropriate, in due course.

In June and August 2018, the authorities of the United Arab Emirates brought to the attention of the Secretariat information about additional unmanned aerial vehicles, reportedly recovered in Yemen, including some fitted with an explosive charge. In their assessment, those unmanned aerial vehicles were Iranian-made and had been transferred in a manner inconsistent with paragraph 6 (b) of resolution 2231 (2015). In September 2018, the Secretariat was invited to examine the remnants of those unmanned aerial vehicles in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh. The Secretariat observed a number of unmanned aerial vehicles with characteristics consistent with those of the unmanned aerial vehicles examined during the previous reporting periods, which had the same design features as the Iranian-made Ababil-2 unmanned aerial vehicles (see S/2018/602, para. 40). Furthermore, the Secretariat examined the remnants of two different unmanned aerial vehicles. The Secretariat is still analysing the information collected on all these unmanned aerial vehicles and on their foreign-made components and will report to the Security Council, as appropriate, in due course.

While in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in September 2018, the Secretariat was presented with two container launch units  one in each of the aforementioned countries  for anti-tank guided missiles, whose production dates were marked on the units as 2016 and 2017, respectively. According to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, both had been recovered in Yemen by forces of the Saudi-led coalition. The Secretariat observed specific characteristics consistent with those of the container launch units for the Iranian-produced Dehlavieh anti-tank guided missile visible in video and photographs published by Iranian media outlets (left-aligned marking without spaces between lines; location of marking in upper third of unit; indication of missile type code, missile type, lot, date, serial number and temperature range; font type indicative of Iranian markings; and pronounced end cap chamfer).

25. In October 2018, United States authorities invited the Secretariat to examine an arms shipment, which they believed was relevant to the implementation of resolution

2231 (2015), consisting of approximately 2,500 AKMS-type assault rifles, seized on 28 August 2018 en route towards Yemen in international waters in the Gulf of Aden. The Secretariat established that the seized assault rifles did not have the characteristics of Iranian production. The Secretariat will continue to analyse new information should it become available, and I will report to the Security Council, as appropriate.

In identical letters dated 22 November 2018 addressed to me and the President of the Security Council (S/2018/1046), the Permanent Representative of Israel stated that, in April 2018, one Iranian-produced Khordad air defence system was delivered to the "T4 airbase" in the Syrian Arab Republic. According to Israel, the system was delivered using an Iranian transport plane and unloaded in the presence of senior officials of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Permanent Representative concluded that the air defence system had been transferred by the Islamic Republic of Iran in a manner inconsistent with resolution 2231 (2015). In the letter dated 29 November 2018 addressed to me and the President of the Council (S/2018/1073), the Charge d'affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran stated that the allegations in the aforementioned letter from the Permanent Representative of Israel were "entirely false".

In my previous report, I brought to the attention of the Security Council the participation of Iranian entities in foreign exhibitions, including the Eurasia Airshow 2018, held in Antalya, Turkey, in April 2018. In July 2018, the Permanent Mission of Turkey informed the Secretariat that Iranian participants only exhibited mock-up unmanned aerial vehicles and that no commercial transaction had taken place with regard to those items. Meanwhile, information released by the organizer of the third Azerbaijan International Defence Exhibition, held in Baku in September 2018, indicated that an Iranian entity also participated in the exhibition. [6] According to media coverage of that exhibition, the items displayed by that entity appear to have been tactical and reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles. The Secretariat has raised this issue with the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan. The Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran previously stated that it believed that no prior approval was required from the Council for that activity, given that the Islamic Republic of Iran retained ownership of the items exhibited. I intend to report thereon to the Council in due course as additional information becomes available.

VI.Implementation of the travel ban provision

28. Regarding the previously reported travel of Major General Soleimani to Baghdad in mid-May 2018, the Permanent Mission of Iraq informed the Secretariat in July 2018 that he had been denied permission to enter Iraqi territory through Baghdad International Airport and that he left the country without entering Iraqi territory.

VII.Secretariat support provided to the Security Council and its Facilitator for the implementation of resolution 2231 (2015)

29. The Security Council Affairs Division of the Department of Political Affairs continued to support the work of the Security Council, in close cooperation with the Facilitator for the implementation of resolution 2231 (2015). The Division also liaised with the Procurement Working Group of the Joint Commission on all matters related to the procurement channel. In October 2018, the Division participated in the European Union second Dialogue on Export Control Governance, organized by the European Commission, and the 2018 Nuclear Export Control Practices Forum, organized by the United Arab Emirates Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation. During the reporting period, the Division continued to respond to queries from and provided relevant support to Member States regarding the provisions of the resolution, in particular on the procedures for the submission of nuclear-related proposals and its review process. The Secretariat continues to assist Member States in such efforts, as needed.

End Item

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US world's biggest violator of international accords, not in position to accuse others: Iran

Iran Press TV

Wed Dec 12, 2018 07:42PM

Iran says the United States is the "biggest violator" of international accords, a fact that President Donald Trump best demonstrated by abandoning the 2015 nuclear deal in breach of a United Nations Security Council resolution.

Bahram Qassemi, Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman, said Wednesday that Trump's decision in May was a violation of the UNSC Resolution 2231, which endorsed the nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries -- the US, the UK, France, China, Russia and Germany.

"The US is the biggest violator of international agreements and defying Resolution 2231 was the telltale sign of a unstable, unruly and unbiddable government," he told a press call.

Resolution 2231 enshrined the Iran nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), from which Washington has withdrawn under the pretext, among others, that it should have included Iran's missile program as well.

Under the deal, Tehran agreed to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions.

Trump pulled out of the deal, vowing to resume all the sanctions and tighten the economic and political pressure until Tehran agrees to halt its development of ballistic missiles while also rolling back its regional influence.

Qassemi's words came in response to Christopher Ashley Ford, US Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Non-Proliferation, who suggested Tuesday that the US could sit down with Iran to renegotiate the deal.

During his remarks at a conference in the UK, Ford accused Iran of violating the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) and said Tehran had a tendency " to violate its obligations under multiple, legally-binding Security Council resolutions."

"Iran's track record demonstrates, in painful detail, how little the world can trust Iran's promises if its underlying capabilities are not subject to constraint," the US official added.

Qassemi dismissed Ford's remarks as "wishful thinking" and advised the American official to review his remarks once again to see how "unsubstantiated and flawed" they were.

He said despite the International Atomic Energy Agency's repeated confirmations that Iran was in compliance of the JCPOA , "the delinquent and lawbreaking US, illegally and unilaterally, left the deal without offering any reasons or evidence [of a breach.]"

He noted that Washington's disregard for international norms and double standard policies, which are evident after its withdrawal from the JCPOA, invalidate Ford and other American officials' statements with regard to the nuclear deal and Iran's missile program; hence the idea of renegotiating the agreement is "pointless."

Qassemi said Washington continues its hostile approach towards Iran and actively tries to persuade other signatories of the JCPOA by threatening to "punish" them.

Trump has made it clear that he would go after European companies that attempt to bypass US sanctions.

Iran and the European Union (EU), however, have been working on a mechanism that makes safe trade possible between the two sides.

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US criticized at UNSC for pulling out of Iran deal as members stress JCPOA full implementation

Iran Press TV

Wed Dec 12, 2018 05:45PM

Members of the United Nations Security Council have thrown their full support for the 2015 Iran nuclear deal despite pressures by the US which was criticized at the chamber for exiting the agreement in defiance of international objection.

Security Council members confirmed at the Wednesday meeting that the joint comprehensive plan of action (JCPOA) had yielded broad positive results and lauded Iran's commitment to the deal as certified in thirteen consecutive reports by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The meeting was held on the implementation of Resolution 2231 in line with the provisions of the deal.

At the meeting, the US was also criticized for withdrawing from the historic deal reached between Iran and six major powers --- the US, the UK, France, Russia, China and Germany -- in 2015, while the UN was urged to ensure the implementation of Resolution 2231 that endorses the JCPOA.

Speaking at the meeting, the Russian ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said the Iran nuclear deal was fundamental for regional and global security.

He said that Iran continued implementing the JCPOA unconditionally, adding that the UN nuclear body had confirmed Iran's compliance with the deal in numerous reports.

The Russian envoy also said that Moscow advocated the preservation of the Iran nuclear deal.

He said that the decision by the US to exit the JCPOA and re-impose the unilateral sanctions was a "serious challenge" and not conducive to attaining the goals of the JCPOA.

"We are now facing a paradoxical situation, where one member of the Council is not only openly refusing to implement Resolution 2231, which itself approved, but is also trying to punish all other member states for implementing the decisions of the Council and the Joint JCPOA Commission," he said.

Meanwhile, the Swedish envoy, Olof Skoog, said the JCPOA had "ensured the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program."

He said Sweden was committed to the full implementation of the of the deal and welcomed "Iran's continues engagement" in carrying out its obligations as reported by the IAEA.

He said it was important that the Iranian people could reap the benefit of the deal.

He also regretted the US withdrawal from the deal and the re-imposition of sanctions on Iran.

Among those speaking at the meeting was also China's envoy, Ma Zhaoxu, who appreciated Iran's implementation of the JCPOA and urged other parties to honor commitments.

Kuwait also welcomed Iran's continued implementation of the JCPOA, as confirmed by the IAEA and said the Security Council should ensure  implementation of resolution 2231.

The German envoy, Christoph Heusgen, hailed the JCPOA as a major diplomatic accomplishment and said Berlin considered keeping the JCPOA  alive was essential for the security of region and Europe.

Iran envoy: US should be held accountable for violating JCPOA

Iran's deputy ambassador to the UN, Es'haq Al-e Habib said the Council should consider and address all obstacles created in the implementation of the JCPOA.

The envoy said the US's re-imposition of sanctions against Iran was "a clear violation of Resolution [2231] that calls upon all states, without exception, which includes the United States, to not only take action to support the implementation of the JCPOA but also to refrain from [any] action that [would] undermine the implementation of commitments under the JCPOA."

The Council should consider the US's illegal acts as "a flagrant violation of the resolution and hold it accountable for such violation."

"It is evident that any inaction or leniency ... to prevent the violation of the resolution will only embolden the United States to continue its unlawful practices and irresponsible policies," he noted.

He said the US's policy of resorting to "lies, fabrication and disinformation" to achieve its goal and its addiction to sanctions and warmongering were not unprecedented in the country's foreign policy.

In defiance of the IAEA's verification of Iran's compliance with the JCPOA, Al-e Habib said, the US had re-imposed its "illegal" sanctions against Tehran and started punishing other countries for abiding by the resolution.

"For the first time in the United Nations history, a permanent member of the Security Council is blatantly punishing UN member states not for violating rather for complying with a Security Council resolution," he said.

He added that the UNSC should "strongly condemn" the US for re-imposing sanctions on Iran, which he said "only harm the ordinary" Iranians.

"The international community should stand against American bullying policies," the Iranian envoy said.

He also rejected US's allegations against Iran's missile program, saying that "through fabrication, disinformation and invoking irrelevant criteria, the US tries to create ambiguity to misinterpret the resolution with regards to Iran's missile launches."

He said Iran's ballistic missile program was only designed to carry conventional warheads against foreign threats.

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Leader: US aiding and abetting Saudi crimes in Yemen

Iran Press TV

Wed Dec 12, 2018 10:02AM

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says the United States is complicit in the crimes the Saudi regime has been committing in a years-long war against the people of Yemen.

Addressing the families of Iranian martyrs in a meeting in Tehran on Wednesday, Ayatollah Khamenei pointed out the Saudi regime's failures in the war it has been waging against Yemen with Washington's support.

The Leader said the Saudis have extended a hand of friendship to the enemies of Islam.

"They (the Saudis) thought they would gain control [of Yemen] in a matter of days or weeks. [But] the farther they go, the harder they will fall down and the more stinging will be the blow that they will receive," the Leader noted.

'Beware of US'

Elsewhere in his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei pointed to Washington's long-running enmity towards the Iranian nation.

"If you want to know America's true face, look at its current president and statesmen because they have vividly and openly laid bare the ugly and hateful face that is typical of American statesmen," the Leader said.

Ayatollah Khamenei urged the Iranian nation and authorities to remember that the US will never stop plotting against the country, emphasizing that the Israeli regime and the reactionary regional states are in cahoots with Washington in its hostile agenda against the Islamic Republic.

The Leader, however, asserted, "Of course, we are stronger. They have not managed to do anything so far, and will never be able to do a damn thing either."

Over the past years, the Leader said, the US has consistently sought, but failed, to restore the domination it enjoyed over Iran prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and to bring the country under its tutelage similar to certain weak regional states, which Washington has branded as its "milk cows."

The leader further underlined Washington's stepped-up campaign against Iran over the past two years, saying the Americans sought to increase pressure on the country through sanctions and measures to disrupt its national security with the aim of creating division and conflict among various groups.

"They were planning to lead some to the streets and had even referred to it as 'the hot summer.' To the enemies' dismay, [however], this past summer was one of the best ever," the Leader noted.

The Leader dismissed claims by certain US officials that the Islamic Revolution will not get to celebrate its anniversary in 2019, stressing, "The Iranian nation is standing in all strength and will, by divine grace, celebrate the 40th anniversary of the revolution in far greater splendor this year."

The Leader said by dubbing the US "the Great Satan," the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, united the world's monotheists and fair-minded nations against Washington.

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Special Envoy Hints U.S. Could Revoke Visas Of Iranian Officials' Kin

By Golnaz Esfandiari December 12, 2018

Washington's special envoy for Iran says the U.S. administration is looking into the visas of relatives of Iranian officials who are residing in the United States with an eye to possible action to expose hypocrisy within the ranks of Iran's government.

Brian Hook announced the review in a December 11 video in which he said the United States is "working" on the issue, without providing details.

"I can tell you that we are working on it, and while I can't discuss individual cases or internal policy deliberations, you can be sure that we are pursuing all options to pressure the corrupt hypocrites in your government to change their behavior," Hook said in the video, which was posted via the State Department's Persian-language Twitter account.

He said the warning was a response to questions from Iranians who had asked why the United States was not revoking the visas of the relatives of regime officials.

The Trump administration earlier this year won a Supreme Court battle over a travel ban on citizens of Iran and six other countries, four of them with Muslim majorities, that was seen as fulfilling a 2016 campaign pledge to halt flows of some nationals to bolster U.S. security.

The Iranian outcry was swift and sharp, with complaints that Iranians of all walks of life were being unfairly punished for the actions of policies emanating from Tehran.

Relatives of Iranian officials in the United States include the son of Massumeh Ebtekar, Iran's vice president, who served as a spokeswoman for the Islamic student revolutionaries who seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979, and the daughter of Iran's parliamentary speaker, Ali Larijani.

Hook said the presence of the heirs of Iranian officials in the United States, which is routinely branded the "Great Satan" by Iranian hard-liners, exemplifies "the hypocrisy of the regime."

"I have to admit, this is another example of the hypocrisy of the regime, while the regime officials chant, 'Death to America,' they send their families to the so-called 'Great Satan' to live and study here, using the resources of the Iranian people," Hook said.

It appears to be an unprecedented step at a time when the U.S. administration is already squeezing Iran through the recent reimposition of tough economic sanctions over Tehran's alleged support for international terrorism, meddling abroad, deception over a disputed nuclear program, and rights abuses at home.

Hossein Alizadeh, a former Iranian diplomat and a researcher at the Peace Research Institute of the University of Tampare, in Finland, told RFE/RL that governments tend to keep academic and student ties separate from political issues and disagreements.

"Countries can break political ties while academic ties and student programs [continue]," Alizadeh said.

But he noted the U.S. decision to end the 1955 Treaty of Amity with Iran as a sign of even further pressing by Washington.

"We're seeing a new way by the Trump administration that does not have a precedent," Alizadeh said. "As a result, I can envisage that the U.S. could revoke student visas of the relatives of Iranian officials as part of the measures it is taking against Iran."

Thousands of Iranians study in the United States despite the recent travel ban. The United States broke its ties with Iran following the 1979 revolution and the related sacking of the embassy in Tehran and taking of American diplomats as hostages in a crisis that continued for 444 days.

The two countries experienced something of a detente after a multilateral deal to curb Iranian nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions was completed under U.S. President Barack Obama in 2015.

That deal was opposed by many hawks in Iran and the United States. But tensions have been ratcheted up since U.S. President Donald Trump got into office in 2017.

Trump withdrew from the nuclear accord in May and announced a revival of tough sanctions that had been removed as part of the deal.

The United States has said that it is seeking to change Iran's "malign behavior," including its missile program and support for proxy groups in the region.

NBC News reported on December 3 that the families of Americans imprisoned in Iran have called on the Trump administration to deny visas to children of senior Iranian officials.

Those families have reportedly provided the administration and several lawmakers with a list of Iranian nationals in the United States who are believed to be the children or relatives of senior Iranian officials, the report said.

At least four Americans are currently in jail in Iran on charges of espionage that are dismissed by their families and friends.

They include Xiyue Wang, a Princeton University student who was reportedly conducting research on the late Qajar dynasty when he was arrested in 2017.

Ebtekar, Iran's vice president on women and family affairs, whose son has studied in California, reportedly said in a recent interview that studying in the United States is not a "confirmation of America's hegemony."

"Many studied in the U.S., which does not necessarily mean support for U.S. policies," Ebtekar said in an interview with the semiofficial ISNA news agency published in November. "Young people's views may not be fully in line with their parents."

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/special-envoy-hints- u-s-could-revoke-visas-of-iranian -officials-kin/29652316.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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U.S. Wants UN To Reimpose Ballistic Missile Restrictions On Iran, Says Pompeo

By RFE/RL December 12, 2018

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has told the UN Security Council that Washington would seek to work with the 15-member body to reimpose ballistic missile restrictions on Iran.

In his December 12 address to the Council meeting on Iran, Pompeo also said a UN arms embargo on Tehran should not be lifted in 2020.

"We risk the security of our people if Iran continues stocking up on ballistic missiles," Pompeo said.

Iran has "hundreds of missiles which pose a threat to our partners in the region," Pompeo said, referring to Israel and Arab allies such as Saudi Arabia.

He called on the Security Council to establish "inspection and interdiction measures in ports and on the high seas to thwart Iran's continuing efforts to circumvent arms restrictions."

"We risk escalation of conflict in the region if we fail to restore deterrence. And we convey to all other malign actors that they too can defy the Security Council with impunity if we do nothing," he said.

Responding to Pompeo, Iranian envoy Eshagh Al Habib said U.S. Secretary of State was casting Iran as a threat to sell more "beautiful weapons," sarcastically quoting Trump's rationale for backing Saudi Arabia.

The Security Council meeting comes after a senior Iranian military commander confirmed that Tehran recently carried out a ballistic-missile test that was condemned by Western powers.

"We are continuing our missile tests and this recent one was a significant test," the Fars news agency quoted Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps aerospace commander Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh as saying on December 11.

The Council met last week to discuss the December 1 test, which the United States said violated UN Resolution 2231, which was passed as part of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.

Britain and France described the test as "provocative" and "inconsistent" with the resolution.

Russia, which has veto power, has defended Iran's right to carry out missile tests.

Resolution 2231 has called for Iran to refrain from testing missiles capable of carrying a nuclear weapon but does not specifically forbid Tehran from missile launches.

Tehran says its missile program is defensive and not aimed at building an arsenal of nuclear-tipped missiles.

Trump has made pressuring Iran a major focus, withdrawing the United States in May from a landmark nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, and re-imposing sanctions lifted under the agreement.

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.

European powers said they were working to ensure that Iran sees the economic fruits of compliance, but Iran's economy suffered a major blow due to the renewal of sanctions by Washington.

With reporting by AFP, dpa, Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/u-s-wants-un-to- reimpose-ballistic-missile-restrictions- on-iran-pompeo/29652686.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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Remarks at the United Nations Security Council Meeting on Iran

Remarks

Michael R. Pompeo

Secretary of State

United Nations

New York City

December 12, 2018

SECRETARY POMPEO: Thank you very much, and good morning. Thank you for the kind words. I appreciate them.

Just two days ago, the head of the IRGC's airspace division, Amir Hajizadeh, boasted that Iran is capable of building missiles with a range beyond 2,000 kilometers. He said, quote, "We have the ability to build missiles with broader ranges. We don't have limitations from a technical perspective." End of quote. He also said there are many "enemy bases" within 800 kilometers of Iran  in other words, within striking distance of Iranian missiles. He bragged that Iran does 40 to 50 tests per year.

As I'll talk about further, it is clear that the Iranian regime's ballistic missile activity has grown since the nuclear deal. Iran has exploited the goodwill of nations and defied multiple Security Council resolutions in its quest for a robust ballistic missile force. The United States will never stand for this.

No nation that seeks peace and prosperity in the Middle East should either.

Since 2006, this Council has been telling Iran to stop testing and proliferating ballistic missiles in one form or another. From 2010 to 2015, Iran was subject to UN Security Council Resolution 1929  the strictest resolution addressing the Iranian ballistic missiles to date.

In that resolution, the Security Council decided that, "Iran shall not undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using ballistic missile technology, and that States shall take necessary measures to prevent the transfer of technology or technical assistance to Iran related to such activities." This provision of UNSCR 1929 imposed a legal prohibition on Iran's ballistic missile activity. There was force of law behind these words.

Nevertheless, Iran conducted multiple ballistic missile launches between 2010 and 2015, in flagrant violation of that resolution.

So what did we do in response? Did we increase accountability on Iran for serial violations of international law? Quite the opposite. In fact, the level of accountability on Iran has diminished instead of -- decreased, while the risk has increased.

In connection with the Iranian regime's engagement in nuclear talks, and at the Obama administration's urging, the Security Council replaced Resolution 1929 with Resolution 2231. Resolution 2231 "calls upon" Iran not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons. Notwithstanding that change in language, the world's concerns remain.

When we collectively "call upon" Iran to cease its ballistic missile activity, we must agree to stop it now. But Iran is as defiant of the world's insistence as ever. Because here we are, for the 12th year in a row, meeting about Iran's ballistic missiles, addressing an incredibly problematic data set.

Iran's pace of missile activity, including missile launches and tests, did not diminish since the JCPOA. In fact, Iran's missile testing and missile proliferation is growing. Today Iran has the largest ballistic missile force in the Middle East. It has more than 10 ballistic missile systems in its inventory or in development. It has hundreds of missiles which pose a threat to our partners in the region.

From more recent times: In 2016, during the time of the JCPOA, Iran unveiled two new short-range ballistic missiles, which it claims are capable of striking targets between 500 and 700 kilometers. In January of 2017, during the time of the JCPOA, Iran launched a medium-range missile designed to carry a payload greater than 500 kilograms, and which could be used to carry nuclear warheads. Its suspected range also approaches 2,000 kilometers, which is far enough to target Athens, Sofia, Bucharest, and other major European cities. If the IRGC airspace commander is telling the truth, and Iran has capabilities beyond 2,000 kilometers, other European capitals are at risk as well.

In July of 2017, while the United States was still in the JCPOA, Iran tested a Simorgh space launch vehicle. The United States, France, Germany, and the UK all assessed that the launch was inconsistent with 2231, because space launch vehicle use  uses a similar technology as intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Iran has exported ballistic missile systems as well, most recently to Yemen. We have hard evidence that Iran is providing missiles, training, and support to the Houthis, and the Iranian-Houthi missile force is fully engaged. This poses a threat to innocent civilians  including Americans  living in Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, as well as people of all nationalities who travel on civilian aircraft in that region.

Iran is also transferring ballistic missile systems to Shia militias in Iraq.

And just look at the last two weeks. The Iranian regime test-fired a medium range ballistic missile that is capable of carrying multiple warheads.

Our goodwill gestures have been futile, futile in correcting the Iranian regime's reckless missile activity and its destructive behaviors. No nation can dispute that Iran is in open defiance of UN Security Council Resolution 2231.

The United States is not alone in raising these concerns. I'd like to thank France and Germany and the United Kingdom for raising concerns about Iranian missile proliferation to the secretariat.

I would also like to thank our partners from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who are working with UN inspectors in recovering material debris of Iranian-supplied missiles, rockets, and UAVs launched into their countries by Houthi forces in Yemen.

Our Israeli allies have brought further evidence to the Security Council about Iran's continued launches of ballistic missiles that are inherently capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Israel has also given evidence to the secretariat of Iran's transfer of weapon systems to its proxies all around the Middle East, and in defiance of what we have insisted that they do.

So the question  the question now: What steps ought we take to confront this Iranian malign activity? We risk the security of our people if Iran continues stocking up on ballistic missiles. We risk escalation of conflict in the region if we fail to restore deterrence. And we convey to all other malign actors that they too can defy the Security Council with impunity if we do nothing.

The United Nations Charter, as you all know well, calls the primary  gives  bestows upon the Security Council "the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security." We all take this responsibility seriously. The United States seeks to work with all other members of the Council to reimpose on Iran the ballistic missiles restrictions outlined in 1929.

Beyond addressing Iran's ballistic missile activities, the Council should not lift the arms embargo in 2020 on Iran. This is a country in noncompliance with multiple UN Security Council resolutions, including those related to al-Qaida, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Yemen, and Somalia. Iran is harboring al-Qaida, supporting Taliban militants in Afghanistan, arming terrorists in Lebanon, facilitating illicit trade in Somali charcoal benefiting al-Shabaab, and training and equipping Shia militias in Iraq, even as we sit here today.

It is also stoking conflict in Syria and Yemen. The Council must address these malign activities. It cannot reward Iran by lifting the arms embargo.

We also call on the Council to establish inspection and interdiction measures, in ports and on the high seas, to thwart Iran's continuing efforts to circumvent the existing arms restrictions.

Some have questioned our decision to withdraw from the JCPOA. We reply that it is self-evident why we did so based upon the very conversation we're having here today. Prior to the deal, Western leaders made grand claims of how the JCPOA would usher in a new era of moderation from the Iranian regime.

Indeed, America's own president said, quote, "Ideally, we would see a situation in which Iran, seeing sanctions reduced, would start focusing on its economy, on training its people, on re-entering the world community, to lessening its provocative activities in the region." But what do we actually see?

The JCPOA has without a doubt, to date, shielded the Islamic Republic of Iran from the accountability to the risks it presents to the world.

The Iranian regime is pursuing the same destructive, revolutionary goals that it has for the past 39 years  except now it has more money to achieve them, thanks to the nuclear deal.

I'm here today first and foremost as my capacity as the Secretary of State of the United States of America. Under President Trump, the security of our people and our allies comes first.

But in the finest traditions of American leadership, the United States will continue to unite sovereign nations in their responsibility to work for the peace and security of their own people and a stable international order.

The United States is going to continue to be relentless in building a coalition of responsible nations who are serious in confronting the Iranian regime's reckless ballistic missile activity.

This includes the treatment of its own people as well. That type of malign activity is something that the United States will keep standing side by side with the people of Iran. They have been the worst victims of the regime for nearly 40 years and they have the unwavering support of the United States.

Finally, The Trump administration clearly defined in May the 12 areas in which we are demanding change from Iran.

If Iran makes a fundamental strategic shift and honors these demands, we are prepared to ease our pressure campaign and support the modernization and reintegration of the Iranian economy into the international economic system.

But relief  relief from our efforts will come only when we see tangible, demonstrated, and sustained shifts in Tehran's policies.

Thank you.

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Pompeo: Iran Increasing Ballistic Missile Activity

By Margaret Besheer December 12, 2018

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the U.N. Security Council Wednesday that Iran's ballistic missile activity has been growing since the 2015 nuclear deal was agreed upon, and he urged stronger restrictions to prevent such activity.

"Iran has exploited the goodwill of nations and defied multiple Security Council resolutions in its quest for a robust ballistic missile force," Pompeo told the council at its semiannual meeting to discuss the nuclear deal's implementation. "The United States will never stand for this."

He noted that Security Council Resolution 2231, which enshrines the nuclear deal in international law, "calls upon" Iran not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

"When we 'call upon' Iran to cease its ballistic missile activity, we agree it must stop now. But Iran is as defiant of the world's insistence as ever," Pompeo said. "Iran's pace of missile activity, including missile launches and tests, did not diminish since the JCPOA. In fact, Iran's missile testing and missile proliferation is growing," he said, referring to the nuclear deal by its acronym.

Largest missile force

Pompeo alleged that Iran has the largest ballistic missile force in the Middle East, with more than 10 ballistic missile systems in its inventory or in development. According to Iranian officials, some of their missiles can travel up to 2,000 kilometers, a distance, Pompeo said, that could put European allies in places like Athens, Sofia and Bucharest in harm's way.

The secretary of state said the U.S. wants to work with the Security Council's other 14 members to reimpose tougher ballistic missile restrictions that were contained in an earlier council resolution. The resolution he referred to forbids Tehran from undertaking any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

Under the 2015 nuclear deal, the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council (Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States) plus Germany agreed with Iran to lift economic sanctions in exchange for Tehran's limiting its nuclear activities and allowing in international inspectors.

Iran has always said that its nuclear program was for purely peaceful purposes.

Since the deal was implemented, the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly verified that Iran is upholding its commitments.

President Donald Trump deemed the Obama-era deal "a disaster" and withdrew the U.S. from it in May. In November, his administration unilaterally reimposed economic sanctions on Iran.

Condemnation of U.S. urged

"The council should strongly condemn the U.S. for reimposing its illegal sanctions against Iranians in violation of the U.N. Charter and international law," said Iran's deputy U.N. ambassador, Eshagh al-Habib.

Washington's European allies remain in the nuclear deal and reaffirmed their commitment to it at Wednesday's meeting.

"We believe that the JCPOA is a very important contribution to the global non-proliferation architecture," said Germany's U.N. ambassador, Christoph Heusgen. "It is an important asset for the security of the region and for the security of Europe, and this is our key interest." He said as long as Tehran complies with the deal, Europe will make sure Tehran continues to benefit from it.

Destabilizing behavior

Tehran has acknowledged test-firing a medium-range ballistic missile on Dec. 1. Many council members criticized the test as being "inconsistent" with Resolution 2231. The United States has said it is a violation.

"Iran has been on a testing spree and a proliferation spree, and this must come to an end," Pompeo told reporters after the meeting. "This threat is real and upon us."

Most council members expressed concern about Iran's destabilizing activities in the region  including in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon  but they want that addressed separately from the nuclear deal.

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The Best Defense? Japan's Controversial F-35 Carrier Upgrade Confirmed

Sputnik News

00:03 13.12.2018

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has confirmed long-held suspicions that the JS Izumo, a helicopter carrier, will be retrofitted into a full-on aircraft carrier to accommodate F-35B aircraft, Japanese media report.

New defense guidelines that have been drafted and approved by the ruling parties in Japan "enable fighter jets to be operated from existing warships, if necessary, to improve the flexibility of their operation," reports the Mainichi, a Japanese daily.

The JS Izumo is the first ship of the Izumo-class vessels. It's not clear if future ships of the same model will also carry F-35s or only military choppers.

The Japanese Constitution is pacifist, so Tokyo cannot technically arm itself with "attack aircraft carriers." The ruling Liberal Democratic party and the Komeito party, a coalition partner, reached agreement on the ship modifications December 11. The parties said the upgraded Izumo ship will not breach Japan's solely-defensive position.

Liberal Democrats convinced the Komeito party the ship would not be used for long-distance strikes by pointing out that the Japanese Self-Defense Force doesn't have the ability to conduct midair refueling operations, according to the Diplomat.

"The Izumo was originally designed as a multipurpose escort ship, so it wouldn't pose any threat to other countries if fighter jets are deployed on it," said Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya on Tuesday, per Japan's Kyodo news agency.

The Izumo-class ship is the largest Japanese ship that's been made in the post-war period, displacing about 20,000 tons and measuring 248 meters long by 38 meters wide. It's roughly comparable in size to the USS Wasp, a landing helicopter deck amphibious assault ship, which is approximately 257 meters long by 38 meters at its beam. The USS Wasp was the first-ever ship in the US fleet to carry F-35B aircraft.

 Sputnik

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Pakistan hits back at US over religious freedoms

Iran Press TV

Wed Dec 12, 2018 05:44PM

Pakistan has condemned the United States for placing it on a list of countries violating religious freedoms, calling the designation a "politically motivated pronouncement."

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that preserving the rights of minorities was a "cardinal principle" of the constitution.

"Pakistan rejects the US State Department's unilateral and politically motivated pronouncement."

Separately, Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari said Pakistan's inclusion on the list was "pure political blackmailing" and an attempt to pressure Pakistan to fulfill Washington's objectives in Afghanistan.

On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo added Pakistan to the list of "countries of particular concern," which have tolerated abuses against religious groups.

In October, Pakistan's top court overturned the conviction of a Christian woman facing execution for blasphemy in a landmark case.

Last year the United States also put Pakistan on a watch-list of countries that violate religious freedom.

The vast majority of Pakistan's 208 million people are Muslims, with minorities accounting for about four percent of the population, including Christians, Hindus and Sikhs.

The latest move by Pompeo threatens to further worsen the already fragile relations between Islamabad and Washington.

US President Donald Trump and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan have engaged in a bitter exchange over Afghanistan in recent weeks.

In a recent interview with the Washington Post, Khan said his country would never share a relationship with the United States if the latter continues to treat the country as its "hired gun."

Too, the Pakistani premier in a series of tweets last month accused Trump of making Pakistan a scapegoat to cover Washington's failure in Afghanistan.

"Instead of making Pakistan a scapegoat for their failures, the US should do a serious assessment of why, despite 140,000 NATO troops plus 250,000 Afghan troops & reportedly $1 trillion spent on war in Afghanistan, the Taliban today are stronger than before."

Khan had hit back at Trump following his remarks that Pakistani authorities knew former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's location prior to his killing by US troops in a raid inside Pakistan in 2011.

Successive US administrations have criticized Pakistan for links with the Taliban and for harboring bin Laden.

Washington has also long accused Pakistan of ignoring or even collaborating with groups which attack Afghanistan from safe havens along the border between the two countries. Pakistan denies supporting Afghan Taliban militants.

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U.S. House Of Representatives Condemns Russia's Nord Stream 2 Pipeline

By RFE/RL December 12, 2018

The U.S. House of Representatives has condemned the Russian-backed Nord Stream 2 natural-gas pipeline, saying the undersea project will boost Russian control over Europe's energy supplies.

The measure, passed on December 11 by the lower house of Congress, was a symbolic resolution. But it was the latest effort by U.S. authorities to try and block the $11 billion project.

According to the bipartisan resolution, the pipeline is a "drastic step backwards for European energy security and United States interests," and it called for European governments to reject the project.

The measure also urged President Donald Trump to "use all available means to support European energy security."

Nord Stream 2 would run under the Baltic Sea, bringing Russian gas directly to Western Europe and bypassing the existing networks running through Ukraine.

Washington has stepped up efforts to try and thwart the project.

A day earlier, Francis Fannon, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for energy resources, warned that Russia wanted to increase leverage over Europe, and its grip over Ukraine, using Nord Stream 2.

Leaders of some of the largest industries in Germany and elsewhere have backed the pipeline as a way to diversify gas supplies.

Germany's foreign minister has said Berlin will not withdraw its political support for it and Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she secured a pledge from Russian President Vladimir Putin allowing gas shipments across Ukraine's territory.

The project, however, has been opposed both by Trump and his predecessor, Barack Obama, as a tool for Russia to consolidate its sway over Europe.

Putin has said that Nord Stream 2 is purely economic and not directed against other countries.

Russian gas could continue to go through Ukraine if the pipeline is completed, he has said.

Ukraine, which has been in conflict with Russia since Moscow annexed the Crimea Peninsula in 2014, has warned that Moscow would use the pipeline as a political weapon.

Ukraine also stands to lose out on billions of dollars in transit fees if Russian gas bypasses it.

With reporting by Bloomberg

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/u-s-house- of-representatives-condemns-russia-s- nord-stream-2-pipeline/29651530.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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Increasing NATO Forces Near Russian Borders Will Only Increase Tensions - MoD

Sputnik News

17:44 12.12.2018(updated 18:05 12.12.2018)

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the Russian General Staff, has told NATO Allied Command Operations' Supreme Allied Commander Europe Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti that NATO presence near Russian borders was not reducing tensions, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

"The military commanders have exchanged opinions on the situation in European and global security. Gen. Valery Gerasimov has noted increasing NATO military presence near Russian borders, which does not promote a reduction of tensions. The sides have informed each other about the most important operational training activities planned for 2019. They have confirmed commitment to maintaining contacts," the statement read.

Gerasimov and Scaparrotti held a meeting in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku.

The relations between Moscow and the alliance remain tense, as Washington announced that the United States would suspend its INF Treaty obligations, while NATO foreign ministers collectively declared for the first time that Russia's 9M729 missile violates the INF treaty and that it was now up to Moscow to preserve the accord. Russia, however, denied those accusations, stressing it was just a pretext for the US to leave the treaty.

 Sputnik

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CIA still investigating killing of Khashoggi, Pompeo says

Iran Press TV

Wed Dec 12, 2018 07:09PM

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has noted that CIA investigations regarding the death of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi still continued.

Pompeo on Wednesday reiterated his earlier assertion that there was no direct evidence linking Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the Oct. 2 killing of Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.

He said given the importance of maintaining the ties between Washington and Riyadh, the investigation would continue until its formal conclusion.

Pompeo's comments came despite a CIA assessment that the murder of Khashoggi was likely ordered by Mohammed bin Salman, publicly known as MBS .

CIA Director Gina Haspel briefed leaders of the House of Representatives behind closed doors about the killing.

After the briefing, House members declined to comment beyond saying they had not heard anything that had changed their minds about Khashoggi's death.

Democratic Representative Eliot Engel, likely the next chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said he intended to start early next year on reviewing all aspects of Saudi behavior and the US-Saudi relationship.

Engel acknowledged that the Saudis were regional allies for the US. However, he reminded that when an assets became a liability, it could not be just ignored.

"I don't think we can simply look the other way when things happen and talk about business as usual," he said. "I think that all leaders are responsible for things that happen under them. So I think that we've still get to get to the bottom of it."

Saudi Arabia had initially denied knowledge of Khashoggi's disappearance, then offered contradictory explanations, including that he was killed in a rogue operation.

The Trump administration has been under pressure over its relations with the Saudi government. Trump, however, amid all the pressure, has thrown his full weight in support of MBS.

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Trump says stands by Saudi crown prince despite rebuke from Senate

Iran Press TV

Wed Dec 12, 2018 07:17AM

US President Donald Trump has reiterated that he stands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman despite a CIA assessment that he personally ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and pressure from fellow Republicans in Congress to rebuke the kingdom's de facto ruler.

"He's the leader of Saudi Arabia. They've been a very good ally," Trump said in an interview with Reuters in the Oval Office.

The US president has declined to say whether bin Salman was complicit in the brutal murder of Khashoggi, a US resident and Washington Post columnist, more than two months ago. He has instead emphasized the importance of America's ties to the oil-rich kingdom.

Asked by Reuters whether supporting Saudi Arabia meant standing by the ambitious prince, Trump said, "Well, at this moment, it certainly does."

Trump has come under intense pressure from Senate Republicans to condemn the crown prince, known as MbS, but the president has so far looked the other way on the murder.

"You have to be willfully blind not to come to the conclusion that this was orchestrated and organized by people under the command of MbS," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, said last week.

Trump again said on Tuesday that bin Salman, with whom he has cultivated a deep personal relationship, "vehemently denies" any involvement in the killing.

Senate to formally rebuke MbS

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker plans to offer a measure this week to condemn bin Salman, the first formal response to the Khashoggi killing and a rebuke to President Trump.

The move is one of three legislative efforts targeting the prince and the Trump administration's policy towards the Riyadh regime.

Another measure, a resolution to stop US support for the kingdom's war in Yemen, will go to the Senate floor for a vote on Wednesday.

Corker, a Tennessee Republican who opposes the Yemen resolution, is instead pushing to directly blame the crown prince for Khashoggi's death. The senator told CNN that he was garnering support from top senators in both parties and has enlisted Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as a co-sponsor of the resolution.

The resolution, which Corker is confident will be adopted this week, is stronger than a symbolic non-binding measure. If approved by both chambers of Congress, the measure goes to Trump's desk for his signature, placing the president in a difficult position.

Trump said he hoped senators would not propose blocking US arms sales to Saudi Arabia, something he has vigorously defended in the aftermath of the Khashoggi affair.

"And I really hope that people aren't going to suggest that we should not take hundreds of billions of dollars that they're going to siphon off to Russia and to China," he said.

However, Trump said he was "much more open" to supporting the Yemen resolution.

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Pompeo: US Still Investigating Saudi Journalist's Killing

By Ken Bredemeier December 12, 2018

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that U.S. authorities are still investigating the killing of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul.

The top U.S. diplomat told Fox News that the United States would hold those found responsible accountable for his death, noting that the U.S. has already imposed sanctions on 17 Saudi agents it believes were responsible.

Pompeo called Khashoggi's killing "a tragic incident," and "not something that America approves of."

However, he echoed President Donald Trump's stand supporting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman even as the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has concluded that Salman, the country's de facto ruler, was behind the October 2 killing.

Last month, Trump said, "The crime against Jamal Khashoggi was a terrible one, and one that our country does not condone." But, he added, "The United States intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia to ensure the interests of our country, Israel and all other partners in the region."

Trump said it "could very well be that the crown prince had knowledge of this tragic event -- maybe he did and maybe he didn't!"

CIA director Gina Haspel is briefing leaders of the House of Representatives on the agency's Khashoggi findings behind closed doors on Wednesday, much as she did for Senate leaders a week ago.

Key Republican senators rejected Trump's equivocation on Salman's involvement in the Khashoggi killing and have called for sanctions against Riyadh and a cut-off of support for Saudi Arabia's involvement in the war in Yemen.

Senator Lindsey Graham, after listening to Haspel's briefing, said, "You have to be willfully blind" not to conclude the killing was orchestrated by agents under the command of the crown prince.

"There's not a smoking gun, but a smoking saw," Graham added, referring to investigators' conclusion that Khashoggi's dismembered body was cut up with a bone saw.

In a separate interview Wednesday, outgoing U.S. United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley told NBC, "We need to have a serious, hard talk with the Saudis to let them know we won't condone this, we won't give you a pass and don't do this again. And then I think that the administration has to talk about where we go from here."

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Iraqi jetfighters kill 44 Daesh terrorists in Syria

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Baghdad, Dec 12, IRNA -- In an air strike conducted by Iraqi war planes, 44 Daesh (ISIS) terrorists were killed in Syria.

Iraqi army media center announced on Tuesday that, the F-16 jetfighters taking advantage of exact information about terrorist positions, bombarded two Daesh bases in Suseh district, Syria.

Thirty Daesh ringleaders were about to hold an important meeting in one of the bases.

There were 14 suicide bombers in the second base.

The Iraqi forces had earlier conducted various air or artillery attacks on Daesh positions in Syria.

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared the full military victory over Daesh terrorists on December 10, 2017.

9376**1771

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Car bomb attack kills one, injures 20 in northwestern Syrian town

Iran Press TV

Wed Dec 12, 2018 06:33PM

At least one civilian has been killed and nearly two dozen others sustained injuries after a car bomb blast struck near a medical center in Syria's northwestern province of Aleppo.

Local sources, requesting not to be named, said the incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon in the city of Azaz, roughly 32 kilometers (20 miles) northwest of Aleppo, killing a 10-year-old girl and wounding 20 others.

A health official said the death toll may rise as some of the injured were in critical condition.

The sources added that the explosion caused the closure of Ibn Zaidun primary school, and caused extensive damage to a number of houses and shops nearby.

On October 6, at least five people, including two children, were killed in a car bomb attack in the same Syrian town.

According to a report by the so-called Syrian observatory for Human Rights group, the powerful blast occurred after an explosives-laden vehicle went off at the entrance of the industrial district of Azaz.

The UK-based monitor also said that the blast took place near a tanker filled with fuel, sending up large pillars of smoke as a raging fire engulfed the area.

Turkey's pro-government Yeni Safak newspaper reported that at least 27 people had sustained injuries in the explosion and the subsequent blaze.

The wounded were said to be rushed across the border to Turkey's Kilis Public Hospital to receive due treatment.

Syrian army soldiers find Israeli-made anti-tank weapons in militant position

Separately, Syrian government troops launched a counter-terrorism operation in Nawa city of the southwestern province of Dara'a, and discovered a considerable amount of munitions as well as medicine in a stronghold belonging to foreign-sponsored Takfiri militants.

Syria's official news agency SANA reported that there were Israeli-built M72 LAW portable and unguided anti-tank weapons among the uncovered arms.

Seven mass graves found in Syria's Dayr al-Zawr

Furthermore, seven mass graves, containing hundreds of unidentified bodies, have been unearthed near the former Daesh stronghold of Abu Kamal in Syria's eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr near the border with Iraq.

SANA reported that most of the bodies recovered so far at the site appear to "have been subjected to torture and ill-treatment before execution at the hands of Daesh terrorists."

Work was under way to retrieve the rest of the bodies from the graves, the report added.

"After examining the remains, it appears that most of the people were executed by bullets to the head, while their hands were tied," an unidentified Syrian military commander said in a video.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian government says the Israeli regime and its Western and regional allies are aiding Takfiri terrorist groups wreaking havoc in the country.



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Syrian Kurds: Threat of Turkish Action Impacts Anti-IS Fight

By Sirwan Kajjo December 12, 2018

Kurdish officials in Syria say any Turkish military action against them would affect their efforts in defeating Islamic State in its last stronghold in the country.

The comments come after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a new military offensive against the U.S.-backed Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in northeast Syria "within a few days."

"This is a clear declaration of war," Nuri Mahmud, a YPG spokesperson, told VOA. "We take Erdogan's threats against us very seriously. He has repeatedly expressed his desire to occupy our land in northeast Syria."

Mahmud added that "our partners in the U.S.-led coalition are well aware of these Turkish moves because a Turkish attack against us can also impact the U.S. efforts to defeat [IS] terrorists."

The United States maintains a military presence in areas under the control of Kurdish forces in Syria, which has been instrumental in the ongoing fight against the Islamic State (IS) terror group.

There are about 2,000 U.S. troops on the ground, U.S. defense officials say.

Turkey views the YPG as an extension of the Turkey-based Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has been engaged in a bloody war with the Turkish military for three decades. Both Ankara and Washington consider the PKK a terrorist organization.

The U.S. makes a distinction between the PKK and YPG, however, providing military support to the latter in its fight against IS militants in Syria.

Analysts in Turkey say Erdogan's recent comments regarding the YPG shouldn't be taken lightly.

"Mr. Erdogan words have to be taken seriously," said former senior Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen. The YPG is "a threat to Turkish national security, an extension of PKK affiliate is controlling the Syrian border."

The YPG is the main group within the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which now controls more than a quarter of Syria's territory.

In recent months, Turkish forces have carried out a series of attacks against YPG positions in Syria.

Hoping to prevent further altercations between the Turkish military and Kurdish forces in Syria, the U.S. last month said it was setting up at least five observation posts along the Syria-Turkey border.

On Tuesday, the Pentagon said U.S. observation posts in northern Syria have been set up, despite Ankara's objections.

"At the direction of Secretary [Jim] Mattis, the U.S. established observation posts in the northeast Syria border region to address the security concerns of our NATO ally Turkey," Pentagon spokesman Rob Manning told reporters.

Focus on IS

The U.S. repeatedly has asked Turkey and Syrian Kurds to put their differences aside and instead focus on the war against IS.

But analysts say Turkey's opposition to the observation posts is derived from Ankara's firm belief that such observation posts were built to protect Syrian Kurds.

"Erdogan has lost hope that the U.S. would stop its support for SDF, particularly since the U.S. observation points along the Syria-Turkey border have become a reality," said John Saleh, a Syrian affairs analyst in Washington.

"Erdogan genuinely fears that the U.S. support for Syrian Kurdish forces might continue even after the war on IS is over," he told VOA.

Other analysts, like Kyle Orton, who is a Syria researcher in London, believe that while Turkey is capable of carrying out an attack in northeastern Syria, Erdogan's rhetoric has generally been cautious regarding Syria, especially in areas where there is a U.S. presence.

"This is more a messaging effort to push back against the U.S. claim that these border posts were for Turkey's protection, rather than, as is clearly the case, to protect the SDF from Turkey," he told VOA.

Nicholas Heras, a Middle East researcher at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), echoes Orton's assessment and charges that Turkey's warnings are mere rhetoric.

"Erdogan may bark, but his bite is likely to be muzzled by the fact the U.S. military made it clear that it will back the SDF with lethal force if needed," Heras said

"Ambassador Jeffrey [U.S. Special Envoy to Syria] has also been working furiously to keep Turkey out of areas east of the Euphrates by trying to push forward the idea of power sharing between the SDF and Turkish-backed opposition in disputed areas of northern and eastern Syria," he added.

Dorian Jones contributed to this story from Istanbul.

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Air Force to take delivery of first four F-16Vs in March

ROC Central News Agency

2018/12/12 21:12:00

Taipei, Dec. 12 (CNA) The Air Force is scheduled to take delivery of its first four upgraded F-16 fighter jets at the end of March next year, a military official said Wednesday during a legislative session.

Liu Jen-yuan (), chief of staff of the Air Force, said at the Legislative Yuan Foreign and National Defense Committee session that the timeframe is based on the facts that training, manpower and technology transfer was lagging slightly behind and that rust was also found on the aircrafts.

The fighters are part of a NT$129.6 billion (US$4.21 billion) government program to launch a domestic upgrade that will transform Taiwan's 144 F-16 A/B jets into F-16Vs by 2023.

In order to carry out the upgrade locally, the manufacturer of the jets -- Lockheed Martin in the United States -- sent engineers to Taiwan last year to help train local personnel at the state-owned Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. (AIDC) on how to perform the upgrades.

According to the AIDC, the retrofit program includes installing advanced equipment in the fighters, including the AN/APG-83 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar system, new mission computers, improvements to the aircraft's electronic warfare suite and avionics; and the integration of new precision-guided weapons.

(By Matt Yu and William Yen)

Enditem/J

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Tsai will not sacrifice Taiwan's dignity for ties with China: aide

ROC Central News Agency

2018/12/12 18:13:58

Taipei, Dec. 12 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen () will not sacrifice Taiwan's sovereignty and dignity for economic benefits while pursuing the policy of peaceful development of relations across the Taiwan Strait, Presidential Office Secretary-General Chen Chu () said Wednesday at a legislative committee meeting.

Chen made the comment when asked by opposition Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator Jason Hsu () at a meeting of the Legislature's Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee whether the government's cross-strait policy needs to be revised after Taiwanese master baker Wu Pao-chun () made an online statement that he was born in "Taiwan, China," apparently for fear of being branded a Taiwan independence supporter.

In the statement, Wu, who is seeking to expand his chain of bakeries to China, said he is proud of being Chinese and supports the "1992 consensus" which endorses the "one China" principle.

Wu's statement came after Chinese netizens accused him of being pro-Taiwan independence.

Hsu said that Wu was forced to show his stance on the matter but the government did not come foward and speak for him.

Chen said that cross-strait relations are developed in a bilateral, not unilateral manner, adding that Tsai has extended goodwill to China based on the Republic of China Constitution and the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area.

If China has demands about Taiwan that could hurt its sovereignty and dignity, the president will not cave in to them in exchange for economic gains, Chen said.

She said it requires mutual understanding, more exchanges and dialogue and the seeking of common ground to develop cross-strait relations.

Chen also denied reports that some in the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) are of the view that Tsai should not seek re-election in the 2020 presidential election.

"There are no such views," according to Chen, who added that the DPP still deems Tsai the most suitable candidate to run for re-election and will support her. "Her re-election bid is normal," she said.

Also Wednesday, Lin Yu-chang (), acting DPP chairman, said that Wu's case shows that China is not a democratic and free society and that cross-strait exchanges should be carried out on an equal footing and without any preconditions.

(By Yeh Su-ping and Evelyn Kao)

Enditem/J

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Turkey to launch new operation against US-backed Kurdish militants in northern Syria, says Erdogan

Iran Press TV

Wed Dec 12, 2018 05:06PM

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Ankara will launch a new operation against the US-backed Kurds in northern Syria within days, amid tensions between the two NATO allies over Washington's support for the Kurdish militants in the Arab country.

"We will start an operation to free the east of the Euphrates from the separatist terrorist organization in the next few days," Erdogan said during a speech in Ankara on Wednesday, referring to territory held by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), considered by Turkey a terrorist organization and an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been fighting for an autonomous region inside Turkey since 1984.

Turkey has been infuriated by US support for the YPG, which forms the backbone of the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an anti-Damascus alliance of predominantly Kurdish militants.

Ankara has repeatedly criticized Washington for providing military support to the YPG and threatened to attack areas held by the militant group.

"The target is never American soldiers but terrorist organization members active in the region," Erdogan told the audience at a defense industry summit.

Erdogan's remarks came a day after the US military said it had established "observation posts" in northern Syria with the purported aim of preventing clashes between Turkish forces and US-backed Kurdish militants, despite Ankara's strong opposition to the plan.

"At the direction of Secretary (James) Mattis, the US established observation posts in the northeast Syria border region to address the security concerns of our NATO ally Turkey," Department of Defense spokesman Rob Manning said in a press release on Tuesday.

In reaction to the move, Erdogan said that Turkey was not being protected from terrorists but "terrorists were being protected" from possible action by Ankara.

Ankara has already launched two operations in northern Syria. The first offensive dubbed "Euphrates Shield" began in August 2016 to stop the advance of Kurdish militia forces.

Then in January 2018, Turkish military forces launched another cross-border military operation inside Syria, code-named "Operation Olive Branch," with the declared aim of eliminating YPG militants from northern Syria, particularly the Afrin region.

In March, the operation was completed with the capture of Afrin city, with Turkey threatening to take the battle to nearby Manbij, west of the Euphrates.

The NATO allies agreed a roadmap for Manbij in June, which would see the city cleared of US-backed Kurdish militants.

Erdogan, however, said Turkey had not got the result it wanted in Manbij, adding, "There has been a delaying tactic undeniably used in Manbij, and right now it is still being used."

He also added that the threat from Daesh no longer existed in Syria, implicitly questioning the US deployment of heavy weapons in Syria despite the defeat of the terror group in much of the Arab country.

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Erdogan: Turkey to Start Military Operation East of Euphrates in Couple Days

Sputnik News

13:34 12.12.2018(updated 14:01 12.12.2018)

"We are determined to make that area livable and peaceful," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday.

Turkey intends to launch a military operation in the north-east of Syria in coming days, the Turkish president said, adding that this step will facilitate political solution for the region.

"The time has come to carry out our intention to neutralize terrorists in the east of the Euphrates. In the coming days, an operation will be launched there. The United States has been informed. We decisively want to bring peace and tranquility to civilians in the east of the Euphrates, as we have already done in other regions of Syria," the president said.

Earlier, the Turkish Security Council stated that the main threat to the political settlement in Syria is coming from the Kurdish-held territories in the country's northeast.

"During the meeting [its participants] pointed out that the main threat to the political settlement in Syria is coming from the [Kurdish] terrorist structure east of the Euphrates River. The fact that some countries do not recognize YPG [People's Protection Units] as a terror organization is damaging the global fight against terrorism," the Security Council said in a statement.

The council added that Turkey could use its right of self-defense and would not allow the YPG to change the demographic structure of northern Syria via forced migrations.

Turkey has been claiming that the YPG's presence near its border hampers its national security. Earlier this year, it conducted an offensive against the Kurdish militia in Syria's northern border city of Afrin. Ankara is also currently engaged in an operation to eliminate Kurdish strongholds in northern Iraq.

 Sputnik

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PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Dignitaries traveled from as far as Jackson to bid Jackson County District Attorney Tony Lawrence farewell as he leaves his post to transition into the next phase of his career as a member of the Mississippi Court of Appeals.

Those who know Lawrence personally gave personal memoirs about their dealings together, his affinity for Popeye's Chicken, specifically, a three-piece spicy combo and his courtroom mannerisms that drove judges such as 19th District Judge Dale Harkey nuts.

Lawrence's 15 years makes him the longest tenured district attorney the 19th district has seen and has hung his hat on taking down rapists, gangs and drug traffickers.

"I'm going to miss those late night phone calls -- the complicated legal issues that has devastating effects on people's lives and i'm going to miss managing 25 people from different backgrounds, personalities and opinions about what I should do," Lawrence said.

He began to discuss the highs and lows of his career and one of the highs led to the creation of a law to protect children across the state.

The "Lonnie Smith Act" was signed in 2013 by Gov. Phil Bryant because the child's biological mother, Sylvia Smith, dipped the then 3-year-old child several times into a bath tub of scalding hot water.

He was severely burned, spent nearly a year in the intensive care unit, underwent numerous surgeries, is confined to a wheelchair and has permanent injuries that will leave him disabled for the rest of his life.

Lawrence played a pivotal role, along with the state Legislature to have the law pass and enacted to protect children across the state.

While there were some highs, there most certainly were some lows -- but the lows might not be ones you'd immediately consider, however.

"One of the biggest lows I believe was giving an opening statement with my pants unzipped," Lawrence said. "The lawyer who was trying the case with me asked, 'were you trying to get the sympathy vote?'"

The crowd erupted in laughter as Lawrence's lows began to resemble a roast of himself.

"I believe one time in Judge Harkey's courtroom, I sustained my own objection," he said. "I don't remember doing it, but I think it went something like this: 'Judge I object and I sustain.' Judge Harkey looked at me and he was so confused, he just looked at me and let it go."

Since Lawrence's tenure as district attorney, his office has presented 42,000 cases to the Jackson Authority or Greene County grand jury and resolved 120 homicides.

Lawrence's friend and Miss. Supreme Court Justice David Ishee

"I'm really proud of Tony and what he's have done for this office," Ishee said. "He made our most defenseless citizens (children) his top priority against the most atrocious people in our society and while most attorneys like the high-profile drug and murder cases, children has been at the forefront for Tony and that's speaks volumes about the type of person he is."

"So many people have helped me get to this point and I thank everyone for what you have given me and allowing me to serve as your district attorney," Lawrence said.

Angel Myers McIlrath was appointed by Gov. Bryant in November as Lawrence's replacement and will begin her appointment Jan. 2019 as the newest District Attorney of the 19th Circuit Court District.
Turkey to Launch New Military Operation Against Syrian Kurds

By Dorian Jones December 12, 2018

A Turkish military operation against the Syrian Kurdish militia, the YPG, will start in the next few days, according to Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. With the YPG being a key U.S. ally in the war against the Islamic State, such a move threatens to resurrect recent tensions between the two NATO allies.

Ankara considers the YPG a terrorist organization affiliated to the PKK rebel group that has been fighting a decades-long insurgency inside Turkey. "It is time to realize our decision to wipe out terror groups east of the Euphrates," Erdogan said in a speech at the Turkish Defense Industry Summit held at the presidential complex.

The YPG, fighting the Islamic State with U.S. backing, seized hundreds of kilometers of the Syrian-Turkish border, running from the east of the Euphrates River to the Iraqi frontier.

"Mr. Erdogan words have to be taken seriously," said former senior Turkish diplomatic Aydin Selcen. "It's [YPG] a threat to Turkish national security, an extension of PKK affiliate is controlling the Syrian border."

U.S. Pentagon spokesman Cmdr. Sean Robertson told VOA in a statement, "Unilateral military action into northeast Syria by any party, particularly as U.S. personnel may be present or in the vicinity, is of grave concern. We would find any such actions unacceptable."

"Coordination and consultation between the U.S. and Turkey is the only approach to address issues of security concern in this area," he added.

In the past 18 months, Turkish forces have carried out a series of military operations into Syria, ousting the YPG from large swaths of territory, which remain under Turkey's control.

Following Erdogan's speech, local media reported Turkish tanks and armored cars moving toward the Syrian border, reinforcing an already sizable military presence, facing off against YPG bases.

Analysts point out the mostly flat topography of the region gives the Turkish military the advantage against the lightly armed YPG forces.

Allies against IS

Until now, Washington was seen as the main factor holding back Ankara from attacking the militia. The recent shelling of the YPG by Turkish artillery led to Washington deploying a series of military observation posts between the militia and the Turkish frontier this month in a move seen as deterring further attacks. Ankara accused Washington of protecting terrorists.

The YPG is a crucial U.S. ally in the war against the Islamic State. About 2,000 U.S. soldiers are deployed with the militia, most of whom are based in the region that Ankara is warning it will now attack.

The YPG is currently engaged in heavy fighting against one of the Islamic State's last bastions on the Syrian Iraqi border. Previous Turkish military threats against the militia resulted in the YPG temporary suspending military operations against IS.

"The campaign against ISIS is not over," Pentagon spokesman Bean told VOA, using an acronym for the militant group."Coalition forces are working closely with the Syrian Democratic Forces, who are in the midst of offensive operations against ISIS in the Middle Euphrates River Valley. The SDF remains a committed partner against ISIS and we remain committed to working with them to ensure ISIS's enduring defeat."

Washington's support of the YPG is the main point of tension with Ankara. Bilateral tensions almost reached a breaking point earlier this year, but in the last few months, relations had started to improve.

Turkey-U.S. relations

A series of high-level bilateral meetings have occurred in the past few weeks in which Syria topped the agenda. This month, Erdogan met with U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires. Last week, Turkey's spy chief, Hakan Fidan, was in Washington meeting with U.S. senators and White House officials.

"Turkey, right or wrong, has the impression that it can sort of push the U.S. to play along with its priorities," Selcen said. "Jim Jeffrey [U.S. ambassador for Syrian affairs] repeated time and time again their [the U.S.] cooperation with the PKK-affiliated YPG is temporary, so to speak, depending on the job at hand, fighting ISIS. So what Mr. Erdogan is doing right now is pushing that calendar."

Ankara insists that with the Islamic State all but defeated, the basis for U.S. cooperation with the YPG is over. "There is no threat named Daesh in Syria anymore. This is a fairy tale," Erdogan said Wednesday, using an Arabic acronym for the militant group.

U.S. ambassador Jeffrey visited Ankara last week, and analysts are already pointing out that Erdogan's announcement of a military operation could well be linked to that visit.

Erdogan giving several days' notice of the planned operation into Syria also could be a move to test Washington's reaction, say analysts. "The risk is that there will be a very deep political conflict with the U.S.," said former diplomat Selcen. "We have to wait 48 or 72 hours to see whether a reaction comes from Donald Trump."

Ankara likely will be watching closely how strongly, if at all, Washington reacts to the threat of a Turkish military operation and whether it confines itself only to rhetoric or takes military steps on the ground in Syria. Analysts suggest the severity of any U.S. pushback could well determine the scale of the planned cross-border operation. For now, Turkish forces are continuing their buildup on the Syrian border.

Carla Babb at the Pentagon contributed to this report.

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Dozens Arrested in Raids on Kurdish Party Headquarters in Turkey

By Ezel Sahinkaya, Rikar Hussein December 12, 2018

Turkish police have detained dozens of people, mostly women, in multiple raids on the local headquarters of the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) since Monday, targeting party members and supporters who were on a hunger strike in support of the imprisoned HDP lawmaker Leyla Guven.

Guven was arrested January on terror charges following her statements on social media against Turkey's Operation Olive Branch in Syria's northwestern region of Afrin.

During her judicial hearing last month, she said she was on an indefinite hunger strike in protest of the prison conditions of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant leader Abdullah Ocalan.

HDP officials told VOA the police raids this week targeted party members and activists who went on hunger strikes in solidarity with Guven. They said police broke into their local headquarters to end the strikes and arrested 29 members in Batman, 25 in Diyarbakir and 14 in Van.

"This unlawful action toward the women who want to be the voice of a peaceful demand once again demonstrates the truth which is empowering Leyla Guven's hunger strike on its 34th day," read a HDP statement following the arrests.

Kurdish leader

The statement asked Turkish officials to end the isolation of Ocalan, who serves a life sentence and remains the sole inmate of the island prison of Imrali in Bursa province.

"The biggest obstacle to democratization and resolution is the isolation itself," HDP said.

Turkish officials were not available to comment on the arrests, but the semiofficial Anadolu Agency said the raids were carried out by counterterrorism units against suspects "who are propagandizing for a terrorist organization."

A VOA reporter present near the HDP headquarters in Diyarbakir said dozens of police equipped with riot shields could be seen around the building as anti-terror police led HDP members into police vehicles.

More Strikes

Xaje Kiye, the head of HDP in Van province, warned that the strikes would continue and might expand if Turkish authorities did not address their concerns about Ocalan's living conditions.

"Our activities will continue regardless of the attacks," Kiye told VOA. "We will firmly stand with our colleagues."

Complaint about the prison conditions of Ocalan and uncertainty about his health is not uncommon. Kurdish protesters for years have held demonstrations demanding an end to his isolation.

The PKK leader has been in prison since 1999 and has been prevented from visiting his lawyers and family members since late 2016 after a peace process to end the Kurdish insurgency failed.

The Turkish government considers PKK a terrorist organization and charges that government operations in the predominately Kurdish southeast region only target those suspected of ties with the separatist group.

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UK Prime Minister Survives No Confidence Vote

Sputnik News

00:00 13.12.2018(updated 00:43 13.12.2018)

On Wednesday, 48 Conservative members of Parliament sent letters to the 1922 Committee, a group of rank-and-file MPs from the party who hold no government office, triggering a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Theresa May.

In the British parliamentary system, a vote of confidence or no confidence is initiated by the government itself  May's own Conservative Party. The issue is settled by a simple majority vote, which is 158 members. While May survived Wednesday's vote, the motion leaves her authority severely weakened.

May received 200 votes in favor of her government and 117 against, Sir Graham Brady, who chairs the committee, said Wednesday evening. That's more votes that she received in the 2016 party leadership election, the Guardian reported.

As a result, no further vote of no confidence may be called for at least 12 months.

May became head of the British government in July 2016, during the chaotic reshuffling of government that saw David Cameron resign and May be appointed to replace him in the prime minister's office after the Brexit referendum passed June 23 and the country voted to leave the European Union.

May began to lose confidence in her government after a heated debate following the announcement last month of the results of her closed-door negotiations with EU leaders about the terms of the United Kingdom's departure from the bloc. A particularly sore point of contention was that Northern Ireland, which shares the island with EU-member Ireland, would effectively remain inside the bloc while the rest of the UK exited.

May tried to negotiate a position between those of "hard" and "soft" Brexits; or a complete departure from the EU versus a limited relationship with the bloc. Her primary concern was limiting freedom of movement in order to stem immigration from other parts of the EU into the UK. However, the mangled situation May negotiated has created a situation in which the UK will remain in the customs union, meaning its businesses, the directives that govern weights, measures, standards and other regulations will be decided by the European Union and are regulated by the European Court of Justice.

With the so-called "soft" border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, a unilateral departure from the customs union by the UK becomes impossible.

"If we're going to remain indefinitely in a customs union with the British economy effectively regulated by the EU, then what was the point of leaving?" journalist Alexander Mercouris, editor-in-chief of the Duran, told Sputnik in November following the announcement of May's Brexit deal.

On Monday, May cancelled an impending vote on the deal in the House of Commons that she was predicted to lose and returned to Brussels to try and hash out more favorable terms. EU leaders remained intransigent. Meanwhile, May's primary opposition, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, called her government "shambolic" in a fiery speech in the House of Commons Tuesday, calling on her to clear the way for more capable leaders if she couldn't handle the job.

Following announcement of the vote of confidence in May's government, Corbyn said in a statement that the vote makes no difference to the lives of British people and that May's Brexit deal must still face reckoning in Parliament.

The United Kingdom is slated to depart the European Union on March 29, 2019.

 Sputnik

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Kyiv Court: Lawmaker's Release Of Manafort Documents Interfered In U.S. Election

By Mike Eckel December 12, 2018

A Kyiv court said that a Ukrainian lawmaker and a top anticorruption official's decision in 2016 to publish documents linked to President Donald Trump's then-campaign chairman amounted to interference in the U.S. presidential election

The December 11 finding came in response to a complaint filed by another Ukrainian lawmaker, who alleged that Serhiy Leshchenko and Artem Sytnyk illegally released the documents in August 2016, showing payments by a Ukrainian political party to Trump's then-chairman, Paul Manafort.

The documents, excerpts from a secret ledger of payments by the Party of Regions, led to Manafort being fired by Trump's election campaign.

The Kyiv court said that the documents published by Leshchenko and Sytnyk were part of an ongoing pretrial investigation in Ukraine into the operations of the pro-Russian Party of Regions. The party's head had been President Viktor Yanukovych until he fled the country amid mass protests two years earlier.

The court said the publication of the so-called "black ledger" documents "led to interference in the electoral processes of the United States in 2016 and harmed the interests of Ukraine as a state."

In a post to Facebook on December 12, Leshchenko, who is a member of Ukraine's parliament, criticized the ruling, saying it was politically motivated, and aimed at undermining Sytnyk, who is director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau.

The bureau, known as NABU, is a special agency set up to root out Ukraine's notorious government corruption. However, it's been hobbled by political infighting, and, according to some critics, has been undermined by President Petro Poroshenko and his allies.

Manafort's consulting and lobbying work for the Party of Regions netted him millions of dollars over the past decade.

In 2017, he was charged tax and bank fraud, in the first prosecution brought by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. A U.S. jury found him guilty of many of those charges in August.

He pleaded guilty to a separate set of charges, related to his failure to file required lobbying and foreign agent reports, and he agreed to cooperate with Mueller's investigators.

However, Mueller's team has accused Manafort of not being truthful about his contacts with a shadowy Russian operative whom U.S. prosecutors say works with Russian intelligence.

Manafort, who has been jailed since June, is scheduled to be sentenced on his jury conviction in February.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-court-ruling- election-interference/29652728.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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Germany, France Tried to Ensure Presence of Observers in Kerch Strait - Merkel

Sputnik News

18:46 12.12.2018(updated 18:50 12.12.2018)

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday that attempts are being made to allow representatives of Germany and France to observe shipping in the Sea of Azov.

"We tried to expand the OSCE mission to the Kerch Strait and the Sea of Azov, but Russia rejected it. Now we are trying to ensure that at least representatives from Germany and France could observe the passage of ships there", Merkel said in Bundestag.

The Russian side assured that reasonable navigation in the Sea of Azov was possible, according to the chancellor. "But we need actions," Merkel stressed.

On November 25, Ukraine's Berdyansk and Nikopol gunboats and the Yany Kapu tugboat illegally crossed the Russian maritime border as they sailed toward the Kerch Strait, the entrance to the Sea of Azov. The Ukrainian vessels were arrested by Russia after failing to respond to a demand to stop.

Following the incident, 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, which will be in place for 30 days.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the incident was a provocation prepared in advance as a pretext to introduce martial law in Ukraine ahead of the country's presidential election. The martial law would affect the campaign, set to start in late December, amid Poroshenko's low approval rating, Putin said.

 Sputnik

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Germany Supports Sanctions Extension Against Russia Over Kerch Incident - Merkel

Sputnik News

17:52 12.12.2018(updated 17:53 12.12.2018)

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in parliament that Germany would support the extension of sanctions against Russia at the upcoming EU summit.

"If we call things as they are, we will support the extension of sanctions [against Russia]," Merkel said in her speech broadcast by the Bundestag website.

The chancellor has also expressed concern about the actions of Russia and said that Germany had not accepted Russia's claims to the Sea of Azov.

The statement comes after Russian envoy to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov said on 10 December that the US authorities had attempted to use the Kerch Strait incident as a tool to convince Brussels to increase the EU's sanctions pressure on Russia, but had not succeeded.

Before that, on 28 November, US Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker stated that the United States would like its European allies to consider more closely the possibility of expanding sanctions against Russia due to the incident in the Kerch Strait.

Three ships of the Ukrainian Navy  Berdyansk, Nikopol, and Yany Kapu  breached the Russian border, entered Russian territorial waters that were temporarily closed and began moving toward the Kerch Strait, which serves as the entrance into the Sea of Azov on 25 November. The Ukrainian vessels and their crew were detained by Russia after failing to respond to a lawful demand to stop.

In response to the incident, 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.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the incident was a provocation prepared in advance as a pretext to introduce martial law. Putin said the provocation could be linked to Poroshenko's low approval ratings ahead of the presidential campaign set to start in late December.

 Sputnik

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The European Union has chosen the MOBILus consortium, comprising the city of Barcelona, SEAT and 46 other cities, businesses and universities in 15 European countries, to develop the Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) on Urban Mobility, an initiative that is tasked with developing innovations in urban mobility in the European Union.

The Knowledge and Innovation Community on Urban Mobility will have a duration of between 7 and 15 years and require a financial investment of up to 1.6 billion (US$1.8 billion): 400 million to be contributed by the European Union and up to 1.2 billion by the partners. The headquarters will be located in Barcelona, with four branches in Copenhagen (Denmark), Prague (Czech Republic), Munich (Germany) and Helmond (the Netherlands).

The first General Assembly of the EIT-Urban Mobility, the European Institute of Innovation and Technology of Urban Mobility, was held in Barcelona, and was attended by the citys mayor Ada Colau; the commissioner of Economic Promotion of the Barcelona City Council Lluis Gomez; and representatives of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC).

At the press conference to present Barcelona as a European capital of urban mobility, SEAT president Luca de Meo emphasized that this project confirms that when the Public Administration, businesses, universities, financial institutions and social agents work together, we are able to move the world. This initiative is going to enable us to boost a new European model of mobility that encourages innovation and competitiveness.

The aim of the KIC on Urban Mobility is to stimulate European competitiveness, improve mobility and promote the appeal of cities by connecting communities and encouraging business innovation and re-imagining public spaces.

The choice of the MOBILus consortium and selecting Barcelona as the headquarters of the urban mobility innovation platform will have a significant economic impact on the city and attract new investments. Among other goals, expected outcomes include the creation of 180 associated startups, the freeing up of more road space in 90% of the participating cities, the training of 1,450 graduates in specialties relating to the consortium or an increase in shared mobility in all of the member countries.
The Sweetwater County Emergency Management Agency cant blow up ice jams in the Green River even if a home is being threatened.

Jamestown residents Todd and Susie Heslep called emergency management hoping they would break up the ice jam, which is causing flooding on their property, but didnt get the response they were hoping for.

Its not our policy to break up the ice jam. We prefer for nature to run its course, Emergency Management coordinator Judy Roderick said. We can help with sandbagging. We can do that kind of a thing.

But the agency will not enter the Green River itself.

According to the agencies website, the Sweetwater County Emergency Management Agency analyzes the hazards, assesses capabilities, plans for the potential events then responds to, recovers from, and mitigates against the emergency or disaster. We coordinate with response agencies, industry, elected officials, and volunteer agencies to accomplish our mission of limiting injuries, reducing loss of life and damage to property.

Roderick said, in the past emergency agencies used to blow up ice jams to try and alleviate the stress placed in one particular area of the river. However, historically, it showed to cause more damage than if the jam would have just been left alone.

Even if the agency was going to blow up an ice jam, it would need to get permission from the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality and the Army Corps of Engineers. Roderick said by the time she would get all of the permission she would need the problem would have taken care of itself.

Theres no way theyd let me do anything in the river channel, Roderick said.

The they shes said she was referring to was the Sweetwater County Sheriffs Office and the Sweetwater County Commissioners.

Roderick said the liability issues alone are a good reason to stay out of the river. She said if they were to blow up an ice jam and something even worse happened downstream, theyd be liable for that.

As for the ice jam itself, Roderick couldnt believe one was taking place at this time in the year. Usually, springtime is when the problems occur.

This one was kind of odd to me, Roderick said. We have no water in the river because the Green River is very low.

She thought maybe somewhere upstream ice had formed and then let loose and came downstream creating the ice jam when it got caught on something.

I know the river wasnt frozen this morning, Roderick said was the first thought she had when she received the call about the ice jam Thursday.

It is very odd, she said.

As for future ice jams, she said they can contact dispatch for help.

We can do sandbagging to help save those homes, but we cant redirect the river, she said.
The traffic signal at the intersection of Flaming Gorge Way and N. 1st E. Street will be taken down.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation switched the traffic signal to flash Monday afternoon, the first step in the signals dismantlement.

According to Darin Kaufman, the District Three Traffic Engineer for WYDOT, the signals removal is based on several federal regulations and criteria used to determine if the signal is needed. Kaufman said there wasnt enough street traffic to warrant the signals existence. He also said there is also little pedestrian traffic on the street, which lessens the need for a signal at the intersection.

Kaufman said WYDOTs initial findings were presented to the Green River City Council, which agreed with WYDOTs decision to remove the signal. Kaufman said the signal will be left to flash for the next week, then will be powered down and the signal lights covered up. After about three months, the signals will be removed, with the poles remaining. Kaufman said the intersection will look like the intersection near the Green River Police Department building, with the poles and lights on top of those poles remaining.

Kaufman is unaware of how old the signals at the intersection are, but said the equipment is old, thinking the signals have been in place for a few decades. He said Interstate 80 has caused traffic patterns down Flaming Gorge Way to change during the past several decades, with less traffic coming to Green River as a result.

The traffic flows would have been much different, Kaufman said.

Kaufman said WYDOT will continue monitoring the intersection to see how the change impacts local traffic patterns in the area.

He also recommends drivers to be more careful at the intersection, as the change is expected to cause a small increase in the number of rear-end collisions at the intersection. Kaufman said the collisions are generally the result of drivers getting used to new traffic rules, but the signal change is not expected to result in a significant number of collisions. Kaufman said the Wyoming Highway Patrol and the Green River Police Department will assist WYDOT in monitoring the intersection.
Snacks, newspapers, hats, Christmas cards and more were stuffed into the care packages.

Whatever could fit, went in and was sent to troops overseas Tuesday afternoon by volunteers from VFW Post 2312.

According to Jim Shoemaker, Commander of the post, the VFW sent 125 boxes to servicemen all over the world. Shoemaker said any serviceman not stationed in the continental United States were eligible to receive a care package, saying some of the boxes were sent to locations in Hawaii and Alaska. Shoemaker said packages were also sent to the USS Antietam and several classified addresses.

Any place overseas where there is a troop, Shoemaker said to a resident at the Green River Post Office asking where the boxes were being sent to.

Through the years, local businesses have also been generous in donating items for the packages. Shoemaker said Wyoming Embroidery and Napa Auto Parts both donated hats for their care packages this year, while the Green River Chamber of Commerce donated playing cards. Residents have also helped out, with Green River resident Harry Holler spearheading the Christmas-card campaign that generated more than 3,000 cards.

Residents at the post office Tuesday even donated money to help cover the VFWs shipping costs.

The packages have been appreciated too. Shoemaker said the VFW has received photos and cards thanking them, as well as U. S. flags flown in Afghanistan and Iraq during missions. He said they even received a thank you from the chaplain on the USS Abraham Lincoln, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier.

Shoemaker said one of the main challenges the VFW faces is collecting addresses to send the packages to. He said the military does not release soldiers addresses to protect their privacy.

While the care packages are sent to specific service members the contents are often shared amongst other troops serving the addressees.

Shoemaker said the care packages are a yearly service project for the VFW, which he said started about a decade ago. The VFW works on this project throughout the year and aims to have the packages in the troops hands by Christmas.

Its mainly to help the troops feel theyre not forgotten, Shoemaker said.

Shoemaker, a Vietnam veteran who joined with the Army in 1965, said care packages when he served always came from home, from a servicemans family. While these packages come from the community, the underlying goal for him and other members for the VFW is to support their brothers and sisters-in-arms.

Were still in the military, Shoemaker said. Its a part of who I am; its a part of anyone who raised their right hand to defend the Constitution of the United States.
Anyone stopping at the Green River Post Office Tuesday afternoon would have seen the support our community has for our servicemen. A trailer packed with priority boxes was brought to the post office by members of the VFW, sending them to soldiers stationed overseas.

The fact a community the size of Green River can manage to donate enough care packages to fill a truck trailer is impressive at any stretch of the imagination and speaks to Green River residents dedication to those serving in the armed forces.

Unfortunately for Wyoming, U.S. Senator Mike Enzi is making waves for doing the exact opposite. Enzi blocked a bill aimed at extending benefits for about 90,000 Navy veterans who served in ships off the coasts of Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Many sailors on those vessels have claimed to have been exposed to Agent Orange, a chemical known to have caused severe health problems for veterans, and the bill would have those veterans to claim presumptive exposure. The bill passed the House with a 382-0 vote and was set up for unanimous consent in the Senate, a process that would have expedited its passage, but would be stopped if one senator objected.

Enzi provided that objection, citing cost concerns originally made by Veterans Administration officials. And with that, the nation with the most powerful military in the world, which spends the most of any nation on defense spending, turned its back on a group that answered the call of duty and served their country.

The United States spent $610 billion on defense in 2017 according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. According to budget estimates, the cost of providing this care would amount to more than $1 billion and would be covered through increased fees on VA home loans. Yet, that $1 billion is enough to cause Enzi to halt the bills passage.

This act is beyond disappointing. The cost of a war isnt simply the amount spent to feed and arm soldiers or buy bombs, planes and ships. There are lifelong impacts to the men and women who serve our country. The responsibility to help solders with those impacts should not end.

Our nation owes it to its veterans to care for the lifelong physical and psychological damage war can leave on a person and those impacts should be figured into the cost of war.

Unfortunately, for about 90,000 Navy veterans, Enzi doesnt seem to share that opinion.
First-grade students Thayne Smith, Marcus Graham, Aiden Forbes and their teacher, Brittney Montgomery, work on filling out postcards. The children had numerous questions for Montgomery.

After listening to six books, children were faced with the tough decision of having to pick just one as their own.

On Friday, first-grade students in Phyllis Timmons' and Brittney Montogmery's classes from Harrison Elementary School, visited the Sweetwater County Library to learn about the program Wyoming Reads and take a tour of the library.

Youth services manager Becky Iwen said Wyoming Reads started in Casper, but then expanded to include the entire state. This program is funded through the Sue Jorgensen Library Foundation and was created in 1996 by Sue's husband after she died.

According to the Wyoming Reads website, http://www.wyomingreads.org, in 2006, the program expanded to a statewide program. Each year, six hard-covered books of various reading levels are distributed to students across the state. How they are distributed to kids varies from school district to school district.

For Sweetwater County School District No. 2, first-grade students from the elementary schools visit the library, listen to the six books and then decide which book they would like. These visits take place throughout the months of December and January, Iwen said.

The books are then ordered and in May the children are treated to performances from the Green River High School Theater Department based on the six books. The children then receive one of those books, which are "Can I be Your Dog?" by Troy Cummings, "We Don't Eat Our Classmates!" by Ryan T. Higgins, "The Princess and the Pit Stop" by Tom Angleberger, "Twig" by Aura Parker, "Detective Dog," by Julia Donaldson and "Crunch, the Shy Dinosaur."

"These are the cutest books," resource teacher Lezlie Krysl said. "I haven't heard of them."

However, she said they are more contemporary and the kids seem to enjoy them.

Another perk for the students, was when they received their very own library card with their parents permission.

After selecting the book they wanted, the kids completed a writing activity and then toured the library.
European lawmakers will vote on increasing pressure on Czech billionaire Andrej Babis in a probe into whether he's in conflict of interest for not severing ties with his business empire while holding the post of prime minister.

It's the latest challenge by the European Parliament against a member state as the bloc struggles to prevent populist governments from Rome to Warsaw from bucking norms on issues ranging from budget prudence to democratic standards. Since last year, EU bodies have backed processes that could theoretically end with Hungary and Poland losing their voting rights in the bloc.

Lawmakers will hold a vote on a resolution Thursday asking the EU to inform them on the results of an investigation into whether Babis is in conflict because he hasn't severed ties with his agricultural, chemical and media businesses. The premier has rejected the allegation, saying he's had no power over Agrofert, a conglomerate of more than 250 companies with about $7 billion in revenue, after he placed it in trusts.

"There can be no justification for abusing the position of public office for private gain," Philippe Lamberts, head of the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament, said before the debate. "Babis cannot be allowed to remain both a beneficiary of Agrofert and the head of the Czech government."

Accusations that he has used media outlets to attack his rivals and that he misappropriated EU funds have done little to dent support for his government's hikes to pensions and public wages and his non-stop warnings that without his leadership, the country would be overrun by migrants.

According to a complaint lodged by corruption watchdog Transparency International, Babis remains the ultimate beneficiary of two trusts that own Agrofert, a large recipients of EU subsidies that are meant to go to the bloc's most needy. Critics say that's against the rules because the premier helps decide on the EU budget.

He rebuffed the allegation, saying: "I'm not managing or controlling the trust funds; I don't even have time for that." A government analysis showed Babis is complying with the domestic conflict-of-interest laws, which were toughened after he entered politics. The Czech Republic hasn't asked for any EU subsidies since the bloc adopted a stricter conflict-of-interest rules in August, a member of EU parliament for Babis's party said Thursday.

Babis has steered clear of measures to interfere with judiciary and media freedoms, which are at the heart of EU's battles with Poland, Hungary and Romania.

Since winning elections last year, he has sought a delicate balance with western EU leaders, boasting personal relations with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. But he also embraced Viktor Orban.

While he has no serious rivals at home amid a fragmented opposition, the debate about Agrofert could deal a blow to his business if the European Commission concludes he's in conflict, according to Jiri Pehe, the director of New York University in Prague.

"He seems very much attached to his company," he said. "So if the European Commission forced him to decide between subsidies and politics, it would be a very difficult, almost existential, dilemma for Babis."
Denmark's next government may target executive bonuses as a way to tackle growing inequality.

With an election due within the next six months, the head of parliament's biggest party and the woman who polls show may become prime minister spoke of tougher regulation to target those with "fat wallets."

At a parliamentary debate in Copenhagen, Social Democrat leader Mette Frederiksen said her party is ready to "start with the very large bonuses paid by Danish businesses" as part of a set of measures she says will achieve better income equality.

The tone of the political debate in Denmark has shifted as lawmakers react to multiple scandals in the financial industry. Danske Bank has admitted to being at the center of a $230 billion money laundering case, with multiple criminal investigations under way and hefty fines expected. At the same time, Denmark is trying to track down billions of dollars from financiers accused of defrauding the country by claiming tax rebates on false dividends.

Frederiksen says she finds the examples particularly galling against the backdrop of rising inequality in Denmark. According to the OECD, income disparities in Denmark have grown 22 percent since 1995, one of the highest increases in the rich world, though the Nordic country retains one of its lowest Gini coefficients.

On top of the Danske and dividend scandals, a series of high profile cases have stirred public outrage in Denmark in recent years.

The chief executive officer of Nets, Bo Nilsson, has reportedly made more than 500 million kroner ($76 million) from various bonuses and stock options as the payment company has gone through both an initial public offering and a private equity buyout during his tenure. Lars Marcher, who heads medical equipment maker Ambu, has a stock option program that's now worth more than 400 million kroner following a surge in the value of the shares.

At Ambu's annual general meeting on Wednesday, shareholders ATP and MP Pension said proposed wage packages and option programs for management were too excessive and complicated. Even though the two pension funds voted against the board's wage proposal for next year, it was passed by the AGM, according to newswire Ritzau Finans.

"As a social democrat I'm unable to comprehend that, at a time when inequality is growing and the top of society is getting ahead of the rest, huge bonuses are still paid while regular salaried workers are wondering what's going on," Frederiksen told reporters on Tuesday.

She said the recent scandals were "adding to the lack of sympathy for big bonuses" in Denmark.

Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, who leads a minority coalition that polls suggest won't be re-elected in a vote due to take place no later than June 17, said he opposed government intervention in corporate remuneration policies.

"It would be a mistake that hurts growth and welfare to start to regulate how companies pay their employees," he told lawmakers.

The Danish debate is part of a global discussion on inequality fueled by the likes of Thomas Piketty, who recently launched a Manifesto for the Democratization of Europe that calls for additional taxes on the profits of major corporations and on high earners.
A two-year-old state policy that allows inmates in halfway houses to access Medicaid services for health care encourages them to seek better medical assistance nearby rather than return to state prisons where they were required to return for even routine checkups, a new report indicates.

The former system resulted in inmates avoiding help for health problems, according to a report by the nonprofit Urban Institute. Just to see the doctor, youre walking back into prison, one inmate told researchers. Thats traumatizing for some guys. Nobody wants to go back to the prison they just left.

Inmates complained that Department of Correction providers did not discuss treatment options, and there may have been disciplinary repercussions for advocating for their health.

Others said there was virtually no privacy for personal medical information. What if I had like, you know, something where people are scared of, like AIDS or something, and now all of a sudden people are beating me up or something, another inmate told the survey.

Halfway houses are community-based residences throughout Connecticut for those inmates preparing to transition away from incarceration. But prior to 2016, under federal rules, inmates had been banned from Medicaid eligibility, forcing those in halfway houses to return to prisons for all health needs.

Connecticut accepted the expansion of Medicaid under the federal Affordable Care Act.

About 1,000 men and women  10 percent of the prison population  whose conduct while incarcerated is good and whose sentences are close to ending, are annually transferred to halfway houses. Many of them work during the day and return to the halfway houses, occupied by between 10 and 75 people, each night.

Once Medicaid became available to them, halfway house residents, staff and correctional personnel found community-based care a substantial improvement over the previous system, which deterred people from seeking care, entailed logistical and security challenges and burdened staff and residents alike, the report said. Residents thought care quality and access were superior in the community, while staff perceived less burden and no additional risk.

The survey asked inmates to rate the Medicaid program on access to care, and how they used the availability. Halfway house staff, DOC health care providers, correctional officers and state officials in all five regional parole districts were also interviewed.

Inside the facility, I dont think they take the medical situation as seriously as if you were a free man, another inmate said. Because we inmates or whatever, ex-inmates or whatever ... they dont jump to your medical concerns.

kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT
WASHINGTON - In a sharp rebuke to President Donald Trump, the U.S. Senate on Thursday approved a resolution co-sponsored by Sen. Chris Murphy that would withdraw American military assistance for Saudi Arabias war in Yemen.

With this vote, Saudi Arabia just lost the support of Congress for their disastrous war in Yemen. A bipartisan majority spoke with one voice that the status quo is over and we will no longer accept the war crimes being committed in our name, Murphy said.

The 56-to-41 vote on the resolution, which was also sponsored by Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, was a rare move by the Congress to limit presidential war powers. It also sent a message of disapproval for a war that has killed thousands of civilians, many women and children, and engulfed Yemen in famine.

Seven Republicans joined all Democrats in voting for the resolution.

The Senate also approved, by voice vote on Thursday, a non-binding resolution to hold Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the heir to the Saudi throne, personally responsible for the October killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdoms consulate in Istanbul.

The non-binding measure also calls on Saudi Arabia to moderate its increasingly erratic foreign policy.

While Murphys Yemen resolution has been blocked from consideration in the GOP -controlled U.S. House, Senate support for it and for the nonbinding resolution condemning bin Salman show lawmakers frustration at the Trump administrations response to Khashoggis murder.

Two years ago, when @RandPaul and I introduced a bill to cut arms sales to Saudi Arabia, only 27 senators voted with us, Murphy tweeted. Today, 56 voted to end U.S. support for the Saudi war in Yemen. Thank you to everyone that called and urged the Senate to vote on this resolution.

Trump has maintained steadfast support for Saudi Arabia and bin Salman even though the CIA has concluded the crown price directed Khashoggis assassination.

Thursdays Senate votes also set the stage for broader debates about U.S.-Saudi policy when the new Congress convenes in January.

Murphy plans to reintroduce his resolution. A bipartisan group of senators are also weighing other sanctions, including a ban on the sale of certain U.S. weapons to Saudi Arabia.

The current relationship with Saudi Arabia is not working for America, Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-S.C., said at a press conference in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. Im never going to let this go until things change in Saudi Arabia.
While we are waiting for the official release of the Lenovo Z5s on December 18, the company's VP Chang Cheng posted a few sample shots taken with the triple camera. There are also watermarks on the photos suggesting that the AI mode was turned on.



Lenovo Z5s sample photos

Only three stills were published on Weibo and two of those are taken in portrait mode. And interestingly enough, they are in full resolution. The simple math says that the main camera is 16MP (4608 x 3456). So it's easy to spot the excellent edge detection. Sharpness is alright, dynamic range is nice and colors are punchy.

However, as some manufacturers do, the photos might have been tampered with or not even taken with the said phone. Though to be fair, these look like the real deal. It's a nice first glimpse at what the ISP on the upcoming Snapdragon 678 is capable of.

Source (in Chinese)
The Chinese company vivo has been a strong player on the Indian market mostly due to the ability to manufacture devices in the country without paying additional import tariffs and taxes.

According to latest reports from New Delhi, the company is planning to expand its 50-acre (202 thousand sq.m) facility with additional 169 acres of land (about 684 thousand sq.m) where a new manufacturing plant is expected to be built. The investment is reported to be nearly $560/500 million.

The deal on the expansion in Uttar Pradesh was approved by state chief minister Shri Yogi Adityanath. Company representatives said the current manufacturing plant is yielding 2 million smartphones per month and employs over 5,000 people.

The new contribution will significantly increase the socio-economic growth of the manufacturing ecosystem in India by creating additional jobs, wage growth, and skill development.

The first phase of expansion is expected to add 5,000 more jobs while the facilities are built. When everything is done, the production capacity should be increased to 50 million units per year, effectively tripling the overall yield.

Via




Haiti - FLASH : American Airlines cuts 2 direct flights to Haiti





After more than 40 years of service in Haiti, American Airlines (AA) is reducing its direct flights to Port-au-Prince. Laura Masvidal, Head of Communications for Latin America and Caribbean American Airlines (AA) announced that from December 19, passengers will no longer be able to travel with American Airlines from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) from New York or the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) to the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince.



Tuesday December 18th will be the last day for passengers at JFK and FLL airports. Beginning December 19, passengers at JFK Airport will need to catch a connecting flight from Miami to Haiti.



This decision follows last August's announcement by American Airlines to reduce by 50% (from 6 to 3) the number of flights to Haiti, including a daily flight between Miami and Cap-Haitien, the second Haiti's largest city, recalled Laura Masvidal who pointed out that "the planned change that was to take effect on November 3, has been extended until December 19".



SL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Economy : PM Ceant in Toronto, calls businessmen to invest in Haiti





Speaking at the Toronto Global Forum of the International Economic Forum of the Americas, which was held December 10-12, 2018 in Toronto, Prime Minister Jean Henry Ceant appealed to foreign investors to come to Haiti saying "Our will to succeed will allow us to catch up with delays and make Haiti a prosperous country."



He mentioned that the Government of Haiti is currently working on a set of economic and social reforms and would invest in roads, ports and airports to facilitate international trade, but also to promote local job creation.



Prime Minister Ceant said it was time to change people's negative perception and misconceptions about Haiti, stressing with conviction "The opportunities in Haiti are much greater than the risks", saying "More than ever, Haiti is open investors and travelers."



Boosting the green economy opportunities, he said Haiti should not miss the energy transition, citing for investors the potential of renewable energy in Haiti solar, wind and hydro.



Moreover, in the agricultural field, while having as a priority to feed the Haitian population, he said he was convinced that with financial support, be able to impose the Haitian products from organic farming in regional and global markets.



Finally, he said he hoped that Haiti would become a tourist hub in the Caribbean because of the country's unique cultural and historical assets.



This morning, Prime Minister Ceant will meet Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada before returning to Port-au-Prince.



TB/ HaitiLibre


















By Vasia Orion | Published on 2018/12/12

The upcoming Korean drama adaptation of the Japanese hit "Legal High" has confirmed Jin Goo and Seo Eun-soo as its leads, and has since then added Yoon Park, Chae Jung-an and Jung Sang-hoon to the mix. With these news names and their character info on board, the main cast is taking form.

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Jin Goo has confirmed Go Tae-rim, the caustic, arrogant lawyer who nonetheless has a 100% win rate on his cases. On the flipside, Seo Eun-soo's Seo Jae-in is a flawed rookie, but she is a righteous lawyer. I'm still not feeling this pair for their roles, separately and together, in all honesty, but I'll keep my hopes up for now.

Yoon Park takes on Kang Ki-seok, B&G law firm's ace lawyer, and Tae-rim's rival. Although he trained under Tae-rim, his smooth charisma will make for a thrilling contrast when the two fight in court. Chae Jung-an is Min Joo-kyeong, a partner lawyer at B&G known as a great source of intel. Her refined beauty hides beastly skills in forward planning and crisis management. Jung Sang-hoon plays Yoon Sang-goo, a man who dreams of beating Tae-rim and making a comeback. While rough on the surface, Sang-goo turns into a pitiful middle-aged man during alcohol-induced blackouts.

I'm liking the supporting cast more than the main leads at the moment, but this sounds like a mix of very diverse characters, which is already a welcome element. Let's see what Dramaland makes of this remake. "Legal High" will follow "SKY Castle" on jTBC in February.

Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

Sources (1) (2)
A woman who was found to possess drugs while she was in the Hill County Detention Center following being kicked off Amtrak will spend a year-and-a-half under state supervision.

District Judge Jon Oldenberg of Lewistown, sitting in for the 12th Judicial District in Hill County while a replacement for retired Judge Dan Boucher is selected, sentenced Angelica Cartagena to 18 months, all suspended, for a felony count of criminal possession of dangerous drugs, all suspended.

Detention center staff members found methamphetamine on Cartagenas possession April 27 while she was detained in the center.

Cartagena originally pleaded guilty in a plea agreement May 19, then backed out of the agreement during the plea hearing. She then pleaded guilty Oct. 29, with Oldenburg accepting her plea in that hearing.

He imposed the sentence in a hearing Dec. 4.
OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- For the third year in a row, Mississippi state superintendent Carey Wright visited Ocean Springs as part of her annual "Celebration of Excellence" tour, which honors those public school districts which have earned an A rating from the state for that year.

"Ocean Springs is one of only nine districts in the state that have earned this recognition for three consecutive years," Wright noted in her address. "That puts (Ocean Springs) in the top six percent of the state of Mississippi."

Ocean Springs was one of only 18 districts in Mississippi to earn an A rating this year.

As is her custom, Wright addressed the students directly as they listened inside the Ocean Springs High School performing arts center.

"As your state superintendent, I could not be prouder of what you have accomplished," she said. "It is your hard work that is getting recognition for this school district, and quite honestly, this state."

Wright also noted students and teachers work hard to earn such recognition.

"It is because of the outstanding students that we have that come here and do their best every school day and can compete nationally and globally, but it is also outstanding teachers and leaders who are here every day devoting their lives to make sure these students excel."

Wright added that the effort is making a difference in improving education in Mississippi.

"The next time you hear someone say to you that Mississippi is at the bottom of education, I want you to stop them in their tracks and tell them 'Oh no, we're not. We are no longer at the bottom of the nation,'" said Wright. "That is because of your hard work."

Among the student accomplishments recognized were two National Merit Semifinalists, Robert Hughes and Kathryn Johnson, and five National Merit Commended Scholars: Gabrielle Cruz, Amelia Driggers, Jared Napier, and Kaylee Wright.

Seventy-one OSHS students were recognized as being either an Advanced Placement Scholar, AP Scholar with Honor, AP Scholar with Distinction, or National AP Scholar.

In all, 155 students were recognized for their performance on AP exams, which did not include 58 seniors who graduated in 2018. These students received an incentive of $100 for every qualifying score earned on an AP exam.

Ocean Springs High School students also achieved an average ACT score 20.5. While recognizing the more than 50 students who had scored a 30 or better on the ACT, Drake Descher was recognized for a perfect score of 36 on the ACT.

International Baccalaureate Diploma graduates, candidates, and anticipated candidates were recognized. IB students at OSHS outperformed global averages in five of the seven subjects tested at Ocean Springs High School last year.

The district also handed out Blue Apple Awards to the teachers who demonstrated the highest levels of student academic growth in reading, writing, science and math in 3rd- through 8th-grade and for high school subject area exams.

On average, the teachers receiving Blue Apple awards saw their students grow an average of 73 percent based on the expectations set forth by MDE. Blue Apple Award winners included:

Magnoila Park Elementary: Jaqueline Warrick and Magen Brumble

Oak Park Elementary: Teresa Amacker and Christen Nichols

Pecan Park Elementary: Torianne Grafton and Tara Nelson

Ocean Springs Upper Elementary: Paige Taylor, Bernadette Vitale, Susan Goley, Dawn Rentrop, LaaLinda Waldrop, and Hester Manning

Ocean Springs Middle Schoool: Jaynie Payne, Cindy Lowery, Lindsey Daley, Ophelia Klutts, Shawn Dunaway, Whitney Oiler

Ocean Springs High School: KP Maye and Kristy Rutherford

The district instituted a new award this year -- the Top Dog Award -- to recognize the Biology teachers at OSHS. The school boasted the top Biology scores in the state. Those receiving the award included Nell Driggers, Lori Nelson, Hilary Norwood, and Devyn Quinn.

Other accomplishments for the Ocean Springs school district in 2017-2018 included OSHS ranking as the top-high school on the Mississippi coast, and all three Ocean Springs elementary schools scoring in the top 10 on the Mississippi Third Grade Reading Gate.
A woman was sentenced to 18 months on probation after pleading guilty to distributing drugs to prisoners in the Hill County jail.

Judge Jon Oldenburg imposed 18-month deferred impositions of sentence, to run at the same time, on Alysha Dawn Rodriguez Dec. 4 on each of felony counts of transfer of illegal material and use or possession of property subject to forfeiture.

A felony count of criminal possession of dangerous drugs with intent to distribute and a misdemeanor count of criminal possession of drug paraphernalia were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

Rodriguez pleaded guilty to the two counts Oct. 22.

If she does not violate conditions of her release, Rodriguez may petition to have the charge struck from her record at the completion of the sentence.

Rodriguez was in the Hill County Detention Center after being arrested Jan. 7 while she was driving en route from Spokane, Washington, to Williston, N.D.

Jan. 17, detention center staff members reported they had discovered contraband in Rodriguez possession. Other prisoners in the detention center reported they had obtained drugs from Rodriguez, and heroin and paraphernalia were found in her possession.
BilliJo Doll poses with her new book at her home Wednesday, December 12, 2018 in Havre, Mont.

BilliJo Doll said that in her newest book, "My eMpTy Life," she hopes to show people that just because Montana is a big state with a small population doesn't mean it's lacking in character.

The book is historical fiction, Doll said, and takes place in eastern Montana. She added that it opens with a certified nurse's assistant talking to an elderly lady in a nursing home around 2016 and asking if her life was empty or if she was satisfied with being a farmer's wife and living on the prairie.

"And the little old lady says, 'Oh honey, the prairie's not empty and my life wasn't either. Let me tell you about it,'" Doll added.

The story then flashes back to the 1920s and shifts to the early life of the elderly woman.

Doll added that this is her first foray into the realm of historical fiction.

"I've already gotten responses back - even from Europe, in the Netherlands - people wanting me to write another series," she said. "My first series was a sci-fi/war survival series. ... So I don't know, maybe I will."

The way the title is written is part of a joke, Doll said.

"Because so many people think it is empty," she added. "Havre is what, the sixth- or ninth-largest city in Montana and it has 9,000 people."

She said she wanted to let people know that Montana is not as bleak and cold as it's made out to be.

Doll received her first book contract in 2004 and her first book was released shortly after that. Before that, Doll worked for the government as a conservationist. She had been taking writing classes and had been retired from the government job for some time.

When she got her first contract, Doll said, she was surprised because she didn't expect to be offered a contract.

"I really, honestly, at the beginning did not think I would get a contract," Doll said. "And when they offered me a contract I didn't know what to do with it."

She said she began writing as a way to give young adults something different to read.

Doll said she had to do lots of research before writing this story.

"It's very accurate," she added. "Historical societies, museums, libraries, chamber of commerces from Sidney to Scoby to Glasgow. I mention a sheriff in there from Phillips County and that man truly was the sheriff in that period of time. The building of Fort Peck Dam is historically accurate."

In her research, Doll said, she found that a modern event held at Hungry Horse actually began during the time in which her book takes place. She added that she even got to speak with one of the last remaining founders as part of her research.

"I really, really enjoy research," Doll said. "Between that and just playing in my head coming up with the story."

The whole story, from concept to finish, took about three years, Doll said. She added that she took some time off when she was diagnosed with cancer last year. She also took two months off to recover from ankle replacement surgery.

Doll said she has an outline for her stories before she writes them, along with files for her characters. She added that sometimes her stories don't follow the outline that she has established.

"I was told as a kid, I had a very vivid imagination," Doll said.

Doll said she has included stories and characteristics from family and friends in her new book, but that over the years, she has included less and less of herself in her stories.

"I've also been told that fiction is reality altered and I live in an altered reality," Doll said. "So it's really easy for me to play with words and tell stories."

She said the most difficult part of writing is getting published. She added that, at the time she was trying to get her first book published, she had heard that the ratio was for every 1,000 books submitted to a publishing company only one or two would get published.

Doll said her newest book has sold more than 1,500 copies in the past couple of weeks.

She added that she would like to either finish another one of her stories or try and teach some writing workshops in the future.

"I think everybody has a story inside of them," Doll said.

She said she likes meeting and talking to people at book signings. She added that it's the connection that makes it really special.

She said she hopes her audience takes a good message away from "My eMpTy Life."

"I think everybody has an opportunity for a life well-lived," Doll said. "... Regardless of what pains happen in your life ... part of the takeaway is, you never go through alone. You may think you are totally alone, 100 percent you don't have anyone to turn to. Somebody will come into your life to help you out, give you a hand, whatever. We're never truly alone."
Editor,

It is with much gratitude to the citizens of Havre, who gave me my opportunity to serve our city as their judge, that I announce my resignation from office.

My last day as Have City Judge will be Jan. 21.

I am leaving municipal service to serve our citizens in the interest of our national security.

I have been honored with an opportunity to serve our country as a member of the Customs and Border Patrol, Department of Homeland Security; and, I will begin working for the Havre Sector upon my departure from judicial office.

With utmost respect,

Hon. Virginia L. Seigel

Havre City Judge
For me, it was a fortuitous choice. I dont sing in public. We were gathered on the festively decorated patio out by the pool. Yes, there is a pool on the Rancho. I dont talk about it because I dont get in water lower than my body temperature.

We owners, gringos, workers, everybody who had anything to do with the Rancho, sat around the long string of table, practicing the tune with lyrics in Spanish, to celebrate the Posada. Bonnie might have heard me mutter to Carol, next to me, that I dont sing in company.

I love music, dont get me wrong. I sing in private, the only ears to offend my own. Back in sixth grade, when we were forced to sing for daily Mass, Sister Mary Frances took me aside and said, Just mouth the words, honey.

Then we moved to Montana where everything in my life was different but I hung on to Sister MFs sound advice.

At any rate, I was chosen to be Mary. Alexandro became Joseph. Bonnie and Samantha accompanied us on our trek to find lodging. The remainder of the group rudely turned us away. When we stood up to begin our rounds, I grabbed my cardigan sweater from my chair, rolled it into a bundle and tucked it under my pullover. It made a perfect bump. I draped my neck scarf over my head and I was in costume, green with brown, but it worked.

It occurred to me during the trek, what a rough journey it would have been for Mary, pregnant, over hill and dale on the back of a sweaty donkey. I glared at Joseph and muttered under my breath.

Once we found room in the stable, I pulled my cardigan out and deftly created a babe in swaddling clothes. Joseph touched the babys face and said, He looks just like me. We were great.

We ate tamales and drank atole, traditional Posada food, along with assorted pot luck dishes. Bonnie led games. We had a pinata but wisely saved that for another time since darkness had come upon us. A good time was had by all and I dont say that lightly.

This was a big deal for me. Back in the day, when we had enactments in church or school, I never had a chance to be Mary, draped in blue robes, holding the porcelain doll in my arms. Mary was invariably petite, blonde, blue-eyed, with long curly hair. I was even taller than the boys, fence-post thin, with straight-as-stick brown hair. I was a sheepherder.

The second part of my story came about as a direct result of memorial tributes to President George Bush. Leo was saying to me that he thought it sad that we didnt say the good things about a person when he was alive but waited until he was dead.

Next thing you know, that simple thought evolved into a memorial service for all of us here on the Rancho. I said I would host the party, a celebration of our lives.

The idea grew, took on a life of its own and next thing you know, we moved the event to Oconahua Pizza, in a village of about 250 people, some 10 kilometers or so from here. I brought a lovely cut flower arrangement, for every memorial should have flowers. We left the bouquet for Ana and Michelle, the owners of the pizza place, to take home and enjoy.

We each wrote and read our own obituaries. Every one of the nine of us had a different take on how we presented our lives, how we wanted to be remembered. After each reading, we got to say how much that person whod momentarily gone beyond had meant to us. The hardest part was keeping our eulogies in past tense, as if our subject were not sitting across the table.

Laughter and tears, we had a bit of each. We created a very simple and touching ceremony, bringing us closer to one another, increasing insight and understanding from hearing each participants story.

I ended my obituary reading with these, my final words: At last I got to fulfill my lifelong dream and desire. I got to be the BVM* at the Christmas pageant.

*Blessed Virgin Mary, respectfully



Sondra Ashton grew up in Harlem but spent most of her adult life out of state. She returned to see the Hi-Line with a perspective of delight. After several years back in Harlem, Ashton is seeking new experiences in Etzatlan, Mexico. Once a Montanan, always. Read Ashtons essays and other work at montanatumbleweed.blogspot.com. Email [email protected]
Despite fears of AI and automation taking over routine, low-level jobs, almost three quarters of employers said AI has made a positive impact on their business, the study from cloud computing specialist Nutanix showed.

The positive reaction to AI, blockchain, and cloud is a testament to how well Australia embraces nascent technologies, said Neville Vincent, Nutanixs vice president for ASEAN, A/NZ & India.

In terms of cloud technology, for instance, public cloud adoption is predicted to grow from 50% to over 80% in the next two years.

The tech skills shortage could, however, hinder Australia from capitalising on the boom markets they will bring.

AI and automation alone are tipped to be worth potential trillions of dollars to the Australian economy over the next 15 years, Vincent said.
White House drops Meadows for chief of staff role

Dropped as a candidate for White House chief of staff, U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows issued a statement declaring his commitment to working with President Trump and representing the N.C. mountains.

Ive had the best job in the world, representing the people of western North Carolina and working alongside President Trump these last two years to give the forgotten men and women of America a voice in their government," Meadows said in the statement his office issued Wednesday afternoon. "Im fully committed to continuing in both of those roles. I know the President has a long list of tremendous candidates for his next Chief of Staff, and whomever it is will have my total support moving forward.

Multiple newspapers and websites reported on the Trump administration's decision to rule out Meadows, who remains one of the president's strongest allies and leads the conservative Freedom Caucus.

Congressman Mark Meadows is a great friend to President Trump and is doing an incredible job in Congress, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. The President told him we need him in Congress so he can continue the great work he is doing there.
An Estonian hitman who was contracted by the Kinahan cartel and boasted to his associates in coded text messages that he would take out his target with "one shot to the head", has been jailed by the Special Criminal Court for six years.

Presiding judge Mr Justice Tony Hunt said that Imre Arakas agreed to the "vital role" of pulling the trigger and he had been prepared to offer his "own detail" on how the murder was to be performed.

"He was ready, willing and able in this dedicated role," said the judge.

Ex-wrestler and father-of-two Imre Arakas is a former Estonian separatist who, the three-judge court heard, had been "scarred and marked deeply" by imprisonment in Russia.

The contract killer bought a wig in Dublin city and used an encrypted Blackberry phone to receive information about the movements and location of James 'Mago' Gately in the North.

He also requested a silencer for the attack.

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Arakas (60), of Sopruse, Tallinn, Estonia, last month admitted conspiring with others not before the court to murder Gately, a key member of the Hutch gang, in the North between April 3 and 4 last year.

Sophisticated

Passing sentence yesterday, Mr Justice Hunt said the conspiracy in this case was directed at the commission of the most serious offence of murder.

"This murder was planned in a very sophisticated manner and in the context of an ongoing feud," he said.

Last month the Herald revealed that gardai believe cartel boss Daniel Kinahan directly messaged Arakas in order to give the would-be hitman advice on how to carry out the killing.

Arakas was messaging two senior cartel associates the day he was busted by heavily armed officers as he plotted the murder of 'Mago' Gately.

Evidence recovered from Arakas's phone shows four numbers - saved as 'Bon4', 'Bon new', 'Knife' and 'Ow new' - were in contact with each other between April 3 and 4 last year to plan the Gately murder.

Detectives believe that both numbers saved as 'Bon' were being used by Daniel Kinahan and that he was directing the plot from Dubai.

Mr Justice Hunt said this offence was not carried out in the end because of the excellent work of gardai, who had prevented "another execution-type of murder", rather than any constraint by the defendant.

Sentencing the defendant, Mr Justice Hunt, sitting with Judge Sinead Ni Chulachain and Judge Cormac Dunne, sentenced Arakas to six years' imprisonment, backdated to April 4, 2017, when he went into custody.

The High Court endorsed a European Arrest Warrant from Lithuania in February this year in relation to serious charges, including murder, which Arakas will face there once his jail term is completed in Ireland.
An Irish woman who was in a volatile relationship involving aggression on both sides has been jailed for at least five years for stabbing her fiance to death in Sydney.

Cathrina 'Tina' Cahill (27) pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of David Walsh (29) who she stabbed once in the neck in the early hours of February 18, 2017, at the Padstow home that the couple shared with two other Irish nationals.

She was originally charged with murder, but her manslaughter plea was based on substantial impairment due to an abnormality of the mind.

Unusual

"I am satisfied the psychiatric evidence supports the existence of significant depression on the part of the offender at the time of the killing which arose from the unusual and abusive relationship with Mr Walsh," Justice Peter Johnson said yesterday in the New South Wales Supreme Court.

He sentenced Cahill to eight years in jail, with a non-parole period of five years.

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Her earliest release date will be in February 2022 when she is expected to be deported to Ireland.

The fatal attack happened when an intoxicated Mr Walsh launched an unprovoked attack on Mathew Hyde, who had been invited into the home by Cahill and the two other female housemates after they met him at the pub.

Cahill, who also had been drinking, tried to stop the attack, before she took out a "large, very sharp" knife from the cutlery drawer and stabbed Mr Walsh.

Biting

Another housemate had repeatedly told her to put the knife back, but Cahill said: "No, he needs to be taught a lesson.

"It's not fair, look at poor Mathew."

At the time, she was on a good behaviour bond and the subject of an apprehended violence order issued to protect Mr Walsh.

She had been convicted of recklessly wounding him with a glass candle holder in 2015.

Cahill gave evidence about his repeated violence, including punching strangers and biting her all over her body.

The judge accepted her account of Mr Walsh's controlling conduct, observing any plans of marriage were "doomed to fail".
Six gardai were needed to restrain a highly abusive and drunken man. (Stock picture)

Six gardai were needed to restrain a highly abusive and drunken man after he was taken to a garda station.

Jonathan Bollard (44) was "clenching his fists" at officers and shouting at them.

The defendant, of Brega, Hamlet Lane, Balbriggan, admitted a string of public order offences.

Judge Dermot Dempsey adjourned sentencing until January, warning Bollard he faced jail if he came to garda attention over Christmas.

Garda David Woods told Swords District Court he was called to Ringfort Close, Balrothery, on September 7 following reports of a highly abusive male.

Gda Woods said Bollard was directed to leave but failed to do so. He was taken to Balbriggan Garda Station, where he was highly abusive, and six gardai were needed to restrain him.

Garda Stephen O'Toole said Bollard again became abusive to gardai on December 8 after he was removed from a house at Brega. He was taken to Balbriggan station and kicked out when he was searched.

Temptation

Solicitor Fiona D'Arcy said Bollard was a chronic alcoholic.

She said the father-of-two had been doing well, attending Alcoholics Anonymous and volunteering in a soup kitchen.

However, his aunt then died and his partner, who also had alcohol problems, slipped and he suddenly found himself around alcohol, and the temptation was too great.

Bollard asked the judge not to jail him, saying he was moving into a dry house and was focusing on staying sober.
A Kinahan cartel thug who helped a "sinister and ruthless" criminal organisation carry out the "execution-style murder" of Noel 'Duck Egg' Kirwan has been jailed for 10 years by the Special Criminal Court.

Speaking outside court, Detective Superintendent Sean Campbell said the case showed how an ordinary man with no links to organised crime could be targeted by those involved in Dublin's "organised feud" and "executed" in front of his family.

Presiding judge Mr Justice Tony Hunt said the "most disturbing" aspect of the case was that Mr Kirwan was shot while sitting next to his partner Bernadette Roe and that either she had a "lucky escape" or the gunman was "highly efficient".

Disturbing

He also called it "disturbing" that Mr Kirwan had apparently been shot for no reason other than the fact that he had been pictured in the company of his childhood friend Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch.

Jason Keating played a role of "real significance" in the murder.

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He was present at the scene of the shooting, was in contact with the person who monitored movements recorded by a tracking device and provided this information via a phone to the assailant who approached Mr Kirwan's car and discharged the firearm, the court had heard.

A Gotek7 tracking device was put under Mr Kirwan's car in the weeks leading up to his killing and this could be linked to Keating in the days preceding the murder.

Mr Kirwan was sitting in his new Ford Mondeo on December 22, 2016, when a man shot him six times with a Makarov handgun, the three-judge court heard.

The 62-year-old, a "long-time" friend of Gerry Hutch, suffered eight gunshot wounds to his head, right arm, chest and abdomen.

Keating (27), of Lower Main Street, Rush, Co Dublin, had admitted participating in or contributing to activity intending to facilitate the commission by a criminal organisation or any of its members of a serious offence, namely the murder of Mr Kirwan at St Ronan's Drive, Clondalkin, Dublin 22, between December 20 and 22, 2016.

Keating was originally tried for the murder of Mr Kirwan but midway through his trial he pleaded guilty to facilitating a criminal organisation in committing murder and this plea was accepted by the DPP.

Passing sentence yesterday, Mr Justice Hunt said the criminal organisation had engaged in long-range planning to bring about Mr Kirwan's death and had used modern technology.

An aggravating factor was that Keating had participated in this "barbaric"organisation.

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The fact Mr Kirwan had changed his car was an "unexpected contingency" but the criminal organisation had dealt with that in a "considered and determined fashion".

The judge said Mr Kirwan's daughter Donna's victim impact statement was an eloquent testimony to the irreversible damage brought about by Keating and others involved in the criminal organisation.

Speaking outside the Criminal Courts of Justice, Det Supt Campbell said the evidence had shown that Keating was "part of an organised feud going on" in Dublin city.

Questioning

"Mr Kirwan was selected because he was an easy target, he was vulnerable, going about his daily business, looking forward to Christmas," he said.

A senior cartel member based in Dubai is wanted for questioning over the murder of Mr Kirwan.

A European arrest warrant is not in existence for the 32-year-old Crumlin hood but sources said he would be "arrested on sight" if he returned to Ireland.

The gangster is a major target for the Criminal Assets Bureau and was in Ireland when the murder was carried out.
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There has been a marginal decline in women and Muslim representation in the Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh assembly elections, the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) said on Wednesday. The research centre held the CPR-Trivedi Centre for Political Data (TCPD) Dialogue at Ashoka University a day after the assembly election results for Rajasthan, MP, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, and Telangana were declared.

The three Hindi belt states (MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh) traditionally do better in terms of women representation. Rajasthan used to be second in terms of ratio of female MLAs, Madhya Pradesh was not very far and neither was Chhattisgarh. What we see in this elections is that the overall representation of women has actually dipped a little. Over the years, there was an increase and improvement of women representation but we know that when parties are faced with very competitive elections they are reticent to what they perceive to be risks by fielding larger number of women candidates, said Gilles Verniers, assistant professor of political science, Ashoka University, and co-director of TCPD.

According to TCPD data, percentage of women candidates who won in Rajasthan declined from 14% in 2013 to 11.6% in 2018 while women candidate percentage remained uniform at 7.9% in both election years.

Click here for complete coverage of Assembly Elections and Results 2018

Women representation in Madhya Pradesh show a similar kind of dip. Women candidates dipped from 13% in 2013 to 8.7% in 2018. In Chhattisgarh, there is a more stable picture. We have data on the performance of women candidates that show there is no reason to think that women make weaker candidates than men and, if we were to churn out data for those women who have been elected, it would show that they were elected with vote share as high as their male counterpart, Verniers said.

Percentage of Muslim candidates and MLAs in the Rajasthan assembly elections also dipped from 6.5% in 2013 to 2.4% in 2018. CPR attributed the decline to the Congress, adding that it may have done so to avoid backlash from Hindu voters.

Similarly, the representation of Muslims has been very low historically across the three states. Other states barely have any Muslim MLAs. We see that there has been a dip in Muslim candidates and that sort of confirms this newly adopted strategy of the Congress party to refrain from fielding as many Muslims as they traditionally used to do in a way to avoid having to face some Hindu backlash. No one expects BJP to distribute any tickets to Muslim candidates, so the onus is on the Congress party, Verniers added.
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Partys support to the Congress in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan has set off speculation of a similar anti-BJP grand alliance in Uttar Pradesh for the 2019 Lok Sabha election, according to political observers.

Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi on Wednesday, Mayawati said she decided to support the Congress in order to keep the BJP out of power in both the states, though she did not agree with the ideology and the policies of the Congress.

The BSP won two seats in Madhya Pradesh and six seats in Rajasthan.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav too announced his partys support to the Congress in Madhya Pradesh with the one seat it has. The SP failed to open its account in Rajasthan.

The SP is committed to keeping the BJP out of power. We have extended support to the Congress in Madhya Pradesh. The Congress will fulfill the promises made to the people during the election campaign, he said in Lucknow.

The Congress fell just short of a majority in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan with 114 and 99 seats, respectively. The BSP and the SPs support will help it cross the finish line and form the government.

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh responded to the support by assuring Mayawati that Congress will fulfill the dreams of Dalit icons Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar and Kanshi Ram, who is also the BSP founder. The top leadership of Congress was committed to the welfare of the weaker sections, he said.

Earlier, Mayawati had snubbed the Congress during talks for seat-sharing in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. She tied up with the Ajit Jogi-led Janata Congress Chattisgarh (JCC) in Chhattisgarh and went alone in the other states. Holding the Congress responsible for the failure of the talks, she said the BSP was not offered a respectable number of seats in the three states.

Both Mayawati and Akhilesh skipped an Opposition parties meeting in New Delhi on Monday. The meeting was convened to discuss the strategy for the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Although Congress leaders tried to play down the absence of the two leaders, their absence gave a jolt to oppositions efforts to mobilise a grand alliance against the BJP the Lok Sabha election.

A political observer, RK Gautam said the Congresss victory in the three states had revived the grand old party under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi. Now, the BSP and SP will have to rethink their Lok Sabha election strategy. Resurgence of the Congress in the three states would have an impact on UP as well, he said.

If the BSP and SP were working to form a formidable alliance against the BJP, then they will have to take Congress on the board, he said.

The two UP-based parties are working on a pre-poll alliance to stop the BJP from retaining power in the state the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

Talks with Congress leaders will be held once the opposition parties discuss the seat-sharing formula for the general election, Samajwadi Party spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said.

A senior BSP leader, who did not wish to be named, said Mayawati had made it clear that her party extended support to the Congress to stop the BJP from grabbing power in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

In UP, talks were being held with the SP leadership for a pre-poll alliance in the LS election, he said.

Compared to Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the base of the Congress was weak in UP, he pointed out.

A meeting of the party leaders will be held under the chairmanship of Mayawati soon to discuss the strategy for the Lok Sabha election and formation of a grand alliance, he said.

However, while announcing support to the Congress, Mayawati condemned its policy. Dalits, tribals, backwards and minorities were ignored under the Congress rule, she said.

To fight for the welfare of these communities, we had to form a separate political party. If the Congress had followed the ideals of Ambedkar, then there would have been no need to launch a new party, nor the BJP would have gotten the opportunity to broaden its support base, she said.

In Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, the people were against the BJP, she said. Considering the Congress to be a formidable alternative, they voted for it, she said.

The statement of JCC chief Ajit Jogi during the election campaign that the alliance was open to an alternative after the election also helped the Congress, she said.
Felices Fiestas! How Christmas is Celebrated in Mexico

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - To say that Mexico is a country rich with tradition is cliched nearly as much as some of the traditions themselves. Take, for example, Mexico's many Christmas traditions. In other countries, the 12 Days of Christmas are recognized, but in Mexico, the holiday season begins on December 1 and joyously continues until February 2.

The first twelve days of December honor the Virgin of Guadalupe. Every morning begins with the sound of church bells ringing, and every evening the faithful make their way through the city in traditional Peregrinations (pilgrimages) to the Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral in downtown Puerto Vallarta, many times dressed in white and carrying candles as they sing her praises.

December 12 is El Dia de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe, in remembrance of when the Virgin Mary left her image imprinted upon a cloth as a way of revealing herself and her identity to a Mexican peasant back in 1531. The cloth is currently housed at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, but Puerto Vallarta immortalizes the virgin with statues and flowers erected in her honor. December 12 also marks the day that Puerto Vallarta was founded, so after the religious ceremony, festive celebrations continue with parades, music, singing, dancing, fireworks, and a plethora of street food vendors offering an array of Mexican delicacies on the Malecon.





From December 16th until the 24th,candlelight processions reenacting Mary and Joseph's quest for lodging in Bethlehem, are held throughout the city. Acted out by local children, these pilgrims try door after door until they're finally invited in for the night. Every evening, a different host is chosen, and it's their task to throw a massive party.are common at these parties and normally the shape of a seven-pointed star, representing the 7 Deadly Sins, to be bashed and mutilated, only to produce sweets and treats for the children.

The ninth evening of Las Posadas is December 24, Buena Noche, or Christmas Eve. The children lead a procession to the church and place a figure of the Christ Child in the nacimiento (nativity scene) there. Later, everyone attends midnight mass, called the Misa de Gallo, (Rooster's Mass).

After mass, families return home for a festive dinner and traditional drinks before gifts are opened, pinatas are broken and sparklers light up the night.

December 25th, Navidad, or Christmas Day, is considered a time to rest, recover, and enjoy the leftovers!

On December 28th, Mexicans observes Dia de Los Santos Inocentes, their version of April Fool's Day. If any person has fallen victim of the joke, the person pulling the joke will say "Inocente Palomita," literally meaning 'innocent little dove.'

After New Year's Eve, the parties continue until January 6th, known as El Dia de Los Reyes (Three Kings Day.) It commemorates the time when, according to legend, Los Reyes Magos, (three wise men) Melchor, Gaspar, and Baltazar, arrived at the manger in Bethlehem to pay homage to the Christ child with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.





This is the traditional day for Mexican children to receive Christmas presents. At a special Twelfth Night supper, families and friends enjoy hot chocolate flavored with vanilla and cinnamon, and a ring-shaped, bread-like cake, calledHidden inside is a small figure of a baby, representing the Infant Jesus. The person who gets the piece with the figurine is responsible for buying the tamales for, or Candelmas, February 2.

The Mexican Christmas season is joyously extended though February 2 when the nativity scene is put away, and another family dinner of delicious tamales and atole (a hot, sweet drink thickened with corn flour) is served with great love and happiness. This celebration is the last of the Christmas festivities, 40 days after the birth of Jesus.
After the mysterious disappearance of 21 people from north Kerala two years ago, ten more residents are suspected to have fled the country to join the militant group Islamic State, police said on Thursday.

Police suspect the ten, including two women and four children, slipped out through the United Arab Emirates and believed to have reached IS-held areas of Afghanistan.

They have been identified as K Sajjid, his wife Shaheena and two children. Similarly, K Anwar, his wife Afseela, two children and two of their family friends were also missing. All of them belong to north Keralas Kannur district.

Kannurs deputy superintendent of police PP Sadanandan, who is investigating some of the previous cases, said relatives have informed them about the latest case of missing people. He said police have information that at least 100 men from the state may have slipped out through various countries.

We have information about three modules - Padanna and Thrikkariour, Valpatanan and Munderi - and the last based in Bahrain being controlled by some youth belonging to Kozhikode and Malappuram districts, he said adding there was no point in keeping these disappearances secret.

If we make them public, parents and religious authorities will take extra care, Sadanandan said.

Relatives told police they left their homes on November 20 on the pretext of going to neighbouring Mysuru and took a flight to Dubai from Bengaluru and they have no information after this.

Before leaving Dubai they called some of the relatives to say that they were bound to the holy land and they will not come back. They invited other family members also to join them, said a relative of the missing.

One of them was a close relative of PV Shameer, reportedly killed in Syria while fighting for the IS. Shameer, his wife and three children joined the IS at the height of the Syrian war in 2015. In 2017, his relatives back home got information that the whole family had died in a drone attack.

Among the 21 who slipped out of the country in 2016, relatives have information about six deaths. Relatives and intelligence agencies say most of the missing might have settled in tribal-dominated Nangarhar province of eastern Afghanistan.

The deportation of five from Turkey last year reaffirmed Kerala polices fear that many people working in west Asian countries might have joined IS and gone to fight in the war-ravaged region. Their concerns compounded as there was no mechanism to check their travels plans abroad. Intelligence officials also feel they are sitting ducks. At least 18 lakh people from the state work in various Gulf countries.

During interrogation Islamic State-returned terror operative Subhani Haja Moideen, a native of Thodupuzha, had told the National Investigation Agency that he came across more than 100 Indian fighters during his brief stay in Iraq and Syria in 2015.

As he quietly returned to his native place a year later, he told his relatives he was on a religious trip to Turkey.

He was arrested a year later when NIA was investigating the Kanakamala IS module case, which was busted on October 2, 2016, when the agencys sleuths raided a hideout and arrested six men planning to target prominent people including judges, RSS and BJP leaders, a synagogue in Kochi and Islamic reformers.

During the interrogation, Moideen, lodged in Viyyurs central jail, had told NIA he had interacted with some ultras who masterminded the 2015 Paris attack like Abdel Hamid Abaaoud during his stay in Syria and Iraq.

Last week, an investigation team from France came to Kochi to question him after NIA alerted them.
Thirteen miners were feared dead after an illegal coal mine they were digging collapsed on them in Meghalayas coal-rich East Jaintia Hills, an area where illegal mining is rife and a National Green Tribunal ban on such activities has been in place for four years.

District police chief Silvester Nongtyngnger said he had information that 13 people, including three residents of Lumthari village, were trapped inside a mine at Ksan near Lytein River under Saipung police station.

Nongtyngnger added that he believed the mine to be an old one on which the illegal activity resumed around three-four days back. People familiar with the matter said the miners may have accidentally breached another old (and illegal) coal mine filled with water, in turn flooding the mine on which they were working.

The police chief added that the flooding was making it impossible to recover the bodies. The water is being pumped out with the help of a generator and is in progress, he said, adding that local villagers acquainted with the terrain were helping in the rescue work.

Police have registered a case against the mine owner, whose identity is yet to be established.

Meghalaya has nearly 640 million tonnes of coal reserves. Mining of coal by hand has been going on in Meghalaya for over 150 years, mostly for local use. Large-scale illegal and indiscriminate mining of the coal by private landowners and the local community started nearly three decades ago. Most of these mines employ minors, some from neighbouring states and Nepal as well; the miners work many metres underground in unsafe conditions, mining coal with their bare hands.

The NGTs ban four years ago seems to have had little effect.

Last week, satellite images taken by the North East Space Application Centre (NESAC) located here showing mining activity still underway were submitted before the NGT.

Theres complicity in whats going on among bureaucrats, coal mafia, police and politicians. How does one explain mining going on despite the NGT ban? asked Patricia Mukhim, editor of The Shillong Times.

This isnt the first accident involving an illegal mine in the state. In February 2014, four miners were killed when the walls of an illegal mine collapsed in Garo Hills. In December 2013, five miners died when the cable of the contraption which was carrying them down to an illegal mine in Jaintia Hills broke. In July 2012, 15 miners drowned in an illegal mine in Garo Hills when an underground stream flowing near the mine flooded it.

Last month, two activists, Agnes Kharsiing and Amita Sangma, were attacked while they were recording instances of transport of coal from illegal coal mines in the state.

The people familiar with the matter added that Thursdays accident involved labourers from the Garo Hills region of the state.

At the time the NGT ban was imposed, nearly 6 million tonnes of coal were being extracted annually from Meghalayas illegal mines.

The ban had rendered thousands of people jobless and affected local businesses.

Prior to the assembly elections in Meghalaya in February, the BJP promised to lift the ban within six months if it was voted to power. The party is a minor partner in the National Peoples Party-led government in the state. What we need is a comprehensive mining policy with adequate environmental safeguards and improved work conditions for miners. That will ensure people are held accountable when any such incident occurs in the future, said Mukhim.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has managed to secure an Interpol Red Notice against fugitive diamond trader Mehul Choksi, in what is seen as a big boost to its efforts to bring him back to India to face trial in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud.

Choksi became a citizen of the Caribbean country Antigua and Barbuda under a programme in which a certain quantum of investment entitles an individual to citizenship.

Investigations have showed that Choksi began the process to take citizenship of the twin-island nation last year, well before he left India in the first week of January.

The fraud came out a little later.

Choksi was formally granted citizenship in November last year but took oath as an Antiguan citizen on January 15.

Choksi , who, along with his nephew, diamond jeweller Nirav Modi, who, too, is a fugitive from India, perpetrated a fraud on PNB amounting to over ?13,500 crore, according to CBI.

Neither has returned to India despite repeated summons from the investigation agencies and courts.

In July, Choksi, 59, was traced to Antigua after US authorities informed their India counterparts about his travel to the Caribbean nation. The CBI, through the ministry of external affairs, immediately approached the Antiguan authorities asking for extradition of Choksi. The island nation has informed the Indian authorities that it would honour any legitimate request to extradite him. The process has begun, said a government official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The Antiguan authorities also pointed out the absence of a Red Notice against Choksi and the fact that one has now been secured means that gap has been addressed, this official added.

A lawyer for Mehul Choksi said Mehul Choksis legal team will work on setting aside the notice.

This [notice] appears to have been obtained by making misrepresentations to Interpol. As we didnt get an opportunity to represent our stand, this Red Notice has been issued. We shall be exposing the misrepresentations at various forums and we are confident that this Red Notice shall be set aside in due course, said Sanjay Abbot.

The Red Notice is basically an appeal to all Interpol member countries to arrest the person and send him or her back to the country which requested issuance of the same.

A Central Bureau of Investigation official disputed Abbots version.

According to this person who asked not to be named, the notice was issued despite objections raised by Choksi who claimed that the Indian agencies were persecuting him under political pressure and he was afraid of being lynched in India due to hostile environment against him.

The matter went to a five-member Interpol committees court, called Commission for Control of Files which cleared the issuance of Red Notice after rejecting Mehul Choksis arguments and the notice formally published on Wednesday.

Central Bureau of Investigation registered the case on February 15, 2018, on a complaint from Punjab National Bank against Mehul Chinubhai Choksi, managing director, M/s Gitanjali Gems Ltd and others on the allegations of cheating Punjab National Bank. After investigation, a charge sheet was filed on May 16, 2018 against Mehul Choksi and 17 other accused persons including one former managing director and two executive directors of Punjab National Bank before the Special Judge, CBI cases, Greater Mumbai for cheating Punjab National Bank to the tune of ?7080.86 crore (approx), said Central Bureau of Investigation spokesman Abhishek Dayal.

Modi is believed to be in London and India has sought his extradition from the UK.

Central Bureau of Investigation spokesman Abhishek Dayal added that before asking Interpol to issue Red Notice against Mehul Choksi, the agency secured a non bailable arrest warrant against him as well.
The demolition of the notorious Muzaffarpur girls shelter home, which stood witness to horror stories of the abuse of 42 minors for years, finally began on Thursday.

Local municipal authorities began razing the four-storeyed building that had been erected in violation of building by-laws. The way the house of horrors was constructed amply reflected the scale of cruelty its inmates had to suffer at the hands of shelter home owner, Brajesh Thakur, and its caretakers.

Abuse and barbarism inflicted on minor inmates aged between six and 17 years of age inside the high dark rooms of the shelter home, came to the fore in July this year after the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), which had conducted a social audit on shelter homes in the state, submitted its damning report to the government. The TISS eport lifted the veil on organized physical and sexual exploitation of girls in Bihar shelter homes, especially at the one in Muzaffarpur, where at least 34 out of the 42 girls tested positive for rape.

The stairs leading to the two upper floors of the building, located off Sahu Road near the Chhoti Kalyani area, have barely enough space for an individual to climb them. They were sealed with an iron grill, so than none could escape once it was was locked.

Boundary walls on the top floor of the building are seven foot high, with nails plastered to the walls. Since there is no high-rise anywhere in the vicinity, any attempt to flee from the top floor would have been akin to committing suicide.

The upper two floors of the building consisted of three big halls used mainly as shelters for short-stay inmates, while the ground floor was used for printing the daily Pratah Kamal, which has been discontinued since August 30. Thakur, a PIB-accredited journalist till October this year, was the proud owner of three newspapers published in Hindi, English and Urdu, respectively.

The offset printing machine, which boasted of the most advanced technology in the region, is now covered with a sheet of dust, even as half -printed rolls of paper lie on it.

The third floor has a 14x14 foot store room-cum-kitchen, which was kept mostly locked. There was one big hall on the third floor and three ill-lit rooms.The hall has a just few small windows near the roof, to let sunlight in.

The condition of the third floor suggests that the inmates had to wait their turn to use the bathroom, since there were barely half a dozen toilets, which are window-less and get pitch dark if the light is switched off.

The fourth floor has two big rooms, which were generally opened during winter for inmates who required special medical care. Both the rooms have sufficient ventilation for light, but rendered difficult to access, since a concrete slab was laid across the length of the wall.

Following the Supreme Courts refusal to stay the demolition, a team of officials led by executive engineer of Muzaffarpur municipal corporation, Suresh Kumar Sinha, and assisted by magistrate Janardan Prasad, supervised the demolition operation on Thursday, even as workers knocked down the two upper floors with hammers.

Municipal officials said it would take at least a month to raze the entire building. We had to begin the drive manually, as it was difficult to carry heavy machines to the top given the narrow passage, said the executive engineer.

Neighbours, who claimed they had suffered due to Thakurs evil acts, expressed happiness as municipal authorities, assisted by labourers, entered the premises and started pulverizing the building. I am excited to see the shelter home being razed. It has cast a slur on Muzaffarpur and its natives, said Maheshwar Sahu, a cloth shop owner. Many of us feared that suspicious acts were going on inside the shelter home, but given the clout that Thakur enjoyed in the corridors of power, none could muster up courage to raise the issue, said Ramesh Kumar Jaiswal, a local businessman, who had come to watch the demolition.
A day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost power in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, where its writ ran unchallenged for three terms, and in Rajasthan, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, its ideological mentor, is believed to have told the party that the electoral setback is a message from voters disappointed with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for not building a Ram temple in Ayodhya.

According to people aware of the developments, while the party is of the view that the Supreme Court should be allowed to take a call on the issue, the RSS wants the government to pass a law facilitating the construction of a temple, and believes voters are punishing the BJP for not doing so.

While there is consensus on the issue of constructing a Ram Temple between the party and the Sangh, there is some disagreement on the method for doing so.

There are many voices within the party who believe that the Sangh should not insist on the government presenting a bill in Parliament, said one RSS functionary aware of the developments. According to this functionary, days before the Vishwa Hindu Parishads Dharam Sansad, held in the Capital on December 9, the RSS and the BJP leadership discussed the pros and cons of large-scale mobilisation for pushing the Union government to bring a law for the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

The opinion among most people in the BJP, according to this person, was that development should be the partys sole campaign message.

Some of the partys leaders conceded that a a private members bill was the most that the party could do.

The RSS doesnt seem to have bought this argument and at the Dharam Sansad, the organisations general secretary Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi declared that a law was the only option.

A second RSS functionary said the Sangh conveyed to the government that its intention was not to create a conflict or to polarise voters, but to seek the fulfillment of a promise made by the party before it goes into the next Lok Sabha elections.

VHPs working president Alok Kumar downplayed the conflict and said: We have not received any request from anyone to not raise the [temple] issue. We are only insisting on fulfilment of assurances made in the BJP manifesto.

A BJP leader who spoke to HT on condition of anonymity said the upset the party faced in the recent round of elections was an outcome of unresolved local issues.

There has been no impact of the Ram temple movement on the ground, the BJP leader said, but added that the party leadership would rather leave the issue to the apex court to resolve.

The RSS is unlikely to change its position, said political analyst Shirish Kashikar. From the response that the Dharma Sansads are getting from people, it is evident that the RSS will not climb down from its position and will only intensify its campaign, he said.
An Interpol red corner notice has been issued against fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, a key accused in bank fraud cases at Punjab National Bank. The red corner notice, which asks countries to help arrest a wanted person, is seen as a huge setback for Mehul Choksi who became a citizen of the Caribbean country Antigua and Barbuda before the multi-crore fraud came to light.

The Interpol had earlier issued Red Corner Notices against designer jeweller Nirav Modi, brother Neeshal and close aide Mihir Bhansali in this case. But the Interpol hadnt issued one against Choksi because it needed some clarifications.

Choksi had nevertheless used the absence of an Interpol notice to suggest that the charges against him were not credible enough. Antiguan authorities had also told New Delhi that the only way it could restrict Choksis movement was the CBI could get a Red Corner Notice issued against him.

A CBI official said the international warrant would also help the Antigua and Barbuda government to take a call on Mehul Choksis citizenship.

Mehul Choksi, who owns Gitanjali Gems, became a citizen of the archetypal Caribbean islands under its programme that extends its citizenship in exchange for investment in the twin-island state of Antigua and Barbuda. The Antigua government had, however, made it clear that there were provisions that allowed it to revisit the citizenship decision.

Also Read: Mehul Choksis aide sent to 14-day judicial custody

Soon after Antigua learnt about the fraud case against Mehul Choksi, it had underlined that it would honour any legitimate request to extradite him. This implied that Choksi, who was seen to have gone beyond the reach of investigators by getting himself a new country, could still be extradited.

Both Modi and Choksi left India in the first week of January and have not returned despite repeated summons from the investigation agencies and courts. Much before he left, Choksi had enrolled under Antiguas controversial Citizenship Investment Program that sought to tap into the global citizenship market estimated to be worth $ 2 billion.

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After two days of deliberations, endless meetings, and significant jockeying by the supporters of chief ministerial aspirants, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, after consulting various leaders including United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, and looking at the choice of every booth-level party worker in the states concerned, picked Kamal Nath, 72, as chief minister of Madhya Pradesh.

Kamal Nath is to take oath as Madhya Pradesh chief minister on December 17 at Lal Parade Ground in Bhopal,according to news agency ANI.

For Rajasthan, he was also expected to pick Ashok Gehlot, 67, or Sachin Pilot, 41. He was in a late-night meeting with Gehlot, immediately after meeting Pilot, at the time of going to print at 12:10am. For Chhattisgarh, the decision on the next chief minister is likely to be made on Friday.

The Congress won a landslide in Chhattisgarh, clearly won Rajasthan, and edged out the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the elected legislators of all three states passed resolutions asking Gandhi to pick their CMs. There were two aspirants in Madhya Pradesh, Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia; two in Rajasthan, Gehlot and Pilot; and three in Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Baghel, TS Singhdeo, and Tamradhwaj Sahu.

Even as the candidates themselves chose to play it cool, their supporters expressed themselves, with Pilots backers blocking roads in Bharatpur and Karauli in protest.

Although some critics blamed the Congress party and Gandhi for indecisiveness in choosing the chief ministers of the three states, the delay in such a process isnt anything new.

Also read | Keep calm: Sachin Pilot, Ashok Gehlot tell supporters ahead of decision on Rajasthan CM

In October 2014, the BJP took nine days after the results of the Maharashtra elections were announced to pick Devendra Fadnavis as its chief minister. In March 2017, it took the BJP eight days after the Uttar Pradesh election results to pick Yogi Adityanath.

Hours before the announcement of the Madhya Pradesh CM, Gandhi tweeted a photo with Nath and Scindia at his residence in New Delhi. Along with the photo, the Congress president posted a fitting quote by Russian philosopher and writer Leo Tolstoy: The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.

After Gandhis tweet, Scindia posted the same photo and said: It is not a race, it is not about kursi, we are here to serve the people of Madhya Pradesh. I am leaving for Bhopal and you will get to know the decision today.

Late on Thursday, the Congresss Twitter handle congratulated Nath on being picked as the CM of the state that has a 230-member assembly. Our best wishes to Shri @OfficeOfKNath for being elected CM of Madhya Pradesh. An era of change is upon MP with him at the helm, the party handle said. Local television channels reported Nath would take oath on Monday.

Pilot and Gehlot, who first met Gandhi in the afternoon as the party deliberated on the next Rajasthan CM, appealed to their supporters to maintain calm as the party leadership discussed the matter. Friends, I appeal to all workers to maintain peace and discipline in the state. I have full faith in the party leadership. Whatever decision Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi will take in the interest of the state we will welcome that. We all are dedicated and sincere workers of the Congress and hence it is our responsibility to maintain its dignity, Pilot wrote in a Twitter message after the protests. Gehlot said the workers put in a lot of effort and should wait for Gandhis decisions.

On Wednesday morning, the four candidates reached Delhi to meet Gandhi, who also discussed the matter with Sonia Gandhi and a few other senior leaders. He also looked at the preferences of all booth-level workers in the three states, collated through Shakti, the partys new network connecting the Congress headquarters to workers.

Gandhis sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was also seen going inside her brothers residence as consultations over the CM picks in the three states were underway.

But the MP announcement didnt come immediately, perhaps in keeping with the protocol that a chief ministerial choice is best announced by the legislators. Meetings of legislators and the candidates of the three states were held in the respective state capitals. About 48 hours after the results, the Congress had chief ministers-designate in the heartland state of MP. After the announcement, Nath said: This post is a milestone for me... I thank Jyotiraditya Scindia who supported me.

The time ahead will be challenging and we will fulfil the promises together.

Experts said the important thing now for Scindia is to work to ensure the party does well in the 2019 general elections.

The choice of Nath was seen to be controversial in some quarters because of his alleged involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots that erupted in New Delhi following then PM Indira Gandhis assassination by two Sikh bodyguards.

The Shiromani Akali Dal and the Aam Aadmi Party (in the opposition in Punjab) both highlighted the allegation. SAD and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) threatened to quit in the run-up to the assembly elections in his state in 2016 when Nath was made the partys general secretary (Punjab and Haryana). He quit soon after, but said it was to avoid an unnecessary controversy and there was no wrongdoing on his part.

Nath has in the past denied the allegations made against him

Read | Will live and die in Madhya Pradesh, says outgoing CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president Kalvakuntla Chandrasekhar Rao was sworn in as the chief minister of Indias youngest state amid the chanting of vedic hymns at 1:25 p.m. on Thursday - a time chosen by priests as propitious for his second successive term in power.

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana governor ESL Narasimhan administered the oaths of office and secrecy to Rao, popularly known as KCR, at a ceremony at the Raj Bhavan, which lasted five minutes. Senior TRS leader Mohammad Mahmood Ali was sworn in as a cabinet minister. He was a deputy chief minister in the previous term and is expected to retain the position this time, too.

The swearing-in ceremony took place two days after TRS won a landslide victory in the December 7 elections to the 119-member assembly, fending off a united challenge posed by the Maha Kootami - an alliance of the Congress, Telugu Desam Party, Communist Party of India and the Telangana Jana Samithi.

KCR took his oath in Telugu and Ali in Urdu. The ceremony was attended by newly-elected MLAs, senior party leaders, family members of the chief minister, and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to congratulate KCR?for taking oath as Telangana chief minister for a second consecutive term.

Congratulations to KCR Garu on taking oath as the CM of Telangana. Best wishes for his tenure ahead, the PM said.

The chief minister known for his belief in rituals, consulted priests at the Lakshminarasimha Swamy temple in Yadadri, in Bhongir district near Hyderabad, to choose the auspicious time for his swearing-in ceremony.

Explaining the significance of the timing, head priest Lakshmi Narasimhacharya said, The auspicious period will give KCR raja yoga. During this period, all the planets are in a top position and they will bring him good luck in whatever he does.

According to TRS functionaries, the expansion of the cabinet is likely to take place on December 18.

Earlier, at the TRS legislature party meeting held on Wednesday, KCR said the cabinet will accommodate legislators from all sections, including scheduled castes and tribes, other backward classes and minorities.
Incarcerated Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad has moved the Jharkhand High Court, seeking bail in three fodder scam cases, on the grounds that his party required his presence to prepare for the 2019 general elections.

Prasad pleaded that being the president of his party, he was the only person authorised to select candidates for different parliamentary constituencies. He stated that without his signature, the Election Commission would not allocate symbols to the candidates and, as per the rules, he could not vest this power in any other person.

Prasad is currently undergoing treatment at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) here in Ranchi. Besides election urgency, Prasad also highlighted his poor health condition as one of the grounds for bail.

We have filed regular bail applications, taking various grounds to be decided on merit. We have countered all allegations made by the CBI. None of the CBI witnesses had ever pointed out Prasads direct involvement in the (fodder) scam, said Prasads advocate Prabhat Kumar.

The court is yet to take up Prasads bail application for hearing.

The RJD chief has been in custody since December 23 last year, after his conviction in three fodder scam cases, one after the other. After spending more than two months in jail, Prasad had developed health complications and undergone treatment at RIMS, Ranchi, and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, for nearly two months.

AIIMS doctors had diagnosed that Prasad was suffering from 15 different diseases, including Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, perianal abscess, and acute kidney injury from chronic kidney disease.

He was granted provisional bail for six weeks by the high court on May 11 for specialised treatment at the Asian Heart Institute in Mumbai. The court had subsequently twice extended the bail period, which finally ended on August 30. Since then, he has been getting treatment at RIMS.

Prasad was first convicted on December 23, in connection with the scam related to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from Deoghar treasury, and got three-and-a-half years of jail term.

His second conviction came on January 24, in the case related to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 33.13 crore from Chaibasa treasury. He was awarded five years of imprisonment in this case.

On March 19, he was found guilty in the third fodder scam case, related to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 3.76 crore from Dumka treasury, and got 14 years of jail term.
BJP national council to meet in Delhi

BJP national council to meet in Delhi on January 11-12., reported news agency PTI.

Amit Shah refuses BJPs MP unit chiefs resignation

BJP President Amit Shah refused to accept the resignation of Rakesh Singh from the post of BJPs Madhya Pradesh unit chief and asked him to work hard, reports ANI.

BJPs Madhya Pradesh unit chief offers resignation after poll defeat

BJPs Madhya Pradesh unit chief Rakesh Singh has offered his resignation from the post taking responsibility for the defeat in assembly elections.

Top BJP leaders present at meet

Delhi: #Visuals of BJP Parliamentary party meeting from Parliament library building. PM Narendra Modi, BJP Chief Amit Shah, Union Ministers Sushma Swaraj, Prakash Javadekar, Kiren Rijiju,Ravi Shankar Prasad,senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani, among others present in the meeting pic.twitter.com/eDqn1SVyha  ANI (@ANI) 13 December 2018

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Lal Krishna Advani arrive for meeting

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani arrive for BJP Parliamentary Party meeting.

Radha Mohan Singh and VK Singh arrive for the meeting

Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh and Union Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh arrive for BJP Parliamentary Party meeting.

Amit Shah will discuss the defeat in recent assembly elections

BJP president Amit Shah will discuss the defeat in recent assembly elections in five states and plan an agenda for 2019 general elections. State presidents and state in-charges of BJP will be present in the meeting.
Time is limited and the only constant in tech is change.

In this environment, our challenge at TMC has been to evolve our conference ITEXPO, into a #SuperShow.









We hope youll make it Jan 30th-Feb 1st, 2019 in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Simply stated, we have spent years, making ITEXPO (photos) the one place where purchasing decision-makers need to go to learn everything they need for the new year.

We have done this by listening to you, our industry advisors, analysts and our editorial team as we put together one event with a blend of participants found nowhere else.

As a result, the ITEXPO Super Show is one of the few events appealing to a diverse audience of participants  from the enterprise, medium and smaller companies, resellers, MSPs and communications service providers consisting of rural, wireless and cable. The reason is the all-encompassing content below:

ITEXPO itself focuses on unified communications, UC and UCaaS as well as other leading-edge telecom solutions.

Asterisk World is the only independent event targeted at teaching you about the exciting open-source world of communications solutions.

The Blockchain Event was one of the first to teach you about the importance of this incredible decentralized ledger technology. Blockchain is potentially going to change everything  from logistics and commerce to the medical industry and cybersecurity And thats just a start.

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This is the leading education and networking forum for Healthcare Enterprises, IoT developers, suppliers, and Health OEMs. All attendees will have an opportunity to learn from each other and collaborate on solutions that will lead to improved efficiencies, new profit centers and better health outcomes for patients.

LPWAN Expo allows participants to explore the technologies and deployment benefits associated with Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) and related technologies. Understand the technology solutions that will enable the deployment of worldwide IoT networks that support smart, sustainable and profitable IoT applications Make plans to attend the LPWAN Expo at IoT Evolution and take a deep dive into low power, long range technologies as well as Narrowband IoT, CAT M1 and Cellular.

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A 49-year-old man died after setting himself on fire near the venue of BJP leader CK Padmanabhans sit-down protest, against what he described as the Kerala governments anti-Sabarimala stand, in Thiruvananthapuram early on Thursday.

The man, who was later identified as Venugopalan Nair, suffered 60% burns and was rushed to the Government Medical College hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Police said the incident happened around 3 am outside the state secretariat.Pouring petrol over himself and settling himself ablaze, he rushed to the protest site. In flames, Nair was heard chanting the swami saranam hymns.

Workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and police immediately doused the fire and rushed him to the hospital, where doctors had termed his condition as serious.

Nair is reported to be a sympathiser of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and his relatives said he was disturbed over the situation in the Sabarimala temple.

Accusing chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan of being responsible for Nairs death, the BJP has called a 12-hour shutdown in Kerala in protest. The state government is responsible for the death of the devotee. it is playing with fire, said party general secretary M T Ramesh while announcing the shutdown, the third since the Supreme Courts Sabarimala verdict. The September 28 verdict allowing women of all ages to enter the hilltop shrine had been bitterly opposed by devotees, as well as the BJP and the Congress.

The ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) district committee has termed the death of Nair an unfortunate incident but denied the report that he was associated with any party. It is sad the RSS-BJP combine is using the unfortunate incident to fan trouble in the state, said party district secretary A Nagappan.

The hilltop shrine has been witnessing violent protests by a section of devotees and right-wing groups since the Supreme Court verdict. Trouble began when the state government rushed to implement the top courts order. Both the Congress and BJP feel the affidavit of the state government supporting women entry led to the top courts verdict.

As the shrine opened for the annual pilgrimage on November 17, the state government imposed many restrictions at the hilltop and the base camps to tackle protesters and deployed more than 10,000 police personnel.

The state also witnessed two shutdowns over the issue and an uneasy calm is still prevailing at the temple. The top court will take up a bunch of review petitions against its verdict on January 22.
They have already been roped in for sundry activities like census work, election duty, and even for monitoring the open defecation-free (ODF) programme. And now, government school teachers in Bihar will be trained for preliminary screening of students with refractive error (vision defects).

This added responsibility, beginning early next year as part of the National Programme for Control of Blindness, will come to the school teachers with no monetary incentive.

Educationists, preferably bespectacled science teachers, from every government and government-aided school, would be trained in elementary vision testing, said Dr Manish Chandra Ojha, state programme officer for blindness control. [They] will be trained to use the six-metre ribbon and chart elementary test, for testing eyesight of children. Theyll be expected to note down the name of the student, his/her fathers name, class, school, block and district, said Dr Ojha.

Every school would have to send the list of students with refractive error to the additional chief medical officer (ACMO), who would be nodal officer for the programme in each district, added Dr Ojha. Students thus shortlisted will be screened, preferably by an eye specialist, along with an ophthalmic assistant, at designated primary health centres, and glasses will be prescribed to them.

We have roped in Vision Spring, a US-based non-government organisation, working for prevention of blindness in India, to provide us with 35,000 glasses free of cost, added Dr Ojha.

After screening the school children, the ophthalmic assistants would prepare a chart, mentioning the refraction set (power prescription) of each student and send it to the ACMO. He will then collate the information in an Excel sheet and send the data to the State Health Society, Bihar (SHSB), after which the free glasses would be provided.

For the training literature, the SHSB would give each district health society Rs 15,000. The shortlisted teachers would be called to the block headquarters where an ophthalmic assistant would train them, added Dr Ojha.

Eye specialist crisis

Bihar has an acute dearth of eye specialists at district level hospitals. It has only 68 eye specialists, in 37 of the 38 districts, covering a population of about 12 crore.

As per rough estimates, about three in every 100 students suffer from refractive error, said Dr Ojha. He added that no methodological survey to ascertain the number of the blind or those with refractive error had been undertaken so far.

As per a Bihar government order issued last year  it was taken back following political flak  teachers of government schools in Muzaffarpur and Aurangabad districts were asked to make rounds of their areas in mornings and evenings, photographing open defecation on their cell phones and shaming offenders. The districts were to be declared open defecation-free by December 31, 2017.

Bihar, the third most populous state in India, has the lowest literacy rate (61.8%), with second lowest (51.5%) female literacy rate, according to Census 2011. It has 37.3% fewer teachers than it needs in elementary school (Classes I to VIII). It is short of 278,602 teachers, according to an analysis based on Right to Education (RTE) Act criteria, which stipulate a pupil teacher ratio  the number of pupils per teacher  of 30:1 in primary schools (Classes I to V) and 35:1 in upper primary school (classes VI to VIII).
Hours before the Congress legislature party meets in Bhopal to name Madhya Pradeshs next chief minister, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday evening tweeted a photograph with the two senior party leaders seen as contenders for the chief ministers job - Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Along with the photograph was a quote from Russian author Leo Tolstoys Bethink Yourselves.

The two most powerful warriors are patience and time, Gandhi, 48, said in a tweet that is being seen to signal the end of Madhya Pradeshs wait for its next chief minister.

The Congress legislature party in Madhya Pradesh will be meeting at 10 pm, many hours after Gandhi told reporters early on Thursday that a decision on the partys three chief ministers would be taken soon.

The Congress president had been authorised by the partys legislators to select chief ministers for the three states snatched from the BJP - Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh - in the just-concluded state elections.

Gandhi has been closeted at meetings for a larger part of the day to decide on chief ministers for Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh where the Congress dislodged the ruling BJP governments.

The Congress had hoped to finalise all three names today. But there have been signals that there was an outside chance that this may not be possible any longer.

Also read | Sonia Gandhi meets Rahul Gandhi on 3 chief ministers, announcement likely tonight

Ashok Gehlot, 62,who was to take an evening flight to Jaipur along with Congress general secretary KC Venugopal had ended up returning from the Delhi airport; reportedly because KC Venugopal did not reach the airport.

Congress legislators in Rajasthan said the party had not fixed a time for the meeting of the legislature party yet. Leaders close to Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot, who have urged their supporters to keep calm, did not indicate if the meeting could still be convened tonight.

Jyotiraditya Scindia, 47, the election campaign committee chief in Madhya Pradesh, followed up on Rahul Gandhis tweet to underline that the party would announce its chief minister tonight.

It is not a race, it is not about kursi (chair), we are here to serve the people of Madhya Pradesh. I am leaving for Bhopal and you will get to know the decision today, he announced on the micro-blogging site. First in English, and then in a second tweet, in Hindi.
Jay Narayan Vyas, a BJP leader from Gujarat, has questioned the new RBI governor Shaktikanta Das credentials to head the central bank by referring to his background in history.

Das, a retired IAS officer, took charge of the Reserve Bank of India on Wednesday, three days after his predecessor Urjit Patel abruptly resigned citing personal reasons in the middle of a tussle with the government over the central banks autonomy and other issues.

The New RBI Governor Dass educational qualification is MA (History ) . Hope and Pray he doesnt make RBI also a History .May God Bless the New Arrival !! (Sic), the former minister in Narendra Modis cabinet when he was the chief minister of Gujarat tweeted on Wednesday.

Vyas was referring to the postgraduate degree in history Das, a 1980 batch officer of the Indian Administrative Service of the Tamil Nadu cadre, holds from the Delhi University. His tweet was retweeted 842 times and liked by 2,101 users.

To manage RBI you have to have a fair knowledge of the domestic and international economy. I respect IAS, the issue is that theyre exposed to a little of many things but the acceptance among the international community which earlier Governors commanded (is not there), Vyas said, according to news agency ANI.

I sympathise with Shaktikanta Das, and he has a Masters degree in history. He will have to pull out a lot more at his age that is near retirement. He has to control and steer the RBI and answer issues like the use of RBI reserves, he said.

Das, the 25th RBI governor, has mostly worked in economic and finance departments in the state and the centre during his 37-year-long tenure. He was also Indias Sherpa to the G-20.

Union finance minister Arun Jaitley has said Das has the right credentials to head the central bank.

Das has been a very senior and an experienced civil servant. He has almost his entire career in the management of finances and economic management of the country both when he was in the state government of Tamil Nadu and also when he was in the government of India in the ministry of finance, Jaitley has said.

Das said he would adopt a consultative approach and move quickly to meet bank chiefs and other parties to tackle issues facing the sector.

I will try and uphold professionalism, core values, credibility and autonomy of this institution. Its an honour and great opportunity to serve RBI. I will try my best to work with everyone and work in the interest of Indian economy, Das said at his first news conference after taking charge on Wednesday.
India on Thursday said it would consider providing more aid for efforts to develop the troubled Rakhine state in Myanmar and handed over the first 50 units of prefabricated houses built in the region with funding from New Delhi.

A joint statement issued during President Ram Nath Kovinds state visit to Myanmar said India will consider expanding the existing Rakhine State Development Programme once the current allocation of $25 million is fully committed.

Without mentioning the Rohingya refugees currently living in Bangladesh, the statement said India had expressed its support for agreements between Myanmar and Bangladesh for the repatriation of the verified displaced persons from Rakhine State and underlined its readiness to continue to assist in addressing this complex issue.

The two sides shared the view that the situation in Rakhine has humanitarian, developmental as well as security dimensions.

Myanmar welcomed Indian aid for infrastructure development under the Rakhine State Development Programme, including a pilot housing project, agricultural development and information technology education.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said that party would soon decide on the chief minister of Rajasthan, where party unit chief Sachin Pilot and former chief minister Ashok Gehlot are in contention for the post.

Consultations with with MLAs and party workers are on, you will see a chief minsiter soon, said the Congress president , according to ANI, shortly before he headed into meetings with the front-runners for the chief ministers job in Rajasthan.

Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot have met him separately and are expected to head to Rajasthan soon where the Congress legislature party would formally pass a resolution.

Later, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also reached Rahul Gandhis Tuglaq Lane house in the national capital for last-minute consultations. Sonia Gandhi was at Rahuls house for about an hour.

Rahul Gandhi is also meeting observers appointed for Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh to choose chief ministers in the states the party won in the elections, results of which were declared on Tuesday.

The Congress was one short of a clear majority in Rajasthan, winning 99 of the 199 seats for which polls were held. In Madhya Pradesh, it was two seats short of the 116 mark while in Chhattisgarh, it had bagged two-thirds majority with 68 seats.

The decision on chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan has been made, a Congress source said, adding that the announcements had been delayed over Chhattisgarh.

A meeting of the legislature party was held on Wednesday in the three states, where the newly-elected lawmakers authorised Gandhi to select the chief minister for them. The party said it will choose the candidates for the top job in the states after taking the opinion of each of the newly elected legislators. Gandhi, in turn, appointed AK Antony for Madhya Pradesh, Mallikarjun Kharge for Chhattisgarh and KC Venugopal for Rajasthan.

Congress believes in the democratic process of knowing the viewpoint of each elected legislator. After consulting everybody, well give a CM candidate and a government that truly reflects will of people of these three states, partys spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said on Wednesday.

In MP, the party faces a directional choice between the experience of two veterans and the dynamism of two young leaders in their forties.

Former Union minister and state Congress president Kamal Nath, 72, and the partys chief whip in the Lok Sabha and campaign committee chief for the state, Jyotiraditya Scindia, 47, are the front-runners for the post in Madhya Pradesh. Both did not contest the assembly elections.

The race in Chhattisgarh is primarily between state unit chief and Patan MLA Bhupesh Baghel, party veteran TS Singh Deo, who was the leader of opposition in the former assembly, and the partys lone Lok Sabha MP from the state, Tamradhwaj Sahu.

The observer started the conversation, asking about the election, [the legislators] political background and then asked the opinion [on who should be CM]. The process took 3-4 minutes, said a legislator who did not want to be named.

Another source in Chhattisgarh said Gandhi has personally spoken to around 20 MLAs and Kharge has met all the 68 legislators.

In MP, Nath and Scindia, along with senior leaders Digvijaya Singh, Suresh Pachauri, Vivek Tankha and Arun Yadav, met Governor Anandiben Patel to stake the partys claim for government formation.

Of course, it will be a privilege, Scindia told reporters when asked whether he would be interested in taking up the post of the chief minister in MP. He said he would abide by whatever the party decided.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked forensic auditors to examine the trail of around Rs 3,000 crore, the homebuyers money allegedly spent by the Amrapali Group on buying shares of its sister companies and creating assets .

Amrapali Group CMD Anil Sharma and directors Shiv Priya and Ajay Kumar returned to the court a total amount of Rs 1.55 crore of homebuyers money lying with them.

The top court grilled several accountants of the group on how they prepared account statements submitted in court and on what basis they created the accounts this year, for the financial years 2015-16, 2016-2017 and 2017-2018.

It directed the forensic auditors to ascertain the numbers of flats, which were benami property, doubly booked or booked on a nominal value by the Amrapali Group.

A bench of Justices Arun Mishra and U U Lalit directed the Debt Recovery Tribunal, Delhi, to conduct valuation of Amrapalis five-star hotel Tech Park in Greater Noida and sell it by January end.

It questioned Sharma about the sub-leases granted to the family members of Amrapali directors and where the Rs 3,000 crore of homebuyers money had gone.

The bench after failing to get a satisfactory reply asked the forensic auditors Pawan Kumar Aggarwal and Ravi Bhatia to examine the trail of around Rs 3,000 crore.

More than Rs 2,990 crore was taken out from nine companies of Amrapali Group in the name of assets creation and purchase of shares of sister companies. You should examine the trail of the money as to how and where did it go, and the assets created by the fund, the bench told the forensic auditors.

The court asked the company to file the details of the assets it created with Rs 2,990 crore and the board resolutions which allowed Rs 1,100 crore to be spent on purchasing share capital.

It directed the forensic auditors to examine whether funds were siphoned by granting subleases or if any favours were doled out in such transactions.

The court noted that after its last order to return homebuyers money, Sharma and two directors Shiv Priya and Ajay Kumar returned Rs 1.25 crore, Rs 20 lakh and Rs 10 lakh, respectively.

The court sought an affidavit from Sharma and the two directors to declare that they do not have any more money of homebuyers lying with them.

The bench directed Amrapali CFO Chandra Wadhwa and statutory auditor Anil Mittal to deposit Rs 9.69 crore and Rs 27 lakh of home buyers money lying with them by January 2.

It allowed the 86 luxury cars and SUVs, which were earlier attached by the court, to be taken to the corporate offices of Amrapali Group where car dealers inspect and later sell them.

When Sharma was questioned about the sub-leases the company granted, he said the firm received over Rs 66 crore by granting sub-leases and denied any wrong doing.

The forensic auditors should examine the sub-leases granted by Amrapali Group by the next date of hearing, the bench said, adding the real estate firm should comply with all requests made by the forensic auditors in 24 hours.

The court posted the matter for further hearing on January 16.
The Shiv Sena on Thursday stepped up pressure on the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) during the Winter Session of Parliament over the Ayodhya issue, accusing the ruling party of doing nothing in last four-and-a-half years to build a Ram temple, despite having a full majority in the Lok Sabha.

Raising the matter in the Lok Sabha during Zero Hour, Sena demanded that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the centre should expedite the matter in the Supreme Court, which is currently hearing the dispute, or bring an ordinance at the earliest to build the temple.

The BJP got clear majority but even then it did not take an initiative to build Ram temple in Ayodhya. We demand that the government bring an ordinance on the issue, Sena MP Anandrao Vithoba Adsul said in the lower house of the Parliament.

Sena has been at loggerheads with the BJP ever since they fought the 2014 Maharashtra assembly election separately, and has been critical of the Narendra Modi governments economic policies.

Adsul reminded the BJP that it had taken out a yatra under the leadership of LK Advani in 1990 for construction of the temple, and accused it of having forgotten its core issue of Hindutvaan ideology which brought the two parties together.

Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had visited Ayodhya on November 25 as part of his partys push to build a Ram temple there.
Back from New Delhi after thumping electoral victory of Congress in three states, Punjab local government minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Wednesday called on chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh.

This was the first meeting between the two leaders after an unsavoury controversy erupted last month over Pakistans invite for the groundbreaking ceremony of Kartarpur corridor, which Amarinder had declined. Sidhu went to Pakistan despite Amarinder asking him to reconsider his decision and later called Rahul Gandhi his captain at a press conference in Hyderabad. It sent Amarinder loyalists gunning for Sidhu and the partys central leadership had to step in to end the controversy by asking both sides to refrain from making public statements.

During his half-an-hour long meeting with the CM, Sidhu reportedly also cleared the air on the my captain remark. The CM dismissed it too, saying it was blown out of proportion by the media. Sidhu, who had been recuperating from injury to his vocal cords due to hectic poll campiagning, enquired about the health of Amarinder and wished him a speedy recovery.

Sidhu also gifted the CM a stuffed partridge brought from Pakistan. The CMs ringtone is a singing partridge. Both the leaders discussed results of recentlyconcluded state elections and partys prospects in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The Kartarpur corridor, which Amarinder has on Sunday called a conspiracy of the Pak army did not figure in the talks.

According to a party insider, it was the first time Amarinder met Sidhu one-to-one and Sidhu was able to clear some past misgivings.

After the meeting, Sidhu told the media that he could not meet the CM after winding up the poll campaign as he was advised rest by his doctors. He hailed the poll verdict as beginning of a new era under the leadership of Rahul.

He stood his ground on the Kartarpur corridor saying it will not only open doors of peace but also change lives of farmers of the two nations.

Sidhu later left for the wedding of actor Kapil Sharma, who hosted a popular comedy show featuring him.
The setback in assembly elections in five states has put the BJP in the key battleground state of Uttar Pradesh under pressure from both its allies and ideologically friendly outfits.

While the Vishva Hindu Parishad saw the defeat as disenchantment of Ram bhakts, the allies feel their say would increase ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. A BJP lawmaker even held the partys position on SC/ST Act responsible for alienation of the upper caste in Hindi heartland states. While admitting the results were disappointing, BJP leaders here also felt the anti-incumbency factor might have weighed on its governments.

BJP chief Amit Shah is expected in Lucknow on December 25. Ahead of his visit, the UP BJP top brass is expected to finalise a list of booth-connect and voter connect initiatives.

Now, the party is expected to intensify its campaign in rural UP as it faces the challenge of retaining the 42 per cent vote it secured in the most populous state in 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The The BJP had subsequently swept the 2017 state polls too but has been losing since.

Starting from chief minister Yogi Adityanaths Gorakhpur Lok Sabha and deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Mauryas Phulpur Lok Sabha constituencies, the BJP also failed to hold on to Noorpur assembly and Kairana Lok Sabha seats in subsequent by-polls.

Series of rallies, featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi lined up through December and January next year are aimed at mission reconnect.

The rallies would begin Sunday from Rae Bareli, the Lok Sabha constituency of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, that Modi had visited 19 years back as the party general secretary in 1999.

After Rae Bareli, Modi is to scheduled to hold rallies in Prayagraj on Sunday followed by one in Ghazipur on December 29 for which the BJP cadres have been tasked with getting Rajbhars from 14 districts in eastern UP.

The move has angered BJPs UP ally, the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), which sees Modis rally as a plan to cut into SBSPs support base. Its a defeat of arrogance, said SBSP general secretary Shashi Pratap Singh adding they would push the government for implementation of the quota within quota report of the Social Justice Committee and its leaders.

Arvind Sharma of Apna Dal (S), BJPs other ally in UP, felt the defeat was like a wake-up call for the BJP. I guess allies would get more say though I also believe that it would be unfair to see the verdict as a referendum on the centre, Sharma said.

From within the BJP too, questions were being raised over the partys handling of issues like the SC/ST Act, a move that BJP lawmaker Surendra Singh said angered the upper castes and OBCs.

Nothing against dalits but the SC/ST Act did play a part in BJPs losses. I think the party cant afford to alienate the upper castes, Singh said.

The fact that BSP could play kingmaker in Rajasthan or in Madhya Pradesh is another cause of concern. It means that despite us attempting to connect with Dalits through the SC/ST Act, Mayawati has grown stronger, a BJP leader requesting anonymity told HT.

Interestingly, the Vishva Hindu Parishad saw BJPs defeat as a result of party dilly dallying on the temple front. Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh are states which has had a deep association with efforts to ensure a grand temple for Lord Ram. Its time and indication to honor peoples wish, said VHPs Purushottam Narain Singh.
No. 11 NC State Baseball Makes a Quick Turnaround to Host UNC Greensboro Tuesday

No. 11 NC State baseball (2-0) is set to make a quick turnaround Tuesday when it hosts in-state opponent UNCG (2-1) at Doak Field at Dail Park for its first midweek contest of the season. First pitch is set for 3 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on the ACC Network Extra.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted a one-month extension to Haryana and Punjab director generals of police (DGPs), BS Sandhu and Suresh Arora, respectively. Both Sandhu and Arora were given three-month extension following their retirement on September 30. The extended tenure was to end on December 31. The SC bench ordered: The present arrangement with regard to the post of DGP may be continued in the two states until January 31, 2019. The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted a one month extension to Haryana and Punjab director generals of police (DGPs), BS Sandhu and Suresh Arora, respectively.

Both Sandhu and Arora were given three-month extension following their retirement on September 30. The extended tenure was to end on December 31.

Taking up interlocutory applications filed by Haryana and Punjab, a three-member bench headed by chief justice Ranjan Gogoi ordered: The present arrangement with regard to the post of Director General of Police may be continued in the two states until January 31, 2019. The court listed the matter to January 8.

The Supreme court had on July 3 ordered that the DGP shall be selected by the state government from among the three senior-most officers empanelled for promotion to that rank by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on the basis of their length of service, very good record and range of experience for heading the police force. Once he has been selected for the job, he should have a minimum tenure of at least two years irrespective of his date of superannuation, the apex court said.

The SC had said that state governments should send proposals with regard to appointment of the next DGP to the UPSC at least three months prior to the date of retirement of the incumbent.

The UPSC will prepare a panel of officers, communicate to the states and the state governments will immediately appoint one of the persons from the panel as the DGP. And if the state government has a grievance with regard to its July 3 order, it may approach the apex court for its modification, the SC ruling had said.

Any legislation or rule framed by states or the central government running counter to the SC direction shall remain in abeyance to the aforesaid extent, it added

However, Haryana and Punjab governments instead sought three-month extension for the DGPs from the central government.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) granted the extensions in service after relaxing Section 16 (1) of the All India Service (death cum retirement benefit) Rules.

With the extended tenures coming to an end in December, both the states approached the apex court seeking exemption for their respective Police Acts from the operation of the July 3 order and permission to appoint the DGPs in accordance with their respective police laws. While the Punjab government has already made an amendment in the Punjab Police Act to introduce a procedure to appoint the DGP, the Haryana government plans to bring an ordinance to have a procedure in place for appointing the state police chief.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a contempt petition filed against Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and others for non-compliance of the courts earlier order on filling vacancies in agriculture boards and marketing committees.

A bench of Justices U U Lalit and D Y Chandrachud said that no contempt is made out against the alleged contemnor -- Yogi Adityanath.

No contempt is made out. The contempt petition is dismissed. The state government has said that it is filling up the vacancies as and when they arise. On the face of it appears there are no vacancies, the bench said.

It warned the counsel for petitioner Anil Kumar and others saying that the court is not proceeding against him for suppressing the facts as the notice was earlier issued when the bench was informed that courts 2005 order were not complied by the state government.

At the outset, counsel for Kumar said that in 2005, the apex court had directed to fill up all the vacancies in the agriculture boards and marketing committees but till now nothing has been done.

He said that contempt action should be initiated against the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and other officials concerned for not complying with the orders.

The bench asked the counsel to peruse the affidavit filed by the state government in which it was said that vacancies have been filed as and when they arises.

The apex court then dismissed the contempt petition. The apex court had on December 16, 2005 after an appeal passed the verdict directing the Agriculture Board and the marketing committees to fill up all the vacancies strictly in accordance with law and preferably within a period of six months.
The Supreme Court on Thursday issued notice to Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on a petition seeking his disqualification as a legislator for not disclosing details of two criminal cases pending against him.

The order came on a petition filed by advocate Satish Ukey, who alleges that Fadnavis had cases of cheating and defamation pending against him which he did not disclose in his 2014 election affidavit. Appearing for Ukey, senior advocate Kapil Sibal argued that as per the law, it is mandatory for a candidate to disclose details of pending criminal cases against him. What could be worrying for the Maharashtra CM is that in both the case the punishment is two years or more. According to the Representation of People Act , a person convicted of any offence and sentenced to imprisonment for not less than two years shall be disqualified from contesting elections for that period and a further six years after release.

Ukey had earlier filed a petition in the court of the judicial magistrate in Nagpur, but it was dismissed. He then approached the sessions court, which directed the judicial magistrate to reconsider its decision.

Fadnavis challenged the sessions courts decision before the Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court, which dismissed the case by upholding the judicial magistrates decision.

Ukey then challenged the high courts decision in the Supreme Court.Reacting to the Supreme Court notice, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis office said no information had been concealed by Fadnavis in his election affidavit and that it had listed the details of all the cases filed against him.

For 2014 assembly elections, the affidavit filed by the chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has information of all the cases registered against him. The petitioner had first approached the Bombay High Court and made same claims which the court rejected after finding them baseless. The court also initiated action for contempt of court against the petitioner asking him why no action should be taken for filing baseless petitions repeatedly, said a statement issued by the chief ministers office on Thursday.

Today, the Supreme Court has issued a notice to ascertain that the petition should be accepted or not and suitable reply will be filed on the same.
The Supreme Court on Friday will deliver its verdict on a bunch of petitions seeking a court-monitored Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the purchase of 36 French-made Rafale fighter jets by the government for the Indian Air Force (IAF).

According to the list of business for Friday released by the Supreme Court registry, the verdict will be delivered by a bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi and justices SK Kaul and KM Joseph.

Petitions challenging the deal were filed in the top court earlier this year by lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan, former Union ministers Arun Shourie and Yashwant Sinha, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, and advocates ML Sharma and Vineet Dhanda.

They questioned how PM Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande made the agreement public well over a year before the Cabinet Committee on Security finally approved the deal in September 2016.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) governments decision to enter the $8.7 billion government-to-government deal with France to buy the warplanes made by Dassault was announced in April 2015, with an agreement signed a little over a year later. This replaced the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regimes decision to buy 126 Rafale aircraft, 108 of which were to be made in India by the state-owned HAL.

The deal has become controversial with the Opposition, led by the Congress, claiming that the price at which India is buying Rafale aircraft now is 1,670 crore for each, three times the 526 crore, the initial bid by the company when the UPA was trying to buy the aircraft. It has also claimed the previous deal included a technology transfer agreement with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).

The NDA has not disclosed details of the price, but the UPA deal, struck in 2012, was not a viable one, former defence minister Manohar Parrikar had previously said, implying that it would have never been closed and that, therefore, any comparison is moot.The UPA was not able to close the deal till 2014, largely over discussions related to pricing of items not included in the initial bid. The NDA has said that the current deal also includes customised weaponry. The agreement has also become controversial on account of the fact that one of the offset deals signed by Dassault is with the Reliance Group of Anil Ambani. The Congress claims the earlier deal was scrapped and a new one signed just to provide Ambani this opportunity for an offset deal. Both the government and Reliance have repeatedly denied this.

Also read | Rafale price out of Supreme Court debate, for now

Petitioners in the Supreme Court say the original deal would have been cheaper. The petitioners also allege that the deal lacks transparency and flouts government policy on defence procurement; they have demanded the registration of a criminal case under the anti-corruption law.

Exactly a month ago on November 14, the three judge-bench reserved its judgment on the petitions after interacting with senior air force officers in the courtroom. The air force officers apprised the court of the IAFs capabilities and rated the Rafale as an aircraft positioned somewhere between a fourth and fifth generation warplane.

For the first time after the purchase of the aircraft by India, the government disclosed the pricing details of the aircraft to the court in a sealed cover. The government has opposed disclosure of the sensitive data on grounds of security. Attorney general KK Venugopal told the Supreme Court bench that it was out of respect for the apex court that the government placed the entire price of the aircraft, including the weaponry details, before you. He said the complete cost had not been shared even with Parliament and only the base cost had been revealed. If the price of the loaded aircraft is disclosed then our adversaries could possibly be able to relate the nature of advanced weaponry we have acquired, Venugopal submitted, rejecting the contention of the petitioners that there was nothing secretive about pricing. The government claimed to have no say in the selection of the Indian offset partner and that Dassault was yet to submit details of the partners to the government.

Read | Skeletons are tumbling out: Congress chief Rahul Gandhi tweets jibe at Centre over Rafale deal
The inquiry commission probing the circumstances leading to the death of late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa has summoned Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam to appear before it on December 20 for examination.

The Justice Arumughaswamy commissions summons to Panneerselvam follows the panels decision deciding to question VK Sasikala, a close confidant of Jayalalithaa, now incarcerated at the Parapana Agrahara prison in Bengaluru after being convicted in a case of owning disproportionate assets.

Besides Sasikala, Panneerselvam, who was interim chief minister when Jayalalithaa was hospitalised, had visited Apollo Hospital regularly where she was admitted from September till her death on December 5, 2016.

When Jayalalithaa was under treatment, the then interim CM Panneerselvam has regularly visited Apollo Hospital. Therefore, we have asked him to appear for the inquiry, said a source at the probe panel.

Others who have been summoned next week include Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan on December 14 and Health Minister C Vijayabhaskar on December 18.

On being forced to quit as chief minister to pave way for the coronation of Sasikala soon after the death of Jayalalithaa on December 5, 2016, Panneerselvam launched his Dharma Yudh from Jayalalithaas samadhi. With a group of legislators supporting him, he alleged that the late chief ministers death was shrouded in mystery. Later, as a precondition for the merger with the other faction led by now Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, he demanded a Commission of Inquiry to unravel the mystery and the purging of Sasikala, her nephew TTV Dhinakaran and their kin from the party.

After the merger, Sasikala and Dhinakaran were ousted and the Commission under retired high court judge, Justice A Arumughaswamy, was constituted in September 2017. So far, it had examined 130 witnesses, including IAS and IPS officers, surgeons and staff of Apollo Hospital and aides of Jayalalithaa like the car driver and cook.

The panel, on its third extension, is expected to submit its report on February 24, the birth anniversary of Jayalalithaa.
Known for his staunch beliefs in religious customs, traditions and rituals, Telangana Rashtra Samithi president K Chandrasekhar Rao has chosen the best muhurtam to take oath as the chief minister of Telangana for the second successive term on Thursday.

According to an official communique from the state government, KCR, who won the assembly polls with a thumping majority, will be sworn in as the chief minister exactly at 1.25 pm, as per the muhurtam fixed by the Vedic pundits from Lord Lakshminarasimha Swamy temple at Yadagiri in Bhongir district, a famous pilgrim centre in Telangana.

Governor E S L Narasimhan, who is also an ardent believer in Hindu rituals, will administer the oath of office and secrecy to KCR and also another cabinet minister, most likely Mohd Mahmud Ali, who served as deputy chief minister in the previous term.

According to Lakshmi Narasimhacharya, head priest of the Yadadri temple, the auspicious time for the TRS president to take oath as the chief minister would start at 1.24 pm on Thursday, which happens to be Margasira Shashti as per Hindu almanac. The auspicious period will continue for another one-and-a-half hour. That is why we suggested this muhurtam for him, he said.

Explaining the significance of this muhurtam, the priest said it would give a Raja Yoga for KCR, who would get immense power to rule the state without any obstacles. During this period, all the grahas (planets) are in a high position for him and bring him good luck in whatever he does, Narasimhacharya said.

Initially, there was a talk that the TRS president would take oath on Wednesday itself, as the tithi happened to be Margasira Panchami and the time was 12.49 pm, which was more auspicious. There was a proposal that the TRS legislature party would meet on Tuesday night evening itself and elect KCR as the leader, so that he would take oath on Wednesday,

But by the time all the MLAs were declared elected, it was too late on Tuesday and there was hardly any time for the publication of gazette notification by the Election Commission. So, they deferred it to Thursday, which also happens to be auspicious as per the Vedic pundits.
Two militants were killed in an overnight encounter with security forces in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, the Army said here on Thursday.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Brath Kalan area of Sopore on Wednesday evening following information about presence of militants there, an Army official said. He said the operation turned into an encounter after militants opened fire on security forces.

Two militants have been killed, the official said, adding the operation was still in progress.

The identity and group affiliation of the slain ultras was being ascertained, he added.
Outgoing Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje was on Thursday re-allotted her official residence, 13, Civil Lines, in Jaipur. The bungalow was in the midst of controversy after Raje chose to live there instead of the official CM residence 8, Civil Lines, on taking over as CM five years ago.

An order by the General Administration Department (GAD) said that Raje was being allotted the 13 Civil Lines without any charges.

The GAD said the order was subject to a writ petition pending in the Rajasthan high court.

While 8, Civil Lines is the official chief ministers residence, Raje had chosen 13, Civil Lines as her official residence after coming to power in 2013. The bungalow had been allotted to her in her capacity as Leader of Opposition in 2008.

The more spacious official residence was converted into the state guest house.

Her decision regarding the bungalow turned into a political issue after former BJP leader Ghanshyam Tiwari questioned Rajes occupancy of two bungalows.

He demanded that the CM vacate the 13, Civil Lines bungalow and shift to the official residence.

In May 2018, he submitted a memorandum to the governor saying that Raje had encroached on the 13, Civil Lines bungalow as she was simultaneously using the official residence and she should vacate the former.

Tiwaris objection came after the Supreme Court in May quashed a law passed by Uttar Pradesh allowing former chief ministers to retain official bungalows for life.

In April, the state government had passed the Rajasthan Ministers Salaries (Amendment) Bill 2017 which alloted former chief ministers a government bungalow, nine government staff and a vehicle for life.

The bill was challenged in the high court, but Raje continued to live in bungalow number 13 even after the HC asked her to designate one of the two bungalows as the CMs official residence and vacate the other.
The Congress has finished five seats ahead of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2018 Madhya Pradesh elections and is all set to form a government in the state after 15 years.

This is despite the BJP having a marginal lead over the Congress in terms of vote share. The political outcome in the elections could have turned upside down had a couple of thousand voters voted for the BJP instead of the Congress or None of the Above (NOTA). Heres why:

Ten out of the 230 seats in Madhya Pradesh were decided by a margin of less than 1,000 votes. The Congress won seven of these seats. They are Suwasra, Jabalpur North, Rajnagar, Gwalior South, Damoh, Biaora and Rajpur. The BJP had won six out these 10 seats in the 2013 elections. Eight seats had a victory margin of 1,000-2,000 votes. The Congress won three of these seats. In 13 seats, NOTA acted as a spoiler for the BJP.

This means that the BJP lost these seats by a lower numbers of votes than what was polled by NOTA.

Counting trends throughout the day made the intense battle between the parties evident.

Early trends safely established how the final seat tally would be in Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Rajasthan and Mizoram. Unlike these states, it was not an easy job to estimate how the new Madhya Pradesh assembly would look like.

Also Read: Now, Im free: Shivraj Singh Chouhan bows out as Madhya Pradesh CM

A single chart sums up the story: As the counting trends began showing up on the Election Commissions website before noon, the Congress seemed to be heading towards a clear victory, with seats much higher in number than the incumbent partys.

But a very uncertain day followed: the BJP got close to its arch-rival multiple times, and even overshot it once. Then again the difference began rising in the late evening, only to narrow up again. Finally, the suspense ended by the late evening.
Kamal Nath will lead the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh where it returned to power after 15 years, the party announced after a meeting of Congress legislators in state capital Bhopal. The meeting of newly-elected lawmakers, convened late on Thursday evening, came at the end of hectic discussions in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh.

An era of change is upon MP with him at the helm, the Congresss official handle tweeted shortly after legislators passed a formal resolution electing Kamal Nath.

At the meeting, he thanked Jyotiraditya Scindia for supporting his election.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Kamal Nath said he will be meet governor Anandibehn Patel at 10.30 am on Friday and the time of swearing-in will be decided then. He also said that the party manifesto would be implemented soon.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who had earlier in the day claimed that a decision on chief ministers in the three states snatched from the BJP would be taken soon, had met Kamal Nath and the other front-runner Jyotiraditya Scindia just hours earlier. During the day, Gandhi also met the partys central observer for Madhya Pradesh AK Antony and consulted his mother and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

As the suspense continued, Rahul Gandhi on Thursday evening tweeted a photograph with the two senior party leaders, with a quote from Russian author Leo Tolstoys Bethink Yourselves.

The two most powerful warriors are patience and time, Gandhi, 48, said in a tweet that is being seen to signal the end of Madhya Pradeshs wait for its next chief minister.

Watch: Kamal Nath is the new chief minister of Madhya Pradesh

Both Nath, the states Congress unit chief and Scindia, who chaired the partys election campaign committee, did not contest the November 28 assembly elections.

The Congress had won 114 seats in the 230-member assembly, edging ahead of the BJP which ended at 109. The Congress is two short of the half-way mark of 116. But the party  which claimed to have the support of 121 lawmakers  has received promises of support from the Bahujan Samaj Partys two legislators, the Samajwadi Partys one and some of the Independents.

Nath, the nine-time Lok Sabha MP from Chhindwara was chosen by Gandhi as the state Congress chief in April over Scindia, the Lok Sabha member from Guna who is also the partys deputy chief whip in parliament.

Nath was born in Uttar Pradeshs Kanpur to businessman father Mahendra Nath and mother Leela and is an alumnus of the prestigious Doon School in Uttarakhands Dehradun. He is a graduate from St Xaviers College in Kolkata. He is married to Alka and has two sons.
The entire Buddhist township of Bodh Gaya has turned into a fortress, with heavy security deployed for the fortnight spiritual sojourn of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who is scheduled to arrive here on December 16. 800 security personnel have already been deployed and the Gaya police have sought additional 200 security personnel to complete the security layers, as discussed during a meeting of the Patna Zone inspector general (IG) NH Khan. The elaborate security arrangements are being made in view of the serious threat to Dalai Lama from the terror groups in Bangladesh. Last year, they triggered blasts around the Kalchakra maidan during his visit. The terrorists were later identified as the members of the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh(JUMB).

Gaya senior superintendent of police Rajeev Mishra, who reviewed the security arrangements today, said that they are taking no chance and every corner of the Buddhist Township would be under continuous surveillance. He said that 1000 police personnel would be deployed to keep close vigil. The SSP and the Gaya DM Abhishek Kumar Singh also held a series of meetings with all the stakeholders, including hoteliers, tour operators, travel agents and guides apart from the different monasteries of various countries and issued the security directives to them. The monasteries and hotels have been directed to keep records of the foreigners and ensure filling of the form C soon after landing at Bodh Gaya, the SSP said.

The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), has finalised the schedule of the Dalai Lama for his winter initiations at Bodh Gaya and urged the Gaya district administration and the Bodh Gaya Temple management Committee to ensure proper security arrangements for him during his stay. As per the latest revised programme, Dalai Lama would arrive at Bodh Gaya on December 16 and remain here till January 8. He will also participate in several functions organised by the local educational institutions during his stay.

As per the final schedule, the Dalai Lama would arrive at Bodh Gaya on December 16 and offer prayers under the Bodhi Tree. On December 22-23 He would join the seminar on Buddhism organized by the Vat Thai monastery in Bodh Gaya. He would undertake three-day special rituals with his devotees from December 24-26. On December 31, a mass prayer would be organised at the Kalchakra Maidan.

The Dalai Lama would visit several educational institutions and take part in the programmes organised by the school children and teachers and is likely to leave for Dharamshala on January 9.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said that the BJP had accepted its defeat with grace in just concluded assembly polls in five states.

Yogi, who was one of the star campaigners of the party, said, In democracy, victories and losses are accepted with grace. However, those who doubted on the EVMs and the constitutional body have been left speechless.

The UP CM arrived in Patna from Janakpur in Nepal, where he took part in a religious function.

In Bihars capital, he also met governor Lalji Tandon and visited general secretary of Bharat Sadhu Samaj Swami Harinaraiana Nandji at a private hospital.

He also met his Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. The two, who have not enjoyed best of relationships, joined together on the issue of attacks on people of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in Gujarat, saying they would take up the matter with the western states CM.

The opposition was quick to seize upon the chance. Nobody is stopping him to come here, but we will expect that he (Yogi Adityanath) will desist from promoting communal politics in Bihar. I hope he will not divide Hanuman in caste, said former chief minister and HAM-S leader Jitan Ram Manjhi.

Yogi will return to Lucknow on Thursday morning. This is Yogis second visit to Bihar. Earlier in 2017, he had addressed a rally at Darbhanga.
The Senate is debating a resolution that would call on the U.S. to pull assistance from the Saudi-led war in Yemen, a measure that has won new support in the aftermath of the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The Senate voted 60-39 on Wednesday to open debate on the resolution, signaling there is enough support to win the 50 votes needed. But its unclear how amendments to the measure could affect the final vote, which is expected to come Thursday.

While enough Republicans support the resolution for it to pass, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and most other Republicans oppose it. The resolution was sponsored by Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

Read more: Jamal Khashoggi named Time magazine Person of the Year alongside other journalists

I think every single member of this body shares grave concerns about the murder of Khashoggi and wants accountability, McConnell said on the Senate floor Wednesday morning. We also want to preserve a 70-year partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia, and we want to ensure it continues to serve American interests and stabilizes a dangerous and critical region.

Senators have been enraged over Khashoggis October killing and the White House response. U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman must have at least known of the plot, but President Donald Trump has been reluctant to pin the blame.

Read more: Turkey calls for justice for Khashoggi killing under international law

That outrage prompted several Republicans to support the Yemen resolution because it would be seen as a rebuke to the longtime ally. Others already had concerns about the war in Yemen, which human rights groups say is wreaking havoc on the country and subjecting civilians, many of them children, to indiscriminate bombing and disease.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, a Republican from Tennessee, is preparing a separate, alternate resolution condemning the journalists killing. McConnell urged senators to vote for Corkers measure, which he said does a good job capturing bipartisan concerns about both the war in Yemen and the behavior of our Saudi partners more broadly. Corker has not released the full text of that resolution.

It appears unlikely that the House would be willing to consider either measure. House leaders added a provision to an unrelated House rule that would make it harder for lawmakers there to call up a Yemen resolution if the Senate passes it. The rule barely passed, 206-203, after Democrats railed against the Yemen provision.

We should not be sitting idly by waiting for the start of the next Congress as this conflict rages on, said Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern. We should be doing something today.

Read more: I cant breathe were Jamal Khashoggis final words, says report

CIA Director Gina Haspel briefed House leaders on the Khashoggi murder Wednesday, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis are scheduled to brief the full House on Thursday.

Pompeo and Mattis briefed the Senate last month and told senators there was no direct reporting and no smoking gun to connect the crown prince to Khashoggis death at a Saudi consulate in Turkey. But a smaller group of senators leaving a separate briefing with Haspel days later said there was zero chance the crown prince wasnt involved.

Lawmakers leaving the House briefing with Haspel, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, declined to comment, saying it was classified.

Khashoggi, who had lived in the U.S. and wrote for The Washington Post, had been critical of the Saudi regime. He was killed in what U.S. officials have described as an elaborate plot as he visited the consulate in Istanbul for marriage paperwork.

Read more: Saudi Arabia rejects Turkeys demands to extradite suspects connected to Jamal Khashoggi murder

Pressed on a response to the murder, Trump has said the United States intends to remain a steadfast partner of the country, touted Saudi arms deals worth billions of dollars to the U.S. and thanked the country for plunging oil prices.

It could very well be that the crown prince had knowledge of this tragic event, Trump said in a lengthy statement Nov. 20. Maybe he did, and maybe he didnt!

Saudi prosecutors have said a 15-man team sent to Istanbul killed Khashoggi with tranquilizers and then dismembered his body, which has not been found. Those findings came after Saudi authorities spent weeks denying Khashoggi had been killed in the consulate.

Whatever is passed this month, lawmakers in both chambers have signaled that they will continue to press Saudi Arabia next year.

The top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, is pushing tough legislation with a growing bipartisan group of senators that would halt arms sales and impose sanctions to send what he called a global message to not just the Saudis but other regimes.

Read more: A Smoking Saw links Saudi Prince to Khashoggis murder, says US Senator

Just because youre our ally, you cant kill with impunity, Menendez said.

The current relationship with Saudi Arabia is not working, said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who supports Menendezs measure and is expected to become chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2019. Youre never going to have a relationship with the United States Senate unless things change.

House Democrats are also expected to keep the issue alive when they take the majority in January. The top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, California Rep. Adam Schiff, said he intends to lead a deep dive into Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel of New York, the likely incoming chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he would hold hearings on Saudi Arabia early next year.
US president Donald Trump on Thursday said he never told his private lawyer Michael Cohen to break the law and denied any ties to his crimes, a day after Cohen was sentenced to prison on charges that included hush money payments to women ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

Cohen was guilty on many charges unrelated to me, Trump said in a series of Twitter posts, adding that Cohen wanted to embarrass the president and get a much reduced prison sentence, which he did.

Cohen, who once said he would take a bullet for Trump, was sentenced in New York on Wednesday to three years in prison after pleading guilty to orchestrating the payments that were part of the dirty deeds he did at the behest of Trump. Federal prosecutors said Trump ordered the payouts to protect his campaign from allegations of sexual affairs with an adult film actress and a Playboy model.

Read: Former Donald Trump lawyer Michael Cohen jailed for 3 years, says job was to cover his dirty deeds

Trump faces growing political and legal risks from a months long investigation into the payments by US prosecutors, which stemmed from the larger continuing federal probe into alleged Russian interference in the election and possible collusion by Trumps campaign.

Michael Cohen, US president Donald Trump's former attorney, exits the United States Court house after his sentencing, in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, December 12, 2018. (REUTERS)

Justice Department policy is not to indict a sitting president but some legal experts have said Trump could be charged after leaving office. Democrats and other critics also have raised the issue of impeachment by Congress.

In his tweets, Trump said he had no role in Cohens actions.

I never directed Michael Cohen to break the law, he said. He was a lawyer and he is supposed to know the law. It is called advice of counsel, and a lawyer has great liability if a mistake is made. That is why they get paid.

Trump denials

Trump has denied the affairs and argued the payments to Playboy model Karen McDougal and adult-film star Stormy Daniels were not campaign contributions.

Trump also has denied collusion with Moscow and called Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation a witch hunt. Russia has also denied any interference.

Prosecutors on Wednesday also said the publisher of the National Enquirer tabloid had struck a deal to avoid charges over its role in one of the payments made in concert with Trumps presidential campaign.

Cohen, who also pleaded to tax evasion and lying to Congress about a proposed Trump Organization building in Moscow, in court on Wednesday said his blind loyalty led him to cover up for Trump.

Cohen is the latest Trump associate to be swept up in Muellers investigation following Trumps campaign chairman Paul Manafort, former deputy campaign chairman Rick Gates and former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn, among others.

Trump has offered a shifting defence on the payments to the women, first saying in April that he did not know about the payments to later appearing to acknowledge they were made but saying they were unrelated to campaign finances.

In an interview with Reuters this week, he slammed Cohen for cooperating with prosecutors and said he was unconcerned about possible impeachment. He also called any of his potential business dealings with Russia peanut stuff.
LONDON  While Prime Minister Theresa May was visiting European leaders to find support for improving her deal for Britains exit from the European Union, some of her own partys members of Parliament were preparing a no-confidence vote against her leadership.

On Wednesday, the process came to a head. Here is a guide to how it unfolded.

What Set Off the Vote?

At least 15 percent of her partys lawmakers  at least 48 members of Parliament  submitted letters demanding a ballot to the chairman of the 1922 committee, the body that represents Conservative backbenchers.

The chairman, Graham Brady, announced Wednesday that he had received more than the required number of letters, and that the no-confidence vote would proceed.

When Did the Vote Take Place?

Conservative lawmakers gathered in Westminster Wednesday evening to give May a chance to address them.

After the prime ministers address, lawmakers cast ballots in a metal box for about two hours, from 6 to 8 p.m. local time, with the result revealed about an hour later.

May had to win 50 percent of the votes plus one, and there are 317 Conservative lawmakers. (The Tories restored voting rights to two lawmakers who had been suspended previously, raising the total.)

More than the required number of lawmakers  over 158  had publicly pledged their support, according to British news outlets and posts on social media.

Because the ballots are cast in secret, it was not certain that everyone who promised to support May would necessarily vote for her.

The Vote: 200-117

May now has breathing room.

The lawmakers in her party are barred from challenging her for one year, which strengthens her position.

Brady announced later Wednesday night that the vote had been 200-117, signifying confidence in the prime minister, but it was uncomfortably close.

A very narrow win could have put her under pressure to resign, because dozens of the lawmakers who voted are also government ministers, meaning it could have been argued that she had won only with the support of politicians paid to support her administration.

In 1990, one former prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, resigned after she was challenged under a different procedure and won only narrowly in a first round of voting.

May could conceivably also lose power after winning this leadership vote if Parliament as a whole passes a vote of no confidence in her government.

There is no sign of that happening yet. Her Brexit plan, however, still remains imperiled.

What Would Have Happened If May Had Lost?

May would no longer be the leader of the Conservative Party, and Brady would have begun the process to choose a successor, most likely Tuesday.

Lawmakers would have voted in rounds of secret ballots, with the least-popular candidate eliminated each time, until two contenders remain.

Brady said he believed that part of the process could be done by the end of business next Thursday, when Parliament is scheduled to break for the Christmas vacation.

From the two top candidates, the final choice would have been left to around 120,000 members of the Conservative Party who would have voted by postal ballot.

In 2005, the last time the Conservatives held such a postal ballot, it took around six weeks.

After the vote, May spoke of her renewed mission: delivering the Brexit that people voted for, bringing the country back together and building a country that truly works for everyone.
Bloodied but not yet beaten, British Prime Minister Theresa May met EU leaders on Thursday to beg for concessions that might save her Brexit deal but admitted she does not expect a rapid breakthrough.

May survived a confidence vote staged by her own partys MPs late on Wednesday, but admitted as she arrived at the EU summit that she will not fight the next general election planned for 2022.

Instead, her focus is on salvaging her plan for an orderly Brexit and on persuading her European counterparts to offer guarantees that Britain will not remain trapped indefinitely in their customs union.

The other 27 EU leaders have agreed to draft a reassuring political statement, but remain firmly opposed to renegotiating a hard-won withdrawal deal they endorsed less than three weeks ago.

My focus now is to get those assurances that we need to get this deal over the line because I genuinely believe its in the best interests of both sides, of the UK and the EU, May said.

I dont expect an immediate breakthrough but what I do hope is that we can start to work as quickly as possible on the assurances that are necessary, she said.

European diplomats are discussing a two-step plan that would see a brief political statement issued at the summit, followed in January by a legal interpretation of the deal.

Its all about clarification tonight, said Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

May was due to meet EU President Donald Tusk in Brussels for what he called last-minute talks before joining the other European leaders.

EU members have drawn up a draft six-paragraph statement they hope will appease British concerns about the so-called Irish backstop and give life to Mays effort to get the deal through parliament.

Also read | UKs Theresa May gets locked in limousine after meet with Germanys Angela Merkel to save Brexit vote

Last month the withdrawal accord was hailed as the end to a 17-month negotiation, and leaders dared hope they had saved Britain from crashing out of the union on March 29 without a deal.

But when May took it home, she ran into renewed opposition from hardline Brexiteers in her Conservative party and this week she baulked at putting it to a vote in parliament.

Now, with the vote delayed until January, she wants Europe to sweeten the offer with reassurances that measures to prevent the return of a hard border with Ireland will not last indefinitely.

Two-stage offer

According to European diplomats, the proposed summit statement would declare that any backstop would only be in place for a short period and only as long as strictly necessary.

And it will add: The union stands ready to examine whether any further assurances can be provided. Such assurances will not change or contradict the withdrawal agreement.

This would not be the legally binding promise, sought by Brexiteers, that the backstop would not be used to bind the UK into a customs union indefinitely.

This is incredibly innocent language. Nothing of this is new. There is no end date for the backstop, one European source told AFP.

Brexit will once again dominate an EU summit which had been planned to deal with the thorny issues of migration, budgets and eurozone.

Backstop sell-by date?

After May made a desperate three-capital European tour on Tuesday to seek assistance from fellow leaders, Tusk had said he would love to help her, but the question is how.

European officials insist in public and in private that the backstop must stay. The idea of a sell-by date wont stand, one said.

May also met Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar before the summit.

Nobody is talking about and nobody is being asked to -- by the British prime minister -- to change the wording of the withdrawal agreement, Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney said in Dublin.

What is being looked at now seriously is how a political declaration can be put together that is real, that provides reassurance for many in Westminster who need it, that the backstop represents no threat to them, no threat to the United Kingdom.

Anything May does come away with must convince her own party, its angry Northern Irish allies and a majority of British MPs to back the deal when it returns to for a vote before January 21.

Her victory in a confidence vote of Conservative MPs late Wednesday made her immune from further challenge in her party for a year, but she was forced to admit she would quit by 2022.

And if the Brexit agreement is still found wanting not only would Britain and its main trading partners face economic chaos, but May could be finished off by a parliamentary vote of no confidence.

Also read | UK PM Theresa May says she will step down before 2022 election
W hy first-time buyers are moving to Medway, Kent

Average first-time buyer spend: 240,710, enough to buy a period three-bedroom terrace house.

Annual price increase: 3.6 per cent.

Proportion of homes sold to first-time buyers: 15 per cent.

The commute: trains from Rochester to St Pancras International take from 40 minutes;. An annual season ticket costs from 4,168.

Schools: Kent equals grammar schools, but a surprising number of Medways non-selective schools have poor grades from Ofsted, so choose carefully.

Outstanding candidates include Fort Pitt Grammar School in Chatham and Rochester Grammar.

Whats new? The Medway Towns are seeing more than their fair share of regeneration investment.

Close to historic Rochester is Rochester Riverside, a 52-acre regeneration zone beside the Thames which by 2030 will be transformed with 1,500 new homes, shops, restaurants and a school.

In Chatham, housebuilder Peel is at work on Chatham Waters, a 1,000-home regeneration featuring new shops, restaurants and bars.

Work in progress: Chatham Waters regeneration scheme is bringing 1,000 new homes, bars and restaurants to the town

The lowdown: just north of the Kent Downs, open space is not a problem in this area, while the Kent coast is also close.

Rochester, star of Charles Dickens novels, is the obvious choice for first-time buyers priced out of Londons urban villages.

Its historic cobbled streets have plenty of character, the High Street is full of independent shops and the castle and cathedral add wow factor.

Rochester has an excellent trove of lovely Georgian houses, too. However, these sell at a premium.

First-time buyers are most likely to be looking at a slightly drearier post-war house if they want to maximise their square footage.

Chatham has, historically, been a shabbier alternative although the recent 1.5 billion rejuvenation of its docksides has added more than 2,000 new homes, a shopping centre and a university campus to the mix.
Pipeline

13 December 2018

In just one month, the Danish hotel brand Zleep Hotels will be opening the doors of its first hotel in Sweden. This will happen at a property in Upplands Vasby, a business district between Arlanda Airport and Stockholm City. With its 152 rooms, this hotel is the first big step towards an expansion adventure for the Danish hotel chain in the Nordics.

New hotel concept in Upplands Vasby

On January 14th, Zleep Hotels opens on a central location in the business district of Upplands Vasby. Zleep Hotels is a well-known hotel brand in Denmark but in Sweden it is entirely new. The hotel of course has an opening discount that is valid until the end of February.
Supplier News

13 December 2018

Intelity, the world's first and most widely used integrated guest services platform, is now live at The St. Regis Atlanta and providing technological advancements for both guests and staff. The addition of Intelity is a part of the resort's multi-million dollar, property-wide refresh expected to be completed in early 2019.

An important aspect of the remodel was catering to tech-savvy travelers, leading to the installation of Intelity's in-room tablets which allow guests to control room features such as lighting and air conditioning, order room service, and access information about hotel amenities. On the management side, the Intelity platform integrates with LightSpeed, the Marriott property management system, and is fully integrated with the hotel's point-of-sale system, MICROS Simphony. These integrations connect staff directly with guests so they can easily manage service requests for housekeeping, transportation, and concierge. Each guest room and suite is attended by the St. Regis Butler Service, an ever-present yet unobtrusive service dedicated to meeting the needs of discerning global travelers.

"The St. Regis Atlanta is timelessly Southern and now exquisitely reimagined," said Guntram Merl, general manager of The St. Regis Atlanta. "The refresh of our elegant hotel and integration of the Intelity platform will delight new travelers, as well as returning guests who have visited over the past 10 years."

The St. Regis Atlanta is a 26-floor development featuring 151 luxuriously-appointed guest rooms and suites, 53 residences, and more than 24,000 square feet of contemporary meeting and event space. Located in exclusive Buckhead, the St. Regis is within walking distance of Atlanta's finest specialty shopping, restaurants, art galleries, and landmark corporations. It's a distinctive destination where Georgian architecture and style are effortlessly married with modern technology.

Implementing the Intelity platform means The St. Regis Atlanta meets AAA's new technological requirements and ensures the resort will retain its AAA Five Diamond status. In 2014, The St. Regis Atlanta was named Conde Nast Traveler's #1 Business Hotel in the World and one of the World's Best Large City Hotels by Travel + Leisure. It also received Forbes Travel Guide's Four Star Award and Travel Weekly's Silver Award for Best Pool Design.

About The St. Regis Atlanta

Combining timeless sophistication with an unrivaled dimension of luxury, The St. Regis Atlanta Hotel & Residences debuted April 14, 2009. The 26-floor development features 151 luxuriously appointed guest rooms and suites, 53 St. Regis Residences, more than 24,000 square feet of contemporary meeting and event space, two exclusive bars, world-class culinary options, a state-of-the-art fitness facility that overlooks an exquisite 40,000-square-foot Pool Piazza and poolside Bar, a 7,800-square-foot Remede Spa, and Astor Court, the resort's distinctive upper lobby restaurant offering compelling cuisine and an unparalleled ambiance. Each guest room and suite is attended by the signature St. Regis Butler Service, an ever present yet unobtrusive service dedicated to meeting the needs of discerning global travelers. The property continues to be listed among the Top Hotels in the South by Conde Nast Traveler for its Readers' Choice Awards and in 2017 and 2018, it received a Gold Badge in U.S. News & World Report's Best Hotels in the USA. The St. Regis Atlanta Hotel & Residences is located at 88 West Paces Ferry Road in Buckhead. For more information, please call 404.563.7900 or visit www.stregisatlanta.com.
Supplier News

13 December 2018

protel has partnered with HotelTechReport.com to bring ratings and reviews to protel's App Store. protel clients can now research top rated hotel management software applications and instantly set them live, from directly within the protel Services Marketplace.

By leveraging live data from Hotel Tech Report, the premier global research platform for hotel technology, protel is now able to deliver a truly next-generation app store experience for its clients. This partnership enables hoteliers to access Hotel Tech Report data and product recommendations right from within the protel Services Marketplace.

"Researching and implementing new hotel software is incredibly complex and time-consuming. Hotel Tech Report has quickly become an industry standard for hoteliers looking to simplify technology research," says protel CEO Ingo Dignas, "When we look to what leading platforms like Google Play and the Apple App Store are doing - user reviews are central to those cutting-edge digital experiences. Hotel Tech Report's unrivaled content breadth and depth enable us to make data-driven product recommendations for our clients in real time, thus supporting our commitment to best-of-breed solutions."

Research shows that more than 80% of users check an app's rating before downloading (Source: Google). With this partnership, thousands of crowdsourced reviews from Hotel Tech Report are displayed in real time via the protel Services Marketplace. Unbiased reviews enable protel clients to make better, faster and more informed decisions when researching new technology solutions for their properties.

"Ultimately hotel managers want to know what people like them think about new technology products," says Hotel Tech Report's Adam Hollander, "The protel team is extremely customer-centric. They came to us because they wanted to help their clients easily discover the best solutions for their properties without risk, complexity, and uncertainty associated with adopting new technologies. Together we're helping hoteliers identify the best solutions for their business needs and then go live with the click of a button - it's a gamechanger."

Ratings and reviews were first popularized by companies like TripAdvisor nearly 20 years ago but have only gone mainstream for hotel technology vendor selection in the last 2-3 years. As an industry pioneer, protel is the first major PMS to embrace this level of transparency, thanks to its innovative Hospitality Platform, based on Enterprise Service Bus technology.

Hoteliers across the world can now leverage the protel Services Marketplace to unify their systems and bring Apple App Store like convenience, ease, and transparency into their hotel operations.

About Hotel Tech Report

Hotel Tech Report is the premier global research platform for hotel technology, having helped more than 130,000 hoteliers and investors research technology solutions for their properties. The site helps buyers save time identifying the best technology products for their properties by easily comparing vendors based on unbiased reviews from verified users. The Hotel Tech Report global community spans 50+ countries, includes employees from every major hotel brand and thousands of independents.
Opinion Article

13 December 2018

If you want to follow every single recommendations on how to do your job properly as a Hotel Manager, you might just get overwhelmed by the colossal amount of work ahead of you. Nowadays, hoteliers are expected to be 100% digitalized, mobile-oriented, able to propose a differentiated and consistent offer, and get the right product at the right price at the right moment to the right guest (just after being at the right place). What a program!

Most hotels are using different sales channels as well as their own booking engine. The common point between all these tools is that the hotelier sets the price in the hopes of reaching the right guests with the right price at the right moment. A bidding system allows you to do all three by reversing the pricing model. The basic mechanism is as follows: the hotel displays a public price while guests can make offers based on their budget and expectations (which can subsequently be accepted or not by the hotel).

Bidding is all about offering the right price at the right moment to the right guest.

Let's take a look at a few systems currently available on the market. You will see that each of them is answering different needs.

Target 1: Boost your occupancy rate and early bookings

The original bidding model is the auction model, where a hotel sets a minimum price, which is the starting price for the auction. During the auction period (a few hours/ a few days), different auctioneers bid against each other and the best offer wins at the auction term.

An example of this solution is bidtotrip.com or loisirsencheres.com. This type of system is especially suitable for leisure hotels, nearby touristic destinations for advance bookings. On the counterparty, you must be ready to be very flexible in terms of pricing, and your guests must be patient and wait till the end of the auction. This waiting time is a real paint point at this day and age where immediacy is almost a given.

Target 2: Boost your Last-Minute sales

On the North American Market, Priceline (NYOP) rules the market, composed at +70% of branded chains, with their reverse-bidding model. In this model, you are not bidding against others but you are bidding among a range of hotels corresponding (more or less) to your specifications in a given geographical area. This model does not apply in Europe, where the market is composed of +70% independent hotels which makes it difficult to get a critical mass of hotels to affiliate.

Priceline's policy allows bidders on NYOP to specify their exact arrival and departure dates before bidding, along with its price match guarantee, but they do not get access to the hotel's name and a detailed list of amenities until the transaction is complete. Unlike Priceline, by clicking on the various offers of Hotwire, guests will get access to a list of amenities. In Asia, some similar systems exist, like travelspice.com

in India and a few others.

Apart from the high commissions charged, which refrains a lot of hotels to apply to these services, guest's expectations have changed over years and the volume of bookings are decreasing year after year. Guests expect to choose their hotel and no longer accept to go anywhere for a lower budget, without guarantee on the final product they are buying.

Target 3: Lower your OTA commissions

You can choose new OTA generations applying semi-bidding semi-discount models.

On bidroom.com, travelers pay an annual fee to book directly at discounted prices and be able to replace their booking done on Booking.com, Expediaby a booking at a lower price in direct. Hotels are not charged with any commission.

Registering your hotel on this platform means you are ready to give up part of your margin (min 5%) to Bidroom guests, and if a guest would like to replace an existing Booking.com or Expedia booking by a better one, he can send the booking to Bidroom and the Company negotiates a better price with you, with no commission, under 48h. This is the bidding side of the system.

Given the commissions OTAs are charging, it can be an option to sell a few rooms along the year, provided that the OTA invests a lot in marketing, which is a real challenge.

Boost your direct sales and cover Target 1+2+3:

The above-mentioned models are all OTA (Online Travel Agency) solutions. But as you may know already, one of the latest trend in the hospitality market is to go back to direct booking.

Therefore, if you would like to boost your direct bookings, a solution is to choose a direct bidding engine where guests bid their own price directly, without intermediary and without commissions, on your website. If the solution allows in addition to sell in Night & Day-use, it is even better, as the same room can be sold twice in 24h! This is the type of solution provided by privatedeal.com.

But the system provides more functionalities than a simple bidding engine. For one, PrivateDeal collects data of both accepted and rejected offers, which can be really helpful for hotels, in particular to adapt their floor price. Moreover, the solution includes an automated negotiation tool (it offers a different price when the client's is below the target) which is very valuable in driving more conversions.

This solution gives hotels the opportunity to sell at the right guest a room at the right price and the right moment, without involving long studies about how to set a hypothetic ideal price. It calculates in real time the price guests are ready to pay to stay at your hotel which, in the end, is one of the most valuable information you can have to refine your yield management.
Opinion Article

13 December 2018

Leisure travelers love to wait in lines, on-hold on phone calls, and spend a bunch of time on their device of choice researching and booking reservations, excursions, airport transfers, right? No, of course not! And yet, think about many of today's initial arrival and subsequent hotel guest experiences: Guests who have to wait in line to check in. Who arrive in their room and perhaps find some amenities missing or extras desired. Who have to navigate an imperceptibly-small, under-detailed rendition of the property's map to determine how to get where they want to go. And who, before they even begin to enjoy their vacation time, feel the urgency to book their dinner reservations just so that they have the peace of mind of during their stay.

We, as an industry, can do better with an innovative solution: let artificial intelligence sweat the small stuff that hoteliers used to have to staff-up to manage. Use that AI in the powerful combination with your existing skilled human workforce to take your guest relations to the next level. Here's an overview how.

Don't let the term "AI" scare you

The AI applied in hospitality today doesn't refer to some futuristic cyborg or even playful-looking robots bringing towels to a guest's door. AI is merely a computer program that can learn for itself over time, instead of requiring the programmer to write code for every possible outcome. It's a learn-and-response feedback loop that allows the program to improve and refine its responses over time. Think about a recommendation engine on Netflix or Amazon - as you rate your movie preferences or buy certain items, these sites make more and (and hopefully) better customized recommendations to you. Think about voice assistants like Apple's Siri or Google's Home. They are constantly learning and growing, both in terms of the devices' collective intelligence and then in its customized output for the individual user. The more collected inputs these AI algorithms gather, the better and faster they can deliver refined outputs. When AI is deployed to serve human customers, the goal is to provide a better, faster, more customized and consistent experience. A satisfied customer means a loyal consumer, which increases product or service consumption and generates revenue now and in the future.

Now put this in the context of guest services. Many common guest requests get repeated over and over: check-in/check-out/stay extensions, room changes, wake-up alarms, housekeeping and room maintenance services, restaurant reservations or in-room dining orders, even special occasion recognition. Imagine being able to automate the back-and-forth flow of communications of these requests and to integrate them with both your human interactions and back-end technologies, and deploying the fastest, best solution in potentially seconds rather than minutes, depending upon what the situation requires. Think that time savings alone would make for happier guests? Absolutely!

AI improves the guest experience

Some of this automation has been happening for a while. Guests already can, for example, check out using a dedicated in-room television guest services channel or mobile app. Some hotels have loyalty programs that track guest preferences and strive to ensure these preferences are pre-accommodated for the guest's stay. But these hard-coded, static solutions aren't intelligent; they aren't dynamically learning and improving. Most importantly, almost no guests actually use any of these solutions! One senior leader from a 500+ room hotel reported that only about 14 guests per month checked out using a TV or an app.

Today's AI - like smartconcierges  can actually up the ante for guest services because they are proactive, dynamic, and can learn to predict and detect differences in circumstances, to react differently, and to deliver different outcomes as the situation calls for. AI can communicate with hundreds of guests at the same time, in real-time, on the guest's terms. AI can be programmed to upsell and up-service, and it can do so, even while handling voluminous and concurrent guest requests without skipping a beat. Plus, AI provides measurable, useful analytic data that its human counterparts could never give.

When it comes to AI, though, the travel and hospitality industry hasn't kept pace with the rest of the big industry sectors. According to 2017 research by the McKinsey Global Institute, 40% of all businesses are just waiting on the sidelines, contemplating AI, and of all the industries, Travel and Tourism ranks in the bottom three for low AI adoption. In 2011, analyst firm Gartner predicted that, "By 2020, 85% of customer interactions will be managed without a human." Think about all of the highly intuitive interactions that now get initiated and/or completed by mobile apps, voice commands, recommendation engines, logins that pre-populate profile data, IP addresses and GPS data points that help identify a guest's location, and you can begin to see that Gartner may not be that far off in its predictions. This world of ambient computing or ambient intelligence, as it's now being described, will continue to transform the hospitality industry and the world as we know it.

People have come to expect guest experiences that, at the bare minimum, mimic those that they have in their everyday lives. But when it comes to travel, today's guests expect even more. They expect unparalleled and connected experiences, and hotels must deliver. Future-proofing guest service requires that hotels must provide consistent, personalized, real-time, and omnichannel experiences. Today's AI solutions can help them achieve that.
Revenue per available room up 6.4 Percent to CAD89.24

The Canadian hotel industry recorded positive year-over-year results in the three key performance metrics during the week of 2-8 December 2018, according to data from STR.

In comparison with the week of 3-9 December 2017, the industry reported the following:

 Occupancy: +3.0% to 61.2%

 Average daily rate (ADR): +3.3% to CAD145.89

 Revenue per available room (RevPAR): +6.4% to CAD89.24

Among the provinces and territories, Quebec reported the largest increase in RevPAR (+22.4% to CAD114.22), driven by the only double-digit lift in ADR (+10.3% to CAD161.68) and the second-highest rise in occupancy (+11.0% to 70.6%).

Manitoba experienced the largest increase in occupancy (+11.7% to 72.9%) and the only other double-digit jump in RevPAR (+17.3% to CAD92.45).

Six of the 11 reporting provinces and territories saw RevPAR growth.

The Northwest Territories posted the second-largest increase in ADR (+8.5% to CAD167.26), but saw the steepest decline in occupancy (-19.6% to 63.9%).

Newfoundland and Labrador posted the largest decreases in ADR (-9.7% to CAD119.26) and RevPAR (-24.7% to CAD53.93).

Prince Edward Island experienced the second-largest drop in occupancy (-19.2% to 36.8%), which resulted in the second-steepest decline in RevPAR (-19.8% to CAD39.98).

STR provides clients from multiple market sectors with premium, global data benchmarking, analytics and marketplace insights. Founded in 1985, STR maintains a presence in 10 countries around the world with a corporate North American headquarters in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and an international headquarters in London, England. For more information, please visit str.com.

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The Independent Lodging Congress yesterday announced that registration is officially open for the organization's first event in Florida, INDIE Confab: Miami.

The Independent Lodging Congress yesterday announced that registration is officially open for the organization's first event in Florida, INDIE Confab: Miami. Taking place on February 7, 2019 in Miami's arts hub of Wynwood, INDIE Confab: Miami will connect creative provocateurs and disruptors from the worlds of hotels, food & beverage, design, and finance. With topics ranging from climate change to the dissection of a specific hotel deal in the South Florida hospitality scene, INDIE Confab: Miami will inspire and ignite strategic ideation for the next generation of independent hotel owners and operators.

Confirmed speakers for this year's event include to date: Rami Zeidan, Co-Founder and CEO of Life House Hotels; Neil Shah, President & COO of Hersha Hospitality Trust; Bradley Kilgore, chef and owner of Kilgore Culinary; Elizabeth Wheaton, Environment + Sustainability Director for Miami Beach; Avra Jain, Founder of The Vagabond Group; Steven Haigh, Co-Founder and General Manager of KYU Miami, David Kelly, Professor of Economics and Director of Sustainable Research Cluster/University of Miami, and Keith Menin, Principal of Menin Hospitality.

"Our Annual Confabs are all about taking a dive and exploring the hospitality scene in various cities," said Andrew Benioff, Founder & Chairman of the Independent Lodging Congress. We chose Miami because of its interesting community, culture and stew of people. It's a hot bed of innovation, especially in terms of independent hospitality."

Located at The LAB Miami in Wynwood, the 2019 INDIE Confab: Miami will offer attendees the opportunity to listen, learn and engage with industry powerhouses as they share stories of success, failure and their predictions for the future of the independent hospitality business. INDIE Confab: Miami follows the successful Independent Lodging Congress 2018 3-day event held in October 2018, where speakers included Brad Wilson from Ace Hotels, Amar Lalvani of Standard International; Mark Harmon of Auberge Resorts; Katherine Lo of Eaton Workshop; Benjamin Sinclair of Faena Group; Susan Spinney of Expedia and more than 50 other leading hospitality industry executives and entrepreneurs.

The Independent Lodging Congress has become what attendees and speakers have called the "gathering for disruptors in hospitality and travel," and is the first conference focused on generating change by challenging their attendees and asking the uncomfortable questions that lead to provocative conversation and actionable resolution.

Supporting sponsors of INDIE Confab: Miami include CallisonRTKL, Kelvin Slush, and Borges Architects. Founding sponsors include Llenrock Realty Partners and Eagle Point Hotel Partners.

Discounted rates will be available for hotel and restaurant owners and developers. Members of the media who wish to cover INDIE Confab: Miami can apply for press credentials in advance by contacting ILC@Magrinopr.com.

To learn more about INDIE Confab: Miami and the Independent Lodging Congress, register or to become a sponsor for the 2019 event, please visit: www.ilcongress.com.

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Love is in the air as the late December breeze starts to roll in and push us towards Christmas. The most wonderful time of the year is here, and hearts are warm and filled with delight. Bhad Bhabie must be feeling the Christmas spirit, because she stepped out of her devil-may-care persona for a moment to help orchestrate a romantic moment for a couple at her Australian show.

As reported by TMZ, Bhad Bhabie was performing at her sold-out concert Tuesday (December 11) at the 170 Russell venue in Melbourne. After performing a song, she called a girl onto the stage. Bhabie feigned as if she was just calling her on stage to rap to her, but her boyfriend soon followed her up to the platform. As a crowd of mostly females screams in high pitch fervor, the boyfriend gets down on one knee and proposes to his girl. Someone from behind the DJ Booth then throws a wad of cash in the air, making it rain on the excited couple. Luckily, his girl said yes. That would have been awkward otherwise. Sources tell TMZ that the boyfriend had planned this proposal for a while. He reached out to Bhabie's camp, and they approved the entire thing.
Kodak Black is gearing up to release his forthcoming album, Dying To Live this Friday. Over the past few days, Kodak's been on a heavy press run and clearly, there's a lot to be discussed. He hasn't done many interviews since his release from prison this summer. However, he recently made a pit stop at Hot97 earlier today. Things took a sharp left when Ebro brought up Kodak's sexual assault case, prompting the Florida rapper to walk off. Now, Ebro has issued a statement on the extremely awkward interview, saying he wasn't trying to ignore the serious allegations against Kodak.

Shortly after his awkward encounter with Kodak Black, Ebro took to Twitter to speak his peace on the interview. The radio host said that he was simply trying to have a conversation with Kodak without ignoring the fact that the Florida rapper is facing some serious allegations.

"I was tryna have a balanced convo with Kodak Black & not ignore the serious allegations against him but also not ask specifics to make his situation worse," he wrote. "And he wanna get an attitude with me?? Nah...."

After catching flack from the Internet, Ebro reiterated that he was given an ultimatum by Kodak in the situation, but he still hopes that he'll end up getting Kodak Black on the show. He described Kodak as a "smart guy" and said that the rest of the interview was "honest and balanced."

Peep his tweets below.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1072959105592102912

https://twitter.com/_/status/1072976176468164608

https://twitter.com/_/status/1072994579329310725


The criminal trial against Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is gaining complexity as witnesses are continuing to share their testimonies with the court. One of the drug lord's former employees has come forward with new information concerning the means of transportation they had employed within the operation.

Ex-Sinaloa cartel member turned informant Tirso Martinez Sanchez, testified on Monday. He claimed that Chapo had a train route that brought cocaine into New York City directly from Mexico. Chapo decided who could use the train route, Sanchez said, according to the New York Post. Sanchez said he started his new gig as the convoy operator in 2000. The person who held the position before him had ended his life, shooting himself in the face. Another person who had been in this position had also died, though accidentally as they passed during "plastic surgery."





Drew Angerer/Getty Images

The cars they used came to Mexico through as a legitimate business. The cartel would empty out their tanks from the cooking oil, swapping the original contents with kilos of cocaine. Oil would be added later in case the train would be stopped by legal authorities and their drug-sniffing dogs.

Sanchez claims to have stepped away from the operation after police raided three of the cartel's warehouses. He felt too much pressure, after their loss of cocaine valued at $100 million.

They wanted to kill me because I had lost the train route, that means of transport, he told jurors. I just didnt want to keep going.

He fled, leaving Guzman and his associates behind. In 2014, Sanchez was arrested and extradited to New York where he entered a guilty plea for importation and distribution charges.
Here's a stat for you: since 2007, Gucci Mane has never released less than three projects in a calendar year. In fact, he's only released less than five in a year twice (in 2012 and 2017). Beyond the sheer insanity of dropping that much music consistently, bear in mind that Gucci spent almost three cumulative years of the past 11 behind bars, most of that served during a two-year stint between May 2014 and May 2016 (during which time he still put out a whopping 31 projects). Why am I burdening you with all of this information? Because it took Gucci until the 48th week of the year to put out any sort of project in 2018. As a result, Evil Genius arrives with weight that's unprecedented in Gucci's career, perhaps only matched by the anticipation for his first post-prison release in 2016, the aptly-titled Everybody Looking.

It's ridiculous to expect any artist of any medium to be able to continue at the pace that Gucci's given us for the past decade-plus, and if the wait for Evil Genius was simply a result of Wop wanting to chill out and enjoy his newlywed life for a minute, he deserves it. But whatever his reasoning, he has to know the heightened expectations that come with taking far more time than usual to deliver a full-length. Even if Gucci's only been working on Evil Genius for the past month, listeners are going to treat it like the only thing he's ever devoted a full year to making. The album inevitably shoulders that load, whether it's meant to be an ambitious statement of intent or merely a simple reminder that Gucci can make decent trap music in his sleep.

So what are Evil Genius' aspirations? It's clear from the start that Gucci's 13th official album falls somewhere in the middle of that spectrum, at least in the general terms of a 2018 rap album. There's high production value, nicely A&R'd collaborations, and attention paid to hooks, but no thematic through-line or major stylistic departures. By Gucci's slapdash standards, though, Evil Genius is decidedly on the more ambitious end of his spectrum. A Bruno Mars-assisted radio play like "Wake Up in the Sky" may be par for the course on another artist's album, but for someone who once released three tapes in one day, it's a big deal to be the lead artist on something that well-positioned for crossover appeal. Ornate, lightly avant-garde beats paired with hooks from pop-ready vocalists like Quavo and Lil Skies (on "Lost Y'all Mind" and "Mad Russian," respectively) are by no means rarities for other rappers of Gucci's stature, but when your day-one fans are used to hearing the poorly-mastered vocals of what seems like a dozen DJs yelling all over your classic tapes, you might as well be releasing My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

Production-wise, I think this sort of polish and attention to detail pans out in Gucci's favor. He's rapped over his fair share of instant-classic instrumentals in his career, but in the past you had to wade through hundreds of trap-by-numbers placeholders to get there. You can't even expect Zaytoven, one of the few producers that Gucci says can keep up with his frantic pace, to be able to churn out 100% interesting beats in a 12-hour session that yields 10 songs. This time, a crack team headlined by Southside and Murda Beatz use the more ominous side of Gucci's legacy as a jumping-off-point for beats that are more ambient and arresting. "Off The Boat" and "Father's Day" both utilize awesome false starts that rope in old-school R&B samples and then drop them out in favor of something more menacing. The synth tones on tracks like "By Myself," "Outta Proportion," "I'm Not Goin," and "Money Callin" are beautifully composed, not terribly out of the ordinary for trap music, but just enough so that the songs sound fresh. Honorable C.N.O.T.E.'s staggering, gothic beat on "Just Like It" is exceptional. "Mad Russian" finds Murda conjuring up some of the same wispy female vocals he used on Migos' excellent "Gang Gang" earlier this year, making a Dido collab album a complete necessity for him going forward.

In this department, Evil Genius far outstrips its easiest comparison in Gucci's discography, last year's guest-heavy Mr. Davis. Gucci's better at playing a villain-gone-straight than a trapper-gone-populist, and aside from the completely out-of-place "Wake Up in the Sky" and listless Quality Control posse cut "Solitaire," Evil Genius doesn't set out to water down his sound at all. What it does do, unfortunately, is FaceTune one of rap's best spontaneous thinkers, giving us carefully-plotted hooks that fall flat and far fewer flashes of freestyled brilliance than we've come to expect from Gucci.

Wop still gets some characteristically memorable bars off, like a slick reference to J. Cole's "Neighbors" on the intro track, a claim that he'd fight Floyd Mayweather for 50 million dollars on "On God," or the line, "You'll get cropped out the picture like Puff did the Kardashians" on "Money Callin." Generally speaking though, something feels off lyrically. There are times when Gucci's onto something, but it's either overwritten or half-baked. His hooks often get grating, stretching on for full paragraphs when a sentence or two (or even just a word or two) would suffice. The effect is somewhat akin to a student trying to fill space on an essay to meet a page count by using long, overly complex words when simple ones would suffice. We know that Gucci's perfectly capable of turning something as simple as the word "Burr" into a hook; hearing him try to lodge the ten-line hook of "Cold Shoulder" into our minds comes off as a needlessly involved fool's errand.

Evil Genius is at its best when its polish and precision are used in service of short, succinct songs. The middle stretch of "On God," "Father's Day," and "Outta Proportion" is the album's finest moment, and none of those songs are over 2.5 minutes long. Perhaps taking cues from the SoundCloud generation's aversion to multiple verses and hooks, Gucci delivers infectious cuts that leave you wanting more, which is saying something for such a workaholic artist. Evil Genius as a whole should have that effect too, considering this year's uncommon Gucci scarcity, but it's too long-winded and pristine to retain much of the spark of Gucci's best material.
Tempers flared during a recent interview between Kodak Black and Ebro, prompting the Dying To Live rapper to cut the conversation short. Though Kodak originally stopped by to discuss his upcoming album, the Hot 97 host closed the conversation by addressing Black's upcoming sexual assault trial.

"It's good to meet you man," starts Ebro, clearly sitting on the inevitable bomb drop. "Looking at all your cases man, and everything you've been through, and I know the recent one is very sensitive. With respect to everybody involved in that case, and we can't get into details, but we take sexual assault very serious. We can't get into details, but we hope to have you back so we can have a deeper conversation about that, because it's a serious topic. We're hearing these stories a lot."

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrTaIdWA0JM



The speech prompts an uncomfortable silence from Kodak, who appears visibly angered by Ebro's words. His seething does not go unnoticed, as Ebro, somewhat aggressively, observes that Kodak seems upset that it was brought up at all. The subsequent cuts to Rosenberg and Laura are unintentionally comedic in their awkwardness, though Kodak is far from amused. Ebro merely stares on, challenging the rapper.

"I feel like," says Kodak, shifting uncomfortably. "Sometimes when n***s like me going through shit, ya'll be entertained by bullshit. Change the subject or I finna walk out." Rosenberg attempts to keep the peace, but Ebro's mind is made up. "We don't have to talk about nothing else," says Ebro. "We can be done right here." Kodak agrees, and proceeds to walk out. As they cut to "commercial," Ebro can be heard declaring "you won't tell me what to talk about on my show."

While not quite Birdman on Breakfast Club levels of awkwardness, it certainly toes the line. Ebro took to Twitter to address the debacle, in a series of tweets as seen below. As we know, Kodak Black is currently awaiting trial for sexual assault, which is set to take place in April 2019.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1072959105592102912

https://twitter.com/_/status/1072981761167122432

https://twitter.com/_/status/1072976446208000000

https://twitter.com/_/status/1072973690718093313


Krispy Kreme donuts wants to congratulate everyone for making it halfway through the week with a special deal on their circular snacks. Pulling back their annual event Day of the Dozens," Krispy Kreme is letting you buy a dozen doughnuts, with a second dozen for just $1.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1071901806874255360



All you gotta do is find a location near you that's participating and cash in your two dozen orders and throw down $1 for your second box. Theres a limit of two redemptions per customer which means you can only get a max of four dozen boxes.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1072882670454128640



One person who's probably cashing in on the donuts is none other than Shaq who previously mentioned how he owns one location but plans on owning 100 of the stores.

"Krispy Kreme prides itself on spreading joy and supporting local communities, and that's a cause that I am thrilled to be a part of," Shaq previously stated when discussing his investment in the franchise. "Our goal is to help people find their happy place, and what better way than with a box of delicious Krispy Kreme doughnuts."
Lil Reese isn't slowing down this year. The Chicago rapper's dished out a whole lot of music within the past year including his recently released EP, Normal Bckwrds which arrived in October. Although it's been a bit over a month since he released the project, he's giving fans a little extra something before the year ends. Today, he comes through with his latest track, "Small Talk."

Lil Reese is back with his latest song, "Small Talk." The rapper's latest track follows the release of his music video for "Ludacris" that he released around the time of his latest EP. Reese dishes out a haunting drill track filled with eerie tales from the streets of Chicago over piano-driven production. Hopefully, we'll get some more new music from Reese at the beginning of 2019.

Quotable Lyrics

Boy I'mma get it

Fuck n***as if they ain't widdit

All my n***as, yeah they been widdit

'Cause a lot of n***as really bitches
UFC 233 will no longer be held on January 26 in Anaheim, California due to "a combination of factors."

One of the co-main events, pitting Bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw against Flyweight champ Henry Cejudo had already been moved up to the main event slot of UFC on ESPN+ on January 19 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

According to ESPN's Brett Okamoto, it has not yet been determined whether Anaheim will host the UFC 233 PPV once it is rebooked.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1072932865497649152



As a result of the UFC 233 switch-up, Ben Asrken's UFC debut against Robbie Lawler will have to wait a little longer. ESPN's Ariel Helwani reports that as of now the plan is for Askren (18-0) vs Lawler (28-12) to take place in Las Vegas on March 2. That said, Askren says he's still ready to fight in January if need be.

"I was ready and willing to save the day for my new bosses. Heck, I'm ready to fight tomorrow," Askren said in a text to ESPN's Ariel Helwani. "If Robbie needs a little more time get ready to lose to me, so be it. Though I'd be more than happy to fight in Brooklyn and then kick his ass on March 2."

https://twitter.com/_/status/1072939752163291141



Additionally, the UFC 233 flyweight bout between Joseph Benavidez (25-5) and Deiveson Figueiredo (15-0) is likely to be moved to the ESPN+ event in BK on January 19. Helwani also notes that the Cynthia Calvillo vs. Cortney Casey fight, which was originally scheduled for UFC 233, has been moved to February 17 in Phoenix.

UFC 234, which is scheduled for February 10 in Melbourne, Australia, will continue to carry the UFC 234 title, according to Okamoto.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1072932451650031617



https://twitter.com/_/status/1072949175426269184


Sunnova

The solar energy market in Texas is small, generating less than 1 percent of the state's energy needs, but it's growing.

Over the next five years, Texas is expected to install 4,266 megawatts of solar power, tripling the state's current installed solar capacity, and making Texas the third fastest-growing solar energy producer behind California and Florida, according to a report by the research group Wood Mackenzie and the Solar Energy Industries Association. One megawatt can power about 200 homes in Texas on a hot summer day.
As a film fan who moved to Houston last year, I was looking forward to exploring the citys movie theaters, those hallowed darkened rooms  noisy audiences, blinding cell-phone glare and the siren song of streaming at home aside  that still can be the best places to appreciate the moving image, whether its the visual artistry of Roma or the superhero joys of Black Panther.

Recommendations were made and dutifully noted: Landmark River Oaks and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston for arthouse fare; 14 Pews and Aurora Picture Show for indie cinema and documentaries; Alamo Drafthouse for its adventurous programming and much-appreciated you-text-you-talk-you-die philosophy; AMC Houston 8 for downtown convenience (but not if you need to park); Rice Media Center for the Houston Cinema Arts Film Festival and Regal Edwards MarqE Stadium 23, Regal Grand Parkway 22 (formerly the Palladium), Cinemark Memorial City, AMC Loews Fountain 18, or iPic Houston for anything loud and CGI-saturated.

Yet one multiplex didnt make this list and has become one of my favorite moviegoing spots in town: AMC Studio 30.

Mary Poppins Returns Fan Event When: 7 p.m. Tuesday Where: AMC Dolby Cinemas including AMC Studio 30, 2949 Dunvale Rd., Houston as well as AMC Willowbrook 24, Houston, AMC Gulf Pointe 30, Houston; AMC First Colony, Sugar Land; AMC Deerbrook 24, Humble; AMC Katy Mills 20, Katy. Details: $18; attendees receive a collectible pin and a download of the soundtrack. The film is rated PG for some mild thematic elements and brief action. amctheatres.com. See More Collapse

Yes, I can hear the groans from here: Isnt it just another example of bland, big-box moviegoing, showing Ralph Breaks the Internet on 29 screens and Dr. Seuss The Grinch on the other? Or, Isnt it just a little dangerous? (Insert comment here about the 2013 incident in which a gunman was killed after shooting an armored car driver during an attempted broad-daylight robbery in the theaters parking lot. Point taken.)

But AMC Studio 30, perhaps because it simply has so many screens to fill, has become a cinematic blessing in corporate disguise. It is the theater for fans of films from China, Hong Kong, South Korea, the Philippines and the Indian sub-continent. Its not that other theaters dont sometimes show these films, but AMC Studio 30 has more of them more consistently.

This week, for example, the theater is showing eight movies from the region including Default, the lauded South Korean financial thriller starring Yoo Ah-In whos now getting acclaim for another Korean film Burning; 2.0, the science-fiction/fantasy film thats the most expensive movie ever made in India; the South Korean thriller Unstoppable starring Dong-Seok Ma, aka Don Lee, from the cult hit Korean film Train to Busan, the Hindi-language comedy-drama Badhaai Ho, the Chinese comedy A Cool Fish, and the Philippine family comedy-drama Three Words to Forever.

That was no aberration. In previous weeks, it was the place to see the Chinese film Project Gutenberg starring Chow Yun-Fat, the crazy-cool South Korean period-piece zombie film Rampant or the Philippine romantic drama First Love.

This is the main reason why AMC Studio 30 is in my theatrical rotation even though I dont live anywhere near it.

English-language indies, too

According to Nikkole Denson Randolph, AMCs vice president of content strategy and inclusive programming, its no accident that AMC Studio 30 has become a home for so many Asian movies. She says that AMC has been trying to reach different audiences in different ways and that distributors of Indian movies had pointed out to her that AMC Studio 30s southwest Houston location made it an ideal venue for their movies.

What we did is we went and circled back, did more homework as to what that neighborhood is like, she says in a phone interview. So, now it is our go-to. Theres probably a handful (of theaters) that we have across the circuit that are go-tos for (films featuring) multiple languages.

Yet its not just with Asian movies that AMC Studio 30 stands out. It will often book intriguing, below-the-radar American or European indie movies like the Eminem-co-produced battle-rap drama Bodied from Houston-born director Joseph Kahn, the ambitious African-American romance A Boy. A Girl. A Dream., the moody, science-fiction drama Jonathan starring Ansel Elgort from Baby Driver, the crime drama Galveston starring Ben Foster and Elle Fanning; and the Irish period drama Black 47 starring Aussies Hugo Weaving (The Matrix) and James Frecheville (Animal Kingdom).

Little promotion

But, blink and youll miss em, as these films often land with little of the promotion awarded the likes of Creed II. Neither AMC nor the smaller distributors that often handle these films do a very good job of letting the broader public know theyre playing.

Randolph concedes its an issue. I share that frustration, she says. I feel we could probably be doing a better job and I think youre going to see this in the next year or two  . Were getting better at social (media) and doing very direct targeting to folks amongst our loyalty base: If youve seen these types of movies, youll love this.

In the meantime, you have to diligently check the AMC site or movie-ticketing sites on a weekly basis. And many filmgoers do find these movies.

We do get feedback saying, Wow, thank you  I really didnt think you were going to play this, Randolph says. But we do have to continue to educate our managers on what (these movies) are. Theyll see something with a certain name and they will inquire, Well, what is this? Its constant education, internally.

On the Indian cinema side, those folks find those films. Were starting to see that a lot with the Mandarin films as well  . When folks are finding them, they appreciate them and they appreciate it by showing up again and again.

New technology

The other bad rap on AMC Studio 30, opened in 1997, was that it wasnt as technologically or ergonomically advanced as some of the other theaters in town even though it added an IMAX auditorium in 2013.

But that knock became a little less true with the recent debut of the 268-seat Dolby Cinema auditorium, one that has been outfitted with Dolby Atmos immersive audio, Dolby Vision and recliner seats. (A few other local AMC multiplexes  AMC Gulf Pointe 30 and AMC Willowbrook 24 in Houston, AMC Deerbrook 24 in Humble, AMC First Colony in Sugar Land, and AMC Katy Mills 20 in Katy  have Dolby Cinemas, too.)

The idea behind Dolby Atmos is that we have the ability to individually control every speaker and multiple channels in such a way that we can actually make sound move around the room, says Frank Bryant, senior vice-president of Dolby Laboratories Cinema Business Group, in a phone interview. We can take an individual sound like, say, a helicopter and remove that from all the rest of the sound  . We can move that sound around overhead. It gives the illusion that the action is taking place completely around you.

The second piece of Dolby Cinema is the Dolby Vision projection system that  gives you really amazing depth of field. It allows consumers to see Batman standing in a shadow instead of just being like, Where did Batman go? 

Dolby Cinemas are also being used for special features, such as Tuesdays Mary Poppins Returns Fan Event.

Admission to Dolby Cinema is going to set you back a bit more than a general screening  $14.99 adult/$11.99 child for a Sunday evening screening of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse for instance  but, as a recent showing of Ralph Breaks the Internet I attended proved, the Dolby technology is thunderously impressive. (In 2016, the tech site CNET proclaimed Dolby Cinema the best movie-going experience today though the ultra-immersive 4DX auditorium coming to Regal Edwards MarqE is going to give them a run for their money.)

Yes, there are certainly theaters that are swankier or have cooler, more chef-driven food options but, yeah, whatever. Ive come to realize that, a year after arriving in town, Im now totally ride-or-die for AMC Studio 30.

cary.darling@chron.com
Vox Lux is a film very much of its time, and yet fiercely in opposition to its time  utterly modern yet evincing utter repulsion at modernity. Through the story of a teenage girl who is wounded in a school shooting and grows up to be a Lady Gaga-like popstar, the film aspires to tell the moral history of the 21st century. And it does.

Yes, this is the movie our century deserves, with its mood that is never quite despairing because you cant have despair if youve never had hope. Rather, the feeling of Vox Lux is one of numb horror.

Its set in the year 2000, and the first thing we see is a disturbed young man walking down a street at night, looking as if the whole coming century is rattling inside his head and screaming in a thousand voices. From there, we cut to the next morning, a high school music class in the New Brighton section of Staten Island. The teacher (Maria Dizzia) is taking care of business and greeting her students back from a break. And because director Brady Corbet keeps the camera trained entirely on the teacher, we believe that she is going to be a major character in the movie. But, a moment later the young man from the first scene walks in with a machine gun and kills the teacher and most of the students in the classroom.

Vox Lux is disturbing but in a way that isnt visceral. Its eerie and mental. From the beginning, Corbet, who also wrote the screenplay, invites the audience to witness the action from a slight remove. He uses a narrator  the voice of Willem Dafoe  to tell us the story of Celeste, who was in that classroom. Were told that Celeste is going to become an important figure in 21st-century culture, and the distinct implication is that this will not be a good thing, that despite her apparent innocence in the early going, she will be a vessel for emptiness and negation.

Surviving violence inspires Celeste (Raffey Cassidy) to write a pop song about her experience, and the first part of the movie shows her moving toward a career, with the help of an industry pro (a hard-bitten, New Yorky Jude Law) and a shy older sister (Stacy Martin). In the second part of the film, its 2017, and Celeste, now played by Natalie Portman, is a coarse megastar with an alcohol and drug problem.

Though the movie is only 110 minutes long, Corbet creates a feeling of expanse by letting scenes breathe. He manages time well, using narration to blast through exposition, and then settling in for long scenes that can exemplify the moment and advance his themes. Without overselling it, without preaching it, Corbet presents the 21st centurys problem as essentially a moral one. And being only 30 years old, Corbet is in a good position to critique the century. Its what he knows. His vision of modern America is untinged by anything like a middle-aged persons nostalgia for the era of his youth. Rather, this is a young adult saying, Look at the world you dropped me into.

In Vox Lux, we watch the characters working through their various crises, but the points and messages of the movie dont come through those actions but are rather communicated through remarks, casually dropped in conversation. The adult Celeste tells her daughter that everything old is now considered ugly, and everything new is horrible, but people love it anyway. She tells her sister that they live in a world without moral consequence. She tells her fans that if they want something to believe in, instead of God, they can believe in her.

Watch Portman closely. What might seem like an exaggerated performance is actually a strong portrait of someone functioning from inside a sense of entrapment and torment, someone distorted by a dim awareness of being a vehicle for something dark thats coming through her. This is not a flattering commentary on pop music, to be sure, but Corbets problem is not with pop music alone, its with a cultural that devalues life and individuality and promotes emptiness and ugliness.

At one point, he devotes a good 12 or 13 minutes to showing Celeste in concert. She sings entire songs, none of which weve ever heard, none of which are terrible but all of which are mediocre and entirely meaningless. He replicates the harsh mix of a live show, so the effect is like walking into a concert by a performer you dont know and dont like. There are dancers and synchronized choreography and the spectacle of Natalie Portman in a jumpsuit, and all of it is kind of lousy, but not much worse than Lady Gagas concert scenes in the last half of A Star is Born.

Except this time, we notice.

Vox Lux Rated R: for language, some strong violence, and drug content Running time: 110 minutes 5 stars See More Collapse

With Vox Lux, Corbet has made an insidious little masterpiece, one that uses modern techniques and a modern visual lexicon to show you everything thats dead within modernity.

mlasalle@sfchronicle.com
Five people died Wednesday in crashes throughout Harris County in a reminder that Houston is the deadliest metropolitan areas for motorists across the country.

The deadly day started around 7:30 a.m. when a woman walking in the 20000 block of FM 529 was hit by a car that eventually fled the scene.

She died before paramedics arrived, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

DEADLY: Houston Chronicle investigates why area roads are so deadly

Then, two hours later, a motorcyclist driving in the 2500 block of W. Bellfort Avenue  near Kirby Drive  died after crashing, according to Houston police. The circumstances of that crash were not immediately clear.

All was quiet on Houston roadways until 2:30 p.m. when a pickup truck driver careened across the grassy median along the Grand Parkway near FM 2920 and crashed into several vehicles, killing an elderly man and a woman, according to Harris County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Aric Alvers.

Several others  including the pickup truck driver  were rushed to hospitals with non-life threatening injuries.

"This is one of the worst crashes I've ever seen," Alvers said, adding that he's been on the job for more than two decades. "The totality, damage to multiple vehicles."

OUT OF CONTROL: In Texas, the cost of one crash

The truck driver spoke with investigators at the hospital and told them he did not remember what happened, Alvers said. He told authorities he has a history of seizures.

The driver was cooperating with detectives and did not appear to be intoxicated, Alvers said.

Finally, around 4:30 p.m., a pedestrian walking in the 5600 block of N. Shepherd Drive near W. Montgomery Road was struck by a red sedan, Houston police said.

That victim was rushed to an area hospital before they were pronounced dead.

On average, 640 people a year die on Houston-area roads, and 2,850 more are seriously injured.

The carnage, all factors considered, makes Houston the most deadly major metro area in the nation for drivers, passengers and people in their path, a Houston Chronicle analysis of 16 years of federal highway data reveals.

Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message
WASHINGTON  Julian Castro will begin raising money and travel again to the key political states of Iowa and New Hampshire now that his plan to seek the Democratic nomination for president in 2020 appears assured with a newly minted exploratory committee.

Castro, a former San Antonio mayor and housing secretary in the Obama administration, on Wednesday announced the new political entity in a video to supporters. He said he will announce whether hes running Jan. 12 on San Antonios West Side, where he grew up.

Between now and Jan. 12, Im going to get out around the country and continue to listen to Americans about their concerns. Ill be raising money from supporters and putting the building blocks of an organization in place, Castro said in an interview.

Castro said he would not accept PAC contributions, joining a trend of Democrats who refuse cash from political action committees in a nod to the partys progressive base.

The campaign is going to be focused on listening to the American people and being responsive to the American people and not to any sort of special interest, he said.

Castros early announcement could well give him an advantage over some Democrats mulling candidacies. He will get a burst of national attention Thursday with a scheduled appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on CBS.

On ExpressNews.com: Former SA mayor talks with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show

Mark Mellman, a Democratic pollster who has been involved in presidential elections since the 1980s, said Castro might have wanted to get out there early and before Beto (ORourke) and put his stake in the ground.

Mellman added: I wouldnt say that its a completely wide-open race, but I think Castro has as much claim on the title as most of the others do.

Castro also opens himself to early scrutiny and attacks from Republicans, as he swiftly experienced.

Theres arguably no bigger lightweight in the 2020 field than Julian Castro, Republican National Committee spokesman Michael Ahrens said in a statement.

Castro, 44, likely will be part of a bulging field of Democratic hopefuls declaring their candidacies in coming months. Among potential contestants are former Vice President Joe Biden and as many as seven U.S. senators: Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Kamala Harris of California, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Sherrod Brown of Ohio.

Other possible candidates include former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and media mogul Oprah Winfrey.

ORourke, a U.S. House member from El Paso who gained a national reputation by running a strong but losing race against Sen. Ted Cruz this year, met with Barack Obama in Washington after the election and may be planning to enter the contest.

Well have a whole bunch of talented people running for the nomination, Castro said. I think when people look around, theyre going to look for somebody that has a strong vision for the countrys future and thats actually shown they can get things done  and I have.

Castro has been viewed as a rising star since delivering the keynote address in 2012 at the Democrats nominating convention in Charlotte. He could well be the only Latino in a race at a time of Hispanics growing political strength in Texas and elsewhere. He would be among the younger entrants into the contest, appealing to those calling for generational change in the party.

Castro began planning his White House candidacy soon after leaving the Obama administration last year and has left little doubt that he will run. He followed the script of recent presidential hopefuls in writing a book  a family biography titled An Unlikely Journey  published in October by Little, Brown.

In addition to visits to Iowa and New Hampshire this year, he campaigned recently for candidates in Nevada and South Carolina, which follow in the 2020 schedule of primary season contests. In an interview, he acknowledged recent meetings with potential funders.

Im certainly leaning in a direction and I look forward to announcing that on Jan. 12, he said, stopping short of confirming his candidacy.

On ExpressNews.com: Castros trip to Iowa another must in presidential bid

Even though most political watchers dont consider Castro a leading contender, he said hes confident he can win the nomination - if he ultimately runs.

I cant think of a time of my life where I started out as a front runner, he said, addressing local media from the foyer of his longtime West Side home. There are a lot of people today in America that dont feel like front runners, and Im going to go speak to them.

Exploratory committees have become common tactics for presidential hopefuls. The term does not appear in election law or in Federal Election Commission rules, and legally they are no different than full-fledged candidate committees with their disclosure requirements and contribution limits. Rather, they are rhetorical devices deployed by politicians not yet prepared to formally declare candidacies.

Castros history - rising with twin brother Joaquin from a modest circumstance to attend Stanford and Harvard universities - likely will be a main component of his campaign in an era when compelling stories are viewed as essential for national candidacies.

He drew heavily from his family story with a video announcing the exploratory effort.

On ExpressNews.com: Castro gets personal about his family story in new memoir

Growing up in Texas, America wasnt just my home, my country. It was also a promise  a promise that my family could have a better life, he said, recalling his beloved immigrant grandmother and his mother, Rosie, who he described as the strongest person he has ever known.

This is a place where dreams can become real. No matter where were from, were united by the same daily needs  a good job, a good education for our kids, good health care, an affordable place to live. The need to be acknowledged for our contributions, not for our gender or who we love, he said.

So, Im taking a lesson from my mother. If we want to see a change in this country, we dont wait. We work. We make our future happen, he added.

Castro has set up a website for the exploratory committee: julianforthefuture.com
Thirty years ago, Fidel Tovar and Nina Garza honored the Virgen de Guadalupe, the patroness of the Americas and the unborn, with a pilgrimage from Helotes to the West Side.

The next year, five more people joined the 17-mile walk from Our Lady of the Guadalupe Catholic Church on Riggs Road in Helotes to its sister church, Our Lady of Guadalupe on El Paso Street in the West Side.

Wednesday, more than 200 people from both parishes made the spiritual trek honoring the Virgin on her feast day, Dec. 12.

On ExpressNews.com: The history of the Virgin de Guadalupe

Tovar was one of the faithful who walked on the shoulder of Bandera Road, carefully crossing busy intersections and maneuvering around congested traffic. He pushed his grandson in a stroller up a hill as they walked next to his wife, Maria de la Luz Tovar, one of two daughters and his son-in-law, all bundled up against the cold.

His walk is also a tribute to his grandfather, who once led family members 200 miles  from San Luis Potosi, Mexico, to Mexico City  to thank the Virgin for their good health.

For the past three years hes worked on a ranch in Uvalde, but each Dec. 12 hes traveled back to San Antonio for the pilgrimage he co-founded. No matter the location, he carries his familys answered prayers and tales others have shared with him of blessings bestowed upon them.

I want to do what my grandpa taught us, Tovar, 62, said. And keep the stories of the people in my heart.

Wednesday, when the walk ended at the West Side church shortly after 3 p.m., dinner was served to the marchers. Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller was there to welcome them and conduct a Mass at 6:30 p.m., concluding the Virgins feast day commemoration.

The day had started for the pilgrims at 6 a.m. with mariachis, followed by a bilingual Mass and a blessing. After a safety talk, Danza Azteca, clad in feathered headdresses and colorful costumes, gave the pilgrims a musical send-off as they headed toward the lanes of Loop 1604.

They walked alone, in pairs and in clusters. Some pushed strollers. Others carried signs bearing the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe. A dozen women recited the rosary aloud a good way ahead of a lone woman, who gripped a crucifix as she walked and whispered thanks to the Virgin.

The two parishes alternate as starting points. Last year, several hundred people walked from the church on the West Side to the one in Helotes.

On ExpressNews.com: 50 things to know about the Virgen de Guadalupe

The pilgrimage is a way of offering something in exchange for, or in thanks for, what the Lady of Guadalupe does, said Kathy Tragos, pastoral associate at the Helotes church.

Many people will walk for intentions, she said. Its an opportunity to walk for a good cause. Others will carry intentions for people who have asked them to walk for them. Individually theyre all together, so its all one community.

Joshua Gamez, 7, swung his arms as he stepped down the road in his new outfit bearing the traditional image of the Virgin Mary appearing before Saint Juan Diego near Mexico City in 1531. He walked beside his mother, Haydee Elias, 44; sister Abigail Gamez, 22; and Gamezs 9-month-old daughter, Iliana Puentes.

Elias has made the pilgrimage the past seven years for her children, who are 15 years apart.

Its like a thank you, she said. I asked the Virgin to send a son and she did.

Tragos said those that cant make the walk help out in other ways, such as staffing break stations and providing supplies.

As walkers trudged toward Leon Valley, they were met by volunteers offering water and fruit. Francisco Garcia, 47, gave Terri Salinas a fist bump when she handed him a cold water bottle from a parked black truck that bore two American flags. Salinas was part of one of the six support teams that were moving along the route, spaced every two miles.

Its a great opportunity to teach youngsters about community service, Salinas said.

Farther along Bandera road, Diana Nystedt, 60, and Elena Hernandez, 58, were among the group that trudged up a steep hill near the Loop 410 exit.

Ralph Guajardo, 48, ran from the church, enjoying three hours of solitude and classical music flowing through his earbuds before he stopped at Culebra and Zarzamora streets to walk with his wife and mother-in-law.

For me, its a day of reflection, he said. Its a holy day and theyre very religious, so I support them.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio devotions to Our Lady of Guadalupe

The noon mass at El Paso Street ended as the first walkers trickled into the church. Elena Elias, 48, one of the first walkers from Helotes, trudged past vendors selling Virgin of Guadalupe T-shirts hung on a chain link fence. She stepped into the sanctuary after 1 p.m., as parishioners sought blessings from Father Mark McKenzie, the churchs associate pastor.

The people are wonderful, he said on the church steps. Their piety is deep and its beautiful. A lot of it is traced to the feast.

Vincent T. Davis is a reporter in the Greater San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | vtdavis@express-news.net | Twitter: @vincentdavis
WASHINGTON  Texas U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, distanced himself Wednesday from President Donald Trump's remarks welcoming a government shutdown over funding for a border wall.

"I've been here during government shutdowns," Cornyn said. "When the government reopens, the same problem is staring you in the face, because the government shut down in the first instance. So I don't understand the strategy. Perhaps the president has a strategy. I heard him talk about getting the military to build some of those physical barriers. That just remains to be seen. But I can tell you that right now I don't see the benefits of a shutdown strategy."

Cornyn said he shares Trump's "concern about border security" and "fully" supports the president's efforts to fund it. Cornyn, however, has long argued that border security involves more than physical barriers, but personnel and technology enhancements as well.

Erica Grieder, only at HoustonChronicle.com: Border security debates should be grounded in reality

Cornyn's remarks to Texas reporters echoed reservations among other top GOP leaders about Trump's on-camera clash Tuesday with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

"I am proud to shut down the government for border security," Trump said to Schumer and Pelosi in an unusual Oval Office encounter. "I will take the mantle. I will be the one to shut it down. I won't blame you for it."

Trump's willingness to shoulder the blame for any government shutdown stunned many Republicans in Congress and delighted Democrats, who view it as a political victory.

With time running out, it remains to be seen if Trump has painted himself into a corner or if he might settle for anything short of the wall, his central campaign promise.

Democrats have noted, however, that Trump's original promise was that Mexico would pay for it. Now he wants U.S. taxpayers to pick up the bill, which is estimated at about $25 billion.

Republicans had sought to put off a damaging shutdown fight until after the midterm elections in hopes of retaining control of the House. But with Democrats flipping 40 Republican-held seats to win back the majority, the GOP now finds itself fighting a rear-guard action to provide Trump with the wall money he wants before the new Congress convenes in January.

FIRST STEP: Sen. Ted Cruz pitches $25B border wall funding bill

So far, Democrats have agreed to the White House's original request of $1.6 billion for 2019. Trump has since upped that amount to $5 billion. Meanwhile, Schumer has proposed ending the standoff by simply extending the current $1.3 billion in wall funding for the next year, pushing the two sides even farther apart.

Although most of the government is funded into 2019, there are half dozen departments and agencies hanging in the balance, including NASA and the Department of Homeland Security, which covers money for the border wall.

A temporary funding measure keeping those agencies open expires on December 21, exposing thousands of "non-essential" government workers to the threat of unpaid furlough through the holiday season.

Prospects for a compromise seemed elusive Wednesday.

"We almost always find a way to come up with a compromise, but right now it's not real clear exactly what that would be," Cornyn said. "I would tell you that people's desire to go home and be with their family during the Christmas holidays is a strong inducement toward negotiation and hopefully compromise. But I sure didn't see much of that yesterday."
Regarding Texas leads nation in uninsured kids as gains slip away (HoustonChronicle.com, Dec. 6): Texas is better than this. That was my first reaction after reading about Georgetown Universitys report on the rising number of uninsured children in our country and one of its key findings: Texas leads the nation in children who lack coverage.

We know firsthand that investing early in the care and education of children makes economic sense and strengthens our country.

Medicaid and the Childrens Health Insurance Program provide essential health care to children of working families.

At Texas Childrens Hospital, we are so committed to increasing access and coverage for children we created a health plan, which now covers more than 440,000 children across Texas in Medicaid and CHIP. We have the nations largest pediatric primary care network, fund and embed state eligibility workers within our hospital and several community physician practices, and we partner with local organizations to hold health coverage outreach events, as well as advocate in Austin and Washington to keep CHIP and Medicaid funded.

This past election demonstrated health care matters to the electorate. How can we ease or eliminate existing political and administrative barriers for qualifying families to obtain coverage?

We are the state that took the first man to the moon, the state leading our country into energy independence, the community that rallied its resources and demonstrated to the world what courage and humanity mean after Hurricane Harvey. We are home to an impressive number of Nobel laureates; yet, we continue to struggle with insuring all children with health coverage. We can and must do better.

Mark A. Wallace, president and CEO, Texas Childrens Hospital

Sign of the times

Regarding Christmas tree options: Cut down or click on (Business section front, Tuesday): Picture excited young children as they open the Amazon-delivered Christmas tree; see parents, taking cell phone photos; and, the piece de resistance, such happy moments morphing into e-Christmas cards.

Perhaps Amazon sends a personal tree-decorator with each delivery.

And I wonder, do these children understand that trees of any sort are not born of cardboard cartons?

Rosemary Mackin, Houston

Please, no excuses

Regarding Hispanic families have more burdens at school by Esther Cepeda (Editorial/Outlook page, Monday): It is time we shifted our focus to students. I understand parents have hardships. I am a working mom of three kids. My kids are my responsibility. Besides putting food on the table, their education, safety and social well-being is my priority. I refuse to accept that poor kids cant fare well in schools.

As an experienced teacher in the United States and in India, I have seen poor kids perform better than not-so-poor kids. It all depends on the parents expectations. Regardless of how many jobs the parents are working or how irregular the job hours are, they are responsible for their kids learning and welfare. They can certainly find a few minutes in 24 hours to connect with their children to stress the importance of education and being respectful.

Lets stop making excuses for students failures and coming up with emotional excuses for lack of learning.

Asha Hooda, Houston
I was standing in the middle of one of the nations busiest Level I trauma centers when my phone exploded with a flurry of text messages.

The NRAs controversial tweet declaring that doctors stay in their lane was ricocheting across the internet, leaving my emergency medicine and trauma colleagues around the country flabbergasted. Who better to talk about the destruction than those tasked with piecing the victims back together?

I was introduced to the tragedy of gun violence in the late 90s as an emergency medicine intern on the South Side of Chicago. Now in Houston two decades later, I have treated so many victims that I long ago lost count.

PULITZER FINALIST: We the (gun) people

Last year, Memorial Hermann hospitals treated 661 gunshot victims, adults and children, a number that has only increased in recent years. At Red Duke Trauma Institute at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, our clinicians see an average of more than one patient with a bullet hole every day. And thats only one hospital in one city in America. Multiply that across the country, and you can begin to understand why doctors feel so strongly about this issue.

Recently, a group of health care providers signed a letter urging the gun lobby and Congress to join them in finding solutions. Its not a radical idea. In fact, this strategy has already been proven effective.

In the 1950s, a neurosurgeon named C. Hunter Shelden noticed a troubling trend. Hospital beds were filling with patients suffering from head injuries as a result of motor-vehicle collisions.

Called to action, Shelden published a landmark article in the Journal of the American Medical Association advocating for better safety features such as retractable seat belts, air bags and recessed steering wheels. His research led to the passage of a federal law mandating that all automobiles meet certain safety standards.

Detroit wasnt thrilled initially with the new oversight and fretted the new regulations would lead to higher prices for customers. The brave members of Congress persisted, fighting courageously to protect us. Backed by medical research, lawmakers passed even stronger regulations and established a federal agency charged with overseeing automobile safety.

Not surprisingly, many customers initially complained about the new inconveniences. But today, the automobile industry has fully embraced a culture of safety. Automobile makers now tout safety features as key selling points, and none of us would choose a car without these advances.

Motor-vehicle-related fatalities havent disappeared completely and likely never will as long as vehicles remain such an essential part of American life, but the number of deaths per mile traveled have plummeted by 80 percent since Shelden published his groundbreaking recommendations. Thats not a coincidence.

Nobody took away cars. A partnership between physicians, safety experts, auto manufacturers and our elected officials made them safer for everybody to use.

A similar approach should be applied to address gun safety.

Unfortunately, we are two decades behind. Congress quashed gun violence research with the 1996 passage of the Dickey Amendment, which prohibited the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from using funds to advocate for or promote gun control. This was widely interpreted as a ban on all firearm research. While clarified in 2018, the CDC still is forbidden to use government-appropriated funds to conduct any action that could be construed as advocating for or promoting gun control. Imagine the CDC being unable to advocate for air bags or seat belts after determining they save lives.

Instead of rallying around the research to make guns safer, we as a country are turning a collective blind eye to the grim reality that gun violence claims the lives of eight American children every day and 35,000 Americans each year.

Having access to a gun triples the risk of suicide, doubles the risk of homicide and makes death of a woman by an intimate partner five times more likely. A reduction in these senseless tragedies is unlikely until we can find a calm and rational way to address gun safety.

Lets drop the rhetoric and take a lesson from the automobile-safety playbook. Lets study the problem and partner on solutions to make guns and gun ownership safer for everyone.
I have long advocated for close ties between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia and have defended Saudi practices and norms to those unfamiliar with the Kingdom. But not now. The murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi assassins, and President Trumps woeful response, compel me to speak out against both.

In the early 1980s, I worked for a Saudi scholar at a Washington, D.C., think tank, helping him advocate for the controversial sale of U.S. AWACS surveillance planes to Saudi Arabia. I later joined an affiliate of the Saudi national oil company and was registered briefly with the Justice Department as representing Saudi interests. And earlier this year I visited the Saudi capital, Riyadh, to weigh a high-level job opportunity with a publicly traded Saudi company.

Saudi rule has changed dramatically in just the past two years. The crown prince and de factor ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, has jettisoned decades of traditional Saudi decision-making, a process known for being highly consultative and deliberate, albeit incremental. In contrast, Mohammed bin Salman appears to be taking a damn the torpedoes approach, engaging in a war in Yemen that has become a tragic humanitarian crisis and forcing a regional economic blockade against neighboring Qatar, a strong U.S. ally itself. The crown prince also has reportedly held the prime minister of Lebanon against his will and, on another occasion, placed leading Saudi businessmen and princes under house arrest to extract financial concessions.

The brutal assassination of Khashoggi, however, cannot be overlooked or go unanswered by the U.S. government. While Russia President Vladimir Putin may murder his critics abroad with poison, Russia is not a close U.S. ally like Saudi Arabia. Failure by the Trump administration to rebuke or sanction Saudi Arabia for the murder of Khashoggi would, in fact, be harmful to the U.S.-Saudi relationship and ultimately detrimental to world order and peace.

First, the United States stands as a leader among nations partly because of our global respect for human rights and the rule of law and due process. We lead by example and look to our allies to follow suit. Secondly, by failing to take steps against Saudi Arabia, President Trump sends a chilling signal to authoritarian leaders and allies everywhere that its okay to murder your critics.

Trump may choose to ignore the analysis of U.S. intelligence agencies that Mohammed bin Salman knew of the killing in advance and may even have ordered it. But it was inexcusable for the president to pardon the crown prince on Thanksgiving Eve by saying maybe he knew about it (the murder)  maybe he didnt. That dismissiveness is another way of saying the truth is irrelevant or inconsequential, neither of which is the case. The truth does matter, perhaps never more so than in cases of political assassination abroad and botched denials and attempted cover up.

While Trump may lay claim to mastering the art of the business deal, the art of international diplomacy has proven more difficult for the commander-in-chief. He reiterated on Thanksgiving Day that he believes the assurances of the crown prince and the Saudi king that they were not involved. Based on that, not U.S. intelligence, the president does nothing to signal U.S. displeasure.

How does one make sense of this? One explanation may be extrapolated from Bob Woodwards new book Fear and a chapter on President Trumps visit to Saudi Arabia in May 2017. It was his first trip abroad as president. According to Woodard, the then-Deputy Crown Prince Salman dispatched a team of 30 to Washington to prepare for the visit, holding joint meetings on terrorism, violent extremism, defense contracts and security partnerships. The Saudi team later came back for a second visit and more extensive preparation, paving the way for $110 billion in Saudi-funded defense purchases. Having personally and deeply invested in the Saudi relationship and young crown prince, is the president now ignoring facts on Khashoggi to protect his investments, regardless of the cost?

Woodward describes Trumps view of power: Never show weakness. Youve always got to be strong. Dont be bullied. There is no choice.

On the murder of Khoshoggi, Trump has a choice. Hold the Saudi government accountable.

Smalley is founder and principal of Bridge Builder Communications in Houston.
History is filled with tales of people who fled persecution and instability, walking thousands of miles on foot, leaving behind most everything and everyone they have known, not only to save their own lives, but the lives of their children. The plight of Central Americans currently waiting at the border to seek asylum is little different.

For the Jewish people, our history particularly is marked by expulsions and forced migrations, from Moses in Egypt to the Spanish Inquisition. In the past century alone, Jews desperately tried to escape the Holocaust and the pogroms of Eastern Europe and Russia. Ethiopian Jews had to seek refuge when their country was ravaged by civil war.

America has often served as refuge for Jews  it certainly was for our families. We were both lucky to grow up in Houston. One of us spoke Spanish over Shabbat dinner as parents talked about life in Mexico, which had been a haven for great-grandparents fleeing Ukraine. The other was told the story of her family, a great-grandfather walking on foot across Russia as a young boy without his parents, fleeing persecution, finding his way to Houston to make a life where future generations could succeed.

There is an undeniable, deep-rooted nexus between immigration and Judaism. No wonder that entwined in Jewish faith are the tenets of welcoming the stranger and Tikkun Olam (repairing the world through social justice). After all, Jews have continuously found themselves unwelcome as strangers in new lands. Our neighbors to the south, who are now strangers seeking a new life in America, similarly do not find themselves welcomed. It is astonishing to think that a nation whose history is so deeply (and richly) filled with stories of immigration would respond with such aggressive xenophobia.

It didnt have to be like this. The United States has a structured, legal pathway to welcome those seeking asylum, process their claims and determine a legal outcome. The current panic at the border is the culmination of a coordinated dismantlement of the U.S. asylum process, which has included tearing parents away from their children and willfully ignoring case law built on years of established precedent. The Trump administration has declared that America is no longer a place welcoming those seeking a better life for their families. Instead, it has implemented a ban on certain asylum seekers and denied others due process. In the Houston area alone, more than 4,000 adult immigrants and over 1,300 child migrants  many of them asylum-seekers  have been detained without adequate access to attorneys or social services.

This anti-immigrant sentiment doesnt end at the border.

On Saturday, Oct. 27, a man walked into a synagogue in Pittsburgh and massacred congregants attending services in what was the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history. This horrific act of hate was not just aimed at Jews. It was inspired, in part, by hatred of immigrants and fueled by rhetoric that labels foreigners as the other. The perpetrator specifically mentioned the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HAIS) in his social media ravings, and equated Jews and immigrants as enemies against his vision of a nativist America.

HAIS is hardly the only Jewish organization to oppose policies like family separation and broader attacks on asylum seekers and refugees. Welcoming foreigners remains a key moral tenet of the Anti-Defamation League. In our current political atmosphere, that makes us a target.

The number of anti-Semitic incidents in the United States grew by 57 percent last year. Other hate crimes are on the rise, too. Just a few days prior to the Pittsburgh attack, a man publicly executed two African-Americans in a Louisville grocery store, apparently because of their race.

As long as politicians stoke fear about those seeking refuge, we must push back. We must hold our leaders, and each other, accountable for words that incite fear and perpetuate the demonization of immigrants. We must speak up and say: No, Central American migrants are not invaders any more than our ancestors were.

The dangerous behavior that perpetuates violent acts of aggression, whether pipe bombs in the mail or a mass shooting in a synagogue, will predictably lead to more bloodshed if calls for civility are not heeded.

As thousands of fellow human beings seeking asylum turn to us for protection, it falls on average Americans to speak up for our national ideals. We must recommit to our values of liberty and equality for all. We must call upon our elected officials not to succumb to xenophobic animus toward immigrants. Americans must respect the dignity and basic human rights of everyone and call on our communities to denounce anti-immigrant bigotry, racism and xenophobia wherever it exists.
In recent days, many have sought to contrast President Trump with President George H.W. Bush. But there is one area where Trump is channeling his inner George H.W. Bush  and not in a good way. His response to the murder and dismemberment of Jamal Khashoggi in a Saudi consulate echoes Bushs handling of Chinas crackdown on peaceful democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square.

We only recently learned how ruthless that Chinese crackdown really was, when a secret 1989 cable by Britains then-ambassador to China, Sir Alan Donald, was declassified. Student protesters were crushed by armored personnel carriers, which rolled over their bodies repeatedly until their pulverized remains were collected by bulldozer, incinerated and hosed down drains, the document said. Wounded girl students begged for their lives but were bayoneted, Donald wrote. A three-year-old girl was injured, but her mother was shot as she went to her aid, as were six others. One thousand survivors of the initial assault were told they could leave but were then mown down by specially prepared MG [machine gun] positions.

The cable ends with this chilling sentence: Minimum estimate of civilian dead 10,000.

Chinas murderous brutality put Bush in an impossible position: He had to uphold American values while at the same time preserving a critical relationship with the men who carried out these horrific crimes. It is much the same quandary that Trump has faced in the wake of Khashoggis murder. Like Bush, Trump was faced with violence that shocked the conscience of the nation. Like Bush, Trump had to impose consequences on the regime while balancing U.S. national interests in a critical part of the world. And like Bush, Trump has handled the situation poorly.

Bush was unapologetic about his outreach to Chinese leaders after the massacre in June 1989. What I certainly did not want to do was completely break the relationship we had worked so hard to build since 1972, Bush later wrote. While angry rhetoric might be temporarily satisfying to some, I believed it would deeply hurt our efforts in the long term. At the time, Bush lashed out in his diary at congressional leaders who wanted him to take a harder line, including Rep. Stephen Solarz, D-N.Y., whom he called the kind of guy that was delighted about the overthrow of the Shah, not worrying about what follows on. He sent a cringe-worthy letter to Deng Xiaoping, in which he called the Chinese leader his genuine lao pengyou (old friend) and apologized for the punitive measures his administration had taken. The actions that I took as President of the United States could not be avoided, Bush wrote, as you know, the clamor for stronger action remains intense. I have resisted that clamor, making clear that I did not want to see destroyed this relationship that you and I have worked hard to build. Worse, Bush sent national security adviser Brent Scowcroft to Beijing, where he was photographed cordially clinking wine glasses with Chinese leaders at a state banquet.

Bush was right that the relationship had to be preserved. The opening to China was critical to peacefully ending the Cold War. But his eagerness to placate Chinese leaders, and his reticence in condemning those who committed such horrific crimes, harmed Americas moral standing in the world.

Today, when it comes to Saudi Arabia, Trump is  like Bush  in an impossible position. The United States must stand for human rights. But it must also preserve its relationship with Saudi Arabia, the only nation in the Middle East that can serve as a bulwark against Iran, the main strategic threat to U.S. interests in the region. Trump has tried to balance these conflicting responsibilities by imposing sanctions on 17 Saudis under the Global Magnitsky Act and declaring Khashoggis murder an unacceptable and horrible crime  while refusing to publicly blame Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for ordering it. He has correctly determined that the crown prince is not going anywhere and that a permanent breach with Riyadh is unacceptable. But the unapologetic way in which he has gone about it  touting how much we make from Saudi arms purchases while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo castigates critics in Congress and the media for caterwauling  has been unseemly.

One of the toughest challenges of the presidency is upholding American values while dealing with pro-American tyrants. Few presidents have done it well. In this sense, Trump is no different from his predecessors. We dont know what Trumps back-channel communications with the Saudi leadership have been like  perhaps he has been tougher in private than public. But we do know this much: They cant be any worse than Bushs plaintive entreaties to the butchers of Beijing.

Follow Thiessen on Twitter, @marcthiessen. (c) 2018, The Washington Post Writers Group
Judge, County Criminal Court No. 8: Franklin Bynum

Dan Simons - Republican Party: 1/2

Franklin Bynum - Democratic Party: 1/2

UNCONSTITUTIONAL: Why we refuse to endorse incumbents in the misdemeanor courts  except one

ENDORSEMENTS: The Houston Chronicle editorial board recommends...

ALSO: Why do the candidate endorsements have star ratings?

Rarely do races for misdemeanor court earn national attention.

Rarely do you see candidates like Franklin Bynum. A card-carrying Democratic Socialist  think Bernie Sanders  Bynum, 36, is a defense attorney calling for serious, structural reform at the courthouse and his campaign has been covered by the New York Times and Jacobin Magazine.

His Republican opponent, Dan Simons, is similarly interesting albeit for less noble reasons. Simons led a successful campaign to boot respected incumbent Jay Karahan from the bench on the grounds that the judge performed same-sex marriages. During the heated primary, documents were published showing that Simons had been reprimanded while working as a Harris County prosecutor for misrepresenting evidence. Simons should not be a judge.

Bynum has worked in the county courts most of his career, either during his time at the public defender's office or since then at his own firm. He left the PDs office under questionable circumstances. That part of his background, and his idealism, originally had us concerned. We remember when Judge Kevin Fine was elected to the 177th criminal district court under a similar banner only to thoroughly embarrass himself and resign in disgrace.

Weve probably done more research on this one race than any other judicial contest, and nearly every lawyer we talk to says the same thing about Bynum: Hes a brilliant attorney who cares deeply about his clients.

He received his law degree from the University of Southern California, has practiced for a decade and is board certified in criminal appellate law. He also has semi-judicial experience as a mediator in small claims court of Los Angeles County.

In explaining his core philosophy, Bynum told us that he believes our courts currently act as a coercive system designed to extract pleas and fees from the most vulnerable Houstonians.

He offers a clear alternative to the status quo and even people wary of his socialist credentials should be curious to see if he can deliver.

Im part of a movement to build a better world, he told us.

If hes successful, Bynums courtroom could become a model for the rest of the county  if not the nation. We remind him that the best way to do this is by running an efficient operation that balances his ideals with the reality of an overcrowded courthouse.
Indie Label Market Bigger Than Ever And Continuing To Grow

It appears as though an ever increasing number of bands and artists are avoiding traditional record label and instead taking the indie path, sometimes by choice and sometimes because of difficulty of signing with a major label. Whatever the reason, indie labels are soon set to contribute to 40% of the global music economy, with no sign of slowing down.

___________________________

Guest post by Bobby Owsinski of Music 3.0

More and more artists and bands are going the indie label route these days, some by choice and others by the fact that the pathways to a major label are perhaps more limited than ever. This is clearly shown in Mark Mulligans latest post that reveals that indie labels contributed just a touch under 40% to the global music economy at the end of last year.

This amounts to almost $7 billion, but that figure doesnt show up in other industry reports put out by industry associates such as the IFPI or RIAA (which only looks at the U.S.). Mulligans figures also includes money that isnt tracked from CD and vinyl sold directly at gigs and online, and from artist DIY platforms like Bandcamp.

Then theres the fact that major chunks of revenue that appear on major label financials statements are really a result of the indie labels that they distribute, so its easy to get misled into thinking that the recorded music world is more major-centric than it really is.

Theres no doubt about whats fueling indie musics growth though, and thats streaming, just like for the majors. In what mirrors whats going on with the Big 3, streaming was up 46% while physical sales were down 2% and downloads cratered at -22% from the previous year.

None of this is news at this point, but Mulligans report did find one interesting tidbit that needs to be noted. Indie artists are actually fiercely loyal to their labels, with 77% choosing to renew their contracts. That rate is actually above 90% in Spain, Brazil, the Netherlands and Denmark!

As said here before, given the choice most artists would probably go with a major label under the right circumstances, given the marketing muscle and infrastructure that a major can bring. However, theres a lot to be said for smaller indie labels as well, since you cant beat the loyalty of a label owner that you know wont be under the threat of leaving during a corporate sweep. Loyalty begets loyalty, it seems.

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Placemakers: Why Midsize Cities Are The Next Music Hubs [Kyle Bylin]

Hypebot contributor Kyle Bylin writes about the rise of midsize cities. He believes these places are the next platforms for music ideas. Local residents are choosing to build their businesses where they live rather than relocating to pursue their dreams. These small businesses, fused with state personality and pride, are poised to reshape the music landscape in the coming decades.

By Kyle Bylin | @kylebylin

I. No Place Like Home

Four years ago, I boarded a flight from Los Angeles, California to Fargo, North Dakota that transformed my life.

Prior to moving to Los Angeles, I had lived in Fargo after I graduated from college. I stocked the grocery shelves of Target by day and blogged about the music business for Hypebot by night. Eventually, I got promoted to news editor of the blog and was able to quit the grind of my day job, and after eleven months in my new position at Hypebot, I received an offer from Billboard to become a chart manager in their Los Angeles office. Although I had never even visited California, once I accepted the job, I made the 1,700-mile move to the sunny, southern Golden State metropolis. For the next couple of years, I only returned to Fargo to visit my family at Christmas. I didn't have any reason or desire to visit unless there was going to be a warm, home-cooked meal and a glowing evergreen tree surrounded by towers of presents.

Fast forward to my life-changing flight from LA to Fargo. I happened to sit next to a businessman who shared my connecting flight from Minneapolis, MN. We talked about what we did for work and why we were on our way to Fargo. Coincidentally, we both worked in user experience for large companies. He shared with me that Fargo had experienced a boom of startup and creative activity in recent years. There were mobile application and drone software development companies popping up, as well as a plethora of craft breweries and gourmet restaurants opening their doors.

Perhaps he sensed my skepticism that Fargo could actually be a hotbed of activity, because he assured me that I could read about the city's newfound acclaim for myself in a news story in the Seattle Times. We exchanged email addresses with a promise to grab coffee together in the coming week. Later that day, he sent me the link to the article, which, sure enough, corroborated his praises of Fargos new enterprises, and during my time in town, I got to see it for myself. I spent the next few months booking meetings with local entrepreneurs and attending popular events, such as 1 Million Cups of Coffee and Fargo TEDx. Every person that I met introduced me to the next one I just had to meet, which opened up all kinds of opportunities.

I thought long and hard about staying in Fargo, but ultimately, I resisted. After all, I worked in the music business because it had always been my dream to do so, and I still had a few more things that I wanted to do before I moved on. In the end, heading back to California, I told myself that holding off would only give the community more time to develop, so I could return in a few years, possibly with a job waiting for me.

Living in California, when people learned that I grew up on a small farm in North Dakota, they always expected me to confess that I'd experienced a "major culture shock" when I relocated. But that was not the case. While I was in college, I had lived in Minneapolis. The millions of people didn't bother me. My culture shock actually occurred in reverse; when I went back to Fargo, with its friendly people and slower pace, I realized that friendships and relationships did not have to be so difficult to manage. You didn't have to live and die by Google Calendar. This revelation caused me to seriously reconsider whether I wanted my life to be easier to enjoy.

A few months later, I moved to Sunnyvale, California and joined a music technology company. It's a story for a different essay, but suffice it to say, I learned that the chasm between Los Angeles and Silicon Valley is greater than most people understand. The business of music could not be more different from the industry of technology. The two exist at opposite ends of the spectrum. Music is just data to most people that develop technologythey could be paid to create any other website or appwhereas the artists and the creatives that empower them would rather die than wear a suit.

While working in Silicon Valley, I still daydreamed about moving back to Fargo and working on a book project. I followed a blog called Emerging Prairie that posted news stories and company updates. I started to imagine a city that empowered me to build ideas, crowding out the need to live in California to chase my dreams.

One year later, I lost my job. A thought occurred to me that I couldn't stop thinking: "If this is happening in Fargo, it's happening everywhere." Suddenly, I felt called to take a long road trip.

II. Music Cities Convention

Later that month, I flew to Washington, DC to attend the Future of Music Policy Summit. I arrived a couple of days early because I wanted time to visit as many national monuments and famous museums as I could. As luck would have it, I learned that there would be a Music Cities Convention hosted the day before the event. I signed up to attend because I had always been interested in the role that music plays in local economies and communities. This decision turned out to be an important one because that event is still one of the most influential educations of my career.

Now, in the course of my work, I've attended dozens of music business and technology industry conferences in the past ten years. Quickly, I learned that pretty much the same people discuss the same topics at every event. I've sat in the audience, listening closely to every single word, only to find that none of them were worth writing down, because no one said anything unique or interesting. I never walked away from a panel with the impression that a panelist had shared a big idea that changed or challenged the way that I thought about music or technology. My role as a reporter at these events implied that I'd document what people saidI hadnt been hired to judge each executives performance, like Simon Cowell or Howie Mandell on America's Got Talent. But every time a startup founder pitched their new company or product instead of answering a direct question or adding to the conversation, I felt like buzzing them off the stage and sending them back to their hometown. People would make the same points over and over again each year, like a talking doll, each time the moderator pulled their cord.

Once you have attended a few conferences, you start to roam the hallways and strike up conversations. It's way better than attending panels. People are less guarded and more honest when they step down from the stage. They will share gossip and talk shop rather than speaking from their standard notecards. These executives will always say a company or product is disruptive and innovative on stage. They'll croon about the founding team. They'll make a sweeping statement about how a brief moment with one of their kids or some other young person confirmed their belief that this thing would be the future. In the hallway, however, people will tell you that the company is burning money and losing traction. Theyll say that they'll be out of business by next year. Theyll tell you that eventually, they'll be acquired by a big company, like Apple or Google, for an undisclosed sum, and disguise their failure in a broiler plate, corporate-speak press release, like everyone else.

Here's the thing: the music business is a small, tight-knit community. No one wants to burn bridges. For all they know, they could lose their job and have to approach that startup for a consulting gig in the next couple of months. The great thing about the hallway is that its also where you get to catch up with all of your friends and connections; its why conferences are still worth the hassle to most attendees.

After working in music technology for many years, I also grew tired of creating websites and apps that existed on a screen. I spent hundreds of hours trying to help my team figure out what product to develop and determining if people understood how to navigate them. I converted survey results into colorful charts and graphs, distilled interview transcripts into pull quotes and fan profiles, and translated the complexities of human behavior into executive summaries and PowerPoint presentations. I loved my job as a user researcher and I felt like I was good at it. But the reality is that user interfaces get redesigned and updated all the time. I helped my team draw lines in the sand before the next wave crashed into the shore, washing away all of the time and energy that we spent on the user research and product design. At a certain point, I realized that spending my waking hours on the placement of clickable menus and buttons, that shifted slightly or disappeared completely with each new app update, felt wasteful.

Considering all of this, what I loved about Music Cities Conventions programming was that it focused exclusively on local communities and musical culture. It featured people from Madison and New Orleans, among many others, who wanted to support and develop the music talent and resources that existed where they lived. They wanted to make their city the best place to be a working musician and experience music for everyone involved, whether long-time residents or one-time visitors.

None of the panelists on the stage talked about helping artists make money from a website or app. They wanted to figure out how to help musicians make a sustainable living where they already lived and created music, right now. Musicians didn't need to wait until they raised the next round of venture capital or added several million paying users. They didn't need to join another platform, create a new profile, upload their music, or tell their fans to sign up. Instead, passionate officials and dedicated founders decided to use their cities as a platform for their music ideas. Rather than create another reason for people to get sucked into their smartphone screens, they developed non-profit record labels, community radio stations, all-ages venues, artist development programs, and so much more. People were talking about music and why it mattered to society. They explored how music fit into their city's identity and the lives of the people who lived there, as well as what they needed to do to nurture and develop their local scenes and artists. I'd never heard anyone discuss or debate these topics at SF MusicTech Summit, Digital Music Forum, or anywhere else.

I felt inspired and emboldened by these music cities and placemakers. I realized that I wanted to build cities with rock and roll, like Starship, rather than apps with hook cycles, or any of the other bullshit ways that technology companies addict you to their products. I thought, "How do I sign up?"

III. The Placemakers

After the Music Cities Convention, sitting in my closet-sized Sunnyvale apartment, I plotted my road trip to the emerging music and technology hubs. I wanted to understand what life beyond Silicon Valley looked like and see what these places felt like in person. Would I fall completely in love with a city and instantly feel like I was home? What if I learned important things about myself that I didnt know?

First, I drove my Nissan Altima from Sunnyvale to the Grand Canyon and Carlsbad Caverns. Both were absolutely breathtaking, mind-bending, and exhilarating. Next, I went to Austin and Memphis, followed by Nashville and Madison. I ate platters of barbeque and drank mugs of craft beer. Then, I returned to North Dakota to celebrate Christmas. Afterwards, I drove to Omaha, Des Moines, and Chicago. I visited technology libraries, artist collectives, and famous pizza shops. Of course, I circled back to Madison for cheese curds on my way home. Then, I traveled to Missoula, Boise, Salt Lake City, and Denver. Lastly, I went to Austin for South by Southwest, and then back to Boise for Treefort Music Fest.

In every city, I found businesses that had been started by people who loved where they lived. I visited craft breweries, indie bookstores, art galleries, vintage arcades, and co-working spaces that glowed with state personality and pride. As I suspected, the wave of economic development and urban revitalization that I had discovered in Fargo had also been occurring in other cities across the country.

However, the most remarkable thing that happened on my entire road trip occurred in Boise. I walked into Trailhead, a local co-working space, and struck up a conversation with the front desk person, Matt. He gave me a tour of the building and, upon learning about my trip, he offered to grab lunch with me. After talking for a while, he said that hed try to recommend me as a speaker for one of the panels at Treefort Music Fest. A few days after my visit, he confirmed my invitation, gave me a free pass to the entire festival, and invited me to stay at his house when I came back to town.

Treefort Music Fest surprised and delighted me. It transformed over thirty of Boise's downtown establishments into music venues. I hopped from indie artist showcases to live book and poetry readings to standup comedy performances. I watched short films and music documentaries and attended several panels about Idaho history. The food truck vendors served flavorful and remarkable meals, twisting conventional staples like a Sloppy Joe into a gourmet sandwich. Needless to say, I fell in love with Boiseit was like the Fargo of Idaho, a big city with a small-town feel. The only real difference was that Boise is surrounded by snowcapped mountains and Fargo by vast stretches of flat prairie.

Once Treefort Music Fest ended, I returned to Fargo to finish Song Stories, a dream project turned published book in January of 2017 that had inched along email by email in the backdrop of this grand adventure.

I haven't moved to Boise (yet) but it still plucks on my heartstrings. Nowadays, what I wonder is: what if the future of music relies on cities and humans rather than devices and apps? What if the people who want to work in music decided to create their ideas where they live rather than relocating to music industry hubs? What if more people started their own local music businesses and tried to revive those that had been gobbled up and swept away by corporations?

The conversation about the music industry's future has focused on platform and streaming wars for a long time. Every company wants to be the device, service, headphone, or speaker that plays the song. Every artist desires to be the one featured on the radio station or curated playlist. But then what? People eventually leave their houses and get out of their cars, looking for a music concert or event happening where they live. There are companies trying to connect whatever is playing in people's homes and cars with a show that they will purchase a ticket to see. Event promoters, talent buyers, ticketing companies, and concert venues are fighting over this money. This is also an important story. Some people suspect that Liberty Media, the parent company of Sirrus XM which recently bought Pandora, wants to be a full stack provider, taking a piece of each transaction, from music subscription to artist listening activity to ticket purchase.

My feeling is that there are exciting, interesting things that are occurring outside these music news headlines. More people are discovering the activity happening in their own home states, like I did, and considering a return to the cities they left because they thought they had to in order to pursue their dreams.

These people will start their own Treefort Music Fest. They will build music businesses and concert experiences for their cities, oozing with state pride and local personality. Most of the industry events and publications will totally miss this surge of local entrepreneurial activity.

Unfortunately, local residents in any city will tell you that their elected officials, small business operators, and regional acts don't always make the best choices when it comes to developing their own music scene. No one is going to roll out red carpet or issue a business loan if you decide to create your long-cherished music idea in your hometown. But even so, Music Cities Convention is full of people who have determined that music is important to their cities, and that they arent going to wait for someone to save their scenes with a website or app, claiming to foster local music discovery.

Because of this, I strongly encourage you to take an interest in what's happening in your home state and city. There is more going on than your family and friends may realize. Talk to the people who sit next to you on the airplane, train, or Uber ride. You never know who they are or who they know, or how valuable that info could be. If you're a young professional or college student who has always wanted to work in the music business, you shouldn't write off the place you currently live or were previously from.

Heres my newest favorite question to ask: What would you build if you deeply understood why the people in your city love and enjoy music, and the role that it plays in their everyday lives? Build your music idea for them. Use your city as your platform. Dont worry about the rest.

___________

Kyle Bylin is the author of Song Stories: Music That Shaped Our Identities and Changed Our Lives.

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iciHaiti - Justice : The lawyers of Godson Orelus appeal the decision of Judge Lumerant





The lawyers of the former Director General of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) Godson Orelus, incarcerated since the end of October https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25946-haiti-justice-godson-orelus-former-dg-of-the-pnh-arrested-and-imprisoned.html in the case of the seizure of a shipment of illegal weapons at the Port if St. Marc https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18569-haiti-flash-worrying-seizure-of-weapons-from-the-usa.html appealed to the Court of Appeal of Gonaives against the order of the examining magistrate of Saint-Marc Dieunel Lumerant deciding to send their client to the criminal court to be tried without jury assistance.



Me Eugene Pierre-Louis Louis, one of the lawyers of Orelus, affirms that the decision of the Judge has transformed outside the frame of the law, the status of witness of his client in charged the rights of his client.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26314-haiti-justice-seizure-of-weapons-in-st-marc-9-indicted-2-in-prison-and-7-fugitives.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25946-haiti-justice-godson-orelus-former-dg-of-the-pnh-arrested-and-imprisoned.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18569-haiti-flash-worrying-seizure-of-weapons-from-the-usa.html





IH/ iciHaiti


















Ukraine at UN provides evidence of Russia's violations of international law in Azov and Black Seas

December 12,2018 | Source: Ukrinform

"UNCLOS [the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea] provides Ukraine with exclusive rights to the living resources within its territorial sea and exclusive economic zone. Since 2014, the Russian Federation has deliberately and blatantly violated those rights in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait," Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the UN Volodymyr Yelchenko said, while addressing the UN General Assembly on December 11.



He informed the audience that in February 2018, Ukraine filed a Memorial with the UNCLOS Tribunal establishing that Russia has violated Ukraine's sovereign rights in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov, and the Kerch Strait.



"Through these violations of international law, Russia is stealing Ukraine's energy and fisheries resources, harming the livelihoods of Ukrainian fishermen, and blocking traffic to Ukrainian ports with its illegal bridge over the Kerch Strait, among other serious violations," he said.



The diplomat also emphasized that since April 2018, more than 200 vessels have been discriminately stopped by Russia in violation of fundamental obligation under UNCLOS. He added that the Russian Federation did not stop on that and engaged in "new horrible violations of UNCLOS." "Just 2 weeks ago, Russia attacked, seized and detained Ukrainian navy vessels in Ukraine's exclusive economic zone," Yelchenko added.



"Ukraine believes that Russia must and will be held accountable for its serious breaches of the international law of the sea," the Ukrainian diplomat said.

 2015-2018 Ukrinform

Theme(s): Fishing Craft, Gear and Fishing Methods.
UNDP, FAO report highlights integration of agriculture into NAPs

by Adam Fishman

December 11,2018 | Source: IISD

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) have released a publication that highlights nine key achievements of the Integrating Agriculture in National Adaptation Plans (NAP-Ag) Programme from 2015 to 2018.



Underscoring that country ownership is key to building resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards, the report notes that NAP-Ag has enabled climate change adaptation-informed planning and budgeting in the agriculture sectors of 11 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The Governments of Kenya, the Philippines, Thailand and Uganda, it highlights, adopted national strategic frameworks on climate change, agriculture and development in 2017 and 2018. NAP-Ag is now supporting implementation and mainstreaming of the frameworks into and across related policies in the countries.



Guidance materials developed for policymakers and practitioners connect a variety of aspects relating to adaptation planning, including cost-benefit analysis, impact evaluation and monitoring. The publication points to NAP-Ags successes helping countries access additional pools of climate finance for adaptation work in the agricultural sector, including from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and other multilateral sources. Linking to SDG 5 (gender equality), NAP-Ag has also helped countries incorporate gender dimensions of adaptation in agriculture through tailored workshops and trainings, knowledge products, and analytical tools launched by the Programme.



At a global scale, three flagship publications are being prepared: two sets of supplementary guidelines to the NAP technical guidelines on forestry and fisheries and aquaculture; and a handbook for practitioners on integrating agriculture in adaptation planning, all to be published in 2019. The report also outlines a Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) on Building Climate Resilience in Agriculture, developed in partnership with the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).

 1990-2018, IISD

Theme(s): Communities and Organisations.
Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York announced Wednesday they have reached an agreement with American Media Company, Inc. (AMI), the publisher of the National Enquirer, in connection with a payment made during the campaign meant to silence a woman who claimed to have had an affair with Donald Trump in 2006.



As a part of the agreement, AMI admitted that it made the $150,000 payment in concert with a candidates presidential campaign, and in order to ensure that the woman did not publicize damaging allegations about the candidate before the 2016 presidential election, according to a press release issued by the Southern District of New York.



Karen McDougal, a former Playboy Playmate, signed a $150,000 deal with AMI in August 2016 that transferred to the company the rights to her story of an alleged 10-month romantic affair with Trump in 2006.



In the agreement between prosecutors and AMI, which was signed on Sept. 20 but unsealed Wednesday, AMI further admitted that its principal purpose in making the payment was to suppress the womans story so as to prevent it from influencing the election, the press release read.



News of the AMI deal came less than an hour after Donald Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, was sentenced to three years in prison for charges brought by prosecutors in the Southern District of New York.



Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Editors Note: Racial equity has been at the center of many discussions in this country recently, especially when it comes to education. It also continues to be a critical conversation in South Africa, which Noah Zeichner, a national board-certified social studies and Spanish teacher in Seattle, visited earlier this year as part of the NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellowship . As part of the fellowship, Noah contributed to a recently published book,Twelve Lessons to Open Classrooms and Minds to the World .

Last summer, I traveled to South Africa as part of the NEA Foundation Global Learning Fellowship along with 45 other teachers from around the United States. We spent seven days in Cape Town and Johannesburg, visiting schools and learning about the complex history and current state of South Africa. It was a short trip, but we packed a lot in. A few months later, I am still reflecting on my experience.

History of South African Education

The South African education system has never fully recovered from the damage done by apartheid, which lasted from 1948 into the early 1990s. The apartheid regime passed the Bantu Education Act in 1953, which created separate and unequal schools for each of South Africas racially classified groups. (The Population Registration Act of 1950 had divided South Africans into four racial groups: white, black, coloured (mixed race), and Indian.)

The Bantu education system served the interests of the white-supremacist apartheid government and denied nonwhite South Africans an opportunity to obtain a quality education. In 1975-76, the government spent 644 South African Rand annually on each white student, R189 per Indian student, R139 on each coloured student, and R42 on each black student. Today, although apartheid is more than 20 years in the past, resources are still unequal across South Africa.

A majority of children in South Africa today live in poverty. And public schools in South Africa are not necessarily free of charge. No-fee schools were introduced in 2007, and current law requires that there be no fees in the poorest 60 percent of schools. Most of the roughly 26,000 schools in South Africa are public schools. There are, however, a rising number of low-fee independent schools that are enrolling low-income students. And according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Developments 2018 Education at a Glance report, 16 percent of children ages 5-14 are not enrolled in school at all.

The 2015 Trends in International Mathematical and Science Study (TIMSS) placed South Africa in the five lowest-performing countries in the world for math and science. When looking at just no-fee public schools, only 25 percent scored above the minimum level of competency in math. After high school, only 6 percent of young adults attain postsecondary degrees, which is the lowest rate among all countries in the OECD report . The challenges faced by students and teachers in South Africa are devastating. The people I met in our two school visits are working tirelessly to overcome the many obstacles that students and teachers face every day.

Visiting Schools

On our first full day in Cape Town, we visited South Peninsula High School (SPHS). SPHS opened in 1950 and serves mostly coloured students. When the schools neighborhood was reclassified as a white area by the apartheid government, teachers fought to keep the school open. While there were no direct violent confrontations with police at the school during apartheid, SPHS was very involved in the resistance movement. Mr. Zeid Baker, the principal, and two of the teacher leaders we met graduated from SPHS and today are deeply invested in the school community.

Most of the 1,500 students at SPHS are bused in from several townships that surround Cape Town. SPHS is considered a low-fee public school. Tuition is about 8,500 Rand, or just over $600 per year. SAILI , a nonprofit organization, runs a merit-based scholarship program at SPHS that makes it possible for nearly 150 of the South Peninsulas students to attend the school. We heard from a panel of SAILI scholarship recipients. They talked about their aspirations for the future but also about the impact of violence in their lives. At one point, they were asked how many have witnessed gun violence in recent weeks or months. Every single child raised a hand. My immediate reaction to this was that if this is a high-performing low-fee school, then the level of poverty and the concentration of violence-induced trauma at no-fee government schools must be overwhelming.

A few days later, in Johannesburg, we visited the United Church School (UCS), a low-fee independent school that serves a mostly black student body. Of the 600 students, 480 are considered underprivileged. The tuition at UCS is R8000 ($600), similar to South Peninsula High School. This is much less expensive than many private schools, some of which charge more than $15,000 a year. It was clear that UCS embraces the diversity of its students. All 11 official languages of South Africa are spoken by USC students. And we met kids from Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Cameroon, DR Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Angola, Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, and Botswana.

Community Connections

I left the two school visits with many more questions than answers. One question I had was: Where do students who dont have the resources to attend university go after high school? Only 18 percent of high school graduates attend university, and between 50 percent and 60 percent of those students drop out of college during their first year. And the youth unemployment rate in South Africa is staggering. According to the Economists Pocket World in Figures, the unemployment rate among 15-to-24-year-olds was 57.4 percent in 2017, the highest of all countries in the report. The overall unemployment rate in South Africa hovers around 27 percent. Fortunately, some youths are able to connect with community organizations that provide training and mentoring.

We visited two nonprofit organizations doing impressive work with youths: the Rainbow Academy in Cape Town and the Imbali Visual Literacy Project in Johannesburg. The Rainbow Academy is a performing arts vocational program for youths ages 17-25 who have finished high school. Imbali is a three-year training program for youths that is housed in a renovated bus factory. It was founded 30 years ago by a group of women to train teachers in nonwhite schools to incorporate art using cheap and easily available materials (only white children received arts education under apartheid). These two organizations are part of a web of community efforts to help young people beat the odds.

Reflections for the U.S.

I only had a tiny glimpse into the South African education system, but it was enough to cause me to reflect on schools back home. In both the United States under Jim Crow and in South Africa under apartheid, students of color were forced to attend separate and inferior schools. The apartheid government went even further, requiring people to carry pass cards (identification), creating a separate low-level curriculum for nonwhite students and forcing all students to learn in the Afrikaans language.

Civil rights movements in both countries fought back to defeat both Jim Crow and apartheid after many decades of struggle. The new South African democracy is just 24 years old. The United States, on the other hand, has had more time to improve educational opportunities for students of color. Sadly, though, more than 60 years after the Supreme Courts Brown v. Board of Education decision, we still have a long way to go. Several recent studies show that many school districts across the United States have resegregated since 1970. The UCLA Civil Rights Project warns us in a 2016 report that many U.S. schools today face double segregation, with students increasingly isolated by both race and poverty in their schools. And like South Africa, high-poverty schools tend to have fewer resources, higher proportions of underqualified teachers, and an increased narrowing of the curriculum.

The lack of racial equity and the opportunity gaps that still exist in both the United States and South African education systems today are disheartening. But like most teachers around the world, I continue to show up to my classroom every day to make a positive contribution to our public schools. When I think about my time in South Africa last summer, I am reminded that I am part of a global struggle to ensure that all students have access to a quality education. Will we ever get there? As the late Nelson Mandela, who would have been celebrating his 100th birthday this year, said, It always seems impossible until its done.

Connect with Noah , Heather , and the Center for Global Education on Twitter.

Image of South Peninsula High School students taken by and used with permission of the author.
Most probably clean hydrogen will become an important part of the European Union energy strategy of the new EC. But it will take quite some time before that will be a reality. Meanwhile, countries in Northwest Europe have a unique opportunity to use current momentum in the market to jointly craft a suite of coordinated policy actions that could jump-start the development and deployment of clean hydrogen.

The so-called Pentalateral Forum, consisting of the Benelux, France, Germany and Austria, with Switzerland as observer, has acted as a front-runner in electricity and gas market integration in the past. The Netherlands is making the case that it can play a similar role in shaping the European clean hydrogen market.

Already showing publicly that neighbouring countries are willing to consider policy coordination at this moment in time will send a strong signal to the private sector that governments understand that a joint approach will help the scale-up in making projects more or earlier investable and bankable because of bigger market potential.

In addition, this would signal the willingness of governments to overcome complicated cross-border regulatory barriers. Fast-forward 20 or 25 years, and it is possible to imagine European cross-border gas infrastructure being transformed into a new European hydrogen backbone. The key question is now how to make this happen as quickly as we can.

Several policy actions could be considered to accelerate the development and deployment of clean hydrogen. They range from voluntary  or perhaps mandatory  targets for blending of clean hydrogen in the European gas networks and greening of current hydrogen use in industry, to the creation of European transport corridors to enable hydrogen trucks, buses and ships to cross Europe unhindered by lack of access to pumpstations. Zero-emission vehicles targets by some future date are significant drivers in this respect. Gas pipelines which are no longer needed to transport gas might very well be adjusted to transport 100% hydrogen.

The more we would be able to take a European angle in setting objectives and regulating the nascent hydrogen market, the better. In addition, one could imagine ambitious European initiatives to drive down the cost of green hydrogen production by scaling up the size of electrolysis capacity to the necessary GW-scale in the next decades.

This will certainly require new public-private partnerships, bringing together both supply of and demand for clean hydrogen and possibly including banks and investment agencies. For the public side, the challenge will be how to provide a sufficient level of de-risking to make projects viable. We can foresee a European roadmap where initially the production of blue hydrogen (using CCUS where feasible) may help us to gain experience and enable the build-up of hydrogen infrastructure, alongside a continuously growing role for green hydrogen (mainly from over time ever increasing volumes of offshore windpower).

Important market players like Engie say it should be possible to push green hydrogen down to competitive prices by around 2030. One can imagine a similar learning curve for green hydrogen as the one we experienced with wind offshore in Europe. What would certainly help business cases is if the EU manages to keep CO2 prices on an upward trajectory.

The Austrian EU presidency estimated that 45% of EU industrial (grey) hydrogen demand, or 10% of EU natural gas consumption, could be substituted by green hydrogen in 2030. Lets not forget, however, that not all clean hydrogen will need to be produced in Europe. We are receiving more signals on a weekly basis of feasibility projects around the world considering low-cost production of blue and green hydrogen that may reach European destinations in the coming decades by ship or even dedicated pipelines. It is also important that European ports start preparations for absorbing future imports safely.

But what about electrification, which is so often discussed? Well, electrification is extremely important and welcome. In World Energy Outlook 2018, the IEA shows how much scope there is to further electrify our energy system beyond the current 20% of final energy consumption. And if this is done by renewable energy or nuclear, this is a very welcome greening of electrons and helps decarbonization.

But this still leaves the majority of the energy system in need of greening of molecules. And that is exactly the territory where clean hydrogen has such a critical role to play  to reach the sectors where electrification alone wont do the job, mainly industry and heavy transport, as well as provide seasonal storage that is really hard to manage just with batteries. Regarding industry it is important to understand that its not only about greening current use of grey hydrogen, but also about the new waves of decarbonizing investment that often require significantly higher use of clean hydrogen as a feedstock.

In all jurisdictions where the share of renewable electricity rises above say 40%, balancing the grid satisfactorily over time becomes an issue. In some countries the cost of curtailment is already around 1 billion euro per year. There are several ways to maintain sufficient flexibility in the system, but hydrogen storage is certainly an important one.

In short, clean hydrogen is an ideal complement to green electrification. Which is exactly why clean hydrogen is rapidly gaining momentum in the world. Northwest Europe can and should position itself as a front-runner in developing and deploying clean hydrogen to help the decarbonisation of the energy system, while improving energy security at the same time. Many new jobs would be created in the process.
Imperial Valley News Center

Remarks by President Trump in Meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker-Designate Nancy Pelosi

Washington, DC - Remarks by President Trump in Meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker-Designate Nancy Pelosi:

THE PRESIDENT: Okay, thank you very much. Its a great honor to have Nancy Pelosi with us and Chuck Schumer with us. And weve actually worked very hard on a couple of things that are happening. Criminal justice reform  as you know, weve just heard word  got word that Mitch McConnell and the group, were going to be putting it up for a vote. We have great Democrat support, great Republican support. So, criminal justice reform, something that people have been trying to get  how long, Nancy? Many years.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: A long time.

THE PRESIDENT: Many, many years. Looks like its going to be passing, hopefully  famous last words  on a very bipartisan way. And its really something were all very proud of. And again, tremendous support from Republicans and tremendous support from Democrats. And I think its going to get a very good vote. And well see soon enough. But it will be up for a vote very shortly. A lot of years theyve been waiting for it.

The other thing, the farm bill is moving along nicely. And I guess theyll be voting on Friday or so. But pretty close.

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: Soon. Soon.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: (Inaudible.)

THE PRESIDENT: And we think the farm bill is in very good shape. A lot of good things are happening with it, and our farmers are well taken care of. And again, that will be quite bipartisan and it will happen pretty soon.

And then we have the easy one, the wall. That will be the one that will be the easiest of all. What do you think, Chuck? Maybe not?

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: Its called funding the government, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT: (Laughs.) So were going to see. But I will tell you, the wall will get built. Well see what happens.

It is not an easy situation because the Democrats have a different view, I think, than  I can say  the Republicans. We have great Republican support. We dont have Democrat support. But were going to talk about that now. Were going to see.

One thing that I do have to say is: Tremendous amounts of wall have already been built, and a lot of  a lot of wall. When you include the renovation of existing fences and walls, weve renovated a tremendous amount and weve done a lot of work. In San Diego, were building new walls right now. And weve  right next to San Diego, weve completed a major section of wall and its really worked well.

So, a lot of wall has been built. We dont talk about that, but we might as well start, because its building  its being built right now, big sections of wall. And we will continue that.

And one way or the other, its going to get built. Id like not to see a government closing, a shutdown. We will see what happens over the next short period of time. But the wall is a very important thing to us.

I might put it a different way. Border security is extremely important, and we have to take care of border security. When you look at what happened with the caravans, with the people, with a lot of  we shut it down; we had no choice. We shut it down. But it could be a lot easier if we had real border security.

I just want to pay my respects to the Border Patrol agents and officers. Theyve been incredible. The ICE agents and officers, theyve been incredible. And very importantly, our military. Our military went in and they did an incredible job. They have been really, really spectacular.

A lot of the people that wanted to come into the country, and really, they were to come in no matter how they wanted to come in  they were going to come in even in a rough way  many of these people are leaving now and theyre going back to their countries: Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and other countries. Theyre leaving. If you noticed, its getting a lot less crowded in Mexico. And a lot of them are going to stay in Mexico, and the Mexican government has been working with us very well. So we appreciate that. But they havent been coming into our country. We cant let people come in that way.

So thats pretty much it. Were going to talk about the wall. I wanted to talk about criminal justice reform, just to let you know how positive that is. I want to talk about the farm bill, how positive that is. And I want to talk about the wall. And I will tell you, its a tough issue because we are in very opposite sides of  I really think I can say border security, but certainly the wall.

But the wall will get built. A lot of the wall is built. Its been very effective. I asked for a couple of notes on that. If you look at San Diego, illegal traffic dropped 92 percent once the wall was up. El Paso, illegal traffic dropped 72 percent, then ultimately 95 percent, once the wall was up.

In Tucson, Arizona, illegal traffic dropped 92 percent. Yuma, it dropped illegal traffic 95 to 96 percent.

I mean  and when I say dropped, the only reason we even have any percentage where people got through is because they walk and go around areas that arent built. It dropped virtually 100 percent in the areas where the wall is. So, I mean, its very effective.

If you really want to find out how effective a wall is, just ask Israel  99.9 percent effective. And our wall will be every bit as good as that, if not better.

So weve done a lot of work on the wall; a lot of wall is built. A lot of people dont know that. A lot of wall is renovated. We have walls that were in very bad condition that are now in A1 tip-top shape. And, frankly, some wall has been reinforced by our military. Our military has done a fantastic job. So the wall will get built, but we may not  we may not have an agreement today. We probably wont. But we have an agreement on other things that are really good.

Nancy, would you like to say something?

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: Well, thank you, Mr. President, for the opportunity to meet with you so that we can work together in a bipartisan way to meet the needs of the American people.

I think the American people recognize that we must keep government open, that a shutdown is not worth anything, and that you should not have a Trump shutdown. You have the White House 

THE PRESIDENT: Did you say Trump  oh, oh.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: A Trump shutdown. You have the White House 

THE PRESIDENT: I was going to call it a Pelosi shutdown.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: You have the Senate. You have the House of Representatives. You have the votes. You should pass it right now.

THE PRESIDENT: No, we dont have the votes, Nancy, because in the Senate, we need 60 votes and we dont have it.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: No, no, but in the House, you could bring it up right now, today.

THE PRESIDENT: Yeah, but I cant  excuse me. But I cant get it passed in the House if its not going to pass in the Senate. I dont want to waste time.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: Well, the fact is you can get it started that way.

THE PRESIDENT: The House we can get passed very easily, and we do.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: Okay, then do it. Then do it.

THE PRESIDENT: But the problem is the Senate, because we need 10 Democrats to vote, and they wont vote.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: No, no, thats not the point, Mr. President. The point is 

THE PRESIDENT: Its sort of the point.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI:  that there are equities to be weighed. And we are here to have a conversation 

THE PRESIDENT: Correct.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI:  in a careful way. So I dont think we should have a debate in front of the press on this. But the fact is, the House Republicans could bring up this bill, if they had the votes, immediately, and set the tone for what you want.

THE PRESIDENT: If we thought we were going to get it passed in the Senate, Nancy, we would do it immediately. We would get it passed very easily in the House.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: No, thats not the point. Thats not the point.

THE PRESIDENT: Nancy, Id have it passed in two seconds. It doesnt matter, though, because we cant get it passed in the Senate because we need 10 Democrat votes. Thats the problem.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: Well, again, let us have our conversation 

THE PRESIDENT: Thats right.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI:  and then we can meet with the press again. But the fact is, is that legislating  which is what we do 

THE PRESIDENT: Right.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI:  you begin, you make your point, you state your case. Thats what the House Republicans could do, if they had the votes. But there are no votes in the House, a majority of votes, for a wall  no matter where you start.

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: That is exactly right. You dont have the votes in the House.

THE PRESIDENT: If I needed the votes for the wall in the House, I would have them  in one session, it would be done.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: Well, then go do it. Go do it.

THE PRESIDENT: It doesnt help because we need 10 Democrats in the Senate.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: No, dont put it on the Senate. Put it on the negotiation.

THE PRESIDENT: Okay, let me ask you this. Just  and were doing this in a very friendly manner. It doesnt help for me to take a vote in the House, where I will win easily with the Republicans 

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: You will not win.

THE PRESIDENT: It doesnt help to take that vote because Im not going to get the vote of the Senate.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: Well, dont blame it on the Senate, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT: I need 10 senators. Thats the problem.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: Mr. President, you have the White House, you have the Senate.

THE PRESIDENT: I have the White House.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: You have the House of Representatives.

THE PRESIDENT: The White House is done. And the House would give me the vote if I wanted it. But I cant because I need 

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: But you cant  you cant 

THE PRESIDENT: Nancy, I need 10 votes from Chuck.

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: All right, let me say something here.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: Mr. President, let me  let me just say one thing. The fact is you do not have the votes in the House.

THE PRESIDENT: Nancy, I do. And we need border security.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: Well, lets take the vote and well find out.

THE PRESIDENT: Nancy. Nancy. We need border security. Its very simple.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: Of course we do.

THE PRESIDENT: We need border security.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: We do.

THE PRESIDENT: People are pouring into our country, including terrorists. We have terrorists. We caught 10 terrorists over the last very short period of time. Ten. These are very serious people. Our border agents, all of our law enforcement has been incredible what theyve done. But we caught 10 terrorists. These are people that were looking to do harm.

We need the wall. We need  more important than anything, we need border security, of which the wall is just a piece. But its important.

Chuck, did you want to say something?

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: Yeah. Heres what I want to say: We have a lot of disagreements here. The Washington Post today gave you a whole lot of Pinocchios because they say you constantly misstate how much the wall is  how much of the wall is built and how much is there.

But thats not the point here. We have a disagreement about the wall 

THE PRESIDENT: Well, the Washington Post  (laughs) 

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER:  whether its effective or it isnt. Not on border security, but on the wall.

We do not want to shut down the government. You have called 20 times to shut down the government. You say, I want to shut down the government. We dont. We want to come to an agreement. If we cant come to an agreement, we have solutions that will pass the House and Senate right now, and will not shut down the government. And thats what were urging you to do. Not threaten to shut down the government 

THE PRESIDENT: Chuck 

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER:  because you 

THE PRESIDENT: You dont want to shut down the government, Chuck.

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: Let me just finish. Because you cant get your way.

THE PRESIDENT: Because the last time you shut it down you got killed.

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: Yeah. Let me say something, Mr. President. You just say, My way, or well shut down the government. We have a proposal that Democrats and Republicans will support to do a CR that will not shut down the government. We urge you to take it.

THE PRESIDENT: And if its not good border security, I wont take it.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: It is good border security.

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: It is very good border security.

THE PRESIDENT: And if its not good border security, I wont take it.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: Its actually what the border security asked for.

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: Its what the border 

THE PRESIDENT: Because when you look at these numbers of the effectiveness of our border security, and when you look at the job that were doing with our military 

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: You just said it is effective.

THE PRESIDENT: Can I be  can I tell you something?

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: Yeah, you just said its effective.

THE PRESIDENT: Without a wall  these are only areas where you have the walls.

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: We want to do this 

THE PRESIDENT: Where you have walls, Chuck, its effective. Where you dont have walls, it is not effective.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: Wait a second. Lets call a halt to this.

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: Yeah.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: Lets call a halt to this. Weve come in here as the first branch of government: Article I, the legislative branch. Were coming in, in good faith, to negotiate with you about how we can keep the government open.

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: Open.

THE PRESIDENT: Were going to keep it open 

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: The American 

THE PRESIDENT:  if we have border security.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: The American 

THE PRESIDENT: If we dont have border security, Chuck 

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: Im with you.

THE PRESIDENT:  were not going to keep it open.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: Im with you. We are going to have border security.

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: And its the same border 

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: Effective border security.

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: Youre bragging about what has been done.

THE PRESIDENT: By us.

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: We want to do the same thing we did last year, this year. Thats our proposal. If its good then, its good now, and it wont shut down the government.

THE PRESIDENT: Chuck, we can build a much bigger section with more money.

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: Lets debate 

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: We have taken 

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: Lets debate in private.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: We have taken this conversation 

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: Okay?

THE PRESIDENT: Okay.

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: Yeah.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI:  to a place that is devoid, frankly, of fact. And we can dispel that.

THE PRESIDENT: We need border security. And I think we all agree that we need border security.

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: Yes, we do.

THE PRESIDENT: Is that right?

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: We do.

THE PRESIDENT: See? We get along.

Thank you, everybody.

Q (Inaudible), Mr. President. You say border security and the wall. Can you have border security without the wall? Theres a commonality on border security.

THE PRESIDENT: No, you need the wall. The wall is a part of border security.

Q Are you re-defining what it means to have border security?

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: Yes.

THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. We need border security. The wall is a part of border security. You cant have very good border security without the wall, no.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: Thats simply not true. That is a political promise. Border security is a way to effectively honor our responsibilities.

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: And the experts say you can do border security without a wall, which is wasteful and doesnt solve the problem.

THE PRESIDENT: It totally solves the problem.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: Again, but I dont want to take this 

THE PRESIDENT: And its very important.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: Unfortunately, this has spiraled downward from  we came at a place to say, How do we meet the needs of American people who have needs? The economy has  people are losing their jobs. The market is in a mood. Our members are already (inaudible).

THE PRESIDENT: Well, we have the lowest unemployment that weve had in 50 years.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: Sixty people of the Republican Party have lost  are losing their offices now because of the transition. People are not  the morale is not 

THE PRESIDENT: And weve gained in the Senate. Nancy, weve gained in the Senate.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: The morale 

THE PRESIDENT: Excuse me. Did we win the Senate?

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI:  is not (inaudible).

THE PRESIDENT: We won the Senate.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: When the President brags that he won North Dakota and Indiana, hes in real trouble.

THE PRESIDENT: I did.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: Let me say this.

THE PRESIDENT: We did win North Dakota.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: This is the most unfortunate thing. We came in here in good faith, and we are entering into this kind of a discussion in the public view.

THE PRESIDENT: But its not bad, Nancy.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: Let us  no, but its 

THE PRESIDENT: Its called transparency.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: I know. But its not transparency when were not stipulating to a set of facts. And when we wanted to have a debate with you about saying wed confront some of these facts 

THE PRESIDENT: You know what? We need border security.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI:  without saying to the public, This isnt true.

THE PRESIDENT: Thats what were going to be talking about: border security. If we dont have border security, well shut down the government. This country needs border security.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: We agree with that.

THE PRESIDENT: The wall is a part of border security.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: (Inaudible.)

THE PRESIDENT: Lets have a talk. Were going to get the wall built and weve done a lot of wall already.

Q Mr. President, how big a part of border security is the wall? Is that the 

THE PRESIDENT: Its a big section. Its a big part of it.

Q Is it everything that you need?

THE PRESIDENT: Its a big part of it. We need to have effective border security. We need a wall in certain parts  no, not in all parts  but in certain parts of a 2,000-mile border, we need a wall.

Q How much money, Mr. President?

THE PRESIDENT: We are doing it much under budget. Were actually way under 

Q (Inaudible) this conversation.

THE PRESIDENT:  budget on the areas that weve renovated and areas that weve built. I would say if we got 

Q Do you still need the 

THE PRESIDENT:  if we got $5 billion, we could do a tremendous chunk of wall.

Q Is that mandatory?

Q Would you accept less though? And are your guests conversely willing to offer more?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, were going to see. Were going to see. Look, we have to have the wall. This isnt a question; this is a national emergency. Drugs are pouring into our country. People with tremendous medical difficulty and medical problems are pouring in, and in many  in many cases, its contagious. Theyre pouring into our country. We have to have border security. We have to have a wall as part of border security.

And I dont think we really disagree so much. I also know that, you know, Nancy is in a situation where its not easy for her to talk right now, and I understand that. And I fully understand that. Were going to have a good discussion and were going to see what happens.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: Mr. President 

THE PRESIDENT: But we have to have border security.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: Mr. President, please dont characterize the strength that I bring to this meeting as the Leader of the House Democrats who just won a big victory. But let me 

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: Elections have consequences, Mr. President.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: Let me just say 

THE PRESIDENT: Thats right. And thats why the country is doing so well.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: Let me say this: What the President is representing in terms of his cards over there are not factual. We have to have to an evidence-based conversation about what does work, what money has been spent, and how effective it is.

This isnt about  this is about the security of our country. We take an oath to protect and defend, and we dont want to have that mischaracterized by anyone. And we are 

THE PRESIDENT: I agree with that.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI:  that we are 

THE PRESIDENT: No, no I agree with that.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI:  we are (inaudible).

So let us have a conversation where we dont have to contradict, in public, the statistics that you put forth but instead can have a conversation about what would really work and what the American people deserve from us at this uncertain time in their lives, where they have apprehension.

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: The one thing I think we can agree on is we shouldnt shut down the government over a dispute. And you want to shut it down. You keep talking about it.

THE PRESIDENT: I  no, no, no, no, no. The last time, Chuck, you shut it down 

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: No, no, no.

THE PRESIDENT:  and then you opened it up very quickly.

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: Twenty times. Twenty times.

THE PRESIDENT: And I dont want to do what you did. But, Chuck 

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: Twenty times you have called for, I will shut down the government if I dont get my wall. None of us have said 

THE PRESIDENT: You want to know something?

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: Youve said it.

THE PRESIDENT: Okay, you want to put that on my 

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: You said it.

THE PRESIDENT: Ill take it.

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: Okay, good.

THE PRESIDENT: You know what Ill say: Yes, if we dont get what we want, one way or the other  whether its through you, through a military, through anything you want to call  I will shut down the government. Absolutely.

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: Okay. Fair enough. We disagree.

THE PRESIDENT: And I am proud  and Ill tell you what 

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: We disagree.

THE PRESIDENT: I am proud to shut down the government for border security, Chuck, because the people of this country dont want criminals and people that have lots of problems and drugs pouring into our country. So I will take the mantle. I will be the one to shut it down. Im not going to blame you for it. The last time you shut it down, it didnt work. I will take the mantle of shutting down.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: That is (inaudible).

THE PRESIDENT: And Im going to shut it down for border security.

SENATE MINORITY LEADER SCHUMER: But we believe you shouldnt shut it down.

THE PRESIDENT: Okay. Thank you very much everybody. Thank you.

HOUSE SPEAKER-DESIGNATE PELOSI: (Inaudible) shut down the government.

Q Chief of Staff?

Q Have you picked a Chief of Staff, Mr. President?

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Yeah, were interviewing a lot of  we have a lot of great people for Chief of Staff. A lot of people want the job. A lot of people want the job. And I have some great people. A lot of friends of mine want it. A lot of people that Chuck and Nancy know very well want it. I think people youd like. We have a lot of people that want the job  Chief of Staff. So well be seeing what happens very soon. Were in no rush. Were in no rush.

Q Why? Why no rush, Mr. President?

THE PRESIDENT: Why? Because we have a wonderful Chief of Staff right now. Just no  we are in no rush. Over a period of a week or two, or maybe less, well announce who its going to be. But we have a lot of people that want the position.

Thank you very much everybody. Thanks.
Trump administrations Waters of the United States rule gives power back to states

Washington, DC - When President Donald Trump took office, he immediately began a process to remove and replace undue regulatory burdens that stifle American innovation and economic development. At the top of the list was the Obama Administrations 2015 Waters of the United States rule. Today, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Army are fulfilling the presidents objective and proposing a new definition that would put an end to the previous administrations power grab.



Shortly after he took office, Trump issued an executive order directing EPA and the Army to review and replace, as appropriate, the 2015 definition with one that restores the rule of law and the role of states and landowners in managing their land and water resources. He also explicitly charged us to consider doing so in a manner consistent with Justice Antonin Scalias opinion in the landmark Rapanos case.

Our proposed new definition would do just that. It would end years of uncertainty over where federal jurisdiction begins and ends. For the first time, we are clearly delineating the difference between federally protected wetlands and state protected wetlands. Our proposal would be clearer and easier to understand, and, inspired by Scalia, it adheres to the statutory limits of our authority. It would help a landowner understand whether a project on his or her property will require a federal permit or not, without spending thousands of dollars on engineering and legal professionals or wasting precious time. Finally, it would ensure that Americas water protections - among the best in the world - remain strong, while giving states and tribes the certainty to manage their waters in ways that best protect their natural resource and local economies.



The U.S. is the gold standard for clean air and clean water. We reached that point through private sector innovation and cooperation between Washington and the states to implement our nations environmental laws. The Obama EPAs 2015 definition upset that balance. The Trump administrations proposal would respect the limits of federal authority and give hardworking Americans the freedom and certainty they need to do what they do best: develop, build and invest in projects that improve the environment and the lives of their fellow citizens.

Read the full op-ed here.
Vice President Mike Pences Call with Prime Minister Adil Abd Al-Mahdi of Iraq

Washington, DC - Vice President Mike Pence spoke Tuesday with Prime Minister Adil Abd Al-Mahdi of Iraq. Vice President Pence congratulated the Prime Minister on the formation of a new government and the leaders reaffirmed the strong strategic partnership between the U.S. and Iraq.

Vice President Pence also reiterated the United States support for the lasting defeat of ISIS, helping to grow Iraqs energy sector, and working to improve security and economic conditions in northern Iraq so that communities persecuted by ISIS can return home.
Senegal's Millennium Challenge Compact

Washington, DC - Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo: "On behalf of the United States, I congratulate Senegal on the signing of its Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact. The $550 million Senegal Power Compact will modernize and strengthen Senegals power sector to increase economic growth and reduce poverty through improved access to electricity. The Government of Senegal will contribute an additional $50 million to the compact, bringing the total program to $600 million.

"The United States is committed to spurring economic growth in Africa through partnerships, such as this one. Senegals hard work in meeting MCC strict eligibility criteria is paying off in the form of a rare second MCC compact. American partnerships  seen through assistance projects like this one  are an essential part of our diplomacy.

"In addition, the compact will complement the Power Africa initiative implemented by USAID and other U.S. government agencies. This initiative is accelerating improvements across Sub-Saharan Africas power sector.

"The United States celebrates this momentous occasion, the signing of the Millennium Challenge Corporation Senegal Power Compact, and remains committed to a strong bilateral and economic partnership with Senegal."
There is no shortage of people with bold ideas and enthusiasm about pursuing them. Look no further than this year's list of the top global emerging companies.

Kairos, an early-stage investment fund in New York that looks for top new founders who are tackling the world's most pressing problems, unveiled its annual list of winning entrepreneurs at the end of November. Out of 2,500 early-stage startups, which were referred from more than 65 countries around the world, just 50 companies made the cut. (While Kairos has awarded each company a $50,000 investment, the selection was made prior to any such investment.) They're working on big ideas, such as trimming student loan debt and turning homes into co-working spaces and everything in between.

Here are this year's top 50 emerging startups, in alphabetical order:

1. Ayenda Rooms?

Ayenda Rooms is a property management system for independent hotels in Colombia. Hotels under the three-year-old company's umbrella get full booking and property management services, and Ayenda offers standard amenities in all buildings like breakfast, Wi-Fi, water bottles, TV, and clean sheets. The Medellin, Colombia-based company says it increases the occupancy rate of its partner hotels by 30 percent in the first three months, on average. It currently has 37 hotels in three cities.

2. BabySparks?

Unless you're married to a child development specialist, new parents have precious few reliable outlets for learning about their little one. Enter BabySparks, the five-year-old Miami-based education subscription service for parents that gives them more insight into their child's critical first few years--offering everything from daily age-appropriate activities to outlining major milestones.

3. Bankity

Bankity, founded in 2016, is a front-end digital banking app that allows users to track their expenses and thus better understand their finances. The company recently started offering a credit card as well. The Medellin, Colombia-based company, which also partners with banks to provide customers back-end financial services, makes money the traditional way, through fees and interest charges.

4. Bumblebee Spaces

The founders of San Francisco's Bumblebee Spaces want you to downsize--or, perhaps more accurately, upsize. Currently being sold to select customers in San Francisco and Seattle, the company's beds, closets, dressers, cabinets, and storage hang along a room's ceiling and can be summoned down to you by way of an app. A full room in the ceiling with all of those furniture pieces costs between $6,000 and $10,000, and Bumblebee Spaces is currently accepting waitlist requests for the mass market.

5. Cabin

As airlines supply less legroom, this bus service is punching up the amenities. Currently offering overnight trips between Los Angeles and San Francisco that start at $115, the San Francisco-based Cabin's luxury buses come with sleeper-compartment beds that allow you to get a little shuteye while you commute. Now that's some serious multitasking.

6. CalypsoAI

Where there's new technology, like artificial intelligence, there's bound to be criminals waiting to pounce. CalypsoAI is a stealth Los Angeles-based company focused on solving A.I. cybersecurity issues. A.I. is especially vulnerable today because of what's known as the blackbox problem--that is, it's unclear how A.I. products make decisions--and the shift toward sophisticated deep-learning methods. CalypsoAI claims it has a solution.

7. Channel Cross Border

What happens in the U.S. has international implications. For this reason, the Washington, D.C.-based Channel Cross Border is hoping its niche will take off. It's creating a multilingual platform for the Asian-American Pacific Islander audience to receive American news.

8. Compound

Based in New York City, Compound creates residential real estate funds, focused on major metropolitan hubs like San Francisco, New York, and Miami. The founders say the fund is designed for the next generation of investors, as Compound invests through what the team dubs an ReTF (real estate thematic fund), a product the company describes as a combination "of the thematic investment strategies of an ETF (exchange traded fund) with the real estate ownership and tax benefits of a REIT (real estate investment trust)."

9. Cover

The Los Angeles-based Cover is on a mission to make living in a thoughtfully designed and well-built home a reality for many. The four-year-old company focuses on building modern-designed backyard accessory dwelling units--also known as "granny flats" or "in-law suites"--which are compact homes separate from a main building that homeowners add to their property.

10. Covered Insurance

Purchasing home or auto insurance doesn't have to be painful. Enter Covered Insurance, a Denver-based insurance agency founded in 2016 that offers consumers across the country tailored service options, so they can get in, get out, and get on with their lives.

11. CowryWise

Based in Lagos, Nigeria, CowryWise is an automated investing platform dedicated to making investing and saving available to everyone, no matter how much money they might have. At the one-year-old company, users can start a savings plan with as little as one hundred naira, which is equivalent to about 27 U.S. cents.

12. Cuidas

Based in Sao Paulo, Cuidas's mission is to make private at-home and personalized health care more affordable and accessible to the everyday consumer in Brazil, a market currently dominated by pricey concierge services. Cuidas offers health care that's paid for by monthly membership fees, and uses apps to communicate between consumers and their health care providers. Brazil has free public health care options, but this service aims to provide higher quality care to those with more limited means.

13. Cushion

Getting stuck with unexpected fees is a pain point that Cushion is looking to alleviate. Based in San Francisco, the company makes software to fight these unexpected blips-- like foreign transaction fees, for example--that users of bank and credit card accounts often trigger. The company negotiates on behalf of consumers to return money to their accounts within 24 hours. Cushion then keeps 25 percent of any refunded amount its software helps recover.

14. Dana Cita

Based in Jakarta, Indonesia, Dana Cita provides student loans for Indonesian students. Founded in 2017, Dana Cita is one of the first student loan platforms available in the Southeast Asian country and, as of March 2018, has provided up to 2 billion rupiah (about $144,000) in student loans to borrowers.

15. Doorport

Doorport turns your smartphone into an intercom--and a key--for your building. Its flagship product, called Arrive, also lets you generate access codes for package deliveries and streams video to your phone so you can see your visitors in real time. The two-year-old New York City-based startup is currently accepting inquiries to be part of its pilot.

16. Doppler

Nothing sucks up time like trying to remember a long-forgotten password. To ease this process for developers who, in particular, must often juggle several passwords--specifically, API keys, which are essentially programming passwords for specific companies--for a single project, there's Doppler. Currently operating in stealth mode, the San Francisco software maker (not to be confused with the now defunct earbuds maker Doppler Labs) claims its platform will help development teams shave eight or more hours from a project by remembering passwords for them.

17. Fintual

Based in Santiago, Chile, Fintual got a boost this summer when it participated in Y Combinator's San Francisco accelerator--the same accelerator that nurtured companies like Airbnb and Dropbox. Founded in 2016, Fintual is an automated financial management and investment platform that helps users invest in low-fee mutual funds. It's basically the Latin American version of Betterment or Wealthfront, which Fintual admits being inspired by.

18. Flux Biosciences

Tyler Shultz is back. The whistleblower on the now-defunct blood-testing company Theranos is apparently still keen on the industry, as his new startup, Flux Biosciences, is a health-focused testing company. Founded in 2017 out of Palo Alto, California, the company's technology--which is still under development--is described on its website as using blood, urine, or saliva to measure biomarkers related to exercise, stress, fertility, and diet. It will then correlate those measurements to the sleep and activity data collected from wearable technologies. In other words, by measuring everything, you may end up with a better understanding of yourself.

19. Frubana

What if restaurants could order produce from farmers by way of an app? Well, they can. The Bogota, Colombia-based Frubana is a B2B online platform offering up food supplies for restaurants in Colombia. Founded in 2018, Frubana's goal is to is give restaurant owners access to high-quality, predictable, and fresh produce from farmers while also boosting the amount of produce a farmer can sell.

20. Goodr

Similarly, Goodr wants to help improve food access--and eliminate unnecessary waste. The one-year-old Atlanta-based food management platform coordinates the donation of excess food to charities. While the services are free for nonprofit clients, Goodr charges businesses for getting rid of waste (a service for which they likely already pay). Its data and tracking services offer a window into your company's waste practices; Goodr also provides tax benefits to corporations that donate food.

21. Groww

Based in Bengaluru, India, Groww offers consumers in India free access to investment vehicles like mutual funds. Founded in 2017, the platform also creates personal finance content to help consumers better understand their finances. Currently, the company is focused on customer acquisition and will be deciding on monetization down the road.

22. HappyEMI

Founded in 2017, HappyEMI is a point of sale digital lending platform that charges eligible consumers 2 percent on purchases like clothes, electronics, and furniture. This Bengaluru, India-based company recently raised $1.5 million in its seed round.

23. Hex Labs

Based in San Francisco, the not even one-year-old Hex Labs claims to be developing a polymer nano-material that will allow for quantum computing to take place at room temperature. Quantum computing--which is considered more efficient than that of traditional computers since it doesn't involve first encoding data into ones and zeros--usually takes place at extremely cold temperatures, close to absolute zero. With the savings that come from not needing to cool materials down and keep them cool, Hex Labs' product could make quantum computing technology more accessible.

24. Higia

The Mexico City-based Higia wants to make early breast cancer detection as easy as putting on a bra. The two-year-old company makes a wearable device called EVA, which is a thermal sensing cup that can be inserted beneath a woman's sports bra, detecting abnormal temperatures correlating with tumor growth. Currently, EVA is not available for purchase nor has a price been released, but Higia is accepting presale campaign inquiries.

25. Homework Answers

Homework Answers of Santa Monica, California, provides on-demand education help by instantly connecting students with tutors and coaches. A student can take a picture of her math homework and get live, step-by-step help on the spot. When users sign up, they get a number of free questions they can ask and then have an option to purchase more questions once those run out.

26. Khonvo

Currently in stealth mode, the San Francisco-based Khonvo is a staffing engine that focuses on helping companies find talent in emerging industries like artificial intelligence and blockchain. The model aims to be equal parts technical and personal--as in more human interaction than scrolling through LinkedIn job posts, yet more technical and focused than sitting through hours of (potentially irrelevant) personal interviews with hiring reps.

27. Kunduz

Based in Istanbul, Kunduz wants to make test prep faster and cheaper than traditional tutoring by providing instant answers to students' test prep questions on their smartphone. Students pay a monthly subscription fee to ask a certain number of questions for which they'll receive detailed answers. Founded in 2016, Kunduz is currently available for students in Turkey but plans to expand to India next year.

28. Kymira Sport

Five-year old, London-based Kymira Sport wants your workout clothes to work as hard as you do. The company is developing a range of performance and recovery enhancing sportswear, featuring clothes made with quick-drying fabrics that have been designed to help with athletic issues like blood circulation and pain relief. Using infrared sensors, Kymira's app connects to clothing, giving users diagnostic health information.

29. Marigold Health

Marigold Health knows that sometimes you just can't wait for your therapy appointment. Founded in 2017, the Baltimore-based health-tech company provides a text-based group therapy platform with A.I. and sentiment analysis. While anonymous, the technology will alert professionals if a person types anything that signals an emergency.

30. Module

Growing family? Just add on with Module. The Pittsburgh-based company designs (and builds) adaptable housing that changes as your needs do. For less than the cost of many starter homes, you can have a one bedroom, one bathroom house that can be built upon when you need more space. The company also makes a duplex for those interested in collecting rental income.

31. Monetus

Based in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, online investment service Monetus is a robo-adviser that offers tax-efficient investments through pension funds and traditional investment vehicles that can all be arranged in its mobile app. Founded in 2016, the company aims to help young professionals invest faster, as well as set and track financial goals in exchange for an annual fee of 0.06 percent on assets invested.

32. Muvo

E-bikes are everywhere. One of the companies keeping Colombians connected is Muvo. Based in Bogota and founded in 2017, Muvo claims to be the first e-bike sharing service in Latin America.

33. Narmi

Even banks need to step up their online game. Narmi provides mobile and online banking services to regional and community financial institutions. Based in New York City, Narmi wants to help financial institutions modernize their digital banking experience to better compete with big banks.

34. NuID

NuID, pronounced as "new ID," uses cryptography tools and blockchain technology to eliminate the need for businesses to store passwords and other authentication credentials. The San Francisco company's goal is to protect users' credentials and data against potential hacks and breaches in privacy.

35. Open App

Open App designs, develops, and sells smart locks for securing cargo and fuel during transport. The Bengaluru, India-based company also makes software that works with the smart locks to monitor fuel levels and cargo locations, so drivers and managers can track their resources in real time. Open App is now starting to make these locks for homes and apartments as well.

36. Pathrise

Pathrise is a career accelerator for students and young professionals who need help with the nuts and bolts of getting a job--from interview prep and optimizing a resume and online presence to salary negotiations. The San Francisco company offers to pair job seekers with executives from companies like Google and Facebook for one-on-one advice, which is all free until a person gets a job, at which point the company charges 9 percent of that person's first-year income. The program typically requires fellows to devote at least 10 hours a week to improving their chances of landing a job, and it says most people find employment after three months.

37. Pillar

The New York-based Pillar may save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars as you endeavor to repay your student loans. The platform offers tips and suggestions on how to pay off your debt sooner--whether that's through refinancing or paying strategic amounts each month. The company is currently focused on growth and hasn't yet pinpointed a revenue model.

38. Positive Foods

Positive Foods makes "clean" meals (read, meals not derived from processed foods) designed to be eaten on the go. Picture lemongrass chicken salads or sashimi tuna nicoise. Each of the dishes, which range in price, depending on the company's catering partner, is made from scratch, individually prepared, and served ready to eat. The dishes are available for delivery and at select retail stores in Los Angeles, where the company is based.

39. Possible Finance

Seattle-based mobile micro-lender Possible Finance says it can make small (up to $500) short-term loans in one minute. It was founded in 2017 by previous members of Axon's software team, which is credited with creating software for police body cameras. Switching gears, the founders are now looking to help users build credit and pay back short-term loans over time. The company says the interest rates it charges vary from state to state.

40. Quilt

Based in Los Angeles, Quilt is a membership platform that connects professional women in need of community and a co-working space. Like Airbnb, Quilt is helping its user base tap into the value of their homes--except instead of reserving a bed for the night, users can reserve a spot to work in another member's home. You know what they say, one woman's castle is another's center for professional development.

41. Rentlogic

Restaurants shouldn't be the only businesses that get graded. Rentlogic is a standards organization that grades apartment buildings as either A, B, C, or F for health and safety. That way, renters know which buildings to steer clear of or which to seek out. Founded in 2013, Rentlogic only offers services in New York City presently.

42. Ride Health

Public transportation in many places is just not all that accessible--particularly for the handicapped, sick, or elderly. Ride Health has a better idea. By providing consumers with accessible transportation to and from hospitals, the company wants to help those in need reach urgent appointments on time. While it has helped just 2,000 patients so far, the service is deployed in 25 states with a ride network available in all 50 states.

43. RoBhat Labs

RoBhat's browser extensions offer to verify your news sources, so you don't need to worry as much about the scourge of fake news. The one-year-old San Jose, California-based company also has a Chrome extension that checks for Twitter bots that may be spreading doctored photos or information.

44. Savi

Savi wants to help student-loan borrowers identify better repayment and loan forgiveness options. Based in Washington, D.C., Savi claims users save $1,500 a year on average by using its services. The company is still working out its revenue model, though it has experimented with taking a percentage of money saved and charging a flat fee.

45. Stoop

Finding housing in many urban areas can be more than a little difficult--and it becomes increasingly tricky when renting for less than a year or for just a few months. As a solution, Stoop offers turnkey furnished residences and bedrooms on demand with flexible lease terms of over 30 days in New York City, where it's based.

46. SuperFu?ds

SuperFuds, pronounced "super foods," is a distributor that helps smaller organic food brands get into big-box grocery stores.The three-year-old Bogota, Colombia-based company organizes and curates lists of products that fit into specified diets, such as vegan, paleo, or gluten-free.

47. Tributi

Tributi wants to become the TurboTax of Latin America. The Medellin, Colombia-based Y Combinator company, which helps automate tax-filing prep for taxpayers in Latin America, has raised $120,000 in seed funding this year.

48. Vivvi

If you ask any NYC parent, they'll tell you that wrangling a good daycare is among the harder things about life in the Big Apple. Not only is it expensive, there's usually a waiting list. Vivvi wants to help. Using tax incentives and other programs, the company helps NYC-area businesses offer daycare services to employees with children as young as six weeks old.

49. WeRecover

WeRecover is a matching engine for addiction recovery centers. Based in Santa Monica, California, WeRecover's addiction therapy marketplace offers to help those struggling with addiction attain a better understanding of their options, along with help picking a provider.

50. ZiffyHomes
Think your workplace is the best? Inc. wants to hear about it.

In partnership with Quantum Workplace, a leading software platform for employee engagement and performance, Inc. is on the lookout for remarkable companies to feature in the fourth annual Best Workplaces issue.

While company-sponsored trips to Jamaica are certainly enticing, great perks aren't the sole--or most important--criteria. Is the culture egalitarian and supportive? Do you feel like your ideas matter and that there's a clear path for career advancement? We want to hear about those less-tangible benefits too.

Upon nominating your company, you'll need to survey all employees using Quantum's methodology, which includes topics such as trust in senior leadership, career development, change management, and benefits and perks. Quantum also takes into account financial elements of corporate culture.

In May, winners will be notified via email and in June, Inc. will publish the list of the best places to work online and in print. If your company made the cut, you'll be able to see how it lines up in comparison to similarly-sized businesses in your industry. How's that for competitive intelligence?

To access the early rate of $195, applications are due by January 10. The rate goes up to $245 for applications received after that date and until February 7. The charge for applications received after February 7 is $345. The deadline to apply is February 14.

EXPLORE MORE Best Workplaces COMPANIES
Paper straws are now a thing--and founder Christina Ramirez is taking on plastic toothbrushes, with her six-year-old company Plus Ultra, which makes toothbrushes from biodegradable bamboo. Plus Ultra debuted at 33 Whole Foods locations in December 2012. It's now in more than 300 stores across the U.S., revenue is expected to top $2 million this year--and Ramirez is working on a bamboo head for electric toothbrushes.

The idea came to Ramirez, who's 33, in 2006, when she was attending the University of California. Her class, she says, was told "to create a company that addressed a global problem." She wrote a business plan for a bamboo-toothbrush company--people throw out billions of plastic toothbrushes every year--but shelved it "to get a job in marketing, something with a 401(k)."

But the idea kept nagging her, so in 2010, she quit a corporate job for an entry-level gig at a Whole Foods Market in Venice, California, going "from wearing a suit to wearing an apron and making $11 an hour" as a cashier, she says. "It was the best decision I ever made."

Within seven months, she got promoted to a buying position and learned how products got on store shelves. She presented a prototype of her toothbrush to colleagues in 2012, and when they gave it the thumbs-up, cashed out her 401(k) and went to China to find a manufacturer.

Dentist (and FDA) Approved

Ramirez consulted with dentists to come up with Plus Ultra's wave-shaped bristle head and rounded bristles. Unlike the brush handle, the bristles, which are made of nylon, are not biodegradable. "Charcoal bristles," which are used by some competitors, "are not FDA regulated or approved," Ramirez says. "We stick to what the FDA approves."

A Simpler Seal

Unlike other bamboo-toothbrush companies, Plus Ultra does not "carbonize" its bamboo handles, a finishing process that speeds up production but increases the time it takes the brush to biodegrade. Instead, the company seals its wood with a hydrogen peroxide solution and coats it with an edible wax to protect against water damage.

Keeping It Positive
An investigation is underway after two fire technicians at a US research station in Antarctica have died after they were discovered when smoke was spotted coming from the building they were in.

The pair, who worked at the McMurdo Station in Antarctica, were found unconscious on the floor of the building after a helicopter pilot flying over the area saw the smoke and landed to investigate.

The men had been performing preventive maintenance on a fire suppression system at a radio transmitter generator, the National Science Foundation (NSF) said.

Both were given CPR but one was pronounced dead at the scene by medical staff from the McMurdo clinic, and the other was pronounced dead after being flown to the clinic on Ross Island, the NSF said. Their relatives have been notified.

The foundation said the deaths were under investigation.

The workers were employed by a Virginia-based company, PAE, which in turn was hired by the US Antarctic Programmes logistics contractor Leidos, based in Colorado.

The McMurdo research station, established by the US in 1955, is named after Archibald McMurdo, a British naval officer who was part of the expedition that first charted the area in 1841.

It lies on the southern tip of Ross Island in the New Zealand-claimed territory known as the Ross Dependency, used as a base for expeditions to the South Pole.

The buildings at the station are ageing and need replacing, but with the Trump administration seeking to slash federal spending, the fate of Antarctic research may be in doubt.

Daytime highs in December, in the middle of the Antarctic summer, average -3C. More than 1,000 people, including scientists and support personnel, work at the station at this time of year.

Leidos said its Antarctic team provides station operations, logistics, information technology, construction, maintenance and more.

Journey to Antarctica Show all 8 1 /8 Journey to Antarctica Journey to Antarctica Penguins on Curverville Island Reuters Journey to Antarctica Seals on a beach in Half Moon Bay Reuters Journey to Antarctica Penguins in Neko Harbour Reuters Journey to Antarctica A Greenpeace boat sails in Andvord Bay Reuters Journey to Antarctica An iceberg floats in Selvick Cove Reuters Journey to Antarctica A krill fishing ship with unknown nationality in Half Moon Bay Reuters Journey to Antarctica Waves break on Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise at the Drake Passage Reuters Journey to Antarctica A whale swims in Selvick Cove Reuters

Joseph Dantona, a volunteer firefighter, tweeted: Very sad news The work of all in Antarctica is not without risk, often significant risk  please know that there are a great many who appreciate such dedication and commitment.

Additional reporting by agencies
Failure to reach an agreement on climate change would be suicidal, a UN chief has warned in a dramatic intervention as major international discussions draw to a close.

Secretary-general Antonio Guterres warned attendees from almost 200 nations at the COP24 meeting in Poland that such a conclusion means sacrifices, but it will benefit us all.

A group of countries including the EU have pledged to enhance their climate plans before 2020, in response to fresh scientific warnings about the dangers of global warming.

However, other aspects of the talks have seen slow progress, and Mr Guterres return after opening the conference last week was seen as a sign of how fraught the situation had become.

Guterres said failure in the talks would compromise our last best chance to stop runaway climate change.

Recommended Experts condemn US and Saudi Arabia for blocking key climate report

It would not only be immoral, it would be suicidal.

The secretary-general cited the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes key report concluding emissions must be cut rapidly within just 12 years to keep warming below 1.5C.

Over the weekend, a bloc of oil-producing countries made up of the US, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait were accused of stalling progress by objecting to the findings of that report.

Mr Guterres call came after the two-week meeting in the coal-mining city of Katowice shifted from the technical phase of discussions to the final political phase, when ministers took over negotiations.

Glacier collapse shows climate impact Show all 20 1 /20 Glacier collapse shows climate impact Glacier collapse shows climate impact An iceberg floats in a fjord near the town of Tasiilaq Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Meltwater pools on top of the Helheim glacier near Tasiilaq Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Safety officer Brian Rougeux works with student Febin Magar to assemble a radar dome while working in a science camp on the side of the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Airplane Mechanic, David Fuller, left, works with a local worker to move a Nasa Gulfstream III during a pre-flight inspection before a flight to support the Oceans Melting Greenland research mission Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Meltwater pools on top of the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Earth Science Flight Programs Director at Nasa, Eric Ianson, looks out at the Greenland ice sheet Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Glacial ice is seen from the window during the Nasa flight Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Oceanographer David Holland's science camp on the side of the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact An iceberg floats in a fjord near the town of Tasiilaq Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact A large crevasse forms near the calving front of the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Safety officer Brian Rougeux uses a drill to install antennas for scientific instruments that will be left on top of the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Tabular icebergs float in the Sermilik Fjord after a large calving event at the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Radar Engineer, Ron Muellerschoen, monitors data collection inside a NASA Gulfstream III flying above Greenland to measure loss to the country's ice sheet Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact GPS tracking equipment is left on top of the Helheim glacier REUTERS Glacier collapse shows climate impact Sunshine lights up the Helheim glacier Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact A glacial terminus above the east coast of Greenland REUTERS Glacier collapse shows climate impact Student Febin Magar watches as leftover wood burns in a research camp Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Tabular icebergs float in the Sermilik Fjord after a large calving event Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact Oceanographer David Holland repairs a broken GPS module at his research camp Reuters Glacier collapse shows climate impact An iceberg floats in a fjord near the town of Tasiilaq Reuters

The aim of the summit is to produce a rulebook that nations can follow to implement the 2015 Paris climate agreement.

While progress has been made in formulating the rulebook, with a draft text expected on Thursday, it has been marred by disagreements.

Campaigners also warned the current version contains too many loopholes to be effective.

Other issues that have seen disappointing progress are commitments to increase the ambition of emissions cuts, and to provide financial support for poor nations so they can prepare for climate change.

Environmentalists accused powerful players such as the EU of not pushing hard enough for an agreement.

A new leadership must step up, said Vanessa Perez-Cirera from WWF.

We cannot afford to lose one of the 12 years we have remaining.

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Mr Guterres said while he and most people attending the conference would not be alive by the end of the century, children today would see the full impact of uncontrolled climate change.

I do not want my granddaughters or anybody elses to suffer the consequences of our failures, he said.

They would not forgive us if uncontrolled and spiralling climate change would be our legacy to them.

Additional reporting by agencies
Governments, universities and banks have quit fossil fuels in their hundreds after a global campaign to convince institutions to pull their investments.

A milestone achievement has been announced at key climate talks taking place in Poland as the initiative persuaded 1,000 institutions opting to divest from coal, oil, and gas companies.

The total sum of money being withdrawn since the campaign began in 2012 is now approaching $8 trillion (6.3 trillion).

Pressure is mounting for nations and businesses to eradicate fossil fuels altogether after scientists warned it was the only way to avoid disastrous global warming within decades.

However, efforts to arrive at international agreements have stalled at the COP24 summit as negotiators failed to reach a compromise on issues like green finance.

Recommended Ireland becomes first country in world to pull money from fossil fuels

While diplomats at the UN climate talks are having a hard time making progress, our movement has changed how society perceives the role of fossil fuel corporations and is actively keeping fossil fuels in the ground, said May Boeve, executive director of 350.org, the group running the campaign.

Pledges to divest from fossil fuels now span 37 countries, and include major capital cities such as New York, as well as mainstream banks and insurance companies.

In July Ireland became the worlds first country to make a pledge to sell off the fossil fuel components in its 8bn (7.2bn) national investment fund.

Meanwhile hundreds of MPs from across the political spectrum in the UK have called for fossil fuel investments to be dropped from their pension fund.

Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Show all 25 1 /25 Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Demonstrators block Westminster Bridge in central London to show anger at government inaction on climate and ecological issues AFP/Getty Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges A pro environment protester is arrested by police on Lambeth bridge in London EPA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Organised by Extinction Rebellion, the protest is part of many taking place this weekend to bring attention to political inaction on issues of pollution and climate change Reuters Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges AFP/Getty Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Organised by Extinction Rebellion, the protest is part of many taking place this weekend to bring attention to political inaction on issues of pollution and climate change PA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Demonstrators on Blackfriars Bridge PA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Police with demonstrators on Blackfriars Bridge PA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges AFP/Getty Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges EPA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges A demonstrator is led away by police on Blackfriars Bridge PA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Reuters Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges PA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Reuters Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges AFP/Getty Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges AFP/Getty Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges PA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges EPA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges EPA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges EPA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges PA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Reuters Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges EPA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges AFP/Getty Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges EPA Extinction rebellion: Climate change protesters block London bridges Reuters

Faith organisations such as the Quakers and the Church of England have led the charge, accounting for nearly 30 per cent of the divesters.

This is a moral movement as well as a financial one, said 350.org organiser Nico Haeringer, who supports divesting groups around the world.

Just five years ago we had 181 divestment commitments and $50bn shifted away from polluting industries and today were over 1000 and approaching $8tn.

Miriam Frank, a community organiser of a local campaign, attended the announcement at COP24.

Recommended Hundreds of MPs call for fossil fuel investment to be dropped

Divesting the Hebrew Universitys investments from fossil fuels contributes to weakening the legitimacy of the fossil fuel industry, by calling them out for the harm they cause to our planet and the exploitation of people, she said.

The campaigners said their goals were to get millions of people directly involved in fighting against climate change, and reduce the power of the fossil fuel industry over politicians and climate policy.

They say that early reports suggest divestment is already having an impact on fossil fuel share prices, and may have helped accelerate a decline in coal.

Nations are expected to set firm targets to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 at the latest, and by this date 350.org wants to achieve $12tn in divested assets.
With so many shifting into the realm of working from home, a well-made office chair has become more important than ever. There are endless options from which to choose, from ones touting claims of ergonomic design and back support to those that simply look great and provide a sense of personal style and panache in your home office.

When seeking out the correct choice for yourself, it's important to stack your priorities up front to make sorting through the cornucopia of options more manageable. We used a two-prong approach to discovering the best options: First, we pored over the top-rated products on a variety of popular sites where office furniture is sold, and second, we asked Lindsay Newitter of New York company The Posture Police (who offer online courses for those looking to correct their carriage from home) and Certified Alexander Technique Teacher to give some tips and suggestions on how to get the best bang for your buck while staying spine-conscious.

"I've worked with a lot of people in their offices and I see more taller people sizing up and fewer smaller folks sizing down," Lindsay explained. "People on the shorter side (usually women) are often sitting with their feet dangling or tucking their feet under them or sitting on the edge of the chair so they can reach the floor. It's important to be able to put your feet on the floor while sitting all the way back and that the chair be high enough so that you can reach your keyboard without lifting your hand/wrists higher than your elbows."

Read on to see what we've gathered from her suggestions and our own research, then sit, swivel, and twist to your heart's content.

Want even more of a boost to your new seat? Check out these cushions designed to align your spine for optimal office sitting habits.

You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn a commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing, expert advice and our own research. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Max Mara is bringing back a 2013 burnt orange-coloured coat after House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi went viral for wearing it earlier this week following a heated Oval Office discussion with President Trump.

On Tuesday, Ms Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer met with Trump and Vice President Mike Pence at the White House for an impromptu televised meeting to discuss financing border security and the Presidents proposed wall on the southern US border.

Mr Trump vowed to shut down the government unless Congress agreed to pay for the wall which, in the eyes of the Democrats, was a major victory.

However, it was Ms Pelosis style, rather than her politics, that caught the attention of fashion aficionados on social media.

Following the meeting, images showing the 78-year-old and Schumer smiling as they left the West Wing were quickly shared online, with the congresswoman cooly accessorising her orange-hued funnel neck coat with a pair of sunglasses as she walked to greet the press waiting outside .

The look resulted in a barrage of memes, its own parody Twitter account (whose bio reads: Im a coat, what else can I say? I have Big Coat Energy), praise from Moonlight director Barry Jenkins, and even prompted the brand behind the coat to announce it has decided to bring back the design in 2019.

The Italian fashion house shared a press release announcing it would reinstate the coat  nicknamed the Glamis  into its outwear collection next year.

(Getty Images (Getty Images)

It will be available in a variety of colourways, a spokesperson for the brand confirmed to Glamour.

Ian Griffiths, the creative director of Max Mara, also released a statement on the Pelosi style choice, adding: You develop an emotional relationship with a coat like nothing else in your wardrobe. I can imagine why Ms Pelosi chose to wear it for this important moment, and Im honoured.

The sartorial news comes days after the congresswoman suggested the presidents ego made for an intense West Wing discussion.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi was hounded by protesters when she made a campaign stop in South Florida (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) (AP)

Ms Pelosi told members of her party that Mr Trump must have said the word wall 30 times, according to Politico.

She added: I was trying to be the mom. But it goes to show you  you get into a tinkle contest with a skunk, you get tinkle all over you.

Its like a manhood thing with him  as if manhood can be associated with him. This wall thing.

This afternoon Ms Pelosi, who was the first woman in American history to be speaker of the House from 2007-2011, secured the vote necessary to return to the role in January after agreeing to limit her tenure to no more than four additional years.

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Over the summer, I made it clear that I see myself as a bridge to the next generation of leaders, Ms Pelosi said in a statement, a recognition of my continuing responsibility to mentor and advance new Members into positions of power and responsibility in the House Democratic Caucus.
Nasa's Parker Solar Probe has sent back stunning images from right next to the Sun.

The pioneering spacecraft  which Nasa says is going to "touch" the Sun by flying by its hot and mysterious surface  has only just arrived at our star and is already sending back stunning imagery and data from its journey.

The new images came from the probe's WISPR, or Wide-field Imager for Solar Probe. They show a coronal streamer, flailing out over the east limb of the Sun.

Coronal streamers are structures of material that are within the Sun's atmosphere, that come up above areas of increased activity. The images show fine details of the streamer, which should help scientists learn more about how they form.

In recent weeks, the probe sped through the Sun's outer atmosphere and made the closest-ever approach to a star that humanity has ever made. As it did, it collected a whole host of data using the four suites of instruments that are attached to its hardy body.

Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Show all 30 1 /30 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An image from Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows a 200,000 mile long solar filament ripping through the Sun's corona in September 2013 Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa Celebrates 50 Years of Spacewalking For 50 years, NASA has been "suiting up" for spacewalking. In this 1984 photograph of the first untethered spacewalk, NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless is in the midst of the first "field" tryout of a nitrogen-propelled backpack device called the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Hubble Cosmic Couple The spectacular cosmic pairing of the star Hen 2-427  more commonly known as WR 124  and the nebula M1-67 which surrounds it ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Veil Nebula Supernova Remnant Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled in stunning detail a small section of the Veil Nebula - expanding remains of a massive star that exploded about 8,000 years ago Nasa's most stunning pictures of space The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launch The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, carrying three new astronauts to the International Space Station. It also took caviar, ready for the satellite's inhabitants to celebrate the holidays Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth from the ISS From the International Space Station, Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Terry W. Virts took this photograph of the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. Gulf Coast at sunset Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Black Hole Friday Nasa celebrated Black Friday by looking into space instead  sharing pictures of black holes Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space NuSTAR X-rays stream off the sun in this image showing observations from by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, overlaid on a picture taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Cassiopeia A c A false colour image of Cassiopeia A comprised with data from the Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes and the Chandra X-Ray observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Orion Capsule splashes down The Orion capsule jetted off into space before heading back a few hours later  having proved that it can be used, one day, to carry humans to Mars Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth Observations From Gemini IV in 1965 This photograph of the Florida Straits and Grand Bahama Bank was taken during the Gemini IV mission during orbit no. 19 in 1965. The Gemini IV crew conducted scientific experiments, including photography of Earth's weather and terrain, for the remainder of their four-day mission following Ed White's historic spacewalk on June 3 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Frosty slopes of Mars This image of an area on the surface of Mars, approximately 1.5 by 3 kilometers in size, shows frosted gullies on a south-facing slope within a crater. The image was taken by Nasa's HiRISE camera, which is mounted on its Mars Reconaissance Orbiter Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Yellowstone from space NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman shared this image of Yellowstone via his twitter account Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Saturn This near-infrared color image shows a specular reflection, or sunglint, off of a hydrocarbon lake named Kivu Lacus on Saturn's moon Titan Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Worlds Apart Although Mimas and Pandora, shown here, both orbit Saturn, they are very different moons. Pandora, "small" by moon standards (50 miles or 81 kilometers across) is elongated and irregular in shape. Mimas (246 miles or 396 kilometers across), a "medium-sized" moon, formed into a sphere due to self-gravity imposed by its higher mass Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An X1.6 class solar flare flashes in the middle of the sun in this image taken 10 September, captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Mars Rover Spirit Nasa's Mars Rover Spirit took the first picture from Spirit since problems with communications began a week earlier. The image shows the robotic arm extended to the rock called Adirondack Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Morning Aurora From the Space Station Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station Nasa/Scott Kelly Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Launch of History - Making STS-41G Mission in 1984 The Space Shuttle Challenger launches from Florida at dawn. On this mission, Kathryn Sullivan became the first U.S. woman to perform a spacewalk and Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space. The crew of seven was the largest to fly on a spacecraft at that time, and STS-41G was the first flight to include two female astronauts Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Fresh Perspective on an Extraordinary Cluster of Galaxies Galaxy clusters are often described by superlatives. After all, they are huge conglomerations of galaxies, hot gas, and dark matter and represent the largest structures in the Universe held together by gravity Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Sees a Galactic Sunflower The arrangement of the spiral arms in the galaxy Messier 63, seen here in an image from the Nasa Hubble Space Telescope, recall the pattern at the center of a sunflower ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Pluto image Four images from New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) were combined with colour data from the Ralph instrument to create this enhanced colour global view of Pluto Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Fresh Crater Near Sirenum Fossae Region of Mars The HiRISE camera aboard Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter acquired this closeup image of a "fresh" (on a geological scale, though quite old on a human scale) impact crater in the Sirenum Fossae region of Mars. This impact crater appears relatively recent as it has a sharp rim and well-preserved ejecta Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Peers into the Most Crowded Place in the Milky Way This Nasa Hubble Space Telescope image presents the Arches Cluster, the densest known star cluster in the Milky Way NASA & ESA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space An Astronaut's View from Space Nasa astronaut Reid Wiseman tweeted this photo from the International Space Station on 2 September 2014 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Giant Landform on Mars On Mars, we can observe four classes of sandy landforms formed by the wind, or aeolian bedforms: ripples, transverse aeolian ridges, dunes, and what are called draa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Expedition 39 Landing A sokol suit helmet can be seen against the window of the Soyuz TMA-11M capsule shortly after the spacecraft landed with Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan (NASA/Bill Ingalls) Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Jupiter's Great Red Spot Viewed by Voyager I Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and perhaps the most majestic. Vibrant bands of clouds carried by winds that can exceed 400 mph continuously circle the planet's atmosphere Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Chandra Observatory Sees a Heart in the Darkness This Chandra X-Ray Observatory image of the young star cluster NGC 346 highlights a heart-shaped cloud of 8 million-degree Celsius gas in the central region

With all of that data, scientists expect to find things out about our big, bright neighbour in ways they had never expected.

"We don't know what to expect so close to the Sun until we get the data, and we'll probably see some new phenomena," said Raouafi. "Parker is an exploration mission  the potential for new discoveries is huge."

Those discoveries could help solve some of the grand mysteries of our nearby star, which still remains largely unknown despite being so critical for just about every physical process down on Earth.

"Parker Solar Probe is providing us with the measurements essential to understanding solar phenomena that have been puzzling us for decades," said Nour Raouafi, Parker Solar Probe project scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab in Laurel, Maryland. "To close the link, local sampling of the solar corona and the young solar wind is needed and Parker Solar Probe is doing just that."
Vigilante citizens in a town in Arizona have slashed tyres, thrown rocks and even pointed guns at self-driving vehicles being tested in their neighbourhood, an investigation has revealed.

Police in Chandler recorded 21 incidents over the past two years in which the autonomous vehicles and their test drivers were targeted by local residents.

One incident on 24 October saw a man emerge from a park and slash the tyres of a Waymo vehicle stopped at an intersection. Earlier this year a Waymo test driver reported a man in shorts aiming a gun at his car when it passed the mans driveway.

Police reports also show that rocks were thrown at Waymos fleet on at least four separate occasions, according to The Arizona Republic, while other incidents include people yelling at the vehicles, chasing them and forcing them off the road.

Many other incidents may have gone unreported, the newspaper suggested, with Waymo reportedly keen to minimise police interaction.

New 'driverless' London Underground trains Show all 8 1 /8 New 'driverless' London Underground trains New 'driverless' London Underground trains New 'driverless' trains TFL New 'driverless' London Underground trains New 'driverless' trains TFL New 'driverless' London Underground trains New 'driverless' trains TFL New 'driverless' London Underground trains New 'driverless' trains TfL New 'driverless' London Underground trains New 'driverless' trains TfL New 'driverless' London Underground trains New 'driverless' trains TfL New 'driverless' London Underground trains New 'driverless' trains TfL New 'driverless' London Underground trains New 'driverless' trains TfL

The underlying motivation behind such harassment appears to be frustration with Waymos parent company Alphabet, combined with fears the technology poses a threat to both jobs and road safety.

Everybody hates Waymo drivers, one resident told The Arizona Republic. They are dangerous.

Earlier this year, an autonomous vehicle being tested by Uber hit and killed a woman on a darkened street in Tempe, which borders Chandler.

Such frustrations led one man to block the path of a Waymo vehicle by standing in front of it.

The police report for the incident stated the man was sick and tired of the Waymo vehicles driving in his neighbourhood, and apparently thought the best idea to resolve this was to stand in front of one of these vehicles.

(Getty (Getty)

The company recently launched the first ever commercial self-driving taxi service in nearby Phoenix, with the hope of a much broader roll out in the coming years.

A Waymo spokesperson said drivers of its self-driving vehicles are trained to deal with threats from the public.

Safety is at the core of everything we do, which means that keeping our drivers, our riders and the public safe is our top priority, the spokesperson said.

Over the past two years, weve found Arizonans to be welcoming and excited by the potential of this technology to make our roads safer. We believe a key element of local engagement has been ongoing work with the communities in which we drive, including Arizona law enforcement and first responders.
Virgin Galactic's space ship has arrived in space for the first time.

The journey is a major breakthrough in attempts to bring private space travel to the masses. And it marks the first time a US commercial human flight has reached space since 2011, when the space programme came to an end.

SpaceShipTwo, VSS Unity, took off in the early morning sunshine at the Mojave test centre in California. Soon after, it was released by its carrier plane around 43,000 feet and climbed up to altitudes of around 271,000 feet, touching the edge of space and marking a major achievement for the company.

As it arrived, the official Virgin Galactic Twitter account posted: "SpaceShipTwo, welcome to space."

Flown by two pilots, Mark Stucky and Nasa astronaut Frederick Sturckow, the aircraft's launch was watched by hundreds of the company's employees and family members on Thursday.

Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Show all 30 1 /30 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An image from Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) shows a 200,000 mile long solar filament ripping through the Sun's corona in September 2013 Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Nasa Celebrates 50 Years of Spacewalking For 50 years, NASA has been "suiting up" for spacewalking. In this 1984 photograph of the first untethered spacewalk, NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless is in the midst of the first "field" tryout of a nitrogen-propelled backpack device called the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Hubble Cosmic Couple The spectacular cosmic pairing of the star Hen 2-427  more commonly known as WR 124  and the nebula M1-67 which surrounds it ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Veil Nebula Supernova Remnant Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled in stunning detail a small section of the Veil Nebula - expanding remains of a massive star that exploded about 8,000 years ago Nasa's most stunning pictures of space The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launch The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, carrying three new astronauts to the International Space Station. It also took caviar, ready for the satellite's inhabitants to celebrate the holidays Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth from the ISS From the International Space Station, Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Terry W. Virts took this photograph of the Gulf of Mexico and U.S. Gulf Coast at sunset Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Black Hole Friday Nasa celebrated Black Friday by looking into space instead  sharing pictures of black holes Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space NuSTAR X-rays stream off the sun in this image showing observations from by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, overlaid on a picture taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Cassiopeia A c A false colour image of Cassiopeia A comprised with data from the Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes and the Chandra X-Ray observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Orion Capsule splashes down The Orion capsule jetted off into space before heading back a few hours later  having proved that it can be used, one day, to carry humans to Mars Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Earth Observations From Gemini IV in 1965 This photograph of the Florida Straits and Grand Bahama Bank was taken during the Gemini IV mission during orbit no. 19 in 1965. The Gemini IV crew conducted scientific experiments, including photography of Earth's weather and terrain, for the remainder of their four-day mission following Ed White's historic spacewalk on June 3 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Frosty slopes of Mars This image of an area on the surface of Mars, approximately 1.5 by 3 kilometers in size, shows frosted gullies on a south-facing slope within a crater. The image was taken by Nasa's HiRISE camera, which is mounted on its Mars Reconaissance Orbiter Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Yellowstone from space NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman shared this image of Yellowstone via his twitter account Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Saturn This near-infrared color image shows a specular reflection, or sunglint, off of a hydrocarbon lake named Kivu Lacus on Saturn's moon Titan Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Worlds Apart Although Mimas and Pandora, shown here, both orbit Saturn, they are very different moons. Pandora, "small" by moon standards (50 miles or 81 kilometers across) is elongated and irregular in shape. Mimas (246 miles or 396 kilometers across), a "medium-sized" moon, formed into a sphere due to self-gravity imposed by its higher mass Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Solar Flare An X1.6 class solar flare flashes in the middle of the sun in this image taken 10 September, captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Mars Rover Spirit Nasa's Mars Rover Spirit took the first picture from Spirit since problems with communications began a week earlier. The image shows the robotic arm extended to the rock called Adirondack Nasa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Morning Aurora From the Space Station Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station Nasa/Scott Kelly Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Launch of History - Making STS-41G Mission in 1984 The Space Shuttle Challenger launches from Florida at dawn. On this mission, Kathryn Sullivan became the first U.S. woman to perform a spacewalk and Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space. The crew of seven was the largest to fly on a spacecraft at that time, and STS-41G was the first flight to include two female astronauts Nasa's most stunning pictures of space A Fresh Perspective on an Extraordinary Cluster of Galaxies Galaxy clusters are often described by superlatives. After all, they are huge conglomerations of galaxies, hot gas, and dark matter and represent the largest structures in the Universe held together by gravity Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Sees a Galactic Sunflower The arrangement of the spiral arms in the galaxy Messier 63, seen here in an image from the Nasa Hubble Space Telescope, recall the pattern at the center of a sunflower ESA/Hubble & NASA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Pluto image Four images from New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) were combined with colour data from the Ralph instrument to create this enhanced colour global view of Pluto Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Fresh Crater Near Sirenum Fossae Region of Mars The HiRISE camera aboard Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter acquired this closeup image of a "fresh" (on a geological scale, though quite old on a human scale) impact crater in the Sirenum Fossae region of Mars. This impact crater appears relatively recent as it has a sharp rim and well-preserved ejecta Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Hubble Peers into the Most Crowded Place in the Milky Way This Nasa Hubble Space Telescope image presents the Arches Cluster, the densest known star cluster in the Milky Way NASA & ESA Nasa's most stunning pictures of space An Astronaut's View from Space Nasa astronaut Reid Wiseman tweeted this photo from the International Space Station on 2 September 2014 Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Giant Landform on Mars On Mars, we can observe four classes of sandy landforms formed by the wind, or aeolian bedforms: ripples, transverse aeolian ridges, dunes, and what are called draa Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Expedition 39 Landing A sokol suit helmet can be seen against the window of the Soyuz TMA-11M capsule shortly after the spacecraft landed with Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan (NASA/Bill Ingalls) Nasa's most stunning pictures of space Jupiter's Great Red Spot Viewed by Voyager I Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and perhaps the most majestic. 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Richard Branson shed a few tears and hugged his son Sam as they watched the rocket plane head into space.

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Speaking after take-off, the company's founder said: "I'm not supposed to say this, but hopefully we will go to space today.

"Hopefully we'll have a bit of magic in the next couple of hours."

The company has repeatedly stressed that safety was a priority, particularly after a high-profile and deadly crash in 2014.

"We've had our challenges, and to finally get to the point where we are at least within range of space altitude is a major deal for our team," George Whitesides, Virgin Galactic's chief executive, told reporters during a facilities tour on Wednesday in Mojave, where workers could be seen making pre-flight inspections of the rocket plane.

While critics point to Branson's unfulfilled space promises over the past decade, the maverick businessman told a TV interviewer in October that Virgin's first commercial space trip with him onboard would happen "in months and not years."

Thursday's test flight will have two pilots onboard, four NASA research payloads, and a mannequin named Annie as a stand-in passenger. More than 600 people have paid or put down deposits to fly aboard Virgin's suborbital missions, including actor Leonardo DiCaprio and pop star Justin Bieber. A 90-minute flight costs $250,000.

Short sightseeing trips to space aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket are likely to cost around $200,000 to $300,000, at least to start, Reuters reported in July. Tickets will be offered ahead of the first commercial launch, and test flights with Blue Origin employees are expected to begin in 2019.

Other firms planning a variety of passenger spacecraft include Boeing Co, Elon Musk's SpaceX and late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's Stratolaunch.

In September, SpaceX said Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, founder and chief executive of online fashion retailer Zozo, would be the company's first passenger on a voyage around the moon on its forthcoming Big Falcon Rocket spaceship, tentatively scheduled for 2023.

Musk, the billionaire CEO of electric carmaker Tesla , said the Big Falcon Rocket could conduct its first orbital flights in two to three years as part of his grand plan to shuttle passengers to the moon and eventually fly humans and cargo to Mars.

According to Virgin, SpaceShipTwo is hauled to an altitude of about 45,000 feet (13.7 kms) by the WhiteKnightTwo carrier airplane and released. The spaceship then fires its rocket motor to catapult it to at least 50 miles (80.47 km) above Earth, high enough for passengers to experience weightlessness and see the curvature of the planet.

Bezos' New Shepard has already flown to that altitude - an internationally recognized boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space known as the Karman line - though the Blue Origin trip did not carry humans.

Virgin's Thursday launch likely will not go as high as the Karman line. Virgin's pilots are aiming to soar 50 miles into the sky - the U.S. military and NASA's definition of the edge of space and high enough to earn commercial astronaut wings by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.

Thursday's test flight carried two pilots, four NASA research payloads, and a mannequin named Annie as a stand-in passenger.

Additional reporting by agencies
Fawcett Society has announced the launch of a social media campaign to combat gender-stereotyped toys in the lead up to Christmas.

The gender equality and womens rights charity will be teaming up with Let Toys Be Toys, an initiative that advocates for companies in the toy and publishing industries to stop stereotyping products that are geared towards children.

The aim of the Smashing Stereotypes campaign is to shine on a spotlight on products, including toys, clothes, stationery and books, that have been designed specifically with girls or boys in mind, as opposed to for all.

While these pigeonholed products can be bought throughout the year, these stereotypes become even more apparent during the festive period when buying gifts for youngsters.

"Gender stereotypes hold us all back and help to drive assumptions about who does the caring, they cause toxic masculinity and hold women and girls back in terms of the career choices they perceive as being 'for them'," Fawcett Society chief executive Sam Smethers tells The Independent.

"By smashing stereotypes we will begin to address the underlying causes of the inequality, which causes the gender pay gap, drives misogyny and violence against women and girls."

The charity is calling on people to either send in photos of products that they deem to be stereotypical, or to post photos of them on social media using the hashtag #SmashingStereotypes.

While more details about the project are going to be unveiled in 2019, several people have already began sharing tweets with Fawcett Society showing just how stereotypical children's products can be.

"Just bought a toy garage for my grandson - very surprised to see a gender specific choice!" one person tweeted.

In 2015, a study conducted by Let Toys Be Toys discovered that the majority of adverts for children's toys that are broadcast in the UK are "sexist" and reinforce "narrow and limiting" gender stereotypes.

The research found that adverts promoting toy cars, action figures and construction sets typically featured boys.

On the other hand, girls appeared in adverts for dolls and toys that focus on beauty and relationships.

Furthermore, the boys in the toy adverts were markedly more aggressive than the girls.

A number of clothing brands have recently been launching gender-neutral collections in response to high demand from consumers.

In November 2018, Celine Dion revealed that she had partnered with children's clothing brand Nununu to create a gender-neutral line called Celinununu,

She explained that she wanted to give children the chance to "feel free to find their own individuality, their own true essence without being tied to stereotypes."

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In 2016, Let Toys Be Toys won an award for scientific research, which was presented to the them at the headquarters of toy company Brio in Sweden.

It does seem that many in the industry are beginning to realise that consumers are increasingly uncomfortable with marketing that relies on limiting stereotypes about boys and girls, Let Toys Be Toys campaigners Jess Day and Tricia Lowther wrote in a blog.
Carlos Ghosn will remain as Renault chief executive after an internal investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing surrounding his pay.

Mr Ghosn is being detained in a Tokyo jail as police investigate allegations that he understated his pay at Nissan, where he was chair, by tens of millions of dollars over five years.

Renaults board said on Thursday that his compensation was compliant with French law and industry recommendations.

The board said it did not have information concerning Carlos Ghosns defence. Renault shares rose 2 per cent after the news.

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Nissan sacked Mr Ghosn after its own probe found significant misconduct. Shortly after, he was also removed from his role at Mitsubishi.

Mr Ghosn and a colleague, Greg Kelly, are also accused of numerous other significant acts of misconduct, including personal use of company assets.

It is alleged that Mr Ghosn used a network of luxury homes paid for with company money. Nissan is now trying to block its former chairs family from accessing the properties, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.

Prosecutors in Japan indicted Mr Ghosn and Nissan on Monday, on charges relating to underreporting of income.

The chief executive was arrested again on different charges covering a different time period meaning he can be held in custody for an additional 10 days.

Mr Ghosn, who was born in Brazil to Lebanese parents, previously enjoyed an almost heroic status in Japan  the tale of his efforts to bring Nissan back into profit was made into a bestselling manga (Japanese comic book).

Meanwhile, as leader of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, Mr Ghosn headed up the worlds largest car group by sales.

The scandal emerged during a tense period at the top of the group with Nissan executives said to be unhappy with Mr Ghosns reported desire to fully merge the Japanese firm with Renault.
With the festive season looming, researchers are warning that heightened emotions and over indulgence contributes to an annual spike in heart attacks.

In one of the largest studies to assess the hazards of the holidays, Swedish researchers pinpointed 10pm on Christmas Eve as the point where annual heart attacks are most likely.

While Swedish festivities peak on Christmas Eve, previous studies have shown other countries have higher rates on Christmas Day and during holidays such as Eid in Muslim-majority countries.

However, the findings from Lund University also found an event that unifies us all, with Mondays at 8am accounting for another rise in heart attacks.

Previous studies have also found evidence that major national events, such as the US Super Bowl, stock market crashes and natural disasters also cause a spike, though this wasnt evident here.

The study was included in a Christmas edition of The BMJ and is one of the most in-depth looks at the annual variation in cardiac events using a single, high quality national record.

It involved the analysis of 283,014 heart attacks recorded in Swedish medical records over a 16-year period  from 1998 to 2013.

Heart attack rates at Christmas were 15 per cent higher than in the weeks before and after, while they were raised 12 per cent at Swedens Midsummer festival.

But the greatest additional risk was at Christmas Eve, with heart attack rates as much as 37 per cent higher than on the same day a week later or earlier.

Risks were greatest in the over 75s and those with pre-existing heart conditions, or other diseases such as diabetes.

It said previous studies have shown that acute experience of anger, anxiety, sadness, grief and stress increases the risk of myocardial infarction and thus possibly explains the higher risk observed in our study.

Science news in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Science news in pictures Science news in pictures Pluto has 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen Pluto has a 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen that is doing strange things to its surface, Nasa has found. The mysterious core seems to be the cause of features on its surface that have fascinated scientists since they were spotted by Nasa's New Horizons mission. "Before New Horizons, everyone thought Pluto was going to be a netball - completely flat, almost no diversity," said Tanguy Bertrand, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and the lead author on the new study. "But it's completely different. It has a lot of different landscapes and we are trying to understand what's going on there." 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In Sesotho, the South African language of the region in which the dinosaur was discovered, its name means "a giant thunderclap at dawn" Viktor Radermacher / SWNS Science news in pictures Birth of a planet Scientists have witnessed the birth of a planet for the first time ever. This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the center of the image, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the central star. ESO/A. Muller et al Science news in pictures New human organ discovered that was previously missed by scientists Layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments researchers have termed the interstitium. 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While New Years Eve is typically seen as another peak of emotion and indulgence, the researchers found a higher risk on New Years Day.

This may be down to family members visiting relatives on New Years Day and noticing theyre in a worse state, potentially caused by over indulgence the night before, the authors suggest.

Heart attack rates were broadly similar between men and women throughout the year, except for Midsummer when there were slightly more men admitted.

It is possible that men are more likely to smoke, consume alcohol and eat to excess during this holiday than women, the authors added.
Interbreeding with Neanderthals thousands of years ago has given some humans alive today more elongated brains, according to a new study.

Scientists connected two ancient DNA fragments that have been passed down to select people of European heritage with slight changes in skull and therefore brain shape.

A key feature of the human head is its distinct roundness, in contrast to extinct relatives and ancestors which tended to have longer heads with flatter tops.

Due to some ancient humans breeding with Neanderthals, many Europeans alive today have up to 2 per cent Neanderthal DNA scattered around their genomes.

Previous research has suggested this genetic material may help fight off infections, but the new study is the first to conclude some people still have Neanderthal-like heads.

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Professor Simon Fisher, one of the scientists behind the work, said the effects of the DNA fragments were really subtle, but they detected them across a large sample size of nearly 4,500 European MRI brain scans.

They then used information from previous Neanderthal DNA studies to identify pieces inside living human genes that were correlated with more elongated heads.

Both fragments contained genes already known to affect brain development known as UBR4 and PHLPP1, which makes sense given the shape of the brain and skull are interlinked.

We know from other studies that completely disrupting UBR4 or PHLPP1 can have major consequences for brain development, explained Dr Fisher, a geneticist at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics.

Science news in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Science news in pictures Science news in pictures Pluto has 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen Pluto has a 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen that is doing strange things to its surface, Nasa has found. The mysterious core seems to be the cause of features on its surface that have fascinated scientists since they were spotted by Nasa's New Horizons mission. "Before New Horizons, everyone thought Pluto was going to be a netball - completely flat, almost no diversity," said Tanguy Bertrand, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and the lead author on the new study. "But it's completely different. It has a lot of different landscapes and we are trying to understand what's going on there." Getty Science news in pictures Over 400 species discovered this year by Natural History Museum The ancient invertabrate worm-like species rhenopyrgus viviani (pictured) is one of over 400 species previously unknown to science that were discovered by experts at the Natural History Museum this year PA Science news in pictures Jackdaws can identify 'dangerous' humans Jackdaws can identify dangerous humans from listening to each others warning calls, scientists say. The highly social birds will also remember that person if they come near their nests again, according to researchers from the University of Exeter. In the study, a person unknown to the wild jackdaws approached their nest. At the same time scientists played a recording of a warning call (threatening) or contact calls (non-threatening). The next time jackdaws saw this same person, the birds that had previously heard the warning call were defensive and returned to their nests more than twice as quickly on average. Getty Science news in pictures Turtle embryos influence sex by shaking The sex of the turtle is determined by the temperatures at which they are incubated. Warm temperatures favour females. But by wiggling around the egg, embryos can find the Goldilocks Zone which means they are able to shield themselves against extreme thermal conditions and produce a balanced sex ratio, according to the new study published in Current Biology journal Ye et al/Current Biology Science news in pictures Elephant poaching rates drop in Africa African elephant poaching rates have dropped by 60 per cent in six years, an international study has found. It is thought the decline could be associated with the ivory trade ban introduced in China in 2017. Reuters Science news in pictures Ancient four-legged whale discovered in Peru Scientists have identified a four-legged creature with webbed feet to be an ancestor of the whale. Fossils unearthed in Peru have led scientists to conclude that the enormous creatures that traverse the planets oceans today are descended from small hoofed ancestors that lived in south Asia 50 million years ago A. Gennari Science news in pictures Animal with transient anus discovered A scientist has stumbled upon a creature with a transient anus that appears only when it is needed, before vanishing completely. Dr Sidney Tamm of the Marine Biological Laboratory could not initially find any trace of an anus on the species. However, as the animal gets full, a pore opens up to dispose of waste Steven G Johnson Science news in pictures Giant bee spotted Feared extinct, the Wallace's Giant bee has been spotted for the first time in nearly 40 years. An international team of conservationists spotted the bee, that is four times the size of a typical honeybee, on an expedition to a group of Indonesian Islands Clay Bolt Science news in pictures New mammal species found inside crocodile Fossilised bones digested by crocodiles have revealed the existence of three new mammal species that roamed the Cayman Islands 300 years ago. The bones belonged to two large rodent species and a small shrew-like animal New Mexico Museum of Natural History Science news in pictures Fabric that changes according to temperature created Scientists at the University of Maryland have created a fabric that adapts to heat, expanding to allow more heat to escape the body when warm and compacting to retain more heat when cold Faye Levine, University of Maryland Science news in pictures Baby mice tears could be used in pest control A study from the University of Tokyo has found that the tears of baby mice cause female mice to be less interested in the sexual advances of males Getty Science news in pictures Final warning to limit "climate catastrophe" The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report which projects the impact of a rise in global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius and warns against a higher increase Getty Science news in pictures Nobel prize for evolution chemists The nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to three chemists working with evolution. Frances Smith is being awarded the prize for her work on directing the evolution of enzymes, while Gregory Winter and George Smith take the prize for their work on phage display of peptides and antibodies Getty/AFP Science news in pictures Nobel prize for laser physicists The nobel prize for physics has been awarded to three physicists working with lasers. Arthur Ashkin (L) was awarded for his "optical tweezers" which use lasers to grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells. Donna Strickland and Gerard Mourou were jointly awarded the prize for developing chirped-pulse amplification of lasers Reuters/AP Science news in pictures Discovery of a new species of dinosaur The Ledumahadi Mafube roamed around 200 million years ago in what is now South Africa. Recently discovered by a team of international scientists, it was the largest land animal of its time, weighing 12 tons and standing at 13 feet. In Sesotho, the South African language of the region in which the dinosaur was discovered, its name means "a giant thunderclap at dawn" Viktor Radermacher / SWNS Science news in pictures Birth of a planet Scientists have witnessed the birth of a planet for the first time ever. This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the center of the image, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the central star. ESO/A. Muller et al Science news in pictures New human organ discovered that was previously missed by scientists Layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments researchers have termed the interstitium. These compartments are found beneath the skin, as well as lining the gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles, and join together to form a network supported by a mesh of strong, flexible proteins Getty Science news in pictures Previously unknown society lived in Amazon rainforest before Europeans arrived, say archaeologists Working in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, a team led by archaeologists at the University of Exeter unearthed hundreds of villages hidden in the depths of the rainforest. These excavations included evidence of fortifications and mysterious earthworks called geoglyphs Jose Iriarte Science news in pictures One in 10 people have traces of cocaine or heroin on fingerprints, study finds More than one in 10 people were found to have traces of class A drugs on their fingers by scientists developing a new fingerprint-based drug test. Using sensitive analysis of the chemical composition of sweat, researchers were able to tell the difference between those who had been directly exposed to heroin and cocaine, and those who had encountered it indirectly. Getty Science news in pictures Nasa releases stunning images of Jupiter's great red spot The storm bigger than the Earth, has been swhirling for 350 years. The image's colours have been enhanced after it was sent back to Earth. Pictures by: Tom Momary

Both of the brain regions in which the Neanderthal fragments were discovered are involved in key functions such as learning and coordinating movements.

However despite this, the scientists stressed there is no indication the DNA pieces have any effect on the cognitive abilities of modern humans.

The focus of our study is on understanding the unusual brain shape of modern humans, said Dr Philipp Gunz, another Max Planck Institute scientist.

These results cannot be used to make inferences about what Neanderthals could or could not do.

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The researchers said they hope this discovery will help them unravel how modern humans first evolved their distinct brain shape.

They now intend to scale up their studies to include even larger samples, including a sizeable collection of genetic material from British people.

Ultimately they hope to find the full suite of genes controlling the shape of human brains, and understand how their roundness is linked to other characteristics.

These results were published in the journal Current Biology.
Stephen J Martin noticed large mounds, some 10ft tall, 30ft wide, along the side of the road as he drove through a remote part of northeast Brazil.

After 20 minutes, we were still driving through these, and I started saying, Well, what are they? says Martin, an entomologist at the University of Salford who was in Brazil for research on the worldwide decline of honeybees.

He thought they might be piles of dirt displaced from the construction of the road. Instead, his companions told him, Oh, theyre just termite mounds.

And I went, Youre really sure about that? Martin recalls. And theyre like: Well, I dont know. I think so.

On a subsequent trip, Martin met by chance Roy R Funch, an ecologist at Brazils State University of Feira de Santana who was already arranging to conduct radioactive dating to determine the age of the mounds.

I said, Look at those. There must be thousands of these mounds, Martin says. And he went, Nah, theres millions.

Funch undercounted, too.

Funch and his colleagues discovered some of the mounds were nearly 4,000 years old (Dr Roy Funch)

In research published earlier this month in the journal Current Biology, Martin, Funch and their colleagues reported the findings from years of investigations.

How many mounds? Some 200 million, the scientists estimate.

Theyre all over the place, Funch says.

The cone-shape mounds are the work of Syntermes dirus, among the largest termite species at about half an inch long. The mounds, spaced on average about 60ft apart, are spread across an area as large as Britain.

As humans, we have never built a city that big, anywhere, Martin says.

The scientists were also surprised when they received results of the radioactive dating of 11 mounds. The youngest was about 690 years old. The oldest was at least 3,820 years old, close in age to the great pyramids of Giza in Egypt. That just kind of blew me out of the water, Funch says.

Martin says they used the minimum age suggested by the data, but the oldest mound could be more than twice as old.

The scientists also estimate that to build 200 million mounds, the termites had excavated 2.4 cubic miles of dirt  a volume equal to about 4,000 great pyramids of Giza. It is the greatest known example of ecosystem engineering by a single insect species, the scientists write.

Young, active mounds grow to 4ft to 5ft tall in a couple of years, while most of the older mounds appear inactive (AP)

Another surprise was that the mounds turned out to be just mounds.

Other termites build mounds with complicated networks of tunnels that provide ventilation for underground nests.

But cutting through some of the mounds, Funch and Martin found only a single central tube leading to the top, and they never came across any nests.

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These mounds were not ventilation structures, but simply piles of dirt. As the termites excavated networks of tunnels below the landscape, they needed somewhere to discard the excavated dirt. So they carried the dirt up the central tube to the top of a mound and tossed it out.

That might also explain the regular spacing between the mounds. At first, Funch and Martin thought that to be the result of competing colonies. But when they put a termite from one mound next to one from a neighbouring mound, there was no conflict, indicating they were from the same family.

They concluded the pattern was simply an efficient spacing of garbage piles.

Young, active mounds grow to 4ft to 5ft tall in a couple of years, Funch says. Most of the older mounds appear inactive. The scientists do not know if that means the termites have left or if they simply have no need for additional digging in the area after constructing the needed tunnels.

While people living in the region knew of the termite mounds, few outsiders did. The expanse of the construction was hidden by scrubby forest known as caatinga.

Thats why they were undiscovered for so long, Funch says. You cannot see them in the native vegetation. And not many scientists pass this way.

For most of the year, with temperatures reaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit or hotter, the trees are scorched white. The landscape turns green after a short rainy season, and then the leaves fall, and the landscape grows desolate again.

As parts of the forest were cleared, the mounds became visible, and about a decade ago, Google Earths satellite images became sharp enough that Funch could spot individual mounds. He drove to some of the sites to verify that the mounds were there.

 New York Times
A City banker texted his partner Im sorry after he allegedly bludgeoned a high-class escort to death on her 29th birthday, a court heard.

Helen Jervis asked her partner of 12 years Zahid Naseem What have you done after he told her Its too late, Im sorry, life isnt going to work for me on 25 May, Lewes Crown Court heard.

The body of Christina Abbotts was discovered by police the following morning in a flat where she was house-sitting in Crawley.

Naseem, 48, was found lying naked on a sofa pretending to be unconscious, prosecutor Christopher Tehrani told jurors.

Ms Abbotts, who was born in the West Midlands and lived in London, had been hit on the head with a pestle 13 times and is thought to have died about 12 hours earlier, jurors were told.

The pair were last seen together in the West Sussex towns Asda supermarket buying alcohol on the night before she is thought to have died.

Jurors were shown CCTV images of Naseem kissing Ms Abbotts on the head while they stood in one of the aisles.

As the bankers murder trial continued, the court heard how the privately-educated city girl lived a secret life as a high-class escort but told her friends and family she worked in IT.

Naseem paid her up to 3,500 a time when they met and the social media addict led a lavish lifestyle partying with posh, wealthy friends living in Westminster and other parts of London while frequenting the theatre, polo and Ascot.

Still taken from CCTV dated 24 May, 2018, of murder victim Christina Abbotts and accused Zahid Naseem in Asda, Crawley, before she was killed. City banker Naseem denies murdering Ms Abbotts some time between 25 and 26 May this year. (Sussex Police/PA Wire)

Her father Michael Abbotts, who lives in Stourbridge, said he was never fully aware of what she did for a living but she had very posh friends and travelled a lot, visiting countries including Brazil and Mexico.

After school she studied business at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester and dropped out of a course to Oxford Brookes University when she was offered a job, he said.

He last heard from her when she texted him to say love you shortly after midnight on 25 May.

In a statement read to the court, he added: She was a pretty woman. Im sure she had more boyfriends than she told us about.

Commercial airline pilot Howard Joseph said Ms Abbotts liked to party and was very personable and a very enjoyable person to share time with.

He said he knew she drank a lot and was aware she took cocaine, adding: Its a situation in London in that kind of social group, she had probably used it at times.

Zahid Naseem arriving at Hove Crown Court. The City banker is accused of bludgeoning escort Christina Abbotts to death in May 2018. He denies murdering Ms Abbotts, who was found dead on her 29th birthday, some time between 25 and 26 May. (Steve Parsons/PA Wire)

Jurors heard Ms Abbotts had been hassled online and in person by a female stalker.

Friends began to worry when she failed to turn up to her birthday party, fearing it may have been linked to her concerns about a stalker.

She had been due to meet close long-term friend Roshan Pariag at the Park Plaza County Hall hotel in London, where she was planning to stay, at 5pm but never arrived.

When Mr Pariag drove from London to her flat in Crawley to look for her he could see a glow from a computer screen in the flat but no one answered the door so he raised the alarm with police.

After police broke down the door and found her body, he said: I could just tell by the look on their face something tragic had happened.

Mr Pariag added: She was always happy, she was always trying to look after friends. She was just a really, really lovely person. She was willing to give anybody a chance.

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A fellow sex worker, who became good friends with Ms Abbotts when they met through escort work, last saw her around a week before she died when they visited a client together, she told police.

They exchanged messages on her birthday but she noticed after a while she stopped responding and became worried.

In a statement read to the court, she said: She drank a lot and took cocaine most days. I think she was addicted. I dont think she liked the thought of getting older.

I thought she was quite reckless towards her work. I dont think she carried out many checks on her clients.

Naseem, who had been working for Toronto-Dominion Banks London office, denies murder, claiming the pair had a drug and drink-fuelled night together after which he woke to find her dead.

Paramedic Stewart Plumbley, who assessed Naseem at the flat, said he was awake because his eyes were flickering and his eyelashes moved when touched.

He added: My belief was the patient was attempting to feign unconsciousness.

The trial continues.

Press Association
A new mother found dead in hospital after visiting her premature son is believed to have got lost and collapsed.

Amanda Cox, 34, was reported missing from Edinburgh Royal Infirmary at around 5pm on Monday after she did not return to the maternity ward following a visit to the neonatal unit.

She was found collapsed in the hospital after a five-hour search at about 10pm.

Ms Cox, from Peebles, in the Scottish Borders region, is thought to have suffered a haemorrhage after mistakenly entering a rarely-used stairwell, according to reports.

Police described her death as unexplained, but not suspicious.

Recommended Police hunt for shovel linked to Grace Millane murder in New Zealand

We can confirm that missing woman Amanda Cox was discovered collapsed within the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary around 10pm on Monday, 10 December, Police Scotland said in a statement.

She sadly passed away a short time later.

The death is being treated as unexplained, but not suspicious, and a report has been submitted to the procurator fiscal.

Ms Cox with her husband, Michael (GoFundMe)

Our thoughts and sympathies are with Amandas family and friends at this time.

NHS Lothian deputy chief executive Jim Crombie said: My thoughts and sympathies are with the family of Amanda Cox at this sad time.

A police investigation is ongoing and we are assisting with their inquiries.

A family friend said the new mother had suffered headaches since before the birth of her son Murray, who weighed just 3lb 7oz when he arrived last Thursday.

Apparently she was going back to her room for medication but took a wrong turning and came out of the neonatal ward into a disused ward, the friend told BBC News.

An online fundraising page has been set up to help Amanda's husband Michael pay for her funeral and fuel costs for the 25-mile trip to visit their son in hospital.
A minister has likened Tory Brexiteers to "ants" as deep divisions in the Conservative Party continue to be exposed in the wake of a failed vote of no confidence in Theresa May.

Alistair Burt, a foreign office minister who voted Remain, said the only things that will survive an apocalypse would be the insects and "Tory MPs complaining about Europe and their leader."

His remarks came after a dramatic 24 hours in Westminster, with the prime minister surviving a bruising vote of no confidence from members of her own party by 200-117 votes, leaving her already-fragile premiership in a weakened position.

Despite ultimately winning the vote, Jacob Rees-Mogg, a vocal critic of the prime minister and hardline Brexiteer, insisted it was still possible for Ms May to resign as leader.

"You may remember that Margaret Thatcher ... said 'We fight on, we fight to win'," he told BBC's Radio 4 Today programme. "Nobody was tougher than Mrs Thatcher and the next day she resigned. So, it's not impossible."

But Mr Burt - one of the party's leading pro-Europeans - posted on his Twitter account: "They never, ever stop. Votes against them, letters going in late - nothing matters to the ERG [European Research Group].

"After the apocalypse, all that will be left will be ants and Tory MPs complaining about Europe and their leader."

He was posting his stark message in response to a clip of Mr Rees-Mogg telling Newsnight the vote was "much worse" than the prime minister thought, adding an "overwhelming majority of backbenchers have voted against her".

Former cabinet minister Nicky Morgan, who supported the prime minister, even suggested the party may split, telling the BBC on Thursday: "I think there's an inevitability that some of these people - the hardest Brexiteers - are going to walk.

"There may be some sort of reconfiguration of parties on the right of the UK political spectrum and that may be something we are going to have to accept in order to get a Brexit deal through the House of Commons."

Brexiteers also took to the airwaves after the vote of no confidence, hitting out at the chancellor Philip Hammond, who described the wing of the party as "extremists" during Wednesday's febrile atmosphere.

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Former party leader Iain Duncan Smith - whose Commons office was reportedly used as an HQ by rebel Tories during Wednesday's voting - told the Chancellor to "moderate your language".

"I have one simple message for the Chancellor: When you start turning on your own party and making accusations about them, that's the beginning of the end for your party," Mr Duncan Smith told Radio 4's Today programme.

One of Mr Hammond's Cabinet colleagues, Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay, distanced himself from the comment, telling Today: "I think all of us say sometimes things in interviews which we perhaps could have phrased in a better way. It's not the phraseology I would have used."

Both Mr Duncan Smith and Mr Rees-Mogg denied reports that the rebels had nicknamed their Commons base for the vote "the kill zone", with the ERG chair claiming the "deeply disagreeable" moniker was invented by May supporters in the hope of discrediting them.
In the final days before the Brexit vote, Jean-Claude Juncker had warned that a deserter not be welcomed with open arms  that is the stance of the commission as well as other governments. Last year, after a meeting with Theresa May in Downing Street, the European Commission chief declared I leave Downing Street more sceptical than I was ever before about the UKs negotiating stance.

But after Britains long goodbye, a bitter parting amid accusations and recriminations, the deal which had been hammered out was not exactly welcomed with open arms by the European Union. Rather, it was seen as the best of bad choices, and Ms May was perceived as the one who could realistically deliver it.

The vote last night, which the prime minister won by 200 to 117, was largely received with relief in the knowledge that no new leadership bid can take place for 12 months  the prospect of immediate political upheaval while the Brexit process remains in gridlock was too much to bear for many onlookers in Europe. At a diplomatic reception in the evening the general feeling was that the prime minister was going to win and, when the result came through just after 9pm, there was not a huge amount of surprise. We can perhaps stop talking about Brexit now all the time until the new year, an official from a west European embassy remarked, and then acknowledge that nothing has really been settled yet.

Throughout the last week the number of emails and phone calls between both EU embassies in London and their capitals have steadily risen. There has been bemusement and amusement as the government was found guilty of contempt by parliament, lost one vote, reneged on its promise to hold another, and then as Conservative MPs organised a putsch against their leader in the critical moment of the Brexit talks.

A diplomat from a Nordic state remarked on Monday: After decades of predictable politics there has been a move away from the centre in our countries, with the gains made by rightwing parties in Sweden, but also Norway and Denmark, and that is something very unusual. But what is happening in the UK, the country we thought was so boringly stable, is quite extraordinary. It is the most unexpected thing to watch for us. In fact the whole Brexit process has been strange, we never thought the British people would take such a gamble. And now what is to happen, a new prime minister every year?

In the run-up to the no-confidence vote, there was a dawning realisation in the EU that Ms May desperately needed help. Although the mantra remained that there could be no more negotiations, the offer from Mr Juncker of further clarity and further interpretations about the deal came along, with similar messages from Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte and German chancellor Angela Merkel after Ms Mays flying visits to their respective capitals. Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar was also prepared to be emollient, according to officials, before Ms May cancelled her visit to Dublin because of the no-confidence vote.

By Wednesday afternoon, the belief in the diplomatic community was that Ms May would survive. A senior official from a southern European EU member state said: The speech she made this morning was very good, she came over as determined and passionate. What we were hearing was that she has got the numbers.

It would have been a huge problem if she had lost. The contest for the next leader would have gone on until towards the end of January and there would have been very little time left after that. There was no chance of new leader many new negotiations, so a no-deal Brexit would have become very real.

In the first public reaction, Sebastian Kurz, the Austrian chancellor, tweeted to welcome the prime ministers victory, saying: Glad about the outcome of tonights vote in the UK. Looking forward to seeing Theresa May tomorrow at the European Council in Brussels. Our shared goal is to avoid a no-deal scenario.

There is also satisfaction about avoiding some of Ms Mays potential successors, had she lost the vote. Some diplomats seemed content that Boris Johnson, who, on a visit to the French embassy for the Bastille Day party during his time as foreign secretary, declared Brexit Day our own version of Bastille Day, of freedom, appeared even less likely to realise his apparent leadership ambitions. Pascal Lamy, an influential French political consultant and former chief of the World Trade Organisation, reflected: Lets be frank, I saw Boris as a nasty young kid and he never changed.

A French diplomat, once based in London and now back in Paris, gave his observations about two other contenders. Dominic Raab came after Davis, became famous for not knowing about Dover and Calais and then he resigned to go after Mays job. And on Jacob Rees-Mogg: Isnt there an English saying that life imitates art? I became quite fond of reading PG Wodehouse when I was in London.

What the EU can do in the next few days is a matter of urgent discussion. European governments must stress how the withdrawal agreement plainly shows that the backstop looks the least likely option to ever be used, and also that the wording of the agreement is legally binding so there should be no need for separate legal guarantees for the UK.

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But there is still hope that even at this stage, good sense will prevail and the UK may stay in the EU. Mr Varadkar has been vocal about this, referring to the European Court of Justices ruling that the UK can withdraw its Article 50 notification without the permission of other EU states and stating publicly that Remain would likely win a fresh referendum.

With Conservative MPs now edging away from the cliff edge, call from fellow member states for the UK to think again will grow  along with the uncertainty and trepidation on the rocky road to Brexit.
 Close Theresa May says Conservative party 'would prefer new leader' for next general election

Theresa May has played down expectations of a Brexit breakthrough from EU leaders after surviving a bruising no-confidence vote triggered by Tory rebels.

The prime minister travelled to Brussels to seek fresh concessions to get her Brexit blueprint "over the line" in parliament, in the wake of her decision to shelve a crunch Commons vote on the deal over fears of a catastrophic defeat.

Ms May also confirmed she would not lead her party into the 2022 election - but failed to say if she would stand down after exit day in March 2019.

See below for live updates
The Conservatives' decision to restore the party whip for two MPs accused of sexual misconduct has been condemned in the Commons chamber, with Labour MPs suggesting the Tories had prioritised "political power" over "protecting victims".

Andrew Griffiths and Charlie Elphicke were told they were being readmitted to the party just hours before the vote of no confidence in Theresa May, allowing them to take part in the ballot.

Mr Griffiths was suspended by the Tories in July after it emerged that he had sent more than 2000 text messages, many of them explicit, to a female constituent and her friend. Mr Elphicke had the whip withdrawn in November 2017 over "serious allegations" of a sexual nature, and was later referred to police.

The decision to readmit the pair just in time for the vote on Ms May's leadership was widely condemned.

The matter was raised by Labour MPs Jess Phillips and Louise Haigh during Commons business questions on Thursday, forcing Andrea Leadsom, the leader of the Commons, to respond for the government.

Recommended Tories restore whip to suspended sex text MP before confidence vote

Quoting one of Ms Griffiths messages, Ms Phillips said: "'She's so cute, so sweet, I can't wait to beat her. Can she take a beating?' Not my words Mr Speaker - the words of the MP for Burton while barraging two of his female constituents with thousands of sexual text messages.

"Last night the Leader of the House's party gave him and the MP for Dover [Mr Elphicke] the whip back without any due process.

"What message does this send about how any process here in this place can ever be trusted?"

Turning to Ms Leadsom, she added: "I ask her to answer me that question and also to answer me: what matters more, political power or protecting victims of sexual harassment and abuse?"

In response, the cabinet minister said she was not involved in the decision, which was taken by the chief whip, Julian Smith.

She said: "I am absolutely committed to changing the culture of this place and to seeing that everybody here is treated with dignity and respect.

"There has been a process that has been undertaken. It has been a decision by the chief whip. It's not something I have been privy to."

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She assured MPs that the new parliamentary complaints procedure, introduced after the Westminster harassment scandal last year, will allow "everybody who works or visits this place to be able to take any complaints that they have to an independent place for proper investigation and proper sanction to be applied."

But Ms Haigh said the decision to readmit the two MPs meant the government had "lost any ounce of credibility in leading the investigation into sexual harassment and bullying in this place".

She said: "It is thoroughly implausible that it just so happened their investigations concluded yesterday.

"How can we be assured that party politics is taken out of investigations into such allegations and out of crucial appointments to committees governing standards and privileges in this House?

 Theresa May wins vote of no confidence by 200 to 117

Ms Leadsom insisted the new complaints procedure would "ensure that any complaints in future would not have to go down party political routes".

"That is the right way for complaints to be taken forward in this House, to give people the assurance that party politics won't get in the way" she said.

After having the whip restored, Mr Griffiths declared that he would back Ms May in the no confidence vote.

It is unknown how Mr Elphicke voted, although he was expected to oppose the prime minister.

Government sources said the fact the pair were likely to vote in different ways as evidence that the decision to readmit them to the party was not politically motivated.
Labour has challenged Theresa May to bring her dismal Brexit deal back to parliament next week after she survived a confidence vote from restive Tory MPs.

The prime minister clung on to the leadership by 200 votes to 117 in a secret ballot, following a dramatic day in Westminster, where Conservative rebels tried to topple her in protest at her Brexit plans.

The challenge came after Ms May decided to delay a crunch vote on her Brexit deal on Tuesday, in the face of near-certain defeat from her backbenchers.

Jeremy Corbyn accused the prime minister of presiding over a government in chaos and urged her to give MPs the promised vote next week.

Speaking afterwards, the Labour leader said: Tonights vote makes no difference to the lives of our people.

The prime minister has lost her majority in parliament, her government is in chaos and she is unable to deliver a Brexit deal that works for the country and puts jobs and the economy first.

He said the prime minister was trying to avoid a doomed vote on a botched Brexit deal as she had failed to secure necessary changes from the EU when she made a whistlestop tour around European capitals this week.

She must now bring her dismal deal back to the House of Commons next week so parliament can take back control, he said.

Labour is ready to govern for the whole country and deliver a deal that protects living standards and workers rights.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell tweeted: Shocking result for Theresa May.

Even having offered to go before the next general election she still has a huge 117 Tory MPs, a third of her party, voting against her and not having confidence in her. Wow.

In the wake of the vote, Ms May faced calls to resign from Brexiteers, including from Jacob Rees-Mogg, who said that she had lost the confidence of more than one-third of her MPs and a majority of backbenchers.

Speaking outside Downing Street after the result was announced, the prime minister acknowledged that a significant number of her MPs had voted against her and said: I have listened to what they said.

She vowed to seek legal and political assurances on the controversial backstop plan to calm MPs fears when she attends a European Council summit in Brussels on Thursday.

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Ms May said she and her administration had a renewed mission, saying: Following this ballot, we now need to get on with the job of delivering Brexit for the British people and building a better future for this country.

However Mr Rees-Mogg, who chairs the European Research Group of Tory Eurosceptics, said: Its a terrible result for the prime minister, it really is.

He added: Of course I accept this result, but the prime minister must realise that under all constitutional norms, she ought to go to see the Queen urgently and resign.
Despite surviving a vote of no-confidence on her premiership, Theresa May is already being labelled a lame duck.

The political columnists, satirists and cartoonists have called Ms May many names since she entered 10 Downing Street in July 2016 but this one has a long history and a particular resonance.

With her unpopular Brexit deal now given a fresh lease of life, here's a guide to waddling into oblivion.

Why is it being said now?

Wednesday's no-confidence ballot was instigated after more than 15 per cent of backbenchers in the Conservative Partys 1922 Committee wrote to its chairman, Sir Graham Brady, expressing their disapproval at Ms May's handling of Britain's withdrawal from the EU.

The PM though lives to fight another day, escaping the botched coup attempt diminished but in tact with the backing of 200 Tory MPs, after the rebels could only muster 117 doubters.

The victory, such as it is, grants her a years immunity from a repeat ballot, although the comparison to an injured water fowl will be a tough one to shake.

Where does the phrase derive from?

A political cliche of some standing, the label dates back to the London Stock Exchange of the 18th century, where it was used to refer to any stockbroker who had defaulted on their debts. A lame duck is unable to keep up with the flock and is therefore prone to being picked off by foxes, the logic implies.

In politics, it is applied to any leader who is seeing out the end of their term, either because they have declared they have no intention to challenge for office again (perhaps because of retirement), because they are approaching the natural end of their term limit or because they have just lost a re-election bid.

Theresa May telling her partys MPs on Wednesday she would not contest the next general election, due by 2022, qualifies her as a lame duck PM.

Who else has it been applied to?

There is not necessarily any disgrace in being a lame duck.

Across the pond, Barack Obama amounted to one in the final three months of his second term two years ago, given that his successor had already been determined: Donald Trump waiting on the sidelines to replace him in the White House as president-elect.

Lame duck Democrats limp back to Woodrow Wilsons White House in this 1915 cartoon by Washington Star political cartoonist Clifford K Berryman (Clifford K Berryman/Public Domain)

Trump himself has already been branded a lame duck by The Atlantic while any number of American presidents, from James Buchanan and William Howard Taft to Theodore Roosevelt have been dismissed accordingly.

While the phrase implies a weakening or loss of authority, being a lame duck can also be oddly liberating.

With the end of their tenure fixed and publicly known, a politician is freed up from the responsibility of having to please everyone with a view to seeking future re-election. Instead, they can deploy their executive power without fear of reprisals.

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Theresa May might have been cast into the Westminster duck house missing a few feathers but her surviving the internal referendum on her leadership delivers a mandate to press on with Brexit with renewed confidence.

Until the next crisis erupts next week.
Theresa May has moved to dampen expectations of a breakthrough in talks as she arrived in Brussels seeking Brexit concessions from EU leaders.

The prime minister told reporters on the doorstep of the summit that she is not expecting an immediate breakthrough at the meeting, where she will try to convince the 27 other leaders to make concessions.

Ms May promised her mutinous MPs that she will try and get legally binding assurances on the controversial Northern Ireland backstop, but the EU has said the withdrawal agreement is not up for renegotiation.

The PM at Thursday lunchtime also declined to name a date for her departure, having pledged to her MPs last night that she would step down before the next election in 2022.

Its in the best interest of both sides, the UK and the EU to get the deal over the line, to agree a deal  but I recognise the strength of concern in the House of Commons and thats what I will be putting to colleagues today, she told reporters.

I dont expect an immediate breakthrough, but what I do hope is that we can start to work as quickly as possible on the assurances that are necessary.

The PM reportedly told a meeting of her parliamentary party on Wednesday night that she would not commit to a deal that did not have legally binding assurances that the UK could end the backstop. She also pledged to leave office before the 2022 general election  essentially starting the clock on the next Tory leadership contest.

Asked whether she had a date in mind for leaving office, the PM said: No, people try to talk about dates. What Im clear about is the next general election is in 2022 and I think its right that another party leader takes us into that general election.

Ms May met with Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar this morning, which he described as "very long", and is also having bilateral discussions with Luxembourgish PM Xavier Bettel and European Council president Donald Tusk.

She will try to convince EU leaders of the need to grant her concessions at a rare 28-way back-and-forth session this afternoon. After dinner the leaders will decide amongst themselves without Ms May what to offer her  they are expected to offer a written statement.

Arriving at the summit the other European leaders tempered expectations but said they were willing to help.

Juha Sipila, the Finnish prime minister told reporters that it would be a little bit difficult to give the PM legally binding assurances but that leaders wanted to try and help anyway.

Legally binding will be a little bit difficult, but anyway, I think that we all want to help. First of all, our goal is that the new relationship will be made before the backstop, he said.

So I think at the political level we can say it again that thats our primary call. Lets see if we can find something from the legal side also, but its open still.

This question is very important for all of us and we have to have some kind of solution in case there is no deal for the future relationship. This is the reason why this backstop is there but of course our primary goal is to find a solution for the new relationship also, so that we dont need any backstops.

Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz said: We are ready to accommodate Theresa May. Its not about pushing through maximum positions but to find a provision that is the best possible for both sides.

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"

The deal itself is non-negotiable, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said as he arrived in Brussels. So today is about clarification.

But powerful German chancellor Angela Merkel struck a less accommodating tone.

I do not see that this Withdrawal Agreement can be changed, she said on arrival.

We can discuss whether there should be additional assurances, but here the 27 member states will act very much in common and make their interests very clear.

This is always in the spirit that we will have very, very good relations with the UK after it has departed from the European Union.

Leo Varadkar, the Irish prime minister warned that if the backstop has an expiry date, if there is a unilateral exit clause, then it is not a backstop.
Dominic Raab says Theresa May can no longer lead us forward, warning fellow Tories that her Brexit strategy is bringing a Jeremy Corbyn government closer.

The former Brexit secretary increased pressure on the prime minister to go, despite her winning last nights vote of no confidence among Conservative MPs.

Mr Raab confirmed he had voted to topple Ms May, saying: I didnt think her position had been tenable.

And he added: My biggest fear now is that, if she continues in place, we have a greater risk of a Jeremy Corbyn government.

We will have to back her as best we can, but the problem is that - both in relation to Brexit and the wider sustainability of the government, given likelihood of any changes to the deal and given the likely scale of opposition  it looks very difficult to see how this prime minister can lead us forward.

The comments mark out Mr Raab  a likely future leadership contender  as the biggest hitter to say Ms Mays position remains in peril.

They underscored how the Tory civil war over Brexit is still raging, despite the hopes of May loyalists that her victory in the no-confidence vote would calm anger.

"Brexit betrayal" march in London Show all 43 1 /43 "Brexit betrayal" march in London "Brexit betrayal" march in London A protester holds an anti-BBC sign Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A pro-brexit demonstrator holds a sign in the picket line Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A protester carrying a noose at the "Brexit betrayal" march. The man carrying it told a reporter: "That's what the traitor May deserves." AP "Brexit betrayal" march in London Pro-brexit supporters hold a sign opposed to Nigel Farage Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London Protesters carry a defaced British flag on the march Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London Tommy Robinson addresses a rally after taking part in a Brexit 'betrayal' march in central London PA "Brexit betrayal" march in London Police officers attempts to keep rival protesters from clashing at the Brexit 'betrayal' march in London Victoria Jones/PA "Brexit betrayal" march in London A protester holds an anti-Theresa May sign Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A pro-brexit demonstrator and his dog Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A pro-brexit demonstrator at the protest Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A pro-brexit sign at the rally Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London Pro-brexit demonstrators endorse UKIP Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A Brexit 'betrayal' march protester wearing a Make Britain Great Again hat in London on 9 December 2018 Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty "Brexit betrayal" march in London Brexit 'betrayal' marchers gathering on Park Lane ahead of a protest Angela Christofilou/ The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London The "Brexit Betrayal" march passes through Central London Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London Tommy Robinson tells protesters to join Ukip via their mobile phones on stage next to leader Gerard Batten (right) at the Brexit 'betrayal' march Gareth Fuller/PA "Brexit betrayal" march in London A protester speaks thorugh a megaphone on the march Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A pro-brexit demonstrator walks in the picket line Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A pro-brexit anti-May sign at the rally Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A protester carries a Union Jack on the march Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A pro-brexit demonstrator wrapped in the Union Jack Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A pro-brexit anti-May sign at the rally Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London Pro brexit demonstrators move through Central London Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A pro-brexit demonstrator marches with sign Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A pro-brexit demonstrator holds a rude sign in the rally Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London The march passes down Victoria Street near Parliament Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A festive protester marches near Parliament Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A protester holds a mock noose as the march passes down Victoria Street towards Parliament Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A protester wrapped in the Union Jack marches down Victoria Street towards Parliament Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A protester makes some noise on the march Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A protester dressed as a dinosaur holds a sign rallying against "Davocracy" - in reference to the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A protester holds a pro-brexit sign on the march Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London The march approaches parliament Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A protester distributes pro-brexit lapel badges Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A demonstrator wears an anti-EU poster and holds an anti-BBC sign Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A smoke bomb is deployed in Parliament Square as the march comes across the counter-demonstration Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London A flag bearing the Arms of Plantagenet flies in theprot Angela Christofilou/The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London Protesters on the Brexit 'betrayal' march in London on 9 December 2018 Angela Christofilou/ The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London Protesters on the Brexit 'betrayal' march in London on 9 December 2018 Angela Christofilou/ The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London Brexit 'betrayal' marchers gathering on Park Lane ahead of a protest on 9 December 2018 Angela Christofilou/ The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London Brexit 'betrayal' marchers gathering on Park Lane ahead of a protest on 9 December 2018 Angela Christofilou/ The Independent "Brexit betrayal" march in London Angela Christofilou/The Independent

Damian Green, the prime ministers former deputy, said last night: This [the Brexit row] has been all about accepting a democratic result.

I hope that those who voted against the prime minister will accept this democratic vote.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, the chairman of the hard Brexit-supporting European Research Group, said it was not impossible that Ms May might change her mind and resign.

You may remember that Margaret Thatcher said 'We fight on, we fight to win, he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

Nobody was tougher than Mrs Thatcher, and the next day she resigned. So it's not impossible.
A year ago this week Jeremy Corbyn raised the subject of rough sleeping at Prime Ministers Questions. Having passed the people in sleeping bags on my way into the House of Commons through the tunnel from the underground station, I was disappointed with Theresa Mays reply.

She responded with irrelevant statistics about homelessness  which is a related but different problem  that she said had peaked under the Labour government. Yes, they had, early in the Labour government, since when they had come down; and now, under a Conservative government, they are rising again. Today The Independent reports that child homelessness is at a 12-year high.

But homelessness is not the same as rough sleeping. Most people officially classified as homeless are in temporary accommodation. The numbers in this desperate situation are a national disgrace too but Corbyn was asking specifically about rough sleepers.
A Holocaust survivor who was imprisoned in five Nazi concentration camps during the Second World War has died after being hit by a car in Oregon.

Alter Wiener was crossing Northeast Brighton Street in Portland on Tuesday afternoon when he was struck by a Honda Accord.

The 92-year-old was taken by ambulance to Emanuel Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Hillsboro Police said.

The driver of the car remained at the scene and will not face any charges or citations.

By the time of his death Mr Wiener had shared his life story with around 975 audiences at venues including schools, universities and churches.

Remembering the Holocaust Show all 16 1 /16 Remembering the Holocaust Remembering the Holocaust 119165.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119169.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119229.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119167.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119162.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119166.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119163.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119224.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119168.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119228.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119152.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119226.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119150.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119151.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119147.bin Hannah Bills Remembering the Holocaust 119231.bin Hannah Bills

He was born in 1926 in Chrzanow, a Polish town close to the country's border with Germany, according to his website.

At the age of 15 he was deported by the Nazis to Germany, where he was imprisoned at Blechhammer, a forced labour camp for Jewish people.

Mr Wiener was moved from camp to camp for three years until the Russian Army freed him in May 1945.

More than a hundred of his family members were murdered in the Holocaust.

Mr Wiener married after the end of the war and eventually travelled to New York, where his cousins lived.

When he moved to Hillsboro, Oregon, 18 years ago the Oregon Holocaust Resource Center asked him to share his story, according to Oregon Live.

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The Holocaust survivor went on to write a memoir of his experiences, "From a Name to a Number: A Holocaust Survivor's Autobiography".

In September, he testified before the Oregon senate education committee, where he pushed for all school students to learn about the Holocaust and genocide.

"Fanaticism, extremism, it might happen again," he told KATU at the time. "My point is, educate."
A teenage suspect is dead after a tip enabled police at step in and stop a possible shoting at a school in Richmond, Indiana.

Police exchanged gunfire with the teenager at Dennis Intermediate School before the suspect killed himself, Indiana State Police Sgt John Bowling told reporters, citing preliminary results of the investigation.

Someone knew something, and they said something, the sergeant said. Mr Bowling said the police have yet to verify if the teen was a student. It was unclear how many shots were fired or why the teen was targeting the middle school, he added. Read more Police investigate deadly Indiana house fire as possible criminal case No students were injured in the incident.

The Richmond Community Schools district said in a statement that it put all of the local schools on lockdown due to the "active shooter situation". Students were

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. 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The initial emergency call was made to 911 at about 8.21am The suspect apparently ran into the building after an incident that began away from the school grounds.

Dennis Middle School is located in a residential neighbourhood in the city of about 37,000 residents. Richmond is located near the Ohio border, about 70 miles east of Indianapolis.
A model has been awarded $125,000 after a state agency used a stock image of her for an HIV campaign.

Avril Nolan, a Brooklyn-based model, filed a lawsuit against Getty Images in 2013 after she realised that her photo had been used in the public health campaign.

In the campaign, Nolan, who is not HIV positive, is pictured next to the words I am positive and I have rights - which she claimed in the suit damaged her personal and professional relationships and caused her emotional distress.

According to Nolan, she was notified of the campaign after a friend saw the ad on Facebook - a realisation that made her sick to the bottom of her stomach, according to the New York Post.

Nolan also sought $1.5m from the Division of Human Rights, alleging it had improperly used the photo.

Recommended Five women share their stories of living with HIV for World Aids Day

According to NBC, the photo of Nolan was from a street-style photo shoot for a magazine piece in 2011 - which was later sold to Getty.

The HIV ad ran in three online publications and four print publications.

Judge Thomas Scuccimarra said the issue stemmed from the ad not including a disclaimer identifying Nolan as a model.

Judge Scuccimarra also found Nolan suffered emotional distress and humiliation during the immediate aftermath of the publication and for some time thereafter; however, there is no basis for an award of future damages, according to The Post.

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Nolan was not awarded the full amount because the judge noted that she was not currently in counselling and owned a successful business.
With the revelation by prosecutors on Wednesday that a tabloid publisher admitted to paying off a Playboy model, key participants in two hush-money schemes say the transactions were intended to protect Donald Trumps campaign for president.

That leaves Mr Trump in an increasingly isolated and legally precarious position, according to election law experts. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments made in 2016 to keep two women silent about alleged affairs are now firmly framed as illegal campaign contributions.

The news about the publisher, the parent company of the National Enquirer, came on the same day Mr Trumps former lawyer Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison in part for his involvement in the payments.

I blame myself for the conduct which has brought me here today, Mr Cohen said, and it was my own weakness and a blind loyalty to this man  a reference to Mr Trump  that led me to choose a path of darkness over light.

Mr Cohen said the transactions were an effort to cover up the presidents dirty deeds, a claim that was buttressed when federal prosecutors announced tabloid publisher American Media Inc had said it had bought one of the womens stories to ensure she did not publicise damaging allegations about the candidate.

AMI further admitted that its principal purpose in making the payment was to suppress the womans story so as to prevent it from influencing the election, prosecutors said in a statement announcing they had struck a deal not to charge the company in exchange for its cooperation. As part of the deal, dated in September but previously kept private, the company also agreed to train employees in election law standards and appoint a qualified lawyer to vet future deals that may involve paying for stories about political candidates.

The cascading disclosures marked a turning point in the multiple investigations related to Mr Trump and the campaign he led. Until recently, the enquiries had produced numerous guilty pleas and indictments but no direct accusations of illegality by the president. That changed with Mr Cohens assertions, outlined in detail by prosecutors, that his own crimes were done in coordination with and at the direction of Mr Trump.

Where the investigations go from here is not clear. The prevailing view at the Justice Department is that a sitting president cannot be indicted, though prosecutors in Manhattan could consider charging him after leaving office.

Investigators have continued to scrutinise what others in the Trump Organisation may have known about the crimes described by Mr Cohen, including its chief financial officer, according to people briefed on the matter. Prosecutors have met with campaign officials and asked how the campaign interacted with Mr Trumps company, which shared office space and employees.

Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Show all 23 1 /23 Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Joe Biden The former vice president - poised to be a frontrunner - has announced his run. He recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Bernie Sanders The 2016 runner-up has announced that he will be running again in 2020 Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Hillary Clinton The 2016 Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State says she is still considering whether she will run again. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Pete Buttigieg The Indiana mayor and war veteran will be running for president. If elected, he would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kamala Harris The former California attorney general will be running for president in 2020. Introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions testimony, she has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts Senator has formally launched her bid for president in 2020. A progressive Democrat, she is a major supporter of regulating Wall Street. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Beto ORourke The former Texas congressman told Oprah Winfrey that he has been thinking about running for presidency, but stopped short of formally announcing his bid to run in 2020. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam has announced his bid. He intends to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord. Vice News Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has announced that he will be running for the presidency in 2020. If he secures the nomination he said finding a female vice president would be a priority. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a special meaning for the Latino community in the US. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but is likely to face tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Andrew Yang The entrepreneur has announced his presidential candidacy, and has pledged that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual advisor has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Kerry The former secretary of state has said he is still thinking about whether to run. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Michael Bloomberg The entrepreneur and former New York mayor with a net worth of around $50bn  has said he will decide by the end of February whether to seek the presidency. AFP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Howard Schultz Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has not yet ruled out running for president in 2020, despite criticism that his bid could help re-elect Mr Trump by dividing the Democrat vote. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Holder The former attorney general has said he will decide in the next month or so whether to run as a 2020 presidential candidate. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Swalwell The California congressman said he is ready to do this and will decide before April whether to run. MSNBC Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Terry McAuliffe The former Virginia governor, who worked to elect Democratic governors during 2018 midterms, said there was a 50 per cent chance he would run. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Sherrod Brown The Ohio senator is still undecided about whether to run for president in 2020. Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Mitch Landrieu The former New Orleans mayor said he doesnt think he will run for president, but never say never. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

Establishing a nexus between Mr Cohens efforts to silence the women and Trumps campaign is central to making a criminal case of election law violations. That is why AMIs admission carries so much weight, said Richard L Hasen, an election law professor at the University of California, Irvine.

Its looking a lot like an illegal and unreported in-kind corporate contribution to help the campaign, exposing the Trump campaign and Trump himself to possible criminal liability, Mr Hasen said.

AMI, run by Mr Trumps longtime friend David J Pecker, had previously claimed it had paid $150,000 (118,000) to model Karen McDougal to secure the rights to publish her story of an alleged affair with Mr Trump.

But the company never published it, and people familiar with its operations had said it was part of a long-standing practice, known in the tabloid trade as catch and kill, to suppress damaging stories about favoured people.

Prosecutors said Mr Cohen had intended to reimburse AMI for its payment to Ms McDougal by arranging a bogus $125,000 (99,000) fee to an AMI affiliate for advisory services. Although Mr Pecker signed off on the deal, he later contacted Mr Cohen and called it off. He also instructed Mr Cohen to tear up the paperwork, prosecutors said.

In addition to Ms McDougal, Mr Cohen said he arranged a $130,000 (103,000) payment to Stormy Daniels, a pornographic film actress, to squelch her story of an alleged affair with Mr Trump. He said he used his own money, but Mr Trump had agreed to pay him back, with the reimbursement eventually being couched as legal fees billed to the Trump Organisation.

 Former Donald Trump lawyer Michael Cohen leaves court after being sentenced to three years in prison

AMI was also involved in the early stages of Mr Cohens dealings with Ms Daniels. Rather than pay her, as it did with Ms McDougal, the company notified Mr Cohen she was trying to sell her story.

Until this week, it was largely Mr Cohens word against the presidents denials. That is why the admission by AMI is highly significant, because it goes to corroborate Mr Cohens testimony, said Jeff Tsai, part of the prosecution team that accused senator John Edwards of campaign finance violations when he arranged for payoffs to a pregnant mistress during his 2008 presidential campaign.

In any future prosecution, Mr Cohens credibility is squarely at issue  as it should be  and that is where you see the nature of corroboration, either in the form of witnesses or documents, become such a pivotal factor in a prosecution, Mr Tsai said.

The Edwards case  which ended in an acquittal and mistrial  has been invoked by Mr Trump's allies as an example of prosecutorial overreach. Central to Mr Edwards defence was that the payments were intended not to help his campaign but to hide the affair from his wife  they were personal, not political.

Mr Trump seemed to hint at this strategy in a tweet responding to Mr Cohens admissions, in which he made an oblique reference to a simple personal transaction that was being wrongly called a campaign contribution.

 Donald Trump: 'Even if Michael Cohen was right it doesn't matter, because I was allowed to do whatever I wanted during the campaign'

Given the presidents stance, the disclosure of AMIs understanding that the efforts were campaign-related  and its promise of future cooperation  shows potential witnesses against Mr Trump go beyond Mr Cohen.

Indeed, the AMI agreement with prosecutors said there was at least one other person associated with Mr Trumps campaign involved in an initial discussion in August 2015, attended by Mr Cohen and Mr Pecker, in which they agreed the publisher would help the campaign by identifying negative stories about Mr Trumps relationships with women so they could be purchased and their publication avoided.

But many details remain hidden. Among them, the statement did not say whether the other campaign member was Mr Trump himself  identified by prosecutors last week as attending a similar meeting  or some other person. AMI had no comment on Wednesday.

Mr Pecker had been steadfast in his support of Mr Trump, equating any attack against him as an attack against AMI. But one associate of Mr Peckers, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Mr Pecker felt betrayed when the presidents legal team failed to push back against revelations in July that Mr Cohen had recorded a conversation with Mr Trump discussing Ms McDougal's payment. The recording seemed to support the notion AMI was complicit in an illegal campaign finance scheme.

In admitting to the scheme Mr Pecker, his lieutenant Dylan Howard and AMI are now protected from criminal prosecution.

The New York Times
The Trump administration has put limitations on using human fetal tissue in research, compromising research into treating HIV, according to reports.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) receives federal funding for medical research, meaning the federal government has more oversight on what they can spend their money on. Some scientists at NIH were focusing on learning how the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) attacks human tissues. For their experiment, they used tissue from aborted foetuses.

However, certain rules were quietly extended according to Science magazine, and researchers at NIH received a new order from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): They had to stop ordering human fetal tissue for experiments. The HIV study had to be halted.

The ban was never announced publicly by the HHS or any other government agency. According to The Mercury News, government officials ordered researchers not to discuss the rule change.

The NIH characterises the ban as a pause on procuring more stem cell tissue, and insists that researchers who need more may ask top officials for it. However, one researcher in San Francisco found that his contract was not being renewed for the next year, and the lab where he worked only had a guarantee of 90 more days of funding. The lab was using mice injected with human fetal tissue to conduct tests of drugs that could potentially prevent and treat HIV.

Using tissue from aborted foetuses has been controversial among conservative Christians for decades, and there have been suggestsions that this measure was implemented to appeal to the religious right.

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Furthermore, this move does not fare well in the context of President Trumps relationship with the LGBT community. In a recent speech, the secretary of the HHS acknowledged gay people and people of colour as disproportionate victims of HIV and AIDS, Washington Blade reports.
Melania Trump has told her combative husband to soften his tone, the first lady has revealed in a new interview.

Ms Trump said she follows the day to day news of Mr Trumps turbulent presidency and often gives him advice.

I follow whats going on. And I give my husband advice and my honest opinion, she said in an interview with Fox Newss Sean Hannity.

And sometimes he listens and sometimes he doesnt.

Mr Hannity suggested the 48-year-old had a different style to her pugnacious husband. Ms Trump replied: I dont agree with his tone sometimes and I tell him that.

However, she hinted that her entreaties sometimes fell on deaf ears.

[In] the end, its his decision. He knows the consequences. Hes an adult. But hes a fighter. Hes the fighter.

Mr Trump has repeatedly clashed with an array of opponents since entering the White House, including politicians from both parties, celebrities and journalists.

Most recently, Mr Trump castigated his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen as a weak person and not a very smart person shortly before Mr Cohen was jailed for three years.

He also regularly lambasts figures such as Hillary Clinton and the former director of the FBI with sneering nicknames via his Twitter account.

 Melania Trump defends her red Christmas trees and invites everyone to visit them at 'the people's house'

Ms Trumps signature policy as First Lady is her anti-bullying campaign Be Best. In October she described herself as one of the most bullied people in the world.

In the Fox News interview, which will be aired in full on Wednesday evening, she also lashed out at opportunists who were using my name to advance themselves.

From comedians, to journalists, to performers. It doesnt hurt. The problem is they are writing the history and its not correct, she said.

Melania Trump and Philip May play bowls during UK visit Show all 10 1 /10 Melania Trump and Philip May play bowls during UK visit Melania Trump and Philip May play bowls during UK visit First Lady, Melania Trump, tries her hand at bowls as she meets British Army veterans, known as Chelsea Pensioners, at Royal Hospital Chelsea Getty Images Melania Trump and Philip May play bowls during UK visit Getty Images Melania Trump and Philip May play bowls during UK visit Melania Trump gives a thumbs up AFP/Getty Images Melania Trump and Philip May play bowls during UK visit A school boy instructs Philip May during a game of bowls Getty Images Melania Trump and Philip May play bowls during UK visit Melania Trump reacts Getty Images Melania Trump and Philip May play bowls during UK visit Lady Melania Trumphigh-fives with a Chelsea pensioner AP Melania Trump and Philip May play bowls during UK visit REUTERS Melania Trump and Philip May play bowls during UK visit Melania Trump is congratulated by Philip May and a Chelsea pensioner after taking part in a game of bowls REUTERS Melania Trump and Philip May play bowls during UK visit Getty Images Melania Trump and Philip May play bowls during UK visit Lady Melania Trumphigh-fives with a Chelsea pensioner AFP/Getty Images

They like to focus on the gossip and not the substance. I would like them to focus on what we do and not just about nonsense.

I do what I think is right. I know I will get criticism from the public or from the media, but I will do what is right and what I feel is right for the country and the people.

Thats what I say: I want to stay true to myself, listen to myself about what to do, what is right and what is wrong.

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And live a meaningful life everyday.

Her husband was fighting for the American people every day but the media refused to offer him any positive coverage, Ms Trump also complained.

He wants to guide them the right way and its tough because sometimes the media wants to bash and focus on negativity.
Donald Trump has scrambled to distance himself from illegal campaign contributions made by his former lawyer to two women who allege they had affairs with the president more than a decade ago.

Michael Cohen, Mr Trumps former personal lawyer, was sentenced to three years in prison on Wednesday, in part for funnelling money  allegedly at the direction of the president  to porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen MacDougal.

I never directed Michael Cohen to break the law. He was a lawyer and he is supposed to know the law, Mr Trump tweeted on Thursday morning. It is called advice of counsel, and a lawyer has great liability if a mistake is made. That is why they get paid.

Despite that many campaign finance lawyers have strongly stated that I did nothing wrong with respect to campaign finance laws, if they even apply, because this was not campaign finance, he continued. Cohen was guilty on many charges unrelated to me, but he plead to two campaign charges which were not criminal and of which he probably was not guilty even on a civil basis.

The presidents comments arrived after Cohen admitted on Wednesday to covering up Mr Trumps dirty deeds out of blind loyalty, closing his eyes as a judge pronounced his sentence for evading $1.4m in taxes, lying about Trumps business dealings in Russia and violating campaign-finance laws in buying the silence of multiple women during the 2016 election.

Time and time again, I felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds rather than to listen to my own inner voice and my moral compass, said a choked-up Cohen, a lawyer who once boasted he would take a bullet for Trump. My weakness can be characterised as a blind loyalty to Donald Trump, and I was weak for not having the strength to question and to refuse his demands.

Cohen is the first and, so far, only member of Trumps circle during two years of investigations to go into open court and implicate him in a crime, though whether a president can be prosecuted under the constitution is an open question.

However, the president rejected Cohens accusations on Thursday, writing: Those charges were just agreed to by him in order to embarrass the president and get a much reduced prison sentence, which he did-including the fact that his family was temporarily let off the hook.

Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Show all 23 1 /23 Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Joe Biden The former vice president - poised to be a frontrunner - has announced his run. He recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Bernie Sanders The 2016 runner-up has announced that he will be running again in 2020 Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Hillary Clinton The 2016 Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State says she is still considering whether she will run again. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Pete Buttigieg The Indiana mayor and war veteran will be running for president. If elected, he would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kamala Harris The former California attorney general will be running for president in 2020. Introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions testimony, she has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts Senator has formally launched her bid for president in 2020. A progressive Democrat, she is a major supporter of regulating Wall Street. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Beto ORourke The former Texas congressman told Oprah Winfrey that he has been thinking about running for presidency, but stopped short of formally announcing his bid to run in 2020. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam has announced his bid. He intends to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord. Vice News Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has announced that he will be running for the presidency in 2020. If he secures the nomination he said finding a female vice president would be a priority. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a special meaning for the Latino community in the US. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but is likely to face tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Andrew Yang The entrepreneur has announced his presidential candidacy, and has pledged that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual advisor has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Kerry The former secretary of state has said he is still thinking about whether to run. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Michael Bloomberg The entrepreneur and former New York mayor with a net worth of around $50bn  has said he will decide by the end of February whether to seek the presidency. AFP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Howard Schultz Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has not yet ruled out running for president in 2020, despite criticism that his bid could help re-elect Mr Trump by dividing the Democrat vote. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Holder The former attorney general has said he will decide in the next month or so whether to run as a 2020 presidential candidate. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Swalwell The California congressman said he is ready to do this and will decide before April whether to run. MSNBC Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Terry McAuliffe The former Virginia governor, who worked to elect Democratic governors during 2018 midterms, said there was a 50 per cent chance he would run. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Sherrod Brown The Ohio senator is still undecided about whether to run for president in 2020. Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Mitch Landrieu The former New Orleans mayor said he doesnt think he will run for president, but never say never. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

He added: As a lawyer, Michael has great liability to me!

In a possible sign of further trouble for the president, Cohen said he will continue cooperating with prosecutors, and one of his legal advisers said Cohen is also prepared to tell all he knows to congress if asked.

At the sentencing, defence attorney Guy Petrillo pleaded for leniency for Cohen, saying: He came forward to offer evidence against the most powerful person in our country.

US District Judge William H Pauley III said the defendant deserved modest credit, but his assistance does not wipe the slate clean.

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Somewhere along the way Mr Cohen appears to have lost his moral compass, the judge said.

The judge also ordered Cohen to pay $1.39m in restitution to the IRS, forfeit $500,000 and pay $100,000 in fines. He was ordered to report to prison on 6 March and left court without comment.

Mr Trump continued to distance himself from Cohen in an interview with Fox News on Thursday, describing his former lawyer as someone who did very low-level work and was OK on television.

I never directed him to do anything wrong. Whatever he did, he did on his own, he said. Hes a lawyer. A lawyer who represents a client is supposed to do the right thing, thats why you pay them a lot of money, etc etc. He is a lawyer.

Beyond the guilty pleas, it is unclear what Cohen has told prosecutors or what he has left to say, though one of Muellers prosecutors, Jeannie Rhee, said in court that Cohen has provided consistent and credible information about core Russia-related issues under investigation. Legal experts said Cohen could get his sentence reduced by cooperating.

In the hush-money case, Cohen arranged for American Media Inc, parent of the pro-Trump National Enquirer, to pay $150,000 to McDougal to buy and bury her story, according to prosecutors. Cohen also said he paid $130,000 to Daniels and was reimbursed by Trumps business empire. Both payments were made during the heat of the 2016 campaign.

Prosecutors said those secret payouts were not reported as campaign contributions and violated the ban on corporate contributions and the $2,700 limit on donations by an individual.

Additional reporting by AP
A British man accused of drug smuggling in Bali faces the death penalty if convicted, police in Indonesia say.

The man, who has not yet been named, is among five people held on the tourism island since the end of last month.

They were arrested in five separate operations by customs and police, in which 8.8lbs (3.9kg) of cocaine were seized, as well as marijuana, ecstasy and ketamine.

Dozens of convicted smugglers are on death row under Indonesias strict drug laws.

The countrys last executions were in 2016, when an Indonesian and three foreigners were shot by a firing squad.

Police, who paraded the five at a news conference, said the British man had received nearly 68lbs (30kg) of cannabis oil in the mail.

The other suspects are from Peru, China, Malaysia and Germany.

The cocaine, smuggled by a Peruvian man in the lining of his suitcase, had a value of about 10.2 billion rupiah (554,000), officers said.

The German suspect had allegedly tried to smuggle 5.7lbs (2.5kg) of hashish on a flight from Bangkok.

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The Chinese citizen was arrested with 200 ecstasy tablets and ketamine powder, and the Malaysian had small quantities of synthetic cannabis and ecstasy, police said.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: Our staff are assisting a British man following his arrest in Bali, and are in contact with his family, lawyer and the Indonesian authorities.
Excavators in Sri Lanka have found the skeletal remains of 21 children as well as signs of possible torture of the dead in the biggest mass grave in the countrys former civil war zone, Mannar, putting a spotlight on the islands recent record of human rights violations.

So far 276 skeletons have been exhumed, with forensic archaeologist Professor Raj Somadeva saying the number already makes it the largest mass grave ever explored on the island.

We have excavated only 70 per cent of the gravesite, so the body count is bound to be much higher, Professor Somadeva told The Independent.

Metal objects that appear to bind together the legs of the dead have raised new questions about what happened to the victims in the mass grave.

Who they were  and who killed them  remains uncertain. However experts agree the presence of children shows this was certainly a [whole] community of people.

Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Show all 15 1 /15 Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Sahira 34, her husband Ahm 38 and their 4 children at the foot of their plot. Their two room home is not big enough to raise a family. Paddy Dowling Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Sahira 34, resident of Muththunagar resorts to to collecting mussels for 12 hours a day which she sells on the market for 2.50 which barely feeds her family of six. The work is exhausting and dangerous. Paddy Dowling Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis One of many buildings destroyed in Muttur during Sri Lankas 26 year civil war. Typically doors, windows and roofs were removed by soldiers on both sides to construct bunkers. Paddy Dowling Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Sajeeda 23, single mother of two left to raise her children after her husband divorced her to re-marry in a neighbouring town whilst he was looking for work. Paddy Dowling Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Nasmeeya 6, plays on their plot of land which is covered in blend of sand and burnt rice husks which make it black in appearance but helps the nutrients in the soil for growing vegetables. Paddy Dowling Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Abdul Cadar 67, a recipient of a new home under the Muslim Aids Housing scheme after he became to ill to work and provide any income from his family. Paddy Dowling Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Hairunisas family living in Kulumeemakada are all beneficiaries of the Muslim Aid Livelihoods programme designed to provide economic empowerment to rebuild their lives. Paddy Dowling Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Farshana 46, works the tides collecting mussels to provide for her family. Paddy Dowling Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Rafeek 55, is too tired to hold a conversation with me. He suffers from a deteriorating medical condition which he cannot afford to treat. Rafeek and his family had not eaten for 3 days. Paddy Dowling Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Hairunisa 35, a widower, enrolled in the Muslim Aid Livelihoods programme now supports her mother and her children working from home buying fabric and making garments for local villagers in Kulumeemakada. Paddy Dowling Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Hairunisa 35, working from home on her newly purchased industrial sewing machine making garments which she sells and carrys out alterations. Paddy Dowling Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Amir Khan 80, living alone whilst his wife receives treatment and remains in hospital. He grows his own vegetables on his plot and has a few chickens which yields enough for him to live off. Paddy Dowling Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Asmya 13, lives with her family in Shafi Nagar, Muttur. Her and the rest of her family have not eaten for 3 days as they have no money to buy food. They wait patiently for handouts from villagers. Paddy Dowling Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Abdul 50, The 'Tailor of Mutur. Wanted to provide a better education for his children so he received a micro finance loan to buy an industrial sewing machine and some fabric. With his loan repaid in full he has now increased his monthly income from 75 to 225. As his business expands he looks to create 6 new jobs. Paddy Dowling Sri Lankas humanitarian crisis Younis 56, a widower lives alone as her home was too small to accommodate her children and their families. She sells watermelon for 12 hours a day by the roadside in the relentless sun to earn herself 2 p/day. She dreams of having her own business wholesaling fabric. Pictures by Paddy Dowling

The excavation, which started in May when a construction worker stumbled upon a human bone, is still in its early stages according to the chief investigation officer of the Mannar mass grave, Dr Saminda Rajapakse.

We still dont know the exact period of these deaths, he said. We have no idea who the victims are, their names or whether they were Tamil civilians, rebels or Sinhalese soldiers. Nothing.

Although pottery, porcelain, metal objects and some jewellery worn by the victims have been found at the gravesite, there are no signs of clothes.

While it is too early to hold responsible either the Sri Lankan military or the Tamil Tiger rebels, who fought a bloody civil war from 1983 to 2009, human rights activists and the families of missing people are already demanding justice.

P Nagamma, a 67-year-old Tamil woman, said she believed her 18-year-old son lies buried in the Mannar mass grave. She told The Independent he was arrested by the Sri Lankan military on suspicion of being a terrorist in the early Nineties.

He had just gone out to meet a friend and eyewitnesses told me that some unknown men took him away near the site where they found the grave, Ms Nagamma said tearfully. I have been waiting for him for 27 years, somehow hoping hell be alive somewhere. But now I think hes lying in that grave.

Police tape closes off part of a mass grave where authorities found skeletal remains of over 150 people at the Matale hospital compound in central Sri Lanka (AFP/Getty)

Ms Nagamma was not alone in that belief. Sandrapradasham Niranchan, a lawyer fighting for the families of the disappeared, has filed affidavits on behalf of nine families stating their husbands or sons were taken into custody by the army, navy or unknown groups in Mannar and were among the victims in the mass grave.

Torturing and killing civilians is a blatant human rights crime. There are children in that mass grave. And we are certain there are more of these gravesites around the country where the disappeared Tamils have been buried, he said.

The mass grave in Mannar, a Tamil-majority area, was the scene of a number of battles during the war, in which more than 100,000 people died and at least 20,000  mostly Tamils  remain missing.

 Sri Lanka Parliament brawl after no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa

Rights groups allege both the military and the Tamil Tigers are to blame for civilian deaths and disappearances. However, former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, who faces international war crimes charges and was instrumental in ending the long drawn-out conflict, has maintained the Sri Lankan military caused not a single civilian casualty.

A spokesperson for the Sri Lankan military claimed it was not responsible for the grave. The army is not involved in that gravesite. We had nothing to do with it, brigadier Sumith Atapattu said.

The Tamil Tigers themselves committed many atrocities, ruthlessly executing soldiers, Tamil civilians who did not support them and sometimes their own guerrilla members. The terrorist group, which had sophisticated air, sea and land units is also accused of using civilians as human shields throughout the conflict.

It is extremely possible that the LTTE (Tamil Tigers) could be responsible for the people in that grave, Dr Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, an ethnic Tamil human rights activist, told The Independent.

But whosoever committed these atrocities has to be held responsible, because this is not just a war crime, but a crime against humanity, he said.
The suspected gunman in a deadly attack on a Christmas market in Strasbourg has been killed, French officials say.

Cherif Chekatt was killed in the Neudorf area of the city following a counter terror operation launched on Thursday evening, interior minister Christophe Castaner announced.

Mr Castaner said three officers had come across a man they believed to be the suspect in the street and moved to arrest him. The man then opened fire and was shot dead.

Chekatt, 29, had been at large since Tuesday, when he is thought to have begun shooting at visitors and tourists at the market, killing three people and wounding 13 others.

Isis claimed responsibility for the attack minutes after news that Chekatt had been "neutralised" broke around the world.

The group issued a statement via its Amaq news agency claiming that the attack was carried out by a soldier of the Islamic State in response to calls to target citizens of the coalition countries [carrying out airstrikes on its territories].

The statement did not name Chekatt or provide any details, using the generic wording previously used for atrocities across Europe.

It followed the release of Isis weekly newspaper, which reported the Strasbourg attack in its international news roundup citing French media reports.

The brief article in al-Naba contained no new information and did not make a claim of responsibility.

Cherif Chekatt had been at large following the shooting on Tuesday (AP)

Mr Castaner called Isiss statement totally opportunistic on Friday, and doubt has been cast on the veracity of its claims in the past.

Chekatt, a career criminal who lived near the scene of the shooting, was being monitored by security services and had been put on Frances fiche S extremist watchlist after being radicalised in prison in 2015.

Armed police, including Frances elite Raid squad, had already descended on the neighbourhood earlier in the day for a major operation.

Officials said they had been acting on supposition only that Chekatt may have been hiding in the area, where a taxi driver is believed to have dropped him off immediately after he escaped the scene of the shooting.

Hundreds of police across France had been mobilised for the manhunt, with government officials stating they were prepared to take the suspect dead or alive in order to bring the operation to a close.

Five people, including Chekatts mother and father, as well as two of his six brothers, have also been taken into custody in connection with the shooting.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. 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Police publicly named Chekatt as the main suspect in the shooting on Wednesday, revealing he had already been under surveillance after being deemed a potential terror risk.

Authorities had described him as a delinquent who held almost 30 previous criminal convictions and had served jail time in not just France, but also Switzerland and Germany.

Chekatt is alleged to have yelled God is great in Arabic before opening fire from a security zone near the Christmas market.

Anupong Suebsamarn, a 45-year-old tourist who had been visiting from Thailand, is currently the only victim of the shooting to be named by authorities.

A Strasbourg resident in his 60s is also thought to have died in the attack, the citys mayor Roland Ries told local media.

Strasbourg's usually busy streets were eerily empty Thursday morning, with a heavy police and military presence.

Some lit candles and brought flowers to a makeshift memorial at the site of the attack.

You can feel a very heavy atmosphere due all these events, said resident Lucille Romance. People are in a state of shock and are avoiding getting out of their house.

Additional reporting by agencies
The suspected gunman in the deadly attack at a Christmas market in Strasbourg remains at large as counter terror police detained a fifth person in connection with the shooting.

French authorities said the latest man arrested was a member of the entourage of main suspect Cherif Chekatt, who is thought to have opened fire at the market on Tuesday, killing three people and injuring at least 11 others.

Forces had cordoned off an area in the Neudorf neighbourhood of Strasbourg on Thursday, where a taxi driver is believed to have dropped Chekatt off immediately after he escaped the scene of the shooting.

A police official said units, including the elite Raid squad, were acting on supposition only that the 29-year-old suspect could be hiding nearby.

Four members of Chekatts family, including his mother, father and two of his six brothers, had already been detained by police for questioning in connection with the attack.

Hundreds of officers have been mobilised to find the 29-year-old since Tuesday evening, after the gunman opened fire at the famous market while it was packed with visitors and tourists.

Government officials said focus remains on locating the suspect as soon as possible, while forces were prepared to take him dead or alive in order to bring the manhunt to an end.

Police named Chekatt as the shooting suspect on Wednesday, revealing he was already being monitored as a terror risk by French security authorities.

Chekatt, a Strasbourg native, was described by police as a delinquent with close to 30 prior convictions, who had served prison sentences not just in France, but also in Germany and Switzerland.

He is alleged to have yelled God is great in Arabic before opening fire from a security zone near the Christmas market.

Anupong Suebsamarn, a 45-year-old tourist who had been visiting from Thailand, is currently the only victim of the shooting to be named by authorities.

A Strasbourg resident in his 60s is also thought to have died in the attack, the citys mayor Roland Ries told local media.

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Strasbourg remains in mourning, with candles lit and flowers left at the site of the attack. The Christmas market was closed again on Thursday.

On Wednesday evening, people prayed and sang in the nearby Protestant church Saint-Pierre-le-Jeune.

Pastor Philippe Eber said this is a moment to think of those who died in this city because of violence. We also are thinking about all of those who weep for them, the families.

Additional reporting by AP
Hundreds of police are scouring eastern France to catch dead or alive a fugitive gunman thought to be behind a deadly shooting at the Christmas market in Strasbourg, which left three people dead and injured 13.

France raised its security threat to the highest level and deployed 1,800 additional soldiers to patrol streets and crowded areas across the country, while police issued a wanted poster for Cherif Chekatt with the warning: Individual dangerous, above all do not intervene.

Authorities said the 29-year-old was known to have developed radical religious views in jail and was known to the countrys security services as a potential security risk.

More than 700 police and soldiers are involved in the second day of the manhunt for Chekatt as they question his family members and set up checkpoints on the border with Germany.

Asked if police had been instructed to catch the suspect dead or alive, government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux told CNews: It doesnt matter. The best thing would be to find him as quickly as possible.

It took four months for police to track down Salah Abdeslam, the prime surviving suspect from the November 2015 terror attack on Paris, who was found in an apartment in Brussels.

People walk past French Gendarmes who are standing guard in central Strasbourg two days after the deadly shooting (PATRICK HERTZOG/AFP/Getty Images)

Witnesses told investigators the suspect cried out Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest) as he opened fire on the Christmas market, a target Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz suggested may have been chosen for its religious symbolism.

He said the man attacked people at the market with a handgun and knife around 8pm on Tuesday and was shot in the arm during an exchange of gunfire with soldiers.

He then hijacked a taxi to another part of the city, boasting about the attack to the driver, and later exchanged more gunfire with police, before disappearing.

The wanted notice for Cherif Chekatt, which carries the warning: Individual dangerous, above all do not intervene (Police Nationale via AP)

Chekatts police file photo shows a bearded man of North African descent, a prayer bruise blemishing the centre of his forehead. He has 27 criminal convictions for theft and violence, and has spent time in French, German and Swiss jails.

The attack came during a testing time for French president Emmanuel Macron, who announced tax concessions on Monday in an attempt to quell mass protests which have disrupted the country for a month and sparked the worst unrest in central Paris since the 1968 student riots.

Mr Griveaux said a decision had yet to be taken on whether to ban another planned yellow vest protest in Paris, which have seen cars torched, shops looted and the Arc de Triomphe defaced over the last three consecutive Sundays of riots in the capital.

Were simply saying at this stage that, given the events that are unfolding after the terrorist attack in Strasbourg, it would be preferable if everyone could go about a Saturday before the festive holidays in a quiet way, Mr Griveaux said.

 Fans at basketball arena sing French national anthem in tribute to Strasbourg shooting victims

The dead included a Thai tourist, 45-year-old Anupong Suebsamarn, according to the Thai Foreign Ministry and the website of the Khao Sod newspaper. It quoted his uncle as saying he and his wife had originally planned to visit Paris, but the protests there prompted them to change plans and go to Strasbourg instead.

One Italian was reported to be among the wounded. Italian media said Antonio Megalizzi, 28, was in critical condition. Italian daily La Repubblica said he was in Strasbourg to follow the session of the European Parliament.
A yellow vest protester has been killed after being hit by a truck at a roundabout in Avignon, Frances prosecutors office has said.

The driver of the truck was taken into custody. The victim was 23-years-old, Avignons deputy attorney Caroline Armand said, according to the AFP news agency.

The accident happened on a roundabout at the Avignon South exit of the A7 motorway in the early hours of Thursday morning.

It comes as Frances president Emmanuel Macron attempts to regain control after months of yellow vest protests which have caused disruption across the country.

The movement has protested against the rise in the price of oil and the cost of living.

Yellow Vests' Demonstrators Block Roads Across France to Protest Rising Taxes

Mr Macron strived to show he was responding to the protesters demands for tax relief by maintaining his planned agenda on Wednesday despite a shooting in Strasbourg which left two people dead and raised France to its highest terror alert level.

He held his weekly cabinet meeting and talks with large public and private companies, notably to encourage them to give a tax-free, year-end bonus to their employees.

Mr Macron broke a long silence in the face of the burgeoning protest movement and appealed for calm in an atypical televised address to the nation.

He announced tax relief for retirees and a boost to the purchasing power of workers.

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

But some members of the movement have already called for fresh protests on Saturday, arguing the governments measures are not sufficient.

Others have called for a truce, acknowledging progress has been made.

French ministers have also called for a halt to the protests in the wake of the attack in Strasbourg.

The countrys justice and interior ministers suggested the the protests should come to an end following the shooting.

Three online polls made after Mr Macrons speech by the Odoxa, Opinionway and Elabe institutes show a majority of respondents still have sympathy for the yellow vest movement, but support appears to be receding compared to previous weeks.
Egypt has detained a human rights lawyer on terrorism charges after he appeared in a photo wearing a yellow vest in solidarity with French protesters, activists have said, as Cairo restricts sales of the protest symbol to prevent copycat rallies.

A prosecutor in Alexandria ordered Mohamed Ramadan be held for 15 days pending investigations into charges he is part of a terrorist group, and for inciting protests.

The reflective safety vests have become the trademark of French demonstrations, which were sparked by a planned fuel tax increase but have grown into calls to address cost of living and low wages.

Recommended Egypt clamps down on yellow vest sales to avoid copycat protests

Egyptian human rights law firm Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE) said that Alexandrias public prosecutor falsely claimed Mr Ramadan had five vests in his possession. The group said he is being held at the National Security headquarters in the coastal city.

He is charged with possessing yellow vests to use in demonstrations against the Egyptian regime copycatting the protests that erupted in France, said Mohamed Hafez, an AFTE lawyer.

He confirmed that Mr Ramadan did not have any yellow vests on him.

Possessing yellow vests is not a crime itself; there are no laws criminalising having or wearing yellow shirts. These actions show that the current regime is terrified of repeating what has happened in France, Mr Hafez added.

The group said that Mr Ramadan is also charged with joining a terrorist group and promoting its ideologies through social media, publishing fake news, and possessing illegal publications.

Mahienour el-Massry, a prominent human rights lawyer and activist in the city, confirmed the arrest and told The Independent that Mr Ramadan was detained on the 10 December and appeared before the prosecutor a day later.

She said he was held after a photo of him wearing a yellow vest in solidarity with French protesters was circulated online.

They said that he is member of a terrorist group and that he wanted to incite protests like the yellow vests rallies in France. But they fabricated the evidence: they said he had five yellow vests in his possession and some leaflets which he didnt, she added.

Authorities consider the photo an incitement to hold similar protests. Two security sources told Reuters Ramadan had been found in possession of eight such vests. The Alexandria prosecutors office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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

It comes after tradesmen and security officials reported that vendors have been told to stop selling the vests to walk-in customers ahead of the seventh anniversary of Egypts Arab Spring uprising on 25 January next year.

Vendors are only now permitted to sell them wholesale to verified companies with police approval.

The military-led authorities fear a wave of unrest could take hold during the flashpoint month, inspired by the rallies and riots in France.

In nearby Tunisia, a copycat protest movement dubbed the Red Vests, mirroring the Tunisian red flag, has already started.

President Abdelfattah al-Sisi, Egypts former military chief, has ruled the country with an iron fist since storming to power in a 2013 military overthrow of his predecessor Mohamed Morsi, a Muslim Brotherhood leader.

Since then, protests without police permits are banned, tens of thousands of dissidents locked up and press freedoms curtailed. The authorities say the measures are needed to bring security to the country which has been plagued by a wave of terror attacks.

Vendors in downtown Cairo confirmed the restrictions on sales.

They made us sign statements that we wont sell yellow vests. Anyone who sells a single vest is in big trouble Cairo safety vest vendor



They made us sign statements that we wont sell yellow vests, one trader in downtown Cairo told Reuters.

Anyone who sells a single vest will put himself in big trouble. Now theyre for display only, he added.

An employee at another downtown shop said the restriction on selling the vests had started on Saturday and would continue until the end of the month.

At a third shop, a worker said the vests could only be supplied for commercial orders.
A Palestinian gunman killed two Israeli soldiers outside a West Bank settlement on Thursday, according to the Israeli military, which launched a massive manhunt and locked down the key Palestinian city of Ramallah.

The shooting came after Israeli security forces killed at least four other Palestinians suspected of perpetrating multiple other attacks on Israelis over the last few days, in the bloodiest flare-up of violence to hit the West Bank in months.

In the hunt for Thursdays shooter, the Israeli army unusually entered central Ramallah, home to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and a Palestinian economic and administrative hub. Israel also sent reinforcements to the West Bank city, sealed off all major entry points, and set up checkpoints, sparking clashes with local youth which continued into the evening.

An Israeli army spokesman told The Independent that a Palestinian gunman opened fire on soldiers and civilians at a bus station at the Asaf junction, near the Israeli settlement of Ofra.

Two soldiers were killed, while two others were injured, one severely. The two slain solders, named as Sergeant Yovel Moryosef and Corporal Yosef Cohen, were both promoted.

Recommended Toddler dies from wounds in Gaza as Israeli baby killed after shooting

It came just a day after a similar drive-by shooting that wounded seven Israelis, including a pregnant woman whose baby was delivered prematurely and later died.

In overnight raids in the West Bank Wednesday, Israel said its commandos had killed the Palestinian it said was behind Sundays attack, as well as another wanted for a 7 October shooting at a settlement industrial park that killed a man and a woman, both civilians.

Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that rules Gaza, said both men were its members.

Also on Thursday, the Israeli army said it killed a third Palestinian, suspected of being behind an attempted car-ramming incident in al-Bireh, northeast of Ramallah.

An AFP journalist saw Israeli soldiers rushing to the site, with multiple rounds of live ammunition fired at the target.

Palestinians who claimed to know the deceased denied it was a car ramming attempt, saying instead the car had slipped.

Meanwhile, in East Jerusalem, a man stabbed and wounded two Israeli policemen and was shot dead, police said. His identity was not immediately clear.



The events represent the most intense flare-up of violence in the West Bank in months, and follows recent bloodshed along the border between Israel and Gaza. There over 200 Palestinian have been killed by Israeli fire since March, during protests and riots at the fences.

The recent slew of attacks and raids will likely fray already strained relations between Israeli and Palestinian President Abbas's Palestinian Authority.

Abbas's office issued a statement on Thursday denouncing the violence and attacks but also blaming recent events on Israel's "policy of repeated raids into cities and incitement against the President, and the absence of a peace horizon.

The statement, published by Palestinian Wafa news agency, added: "Our permanent policy is to reject violence, incursions and terror of the settlers, and the need to stop incitement and not to create an atmosphere that contributes to the aggravation of the situation."

Meanwhile Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he would be legalising thousands of Israeli settler homes in the West Bank, according to Israeli daily Haaretz, a move which will only enflame tensions.

An Isreali soldier is consoled at the site of a Palestinian drive-by shooting attack outside the West Bank settlement of Givat Asaf, northeast of Ramallah ( AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP/Getty Images)) (AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP/Getty Images))



The Prime Minister's office said it would promote the construction of 82 new housing units in the settlement of Ofra, where the shootings occurred, as well as two new industrial zones near the settlements of Avnei Hefetz and Beitar Illit. Israeli settlements in the West Bank are deemed illegal under international law.

Mr Netanyahu said: "We will settle accounts with whoever did this. Our guiding principle is that whoever attacks us and whoever tries to attack us  will pay with his life. Our enemies know this and we will find them."

The armed wing of Hamas, which has fought three wars with Israel in Gaza since 2008, claimed the two Palestinians killed in the last 24 hours as its "fighters".

One of them was Salah Barghouti, a 29-year-old accused of Sundays shooting of seven Israelis.

Israels Shin Bet internal security service said that other members of Barghouti's group, all of them affiliated with Hamas, had been arrested overnight.

In that attack a woman who was seven months pregnant was among those wounded.

Our guiding principle is that whoever attacks us and whoever tries to attack us  will pay with his life. Our enemies know this and we will find them Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli prime minister

Doctors tried to save her baby boy with an emergency caesarean but he died on Wednesday. The mother remains in hospital in a serious condition.

Hamas has only grass root support in the West Bank and is prevented from properly operating because of both Abbass forces and the Israelis.

Israeli army spokesman Lt. Col Jonathan Conricus said he was not aware if the slew of attacks were coordinated by a central organisation but said they had been "glorified" on Palestinian social and regular media outlets.

"We are definitely aware of the phenomenon of copycats and our forces are deployed accordingly." He added: "This could definitely fall into that pattern."

Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East war and still occupies both. The Palestinians claim the territories for their hoped-for state, with parts of Jerusalem as their capital. Israeli settlements within the Palestinian Territories are deemed illegal under international law.
Warring sides in Yemen have agreed to a ceasefire in the flashpoint port city of Hodeidah and will withdraw all troops within days, marking a key breakthrough in the first peace talks in two years.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres announced the agreement at the end of landmark talks in Sweden on Thursday, calling it an important step and real progress towards future talks to end the conflict.

Yemens foreign minister and a leader in the rival Houthi rebel group then shook hands in a highly symbolic gesture that has raised hopes for progress on ending the near four-year war.

Bringing a halt to fighting in Hodeidah had been a key aim going into the UN-sponsored talks, which began a week ago in the Swedish town of Rimbos. Around 80 per cent of Yemens food supplies come through the citys port. Humanitarian groups had warned that continued fighting there would cause a famine in which as many as 13 million could starve to death.

Mr Guterres said the United Nations would play a leading role in supervising the Red Sea port, which is currently controlled by the rebels. He said all sides would withdraw from the area within days.

There is a ceasefire declared for the whole governorate of Hodeida in the agreement and there will be both from the city and the harbour a withdrawal of all forces, he said at the closing ceremony of the talks.

In the harbour the UN will assume a very important monitoring role and in the city the order will be maintained by the local forces.

A mutual understanding on Yemens third city of Taiz, the scene of some of the most intense battles in the conflict, would also be part of the deal. There, humanitarian corridors will be open to the city, which had been intermittently under crippling Houthi siege during the conflict.

Mr Guterres also announced a new round of talks would take place at the end of January.

I am glad that we made real progress here in Sweden, he said, describing the deal as a big step for the Yemeni people. This is just the beginning  We have agreed to engage in the discussions on a negotiating framework in the next meeting at the end of January, he added.

The news came as Jeremy Hunt, the UK foreign secretary, flew to Sweden to join the final day of the talks held in the town of Rimbo, where he met with the internationally recognised Yemeni government and representatives of the Houthi rebels.

Yemen is the worlds worst humanitarian catastrophe, and these peace talks represent the best opportunity in years to move towards the political solution the people of Yemen urgently need, Mr Hunt said from Sweden.

Michael Aron, the UKs ambassador to Yemen, was also present. He tweeted a photo of the historic handshake between the warring Yemeni factions writing the moment we have all been waiting for.

Yemen has been ripped apart by a ruinous three-and-a-half-year war that has sparked the worlds worst humanitarian crisis in terms of numbers and pushed the impoverished country to brink of a devastating famine.

Fighting first erupted in the spring of 2015 after the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group swept control of the country ousting the recognised president Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.

 Malnutrition centre in Mukalla, Yemen provides care for children suffering hunger and famine

Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies launched a bombing campaign to reinstate Mr Hadi, fearing the encroachment of Irans influence on its borders. The latest battleground has been around Hodeidah, which is currently home to over 300,000 people.

This week the UN announced that the conflict has meant a staggering 20 million people in Yemen are now going hungry, which is well over half the population and a 15 per cent increase from last year.

Of that number, some 250,000 people are currently starving to death, the UN added.

News of the agreement was welcomed by the UAE, a major part of the Saudi-led coalition.

Anwar Gargash, the UAEs minister of state for foreign affairs, wrote on Twitter: Encouraging news today from Sweden. Important political progress made including the status of Hodeida. The Coalition & Yemeni forces military pressure enabled this significant breakthrough.

However Saudi Arabias ambassador to Yemen struck a more cautious tone, saying that the ceasefire deal was dependent on a Houthi withdrawal from Hodeidah as well as Taiz, and the release of thousands of detainees and prisoners. Yemens foreign minister, Khaled al-Yamani, also said the deal remains hypothetical until rebels pull out of the city.

Lorraine Marulanda, head of the Middle East region and North Africa for the British Red Cross, said the agreement was an extremely welcome and important step.

She added: Even before the war, Yemen relied on over 90 per cent of imports of food and other important commodities to survive. Hodeida is a key port. It is hoped that a cessation in hostilities will mean that much needed food, medicine and other aid will be able to make its way through the port to those most in need.

But despite a swell of optimism over the agreement, many close observers of the Yemen saga were sceptical it would evolve into a permanent settlement.

One international official, who has worked for years on resolving the Yemen conflict, said the Saudi and UAE-led coalition was likely giving in on the port in order stave off harsh punishments by US lawmakers against Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the Yemen war and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. In the long run, anything short of victory over the Houthis will damage Prince Mohammeds ability to rule a kingdom already wary of him.

Someone like him cannot lose face, and hes willing to put up even more money to come up with something that makes him look like the winner, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he continues to work on sensitive Middle East matters. If hes not really pressured to do something, he wont stop anything.

The agreement over Hodeidah follows a tentative agreement for a massive 15,000 prisoner swap between both sides, which is currently being negotiated and will likely be overseen by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
They called us the worlds last colonial museum, says Guido Gryseels.

He is director-general of what is now the AfricaMuseum, the reincarnation of the Royal Museum for Central Africa which closed in 2013 for refurbishment  and a complete change of philosophy.

The establishment was funded by Belgian exploitation of what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, and occupies a glorious location in wooded parkland east of Brussels.

No glory, though, surrounds the colonial adventures of Belgium and its murderous monarch, Leopold II.

For Africa, colonisation was a catastrophe. As European nations plundered its people for slavery and its lands for wealth, they tore a great continent apart  creating divisions and conflict which still burn today.

Leopold II of Belgium, cousin of Queen Victoria, was the worst offender. In 1885 the Belgian king cut out the heart of Africa  the vast Congo basin  and made it his personal fiefdom as the Congo Free State. It was 80 times bigger than Belgium, with a far larger population.

Enslavement, disease and murder on an industrial scale took the lives of millions of Africans. Leopold II died a year before the museum officially opened in 1910. His private colony became the Belgian Congo in 1908  it gained independence only in 1960.

The museum continued to extol Belgium for bringing civilisation, security and wellbeing to the Congo, and continued to depict Africans as savages.

The image of Africa that we were conveying was based on a perception of Africa from the Belgian perspective, pre-decolonisation, says Mr Gryseels.

The museum now faces up to the horrors of its colonial past (Simon Calder)

Instead we want to focus on Africa in the present and future, without overlooking the shared history of Belgium and the central African countries.

As with Amsterdams Rijksmuseum and the Hagues Mauritshuis in the neighbouring Netherlands, extra space has been created by digging down.

Visitors enter via a new glass pavilion, just to the west of the building, then descend to a tunnel. It is also an underground gallery, whose central element is a pirogue  a 74ft, three-ton wooden canoe. It was put in place nearly three years ago, and the rest of the gallery built around it.

In the basement, an introductory exhibition looks at the past, present and future of an institution that was set up as a marketing exercise aimed at the Belgian people  but is now part of Europes cultural heritage.

Guido Gryseels, director-general of the AfricaMuseum, stands beside a 74ft-long pirogue (Simon Calder)

Once on ground level, much has been preserved: the parquet floor, elegant ironwork and marbled halls have been painstakingly restored as part of the 66m (60m) project.

Many of the exhibits remain the same, too, such as the giant map charting 19th-century fundamental geographical discoveries by European colonisers.

Presenting a decolonised perspective of Africa in a building which was designed to do exactly the opposite is a tough call  partly addressed by contemporary art.

Congolese artists in Africa and Belgium were invited to contribute works to counter the colonial-era statues. The great rotunda is now dominated by Aime Mpanes Nouveau souffle ou le Congo bourgeonnant: the chiselled wooden head of an African man on a pedestal of what appears to be molten bronze.

Modern work from Congolese artists has been added (Simon Calder)

The reopening has been accompanied by calls for the many artefacts brought from central Africa to be returned to the DRC; a new national museum is due to open in the capital, Kinshasa, next year.

To address such controversies, the Belgian museum has created the post of journalist-in-residence. The first was Denise Maheho from Radio Okapi in the Congolese city of Lubumbashi. She says: It was a great experience to listen to discussions on, for instance, the decolonisation of the museum, or the restitution or sharing of ethnographic objects kept in museums.

In the museums original guise, the only deaths commemorated were of 1,500 Belgians who died in Africa. Now the memorial wall for them has become a site of remembrance for the first Congolese who were brought to Belgium and died there  with their names projected on the wall of the gallery.

A large part of the museums original appeal was its collection of stuffed wildlife, and many of the poor creatures have been brought back in, two by two  with a giant elephant dominating the menagerie of dead animals.

Previously, an idealised vision of natural Africa was presented with no sign of human intervention, but now there is plenty on the many threats posed by man and climate change to a part of the world that is fragile in all senses.

DRC is still in disarray, with the reemergence of the deadly ebola virus, rampant criminality in the east of the country and politics in turmoil in the capital.

The Foreign Office is warning prospective British visitors not to visit large parts of the former Congo Free State:

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The political and security situation remains uncertain, says the latest travel advice for DRC. There have been continued calls for general strikes, civil disobedience and public protests.

In the event of serious unrest, commercial flights may be suspended, roads blocked and borders closed, making it difficult to leave the country. Internet connections and mobile phone networks may have reduced services or be cut off.

But the AfricaMuseums director-general, Guido Gryseels, is optimistic about the prospects of the continent he portrays: In 30 years from now, 40 per cent of the worlds population will live in Africa.

Africa is the continent of the future.

Travel essentials

Getting there

To reach the AfricaMuseum, a direct bus, number 830, runs from Brussels airport to the village of Tervuren, where it is located, in about 40 minutes.

From the Eurostar rail terminal at Brussels Midi, take any train to Brussels Central then the underground line 1 direction Stockel, and alight at Montgomery. Stay below street level and catch tram 44 to its terminus at Tervuren  a journey of 22 minutes. A single 2.10 ticket should cover the entire trip.

More information

The AfricaMuseum opens 11am-5pm from Tuesday to Friday, and 10am-6pm at weekends, admission 12.
From the stunning mountains surrounding Canadas Lake Louise to stylish sapeurs on the streets of the Republic of the Congo, the winning photographs from 2018s international Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY) awards showcase the world's best travel photography.

The winning images are comprised of submissions from amateur and professional photographers from 142 countries around the world.

An international panel of judges sifted through over 20,000 photographs before deciding on a final winners gallery of over 150 awe-inspiring images.

The featured images were taken using a range of equipment, from top-end cameras to mobile phones, and cover categories as diverse as Faces, People, Cultures, Single Shot and Tranquillity.

Stefano Pensotti, a semi-professional photographer from Italy, was named Travel Photographer of the Year 2018, with a selection of eight exquisite images taken from different countries around the world, including Myanmar, Hungary and Mali.

Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Show all 16 1 /16 Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Timbuktu, Mali: In the last light of day the inhabitants of Timbuktu wash their clothes and take a shower in the port of Kabara. Stefano Pensotti/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Budapest, Hungary: Szechenyi Baths, built in 1913, is the most popular the inhabitants of Budapest who come here to relax with friends. Stefano Pensotti/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Chefchaouen, Morocco: Perfect newly picked oranges were everywhere in Chefchaouen, Morocco. Isabella Smith/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Kollam, Kerala, India: On my summer holidays in India our neighbours 30+ year old Mango tree was cut down. It was a sad sight to watch as this was a fruit yielding tree, home to many birds and a lot of shade under it on a hot sunny day. Daniel Kurian/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Lake Louise, Banff, Canada: When I first went to Lake Louise, I thought everything was beautiful not just the lake or the mountains but all of the little details. Tevin Kim/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Thanarghat, Sadar, Bangladesh: The river was little bit dried up; thus, the sandy base was seen. These little girls lived on the other side of the river and they were playing in the shallow water while waiting for their mother. Fardin Oyan/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Chamonix, Mont Blanc, Switzerland: A few climbers descended down to the base of Mont Blanc. Katherine Kosmicki/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: In Tanzania, when you have albinism, you are thought to be evil. There is even a price on the head of children with albinism since killing a person with albinism is considered to bring good luck. Marinka Masseus/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Guatemala, Santa Lucia Utatlan: Mayan woman from Santa Lucia Utatlan, Guatemala. The designs from this region incorporate colourful geometric patterns and bird motifs. Tom Law/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo: Elie, 45, struts his stuff in the streets of Brazzaville. He has been a Sapeur for 35 years and his elaborate outfits bring joy to himself and his community. Tariq Zaidi/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Shaanxi, China: Endangered gold: The Qinling golden snub-nosed monkey is listed as Endangered by the IUCN as only some 3,800 individuals still exist. Most people have never seen these creatures. Marsel Van Oosten/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Mantadia National Park, Madagascar: Chameleon colours. Ignacio Palacios/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Svalbard, Norway: A mother Polar bear and her two young cubs are migrating north, as the sea ice melts quicker than previous years. Roie Galitz/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Amritsar, India: A Sikh pilgrim performs his ritual washing in the lake with the most famous place of worship for the Sikhs in the background. Matjaz Krivic/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Rio Lagartos, Yucatan, Mexico: Colours of the World: Pink - Las Coloradas. On the northern coast of Mexicos Yucatan peninsula are the magical pink lakes of Las Coloradas. The area is actually a private salt mine adjacent to the Rio Lagartos biosphere. Daniel Burton/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Niger River, Mali, West Africa: Sand divers freedive down to the bottom of the Niger river to collect sand for the building industry. Its an extremely dangerous job from which many dont return. Philip Lee/www.tpoty.com

The Young Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 was awarded to 14-year-old Isabella Smith, from the US, for her series of pictures taken in Morocco.

Dutch photographer, Marinka Masseus, impressed the judges with her Under the Same Sun series, which aims to raise awareness of people with albinism in Tanzania, scooping the top spot in the Faces, People, Cultures category; while French photographer Florent Mamelles impressive shot of the Fuego volcano in Guatemala spurting lava was awarded Best Single Image.

Tibetan pilgrims in the snow in Gannan, China, won the Chinese Hi Jian first prize in the Hot/Cold single image category; while Jose Antonio Rosas became the first Peruvian winner of a TPOTY category, winning the New Talent award for his series documenting the Candelaria celebration in Puno, Peru.

The winning images from this years awards will be displayed in a free-to-view outdoor exhibition close to the Tower of London in spring 2019, alongside international TPOTY exhibitions in Sharjah and Dubai in the UAE.
On 22 November 1990, I was in a battered old taxi in Vilnius, going to interview the prime minister of Lithuania. The revolutionary wave that had swept central and eastern Europe was now lapping at the Soviet Union, and the Baltic state of Lithuania had made the first moves to break away.

There was a sharp dissonance between the defiant national spirit of this Baltic capital and the deprivation and dilapidation all around. The USSR, though no one knew it, had only just over a year left to live.

But thats not why I remember that day or that hour. It is because, as the driver stopped at a red light, the radio announced a newsflash: the British prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, had resigned. To many in the region, Thatcher was a hero, and to Lithuanias prime minister, Kazimira Prunskiene, too.
The attack at the Strasbourg Christmas market has highlighted the changing face of radicalised violence in Europe.

Early on Tuesday morning, a man wanted on a charge of attempted murder following a botched armed robbery, succeeded in evading French police after they raided his flat. Later that evening he launched a rampage attack on the Christmas market, armed with an automatic pistol and knife. Three people were killed, one left brain dead and 12 others wounded, some with life-threatening injuries.

Last night the suspect, Cherif Chekatt, was killed in the Neudorf district of Strasbourg following what police described as a counter terror operation. Chekatt was on Frances S-list of potential security threats. He has 27 previous convictions, served two prison sentences in France, and most recently was released from prison in Germany after serving time for burglary. It has become a familiar picture.

In the years following the attacks of 11 September, 2001, it was widely believed that the origins of extremist violence lay in religion and in misunderstandings of religious texts. Concerns were expressed about so-called fundamentalists. This view is still widely held in France, where many deradicalisation programmes are made up of seminars and lectures on the Quran.

However, the background of the Strasbourg attacker mirrors those involved in the Paris attacks of November 2015. Almost all had previous criminal convictions for offences ranging from drug dealing to armed robbery and attempted murder. The attacker who killed pedestrians and police in Carcassonne, France in March this year also had convictions for drug dealing.

Despite this, radicalisation in France remains largely framed by the lens of laicite  Frances assertive brand of secularism  and is still fundamentally seen as a problem of religion. More and more, however, it is becoming clear that this most deadly form of radicalisation involves a mutation of mundane criminality.

Certain parts of criminal culture increasingly celebrate a war against society, where the police are stupid, the law is illegitimate, and the suffering of the victim is justified. Crime is celebrated as power and suffused with military metaphors. We see this when young people in criminal groups describe themselves as soldiers, and when the aim of violence is to humiliate opponents.

In the case of France, this war against society is becoming sacralised  the term for when actions are imbued with the power of sacred ritual. The spoils of theft are considered religiously-sanctioned booty  an idea originally popularised by Isis.

Certain kinds of violence, such as we saw in London in Borough Market in June 2017, aim to kill as many people as possible before the killers themselves die. In Borough Market the killers all wore fake suicide vests to ensure that they would not be taken alive.

This violence mirrors that of a school shooter who wants to show the world who they are. For them, this is only possible through violence that fractures reality through the scale of killing. The end point of rampage violence is the death of the attacker. We can see it with Omar Mateen, who killed 49 people at a LGBT+ nightclub in Orlando in 2016, and who set out to purify himself through death.

Our inability to understand such violence, poses an extraordinary risk to our politics and culture. In many countries in Europe, religious devotion  if you are a Muslim  has become grounds for suspicion. Womens headscarf choices have become seen by some as a marker of extremist tendencies.

The corrosive effect of this violence is not only evident in attitudes towards Islam. It helps make the world more dangerous and less intelligible and we can see this in widespread indicators of a decline in social trust. One of the most obvious of these, is the rise of conspiracy theories, which quickly emerged in response to the killings in Strasbourg.

One of the first warnings tweeted by French police about Tuesday evenings attacks included a picture of the unfolding events with a timestamp of 11.47am. However the attack itself began around 8.00pm. The reason for this time difference lies in a Twitter setting that may default to US Pacific Time.

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However, this discrepancy has been widely taken up on social media in France as proof that Tuesdays attack either did not happen, or was orchestrated by the French state, the most common explanation being as an attempt to distract from the gilets jaunes protests directed against the Macron government.

This theory has become so widespread on gilets jaunes Facebook sites, that administrators have suspended comments in an attempt to control the flood of posts proposing different versions of the conspiracy. It is far from sure that this will succeed.

This points to one of the less obvious impacts of such attacks: Spree killings set out not only to kill and maim, they also set out to destroy our ability to live together with strangers, with people who are different from us. This is what cities celebrate, and this is why it is cities that are so often the target of such murderous violence.

Kevin McDonald is professor of Sociology at Middlesex University, London. His most recent book, Radicalization, was published in October
This is fun now. Every week we get used to a more unfathomable level of glorious chaos. By the end of January the House of Commons will be full of goats while the speaker calls order order, members must NOT breed on the dispatch box. Thirty MPs will be suspended for dressing as Teletubbies and dipping the mace in tubby custard. Jacob Rees-Mogg will begin a speech I cant support an Irish backstop because nanny wont allow it, will you nanny? and turn to a skeleton in a rocking chair.

Theresa May will claim shes won a vote on an amendment about a customs union, but only because she included the votes of 285 teddy bears shed lined up on the benches, although even then it came out as a tie.

The Scottish nationalists will invoke an ancient rite of Perth and release a leopard to gallop round the House. And, as it mauls Liam Fox, Jeremy Corbyn will ask a question about cuts to the library service in Plymouth.

The DUP will claim the latest offer from the EU is possessed by the devil and smuggle an exorcist into Prime Ministers Questions, causing Amber Rudd to cover Anna Soubry in green sick; fifteen members of the cabinet will escape by disguising themselves as the Wu-Tang Clan; an opinion poll will show Isis have a 9 per cent lead, then Michael Gove will go on Radio 4 to say we are proud to have brought stability to the country.

 Vote of confidence: what happens next?

At the moment, May is claiming victory, because she insisted without her the country would collapse into unspeakable irreparable annihilation. And only 38 per cent of her own MPs preferred that to her.

If shes smart, shell make sure all her elections are like this. Either you vote for her, or youre placed in solitary confinement in a North Korean prison. Then shell appear in Downing Street beaming once again I have a clear mandate, with 57 per cent of voters making a choice of preferring stability with me, to being fed to a rabid pack of wolves.

One piece of luck that went her way is two MPs  known to favour her but who had been suspended by the Conservative Party for alleged sex offences  had their suspensions overturned on the day of the vote. At the time of the suspensions, political parties were horrified by those sorts of offences, so it was a deserved slice of fortune, that at that precise moment, they became the sort of things were no longer horrified by.

Earlier in the week, half an hour after insisting she was absolutely definitely with complete certainty going ahead with the vote on her EU deal, which was the greatest triumph of humanity, she told us there wouldnt be a vote and it didnt really matter. Instead she was going back to the EU, which she had spent weeks insisting absolutely definitely with complete certainty there was no point in doing.

So now shes meeting the EU leaders in the hope theyll change the deal she swore was the best possible deal that they would never change. Maybe she thinks they work the same way as her, and having said this was the final, final deal that could never change, theyll now say oh go on, write whatever you want and well agree to it, and you can take the Eiffel Tower if you want.

So it must have been quite a surprise when the meeting happened like this: Angela Merkel: what are you doing here? Theresa May: Ive come to renegotiate the deal. Merkel: We told you that couldnt possibly happen, please go away or Ill call security. May: But. Merkel: Dont do this to yourself. Get off me. How dare you dribble on me?

Then she comes back to assure us shes had a very fruitful meeting, in which the prime minister of Luxembourg said hed let her stroke his cat if shed just f*** off.

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Once she eventually steps down, she should set up a tourist company called Theresas City Breaks, in which you fly to a series of European destinations that have told you in advance they will humiliate you until you crawl round the floor barking like a dog.

Shes set such a pattern of doing the opposite of what she promises so often, that nothing she says now is of any value at all. Shes like the kid at school that cant help making things up, and this is probably her next stage. Andrew Marr will ask how she plans to pursue her deal, and shell say: Let me be absolutely clear. My dad invented llamas. Theres a statue of him in Peru. Ive got the biggest cornflake in the world, you can put it over the Grand Canyon and walk across it. My wee comes out as liquid gold. I keep it in a barrel and after 29 March Im going to sell it for 30bn and spend it on the NHS.

And as the uncertainty and chaos and instability hurtles on, the remains of the government reassures us with statements such as: There is no need for alarm over food shortages, as we have quite sensibly stockpiled 200 buckets of dandelions. We are also prepared to pass emergency legislation relaxing restrictions on cannibalism, which is precisely the sort of measure to make us prosper now that were free to abolish unnecessary EU red tape.

The most valuable lesson of all this is as follows: If May tells us she will absolutely without question not go berserk with an AK47 up Oxford Street this Christmas  you should probably avoid Oxford Street until February at least.
To postpone a vote  or to defer the vote, as Theresa May decided to do this week  is a common enough habit among the dictators and kings of the Middle East. They are always worried that the wrong side may win when the government faces a vote. Thats why Chadli Bendjedid postponed the second round of parliamentary elections in Algeria in 1991. He was worried that the Islamists might win. The people could not be trusted. So he decided to defer the vote. Then he was forced to resign, and Algeria ended up with a civil war.

You get the point. Sometimes  in the national interest, of course  there really is no alternative. In Algeria, Bendjedid already had a pretty good idea of who would win the 1991 poll. In the first round of elections the previous year, the FIS Islamic party had trounced all opposition. The army were not going to countenance this, so no second round. End of democracy and the end of Bendjedid as well.

Hosni Mubarak, one of the obtuse but more boring Arab dictators  a politically rather dingy man seen by the US and most European nations as a force for stability  deferred Egypts 2006 local government vote because he feared they would threaten a subsequent parliamentary poll. The Muslim Brothers were popular. The people could not be trusted.

King Abdullah of Jordan deferred Jordanian elections in 2001 for all of two years because of political tensions caused by the second Palestinian intifada. In other words, the people could not be trusted.

As for Palestine, when the people went to the polls in 2006, they voted for the wrong people. They were meant to support Mahmoud Abbas American-supported cabinet in Ramallah, not the Hamas Islamists in Gaza. The people could not be trusted. So what has Abbas done ever since? Hes deferred elections.

In Theresa Mays case, deferring the vote had nothing to do with whether or not she could trust the people. The British have, as we are constantly reminded, spoken. Brexit meant Brexit. The people could indeed be trusted. It seemed it was the House of Commons that could not be relied upon. It was parliament itself which might not abide by the solemn promise made to the people as a result of their referendum vote.

 Theresa May wins vote of no confidence by 200 to 117

In the Middle East, needless to say, Arab leaders trust their parliaments because they rig the elections. Thus we see none of the chaos and shouting and impolite behaviour in the parliaments and assemblies of the Middle Easts Muslim nations as we witness in the House of Commons. Arab MPs clap, adore and positively worship (with a few exceptions) their beloved leaders. It is the people the leaders fear.

How May must envy this simple democracy. For her, it is the British people who are united and it is the British parliament which does not truly represent them. The country is coming together, but Westminster is not, she once told us.

Arab governments may face a few dissenters or crackpots, but the vote  88 per cent or 92 per cent or 98 per cent for each dictator, you can take your pick  will ensure their survival. Postponements and vote-rigging will have taken care of that. Favours too. Like the pots of cash, perhaps, doled out to Belfast for the allegiance of the Democratic Unionist party. But that is small beer compared to real parliamentary corruption. Thus no one in the Arab chambers of democracy shouts abuse at the presidents or autocrats of the Arab world.

Just now, Theresa May must feel some sympathy with Israels government for the chaotic parliamentary system it endures and the proportional system of voting that creates constant instability. The Israeli government may veer ever more sharply to the right  at times, even to the fascist right  but it is always in danger of collapse. Thus its politicians change sides or become ever more racist or belligerent  or, if they are real liberals, quickly lose their seat in the government or the Knesset  both between and after elections.

Speaking of Benjamin Netanyahu, historians of various integrity in Britain have, as we know, debated whether Winston Churchill would have been a Brexiteer or a Remainer. Their arguments appear to have settled around two apparently contradictory characteristics of the old boy: Churchill was in favour of a United States of Europe but he was also a fervent free trader. He looked to European civilization, not to Brussels. But I rather think  and how hard it is for me to say this  that Netanyahu, who treats the Palestinians with bleak and bitter cynicism and has no wish to see a Palestinian state, and thus condemns Israel to more war with its neighbour, might understand Churchill rather better than we do. Certainly in the context of the referendum vote and Brexit, and the deplorable performance of the British prime minister, and the British parliament and the tragedy which the UK has embarked upon.

For Netanyahu is fond of quoting Winston Churchills lament about the confirmed unteachability of mankind. The Israeli prime minister correctly defined this at the UN as the unfortunate habit of civilised societies to sleep until danger nearly overtakes them. But Netanyahu was falsely using Churchill to support his own fantasies about Iran and the forces of terror which Irans allies might unleash. In 1935, Churchill was talking far more realistically of German rearmament.

But perhaps this is the moment for British MPs  and this includes our prime minister  to recall more exactly what Churchill said about unteachability in the House of Commons on 2 May that year: Want of foresight, unwillingness to act when action would be simple and effective, lack of clear thinking, confusion of counsel until the emergency comes, until self-preservation strikes its jarring gong  these are the features which constitute the endless repetition of history.

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But when will the jarring gong be heard? Self-preservation may have a lot to do with it, but Wednesdays failed Tory vote of no-confidence has banged no gongs. Nor the survival of the prime minister. Nor the secret cabals of the wretched Tory party. Certainly not Corbyn, who has chosen to remain a politician rather than become a statesman.

Its not Germany thats rearming today. Perhaps it is the people. Thus a second referendum  the gong  must clearly be deferred, perhaps forever. Arab dictators would approve.
As a nation peered through the gaps between its fingers and tried not to puke at what it was being told was history, it may have caught occasional glimpses into the soul of the kind of person that lives for all this.

There was the very, very junior minister Michael Ellis, sitting on the floor in the gangway of the House of Commons, braying with such sycophantic force in support of Theresa May at Prime Ministers Questions that he descended into a coughing fit that for a moment looked like it might claim his life.

There was Andrew Bridgen and James Cleverly, on the BBCs Victoria Derbyshire Show, having to be introduced to viewers with the words, Now I know you two dont want to talk to each other. The two men, party colleagues, fellow MPs, one the actual deputy chairman of what was once one of the worlds most revered political parties, just stared straight ahead. Eventually Bridgen announced, Ill go and skulked out of shot.

This, we cannot stop being reminded, is a momentous hour in our nations history. And this was the kind of behaviour, from two people reported to be fully grown adults, that would lead to premature ejection from a four-year-olds birthday party.

Who can blame them, in a way? Regulatory divergence, just-in-time supply chains, security cooperation, access to the Galileo Satellite system: these are just some of the fiendishly complex problems of Brexit that have to be solved in the next 106 days. Its never going to be done, so why not just jack it all in for another 24 hours of familiar chaos? Who wants reality when you can bang on desks, bray, have your weird little secret ballot, bicker like toddlers on live TV and generally embarrass oneself in front of a truly exasperated nation?

The news broke just after dawn. That after just four weeks of dedicated effort, Jacob Rees-Moggs European Research Group had finally managed to count all the way up to 48, theyd sent in their letters and now Conservative MPs would have to hold a formal vote of confidence in Theresa May.

If, in these rarefied hours, the prime minister wants to look as big and powerful as possible, she should start by having a word with whoever it was that ordered the worlds largest Christmas tree to be placed outside her front door in the full glare of the TV cameras for the duration of a period of inevitable national crisis. That it could have arrived there by van, and not lowered in, perhaps as transport for an extra terrestrial species, seems unlikely.

As she strode out almost unseen behind the lowest of its nine tiers at 08.30 in the morning, she could have easily have been mistaken for a particularly angry looking elf. Statements by prime ministers outside 10 Downing Street are meant to be moments of great national significance. For the last two and a half years, it feels like Theresa May has averaged one a week. Still, at least she has gone easy on us by saying the same thing every single time.

Even now, she was focused on getting on with the job, building a stronger economy, and all the other things she will never ever do.

At Prime Ministers Questions she told Jeremy Corbyn that, All he wants to do is create division and chaos. The laughs from the Labour benches were so loud they drowned out those that must surely have come from her own.

As the day wore on, faithful acolytes, many of them Brexiteers, appeared all over the news channels, to warn of the risks of a Corbyn government that they themselves have done so much more to deliver than anything anyone in the Labour party ever could.

They got their meaningful vote in the end, at least, even if it was a day late and on a slightly different subject. In the evening, all 317 Conservative MPs queued diligently along a searingly hot corridor, to cast their vote in collapsible polling booths brought in special bags, flanked by almost as many journalists.

When Theresa May arrived, she was asked by a journalist how she might vote herself, this being a vote on whether or not she had confidence in herself as party leader. She smiled and refused to answer. Oh Theresa, dont ever change.

It was fitting enough, at 9pm, that this day of chaos, that this brainchild of Jacob Rees-Mogg came to an end in an oak panelled room in a chorus of braying. She had won the vote, 200 to 117. It was a winning margin far narrower than expected, but not so narrow as to wonder whether it had been really necessary to restore the whip to two MPs, Andrew Griffiths and Charlie Elphicke, currently suspended from the party while facing extremely serious allegations.

By the time Theresa May came to give yet another statement, she had formally had the confidence of her party returned to her, yet she appeared drained of it all. She had been forced into making various concessions, most notably about promising not to lead her party in to the next election. Hundreds of MPs heard her make this promise, yet not many agree on what was said. Some said she had expressed no more than an intention. Others only that she wouldnt lead as far as 2022, a somewhat foresighted view when it would be brave to rule out a general election before March.

And at the end of a day that will be called historic solely by those who consider themselves to be historic, nothing, of course has changed. She still has no authority over her party. She still has no hope of getting her Brexit deal through the House of Commons. And now she will go to Brussels to try and secure concessions on the Northern Irish backstop that have been ruled out for months if not years.

By the time the door of No 10 should have clicked shut the TV cameras had already cut away. She could very well be in the Christmas tree right now, counting down to lift off. 105 days to go.
DUP leader Arlene Foster has teamed up with two former Brexit secretaries to call for an overhaul of the Irish backstop.

Ms Foster, David Davis and Dominic Raab, along with British trade minister Liam Fox, have proposed a guarantee on the Border that would last 10 years.

In a joint statement, Mr Raab said the UK needed a "unilateral exit mechanism from the backstop". But he said the Irish Government could be given "assurances" that specific measures would be put in place to ensure no return to a hard Border.

The backstop, as defined by the EU and UK negotiation teams, ties Northern Ireland to the EU's regulatory system in order to allow the free movement of goods and livestock on this island. It can only be cancelled if both sides agree to a workable alternative.

On Twitter, Ms Foster wrote: "London, Dublin & Brussels have all ruled out a hard Border in any circumstance. Backstop is not needed."

Included in the document she launched with the Brexiteers is a proposal for a new protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland to replace the backstop.

The document states that "nothing in the New Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland shall imply the creation, existence or maintenance of a single customs territory between the European Union and the United Kingdom".

The protocol would be in place from the end of the transition period if no alternative arrangements are in place.
EU leaders will today consider how they can help get the UK Brexit deal - which still faces a wall of opposition in the London parliament - ratified by UK MPs.

Embattled British Prime Minister Theresa May will receive a warm welcome from her 27 EU counterparts after winning a no-confidence by her Conservative Party colleagues.

But as Leo Varadkar joins the leaders in Brussels for yet another summit, diplomats insist the draft deal - signed off by member state governments on November 25 - cannot be reopened. Any support measures will focus on "interpretation and elaboration".

EU summit chairman Donald Tusk said the heads of government will give their formal reaction to developments after a dinner meeting tonight.

First, the leaders will hear a report from Mrs May, and thereafter the remaining 27 leaders will discuss the issue.

One diplomat stressed that the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement was between the other 27 members of the trade bloc and the London government.

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That meant any change of leadership - be it via personnel or the installation of a new ruling party - did not change the status of what was agreed.

The EU leaders' summit was called to advance the framing of another seven-year funding plan spanning the years 2021-2027 inclusive. The agenda also covered co-operation on dealing with inward migration, and better economic governance for the EU single currency, and member states' economies generally.

These issues will be variously discussed today and tomorrow but Brexit, and that report from Mrs May, will overshadow this work because the decisions in the EU's second largest economy will affect all future plans.

But, despite continued negative reactions from London, it is clear some goodwill persists towards Mrs May.

Hopes of unlocking the Brexit deadlock focus on the accompanying political declaration, which sets out guidelines on big picture EU-UK trade talks after Brexit happens and transition periods expire.

"We know what is impossible: re-negotiating the deal. Everything else is possible," one Brussels diplomat said.

However, EU officials continued to insist that preparations for a no-deal Brexit, emerging from the ongoing UK conflict will continue.

Here, the EU signals Brussels has a co-ordinating role in no-deal Brexit preparations, but individual governments must carry the burden.

"No-deal preparations from Ireland to Poland to Italy are the concerns of the individual member states, not the European Council.

"It is the role of the commission to work on a common framework, so this issue is a question for the Irish Government and for the commission," one EU source said.
Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May arrived in Brussels today to lobby European leaders for help after she survived a parliamentary mutiny that highlighted the deadlock over Brexit.

"We need to get this deal over the line," she told reporters on arrival for two days of summitry, adding that she had "heard loud and clear" the concerns of party rebels who tried to unseat her over the Brexit deal she agreed with leaders last month.

"I don't expect an immediate breakthrough," May said, but she would be telling other leaders of the "legal and political assurances" her party sceptics needed, especially over the risk of the so-called Irish border "backstop" becoming permanent.

EU leaders have ruled out any re-negotiation of last month's package intended to ease Britain out of the bloc in March but Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, warmly embracing May on the summit doorstep, said: "I really want to help her."

Nonetheless, pressed on whether the EU would let Britain crash out chaotically without a deal, Bettel said there was no way renegotiate and insisted: "Brexit was the choice of the UK."

He added that rather than a no-deal chaos, however, he would rather Britons vote again to reverse the 2016 Brexit referendum.

May won the backing of 200 Conservative Party members of parliament versus 117 against, in a secret ballot that deepened divisions just weeks before parliament needs to approve a deal to prevent a disorderly exit from the European Union.

Mrs May was asked to confirm publicly today the promise she made behind closed doors to Tory MPs as she sought their support on Wednesday.

She said: "Yes, I have said that in my heart I would love to be able to lead the Conservative Party into the next general election.

"But I think it is right that the party feels that it would prefer to go into that election with a new leader."

The Prime Minister was pressed over whether her decision means she will step down as soon as the Brexit process is complete.

Her response suggested the promise is linked in her mind to the scheduled vote in three-and-a-half years' time.

Asked whether she has a date in mind, she said: "No. People try to talk about dates. What I'm clear about is the next general election is in 2022 and I think it's right that another party leader takes us into that general election."

In Britain's biggest decision for decades, Brexit has split the nation and will shape the future of its $2.8 trillion economy including London's status as a global financial hub.

Pro-Europeans fear exit will weaken the West, already struggling to assimilate Russian and Chinese power as well as Donald Trump's unpredictable U.S. presidency. Brexit supporters hail it as casting off a flailing German-led European project.

European leaders look unlikely to offer immediate support. A draft EU statement said they were merely "ready to examine" whether further assurance can be given.

The six-point EU document said any assurances would not "change or contradict" the legally-binding withdrawal agreement struck last month after two years of negotiations.

Meanwhile, Fianna Fail has accused Tanaiste Simon Coveney of offering a "pathetic" response to questions raised about the government's contingency planning for Brexit.

The party's deputy leader Dara Calleary claimed answers to his queries in the Dail were "Andrex Puppy" responses, describing them as "soft and fluffy".

Mr Coveney said he was surprised at Mr Calleary's remarks telling the Opposition politician it "shows you don't know what you're talking about".

Fianna Fail has been putting pressure on the government to publish details of the government's plans for a no-deal Brexit.

Earlier this week, May pulled a parliamentary vote on her deal, designed to maintain close future ties with the bloc, after admitting it would be heavily defeated in the House of Commons. She has pledged a new vote before January 21 but faces a tall order to convince sceptical lawmakers.

No vote on the Brexit package was included in a schedule of parliamentary business for the coming week before Christmas.

With Britain due to leave the EU on March 29, prospects now include a potentially disorderly exit with no deal agreed, or even another referendum.

May, who met Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Brussels, wants legal assurances that the Irish backstop would not remain in place indefinitely. The backstop is an emergency fix to prevent extensive border checks on the island of Ireland and is the most contentious element of the deal.

May voted to remain in the EU at a 2016 referendum, but has pledged to implement Brexit in line with the people's will after that narrow vote to leave.

The EU's draft statement, seen by Reuters, reiterated that the bloc prefers a new deal to ever triggering the Irish backstop and that it would try to swiftly conclude such an accord even if the emergency border fix kicks in.

EU states were not in agreement on the text on Thursday morning, however, and diplomats in Brussels expect it to change. They suggested the bloc may be readying more solid assurances for May in January.

Several EU diplomats said Britain was seeking to terminate the backstop after three years.

May, who said on Wednesday she would not be standing in the next election due for 2022, has to secure some improvement on her deal if she is to have any hope of parliamentary approval.

The confidence vote against her has highlighted historic divisions over Europe within the Conservative Party that contributed to the downfall of May's three predecessors: David Cameron, John Major and Margaret Thatcher.

National newspapers said "lame duck" May had been given a "stay of execution" after she "scraped through".

The DUP, which props up her government - and strongly opposes her withdrawal deal - said the fundamental arithmetic in parliament was unchanged despite the confidence vote victory, and the backstop must go.

Eurosceptics who see the proposed deal as a betrayal of the 2016 referendum went further. Loyalists, however, said the party needed to get behind May and offer some certainty to businesses over future ties with the world's biggest trading bloc.
The European Union "stands ready to examine whether any further assurance can be provided" to Britain over the Irish backstop and their tentative divorce agreement, a draft seen by Reuters shows.

The draft, a six-point document the EU is preparing for British Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday to help convince the divided UK parliament to approve their Brexit deal, said any such assurances would not "change or contradict" the agreement.

"Irish backstop does not represent a desirable outcome for the Union... is only intended as "insurance policy," the draft statement says.

The other 27 EU states have not yet agreed on much of the text and diplomatic sources said especially the paragraph on the EU's readiness to provide more assurances to Britain was likely to change later in the day because of opposition from Ireland as well as other bloc members.

Expand Close Get a grip: Theresa May is greeted by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in the Netherlands. Picture: AP / Facebook

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The draft statement also says if the backstop is triggered, the EU would use its "best endeavours" to agree swiftly on deal to replace the backstop.

"If backstop is applied it would apply only temporarily, unless and until a new EU-UK agreement is in place," the statement adds.

EU leaders will today consider how they can help get the UK Brexit deal - which still faces a wall of opposition in the London parliament - ratified by UK MPs.

Embattled British Prime Minister Theresa May will receive a warm welcome from her 27 EU counterparts after winning a no-confidence by her Conservative Party colleagues.

But as Leo Varadkar joins the leaders in Brussels for yet another summit, diplomats insist the draft deal - signed off by member state governments on November 25 - cannot be reopened. Any support measures will focus on "interpretation and elaboration".

EU summit chairman Donald Tusk said the heads of government will give their formal reaction to developments after a dinner meeting tonight.

First, the leaders will hear a report from Mrs May, and thereafter the remaining 27 leaders will discuss the issue.

One diplomat stressed that the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement was between the other 27 members of the trade bloc and the London government.

That meant any change of leadership - be it via personnel or the installation of a new ruling party - did not change the status of what was agreed.

The EU leaders' summit was called to advance the framing of another seven-year funding plan spanning the years 2021-2027 inclusive. The agenda also covered co-operation on dealing with inward migration, and better economic governance for the EU single currency, and member states' economies generally.

These issues will be variously discussed today and tomorrow but Brexit, and that report from Mrs May, will overshadow this work because the decisions in the EU's second largest economy will affect all future plans.

But, despite continued negative reactions from London, it is clear some goodwill persists towards Mrs May.

Hopes of unlocking the Brexit deadlock focus on the accompanying political declaration, which sets out guidelines on big picture EU-UK trade talks after Brexit happens and transition periods expire.

"We know what is impossible: re-negotiating the deal. Everything else is possible," one Brussels diplomat said.

However, EU officials continued to insist that preparations for a no-deal Brexit, emerging from the ongoing UK conflict will continue.

Here, the EU signals Brussels has a co-ordinating role in no-deal Brexit preparations, but individual governments must carry the burden.

"No-deal preparations from Ireland to Poland to Italy are the concerns of the individual member states, not the European Council.

"It is the role of the commission to work on a common framework, so this issue is a question for the Irish Government and for the commission," one EU source said.
Tanaiste Simon Coveney said the Government made a "judgment call" in relation to discussing contingency plans for a no-deal Brexit, and pledged there will be a "lot more" information in the coming weeks.

Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin has repeatedly called on the Government to publish its plans in order to create public buy-in.

But the Taoiseach again resisted calls in the Dail for specific information on measures to be taken to mitigate the impact of a no-deal exit by the UK.

However, Mr Coveney said: "It's not true to say that there haven't been a lot of documents published," pointing to 70 papers published by the European Commission.

He said contingency planning has been under way for some time and the Government decided this week to intensify the preparation for a no-deal scenario which would see a cliff-edge Brexit next March.

"We have spent many, many months on contingency but we made a judgment call, until recently, that the public focus had to be on getting a deal done in the context of the compromises that were necessary from the EU side and the UK side to get a withdrawal agreement in place, and getting the declaration on the future relationship in place. That was successful. That deal got done," he said.

A Cabinet decision taken this week to intensify preparations for no-deal was "essentially an instruction to senior civil servants across the key departments to now put no-deal contingency plans in place, they've already been planning for that, but now we have to finalise their plans and take actions on the back of that," he said.

The European Commission will not finish its contingency discussions across 15 sectors until January 10.

Plans from Brussels will be needed in relation to areas such as aviation, data protection and fisheries.

A Government spokesman said this week that additional infrastructure is needed at ports and airports, which is "already under way".
Recruitment firm Darwin Hawkins has launched in Dublin.

Founders Niall O'Kelly and Mark Baker have partnered with James Caan's Recruitment Entrepreneur.

As part of the investment, Recruitment Entrepreneur will provide the company with operational infrastructure, accountancy, payroll and marketing support. It will also provide financial backing for the business to scale up over the next three years.

Mr Caan said he would be mentoring Mr O'Kelly and Mr Baker throughout, "focusing on how to both scale and internationalise the business with particular attention to attracting the right talent for the company".

"This is a great time to invest in Ireland. Post-Brexit we expect to see an economic boom, particularly in the financial services, technology and fintech sectors," he added.

This is Mr Caan's third investment in Ireland in recent months, alongside Hayward Hawk in Belfast and 360 Search in Dublin.
The tax avoidance drive has included a ruling that Ireland recover 13bn from iPhone maker Apple. Stock picture

The CAP budget is coming under more pressure, as eastern European farmers call for increased farm payments.

Farmers from Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, Czech and Slovak Republics took to the streets of Brussels today demanding a fair CAP.

Earlier this week, the Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said the European Commission's proposals on direct payments to Lithuanian farmers are "unacceptable".

The Lithuania Tribune reports Lithuanian farmers want the European Commission to increase direct payments. Grybauskaite expressed support to the farmers, saying their demands are "reasonable," since the European Commission's relevant proposals are "unacceptable".

Farmers from Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, Czech and Slovak Republics protest in Brussels demanding fair CAP! pic.twitter.com/PRzGBHZeUz  Lithuanian Chamber of Agriculture (@zur_lr) December 13, 2018

According to the 2021-2027 budget, the direct payments would again be lower than the EU average, said the President's Office.

On average, direct payments in the EU amount to 266/ha eligible for payment, according to the European Commission.

Currently, Lithuanian farmers receive direct payments of 170ha local media reports.

The farmers from Latvia, Estonia, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia are today demanding higher direct payments and "equal treatment".

We have travelled for two days all the way to Brussels to make sure that EU leaders dont forget their promise to treat all EU farmers equally, said Arunas Svitojus, the president of the Chamber of Agriculture of Lithuania said today.

The European Council meets on Thursday and Friday to discuss the EU's long-term budget for the years 2021-2027.

"Funding for agriculture is among the key negotiation points," Grybauskaite told representatives of Lithuanian farmers' organizations during the meeting.
The Minister for Agriculture has told the IFA that his Department will name factories found guilty of excess trim offences from the New Year .

Following negotiations, yesterday, as the IFA staged a sit in at the Department's offices in Dublin, agreement has been reached between the IFA and Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed in relation to the publication of the factories which committed trim offences.

From January 1, 2019 the names of the factories which commit trim offences will be published each quarter on the Dept of Agriculture website.

This Minister said that his department will publish the names of plants in which on the spot fines have been applied with effect from January 1, 2019.

"I also intend to publish the names of plants in which such fines were levied in 2018 and 2016 before year end, subject to the completion of a number of formalities."

To date in 2018, a total of 19 on-the-spot fines were issued for non-compliance with the EU reference carcase trimming specification. Under legislation (SI 363/2010), non-compliance with the carcase trim specification attracts a maximum on the spot fine of 200 per carcase.

Further, farmers impacted will be informed and they will be fully compensated by the factories.

The Minister has also confirmed that he and his officials will continue to reject any attempts by the EU to place further restrictions on the live export trade.

The Minister made it clear to the IFA that he is totally committed to the live export trade.

Following this agreement, the IFA sit-in at the Department Agriculture, Food and the Marine in Kildare Street has ended.
A debt-advisory firm founded by former Dolmen Corporate Finance executive Kevin Beary, has lost an appeal against a High Court order that the firm provide security in respect of the costs of defendants in a 6m action the company is taking against them.

Beary Capital Partners sued companies called Htamretfa Ltd, formerly Dolmen Securities, and Htamretfa Corporate Finance (formerly Dolmen Corporate Finance), alleging that an asset purchase agreement signed between the three firms was breached.

Beary Capital has claimed it was due fees from financing projects that would be undertaken with Mainstream, the renewable power firm, and Nama. The Htamretfa firms have also made a counterclaim against Beary Capital, claiming it breached the asset purchase agreement.

Mr Beary left Dolmen around 2010 - two years before Dolmen Stockbrokers was acquired by US financial services group Cantor Fitzgerald.

The financier had been a shareholder in both Htamretfa ('Aftermath', spelled backwards), and in Htamretfa Corporate Finance. He was managing director of Dolmen Corporate Finance and had a service contract with Dolmen Securities.

Beary Capital entered an asset-purchase agreement with the Htamretfa firms, where it bought certain assets from them. Much of that consideration was deferred and dependent on Breary Capital receiving income from certain projects.

Beary Capital claimed that it received no income from these projects and has paid no consideration for the assets.

The firm initiated proceedings in 2014 against the Htamretfa vehicles as well as Cantor Fitzgerald Ireland.

It made the claim in respect of two elements of the asset-purchase agreement. One of the pipeline of projects which was assigned to Beary Capital comprised the fees to be earned from arranging mezzanine finance in respect of a contract with Mainstream. The original mezzanine finance had been put in place in 2008 by the Htamretfa firms, was rolled over in 2011, and rolled over again in 2014.

Beary Capital has claimed that at the time the asset-purchase agreement was signed, it was contemplated that the Mainstream contract would be rolled over.

Beary Capital also alleges that the Htamretfa firms agreed to seek the consent of Nama to sub-contract the services to be provided under an existing contract with the agency. Instead, it's alleged, the Htamretfa firms told Nama that they were no longer engaged in carrying out the types of services covered by the Nama contract. Nama then decided not to award any subsequent contracts to the Htamretfa firms.

Beary Capital has claimed for damages for the alleged breach of the asset purchase agreement, negligence and breach of duty, and misrepresentation and damages for wrongful interference with the economic interests of the firm. The value of the claim has been assessed at 6m.

The Court of Appeal has said that the High Court trial judge was correct to strike out the case against Cantor Fitzgerald, and also refused the appeal by Beary Capital against a High Court decision to order it to provide security for the defendants' costs and staying the proceedings pending the provision of that security.
The Revenue Commissioners took a 213m tax haul last year as a result of a crackdown on defaulters that was backed by the recruitment of extra staff.

And 87.6m of the tax was paid by people on assets held across the world, including the UK, Australia, the United States, the British Virgin Islands, Malta, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates.

Of the disclosures of offshore assets made under the increased Revenue scrutiny, nine were for more than 1m each, while 18 were for between 500,000 and 1m. Most of the disclosures of offshore assets - 2,828 in total during 2017 - were for amounts of less than 5,000.

Offshore property, shares, bank accounts and pensions accounted for most of the assets that were disclosed.

The Revenue Commissioners said in an evaluation report of compliance measures introduced by the 2017 Budget, that more than 1,300 disclosures were made in respect of assets in the UK - the single largest number. Almost 14pc related to assets in the United States.

And while assets based in Switzerland and the Isle of Man comprised just a small number of the total disclosures, they accounted for more than a quarter, or 25.8pc, of the total value of the almost 88m in disclosures.

The Revenue Commissioners said that of disclosures of UK assets, nearly 25pc of the value of the disclosures related to property, and 20pc to pensions.

Jersey and Malta were dominated by disclosures related to trusts, while those from Australia, Spain, France, Portugal and Spain related mainly to property.

In October 2016, then Finance Minister Michael Noonan said the release of the Panama Papers that year had showed how offshore structures and accounts could be used to avoid paying tax.

He allocated an extra 5m in funding to the Revenue Commissioners for 2017 to recruit 50 extra staff and to invest in IT systems that are increasingly used to detect irregularities and evasion.

The Revenue Commissioners was set a target of yielding an additional 130m for the Exchequer.

The compliance report prepared by the Revenue Commissioners in respect of 2017 shows that its 213m haul significantly beat that target.

The money included 63m that was secured from so-called Section 110 companies - more than the 50m target that had been set.

Section 110 of the Taxes Consolidation Act was amended in 2016 to restrict the use of profit-participating loans where they were used to finance the business of Section 110 companies related to Irish property transactions.

Revenue said that the average audit yield per full-time employee in 2017 was 424,700. It said the average yield for risk management interventions last year was 515,300 per full-time employee.

It added that in 2016, 157 new staff were assigned to audit functions at the Revenue Commissioners.

The report said that the group of employees delivered a tax yield of 22.8m that year, or an average of 155,000 per case worker. Of that group, 139 continued in audit functions in 2017, but the average tax yield per case worker rose to 282,000. The report predicted that the average yield for each of those workers this year will be 310,000.
Revolut already has more than 200,000 Irish users on its platform

Consumer finance technology brand Revolut has taken the first step to bringing its full current account service to Ireland after securing a European banking licence in Lithuania.

The licence will allow the alternative to traditional banks to offer full deposit and credit services, including overdrafts, personal loans and term deposits.

The London-based fintech, already has more than 200,000 Irish users on its platform - which helps customers manage their finances through a mobile app.

It expects to launch current account and other services here by the end of next year.

"It won't be done in the next six months, but we do expect to be up and running by the end of 2019," a spokesman said.

"Unlike other UK banks, this gives the customer complete clarity as regards their banking post-Brexit."

Through the new banking licence, customers will be protected up to 100,000 under the European Deposit Insurance Scheme.

Revolut also revealed its plans for commission-free stock trading early next year, a concept initially touted back in August.

Last month, Revolut secured licences to launch its digital banking offering in Singapore and Japan, as it announced plans to also expand in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Launched in 2015, Revolut's initial draw for customers was the ability to spend and transfer money abroad with the real exchange rate.

Since then, additional features include the ability to buy and sell exposure to cryptocurrencies and a savings function 'Vaults'.

Revolut has so far raised $336m from investors including DST Global, Index Ventures, Balderton Capital and Draper Esprit.
An employee passes American oak barrels containing Jameson whiskey, produced by Irish Distillers Ltd, at the Pernod-Ricard SA distillery in Midleton. Photo: Bloomberg

ACTIVIST shareholder Paul Singer's Elliott Management has pounced on another European corporate icon, building a 2.5pc stake in Pernod Ricard - which owns Irish Distillers. The investor said it was an effort to boost returns and sharpen governance at the world's second-largest distiller.

It may eventually push for a break-up or sale. Shares of the company behind Jameson whiskey rose 4.3pc in Paris, the biggest gain in three years, after Elliot confirmed the move.

Pernod Ricard's lacklustre performance creates an opportunity, Elliott said. Pictured is a warehouse at the Pernod Ricard distillery in Midleton, Co Cork.
THE chief financial officer of Independent News & Media (INM), Ryan Preston, is to leave the company. Mr Preston was one of two senior INM executives whose protected disclosures prompted a major investigation by the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement (ODCE).

In a notice to the Irish Stock Exchange, INM - which publishes the Irish Independent - said Mr Preston, who joined the company in 2014, will leave by mutual consent at the end of next month.

"INM is currently engaged in a process to appoint a successor to Mr Preston and this appointment will be announced in due course," it said.

INM chief executive Michael Doorly said: "On behalf of the board of INM and the company I would like to thank Ryan for his contribution to the company over the last four years. We wish him every success in his future career."

The Irish Independent understands Mr Preston had been in talks with the company about his future for some time. He made a protected disclosure to INM in 2016. This backed up an earlier protected disclosure by then INM CEO Robert Pitt.

Claims made by both executives would end up being investigated by the ODCE, ultimately resulting in the appointment of High Court inspectors to the company.

Mr Preston and Mr Pitt alleged they came under pressure from then INM chairman Leslie Buckley to pay an inflated price for Newstalk - a radio station owned by INM's largest shareholder, Denis O'Brien. The deal never went ahead and Mr Buckley denies any wrongdoing. Mr Pitt departed INM in October last year with a 1.5m exit package.
The discount telecoms firm Yourtel is again in trouble with the Irish regulator.

Comreg has notified the German-based company of a finding of non-compliance for its practice of rolling over customer contracts for additional 12 month periods against customers wishes.

While Yourtel has six weeks to state its views on Comregs finding, the watchdog says that if the telco has not complied with its obligations, Comreg may apply to the High Court for punitive action.

Yourtel has repeatedly fallen found of telecoms rules in Ireland. Last December, it was handed a 66,000 court fine for selling non-existent services, an action pursued by Comreg.

In June of 2017, it was fined 2,500 for charging a pensioner for services it hadnt provided.

The company offers to beat the prices of existing telephone operators such as Eir.

The non-compliance relates to the prior notification requirements imposed on certain Yourtel customers who wished to cancel their contracts and to Yourtels related practice of rolling over customer contracts for a further 12 month period against their wishes, said a Comreg statement on the matter.

ComReg has found that Yourtels procedures for contract termination acted as a disincentive to the affected customers changing service provider and terminating their contracts with Yourtel.

"The notification of non-compliance notifies Yourtel of a finding that it has failed to comply with Regulations 25(6) of the Universal Service Regulations.
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange

European shares traded significantly higher yesterday and were set for a second day of gains, as sentiment toward the Sino-US trade dispute lifted after US President Donald Trump sounded upbeat about a deal in a Reuters interview.

Surges on European bourses came even as UK Prime Minister Theresa May faced a confidence vote with the inherent threat of an even more chaotic Brexit.

But investors bet that she would survive the vote, lifting the pound and the Ftse-100.

Should she win the day, her authority would be reasserted and reduce the chance of a no-deal Brexit.

Nomura analyst Jordan Rochester said he expected a victory by Mrs May that would probably benefit sterling.

Amid the general upbeat mood, trading updates from retailers weighed on the overall sector.

"It looks like another shocker of a day for UK retail as Inditex, Superdry and Dixons Carphone shares have slumped sharply in opening trade," wrote Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets.

A profit warning for British fashion retailer Superdry saw its shares slump 35pc.

Also in Britain, Dixons Carphone, the electricals and mobile phone retailer, fell as much as 10pc after reporting a statutory first-half pretax loss of 440m (990m) after booking 490m of exceptional charges, mainly related to goodwill.

In Ireland, the Iseq Overall Index gained, but its advance was more muted compared to that made by its European peers.

Just before the bell, it was 0.8pc higher at 5,537.

Packaging giant Smurfit Kappa was among the biggest gainers, rising 5.6pc soon before the session ended, to 23.16. Hotel group Dalata was 5.4pc higher at 4.55. Homebuilders were in the red, with Glenveagh Properties having shed 3.2pc to 77 cent before the session ended. Cairn Homes was down 2.3pc at 1.17.

The UK's Ftse-100 was 1.3pc higher just minutes before trading closed. Germany's DAX was up 1.6pc and France's CAC-40 had advanced 2.4pc. French drinks giant Pernod Ricard, which owns Jameson, rose 6pc after it emerged that activist hedge fund Elliott Management took a stake in the firm.
Bob Dylan will headline together with Neil Young (Gareth Fuller/PA)

Bob Dylan and Neil Young have announced an Irish date for 2019.

The music legends will play Nowlan Park in Kilkenny on Sunday July 14, their only Irish date next year.

Both in their 70s, Nobel Prize-winning Dylan and 'Godfather of Grunge' Young were also recently announced to headline the British Summer Time festival at Hyde Park in London next year.

Expand Close Neil Young on stage at Hard Rock Calling, in Hyde Park, London (Ian West/PA) / Facebook

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Promoter Peter Aiken told RTE Radio 1's Morning Ireland that an estimated 800,000 people have seen the artists perform in Ireland.

Tickets from 76 will go on sale Monday 17 December at 9am from Ticketmaster.
Louise Bowden as the Snow Queen, Nicholas Grennell as "Jack Frost" and once again Joe Conlan as the Panto Dame. Also pictured are Ellie Mooney (11) playing Rosie and Charlie Gill (10) playing Robin. PIC: Arthur Carron

If, for you, 2018 will be remembered as the year of living cautiously, then you obviously havent been to the Panto.

Bold and bawdy, this years Gaiety pantomime is true to its genres disarmingly irreverent form as it struts its all-singing, all-dancing stuff across the Dublin theatres stage. Social stereotypes, vegans, gender-fluid Alicorns, Brexiteers, evil queens, people from Cork, mammies who cant floss, and their grotty little offspring, all come in for a gentle ribbing (along with that bald man in the second row from the front). But, in keeping with the time-honoured tradition of anarchic comedy, its all done in the best possible taste.

The Gaietys Snow Queen opens with a show-stopping number through which the players outline their manifesto for a fun-filled two-hour, live action, barely affordable show. Here, they tell us, is a spectacular spectacular worth powering down your phone for. And the message couldnt be more prescient.

Theres a massive energy in the Gaietys ensemble cast, which features veteran panto dame Joe Conlon as Granny Hurdy Gurdy, and Ciara Lyons returning as leading lady Rosie. An expert, multi-jobbing chorus (complete with a sprinkling of embarrassingly talented Billy Barry kids) make the magic happen as Louise Bowden tantalises in the role of the eponymous Snow Queen.

Expand Close The Snow Queen with Louise Bowden as the Snow Queen, Nicholas Grennell as Jack Frost and once again Joe Conlan as the Panto Dame. PIC: Arthur Carron / Facebook

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Whatsapp The Snow Queen with Louise Bowden as the Snow Queen, Nicholas Grennell as Jack Frost and once again Joe Conlan as the Panto Dame. PIC: Arthur Carron

On opening night, this musical mashup of the Greatest Showman and Disneys Frozen had everyone singing on their feet as the snow came down in big soapy bubbles all around.

There is a flavour of feminist retelling in this, the loosest of loose interpretations of a fairy-tale classic. Independent woman Rosie (Lyons) sets out to save her bestie Robin from the clutches of the evil queen  but not before shes told him to get with the programme. At this rate, Robin might well be better off captive in the Snow Queens frozen palace, his heart turning slowly to ice.

With the plotline skating on extremely thin ice, writer, director and choreographer Daryn Crosbie plays strongly to the Gaiety pantos musical strengths. Madcap adventure unfurls through toe-tapping interludes with Grab-Bags - an archetypal Dublin hunzo with her bling-tastic girl squad, and the comedic timing of a pair of angry birds from the Real Capital who delight in crowing about Cork.

Back at the palace, Robin has been set the impossible task of mastering every Fortnite dance before the end of the panto, or he will succumb to the Snow Queens power forever. The intergenerational dance-off that ensues brings a welcome dollop of nostalgia for the adults struggling to understand the appeal of Baby Shark, while an ice-skating Granny Hurdy-Gurdy slices through the controversy to make Baby its Cold Outside all her own.

Sound like you just might allow yourself to enjoy it? Yes, me too.

The Snow Queen runs at the Gaiety until January 20

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Former Deputy Chairman of Kenmare Resources, Donal Kinsella arriving at Court for his High Court action. Pic: Collins Courts

A company is appealing a record 10m libel award to its former deputy chairman who sleep-walked naked to the bedroom of a colleague.

Counsel for Kenmare Resources told the Court of Appeal that it was obscene to say a defamation of this nature was worth over 20 times an injury that would cause someone to be a quadriplegic for the rest of their life.

The finding of defamation of Donal Kinsella, and particularly the size of the award, has done a great injustice to the company, Paul Gallagher SC, for Kenmare, said.

The 10m libel award is the highest in the history of the State and Mr Gallagher said he was unaware of any similar award in the UK or another European country.

The award was made in 2010 after a High Court jury found Mr Kinsella was defamed in a company press release issued on July 10, 2007, concerning an incident in Mozambique in May of that year.

Company figures were in the African country for a board meeting when Mr Kinsella sleep-walked naked to the bedroom of company secretary Deirdre Corcoran. The press release referred to an incident and said Mr Kinsella was asked to resign from the companys audit committee.

An investigation by an independent solicitor on behalf of the company found there was no conscious attempt on Mr Kinsellas part to enter Ms Corcorans room and no improper motive in opening her door. Mr Kinsella was prone to sleep-walking.

Mr Kinsella sued the company and its chairman Charles Carvill.

In its verdict, the jury found the press release wrongly meant Mr Kinsella had made inappropriate advances to Ms Corcoran.

Kenmare Resources has appealed both that finding and the level of the award, comprising 9m in compensatory damages and 1m aggravated damages.

A sum of 500,000 has been paid to Mr Kinsella, plus 200,000 in costs, but a stay applies on the remainder pending the appeal outcome.

Mr Kinsella, now aged in his mid-70s, was in court accompanied by family members.

In opposing the appeal, Eoin McCullough SC, for Mr Kinsella, said the trial judge had made perfectly adequate directions on the crucial issues in the case. He said, as a result of the press release, damaging stories about Mr Kinsella were circulated across the world.

Declan Doyle SC, also for Mr Kinsella, said this was a very serious defamation involving a very serious allegation of improper sexual advances to a junior employee.

When Ms Justice Irvine asked was Ms Corcoran not a company secretary, Mr Doyle agreed she was but said she was a person with less clout than Mr Kinsella.

The press release resulted in Mr Kinsella being made an international laughing stock, he said.

While accepting the 10m award was extraordinarily high, that must be seen in the context of Mr Kinsellas reputation in Irish business and society, and the impact of the matter on him, he said.

In reply, Mr Gallagher said Mr Kinsella was not that well known in business circles and there was no evidence before the jury as to the effect on his business.

Judgment in the case was reserved.
A father-of-three who helped a "sinister and ruthless" criminal organisation carry out the "execution-style murder" of Noel 'Duck Egg' Kirwan has been jailed for 10 years by the Special Criminal Court.

Speaking outside court, Detective Superintendent Sean Campbell said the case showed how an ordinary man with no links to organised crime can be targeted by those involved in Dublin's "organised feud".

Mr Kirwan was "executed" in front of his family members in callous fashion.

Presiding judge Mr Justice Tony Hunt said the "most disturbing" aspect of the case was that Mr Kirwan had been shot sitting next to his partner Bernadette Roe and that either she had a "lucky escape" or the gunman was "highly efficient".

He also called it "disturbing" Mr Kirwan had apparently been shot for no reason other than pictures of him had appeared in the media in the company of a childhood friend.

The three-judge court previously heard that Mr Kirwan had absolutely no involvement in criminality and the only motive gardai could establish for his murder was because he had been photographed beside Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch.

Expand Close Grief: Noel Duck Egg Kirwan,s children Kristopher and Donna, leave court yesterday. Photo: Collins Courts / Facebook

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Jason Keating played a role of "real significance" in the murder as he was present at the scene of the shooting in Clondalkin; was in contact with the person who monitored movements recorded by a tracking device and provided this information via a phone to the assailant.

A 'Gotek7' tracking device was put under Mr Kirwan's car in the weeks leading up to his killing and this could be linked to Keating in the days preceding the murder.

Mr Kirwan (62), a "long-time" friend of Hutch, suffered eight gunshot wounds in total to his head, right arm, chest and abdomen.

His murder arose from a "notorious feud" between two criminal factions but the deceased had no connection with either side.

Expand Close Mr Kirwan (left) pictured with Gerry The Monk Hutch / Facebook

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Keating (27), of Lower Main Street, Rush, Co Dublin, admitted in October to participating in or contributing to activity intending to facilitate the commission by a criminal organisation or any of its members of a serious offence, namely the murder of Mr Kirwan at St Ronan's Drive, Clondalkin, Dublin 22, between December 20-22, 2016, both dates inclusive.

The offence is contrary to organised crime legislation brought in by Section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006 and has a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.

Keating was originally tried for the murder of Mr Kirwan but midway through his trial on October 18 he pleaded guilty to facilitating a criminal organisation in committing murder - and this plea was accepted by the DPP.

The court entered a nolle prosequi on the original charge of murder.

Keating was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment, backdated to May 2, 2017 when he went into custody.
Tina Cahill is expected to be deported to Ireland after serving five years of an eight-year sentence for stabbing her fiance to death in Sydney.

Cahill (27) previously pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of David Walsh (29), who she stabbed once in the neck in the early hours of February 18, 2017, at the home they shared in Padstow.

The court heard that Cathrina 'Tina' Cahill, originally from Wexford, was in a volatile relationship involving aggression on both sides.

She was originally charged with murder, but her manslaughter plea was based on substantial impairment due to an abnormality of the mind.

"I am satisfied the psychiatric evidence supports the existence of significant depression on the part of the offender at the time of the killing, which arose from the unusual and abusive relationship with Mr Walsh," Justice Peter Johnson said yesterday in the New South Wales Supreme Court.

He sentenced her to eight years in jail, with a non-parole period of five years.

Expand Close Stormy relationship: Cathrina Tina Cahill with fiance David Walsh, who she stabbed to death / Facebook

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Her earliest release date will be in February 2022, when she is expected to be deported to Ireland.

The fatal attack occurred when an intoxicated Mr Walsh launched an unprovoked attack on Mathew Hyde, who had been invited into the home by Cahill and two other female housemates after they met him in a pub.

Cahill, who had also been drinking, tried to stop the attack, before she took out a "large, very sharp" knife from the cutlery drawer and stabbed Mr Walsh.

Another housemate had repeatedly told her to put the knife back, but Cahill said: "No, he needs to be taught a lesson, it's not fair, look at poor Mathew."

At the time, she was on a good behaviour bond and the subject of an apprehended violence order issued to protect Mr Walsh, after she was convicted of recklessly wounding him with a glass candle-holder in 2015.

Cahill gave evidence about his repeated violence, including punching strangers and biting her all over her body, his accusations of her sleeping with other men and his deleting texts from her phone.

The judge accepted her account of Mr Walsh's controlling and demeaning conduct, observing their marriage was "doomed to fail".

Last month, Cahill told the judge that, despite the problems in the relationship, she did not leave Mr Walsh as she loved him dearly.

The court heard she had packed her bags many times, but Mr Walsh would tell her things would be different.

"He would be making me dinner, buying me flowers, buying me a teddy bear but after two to three weeks it would go back to the way it was," she said.

She agreed with Mr Justice Johnson that her evidence revealed a "pretty stormy relationship" and that Mr Walsh might be seen to be a "controlling and fairly unpleasant person". But she said she stayed with him because "I loved him very dearly".

"There is not a day that goes by when I don't think about David's family," she told her barrister James Trevallion when asked how she felt about what she had done to her fiance. "I loved him so much. He told me no matter what I did I would never get away from him and if I ever got with anybody else he would make my life hell."
A retired GP had to move to a nursing home after her carer stole the proceeds of the sale of her late husband's doctor surgery, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has heard.

Nermana Gojak (44) worked as carer and housekeeper for the 90-year-old woman for 10 years. She stole 41,380 over five years by making ATM withdraws, using the woman's laser card to buy items and getting cash back.

The victim had opened up a deposit account with the funds from the sale of her husband's GP surgery. Gojak regularly transferred funds from the account to the woman's current account to allow her easy access to the money.

Gojak, of Pineview Avenue, Aylesbury, Tallaght, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to the theft from Ulster Bank, Dundrum, between September 8, 2012, and August 8, 2017.

Judge Melanie Greally remanded Gojak on continuing bail and adjourned sentencing to March 19.

Dara Hayes BL, prosecuting, read the victim's impact statement where she described the crime as deceitful, cruel and callous.

"I embraced her like a daughter," she said while outlining she went to Gojak's children's plays, dancing competitions and "celebrated all their achievements".

The woman said she became fearful and worried about living in her home on her own and felt financially vulnerable. She said she has had to move into a nursing home.
When completing the CAO form, all applicants may apply for 10 Level 8 courses and 10 Level 7/6 courses. What's the difference?

All qualifications are organised on the National Framework of Qualifications. This framework allows for learning achievements to be measured and related to each other in a coherent way. The higher the level of qualification, the deeper the learning.

The Leaving Cert is a Level 5 qualification. It allows students to progress to higher education courses at levels 6, 7 or 8.

The framework can be thought of as a ladder, with all qualifications placed from lowest to highest. The system allows for students to move up the ladder at their own pace. For example, a person with a strong Leaving Cert may access a Level 8 programme directly, while a person with fewer points may decide to take a Level 6 course and work their way up the ladder until they achieve a Level 8, or even a Level 9 (master's) or Level 10 (PhD). Level 8 is also known as an honours degree.

This is what many people think of when they think of a traditional university degree. They are generally four years in duration, with some notable exceptions. Architecture, for example, is five years and many arts degrees are three years. Students mainly apply for these courses through the CAO, with some private colleges offering Level 8 courses both through the CAO system as well as direct entry.

School-leavers are required to meet the minimum entry requirements and essential subjects for these courses and then compete for a place based on CAO points. Minimum requirements for Level 8 courses are normally two H5 grades and four O6 grades (with the exception of Trinity College Dublin which requires three H5 and three O6/H7).

Level 7 degrees are known as ordinary degrees. They are generally three years in duration and students mainly apply for these courses through the CAO, while some private colleges also offer level 7 courses outside the CAO. Once again, Leaving Cert students are required to meet the minimum entry requirements, essential subjects and then compete for places on CAO points.

Many institutions require a student to achieve five O6/H7 grades for entry to Level 7, although there are some exceptions. Essential subject requirements are also lower than for Level 8 courses - for example, if a student wished to study engineering at Level 8 in DIT, he or she will require a H4 in maths while engineering courses at Level 7 in DIT require an O4/H7 in maths. Level 7 degrees are offered at universities, institutes of technology, and private colleges.

Level 6 courses are also available through the CAO. They are generally two years in duration and require five O6 grades for entry. These courses also have add-on years available which allow students to progress all the way to Level 8.

In order to identify if a Level 7 or Level 6 course offers an add-on year to achieve a Level 8, students can check their CAO handbook. The third column of the course listing pages is dedicated to this purpose.

Aoife Walsh is a guidance counsellor at Malahide Community School, Co Dublin.
In his 2015 book, Transition Year In Action, Professor Gerry Jeffers recalls when TY was being main-streamed in the 1990s, there was a view among teachers that it "will never catch on" because it was "far too idealistic".

Well it did, although not everywhere, yet.

A big attachment to Transition Year is one of the themes emerging from the current review of the senior cycle by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA).

Parents, students and teachers who were interviewed or surveyed cited many benefits of TY, such as personal development, a maturing of relationships between students and teachers and the opportunity to sample life in the workplace.

From an academic point of view, various research reports have shown students who do Transition Year engage better with their Leaving Cert studies, which tends to translate into higher CAO points, when compared with students who have not done it.

Despite a strong approval rating among those familiar with it, TY is still not available in all schools. Up to 10pc do not offer it and, where it is available - generally on an optional basis - some pupils prefer to progress straight to fifth year. TY is most likely to be compulsory in the fee-paying sector and least likely to be found in schools in urban communities suffering socio-economic disadvantage or small rural schools. It is another example of class divide in the education system.

Traditionally, many pupils in disadvantaged communities were keen to finish school as early as possible and get a job for reasons of economic necessity. With many families having no background in higher education, further study was not regarded as an option, but in a world where a post-school qualification is seen as essential, attitudes and ambitions have changed.

However, the level of resources needed to provide a meaningful programme is cited as a reason for lower-take up of TY in less well-off communities.

In Dublin, a cohort of schools not offering TY were often characterised as being "between the canals", a reference to communities in inner-city areas suffering socio-economic disadvantage.

That has been changing over the years but, nonetheless, a decision by three long-established and DEIS schools in Dublin's south inner-city to introduce TY represents a seismic shift.

CBS Westland Row, CBS Synge Street and CBS James' Street may be three small schools, but they contributed to an increase to 68pc of the proportion of third year pupils progressing to TY in 2017/18, up from 65pc in 2014/15.

The schools' adoption of TY in one fell swoop in 2016 was not a joint one, but it did reflect a general recognition that not offering it was no longer an option.

CBS Westland Row principal, Kate Byrne said the school had previously made TY available, but dropped it because of a lack of resources. Privately-sourced funding has allowed them to reinstate it.

Behind the move was the realisation that, without the extra year, some students were barely 17 when sitting the Leaving Cert, therefore not competing on a level playing field with a majority of school leavers, who are aged 18 or 19. Apart from the known benefits of TY for study habits and Leaving Cert results, Byrne also hailed the social skills developed during the year. The school was also cognisant of its city location and links with local businesses, and wanted to use TY to make even better use of those relationships.

She says her pupils "love it".

Byrne estimates that TY costs about 10,000 a year, over and above grants paid by the Department of Education.

The private funding means her pupils do not have to pay up to 500 to 600 for the programme charged elsewhere and the school can support typical TY trips, such as to Carlingford Adventure Centre.

Otherwise, "most of these children wouldn't have had opportunities to do a lot of the activities that maybe a lot of middle-class kids would have", she says.

Unlike Westland Row, CBS James' Street does not have the benefit of a significant private donation to support TY, "so the first thing we do is try to organise things that are not going to cost the students money", says principal, Paul MacEntee

They do get sponsorship and support from individual companies and organisations, including Inland Fisheries Ireland, which allows for fishing lessons and trips.

TY pupils also do a day's work experience every week in caring environments, such as creches and nursing homes and this year, attention to the academic side of things includes conversational French.

The programme is going down well in the 147-pupil school and, according to the principal, "we haven't had a parent saying it is a waste of time".

CBS Synge Street, which has 42 nationalities represented among its 274 pupils, has the benefit of a bequest from a former pupil, Con Creedon, to support any student who goes on to third level. Last year 90 pupils were supported.

Principal Clare Catterson says when students start with the school "college is to the forefront and we tell them we are going to support them all the way".

But they were also facing a situation "where we had a lot of students doing the Leaving Cert at 16 and that is an exam aimed at 18 year olds".

Catterson felt it even more keenly because Synge Street is an all-boys school, and girls tend to achieve at higher levels than boys.

With all the talk about equality of access to education, it didn't make sense not to be giving their pupils every opportunity, she says.

"We really felt strongly about the extra year and the opportunity available to them in TY in terms of improving communications skills and honing the skills they develop in junior cycle.

"TY also helps them to explore Leaving Cert subjects and to make more informed choices."

Current TY pupils are being exposed to information about the wide range of careers that will be available to any of them in the new National Children's Hospital being built on their doorstep.
Montanas highest court has struck down a tuition tax-credit program which, as enacted by that states legislature, allowed tuition scholarships to benefit students at private religious schools as well as secular schools.

The program, which provides a tax credit of up to $150 per year to individuals and corporations that donate to tuition scholarship organizations, violates the state constitutions provision barring government aid to sectarian schools, the Montana Supreme Court ruled 5-2. The program could not be saved by a rule adopted by the state department of revenue that excluded private religious schools from participation, the court further held.

The state high court ruled that the Montana Constitution more broadly prohibits any state aid to sectarian schools and draws a more stringent line than that drawn by the U.S. Constitutions prohibition against government establishment of religion.

Therefore, the sole issue in this case is whether the Tax Credit Program runs afoul of Montanas specific sectarian education no-aid provision, Article X, Section 6, Justice Laurie McKinnon wrote for the majority on Dec. 12 in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue . The legislatures enactment of the Tax Credit Program is facially unconstitutional and violates Montanas constitutional guarantee to all Montanans that their government will not use state funds to aid religious schools.

Writing in a dissent joined by one other member of the court, Justice Beth Baker said the scholarship funds never truly become public funds because they are donated to private scholarship organizations, and thus the inclusion of religious schools as beneficiaries does not violate the state constitutional bar against indirect aid to religion.

A legal organization representing religious school families who would have benefited from the tax-credit program as enacted by the legislature vowed to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Not only is the court misinterpreting the Montana Constitution, but it is ignoring important provisions in the federal Constitution, Erica Smith, a lawyer with the Arlington, Va.-based Institute for Justice, said in a statement . The U.S. Supreme Court has been clear that the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prevents the government from discriminating against religious individuals in awarding public benefits. We plan to immediately appeal.

Those families, in their suit that challenged the revenue department rule that sought to save the tax-credit program by barring religious schools, allege that there was anti-Catholic sentiment behind the inclusion of the no-aid-to-sectarian-schools provision in Montanas 1889 Constitution. (The state in 1972 adopted a new constitution, which kept language barring direct and indirect aid to religious institutions.)

The U.S. Supreme Court has recently been skeptical of state programs that exclude religious institutions from general aid programs, but it has left open the question of how it would analyze such aid to religious schools.
FIANNA Fail has accused Tanaiste Simon Coveney of offering a "pathetic" response to questions raised about the government's contingency planning for Brexit.

The party's deputy leader Dara Calleary claimed answers to his queries in the Dail were "Andrex Puppy" responses, describing them as "soft and fluffy".

Mr Coveney said he was surprised at Mr Calleary's remarks telling the Opposition politician it "shows you don't know what you're talking about".

Fianna Fail has been putting pressure on the government to publish details of the government's plans for a no-deal Brexit.

Mr Calleary accused the government of delaying the publication of it's no-deal planning.

He asked when the government here will publish its plans "so that all of our citizens can buy into those plans, can understand the consequences of a no-deal Brexit in their daily lives".

Mr Calleary also asked if the government is concerned that delay releasing the plans would undermine their effectiveness "in preparing the country for or more importantly the people for what my lie ahead".

Mr Coveney insisted that there has been "a huge amount of work in preparation for all contingencies."

He also pointed to sectoral seminars being held by the European Commission including some on aviation and other forms of transport post-Brexit, Irish specific issues, and matters relating to tariffs and industrial goods including pharmaceuticals.

He said he wanted to reassure the public that this is part of the process of preparation, as well as domestic plans that are in place.

Mr Calleary heavily criticised Mr Coveney's answer an asked when the government will "wake up" and start engaging with the public on contingency planning.

He asked about the situation for planes flying across British airspace if there's a hard Brexit.

And he argued that sectoral seminars in Europe are not a lot of comfort.

Mr Coveney said the government has provided details of domestic preparations including the need for infrastructure in ports and airports.

He said that he himself has spoken to many people at the government's Getting Ireland Brexit Ready 'Brexpro' roadshow and added: "we didn't see many Fianna Fail people there".

Mr Coveney said that the government will be publishing a document on Brexit contingency planning next week.

A spokesman for Mr Coveney claimed that the "righteous indignation from Fianna Fail would have had more meaning to it if they knew what they were talking about."

He said that contingency plans to ensure airlines continue to fly in a no-deal scenario were published a month ago and are an example of Mr Coveney's point about the collective strength of the EU.

Earlier Mr Coveney referred to the ongoing European Council summit in Brussels.

He told the Dail there is a genuine effort by the EU to respond to the request of British Prime Minister Theresa May for more reassurance on the so-called backstop to avod a hard border in the event of a failure to reach a free trade deal with the UK in the future.

Mr Coveney said EU leaders are looking seriously at how a political declaration can be put together that "is real, that provides reassurance for many in Westminster who need it that the backstop represents no threat to them, no threat to the United Kingdom."

He said the backstop is "instead actually is about providing reassurance on the island of Ireland consistent with the obligations of both the British and Irish governments in the context of protecting the Good Friday Agreement."

He said it's a reassurance that "under no circumstances in the future as a result of Brexit will there be border infrastructure reemerging between the two jurisdictions on this island".
Gardai have launched a murder probe after a 53 year old man was found beaten to death in Waterford.

The death of the man, who is from the Portlaw area, is now being treated as murder after it was confirmed he had suffered injuries consistent with him having sustained a serious assault.

A full post mortem examination will be conducted tomorrow but it is understood the man sustained severe head injuries consistent with having been beaten with an implement such as a hammer or heavy bar.

It is understood the man was lying unconscious with severe head injuries when emergency services attended a property at the Coolfin Meadows estate in Portlaw, some 20km from Waterford city.

Gardai and paramedics were called to the area shortly before 3pm after it was reported a man had been injured following a confrontation.

A man in his 20s, who was known to the deceased, was later arrested at the scene.

He was taken to Tramore Garda Station where he is being questioned under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.

The young man is from the Waterford area. He can be held for an initial period of 24 hours.

The injured man was rushed to University Hospital Waterford (UHW) in a critical condition.

However, despite desperate attempts to stabilise his condition, he was pronounced dead a short time later.

The scene remains cordoned off pending a full forensic examination by members of the Garda Technical Bureau.

Gardai have also commenced door-to-door inquiries to determine if anyone heard or saw anything suspicious in the hours before the man's death.

Locals expressed shock at the tragedy.

Local councillor John O'Leary told Independent.ie that it is 'a very sad day' for Waterford.

"I'm extremely upset and shocked by this latest tragedy to hit our community.

"Portlaw is a very quiet and respected locality and to find out that a man has died in this way is very tragic.

"Although I didn't know the man, my heart and prayers go out to his family and friends," he added.

The area involved is described as being extremely quiet.

Local sources indicated that the arrested man was known to the deceased though they are not related.
The HSE is getting a "steady return" of contracts from GPs applying to provide a medical abortion service from January, it was claimed yesterday.

A HSE spokeswoman said the "number is increasing on a daily basis".

It is still unclear how many GPs will be ready to deliver the service from the start of next month, but potentially several hundred may have signed up.

It means some women seeking an abortion will have to travel some distance within the country, but the service will be free.

The HSE spokeswoman said the HSE, in collaboration with the Department of Health, is implementing the work plan for the service.

More work was done yesterday by GP and obstetric bodies on the drawing up of draft clinical guidelines.

These are essential to provide direction to GPs and maternity hospitals on the safe steps needed in the care of the woman.

GPs who returned an expression of interest in delivering the service in recent weeks are being urged to send back a signed contract by tomorrow.

This would allow the HSE to send them an information pack as well as important details of where they would secure the medication needed for medical abortion.

It will be up to the GP to dispense the two medications to the patient.

However, it all depends on the legislation being passed in time before the Christmas recess and the debate resumes in the Seanad today.

Groups of doctors are now gathering at training meetings to learn about the safest way of providing a medical abortion.

There will be a group of GPs and obstetricians meeting tonight in Dublin to get tuition on medical abortion.

Several GPs who are pro-choice will hold off until they are satisfied all supports are guaranteed, including access to ultrasound.

It is still unclear how many maternity hospitals will be ready to participate from early January but Dr Rhona Mahony of the National Maternity Hospital said her hospital will provide terminations for fatal foetal abnormalities from January 1.

The correspondence from the HSE to GPs who have returned an expression of interest states that "if you could return your contractor details and acceptance form on or before Friday, December 14, it would be greatly appreciated".

The correspondence states that this will allow "the HSE to provide you with the stock order forms for this service so that you can order the medicines from your community pharmacy of choice in advance of the commencement of the service".

It adds that the "HSE will also be in a position to provide you with relevant literature and information material".

Updated 2017 abortion statistics for England and Wales from the UK's Department of Health show the number of terminations there for women who travelled from the Republic fell last year.

This is in contrast to UK abortion rates which are at their highest level since 2008, with a sharp 4pc rise on the previous year.

There were 3,092 abortions among women from the Republic in the UK last year, compared to more than 6,000 in the previous decade.

The Marie Stopes organisation said the adjusted figures show the numbers of abortions are at their highest since 2008. "This is at a time when thousands of women are struggling to access contraceptive and sexual health services," said its medical director, Imogen Stephens.
A French soldier stands guard near a closed wooden barrack shop at the traditional Christkindelsmaerik (Christ Child market) in front of the Cathedral the day after a shooting in Strasbourg, France, December 12, 2018. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has urged Irish people to "exercise caution" while visiting France this week, after a shooting at a Christmas market in Strasbourg left at least three people dead and 12 injured.

The warning comes as French authorities released a warning poster for visitors, describing the suspect as a "dangerous individual" who the public should not engage with.

Officials confirmed that the death toll rose to three today after a wounded victim died, the Paris Prosecutor's office said.

"The Embassy is monitoring the security incident in Strasbourg. Heightened security measures are in place in the area," the DFA said in a statement.

[CALL FOR WITNESSES] Help the French police to find the suspect of #StrasbourgAttack

From abroad 112 - https://t.co/K2nJHREiwZ pic.twitter.com/zKV7GC04zw  Police nationale (@PoliceNationale) December 12, 2018

"In 2015 and 2016, a number of terrorist incidents took place in Paris resulting in widespread casualties.

"Irish citizens in France are reminded to exercise a high degree of caution, to be vigilant in public places and to follow the instructions of local authorities at all times."

The DFA also encouraged Irish citizens to carry their passport with them at all times and to be wary of protests, with more than 50 people injured in anti-government protesters in Paris at the weekend.

"Protests continuing throughout France may lead to travel disruptions in some areas due to road and motorway blockages. Recent demonstrations have led to outbreaks of violence and damage to property.

Expand Close French police walk past flowers and candles that are placed in the Rue des Orfevres street in tribute to the victims of the deadly shooting as they patrol in Strasbourg, France, December 13, 2018. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler / Facebook

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Whatsapp French police walk past flowers and candles that are placed in the Rue des Orfevres street in tribute to the victims of the deadly shooting as they patrol in Strasbourg, France, December 13, 2018. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler

"We recommend you avoid any protests if possible, stay informed of what is happening around you by monitoring local media, and follow the advice of local authorities.

"Irish citizens in France are reminded that they should be in possession of a valid form of photographic identification such as a passport or passport card at all times."

Hundreds of security forces have combed eastern France for a 29-year-old man suspected of opening fire near Strasbourg's famous Christmas market.

Tuesday night's attack at the Christmas market in Strasbourg killed two people, left a third brain-dead and injured 12, and was a stark reminder to a nation wounded by previous assaults that terrorism remains a threat, even as anti-government protests roil the country.

Expand Close A woman cries as she stands in front flowers and candles at the Place Kleber in tribute to the victims of the deadly shooting in Strasbourg, France, December 13, 2018. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler / Facebook

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Whatsapp A woman cries as she stands in front flowers and candles at the Place Kleber in tribute to the victims of the deadly shooting in Strasbourg, France, December 13, 2018. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler

The suspect was named as Cherif Chekatt (29), of average build, 1.80m in height with a possible beard and a mark on his forehead.

Members of the public have continued to pay tribute and attend vigils for victims of the attack.

Local French police in have opened an information line at 0 811 000 667.
Gerry Adams has admitted Sinn Fein "called it wrong" and didn't engage its own supporters in the recent presidential election.

The party's candidate, Liadh Ni Riada, came a distant fourth to Michael D Higgins in a disastrous result for the party.

She picked up little more than 6.3pc of the vote - well below Sinn Fein's usual support, which hovered in the mid-teens in some polls in the months leading up to the vote.

Mr Adams insisted Ms Ni Riada was a "formidable candidate" but added: "We were never going to win. Michael D was too strong."

And he conceded: "We called it wrong in that we didn't engage our own people."

He argued some of Mr Higgins's supporters would vote for Sinn Fein in other types of election.

The former Sinn Fein leader's remarks came in an interview with RTE's Ryan Tubridy, who asked how Sinn Fein could have engaged its voters. Mr Adams replied: "I don't know, to tell you the truth."

He said he was "on the stump" in his Louth constituency but added: "We didn't get people engaged.

"They didn't see it as an election which deals with housing, would deal with homelessness, the health services, with any of those issues."

He predicted Sinn Fein's share of the vote will return.

On the day of the election count, Ms Ni Riada blamed the low-turnout and the "personality-based" nature of presidential elections for Sinn Fein's dismal result.

At the time, Mary Lou McDonald rejected suggestions the party's strategy had failed and criticised other parties for not fielding candidates.

She said: "We're about affording people democratic opportunities... So far from a failure this has been a good campaign for us, albeit with a disappointing outcome."
Result: Pro-choice voters celebrate the result of the referendum on abortion in Dublin last May. Photo: REUTERS

The bill to legalise abortion has cleared its final hurdle in the Houses of the Oireachtas and will now go to the President to be signed into law.

Following hours of heated debate in the Seanad - which reflected many of the hours of debate which preceded it - the legislation was passed.

The bill passed the final vote by 27 votes to 5.

There were 47 amendments tabled for the final report stage in the Seanad dealing with issues such as conscientious objection and parental consent which had been discussed at committee stage and in the Dail.

However, they were rejected by the minister and the bill signed into law by the president will not be substantially changed from the original bill published.

The law allows for abortion up to 12 weeks. After 12 weeks a termination may be sought where there is a risk to the life or health of a woman or in cases of fatal foetal abnormality.

The Bill will now be presented to the President for signature.

Health Minister Simon Harris welcomed the passage of the Bill as "a genuinely historic moment".

Mr Harris paid tribute to TDs, Senators and those who campaigned for the repeal of the Eighth Amendment.

"I want to thank the campaigners who fought for 35 years to change a nation, to change hearts and minds. I want to thank the minority who fought the battle in here when it was convenient for the majority to ignore," he said.

"But today, I think mostly of the thousands of women who were forced to make the journey to access care that should have been available in their own country."

Following the passage of the Bill Fine Gael Senator Catherine Noone, who chaired the Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment, said her work on the issue has been the privilege of her professional career and said her thoughts were with Savita Halappanavar.

Lamenting the passage of the Bill pro-life Senator Ronan Mullen said Ireland hasnt so much caught up with the rest of the world but lost its lead.

He said it was not the end of the pro-life movement but the beginning of a new phase in it.

"I already see the early light of the bright new law that is ahead," he said.
Pro-Brexit and anti-Brexit demonstrators shout at each other opposite the Houses of Parliament, in Westminster, central London. Photo: Reuters

A second Brexit referendum could lead to riots on the streets of Britain, a Fianna Fail TD has said.

Mayo TD Lisa Chambers also said the British parliament is currently not a nice work place due to tension and divisions caused by Brexit.

Speaking on Independent.ies Floating Voter podcast, Ms Chamber said: The possibility of a second referendum has increasedyou could see riots, you could see very angry crowds on both sides if that happened.

Ms Chamber insisted she was reluctant to dictate to British MPs but said she does believe a second vote on Brexit may be needed.

They did have a democratic referendum at the first outing and we have to acknowledge that but if parliament is deadlocked and there isnt a majority which appears to be the case you could see it put back to the people, she added.

Ms Chambers said even if the country voted to Leave for a second time it would allow the politicians get on with exiting the EU.

Meanwhile, Fine Gael Senator Neale Richmond also told the podcast Brexit was already impacting on the dairy industry.

Our level of cheddar cheese export has declined because we are getting the dairy sector to diversify into evaporated milk rather than cheddar cheese because they all go to the UK, Mr Richmond said.
Laura Brennan, 26-year-old patient advocate who restored public confidence in HPV vaccine was conferred with an honorary Degree of Doctor of Literature by University College Dublin. Pictured with her father Larry, mother Bernadette and brothers Kevin and Fergal. Picture: Iain White/Fennell Photography

Shes bright, bubbly, articulate, well-educated and successful  so by rights, the world should be her oyster.

But for 26-year-old Laura Brennan, the future she could have had is very different to her reality. Diagnosed in 2016 with cervical cancer, the Clare woman received treatment which seemed successful, only to be told a few short months later that her cancer returned and this time, it was a terminal. There was nothing more which could be done other than a course of treatment which would hopefully prolong her life.

However, despite this naturally devastating course of events, Laura, who has three older brothers, remains remarkably upbeat and calm. Her main objective, in the time she has left, is to enjoy life and continue to raise awareness about the importance of the HPV vaccine. Ms Brennan says she believes she would not have developed cervical cancer if she had been offered the vaccine as a teenager, and instead, would be on the cusp of a long life ahead.

It was her dedication to raising awareness and education about the 'urgent need to avail of this free vaccine' that she was given an honorary doctorate from University College Dublin.

Expand Close Laura Brennan, 26-year-old patient advocate who restored public confidence in HPV vaccine was conferred with an honorary Degree of Doctor of Literature by University College Dublin. Picture: Iain White/Fennell Photography / Facebook

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Whatsapp Laura Brennan, 26-year-old patient advocate who restored public confidence in HPV vaccine was conferred with an honorary Degree of Doctor of Literature by University College Dublin. Picture: Iain White/Fennell Photography

I feel Im totally undeserving of this award," she told Independent.ie Life. I am just telling it like it is because I really want people to know that if I had the HPV vaccine, doctors are 99.9% positive that I wouldnt have developed cancer. And if there had been herd immunity, it is likely that that I would have had 100% protection against it.

I have always been a good talker and as a child used to be put outside the classroom door for constantly nattering. And then I ended up working in sales, so I am a good communicator and I believe people need to know how important this is. I am the reality of an unvaccinated person and by ticking no for their daughter (or son when this is available for boys); my situation could be what they are signing up for. It is the safest and most tested vaccine ever and it is totally incredible that we can safely say there is a form of cancer which is preventable with a vaccine. I bet if there was a pill available to prevent breast cancer, people would be queuing up to get it in the morning.

While steadfastly reiterating the lack of vaccine as the reason her lifespan has been drastically reduced, Laura shows extraordinary grace and maturity as she doesnt allow herself to dwell on the bad hand she has been dealt, instead trying to focus on the positive aspects of her life.

After my first round of treatment I was absolutely delighted to be told that the cancer was gone, she says. It was the best news I ever had and my family was overjoyed.

But a few months later, I felt something was wrong, even though I had no symptoms, I just knew. So I told doctors that I had really bad back pain - I didnt, but I needed something to warrant a PET (positron emission tomography) scan which would be the most efficient way of picking up any problems.

I had just started a new job in Killarney but came to Limerick for the scan results and wasnt surprised to hear that the cancer had come back. The doctor was concerned about how I was taking the news but I just accepted it as I felt I had some control over how I would live my life for the time I had left  people are killed in car crashes all the time and have no opportunity to say goodbye or do the things they want to do, so at least this way, while its not what I expected from my life, I can make the most of the time I have left.

After being told that the disease is terminal, Laura, the youngest of the four siblings, underwent five months of very intense treatment, which although it wouldnt eradicate the cancerous cells, would hopefully contain them. At the moment she is on a course of immunotherapy and although is currently in hospital fighting an infection, hopes to be home for Christmas and get a holiday with the girls in beforehand.

I cant change the past or go to back to a point where I didnt have cancer, so I have to just enjoy each day and make plans for the time I have left, she says. I am on a slow acting drug which has only a 14% chance of working  and while I am hopeful it will do something I am also realistic and know that it may not have any affect.

So Im making sure to grab life with both hands while I still can  if I can get out of hospital in time, I plan to go to Fuerteventura for a few days with my friends and then go home for Christmas in Ennis with my parents and brothers. My family and friends have been absolutely amazing and are trying to be just as positive as I am  so we dont have a sad home where everyone is tiptoeing around afraid to say anything. I have told people that they can ask me anything they want and no topic is taboo so that makes things a lot easier all round.

Laura doesnt know how much time she has left, but knows there are aspects of her life she would have loved to experience, for example, being an auntie.

Expand Close Laura Brennan, 26-year-old patient advocate who restored public confidence in HPV vaccine was conferred with an honorary Degree of Doctor of Literature by University College Dublin. Pictured with her father Larry, mother Bernadette and brothers Kevin and Fergal. Picture: Iain White/Fennell Photography / Facebook

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Whatsapp Laura Brennan, 26-year-old patient advocate who restored public confidence in HPV vaccine was conferred with an honorary Degree of Doctor of Literature by University College Dublin. Pictured with her father Larry, mother Bernadette and brothers Kevin and Fergal. Picture: Iain White/Fennell Photography

I have had many highs in the past year or so  a lot more than lows, she says. I would say that despite the cancer, the last 12 months have been the best of my life; I was at the Toy Show in November, I went to a concert with my brother, to Copenhagen and the US to talk about my experiences - I have had so many great opportunities and made some fantastic friends.

Playing a small role in spreading the word about the importance of vaccination has been an amazing experience and to be honest, I havent had any tough times really  the only thing that really gets me is when I see someone younger than me dealing with cancer or any other illness  I find that very upsetting. And although it would have been nice to have some nieces or nephews to play with (Im still waiting), I have been really lucky as life has been so good to me.

Im going to enjoy the run up to the holidays and will rest as much as possible so I can hopefully get a night out in Coppers, hit a few Christmas markets and generally enjoy the festivities. I am particularly looking forward to spending time with my family as they have been amazing and I really dont know what I would have done without them.

ABOUT HPV

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is very common and most people have an HPV infection at some point in their lives. It is mainly harmless, but for some, it can cause cancer. E

Each year in Ireland around 420 people are diagnosed with a cancer caused by HPV.

The majority of these cases will be women getting cervical cancer, but the virus also causes cancers which affect men and women, such as mouth and throat and anorectal cancer.

Averil Power, Chief Executive of the Irish Cancer Society explains the importance of the HPV vaccine: These cancers could potentially be prevented through HPV vaccination which works best when given before infection with the virus, which is why it is recommended that girls and boys get the vaccine at a young age.

The Irish Cancer Society wants to see as many people as possible live cancer-free. Laura Brennan has been such an amazing advocate for the vaccine because she knows all too well the effects of HPV-caused cancers like cervical cancer. Thanks in large part to her campaigning efforts, vaccine uptake among girls rose from 51% to 65% in a single year. The Irish Cancer Society wants to help increase this uptake further, and alongside advocates like Laura and the HPV Vaccination Alliance, we encourage girls in their first year of secondary school to take advantage of the free national HPV vaccination programme available to them.

We also want to see as many boys as possible get the vaccine. Around 85 men in Ireland develop a HPV-caused cancer each year which could potentially be prevented by this simple and safe inoculation. Both the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health have promised that in 2019 boys will finally also be able to avail of the vaccine through the schools vaccination programme. The Irish Cancer Society will work hard to ensure that this happens and that any rollout of the vaccine to boys will be accompanied by a well-resourced national awareness campaign that allays any concerns parents have about it.

Parents can rest assured that the HPV vaccine is safe. Research by the World Health Organisation, European Medicines Agency, several country-level regulatory agencies and other independent reviews and expert analyses all show that the HPV vaccine is safe, effective and saves lives.

For more information visit www.cancer.ie/hpv and www.hpv.ie or call 1800 200 700
More than 100 documents have been published by the British government on how its citizens can prepare in the event of a crash-out, no-deal Brexit. It includes guidance on everything from the effect on flights and mobile phone-roaming to taking pets abroad and the impact of a no-deal scenario on the UK's space programmes.

We know the UK is stockpiling medicine, building up a minimum of six weeks' supply.

How? Because the British government has said so and published an update on it this month.

The British handling of Brexit has been shambolic. But it has made efforts to tell its citizens, in detail, what will happen in the event of the worst-case scenario.

It's a different story on this side of the Irish Sea. The Government has so far remained tight-lipped on the details its contingency planning for the no-deal Brexit scenario.

There have been vague statements on accelerating the hiring of more customs staff and additional infrastructure at ports and airports.

We're told government departments have been examining emergency legislation that may be needed. There are references to the preparations being made by the European Commission in areas like agriculture and fisheries.

There is the Getting Ireland Brexit Ready website which has advice for citizens and details of supports available to business.

And asked what preparations are being made for the possibility of a hard border with Northern Ireland, the Government insists there are none as all sides are working to prevent this happening.

Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin challenged Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in the Dail on the Government's less-than-forthcoming communications on no-deal planning. He claimed there was a tendency by the Government to be "coy and withhold information from the public" on the basis the truth would cause "undue panic".

Mr Varadkar brushed aside the remarks, saying that while there are "huge downsides" to Brexit, the economy is well-positioned to cope and will grow even if there is no deal.

Tanaiste Simon Coveney's spokesman argued Ireland and Britain can't be compared in terms of the level of information on no-deal planning that has been made public, because the UK is leaving the EU and Ireland will remain a full member with the "stability, continuity and security that brings".

He pointed to more than 70 European Commission notices on Brexit preparations that have been published.

But when can the Irish public expect to get more information on our own Government's planning for no deal? Again, that's vague. The answer from the Government is "in due course".

For now, we still know more about the UK's no-deal plans than our own.
How hard you push those you bargain with is central to the art of persuasion and negotiation. Twenty-five years ago this week one of the most important bargains in the history of this island was reached. The Downing Street Declaration cleared a pathway towards politics for those who had sought to get their way by violence and intimidation.

That declaration insisted that those who used violence would have to stop killing if they were to be included in the political process. But it did not demand that they surrender all their weapons in advance as a condition. Such a condition would have been just and fair - allowing killers to hold onto their guns gave them the power to threaten to walk away from the table if they didn't get what they want and go back to violence.

But neither the Irish nor British government put this demand on the table. They did not seek it because they knew the IRA and Sinn Fein would never accept those terms. At the very least, the provisional movement would have split. At worst, the violence could still be going on today.

Most of us are familiar with negotiating in much less dramatic contexts, whether it is haggling for a trinket in a foreign bazaar or buying a house. Experience tells us that if you insist on a price you know the other side will not accept the chances are that you will end up with no deal.

Thirteen months ago the Irish and EU side in the Brexit negotiations placed a new demand on the table. What has become known as the "backstop" was designed to ensure that the Border on this island would undergo absolutely no change under any circumstances in the future. This would involve, if the backstop as it now stands was ever used, Northern Ireland leaving the UK's single market and staying in the EU's single market.

Despite claims to the contrary, this has constitutional implications. The regulation and adjudication of markets are at the core of the infrastructure of state. It is for this reason that Ireland had a constitutional referendum to join the common market in the 1970s and another constitutional referendum to join the single market in the 1980s.

For Northern Ireland to exit the UK's single market would amount to a constitutional change. Among other things it would leave the citizens of Northern Ireland disenfranchised - they would be subject to laws made at the EU level but without a vote in European Parliament elections and without representation in other EU institutions.

Because of the constitutional implications for the UK, it was inevitable that there would be strong opposition from across the spectrum of British politics to the backstop. The scale of the opposition was to be seen this week when Theresa May U-turned spectacularly on putting the EU withdrawal deal to a vote in the House of Commons. And it was not just many Conservatives who oppose the backstop. The leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, said this week that if he were in charge "there certainly wouldn't be a 'backstop' from which you can't escape".

There was always a risk the backstop would bring about a no-deal Brexit. A no-deal outcome would be a disaster for Ireland on multiple levels. It would place Ireland in a position of policing the Republic's side of what will be an external frontier of the EU, or not policing it and ending up having French, Belgium and Dutch customs officials treating Ireland like a non-EU country.

A hard deal would also inflict maximum economic disruption to east-west trade. That includes the imports which keep production lines in Irish factories rolling.

It also includes the food on supermarket shelves. Ireland may be a net exporter of food, as the Taoiseach stressed on last Friday's 'The Late Late Show', but the headline figures mask a more vulnerable position.

Irish farmers specialise in beef and dairy. Exports of these products massively exceed imports. But the opposite is true for many important foodstuffs. Among these are cereals, such as flour, and vegetables, including potatoes (last year the value of potato imports was 20 times greater than exports, according to the CSO). Much of the food that is imported either originates in Britain or travels through it from the continent.

Shortages of some foods are a future risk. Some of these negative outcomes of the backstop have already materialised. Political unionism - both the anti-Brexit Ulster Unionist Party, as well as the DUP - is opposed to the backstop. Putting it on the table has increased suspicions among some unionists that the Irish Government is attempting to "annex" the North. A LucidTalk poll from earlier in the month showed 69pc of unionists opposed the backstop proposal.

The backstop has also increased hostility towards Ireland in Britain. In recent days resentment in Westminster has become more public. If the pro-Brexit wing of the Conservative Party ever takes power there will be people looking to settle scores with Ireland. And even though Theresa May survived her leadership challenge last evening, almost all current leadership candidates waiting in the wings are Brexiteers. One of them could well be in Downing Street before too long.

Those who came up with the backstop misread British politics and the British, placing a demand on the table that could end up bringing about that which it was designed to prevent.

If there has been light from the chaos of the past few days it came from lawyers in Luxembourg. Last Monday morning's confirmation by the EU's de facto supreme court that Britain can take back its notice to leave the bloc at any time before March 29, and do so without consulting other member countries, offers a possible route back to some sort of stability. Something resembling a consensus may emerge around exercising that option. Let's hope that happens because the alternatives are looking either unlikely or appalling.
With all eyes on London, Micheal Martin sidled up to Leo Varadkar in the Dail chamber with the latest breaking news.

This one hadn't made Twitter yet. He was going to extend the Confidence and Supply Arrangement for another year.

Around the same time a text message was sent out to Fianna Fail TDs inviting them to join the leader for an important announcement.

A few journalists were tipped off to watch the normally inoffensive and predictable pre-European Council statements.

On Tuesday, Mr Martin had complained that the 10-minute slot given to each of the party leaders for the debate wasn't enough, but nobody twigged the significance of his gripe.

The 'deal' was hammered out that night when the two leaders and their advisors met in secret. But in a clear sign that there is a still a vacuum of trust between the two, the Fianna Fail leader didn't outline his full plan.

It wasn't until both men were inside the sanctum of the Dail chamber yesterday afternoon that he gave the Taoiseach a "heads up" that a deal was definitely on.

The speed with which he made his move may have been influenced by the destructive forces at play in Westminster.

One source described the thinking as "calm now, country first and feck the rest".

When he took to his feet, Mr Martin spent a considerable time building up to his bold revelation.

He talked about the uncertainty, about the problems in housing and health, and about how his troops had ignored "many provocations" from Fine Gael in recent months.

"There has been no talk from us about oiling printers or careless talk about elections in the middle of sensitive negotiations," he said. "In normal times there would be no issue. An election now would be the right thing for our country."

But what is normal any more? Before dawn had even broken, Theresa May had cancelled a flight to Dublin in order to battle a no-confidence motion.

The British establishment is fighting itself on the beaches, on the international airwaves and in the corridors of power.

The odds of the UK crashing out of the EU are rising with every passing day.

Mr Martin summed it up nicely: "While Prime Minister May works to salvage the current deal she is confronted with a political class which has descended into open warfare between angry factions."

So he had to put "stability and the national interest" first and give Mr Varadkar another year in power.

The price of confidence and supply is what surprised everybody afterwards. Like sterling, the value of power has plummeted since 2016.

Last night, Mr Martin was repeatedly asked by journalists what he had secured in return for sacrificing an election.

Reporters were so unsure about the answer that they later had to confirm with Tanaiste Simon Coveney that the deal included no 'easy wins' or budgetary buy-offs for Fianna Fail.

One Fine Gael figure said they were stunned at the lack of demands, musing that Mr Martin will have some job explaining the 'free trade deal' to his backbenches.

But the Fianna Fail hierarchy see it differently. The proposal is that the next election will be in February or March 2020.

That is on the basis that Brexit drags on - but if it doesn't Mr Martin has left himself enough room to pivot.

The minority Government now exists purely because of Brexit.

If the Brexit clock is stopped or by some miracle the Withdrawal Agreement is passed, then the rules change.

Had Fianna Fail sought a list of commitments there would have been an obligation to see them through.

The dynamics of the next budget have changed too. Both sides went into last October's negotiations knowing that they couldn't go nuclear. The Brexit scenario, which was at a different stage of paralysis, meant they had to be sensible.

All sides hope that by next autumn things will have settled. "It'll be like the Battle of Clontarf," said a Fianna Fail source.

Mr Martin is correct in his assessment that the "only thing which is clear is that no one has the faintest idea what the course of Brexit will be".

But for the moment, he'll be watching nervously from the moral high ground.
Last Friday, federal prosecutors dropped two bombshells. First, the US attorney for the southern district of New York filed a sentencing memo regarding Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, stating as a fact the president himself had been involved with hush-money payments to two women with whom he'd allegedly had affairs. Second, special counsel Robert Mueller's office issued a document saying Mr Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, had lied to prosecutors even after agreeing to cooperate.

For those hoping to watch the administration fall, the documents added to the mounting pile of tantalising hints at that possibility. But it is still a very long way from these documents to the president's door, and the journey is likely to be perilous for all involved.

The danger to Mr Trump is obvious: that prosecutors will tie him to offences serious enough to warrant impeachment - and that the Democrats who take control of the House in January will quickly oblige. Even if Mr Trump manages to hold onto enough Republican votes in the Senate to avoid being removed from office, the process is likely to be humiliating.

Impeachment would also be dangerous for Senate Republicans. Majority leader Mitch McConnell is a wizard at using Senate procedure to protect his caucus from hard votes. But if the House impeaches the president, Mr McConnell can't simply refuse to hold a trial. Which means that if Mr Trump is impeached, each Republican senator would ultimately have to justify either voting to get rid of a president still popular with much of the Republican base, or endorsing whatever transgression had put him in the dock.

Some of these senators, such as Lindsey Graham, would be haunted by their comments advocating president Bill Clinton's impeachment two decades ago. Many others would be haunted by the nation's suburbs, where voters have been swinging more firmly toward Democrats with every obnoxious @realDonaldTrump tweet. They would probably react badly to any offence that plausibly spurred the president's impeachment. Few Republican senators would want to anger those voters by defending the president's behaviour. But they would be equally loath to infuriate Mr Trump's rural base by throwing the president to the wolves.

But the greatest danger may be the one facing Democrats: that the investigations end up with not quite enough evidence to justify impeachment - and the Democrats nonetheless go ahead and impeach Mr Trump anyway. If the Mueller investigation ends without a credible, direct link between the president and Russian interference in the 2016 election, the Democratic base would still clamour to impeach him over the campaign finance violations prosecutors have connected to the hush-money payments. If the activists clamour loudly enough, impeachment may well happen simply because no one in the Democratic caucus wants to be the one who breaks the bad news to them.

The result would be a replay of the Clinton impeachment, only with each team taking the other side of the field. Democrats would have their own Lindsey Graham problems, trying to explain why Mr Trump's behaviour is worse than a president having sex with a 22-year-old White House intern and then concealing the affair with a spot of perjury.

If the push for impeachment is about covering up sexual impropriety instead of Russia's election interference, it will probably backfire, just as the Clinton impeachment blew up for Republicans. And while #MeToo may have changed the calculus, there are still millions across the country who don't necessarily thrill to the call of identity politics or want a forensic investigation of the president's sexual history. If that's where all this ends up, Democrats are likely to regret it.

About the only thing certain right now is that the next year is going to be one of the uglier, angrier entries in the annals of American history.
For all the problems raining down on the head of Theresa May, she takes consolation in knowing her enemies look weaker still.

It will not be remembered as the finest hour for the Tories when, as their leader was struggling with the most important question the UK has faced since WWII, her confreres were conspiring to knife her in the back.

Even if she was only there because they were too divided to agree on a replacement, it ought never have come to this.

While it might be argued her failure to snuff out the mutineers once and for good made a challenge inevitable, it does not make it honourable.

The Brexiteers have led their country on a dismal journey beyond bewilderment.

Having traversed swamplands and fog through a People's Vote, "Norway Plus", "Canada Plus Plus Plus" or a WTO no-deal Brexit, they still find themselves knee-deep in the middle of nowhere.

Mrs May's errors were many, beginning with her catastrophic decision to call the election in 2017 after which she should have resigned; yet no one can question her honest commitment.

Beyond blind ambition and conceit it is hard to see any nobility in the motivations of those who sought to bring her down. Having promised people a Brexit they could never deliver, blithely and recklessly ignoring the intricacies of disentangling four decades of shared trade treaties, they peddled another fiction.

The pretence that a different leader would wrest a better bargain out of Brussels after the EU had ruled out a renegotiation proves them unworthy successors. A leadership election would not change the fundamentals of the negotiation or parliamentary arithmetic.

Self-interest rather than the national interest came to the fore.

A final vote on the deal, its ratification or a further referendum have to be considered.

Should they be faced with a no-deal, some Tory MPs may well look to a Labour government or a "government of national unity" to avert what they would regard as disaster.

All that can be said with certainty is Britain is divided as never before.

The possibility of a split within the Conservative Party can not be ruled out.

Hopefully, some clear thinking and direction can now afford some stability.

As the Bard said: "There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries."

Upon just such a tide we find ourselves. Safe harbours are scarce but agreement on the Confidence and Supply agreement is very welcome. As for Mrs May, if drama is just life with the dull bits cut out, Britain's prime minister must surely be longing for the interval.
Aoife O'Sullivan with her parents Michael and Liz as she is crowned Miss Ireland 2018. Picture: Brian McEvoy

Cork hurler Colm Spillane with Aoife O'Sullivan upon arrival at the PwC All Stars 2017 at the Convention Centre in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile

She has just touched down in Ireland after the Miss World pageant in China, so Cork beauty Aoife O'Sullivan is looking forward to some quality time with hurling star boyfriend Colm Spillane after four weeks apart.

Aoife (23) flew the flag for Ireland in Sanya while Colm was away for the Fenway Hurling Classic in Boston with Cork.

Planning a trip away in the New Year together is on the cards for the couple now they're back on Irish soil.

"He's back now too and we have an award ceremony to go to, it's all go," Aoife told the Diary. "Me and Colm are going away in the New Year - we haven't booked it yet, but it's his off-season so it suits. My mum is like, 'You're only back and you're off again!' But it wasn't a holiday.

"The resort we were in was amazing, but genuinely, there was a pool and the only time I was in it was for part of the competition, not one day did I lie beside the pool. There was no night off, no glass of wine.

Aoife said she quickly learned there was no such thing as wearing jeans and a nice top during the competition.

"People were getting up at 5am to get ready - it took me about 45 minutes to get ready," she said. "I wasn't like that but I learned a lot of tips and tricks from the girls - they were so glam and everyone was so nice, sharing and borrowing things."

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She couldn't speak highly enough of the competition, which was won by Miss Mexico at the weekend. She said it taught her so much about the customs of other countries.

"One girl was telling me how while her own family are progressive in her country, traditionally it would be expected that she kneel down and serve her dad his food," she said. "Some girls had huge campaigns with money pumped in, like a national sport, with spectacular clothes, but Miss World isn't judged on that.

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"The girl from Bangladesh didn't have a straightener or curler for her hair, but the organisers always were really nice and helpful. In some of the countries in Asia, girls had about 600,000 social media followers and were famous where they were from, whereas my roommate, Miss Iceland, told me she didn't really tell people at home she was Miss Iceland.

"They're quite feminist there and wouldn't believe in this kind of thing."

Aoife said the attitude in Ireland was mixed when she was crowned to represent the country.

"People asked would everyone have plastic surgery or will it be fake," she said. "My main aim when I was there was to show people what I did. It was really positive, the confidence you gain is amazing."
Kathleen Watkins and daughters are keeping a close eye on Gay Byrne to make sure he doesn't over do it. Picture: David Conachy

Like most grandparents, Gay Byrne and Kathleen Watkins are enjoying family life even more the second time around.

The legendary RTE broadcaster (84) has spoken at length about his wishes to have spent more time with his children growing up and less time at Montrose, but is cherishing every moment with his five grandchildren, while also expressing admiration at his children's devotion to their young family. "I cannot get over the amount of time my son-in-laws spend with their children between rugby and GAA and hurling and dancing and fiddle...and the closeness they have," he told VIP Magazine.

"Because when I was growing up, and I know it was another era, but to my father, I was kind of irrelevant. I was the youngest. He was in his 50s, he wasn't a tough man or a bad man, I just didn't register with him. And I never went anywhere with him. Children were intended to be seen and not heart, but now there's such closeness."

Gaybo and his wife of 54 years feature in the new edition of the magazine alongside three of their five grandchildren for a festive photoshoot at the InterContinental Hotel, and the former Late Late Show host offers insight into how children are treated today in comparison to his youth and therefore, how it informed his own parenting style. "I do [have regrets] because there are only brief snatches of them growing up that I do remember. But I'm in the same category as most men of my age," he said.

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He went on to praise Kathleen, a best-selling children's book author, for her support during his cancer treatment, describing her as a rock of strength within the family. "I am very lucky," he explained. "But my daughters and son-in-laws have been wonderful too. We are very lucky because many people have nobody around."

The last few years have been challenging in the Byrne household after Gay was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2016 and while he's grateful for the good health he had until then, he said he was ill prepared to be dropped into the deep end of a cancer battle.

"I had 83 years of robust good health. Maybe if I'd had poorer health I would have been better able to cope? Maybe I would have been more used to doctors and nurses and hospitals? I had no experience of that whatsoever, and suddenly you're plunged into it overnight. And I couldn't cope," he said.

"However, we must remember that there are age-related illnesses and we have lived a very long and very comfortable life."

This year, the family will be hosting Christmas at their home in Ballsbridge in south county Dublin.

Earlier this month, Byrne said RTE had asked him to return to the airwaves in January for his Lyric FM show, but the women in his life put their feet down and encouraging him to rest up at home.

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"She and my two daughters [Suzy and Crona] are in a gang-up. And not for the first time. Not for the first time, but anyway, they won't let me," he told the Sunday Independent.

"They just say I'm not up to it at the moment, and I suspect they may be partly right, but nonetheless I greatly regret that I can't do it. It was my little outlet, that's all. It was unimportant. It was only a Mickey Mouse radio programme on Sunday afternoon with a small listenership but it was an appreciative listenership. In fairness, it affects Kathleen as well, because it is her Sunday too."
Kate Moss attends the Rimmel London 180 Years Of Cool photocall at The Savoy Hotel on October 10, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Getty Images for Rimmel London)

For an item of clothing with the word skinny in its name, youd think skinny jeans would be a niche design.

While we have have long since rid ourselves of noughties trends like velour tracksuits and chunky blonde highlights, skinny jeans have, mysteriously, remained a wardrobe staple with nearly every woman of note and normality having at least one pair tucked away at home.

Ever since 2005, when Kate Moss championed this new style of denim - and Topshop launched the Baxter shape - did its popularity truly take hold on the high street market. In the first nine months, the Baxter sold 18,000 pairs per week, according to the Guardian.

Women have accepted the skinny as the only style available in order to look contemporary as anything other-than was deemed too matronly.

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Bootcut jeans? Youre too old! Mom jeans? Youre too old! Straight leg? You guessed it, too old again! Boyfriend jeans? Ah-hah, youre too young!

Skinnies had universal appeal: 65-year-old French first lady Brigitte Macron wears them, as does 26-year-old Miley Cyrus. Despite the pleas of fashion editors the world over in recent years, it seems that only now, as we approach the end of 2018 that skinnies might finally be on the way out.

Angie Smith, the woman behind Holly Willoughbys flawless style, said she would never put her - or any of her celebrity clients like Laura Whitmore, Angela Scanlon and Amanda Holden - in a pair, describing them as awful.

Who actually looked good in skinny jeans? 'They're awful. They are leggings essentially, and we all agreed leggings weren't okay ages ago, she told The Times. It was succinct, yet a thoroughly convincing argument.

Have you ever looked in the mirror and thought you couldnt wait to squeeze into a pair of jeans that highlights every bit of your body, accentuates your thighs, while simultaneously shortening your legs? I didnt think so.

I asked three Irish stylists and there was a universally resounding anti-skinny jean sentiment. Stylist and host of the Gilded Thread podcast Irene OBrien said its popularity mystifies her on a regular basis, but they are really built for women with long legs.

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I think there was such an incubation period with skinny jeans, when they first came out, we thought there was absolutely no chance, Ill never wear them, they dont flatter anyone - but now, there isnt one person, even the staunchest of protestors, who dont own a pair, she tells Independent.ie Style.

They are flattering on some people, but I think its less about curves vs skinny - long legged people have a real advantage there. If your legs are longer, it naturally gives you a nicer curve. I have a pair that look incredible and everyone compliments me when I wear them, but I genuinely have to commit to wearing them, psych myself up, take a deep breath and apologise to my legs for cutting off their circulation.

Irene says the moment she knew her marriage with skinnies had ended and that was the introduction of the dreaded jegging, which are essentially leggings in a denim pattern repackaged as a step up above the workout wear.

Similarly, Clementine MacNiece, a celebrity stylist who works on RTEs Dancing With The Stars, is focused on finding new styles for herself and clients. I think a lot of it comes down to the fact that women hate shopping for jeans. In order to find a good label or a good high street store that works for you, it takes some searching.

I recently shared a post on Instagram that I was on the search for a straight leg jeans and the reaction I got showed that a lot of people feel the same.

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Irenes main style inspiration roots back to the late 1960s and early 1970s, when tight flares and a ribbed polo neck were all you needed to look effortlessly chic.

More than any other type of jean, skinny jeans have a tendency to be widely unflattering, she explains. Theres just so much thigh on show and youre not getting away from it. Theres been so much progress and development in thes science of denim, but I find the stretch to be the biggest problem with skinny jeans.

Laura Mullett, a stylist who regularly appears on Virgin Media One, encourages women to experiment more with their wardrobes and not stick to a certain style simply out of habit.

Ive always been a lover of a high rise waist that emphasises your empire line. The elastene blend in a lot of high street denim is what gives the jeans grab in all the right places, she says.

Part of the issue is the fact the more popular a trend becomes, the more readily available it is and a general drop in quality is to be expected. During UGG boots' heyday in 2006, more and more knock-offs were bought and sullied the brand's overall reputation as a valuable purveyor of boots. And now, the same has happened with skinny jeans, which are available just about everywhere at varying levels of excellence.

Well-made denim remains well-made denim, no matter how it is cut at the ankle, but after years of forcing ourselves into trousers that are growing increasingly unflattering, I will be heeding the advice of the fash pack and set my sights further afield. And rather than being televised, this revolution will be documented via Instagram Stories.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex on stage during The Fashion Awards 2018 In Partnership With Swarovski at Royal Albert Hall on December 10, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Tristan Fewings/BFC/Getty Images)

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrive at the public walkabout at the Rotorua Government Gardens on October 31, 2018 in Rotorua, New Zealand

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and The Duchess of Sussex leave Windsor Castle in the Ascot Landau carriage during a procession after getting married at St Georges Chapel on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England. (Photo by Yui Mok - WPA/Getty Images)

On arrival in Ireland, Meghan paid tribute to our national colour in a forest green top and custom pencil skirt by Givenchy, styled with her favourite Aquazurra nude pumps and a cognac tote from the Edinburgh-based husband-and-wife team Strathberry. Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Rosamund Pike on stage during The Fashion Awards 2018 In Partnership With Swarovski at Royal Albert Hall on December 10, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Joe Maher/BFC/Getty Images)

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex on stage during The Fashion Awards 2018 In Partnership With Swarovski at Royal Albert Hall on December 10, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Joe Maher/BFC/Getty Images)

Awards rarely throw up any major surprises, but the Meghan Markles appearance on the stage of Londons Royal Albert Hall on Monday night to present Clare Waight Keller, author of her Givenchy wedding dress in May, with British Womenswear Designer of the Year, was a genuine marmalade-dropper.

As the duchess, in a black velvet one-shoulder floor-length Givenchy gown glided on to the stage, (seemingly pretty much in her element) she was greeted with rock star worthy applause and actual screams of excitement, upstaging all the preceding presenters, from Vivienne Westwood and Robert Pattison to Saoirse Ronan and Rosamund Pike.

At a fashion event where everyone affects to have been there and done that, the yelps of joy were astonishing in themselves. Its worth saying that the fashion industry has always had a slightly conflicted view of Kate Middleton who, despite not being particularly interested in high fashion, consistently tops the publics poll of best dressed women. Meghan, on the other hand, is so clearly eager to embrace  and be embraced by  high fashion, the industry almost universally loves her. The fact that she chose to attend the Fashion Awards  an evening that until 10 years ago was mainly graced by presenters from Hollyoaks and primarily funded by high street chains  will flatter the industry and help cement the awards as the major event in the global fashion calendar. Take that, Anna Wintour and your Met Ball, with its freakish dress codes.

The warmth in the hall partly explains why Meghan, with what looked like only a few token nerves, paused briefly, cradling her burgeoning bump with a pronounced two arm swaddle, to acknowledge the scale of the evening, or maybe for dramatic effect, before remarking how nice it was to see so many familiar faces. Many of you Ive known for a long while and a lot of you Ive been able to meet in the last year.

Expand Close Meghan, Duchess of Sussex on stage during The Fashion Awards 2018 In Partnership With Swarovski at Royal Albert Hall on December 10, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Tristan Fewings/BFC/Getty Images) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Meghan, Duchess of Sussex on stage during The Fashion Awards 2018 In Partnership With Swarovski at Royal Albert Hall on December 10, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Tristan Fewings/BFC/Getty Images)

What? Who has she been meeting? Apart from Clare Waight Keller, who revealed on stage that she had seen Meghan only last week (we can probably deduce the two have been planning more Givenchy outfits), has Meghan been interviewing the editors of Harpers Bazaar and Vogue before weighing up which cover shell eventually grace? Has she visited the studios of Mert and Marcus, the edgy duo who won the Isabella Blow Award for their groundbreaking fashion shoots? Debatable, but the subtext is: she is not intimidated by anyone, (even the most exacting, sneeriest fashionista), and fully intends to get her head around the complex codes of the fashion world and use them to maximum advantage on the world stage.

Its all in marked contrast to Kates more traditional sartorial habits. When I interviewed Kates mother, Carole, recently, she asked me whether I thought fashion was important; she clearly hadnt thought of the industry in terms of empowering or supporting women, as Meghan does. Shes far more concerned with finding a flattering outfit that wont cost an arm and a leg. I suspect both her daughters take a similar approach to getting dressed, although Kate has noticeably raised her game since Meghan joined The Firm.

Without wanting to fuel the debate about the state of two womens relationship, the Meghans relaxed, knowing vibe is from a different world than Kate, who has always distanced herself from anything that could come across as elitist (apart from the monarchy itself).

Its easy to see how the evident differences between the women provide royal observers with plenty of ammunition to stoke the feud narrative.

Expand Close In a lightning-fast change before heading to Trinity College, she swapped the cool minimalism for a smart black trouser suit by Givenchy. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images) / Facebook

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Whatsapp In a lightning-fast change before heading to Trinity College, she swapped the cool minimalism for a smart black trouser suit by Givenchy. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Much of this plays out in the arena of their wardrobes. Kate was propelled into the royal story as a biddable young undergraduate, anxious to play everything by the royal book, Meghan arrived with her own script. Ever since the latter revealed that Carolyn Bessette Kennedy was her everything style goals (she said this a while before she became engaged to Prince Harry but the quotes were inevitably freighted with much more significance as time went on), we knew that she planned to do royal dressing her way  with a strong international-fashion-glamour flavour.

What was interesting her speech at the awards  delivered without notes or autocue; the only presenter on stage to do so  was that while it was relatively brief, it referenced many of fashions current buzzwords and memes about social inclusion and empowerment.

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As all of you in this room know, said Meghan (note the flattery and tone of complicity), we have a deep connection to what we wear. Sometimes its very personal, sometimes its emotional but, for me, this connection is rooted in really being able to understand [that] its about supporting and empowering each other, especially as women.

Expand Close Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex exit St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle after their royal wedding ceremony, in Windsor, Britain, May 19, 2018. NEIL HALL/Pool via REUTERS / Facebook

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Whatsapp Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex exit St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle after their royal wedding ceremony, in Windsor, Britain, May 19, 2018. NEIL HALL/Pool via REUTERS

Her mere presence at a ceremony that unashamedly celebrates the high end creativity is notable. Ever since Princess Diana was branded a fashaholic back in the 80s and lambasted for overspending, British royals of every rank have been careful to display an appropriate level of frugality.

In marked contrast to her sister-in-law however, Meghan doesnt seem to have read the memo either. Or if she did, she promptly tore it up.

Since parachuting into the royal arena a year ago, she has identified fashions current preoccupations with diversity and kindness and meshed them with her own agenda of helping disadvantaged women across the world. I read an article recently, she said, that said the culture of fashion is shifting. It used to be cool to be cruel. Now its cool to be kind. To that point, I feel especially proud to announce tonights winner, who is a British designer leading on the global stage with vision and creativity, but also with incredible kindness, which is why, when I met her for the first time 11 months ago, I knew that wed be working very closely together.

She was talking about Clare Waight Keller  who does indeed seem to be kind as well as exceptionally self-effacing. And in making her patronage of Waight Keller (and by extension of Givenchy) about supporting a hard-working woman at the top of a tough industry, Meghan may just have outwitted critics who complain about the very high prices of those Givenchy clothes. Time will tell.
(L to R) Emily Blunt, Dawn O'Porter and Chris O'Dowd, and Meryl Streep at the Mary Poppins Returns world premiere in London

Movie premieres are always a particular anomaly.

In Ireland, the local bosses of production studios like Universal and Paramount throw regular screenings in Dublin, in which the guestlist is largely comprised of media types, save for, the rare occasion where bigwigs will be flown in to promote the film on a more local level. But Leicester Square in London is the home to the UK premiere scene and last night's showing of Mary Poppins Returns, a critically acclaimed adaptation to the 1964 Disney classic truly summed up the odd mixture that is the modern movie premiere guestlist - after all, when else would you see Meryl Streep at the same event as last year's I'm A Celebrity winner Georgia Toffolo?

Expand Close British-US actor Emily Blunt poses upon arrival to attend the European premiere of the film 'Mary Poppins Returns' at The Royal Albert Hall in London on December 12, 2018. (Photo by Niklas HALLEN / AFP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp British-US actor Emily Blunt poses upon arrival to attend the European premiere of the film 'Mary Poppins Returns' at The Royal Albert Hall in London on December 12, 2018. (Photo by Niklas HALLEN / AFP)

Last night's event saw Emily Blunt sashay down the blue carpet in a silk Schiaparelli Haute Couture gown, confirming her worthy status as a Vogue cover star, alongside co-stars Colin Firth and wife Livia Giuggioli, living Hollywood legend Meryl Streep in an Elie Saab combination and Hamilton superstar Lin-Manuel Miranda

On the other side of the coin, the big non-film related attraction was Kelly Brook and fiance Jeremy Parisi, alongside reality tv stalwarts like TOWIE's Lydia Bright and Made in Chelsea's Kimberley Garner. And there was even an Irish element! Roscommon native Chris O'Dowd, who has a cameo as a dog in the film, was joined by his wife of six years, broadcaster Dawn O'Porter.

It truly was an occasion that had it all.

For all the pictures from the premiere, check out our gallery below:

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Livia Giuggioli and Colin Firth attend the European Premiere of "Mary Poppins Returns" at Royal Albert Hall on December 12, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images) British-US actor Emily Blunt poses upon arrival to attend the European premiere of the film 'Mary Poppins Returns' at The Royal Albert Hall in London on December 12, 2018. (Photo by Niklas HALLEN / AFP) Emily Blunt attends the European Premiere of "Mary Poppins Returns" at Royal Albert Hall on December 12, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images) Damian Lewis attends the European Premiere of "Mary Poppins Returns" at Royal Albert Hall on December 12, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images) Georgia Toffolo attends the European Premiere of "Mary Poppins Returns" at Royal Albert Hall on December 12, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images) Clara Paget attends the European Premiere of "Mary Poppins Returns" at Royal Albert Hall on December 12, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images) Kimberley Garner attends the European Premiere of "Mary Poppins Returns" at Royal Albert Hall on December 12, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images) Emily Blunt attends the "Mary Poppins Returns" European Premiere at the Royal Albert Hall on December 12, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images for Disney) Dawn O'Porter and Chris O'Dowd attend the "Mary Poppins Returns" European Premiere after party at the Victoria and Albert Museum on December 12, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images for Disney) Emily Blunt attends the "Mary Poppins Returns" European Premiere at the Royal Albert Hall on December 12, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images for Disney) Dawn O'Porter and Chris O'Dowd attend the "Mary Poppins Returns" European Premiere after party at the Victoria and Albert Museum on December 12, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images for Disney) Dawn O'Porter and Chris O'Dowd attend the "Mary Poppins Returns" European Premiere after party at the Victoria and Albert Museum on December 12, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images for Disney) Nathalie Emmanuel attends the "Mary Poppins Returns" European Premiere after party at the Victoria and Albert Museum on December 12, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images for Disney) Lin-Manuel Miranda attends the "Mary Poppins Returns" European Premiere after party at the Victoria and Albert Museum on December 12, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images for Disney) Livia Giuggioli and Colin Firth attend the "Mary Poppins Returns" European Premiere at the Royal Albert Hall on December 12, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images for Disney) British-US actor Emily Blunt poses upon arrival to attend the European premiere of the film 'Mary Poppins Returns' at The Royal Albert Hall in London on December 12, 2018. (Photo by Niklas HALLEN / AFP) British-US actor Emily Blunt poses upon arrival to attend the European premiere of the film 'Mary Poppins Returns' at The Royal Albert Hall in London on December 12, 2018. (Photo by Niklas HALLEN / AFP) British actor Colin Firth (R) and his wife Livia pose upon arrival to attend the European premiere of the film 'Mary Poppins Returns' at The Royal Albert Hall in London on December 12, 2018. (Photo by Niklas HALLEN / AFP) British actor Colin Firth (R) and his wife Livia pose upon arrival to attend the European premiere of the film 'Mary Poppins Returns' at The Royal Albert Hall in London on December 12, 2018. (Photo by Niklas HALLEN / AFP) British-US actor Emily Blunt poses upon arrival to attend the European premiere of the film 'Mary Poppins Returns' at The Royal Albert Hall in London on December 12, 2018. (Photo by Niklas HALLEN / AFP) British actor Emily Mortimer poses upon arrival to attend the European premiere of the film 'Mary Poppins Returns' at The Royal Albert Hall in London on December 12, 2018. (Photo by Niklas HALLEN / AFP) Kelly Brook (R) and Jeremy Parisi (L) pose upon arrival to attend the European premiere of the film 'Mary Poppins Returns' at The Royal Albert Hall in London on December 12, 2018. (Photo by Niklas HALLEN / AFP) British model Kelly Brook poses upon arrival to attend the European premiere of the film 'Mary Poppins Returns' at The Royal Albert Hall in London on December 12, 2018. (Photo by Niklas HALLEN / AFP) Irish actor Chris O'Dowd poses upon arrival to attend the European premiere of the film 'Mary Poppins Returns' at The Royal Albert Hall in London on December 12, 2018. (Photo by Niklas HALLEN / AFP) British actor Maisie Williams poses upon arrival to attend the European premiere of the film 'Mary Poppins Returns' at The Royal Albert Hall in London on December 12, 2018. (Photo by Niklas HALLEN / AFP) US actor Meryl Streep poses upon arrival to attend the European premiere of the film 'Mary Poppins Returns' at The Royal Albert Hall in London on December 12, 2018. (Photo by Niklas HALLEN / AFP) US actor Meryl Streep poses upon arrival to attend the European premiere of the film 'Mary Poppins Returns' at The Royal Albert Hall in London on December 12, 2018. (Photo by Niklas HALLEN / AFP) Emily Canham attending the Mary Poppins Returns European Premiere held at the Royal Albert Hall, London Amber Le Bon attending the Mary Poppins Returns European Premiere held at the Royal Albert Hall, London Sophie Hermann attending the Mary Poppins Returns European Premiere held at the Royal Albert Hall, London Lucy Fallon attending the Mary Poppins Returns European Premiere held at the Royal Albert Hall, London / Facebook

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Whatsapp Livia Giuggioli and Colin Firth attend the European Premiere of "Mary Poppins Returns" at Royal Albert Hall on December 12, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
The storm that battered parts of the country last night is expected to continue, with heavy rainfall and gusts of up to 100kmh.

Met Eireann's status yellow wind warning will be in place until 2pm today in Wexford, Cork, Kerry and Waterford.

A second rainfall warning, issued yesterday morning for Cork, Kerry and Waterford will also last until 6pm this evening.

The national meteorological service warned of spot flooding as 25mm to 50mm of rain is expected to fall while the warnings are in place.

South-easterly winds are also expected to reach mean speeds between 50-65kmh at times, with gusts between 90-100kmh.

Met Eireann forecaster Matthew Martin told the Irish Independent that along with the persistent rain and strong winds, temperatures are set to drop to 4C.

"The rain will begin to fizzle out as the day progresses, but it will still remain cloudy and damp in most parts of the country," he said.

"Some eastern and northern eastern areas might become dry in the afternoon, but it will get a bit chillier, with cold air moving in from Britain and the continent.

"After some dry weather on Friday morning, we'll see another frontal band of rain accompanied by strong winds in the afternoon.

"Saturday will remain unsettled, with further spells of wet and windy weather coming in from the Atlantic," Mr Martin said.

The forecaster added that the rain will then begin to turn heavy over the south and east, with an ongoing risk of spot flooding.

However, it will be milder than previous days, with top temperatures of 8C to 11C.

Sunday will be a cooler day, with sunny spells and scattered heavy showers along with a chance of hail and thunder.
Armed police staged an operation in the Neudorf district of Strasbourg (Jean-Francois Badias/AP)

Armed police have launched a security operation in Strasbourg as they hunt for a gunman suspected of attacking a Christmas market.

The attack left three people dead and wounded 13 others, including five who are in a serious condition.

More than 700 officers are involved in the manhunt for 29-year-old Cherif Chekatt and prosecutors have opened a terror investigation into Tuesdays attack.

Expand Close Cherif Chekatt, the suspect in the shooting in Strasbourg, France (French Police via AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Cherif Chekatt, the suspect in the shooting in Strasbourg, France (French Police via AP)

A police operation took place in the Strasbourg neighbourhood where Chekatt was last seen.

A French police official said security forces, including the elite Raid squad, took action based on a supposition only that Chekkat could be hiding in a nearby building but the operation ended without any news of his capture.

The official said the operation was sparked by reports of a person moving through gardens in the area, but nothing was found.

French interior minister Christophe Castaner, speaking at the Senate while the roughly two-hour operation was under way, said it was aimed at removing doubts but did not necessarily mean the suspect was in that area. He said several similar police operations have taken place since the attack.

However, the Paris prosecutors office said a fifth person had been arrested and placed in custody in connection with the investigation.

A spokesman said the man is a member of Chekatts entourage but not a family member and he was placed in custody on Thursday morning. The four others detained were Chekatts parents and two of his brothers.

Asked about instructions given to police forces searching for Chekatt, government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said the focus was on catching the suspect as soon as possible, no matter whether he was dead or alive, and put an end to the manhunt.

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Whatsapp French police forces take up position in the Neudorf district of Strasbourg (Jean-Francois Badias/AP)

Police have distributed a photo of Chekatt, who was wounded in an exchange of fire with security forces, with the warning: Individual dangerous, above all do not intervene.

Chekatt allegedly shouted God is great! in Arabic and sprayed gunfire from a security zone near the Christmas market.

The government raised the terror alert level nationwide and deployed 1,800 additional soldiers across France to help patrol streets and secure crowded events.

Mr Griveaux also called on the yellow vest protesters not to take to the streets, as some members of the movement have planned a fifth round of demonstrations on Saturday across France to demand tax relief.

Strasbourg was in mourning, with candles lit and flowers left at the site of the attack. The Christmas market was closed at least again on Thursday.

Expand Close People pay respect and light candles the night following the shooting in Strasbourg (Christophe Ena/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp People pay respect and light candles the night following the shooting in Strasbourg (Christophe Ena/AP)

On Wednesday evening, people prayed and sang in the nearby Protestant Church Saint-Pierre-le-Jeune.

Pastor Philippe Eber said this is a moment to think of those who died in this city because of violence. We also are thinking about all of those who weep for them, the families.

Strasbourg resident Tassia Konstantinidis said its important to have a period of mourning and to remember the victims.

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The dead included Thai tourist Anupong Suebsamarn, who was 45.

Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said one Italian was among the wounded, in critical condition. The Europhonica radio consortium said Antonio Megalizzi, 28, was in Strasbourg to follow the session of the European Parliament when he was shot.

French authorities said that the suspect, born in Strasbourg, had run-ins with police from the age of 10 and his first conviction was at 13.

Chekatt had been convicted 27 times, mostly in France but also in Switzerland and Germany, for crimes including armed robbery. He had been flagged for extremism and was on a watch list.
The Chinese executive accused of violating US sanctions against Iran has been granted bail while she awaits an extradition hearing to the US following her arrest in Canada.

Meng Wanzhou (46) is facing extradition after she was arrested at Vancouver Airport earlier this month.

Ms Meng, the chief financial officer of the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, has been accused of conspiracy to defraud banks after the company allegedly skirted sanctions on Iran.

Justice William Ehrcke, who presided over her three-day bail hearing in Vancouver, set her bail at C$10m (6.5m) and placed several other conditions including surrendering her passports and agreeing to remain in British Columbia.

She must reside in one of her two Vancouver properties between 11pm and 6am, pay for her own security, and will be tracked electronically via an ankle bracket, said the judge.

Huawei said: "We have every confidence in the Canadian and US legal system will reach a just conclusion."

Ms Meng will return to court in Vancouver on February 6 for further proceedings.

"The risk of her non-attendance in court [for a future extradition hearing] can be reduced to an acceptable level by imposing the bail conditions proposed by her council," the judge said.

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would intervene in the Justice Department's case against Ms Meng if it served national security interests or helped seal a trade deal with China.

"Whatever's good for this country, I would do," said Mr Trump. ( Daily Telegraph London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
China has confirmed it has detained two Canadian men, saying they were detained on suspicion of endangering national security.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said entrepreneur Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig were taken into custody on Monday.

Mr Lu said Canada has been informed of the detentions, but declined to say whether the men have been provided with lawyers. He said they are being handled separately.

The two cases ratchet up pressure on Canada, which is holding an executive of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei wanted by the US.

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China has demanded the immediate release of Meng Wanzhou, Huaweis chief financial officer and the daughter of its founder.

Asked if detentions were related to Mengs arrest, Mr Lu said they were being handled according to Chinese law.

The detentions raise the stakes in a three-way international dispute also involving Canada and the US.

Mr Lu said Canada was informed about the detentions, and added that the cases are being handled by local bureaus of the national intelligence agency in Beijing, where Mr Kovrig was picked up, and the north-eastern city of Dandong, where Mr Spavor had been living.

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The legal rights of the two Canadians are being safeguarded, Mr Lu said.

Meng was arrested in Vancouver on December 1 but released on bail. The US has requested her extradition to face charges of bank fraud.

Canadian officials have not been able to contact Mr Spavor since he let us know he was being questioned by Chinese authorities, Canadian global affairs spokesman Guillaume Berube said on Wednesday.

Mr Kovrig is an analyst on north-east Asia for the International Crisis Group think tank, who took a leave of absence from the Canadian government and is based in Hong Kong.

Mr Spavor runs tours of North Korea along with sports, business and other exchanges through his company, Paektu Cultural Exchange.

Expand Close Michael Spavor with former NBA star Dennis Rodman, heading for a flight to North Korea (Ng Han Guan/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Michael Spavor with former NBA star Dennis Rodman, heading for a flight to North Korea (Ng Han Guan/AP)

He has ties to figures in the Norths government, including leader Kim Jong Un and was instrumental in bringing NBA player Dennis Rodman to the Norths capital Pyongyang in 2013.

Acquaintances said he was due in Seoul, the South Korean capital, on Monday but never showed up.

The root of the dispute appears to be Canadas arrest of Meng while she was changing planes at Vancouver airport. The US accuses Huawei of using a Hong Kong shell company to deceive banks and do business with Iran in violation of US sanctions.

China earlier warned of dire consequences if Meng was not released and the editor in chief of the Global Times, a Communist Party-run tabloid known for its provocative views, warned in a video on Wednesday night of retaliatory measures if Canada does not free Meng.
Pope Francis been dismissed Australian Cardinal George Pell and Chilean Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz from his inner circle.

Two leading cardinals allegedly linked to sexual abuse have been dismissed from Pope Francis's inner circle.

Australian Cardinal George Pell and Chilean Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz have been removed from the so-called C9 Council of Cardinals, an advisory body set up by Francis.

Cardinal Pell, appointed head of the Vatican's economic secretariat by the pontiff in 2014, has taken a leave of absence to fight allegations of historic sexual misconduct in Australia.

He is still officially in charge of Vatican finances, considered one of the most powerful in the Catholic hierarchy.

Cardinal Errazuriz Ossa has been accused of covering up allegations against abusive priests in Chile.

Retired

Congolese Laurent Monsengwo (79), who retired as archbishop of Kinshasa in November, is also leaving the advisory council.

Vatican spokesman Greg Burke announced the departures, saying Pope Francis had written to them individually in October, "thanking them for the work they have done for the past five years".

Mr Burke said the Pope had reflected on "the work, structure and composition" of the council.

Cardinal Errazuriz, long considered a close papal ally, was archbishop of Santiago from 1998-2010.

He has come under fire amid claims he hid the crimes of Chile's allegedly abusive priests including Fernando Karadima, who has been accused of a string of child sex offences going back to 1984.

Cardinal Pell (77), former archbishop of Sydney, has consistently denied allegations of sexual abuse made against him.
Challenge: MPs applaud as Graham Brady (centre) announces that Theresa May survived an attempt to oust her. Photo: PA

Theresa May promised Conservative party MPs to secure more than just "a few warm words" on the Irish backstop as she pleaded for her job.

The British prime minister has survived to fight another day after telling her party that she would find a "legally binding solution" to ensure that the UK does not get permanently trapped in a backstop arrangement to keep the Irish Border open after Brexit.

But she sowed the seeds for her eventual departure by telling Tory MPs that she would not lead the party into the next general election, scheduled in 2022. Mrs May won a confidence vote of the 317 Conservative MPs by a margin of 200 to 117 in a secret ballot at Westminster.

The Irish government gave no response to the vote last night but were understood to privately pleased that she survived. Sources indicated that that they still see Mrs May as the most likely person to deliver some sort of Brexit deal which acknowledges the special situation in Northern Ireland. Her commitment to finding a legal way of ensuring the UK is not left in the backstop indefinitely has not caused alarm.

Sources noted that the Withdrawal Agreement was only ever designed to map the UK's route of the EU.

They said a comprehensive future trade agreement is what Ireland wants as a solution to the border question.

Read more: Embattled Theresa May vows to deliver on Brexit after surviving leadership challenge

Mr Varadkar discussed the situation with European Commission president Jean Claude Juncker by phone last night.

In a statement afterwards they reiterated the EU position that the deal on the table is a "balanced compromise" and "the best outcome available".

They also "agreed to work to provide reassurance to the UK" in a bid to help see the deal ratified in Westminster but ruled out re-opening the negotiations.

Mr May cancelled her planned trip to Dublin yesterday in order to fight back against the leadership heave. Instead she is likely to have talks with Mr Varadkar on the fringes of an EU Council meeting in Brussels today.

After the result of the confidence vote was announced, Mrs May said she would get on with her "renewed mission" of taking Britain out of the EU. "Following this ballot, we now have to get on with the job of delivering Brexit for the British people and building a better future for this country," she said.

Mrs May said she would seek legal and political assurances from EU leaders on the backstop arrangement over the border.

DUP leader Arlene Foster, who met Mrs May shortly before the ballot, insisted that "tinkering around the edges" of the agreement would not be enough to win her party's support for the deal. Mrs Foster, whose 10 MPs prop up the minority Conservative administration, said she told the PM that "we were not seeking assurances or promises, we wanted fundamental legal text changes".

Anger over the backstop among Tory backbenchers and their DUP allies was the main obstacle to Mrs May getting her Brexit deal through the Commons earlier this week.

Her decision to defer the vote sparked a new wave of letters of no confidence which pushed the total beyond the threshold of 48 needed to trigger a ballot. But she still faces the danger of a no-confidence motion in the House of Commons, which could bring her Government down if backed by more than half of all MPs.
Beating Brexiteers to assume the Conservative leadership in 2016

David Cameron resigned as British prime minister after his Remain side lost the Brexit referendum. Brexiteer Boris Johnson was tipped to succeed him but ultimately didn't run. Michael Gove, another Leave campaigner, made his own bid to be leader but was eliminated in the second round of voting. Fellow Brexiteer Andrea Leadsom - who was Mrs May's last remaining rival - withdrew to avoid a leadership contest that could destabilise Britain after the Brexit vote. Mrs May's victory may not have provided much stability in the years that followed, but that's how the reluctant Remainer gained power.

Her decision to hold an early general election

At the start of her tenure Mrs May enjoyed a majority - albeit a small one - in the House of Commons. In April 2017, she made the fateful decision to hold a snap election, arguing that Britain needed "strong and stable" government due to Brexit. Her party was ahead of Jeremy Corbyn's Labour in the polls and she claimed he'd lead a "coalition of chaos" if he won. However, the Conservatives had a poor campaign and Labour performed much better than expected. The June 2017 election saw Mrs May lose her Westminster majority.

The pact with the DUP

After the election result, the British media was forced to explain to the public there who Arlene Foster's DUP are. That's because the DUP's 10 MPs held the balance of power and Mrs May did a deal with them that allowed the Tories to stay in government.

Mrs May promised 1bn in extra spending for Northern Ireland in return for support in certain votes. The arrangement has been a thorn in Mrs May's side in recent weeks as the DUP opposes her Brexit deal.

Her disastrous party conference

Mrs May's first party conference speech after the 2017 election came amid rumblings of leadership challenges and was a disaster. Firstly a prankster interrupted Mrs May to hand her a P45 that he claimed Boris Johnson had asked him to give her. Mrs May also coughed her way through much of the address and was given a cough sweet at one point by Chancellor Philip Hammond. Finally letters from the slogan 'Building a Country that Works for Everyone' began falling off the wall behind her. In contrast, Mrs May danced on stage to the tune of Abba's 'Dancing Queen' at this year's conference. She was poking fun at her own awkward dance moves during a trip to Africa.

Cancelling this week's Brexit vote

After 18 months of tough UK-EU negotiations the Withdrawal Agreement was to go to a vote in the House of Commons on Tuesday. With large sections of the Tories, as well as Labour and the DUP, opposing the deal, it had little chance of passing. Senior ministers were insisting the vote would go ahead just hours before it was cancelled on Monday. Mrs May went on a tour of EU capitals in a bid to win concessions while at home members of her own party forced a no-confidence vote.
This undated handout photo provided by the French police, shows Cherif Chekatt, the suspect in the shooting in Strasbourg, France (French Police via AP)

Hundreds of security forces have combed eastern France for a 29-year-old man suspected of opening fire near Strasbourg's famous Christmas market.

Tuesday night's attack at the Christmas market in Strasbourg killed two people, left a third brain-dead and injured 12, and was a stark reminder to a nation wounded by previous assaults that terrorism remains a threat, even as anti-government protests roil the country.

National police distributed a photo of the wounded fugitive, identified as Cherif Chekatt, with the warning: "Individual dangerous, above all do not intervene."

France raised its three-stage threat index to the highest level and bolstered troops around France.

Expand Close A man lights a candle as he pays respects to the victims the night following an attack that killed three persons and wounding at least 13, in Strasbourg, eastern France (AP Photo/Jean Francois Badias) / Facebook

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Whatsapp A man lights a candle as he pays respects to the victims the night following an attack that killed three persons and wounding at least 13, in Strasbourg, eastern France (AP Photo/Jean Francois Badias)

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner told politicians that the French native, born in Strasbourg, had run-ins with police starting at age 10 and his first conviction at age 13.

Chekatt had been convicted 27 times, mostly in France but also in Switzerland and Germany, for crimes including armed robbery. He had been flagged for extremism and was on a watch list, but the interior minister said "the signs were weak".

"It's a large zone and the search is difficult," senior Interior Ministry official Laurent Nunez said on France-Inter radio.

Strasbourg is on the border with Germany, where the suspect was convicted in 2016 of breaking into a dental practice and a pharmacy in two towns.

Prosecutor Remy Heitz said the man attacked with a handgun and a knife about 8pm local time on Tuesday, and was shot in the arm during an exchange of fire with soldiers during his rampage.

He then took a taxi to another part of the city, boasting of the attack to the driver, and later exchanged more gunfire with police and disappeared, Mr Heitz said.

Witnesses described shots and screams after the gunman opened fire and yelled "God is great!" in Arabic, the prosecutor added. Swaths of the city were under lockdown for hours.

The dead included a Thai tourist, 45-year-old Anupong Suebsamarn, according to Thai Foreign Ministry and the website of the Khao Sod newspaper.

It quoted his uncle as saying he and his wife had originally planned to visit Paris, but the protests there prompted them to change plans and go to Strasbourg instead.

One Italian was reported to be among the wounded.

Italian media said Antonio Megalizzi, 28, was in critical condition. Italian daily La Repubblica reported he was in Strasbourg to follow the session of the European Parliament.

After initially reporting that three people had died, authorities revised that and said one was brain-dead, while 12 people were wounded, six of them gravely.

About 720 police, soldiers and Swat team officers in Strasbourg were being reinforced with 500 more soldiers and another 1,300 in the coming days to guard public places, especially other Christmas markets, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said after a crisis meeting.

The attack in the heart of old Strasbourg, near its famous cathedral and within the Christmas market that draws many tourists, unsettled the border city that also is home to the European Parliament.

The German government said it had stepped up controls on the border with France but did not change its threat level.

"All terrorist attacks touch all of France, and it's plain to see each of the attacks have hit a highly symbolic point or moment," Mr Philippe told parliament.

He listed violence since 2015 that killed more than 200: at the Charlie Hebdo satiric newspaper, a Kosher store, restaurants, bars and a concert hall in Paris; along the famed seaside promenade in Nice; and even inside a church in a quiet suburb of the northern city of Rouen, among others.

Strasbourg's Christmas market "is a family and brotherly celebration that speaks about hope and what unites us. It's this celebration that was hit yesterday by a terrorist act," he said.

The city was in mourning, with candles lit at the site of the attack, and the Christmas market was closed at least through Thursday, according to regional prefect Jean-Luc Marx.

The attack came as President Emmanuel Macron sought to take back control of the nation after a month of anti-government protests that have spread violence across the country.

It came only 24 hours after he broke a long public silence and appealed for calm amid the mushrooming "yellow vest" protest movement that seeks a better standard of living for ordinary citizens.

He offered a package of measures, but it was not clear if that would halt the weekend protests.

"The terrorist threat is still at the core of our nation's life," government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux quoted Mr Macron as saying at the weekly Cabinet meeting.

Interior Ministry official Mr Nunez said Chekatt had been radicalised in prison and had been monitored by French intelligence services since his release in late 2015, because of his suspected religious extremism.

Mr Nunez told France-Inter that police went to his apartment in an outer neighbourhood of Strasbourg on Tuesday morning. Authorities said he was not there, although five other people were detained.

Police seized a grenade, a rifle and knives in the operation, Mr Heitz said.
The aftermath of the train crash (DHA via AP)

A high-speed train has hit a railway engine and crashed into a pedestrian overpass at a station in the Turkish capital of Ankara, killing seven people, officials and news reports said.

The train was en route from Ankara to the central Turkish city of Konya.

Ankara governor Vasip Sahin said the high-speed train crashed into an engine that was checking the tracks at Marsandiz station in Ankara.

Rescue teams sent to the scene were looking for more survivors, he said. At least 46 people have been injured.

Our hope is that there are no other victims, he said.

Expand Close Rescue services work at the scene (Burhan Ozbilici/AP) / Facebook

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Private NTV television said at least two carraiges derailed. Parts of the overpass collapsed on to the train.

Several ambulances and rescue teams were sent to the scene.

It was not immediately clear if a signalling problem caused the crash. Mr Sahin said a technical inspection has begun while NTV television, quoting unnamed officials, said three prosecutors were assigned to investigate.

In July, 10 people were killed and more than 70 injured when most of a passenger train derailed in north-western Turkey, after torrential rain caused part of the tracks to collapse.

Last month, 15 people were injured when a passenger train collided with a freight train in the central province of Sivas.

Konya, about 160 miles south of Ankara, is home to the tomb of the Sufi mystic and poet Jalaladdin Rumi, attracting thousands of pilgrims and tourists.
Mourners carry the coffins of victims of reported bombardment in the Huthi-rebel-held Red Sea port city of Hodeida. Photo: Getty Images

More than 60,000 people have been killed in Yemen in the last two years - a figure six times higher than previous estimates - according to a new assessment.

The figure of 10,000 used by the United Nations is outdated and nowhere near the likely true fatality figure of 60,223, according to UK-based independent research group Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED).

Calculating death tolls in Yemen, which is approaching its fourth year of war, is complicated by the lack of access.

The figure offered by ACLED, which looked at open-source data and local news reports, does not include those thought to have died from malnutrition. Save the Children charity says some 85,000 may have died from starvation since 2016.

The death toll "is far higher than official estimates - and still underestimated," said Clionadh Raleigh, ACLED's executive director.

"Fatality numbers are only one approximation of the abject tragedy and terror forced upon Yemenis from several sides. This cannot be overstated," Ms Raleigh said.

The number has increased year on year, which they say could be explained by Saudi Arabia's intervention in the war on behalf of the internationally recognised Yemeni government now in exile.

Of all the fatalities, 28,182 were recorded in the first 11 months of 2018. That marks a 68pc increase compared to last year, the group said.

The Saudi-led coalition has been battling rebel Houthis in the Red Sea city of Hodeidah, the most strategic port in the country.

Last month was the deadliest on record, with 3,058 killed.

Both sides have gathered for UN-sponsored peace talks in Stockholm this week, the first in two years.

Martin Griffiths, UN envoy to Yemen, is asking both sides to withdraw from Hodeidah, where coalition forces have massed on the outskirts, in a bid to prevent a full-scale assault.

His proposal envisages an interim entity be formed to run the city and port, and international monitors deployed.

Both sides agree to a UN role in the port, the entry point for most of Yemen's commercial imports and vital aid, but differ on who should run the city.

The Houthis want Hodeidah declared a neutral zone while President Abdrabbu Mansur Hadi's government believes it should fall under its control as a matter of sovereignty.

They have also yet to agree on reopening Sana'a airport, shoring up the central bank and a transitional governing body. Some progress has been made since the talks were launched last week with a prisoner swap deal.

The two sides this week exchanged lists of about 15,000 prisoners to be released under supervision of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Another round of talks could be held in early 2019.

Western nations, some of which supply arms and intelligence to the Saudi-led coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015, want an end to nearly four years of war that have killed tens of thousands of people and pushed millions to the brink of famine.

US President Donald Trump said this week he could abide by legislation being considered by the Senate to end US support for the Saudi-led war effort following outrage over the October 2 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom's Istanbul consulate.

"I hate to see what's going on in Yemen," Mr Trump said. "But it takes two to tango. I'd want to see Iran pull out of Yemen too, and I think they will."
File photo dated 03/02/11 of a Royal Dutch Shell logo. The oil giant is being sued by the Nigerian government.

The Nigerian government has filed a billion-dollar claim in a British court against oil giants Royal Dutch Shell and Eni over alleged fraud and corruption that diverted millions of dollars from the African nation.

The 1.1 billion US dollar (868.5 million) claim lodged in the UK High Court on Wednesday alleges that money used in a 2011 deal for one of Africas most promising oil blocks was paid to a company called Malabu, controlled by Nigerias former oil minister Dan Etete.

The funds were allegedly used for bribes and kickbacks, according to the Nigerian government.

A separate criminal trial related to the 2011 deal over the oil block, known as OPL 245, is continuing in Italy.

The Nigerian government said London-listed Shell and Milan-listed Eni assisted corrupt Nigerian government officials to breach fiduciary duties in the deal.

Tom Hibbert, a solicitor representing the Nigerian government, said the claim reflects the determination and ongoing efforts of Nigeria to recover the very significant sums lost to corruption and the unlawful activity of Shell and Eni in this transaction.

A Shell spokesman said: We maintain that the 2011 settlement of long-standing legal disputes related to OPL 245 was a fully legal transaction with Eni and the federal government of Nigeria, represented by the most senior officials of the relevant ministries.

Since this matter is before the tribunal of Milan, it would not be appropriate for us to comment in detail on the new claims that have been made by the federal republic of Nigeria.

However, based on our review of the prosecutor of Milans file and all of the information and facts available to us, we do not believe that there is a case to answer in this matter.

Eni could not immediately be reached for comment.
A total of 24 schools have been placed on lockdown status after a suspicious threat made against Columbine High School.

Officials in Jefferson County, Colorado, placed the schools on lockout status due to an investigation of a suspicious person who made a threat against the high school.

Police told local media that someone called in the threat at 9:20 a.m.

"We received a phone call with a threat of multiple explosive devices inside the school here. The person claimed to be hiding outside with a gun.

UPDATE: Attention parents: DO NOT come to Columbine HS right now to pick up students. They will not be released until 2:45pm. They are on lock out at the school (meaning no one can come or go) The kids & staff are SAFE pic.twitter.com/IgeuupoJFm  Jeffco Sheriff (@jeffcosheriffco) December 13, 2018

"The perimeter was searched and secured. No one was found," Mike Taplin, spokesman for the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office said.

The sheriff's office have asked parents not to come to the scene.

"Attention parents: DO NOT come to Columbine HS right now to pick up students," they tweeted.

"They will not be released until 2:45pm. They are on lock out at the school (meaning no one can come or go) The kids & staff are SAFE."

The public have been asked to avoid the area.

Columbine High School hit global headlines in 1999 after two students killed thirteen people and wounded more than 20 others before turning their guns on themselves.

The high school massacre occurred on April 20, 1999 and was the deadliest school shooting ever in the U.S at the time.
Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen arrives at federal court accompanied by his wife and children. Photo: Reuters

Michael Cohen issued a stinging rebuke of Donald Trump, his former boss, yesterday as he was sentenced to three years in prison, insisting it had been his job to cover up Mr Trump's "dirty deeds".

Cohen, who served as Mr Trump's lawyer and fixer for a decade, likened his sentencing to a moment of "freedom" as he would no longer be bound by his relationship to his former employer.

The sentence hearing followed Cohen pleading guilty earlier this year to four crimes: tax evasion, lying to a financial institution, lying to Congress, and breaking campaign finance laws.

The last of those involved paying two women who claimed affairs with Mr Trump - Stormy Daniels, the porn star, and Karen McDougal, a former 'Playboy' model - to stay quiet before the 2016 presidential election.

Cohen has claimed in court that Mr Trump directed the payments - something the US president has denied. Mr Trump has also suggested such payments would not amount to crimes.

Appearing in a New York federal court yesterday, Cohen appeared to fight back tears at times as he made his case for leniency, while his parents, children, wife and in-laws watched on.

"This may seem hard to believe but today is one of the most meaningful days of my life," Cohen said.

"The irony is today is the day I get my freedom back. I have been leading a personal and mental incarceration ever since the fateful day that I accepted the offer to work for a famous real-estate mogul whose business acumen I greatly admired."

He accepted "full responsibility" for his crimes, but added of Mr Trump: "It was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds."

Cohen said he would not be remembered as "the villain" when a history of Mr Trump was written.

He also apologised to the American people, acknowledged that "you deserve to know the truth and lying to you was unjust".

The comments underscored a remarkable about-turn for Cohen, who started this year as Mr Trump's most ardent defender - boasting that he would "take a bullet" for the US president - before becoming an open and hostile critic.

Cohen had hoped his co-operation with the Russian election meddling investigation, being led by special counsel Robert Mueller, would spare him jail time for his crimes.

However, New York federal prosecutors, who pursued the cases along with Mr Mueller's team, chastised Cohen for not fully co-operating.

William Pauley, a US district judge, said that Cohen should get "some credit" for some of the co-operation he provided but that it was not enough to "wipe the slate clean".

"Mr Cohen appears to have lost his moral compass," Judge Pauley said, adding that he had committed a "veritable smorgasbord of fraudulent conduct" motivated by "personal greed and ambition".

He suggested that Cohen's actions amounted to an "insidious crime to our democratic institutions" and insisted his sentence needed to act as a deterrent.

Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay close to $2m (1.75m) in fines and other financial penalties. He closed his eyes and shook his head as the sentence was read.

The three years was at the lower end of sentencing recommendations. Cohen must voluntarily surrender on March 6 - raising the prospect that he may strike a new co-operation agreement with prosecutors before that date.

Mr Trump played down the significance of the hush-money payments in an interview with Reuters before the sentencing, saying they did not amount to campaign contributions.

"Michael Cohen should have known what he was doing. I hope he did. My lawyers say frankly that everything he did was fine," Mr Trump said. ( Daily Telegraph London)
Ocado has increased its revenue and order numbers in the final quarter of the year as it benefits from two new robotic warehouses.

Revenue jumped 12% to 390.7 million in the 13 weeks to December 2, in line with the companys guidance for the year.

New facilities in Andover and Erith helped to bolster capacity so Ocado could add more customers in the period. The Erith site is processing more than 30,000 orders per week.

Ocado handled 320,000 orders each week during the quarter, marking a 13.1% increase on the same time last year.

Although in many respects 2018 has been a transformative year for Ocado, the story has only just begunTim Steiner

But average order size slipped by 1% to 104.91. Managers told analysts this was due to customers shopping more frequently with smaller basket sizes, as well as increased mobile shopping.

Our unrelenting focus on delivering consistent high levels of service and value to our customers in the UK has produced another quarter of satisfying growth, said Ocado chief executive Tim Steiner.

Although in many respects 2018 has been a transformative year for Ocado, the story has only just begun. We look forward to the coming year and continuing to turn our substantial opportunities into sustainable value for all our stakeholders.

Ocado has struck a number of deals with international retailers keen to use its cutting-edge technology, which includes robots in warehouses.

Emma-Lou Montgomery, associate director at Fidelity Personal Investings share dealing service, said Ocados tech expertise sets it apart from a struggling retail sector.

Having already been dubbed the Microsoft of the retail sector, which was one hell of a moniker  even before Microsofts rise to the top of the pack this year  Ocados star would appear to be on the ascent, she said.

CEO Tim Steiners comment on 2018 having been a transformative year sets it apart in a sector that has done anything but shine. A good finish to the year was its typically British, understated message to investors, but theres no doubt that all eyes will be on Ocado to see what it does next in 2019.
It's always good to have our profession honoured, albeit that the living martyrs of journalism should be accompanied by the ghost of another. But the moment I learned of 'Time' magazine's person of the year front cover - the award going to Jamal Khashoggi and the other "guardians" who have "taken great risks in pursuit of greater truths" - I remembered Spielberg's movie 'Bridge of Spies'. When captured Soviet agent Rudolf Abel's defence lawyer (Tom Hanks) asks Abel (Mark Rylance) if he is worried, he replies: "Would it help?"

The right question. Would it make any difference? Is 'Time's' choice of its 2018 front page going to change anything? Or was it chiefly aimed at Trump? The raving lunatic in the White House was its "person of the year" in 2016, just before he took office. He said he expected the accolade again this year, and indeed he's the 2018 runner-up. If he had known this, Khashoggi himself would surely turn in his grave - wherever the Saudis eventually reveal it to be.

But fair enough. Trump is fighting a war against truth, and it's a noble gesture to whack a crackpot president by honouring those who oppose his kind of mendacity, even unto death.

Many believe - as I suspect - that the five staff at the Annapolis newspaper would be alive today if Trump had not already accused us all of being "enemies of the people".

The "enemies" and journalists like Khashoggi, Maria Ressa, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, are - or should be regarded as - "friends of the people". But they are clearly regarded as enemies by Trumpites and supporters of dictator Duterte and the military masters of Myanmar.

Of course, I did look at 'Time's' list of names to see if Yasser Murtaja, the brave Palestinian cameraman shot dead by an Israeli sniper in April, made it to their hall of honour. He was hailed by 'The Nation' magazine. Like Khashoggi, he gave his life for telling - or in his case, filming - the truth, the Palestinian protests at the Gaza border. But maybe he wasn't filming a truth which Americans or 'Time' magazine are ready to accept, or to talk too much about without becoming "controversial": the oppression of the people of Gaza. And maybe Murtaja was shot by the wrong people.

After all, if you drag Khashoggi's corpse up onto the throne of martyrs, you know that it's going to annoy Mohammed bin Salman - accused by the CIA and numerous senators of arranging Jamal's demise - and you know that he remains a chum of Trump and that all this will upset him.

While it's good to see that the enemies of dictators are acknowledged for their courage, it does raise a few questions about 'Time' itself.

For far too long, it supported some pretty gruesome wars around the globe. Vietnam comes to mind, in the conflict's early years. ( The Independent)
Yemens warring sides have agreed to a ceasefire covering the Red Sea port of Hodeida following peace talks in Sweden.

The United Nations secretary general said the rival parties have also agreed to a withdrawal of troops from the contested city.

Antonio Guterres thanked the Yemeni delegations for what he called an important step and real progress toward future talks to end the conflict.

He spoke at the closing ceremony for the talks in the Swedish town of Rimbo.

Mr Guterres said to the Yemeni parties: Thank you for coming here to discuss a better future for Yemen.

He said that the next round of talks is planned for the end of January.

Expand Close UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the agreement (Mosaab Elshamy/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the agreement (Mosaab Elshamy/AP)

The four-year civil war, which pits the internationally recognised Yemeni government, supported by a Saudi-led coalition, against the Iran-backed rebels known as Houthis, has made Yemen the worlds worst humanitarian crisis.

According to the United Nations, 22 of its 29 million people are in need of aid. The two sides have for months been locked in a fight over Hodeida which is a key port for aid deliveries.

The UN-sponsored talks had low expectations for halting the conflict immediately, but saw some progress with the agreement of a prisoner swap to include 15,000 people at the start of the discussions last week.

Both sides have said they sought to build on goodwill for future talks, although it was unclear how far they have come in agreeing on a draft agreement given to them a day earlier to consider by UN envoy Martin Griffiths.

The document consists of a set of proposals, including one for a political framework for a post-war Yemen, the reopening of the airport in the capital, Sanaa, and a proposal for Hodeida, a lifeline for millions of Yemenis dependent on international aid.
The Quapaw Nation is moving quickly with plans for a commercial casino in Arkansas.

The tribe hopes to select a general contractor and architectural firm by next week, Chairman John Berrey said at a public forum on Monday. The tribe is also narrowing down the potential sites for the project.

Id tell you where its going to be located but we are not one hundred percent, Berrey said at the forum in the city of Pine Bluff, The Pine Bluff Commercial reported.

The Arkansas Racing Commission must still decide whether to approve the tribe's application for a gaming license. Berrey has previously said the casino could be open by late 2019 or early 2020.

"Once we know, once we get the license, I want to start moving dirt immediately, Berrey said, KHTV reported.

The Saracen Casino Resort would be located in an area where the tribe has long connections. Chief Saracen was laid to rest in Pine Bluff in 1832 at the age of 97.

The tribe operates two casinos in Oklahoma, including one whose property reaches into Kansas and Missouri. The tribe also owns land in Arkansas and once had a reservation there.

The commercial casino in Jefferson County was authorized by voters through Issue 4 on the November 6 ballot. The initiative passed with 55 percent of the vote.

The tribe, along with the Cherokee Nation , was a major backer of the Driving Arkansas Forward ballot initiative.

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Passengers who manages to smuggle gold and other precious items into airports and other high-security areas know various ways in which the security personnel can be tricked. From hiding it within layers of a suitcase to putting in the soles of their shoes, the CISF personnel is equally aware of all these methods.

On Tuesday morning, the Central Industrial Security Force was in for a dilemma when they caught hold of a man with a packet consisting of a yellow paste tied to his abdomen, the Hindustan Times reported.

The incident took place around 4:30 am on Tuesday when the passenger arrived at the Delhi T3 terminal- Indira Gandhi International Airport to board a connecting flight to Mumbai. When he went on for further pre-embarkation security check, the security personnel were in for a shock. They had almost believed that paste that the man was carrying was nothing but human excreta due to the materials sticky nature.

Representational Image of Gold paste

Reportedly, the packet consisted of 650 grams of gold paste, a substance that is quite similar to human excreta in appearance. The reason behind the man masking the gold paste below his waist was to evade the customs at Delhi airport.

However, the metal detector at the security machine had raised an alarm. The officials then decided to check the packet under the metal scanner and a dense blue image appeared on the monitor which is how gold is detected in X-Ray scanners.

The paste was handed over for further probe. The passenger was let off because the price of the gold didnt exceed Rs 20 lakh. HT further reported that to extract the metal, the paste is heated using kerosene or any other flammable liquid.

Photo: BCCL

In July this year, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) had nabbed a passenger at the Hyderabad International Airport carrying 1.850 kg of gold paste.

Gold paste is considered one of the most easiest and safest ways of smuggling gold into other countries. Without specific intelligence or any clue given by the smuggler himself, it becomes next to impossible to detect gold in the form of a paste.
Hiba Nisar, a 19-month-old girl, underwent an eye operation where doctors successfully removed pellet lodged in her right eye. Hiba is the youngest pellet victim in Kashmir, who was injured after getting hit inside her house last month.

"We have removed the pellet which was lodged in the right eye of the infant girl. We cannot say for sure that her ability to see with the affected eye will be restored, but we are making our best efforts," a doctor, who was part of the team that performed the operation, told PTI.

The operation to remove the pellet took two-and-a-half hour.

Also Read: 19-Month-Old Heeba Is The Youngest Victim Of Pellet Guns In Kashmir; May Lose Sight

Hiba got the unwanted tag of being the youngest pellet victim in Kashmir on November 25 when she was hit by pellets inside her house during clashes between protesters and security forces in Shopian district.

The picture of Hiba with a bandage on her right eye has gone viral on social media.

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According to the infant's mother, Marsala Jan, Hiba was playing inside her house when clashes broke out between protesters and security forces in the wake of an encounter where six militants were killed.

"First, there was tear smoke all around us, which caused coughing in Hiba, and then there was a sudden bang. It was a pellet fired towards our home and my daughter was hit in the eye," Jan had said last month.

Hiba underwent a surgery on November 26, at Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) hospital as she had suffered corneal perforation due to the pellets.

#indian Terrorism in #Kashmir

Hit with pellet in her eye, 19-month-old #Hiba may lose sight

A doctor at the ward shuddered at the sight of the little girl, whom he described as the youngest pellet victim. pic.twitter.com/rRjPs4qeMZ    (@kashmir__speaks) November 26, 2018

A 20-month-old Baby was hit by a pellet on her right eye on Sunday inside her home in Shopian. A baby. Inside her home. I hope there are no shameless patRIOTs defending this horrifying incident. How can anyone take pride in murder/violence on others? https://t.co/3PJkt5Z4FO  Saileena (@saileenas) November 26, 2018

Shame on u kid hiba with pellet wounds in her eyes #freeKashmir  pic.twitter.com/kVP4WucGsF  Taimoor ch (@Taimoor10565641) November 27, 2018

The conflict situation in #Kashmir is extremely difficult for children,who are amongst the most vulnerable and worst affected , #Hiba (Hiba Nisar)youngest pellet victim,They fired pellets on her face and she may lost her eyesight now.#kashmirburns#kashmircrisis #kashmirburns pic.twitter.com/p5g79nOZD7  Malik Muzamil (@malikmuzamill) November 27, 2018

Separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq demanded an instant ban on pellet guns.

Heart wrenching to see baby Hiba under the influence of anaesthesia as she undergoes a second eye surgery while her parents cry. Such extreme cruelty! Ask government of India to stop the tyranny of the pellet gun on Kashmiris, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said on a social media website.
In July 2016, Madhya Pradesh became the first Indian state to have a dedicated Department of Happiness and in 2017 Lal Singh Arya was appointed as the first happiness minister of the state.

But, less than two years down the line, it seems, voters were not happy with their 'happiness minister'. Arya, who was the incumbent MLA from Gohad failed to get re-elected in the recently held assembly elections.

Arya lost to Congress's Ravindra Jadhav with a margin of 25,000 votes. While Jadhav got 62981 votes, only 38992 voters in the constituency was happy to vote for the Happiness Minister.

Arya had a rocky start to his career as the Happiness Minister. Weeks after it was inauguration, Arya had to go into hiding and was subsequently arrested for the murder of a Congress leader in 2009. The trial in the case is still ongoing.

BCCL

Former CM, Shivraj Singh Chauhan, had set up the Happiness Ministry, which was modelled on the national happiness index in Bhutan to keep an account of well-being of its citizens.

Clearing the proposal to set up the ministry, Chauhan had then said that "material progress alone was not sufficient to make people happy. He said it will take value-based development, spiritual progress and an overall sense of well-being for people to lead happy and satisfied lives."
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Hiba Nisar, a 19-month-old girl, underwent an eye operation where doctors successfully removed pellet lodged in her right eye. Hiba is the youngest pellet victim in Kashmir, who was injured after getting hit inside her house last month. Read more

Here's more top news of the day:





1) Not Just Luxury, Train Will Also Have Aircraft-Like 'Black Box' To Track Sequence Of Accidents

BCCL





Indian Railways is amping up facilities and security systems in trains. In a move that could help understand the situation that leads to train accidents, the government has allotted Rs 100 crore for installing systems similar to the black box in airplanes. Read more

2) People In MP Were Not Happy With Their 'Happiness Minister', He's Lost Election By 25,000 Votes

In July 2016, Madhya Pradesh became the first Indian state to have a dedicated Department of Happiness and in 2017 Lal Singh Arya was appointed as the first happiness minister of the state. Read more

3) Buddhist Monk Meditating Deep Inside Tiger Reserve In Maharashtra Killed By Leopard

BBC





A Buddhist monk meditating in a forest in Maharshtra was attacked and killed by a leopard. The deceased, identified as Rahul Walke, had been meditating under a tree in the Tadoba forest, which is a protected Tiger reserve. Read more

4) If We Don't Act Now We Will Lose Bengaluru's Bannerghatta National Park Forever, Say Environmentalists

Indiatimes





If the proposal gets approved the ESZ will be reduced to just 169 sq km from the current 269 sq km and reduce the extent of the ESZ from a maximum of 4.5 km to a maximum of 1 km. Read more

5) Strictly Patriarchal Society Is The Reason Why Every Woman Candidate Lost In Mizoram Elections

PTI





The Mizoram Assembly will not have a single woman legislator as all the 15 female candidates lost in the election held on November 28 in the state where women outnumber men in the voters' list. Read more
A couple of days ago, a panel commissioned to provide guidelines on how to tackle cryptocurrency in India submitted its report to the government.

In it, they suggested a total ban on all such virtual currencies in India. So what happens to crypto investors in India after all this? The future is up in the air for now.

1) Suggestions not laws

ALSO READ: Bengaluru Just Got India's 1st Bitcoin ATM, Despite Anti-Cryptocurrency Regulations From RBI

For one thing the panel, headed by Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg, is only providing suggestions to the government and not laws. That means the government could possibly go in a completely different direction, and decide against a blanket ban after all.

2) Drafting a bill takes time

If a ban is the choice of action, however, it would require setting up a legal framework. After all, the reason this whole issue has taken this long to debate is because existing RBI guidelines just can't be effectively adapted to cryptocurrency. So making crypto dealings flat out illegal in India is likely to take a few months at least.

3) Your investment is worthless if you can't cash it

In the meantime though, investors are somewhat stuck. Banks have already been instructed to cease crypto to Rupee transactions, meaning your Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc. investments are kinda useless.

Reuters

ALSO READ: Cryptocurrency Company Moves High Court Against RBI Circular On Virtual Currencies, Wants To Make Them Legal

Unless you have the opportunity to transfer them to other wallets and them liquidate those funds in other countries, that money technically doesn't exist for you, no matter how much it appreciates.

4) There's no way to 'ban' possession of cryptocoin

In the event of a ban, many crypto enthusiasts say it would be incredibly hard to enforce, and indeed it would. After all, the blockchain's defining feature is that it's decentralized. Buying and selling cryptocoins might be made illegal, but the government has no precedent to ban their mere possession.

5) Indian crypto exchanges will be hit hardest

Additionally, in order to crack down on cryptocurrency transactions, the Indian government has to ban or block local crypto exchanges, which still leaves international ones free to transact.

ALSO READ: 'Decrypting' Cryptocurrency's Potential In India, And Analyzing The Changing Face Of Money

And if they try to block the URLs of those exchanges, the problem is solved by a simple VPN or proxy. All in all, it's all well and good for the government to impose a ban, but quite another matter to enforce it.

6) Investors desperate to encash will be put at risk

At the very least, cracking down on legitimate exchanges might have the adverse effect of driving investors towards shady ones, putting even more people at risk than the initial "problem" of cryptocurrency investment. Instead, perhaps the government might want to further research ways to just understand and regulate the trade, as opposed to just trying to burn it to the ground.
British Indian artist Anish Kapoor poses in front of his work Symphony for a Beloved Sun (2013) prior to the opening of the Kapoor in Berlin exhibition at the Martin Gropius Bau on May 17, 2013 in Berlin, Germany. (Adam Berry/Getty Images)
Congress president Rahul Gandhi (C) with party leaders Kamal Nath (R) and Jyotiraditya Scindia in New Delhi on Dec. 13. Gandhi appointed Nath chief minister of Madhya Pradesh Dec. 13 Both Nath and Scindia were contenders for the post. (IANS photo)
RFD-TV Interview: Grain and Livestock Markets (Video) Blue Line Futures - 15 minutes ago Oliver Sloup was on RFD-TV this morning, sharing his thoughts on the recent price action in the grain and livestock markets as we look at wrapping up another month.

Soybeans Trading Red on Monday Barchart - 28 minutes ago So far soybean futures are fading. For Jan contracts the board is 7 3/4 cents in the red, back to levels not seen since 11/15. Prices did trade higher earlier in the overnight session, closing the gap... ZSF22 : 1242-2 (-0.84%) ZSPAUS.CM : 12.0619 (-0.86%) ZSH22 : 1252-6 (-0.81%) ZSX21 : 1234-0s (+1.79%) ZSPX21US.CM : 12.0619 (-0.86%)

Double Digit Losses for Wheat Barchart - 28 minutes ago Mondays wheat trading starts the new week with double digit losses for midday. SRW is down 1.9% to 2.17% so far. KC is trading 1.3% to 1.82% in the red. Minneapolis futures are firmer, only giving back... ZWZ21 : 809-4 (-1.94%) ZWPAES.CM : 7.6084 (-2.02%) KEZ21 : 852-2 (-1.47%) KEPAWS.CM : 8.3422 (-1.36%) MWZ21 : 1033-2 (-0.60%)

Monday Drop for Live Cattle Barchart - 28 minutes ago Midday cattle prices are $0.62 to $1.37 in the red coming out of the weekend. Futures were higher earlier in the session, printing new LOC highs before the fade into midday. For Feb contracts that was... LEZ21 : 137.250 (-0.62%) LEJ22 : 142.550 (-0.90%) GFF22 : 165.425 (-1.03%) GFH22 : 166.425 (-0.92%)

Coffee Prices Fall as Omicron Covid Concerns Spark Long Liquidation Barchart - 1 hour ago March arabica coffee (KCH2 ) this morning is down -9.30 (-3.83%), and Jan ICE Robusta coffee (RMF22 ) is down -61 (-2.64%). Coffee prices this morning are sharply lower as concern about the new omicron... KCH22 : 233.25 (-3.99%) RMF22 : 2,258s (-2.17%)

Bitcoin, Ethereum hit the first key support from our long term targets ONE44 Analytics - 1 hour ago "Making a new high and failing to close above the previous high is not a good sign and a break from there can easily take it back to 38.2% of 6/22/21 low, this is 53,300 and just below it is a major Gann... BTZ21 : 58,995 (+8.39%) GBTC : 47.4000 (+6.93%) ^ETHUSD : 4,444.069 (+9.04%)
WRIGHTSTOWN >> The Wrightstown Winter Farmers Market opens outdoors on Saturday, December 11 with 30 vendors from 10 AM to Noon at the Middletown Grange Fairgrounds, 576 Penns Park Road in Wrightstown. A special Holiday Market will be held December 18, and the market will continue from January through April on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month. Its...
The new head office occupies the top eight floors of the Mercu 3 building, with a total floor area of 10,400 square metres. Each floor is equipped with smart motion sensors in its lighting and air conditioning systems, allowing the company to increase cost savings through efficient energy management.

According to Zurich, transferring its Malaysia head office signifies its ongoing ambitions to have more dynamic and eco-friendly workspaces that promote transit connectivity and sustainability for its employees and stakeholders. The modern setting also aims to encourage employees to collaborate better with each other and come up with more innovative ideas.
El-Ansary joined the health fund in 2008 and since then has held a variety of roles, including managing director of the health services business as well as holding responsibility for strategy, M&A, and business development. In 2012, he moved to the UK for four years as chief executive of Bupas UK businesses, returning to his native Australia in 2017.

Over the past three decades, El-Ansary has held senior executive roles in a variety of industries, including retail, energy, aviation, and construction. He is a fellow of CPA Australia and of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and is also a director of childrens charity, Very Special Kids.

El-Ansarys knowledge of Bupa and of the health and care sector make him ideally equipped to lead Bupa Australia and New Zealand over the next phase of its development, said Nicola Roxon, Bupa Australia and New Zealand chairman. He is a passionate advocate for excellence and for putting customers front and centre, and we look forward to a smooth leadership transition over the coming months.

Roxon also recognised Bowdens long and distinguished career with Bupa.

Bowden has made a wonderful contribution to Bupa and will leave a lasting legacy when he retires from Bupa next year, Roxon said. We have known about Richards plans for some time and are delighted Hisham has been appointed as his successor.
Heath Amber was also elected as company secretary and public officer while an additional vacant board role was filled by Trent Brown, director of Allstate Underwriting.

NM Insurance CEO Lyndon Turner was also re-elected as chair while Lion Underwriting MD Kurt Nilsen was re-elected as deputy chair.

Peter Fryer, underwriting governance manager at AXA XL, stepped into the role of treasurer after Sterling Insurance director Linda King chose not to stand for re-election.

Addressing attendees at the AGM, chair Lyndon Turner said UAC has enjoyed an outstanding year, running a total of 15 educational forums and seminars across the country. There were also six underwriting expos, attracting more than 1,720 brokers.

UACs future is bright. Membership has continued to build. During 2018, we welcomed 12 new underwriting agency members and 10 new business service members, he said.

Turner also noted that the UAC website had continued to be popular with brokers, hosting more than 50,700 broker searches, up from 32,700 in 2018.

Brokers also asked members to place more than 300 hard-to-place risks during the year, compared with 183 in 2017.

We have built a solid foundation on which to further expand. Our goal is to see every eligible agency - in both Australia and New Zealand - join UAC and gain access to the many benefits UAC membership entails.

Correction: This article originally referred to Simon Lightbody as Steadfast CEO. He is in fact the CEO of Steadfast Underwriting Agencies Holdings Pty Ltd. The article has now been updated to reflect this.
By comparison, Allstate announced $202 million, pre-tax ($160 million, after-tax), in estimated catastrophe losses for October.

A company release noted that of the six catastrophe events that largely contributed to Novembers losses, two stood out the most  the Camp and Woolsey Fires. Allstate has provided gross insurance payments of more than $1.2 billion for claims related to both wildfire events despite reducing policies in force in California by nearly half over the past decade.

Its time to address the impact that more severe weather is having on Americans instead of fighting about climate change, commented Allstate Corporation chairman, president, and CEO Tom Wilson. This year there have been approximately 7,500 wildfires in California, Hurricanes Florence and Michael and a swathe of severe weather across the United States, putting our customers in danger and at risk of losing their homes and hard-earned money.

Wilson added that it is not enough to simply pay off weather and disaster damage claims  stakeholders must consider more concrete and lasting ways to mitigate damages.

It is now time to come up with longer term solutions, such as ensuring power lines are properly maintained, homes have natural fire barriers and building codes reflect increased severe weather, he concluded.

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Allstate hit with massive losses

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Based in Duluth, Otis-Magie offers business insurance, employee benefits, and personal insurance products and services to clients throughout the northern Minnesota region. The agency traces its origins as far back as 1886.

Following closure of the deal, Otis-Magies 46 employees will continue operating out of their existing locations under the name Otis-Magie, a Marsh & McLennan Agency company. Otis-Magie chairman and CEO Tom Stender will continue to lead the operation, a release said.

MMA is committed to investing in and supporting the insurance and risk management needs of employers and individuals in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin, said MMA upper Midwest region CEO Tim Fleming. Weve known Otis-Magie for years and are thrilled to have these talented people on our team. Combined, we will deliver unparalleled risk expertise and service to clients in the region.

We are delighted to join MMA and bring new and additional services to clients and greater growth opportunities to our colleagues, Stender added.

MMAs latest acquisition comes as it continues to wrap up its biggest purchase for the year. Last month, the company secured shareholder approval to acquire British insurance brokerage Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group for about $5.65 billion.
Cyber criminals are more frequently handpicking their targets and seeking larger individual ransom demands today, added Newman, which are higher than the $500 or $1000 demands that were popular even 12 months ago. Much of the cybercrime thats committed is also coming out of the major nation-state actors, such as North Korea and Iran, which have had economic sanctions imposed against them and have turned to ransomware as a way to generate income, though thats not the only bad behavior seen from these kinds of criminals.

What weve seen in last 12 months and going forward is a lot of reconnaissance activity. The old spying game has moved from the physical world into the virtual world, and it is far easier and more lucrative to conduct that electronically, said Newman.

As for the types of organizations falling prey to cyber criminals, the hacking of the public sector may have made headlines this year, but the cyber expert believes that its not more or less targeted than it was before 2018. Chronic underinvestment in IT security and more transparency on the part of public entities are to blame for this widespread coverage.

A lot of the indiscriminate attacks that we saw in 2017 and early 2018 disproportionately affected public entities because they were easy victims, and they were victims that would openly put their hand up in the media. I think thats why we read a lot about breaches with public entities, rather than necessarily them being targeted, said Newman.

To guard against the heavy losses that can come as a result of a cyber incident, companies are turning to cyber insurance, though take-up rates vary across regions, sectors, and size of organizations. Depending on the analysis, the penetration of cyber insurance in the US  globally the most mature market when it comes to cyber insurance  is around 30%, and if you examine Fortune 500 companies, that number goes up to around 70% or higher, explained Newman. Privacy-exposed entities, including financial institutions, and companies in the retail, healthcare and education sectors, are meanwhile continuing to do most of the buying, though thats also evolving.

Read more: Over 60% of insurance experts point to higher cyber losses  Willis Re

The events that really drove changes in buying behavior in the US were really WannaCry and NotPetya  NotPetya probably being the single biggest driver of change, Newman told Insurance Business. As a result of those events, what were seeing is much bigger interest and adoption in cyber insurance by non-privacy industries, such as manufacturing, transportation, logistics. Businesses which dont traditionally hold large volumes of very sensitive data suddenly realized that actually their whole business operations depend upon technology and availability of technology and the data that underpins that.

The international arena meanwhile looks very different. Take-up rates of cyber insurance across entities of all sizes outside the US have been lower, with roughly 85% of the worlds cyber insurance being sold to US-headquartered entities, said the CIO, though he added that thats changing dramatically.

Our own international portfolio grew by over 140% last year and we saw significant increase in adoption in Canada, the UK, and Australia, he explained. The cybercrime component of cyber insurance internationally seems to particularly resonate with SMEs, like theft of funds from business email compromises, which is one of the day-to-day risks faced by small and medium-sized businesses. On the other hand, the US market has developed in a different direction, whereby coverage didnt include basic cybercrime cover, though  you guessed it  thats changed in 2018 as well. Newman expects that this evolution will open doors for many more SMEs adopting the cyber product.

Yet, if theres one thing that brokers who sell cyber insurance should be aware of about the offering going into 2019, its business interruption.

If you look back to 2014-2015 when the cyber market was beset with a whole load of retail breaches [and] payment card information (PCI) data breaches, all the wordings in 2015-2016 started to focus heavily on PCI, said Newman. Were seeing something very similar in 2018-2019, that the major events that define the market are business interruption-related events. Thats caused insurers and brokers to really focus on the clarity within business interruption language and what were seeing is material differences in coverages.

Business interruption, in many ways, is the forgotten cover or the unloved cover of a cyber form, and the wording has been relatively unsophisticated. Were seeing that change a lot and were seeing cyber insurers actually adapt a lot of their business interruption language so it reads much more akin to the business interruption language that you would see in a property form.

What triggers the coverage, which used to just be malicious cyberattacks, is also broadening.

Were seeing coverage extend out to all manner of technology failures, not just those caused by malicious electronic attacks, [but] operator error or user error, administrative error, software bugs, failure upgrades, said Newman. Were moving towards a kind of All-Risk, non-physical peril.
Joining THG is an excellent opportunity to expand our reach, ensure new opportunities for our associates, and provide more resources to our clients, Mackintire said. We are looking forward to offering our clients the same level of customer service they have come to expect, while being able to collaborate with the great THG agencies across the nation.

Bob has built a great business with a culture, customer focus and commitment like ours, that will assist us in expanding our New England presence, said Ricky Spiro, CEO of THG. It is truly a pleasure to welcome Bob and his team to THG.
Cyber really developed out of those lines of insurance, he says. Since the beginning of my career, cyber has become a product that went from something that somebody might theoretically buy to a major line of business unto itself.

While Travelers had some cyber products in its arsenal before the turn of the millennium, the insurance carrier had a lot of work to do to expand its offerings in this space. It here was a challenge that Francis and his team faced head-on.

We had a couple of specific industries where we could provide cyber coverage, but we didnt have a policy form or an underwriting strategy that was wholly encompassing across broader industry groups, he says. We developed a team, and I drew upon some relationships with people outside of the organization. That was a big challenge  to develop not only a policy form in a new line of business, but also an underwriting strategy, and getting the right framework in place that would help us fulfill the needs of our customers.

Booming business

Fast-forward to 2018, and Travelers investment into cyber has paid off. Huge potential remains in this space  Munich Re projects that the market will double by 2020 because of the growing popularity of connected devices and the concurrent rise in risks they bring. However, the predictions of market growth present both challenges and opportunities for insurers.

Part of that growth is fueled by an ever-increasing awareness that our customers have of their cyber exposures, and the value and need for cyber insurance solutions to help them address those exposures, Francis says. The challenge that we have, and one of the parts of my job that I most enjoy, is being able to work with a team to educate customers on their exposures and provide risk management advice on how to avoid them in the first place.

The education piece is becoming increasingly critical as more companies fall victim to hacks, breaches and ransomware. The 2018 Travelers Risk Index reveals that cyber remains the second highest risk concern among businesses overall. One in five businesses has experienced a data breach or a cyber attack  double the percentage that reported suffering a cyber incident in 2015. Yet despite the fact that 52% of the 1,200 business leaders Travelers surveyed believe a cyber attack is inevitable, half of respondents indicated that they havent purchased cyber insurance.

I was actually floored that only half said they dont buy, so I think thats certainly a positive trend, Francis says. I think there is still work to be done as an industry to educate agents, brokers and ultimately customers on the value of cyber insurance. We need to let them know that its moved far beyond just the data breach and privacy scenarios. Cyber coverage can provide a host of other solutions and services  thats still low-hanging fruit in terms of helping the industry grow even more.

An unknowable future

Just as it was difficult to foresee in the early 2000s the impact that cyber events would eventually have on businesses and individuals, theres no crystal ball to reveal what the market will look like in another decade.

[We need] a healthy dose of understanding of what might be over the horizon, in terms of threats that we might not be aware of or might not even anticipate that, in the next year or two or five, might be impacting our customers, Francis says. While cyber insurance solutions change and evolve rapidly, its a constant challenge for insurance solutions to adapt at the same pace that cyber vulnerabilities manifest and affect our customers.

Travelers strategy involves bringing together key players to ensure that the insurer is prepared for whatever might affect its customers as the threat landscape evolves.

As we think about the value proposition that we bring to customers, its not just  and sometimes not even mostly  about the coverage itself, Francis says. Its got to be the right coverage for that customer, but it also has to be matched up with expert claim handling capability, and weve got a dedicated claims team that does nothing but manage cyber claims. When theres a cyber event, we need to deploy experts in cybersecurity to do forensic investigations in terms of what happened  was data compromised; is data being extorted; can we retrieve that data  and theres a whole industry and network of specialists that we have access to that are critical to providing a solution to our customers.
Revolut, the London-based financial technology startup, has obtained a European banking license as Brexit looms, with plans to launch checking and savings accounts as well as retail and business lending.

The Bank of Lithuania, the eastern European countrys central bank, granted Revolut the regulatory approval that gives it permission to operate throughout the European Union.

While London has been a hotbed for financial technology startups, Brexit has driven many of these firms to seek licenses from other European jurisdictions. Once the U.K. leaves the E.U. British financial companies will no longer have the right to passport their regulatory approvals to other European jurisdictions.

Revolut, the first London-based fintech to receive a European banking license, joins a growing number of firms that have secured permission to offer banking accounts and loans. Others include Swedish payments company Klarna Holding AB and Dutch payments firm Adyen NV as well as German startup N26.

Chad West, a Revolut spokesman, said the company chose Lithuania because it has 150,000 customers there already  or about 7 percent of the 2.25 million customers it said it had in July 2018  and the nations regulatory environment is incredibly fintech friendly. West also said it was faster to get licensed in Lithuania than many other European jurisdictions.

Founded in 2015, Revolut has grown from a company that offered consumers a no-fee pre-paid debit card to use while traveling internationally to one that allows consumers to access services such as foreign currency exchanges, budgeting tools, as well as cryptocurrency wallet and exchange.

The company said it would target U.K., France and Poland and look to passport its Lithuanian banking license to other jurisdictions.

The company has Luxembourg e-money license, which allows it to offer a much more limited set of products, and has previously said it will offer commission-free equity trading in the U.K. and Europe within the next year.

Our vision is that retail and business customers will be able to apply for a loan in just two minutes from within the app, and then have the money in their account almost instantly, said Nikolay Storonsky, the former Credit Suisse investment banker who is Revoluts founder and chief executive officer.

Revolut has raised about $340 million in total from venture capital firms that include Index Ventures, Ribbit Capital, Balderton Capital and DST Global. It was last valued at about $1.7 billion when it raised $250 million in April 2018. The company has said it plans to expand beyond Europe in 2019, including the U.S., and Japan.

The company, which said in February that it had broken even on a monthly basis after incurring losses previously, processes about $4 billion of transactions each month and was seeing between 8,000 and 10,000 new accounts being opened each day.

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

Topics Legislation InsurTech Europe London Uk Startups
A hack on Italian oil services firm Saipem that crippled more than 300 of the companys computers used a variant of the notorious Shamoon virus, Saipem said, a development that links the case to a massive attack in 2012 on Saudi Aramco.

The cyber attack hit servers based in the Middle East, India, Aberdeen and in a limited way Italy through a variant of Shamoon malware, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

Work is under way in a gradual and controlled manner to fully restore operations after the attack, it said.

The Shamoon virus was used in some of the most damaging cyber attacks in history, starting in 2012 when it crippled tens of thousands of computers at Saudi Aramco and RasGas Co Ltd in the Middle East  attacks that cyber-security researchers said were conducted on behalf of Iran.

Saudi Aramco is Saipems biggest customer.

The attack crippled between 300 and 400 servers and up to 100 personal computers out of a total of about 4,000 Saipem machines, the companys head of digital and innovation, Mauro Piasere, told Reuters.

No data will be lost because the company had backed up the affected computers, he said. The company said it first identified the attack on Monday.

Piasere said the company does not know who was responsible for the attack.

However, Adam Meyers, vice president with U.S. cyber-security firm CrowdStrike, said he believed Iran was responsible because early technical analysis of the new Shamoon variant showed similarities to the 2012 campaign.

Shamoon disables computers by overwriting a file known as the master boot record, making it impossible for devices to start up. Former U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has said the 2012 hack of Saudi Aramco was probably the most destructive cyber attack on a private business.

Shamoon went dormant until it resurfaced in late 2016 in a series of Middle East attacks that continued through early 2017.

It went dark for a long time and it seems to be back, said Eric Chien, senior researcher at cyber-security firm Symantec. The question is whether any others were affected by it.

Security researchers widely believe that people working on behalf of the Iranian government were behind previous Shamoon attacks, which Tehran strongly denies. Anti-U.S. imagery was found in the code, researchers have said.

Officials in Iran could not be reached for comment.

Saipem, one of the worlds largest subsea engineering and construction firms, is controlled by Italian state lender CDP and oil firm Eni.

(Reporting by Stephen Jewkes in Milan and Jim Finkle in New York Editing by Sonya Hepinstall; additional reporting from the Dubai newsroom; editing by Rosalba OBrien and Sonya Hepinstall)

Related:

Cyber Attack Targets Italian Oil-Services Firm Saipem

Topics Cyber USA Energy Oil Gas
A poll of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and micro businesses in the UK shows over half are confused by or even unaware of the rules around the EUs General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), while more than eight out of 10 dont see cyber attacks or data loss as a significant risk for their business, according to a survey commissioned by Aon.

The Aon poll comes on the heels of a survey earlier this year from the National Cyber Security Programme, which revealed nearly half of UK businesses experienced at least one cyber security breach or attack in 2017, noted Aon in a statement.

The EUs GDPR data rules, which came into force in the UK in May, drastically increased potential penalties on companies found to have misused or mismanaged clients personal data. However, the attitude of SMEs to cyber security is worrying, with one in five saying they have no plans to invest in it in the coming year, said Chris Mallett, broking manager for Aon.

GDPR caused companies to focus on this issue but Dr. Emma Philpott from the UK Cyber Security Forum expressed concern that the focus was short-lived effect for far too many businesses.

Philpott is also CEO of the IASME Consortium, an accreditation body for assessing and certifying against the UK governments Cyber Essentials Scheme. As soon as the deadline for GDPR passed, too many thought that was job done and thats where their responsibility ended, she said in comments included in the survey report.

The big data breaches in the press help to raise awareness but they can also cause data breach fatigue; a sense that the time, cost and high-end security to tackle this is complicated and overwhelming, said Philpott.

There is a lot of misunderstanding of risks, and still a worry among SMEs that it must be complicated. It is not always about high end security. Its about having the basics in place to protect you from indiscriminate attacks. Educating staff takes time but doesnt cost anything at all, she continued.

Mallett said there are particular vulnerabilities with the growth of flexible working with staff accessing data on-the-go.

Dangers of Using Personal Devices

But the bring-your-own-device culture, which sees business leaders and their teams using their personal computers, smart phones or tablets for work purposes, can expose companies to the increased risk of a cyber security breach if data is not properly encrypted and controlled, noted Mallett.

The poll of 1000 SMEs, which was carried out by OnePoll, indicates around one in four of SMEs allow staff to use their own devices for work.

Whats more, it revealed one in three dont see personal information stolen as a result of cyber attack or fraud as a data breach, with the same number admitting theyre unaware of the time limit on reporting such a loss, exposing their companies to the risk of huge fines, said Mallett.

I dont think companies realize how awful the impact of a breach can be or the amount that actually has to be done, said Philpott. It involves everything from mandatory reporting to keeping affected customers or clients informed. It can leave those clients fearful and cause reputational damage. Its not just about replacing laptops or paying a fine.

While many companies have professional indemnity insurance (PII) in place, there are often significant costs that professional indemnity wont pick up, added Mallett, who pointed to the poll results showing general confusion about the likely financial impact of a cyber attack (more than four out of 10 admitted they had no idea).

Around one in seven believe the costs are covered by their PII and more than three in 10 choose not to insure against cyber attacks or fraud, said Mallett.

Although fines are expected to be issued as a last resort, they can be up to 20 million [$22.7 million] or 4 percent of annual turnover, explained Mallett. The risk presented by non-compliance with GDPR has the potential to bring a small business to its knees.

Mallett said companies are surprised by how affordable cyber insurance is. Specialist policies not only cover for the cost of responding to a breach, but also the costs of damages youre legally liable to pay in the event of a breach or security failure, as well as associated legal costs.

Basic Protections

Mallett discussed some of the simple ways companies can take action to protect themselves:

Install anti-virus software or check existing software is up to date on all employees computers and laptops. It is one of the simplest ways to prevent employees downloading potentially harmful malware that could lead to a data breach. And ask your IT team to check firewall settings.

Have clear policies in place to create a cyber-conscious culture in the workplace (everything from password rules and backing up work to use of WhatsApp groups and what data employees can keep on their computers).

Check what your PII or business insurance covers and consider buying cyber insurance. This can cover the cost of responding to a breach, as well as damages, and also give you access to specialist support ensuring the breach will be dealt with in line with GDPR requirements. Make sure any cyber insurance comes with a pre-approved panel of providers who are immediately available in the event of a breach.

Source: Aon plc

Topics Cyber Profit Loss Aon
Average world temperatures are on course to far exceed the main goal set in the 2015 Paris Agreement on limiting global warming, a study showed on Tuesday [Nov. 11].

But the overshoot by the end of this century could be less severe than expected thanks to significant efforts by some countries to combat climate change, said the report by Climate Action Tracker (CAT), a consortium of three independent European research groups.

The Paris Agreement aims to restrict warming to well below two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times.

Countries are meeting in Poland from Dec. 2-14 to agree guidelines for implementing the pact which comes into force in 2020 but there are concerns these will be too weak to limit temperature rise to within safe levels.

The CAT report said there had been progress since 2015, but current policies meant the world was heading for warming of 3.3C.

That compared with the 3.4C it predicted a year ago, and it said that if governments were to implement policies they had in the pipeline, warming by 2100 could be limited to 3C.

Even a rise of 3C could cause loss of tropical coral reefs, Alpine glaciers, Arctic summer sea ice and perhaps an irreversible melt of Greenlands ice which would drive up world sea levels, a United Nations science panel has said.

The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said in October that keeping the rise to 1.5C was possible but would require rapid and unprecedented changes in human behavior.

We have yet to see this translate into action in terms of what governments are prepared to put on the table, said Bill Hare, chief executive of Climate Analytics, one of the three CAT research groups.

Since the Paris accord was agreed, countries including Argentina, Canada, Chile and India plus the European Union are moving in the right direction towards cutting emissions.

Countries such as Norway and Costa Rica are making progress with low-carbon transport and renewable energy deployment but Chinas carbon emissions rose again this year, the report said.

With prices for renewables dropping roughly a third since Paris, both South Africa and Chile are mapping out strategies to address coal, and renewables are taking off in India, said Niklas Hohne of research group New Climate Institute.

But countries including the United States, Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, Russia and the United Arab Emirates have made either no progress or taken backward steps.

(Reporting by Nina Chestney; editing by John Stonestreet and Ed Osmond)
The House cleared farm legislation that renews agricultural subsidies and food aid for low-income families without a controversial provision backed by conservatives and President Donald Trump that would have toughened work requirements to qualify for assistance.

The bill passed 369 to 47 on Wednesday, a day after the Senate passed it 87-13. The measure now goes to Trump, who has indicated he supports it.

The five-year, $867 billion legislation, which also would extend federal crop insurance, scrapped an earlier House provision that would have added work requirements for older food stamp recipients and those with older children. The provision had been included in the House version of the measure and was removed during negotiations with the Senate, where it faced opposition.

The bill requires governors to sign off on state requests for work requirement waivers in areas with high unemployment. Currently, able-bodied adults under age 50 without dependents are expected to work at least 20 hours a week or be in a training program to obtain benefits. But states can request waivers from those requirements for high-unemployment areas.

Another snag resolved by negotiators was a push by Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to enact more permissive logging regulations. Such provisions werent included in the final legislation, according to a Democratic aide.

Let us tell those farmers and ranchers and growers that are going through tough times that theyre going to be good for the next five years, Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas, chairman of the Agriculture Committee, said on the Senate Floor.

Congressional approval of H.R. 2 comes after farm programs under current law began to expire Sept. 30. We made the compromises we needed to make to get this deal done, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway of Texas told reporters last month.

Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday that the farm bill is in very good shape, and our farmers are well taken care of.

The bill found a champion in Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who cheered the inclusion of a provision that would make hemp a legal agricultural commodity, a boon to some farmers in his home state.

Under the farm bill, hemp would be removed from the federal list of controlled substances and hemp farmers will be able to apply for crop insurance. Unlike its biological cousin marijuana, hemp has industrial uses and doesnt produce a high if ingested. Proponents say it has other therapeutic uses, such as easing pain and anxiety.

A provision that would have imposed a lifetime ban on people with drug-related felonies from working in the hemp industry was reduced to a 10-year ban. The legislation also includes an exemption letting farmers already growing hemp under existing research authority continue their operations.

The bill met with opposition from Senator Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, who advocated for a provision to tighten subsidies for farmers. Instead, the bill expands the definition of family members eligible for subsidies to include first cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Final passage in the House came after Republicans attached an unrelated provision that blocks lawmakers from forcing the chamber to vote on certain Yemen legislation until a new Congress takes over in January. The provision limits lawmakers efforts to push back on the U.S. role in Yemens civil war and relationship with Saudi Arabia amid bipartisan anger over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdoms consulate in Istanbul.

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

Topics Legislation Cannabis Agribusiness Oklahoma Politics
Drilling company officials ignored multiple warnings that safety equipment at an Oklahoma gas well was malfunctioning before an explosion that killed five workers and badly injured another, the family of one of the dead workers contends in a recent court filing.

Parker Waldridges family alleges in a Dec. 4 amendment to their wrongful death lawsuit that a cascade of errors and multiple departures from safe drilling practices by drilling company Patterson-UTI Drilling led to the Jan. 22 blowout near Quinton, which is about 125 miles east of Oklahoma City.

The lawsuit alleges that at least two days before the explosion, the rig superintendent, manager and several other Patterson employees received email results of a laboratory test warning of problems with the rigs accumulator, a piece of safety equipment that closes part of the well to prevent an uncontrolled release of fluids. The warnings even came with a skull and crossbones graphic (literally), the lawsuit said.

The accumulator wasnt able to fully close the well on the day of the blast, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board found.

Patterson Drilling had the most direct control over the drilling operations and emergency response to changing conditions and failed to use ordinary care with respect to its conduct, the lawsuit alleges.

Red Mountain Energy, which owns the well and hired Patterson to work it, issued a statement saying that Pattersons gross negligence led to a terrible tragedy.

The facts cited in the amended petition demonstrate exactly which parties failed to perform basic safety procedures prior to this accident, said Red Mountain, which is also a defendant in the lawsuit.

Patterson, meanwhile, issued its own statement, calling Red Mountain Energys allegations inflammatory and blaming the company for the wells design and drilling program.

It is important to note that Red Mountain was the lease holder and operator of the well, which was drilled under its direction, supervision and control, Patterson said.

Killed in the explosion were Waldridge of Crescent; Matt Smith of McAlester; Roger Cunningham from Seminole; Josh Ray of Fort Worth, Texas; and Cody Risk of Wellington, Colorado. Autopsies determined all five men died of burns and smoke inhalation. The families of each dead worker and Kevin Carrillo, who was badly injured, have filed lawsuits over the explosion, The Tulsa World reported .

The explosion was the deadliest drilling accident since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, killing 11 people.

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Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Oklahoma
Citizens Property Insurance Corp. will file for a statewide average increase of 8.2 percent for personal lines policyholders  homeowners, condominium owners and renters.

The Florida insurer of last resorts Board of Governors on Wednesday approved a 2019 rate package that the company says reflects the continued impact of runaway litigation costs that are driving up rates across the state.

Unfortunately, our customers are paying the price for these exaggerated losses, said Gary Aubuchon, interim chairman of Citizens Board of Governors. The unnecessary increase in litigation continues to take a toll.

Citizens announced Monday that it would ask the board to approve the 2019 recommendations, which take into account policy language changes that became effective on Aug. 1, 2018. It is the third consecutive increase requested by the insurer since 2016, which it claims is related to what has become known as assignment of benefits (AOB) abuse with nonweather water losses  broken pipes, leaky washers, etc.

Citizens has borne the brunt of the abuse since 2013 and the increasing litigation surrounding those nonhurricane related claims, especially in South Florida. Through September 2018, Citizens has received 2,617 AOB-related lawsuits for the year, up from 860 in 2013, and it is on track to surpass a 2016 peak of 3,242.

The insurer said these losses have forced it to dip into surplus for each of the past four years, a trend that is projected to continue in 2019.

Litigation is a key driver behind the need for higher rates, the insurer noted. The states one-way attorney fee is also blamed for the increasing abuse.

Originally created to protect homeowners in legal matters against their insurers, Floridas well-intentioned one-way attorney fee statute has been expanded by the courts to produce an uneven playing field in disputes between insurance companies and other businesses, Citizens said in a statement.

Citizens said that despite a policy count reduction of more than 56 percent since 2013, the number of lawsuits filed against Citizens grew from 9,146 in 2013 to 10,357 for the first nine months of 2018. Private insurance companies have seen litigation nearly triple to 53,160 cases during that same period. If litigation were to return to pre-2013 levels, nearly all Citizens multiperil policyholders would see rates decrease, according to the insurer.

For 2019, the recommendation would increase rates for 97 percent of homeowners with multiperil policies. In 2015, Citizens approved rate decreases for 70 percent of its multiperil homeowners policyholders and an overall statewide decrease of 1.8 percent.

Citizens has taken a number of actions to stem the abuse, including the Managed Repair Program. The changes reduced Citizens indicated rate need  the increase necessary for Citizens rates to become actuarially sound  by 19 percent.

The good news, the insurer said, is affordable reinsurance and depopulation efforts over the past several years have reduced Citizens policy count from nearly 1.5 million in 2012 to 435,000, a reduction that has helped provide the state-run insurer the ability to pay claims following a 1-100 year storm, with ample reserves to cover a second 1-41 year event.

The rates, if approved by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, will be effective for new and renewal policies beginning Sept.1, 2019. Citizens is required by law to recommend actuarially sound rates while complying with a legislative glide path that caps rate increases at 10 percent, excluding coverage changes and surcharges.

A spokesperson from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation said OIR has not yet received the annual rate filings from Citizens, and upon receipt, it will review the filings in accordance with Florida law and conduct a public hearing.

Topics Lawsuits Carriers Trends Florida Pricing Trends Homeowners
Police at the University of Tennessee are investigating a fraternity after two women reported being drugged and sexually assaulted.

The Knoxville News Sentinel reports the university sent a safety notice Friday around the Knoxville campus, saying it happened Nov. 29 at a fraternity house and was reported by the students to campus security the next day.

Vice chancellor for student life Vincent Carilli confirmed the investigation, but declined to identify the fraternity. He said officials cant discuss specifics in order to preserve the integrity of the investigation. The newspaper reports it has requested related public records, but has yet to receive them.

It is the second fraternity investigated this fall. Earlier in the semester, Alpha Tau Omega was investigated for a scavenger hunt that allegedly targeted Asian students.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Abuse Molestation Education Universities Tennessee
The Workers Compensation Rating Bureau of California issued its quarterly experience report on Wednesday showing premium for the first nine months of 2018 was 3 percent below the same period for 2017.

The WCIRB issued a report in September that shows workers comp rates in California have been going down a while, which has had an impact on written premium.

The report shows written premium for 2017 was 2 percent below that of 2016. The decrease in 2017, which followed consecutive years of increases, was primarily driven by decreases in insurer charged rates more than offsetting increases in employer payroll, the WCIRB report shows.

Average charged rates for the first nine months of 2018 are 10 percent below those for 2017 and 23 percent below the peak in 2014, according to the report.

The Jan. 1, 2019 approved advisory pure premium rates are on average 42 percent below those for Jan. 1, 2015, the WCIRB noted.

The projected loss ratio for 2017 is 2 points above that for 2016, driven by higher medical severities for 2017 and lower premium rates, the WCIRB stated in its report. Despite the increase in 2017, projections for other years are below those projected in prior quarters as a result of favorable loss development continuing to emerge.

The projected combined ratio for 2017 is 4 points higher than 2016, as premium levels have lowered while average claim severities increased moderately, according to the bureau.

Despite the recent increase, combined ratios for 2014 to 2017 remain the lowest since the 2004 through 2006 period, the report stated.

The report also shows that indemnity claims continue to settle quicker, improving significantly over the last six years.

Related:

Topics California Trends Workers' Compensation Pricing Trends
The PURE Group has expanded its excess & surplus (E&S) high net worth offering, PURE Programs, into California.

The coverage is tailored to high value, high-risk homes with broader coverage than is typically found in the high net worth E&S market, along with access to the same claims, risk management and Member Advocate services available from the PURE Group.

Included in PURE Programs High Value Homeowners policy is extended replacement cost coverage, which provides up to 200 percent of the insured limit for non-wildfire related losses and up to 125 percent of the insured limit for wildfire related losses (with the option to purchase up to 150 percent of the insured limit for wildfire related losses), should the cost to rebuild after a loss prove greater than the limit of insurance shown on the declarations page. Also available is a waiver of the all other peril deductible in the event of a large loss; and a loss prevention allowance to help cover the cost of taking steps to prevent a loss from reoccurring.

In California, PURE Programs also offers coverage for earthquake, excess flood, jewelry, fine art and other collectibles by endorsement, and a Builders Risk policy for homes under construction or renovation.

PURE Programs customers have access to concierge-level services, including but not limited to:

PURE360 Risk Management Consultation: Designed to help determine the right amount of coverage and to educate on ways to prevent losses from happening in the first place

PUREMember Advocates: A team of professionals who deliver concierge-level service before, during and after a claim

Claims handling: When a policyholder calls to report a claim, they speak directly to a licensed in-house adjuster, which means they often tell their story once and the settlement process begins immediately.

Wildfire mitigation program: Pre-fire and emergency response services intended to reduceor even preventloss from a wildfire, including an inspection of the policyholders property to identify vulnerabilities, assistance with implementing risk prevention recommendations and requirements, and assistance from our preferred mitigation vendors if their home is actively threatened by a wildfire.

ThePURE Situation Room: An always-on resource that proactively notifies customers when severe weather threatens their home, and offers resources to help keep their home and family safe.

Catastrophe response capabilities: When a catastrophic event is forecast, our catastrophe team is deployed to the area along with emergency equipment and supplies. We have contracts in place with arborists and restoration firms, reserving them exclusively for policyholders, significantly reducing or eliminating wait time.

In addition, brokers are able to access PUREs quoting, underwriting and administrative process, agency download and a direct bill process with quarterly billing and up to 30 days to pay. In addition, brokers work directly with PURE Programs dedicated in-house high net worth E&S underwriters as well as PURE Programs policy quoting and administration systems.

In addition to California, PURE Programs is also available in Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina and South Carolina, and will be introduced in additional states in 2019. Licensed P&C brokers in these states do not need to hold an E&S License to introduce business to PURE Programs.

PURE Programs, a managing general underwriter and member of the PURE Group, is specifically designed for successful individuals and families that require non-admitted coverage. PURE Programs, LLC holds producer licenses in some, but not all states. Policies are underwritten by independent partner insurers who are rated A or better for financial strength by A.M. Best. Policies arranged by PURE Programs do not confer the benefits of being a Privilege Underwriters Reciprocal Exchange member, including Subscriber Savings Accounts.

Topics California Catastrophe Excess Surplus Wildfire
Hub International Ltd. has acquired the assets of G.P. Barich Insurance Agency Inc. in Redlands, Calif.

George Barich, president of Barich Insurance, will join Hub California and will report to Jim Jesser, executive vice president of Hub California.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Barich Insurance is an independent insurance agency providing personal and commercial property and casualty insurance, risk management and life and health insurance.

Chicago, Ill.-based Hub is a global insurance broker providing property/casualty, life and health, employee benefits, investment and risk management products and services.

Topics Mergers California
Vancouver, British Columbia - December 13, 2018 (Newsfile Corp.) (Investorideas.com Newswire) Nicola Mining Inc. (TSXV: NIM), (the "Company" or "Nicola") is pleased to announce positive field reconnaissance and grab sampling results ("Sampling Program") along with the completion and interpretation of an induced polarization survey ("IP survey"). The IP Survey and Sampling Program are part of the Company's 2018 Exploration Program at its wholly-owned New Craigmont project, as explained in its May 1, 2018 news release. The permitted mine project is located on the historic Craigmont Copper Mine, located approximately 15 km from Merritt, British Columbia.

The IP Survey totaled 8.55 line-kilometers over two areas of interest while the Sampling Program focused on historic showings exhibiting porphyritic characteristics within the northern portion of the property.

Marb Zone Field Sampling

Field reconnaissance and grab sampling focused on the historical MARB showing to review outcrop exposure and validate previously sampled outcrops. A total of 5 samples at the MARB Zone were collected with the results summarized in Table 1.

Table 1. 2018 Grab Samples with Assays * Datum-NAD 83 UTM Zone 10N

** The Company is currently in the process of confirming ratios of magnetite and hematite as part of iron composition on the property. In addition to recovery ratios of the copper, magnetite and hematite, Nicola is reviewing the potential use of magnetic conveyor systems to upgrade material.

Key takeaways of the grab samples are the following:

The MARB showing has elevated copper grades within favourable intrusive host-rock for a porphyry system.

Sample ID 1446404 occurred within basalt lithology (extrusive) while the others were all diorite (intrusive).

Follow-up detailed outcrop mapping plus potential drilling and IP will be planned for 2019 to further explore the MARB showing.

Induced Polarization Survey

A ground IP survey, which captured chargeability, resistivity and magnetic data was designed in 2 parts: as a westward continuation of the 2017 lines over Craigmont West (Embayment and Titan Queen) testing an interpreted increase in chargeability to the west; and second, over a magnetic-high at North Promontory (MARB) that has outcrop exposure with visible surface mineralization and elevated copper assays.

Table 2. IP Survey Line Details

Scientific and Technical Information

All information of a scientific or technical nature contained in this document, including sampling, analytical and test data has been reviewed and approved by Kevin Wells, P. Geo., a consulting Geologist to Nicola Mining. Wells is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Sample Preparation, Analysis and Quality Assurance/Quality Control

Nicola Mining applies a thorough quality assurance/quality control program at the New Craigmont Project compliant with industry best practices. A qualified geoscientist has logged and sampled all core and samples have been delimited according to lithologic, alteration and mineralization characteristics. This includes systematic insertion of blank, duplicate and certified reference materials into the sample batches by Nicola's geological staff. Core is then halved, where the sample is placed in a labelled sample bag with sample tag and the other half of the core is retained on site as a physical record. Samples are placed in sealed bags and transported to Actlabs (ISO 17025 Certified) in Kamloops, British Columbia for analysis, following a Chain of Custody. Samples are crushed up to 80% passing 2mm, rifle split (250 g) and pulverized to 95% passing 105 m. Samples are analyzed using Aqua Regia-ICP-OES 38-element (1E3) packages. All samples greater than 10,000 ppm Copper are tested using over-limit mass spectrometry methods (8-AR). All results included in this release have passed the QA/QC procedures as described above and have been reviewed by Kevin Wells, P.Geo. There are no known factors that could materially affect the reliability of data collected and verified. No quality assurance/quality control issues have been identified to date.

About Nicola Mining

Nicola Mining Inc. is a junior mining company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange and is in the process of recommencing mill feed processing operations at its 100% owned state-of-the-art mill and tailings facility, located near Merritt, British Columbia. It has already signed four mill profit share agreements with high grade gold producers. The fully-permitted mill can process both gold and silver mill feed via gravity and flotation processes. The Company also owns 100% of Treasure Mountain, a high-grade silver property, and an active gravel pit that is located adjacent to its milling operations.

About New Craigmont

The New Craigmont Project (the "Property") is a wholly-owned copper property with an active mine permit (M-68), located within the world-class Highland Valley porphyry district. It benefits from excellent infrastructure. The Property is at the corner intersection of the Nicola and Guichon batholiths, of which the latter is the precursor to mineralization at Highland Valley. In November of 2015, Nicola became the first group in decades to consolidate ownership of the Property and has been actively conducting mineral exploration since.

There are currently no mineral resource estimates on the Property. Historical "non-NI 43-101" resource calculations are recorded in internal memos and geological reports for Placer Development. An internal memo written by J.F. Bristow on October 30, 1985 to Craigmont Mines Ltd. reported a zone known as Body No. 3 containing a historic estimate of 1,290,000 tons (1,170,268 metric tonnes) of copper grading 1.53% copper. This estimate assumes a 0.7% copper cut-off and a 20-foot mining width between drill sections 6565E and 8015E. The material in Body No. 3 contains mineralization primarily in silicate-rich rocks.

Additionally, J.F. Bristow reported in an internal memo on July 22, 1985 to Craigmont Mines Ltd., a rough calculation of 60,000,000 pounds (1.6 million short tons or 1.45 metric tonnes) of +1.5% copper from an original ore estimate of 27,754,000 short tons (25,178,005 metric tonnes) of copper grading 1.79% copper left behind in the sub-level cave. In addition, the Bristow report highlights a 50.0 million tonne halo grading greater than 0.4% surrounding the high-grade underground ore body.

It should be noted that these historical estimates do not meet the requirements needed to conform to National Instrument 43-101 standards. The Company notes that an independent Qualified Person has not done sufficient work to verify and classify the historical estimates as current mineral resources and is therefore not treating the historical estimates as current mineral resources or mineral reserves. For further details on the Property, see the technical report entitled "TECHNICAL REPORT on the THULE COPPER - IRONPROPERTY, Southern British Columbia, Canada", filed on May 8, 2013 on Sedar at www.sedar.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Peter Espig"

Peter Espig

CEO & Director

For additional information

Contact:

Peter Espig

Phone: (778) 385-1213

Email: info@nicolamining.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange or 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.

DISCLAIMER FOR FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

All statements in this release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, including statements that address future exploration and drilling plans, including with respect to the 2018 DD Program; the expected information to be derived therefrom; and potential mineralization. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "project", "predict", "potential", "targeting", "intends", "believe", "potential", and similar expressions, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "should", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievement of the Company to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. Such factors include, among others: changes in 2018 DD Program parameters as plans continue to be refined; risks related to the interpretation and actual results of historical exploration at the Property; reliance on technical information provided by third parties, including access to historical information on the Property; current exploration and development activities; current economic conditions; future prices of commodities; possible variations in grade or recovery rates; failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; the failure of contracted parties to perform; labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry; and delays in obtaining governmental approvals, financing or in the completion of exploration. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking information is provided as of the date hereof and accordingly is subject to change after such date. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information included in this news release, except as required by applicable securities laws.

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Vancouver, British Columbia - December 13, 2018 (Newsfile Corp.) (Investorideas.com Newswire) Golden Share Resources Corporation (TSXV: GSH) ("Golden Share" or the "Company") is pleased to provide the results from its Annual and Special Shareholders' Meeting (the "AGM") held on December 12, 2018 in Markham, Ontario.

A total of 19.42 million common shares, representing approximately 50.44% of the Company's issued and outstanding common shares, were voted in connection with the AGM. Golden Share shareholders voted strongly in favour of each item of business put before the AGM, with over 99.81% of the votes being cast in favour of each of the appointment of Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton LLP as auditors, the approval of the Company's rolling stock option plan, the reduction of the stated capital on the Company's common shares, the approval of the Company's energy storage business spinout (the "Spinout"), the grant of a 1% royalty to Keystone Associates Inc. and the election of each of Zhen Huang, Wes Roberts, David Graham and Nick Zeng as directors for the ensuing year.

In accordance with the interim order from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice issued on October 22, 2018, the Spinout receive the required shareholder approvals, being 66 2/3% of the votes cast by the Golden Share shareholders who voted in person or by proxy at the AGM and a simple majority of the votes cast by "minority" Golden Share shareholders (excluding votes cast by any "non-arm's length party" to Golden Share).

Golden Share will make application to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice for a final order approving the spinout on December 14, 2018 and expects to complete the Spinout on or about January 7, 2019.

For more information on the Spinout, please see Golden Share's press release of October 15, 2018.

About Golden Share

Golden Share Resources Corporation is a junior natural resource company focusing on mineral exploration in the province of Ontario, Canada, a mineral rich and politically stable jurisdiction.

WARNING: Certain statements in this press release may be forward-looking, including those with respect to the date of the completion of the Spinout. Although the Company believes the expectations reflected in such statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurances that its expectations will be achieved. Such assumptions, which may prove incorrect, include that no legal, financial, technical or other obstacles will delay or prevent the completion of the Spinout. A description of other risks affecting the Company's business and activities appears on pages 16 to 18 of its 2017 annual management's discussion and analysis, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Additional risks relating to the Arrangement and to Harmony Energy Technologies Corporation's business are set forth in the management information circular sent to Golden Share shareholders in connection with the AGM. No assurance can be given that any events anticipated by the forward-looking information in this press release will transpire or occur, or if any of them do so, what benefits the Company will derive therefrom. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements in order to account for any new information or any other event, except as required under applicable law. The reader is warned against undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

This press release does not constitute an offer of securities by Golden Share, Harmony Energy Technologies Corporation or any other party for sale in the United States, nor may any securities referred to herein be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration as provided in the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") and the rules and regulations thereunder. The securities referred to herein have not been registered pursuant to the Securities Act and there is no intention to register any of the securities in the United States or to conduct a public offering of securities in the United States.

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.

For more information, please visit www.goldenshare.ca or contact:

Golden Share Resources Corporation

Nick Zeng, President & CEO

Tel: (905) 968-1199

E-mail: info@goldenshare.ca

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

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SAN DIEGO, Calif. - December 13, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Vetology Innovations, LLC, an advanced technology company serving the veterinary industry, is scheduled to attend the 2018 Fetch! DVM 360 Conference in San Diego, California from Dec. 13-16 and will debut the industry's first radiology-focused artificial intelligence (AI) solution.

Team members from Vetology will be located at booth 1026 in Hall B2. Conference attendees stopping by the booth will be able get live demos of Vetology AI, the company's AI radiology software, a first-of-its-kind tool that provides veterinary professionals with automated diagnostic analysis of patient radiographs.

The AI-powered cloud-based software was launched by Vetology earlier this year and is a resource designed to help veterinarians evaluate radiographic studies.

Key features of Vetology AI include automated heart evaluation tools, like heart size evaluation and Vertebral Heart Score calculation, comparative image matching across millions of unique X-Ray images and guided access to hundreds of thousands of clinical cases housed in Vetology's database.

"With Vetology AI, we are pioneering the next generation of tools for veterinary medicine. We've received an overwhelming amount of interest since launching this product and are excited to put it in the hands of veterinary professionals attending this year's Fetch conference," said Dr. Seth Wallack, DACVR, founder of Vetology Innovations. "Terms like artificial intelligence can sound daunting, however, by having a hands-on experience, we know attendees will walk away with an understanding of how easy the technology is to implement in a hospital setting and the unique benefits for veterinarians and patients."

The AI software developed by Vetology utilizes artificial neural networks, which are trained on known normal and abnormal x-ray images. Through this specialized machine learning process, the software is able to alert a veterinarian to potential medical abnormalities without human oversight.

With Vetology AI heart evaluations, veterinarians are able to upload an image and receive a report in less than 90 seconds, allowing for more immediate feedback on heart cases.

Conference attendees visiting Vetology's booth will be able to sign-up for a free 30-day trial of the AI software. Additionally, visitors can receive free swag like branded backpacks and mousepads.

Vetology AI includes image storage, unlimited automated heart size evaluations and automated Vertebral Heart Score calculations. Additionally, sign up is simple and can be completed online at https://ai.vetology.net/. This technology cost-effectively answers a rising unmet demand in the veterinary industry as more owner's request, and progressive veterinary hospitals deliver, a constantly advancing level of veterinary care.

About Vetology

Founded in 2010 and headquartered in San Diego, California, Vetology provides innovative and emerging technology solutions for the veterinary community. The company serves nearly 3,000 veterinary hospitals worldwide and offers SAAS products that facilitate the highest quality of patient care and services.

For more information about Vetology AI and the company's products, visit https://ai.vetology.net or for other company products visit https://vetology.net

Vetology is a registered trademark of the Veterinary Imaging Center of San Diego, Inc.

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After two-and-a-half years of utter chaos, the Brexit situation took it to a whole new level this week, with the cancellation of the vote on the withdrawal agreement and then the long-awaited  and inevitable  challenge to Theresa Mays leadership of the Tory party.

It is extraordinary to hear a senior Tory party member coming on RTE radio apologising to its listeners and stating her deep level of embarrassment for what is going on in the UK.

Of course, we have also witnessed a few Tory members letting slip what they really think of us Irish. They are expressing a view that we should still be subject to Her Majestys realm and behave in a subservient fashion, as befitting our status in life.

The irony is that after the events of the past two and a half years, and unfortunately one suspects there is a lot more to come, nobody in the UK political system can afford to point a finger at anybody. Its political system has been shown to possess a very high level of dysfunctionality.

The class exuded by John Major in Ireland this week is a sad reminder of what is missing from the current UK political system, but of course at the time of his leadership he was fatally harangued by the euro sceptic wing of the Tory party.

No matter what happens over the coming weeks and months in relation to Brexit, the matter will not end there. The current chaos will leave a very deeply divided political system and society. It does not bode well for the future governance of Britain and this could ultimately do untold damage to it. Perhaps the EU will ultimately be better off without the UK. Ireland wont.

Our social, cultural and economic links to the UK are still very strong. For the indigenous Irish economy, the UK is the most important export market and is a very significant source of revenue for the tourism sector. Inside or outside the EU, the UK will remain an important trading partner for Ireland.

Hence, if the UK economy is not performing well, it will obviously have negative implications for Ireland.

We also got a foretaste, this week, of what could happen sterling in the event of a hard Brexit. The financial markets correctly believe that a hard exit would not be good for the UK economy and its currency is reflecting this. There could be much worse to come.

For businesses on both sides of the border, these are worrying times. This week, the ESRI published its latest prognostications for the Irish economy in 2019, and not surprisingly it presents a pretty upbeat assessment of the Republics immediate prospects.

However, it also warned that a no-deal Brexit could halve Irelands growth next year

While economic forecasting, by its nature, is a waste of time, it is hard to argue. Sterling would likely fall sharply in value.

The immediate shock to the UK economy would be immense and negative. The impact on business and consumer confidence in Ireland could be very significant.

Eventually, the Irish economy would adjust to a new and tougher trading relationship with the UK, but the transition would be difficult.
Germany is trying to mitigate market turmoil from the UK leaving the EU without a deal by giving British financial firms a chance to continue operations in the country and making relocation more viable.

As the bloc girds itself against potential fallout from the UKs political crisis, chancellor Angela Merkels cabinet approved new rules that allow Bafin, Germanys financial regulator, to set transition arrangements for UK banks, insurers, and other financial companies to the end of 2020.

Germany also sought to boost its appeal as a banking hub by loosening its rigid hire-and-fire laws for top dealmakers.

Germany urged British MPs to accept the deal thats been agreed with the EU, as the only alternative is a disorderly exit.

The countrys export-led economy is particularly exposed to trade disruptions.

We dont have much time, but we do still have a little bit of time, chancellor Merkel said in remarks to politicians in parliament in Berlin.

The only thing I can tell citizens in Germany is that were working hard on ensuring an orderly Brexit and that, in parallel, were preparing for the eventuality that it wont be orderly

Under the draft legislation, Germany will let UK-based financial institutions continue EU passporting rights to then end of 2020. The extensions are to maintain existing contracts and will be granted by Bafin on a case-by-case basis.

In addition to possible disruptions for individual companies from a no-deal Brexit, the mass ending of financial-market contracts, or their transfer to companies that have the required permits, could also lead to market turmoil and cause risks for financial-market stability, the draft legislation says.

Germany is also easing job- security rules for senior financial executives at large, system-relevant firms.

For managers with a base salary of more than 234,000 in western Germany, employers no longer have to legally justify the grounds for a termination.

It will thereby be easier for these institutions to separate from their managers to avert risk for the overall financial system, according to the finance ministry.

Meanwhile, a decision about delaying the UKs exit beyond the scheduled March 29 date  nor of publishing formal or legal assurances to the prime minister over the backstop issue  can be made until January, EU diplomats said. An emergency summit might need to be called in the new year to do that, one said.

The EU has long thought that keeping Theresa May in her post was the best chance of getting the Brexit deal approved and preventing a disorderly exit by the UK. However, officials in Brussels and national capitals believe they have gone as far as they can and are wary of interfering in domestic politics at such a sensitive time.

One senior diplomat said the EU considered UK politics an absurd drama and patience was wearing thin.

With huge opposition to the transition agreement among UK MPs, the EU says its open to providing some additional language but wont unpick the draft treaty.

We do not have any intention of changing the exit agreement, Merkel said in parliament in Berlin.

That is the general position of the 27 member states and in that sense it cannot be expected that we will emerge from the debates with any changes

May was due to join the other EU leaders for a summit in Brussels starting later today.

EU leaders plan only a limited response this week. They will issue a statement following their discussion which might provide help to get the withdrawal agreement eventually passed in the UK parliament but European diplomats acknowledge privately that any steps they take are unlikely to be enough to win over UK MPs.

They say that contingency planning for a no-deal outcome is now well under way.

As time is running out, we will also discuss the state of preparations for a no-deal scenario, European Council president Donald Tusk said in a letter to leaders ahead of the summit.

While the EU is open to providing fresh assurances over the backstop agreement that aims to prevent a hard border in Ireland, they wont reopen negotiations on the substance of the deal. And they wont make the backstop temporary.

Bloomberg
Anthony Doyle from Arklow in County Wicklow has won Energias 'Irelands Most Christmassy Home 2018'.

Following a national public vote of entries from all across Ireland, Anthony took the lead for his display of lights and Christmas decor.

Of the 2299 total votes cast, 654 voted for the winner.

In a closely run competition, Phil Corcoran and Paddy Toner from Lucan in Dublin and Bernie Carroll from Bruree in Limerick were second and third.

In recognition of his victory, Energia will donate half of the 3,000 to Arklow Community First Responders and the other half to Arklow RNLI, Anthonys charities of choice.

The runner-ups chosen charities will each receive 2,000 and 1,000 respectively.

The national competition to find the best-decorated home in Ireland at Christmas time started on Monday, November 19 and entries were received from all across Ireland.

Energia then chose the top six based on decoration design, use of space, festive spirit and wow factor, which included homes from Dublin, Limerick, Wexford and Wicklow.

Ross OMullane, Marketing Manager Energia, said:

We would like to congratulate Anthony and all the entrants who participated in this years competition. With entries from all across Ireland, the level of effort and creativity for such worthy causes makes the competition worthwhile.

We are delighted to have the opportunity to make a contribution to Anthonys chosen charities, Arklow Community First Responders and Arklow RNLI on his behalf.

"We would like to wish everyone a happy Christmas from the Energia team, and we look forward to 2019s competition."
Almost all school leaders think that teachers are involved in making important school decisionsbut just over half of teachers would agree.

Thats according to a new survey from the RAND Corporation. In May 2017, researchers surveyed RANDs American Educator Panel , a nationally representative group of teachers and principals, about a variety of topics, including teacher influence. The survey was administered online, and 18,354 teachers and school leaders responded.

Past research has found that when teachers have decision-making roles outside of the classroom, their students perform better on state tests . But the RAND study revealed a disconnect between the leadership opportunities principals think theyre providing, and how teachers perceive their own influence in schools.

The RAND study also found that almost all school leaders agree or strongly agree that teachers have a lot of informal opportunities to influence what happens at their school, but just 62 percent of teachers would say the same. And 31 percent of teachers said they are not comfortable voicing concerns about their schoolsbut 97 percent of school leaders said that teachers in their schools are comfortable sharing concerns.

Researchers said the divide between teacher and principal perceptions remained after controlling for school and district demographics.

Why the perception gap? The researchers posited that it could be because principals are thinking of the small subset of teachers who do have leadership roles in their school, rather than the broader teacher workforce.

Another possibility is that teachers and principals have different philosophies about how much influence teachers should have in school governance. Teachers have long said they want meaningful leadership roles outside of the classroom , and researchers wrote that they could feel stifled and frustrated by what they see as a lack of opportunitiesbut principals might think that teachers have plenty of room for influence. Finally, the two groups could have different definitions of what constitutes an important school decision in the first place.

Regardless, researchers wrote that the disconnect may foster professional stagnation and frustration.

We encourage school leaders to critically examine the leadership opportunities they believe

they are providing for their teachers and establish systems and structures that foster regular dialogue about important school decisions, the researchers wrote.

Image via Getty; chart via RAND
| BY Ricki Green |

Director Hyun Lee has joined the roster at Curious Film.

As a young filmmaker, Lee has already managed to create a bold and impressive body of work thats distinctively her own. Her signature flair for stylistically vivid and complex compositions is exemplified in Lees slick, horror short film, Asian Girls. The short was selected to have its premiere at the internationally renowned SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas earlier this year.

It proceeded to have further screenings across the US and Europe, including major film festivals such as the Palm Springs Short Film Festival, London Short Film Festival and Encounters in Bristol, England. Lees unique horror was also well received in Australia, screening at the Melbourne and Sydney Film Festivals where she was a finalist in the Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films.

Following on from her success with Asian Girls, Lee has completed her second short, the beautifully poignant, broken-fairytale French Girls, and created another buzz-worthy music video for electro-pop musician Rainbow Chan. With her background in art and fashion photography, Lees enigmatic work has appeared in publications such as Ruins Magazine (London), the FdeC Reader (Tokyo) and 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Arts 4A Papers (Sydney).

Lee rounds-off a busy 2018 with the announcement that Curious Film will now represent the evocative director.

Says Kate Roydhouse, executive producer and managing director, Curious Film: Hyun is a truly talented and inventive filmmaker. Ive been so struck by her intricately crafted, visually powerful scenes that really stay with you. Were delighted to have Hyun as part of the team.

Says Lee: Im so excited to have this opportunity with Curious and I feel privileged to be represented among some great filmmakers whose work I love.

View Lees work here.
Calling all Young Offenders fans, there is some good news about to come your way.

The Young Offenders lads are back on our screens for a one-off Christmas special over the festive season.

Christmas is a time for giving. But when you've got **** all, it's also a time for taking.

Queue the usual mischief and mayhem that the Cork duo are guaranteed to find themselves in.

"Christmas is a time for giving. But when you've got **** all, it's also a time for taking."



The Young Offenders Christmas Special, on BBC Three this Friday. pic.twitter.com/1SGdjHB9Ki  BBC Three (@bbcthree) December 12, 2018

Production on the holiday special recently wrapped up in Cork with local people featuring throughout.

A public call was made earlier this year for extras in the highly anticipated second season which attracted so many applications, that the site crashed.

The Young Offenders Christmas Special features Love/Hate star Robert Sheehan who can be seen baring all during a protest in the sneak peek clip released by BBC Three.

We can't wait for ya all ta see it! Our Irish fans can see us on @RTEOne on Christmas Day at 10.35 too! https://t.co/w4upq1fmZm  The Young Offenders (@YoungOffenders_) December 12, 2018

The special will broadcast on BBC Three this Friday, BBC One at 11.15pm on December 23 and will be shown on RTE at 10.35pm on Christmas Day.
A marriage counselling service which became entangled in a row over assisting same-sex couples is to close its doors, with its staff being made redundant.

The Irish Examiner revealed last October that the Cork Marriage Counselling Centre was at loggerheads with the Child and Family Agency, its principal funder, over the terms of new service level agreements which specified that counselling must be available to same-sex couples.

Tusla confirmed at the time it was withdrawing its funding to the CMCC, with no resolution to the issue despite months of talks.

This paper now understands that redundancy letters were issued to staff at the Cork city-centre facility on December 1, and that it will cease operating on December 19.

One staff member, who did not wish to be named, said they were disappointed that a centre which had operated for many years, and had worked with same-sex couples, was having to close.

The CMCC is a service of Cork & Ross Social Services and has been operating since the 1970s. It typically dealt with 1,800 clients annually and had been in receipt of between 250,000 and 300,000 a year in funding from Tusla.

However, with the passing of the marriage equality referendum, agreements had to be updated to reflect changes in the law  spelling out that same-sex couples must also be catered for by marriage counselling services if they are to continue to receive funding.

In a statement issued in October, the Cork and Ross Social Services CLG said the pulling of funding by Tusla  which accounted for 50% of the CMCCs running costs  put staff at risk of redundancy.

Following engagement with Tusla and the receipt of legal and financial advice, CRSS CLG was unable to sign the Tusla service level agreement, it said at the time.

The constitution of CRSS CLG sets out the objectives of the company which must be in accordance with the policies of the Diocese of Cork and Ross. Legal advice is that this particular provision means that CRSS CLG is precluded from subscribing to the service level agreement with Tusla and that, were they to ignore this provision, the directors of the company would risk being found personally liable for the consequences of so doing.

Additionally, the terms of the licence for the use of its premises state that the ethos and activity undertaken by CMCC cannot be inconsistent with the ethos of the Diocese of Cork & Ross.

The centre employed 13 people and one staff member said it had never turned away same-sex clients. They also queried why the CMCC was closing when other counselling services with a Catholic ethos remained open.

Efforts by this paper to obtain confirmation from Cork & Ross Social Services in relation to the impending closure were unsuccessful.
Fianna Fail have agreed to support Leo Varadkar for another year in power without securing any promises or concessions in exchange.

In a gamble that threatened to alienate some of his backbenchers and grassroots supporters, Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin has staved off an election until early 2020.

Citing the threat of significant chaos that Brexit poses, Mr Martin said business as usual is not acceptable and while in normal times it would be the right thing to call a general election he said the national interests must be put ahead of party politics.

Tanaiste Simon Coveney said the new deal, which is a simple extension of the Confidence and Supply agreement with no extra caveats, was good for both parties and for the country.

The timing of this announcement is important, at a time when clearly there is a lot of uncertainty around Brexit and the British political system, the Irish political system has responded in the way that it should, said Mr Coveney.

But Fianna Fail members were last night split over the agreement, with some angered that no new demands had been made or obtained in the process. Others noted that they had already been put under pressure from grassroots members who believe the three-budget Confidence and Supply agreement has damaged the party.

Announcing an extension of the deal to include support for an emergency legislation or supplementary budgets that may be required if Britain crashed out of the EU, Mr Martin admitted it was a very difficult decision that some members of his party would not be very happy with.

Mr Martin said anxiety levels within the general public have risen considerably in the past six weeks as uncertainty looms around Brexit and any extension to the deal which was hammered out after the 2016 election would not have even been contemplated if this had not been the case.

A party source said that while no additional stipulations had been forced on Fine Gael, Fianna Fail would be ensuring that all aspects of the original confidence and supply agreement are introduced and teams for both parties will be meeting every eight weeks to ensure this is enforced.

Mr Martin said his party would also be looking for agreement on the passage of a number of pieces of legislation.
Nine Irish flight routes have been named among the most disrupted flights in Europe  but the UK and Italy have the worst air record. The new study of global flight data through 2018 by AirHelp ranks the 50 most disrupted flight paths in Europe.

Travellers heading to Dublin from Eindhoven and from the John Paul II International Airport KrakowBalice are among the top 10 most delayed air passengers. Just over two-thirds of these passengers arriving to Dublin from the Dutch and Polish cities were delayed more than 15 minutes or had their flights cancelled.
Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin has rejected claims he has signed up to a 'cowardice-and-surrender' deal with Fine Gael which risks destroying his party after a colleague hit out at the spring 2020 confidence and supply deal extension.

Mr Martin defended the criticism, by insisting the deepening Brexit crisis had left him with no other option than to put the country first, after Deputy John McGuinness said the deal risks putting the party "in a straitjacket".

After Fine Gael and Fianna Fail confirmed midweek the extension of the agreement, Mr McGuinness said the decision ignores the pressing issues facing 'real people' in Ireland.

He told RTE Radio's Today with Sean O'Rourke programme "this deal puts us in a straitjacket - it is not the right kind of politics" and further claimed "people will feel abandoned by the party"if implemented.

In a later exchange on social media website Twitter, Mr McGuinness warned the party leader: "the deal you did is now being described as the cowardice and surrender agreement".

Mr Martin, who's attending a side-meeting in Brussels of the EU summit with ALDE umbrella group allies, rejected the claims and insisted he was right to have put the country first.

"I've spoken to many, many, TDs," he said. "John [McGuinness] made his vision clear month ago, in fact from the outset I think he was against confidence and supply.

"I respect his opinion but the majority of the party in the conversations I've had were supportive of the stance I took. Of course, not everybody is happy in the heat of raw political battle in terms of wanting to contest and wanting to engage.

"But, since Brexit happened, politics has been overshadowed by the implications and it's out of that reality the decision we have taken has been based," Mr Martin said.

"I stand by my decision" to extend the confidence and supply deal until spring 2020, adding "you've got to take the overall view".

Asked if he is gambling on the public ultimately thanking him for putting country-before-party when a general election eventually arrives, Mr Martin said "I'm not a gambler" and added he did not have a "poker face".

Meanwhile, at a separate EU summit media briefing, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar confirmed he has given no "promises" to Fianna Fail as part of the agreed extension.

While stressing he did not think the country would thank either party for causing an election at this time, Mr Varadkar said he would not rule out a snap election before the spring 2020 deal concluded.

"I can't guarantee it because it's not my call, Fianna Fail could still pull the plug that could arise, but I don't see any indications of them doing that," the Taoiseach said.

"I cannot give you that absolute guarantee, but I can certainly say it's not my intention to cause an election because it's my strong belief we have work to do around Brexit."
The National Lottery is concerned about the growth of 'bet-on-lottery' operators, where players can bet on a draw without buying a ticket.

An independent survey by Indecon Economic Consultants has found that Ireland has one of the highest rates of awareness of bet-on-lottery websites.

However, only 6% of respondents had actually placed a bet on a lotto draw.

The National Lottery returns 85% of its revenue to the community either through prize money or donating to good causes.

The report was conducted for the National Lottery to asses the socio-economic impact of the lotto in Ireland.

It found that it contributed to more than 1.9bn to consumer spending in 2017, with the returns to the exchequer at 101m.

It also found that the National Lottery supports around 17,000 jobs through its funding, yielding incomes of over 564m.

8.8bn has been returned to the community in prize winnings in the period from 1987 to 2017, and 452m was paid out in prizes last year.

Chief Executive of the National Lottery, Dermot Griffin, says when you bet on the lotto, you are not supporting the community.

"I think for us to remind consumers that when they're spending on National Lottery here's what happens the money: There's a knock-on effect on positive consequence for the community in playing the National Lottery and playing our games," he said.

Launching the report today, Mr Griffin said that the report reflects the deep impact of the Lottery on Irish life.

This is the first detailed analysis of the impact of the National Lottery in Ireland in several years and the findings showcase its importance to communities and economic life all over Ireland," he said.

The National Lottery is embedded in Irish life and its tangible positive impact is clearly laid out in this report.

"We are very proud of and grateful for the role participants in the National Lottery play and value it creates across Ireland, and want to ensure this impact is sustained and increased over the coming years.
Pupils have been returning to one of the last two Dublin primary schools which were partially closed due to structural works.

They are among 22 schools built for the Department of Education by Western Building Systems where precautionary measures have taken place since difficulties emerged in October.
| BY Ricki Green |

On Tuesday night Gabberish, creative therapy for creative minds, hosted a different kind of therapythe kind that comes from enjoying cold drinks in good company.

Sponsored by Esther Clerehan, AIRBAG and Sample Brew, and hosted by Jacky Winter Group at Lamington Drive, the evening was a colourful celebration of the creative publications first year and its many contributors.

Since Gabberish launched in February more than 80 creatives from around the country have helped make it a positive place from which to work through some of the issues faced by the industry. Editors Siobhan Fitzgerald and Jess Lilley spoke of their gratitude for the efforts, humour, creativity and honesty that these people have brought to the table.

The duo are looking forward to an exciting 2019 and have plans to use the Gabberish platform to create work for the greater good. And hopefully have some more parties, too.

Check it out and sign up to the newsletter at gabberish.com.

Follow on Instagram @thegabberish
Rents are continuing to rise but at a slower pace according to the latest rent index from the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB).

It shows that rents nationally increased to 1,122 per month between July and September, a 78 increase compared to the same period last year.

The average rent for Dublin was 1,620, an increase of 141 last year.

Dublin and the greater Dublin area accounted for 45% of all tenancies.

Rents in Limerick City have been growing most rapidly, increasing from 830 to 928 year-on-year.

Outside of Dublin, rents were highest in Galway City at 1,187 per month. In Cork City rents stood at 1,172 while they were 638 in Waterford City.

Three of the cities experienced a double-digit year-on-year increase  Limerick (11.8%), Dublin (11%) and Waterford City (10%).

The year-on-year change (1.3%) was lowest in Galway City where rents increased from 1,172 to 1,187.

It also shows that rent increases for existing tenancies (5.4%) were lower than for new tenancies (8%) year-on-year.

According to the index, the results indicate that Rent Pressure Zones are having a braking effect on the level of increase.

The index, compiled together with the Economic and Social Research Institute, is based on 25,448 new tenancies registered with the RTB in the same quarter.

Despite high rental prices and record demand, the number of landlords is falling.

The number of tenancies has fallen by 8,829 and there are 1,778 fewer landlords than in 2015.

Director of the RTB, Rosalind Carroll said the pace of rent increase under existing tenancies was well behind that of new tenancies.

It showed that Rent Pressure Zones were working much better within existing tenancies but there was still more to do in respect of new tenancies.

The number of landlords continues to decrease and this was a matter of deep concern said Ms Carroll.

If we are to meet demand and ensure a well functioning rental sector, then we need more landlords and different types of landlords to offer market options.

With many landlords leaving, it is an increasing strain and pressure and this must be addressed.

Dublin is experiencing the most acute rent pressures with fewer than 15% of tenancies agreed at less than 1,000 per month, compared to 70% of tenancies in other parts of the country.

We can also see the Dublin rental sector is dominated by apartments (73%) compared to less than one-in-two elsewhere, said Ms Carroll.

It was crucial, she said, that new legislation coming into effect next year, empowers the RTB to investigate and apply sanctions in cases where landlords are increasing their rents above Rent Pressure Zone Limits.

Standardised average rent for new tenancies was 1,208 a month and for existing tenancies, it was 956, compared to 1,190 and 936 respectively between April and June this year.

It also emerged that tenancies are lasting longer with a higher proportion of properties  one in four, renting for over 12 months.
By Vivienne Clarke

Update: The head of advocacy with Focus Ireland, Mike Allen, says that the changes in the way homeless figures are monitored has caused unnecessary confusion.

Many people who are no longer deemed homeless still have support workers and are counted when they move out of homelessness, said Mr Allen.

The Minister gratuitously introduced a lot of confusion. There was no reason to change, he told RTEs News at One.

He was replying to a question about the accuracy of homeless figures following claims by Sinn Fein that there are 12,805 people accessing emergency accommodation while the latest Department of Housing figures says there were 9,724 accessing emergency accommodation in October - including 3,725 children.

Mr Allen said he did not wish to be drawn into politics, but it was his experience that the figure was well above 10,000.

He pointed out that there are now 4,000 emergency beds in Dublin, 50% more than there were in 2016, but providing emergency beds is not the answer to homelessness, he said.

Homes are the answer. They are not building them fast enough or in sufficient numbers.

Mr Allen also said there had been some scaremongering about families having to move from hotels that will close for Christmas. All the families involved will be moved to other emergency accommodation, he said.

Earlier: Sinn Fein claims nearly 3,000 hidden from homeless figures

Around a quarter of homeless parents are aged between 18 and 24.

New research commissioned by Focus Ireland shows they are often stigmatised and find it extremely difficult to find a home.

Some young parents often leave their own home because of overcrowding and conflict.

But then they find it extremely difficult to find somewhere to rent as they have no references for landlords, so they end up in emergency accommodation.

Niamh Lambe from Focus Ireland said young families struggle in hotel rooms.

She said: "They are living in very cramped conditions. They may have been displaced from their home of origin, they may be travelling across the city to get to schools.

"Their cooking facilities may not be there, no space to store anything, to do homework and so on."

The latest homeless figures show just over 9,700 people were in emergency accommodation in October but Sinn Fein claims the figure is around 3,000 more than that.

Their housing spokesperson Eoin OBroin is accusing the Government of deliberately hiding some people from the statistics.

Mr O'Broin said: "So these people are homeless and all of the State agencies, bar the Department and all of the academic experts and NGOs who work in this field are saying the same thing."

When it comes to young homeless parents, the author of this Focus Ireland research, Dr Sharon Lambert, said society needs to stop saying "well why did they have children if they cant afford it?" and show some compassion.
A man who stole luggage from a bus baggage-hold on four separate occasions ended up leaving some of what he had taken at another bus stop.

Johannes Jacobs, who previously lived at College View, Cappagh West in Ballyvourney in Co Cork, stole luggage from four different people, three of them tourists, all on the same Tralee-to-Cork bus route.

The 41-year-old South African national, who has been living in Ireland for the past two years, pleaded guilty to all four charges at Bantry District Court.

Sgt Brian Harte told Judge James McNulty that on August 10 last Mr Jacobs was seen on CCTV "loitering" at Tralee bus station, before taking a French woman's rucksack from the luggage hold of a bus. The value of the stolen property in that case was 200.

On the same day, another person travelling to Cork from Tralee put his shoulder bag, which contained a laptop, in the luggage hold and when Mr Jacobs got out in Ballyvourney he took it. The value of the stolen property was 750.

Then, on August 17, a Dutch tourist in Killarney placed a bag including a laptop, with a total value of 800, on the bus and when Mr Jacobs got out in Ballyvourney, he took the bag.

On September 12, a Canadian tourist placed her bag, worth 700, on the bus in Killarney and CCTV was used later to identify Mr Jacobs as the man who took it.

Sgt Harte said that when gardai searched Mr Jacobs's home the lost property was not found and he did not co-operate. The court heard that the total value of the stolen property was 2450.

Mr Jacobs's solicitor, Ray Hennessy, said his client had been short on funds and had engaged in "daylight robbery, caught on camera". He said Mr Jacobs had been in custody since Wednesday last week and has already offered 500 in compensation, with a guarantee of another 500 to follow.

Mr Jacobs has no previous convictions and Mr Hennessy said his initial lack of cooperation was down to fear and that he "did not handle it well".

Judge McNulty said the crimes were "low, mean and despicable" and were committed against entirely innocent people. He noted that some were tourists and that the incidents would have "thoroughly ruined" their stay.

When he queried where the stolen property had gone, Mr Hennessy said: "You won't believe this - he left it at a bus stop." He added it was "the most ridiculous thing imaginable".

On the first charge from August 10 last Judge McNulty jailed Mr Jacobs for seven days, a sentence deemed to have been served by his period of detention since his arrest.

On the second charge, the Judge sentenced Mr Jacobs to 30 days in prison, citing the need for penalties to include retribution, rehabilitation, restitution and deterrence.

For the offence in which the Dutchman's bag was taken, he sentenced Mr Jacobs to six months in prison but suspended it for two years on a bond to keep the peace, and included a special condition that he provide 2,450 to Gardai to compensate all four victims as soon as possible.

On the last offence, he sentenced Mr Jacobs to six months in prison, also suspended for to years on the same conditions.

Recognisance for an appeal was set at 500, all cash.
A controversial wind farm faces being dismantled after a ruling from An Bord Pleanala that it didnt have planning permission.

A spokesperson for Waterford City and County Council (WCCC) has told the Irish Examiner that it intends to immediately commence enforcement action against the owner of Barnafaddock Wind Farm in the west of the county.

Last weekend, An Bord Pleanala ruled that the 11-turbine farm was operating illegally with blade diameters of 103m instead of the 90m for which it was given planning permission.

The ruling came at the end of a three-year battle by local residents who investigated the farm after complaining of noise pollution. Sean and Catherine Harris and their neighbour Ronald Krikke discovered the longer blade lengths but the local authority only took action on the matter 12 months after being informed of the discrepancy.

During the An Bord Pleanala inquiry, it emerged that the developer had received a letter of comfort from WCCC in 2013 allowing for the longer blade lengths without applying for planning permission. The engineers representing the developer submitted that the new blade length did not constitute a development because it had been given the go-ahead by the local authority.

However, An Bord Pleanala rejected this defence and ruled that the longer blades were not exempt from planning. The council now intends to force the developer to remove the longer blades.

The planning authority intends to immediately commence enforcement action against the wind farm developer in order to regularise the matter, the spokesperson said.

Whether or not it will be possible to replace them with the shorter blades is unclear. Another issue that may arise is whether the developer will consider taking legal action against the local authority on the basis of the letter of comfort giving the go-ahead for the longer blade.

Barnafaddock Wind Farm is currently owned by international investment fund Blackrock Assets. A spokeswoman for Blackrock said it is not in a position at present to comment on the matter.

Local resident Sean Harris welcomed the news that the local authority intends to take immediate action.

From what I can see, we would say that this wind farm is now an unauthorised development, therefore action needs to be taken to remedy the matter, he said. He also said the local authority has questions to answer.

We would be very disappointed with the planning department, they gave us the runaround for two years and they knew this all along, but we would hope at this stage they would see to do the right thing.
Galway County Board chairman Pat Kearney has described as damning the findings of an independent audit of Galway GAA finances, which was presented to club delegates on Tuesday night.

The audit, carried out by Mazars on behalf of Croke Park, concluded that there had been no oversight of financial policies in recent years. No Galway GAA officer, past or present, was mentioned in the report, nor was there any figure provided as to the amount of money which was mismanaged.

Galway chairman Pat Kearney said there was no finding of malpractice. Instead, widespread poor practice was highlighted.

One of the chief recommendations arising from the audit was the creation of an operations manager position, to be filled by someone with a background in accounting and finance. The full-time post of Galway secretary was vacated by John Hynes in September and Kearney has suggested this position may be downgraded to a voluntary role, with the allocated secretarys wage being diverted to the new operations manager. The chairman is hopeful of filling this new post in the spring of 2019.

The findings were pretty damning, in a way, Kearney told Galway Bay FM yesterday. They said there was no clear oversight of financial policies in Galway. They looked at ticketing processes, gates processes, credit cards, treasury management, financial control and sponsorship issues. They said we really need to improve on our working procedures going forward. We are a 5m industry in Galway.

We must have the proper and appropriate financial oversight in place. We have to try and improve ourselves, going forward.

Kearney continued: Galway GAA is a huge operation and finance is one element of it, which we have to ensure we get right. Delegates were upset. People who have given their lives to GAA were disappointed to see that things werent done as they thought they should have been done. We are in good shape now, but well be in better shape next year and the year after.

Delegates from 62 of the 81 clubs in Galway attended Tuesdays meeting. Also present was GAA director of finance Ger Mulryan.

The Galway executive committee met last night to prepare a detailed statement which is to be delivered at next Mondays Galway GAA convention. The countys finances for this year, to be outlined next week, are expected to make for positive reading.
Residents who brought their legitimate concerns about a wind farm to a local authority should have been treated with respect, says Special Correspondent Michael Clifford.

Is it the job of planning authorities to facilitate wind farm development? Or should the focus be on scrutinising that they comply with the law?

The questions may well be asked in light of a decision from An Bord Pleanala last week. The board ruled that a wind farm in Co Waterford was operating with rotor blades that were longer than specified in the planning permission.

As a result, the wind farm constitutes a development that has not received planning permission. That of itself would be a worrying development, suggestive of a lax attitude towards the operation of wind farms.

Much worse though is evidence that the local authority actually permitted the developer to bypass the law and subsequently gave affected residents the runaround when they raised the matter.

Barnafaddock wind farm is located in mountains above Ballyduff Upper, a picturesque village that nestles at the foot of the Knockmealdowns in west Waterford. It consists of 11 turbines, three on Coillte lands, and the remainder sited on private holdings.

Planning permission for the farm was granted to Irish developer Element Power in 2013. It included a stipulation that the diameter of the rotor blades on the turbines on the private lands not exceed 90 metres.

In 2014, the farm was sold to US industrial giant GE Electric. Operation of the turbines began in 2015. The following year it was flipped again, this time to international investment firm Blackrock Assets.

The farm began operation in 2015. Later that year local residents Ronald Krikke and Sean and Catherine Harris noticed that the noise pollution from the farm was worse than they imagined. After a period, they undertook their own noise survey.

Subsequent to that, Mr Krikke physically measured the blade on one of the turbines. It appeared longer than 90m. He wrote to Waterford City & County Council (WCCC) and received a reply on September 20, 2016.

There have been no agreements between the wind farm and the council that constitute an aberration from An Bord Pleanala planning conditions, the mail from the councils planning office confirmed.

He informed them of this new discovery. When he received no response initially, he persisted with it.

The shocking main issue here is that the 13 metre increase (15%) in blade diameter is a big deviation from the planning conditions that has not been signalled by your office, and whereupon no action has been taken, he wrote.

Whatever the reasoning for not doing so, it should be remedied and acted upon immediately by your office. Hence I request that your office will do an immediate check on the compliance regarding the material conditions for blade diameter

Eventually the council agreed to undertake a survey. That found that in fact the blades were 103m long and not 90m, an increase of 15% which would result in a corresponding increase in the energy generated.

WCCC referred the matter to An Bord Pleanala to determine whether the longer blades constituted a development. If so, it would constitute an unauthorised development for which there was no permission.

During the course of the planning boards inquiry it emerged that there was more to this story. In its submission to the board, WCCC stated that: The deviations as described have been brought to the attention of the planning authority by the residents in the area over the last two years. In particular the issue of the increased blade length has been brought to its attention in the last year.

This was contradicted by Fehily Tomony, the engineers acting for the developer.

The above statement may give the incorrect impression that WCCC were not aware of the change in blade length before 2016. We refer to the compliance response of 2013 in which WCCC confirmed firstly that they noted the developers intent to install a 103m-diameter turbine and secondly that WCCC agreed that same was in compliance with the 2011 permission.

In other words, the council gave the go-ahead for the longer blade. This was in contravention to the permission granted by ABP. Not only that, but the council was telling An Bord Pleanala that the first it knew of the longer blade was when the residents discovered it.

Another outcome of this farrago was that the council unquestionably gave the runaround to the residents, failing to inform them that they were well aware of the deviations from planning permission.

On Friday evening last the board issued its ruling that the longer blades did constitute a development and were not exempt from planning permission.

Waterford CCC has informed the Irish Examiner that its response will be to immediately commence enforcement action against the developer.

The reaction from the developer will be interesting. (A spokeswoman said Blackrock was not in a position to give any comment at this time.) A local authority that gave the go-ahead to use longer blades is now signalling it will close down the operation because the longer blades were used.

The role of WCCC, and by extension, local authorities in general, must also come under scrutiny following the planning boards ruling. Various resident groups around the country have repeatedly criticised positions taken by local authorities in relation to wind farms. Usually, the criticism is that the local authority is not acting as an independent arbiter but actually facilitating the wind farm developer. Some of this criticism is unfair but there is certainly evidence in a number of cases  including Barnafaddock  that would act as a ballast to residents suspicions.

It could be argued that local authorities have a direct, vested interest in the development of wind farms. The developments contribute generous rates to the local authorities, providing a stream of direct income.

Also, wind energy is a key part of a national policy designed to concentrate on renewables in a time of worrying climate change. Against that background, local government may not at times be in a position to see the wood from the trees when it comes to carrying out its statutory functions.

None of that, however, can excuse the runaround that was given to Mr Krikke and the Harrises. As residents who brought legitimate concerns to the local authority they were entitled to at least expect that they would be treated with respect and not deflected and delayed as they were.

Lessons really need to be learned from this experience if confidence is to be placed in the handling of wind energy projects throughout rural Ireland.
How sad it is that in two separate cases revealed by Noel Baker in this newspaper, the High Court has given leave to the parents of autistic four-year-old children to apply for aggravated damages against the HSE because they claim their kids diagnoses were delayed.

Meanwhile, several cases already brought to court this year have resulted in the HSE being directed to carry out assessments of need within six weeks.

The Disability Act of 2005 established a statutory right for children with a suspected disability to have an assessment of need carried out within three months of them presenting to services and for a care plan to be delivered within three months thereafter, including all the necessary documentation to access a care plan.

This is cloud cuckoo land for most of the parents of autistic kids I meet and I meet a lot of them through the social club for ASD kids where I bring my own autistic teen.

The statistics back up this anecdotal evidence. Noel Baker found 3,662 overdue assessments of need in the system by the end of October last.

Do you understand what this means?

It means that fully thousands of children with suspected autism or other disabilities which dont admit a simple diagnosis are having their legal right to services denied them.

In some cases, this delay in providing services to a young child will impact the childs development for life

In all cases, the delay will cause confusion, pain, suffering and fear.

Parents who are worried their precious baby may have a lifelong disability are suffering enough already. They dont need to be put through any more stress.

The issues these kids have wont just disappear if they are ignored for long enough. They will mostly get worse. They will certainly be less understood and so cause more pain and suffering, both to the children and their parents.

Diagnosis is the hardest part of the jigsaw for a parent to find.

I remember my attempts to have my son diagnosed just over a decade ago with a mixture of anger and gallows humour.

We spent fully two years in with a HSE multi-disciplinary team being told that the problem was caused by the family. A social worker informed me that the clinic believed all problems come from the family. I was told to see a psychotherapist. One social worker said my problem was my traditional role in the home. No-one visited that home and no-one asked why the three other children showed not one single sign of the behaviour which troubled the son in question.

Autism was firmly ruled out for my son because he engaged in symbolic play. I was asked to enter him on an international register for childhood schizophrenia an understanding of autism which went out in the 1960s.

In the end I went to a private psychiatrist who charged me 200 for a diagnosis of autism in a process lasting minutes. I presented this piece of paper to the State services who confirmed the diagnosis.

This pantomime was staged after legislation had been passed guaranteeing me a timely AON and timely intervention.

AsIAm welcomes @roinnslainte's two reports on autism in Ireland published this week, but cautions that unless an inclusive, measurable autism strategy is developed, the autism community faces yet more disappointment. Read our statement here - https://t.co/gkjyH7YrOc  AsIAm (@AsIAmIreland) December 6, 2018

I took no case but it was inevitable that others would because I have heard versions of my story and much worse repeated back to me multiple times.

What is behind the States appalling delay in laying out a clear and rational care pathway for kids who have a disability such as autism? An unwillingness to commit resources to people who can be helped but not cured? Who dont block beds? Who dont die of their condition?

Autism, ADHD and similar disabilities cant be diagnosed with a simple test but internationally-agreed diagnostic procedures are in place.

The HSE knows all of this. They have just published a review of the health services for people with autism and a study of its prevalence in Ireland, reckoned at 1.5 percent of the population.

They also find that about 50% of the ASD population also has an intellectual disability

The message comes back again and again: we need a clear pathway to diagnosis and care; a one stop shop for information an information pack on diagnosis; a liaison officer to stay with families through the journey. Instead what we have is a crazy patchwork quilt of services, some of them excellent, spread unevenly across the country. This is a quotation from an article I wrote here last year but it is presented in the HSEs report as coming from a respondent.

I meant it. It is important to underline that some of our services and our service providers are indeed excellent. Some of them are generously funded.

The issue is that there is no clear pathway to accessing those services and no rationale as to who gets them and who doesnt.

There is no sense that Progressing Disabilities, the HSEs masterplan for disabilities, is going to make things better. As rationalisation will mean kids with different disabilities will access services together, my son faces exiting his excellent, autism-specific clinic and returning to the very clinic which spent two years trying to pin his issues on our parenting style and childhood schizophrenia.

Both the current minister for health, Simon Harris, and his predecessor but one, James Reilly, have close relations with ASD but this has brought no urgency to getting to grips with the issue.

Senator James Reilly was out promising that his Autism Spectrum Disorders Bill, which would guarantee a strategy providing a clear pathway to diagnosis and care within two years, would be law before Christmas. That was last Christmas.

Meanwhile up North, where there is no parliament and politics is a boring game of cowboys and Indians, there has been an Autism Act since 2011 and a sophisticated approach to diagnosis is taken, with cases first screened for complexity by primary care workers before progressing to disability services if necessary.

This is international best practice but would require liaison between primary and secondary care services which we dont have

Come to think of it, we dont have State-wide, free primary care services at all, do we?

Ah well, we dont have much of a problem with autism compared to the North where the prevalence is reckoned at 2.9% and is 31% higher than average among the least advantaged.

I wonder could the difference between them and us have something to do with the fact that for them, diagnosis is easier to come by?

Wouldnt it be better to provide a clear pathway to diagnosis and care and find what our true rate of autism is in clinics across the country rather than in the courts?
Revelations about child sexual abuse in the Irish scouting movement are truly shocking.

Three hundred and 17 alleged victims have come forward and 212 alleged perpetrators identified, and these figures may rise substantially. This is yet another dreadful scandal. It should call into question the continued existence of Scouting Ireland and the broader scouting movement.

We should begin by examining the roots of the scouting movement, and its original raison detre

It was founded by Robert Baden Powel, a British colonial army officer who became a British media hero because of his alleged heroic defence of the town of Mafeking during the Boer War. However his military competence was questioned by his superiors and he was subsequently removed from active service command. We must question also the wisdom of regimenting young children with all the trappings of military units, including uniforms, flags, insignia, ranks and blind obedience, when we should be encouraging children to think for themselves and develop their own particular skills, rather than have someone elses skills and ethos imposed on them. There has been no adequate accountability for most of the previous scandals in Ireland, and the taxpayers have been repeatedly forced to pay compensation.

Many of the perpetrators escaped punishment because far too many were complicit in cover-ups so that many perpetrators had died of old age before their crimes were exposed. The Irish Government and the board of Scouting Ireland should be actively considering disbanding Scouting Ireland both as an exemplary action to prevent further similar abuses and because it has proved to be not fit for purpose.

Edward Horgan

Newtown

Castletroy

Limerick
| BY Ricki Green |

Blue 449s corporate social responsibility program, SPARK has been building momentum quietly since its inception and this year the agency will be handing over a cheque for $67,864 to Sydney Childrens Hospitals Foundation. This money will go to towards the funding of much needed equipment for the hospital.

Says Duncan Parfitt, managing director, Blue 449: Blue 449 staff at all levels are engaged in using their initiatives to lead fundraising with innovation, creativity and enthusiasm and the team are clearly motivated by the impact they have through their fundraising efforts. The funds raised to give back to the hospital has been phenomenal.

Yesterday a group from Blue 449 were invited to attend a day at the hospital as part of SCHs 12 Days of Christmas. This allowed them to see first-hand how their donations are positively affecting the childrens lives. The program included a day of volunteering, interacting and taking part in activities with patients, staff and families.
Asia Pakistan Denounces Blacklisting by US for Religious Freedom Violations

Supporters of Muslim Student Organization (MSO) chant slogans during a protest after the Supreme Court overturned the conviction of a Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy against Islam, in Islamabad, Pakistan on November 2, 2018. / Reuters

ISLAMABAD, PakistanPakistan on Wednesday denounced the United States for placing it on a list of countries violating religious freedoms, calling the designation politically motivated.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday added mainly Muslim Pakistan to the US list of countries of particular concern, which have violated religious freedoms or tolerated abuses against religious groups.

The move is likely to put further strain on relations between Islamabad and Washington, which have repeatedly clashed over how to deal with Islamist militants waging war in Afghanistan.

Pakistans addition to the list comes despite efforts to end what in recent years has been its most controversial case involving a member of a minority religion.

The Supreme Court in October acquitted a Christian woman held on death row for more than eight years on a charge of blasphemy that she denied. The acquittal sparked days of violent protests by hardline Muslims.

Pakistans foreign ministry said preserving the rights of minorities was a cardinal principle of the constitution, and it denounced the inclusion on the US list.

Pakistan rejects the US State Departments unilateral and politically motivated pronouncement, the ministry said in a statement.

Last year, the United States put Pakistan on a watch-list of countries that violate religious freedom.

This year came the designation, along with Myanmar, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

Pakistan was created out of Muslim-majority areas in colonial India in 1947, and for decades portrayed itself as a progressive Islamic nation.

Starting in the 1980s, however, it has drifted towards a more conservative interpretation of Islam that has reshaped the political landscape, fueled militancy and cowed champions of tolerance and members of minorities into silence.

The vast majority of Pakistans 208 million people are Muslims, with minorities accounting for about 4 percent of the population, including Christians, Hindus, Sikhs and members of the Ahmadi Muslim sect, who say they are singled out for persecution.

Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari said Pakistans inclusion on the US list was pure political blackmailing and an attempt by the United States to pressure Pakistan to implement US policy goals in Afghanistan.

Pompeo urged countries on the list to increase respect for religious freedom.

In far too many places across the globe, individuals continue to face harassment, arrests, or even death for simply living their lives in accordance with their beliefs, he said in a statement.
Asia Vietnam Seeks Arrest of Activist Over Facebook Posts

An internet user browses through the Vietnamese government's Facebook page in Hanoi on Dec. 30, 2015. / Reuters

HANOI  Police in Vietnam have issued an arrest warrant for an activist accused of trying to overthrow the state by posting pro-democracy materials on Facebook.

Nguyen Van Trang, a member of the banned group Brotherhood for Democracy, posted articles, photos and videos on his Facebook account that distorted the policies of the Communist Party and state, and incited people to protest, the Ministry of Public Security said on its website.

Despite sweeping economic and social reforms in Vietnam, the ruling Communist Party retains tight media censorship and does not tolerate criticism.

Several Brotherhood members have been jailed this year since the group was formed in 2013 to build multi-party democracy in the Southeast Asian country.

Trang left his home in the northern province of Thanh Hoa and his whereabouts are unknown, the ministry said. The arrest warrant was issued on Dec. 5.

Anyone has the right to arrest the suspect and escort him to the nearest police station, it said.

Facebook is widely used in Vietnam and serves as the main platform for dissidents. The government said last month it wants 50 percent of social media users on domestic social networks by 2020 and plans to prevent toxic information on Facebook and Google.
Asia Weeding Out Foreigners: Strains over Thailand's Legalization of Marijuana

Small marijuana plants grow in a lab at the new Commercial Cannabis Production Program in Ontario, Canada on October 9, 2018. / Reuters

BANGKOKThailand is set to become the first Asian country to legalize medical marijuana, but a battle is brewing between local and foreign firms over control of a potentially lucrative market.

With parliament set to approve the legislation as early as next month, Thai businesses and activists have raised concerns that a raft of patent requests filed by foreign firms could allow them to dominate the market and make it harder for researchers to access marijuana extracts.

Granting these patents is scary because it blocks innovation and stops other businesses and researchers from doing anything related with cannabis, said Chokwan Kitty Chopaka, an activist with Highlands Network, a cannabis legalization advocacy group in Thailand.

We were very shocked to see this because it would be like allowing them to patent water and its uses, Chokwan said, adding that applicants are seeking patents for plant-related substances, which are not allowed under Thai law.

Opposition to foreign firms has threatened to stall the legalization process, with researchers and civic networks threatening to sue the government if the patents are granted, according to media.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has been urged to issue an executive order to end the impasse, but a national government spokesman said there were no plans to do so yet.

We will proceed normally through the Commerce Ministry first. We must let everything proceed without harming peoples rights, said Puttipong Punnakanta.

Thailands move to allow the use of marijuana for medical and research purposes follows a wave of legalization across the globe, including in Colombia, Israel, Denmark, Britain and certain US states. Uruguay and Canada have gone one step further and also legalized recreational use.

Thailands neighbors Malaysia and Singapore are in the early stages of debating whether to legalize medical marijuana, but it is a sensitive issue because the drug remains illegal and taboo across much of Southeast Asia.

The region has some of the worlds harshest penalties, including lengthy prison terms for possession of drugs in Thailand, and capital punishment in Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia for trafficking. In the Philippines, thousands of people have been killed since 2016 in President Rodrigo Dutertes anti-narcotics crackdown.

Among a handful of foreign companies that are looking to enter the Thai market are British giant GW Pharmaceuticals and Japans Otsuka Pharmaceutical, which have jointly applied for marijuana-related patents.

Representatives for GW Pharma and Otsuka declined to comment on their applications.

We havent seen progress on our patent registration maybe because many people are opposed to allowing foreign drugmakers to enter the market. I feel like we are seeing a high bar on this, said one foreign company official, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Part of Thai culture

Thais used marijuana in traditional medicine for centuries before it was banned in 1934. Farmers were known to use it as a muscle relaxer after a day in the fields and it was reportedly used to ease womens labor pains.

In fact, the word bong, which describes a water pipe often used to smoke weed, comes from the Thai language.

Experts say Thailand, already a regional hub for medical tourism, has a combination of factors working in favor of legalization, including a tropical climate that could allow for cheaper production of marijuana than, for instance, in Canada.

Businesses want to use this to cash in on what Deloitte says could be a global legal medical cannabis market worth more than $50 billion by 2025.

For Thai Cannabis Corporation (TCC), a majority Thai-owned entity that is waiting for legalization to obtain a license to sell cannabis-derived ingredients to manufacturers, the move would be a return to centuries-old tradition.

The attitude is that its already a part of traditional medicine  and we should ensure that Thais can control their own industry, said Jim Plamondon, marketing head of TCC, which is currently not in business.

The government earlier this year rejected calls to decriminalize recreational use of the drug.

Instead, the new law will reclassify marijuana as a narcotic whose extracts can be used in traditional Thai medicine, and to treat drug-resistant epilepsy and pain and nausea in cancer patients.

Research will be permitted into the use of marijuana to treat Parkinsons and Alzheimers disease, according to Dr. Sophorn Mekthon, chairman of the Government Pharmaceutical Organization.

What is most important in the whole debate is the accessibility of medical marijuana to patients, he said.
Burma Indian President Expresses Support for Myanmar During State Visit

President U Win Myint and Indian President Ram Nath Kovind at the formers office in Naypyitaw on December 11, 2018. / State Counselors Office

YANGONThe visiting Indian President Ram Nath Kovind has expressed his support for the Myanmar government during a state visit this week amid growing domestic and international pressure.

The president is on his first official visit to Myanmar at the invitation of President U Win Myint for a five-day trip which began on Monday and will conclude on Friday.

In India, we are aware of the challenges Myanmar faces in taking forward the peace process, national reconciliation and economic recovery. I want to tell you that the government and people of India stand by you, said the Indian president at a dinner hosted by President U Win Myint on Tuesday.

India is in full support of Myanmars peace process and in preserving the unity and territorial integrity of the country, he said.

For without that, India cannot succeed in its effort to bring development, prosperity and connectivity to our citizens in the northeast, which borders Myanmar, said the Indian president.

President U Win Myint said he was grateful that India attaches a high importance to its relations with Myanmar in its foreign relations based on its Act East Policy and Neighborhood First Policy.

The two presidents witnessed the signing of two memoranda of understanding between the two governments on cooperation in science and technology and in conducting judicial training and capacity building for Myanmar judges and law officers.

Late last year, the two countries signed the Rakhine State Development Programme, designed to assist the Myanmar government in building housing infrastructure in Rakhine State for the return of the displaced Rohingya. The first phase of the project is to see the construction of 250 units.

During the Indian presidents visit, the Indian Ambassador to Myanmar, Vikram Misri, officially handed over 50 of 250 units of prefabricated houses to Union Minister U Win Myat Aye.

The Indian President also held talks with State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, focusing on promoting ties between the two countries and cooperation in a wide range of sectors.

As of Dec. 1, the Myanmar government is offering a visa-on-arrival policy for Indian travelers to Myanmar who arrive by air.

It is however not clear if Indias president will meet Myanmars army chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing.

The presidential visit follows the visit of Indias prime minister Narendra Modi to Myanmar in September last year and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi visited India in January this year for the India-ASEAN Commemorative Summit.
Burma Three Armed Groups Offer to Stop Fighting, Enter Peace Talks

Members of the Peace Commission, seated at the table on the right, meet with representatives of the AA, MNDAA and TNLA in Mongla, Shan State, on Aug. 9. / Peace Commission / Facebook

CHIANG MAI, Thailand  Three ethnic armed groups based in northeast Myanmar said they were willing to stop fighting and enter formal negotiations after meeting with members of the governments Peace Commission on Wednesday in Chinas Yunnan Province.

The military has been reluctant to enter formal peace talks with the three groups  the Arakan Army (AA), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and Taang Nationalities Liberation Army (TNLA)  unless they vow to give up their armed struggle.

China has been brokering informal talks between the Peace Commission and the three groups  all part of Myanmars seven-member Northern Alliance  since last year, with monthly meetings since August.

We desire to solve the ongoing war, conflict and political problems through negotiations. We desire to take a political approach instead of a military approach and will first stop military actions in order to be able to achieve peace, the three groups said in a joint statement after Wednesdays meeting.

They said they hoped the military would also make an effort to end the fighting.

The Peace Commission welcomed the news

Negotiations will continue with the TNLA, AA and MNDAA in order to reach bilateral ceasefire agreements and have political discussions with them, it said in a statement of its own on Wednesday.

Commission Secretary U Khin Zaw Oo took to Facebook to express his satisfaction with their efforts since 2016 and to thank their partners.

Our journey is not yet within reach but it is not too far, he said in a post to his page.

The military has been in recent clashes with the AA in northern Rakhine State and with the TNLA in northern Shan State, according to the two armed groups.
Commentary Peace Commissions Acceptance of Three EAOs Deserves Praise

TNLA troops march on the groups Armed Forces Day in Mongton Township, northern Shan State, in 2015. The TNLA is one of three ethnic armed organizations recently invited to participate in the peace process by the Myanmar Peace Commission. / Reuters

Many observers of the peace process were pleased by the Myanmar Peace Commissions announcement that an alliance of three ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) would join the process.

The peace deal between the Myanmar Army and the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA), Arakan Army (AA) and the Kokang-based Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) is the result of about two years of negotiations in China. The talks were stalled for a long time over the Myanmar Army (or Tatmadaw)s insistence on using the word disarm in the final statement.

The three EAOs have a genuine desire to participate in the peace processinstead of using armsto solve political conflicts, according to the commissions statement, which was published after the three groups issued their own joint statement saying they welcomed the Union governments positive steps toward peace and national reconciliation.

Their statement said the three groups wished to solve political conflict through dialogue. They said they would halt military operations, and hoped the Myanmar Army would do the same in order to work for peace.

Some peace observers are puzzled by the Myanmar Armys decision to sign an agreement with these three groups. The Army has been bitterly opposed to them for a long time. Many government troops have died fighting them, especially in the Kokang region and in northern Shan State, in recent years. The Myanmar Army earlier called them terrorists.

The three EAOs were formed after Myanmar embarked on political reforms under the democratically elected government. The Myanmar Army refused to recognize the three armed groups, rejecting the idea that they needed to fight for ethnic rights under a democratic government.

There are several reasons for the Armys reluctance over the years to recognize these groups. One is that it would not be simple for them to return to their ethnic regions if they were recognized by the Myanmar Army. For example, the AA might one day be able to return to the Arakan region, but they are currently based in Laiza, Kachin State.

Also, the three armed groups are militarily strong. For example, the TNLA has about 6,000 armed forces, while the AA has about 4,000.

And while they formed relatively recently, their ground fighting skills are good; the Myanmar Army suffers a lot of casualties whenever it fights against them. Bringing them back to the negotiating table is a positive development, but it remains to be seen whether the fighting can be brought to an end any time soon in northern Shan and Arakan State.

The peace process in Myanmar depends heavily on the approval of the Myanmar Army, despite the lead role played by the National League for Democracy (NLD)-led government at peace talks. We all should welcome the Peace Commissions move, however.

There are many things the Myanmar Army will need to change if it wants peace. But the peace process is almost at a standstill now that the Karen National Union has suspended its participation. Tensions mounted recently when the Myanmar Army told the ethnic armed groups they need to promise not to secede from the Union, and that there can be only one army in the country.

The KNU is unhappy with the Tatmadaws influence over peace negotiations. The Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) has also announced that it will not attend Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee meetings, as it feels there is not a level playing field when it comes to negotiating peace.

Many ethnic armed groups have been asking the Myanmar Army for a long time to let the three armed groups participate in the peace process. The Peace Commissions acceptance of the three could be good for the peace process as a whole, as it may encourage the KNU to return. However, there could be political issues behind the acceptance of the three groups.

Fighting has been frequent recently in northern Shan State between rival ethnic armed groups; the Tatmadaw has stayed away from this fighting. The RCSS has fought with an alliance of the TNLA and the Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP). Fighting between rival EAOs boosts the Myanmar Armys image, as in the past most clashes have involved the Tatmadaw fighting with one or more EAOs.

If the TNLA reaches a bilateral agreement and signs the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement with the Myanmar government, there will likely be even more fighting between the TNLA and the RCSS over territory. In this way, the Myanmar Army may not have to fight their enemies, but can simply allow rival ethnic armed groups to kill each other; but this looks bad for the country.

Another reason the Tatmadaw and government may be more keen to accept these three armed groups now is that they are members of the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC), led by the United Wa State Army. The FPNCC has seven members including the Kachin Independence Army, the National Democratic Alliance Army and the SSPP. The Myanmar Army and the government may be hoping that if the AA, TNLA and MNDAA are allowed to participate in the peace process, the rest of the FPNCC members will be encouraged to follow them.
| BY Ricki Green |

Full service creative agency Town Square has appointed former Cummins&Partners and Clemenger BBDO Melbourne executive Lauren Fry as account director for its APT Travel Group (ATG) client.

For the past three years Fry was senior integration manager at Cummins&Partners where she worked on the rebrand and CRM for Energy Australia and the rebranding of Crown, in addition to Movember. At Town Square she will work across ATG brands including APT, Captains Choice and Travelmarvel, which the independent agency has managed for 11 years.

Starting her advertising career as a receptionist at Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, Fry was made an account executive within three months before being promoted to account manager where she worked on the highly awarded Bonds Boobs campaign and Mars Petcares global platform Feed the Good.

Says Danielle Moeller, partner and director at Town Square: We continue to attract experienced people from some of the most awarded and recognised agencies in the country. Were delighted Lauren is joining our growing team to bring her expertise in leading the ATG business.

In August, Clemenger BBDO Melbourne planning director Neville Doyle joined Town Square as chief strategy officer and Jane Callister was appointed managing director from The Core Agency.
Students from grades five to eight participated in a number of workshops on cyber bullying. staying safe online and cyber security as part of a Digital Smarts Day organised by Singtel Optus on Wednesday.

The students, from across Melbourne, were taken to La Trobe University, for the free interactive program which is meant to help them lean how to be safe, responsible and thrive in the digital world.

Optus sustainability director Helen Maisano said: Digital Smarts Day is developed from the Optus Digital Thumbprint program. We partner with Kids Helpline for primary school students and we also deliver Digital Thumbprint for secondary school students. Our aim through these free, interactive in-school programs is to support young Australians with the knowledge and practical advice for a positive online experience.

The Digital Thumbprint program empowers young people to stay safe online and through it more than 100,000 students have learned to be safer and smarter online.

With the demand for cyber skills and cyber jobs growing rapidly, we placed a strong focus on cyber security this year, expanding Digital Smarts Day by partnering with La Trobe Universitys Cyber Faculty and including content from the Optus Cyber Security Experience powered by Life Journey. This cross-sector collaboration means that students can learn, at a young age, the skills and qualities that will help them thrive in the digital world," Maisano added.

Optus' Alison Polyik, students from Macleod College, Optus cyber security expert Stewart Hayes and Dr Alex Ng, lecturer in cyber security at La Trobe University.

Students explored careers with Optus cyber security professionals and heard first-hand from students undertaking La Trobe Universitys under and post graduate courses in cyber security.

While the digital world presents significant issues such as cyber bullying, it also provides countless benefits and opportunities. Events such as Digital Smarts Day and our ongoing programs within primary and secondary schools provide young people with practical strategies to navigate risk and important insights to prepare for the cyber jobs of tomorrow."

La Trobe University vice-chancellor Professor John Dewar said the Digital Smarts Day program was aligned with La Trobes expertise in cyber security research and teaching.

We are delighted to partner with Optus on this important program which will not only help young people become responsible digital citizens but will also open their eyes to the wealth of exciting future job opportunities in the rapidly evolving field of cyber security, he said.

Students who choose to study one of La Trobes own wide-ranging cyber security degrees learn from research experts at the top of their game in disciplines spanning cyber intelligence, information technology, cyber-crime and cyber law  all areas in demand from employers in Australia and across the world.
The world's biggest porn site, Pornhub, has issued its yearly report and the figures therein (traffic, not humans) are something for which every publisher on the face of the Earth would kill.

The site saw 33.5 billion visits, a number that assumes gigantic proportions (no pun intended) when one takes into account the fact that the population of the planet is about 7.5 billion.

Visits from Australian IPs were ninth in the list of countries. The US was at the top by a big margin from the UK, followed by India, Japan, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Australia and the Philippines.

Average daily visits were 92.5 million and the report said that was now up to 100 million, meaning that it was akin to the entire populations of Canada, Poland and Australia visiting the site every day.

The site handled 30.3 billion searches, or 962 searches per second. The report says Pornhub's amateurs, models and content partners uploaded 4.79 million new videos which worked out to more than a million hours of screentime.

To put that in perspective, the report said: "If you were to start watching 2018s videos after the Wright brothers first flight in 1903, you would still be watching them today 115 years later!"

There was a total of 4403 petabytes of data transferred by the site, or about 575MB of data for every citizen of Planet Earth. Looking at in terms of time, that meant 147GB per second, 529,900GB per hour or 12,700,800 GB per day, meaning more bandwidth than consumed by the entire Internet in 2002.

The most watched video on the site remains one detailing the antics of one Kim Kardashian, clocking in at 195 million views. The report said 63,992 new visitors visitied the site every minute, 207,405 videos were watched, with 55 being of the Kardashian video, and 57,750 searches were carried out.

Each minute 12 new videos and two hours of content were uploaded while 7708 GB of data was transferred globally.

US President Donald Trump, whose presence is visible in many areas worldwide, is not forgotten on the site, with the name of his one-time mate, Stormy Daniels, being the top star searched for in 2018. Daniels was the 671st ranked star among search terms the previous year, making it a meteoric rise (again, no pun intended).

The full report is here.
The Google Cloud Platform has been added to the list of certified cloud providers for unclassified government workloads, the Australian Cyber Security Centre has announced.

In a statement on Thursday, the ACSC said the Platform joined 12 existing providers that met government standards for managing data storage at the minimum government security standard known as "Unclassified".

Government agencies can obtain the certification report from Google to understand the residual risks, non-compliance with the Information Security Manual, mitigations and guidance in the event that they wish to use the Cloud platform.

Certification for the Certified Cloud Providers List is based on principles and policies laid out in the country's Protective Security Policy Framework and the ISM.

The ACSC said it had applied its assessment process to the Platform's ability to meet required security standards in a number of categories.

The ACSC Certified Cloud Services List. Courtesy ACSC

ACSC chief Alastair MacGibbon said: "Google sought entry into the certification program for hosting data classified up to Unclassified DLM. Because of this Google was only assessed for this purpose.

"If an agencys security and risk needs can be met with a cloud certified to Unclassified DLM, this increases their choices in meeting their business objectives."

This means that the Platform and a physical data centre in Sydney is certified to provide 16 services, in categories that include:
Australian-listed call recording company Dubber has achieved revenues of $517,000 in November, to break through the $500k monthly barrier for the first time.

Dubber chief executive Steve McGovern said working off a starting position of monthly revenues in excess of $500k provides for significant optimism for 2019.

He said Dubber (ASX:DUB) would continue to focus on growth in the key areas of increasing active users (plus associated revenues) and increase the global footprint across telecommunication service providers which provide the foundation of the companys success.

Growing revenue has been a key focus for the company this year. December and January are often embargo periods for network and product implementation in the service provider sector -so it was important to have a strong period leading towards the end of the year in all aspects of the business.

The company continues to be successful in establishing partnerships with an enviable list of global leaders as the Dubber Platform has been delivered to a world class standard and those partners recognise the value of strategies which comprise cloud, data and voice to deliver business outcomes. Ultimately, the success in those partnerships will underpin the companys progress, McGovern said.

McGovern pointed to highlights of the year including the completion of a $5 million capital raising via placement at the end of November, managed by Morgans Corporate, with $500,000 of the placement taken up by Dubbers leadership team, subject to shareholder approval.

He also noted the companys attendance at Cisco BroadSoft Connections, held in Miami, Florida, in November, with highlghts including:
Australian tech start-up Wildlife Drones is set to launch its drone radio-tracking system to market after closing a seed funding round of $670,000.

The seeding round included Australian research commercialisation fund, Uniseed, and Wildlife Drones says the funding will enable it to launch its world-first drone radio-tracking solution in the Australian and New Zealand markets.

The seed round also included contributions from angel investors, and Wildlife Drones says it will enable it to translate its cutting-edge technology into user-friendly alpha and beta versions of its product for its first customers, including wildlife researchers and invasive species managers.

According to Wildlife Drones, the technology brings wildlife tracking into the 21st century  until now, the tracking of wildlife has relied on researchers walking, often for hours or days, with their arm in the air searching for the signal of one animal at a time.

Wildlife Drones founder and chief executive, researcher Debbie Saunders, conceived the idea when trying to solve her own tracking problems, and she says the business was helped to get off the ground in the early stages by CSIROs ON and the ACT Innovation Connect programs, which help researchers create businesses from their work.

Wildlife Drones has the potential to radically transform animal tracking, giving the wildlife management industry vastly more confidence and ability to fulfil its important role in protecting the environment, said Uniseed Investment manager Natasha Rawlings.

There is nothing else like it on the market. Uniseed is proud to have backed what really is pioneering technology in such an important space.

According to Wildlife Drones, the market need for more effective animal and pest tracking and research methods is growing due to increased urbanisation and farming of lands for food and biofuels, which is increasing the number of threatened species and vertebrate pests.

The start-up says research indicates that the global integrated pest management market size was US$91.8 billion (A$125.37 billion) in 2016,while the agriculture drone market will grow at a CAGR of more than 30% over the next 10 years.

Wildlife Drones says its technology maps radio-tagged animals in real-time, and has a number of distinct advantages over existing, hand-held tracking technology.

Via a small drone clip-on, the system:

Can track hundreds of animals simultaneously instead of just one at a time;

Can track any combination of animals with radio-tags attached, such as predator and prey, invasive and threatened species or stock and farm dogs;

Listens and locates signals from a distance so the animals are not disturbed;

Provides safe access to rugged or dangerous terrain that prohibits traditional tracking; and

Displays all location data live on a map, even when offline.

Wildlife Drones says the technology was recently used to track the movements of the Swift Parrot, one of Australias most endangered birds, which were also the original inspiration for developing the system. It was the first time drones have ever been used successfully to radio-track multiple small birds at the same time and see the results live on a base station.

Radio-tracking drones are in demand because traditional hand-held radio-tracking is incredibly labour-intensive and time consuming, said Saunders.

The capability of our technology supports more robust research and empowers those tracking animal movements to undertake their work in a way that was not previously possible. Managers and researchers can now more safely, easily and quickly cover large areas without going anywhere. The drone does all the hard work for them and provides real-time feedback on the results.

Were excited to now be able to launch our technology to market.
The New South Wales Government will ban the use of mobile phones in government primary schools from next year, in an effort to reduce the incidence of online bullying and also to remove a major source of distraction.

In a statement, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Education Minister Rob Stokes said the new measures were taken following an expert review which showed rising cases of online bullying, inappropriate sharing of explicit images between students, predatory behaviour from strangers and unnecessary distraction for students.

Well-known child psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg led the survey which received about 14,000 responses and 80 submissions.

Id like to particularly thank the many thousands of young people and their families who took the time and effort to make submissions, as well as the many experts in mental health, technology and cyber-safety who contributed to this report, Dr Carr-Gregg said.

The review looked at how devices in schools would affect students of different ages in terms of educational outcomes and child development, as well as their potential benefits when used to complement teaching, particularly for students in the latter years of high school.

NSW is not the first location to introduce such a ban. France introduced a country-wide ban on mobiles from September, but across primary, junior and middle schools.

Under the French rule, the children are allowed to bring the devices to school but not allowed to take them out.

Government high schools would be allowed to decide whether they want to join the ban or the extent to which they would allow mobiles to be used.

Distraction and bullying have always been issues for schools to deal with but mobile phones present a new challenge for schools, teachers, parents and students, Berejiklian said.

We want to ensure mobile phones and other smart devices complement students learning, and are handled at school in an age-appropriate way.

These changes will provide clear boundaries in our schools to ensure technology remains an enabler, not a detractor.

Stokes said the review stopped short of recommending a ban on smart devices in high schools, but offered several approaches that schools could adopt based on their circumstances.

Well work with schools to implement the changes recommended in the report, helping them manage the risks and rewards of using mobile phones inside the school gates, he said.

These changes are about keeping our schools safe and protecting the welfare of our students when theyre in our care.
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.
| BY Ricki Green |

Melbourne based brand experience agency Trout Creative Thinking has announced that Clare Acheson, previously of The Urban List, will lead the agencys content and engagement team in the role of brand experience strategist.

Achesons leadership role within the agency ensures that impactful experiences are positioned at the core of Trout Creative Thinkings methodologies  driving market traction through fully integrated, content-led decisions that are a collaboration between consumer, client and studio.

The agencys investment in a team that displays broad skillsets, expert specialisations, creative innovation and commercial mindsets includes the recent hire of senior content and engagement manager, Eliza Gower.

Gower brings with her a wealth of experience from prior roles at digital wine retailer, Vinomofo, and adventure travel company, Intrepid Travel.

Building a diverse 35-person studio has been a key focus for general manager, Craig Bridge, since joining the agency in May 2018.

Says Bridge: In todays market, content isnt only king  content is everything. For brands to survive in 2019 and beyond, they absolutely must be customer experience- centric. To ensure this, brands and agencies need to craft unified experiences that live across multiple platforms and mediums, rather than making individual promises through isolated touchpoints. At Trout, this means our content specialists are integral to strategic decision making, channel planning, narrative content and visual direction.

Content cannot be isolated to one department or treated as a production facility, outputting social and web posts. Instead, content needs to be at the heart of the process, driving brand storytelling every step of the way.

Trout Creative Thinkings future-focussed approach ensures that its clients form lasting and meaningful connections with consumers by enriching their lives.

Adds Bridge: Our role as an agency is to co-create successful futures with our clients so that we deliver on their brand promise at every step of the customer journey. This requires new agency thinking, driven by a team of talented, multi-skilled practitioners who arent afraid of questioning assumptions, and who know how to drive traction through meaningful experiences.

Achesons skillset was instrumental to the rapid growth of independent media brand The Urban List during her 3+ years with the company. Her collaborative approach to results-driven content and brand experiences saw the media outlet win favour with major players including ANZ, Carlton United Brewing, Mercedes Benz, and Lion Dairy & Drinks. Prior to landing in Australia, Acheson worked with the likes of Volkswagen, Reebok, Target and Nickelodeon, in trend forecasting and brand strategy across Europe.

Says Acheson: What I am most excited about is Trouts collaborative approach to strategic and creative innovation. Gone are the days of departmental divisions that rendered content as an afterthought to the creative process.

Instead, Trout has crafted a superstar team of individuals that harnesses a variety of industry-leading skills. Better yet, we are all committed to building content into the foundations of how we work, before executing solutions beautifully. This ensures that what we do will genuinely connect with audiences, providing value for them first and foremost, which in turn provides value for our clients.

Achesons appointment is effective immediately.

(Pictured L-R: Craig Bridge, general manager, Eliza Gower, senior content and engagement manager and Clare Acheson, brand experience strategist)
Illinois Wesleyan Awards $20,000 Getz Scholarship

Dec. 12, 2018

Salomi Nima Arunima 22 and Herb Getz 77



BLOOMINGTON, Ill.  An aspiring doctor from a family of ministers, Rock Falls, Illinois native Salomi Nima Arunima 22 is pursuing her unique passion for medicine at Illinois Wesleyan University thanks to support from the Herb and Susan Getz 77 Scholarship.

The daughter of Rev. Solomon Sudhakar and Rev. Satya Sudhakar, Arunima  a Rock Falls High School graduate  holds an unwavering vision of herself as a doctor. During a campus visit last August, Arunima discovered that Illinois Wesleyan could help make her dream career a reality.

I couldnt pass up IWU, and all my expectations are fulfilled here, Arunima said. Im very happy with the decision.

Aruminas college choice took into account several important aspects of an Illinois Wesleyan education, including small class sizes, a wide range of programs, and close connections with faculty. IWUs affordability ultimately sealed the deal.

When Arunima and her family met with Director of Financial Aid Scott Seibring 85 during an Admitted Student Day, Seibring put them at ease by exploring the number of grant and scholarship opportunities available in a way that no other institution had.

During that meeting, Seibring encouraged Arunima to apply for the Getz Scholarship, created by Illinois Wesleyan class of 1977 alumni Herb and Susan Getz. The Getz Scholarship provides $5,000 in annual support for four years to an Illinois Wesleyan student who performs well in the classroom, shows demonstrated need, and lives in northwestern Illinois, preferably from Jo Daviess, Carroll, Whiteside or Stephenson counties.

The counselors at IWU went out of their way to do help me find a way to come here. Arunima said. The Getz Scholarship was a big help, and Im still very thankful for that.

Now a first-year student at Illinois Wesleyan, Arunima has adjusted well to college life. Over the summer, she participated in IWUs SPLICE (Science Program for Leadership, Inquiry, and Campus Engagement) Program, which helped prepare her to excel as a pre-medicine biology major. Arunima is also honoring her familys legacy by pursuing a minor in religious studies.

Herb and Susan Getz know first-hand the places and career paths that an Illinois Wesleyan education can take students.

Im a firm believer that education transforms lives, said Herb Getz, a Mt. Carroll High School graduate. Wesleyan certainly gives everyone the chance, literally, to transform their life. My Illinois Wesleyan education helped me realize dreams that I never dreamed of as a kid growing up on a dairy farm in northwest Illinois.

After graduating from Illinois Wesleyan, Herb Getz went on to earn a law degree from Harvard Law School, and Susan Getz received a masters in music therapy from Florida State University.

After a 20-year career in corporate law, in 2001, Herb Getz founded Aspen Creek Partners, a successful residential design-build firm in Naperville, Illinois. He currently serves as Vice Chair of the IWU Board of Trustees. Both he and Susan Getz feel obliged to pay forward the financial generosity from alumni who helped make their Illinois Wesleyan education possible.

This scholarship is there for students like Susan and myself, for whom Wesleyan was really out of reach, Herb Getz explained. There were people who helped us at a time when we really needed help. Were just delighted to have the opportunity to do that for a new generation of Wesleyan students.

Students are invited to apply now for the Getz Scholarship. For award consideration, students must have applied for admission to Illinois Wesleyan and received their financial aid proposal. Students should indicate their interest in the Getz Scholarship by no later than Feb. 1. Past recipients of the Getz Scholarship include Freeport, Illinois native Heather (Prasse) Calkins 16 and Lena, Illinois native Tristan Fox 18.

Its amazing that after graduating they decided to give back. I respect that, and of course it means a lot to me, Arunima said. It shows the impact that Wesleyan made on them. Hopefully one day I can do the same and give back, because it means a lot. It made a huge difference for me.

For more information and to apply for the Getz Scholarship, students are encouraged to contact Illinois Wesleyan Director of Financial Aid Scott Seibring by emailing: seibring@iwu.edu or by calling: (309) 556-3393.

By Rachel McCarthy 21
| BY Ricki Green |

WARC, the global authority on advertising and media effectiveness, has today released Marketers Toolkit 2019, an annual report outlining the priorities of, and challenges facing, brands in the year ahead  as well as guidance on how to meet them.

The report is centred on a survey of more than 800 senior marketing and advertising professionals from around the world and takes an in-depth look at strategic priorities, technology and media challenges.

Also included are interviews with nine leading marketers, such as Fernando Machado (Burger King), Freddie Covington (APAC Visa), Mark Evans (Direct Line) and Lisa Ronson (Tourism Australia) as well as examples, best practice guidance and a round-up of what this all means for brands, media owners and agencies.

Major insights highlighted in WARCs Marketers Toolkit 2019 are:

Strategic Priorities: Experience will drive the marketing agenda, and shape tech investment

Marketers see improved customer experience  both online and offline  as key to kick-starting growth and restoring trust in brands. In particular, they are responding to disruption of their categories by so-called direct-to-consumer brands. This agenda means tech investment is focused on data, and in particular how data and machine learning can be used to drive relevance and personalisation in communications.

WARC key data: 61% of agencies and 52% of brands cited CX as the most important digital transformation for business in 2019. Only 15% of brands say their CX is aligned across channels.

Says Jalin Wu, chief marketing officer, Uniqlo China: Always go back to understand the customer. The customer is our need. We are not just presenting ourselves as apparel, we are presenting ourselves as a solution for people to have a better life.

Technology: Voice and payment tech are gaining traction, but there is less interest in AR and VR

Compared with the results of last years Toolkit survey, there is more interest among marketers in voice  principally, voice search  and also more interest in payment technology as brands look to expand in e-commerce. There is less interest in areas such as augmented and virtual reality, where arguably there is still need for a killer marketing application.

WARC key data: 29% of brands named voice as a priority for 2019, up 12 percentage points from last years survey; 23% named AR/VR, down 13 points.

Says Lisa Ronson (left), chief marketing officer, Tourism Australia: Like most big marketers and advertisers, were looking at the role of voice and how we can continually make that user experience a whole lot better.

Media: Video and search platforms are set to benefit from spending shift

Video, search and mobile are set to see continued growth in marketing investment. Instagram and YouTube are set to benefit from the shift to video (though marketers appear to be cooling on Snapchat). Marketers also appear to welcome the emergence of Amazon as a search platform, with a majority planning to increase spend on the e-commerce site.

WARC key data: 79% of marketers expect to increase their online video budgets; 69% plan to increase spend on Amazon.

Says David Tiltman, head of content, WARC: The Toolkit reports of the last two years have been dominated by technology trends; 2019 feels different. It feels like a year of getting the fundamentals right, and using tech where necessary to achieve that end. Brands clearly view experience as a form of competitive advantage  and the tech that can help them improve customer experience across channels is being prioritised.
| BY Ricki Green |

WPP AUNZ has inked its commitment to helping humanitarian entrants into Australia find professional work, signing multi-year partnerships with CareerSeekers to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) which was celebrated on December 10th.

Other organisations supporting the partnership include: City of Sydney, Colonial First State, Greater Western Sydney Giants, GHD, Goodman Fielder, Herbert Smith Freehills, IAG, Lendlease, Macquarie University, Mirvac and Norton Rose Fulbright.

CareerSeekers is a non-profit organisation that supports Australias humanitarian entrants into professional careers. Under the partnerships, WPP AUNZ will provide paid internships to the university student and mid-career professional participants.

Currently, WPP AUNZ has one previous CareerSeeker, Jalal Albashara, who joined one of its operating companies, opr more than 12 months ago after fleeing Syria, then Iraq and arriving in Sydney with his brother and sister. Albashara is now a fulltime assistant accountant for opr. He started an internship for 12 weeks and this moved to a permanent position in February 2018.

Says Albashara: Joining opr Agency has helped me in many ways of my life: my role allows me to stay in touch with like-minded professionals, who have helped me shape my career pathway; and it puts me in a place where I am more confident expressing myself and my ideas. It also means that I am part of a team which deepens my level of engagement.

Overall, this opportunity makes me feel more accepted and has made it easier to resettle In Australia and become an effective and productive member of the community.

Says Elissa Goods-Omozuzi, chief HR and talent officer, WPP AUNZ: WPP AUNZ is committed to diversity and inclusion. This partnership is a real, practical way that we can provide opportunities for people resettling in Australia and at the same time enabling our teams to learn from new and different people, with different perspectives and cultures. We are proud to be a CareerSeekers partner.

Says Michael Combs, founder and CEO, CareerSeekers: This year, up to 18,500 visas will be issued as part of Australias refugee and humanitarian program. Historically, on average, 17% of arrivals are employed after 18 months of arrival. A lack of local experience and references are cited as the major barrier to entry for professional employment.

Employment is a crucial contributor to the successful resettlement of refugees, and the CareerSeekers program accelerates resumption of participants professional careers and their settlement in the Australian community.

Since CareerSeekers was established in late 2015, it has helped over 400 people into paid internships. Of these interns, 77% have gone on to secure professional employment.

WPP AUNZ will work with CareerSeekers next year to place five interns with our operating companies.
| BY Lynchy |

Grey Group Indonesia has been appointed as the digital agency for OLX Indonesia. OLX Indonesia is a part of Naspers Group, a global product and tech company which operates a network of market-leading trading platforms in over 40 countries.

Grey Group Indonesia underwent a stringent pitching process against various agencies, with its key creative approach aimed at creating a better user experience for visitors on the OLX website that generates quality leads for sellers.

Subbaraju Alluri, Area Director, Indonesia & Thailand (pictured) said, Grey Group Indonesia is delighted to partner with OLX the largest online classified brand in Indonesia. We are excited to be part of OLX Indonesias brand building efforts in the country.

OLX Indonesias Director of Marketing & CTx, Agung Iskandar added, We believe that Grey experienced in building a brand through creative communication will bring a good impact to our brand existence in the ecommerce industry.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Novo Resources Corp. (Novo or the Company) (TSX-V: NVO; OTCQX: NSRPF) is pleased to provide an update of exploration activities and short-term objectives at several of its Pilbara gold projects.

Egina:

Novos preliminary bulk sampling program at Egina is nearing completion. An approximately 170 tonne bulk sample was recently excavated (Figure 1) and is being processed utilizing the Companys IGR3000 gravity gold plant. Initial results are expected by the end of the month.

Sampling and processing protocols developed during this preliminary bulk sampling phase will enable Novo to undertake systematic bulk sampling across other parts of the expansive gravel terrace at Egina beginning after the wet season ends in March.

In addition to the 170 tonne bulk sample, three smaller samples weighing approximately 20 tonnes each were collected for detailed metallurgical test work including mechanical sorting tests similar to those recently undertaken on bulk samples from Comet Well (please refer to the Companys news release dated November 19, 2018). Metallurgical test work will be geared toward developing a processing scheme suited for Egina gravels.

Novo anticipates trial bulk sampling and processing of a few tens of thousands of tonnes at Egina in 2019.

Karratha:

Assays of concentrates from recent mechanical sorting tests are expected back by the end of December. Analyses of waste material from these tests are anticipated to return the first quarter of 2019 at which time the effectiveness of mechanical sorting and its potential commercial application can be more fully assessed.

Novo anticipates generating a mineralization report for the Karratha gold project for submission to the Western Australian Department of Mine, Industry Regulation and Safety during the first quarter of 2019. This report forms the basis for seeking grant of a mining lease at Karratha. Novo is also working towards a native title agreement with the Ngarluma people, another key step in the process of obtaining a mining lease.

Beatons Creek:

A suite of 58 bulk samples, each weighing approximately two tonnes, was collected from gold-bearing conglomerates across the Beatons Creek project during 2018. Analyses from these samples are expected to return by February 2019.

In addition to bulk sampling, Novo undertook infill and step-out diamond drilling to enable geological remodeling and expansion of the Beatons Creek deposit.

Novo anticipates utilizing forthcoming data from bulk sampling and diamond drilling to develop a new resource model for Beatons Creek during the first quarter of 2019. The recently updated Beatons Creek resource (please refer to the Companys news releases dated October 10 and November 21, 2018) includes measured and indicated resources of 345 thousand oz Au (4.594 million tonnes at 2.3 grams per tonne Au) and an inferred resource of 322 thousand oz Au (3.790 million tonnes at 2.6 grams per tonne Au). Reference should be made to the technical report entitled NI 43-101 Technical Report Resource Update, Beatons Creek Gold Project, Pilbara Region, Australia, with an effective date of August 10, 2018 and an issue date of November 20, 2018, prepared for Novo by Leonel Lopez (AIPG- Geol. Eng. QP, SME-RM) of Tetra Tech, Golden, Colorado (the 2018 Technical Report). The 2018 Technical Report is available under Novos profile on the SEDAR website (www.sedar.com).

Talga Talga:

Talga Talga is one of Novos East Pilbara assets and is located approximately 110 km north of Beatons Creek. Gold occurs in lode quartz veins hosted by metamorphosed volcanic and sedimentary rocks of the Warrawoona Supergroup, the same rocks that host Calidus Resources Ltd.s Warrawoona gold project approximately 35 km south of Talga Talga.

Recent spot rock chip sampling of veins has returned highly encouraging assay results including grades of 81.4 g/t, 46.9 g/t, 35.1 g/t and 30.0 g/t gold (these grades are not necessarily representative of mineralization at Talga Talga). Of a total of 149 samples, 68 returned grades greater than 0.5 g/t gold and 33 returned grades greater than 5.0 g/t gold.

These rock chip results combined with detailed mapping define a corridor of mineralized structures approximately three kilometers long (Figure 2 and Figure 3).

An updated geological interpretation will drive further exploration in 2019 anticipated to include a component of diamond drill testing.

Spot rock chip samples from Talga Talga were submitted to Genalysis Laboratory in Perth, Australia. Given the occurrence of coarse gold on the property, analyses were performed on 1 kg pulverized charges subjected to LeachWell technique. Following LeachWell analysis, tailings from each sample were rinsed and dried. A 50 gram split was subjected to fire assay with OES-finish. Grades reported in this news release are a mathematical combination of LeachWell analyses and residual gold in tails as determined by fire assay. There were no limitations to the verification process and all relevant data was verified.

Dr. Quinton Hennigh, P. Geo., the Companys, President and Chairman and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has approved and verified the geological content of this news release.

About Novo Resources Corp.

Novos focus is to explore and develop gold projects in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, and Novo has built up a significant land package covering approximately 12,000 sq km with varying ownership interests. For more information, please contact Leo Karabelas at (416) 543-3120 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

Novo Resources Corp.

Quinton Hennigh

Quinton Hennigh

President and Chairman

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 news release.

Forward-looking information

Some statements in this news release contain forward-looking information (within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation) including, without limitation, statements as to planned exploration activities and the expected timing of the receipt of results. These statements address future events and conditions and, as such, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the statements. Such factors include, without limitation, customary risks of the mineral resource industry as well as the performance of services by third parties.



(Figure 1  Excavation of a 170 tonne bulk sample of gold-bearing lag gravels at Egina. Sand and soil is first stripped off the targeted gravel layer. Yellow material at the base of the bench is weathered sedimentary rock belonging to the Mallina Formation comprising basement in this region. The targeted gravel horizon rests on top of the Mallina Formation and beneath the white line.)



(Figure 2  Geologic map of the Talga Talga project. Spot rock chip sampling has defined a three kilometer long corridor of mineralized structures extending from McPhees Reward in the southwest to NW Australian in the northeast.)



(Figure 3  Oblique view looking southwest along a three kilometer corridor of mineralized structures extending from NW Australian to McPhees Reward. Inset photographs show examples of gold-bearing quartz veins. Dips are generally 35-40 degrees northwest.)
TORONTO, Dec. 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd. (TSX: WDO) (Wesdome or the Company) is pleased to announce the interim mineral resource estimate at its 100% owned Kiena Mine Complex, in Val d'Or, Quebec. The mineral resource estimate includes drill data as of October 12, 2018. Since that time, ongoing underground exploration drilling has continued to return high grade results from the up and down plunge extensions of the Kiena Deep A Zone not currently in the mineral resource estimate.

HIGHLIGHTS OF MINERAL RESOURCE ESTIMATE  December 12, 2018

Table 1: A Zone Mineral Resource Estimate (Kiena Deep)

Tonnes Gold Grade

(g/t Au)* Gold Ounces Measured 0 0 0 Indicated 310,300 9.95 99,300 Total M+I 310,300 9.95 99,300 Inferred 656,100 11.43 241,100

Table 2: Recently Drilled in-Mine Resource Estimate at Kiena Complex since 2016 (A, B, South, VC and S50 Zones)

Tonnes Gold Grade

(g/t Au)* Gold Ounces Measured 0 0 0 Indicated 1,028,900 6.38 211,100 Total M+I 1,028,900 6.38 211,100 Inferred 968,900 9.23 287,400

Table 3: Total Kiena Mine Complex Resource Estimate

Tonnes Gold Grade

(g/t Au)* Gold Ounces Measured 63,700 4.06 8,300 Indicated 3,056,500 5.84 574,300 Total M+I 3,120,200 5.81 582,600 Inferred 4,138,500 7.57 1,007,200

Detailed notes in table 4 of this press release.

Measured and Indicated Resources are exclusive of inferred.

*All grades capped to between 20  90 grams per tonne

EXPLORATION TARGETS

Following a detailed review of all pertinent information up to October 12, 2018, InnovExplo (see Qualified Persons and Technical Information in this press release) concluded that in the region of the down plunge extent of the Kiena Deep A Zone encompassing hole 6299 (see news release dated May 17, 2018) that is parallel to and alongside, but excluded from the A Zone current mineral resource estimate, that could add ounces to the mineral resource estimate with positive drill results and is estimated that the exploration target for the A Zone consists of 300,000-450,000 tonnes grading 8.0 to 11.0 g/t Au for 80,000 - 160,000 ounces Au. This area is not currently in the mineral resource estimate and not based on drilling completed after the October 12, 2018 cut off date for data. This area was drilled in late 2017/early 2018 and is currently considered an exploration target that requires additional drilling before it can be modelled and interpolated. The reader should be cautioned that this exploration target is not a mineral resource estimate and is conceptual in nature. There has been insufficient exploration to define this as a mineral resource, and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the exploration target being delineated as a mineral resource.

Mr. Duncan Middlemiss, President and CEO commented, We are pleased with this snap-shot in time interim mineral resource estimate for the Kiena Mine Complex and we are confident that the mineral resource will grow as a result of the recent and ongoing drilling of the high grade Kiena Deep A Zone that remains open up and down plunge. This estimate has confirmed our understanding and additional potential of the Kiena Deep A Zone as well as establishing a capping grade of 90.0 g/t Au for future assessments of drilling. We are also pleased with the increased resources, not just at the A Zone, but also in the VC, South and S50 zones, which are important components of any future restart plans. In addition to the mineral resources, the exploration targets included by InnovExplo illustrates the potential quantity and grade that could be upgraded potentially with additional drilling in the next resource update. These results provide us the opportunity to commence our technical studies supporting a potential restart, as we continue to drill and expand the current resource base during 2019.

Drilling of the A Zone was originally budgeted for 40,000 metres for 2018; however, only 23,000 metres were completed prior to the data cut off for the resource estimate on October 12, 2018. This delay in drilling was required to develop additional drill platforms in order to provide better angles for greater drill efficiency, and be able to intersect the up and down plunge extension of the Kiena Deep A Zone. The diamond drilling completed since the data cut off is highlighted below and has benefitted from this recent development.

Five drills are in operation on the A Zone and remain focussed on the up and down plunge potential in advance of an updated mineral resource estimate later in 2019. Recent drilling has continued to return very high grade results both up and down plunge from the area of the current resource estimate and we are confident this will continue to grow. Hole 6398 was the first hole drilled from the new development to intersect the up plunge extension of the A Zone and returned 19.2 g/t Au, or 9.2 g/t Au cut over 5.4 metres true width. The mineral resource estimate only includes drilling over approximately 400 metres of the potential 1.2 km of plunge length interpreted from our recent 3D geologic modelling and will be our focus going forward.

The drilling platforms established along a 450-metre access drift completed in the year have enabled us to test the up and down plunge extensions of the Kiena Deep A Zone, that is interpreted to extend up plunge towards the VC Zone area. Since October 2018, a total of 19 holes totalling 5,200 metres have been completed (Figure 1A and 1B). Highlights of the new drilling are listed below and summarized in Tables 5 and 6.

RECENT DRILLING

Highlights of recent drilling performed subsequent to the drilling included in the mineral resource estimate at the Kiena Deep A Zone includes:

Hole 6383: 28.0 g/t Au over 24.0 metres core length (14.1 g/t Au cut, 16.5 metre true width)

Hole 6375: 82.4 g/t Au over 11.1 metres core length (17.8 g/t Au cut, 8.5 metres true width)

Hole 6370: 120.6 g/t Au over 8.9 metres core length (44.6 g/t Au cut, 8.0 metres true width)

Hole 6384: 26.4 g/t Au over 13.2 metres core length (17.8 g/t Au cut, 9.3 metres true width)

Hole 6398: 19.2 g/t Au over 5.9 metres core length (9.2 g/t Au cut, 5.4 metres true width)

All assays are cut to 90.0 g/t Au. True widths are estimated

CONFERENCE CALL

A conference call to discuss these results will be held on Thursday December 13 at 9:00 am ET. Participants may join the call using the following details:

North American Toll Free: 844-202-7109

International Dial In Number: 703-639-1272

Conference ID: 8799803

Webcast link: https://edge.media-server.com/m6/p/x7vraeck

METALLURGICAL TESTING

Preliminary results of the metallurgical testing performed by Centre Technologique des Residus Industriels returned positive results on four samples with recoveries ranging from 96.4% to 99.3%. Additional metallurgical analysis is planned to best incorporate the A Zone mineralization into the current mill design.

QUALIFIED PERSONS AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION

The independent and qualified persons for the mineral resource estimate, as defined by NI 43 101, are Christine Beausoleil, P.Geo. and Carl Pelletier, P.Geo. (InnovExplo), and are considered to be independent of Wesdome for purposes of NI-43-101.

The technical and geoscientific content of this release has been compiled, reviewed and approved by Bruno Turcotte, P.Geo., (OGQ #453) Senior Project Geologist of the Company and a "Qualified Person" as defined in NI-43-101.

QUALITY CONTROL AND REPORTING PROTOCOLS

Analytical work was performed by Techni-Lab (ActLabs) of Ste-Germaine-Boule (Quebec), a certified commercial laboratory (SCC Accredited Lab #707). Sample preparation was done at Techni-Lab (ActLabs) in Val d'Or (Quebec). Assaying was done by fire assay methods and all samples with visible gold were assayed by metallic sieve method at Techni-Lab (ActLabs) laboratory in Ste-Germaine-Boule (Quebec). In addition to laboratory internal duplicates, standards and blanks, the geology department inserts blind duplicates, standards and blanks into the sample stream at a frequency of one in twenty to monitor quality control.

The mineral resource estimate has been prepared by InnovExplo from Val-dOr, Quebec, and has been reviewed internally by the Company. The full technical report, which is being prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI-43-101), will be available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) under the Companys issuer profile within 45 days from this news release. The effective date of the current mineral resource estimate is December 12, 2018.

Table 4  Kiena Project Mineral Resource Estimate  December 12, 2018

Tonnes Gold Grade

(g/t Au) Gold Ounces Within Crown Pillar Measured 0 0 0 Indicated 162,800 5.32 27,900 Total M+I 162,800 5.32 27,900 Inferred 1,113,200 6.97 249,600 Below Crown Pillar Measured 63,700 4.06 8,300 Indicated 2,893,700 5.87 546,400 Total M+I 2,957,400 5.83 554,700 Inferred 3,025,300 7.79 757,600 Total Project Measured 63,700 4.06 8,300 Indicated 3,056,500 5.84 574,300 Total M+I 3,120,200 5.81 582,600 Inferred 4,138,500 7.57 1,007,200

Notes:

The independent and qualified persons for the mineral resource estimate, as defined by NI 43101, are Christine Beausoleil, P.Geo. and Carl Pelletier, P.Geo. (InnovExplo), and the effective date of the estimate is December 12, 2018. These mineral resources are not mineral reserves as they do not have demonstrated economic viability. The mineral resource estimate follows CIM definitions and guidelines for mineral resources. Results are presented in situ and undiluted and considered to have reasonable prospects for economic extraction. The estimation combined two (2) estimation methods, ordinary kriging in the Kiena Complex and polygonal for other deposits on the property. The Kiena Complex resources encompasses for 13 zones with a minimum true thickness of 3.0 m using the grade of the adjacent material when assayed or a value of zero when not assayed. High-grade capping varies from 20 to 100 g/t Au (when required) was applied to assay grades prior to compositing grade for interpolation using an Ordinary Kriging interpolation method based on 1.0 m composite and block size of 5 m x 5 m x 5 m, with bulk density values of 2.8 (g/cm3). The zone outside the Kiena Complex encompasses for eight (8) zones with a minimum true thickness of 2.5 metre using a polygonal estimation method. The Measured resources grade were estimated using muck samples, chip samples and test holes, extrapolated up to 25 m above and below drifts opened within the mineralized zone. Indicated resources were estimated from drill hole results using the mid distance between drill hole or a maximum of 30 metres. The high-grade capping was fixed at 34.28 g/t Au with a bulk density values of 2.8 (g/cm3). The estimate is reported for potential underground scenario at cut-off grades of 3.0 g/t Au (> 40 dip) and 4.0 g/t Au (< 40 dip, Wesdome Zone). The cut-off grades were calculated using a gold price of US$1,250 per ounce, a CAD:USD exchange rate of 1.3; mining cost $110/t (> 40 dip); $150/t (< 40 dip); processing cost $35/t; G&A $15/t. The cut-off grades should be re-evaluated in light of future prevailing market conditions (metal prices, exchange rate, mining cost, etc.). The number of metric tons was rounded to the nearest hundred and the metal contents are presented in troy ounces (tonne x grade / 31.10348). InnovExplo is not aware of any known environmental, permitting, legal, title-related, taxation, socio-political or marketing issues, or any other relevant issue not reported in this Technical Report that could materially affect the mineral resource estimate.

ABOUT WESDOME

Wesdome has had over 30 years of continuous gold mining operations in Canada. The Company is 100% Canadian focused with a pipeline of projects in various stages of development. The Companys strategy is to build Canadas next intermediate gold producer, producing 200,000+ ounces from two mines in Ontario and Quebec. The Eagle River Complex in Wawa, Ontario is currently producing gold from two mines, the Eagle River Underground Mine and the Mishi Open pit, from a central mill. Wesdome is actively exploring its brownfields asset, the Kiena Complex in Val dOr, Quebec. The Kiena Complex is a fully permitted former mine with a 930-metre shaft and 2,000 tonne-per-day mill. The Company has further upside at its Moss Lake gold deposit, located 100 kilometres west of Thunder Bay, Ontario. The Company has approximately 134.8 million shares issued and outstanding and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol WDO.

Cautionary Statements Regarding Estimates of Mineral Resources

This news release uses the terms measured, indicated and inferred resources as a relative measure of the level of confidence in the resource estimate. Readers are cautioned that mineral resources are not economic mineral reserves and that the economic viability of resources that are not mineral reserves has not been demonstrated. The estimate of mineral resources may be materially affected by geology, environmental, permitting, legal, title, socio-political, marketing or other relevant issues. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource will ever be upgraded to an indicated or measured mineral resource category. The mineral resource estimate is classified in accordance with the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleums CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves incorporated by reference into NI 43-101. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies or economic studies except for Preliminary Assessment as defined under NI 43-101. Readers are cautioned not to assume that further work on the stated resources will lead to mineral reserves that can be mined economically.

Cautionary Note to United States Investors Concerning Estimates of Reserves and Resources

The mineral reserve and resource estimates reported in this news release were prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101) as required by Canadian securities regulatory authorities. The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) applies different standards in order to classify and report mineralization. This news release uses the terms measured, indicated and inferred mineral resources, as required by NI 43-101. Readers are advised that although such terms are recognized and required by Canadian securities regulations, the SEC does not recognize such terms. Canadian standards differ significantly from the requirements of the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of the mineral deposits in these categories constitute or will ever be converted into mineral reserves. In addition, inferred mineral resources have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource exists, is economically or legally mineable or will ever be upgraded to a higher category of mineral resource.

For further information, please contact:

Duncan Middlemiss or Lindsay Carpenter Dunlop President and CEO VP Investor Relations 416-360-3743 ext. 29 416-360-3743 ext. 25 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Michael Michaud 220 Bay St, Suite 1200 VP Exploration Toronto, ON, M5J 2W4 416-360-3743 ext. 22 Toll Free: 1-866-4-WDO-TSX This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 416-360-3743, Fax: 416-360-7620 Website: www.wesdome.com

This news release contains forward-looking information which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the future financial or operating performance of the Company and its projects. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as plans, expects, is expected, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates, or believes or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this press release and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances, managements estimates or opinions should change, except as required by securities legislation. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Table 5: Kiena Deep Zone A Composited Drilling Results

Hole No. From (m) To (m) Core Length (m) Estimated True width (m) Grade (g/t Au) Cut Grade (34 g/t Au) Cut Grade (90 g/t Au) Name Zone 6370 129.4 138.3 8.9 8.0 120.60 22.73 44.58 A Zone 6370 140.7 150.1 9.4 6.0 2.83 2.83 2.83 A1 Zone? 6370 158.7 165.7 7.0 5.5 9.22 8.90 9.22 A2 Zone? 6374 190.9 199.2 8.3 7.2 40.13 21.49 29.94 A Zone 6375 171.1 182.2 11.1 8.5 82.39 9.94 17.84 A Zone 6375 196.0 199.0 3.0 2.9 141.63 23.65 60.80 A1 Zone? 6377 238.3 241.3 3.0 2.7 10.37 10.37 10.37 A1 Zone? 6383 553.0 577.0 24 16.5 28.00 7.89 14.06 A Zone Including 562.6 577.0 14.4 9.9 40.56 10.56 17.32 A Zone 6384 573.6 586.8 13.2 9.3 26.39 9.99 17.76 A Zone 6385 448.6 453.2 4.6 2.3 5.87 5.85 5.87 A Zone 6385 483.0 485.7 2.7 1.4 4.03 4.03 4.03 A1 Zone? 6385 491.8 493.6 1.8 1.3 58.23 19.05 50.00 A2 Zone? 6388 110.8 122.3 11.5 6.1 12.03 6.20 9.11 A Zone 6390 451.0 456.1 5.1 3.8 38.89 12.57 22.40 A1 Zone? 6391 160.9 163.7 2.8 2.8 65.36 6.54 16.49 A Zone 6398 63.7 69.6 5.9 5.4 19.17 9.20 18.10 A Zone

Table 6: Kiena Deep Zone A Drilling Assay Results
 Infill drilling at Swan Zone (Swan) continues to return intercepts with exceptionally high-grades, substantial widths and visible gold Key intercepts: 598 g/t Au over 6.4 m (ETW 5.8 m);

625 g/t Au over 3.6 m (ETW 3.3 m);

218 g/t Au over 5.6 m (ETW 5.2 m); and

144 g/t Au over 16.5 m (ETW 14.4 m)  High-value, visible-gold bearing intercepts demonstrate continuity of mineralization up to 200 m down-plunge from current Mineral Reserves Key intercepts: 251 g/t Au over 3.6 m (ETW 3.2 m);

246 g/t Au over 5.3 m (ETW 3.8 m);

95.3 g/t Au over 4.6 m (ETW 4.1 m); and

59.7 g/t Au over 5.1 m (ETW 3.7 m)  Significant growth in Swan Mineral Reserves expected in December 31, 2018 Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource estimates (to be released in February 2019) Abbreviations include: g/t Au: Grams per tonne gold; m: Metres; ETW: Estimated true width

TORONTO, Dec. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. (Kirkland Lake Gold or the Company) (TSX:KL) (NYSE:KL) (ASX:KLA) today announced new high-grade results from the ongoing underground drilling programs at the Fosterville Mine in Victoria, Australia. Recent underground infill drilling targeting the down-plunge extensions of Swan continues to return results that provide confirmation of the geological model and continuity of high-grade, visible-gold bearing mineralization on the Swan Fault.

Results from 47 new drill holes, totaling 17,169 m, continue to return intervals with exceptionally high grades and visible-gold outside of the December 31, 2017 Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources in the Swan Zone. Recent drilling demonstrates the continuous nature of high-grade, visible-gold bearing quartz veins with substantial widths covering a down-dip extent of approximately 75 m, approximately 100 m down-plunge of current Mineral Reserves. In addition, drilling has confirmed that high-grade, visible-gold mineralization continues to be prevalent at least 200 m down-plunge from current Mineral Reserves.

Tony Makuch, President and CEO of Kirkland Lake Gold, commented: Fosterville continues to generate outstanding results, both from exploration and operating activities. The infill drill results released today clearly demonstrate the continuity of wide, exceptionally highgrade, visible-gold bearing mineralization covering 75 m down dip, and extending 100 m down-plunge from current Swan Mineral Reserves. We also continue to generate encouraging drill results further down-plunge, with the release of multiple high-grade, visible-gold bearing drill intercepts in a zone extending up to 200 m down-plunge of current Reserves. These intercepts are significant as they increase our confidence that the Swan mineralization continues for a significant distance down-plunge. Todays drill results will be incorporated into our December 31, 2018 Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource estimates, which we expect will include a substantial increase in Swan Mineral Reserves.

Among other key areas of exploration activity, we recently commenced underground drilling to test the down-plunge potential at Harrier South, following the establishment of an underground drill platform. Harrier South is a high-potential target, where earlier drill results demonstrated a trend of improving grades at depth with increasing amounts of visible gold, not dissimilar to drill results in the Lower Phoenix system prior to the discovery of the Swan Zone. In addition, we are also planning to accelerate resource definition drilling at Robbins Hill, where we have also encountered an increasing grade profile with visible gold at depth, and continue work on our regional exploration program, with multiple targets being evaluated.

Swan Drilling Program

Results from the ongoing underground resource drilling program targeting Swan continue to demonstrate high-grade continuity down-plunge from current Mineral Reserves.

High-Grade, Visible-Gold Bearing Intercepts >1000 gram-m include:

598 g/t Au over 6.4 m (ETW 5.8 m), including 1,435 g/t Au over 2.65 m (ETW 2.4 m) in hole UDH2643A;

625 g/t Au over 3.6 m (ETW 3.3 m), including 6,123 g/t Au over 0.35 m (ETW 0.3 m) in UDH2483;

218 g/t Au over 5.6 m (ETW 5.2 m), including 730 g/t Au over 1.65 m (ETW 1.5 m) in UDH2742; and

144 g/t Au over 16.5 m (ETW 14.4 m), including 942 g/t Au over 2.05 m (ETW 1.8 m) in UDH2591A.

High-Grade, Visible-Gold Bearing Intercepts >100 to 1000 gram-m include:

251 g/t Au over 3.6 m (ETW 3.2 m), including 562 g/t Au over 1.6 m (ETW 1.4 m) in UDH2485;

95.3 g/t Au over 4.6 m (ETW 4.1 m), including 646 g/t Au over 0.65 m (ETW 0.6 m) in UDH2502;

105 g/t Au over 5.2 m (ETW 4.4 m), including 1,087 g/t Au over 0.35 m (ETW 0.3 m) in UDH2594;

83.9 g/t Au over 5.9 m (ETW 5.4 m), including 333 g/t Au over 1.4 m (ETW 1.2 m) in UDH2595;

65.5 g/t Au over 4.4 m (ETW 4.2 m), including 119 g/t Au over 2.2 m (ETW 2.1 m) in UDH2600;

95.2 g/t Au over 8.7 m (ETW 7.5 m), including 564 g/t Au over 1.4 m (ETW 1.2 m) in UDH2604;

35.3 g/t Au over 5.3 m (ETW 4.9 m), including 100 g/t Au over 1.7 m (ETW 1.6 m) in UDH2631;

31.1 g/t Au over 9.6 m (ETW 8.7 m), including 237 g/t Au over 0.9 m (ETW 0.8 m) in UDH2634;

74.9 g/t Au over 2.2 m (ETW 2.0 m) in UDH2641;

111 g/t Au over 3.15 m (ETW 3.0 m) in UDH2642;

38.7 g/t Au over 6.9 m (ETW 6.5 m), including 143 g/t Au over 1.7m (ETW 1.6 m) in UDH2742A;

26.0 g/t Au over 7.0 m (ETW 6.3 m), including 49.0 g/t Au over 2.5m (ETW 2.2 m) in UDH2787;

52.8 g/t Au over 11.3 m (ETW 9.5 m), including 151 g/t Au over 3.45m (ETW 2.9 m) in UDH2799;

246 g/t Au over 5.3 m (ETW 3.8 m), including 2,590 g/t Au over 0.4 (ETW 0.3) in UDH2801;

9.7 g/t Au over 20.3 m (ETW 15.9 m), including 84.4 g/t Au over 1.6m (ETW 1.2 m) in UDH2802; and

59.7 g/t Au over 5.1 m (ETW 3.7 m), including 180 g/t Au over 1.4m (ETW 1.0 m) in UDH2826.

All drill results are presented in Table 1 and all drill collars are listed in Table 2.

Abbreviations include: Gram-m: gold grade x estimated true width; >: greater than

Since the September 19, 2018 Kirkland Lake Gold News Release, underground diamond drilling into Swan has continued to return encouraging results down-plunge from current Mineral Reserves (Figure 1). Reported drill results are from 47 holes (17,169 m), of which 20 contain visible-gold mineralization, and have >100 gram-m intercepts, with four of those intervals containing >1,000 gram-m (Figure 2). All reported drill results are outside the December 31, 2017 Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources and highlight the continued significant Mineral Reserve growth potential of Swan.

Continued infill drilling into the December 31, 2017 Swan Inferred Mineral Resource has confirmed the strong continuity of high-grade, visible-gold bearing mineralization to a distance of up to 200 m down-plunge of Mineral Reserves. Four intercepts are greater than 1,000 gram-m, with two of these results, 598 g/t Au over 6.4 m (ETW 5.8 m) in UDH2643A and 625 g/t Au over 3.6 m (ETW 3.3 m) in UDH2483, located 75 m and 100 m down-plunge from Mineral Reserves, respectively. A zone of extremely high-grade mineralization identified on the Swan Fault is coincident with the intersection of the Swan Fault with the Swan Footwall Splay Fault (Figures 3 & 4.). Eight of the nine >1,000 gram-m intercepts, reported on the Swan Fault since the September 19, 2018 Kirkland Lake Gold News Release, lie within 40 m of the interpreted intersection lineation position of these two faults, which plunges approximately 20 to the south.

In addition, four high-grade, visible-gold bearing intercepts on the Swan Fault are located between 150 m and 200 m down-plunge from current Mineral Reserves. These intercepts strongly support the results of previous drilling, including drill intercept UDH2494 (September 19, 2018 Kirkland Lake Gold News Release), in demonstrating the continuity of exceptionally high-grade, visible-gold bearing mineralization (>100 gramm) at least 200 m down-plunge of Mineral Reserves. Two >100 gram-m intercepts, 251 g/t Au over 3.6 m (ETW 3.2 m) from UDH2485 and 95.3 g/t Au over 4.6 m (ETW 4.1 m) from UDH2502, are located approximately 160 m and 200 m down-plunge from Mineral Reserves, respectively. The UDH2502 intercept at the 3895mRL is 1,265 m below surface and is now the deepest known drill hole intercept containing visible gold, 35 m deeper than previous recorded occurrences of visible gold.

Swan Footwall Splay Fault

The Swan Footwall Splay Fault is a recently identified mineralized footwall fault that emanates from and branches off the Swan Fault at approximately 6400mN and 4000mRL (Figures 3 & 4). Infill drilling and ongoing interpretation has further defined the Swan Footwall Splay Fault. Mineralized widths containing significant gold grades are typically largest on this fault immediately footwall to the Swan Fault. The interpreted Swan Footwall Splay Fault dips approximately 50, is marginally steeper than the Swan Fault, and has been defined down to the 3825mRL at a maximum separation distance of 20 m from the Swan Fault.

Key Gold Intercepts:

79.4 g/t Au over 0.7 m (ETW 0.6 m) in hole UDH2497;

6.8 g/t Au over 4.6 m (ETW 3.7 m) in hole UDH2582;

4.8 g/t Au over 5.75 m (ETW 4.8 m) in hole UDH2594; and

8.8 g/t Au over 3.65 m (ETW 3.4 m) in hole UDH2702.

To view a PDF of the figures referenced in this News Release, visit the links below.

Qualified Persons

Troy Fuller, MAIG, Geology Manager, Fosterville Gold Mine, is a "qualified person" as such term is defined in National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information and data included in this News Release.

Drilling and Underground Sampling Assay QAQC

Kirkland Lake Gold has in place quality-control systems to ensure best practice in drilling, sampling and analysis of drill core. All diamond drill hole collars (Table 2) are accurately surveyed using a Leica TS16 Total Station instrument and down-hole deviations are measured by either electronic gyro or single-shot instruments.

Sampling consisted of diamond drill core that was either full core or half core sampled. Half core samples were cut longitudinally in half with a diamond saw; one-half of the drill core was sent to an independent laboratory for analysis and the other drill core half retained for reference. Sample pulps are returned from the assay laboratory for reference and future geological or metallurgical studies. Drill core sample intervals vary between 0.3 and 1.2m in length and were determined from logging of sulfide and visible gold to geological boundaries.

Samples containing visible-gold or considered likely to contain visible-gold were separated from sulfide gold samples and dispatched independently for assaying. At the laboratory visible-gold jobs were processed through a single pulverizer and material barren of gold (quartz wash) was crushed before and after each sample to minimize the potential for gold to contaminate successive samples.

Assays are based on 25-gram charge fire assays. Mean grades are calculated using a variable lower grade cut-off (generally 2 g/t Au) and maximum 2 m internal dilution. No upper gold grade cut is applied to the data. However, during future Mineral Resource studies the requirement for assay top cutting will be assessed.

All samples were assayed at On Site Laboratories, an independent laboratory in Bendigo, Victoria. The facility is registered ISO 9001:2008 (CERT-C33510).

About Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd.

Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. is a mid-tier gold producer operating in Canada and Australia that is on track to achieve significant production growth over the next three years, including target production of 740,000  800,000 ounces in 2019, 845,000  910,000 ounces in 2020 and 945,000  1,005,000 ounces in 2021. The production profile of the company is anchored by two high-grade, low-cost operations, including the Macassa Mine located in Northern Ontario and the Fosterville Mine located in the state of Victoria, Australia. Kirkland Lake Gold's solid base of quality assets is complemented by district scale exploration potential, supported by a strong financial position with extensive management and operational expertise.

For further information on Kirkland Lake Gold, and to receive news releases by email, visit the Companys website www.klgold.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This News Release includes certain "forward-looking statements". All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to planned exploration programs, costs and expenditures, changes in Mineral Resource estimates, potential growth in Mineral Resources, conversion of Mineral Resources to proven and probable Mineral Reserves, and other information that is based on forecasts of future operational or financial results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to future exploration potential, project economics, timing and scope of future exploration, anticipated costs and expenditures, changes in Mineral Resources and conversion of Mineral Resources to proven and probable reserves, and other information that is based on forecasts of future operational or financial results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management.

Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "estimates" or "intends", or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. Exploration results that include geophysics, sampling, and drill results on wide spacings may not be indicative of the occurrence of a mineral deposit. Such results do not provide assurance that further work will establish sufficient grade, continuity, metallurgical characteristics and economic potential to be classed as a category of mineral resource. A mineral resource that is classified as "inferred" or "indicated" has a great amount of uncertainty as to its existence and economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that any or part of an "indicated mineral resource" or "inferred mineral resource" will ever be upgraded to a higher category of resource. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into proven and probable reserves.

There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Companys expectations include, among others, risks related to international operations, risks related to obtaining the permits required to carry out planned exploration or development work, the actual results of current exploration activities, conclusions of economic evaluations and changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined as well as future prices of gold, as well as those factors discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Companys Annual Information Form, financial statements and related MD&A for the period ended December 31, 2017 and the MD&A for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, as well as other disclosures of "Risk Factors" by the Company and its predecessors, which are filed with the securities regulatory authorities in certain provinces in Canada and available on SEDAR. Although the Company has attempted to identify key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause unanticipated and unintended results. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors - Mineral Reserve and Resource Estimates

All resource and reserve estimates included in this news release or documents referenced in this news release have been prepared in accordance with Canadian National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (the "CIM") - CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves, adopted by the CIM Council, as amended (the "CIM Standards"). NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators, which established standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. The terms "mineral reserve", "proven mineral reserve" and "probable mineral reserve" are Canadian mining terms as defined in accordance with NI 43-101 and the CIM Standards. These definitions differ materially from the definitions in SEC Industry Guide 7 ("SEC Industry Guide 7") under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Exchange Act.

In addition, the terms "mineral resource", "measured mineral resource", "indicated mineral resource" and "inferred mineral resource" are defined in and required to be disclosed by NI 43-101 and the CIM Standards; however, these terms are not defined terms under SEC Industry Guide 7 and are normally not permitted to be used in reports and registration statements filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into reserves. "Inferred mineral resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies, except in very limited circumstances. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of a mineral resource exists, will ever be converted into a mineral reserve or is or will ever be economically or legally mineable or recovered.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT

Anthony Makuch, President, Chief Executive Officer & Director

Phone: +1 416-840-7884

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Mark Utting, Vice-President, Investor Relations

Phone: +1 416-840-7884

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Table 1: Drill Assay Intercepts for the Swan and Swan Footwall Splay Diamond Drilling, Lower Phoenix Mineralized System, Fosterville Gold Mine

(The results are outside of Indicated Mineral Resources appearing in the December 31, 2017 Technical Report on the Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves of The Fosterville Gold Mine, dated April 2, 2018, and available on sedar.com)

Hole ID From

(m) To

(m) Downhole

Interval

(m) Estimated

True Width

(m) Gold Grade

(g/t Au) Geological

Structure Swan Fault Mineralization UDH2152 286.35 294.0 7.65 6.2 13.2 Swan UDH2483 (1) 353.65 357.25 3.6 3.3 624.9 Swan Including (1) 353.65 354.0 0.35 0.3 6,123.0 Swan UDH2485 (1) 383.5 387.1 3.6 3.2 250.6 Swan Including 383.5 385.1 1.6 1.4 562.5 Swan UDH2486 360.0 361.5 1.5 1.4 36.2 Swan UDH2487 (1) 372.3 378.0 5.7 4.9 7.4 Swan Including (1) 375.4 375.9 0.5 0.4 67.1 Swan UDH2490 349.7 354.65 4.95 4.5 13.4 Swan Including 352.9 353.5 0.6 0.5 40.5 Swan UDH2491 376.25 379.45 3.2 2.9 5.3 Swan UDH2492 (1) 423.7 424.5 0.8 0.7 32.1 Swan UDH2497 (1) 372.5 376.2 3.7 3.3 5.3 Swan Including 372.5 373.4 0.9 0.8 13.6 Swan UDH2498 358.4 361.8 3.4 3.2 15.6 Swan UDH2500 386.15 388.05 1.9 1.7 25.4 Swan UDH2502 (1) 363.7 368.3 4.6 4.1 95.3 Swan Including (1) 367.25 367.9 0.65 0.6 646.0 Swan UDH2503 377.4 389.0 11.6 9.7 8.2 Swan UDH2505 352.2 361.0 8.8 8.4 10.4 Swan UDH2539 336.5 338.65 2.15 1.7 6.0 Swan UDH2582 292.4 306.8 14.4 11.6 9.2 Swan UDH2585 (1) 313.2 319.4 6.2 5.0 10.8 Swan UDH2591A (1) 260.95 277.45 16.5 14.4 143.9 Swan Including (1) 261.45 263.5 2.05 1.8 942.3 Swan And Including (1) 276.2 276.55 0.35 0.3 751.4 Swan UDH2594 (1) 280.85 286.05 5.2 4.4 104.9 Swan Including (1) 280.85 281.2 0.35 0.3 1,087.0 Swan UDH2595 (1) 263.4 269.25 5.85 5.4 83.9 Swan Including (1) 265.4 266.75 1.35 1.2 332.6 Swan UDH2600 (1) 260.9 265.25 4.35 4.2 65.5 Swan Including (1) 262.1 264.3 2.2 2.1 119.3 Swan UDH2604 (1) 279.3 288.0 8.7 7.5 95.2 Swan Including (1) 281.65 283.0 1.35 1.2 563.7 Swan UDH2605 294.7 299.4 4.7 3.8 3.4 Swan UDH2606A 297.4 303 5.6 4.5 12.4 Swan Including 297.75 299.9 2.15 1.7 21.1 Swan UDH2630 281.2 283.75 2.55 2.3 13.2 Swan UDH2631 (1) 272.25 277.5 5.25 4.9 35.3 Swan Including (1) 272.9 274.6 1.7 1.6 100.0 Swan UDH2634 (1) 288.8 298.4 9.6 8.7 31.1 Swan Including (1) 294.4 295.25 0.85 0.8 237.4 Swan UDH2639 340.2 350.5 10.3 9.9 10.0 Swan Including 349.45 349.75 0.3 0.3 130.0 Swan UDH2641 (1) 344.45 346.65 2.2 2.0 74.9 Swan UDH2642 (1) 336.9 340.05 3.15 3.0 111.0 Swan UDH2643A (1) 344.5 350.9 6.4 5.8 598.5 Swan Including (1) 345.35 348.0 2.65 2.4 1,435.4 Swan And Including (1) 346.5 347.0 0.5 0.4 5,574.0 Swan UDH2698 410.5 417.3 6.8 5.2 8.3 Swan Including 412.35 412.7 0.35 0.3 52.0 Swan UDH2699 431.35 440.5 9.15 7.2 6.6 Swan Including 435.8 438.1 2.3 1.8 14.7 Swan UDH2701 398.25 399.8 1.55 1.4 4.2 Swan UDH2702 368.6 369.6 1 0.9 5.9 Swan UDH2740 349.25 354.0 4.75 4.3 15.6 Swan UDH2742 (1) 345.4 351.0 5.6 5.2 218.0 Swan Including (1) 349.35 351.0 1.65 1.5 730.1 Swan UDH2742A (1) 348.0 354.9 6.9 6.5 38.7 Swan Including (1) 352.4 354.1 1.7 1.6 143.2 Swan UDH2743A 345.3 351.2 5.9 5.3 16.5 Swan Including 349.9 350.6 0.7 0.6 59.3 Swan UDH2787 157.35 164.3 6.95 6.3 26.0 Swan Including (1) 161.8 164.3 2.5 2.2 49.0 Swan UDH2799 (1) 290.7 301.95 11.25 9.5 52.8 Swan Including (1) 294.35 297.8 3.45 2.9 151.0 Swan Including (1) 297.35 297.8 0.45 0.4 738.8 Swan UDH2801 (1) 339.1 344.4 5.3 3.8 245.9 Swan Including (1) 339.5 339.95 0.45 0.3 2,590.0 Swan UDH2802 (1) 295.7 316.0 20.3 15.9 9.7 Swan Including (1) 295.7 297.25 1.55 1.2 84.4 Swan UDH2803 (1) 315.15 321.35 6.2 4.8 10.1 Swan Including 317.25 318.9 1.65 1.3 22.9 Swan UDH2824A 297.6 301.1 3.5 2.9 6.5 Swan UDH2826 (1) 320.95 326.0 5.05 3.7 59.7 Swan Including (1) 324 325.4 1.4 1.0 180.0 Swan UDH2827 312.8 317.2 4.4 3.4 12.9 Swan Including 315.35 316.9 1.55 1.2 26.3 Swan Swan Footwall Splay Fault Mineralization UDH2487 381.8 383.6 1.8 1.6 5.4 Swan FW Splay UDH2497 386.4 387.1 0.7 0.6 79.4 Swan FW Splay UDH2498 380.2 380.5 0.3 0.3 4.7 Swan FW Splay UDH2500 400.6 401.0 0.4 0.4 4.7 Swan FW Splay UDH2502 396.8 397.1 0.3 0.3 5.3 Swan FW Splay UDH2503 412.5 415.8 3.3 3.0 3.7 Swan FW Splay UDH2582 324.55 329.1 4.55 3.7 6.8 Swan FW Splay UDH2594 302.0 307.75 5.75 4.8 4.8 Swan FW Splay UDH2595 277.8 278.35 0.55 0.5 7.4 Swan FW Splay UDH2600 274.95 277.05 2.1 1.9 2.0 Swan FW Splay UDH2604 302.35 307.6 5.25 4.4 3.7 Swan FW Splay UDH2634 318.4 320.2 1.8 1.6 4.5 Swan FW Splay UDH2641 365.2 366.35 1.15 1.1 5.6 Swan FW Splay UDH2642 353.75 356.7 2.95 2.8 2.6 Swan FW Splay UDH2698 428.95 429.35 0.4 0.4 2.5 Swan FW Splay UDH2701 414.1 416.55 2.45 2.4 3.4 Swan FW Splay UDH2799 318.3 321.95 3.65 3.0 3.6 Swan FW Splay UDH2801 379.2 379.6 0.4 0.3 3.7 Swan FW Splay UDH2803 356.3 356.7 0.4 0.3 2.4 Swan FW Splay UDH2824A 333 333.6 0.6 0.5 12.5 Swan FW Splay UDH2826 368.8 369.6 0.8 0.6 0.0 Swan FW Splay UDH2702 390.45 394.1 3.65 3.4 8.8 Swan FW Splay

Notes: (1) - Visible gold observed in drill intercept.

Drill intercepts greater than 30 Gram-m (gold grade x estimated true width) are shown in bold text.

Table 2: Underground Diamond Drill Hole Collar Locations, Fosterville Gold Mine

Hole ID Northing

(m) Easting

(m) Elevation

(m) Collar Azimuth

() Collar Plunge

() Total Depth

(m) UDH2152 6,357.2 1,406.5 4,192.7 104.8 -33.3 315.1 UDH2483 6,226.2 1,341.2 4,194.3 84.9 -43.8 377.9 UDH2485 6,226.0 1,341.2 4,194.3 97.9 -45.4 396.0 UDH2486 6,226.1 1,341.2 4,194.4 87.9 -42.2 398.0 UDH2487 6,226.2 1,341.2 4,194.4 94.0 -49.3 402.0 UDH2490 6,233.8 1,339.2 4,194.3 85.4 -42.7 380.7 UDH2491 6,233.7 1,339.0 4,194.1 96.4 -44.7 394.0 UDH2492 6,233.7 1,339.2 4,194.1 105.9 -47.2 434.6 UDH2497 6,233.5 1,339.0 4,193.9 99.9 -50.6 455.8 UDH2498 6,233.6 1,339.0 4,194.1 93.4 -52.0 398.6 UDH2500 6,233.4 1,339.0 4,194.1 105.7 -52.8 409.0 UDH2502 6,233.5 1,338.9 4,194.1 95.7 -57.6 416.8 UDH2503 6,233.2 1,338.6 4,194.1 102.8 -58.3 422.8 UDH2505 6,233.7 1,338.9 4,194.1 86.7 -57.9 374.8 UDH2539 6,366.0 1,381.7 4,191.9 121.7 -66.0 347.7 UDH2582 6,366.0 1,381.9 4,191.9 103.3 -57.6 337.0 UDH2585 6,365.8 1,381.8 4,192.0 114.8 -61.6 368.8 UDH2591A 6,355.3 1,406.4 4,192.6 94.6 -46.3 288.0 UDH2594 6,355.3 1,406.3 4,192.4 104.0 -60.3 314.8 UDH2595 6,355.2 1,405.5 4,192.2 84.9 -57.9 284.8 UDH2600 6,355.4 1,405.4 4,192.2 76.2 -61.0 285.3 UDH2604 6,355.2 1,406.3 4,192.4 109.0 -57.0 314.7 UDH2605 6,355.1 1,406.4 4,192.9 110.7 -34.3 321.0 UDH2606A 6,355.2 1,406.4 4,193.1 105.0 -29.2 330.0 UDH2630 6,366.3 1,381.7 4,191.9 81.9 -66.0 320.7 UDH2631 6,366.2 1,381.6 4,191.9 83.9 -62.3 302.8 UDH2634 6,366.1 1,381.7 4,192.0 102.9 -60.2 341.7 UDH2639 6,240.3 1,337.6 4,194.1 79.9 -43.0 366.3 UDH2641 6,240.2 1,337.6 4,194.1 81.0 -50.4 383.9 UDH2642 6,240.4 1,337.6 4,194.1 76.8 -47.9 377.9 UDH2643A 6,240.3 1,337.6 4,194.2 85.3 -28.7 358.0 UDH2698 6,225.2 1,341.2 4,194.3 111.2 -55.5 434.0 UDH2699 6,225.3 1,341.1 4,194.1 108.2 -59.1 446.6 UDH2701 6,225.3 1,341.2 4,194.3 102.8 -62.4 422.9 UDH2702 6,225.4 1,341.2 4,194.2 89.4 -66.0 413.8 UDH2740 6,241.0 1,337.3 4,193.9 83.4 -32.6 372.0 UDH2742 6,240.8 1,337.4 4,193.9 81.4 -39.5 366.0 UDH2742A 6,240.8 1,337.4 4,193.9 85.6 -25.6 363.0 UDH2743A 6,240.9 1,337.3 4,194.2 84.1 -42.0 375.0 UDH2787 6,392.0 1,395.3 4,054.9 96.2 -39.9 219.0 UDH2799 6,354.1 1,405.5 4,192.2 111.9 -57.8 332.8 UDH2801 6,354.9 1,405.4 4,192.2 126.9 -57.7 409.0 UDH2802 6,354.1 1,405.7 4,192.2 112.0 -53.0 323.4 UDH2803 6,354.1 1,405.6 4,192.3 123.0 -64.0 364.5 UDH2824A 6,361.8 1,396.6 4,192.1 108.1 -64.5 348.0 UDH2826 6,353.9 1,406.3 4,192.4 125.0 -63.3 387.0 UDH2827 6,362.0 1,396.7 4,192.1 109.5 -69.4 372.1

Notes: Collar locations are in Fosterville Mine Grid coordinate system.
Chilean exile and poet Ariel Dorfman wrote about a woman whose husband disappeared at the hands of the state. Every year a man asks her hand in marriage, and every year she replies: No, thank you very much, I appreciate your concern, but I am not a widow, so stay away from me, dont ask me for anything, I wont marry you, I am not a widow, I am not a widow, yet. Such cases are the focus of this post.

This post enquires on the alleged necessary relation between knowledge of truth about serious human rights violations and the capacity to exercise rights and obligations of those seeking that truth. Scholars refer to this capacity in terms of juridical personality  subjects of rights and duties are endowed with juridical personality. I focus on the case law of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on two grounds. First, forced disappearances and the right to truth have received unparalleled recognition in it. Second, Article 3 of the American Convention on Human Rights states that every human being has a right to juridical personality and prescribes the non-derogable rule that everyone must be recognised as a person before the law.

When states refuse to disclose the truth about forced disappearances and fail to investigate, acknowledge responsibility or apologise, the capacity of relatives of desaparecidos to be recognised as persons before the law is seriously hindered. I focus on the latter arguing they cannot fully exercise their rights and duties if they do not know what happened to their beloved.

The recognition that individuals have a right to truth, and that failure to disclose it causes severe suffering for those seeking it, is part of the Courts jurisprudence constante. The Court has held that refusing to disclose the truth to relatives of a disappeared may trigger a violation of their right to a humane treatment, access to justice and information. Yet the Court does not generally rule on whether a breach of the right to truth violates the disappeareds family right to juridical personality. One exception is the case of desaparecidos children given in adoption at time of birth. Their right to juridical personality has been declared violated since the state denied truth about their real identity, causing breaches of identity rights and hereditary rights.

The relation between the right to truth and the right to juridical personality might not be at the centre of Inter-American jurisprudence. Against such limited appreciation, I defend an interpretation of the Convention based on the pro persona principle of legal reasoning. This principle holds the interests of individuals at its heart and prescribes an interpretation of the law that best achieves the protection of individuals.

Are desaparecidos subjects of rights and duties?

Subjects of rights and duties are legally entitled to rights and duties and capable of exercising them in practice. Nevertheless, in the 2000 case Bamaca Velasquez v Guatemala the Court took a restrictive interpretation of Article 3, refusing to consider that forced disappearances violate the right of disappeared persons to juridical personality. A defence of the Courts position is found in the Opinion of Judge Ramirez that draws attention to the difference between the de jure capacity to be subject of rights and duties, and the de facto possibility to exercise them. He argues that Article 3 is violated only when the former occurs, when an act of law renders the individual an object  the matter of a juridical relation, not the subject of it. Following the latter reasoning, a violation of the right would only occur in cases of slaves, deprived by law of the entitlement to rights and duties. No violation of Article 3 occurs in a de facto situation that would deprive the individual of the possibility of exercising the rights to which, however, he has not been refused ownership  such as the situation of forced disappearances.

Only in 2009, in Anzualdo Castro v Peru, did the Court explicitly reconsider its position and acknowledge a violation of disappeared persons right to juridical personality. The legal reasoning underlying the Courts decision states that Article 3 is violated in case of individuals whom the Law fails to protect, whether de jure or de facto. The Court emphasizes a fundamental feature of forced disappearances: the states refusal to acknowledge that the victim is under its custody and provide any information in this regard. Thereby, the Court compellingly argues that the Law has failed to protect the desaparecidos and demonstrates that persons who are denied juridical personality do not necessarily need to be objects of the Law or lack legal entitlement to rights and duties (as in the slaves example). Placed in a situation where they cannot exercise rights nor obligations to which they are entitled, desaparecidos are not protected by the Law. Whether the Law continues to grant them ownership to rights and obligations becomes irrelevant in the face of their de facto incapacity to exercise any of the latter.

Juridical personality and right to truth of the relatives of disappeared persons

The Court grounds the right to juridical personality on a juridical conception of human dignity as the innate quality and basis for the individuals entitlement and capacity to exercise rights and duties. Thus, failure to recognize juridical personality harms human dignity. However, pronouncements of the Court generally overlook the relationship between the family members right to truth and protection of their juridical personality. The Courts lack of focus on this relationship hinders understanding why protecting the familys dignity depends on knowing the truth. My hypothesis is that their dignity is violated because without truth relatives cannot fully exercise rights and obligations.

The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances acknowledged that family members are prevented from exercising their rights and obligations due to the legal uncertainty created by the absence of the disappeared. This affects status of marriage, guardianship of children, right to social allowances, and management of properties. Especially in patrilocal cultures, women face legal difficulties when their partner is forcibly disappeared. The limbo in which these women live shows the failure of the Law to protect them and, ultimately, the violation of their dignity. While truth alone may be insufficient for the exercise of their rights, I argue that knowing the truth represents a necessary condition.

There are two main objections to my hypothesis. First, states have increasingly issued orders of presumption of death, or declaration of absence by reason of forced disappearance to overcome the legal limbo endured by relatives of desaparecidos. The presence of these documents alone would not constitute a violation of their juridical personality, even in the absence of truth. However, such certificates can only be issued with the consent of the family member and many are reluctant to provide it, as doing so would amount to renouncing hope of their loved ones return. The son of a missing person said: How can I proclaim my father dead? () Who am I to decide () when his life is over? () I will beg, but I will not do that. This objection fails to prove that absence of truth leaves unhindered the juridical personality of those seeking it. The Court should always evaluate whether issuing these certificates restored the relatives capacity to exercise rights, and whether, prior to the issuance, that capacity was violated.

Secondly, the Court has already ruled that the States refusal to disclose the truth violates the familys rights to humane treatment and access to justice. This could suggest that the Court has already made a compelling case for the restoration of the familys dignity and findings of violation of Article 3 regarding the disappeareds family would be unnecessary, if not redundant. I believe the latter view deprives the Convention of one of its functions and contradicts the pro persona principle that should assist in its interpretation. The founding fathers provided special protection to the right to juridical personality because its function is not guaranteed by rights to humane treatment and access to justice. The individuals capacity to exercise rights is the democratic minimum for states that respect human rights, and particularly for those affected by violent conflicts. Any findings of violation of Article 3 would show that the protection of dignity should begin with an analysis of the de facto capacity to exercise rights and obligations. Ultimately, without this analysis the assessment of any rights violation is weakened.

Conclusion

The aim of this post is to open a new debate around the right to truth. If the Court systematically acknowledges the link between right to truth and right to juridical personality, the State will be forced to admit that a breach of the right to truth entails a violation of human dignity, not only because it causes suffering or precludes access to justice, but also, and most importantly, because it hinders the capacity of individuals to be subjects of rights and duties  which I contend is a necessary condition for the protection of their dignity.
Lawyers for former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo argued Thursday that the elderly and fragile suspect should be freed on bail as his trial for crimes against humanity in The Hague drags on.

Gbagbo, 73, has spent seven years in detention at the International Criminal Court, accused of fomenting bloodshed after refusing to accept defeat in elections in the West African nation in 2010.

About 3,000 people died in clashes during what prosecutors say was an attempt by Gbagbo and co-defendant Charles Ble Goude to ignore the internationally recognised victory of Gbagbos bitter rival Alassane Outtara.

Gbagbos lawyer Emmanuel Altit insisted that Gbagbo  the first head of state to be handed over to the ICC  would pose no flight risk if he was released from custody while on trial.

In what kind of world would a 73-year-old man known throughout the entire world, suffering from various health problems, have the slightest interest in going underground? This makes no sense, Altit told the court.

Altit also argued that Gbagbo was ageing faster because of the length of time he had spent behind bars.

We are not talking about being held for a year, we are talking about being held for seven years, and this is particularly the case when the person in question is elderly and fragile, Altit said.

Lack of exercise, lack of social interaction, these problems make the person weaker, and an elderly person held in detention ages faster, he added.

ICC judges rejected another application for bail by Gbagbo as recently as April. The court must hold hearings on the matter at least once a year but can do so more often if it wishes.

Thursdays hearing was scheduled to be behind closed doors but was opened to the public at the last minute.

The court is still dealing with a separate application to have Gbagbo completely acquitted on the grounds that there is not enough evidence to proceed with the trial.

Prosecutors said there was no reason to overturn the decision eight months ago to keep Gbagbo and Ble Goudes locked up.

There are no changed circumstances that would justify modifying his detention since the last review, senior trial lawyer Eric Macdonald told the court.

Presiding judge Cuno Tarfusser said the court was expected to rule on the bail application on Friday.

Gbagbo was finally arrested after a months-long standoff by Ouattaras troops aided by UN and French forces, and turned over to the ICC in 2011.

The defence said in November that his trial had descended into fake reality and that prosecutors had distorted history about the violence in the Ivory Coast, the worlds largest cocoa producer.
Lawyers for former Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr asked a Canadian court on Thursday to change his bail conditions to allow him to travel to Saudi Arabia for a religious pilgrimage.

Khadr, now 32, has been living in Canada since 2015 while appealing his US war crime convictions, claiming his murder confession was made under duress.

He is asking to be granted a Canadian passport in order to perform the hajj  a once-in-a-lifetime Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia  and permission to speak freely with his controversial sister, Zaynab.

Zaynab Khadr was investigated a decade ago for terrorist links, but was never charged.

Omar Khadr is allowed supervised visits with her, but as she no longer lives in Canada he is hoping to be allowed to call or or video chat with her.

In an affidavit, cited by Canadian media, Khadr said his current bail conditions, including travel restrictions, cause him psychological harm.

I feel like the indefinite and potentially endless detention that I suffered in Guantanamo Bay is continuing, he wrote. I hope that there will be some end to this process, but there is none in sight.

Khadr became the youngest prisoner at the US facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba following his capture in Afghanistan in 2002.

He was sentenced in 2010 to eight years plus time served for murdering a US soldier with a grenade, attempted murder, conspiracy, providing material support for terrorism and spying, but was later sent home to serve the remainder of his sentence.

His lawyers fought for several years to have his status as a minor at the time of the attack recognized. Canadas Supreme Court finally agreed one week before his conditional release in 2015.

Khadrs father, a financier for Al Qaeda who was killed in a clash with Pakistani troops in 2003, had taken his son to Afghanistan as a child.

In Canada, Khadr married and was accepted into a nursing program, but says his legal issues  including a civil suit brought by the widow of the special forces soldier he was convicted of killing  sidelined his studies.

The government of Canadas Can$10 million (US$7.5 million) payout to him last year to settle a lawsuit for having violated his rights provoked outrage.
The former head of a wartime guerrilla court in Kosovo was questioned Thursday by war crime prosecutors probing atrocities against Serbs during the 1998-99 conflict with Serbia.

I was summoned for an interview as a witness, Sokol Dobruna told reporters after a six-hour long interview in Pristina. He did not rule out that the interview could serve as a ground for the indictment against him.

The questioning will continue on Friday and Saturday, he said.

The EU-funded tribunal was established in 2015 to probe crimes allegedly committed by senior members of the ethnic Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) during and immediately after the war, notably against Serbs, Romas and Kosovo Albanian political opponents.

The Special Prosecution Office has yet to issue indictments as speculation has raged over who will be targeted, including possibly Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, the KLA wartime political leader.

In some of the first summons, two wartime commanders Rrustem Mustafa-Remi, 47, and Sami Lushtaku, 57, were called to The Hague in mid-January.

Several others former lower-level KLA members have recently received summons for interviews in The Hague, local media reported.

On his Facebook site Thaci on Thursday called on any former freedom fighter to respond to the Specialised Chambers with civic and legal correctness.

Thaci, regularly cited as a possible suspect, told AFP earlier this year that he had nothing to hide and was ready to respond to the tribunal at any moment, under any circumstances and with all my capacity.

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers was formed after a 2011 Council of Europe report that alleged the KLA carried out kidnaping, assassinations, unlawful detentions and other crimes against at least 500 civilians, mostly Serbs.

The court was established under Kosovo law, but has international judges and prosecutors and is located in The Hague to protect witnesses in highly sensitive cases.

The last conflict in the bloody break up of Yugoslavia, Kosovo war between KLA and Serbian armed forces claimed 13,000 lives, mostly ethnic Albanians.

It ended after a three-month long NATO bombing campaign forced Serbian troops, controlled by late strongman Slobodan Milosevic, out of the breakaway territory.

In 2008 mainly ethnic-Albanian Kosovo unilaterally declared independence, which Serbia fiercly refuses to recognise.

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The US House of Representatives overwhelmingly adopted a resolution Thursday calling Myanmars expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims a genocide.

The lower house of Congress also accused the Myanmar military of crimes against humanity and called for the immediate release of two Reuters journalists who have been detained for covering the crisis.

The resolution was backed by 394 votes from both parties, with a single Republican opposing.

The United Nations has already classified the mass expulsions of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya from their homes as a genocide.

Members of Congress called on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to determine, based on available evidence, whether the actions by the (Myanmar) military in northern Rakhine State in 2017 constitute crimes against humanity, genocide, or other crimes under international law.

It added that all those responsible for these crimes against humanity and genocide should be tracked, sanctioned, arrested, prosecuted, and punished under applicable international criminal statutes and conventions.

In November 2017, Pompeos predecessor Rex Tillerson called the militarys campaign against the Rohingya ethnic cleansing and in August issued sanctions against four commanders and two military units involved.

Since then, the State Department has been examining whether the actions of the military can be classified as genocide, a tougher, more legally binding term than ethnic cleansing.

Vice President Mike Pence told Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi last month that the actions of the military were inexcusable.

That conclusion of ethnic cleansing in no way prejudices any potential further analysis on whether mass atrocities have taken place, including genocide or crimes against humanity, State Department deputy spokesman Robert Palladino told reporters this week.

More than 700,000 Rohingya have fled the violence in Rakhine state since the Myanmar military launched an offensive in August 2017.

Myanmar denies the charge of ethnic cleansing, saying it was responding to attacks by Muslim rebels.
After five years of violence, the issue of transitional justice is crucial in the Central African Republic (CAR). National and international NGOs and the United Nations have encouraged or supported the creation of its Special Criminal Court. In the meantime, the International Criminal Court was asked by the transitional government in 2014 to investigate the most serious crimes committed since 2003. After years of crisis, the Central African judicial system is being rebuilt and is starting to hold criminal trials to demonstrate its re-found vitality. National courts have already tried certain leaders of armed groups in three sessions, one at the beginning of 2018, one in August and one right now.

These three levels of jurisdiction  national for the SCC and ordinary courts and international for the ICC  have a mandate to try international crimes (war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide). But how will responsibilities be shared, notably between the SCC and ICC? One of the most efficient criteria will be the prominence of each criminal or warlord to be prosecuted by these courts. In a country where the conflict has assumed ethnic and religious proportions, where the security situation is bad and communities have at one time or another felt protected by their militia and leaders, justice must take these affinities and sympathies into account in its handling of the criminals, all the more so since many armed groups still have capacity to cause harm and they occupy vast swathes of territory.

A good decision to transfer Yekatom

We may remember the attempted demonstration by a group of young people at the court in Bangui during the trial of Rodrigue Ngaibona alias Andjilo, one of the redoubtable leaders of the Anti-balaka, last January. There are also former militia leaders who have managed to get themselves elected to parliament, seeking parliamentary immunity against possible prosecution. In fact, at the Bangui Forum  a national dialogue on the crisis with representatives of government, armed groups, civil society and the population  the general amnesty law wanted by armed groups was not accepted.

The best known case is that of Alfred Yekatom, known as Rombhot. After being arrested on October 29 for threatening his fellow parliamentarians, gun in hand, and firing in the air within the parliament building, he was transferred to the ICC three weeks later at its request. It is not clear why the government preferred to hand him over at once to the ICC rather than prosecuting him for what he did in parliament. But we think it is a good decision. Yekatom was a corporal in the national army before joining the Anti-balaka, of which he was one of the most influential leaders. There is a risk because, since the country has no prison guards, the jails are guarded by members of the army, of which Rombhot was part. In addition, the Anti-balaka combatants that he commanded during the crisis can still mobilize. These two cases show the possibility of implementing transitional justice in the CAR and for good coordination between the national and international courts.

Two Anti-balaka at the ICC but no ex-Seleka

However, whereas Andjilo was tried by an ordinary court before the SCC was operational, the SCC, ICC and ordinary courts must now talk to each other to share out the cases that the ICC cannot take, because they are all operational now. Whilst the SCC technically has precedence over the ordinary courts on cases, the two jurisdictions should reach agreement because it is in the interest of the national courts, whose reform is well under way, to continue proving that they can regain the peoples trust that they lost during the periods of trouble and dysfunction. That would help reconciliation.

The ICC and SCC must also consult closely, based on an analysis of the conflicts dynamics, to decide who to arrest and which court will take which case. As the ICC can only take a limited number of individuals, it should focus on the big leaders, like those whose groups occupy and exploit part of the country. Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona, the Anti-balaka national general coordinator, was arrested on December 12 in France, but the other leaders  especially those on the Seleka side  will be hard to catch because they do not circulate so freely and stay in the zones they control where neither the UN mission nor the government can easily go and arrest them. The fact that two Anti-balaka leaders are now in the ICCs hands but no ex-Seleka leaders is likely to create resentment within the group, possibly unrest and changes of position on the African Union peace initiative.
Kansas State University awarded U.S. Economic Development Administration grant for Global Food Systems Economic Prosperity Accelerator

Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018



MANHATTAN  Kansas agriculture accounts for $47.9 billion in direct output and is crucial to meeting global food demand. A new project at Kansas State University will help Kansas support global food security and safety while boosting the state's agriculture and food economy.

The Kansas State University Global Food Systems Economic Prosperity Accelerator will be funded by a $745,000 grant through the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration, or EDA, 2018 Regional Innovation Strategies program. The awards are designed to create and expand cluster-focused entrepreneurship and technology transfer programs. The Kansas State University project was one of 24 selected from more than 230 proposals to receive funding.

The university will use the grant, matched by other resources, to launch the accelerator in an effort to address the increasingly complex challenges of global food demand and advance the productivity and growth of the Kansas economy.

"This grant will grow the knowledge-based food systems economy of Kansas, produce more university-industry partnerships and create jobs in the region," said U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran in a statement about the grant.

Peter Dorhout, Kansas State University vice president for research, said the accelerator will build on the university's past efforts to provide leadership in global food systems.

"The EDA grant will enable K-State to continue to advance our research, education and outreach in global food systems," Dorhout said. "Our land-grant heritage and agriculture expertise makes K-State uniquely suited to address global food needs while engaging our key stakeholders and enabling economic growth for Kansas."

University partners include the Office of the Vice President for Research, the Kansas State University Institute for Commercialization, or KSU-IC, and the K-State Center for the Advancement of Entrepreneurship. Other area collaborators include Knowledge-based Economic Development, the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce, the Kansas City Area Development Council, TechAccel, and the Kansas State University colleges of Agriculture, Veterinary Medicine and Arts and Sciences.

According to Rebecca Robinson, director of economic development and internal program development for KSU-IC, this team has been collaborating for years and already boasts many successes.

"We're honored to achieve this federal recognition of our grassroots effort," Robinson said. "The partnerships we have built in the last decade have raised the profile of K-State and Manhattan as a source of expertise and engagement in global food systems, and we look forward to building on past success."

Through a combination of existing and new projects, Kansas State University and KSU-IC will engage with an inclusive set of university researchers to explore industry collaborations that will ultimately result in the conversion of research, ideas and innovation to commercially viable enterprises and domestically manufactured products.

The grant will fund the Global Food Systems Economic Prosperity Accelerator activities from January 2019 through January 2022. Overall aims will be to accelerate products to the marketplace, encourage transformational innovation, further advance university-industry partnerships in research and commercialization, and encourage entrepreneurship. The project will include working with industry training for faculty, startup mini-grants for students, company outreach, faculty teaming events, technology marketing, company expansion and formation and more.

"The K-State approach to building capacity and promoting strategic partnerships has received national recognition, and federal funding will help us continue to make progress as we forge new partnerships, attract more companies to northeast Kansas and create jobs," Dorhout said.

Kansas State University was named an Innovation and Economic Prosperity University by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities in summer 2017 for efforts in Talent, Place and Innovation. The master plan and progress on the North Campus Corridor project was named a finalist in the Place category of the University Economic Development Association 2018 Awards of Excellence. The university has increased extramural research funding by 25 percent in the last three fiscal years, including growth in industry partnerships and licensing of global food systems technologies.






By JULIET LINDERMAN , Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP)  After months of debate and negotiation, Congress voted final approval Wednesday to a massive farm bill that will provide more than $400 billion for agriculture subsidies, conservation programs and food aid.

Local Views on the 2018 Farm Bill's Passage: The legislation supports farmers and ranchers, protects crop insurance and conservation efforts, provides specialty crop programs, invests in efforts to expand foreign markets, protects animal health, and prioritizes agricultural research and rural development. The bill is critical to providing all stakeholders, including Oregons farmers, ranchers, and consumers, with consistent policy for the next five years, along with the many sectors and industries that rely on them.  Oregon Farm Bureau

These fires are monsters when they light up. They kill. Its unfortunate that the provisions that the House passed as part of the Farm Bill were rejected by the Democrats in the Senate. Its unfortunate because after these catastrophic fires, we should be able to get in and remove the fuel load so the next fire does not burn even more intensely, which is what happens. But Senate Democrats rejected that. And while were expanding categorical exclusion authorities in some forests, the House provisions said that we should expand the authority to all forests so that we can begin to catch up and remove the excess fuel load from our forests. Unfortunately, again, Senate Democrats rejected that.  Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River)

Rural Oregon communities can grow stronger with this bills big wins for hemp, hops and innovative opportunities in timber and agriculture. I am gratified that the fight for legislation that provides so many seeds for job growth has emerged with this bill helping Oregonians throughout our state.  Senator Ron Wyden

"This really unleashes [hemp] as a full agricultural crop...it can be grown, the seeds can be shipped across state lines, the oil and fiber that's produced can be moved. It really is a great opportunity, especially because there is a huge market for CBD oil."  Senator Jeff Merkley

The House voted 369-47 for the legislation, which sets federal agricultural and food policy for five years, after the Senate approved it 87-13 on Tuesday. It is now headed to the desk of President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it.

The measure reauthorizes crop insurance and conservation programs and pays for trade programs, bioenergy production and organic farming research. It also reduces the cost for struggling dairy producers to sign up for support programs and legalizes the cultivation of industrial hemp.

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Rep. Michael Conaway, R-Texas, said the final bill looks at "stresses and strains across all of rural America, economic development issues and just the practice of farming and ranching. It says: here are federal resources we want to put against those problems."

One thing the bill doesn't include: tighter work requirements for food stamp recipients, a provision of the House bill that was celebrated by President Donald Trump but became a major sticking point during negotiations.

Another contentious piece of the House's original legislation, relaxing restrictions on pesticide use, also didn't make it into the final text.

Conaway championed the stricter work requirements, and fought to restrict the ability of states to issue waivers to exempt work-eligible people. The House measure also sought to limit circumstances under which families who qualify for other poverty programs can automatically be eligible for SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and earmarked $1 billion to expand work-training programs.

The bill does increase funding for employment and training programs from $90 million to $103 million.

The original House bill failed during its first floor vote when 30 GOP members blocked it over an unrelated immigration issue. It passed a second time around, but without any support from Democrats, who insisted they wouldn't vote for a bill with the new work requirements included.

"The version we passed in June took bold steps to reforming SNAP and moving in the direction most of us believed was supported by the American people," Conaway said. "That was not supported broadly by the body across the building, and we made the compromise necessary to get us to this place."

The House and Senate also clashed over portions of the bill's forestry and conservation sections.

Negotiations were complicated in recent weeks when the White House asked Congress to make changes to the forestry section in response to deadly wildfires in California, giving more authority to the Agriculture and Interior departments to clear forests and other public lands. The final text doesn't significantly increase the agencies' authority.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said the bill will help producers "make decisions about the future, while also investing in important agricultural research and supporting trade programs to bolster export." But he voiced disappointment over the failed changes to work requirements.

"While I feel there were missed opportunities in forest management and in improving work requirements for certain SNAP recipients, this bill does include several helpful provisions and we will continue to build upon these through our authorities," he said.

The bill maintains current limits on farm subsidies, but includes a House provision to expand the definition of family to include first cousins, nieces and nephews, making them eligible for payments under the program.
JACKSONVILLE, Ore.  A multi-vehicle crash along Highway 238 on Tuesday night claimed the life of a Jacksonville woman and seriously injured another driver, according to Oregon State Police (OSP).

Troopers and emergency personnel first responded to the crash just before 6 p.m. The crash was near milepost 38, not far from Jacksonville.

Investigators believe that 21-year-old Charles Redlingshafer was driving his 1989 Ford pickup and towing a trailer loaded with hay when he suddenly lost control of the trailer. Redlingshafer then crashed into two other vehicles  a 1987 Toyota pickup and a Geo Metro.

66-year-old Nancy Asman of Jacksonville was the driver of the Toyota. OSP said that Asman received fatal injuries and died at the scene.

The driver of the Geo has not yet been identified, but OSP said that they received "serious injuries" and were rushed to the hospital.

Redlingshafer was not injured in the crash.

Troopers and traffic crews closed the highway for roughly nine hours to clear the crash and investigate the circumstances that led to it.
EUGENE, Ore. -- After receiving a grant from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Greenhill Humane Society plans to partner with Kendall Subaru of Eugene to host an adoption event on Dec. 14 and 15.

The adoption event is from 12 p.m to 5 p.m at 20 Coburg Road in Eugene.

According to the Greenhill Humane Society, 40 animals won't have adoption fees. The animals covered by the Share the Love promotion will have no adoption fee.

You can see the selected animals who are participating in the Subaru Share the Love promotion by looking on the pet profiles here.

The Share the Love promotion runs through Dec. 23.
EUGENE, Ore. -- University of Oregon police chased, used a Taser on and arrested a man after he allegedly stole headphones from a nearby 7-Eleven Wednesday afternoon.

The chase ended on the front lawn of the McKenzie River Masonic Temple on the university's campus.

Police said an officer in a squad car saw James Hunter, 34, of Eugene run from the 7-Eleven on 13th Avenue and Alder Street at about 1 p.m., followed quickly by the store clerk.

The officer talked to the clerk, who said Hunter had stolen headphones from his store.

Police chased after Hunter by car then on foot with help from Eugene police. Hunter was stopped about a block and a half later.

When officers went to arrest him, they said Hunter resisted and they used a Taser on him.

Hunter was taken to Sacred Heart University District to be evaluated and was booked in the Lane County Jail on charges of theft, interfering with a peace officer, resisting arrest, assaulting a public safety officer and escape.

The officer that was assaulted went to Sacred Heart for a hand injury.
LANE COUNTY, Ore. -- After multiple people reported having rocks thrown at them in rural Lane County, one local store owner is offering a reward.

Ken Jamieson Jr., owner of Junction City Muffler Shop, has put up a $500 reward for any information that leads to the arrest of the person or people who threw the rocks.

RELATED: Communities rocked by vandalism in rural Lane County seek justice

"I just think it's time for somebody to step up and throw a reward out there and stop this person in their tracks," Jamieson said. "This can't happen again."

He said other people in the community have come forward to give money to add to the reward. Jamieson said its not about his business but about bringing these people to justice that could have seriously injured someone.

"That's the community I live in," Jamieson said. "We pull together when we need to, and if we can catch this person, let's do this, let's end this."

MORE: Rocks thrown at drivers in rural Lane County, OSP says

Oregon State Police officials said they have leads, but no arrests have been made at this time.

Reports indicate that someone in a truck in western Lane County threw rocks at drivers and bicyclists last weekend in the Veneta and Triangle Lake area.

Oregon State Police describe the suspected truck as a dark-colored lifted flatbed with a loud muffler. They are urging anyone with information to come forward.
Rep. Denny Heck said Wednesday that recent indictments and sentencing memos show "the walls are closing in and this is the beginning of the end for the Trump administration."

"In light of what happened today," the Washington state Democrat told Erin Burnett on CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront," "in light of all the events of the last couple of weeks and all the sentencing memos that have been filed now -- 36 indictments, three prison terms and the like -- I'm prepared to say something I've never said: The writing's on the wall, the walls are closing in and this is the beginning of the end for the Trump administration."

Continents and regions Crime, law enforcement and corrections Criminal law Denny Heck Donald Trump Eastern Europe Elections and campaigns Europe Government and public administration Government bodies and offices Government organizations - US Investigations Law and legal system Political Figures - US Politics Robert Mueller Russia Russia meddling investigation Sentencing US Congress US federal government US House of Representatives White House 2016 Presidential election Elections (by type) Maria Butina Misc people Political candidates US Federal elections US Presidential elections

Heck, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into possible collusion between Russian operatives and Trump associates during the 2016 presidential campaign and transition is "getting closer and closer."

Earlier Wednesday, President Donald Trump's former longtime attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen, was sentenced to three years in prison for crimes including campaign finance violations and tax evasion. Cohen implicated the President in August when he pleaded guilty in federal court and said that "in coordination and at the direction of a candidate for federal office," he had kept information that would have harmed Trump from becoming public during the campaign.

"They now have the President as an unindicted co-conspirator for campaign finance laws, breaking campaign finance laws," Heck told CNN.

Alleged Russian spy Maria Butina is slated to appear Thursday in DC federal court to plead guilty to conspiracy as part of a deal with prosecutors. Butina was making inroads with the National Rifle Association and prominent conservatives to try to bolster Russian interests. Federal investigators will likely try to figure out how she fit into the larger picture of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Heck said Butina is just "one of many. We have now documented that there were at least 16 Trump operatives who had communication or interaction with Russians or Russian operatives during the course of the campaign, so she doesn't stand out all by herself."

Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort also pleaded guilty earlier this year to two charges of conspiracy and witness tampering, while publicly admitting he had committed several other financial and lobbying crimes. He separately was found guilty by a jury in Virginia of eight financial fraud charges related to his Ukrainian lobbying proceeds. Mueller's office is considering bringing more criminal charges against Manafort after it accused him of violating his plea deal to cooperate with prosecutors.

Heck told Burnett that in addition to Russian interference, Mueller is "exploring, as we full well know, obstruction of justice activity on the part of either the President or people on his behalf."

"I don't think that Bob Mueller's going to be deterred here," Heck said. "It's interesting to note that yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the battle of Mutter's Ridge in Vietnam, where a very young second lieutenant, Mueller, won the Bronze Star for valor."

Trump brushed off a question about his associates' interactions with Russians before and during his presidential campaign as just "peanut stuff" during an interview with Reuters on Tuesday.

"The stuff you're talking about is peanut stuff," the President told Reuters.
The schemes employed to get President Donald Trump into the Oval Office are closing in on him, and he's frustrated at his predicament.

His former fixer has now been sentenced to prison and his tabloid friend's company landed an immunity deal. Trump separately admitted that his campaign did have interactions with Russians, which, even if it is the "peanut stuff" he claims, is an important shift from the blanket denials he had made previously.

The threads -- hush money for claims of affairs and interactions with Russians -- are becoming impossible to keep separate. But the pattern is clear: Schemes Trump repeatedly denied were hatched to help him get elected keep being proved true, and former friends and members of his inner circle keep heading to jail.

Michael Cohen, the former Trump lawyer and loyalist, once bragged he'd take a bullet for the President, but in reality it'll be three hard years in federal prison. Not even willing cooperation against the former boss and hero he flipped on could spare Cohen years of confinement, albeit less than the five prosecutors had requested.

That Cohen blasted his former boss's "dirty deeds" and repented for joining Trump's "dark side" likely won't cost the President any sleep after he repeatedly dismissed his former lawyer as a "weak person" and a liar, but Trump is seething over Cohen's conviction, a White House source told CNN's Jeff Zeleny. The tendency of former associates to face legal problems also won't win Trump any new friends as he searches for new blood for his administration.

Neither will the sentencing next week of Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser to whom Trump has maintained a friendlier disposition despite Flynn's request in a filing Tuesday night that he not face jail time in exchange for his willing cooperation with special counsel Robert Mueller. Flynn pleaded guilty a year ago to lying to investigators in the early days of the Trump administration.

Speaking of friends, there's also David Pecker. When Cohen orchestrated hush money schemes -- at the direct request of Trump, Cohen says -- to silence two women alleging long-ago affairs with the then-presidential candidate, he worked on his own for the porn star and conspired with Pecker's American Media Inc., the parent company of the National Enquirer, for the Playboy model. Trump has denied having affairs with the women.

On cue after Cohen's sentencing, prosecutors in the Southern District of New York said they had reached a "non-prosecution agreement" with American Media Inc. for its cooperation and the company admitted the scheme on behalf of Trump. Pecker met with Cohen and "another member of the campaign" in August 2015, according to the agreement. It's not clear who the other campaign member is or whether other people could be implicated.

But the evident peril of working on behalf of Trump is important to note for possible White House job candidates. A personal lawyer may ultimately be required. CNN recently reported that chief of staff John Kelly, on his way out the door, was questioned in recent months as part of Mueller's obstruction-of-justice investigation.

Russia interactions are 'peanut stuff,' Trump says

The full scope of Mueller's investigation, what it will find and who will ultimately be implicated remains unknown, but with sentences for those former loyalists who cooperated in his investigation, the meaty Russia phase for which he was first appointed seems close, just in time for Democrats to take over the House of Representatives next month.

Along with control of the House, they'll take charge of investigative committees that will want to pore over Trump's admission Tuesday to Reuters in the face of overwhelming evidence and 16 interactions documented by CNN that members of his campaign may in fact have had interactions and business dealings with Russians.

"The stuff you're talking about is peanut stuff," Trump said.

It will not feel like peanuts to Cohen, who separately copped to seeking business dealings in Russia on Trump's behalf, trading on Trump's status as a presidential candidate. Nor will it feel like peanuts to Flynn. Nor to Paul Manafort, the former campaign chairman currently sitting in jail, convicted in one trial and waiting to see what will happen after the special counsel said Manafort tried to lie his way through cooperating with prosecutors to avoid another.

The President's new reality

As some of Trump's friends and former associates face jail, his enemies feel ascendant as he got a face-to-face and on-camera introduction to what Nancy Pelosi will be like as his chief opponent.

Trump clearly thought he could control that opposition and play House Speaker-in-waiting Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer as villains, but he learned the hard way this week that theirs will not be an easy relationship to stage-manage.

When Trump invited reporters into the Oval Office on Tuesday while he upbraided Schumer and Pelosi -- he calls them Chuck and Nancy -- about the need for his wall and border security money, they gave as good as they got, and by the end of the appearance they had Trump proudly taunting them with the possibility of a partial government shutdown. What had seemed like an outside chance at the beginning of the meeting became a real possibility as the two sides dug in with reporters watching -- a real-life lesson on why to negotiate in private.

Those shutdown talks will overshadow praise for any last acts of unified government Republicans can muster before Pelosi seizes the speaker's gavel. In particular, the prospect of a bipartisan criminal justice overhaul could be a real notch in Trump's legacy if he can find the time and political capital to block for it in the Senate.

And the end result was a powerful-seeming Pelosi squelching the last gasps of resistance in her party to her being their leader in the House and Trump's chief opponent for the next two years. She might have to agree to step down after four years, but those will include two opposing Trump and two with either him or a Democratic replacement.

She seems content for now to let the Mueller investigation play out and to focus her fellow Democrats on beating Trump politically, which may become easier if he is consumed by the legal problems of his former confidants.
WINNESHIEK COUNTY, Iowa  A nationwide rash of bomb threats has shown up in northeast Iowa.

The Winneshiek County Sheriffs Office and Winneshiek County Emergency Management says a local business has received a threatening email that is similar to ones sent to other businesses across the country. Authorities say the email appears to be a hoax.

The FBI is investigating these emails and has created an electronic tip form here. The FBI says the report needs to include the full email threat and the expanded header information with the IP address from the sender. The tip should also include the name of the business targeted and what type of product or service it provides.
STRASBOURG, France (AP)  Hundreds of security forces combed eastern France for a 29-year-old man with a long criminal record who shouted "God is great!" in Arabic and sprayed gunfire during a deadly rampage in Strasbourg's famous Christmas market, officials said.

Tuesday night's attack at the Christmas market in Strasbourg killed two people, left a third brain-dead and injured 12, and was a stark reminder to a nation wounded by previous assaults that terrorism remains a threat, even as anti-government protests roil the country.

National police distributed a photo of the wounded fugitive, identified as Cherif Chekatt, with the warning: "Individual dangerous, above all do not intervene."

France raised its three-stage threat index to the highest level and bolstered troops around France.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner told lawmakers that the French native, born in Strasbourg, had run-ins with police starting at age 10 and his first conviction at age 13.

Chekatt had been convicted 27 times, mostly in France but also in Switzerland and Germany, for crimes including armed robbery. He had been flagged for extremism and was on a watch list, but the interior minister said "the signs were weak."

The emerging profile seemed to point to an increasingly common hybrid extremist who moves from acts of delinquency to sowing terror.

"It's a large zone and the search is difficult," senior Interior Ministry official Laurent Nunez said on France-Inter radio. Strasbourg is on the border with Germany, where the suspect was convicted in 2016 of breaking into a dental practice and a pharmacy in two towns.

His parents and two brothers, also known for radicalism, were detained, a judicial official said.

Prosecutor Remy Heitz said the man attacked with a handgun and a knife about 8 p.m. Tuesday, and was shot in the arm during an exchange of fire with soldiers during his rampage. He then took a taxi to another part of the city, boasting of the attack to the driver, and later exchanged more gunfire with police and disappeared, Heitz said.

Witnesses described shots and screams after the gunman opened fire and yelled "God is great!" in Arabic, the prosecutor added. Swaths of the city were under lockdown for hours.

The dead included a Thai tourist, 45-year-old Anupong Suebsamarn, according to Thai Foreign Ministry and the website of the Khao Sod newspaper. It quoted his uncle as saying he and his wife had originally planned to visit Paris, but the protests there prompted them to change plans and go to Strasbourg instead.

One Italian was reported to be among the wounded. Italian media said Antonio Megalizzi, 28, was in critical condition. Italian daily La Repubblica reported he was in Strasbourg to follow the session of the European Parliament.

After initially reporting that three people had died, authorities revised that and said one was brain-dead, while 12 people were wounded, six of them gravely.

About 720 police, soldiers and SWAT team officers in Strasbourg were being reinforced with 500 more soldiers and another 1,300 in the coming days to guard public places, especially other Christmas markets, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said after a crisis meeting. The government raised the security level after the attack.

The attack in the heart of old Strasbourg, near its famous cathedral and within the Christmas market that draws many tourists, unsettled the border city that also is home to the European Parliament.

The German government said it had stepped up controls on the border with France but did not change its threat level.

"All terrorist attacks touch all of France, and it's plain to see each of the attacks have hit a highly symbolic point or moment," Philippe told parliament. He listed violence since 2015 that killed more than 200: at the Charlie Hebdo satiric newspaper, a Kosher store, restaurants, bars and a concert hall in Paris; along the famed seaside promenade in Nice; and even inside a church in a quiet suburb of the northern city of Rouen, among others.

Strasbourg's Christmas market "is a family and brotherly celebration that speaks about hope and what unites us. It's this celebration that was hit yesterday by a terrorist act," he said.

The city was in mourning, with candles lit at the site of the attack, and the Christmas market was closed at least through Thursday, according to regional prefect Jean-Luc Marx.

The attack came as President Emmanuel Macron sought to take back control of the nation after a month of anti-government protests that have spread violence across the country. It came only 24 hours after he broke a long public silence and appealed for calm amid the mushrooming "yellow vest" protest movement that seeks a better standard of living for ordinary citizens. He offered a package of measures, but it wasn't clear if that would halt the weekend protests.

"The terrorist threat is still at the core of our nation's life," government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux quoted Macron as saying at the weekly Cabinet meeting.

Reflecting the distrust and anger at Macron, some social media said they viewed the Strasbourg attack as a handy distraction.

Interior Ministry official Nunez said Chekatt had been radicalized in prison and had been monitored by French intelligence services since his release in late 2015, because of his suspected religious extremism.

Nunez told France-Inter that police went to his apartment in an outer neighborhood of Strasbourg on Tuesday morning. Authorities said he was not there, although five other people were detained.

Police seized a grenade, a rifle and knives in the operation, Heitz said, and began guarding the apartment building.

A neighbor, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the gunman was still at large, said Chekatt was rarely home and last saw him Monday from her window, which looks out on a common hallway, with another man.

Young men from the apartment block said they knew him as someone who seemed destabilized by his time in prison.

"You can just tell," said one, touching the side of his head. They, too, spoke on condition of anonymity because he was still on the run.
ROCHESTER, Minn.  Some Rochester Community and Technical College students will be able to get hands on training in new auto technology thanks to a Midwest car dealer.

Luther Automotive Group donated a Hyundai Elantra to the schools Automotive Technology Program on Wednesday.

This is the first of many partnerships to donate a vehicle to RCTC, says Automotive Technician Instructor Dave MacLeod. We look forward to working with the advanced technology to provide better training for our students to enhance their skills.

Ken Lentz, Service Manager at Park Place Motors of Rochester, presented the keys to the RCTC Automotive Technology students and instructors.

It is important to work on newer vehicles with all the new technology, says RCTC student Jaxon Wager. Every bit of knowledge I gain in this program can be used in the field.

Luther Automotive Group, the largest privately-owned dealership in the Midwest, also presented a gift card to the RCTC Automotive Technician program which can be used for purchasing Hyundai parts.
MASON CITY, Iowa - New buses will soon be rolling the streets and roads of Iowa, Mason City and North Iowa included.

The Iowa Transportation Commission is approving $7 million in funding for 91 new buses for 18 transit agencies statewide. The North Iowa Area Council of Governments (NIACOG) is lucky enough to receive seven new buses, and Mason City is set to receive three. All of these buses will replace existing buses that are past their life expectancy.

Ralph Madison has been driving city buses for five years, and is looking forward to the new additions to the fleet.

"The older buses are diesel, quite noisy, and of course, they have a lot of miles on them. The new ones have bike racks and they're gas, so they're quieter, much quieter."

He adds that the new buses could inspire more people to take transit, and comes after a recent survey looking into just that.

"We've taken a survey and they say they really support the people that don't drive or don't have a car."

According to Mason City Transit Operations & Safety Manager Dylan Schulte, ridership for Mason City Public Transit averaged over 715 per day and more than 165,000 annually.

As for when the buses will arrive, Schulte and NIACOG's Transit Administrator Kevin Kramer say around 6-8 months between ordering and delivery.

Funds are granted through the Federal Transit Administration's Bus and Bus Facilities Formula and Discretionary Programs. The vehicles were part of the Iowa Public Transit Vehicle Replacement Project.
FARIBAULT, Minn.  An Olmsted County driver is hurt in a Rice County rollover.

The Minnesota State Patrol says it happened on Interstate 35 near mile marker 62 at 6:48 am Wednesday. Benjamin Eldon Rattle, 32 of Oronoco, was driving south when he lost control, went into the ditch and rolled.

The State Patrol says the road was snowy and icy at the time of this crash.

Rattle suffered non-life threatening injuries was taken to District One Hospital for treatment. He was wearing his seat belt.

The Rice County Sheriffs Office assisted at the scene.
WINNESHIEK COUNTY, Iowa - An investigation that lasted around seven weeks has resulted in three drug arrests connected to a Calmar residence, and additional arrests and charges are pending.

The Winneshiek County Sheriffs Office announced Thursday the arrests of 37-year-old Destiny Chambers, of Calmar, 21-year-old Dominick Watson, of Calmar, and 27-year-old Lane Breitsprecher, 27, of Fort Atkinson.

A search warrant was executed Wednesday at 4 p.m. at 501 S. Maryville St.

During the course of the investigation, numerous vehicles and pedestrian traffic would come and go from the residence, staying for varying amounts of time, ranging from approximately 30 seconds to a couple hours or overnight, a criminal complaint stated.

The residence is less than 1,000 feet from a daycare, elementary school and high school.

Methamphetamine was found in the residence.

Charges filed are as follows:

Chambers - felony controlled substance violation, felony failure to affix a tax stamp, felony gathering where controlled substances are used and aggravated possession of a controlled substance.

Watson - felony controlled substance violation, felony gathering where controlled substances are used and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Breitsprecher - controlled substance violation and possession of drug paraphernalia.
STEWARTVILLE, Minn. - At Bear Cave Intermediate, students decorated jugs to collect money for the Butte County Schools in California -- an area affected by the wildfires.

An added bonus is that the winner of the drive will toss a pie in the principal's face.

"We've seen pictures of the houses and of the schools and stuff built down," Claire Bunne, a fourth grader said. "And we just think we should just help and see what we can do."

Their goal is to raise $5,000 and students are asking their favorite celebrities to match their donations on social media.
I have nothing against index funds. In fact, I own them for virtually all my clients, as well as for myself. But I strongly disagree with investors who argue that index funds are the only sensible way to invest. Yes, roughly two-thirds of actively managed stock funds underperform their benchmarks. But with a little work and a lot of patience, I think you can tilt the odds in your favor. Owning a mix of first-class index funds and actively managed funds makes the most sense to me. How can you pick good, actively managed stock funds for 2019? Start with low costs. Cheaper funds actually tend to beat their competitors even before expenses. Buy funds the managers own. If the manager(s) of a fund wont invest in the fund themselves, why should you? Look in the prospectus for managers who put at least $1 million in their fund, as the managers of the five recommended funds in this article have done. Chose funds that have a good corporate culture. Does the fund firm consider you a customer to be fleeced or a partner in investing? Figuring this out is difficult, but low costs and manager investment are two indicators. My favorite big firms are Vanguard, American Funds and T. Rowe Price.

Consider long-term, risk-adjusted returns. You can do this by looking at Morningstars star ratings, Sharpe ratios, alphas or Sortino ratios. All of these provide measures of risk-adjusted returns. Theyre all slightly different, but higher is always better. Reduce your risk. I think the market will remain highly volatile in 2019. Standard deviation, a measure of volatility, is an excellent predictor of how a fund will behave in unstable markets. The higher a funds standard deviation, the more volatile it has been. Its my favorite risk metric. Downside capture, which measures how a fund has done in bad markets, is also worth a close look. Following are my picks for 2019 among actively managed stock funds. Its no accident that theyre all either value funds or foreign funds. My strong hunch is that a bear market next year will lead to a change in leadership among stock sectors, as is often the case during and after a selloff. Look for growth stocks decade-long dominance over value stocks to end, and value stocks to outperform. Likewise, I think foreign stocks will finally begin to outperform domestic stocks. American Funds American Mutual F1 American Funds American Mutual F1 (AMFFX, $40.88) is as boring as its name. But if 2019 is as rocky as I expect, boring will be beautiful. This is the most conservative stock fund from American Funds, which specializes in conservative funds. The funds seven managers invest almost exclusively in large, undervalued, dividend-paying, industry-leading stocks. All stocks must have investment-grade credit ratings, and the fund wont buy alcohol or tobacco stocks. Annual expenses are just 0.68%, and the fund yields 2.1%.

The fund will lag in bull markets. Over the past 10 years, it has returned 12.6%  an average of 1.5 percentage points per year less than the Standard & Poors 500-stock index. But since inception in 1950, the fund has beaten the S&P 500 in all declines of 15% or more, according to Morningstar. The fund is about 20% less volatile than the S&P, too. (All returns in this article are through Dec. 11 unless otherwise indicated.) Americans no-load F1 shares can be bought through online brokerages such as Fidelity and Schwab. Primecap Odyssey Stock Primecap Odyssey Stock (POSKX, $31.29) is a good companion fund to American Mutual. It has a growth tilt; 30% of assets are in technology stocks. Over the past 10 years, it has returned an annualized 15% topping the S&P by an average of nearly one percentage point per year. The fund, which charges 0.67% in annual fees, is about 20% more volatile than the index. POSKX was launched in 2004 by four managers who got their start at American Funds, and uses the same multi-manager approach as American: Each of the funds five managers is responsible for a portion of the funds portfolio. And it displays similar patience. Managers often will hold a stock for a decade or longer, trimming during periods when the stock is rising and adding more during selloffs. Oakmark International Oakmark International (OAKIX, $22.52) is a great fund, but stay away unless youre prepared to hold on during its inevitable oversized downdrafts. Over the past 10 years, it has a returned an annualized 10.1%  an average of more than three percentage points more per year than the MSCI All-Country World ex-U.S. index. But the fund is 36% more volatile than the index.

Manager David Herro, who launched the fund in 1992, is totally unafraid of scooping up stocks that others are dumping en masse. For instance, he snapped up European banks when the eurozone looked to be collapsing under the weight of high debt levels in some of its weaker countries. Similarly, he has bought the banks again during the recent fears that Italy would be unable to pay its bills. Virtually all foreign funds have been stinkers the last five years, and Oakmark International (up a mere 0.4% annualized) has lagged even the MSCI index (off an annualized 1.1%). This year has been particularly awful for Herro. His fund is down 22.6% year-to-date. Thats 8.9 points worse that the MSCI index and a staggering 23 points behind the S&P. But foreign stocks and U.S. stocks have typically taken turns outpacing each other for multi-year periods. When will foreign stocks lead again? I dont know, but Id bet on it happening relatively soon. And this funds long-term record makes for a strong case that it could lead the pack when the turn comes. Since inception 36 years ago through last August, it has beaten the MSCI index by an average of 3.7% per year, according to Morningstar. The fund is closed to new investors as of Jan. 26, 2018, though it remains open to several parties, including to retirement plans, most investment advisors with existing positions, and any new and existing investors who purchase shares directly from Oakmark. Its expense ratio is a little high, too, at 0.95% annually. Dodge & Cox Stock Dodge & Cox Stock (DODGX, $196.41) is a large-value boutique fund that has produced strong returns, albeit with occasional deep losing stretches. The fund is so good, and Kiplinger recommends it so often, that its easy to lose sight of its few flaws. The most obvious: Its about 20% more volatile than the S&P 500. That showed up in above-index losses in the 2007-09 bear market, as well in losses in calendar years 2011 and 2015. Over the past 10 years, however, the fund has returned an annualized 14.3%, putting it in the top 8% among large value funds.
On New Years Day, my husband and I sit down at the kitchen table and map out our financial plan for the year. We have three children, so whether its deciding on our travel plans or allocating money for retirement, we make decisions that divvy up how we will spend and invest our money over the next 12 months.

This annual planning session achieves two goals: It helps us balance our family planning activities while providing a quick review of our current investments. On one hand, its fun to consider a trip to Disney or a Caribbean cruise for our family vacation. On the other hand, we check on the progress of our cash and investment accounts to make certain well have enough money to live comfortably now, as well as 20 years from now, while paying for three college educations in between.

If you want to get a jump on your 2019 finances, here are six tips on how to allocate your time and money to help ensure you are saving and investing in the right places:

No. 1: Pay off all Holiday Bills.

My husband and I enjoy giving gifts to family, friends and our community, especially this time of year, and it does add up. While we use cash for some gifts, we pay for others with credit cards to earn the rewards before paying off any debt in January. Our goal is to quickly pay off these credit cards and start 2019 free of any credit card or other consumer debt.

No. 2: Plan the Family Vacation Schedule.

This task accomplishes two things. First, it provides a timeline so we can set aside the money to pay for the vacations. For example, if we want to take a summer vacation once the school year is over, we have roughly six months to budget for that. Second, I can block out time on my work calendar. This has been the No. 1 reason our vacation plans have fallen apart in the past  and it doesnt make me very popular at home!

No. 3: Set Aside Money to Fund our Individual Retirement Accounts.

In 2019, individuals can contribute $6,000 if they are under age 50 and $7,000 if over age 50. Thats a $500 increase from 2018. I like the discipline and challenge of saving the maximum each year, since you cant go back and make up for missed years of IRA contributions. Remember you need to have earned income in order to contribute to an IRA.

No. 4: Fund 529 College Education Savings Plans for our Children.

In addition to giving families a way to save, many states provide a tax deduction for these contributions. We live in Georgia, which allows a married couple to deduct the first $4,000 they contribute for each child on their state income tax. Education is a priority for our family, and we know we need to sock away much more than $4,000 per child each year to reach our goals.

No. 5: Fund Our Health Savings Account.

We choose a high-deductible health insurance plan, which means we can contribute before-tax money to a health savings account to pay for doctor visits and other medical bills. The amount people can contribute to these accounts in 2019 is $3,500 for singles and $7,000 for families, with an extra $1,000 for those over age 55. Our goal is to not touch the money in our HSA each year, and let it build up for retirement or any unforeseen large family medical expense we might encounter down the road.

No. 6: Increase Our 401(k) Retirement Fund contributions.

Im a big advocate of contributing the maximum amount to this account each year, which will be $19,000 in 2019 for those under age 50 and $25,000 for those ages 50 and over. Like IRAs, you cant go back and make up for missed years of 401(k) savings, so make this a priority now.

Because we want to set aside money for all of these accounts, we budget monthly savings for the 401(k) and 529 plans, and periodic lump sum deposits into our IRAs and HSA during the year as we have extra cashflow. All the while making sure our vacations can be paid for without lingering credit card bills.

Dont be intimidated by the planning process. It may take time to mix the fun part (planning the family vacation) with the hard part (saving all of that money now instead of spending it). But taking a few hours each January to knock out a plan will help pay dividends for many years to come.
JOHANNESBURG/TORONTO, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Barrick Gold Corp has made progress in talks with the Tanzanian government to resolve a nearly 2-year-long tax dispute, but it is premature to say a deal has been reached, a person familiar in the matter told Reuters on Wednesday.

Government officials met last week with executives from Toronto-based Barrick and Randgold Resources Ltd , which Barrick is acquiring, to discuss the issue, said the source, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the talks.

Acacia Mining, 63.9 percent owned by Barrick, is operating under a raw mineral export ban and faces a $190 billion tax bill from the Tanzania government.

That meeting "appears to have gone well," but there is "nothing in writing," said the source. "The next week is crucial."

Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that Barrick had reached an agreement with the government on a $300 million payment, which Acacia will make in installments, with terms under review by a Tanzanian tax working group. It was unclear if the payment resolved outstanding tax issues.

Barrick, Randgold and Acacia declined to comment.

Any agreement requires approval by Acacia's board of directors and shareholders. Tanzanian President John Magufuli, who has pledged to secure a bigger share of resource wealth and cut corruption, may also review the deal.

Under an October 2017 framework pact that has yet to be implemented, Barrick Executive Chairman John Thornton and Magufuli agreed that Acacia would pay the government $300 million, give it 16 percent ownership and split the economic benefits of its mines. Randgold founder Mark Bristow, who is set to be the chief executive of Barrick after the merger closes in early 2019, has said he planned to intervene before the takeover closed and was confident he could break the impasse.

"If the deal with the Tanzanian government goes through, we believe this would be a win for Mr. Bristow even before he officially takes the reins," said Credit Suisse analyst Fahad Tariq in a note on Wednesday.

It would also "make investors more confident in his ability to resolve other issues in the region (i.e. negotiating with the Congolese and Zambian governments on revised mining codes), in our view."

Bristow also told Reuters he wanted to pull together Tanzania's mining industry to address the increasingly acrimonious dispute. Acacia also faces dozens of criminal charges, from tax evasion to money laundering.

(Reporting by Susan Taylor; Editing by Richard Chang)
PARIS (Reuters) - Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Wednesday he favored calling on big companies to contribute to efforts to keep Frances budget deficit as close as possible to the EU limit next year.

Facing a popular revolt that started out against fuel tax increases, President Emmanuel Macron announced concessions on Monday to anti-government protestors expected to blow a 10 billion euro ($11 billion) hole in the 2019 budget.

That in turn will push the deficit well past the 2.8 percent of GDP expected until now for next year without further measures, breaking through the European Unions 3-percent ceiling.

With the additional spending, we are going to surpass 3 percent and want every necessary measure to be taken to keep us as close as possible to 3 percent and ... our European commitments, Le Maire told lawmakers in the Senate.

That can be by keeping public spending under control and by (increasing) tax receipts. That can be done by specifically asking big companies to contribute. Im in favor, he added.

A source in Macrons office said after a meeting with business executives that although there were no plans to increase tax on companies, planned cuts could be revised.

Next year corporate tax is due to be cut from 33.3 percent to 31 percent as part of a gradual decrease over the course of Macrons presidency.

Firms will also benefit from the transformation of a payroll tax rebate into a permanent cut. This is due to add 20 billion euros temporarily to the deficit next year but the government has ruled out pushing it back until later.

Le Maire said a tax on big digital companies - which France could impose from next year if a broader levy is not agreed at the EU level - could raise 500 million euros in a full year.

EU member states failed to agree on a tax on online advertising revenues at a finance ministers meeting this month, but agreed to try again early next year.

($1 = 0.8801 euros)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Thursday downplayed talk that President Donald Trumps administration is poised to warn Americans against traveling to China.

Im not so sure what provoked the rumor about the travel advisory, he said in an interview with CNBC, but thought Chinas detention of a former Canadian diplomat might have spurred discussion of a warning. We havent made any announcement and as far as I know havent made any decision about changing travel advisory.

On Tuesday, two sources said the U.S. State Department is considering issuing a travel warning for its citizens.
* May wins no-confidence vote by 200 to 117 votes* Sterling still near 20-month lows* Traders say little has changed, pound still under pressure* Graphic: World FX rates in 2018* Graphic: Trade-weighted sterling since Brexit vote (Recasts with results, adds new quotes, updates prices) By Tommy Wilkes LONDON, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Sterling retreated from earlier highs on Wednesday after Prime Minister Theresa May survived an attempt to oust her, but by a margin that only reinforced the extent of opposition to her deal for exiting the European Union. The pound had bounced off 20-month lows ahead of the result of a no-confidence motion triggered by hardline eurosceptics in her Conservative party angry about her agreement with Brussels. She won, but 117 of 317 Conservative lawmakers voted against her. With May still in power but facing an uphill battle to convince colleagues to support her deal, sterling was back at levels of Monday and investors said little had changed "She is so 'on the ropes' that I cannot really see her winning the confidence vote at this juncture helping very much. In 24 hours, in all probability, this will be little more than old news, and will do little, if anything, to change the EUs negotiation tactics," said Richard Buxton, a fund manager at Merian Global Advisors. Investors who have shied away from betting on the pound in recent months because of political instability and high volatility were unlikely to be rushing back into the market anytime soon, a senior foreign exchange trader at a European bank said.

A win for May had largely been priced in, and markets are now turning their attention to her struggle to get her deal through parliament. Sterling jumped to as high as $1.2672 as the result came in but then fell to $1.2605, up 1 percent on the day after the number of lawmakers that had voted against May was announced. The British currency also erased some of its gains versus the euro and was up 0.7 percent at 90.055 pence by 2150 GMT. The pound had tanked overnight to 20-month lows after May aborted a planned parliamentary vote on her plan on Monday, and then colleagues gathered enough support to trigger the no-confidence vote. RANGE OF OUTCOMES May still needs to seek a parliamentary mandate for her deal, probably before Jan. 21.

She is meeting EU leaders this week to try to get her withdrawal agreement tweaked to persuade colleagues. They believe that the deal in its current form will leave Britain worse off overall. A range of outcomes remain possible, from a second referendum to a no-deal or a delayed Brexit. Most investors still think the British parliament will eventually back a "softer Brexit" rather than a clean break from the EU, although nervousness about the outcome has left the pound trading within tight ranges. "I think it puts us back on track for a central scenario where a soft type Brexit is more likely than the UK exiting without a deal," said Michael OSullivan, chief investment officer, International Wealth Management at Credit Suisse.

With the results of the vote announced well after London, the world's biggest FX hub, had closed for the day, some traders had expressed concern thin liquidity - the availability of buyers and sellers - would exacerbate market moves, especially if she had lost badly. Price swings in the pound have exceeded some high-stakes emerging markets in 2018 as the political drama has escalated. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Sterling implied volatility higher than several EM currencies Sterling valuations and positions ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Additional reporting by Richard Leong in New York, Danilo Masoni in Milan, Saikat Chatterjee, Helen Reid and Tom Finn in London; editing by Larry King and John Stonestreet)

thomas.wilkes.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
CHICAGO (Reuters) - With many rival airlines scaling back plans to add travel routes and seats in a bid to protect margins, Oscar Munoz is taking United Airlines in a different direction.

The No. 3 U.S. air carrier is forging ahead with a strategy to boost its flight network by another 4-6 percent next year after an estimated 5 percent network growth in 2018, Munoz, CEO of United Airlines since 2015, said on Wednesday.

The growth plan has allowed United to claw back market share in a competitive U.S. airline sector and boost its profitability. Traditionally capacity growth in the airline business has come at a cost to yields because it can drive down fares.

So far, United has bucked the industry trend, increasing unit revenues - a closely watched metric that compares airlines sales to available seat miles - at a faster pace than rivals American Airlines (AAL.O) and Delta Air Lines (DAL.N).

When the airline unveiled an aggressive plan to add capacity in the middle of a price war with low cost carriers in January, the stock of parent company United Continental Holdings UAL.N fell 7 percent. But United investors have more than reversed course, sending its shares up about 30 percent this year against a roughly 2 percent drop on the S&P 500 this year.

United has overhauled its hubs in Chicago, Houston, Denver, Newark, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and San Francisco with 220 new flights and better coast-to-coast connecting options.

Munoz offered new details to his growth strategy on Wednesday, saying United will add flights to New Delhi, Toronto and Melbourne from San Francisco to tap higher-paying international routes.

The strategy is working, Munoz told journalists.

The expansion comes after United revamped its home base - Chicago OHare Airport - in a way that allows passengers to make easier connections when traveling to the two U.S. coasts and cities in between.

A similar overhaul at Denver, its fastest growing and most profitable hub despite heavy competition from low-cost carriers Southwest Airlines (LUV.N) and Frontier Airlines, will be launched in February. San Francisco is now set for its largest international route expansion, subject to government approval.

Much of Uniteds domestic expansion so far has targeted a portion of the market share lost when the airline cut 1,200 flights following its post-bankruptcy merger with Continental Airlines in 2010.

Its not predicated on anything other than where does it make sense for us to fly. Where are the customers? Do we have the right aircraft, and in essence, can you make money? Munoz told Reuters in an interview. Were not chasing that 1,200.

The growth plans and investor optimism have allowed Munoz to put the passenger and animal scandals of 2017 in the rear view mirror, and focus on improving relations with its own passengers and labor force.

To turn around its image, Munoz has provided compassion training to employees and empowered flight attendants and gate agents to resolve passenger complaints on the spot with travel credits or vouchers.

Uniteds No. 1 challenge is to avoid any more notable public relations disasters. Customers, investors and Twitter users will not forgive as easily the next time, Jim Corridore, equity analyst at CFRA in New York.
(Reuters) - Canadian manufacturer Bombardier Incs Chinese joint venture said on Thursday it had won a $453 million contract to supply 168 high-speed train cars to state-owned China Railway Corp (CRC), making it the second order win this year for Chinas growing high-speed network.

The Chinese joint venture, Bombardier Sifang (Qingdao) Transportation Ltd (BST), launched in 1998, is 50 percent owned by Chinese locomotive firm CRRC Sifang Locomotive & Rolling Stock Co Ltd.

In September, CRC awarded the joint venture a contract worth $324 million to supply 120 train cars by the end of this year.

Bombardiers Berlin-based transportation unit has six joint ventures in China, seven wholly foreign-owned enterprises and more than 7,000 employees, the company said in a statement.

Together, the joint ventures have delivered more than 4,000 railway passenger cars, 580 electric locomotives and over 2,500 metro cars, Monorail, APM (Automated People Mover), and trams to Chinas growing urban mass-transit markets.

The win for Bombardier comes in the middle of escalating diplomatic tension between Beijing and Ottawa, resulting in China detaining two Canadians this weeks on allegations they harmed state security.

The dispute started after China reacted angrily to Canadas arrest on Dec. 1 of Chinese executive Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies [HWT.UL], at the request of the United States. Meng was released on bail on Tuesday.

Bombardier representatives were not immediately available to comment on whether the dispute has affected their dealings in China.
Aluminium smelters in China, the world's biggest producer of the metal, are struggling to make money at current Shanghai aluminium prices , which are languishing near two-year lows, resulting in significant output cutbacks. In a statement to the Shanghai Stock Exchange late on Wednesday, Henan Zhongfu Industrial said production at its subsidiary Linfeng Aluminium, which accounts for 30 percent of the company's aluminium smelting capacity, had been suspended. Despite recent attempts to improve energy efficiency, coal prices continue to rise and production restrictions during the heating season leave Linfeng Aluminium, based in the city of Linzhou in Henan, "facing relatively large pressure on production operations," the statement added.

Aluminium producers use coal to generate power for the energy-intensive smelting process.

Following the suspension, the company plans to move the capacity to a "cost-competitive region," according to the statement, which did not provide the exact location.

The Henan Zhongfu official said the capacity would be transferred to the city of Guangyuan in Sichuan province but was unable to provide a timeframe for the move.

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology allows smelters to move or acquire new capacity in regions that have available quotas. Henan, in central China, is one of the provinces that place restrictions on industry during the winter months, when pollution spikes due to demand for heating.

Sichuan, on the other hand, does not impose such measures and has hydropower facilities that provide an alternative energy source to coal.

Henan Zhongfu estimated it would book an impairment charge of 600 million yuan-700 million yuan ($87.2 million-$101.7 million) due to the closure.

($1 = 6.8809 Chinese yuan renminbi)

(Reporting by Tom Daly; editing by Jason Neely)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday that congressional Democrats will begin to seek President Donald Trumps tax returns - a move likely to be resisted by the White House - after they take control of the U.S. House of Representatives in January.

The House Ways and Means Committee will take the first steps toward obtaining the documents, though that will likely be a challenging process, said Pelosi, who has the backing of her members to become speaker of the House next month.

There is popular demand for the Congress to request the presidents tax returns, she told reporters in the Capitol.

Im sure the White House will resist and so the question is where do we go from there, she said.

Trump defied decades of tradition when he refused to release his tax records as a candidate and after his stunning victory in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. No law or rule compels a president or candidate to disclose their returns, but nearly every nominee and president has done so in recent decades.

As they prepare to take over majority control of the House, Democratic leaders have tried to walk a fine line in articulating how they will move forward. They have said they plan to pursue policy issues popular with their voter base, but have also said they will not shy from examining Trump, his personal business dealings and his presidency.

Trumps tax records would provide congressional investigators from various House committees with a wealth of information crucial to helping determine if Trumps sprawling business operations present conflicts of interest.

Democrats have alleged Trump is violating the U.S. Constitutions emoluments clause, which bars presidents from receiving gifts of value from foreign governments. They cite Trumps continued ownership of hotels that delegations from foreign governments sometimes patronize.

Democratic leaders on the House Intelligence Committee have said Trumps personal financial information would help illuminate whether foreign leaders had leverage over the president through involvement in his projects abroad.

Bemoaning Washingtons preoccupation with an ongoing probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion between Moscow and Trumps campaign, Pelosi said the Ways and Means Committee will also take up other issues, such as health care and trade.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment about Pelosis remarks.
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Chinas meager first purchase of U.S. soybeans since its trade war with the United States began in July disappointed farmers, grain traders and a U.S. government official hoping for larger sales to lift slumping prices and absorb a huge surplus across the U.S. farm belt, they said on Thursday.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced private sales of 1.13 million tonnes of U.S. soybeans to China, confirming sales Reuters reported a day earlier.

But additional buying by the worlds top soybean importer has yet to materialize, traders said, even after U.S. President Donald Trump told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday that China is buying a tremendous amount of U.S. soybeans.

Having a million, million-and-a-half tonnes is great, its wonderful, its a great step, USDA Deputy Secretary Steve Censky said at an Iowa Soybean Association annual meeting on Thursday. But there needs to be a lot more as well, especially if you consider it in a normal, typical year, well be selling 30 to 35 million metric tonnes to China.

Soybean prices fell as grain traders had hoped for more deals, eyeing a massive U.S. soybean surplus in storage and what is expected to be a record-large harvest from the worlds biggest soybean exporter Brazil just weeks away.

The sales came after Trump and Chinas President Xi Jinping agreed to a 90-day detente in their tit-for-tat tariff war to negotiate a trade deal after meeting at the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires.

The purchases, which traders said were made by state-owned companies in China, were viewed as the most concrete evidence yet that Beijing is making good on pledges the U.S. government said Xi made when the two leaders met on Dec. 1 and agreed to a 90-day detente to negotiate a trade deal.

While it was the ninth largest single-day U.S. soybean sale on record, it amounted to just 3.5 percent of Chinas U.S. soy purchases last year and 2 percent of U.S. shipments to all foreign buyers.

If further activity and amounts arent confirmed, the trade could soon be ready to settle in for a long, cold, fundamentally bearish winter, said Matt Zeller, market intelligence analyst with INTL FCStone.

TRADE AID DELAYED

The actively traded Chicago Board of Trade March soybean contract SH9 fell more than 1 percent on Thursday to the lowest in a week, in the steepest drop in 2-1/2 weeks.

The 25 percent tariff Beijing imposed on U.S. soy shipments in July in retaliation for American duties on Chinese goods remains in place.

China last year bought about 60 percent of U.S. soybean exports in deals valued at more than $12 billion. The purchases confirmed on Thursday were less than $500 million.

There was talk wed see like 5 million tonnes over the next few days, so we will need some follow-through buying from China, especially outside of Sino, one U.S. trader said, referring to Chinas state-run buyer Sinograin.

U.S. exports to China dropped to 8.2 million tonnes in the first 10 months of the year, with the vast majority of that shipped before the tariffs took effect in July. That was down from 21.4 million in the same 10-month period last year, according to government figures.

With exports to China drying up, U.S. soybean prices have traded around their lowest levels in a decade in recent months.

The White House this week delayed additional payments from a promised $12 billion aid package for farmers stung by the trade war because it expected Beijing to resume buying U.S. soybeans.

The U.S. Soybean Association said in a Thursday statement the sale announcement would not fix the prolonged period of low prices soybean farmers have faced since the trade war began.

Davie Stephens, the associations president and a Kentucky grower, said it is critically important that we see additional purchases and actual deliveries, and for USDA to make a payment on the second half of 2018 soybean production.
By Emma Rumney and Zandi Shabalala

JOHANNESBURG, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Workers will return to Gold Fields' sole South African mine on Thursday after a six-week strike was called off by the country's National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), with production likely to resume in earnest after Christmas.

Workers from the largest union operating at the South Deep mine downed tools in November after the bullion producer announced plans to cut 1,100 jobs at the mine - near a third of its workforce.

A Gold Fields spokesman said on Thursday that while some teams had returned to the mine, production was unlikely to resume in earnest until the second week of January due to training, measures to ensure the mine was safe and a break over the Christmas period.

While the firm planned to ask for volunteers to work over Christmas, any production was likely to be "negligible", the spokesman said.

The South Deep mine, already a drag on Gold Fields' performance, has been out of action completely for six weeks.

The site has faced numerous operational obstacles in a tough geological setting 3 km's (2 miles) below the surface.

The layoffs and Gold Fields' response to the strike drew criticism from South Africa's mining minister Gwede Mantashe.

An NUM spokesman told Reuters the union called off the strike after the majority of workers indicated they wanted to return to work because the lack of wages meant they couldn't pay their bills.

However, a Gold Fields spokesman said some were resisting the decision to return to work, prompting security concerns for those workers that are returning.

The safety of employees is a priority, Gold Fields said in a message to staff, adding it had increased security at the site.

Gold Fields' shares were flat at 0711 GMT, after rising more than 5 percent on Wednesday following the news that the strike had been called off.

While some workers were already back on site, Gold Fields and the NUM still need to sign a settlement agreement, the firm's spokesman said.

(Reporting by Emma Rumney; editing by Jason Neely and Elaine Hardcastle)
Newshub reports:



An autopsy of the dead birds dumped at Parliament by 1080 protesters in September shows that one was shot, likely with a rifle.

The cause of death of the adult male weka is ruled to be trauma consistent with ballistic injury.

Entry wound would indicate a ballistic calibre of .22 should be considered.

Weka are a protected species.

Under the Wildlife Act, it is a crime to shoot a protected species.

Forest and Bird is calling for the 1080 protesters who dumped the birds on the steps of Parliament to tell the truth about how the bird died.
Photo: 909 Peregrine Squadron Royal Canadian Air Cadets

The kindness of a stranger will help send 50 West Kelowna cadets to Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake in Alberta.

The 909 Peregrine Air Cadets and parents gathered at their base in West Kelowna to award the winner of their recent 50/50 fundraising raffle draw. Nancy Chapman of West Kelowna was ecstatic to accept the grand prize of $5,000.

She was so impressed with the cadets, she decided to donate a portion of the winnings back to the squadron.

I think it is very generous. It is always really nice to get the support from the community and when an individual gives back, said Commanding Officer Hannah Moir.

The 909 Peregrine Air Cadets have been fundraising for their citizenship trip to CFB Cold Lake in March.

It is a big undertaking to take 50 kids to Alberta from here, said Moir.

The cadets, who range from 12 to 18 years of age, sold hundreds of raffle tickets in the weeks leading up to the draw.

All funds raised go directly to cadet training and equipment, including flight ground school, flight simulator training, marksmanship, first aid and wilderness survival training.
Photo: WestJet

A recent WestJet flight from Kelowna to Edmonton required visual confirmation from the ground that its landing gear was down following a malfunction.

The Westjet Encore De Havilland Dash 8 400 was en route to Edmonton on Nov 29 when the crew received a landing gear inoperative indication, aeroinside.com reports.

There were 24 passengers and four crew on board.

The crew performed a manual gear extension on approach to the airport, which required excessive force to operate the system.

The captain elected to perform a low approach and have the landing gear inspected from the ground, however, the tower reported the nose gear had not been extended, only the main gear.

The crew declared an emergency and performed a second manual gear extension, which was successful, and the flight landed safely.

The Transportation Safety Board reported that maintenance found a loose bracket and two others that needed adjustment. In testing, the gear worked without further issue.

Aeroinside's report contains information from the Civil Aviation Daily Occurrence Report System.

Transport Canada endeavours to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the data contained within CADORS, however, the information within should be treated as preliminary, unsubstantiated and subject to change.
Angola, IN (46703)

Today

Cloudy with snow. Some rain may mix in late. Temps nearly steady in the mid to upper 30s. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 70%..

Tonight

Snow this evening will taper off and give way to cloudy skies late. Some rain may mix in early. Low 31F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 80%. Snowfall around one inch.
Photo: The Canadian Press Audrey Parker, who had incurable breast cancer, is shown in Halifax on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. Parker, opted to end her life earlier than she wanted because she feared she'd eventually lose the mental competence required to seek an assisted death. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

Experts the federal government charged with looking at whether people suffering only from mental disorders should be eligible for medically assisted death couldn't even agree on what evidence is relevant to the question, according to reports tabled in Parliament Wednesday.

There was more consensus on two other issues: whether mature minors should be eligible for assisted dying and whether those facing eventual loss of mental capacity should be able to make advance requests for assisted deaths.

The three issues were examined by working groups created by the independent Council of Canadian Academies, representing some of Canada's most august intellectuals. The government specifically instructed the council to make no recommendations on any of the three issues, so the reports released Wednesday just summarize the "state of knowledge" on the issues and canvass the pros and cons of extending the right to an assisted death to each group.

The government has already indicated it has little intention of expanding the law, which went into effect two-and-a-half years ago.

The reports come just over a month after a Halifax woman with incurable breast cancer, Audrey Parker, opted to end her life earlier than she wanted because she feared she'd eventually lose the mental competence required to seek an assisted death. Parker pleaded with the government to allow people like her to make advance requests for medical assistance in dying.

At that time, Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould said she was satisfied with the law as it is.

"We're not considering changing something in the legislation," she said. "We're confident in the legislation that we brought forward, that it finds the right balance in terms of being able to access medical assistance in dying, protecting the autonomy of individuals to make the appropriate decisions for themselves as well as protecting vulnerable individuals."

The law allows medically assisted dying only for incurably ill adults who are suffering intolerably and are already close to natural deaths. It excludes minors and those suffering strictly from mental disorders and does not allow advance requests.

The law is facing constitutional challenges, based on the fact that it is far more restrictive than the assisted-dying regime sketched out by the Supreme Court of Canada when it struck down Canada's prohibition on physician-assisted suicide.

For Wednesday's report on mental disorders, members of the working group  psychiatrists, a nursing professor and medical and legal ethicists, among others  could not agree on some of the most fundamental questions.

For instance, some believed permitting mentally ill people to access assisted dying "may reduce mental-health stigma by demonstrating that people with mental disorders have capacity, that their suffering is serious, that mental disorders are not due to character flaws or circumstances within their control and that their right to self-determination should be respected."

Other members, however, believed that it could "increase mental health stigma because it might bolster the belief that the lives of people with mental disorders are intolerable, not worth living."

The report says the issue is particularly challenging because a desire to die can be a symptom of a person's mental disorder, clinicians disagree on which disorders can be considered incurable, and most of those suffering are not near death.

The report on "mature minors" notes that there is already plenty of jurisprudence establishing that someone under the age of 18 can have the mental capacity and maturity to make end-of-life decisions, such as refusing treatment. It says prohibiting mature minors from receiving an assisted death will eventually be challenged in court and suggests the government needs to balance the need to protect youths from exploitation and coercion while "respecting their rights by avoiding unfair and unethical restrictions."

The report on advance requests says they could "provide comfort and relieve anxiety" for those facing the end of life with diminished competence. However, removing the requirement for express consent immediately prior to receiving an assisted death also raises the possibility that a person's life could be ended against their wishes.

It suggests some safeguards could be developed, such as putting time limits on advance requests and requiring the appointment of a substitute decision-maker.
Photo: IHIT

Detectives with the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team are turning to the public for information on a pair of vehicles believed to be involved in the murder of a college student in Surrey last year.

Kiran Dhesi, 19, was found inside a burning SUV near 24 Avenue and 188 Street on Aug. 2, 2017, reports CTV News.

Her death was declared a homicide, with police saying the murder was targeted but not related to gang activity.

IHIT is now appealing to the public for information about an Audi Q7 SUV and a Dodge Ram pickup connected with the murder.

"Investigators would like to speak with anyone with information about these two vehicles," IHIT said in a statement issued Wednesday.

Dhesi's sister, Anjali, is also pleading that anyone with information comes forward.

"Since her murder, weve been struggling to accept the fact that we can never see her sweet face again," she wrote. "Our broken hearts will never heal, and we have no answers as to why this happened to her."

with files from CTV Vancouver
Photo: CTV News

A lunch date between a couple went sideways Wednesday in Victoria, ending with both parties suffering stab wounds.

Police were called to Cora Restaurant for a report of a stabbing inside, reports CTV News.

Officer arrived to find a woman with non-life threatening stab wounds, who was taken to hospital. The man was arrested a block away. He suffered a head injury and was also taken to hospital.

Unconfirmed reports indicate that the woman retaliated by stabbing the man with a fork.

"This is just a dispute between a male and a female that went wrong and there are some injuries that were sustained," Sgt. Wade Murray told CTV Vancouver Island.

Charges will likely be recommended, he added.

with files from CTV Vancouver Island
Photo: The Canadian Press

Police say a section of Terminal 1 of the Toronto's Pearson International Airport has been cleared after a suspicious package was found.

Peel regional police is advising people to check the status of their flights before coming to the airport, as some flights may be affected.

Police say they received the call at about 8:45 p.m. Wednesday.

Meanwhile, airport officials tweeted that police are "conducting an ongoing investigation into an unattended bag on Level 3 of Terminal 1."

That area of the terminal has been cleared of passengers to allow police to investigate.
Photo: The Canadian Press Christine St-Onge is shown in this undated handout photo. Mexican authorities have found the body of a woman near the resort where a missing Quebecer was vacationing. Christine St-Onge hasn't been heard from since speaking to a member of her entourage on Dec. 4.

UPDATE 12:00 p.m.

Mexican authorities say they have found the body of a missing Quebec woman whose partner returned to the province alone and promptly committed suicide.

Christine St-Onge hadn't been heard from since speaking to a member of her entourage Dec. 4.

Officials in Mexico told reporters Wednesday evening that St-Onge's body was found near a hotel in Los Cabos where she'd been staying and that her body bore marks of violence.

Sgt. Claude Denis of the Quebec provincial police says an autopsy will be performed in Quebec once the body is repatriated to officially confirm the identity.

Denis said investigators have been in contact with St-Onge's family to inform them of the latest information. They are also in contact with Mexican police, who are finishing up their investigation, and an RCMP liaison officer is on site in Mexico.

The male friend she was travelling with, Pierre Bergeron, returned home a day earlier than planned and died the next day of an apparent suicide. The Quebec coroner's office confirmed Thursday it is investigating Bergeron's death.

Mexican officials held a news conference Wednesday to announce St-Onge's body was discovered earlier in the day near the resort where she had been staying.

ORIGINAL 5:28 a.m.

Mexican authorities have found the body of a woman near the resort where a missing Quebecer was vacationing.

Christine St-Onge hasn't been heard from since speaking to a member of her entourage on Dec. 4.

The male friend she was travelling with returned home a day earlier than planned and died of an apparent suicide.

Sgt. Claude Denis of the Quebec provincial police says an autopsy will be performed to confirm the body discovered is that of the 41-year-old St-Onge.

He says police have contacted St-Onge's family to inform them of the latest developments. The body found near a hotel in Los Cabos showed marks of violence.

St-Onge, a travel agent from the Montreal suburb of Laval, travelled to Mexico on Nov. 29 with her friend. They were supposed to return to Canada Dec. 6.
Photo: The Canadian Press First lady Melania Trump, back to camera, poses for photos during a tour of Joint Base Langley in Hampton, Va., Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018.

Melania Trump made history Wednesday by flying in a V-22 Osprey aircraft and onto the deck of an aircraft carrier.

The White House says it's the first time a first lady has flown in an Osprey. The tiltrotor aircraft takes off and lands vertically. Mrs. Trump flew from Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington to Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Virginia, and onto the deck of the USS George H.W. Bush and back.

She later tweeted about her "incredible flight" and visit with service members.

In Virginia, Mrs. Trump checked out the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jet and addressed service members, noting that many had recently returned from deployment. Some had responded to such natural disasters as Hurricane Michael, which devastated some Florida Panhandle communities.

"I'm honoured to be able to say welcome home and thank you for answering the call of duty," she said. "I have said this before, but it's worth repeating. We know that we are free because you're brave. And I speak on behalf of my husband when I tell you we are forever grateful for your service."

The first lady exchanged high-fives with elementary schoolchildren and posed for selfies with some of those in military garb. She also spent time with the crew aboard the USS George H.W. Bush and toured part of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier named after the former president, who died in November.

In an interview with Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity aboard the carrier, Mrs. Trump said the hardest part of being first lady was dealing with "the opportunists who are using my name or my family name to advance themselves  from comedians, to journalists, to performers, book writers."

She said, "The problem is they're writing history and it's not correct."

Mrs. Trump's stops at a pair of military bases Wednesday came during an unusually busy week of public appearances for the first lady.

It was her second day in a row at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling. Mrs. Trump visited a different area of the base Tuesday to support an annual toy drive sponsored by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.

On Thursday, she planned to continue a decades-old tradition of first ladies reading to patients at Children's National hospital in Washington.
Photo: The Canadian Press Palestinians look at a damage after an Israeli raid killed Ashraf Naalweh during an arrest raid in the Asker refugee camp near the West Bank city of Nablus, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018.

A Palestinian gunman got out of a car and opened fire at a bus stop outside a West Bank settlement on Thursday, killing two Israeli soldiers before speeding away, the Israeli military said.

The military said the assailant also wounded two other people, including another soldier who was critically wounded. It said troops were searching the area for the attacker and that it was sending reinforcements.

The deaths extended a violent week that began with a shooting outside a West Bank settlement on Sunday, resulting in the death of a baby who was delivered prematurely following the weekend attack, and continued with the killing of two Palestinians wanted in a pair of attacks on Israelis in the West Bank.

While the West Bank experiences occasional deadly violence, often between Israeli troops and Palestinian protesters, most of the Israeli-Palestinian bloodshed in recent months has been concentrated in the Gaza Strip, where some 175 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in border protests.

Thursday's shooting occurred at a location about a 10-minute drive south from the place of Sunday's attack.

"In recent days, we definitely feel like the situation (in the West Bank) is getting worse," said Shalom Galil, a paramedic who assisted at the scene of the shooting, told Israeli Army Radio.

Following the attack, Israel set up checkpoints at the entrances to the West Bank city of Ramallah, searching cars entering the city and checking drivers' IDs. Some Israeli-controlled roads were completely blocked to Palestinian traffic.

The clampdown on the city, the Palestinians' economic and administrative centre, was an unusual step that signalled the severity with which Israel viewed the violent flare-up.
Photo: The Canadian Press FILE- In this Sept. 12, 2018, file photo, Apple CEO Tim Cook discusses the new Apple iPhones and other products at the Steve Jobs Theater during an event to announce new products in Cupertino, Calif.

Apple will build a $1 billion campus in Austin, Texas, break ground on smaller locations in Seattle, San Diego and Culver City, California, and over the next three years will expand in Pittsburgh, New York and Colorado.

The tech giant said Thursday that the new campus in Austin, less than a mile from existing Apple facilities, will open with 5,000 positions in engineering, research and development, operations, finance, sales and customer support. The site, according to Apple, will have the capacity to eventually accommodate 15,000 employees.

The three other new locations will have more than 1,000 employees each.

Early this year, Apple said that it would make more than $30 billion in capital expenditures in the U.S. over the next five years. That, the company said in January, would create more than 20,000 new jobs at existing and new campuses that Apple planned to build.

Where U.S. companies open new facilities or plants has always had the potential for public and political backlash.

That potential has intensified under the Trump administration, which has pushed companies to keep more of their operations inside the country's borders.

While CEO Tim Cook has steered mostly clear President Donald Trump's ire, Apple did receive some push back three months ago from the White House.

Apple sent a letter to the U.S. trade representative warning that the burgeoning trade war with China and rising tariffs could force higher prices for U.S. consumers.

Trump in a tweet told Apple to start making its products in the U.S., and not China.

Apple uses a lot of facilities overseas to produce components and its products, including China.

Top tech executives from Google, Microsoft, IBM, Oracle and Qualcomm gathered at the White House earlier this month to discuss strained ties between the administration and the industry, and trade tensions with China. Cook was not among them, nor was Amazon's Jeff Bezos.

There are already 6,000 Apple employees in Austin, its largest operation outside of company headquarters in Cupertino, California, where 37,000 people are employed.

"Apple has been a vital part of the Austin community for a quarter century, and we are thrilled that they are deepening their investment in our people and the city we love," said Austin Mayor Steve Adler in a prepared statement Thursday.

Apple said nearly a year ago that it would begin canvassing the U.S. for another campus.

The infusion of thousands of new and highly paid residents can ripple through an economy, with those employees filling restaurants, theatres, buying property and paying taxes.

Annual pay will vary at the new locations, but Apple workers in Cupertino have an average annual salary of about $125,000, according to a report the company submitted to the city.
Photo: CTV News

Blind residents of Victoria have the backing of the Canadian Federation of the Blind in their opposition to new bike lanes in the city.

The organization has filed a human rights complaint, saying they are too dangerous for the visually impaired.

The City of Victoria has asked the BC Human Rights Tribunal to dismiss the complaint, however, CTV News reports.

Graeme McCreath and his guide dog hovered nervously at the edge this week as cyclists whizzed by.

"Did the bike go through?" he asked as CTV cameras rolled.

Complainant Oriano Belusic says bus stops now on the far side of the bike lanes should be moved so buses can once again pull up to the sidewalk.

Theyve created a terrible problem, and they just dont want to deal with it, Belusic told CTV.

Susan Breau, Dean of Law at the University of Victoria, says the rights tribunal "should go to a full hearing to decide whether or not blind people who are getting off buses, crossing streets are in any danger, as a result of the traffic accommodations that have been done.

"This is a question of these people's safety."

 with files from CTV Vancouver Island
Photo: Contributed

UPDATE: 11:52 a.m.

The owner of Kelowna Chrysler Jeep Dodge has purchased the Greyhound Canada building on Leckie Avenue.

General manager Michael Melenchuk couldnt disclose any information about the sale, saying there are still conditions that need to be met. Kelowna Chrysler Jeep Dodge is across Enterprise Way from the former Greyhound property.

HM Commercial Group partner Jeff Hudson said his group received four offers for the property.

ORIGINAL: 10:55 a.m.

Less than two months after it closed, Kelownas Greyhound site has sold to an undisclosed buyer for $5.25 million.

The property features a 9,228-square-foot building on two acres and is perfectly poised for redevelopment/densification, according to HM Commercial Group.

The site is located at the corner of Enterprise Way and Leckie Road, which is in the heart of Kelownas retail area. It is surrounded by stores like Walmart, Home Depot, Marks Work Warehouse, Michaels, Home Outfitters, Canadian Tire, Safeway, Superstore and is located just one block from Orchard Park Mall.

Greyhound ceased operations in Western Canada on Oct. 31. The last bus pulled out of Kelownas Greyhound station at 5:30 p.m. on Halloween.

HM Commercial Group is licensed by Macdonald Realty Kelowna.
Photo: Contributed Robert Riley Saunders

UPDATE: 4:45 p.m.

The lawyer who filed the class-action lawsuit against a Kelowna-based social worker says he will meet with the province to determine their next steps forward after the Ministry of Children and Family Development admitted liability for the social worker's alleged theft from at-risk Indigenous youth.

"In my view the next step is that my office and potential class members will collaborate with the province to negotiate an appropriate process for assessing the harm done to each of the children and compensating the children in proportion to the harm caused," Jason Gratl said.

The government says in its response to the notice of civil claim that Saunders' employment with the province was terminated in May.

"The province admits Mr. Saunders was negligent ... committed misfeasance in public office, fraud and breached fiduciary duties owed to (the children) and further admits that the (children) suffered harm as a result," the document says.

The ministry says it has taken steps to review financial controls and ensure funds are not misappropriated, and it has offered supports and services including counselling to the children and youth who were affected since the allegations came to light.

The government says it will respond "in due course" to separate but related lawsuits that were filed in Kelowna court, and that its response on Thursday was only to the specific action filed by the public guardian and trustee.

The lawsuits allege that Saunders "engaged in the same and similar unlawful and inexcusable activities in respect to dozens of other children in his care, most of whom are Aboriginal children."

Gratl alleges that as much as $40,000 each was taken from children between the ages of 15 and 19 and that the fraud had been going on for a minimum of four years.

The statements of claim allege that in early 2016, Saunders moved the children in order to make them eligible for financial benefits from the ministry and he opened joint bank accounts for each youth.

They allege Saunders was aware of the youths' vulnerability and aware that he exercised parental control over them.

The lawsuits say that Saunders exercised complete control over every aspect of the plaintiffs' lives, including where they would live, access to family members, their cultural heritage, services and financial help.

Interior Savings helped Saunders by having the children sign forms opening joint accounts but didn't tell them that the accounts were with Saunders, the statements of claim allege.

 with files from The Canadian Press

ORIGINAL: 12:30 p.m.

The Ministry of Children and Family Development admits "vicarious liability" for the actions of a Kelowna social worker accused of stealing money from vulnerable youths in his care.

The ministry filed its response Thursday in Vancouver Court Registry to a court action filed by the public guardian and trustee involving former Kelowna social worker Robert Riley Saunders.

In its response, the ministry also agrees that general damages and court-ordered interest for the plaintiff in one of several lawsuits, involving multiple youth, is appropriate.

"The province admits Mr. Saunders was negligent, defalcated and converted the plaintiff's funds, committed misfeasance in public office, fraud and breached fiduciary duties owed to the plaintiff and further admits the plaintiff suffered harm as a result," the document reads.

It goes on to state Saunders admitted to the conversion of funds in March of this year, and steps were taken to ensure the immediate safety of children and youth on his caseload. A forensic audit was initiated, and the matter reported to police.

MCFD will be launching a separate review of its contracting and payment processes.

"Since the allegations first came to light, the ministry has offered supports and services, including counselling, to the children and youth who were affected by the social worker's actions," the ministry said in a press release.

"MCFD will work with the plaintiffs' counsel to address these matters in a manner that does not cause further trauma to the affected individuals."

Thursday's response applies only to the specific action filed by the public guardian and trustee.

The ministry says will respond to each of the other legal actions in due course.
Photo: Police photo

A 78-year-old prisoner who says he killed about 90 people over nearly four decades as he moved around the country pleaded guilty to murder Thursday in the 1994 strangulation of a Texas woman.

Samuel Little entered his plea in the West Texas city of Odesa, where the body of Denise Christie Brothers was discovered in a vacant lot about a month after she disappeared. He received another life prison term, Ector County District Attorney Bobby Bland said in a statement.

"Due to the efforts of law enforcement agencies from around the country, dozens of victims' families now have answers," Bland said. "Although this is a conviction in Ector County, Texas, I hope it will serve as justice for all those atrocious murders committed across this nation in this unprecedented era of terror and mayhem caused by Samuel Little."

Little was convicted in 2014 of killing three Los Angeles-area women in separate attacks in the late 1980s and was serving life sentences when authorities say he confessed this year to killing dozens more people in 20 states since 1970.

Those confessions, which often included a level of detail and recall that authorities say was uncanny, spurred investigators from Florida to California to review old murder cases. An FBI spokesman said thus far, investigators have concluded that Little was the killer in 36 cases, including the killing of Brothers and the three in the Los Angeles-area that landed him in prison. But Bland said in his statement more than 40 cases have been confirmed. He later explained that he received that number from Texas Rangers, an elite investigative agency that has relayed details of Little's confessions to law officers in other states. Little detailed the killings in a series of conversations with Ranger James Holland.

Most recently, police in Tennessee linked Little to the death of Martha Cunningham, a Knoxville woman whose body was found in a wooded area by a road in 1975. Even though Cunningham was bruised and nude from the waist down when her body was found, detectives attributed her death to natural causes, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.

With at least three-dozen confirmed deaths, Little is already among the most prolific known serial killers in American history. Gary Ridgway, the so-called Green River killer who is serving life in prison, pleaded guilty to killing 49 women and girls, making him the deadliest serial killer in terms of confirmed kills, though he has said he likely killed more than 71 people. Ted Bundy confessed to 30 homicides from about 1974 to 1978 and John Wayne Gacy killed at least 33 young men and boys in the 1970s. Both of them were executed.

Little, who is in poor health and relies on a wheelchair, offered his confessions as a bargaining chip to be moved from the Los Angeles County prison where he was being held, the FBI said last month. But Bland said Thursday that Little will return to California to serve his life term.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Premier Rachel Notley says her recent decision to cut oil production seems to be working.

And in a speech to Northern Alberta leaders Thursday she also served up a little yuletide jab at the prime minister.

"It wasn't an easy decision," Notley said of the oil cut. "But I believe that in the circumstances it was the right decision.

"At least so far we've seen the right result, but you never want to shut down production as an economic plan. It's counterintuitive. It's not a long-term solution."

Earlier this month, Notley ordered companies to cut production by almost nine per cent starting in the new year to close the price gap between Alberta oil and the North American benchmark.

That price gap was growing so wide that vast reserves of oil were building up in Alberta and the price was falling through the floor, leading to fears of massive job cuts and project closures.

The differential, which was over US$50 at one point, has bounced back in recent days and now trades at about US$25 less than the benchmark West Texas Intermediate price.

The oil cut program will exempt the first 10,000 barrels per day, to shield small producers. It will be reviewed monthly and is to end on Dec. 31, 2019.

Notley is also buying rail cars and continues to push Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for action to end the pipeline bottleneck, considered the primary culprit for the oil glut and low prices.

Alberta's long-term focus remains on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, to get more oil to the B.C. coast. The project was OK'd by Trudeau's government two years ago but is now in limbo as the feds respond to a Federal Court of Appeal decision that ordered a better examination of the impact on marine life and further consult with affected First Nations.

Notley has called on Trudeau to get Trans Mountain moving and also roll back on two bills now before Parliament  a northern B.C. coast tanker ban and changes to rules for energy megaprojects  which critics say will needlessly hamper energy development.

She has been critical of the federal government in recent days, particularly over Ottawa's resistance to join Alberta in purchasing extra rail cars.

Notley noted that Trudeau expressed concern earlier this week for Alberta's plight.

"He said his sympathy is with Alberta at Christmas because we're going through tough times," she said.

"'Quite the Christmas gift, his sympathy,' I thought to myself.

"I truly hope that he got a gift receipt with that little Christmas gift because I would like to exchange it for a pipeline."
Which are the most corrupt countries in Africa this year? Let us discuss the worlds corruption rating and see whether Nigeria is one of the 10 African states with the highest levels of corruption or not. We are sure that millions of our countrymen will be curious to get the answer to this question and see the leaders in 2018.

Corruption perceptions index across the world; photo: transparency.org

Source: UGC

Corruption rating

How can we judge which are the top 10 most corrupt countries in Africa in 2018? It's time to look at the Transparency International reports. This organization is known all across the globe because it gives voice to people who have witnessed or experienced such an unpleasant thing as corruption.

Unfortunately, the latest corruption rating for 2018 hasnt been created and released yet by this famous organization. Every year it publishes its own ranking of the most corrupt countries ever since 1995, and the latest document available on its official website is dated back to 2017.

Each ranking is shortly called CPI. These three capitalized letters stand for Corruption Perceptions Index, and this CPI was created thanks to the evaluations made by businesspersons and experts from different countries across the globe. The higher this number is, the more open and clean the country is. countries with the lowest CPI are believed to be the most corrupt.

The list of countries in the CPI 2017 report is 180. Unfortunately, many of them have an extremely low ranking of fairness, and many of these nations are located in Africa. So, let us look at the current corruption in Africa scaled from 0 to 100, where lower numbers describe high corruption, and 90-100 mean very clean.

READ ALSO: The most corrupt country in Africa 2016-2017

Corruption comics; photo: perilofafrica.com

Source: UGC

Top 10 most corrupt countries in Africa

Below you will find a list of the African nations that suffer the most from corruption.

1. Federal Republic of Somalia

With over 14 million people, this is not the most populous place on the continent. It is still developing, trying to rebuild itself after the civil war and cannot get past the informal economy. Many local citizens have to work abroad to make their living, so no wonder it has become number 1 on our list. This African country has the lowest CPI index of 9 which makes it the most corrupt country on the continent and in the whole world.

2. Republic of South Sudan

Being a new country (South Sudan officially became independent from the Republic of Sudan 7 years ago), this nation faces many problems. Since nearly half of the 12 million people who live here are younger than 18 years old, you can imagine how difficult it is to develop the economy and provide a good standard of living to locals. Right now, this is the second most corrupted country on our planet and in Africa. It has placed 179 out of 180 countries ranked by Corruption Perception project (its CPI index is 12).

3. Republic of Sudan

Unlike other countries that border on the Red Sea, the Republic of Sudan hasnt managed to attract tourists from all over the world to positively influence its economy. Being the 3rd biggest African country by territory and giving a home to approximately 37 million people, Sudan seems isolated from the rest of the world due to its unstable political situation, violation of human rights, and unsafe community.

Added to the 175th position on the Transparency International ranking, this country also confirms the sad fact that corruption in Africa exists and is pretty severe these days. The countrys corruption perceptions index is 16.

READ ALSO: Top 20 richest countries in Africa

Anti-corruption march; photo: lasentinel.net

Source: UGC

4. State of Libya

Being big by territory (1.8 million square kilometers) and small by population (about 6 million people), Libya has one of the largest oil reserves in Africa and our planet. However, countries that have access to oil also suffer from severe corruption and uneven economic development. With the CPI of 17, this place is also one of Africa's most corrupt countries nowadays.

5. Republic of Guinea-Bissau

Being a very small country that has only 1.8 million people who live in the area of 36 thousand square kilometers, this republic seems to experience many problems including corruption. This country located on the African continent shares the same place as Libya with its corruption perceptions index of as low as 17. Thus, it is also one of the most corrupt countries in Africa these days.

6. Republic of Equatorial Guinea

This place used to be a Spanish colony, and it still remembers those old times because Equatorial Guinea is the only African country with Spanish as its official language. Its main national wealth is oil; however, it often seems that the more oil the country has, the more corrupted it is. Even though this territory boasts one of the highest GDP numbers, it also has huge local problems. For example, the low CPI index of 17 given to Equatorial Guinea also makes it one of the top 10 most corrupt countries in Africa this year.

7. Republic of Angola

These days we are not surprised to know that a big country with more than 25 million people has a high corruption rating. This happens to Angola as well since this place is rich in petroleum and other minerals. And we all know that where national wealth is valuable there are always desires of a small group of people to rule over the rest of the countrymen. The Republic of Angola has huge problems with corruption based on its CPI of just 19.

READ ALSO: What are 10 economic problems facing Nigeria?

Photo: biznews.com

Source: UGC

8. Eritrea

Located along the Red Sea coast, Eritrea has all the chances to become a wonderful tourist location and improve the countrys economy. This hasnt happened yet because the country has a lot of problems, including the worst on our planet human rights record. Placed on the 165th position in the worlds ranking of the most corrupted countries, Eritrea has the CPI index of 20, which also doesnt make it more attractive to international visitors.

9. Republic of Chad

This African country shares the same position with Eritrea in the ranking of 180 countries based on their levels of corruption. It also has a low CPI of 20. Being one of the largest places by its territory and giving home to over 13 million people, Chad hasnt done much to develop its agriculture and provide people with enough food and bright expectations of their possible future.

10. The Democratic Republic of Congo

Even though this country is located higher on the ranking of the most corrupted countries in Africa and on our planet, its index of corruption perceptions is still extremely low reaching only 21 points out of 100. This is the Southernmost area on the continent which is one of the largest in Africa and 11th-biggest on the planet covering over 2 million square kilometers. With over 80 million people, Congo has all the natural resources theoretically to become wealthy and offer a good level of life to each countryman. But the nation has huge problems with corruption, infrastructure, and political system.

P.S. We are sure that millions of Nigerians wish to know which place our country has been awarded in terms of corruption perceptions out of 180 countries that participated in the ranking, thus we have to share this information with you. Based on the ranking system created by Transparency International, Nigerias index of corruption perceptions is 27 which places it on the 148th position in the worlds rating.

As you can see, some of the top 10 most corrupt countries in Africa also have the lowest possible corruption perceptions index in the world. This makes some African regions top the end of the list of 180 nations that were ranked from 0 (bad) to 100 (very good) by Transparency International.

Right now, Somalia and two Sudan republics are among the six most corrupt countries on the planet. Hopefully, their mass media would one day get a chance to speak out without any fear and risk to their lives.

READ ALSO: Effects of population growth in Nigeria

Source: Legit
- Ibrahim Jubril, the minister of state for environment, has resigned from the federal cabinet

- The minister resigned after he was declared as the new Emir of Nasarawa on December 7

The minister of state for environment, Ibrahim Jubril, has resigned his seat after he was declared Emir of Nasarawa, on Friday, December 7, following his selection by the Nasarawa Emirate Council and the approval by Nasarawa state governor.

The Sun reports that a valedictory session was held in honour of Jubril as he turned up dressed in his turban for the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

READ ALSO: Why I didn't choose a woman as my running mate - Sanwo-Olu

President Buhari had, in a tweet by his media aide, Bashir Ahmad, congratulated Jubril as he urged him to build on the legacies of his predecessor and promote peace and unity in the emirate.

Read his tweet below:

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that an aide to the Kogi state governor on new media, Odaudu Joel, on Wednesday, December 5, resigned his position.

Joel in a letter to Governor Yahaya Bello, through the secretary to the state government said, he was compelled to tender his resignation following pressing family issues.

According to Joel, his resignation is in line with the provisions of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.

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
- The Follow The Money team is making impact in Nigeria, Kenya and Gambia

- The group advocates, visualizes and tracks aid meant for rural grassroots communities in their countries

- According to the group, it has broken down figures for citizens to understand how public funds are misused by officials

- So far, over $100 million in budgeted sums for contracts to basic amenities rural communities direly need have been tracked

The Follow The Money team says they have jointly tracked over $100million in Nigeria, Kenya and Gambia. This was revealed during a press briefing on Wednesday, December 12, by representatives of the groups in Abuja.

The team leaders are Hamzat Lawal of Connected Development (CODE) - Nigeria, Evelyn Nicole Mathai of Slums Information Development and Resource Centre (SIDAREC) - Kenya and Marr Nyang of Gambia Participates - Gambia.

According to them, since 2012, their members have worked in over 150 grassroots communities in the three countries, impacting over 5 million marginalized lives by engaging national and sub-national governments.

The briefing was also an opportunity to launch Follow The Money 2017/2018 annual report in Gambia. Photo credit: CODE

Source: Facebook

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Lawal said: Connected Development in Nigeria, Gambia Participates and Slum Information Development and Resource Centre, Kenya; provides marginalized and vulnerable communities with resources to amplify their voices with independence and integrity; as well as information that ushers socio-economic development through online and offline platforms that close the feedback loop between citizens and the government to enhance social contracting and accountability.

In Kenya, we have been able to track $30,000 annual budget for a primary health care centre in one of Nairobi's slums, where there were rising records of maternal and early childhood deaths due to corruption where funds often released, but never reaching slum dwellers. Today, even though we have secured $10,000 for the centre, we are advocating and strengthening citizen's capacity to ask the right questions of duty bearers.

In the Gambia, we have asked questions about a $8.1million World Bank project for schools to move out of storehouses in to proper safe spaces for children to learn. Today, we are advocating for President Amadou Barrow's government to pass a law that provide freedom of information to citizens to demand accountability of duty bearers.

He revealed that they have received requests across Africa from young people who want to replicate the Follow The Money model in their countries.

This excites us, and that is why we have created the ifollowthemoney platform; where our social mobilization drive will raise the critical mass required, to pressure governments to adopting open government policies across Africa, he added.

Responding to Legit.ng's inquiry about the Follow The Money progress in Kenya, Mathai said since its launch in 2018, the initiative is beginning to make a headway and increasing its visibility in Kenya.

Her words: We are fortunate enough to have a radio station and apart from social media public engagement, we also utilize the radio station. Our area of reach is one of the most populated slum communities in Nairobi.

Also through telling human centered stories, getting people who have been affected by people embezzling funds directly or indirectly in terms of service delivery in the education or the health sector.

Using such stories, it evokes anger in people and it encourages them to take matters into their own hands, so through that, we have been able to receive many people interested in joining the movement.

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On his part, Nyang said the Follow The Money Team has recorded so much success stories in Gambia.

We have broken down figures for citizens to understand how public funds are misused by officials. We have also trained over 100 young people in Gambia as volunteers for the Follow The Money Team in Gambia, he said.

Highlight of the event was the launching of the 2017/2018 Follow The Money annual report in Gambia.

Lawal recently addressed African leaders at the African Union (AU) high-level dialogue on democracy, human rights and governance which was held between Wednesday, November 28 and Friday, November 30 in Gaborone, Botswan.

At the event, he shared his experiences and results leading the largest social accountability movement in Africa, using innovative Follow The Money methodology and work process.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have upgraded to serve you better.

Female aerospace engineer from the Tsaigumi UAV team on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ng
- APC has called for the sack of Aminu Tambuwal as the governor of Sokoto state

- The party in a swift move backed a previous appeal by Senator Umar Dahiru and Aliyu Abubakar Sanyinna who contested against Tambuwal in the last election

- According to APC, the appeal before the court was filed over alleged irregularities in the 2014 primary election that produced Tambuwal as the partys candidate

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked the Supreme Court to sack the governor of Sokoto state, Aminu Tambuwal, over alleged irregularities in the 2014 primary election that produced him as the partys candidate.

Daily Trust reports the APC backed an earlier appeal filed by Senator Umar Dahiru and Aliyu Abubakar Sanyinna, who both contested the primary with Governor Tambuwal for the governorship position in 2015.

A counsel to APC Abduganiyu Arobo while announcing his appearance for the party on Wednesday, December 12 declined to change the argument of the party, which he had canvassed at both the Federal High Court and Court of Appeal for the party on behalf of Governor Tambuwal, who recently defected to the PDP.

READ ALSO: Jubilation as ex head of state says Boko Haram has been decimated

Also, counsel to the aspirants, Roland Otaru (SAN) previously argued at the Court of Appeal that the delegates accredited for the primary in 2014 were not authentic delegates, and therefore the outcome should be voided by the court.

Ruling over the matter, Justice Mohammed Dattijo, fixed January 25, 2019 to decide the preliminary objection by Tambuwal against the suit, while March 5, 2019 would be used to hear the main appeal.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the Sokoto governor Aminu Tambuwal has threatened to expose the alleged dirty laundry of the leader of the APC in the state, Aliyu Wamakko.

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Tambuwal said this while addressing his teeming supporters shortly after returning to the state from the PDP national convention held in Port Harcourt.

He warned Wamakko that if pushed to the wall, he would reveal the dirty details that he had helped the APC leader to cover up.

Nigeria Latest News: Here's What Saraki and Tambuwal's Defection Means for the APC - on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ng
- Governor Ibikunle Amosun was absent at the APC reconciliation meeting

- The governor is displeased with the outcome of the party's primary election in Ogun state

- The leaders of the reconciliation team, Governors Shettima and Ambode urged aggrieved members to make sacrifices for the party

The Ogun state governor, Ibikunle Amosun, was absent at the All Progressives Congress (APC) reconciliation meeting held in Lagos state to pacify aggrieved members of the party ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Amosun fell out with his party after his preferred governorship candidate for Ogun state, Adekunle Akinlade was not recognised by the party.

READ ALSO: President Buhari's full speech at launch of Together Nigeria

The meeting, which was held at the State House, Marina, on Wednesday, December 12, had several APC members in Lagos, Ogun and some other states present except for Amosun and his loyalists.

Leadership reports that during the meeting Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and his Borno state counterpart, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, called on aspirants from Lagos and Ogun states to unite and work for the partys victory at all levels during the 2019 elections.

The governors urged aggrieved members to forgive and forget and make sacrifices for the progress of the party.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that the governorship candidate of the APC in Ogun state, Dapo Abiodun, on Tuesday, December 11, said Governor Ibikunle Amosun will be part of his campaign team, in spite of his (Amosun) grouses against the party.

Abiodun stated this while addressing a press conference at his Iperu-Remo home, where he presented his running mate, Noimot Salako-Oyedele, and his manifesto for the 2019 governorship contest.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better.

Nigeria Latest News: Buhari Reacts To APC Senators Betrayal | Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng
President Muhammadu Buharis administration was birthed in 2015 after defeating the then incumbent president Goodluck Jonathan, with three cardinal plans: Security of lives and properties, the fight against corruption and the resuscitation of the economy.

More than three years down the line, the presidents anti-corruption war has seen some heavyweight politicians feel the brunt of the law.

Though some Nigerians and major opposition parties have accused President Buhari of being selective in the fight against corruption, it cannot be said that there is no effort at allwhether selective or objective being decisively taken against the scourge of corruption.

READ ALSO: President Buhari's full speech at launch of Together Nigeria

While the African Union decorated President Buhari as the Anti-Corruption Champion for the year 2018, the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu also recently boasted that the commission recorded 246 court convictions of corrupt persons in the last 11 months.

As the year 2018 gradually winds up, Legit.ng takes a look at six big cases of corruption which led to some heavyweight politicians getting to witness the cold corridors of jail, either after being convicted or pending the time they meet their bail conditions.

1. Joshua Dariye

Senator Dariye sentenced to 14 years in prison over criminal breach of trust and two years for misappropriation of public funds, to run concurrently.

Source: Depositphotos

Joshua Dariye, a serving senator representing Plateau Central senatorial district and former governor of Plateau state, was accused of embezzling N1.162 billion ecological funds belonging to his state.

He was charged to court by the anti-graft agency, EFCC, in 2007, but the trial stalled for over eight years following Dariyes protracted attempt to prevent his prosecution.

On Tuesday, June 12, Justice Adebukola Banjoko delivered the final judgment on the protracted case.

He was sentenced to 14 years in prison over criminal breach of trust and two years for misappropriation of public funds, to run concurrently.

He is reportedly the first member of the ruling party to be convicted. Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal in Abuja recently reduced Dariyes jail term to 10 years.

2. Jolly Nyame

The former Taraba state governor, Jolly Nyame, was sent to 14 years in prison without an option of fine.

Source: Depositphotos

The former Taraba state governor, Jolly Nyame, was sent to 14 years in prison without an option of fine after being found guilty of 27 out of 41 counts of alleged diversion of public funds while he served as governor of Taraba state.

He was charged by the EFCC for allegedly diverting N1.64 billion while he served as governor between 1999 to 2007.

Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the high court of the Federal Capital Territory in Gudu, Abuja, sent Nyame to jail for criminal breach of trust by misappropriating N1.64bn preferred against him by the EFCC.

Born in 1955, Nyame was governor of the state from January 1992 to November 1993. He also governed the state from May 1999 to 2007.

3. Jonah Jang

David Jang spent some eight days in jail before he got out on bail.

Source: Depositphotos

A former governor of Plateau state, retired Air Commodore Jonah David Jang, also spent some times in jail before he got out on bail he spent eight days.

Jang who was a military governor of Benue, defunct Gongola and Plateau states between 2007 and 2015, is facing a 12-count charge of diverting N6.3bn alongside a former cashier in the office of the Secretary to the State Government, Yusuf Pam. He pleaded not guilty.

4. Mukhtar Ramalan Yero

Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, a former governor of Kaduna state also spent about a week at the Kaduna Convict Prison.

Source: Depositphotos

Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, a former governor of Kaduna state also spent about a week at the Kaduna Convict Prison.

Within five years, Yero without contesting an election became a commissioner, deputy governor and governor. Yero, who rose from a finance director in Namadi Sambos firm (Nalado Nigeria Limited) to become commissioner for finance in 2007, deputy governor in 2010 and governor in December 2012 following the death of Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa in a helicopter crash.

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Yero was in detention from May 31 to June 6, 2018, together with a former chairman of the PDP in the state, Abubakar Gaya-Haruna; a former secretary to the state government Hamza Ishaq and a former minister of power, Nuhu Somo Wya. They are reportedly standing trial over an alleged case of fraud instituted against them by the EFCC.

5. Senator Peter Nwaoboshi

Senator Peter Nwaoboshi (PDP-Delta North) also spent 48 hours at Kirikiri maximum security prison.

Source: UGC

Senator Peter Nwaoboshi (PDP-Delta North) also spent 48 hours at Kirikiri maximum security prison over an alleged N805m fraud preferred against him by the EFCC.

Nwaoboshi who chairs the Senate committee on NDDC was arraigned alongside two companies - Golden Touch Construction Project Ltd and Summing Electrical Ltd - on a two-count charge of fraud and money laundering before Justice Mohammed Idris. The Delta lawmaker was granted bail on self-recognition.

6. Former governor Ayodele Fayose

Fayose spent a weekend at the Ikoyi Prison in Lagos, after he failed to meet his bail condition.

Source: UGC

The immediate past governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose, spent a weekend at the Ikoyi Prison in Lagos, after he failed to meet his bail condition before the close of work on Friday, October 26. The former governor who is facing an 11-count charge of conspiracy and money laundering amounting to N2.2 billion was granted a N50 million bail on Wednesday, October 24, by a judge of the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court, Mojisola Olatoregun.

He was ordered to provide two sureties who must issue a N50 million bond in a reputable bank as well as possess three years tax clearance. The judge also directed that the former governor deposit his international passport with the court.

He has since regained freedom after meeting the bail condition.

Nigeria Latest News: Federal High Court Grants Fayose Bail | Legit TV

Source: Legit
- President Buhari met with Governor Amosun of Ogun state ahead of the general elections

- The president reportedly demanded total loyalty from the governor asking him to shelve personal desires

- Amosun had said he would not support the candidate of the APC in the state gubernatorial election

President Muhammadu Buhari has reportedly warned Governor Ibikunle Amosun to desist from anti-party activities as details of their meeting have emerged.

The duo met on Monday, December 10, in Abuja and according to Daily Independent, the president sternly warned the Ogun governor not to engage in activities that may affect the party.

The president reportedly frowned at Amosuns statement that while he would support the All progressives Congress (APC) in the presidential election, he will not support the candidate of the party, Dapo Abiodun, in the gubernatorial contest.

President Buhari reportedly told Amosun that he requires total loyalty from him urging him to learn to sacrifice personal interest for the collective interest of the party.

READ ALSO: Boko Haram has been decimated - Abdulsalami Abubakar

Adekunle Akinlade who is Amosuns preferred governorship candidate left the APC for the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), a move Governor Amosun endorsed.

According to source, From the feelers we got, the president did not mince words in telling Governor Amosun that as the national leader of the party, he will not support any form of anti-party activities. He told the governor that he cannot put one leg in APC by saying he will support him, while putting another leg in APM declaring support for another governorship candidate.

The president told him he cannot claim to be working for the APC while all his foot soldiers have left for the APM and the governor also gave them maximum support.

From what we are getting, this is the presidents final warning to Governor Amosun as the partys campaign will kick off soon. Dont also forget that the partys National Working Committee (NWC) has since penciled down the governor for punishment after rebuffing the reconciliation meeting set up to reconcile aggrieved members.

Another source said Amosun was in a dilemma about whether to support APC or APM. I believe the governor is in a dilemma now and we expect him to make a very important decision in the coming days."

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that the APC governorship candidate in Ogun state, Dapo Abiodun, on Tuesday, December 11, said Governor Ibikunle Amosun will be part of his campaign team, in spite of his (Amosun) grouses against the party.

Abiodun stated this while addressing a press conference at his Iperu-Remo home, where he presented his running mate, Noimot Salako-Oyedele, and his manifesto for the 2019 governorship contest.

He said: Of course, the governor of Ogun state is the leader of the party. And when I am flagging off my campaign, it is the incumbent governor that would help me flag it off. I dont have any doubt in my mind that the issues of misunderstanding would be resolved soon.

I am sure the governor of Ogun state will help me in flagging off my campaign. And I am sure he will raise my hands up as the governorship standard bearer of the party in the state.

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Nigeria Latest News: Buhari Reacts To APC Senators Betrayal | Legit TV

Source: Legit
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar is Nigerias top trending politician in 2018, according to Google Trends.

Google announced the results of its 2018 Year in Search on Wednesday, December 12, which revealed the years major moments and top trends based on searches conducted in Nigeria.

The 2018 Year in Search list contains the top trending news moment, music and movies that got the attention of Nigerians as well as the people, places, and things that trended.

READ ALSO: Amosun shuns APC reconciliation meeting

Atiku campaigning vigorously ahead of the 2019 presidential election.

Source: Depositphotos

Atiku was Nigerias vice president between 1999 and 2007 when Olusegun Obasanjo was president.

He will be contesting in the 2019 presidential election, with Peter Obi as his running mate, against the incumbent president, Muhammadu Buhari who is also seeking re-election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

This years most searched news event was the Osun elections, which gripped national attention in September due to alleged incidents of voter intimidation and interference, a statement by the company read.

In Nigeria, the top trending people were:

Alexis Sanchez Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Meghan Markle Stan Lee Philippe Coutinho Atiku Abubakar Tosyn Bucknor Avicii Aisha Abimbola Sylvester Stallone

The top trending news searches were:

Osun elections Ekiti elections PDP Presidential Primaries ASUU Strike NLC Strike/Minimum Wage Offa Robbery Kaduna Crisis Lagos APC primaries Royal Wedding Atiku Running Mate

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Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the presidential candidate of the PDP had signed a peace accord drafted by the National Peace Committee (NPC) for presidential candidates ahead of the 2019 elections.

Atiku signed the document on Wednesday, December 12, in the presence of members of the peace committee headed by a former head of state, Abdulsalami Abubakar, in Abuja.

The national chairman of the PDP, Uche Secondus and other party members, reportedly accompanied Atiku to the Kukah Centre, Abuja, where the document was signed.

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Between Buharis Next Level And Atikulate - Nigerians React| Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng
Photo: Colin Dacre Bomb threats were made against businesses in Vernon and Penticton Thursday.

Vernon RCMP have confirmed bomb threats were made against some local businesses.

Threats were also made against businesses in Penticton and Kamloops as well as numerous businesses in B.C. and Alberta.

The Vernon North Okanagan RCMP has received complaints regarding a threat to a local businesses and a request for payment, said Const. Kelly Brett. We have assessed the complaints and launched an investigation. Public safety is our top priority, and we will engage all specialized resources as necessary.

Law enforcement across B.C. are currently working to determine the source and legitimacy of these threats, and are conducting a risk assessment. The nature of the threats or the businesses involved will not be disclosed in order to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigations.

An email sent to three Penticton car dealerships this morning containing a bomb threat was asking for bitcoin payments.

Skaha Ford dealer principal Brad Jinjoe said the email asked for the untraceable cryptocurrency, and threatened a bomb would be detonated if a payment was not made.

Similar threats were made to businesses in the United States.

"At this time, it appears that these threats are meant to cause disruption and/or obtain money," the New York Police Department tweeted this morning. "Well respond to each call regarding these emails to conduct a search but we wanted to share this information so the credibility of these threats can be assessed as likely NOT CREDIBLE."

- with files from Colin Dacre
The British Council yesterday hosted The Future Awards Africa 2018 nominees to a reception in Lagos with young change-makers including Niniola, Zainab Balogun, Emmanuel Oyeleke, Ink Eze, Folu Storms, Fisayo Fosudo and others receiving their certificates of nomination.

With 20 categories and 100 nominees selected this year, The Future Awards Africa seeks to acknowledge inspiring young Nigerians between the ages of 18-31 making a difference through social enterprise, social good, and creativity.

Osayi Alile, CEO, Act Foundation gave the welcome address while Steve Forbes, Director of Operations, British Council gave the opening speech at the reception. Music artiste and social activist, Bankole Banky W Wellington was the guest speaker at the well-attended event.

Steve Forbes, Director of Operations, British Council

Source: UGC

The 13th edition of the Awards event will hold on Sunday, December 16, 2018 at the Balmoral Convention Centre, Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

See photos from the event below:

[Sponsored]

Source: Legit.ng
- The United States government congratulated all those advocates for peace and democracy who have worked together to achieve this important result

- This is part of a statement released by the US embassy, Abuja describing the peace accord as a great step towards the goal shared by all Nigerians

- The American government also reiterated its strong support for the Independent National Elections Commission and for all Nigerians

The United States government who expressed satisfaction over the peace accord for the 2019 general elections that the presidential candidates signed urged them to honour it faithfully.

This is contained in a statement by the US embassy, Abuja describing the peace accord as a great step towards the goal shared by all Nigerians on national elections that are credible, Daily Trust reports.

The statement read: The United States warmly congratulates the presidential candidates and parties who have signed the peace accord for the 2019 presidential elections. We also congratulate all those advocates for Peace and Democracy who have worked together to achieve this important result.

READ ALSO: Amosun shuns APC reconciliation meeting

Your Peace Accord is a great step towards the goal shared by all Nigerians of national elections that are free, fair, transparent, credible, and peaceful. Achieving your goal is critical to the credibility and effectiveness of the next government, and it is essential to advance Nigerias unity, prosperity, justice, and security.

In 2015, an identically worded Peace Accord played a vital role in a democratic electoral process. We expect all parties and leaders to ensure that this new Accord will be honoured just as faithfully and therefore have an equally positive effect on the 2019 election.

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It said for elections to be free and fair in 2019, the campaign period already underway must itself go forward on a level playing field and be a fair and transparent process.

The American government also reiterated its strong support for the Independent National Elections Commission (INEC), and for all those Nigerian citizens, public servants, and civil society organizations who will together facilitate peaceful, credible, and transparent elections.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that the United States of America stated that it has no preferred presidential candidate in Nigerias 2019 general elections.

Russell Brooks, the public affairs officer at the US Consulate General Lagos, said this via a live chat on Facebook.

When asked if the US would be supporting any presidential candidate ahead of the 2019 election, Brooks said the US would continue to remain neutral.

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Between Buharis Next Level And Atikulate - Nigerians React| Legit TV:

Source: Legit
- No fewer than 2,000 personnel have been deployed by the Akwa Ibom police command to strategic locations across the state to ensure a hitch-free Christmas celebration

- The public relations officer of the command, DSP Odiko MacDon, said that the measure was taken to provide security in areas and urged the people to be security conscious

- MacDon said that the command would remain resolute and uncompromising in delivering qualitative policing for the benefit of all before, during and after the celebrations

The Akwa Ibom state police command has deployed a total of 2,000 officers and men to strategic locations and areas across the state to tackle crime and criminality before during and after the yuletide celebrations.

Legit.ng gathered that the police command has assured that it would remain resolute and firm in delivering qualitative policing services for the benefit of all visitors, investors and all Akwa Ibom people during the period.

The command in a statement by its public relations officer, Odiko Macdon, on Thursday, December 13, in Uyo, appealed to all residents of the state to be security conscious and report any suspicious movement to the police.

READ ALSO: Details of President Buharis meeting with Amosun revealed

Macdon said: As we celebrate let us be reminded that Akwa Ibom is one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria today. The command will remain resolute and uncompromising in delivering qualitative policing services for the benefits of all visitors and Akwa Ibomites before during and after the celebrations.

To ensure a hit-free celebration the command has deployed over 2000 personnel to strategic areas and locations across the state. We must, therefore, be security conscious at all times and report any suspicious movement or persons to the police.

The Akwa Ibom command appealed to politicians to play by the rules and warned the youths against engaging in any form of violence.

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Legit.ng previously reported that in accordance to the order of the Senate on Thursday, November 22, operatives of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) ended their siege on the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.

All entrances to the complex had been barricaded right from the morning of Tuesday, November 20. They are, however, opened as the police vacated the premises on Friday, November 23.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have updated to serve you better.

Nigeria Latest News: Buhari Reacts To APC Senators Betrayal | Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng
These days, it seems as though each time we sleep and wake, a mobile phone brand has released a new device. Understandably, as technological advancement continues to head north, so should the major players in the OEM market however, recent trends have shown that rather than raise the bar, many of these mobile phone brands are only interested in blending or fitting into the existing market clutters that frustrates the end-users.

Since the entry of TAMBO Mobile into the Nigeria mobile phone ecosystem few months ago, they are fast becoming the mobile phone brand to beat due to their innovative and very competitive products. One of such products is the TA-50 which the brand has introduced to empower entry-level smartphone users with high-end features, considerate speed, more space and a smooth user experience.

When compared to other devices of the same category in the market, TAMBO TA-50 offers considerably more value for money. Powered by a 1.3GHz quadcore processor and Android GO operating system, the device is very responsive and fast. Whether you are a gamer or movie enthusiast, the TA-50 can cater for your video and graphic demands without freezing or cat-walking.

Clean, clear and colorful, the TA-50 dons 8MP front and rear cameras with flashlights. Its auto-focus is impressive and the device can capture moving objects with a considerate level of precision.

The TA-50 comes with 1GB RAM and 16GB ROM (expandable up to 64GB) and complemented by Android GO, the device has enough space to house a lot of pictures and apps without you having to resort to always deleting something in order to add another. It also comes with 4000mAh battery that can deliver over 380hrs standby time and 36+hrs talk time upon a single charge. It has a fingerprint scanner finely positioned at the rear for a fast and more secure use.

TAMBO TA-50 comes in two striking colors, champagne and black. Really for an entry-level device, the TA-50 is well rounded in terms of speed, camera quality, battery life, storage capacity and even comes with a 100days replacement promise plus 13 months warranty.

[Sponsored]

NAIJ.com >> Legit.ng; we have upgraded to serve you better.

Source: Legit
- The minister of state for petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, says Nigeria has to find a way to provide adequate petroleum products to sufficiently meet the needs of its citizens

- Kachikwu states that the liberalisation of the downstream sector is going to address the problem of inadequate fuel supply in the country

- The minister states that the effectiveness of the refineries has been hampered by lack of investments in the petroleum sector

The minister of state for petroleum resources, Ibe Kachikwu, on Thursday, December 13, has said that Nigeria will continue to struggle and face challenges in terms of ensuring stable fuel supply until the downstream sector of the petroleum industry is liberalised and subsidy of petroleum products removed.

Kachikwu said that the country needed to find a way to find a way to provide adequate petroleum products to sufficiently meet the needs of its citizens and at the same time to be able to free the sector for growth, Vanguard reports.

READ ALSO: We said it - PDP says it is vindicated as court confirms Kashamus sack

Speaking at the ministrys presentation of three years key achievements and award to staff in Abuja, the minister said the liberalisation of the downstream sector is going to address the problem of inadequate fuel supply.

In the midstream and downstream sectors, we have struggled. I would love to see a day when there would be no fuel scarcity in this country. But for that to happen, there are certain realities. The liberalization of the sector is going to be a panacea to being able to solve this. As long as we continue to subsidise products, create market-unfriendly type practices, we would continue to struggle, he said.

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We are not going to trade our way out of the fuel crisis by bringing sufficiency, by expanding reserves, by extravagant costs which cost the country a lot of money; that is not the solution. The solution is to get our refineries working.

Kachikwu stated that the effectiveness of the refineries has been hampered by lack of investments in the petroleum sector.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has disclosed that there is 37 days premium Motor Spirit (PMS) known as petrol self-sufficiency to serve the needs of consumers across the country.

The corporation disclosed this in a statement signed by its spokesman, Ndu Ughamadu, in Abuja, on Wednesday, September 26.

He said the group managing director of NNPC, Maikanti Baru, had appealed to motorists and other consumers of petroleum products across the country not to engage in panic buying of products over the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) planned industrial action.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We have upgraded to serve you better.

Merry Crisis: Nigerias fuel saga | Legit TV

Source: Legit Nigeria
Authorities say bomb threats sent Thursday to dozens of schools, government buildings and other locations across the U.S. appear to be a hoax.

Law enforcement agencies across the country dismissed the threats, which they said were meant to cause disruption and compel recipients into sending money and are not considered credible.

Some of the emails had the subject line: "Think Twice." The sender claimed to have had an associate plant a small bomb in the recipient's building and that the only way to stop him from setting it off was by making an online payment of $20,000 in Bitcoin.

"We are currently monitoring multiple bomb threats that have been sent electronically to various locations throughout the city," the New York City Police Department's counterterrorism unit tweeted. "These threats are also being reported to other locations nationwide & are NOT considered credible at this time."

In the Lehigh Valley, officials with the Bethlehem Fire Department Bomb Squad conferred with Palmer Township police on a threat Thursday but did not respond, fire Lt. Lucas Fuller said. The unfounded incident was related to the threats nationwide, township fire Assistant Chief Jim Alercia confirmed.

An Allentown Fire Department spokesman was unaware of his bomb squad responding to any threats Thursday.

Along with the NYPD, other law enforcement agencies also dismissed the threats, which were written in a choppy style reminiscent of the Nigerian prince email scam.

The Palm Beach County, Florida, sheriff's office and the Boise, Idaho, police said they had no reason to believe that threats made to locations in those areas were credible.

The FBI didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Across the country, some schools closed early and others were evacuated or placed on lockdown because of the hoax. Authorities said a threat emailed to a school in Troy, Missouri, about 55 miles (88 kilometers) northeast of St. Louis, was sent from Russia.

The bomb threats also prompted evacuations at city hall in Aurora, Illinois, the offices of the News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina, a suburban Atlanta courthouse and businesses in Detroit.

"Organizations nationwide, both public and private, have reported receiving emailed bomb threats today," Michigan State Police spokeswoman Shannon Banner said. "They are not targeted toward any one specific sector."

Penn State University notified students via a text alert about threats to a half-dozen buildings and an airport on its main campus in State College, Pennsylvania. In an update, the school said the threat appeared to be part of a "national hoax."

Officials at Columbine High School in Colorado were dealing Thursday with a bomb threat of a different sort. Students were being kept inside for the rest of the school day after someone called in a bomb threat against the school.

A member of the Jefferson County, Colo., Sheriffs Department stands guard outside the main driveway to Columbine High School Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018, in Littleton, Colo. Students were kept inside the building as a large police response was summoned because a caller claimed to have placed explosive devices in the school and was hiding outside with a weapon. The call was determined to be false. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)AP

The Jefferson County, Colorado, Sheriff's Office said the caller claimed to have placed explosive devices in the school and to be hiding outside with a gun.

There is nothing to validate the threat was found at Columbine, where 12 students and a teacher were killed by two students in 1999, according to Sheriff's spokesman Mike Taplin.

Two dozen other Colorado schools were also temporarily placed on lockout, meaning their doors were locked but classes continued normally, as the threat was investigated.

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Michael Cohen, who served as President Trumps personal attorney for many years, was sentenced to three years in prison Wednesday after pleading guilty to tax evasion and making false statement to Congress. He also admitted to arranging payments, during the 2016 campaign, to buy the silence of women who said they had affairs with Trump.

Appearing before U.S. District Judge William Pauley III in New York, Cohen criticized his former client, saying he felt it was his duty to keep the presidents dirty deeds out of the public eye.

Trump did not deny that he instructed Cohen to make hush payments, but said he never told Cohen to go beyond the law.

I never directed Michael Cohen to break the law. He was a lawyer and he is supposed to know the law, Trump tweeted. It is called advice of counsel, and a lawyer has great liability if a mistake is made.

Cohens plea deal could have legal implications for the president. Trumps acknowledgement of paying hush money during a campaign raises the possibility of similar charges against him. Trump has denied any wrongdoing in campaign finances  as well as collusion between his campaign and Russia, the primary focus of the probe by Special Prosecutor Robert Muller when it was authorized by Congress.

What do you think? Does Cohens punishment fit the crimes? Too harsh? Too lenient? Have a say in our informal, unscientific poll, and feel free to elaborate in the comments section.
No matter what side of the political spectrum youre on, I think all Americans can agree that the public showdown around the Mexican border wall issue was pretty pathetic. Our government is broken. At the recent meeting in the Oval Office, both sides looked petty, incompetent and childish.

Vice President Mike Pence looked like a cross between a robot and Elf on the Shelf. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was like an annoying chirping bird who everyone continued to ignore. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer immaturely faced the cameras instead of the president, chuckling and guffawing to himself like a D-student in the back of a classroom. And President Trump was his usual ignoramus self.

If this was a project committee in any major corporation in America, they'd all be fired.

We need new blood on both sides of the aisle. We need a mass overhaul.

Chris Lang

Bethlehem
A state environmental inspector noted a strong, persistent sewage odor in the area of a Slate Belt landfill Tuesday, the day Lehigh Valley residents miles away reported smelling something similar.

Was the odor from Grand Central Sanitary Landfill to blame?

That is still under investigation, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Colleen Connolly said Thursday.

A spokesman for Waste Management, operator of the landfill south of Route 512 in Plainfield Township, has his doubts that odors could have been smelled as far away as Allentown and Bethlehem.

You can never say never because you just cant, but it would be very surprising to me, the spokesman, John Hambrose, told lehighvalleylive.com. Thats pretty far away. I just think its too distant to be related.

The DEP sent an investigator from about 5:15 to 8 p.m. Tuesday to Plainfield Township, Pen Argyl and Roseto following two complaints about landfill odors on their property, according to a report provided by Connolly.

No odors were detected on either property, the inspector reports. An odor patrol was conducted following the visits. A strong, persistent landfill gas odor was detected on Pen Argyl Road. A strong, persistent sewage odor was detected on Grand Central Road. No violations were noted at this time.

The report specifies the landfill gas odor was evident north of the cemetery on Pen Argyl Road, while the sewage odor was noted near the landfills leachate treatment plant. Leachate is stormwater that passes through waste.

Winds were predominantly out of the southwest Tuesday, with gusts from the west, at Lehigh Valley International Airport, according to the National Weather Service.

Grand Central does accept sewage sludge and that can be odorous, Hambrose said Thursday.

We do take some but does that explain that particular odor? I dont know, he said.

The landfill has been working with the DEP to address notices of violations filed by the department following a recent period of increased nuisance and odor complaints called in to the department, according to a separate DEP report released Thursday.

DEP officials received 64 odor complaints in September, another 89 in October and 63 in November and confirmed odors were detected outside of the landfill boundaries.

The department sent inspectors to the landfill Nov. 1 and 2, with follow-up inspections Nov. 5, 6, 19, 20 and 21, according to the report.

One notice of violation followed on Nov. 30, with the DEP alleging Grand Central failed to operate odor-control devices or apply daily cover to landfilled trash.

A separate notice of violation filed Nov. 30 noted an odor mister did not appear to be working and elevated levels of methane were observed.

Another notice of violation was issued for deteriorated paint and block valves missing on an above-ground storage tank. A fourth notice cited runoff from vehicle washing near storm drains and a discharge standpipe in a basin rusted through and not functioning as designed.

In its report, the DEP notes community concerns about the presence of odors and the potential for future odors related to the proposed Slate Belt Heat Recovery Center at the landfill. That facility is designed to use heat generated by burning landfill gas for electricity to dry sewage sludge and convert it to Class A biosolids, for use as fertilizer and industrial fuel.

The DEP letter on the notice of violations is dated Dec. 4 and gives the landfill operator 15 days to respond.

Were working through all those issues with DEP, Hambrose, the Waste Management spokesman, said Thursday. Were preparing our response to that.

Hambrose noted that this years excessive rainfall has delayed scheduled installation of landfill cap portions and gas collection wells.

"What this extra water did here was it cause a short-term condition where the new waste is saturated," he said. "That caused it to create gases and odor more quickly than if the conditions were drier. What the moisture also did was slow down our construction of our cap and our gas collection (system)."

Hambrose noted the weather is an explanation for the odor issues and not an excuse, and invited the landfills neighbors to call in complaints to its community line staffed 24 hours a day: 888-373-2917.

We work very hard at being a good neighbor here and doing a good job and preventing any of our neighbors from knowing were here, but sometimes conditions prevent us from doing what we want to do when we want to do it, he said.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A trustee at Centenary University is switching roles and will become interim president in January, following the sooner-than-planned departure of the schools former leader.

Rosalind Reichard resigned from the universitys Board of Trustees before she was named interim president, board Chairman Wolfgang Gstattenbauer said Thursday.

Centenary announced Oct. 28 that David P. Haney, the universitys president since July 2016, had notified the board of his resignation but would be staying on the job through June 2019.

Then something changed.

On Nov. 29, Centenary announced Haneys departure and said that Amy DOlivio, the universitys vice president of academic affairs, would be running the university in December -- with Reichard taking over as interim president Jan. 1.

Gstattenbauer, contacted Thursday, declined to elaborate when asked whether Haney, or the university, made the decision to move up his exit.

However, he took issue with Haneys interview with the Daily Record, posted Nov. 1, in which Haney described financial issues facing the college, including his efforts to reduce a $5 million deficit.

He should not have said anything about finances, especially since it was not correct. Centenary is not in financial trouble, Gstattenbauer said.

Haney could not be immediately reached for comment.

Haney also told the Daily Record that the decision to resign was his own, and the timing of his original plan for a June 2019 departure was driven by being a finalist for the presidency at Alvernia University in Reading.

Haney ended up not getting the top job there.

Alvernia University announced Monday that John Loyack, currently the executive vice president for business and administration at Kings College in Wilkes-Barre, had been named the universitys next president, effective July 1.

Gstattenbauer acknowledged that Centenary University, in recent years, has grappled with declining enrollment and staffing reductions.

He added that enrollment was starting to turn around with new courses, such as data analytics and medical lab science, playing a factor.

We have a good, five-year plan together, he said.

Reichard, the incoming interim president, was a five-year board member. She was president of Emory & Henry College in Virginia from 2006 to 2013.

Centenary is an institution that I admire and love for its dedication to being an inclusive and collaborative learning community with the interests of its students always a first priority, she said in a statement released by Centenary.

Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
A 63-year-old man who previously breached a safety order by threatening to punch his partner has been given a three-month sentence for striking the woman while out on bail.

Peter Horan (63), 59 College View, Mountmellick, was charged with breach of a safety order, at the same address on November 6 last.

Sgt JJ Kirby gave evidence that the accused went to a shop to buy alcohol and returned to the residence, where he was abusive to the injured party and struck her with two hands.

She was taken to the A+E, although her injuries werent serious.

Judge Catherine Staines noted that the accused had previously pleaded guilty to breaching a barring order by threatening to punch the woman, but despite that the court had put the matter back for a probation report.

But then, while on bail, the accused has now pleaded guilty to assaulting her.

She said he hasnt attended the MEND programme and he hasnt gone to Merchants Quay.

Defence, Ms Thomasina Connell said the accused was asking for one last chance and he was not of enormous understanding.

She said the parties are still living together and the accused was willing to attend MEND.

However, Judge Staines repeated that the accused had breached the protection order by threatening to assault the woman and the court had adjourned the case for him to attend MEND and deal with his drink problem. She said he had not cooperated and had assaulted the woman.

On the charge of assault, the judge imposed three months in jail, with recognisance fixed in the event of an appeal.

Ms Connell asked the judge would she consider suspending the sentence, but Judge Staines said she had already given him a chance and he didnt take it.

Whatever his understanding, everyone knows you dont hit people, especially your partner, said Judge Staines.
The new boss of the Irish Prison Service which runs jails in Portlaoise has 'vast experience' according to Laois TD Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan.

The Minister announced that Ms Caron McCaffrey as the new Director General (DG) of a service that has more than 3,000 staff and a 340 million annual budget.

Ms McCaffrey was selected by the Top Level Appointments Committee following an open recruitment process. She takes up her new role today, Thursday, December 13, replacing the outgoing DG Michael Donnellan. He retired early at the start of November.

The Department of Justice says Ms McCaffrey worked for 18 years in the justice sector, first serving in the Department of Justice and Equality in Asylum Policy Division, the Press Office, and the Youth Justice Unit before taking up a role in the Irish Prison Service in 2006 as Press and Programme Manager. She was promoted to Director of Corporate Services in 2008 and has since held responsibility for a range of portfolios including Human Resources, and Finance and Estates.

She is a graduate of NUI Maynooth (BA) and Dublin City University (MA International Relations), holds an Advanced Diploma in Applied Employment Law from the Kings Inns, and recently graduated from the UCD Smurfit Business School with a Postgraduate Diploma in Corporate Governance.

Ms McCaffrey says she is honoured to be appointed to the role of Director General of the Irish Prison Service.

"The Irish Prison Service is a unique and important frontline Service made up of over 3,200 dedicated and committed men and women with diverse skills, backgrounds and experiences. There are many challenges we face, now and into the future, but I am confident that we will continue to meet those challenges and grow together as an organisation based on excellence through our people.

"I also look forward to working with my colleagues in the Department of Justice and Equality, the wider criminal justice system and other key statutory and non-statutory stakeholders as we strive to deliver the best service possible, to achieve the best outcomes for those in our care and to contribute to a safer Ireland, she said in a statement.

Welcoming the new DG, the Minister said: I warmly congratulate Caron McCaffrey on her appointment to this important role within the overall justice and equality sector. The Irish Prison Service is a vital component of the criminal justice system and fulfils a challenging remit on behalf of the community.

"Caron has vast experience in the IPS working in a variety of leadership roles over the past 12 years. I look forward to working with her as the new Director General and wish her well in this demanding role. Her leadership will be essential in building on the significant advances made in recent years, and in continuing to embed and drive further improvements in how we provide safe, secure, humane and rehabilitative custody for people sent to prison in line with international human rights standards, she said.

The Minister also thanked Mr Don Culliton who has served as Acting Director General since Mr Donnellan stepped down in November.

The Department of Justice says the DG has responsibility for the leadership and management of the Service and the implementation of Government policies and strategies. This includes leading a management team responsible for the operation and management of the prison system on a day-to-day basis which will include all aspects of sentence administration, security, human resources, financial control and service development.

The Department says the DG is accountable for providing strong leadership and direction in a complex and rapidly evolving pressurised environment with a team of more than 3,200 staff and a budget of approximately 340 million.
Talks between Laois County Council and community alert representatives are on the cards in an effort to settle a dispute over community CCTV schemes.

News that John Mulholland, the council's Chief Executive, is finally offering a meeting with residents emerged at a public meeting in the county on Wednesday night where people from the four corners of Laois put up a united front to get the council's backing for the schemes.

Groups were invited to the special meeting by Laois Woodenbridge Community Alert Group as part of mounting a countywide campaign to fight for cameras. Crime journalist Paul Williams co-chaired the meeting.

A number of schemes across Laois have been delayed, one for up to two years, because Laois County Council is refusing to act as Data Controller. As a result, grant money has also been held up.

Existing schemes attended because they are fear their cameras not be legal. Laws governing all community CCTV schemes require that the local authority be the data controller. Laois County Council sanctions no schemes in Laois.

Frustration was expressed by many speakers about their predicament. Representatives of planned schemes in Mountmellick, Donaghmore, Clonaslee, Mountrath, Castletown and Woodenbridge near Durrow also spoke about being stalled.

Representatives from operational schemes Borris-in-Ossory, Ratheniska, Camross also attended. Their schemes are up and running but are in legal limbo because the council is not their registered Data Controller.

A spokesman for the Borris-in-Ossory scheme said

Michael G Phelan, Woodenbridge Community Alert Scheme chairman, confirmed to the meeting that Laois County Council had finally offered to meet.

The meeting agreed to accept the invitation but only if the three Laois TDs were present. They were anxious that the meeting would not be a meeting about a meeting.

Other speakers on the night included Chief Superintendent John Scanlon, Laois TD Brian Stanley, councillors John King, Brendan Phelan and Paddy Bracken. A statement on behalf of Laois TD and Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan was read at the meeting by his assistant Rosemary Whelan.

Laois County Council Chief Executive John Mulholland declined an invite.

Chief Supt Scanlon believed a solution was possible and suggested the possibility of a joint data controller.

Crime journalist Paul Williams said people power is the only way sort out a dispute.
Primary Care Centres are urgently needed in Laois to address the shortage of family doctors and increase health services in the community according to Laois Sinn Fein TD Brian Stanley.

The Sinn Fein TD made the call after asking the Minister for Health Charlie Flanagan about the delivery of such centres in Laois. Primary Care Centres are part of a government policy to deliver more health care in communities.

There is an urgent need for Primary Care Centres in the county. At the moment there is only one in Laois and that is situated in Portarlington. Due to the growing population in the county, more of these centres are needed. Laois is the fastest growing county outside of Dublin," he said.

Details supplied to Dep Stanley revealed that Laois was not on this list of the 35 Primary Care Centres announced by the Government in 2012. Since then the centre in Portarlington has opened.

As there is a severe shortage of GPs in Laois, centres like these are a must. Services that are provided by Primary Care Centres include; blood tests, health screening, community nursing, addiction services, physiotherapy, mental health services, counselling to mention a few. These services identify the behaviour of chronic diseases, by improving early detection and improve health services in the community setting.

"If more of these centres were provided throughout the country, it would ease the pressure of overcrowding in the hospitals. Also, people would be able to access the centres within a reasonable time frame. At the moment there is an average of a three-day wait to get an appointment with your local GP," he said in a statement.

The TD said It is now accepted across the political spectrum more community based medical services need to be provided as opposed to hospitals.

It is included in the Slainte Care Plan to provide more Primary Care Services throughout the country. This has been agreed by all the major parties and there is now a political consensus that this is the way forward.

"The issue of general practice and community care in Laois has to be addressed immediately and Government need to set out a clear timeframe for this," he concluded.
A Laois second year student, Ben Campbell was in high demand for his drama skills this December, from poetry to musicals.

Ben, 14 is a student at Portlaoise College. Last week he starred as The Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz school musical.

Thursday December 6 was opening night and it went down a storm. There was no time to recover for Ben however, as early the next morning, he headed for Dublin where he had qualified for the final of the national Poetry Aloud competition, in the junior section category.

Ben had also reached the semi-final as a first year. This time didnt bring a top award but the young student gave a magnificent display reciting two poems, May by Kerrie Harding and The Second Coming by WB Yeats. A lot of learning of lines on top of a full script for a play.

Ben has no doubt of the positive impact of the competition on him.

"Poetry Aloud is the single most beneficial thing -regarding my education - that I have ever done. Ever."



However Bens day was only beginning, as accompanied by his parents and teacher Siobhan Holland, he hot footed it to Heuston station to get back to Portlaoise College for the second night of The Wizard of Oz and launching into If I only had a brain on stage.

The whole experience was unforgettable, I couldnt believe that the final was on the same day as the show but it lead to

something that only Miss Cripps and Miss Holland could pull off, he said.

The annual Poetry Aloud competition is organised by the National Library of Ireland (NLI) and Poetry Ireland, in partnership with UCC. The competition is for post-primary school students across the island of Ireland with more than 1,700 entries received this year.

A second Portlaoise College student Josh Boylan was one of the top 125 who made it to the semi-finals this year.

The final event had 29 students compete in the junior, intermediate and senior categories for the Seamus Heaney Poetry Aloud Award. Each category winner received 300 as well as book tokens to the value of 300 for the winners school library. An overall winner will be chosen from the three category winners and will receive a further 200, the Seamus Heaney perpetual trophy.

Brid OSullivan is from the NLIs Learning and Outreach Department and spoke ahead of the final.

Poetry Aloud aims to celebrate the art of poetry speaking and nurture the talented second-level students who practice it. This year, the prescribed poems and anthologies draw on a wide range of emotions and moments in Irish life and they have been truly brought to life by the participants. We are looking to welcoming students from Portlaoise College back to the NLI to participate in the final and would like to extend our congratulations to all participants for making it this far.
A man appeared at Naas District Court yesterday, Wednesday, December 12, charged following a theft incident at a shop in Clane, an offence that occured only days after he arrived into the country.

Judge Desmond Zaidan heard evidence that Alin Patir 28, with an address listed as 143 North Circular Road, Dublin 7 was one of two men who entered a shop called Flowerz on Main Street, Clane on November 20 last. While one of the men distracted a staff member the other stole items. The owners husband happened to be passing and entered the shop, and confronted the pair.

Garda prosecutors told the court that the defendant had made admissions on the spot. He has been in custody since then.

Representing him Aisling Murphy told the court that her client has a child and partner at home in Romania and hopes to support them.

She said that he was shocked to find himself before the court and offered his apology and an offer of compensation was made.

But Judge Desmond Zaidan noted that the defendant had been in Ireland for less than a week and that it was a serious offence.

Srgt Jim Kelly told the court he simply couldnt say if the defendant had any previous convictions in his home country, but that he didnt have any in Ireland.

Judge Zaidan sentenced him to nine months.
A 40-year-old man, who was killed while walking on the M9 motorway at Baronstown, between Junction 2 and Junction 3 near Kilcullen, on April 8 this year, had taken a significant quantity of drugs and alcohol before his death, an inquest has heard.

Dean Logan, of Avondale Drive, Kilcullen, had visited the house of a friend, and was in the company of his girlfriend, hours before he opted to walk home in the early hours of Sunday, April 8. He was struck by a car driven by a man who was driving himself and his partner to Dublin Airport for an early morning flight.

Mr Logan's girlfriend said she had been in a relationship with Mr Logan since before Christmas 2017. She told how she went to her friend's home in Knocknagreine, Kilcullen, and how Mr Logan arrived there around 10.30pm on the evening of April 7 last.

He had a row with his girlfriend and he opted to walk from the house. The friend said he was in great form and smiling. She also said Mr Logan had had a few beers and also had cocaine.

Coroner Denis Cusack was told that Mr Logan and his girlfriend had a disagreement over whether he had a drug debt and that he said he had the merchandise to clear it. While they tried to get a taxi for him, he left the household of his own accord.

The driver of the car involved said that they were driving in a very dark area near Kilcullen on the left lane of the motorway when suddenly the car struck someone or something, smashing the windscreen. The driver had to try and keep control of the car.

Garda technical evidence said the car was in good condition mechanically and estimated it was travelling at about 103kph maximum. There was no evidence of emergency braking. The road surface was in excellent condition. The road at that point had a slightly graduated curve.

The main damage to the car was on the right driver front side of the car. Its driver said it was a split second incident and that he was still in shock.

We dont know where he came out of, his partner said.

A Garda who attended the scene said there was a strong smell of alcohol from Mr Logans body. The deceased had cannabis and cocaine packets, 140 in cash, a Paddy Power card and a white iPhone on him.

The post mortem said Mr Logan died from multiple injuries and had alcohol, cocaine and elements of a number of other tablets in his system.

After the evidence was given, a member of the public asked if the driver was breath analysed. Gardai, and the driver, said he was. No action was taken as a result.

The Coroner recommended to the jury an accidental death verdict. The chairman said it agreed with this and recorded that verdict. The chairman extended sympathy to Mr Logans family and friends and also to the the driver and his partner for their experience on the day.
A 18-year-old male provisional driver in north Leitrim has been quoted an eye-watering 18,693 for motor insurance.

The quote was for comprehensive insurance on a 2004 1.2L Ford Fiesta and, ironically enough, included a 100 discount for applying for insurance online.

Cllr Padraig Fallon has described the figure as absolute nonsense.

Its not like these young people are just hopping into cars and driving away. They now have to take 12 lessons (with an ADI registered instructor) and so it is wrong to penalise them just because of their age and experience, he argued.

The North Leitrim councillor highlighted the issue at this weeks Manorhamilton Municipal District meeting.

The councillor put forward a motion calling for an examination of the motor insurance industry due to the extortionate rates being quoted to young drivers.

He said the prices being quoted were well above what any young driver could afford to pay and, in many instances, were five or six times the value of the vehicle being insured.

Although there are monitored driving apps which allow some discounts on the cost of insurance, Cllr Fallon said these were often mileage limited and young drivers in rural areas were being forced to pay for additional mileage as a result.

There is a box you can have connected and it monitors your driving but this has a restricted amount of mileage you can do. If you live in a rural area you can very easily run up more than this limited amount of mileage and you then have to pay additional fees to top up the amount of miles you can travel under the policy, he pointed out at the meeting.

Most young people who need cars are driving more than 30 miles each way to work or school and they need a car to do this.

I think something needs to be done about the quotes being given to young drivers. Families are finding they have to help with insurance costs for their children and it isn't fair.

The insurance industry needs to be cognisant of the fact that one size doesnt fit all when it comes to a (motoring insurance) policy.

Cllr Sean McDermott seconded the motion and acknowledged more needs to be done to address the abnormally high levels of awards made for relatively minor injuries in motor accidents in Ireland.

Our claim levels here are much higher than in the UK and the amount of compensation is much higher, he pointed out.

This must be looked at.

Cllr Mary Bohan referred to a recent report which showed that people in Ireland are being paid three, and even four times, the amount of compensation for very minor injuries here than claimants are being paid in the UK.

That is why the costs of policies are so high. I have raised this myself over a number of years and we need to address the high levels of payments being made here in Ireland, she said.

Cllr Bohan said a committee was being set up to look at this issue.

Cllr Frank Dolan welcomed this move stating that something needs to be done on this as soon as possible.
THE UL Hospitals Group has expressed disappointment with a senator over derogatory remarks made in Seanad Eireann, where he claimed nurses are running out of University Hospital Limerick.

In a scathing attack on human resource management, Sen Paul Gavan said that he was contacted by a nurse who claimed that nurses are running out of the hospital and that they are seeking employment elsewhere and are leaving in droves.

The Sinn Fein senator said that the reason is the complete lack of people management from the human resources department at UHL. Calling for a specific debate on UHL, he said that the nurse wrote that she rang six different people in HR but none of them would help her as they said it was not their area.

Sen Gavan added that UHL is losing skilled nurses because it is turning a blind eye to bullying.

But a spokesperson for the UL Hospitals Group told the Limerick Leader that it strenuously refutes the allegation that the group are not dealing with reports of bullying.

It is very disappointing that Senator Gavan would make those comments without contacting the hospital management team in relation to specific cases. It is also surprising that Senator Gavan would make such derogatory statements about a management team that he has not met.

She added it has an active recruitment policy and it is damaging to the Group and the region when sweeping statements are made on the record that do not reflect our organisation.

The spokesperson said that recruitment is ongoing and it has successfully recruited nurses over the past 18 months, and that the nursing turnover is in line with other hospital groups in the country.
SINN Fein is running three candidates on Limerick citys northside, it was confirmed this week.

The party held a selection convention at the Horse and Hound pub in Mulgrave Street this Monday, where they picked five candidates in the metropolitan district to contest next Mays local election.

While Cllr Malachy McCreesh will seek re-election in the west, and Cllr Seighin O Ceallaigh in the east, the party is looking to make gains on the northside.

The ward has been extended to include Garryowen, Pennywell and Mugrave Street.

And here, Sinn Fein will field sitting councillor John Costelloe, as well as Sharon Benson, Caherdavin and John Nugent, Garryowen.

Speaking at the event Maurice Quinlivan  who topped the northside poll in 2014  said: We are delighted to be running more candidates than ever in the Limerick Metropolitan Area, and I am confident we can get all five candidates chosen tonight elected.

We want to see a strong team of Sinn Fein councillors, from both Limerick City and County represented on the Council, who have the ability and ambition to tackle the housing crisis and who will continue to advocate for Limerick as the best place live and to do business.

He said the move to increase its candidates north of the Shannon represents the partys belief local voters want a change from the same old politics of Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Labour, and a desire for a party who arent afraid to challenge the status quo.

Its likely Sinn Fein will hold its selection convention for the three rural municipal districts early in the New Year.

The selection convention was chaired by Shannon Sinn Fein councillor Mike McKee.

Limerick will join the rest of Ireland in going out to the polls on Friday, May 24 to elect council and European parliament members.
A DRUG addict who threatened a Limerick shop worker with an imitation firearm has been jailed for three years.

David Foran, aged 35 who has an address at Gratton Court, had admitted his role in the incident which happened at a fashion boutique on Catherine Street on February 26, last.

Detective Garda Neil OGorman told Limerick Circuit Court the defendant, who had his face covered with a scarf, entered the premises at around 12.35pm and told the teenager to open the f****** till before demanding that she give him the money.

He threatened her with a realistic-looking imitation firearm during the incident and fled afterwards on a pedal bike.

Detective Garda OGorman said CCTV footage was obtained from the store and that a colleague observed the defendant wearing the same clothes two days later.

Following his arrest, Foran made admissions telling gardai he had f***** up before being identified as the culprit during a formal identity parade.

Pat Whyms BL said his client has a history with drugs and had committed the offence to get money to pay for his daughters confirmation dress. He is shocked at himself, he repeatedly and profusely apologised, he said.

Judge Tom ODonnell was told Foran, who also escaped from Mayorstone garda station following his arrest, is attempting to deal with his problems in prison and recently ran more than 200kms on a treadmill for charity. The judge said the boutique was an easy target offence and he accepted the offence was opportunistic to a certain extent.

He imposed a four year prison sentence, suspending the final 12 months.
SUPERMACS boss Pat McDonagh has signed a deal to purchase the Castle Oaks House Hotel in Castleconnell, the Limerick Leader can exclusively reveal.

It is understood the sale price is in the region of 3.5 million.

CBRE Hotels, who handled the bidding process, were guiding the 64-bedroom hotel on extensive grounds at 2.5m to 2.75m.

It is a nice hotel. We like the location. It is ideal for weddings and functions. We are very happy with it, said Mr McDonagh this Thursday.

There is a lot of potential there. It is an excellent location beside the Shannon. Its a beautiful old period house that has obviously been converted in to a hotel. There is a lot of history attached to it. Were delighted, he continued.

Castle Oaks House has all the architectural characteristics that were predominant during the late Georgian period (1780 to 1830). The first known owners of the house were the Rich family. Lieutenant John S Rich and his family took up residence there in 1815. In June 1945, the property passed into the hands of the Presentation Sisters.

The sale will be now referred to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC).

Mr McDonagh plans a major investment into the hotel in the picturesque village of Castleconnell.

We probably wont get possession for two or three months. It depends on the competition authority. Hopefully we will get possession in March and start fairly much straight away. We will be investing to upgrade the facilities over the next 12 months, said Mr McDonagh, who moved to assure those who have weddings booked in 2019 and beyond.

It is going to be business as normal. All bookings will be honoured and whatever price has been agreed with the previous management, we will adhere to that, said the Supermacs boss.

Mr McDonagh and his wife Una already own a number of hotels in Ireland, including the Castletroy Park Hotel, Charleville Park Hotel, Lough Rea Hotel and Spa in Galway and the Killeshin Hotel in Portlaoise. The pair also have a portfolio of motorway plazas, most notably the Obama Plaza in Moneygall.
THE detrimental effect US sanctions would have on jobs at Aughinish Alumina was top of the agenda when Finance Minister Paschal ODonohue met US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin in Washington.

He was going with a very simple message that it (Aughinish) was of strategic importance not only to Ireland but to Europe and the broader aluminium industry, Minister of State Patrick ODonovan told the Limerick Leader after the meeting had taken place this Tuesday.

It was a very positive meeting where the message about Aughinish and Limerick was made and heard.

The meeting took place as the US authorities again postponed activating any sanctions until January 21.

The US authorities first announced sanctions last April against various Russian oligarchs, including Oleg Deripaska, a majority shareholder in the EN+Group which owns 48 per cent of Rusal, the company that owns Aughinish.

Since then, the authorities have deferred action several times to allow the EN+ Group to come up with a solution to address Mr Deripaskas interest. But despite the many postponements, the most recent this week, no agreed compromise has yet been reached.

Minister ODonovan, however, remained optimistic this week that a solution would be found and he welcomed the latest postponement.

The very fact it is being constantly postponed is really a statement that the issue, as regards Aughinish Alumina, and its place in Ireland and Europe, is fully understood by the government in Washington, he said.

He declined to comment however on reports that US Senator Bob Menendez, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, had written to Mr Mnuchin as recently as last week urging the treasury department not to waive or remove sanctions and arguing that Rusal and EN+ must remain sanctioned as long as Mr Deripaska exercises meaningful control over them.

Any attempt to lift sanctions would likely meet strong opposition in Congress, the senator is reported as saying.

Minister ODonovan said the issue is being dealt with by the Office of Foreign Assets Control and the US Treasury.

To be getting the opportunity to talk about the issue with US Treasury Secretary Mnuchin was of huge importance, Minister ODonovan stressed.

And he praised the role of officials at the Irish Embassy in Washington who were in constant touch with the US authorities and with senior Congress members on the matter.

I am very happy with the way the embassy is dealing with it but we are not leaving anything to chance, Minister ODonovan said.
THE young people of Limerick are thriving in the world of science with a total of 42 projects from the city and county making the the cut to qualify for this year's BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition.

With one month to go, the Limerick finalists are busily preparing their projects for the 55th annual exhibition.

Taking place at the RDS, Dublin from January 9 to 12, the brightest minds from across the island will gather under one roof to compete for the coveted title of BT Young Scientist and Technologist of the Year 2019.

This year, Limerick will be represented by 12 schools from across the county.

They bring with them a host of impressive projects.

Three students from Desmond College in Newcastlewest make up the only senior level entry from Limerick. Their project looks at The Rise and Fall of The Fall Army Worm (Spodoptera Frugiperda).

All over Africa, countries are battling Fall Army Worms. Since pesticides are not sustainable, their goal is to manufacture an object which can trap them.

Two students from Ardscoil Ris will be presenting their project, which is titled How Now Brown Cow? : A collar with sensors to monitor cow movement, temperature, identification and more.

They want to create a smart solution for farmers to monitor different information from animals, such as their location, temperature, and movement.

A group of students from the John The Baptist Community School in Hospital are focusing on the social sciences.

Their project Does the leaving certificate efficiently prepare you for college, will look at how the Leaving Certificate prepares students for college and which aspects of the Leaving Certificate could be improved upon.

Students from Laurel Hill Secondary School FCJ are planning on presenting their project, Ditch the Decks or Feel the Effects.

This aims to study the effect of deck shoes on peoples feet. The popularity in different regions and different genders. The short and long-term problems they can cause.

Many of the projects very much reflect issues of ongoing global concern, with almost 100 tackling climate change and environmental issues, doubling last years projects.

Other projects that are being presented will touch upon topical issues from cervical cancer screening, the alternatives to and benefits of antibiotics, the growing impact of social media.

Some students are even turning their attention to bee-related projects.
A FILE is to be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions in the case of three young men who are charged in connection with the theft of a car from outside a house in Limerick city.

Jason Lillis, aged 19, of Castlebrook, Castletroy; Gary Bermingham, aged 19, also of Castlebrook, Castletroy and John Sheehy, aged 24, of St Munchins Avenue, St Marys Park, Limerick were arrested a short time after the stolen car was located by gardai near the Markets Field, Garryowen on December 6, last.

During a contested bail hearing, Detective Garda Mark McGauley said it is the State case that Mr Lillis entered a house at Courthouse Lane where he located a handbag which contained the keys to a blue Peugeot car which was parked outside.

A woman and young child were in the house at the time of the burglary.

The car was stolen and Mr Lillis is also accused of stealing a bag containing expensive camera equipment from another car which was parked at Peter Street on the same night.

The detective said it will be alleged Mr Lillis was observed standing beside the (stolen) car at Markets Field at around 10am the following morning.

He opposed bail saying he had concerns the defendant would not appear in court if released and that he would continue to engage in serious criminality.

Detective Garda Patrick Hogan said it is the State case that Gary Bermingham was a passenger in the Peugeot car sometime after it was stolen and that he was observed near the vehicle when it was located by gardai in Garryowen.

He told Sergeant Donal Cronin it will be alleged John Sheehy was caught red handed as he was seen getting out of the stolen car.

Sgt Cronin said it will be State case that all three defendants made admissions following their arrest and that all three were highly intoxicated when encountered by gardai.

While Jason Lillis is charged with burglary, neither Mr Bermingham or Mr Sheehy are charged in relation to the break-in or the theft of the camera equipment.

Judge Marian OLeary granted bail to Gary Berminghan and John Sheehy subject to them complying with a number of strict conditions.

However, the garda objection in the case of Jason Lillis was upheld and he was remanded in custody pending further directions from the DPP.
A marsupial lion skeleton found during a dig in Naracoorte National Park, Australia. Note that this particular specimen does not have an intact tail.

The marsupial lion  a giant carnivore that hunted in Australia tens of thousands of years ago  has long mystified scientists. But the recent discovery of more of its fossils, including a nearly complete skeleton of the extinct beast, has revealed some of its secrets.

The newfound bones suggest that the marsupial lion (Thylacoleo carnifex) was an apex predator that relied on both ambush hunting and scavenging to satisfy its hearty appetite. It also had a stiff, muscular tail that it could use as tripod while handling food or climbing, just as many living marsupials, such as the kangaroo and Tasmanian devil, do today, the researchers said.

However, although the remarkable skeleton gives clues about the carnivore's method of locomotion, the fossils don't provide direct evidence about how the marsupial lion behaved. "Drawing very confident inferences [about behavior] can be difficult," said Robin Beck, a lecturer in biology at the University of Salford in the United Kingdom, who was not involved with the study. "A lot of animals can do things that maybe you wouldn't predict [that they could do] based on their skeletons." [6 Extinct Animals That Could Be Brought Back to Life]

For example, "goats are very good at climbing trees, and that's something you would never predict from their skeleton," Beck told Live Science.

Despite this, scientists were thrilled to examine the newfound specimens of the marsupial lion. In spite of its name, the creature is not a lion, but rather a 220-lb. (100 kilograms) marsupial that vaguely resembles the mammalian lion. Moreover, it is the largest marsupial carnivore on record.

"It's a very odd animal," Beck said. "It has very odd teeth; it has premolars like bolt cutters. Unlike carnivores today, it doesn't have big canines. It seems to be using its incisors for killing prey instead." It also had "very powerful grasping hands," he added.

A new study of marsupial lion (Thylacoleo carnifex) fossils allowed scientists to illustrate this reconstruction. (Image credit: Wells et al., 2018)

The beast, which lived during the Pleistocene epoch from about 2 million to 50,000 years ago, was first described in 1859. Back then, pieces of its skull and jaw were collected at Lake Colongulac in Victoria, Australia, and sent to Sir Richard Owen at the British Museum, the researchers said.

The newly discovered fossils  unearthed in Komatsu Cave in the town of Naracoorte and Flight Star Cave in the Nullarbor Plain, both in southern Australia  include the first known remains of the carnivore's tail and collarbone. The skeleton indicated that the marsupial lion had a rigid lower back and powerful forelimbs attached to its strong collarbones, said the study's researchers, Roderick Wells of Flinders University and Aaron Camens of the South Australia Museum in Adelaide.

This unique anatomy meant that the marsupial lion was bad at chasing prey and better suited to be an ambush predator or scavenger, the researchers said. The carnivore was also likely an adept climber. Compared to living marsupials, its anatomy most resembles that of a Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), a much smaller hunter and scavenger, the researchers found.

Beck said that the interpretations about the carnivore's locomotion are "very plausible, clearly, based on its [limb] proportions." He added, "It doesn't seem to be a pursuit predator or something that could run prey down. So, this idea that it could have been an ambush predator and perhaps climb as well seems to fit in very well [with the evidence]."

There is other evidence of the marsupial lion's climbing expertise. Researchers found claw marks in a cave used by the beasts, according to a 2016 study in the journal Scientific Reports.

"Based on where the claw marks were positioned, the animal would have had to climb up to make those scratch marks," said Beck, who was not involved in that study. "There, we have direct evidence that marsupial lions were capable of climbing. This is direct behavioral evidence of what it was doing, rather than an indirect inference based on the skeleton."

The new study was published online today (Dec. 12) in the journal PLOS One.

Originally published on Live Science.
Since there aren't any images of the Greenland fireball, here's an illustration of a space rock burning up as it enters Earth's atmosphere.

WASHINGTON  When a blazing fireball from space exploded over Earth on July 25, scientists captured the first-ever seismic recordings of a meteor impact on ice in Greenland.

At approximately 8 p.m. local time on that day, residents of the town of Qaanaaq on Greenland's northwestern coast reported seeing a bright light in the sky and feeling the ground shake as a meteor combusted over the nearby Thule Air Base.

But the fleeting event was detected by more than just human observers, according to unpublished research presented Dec. 12 here at the annual conference of the American Geophysical Union (AGU).

Seismographic equipment, which had been installed near Qaanaaq just a few months earlier to monitor how ground shaking affected the ice, also recorded the fiery meteor blast. The Qaanaaq fireball provided scientists with the first evidence of how an icy environment  and, possibly, a distant ice-covered world  could respond to a meteor impact.

The first sign of the meteor was a brilliant flash in the sky over Greenland; the meteor was at its brightest at an altitude of approximately 27 miles (43 kilometers) above the ground, and it was traveling at nearly 54,000 mph (87,000 km/h), according to the International Meteor Organization (IMO). [Top 10 Greatest Explosions Ever]

When the meteor exploded over Thule Air Base, the U.S. Air Force's northernmost base, it was like a bomb going off. With a calculated impact energy of 2.1 kilotons of TNT, this blast was the second-most-energetic fireball of the year, Live Science previously reported. A map of the impact site was shared on Twitter on July 31 by Ron Baalke of the Solar System Dynamics group at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (and a "space explorer," as he describes himself in his Twitter bio).

See more

Researchers with the Seismometer to Investigate Ice and Ocean Structure (SIIOS) at the University of Arizona had installed an array of seismometers about 43 miles (70 km) north of Qaanaaq. Recordings captured by the seismic sensors were interpreted by two Danish Seismological Network broadband stations in Greenland: TULEG (Station Thule) and NEEM (Station Eemian). The scientists were then able to identify a seismic event that matched the arc of the traveling ground waves and estimate the impact point of the fireball, the researchers reported at AGU.

They pinpointed the epicenter of the event near Humboldt glacier on the Greenland ice sheet, and seismic equipment picked up tremors from the impact location as far as 218 miles (350 km) away.

But their findings also have implications that extend beyond Earth. This seismic event was the first-ever recorded analog for impact events on ice-covered worlds  such as frozen Europa, which is a moon orbiting Jupiter, and frigid Enceladus, an icy moon of Saturn  and these findings "will inform impact science across objects throughout the solar system," the researchers said.

Original article on Live Science.
In the 1940s, Navy scientists were forbidden from sharing key oceanographic data, such as bathymetric measurements, with scientists who lacked a security clearance. Here, the bathymetry of Mona Passage from the U.S. Geological Survey.

WASHINGTON  Military secrecy in the U.S. Navy after the end of World War II severely limited scientists' access to data about the ocean floor and subsequently delayed the development of an important scientific theory  plate tectonics  according to research presented Dec. 11 here at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting.

It is widely accepted that ocean-exploration missions performed by the U.S. Navy formed the foundation for the theory of plate tectonics, which describes the movement of Earth's crustal plates as they coast atop the viscous mantle, according to presenter Naomi Oreskes.

But the Navy's efforts may have been more of a hindrance than a help, said Oreskes, a professor of the history of science and an affiliated professor of Earth and planetary sciences at Harvard University. [Flying Saucers to Mind Control: 22 Declassified Military & CIA Secrets]

In fact, evidence strongly suggests that scientists had already laid the groundwork for figuring out plate tectonics as early as the 1930s. The only reason that the theory didn't gel until decades later is because much of the seafloor data at the time was gathered by Navy missions  and officials refused to declassify their findings.

Beginning in the late 1930s, the U.S. Navy took an active interest in pursuing ocean research for military purposes. In doing so, the Navy reshaped the field in America, focusing most of its resources on studying the physical characteristics of the ocean  such as using sonar to map the ocean floor  rather than on exploring biological or chemical oceanography, Oreskes said.

Until about 1938, scientists in the U.S. were exploring the fundamentals of what would eventually become the theory of plate tectonics, which recognizes the rigidity of the outer layer of Earth (the crust), links volcanism and earthquakes to crustal motion, and even estimates its rate of movement.

All that progress came to a halt with World War II. And scientists who signed on to work with the U.S. Navy found that not only was their work designated as classified for the duration of the war  the secrecy continued even after the war ended, according to Oreskes. They were forbidden from sharing key oceanographic data, such as bathymetric, or depth, measurements, with scientists who lacked a security clearance.

Scientists at the time called it "the Navy's Iron Curtain," Oreskes told the audience at the presentation.

Limiting ocean data access to only a handful of people on a "need to know" basis greatly reduced the scientific community's chances of seeing important scientific breakthroughs, Oreskes said.

"Great discoveries are rare, and this policy makes sure they won't be made, by the simple procedure of limiting factual information to a few men," she explained.

It wasn't until the 1960s that an American scientist named Henry Hess made a dramatic breakthrough related to plate tectonics, with his theory of seafloor spreading  a process that forms new oceanic crust along ridges, through volcanic activity. Hess, a professor of geology at Princeton University in New Jersey, had served in the Navy during WWII, and he strongly criticized the Navy's secrecy concerning ocean data.

The work that Hess resumed in the 1960s was nearly identical to the work he was doing in 1938, suggesting that no new data had been available to him during the interim, Oreskes said. And Hess resumed his work in response to research published by British colleagues, "which prompted him to dust off his ideas from the '30s," she added.

"Historical evidence supports the conclusion that secrecy did in fact impede scientific work," Oreskes said.

The presentation was excerpted from her forthcoming book, "Science on a Mission: American Oceanography from the Cold War to Climate Change" (University of Chicago Press).

Originally published on Live Science.
A map showing the potential range of the Asian longhorned tick (<em>Haemaphysalis longicornis</em>) in North America, according to a new study published in the Journal of Medical Entomology.

An invasive tick species, new to the U.S., has already popped up in nine states, and a new study suggests that the species could spread much further.

This tick, called the Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis), is native to Asia and was first identified in the U.S. in 2017, when it was found on a sheep in New Jersey. Since then, the tick has been detected in eight other states: New York, Virginia, West Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Maryland, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

But the new study, published today (Dec. 13) in the Journal of Medical Entomology, suggests that the tick could spread to much of the eastern U.S. and parts of the Midwest, as well as a small section of the Pacific Northwest.

Researchers used climate data from the tick's native habitat, which includes parts of China, Japan and Korea, to predict where the tick could spread in North America. Then, they created a statistical model to determine habitats that were likely suitable for the tick.[5 Things to Know About the New Tick Species in the US]

The study found that much of the eastern U.S. coast was suitable for the longhorned tick, with areas as far north as Maine and as far south as northern Florida predicted to be at least moderately suitable. The tick could also appear in Gulf Coast states as far west as Louisiana, as well as in Midwest and southeastern states, including Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. A small section of the Washington, Oregon and Northern California coast was also found to be highly suitable for H. longicornis, the study found.

"The Asian longhorned tick is a very adaptable species," study author Ilia Rochlin, an entomologist and researcher affiliated with Rutgers University's Center for Vector Biology in New Jersey, said in a statement. "The optimal tick habitat appears to be defined by temperate conditions  moderate temperature, humidity and precipitation."

Indeed, the suitability of other areas outside the predicted regions was limited due to warmer temperatures in parts of the south, cold temperatures in the north and a dry climate in the west, the study said.

Last month, the CDC announced that it is working with experts in veterinary medicine, agricultural science and public health to better understand the potential impact of the longhorned tick in the U.S.

One concern is that this tick poses a threat to livestock. Unlike most tick species, longhorned ticks can reproduce asexually and lay massive numbers of eggs. A single female longhorn tick can lay up to 2,000 eggs at a time, the CDC said. Due to these large numbers, longhorned ticks can cause severe infestations in livestock, leading to weakness, anemia or even death in the animals.

There is also concern that the tick could spread diseases, as it does in other parts of the world. But so far, no cases of disease tied to these ticks have been reported in the U.S., according to the CDC.

Unfortunately, now that the tick has arrived in the U.S., it's probably here to stay, Rochlin said. The longhorned tick "will be difficult to impossible to eradicate" given it's ecological adaptability and ability to reproduce asexually, Rochlin wrote in his paper.

But studies like these can alert public health officials and veterinary experts as to whether they are in a moderate- or high-risk area for the tick to inhabit.

"Hopefully, this awareness will lead to increased surveillance and expanded public outreach and education," Rochlin said.

He noted that the model was intended to determine the potential tick habitat on a large scale but not where the ticks could be at the local level, such as the specific counties at risk. To determine that, "we need to learn more about this tick species' biology, ecology and local distribution," Rochlin said.

Originally published on Live Science.
One of the features that distinguishes modern humans (right) from Neandertals (left) is a globular shape of the braincase.

The shape of your brain may say a lot about the Neanderthal in you. New research has found that modern humans carrying certain genetic fragments from our closest extinct relatives may have more oblong brains and skulls than other people.

Modern humans possess unique, relatively globular skulls and brains. In contrast, the closest extinct relatives of modern humans, Neanderthals, have the elongated skulls and brains that are typical of most primates.

Previous research had suggested these contrasting skull shapes might reflect differences in the size of various brain regions in modern humans and Neanderthals, and how these brain areas were wired together. "However, brain tissue doesn't fossilize, so the underlying biology has remained elusive," co-lead study author Philipp Gunz, a paleoanthropologist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, told Live Science. [3D Images: Exploring the Human Brain]

To help solve this mystery, scientists first took CT (computed tomography) scans of seven fossil Neanderthal skulls and 19 modern human skulls. They developed imprints of the interiors of the skulls' braincases and measured their roundness.

Next, the researchers analyzed nearly 4,500 modern humans for whom they had both genetic data and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of their brains.

"We reasoned that if we could identify specific Neanderthal DNA fragments in a large enough sample of living humans, we would be able to test whether any of these fragments push towards a less globular brain shape, allowing us to zoom in on genes that might be important for this trait," senior study author Simon Fisher, a neurogeneticist at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, told Live Science.

Prior work found that modern humans and Neanderthals experienced multiple episodes of interbreeding, introducing Neanderthal DNA into the modern human genome. In the new study, the scientists discovered that Neanderthal DNA fragments in modern human chromosomes 1 and 18 were linked with less round brains.

"The effects of carrying these rare Neanderthal fragments are subtle," Fisher said. "The effects of the Neanderthal gene variants are small, you would not be able to see them in a person's head shape when you meet them."

The Neanderthal DNA fragments contained two genes previous research linked to brain development. One, UBR4, is linked with the generation of neurons, and the other, PHLPP1, is associated with the development of fatty insulation around nerve cells.

The researchers discovered that this Neanderthal DNA had the strongest effects on brain structures known as the putamen and the cerebellum  both of which are key to the preparation, learning and coordination of movements. The putamen forms the outer portion of the brain's basal ganglia, which are associated with memory, attention, planning, the learning of skills, and potentially speech and language.

The scientists noted that if a person has more Neanderthal DNA than average, that does not necessarily mean their brain is more oblong. "Two people who have very similar total amounts of Neanderthal DNA  for example, 1 percent of their genomes  may well carry completely different fragments," Fisher said.

The researchers also noted these skull differences likely did not reflect any differences at the time of an infant's birth: Modern humans and Neanderthals have similar braincase and skull shapes at that time, Gunz said. After birth, differences in brain development likely resulted in the pronounced differences that are found in skull shape between adults of the two lineages, he added.

Future research can look for more Neanderthal DNA linked with modern human brains and determine what specific effects these ancient genetic variants might have by growing brain tissue with Neanderthal DNA in the lab, Fisher said.

The scientists detailed their findings online Dec. 13 in the journal Current Biology.

Originally published on Live Science.
It was clumsy and apparently unbacked by real explosives, but a bomb threat emailed to hundreds of businesses, schools and government agencies around the Bay Area and the rest of the country Thursday sent police and first responders scrambling for several hours.

Reports of the threats first came in to the San Francisco Police Department around 10 a.m., officials said, sending officers to numerous locations around the city. Soon similar worried calls were rolling in to other police departments in multiple Bay Area cities, including Oakland and Santa Rosa.

By noon, it was clear that the same threat  written in the stilted fashion of Nigerian prince hoaxes of years past, and demanding bitcoin payments to prevent bombs from exploding  had been received all over the nation, from Atlanta and Alaska to New York. It also became clear that there was a strong likelihood there were no bombs.

San Francisco police received more than 20 calls about bomb threats and continued to investigate Thursday afternoon, said Michael Andraychak, a police spokesman.

No suspicious devices have been found at any locations, he said. Part of our investigation will be to determine if our threats are related to those around the country.

The FBIs office in Washington, D.C., posted an update on Twitter, advising people to remain vigilant and to promptly report suspicious activities which could represent a threat to public safety. Experts said the cyber attack, dangerous or not, was probably more about getting lucky with someone sending money than blowing up anything or anyone.

I cant recall a cyberterrorism threat this widespread before, or one that was combined with a physical threat like this, said Eric Hodge, director of solutions for Cyberscout, a cybersecurity company.

Other than that, the emails bore the trademark of threats that come in all the time  mostly empty, except to those who give in to ransom demands rather than deleting the message and moving on. Occasionally, hackers lock up a companys computer system and demand ransom to free it up, but even then most people dont give in to the attack.

Thousands of people get these threats all the time every day around the world  I just handled three of them today, and they werent about this bomb threat, Hodge said. Only about 25 to 30 percent pay the ransom. But in a situation like the bomb threat today, all you need is one click and you win. Think about the overhead cost of sending an email  its no overhead at all. If someone sends money, its a good payday for a bad guy.

Thursdays threats were poorly written, as one began, I write you to inform you that my man carried the explosive device (lead azide) into the building ...

Few places evacuated, but receipt of the threat alone was enough to worry many.

The Northern California Regional Intelligence Center alerted local law enforcement agencies across the state, but there was no panic in the alert. Mike Sena, executive director of the regional intelligence center, called the emails just unsubstantiated threats on Thursday afternoon.

We get these kinds of threats pretty much on a daily basis, Sena said.

What was unusual about the communiques, he added, was the scale of the operation, and how the suspect, or suspects, was able to push it out to so many people at one time.

Brian Jenkins, a terrorism analyst for RAND Corp., said the somewhat measured response to the threats was wise.

Look, bomb threats are a fairly common occurrence, whether theyre by phone or by email or by postal service, he said. There have to be convincing reasons to take these things seriously  otherwise wed be evacuating buildings around the country hourly. You have to evaluate each one carefully and take a breath before you start sending thousands of people into the streets.

That having been said, he said even an apparently baseless threat like Thursdays can result in state or federal threat and terrorism-related charges that could net the perpetrator years in prison.

At least 13 threats had been emailed to numerous locations around San Francisco as of 12:52 p.m., said Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who was briefed on the incident. Muni re-routed buses across the city for several hours but routes returned to normal by Thursday afternoon.

Dozens of emails with similar messages and formatting were sent to Bay Area commercial businesses and government agencies, Sena said. He added that its unclear whether the emails author was operating inside the country. Hodge said many of the threats he handles come from Russia, Southeast Asia or other foreign countries.

Thats what were trying to track down right now, Sena said.

Oakland police fielded multiple bomb threats Thursday, and multiple schools and businesses in Santa Rosa received messages demanding payment in bitcoin or else bombs would detonate, officials said.

Alameda Countys Office of Emergency Services was monitoring the situation and is in contact with the FBI, said Sgt. Ray Kelly, a spokesman for the sheriffs office. He added that no buildings in Alameda County were evacuated to his knowledge.

Staff at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco and San Francisco Fire Credit Union headquarters in Laurel Heights evacuated at 10:15 a.m., said Glenn Gortney, a senior vice president at the credit union.

One company email address received the notice that an explosive device had been hidden within the credit union and asked for payment, prompting employees to call 911, Gortney said. About 100 workers were evacuated from the location within a few minutes of notifying police. Bomb-sniffing dogs were brought to the credit union, which was given the all-clear at 12:30 p.m.

It was pretty effortless. Not an eventful evacuation. There was no panic, Gortney said. They seemed somewhat unfazed by it.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Ashley McBride contributed to this report.

Kevin Fagan, Gwendolyn Wu and Megan Cassidy are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: kfagan@sfchronicle.com, gwendolyn.wu@sfchronicle.com, megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @KevinChron @gwendolynawu @meganrcassidy
Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers recently presented three $50,000 checks to local organizations on behalf of his charity, Fort Bend Charities, Inc.

Fort Bend Charities is a 501(c) (3) entity that provides financial support to non-profits in Fort Bend County benefiting those in the community who are struggling to provide for themselves and their families.
New York

Michael D. Cohen, a former lawyer for President Donald Trump, was sentenced to three years in prison Wednesday after denouncing Trump and explaining that "I felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds."

Cohen gave an emotional apology to the court for his involvement in a hush-money scandal to buy the silence of two women who said they had had affairs with Trump, payments that Cohen has said were meant to influence the 2016 election. He said his blind loyalty to Trump led him to ignore "my own inner voice and my moral compass."

The sentencing in federal court in Manhattan capped a startling fall for Cohen, 52, who had once hoped to work by Trump's side in the White House but ended up a central figure in the inquiry into payments to a porn star and a former Playboy model before the 2016 election.

Judge William H. Pauley III said Cohen's particular crimes  breaking campaign finance laws, tax evasion and lying to Congress  "implicate a far more insidious harm to our democratic institutions."

Cohen had pleaded guilty in two separate cases, one brought by federal prosecutors in Manhattan, the other by the office of the special counsel, Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Before he was sentenced, a solemn Cohen sounded emotional but resolved as he told the judge he had been tormented by the anguish and embarrassment he had caused.

"I blame myself for the conduct which has brought me here today," he said, "and it was my own weakness and a blind loyalty to this man"  a reference to Trump  "that led me to choose a path of darkness over light."

Cohen then apologized to the public: "You deserve to know the truth, and lying to you was unjust."

Rudy Giuliani, one of Trump's lawyers, called Cohen's assertion he had acted out of loyalty to Trump "a complete lie."

"I feel sorry for him," Giuliani added. "He's a pathetic serial liar."

Federal agents raided Cohen's office and home in April, and he later turned on Trump, making the admission in court that Trump had directed him to arrange the payments.

Trump at first denied knowing anything about the payments, but then acknowledged that he had known about them. This week, he insisted that the payments were "a simple private transaction"  not election-related spending subject to campaign-finance laws.

He also maintained that if the hush-money payments were campaign transactions in violation of election regulations, they should be considered only a civil offense.

Pauley had the final say. The judge said Cohen's assistance to the special counsel's office did not "wipe the slate clean," and a "significant term" of prison was justified.

In the end, the judge gave Cohen three years for the crimes he committed in New York and two months for lying to Congress, to be served at the same time. He was also asked to pay nearly $2 million in fines, forfeitures and restitution. He is to begin serving his sentence March 6.
EDWARDSVILLE  People who live or work in nine Illinois counties are now eligible to open accounts with Scott Credit Union and take advantage of the value that it offers.

The credit union, with headquarters in Edwardsville, recently received approval to add nine counties to its field of membership, according to Scott Credit Union President and CEO Frank Padak. Those new counties include Jersey, Greene and Calhoun in southwestern Illinois.

Now, people who live or work in nine additional counties can take advantage our services and the better value we offer, Padak said. We are growing, adding branches, and now are able to serve even more people. Its an exciting time to be part of Scott Credit Union.

Other new counties include Morgan, Sangamon, Christian, Shelby, Jasper and Crawford.

We welcome the residents in the nine counties to see why we are a great money-saving alternative, he said.

Scott Credit Union is open to anyone who lives or works in a 26-county area, including Madison, St. Clair, Monroe, Morgan, Sangamon, Calhoun, Greene, Jersey, Macoupin, Montgomery, Christian, Shelby, Bond, Fayette, Effingham, Jasper, Crawford, Clinton, Marion, Washington, Jefferson, Randolph, Perry, Franklin, Jackson, or Williamson counties in Illinois. Anyone who lives or works in St. Louis County, Missouri also can open accounts at SCU. Additionally, anyone active or retired military also can have accounts with Scott Credit Union.

Scott Credit Union is a financial cooperative. When people open accounts at the credit union, they become a member and an owner. Because of its structure, Scott Credit Union has given $11 million back to members through a bonus dividend and loan interest rebate over the past 11 years.

Our structure is really the best for consumers, Padak added. We dont answer to a small group of stockholders. We answer to our members. Because of that structure, we pay more on our members savings, charge less when they need to borrow and keep fees low.

Scott Credit Union currently has 16 area locations: Scott Air Force Base, East Belleville, Fairview Heights, Collinsville, OFallon, Edwardsville, Waterloo, Highland, Caseyville, West Belleville, Millstadt, Mascoutah, Troy, Wood River, Ladue, MO, and its Home Office in Edwardsville.

For details on opening accounts at Scott Credit Union, visit www.scu.org.
WASHINGTON - A federal judge on Wednesday ordered both former national security adviser Michael Flynn and the special counsel to turn over additional investigative records describing his January 2017 interview with FBI agents - a conversation in which Flynn later admitted he lied.

In an order filed Wednesday evening, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan demanded to see the formal FBI records and all other relevant documents detailing Flynn's interview with the agents in 2017 and agreed to review them under seal.

The judge's request for more information could delay Flynn's sentencing, which had been scheduled for Tuesday. He asked for documents to be turned over by Friday at 3 p.m.

Peter Carr, a spokesman for the special counsel, declined to comment. Attorneys for Flynn also declined to comment.

The onetime national security adviser to President Donald Trump pleaded guilty last year to lying to investigators and had been cooperating since then with special counsel Robert Mueller III's investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 campaign.

Last week, Mueller told the court he was seeking no prison time for Flynn, describing him as a critical cooperating witness in the special counsel probe and other ongoing investigations.

Sullivan sought more details about Flynn's FBI interview a day after Flynn's attorneys in a court filing made their own case for why their client deserved no prison time, stressing that he had been "unguarded" when he spoke to FBI agents about his conversations with the Russian ambassador during the presidential transition.

The judge is well known for his concern about defendants receiving fair treatment from the government. He also issues a standard warning to prosecutors to turn over any and all information to a defendant that could be helpful in their defense, including any evidence of government misconduct.

Sullivan famously threw out a jury's 2008 public corruption conviction of U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens after it was discovered that prosecutors and agents had hid evidence of key government witnesses giving conflicting accounts.

Flynn, who advised Trump during the campaign and transition and served very briefly as his national security adviser, admitted last year that he lied when FBI agents came to his office in the White House four days after Trump's inauguration to ask about the nature of his conversations with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

Flynn demurred about the idea of having a lawyer sit in for the session.

Flynn later admitted that he lied when he told the agents he didn't discuss sanctions with Kislyak in their call on Dec. 29, 2016, when in fact he had. Flynn's call with Kislyak took place the same day that President Barack Obama had announced sanctions against Russia as punishment for interfering in the 2016 election process.

FBI agents knew Flynn was lying because the call had been monitored by U.S. intelligence officials.

In a memo seeking leniency in sentencing, Flynn's attorneys said the former Army lieutenant general's interview with the FBI needed to be considered in context. They said that the two FBI agents did not warn Flynn he was under investigation and did not question or rebut his account of the conversation with the diplomat, but simply let him continue speaking.

They noted that one of the agents described Flynn as appearing to consider the agents "allies."

Flynn's attorneys stressed that he accepted responsibility for his false statement, despite later learning one of the agents who interviewed him had himself been under investigation for misconduct.
WASHINGTON - More than a year after the #MeToo era began, the House and the Senate reached a deal Wednesday to change their policies on sexual harassment and make lawmakers liable for their own misconduct in the workplace.

The agreement was brokered after nearly seven months of negotiations between the two chambers and with just days left in the 2018 legislative calendar. Members involved in the talks predicted the bill would be adopted quickly in both chambers and that the new rules would take effect before January, when the new Congress convenes.

While exact legislative language was not released, the Senate Rules Committee confirmed that lawmakers will be required to reimburse the Treasury Department for settlements and awards resulting from harassment or retaliation they commit. Under the current system, settlements are paid for by taxpayers.

"Everybody will understand their personal liability and their personal responsibility, and that will be a good thing," Rules Committee Chairman Roy Blunt, R-Mo., told reporters Wednesday.

Leaders and lawmakers in the House vowed further action in the next Congress.

"We believe this is a strong step towards creating a new standard in Congress that will set a positive example in our nation, but there is still more work to be done," House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and other key lawmakers said in a joint statement.

The deal represents the first major change to Capitol Hill's employment policies in response to the #MeToo movement, apart from mandatory anti-harassment training for lawmakers and staff.

More than half a dozen members of Congress were forced to resign within the past year amid allegations of sexual harassment or misconduct. Some had been involved in secret settlements that were eventually revealed in the media.

Advocates said the changes were long overdue. The system for reporting harassment and discrimination in congressional offices received widespread criticism last fall amid claims that it favored lawmakers over staff. In addition to taxpayer-funded settlements, the current process involves mandatory counseling, mediation and "cooling off" periods for accusers.

The House and the Senate passed separate overhaul bills earlier this year and began negotiations over points of disagreement, including when lawmakers would be personally responsible for settlements and what kind of free advice would be available to people who bring claims.

Under the agreement, the mandatory counseling, mediation and "cooling off" periods for accusers would be eliminated. Any settlement or award would be automatically referred to the respective chamber's ethics committee. Members' liability would be capped for awards but not settlements. And that liability would continue even if a member leaves office.

The deal involves greater transparency. Awards and settlements would be publicly reported, including whether a member of Congress was held personally liable, and a staff survey would be conducted each Congress about workplace culture.

The compromise would extend protections to unpaid staff, including interns and fellows, and provide opportunities for accusers to work remotely or request paid leave.

There were a handful of inter-chamber splits, including on the kind of free counsel available to accusers. Senate staffers will have access to a confidential advocate who must be an attorney but cannot provide legal representation. House staffers will have access to full legal representation.

In a joint statement, House leaders and lawmakers described their goals for the next Congress.

"House Republicans and Democrats remain committed to working in a bipartisan manner to address outstanding issues in the 116th Congress, including passing legislation which holds members personally liable for discrimination, reauthorizing the Employee Advocate, and strengthening our workplace rights and responsibilities education program," said Ryan, Pelosi, Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., the leaders of the House Administration Committee and Rep. Bradley Byrne, R-Ala.

The absence of a deal before the midterm elections had raised fears that reforms would be delayed until after Democrats took control of the House in January. But lawmakers at the center of the talks had predicted an agreement would take shape this month.

A summary of the deal was released by the Senate Rules Committee.
JERUSALEM - Two Israelis soldiers were shot dead at a bus stop near the Palestinian city of Ramallah on Thursday just hours after the militant Palestinian group Hamas claimed responsibility for two earlier attacks, including one this week that left seven Israelis civilians injured, among them a pregnant woman whose baby, born prematurely, later died.

The uptick of violence in the occupied West Bank threatens a delicately forged Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal and is already ramping up pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take a tougher stance toward Hamas and other militant Palestinian groups that attack Israelis..

According to Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli army spokesman, Thursday's attacker exited a vehicle and shot at soldiers and civilians waiting at the bus station near the Israeli settlement of Givat Assaf. The gunman, who was not alone in the car, fled toward Ramallah, the de facto Palestinian capital, which Israeli troops subsequently sealed off.

Hours later, the army said a Palestinian assailant had been fatally shot following an attempted car-ramming attack at a checkpoint north of the city.

Thursday's incidents followed a shooting attack on Sunday in which the pregnant 21-year-old woman was shot in the upper chest. Her baby was delivered by emergency Caesarian section and died in an Israeli hospital on Wednesday.

The gunman responsible for Sunday's attack fled the scene and evaded Israeli authorities for three days until he was killed Wednesday night, the military said. Hamas later claimed responsibility and hailed the attacker, Saleh Barghouti, as a "martyr" alongside Ashraf Naalwa, who was also killed by Israeli security forces overnight Wednesday following a nine-week manhunt. Naalwa was suspected of killing two of his Israeli co-workers at a West Bank factory. Hamas described the Israeli killings of the two men as a "crime."

"The flame of resistance in the West Bank has not and will not be extinguished until the occupation is defeated from our entire land, and we regain our rights in full," the group said in a statement, claiming responsibility for the two attacks. There was no claim of responsibility for Thursday's shooting.

Netanyahu has been accused by members of his right-wing coalition of being too soft on Hamas, the Islamist group that rules the Gaza Strip and is seeking to expand its activities in the West Bank, according to Israeli security officials.

Last month, his defense minister quit in protest, leaving the government on the brink of collapse, after Israel agreed to a cease-fire with Hamas following the worst bout of cross-border rocket attacks from the coastal enclave since 2014. The clash was sparked by a botched Israeli raid into Gaza.

The deteriorating humanitarian situation in the choked-off, 140-square-mile strip has become a concern for Israel, which has been negotiating with Hamas to bring about calm. As part of that effort, Israel has been allowing Qatar to send $15 million in cash into Gaza each month to pay the salaries of civil servants and help poverty-stricken families.

Yonatan Fighel, senior research analyst at the Institute for Counter-Terrorism in Herzliya and a former military governor in the West Bank, is among many within Israel's security establishment who believe that the government's policy is miscalculated.

"By giving attention to Hamas, enabling Qatar to pour money into Gaza to create silence there, at the same time the Israeli government is weakening the Palestinian Authority," he said, referring to the Palestinian body headed by Mahmoud Abbas that governs parts of the occupied West Bank.

"They are weakening the moderates and encouraging the extremists - this is all connected to the deterioration, Fighel said."

A statement issued by Abbas' office said Israel's "repeated raids into cities, incitement against the president and the absence of horizons for peace are what led to this unacceptable rise in violence, which we condemn and reject, and for which the two sides are paying the price."

The attacks have caused shock waves in Israel, not only for their gruesome nature but also the ease with which they appeared to have been carried out and for the challenge they pose to Israeli military forces operating in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli authorities have had some success in tackling what they call lone-wolf attacks by unaffiliated Palestinians frustrated with the ongoing Israeli presence and the lack of progress in achieving peace.

And with far-reaching intelligence capabilities, Israel is skilled at preventing large-scale attacks, but the emergence of small cells funded and supported at a distance by Hamas and other groups seems to be harder to monitor.

"Israel's long arm will reach anyone who harms Israeli citizens," Netanyahu said in a statement Thursday. He praised the activities of Israel's combined security forces in tracking down the perpetrators of the two attacks.

On Wednesday night, at a gathering of international journalists, Netanyahu condemned the killing of the baby in Sunday's shooting. "The murderers are abhorrent, the most deviant criminals on Earth," he said.

The baby, who was given the name Amiad, was buried Wednesday night. His mother, Shira Ish-ran, is still in critical condition and did not attend the funeral.

Barghouti, 29, suspected of being the head of the cell that carried out the shooting, was tracked down by Israeli SWAT and General Security Services teams in a Palestinian village not far from his home and the site of the shooting.

Israeli media reported that a civilian car was used to surprise Barghouti, blocking the path of the taxi in which he was traveling. Barghouti was killed in the raid, and another Palestinian traveling with him was detained. Earlier, Israeli security forces searching for the suspect entered the de facto Palestinian capital, Ramallah, and clashes broke out in the area.

Barghouti was the son of a senior Hamas member, Omar Barghouti, who spent many years in an Israeli prison for murdering an Israeli bus driver in 1978.

In the industrial park shooting, which took place on Oct. 7, Naalwa, 23, reportedly bound two Israelis with electrical wire and shot them at close range before fleeing. The two, Kim Levengrond Yehezkel and Ziv Hajbi, were colleagues in the factory where Naalwa worked.

Israel's Security Agency said in a statement Thursday that Naalwa was located following a large-scale intelligence operation carried out with the army and police.

"A number of suspects were arrested and interrogated by the ISA who were aware of the perpetrator's activity," the agency said. There were indications that Naalwa was planning an additional attack, it added.

Yoram Schweitzer, head of the Terrorism and Low Intensity Conflict Program at the Institute for National Security Studies, said Israeli security services had warned in recent months of an increase in attempted attacks in the West Bank. The last few attacks were likely part of that activity, he said.

"They are the ones that succeeded," Schweitzer said. "It is an effort by Hamas to instigate some unrest in the West Bank, as well as on the southern front."

The Washington Post's Hazem Balousha in Gaza contributed to this report.
A federal judge in Arizona on Tuesday stripped prominent immigration and reproductive-rights activist Alejandra Pablos of her green card and ordered her deportation nearly a year after she was arrested outside a protest in Virginia.

It was the climax of a case that has loomed over Pablos for years. But, she said, she's not giving up yet.

"La lucha sigue," Pablos, 33, said in an interview. The struggle continues.

Pablos, who since 2016 had worked for the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health in Annandale, Virginia, said she plans to appeal the decision by immigration Judge Thomas Michael O'Leary.

Pablos said her life would be in danger if she were deported to Mexico, where abortion remains largely illegal and activists have been targeted with threats and violence.

A petition asking Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, to grant a pardon for the 8-year-old DUI arrest that thrust her into deportation proceedings garnered more than 10,000 signatures in 24 hours.

It's unclear what her chances are of staying in the country.

Immigration is under federal jurisdiction, and a gubernatorial pardon can't negate a deportation order. But by eliminating the reason for a deportation - in this case, a felony conviction from 2013 - a pardon could prevent the removal of people like Pablos.

"I've taken responsibility for my mistakes, but when is it enough? I've completed my sentences, I've turned my life around and transformed myself into someone who works every day to help others - but when is it enough?" said Pablos, who remained out on bond Wednesday.

Pablos is a legal resident who grew up in Arizona. Though she was born in Nogales, Mexico - across the border from Nogales, Arizona - Pablos said the United States is the only home she has known.

Her immigration status came under scrutiny in 2013 after convictions that included driving under the influence, endangerment and possession of drug paraphernalia. Pablos, who has spoken about the convictions, said she "didn't grasp the consequences" of her decisions at a young age.

In 2013, immigration officials were waiting for Pablos at a routine check-in with her probation officer. She spent the next two years in detention at an Arizona immigration facility.

The experience changed her.

"I realized I wanted to help other people learn from my story so they wouldn't make the same mistakes," she said.

When Pablos arrived in the Washington area two years ago, she transformed the way local activists talked about the connections between immigration and reproductive rights, said Margie Del Castillo, 36, director of field advocacy for the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health.

In her work with the institute, Pablos organized rallies and training for the public. She directed her colleagues' attention to issues such as supporting driver licenses for undocumented immigrants and allowing noncitizens to receive in-state college tuition if they lived in Virginia.

"Alejandra is a really visionary person, and she's had an impact on so many people," Del Castillo said. "She's lifted up her own story and said, 'Look, I'm someone people might classify as a bad immigrant. I have a record, I've been arrested, but look at all the good things I've done.' "

The judge on Tuesday was unmoved.

He denied her petitions for asylum, saying Pablos wouldn't qualify for protections because reproductive rights activists haven't been deemed a group in need of protection.

Pablos and her supporters have said they believe Immigration and Customs Enforcement targeted her because of her vocal activism and aggressive style. The agency has faced similar accusations in other cases involving immigration activists, but it has denied such assertions.

"Any suggestion to the contrary is irresponsible, speculative and inaccurate," Matthew Albence, who oversees ICE enforcement and removal operations, said in a statement to The Washington Post in March.

Pablos was arrested and charged with misdemeanor trespassing and obstructing justice during a protest in January outside a DHS facility near Richmond. The charges were dropped.

But three months later, during a routine check-in with ICE, she was detained. She spent another 43 days at the Arizona detention facility before being released on bond.

More than 70 people turned up for Pablos's court appearance Tuesday. The support has given Pablos and her supporters hope, they said, for the immigrants and activists who may come after her.

"This is the reason we do this work - because we're organizers, and we're trying to make the impossible possible," said Jacinta Gonzalez, a senior campaign organizer with immigration-rights group Mijente. "We remain hopeful and optimistic that we can create better alternatives, because that hope is all we have."
Authorities across the country said they were responding Thursday to bomb threats made to several locations, though some law enforcement officials were quick to say that these messages were not believed to be credible.

Similar threats appeared to stretch from coast to coast, prompting investigations on colleges campuses in Washington state and Pennsylvania and spreading across cities such as New York, Washington, Chicago and San Francisco.

Police in New York said the threats they received were "sent electronically" to places across the city, and they linked these messages to the others reported nationwide.

"We are currently monitoring multiple bomb threats that have been sent electronically to various locations throughout the city," the New York Police Department's Counterterrorism Bureau said in a message posted on Twitter. "These threats are also being reported to other locations nationwide & are NOT considered credible at this time."

The threats on Thursday came less than two months after a Florida man was arrested and charged with mailing homemade package bombs to opponents of President Donald Trump. Threatening messages also have forced evacuations and spurred unease in communities across the country in recent years. Last year, a young man in Israel was arrested and charged with making threats to Jewish communities and institutions in the United States, all through phone calls and emails. In 2015, threatening emails later viewed as a hoax prompted the Los Angeles school system to shut down every school.

As word of the threatening messages spread Thursday, the FBI said in a statement that it was "aware of the recent bomb threats made in cities around the country, and we remain in touch with our law enforcement partners to provide assistance. As always, we encourage the public to remain vigilant and to promptly report suspicious activities which could represent a threat to public safety."

Other law enforcement agencies and academic institutions echoed the message from the New York police. A spokesman for the Chicago police said that city had received threats similar to the others received but noted that there was "no elevated threat level" there.

In the District of Columbia, police said they responded to a dozen bomb threats by Thursday afternoon, all made by email and linked to similar threats nationwide. All the threats in the District turned out to be false, a D.C. police spokesman said. These calls, most of which came between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m., forced the shutdown of multiple streets and evacuations of buildings while police searched the floors.

Many threats appeared to have targeted private D.C. businesses. Many of those businesses were in downtown or in other areas with heavy pedestrian and vehicular traffic, so the threats and evacuations caused disruptions on major streets.

The San Francisco police said they responded to threats received at about 10 a.m. local time across the city, noting that there were "similar threats" in "several other cities across the United States."

The police in Cedar Rapids, Iowa's second-largest city, said businesses there received "what appears to be a robo-email saying there is a bomb threat to their business unless they pay money in Bitcoins." But, the department added, it "found no credible evidence any of these emails are authentic."

News outlets also reported that they had to evacuate their buildings because of the threats. The Park Record building in Utah was evacuated after staffers received the message, the outlet reported.

The News and Observer in Raleigh also reported that it was forced to evacuate its building. Police in Raleigh said they responded to a threat the newspaper said was made over email shortly before 1:15 p.m. A spokeswoman for the department said police "searched and cleared the location."

Academic institutions were not immune. A spokeswoman for Pennsylvania State University said the campus police, along with the FBI, were "investigating a message received by individuals in multiple locations on campus and across the state." She said that the message on campus was sent via email to eight buildings or facilities there.

"At this time, police say the threat appears to be part of a national hoax, however, an investigation is ongoing," the spokeswoman said.

The University of Washington said it was "investigating threatening emails sent to individuals on campus" and swept buildings before the campus police "determined there is no safety concern." The school said the FBI had "advised that the email is not a credible threat."

- - -

The Washington Post's Peter Hermann and Devlin Barrett contributed to this report, which has been updated.
WASHINGTON - In its final days in session, the Senate has shaken off some parliamentary and legislative rust to force Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell into policy debates that he would have preferred to brush aside.

Some of these steps mark a turn in the Senate's willingness to stand up to President Donald Trump, at least on foreign policy matters, and some are important-but-symbolic gestures by frustrated senators. Another could deliver Trump a key domestic policy win on bipartisan sentencing reform.

Regardless of the motives, rank-and-file senators have employed a mix of unique techniques, old-fashioned threats and insider persuasion to spark debates that had been previously blocked or delayed.

It's left McConnell, R-Ky., with a seemingly looser hold on power, which could translate into more opportunities next year for Democrats and any GOP allies willing to oppose Trump.

But that requires these senators to continue using the tools at their disposal to force action that would otherwise never happen.

"I think it's taken a long time for people to get off their hands and figure out that, if we're not going to actually bring legislation to the floor of the Senate and have amendments, we've got to find ways to force votes and debates," said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who just won a second term.

McConnell to bring up criminal justice bill for a Senate vote

Murphy is helping lead opposition to the Trump administration's policy toward Saudi Arabia. That group of senators used a rare piece of the War Powers Act to force a debate Wednesday on whether to rebuke the kingdom's war in Yemen and also formally condemn its crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, for his role in the murder of journalist-dissident Jamal Khashoggi.

The House has blocked consideration of a similar measure and with this Congress formally expiring in three weeks, the legislation will not reach Trump's desk. But 11 Republicans joined all 49 members of the Democratic caucus in starting the debate, including a surprise aye vote by Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, the incoming chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.

The entire GOP leadership team voted against the resolution.

McConnell, who rarely sees legislation pass without his imprimatur, understands the intricacies of the Senate better than anyone, and allies say he does not mind watching others learn how to maneuver through its arcane rules.

"Part of the value of the Senate is, nobody is ever in any full control but everybody in their own way is in control and you just have to go where that takes you," said Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri, who is being elevated to the No. 4 Republican leadership post next month.

Earlier Wednesday, Democrats won a rare victory on a resolution that would forbid the Internal Revenue Service from loosening donor disclosure rules for some ideological nonprofits. It was the second time this year that Democrats used the congressional Review Act, designed to allow Congress to reject administration regulations, for a rare victory - Republicans passed 15 laws through the CRA that overturned agency rules from the Obama administration.

These measures will go nowhere in the Republican-controlled House, and even next year Trump will be there to veto similar efforts.

But it gives Democrats a sense of how to play offense, and it came the same week that McConnell caved to demands from Trump and his own fellow Republicans that he allow a debate on a criminal justice bill that would reduce some prison sentences and work toward preventing recidivism among released convicts.

He had been adamant in private and public that the legislation was "extremely controversial" and "extremely divisive" for Republicans, dismissing the bipartisan bill as too time consuming.

McConnell tells White House little chance of Senate vote on criminal justice bill

While he never took a public position, many senators came to believe he simply didn't like the legislation and wanted to delay it into oblivion rather than actually oppose a bill supported by Trump and negotiated by presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a supporter of the prison legislation, said Wednesday that McConnell set "a bar" for how much support they needed before he would make time on the floor - a supermajority of Republicans.

"He kept his word," Graham said, explaining the reversal and the new plan to begin debate later this week. "He told us what he wanted us to do and we did it."

Supporters of the measure complained publicly about McConnell's reluctance and eventually won him over by showing roughly 30 of the 51 GOP senators are willing to support the bill.

No one knows yet how McConnell will vote.

The rush to unusual maneuvers began after Trump forced Jeff Sessions out as attorney general shortly after the midterm elections, leading Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., a fierce critic of the president, to announce he would oppose all remaining judicial nominations until he retires in early January. In exchange, he's demanding a vote on legislation to protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 campaign.

McConnell has dismissed that request, but he has seen Flake bottle up any additional federal judges getting out of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Some Democrats believe their resounding victory in the midterms - they won the House despite losing two seats in the Senate - will prompt more Republicans to consider taking similar steps next year to push Trump at least a little bit more.

"There clearly are going to be more Republicans, rather than less, who are willing to buck the president after this midterm," Murphy said. "I think you are starting to see the first instance of that. You would have never gotten 60 votes to repudiate one of the president's foreign policy pillars before Election Day."

Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, a senior Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, expressed similar surprise at seeing more than 20 percent of the GOP caucus oppose Trump's position on Saudi Arabia, even if it is for now just a symbolic move.

"People see the handwriting on this. I guess they want to cover themselves," Cardin said.

Graham, who is a Trump ally, said Democrats were "overthinking" these recent actions. He does not expect much to change, except on matters related to the U.S.-Saudi relationship.

On that, he chose a blunt explanation for why 60 senators broke from Trump: the gruesome nature of Khashoggi's killing.

"The reason they got 60 votes is because they chopped this guy up," Graham said.
An 11-year-old who shares a last name with the president has been punched and bullied at school because of his name, news outlets reported this week.

Megan Trump Berto told reporters this week that children at Talley Middle School in Wilmington, Delaware, were making life difficult for her son, Joshua.

"They curse at him, they call him an idiot, they call him stupid," she told ABC affiliate WPVI.

The problems started during Trump's campaign for the presidency, Bobby Berto, Joshua's stepfather, told WPVI. Berto said he pulled Joshua, who is not related to the president, out of school last year to home school him because of the issues.

They thought things would be better this year with Joshua's first year at middle school and took some proactive steps to try to ward off problems, including meeting with officials and teachers at the school to tell them about the issue.

ALSO: Shake Shack's first Bay Area restaurant opens Dec. 15

But the bullying didn't stop, they said.

"He said he hates himself, and he hates his last name, and he feels sad all the time, and he doesn't want to live feeling like that anymore, and as a parent that's scary," Megan told WPVI.

Mark Mayer, the principal of the school, said that five students have been disciplined for the issue.

"They were apologetic, and they did say that they were sorry," he told the local news outlet.

And he said teachers were aware of the issue Joshua faced.

"I do know the teachers were aware of the last name, and I know in speaking with the student that the teachers do their very best to try not to say his last name," Mayer said.

Mayer said he thought it was going well until he spoke to Megan last week. She told him about two incidents in which the boy was bullied, NBC News reported, in physical education class and another on a school bus, which included him getting punched.

Now Joshua is changing his last name, at least in the school's system, to his stepfather's, Berto, it was reported.
Albany

The idea of imposing tolls on drivers entering the busiest parts of Manhattan is gaining momentum among New York lawmakers, increasing the chances that some kind of congestion tolling will pass in the legislative session that begins next month.

An influx of new Democratic lawmakers elected last month, increasingly vocal supporters in New York City and the rapidly worsening condition of the city's subways are all helping to push congestion tolling to the top of the legislative agenda. Supporters say the tolls will raise badly needed revenue for mass transit while also cutting down on the number of cars. As with other complicated, contentious issues on next year's agenda  such as marijuana legalization and universal health care  the devil resides in the details.

Supporters will have to convince lawmakers who represent suburban and outer-borough districts that are home to large numbers of car commuters. Similar opposition has helped sink early toll proposals.

Since then, the list of lawmakers who have publicly signed on to congestion tolls continues to grow, with at least 16 supporters in the Senate and more than 30 in the Assembly, and groups pushing for the tolls say they're working to secure a majority.

Last month, a broad coalition of business groups, labor unions, environmental groups and private companies launched a new effort to get the tolls passed. The alliance, known as the Fix Our Transit coalition, includes several local chambers of commerce, the AFL-CIO, the League of Conservation Voters, several members of the clergy, and companies such as Uber, Lyft and Brooklyn Brewery.

The alliance predicts the tolls could raise more than $1 billion each year. While that's not nearly enough to pay for all the needed work to the subways, it would make a significant dent.

Last year lawmakers approved surcharges on taxis and ride-hailing services south of 96th Street in Manhattan in what was considered an initial step toward broader congestion tolls. Those new surcharges will go into effect next month. Drivers aren't pleased and say tolls should instead target the commercial vehicles and delivery trucks that they say are more to blame for congestion.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has thrown his support behind the idea too, perhaps the strongest sign yet that the idea could be poised for passage.
Google Maps

A pedestrian is dead Wednesday night after being struck by a car in north Houston, police said.

The crash happened around 4:30 p.m. in the 5600 block of North Shepherd Drive near West Montgomery Road.
A 37-year-old man died Thursday in New Braunfels while in police custody, according to city officials.

Police responded at about 10:50 p.m. on Wednesday to a home in the 2100 block of Stonecrest Path after receiving a report of a disturbance in progress, officials said.

When they arrived, they found Bryan Boyd outside of the residence "yelling loudly and throwing items around," according to a statement from David Ferguson, a spokesman for the New Braunfels Police Department.

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The officers realized Boyd was "obviously suffering from an acute medical issue" and tried to calm him down. They convinced him to voluntarily submit to being handcuffed, according to the statement, and tended to him until paramedics arrived.

The paramedics placed Boyd on a stretcher, at which point he became agitated and erratic. A few minutes later, at about 11:20 p.m., he stopped breathing, according to Ferguson.

RELATED: Kerrville mom who left daughters in SUV, killing them, sentenced to 40 years

The paramedics performed life-saving measures and took him to Christus Santa Rosa Hospital in New Braunfels, where he was pronounced dead shortly after midnight.

The Texas Rangers are now looking into Boyd's death, as is standard with any death in police custody.

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

Caleb Downs covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com |

cdowns@mysa.com | @calebjdowns
A former Army Ranger from San Antonio accused of supplying one of Mexicos drug cartels with hundreds of high-powered firearms and tens of thousands of bullets will remain in jail.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Betsy Chestney denied a bid by Jose J. Soto Jr., 36, for bail after a lengthy hearing Wednesday. She found Soto not only posed a flight risk but is a danger to the public.

Soto joined the Army in 2004 and served 11 years, including with the elite special forces unit, until he was discharged honorably in 2015, his lawyer Scott McCrum said.

RELATED: Veteran pleads guilty to threatening to blow up VA hospital

Federal authorities suspect Soto became a weapons supplier to the Cartel del Noreste, or CDN, a faction of the former Zetas.

Hes an international arms dealer, Assistant U.S. Attorney John Gibson told the judge. He is basically an employee of the cartel.

During the hearing, Homeland Security special agent Alfredo Martinez laid out much of the investigation that last week culminated with the arrest of Soto and three men from San Antonio suspected of involvement in a gun-trafficking ring: Derek Quintanilla, 28; Samuel Cardenas, 26; and Alex Bautista, 29.

Quintanilla was released on a signature bond Friday. Cardenas and Bautista reached an agreement with the government, before their bail hearings Wednesday, in which the feds no longer sought their detention, and were released later on signature bonds. As part of their conditions, they agreed to appear at future hearings in Corpus Christi, where all are charged with participating in a conspiracy to illegally export items on the munitions list and buying and selling guns without a license.

Cardenas lawyer said afterward that his client served in the Army for four years, primarily as a medic, and was honorably discharged.

Martinez testified that the group purchased at least 225 guns, AK and AR-style and .50-caliber rifles in a matter of months and got the bulk of them from Brian G. Morris of Yoakum, who also made some of them fully automatic, or turned them into machine guns. But Martinez also said the group got guns from sporting goods stores, at gun shows and other sources. The ring spent nearly $300,000 buying high-powered guns and tens of thousands of rifle magazines for them from those sources and online, Martinez testified.

He also said the cartel wanted the items because it was involved in turf wars with other cartels in Mexico.

Asked why the cartel wants so many magazines, Martinez said: A lot of time they (cartel members) are involved in shootouts. They dont have time to reload. They just change out magazines and the (empty) magazines are left at the scene.

Were not talking .22-caliber (guns), its .50-caliber, assault rifles, grenade launchers, Gibson said. Were talking weapons of war. Theres a war going on down there. ... Its not a far leap to say people have died because of him.

McCrum tried to minimize the allegations, or the reliability of government informants in the case.

He argued that Soto had legitimate reasons for taking so many trips to Laredo, and its neighbor south of the border, Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Sotos son from a previous relationship, McCrum said, lives in Laredo, as does his mom, who also owns a home in Nuevo Laredo. Sotos wife is also from the Mexican border city and has family there.

His wife, Sara Elizabeth Soto, testified that her husband went to gun shows as part of a hobby, and that he was never violent with her or others.

But the judge seemed unconvinced.

This is a lot  the quantity of the ammunition and guns, Chestney said in denying Soto bond. You cant with a straight face make an argument that this is a collector or a hobbyist.

Guillermo Contreras covers federal court and immigration news in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | gcontreras@express-news.net | Twitter: @gmaninfedland
Applying for a job is nerve-wracking because of todays requirements.

My daughter has been looking for a job for two years. Her qualifications are good. She graduated from college with a business degree. She has worked off and on for many years in business jobs.

She is currently looking for a job. But in South Texas, all the jobs she is qualified for have one box she cannot check. That requirement is Bilingual English/Spanish highly preferred.

In San Antonio, there are jobs that she qualifies for  except for that one requirement. At this point, most Hispanics, I believe, have learned to speak English if they have gone through public schools. No Spanish classes are offered until high school.

Many Hispanics learned their foreign language at home, with family members preferring to speak Spanish.

Somehow that one requirement is telling me that racism is used by companies, big and small, in San Antonio.

Actually, Spanish is not the correct word. The word to use is Tex-Mex. I have an aunt who married into our family and we were so anxious for her to talk to us, but, no, there was the language barrier. She wanted to move back to Mexico because she could not speak to Hispanics in Texas because they talked a Tex-Mex language.

It was a sad day for us when we learned that she did move back to Mexico, where the language spoken in her community was Castilian Spanish.

I was born is Mission in Hidalgo County. I am Anglo, but I failed to learn the foreign language that was spoken there. I did not know there was a difference between myself and Hispanic people.

When I was in seventh and eighth grades in San Antonio, I still did not see the difference between us. Finally, in high school, many students wanted to take Spanish as a class that was not required. I suppose I was not exposed to racism until later, in high school. I saw some students spitting and bullying an African-American in the hallway. Then my eyes were opened to racism.

As older adults, my mother and uncle were both living in a HUD building for older people. My mother was very sad because she and my uncle were the only Anglos living there. The Hispanic ladies would stop talking when my mother tried to be with them.

My uncle did not have the same problem, because he knew how to speak and understand Tex-Mex. My husband and I decided to move them to a subsidized home in New Braunfels. They were very happy there and had many friends.

So back to the question of racism in job applications  that preferred bilingual, English-Spanish job requirement.

Am I the only one who has noticed that inequality in job hiring? The news speaks daily of plenty of jobs that need filling in the United States. Because of this, the migrating Central Americans are actually better qualified than the Americans who have lived in South Texas for 80 years.

Barbara M. Kaler lives in San Antonio.
Currently Reading

Yes, Caroline, there is a Willie Nelson [Opinion]
Some of the biggest, oldest ranches in Texas are up for grabs, each for a hefty price.

Icon Global, described by its owner as the leading big ranch broker in the country, lists nearly 20 Texas ranches that are for sale ranging from just a few hundred acres to more than 70,000. Prices range from less than $4 million to as much as $250 million, with several asking anyone interested to call for a price.

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The closest of the massive ranches is in Boerne. With an asking price of nearly $50 million, the Northrup Pipe Creek Ranch spans about 5,000 acres in the Hill Country. Its been under the same familys ownership for more than 80 years and is rich with history, according to its Icon Global listing.

The Lely Ranch, the largest on the market in Texas, sits in Presidio County near Big Bend State Park in western Texas. More than 70,000 acres, the ranch is roughly the same size as the city of Abilene, which has a population of more than 120,000 people. But the Lely Ranch hasnt been inhabited in years by anything other than wild animals. Its price has not yet been determined.

RELATED: West Texas ghost town for sale for $1.75 million

About $3.7 million could buy you the 9G Ranch in Grayson County, which includes nearly 500 acres and a 36-acre trophy bass lake, according to its listing. The property also has a large metal building with a finished first floor and an unfinished second floor.

Icon Global properties typically take between nine and 15 months to sell, according to owner Bernard Uechtritz. The Dallas-based broker also sells ranches in other parts of the country and the world.

Click through the slideshow to see some of Texas' largest ranches that are for sale.

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
Local News, Crime, Business & Finance, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: December 13 2018

As the Result of Settlement Secured by AG, Tenants Will Receive a Total of $8 Million in Restitution from Croman  Largest-Ever Monetary Settlement with an Individual Landlord.

New York, NY - December 13, 2018 - Today, New York Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood announced that the first checks are being mailed to eligible current or former tenants of buildings owned by Steven Croman who last month submitted claims to the Croman Tenant Restitution Fund. The restitution fund is part of a historic settlement that arose out of an investigation and lawsuit filed by the Attorney General against Croman, a major New York City landlord, for engaging in illegal conduct, including harassment, coercion, and fraud, to force rent-regulated tenants out of their apartments and convert their apartments into highly profitable market-rate units.

Croman tried to line his own pockets at the expense of his tenants wellbeing. We have zero tolerance for predatory landlords  and now, Croman tenants will finally get the restitution and protections they deserve as a result of this unprecedented settlement, said Attorney General Underwood. Im pleased that this first round of checks will be going out before the holidays, and that tenants can expect at least three more rounds of restitution.

The consent decree requires Croman to pay $8 million into a Tenant Restitution Fund  the largest-ever monetary settlement with an individual landlord. The $8 million will be divided equally among eligible claimants and distributed to tenants in installments over a 38 to 42-month period. This first round of restitution payments follows Cromans initial $2 million payment to the fund.

To be eligible for restitution, tenants had to have lived in a rent-stabilized or rent-controlled apartment owned by Croman between July 1, 2011 and December 20, 2017, not including tenants who received a buyout of more than $20,000 (not including any amount that purported to cover rent or arrears).

Following last years historic consent decree, in August 2018, the claims administrator hired by the Attorney General mailed claim notices and application forms to current and former rent-stabilized and rent-controlled tenants in Cromans buildings. Nearly 800 households filed applications for restitution funds. Eligible households will begin receiving checks for $2,425 each, as early as next week, in this first installment from the Croman Tenant Restitution Fund.

Pursuant to the Consent Decree, Croman will make three additional installment payments to the Croman Tenant Restitution Fund. After receiving each installment, the Attorney General, through its claims administrator, will again send payments to all eligible households. The exact amount of future payments may change based on the number of eligible claimants.

In addition to the $8 million Tenant Restitution Fund, the settlement also requires over 100 Croman residential properties to be run by a new, independent management company with no ties to Croman, for five years. Earlier this year, the New York Attorney General approved New York City Management as the independent management company; the management company took over operations of the buildings on July 1, 2018. The groundbreaking settlement also requires an independent monitor to oversee compliance with the terms of the Consent Decree and provide regular reporting to the Attorney General for seven years.

In October 2017, Croman was sentenced to a year in jail and paid a $5 million tax settlement following separate criminal charges brought by the New York Attorney Generals office for fraudulent refinancing of loans and tax fraud.

Steven Croman built a criminal enterprise on exploiting tenants in my district and across Manhattan. This settlement demonstrates that no criminal landlord is above the law, and gives those who suffered at the hands of Croman the protection and compensation they deserve. Im thankful to the Attorney Generals office for pursuing action against Steven Croman, and working to enforce the rules and regulations that are designed to keep New Yorkers safely in their homes, said State Senator Brad Hoylman.

Steve Croman acted as though he was above the law, but the efforts of the Office of the Attorney General ensured he was held accountable to some of his crimes. The reality is that our community members were exploited by the very people who were supposed to provide them with safety and shelter. We need to continue to review our tenant protection laws and strengthen them so injustices like the treatment of Croman tenants never happen again. I strongly encourage all eligible tenants to come forward and submit a claim so they can receive the restitution they deserve, said State Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou.

The Stop Croman Coalition thanks Attorney General Barbara Underwood and her staff who have worked hard on the Croman case. The Stop Croman Coalition is grateful for the start of the restitution fund distribution which is good news for Croman tenants who have endured decades of harassment from Croman and his agents, said Cynthia Chaffee, Croman tenant and cofounder of the Stop Croman Coalition.
Local News, Crime, Community, Charity & Cause, Health & Wellness, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: December 13 2018

Health Department Has Held Over 430 Opioid Overdose Prevention Classes and Trained Over 12,000 Residents to Administer Narcan.

Suffolk County, NY - December 13, 2018 - Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone today announced a new training program for first responders aimed at reducing compassion fatigue as part of the Countys continued efforts to combat the opioid epidemic. The new program, which will be funded by a $75,000 federal pass through-grant, will enable the Suffolk County Department of Health Services to engage medical providers to include medication-assisted treatment in their practices, and provide additional opioid-overdose-reversal training in non-traditional settings.

Since day one, we have committed more resources, more education and more training to support those who are on the front lines in fighting the opioid epidemic, said Suffolk County Executive Bellone. These federal resources are critical to fund innovative programs that support healthcare providers and our emergency medical response.

Continued support for our first responders is critical to maintaining the countys ability to systematically reverse overdoses, said Dr. James Tomarken, Suffolk County Commissioner of Health. This program will engage first responders to view drug use as a complex, multi-faceted phenomenon and enable them to apply strategies that incorporate the concepts of disease and recovery. Ultimately, we hope to keep these everyday heroes engaged, supportive, and nonjudgmental, and we want individuals who need help to call 911 without fear of judgment.

The bulk of the grant funds, $50,000, will be applied to a new training program for first responders that will enable them to employ a set of practical strategies aimed at reducing compassion fatigue when witnessing the harshest of life circumstances. Although first responders are highly trained to handle stressful events, repeated exposure to the negative effects of opioid addiction can lead to compassion fatigue. The training will enable Suffolk Countys first responders to identify the signs and symptoms of compassion fatigue, incorporate strategies for coping with compassion fatigue, and ultimately prevent compassion fatigue.

Since the opioid overdose prevention pilot project in 2012, all first responders in Suffolk County, including police officers, have been trained to identify and reverse opioid overdoses. As a result, they have saved countless lives and been a critical part of the response to the opioid epidemic.

To date the Suffolk County Department of Health Services has conducted 433 independent classes, training more than 12,000 non-traditional responders in opioid recognition and reversal since 2013. In addition, local hospitals, which offer opioid overdose prevention training and Narcan kits under Suffolk Countys New York State authorized program have collectively trained 12,652 individuals and dispensed 12,371 overdose resuscitation kits to non-traditional first responders, creating a new level of first responder to intervene in the critical minutes between discovery of an overdose and administration of Narcan.

Medication-Assisted Treatment

To fulfill the second part of the new grant initiative, the health department will hire a consultant to guide and provide technical assistance to the countys medication-assisted-treatment workgroup, which is charged with ensuring access to effective treatment in Suffolk County. The goal is to increase the number of active buprenorphine prescribers in Suffolk County; develop networks for consultation and mentoring; and strengthening the networks of care that will include medical providers, agencies, hospitals, and peers.

Naloxone Access Expansion Efforts

The third part of the grant initiative involves force multiplication. Next year Suffolk County will approach local businesses to increase the number of people trained to recognize an opioid overdose and reverse it using naloxone. Realizing that opioid overdoses can happen anywhere, the county intends to expand the opioid-overdose-prevention program into non-traditional settings that have not been previously accessed. The training will also incorporate information about substance use disorder and availability of treatment and services in the community.

New Opioid Overdose Prevention Class

Additionally, County Executive Bellone announces a new Opioid Overdose Prevention Class will take place on Tuesday, December 18, 2018 from 6: p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Bridgehampton Library.

The training, which meets New York State Department of Health requirements, will enable participants to recognize an opioid overdose, administer intranasal naloxone, better known as Narcan, and take additional time-dependent steps while Emergency Medical Service teams are in transit. Participants will receive a certificate of completion and an emergency resuscitation kit that includes the intranasal Narcan
Most of us already know that many apps track our location data to better deliver information about local weather, shops, or movie showtimes. A new report from The New York Times, though, reveals that this data is often frighteningly precise and collected up to 14,000 times per day. Its so precise, in fact, that its possible to figure out intimate details of a persons life merely by studying it. Worse, some apps sell this data to companies who then use it to push hyper-targeted ads to your phones.

Fortunately, the report also demonstrates that we iOS users are better protected than our Android counterparts. Even so, were far from immune.

If youre worried that too much of your location data is being uploaded and potentially sold to the highest bidder, you can use the following guide to limit access from specific apps or even from Apples own services.

How to disable location tracking entirely

Frankly, this seems excessive, but you may have cause for it. Just keep in mind that disabling location tracking entirely means that even Apple Maps wont be able to give you accurate readings. You also wont be able to use Find My iPhone. But heres how:

Open the Settings app. Scroll down and tap on Privacy. Select Location Services. In the next menu, untoggle Location Services at the top. Thats it.

Alternatively, you can scroll down one heading and disable Share My Location, a helpful feature that lets you send your exact location to friends through Messages, etc. if you believe youre in danger or simply want to show someone where you are. Share My Location also works with some automations associated with the Home app.

Leif Johnson/IDG The nuclear option.

How to disable location tracking for specific apps

Location tracking can be super helpful for certain apps. You dont need it for every app, though, and you certainly dont need location tracking turned on all the time. If an app supports location tracking data, Apple typically asks you at installation if you always want location tracking turned on, if you only want it turned on while using the app, or if you never want to turn it on.

Fortunately, youre not locked into these choices, and changing them involves the same simple process as above.

Open the Settings app. Scroll down and select Privacy. Select Location Services. Youll find several options here, including the above option to turn off Location Services entirely. To disable location tracking for a specific app, scroll down to that Apps listing and select it. Youll see three choices: Never, While Using the App, and Always. Some apps also use this menu to explain how the app uses your data.

I find While Using the App to be the most helpful, as it lets you take advantage of an apps best features when you need them. Only rarely do I select Always. But if you want to shut it off for good, click Never.

Thats it. Alter these settings for as many apps as you wish. Close Settings.

Leif Johnson/IDG Tinder is one of the few apps that I leave on Always.

How to disable location tracking used by the iPhone itself

Its not just apps that track your location data. Your iPhone also keeps track of the significant locations you visit the most, mainly to provide location-specific suggestions when youre using Siri or other features. Fortunately, this data is encrypted and it never leaves your phone. Even so, you may want to disable it, particularly if someone you know well can still get in your phone even with the other safeguards. Heres how.

Open Settings. Scroll down and select Privacy. Press Location Services. Scroll all the way down to System Services. It should be at the bottom. Press it. Scroll down to Significant Locations and press it. Youll then have to enter your passcode or activate Face ID or Touch ID. You can completely disable the feature by untoggling Significant Locations at the top. Alternatively, you can delete the most problematic entries individually by pressing each one separately. When you do, press the Edit button in the upper right, and you can delete each entry individually.

Leif Johnson/IDG These screenshots highlight the dangers of reading too much into the information. I frequently pass some of the restaurants listed, but I rarely go in them.

How to keep your iPhone from remembering where you parked

One of the niftier features of Apple Maps is its ability to remember where you parked your car, provided your iPhone is connected to your cars Bluetooth or CarPlay. If you want to disable it, though, you can do so easily.

Open Settings. Scroll down to Maps. Press it. Scroll down to the Your Car heading. Untoggle Show Parked Location.
NORTHAMPTON  Employees at the Daily Hampshire Gazette and Valley Advocate voted Wednesday to form a union affiliated with the NewsGuild-Communications Workers of America.

Dusty Christensen, a Daily Hampshire Gazette reporter and one of the union organizers, said the vote was 40 yes versus 29 no."

The vote comes over the objections of management at parent company Newspapers of New England, which told employees the union would erode this newspaper.

Called the Pioneer Valley News Guild, the new union will now elect officers, Christensen said. Then, the next job will be to negotiate a collective bargaining unit with Newspapers of New England.

The NLRB lays out the process of organizing a workplace on its website.

Publisher Michael Rifanburg was reassigned in the wake of the union push. Aaron Julien, president and CEO of Newspapers of New England, stepped into the local publishers role.

Julien said in an email Wednesday that he wouldnt comment on the vote at this time.

There was support for the union outside the paper, including from U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Cambridge; U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Worcester, whose district includes Northampton; state Sen.-elect Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, and state Rep.-elect Lindsay Sabadosa, D-Northampton.

There are 72 employees at the papers.

In November, 70 percent of them signed a petition backing the union and scheduled Wednesdays vote through the authority of the National Labor Relations Board, a federal agency.

Workers voiced concerns about the quality of the news product, about pay discrepancies between men and women, and about their changing work responsibilities as newspapers go through a challenging time.

The union effort includes workers from every aspect of the company, including news gathering, advertising sales, distribution and production. It doesnt include employees at the Greenfield Recorder or Athol Daily news, which are also owned by Newspapers of New England.

NewsGuild-CWA said employees at papers including the Los Angeles Times to the Casper Star-Tribune in Wyoming have organized with the guild so far this year.
Cybill Shepherd alleged Thursday that her 1990s sitcom was canceled shortly after she rejected an advance by disgraced CBS network executive Les Moonves.

In an interview on SiriusXMs The Michelle Collins Show, which was subsequently reported by Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, the former Last Picture Show and Moonlighting star said that Moonves, who was then married to Nancy Wiesenfeld, made a pass while they were at dinner.

His assistant and my assistant made a dinner date and we went to it and he was, well he was telling me his wife didnt turn him on, some mistress didnt turn him on. And Im watching him drink alcohol and Im going, he says, well, you know, why dont you let me take you home? Shepherd recalled. I said, no, Ive got a ride and I had my car outside with a good friend of mine who is an off-duty LAPD officer.

Quite shortly afterward, her show, Cybill, was canceled, said Shepherd, adding that had she gone home with Moonves she believes the show would have run another five years.

Cybill ran from 1995 through 1998. The Emmy and Golden Globe winning series' final episode was a cliffhanger with the words To be continued...

In a July/August 2004 interview with AARP magazine, Shepherd then blamed the abrupt cancellation on CBS being uncomfortable with the sitcoms feminist leanings and its portrayal of female sexuality.

Moonves was forced him to step down as the CBS Corp. chief after accusations by numerous women of sexual misconduct. He has denied the allegations or said the encounters were consensual.

His $120 million severance package is in jeopardy as more allegations of misconduct and abuse of power come to light in recent weeks.
Located in a historic structure across from South Hadley's Town Common, The Yarde Tavern is one of that community's "go to" destinations for casual dining.

Presenting two ambiance alternatives, the Tavern maintains a good-sized taproom and a slightly more sedate dining room.

"Gastropub" is an appropriate label for the Yarde Tavern, since the place dishes up an interesting entree and sandwich menu.

The selection of main dish options ranges from a N.Y. Strip ($22) and a maple-encrusted Pork Chop ($20) to Fish n' Chips ($17) and Chipotle-Cheddar Mac n' Cheese ($16).

New England Baked Cod ($17) has a place in the kitchen lineup, as do Mediterranean Turkey Meatballs ($18) that are served with red sauce and penne pasta.

Among the appetizers are many of the usual bar food suspects - Fresh Fried Mozzarella ($10), Pickle Fries ($10), Wings ($11/$20), and Loaded Calamari ($12).

The menu also lists several soup selections, a half dozen entree salads, and an assortment of sandwiches and burgers.

"Tater tots," a 20th century convenience food, have of late become a trendy snack item, and Yarde Tavern consequently offers a Loaded Tater Tots ($11) appetizer.

The "tot" portion covers an entire dinner plate, with bacon crumbles, sliced green onion, and grated Cheddar cheese "loaded" on. The honest flavor of the little potato pillows was thereby pleasingly enhanced; the result was a satisfying (and decidedly shareable) appetizer.

Language on the bill of fare emphasizes that the Yarde Tavern's Chili ($4/$6) is "award winning." Curious to see if it was as good as the menu boasted, we decided to order a cup.

Garnished with grated Cheddar, a dollop of sour cream, and a few corn chips, the chili did prove to be an interesting experience. Made with equal measure of beans and ground beef, the chili's heat was moderate despite the presence of ground red pepper and chunks of jalapeno. Cumin also played a role in the flavor composition, and our taste buds insisted that citrus had also been somehow factored in, an assumption our waitress declined to either confirm or deny.

An entree order of Bourbon Sirloin Tips ($23) also proved to be a satisfying choice.

The sweet, smoky character of the Maker's Mark Bourbon in which the five good-sized tips had been marinated work well with the beef's robust flavor. Grilled to order and over a bed of basmati rice, the sirloin made for a simple yet enjoyable dinner experience.

Though a more involved preparation, our Short Rib Pasta ($23) was no less likeable. An ensemble of hearty flavors, the dish was built around braised, shredded short rib meat and a wild mushroom cream sauce. Diced fresh tomato added color and contrasting acidity, while a drizzle of white truffle oil contributed earthy notes. Served with corkscrew-shaped cavatappi pasta and topped with chips of Parmesan, the pasta was just the thing for a chilly December evening.

Meals at the Yarde Tavern include neither bread nor salad, although the latter can be ordered a la carte.

A fully stocked bar is central to the Tavern's operation, with craft beers a house specialty. A list of 15 wine selections is also available.

An additionally noteworthy aspect of the Yarde Tavern experience is the short but distinctive list of desserts the restaurant promotes. All four offerings seemed worthy of our attention, but we eventually passed on a goat cheese cheesecake trifle and the chocolate mousse cake to focus on the two other possibilities.

Belgian Waffle Bread Pudding ($8) brought together the yeasty crispness of cut-up Belgian waffles with the soothing texture of egg custard. A drizzle of caramel sauce and a dollop of whipped cream finished the dessert.

Equally interesting, a Cider Donut Sundae ($8) started with a fried-crisp donut ring onto which vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and a caramel drizzle had been layered.

Offering flavorful and attractively presented food along with a comprehensive beverage program, the Yarde Tavern would be a good spot to celebrate with friends this holiday season.



Name: The Yarde Tavern

Address: 3 Hadley Street, South Hadley

Telephone: (413) 315-4339

Website: yardetavernsouthhadley.com

Hours: Sunday through Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Thursday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Entree prices: $16- $23

Credit cards: American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Handicapped access: Steps at entrance, rest rooms not equipped for wheelchairs

Reservations: Accepted






Massachusetts businesses have been targeted in a wave of bomb threats issued across multiple states, the Massachusetts State Police say.

MSP Fusion Center tracking multiple bomb threats emailed to numerous businesses in the state, State Police wrote in a Twitter post. MSP Bomb Squad notified and local departments are responding in their communities. Similar threats have been received in other states. We will share more info when available."

State Police are working with federal and local agencies to asses the risk of the threats. No explosives have been found so far and no detonations have taken place, State Police said.

One threat was sent to 1976 Main Street in Springfield, the location of a Freedom Credit Union branch, Springfield Fire Department spokesman Dennis Leger told MassLive. The Springfield Arson and Bomb Squad did a walk-through of the building and no explosives were found.

Apparently this is some sort of a robo-email thing, Leger said. "Some came to Springfield, some came to Holyoke, some came to Chicopee.

The Springfield Fire Department is coordinating with the Massachusetts State Police Fusion Center in its investigation, Leger said.

The Boston Opera House was among the institutions targeted by the threats, WCVB reported.

Businesses and institutions around the U.S. were targeted with bomb threats Thursday afternoon, according to law enforcement social media postings.

The Cedar Rapids, Iowa Police Department tweeted that businesses there had received emails warning that bombs would detonate unless a ransom was paid using the cryptocurrency Bitcoin. The threats there have not been deemed credible.

Several area businesses are receiving what appears to be a robo-email saying there is a bomb threat to their business unless they pay money in Bitcoins. We have found no credible evidence any of these emails are authentic. See CRPD Facebook for more details. #Scam  Cedar Rapids Police (@CR_Police) December 13, 2018

The Oklahoma City Police Department issued a similar warning this afternoon.

We're working a number of bomb threat calls in OKC. There have been similar threats called into several locations around the country. No credible threat found at this point. We encourage the public to continue to be vigilant and call with anything suspicious.  Oklahoma City Police (@OKCPD) December 13, 2018

The New York Police Department also warned of bomb threats demanding Bitcoin payments.

Please be advised - there is an email being circulated containing a bomb threat asking for bitcoin payment. While this email has been sent to numerous locations, searches have been conducted and NO DEVICES have been found. pic.twitter.com/7omOs13Z7Q  NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) December 13, 2018

Bitcoin is a digital currency that can be transferred without revealing the identity of its owner. Originally created in an attempt to build a working financial system that does not rely on government backing or banks, Bitcoin is also popular among people buying illicit goods and services and among speculators hoping to profit from its volatile price changes.

It is unclear whether the Massachusetts businesses referenced by the Massachusetts State Police received similar or identical threats. State Police did not immediately respond to a request for additional information.

Vermont State Police also reported receiving at least 15 emailed bomb threats to schools, businesses, municipal offices and private individuals. Each were investigated and none were determined to be credible.

The threats came to locations across the state including the Burlington Police Department and the University of Vermont in Burlington. Others receiving threats include a business in Rutland, a foundation in Winooski, private individuals in Middlebury and Montpelier, the Groton Town Hall and Sugarbush ski area in Warren, Vermont state police said.

Vermont State Police and the Vermont Intelligence Center continue to monitor the situation, officials said.

This is a developing story.
SPRINGFIELD  No injuries were reported Wednesday afternoon after a home at 172 Belmont Ave. was hit by gunfire.

Police were summoned by the citys ShotSpotter gunfire detection system about 2:30 p.m.

Ryan Walsh, spokesman for Springfield police, said nobody was home at the time. Some of the homes siding had been removed, apparently as part of the investigation.

Police, who responded to the scene with multiple units, temporarily closed that stretch of Belmont Avenue while they investigated. Detectives continue to investigate.
BOSTON  A city man accused of drunken driving now faces federal weapons charges after a loaded revolver was found in his car.

Mohamed Abdulaziz, 31, was charged in federal court in Boston Wednesday on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. He is currently in state custody, said Christina DiLorio-Sterling, spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling.

Abdulaziz was pulled over on Sept. 2 in West Bridgewater because police felt he was driving erratically on Route 24. After he failed several field sobriety tests, Abdulaziz was arrested for drunken driving, she said.

During a routine inventory search of his car to prepare it to be towed, police found the revolver. He was charged because Abdulaziz has a prior felony conviction and federal law prohibits him from possessing a gun or ammunition, she said.

If convicted, Abdulaziz faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000, she said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Wichers of the U.S. Attorneys Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
BOSTON -- A city man described as a major heroin trafficker who was caught trying to sell two kilograms of fentanyl in a deal set up by federal agents was sentenced to 19 years in prison on Wednesday.

Edgar Belis, 34, pleaded guilty in April to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton sentenced him 19 years in prison followed by five years supervised release, said Christina DiLorio-Sterling, spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling.

law enforcement agents identified Belis, who had been convicted at least four previous heroin-related offenses, as a large-scale heroin trafficker in the Boston area, she said.

During an investigation, law enforcement agents using a cooperating witness set up drug buys with Belis.

"During these calls, Belis stated that he had kilogram quantities of heroin to sell, but suggested that the heroin must contain fentanyl or customers on the street would notice a difference. Belis stated that he would be willing to sell heroin or fentanyl for $40,000 per kilogram," DiLorio-Sterling said in writing.

Law enforcement agents in 2016 set up a deal and then followed Belis from Hopkinton to Boston, where he was seen picking up a backpack. He then went to South Boston to make the promised transaction to sell two kilograms of fentanyl, she said.

Officers arrested Belis at the location and found 2.35 kilograms of fentanyl and 250 grams of cocaine in the backpack. In a subsequent search of his apartment they also found 300 more grams of fentanyl, about 125 grams of cocaine, $57,500 in cash, a Glock .40 caliber pistol and 31 rounds of ammunition, DiLorio-Sterling said.

Lelling; Brian D. Boyle, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Boston Police Commissioner William Gross announced the conviction together.
Massachusetts small business owners buying health insurance for their employees are spending more than businesses in most other states and are getting less for that money, according to data released Thursday by Massachusetts Health Policy Commission.

That is true even as individuals and small businesses who buy health insurance through the Massachusetts Health Connector are spending less than consumers in almost every other state.

The opportunity there is clear, said David Auerbach, director for research and cost trends at the Health Policy Commission. A lot of small firms dont know about the Connector or havent considered making that change, but it is open to them.

The new report, a preliminary version of which was released at a Health Policy Commission meeting, found that premiums for small businesses in Massachusetts are the second highest in the U.S., while premiums for large businesses are the 10th highest in the country.

At the same time, the premiums for individuals and small businesses who purchase insurance through the Massachusetts Health Connector are the second lowest in the U.S.

The coverage small businesses buy also has shortfalls. Compared to the U.S. average, fewer small businesses in Massachusetts offer two or more plans. And more than half of small group plans (57 percent) are high-deductible, which means a patient must pay at least $1,300 out of pocket before their insurance kicks in.

The report is not clear on why small business plans are so expensive, other than it does show that administrative costs are rising for these plans.

This reflects a number of challenges in that market, and were still trying to understand whats really behind some of it, Auerbach said.

Auerbach said prices are better on the Health Connector because there is more competition between plans.

Businesses that use the Health Connector can give their employees more choices. The Connector offers a method by which businesses can select a carrier or a type of plan and let employees pick from a range of options. That lets an employee, for example, choose a lower premium plan with a limited network or a higher premium plan with a more expansive network.

Lauren Peters, undersecretary for health policy at the Office of Health and Human Services, said 6,000 people are covered through the Health Connectors small business platform, and state officials are looking at ways to attract more businesses.

Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, said the advantage of the Health Connector is it lets businesses comparison shop and gives employees more flexibility in choosing plans, both of which could save money. But the premiums on the Health Connector are the same as premiums for the same plan on the regular market.

Hurst said because the individual and small businesses are in a combined risk pool in Massachusetts, small businesses end up subsidizing individuals, which raises business costs.

The fact that we have the second lowest individual premiums in the country and second highest small business premiums is unacceptable, Hurst said. Its a near scandal, something that has existed because people dont understand the rather complicated realities of government risk pools.
Imagine a relative newcomer to our nation trying to understand the functions of the various folk she reads about in the daily news.

The president, she might well think, is mostly in charge of getting publicity for himself and his family businesses. And for stirring up trouble. Supreme Court justices are responsible for teaching people about complicated topics with their difficult-to-understand rulings. And the Senate majority leader, of course, is supposed to try to keep anything from getting done.

Well, that's how it might seem, anyway.

It was Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, after all, who held open -- for more than a year -- the Supreme Court seat left vacant with the death of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia on Feb. 13, 2016. More recently, the Kentuckian has been keeping members from voting on a measure to protect special counsel Robert S. Mueller III from being fired or having his investigation hamstrung. And he's also been preventing a vote on a criminal justice reform bill.

Until Tuesday, anyway.

All of a sudden and from out of the blue, McConnell said he'd let the measure, which has broad bipartisan support, come up for a vote.

So why the change of heart?

Though the answer is unclear, there's one surprising possibility: It's been reported that Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a top White House adviser, played a crucial role in getting the criminal justice bill unstuck.

If that is in fact the case -- and there's no reason to doubt recent reports -- then it would mark a fundamental turning point in Kushner's tenure. Though he's been charged with key duties -- Middle East peace, most significantly -- Kushner so far has done little of note. One might be tempted to suggest that his greatest achievement to date has been marrying well.

Unless, that is, his work on the criminal justice bill pays off.

The Senate bill, based largely on a measure passed by the House earlier this year, would reduce the sentence for third drug offenses from life in prison to 25 years. It would end the longstanding disparity between sentences for crack and powder cocaine, a ridiculous relic of a hysterical time. Further, it would give judges greater discretion when handing out sentences for lesser crimes.

Add these sensible policies, and more, to the House bill, which was itself a solid effort at reducing rates of recidivism, and you've got yourself a bill that has broad-based bipartisan support.

It was never entirely clear why McConnell had been holding up the popular legislation, and no one is exactly sure about what made him change his mind. But what matters now is that the bill has a chance.

It's still got a good distance to go before becoming law, of course. It's got to pass in the Senate, and then have the differences between the two bills reconciled. After that, there'll be new votes in both chambers. And the clock is ticking on the current legislative session.

Still, though, its finally got a real chance after seemingly having had none at all. And thats most decidedly worth cheering.
SPRINGFIELD  A company seeking to open a marijuana retail business on Cottage Street in East Springfield met with the neighborhood a second time on Wednesday night after a prior meeting ended with criticism of the plans as too vague and a colossal waste of time.

At Wednesdays meeting, Steven Mrowzinski, president of the Springfield Cannabis Co., was joined by a seven-member team to provide details about the proposed marijuana store at 732 Cottage St., relating to operations, security, parking, employment and other concerns.

I feel very confident the meeting went a lot better, Mrowzinski said at the conclusion of the 90-minute community meeting held at the East Springfield Neighborhood Council office on Carew Street.

Some residents and local officials agreed.

Ward 2 City Councilor Michael Fenton was among the critics of the first meeting on Dec. 3, saying that the meeting was a colossal waste of time. That changed Wednesday, he said.

This is how these initial community meetings should be run  through our neighborhood councils, Fenton said. There is much more to do for this site and our application process city-wide, but this was a good informational meeting tonight. A good first step for this applicant.

Kathleen Brown, president of the East Springfield Neighborhood Council, said the residents' top concerns were how the company will deal with traffic, overall management of the product on site, and prevention of youth access.

"Springfield Cannabis brought a significant team with them and answered a lot of questions they weren't able to answer before," Brown said. "So that's a good thing. I know people in the room still have lots of other questions that will come forward as the process continues."

Mrowzinski said he and his family plan to move to the city if the marijuana license is granted and give back to the community. He lives in Middle Island, New York, owns Therapeutic Consultants Inc. in Middle Island and also is a licensed acupuncturist.

The store site in East Springfield is the former Thorn Industries building.

His hired security consultant, Andy Klein of American Alarm and Communications Inc., of Auburn, said there will be an extensive array of continuous recording video cameras both inside and outside the building, electric door locks for inside and outside doors and an intrusion alarm system including a panic alarm system to prevent burglaries.

Mrowzinskis lawyer, Michael Cutler of Northampton, and an engineering consultant said that store operations, checking of identification to prevent minors from entering the building and labeling of all products are all heavily regulated and controlled under state law.

The company will need approvals and conditions from the mayor, City Council and Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, including a host community agreement from the city and a special permit from the council.

At Wednesdays meeting, Mrowzinski said the company will hire approximately 18 employees and will provide a significant donation to the neighborhood council along with the requirements for taxes paid to the city and state.

Regarding traffic control and parking, company officials said they will take whatever steps are needed, including the use of hired staff and security to prevent any hazards or oversaturation of parking. The company has a parking lot, but will also consider an off-site parking lot area and shuttle service, company officials said.

Company officials said that traffic could be escalated early on, such as experienced in other communities, but will be monitored and addressed by the company. Discussions will be ongoing with the neighborhood and city officials, they said.

State Rep. Jose Tosado, D-Springfield, among the about 35 attendees, said the legal marijuana industry is relatively new. I think it requires close monitoring and accountability, and a whole lot of taxpayer insight, Tosado said. At the end of the day, its about the safety and security of the people who live here.
SPRINGFIELD -- Seven residents were displaced in a fire in a Forest Park home Wednesday night.

The fire was reported just after 5:30 p.m. at 88 Somerset St. When firefighters arrived, they found flames inside a first-floor bedroom wall, said Dennis Leger, executive assistant to Fire Commissioner Bernard J. Calvi.

The fire was extinguished quickly and caused about $10,000 in damage. An investigated determined it was caused by overheated electrical wiring, he said.

The Pioneer Valley American Red Cross is assisting the seven residents who were displaced, he said.
SPRINGFIELD - A bullet struck a home Wednesday afternoon and set the building on fire.

The fire was reported at about 2:30 p.m. at 172 Belmont Ave. When firefighters arrived, they found exterior wall insulation smoldering under the siding, said Dennis Leger, executive assistant to Fire Commissioner Bernard J. Calvi.

At the same time police were summoned to the location when the ShotSpotter audio system detected gunfire near the house, said Ryan Walsh, police spokesman said.

"It appears the most likely cause of the fire was a 'hot round' from a gunshot that struck the building," Leger said.

Firefighters removed some of the home's siding and extinguished the fire. It caused less than $5,000 in damage, he said.

No one was injured in the shooting or the fire. No one was home at the time of the shooting, officials said.

Police, who responded to the scene with multiple units, temporarily closed that stretch of Belmont Avenue while they investigated. Detectives continue to investigate.
Project Veritas, a right-media group that uses hidden cameras, is setting up in Massachusetts after a federal court said a state law prohibiting secret audio recordings of police officers and other government officials is unconstitutional.

The ruling zeroes in on government officials performing duties in public.

We havent been able to work in Massachusetts until now and we will work in Massachusetts, said James OKeefe, head of the Project Veritas.

We may be in Massachusetts already, he added. We cant talk about what we do.

The ruling was part of the result of Project Veritas taking on Suffolk District Attorneys Office, arguing that undercover news gathering and reporting could result in criminal charges and civil lawsuits if undertaken in Massachusetts because of a state law banning secret audio recordings. The ACLU of Massachusetts had its own separate lawsuit that led to the ruling.

Court documents outline the interest of Project Veritas, a New York-based nonprofit, in some potential topics in Massachusetts, including instances of landlords taking advantage of housing shortages in Boston where students may live in unsafe and dilapidated conditions, and ties between the landlords and local officials.

The nonprofit also expressed interest in investigating the controversy over sanctuary cities, the oft-used term for local communities that seek to limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

It would accomplish this by secretly investigating and recording interactions with government officials in Boston in the discharge of their duties in public places, including police officers, to learn more about their concerns about immigration policy and deportation, the court filing said.

The nonprofit would also secretly investigate and record government officials who are discharging their duties at or around the State House in Boston and other public spaces to learn about their motives and concerns about immigration policy and deportation, the filing added.

A 2010 OKeefe undercover investigation into Mary Landrieu, a Louisiana senator, resulted in him pleading guilty to a misdemeanor of entering government property under false pretenses. In the incident, OKeefe pretended to be a telephone repairman.

In another incident, according to the Associated Press, a woman who was affiliated with Project Veritas tried to get the [Washington Post] to report a false sexual allegation against Republican Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore.

As for the ACLU of Massachusetts, the a left-leaning group filed its own separate lawsuit in June 2016 against the Boston Police and the Suffolk District Attorneys Office. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of two activists.

"We all suffer when fear of retribution or prosecution stifles conversations about police accountability, said Roxbury resident Rene Perez, one of the plaintiffs. This ruling is a step towards greater police accountability and towards the safe, effective exercise of the right to record the police.

Michael Lambert, an attorney with Prince Lobel Tye LLP, said the ruling reinforces one of the ideas behind the First Amendment: People shouldnt be afraid of government, but the government should be afraid of the people.

The ruling is also a victory for journalists, he said.

This decision doesnt mean all journalists and everybodys going to constantly be recording the police in secret, it just means theyre able to if they need to, Lambert said. And theyre able to do so if and when its necessary.

What constitutes public space and who is considered a public official are still open questions, as the ruling acknowledges, Lambert added.

Its certainly interesting in this case, you have the ACLU and Project Veritas, consolidated into one, he said. I think that just shows the nonpartisan nature of the First Amendment. It is not owned by the right or the left, it belongs to the people.

Material from Associated Press was used in this report.
BOSTON - Five people were found guilty Thursday for their roles in manufacturing tainted medications that caused a nationwide fungal meningitis outbreak in 2012 which infected 753 people, killing more than 100.

The owner of New England Compounding Center and four employees were convicted by a federal jury Thursday in Boston following an eight-week trial. A sixth defendant, Joseph Evanosky, 46, of Westford, was acquitted, said Christina DiLorio-Sterling, spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling.

Those convicted are:

Gene Svirskiy, 37, of Ashland, a former clean room pharmacist, who supervised the production of high-risk heart medications, was convicted of racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, 10 counts of mail fraud, and two counts of introduction of adulterated drugs into interstate commerce with intent to defraud or mislead. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Christopher Leary, 34, of Shrewsbury, former a clean room pharmacist, was convicted of three counts of mail fraud, one count of introduction of adulterated drugs into interstate commerce with intent to defraud or mislead, and two counts of introduction of misbranded drugs into interstate commerce. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Sharon Carter, 54, of Hopkinton, former director of operations, was convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States. She faces a maximum sentence of no greater than five years in prison.

Alla Stepanets, 38, of Framingham, a former verification pharmacist, was convicted of six counts of introduction of misbranded drugs into interstate commerce. She faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison.

Greg Conigliaro, 53, of Southborough, the former owner of the company, was convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Judge Richard G. Stearns has scheduled sentencing for the five convicted on different dates between March 14 and 28, DiLorio-Sterling said.

In 2012, patients in 20 states were diagnosed with a fungal infection after receiving injections of preservative-free methylprednisolone acetate manufactured by the company, she said.

The criminal investigation revealed that the company's pharmacists knowingly made and sold numerous drugs in a similar unsafe manner and in unsanitary conditions in addition to the Methylprednisolone acetate. The pharmacists failed to properly sterilize the drugs, test the drugs for sterility and did not wait for test results before sending drugs to customers, she said.

They also approved the use of expired drug ingredients and the mislabeling of those drugs to deceive customers. The company also failed to take any action when environmental monitoring repeatedly detected mold and bacteria within the clean rooms, she said.

"These defendants were professionals who acted recklessly to the extreme detriment of public health," Lelling said in writing. "Over the course of years, the defendants callously disregarded patient health by cutting corners and prioritizing profits over safety. And they got away with it by defrauding federal and state regulators. The result was contaminated, deficient, deadly drugs that never should have been made or distributed. Ultimately, the jury found the defendants' fraudulent conduct wrong and deserving of punishment. I applaud the prosecutors and the investigative team on their dogged determination to bring us another step closer to justice for the victims and their families."

In June 2017, Barry Cadden, the former owner and head pharmacist for the company, was sentenced to nine years in prison and three years of supervised release after being convicted of racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, mail fraud and introduction of misbranded drugs into interstate commerce with the intent to defraud and mislead. In January 2018, Glenn Chin, NECC's former supervisory pharmacist, was sentenced to eight years in prison and two years of supervised release after being convicted of 77 counts.

Two remaining defendants, Kathy Chin, and Michelle Thomas, both of Cumberland, R.I., who are former verification pharmacists, are scheduled for trial on March 25, 2019.

"A key aspect of the FDA's mission is to ensure that drugs are made under high- quality conditions to prevent patient harm due to poorly compounded products," said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. "This episode was a tragic reminder of why compounding and compounded drugs can present serious risks to patients. We've taken significant new steps to ensure the quality of compounded drugs and improve patient safety, in order to prevent another calamity like the episode involving NECC."
AMHERST - The appearance of a swastika at the high school last week, coupled with unease about "the use of the N-word in our curriculum" has prompted action by the administration.

An investigation is ongoing related to the symbol, along with "educational follow-up" for that and the N-word matter.

"These are all areas in which we need to advance our competencies and practices, including the appropriate curricular use of words and symbols that have been historically used in derogatory ways. We are committed to continuing our growth throughout the District," Superintendent of Schools Michael Morris and Amherst-Pelham Regional High School interim Principal Miki Gromacki jointly wrote a letter to parents and the public school community following last Friday's swastika incident.

"A student reported an anti-semitic incident at the end of the last period of the day. The incident involved a swastika being put on the back of a student. It was quickly noticed and removed. The targeted student, along with another student who was present, reported it to the teacher who in turn notified the dean and administration. Parents of students that we learned were present were contacted on Friday evening," Morris and Gromacki wrote.

"Because this information was received at the time of dismissal, we are still in the process of conducting a complete investigation, which we anticipate being completed in the next few days," they wrote.

"In addition to this specific incident, we were recently informed of a situation involving a classroom conversation around the use of the N-word in our curriculum. This conversation left some students in a state of discomfort," Morris and Gromacki wrote.

"Our community recognizes that social justice and anti-bias education is an important aspect of our educational priorities; therefore, we are reaching out to community partners including the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) to offer educational follow up. Our school community continually works to develop effective responses regarding all areas of bias including racial, ethnic, gender, sexual orientation, age, language, social class, immigration status, ability/disability, and more."
BOSTON - A 32-year-old man accused of building a semi-automatic "ghost gun" from parts he ordered pleaded guilty Tuesday to being a felon in possession of ammunition.

Brendan Sheils, 32, of Burlington, is scheduled for sentencing on March 18. He faces a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine, said Christina DiLorio-Sterling, spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling.

Acting on a tip that Sheils was in possession of an Uzi bump stock weapon and planned to attack the Burlington Police Department, police investigated and applied for a search warrant. On Feb. 23 they raided his home and recovered the homemade AR-15 style rifle. The gun was loaded with 28 bullets and a total of 30 pieces of ammunition were found in the residence, she said.

Lelling; Kelly Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; Woburn Police Chief Robert J. Ferullo Jr.; and Burlington Police Chief Michael Kent worked together on the investigation and arrest, she said.

U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin presided over the plea in U.S. District Court in Boston. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
HOLYOKE -- The mournful strains of Bach, as played by Amherst cellist Ignacy Gaydamovich across the street from the former Mater Dolorosa Church on Thursday morning, provided a fitting accompaniment to the baser sounds of a backhoe steadily dismantling the church bit by bit.

Demolition of the 117-year-old church, closed since 2011 despite the ardent protestations its parishioners, many of whom occupied the church for a year, began Tuesday.

As of Thursday morning, when Gaydamovich sat down to play on a park bench along Maple Street, the church had been essentially gutted save for its southern wall and, ironically, its landmark steeple.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield argued one of the problems with the building is its steeple, which it said could collapse. That claim has been disputed by other building experts.

The Polish-born Gaydamovich, while not a parishioner, closely followed the effort to save the church.

"I came here to mourn this beautiful building that used to be such an important Polish heritage site," Gaydamovich said. "And -- thanks to I think greed -- it is being demolished."

Gaydamovich braved the biting cold to play Bach's Sarabande Suite No. 1. The piece, he said, is known for its somber tones and is "usually played in situations of a loss."

Afterwards, Gaydamovich was clearly moved by the moment.

"I am a little bit emotional," he said. "I kind of feel music has a little more to offer than just art. It has a real human significance."

A trio of parishioners, who happened upon the brief performance, thanked Gaydamovich for his offering.

The tiny group of mourners -- the musician and his grateful audience -- quickly disbanded under leaden skies, leaving the backhoe to its work.
Massachusetts regulators on Thursday approved four new retail pot shops, more than doubling the number of that have received sign-offs.

The companies behind the shops, which will be located in the Berkshires as well as Hudson and Fall River, must still meet several conditions before they can receive a "commence operations" certificate and open their doors to customers. That means openings are likely weeks away.

"I think this is the clip we're going to be operating at, and if anything it's probably going to get little more voluminous," Steve Hoffman, chairman of the Cannabis Control Commission, told reporters after the regulatory agency met.

Asked why weeks pass between final approval and "commence operations" certificates, Hoffman said it's largely due to companies needing to load their inventory into the state's seed-to-sale tracking system and asking the agency to come in and inspect the inventory afterwards.

"It's literally just entering the inventory and allowing us to do a physical inventory to compare," Hoffman said. "So I don't know physically if that can happen any less than two to three weeks, but it seems like that two to three week cycle is what's going to be typical between final license and certificate to operate, or commence operations."

That's in part due to some of the moratoriums in place at cities and towns expected to expire at the end of this year, he noted.

Two shops have been open since Nov. 20 and pulled in more than $7 million in sales.

The first retail pot shops to open east of the Mississippi, Cultivate in Leicester and New England Treatment Access (NETA) have steadily drawn crowds.

A third retail shop, run by Alternative Therapies Group, is set to open on Saturday, Dec. 15, in Salem. It will be the first such store in eastern Massachusetts.

INSA in Easthampton and Pharmacannis in Wareham, while they are in the final stage of approvals, are still waiting to the okay to commence operations.

The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission approved four stores on Thursday, located in Hudson, Pittsfield, Great Barrington and Fall River.

Northeast Alternatives Inc. is aiming to open a shop in Fall River while Theory Wellness, Inc. applied to open a retail shop in Great Barrington. Temescal Wellness of Massachusetts Inc. has retail shops planned for Hudson and Pittsfield.

The commission's votes at a meeting inside the Massachusetts State House brings the total number of retail shops that have received approvals to nine.

This post was updated with comments from Chairman Hoffman.
SPRINGFIELD -- Mayor Domenic J. Sarno has once again urged the City Council to drop plans to make Springfield a "welcoming community" for immigrants regardless of their legal status, saying it would trigger financial and legal challenges.

"In discussions with my cabinet heads if the City Council passes its sanctuary city ordinance, it will create unanticipated and unbudgeted financial and legal challenges to our schools, health, housing and police departments," Sarno said in a statement.

Citing a February report from Forbes, Sarno said unauthorized immigrants cost the U.S. billions of dollars in subsidized care.

Councilors have defended the ordinance, and have denied it will make Springfield a sanctuary city.

The ordinance has received initial approval from the council, and could get a final vote Monday, with a promised veto by Sarno. Councilors in favor of the ordinance, including President Orlando Ramos, said they stand ready to override a veto.

The ordinance states in part that city officials, including police and other city employees, "shall not inquire as to an individual's immigration status unless required by federal or state law." In addition, city officials "shall not target with legal action or discriminate against a medical, educational or faith institution in their mission of providing refuge to immigrants and their families."

Councilors and supporters of the ordinance have said questioning residents about their immigration status can be discriminatory and harmful, and may lead some immigrants not to contact city agencies or police when in need or in danger.

Sarno said Police Commissioner John Barbieri cited a number of cases in which police officers have reason to question someone about his or her immigration status. Examples include "persons that have been convicted of serious crimes, resulting in deportation and are later discovered in Springfield, criminally organized gangs, human trafficking, drug trafficking, fraud and identity theft."

"This is a very complicated issue - public safety leaders agree that there may be instances where there is a concern regarding the release of some individuals back into our neighborhoods," Barbieri said in a statement.

He said the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association and Massachusetts Major City Chiefs of Police have both endorsed Gov. Charlie Baker's proposed legislation that would allow public safety officials to hold individuals on requested Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers in cases where the detainee has prior criminal convictions for serious violent offenses.

"The proposed legislation would allow public safety to honor a written request from ICE to detain if the person has engaged in or is suspected of terrorism or had been convicted of a serious felony," Barbieri said.

Sarno restated that, as the son of immigrants, "I've always been a supporter of legal immigration and a positive pathway towards citizenship."

He urged federal officials to stop the rhetoric and resolve the immigration issue.

"Again, as Mayor of the City of Springfield, I have a responsibility to uphold the laws that provide for the public health and safety of all of our citizens and business community," Sarno said.
Donald Trump has been called lots of names over the years. A few have been intended as compliments. Many others, obviously, much less so. But the latest -- Individual 1 -- may proved ultimately to be the most damning.

When Michael Cohen, Trump's longtime personal attorney and "fixer" walked into a New York courtroom on Thursday and pleaded guilty to having lied to Congress, he said he'd done so because he didn't want to harm the candidacy of "Individual 1."

That's the legal parlance, of course. And it clearly refers to Trump.

Why did Cohen lie to Congress about the timing of a planned Trump Tower in Moscow, when and how many times he spoke with Trump about the project's details, whether he was in contact with people close to Russian president Vladimir Putin, and how much he told Trump family members about plans for the Moscow skyscraper?

To protect his patron, of course.

Because Trump, while seeking the presidency, was continuing with his efforts to expand his real-estate empire to Russia. And he clearly didn't want his connections to our longtime adversary, specifically to Putin, to taint his candidacy.

Well, those connections are now staining his presidency.

Yes, special counsel Bob Mueller, who'd effectively gone dark for the couple of months leading up to the midterm elections on Nov. 6, is back. Boy, howdy, is he back.

And what's becoming increasingly clear is this: He's been building a case against Trump. Though the myriad specific details are not yet known, there can be no doubt that Mueller is looking at people in Trump's orbit who worked with Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign. He's looking at links to WikiLeaks, too. And efforts to hide those contacts.

Time and again, Trump has said that there was no collusion. He's said it so often, and so vehemently, that one could be forgiven for believing that he's got something to hide.

Though there's so much that's still unknown, it's possible even now to say this: Russia worked to help get Trump into the White House, and it may be Russia that will ultimately end his time there.

Trump knows it, too. Why else would he be so obsessed with Mueller's probe?

Robert S. Mueller III was named special counsel on May 17, 2017. His appointment came soon after Trump fired then-FBI Director James Comey, a move he admitted he'd made because of "this Russia thing."

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, the presumptive next speaker once her party reassumes the majority on Jan 3, has shown little interest in bringing impeachment charges against the former reality TV star who is currently serving as our nation's president. That was her position while she worked to get candidates elected, and there's no reason to believe that she's ready to change course now. Though that could eventually change.

For now, though, it would make no sense. Because Republicans still hold the majority in the Senate, and because Trump has effectively taken over the Republican Party, there's no chance that an effort to remove the president from office would be successful. (Our Constitution gives the House the authority to bring charges, with the trial held in the Senate.)

But there's no hurry. Unless Trump does something completely out of bounds, that is. Like trying to remove Mueller.

For now, though, as the special counsel continues to build his case, assembling the pieces of the puzzle, the man once known as The Donald, who is now sometimes called Individual 1, can do little more than watch -- and rant and rave and tweet.
Candy Glazer announced Wednesday that she is stepping down as chairwoman of the Longmeadow Democratic Town Committee after leading the Western Massachusetts political organization for nearly two dozen years.

Glazer revealed in an evening email to members and friends of the Longmeadow Democratic Town Committee that she will officially resign as chairwoman on Jan. 1. She will pass her title and gavel to the new chairperson, following an election at the groups Jan. 16 meeting.

Glazer said it has been a joy an a great honor ... to chair and lead the Longmeadow Democrats over the past 23 years," adding that shes proud to be leaving with a very strong Democratic Party, here, in Longmeadow and in Western Massachusetts.

It has been a wonderful 23 years as your chair. I am confident and excited that the new chair, Executive Committee, and LDTC members will continue to make a difference in our community and for the Democratic Party, she wrote in her email.

She further thanked the many Executive Committee members who, since 1995, have attended monthly meetings at (her) house, stepped up to leadership positions, and helped make the LDTC such as successful political group.

The Democrat, who will continue to hold the honorary title of chair emeritus," stressed that she has put a great deal of time and thought into preparing for this transition of leadership" in recent years, including electing two vice-chairs, growing the Executive Committee and adding a youth position, among other things.

The outgoing chairwoman added that she felt January marked a good time for such a transition as 2019 will be an off-election year" in the political calendar.

Glazer said shes confident that the new chair and LDTC members are ready and prepared to take over leadership. She thanked Vice Chairs Michael Clark and Michele Marantz and Treasurer Bill Hoff for the extra time and help.

Glazer further noted that while shes stepping down as the committees chairwoman, she will remain committed to political activism" as the chairwoman for state Sen. Eric Lessers committee and as a member of the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee, among other things.

As town committee chairwoman, Glazer has represented Longmeadow and Western Massachusetts at 30 Democratic State Conventions and as an elected delegate at several Democratic National Conventions.

She has also attended inaugurations and traveled the country with her political activism.

In 2012, she was elected to the Massachusetts Electoral College, where she cast her vote for President Barack Obamas re-election bid.

Glazer was also active in several high-profile political campaigns, including former Massachusetts U.S. Sen. John Kerrys unsuccessful run for president in 2004.
The Boston Red Sox may in the early stages of finding a trading partner to help figure what to do with the surplus of catchers in their system.

The Red Sox currently have their primary catcher duo of Sandy Leon and Christian Vazquez slated to return in 2019 along with catcher Blake Swihart, who has played other positions on the field.

According to MLB.coms Anthony DiComo, the Mets have reached out to Boston about the availability of their catchers.

The Mets have spoken to the Red Sox about their catching surplus (Christian Vazquez, Sandy Leon and Blake Swihart), though nothing is serious. They've discussed many fallback options to J.T. Realmuto, including Wilson Ramos and Martin Maldonado. This is another.  Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) December 13, 2018

Heading into 2019, theres a heavy expectation that the Red Sox will not retain all three catches. The Vazquez-Leon duo served them well en route to a World Series. However, they also have Blake Swihart, who came up as a highly touted prospect but has struggled to get onto the field.

With Triple-A no longer an option, the Red Sox will have to try to get the most of the talent they have at the position. The overlying presumption is that the Red Sox will trade one away and go into next season with an entrenched duo behind the plate.

But as the report indicates, the talks with the Mets did not gain a whole lot of traction. However, they do indicate that teams are laying foundation for trade talks with the Red Sox in targeting their catchers.
A heavy fire broke out at a home in Dorchester overnight, causing approximately $400,000 in damages, according to the Boston Fire Department.

Boston firefighters battled the blaze around 1 a.m. on Thursday in freezing cold conditions. Heavy smoke and fire billowed out of the half-story single family home at 22 Bearse Avenue in Dorchester.

Two residents were displaced by firefighters and no injuries occurred, Boston Fire reported.

Photos shared by the Boston Fire Department show blown-out windows, a burned exterior and rubble pouring out of the home. Conditions were described as cold and icy as firefighters worked to knock down the heaviest fire.

Thanks again to our friends @BostonSparks A-10 . The cold and icy conditions its nice for the support they provide detail companies Still working pic.twitter.com/KpNn8RGUfQ  Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) December 13, 2018

The Boston Fire Department estimated $400,000 was lost in damages, and the exact cause of the fire remains under investigation.
A vigil at Revere City Hall on Thursday will remember the Mejia-Rivera sisters, two-month-old Natasha Nicole and 5-year-old Adriana, who were killed by an oncoming car in Revere this week.

The young sisters died after suspect Autumn Harris allegedly struck them and three others while driving a Chevrolet Equinox on Route 145 on Sunday. The victims were on a sidewalk along the median strip of the highway, near North Shore Road in Revere, when they were fatally struck.

Adriana Mejia-Rivera was pronounced dead at the scene, around 5 p.m. on Sunday. Emergency responders immediately transported Natasha Nicole to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she later died from critical injuries.

We are all just devasted [sic] by this horrific event. These are the parents only two children, a GoFundMe page by Evelyn Muniz, a friend of the Mejia-Rivera family, reads. The parents' last wish, Muniz said, is to have their children buried in their country of El Salvador.

The fundraiser, which was initially created to only cover the costs of burial for Adriana Mejia-Rivera, has raised $27,616 of its original $20,000 goal.

You guys have shown the goodness in people and have proven that there is so much hope for this world. Unfortunately this horrible accident happened to our friends that forever changed their lives and mine. These beautiful little girls will forever be in my heart, Muniz wrote after the flood of donations poured in.

The vigil is scheduled to take place at 5:30 p.m. in front of Revere City Hall on Thursday to honor and pay respect to the girls and their grieving loved ones.

Harris, 42, of Beacon Hill, was arraigned Monday in Chelsea District Court on charges of motor vehicle homicide and negligent operation of a motor vehicle. She was held on $10,000 bail and ordered to remain free of drugs and alcohol if she posted that amount. Additional charges may be filed against Harris.

Our priority right now is supporting a family who lost the center of their world in the blink of an eye, Suffolk County District Attorney John P. Pappas said in a statement.

Harris allegedly told investigators that she had vaped cannabinoid oil in the car and might have nodded off at the wheel, according to the Suffolk County district attorneys office. Harris also allegedly said she had drank one beer earlier in the afternoon and had taken prescription and over-the-counter medication the night before to help sleep, though said she had only slept for two hours before working all day.

She is scheduled to next appear in court on Jan. 10, 2019.
Tottenham Hotspurs' game against Manchester United in January will be played at Wembley, the Premier League club announced on Wednesday, as their long wait to move into their new stadium drags on.

In a statement, Tottenham said that testing "is being conducted both during the day and night" on safety systems and that "barring no further significant issues we should then be in a position to schedule Test Events".

"This does mean therefore that we need to confirm that our Premier League home game against Manchester United will take place at Wembley," the statement added.

Tottenham have been hit by several delays during the construction of their new arena on the site of their old White Hart Lane home in north London.

Mauricio Pochettino's side had originally been expected to play in the ground by September, but a series of building and safety issues have pushed back the grand opening.

"We are acutely conscious that we are asking fans to go to Wembley for far longer than any of us wanted to. However we are now seeing the progress that we needed to see," said Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.

"Once again I want to apologise to fans and to thank you for your ongoing support."

With the high-profile Premier League clash against United on January 13 now confirmed to be played at their temporary home of Wembley, Spurs will head into the new year still uncertain when they can open the new stadium.

Tottenham, who qualified for the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday after a 1-1 draw at Barcelona, say they are expecting an update from contractors in the week commencing January 7 2019.
Airbnb Senior Vice President Christopher Lehane says in a letter to the board Wednesday that Airbnb is following company policy for disputed territory worldwide. He says it is the same as U.S. multinational hotel chains' policies. He says Airbnb is not anti-Israel and company investment in the region has drawn boycott-movement criticism.
She pointed to other announced office expansions in Chicago this year, including by Google and Facebook. Two weeks ago, Salesforce confirmed plans to lease 500,000 square feet in the Wolf Point development on the Chicago River, creating a regional headquarters where the software firm said it will add at least 1,000 jobs. The 60-story skyscraper, which will be called Salesforce Tower, is expected to open in 2023. The company already employs about 1,400 people in Chicago.
Its not yet clear which airports could end up getting the biofuel, since that will depend in part on where it makes the most financial sense for Fulcrum to ship the fuel, Robinson said. Some states offer incentives to companies delivering biofuels, and Illinois isnt currently among them, he said.
Musk also took issue on Twitter with what he said was the show's edit of some of his comments. According to notes from the interview provided by the company, Musk followed his comment that he can "just call for a shareholder vote and get anything done that I want" by saying "provided I could get support for at least 1/3 of the other shareholders, which is likely. Not certain, but likely. At the end of the day the shareholders control the company."
The Ferrara announcement confirms a Tribune story in November that the maker of candy brands like Nerds and Lemonheads was negotiating to take space in the 2.8 million-square-foot building. So far, its only neighbor in the building at 433 W. Van Buren St., will be Walgreens, which earlier this year announced plans to move 1,800 employees there in 2019, most of them from its Deerfield headquarters.
Some of his complaints are remarkably easy to pick apart. He notes that national critics "used to write starry-eyed reports" about Chicago, but no longer. I suppose he's right if we are only talking about this calendar year, but Bon Appetit did select Chicago as the best restaurant city of 2017, as did Conde Nast Traveler. But he never really digs into why we should care so much about national critics in the first place. According to Kessler, only national or international critics seem to matter. He brings up the James Beard Awards, Michelin, GQ, The Washington Post and the Worlds 50 Best Restaurants list, but never once discusses local news outlets.
With less than two weeks left before Christmas, are you feeling the holiday spirit? In case you need a boost of holiday cheer, check out these events around town and the suburbs, where you can shop handmade bazaars, chow down on brunch with Santa or sing holiday songs with a local choral ensemble.
And hes easy pickings for his supervisors, who decide Baxters one-bedroom apartment shall be made available to them on demand in the evenings when they are cheating on their wives. Its literally a quid pro quo scenario: Hes being harassed by proxy  pressured into giving over his apartment for their sexual affairs, or risk a bad performance review. These executives are awful. The worst of them (in part because he hides it behind such a patrician and genteel demeanor) is the director of personnel himself, Mr. Sheldrake, played by Fred MacMurray.
The Mule retells it as if terrified of giving the main character a strong point of view, or viewing him through a stimulating clash of perspectives. The movies version of Sharp is Earl Stone, a babe in the woods, naive in the comically implausible extreme. The movie ticks off one drug run after another, from Texas to Chicago. (Eastwood made the movie in cost-effective Georgia.) The road trips are excuses to have Eastwood sing along with Dino to Aint That a Kick in the Head, or with Roger Miller and Dang Me. The Mule doesnt want the audience thinking too much, if at all, about whats in the back of the pickup. Hes just a lovable coot trying to cash in, and Eastwood is essentially trading American Sniper for American Schlepper.
With the Great Migration and all the Jim Crow-era events, theres the whole way the city developed (and) divided into different racial and ethnic neighborhoods, says Burns. Of course, there have been many poems written about Division Street and streets of division. Its about the fact that certain people cant go to certain neighborhoods, whether its through red-lining or other, unspoken cultural laws.
Alf expects he will be able to take up again with Courtney (Sabrina Revelle), "the love of my life," who, uninterested, reminds him that I had a full ride to Stanford but chose Illinois to be with you, and then you chose to go be Lou's paid friend instead, and I didn't see you again until ... he died." Ronnie, who got a perfect score on the SAT ("I smoked that exam like the CIA smoked Biggie") assumes Yale will honor his multiply deferred acceptance. They cook up ideas to remake their fortune  "Mr. Potato Head but for urns," "reverse ketchup" and "Diamond Eye," for people who can afford to lose an eye and replace it with a jewel: "I haven't figured out all the Diamond Eye details yet," says Ronnie, but think about the clientele.
I couldn't believe when I first started that animals were not protected the way I thought they would be.  I saw so many treatable animals being killed when they could have and should have survived, she said. As an animal lover, I knew I couldn't participate in a system which treated pets like that. With PAWS, I found an organization willing to go above and beyond for its animals.
The study, published online in December in the journal Circulation, was led by Daniel Modin, of the University of Copenhagen. He and his colleagues gathered 12 years of data on more than 134,000 Danes recently diagnosed with heart failure. Vaccination rates varied from 16 percent in 2003 to 52 percent in 2015, with a high of 54 percent in 2009.
In 1949, Nobel laureate Linus Pauling traced sickle cell disease to an aberrant form of hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. It helped usher in the modern era of medicine, focused on using the biological roots of illness to unravel disease - and yet, sickle cell anemia, which is most common in people of African descent, has also become a flash point in medicine at the intersection of race and health care. Doctors often disbelieve patients' reports of the pain caused by the disease, according to one study. President Richard Nixon issued a statement that it was "a sad and shameful fact that the causes of this disease have been largely neglected throughout our history." There was only a single approved drug for the disease until last year.
Some experts say its because of their primal instinct for survival. You are the one who provides them with food and shelter. So in return, they become your loyal guardians. They are protectors of not only the home but of your well-being. They read your emotions and know that their most important job is to stand by you when you need them most.
The way I see it, Democrats want unfettered illegal immigration, so the undocumented can be put on costly welfare and other social programs and thereby become a new crop of Democratic voters. It is a time-tested formula that has worked before. And the Republican establishment, which has long turned a blind eye to illegal immigration because their donors still want cheap labor, still hate Trump.
The incident caused some tense moments at a day care facility in the citys Old Irving neighborhood. Kathleen OShaughnessy was working at her insurance job when a staffer at her childs day care, Kiddieland on North Cicero Avenue, contacted her to say the building was being evacuated. Alarmed, she left work and called her roommate, whose 3-year-old boy was also at Kiddieland.
On the 35th anniversary of the consent decree which was put in place to remedy the Chicago Park Districts systemic discrimination against minority communities, Friends of the Parks analysis finds that the Chicago Park District again is balancing its budget on the backs of African-American and Latino communities, said Friends of the Parks board member and former Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners President Maria Saldana in a news release. In 2018, the Chicago Park District invested the least in park programming, capital, and park acreage in communities that need it the most. And we see a similar approach in their proposed 2019 budget.
The availability of community resources and facilities to handle complex behavioral and physical health needs of children and teenagers is a serious need in Illinois, Skene said in a statement. This is a decades-long problem in Illinois that has now fallen to the current leadership of DCFS. We are at the deep end of a challenge within the health care system.  Rebuilding the capacity of the mental health system will require more than a lawsuit.
omersukrugoksu/iStock(WASHINGTON) -- National security adviser John Bolton unveiled the Trump administration's new strategy for Africa as it works to counter Russia and China, as they expand their financial, political and military investments across the continent.



"Africa is incredibly important to the United States," Bolton told the audience at the Heritage Foundation on Thursday. "If we didn't understand it before, the competition posed by China and Russia and others should highlight it for us, which is why I do think this is a potential turning point in American understanding of what's at stake for us -- not just for Africa -- but for the United States in African affairs."



Bolton outlined a three-pronged approach to the region, which includes advancing U.S. trade and commercial ties, countering extremist organizations and violent conflict and ensuring U.S. aid is used efficiently and effectively. The approach also includes the reevaluation of U.S. support for United Nations peacekeeping missions.



He declined to provide specifics regarding the funding for the new strategy, despite President Donald Trump's guidance for government-wide budget cuts.



The new strategy comes less than a month after the Pentagon announced it was reducing its footprint in Africa by 10 percent over the next several years, to prioritize its resources toward countering China and Russia globally.



The military draw down would largely focus on counterterrorism forces in the Sahel region where the Pentagon has provided assistance to nations fighting extremist organizations, but U.S. forces operating in Somalia, Djibouti, and Libya would "largely remain the same," according to a Pentagon statement.



Asked whether the troop reduction was at odds with the new Africa strategy, Bolton said the administration wants to see African nations less reliant on the U.S. military -- which currently has about 7,200 troops on the continent -- but that the change doesn't reflect a lack of prioritization for the region.



In November, the Pentagon said it would "preserve a majority of our U.S. security cooperation, partnerships and programs in Africa that strengthen our partner networks and enhance partner capability and ongoing programs."



Bolton acknowledged that Beijing has taken a longer-term, strategic approach to Africa with its One Belt, One Road" initiative announced by President Xi Jinping in 2013, but he called their approach "predatory" with investment ventures "riddled with corruption."



Many African nations that were eager to accept Chinese loans now find themselves saddled with debt. Bolton pointed to Zambia as an example of a nation that owes China as much as $10 billion -- with Beijing now poised to take over its power and utility company in order to collect on the nation's financial obligations.



"Within the U.S. government it is fair to say whether it's Republican or Democratic administrations alike, it's often been difficult to get people to focus on [Africa]. There are always competing priorities," Bolton said.



"But now I think precisely because of the very well thought out, very comprehensive intervention of China in the continent of Africa and other places around the world too, with a program that is very systematically designed to tilt whole regions of the world ... in China's direction, that this is a very important point for the United States and the West as a whole to wake up."

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Edward Karas, 40, was charged in September with armed robbery after police said he, along with another man, robbed a Fire King Exxon at 8500 W. Lawrence Ave. in Norridge and a Shell gas station at 2301 W. Touhy Ave. in Park Ridge.
"Sex trafficking is an industry that is built on supply and demand, and this organization fed that industry," U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald said Wednesday, calling the case one of the largest trafficking networks ever dismantled at the federal level. "It exploited, it abused, enslaved and sold women in response to the high demand for commercial sex that exists not only in the United States but here in Minnesota."
In a good-government sense, voters should know as much as possible about all the candidates, including their finances, Gaines said. But in a strictly Machiavellian read on it, is it a risky thing in such an open field? Yes, because it still could come down to two or three serious candidates, and if youre the one who isnt disclosing much information, the others may draw voters attention to it in a big way and say, You just cant trust this guy.
Well, were going to look at all the various ways that we can fund an infrastructure plan, but theres no question about the fact that its been 10 years since we had a capital fund, a capital project fund, for the state of Illinois,  Pritzker said. We need a capital bill and theres got to be funding for it. So were going to look at every which way we can do that.
Trumps victory created political difficulties for Rauner. He spent most of his first term attempting to distance himself from the controversial president and refused to use his name in public. Later, he embraced Vice President Mike Pence, the former governor of Indiana. In late October, Rauner attended a Trump rally in southern Illinois, an area favorable to the president, but departed early without speaking to the president or getting a shoutout on stage.
A Jersey cow feeds in a field on the Francis Thicke organic dairy farm in Fairfield, Iowa, on May 8, 2018. (Charlie Neibergall/AP)
In the aftermath of the Oval Office meeting, House Republicans were struggling with whether to hold a vote on a spending bill containing $5 billion for the wall. It's a priority for many conservatives in their final days in the majority, and it took on added urgency after Pelosi and Trump argued publicly Tuesday about whether it could pass the House, with Pelosi claiming it couldn't and Trump insisting it could.
Stucky, the pilot in command for the mission, said it went as smoothly as it could have -and well enough for him to perform a victory barrell roll as the spacecraft returned to Earth."That was rather incredible," he said. Seeing "the dark sky was great. Everything just worked great. . . . We had tons of extra propellant. Had plenty of time to look around."
Anyway, I hauled out on my sleigh for deliveries on Christmas Eve. It was much lighter last year because I have fewer presents. And fewer houses to visit. That means fewer reindeer, but I still have to care for them all. Anyway, I had some spare time to investigate. I started going down chimneys and looking at where the stockings were hung with care. You know what I found all over just about every living room?
In their Oval Office meeting, Schumer told Trump that elections have consequences  echoing the infamous words spoken by Obama to congressional Republicans in 2009 when they presented him with their ideas for a stimulus package. Back then, however, Democrats controlled not just the House but the Senate and White House too. Today, Republicans control the executive branch and have an expanded Senate majority. So if Democrats want to get anything done, they cant ram it through over GOP objections, because Trump has leverage too  in the form of a pen he can use to sign or veto legislation. To get anything done, Democrats have to negotiate  and compromise.
By any measure, Krupa until now has been a long shot to defeat Ald. Marty Quinn, a Madigan coat-holder. Krupa had to submit 473 valid signatures of 13th Ward residents to get on the ballot. In a legal filing, his attorney says Krupa delivered 1,729 signatures to the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. Yet someone else filed 2,796 affidavits from residents seeking to revoke their petition signatures for Krupa. Affadavits are legal documents signed under penalty of perjury so surely none of them is untrue. But the math doesnt work. Among possible explanations:
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation oversees security guard licensing but has established no guidelines for use of force. A handful of states require armed guards to pass a mental health examination, but Illinois is not among them. Guards here must undergo a background check, but the state has discretion to grant anyone a license.
Portuguese health authorities identified 13 cases of omicron, the new coronavirus variant spreading fast globally, among members of a top soccer club and were investigating whether it was one of the first reported cases of local transmission of the virus outside of southern Africa.
The Aurora threats came in between 12:40 p.m. and 1:15 p.m., causing City Hall to be evacuated shortly before Congresswoman-elect Lauren Underwood was due to speak at an event there in her honor. Many of the roughly-100 people who planned to attend the event and city employees gathered at a parking lot at Water and Benton streets while police searched the building for any sign of a bomb.
President Mnangagwa yesterday ruled out the formation of a Government of National Unity with the MDC Alliance, saying the ruling Zanu-PF had won an overwhelming peoples mandate in the July 30 harmonised elections.

The President, who is also the ruling partys First Secretary, said this while opening the 110th Ordinary Session of the Central Committee at the Zanu-PF headquarters in Harare.

After the announcement of the election results by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, Zanu-PF got a two thirds majority in Parliament which was two times more than what they (MDC Alliance) got, he said.

So when you hear them saying we want a GNU you should ignore them. They are day-dreaming. As Zanu-PF you should not even think that there would be a GNU. We dont have any plans for a GNU in our party as Zanu-PF, he said.

They challenged the election results at the Constitutional Court and lost. They did not ask for the opening of the ballot boxes because they knew they would lose again. You now hear them making all sorts of noises but you should not be bothered about that. That is what losers do.

We should now concentrate on fulfilling the mandate we were given by the electorate in the next five years. We should build the economy and put politics aside. We are now seized as Zanu-PF with growing of the economy; with finding solutions to resolve all the economic challenges the country is facing as a result of sanctions which we are facing as a country.

The MDC-Alliance has been calling for the formation of an inclusive Government or what they call a transitional authority despite its electoral losses.

Party leader, Mr Nelson Chamisa pleaded for the formation of a GNU during a march by his party activists last month.

The MDC-Alliance has refused the acknowledge President Mnangagwas victory, saying it was a result of fiddling with figures by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.

The President on the other hand was prepared in the beginning to work with Chamisa as leader of the official opposition from the beginning.

The offer was met with insults, with MDC Alliance MPs refusing to honour the President in the National Assembly recently.

Last week sections of the private media claimed President Mnangagwa and Chamisa were engaged in negotiations indirectly, an assertion dismissed as fiction by Vice President Kembo Mohadi this week.

He said Zanu PF had won by a clear majority. In any case, he said, the focus was now on the economy, not political gamesmanship.

Calls now by the opposition no longer have traction, with Sadc saying there was no need for a GNU since President Mnangagwa and Zanu-PFs victory had been widely accepted.

He called for unity within the party saying all structures should implement agreed party programmes.

As we work towards building the economy we should be united and implement programmes that we have agreed on.

All party organs should therefore understand where we are going and all the programmes that we have, President Mnangagwa said.

Turning to the 17th edition of the Zanu-PF Annual Peoples Conference that started at Esigodini on Tuesday, the President said the event will focus on laying a firm foundation to improve the economic fortunes of the country and uplift citizens livelihoods.

The President acknowledged the economic challenges the country is facing.

He said some of them were being fuelled by saboteurs bent on causing instability in the country.

The conference is running under the theme, Zimbabwe is Open for Business: Peace, Unity towards an Upper Middle Income Economy by 2030.

During the liberation struggle we would always sit down to strategise on how to execute the war. The task before us now is to look for ways to build our country and uplift the peoples livelihoods and ensure that we have better schools, clinics, hospitals and clean water. So we are saying the task of rebuilding the economy is what we are facing, said President Mnangagwa.

So when we meet in Esigodini that is what we should focus on.

President Mnangagwa said the conference would also review achievements and plan for next years activities.

We are going to the conference to review our programmes and identify areas where we recorded successes and where we did not. We will also plan activities for the coming year, said the President.

He said some economic challenges such the massive hikes in prices of basic commodities were man-made and therefore deliberate.

We have challenges we are facing, some being normal when you are trying to fix an economy although some of them are acts of sabotage by our detractors, he said.

The President cited an example of seed maize prices that were hiked overnight from $33 to $110 in October without explanation or plausible justification.

We called the management of these companies as the Presidium to discuss the issue at State House and they quickly acknowledged the unjustified increase and pledged to reduce the price without explaining what had caused the overnight increase, said President Mnangagwa.

He spoke out against corruption saying it would not be tolerated under the new dispensation.

Under the new dispensation, we will not tolerate corruption. If there are some amongst us who are corrupt they should immediately discard that practice because you will not survive in the party if you are corrupt, he added.

President Mnangagwa said Government was committed to implementing devolution as seen by the allocation of $310 million for that purpose in the National Budget.

He said they had instructed the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and that of Finance and Economic Development to calculate provincial GDPs to foster competition among provinces in initiating developmental activities.

On party issues, the Zanu-PF First Secretary called for discipline among cadres.

We might have problems in the party but we do not want gossiping and backbiting.

If anyone has any queries or any concerns they should bring those up for discussion with others and not do it in a clandestine manner.

We should all work to be remembered for the good work we would have done for the party. So we must be honest leaders, hard working leaders and servant leaders, he said.

The most important is loyalty to the party and unity among us, hard work and harmony towards common goals.

At least 6 000 delegates are expected to attend the conference in Esigodini which ends of Saturday.

Before addressing the Central Committee, the President addressed hundreds of party youths and thanked them for conducting themselves in a peaceful manner before and during the harmonised elections.

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Serial rapist Amos Ngobeni has been removed from society  sentenced in the Durban High Court on Wednesday to 10 life terms and a collective 235 years imprisonment.

Ngobeni, a Zimbabwean national, had stalked the streets of Inanda and raped 19 women over several years. The 30-year-old artisan and father of four will now spend the foreseeable future behind bars.

For one victim of Ngobeni  who was violated in front of her helpless boyfriend six years ago  the fear and shame of her ordeal linger on.

I was afraid to even go out of the house, especially at night. I would have to make sure that all the doors were locked all the time, the woman said.

The woman, who cannot be named in terms of the SA press code of conduct as a rape victim, told of how the attack had changed her life.

The shame and embarrassment of looking at my neighbours was too much, it was as if I was losing my mind and I would run away if I saw a person walking towards me, she said.

I couldnt sleep at night and every time I closed my eyes the memories of that night would flash back to me, she added in her victim statement ahead of Ngobenis sentencing.

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Communications Manager Miriam Meza said the downtown Santori library received the threat through the phone around 11:50 a.m. Aurora police spokesman Dan Ferrelli said a disgruntled library patron who had been banned said she was going to blow up the building.
A group of businesspeople from the Egypt is headed for Zimbabwe to explore the countrys business potential in various economic sectors.

The visit, slated in March next year, according to leaders of the Federation of Egyptian Industries, was inspired by the vast potential unlocked by the coming in of the Second Republic with its Zimbabwe is open for business mantra.

Representatives of the Federation said they had experienced frustrations under the previous regime which ended with Operation Restore Legacy in November last year.

In his remarks during a Zimbabwe-Egypt dinner organised by the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce in Cairo, Egypt on Wednesday night, Industry and Commerce Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu urged the Egyptian businesses to take advantage of the new dawn in Zimbabwe.

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Trustees questioned the sign used by Ricky Rockets as it is a 3-D sign and does not fit into the village zoning ordinance of not having signs above six feet. A representative of the company said they could put the rocket boy part of the sign in an enclosure.
As I have said in the past, school safety continues to be a top priority of my administration, he said. School threats are not funny and anyone found to have made such a threat will be charged accordingly.
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!
With a steady band of energetic volunteers, Eberhard has donated the micropantries with contents to 39 other organizations since 2016, including the Will County Health Department, police departments and Prairie State College in Chicago Heights. But Bremen is only the second high school to receive this gift, the first being an alternative school in Morris.
Lemont is a really unique town where everyone invests in where they live, she said. Kids come in with their trophies and plaques. Families come here to celebrate. And it all makes my parents happy, seeing the standards they put in place and being part of the community.
Its a true variety of holiday themes from fast to slow to grounded to out of the box. Im really excited about this years show. Its fun. This is different from other holiday shows because theres such a variety of different scenes. At the very least, therell be something for everyone, she said.
Providing a safe and secure learning environment is of top priority to ECHO Joint Agreement and we take these incidents very seriously, Thomas said in a statement. Extensive security measures are in place to help us maintain a safe campus. It is imperative that we keep students safe while on school property and the alleged actions of this security guard directly contradict the measures we take to ensure the safety of our school community.
The man, whose identity is being withheld pending family notification, was driving a semi-truck on Route 20 near Nesler Road about 5 a.m. when it veered off the road and crashed into a light pole, according to a news release.
A timeline offered by officials at that October media session stated that a nurse did not respond to that call, but one showed up as part of regular rounds at about 9:15 a.m. and the inmate was in the same condition. It wasn't until lunch was being brought in shortly after 11 a.m. that Robinson was found unresponsive on the floor of his cell, according to officials.
"From what we have seen, all of the threats have had the same wording and demands so I think they are all coming from the same source, Belmonte said.
Specialties: Fatla said the most popular sushi roll is the little delicious, which includes spicy tuna, crab, avocado and cream cheese that is flash fried and finished with spicy mayo and eel sauce. As far as appetizers, the crab Rangoon steals the show and on the hibachi side its the chateaubriand, which is a 9-ounce center cut filet that has been marinated in garlic butter and then seared to perfection.
The Valparaiso Police Department takes all threats seriously and would encourage anyone who received this notification or any like it to contact the department, he added.
Maybe theyre home from college and looking for something to do. When I do night hikes I try to do some sensory activities too just to show people what their night senses are. We try to do without flashlights. Sometimes its tricking our eyes. Sometimes its sound things or using our sense of smell.
In 2010, Cook told investigators that he was the only person who drove his fathers vehicle and that the vehicle was sitting somewhere when it was shot up, but could not remember the particular day, according to the affidavit. Cook later changed his story saying other family members were also allowed to drive the vehicle, but not pas midnight, the affidavit states.
American Bully dogs are not pit bulls. According to Bully King magazine, the dogs have been selectively bred to create a new outlet for the American Pit Bull, retaining all the positive traits of the breed and breeding out the negative traits, such as aggression toward humans and other animals.
The grandfather said he heard Rodriguez yell for the baby to shut up when she cried, according to the affidavit. On the morning of Dec. 4, Rodriguez took the baby to a bedroom, the affidavit states. The man did not hear anything else until about 11:30 a.m. when Rodriguez left the residence with the child, court records state.
I was kind of outraged and thought it was a perfect time to jump in and get involved in my new community, she said. Hopefully we can force something to get to the bottom of this and to get things out in the open so we all know what is going on.
Plus, craft beer aficionados have their own sub-culture language. Youd think that malt, hops, yeast and water are the four pillars of life on our planet. Not to mention all the brewery-speak  head retention, mouthfeel and final gravity. And this is before these beer lovers get drunk on their own attitude. No, thank you.
Epstein's attorneys, including Alan Dershowitz and former Whitewater prosecutor Ken 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.
So the mid-term elections are history. What on earth happened to that caravan? Did I miss any sudden outbreaks of leprosy? And now its time to talk turkey about a federal budget. No need to delay on this great wall because Mexico is going to pay for it, correct? I could go on ... and on. Youll notice these topics have absolutely nothing to do with Hillary Clinton and everything to do with an ignorant, lying President attempting to coax ignorant, ill informed people into voting for him.
CHICAGO 

Guadalupe is the most prolific female icon in Mexican-American neighborhoods in the United States, such as Chicagos Pilsen and Little Village, despite the mainstream popularity of Frida Kahlo and other historical empowered women. Not only is Our Lady of Guadalupe found in church shrines and in people's homes, but also in her mural "apparitions" in the public way.
You are here: Arts

A senior radio and television official urged Chinese documentary film producers and trade bodies to further expand exchanges and cooperation with their foreign counterparts to promote cultural exchange.





"We encourage and support more Chinese documentary films and filmmakers to participate more in international film festivals and related events held abroad and seek further expansion of exchange and cooperation," according to Fan Weiping, deputy director of the National Radio and Television Administration, on Tuesday.





"Meanwhile Chinese filmmakers and television producers are urged to join hands with their overseas counterparts to shoot more good movies that show China's development in the past decades and tell the Chinese stories abroad," he said.





Fan made his remarks at the keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival, China taking place in this Guangdong provincial capital from Tuesday to Thursday.





A total of 4,542 documentary films from 122 nations and regions are participating this year's event, with an aim to increase sales and seek Sino-foreign exchanges and cooperation during the three-day festival, according to organizers.





The documentary films participating in the event include 2,073 foreign movies and 2,469 domestic ones.





It is the 16th year Guangzhou has hosted the international documentary festival.





The annual event is jointly hosted by National Radio and Television Administration and Guangdong provincial government.




Time magazine announced the "Person of the Year", which attracts much attention across the world, on Tuesday.







A group of journalists, named as "The Guardians", who were either killed, arrested, or charged, acquired the title. They include Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, five members of the Capital Gazette staff, journalist Maria Ressa, and Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo.





Their pictures were issued on four different covers of the magazines.





Jamal Khashoggi was an influential Saudi Arabian journalist who was murdered in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey on Oct 2 this year.





Before that, he had worked as a columnist for the Washington Post and been very critical of the Saudi authorities.





On the day of his disappearance, he was supposed to prepare paperwork to marry his fiancee, who had waited for him for hours outside the consulate but he never returned.





He was listened repeating "I can't breathe" in an audio recording during his last moments, according to Reuters.





Five members of an American newspaper, The Capital, ran by the Capital Gazette Communications, were killed in a mass shooting carried out by a gunman on June 28 this year.





Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were Burmese journalist serving for Reuters. They were sentenced to seven years in jail with hard labor.





Maria Ressa is a Filipino journalist who has been critical of President Rodrigo Duterte on her self-founded site, Rappler. The site's license was revoked in January this year, and in November, the site was charged with tax evasion.




You are here: Business

Chinese start-up Luckin Coffee has completed its Series B round of financing worth 200 million U.S. dollars, the company said Wednesday.



The funding, which came five months after the coffee chain picked up 200 million U.S. dollars in investment, lifts the company's valuation to about 2.2 billion U.S. dollars, according to the company's statement.

Investors include Joy Capital, Dazheng Capital, Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC and China International Capital Corporation.

As an emerging market player that rivals Starbucks, Luckin Coffee started trial operation in January this year, selling coffee at brick-and-mortar stores while also delivering products by online orders.

It expanded quickly, opening more than 1,700 chain stores in 21 cities across the country by the end of November.

Luckin Coffee will continue to expand product research, technology innovation and business development, said the company's CEO Qian Zhiya.

Once a major consumer of tea, China has seen an expanding coffee consumption market, which is expected to be worth about one trillion yuan by 2025, according to an industry report.




BYD, the private Chinese company that is a world leader in renewable energy solutions, has delivered its first electric bus to the Hungarian market.



An official ceremony was held this week in the northern Hungarian city of Salgotarjan for the delivery of a BYD 12m ebus. The ceremony was witnessed and speeches were delivered by Gyula Pomazi, Deputy State Secretary of Hungary and Zsolt Fekete, Mayor of Salgotarjan.

The first Hungarian order forms another milestone for BYD in 2018, after having confirmed ebus orders in two other new European markets - Portugal and Denmark. BYD has now confirmed sales of over 600 ebuses in 12 European countries and strengthened its position as number one supplier in the region.

The bus delivered to Salgotarjan was built in BYD's first European-owned electric bus plant in Komarom, Hungary. This plant has been running since April 2017 and has already delivered bus fleets to the Netherlands and Sweden, and is now fulfilling an order for the Brussels Airport Company. The factory has also started production of electric bus chassis for U.K. customers.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Deputy State Secretary Gyula Pomazi, said the high-tech BYD buses would form "one of the key objectives of the Ministry's new bus strategy - now on the table for the government - to achieve a newer vehicle fleet [producing less] air pollution, which is most easily achieved by purchasing new, state-of-the-art vehicles."
The possible return to school of a 12-year-old sixth grader who killed his mother has sparked concern among his classmates' parents.

The boy, having initially been taken into custody for the killing, was released without punishment.

Wu Bing, a pseudonym, from Yuanjiang in Central China's Hunan province, killed his mother with a kitchen knife after she beat him for discovering that Wu had stolen and smoked all the cigarettes she brought home from banquets on the night of December 2.

The murder was not discovered until the afternoon of December 3 when Wu's grandfather became suspicious and checked Chen's bedroom from a window, seeing blood across the room and Chen's body lying on the floor.

Given that Chinese law holds 14 to be the statutory age for criminal responsibility, local police released Wu without criminal punishment.

"He is too young for us to do anything about him," said local police.

When Wu's family tried to return him to school on December 6 however, his classmates' parents expressed strong opposition, saying that that "he might commit other crimes in school".

According to public reports, Wu has shown no signs of remorse.

When asked if he thought it was wrong to kill his mother, Wu said "I'm wrong, but I killed my mother, not someone else."

According to Chinese criminal law, when children under the age of 16 commit crimes and cannot be prosecuted as adults, they can be sent to government-run shelter and rehabilitation centers.

Many provinces don't however have proper shelter and rehabilitation centers for children under 14 years old, and the laws on detention centers are rarely enforced, said a commentary piece on thepaper.cn.

Wu displayed abnormal behavior since he suffered head injuries between the ages of seven and eight years old, according to his grandfather.

According to Chinese mental health law, those diagnosed with mental diseases are subject to compulsory medical treatment.

It is irresponsible to release a juvenile into society just days after he brutally murdered his own mother, said the commentary piece on thepaper.cn.
China has never disguised the fact that coal still dominates its electricity generation sector. But as people focus their attention on the quality of the air they breathe, and on the impact of climate change, the country is seeing a surge in renewable power generation.

As part of the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), a total of 150 gigawatts of new coal capacity has been canceled or postponed until at least 2020.

Increasingly strict controls on total coal capacity and power plant emissions are expected to see the closure of older plants producing up to 20 gW, and spur technological upgrades to China's remaining 1,000 gW of coal power, according to analysts.

However, coal remains the country's largest source of electricity, accounting for more than 72 percent of its generation in 2015.

This is likely to change, though. Coal's share of power generation is expected to fall steadily to nearly 50 percent by 2040, as renewables and nuclear sources increase, according to the International Energy Agency.

"Climate change is real," said Chen Ning, vice-president at Goldwind Australia, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co, one of China's largest wind turbine manufacturers.

Clean energy, including nonfossil energy and natural gas, will replace coal as the primary source by 2030 and account for more than half of China's energy mix by about 2045, according to the CNPC Research Institute of Economics and Technology, a leading Chinese economic think tank.

In its long-term energy outlook released on Aug 15, it said that by 2050, coal, nonfossil energy, and oil and gas will each comprise one-third of the country's energy mix.

Yang Hua, planning director at China National Petroleum Corp, said in August the global energy mix is moving in a "high-efficiency, clean and low-carbon direction".

Considering China's significant role in global energy consumption, the country's shift toward cleaner energy will be a role model for the rest of the world, Yang said.

For years, the dominant energy narrative on China concentrated on the extraordinary pace of the country's development, the success in lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty (including energy poverty), the scale of industrialization and the demand for energy resources, most notably coal.

Now, the country is moving quickly toward a services-based economy and a much cleaner energy mix, according to the IEA's World Energy Outlook published in November last year.

This new direction will have consequences that are equally significant for China and the world, the IEA said.

The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, in Cleveland, United States, which carries out research and analysis of financial and economic issues related to energy and the environment, said solar and wind generation have grown more rapidly than other electricity-generation sources in recent years.

Nicolas Pechet, a partner at the Asia-focused corporate strategy consulting company Solidiance in Shanghai, said China recognizes that cutting energy consumption alone will not be sufficient to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions from coal. "It also needs to generate more renewable energy," he said.

Since 2013, China has been the world's leading installer of solar photovoltaics - the process of converting sunlight into electricity.

In 2015, the country became the world's largest producer of photovoltaic power, narrowly surpassing Germany. Chinese solar panel manufacturers are estimated to have a 20 percent cost advantage over their US peers, owing to economies of scale and more advanced supply chain development, Pechet said.

A large part of the installed capacity for solar power in China is in the form of large solar photovoltaic power plants in the west of the country, which are much less populated than eastern areas, but boast better solar resources and available land.

"Ironically, one way China is expanding its solar capacity is by building solar panels on abandoned coal mines," Pechet said. "One such project in Shanxi province covers 160 hectares and can produce enough electricity to power 30,000 homes," he said.

A report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance in August said wind and solar energy will account for about 50 percent of the power produced globally by 2050, aided largely by lower costs, with China leading the way.

The country will be at the forefront of increased clean energy generation, while power storage will benefit from rapid advances in battery technologies, the report said.
China is set to dethrone Europe as the world's biggest contributor to artificial intelligence research within four years, according to a new report.

The study of global AI trends also found that China is attracting more academic talent than it is losing, while Europe, the world's largest AI research market by number of publications, is suffering a "brain drain".

Dutch publisher and analytics company Elsevier carried out the study with a focus on the three largest countries and regions contributing to the field of AI - China, the United States and the European Union.

"Europe is still the largest contributor to AI research but continues to lose publication share," the study authors said. "The United States is regaining ground lost in the last five years. China is bound to overtake Europe in publication output in AI in the near future, having already overtaken the United States in 2004."

Elsevier analyzed the number of research paper publications coming out of regions in five-year periods over the last two decades. It found that Europe's share of global AI research has consistently decreased.

Europe contributed 35 percent of publications between 1998 and 2002, falling gradually over each subsequent five-year period to reach 30 percent between 2013 and 2017.

Meanwhile China's share has increased dramatically, from 9 percent of global publications between 1998 and 2002 to 24 percent between 2013 and 2017.

The United States lost ground in each five-year period between 1998 and 2012, however the rate of publications rose slightly between 2013 and 2017 to reach 17 percent of the global share.

"China's artificial intelligence research has developed very fast in recent years, increasing its global significance within the field," said Sun Zhenan, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Automation.

He added: "China has unique advantages in applied technology research and development, for example, in the area of face recognition. AI education has been receiving more and more attention in recent years, not only in universities, but also in vocational colleges, and even in secondary and primary schools. This growing AI talent base will result in even greater future development of the AI field in China."

Authors of the report noted that China "aspires to lead globally in AI" and is supported by "ambitious policies and rapid growth". A net "brain gain" of AI researchers also suggests an increasingly attractive research environment.

Over the 20-year period, China has experienced a 0.1 percent inflow surplus of AI researchers, achieved through a migratory outflow of 3.5 percent versus an inflow of 3.6 percent. The US experienced an inflow surplus of 0.3 percent over the period. Meanwhile in Europe there was a 7.8 percent outflow of researchers compared with a 6.8 percent inflow, contributing to a net loss of AI talent of 1 percent.

The study also found that AI talent is increasingly migrating from the academic sector into industry, and the rise of large tech companies in the United States and China may contribute to the European "brain drain".
This year's Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Yazidi rape victim Nadia Murad and Congolese gynecologist Denis Mukwege. Both of them received the medals and prize money in a special ceremony on Monday in Oslo. There can hardly be a better time to honor people who have stood up against the evil of sexual violence, including harassment.



Murad is a survivor of sexual slavery she endured in the captivity of Islamic State militants in Iraq. She was kidnapped by the rebels from her village, Kojo, in 2014 and after going through unimaginable hell, she was able to escape. After surviving, she is now waging a struggle to highlight the plight of women suffering from sexual violence.

In her acceptance speech, she made an emotional plea for Yazidi women who are still missing. It is estimated that about 3,000 of them are still in the custody of militants. Murad also wants help for the approximately 300,000 Yazidi refugees to return peacefully to native Sinjar area of Iraq.

But her objective is larger as she wants to help women all over the world. That is why she has called for developing "a new roadmap to protect women and children and to eradicate sexual abuses." It is noble cause and should be supported.

Meanwhile, Mukwege runs the Panzi hospital in the war-torn eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where reportedly he has treated tens of thousands of people who were victims of sexual violence. He is also advocating for more consolidated action to stop wars that create an atmosphere for rampant violence.

"If there is a war to be waged, it is the war against the indifference which is eating away at our societies," he said in his speech, adding: "It is not just perpetrators of violence who are responsible for their crimes, it is also those who choose to look the other way."

While Murad has demanded a plan of action to protect vulnerable groups from sexual violence, Mukwege has called for a global fund to compensate the victims. Moreover, he has asked for economic and political sanctions against those responsible and for those promoting the violence.

Violence is bad in all its forms and manifestations but the worst of its kind is to inflict psychological wounds by dishonoring people. Rape and sexual exploitation leaves deep scars on the heart and mind of the sufferers.

Women have been the worst victims of sexual excesses during wars since time immemorial. Looking at their plight even today, it appears as if nothing has changed for them over the centuries. They were enslaved and their dignity violated by invaders in ancient times and modern masses of warriors often repeat the same.

War is sometimes condoned as a necessary evil. But it is subjected to certain laws and obligations. For example, it is law that those not carrying arms, elderly, children, sick and women should be spared. But in case of women, the law is breached frequently.

The latest two Nobel laureates are linked with two conflicts. It means that it is the war that creates the environment for violation of women rights, including subjecting them to sexual abuses. Hence, conflict and violation of rights are closely linked, and in order to effectively address one, we have to address the other also.

Efforts should be made to abolish wars as well as address the plight of vulnerable groups like women. Steps taken so far in that direction have not been successful. Hundreds and thousands of people have been killed so far in the 21st century.

There are numerous places where societies are torn apart by conflicts, including Iraq and Congo. It shows that despite progress of human civilization and vigorous campaigns for basic human rights, progress has been slow to civilize behavior and attitudes.

Murad and Mukwege not only represent the war-torn zones but also are symbols of hope to end conflicts. Murad has also pledged to give half of her share in the US$1million prize money to her "Nadia's Initiative," through which she has been trying to get states to recognize the killings of Yazidis as genocide and persuade the UNSC to probe war crimes by militants against them.

So far none of the rebels have been put on trial for crimes against humanity. All those who commit such crimes should be brought to justice. Additionally, those waging wars and perpetuating conflicts should also be made answerable.

Sajjad Malik is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:





http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/SajjadMalik.htm





Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
 Flash

President Xi Jinping reiterated on Wednesday that China will adhere to the path of multilateralism and open its door wider to the world.



Xi made the remarks when meeting with foreign delegates attending the just concluded 2018 Imperial Springs International Forum held in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong province.

He briefed the delegates on achievements of China's reform and opening-up during the past 40 years and important measures of a new round of opening-up at a higher level, expounded on China's relations with the world, and listened to the delegates' remarks.

Xi said this year's Imperial Springs International Forum coincides with the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up.

The forum, held on Dec. 10 in southern China's Guangzhou, gathered some 200 former world leaders, renowned scholars and business elites to discuss the theme of advancing reform and opening-up, promoting win-win cooperation.

"The past 40 years have witnessed tremendous achievements in China's development and remarkable improvement of people's livelihood, from shortage to abundance, from poverty to moderate prosperity," Xi said.

China's reform and opening-up drive is people-oriented, Xi stressed, adding that a distinctive feature of the country's economy in the new era is the shift from rapid growth to high-quality development, from quantitative expansion to qualitative growth.

"For more balanced and full development, we must further deepen reform and expand opening-up," said the Chinese president.

During the Boao Forum for Asia annual conference in April, Xi announced a series of measures to expand the country's opening-up, including substantially easing market access, creating a more attractive investment environment, strengthening intellectual property protection and actively expanding imports.

At the opening ceremony of the first China International Import Expo in Shanghai, Xi announced new measures to further expand opening-up.

"China will adhere to the path of multilateralism, and open the door wider to the world," Xi said.

Saying China's economy has maintained overall stability and steady progress, Xi noted that the goal of "making people well-off" pushes the important potential for the country to achieve further growth.

With the increasing income, Chinese people's pursuit of a high-quality life will bring about greater consumer demand, Xi said. "We are firmly confident in the long-term positive fundamentals of China's economic development, as well as in the mid- to high-speed economic growth bringing the economy to a medium-to-high level."

Noting that China's role as an active defender and contributor to international rules has been acknowledged by the international community, Xi said China's reform and opening-up is all-round, and the country's development is an opportunity for the whole world.

"The practice of China's reform and opening-up has fully proven that only by win-win cooperation can a country achieve long-term development," he said.

Xi stressed that the Belt and Road Initiative, which originates from China and belongs to the world, is aimed at building a new platform for win-win cooperation for the international community.

He reiterates the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits in promoting cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.

"China's overseas investment and cooperation in capacity building and infrastructure construction have driven industrialization of the countries concerned and promoted local people's livelihood and economic and social development," said Xi.

Xi said the Chinese side sincerely hopes that all countries will join the Belt and Road partnership and deliver more benefits for all people.

He said China's efforts to promote and build a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for humanity are also aimed at achieving win-win cooperation among all countries.

Noting that China's reform and opening-up has left a glorious chapter in history, Xi said the policy will also enable China to score new achievements in the next 40 years that will deeply impress the world.

The foreign delegates, including former Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga, said that China's reform and opening-up have brought about tremendous changes in China and had a major positive impact on the world.

They advocated developing inter-state ties on the basis of enhancing mutual trust and win-win cooperation, urging all sides to maintain world peace, promote common growth and oppose unilateralism, isolationism and protectionism.

The foreign delegates also praised the Belt and Road Initiative, saying it yielded tangible benefits for many countries.
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Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki won a confidence vote in Sejm, the lower house of the Polish Parliament on Wednesday.

The motion was backed by 231 members of parliament from the 460-seat lower house, while 181 against and 2 abstained from vote.

Morawiecki filed a motion for confidence vote himself, to achieve the Sejm's opinion whether his government should continue the program of reforms and an assessment of the government's action so far.

According to him, it was important due to the upcoming meeting of the European Council scheduled for Thursday and Friday, when he is going to attend.

In his speech before the vote, Morawiecki summed up the three years of Law and Justice's rule and emphasized that various international institutions have expressed positive opinions about Poland.

Morawiecki thus outrun the non-confidence motion, filed by the opposition party Civic Platform (PO), which, according to the Sejm's agenda, should be discussed on Friday.
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China and Thailand on Wednesday vowed to enhance parliamentary exchanges and cooperation to contribute to bilateral relations.

The pledge came as China's top legislator Li Zhanshu held talks with Pornpetch Wichitcholchai, president of the National Legislative Assembly of Thailand, in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

China and Thailand are close neighbors bound by blood, culture and economy, and the two countries and two peoples have benefited from this close relation, said Li, chairman of China's National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee.

He called on the two countries to continue the synergy of the Belt and Road Initiative, Thailand 4.0 strategy and Eastern Economic Corridor project, carry out cooperation in infrastructure, industrial capacity, internet finance, high tech and tourism and promote local cooperation to achieve common development.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up. Li said China will adhere to the concept of building a community with a shared future for humanity, promote a higher level of opening up to the outside world and pursue common development and prosperity with other countries in the world, especially surrounding and neighboring countries.

Thailand is an important member of ASEAN and will take the association's rotating chair in 2019, said Li, adding that China stands ready to fully support Thailand to jointly implement the China-ASEAN free trade agreement and the China-ASEAN Partnership Vision 2030, promote Lancang-Mekong cooperation, China-ASEAN relations and East Asian cooperation to achieve further development.

Noting that the NPC and the National Legislative Assembly both play a very important role in their own countries' political life, Li called on the two legislative bodies to implement consensus reached by leaders of the two countries, maintain friendly exchanges at all levels, enhance exchanges and mutual learning on governing experience and provide legal protection to guarantee bilateral cooperation in various fields and contribute to the comprehensive cooperative partnership between the two countries.

For Pornpetch's part, he said Thailand is actively responding to the Belt and Road Initiative and stands ready to enhance interconnection and trade, deepen cooperation in technology and innovation, education and tourism with China.
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Seventeen students of the University of Bamenda in Cameroon, who were abducted from Dec. 5 to 10, have been released, according to an official statement released late Wednesday.

"Following coordinated operations organised by the administrative authorities, forces of law and order, the parents of the kidnapped students and some patriotic citizens living in the neighborhood, the release of all the students has been secured as of date," said Lele Lafrique, governor of Northwest, one of the war-torn English-speaking regions of Cameroon.

He said the students were abducted by a "criminal gang" that is specialized in the kidnapping of students for ransom.

Students and university authorities need to step up vigilance and collaborate with government forces as a measure to stop the abductions, Lafrique said.

In early November, the government accused separatists of kidnapping 79 children of a private school in the Northwest. They were released a few days later. Separatists, however, insisted that most of the kidnappings were staged by the government to tarnish their image internationally.

Since November last year, government forces have been clashing with armed separatist forces who want the two regions to secede from the majority French-speaking nation and form a new country called "Ambazonia".
By Ma Chi, China Daily | Dec. 12, 2018

One of China's largest airlines will scrap its non-refundable ticket rule next year, Caixin has reported.

Shenzhen Airlines' current rule on 60 percent-discounted tickets does not allow for refunds for cancellations.

The rule is set to be replaced with one that will allow ticket holders to change or cancel tickets at graded charging rates before airplanes' take-off, the airline said in a statement on Tuesday.

Under the new rules, economy class ticket holders who bought their flight at a 60 percent discount will be charged 30 percent of the price if they cancel seven days before departure.

If the ticket holder changes the ticket seven days before departure, 20 percent of the price will be charged.

Consumer complaints on exorbitant cancellation fees for discounted air tickets have made headlines in Chinese media over the years.

In February, a woman in Shenzhen found she had to pay over 9,000 yuan for cancelling tickets she bought at 6,400 yuan, sparking public outcry.

In July, the country's aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Administration of China, urged airliners and online travel agencies to address the issue, calling for the introduction of graded charging rates.

The CAAC said the requirements will be included in a revised regulation on civil aviation industry set to take effect next year.

Spring Airlines, a Shanghai-based budget carrier, announced in October rules that allow holders of "special-price tickets" - tickets purchased at 60 percent-plus discount - to cancel or change tickets up to two hours before departure.

Under the new rules, the charging fee for canceling a ticket seven days before the departure is 50 percent of the price. The old rules gave a ticket holder no refund for cancellation.
By Alexander Smith, Reuters | Dec. 12, 2018

Iran needs some 500 planes and would likely back buying the Sukhoi Superjet 100 if Russia is willing to sell them to its airlines, Iranian news agencies reported the country's top civil aviation official as saying on Wednesday.

Iran needs to upgrade its ageing passenger fleet and is seeking to avert U.S. sanctions on Tehran.

The U.S. Treasury has revoked licences for Boeing Co and Airbus to sell passenger jets to Iran after President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement in May and reimposed sanctions.

Most modern commercial planes have more than 10 percent in U.S. parts, the threshold for needing U.S. Treasury approval.

But Russian officials have been reported as saying Sukhoi is working on reducing the number of U.S. parts in the hopes of winning an Iranian order for up to 100 aircraft.

"If the Iranian airlines want to use this aircraft (Superjet 100 ) and the seller is willing to sell it to Iran, the Civil Aviation Organization is ready to issue its final comment on this aircraft," the semi-official Fars news agency quoted Ali Abedzadeh, head of the Civil Aviation Organization, as saying.

"But this aircraft has adhered to world standards and is flying currently, therefore there is no reason for us to reject it," Abedzadeh told Fars.

Flag-carrier IranAir had ordered 200 passenger aircraft - 100 from Airbus, 80 from Boeing and 20 from Franco-Italian turboprop maker ATR before U.S. licences were revoked.

"The airlines have proposals for plane purchases and we are trying to devise regulations that will ease their aircraft imports. Considering Iran's very large market, we need 500 planes now," Abedzadeh was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Commemorating the Beginning of the Pentecostal Movement in Little Tokyo

The date, Feb. 22, 1906, is noted in history as the arrival date of Pastor William J Seymour into downtown, Los Angeles. The "Walk of Remembrance" will showcase two historic sites in Los Angeles. Hosted by Azusa Street Mission & Historical Society which was founded by Fred and Wilma Berry.

The walk will begin at 244 South San Pedro Street at noon on Saturday, Feb 22, 2014 in the Little Tokyo community in downtown Los Angeles. Various community leaders and churches will participate in remembering two great African Americans in Los Angeles; Biddy Mason and William Seymour.

The first site on our two block walk is the Biddy Mason Memorial wall at 331 Spring Street, which is the location of the home of an African-American midwife and landowner. She held a significant amount of acreage during the 1800's that today currently comprise Downtown Los Angeles and founded the First AME Church (FAME.)

We will then proceed to Azusa Street in Little Tokyo, home of the Azusa Street Mission founded by an African-American Pastor William J. Seymour. William Seymour arrived in Los Angeles on February 22nd, 1906 and proceeded to hold meetings at a small store front church on Santa Fe Street. This small church plant had resulted from some tent meetings at First and Bonnie Brae Streets held by W. F. Manley's group, the Household of God. The members came from various holiness backgrounds, particularly the Nazarene Church, and were seeking a holiness preacher to be their pastor. Neely Terry, one of these members, recommended Elder William J. Seymour. She had first met this black, one-eyed preacher on a recent visit to relatives in Houston, Texas where Seymour was standing in for the regular pastor, Mrs. Lucy Farrow.

Noted speaker & historian, Dr. Mel Robeck from Fuller Theological Seminary will lead and conduct the walking tour of these two historic locations. Many leaders from the churches in Los Angeles will be on hand to proclaim unity in our diversity.

In addition, there will be a special announcement about the planned memorial wall dedicated to the birth of a movement that now numbers over a half billion members of Pentecostal churches worldwide.
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Two nights before Thanksgiving, over 100 Tompkins County residents, some toting frozen turkeys theyd just purchased for the holiday, packed a hearing room in downtown Ithaca.

A resolution was on the county legislatures agenda that opposed repowering a coal-burning power plant.

The Eisenhower-era Cayuga Power Plant in Lansing, one of the last coal-burning plants in the state, is seeking approval from the state Department of Environmental Conservation to convert from burning coal to burning natural gas.

The resolution before the 14 members of the Tompkins County Legislature opposed the conversion because a natural gas plant would increase methane emissions and continue pumping carbon into the atmosphere.

One of the speakers that night, Sandra Steingraber, a biologist and distinguished scholar in residence at Ithaca College, urged legislators to read the recently issued report from the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. What it tells us is that methane is a more powerful greenhouse gas than previously appreciated and that natural gas infrastructure, including power plants, leak a lot more than previously known, she said.

Despite the strong probability of job losses, a hit to county tax revenue and the widely accepted notion that natural gas burns cleaner than coal, legislators voted 12-2 in favor of the nonbinding resolution.

They received a standing ovation.

New York only uses 3 percent wind energy and 1 percent solar energy.

The timing of the vote is notable. It came just over a month before the start of the 2019 legislative session in Albany.

While the Tompkins County resolution represents a victory for climate activism, there is a piece of legislation in Albany that would, in practice, mandate statewide what the county lawmakers called for.

The Climate and Community Protection Act, sponsored by state Sen. Brad Hoylman and Assemblyman Steve Englebright, is an expansive bill that requires New York state to generate 50 percent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2030. By 2050, the bill would require the elimination of all greenhouse gas emissions.

The bill is process-oriented. Baked into the plan is a climate action playbook that proponents say will guide the state from its current level of fossil fuel use down to zero.

For workers who may be displaced by the proposed transition to renewables, the bill includes prevailing wage standards and addresses the needs of environmental justice communities where many fossil fuel plants are currently located. The bill is, in one activists words, a B-12 shot for the states renewables.

Currently, New York only uses 3 percent wind energy and less than 1 percent from solar energy. This is the most important issue on Earth, said Englebright, who chairs the Assembly Committee on Environmental Conservation. States now have to pick up the slack that has been created by the inaction of the federal government.

State Sen. Todd Kaminsky, who was recently tapped to chair the state Senates Environmental Conservation Committee starting in January, agreed. There is no doubt we need to take aggressive steps to address climate change, he said. This bill will be the central vehicle by which we will accomplish that.

Peter Iwanowicz, executive director of Environmental Advocates of New York, said the state needs a strong foundation for setting its clean energy goals in law. Right now the goals dont exist in law, he said. They are at the whim of the executive.

Iwanowicz is referring to an executive order Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed in 2017, as well as the states 2015 Energy Plan, both of which articulated New Yorks aspirational goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030 and 80 percent by 2050 from 1990 levels.

Because the goals dont exist in law, its hard for businesses to write a plan of how to create opportunities, Iwanowicz said. Surety in law is surety to businesses.

Other states have already provided the business community with that certainty.

In September, California enshrined a commitment to move to 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2045, something the state has been working toward since 2002. In 2008, Massachusetts enacted the Global Warming Solutions Act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

When other states have passed similar laws it reorients all state decision-making to be consistent with achieving these goals, Iwanowicz said. You dont have the schizophrenic nature of state government that you have in many of these places where they end up approving dirty projects when they should be aligned towards clean.

New York is showing signs of that schizophrenia. In 2017, the same year Cuomo issued an executive order aspiring to a carbon-free future, the New York Power Authority, whose trustees are appointed by Cuomo, requested proposals for a natural gas turbine project to power the state Capitol complex. This year, the state Department of Environmental Conservation indicated it will likely approve the burning of plastics and other solid waste at a cement plant in Glens Falls, just north of Albany.

If the Climate and Community Protection Act is passed as currently written, those projects would not get state approval.

The the bills trajectory in Albany has taken a familiar route. Like other pieces of progressive legislation sponsored by Democrats, it has passed multiple times in the Assembly, and next year looks to be no exception. When asked in early December by WCNY if he will support the bill in the next session, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, a Democrat, said, absolutely.

But in the state Senate, the the bill has never moved out of committee. State Sen. Tom OMara, a Republican who chairs the Environmental Conservation Committee, is not a supporter of the bill, though he acknowledges climate change is a problem.

Everybody is concerned about greenhouse gas emissions and climate change and this (bill) is a huge step down the road of the elimination of greenhouse gas emissions, he said. The real question is how feasible it is, and at what cost. Its eliminating emissions, 100 percent, which just doesnt seem feasible to me certainly in this short of a period of 30 years or less.

Come January, OMara will cede the chairmanship to Kaminsky, one of the bills sponsors, and will therefore no longer have the power to prevent the bill from moving to the floor for a vote.

Federico Rostagno/Shutterstock

That worries Gavin Donohue, president and CEO of Independent Power Producers of New York Inc., a statewide trade association that represents independent electric power producers. Were very worried about the legislation, certainly with the new dynamic in the Senate, he said.

Unlike other industry sectors, Donohues members have been required to meet carbon reduction goals set by the 2016 Clean Energy Standard, which was mandated by the state Public Service Commission. The key difference between the 2016 Clean Energy Standard and the 2015 State Energy Plan is that the former is a mandate and the latter is not.

Specifically, the Clean Energy Standard requires 50 percent of New Yorks electricity come from renewable sources like wind and solar by 2030. This is mandatory and enforceable, and only applies to the power sector, which Donohue said is already achieving its goals.

He cites the state Energy Research and Development Authoritys Patterns and Trends 2017 report as proof. NYSERDAs research indicates the power sector has already reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 53.8 percent since 1990 levels. The same chart shows greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector have grown 22.2 percent during the same time period.

To highlight what he views as inequitable treatment, Donohue lists the state regulatory requirements his industry sector is expected to meet.

We have a CO2 performance standard. We have acid rain regulation. We have the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. We have something coming out of the Department of Environmental Conservation on high electricity demand days that will impact all NYC generators, Donohue said. The other sectors that are making the largest contributions to CO2 have not had the same attention.

One Democratic lawmaker who is watching the legislation closely agrees with Donohue that all industry sectors should work in concert toward meeting the states carbon reduction goals. What about airplanes? What about buildings? What about transportation? said the lawmaker, who would only speak on the condition of anonymity. The lawmaker said that the bill may have to be tweaked and raised concerns about relying too heavily on the state Department of Environmental Conservation alone to regulate the energy industry.

Anne Reynolds, the executive director of Alliance for Clean Energy New York, which represents the renewable energy industry, has an entirely different concern. While she said the Climate and Community Protection Act takes an economywide approach and that her organization would be happy if it passed, she is more worried about the sluggishness of the states approval process for large-scale renewable energy projects.

We need something to help renewables investments in the shorter term, she said. In the real world in New York, were having trouble getting projects sited.

Currently, the state Public Service Commission has only approved one renewable energy project under the siting board that reviews them.

There are two reasons for the clogged system, according to Reynolds. The states siting process, designed for traditional power plants, is too long and cumbersome, she said. New Yorks goals require a major acceleration of wind and solar construction, but the state has the same number of people processing applications and that just doesnt add up.

The greatest challenge to the bill will likely come from the business community. Darren Suarez, director of government affairs at The Business Council of New York State, acknowledged the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But in an email, he stated unequivocally that the Climate and Community Protection Act will not reduce our future risks from climate change. Suarez said the technology is not currently available to meet the requirements of the legislation without hurting the states economy.

Iwanowicz strongly disagreed. Every time Im on the Mass Pike, and I mean this literally, I see more energy projects being built along the rights of way of the Mass Pike and on the lands adjacent to it. They are going gangbusters for solar. And the reason is their commitments are already in law.

Every time Im on the Mass Pike, I see more energy projects being built. They are going gangbusters for solar. And the reason is their commitments are already in law.  Peter Iwanowicz, Environmental Advocates of New York executive director

The latest National Climate Assessment released in November makes it clear that climate change is going to be enormously expensive, no matter how the state decides to address it.

Investments in new technology like geothermal and battery storage will be costly and will result in worker displacement and economic disruption as the state transitions off fossil fuels. But the costs that come from doing nothing in response to climate change will be much greater.

Still, the climate bill is going to be a tough sell, politically. Veteran Albany political strategist Bruce Gyory recognized that there is a practical, economic and moral imperative to deal with climate change. But he points to concerns that the new Democratic majority in the state Senate could be vulnerable.

You have to be cautious about how the bill impacts those marginal members in the suburbs and upstate, especially in the Senate, he warned. Are you unwittingly triggering something that could be labeled a tax?

While all the stakeholders contacted for this article believe that humans are contributing to global warming, they are at odds over how aggressively to address the issue and who should act.

In her testimony to the Tompkins County Legislature in November, biologist Sandra Steingraber made an uncomfortable observation, one that will likely be remembered this coming session in Albany: Hard sacrifices lie ahead. But they become bigger the longer they are delayed.
OHCHR Moldova: Apel deschis pentru aplicatii din partea OSC-urilor de a aplica pentru a beneficia de suport in desfasurarea activitatilor de advocacy la nivel international in contextul celui de-al treilea ciclu de Evaluare Periodica Universala (EPU) a Re
Okay, America, are we great again yet? Are we respected throughout the world? Are the Chinese quaking in their boots as we hike tariffs? Has Saudi Arabia come clean about murdering a Post columnist after covering up the atrocity so clumsily that you could almost see blood dripping from the hands of the crown prince? If America is great again, how come we grovel before a nation that needs us more than we need it? Tweet me an answer, Mr. President. But keep it short.

Has America reversed global warming by simply denying it? Are factory jobs up? How about iron and steel? The same. And coal mining  beautiful, clean coal in the hallucinatory words of the president? Not what it once was.

Is NATO stronger? Does America enjoy moral leadership? Would our allies rush to our aid, as they did after Sept. 11, 2001? President George W. Bushs grand coalition of the willing might be impossible to re-assemble. President Trump has managed to unite Western Europe in one respect. All its leaders loathe him.

The president, like Gulliver, is being tied down by numerous investigations. The explanation is apparent even to Republicans. Trump is an immoral man, a chiseler and a liar and a deadbeat and a damned fool. His eccentric collection of aides are tiptoeing off the stage one by one, some to jail, some to ignominy, none to glory. And then, when they are gone, comes verbal abuse, sometimes in retaliation for a tardy admission of truth. Rex Tillerson said Trump does not read up to grade. For that, he got spitballed. Dumb as a rock, the president opined.

The mess is getting messier. Trump lies himself into one corner after another. Is there anyone in all of America who does not believe that Trump paid off two women for their silence? Whether these alleged payments were campaign finance violations or not is almost beside the point. We know the story. Trump is dirty and uses cash as a disinfectant. He thinks it can make any manner of sin go away. Maybe not this time, Mr. President. As with your former Atlantic City casino, you overpaid.

But blaming Donald Trump for behaving like Donald Trump is like blaming a scorpion for acting like a scorpion. The lie is his sting. He cannot help himself. He thinks only of himself because narcissism, like a sixth toe, is a condition of birth. There is no changing it. In the Trump White House, the presidents intense love of himself is about the only consistent policy.

But what about you, Chris Christie? I am talking of course of the former New Jersey governor who jumped from presidential candidate to Trump acolyte. Are you proud of what you did? Didnt you see any of this coming? Didnt you talk to any bankers or real estate people from just across the Hudson River? They wouldnt do business with Trump. They dont trust him. You knew all this, but wanted a Cabinet position anyway. What is the word for what youve done? Its something like moral treason.

And you, Mike Pence. You wont eat alone with any woman other than your wife, but youd sup at Trumps table, the womanizer instead of the woman. Were you the only adult in Washington who had not heard the stories about him? What were you willing to do to advance your career? Is there a principle you hold dear?

I get it. Christie, Pence and other Republican politicians  as well as financial figures such as Carl Icahn  had other considerations. Some wanted a conservative, anti-abortion judiciary; still others wanted lower taxes and fewer regulations. Steve Schwarzman, the billionaire head of the Blackstone Group, even said in 2016 that he preferred Trump because America needed a cohesive, healing presidency.

Trump, these savants thought, would grant all their wishes, and so they tossed the dice on a maniac, comforting us (or themselves) with the hope that once in office Trumps inner Madison would emerge. Dont worry, they said, he ran a business and, anyway, the solemnity of the Oval Office would sober him up. Didnt Augustine of Hippo go from a libertine to a saint of the Catholic Church?

John F. Kellys leaving. Gary Cohn and H.R. McMaster are gone. Michael Flynn sings, and Paul Manafort lies. The stock market is tankingfor the usual reasons, but this one as well: Investors know that no ones home at the White House. Trumps a human pinball, ricocheting off events and emitting tweets like a rundown smoke alarm. Were not great again. Were drifting toward disaster.

Richard Cohens email address is cohenr@washpost.com.
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Square hats are out of fashion! In China, female college students wear white wedding dresses for graduation ceremonies.

Rather than wearing a square top hat and a bachelor's dress, the girls would rather wear a white wedding dress for the graduation ceremony, because such clothes are more suitable for this meaningful ceremony. Some female college graduates simply want to be more beautiful and attractive at the most important moment in their life when they get their diploma.

Unlike in the UK, graduation ceremonies are not traditional. It is not uncommon for parents to be absent at graduation. Because the significance of graduation ceremony is mainly to say goodbye to college students' time. Of course, it is essential to take graduation photos with friends after graduation. And these graduation photos testify to their achievements. Graduates are free to plan what they think is the best way to celebrate graduation. Wearing fancy clothes is a popular way to celebrate, and it is especially popular for girls to graduate in wedding dresses. In addition to wedding dresses, there are pirate outfits, construction outfits and even qing dynasty costumes.

Tianjin wedding dress rental provides the convenience of students can not help feeling: wearing wedding dress graduation is not only more joyful, it also has a deeper symbolic significance. Chinese college students show their creativity by wearing wedding dresses and other clothes when they graduate. And in the face of the enormous employment pressure after graduation, this is the last time for these college students to pursue freedom before becoming salaried.
New Delhi, (Hindustan Times), 12 Dec 2018 - The Congresss win in three heartland states ruled by the BJP is a victory against the ruling partys negative politics, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi said on Wednesday, her comeback to the many attacks hurled at her during election campaigning by top BJP leaders.



I am happy with 3-0 score line... It is a victory against BJPs negative politics, Sonia Gandhi told reporters outside Parliament after results to five state elections were declared.



The Congresss win in three heartland states ruled by the BJP is a victory against the ruling partys negative politics, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi said on Wednesday, her comeback to the many attacks hurled at her during election campaigning by top BJP leaders.
Thirukumar Nadarasa

Pic by Pradeep Pathirana

Merging 2G and 3G operations soon and launch of nationwide 4G in 12 months

Merger will end up Hutch having around 2,500 towers across the island

No VRS; all 500 of Etisalat staff to be retained

Says now has market share of 20%; releases 5MHz on 900 MHz band as part of merger approval



By Indika Sakalasooriya

Hutch Telecommunications Lanka (Pvt.) Ltd plans to invest in excess of US $ 200 million over the next five years following its recent merger with Etisalat Lanka (Pvt.) Ltd to roll out a nationwide 4G network and support the growth of data and broadband in Sri Lanka.



In the next 12 months we will be building up a network comparable to both Dialog and Mobitel, Hutch Lanka CEO Thirukumar Nadarasa told reporters in Colombo, yesterday.



He said Hutch and Etisalat will start combining their 2G and 3G networks shortly into one big network, which is on par with the networks of the current market leaders. What follows will be a brand-new nationwide 4G network, which Hutch has already launched in the Western Province.



Nadarasa also said subsequent to the merger, Hutch Lanka now has about 2,500 towers across the island. However, he noted that some of the towers might be shut down, considering their proximity, in a bid to use the available resources optimally.



On November 30, Etisalat Lankas parent, Emirates Telecommunications Group Company (Etisalat Group), completed the sale of 100 percent shareholding in Etisalat Lanka to Hutch Lanka.



Upon the completion of the sale, CK Hutchison Holdings Limited, the parent of Hutch Sri Lanka, now holds 85 percent of Hutch Lanka, while Etisalat Group has a 15 percent stake with one board seat.



Nadarasa said the merger would result in Hutch Lankas market share in the local cellular market going up to over 20 percent.



Market leader Dialog and number two player Mobitel command about 70 percent market share with extensive 2G, 3G and 4G market infrastructure.

Bharti Airtels Sri Lankan unit, Bharti Airtel Lanka, which commenced operations in 2009, remains as the fourth player with about 10 percent market share.

Meanwhile, Nadarasa said Hutch Lanka, which currently has about 350 staff, would absorb the full 500 staff of Etisalat Lanka and would not be offering any voluntary retirement schemes.



The merger will also result in Hutch getting additional spectrum on certain frequencies.



All mobile operators in Sri Lanka have spectrum on three frequencies900 MHz, 1,800 MHz and 2,100 MHz.



Nadarasa said the combining of spectrums of Hutch and Etisalat on the 2,100 MHz band would result in supporting more customers on a tower or a base station, which in turn would help to deliver affordable services to customers.



However, he said Hutch Lanka agreed with the telecom regulator to release 5 MHz of their combined 15 MHz spectrum on the 900 MHz band as part of the merger approval, which is still 2.5 MHz higher than other players.



When we move into 3G and 4G mobile broadband, it is very important that we must have a minimum block of spectrum to make efficient use of the infrastructure and resources. We pointed this out to the regulator and they allowed keeping us 10 MHz, Nadarasa said.



On the 1,800 MHz band, Hutch Lanka has less than other operators.



Meanwhile, Nadarasa said the customers of both companies would continue on current tariff plans unchanged and any changes would be based on the on-going business review.



Further, Hutch Lanka will continue to retain and support both 078 and 072 numbers and assured that there would not be any change to the mobile numbers of the existing customers.
A glance at Lankan Thamil ulture by K.S. Sivakumaran is to be reminded of the huge cultural gap that exists between the Sinhalese and Tamils, despite all attempts at cultural exchange.

In 19 concise articles written to newspapers from the 1980s on, Sivakumaran presents a fascinating mosaic of cultural facts about Lankan Tamil literature, journalism, writers, life in the North and history of the maritime adventurers of Velvetiturai.

The author is a noted film critic but this writing reveals that he has been studying the Tamil cultural canvas as broadly as possible.



The first chapter on the Sri Lankan novel in Tamil reveals that almost 400 titles were published up to 2004 and introduces diverse literary personalities such as poet and satirist Sillayoor Selvarajan renowned for his public poetry recitals. As the author puts it: May I humbly state that on my suggestion, Yasmine Gunaratne invited him to write in English a note on the early Thamil novels in Sri Lanka for the Part One of Ceylonese Writing published in the now defunct periodical Community by C.R. Hensman.



Selvarajan and his family acted in the Sinhala film Adara Kathawa, a story about multi-ethnic love. Tissa Abeysekara made a short documentary film in Tamil called Kamam (agriculture), with Selvarajan and his second wife Kamalini in it.

When reading this book, its a pleasure to find how one thing leads to another: Selvarajans erstwhile companion was another fine short story writer and critic, M.D. Rasadurai during the late 1950s, both Sillayoor and Kavaloor (the names of their respective villages) worked for the former Shell company. One of the fine editors in English and Sinhala, Lakshman Ratnapala was also working for that company then (I worked with Lakshman in the newsroom of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation in the 1970s). A second bibliography of Sri Lankan fiction in Tamil was compiled by academic N. Subramanium, who says the author of first-ever Tamil novel Asanbae Udaya Kathai published in 1885) was Siddi Lebbe. Sri Lanka has issued a stamp honouring him.



Chapter five traces the creation of a Hindu encyclopaedia, initiated by Chelliah Rajadurai when he was minister of Hindu Culture and Tamil Affairs, and followed up by Minister P. P. Devaraj. It was compiled and edited by indefatigable Tamil scholar Prof. P. Poologasinham.

In Chapter seven, titled The State and Thamil Culture, the author remarks on the sorry state of affairs which prevailed wherever minority cultural activities were concerned. As the author puts it: This is partly due to the Sinhala only known staffers at the department who do not seem to understand the good intentions of those at the top who are trying to show at least a semblance of accommodating the other.

"A second bibliography of Sri Lankan fiction in Tamil was compiled by academic N. Subramanium, who says the author of first-ever Tamil novel Asanbae Udaya Kathai published in 1885) was Siddi Lebbe. Sri Lanka has issued a stamp honouring him "



I have had bitter experience earlier when communicating with the staff even when they have asked me to serve them in some specific assignments. You cannot blame them because they are the product of a climate influenced by sections of the Sinhala media and the textbooks prescribed for children where anything other than Sinhala is treated as alien. This is the reality.

Speaking of the national Tamil drama festival, he remarks that whereas Tamil businessmen were not keen on sponsoring Tamil arts and literature, it is Al Haj Hashim Omar (who is very fluent in Tamil) who liberally spends promoting Tamil writers

and artistes.



Subramania Bharathi discusses a book of essays on the Indian poet by that name. It says that a line from his poem Bharatha Desam was much misunderstood by our censors. Sinhala theevinukor Paalam amaipom means lets have a bridge to the Sinhaladipa. This was taken out of context and banned from SLBC broadcasts years ago. The line actually meant a cultural bridge between the two countries.

Portrait of a Plantation Writer discusses a book by Saral Nadan about C.V. Velupillai who loved hill country Tamil culture and folklore. He was a bilingual writer (Tamil and English) magazine editor, trade unionist and Member of Parliament, and among the first to spotlight the plight of plantation Tamils.

"In 19 concise articles, Sivakumaran presents a fascinating mosaic of cultural facts about Lankan Tamil literature, journalism, writers, life in the North and history of the maritime adventurers of Velvetiturai"



A Note on Vesak on Thamil about a publication on Vesak in Tamil by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs says: Apart from the Mawatha magazine, K.G. Amaradasa is the only other individual in the Sinhala speaking world to have at least introduced to the Sinhala readers what is happening in the Thamil literary scene. We are not suggesting that by familiarising with Thamil artistic activities alone, the widening gap between the ethnic groups in the country can be filled. But such familiarisation can help to understand each other.



Velvetiturai seafarers sail for the US is a very interesting chapter on the history of the boatbuilders, sailors and navigators of Velvetiturai. A number of them sailed from there, on a locally-built boat called Annapoorani owned by an American, and reached New York 18 months later. The article mentions a book about VVT seafarers by a Jaffna journalist, and traces their history back some 700 years.

Lankan Thamil Culture is published by S. Godage & Brothers Ltd., and is priced at Rs.350.
The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Mi17 helicopter had been deployed with a Bambi bucket this morning from Rathmalana to douse the fire erupted in Rekahtan forest reserve in Nallathanniya, SLAF Group Captain Gihan Seneviratne said.

He said the fire was erupted last night.

The Police said the forest fire might have occurred due to the prevailing dry season in the area.

Meanwhile, DMC Deputy Director Pradeep Kodippili said the Police, the Army and the Airforce officers assisted to bring the fire under control.
It is prudent to have a fresh Parliamentary composition through a mid-term General Election

Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa, the son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has exclaimed in his twitter feed as to why those who make a fuss on democracy were scared of elections. Not only has him, rather this has become a common question posed by the Mahinda Rajapaksa loyalists these days.

In a way, this is an ironic question on their part. They were overjoyed when their leader was appointed Prime Minister on October 26 by President Maithripala Sirisena, in the wake of the withdrawal by the UPFA some MPs from the Government.



They did not call for an election then. They were further overjoyed when the same President dissolved their leaders Government after two weeks when the latter failed to muster (buy over) Parliamentary majority. Then they wanted an election. They have taken two stances on the elections in two identical situations.

Namal Rajapaksa would not have raised this question had his father bought over MPs sufficient to show the majority power in Parliament after he was appointed Prime Minister in October.

"A General Election is not an assurance that the SLPP would win since the majority of voters had voted against the SLPP at LG Polls, despite them winning majority of councils"



Nor would he or any other loyalist of the former President have preferred a general election then. They would then have definitely opposed any suggestion to hold a premature Parliamentary Elections. Also, they would then have preferred to run the country until July 2020 when the term of the current Parliament elapses, during which time they would be able to reverse the legal actions that had already been initiated against some of them.

With his, Tweet Namal seems to argue that elections were the best indication of democracy or they were synonymous with democracy. According to this contention, the more you would have elections, the more would the country be democratic.



One can even contend on this line of thinking that democracy would flourish if you have General Elections once in every three months! One should not forget that Adolf Hitler also came to power through an election. Elections are needed for democracy but are not always sacred.

Rajapaksa loyalists have been campaigning for a General Elections since their sweeping victory at the February 10 Local Government Elections.

Yet, they did not want to go for an election when the Ranil Wickremesinghe government practically collapsed in the evening of October 26, and when President Sirisena sacked Wickremesinghe from the Premiership, a few hours later. Then again they wanted an election when it was clear that they failed in their unethical effort to buy over MPs from other parties.

"Rajapaksa loyalists prefer a general election for two reasons"



However, their allegation that the United National Party (UNP) is scared to face a Parliamentary Election was not unfounded. A General Election seems to be anathema to the UNP after the February Local Government Elections. UNP prefers a Presidential Election.

Likewise, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) group in Parliament led by Mahinda Rajapaksa abhors any election in Parliament. They raised hell in the House last month and even attempted to throw water mixed with chilli powder at the Speaker when it was clear that a vote was to be taken in the House.

They, under various pretexts, have been boycotting Parliament for fear of voting in the House. In their view, the synonymy between elections and democracy does not apply to the Parliament.

"Rajapaksa faction has taken two stances on the elections in two identical situations"



Rajapaksa loyalists prefer a general election for two reasons. Firstly, they seem to be confident of their victory in a Parliamentary election given their victory in more than 230 out of 340 local councils in February. And in an event they form the Government, Rajapaksa would be able to (And will attempt to) muster two-thirds of majority in Parliament by unethically buying over MPs from other political parties to bring in the provisions of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution again, so that he can contest future Presidential elections.

Secondly, they shy away from a Presidential election before a General Election owing to the Gota factor, which might rob Mahinda Rajapaksas chances to make a comeback as President.

"One should not forget that even Adolf Hitler came to power through an election"



However, General Election are not an assurance that the SLPP would win an absolute majority in Parliament since the majority of voters had voted against the SLPP at the February LG Polls, despite them having won a majority of councils.

Hence, there is a danger of a hung Parliament being elected again, though President Sirisenas Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) have patched up with SLPP recently.

It is owing to this very fact that majority voters had been against the SLPP in February that the UNP is demanding a Presidential election first. Yet, now that political alignments that prevailed in February have drastically changed with SLFP/UPFA which had bagged 1.5 votes at the LG elections aligning with the SLPP, the UNP cannot be so confident of a victory at a Presidential election either.



UNPs only consolation is the SLPP not having been able to address the minority communities, Tamils, Muslims and the Christians.

With some of the men around the former President having racism in their very genes and being unable to open their mouths without disparaging any minority community, it would take time for the SLPP to win over the minorities.

For instance, we can cite an incident that happened recently during the voting on the motion to suspend funds allocated to the Prime Minister and Ministers.

When Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Spokesman M.A. Sumantiran protested against UNP MP Lakshman Kiriellas call for a vote by name in Parliament after an electronic vote on the same purpose was concluded, even some of the learned men among the Rajapaksas ranks described the incident as Sumanthiran controlling the UNP. Would they have claimed that Kiriella was controlling the TNA, had the incidents happened in other way around?

"Elections are needed for democracy but are not always sacred"



What makes Sumanthiran controlling the UNP an issue while Kiriella controlling the TNA does not? Wasnt this pure racism? They have forgotten that they were routed out at the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections in 2015 mainly by the minorities and their behaviour now points that they do not want to win over the minorities at least now.



However, in the light of the current political and Constitutional issues, it is prudent to have a fresh Parliamentary composition through a mid-term General Elections. Unless the Supreme Court upheld the Presidents November 9 decision to dissolve Parliament, the only way out would be a request by Parliament to the President to dissolve through a resolution passed with a two-thirds of a majority. Yet, the need for an election does not mean one should ignore the law of the land, which is tantamount to end justifying any means.
The first ever Seed Bombing operation was launched this morning by the Sri Lanka Air Force in Nochchiagama.

The SLAF media division said that the programme was launched under the leadership and initiative of the Commander of the Air Force Air Marshal Kapila Jayampathy.

The SLAF had been involved to restore the forest cover of Sri Lanka, they said.

The Seed Bombing Project was a continuation and reaffirmation of its commitment to this endeavour.

The Command Agro Unit in collaboration with the University of Peradeniya and MAS Holdings joined hands with the project to increase the forest cover of the country to achieve the sustainable development goal of Sri Lanka by increasing its green cover from the 27 per cent to 32 per cent by 2030.

An SLAF Mi-17 Helicopter took off from SLAF Base Anuradhapura this morning at 09.00 hours, with the first load of seed bombs, of three varieties, such as Karanda, Mee and Kumbuk and made with 48 different treatments/media compositions, the media unit said.

Approximately 5,000 seed bombs were dropped in the Ranorawa Government Forest, covering five acres in the land area, approximately 13 Nautical Miles from SLAF Base Anuradhapura.

The aircraft was captained by Wing Commander W.W.N.T.P. Fernando the Commanding Officer of the No 6 Helicopter Squadron and the Co-Pilot was Squadron Leader MWN De Silva. The Command Agro Officer of the SLAF, Group Captain OANS Fernando also participated for the Seed Bombing Operation on board the SLAF Helicopter.
Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake. - Napoleon Bonaparte



Till a few days back Rahul Gandhi had a nickname that no poll victory could erase off. Its Pappu which means loser. However everything has changed overnight. The Congress partys spectacular victory in the assembly polls in Hindu hinterland of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh has made people see the young Congress President in a new light. There is a metamorphosis of a new leader. By the time Rahul Gandhi completed one year as the President of Congress party on December 12, the Gandhi scion was seen as a well-worthy candidate for premiership of India at next years Lok Sabha elections.

While farmer woes, unemployment, demonetization, GST and a plethora of other factors have been attributed to the ruling BJPs defeat in the Hindu heartland, the Congress and other opposition parties have pointed out to something else too that mattered. That is the attitude  the arrogance of the BJP leaders in the face of the mounting grievances of the ordinary man. Besides Rahul Gandhi even former Prime Minister Deve Gawda commented on this fact. People have made this nation arrogance-free by voting out BJP Gawda who is the national President of the Janata Dal party has said.

With PM Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah, both not being people persons, there was an apparent gulf between these leaders and the common man which continued to be widened. Perhaps the BJP thought that playing the Hindutva card was a panacea for all ills. Given their authoritarian nature the party rank and file too could not muster courage to convey the mounting public grievances to these two stalwarts. The result was an unexpected drubbing, a virtual rout at the recently held assembly polls.

One cannot but wonder, if this was the result of the Hindu hinterland, what awaits the BJP in other states where there is a strong minority presence, at next years Lok Sabha polls. Given the strong far right-wing policies adopted by the Modi government with the mockery of racism it had made in States like Uttar Pradesh and the manner in which the regional and fringe parties are now rallying around Rahul Gandhi, it is certain that 2019 is going to be a tough year for Narendra Modi.The leader of the BahujanSamaj Party (BSP) and four time chief minister of Uttar Pradesh(UP) Mayawati yesterday extended support to Congress to reach 116- seat majority in Madhya Pradesh. The Samajwadi Party led by former UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav too has said Congress has his partys support in the state.

Among the many strategies adopted by Rahul Gandhi in the recently concluded polls was the move to get the youth leaders work in tandem with the old guard. One of the obvious mistakes made by Congress at past elections was the two-level leadership during campaigns -- with seniors working with Sonia Gandhi while young leaders who mostly are Rahul Gandhis personal friends working as another team. With Rahul Gandhi taking over party mantle last year there had been some genuine efforts to bring the youth leaders and the veterans under one umbrella.

This time in Madhya Pradesh young Jyotiraditya Scindia worked together with senior hand Kamal Nath while young Sachin Pilot joined hands with veteran Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan to oust BJP Chief Minister Vasundara Raje Scindia of the prominent Scindia royal family. Incidentally Vasundara is the aunt of Jyotiraditya Scindia.

PM Modi has tweeted that he accepted the peoples mandate with humility and had congratulated Congress in a true gentlemanly manner. Perhaps Prime Minister Modi could have narrowed the margin of defeat and even carried away the state of Madhya Pradesh if he practised more humility and narrowed the gap between party leadership and the ordinary voter.
The President assured that he would not allow the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) to ally with the United National Party (UNP) to form a government again, UPFA MP Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, he said the President expressed these views during a special meeting held with the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) at the Presidential Secretariat after the Supreme Court ruling today.

Lakshman Yapa said President Maithripala Sirisena reiterated that he will not form Government with Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Daily Mirror learned that the President is reported to have said at the meeting that he would be committed to protect the UPFA from the UNP and requested the UPFA MPs not to ask UNP to form a coalition government.

The reason as to why I dissolved parliament was to put a full stop to the undemocratic tactics of the UNP. I would take all possible actions to prevent UNP from coming to power again, the President said.

Meanwhile, another meeting between the president and the UPFA is scheduled to be held tomorrow night following the Supreme Court ruling that of Mahinda Rajapaksa's appeal against the interim order given by the Court of Appeal barring him and the cabinet from functioning. (Sheain Fernandopulle)
Scarborough Leader

Funding for the project would come from a bond and through a capital campaign.
'Slaves of the slogan', the second part of the memories of the Cervantes Prize in 1999, is replete with Neruda, Vargas Llosa, Cuba, the Paris of the 60's and Chile's wealthy family

Jorge Edwards is a catalogue of names (Pablo Neruda, Vargas Llosa, Garcia Marquez, Cortazar, Onetti...) and places or events in which it has been protagonist (ascension to power of Salvador Allende or the cuban revolution of Castro). In addition to writer and Cervantes Prize, has been an ambassador (or almost) of Chile in Paris, Lima and Havana. Edwards or received or was received, and between receptions and dinners I wrote what I saw, heard or told. And even today, 87 years, impeccable memory and appearance, although the recent Constitution day, dress brown from the shirt to the feet, fit the right shoe on the left foot.

The library of the room where he writes at his home in Madrid, close to the headquarters of the Supreme Court, welcomes the search of lost time Proust in French, and tragedies of Shakespeare in English and don Quixote in Spanish. On the low table in the living room high and bright, Memorial de Isla Negra of Pablo Neruda. Joyful and foot, reads (to the pleasure of the visit an excerpt of the poem-The truth (Viewer) of that book, that begins "I love idealism and realism,/ as the water and stone/ are/ parts of the world,/ light and root of the tree of life". "Are your memories in verse, very little known but very revealing, and where you check your stalinism, where he speaks not of the first of may, but on may 2," says Edwards, though it is not known if apologizing for the Nobel Prize or informing.

Always Neruda, always with Pablo Neruda, both in his life as in his books, as in this interview, that he is not as much as Edwards speaks, and speaks in a monologue enthusiastic and prodigal of memories and anecdotes. As well, it evokes that Neruda studied at the school male-Temuco ("where it is always raining") and that being a kid taught him a few verses to the director of the Lyceum and female neighbor, who was delighted by the precocity of the boy, so I lent him books to encourage the budding vocation. Years later, she and he would be a Nobel Prize. She was called and is called Gabriela Mistral. Closing the circle, these days, Jorge Edwards reads with renewed passion to the woman, the same man who in 1990 published the biography Goodbye poet: Pablo Neruda and his time.

At Edwards, everything is a loop, from her beloved Paris to Santiago de Chile with a stopover in Julio Ramon Ribeyro ("I remember working in France-Press in Paris while he was writing The guys Sunday", and rises from the sofa and shows the book. "Now it is forgotten," he says, turning off the voice). Near the book of Ribeyro, one fantastic storyteller who sometimes did not smoke, lie half a dozen bolanos Borges, Nietzsche, Celine in French, Pamuk, Emmanuel Carrere, Rulfo, cds Claudio Arrau, pictures of Carlos Faz and photos of his wife, Pilar Fernandez de Castro, the granddaughter of Spanish. do you Type a lot or are already sick?Now I'm with the third installment of the memories. You must have a hard head for writing, a lot of perseverance, you must write against the whole. The head has to be the bow of the writer... I have written about Idea Vilarino... There are regions of the poetics of the language, such as Montevideo, where was born Back Vilarino and also Isidore Ducasse, and Jules Laforgue. Or Temuco. The people believed that Neruda was one of the ignorant who only read poetry...

mr. Edwards, because it is all one lord, invites to coffee, although it does Ximena, his daughter, who was born in Paris. "He told Me one day that I didn't want to be an intellectual, that I wanted to pursue something that is done with the hands. She studied at the Cordon Bleu, so I became a chef". Next to the coffee at the high table of the hall, a book in evidence of self Edwards, O Malignant, which deals with the passionate relationship of Neruda with Jossie Bliss in Burma ("Oh Evil, you may have already found the letter, as you cried of rage,/ and you have insulted the memory of my mother/ calling her bitch rotten and the mother of dogs") and his final days.

...I Write a lot, almost every day. Yesterday, five pages of memories. I like it more in the morning but yesterday I was in the afternoon until eight or 10. I write mentally, so that I always write, as Borges used to say of himself. Borges had the head of a ruminant. Cuba appears, in one way or another, always (or almost in their books. The revolution was a drama, the people who were...the three hours of arriving in Havana [in 1970 as a manager of business of the Chile of Salvador Allende] I saw that there was a lot of fear. Then there were concentration camps. The death of Fidel ended with the fear, with Raul people could travel, and that a cuban could stay in a hotel.

Edwards ended up being expelled from the island and our man wrote it, Persona non grata, a book that was censored in several countries and by the fact that a large part of the left will be turned back.

George Edwards of the Edwards of all life, the Rothschild of Chile, a child of Jesuits, he studied Law, spent a year at the University of Princeton (there you saw stroll to Faulkner and listened to Fidel), he travelled to Paris in transatlantic and lived in France as a member of the diplomatic corps of your country. He has travelled extensively and continues to do so, drank and loved, came up with Vargas Llosa to some scenarios of Proust, read with admiration to Machado de Assis, Flaubert, and Onetti, met Oscar Niemeyer and was an intimate of Enrique Lihn.In May of ' 68 I was in Paris and in February of that year in Prague. All of this comes and speaks to Edwards ' Slaves of the slogan (Lumen), the second part of his memoirs which has just been published. And also that he was "bored with the fantasy excess of one Hundred years of solitude".

According to the criteria of

Updated Date: 13 December 2018, 20:03

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[T]he source of all political libido is faith, and its object is the New Jerusalem, the Kingdom of Heaven, the Lost Paradise, Utopia, what have you, wrote Arthur Koestler in his 1951 novel The Age of Longing. He continued: Therefore each time a god dies there is trouble in History. People feel that they have been cheated by his promises, left with a dud cheque in their pocket; and they will run after every charlatan who promises to cash it. The last time a god died was on July 14, 1789, the day when the Bastille was stormed. On that day the Holy Trinity was replaced by the three-word slogan which you find written over our town halls and post offices.

The novel is set in an undetermined time in the near-future of France, and the three words referenced, translated, are liberty, equality, fraternity. Such ends, however warm and fuzzy sounding, arent justified by all means employed to attain them as occurs in the book or real life.

The People have been deprived of their only knowledge, or the illusion, whichever you like, of having an immortal soul, continues Koestlers speaker. Their faith is dead, their kingdom is dead, only the longing remains. So the people, the masses, mill around with that irksome feeling of having an uncashed cheque in their pockets and whoever tells them Oyez, oyez, the Kingdom is just around the corner, in the second street to the left, can do with them what he likes. The more they feel that itch, the easier it is to get them. If you tell them that their kingdom stinks of corpses, they will answer you that it has always been their favourite scent. No argument or treatment can cure them, until the dead god is replaced by a new, more up-to-date one. Have you got one up your sleeve?

Similar to the 1950s France predicted by Koestler, the revolutionary spirit in our country is mostly dead. Rather than maintaining our cultural institutions and religious faith, we increasingly put faith in our politics and political leaders. Im not limiting this discussion to the absurdity of our current two-team scrum, but reacting to our political system as a whole.

Witness the pompous circumstances surrounding the demise of a former president. Its not my attempt to either praise or damn President George Herbert Walker Bush or his tenure as Commander in Chief in this particular space, but to portray his state sendoff as an affront to the values of our country. In short, were not supposed to anoint kings, but instead elect government leaders. Once they pass from public office, its anticipated theyll return to a private life that spares the rest of us endless state-sponsored encomiums, public statues and taxpayer-subsidized presidential libraries and museums. Do we really need to construct temples honoring our elected political officials? Thats a rhetorical question, dear readers, because the answer from this end of the bar is a resounding No.

Better that we should all seek out real temples that nurture our immortal souls than erect altars to men and women with feet of clay regardless whether they possess less clay than our own feet. By all means, seek to emulate those who exhibit admirable behavior. But beware worshiping false idols by which I mean its best to avoid idolatry of any public figure regardless his or her ability to assuage our faithless libido. Here we are, however, in our modern world where rock stars are declared gods and celebrities political and otherwise increasingly are called iconic with no idea whatsoever about what the word actually denotes.

Bruce Edward Walker (walker.editorial@gmail.com) is a Morning Sun columnist, contributor to The Federalist, host of the Acton Institutes culture segment of the Radio Free Acton podcast, and former Journalist in Residence at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal.
UPPER DARBY  CASA Youth Advocates Inc. held its annual gala Friday night at the Drexelbrook Catering and Special Event Center in Drexel Hill to cap off a groundbreaking year for the organization nearing 50 years of service advocating for youth in Delaware and Chester counties.

Hundreds attended the event that honored the growth of the organization, which in 2018 served a record-breaking 224 children navigate the child welfare system. CASA advocates help youths find good homes and schools from the (foster) families that they have grown up in and works on their behalf for the resources and attention they need. The organization also opened up a satellite office in West Chester while creating three more staffing positions.

CASA Executive Director Leigh Anne McKelvey added that volunteer inquiries are up and retention among the volunteers is improving. McKelvey said 74 percent of cases closed this year had only one CASA volunteer for the months- or even years-long journey through the courts.

The highlight of the night, as at any of their galas, is the honoring of CASAs volunteers.

This year, Gaye Woodward, of Glenmoore, and Jim Reynolds, of West Chester, received the Volunteers of the Year award; Terry Yannuzzi, of Aston, was this years 20-Year Honoree.

Woodward was sworn in as an advocate in 2011 and is still committed to the two cases she originally started with. She has seen hundreds of people come through all of the lives for children she has advocated for.

During her volunteering tenure, she has helped a traumatized young girl with behavioral issues find a forever home with her grandmother. The girl is now a freshman in high school. She has also helped a young boy with neurological damage thrive in a medical group home.

The most rewarding thing is to attend a meeting on behalf of a child and to help people understand that this is a little person  a child, not a problem, said Woodward about her work at CASA. that has happened a couple of times where I feel the meeting has turned from resistance and cost-cutting to what more can we be doing here?

When that happens I feel like Ive completely succeeded.

After just two years as a CASA volunteer, Reynolds already has earned CASAs top award. Reynolds has been working with a young man named Anyaa whom he had met as a 15-year-old who was placed in a group home. Anyaa came from a broken home but managed to graduate from high school at 16 and finish two semesters at a community college.

After forming a bond, Anyaa eventually moved to a facility in Ohio, near the state line of Pennsylvania. Reynolds, 73, would take one-way, five-hour trips to see Anyaa twice a month. After learning his first high school diploma was not accepted at his new school district, Reynolds helped coordinate GED testing and Anyaa, again, earned his diploma. He has since moved to Allentown with a foster mother and enrolled in community college again.

Their bond, Reynolds said, was natural. Anyaa jokingly referred to himself, a young black man, being paired up with an old white man.

He was at my first couple of court dates and he just met me, he said. Imagine that, a two-hour drive just to make sure that Im OK. A lot of people should recognize CASA and help them out.

Anyone that has had to overcome the difficulties you did from a very young age, Reynolds said to Anyaa, and reach the point that (you) had, I think anybody would be impressed by what they see in him.

Using determination to make something out of nothing is an inspiration to me, said Reynolds. I was looking forward, and I truly was, looking forward to working with him and seeing where this whole adventure and journey could go, and its been about two years now and the rewards are astounding.

In introducing 20-year honoree Terry Yannuzzi, Randi Coen Gilbert  last years recipient of the honor  said CASA is what enables people like herself, and Yannuzzi, to volunteer for 20 years and be successful in doing such a hard job.

Yannuzzi was working full-time in her family business when she saw an ad for CASA in a newspaper back in 1998. She still advocates for children with a current cast involving a teenage girl with development delays who has been in 12 foster homes. The childs behavior problems at school have been resolved thanks to Yannuzzi.

As a CASA, we try to be the one person that stays on (a childs) case the whole time theyre involved with the courts, said Yannuzzi. I enjoy the relationship with the children and it does make you feel good when a child gets into a good home and in a good environment. A lot of times children we met, their parents were also in the system as a children so it keeps going on and on.

You can help break the cycle.

To help do just that, more than $36,000 was raised at the gala. That much revenue can support 12 volunteers for one year at CASA.

Were on a truly exciting path and Im hoping you will be a part of that future with CASA, said McKelvey.
An Encinitas restaurant's mission to stay local doesn't just stop at its ingredients. It also provides a space for North County artists to show their work in a unique setting.

As guests dine at The Patio on 101, which opened on Coast Highway near Moonlight Beach earlier this year, it's easy for them to become struck by Vincent Darmohusodo's photography transferred onto wooden planks and Ana Phelps' glossy pictures.

Hilary Rossi, senior vice president of food and beverage for The Patio Group, which runs The Patio on 101, said her company wanted to involve as much local talent as possible in the restaurant, located at 345 South Coast Highway 101.

"I have loved Encinitas since I moved here to San Diego 21 years ago, as it provides beautiful scenery, amazing sunsets, surfers, cliffs and more," she said. "I get excited when I see amazing local photography of all of this, so when I was trying to bring the beach feel to the restaurant, I felt local photography would really pop. Vincent and Ana have amazing energy and were so excited to be a part of this. This is how I wanted to start the Patio 101 - with local goodness and energy, as we want to be a staple in the community for all."

She said the two dozen pieces the restaurant purchased from Phelps and Darmohusodo will be in the space in perpetuity.

Ana Phelps with her photography at Patio on 101 in Encinitas Brittany Woolsey

Phelps, a Brazilian photographer whose pieces tend to feature landscapes, was encouraged by her degree in interior design to use her photography as decorative pieces for walls and spaces. Each work is finished with surfboard resin to make them glossy.

The Carlsbad-based artist said she believes North County is all about locality. Encinitas, in particular, she said, aims to "do everything local," including shopping, eating, surfing and backing area artists.

Phelps said The Patio on 101 offers a unique space for artists to show their work.

"To have something in our area to support the artists is great," she said. "We love that. We're all about that."

Darmohusodo, an Encinitas-based artist who started his "Pixel on Wood" technique nearly three years ago, said he's grateful for the exposure given to him by Patio on 101.

"Part of being an artist or photographer is so people can see your work," he said. "We're fortunate to have this space."
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Public Health Director Len Tarivonda was recently awarded inaugural Australian Cervical Cancer Foundations (ACCF) Excellence in Service to Women Award for his vision and persistence in bringing about a national cervical screening programme for Vanuatu. Photo: File
Congressman Ted Yoho, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee, said he would reintroduce Cambodia Democracy Act in January next year if the Senate fails to pass it by the end of 2018. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill in July to paving the way for sanctions to be imposed against Prime Minister Hun Sens inner circle for undermining democracy in Cambodia. VOA Khmer Men Kimseng talked to Congressman Ted Yoho.
A Russian woman pleaded guilty Thursday in Washington to acting as a Kremlin agent to conspire to build ties with the powerful National Rifle Association gun rights group in the U.S. and infiltrate Republican Party circles to pass information back to Moscow.

Maria Butina was charged in July with acting illegally as an unregistered Russian agent and conspiracy. She initially entered a not-guilty plea.

But Butina admitted to U.S. Judge Tanya Chutkan that she had, in fact, been working for the Russian government.

As part of an agreement with prosecutors to change her plea to guilty, the 30-year-old Butina agreed to help them with insight into Russian meddling in U.S. political affairs. Her actions were directed by Alexander Torshin, a deputy governor of Russia's central bank, who in April was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for his alleged ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Butina faces up to five years' imprisonment and remains jailed while awaiting sentencing Feb. 12. She could be deported to her homeland after serving any prison term.

Republican activist boyfriend



Butina allegedly developed a personal relationship with an NRA-linked Republican activist, Paul Erickson, and lived with him. Butina also enrolled as a graduate student at American University in Washington, where she earned a master's degree in international relations earlier this year.

The U.S. Justice Department alleged that Butina was a "covert Russian agent" who maintained connections with Russian spies in a mission aimed at penetrating "the U.S. national decision-making apparatus to advance the agenda of the Russian Federation." They alleged that her work in the United States was directed by a former Russian lawmaker who was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for his alleged ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russian denial



The Russian leader said Tuesday he had never heard of Butina until her July arrest. Putin said that when he asked Russian intelligence services for information about her, he was told that "no one knows anything about her."

The Butina case is separate from special counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing, 19-month investigation into whether President Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign colluded with Russia to help him win the presidency and whether, as president, Trump obstructed justice to try to thwart the probe.
Millions of people were killed or fled when Islamic State (IS) took over parts of Iraq in 2014, and their scorched-earth tactics still devastate rural communities, a report released by Amnesty International Thursday said.

Looted livestock, burned orchards, planted land mines, sabotaged water pumps and destroyed farmland have lead to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of rural households and should be viewed as a war crime, the report said.

The conflict against IS eviscerated Iraqs agricultural production, according to the study, now 40 percent lower than in 2014, while about 75 percent of livestock was lost.

The damage to Iraqs countryside is as far-reaching as the urban destruction, but the consequences of the conflict on Iraqs rural residents are being largely forgotten, said Richard Pearshouse, senior crisis adviser at Amnesty International. IS carried out deliberate, wanton destruction of Iraqs rural environment.

Devastating impact

The impact on those who have returned to deal with the destruction has been devastating, the report found.

There is nothing left, Majdal, a farmer from a village south of Sinjar mountain told Amnesty. We had 100 olive trees, but when I went I didnt see a single tree in any direction. They were chopped down and burnt. ... They didnt want us to be able to come back to our land.

The damage to property, including housing and land, were key factors for the protracted internal displacement of millions of Iraqis, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Iraq Mission said.

Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi families continue to be displaced and face significant obstacles to return, said IOM Iraq chief of mission, Gerard Waite. Both displaced and returnee populations are often vulnerable and need humanitarian assistance to regain their livelihoods.

Iraq declared victory over IS last year, but there are fears the militant group is reinventing itself, according to intelligence officials who said it would adopt guerrilla tactics such as kidnappings and killings where it could no longer hold territory.

Yazidis hurt the most

The Amnesty report also noted that some of the most extensive rural damage caused by IS was felt by the minority Yazidi group in northern Iraq.

The plight of Yazidis, a religious sect, has attracted attention in recent years, especially since high-profile lawyer Amal Clooney began representing the group and Yazidi rights activist Nadia Murad won the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize.

The whole world now knows of the monstrous violence, murders, executions, rapes, torture and kidnappings carried out by ISIS/Daesh, said Robert Cole of AMAR International, a British charity. What is not so well known was their wicked desire to totally destroy peoples homes, environment and vital infrastructure.

A U.N. investigative team created by the Security Council began work in August to collect and preserve evidence of acts by IS in Iraq that may be war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide.
Apple will build a $1 billion campus in Austin, Texas, break ground on smaller locations in Seattle, San Diego and Culver City, California, and over the next three years expand in Pittsburgh, New York and Colorado.

The tech giant said Thursday that the new campus in Austin, less than a mile from existing Apple facilities, will open with 5,000 positions in engineering, research and development, operations, finance, sales and customer support. The site, according to Apple, will have the capacity to eventually accommodate 15,000 employees.

The three other new locations will have more than 1,000 employees each.

Early this year, Apple said that it would make more than $30 billion in capital expenditures in the U.S. over the next five years. That, the company said in January, would create more than 20,000 new jobs at existing and new campuses that Apple planned to build.

Where U.S. companies open new facilities or plants has always had the potential for public and political backlash.

That potential has intensified under the Trump administration, which has pushed companies to keep more of their operations inside the countrys borders.

While CEO Tim Cook has steered mostly clear President Donald Trumps ire, Apple did receive some push back three months ago from the White House.

Apple sent a letter to the U.S. trade representative warning that the burgeoning trade war with China and rising tariffs could force higher prices for U.S. consumers.

Trump in a tweet told Apple to start making its products in the U.S., and not China.

Apple uses a lot of facilities overseas to produce components and its products, including China.

Top tech executives from Google, Microsoft, IBM, Oracle and Qualcomm gathered at the White House earlier this month to discuss strained ties between the administration and the industry, and trade tensions with China. Cook was not among them, nor was Amazons Jeff Bezos.

There are already 6,000 Apple employees in Austin, its largest operation outside of company headquarters in Cupertino, California, where 37,000 people are employed.

Apple has been a vital part of the Austin community for a quarter century, and we are thrilled that they are deepening their investment in our people and the city we love, said Austin Mayor Steve Adler in a prepared statement Thursday.

Apple said nearly a year ago that it would begin canvassing the U.S. for another campus.

Cities offered incentives to lure the company, but Cook avoided a high-profile competition that pitted them against one another as Amazon did over the last year and a half.

Amazon, too, expands

Amazon announced in November after a 14-month search it had selected Long Island City, Queens, and Arlington, Virginia, as the joint winners. Each site will employ around 25,000 people.

Cities are eager to bring in more tech employers because companies like Apple and Amazon ladle out six-figure salaries to engineers and other skilled workers.

The infusion of thousands of new and highly paid residents can ripple through an economy, with those employees filling restaurants, theaters, buying property and paying taxes.

Annual pay will vary at the new locations, but Apple workers in Cupertino have an average annual salary of about $125,000, according to a report the company submitted to the city.
There wasnt much of a honeymoon for Britains embattled Theresa May on Wednesday after she survived a bid to oust her from within her own Conservative party.

Standing outside No. 10 Downing Street after an internal party vote she won, but not emphatically, May pledged she will get on with the job of delivering Brexit.

She is meeting again Thursday with EU leaders in Brussels to appeal for concessions in the terms of the Brexit deal that has proven unpopular in Britain. But she tried that Tuesday, criss-crossing Europe on a whistle-stop diplomatic tour that took her to Berlin and The Hague, but got no agreement on anything substantive.

In the aftermath of Wednesdays confidence vote, the British leaders opponents from both the euroskeptic and pro-European Union wings of her party were not silenced, warning her survival has done nothing to improve the chances of getting the House of Commons to approve her contentious Brexit deal.

More than a third of the Conservative lawmakers voted against her, preferring to see the party elect a new leader, underscoring the mountain she still has to scale in getting her Brexit deal through a Parliament that has grave doubts about the agreement.

Many in party vote against May

Conservative lawmakers rejected a no-confidence motion to Mays leadership, 200-117, but the win has merely exposed the bitter split in her party over Britains departure from the EU and provides no clues as to how May can plot a course out of the Brexit maze, analysts say.

Ominously, most lawmakers who dont have government jobs or positions voted for May to go.

WATCH: Embattled British PM Survives Confidence Vote

Even May loyalists conceded privately that her win was hardly a ringing endorsement.

Her critics, as well as Britains opposition parties, quickly pointed out that surviving an attempt to topple her changes nothing when it comes to the arithmetic in the House of Commons, where a majority oppose a Brexit withdrawal deal, which took months of haggling with the EU to negotiate.

Before May had even finished talking about a renewed mission and her hope of bringing the country back together, hardcore euroskeptics in her party announced in a statement, We cannot and will not support the disastrous withdrawal agreement the prime minister has negotiated.

General election

They warned that if she pushes ahead with it, the likelihood is that she will be setting the country on course for a general election.

May runs a minority government. With the main parties splintered, the House of Commons is deadlocked, and theres no majority for anything when it comes to Brexit, including crashing out without a deal, staying in, or holding a second referendum. There is only a majority against her deal.

The warning from Conservative euroskeptics was echoed by Northern Irelands Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), whose 10 lawmakers in the House of Commons prop up the minority Conservative government.

The DUP is deeply opposed to the withdrawal agreement that would see Northern Ireland treated differently from the rest of Britain, in order to avoid the imposition of customs checks on the border separating Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. They fear the different treatment will end up weakening the ties between the province and London.

May spoke to DUP leader Arlene Foster shortly before the confidence vote, trying to persuade her to withdraw her opposition to the deal.

Foster later said she emphasized that tinkering around the edges would not work.  We wanted fundamental legal text changes.

Brexit vote delayed

On Monday, May delayed a scheduled House of Commons vote on the exit deal as it became clear lawmakers were set to reject it. Defeat would likely force May out of No. 10 Downing Street and possibly trigger the fall of the Conservative government and an early general election.

Mays deal, which tries to square the circle between Britons who want to remain in the EU and Brexiters who want a clean, sharp break, would see Britain locked in a customs union with the EU for several years while it negotiates a more permanent, but vaguely defined, free trade settlement with its largest trading partner.

In the temporary customs union, Britain would be unable to influence EU laws, regulations and product standards it would have to observe. It would be not be able to implement free trade deals with non-EU countries.

Opposition parties also warned that Mays remaining as prime minister would not lessen parliamentary opposition to the deal.

Tonights vote changes nothing, Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said. Theresa May has lost her majority in Parliament. Her government is in chaos, and shes unable to deliver a Brexit deal that works for the country and puts jobs and the economy first.

It is unclear when a Brexit vote in the House of Commons might take place.

Back to Brussels

Some government managers said the vote could happen next week or even be delayed until next month. All May has said is that it will take place by Jan. 21, a cut-off date for Parliament to get legislation through in time for Britains scheduled departure March 29.

May will fly Thursday to Brussels to appeal once again to her fellow EU leaders to agree to concessions. But she tried that Tuesday, criss-crossing Europe on a whistle-stop diplomatic tour that took her to Berlin and The Hague, but got no agreement on anything substantive.
Cambodias Parliament passed legislation Thursday that could allow a five-year ban on political activity by some top opposition politicians to be lifted.

The action was the latest in a low-key charm offensive to improve relations with Western nations that accuse Prime Minister Hun Sens government of suppressing human and democratic rights. The U.S. and Germany have instituted some diplomatic sanctions against Cambodia, and Washington and the European Union have threatened to extend economic ones as well.

The main point of contention has been this past Julys general election, which critics charge was neither free nor fair because the only credible opposition party had been dissolved and its candidates barred from politics. The late-2017 dissolution of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party by court order was generally seen as a move to ensure an election victory by Hun Sens ruling Cambodian Peoples Party.

The legislatures action would allow the 118 top members of the Cambodia National Rescue Party to apply to have their bans lifted.

Conditions attached

However, there would be conditions for restoring political rights that some opposition politicians have already rejected.

Hun Sen, at a meeting Wednesday with garment workers, said the ban would be rescinded only for those politicians who had honored it, while those who violated it could face a prison term.

Cambodias Foreign Affairs Ministry earlier this month listed the legislation that could cut short political bans as one of several examples of how the government was seeking to improve the political climate and democratic space for the citizens to exercise their legitimate rights and freedoms in the spirit of national reconciliation.

Political prisoners freed

Since the election, Hun Sens government has made a series of gestures in an effort to burnish its reputation.

These include the freeing, either on bail or as a result of pardons, of political prisoners, including the head of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, Kem Sokha, who was charged last year with treason on the basis of scant evidence. He is now being held under house arrest.

Many of the banned opposition politicians fled Cambodia in fear of arrest, and restoration of their political rights alone would appear to leave them in the political wilderness. There are no guarantees that new legal actions would not be taken against them in the courts, which are generally seen as being under the governments influence.

Sam Rainsy, another former leader of the opposition party now in exile, said on his Facebook page Tuesday that he wished to tell Hun Sen that he doesnt need to reconsider our cases because we are not interested in recovering our political rights as long as Mr. Kem Sokha, who is the CNRP President, has not recovered his full freedom and as long as all charges against him have not been dropped.

However, feuding between factions of the opposition party loyal to its two former presidents, Kem Sokha and Sam Rainsy, jeopardize a united front against the governments invitation to rejoin the political scene.
China-based Yantai Jereh Oilfield Services Group Co. Ltd. has agreed to pay more than $2.7 million to settle allegations it did business with Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions, the U.S. Treasury Department said Wednesday.

The department cited the company for 11 "apparent" instances of moving oilfield-related items such as spare parts, coiled tubing strings and pump sets, and called it "an egregious case" since the Jereh Group did not voluntarily disclose the violations.

Representatives for the company could not be immediately reached for comment.



"The apparent violations involved the exportation or re-exportation, and attempted exportation or re-exportation, of U.S.-origin goods ultimately intended for end-users in Iran by way of China," it said in a notice on its website.



"The Jereh Group also exported certain U.S.-origin items with knowledge or reason to know that the items were intended for production of, for commingling with, or for incorporation into goods made in China to be supplied, transshipped or re-exported to end-users in Iran," the department added.



Washington has imposed sanctions on Iran over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs as well as for its alleged human rights abuses.
Congress on Wednesday gave final passage to legislation that would shut down legal cockfights in U.S. territories including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, ending an institution dating from the colonial era that generates millions of dollars each year.

Opponents of the measure approved by the House said it will have a devastating effect on the islands' economies, noting that in Puerto Rico alone the cockfighting industry generates some $18 million a year and employs some 27,000 people.

"We're all going crazy. Everybody is desperate,'' said 86-year-old Angel Ortiz, who owns a cockfighting ring in the city of Bayamon. "There are so many people who make a living off of this.''

Trip taken too late

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello traveled to Washington to demand that the island be excluded, but he arrived too late. Legislators unexpectedly moved up the vote and approved the bill, which already passed the Senate.

Cockfighting in Puerto Rico was first officially recognized in 1770, but the practice was banned after the U.S. invaded the island in 1898. It wasn't until 1933 that it was declared an official sport and became known as the "gentleman's sport'' because of its honor-based betting system.

12-year recession

In October 2010, Puerto Rico legislators voted in favor of a resolution to protect cockfights, stating they are an integral part of the island's folklore and patrimony. Officials warn that the ban will lead to unemployment on an island already dealing with a 12-year recession.

"It is a cultural and economic pillar for Puerto Ricans,'' Public Affairs Secretary Ramon Rosario said. "In addition to its cultural value, the cockfighting industry is the only source of livelihood for thousands of Puerto Rican families.''

Some critics reject that cockfighting has any cultural value.

Ashley Byrne, associate director with PETA, said in a phone interview that the bill was long overdue and will help protect animals.

"Money and tradition are never an excuse for cruelty,'' she said. "We need to make sure that business is keeping pace with our ethics.''

She said most people would be appalled to learn that cockfighting is still legal in U.S. territories.

'Horrific blood sport'

"In a modern society, forcing animals to fight for their lives is cruel,'' she said. "Cockfighting is a horrific blood sport.''

Many in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands were saddened by approval of the ban, which is expected to go into effect in a year.

Stacey Plaskett, the U.S. Virgin Islands' congressional representative, said she would continue to fight the bill.

"I believed it to be a tremendous overreach of the federal government, which has not supported other basic needs of the territory,'' she said in a statement.

Other opponents of the bill said they would struggle to find other types of work.

Miguel Trinidad, who owns a cockfighting ring in the northern Puerto Rican town of Caimito, said he was stunned by the vote. He recently invested $50,000 cash to rebuild his business after Hurricane Maria.

"Now they say they're going to shut it down,'' he said with a sigh, noting that his father first opened the business 50 years ago. "It makes me very sad.''

Supply store owner concerned

Supporters say many people beyond owners of cockfighting rings will be affected. They note that thousands of people are hired to raise the animals, shear them, feed them and shelter them.

Pedro Casillas, administrator of an animal supply store in Bayamon, said he fears having to lay off employees and possibly close his business.

"Food for cocks is what we sell the most,'' he said. "It represents three-fourths of our sales.''

But Casillas and Ortiz also think the legislation won't succeed because the ban will only drive cockfights underground.
The dogs were primped, pampered and posed like fashion models before their big moment in front of the camera. A pair of matching, elegant-looking pups decked out with black velvet and rhinestone collars looked like they should belong to the Kardashians.

About 100 dogs got their pictures taken with Santa Claus by a professional pet photographer at Dogma Gourmet Dog Bakery and Boutique in Arlington, Virginia. From large Golden Retrievers to pint-sized Chihuahuas, the pups were dressed for the holidays.

I like the ones where you can see the interaction where the dog looks like hes having a conversation quietly with Santa, said professional pet photographer, Jeannie Taylor. Theyre part of the family. They should have their Santa photos, just as they should be part of family photos.

Its fun, its festive and making memories, said Sheena Cole who came with her Corgi to the annual event.

Annual event for some

Some people bring their dogs every year, including Brian Rose who arrived with two Schnauzers he calls his kids.

We get the girls dressed up in their little ribbons and see all the other dogs in their costumes, he said.

They included canines wearing a Santa hat or dressed as elves. Alycia Foley wanted the Santa picture with her bulldog Quincy to reflect both Christmas and Hanukkah.

I put a yamaka and scarf on him for Hanukkah because Im Jewish. I celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah, so I wanted him to celebrate both.

Money to charities

A large portion of the $25 cost for each photo is donated to several local dog rescue groups. Zach Klipple with Vindictive Pit Bull Rescue said the money goes to buy items like food, toys, crates and kennels.

Many of the dogs at the event were rescues. Melinda Thalor, who calls herself a pet grandparent, asked her daughters rescue dog, to show me your smile.

The support this event gives to the animals is wonderful. Weve always had rescue dogs and theyre the best kind, Thalor said.

Say cheese

During the photo shoots it was a challenge to get the dogs to stay still, so Taylor and her assistant used innovative ways to get their attention, which seemed to do the trick.

We make sounds that are out of the norm of their daily routine  high pitch squeaky toys, and weird noises with our mouths, Taylor explained.

While some dogs enjoyed the attention, others tried to make a bolt for the door.

Lets get out of here, said Santa laughing, reflecting on what the dogs must be thinking.

Santa knows

Jim Greer, who for years has played Santa for both children and dogs, said the pups can be like kids, too.

Some of them will jump up in your lap. Others will run away from you. I get one once in a while that will bark at me. Ive been nipped at a couple of times, but I havent been bitten, and hopefully we can keep it that way, he said and laughed.

Penny Edwards and her 3-year-old daughter came in their matching pajamas, along with their brown-and-white dog named Blue. The little girl told Santa what she would like for Christmas, and said Blue told Santa he wanted cheese and a ball.

Pet parent Amy Kessler is looking forward to sending Christmas cards with her cute white dogs photo to friends and family.

Hes so happy and smiling and it cheers everyone up, I think, to see a little pup with Santa, she said with a smile.
The former deputy leader of al-Qaida-linked militant group al-Shabab has been arrested in southern Somalia, sparking clashes between his supporters and pro-government forces that left eight people dead.

Officials speaking on condition of anonymity say Mukhtar Robow, also known as Abu Mansoor, was invited to a meeting Thursday at the regional state presidential palace in Baidoa, 250 kilometers northwest of Mogadishu. They say upon arrival, he was immediately detained.

Telecommunications in Biadoa were briefly shut down as disgruntled Robow supporters took to the streets.

Robow's militia along with his supporters clashed with Ethiopian soldiers providing security to the palace, leaving eight people dead and more than 10 others injured, witnesses and officials told VOA's Somali service.

Two Somali lawmakers who spoke to the VOA accused the Somali government of arresting Robow using Ethiopian military forces.

A VOA stringer reports that sporadic gunfire could still be heard across the town Thursday after midday.

Calls VOA made to several federal government officials to comment on the incident were not answered.

In hiding



Robow, who was trained by al-Qaida in Afghanistan, was one of the founders of al-Shabab in 2006 and served as its number-two leader for several years. In 2012, the U.S. government offered $5 million for information on his whereabouts.

But a rift within al-Shabab, between parts of the group seeking to establish a global caliphate and others like Robow who were more focused on national issues, drove him away from the group.

In 2013, fearing for his life, Robow went into hiding, protected by his own loyal militia in South Western region of Bakol, starting secret negotiations with the Somali government. He finally turned himself over to authorities of the Somali Federal Government in August 2017, after the United States removed the bounty on his head.

Presidential candidate



In October, he announced that he was running for president of Somalia's South West region, but the federal government issued a sharp "no" to his candidacy.

A statement by the internal security ministry said Robow was not eligible to run for the post because he is still under international sanctions. The move angered his supporters in the region and within the Somali parliament, and comes amid high tension in the Somali capital, where lawmakers are threatening to impeach President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed.

Meanwhile, security was tight Thursday in Mogadishu as Eritreas President Isaias Afwerki made his first visit to the Somali capital and met with the Somali president. Relations between Eritrea and Somalia have warmed since Eritrea made peace with longtime rival Ethiopia earlier this year.

Mukhtar Atoosh contributed to this story in Baidoa, Somalia
Federal prosecutors in Detroit are seeking nearly 11 years in prison for an Indian man convicted of sexually assaulting a sleeping woman during a commercial flight.

Prabhu Ramamoorthy was expected in federal court Thursday in Detroit. He was jailed after being accused of molesting a woman with his hands while she slept on an overnight flight from Las Vegas to Detroit in January.



Ramamoorthy was in a middle seat sitting next to the victim, and his wife was sitting next to the aisle. Prosecutors called it a "brazen'' assault.



Defense attorneys are seeking a prison term of less than 10 years, arguing Ramamoorthy's life as he knew it is over.''



Ramamoorthy had been in the U.S. on a work visa. He'll eventually be deported to India because of the conviction.
Two international charities have launched a program in southern Malawi to help girls in rural areas remain healthy and stay in school. The charities are running girls clubs in the Mulanje district, a hotspot of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

Some 360 girls are taking part in the Mawa Girls clubs, which were launched in October in nine secondary schools across Mulanje district.

Statistics show that many girls here drop out from school because of early pregnancies and child marriages.

Two charities, Sentebale and the Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance, or GAIA, launched the clubs.

Last year, we had close to 26 secondary school students who dropped out and 80 percent of them were girls. Some of them got married and some of them got pregnant," explains Lucy Munthali, program coordinator for GAIA.

Child marriage



Malawi has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world. Half of all girls marry before age 18.



The country also has an HIV prevalence rate of nearly 10 percent, and females suffer 70 percent of all new HIV infections in Malawi, according to a report by UNAIDS.

Munthali says poverty forces many women and girls into transactional and unprotected sex.

Considering that girls of ages between 15 and 24 are at higher risk of getting HIV, we help girls with psycho-social support to make sure they remain in school and they remain healthy," she says.

Life goals



Under the program, mentors encourage girls to think about their goals in life.

Loveness Sitima, a student at Namalowe Day Community Secondary School, says she benefits from the program.

She says she wants to be a nurse because she loves the type of the uniform nurses wear. But particularly she would like to be a nurse working in the maternity ward so that she can be helping women.

Another student from the same school, Elube Dinesi, says she has realized that when a girl is educated, she respects the rights of other girls, and motivates others.

Officials say the work of the clubs supports government programs focusing on girls' education.

Government needs help



Charity Nkhoma, with the special needs section of the Ministry of Education, says that although government is [doing] everything possible to promote girls' education, it cannot do everything alone, let alone reach each and every girl child. She says such interventions tremendously help in promoting education for girls.

Sentebale and GAIA officials say a similar program is bearing fruit in Lesotho and Botswana. They say if funding allows, they will launch the girls clubs across Malawi.
Mexicos leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he spoke by telephone Wednesday with U.S. President Donald Trump about migration and job creation.

The issue came to the fore last month when a caravan of about 7,000 migrants arrived in the border city of Tijuana and some attempted to enter the United States.

In respectful and friendly terms, we spoke about the migration issue and the possibility of implementing a joint program of development and job creation in Central America and our country, Lopez Obrador wrote in his Twitter account.

The Mexican president has called on the United States to join in a Marshall Plan effort to commit about $20 billion in public and private investment in Central America to create jobs, so people there wont have to emigrate.

Cordial relationship

Despite their differences in background and policy, the relationship between the two leaders has been quite cordial. Lopez Obrador, who took office Dec. 1, has said he hopes to make migration a choice, not a necessity, for poor people of the region.

Earlier Wednesday, Mexicos top security official said the government will close off illegal entries at its southern border with Guatemala, but didnt say exactly how the country plans to accomplish that daunting task.

Interior Secretary Olga Sanchez Cordero said the new administration will end the practice of undocumented or illegal crossings over the Suchiate River, which marks much of the border between Mexico and Guatemala.

In the south there will be only one entry, on the bridge, she said. Anyone who wants to enter illegally, we are going to say: Get in line and you can enter our country.

Sanchez Cordero offered no details on how that would be done, however.

In late October, Mexican authorities briefly tried to block a migrant caravan from crossing the river with ranks of police and military personnel, a helicopter and boats, but the migrants crossed anyway.

Sanchez Cordero said the migrant caravan that crossed the southern border in October is no longer an issue.

Tensions remain

Do you know why it is no longer an issue? Because in five days this administration solved the issue, five days, she said, referring to the first week since Lopez Obrador took office. The United States was impressed.

The new administration has mobilized material and equipment to improve conditions at the migrants shelter in the northern border city of Tijuana, but problems continue because the Central American there are frustrated by the slow pace at which U.S. officials are processing asylum requests.

Sanchez Cordero said Mexico will promote a Christmas at Home campaign to encourage many of the migrants to return to their home countries for the holidays.
Israeli forces shot on Wednesday and killed a suspected Palestinian terrorist they held responsible for the death of a 4-day-old Jewish baby after a drive-by shooting.

Officials said the suspect, Salah Barghouti, was killed trying to escape during a raid on a West Bank village. A number of others were arrested.

The premature baby died Wednesday, three days after his mother was shot in the abdomen from a passing car allegedly driven by the suspected terrorists. Six other people, including the baby's father, were also wounded.

The mother, Shira Ish-ran, was 30 weeks pregnant with her son. She was rushed into surgery, where doctors delivered the boy by Caesarean section. The infant died, despite doctors' efforts to keep him alive.

He was buried Wednesday night.

"The murderers are abhorrent, the most deviant criminals on Earth," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday.



Israeli President Reuven Rivlin called the shooting an act of despicable terrorism. Danny Danon, Israel's permanent representative to the United Nations, said, "The world must strongly condemn this terror and not remain silent."



U.S. peace envoy Jason Greenblatt said the baby's death was "absolutely heartbreaking."



He condemned the militant group Hamas for calling the shooting "heroic."
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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the U.N. Security Council Wednesday that Iran's ballistic missile activity has been growing since the 2015 nuclear deal, and he urged stronger international restrictions to prevent such activity. VOA U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer has more.
A multipronged crackdown on the press continued throughout 2018, the Committee to Protect Journalists concludes in a report published Thursday.



Imprisonment, intimidation and allegations that journalists produce fake news surged in 2016, when U.S. President Donald Trump won the election, CPJ found.



Trump has been a vocal critic of the press, often chastising journalists as very dishonest people.



The number of journalists in jail dipped 8 percent, from 272 in 2017 to 251 this year. But that doesnt mean the situation has improved, Angela Quintal, CPJs Africa program coordinator, told VOA.



The numbers fluctuate and may not reflect every imprisoned journalist. They also remain markedly higher than just a half decade ago.



More importantly, targeting a single journalist can have far-reaching repercussions.



The effects are not only, obviously, [on] the journalists themselves and their families and their colleagues, but we really are talking about the effect on citizens as a whole, Quintal said.



CPJs report highlighted several bright spots.



In Ethiopia, which has experienced dramatic reforms under new leader Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, no journalists are currently known to be imprisoned, for the first time in 14 years.

Improvements in some countries, however, dont necessarily rub off on others.



Unfortunately, neighboring Eritrea remains the highest jailer of journalists in sub-Saharan Africa, with 16 journalists behind bars as we speak, Quintal said.



Worldwide, report author Elana Beiser, CPJs editorial director, singled out China, Egypt and Saudi Arabia as troublespots, highlighting how wide-ranging efforts to silence journalists have become.



In sub-Saharan Africa, Quintals region of focus, Cameroon, where seven journalists are in jail, is a new country of concern. At least four of those journalists faced false news charges in what Quintal called a huge, huge setback.



Overall, more than two dozen journalists have been charged with publishing false news, mainly in Africa.

Accusations and imprisonments can propel self-censorship, with profound effects on citizens right to information.



When you see your colleagues being jailed, when you see them accused of so-called fake news, when theyre being arrested on false news charges, Quintal said, it does, obviously, have a chilling effect.



Quintal herself was targeted, along with colleague Muthoki Mumo, in Tanzania last month.

Despite having an invitation letter from the Media Council of Tanzania, the two, both former journalists, were detained and interrogated.



Quintal, from South Africa, and Mumo, from Kenya, were kept in custody for five hours.



We were lucky because we were able to leave Tanzania, Quintal said, contrasting her experience to journalists in the country who have gone missing or continue to face intimidation.



The abusive nature of what happened to us showed the world the true nature of what is going on in Tanzania at the moment, she added.



Quintal and Mumos case was unusual. Governments tend to target their own citizens, and journalists imprisoned by their governments make up 98 percent of cases, CPJ concluded. They also found that 13 percent of journalists in jail are women, an 8 percent increase from 2017.



Despite worrying signs, there is room for optimism, Quintal said.



When new leaders come to power, she said, human rights and press freedoms can improve very quickly.



Quintal pointed to The Gambia as one example, where the new president, Adama Barrow, has created space for journalists to work without fear of reprisal.



Tuesday, Time magazine selected journalists who have been targeted for doing their work, the guardians of truth, as their Person of the Year.
Minister Regenvanu (5th from right) heads the Vanuatu Government delegation at COP24 in Poland
The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee has quickly unloaded Raytheon stock following a report that the recent purchase was made after he urged President Donald Trump to boost military spending by billions of dollars.

The Daily Beast first reported that a financial adviser to Sen. James Inhofe bought between $50,000 and $100,000 of Raytheon stock on Tuesday.

Days earlier, the Oklahoma Republican had met with Trump and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to discuss the military's budget. That led to separate reports that said Trump would ask Congress to provide the Pentagon with record-level spending of $750 billion in 2020.

Leacy Burke, a spokeswoman for Inhofe, said the senator had no involvement in the Raytheon transaction and wasn't aware of it "until it came through the system.''
South Korea says a visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to Seoul before the end of the year is unlikely.

Kim promised to visit the South Korean capital in the near future when he hosted President Moon Jae-in for their third summit of this year.

But a statement issued Thursday by the Blue House, South Koreas presidential residence, quoted a senior adviser to President Moon as saying a visit by Kim Jong Un would be difficult. A visit by Kim would be the first by a North Korean leader to South Korea since the Korean Peninsula was divided after World War II.

Analysts say North Korea is cautious about giving a fixed date for Kims visit, because of security concerns in South Korea and the stalled negotiations with the United States over its nuclear weapons program.

The Blue House statement says Kim Jong Un could still visit Seoul early next year.
Sri Lanka's Supreme Court has ruled that President Maithripala Sirisena's move to dissolve parliament last month was illegal.

In a unanimous decision announced Thursday, the seven-member court said that Sirisena violated the constitution when he called a snap election nearly two years before the parliamentary session was due to end.

The decision adds another chapter to a political crisis that began on on October 26, when President Sirisena fired Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, claiming that an informant told police that a Cabinet minister was part of a plot to assassinate him.

He replaced Wickremesinghe with Mahinda Rajapaksa, the country's former president and strongman, then suspended parliament the next day. In an apparent bow to international pressure, Sirisena summoned lawmakers back to work last Monday.

But when it became apparent that Rajapaksa would not survive a no-confidence vote, Sirisena dissolved parliament on November 9 and called for snap elections. The Supreme Court overruled the president's decree in a ruling issued just days later.

Wickremesinghe has remained in the prime minister's official residence in Colombo in defiance of Sirisena's actions.

The push to oust Rajapaksa dragged Sri Lanka's parliament into chaos. Speaker Karu Jayasuriya held a voice vote on November 14 on the no-confidence motion after Rajapaksa's supporters staged an noisy, impromptu protest in the chamber before debate began.

The next day, rival lawmakers exchanged blows after Jayasuriya declared that Sri Lanka had no prime minister or a cabinet, with some of Rajapaksa's supporters hurling water bottles and other objects at Jayasuriya.
The United States is immediately instituting a new policy for Africa that was just approved by President Donald Trump, his national security adviser, John Bolton, announced Thursday.

"Under our new approach, every decision we make, every policy we pursue, and every dollar of aid we spend will further U.S. priorities in the region," said Bolton, speaking in Washington. "Our first priority, enhancing U.S. economic ties with the region, is not only essential to improving opportunities for American workers and businesses. It is also vital to safeguarding the economic independence of African states and protecting U.S. national security interests."

The policy shift is also meant to counter on the continent the rapidly expanding financial and political influence of China and Russia.

"They are deliberately and aggressively targeting their investments in the region to gain a competitive advantage over the United States," Bolton said at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. "We want our economic partners in the region to thrive, prosper and control their own destinies. In America's economic dealings, we ask only for reciprocity, never for subservience."

China uses big loan, opaque deals

Bolton said China is using big loans and opaque agreements to make Africa "captive to Beijing's wishes and demands," singling out projects in Zambia and Djibouti where he said Chinese enterprises are set to take over a state power company and a key port, respectively.

Some analysts caution against looking at the African continent as a battleground for U.S. competition with China.

"It can undermine our actual strategies with many countries in Africa by seeing them through the prism of competition," says senior fellow Michael Fuchs at the Center for American Progress, who served as deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs in the Obama administration.

Russia shows little regard for rule of law

Russia in Africa, according to Bolton, "advances its political and economic relationships with little regard for the rule of law or accountable and transparent governance."

While Fuchs welcomes the attention by the Trump administration to Africa, he does not expect what Bolton announced to convince many partners and the continent of a U.S. commitment there.

"I think that he potentially undermined some of the potential for these partnerships with some of the policy proposals that he made," Fuchs told VOA.

The immediate reaction overall to Bolton's speech from African officials appeared to be cautious optimism.

"We are happy to understand that finally America has a strategy that is purposeful towards Africa," David Gacheru, the deputy chief of mission at Kenya's embassy in Washington, told VOA, adding the Trump administration is potentially filling a void that has existed for many years.

All Africa aid under review

The United States has provided more than $8 billion in aid to Africa in each of the past two fiscal years and a review of all aid is being finalized, according to Bolton.

The many more billions of U.S. tax dollars spent there over recent decades, Bolton said, have failed to stop terrorism, radicalism and violence, nor have they prevented other powers from increasing their own power and influence.

"And, they have not led to stable and transparent governance, economic viability and increasing development across the region," said Bolton.

WATCH: US Launches New Strategy for Africa

Administration officials are not saying whether total aid to Africa will be cut and how involved Trump will be in making decisions as to how much each country will get and for what projects as the president touts a transactional approach to foreign assistance.

When the presidents budget comes out, thats when you will see the outcome, Bolton said in response to a question from VOA.

South Sudan a likely target

In his speech, Bolton said Washington will no longer fund "corrupt autocrats who used the money to fill their coffers at the expense of their people, to commit gross human rights violations."

One likely target for significant cuts in U.S. assistance is South Sudan, where a civil war is entering its sixth year.

"We will not provide loans or more American resources to a South Sudanese government led by the same morally bankrupt leaders," vowed Bolton.

Noticeably absent from the new plan is any commitment to advancing human rights and democracy," according to the global humanitarian group Mercy Corps, which says its research in Africa has consistently found that government neglect and injustice, including human rights abuses and corruption, are primary drivers of support for violent extremism and armed conflict.

The organization is calling on the Trump administration to make central to its Africa policy goals of alleviating suffering, poverty and oppression and promoting good governance.

Patsy Widakuswara contributed to this report.
An early morning warehouse fire in Kinshasa has destroyed thousands of voting machines and other election materials that were to be used in Congo's upcoming presidential election.

Barnabe Kikaya, an advisor to outgoing President Joseph Kabila, says about 7,000 voting machines were lost in the Thursday morning fire, which he says was the work of "criminals." But Kikaya said the fire will not disrupt preparations for the December 23 vote.

Questions have been raised about whether the computerized voting machines will be utilized effectively in the Congo, which is plagued with poor infrastructure, along with concerns that the vote could be rigged in favor of President Kabila's preferred successor, former interior minister Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary.

The December 23 vote could mark Congo's first peaceful transition of power since winning its independence from Belgium in 1960.

The race to succeed Kabila, who is stepping down after 17 years in power, has been marred with violence. Security forces opened fire on supporters of opposition candidate Martin Fayulu this week in the town of Kalemie, leaving at least two people dead.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he "never directed" his former personal attorney Michael Cohen "to break the law," a day after Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison, in part for helping make payments to two women, alleging they had affairs with Trump, to stay silent before the 2016 election.

In a string of Twitter comments, Trump said Cohen, who worked for him for 12 years, was "supposed to know the law. It is called 'advice of counsel,' and a lawyer has great liability if a mistake is made. That is why they get paid."

Cohen had pleaded guilty to arranging $280,000 in payments, at Trump's direction, to adult firm star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal, but the payments were not reported as campaign donations. Cohen also pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about Trump's efforts in early 2016 to build a Moscow skyscraper, to mimic Trump's false claim to voters that he had no Russian business ventures.

Hush money



Trump contended that the hush money payments were not criminal. He later told Fox News the charges were brought by prosecutors "to embarrass me. I never directed him to do anything incorrect or wrong."

Trump tweeted, "Many campaign finance lawyers have strongly stated that I did nothing wrong with respect to campaign finance laws, if they even apply, because this was not campaign finance," Trump said. "Cohen was guilty on many charges unrelated to me, but he (pled) to two campaign charges which were not criminal and of which he probably was not guilty even on a civil basis."

The U.S. leader said, "Those charges were just agreed to by him in order to embarrass the president and get a much reduced prison sentence, which he did -- including the fact that his family was temporarily let off the hook. As a lawyer, Michael has great liability to me!"

Cohen was sentenced Wednesday after telling a federal judge that his "blind loyalty" to Trump led him to "cover up his dirty deeds."

Trump, in his tweets, did not address Cohen's claim, nor what New York prosecutors say was then-candidate Trump's involvement in making a $150,000 payment to McDougal through American Media Inc.

Kill order



The company is the owner of the supermarket tabloid National Enquirer, which bought McDougal's story of her alleged 2006-2007 affair with Trump with the express purpose of then killing it so it would not surface before Election Day in November 2016, to boost Trump's chances of winning the White House.

American Media reached a deal with prosecutors to avoid prosecution and cooperate with them in disclosing its role with Trump in making the payment to McDougal.

As part of its agreement with prosecutors, AMI agreed to fully cooperate with authorities, including making officers and employees available for testimony and pledging to turn over any documents or other evidence as requested.

Legal analysts said the developments could strengthen a potential case against Trump himself if prosecutors were to pursue one, although Justice Department guidelines say that a sitting president cannot be charged criminally until he leaves office.

Cohen is the closest figure to Trump sentenced to prison in the wide-ranging investigations of Trump's 2016 campaign, its possible links to Russia and whether, as president, Trump obstructed justice by trying to thwart the probes being conducted by federal prosecutors in New York and special counsel Robert Mueller in Washington.

Several other prominent Trump figures, including his former campaign chairman and his first national security adviser, have yet to be sentenced for various offenses.

U.S. Judge William Pauley told the 52-year-old Cohen that somewhere along the way, he had "lost his moral compass."

'Blind loyalty'

Cohen once bragged that he would "take a bullet" to support Trump. More recently, however, Cohen had turned against Trump and said at his sentencing that working for Trump was a "personal and mental incarceration."

Prosecutors said that Cohen, at Trump's direction, facilitated the payments  in violation of campaign finance laws  to Daniels and McDougal shortly before the 2016 election to buy their silence about alleged liaisons with Trump a decade before he ran for the presidency.

The prosecutors said American Media knew corporations such as itself were subject to campaign finance laws that forbid payments "made for purposes of influencing an election and in coordination with or at the request of a candidate or campaign," and that it did not report the payment to the Federal Election Commission.

Campaign finance laws require campaign contributions to be disclosed and bar individual donations of more than $2,700.

Mueller investigation



Cohen attorney Lanny Davis said that after Mueller completes his investigation, Cohen would cooperate with congressional committees as they consider possible wrongdoing by Trump and his aides. Some Democrats in the House of Representatives have called for Trump's impeachment when they assume control of the chamber next month.

"Mr. Trump's repeated lies cannot contradict stubborn facts," Davis said.
Heads of Ugandas political parties have gathered to address growing criticism among opponents of longtime President Yoweri Museveni and growing political repression in the country. The roundtable discussion  known as the Inter Party Organization for Dialogue  served as a forum for leaders who are voicing concerns on whether Ugandas 2021 elections will be free and fair.



Ugandas opposition political parties used the Inter Party organization for dialogue summit to push for constitutional reforms, improved governance, stop electoral fraud and bring an end to torture and other human rights abuses.

Among those attending was President Yoweri Museveni. The 74-year-old leaders mandate began in 1986 and was extended to a fifth term in 2016 elections that were marred by widespread reports of fraud and intimidation.

The next elections are set for 2021 and Mr. Museveni has shown signs he may not relinquish power, telling attendees he has no plans to retire.

Youre talking about only election, elections for what, to do what? To have new members of Parliament, so they do what? To have a new President, so that he does what? Me, I am in politics because of the prosperity of our people. Number two, strategic security, he said.

Human rights violations

As the world marked the International Human Rights Day, December 10, with the theme, Get up, stand up for Rights, both Ugandan and International human rights activists called attention to human rights violations in the country.

Amnesty International in its 2017-2018 Report on Uganda noted that rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly were restricted. The report said journalists and others who criticized the president or his family were arrested, detained and harassed.

Asuman Basalirwa, a local party head, demanded that these injustices stop.



That from today onwards no activity, meeting, rally or event organized by registered political party shall ever be blocked by Police or any other agency. We are here to get assurance and commitment that political opponents shall not be treated as enemies and their activities should never be criminalized, said Basalirwa.

Growing repression



Norbert Mao, head of the opposition Democratic Party, voiced concerns about what he and other critics say is growing repression despite the governments pledges to improve governance.



We have amplified our disappointments, over the many broken promises. The instances when we have moved further away from the path of constitutionalism and rule of law and respect for fundamental rights, said Mao.



The next Inter Party Organization for Dialogue set for May 2019 and it is not clear, if it will be fruitful -- especially for Ugandans yearning for change in the 2021 general elections.
Talks between Yemen's two opposing sides outside the Swedish capital, Stockholm, ended Thursday with a key agreement to hand control of the key Red Sea port of Hodeida to the United Nations. But delegates failed to agree on reopening Sana'a Airport or resolving economic disputes. They will tentatively attend a fresh round of talks late next month.

The audience clapped in approval as the lead negotiators for both the internationally-recognized government of President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi and the Houthi delegation unexpectedly shook hands, under the watchful eye of U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The U.N. chief lauded the agreement.

"You have reached an agreement on Hodeida port and city, which will see a mutual redeployment of forces from the port and the city and the establishment of a governorate-wide cease-fire," he said.

WATCH: UN Pushes for Peace in Yemen

The U.N. is expected to administer the port and unblock humanitarian aid to the capital, Sana'a, and other parts of the country suffering from a humanitarian crisis. Each side also agreed to allow the U.N. to remove mines and explosives in the region.

Guterres said both parties will continue peace talks in January and attempt to reach agreement on outstanding issues, including reopening the airport and resolving economic disagreements.

"[Both sides] have agreed to engage in the discussions on a negotiating framework at the next meeting [in January]," he said. "This is a critical element for the future political settlement to end the conflict."

Guterres stressed that there is "no military solution to the conflict" and that negotiations are a "complex and lengthy process."

He thanked his special envoy, Martin Griffiths, for the "many shuttle trips" he made between capitals and delegations to reach an agreement.

Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom, whose country hosted the lengthy talks, expressed gratitude for the goodwill shown by both sides.

"We came here a week ago with low expectations, but high ambitions," she said. "And we are happy that consultations have been taking place in a good spirit and in good faith and a good, concrete result in the end."

The top Houthi negotiator, Mohammed Abdul Salam, told journalists at a press conference that his delegation tried to be flexible and made many concessions.

He says that the Houthis agreed to mutual redeployment in Hodeida with the U.N. playing a role in overseeing the port and inspecting ships.

He maintained that the Houthis made concessions over Hodeida for the sake of the Yemeni people. But he said the Hadi government did not agree to discussions for a political settlement and expressed anger over the lack of an accord to reopen Sana'a Airport.

The Houthis say international flights should be searched by outside parties in either Egypt or Jordan. The Hadi government demands they be inspected at Aden Airport, which it controls.

Foreign Minister Khaled al Yamani, who headed the government delegation, said the Houthis failed to carry out "71 previous agreements." He argued the present agreement to hand Hodeida over to the U.N. was made "with the hypothetical understanding that [the Houthis] would carry it out."

Yamani also laid blamed the Houthis for the failure of economic talks, claiming they insisted that back salaries be paid to government employees that they hired, other than those on the payroll before the conflict began in 2014.



Houthi negotiator Abdul Salam, however, called this "political posturing." He also criticized the Hadi government's demand that planes be inspected at Aden Airport "because some Yemenis from Sana'a" were "arrested [there] in the past."



But Abdul Salam praised the agreement on the port, calling it a "good thing ... which reinforces the chances of peace in Yemen."

He added that "everyone hopes to end the war and lift the blockade of the country."

WATCH: UN Pushes for Peace in Yemen
The U.N. secretary-general will be in Sweden Thursday to attend the final day of the first round of intra-Yemeni peace talks. Antonio Guterres will be showing his personal support to the process, which is being led by his special envoy, Martin Griffiths. VOA U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer reports on Yemen's dire situation and how the United Nations is working to end the massive humanitarian disaster created by nearly four years of fighting.
A U.S. Republican lawmaker sponsoring a bill to support a democratic and secular Iran says Washington should provide Iranians with material support to help them overcome their Islamist rulers.

U.S. Representative Tom McClintock spoke to VOA Persian late Tuesday at a Christmas celebration held by the Organization of Iranian American Communities (OIAC) at Washingtons Rayburn House Office Building.

I believe it is increasingly important that we provide (Iranians) with material support that they need to overcome the tyranny in Tehran, McClintock said, without specifying what form that support should take. In previous years, we provided cash on cargo pallets to the mullahs, cash used to oppress the Iranian people. Now we owe it to the Iranian people to provide the resistance with the kind of material support that we once gave the mullahs.

McClintock was referring to the Obama administrations Jan. 17, 2016, air cargo delivery of cash worth $400 million to Tehran as part of a settlement of a decades-old arbitration claim between the U.S. and Iran. The transfer happened on the same day that Iran agreed to release four American prisoners, leading the Democratic presidents Republican critics to denounce the cash delivery as a ransom payment.

House resolution

McClintock is the sponsor of a House resolution that expresses support for the Iranian peoples desire for a democratic, secular, and non-nuclear Republic of Iran. The bill also condemns what it calls Iranian state-sponsored terrorism. It was referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee in July and has gained 103 co-sponsors since then.

Iran sees itself as a victim, rather than a perpetrator, of terrorism. Tehran also denies U.S. accusations that it seeks to divert what it calls a peaceful nuclear program to making weapons.

OIAC, a supporter of McClintocks bill, is a nonprofit group that seeks to mobilize Iranian-Americans to support what it calls the Iranian peoples struggle for democratic change and a non-nuclear government. It is allied to exiled Iranian dissident movement Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), which leads the France-based National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and advocates the overthrow of religious dictatorship in Iran. Islamist clerics have led the nation since its 1979 Islamic Revolution.

A bipartisan group of nine House members attended and spoke at the OIAC event, four Republicans and five Democrats. The speakers included Republican lawmakers McClintock, Dana Rohrabacher, Mike Coffman and Ted Poe, and Democratic lawmakers Eliot Engel, Brad Sherman, Sheila Jackson Lee, Judy Chu and Steve Cohen.

In a separate interview with VOA Persian at the event, Engel, the presumptive chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee in the next congressional session that begins in January, said he supports freedom for the people of Iran, but he stopped short of calling for U.S. material support as favored by McClintock.

I want the people of Iran to know that the people of the U.S. are aware of what is happening in their country and that we stand with the people of Iran, not with the oppressive regime, not with the mullahs in Tehran, Engel said. We dont attempt to tell the people of Iran what kind of government they should elect. They should just have the freedom to be able to do that  the same kind of freedom that American people have.

Anniversary of protests

OIAC used the event to mark the first anniversary of mass anti-government protests that erupted across Iran in late December 2017 and continued into the first week of January 2018. At least 25 people were killed, among them protesters and security personnel, as the demonstrations turned violent.

Since then, frequent smaller-scale protests have taken place across the country, with Iranians expressing anger toward government officials and business leaders they accuse of corruption, mismanagement and oppression.

This article originated in VOAs Persian Service.
The U.S. House of Representatives approved a resolution by a vote of 394-1 Thursday, declaring Myanmar's military campaign against the country's Rohingya Muslim minority a genocide.

A United Nations report released in August said the military carried out mass killings and gang rapes with "genocidal intent" and also definitively called for Myanmar officials to face genocide charges for the first time.

Myanmar's military has denied previous accusations it had committed genocide, maintaining its actions were part of an anti-terrorism campaign.

The atrocities have prompted the U.N. and a number of political and human rights leaders to question the southeast Asian country's progress toward democracy.

The Burma Task Force, a coalition of U.S. and Canadian Muslim organizations, applauded the genocide designation.

"The House of Representatives has now officially adopted the position that the ongoing policies of mass violence and displacement against the Rohingya by the Myanmar government constitute genocide, bringing the U.S. closer to the emerging international consensus on the issue."

The U.S. State Department usually makes such official designations but has not used the term genocide to describe the military's atrocities against the Rohingya.

The House resolution also called on the Myanmar government to release Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who were jailed one year ago.

They were sentenced in September to seven years in prison for violating the countrys colonial-era Secrets Act. Lawyers for the reporters said their clients were set up and have appealed their sentences and convictions.

The Myanmar embassy in Washington did not immediately comment on the House vote.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador tackled the issue of immigration in a phone call Wednesday.

The White House said the two leaders "discussed the need to address illegal migration from Central America to the United States by addressing the drivers of migration, such as insecurity and economic stagnation."

Lopez Obrador says he and Trump discussed migration and the possibility of working together on a program aimed at boosting development and job creation in Central America.

Lopez Obrador described called the conversation "respectful and friendly," in a Tweet late Wednesday.

Creating jobs

The Mexican leader has proposed a roughly $30 billion plan over five years to create jobs and address poverty in Central America in hopes of resolving the underlying causes that currently have migrants traveling into Mexico in hopes of a better life there or in the United States.

Lopez Obrador, who took office December 1, wants the United States and Canada to join in the effort.

Earlier this month, in an interview with VOA's Spanish service, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he had discussions with the new Mexican administration about creating opportunities for people in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador "so these people will have better lives there."

"Its the capacity to live their lives the way they want to with economic success and freedom," Pompeo said. "Were committed to assisting in that, and in the time that we cant get there, were also determined to make sure the human rights of the migrants are respected. At the same time, enforcing U.S. law."

Lopez Obrador said at a news conference Tuesday that such talks with the United States are progressing.

Hardline stance

Trump and members of his administration have taken a hardline stance toward the Central American migrants escaping poverty and violence, telling his supporters at a rally that the migrants should turn around and go home because they will not be allowed into the United States. He also deployed thousands of troops to the U.S.-Mexico border and is now threatening a government shutdown if Congress does not approve funding for his desired border wall.

Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador have all agreed to work on Mexico's plan to address the underlying causes of migration. They stressed the need to approach it as a complex, regional problem that requires efforts to facilitate safe and orderly migration with respect and protection for human rights.

Representatives from the four countries discussed the plan at a U.N. migration conference Monday in Morocco.

Honduran Foreign Minister Maria Dolores Aguero said the effort prioritizes respect for the dignity of migrants in line with international rights and with special emphasis on the welfare of children and the protection of human rights, independent of immigration status.

Mexico Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said the countries want to compete with the narrative that has taken hold in much of the world, including in the Americas, that the best way to confront migration is exclusion and control.

About 7,000 migrants have arrived in the Mexican border city of Tijuana, straining the capacity of an area that was already hosting thousands of people hoping to gain asylum in the United States.

Those pursuing that option will have a long wait, with the main U.S. border entry port in the area said to be processing as many as 100 asylum seekers per day, and often many fewer.

There have been protests in Tijuana against the migrants, as well as clashes between the migrants and authorities from both Mexico and the United States as they protest the long wait times and some try to cross the border.

Interior Secretary Olga Sanchez Cordero said Wednesday the new administration had resolved the crisis in Tijuana by installing health centers, food service and children's activities to help those staying in the shelters and camps.

She also said Lopez Obrador has proposed a program called Christmas at Home (#NavidadEnTuCasa) that would grant transportation assistance and accelerate voluntary repatriation for those migrants who choose to go back to their home country.
Top U.S. officials are sounding new alarms about China, warning that Beijing, more than Russia, poses the most serious long-term threat to the United States.



The officials, from the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department, say the Chinese are increasingly targeting U.S. vulnerabilities in cyberspace, as well as leveraging some members of the Chinese diaspora to steal secrets and threaten U.S. national security.



"This is the most severe counterintelligence threat facing our country today," Bill Priestap, assistant director of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division, told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.



"We need an even broader response," he said, warning that U.S. actions to date have not been adequate. "What hangs in the balance is not just the future of the United States, but the future of the world."



Justice Department officials said that between 2011 and 2018, more than 90 percent of the department's nation-state espionage cases involved China, and that the pace of Chinese operations was increasing.

"The playbook is simple: Rob, replicate and replace," Assistant Attorney General John Demers told lawmakers. "Rob the American company of its intellectual property, replicate that technology, and replace the American company in the Chinese market and one day in the global market."

Previous warnings



Priestap and Demers were neither the first nor the most high-ranking U.S. officials to warn of the threat posed by China.

In September, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats cautioned that Beijing's "methodical" approach, combined with its prowess in cyberspace, was more dangerous to the U.S. than Russia's election-meddling efforts.



"China benefits from a relatively stable U.S.-China relationship and international system that is more predictable and less contentious," Coats said at the time.

But the latest warnings came as the U.S. is locked in a trade dispute with Beijing, and with tensions rising over the detention of a key Chinese communications executive.

Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou was picked up in Canada and is free on bail as she awaits possible extradition to the U.S. on charges of fraud involving U.S. sanctions against Iran.



China has demanded her release, and U.S. President Donald Trump told the Reuters news agency Tuesday that he would consider intervening if it would benefit U.S. national security or allow him to close a trade deal with Beijing.

'Not a tool of trade'

Pressed during Wednesday's Senate Judiciary hearing on whether Trump's comments could harm U.S. efforts to hold China accountable, Demers insisted there would be no impact on the Justice Department's actions.



"What we do at the Justice Department is law enforcement. We don't do trade," Demers said of Meng. "We are not a tool of trade when we bring the cases."



Regardless of the outcome of the case or U.S.-China trade negotiations, U.S. security and intelligence officials believe the threat from China will continue to grow.

"Our economy is built on a common fabric of cross-cutting systems. To our adversaries, including China, this is a vast web of interconnected targets," Chris Krebs, director of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, told lawmakers Wednesday.



Marriott hacking



One of the latest victims of Beijing's opportunism appears to have been Marriott, the U.S.-based international hotel chain, whose database, including personal and financial information and passport numbers, was hacked in September.



Reuters, The New York Times and other U.S. news outlets, citing government sources, have reported the breach carries the hallmarks of Chinese intelligence rather than criminal activity.



The reports said the hackers are suspected of working for China's Ministry of State Security, based on the similarity of their methods to those in previous Chinese incursions.



A spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the Times, "China firmly opposes all forms of cyberattack and cracks down on it in accordance with the law." He said if evidence was offered, Chinese officials would investigate.



However, the threat from China goes beyond hacking, cyberattacks and intrusions.



Officials said Beijing was also using some members of the Chinese diaspora, such as tech workers and students, to help target U.S. companies, universities and other research institutions.



"They think of them as simply an extension of their power," the FBI's Priestap said of the Chinese nationals in the U.S.



"Some, I think, are not knowledgeable in the least and are completely unwitting of doing anything in furtherance of their government's aims," he said. "Others, either through direct or other softly applied pressure, understand that they have an obligation to meet."



Marissa Melton contributed to this report.
The United States is rethinking its role in U.N. peacekeeping missions across Africa, with White House National Security Adviser John Bolton and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis looking to place U.S. forces and resources elsewhere.

When Bolton outlined the administration's new Africa policy Thursday, he announced the U.S. would no longer support "unproductive, unsuccessful and unaccountable U.N. peacekeeping missions."

"We will not provide legitimacy to missions that give large payouts to countries sending poorly equipped soldiers who provide insufficient protection to vulnerable populations on the ground," he said in a speech at The Heritage Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based policy think tank.

The United States is the U.N.'s top peacekeeping donor, providing nearly a third of its $6.7 billion budget for the fiscal year July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019. Last year, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley led administration efforts to trim the overall peacekeeping budget, which the U.N. agreed to tighten by $500 million.

Mattis asks for options

Pentagon leaders are of a similar mindset, with Mattis recently recommending the pullout of all U.S. peacekeepers from the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali, an official told VOA.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said Mattis had asked for options on how to free up the troops for other missions.

The Pentagon has been re-evaluating its troop presence and operations in Africa since an ambush in Niger last year that killed four U.S. soldiers, four Nigerian troops and a Nigerian interpreter.

The U.S. has a very small presence in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), contributing less than two dozen troops to a force that includes more than 13,000 military personnel, mostly from Burkina Faso, Chad, Bangladesh and Senegal.

The mission has been labeled the most dangerous U.N. mission across the globe, with more than 100 peacekeepers killed in the last six years. Al-Qaida linked groups have been tied to over 200 attacks in G5 Sahel countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger) since January 2017, primarily targeting MINUSMA forces while terrorizing civilians and destroying infrastructure, according to U.S. Africa Command.

'End of creative thinking'

Bolton on Thursday criticized the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers on the continent as the "end of creative thinking" to resolving conflicts.

He singled out the U.N. Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSA), which has been deployed nearly three decades and has yet to conduct the referendum it was initially tasked with securing. Resources devoted to MINURSA could instead be used toward "economic betterment in the region," Bolton suggested.

He added that the U.S. was reviewing its assistance to South Sudan, where the U.N. has placed thousands of peacekeepers. There are "no regular U.S. armed forces" in this mission, an UNMISS official told VOA, but there are a small number of U.S. military advisers and staff officers.

According to the U.N. Department of Peacekeeping data, of the more than 100,000 U.N. troops and police, the U.S. supplies only 51 personnel in U.N. missions.

Bolton said the review was to ensure U.S. aid is not prolonging the South Sudan civil war, now entering its sixth year.

"We will not provide loans or more American resources to a South Sudanese government led by the same morally bankrupt leaders," he said.
The U.S. Senate is set to resume consideration of a resolution to end American support for Saudi Arabias military intervention in Yemens civil war with a vote on the measure planned for Thursday afternoon.

The Senate will reconvene at 9:30 a.m. EST (1430 UTC) and resume consideration of the resolution. A vote is planned for 1:45 p.m. EST (1845 UTC).

A handful of Republican senators are expected to join Democrats in ultimately passing the resolution.

The Republican-led chamber voted 60-39 Wednesday to begin debate on the measure, acting in defiance of the Trump administration, which had strenuously argued against a rupture of cooperation between Washington and longtime ally Riyadh.

There needs to be an end to U.S. complicity in the ongoing bombing of civilians and the killing of children (in Yemen), in effect, war crimes, Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal told VOA.

This resolution says that in this terrible, horrific war that Congress is prepared to act, and I hope very much that all of us will seize this opportunity, Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who co-authored the measure, said.

War powers authority

Underpinning the resolution is an assertion of Congress constitutional duty to declare war and approve U.S. military missions. The U.S. legislature has not authorized Americas support role in Saudi Arabias campaign to combat Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels, a conflict that has led to widespread civilian deaths and stands as one of the worlds worst humanitarian catastrophes.

But some argued that, in this instance, the case for asserting war powers authority is weak.

The United States is not involved in combat (in Yemen). It is not dropping ordinance. It is no longer even providing air-to-air refueling (for Saudi warplanes), Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said. If the Senate wants to pick a constitutional fight with the executive branch over war powers, I would advise my colleagues to pick a better case.

Top Trump administration officials have argued that the conflict in Yemen would be even deadlier without the involvement of the United States, which has helped Saudi Arabia identify bombing targets. McConnell echoed the argument.

This resolution would threaten other support the U.S. is providing that is designed to improve coalition targeting and to limit civilian casualties, the majority leader said.

Congressional ire toward Saudi Arabia had been simmering for years as Yemens civil war dragged on with ever-higher civilian death tolls. Anger spiked after dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed in the kingdoms consulate in Turkey two months ago.

Speaking at the United Nations Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo noted that the Trump administration has sanctioned a large number of persons who were responsible for the heinous murder of Jamal Khashoggi, adding, (W)e will continue to investigate and take the facts where they lead and get to a place where we hold those responsible accountable.

But Pompeo stressed that Americas interests in the region are important, and our partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an important one. It has delivered American security in important ways in President Trumps first two years in office, and we intend to continue to work with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to keep America safe.

Trump has said that responsibility for Khashoggis death remains an open question, and he noted Riyadhs repeated denials that the kingdoms crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, played a role.

The Senate took up the Yemen resolution hours after CIA Director Gina Haspel briefed leaders of the House of Representatives on the agencys conclusions about the Khashoggi killing. Haspel similarly briefed key senators last week, after which lawmakers of both parties said they were convinced MSB ordered the journalists grisly demise.

While the Senate resolution, if approved, would send a strong signal of displeasure to Saudi Arabia, it is likely to stand as a largely symbolic gesture for now. Swift House action became less likely after the chamber advanced a rule blocking a vote on any war powers resolution relating to Yemen for the remainder of the current Congress.

Senators of both parties have said they expect further consideration of Saudi Arabia-related measures when the new Congress is sworn in at the beginning of next year.
The U.S. Senate on Thursday dealt a historic rebuke to Saudi Arabia, a longtime U.S. ally, passing a resolution to end American support for the kingdom's military intervention in Yemen's civil war and another measure condemning the killing of a dissident Saudi journalist.

After hours of passionate debate, the Republican-led chamber voted 56-41 to approve the first resolution. Moments later, it adopted the second resolution by a voice vote. In both cases, the chamber acted in defiance of the Trump administration, which has strenuously argued against a rupture of cooperation between Washington and Riyadh.

"Yemen is now experiencing the worst humanitarian disaster in the world," Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders said. "The United States has been Saudi Arabia's partner in this horrific war. We have been providing the bombs that Saudi Arabia is using, refueling the planes that drop those bombs, and assisting with intelligence."

WATCH: US Senate Votes to End Support for Saudi War Effort in Yemen

"Eighty-five thousand kids [in Yemen] under the age of 5 have died from starvation and disease," Connecticut Democrat Chris Murphy said. "All the evidence points to the fact that the Saudis are using our bombs to deliberately target either civilians or civilian infrastructure."

Seven Republicans joined a unified Democratic caucus in backing the initial Yemen-related resolution, which asserts Congress' constitutional duty to declare war and approve prolonged U.S. military engagements. The U.S. legislature has not authorized America's support role in Saudi Arabia's campaign to combat Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels, a conflict that has led to widespread civilian deaths.

But some argued that, in this instance, the case for asserting war powers authority is weak.

"The United States is not involved in combat [in Yemen]. It is not dropping ordinance. It is no longer even providing air-to-air refueling [for Saudi warplanes]," Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said. "If the Senate wants to pick a constitutional fight with the executive branch over war powers, I would advise my colleagues to pick a better case."

"If we set the precedent that even an operation such as the refueling of aircraft of allied countries needs congressional authority, we would severely limit the executive branch's ability to respond to international crises and safeguard our global national security interests," Alaska Republican Dan Sullivan said.

That argument did not sway resolution co-author Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, who countered that direct U.S. support for Saudi military actions constitutes unambiguous involvement in the war in Yemen.

"We're involved in this conflict as co-belligerents [with Saudi Arabia]," Lee said.

A symbolic gesture

While the Senate resolution sends a strong signal of displeasure to Saudi Arabia, it is likely to stand as a largely symbolic gesture for now. Swift House action became less likely after the chamber advanced a rule blocking a vote on any war powers resolution relating to Yemen for the remainder of the current Congress.

"You look at the humanitarian crisis in Yemen today and it wasn't started by the Saudi air campaign," Illinois Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger said. "It was started by the Houthi rebels and denial of access for food overthrowing the legitimate government."

Congressional ire toward Saudi Arabia had been simmering for years as Yemen's civil war dragged on with ever-higher civilian death tolls. Anger spiked sharply after dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed at the kingdom's consulate in Turkey two months ago.

The second resolution approved by the Senate blames Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for Khashoggi's death, expresses support for Yemeni peace talks, and states: "there is no statutory authorization for United States involvement in hostilities in the Yemen civil war."

President Donald Trump has said that responsibility for Khashoggi's death remains an open question, and noted Riyadh's repeated denials that the kingdom's crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, played a role.

Speaking at the United Nations on Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, "America's interests in the region are important  and we intend to continue to work with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to keep America safe."

Trump's critics in the Senate slammed the White House's posture.

"This administration is putting the Saudi government on a pedestal that stands above American values," New Jersey Democrat Bob Menendez said. "They continue to extend a blank check to certain players within the Saudi government, no matter how brazen their actions."

The Senate voted as news emerged of progress in U.N.-sponsored Yemeni peace talks in Sweden, raising hopes that desperately needed humanitarian aid may reach the country.



"The pressure of the international community and the United States Senate, making it clear we will not continue to participate in that war, is helping the peace process," Sanders said.

Other senators drew a different conclusion.

"We're actually actively pushing the players to the table to resolve this," Oklahoma Republican James Lankford said. "This is the worst possible moment for this body to start arguing about whose side we should be on."

Senators of both parties signaled they intend to push for further sanctions against Saudi Arabia when the new Congress convenes in early January.

"The current relationship with Saudi Arabia is not working for America," South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham said. "To be an ally of America, more is expected of you, not less. I just want everybody in the [Middle East] region to know that if you're thinking about doing what MBS [Mohammed bin Salman] did and you want to have a relationship with the United States, good luck. It's not going to happen."

Only the beginning

"This [resolution] is just the beginning unless this administration and the Saudi regime make a decision to start acting differently in resetting the foundation of our relationship," Murphy said.

Others urged that Saudi Arabia's actions be weighed against those of other powers in the Middle East.

"Nobody in this debate seems to want to talk about Iran," Sullivan said. "If we cut off U.S. military assistance to Riyadh, you better believe that the one capital in the Middle East that will be cheering the loudest is Tehran. And our allies, including Israel, would feel less secure."

Even so, there is bipartisan appetite on Capitol Hill for further action to punish Riyadh.

"This is not going away," New Hampshire Democrat Jeanne Shaheen said. "This is something we are going to continue to work at, because people need to be held accountable for what's happened."

Before passing the resolution, the Senate approved several amendments, including one prohibiting a resumption of U.S. refueling of Saudi warplanes for missions over Yemen.
The Afghan ministry of defense Wednesday released footage of a series of nighttime airstrikes carried out by Afghan security forces. Afghan officials told VOA the airstrikes were carried out in southern Uruzgan province against Taliban hideouts. The recent strikes mark the first time U.S.-trained Afghan pilots are carrying out airstrikes at night. VOAs Mohammad Habibzada reports.
The first peace talks on Yemen in two years are scheduled to end Thursday, with U.N. mediators hoping to make progress on several key issues.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will join the final day of talks near Stockholm to encourage both sides to keep building on what has been achieved so far.

The Saudi-backed Yemeni government and the Iranian-supported Houthi rebels have agreed on a huge prisoner swap. Reports say they are close to deals to reopen Sanaa's airport, and restart oil and gas exports to help the cash-starved country earn revenue.

WATCH: UN Pushes for Peace in Yemen

But the situation in the rebel-held port of Hodeida is still a major source of contention.

Both sides have rejected an initial proposal to withdraw fighters and arms from the city and turn it over to a temporary U.N. administration.

Nearly all food and humanitarian aid deliveries come through the port, and any hindrance in those deliveries puts more lives at risk.

The Saudi-led coalition backing Yemeni forces says the rebels get Iranian arms thorough the port, a charge Iran denies.

Coalition airstrikes against the Houthis have been widely indiscriminate, wiping out entire civilian neighborhoods and hospitals.

A Saudi missile hit a busload of schoolchildren in August near Sanaa, killing 40. The coalition called the missile strike a "mistake."

The U.S. Senate began to debate a measure to end U.S. support to the Saudi military involvement in Yemen.

The lawmakers are not just sickened by the bloodshed and attacks against children. They are upset over the killing of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, allegedly at the behest of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and President Donald Trump's tepid criticism of the Saudi government.

Trump is unwilling to anger a major U.S. ally like Saudi Arabia. But he told Reuters Tuesday, "I hate to see what's going on in Yemen. But it takes two to tango. I'd want to see Iran pull out of Yemen."

Both sides in the peace talks say they plan to meet again early next year.

The fighting between the Houthis and Yemeni forces broke out in 2014, when the rebels seized the capital, Sanaa. Tens of thousands of people have been killed, including countless civilians.

Many experts say the fighting is a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The U.N. calls Yemen the world's worst humanitarian disaster. With the county on the brink of famine, nearly 80 percent of the population lack enough food, clean water and proper medical care.
The United States is rethinking its role in U.N. peacekeeping missions across Africa, with White House National Security Advisor John Bolton and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis looking to place U.S. forces and resources elsewhere.

When Bolton outlined the administrations new Africa policy Thursday, he announced the U.S. would no longer support "unproductive, unsuccessful and unaccountable U.N. peacekeeping missions."

We will not provide legitimacy to missions that give large payouts to countries sending poorly equipped soldiers who provide insufficient protection to vulnerable populations on the ground," he said in a speech at The Heritage Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based policy think tank.

The United States is the U.N.s top peacekeeping donor, providing nearly a third of its $6.7 billion budget for the fiscal year July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019. Last year, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley led administration efforts to trim the overall peacekeeping budget, which the U.N. agreed to tighten by $500 million.

Mattis asks for options

Pentagon leaders are of a similar mindset, with Mattis recently recommending the pullout of all U.S. peacekeepers from the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali, an official told VOA.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said Mattis had asked for options on how to free up the troops for other missions.

The Pentagon has been re-evaluating its troop presence and operations in Africa since an ambush in Niger last year that killed four U.S. soldiers, four Nigerian troops and a Nigerian interpreter.

The U.S. has a very small presence in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), contributing less than two dozen troops to a force that includes more than 13,000 military personnel, mostly from Burkina Faso, Chad, Bangladesh and Senegal.

The mission has been labeled the most dangerous U.N. mission across the globe, with more than 100 peacekeepers killed in the last six years. Al-Qaida linked groups have been tied to over 200 attacks in G5 Sahel countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger) since January 2017, primarily targeting MINUSMA forces while terrorizing civilians and destroying infrastructure, according to U.S. Africa Command.

End of creative thinking

Bolton on Thursday criticized the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers on the continent as the end of creative thinking to resolving conflicts.

He singled out the U.N. Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSA), which has been deployed nearly three decades and has yet to conduct the referendum it was initially tasked with securing. Resources devoted to MINURSA could instead be used toward economic betterment in the region, Bolton suggested.

He added that the U.S. was reviewing its assistance to South Sudan, where the U.N. has placed thousands of peacekeepers. There are no regular U.S. armed forces in this mission, an UNMISS official told VOA, but there are a small number of U.S. military advisers and staff officers.

According to U.N. Department of Peacekeeping data, the U.S. has only 51 personnel in U.N. missions.

Bolton said the review was to ensure U.S aid is not prolonging the South Sudan civil war, now entering its sixth year.

"We will not provide loans or more American resources to a South Sudanese government led by the same morally bankrupt leaders," he said.
Researchers are betting that a drought-proof variety of maize can help farmers in Zimbabwe withstand a changing climate that is increasingly prone to drought.

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) says it is working on ensuring Zimbabwe returns to its former status as a prosperous, self-sufficient agricultural producer, after erratic rainfall in recent years affected the countrys food security.

The El Nino weather phenomenon is predicted to give Zimbabwe another drought in coming months. But CIMMYT believes its technologies can improve small farmers maize production, says researcher Esnath Hamadziripi.

Here in Zimbabwe, three-in-five seasons are expected to be bad for farmers. El Nino is making that worse. So it is important to make varieties that are climate resistant because maize is the staple crop here in Zimbabwe ... in the 2015/2016 season we tested our maize varieties all over Zimbabwe and they yielded close to double the yield of commercial varieties that are on the market, so we believe that these varieties work. We actually encourage farmers to get hold of climate resistant varieties, Hamadziripi said.

Recently, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) identified the new climate resilient maize developed by CIMMYT as one of the best innovations in agriculture.

Zimbabwe, once considered the breadbasket of southern Africa, saw farm production fall sharply in the early 2000s after a land reform program displaced experienced white commercial farmers and replaced them with black peasant farmers. Repeated droughts have helped to keep production low.

CIMMYT warns that planting climate resilient maize alone will not help Zimbabwean farmers. It says farmers should conserve the rains they receive, says Isaiah Nyagumbo, a CIMMYT agronomist.

"With conservation agriculture we are also minimizing the amount of runoff out of the system, that means reducing the amount of the water that runs into rivers, along with it a lot of soil is lost, so with conservation agriculture we help to stop that by ensuring that the soil and water remain in place, Nyagumbo said.

Fifty-nine-year old Viola Thwamba, a farmer about 60 kilometers northeast of Harare, says conservation has helped her survive droughts in the past.

I have heard of the pending drought, but we have faith in God. We collect dry leaves and crop stubbles. Once our crops germinate we start mulching to keep moisture in case of prolonged dry spells. Others are hit by the droughts but our conservation agriculture is helping me for 12 years now, Thwamba said.

Thwamba wants to set up an irrigation system once her financial situation improves. But with a poor rainy season predicted, that might take a long time.
Tourism Agencies Showcase Dublin, Wicklow, Carlow, Kilkenny and Kildare to US Media with a circulation of 8 Million

Tourism agency Failte Ireland, together with Tourism Ireland, is this week showcasing a number of top attractions in counties Dublin, Wicklow, Carlow, Kilkenny and Kildare to a group of US media who are in Ireland on a Winter Wonderland press trip to experience the countdown to the festive season.



With a combined US audience/readership of nearly 8 million, the group include a freelance journalist for the Hollywood Times, representatives from online media such as GoNOMAD.com and The Daily Meal,The Georgetowner, a weekly regional newspaper in Washington and Creators Syndicate, Carolina magazine, Coast magazine & Social Quarterly.



Liam Campbell, International Publicity Manager with Failte Ireland welcomed the group to Ireland, said:



Bringing international media to Ireland and showing them what is on offer plays an integral role in ensuring that we get our message out there - Ireland is a must-see place to visit. These trips are a wonderful opportunity for overseas media to come and experience first hand what Ireland has to offer and how it is growing in popularity for visitors arriving at this time of year. With the growing popularity of Christmas markets and things to do throughout the country these visits are pivotal to placing our great tourism assets in front of a large audience.



Commenting on his experience in Ireland, Scott Harris, writer for The Daily Meal and The Cuisinest, with over 1 million viewers, pointed out some highlights in particular -



What surprised me most about Ireland is the food - the range of fresh produce and the flavours are amazing. Every day has been so different with plenty of variety on the trip and its been wonderful learning about Irelands rich history.



Failte Ireland put together a bespoke itinerary for the media to enjoy their Winter Wonderland trip in Ireland and included hearing the Dolce Choir perform festive songs at Farmleigh in the Phoenix Park, a walking tour of Dublin, bell ringing at Christchurch Cathedral, a walk through the grounds of Dublin Castle to Marshs Library, a guided tour of EPIC  the Irish Emigration Museum and Dublins newest attractions, The Vaults Live show and 14 Henrietta Street. While in Wicklow the group spent time at Russborough House in all its Yuletide finery and a scenic drive through Wicklow National Park and Glendalough. In Carlow they enjoyed a welcome drink and guided tour at Walsh Whiskey Distillery and it was then on to Kilkenny for Yulefest at Butler House and a visit to Kilkenny Castle before finishing the tour at Carton House in Kildare.



Mr Campbell continued:



It was another bumper year for international media coming to Ireland from 20 overseas markets, with over 800 representatives from print, broadcast and online channels across the world ascending on our shores during the year providing Irish tourism with an overall reach to over 1.4 billion worldwide. The equivalent advertising value of this reach is estimated to reach over 100 million. Failte Ireland, together with Tourism Ireland, co-ordinated over 400 different itineraries resulting in the media representatives meeting with over 4,000 Irish businesses across the country. 

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Ryan Kadro. Photo: John Paul Filo/CBS via Getty Images

Ryan Kadro, the executive producer of CBS This Morning, is said to be leaving the network, two sources at the company told Vulture. Kadro is said to be in conversations about his contract, and according to a CBS spokeswoman, These conversations are unrelated to the settlement.

Kadro was named in the recently settled lawsuit filed by three former junior employees of the morning show, which Charlie Rose hosted until the Washington Post reported sexual harassment and assault allegations against him by eight women just over a year ago. The suit, filed in May, accused Kadro of knowing that Rose had a history of sexual harassment but encouraged one of them to work more closely with Rose at his company anyway.

One of the plaintiffs, Chelsea Wei, said in the suit that she had warned Kadro that Rose was paying a lot of attention to another plaintiff and said something along the lines of, Im telling you in case you have a lawsuit on your hands. Wei also said in the suit that Kadro kicked and shoved Ms. Weis chair with substantial force, startling, intimidating and scaring Ms. Wei. CBS first moved to dismiss the case and then, in late November, settled it.

CBSs morning show, currently co-hosted by Gayle King, Norah ODonnell, and John Dickerson, last season lost viewers at a faster pace than its competitors, according to the Los Angeles Times. Kadro has been with the show since its relaunch in 2011, and was named executive producer in 2016.

The departure comes at an uncertain time for CBS. Its top boss, Les Moonves, was forced out in September after Ronan Farrow reported that a dozen women said Moonves harassed or assaulted them. Jeff Fager, a 60 Minutes executive producer who was accused in The New Yorker of groping employees, was fired days later after sending a threatening text message to a CBS reporter covering him. Successors have yet to be named. And, network president David Rhodess contract is up in February.
Photo: Atsushi Nishijima/Fox Searchlight

Yorgos Lanthimoss The Favourite has all the trappings of a period drama: Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) moves around her massive palace in ornate, regal gowns. Sitting atop Nicholas Hoults head is a wig the size of a mini-fridge. The wide-angle lenses make the lush 18th-century interiors look lonely, but theyre still majestically decorated, with tile floors and meticulously designed tapestries. And then the movie winks at you as it inverts every period-drama cliche: Everyone congregates in a cavernous ballroom for a party. Joe Alwyn and Rachel Weisz jaunt down a veritable Soul Train of European aristocracy  except instead of dancing very formally, theyre voguing.

At first it looks like an error  Is my meme-saturated brain playing tricks on me? But the scene is played for humor, and a little bit of despair: Colman looks on as Alwyn and Weiszs moves become increasingly modern and outlandish (at one point he wraps her around his back, and twirls them both around). Shes reacting not to the movements themselves, but to all the fun shes not sure how to have. Suddenly, the dancing goes beyond a mere contrast between place and period, and becomes something else entirely: an avant-garde fusion of formal and funky.

Its this strange, funny contrast between a very stuffy, rigid format of wigs and a straight-laced costume, and these very modern dance moves, Alwyn said of his scene at the movies New York City premiere. I hope its very funny.

The Favourites choreographer, Constanza Macras, worked with her assistants to choreograph the dance sequence, combining time periods and trends, taking inspiration from rock concerts, blending the unusual and the absurd to create a delightful sense of strain in the scene between the movements and the setting. Yorgos wanted something that is period but is not period, Macras told Vulture. I also like that its not looking like dance dance. Its dance, anyway, but its not formal.

Macrass assistants would demonstrate the choreography for the actors in detail during the physically intensive rehearsals, but she preferred the way the actors performed the dance scene on their own terms. When actors see dancers dancing, they think that its dance, that they cant do it in the same way, she said. The choreography looked better on the actors than it did on the dancers because it was made for them. There was space for interpretation. They should do the movements how they felt them, thats what makes the movements more special.

Instead of counting, they named each step with a brief description: Frog, off with her head, sit, sit, sit. Its much easier to know the step called the exorcist, and then voguing! Wed scream the steps so everyone would remember, Macras said. Her personal favorite move happens off camera between Weisz and Alwyn, when the camera is fixed on Colman: Its a very strange movement. I dont know how I did it. It was so funny; it looked like a machine, like a sewing machine or something.

In another scene choreographed by Macras, Alwyn and Stone wrestle outside in the forest, running into each other and collapsing among the leaves. Macras went over a few movements with the actors, but mostly she was watching on a monitor behind a tree nearby as they let loose on each other. For the tussle, we didnt have names because they were fixed in the script. They knew they were rolling, and at some point they would be on the floor, and they would have some lines, Macras said. We kind of had a structure with the text there, so it could be a little bit looser. It was meant to be free and move; it wasnt choreographed to a count.

The most unexpected element to the choreography were the costumes, designed by Sandy Powell. Theyre all ornate and beautiful, but Weiszs corset made a few of the moves impossible. (Some of the moves became physically impossible, like, I cant do that with this dress on, Weisz told Vulture in November. Yorgos said, Okay, then, try something else.) Ultimately, the adjustments made the final scene even more bizarre; the characters are in uncomfortable clothes and in uncomfortable spaces, heightening the tension. The costumes added something very beautiful, Macras said. It created some real awkwardness in these movements. It was not suppressing the choreography, but really giving more.
Riverdale Outbreak Season 3 Episode 8 Editors Rating 1 stars *  Previous Next  Photo: Diyah Pera/THE CW

Im sorry to say Riverdale has bid us farewell for winter break with one of the dullest episodes in a while. Steel yourself for a lot of people marching into rooms and announcing things while other people (okay, sometimes the same people) learn things that the rest of us have known for a long time, and also, honestly, that I thought they already knew too, but apparently they didnt? It is rare that I simultaneously feel this bored and this confused. Also, sleepy.

Lets start with the most interesting storyline, which isnt saying much: Archie and Jughead arrive at the rusty junkyard exclusively staffed by male preteens in Toledo that is the small but proud kingdom of Gladys Jones (Gina Gershon  the second Riverdale mom to have had a role in Pretty in Pink, albeit the first, so far, to have appeared in Showgirls). They dont even sell that many stolen hubcaps and stereos!

You two finally got together, huh? she beams at her son and his lifelong BFF. Sorry, Gladys, but youll have wait like the rest of us for the possibility of some abrupt but appreciated fan service in the series finale, as when [redacted] and [redacted] smooch at the end of [redacted]. (If you know what Im talking about, then you know what Im talking about.) We finally meet Jugheads little sister Jellybean, a dusty little junior mechanic who has rebranded herself JB.

Its been 15 minutes since anyone had a seizure, so the River Vixens  minus Cheryl, for some reason  dramatically convulse on the floor of the school hallway. These girls will later be referred to as The Fallen and The Infected as if they are dead, or perhaps zombies, though they are neither. That said, the mass cheerleader seizure leads to a) a convalescing Toni agreeing to move in with Cheryl (cute!), and b) Veronicas parents threatening to send her back to live in New York (not cute!). Veronica belatedly learns about fizzle rocks  and her dads connection to them, and that theyre being dealt by a gang called the Gargoyles, and that they come from the prison, or whatever  from Reggie (Charles Melton, who the actual human actress Camila Mendes is dating IRL, by the way; adorable, I love it, Veregnica, make it happen).

I thought we were in for at least half an episode of Betty stumbling around under the Gargoyle Kings spell, but our heroine is already doing just fine, thank you, obediently taking the nuns candy and then puking it up in the privacy of a bathroom stall. In group therapy, she gushes about how shes the Gargoyle Kings new favorite. Hearing this, Ethel, predictably, loses her mind, and next thing we know shes unlocking the Gargoyle Kings chamber with her special teachers-pet set of keys to find out what the fuck is up, my dude. But Betty takes her by surprise, pushing Not-Barb inside and locking the door behind her. A few hours later, she returns to find Ethel sobbing on the floor. Now that the drugs have worn off, she sees that the chamber contains only a statue of a gargoyle  the nuns have been manipulating them, with the help of their fizzle rocks-induced hallucinations. And so Betty has recruited herself a loyal deputy.

Sports and extracurriculars have already been cancelled at Riverdale High by the time a squadron of bright blue hazmat-suited creeps starts grabbing people on campus and generally terrifying the student body. At an emergency school-board meeting, Mayor Lodge declares that she will shut down Riverdale High, just as Veronica and Cheryl barge in to rant about fizzle rocks and make wild-sounding accusations about Hirams plans, to which he responds by being like, Actually, no, at which point all the adults are like, Okay. Penelope volunteers patronizingly that seizures like Veronicas can cause hallucinations, then promptly has a seizure of her own. At this, Cheryl just rolls her eyes, which actually made me laugh out loud.

Later, acknowledging that shes right about his evil intentions, Hiram commends Veronica for her audacious gusto in interrupting the meeting. I guess Im glad shes finally getting some SAT vocab practice in.

A pig roast at the junkyard is crashed by Penny Peabody, who holds a knife to Archies neck until JB handily knocks her out cold with her slingshot. It is heavily implied that Gladys kills the ex-Serpent, or, best-case scenario, does something to Penny with a knife that results in a lot of blood to clean up. But before, uh, whatever happened to Penny happens to Penny, Gladys learns that Hiram has placed a bounty not just on Archie, but on anyone who aids and abets him. Archie overhears this, and insists a reluctant Jug return home  he must continue on alone and stop putting his loved ones in danger. To that end, Mrs. J summons to the junkyard both Fred and her own ex-husband, who has a slightly chilly reunion with the daughter he apparently has no interest in being in contact with, which, fair, JB.

Before Riverdale takes a few weeks off, were in for one more heartbreaking fatality: Archies beautiful ginger locks. He dyes his hair black in a public bathroom. After an emotional goodbye with Fred, Archie wanders into the woods toward the Canadian border accompanied by his dog, Vegas, whose welfare I am more worried about than Archies.

Thanks to some assistance from a sharpened-pencil shiv, Betty and Ethel get Sister Woodhouse tied up in the Gargoyle Kings chamber. There, Nun Ratched explains that the asylum has used this creepy-ass room and its creepy-ass statue to scare misbehaving kids since its very earliest days. When the more disturbed patients concocted an entire fantasy realm inspired by it, the nuns were pleased to find it only made the populace more compliant  but this game born of madness was never meant to spread to the outside world. If that is really all thats up with G&G, well, that is pretty dumb. Then again, this time last season, we were led to believe the Black Hood was Joseph Conway.

Betty and Ethel find it difficult to rally their fellow inmates to escape, until they realize they can put their brainwashing to good use. Ethel frames their flight from the Sisters of Quiet Mercy as an in-game quest, and Betty appears in costume  wings, crown, robe, bejeweled belt, all resourcefully procured from, I dont know, Sister Woodhouses unexpectedly exciting wardrobe?  as the Griffin Queen. She throws the severed stone head of the Gargoyle King to the ground. With that encouragement, an asylums worth of children gleefully run into the night, and I am sure nothing whatsoever could go wrong with that.

Cut to another tied-up lady, this one not so much a nun. Tipped off to the Blossom-Maple-truckSisters of Quiet Mercy connection via a call from Betty, Cheryl and Veronica interrogate Penelope, who is for some reason decked out in full leather fetish-gear for the occasion, by repeatedly dumping maple syrup on her head. She reveals that Hiram  hindered neither by the dead sheriff nor his mayor-wife  plans to turn Riverdale into a freewheeling, any-crime-goes Hamsterdam dusted with fizzle rocks. Havent we been down this road already, just with the Southside?

Veronica storms into her mothers office and says she is relieved of [her] mayoral duties (yup, sure, thats a thing citizens can do), but its too late. By the time FP and Jughead drive up on their motorcycles, rifle-toting cops have formed a blockade around the town. Riverdale is an official quarantine site, thanks to an order from Hirams good pal, the governor. In his office, the Man in Black raises a celebratory glass to the Gargoyle King.

See you next year, hair models of the damned! Please use jingle-jingle responsibly this holiday season.
Spend 47 days in the art world with Seen. Photo: Image courtesy of the artist and JTT, New York. Photo by Kyle Dorosz.

Harlem-based artist Sable Elyse Smith has held onto a used childrens coloring book she found on 125th Street for about five years. The book, which features a smiling white woman character named Judge Friendly, was meant to teach children how to interface with court systems. Its faux-innocent treacle struck her as a form of propaganda, to familiarize children with the operations of the justice system, which otherwise would feel like they were working against their clear best interest  removing them from the care of family members who were sent to jail, for example. I began looking through the book and was pretty immediately horrified by its language [and] images, she told me. Every time I went to a residency, the book traveled with me. I placed it prominently on every desk, and it kind of worked on [me] in the background, so to speak.

This coloring book has now emerged as a kind of source text for her new show, BOLO: Be on (the) Lookout, currently on view at JTT, in Manhattans Lower East Side, through December 16. BOLO is an acronym and code in American law enforcement that is often used to give information to alert officers of suspected criminals. Considering how Smiths show, in conversation with her previous work on incarceration, takes up how archetypes of innocence are used as a cover for the targeting of vulnerable people, quotation marks around criminal are urgent here. The justice system designates certain people as threats and locks them up purportedly to protect the public it has designated as innocent and needing protection.

Smith says that the show is dealing with power, visual seduction, the manipulation of language as apparatus of control and, she adds, a violence that might not be named as such. This interrogation of banal or unregistered violence overlaps in its concerns with Smiths 2017 solo exhibition Ordinary Violence at the Queens Museum (a version is now on view at the Haggerty Museum of Art in Milwaukee until late January). But while Ordinary Violence focused on her relationship with her father, who was incarcerated for 19 years, Smith is clear to point out that the focus of BOLO is not autobiographical. This show, however, fits into her larger interdisciplinary practice, which often uses text and tends to be about the fragmentary nature of freedom: where it might exist, where it is forbidden, and for whom.

Photo: Courtesy of the artist and JTT, New York. Photos by Charles Benton.

Smiths new paintings blow up the coloring book, both literally and figuratively, scribbling outside the lines. Rich oils deface the picture books compulsory positivity. Can you help Pat to the metal detector? one painting reads. Its speaking as if to a child, a fungible figure in American culture, whose formulated vulnerability becomes the justification for force, galvanizing violence in everything from policing and war to human-rights interventions. But not all children get to be this child, and its not only children who get to be this innocent.

Innocence in this show is also played by a white woman, Smith says, referring to the subject of a six-channel video piece called Room One: The Watcher (2018). The looping eight-second video depicts actor Julie Hagerty, on Conan OBriens late-night show, reading from Richard Prices 1992 novel, Clockers (which was adapted into a 1995 film by Spike Lee). Did I ever tell you the first time I killed somebody, she says, while laughing along with the audience. This line is heard throughout the gallery, becoming the shows atmosphere. Whats the joke? Why, clearly, Hagerty would never pass as a murderer.

Photo: Courtesy of the artist and JTT, New York. Photos by Charles Benton./ Charles Benton

One of the most compelling pieces is almost hidden next to the video work. The collage Maps for a Body Thirsty for Some Other Shit (2018), made on vellum paper, features a snippet of a Doritos packet next to a diagnostic image. It is also a quiet work among a collection of pieces that are yelling, Smith says.

For the past year, Smith has been a 2018 artist in residence at the Studio Museum, alongside Allison Janae Hamilton and Tschabalala Self, and right now shes deep into two projects. The first is a series of large-scale sculptures. The second is a feature-length script about queer intimacy, a collaboration with writer Akil Kumarasamy.

Focusing on the problem of innocence in BOLO fits with Smiths more general interest in the undoing of language. Inasmuch as the coloring book can be filled in and disfigured, Smith offers us an inquiry into how things feel  the buzzing tension in her courtroom scenes, the smell of a yellow crayon. In the midst of the institutions that structure day-to-day life, Smith brings the relationship between politics and imagination so close that they touch. Even as the power of the state crushes, intimacy threatens to reign.
Photo: Maya Robinson/Vulture and Fox Searchlight, Netflix, A24, Annapurna Pictures and Marvel Studios

A list of the ten best performances of 2018 needs to begin with a disclaimer: It might have had 50, even 100 names, and still not done justice to the breadth and daring of acting in 2018. This is not an accident but a happy outgrowth (there are a few) of so many studios going nearly full time into the universe or franchise business. Actors in the other 1,000 or so movies that opened in the U.S. this year  in tiny budgeted indies or modestly budgeted features (made with U.S. and non-U.S. money) from companies like Annapurna or Killer Films  have permission (if not a mandate) to go where theyve never gone before. Which changes the stakes. You can feel the joy in their work as well as the cost, insofar as most great acting exacts an emotional price. I give a lot of credit to two major stars not on this list: Nicole Kidman and Natalie Portman. Whatever my reservations about their work in, respectively, Destroyer and Vox Lux, theyre putting themselves out there in ways that used to give ulcers to play-it-safe agents and managers, and their decisions mean a lot to actors coming up. With the old-style star system in tatters, this is the kind of work that reminds performers why they wanted to do this peculiar thing in the first place.

One further note: I begged my editors to let the three central actresses in The Favourite count as one choice and to declare a tie between the unheralded Rupert Everett and much-heralded Christian Bale in the heavy make-up biopic category won last year by Gary Oldman. I also felt that, say, declaring a tie between Paul Giamatti and Kathryn Hahn in Private Life would be fair since their scenes are all together, and ditto Thomasin Harcourt Mackenzie and Ben Foster in Leave No Trace. Then I could make Jamie Lee Curtis and Toni Collette co-winners for elevating the horror genre with their deeply moving portraits of traumatized people in Halloween and Hereditary. In such a way, I hoped that my editors would miss that my 10 Best List actually contained 20 actors. But my editors were on to me. And so, ten:

10. Bradley Cooper, A Star Is Born

Photo: Warner Bros.

Lady Gaga gets the pedestal in Coopers remake (the third) of the 1937 weeper, a Cinderella tale in which Cinderella then gets to watch her Prince Charming fall apart. But even behind a beard, a squint, and Sam Elliotts voice, its Cooper who dominates, evoking the manic exhilaration, the helplessness, and the terror of an addict-celebrity whose home base is the high wire.

9. Christian Bale, Vice

Photo: Annapurna Pictures

Twisty-mouthed, rasping, Bale is an uncanny Dick Cheney  he could maybe even fool Cheneys daughters. We watch his hair fall out, his jowls deepen, his head sink into his large torso; and we see him go from a man entranced by the powerful to one who wears his power so frighteningly that you understand why the person he accidentally shot in the face would make a public apology to Cheney. Once or twice, Bale suggests that theres a soul inside this morally blinkered authoritarian monster. But what comes through most forcefully is Cheney the Edifice, barely permeable, and in many way with its mysteries intact.

8. Zoe Kazan, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Photo: Netflix

As an ingenuous young woman en route via wagon train to California, where her overbearing brother plans to marry her to a rich older man, Kazan is lightly stylized, her voice just a little breathier, her eyes a little rounder than realism dictates. Her heightened style fits beautifully inside Joel and Ethan Coens purposefully stilted Old West with its recognizable archetypes and adds something more: the kind of raw emotion that this cold but brilliant film needs.

7. Rupert Everett, The Happy Prince

Photo: Sony Pictures

As Oscar Wilde in this story of the dramatists excruciating final, post-prison years in France, Everett (who also directed) has been affixed with jowls and a pointy nose, but after a millisecond you stop seeing the prosthetics and register a great man whose face is incapable of handling the weight of his terrible fall. Everetts Wilde looks mercilessly brutalized  and yet still capable of supreme sexual self-indulgence. Given the supremeness of the self that Everett creates, its hard to pass judgment on him, only to fear for his physical and emotional safety. But then, he was Wilde.

6. Michael B. Jordan, Black Panther

Has any Marvel supervillain been this charismatic? Jordans Erik Killmonger wants nothing less than a full-scale, global race war, and his riveting purity and vaulting life force evoke Shakespeares Hotspur. If Chadwick Boseman had any less stature as the African king TChalla, Jordan would blow him off the screen; as it stands, the pair are a good match. They embody the tension between politicians who preach gradual, peaceful change and those who favor violent rebellion  the MLK and Malcolm X of the Marvel universe.

5. Elsie Fisher, Eighth Grade

Photo: A24

As the 13-year-old Kayla, Fisher records her YouTube episodes at a rapid, even desperate pace, as if to keep people from turning her off  glancing down from time to time at a paper, saying like a lot, wanting everyone to know that although people think shes quiet shes really funny and cool and talkative, and that the message she wants to share is how important it is not to change yourself to impress someone else. In nearly every frame of the film, Fisher gives the impression of a young girl who has been thrown into the middle of a movie without a script and forced to improvise while tremulously keeping her head above the surface. Which is how almost everyone feels in eighth grade.

4. Lakeith Stanfield, Sorry to Bother You

Photo: Annapurna Pictures

A huge star in the making, Stanfield plays a business opportunist with just the right amount of wariness and hesitation  hilariously evidenced when the characters white employers insist that he must know how to rap. (He doesnt, but his attempt to sound like a gangsta rapper brings down the house.) The center of a madcap fantasy, he gives a straight-man performance with a marvelously farcical swing.

3. Carey Mulligan, Wildlife

Photo: IFC

Its the screen performance weve been waiting for from this always first-rate stage actress. In Paul Danos superb 1960s drama based on a Richard Ford novel, Mulligan plays a mother whos forced back to work when her husband enlists in a firefighting brigade. First, shes a well-coiffed 50s-style homemaker  its as if the character is playing a part. Then, as the character becomes unglued, Mulligan executes hairpin emotional turns that leave you agog  and unnerved. When her character is drunk and dancing seductively before her horrified son (Ed Oxenbould) and smugly lecherous employer (Bill Camp), Mulligan lets you feel the inner chaos, the mixture of abandon and self-disgust. Shes amazing.

2. Rachel Weisz, The Favourite

Photo: Twentieth Century Fox

As the engine of this delicious Machiavellian war of wills, Weisz is a technical virtuoso with a fierce emotional purity: Without breaking tempo, her Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough goes from crisp condescension to icy malevolence to heartbreaking bewilderment. And how she wears clothes! Youll envy the jacket, breeches and plumed hat she wears shooting pigeons  and then wheeling on Emma Stones Abigail, barrel high.

1. Olivia Colman, The Favourite

Photo: Twentieth Century Fox

As the gouty, early 18th-century Queen Anne, shes all childlike discombobulation as well as a ripe target for the predations of both Rachel Weisz  as her best friend, lover, and the head of the royal household  and Emma Stone as a young lady in waiting whos increasingly crafty behind a mask of blue-eyed guilelessness. All three make beautiful, barbed-wire music together, but its Colman who gives the film its tipsy center, pushed to and fro by warring Tories and Whigs and her own hapless emotional and physical needs. A widely admired actress, its time Olivia Colman was suitably worshiped.
Clint Eastwood. Photo: Clair Folger/Warner Brothers

Slipped into theaters with few advance screenings or the usual ballyhoo for a Clint Eastwood film (this one featuring what might be the 88-year-olds last leading performance), The Mule turns out to be a modest but reasonably suspenseful and abidingly eerie portrait of the aged white American male trying vainly to forestall rejection and irrelevance. The solution that this particular aged white male stumbles on is going to work for a murderous Mexican drug cartel, which gives him, wouldnt you know, the money to make America great again. His America, anyway.

Eastwood plays 90-year-old Earl Stone, a passionate, lifelong horticulturalist, and if you can get past the image of Eastwood circa Dirty Harry (1971) squatting over flowers rather than bullet-ridden corpses, youll begin to feel the resonances. In the tidy screenplay by Nick Schenk (Gran Torino), a horticulturalist is defined as someone who nurtures things that bloom and live for a day  as opposed to Earls ex-wife, Mary (Dianne Wiest), and estranged daughter, Iris (Alison Eastwood), whom he effectively abandoned for demanding too much day after day after day.

A charmer, a horndog, a wiseacre, Earl took advantage of the privileges that society once gave him, but that society is gone with his youth. The dang internet has killed his nursery business. The bank has foreclosed on his house  and will soon take back the VFW center in which he and his fellow vets (Earl served in Korea) drink and dance the polka with the tootsies and reminisce about the days when people like him were respected. The only people who can bail him out  give him the money to save his house and help his granddaughter, Ginny (Taissa Farmiga), get through school  are snarling, tattoo-covered narcos who cross back and forth over the border, making America a hell on Earth. Earl takes the money, of course. He loves being flush, respected, at the wheel. He doesnt know that the DEA (led by Colin Bates, played by Bradley Cooper) has an informer in the mix and is on the tail of the vaunted drug mule called Tata. That means grandpa in Spanish, but Bates doesnt know to look for a skinny old white guy.

The Mule was inspired by Sam Dolnicks New York Times Magazine article, The Sinaloa Cartels 90-Year-Old Drug Mule, and you should know that despite the commercials, it never crosses the line into action-movie mayhem. That might disappoint some people, and Eastwood means it to. For nearly half a century, his alter-egos did not take emasculation lightly: Hed rasp some variation of, You dont listen, do ya asshole? and pull back his fist or pull out his big gun. But the nonagenarian Earl Stone isnt Harry Callahan or Bill Munny or even the once-militant Walt Kowalski of Gran Torino. Early on, before he understands how easily they could kill him, Earl sasses his Mexican handlers. He says, Ya vol, mein herr, with a silly German accent. But when they start to rough him up and hiss cabron in his face, he does nothing, nada. Hes not a fighter. He only wants to sniff flowers. Clint Eastwood has aged into Ferdinand the Bull.

Which is fascinating. Although the crudeness of Eastwoods political thinking was on display at the 2012 Republican convention, hes a canny caretaker of his own myth, and hes much more evolved than the last comparable Republican action hero, John Wayne  who in the soggy, self-conscious Western The Shootist (directed by Eastwoods old mentor, Don Siegal) succumbed to the Big C but made sure to take a lot of scummy thugs with him. The Mule isnt meant to lionize this old American icon, but to acknowledge his limitations and note  with sadness  his passing from the scene, along with all the other neglected veterans and failing small business owners.

The thing is, Earl wants to evolve, even if that evolution is opportunistic. He strives to be there for his ex  when she gets sick. He risks his Mexican handlers wrath by pulling off the road with his pick-up full of cocaine to help a black couple change a tire; and while the womans face freezes in anger when he says he likes helpin the Negro folks out, Eastwood wants to be clear that Earl is not a racist, just a wee bit out of touch. (Although Earl must really have had his head in the loam.) You dont always know where Eastwoods sympathies lie. Is he making fun of a guy pulled off the road by DEA agents who cries, Dont shoot me! and reels off statistics about his chances of being killed at that moment, or is he acknowledging the spike in shootings of innocent motorists? Whichever, its a bracing scene.

As usual, Eastwoods direction is lean, brisk, and pointedly unfussy. The casting is spot-on. Andy Garcia has a nice turn as a relatively civilized kingpin who develops a tender affection toward his nonagenarian mule. The pensive Ignacio Serricchio has a few good moments as a cartel enforcer who wants to shoot Earl and then, in spite of himself, begins to like the gringo. Cooper and Richard Pena as another DEA agent get some tricky, funny rhythms going when they bully a potential informer into helping them, and Cooper has a wonderful scene with Eastwood in a diner when he half-listens to the old man  whom he doesnt know to be the infamous Tata  hold forth on the importance of being there for ones family.

However graceful, The Mule would be a small potatoes without the lift it gets from Eastwoods mythic persona. He has few expressions, but the ones he has are riveting, and age has been unusually kind to his features. Although hes stooped now and thin-shouldered, hes every inch Sergio Leones Man With No Name. Its just that at 88, the Man With No Name wants something to put on his tombstone and for his family to cry when hes gone.
Photo: Bravo

Spoilers below for Dirty John, both TV series and podcast.

Dirty John is a Bravo original series adapted from an extremely popular true-crime podcast (itself inspired by host Christopher Goffards series of L.A. Times articles) about one really bad guy (that would be John) who manipulated a spectacularly wealthy woman (self-made successful designer Debra Newell) as part of a long con that led to an incredibly violent end.

Despite the adaptations impressive cast (including Connie Britton, Eric Bana, Juno Temple, Jean Smart, Julia Garner, Shea Whigham, Sprague Grayden, and Joelle Carter), it never quite matches the morbid sensationalism of the actual story. And, as disclaimers throughout Dirty John readily concede, events and characterizations are frequently fictionalized for the sake of narrative expediency and  in some cases  to respect the wishes of those involved.

In the interest of veracity, and as an assist to viewers who havent consumed all of Goffards investigative pieces and subsequent podcast interviews with key players, heres a quick breakdown of Dirty Johns main men and women (and one canine), and their roles in a twisted, totally real 21st-century tale of love, betrayal, and death.

Dirty John Meehan (Played by Eric Bana)

Photo: Bravo

When Debra Newell first got to know then-55-year-old John Meehan via a dating app in 2014, he came across too good to be true: a strapping, handsome, and doting physician and war vet with a heart of gold. Though as Johns sister Donna recounts (he has two sisters and one brother), he was practically born into hustling. After their parents divorced, their dad (played in the series by Whigham), who ran a shady casino and surrounded himself with low-level scam artists, carried on raising John and his sister Karen in San Jose. (In the Bravo show, Debra is a single stand-in for the pair of sisters.) John was smart and popular in school but also seduced by his fathers guidance when it came to grifting and manipulation.

By the late 1980s, John had been busted dealing drugs, exiled from California as part of a plea deal, and bounced from one university to the next before enrolling in University of Dayton School of Law. (Thats where Johns philandering ways earned him his notorious nickname, or nicknames.) During that time, he met Tonia Sells (Grayden), a nurse in her mid-20s, and before long they were married, and she helped support him through nursing school and while earning his license as an anesthetist. They even had two kids together. Though in Tonias telling, he was having an affair, which led to her finding out from Johns mother and sisters that hed been lying about his background. That, and he was addicted to the painkillers he was doling out, and stealing them from patients in need.

As his marriage dissolved, John disappeared into his addiction and wound up in prison numerous times on various drug and theft charges, making ends meet on the outside via small-time scams (he got especially good at taking advantage of lonely, single women) and frivolous lawsuits (including against his own attorneys). By the time hed insinuated himself into Newells life, marrying her in a shotgun Vegas wedding in late 2014, hed been hooked on opioids and accumulated myriad felonies (stalking, weapons possession, etc.) and restraining orders over the past 25 years.

Debra Newell (Played by Connie Britton)

Photo: Bravo

When John fixed his gaze on Debra Newell, she was a 59-year-old, independently wealthy SoCal businesswoman whod spent decades building her business, Ambrosia Interior Design. (She also now operates Nevada-based Ambrosia Home Furniture & Decor.) But by early adulthood, shed experienced life-altering trauma. In March 1984, her brother-in-law, Billy Vickers, shot and killed her older sister Cindi at point-blank range. Their mother, Arlane Hart, was (and is) a deeply religious Christian. (Debra, likewise, would become a devoted member of Mariners megachurch in Irvine, California.) Arlane not only forgave Billy but testified on his behalf, and Billy was released after serving just over two years on a voluntary manslaughter conviction. Debra subsequently treated her 11-year-old nephew, Shad (his younger brother, Shane, has not been a participant in the podcast or Bravo series), as if he were her own son. (To this day, Debra occasionally sees Billy, who remarried, at Mariners services and other local events.)

While amassing her fortune, she would marry and divorce four separate men and give birth to four children  three girls and one boy. (Her youngest daughters  Jacqueline, a.k.a. Veronica on Dirty John, and Terra  were the only ones willfully participative in the original podcast.) That was all before she fatefully logged on to a dating site in the fall of 2014, setting off the horrific chain reaction to follow. Debra currently lives in Henderson, Nevada, where her store is based, and spends her free time with her kids and grandkids.

Jacquelyn/Veronica Newell (Played by Juno Temple)

Photo: Bravo

The fiery middle daughter known as Veronica on Dirty John was skeptical of her moms new beau from jump. As she puts it herself in the podcasts first installment, The second I opened the door, I just kind of looked at him head to toe and thought to myself, Oh, this loser. (And, as Debra confirms, Jacquelyn was always curious, questioning, and rebellious.) With the help of a private investigator and other family like her cousin Shad, she dredged up all the details of Johns arrests and prison records  even putting a GPS tracker on his car  though it took about a year-and-a-half to fully persuade Debra that all of their lives were in danger. In those final months of 2016, John harassed and menaced Jacquelyn, jeopardizing her schooling and career.

Just before the occasion of John attacking Terra, Jacquelyn had warned her sister that their nemesis was in town and lurking. Jacquelyn, while interviewed for the podcast, was less willing to be visibly part of the Bravo series (hence the name change), but appears to be the principal owner of a design and consulting firm these days and  if her capabilities as presented on Dirty John are indicative  is probably faring reasonably well despite the ordeal.

Arlane Hart (Played by Jean Smart)

Photo: Bravo

God-fearing mother of two and piano teacher Arlane Hart had lived in Orange County her whole life, and its where she raised her daughters after graduating from Christian institution Pasadena Nazarene College (which has since been rechristened as Point Loma Nazarene University). When her oldest daughter, Cindi, got engaged to childhood sweetheart Billy Vickers at 17, she was concerned, saying on Goffards podcast that all she could think was, Oh, no.

Years later, when Cindi and Billy separated, Arlane temporarily took in Billy and Shad. Shane (who, while not a part of Dirty John, appears to now have a family of his own and is still in touch with Arlane) remained living with Cindi. Arlane  who to this day does public speaking engagements because, as she tells Goffard, people love to hear, I think, about forgiveness  was a sympathetic ear for Billy. After Cindis death, as aforementioned, her testimony of forgiveness played a part in Billys generous plea deal and relatively expedient release. Debra, for her part, has come to terms with forgiveness giving her mother peace, though she hasnt quite forgiven Billy herself. And while the Bravo series makes an explicit connection between Debra being raised to revere forgiveness and her willingness to initially take John back, she can only surmise for Goffard that, Ill never understand why, but I always do see the great in, I think, everyone. Arlane still lives in the same Corona house where she raised her daughters.

Shad/Toby Vickers (Played by Kevin Zegers)

Photo: Bravo

Shad, known as Toby on Dirty John (like Jacquelyn, he has been less participative in the Bravo series than he was for Goffards articles and podcast), viewed his aunt Debra as a surrogate mother following his actual mothers murder. He was only 11 at the time, and as Goffard outlines in his Times series, went through the requisite bouts of anger and unruly behavior. But Debra was there for him, paying for recreational activities that served as outlets for his rage and giving him paid work at one of her companys warehouses. Shad, who would grow up to have three daughters and a trucking job, thought John was an okay enough guy  until, as John told Goffard, he once said of Jacquelyn in a not-entirely-kidding way, I could take her out from a thousand yards.

Shad soon assisted Jacquelyns amateur sleuthing and did some digging of his own, putting together a trail of wronged ex-lovers and jail stays. His efforts to fill Debra in backfired and John turned his ire on Shad, who saved texts from John with threats such as, I aint going nowhere and neither is she. Stay away from the house. Accidents do happen. Again, Deb wants nothing to do with you and if you were on fire I wouldnt piss on you to help you out. Only when Shad ceased steering Debra away from John did the antagonism stop. Of the fact that his younger cousin Terra finally put an end to Johns reign of terror, Shad could only say to Goffard, The last person on earth Id ever think would send John to hell would be Terra.

Terra Newell (Played by Julia Garner)

Photo: Bravo

Debras youngest daughter, Terra, was similarly immediately suspicious of John, his surliness and desperation instantly evident. He was accusing me of wanting to take my mom away from him and also accusing me of snooping through his things, Terra recalled on the podcast. It made me question what is he trying to hide.

At the time her mother started dating John, Terra was working at a kennel and spending most of her days with her boyfriend, Jimmy. Shed always loved animals and, like her mom, was a devout Christian. But she was also affected by her parents splitting up and, perhaps presciently, would often have nightmares about being abducted. Terra was 25 when she fought John off on the roof of that parking garage and killed him. (Fittingly, her now-celebrated dog Cash helped thwart Johns attack by gnawing on his ankle.) She was never charged in Johns murder, as it was determined to be in self-defense. Apart from promoting Dirty John, she has mostly been coping with the post-traumatic aftermath of that fateful 2016 afternoon by traveling and attending country-music concerts.
On Wednesday, the farm bill was passed by the House of Representative and sent over to President Trump's desk.

The bill contains an item that could create a new cash crop in Alabama, hemp. The owner of a textile studio in Huntsville's Lowe Mill, Roo Kline, said hemp is valuable and could change the industry.

Kline has been working with textiles for a decade and said hemp is a great product to work with that she will be carrying in the future.

"It's very strong. As it wears overtime, it becomes very soft," Kline said.

Hemp is used in a variety of products like paper, rope and even car parts. Until now, cultivating it for industry was illegal.

"When people hear hemp, they hear cannabis. They hear marijuana. What they're not understanding is hemp is actually a different plant," Kline said.

Hemp contains only trace amounts of the chemical in marijuana that makes people high. In 2016, Alabama legalized the study of industrial hemp. Auburn researchers found Alabama's climate is ideal for cultivating it, which could mean a potential boom for the agricultural industry.

Kline said when used in fabric, hemp can be compared to cotton or linen.

"It's a beautiful fiber to work with," Kline said.
Theres a grinch in Limestone County and he stole a little boy's four-wheeler.

Investigators say theyre looking for 34-year-old Luis Lopez in connection to the crime.

But thanks to a watchful community, the child now has his four-wheeler back.

WAAY 31 spoke with the ten-year-old and his grandmother about what helped them connect the dots in a crime that shook their neighborhood.

We had been to town and we came home, and as we pulled up in the driveway, we noticed the four-wheeler was gone," Martha McBay said.

McBay says her ten-year-old grandsons day was ruined when he realized someone had taken one of his most prized possessions on Friday.

Now, I dont have a way to get to my grandmas house," Brady Crowe said.

So, McBay did what any good grandma would do: she worked to find Bradys four-wheeler.

First, I called my neighbor and asked him if he saw anybody," she said. "He did, but he assumed it was somebody we knew.

It wasnt someone they knew, so McBays next step was taking to social media.

She and her daughter posted in their neighborhoods community watch page on facebook and, immediately, people responded.

Weve seen this, weve seen this, it was on so-and-so road, we saw this, they stopped at my house.

McBay says she was overwhelmed by the help she received from her neighbors, like surveillance video; and she was shocked at how quickly the post spread to other nearby communities who also offered support and more evidence.

In fact, deputies say, because of that evidence, they were able to identify the suspect and find the four-wheeler.

As for McBay's grandson, Brady, he says hes glad to have his four-wheeler back, but more than anything, he hopes the thief is caught.

I was wanting to catch them and get them taken care of and off the streets, so we wouldnt have anymore of this going on in our community and have it safe," Brady said.

And his grandma agrees.

If we dont do something together like this, were not going to get rid of the drugs and all this stealing.

McBay is now encouraging other communities to create similar neighborhood watch pages to keep in touch with your neighbors and know whats going on around you. She says its what helped her grandson get his four-wheeler back just in time to ride it over to her house for Christmas.

If you have any information about Lopezs whereabouts, youre asked to call the Limestone County Sheriffs Office at 256-232-0111.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall made a statement in Birmingham Thursday at 10:30 a.m. regarding the Thanksgiving shooting at the Riverchase Galleria mall in Hoover.

Marshall said his office will assume the prosecution for the victims', Emantic Fitzgerald Bradford, Brian Wilson and Molly Davis, shootings. He wrote a letter to the Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr saying that this decision is based upon Carr's personal interest in the case.

Public outrage erupted after the Hoover Police Department said the man who died from being shot and killed by police after running away from the scene, Bradford, was not the one who fired the shots that injured the 18-year-old and a 12-year-old. The suspected shooter, 20-year-old Erron Brown, was taken into custody in Fulton County, Georgia and extradited to the Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham.

Carr had previously addressed a potential conflict of interest to Marshall about the connection between himself and other parties in the case.

The National Prosecution Standards rule 1-3.3(d) states:

"The prosecutor should excuse himself or herself from any investigation, prosecution, or other matter where personal interests of the prosecutor would cause a fair-minded, objective observer to conclude that the prosecutors neutrality, judgment, or ability to administer the law in an objective manner may be compromised."

---

Marshall's letter to Carr is below.
This afternoon schools in Huntsville are stepping in to help Virginia College students. Last week's abrupt closure left students across the country in limbo wondering if they'd ever graduate.

"I have nothing to show for these last 5 months I've been in school," said Raqueal Hamlett.

Hamlett was devastated when she found out her school was closing. After her husband died last year she went back to school to give her three boys a better life. She said her sons have noticed she hasn't been going to school this last week.

"You not going to school no more mommy? And I'm like, no, mommy's not going. Well I'm gonna whoop you mommy. Why you gonna whoop me? Because you need to go to school!"

Hamlett said her sons are the reason she's not giving up but another thing keeping her going is hearing about other local schools wanting to help her finish her education.

"It makes me feel better. It makes me feel like there's schools out here like drake and calhoun that believes in me."

Drake State says as soon as it heard Virginia College was closing it started making a plan.

"We needed students to know that we are here for them. That we have programs that align with what they were taking with virginia college. That we have student services to support them in and outside of the classroom," said Pamela Little.

Little, the dean of student services at Drake, said the school offers cosmetology, business, and health science programs. She also said they offer financial assistance.

Hamlett said she has already applied to Drake and Calhoun and is waiting to hear if she's been accepted. In the meantime she's trying to figure out how to give her kids the Christmas they're hoping for. She said her son wrote three letters to santa asking for one thing.

"Do you not know that you wrote down the same thing on everybody's? I was like so you're not going to get 3 Playstation 4's. And he said I know mama but I'm hoping Santa will get the picture by the third letter," said Hamlett.

Drake State told me students can apply all the way up until classes begin on January 7th. Students can also schedule tours and meet with advisors.
According to Madison County Schools, the Board of Education voted Tuesday night to sell 58.55 acres of land on Pine Grove Road to the Jeff Benton Development. The price was not released.

This is land the school system purchased in 2014 with plans of building a new high school for the Monrovia area. Back in May, the board decided to make improvements to current schools instead of building a new one.
Congress has approved legislation that would, in part, legalize some CBD oil in Alabama.

"I'm very thankful for Alabama to do something like this," CBD oil user Whitney Walker said.

Walker told WAAY 31 she has been using CBD oil for more than a year at the recommendation of her doctor who concentrates on natural healing methods.

"It actually took away some back pain and then helped with migraines," Walker said.

She said she only uses a few drops as a pain treatment.

"It doesn't have the other part in it, the THC, that you're not allowed to have," Walker said.

Wednesday the United States House of Representatives passed the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said it's expected to be signed into law by President Trump, and once it is CBD oil made from industrial hemp that has a THC concentration of no more than .3% can be legally produced, sold, and possessed in Alabama.

"On one hand it will be great because of the accessibility, on the other hand making sure you're getting the right kind," Walker said.

The new federal law won't stop state lawmakers from making laws to restrict or regulate industrial hemp production, but Walker said she hopes it will be an option for more people looking for a more natural approach to wellness.

"You want to do natural, holistic, as much as you can. This is helpful, and yes you want to choose that route," Walker said.

Marshall said prescription drugs and other consumables containing CBD oil will continue to be regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The state's past guidance still applies to CBD oil made from marijuana or from hemp with a THC concentration higher than .3%.

Click here to read the new and old state guidance.
A 4.4 magnitude earthquake hit parts of northeast Tennessee on Wednesday. The Tennessee Valley Authority said it has checked all of their facilities in Tennessee and there is no damage.

TVA told WAAY 31 it knows the threat of an earthquake is very real, especially for the dams and facilities near the New Madrid seismic zone, which includes northwest Alabama.

The New Madrid Fault line is located in Missouri and the last time it shifted was in the 1800s. TVA said in 2019, it plans on reinforcing Pickwick Dam by moving earth, creating berms and putting rock on the south side.

"It's sorta scary to find out it was that close," said Frankie Tubbs, who lives in the Shoals.

Tubbs said he's used to bad weather, living in north Alabama, but not used to an earthquake. He said it's a little concerning that a 4.4 magnitude earthquake hit near Decatur, Tennessee. Tubbs said he is glad to hear that TVA will be reinforcing Pickwick Dam, just in case the New Madrid were to shift again.

"They need to be prepared, because Memphis is real close to that fault," said Tubbs.

Memphis is only about a three hour drive from the Shoals, and others said they're glad TVA is taking a proactive approach to a possible threat.

If an earthquake does happen, do not run outside. Instead, get under a sturdy table and hold on until the earth stops shaking.
Two out of three people accused of trying to rob a Huntsville family back in May 2017 were indicted on charges, which included murder.

James Manuel Jr., 25, and Jasmine Nicole Jordan, 24, were indicted by a grand jury on charges of murder and first-degree robbery on November 30, 2018.

Back in 2017, the three entered the home of Frederick Rice and attempted to steal money from Rices cousin.

At the time, Rice told WAAY 31 that Jeremiah Manuel, 21, pointed a gun at his cousins head and said, he was gonna kill everybody in the house.

According to Rice, he and his cousin both grabbed guns and chased them out of the house. Rice said his cousin shot James Manuel in the leg.

Court documents state that Rice shot and killed Jeremiah Manuel. So far, no charges have been brought against Rice.

Both James Manuel and Jasmine Jordan are scheduled to stand trial on the charges in February 2019. Bond for both Manuel and Jordan was set at $75,000.
Google said its cloud business won't sell a general type of facial recognition software until questions about the technology have been answered. "Facial recognition merits careful consideration to ensure its use is aligned with our principles and values, and avoids abuse and harmful outcomes," Kent Walker, Google's head of global affairs, said in a blog post Thursday. Google did not say what questions it wants answered before it will proceed, or whether the technology will remain off-limits to customers like the military or law enforcement.
A: Oh my gosh, everything! Well host a very traditional English Christmas lunch for about 30 friends and assemble a table underneath the palm trees. Well have Christmas carols and a gigantic turkey with lots of stuffing, potatoes and bread pudding  leaving us with leftovers in the fridge for weeks. And there will be plenty of champagne. In England, I grew up with eggnog being served at the Christmas table, but we dont do that in the Bahamas. Well have a Christmas pudding  which is something that people either love or hate  and set fire to it, as well as a Christmas cake, brandy butter and mince pies.
Reuters reports that a number of former Australian judges have sent an open letter to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, calling for the establishment of a national anti-corruption body.

They believe that such a body would go some way to restoring public trust in the countrys democratic process. The letter suggests that there is public suspicion that some government actions are driven by corruption.

The judges believe that some federal agencies are lacking integrity, and that this perception, which is shared by members of the public, is weakening confidence in the system, and thereby impacting negatively on governmental decisions.

The judges are seeking what they describe as a National Integrity Commission to restore public trust in Australian democracy, citing current secrecy as being at the core of the corrupt conduct. They believe that existing agencies, deemed to be overseers of governmental integrity, lack the powers and wherewithal to fully investigate the question of impartiality and the basis of the decisions being made.

A recent survey conducted by Transparency International Australia (TI-A), in June this year, found that 85 percent of Australians believed at least some members of the national Parliament were corrupt, while two-thirds of Australians supported the creation of the sort of national anti-corruption body proposed by the former judges.

As a case in point, TI-A points to the case of a Labor minister in the state of New South Wales, who was jailed last year for wilful misconduct in public office, after gifting a mining license without a competitive tender.

In addition to all this, concerns have also been raised over senior public servants winning lucrative consultancies or board positions from firms which then win contracts from their previous departments. TI-A believes that there is an inherent lack of accountability as things stand, and it would appear that the former judges in question concur.

To my mind, there can be little doubt that all democratically elected governments would do well to establish such bodies. Ensuring that the public can go about their business without worrying that their elected representatives are fleecing them behind their back can only be a good thing. Taxes are a necessary evil, but having parted company with them, the public has every right to expect that their hard-earned cash is not going to find its way to an unscrupulous pocket.

It is interesting that public contract tendering processes are mentioned. Most countries and commercial organizations have tendering processes in place. They exist to ensure best-value and to disqualify tendering from those companies with an inside connection to the public body concerned, unless their relationship is declared up front. It is sad to see that this remains one of the most common and simplest of corrupt acts, with those on the inside of the process lining their pockets from those prepared to grease palms.

Corruption such as this can take many forms, from simple corporate entertaining, to large sums of cash changing hands. It is imperative that the guidelines in place are adhered to, as any wavering from them will see corruption as the likely outcome. This is one reason why a national anti-corruption body like that sought by the Australian judges would be an important step towards building the publics confidence.

Such an idea deserves support. But merely establishing these overseeing units is one thing: giving them the tools and the powers to undertake the task is another. In some instances, these bodies are set up only to pay lip service to the masses. Toothless tigers and thousand-page official reports prepared at great cost and that no one reads are no deterrent. This is why the empowerment of an anti-corruption body is as important as its establishment.

The whole notion of these organizations is to have those who may be tempted into a spot of skulduggery looking over their shoulders. The overseeing organization should not be judged simply on its results, for example the number of prosecutions they bring. Their value as a deterrent cannot be underestimated.

There is an old saying that a uniformed cop on the beat can walk the length of his or her town and never see anybody committing a crime, returning to their station without ever feeling a collar (arresting anyone). But who is to say how many crimes they have thwarted simply by their mere presence? If Australia does decide to go down this route, it must ensure that the resultant organization is a lion with a mouth full of teeth, and a righteous attitude to go with it.

With thanks to Tony McClements, Senior Investigator at Martin Kenney & Co, for his assistance with this post.

____

Martin Kenney, pictured above, is Managing Partner of Martin Kenney & Co., Solicitors, a specialist investigative and asset recovery practice based in the BVI, focused on multi-jurisdictional fraud and grand corruption cases www.martinkenney.com |@MKSolicitors. In 2014 he was the recipient of the ACFEs highest honor: the Cressey Award for life-time achievement in the detection and deterrence of fraud. He was selected as one of the Top Thought Leaders of the Legal Profession in 2018 by Whos Who Legal International and as the number one offshore lawyer for asset recovery in 2017.
Whether exposure of Danielss and McDougals stories would have changed the outcome of the 2016 election will probably be debated for years. But Cohen and Howard clearly considered the matter of great urgency. The payment to Daniels, in particular, came at a sensitive time  just days after Trump was hurt by the leak of a videotape in which he boasted about grabbing womens genitals and amid news reports about women who claimed that Trump had sexually assaulted them years earlier.
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The student had good reasons for his choices. Computer math was a prerequisite for AP Computer Science. Dropping it would have prevented him from taking the one AP course he wanted. Art was a prerequisite for the photography course he wanted to take his senior year. He had already met the state requirement for the foreign language in which his counselor wanted him to take an AP course. He chose regular economics rather than AP because he had orchestra and other useful activities that he preferred over more homework.
In plea papers, prosecutors agreed to drop a second count against Butina of violating a law that requires foreigners working for their government to register with the U.S. Justice Department. There is no suggestion in the documents that Butina was employed by the Russian intelligence services, but violations of the law are considered more serious than a separate law that requires registration by paid lobbyists for foreign entities.
Dr. Greenstein effectively spent the next two decades working out an answer, broadening his research to develop a systematic approach to evaluate each presidents performance in office. While he maintained a lower profile than historians such as Doris Kearns Goodwin or Jon Meacham, he became a reliable source for journalists seeking context on the potential presidential campaign of Colin L. Powell (his knack for remembering names reminded Dr. Greenstein of Hubert Humphrey) or the impeachment of Bill Clinton (Hell be remembered as a kind of low-achieving Nixon).
The youngest of seven children, Joseph had just turned 9 when Adolf Hitler sent his forces into France in 1940. Hearing of Hitlers attacks on Jews in Germany, Roman Joffo sensed the danger that was coming. He had already sent two of his older sons, Henri and Albert, to Menton on the Mediterranean coast of France near Monte Carlo. The town was in Vichy France, not militarily occupied by the Nazis but run by a collaborative French regime.
There are different reasons to why people put their names on things or why people give, she told The Post in 2002. People give because someone asks them who they cant say no to, they give because they would like recognition  which is also totally valid  they give because they really care about the project. . . . I dont mind my name being used, I dont mind my picture being used, I dont mind any of that if it forwards the work. But if its to forward me, then Im not as interested.
If Bush decides to carry on with his lies and oppression, bin Laden said, then it would be useful for you to read the book Rogue State, which states in its introduction: If I were president, I would stop the attacks on the United States: First, I would give an apology to all the widows and orphans and those who were tortured. Then I would announce that American interference in the nations of the world has ended once and for all. 
Nick Savoy, 25, of Southeast Washington has been charged with rape, armed robbery, kidnapping and other related charges in the Dec. 3 incident that police called an hour-long nightmare for the victim. Savoy turned himself in to police in Roanoke on Tuesday and is awaiting extradition to the District, said Cmdr. Leslie Parsons, head of the criminal investigations division for D.C. police.
D.C. police said in a statement that the department welcomes those who come here to exercise their First Amendment rights in a safe and peaceful manner. The Pentagon Force Protection/Department of Defense was involved in the planning of this event and [D.C. police] did not have any influence as to the decisions surrounding it.
Around that time, the pipeline builders also submitted a strict schedule for getting federal permits so they could begin construction. As the process went forward, the Forest Service dropped its demand to review the other eight routes to see if there were viable alternatives to disrupting the national forests, enabling Dominion to stick to its schedule.
There is no time like the present to take action to ensure the protection of Virginias natural resources, and these historic investments will ensure that the Commonwealth honors its commitments to improve water quality and to protect the progress weve made on restoring the Chesapeake Bay, Northam said in a statement.
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ANZtoday announced Group Executive Australia Fred Ohlsson is stepping down from his current role to take an extended unpaid career-break in his native Sweden after 17-years service with ANZ.He joined ANZ in 2001 and has held senior roles in retail and commercial banking across Australia and New Zealand.Prior to starting his current role in early 2016, Mr Ohlsson served for five years as Managing Director Retail & Business Banking in New Zealand.Mark Hand will lead their Australia Division.The changes are effective 29 December, subject to regulatory requirements.Shares in ANZ0.12 per cent higher at $25.23.
NIH officials said a total of three research projects are affected by the pause. The two others disclosed for the first time are labs at the National Eye Institute and the National Cancer Institute. Cancer researchers will need more fetal tissue by the end of January, and the eye study will need more by the end of February, said a spokeswoman.
The 44-count indictment made no mention of Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum (D), who fell short last month in his bid to become Floridas governor. Gillum had said the FBI told him he was not a focus of its investigation, although a separate state ethics commission probe revealed details that shadowed his campaign during the final weeks of the race, including that an undercover FBI agent purchased a Hamilton ticket for Gillum in 2016.
In fact, there has been no significant cost for Mohammed bin Salman and his regime. Members of the hit team that traveled to Istanbul to murder Mr. Khashoggi are said to have been arrested, but nothing is known about charges, trials or possible punishment; not even their names have been released. The Trump administration says it has imposed sanctions on 17 people, but travel bans and asset freezes are meaningless for most of them  and the administration left off its list the senior intelligence official who the Saudis admitted was implicated in the plot. The Senate was debating resolutions Wednesday to cut off funding for Saudi military operations in Yemen or to condemn Mohammed bin Salman, but neither is likely to be approved by the House.
Celect, a Boston, MAbased market leader in predictive analytics and inventory optimization for retailers, closed a $15m Series C financing.

The round was led by NGP Capital and existing investor Fung Capital, with participation from previous investors Activant Capital and August Capital. In conjuntion with the funding, NGP Capitals Upal Basu and Fung Capitals Janie Yu joined the Board of Directors.

The company will use the funding to expand its engineering and sales teams, further enhance its patented technology solutions, and grow its market share.

Led by CEO John Andrews, Celect is a cloud-based, predictive analytics SaaS platform that allows retailers to optimize their overall inventory portfolios in stores and across the supply chain.

The technology allows retailers and brands to predict future buying patterns and behavior (both online and in-store) so they can make profitable merchandising, allocation and fulfillment decisions.

The company has served top brands such as the ALDO Group, Lucky Brand, Neiman Marcus, Polo and Urban Outfitters.

FinSMEs

13/12/2018
You say you have no experience in government or politics. Not a problem! Nobody else in the White House knows how to run a country, either. And dont be alarmed by those never-Trumpers who claim Everything Trump Touches Dies. Thats overstated. You will be ostracized, publicly humiliated and possibly imprisoned  but you wont literally die. At least not if you take the following precautions to maximize your job satisfaction and personal happiness:
In 1996, then-Rep. Brown voted against the Defense of Marriage Act, which, until the Supreme Court ruled otherwise in 2013, denied same-sex couples all benefits and recognition given to opposite-sex couples. In 2004, Ohioans voted 62 percent to 38 percent to ban not just gay marriages but also civil unions, and to deny health benefits to unmarried couples, gay or not, at public colleges. The next Sunday, as Browns wife, Connie Schultz, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, wrote, their pastor asked everyone in the congregation affected by the vote to stand. The pastor stood, as did the choir director, the man leading the drive for Christmas presents for poor children, and about 50 others. Brown, who estimates that today the 2004 measure would be as emphatically rejected as it was endorsed, thinks this episode illustrates how changeable American attitudes can be, something he saw at home when his father voted for Barry Goldwater in 1964 and George McGovern eight years later.
In reality, Trump has never come anywhere near the top rank of New York real estate developers. He ran not a huge, sprawling enterprise but a small family firm in which he and his children had direct control. He was seen as so unreliable that genuine moguls refused to have anything to do with him. When he tried to go big  risking everything on casino development in Atlantic City  he failed miserably despite his fathers efforts to bail him out. His bankers were left holding the bag, and now most major financial institutions wont lend the Trump Organization a dime. It was Trumps undeniable skill as a television performer on The Apprentice that saved him from total ruin.
Those were the best of times for chiefs of staff, under presidents who both understood and valued the position. Under Trump, the job is exponentially more difficult  perhaps impossible. Take everything youve heard and multiply it by 50, Reince Priebus told me a few months after he was unceremoniously sacked as Trumps first chief of staff  by tweet, while standing on an airport tarmac. Priebus was talking about the chaos and dysfunction that occur when a president confuses governing with campaigning, or running the 26th floor of Trump Tower. Instead of empowering his chief to get things done, Trump ignored and humiliated him. Once a rising star as Republican National Committee chairman, Priebus left with his reputation in tatters. I have been sharply critical of him in the past, but, in fairness, anyone serving this president should be graded on a curve. A friend of Priebus, incensed by the jabs thrown by his predecessors, says they cant conceive of the unique challenges posed by Trump: Give me a break. They couldnt do it. After a week, they would be curled up in the corner in a fetal position.
The Pentagon has since begun to grapple with the idea of reducing the number of U.S. troops across the continent over the next three years. Defense officials have been vague about what that could entail but said that the number of troops will probably be reduced by about 10 percent. In recent years, there have been about 7,200 U.S. troops and Defense Department civilians assigned across the continent, according to the Pentagon.
This rejection of the last major Democratic push for economywide climate legislation in 2009 is the premise of the Green New Deal proposal that House Democrats have been steadily embracing in recent weeks. It has been presented as an alternative to legislation focused on imposing a carbon tax and then refunding the money to households in the form of checks, a move that would most benefit lower- and middle-class households because of the progressive tax code.
In a memo seeking leniency in sentencing, Flynns attorneys said the former Army lieutenant generals interview with the FBI needed to be considered in context. They said that the two FBI agents did not warn Flynn he was under investigation and did not question or rebut his account of the conversation with the diplomat, but simply let him continue speaking.
MultiScale Health Networks, a Seattle, WA-based developer of real-time problem-solving solutions for healthcare, received an investment from Johnson & Johnson InnovationJJDC.

The amount of the investment was not disclosed. JJDC joined earlier MultiScale investors Sabey Healthcare Holdings and Providence St. Joseph Health (PSJH).

The company intends to use the funds to accelerate its market growth by expanding sales, marketing, and development operations.

Founded in 2012, MultiScale Health Networks provides apps that enable clinicians to securely communicate and collaborate with EHR and health operations data to address issues in real-time before they become problems. This allows clinicians with what they need to improve care quality, drive efficiency and reduce costs.

The first application is currently in use across 35 hospitals of the Providence St. Josephs Health (PSJH) System assisting in throughput optimization.

FinSMEs

13/12/2018
The bill, approved by a vote of 394 to 1, also calls on Myanmars government leaders, including state counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, to pardon two Reuters journalists who have been jailed for over a year for their coverage of the violence, which resulted in more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing the country last year. Though estimates vary, one independent report this year said more than 43,000 Rohingya parents are missing and presumed to have been killed.
Let me say this about autism, Green said, according to a video of the exchange posted by the Tennessean. I have committed to people in my community, up in Montgomery County, to stand on the CDCs desk and get the real data on vaccines, because there is some concern that the rise in autism is the result of the preservatives that are in our vaccines.
I think youll have to ask him about what his plans are, she said. Im thinking through how I can best be of service to our country.
Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.) suggested Congress might have to extend funding until Dec. 26 or even Jan. 3  right before a new Congress is sworn in and Democrats take control of the House. Shelby said other options could include short-term extensions until later in January, February or May, or all the way through the end of the fiscal year Sept. 30, which is the solution Democrats have proposed.
The White House has since changed its story. In a television interview in May, Trump personal attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani said Trump had repaid Cohen for the money he gave to Daniels. The next day, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders was pressed by reporters on why she had previously denied that Trump had any knowledge of the payment. Sanders said she had given the best information I had at the time.
Because we had to go through the compromise in the Senate, the one section that got taken out was the member accountability for violating Title VII, said Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), another leader of the reform effort. Were going to introduce it as a bill so it would have to pass the Senate as well. ... Theyve given us a commitment that they will have a vote on it.
Ducey has made no firm decision and McSally, who narrowly lost this years Senate race, remains a finalist to fill the seat that John McCain held for decades, a seat that may soon open up. But her stock has fallen in the eyes of the governor, according to two people familiar with his thinking, as Ducey approaches one of the most significant decisions of his political career.
As small businesses begin to grow, theyre often quick to hire new employees, find a bigger workspace, and increase their rate of production. Amongst countless new responsibilities, one thing often gets left behind: upgrades to cybersecurity.

More devices, basic systems, and rudimentary policies are all features of a rapidly growing companyand all vulnerabilities in the network, ripe for exploitation by cybercriminals. Small businesses are now the number one target for hackers, with 47% reporting at last one cyber-attack in the past year.

The good news is, blocking attacks doesnt have to be complicated or expensive. In this article, well cover some of the biggest security mistakes small businesses make as they grow, and what you can do to prevent them.

1. Avoiding Integration

Without lots of hardware to protect, most small businesses begin by installing their security software independently on each device.

While this works to begin with, it becomes a problem as the company continues to grow, adding more computers but continuing to protect them on a device-by-device basis. Hackers have a huge variety of tools in their arsenal that can bypass the protective software used on individual machines. If they can compromise just one, the whole network is theirs to exploit.

To effectively safeguard your network, you need a variety of different methods to deal with a variety of different threats. Your security strategy should be integrated  protecting the entire network rather than individual devices.

One solution to this issue is investment in unified threat-management platforms, or UTMs. These take the place of the router that most people use to manage their network traffic.

The UTM will integrate antivirus protection, a firewall, and content filtering into one piece of hardware or software, with one set of controls. This is easy to maintain and effective in terms of both time and cost.

2. Lack of Staff Awareness

Your employees will always be your strongest asset and your biggest security risk.

When youre only employing a handful of workers, its relatively easy to get everyone up to scratch on cybersecurity best practices. But when a wave of new workers join, this type of training can take a backseat.

This is when things can get dangerous. One thoughtless click by a new hire can spell potential disaster for your business. Cybercriminals are smart and like to target new employees, exploiting the naivety of those not yet familiar with company protocols.

For those looking to bolster their teams awareness, there are many external resources available that can offer guidance for small companies. The SBAs Office of Entrepreneurship Education has a free course on cybersecurity, and there are plenty of third-party companies that offer training.

Effective security in a company of any size relies on management support, strong internal communication, and individual accountability for online activity. Its sensible to put an awareness program in place that keeps you and your staff up to date about good online security practices.

3. Open Permissions & Data Pools

In the early stages of growth, its typical for small companies to have networks that pool users and their data in the same place. This ensures everyone using the network can collaborate, communicate, and share information.

As networks grow and rising numbers of people need access, collective permissions for these shared databases can become a problem. Whether its employees or clients, theres a higher chance that the wrong people will get their hands on sensitive information.

To contain this risk, expanding SMEs should segment their networks so that critical information is only accessible to appropriate employees in certain zones. Segmenting can be achieved with simple software or hardware like switches, UTMs, and routers.

Having been segmented, each zone can be given its own role and level of security. Should there be an attack on one of these zones, it wont affect the others as quickly, since communication between them is limited. This gives you more time to identify, assess, and resolve the threat  mitigating your damages.

Once these segments are set up, its sensible to routinely review the permissions which determine who has access to what  something thats easily overlooked if there are frequent changes to the team.

4. Weak Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) Policies

Letting employees do business on their own phone or laptop can be a great boost to productivity. But when many new employees come on board, it can be difficult to keep track of what devices are being used and by whom.

That means your business information can now walk out of the door with your employees, and will most likely be stored in third-party apps and platforms. This becomes a problem in terms of data ownership and accountability.

At the end of the day, anything connected to your network needs to have the same level of security as the system itself.

Its crucial to lay out and enforce a clear policy regarding what personal devices are permitted onto the network. Its sensible to require safety features on relevant applications such as two-factor authentication, and encourage employees to use virtual private network (VPN) software, which will secure their traffic when working remotely or on public networks.

Certain VPN services are notoriously unreliable when it comes to privacy and security, so be sure to recommend a trustworthy provider. Theres plenty of choice, but most review websites consider Private Internet Access and Vypr VPN to be sensible options.

Its also recommended to install mobile-device-management software, which gives you the ability to remotely secure any devices that are lost or stolen.

5. No Back-Ups

As ransomware becomes an increasingly serious threat, many companies are being caught off-guard and without the means to restore their systems.

Regularly backing-up your data is an incredibly simple way to safeguard against malicious activity, device failure, and theft. The extent of the backup, as well as the number you create, will depend on the nature of your business. Whichever you choose, its important to safeguard the copy by storing it offline and in a secure location.

Powerful ransomware can lock the files on backup drives and shared networks, so its essential these are disconnected when not in use. Fortunately, there are various programs available that can automate this process to a certain degree. Some of these come with popular operating systems, while others can be purchased separately.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, even the most basic preventative measures can help, such as staying up to date with upcoming threats and how best to protect against them.

Understandably, cybersecurity is often a low priority for organisations with limited resources. That being said, the danger posed by cybercriminals is severe enough that many small businesses are unable to recover. Its not just the financial impact  its the reputational cost, the loss of future business, and the legal implications that can follow an attack.

Small investments can go a long way in protecting your company and safeguarding your customers data.

William Chalk is a security researcher at Top10VPN.
Democrats have said they want to scrutinize Trumps tax returns to see whether he has any conflicts of interest. The inquiry could tie in to a broader investigation into any connection between Trumps presidential campaign and Russian involvement in the 2016 election  an allegation the president has repeatedly and vehemently denied.
What we showed in this vote today is that Republicans and Democrats are ready to get back in the business of working with a president  and sometimes against a president  to set the foreign policy of this nation, said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) a longtime advocate for checking Saudi Arabias regional expansion. The United States has said, through the Senate, that our support for the Saudi coalition is no longer open-ended.
Part of the value of the Senate is, nobody is ever in any full control but everybody in their own way is in control and you just have to go where that takes you, said Sen. Roy Blunt (Mo.), who is being elevated to the No. 4 Republican leadership post next month.
At the same time, Carnemark was rationalizing the decision and hedging his bets. People who travel stay in nice hotels, and they dont get to take that feeling home with them, he says. When it comes to remodeling, if clients keep to what they want, I think it will really sell much better, as opposed to trying to do what the market wants. Ive seen it over and over. where clients put in way more than what they wanted to, but when they sell, theres a bidding war.
In 2014, two Christian aid workers from Canada who had been living in China for 28 years were suddenly arrested by the Ministry of State Security in Dandong and charged with suspicion of stealing and spying to obtain state secrets. Julia Garratt spent six months in detention before being released on bail  but forced to remain in China  while her husband, Kevin Garratt, was imprisoned for two years.
The Vatican on Wednesday did not address the explosive case, but it did announce that in October Pope Francis had removed Pell from his advisory group known as the Council of Cardinals, along with a Chilean cardinal, Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa, who is accused of covering up for abusive priests. (A third cleric  Congolese Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya  was also removed from the council but has no known connections to abuse and recently retired from his position as the archbishop of Kinshasa.)
According to the deal on the table, if the two sides cannot strike an acceptable trade agreement before the end of Britains two-year transition period, Britain would remain inside the E.U. Customs Union. The primary concern is to avoid a hard border between Ireland, which is staying in the E.U., and Northern Ireland, which would depart along with the rest of the United Kingdom. Both sides fear a revival of the decades-long Northern Irish conflict if border infrastructure goes up. But staying in the customs union would prevent Britain from striking many trade deals, and it would also keep it bound to E.U. regulations with no power to shape them.
Wisdo, a Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel-based startup creating an app addressing social network loneliness, raised $11m in seed funding.

Backers included Google, Amazon, 23andMe, Oracle, Yahoo, and angels.

Founded by media and tech industry veterans Boaz Gaon and Ido Jonathan Engel, Wisdo provides an app designed to match individuals and groups around shared life experiences, rather than shared friends or interests. The app connects people by using their patented algorithm to pair users through their life experiences.

Users are asked which communities they would like to join ranging from depression and anxiety, to surviving sexual assault, to improving body image, to parenting or child adoption. Through its timeline feature, users in each community lay out their shared life experiences into steps, or notable challenges theyve faced during a pivotal life event.

Wisdos patented algorithm analyzes this to understand where people have been and where people are still struggling. Based on more than 13 million collected steps for more than 70 communities, Wisdo has developed a map for each life experience.

Upon choosing communities and meaningful experience steps, the app users have access to a group of people facing the same issues to provide a social support network built around shared experiences.

The app has 500,000 beta users.

FinSMEs

13/12/2018
For some here, what happened Tuesday night was almost inevitable. It was only a matter of time, they said, before Strasbourg experienced the kind of violence that had erupted elsewhere in France since 2015  large-scale attacks in Paris and Nice, and smaller-scale ones in towns such as Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, where a self-proclaimed Islamic State sympathizer slit the throat of a village priest in July 2016.
The uptick in violence increases pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to act more aggressively against Hamas. He was already facing widespread criticism for agreeing to a cease-fire with Hamas after a barrage of rockets from Gaza last month and allowing millions of dollars of cash to enter Gaza to pay salaries. Israeli security officials have said the group is trying to expand its presence in the West Bank.
The prosecution marks the latest twist in the fall of a man who at one point was a highly decorated soldier. It also comes amid a string of other cases in which Special Operations veterans are accused of carrying out serious crimes, including a Navy SEAL who has been charged with murder in the alleged execution of an unarmed Islamic State militant in Iraq and two SEALs and two Marine Raiders who have been charged with murder in the death of a Special Forces soldier in Mali.
The inspector general wrote that its investigators asked to review the devices about six months after Page and Strzok turned in the Justice Department phones assigned to them for their work with the special counsel. By that time, the inspector general wrote, Strzoks phone already had been reassigned to another FBI agent and reset to its factory settings, and did not contain data about Strzoks use.
That is in contrast with how its normally done, said Patrick Cotter, a former federal prosecutor now in private practice in Chicago. In most large investigations, the way you do it is you make deals with whomever youre going to make a deal with, they plead guilty, but then their sentencing is delayed until the investigation and trial are over, and they get their big fish, and the cooperator testifies or doesnt. That is the very prevalent model.
Zymergen, an Emeryville, Calif.-based molecular manufacturing technology company, raised over $400m in Series C funding.

The round was led by returning investor SoftBank Vision Fund, with participation from new investors Goldman Sachs and Hanwha Asset Management, as well as returning investors DCVC (Data Collective), True Ventures, Two Sigma Ventures, DFJ and Innovation Endeavors.

The company intends to use the funds to:

 double the capacity of its platform, increasing the speed and predictability with which it can program and optimize biology for specific traits, and

 begin commercializing products from its proprietary portfolio.

Led by Joshua Hoffman, co-founder and CEO, Zymergen is a molecular manufacturing technology company which leverages machine learning, automation, and bioengineering to improve the performance of materials and discover new molecular products that touch every industry  from manufacturing, to specialty chemicals, food and agriculture, electronics, and pharmaceuticals and more.

The technology is in use today, creating value for Fortune 1000 companies and major corporations across the globe.

FinSMEs

13/12/2018
The measure of the agreement will be taken in action on the ground, not words in a conference room, Abdikadir Mohamud, Yemen director for the relief organization Mercy Corps, said in a statement. We need lifesaving supplies to reach the millions of people in need, and we need safe passage for the humanitarians who will distribute them.
Foxtel has been fined $25,200 for breaching laws that require telemarketers to end a call immediately when asked.

An investigation by communications watchdog, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), found Foxtel telemarketers continued to push sales after consumers indicated they wanted the call to end.

ACMA chair Nerida O'Loughlin described the marketing practices of the company that is 65 per cent owned by News Corp as "aggressive".

"Consumers have the right to end a telemarketing call at any time during the call," she said.

"Its unacceptable for a call to continue once someone has indicated they want it to stop."
ExxonMobil has made a final investment decision on its Bass Strait gas project, which will bring more gas to Victoria in the next five years.

The decision backing the West Barracouta field, located off Victorias shores, boosts ExxonMobils Gippsland Basin output.

The West Barracouta investment comes a month after ExxonMobil's prospective Dory project failed to find gas. Credit:Jessica Shapiro

Our objective is to produce the West Barracouta gas for the Australian domestic gas market by 2021, ExxonMobil Australia chairman Richard Owen said.

The investment is good news for Victoria, which is forecast to face a major gas shortage in 2022.
The mother of two teenage children shot dead in their home by their estranged father had "lost all trust and hope" in police and a family law court system that ultimately failed her, says family violence campaigner and survivor Rosie Batty.

On Wednesday, Olga Edwards, 37, was found dead in her West Pennant Hills home, five months after the bodies of her children Jack, 15, and Jennifer, 13, were found riddled with bullets in the same home.

The slain children: Jack, 15, and Jennifer Edwards, 13.

Her death is not being treated as suspicious.

The news has devastated Ms Batty, who connected with Ms Edwards earlier this year, having lost her own 11-year-old son Luke to family violence in 2014, when he was bludgeoned and stabbed to death by his father and her ex-partner.
The mother of Jack and Jennifer Edwards, the teenage siblings shot by their estranged father in Sydney, has been found dead at her home in West Pennant Hills.

Olga Edwards was found dead by police around 10am on Wednesday, when they responded to a report from a neighbour with a concern for welfare at the same home where the bodies of the children, 15-year-old Jack and 13-year-old Jennifer, were found riddled with bullets in July this year.

Olga Edwards was found dead by police around 10am on Wednesday. Credit:LinkedIn

Ms Edwards' family, who live in Russia, have been notified. It is understood her mother had only recently returned to Russia from Sydney, where she had been staying with Ms Edwards to support her in the months since the shooting.

The cause of Ms Edwards' death has not been released by police.
It was always going to be a bold proposal: headquarter the fledgling Australian Space Agency all the way over on the other side of the country, in Western Australia.

Yes, weve got a long and proud history when it comes to space and accomplishments of the cosmic kind. Gravitational wave discoveries, the mission to the moon, a giant radio telescope which will eventually span two continents  WAs had a stake in it all.

The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder radio telescope array stretches across the landscape at Boolardy station in Western Australia. Credit:Trevor Collens

Not only that, but we share a time zone with about 60 per cent of the worlds population. Handy, despite the fact Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and the like will always be 2-3 hours ahead.

So you would have hoped the state government argued the case for a WA headquarters strongly, with enough sweeteners to send the space agency our way.
Premier Mark McGowan has defended embattled corrections minister Fran Logan during an announcement of a mid-term reshuffle of his cabinet, saying the prison portfolio was always going to be challenging.

The Premier announced the changes on Thursday, keeping Corrections Minister Fran Logan in the scandal-prone portfolio while stripping responsibility for energy from Treasurer Ben Wyatt.

Premier Mark McGowan has announced a mid-term reshuffle of his cabinet. Credit:AAP/Kelly Barnes

"You could go to any prisons minister across Australia and you'll find that there's always issues," Mr McGowan said of Mr Logan.

"It's that sort of area. I think Fran's done a good job of reform in fire and emergency services and also reform inside the prisons portfolio.
New York: As Christmas approaches, Donald Trump could be forgiven for looking back wistfully at December 2017.

Trump ended his first year in office with a big win when he signed into law a tax overhaul that slashed the US corporate tax rate from 35 to 21 per cent.

Under siege: US President Donald Trump. Credit:AP

It showed that Trump could achieve real policy change as well as dominate the national conversation.

By contrast, this year is ending with Trump a battered and beleaguered figure. Political bombs are exploding in all directions.
New York: Maria Butina has pleaded guilty to acting as an undeclared Russian agent in the US and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.

Butina operated as a Kremlin agent as she befriended National Rifle Association leaders and influential conservatives, she admitted on Thursday in federal court in Washington.

The 30-year-old was arrested in July.

While in the US starting in 2015, she was actually working to advance Russia's interests, reporting regularly to a senior Russian official, according to her guilty plea.
Moscow: Russian state television hailed it as "one of the most advanced robots", showing a tall, white android dancing clumsily to a catchy tune. It seemed so human.

There was a good reason: it was just a man in a robot costume.

In the television report, the robot, called Boris, spoke slowly with a very synthetic voice.

"I know mathematics well, but I also want to know how to draw and write music!" Boris said in a report broadcast by state-owned Rossiya-24 news channel on Tuesday. His eyes flashed mysteriously.
A Dix woman was sentenced to a 12 to 24 months in prison last week on a charge of attempted distribution of meth.

Amanda Weinbender was sentenced Dec. 5 in Cheyenne County District Court relating to two incidents dating back to the fall of 2017. The first occured on Sept. 17, 2017, and the other on Oct. 2, 2017.
WESTPORT  Three months after Coleytown Middle School closed due to health concerns related to mold, the school board is closing in on a decision about where to house Coleytown students next school year.

This coming Monday, the Board of Education will likely vote to place all of the towns seventh- and eighth-grade students at Bedford Middle School while the incoming sixth-graders will do another year at their respective elementary schools, BOE Chairman Mark Mathias said.

This would be a K-to-sixth proposed model, which means everything they have now, plus hopefully more, Saugatuck Elementary School Principal Elizabeth Messler told the school board at their Monday meeting.

The sixth-grade would not be secluded, but part of the fabric of our school, added Messler, who presented the model with her fellow elementary school principals.

Superintendent Colleen Palmer said the K-6 model is her recommended plan after her first choice option  creating a temporary school for the towns sixth-grade population at a rented facility  fell through. Despite contracting with a realtor to look for space that could house the proposed sixth grade academy, each available space had prohibiting factors, such as safety concerns with locating the academy on a busy road.

Theres a lot of challenges when you try to put a school into an office building, Mathias said, noting none of the spaces had a gymnasium or cafeteria. Several of the BOE members said the sixth-grade academy was also their first option but, absent the miracle opening of a perfect space, is likely not a viable plan for the coming school year.

Ever since Coleytown closed, all of towns sixth- and seventh-grade students have been located at Bedford while the eight-grade is being housed Staples High School, but Palmer said she does not endorse this option for another year out of concern for the social and emotional health of sixth-graders who may not do well in a large middle school environment.

If were going to stay in this interim plan for several years, I worry about the sustainability of this and feel the elementary would offer us a more comfortable environment in which we could support the academic program of our students, Palmer said.

Palmer urged the school baord to vote on the K-6 option as soon as possible in order to give her administration enough time to prepare the plan, which would entail adding modular classrooms to several of the elementary schools and potentially laying off some Coleytown staff.

The estimated cost of the K-6 plan with staff savings would be $730,000 in the first year of the program, Palmer said.

Several parents said they were concerned about the loss of elective classes and after-school enrichment opportunities under the K-6 model.

Theres no obvious, perfect situation, and we have to make the decision, BOE member Candi Savin said. Its uncomfortable, and I dont think its going to be any more comfortable sometime in the future.

The BOE will meet on Dec. 17 to vote on the K-6 plan.

svaughan@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2638; @SophieCVaughan1
LONDON - As U.S. President Donald Trump re-imposed harsh economic sanctions on Iran last month, hackers scrambled to break into personal emails of American officials tasked with enforcing them, The Associated Press has found  another sign of how deeply cyberespionage is embedded into the fabric of U.S.-Iranian relations.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/12/2018 (1082 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LONDON - As U.S. President Donald Trump re-imposed harsh economic sanctions on Iran last month, hackers scrambled to break into personal emails of American officials tasked with enforcing them, The Associated Press has found  another sign of how deeply cyberespionage is embedded into the fabric of U.S.-Iranian relations.

The AP drew on data gathered by the London-based cybersecurity group Certfa to track how a hacking group often nicknamed Charming Kitten spent the past month trying to break into the private emails of more than a dozen U.S. Treasury officials. Also on the hackers' hit list: high-profile defenders, detractors and enforcers of the nuclear deal struck between Washington and Tehran, as well as Arab atomic scientists, Iranian civil society figures and D.C. think-tank employees.

"Presumably, some of this is about figuring out what is going on with sanctions," said Frederick Kagan, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute who has written about Iranian cyberespionage and was among those targeted.

Kagan said he was alarmed by the targeting of foreign nuclear experts.

"This is a little more worrisome than I would have expected," he said.

The hit list surfaced after Charming Kitten mistakenly left one of its servers open to the internet last month. Researchers at Certfa found the server and extracted a list of 77 Gmail and Yahoo addresses targeted by the hackers that they handed to the AP for further analysis.

It's hard to know how many of the accounts were successfully compromised or how exactly they were targeted in each case. But even though the addresses likely represent only a fraction of the hackers' overall efforts, they still provide considerable insight into Tehran's espionage priorities.

"The targets are very specific," Certfa researcher Nariman Gharib said.

In a report published Thursday , Certfa tied the hackers to the Iranian government, a judgment drawn in part on operational blunders, including a couple of cases where the hackers appeared to have accidentally revealed that they were operating from computers inside Iran. The assessment was backed by others who have tracked Charming Kitten. Allison Wikoff, a researcher with Atlanta-based Secureworks, recognized some of the digital infrastructure in Certfa's report and said the hackers' past operations left little doubt they were government-backed.

"It's fairly clear-cut," she said.

Calls to Iranian officials were not returned late Wednesday, the beginning of the weekend in the country.

Iran has previously denied responsibility for hacking operations, but an AP analysis of its targets suggests that Charming Kitten is working in close alignment with the Islamic Republic's interests. The most striking among them were the nuclear officials  a scientist working on a civilian nuclear project for the Pakistan's Ministry of Defence, a senior operator at the Research and Training Reactor in the Jordanian city of Ramtha, and a high-ranking researcher at the Atomic Energy Commission of Syria.

The trio suggested a general interest in nuclear technology and administration.

Others on the hit list  such as Guy Roberts, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defence for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defence Programs  pointed to an eagerness to keep track of officials charged with overseeing America's nuclear arsenal.

"This is something I've been worried about," Roberts said when alerted to his presence on the list.

Still more targets are connected to the Iran deal  a 2015 pact negotiated by former U.S. President Barack Obama's administration and other world powers that called for Tehran to curb its uranium enrichment in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions. Trump tore up the deal in May over the objections of most of America's allies and has since re-imposed a series of punishing restrictions on Iran.

One of Charming Kitten's targets was Andrew J. Grotto, whose tenure on the U.S. National Security Council straddled the Obama and Trump administrations and who has written about Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Jarrett Blanc, a U.S. State Department official involved in the implementation of the nuclear deal under Obama, was also on the list. He said news of his targeting was no shock.

"I've retained contact with Iranian counterparts since leaving government," he said. "I'd be very surprised if there were not Iranian groups trying to hack into my various email accounts."

Like the Russian hackers who have chased after America's drone, space and submarine secrets , the list indicates that Iranian spies were also interested in the world of U.S. defence companies. One of those targeted is a senior director of "breakthrough technology" at the aerospace arm of Honeywell International Inc., the New Jersey-based industrial conglomerate. Another is a vice-president at Virginia-based Science Applications International Corp., a prominent Pentagon contractor.

Honeywell said it was aware that one of its employees had their personal account "exposed," adding there was no evidence the company's network itself was compromised. SAIC said it found no trace of any hacking attempt against its employee's account.

There were Iranian targets too, including media workers, an agronomist and a senior employee of the country's Department of Environment  a possible sign that Tehran's crackdown on environmentalists , which began earlier this year, continues.

Hacking has long been a feature of the tense relationship between the United States and Iran, whose militant brand of Shia Islam has challenged American interests in the Middle East since 1979.

It was against Iran that U.S. and Israeli spies are said to have deployed the pioneering, centrifuge-rattling computer worm dubbed Stuxnet in a bid to sabotage the country's uranium enrichment capabilities. Iranian hackers in turn are blamed for denial of service assaults on American banks and computer-wrecking cyberattacks in Saudi Arabia, Iran's regional archrival.

The Charming Kitten campaign uncovered by Certfa is far less sophisticated, generally relying on a password-stealing technique called phishing. Two Nov. 17 emails provided to the AP by Jim Sisco of Enodo Global Inc., a Virginia-based risk advisory firm targeted by Charming Kitten, mimic the look and feel of Gmail security alerts, a technique used by hackers across the globe.

An analysis of Certfa's data shows the group targeted at least 13 U.S. Treasury employees' personal emails, including one belonging to a director at the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, which fights money laundering and terror financing, and one used by the Iran licensing chief at the Office of Foreign Asset Control, which is in charge of enforcing U.S. sanctions. But a few employees' LinkedIn profiles referenced back office jobs or routine tax work.

The U.S. Treasury, which did not comment directly on the hacking, said it went to "great lengths" to protect its employees.

The mixed bag of government targets suggests "a fairly scattershot attempt," said Clay Stevenson, a former Treasury official who was himself targeted by Charming Kitten.

Others' experience suggests a more professional effort.

Georgetown University professor and South Asia security expert Christine Fair said she had only recently returned from a conference in Afghanistan attended by Iranian officials and a visit to the Iranian border when she learned she was in the hackers' sights.

"The timing is uncanny," she said.

Another Charming Kitten target was an intern working for the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, a Washington think-tank that has been one of the Iran deal's fiercest critics. How the intern  whose email isn't public and whose name appears nowhere on the organization's website  crossed the hackers' radar is not clear. The foundation issued a statement calling the revelation "yet another indicator that Iran must be viewed as a nefarious actor in all theatres in which it operates."

Kagan, the scholar, said most signs pointed to a serious, state-backed operation.

"It doesn't look like freelancers," he said.

___

Monika Mathur and Desmond Butler in Washington contributed to this report.

___

Online:

Certfa's report: https://blog.certfa.com/posts/the-return-of-the-charming-kitten

___

Raphael Satter can be reached at: http://raphaelsatter.com
AUSTIN, Texas - One tech giant strung dozens of North American cities through a circus-like contest that led mayors and governors to desperately pitch their regions  and offer huge sums of public money  in hopes of landing a gleaming new corporate campus. The other swept in quietly before making its big move.

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FILE- In this Sept. 12, 2018, file photo, Apple CEO Tim Cook discusses the new Apple iPhones and other products at the Steve Jobs Theater during an event to announce new products in Cupertino, Calif. Apple will build a $1 billion campus in Austin, Texas, break ground on smaller locations in Seattle, San Diego and Culver City, Calif., and over the next three years will expand in Pittsburgh, New York and Colorado. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

AUSTIN, Texas - One tech giant strung dozens of North American cities through a circus-like contest that led mayors and governors to desperately pitch their regions  and offer huge sums of public money  in hopes of landing a gleaming new corporate campus. The other swept in quietly before making its big move.

The outcome was largely the same: Amazon and Apple are running out of room in their West Coast hometowns and establishing a major foothold in a handful of U.S. cities already known as second-tier technology hubs.

But this week, at least, Apple may have won the prize for completing its search with the fewest hurt feelings.

Apple announced plans Thursday to build a $1 billion campus in Austin, Texas, that will create at least 5,000 jobs ranging from engineers to call-centre agents while adding more lustre to a city that has already become a destination for tech startups and bigger companies.

The decision comes 11 months after Apple CEO Tim Cook disclosed plans to open a major office outside California on the heels of a massive tax cut on overseas profits, which prompted the company to bring about $250 billion back to the U.S.

The company said it will also open offices in Seattle, San Diego and Culver City, California, each employing at least 1,000 workers over the next three years. Apple also pledged to add hundreds of jobs each in New York; Pittsburgh; Boston; Boulder, Colorado; and Portland, Oregon.

Apple employees attend an event about Apple's new campus announcement in Austin, Texas, Thursday, Dec, 13, 2018. Apple plans to build a $1 billion campus in Austin, that will create at least 5,000 jobs ranging from engineers to call-center agents while adding more luster to a Southwestern city that has already become a bustling tech hub. The decision, announced Thursday, comes 11 months after Apple CEO Tim Cook disclosed plans to open a major office outside California on the heels of a massive tax break passed by Congress last year. (Ricardo Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

"They are just picking America's most established superstar cities and tech hubs," said Richard Florida, an urban development expert at the University of Toronto.

Apple's scattershot expansion reflects the increasing competition for engineers in Silicon Valley, which has long been the world's high-tech capital. The bidding for programmers is driving salaries higher, which in turn is catapulting the average prices of homes in many parts of the San Francisco Bay Area above $1 million. Many high-tech workers are thus choosing to live elsewhere, causing major tech employers such as Apple, Amazon and Google to look in new places for the employees they need to pursue their future ambitions.

"Talent, creativity and tomorrow's breakthrough ideas aren't limited by region or ZIP code," Cook said in a statement.

Cities around the country offered financial incentives in an attempt to land Apple's new campus, but Cook avoided a high-profile competition that pitted them against one another, as Amazon had before deciding to build huge new offices in New York and Virginia.

Amazon could receive up to $2.8 billion in incentives in New York, depending on how many it ultimately hires there, and up to $750 million in Virginia. Apple will receive up to $25 million from a jobs-creation fund in Texas in addition to property-tax rebates, which still need approval. The figure is expected to be a small fraction of what Amazon received.

The government incentives offered to Apple seem "more in the line of normal business site selection" compared with Amazon's public "shakedown," said Mark Muro, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Center.

"There's a growing backlash in the country against the entire process of subsidies and relocation inducements," Muro said. "That said, the Apple numbers for a very significant increase in jobs are much less eye-popping than the Amazon numbers."

The spots where Amazon and Apple decided to expand were obvious choices, based on an analysis released earlier this year by CBRE Research. Washington, D.C., ranked as the third best place in North America for tech talent, behind Silicon Valley and Seattle. New York ranked fifth and Austin sixth. No. 4 was outside the U.S.: Toronto.

The new Austin campus, with about 3 million square feet (nearly 280,000 square meters) of office space, will be about a mile from another large office that Apple opened five years ago. Apple currently employs about 6,200 workers in Austin, making it the company's largest hub outside Silicon Valley even before the expansion.

The new jobs are expected to mirror the same mix Apple already has at its Cupertino, California, headquarters, ranging from jobs in technology and research that pay well over $100,000 to lower-paying positions in customer call centres.

Cities have been eager to bring in more tech employers because their hires often make six-figure salaries. That can ripple through the economy, with new employees filling restaurants and theatres, buying property and paying taxes.

But an influx of affluent tech workers can also drive up rent and home prices, making it more difficult for those in lower-paying jobs to make ends meet.

"When tech companies invest in a place and try to hire thousands of workers, it is of course good news for tech workers who are already there and want to be there," said Jed Kolko, chief economist for employment website Indeed.com. "But it can put a strain on the housing market and transportation."

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott hailed Apple's new campus as a milestone development that "truly elevates Austin as one of the premier technology hubs in the entire world."

Apple's move was cheered Friday by President Donald Trump, who thanked Cook in a tweet for "agreeing" to expand its U.S. operations. It was sharp change in tone from September, when Trump responded to Cook's concerns about tariffs by telling Apple to make its products in the U.S. instead of China. Apple uses plants in China and elsewhere to produce components and assemble its products.

___

Liedtke reported from San Ramon, California, and O'Brien reported from Providence, Rhode Island.
TOKYO - The surprise arrest of Nissan's former chairman on charges of falsifying financial reports is providing a window into possible corporate intrigue at the Japanese automaker.

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FILE - In this May 11, 2012, file photo, then Nissan Motor Co. President and CEO Carlos Ghosn speaks during a press conference in Yokohama, near Tokyo. Japanese media say Tokyo prosecutors charged Ghosn with underreporting his income by 5 billion yen ($44 million) over five years, with another executive and the company. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara, File)

TOKYO - The surprise arrest of Nissan's former chairman on charges of falsifying financial reports is providing a window into possible corporate intrigue at the Japanese automaker.

Japanese media and some analysts have raised the possibility that the charges against Carlos Ghosn were engineered to sideline him and give Nissan an excuse to end a lopsided alliance with French automaker Renault SA.

"What is fascinating about this story is the politics of it," said Egor Matveyev, an assistant professor of finance at the MIT Sloan School of Management. "It certainly appears that it wants more power and control within the alliance. This whole situation may give Nissan the opportunity to reset, and to put all the blame on Renault and Ghosn."

Ghosn's absence while he is held for questioning gives Nissan's side time to manoeuvr for more power, he said.

Renault dispatched Ghosn to Nissan in 1999 to lead a spectacular turnaround and owns 43 per cent of Nissan Motor Co., while Nissan owns 15 per cent of Renault with no voting rights. Now, Nissan is more profitable than Renault. Talk of a merger between the two companies was raising resistance in Japan, where sentiments seem to be running in exactly the other direction.

Nissan already feels it's more than paid back what it "once owed" Renault, while Renault doesn't want to lose "the golden egg" that is Nissan, said Etsuo Abe, a business management expert at Tokyo's Meiji University.

"But when things get this messy, the only way out is divorce," he said.

Long simmering dissent within Nissan's Japanese ranks is the backdrop to the Nov. 19 arrest of Ghosn and an American executive, Greg Kelly, on suspicion of falsifying financial reports.

"Ghosn shock" and "Just like a coup," shouted headlines in both mainstream media and tabloids.

As chairman at Nissan and chief executive of Renault as well as the alliance, Ghosn answered to a board headed by himself, holding key roles in determining pay packages and other decisions. Nissan Chief Executive Hiroto Saikawa, who became co-CEO with Ghosn in 2016 and then sole chief last year, says the problems stemmed from his boss having too much power.

In response to a reporter's question he denied the shake-up was a coup, but called Ghosn and Kelly the "masterminds."

It's unclear if Saikawa will be tapped to replace Ghosn as chairman following his dismissal last month. Whether an executive from Renault or Nissan gets the job may signal where the Yokohama-based maker of the Leaf electric car and Infiniti luxury models is headed in the short run.

A source close to Ghosn and his family told The Associated Press Ghosn was stunned and has been asserting his innocence.

She said the allegations were unfounded, since the suspected unreported pay was deferred income he had not yet received.

After Ghosn's arrest, Saikawa said Ghosn had misused company funds and assets. Japanese media pointed to spending on several luxury homes as evidence of such misconduct. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because Ghosn's legal team has not released any statements, said the homes in Brazil, Lebanon and other cities were needed for security reasons.

Nissan as a legal entity was charged Monday, along with Ghosn and Greg Kelly, another board member, with violating financial laws in underreporting Ghosn's income by millions of dollars over several years.

But Nissan has not been put under any kind of supervision, and so far only Ghosn and Kelly have been named in the charges. They are being held at a Tokyo detention centre at least until Dec. 20.

Whatever the motivations for their arrests, Ghosn has been effectively sidelined indefinitely: Under Japan's legal system, long criticized as "hostage justice," a suspect can remain in custody for months. Trials often take years.

The latest scandal followed other setbacks for the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, despite it having led the industry with sales of 10.6 million vehicles in 2017.

Under Saikawa, Nissan's sales and profits have faltered, especially in the key North American market. The company also has acknowledged a slew of violations of inspection rules for emissions and mileage tests and faulty checks of its finished vehicles at plants in Japan.

Some fear Nissan's relationship with Renault may have been damaged beyond repair: Renault has demanded more information from Nissan, and held off on replacing Ghosn as chief executive, while naming Deputy CEO Thierry Bollore as acting chief.

A breakup with Renault would be painful. The alliance's shared components, technology, production plants and personnel have helped drive its success. Losing that synergy and scale could put the companies at a disadvantage with rivals like Volkswagen AG and Toyota Motor Corp.

At a time when the industry is undergoing a shift to electrification, net connectivity and artificial intelligence, the advantage of scale is likely to accelerate in coming years.

So far, the alliance has stayed intact, at least in public. Both French President Emanuel Macron  France has a 15 per cent stake in Renault  and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are voicing their support.

To gain more balance in alliance stake-holdings, Nissan could issue new shares. It also could raise its stake in Renault, though that process could get complicated and involve legal battles.

Some analysts say Ghosn's ouster also reflects nationalism at Nissan.

"There is a strong sense among Nissan employees that Nissan must be Japanese," said Tetsuya Watanabe, a critic on economic issues, describing the handling of Ghosn's case as "kamikaze."

Takaki Nakanishi, auto analyst and chief executive at Nakanishi Research Institute Co. in Tokyo, said the "traditional people at Nissan" were unhappy that foreign interests had more say in management than they did.

"They were also afraid Nissan will be unfairly used for French stakeholders or the ambitions of Carlos Ghosn," he said. "Inside Nissan, I felt, there was a lot of confusion, complaining, fear."

___

Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/yurikageyama

On Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/yurikageyama/?hl=en
A sophisticated restaurant near the Old Port of Montreal is now an Instagram-ready holiday backdrop decked out with more than 350 metres of Christmas lights, wrapped presents fixed to the ceiling and Santa hats perched on chair tops.

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A sophisticated restaurant near the Old Port of Montreal is now an Instagram-ready holiday backdrop decked out with more than 350 metres of Christmas lights, wrapped presents fixed to the ceiling and Santa hats perched on chair tops.

Far from a restaurant makeover gone awry, the transformation is part of trend in which watering holes in search of a boost in holiday traffic are converting into Christmas-themed pop ups with at least four such locales throughout Canada and more than 90 around the world.

Kevin Demers is seen in his Miracle Montreal bar, Wednesday, December 5, 2018 in Montreal. A sophisticated restaurant near the Old Port of Montreal is now an Instagram-ready holiday backdrop decked out with more than 350 metres of Christmas lights, wrapped presents fixed to the ceiling and Santa hats perched on chair tops. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

"The reception as a whole has been really positive," said Kevin Demers, owner of the Coldroom. He took over the space of the restaurant Scarlet Exclusive to host the pop up from Nov. 30 to Dec. 30.

He decorated the restaurant's three spaces with distinct holiday themes: a classic, kitschy Christmas in the dining area, white holiday decor close to the bar, and the terrace kept more simple and illuminated with Christmas lights.

Staff wear ugly Christmas sweaters adorned with gingerbread men, snowflake and holiday prints. Revellers sip on Christmapolitans, snowball old fashioneds or other themed concoctions. Those not feeling the holiday spirit can select from the Grinch menu, which boasts drinks named after Christmas bad guys. The Hans Gruber comes topped with a drinkable print of the "Die Hard" villain.

Demers is splitting half the profits with Montreal Children's Hospital.

"It should be more about giving back," he said.

The month-long event is part of the Miracle pop-up chain that's the brainchild of Greg Boehm, who owns a barware manufacturing and distributing company, as well as a cocktail bar and an eatery in New York City.

The concept started in 2014 with a phone call from his mother when Boehm was in the midst of construction on his cocktail bar, Mace. She suggested he stop renovations, decorate it with Christmas kitsch and open for a month in December.

Five years later, Mace still hosts the annual festive pop up and Boehm has turned the idea into a business, charging a flat fee for bars worldwide to host similar events under the banner Miracle.

Miracle provides the food and cocktail menu, teaches the bar how to create the drinks, provides professional photography and handles the public relations. Participants also have access to Christmas glassware made by his other company, Cocktail Kingdom.

Boehm also offers a Sippin' Santa tiki pop up, which formed in 2015.

The first Miracle pop up in Canada opened three years ago in Montreal, said Boehm.

There are 92 Miracle and Sippin' Santa pop ups around the world  with four in Canada, including the one in Old Montreal.

Other locations include one in Toronto, hosted by Civil Liberties Bar in a different space on Queen Street, one in Quebec City operated by Maelstrom and Proof Cocktail Bar in Calgary.

Boehm sees Canada as one of Miracle's biggest opportunities for growth.

Bars in Vancouver and the Maritimes expressed interest in hosting the pop up next holiday season, he said. He's also eyeing smaller cities, like London, Ont.

The Christmas cheer draws people into these bars, said Boehm, and social media plays an extremely important role in any Miracle location's success.

"The goal is always to have any angle be a good angle to take a photo," he said, adding no corner can be left unadorned and most locations attempt to have one big, unique piece of decor. He points to the piece-de-resistance of the Toronto spot: a giant, red and white, lit up bear wearing a Santa hat. Its outstretched arms move to hug patrons who cuddle in close for a snap.

Retail pop-ups often curate experiences like that in hopes that millennials and others will want to share them on social media and create buzz for their brand, and for Miracle the strategy appears to be working.

If someone Googles "Miracle Montreal," a slew of photos of the space appear, said Demers.

"Just those photos everyone goes wild for," he said, explaining the reaction from people is that they have to see the cool-looking space.

But a colourful backdrop is just one part of the equation, Boehm said, emphasizing the cocktails served.

"People come for the Christmas festivities, but what really makes it work is delicious cocktails and true experience, where it's not just a place that's decorated but it smells good, sounds good, tastes food and looks good."

Follow @AleksSagan on Twitter.
TORONTO - Detour Gold Corp. interim CEO Michael Kenyon resigned Thursday following a vote that saw shareholders side with activist investor Paulson & Co. Inc. in a extended proxy battle.

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TORONTO - Detour Gold Corp. interim CEO Michael Kenyon resigned Thursday following a vote that saw shareholders side with activist investor Paulson & Co. Inc. in a extended proxy battle.

The vote saw five Paulson-nominated directors approved, including two who had also been endorsed by Detour, as well as four others from the slate put forth by Detour.

"Today's outcome represents a major victory for all of Detours shareholders," John Paulson, head of the Paulson & Co. hedge fund, said in a statement.

"We support Detour Gold's new board of directors and believe that our investment is now in the capable hands of experienced, independent and professional directors."

Five previous Detour directors, including Kenyon, were removed as a result of the vote.

James Gowans, a Detour pick, was appointed chairman of the board.

"With the distraction of the proxy contest now behind us, I welcome our new directors and look forward to working with them to recruit a new CEO and build value for all shareholders," Gowans said in a statement.

Desjardins analyst Josh Wolfson said the new board will likely focus on finding a new CEO, streamlining corporate structure, realigning compensation and updating its mine plan.

"The conclusion of this extended conflict is met with relief and should enable the updated board to advance its strategy, with fewer distractions," Wolfson wrote in a note.

Wolfson added the success of the campaign could have wider implications for the industry.

"The successful activist campaign could have potential implications across the gold sector, where activism is historically low, returns have been disappointing, compensation is above-average and insider ownership is below-average."

Paulson, which controls 5.7 per cent of Detour's shares, launched the proxy fight six months ago after expressing frustration with what it said was the company's inability to properly manage shareholder assets.

Detour Gold owns the Detour Lake mine in northern Ontario, which produced about 571,000 ounces of gold last year.

Companies in this story: (TSX:DGC)
BRUSSELS - A top European Union official says EU leaders have agreed to prolong economic sanctions against Russia over its destabilization of Ukraine.

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European Union leaders attend a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018. EU leaders gathered Thursday for a two-day summit which will center on the Brexit negotiations. (Piroschka van de Wouw, Pool Photo via AP)

BRUSSELS - A top European Union official says EU leaders have agreed to prolong economic sanctions against Russia over its destabilization of Ukraine.

The measures targeting Russia's economy were due to expire next month, but lifting them depends on whether the EU considers that Russia is respecting the Minsk peace agreement sealed in 2015.

EU Council President Donald Tusk tweeted Thursday that the "EU unanimously prolongs economic sanctions against Russia given zero progress in implementation of Minsk agreements."

The EU imposed sanctions on Russia in 2014 after it annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. They have been routinely rolled over due to the lack of progress on the peace front.

More than 10,000 people have been killed since 2014 in fighting between Ukrainian troops and Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
MILAN - Italy lowered its proposed deficit to just over 2 per cent of GDP in a revised budget submitted Wednesday to the EU Commission in a bid to avoid costly sanctions.

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European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, right, greets Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte prior to a meeting at EU headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018. (Francisco Seco)

MILAN - Italy lowered its proposed deficit to just over 2 per cent of GDP in a revised budget submitted Wednesday to the EU Commission in a bid to avoid costly sanctions.

Premier Giuseppe Conte told reporters in Brussels after meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker the new draft lowers the budget deficit to 2.04 per cent of GDP from 2.4 per cent of GDP. Conte said the government had identified additional financial resources to allow room for negotiations with the commission, without specifying what they were.

"We hope to bring home a positive solution," Conte said, adding that the climate in the meeting was "fruitful."

Conte said both parties represented in Italy's coalition government back the new proposal, which retains both the basic income for job-seekers promised by the 5-Star Movement and a rollback on an unpopular pension reform pledged by the League.

"We have been correct and honest with the citizens, respecting electoral promises, and at the same time responsible with the EU," Conte said.

The EU commission rejected Italy's previous budget, saying the populist government's spending plans would break promises to lower public debt. The EU is expected to take a few days to evaluate the new proposal before indicating whether it is acceptable, but the Milan Stock Exchange gained nearly 2 per cent before closing on expectations that Italy would take steps to address Brussels' concerns.

While the Italian government has argued that the spending increases were necessary to relaunch growth after years of austerity, the Commission said the measures would not boost growth and would force new budget cuts in the future.

Italy risks sanctions for excessive debt, which has been stuck at 131 per cent of GDP, well above the limit of 60 per cent. Italy's debt load is the second highest in Europe, after Greece, and concerns about its ability to keep up debt payments have caused borrowing costs to spike. That, analysts say, is not sustainable and could wipe out any benefits to citizens from social programs in the new budget.
LONDON - Prime Minister Theresa May is safe, for now. She has survived a no-confidence vote engineered by her own Conservative Party, and can't be challenged again for a year. But that hasn't brought Britain's Brexit battle any closer to resolution.

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Britain's Ambassador to the EU Sir Tim Barrow, right, gestures to British Prime Minister Theresa May after she spoke with the media at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018. EU leaders gather for a two-day summit, beginning Thursday, which will center on the Brexit negotiations. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

LONDON - Prime Minister Theresa May is safe, for now. She has survived a no-confidence vote engineered by her own Conservative Party, and can't be challenged again for a year. But that hasn't brought Britain's Brexit battle any closer to resolution.

May was in Brussels on Thursday, imploring European Union leaders help her sell the U.K.-EU divorce bill to a skeptical British Parliament.

U.K. lawmakers were supposed to approve the plan for Britain's orderly departure from the 28-nation bloc in a vote on Tuesday, but May postponed it rather than face certain defeat.

With the EU insisting the withdrawal agreement can't be reopened, May faces a struggle to win enough changes to assuage hostile British politicians.

Britain's road out of the EU has been anything but smooth, and as the country heads for the exit the way ahead still looks bumpy.

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

Britain joined the European Economic Community  now the EU  in 1973, but has long been an ambivalent member. The U.K. never adopted the euro as its currency, and British politicians have been cool to the bloc's calls for ever-closer political union.

In 2013, then-Prime Minister David Cameron pledged to hold a referendum on Britain's EU membership "to settle this European question" once and for all  and to silence the loud euroskeptic wing of the Conservative Party which had long clamoured for a membership vote.

Cameron was confident voters would choose to remain in the EU, but on June 23, 2016, they voted by 52 per cent to 48 per cent to leave. Cameron resigned, leaving his successor, May, to deliver on voters' decision. Last year, May triggered the two-year countdown to departure for March 29, 2019.

WHAT IS AT STAKE?

Every divorce involves paperwork. Britain can leave without an agreement  but it won't be pretty. Departure will tear up thousands of laws and rules stitched together over more than four decades, covering every aspect of British life and the economy.

If Britain and the EU can't agree to new rules, there could be chaos. Planes would lose permission to fly, British motorists would find their driver's licenses invalid on the continent, medicine supplies could run short. British officials have warned of gridlock at ports, the need to charter vessels to bring in essential goods and shortages of imported foodstuffs.

The Bank of England has warned that a worst-case "no deal" Brexit would plunge Britain into its worst recession for decades.

WHAT'S THE STICKING POINT?

With compromises on both sides, Britain and the EU managed to reach agreement on many contentious issues. But one has proved intractable: the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, which will be the U.K.'s only land border with the EU after Brexit.

During Northern Ireland's decades of violence, the border bristled with soldiers, customs posts, smugglers and paramilitaries. But since a 1998 peace accord, the border has become all but invisible. That's helped by the fact that Britain and Ireland currently are both EU members, meaning goods and people can flow across the border with no need for customs checks.

Brexit could end all that, disrupting lives and businesses on both sides of the border and potentially undermining the peace process.

To avoid that, the withdrawal agreement includes a border guarantee, known as the "backstop." It stipulates that if no other solution can be found, the U.K. will remain in a customs union with the EU after Brexit to avoid the need for a hard border. Both sides hope the backstop will never be needed: The agreement gives them until 2022 to reach a permanent new trade deal that could render it unnecessary.

But pro-Brexit British politicians hate the backstop, because Britain can't get out of it unilaterally; it can only be ended by mutual agreement. So potentially it could endure indefinitely, binding the U.K. to EU customs regulations, unable to make new trade deals around the world.

Pro-EU lawmakers hate it too, because it leaves Britain subject to rules it has no say in making  an inferior position to remaining in the bloc, they say.

WILL THE EU BUDGE?

Not much. May says she is seeking "legal and political assurances" at this week's summit that will satisfy Parliament's concerns about the backstop. But EU leaders are adamant they will not re-open the legally binding, 585-page withdrawal agreement.

But politics is also about theatrics, and the EU may well offer Britain some sort of wording  a note, an addendum or a codicil  that "clarifies" issues around the backstop.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

May remains in office, but her power is ebbing away. To secure victory in the no-confidence vote, May promised restive lawmakers she would quit and hand over to a new Conservative leader before the next national election, scheduled for 2022.

She plans to bring her "improved" Brexit deal back to Parliament for a vote before Jan 21. If it passes, it still must be approved by the European Parliament, but that is not expected to be a problem.

If it fails, Britain is in uncharted waters. Possible outcomes include a no-deal Brexit, a postponed Brexit, a second referendum on Brexit, or a reversal of the decision to leave the EU. All those options have supporters in Parliament, but it's not clear whether there's a majority for any of them.

And if May's plan falls, it's possible she will too  via a no-confidence vote in Parliament that would trigger a national election. Then it would fall to her successor to try to sort out Britain's Brexit mess.

___

Gregory Katz contributed to this story.

___

See the AP's Brexit coverage at: https://apnews.com/Brexit
Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation celebrated the opening of Manitobas northernmost cannabis store on Wednesday, when it cut the ribbon on a Meta Cannabis Supply Co. location in Thompson.

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Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation celebrated the opening of Manitobas northernmost cannabis store on Wednesday, when it cut the ribbon on a Meta Cannabis Supply Co. location in Thompson.

The store was opened in partnership with legal marijuana retailer National Access Cannabis, which has joined forces with other First Nations in Manitoba to open cannabis stores on urban reserve territory across the province. Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation (NCN) owns 51 per cent of the Thompson store, said NCN Chief Marcel Moody, who expects the outlet to provide about 15 jobs for NCN members.

Moody called the new store a step towards a more diversified economic portfolio for NCN, which was formerly known as Nelson House First Nation and has more than 5,000 registered members.

"Were looking at economic development as a way to provide the means for what our people need, in terms of programs and services," Moody said.

"The funding we get from (Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada) is never enough, so we have to generate our own revenue to help meet the needs of our people. Like any typical reserve, we need more homes, we need infrastructure  all these things that people have in other parts of the country... Were trying to improve our lives by participating in the mainstream economy."

The Thompson store is the 16th government-licensed cannabis outlet to open in Manitoba since the federal government legalized recreational marijuana on Oct. 17.

solomon.israel@freepress.mb.ca
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Opponents of Enbridge Energy's proposed Line 3 crude oil pipeline replacement are turning their attention to fighting the project on other fronts after a Minnesota regulatory panel took one of its final steps Thursday and reaffirmed its approval of the project.

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FILE - In this June 28, 2018, file photo, Winona LaDuke speaks out against the Line 3 decision in St. Paul, Minn. Opponents of Enbridge Energy's proposed Line 3 crude oil pipeline replacement are turning their attention to fighting the project on other fronts as a Minnesota regulatory panel prepares to take one of its final steps to allow it to proceed. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP, File)

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Opponents of Enbridge Energy's proposed Line 3 crude oil pipeline replacement are turning their attention to fighting the project on other fronts after a Minnesota regulatory panel took one of its final steps Thursday and reaffirmed its approval of the project.

The Public Utilities Commission unanimously rejected petitions by environmental and tribal groups that asked the panel to reconsider its 3-2 decision in June to approve a route permit for the line across northern Minnesota. Those opponents acknowledged ahead of time that they held out little hope, given the commission earlier this month unanimously rejected their petitions to reconsider the project's certificate of need.

Supports of the project started arriving before 6 a.m. and grabbed most of 83 public seats in the hearing room. So only a few opponents, from environmental groups including MN350 and Native American tribes, were in the room to protest immediately after the decision.

"Line 3 is a climate change disaster so we will stop Line 3," they chanted.

Opponents of Enbridge Energy's plan to replace its aging Line 3 crude oil pipeline across northern Minnesota chant "Stop Line 3" after the state Public Utilities Commission reaffirmed its support for the project on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018, in St. Paul, Minn. Enbridge wants to replace its existing Line 3 because it was built in the 1960s and is increasingly subject to cracking and corrosion. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski)

Groups fighting the project conceded beforehand that persuading their people to show up and wait in line in the cold for an uncertain chance at a seat had gotten harder. But around 30 people from MN350 and other groups gathered near the hearing room afterward for a short rally.

Now opponents are shifting their focus to the Minnesota Court of Appeals and preparing for demonstrations along the route as construction preparations ramp up.

"This is not the last time I'll be seeing any of you," Andy Pearson, Midwest tar sands co-ordinator for MN350, vowed to the protesters.

Enbridge wants to replace its existing Line 3 because it was built in the 1960s and is increasingly subject to cracking and corrosion. Line 3 crosses northern Minnesota and a corner of North Dakota on its way from the oil fields of Alberta to Enbridge's terminal in Superior, Wisconsin.

Calgary, Alberta-based Enbridge persuaded the commission that it's a critical safety issue.

"The replacement of Line 3 is a safety and maintenance driven project intended to protect the communities and the environment in northern Minnesota," Enbridge said in a statement afterward. "The approved route represents more than 115,000 hours of engineering and environmental study, ensuring the safety of communities and the protection of cultural and natural resources."

Environmental and tribal groups say the project will aggravate climate change because the new line will carry Canadian tar sands oil, which generates more climate-warming carbon dioxide during the production process than regular oil. They also object because of the potential for leaks where it crosses the pristine Mississippi River headwaters region, where Native Americans harvest wild rice and claim treaty rights. They say the oil should stay in the ground.

Native American activist Winona LaDuke, executive director of Honor the Earth, renewed her prediction of mass protests patterned on those against the Dakota Access pipeline, which drew thousands of people to the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota in 2016 and 2017. Those protests resulted in 761 arrests over a six-month span.

Three Line 3 opponents were arrested late last month for blocking access to a pipe storage yard along the route near Carlton. LaDuke was among more than 20 pipeline protesters blocking an intersection in Bemidji in August.

LaDuke issued a statement saying the commission had "recklessly acquiesced" to Enbridge.

"Given what is at stake, history will not look kindly on their decisions," she said. "Nor should it."

LaDuke has applied for a gubernatorial appointment to the seat on the Public Utilities Commission that's being vacated by Chair Nancy Lange, whose term ends Jan. 7. Environmental lawyer Leili Fatehi, who represents the Sierra Club against Line 3, has also applied.
Petes Place restaurant has served its final dish, shuttering its doors for good this week, mere months after moving into a new location in Osborne Village thats been home to a string of short-lived eateries in recent years.

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Petes Place restaurant has served its final dish, shuttering its doors for good this week, mere months after moving into a new location in Osborne Village thats been home to a string of short-lived eateries in recent years.

The closure was announced on the restaurants Facebook page Wednesday.

"Regretfully after almost 18 years in business, we must close our doors for good... We sacrificed everything we had to make it work, but it just didnt," the post reads.

For 17 years, the restaurant was a fixture on Main Street, where it developed a loyal following thanks to its made-from-scratch diner food with Greek flair.

The owners, Peter and Samantha Vlahos, closed their original location in West Kildonan in November 2017.

The married couple selected a location near Polo Park as the new home for the restaurant, but had to back out on the lease after it was discovered the building had extensive water damage.

In May, they signed on to lease an empty building at 135 Osborne St., at the intersection of Stradbrook Avenue. However, in the Facebook post Wednesday, the owners hinted that was a decision they regret.

ANDREW RYAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Husband and wife Peter and Samantha Vlahos were the owners of Petes Place.

"Due to the unexpected problems during our relocation from Main Street to our chosen location in Polo Park, we let our emotions take over and rushed to reopen the doors at the first viable opportunity. We missed our customers and we missed cooking. Petes Place was our life," the post reads.

"Due to the extremely high overhead costs, lack of accessibility and lack of parking for our customers, we just couldnt get enough customers through the doors (for) what was needed to break even."

The location was previously occupied by Basils restaurant for years, but closed when the owner, Basil Lagopoulos, retired. He is still the owner of the building, alongside many other properties in Osborne Village.

Basils was replaced by the Black Rabbit, which closed after two years. Then along came Ward 1, but that closed after just two months in business. In between those eateries, the location languished through lengthy periods of vacancy.

The closure of Petes Place marks another blink-and-you-miss-it venture at the spot.

In August, Free Press restaurant critic Alison Gillmor reviewed the newly reopened Petes Place, giving it a 3-star grade thanks to its "solid diner-style fare with a few Greek favourites" and "populist approach in its fancier new digs."

"To our amazing staff, most of whom have been with us for years, thank you for your hard work and great energy you brought. You are family to us. To our many regular customers that have supported and followed us, we are very grateful," the owners wrote.

"So many friendships were formed and we will miss you all dearly."

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @rk_thorpe
PRESCOTT, Ariz. - An award-winning Arizona newspaper publisher and his wife are locked in a bizarre divorce case that has morphed into something more: a journalism ethics saga.

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This Nov. 19, 2018, photo shows an entrance of the Prescott Daily Courier, owned by Joseph Soldwedel, in Prescott, Ariz. Soldwedel and his wife Felice Soldwedel are locked in a bizarre divorce dispute that includes allegations of poisoning. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

PRESCOTT, Ariz. - An award-winning Arizona newspaper publisher and his wife are locked in a bizarre divorce case that has morphed into something more: a journalism ethics saga.

Joseph Soldwedel has accused wife Felice Soldwedel in a lawsuit of trying to kill him by poisoning him, and detailed the allegations in one of the small-town newspapers he owns, the 13,000-circulation Prescott Daily Courier.

None of the three news stories in the paper named his wife. But the Courier ran an ad accusing her by name, with a photo of her, bordered with images of skulls and rats. The ad said she had an unnamed accomplice, and it offered a $10,000 reward for tips.

Soldwedel's wife of eight years calls the poisoning claims ludicrous and says he is retaliating against her for seeking a divorce.

"I've had people call me, text me, 'Felice, is that you in the paper? Oh my god,'" she told The Associated Press. "It almost makes you feel like you want to leave town. He made me look like this horrible person."

The lawsuit alleging poisoning seeks $18 million from Felice Soldwedel and was filed a week after a prosecutor said there was no evidence of a crime and declined to file charges.

"It's highly problematic for a publisher to be using the editorial resources of the paper to pursue a personal vendetta," said Edward Wasserman, dean of the graduate journalism school at the University of California, Berkeley. He added: "The whole thing is pretty bizarre because someone who is not the publisher would not get that kind of attention, absent law enforcement taking it seriously."

Soldwedel said the coverage was proper and he wanted to ensure law enforcement thoroughly investigates his claims. The Prescott paper did not run a story about the police investigation clearing his wife, he said, because "we don't think it's concluded."

"I'm hoping to get her into court and to get it into trial and bring up enough evidence to the surface that police could not ignore it," he told the AP.

Soldwedel's father built Western News and Info Inc. by buying smaller newspapers across Arizona. Joseph Soldwedel, now 66, delivered newspapers as a boy and at 23 became publisher of a paper in the chain. He has run the chain that owns and partially owns 13 newspapers for more than three decades.

In 2001, he won an award from the Arizona Newspaper Association after launching a newspaper to investigate southern Arizona law enforcement and government agencies. He did so after he said police entered his home on what he claimed were false pretenses.

Felice Magana joined Western News in 1999 and worked as an advertising sales executive. They married in 2010; it was the third marriage for both of them. They signed a prenuptial agreement guaranteeing she would receive $900,000 if they divorced and $1 million if Joseph Soldwedel died.

He is now seeking to annul the marriage and invalidate the agreement. The divorce case will be tried in February, and Joseph Soldwedel's attorney is expected to raise the poisoning allegations to try to nullify the prenuptial agreement, said John Mull, the lawyer representing Felice Soldwedel.

In 2016, Soldwedel said he had shortness of breath, headaches and fever that he first attributed to the flu. But he began to suspect he had been poisoned and sent hair and nail samples to a Colorado laboratory to test. The lab's general manager, Kaily Bissani, told the AP that thallium  a heavy metal once used in rat poison  was found at levels six to 15 times higher than normal.

A toxicologist Soldwedel hired to interpret the results said there was a "strong probability" he was intentionally poisoned because Soldwedel didn't have any environmental exposure to thallium.

Soldwedel said he believes his wife slipped poison into his food, and his attorney requested police investigate in September 2017. Prescott police searched Felice Soldwedel's computer and cellphone records and found nothing to indicate she poisoned him .

In October 2017, police collected their own samples of his hair and found no signs of thallium or illicit drugs. But by then, Soldwedel said, he had cut his hair and undergone therapy to rid his body of heavy metals. He said he has mostly recovered.

Police decided to test for illicit drugs a hair sample that Soldwedel had sent to the Colorado lab, and it came back positive for methamphetamine. Soldwedel told the AP he suspects his wife dosed his shampoo and food with methamphetamine, another claim she denies. Police did not retest that sample for thallium.

Thallium is sometimes found as an impurity in illegal drugs, and prosecutors suggested thallium in the sample could be caused by methamphetamine use.

Around the time Felice Soldwedel filed for divorce in April 2017, she reported to police her husband was stalking or harassing her. Joseph Soldwedel pleaded guilty to aggravated harassment and criminal damage. He's on probation. The Prescott Daily Courier did not publish any stories about the case.

Felice Soldwedel, 63, first read about the poisoning allegations in a December 2017 issue of the newspaper left on her driveway, even though she wasn't a subscriber.

No one from the newspaper has sought her side of the story, she said.

Joseph Soldwedel said that he never instructed reporters at his papers not to contact her, but that doing so could put him at legal risk because he is under court order not to contact her.

"We're not going to test it," he said.

Reporting all sides of stories is a basic journalism rule, said Mi-Ai Parrish, a professor at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and former publisher of the Arizona Republic, the state's largest newspaper. "Having ethics and credibility in journalism is paramount, and you damage not only the reputation of yourself but of your publication," she said.

Joseph Soldwedel said he was careful not to name his estranged wife until her identity became public through his lawsuit. He said his staff urged him to hold off on the initial story for a few months to see how the police investigation played out.

"Everybody wasn't on board 100 per cent but said, 'OK.' I do have ultimate authority," he said.
ANKARA, Turkey - A high-speed train hit a railway engine and crashed into a pedestrian overpass Thursday at a station in the Turkish capital of Ankara, killing nine people and injuring dozens, officials said.

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ANKARA, Turkey - A high-speed train hit a railway engine and crashed into a pedestrian overpass Thursday at a station in the Turkish capital of Ankara, killing nine people and injuring dozens, officials said.

The 6:30 a.m. train from Ankara to the central Turkish city of Konya collided head-on with the engine, which was checking the tracks at the capital's small Marsandiz station, Transport Minister Mehmet Cahit Turhan told reporters after inspecting the site. The high-speed train, which the Anadolu Agency said was carrying 206 passengers, usually passes through that station without stopping.

Members of rescue services work at the scene of a train accident in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018. A high-speed train hit a railway engine and crashed into a pedestrian overpass at a station in the Turkish capital Ankara on Thursday, killing more than 5 people and injuring more than 40 others, officials and news reports said. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

At least two cars derailed, hitting the station's overpass, which then collapsed onto the train. Three engine drivers and six passengers were killed in the crash, Turhan said. One passenger died after being hospitalized while the others were killed at the scene.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said 84 other people had sought medical help after the crash.

Television footage showed emergency services working to rescue passengers from wrangled cars and debris. Hurriyet newspaper said sniffer dogs assisted efforts to find survivors. Turhan said later no one else was believed to be trapped.

Members of rescue services work at the scene of a train accident in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018. A high-speed train hit a railway engine and crashed into a pedestrian overpass at a station in the Turkish capital Ankara on Thursday, killing more than 5 people and injuring more than 40 others, officials and news reports said. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

It wasn't immediately clear if a signalling problem caused the crash. Authorities detained three state railway employees over suspected negligence and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed a thorough investigation.

Passenger Ayse Ozyurt told the IHA news agency that the accident occurred 12 minutes after the train left the main station and that it had not yet gained its maximum speed.

"The train was not fast at that time yet," she said. "Suddenly, there was a frightening breakage ... and the train was off the rail."

Members of rescue services work at the scene of a train accident in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018. A high-speed train hit a railway engine and crashed into a pedestrian overpass at a station in the Turkish capital Ankara on Thursday, killing more than 5 people and injuring more than 40 others, officials and news reports said. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Konya, about 260 kilometres (160 miles) south of Ankara, is home to the tomb of the Sufi mystic and poet Jalaladdin Rumi, attracting thousands of pilgrims and tourists. The crash occurred during an annual week of remembrance for Rumi, when many travel to Konya to watch Whirling Dervishes, members of a Sufi sect, perform.

Turkey has had a raft of train crashes this year.

In July, 24 people were killed and more than 70 injured when most of a passenger train derailed in northwestern Turkey after torrential rains caused a section of the tracks to collapse. Last month, 15 people were injured when a passenger train collided with a freight train in Turkey's central province of Sivas.

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Mehmet Guzel in Istanbul contributed.

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This version corrects the death toll in a July 2018 train accident in northwestern Turkey. Twenty-four people were killed, not 10.
MONTREAL - SNC-Lavalin Inc. is eliminating about 100 positions in Canada at the same time as the Quebec engineering firm is being described by political leaders as being vulnerable to a foreign takeover.

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Quebec Premier Francois Legault arrives for a meeting of Canada's premiers in Montreal, Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

MONTREAL - SNC-Lavalin Inc. is eliminating about 100 positions in Canada at the same time as the Quebec engineering firm is being described by political leaders as being vulnerable to a foreign takeover.

The Montreal-based firm says the workforce reduction is attributable to the completion of various projects across the country.

"We are hiring employees based on the needs of our current projects and adjusting when they come to an end. This strategy is crucial to remain competitive," said spokesman Nicolas Ryan.

The eliminated positions represent a fraction of the 8,700 Canadian workforce.

SNC-Lavalin is preparing to open a new office next year in London, the former headquarters of WS Atkins, acquired in 2017 for $3.5 billion. Ryan said no positions from the Montreal head office would be transferred to the British capital.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault told a Montreal radio station Thursday that the government's investment agency may have to get involved to protect the company from a foreign takeover.

"In the future, when it comes time to protect head offices, I would like the leader to be Investissement Quebec," he said in an interview.

Montreal's La Presse reported this week that the Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec  which was already SNC-Lavalin's largest shareholder  had increased its stake since the spring to about 20 per cent, valued at about $1.6 billion.

SNC-Lavalin's share price has dropped about 10 per cent since October, when federal prosecutors refused to set aside criminal charges against the company by approving a deferred prosecution agreement.

The RCMP charged the company in 2015 with fraud and corruption for alleged actions in Libya. It has pleaded not guilty but could be excluded from federal tenders for up to 10 years if convicted.

Some analysts have suggested that the current situation could result in the sale of some company assets or make it vulnerable to a takeover offer.

"It puts the company in a difficult situation," said Legault. "There is no controlling shareholder."

He added that other investors could be approached to ensure that any outside offer is blocked.

Companies in this story: (TSX:SNC)
NEW YORK - Starbucks is expanding delivery to more stores in the U.S. and China as it tries to accelerate growth in those two markets.

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This Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018, photo shows attendees at a preview for Starbucks' Reserve Roastery in New York City. The Roastery is the fourth of six the company plans to open around the world. It is scheduled to open Friday. (AP Photo/Dee-Ann Durbin)

NEW YORK - Starbucks is expanding delivery to more stores in the U.S. and China as it tries to accelerate growth in those two markets.

The company says it will offer delivery from 2,000 U.S. stores by next summer through a partnership with Uber Eats. It isn't yet saying which stores will offer it.

In China, delivery will be offered from 2,000 stores in 30 cities by the end of this year, up from 150 stores at the end of September. Starbucks began working with its Chinese delivery partner, Ele.me, three months ago.

Starbucks made the comments at an investor presentation Thursday in New York.

The Seattle-based company said it has simplified its business in recent years  by closing its Teavana stores and selling many European stores to franchisees, for example  so it can focus more directly on the U.S. and China.

In the U.S., its largest market, Starbucks says it still sees significant opportunities to expand and expects to open 550 net new stores annually over the next few years. The company also plans to close 150 underperforming stores in 2019.

In China, Starbucks plans to open 600 stores annually through 2022, bringing it to a total of 6,000 stores.

Delivery is one area where it could expand. Investors questioned the economics of Uber Eats, asking whether Starbucks will earn less because of the fees Uber charges.

Roz Brewer, Starbucks' group president of the Americas, said the company is still studying that. In Miami, where it has been running a pilot program with 200 stores, she said the company has found that delivery works best in dense urban areas, where Uber Eats' delivery fees are lower because of high demand. And CEO Kevin Johnson noted that customers are spending two to three times more on delivery orders than they would in the store, so that makes the partnership more appealing.

Johnson says Starbucks has learned a lot about delivery since launching it in China in September. The company has special spill-proof cups, for example, and is making beverages hotter so they will be the right temperature to drink when they arrive.

Johnson said the company has also opened two small kitchens in the back of grocery stores in China so it can quickly fulfil delivery orders. That is one idea that could eventually come to the U.S., he said. The company is also packing orders in tamper-resistant bags, so customers will feel more comfortable getting them from a third-party driver.

Johnson said it's difficult to say what percentage of orders either in the U.S. or China will eventually come from delivery. Starbucks' mobile ordering and payment for pickup in U.S. stores more than doubled to 12 per cent of orders between 2016 and 2018, and that could also happen with digital ordering, he said.

"Customer behaviours are shifting rapidly," Johnson told The Associated Press. "We must continue to adapt and adapt rapidly to meet our customers where they are."

Even as it's expanding delivery, Starbucks is continuing to try to improve its in-store experience. Brewer said Starbucks plans to renovate one-third of its U.S. stores this year to add equipment and redo delivery and mobile pickup areas.

Starbucks is also opening a high-end Reserve Roastery in New York on Friday. The 23,000-square-foot store includes a bar with coffee- and tea-themed cocktails, Italian pastries and rare small-batch coffees roasted on site.

Johnson said Starbucks plans to open two more roasteries, in Tokyo and Chicago, next year, but hasn't committed to more after that. The company also has them in Seattle, Shanghai and Milan.

"It acts as a brand amplifier," Johnson said, noting that customers are still lining up to get inside the Shanghai store a year after its opening.
BILLINGS, Mont. - Four states that say burning coal will hurt their residents as it makes climate change worse are trying to stop the Trump administration from selling vast reserves of the fuel that are beneath public lands.

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FILE - In this Jan. 9, 2014, file photo, rail cars are filled with coal and sprayed with a topper agent to suppress dust at Cloud Peak Energy's Antelope Mine north of Douglas, Wyo. Four states with climate change worries are asking a judge to stop the Trump administration from selling coal from public lands. Attorneys general from California, New Mexico, New York and Washington are due in a U.S. courtroom in Montana on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018, to argue the sales put the climate at risk and shortchange taxpayers. (Ryan Dorgan/The Casper Star-Tribune via AP, File)

BILLINGS, Mont. - Four states that say burning coal will hurt their residents as it makes climate change worse are trying to stop the Trump administration from selling vast reserves of the fuel that are beneath public lands.

Attorneys for California, New Mexico, New York and Washington argue the coal sales have been shortchanging taxpayers because of low royalty rates and cause pollution that puts the climate and public health at risk.

The states were joined by conservation groups and Montana's Northern Cheyenne tribe in a lawsuit that seeks to revive a coal leasing moratorium imposed under President Barack Obama. The moratorium blocked new lease sales from federal lands that hold billions of tons of the fuel.

U.S. District Judge Brian Morris is presiding over a Thursday hearing on whether the moratorium should be reinstated.

The Trump administration said in court filings that ending the moratorium last year was of critical importance to the economy. That claim comes despite the slow pace of lease sales in recent years and a precipitous drop in demand for the heavily polluting fuel.

U.S. lands in Western states including Wyoming, Montana, Utah and Colorado are a major source of coal for mining companies. There are 7.4 billion tons of the fuel in roughly 300 leases administered by the Bureau of Land Management .

Morris, who was appointed by Obama, recently ruled in a separate case that the administration must consider reducing coal mining in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana to help combat climate change.

The judge has played the role of spoiler to Trump on another Obama administration policy reversal  the contentious Keystone XL oil sands pipeline from Canada. Trump approved the pipeline last year, but Morris blocked it temporarily in March. The judge said further environmental reviews were needed for the line to comply with federal laws.

Some of those same laws are at the centre of the coal moratorium dispute.

The states and their allies want push to stop further leasing and resume a sweeping review of the program's environmental effects. Government attorneys and the National Mining Association say the review started under Obama was a voluntary step and the Trump administration is within its rights to end it.

"We view this as a legal issue and believe this is an open-and-shut case," said Conor Bernstein with the mining association, which has intervened in the case.

Growing concerns over climate change have put a spotlight on the once-obscure coal leasing program, which has gone largely unchanged and not been through a major environmental review since 1979.

Companies have mined about 4 billion tons of coal from federal reserves in the past decade, contributing $10 billion to federal and state coffers through royalties and other payments.

The Obama administration blocked the sale of new leases in 2016 out of concerns over climate-changing greenhouse gases from burning coal and to review royalty rates paid by mining companies for federal coal.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke withdrew the moratorium in March 2017. He said the Obama administration's environmental review would cost "many millions of dollars," and improvements to the program could be made without prolonged study.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said Zinke's actions fly in the face of a government report released last month that predicted dire consequences from climate change for the U.S. economy.

"He ignored the law in opening the door to expanded coal leasing without taking a hard look at the environmental consequences," Becerra said in a statement.

Federal officials and members of Congress have said for years that royalty rates were shortchanging taxpayers. Under Obama, officials began considering raising rates, but it was not done.

After the Trump administration ended the moratorium, Zinke appointed a committee to review royalty rates. Critics contend he has stacked the panel with industry-friendly representatives interested in maintaining the status quo.

Since January 2017, the government has sold leases for 134 million tons of coal on more than 13,000 acres of public land in six states, according to figures provided by the Interior Department.

That's a relatively small amount compared with previous years, for example 2011 and 2012, when more than 2 billion tons were sold in Wyoming alone.

Despite the slowdown in sales, the outcome of the court case could be pivotal to the industry's long-term outlook and determine if it has access to a cheap and readily available supply of coal. For environmentalists, it's a question of making sure that coal is never burned to prevent carbon dioxide emissions tied to climate change.

"The idea that they lease millions of acres of public lands every year to private companies so that they can extract the coal and we've never once studied the climate impacts, that should bother people," Sierra Club attorney Nathaniel Shoaff said.

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Follow Matthew Brown at https://twitter.com/matthewbrownap
TORONTO - A second Canadian man is feared detained in China in what appears to be retaliation for Canada's arrest of a top executive of telecommunications giant Huawei. The possible arrest raises the stakes in an international dispute that threatens relations.

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Policeman patrol outside the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018. A Canadian court granted bail on Tuesday to a top Chinese executive arrested at the United States' request in a case that has set off a diplomatic furor among the three countries and complicated high-stakes U.S.-China trade talks. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

TORONTO - A second Canadian man is feared detained in China in what appears to be retaliation for Canada's arrest of a top executive of telecommunications giant Huawei. The possible arrest raises the stakes in an international dispute that threatens relations.

Canada's Global Affairs department on Wednesday said Michael Spavor, an entrepreneur who is one of the only Westerners to have met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, had gone missing in China. Spavor's disappearance follows China's detention of a former Canadian diplomat in Beijing earlier this week.

"We have been unable to make contact (with Spavor) since he let us know he was being questioned by Chinese authorities," Global Affairs spokesman Guillaume Berube said. "We are working very hard to ascertain his whereabouts and we continue to raise this with the Chinese government."

Spavor is a fluent Korean speaker with longstanding ties to the North through his company, Paektu Cultural Exchange. He was instrumental in bringing NBA player Dennis Rodman to Pyongyang in 2013 and has organized a number of tours and joint cultural projects with the North since then. His disappearance sparked immediate concern in the circle of people who travel to North Korea. Acquaintances said he was due in Seoul on Monday, but never showed up.

Canada's announcement came hours after Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said she was worried another citizen had been detained in China following Monday's arrest of former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig in Beijing.

At the root of the dispute is Canada's recent arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, for possible extradition to the United States.

A Canadian court on Tuesday released Meng on bail, confining her to Vancouver and its suburbs while she awaits possible extradition. The U.S. accuses Huawei of using a Hong Kong shell company to do business with Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions.

The detention of Kovrig and possible detention of Spavor reflect an increasingly bold approach to international disputes under President Xi Jinping, who has overseen a vast expansion of China's diplomatic, military and economic power. China has often retaliated against foreign governments and corporations in diplomatic disputes, but rarely by holding foreign nationals.

FILE - In this Dec. 19, 2013, file photo, Michael Spavor, center, an entrepreneur, is seen with former NBA star Dennis Rodman, left, on the arrival at the capital airport for a flight to North Korea, in Beijing, China. A second Canadian man has gone missing in China and is feared detained in what appears to be retaliation for Canada's arrest of a top executive of telecommunications giant Huawei, Canadian authorities said late Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018. Canada's Global Affairs department identified its missing citizen as Spavor, an entrepreneur who is one of the only Westerners to have ever met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Spavor's disappearance follows China's detention of a former Canadian diplomat in Beijing earlier this week.(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

The United States and China have taken pains this week to emphasize that their trade talks are entirely separate from the U.S. case against the top Chinese technology executive. But with a few words, President Donald Trump obliterated the distinction on Tuesday, saying he'd wade into the case if it would help produce a trade agreement with China.

"If I think it's good for what will be certainly the largest trade deal ever made  which is a very important thing  what's good for national security  I would certainly intervene if I thought it was necessary," Trump told Reuters in an interview.

The comment suggests Meng could be a political pawn in negotiations and makes things more awkward for Canada, which arrested her on America's behalf during a Dec. 1 layover at the Vancouver airport.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau bristled at Trump's assertion, saying: "Regardless of what goes on in other countries, Canada is, and will always remain, a country of the rule of law."

Freeland said it was "quite obvious" any foreign country requesting extradition should ensure "the process is not politicized."

Canada has also asked China for extra security at its embassy because of protests and anti-Canadian sentiment and has advised foreign service staff to take precautions, a senior Canadian official told reporters.

Meng's arrest came the same day that Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed over dinner in Buenos Aires to a 90-day cease-fire in a trade war that has shaken global financial markets and raised worries about the impact on the world economy.

The truce was meant to buy time for more substantive talks over U.S. allegations that China steals U.S. technology and forces American companies to hand over trade secrets in exchange for access to the Chinese market.

U.S. officials have insisted the sanctions case against Meng had nothing to do with the ongoing trade talks. Top White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow told "Fox News Sunday" that "there's a trade lane ... and there is the law enforcement lane. They are different."

"Both Canadian and American officials have emphasized that the Meng arrest is separate from the trade talks," said Gregory Yaeger, special counsel at the Stroock law firm and a former Justice Department trial attorney.

"Trump's remarks could be interpreted as creating the appearance that the arrest also had political motivations. This could undermine the US's reputation as a country that follows the 'rule of law,' and could ultimately undermine both the Meng prosecution and the trade talks."

Still, there is precedent for Trump intervening on behalf of a Chinese company accused of violating U.S. sanctions.

Trump drew fire from Capitol Hill in June when he reached a deal that spared another Chinese telecommunications company, ZTE, from U.S. sanctions that probably would have put it out of business after it was accused of selling equipment to Iran and North Korea. U.S. regulators planned to bar it from receiving U.S. components that it depended on, effectively a corporate death sentence.

But Trump issued a reprieve, perhaps partly because U.S. tech companies, major suppliers to ZTE, would also have been scorched. ZTE agreed to pay a $1 billion fine, change its board and management, and let American regulators monitor its operations.

Speaking outside the White House Wednesday, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross urged reporters not to jump to the conclusion that Trump will actually intervene in Meng's case.

"Let's see what he actually decides," Ross said. "Let's see where we go from there."

Philip Levy, senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and an economic adviser in President George W. Bush's White House, noted that "there's a real value to keeping these things separate."

"Do we want China to seize an (American) executive when they want to get a concession on trade talks in the future?" he asked.

___

Wiseman reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Eric Talmadge and Christopher Bodeen in Beijing and Rafael Wober in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
BRUSSELS - British Prime Minister Theresa May implored European Union leaders Thursday to help her sell the Brexit divorce deal at home, only to be told that her proposals are not clear enough for the bloc to offer a helping hand now.

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Britain's Ambassador to the EU Sir Tim Barrow, right, gestures to British Prime Minister Theresa May after she spoke with the media at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018. EU leaders gather for a two-day summit, beginning Thursday, which will center on the Brexit negotiations. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

BRUSSELS - British Prime Minister Theresa May implored European Union leaders Thursday to help her sell the Brexit divorce deal at home, only to be told that her proposals are not clear enough for the bloc to offer a helping hand now.

Instead, the EU said it would plow ahead with plans for a cliff-edge "no-deal" Brexit on March 29, with a raft of contingency measures to be presented next week.

May came to an EU summit in Brussels seeking support after a week that saw her Brexit deal pilloried in Parliament and her job threatened by lawmakers from her own party. She pleaded with the 27 other EU leaders to "hold nothing in reserve" in helping her sell the Brexit deal to hostile British lawmakers.

"There is a majority in my Parliament who want to leave with a deal, so with the right assurances this deal can be passed," May said, warning her EU counterparts that failure could mean Britain crashing out of the bloc without a deal, "with all the disruption that would bring."

EU officials, however, seemed exasperated at the lack of concrete new ideas from Britain. A proposal for encouraging wording offering to give the U.K. further assurances was left out of the leaders' final summit conclusions on Brexit.

"I do find it uncomfortable that there is an impression perhaps in the U.K. that it is for the EU to propose solutions," European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said at a news conference early Friday. "It is the UK leaving the EU. And I would have thought it was rather more up to the British government to tell us exactly what they want."

He said the British must "set out their expectations" within weeks if they want to make progress and avoid tumbling out of the EU without a deal.

May had earlier acknowledged that major progress was unlikely at the two-day summit, even as she tried to get tweaks to the withdrawal package that she could use to win over opponents  particularly pro-Brexit lawmakers whose loathing of the deal triggered a challenge to her leadership this week.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, left, greets British Prime Minister Theresa May during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018. EU leaders gathered Thursday for a two-day summit which will center on the Brexit negotiations. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

"I don't expect an immediate breakthrough, but what I do hope is that we can start work as quickly as possible on the assurances that are necessary," May said.

Her week from hell began Monday, when she scrapped a planned vote in Parliament on her Brexit divorce deal at the last minute to avoid a heavy defeat.

Anger at the move helped trigger a no-confidence vote among May's own Conservative lawmakers Wednesday. May won, but more than a third of her party's lawmakers voted against her in a sign of the unpopularity of her Brexit plan. To secure victory, she promised she would step down as Conservative leader before Britain's next national election, which is scheduled for 2022.

The 27 other EU nations are adamant there can be no substantive changes to the legally binding agreement on Britain's withdrawal from the bloc and declared that the deal was "not open for renegotiation."

"It is important to avoid any ambiguity," said French President Emmanuel Macron. "We can't renegotiate something which has been negotiated over several months."

The Brexit deal has many critics but one intractable issue  a legal guarantee designed to prevent physical border controls from being imposed between Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K., and the Republic of Ireland, a member of the EU. Northern Ireland's 1998 peace accord depends on having an open, invisible border with Ireland.

A Brexit provision known as the backstop would keep the U.K. part of the EU customs union if the two sides couldn't agree on another way to avoid a hard border.

Pro-Brexit lawmakers strongly oppose the backstop, because it keeps Britain bound to EU trade rules and unable to leave without the bloc's consent. Pro-EU politicians consider it an unwieldy, inferior alternative to staying in the bloc.

May told EU leaders that to win U.K. backing for the deal, "we have to change the perception that the backstop could be a trap from which the U.K. could not escape."

But while Britain would like a guarantee that the backstop will be temporary, the EU insists there can be no fixed end date.

"If the backstop has an expiry date, if there is a unilateral exit clause, then it is not a backstop," said Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. "That would be to render it inoperable."

The leaders gave May a few crumbs of comfort in their summit conclusions. As a sign of goodwill, the EU said preparations for trade relationships would start as soon as possible after British and EU legislatures approved the deal.

They promised to work for speedy new trade deal with Britain to avoid triggering the backstop, and underscored that the measure was intended to be temporary, saying it "would only be in place for as long as strictly necessary."

But May remains a weakened leader atop a government and a Parliament whose members are deeply and damagingly divided over Brexit.

Juncker said it sometimes was tough to fathom his own state of mind but added: "It is even harder to understand the state of mind of the British MPs. "

___

Associated Press writers Danica Kirka in London, Geir Moulson in Berlin and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this report.

___

Follow AP's full coverage of Brexit at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit
WASHINGTON - Cyber threats from China and its theft of intellectual property from American companies pose large economic and national security challenges for the United States, national security officials said Wednesday.

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WASHINGTON - Cyber threats from China and its theft of intellectual property from American companies pose large economic and national security challenges for the United States, national security officials said Wednesday.

Officials from the Department of Justice, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security told the Senate Judiciary Committee that China is working to steal trade secrets and intellectual property from U.S. companies in order to harm America's economy.

"We cannot tolerate a nation that steals the fruit of our brainpower," Assistant Attorney General John Demers said.

Bill Priestap, the assistant director of the FBI's counterintelligence division, said federal officials are doing everything they can to convey the current threat to business leaders and government officials.

China's espionage activity has been "steadily increasing" in the last few years, Demers said.

"The bottom line is they will do anything they can to achieve their aims," Priestap said of the Chinese.

Cyberespionage cases can be drawn out, involve sensitive intelligence and ultimately may not lead to prosecutions, he said. The department is working to train prosecutors across the U.S. in how to bring similar cases.

In the last few months, the Justice Department has filed several charges against Chinese hackers and intelligence officials.

In October, a suspected Chinese spy was charged with attempting to steal trade secrets from several American aviation and aerospace companies. Yanjun Xu, an operative of the Chinese Ministry of State Security, is accused of recruiting employees of major aerospace companies, including GE Aviation, and persuading them to travel to China under the guise of giving a presentation at a university.

That case was the first time that a Chinese Ministry of State Security intelligence officer has been extradited to the United States for trial.

Tensions between the U.S. and China have been high recently because of trade disputes, and President Donald Trump frequently criticizes China.
Quantic Dream announced earlier today that Detroit: Become Human has sold over 2 million copies worldwide on the PlayStation 4 since its launch back in May.

This is big for Quantic Dream, who tweeted the news and thanked players for their support in reaching the milestone in just five months.

In addition to exceeding 2 million copies sold, Detroit: Become Human has also become the fastest selling title for the studio to date as well, which is pretty impressive considering how long it took for previous games to reach a similar milestone.

This is the third Sony exclusive title released by the Quantic Dream, with Heavy Rain launching for the PlayStation 3 back in 2010 and selling over 3 million copies by 2013.

Beyond: Two Souls followed in 2013, selling 2.8 million copies by 2018.
PORTLAND, Ore. - Hemp is about to get the nod from the federal government that marijuana, its cannabis plant cousin, craves.

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FILE - In this April 23, 2018 file photo, a sign designates the type of crop grown in a field as it stands ready to plant another hemp crop for Big Top Farms near Sisters, Ore. Hemp is about to get the federal legalization that marijuana, its cannabis cousin, craves. That unshackling at the national level sets the stage for greater expansion in an industry seeing explosive growth through demand for CBDs, the non-psychoactive compound in hemp that many see as a way to better health. (AP Photo/Don Ryan, File)

PORTLAND, Ore. - Hemp is about to get the nod from the federal government that marijuana, its cannabis plant cousin, craves.

A provision of the farm bill that received final approval in Congress on Wednesday removes hemp from the list of federally controlled substances and treats the low-THC version of the cannabis plant like any other agricultural crop. THC is the cannabis compound that gives pot its high.

President Trump is expected to sign the bill into law next week.

The change sets the stage for greater expansion in an industry already seeing explosive growth because of growing demand for cannabidiol, or CBD, a non-psychoactive compound found in hemp that many see as a way to better health.

Federal legalization could triple the overall hemp market to $2.5 billion by 2022, with $1.3 billion of those sales from hemp-derived CBD products, according to New Frontier Data, a cannabis market research firm.

"It's a huge deal because it's a domino effect. Banks can get involved now and if banks get involved, then credit card processors get involved  and if that happens, then big box stores like Target and Wal-Mart get into it," said Sean Murphy, a New Frontier data analyst who's tracked the industry since its infancy in 2015. "All these big players are going to come in."

Hemp, like marijuana, already is legal in some states. Approval at the national level brings a host of benefits that the pot industry has yet to see.

Hemp farmers will be able to buy crop insurance, apply for loans and grants, and write off their business expenses on their taxes like any other farmer.

And those who sell dried flower or CBD-infused products made from hemp can now ship across state lines without fear of prosecution as long as they are careful not to run afoul of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

In this September 2018 photo provided by Clarenda "Cee" Stanley-Anderson, Stanley-Anderson and her husband, Malcolm Anderson Sr., pose for pictures of their hemp-farming business, Green Heffa Farms, Inc., in Liberty, N.C. The Andersons' hemp crop was wiped out by Hurricane Florence in September but with the federal legalization of hemp included in the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill, the couple plans to increase their production nearly tenfold next year. They will also have access to crop insurance for the first time. (Donald Rex Bishop/Green Heffa Farms, Inc. via AP)

Many did so before, but always looked over their shoulder because the law was unclear.

Michelle and Scott Fields, who run an organic hemp farm outside Grants Pass, Oregon, include a detailed letter to law enforcement in each package they ship that explains the dried flowers inside may look a lot like pot, but actually can't get anyone high.

"Probably the best part of this is that everybody can take a sigh of relief and not worry about that grey area anymore," said Michelle Fields, who worked in real estate until three years ago, when she and her husband started Fields of Hemp LLC.

Hemp looks like marijuana to the untrained eye, but it contains less than 0.3 per cent THC. Federal legislation passed four years ago cracked open the door for some farming by allowing states to create hemp pilot programs or to conduct research on hemp cultivation.

Twenty-three states issued 3,544 licenses in 2018, said Eric Steenstra, president of Vote Hemp, a non-profit hemp advocacy group. At the same time, the total market for hemp  from textiles to seeds to CBD oil  has grown from a few million dollars in 2015 to $820 million today and about a third of that is from hemp-derived CBD, Murphy said.

Large companies already experimenting in the hemp space anticipated the policy change and are poised to cash in.

Vitality, based in Eureka, Montana, is a large U.S. hemp producer and grew 20,000 acres this year. The company last week announced a merger with the Canadian CBD extractor and marketer LiveWell.

The new company aspires to become one of the largest hemp production and CBD extraction companies in North America, producing more than 6,600 pounds of CBD isolate (3,000 kilograms) a day by mid-2019, according to a company statement on the deal.

Isolate is a crystalline powder form of CBD and is the purest product possible. The odourless, tasteless powder is commonly sold in one gram jars that retail for $35 to $60 each.

"We were at the right place at the right time," David Rendimonti, president and CEO for LiveWell, said. "You're in a high-value, high-growth market. It's an amazing opportunity and now you have something that's really going to explode."

Proponents say CBD offers a plethora of health benefits, from relieving pain to taming anxiety. Scientists caution, however, there have been few comprehensive clinical studies on how CBD affects humans.

It's unclear if, or how, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will react to hemp legalization. The agency said it does not comment on pending legislation.

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has said in the past that CBD products will be treated like any other products that make unproven claims to shrink cancer tumors or other statements. The FDA has sent warning letters to some companies marketing CBD.

The new bill retains the FDA's authority over products that contain CBD.

"That's the big question mark," Murphy said. "The market's going to grow, the market's going to expand, but it's going to come down to what the FDA is going to do about it."

Individual states can also make and enforce rules banning hemp or CBD even though it's no longer considered a controlled substance  another wild card.

Yet there's no question legalization means things will get a lot easier for small farmers.

Clarenda Stanley-Anderson and her husband, Malcolm Anderson Sr., lost two acres of hemp they grew under a North Carolina pilot program when Hurricane Florence barrelled through in September. They had no crop insurance because they couldn't get it when hemp was listed as a federally controlled substance.

The Andersons plan to plant 15 acres this spring and put up greenhouses. They will buy crop insurance and have just signed a contract to provide their dried flower to a Denver company that will extract CBD from it.

The growth potential in the industry has Clarenda Stanley-Anderson excited and optimistic.

"It's all about the power of green, so when you look at it from that standpoint, it's going to be an industry that's here to stay," she said in a phone interview from her home in Liberty, North Carolina. "The possibilities are endless."

_____

Gillian Flaccus is a member of AP's marijuana beat team. Follow her at http://www.twitter.com/gflaccus. Find complete AP marijuana coverage at http://apnews.com/tag/LegalMarijuana.
MONTREAL - Mexican authorities say they have found the body of a missing Quebec woman whose partner returned to the province alone and promptly committed suicide.

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MONTREAL - Mexican authorities say they have found the body of a missing Quebec woman whose partner returned to the province alone and promptly committed suicide.

Christine St-Onge hadn't been heard from since speaking to a member of her entourage Dec. 4.

Christine St-Onge is shown in this undated handout photo. Mexican authorities have found the body of a woman near the resort where a missing Quebecer was vacationing. Christine St-Onge hasn't been heard from since speaking to a member of her entourage on Dec. 4. The male friend she was travelling with returned home a day earlier than planned and died of an apparent suicide. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO

Officials in Mexico told reporters Wednesday evening that St-Onge's body was found near a hotel in Los Cabos where she'd been staying and that her body bore marks of violence.

Sgt. Claude Denis of the Quebec provincial police says an autopsy will be performed in Quebec once the body is repatriated to officially confirm the identity.

Denis said investigators have been in contact with St-Onge's family to inform them of the latest information. They are also in contact with Mexican police, who are finishing up their investigation, and an RCMP liaison officer is on site in Mexico.

The male friend she was travelling with, Pierre Bergeron, returned home a day earlier than planned and died the next day of an apparent suicide. The Quebec coroner's office confirmed Thursday it is investigating Bergeron's death.

Mexican officials held a news conference Wednesday to announce St-Onge's body was discovered earlier in the day near the resort where she had been staying.

According to local media outlet BCS Noticias, Daniel de la Rosa Anaya, a Mexican prosecutor, said there were signs of a struggle and traces of blood inside the hotel room the couple shared.

Authorities believe St-Onge was killed inside the room and moved by Bergeron in the middle of the night.

An autopsy was performed in Mexico, with the cause of death described as traumatic brain injury. Mexican officials said St-Onge had been dead between five and seven days.

St-Onge, a travel agent from the Montreal suburb of Laval, travelled to Mexico on Nov. 29 with Bergeron. They were scheduled to return to Canada Dec. 6.

Mexican officials said Bergeron returned home alone without luggage and with St-Onge's return ticket, BCS Noticias reported.

A member of St-Onge's family said Thursday they did not want to speak to media. A friend has started a Go Fund Me page for St-Onge's two sons, aged 7 and 11.
By the time Angel was six years old, she'd received 25 different foster placements. By her 12th birthday, she had been apprehended by Child and Family Services 14 times and was often allowed to return to her troubled home with few checks on the fitness of her family to care for her.

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By the time Angel was six years old, she'd received 25 different foster placements. By her 12th birthday, she had been apprehended by Child and Family Services 14 times and was often allowed to return to her troubled home with few checks on the fitness of her family to care for her.

Angel at age 11.

Instances of sexual abuse date back to when she was a toddler, and there is evidence she was sexually exploited as early as age 11. Drug and solvent abuse began by age nine.

Angel, who died in 2015 from an accidental drug overdose at 17, is the face of a troubling report into myriad issues facing youth in the Child and Family Services system.

"Her story is a shocking reminder that too many children and youth are subject to intense trauma and gone too soon," Manitoba's Advocate for Children and Youth (MACY) Daphne Penrose told media Thursday when releasing In Need of Protection: Angel's Story. Angel's family gave permission to use her name and photo.

Angels account, laid out in 118 pages, includes instances of sexual abuse dating back to when she was 21 months old, sexual exploitation from as early as age 11, suicide attempts, solvent and drug use to "numb" her pain and 46 apprehensions into CFS care.

Angel was frequently allowed to return home and live with her mother, though the advocates team found CFS officials did not do proper checks to see if her mother could provide a safe home. The girl was re-apprehended numerous times and taken back to CFS placements when something went wrong at home.

Key events in Angel's life, as outlined in the report.

At eight years old, Angel asked officials for help as she tried to juggle obligations at home when her mother was absent, but it seems her request wasnt heard. Various service providers recommended she receive sustained mental health therapy and supports during her youth, but aside from sporadic appointments, it appears Angel never received such care.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Daphne Penrose, Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth, releases her report Thursday: 'It is hard to read a story like Angels and not feel incredible sadness for what she experienced and endured,' she wrote.

"Through her entire life, systems should have been providing protection and services, and they did not," Penrose said, calling for more "rigorous accountability."

During the final years of her life, Angel was hit by a vehicle while walking on the highway and was seriously injured. She was frequently reported missing at age 16 and was found to be heavily using drugs and alcohol.

Penrose said her teams investigation was partially blocked by federal health officials, who would not release health information about Angel from her home community.

Because the advocate works under provincial legislation, she said federal officials arent mandated to hand over their files. Penrose is hoping to produce a memorandum of understanding with the federal government to avoid that pitfall in future investigations.

"At the end of the day, the intent of these reports is to look at the services we provided (to children) and look at room for improvement in those services. So my hope is that in the future, well be able to have access to those (files) so that we can determine whether or not improvements to their (federal) services are also required," she said.

Penrose made six recommendations to government about how to improve outcomes for youths such as Angel. They include developing a trauma prevention and response plan of action through the education, justice and health departments and carrying out public education campaigns denouncing sexual exploitation of children.

Excerpts from a letter Angel wrote to her mother about a sexual assault. "The letter was both a detailed disclosure and an aoplogy to her mother, demonstrating that Angel did not understand that what happened to her was illegal, horrific and a calculated assault by an adult predator," says the report.

The report also includes the stories of seven other young girls who are still struggling to access mental health supports.

"I list just seven girls where right now their very lives are dependent on getting access to mental health services and treatment because they are so profoundly exploited. This is a right now problem. And as we speak, one of these girls thats listed here in these seven has been missing here for two months," Penrose said.

This year, the advocate has repeatedly called on government to produce a youth mental health and addictions strategy and more treatment options for minors. Last Fridays announcement of $8.4 million from the federal and provincial governments dedicated to more treatment options for people with methamphetamine addictions did not earmark any money for youth, Penrose said.

"I hope with the release of this report and the addition of (stories about) just a few kids that were involved with here at MACY  including them in the report might demonstrate how important it is to act now, because these childrens lives depend on it," she said.

In an emailed statement, Families Minister Heather Stefanson thanked Penrose for her report.

"One of the reasons we expanded the advocates mandate is to increase transparency, including the ability to report publicly. We appreciate the comprehensive report compiled by the advocates team. (Penrose's) recommendations require a whole of government response and senior officials from multiple departments will develop responses and discuss options to collaborate on a sexual exploitation public awareness campaign," Stefanson said, noting they plan to meet with the advocate for more discussion.

Angel was never really given a chance, child advocate Daphne Penrose's report concludes.

Stefanson added that the province is working to implement the recommendations in the Virgo report on addictions and mental health, received earlier this year, to address the rising use and distribution of methamphetamine. The government is slated to release research into sexual exploitation and undertake a third-party review of the StreetReach program, the minister said.

Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Arlen Dumas has been pushing for Indigenous child care systems to replace Manitoba's Child and Family Services framework. He believes Angel would not have died had she been taken care of by her community.

"Absolutely it wouldnt have happened. The reality is that a lot of these resources that are actually needed to properly raise people are not being afforded to these children. Theyre being taken out of their communities; theyve been commodified so that the apprehension of children is more lucrative than actually giving people the resources to keep families together," Dumas said.

"Had this young woman been under the proper care of the nations who are responsible for her, shed still be alive today."

jessica.botelho@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @_jessbu
A unique training session offered to Winnipeg Transit operators by the Main Street Project has been hailed by the president of the national transit union, who said it should become a template for transit driver training across the country and front-line workers in other occupations.

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A unique training session offered to Winnipeg Transit operators by the Main Street Project has been hailed by the president of the national transit union, who said it should become a template for transit driver training across the country and front-line workers in other occupations.

John DiNino, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Canada, said he saw first-hand Tuesday what staff at the Main Street Project deal with on a daily basis and was impressed with the program the organization developed to help transit drivers.

"I think its a template that ATU Canada should be using across this country," DiNino said. "I really believe what I witnessed yesterday and the training we went through is a tool that all front-line workers should be taught in how to deal with the public in general, not just transit riders."

DiNino, in Winnipeg as part of a cross-country tour of ATU locals, joined 20 shop stewards and some executive staff from ATU Local 1505, which represents Winnipeg Transit operators and other transit employees, for a half-day training session at Main Street Project.

The training session was developed in response to a request from Local 1505 following the Feb. 14, 2017, killing of driver Irvine Jubal Fraser by a transit passenger who was believed to be high on methamphetamines.

DiNino said that while problems of addictions and homelessness are not unique to Winnipeg, hes not aware of a program offered to transit drivers in other communities like the one developed by the Main Street Project.

Aleem Chaudhary, president of Local 1505, said transit operators need help to be able to identify people who are struggling with addictions and mental health issues and the best way to deal with them to avoid confrontations.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE FILES Aleem Chaudhary, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505, on a bus with new glass shield, installed to protect drivers.

Rick Lees, executive director of Main Street Project, said the transit union was looking for customized training around how to better respond to and deal with people on the street, and how to distinguish when to engage and when not to engage with these individuals.

Lees said the training session has been revised after feedback from the drivers. About 100 drivers have undergone the session since it was first offered in April.

"Weve designed this for transit drivers," Lees said. "If someone is approaching a bus, theyve got a story and (the drivers) have a few seconds to assess what that story is and the next moment is going to be how that interaction happens  thats the training in a nutshell."

Lees said the training provides insight on: what is homelessness, what is addiction and mental health and how does it present, some of the stories of clients, and how to tell the difference between a schizophrenic psychosis and a meth psychosis. The program also offers insights into the impact of residential schools on Indigenous people.

The four-hour sessions have been considered too short by all the operators whove taken it, Lees said, adding it could easily be expanded to a full day.

"Theres some hard core stuff to it that we thought it might be a little dry but everyone said they want more of it," Lees said.

"My eyes were certainly opened to the role that racism and residential schools played in breeding the current conditions we see today. It was hugely alarming," DiNino said. The program "helps drivers recognize the difference between a disability and an addiction and gives operators the tools to recognize that and de-escalate any difficult situation they may find themselves in, in terms of how to handle passengers."

Chaudhary said the only shortcoming with the program is that its only been offered to new transit drivers, as part of their six-week training course.

FACEBOOK Winnipeg Transit driver Irvine Jubal Fraser was killed Feb.14, 2017 after waking a lone passenger at the end of his route on the University of Manitoba campus.

The ATU booked the 20 shop stewards  all of them veteran drivers  off work to take the course, providing their lost wages.

"We believe every transit operator should be given this course but right now its only for new drivers and we think thats wrong," Chaudhary said. "Transit management told us its a cost issue  they cant afford to book the bulk of the operators off to take the course."

Relations between the transit union and the drivers with management and city hall have been strained recently. The union believes politicians and transit management aren't taking driver concerns for their safety and that of riders seriously.

Chaudhary said recently tension is so great among drivers that they could go out on strike to push the safety concerns when their contract expires in January.

While the brutal killing of Fraser seemed to shock the community, the drivers say verbal and other forms of physical assault occur on almost a daily basis, most of it linked to fare disputes. The union has demanded the creation of a special transit police, which city hall has rejected. The union has also been critical of the city's failure to purchase and install driver safety shields on all buses.

Chaudhary said he was told transit estimates it would cost about $250,000 to expand the Main Street Project program to include all drivers, adding that management is concerned about pushing that program during the 2019 budget process.

Randy Tonnellier, transits manager of operations, said the training was offered to new drivers only as a pilot initiative, which is about to end, and whether its extended or expanded to include all drivers depends in part on recommendation from the Transit Advisory committee.

Tonnellier said transit sees a great deal of value in the Main Street Project program and agrees with DiNinos assessment but said no costing has been done by transit to continue or expand it.

Transits assessment and recommendations will be presented to the advisory committee at its Dec. 17 meeting, Tonnellier said.

"Its a really unique and beneficial and positive training for employees," Tonnellier said. "We really dont have a budget cost for it but it is something we would move forward with if we get a positive endorsement from the transit advisory committee."

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca
With Christmas less than two weeks away, Winnipeg charities are worried they won't reach their fundraising goals, forcing some to realize they can no longer rely on Christmas spirit to bring in donations.

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With Christmas less than two weeks away, Winnipeg charities are worried they won't reach their fundraising goals, forcing some to realize they can no longer rely on Christmas spirit to bring in donations.

It's an iconic festive scene: a Salvation Army Santa Claus ringing jingle bells as passers-by drop loose change into a tin. The 128-year-old Salvation Army Christmas Kettle is one of the most well-known fundraiser campaigns of the charity, bringing in $23.1 million across Canada last year.

This year in Winnipeg, the kettles are struggling. Winnipeg's Salvation Army set a goal to raise $370,000 by Christmas Eve. As of Tuesday, the charity had only received $160,000, less than half of the needed donations.

This is in large part because the charity was barred from soliciting funds in Liquor Marts this season.

Maj. Rob Kerr, a Salvation Army spokesperson, said last year the kettles campaign in seven city Liqour Marts raised $35,000. This year, the charity was forced to opt for small table-top collection bins by the register, which have raised only $300 so far.

"We just need to remind people, we need your help," said Kerr. "I'm hopeful right now, I'm hopeful that we're going to reach our goal, I'm hopeful that people will continue to support us as they have."

Kerr said the majority of donations usually come within the last two weeks before Christmas, though in past years the charity has already reached the halfway point in donations by this time. Winnipeg has between 25 to 30 kettles located at different shopping centres and stores around the city. Donations can also be made online.

The Salvation Army is not the only charity experiencing a lack of seasonal generosity. There is a growing trend of decreasing donations to charities across the country, according to a report by the Rideau Hall Foundation and Imagine Canada that profiles the behaviour of giving Canadians from the past 30 years.

The report found that the number of people donating has been on a downward spiral since the 1990s, dropping nearly a third, and those who are giving are becoming more critical of who they donate to and why. The report specified that the average amount of donations per person is increasing.

"Some nights I don't sleep well worrying about these things," said Kai Madsen, executive director of the Winnipeg Christmas Cheer Board. "Donations are down pretty much everywhere in varying degrees obviously, so we are looking at this and saying this is going to be a game changer for some organizations."

Last year the Winnipeg Christmas Cheer Board's donations had fallen eight percent, leaving the charity with a $46,000 deficit, the largest deficit it has ever had.

Madsen estimated this year's donations are down nine percent, though he said he couldn't be sure until after the holidays. Madsen added that even with the given donations, the charity still has to buy over half the needed supplies for Christmas hampers.

Madsen said the Cheer Board has been operating for 49 Christmases and is in no danger of shutting, but the decreasing funds are forcing the charity to re-evaluate how it gathers donations. In past years, Madsen said the Cheer Board has not had to spend money on promotion and advertisement, but that may have to change as more people opt to donate online.

"Necessity may be the motivation here to look after the bills," Madsen said.

Both charities have put a call for public to donations.

danton.unger@freepress.mb.ca
OTTAWA  Winnipeg police have urged the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls not to paint all officers as racist, saying the city has made progress in better serving Indigenous people.

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This article was published 12/12/2018 (1082 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  Winnipeg police have urged the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls not to paint all officers as racist, saying the city has made progress in better serving Indigenous people.

"We believe that we are moving in a good direction," Kimberly Carswell, an attorney for the Winnipeg Police Service, testified Wednesday to the inquiry, as it wraps up public hearings this week.

Meanwhile, First Nations leaders and families from Manitoba told commissioners about the need for political will and Indigenous laws, in order to end a centuries-long cycle of violence.

In Ottawa, Carswell went into depth about improved historical and cultural education for officers, better recruitment of Indigenous officers  whom WPS no longer clusters in the core  and sexual-assault awareness training. She noted testimonies of egregious treatment by police officers, but urged commissioners to not paint all officers with the same brush.

"The Winnipeg Police Service is not the same police service it once was, and is making improvements in a number of areas to be more responsive, and respectful to the Indigenous population," she said.

"Some of these stories have been very difficult for police to hear, but we recognize they are important and further, necessary  for us to hear, in order for us to continue to improve," Carswell said.

"We ask you to keep in mind that there are many police officers who have treated Indigenous women and girls with respect, and been responsive to their needs. Not all members can be addressed with the same condition."

WPS had two commissioners ride along with officers from its exploitation unit, and examine how it works with local Indigenous groups. Carswell said the force is intentionally starting slow with the provinces restorative justice program, in the North End and soon downtown, "to be able to closely monitor and evaluate" it.

Earlier, First Nations people from Manitoba urged Canadians to push for more progress.

"There is not one First Nations family in Manitoba that has not been touched by, and wounded, by this violence. It is devastating and has rippling effects on us all," testified Grand Chief Arlen Dumas, of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.

He said First Nations will see little progress in numerous fields  like child welfare, education and health  until they can run their own systems based on Indigenous laws passed down through generations.

"First Nations are caught in foreign, Western systems, from birth to beyond death," he testified Monday.

Once commissioners release their report, AMC wants federal funding for two summits in the province, to craft a 10-year plan to devolve various systems into First Nations hands.

Joelle Pastora Sala of the Public Interest Law Centre walked commissioners through the traditional First Nations lifestyle, and how govenrnments disrupt them.

What starts with a mother going into labour through the sacred connection to water quickly devolves in Winnipeg hospitals to stereotypes from medical workers and so-called birth-alert apprehensions from child-welfare workers.

"Her ties to community will be severed within hours of entering the world," Pastora Sala said, followed by craving affection from predators, confusion over the cultural traditions "recorded in her blood memory" that she cant access, and will be punished by foster-care officials for doing so.

Dumas also decried the commissioners "glaring oversight" in not providing adequate information and aftercare to families, who were traumatized by testifying through a "western, combative style" process "which arbitrarily imposed timelines" on them.

"Given the nature of the issues before the inquiry, the work was always going to be challenging. Those challenges did not need to be compounded by a flawed process," Dumas said.

Meanwhile, a Winnipeg lawyer representing various, local grieving families said that Indigenous people want to move beyond having to sue in order to access basic rights.

"If it's about political will, and if the leaders of this nation are only looking on the next election, then we will once again be at the bottom of their priorities," testified Catherine Dunn.

She said Canadians need a much better education on their history and how it related to ongoing violence against Indigenous people. Otherwise, the courts are the only way to build political will among governments:

"How do you do that? You sue them. How often do you do that? Every day. Who sues them? Every political organization in this country," she testified.

"The evidence is overwhelming, that in every system in this land  education, child-welfare, medicine, land resources, language  Indigenous people are betrayed, again and again, by their own governments," she said.

"The federal government, the Manitoba government, is not protecting them, as is their duty."

She echoed Dumas in saying that land entitlement is key to restoring First Nations sense of self.

"If you have no land, then you have no home, and if you have no home than you have nothing. Because you cannot get past the fact that you have no home," she said.

"Where is the political will? Where is Canadians' horror of who we are?"

The commissioners end all hearings this Friday. They have until April 30, 2019 to submit their final report to the federal government.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
The federal Conservative Party would win a majority government if an election were held today, according to a poll released last week.

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The federal Conservative Party would win a majority government if an election were held today, according to a poll released last week.

In a random sampling of 1,541 Canadian voters, respondents in the prairies were most likely to support the federal Conservatives, at 65 per cent of voters in Alberta, and 57 per cent in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Respondents in the Atlantic region were most likely to support the Liberals at 50 per cent.

This estimation suggests the Tories have gained momentum in the prairies since the 2015 election, when 37 per cent of Manitobans voted Conservative.

The survey found 43 per cent of voters said they would support the Conservatives if the federal election were held today, and 34 per cent said they would support the Liberal Party.

"Weve had the Conservatives leading for a few polls now," said Lorne Bozinoff, president of Forum Research, the Toronto-based firm that conducted the survey. "So its not surprising in that light."

Eleven per cent of voters said they would cast their ballots to support the New Democratic Party. Six per cent of voters said they would support the Green Party, while four per cent said they would vote for the Bloc Quebecois. One per cent said they would support another party.

But the poll doesn't necessarily hold much weight this far ahead of Octobers federal election, said Bryan Peeler, an adjunct political studies professor at the University of Manitoba.

"Campaigns still matter," said Peeler. "A lot can happen during a campaign that can sway public opinion one way or another."

This week alone, there were several high-profile political events  like Canadas arrest of the CFO of Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei, or the recently adopted United Nations migration pact  that could sway public opinion of the federal government in either direction, said Peeler.

"This far out from an election, Im not sure how important these numbers are," he said.

Peeler said the Forum Research poll appeared to be an outlier among other recent polls, which showed the Liberals and Conservatives with equal amounts of work to do to take the lead.

"The Liberals will have to get a handle on just exactly what their message is going to be for the next year. Is it going to be, 'We're going to keep the economy strong'? 'We're going to get pipelines built'? We're going to make sure that the employment rate stays up'?" said Peeler.

"(The Conservatives) best bet is to show Andrew Scheer as a competent manager of the economy, as someone who the Canadian public could see as a prime minister who could act in Canada's national interests on the international stage."

The Forum Research poll may give a general sense of what next years election will look like, Bozinoff said, but the numbers are still likely to fluctuate throughout the next few months.

"The polls are something that the parties are actively trying to change," he said. "They're not a static thing."

The Forum Research poll was conducted through an interactive voice response phone survey on Nov. 28 and 29. The margin of error is three per cent, 19 times out of 20.

caitlyn.gowriluk@freepress.mb.ca
Winnipeg police have made their first arrest for cannabis-impaired driving using new saliva testing equipment.

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Winnipeg police have made their first arrest for cannabis-impaired driving using new saliva testing equipment.

The arrest was part of the annual festive season checkstop program.

From Dec. 1 to 7, police stopped 1,602 vehicles. Four people were found driving under the influence of alcohol and one under the influence of cannabis.

The person charged with being drug-impaired tested positive using the Oral Fluid Device test.

Police only administer the saliva test if a driver is showing signs of drug impairment. A total of 32 officers have been trained in detection and arrest of drug-impaired drivers.

Winnipeg police could not provide details yesterday about the first cannabis bust. Police issued a fine of $672 in October after catching someone consuming cannabis in a vehicle.

Drivers found guilty of drug-impaired driving face the same penalties as those convicted of alcohol-impaired driving, starting with a 24-hour roadside license suspension.

Winnipeg police have seven of the $5,000 machines, called Drager Drug Test 5000, used to test for recent use of cannabis or cocaine impairment.

The Drager device tests saliva for the presence of THC, the primary intoxicant in marijuana, which could help police decide if further impairment testing is required.

The saliva test, that costs $28 per kit, is only administered where officers have a strong suspicion of drug impairment.

It is not administered if a driver shows gross signs of impairment. Such behaviour is considered enough to prompt an arrest.

The saliva test is the first step. Further testing can involve taking a blood sample from the suspect for a forensic analysis. Drug-impaired driving arrests are only confirmed months later when a toxicology report is completed.

Police recommend not driving for six hours after ingesting cannabis but caution there are many variables including the strength of the cannabis and a person's tolerance level.

"It's very difficult to provide you with a magical number in which you can expect to be sober because so many variables come into play when consuming," said Const. Stephane Fontaine, the forces impaired-driving countermeasures co-ordinator, at a news conference last month.

The first week of the checkstop program also resulted in 89 tickets and two non-driving criminal arrests.

The police checkstop program will run every day this month, including New Year's Eve. The checkstop program is sponsored by Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries. Impaired driving is the most common criminal cause of death in Canada.
A woman charged with the murder of a fellow resident at a Manitoba Housing complex last weekend had been subject to an eviction order in the months before the slaying, but the eviction was dropped after area-MLA Cindy Lamoureuxs office intervened on her behalf.

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A woman charged with the murder of a fellow resident at a Manitoba Housing complex last weekend had been subject to an eviction order in the months before the slaying, but the eviction was dropped after area-MLA Cindy Lamoureuxs office intervened on her behalf.

Phyllis Dawn Pascal, a 45-year-old resident of Gilbert Park, has been charged with the second degree murder of Lisa Marie Kubica, 38, on the evening of Dec. 6. Kubica was stabbed to death, with wounds to her face and neck, her family said.

FACEBOOK Lisa Marie Kubica was stabbed to death on Dec. 6.

The Free Press has learned that Pascal was investigated by Manitoba Justice under The Safer Communities and Neighourhoods Act after receiving at least one complaint of "chronic unlawful activity" taking place at her residence. Citing privacy concerns, the provincial government would not verify Pascal had been investigated, but this was confirmed by sources with knowledge of the situation.

In the months leading up to the fatal stabbing, Pascal  who Manitoba Housing was in the process of evicting  approached Lamoureuxs constituency office for help. Lamoureux is the Liberal MLA for Burrows, which includes Gilbert Park.

The eviction was dropped sometime after Lamoureuxs office lobbied on Pascals behalf, but the exact nature of the intervention remains unclear due to conflicting and changing statements from Lamoureux and her assistant.

On Tuesday, the Free Press reached out to Lamoureuxs constituency office and interviewed her assistant, who declined to provide her full name. Her employment was subsequently confirmed by Lamoureux.

The assistant said that Pascal approached the office for help "a few months ago," claiming that shed been unfairly targeted for eviction after being falsely accused of "drug trafficking."

"She was very convincing, saying how shes not guilty of substance use. She was decent. She said the people who had been coming (to and from her residence) were actually her family members who all live in the area. They were asking for sugar, coffee," the assistant said.

"She came down to our office asking if we can help her not get evicted. She wanted a support letter on her behalf."

JEN DOERKSEN/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Cindy Lamoureux is the Liberal MLA for Burrows.

The assistant said the two met on multiple occasions and she spoke with Gilbert Park property manager, Debbie Cook, on Pascals behalf. She also said she sent a letter of support  written on "MLA for Burrows  Cindy Lamoureux" letterhead  to Manitoba Housing, although she wasnt sure if Lamoureux signed it.

However, the assistant called the Free Press back less than an hour later to change her story. She claimed she actually wasnt sure if shed spoken with Cook and did not send a letter of support to Manitoba Housing. She added that she spoke to an individual who worked with Manitoba Justices Public Safety Investigations, but wasnt sure if shed sent a letter of support to the department.

But on Wednesday that story changed again, with the assistant saying shed made no interventions to the province on Pascals behalf.

In a written statement from Lamoureux sent later that day, the MLA said her office deals with many residents who claim they are being unfairly evicted and helps them all to the same extent. She declined to address Pascals case specifically.

"Any constituent that reaches out to my office with an issue from any level of government will be heard and my staff will do their best to work with them and the appropriate government departments to resolve the issues they are facing," Lamoureux said.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Sherry Kubica, the victim's mother: 'Im at a loss for words.'

Sherry Kubica, the victims mother, said shes heartbroken following the loss of her daughter and "very upset" that an eviction order against Pascal was halted. She said she cant help but wonder if her daughter would still be alive if Pascal had been evicted as planned.

"I just find that unbelievable. Im at a loss for words. I think they should have had her out of there. I think it wouldnt have happened," she said.

"They knew that she was a troubled person. Obviously she was violent. They must have had some inclination, or why did they want to evict her? They must have (had a reason)."

Lisa Marie Kubica was a mother of five, with children aged five to 18. She had also recently become a grandmother, her mother said. The family is holding a funeral service for her Thursday evening. They plan to have an open casket service, despite the wounds to her face and neck.

"I want to see my daughter. Thats the only way I get to see her," she said.

The accusations against Pascal have not been proven in court.

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @rk_thorpe
A minor funding announcement took on added excitement Thursday when the provinces Indigenous relations minister, Eileen Clarke, said she intends to sign up cabinet and caucus colleagues to form their own circle for reconciliation.

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A minor funding announcement took on added excitement Thursday when the provinces Indigenous relations minister, Eileen Clarke, said she intends to sign up cabinet and caucus colleagues to form their own circle for reconciliation.

Organizers and past participants of the grassroots project, Circles for Reconciliation, were at the legislature expecting Clarke to announce $25,000 to defray the cost of organizing more circles and strengthen reconciliation efforts that started in 2016.

Clarke made the funding announcement, as anticipated. Then she surprised onlookers by saying the circles have sparked considerable interest within the Conservative caucus and provincial cabinet of Premier Brian Pallister.

"Ive had colleagues and ministers say they want to be a part of it so I think its time to get on board," Clarke said, adding she intends to start a circle of reconciliation, probably in March, at the start of the next legislative session. Details have yet to be worked out.

The circles are made up of 10 people, including five Indigenous people, plus two facilitators who take the group through 10 educational sessions on topics ranging from the meaning of the land for Indigenous people to historical and cultural topics including residential schools, intergenerational trauma, the pass system and the '60s scoop.

When the funding request crossed her desk, Clarke was inspired by the Circles of Reconciliation, which have support from the Winnipeg Foundation and the federal government, to put the concept into practice.

"The premier was very enthusiastic about it and Ive had colleagues come up to me afterward, saying theyd very much like to be involved," Clarke said. "I expect Ill have a waiting list."

Clarke explained shes learned a lot since Pallister appointed her to the portfolio.

"We have discussions within our caucus and cabinet on Indigenous issues and not everybody has had the opportunity Ive had over the last two years to work with Indigenous people," Clarke said afterward.

"Ive had so many positive outcomes in the last two years, meetings with chiefs and councils. Ive spent a lot of time in their communities. Ive spent two full days at the Turtle Lodge in Sagkeeng learning about ceremony and culture," Clarke said. Turtle Lodge, a setting for elders to conduct traditional ceremonies, is located at Sagkeeng First Nation, 120 kilometres north of Winnipeg.

Clarke said shes taken her experiences back to cabinet and discussed them with her colleagues, including the premier. The Conservative caucus has also reached out.

"Weve had presentations within our caucus with (Indigenous advocate and filmmaker) Lisa Meeches on ceremonial dances and that, so our colleagues will understand the Indigenous ways," she added.

The circles are voluntary forums that started in Winnipeg two years ago as a way for non-Indigenous people to learn about Indigenous history, culture and practices and relations in Canada.

They've been held in rural Manitoba and Winnipeg. There's also been interest in southern Alberta, the first circle in Toronto starts after the holidays, and organizers here have a Skype date with prospective participants in Dawson Creek.

"People are really thirsty for reconciliation," said Raymond Currie, who is the projects founder and a dean emeritus with the faculty of arts at the University of Manitoba.

"Its a good vehicle for non-native people who want to get engaged with our people to break down some of the myths and unknowns out there," said Clayton Sandy, a member of Sioux Valley First Nation in western Manitoba who works closely with Currie as the Circle for Reconciliations Indigenous ambassador.

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca
Pinch of Salt: So much to be thankful for
OTTAWA  Lloyd Axworthy wants Winnipeg to take in some of Central Americas most vulnerable people, and help reverse a global tide of anti-refugee sentiment.

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This article was published 12/12/2018 (1082 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  Lloyd Axworthy wants Winnipeg to take in some of Central Americas most vulnerable people, and help reverse a global tide of anti-refugee sentiment.

"We're so blessed in our country with this security that we take for granted; there are people who have just lost it all," Axworthy said in a Wednesday phone interview from Marrakesh, Morocco.

MELISSA TAIT / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Canadas former minister for immigration and foreign affairs, Dr. Lloyd Axworthy, wants Canada to resettle Central American refugees who have fled their homes due to gang and domestic violence.

Canadas former minister for immigration and foreign affairs wants Canada to resettle Central American refugees who have fled their homes specifically due to gang and domestic violence, and thus can no longer claim asylum under American law.

The Winnipegger, a Liberal minister during the 1980s and '90s, spoke after a United Nations conference in Morocco, where countries endorsed an agreement that has attracted controversy in Ottawa and abroad.

Axworthy wants his hometown to be an example to the world in helping refugees, who become valued members of society.

"The United States has been, up until now, a very major resettlement country, but now theyre basically discriminating or biased against those who are most likely to be victims of violence, either domestically or from gangs," he told the Free Press.

Axworthy leads the World Refugee Council, a self-appointed body of two dozen global political figures, academics and civil-society representatives.

The former statesman visited the so-called caravan of Central American migrants in Mexico on Nov. 26, a day after U.S. border patrol agents fired tear gas at 500 people who rushed the crossing in San Diego, Calif.

REUTERS/KIM KYUNG-HOON A migrant family, part of a caravan of thousands traveling from Central America en route to the United States, runs away from tear gas in front of the border wall between the U.S and Mexico in Tijuana, Mexico in November.

While many in the caravan are seeking economic opportunity, others want to claim refugee status after fleeing persecution in their home countries. Yet since June, the Trump administration has blocked asylum seekers from making refugee claims on the basis of gang or domestic violence.

"I was really dismayed by discovering that the people in the camp, whom I was talking to, had really hit this kind of stone wall," he said.

"All of a sudden they discovered there is no option. They were just here in this makeshift camp on the border. And there is no possible recourse for going anywhere  they were just stuck."

Canada accepts asylum claims from people escaping proven gang violence and domestic abuse, but only when Canadian tribunals rule that the refugee cannot safely live in another part of their home country.

Axworthy said Winnipeg ought to step up for those in a bind.

Axworthy: Canada must push through anti-refugee headwind OTTAWA  On Monday, Canada was one of 163 countries who endorsed the Global Compact for Migration, which has attracted controversy worldwide. The United Nations pact was rejected by the United States, Australia and some eastern European countries. click to read more OTTAWA  On Monday, Canada was one of 163 countries who endorsed the Global Compact for Migration, which has attracted controversy worldwide. The United Nations pact was rejected by the United States, Australia and some eastern European countries. Former statesman Lloyd Axworthy was jolted by that opposition, while attending the conference for that agreement in Morocco this week. "Its been a really fascinating, while disturbing, experience. Because you can really pick up (that) a lot of the countries that should be fully endorsing this have pulled out, he said. It just shows that there's a lot of headwind running against the question of providing sanctuary for people who have been forcibly displaced. Tory Leader Andrew Scheer has been criticized by members of his own party for suggesting the pact would cede Canadas authority over refugee intake to the UN. The pact explicitly says countries ought to have sovereignty over their border and asylum policies, but better co-ordinate with each other. Axworthy feels the rhetoric around the aspirational pact ignores a brutal reality faced by millions. "We're so blessed in our country with this security that we take for granted, that there are people who have just lost it all. And thats what I think the whole refugee [system] is for." Axworthy said that when Canada and Germany started accepting Syrian refugees in 2015, it raised awareness of the millions seeking safety. I think Canada's leadership helped set things in motion, said Axworthy arguing the country did the same in welcoming boat people refugees who fled when the Vietnam War ended in 1975. He's hoping Canada comes through for Central American refugees who are barred from the United States. Im hoping to get an interest from the government; I know that this is not an easy thing to do. But it just struck me: Canadas been very good at bringing in refugees from different parts of the world; heres something happening in North America itself. Dylan Robertson Close

In the fall municipal election campaign, Mayor Brian Bowman pledged to make Winnipeg "an international leader" in "the promotion, protection, education as well as policy creation for human rights."

The mayor specifically mentioned crafting a newcomer-welcoming policy to help people access services, but did not specifically mention refugees.

"Maybe this is a way to fulfil that" promise, Axworthy said.

Bowman was not available for an interview Wednesday, but a spokesman said the mayor "would welcome the opportunity to discuss any proposal" from Axworthy and see what falls within municipal jurisdiction.

"Winnipeg already is an epicentre for welcoming people," spokesman Jonathan Hildebrand wrote, noting the citys role in welcoming Syrian refugees and provincial-nomination workers.

Axworthy floated the idea of welcoming Central American asylum seekers in a column published in Wednesday's Globe and Mail.

He said he hadnt shared the idea with many people beforehand. He was circumspect in answering a question about whether hed raised it specifically with Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen, saying hes had numerous talks with Hussen, Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and Trade Minister Jim Carr about ways to overhaul the refugee system.

Axworthy stressed that welcoming refugees requires a groundswell of support.

A spokesman for Hussen did not say whether the immigration minister had studied Axworthys proposal, but said Canada works with the United Nations to select which refugees get resettled, "which ensures that cases are properly reviewed and that applicants are being resettled in the country that best suits their circumstance," wrote Mathieu Genest.

"The selection of refugees is based on vulnerability, to ensure that we are protecting the people who need it the most," Genest said.

The World Refugee Council will describe its idea in more detail in a January report, which will outline ways to improve refugee resettlement and deter situations that cause people to flee their homes in the first place.

Last month, Axworthy unveiled another plank of the upcoming report  seizing assets dictators have "stuck in piggy banks across the world" for distribution to countries that house, feed and educate large numbers of refugees forced to flee those autoritarian regimes.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
Winnipeg-based licensed cannabis producer Bonify has issued a voluntary recall for some marijuana that was sold in Saskatchewan, citing a problem with paperwork that's meant to prove the drug passed laboratory testing for contamination.

This article was published 12/12/2018 (1082 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg-based licensed cannabis producer Bonify has issued a voluntary recall for some marijuana that was sold in Saskatchewan, citing a problem with paperwork that's meant to prove the drug passed laboratory testing for contamination.

The recall notice, issued December 7, covers two lots of cannabis dubbed "Cherry Lime" and "Warlock Kush". About 52 units of the Bonify product were sold at three different Saskatchewan cannabis stores in late November: Cannabis Co. in Regina, Spiritleaf in Moosejaw, and The Pot Shack in Saskatoon.

The recalled products "may not meet some of the microbial and chemical contaminant limits" set out by Canada's federal cannabis regulations, according to the notice.

A spokeswoman for federal cannabis regulator Health Canada explained that every lot of regulated cannabis must undergo testing for levels of naturally occuring microbial contaminants like bacteria, and some licensed cannabis producers do that testing through third-party analytical laboratories.

"The voluntary recall was initiated as Bonify could not verify that the lots in question had passed testing as the lot numbers were not present on the Certificate of Analysis," wrote Tammy Jarbeau in an emailed statement.

"Bonify has taken action to address this issue by notifying Health Canada, voluntarily recalling product from the marketplace, and continuing to investigate this incident. Health Canada is also reviewing this situation."

Bonify declined to be interviewed for this story, but provided a brief statement saying the recall was initiated "out of an abundance of caution to ensure the accuracy of the paperwork associated with this product released to Saskatchewan between November 20 and November 30."

Bloomberg photo by Trevor Hagan Marijuana plants grow at the Bonify facility in Winnipeg in 2017.

"No other provinces are affected and the voluntary recall only applies to this specific batch of dried cannabis," said Bonify's statement.

"We sincerely apologize to our customers for any inconvenience caused by this and, without question, hold the safety and quality of our products to the highest of standards."

Asked specifically whether the recalled cannabis had been tested by an analytical laboratory or not, a spokeswoman said Bonify wouldn't comment "until their internal review of the paperwork is complete."

Health Canada spokeswoman Tammy Jarbeau said federally-licensed cannabis companies that contravene federal regulations could be subject to regulatory actions that run the gamut from educational measures to formal warning letters, licence suspensions or cancellations, ministerial orders like recalls or tests, or administrative penalties of up to $1 million.

The Bonify recall is the second recall of government-regulated cannabis since the drug was legalized for recreational use in October. Ontario-based cannabis producer RedeCan issued a recall on November 30 for one lot of dried cannabis, sold in Ontario and B.C., that was found to contain mould.

Health Canada received one formal complaint about mould in RedeCan cannabis, according to a recall notice. The regulator hasn't received any complaints about Bonify's recalled product.

The lot numbers of the recalled Bonify cannabis are 2018-84-078 and 2018-84-079, and can be found on the original packaging.

solomon.israel@theleafnews.com

@sol_israel
Students in Quebec were striking in October to demand that internships be paid. Do they have a point?

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This article was published 13/12/2018 (1082 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

Students in Quebec were striking in October to demand that internships be paid. Do they have a point?

The issue is an emotional one. Some people swear by unpaid internships, especially those who have benefited from the arrangement. Others emphasize how equity issues are at stake when we assume students work for free.

For example, a Globe and Mail article from 2014 described the case of a recent graduate of a bachelors degree. He took an unpaid internshipwith a cash-strapped start-up to get much-needed work experience. He called it a defining point that got him on track.

The owner of the company said the company also benefited; it wouldnt have been able to achieve as much if the employer had "hired some random personfound online."

The company viewed the internship as a recruiting tool. People who benefit from unpaid internships see no problem with the arrangement.

Others feel just as strongly that internships be paid. Writing in 2016, Darren Walker, who was then-president of the Ford Foundation, noted that paid internships ensure equity of opportunity.

He was making the point that young people from financially comfortable homes can afford to intern for weeks or months because their parents can help subsidize the living expenses that a salary would cover. Students from less advantaged backgrounds cannot.

The striking students in Quebec have mentioned they either have to forgo paid work or work extensive overtime during unpaid internships.

Do whatever is needed?

This emotional argument probably wont answer the question of whether students have a right to be paid for internships. Rather, issues of definition, law and economic benefit will.

The first issue is the most basic: What is the purpose of an internship, and how does it differ from basic schooling? In an analysis of definitions, Concordia University PhD student Ingy Bakir and I found little agreement about internship responsibilities.

Points of variation include: Who is an intern (current students, graduates)? How long should the internship be (weeks, months)? What is the structure of the work experience: Are there clearly defined duties, or can interns be expected to do whatever is needed?

But the definitions, however, converge on one key point: Internships provide clinical or practical job experience and help people transfer their academic learning into real work environments. Internships are both work and learning experiences.

Although the law varies among jurisdictions, it offers a clearer, simpler definition. According to law firm Gowling WLG, most provincial labour codes consider interns to be employees if they perform work for the organization; they receive direction from the organisation; and the employer benefits from that work.

The only exception is students who are performing their internships as part of an academic program. Most provincial labour codes, including Quebecs, include this exemption.

One could argue, then, that the law permits unpaid internships.

Agree to compensate

A second issue is whether all student work experiences are unpaid. Not even close. Financial compensation is central to co-operative education, another work-study arrangement.

Co-ops alternate study terms with work terms. During the work terms, they are placed in paid positions.

Many student interns are also compensated. The most popular component of the program in which I teach is an internship. Because the demand for our interns often outstrips supply, nearly all employers pay. And as happens in most competitive labour markets, employers who do not want to pay receive few or poor-quality applicants and eventually agree to compensate.

Who benefits?

The third issue is whether the employer is profiting from the interns labour. On an individual level, that depends on the effectiveness of the intern in the job. More broadly, however, the answer is yes or employers wouldnt take on interns.

The primary argument against paying interns, however, is that employers incur corresponding expenses. Some employers argue that internships are a training expense and, as a result, they cannot afford both provide training and compensation. But thats mostly an issue if the fit is not great and employers have to invest significantly in time-consuming supervision.

But that inability to afford both might simply be a choice. Conference Board of Canada figures suggest that Canadian employers are increasingly tight-fisted with training investments, reducing per-employee annual investments from a high of $1,116 in 1993 to just $889 in 2017.

Other employers view internships as a recruiting cost. After interviewing, they try out workers for a few weeks or months unpaid to see how they perform. But is it fair to expect a prospective employee to forgo weeks of paid work so the employer can reduce its recruiting and training expense? Could a prospective employee who already has a full-time job do the same?

In other words, the students have a point.

Certainly colleges and universities can prevent employers from posting unpaid internships on campus. But some professions require clinical education to earn a licence. Agreements between universities and other parties allow those internships to be unpaid. Changing that practice will be more challenging.

Besides, the core problem lies in a loophole in the labour code that permits unpaid internships for students while preventing them for others. Students are well-advised to set their sights on that target.

And legal or not, unpaid internships are likely to continue as long as people face barriers breaking into the workforce and some employers see the opportunity for free labour.

Saul Carliner is a professor of education at Concordia University.

This article was first published at The Conversation Canada: theconversation.com/ca.
WASHINGTON - Abandoned by two of his most powerful protectors, President Donald Trump insisted Thursday that he did not violate campaign finance laws and that the liability for hush-money payments to two women alleging affairs with him rests with his former fixer, Michael Cohen.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/12/2018 (1082 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In this Dec. 12, 2018, photo, Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer, leaves federal court after his sentencing in New York. Trump has gone from denying knowledge of any payments to women who claim to have been mistresses to apparent acknowledgement of those hush money settlements Ai though he claims they wouldn't be illegal. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

WASHINGTON - Abandoned by two of his most powerful protectors, President Donald Trump insisted Thursday that he did not violate campaign finance laws and that the liability for hush-money payments to two women alleging affairs with him rests with his former fixer, Michael Cohen.

Both Cohen and American Media Inc., the company that owns the National Enquirer tabloid, now say they made hush-money payments to a porn actress and a Playboy Playmate for the purpose of helping Trump's 2016 White House bid, a campaign finance violation. Trump, in recent months, has gone from denying knowledge of any payments to saying they would have been private transactions that weren't illegal. He offered yet another explanation Thursday.

"I never directed him to do anything wrong," Trump said of Cohen in an interview with Fox News. "Whatever he did, he did on his own."

Federal prosecutors say the payments were made at Trump's direction. The president, reiterating his claim that he is victim of an overzealous investigation, also argued that any payments were unrelated to his presidential campaign and thus not a violation of federal law.

"Nobody except for me would be looked at like this," Trump said.

Trump tweeted earlier Thursday that Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance charges "in order to embarrass the president and get a much reduced prison sentence." The president claimed the charges were "unrelated to me."

"In retrospect, I made a mistake" in hiring Cohen, Trump told Fox News. "I hire usually good people."

Although prosecutors have implicated Trump in a crime, they haven't directly accused him of one, and it's not clear that they could bring charges against a sitting president even if they want to because of Justice Department protocol.

Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer, leaves federal court after his sentencing in New York, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018. Cohen was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison for an array of crimes that included arranging the payment of hush money to two women that he says was done at the direction of Trump. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

Nonetheless, Trump's changing explanations have clouded the public understanding of what occurred and are running head-on into facts agreed to by prosecutors, AMI and Cohen, who pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations and other crimes and was sentenced on Wednesday .

"You now have a second defendant or group of defendants saying that these payments were made for the primary purpose of influencing the election, and that it was done in co-ordination with Trump and his campaign," said Rick Hasen, an election law expert at the University of California, Irvine.

Trump's first explanation of the payment that would eventually help lead Cohen to a three-year prison sentence came at 35,000 feet (10,700 metres) over West Virginia.

Returning to Washington on Air Force One on April 6, Trump for the first time answered questions about the reports of $130,000 in hush-money paid to porn actress Stormy Daniels, issuing a blanket denial to reporters while saying they would "have to ask Michael Cohen."

Three days later, the FBI raided Cohen's office, seizing records on topics including the payment to Daniels. Furious, Trump called the raid a "disgrace" and said the FBI "broke into" his lawyer's office. He also tweeted that "Attorney-client privilege is dead!"

The raid was overseen by the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan and arose from a referral from special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian election interference and potential co-ordination with the Trump campaign. In May, Trump and his attorneys began saying Cohen received a monthly retainer from which he made payments for nondisclosure agreements like the one with Daniels. In a series of tweets, Trump said that those agreements are "very common among celebrities and people of wealth" and that "this was a private agreement."

People familiar with the investigation say Cohen secretly recorded Trump discussing a potential payment for former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal two months before the election. On the tape, Cohen is heard saying that he needed to start a company "for the transfer of all of that info regarding our friend David," a possible reference to David Pecker, Trump's friend and president of AMI.

When Cohen began to discuss financing, Trump interrupted him and asked, "What financing?"

"We'll have to pay," Cohen responded.

Prosecutors announced Wednesday that AMI acknowledged making one of those payments "in concert" with the Trump campaign to protect him from a story that could have hurt his candidacy. The company avoided prosecution under a deal with prosecutors.

In August, Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations and other charges, saying he and Trump arranged the payment of hush money to Daniels and McDougal to influence the election. That next day, Trump argued that making the payments wasn't a crime and that the matter was a civil dispute, then took a swipe at his former employee.

"If anyone is looking for a good lawyer, I would strongly suggest that you don't retain the services of Michael Cohen!" he tweeted.

Earlier this week, Trump compared his situation to one involving President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign. The Federal Election Commission, which typically handles smaller campaign finance violations when the actions aren't wilful and with civil penalties that are typically fines, docked the Obama campaign $375,000 for regulatory civil violations. The fines stemmed from the campaign's failure to report a batch of contributions, totalling nearly $1.9 million, on time in the final days of the campaign.

But legal analysts said the accusations against Trump could amount to a felony because they revolve around an alleged conspiracy to conceal payments from campaign contribution reports  and from voters. It's unclear what federal prosecutors in New York will decide to do if they conclude that there is evidence that Trump himself committed a crime.

The Justice Department, in opinions issued by its Office of Legal Counsel, has said a sitting president cannot be indicted because a criminal case would interfere with the duties of the commander in chief. Prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, and with Mueller's office, would presumably be bound by that legal guidance unless the Justice Department were to nullify the opinions.

For the payments themselves to be a crime rather than a civil infraction, prosecutors would need to show that Trump knew that what he was doing was wrong when he directed Cohen to pay the women and that he did so with the goal of benefiting his campaign.

Trump has not yet laid out a detailed defence, though he could conceivably argue that the payments were made not for the purposes of advancing his campaign but rather to prevent sex stories from emerging that would be personally humiliating to him and harm his marriage.

That argument was advanced by former Sen. John Edwards, a North Carolina Democrat, in a similar campaign finance case that went to trial. But that may be tougher for Trump than it was for Edwards given the proximity of the president's payment to the election  timing that, on its face, suggests a link between the money and his political ambitions.

Still, the cases aren't always easy, as proved by the 2012 trial of Edwards. Jurors acquitted Edwards on one charge of accepting illegal campaign contributions but couldn't reach a verdict on the five remaining counts, including conspiracy and making false statements. Prosecutors elected not to retry Edwards, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee in 2004 and a candidate for president in 2004 and 2008.

___

Follow Lemire on Twitter at http://twitter.com/@JonLemire and Tucker at http://twitter.com/@etuckerAP
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The following companies are subsidiares of Accenture: 2nd Road, 2nd Road Pty Ltd., ?What If!, ?What If! China Holdings Ltd, ?What If! Holdings Limited, ?What If! Innovation Singapore Holdings Pte, ?What If! Limited, ?What If! Shanghai Co. Ltd, ?What If! USA LLC, ACN Consulting Co Ltd, AD Dialeto Agencia de Publicidade SA, AD.Dialeto (Digital Agency acquired by Accenture), AGS Business and Technology Services Limited, ASM Research Inc., ASM Research LLC, ATAN, Accenture (Beijing) Mobile Technology Co Ltd, Accenture (Botswana) (Proprietary) Limited, Accenture (China) Co Ltd, Accenture (Shenzhen) Technology Co. Ltd., Accenture (South Africa) (Proprietary) Limited, Accenture (South Africa) Pty Limited, Accenture (UK) Ltd, Accenture 2 Business Process Services S.A., Accenture 2 LLC, Accenture A/S, Accenture AB, Accenture AG, Accenture AS, Accenture Africa Pty Ltd, Accenture Australia Holding B.V., Accenture Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, Accenture Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture Azerbaijan Ltd, Accenture BPM Operations Support Services S.A., Accenture BPM S.C.R.L., Accenture BV, Accenture Branch Holdings B.V., Accenture Bulgaria EOOD, Accenture Business Services for Utilities Inc, Accenture Business Services of British Columbia Limited Partnership, Accenture Business and Technology Services LLC, Accenture C.A, Accenture CAS GmbH, Accenture Canada Holdings Inc., Accenture Capital DAC, Accenture Capital Inc, Accenture Central Europe B.V., Accenture Chile Asesorias y Servicios Ltda, Accenture Cloud Services GmbH, Accenture Cloud Software Solutions Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions LLC, Accenture Cloud Solutions Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Co Ltd, Accenture Co Ltd., Accenture Communications Infrastructure Solutions Ltd, Accenture Company Ltd, Accenture Consulting Services Ltd Tanzania, Accenture Consultores de Gestao S.A., Accenture Consultoria de Industria e Consumo Ltda, Accenture Consultoria de Recursos Naturais Ltda, Accenture Credit Services LLC, Accenture Customer Services Distribution SAS, Accenture Customer Services Limited, Accenture Danismanlik Limited Sirketi, Accenture Defined Benefit Pension Plan Trustees Ltd, Accenture Defined Contribution Pension Plan Trustees Ltd, Accenture Delivery Poland sp. z o.o., Accenture Dienstleistungen GmbH, Accenture Digital France Holdings SA, Accenture Digital Holdings GmbH, Accenture East Africa Limited, Accenture Ecuador S.A., Accenture Egypt LLC, Accenture Enterprise Development (Shanghai) Co Ltd., Accenture Federal Services LLC, Accenture Finance (Gibraltar) III Ltd, Accenture Finance GmbH, Accenture Finance GmbH in liquidation, Accenture Finance II GmbH, Accenture Finance II GmbH in liquidation, Accenture Finance II Ltd, Accenture Finance Limited, Accenture Finance and Accounting BPO Services S.p.A., Accenture Finance and Accounting Services Srl, Accenture Flex LLC, Accenture GP LLC, Accenture Ghana Limited, Accenture Global Holdings Ltd., Accenture Global Services Ltd, Accenture Global Solutions Ltd, Accenture GmbH, Accenture HR Services Ltd, Accenture HR Services S.p.A., Accenture Healthcare Processing Inc., Accenture Holding GmbH, Accenture Holding GmbH & Co. KG, Accenture Holding GmbH in liquidation, Accenture Holdings (Iberia) S.L., Accenture Holdings B.V., Accenture Holdings France SAS, Accenture Holdings plc, Accenture Hungary Holdings Kft, Accenture Inc, Accenture Industrial Software Limited Liability Company (Accenture Endustriyel Yazylym Cozumleri Limited irketi), Accenture Industrial Software Limited Liability Company (Accenture Endustriyel Yazlm Cozumleri Limited Sirketi), Accenture Industrial Software Solutions Kft, Accenture Industrial Software Solutions SA, Accenture Insurance Services LLC, Accenture Insurance Services SAS, Accenture Insurance Services SpA, Accenture International BV, Accenture International Capital SCA, Accenture International LLC, Accenture International Limited, Accenture International Sarl, Accenture Japan Ltd, Accenture Korea BV, Accenture LLC, Accenture LLP, Accenture Lanka (Private) Ltd, Accenture Limited, Accenture Ltd, Accenture Ltda, Accenture Maghreb S.a.r.l., Accenture Managed Services SRL, Accenture Managed Services SpA, Accenture Management GmbH, Accenture Middle East B.V, Accenture Middle East BV, Accenture Minority I BV, Accenture Minority III Ltd, Accenture Mozambique Limitada, Accenture Mzansi (Pty) Ltd, Accenture NV/SA, Accenture NZ Limited, Accenture Newco LLC, Accenture Nova Scotia Unlimited Liability Co., Accenture OOO, Accenture Operations Sp. z o.o., Accenture Outsourcing SRL, Accenture Outsourcing Services, Accenture Outsourcing Services S.A., Accenture Oy, Accenture Panama Inc, Accenture Participations BV, Accenture Participations II Limited, Accenture Peru S.R.L, Accenture Peru S.R.L., Accenture Post Trade Processing SAS, Accenture Post-Trade Processing Limited, Accenture Process Ltd, Accenture Product Lifecycle Services, Accenture Properties, Accenture Pte Ltd, Accenture Puerto Rico LLC, Accenture S.A., Accenture S.C., Accenture S.L., Accenture S.R.L., Accenture SAS, Accenture SG Services Pte Ltd, Accenture SRL, Accenture Saudi Arabia Limited, Accenture Sendirian Berhad, Accenture Service Center SRL, Accenture Services (Mauritius) Ltd, Accenture Services AB, Accenture Services AG, Accenture Services AS, Accenture Services GmbH, Accenture Services Ltd, Accenture Services Morocco SA, Accenture Services Oy, Accenture Services Pty Ltd, Accenture Services S.r.l., Accenture Services SRL, Accenture Services Sp. z o.o., Accenture Services Sp. z.o.o., Accenture Services and Technology Srl, Accenture Services fur Kreditinstitute GmbH, Accenture Services s.r.o., Accenture Servicos Administrativos Ltda, Accenture Servicos de Suporte de Negocios Ltda, Accenture Solutions Co Ltd, Accenture Solutions Private Limited, Accenture Solutions Pte Ltd, Accenture Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Solutions Sdn Bhd, Accenture Sp. z o.o., Accenture Sp. z.o.o., Accenture SpA, Accenture State Healthcare Services LLC, Accenture Sub II Inc., Accenture Sub Inc, Accenture Sub LLC, Accenture Systems Integration Limited, Accenture Sarl, Accenture Tanacsado Kolatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Accenture Tanacsado Kolatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag KFT, Accenture Technologia, Accenture Technologia Consultoria e Outsourcing S.A., Accenture Technology Infrastructure Services Pty Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions (Dalian) Co Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions (HK) Co. Ltd., Accenture Technology Solutions (Thailand) Co. Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions - Solucoes Informaticas Integradas, Accenture Technology Solutions - Solucoes Informaticas Integradas S.A., Accenture Technology Solutions GmbH, Accenture Technology Solutions Oy, Accenture Technology Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions S.A. de C.V., Accenture Technology Solutions SAS, Accenture Technology Solutions SRL, Accenture Technology Solutions Sdn. Bhd., Accenture Technology Solutions Slovakia s.r.o., Accenture Technology Ventures BV, Accenture Technology Ventures S.P.R.L., Accenture Uruguay SRL, Accenture Vietnam Co., Accenture Vietnam Co. LTD, Accenture Zambia Limited, Accenture do Brasil Limitada, Accenture plc, Accenture s.r.o., Acceria, Acquity Customer Insight Limited, Acquity Group, Adaptly LLC, Adaptly UK Limited, AddVal Technology, Adqptly, Advantium Inc., Agave Consultants Limited, Agilex Technologies Inc., Allen International, Allen International Consulting Group Ltd, Alnova Technologies Corporation S.L., AlphaBeta Advisors, Altima, Altima Asia Ltd., Altima SAS, Altitude, Altitude LLC, Analytics 8 LP, Analytics 8 Pty Ltd, Analytics8, Aorui Advertising (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Apis, Appaloosa Technology SAS, Arca, Ariba - BPO, Arismore, Aspiro Solutions (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Avanade, Avanade (Guangzhou) Computer Technology Development Co. Ltd., Avanade (Thailand) Co Ltd, Avanade Asia Pte Ltd, Avanade Australia Pty Ltd, Avanade Belgium SPRL, Avanade Canada Inc., Avanade Denmark A/S, Avanade Denmark ApS, Avanade Deutschland GmbH, Avanade Europe Holdings Ltd, Avanade Europe Services Ltd, Avanade Federal Services LLC, Avanade Finland Oy, Avanade France SAS, Avanade GZ Computer Technology Development Co. Ltd. (SH), Avanade Guangzhou, Avanade Holdings LLC, Avanade Hong Kong Ltd, Avanade International Corporation, Avanade Ireland Limited, Avanade Italy SRL, Avanade KK, Avanade Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avanade Netherlands BV, Avanade Norway AS, Avanade Poland Sp. z o.o., Avanade Poland Sp. z.o.o., Avanade Schweiz GmbH, Avanade South Africa, Avanade South Africa Pty Ltd, Avanade Spain SL, Avanade Sweden AB, Avanade UK Ltd, Avanade do Brasil Limitada, Avanade Osterreich GmbH, AvantBiz Consulting Limited, Avenai, Axia Ltd., BABCN LLC, BCT Solutions, BCT Solutions Pty Ltd, BPO Servicos Administrativos Ltda, BRIDGE Energy Group, Beacon Consulting Group Inc., Beijing Genesis Interactive Technology Co. Ltd., Benext, Bionic, Blue Horseshoe, Boomerang Pharmaceutical Communications, Boomerang Pharmaceuticals Communications Ireland Limited, Bow & Arrow, Brand Learning, Brand Learning Group Limited, Brand Learning LLC, Brand Learning Ltd, Brand Learning Partners Limited, Brand Learning Pte Limited, Bridge Energy Group LLC, Brightstep AB, Byte Prophecy, CAS, CRMWaypoint, CadenceQuest Inc., Capable Marketer Limited, Capgemini - North American health practice, Capital Consultancy Services Inc., Certus Solutions Consulting Services Ltd, Certus Solutions Ltd, ChangeTrack Research Pty Ltd., Chaotic Moon Studios, Chengdu Mensa Advertising Co. Ltd., Cimation, Cimation UK Limited, Cirruseo, Cirruseo SAS, Clarity Insights, Clearhead, Clearhead Group, Clearhead Group LLC, ClientHouse GmbH, Cloud Sherpas, Cloud Sherpas (GA) LLC, Cloud Sherpas (SN) (PTE.) Limited, Cloud Sherpas New Zealand Ltd., Cloud Talent Limited, Cloudsherpas, Cloudsherpas Inc., Cloudworks, Codagenic Pty. Ltd., Computer Research and Telecommunications LLC, Concrete Desenvolvimento de Sistemas Ltda., Concrete Solutions, Concrete Solutions Ltda., Context Information Security, Coritel S.A., Corliant Inc., CreativeDrive, CustomerWorks Europe SL, Cutting Edge Solutions Ltd, D5 Global Holdings LLC, DAZ Systems Inc, DAZ Systems LLC, DAZSI Systems (India) Pvt. Ltd., DMA Solutions Limited, Davies Consulting, DayNine Consulting, DayNine Consulting (Australia) PTY LTD, DayNine Consulting (Deutschland) GmbH, DayNine Consulting (New Zealand) Limited, DayNine Consulting France SAS, DayNine Consulting Japan K.K., DayNine Consulting LLC, Declarative Holdings, Declarative Holdings LLC, Defense Point Security, Deja vu Security, Design Strategy and Research de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Designaffairs LLC, Digiplug S.A.S., Digiplug SAS, Digital Consulting & Software Services LLC, Droga5, Droga5 LLC, Droga5 Studios LLC, Droga5 UK Ltd., Duck Creek Technologies, Duck Creek Technologies LLC, Deja Vu Security LLC, ESR Labs, Elcurator SAS, Enaxis Consulting, Enaxis Consulting L.P., End-to-End Analytics, Energuia Web, Energuia Web S.A., Energy Management Brokers Ltd., Energy Quote Private Ltd., EnergyQuote JHA, EnergyQuote JHA Ltd., EnergyQuote Trading Ltd., Enimbos, Enkitec, Enterprise System Partners, Enterprise System Partners B.V. , Enterprise System Partners Bilisim Danismanlik Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Enterprise System Partners Global Corporation, Enterprise System Partners Limited, Enterprise System Partners PR LLC, Enterprise System Partners S.A.S., Entropia, Epylon, Ethica Consulting Group, Evopro Group, Exactside Limited, Exton Consulting, Fairway Technologies Inc, Fairway Technologies LLC, Filmproduction ApS, First Annapolis Consulting, First Annapolis Consulting Inc., First Annapolis Consulting LLC, First Annapolis International, Fjord, Focus Group Europe, Focus Group Europe Limited, Formicary, Formicary Holdings Limited, Formicary Limited, FusionX, FutureMove Automotive, Gapso Servicos de Informatica Ltda., Genfour, Genfour Limited, George Group Consulting L.P., Gestalt LLC, Gestion Altima Canada Inc., Gevity, Global Public Firm S.L., GlobalView SAS, GoodFilm GmbH Filmproduktion Stuttgart, H.B. Maynard and Co. Inc., HRC Retail Advisory, Hagberg Consulting Group, Hangzhou Aiyunzhe Technology Co. Ltd., Happen, Hjaltelin Stahl, Hjaltelin Stahl K/S, Hytracc Consulting AS, Hytracc Consulting Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Hytracc Consulting UK Limited, Hytracc Holding AS, I-Faber S.p.A., IBB Consulting, IMJ Corp, IMJ Corporation, INCAD, INSITUM, IT One Company Limited, ITBS Servicios Bancarios de Tecnologia de la Informacion SL, Icon Integration, Imagine Broadband (USA) Ltd, Imagine Broadband USA LLC, Imaginea Inc, Industrie&Co, Infoman AG, Infoman Schweiz AG, Informatica de Euskadi S.L., Infusion Development Inc., Infusion Development UK Limited, InfusionDev LLC, Innoveer Solutions India Pvt Ltd, Insitum Consultoria Argentina SRL, Insitum Consultoria Brasil LTDA, Insitum Consultoria Colombia SAS, Insitum Consultoria Europa SL, Insitum Consultoria Peru SAC, Insitum Consultoria S.A. de C.V., Intrepid, Intrigo Systems Inc, Intrigo Systems India Pvt. Limited, Intrigo Systems LLC, Inventor Advertisement (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Inventor Technology Limited, InvestTech, Investtech Systems Consulting LLC, Javelin Group, Javelin Group (Bulgaria) EOOD, Javelin Group Limited (UK), Javelin Group SASU, K Comms Group Limited, KCS.net AG, KCS.net AG West, KCS.net Deutschland GmbH, KCS.net Holding AG, KCS.net Osterreich GmbH, Kaper Communications Limited, Karma Communications Debtco Limited, Karma Communications Group Limited, Karma Communications Holdings Limited, Karmarama, Karmarama Comms Limited, Karmarama Limited, Knowledge Rules Inc., Knowledgent, Knowledgent Group LLC, Kogentix, Kogentix LLC, Kogentix Ltd, Kogentix Singapore Pte. Ltd, Kogentix Technologies Private Limited, Kolle Rebbe, Kolle Rebbe GmbH, Kream Comms Limited, Kunstmaan, Kunstmaan NV, Kurt Salmon, Kurt Salmon Canada LTD, Kurt Salmon UKI, Kurt Salmon UKI Ltd., Kurt Salmon US LLC, LEXTA, LINKBYNET, LabAnswer, LabAnswer Government, LemonXL Limited, Logistics Market Place Limited (UK), Loud & Clear Creative Pty Ltd, MAXIM Systems Inc., MCG US Holdings LLC, Mackevision CG Technology and Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Mackevision Corporation, Mackevision Japan Co. Ltd., Mackevision Korea Ltd, Mackevision Medien Design, Mackevision Medien Design GmbH, Mackevision Singapore Pte. Ltd., Mackevision UK Ltd, Maglan, Maglan Information Defense Technologies Research Ltd., Maihiro, Matter, Matter Llc, Maud Corp Pty Limited, Maxamine International, Media Audits Ltd., Media Hive, Mediasenz Pty Ltd., Meredith Specialty LLC, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing Corporation, Meridian Informed Purchasing Ltd., Mindtribe, Mindtribe Product Engineering LLC, MobGen, MobGen Technology S.L, Moonrise NV, Mortgage Cadence, Mortgage Cadence an Accenture Company, Most Champion Ltd, Mudano, N3 LLC, NBS Marketing Inc., NYTEC, Nanjing Demeng Advertising Co. Ltd., Nashco Consulting, NaviSys Inc., NellArmonia, Neo Metrics Analytics S.L., Neo Metrics Chile, Neo Metrics Chile S.A., New Content, New Content Chile SpA, New Content Editora e Produtora Ltda., New Energy Aborda, New Energy Associates Ltd, New Energy Group, New Energy S.r.l., NewsPage, NewsPage (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, NewsPage China Ltd., NewsPage Pte Ltd, Nice Agency Limited, Northstream, Northstream AB, Northstream Holding AB, OCTO Technology, OPS Rules Management Consultants, Octagon Research Solutions Inc., Octo Technology LTDA, Octo Technology Pty Ltd, Octo Technology SA, Octo Technology SPRL, Octoman SAS, Odgaard ApS, Olikka, Openmind, Openminded, Operaciones Accenture S.A. de C.V., OpusLine, Orbium, Orbium Consulting Ltd, Orbium GmbH, Orbium Holding AG, Orbium Inc., Orbium International AG, Orbium International sp. z o.o., Orbium Licences AG, Orbium Limited, Orbium Pte. Ltd., Orbium Pty Ltd, Orbium Services sp. z o.o., Orbium Sarl, Origin Digital, PCO Innovation, PCO Innovation Canada Inc., PCO Innovation EURL, PIXO PUNCH Limited, PLM Systems S.r.l, POC Holdings, PRION GmbH, PT Accenture, PT Asta Catur Indra, PT Kogentix Teknologi Indonesia, Pach Invest SARL, Pach Invest SAS, PacificLink Group, PacificLink iMedia Ltd., Paja Finanssipalvelut Oy, Parker Fitzgerald Inc, Parker Fitzgerald Inc., Parker Fitzgerald International Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Limited, Parker Fitzgerald PTY Ltd, Parker Fitzgerald Services Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Solutions Limited, Partners Technology Mexico Holdings BV, Pecaso Ltd., Pegasus Production K/S, Perseroan Terbatas. Accenture, Phase One Consulting Group, Pillar Technology, Pollux, Pragsis Bidoop, Pragsis Bidoop UK Ltd, Pragsis Technologies S.L, PrimeQ, PrimeQ Australia Pty Ltd, PrimeQ Ltd, PrimeQ NZ Pty Ltd, Procurian Germany GmbH, Procurian Inc., Procurian International I LLC, Procurian International II LLC, Procurian LLC, Procurian Singapore Pte. Ltd., Procurian Switzerland GmbH, Procurian USA LLC, Proquire LLC, PureApps Ltd., Qi Jie Beijing Information Technologies Co Ltd, Radiant Services, Radiant Services LLC, Random Walk Computing Inc., Reactive Media Limited, Reactive Media Pty Ltd., Real Protect, Realworld OO Systems Ltd., Redcore, Redcore (Asia) Pte Ltd, Redcore (India) Private Limited (India), Redcore (New Zealand) Limited, Redcore Group Holdings Pty Ltd, Redcore Pty Ltd, Renacentis IT Services, Revolutionary Security, RiskControl, Rothco, Rothco Holdings Designated Activity Company, Rothco Unlimited Company, S.C. EnergyQuote S.r.l., S3 TV Technology Limited, S3 TV Technology Ltd., SEC Servizi, SEC Servizi S.p.A., SOPIA Corp., Sagacious Consultants, Sagacious Consultants LLC, Salt Solutions, Sanchez Capital Services Pvt Ltd, Schlumberger Business Consulting, Seabury Airline Planning Group, Seabury Aviation & Aerospace (UK) Limited, Seabury Aviation & Aerospace Asia (Hong Kong) Limited, Seabury Aviation Consulting LLC, Seabury Cargo Advisory B.V., Seabury Consulting, Seabury Corporate Advisors LLC, Seabury Human Capital LLC, Seabury Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Seabury Structured Finance LLC, Search Technologies BPO, Search Technologies BPO Inc., Search Technologies GmbH, Search Technologies International LLC, Search Technologies LATAM, Search Technologies LATAM S.A., Search Technologies LLC, Search Technologies Limited, Sente Partners LLC, Sentelis, Servicios Tecnicos de Programacion Accenture S.C., Shackleton, Shackleton Barcelona S.L., Shackleton Chile S.A., Shackleton Madrid S.L., Shackleton S.A., Shanghai Baiyue Advertising Co. Ltd., Shun Zhe Technology Development Co. Ltd., Silveo, Simian Pty Limited, SinnerSchrader, SinnerSchrader AG, SinnerSchrader Commerce GmbH, SinnerSchrader Content GmbH, SinnerSchrader Deutschland GmbH, SinnerSchrader Praha s.r.o., SinnerSchrader Swipe GmbH, Sistemes Consulting S.L., Solutions IQ, Solutions IQ LLC, SolutionsIQ, SolutionsIQ India Consulting Services Private Limited, Storm Digital, Storm Digital B.V., Structure Consulting Group, Structure Consulting Group LLC, Sutter Mills, Systor AG, TQuila Limited (UK), Tadata Creative Unlimited Company, Tara Insurance DAC, Tara Risk DAC, TargetST8, TargetST8 Consulting LLC, Tech - Avanade Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Tecnilogica Ecosistemas S.A., Tecnilogica Ltd., Tecnilogica, The Brand Learning Partners Limited, The Callisto Integration Corporation, The Monkeys, The Monkeys Pty Limited, The Myrtle Group, Total Logistics, Total Logistics Supply Chain Consultants Limited, Tquila, Trivadis AG, Troop Studios Pty Ltd, VanBerlo, Verax Solutions, Verax Solutions Corporation, Vertical Retail Consulting (Shanghai) Ltd., Vertical Retail Consulting Hong Kong, Vertical Retail Consulting Hong Kong Ltd., Vertical Retail Consulting Ltd., Vivere Brasil Servicos e Solucoes SA, Vivere Brasil Solucoes De Credito Ltda., Wabion GmbH, Weblinc Pty Ltd, Wire Stone, Wire Stone LLC, Wire Stone Sarl, Wolox, Workforce Insight, Yesler, Zag, Zenta, Zenta Global Philippines, Zenta Global Philippines Inc., Zenta Mortgage Services LLC, Zenta Recoveries Inc, Zenta US Holdings Inc., Zielpuls, Zielpuls (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zielpuls GmbH, avVenta, designaffairs, designaffairs Business Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., designaffairs GmbH, designaffairs group China Co. Ltd., dgroup, i4C Analytics, iDefense, and solid-serVision.com GmbH.
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..
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Biden Warns: China Could "Eat Our Lunch" When it Comes to Lithium

Pres. Biden recently warned about China's dominance when it comes to lithium demand, stating, "if we don't get moving, they're going to eat our lunch." One junior mining company in South America is looking to become a strong link in the lithium supply chain due to a monster acquisition.
Aurubis AG provides non-ferrous metals worldwide. It processes complex metal concentrates, scrap metals, and organic and inorganic metal-bearing recycling materials, and industrial residues to produce metals. The company produces continuous cast, directly cast, and oxygen-free copper rods, as well as various drawn products; a range of materials in round and square cross-sections, and various dimensions under the AURUBIS SHAPES brand; and copper-based architectural products and services for the building and construction industry, such as flat copper sheets, as well as prefabricated systems for facades, roofs, and rainwater systems. It also provides industrial rolled products, including connector strips, radiator strips, sheets, plates and circles, and pre-rolled strips; cathodes; bars and profiles comprising flat bars, round bars, segments, profiles, and hollow profiles; copper bars and profiles; precious metals consisting of gold and silver; and sulfuric acid, iron silicate, selenium, and lead. In addition, the company engages in the recycling of copper, precious metals, and other non-ferrous metals; and material recycling activity for copper. Further, it offers metals comprising tellurium metal, tellurium dioxide, selenium, lead-bismuth, and lead-antimony alloys. The company serves cable and wire, construction, machinery and plant engineering, transport, chemistry, and other industries. The company was formerly known as Norddeutsche Affinerie AG and changed its name to Aurubis AG in April 2009. Aurubis AG was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany.

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iShares Morningstar Value ETF's stock was trading at $93.53 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, JKF stock has increased by 30.6% and is now trading at $122.19.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.
Bank of America Corp. is a bank and financial holding company, which engages in the provision of banking and nonbank financial services. It operates through the following segments: Consumer Banking, Global Wealth and Investment Management, Global Banking, Global Markets, and All Other. The Consumer Banking segment offers credit, banking, and investment products and services to consumers and small businesses. The Global Wealth and Investment Management provides client experience through a network of financial advisors focused on to meet their needs through a full set of investment management, brokerage, banking, and retirement products. The Global Banking segment deals with lending-related products and services, integrated working capital management and treasury solutions to clients, and underwriting and advisory services. The Global Markets segment includes sales and trading services, as well as research, to institutional clients across fixed-income, credit, currency, commodity, and equity businesses. The All Other segment consists of asset and liability management activities, equity investments, non-core mortgage loans and servicing activities, the net impact of periodic revisions

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Bank of Georgia Group PLC, through its subsidiaries, provides various banking products and services in Georgia. It operates through three segments: Retail Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking, and BNB. The Retail Banking segment offers consumer loans, mortgage loans, overdrafts, credit cards, and other credit facilities; funds transfer and settlement services; and customers' deposits for individuals and legal entities under the Express, Bank of Georgia, MSME, and SOLO brands. It primarily serves retail, and mass retail and affluent segments, as well as small and medium enterprises, and micro businesses. The Corporate Investment Banking segment offers loans and other credit facilities, funds transfers and settlement services, trade finance services, and documentary operations support services; and handles saving and term deposits for corporate and institutional customers, as well as provides private banking services to high net worth clients. The BNB segment offers retail and corporate banking services to clients in Belarus. As of December 31, 2020, it operated 206 retail branches, 960 automated teller machines, and 3,020 Express Pay terminals. The company was incorporated in 2017 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

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Brookdale Senior Living, Inc. engages in the operation of senior living communities. The firm manages independent living, assisted living and dementia-care communities and continuing care retirement centers. It operates through the following segments: Independent Living Assisted Living & Memory Care, CCRCs, Health Care Services and Management Services. The Independent Living segment is primarily designed for middle to upper income seniors who desire an upscale residential environment providing the highest quality of service. The Assisted Living & Memory Care segment offer housing and 24-hour assistance with ADLs to mid-acuity frail and elderly residents. The CCRCs segment offers a variety of living arrangements and services to accommodate all levels of physical ability and health. The Healthcare Services segment provides home health, hospice and outpatient therapy services, as well as education and wellness programs, to residents of many communities and to seniors living outside communities. The Management Services segment composes of communities operated by the company pursuant to management agreements. The company was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Brentwood, TN.

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The Bank of Nova Scotia provides various banking products and services in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Colombia, the Caribbean and Central America, and internationally. It operates through Canadian Banking, International Banking, Global Banking and Markets, and Global Wealth Management segments. The company offers financial advice and solutions, and day-to-day banking products, including debit and credit cards, chequing and saving accounts, investments, mortgages, loans, and insurance to individuals; and business banking solutions comprising lending, deposit, cash management, and trade finance solutions to small businesses and commercial customers, including automotive financing solutions to dealers and their customers. It also provides wealth management advice and solutions, including online brokerage, mobile investment, full-service brokerage, trust, private banking, and private investment counsel services; and retail mutual funds, exchange traded funds, liquid alternative funds, and institutional funds. In addition, the company offers international banking services for retail, corporate, and commercial customers; and lending and transaction, investment banking advisory, and capital markets access services to corporate customers. Further, it provides Internet, mobile, and telephone banking services. The company operates a network of 952 branches and approximately 3,540 automated banking machines in Canada; and approximately 1,400 branches, 5,200 ATMs, and 22 contact centers internationally. The Bank of Nova Scotia was founded in 1832 and is headquartered in Halifax, Canada.

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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..
Hannover RAck SE, together with its subsidiaries, provides reinsurance products and services worldwide. It operates through Property & Casualty Reinsurance, and Life & Health Reinsurance segments. The Property & Casualty Reinsurance segment offers specialty lines comprising marine, aviation, facultative and direct business, credit, surety, and political risks reinsurance products; and treaty, catastrophe XL, and structured reinsurance, as well as insurance-linked securities. This segment also provides risk solutions for agricultural, livestock, and bloodstock businesses; aviation and space business; and marine and offshore energy business. The Life & Health Reinsurance segment offers group and individual credit life, enhanced annuities, group life and health, and Sharia-compliant Takaful reinsurance products. This segment also provides risk solutions in the areas of critical illness, disability, health, longevity, long term care, and mortality and morbidity, as well as underwriting services. In addition, it offers various financial solutions, including new-business financing; monetization of embedded value; reserve and solvency relief; and divestiture of non-core businesses. The company was formerly known as Hannover RAckversicherung AG and changed its name to Hannover RAck SE in March 2013. The company was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Hanover, Germany. Hannover RAck SE is a subsidiary of Talanx AG.

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Bridgepoint Education, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides postsecondary education services in the United States. Its academic institutions, Ashford University and University of the Rockies, offer associate's, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs in the disciplines of business, education, psychology, social sciences, and health sciences. The company offers its programs primarily through online; and at its campuses. As of December 31, 2017, its institutions offered approximately 1,200 courses and 80 degree programs; and had 45,730 students enrolled. The company was formerly known as TeleUniversity, Inc. and changed its name to Bridgepoint Education, Inc. in February 2004. Bridgepoint Education, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Tenet Healthcare: 1 Subsidiaries of this entity in which Tenet Healthcare Corporation directly and indirectly held a 95% ownership interest at December 31 2020 are set forth in the table below., 25 East Same Day Surgery L.L.C., 300 PBL Development LLC, 45th Street MOB LLC, 601 N 30th Street I L.L.C., 601 N 30th Street II L.L.C., 601 N 30th Street III Inc., AHM Acquisition Co. Inc., AIG Holdings LLC, AIGB Global LLC, AIGB Group Inc., AIGB Holdings Inc., AIGB Management Services LLC, AMC/North Fulton Urgent Care #1 L.L.C., AMC/North Fulton Urgent Care #2 L.L.C., AMC/North Fulton Urgent Care #3 L.L.C., AMC/North Fulton Urgent Care #4 L.L.C., AMC/North Fulton Urgent Care #5 L.L.C., AMI Information Systems Group Inc., AMI/HTI Tarzana Encino Joint Venture, APN, ARC Worcester Center L.P., ASC Old Co. LP, ASC of New Jersey LLC, ASJH Joint Venture LLC, Abrazo Health Network EP Clinical Services LLC, Abrazo Surgical Outpatient Center LLC, Advanced Ambulatory Surgical Care L.P., Advanced Center for Surgery  Vero Beach LLC, Advanced Regional Surgery Center LLC, Advanced Surgery Center of Metairie LLC, Advanced Surgery Center of Sarasota LLC, Advanced Surgery Center of Tampa LLC, Advanced Surgical Care of St Louis LLC, Advanced Surgical Concepts LLC, Advantage Health Care Management Company LLC, Advantage Health Network Inc., AdventHealth Surgery Center Celebration LLC, AdventHealth Surgery Center Mills Park LLC, AdventHealth Surgery Center Wellswood LLC, AdventHealth Surgery Center Winter Garden LLC, AdventHealth Surgery Centers Central Florida LLC, AdventHealth Surgery Centers West Florida LLC, Adventist Midwest Health/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., Alabama Cardiovascular Associates L.L.C., Alabama Digestive Health Endoscopy Center L.L.C., Alabama Hand and Sports Medicine L.L.C., Alamo Heights Surgicare L.P., All Star MOB LLC, Allegian Insurance Company, Alliance Surgery Birmingham LLC, Alliance Surgery Inc., Alvarado Hospital Medical Center Inc., Ambulatory Surgical Associates LLC, Ambulatory Surgical Center of Somerville LLC, American Institute of Gastric Banding Ltd., American Institute of Gastric Banding Phoenix Limited Partnership, American Medical (Central) Inc., Amisub (Heights) Inc., Amisub (Hilton Head) Inc., Amisub (North Ridge Hospital) Inc., Amisub (SFH) Inc., Amisub (Twelve Oaks) Inc., Amisub of California Inc., Amisub of North Carolina Inc., Amisub of South Carolina Inc., Amisub of Texas Inc., Anaheim Hills Medical Imaging L.L.C., Anaheim MRI Holding Inc., Anesthesia Partners of Gallatin LLC, Arizona Care Network  Next L.L.C., Arizona Health Partners LLC, Arlington Orthopedic and Spine Hospital LLC, Arrowhead Endoscopy and Pain Management Center LLC, Asia Outsourcing US Inc., Aspen Healthcare, Atlanta Medical Center Inc., Atlanta Medical Center Interventional Neurology Associates L.L.C., Atlanta Medical Center Neurosurgical & Spine Specialists L.L.C., Atlanta Medical Center Physician Group L.L.C., Atlantic Coast Surgical Suites LLC, Atlantic Health-USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., Avita/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., BBH BMC LLC, BBH CBMC LLC, BBH DevelopmentCo LLC, BBH Imaging Jasper LLC, BBH NP Clinicians Inc., BBH PBMC LLC, BBH SBMC LLC, BBH WBMC LLC, BCDC EmployeeCO LLC, BHC-Talladega Pediatrics LLC, BHS Accountable Care LLC, BHS Affinity LLC, BHS Integrated Physician Partners LLC, BHS Physician Performance Network LLC, BHS Physicians Alliance for ACE LLC, BHS Physicians Network Inc., BHS Specialty Network Inc., BT East Dallas JV LLP, BW Cardiology LLC, BW Cyberknife LLC, BW Hand Practice LLC, BW Office Buildings LLC, BW Parking Decks LLC, BW Physician Practices LLC, BW Retail Pharmacy LLC, BW Sports Practice LLC, Bagley Holdings LLC, Baptist Accountable Care LLC, Baptist Diagnostics LLC, Baptist Health Centers LLC, Baptist Physician Alliance ACO LLC, Baptist Physician Alliance LLC, Baptist Plaza Surgicare L.P., Baptist Surgery Center L.P., Baptist Womens Health Center LLC, Baptist/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., Bartlett ASC LLC, Baylor Surgicare at Baylor Plano LLC, Baylor Surgicare at Blue Star LLC, Baylor Surgicare at Granbury LLC, Baylor Surgicare at Mansfield LLC, Baylor Surgicare at North Dallas LLC, Baylor Surgicare at Plano LLC, Baylor Surgicare at Plano Parkway LLC, Bear Creek Surgery Center LLC, Beaumont Surgical Affiliates Ltd., Bellaire Outpatient Surgery Center L.L.P., Berkshire Eye LLC, Bloomington ASC LLC, Blue Ridge/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Bluffton Okatie Primary Care L.L.C., Bluffton Okatie Surgery Center L.L.C., Bon Secours Surgery Center at Harbour View LLC, Bon Secours Surgery Center at Virginia Beach LLC, Bozeman Health/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., Bozeman MOB LLC, Briarcliff Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Bristol Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Broad River Primary Care L.L.C., Brookwood - Maternal Fetal Medicine L.L.C., Brookwood Ancillary Holdings Inc., Brookwood Baptist Health 1 LLC, Brookwood Baptist Health 2 LLC, Brookwood Baptist Health 3 LLC, Brookwood Baptist Imaging LLC, Brookwood Center Development Corporation, Brookwood Development Inc., Brookwood Diagnostic Imaging Center LLC, Brookwood Garages L.L.C., Brookwood Health Services Inc., Brookwood Home Health LLC, Brookwood Occupational Health Clinic L.L.C., Brookwood Parking Associates Ltd., Brookwood Primary Care - Homewood L.L.C., Brookwood Primary Care - Inverness L.L.C., Brookwood Primary Care - Mountain Brook L.L.C., Brookwood Primary Care - Oak Mountain L.L.C., Brookwood Primary Care - Vestavia L.L.C., Brookwood Primary Care Cahaba Heights L.L.C., Brookwood Primary Care Hoover L.L.C., Brookwood Primary Care The Narrows L.L.C., Brookwood Primary Network Care Inc., Brookwood Specialty Care - Endocrinology L.L.C., Brookwood Sports and Orthopedics L.L.C., Brookwood Womens Care L.L.C., Brookwood Womens Diagnostic Center LLC, C7 Technologies LLC, CGH Hospital Ltd., CHIC/USP Surgery Centers LLC, CHN Holdings LLC, CHRISTUS Cabrini Surgery Center L.L.C., CHVI Tucson Holdings LLC, CML-Chicago Market Labs Inc., CRNAs of Michigan, CS/USP General Partner LLC, CS/USP Surgery Centers LP, California Joint & Spine LLC, Camp Creek Urgent Care L.L.C., Camp Lowell Surgery Center L.L.C., Captive Insurance Services Inc., Cardiology Physicians Associates L.L.C., Cardiology Physicians Corporation L.L.C., Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Associates L.L.C., Cardiovascular Clinical Excellence at Sierra Providence LLC, CareSpot of Austin LLC, CareSpot of Memphis LLC, CareSpot of Orlando/HSI Urgent Care LLC, Carmel Specialty Surgery Center LLC, Carondelet St. Marys-Northwest L.L.C., Cascade Spine Center LLC, Castle Rock Surgery Center LLC, Catawba-Piedmont Cardiothoracic Surgery L.L.C., Cedar Hill Primary Care L.L.C., Cedar Park Surgery Center L.L.P., Centennial ASC LLC, Center for Advanced Research Excellence L.L.C., Center for the Urban Child Inc., Central California Healthcare Holdings LLC, Central Carolina Physicians - Sandhills L.L.C., Central Carolina-IMA L.L.C., Central Jersey Surgery Center LLC, Central Texas Corridor Hospital Company LLC, Central Valley Quality Alliance LLC, Central Virginia Surgi-Center L.P., Centura Ventures Surgery Centers LLC, Centura/USP Colorado Springs Surgery Centers L.L.C., Chalon Living Inc., Chandler Endoscopy Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Charlotte Endoscopic Surgery Center LLC, Chattanooga Pain Management Center LLC, Chesterfield Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Chesterfield Anesthesia Associates of Missouri LLC, Chico Surgery Center L.P., Childrens Hospital of Michigan Premier Network Inc., Citrus Heights ASC RE LLC, Clarkston ASC Partners LLC, Clarksville Surgery Center LLC, Coast Healthcare Management LLC, Coast Surgery Center L.P., Coastal Carolina Medical Center, Coastal Carolina Medical Center Inc., Coastal Carolina Physician Practices LLC, Coastal Carolina Pro Fee Billing L.L.C., Coastal Endo LLC, Colorado GI Centers LLC, Commonwealth Continental Health Care Inc., Community Connection Health Plan Inc., Community Hospital LLC, Community Hospital of Los Gatos Inc., Conifer Care Continuum Solutions LLC, Conifer Ethics and Compliance Inc., Conifer Global Business Center Inc., Conifer Global Holdings Inc., Conifer Health Solutions LLC, Conifer Holdings Inc., Conifer Patient Communications LLC, Conifer Physician Services Holdings Inc., Conifer Physician Services Inc., Conifer Revenue Cycle Solutions LLC, Conifer Value-Based Care LLC, Conroe Surgery Center 2 LLC, Coral Gables Hospital Inc., Coral Ridge Outpatient Center LLC, Corpus Christi Surgicare Ltd., Covenant/USP Surgery Centers LLC, CreAtiv Management Company Inc., Creekwood Investors LLC, Creekwood Surgery Center L.P., Crown Point Surgery Center LLC, DH/USP SJOSC Investment Company L.L.C., DH/USP Sacramento Pain GP LLC, DMC Detroit Receiving Hospital Premier Clinical Co-Management Services LLC, DMC Education & Research, DMC Harper University Hospital Premier Clinical Co-Management Services LLC, DMC Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital Premier Clinical Management Services LLC, DMC Imaging L.L.C., Dallas Surgical Partners LLC, DeTar/USP Surgery Center LLC, Delray Beach ASC LLC, Delray Medical Center Inc., Delray Medical Physician Services L.L.C., Denton Surgicare Partners Ltd., Denton Surgicare Real Estate Ltd., Denville Surgery Center LLC, Des Peres Physician Network LLC, Desert Cove MOB LLC, Desert Regional Medical Center Inc., Desert Ridge Outpatient Surgery LLC, Desoto Surgicare Partners Ltd., Destin ASC RE LLC, Destin Surgery Center LLC, Detroit Education & Research, DigitalMed Inc., Dignity/Abrazo Health Network LLC, Dignity/USP Folsom GP LLC, Dignity/USP Grass Valley GP LLC, Dignity/USP Las Vegas Surgery Centers LLC, Dignity/USP Metro Surgery Center LLC, Dignity/USP NorCal Surgery Centers LLC, Dignity/USP Phoenix Surgery Centers II LLC, Dignity/USP Phoenix Surgery Centers LLC, Dignity/USP Redding GP LLC, Dignity/USP Roseville GP LLC, Dignity/USP/John Muir East Bay Surgery Centers LLC, Doctors Hospital of Manteca Inc., Doctors Medical Center Neurosciences Clinical Co-Management LLC, Doctors Medical Center Orthopedics Clinical Co-Management LLC, Doctors Medical Center of Modesto Inc., Doctors Outpatient Center for Surgery LLC, Doctors Outpatient Surgery Center of Jupiter L.L.C., EPHC Inc., EPIC ASC LLC, East Atlanta Endoscopy Centers LLC, East Cobb Urgent Care LLC, East Cooper Coastal Family Physicians L.L.C., East Cooper Community Hospital Inc., East Cooper Hyperbarics L.L.C., East Cooper OB/GYN L.L.C., East Cooper Physician Network LLC, East Cooper Primary Care Physicians L.L.C., East Portland Surgery Center LLC, East West Surgery Center L.P., Eastgate Building Center L.L.C., Effingham Surgical Partners LLC, Einstein Montgomery Surgery Center LLC, Einstein/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., El Mirador Surgery Center L.L.C., El Paso Center for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy LLC, El Paso Day Surgery LLC, El Paso Urology Surgery Center Curie LLC, Emanate/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Emanuel Medical Center, Emerson Surgery Center LLC, Encinitas Endoscopy Center LLC, Endoscopy Center of Hackensack LLC, Endoscopy Center of South Sacramento LLC, Endoscopy Consultants LLC, European Surgical Partners Ltd., Eye Center of Nashville UAP LLC, Eye Surgery Center of Nashville LLC, FMC Medical Inc., FMCC Network Contracting L.L.C., FPN  Frisco Physicians Network, FREH Real Estate L.L.C., FRS Imaging Services L.L.C., FSC Hospital LLC, FSH IT Services LP, First Choice Physician Partners, Flatirons Surgery Center LLC, Folsom Outpatient Surgery Center L.P., Fort Bend Clinical Services Inc., Fort Worth Hospital Real Estate LP, Fort Worth Surgicare Partners Ltd., Foundation Bariatric Hospital of San Antonio LLC, Foundation San Antonio Borrower Sub LLC, Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center, Fountain Valley Surgery Center LLC, Franklin Endo UAP LLC, Franklin Endoscopy Center LLC, Fresno Surgery Center L.P., Frisco Medical Center L.L.P., Frontenac Ambulatory Surgery & Spine Care Center L.P., Frye Regional Medical Center Inc., FryeCare Boone L.L.C., FryeCare Morganton L.L.C., FryeCare Physicians L.L.C., FryeCare Valdese L.L.C., FryeCare Watauga L.L.C., FryeCare Womens Services L.L.C., GCSA Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Gamma Surgery Center LLC, Gardendale Surgical Associates LLC, Garland Surgicare Partners Ltd., Gastric Health Institute L.L.C., Genesis ASC Partners LLC, Geneva Surgical Suites LLC, Georgia Endoscopy Center LLC, Georgia Gifts From Grace L.L.C., Georgia Musculoskeletal Network Inc., Georgia North Fulton Healthcare Associates L.L.C., Georgia Northside Ear Nose and Throat L.L.C., Georgia Physicians of Cardiology L.L.C., Georgia Spectrum Neurosurgical Specialists L.L.C., Georgia Spine Surgery Center LLC, Glen Echo Surgery Center LLC, Golden Ridge ASC LLC, Good Samaritan Medical Center Inc., Good Samaritan Surgery L.L.C., Grapevine Surgicare Partners Ltd., Grass Valley Outpatient Surgery Center L.P., Graystone Family Healthcare - Tenet North Carolina L.L.C., Great Lakes Surgical Suites LLC, Greater Dallas Healthcare Enterprises, Greater Northwest Houston Enterprises, Greenville Physicians Surgery Center LLP, Greenwood ASC LLC, Greystone Internal Medicine - Brookwood L.L.C., Gulf Coast Community Hospital Inc., HCH Tucson Holdings LLC, HCN Emerus Management Sub LLC, HCN Emerus Texas LLC, HCN Laboratories Inc., HCN Physicians Inc., HCN Sunnyvale Holdings LLC, HCN Surgery Center Holdings Inc., HDMC Holdings L.L.C., HMA/Solantic Joint Venture LLC, HMH-USP Surgery Centers LLC, HMHP/USP Surgery Centers LLC, HNMC Inc., HNW GP Inc., HNW LP Inc., HPI Holdings LLC, HPI North LLC, HPI Physicians LLC, HSRM International Inc., HSS Palm Beach Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, HSS/USP Surgery Center LLC, HUG Services Inc., HUMC/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Hacienda Outpatient Surgery Center LLC, Hagerstown Surgery Center LLC, Hardeeville Medical Group L.L.C., Hardeeville Primary Care L.L.C., Harlingen Physician Network Inc., Harper-Hutzel AHP Services Inc., Harvard Park Surgery Center LLC, Haymarket Surgery Center LLC, Hazelwood Endoscopy Center LLC, Health & Wellness Surgery Center L.P., Health Horizons of Kansas City Inc., Health Horizons of Murfreesboro Inc., Health Horizons/Piedmont Joint Venture LLC, Health Services CFMC Inc., Health Services HNMC Inc., Health Services Network Care Inc., Health Services Network Hospitals Inc., Health Services Network Texas Inc., HealthCorp Network Inc., Healthcare Compliance LLC, Healthcare Network Alabama Inc., Healthcare Network CFMC Inc., Healthcare Network DPH Inc., Healthcare Network Georgia Inc., Healthcare Network Holdings Inc., Healthcare Network Hospitals (Dallas) Inc., Healthcare Network Hospitals Inc., Healthcare Network Louisiana Inc., Healthcare Network Missouri Inc., Healthcare Network North Carolina Inc., Healthcare Network South Carolina Inc., Healthcare Network Tennessee Inc., Healthcare Network Texas Inc., Healthcare Partners Investments LLC, Healthmark Partners Inc., Healthpoint of North Carolina L.L.C., Heart and Vascular Institute of Michigan, Heritage Park Surgical Hospital LLC, Hershey Outpatient Surgery Center L.P., Hialeah Hospital Inc., Hialeah Real Properties Inc., Hickory Family Practice Associates - Tenet North Carolina L.L.C., Hill Country ASC Partners LLC, Hill Country Surgery Center LLC, Hilton Head Health System L.P., Hilton Head Regional Healthcare L.L.C., Hilton Head Regional OB/GYN Partners L.L.C., Hilton Head Regional Physician Network LLC, Hilton Head Regional Physician Network  Georgia L.L.C., Hinsdale Surgical Center LLC, Hitchcock State Street Real Estate Inc., Holston Valley Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Holy Cross Hospital Inc., Home Health Partners of San Antonio LLC, Hoover Doctors Group Inc., Hoover Land LLC, Horizon Ridge Surgery Center LLC, Hospital Development of West Phoenix Inc., Hospital RCM Services LLC, Hospital Underwriting Group Inc., Houston Northwest Partners Ltd., Houston PSC L.P., Houston Specialty Hospital Inc., Houston Sunrise Investors Inc., Hyde Park Surgery Center LLC, ICNU Rockford LLC, Imaging Center at Baxter Village L.L.C., InforMed Insurance Services LLC, Integris/USP Health Ventures LLC, International Health and Wellness Inc., Irving-Coppell Surgical Hospital L.L.P., JFK Memorial Hospital Inc., JFP UAP Sugarland LLC, Jackson Surgical Center LLC, Jacksonville Endoscopy Centers LLC, Journey Home Healthcare of San Antonio LLC, KHS Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, KHS/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Kingsport Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Laguna Medical Systems Inc., Lake Endoscopy Center LLC, Lake Health Care Facilities Inc., Lake Lansing ASC Partners LLC, Lake Surgical Hospital Slidell LLC, LakeFront Medical Associates LLC, Lakewood Regional Medical Center Inc., Lakewood Surgery Center LLC, Lancaster Specialty Surgery Center LLC, Lansing ASC Partners LLC, Lawrenceville Surgery Center L.L.C., Lebanon Endoscopy Center LLC, Legacy Warren Partners L.P., Legacy/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., Leonardtown Surgery Center LLC, Liberty Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Lifemark Hospitals Inc., Lifemark Hospitals of Florida Inc., Lifemark Hospitals of Louisiana Inc., Lone Star Endoscopy Center LLC, Longleaf Surgery Center LLC, Los Alamitos Medical Center Inc., Lubbock ASC Holding Co LLC, MASC Partners LLC, MCSH Real Estate Investors Ltd., MH Memorial City Surgery LLC, MH/USP Bay Area LLC, MH/USP Brazoria LLC, MH/USP Kingsland LLC, MH/USP Kingwood LLC, MH/USP Kirby LLC, MH/USP Main Street LLC, MH/USP North Freeway LLC, MH/USP North Houston LLC, MH/USP Richmond LLC, MH/USP Sugar Land LLC, MH/USP TMC Endoscopy LLC, MH/USP West Houston L.L.C., MH/USP Woodlands Parkway LLC, MSH Partners LLC, MSV Health/USP Surgery Centers LLC, MVH/USP Surgery Centers LLC, MacNeal Management Services Inc., MacNeal Medical Records Inc., MacNeal Physicians Group LLC, Magnetic Resonance Imaging of San Luis Obispo Inc., Magnolia Surgery Center Limited Partnership, Manchester Ambulatory Surgery Center LP, Maple Lawn Surgery Center LLC, Marion Surgery Center LLC, Mary Immaculate Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Mason Ridge Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Mayfield Spine Surgery Center LLC, McLaren ASC of Flint LLC, Meadowcrest Hospital LLC, Medical House Staffing LLC, Medical Park Tower Surgery Center LLC, Medplex Outpatient Medical Centers Inc., Medplex Outpatient Surgery Center Ltd., Memorial Hermann Bay Area Endoscopy Center LLC, Memorial Hermann Endoscopy & Surgery Center North Houston L.L.C., Memorial Hermann Endoscopy Center North Freeway LLC, Memorial Hermann Specialty Hospital Kingwood L.L.C., Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Surgical Hospital L.L.P., Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Brazoria LLC, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Cypress LLC, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Katy LLP, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Kingsland L.L.C., Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Kirby LLC, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Main Street LLC, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Memorial City L.L.C., Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Northwest LLP, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Pinecroft LLC, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Preston Road Ltd., Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Richmond LLC, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Southwest L.L.P., Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Sugar Land LLP, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Texas Medical Center LLP, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center Woodlands Parkway LLC, Memorial Hermann Surgery Center  The Woodlands LLP, Memorial Hermann Texas International Endoscopy Center LLC, Memorial Hermann West Houston Surgery Center LLC, Memorial Hermann/USP Surgery Centers II L.P., Memorial Hermann/USP Surgery Centers III LLP, Memorial Hermann/USP Surgery Centers IV LLP, Memorial Surgery Center LLC, Memphis Urgent Care #1 L.L.C., Memphis Urgent Care #2 L.L.C., Merced Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Mercy/USP Health Ventures L.L.C., Metro Specialty Surgery Center LLC, Metro Surgery Center LLC, MetroWest HomeCare & Hospice LLC, Metrocrest Surgery Center L.P., Metropolitan New Jersey LLC, Michigan ASC Partners L.L.C., Michigan Pioneer ACO LLC, Michigan Regional Imaging LLC, Mid Rivers Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Mid State Endo UAP LLC, Mid-State Endoscopy Center LLC, Mid-TSC Development LP, Middle Tennessee Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Midland Memorial/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Midland Texas Surgical Center LLC, Midwest Digestive Health Center LLC, Midwest Pharmacies Inc., Midwest Specialty Surgery Center LLC, Millennium Surgical Center LLC, Mobile Imaging Management LLC, Mobile Technology Management LLC, Modesto Radiology Imaging Inc., Monocacy Surgery Center LLC, Mountain Empire Surgery Center L.P., Munster Specialty Surgery Center LLC, Murdock Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, NHSC Holdings LLC, NICH GP Holdings LLC, NKCH/USP Briarcliff GP LLC, NKCH/USP Liberty GP LLC, NKCH/USP Surgery Centers II L.L.C., NKCH/USP Surgery Centers LLC, NMC Lessor L.P., NMC Surgery Center L.P., NME Headquarters Inc., NME Properties Corp., NME Properties Inc., NME Property Holding Co. Inc., NME Psychiatric Hospitals Inc., NME Rehabilitation Properties Inc., NSCH GP Holdings LLC, NSCH/USP Desert Surgery Centers L.L.C., NUCH of Georgia L.L.C., NUCH of Massachusetts LLC, NUCH of Michigan Inc., NUCH of Texas, Nacogdoches ASC-LP Inc., Name of Entity, National ASC Inc., National Ancillary Inc., National Diagnostic Imaging Centers Inc., National HHC Inc., National Home Health Holdings Inc., National ICN Inc., National Imaging Center Holdings Inc., National Medical Services II Inc., National Outpatient Services Holdings Inc., National Surgery Center Holdings Inc., National Urgent Care Holdings Inc., National Urgent Care Inc., Network Management Associates Inc., New Dimensions LLC, New England Physician Performance Network LLC, New H Acute Inc., New Horizons Surgery Center LLC, New Medical Horizons II Ltd., New Mexico Orthopaedic Surgery Center LLC, New Salem ASC RE LLC, Newhope Imaging Center Inc., North Anaheim Surgery Center LLC, North Atlantic Surgical Suites LLC, North Campus Surgery Center LLC, North Carolina Community Family Medicine L.L.C., North Central Surgical Center L.L.P., North Denver Musculoskeletal Surgical Partners LLC, North Fulton Cardiovascular Medicine L.L.C., North Fulton Hospitalist Group L.L.C., North Fulton Medical Center Inc., North Fulton Primary Care - Willeo Rd. L.L.C., North Fulton Primary Care - Windward Parkway L.L.C., North Fulton Primary Care - Wylie Bridge L.L.C., North Fulton Primary Care Associates L.L.C., North Fulton Pulmonary Specialists L.L.C., North Fulton Womens Consultants L.L.C., North Garland Surgery Center L.L.P., North Haven Surgery Center LLC, North Miami Medical Center Ltd., North Shore Medical Billing Center L.L.C., North Shore Medical Center Inc., North Shore Same Day Surgery L.L.C., North Shore Surgical Suites LLC, North State Surgery Centers L.P., NorthPointe Surgical Suites LLC, NorthShore/USP Surgery Centers II L.L.C., Northern Monmouth Regional Surgery Center L.L.C., Northridge ASC RE LLC, Northridge Surgery Center L.P., Northwest Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Northwest Georgia Orthopaedic Surgery Center LLC, Northwest Regional ASC LLC, Northwest Regional Surgery Center LLC, Northwest Surgery Center LLP, Northwest Surgery Center Ltd., Novant Health/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Novant/UVA/USP Surgery Centers LLC, OCOMS Imaging LLC, OCOMS Professional Services LLC, OLOL/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., Okatie Surgical Partners L.L.C., Oklahoma Center for Orthopedic and Multi-Specialty Surgery LLC, Old Tesson Surgery Center L.P., Olive Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Olive Branch Urgent Care #1 LLC, Ophthalmology Anesthesia Services LLC, Ophthalmology Surgery Center of Orlando LLC, Optimum Spine Center LLC, OrNda Healthcorp, OrNda Hospital Corporation, Orlando Health/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., OrthoArizona Surgery Center Gilbert LLC, OrthoLink ASC Corporation, OrthoLink Physicians Corporation, OrthoLink Radiology Services Corporation, OrthoLink/ Georgia ASC Inc., OrthoLink/Baptist ASC LLC, OrthoLink/New Mexico ASC Inc., Orthopedic Associates of the Lowcountry L.L.C., Orthopedic South Surgical Partners LLC, Orthopedic and Surgical Specialty Company LLC, PAHS/USP Surgery Centers LLC, PDN L.L.C., PHPS Inc., PHPS-CHM Acquisition Inc., PHS/USP Health Ventures LLC, PM CyFair Land Partners LLC, PMC Physician Network L.L.C., PPRE LLC, PSS Patient Solution Services LLC, Pacific Endo-Surgical Center L.P., Pacific Endoscopy and Surgery Center LLC, Pain Diagnostic and Treatment Center L.P., Paley Institute Global LLC, Palm Beach Gardens Community Hospital Inc., Palm Beach International Surgery Center LLC, Palm Valley Medical Center Campus Association, Palos Health Surgery Center LLC, Paramus Endoscopy LLC, Park Cities Surgery Center LLC, Park Plaza Hospital Billing Center L.L.C., ParkCreek ASC LLC, Parkway Recovery Care Center LLC, Parkwest Surgery Center L.P., Patient Partners LLC, Peak Gastroenterology ASC LLC, Pediatric Surgery Center  Odessa LLC, Pediatric Surgery Centers LLC, Physician Performance Network L.L.C., Physician Performance Network of Arizona LLC, Physician Performance Network of Detroit, Physician Performance Network of South Carolina LLC, Physician Performance Network of Tucson LLC, Physicians Performance Network of Houston, Physicians Performance Network of North Texas, Physicians Surgery Center at Good Samaritan LLC, Physicians Surgery Center of Tempe LLC, Physicians Surgical Center of Ft. Worth LLP, Physicians Surgery Center of Chattanooga L.L.C., Physicians Surgery Center of Knoxville LLC, Piccard Surgery Center LLC, Piedmont ASC LLC, Piedmont Behavioral Medicine Associates LLC, Piedmont Cardiovascular Physicians L.L.C., Piedmont Carolina OB/GYN of York County L.L.C., Piedmont Carolina Vascular Surgery L.L.C., Piedmont East Urgent Care Center L.L.C., Piedmont Express Care at Sutton Road L.L.C., Piedmont Family Practice at Baxter Village L.L.C., Piedmont Family Practice at Rock Hill L.L.C., Piedmont Family Practice at Tega Cay L.L.C., Piedmont General Surgery Associates L.L.C., Piedmont Internal Medicine at Baxter Village L.L.C., Piedmont Physician Network LLC, Piedmont Pulmonology L.L.C., Piedmont Surgical Specialists L.L.C., Piedmont Urgent Care Center at Baxter Village L.L.C., Piedmont Urgent Care and Industrial Health Centers Inc., Piedmont/Carolinas Radiation Therapy LLC, Placentia-Linda Hospital Inc., Pleasanton Diagnostic Imaging Inc., Point of Rocks Surgery Center LLC, Practice Partners Management L.P., Premier ACO Physicians Network LLC, Premier ASC LLC, Premier Adult and Childrens Surgery Center LLC, Premier Endoscopy ASC LLC, Premier Health Plan Services Inc., Premier Medical Specialists L.L.C., Prince William Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Professional Anesthesia Services LLC, Professional Liability Insurance Company, Pros Temporary Staffing Inc., Providence/UCLA/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Providence/USP Santa Clarita GP LLC, Providence/USP South Bay Surgery Centers L.L.C., Providence/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., Pueblo Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, R.H.S.C. El Paso Inc., RE Plano Med Inc., RHC Parkway Inc., RLC LLC, Reading Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Reading Endoscopy Center LLC, Reagan Street Surgery Center LLC, Redmond Surgery Center LLC, Renaissance Surgery Center LLC, Republic Health Corporation of Rockwall County, Resolute Health Physicians Network Inc., Resolute Hospital Company LLC, Resurgens East Surgery Center LLC, Resurgens Fayette Surgery Center LLC, Resurgens Surgery Center LLC, Rheumatology Associates of Atlanta Medical Center L.L.C., Richmond ASC Leasing Company LLC, Rio Grande Valley Indigent Health Care Corporation, River North Same Day Surgery L.L.C., Riverside Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Rock Bridge Surgical Institute L.L.C., Rock Hill Surgery Center LLC, Rockwall Ambulatory Surgery Center L.L.P., Rocky Mountain Endoscopy Centers LLC, Roseville Surgery Center L.P., Roswell Surgery Center L.L.C., SCNRE LLC, SFMP Inc., SFMPE - Crittenden L.L.C., SL-HLC Inc., SLH Physicians L.L.C., SLH Vista Inc., SLPA ACO LLC, SLUH Anesthesia Physicians L.L.C., SMSJ Imaging Company LLC, SMSJ Tucson Holdings LLC, SPC at the Star LLC, SRRMC Management Inc., SSI Holdings Inc., Sacramento Midtown Endoscopy Center LLC, Safety Harbor ASC Company LLC, Saint Agnes/Dignity/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Saint Agnes/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Saint Francis Cardiology Associates L.L.C., Saint Francis Cardiovascular Surgery L.L.C., Saint Francis Center for Surgical Weight Loss L.L.C., Saint Francis Hospital Billing Center L.L.C., Saint Francis Hospital Medicare ACO LLC, Saint Francis Hospital Pro Fee Billing L.L.C., Saint Francis Hospital-Bartlett Inc., Saint Francis Medical Partners East L.L.C., Saint Francis Medical Partners General Surgery L.L.C., Saint Francis Physician Network LLC, Saint Francis Quality Alliance LLC, Saint Francis Surgery Center L.L.C., Saint Francis Surgical Associates L.L.C., Saint Francis-Arkansas Physician Network LLC, Saint Francis-Bartlett Physician Network LLC, Saint Thomas Campus Surgicare L.P., Saint Thomas Surgery Center New Salem LLC, Saint Thomas/USP Surgery Centers II L.L.C., Saint Thomas/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., Saint Thomas/USP  Baptist Plaza L.L.C., Saint Vincent Physician Services Inc., Salmon Surgery Center LLC, Same Day Management L.L.C., Same Day SC of Central NJ LLC, Same Day Surgery L.L.C., San Antonio Endoscopy L.P., San Fernando Valley Surgery Center L.P., San Gabriel Valley Surgical Center L.P., San Martin Surgery Center LLC, San Ramon ASC L. P., San Ramon Ambulatory Care LLC, San Ramon Network Joint Venture LLC, San Ramon Regional Medical Center LLC, San Ramon Surgery Center L.L.C., Santa Barbara Outpatient Surgery Center LLC, Santa Clarita Surgery Center L.P., Savannah Endoscopy Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Schertz Surgery Center LLC, Scripps Encinitas Surgery Center LLC, Scripps/USP Surgery Centers L.L.C., Seaside Surgery Center LLC, Shands/Solantic Joint Venture LLC, Shelby Baptist Affinity LLC, Shelby Baptist Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Shore Outpatient Surgicenter L.L.C., Shoreline Real Estate Partnership LLP, Shoreline Surgery Center LLP, Shrewsbury Surgery Center LLC, Sierra Pacific Surgery Center LLC, Sierra Providence Health Network Inc., Sierra Providence Healthcare Enterprises, Sierra Vista Hospital Inc., Silicon Valley Outpatient Surgery Centers LLC, Silver Cross Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Silver Cross/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Sinai-Grace Premier Clinical Management Services LLC, Siouxland Surgery Center Limited Liability Partnership, Solantic Corporation, Solantic Development LLC, Solantic Holdings Corporation, Solantic of Jacksonville LLC, Solantic of Orlando LLC, Solantic/South Florida LLC, South Carolina East Cooper Surgical Specialists L.L.C., South Carolina Health Services Inc., South Carolina SeWee Family Medicine L.L.C., South County Outpatient Endoscopy Services L.P., South Denver Musculoskeletal Surgical Partners LLC, South Florida Ambulatory Surgical Center LLC, South Fulton Health Care Centers Inc., SouthCare Physicians Group Neurology L.L.C., SouthCare Physicians Group Obstetrics & Gynecology L.L.C., Southeast Ohio Surgical Suites LLC, Southern Orthopedics and Sports Medicine L.L.C., Southern States Physician Operations Inc., Southwest Ambulatory Surgery Center L.L.C., Southwest Childrens Hospital LLC, Southwest Endoscopy LLC, Southwest Orthopedic and Spine Hospital LLC, Southwest Orthopedic and Spine Hospital Real Estate LLC, Southwestern Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Spalding Regional Medical Center Inc., Spalding Regional OB/GYN L.L.C., Spalding Regional Physician Services L.L.C., Specialty Surgery Center of Fort Worth L.P., Specialty Surgicenters Inc., Spinal Diagnostics and Treatment Centers L.L.C., Spine & Joint Physician Associates, Springfield Service Holding Corporation, St. Augustine Endoscopy Center LLC, St. Christophers Pediatric Urgent Care Center - Allentown L.L.C, St. Josephs Hospital Surgical Co-Management LLC, St. Josephs Outpatient Surgery Center LLC, St. Josephs Surgery Center L.P., St. Louis Physician Alliance LLC, St. Louis Surgical Center LLC, St. Louis Urology Center LLC, St. Lukes/USP Surgery Centers LLC, St. Marys Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, St. Marys Hospital Cardiovascular Co-Management LLC, St. Marys Hospital Surgical Co-Management LLC, St. Marys Levee Company LLC, St. Marys Medical Center Inc., St. Vincent Health/USP LLC, St. Vincent/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Stockton Outpatient Surgery Center LLC, Subsidiaries of USPI Holding Company Inc., Suburban Endoscopy Center LLC, Summit View Surgery Center LLC, Sun View Imaging L.L.C., Sunrise Medical Group I L.L.C., Sunrise Medical Group II L.L.C., Sunrise Medical Group IV L.L.C., SurgCenter Camelback LLC, SurgCenter Northeast LLC, SurgCenter Pinellas LLC, SurgCenter Tucson LLC, SurgCenter at Paradise Valley LLC, SurgCenter of Deer Valley LLC, SurgCenter of Glen Burnie LLC, SurgCenter of Palm Beach Gardens LLC, SurgCenter of Plano LLC, SurgCenter of Southern Maryland LLC, SurgCenter of St. Lucie LLC, SurgCenter of White Marsh LLC, Surgery Affiliate of El Paso LLC, Surgery Center at Mount Pleasant LLC, Surgery Center at University Park LLC, Surgery Center of Atlanta LLC, Surgery Center of Canfield LLC, Surgery Center of Columbia L.P., Surgery Center of Coral Gables LLC, Surgery Center of Okeechobee LLC, Surgery Center of Pembroke Pines L.L.C., Surgery Center of Peoria L.L.C., Surgery Center of Richardson Physician Partnership L.P., Surgery Center of Santa Barbara LLC, Surgery Center of Scottsdale LLC, Surgery Center of Tempe Real Estate II L.L.C., Surgery Center of Tempe Real Estate L.L.C., Surgery Centers of America II L.L.C., Surgery Centre of SW Florida LLC, Surgical & Bariatric Associates of Atlanta Medical Center L.L.C., Surgical Clinical Excellence at Desert Regional LLC, Surgical Elite of Avondale L.L.C., Surgical Health Partners LLC, Surgical Institute Management LLC, Surgical Institute of Reading LLC, Surgical Specialists at Princeton LLC, Surgicare of Miramar L.L.C., Surginet Inc., Surgis Inc., Surgis Management Services Inc., Surgis of Chico Inc., Surgis of Phoenix Inc., Surgis of Redding Inc., Surgis of Victoria Inc., Sutton Road Pediatrics L.L.C., Sylvan Grove Hospital Inc., TENN SM LLC, TFPS IV L.L.C., TH Healthcare Ltd., TH International Services Florida LLC, THV Park Cities LLC, THVG Arlington GP LLC, THVG Bariatric GP LLC, THVG Bariatric L.L.C., THVG Bedford GP LLC, THVG Bellaire GP LLC, THVG DSP GP LLC, THVG DeSoto GP LLC, THVG Denton GP LLC, THVG Fort Worth GP LLC, THVG Frisco GP LLC, THVG Garland GP LLC, THVG Grapevine GP LLC, THVG Irving-Coppell GP LLC, THVG Lewisville GP LLC, THVG North Garland GP LLC, THVG Park Cities/Trophy Club GP LLC, THVG Rockwall 2 GP LLC, THVG Valley View GP LLC, TLC ASC LLC, TMC Holding Company LLC, TOPS Specialty Hospital Ltd., TPG Hospital LLC, TPR Practice Management LLC, TPS VI of PA L.L.C., TRMC Holdings LLC, TSPE LLC, Tamarac Surgery Center LLC, Tempe New Day Surgery Center LP, Templeton Imaging Inc., Tenet Business Services Corporation, Tenet California Inc., Tenet Central Carolina Physicians Inc., Tenet EKG Inc., Tenet El Paso Ltd., Tenet Employment Inc., Tenet Finance Corp., Tenet Florida Inc., Tenet Florida Physician Services II L.L.C., Tenet Florida Physician Services III L.L.C., Tenet Florida Physician Services L.L.C., Tenet Fort Mill Inc., Tenet Global Business Center Inc., Tenet HealthSystem Bucks County L.L.C., Tenet HealthSystem Graduate L.L.C., Tenet HealthSystem Hahnemann L.L.C., Tenet HealthSystem Medical Inc., Tenet HealthSystem Nacogdoches ASC GP Inc., Tenet HealthSystem Philadelphia Inc., Tenet HealthSystem Roxborough LLC, Tenet HealthSystem St. Christophers Hospital for Children L.L.C., Tenet Hilton Head Heart L.L.C., Tenet Hospitals Limited, Tenet Network Management Inc., Tenet Patient Safety Organization LLC, Tenet Physician Resources LLC, Tenet Physician Services - Hilton Head Inc., Tenet Rehab Piedmont Inc., Tenet Relocation Services L.L.C., Tenet SC East Cooper Hospitalists L.L.C., Tenet South Carolina Gastrointestinal Surgical Specialists L.L.C., Tenet South Carolina Island Medical L.L.C., Tenet South Carolina Lowcountry OB/GYN L.L.C., Tenet South Carolina Mt. Pleasant OB/GYN L.L.C., Tenet Unifour Urgent Care Center L.L.C., Tenet Ventures Inc., TenetCare Frisco Inc., Terre Haute Surgical Center LLC, Teton Outpatient Services LLC, Texan Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Texas Endoscopy Centers LLC, Texas Health Venture Arlington Hospital LLC, Texas Health Venture Baylor Plano LLC, Texas Health Venture Carrollton LLC, Texas Health Venture Centennial LLC, Texas Health Venture Ennis LLC, Texas Health Venture Fort Worth L.L.C., Texas Health Venture Granbury LLC, Texas Health Venture Heritage Park LLC, Texas Health Venture Keller LLC, Texas Health Venture Las Colinas LLC, Texas Health Venture Mansfield LLC, Texas Health Venture Plano Endo LLC, Texas Health Venture Plano LLC, Texas Health Venture Plano Parkway LLC, Texas Health Venture Texas Spine LLC, Texas Health Ventures Group L.L.C., Texas Orthopedics Surgery Center LLC, Texas Regional Medical Center LLC, Texas Regional Medical in Sunnyvale, Texas Spine and Joint Hospital LLC, The 6300 West Roosevelt Partnership, The Ambulatory Surgical Center of St. Louis L.P., The Healthcare Insurance Corporation, The Healthcare Underwriting Company a Risk Retention Group, The Huron Corporation, The Outpatient Center LLC, The Southeastern Spine Institute Ambulatory Surgery Center L.L.C., The Surgery Center at Jensen Beach LLC, The Surgery Center at Williamson LLC, The Tresanti Surgical Center LLC, Theda Oaks Gastroenterology & Endoscopy Center LLC, Titan Health Corporation, Titan Health of Chattanooga Inc., Titan Health of Hershey Inc., Titan Health of Mount Laurel LLC, Titan Health of North Haven Inc., Titan Health of Pittsburgh Inc., Titan Health of Pleasant Hills Inc., Titan Health of Princeton Inc., Titan Health of Sacramento Inc., Titan Health of Saginaw Inc., Titan Health of Titusville Inc., Titan Health of West Penn Inc., Titan Health of Westminster Inc., Titan Management Corporation, Titusville Center for Surgical Excellence LLC, Toms River Surgery Center L.L.C., Total Joint Center of the Northland LLC, Tower Road Real Estate LLC, Tower/USP Surgery Centers LLC, Treasure Coast ASC LLC, Trophy Club Medical Center L.P., True Medical Weight Loss L.P., True Medical Wellness LP, True Results Georgia Inc., True Results HoldCo LLC, True Results Missouri LLC, Tucson Digestive Institute LLC, Tucson Hospital Holdings Inc., Tucson Physician Group Holdings LLC, Turlock Imaging Services LLC, Turlock Land Company LLC, Tuscan Surgery Center at Las Colinas LLC, Twin Cities Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Twin Cities Community Hospital Inc., UAP Las Colinas Endo LLC, UAP Lebanon Endo LLC, UAP Nashville Endoscopy LLC, UAP Scopes LLC, UAP of Arizona Inc., UAP of California Inc., UAP of Missouri Inc., UAP of New Jersey Inc., UAP of Oklahoma Inc., UAP of Tennessee Inc., UAP of Texas Inc., UCC Tucson Holdings LLC, UMC Surgery Center Lubbock LLC, UMC-USP Surgery Centers LLC, USC/Norris Cancer Hospital, USP 12th Ave Real Estate Inc., USP Acquisition Corporation, USP Alexandria Inc., USP Assurance Company, USP Athens Inc., USP Atlanta Inc., USP Austin Inc., USP Bariatric LLC, USP Beaumont Inc., USP Bergen Inc., USP Bloomington Inc., USP Bridgeton Inc., USP Cedar Park Inc., USP Chesterfield Inc., USP Chicago Inc., USP Cincinnati Inc., USP Coast Inc., USP Columbia Inc., USP Connecticut Inc., USP Corpus Christi Inc., USP Creve Coeur Inc., USP Denver Inc., USP Des Peres Inc., USP Destin Inc., USP Domestic Holdings Inc., USP Effingham Inc., USP Encinitas Endoscopy Inc., USP Fenton Inc., USP Festus Inc., USP Florissant Inc., USP Fort Lauderdale Inc., USP Fort Worth Hospital Real Estate Inc., USP Fredericksburg Inc., USP Fresno Inc., USP Frontenac Inc., USP Gateway Inc., USP HMH Surgery Center at Shore LLC, USP Harbour View Inc., USP Houston Inc., USP Indiana Inc., USP International Holdings Inc., USP Jersey City Inc., USP Kansas City Inc., USP Knoxville Inc., USP Little Rock Inc., USP Long Island Inc., USP Louisiana Inc., USP Lubbock Inc., USP Maryland Inc., USP Mason Ridge Inc., USP Mattis Inc., USP Michigan Inc., USP Midland Inc., USP Midland Real Estate Inc., USP Midwest Inc., USP Mission Hills Inc., USP Montana Inc., USP Morris Inc., USP Mt. Vernon Inc., USP Nevada Holdings LLC, USP Nevada Inc., USP New Hampshire Inc., USP New Jersey Inc., USP Newport News Inc., USP North Carolina Inc., USP North Kansas City Inc., USP North Texas Inc., USP Northwest Arkansas Inc., USP OKC Inc., USP OKC Manager Inc., USP Office Parkway Inc., USP Ohio RE Inc., USP Oklahoma Inc., USP Olive Inc., USP Orlando Inc., USP Philadelphia Inc., USP Phoenix Inc., USP Portland Inc., USP Reading Inc., USP Richmond II Inc., USP Richmond Inc., USP Sacramento Inc., USP San Antonio Inc., USP Santa Barbara Surgery Centers Inc., USP Securities Corporation, USP Silver Cross Inc., USP Siouxland Inc., USP Somerset Inc., USP South Carolina Inc., USP Southlake RE Inc., USP St. Louis Inc., USP St. Louis Urology Inc., USP St. Peters Inc., USP Sunset Hills Inc., USP TJ STL Inc., USP Tennessee Inc., USP Texas Air L.L.C., USP Texas L.P., USP Torrance Inc., USP Tucson Inc., USP Turnersville Inc., USP Virginia Beach Inc., USP Washington Inc., USP Waxahachie Management L.L.C., USP Webster Groves Inc., USP West Covina Inc., USP Westwood Inc., USP Winter Park Inc., USP Wisconsin Inc., USP-HMH Surgery Center at Central Jersey LLC, USP/Carondelet Tucson Surgery Centers LLC, USP/SOS Joint Venture LLC, USPI Group Holdings Inc., USPI Holding Company Inc.1, USPI Holdings Inc., USPI Physician Strategy Group LLC, USPI San Diego Inc., USPI Stockton Inc., USPI Surgical Services Inc., Ulysses True Results NewCo LLC, Underwood Surgery Center LLC, United Anesthesia Partners Inc., United Real Estate Development Inc., United Real Estate Holdings Inc., United Surgical Partners Holdings Inc., United Surgical Partners International, United Surgical Partners International Inc., Universal Medical Care Center L.L.C., University Surgery Center Ltd., University Surgical Partners of Dallas L.L.P., Upper Bay Surgery Center LLC, Upper Cumberland Physicians Surgery Center LLC, Urgent Care Centers of Arizona LLC, Utica ASC Partners LLC, Utica/USP Tulsa L.L.C., VB Brownsville LTACH LLC, VBOA ASC GP LLC, VBOA ASC Partners L.L.C., VHM Services Inc., VHS Acquisition Corporation, VHS Acquisition Partnership Number 1 L.P, VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 1 Inc., VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 11 Inc., VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 12 Inc., VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 3 Inc., VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 4 Inc., VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 5 Inc., VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 6 Inc., VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 7 Inc., VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 8 Inc., VHS Acquisition Subsidiary Number 9 Inc., VHS Arizona Heart Institute Inc., VHS Brownsville Hospital Company LLC, VHS Chicago Market Procurement LLC, VHS Childrens Hospital of Michigan Inc., VHS Detroit Businesses Inc., VHS Detroit Receiving Hospital Inc., VHS Detroit Ventures Inc., VHS Harlingen Hospital Company LLC, VHS Harper-Hutzel Hospital Inc., VHS Holding Company Inc., VHS Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital Inc., VHS Imaging Centers Inc., VHS New England Holding Company I Inc., VHS Outpatient Clinics Inc., VHS Phoenix Health Plan Inc., VHS Physicians of Michigan, VHS Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan Inc., VHS San Antonio Imaging Partners L.P., VHS San Antonio Partners LLC, VHS Sinai-Grace Hospital Inc., VHS University Laboratories Inc., VHS Valley Health System LLC, VHS Valley Holdings LLC, VHS Valley Management Company Inc., VHS West Suburban Medical Center Inc., VHS Westlake Hospital Inc., VHS of Anaheim Inc., VHS of Arrowhead Inc., VHS of Huntington Beach Inc., VHS of Illinois Inc., VHS of Michigan Inc., VHS of Michigan Staffing Inc., VHS of Orange County Inc., VHS of Phoenix Inc., VHS of South Phoenix Inc., Valley Baptist Lab Services LLC, Valley Baptist Physician Performance Network, Valley Baptist Realty Company LLC, Valley Baptist Wellness Center LLC, Valley Health Care Network, Vanguard ASC LLC, Vanguard Health Financial Company LLC, Vanguard Health Holding Company I LLC, Vanguard Health Holding Company II LLC, Vanguard Health Management Inc., Vanguard Health Systems, Vanguard Health Systems Inc., Vanguard Holding Company I Inc., Vanguard Holding Company II Inc., Vanguard Medical Specialists LLC, Vanguard Physician Services LLC, Ventana Surgical Center LLC, Veroscan Inc., Victoria Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Virtua-USP Princeton LLC, WHASA L.C., Walker Baptist Affinity LLC, Walker Street Imaging Care Inc., Warner Park Surgery Center LLC, Watermark Physician Services Inc., Webster Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Wellington Endo LLC, Wellstar/USP Joint Venture I LLC, Wellstar/USP Joint Venture II LLC, West Boca Health Services L.L.C., West Boca Medical Center Inc., West Boynton Urgent Care L.L.C., West Bozeman Surgery Center LLC, West Palm Healthcare Real Estate Inc., West Suburban Radiation Therapy Center LLC, Westgate Surgery Center LLC, Westlake Hospital LLC, Westlawn Surgery Center LLC, Westminster Surgery Center LLC, Westminster Surgery Centers LLC, White Fence Surgical Suites LLC, Willamette Spine Center Ambulatory Surgery LLC, Wilmington Endoscopy Center LLC, Wilshire Rental Corp., Winter Haven Ambulatory Surgical Center L.L.C., Wisconsin Specialty Surgery Center LLC, Wymark Surgery Center LLC, and YNHHSC/USP Surgery Centers LLC.
Canadian Western Bank provides personal and business banking products and services primarily in Western Canada. The company offers current, savings, cash management, US dollar, and chequing accounts, as well as organization, strata solution/condo, general trust, and trust fund investment accounts. It also offers commercial lending and real estate, and equipment financing and leasing products; loans and mortgages; secured and unsecured lines of credit; registered retirement savings plan; consolidation, vehicle, and recreation vehicle loans; and credit cards. In addition, the company offers cash management services; life and disability insurance products; and ATM, mobile, and online banking services, as well cheque order services. Further, it provides investment products comprising guaranteed investment certificates, registered retirement income funds, tax-free savings accounts, registered education savings plans, and mutual funds, as well as personal and business planning services. Canadian Western Bank has a strategic partnership with Temenos AG to support small and medium sized enterprises with financial decision-making and enhancing their businesses. The company was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Edmonton, Canada.

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Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, a diversified financial institution, provides various financial products and services to personal, business, public sector, and institutional clients in Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company operates through four strategic business units: Canadian Personal and Business Banking; Canadian Commercial Banking and Wealth Management; U.S. Commercial Banking and Wealth Management; and Capital Markets. The company offers chequing, savings, and business accounts; mortgages; loans, lines of credit, student lines of credit, and business and agriculture loans; investment and insurance services; and credit cards, as well as overdraft protection services. It also provides day-to-day banking, borrowing and credit, investing and wealth, specialty, and international services; correspondent banking and online foreign exchange services; and cash management services. The company serves its customers through its banking centers, as well as direct, mobile, and remote channels. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce was founded in 1867 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Illinois Tool Works: A V Co 1 Limited, A V Co 2 Limited, A V Co 3 Limited, ACCU-LUBE Manufacturing GmbH - Schmiermittel und -gerate -, AIP/BI Holdings Inc., Accessories Marketing Holding Corp., Advanced Molding Company Inc., Allen Coding GmbH, Allen France SAS, Alpine Automation Limited, Alpine Engineered Products, Alpine Holdings Inc., Alpine Systems Corporation, Anaerobicos S.r.l., AppliChem GmbH, Arylux Hungary Elektromechanikus Alkatreszgyarto Kft, Avery Berkel France, Avery India Limited, Avery Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avery Weigh Tronix, Avery Weigh-Tronix (Suzhou) Weighing Technology Co. Ltd., Avery Weigh-Tronix Finance Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix Holdings Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix International Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix LLC, Avery Weigh-Tronix Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix Properties Limited, Azon Limited, B.C. Immo, Beijing Miller Electric Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Berkel (Ireland) Limited, Berrington UK, Brapenta Eletronica Ltda., Brooks Instrument (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Brooks Instrument B.V., Brooks Instrument GmbH, Brooks Instrument KFT, Brooks Instrument Korea Ltd., Brooks Instrument LLC, Buell Industries Inc., CAPMAX Logistica S.A. de C.V., CCI Realty Company, CFC Europe GmbH, CS (Australia) Pty Limited, CS (Finance) Europe S.a.r.l., CS Mexico Holding Company S DE RL DE CV, CSMTS LLC, Calvia Spolka z Ograniczona Odpowiedzialnosci, Capital Ventures (Australasia) S.a r.l, Capmax Logistica S.A. de C.V., Celeste Industries Corporation, Coeur, Coeur (Shanghai) Medical Appliance Trading Co. Ltd, Coeur Asia Limited, Coeur Holding Company, Coeur Inc., Compagnie Hobart, Compagnie de Materiel et d'Equipements Techniques-Comet, Constructions Isothermiques Bontami C.I.B., Crane Carrier Company, Despatch Industries, Diagraph Corporation Sdn. Bhd, Diagraph ITW Mexico S. de R.L. De C.V., Diagraph Mexico S.A. DE C.V., Dongguan Ark-Les Electric Components Co. Ltd., Dongguan CK Branding Co. Ltd., Dorbyl U.K. (Holdings) Limited, Duo Fast de Espana S.A.U., Duo-Fast Korea Co. Ltd., Duo-Fast LLC, E.C.S. d.o.o., ECS Cable Protection Sp. Zoo, ELRO (Holding) AG, ELRO Grosskuchen GmbH, ELRO-WERKE AG, Elga Skandinavian AS, Elro Group, Eltex-Elektrostatik-Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Envases Multipac S.A. de C.V., Eurotec Srl, FEG Investments L.L.C., Fasver, Filtertek, Filtertek De Mexico Holding Inc., Filtertek De Mexico S.A. de C.V., GC Financement SA, Gamko B.V., Gun Hwa Platech (Taicang) Co. Ltd., HOBART Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Hartness International, Hobart (Japan) K.K., Hobart Andina S.A.S., Hobart Brothers International Chile Limitada, Hobart Brothers LLC, Hobart Dayton Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Hobart Food Equipment Co. Ltd., Hobart Foster Belgium, Hobart International (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Hobart Korea LLC, Hobart LLC, Hobart Nederland B.V., Hobart Sales & Service Inc., Hobart Scandinavia ApS, Hobart Techniek B.V., Horis, ILC Investments Holdings Inc., ITW (China) Investment Company Limited, ITW (Deutschland) GmbH, ITW (EU) Holdings Ltd., ITW (European) Finance Co. Ltd., ITW (European) Finance II Co. Ltd., ITW (European) Finance III Co. Ltd., ITW (Ningbo) Components & Fastenings Systems Co. Ltd., ITW AEP LLC, ITW AOC LLC, ITW Aircraft Investments Inc., ITW Alpha Sarl, ITW Ampang Industries Philippines Inc., ITW Appliance Components EOOD, ITW Appliance Components S.A. de C.V., ITW Appliance Components S.r.l.a, ITW Appliance Components d.o.o., ITW Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, ITW Australia Property Holdings Pty Ltd., ITW Australia Pty Ltd, ITW Automotive Components (Chongqing) Co. Ltd., ITW Automotive Components (Langfang) Co. Ltd., ITW Automotive Japan K.K., ITW Automotive Korea LLC, ITW Automotive Parts (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, ITW Automotive Products GmbH, ITW Automotive Products Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Bailly Comte, ITW Befestigungssysteme GmbH, ITW Belgium, ITW Brazilian Nominee L.L.C., ITW Building Components Group Inc., ITW CER, ITW CP Distribution Center Holland BV, ITW CS (UK) Ltd., ITW Canada Inc., ITW Celeste Inc., ITW Chemical Products Ltda, ITW Chemical Products Scandinavia ApS, ITW Colombia S.A.S., ITW Construction Products (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ITW Construction Products (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., ITW Construction Products AB, ITW Construction Products AS, ITW Construction Products ApS, ITW Construction Products CZ s.r.o., ITW Construction Products Italy Srl, ITW Construction Products OU, ITW Construction Products OY, ITW Contamination Control (Wujiang) Co. Ltd., ITW Contamination Control B.V., ITW Covid Security Group Inc., ITW DS Investments Inc., ITW DelFast do Brasil Ltda., ITW Delta Sarl, ITW Denmark ApS, ITW Dynatec, ITW Dynatec Adhesive Equipment (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., ITW Dynatec GmbH, ITW Dynatec Kabushiki Kaisha, ITW EAE B.V., ITW EAE Mexico S de RL de CV, ITW EF&C France SAS, ITW EF&C Selb GmbH, ITW Electronic Business Asia Co. Limited, ITW Electronic Components/Products (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ITW Electronics (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., ITW Epsilon Sarl, ITW Espana S.A., ITW FEG Hong Kong Limited, ITW FEG do Brasil Industria e Comercio Ltda., ITW Fastener Products GmbH, ITW Finance Designated Activity Company, ITW Finance Europe S.A., ITW Fluids and Hygiene Solutions Ltda., ITW Food Equipment Group LLC, ITW France Finance Alpha S.A.S., ITW GH LLC, ITW GSE ApS, ITW GSE Inc., ITW Gamma Sarl, ITW German Management LLC, ITW Global Investments Holdings LLC, ITW Global Investments Holdings Y Compania Sociedad en Comandita por Acciones, ITW Global Investments II Inc., ITW Global Investments Inc., ITW Global Tire Repair Europe GmbH, ITW Global Tire Repair Inc., ITW Global Tire Repair Japan K.K., ITW Graphics (Thailand) Ltd., ITW Graphics Asia Limited, ITW Graphics Italy S.R.L. in liquidazione, ITW Great Britain Investment & Licensing Holding Company, ITW Group France (Luxembourg) S.ar.l., ITW HLP Thailand Co. Ltd., ITW Holding Quimica B.C. S.L. Sole Shareholder Company, ITW Holdings Australia L.P., ITW Holdings I Limited, ITW Holdings II Limited, ITW Holdings III Limited, ITW Holdings IV Limited, ITW Holdings IX Limited, ITW Holdings Inc., ITW Holdings UK, ITW Holdings V Limited, ITW Holdings VI Limited, ITW Holdings VII Limited, ITW Holdings VIII Limited, ITW Holdings X Limited, ITW Holdings XI Limited, ITW Hungary Finance Beta Kft, ITW ILC Holdings I Inc., ITW IPG Investments LLC, ITW Imaden Industria e Comercio Ltda., ITW India Private Limited, ITW International Holdings LLC, ITW Invest Holding GmbH, ITW Ireland Holdings Unlimited Company, ITW Ireland Unlimited Company, ITW Italy Finance Srl, ITW Italy Holding Srl, ITW Japan Ltd., ITW Korea LLC, ITW LLC & Co. KG, ITW Limited, ITW Lombard Holdings Inc., ITW Lys Fusion S.r.l., ITW M FILMS II LLC, ITW MH LLC, ITW Meritex Sdn. Bhd., ITW Metal Fasteners S.L., ITW Mexico Holding Company S. De R.L. de C.V., ITW Mexico Holdings LLC, ITW Morlock GmbH, ITW Mortgage Investments II Inc., ITW Mortgage Investments III Inc., ITW Mortgage Investments IV Inc., ITW Netherlands Administration BV, ITW Netherlands Beta B.V., ITW Netherlands Finance Alpha BV, ITW New Universal LLC, ITW New Zealand, ITW Novadan Sp. Z.o.o., ITW PPF Brasil Adesivos Ltda., ITW Packaging Technology (China) Co. Ltd., ITW Participations S.a r.l., ITW Pension Funds Trustee Company, ITW Performance Plastic (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids Japan Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids Korea Limited, ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids OOO, ITW Performance Polymers (Wujiang) Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers ApS, ITW Performance Polymers and Fluids Group FZE, ITW Peru S.A.C., ITW Philippines Holdings LLC, ITW Poly Mex S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Polymers Sealants North America Inc., ITW Pronovia s.r.o., ITW Pte. Ltd., ITW Qufu Automotive Cooling Systems Co. Ltd., ITW Real Estate Germany GmbH, ITW Residuals III L.L.C., ITW Residuals IV L.L.C., ITW Rivex, ITW SMPI, ITW SPG Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Simco-Ion (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., ITW Slovakia s.r.o., ITW Spain Holdings S.L., ITW Specialty Film LLC, ITW Specialty Films France, ITW Specialty Materials (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., ITW Spraytec, ITW Sverige AB, ITW Sweden Holding AB, ITW Test & Measurement Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, ITW Test & Measurement GmbH, ITW Test and Measurement Italia Srl, ITW Test and Measurement Services Industry and Trade Ltd., ITW Texwipe Philippines Inc., ITW Thermal Films (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ITW UK, ITW UK Finance Beta Limited, ITW UK Finance Delta Limited, ITW UK Finance Gamma Limited, ITW UK Finance Limited, ITW UK Finance Zeta Ltd., ITW UK II Limited, ITW Universal II LLC, ITW Welding, ITW Welding AB, ITW Welding GmbH, ITW Welding Products B.V., ITW Welding Products Group FZE, ITW Welding Products Group S. DE R.L. De C.V., ITW Welding Products Italy Srl, ITW Welding Products Limited Liability Company, ITW Welding Produtos Para Solgdagem Ltda., ITW Welding Servicios Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Welding Singapore Pte. Ltd., ITW de France, ITW do Brasil Industrial e Comercial Ltda., Ideal Molding Technologies LLC, Illinois Tool Works (Chile) Limitada, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) Nederland B.V., Illinois Tool Works Norway AS, Impar Comercio E Representacoes Ltda., Industrie Plastic Elsasser GmbH, Inmobiliaria Cit. S.A. de C.F., Innova Temperlite Servicios S.A. de C.V., Innovacion y Transformacion Automotriz S.A. de C.V., Instron (Shanghai) Ltd., Instron (Thailand) Limited, Instron Brasil Equipamentos Cientificos Ltda., Instron Foreign Sales Corp. Limited, Instron France S.A.S., Instron GmbH, Instron Holdings Limited, Instron International Limited, Instron Japan Company Ltd., Instron Korea LLC, International Leasing Company LLC, International Truss Systems Proprietary Limited, Isolenge - ITW Sistemas de Isolamento Termico Ltda., KCPL Mauritius Holdings, Kester, Kester Components (M) Sdn. Bhd., Kleinmann GmbH, Krafft S.L., Loma Systems, Loma Systems (Canada) Inc., Loma Systems BV, Loma Systems sro, Lombard Pressings Limited, Lumex Inc., Lys Fusion Poland Sp. z.o.o., M&C Specialties (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., M&C Specialties Co., MAGNAFLUX GmbH, MEHB Holdings Limited, MGHG Property LLC, MOA Enterprises Inc, Manufacturing Avancee S.A., Meritex Technology (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Meurer Verpackungssysteme GmbH, Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, Miller Insurance Ltd., NDT Holding LLC, NOVADAN APS, Norden Olje AB, North Star Imaging Europe, North Star Imaging Inc., Nova Chimica S.r.l., Orbitalum Tools GmbH, PENTA-91 OOO, PR. A. I. Srl, PT ITW Construction Products Indonesia, Pacific Concept Industries Limited (Enping), Panreac Quimica S.L., Paslode Fasteners (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Peerless Machinery Corp., Penta Dnepr LLC, Penta Sever OOO, Penta Volga OOO, Polyrey, Premark FEG L.L.C., Premark HII Holdings LLC, Premark International, Premark International LLC, Prolex Sociedad Anonima, QSA Global Inc., Quimica Industrial Mediterranea S.L., Ramset Fasteners (Hong Kong) Ltd., Rapid Cook LLC, Refrigeration France, S.E.E. Sistemas Industria E Comercio Ltda., ST Mexico Holdings LLC, Sealant Systems International Inc., Sentinel Asia Yuhan Hoesa, Shanghai ITW Plastic & Metal Co. Ltd, Simco (Nederland) B.V., Simco Japan Inc., Societe de Prospection et dInventions Techniques  SPIT, Speedline Holdings I Inc., Speedline Holdings I LLC, Speedline Technologies GmbH, Speedline Technologies Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Speedline Technologies Mexico Services S. de R.L. de C.V., Stokvis Celix Portugal Unipessoal LDA, Stokvis Danmark ApS, Stokvis Holdings S.A.R.L., Stokvis Promi s.r.o, Stokvis Prostick Tapes Private Limited, Stokvis Tapes (Hong Kong) Co. Limited, Stokvis Tapes (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes (Taiwan) Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes BVBA, Stokvis Tapes Benelux B.V., Stokvis Tapes Deutschland GmbH, Stokvis Tapes France, Stokvis Tapes Italia s.r.l., Stokvis Tapes Limited, Stokvis Tapes Limited Liability Company, Stokvis Tapes Norge AS, Stokvis Tapes Oy, Stokvis Tapes Polska Sp Z.O.O., Stokvis Tapes Sverige AB, Stolvis Holdings II S.A.R.L., Technopack Industria Comercio Consultoria e Representacoes Ltda., Teknek (China) Limited, Teknek (Japan) Limited, Teksaleco Ltd., The Miller Group Ltd, Thirode Grandes Cuisines Poligny, Tien Tai Electrode (Kunshan) Co. Ltd., Tien Tai Electrode Co. Ltd., Unichemicals Industria e Comercio Ltda., VR-Leasing Sarita GmbH & Co. Immobilien KG, VS European Holdco BV, Valeron Strength Films B.V.B.A., Veneta Decalcogomme S.r.l., Versachem Chile S.A., Vesta, Vesta (Guangzhou) Catering Equipment Co. Ltd, Vesta Global Limited, Viltronics Soltec, Vitronics Soltec B.V., Wachs Canada Ltd., Wachs Subsea LLC, Weigh-Tronix Canada ULC, Weigh-Tronix UK Limited, Wilsonart International Holdings LLC, Wynn Oil (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd., Wynn's Automotive France, Wynn's Belgium BVBA, Wynn's Italia Srl, Wynn's Mekuba India Pvt Ltd, ZF TRW (Engineered Fasteners and Components), and Zip-Pak International B.V..
Dialog Semiconductor Plc engages in the design, development, and marketing of integrated circuit (IC) products. It operates through the following segments: Custom Mixed Signal (CMS), Advanced Mixed Signal (AMS), Connectivity and Audio (C&A), and Industrial IoT. The CMS segment provides custom ICs designed to meet the needs of the customers in the mobile, industrial, automotive, computing and storage markets. The AMS segment offers standard products including CMICs, AC/DC converter solutions for smaller, fast charging power adaptors for portable devices as well as LED drivers for backlighting and solid state lighting products. The C&A segment includes standard products incorporating short-range wireless, digital cordless, Bluetooth low energy, VoIP, and low-power Wi-Fi technologies. The Industrial IoT segment consists of products enabling smart factory and building automation including non-volatile memory (NVM) ICs, industrial communication ICs, custom-designed ASICs and embedded systems, servers, and software. The company was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Reading, the United Kingdom.

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Gildan Activewear Inc. manufactures and sells various apparel products in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It provides various activewear products, including T-shirts, fleece tops and bottoms, and sport shirts under the Gildan, Gildan Performance, Gildan Hammer, Comfort Colors, American Apparel, Anvil by Gildan, Alstyle, Prim + Preux, and GoldToe brands. The company also offers hosiery products comprising athletic; dress; and casual, liner, therapeutic, and workwear socks, as well as sheer panty hoses, tights, and leggings under the brands of Gildan, Under Armour, GoldToe, PowerSox, GT a GoldToe Brand, Silver Toe, Signature Gold by Goldtoe, Peds, MediPeds, Kushyfoot, Therapy Plus, All Pro, Secret, Silks, Secret Silky, and American Apparel. In addition, it provides men's and boys' underwear products, and ladies panties under the Gildan and Gildan Platinum brand names; and ladies' shapewear, intimates, and accessories under the Secret and Secret Silky brands. The company sells its products to wholesale distributors, screen printers, or embellishers, as well as to retailers and consumer brand companies. The company was formerly known as Textiles Gildan Inc. and changed its name to Gildan Activewear Inc. in March 1995. Gildan Activewear Inc. was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.

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Giyani Metals Corp., a junior mineral exploration company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, evaluation, and development of gold, manganese, and precious metal mining projects in South Africa and Canada. The company holds interests in the Kgwakgwe Hill manganese mine with six prospecting licenses located in the Kanye Basin, Southeastern Botswana. It also holds interest in the Rock Island gold project located in South Africa; and the Canoe Mining Ventures gold project located in Ontario, Canada. The company was formerly known as Giyani Gold Corp and changed its name to Giyani Metals Corp. in July 2017. Giyani Metals Corp. was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in Oakville, Canada.

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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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There is not enough analysis data for Hawaiian Macadamia Nut Orchards.

4.3 Community Rank

Outperform Votes Hawaiian Macadamia Nut Orchards has received 100 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.)

Underperform Votes Hawaiian Macadamia Nut Orchards has received 54 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.)

Community Sentiment Hawaiian Macadamia Nut Orchards has received 64.94% outperform votes from our community.

MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Hawaiian Macadamia Nut Orchards and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe NNUTU will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe NNUTU will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days.

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Advanced Disposal Services, Inc. provides non-hazardous solid waste collection, transfer, recycling, and disposal services. The company is involved in the curbside collection of residential refuse from small carts or containers into collection vehicles for transport to a disposal/recycling site. It also supplies commercial and industrial customers with waste containers; rents or sells compactors to large waste generators; and provides roll-off containers, as well as waste collection, transportation, and disposal services to construction and demolition sites. In addition, the company offers landfill disposal services; and manages or operates recycling facilities that collect, process, and sell old corrugated cardboard, old newspaper, mixed paper, aluminum, glass, and other materials, as well as provides customer services. Further, it engages in trucking activities; and landfill gas-to-energy operations at municipal solid waste landfills, as well as manages third-party owned landfills. The company serves approximately 2.7 million residential customers; 200,000 commercial and industrial customers; and 800 municipalities in the Southeast, Midwest, and Eastern regions of the United States, as well as the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. As of December 31, 2019, it owned or operated 95 collection operations, 73 transfer stations, 41 active solid waste landfills, and 3 recycling facilities in 16 states and the Bahamas. The company was formerly known as ADS Waste Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to Advanced Disposal Services, Inc. in January 2016. Advanced Disposal Services, Inc. was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Ponte Vedra, Florida.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Hyatt Hotels: CHANCELLOR STREET CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION INC., GLENDALE HOTEL PROPERTIES L.L.C., HT-SEATTLE HOLDINGS LLC, 1379919 ALBERTA INC., 319168 ONTARIO LIMITED, 3385434 CANADA INC., ADMINISTRACION DE PERSONAL ANDARES S. DE R.L. DE C.V., AIC HOLDING CO., AIRPORT PLAZA ASSOCIATES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, AIRPORT PLAZA HOTEL LLC, AIRPORT PLAZA OFFICE BUILDING LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, AMERISUITES FRANCHISING L.L.C., ARANCIA LIMITED, ARUBA BEACHFRONT RESORTS LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, ARUBA BEACHFRONT RESORTS N.V., ASIA HOSPITALITY INC., ASIA HOSPITALITY INVESTORS B.V., ASIAN HOTEL N.V., ATRIUM HOTEL L.L.C., AUSTIN RESORT BEVERAGE LLC, AmeriSuites Hotel, BAKU HOTEL COMPANY - AZERI, BAKU HOTEL COMPANY - CAYMAN, BASTROP MARKETING L.L.C., BAY II INVESTOR INC., BELLEVUE ASSOCIATES, BH PLAZA LLC, BRE/AMERISUITES PROPERTIES L.L.C., BRE/AMERISUITES TXNC GP L.L.C., BRE/AMERISUITES TXNC PROPERTIES L.P., BURVAN HOTEL ASSOCIATES, CAL-HARBOR SO. PIER URBAN RENEWAL ASSOCIATES L.P., CELAYA RESORTS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., CHESAPEAKE COMMUNITIES LLC, CHESAPEAKE RESORT LLC, CIUDAD DEL CARMEN DIAMANTE RESORT S. DE R.L. DE C.V, COAST BEACH L.L.C., COMPAGNIE HOTELIERE DE LAGON BLEU, CPM SEATTLE HOTELS L.L.C., CRW INVESTMENT LLC, CTR INTEREST HOLDCO INC., DALLAS REGENCY LLC, DENVER DOWNTOWN HOTEL PARTNERS LLC, DESARROLLADORA HOTELERA ACUEDUCTO S. DE R.L. DE C.V., DH BEVERAGE LLC, DIAMANTE RESORT LA PAZ S. DE R.L. DE C.V., DISTRICT HOTEL PARTNERS LLC, EXHALE ENTERPRISES GIFT SERVICES COMPANY, EXHALE ENTERPRISES II L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES III INC., EXHALE ENTERPRISES IV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES V L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES VIII INC., EXHALE ENTERPRISES X INC., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XIV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XIX L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XV TCI LTD., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XVI L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XVII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XVIII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XX L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXI INC., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXIV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXVI L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXVII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXVIII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXXI L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXXII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXXIII INC., FAN PIER L.L.C., FAR EAST HOTELS INC., G.E.H. PROPERTIES LIMITED, GAINEY DRIVE ASSOCIATES, GALAXY AEROSPACE COMPANY LLC, GHE HOLDINGS LIMITED, GRAND HYATT BERLIN GMBH, GRAND HYATT DFW BEVERAGE LLC, GRAND HYATT SAN ANTONIO L.L.C., GRAND HYATT SF L.L.C., GRAND RIVERWALK BEVERAGE LLC, GRAND TORONTO CORP., GRAND TORONTO VENTURE L.P., GREENWICH HOTEL LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, H.E. ATLANTA CENTENNIAL PARK HOLDINGS L.L.C., H.E. AUSTIN L.L.C., H.E. BERMUDA L.L.C., H.E. CAP CANA L.L.C., H.E. DRISKILL LLC, H.E. GRAND CYPRESS L.L.C., H.E. IRVINE L.L.C., H.E. KANSAS CITY L.L.C., H.E. LENOX L.L.C., H.E. NASHVILLE L.L.C., H.E. NEWPORT L.L.C., H.E. ORLANDO L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA HC HOLDINGS L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA HC HOTEL L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA HC PARKING L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA HC RETAIL L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA SANSOM L.L.C., H.E. PORTLAND HC L.L.C., H.E. PORTLAND L.L.C., H.E. PROPERTIES HOLDING L.L.C., H.E. PROPERTIES L.L.C., H.E. SAN ANTONIO I L.L.C., H.E. SAN ANTONIO L.L.C., H.E. TUCSON HOLDINGS L.L.C., H.E. TUCSON JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., H.E. TUCSON JV L.L.C., H.E. TUCSON OWNER L.L.C., HAPP INVESTOR LTD., HARBORSIDE HOTEL LLC, HARBORSIDE LAND LLC, HC PORTLAND JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HC ROYAL PALMS L.L.C., HCV CINCINNATI HOTEL L.L.C., HE ORLANDO HOTEL LLC, HGP (TRAVEL) LIMITED, HH NASHVILLE HOLDINGS L.L.C., HH NASHVILLE JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HH PORTLAND L.L.C., HHMA BURLINGTON BEVERAGE L.L.C., HI HOLDINGS (SWITZERLAND) GMBH, HI HOLDINGS BAJA B.V., HI HOLDINGS BRAZIL S.A.R.L., HI HOLDINGS CELAYA B.V., HI HOLDINGS CIUDAD DEL CARMEN B.V., HI HOLDINGS CYPRUS LIMITED, HI HOLDINGS CYPRUS-INDIA LIMITED, HI HOLDINGS GUADALAJARA B.V., HI HOLDINGS HP CABO B.V., HI HOLDINGS HP TIJUANA HOTEL B.V., HI HOLDINGS KYOTO CO., HI HOLDINGS LA PAZ B.V., HI HOLDINGS LATIN AMERICA B.V., HI HOLDINGS NETHERLANDS B.V., HI HOLDINGS PLAYA B.V., HI HOLDINGS RIO S.A.R.L., HI HOLDINGS RIVIERA MAYA B.V., HI HOLDINGS VIENNA S.A.R.L., HI HOLDINGS ZURICH S.A.R.L., HI HOTEL ADVISORY SERVICES GMBH, HI HOTEL INVESTORS CYPRUS LIMITED, HIHCL AMSTERDAM B.V., HIHCL HP AMSTERDAM AIRPORT B.V., HIHCL HR AMSTERDAM B.V., HILP HOTEL SERVICE PROVIDER LLC, HOTEL AM BELVEDERE HOLDING GMBH, HOTEL AM BELVEDERE HOLDING GMBH & CO KG, HOTEL INVESTMENTS HOLDING CO LLC, HOTEL INVESTMENTS L.L.C., HOTEL INVESTORS I INC., HOTEL INVESTORS II INC., HOTEL PROJECT SYSTEMS PTE LTD, HOTEL SERVICES CIUDAD DEL CARMEN S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HOTELS CS CELAYA S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HP ATLANTA CENTENNIAL PARK JV LLC, HP AUSTIN L.L.C., HP BEVERAGE DALLAS DFW AIRPORT LLC, HP BEVERAGE SUGAR LAND LLC, HP BOSTON HOLDINGS L.L.C., HP GLENDALE JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HP GLENDALE L.L.C., HP INDIA HOLDINGS LIMITED, HP LAS VEGAS BEVERAGE L.L.C., HP M STREET L.L.C., HP ROUTE 46 TEXAS LLC, HP SAN FRANCISCO L.L.C., HP SAN JUAN L.L.C., HP TEN TEXAS LLC, HPHH ATLANTA L.L.C., HPHH DENVER L.L.C., HPHH SAN JOSE JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HPHH SAN JOSE L.L.C., HQ CHESAPEAKE LLC, HR LOST PINES RESORT LLC, HR MC HOTEL COMPANY S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HR MC SERVICES II S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HR MC SERVICES S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HRHC LLC, HT- WAILEA LLC, HT-AVENDRA GROUP HOLDINGS L.L.C., HT-AVENDRA L.L.C., HT-CHESAPEAKE COMMUNITIES INC., HT-CHESAPEAKE RESORT INC., HT-HOTEL EQUITIES INC., HT-HUNTINGTON BEACH INC., HT-JERSEY PIER INC., HT-JERSEY PIER L.P., HT-JERSEY PIER LLC, HT-LONG BEACH L.L.C., HT-MIAMI BEACH L.L.C., HT-PARK 57 INC., HT-SEATTLE LLC, HT-SIERRA L.L.C., HT-VANCOUVER INC., HTLB L.L.C., HTS - NS L.L.C., HTS - NY L.L.C., HTS-ASPEN L.L.C., HTS-BC INC., HTS-INVESTMENT L L.C., HTSF L.L.C., HTW BEVERAGE LLC, HY LONG BEACH HOTEL LLC, HYATT (BARBADOS) CORPORATION, HYATT (JAPAN) CO. LTD., HYATT (THAILAND) LIMITED, HYATT ARUBA N.V., HYATT ASIA PACIFIC HOLDINGS LIMITED, HYATT AUSTRALIA HOTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LIMITED, HYATT AUSTRIA GMBH, HYATT BEACH FRONT N.V., HYATT BORNEO MANAGEMENT SERVICES LIMITED, HYATT BRITANNIA CORPORATION LTD., HYATT CC OFFICE CORP., HYATT CHAIN SERVICES LIMITED, HYATT CRYSTAL CITY LLC., HYATT CURACAO N.V., HYATT DISASTER RELIEF FUND, HYATT DO BRASIL PARTICIPACOES LTDA, HYATT EQUITIES L.L.C., HYATT FOREIGN EMPLOYMENT SERVICES INC., HYATT FRANCHISING CANADA CORP., HYATT FRANCHISING L.L.C., HYATT FRANCHISING LATIN AMERICA L.L.C., HYATT FULFILLMENT OF MARYLAND INC., HYATT GLOBAL SERVICES INC., HYATT GTLD L.L.C., HYATT HOC INC., HYATT HOLDINGS (UK) LIMITED, HYATT HOSPITALITY SERVICES L.L.C., HYATT HOTEL MANAGEMENT LIMITED, HYATT HOTELS CONSULTANCY SERVICES ASIA PACIFIC LIMITED, HYATT HOTELS CORPORATION OF KANSAS, HYATT HOTELS CORPORATION OF MARYLAND, HYATT HOTELS FOUNDATION, HYATT HOTELS MANAGEMENT CORPORATION, HYATT HOTELS OF CANADA INC., HYATT HOTELS OF FLORIDA INC., HYATT HOTELS OF PUERTO RICO INC., HYATT HOUSE CANADA INC., HYATT HOUSE FRANCHISING L.L.C., HYATT HOUSE HOTEL HOLDING COMPANY L.L.C., HYATT INDIA CONSULTANCY PRIVATE LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL (ASIA) LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL (EUROPE AFRICA MIDDLE EAST) LLC, HYATT INTERNATIONAL - JAPAN LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL - SOUTHWEST ASIA LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL -ASIA PACIFIC LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL -SEA (PTE) LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION, HYATT INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS CO., HYATT INTERNATIONAL HOTEL MANAGEMENT (BEIJING) CO. LTD., HYATT INTERNATIONAL MILAN L.L.C., HYATT INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT (BEIJING) CO. LTD., HYATT INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL SERVICES INC., HYATT JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HYATT LACSA SERVICES INC., HYATT LOUISIANA L.L.C., HYATT MAINZ GMBH, HYATT MARKETING SERVICES INC., HYATT MARKETING SERVICES NIGERIA COMPANY LIMITED, HYATT MINNEAPOLIS LLC, HYATT MINORITY INVESTMENTS INC., HYATT MSS L.L.C., HYATT NORTH AMERICA MANAGEMENT SERVICES INC., HYATT OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, HYATT OF BAJA S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HYATT OF CHINA LIMITED, HYATT OF FRANCE S.A.R.L., HYATT OF GUAM LIMITED, HYATT OF ITALY S.R.L., HYATT OF LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN L.L.C., HYATT OF LATIN AMERICA S.A. DE C.V., HYATT OF MACAU LIMITED, HYATT OF MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., HYATT OF PHILIPPINES LIMITED, HYATT PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS L.L.C., HYATT PLACE ANNE ARUNDEL BEVERAGE INC., HYATT PLACE CANADA CORPORATION, HYATT PLACE FRANCHISING L.L.C., HYATT PLACE OF MARYLAND INC., HYATT REGENCY COLOGNE GMBH, HYATT REGENCY CORPORATION PTY. LIMITED, HYATT SERVICES AUSTRALIA PTY LIMITED, HYATT SERVICES CANADA INC., HYATT SERVICES CARIBBEAN L.L.C., HYATT SERVICES GMBH, HYATT SERVICES INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED, HYATT SHARED SERVICE CENTER L.L.C., HYATT TRINIDAD LIMITED, HYCANADA INC., HYCARD INC., HYSTAR L.L.C., Hyatt Corporation, INFORMATION SERVICES LIMITED, INTERNATIONAL RESERVATIONS LIMITED, JOINT VENTURE ITALKYR CLOSED JOINT STOCK COMPANY, JUNIPER HOTELS PRIVATE LIMITED, KSA MANAGEMENT INC., KYOTO HOLDING CO., LHR-PARTNERS LTD., LORING PARK ASSOCIATES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, LOST PINES BEVERAGE LLC, MACAE PARTNERS S.A.R.L., MAHIMA HOLDINGS PRIVATE LIMITED, MARION RESERVATION CENTER L.L.C., MEXICO CITY HOTEL INVESTMENTS B.V., MILAN HOTEL INVESTMENTS B.V., MIRAVAL ARIZONA GUARANTOR LLC, MIRAVAL GROUP LLC, MIRAVAL RESORT ARIZONA HOLDINGS LLC, MIRAVAL RESORT ARIZONA LLC, MIRAVAL RESORT ARIZONA OPERATING CO. INC., MIRAVAL RESORT TUCSON LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS I LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS II LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS III LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS TRUST, MRG ATX BEVERAGE HOLDINGS LLC, MRG ATX HOLDINGS II LLC, MRG ATX HOLDINGS LLC, MRG ATX INVESTMENT LLC, MRG ATX MANAGEMENT I LLC, MRG ATX MANAGEMENT II LLC, MRG ATX OPERATIONS LLC, MRG CRW HOLDINGS LLC, MRG CRW MANAGEMENT I LLC, MRG CRW MANAGEMENT II LLC, MRG CRW OPERATIONS LLC, MUNICH OPCO GMBH, Miraval Resort, OASIS LUXURY RENTALS INCORPORATED, PARIS HOTEL COMPANY B.V., PARK HYATT HAMBURG GMBH, PARK HYATT HOTEL GMBH, PARK HYATT WATER TOWER ASSOCIATES L.L.C., PH NEW YORK L.L.C., PHMC RESIDENCIAS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., POLK SMITH REGENCY LLC, PT HYATT INDONESIA, PVD INVESTMENT COMPANY S.A.R.L., Peabody Hotels & Resort, RCG PROPERTIES LLC, REGENCY BEVERAGE COMPANY LLC, REGENCY RIVERWALK BEVERAGE LLC, RESERVATIONS CENTER L.L.C., RIO JV PARTNERS PARTICIPACOES LTDA., RIO PRETO PARTNERS HOTEIS LTDA., RIO PRETO PARTNERS S.A.R.L., ROSEMONT PROJECT MANAGEMENT L.L.C., ROUTE 46 MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATES CORP., RUNWAY HOLDING L.L.C., RUNWAY L.L.C., SAO PAULO INVESTMENT COMPANY INC., SAO PAULO INVESTORS LIMITED, SASIH, SDI EQUITIES INVESTOR L.L.C., SDI INC., SDI SECURITIES 11 LLC, SDI SECURITIES 6 LLC, SELECT HOTELS GROUP L.L.C., SELECT JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., SEOUL MIRAMAR CORPORATION, SERVICIOS DE HOTELERIA SAN JOSE S. DE R.L. DE C.V., SERVICIOS HOTELEROS LA PAZ S. DE R.L. DE C.V., SETTLEMENT INVESTORS INC., SHG PUERTO RICO INC., SIERRA HEALTHSTYLES LLC, SJC DESARROLLOS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., SKS CORP. N.V., SMC HOTELS B.V., SOROCABA PARTNERS HOTEIS LTDA, SOROCABA PARTNERS S.A.R.L., STANHOPE L.L.C., STARHILL LORING PARK L.L.C., SUGAR LAND/HP LLC, THE GREAT EASTERN HOTEL COMPANY LIMITED, THE GREAT EASTERN HOTEL HOLDING COMPANY LIMITED, TIJUANA PARTNERS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., TR MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT LLC, TUCSON VILLAS HOLDINGS LLC, TUCSON VILLAS LLC, TWO SEAS HOLDINGS LIMITED, Two Roads Hospitality, WAILEA HOTEL & BEACH RESORT L.L.C., WAILEA HOTEL HOLDINGS L.L.C., WAILEA MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION L.L.C., WAILEA RESORT VILLAS HOLDINGS L.L.C., WAILEA RESORT VILLAS L.L.C., WEST END RESIDENCES L.L.C., XENIA ASSURANCE COMPANY INC., XENIA ASSURANCE COMPANY OF ILLINOIS, ZURICH ESCHERWIESE HOTEL GMBH, and ZURICH HOTEL INVESTMENTS B.V..
iShares MSCI Brazil ETF's stock was trading at $29.68 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, EWZ stock has decreased by 0.6% and is now trading at $29.50.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.
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.
iShares MSCI Switzerland ETF's stock was trading at $35.66 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, EWL shares have increased by 39.0% and is now trading at $49.57.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.
iShares MSCI Singapore ETF's stock was trading at $19.75 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, EWS stock has increased by 15.7% and is now trading at $22.86.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.
Novan, Inc., a clinical development-stage biotechnology company, provides nitric oxide-based therapies to treat dermatological and oncovirus-mediated diseases. Its clinical stage dermatology drug candidates include SB204, a topical monotherapy for the treatment of acne vulgaris; SB206, a topical anti-viral gel for the treatment of viral skin infections; SB208, a topical broad-spectrum anti-fungal gel for the treatment of fungal infections of the skin and nails, including athlete's foot and fungal nail infections; and SB414, a topical cream-based gel product candidate for the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases. The company also develops SB207, an anti-viral product candidate for the treatment of external genital warts; WH602, a nitric oxide-containing intravaginal gel to treat high-risk human papilloma virus (HPV); WH504, a non-gel formulation product candidate to treat high-risk HPV; and SB019 for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2. Novan, Inc. has a license agreement with Sato Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.; and a strategic alliance with Orion Corporation. The company was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Morrisville, North Carolina.

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DATA Communications Management Corp., together with its subsidiaries, provides business communication solutions in North America. It provides a range of communication solutions, including multi media campaign management, location-specific marketing, 1:1 marketing, custom loyalty programs execution, and brand management, as well as commercial printing services. The company also offers warehousing and freight services. It serves the financial institutions, insurance, healthcare, lottery and gaming, retailing, not-for-profit, energy, and governmental industries. The company was formerly known as DATA Group Ltd. and changed its name to DATA Communications Management Corp. in July 2016. DATA Communications Management Corp. was founded in 1959 and is headquartered in Brampton, Canada.

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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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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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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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Red Hat, Inc. provides open source software solutions to develop and offer operating system, virtualization, management, middleware, cloud, mobile, and storage technologies to various enterprises worldwide. It offers infrastructure-related solutions, such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux, an operating system platform that runs on hardware for use in hybrid cloud environments; Red Hat Satellite, a system management offering that helps to deploy, scale, and manage in hybrid cloud environments; and Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization, a software solution that allows customers to utilize and manage a common hardware infrastructure to run multiple operating systems and applications. The company offers application development-related and other technology solutions, such as Red Hat JBoss Middleware, a solution for developing, deploying, and managing applications; integrating applications, data, and devices; and automating business processes in hybrid cloud environments; The company's application development-related and other technology solutions also includes Red Hat cloud offerings, a software solution that enables customers to build and manage various cloud computing environments; Red Hat Mobile, a software development platform that enables customers to develop, integrate, deploy, and manage mobile applications for enterprises; and Red Hat Storage, a software solution that enables customers to manage large, unstructured, or semi-structured data in hybrid cloud environments. It also provides consulting, support, and training services; and realtime operating system, distributed computing, directory services, and user authentication. Red Hat, Inc. has collaboration with Juniper Networks Expand to provide a unified solution for enterprises designed to manage and run applications and services. The company was formerly known as Red Hat Software, Inc. and changed its name to Red Hat, Inc. in June 1999. Red Hat, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina.

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Rogers Communications Inc. operates as a communications and media company in Canada. It operates through three segments: Wireless, Cable, and Media. The company offers mobile Internet access, wireless voice and enhanced voice, device and accessory financing, wireless home phone, device protection, text messaging, e-mail, global voice and data roaming, bridging landline, machine-to-machine and Internet of Things solutions, and advanced wireless solutions for businesses, as well as device delivery services; and postpaid and prepaid services under the Rogers, Fido, and chatr brands to approximately 10.9 million subscribers. It also provides Internet and WiFi services; smart home monitoring services, such as monitoring, security, automation, energy efficiency, and smart control through a smartphone app. In addition, the company offers local and network TV; on-demand television; cloud-based digital video recorders; voice-activated remote controls, and integrated apps; personal video recorders; linear and time-shifted programming; digital specialty channels; 4K television programming; and televised content on smartphones, tablets, and personal computers, as well as operates Ignite TV and Ignite TV app. Further, it provides residential and small business local telephony services; calling features, such as voicemail, call waiting, and long distance; voice, data networking, Internet protocol, and Ethernet services; private networking, Internet, IP voice, and cloud solutions; optical wave and multi-protocol label switching services; IT and network technologies; and cable access network services. The company also owns Toronto Blue Jays and the Rogers Centre event venue; and operates Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet World, Citytv, OMNI, FX (Canada), FXX (Canada), and OLN television networks, as well as 55 AM and FM radio stations. Rogers Communications Inc. was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

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Schaeffler AG, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells precision components and systems for automotive and industrial applications in Europe, the Americas, China, and the Asia Pacific. The company's Automotive OEM division offers engine systems, including rolling bearing solutions, belt and chain drive products, valve train components, and systems for variable valve trains; and transmission systems, such as torsion and vibration dampers, clutches and double clutch systems, torque converters, CVT components, lightweight differentials, bearing solutions, and synchronizing and gearshift components. This division also provides chassis systems comprising wheel bearings, bearing solutions, steering components, electromechanical actuators for roll stabilizers, and power-assisted steering systems; and hybrid and electrical drive systems that include hybrid modules, electrical axle drives, and electrical wheel hub drives. Its Automotive Aftermarket division offers repair solutions for passenger cars, light commercial vehicles, heavy commercial vehicles, and tractors, as well as supporting services. The company's Industrial division provides components and systems. This division serves customers in the mobility, energy and raw materials, production machinery, aerospace, and industrial distribution. It has a strategic partnership with Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. The company was formerly known as INA Beteiligungsgesellschaft mit beschrAnkter Haftung and changed its name to Schaeffler AG in October 2014. The company was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany. Schaeffler AG is a subsidiary of IHO Verwaltungs GmbH.

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Thomson Reuters Corporation provides business information services in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It operates in five segments: Legal Professionals, Corporates, Tax & Accounting Professionals, Reuters News, and Global Print. The Legal Professionals segment offers research and workflow products focusing on legal research and integrated legal workflow solutions that combine content, tools, and analytics to law firms and governments. The Corporates segment provides a suite of content-enabled technology solutions for legal, tax, regulatory, compliance, and IT professionals. The Tax & Accounting Professionals segment offers research and workflow products focusing on tax offerings and automating tax workflows to tax, accounting, and audit professionals in accounting firms. The Reuters News segment provides business, financial, national, and international news to professionals through desktop terminals, media organizations, and industry events, as well as directly to consumers. The Global Print segment offers legal and tax information primarily in print format to legal and tax professionals, governments, law schools, and corporations. The company was formerly known as The Thomson Corporation and changed its name to Thomson Reuters Corporation in April 2008. The company was founded in 1851 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Thomson Reuters Corporation is a subsidiary of The Woodbridge Company Limited.

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Total Energy Services Inc. provides various products and services to the oil and natural gas industry primarily in Canada, the United States, and Australia. It operates through four segments: Contract Drilling Services, Rentals and Transportation Services, Compression and Process Services and Well Servicing. The Contract Drilling Services segment offers contract drilling services to oil and gas exploration and development companies. As of December 31, 2020, it operated a total fleet of 98 drilling rigs. The Rentals and Transportation Services segment provides drilling, completion and production rental equipment, and oilfield transportation services in western Canada and in the United States. This segment owned and operated a fleet of 87 heavy trucks. The Compression and Process Services segment offers gas compression services; and designs and packages skid style compressors and proprietary trailer-mounted compressors under the NOMAD brand in Canada and the United States, the European Union, Australia, and Mexico. It had 54,800 horsepower of compression in its rental fleet. The Well Servicing segment offers well services. This segment operated a total fleet of 83 well servicing rigs across Western Canada, mid-western United States, and Australia. It has a strategic alliance with Pason Systems Inc. to develop and deploy drilling automation and optimization technologies. The company was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

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Wells Fargo Advantage Multi-Sector Income Fund is a closed-ended fixed income mutual fund launched and managed by Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC. The fund is co-managed by First International Advisors, Inc. and Wells Capital Management Incorporated. It invests in fixed income markets across the globe. The fund primarily invests in a mix of non-investment-grade corporate debt securities, including bank loan securities, foreign and emerging markets debt securities, adjustable and fixed-rate mortgages, and investment-grade corporate bonds. It was formerly known as Evergreen Multi-Sector Income Fund. Wells Fargo Advantage Multi-Sector Income Fund was formed on June 25, 2003 and is domiciled in the United States.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Quest Diagnostics: AmeriPath, AmeriPath Cincinnati Inc. (OH), AmeriPath Cleveland Inc. (OH), AmeriPath Consolidated Labs Inc. (FL), AmeriPath Florida LLC (DE), AmeriPath Hospital Services Florida LLC (DE), AmeriPath Inc. (DE), AmeriPath Indianapolis PC (IN), AmeriPath Kentucky Inc. (KY), AmeriPath Lubbock 5.01(A) Corporation (TX), AmeriPath New York LLC (DE), AmeriPath Texas Inc. (DE), AmeriPath Tucson Inc. (AZ), American Medical Laboratories, American Medical Laboratories Incorporated (DE), Associated Clinical Laboratories L.P. (PA), Associated Clinical Laboratories of Pennsylvania L.L.C. (PA), Athena Diagnostics, Athena Diagnostics Inc. (DE), Blueprint Genetics, Blueprint Genetics FZ-LLC (UAE), Blueprint Genetics Inc. (DE), Blueprint Genetics Oy (Finland), California Laboratory Associates, Cape Cod Healthcare - Business, Celera, ClearPoint Diagnostic, Clearpoint Diagnostic Laboratories LLC (TX), Cleveland HeartLab, Cleveland HeartLab Inc. (DE), Clinical Laboratory Partners, Colorado Pathology Consultants P.C. (CO), ConVerge Diagnostic Services, Consolidated DermPath Inc. (DE), DFW 5.01(a) Corporation (TX), DGXWMT JV LLC (DE), Dermatopathology of Wisconsin S.C. (WI), Diagnostic Laboratory of Oklahoma LLC (OK), Diagnostic Pathology Services Inc. (OK), Diagnostic Reference Services Inc. (MD), ExamOne Canada Inc. (New Brunswick), ExamOne LLC (DE), ExamOne World Wide Inc. (PA), ExamOne World Wide of NJ Inc. (NJ), Focus Diagnostics, HemoCue, Hoffman M.D. Associated Pathologists Chartered (NV), Institute for Dermatopathology Inc. (PA), Isabella Street Urban Renewal LLC (NJ), Kailash B. Sharma M.D. Inc. (GA), Kilpatrick Pathology P.A. (NC), LabOne, LabOne LLC (MO), LabOne of Ohio Inc. (DE), Laboratorio de Analisis Biomedicos S.A. (Mexico), Lancet Labs, MACL, Med Fusion LLC (TX), Med fusion, MedPlus, Mid America Clinical Laboratories LLC (IN), Nomad Massachusetts Inc. (MA), Nuclear Medicine and Pathology Associates (GA), Ocmulgee Medical Pathology Association Inc. (GA), Pathology Building Partnership (MD) (gen. ptnrshp.), PeaceHealth Laboratories, PhenoPath Laboratories, PhenoPath Laboratories PLLC (WA), Q Squared Solutions Holdings LLC (DE), Q Squared Solutions Holdings Limited (UK), Quest Diagnostics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. (China), Quest Diagnostics Brasil Holdings Ltd. (UK), Quest Diagnostics Clinical Laboratories, Quest Diagnostics Clinical Laboratories Inc. (DE), Quest Diagnostics Domestic Holder LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics HTAS India Private Limited (India), Quest Diagnostics Health & Wellness LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Holdings Incorporated (DE), Quest Diagnostics Holdings Ltd. (UK), Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (MD), Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NV), Quest Diagnostics India Private Limited (India), Quest Diagnostics Infectious Disease Inc. (DE), Quest Diagnostics International Holdings Limited (UK), Quest Diagnostics International LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Investments LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Ireland Limited (Ireland), Quest Diagnostics LLC (CT), Quest Diagnostics LLC (IL), Quest Diagnostics LLC (MA), Quest Diagnostics Massachusetts LLC (MA), Quest Diagnostics Mexico Holding Company Trust (Mexico), Quest Diagnostics Mexico S de RL de CV (Mexico), Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute (CA), Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute Inc. (VA), Quest Diagnostics Receivables Inc. (DE), Quest Diagnostics Subsidiary Holdings Ltd. (UK), Quest Diagnostics TB LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Terracotta LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics Venture LLC (PA), Quest Diagnostics Ventures LLC (DE), Quest Diagnostics do Brasil Ltda. (Brazil), Quest Diagnostics of Pennsylvania Inc. (DE), Quest Diagnostics of Puerto Rico Inc. (PR), Quest HealthConnect LLC (CA), ReproSource, Reprosource Fertility Diagnostics Inc. (MA), Solstas Lab Partners, Sonora Quest Laboratories LLC (AZ), Specialty Laboratories Inc. (CA), Summit Health, UMass Memorial Medical Center - Anatomic Pathology Outreach Laboratory Business, Unilab Corporation, and Unilab Corporation (DE).
WASHINGTON -- As Congressman-elect Anthony Brindisi continues his thank you tour of the 22nd Congressional District, he shared pictures of his new office in Washington D.C.

On Wednesday, Brindisi tweeted, I thought you'd all like to see pics of our news office in Washington. It's not the best view but, like the inside of a cruise ship inner cabins, its not the view its the destination.

He went on to say how he is honored to occupy this office as your representative and he cant wait to get the work.

I thought youd all like to see pics of our new office in Washington. Its not the best view but, like the inside of a cruise ship inner cabin, its not the view it's the destination. Im so honored to occupy this office as your Representative. I cant wait to get to work #NY22 pic.twitter.com/xwRIUOEGv7  Anthony Brindisi (@ABrindisiNY) December 12, 2018

He's in Cannon Office Building 329.
COOPERSTOWN -- The Cooperstown Central School District held a forum Wednesday night to discuss the arrest of a teacher.

Parents and students came out seeking answers in the arrest of the Cooperstown Junior-Senior High School physical education teacher. Justin Hobbie is facing charges of receiving and distributing child pornography online.

Brittney Janitz, a student at Cooperstown Junior-Senior High School, shared her thoughts.

"He was a health teacher, too, Janitz said. He taught us sex-ed, and I'm just disgusted at the fact that he told us 'don't do this, don't do that' but he was doing it the whole time?"

The U.S. Attorneys prosecutor and Homeland Security officials were in attendance at the meeting, but could not discuss new details in Hobbies ongoing investigation. Attendees got a brief overview surrounding Hobbies arrest and the charges he is facing, but school officials say they can't give out new information. Parents say they want more.

"They've notified us but really haven't given us real answers," parent Stephen Janitz said.

Students say they hope the school continues to address the situation.

"It's a good school, said Brittney Janitz. We have a great education system, but feelings and actions matter."

If convicted, the 41-year-old faces between five and 20 years in prison, as well as post-release supervision and a fine. He would also have to register as a sex offender.

Hobbie's court hearing was adjourned until Dec. 19. Homeland Security urges anyone with information on this matter to contact them at 518-220-2129.
Neighbors were shocked after 21-year-old Amber Bowling's murder arrest, saying they would have helped if they had known it was needed.

"It's heartbreaking to hear something like this and to see something like this," said Sharon Wagers. "This is a quiet neighborhood, it's a nice place to live and I can't understand why someone would do something like this."

There is help. Kentucky's

allows parents to leave babies younger than 30 days at a designated safe place. Safe places include police and fire departments, hospitals and places of worship.

Assistant Chief John Gosper, with the Lexington Fire Department, said in his 28 years on the department he's never seen a baby dropped off. He knows the importance of the option. His son is a safe haven baby. He was left at a hospital at birth.

"My wife and I had a long history of not being able to have children so we got into the foster care system," Gosper said. "To watch them grow and to thrive, I just so appreciate that parent that made that decision to give this child a chance."

Neighboring states have similar laws to Kentucky but have taken a step further.

"A woman does not have to hand the child to a person," Monica Kelsey, owner of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, said. "A lot of women in this country will walk into a fire station or a hospital and surrender their child and that's what we want, we want the face-to-face handoff, but we also know there are women out there who want this complete anonymity."

allow parents to drop off a baby without talking to anyone. After the baby is placed inside the box an alarm sounds to notify personnel inside the building.

From a father who knows what it's like to love on a safe haven baby, Gosper urges if there are no other options to leave the baby at a safe place, promising it'll be protected.

"There are people out there who are willing to take care of these children," Gosper said.

Bowling is set to be in court Friday morning.
TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI)  A man is in critical condition after falling through an icy pond in northwest Tippecanoe County. The sheriff's office confirms he was under water for more than 10 minutes.

He was one of two men who fell into the pond at 2634 West and 750 North. Deputies said Thomas Watkins was taken to IU Health Arnett Hospital in critical condition. Brian Kennedy was taken as a precaution.

According to sheriff's deputies, Kennedy was able to make his way out of the water and went to a neighboring home to call 911.

Deputies said when they arrived, Watkins was still in the water. Lieutenant Daniel Dulin told News 18 "life-saving measures" were performed on him.



Kennedy was also taken to IU Health Arnett as a precaution. Lt. Dulin with Indiana DNR said he was treated for mild hypothermia.

The two are supposedly friends and were fishing on the pond at the time, deputies said.

A dive team recovered the fishing equipment from the water. There were about 20 holes made in the ice.

The Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Office, Wabash Township Fire and Rescue, and the Department of Natural Resources were among those assisting.

This is the third ice-related incident in two days we've reported across the state. Conservation officers warn that it has not been cold enough long enough for any ice to be safe in Indiana.

Indiana DNR said ice should be at least four inches thick to support people and Lt. Dan Dulin said even then, precautions must be taken on the ice.

"Definitely take equipment with you like a personal floatation device or a rope or ice picks to save yourself in case an emergency takes place," said Dulin. "Let people know where you are going to go and always have a plan if something does go wrong."

At 11:45 p.m. Wednesday, Lt. Dulin with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources said he hasn't received word on Watkins' condition.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Tipmont REMC has acquired Wintek Corporation.

Together, the two companies will deploy residential fiber internet access to Tipmont's current 23,000 customers in eight counties over the next eight years. The acquisition will give those who live out of the city limits better internet speeds and access.

Tipmont President and CEO, Ron Holcomb, spoke about how the acquisition and improving internet access goes hand in hand with Tipmont's mission of providing service to as many people as possible.

What we're committed to at Tipmont and now Wintek is to make sure that that opportunity is available for everyone, regardless of what type of application they have in mind, and that it's available for everyone in the region.

A local small business owner, Susan Benedict, attended the press conference this morning to give a brief testimony about how her experience with Wintek. She also shared her excitement about the merge and the opportunities it will lend to the community.

It levels the playing field from many different options, and what excites me is that my neighbors, friends and family around the state now have access to something that they didn't before.

The acquisition is expected to close by the end of the calendar year, and the joint organization plans to unveil a corporate rebrand and naming convention in the coming months.